[October 23, 2018] Thryv Small Business Software Announces "High Thryv Award" Winners

Thryv, the leading small business management software, announced today a program that recognizes top product advocates-by-example among its clients. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006224/en/ Murfreesboro and Shelbyville, Tenn.'s Beyond Aquatics wins "High Thryv Award" (Photo: Business Wire) The company's second quarter program winners include: Murfreesboro and Shelbyville, Tenn.'s Beyond Aquatics

East Norriton, Pa.'s Bouncetown

Encinitas, Calif.'s The Beauty Mark Medical Spa

Clovis, Calif.'s The Body Building The "High Thryv Award" celebrates small and medium-size businesses (SMB) that have transformed their business with Thryv, which is built and owned by DexYP. These small businesses are utilizing the full breadth of Thryv's features, including personalized customer relationship management (CRM), world-class scheduling, invoicing/payments, marketing tools and more.



"A company's clients are its best brand ambassadors," said Gordon Henry, Chief Marketing Officer at DexYP. "These super-users are now relying on our software to run their businesses, communicate with their customers, and become more efficient and in turn, more profitable." About 82 percent of business owners say they still use multiple platforms to communicate and market their business. Thryv serves as an all-in-one management software that marries enterprise-type tools and technology and modernizes essential business functions never performed or performed manually in the past.

"We rely on these brand ambassadors to guide us through the continued enhancements Thryv will provide," Henry continued. "They are running their businesses using Thryv and have the best first-hand knowledge of what software tools they need to succeed. "We believe in the American dream of owning and running your own small business. And anything we can do to support these business owners, we're going to do." High Thryv Award winners will receive a custom media package on various public forums such as thryv.com, social media presence, custom video shoots and community outreach opportunities. About DexYP DexYP builds and owns Thryv, the simple, easy-to-use software that helps small business owners with the daily demands of running a business; and allows them to take control and be more successful. Thryv provides modernized business functions allowing them to manage their time, communicate with clients, and get paid. These include building a digital customer list, communicating with customers via email and text, updating business listings across the internet, accepting appointments, sending notifications and reminders, managing ratings and reviews, generating estimates and invoices, processing payments, and issuing invoices and coupons. DexYP delivers business services to more than 500,000 small businesses across America that enable them to compete and win in today's economy. DexYP also provides consumer services through our market-leading search, display and social products-and connects local businesses to the over 50 million monthly visitors of DexKnows.com, Superpages.com and yellowpages.com search portals; and local print directories The Real Yellow Pages. For more information about the company, visit dexyp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006224/en/

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[October 23, 2018] Advicent Debuts NaviPlan Client Report Editor Enhancement for Enterprise Users at T3 Enterprise Conference

At this week's T3 Enterprise Conference, Advicent, an industry-leading financial planning technology provider based in Milwaukee, WI, unveiled the NaviPlan Client Report Editor, which provides a new level of client report configurability that will be available to enterprise users of its flagship NaviPlan application in November 2018. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006058/en/ The NaviPlan Client Report Editor from Advicent (Graphic: Business Wire) The NaviPlan Client Report Editor will grant home-office administrators unrivaled control over the visual layout, textual content, categorization, and field access of their entire client report library. Users can now draw upon the expansive data visualization options within NaviPlan to better showcase their firm's unique narrative and value propositions. "In an era when many large institutions are forced to rely on turnkey reporting options from other software vendors, it is important that we provide our partners with the necesary toolkit to differentiate themselves from their competition and demonstrate the value of their financial recommendations with the utmost clarity," Advicent Chief Technology Officer John Heinen said ahead of T3 Enterprise. "The NaviPlan Client Report Editor is one of many forthcoming NaviPlan capabilities that will equip large firms with substantial options for configuration that is still driven by an easily adoptable and scalable experience."



The Client Report Editor encourages a "just-right" level of customization The new feature, which was revealed during an afternoon session led by Advicent Director of Financial Planning Tom Burmeister, also enables users to find their "just-right" level of customization. Existing net-worth and retirement reports within NaviPlan can also be retooled to better suit any firm's greater ecosystem. Burmeister says the goal is to neither underwhelm nor overwhelm home-offices with admin-defined reporting options.

"While we know that firms are still often forced to rely on cookie-cutter client report options, it was important that we struck a level of customization that would not leave home-offices feeling rudderless in how they evolve their reporting experiences," Burmeister said. "Our enterprise partners can now either make minor adjustments more nimbly or fundamentally reimagine how their plan delivery is structured." The NaviPlan Client Report Editor is part of the upcoming NaviPlan 18.3 release. The feature is currently demonstration-ready for any interested firms. About Advicent Advicent is the financial planning technology provider of choice for over 100,000 financial professionals across over 3,000 firms worldwide, including four of the top five custodians, 15 of the top 25 broker-dealers, seven of the top 10 North American banks, and seven of the top 10 North American insurance firms. Our decades of experience empower Advicent to create scalable financial planning software; compliance workflow management solutions; fully branded client experiences through industry-leading APIs; and superior cash flow and goal-based calculations. Advicent products are designed to satisfy the needs of every investor and are used in firms of all sizes. Through our innovative product capabilities and dedicated services, we are able to help thousands of financial professionals and their clients understand and impact their financial future. To learn more, visit advicent.com or email marketing@advicent.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006058/en/

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[October 23, 2018] Digital dashboard for dental plans allows members to set appointments, ask questions, calculate out-of-pocket costs, get real-time benefits information and more

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dental Optimizer gives dental plans the comprehensive technology their members need to improve their oral health with less effort. These digital tools give members the power to check their benefits, get questions answered by dental professionals, calculate out-of-pocket costs, compare providers, schedule appointments and more. https://www.dentaloptimizer.com/ Dental plans can now make significant enhancements to the online experience of their members with a new suite of self-service dental tools. This unique platform gives members a digital version of their dental plan accessible from their phone, tablet or laptop. With companies like Alphabet pouring $540 million into Oscar Health, a digital-first health plan, traditional carriers need to adapt, and they need to do so fast. Dental Optimizer gives dental insurers the tools they need to remain competitive. "Traditional insurers are looking for new ways to improve their relationships with members and providers. Dental Optimizer accomplishes this by increasing the level of enagement between patients and dentists," said Sam Dyer, creator and chief marketing officer for Dental Optimizer.



What makes Dental Optimizer unique is that it meets the demand for both member and provider self-service tools. In addition to connecting patients with high-quality providers, members can calculate costs, assess risk levels, ask questions and more. Members also get at-a-glance information about their claims, deductibles and plan coverage from a centralized, easy-to-use dashboard. Consumer experience has become a major focus for many healthcare companies and dental practices. Members want to better understand and utilize their dental benefits, calculate costs, find the best providers and book appointments online.

Greg Hansen, Healthy Grid's managing director of Operations added, "Dental plans looking for ways to elevate the member experience need a compelling set of digital capabilities that fit their members' and providers' needs." Insurers interested in these tools can request a demonstration www.dentaloptimizer.com . About Healthy Grid

Greg Hansen is the managing director for Healthy Grid. Sam Dyer has over 18 years of experience in digital trends and consumer technology products. Healthy Grid is headquartered in Portland Oregon. www.healthygrid.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-dashboard-for-dental-plans-allows-members-to-set-appointments-ask-questions-calculate-out-of-pocket-costs-get-real-time-benefits-information-and-more-300736647.html SOURCE Healthy Grid

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[October 23, 2018] iGTB Oxford School of Transaction Banking Huge Success on First-Time Visit to Asia



53 participants from 25 banks across Asia give the iGTB Oxford School a rave 72% net promoter score. LONDON and SINGAPORE, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asian Tiger Singapore showed its hunger for growth and digital transformation when more than 50 participants representing 25 leading Asian banks attended the fourth iGTB Oxford School of Transaction Banking, held at the Fullerton in Singapore - the first outside its home base, Oxford. Mr. Yoshihisa Tokazu, Transaction Banking Division, MUFG, Tokyo said, "How we will proceed and process a transaction banking business is being illustrated with examples. This will help in resyncing and improving our process." Mr. Devashis Das, Joint General Manager, Mizuho, Singapore said, "A room full of transaction bankers with 15-30 years of experience is a lot of learning; take lessons and implement for better bank performance." Mr. Loo Eng Hock, GTB Head, HLBB Malaysia commented, "Fantastic program, I will recommend the program to all transaction bankers striving for excellence in managing top lines, clients and products." Mr. Andre Lee, Consultant, ALIS Capital Advisors Pte Ltd, Singapore, formerly senior executive with Citi, AmBank, UOB & Maybank Malaysia, said, "The content in the course is highly relevant and up-to-date. Practical examples on how these are applied are perfect for grooming transaction bankers." This year, the event was again led by Ted Roosevelt Malloch, CEO, The Roosevelt Group and unearthed a number of practical considerations for banks looking to capitalise on the growth opportunities in Asia. Enhanced by practical design insights from a stellar cast of been-there done-that experienced bankers, the course shares best practices and also allows the participants to test their own designs in practical exercises using "Design Thinking" principles  all to provide optimal solutions to address the key challenges in transaction bankng, as well as understand how digital innovations, marketing, economic and attitude of CEO's can impact transaction banking.



The School was well received by attendees drawn from across the financial services sector, achieving a magnificent Net Promoter Score of 72%, all responses agreeing they would recommend the course, and half scoring it 10/10. Mr. Manish Maakan, CEO of iGTB , said: "An Asia-exclusive iGTB Oxford school for transaction banking has turned out a massive success, with participation from numerous regional banks across Asia. Not only have we received excellent feedback from participants, but they will also now collaborate with each other as alumni of an elite school. The transaction banking business has never been so relevant to this part of the world. It has become imperative for banks to engage in a digital transformation of their transaction banking apparatus, and hence it is vital for emerging banks to understand and prioritise the various aspects of transaction banking. Our curriculum unlocks their potential, and we look forward to our events next year."

About this year's School Asian markets are beginning to empower each other. The continent's intraregional Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is more than 55% of all FDI pumped into Asia, and this new confidence was palpable in attendees who were eager to bring their transaction banking apparatus up-to-date and drive growth among businesses in one of the world's largest and oldest markets. The growth of intraregional trade in Asia, led by the exponential growth in SMEs and corporations, is also increasing demand for full-fledged and holistic transaction banking services. iGTB Oxford is the right brains trust for Asian banks that are looking to transform their digital transformation banking apparatus and become the principal bankers for their corporate clients growing at an exponential rate. The course's special curriculum, designed by Andrew England, Strategy Director, iGTB  whose aim is to teach "how to run a successful and profitable transaction banking franchise"  found many takers in Asia, with regional bank realising that transaction banking can accelerate their growth and reach within Asian markets and even beyond. Two subjects became prominent in all discussions: the advent of fintechs, and the challenges faced by senior corporate treasurers. A corporate panel shared invaluable insights about their buying practices, managing multiple accounts across regional and multinational banks, and their urgent need for innovation in banks, especially in virtual accounts. About Intellect Design Arena Ltd: Intellect Design Arena Ltd, a specialist in applying true digital technologies, is the world's first full spectrum Banking and Insurance technology products company, across Global Consumer Banking (iGCB), Central Banking, Global Transaction Banking (iGTB), Risk, Treasury and Markets (iRTM), and Insurance (Intellect SEEC). With over 25 years of deep domain expertise, Intellect is the brand that progressive financial institutions rely on for digital transformation initiatives. Intellect pioneered Design Thinking for cutting-edge products and solutions for Banking and Insurance, with design being the company's key differentiator in enabling digital transformation. FinTech 8012, the world's first design centre for Financial Technology, reflects Intellect's commitment to continuous and impactful innovation to address the growing need for digital transformation. Intellect generates annual revenues of more than USD 169 million, serving more than 200 customers through offices in 40+ countries and with a diverse workforce of more than 4,000 solution architects, domain and technology experts in major global financial hubs around the world. For further information on the organization and its solutions, please visit intellectdesign.com. For information on the solutions for global transaction banking, please visit https://www.igtb.com

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[October 23, 2018] Middle School Student Develops Novel Solar Panel System; Wins $25,000 Top Award in the National Broadcom MASTERS Competition

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public today announced that Georgia Hutchinson, 13, Woodside, California, won the coveted $25,000 Samueli Foundation Prize, the top award in the Broadcom MASTERS, the nation's premier science and engineering competition for middle school students. Georgia's more efficient and cost-effective solar power system relies on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine where the sun will be at any date and time. She built a computer model to illustrate how electricity from solar panels pointed at those spots would compare to electricity produced by fixed-position panels and created a computer program to control her tracker's motor and the position of the solar panels. The Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars), a program of the Society for Science & the Public, inspires middle school students to follow their personal passions to exciting college and career pathways in STEM. Thirty finalists, including Georgia, took home more than $100,000 in awards. They were honored during an awards ceremony for their achievements in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) together with their demonstration of 21st Century skills including critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaborative skills and team work. The finalists are judged on projects that they presented at their state or regional science fair; their knowledge of STEM subjects and their demonstration of 21st Century skills in a series of hands-on challenges. These challenges include designing a new type of shark tag; designing, coding and building a functional program using Raspberry Pi and Sense Hat; and determining how long it would take for a zombie pathogen to infect the world's population. "I am thrilled to congratulate Georgia, whose project focused on creating a lower cost solar panel system," said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News. "Middle school is a critical time of transition for young people, where they are figuring out their path forward. I'm proud that through the Broadcom MASTERS, the Society and the Broadcom Foundation are able to support and cultivate an interest in STEM for thousands of middle schoolers around the country." "The Broadcom MASTERS taps ten percent of young people participating in state and regional science fairs throughout the STEM Ecosystem to participate in this national competition. These kids are exemplars of the quality work being done by middles schoolers with their teachers, mentors and families throughout the US. The Top 300 and 30 finalists are representative of special young people who are preparing themselves to solve the Grand Challenges we face through the world," said Paula Golden, President of the Broadcom Foundation. "The Broadcom Foundation is honored to champion young scientists, engineers and innovators and spur them on to greatness." Georgia Hutchinson, 13, Woodside, California, won the $25,000 Prize, for her project creating more cost-effective solar panels. The prize is a gift of Dr. Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom Corporation and Chair of the Broadcom Foundation and his wife, Dr. Susan Samueli, President of the Samueli Foundation. Jack Albright, 14, Hillsborough, California, won the $20,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields. Albright developed a machine learning tool to predict the onset of mild and severe impacts from Alzheimer's on cognitive abilities. Jacqueline Prawira, 13, Mountain House, California, won the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, an honor made possible by Samueli's generous donation of his 2012 Marconi Society Prize Award. Prawira's project explored how fibers from common plant-based materials found in garbage could improve the formation and strength of plastic, enabling people to make better use of materials hat would otherwise be thrown away.



John Madland 14, Salem, Oregon, won the $7,500 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. Madland's project involved creating a model showing that a magnetic shield set above the surface of Mars might, in the future, protect people on the planet's surface. Broadcom MASTERS winners were chosen from the 30 finalists (14 girls and 16 boys) selected from 2,537 applicants in 35 states. Winners were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators. Each finalist's school will receive $1,000 from the Broadcom MASTERS to benefit their science program.

In addition to the top prizes, the Broadcom Foundation and the Society also announced first and second place winners in each of the STEM categories of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, the Team Award and two Rising Stars who will be the U.S. delegates at the Broadcom MASTERS International and official observers to Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Winners Include: The Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000

Georgia Hutchinson, Woodside Elementary School: Woodside, California

Designing a Data-Driven Dual Axis Solar Tracker Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement: $20,000

Jack Albright, The Nueva School: Hillsborough, California

Predicting the Future: Using Machine Learning to Forecast the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000

Jacqueline Prawira, Altamont Elementary School: Mountain House, California

Bio.fiber.plastic: The Effect of Lignocellulosic Fiber in Enhancing the Formation and Tensile Strength of Rice Bioplastic Lemelson Award for Invention: $7,500

John Madland, Leslie Middle School: Salem, Oregon

Terrella Aurora Model: A Demonstration of Charged Particle Shielding for Space Exploration STEM Award Winners:

First and second place winners of STEM Awards demonstrated acumen and promise in science, technology, engineering and math. First place winners were awarded $3,500 and second place winners receive $2,500 to support his or her choice of a STEM summer camp experience in the U.S. Each STEM Award winner also received an iPad. Top awards in math were sponsored by Robert John Floe, President, Floe Financial Partners. Science Award: First place: Amara Ort h, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Chemical Analysis of Honey Bee Propolis: Habitat Diversity Affects the Quality of Propolis  An Essential Component of Honey Bee Colonies

Second place: Janani Kumaran Gainesville, Florida

Integrated Control of the Invasive Aquatic Plant Hydrilla Using Snails and a Plant Growth Regulator (Continuation Project: Year 2) Technology Award: First place: Gabriella Lui , Palatine, Illinois

Design a Fully Automated Real-Time Presence Detection Safety System in a School Environment Using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology

Second place: Gary Zhan , Logan, Utah

The Colder, the BluerSignificant Enhancement of Indigoidine Production Using a Cold-Shock Inducible Promoter Engineering Award: First place: Alice Feng , San Jose, California

The Effect of Mushroom Species and Substrates on the Properties of a Novel Biodegradable Material: Mycelium

Second Place: Mihir Nitin Joshi , Salem, Oregon

Terrella Aurora Model : A Demonstration of Charged Particle Shielding for Space Exploration Mathematics Award: First Place: Espen Slettnes, Castro Valley, California

Minimal Embedding Dimensions of Rectangle k-Visibility Graphs

Second place: Asmi Kumar, Milton, Georgia

Developing a Device to Predict Autistic Meltdowns Using Arduino and MS Azure Rising Stars Award:

In recognition of their promise as the youngest competitors, two Rising Stars win a trip to Phoenix, Arizona in May 2019 as the United States delegate to Broadcom MASTERS International and Official Observer at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest international high school science fair competition. Kate Quinn , Louisville, Kentucky

Exploring Atrazine's Neurotoxicity as a Possible Cause of Parkinson's Disease

Sriram Bhimaraju , Cupertino, California

Low-Cost Archery Assistant with an Interface for the Visually Impaired Team Award:

Each member of the team that best demonstrates their ability to work together and solve problems through shared decision making, communication and scientific and engineering collaboration will receive an iPod Touch. Black Team: Sriram Bhimaraju , Laura Maria Reilly-Sanchez , Tyler Bissoondial , Akshaya Venketesh and Asmi Kumar Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award:

Finalists select one student from the group based on their leadership abilities to represent their class as a speaker at the awards ceremony. Gary Zhan , Logan, Utah

The Colder, the BluerSignificant Enhancement of Indigoidine Production Using a Cold-Shock Inducible Promoter Resources:

For more information on the Broadcom MASTERS, visit the Broadcom Foundation and Society websites. To keep up with the Broadcom MASTERS, use the hashtag #brcmMASTERS or follow Broadcom Foundation and the Society on Twitter or the Society on Instagram. And to stay connected, visit the Broadcom MASTERS and Society Facebook pages. You can also follow the Society on Snapchat (Society4Science). About Broadcom Foundation

Founded in April 2009, the Broadcom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation the mission of advancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education by funding research, recognizing scholarship and increasing opportunity. The foundation inspires young people to pursue careers in STEM and to develop 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. It is a founding member of the National STEM Funders Network and plays a leadership role in the STEM Education Ecosystem Initiative in the US and Israel. The foundation's signature programs, the Broadcom MASTERS and the Broadcom MASTERS International, are the premier science and engineering competitions for middle school students around the United States and the world. Learn more at http://broadcomfoundation.org/ and follow us on Twitter (@BroadcomSTEM). About Society for Science & the Public

Society for Science & the Public is dedicated to the achievement of young scientists in independent research and to public engagement in science. Established in 1921, the Society is a nonprofit whose vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Through its world-class competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Broadcom MASTERS, and its award-winning magazine, Science News and Science News for Students, Society for Science & the Public is committed to inform, educate, and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Society4Science). Society for Science & the Public Press Contact:

Gayle Kansagor

703-489-1131

Gkansagor@societyforscience.org View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/middle-school-student-develops-novel-solar-panel-system-wins-25-000-top-award-in-the-national-broadcom-masters-competition-300736685.html SOURCE Society for Science & the Public

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[October 23, 2018] Climate Protection in Transport: International Conference on Renewable Mobility "Fuels of the Future 2019" - The Programme is Online

BERLIN, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The programme for the 16th International Conference on Renewable Mobility "Fuels of the Future" at http://www.fuels-of-the-future.com, which will take place on 21/22 January 2019 in Berlin, is now online. Negotiations on the global climate agreement in Katowice in December 2018 (COP24) mark a further milestone on the path towards the ambitious goals of limiting global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How can the transport sector, drawing on the full range of affordable technological developments, contribute to attaining climate change mitigation objectives? The increasing diversification of drive technoogies, along with production and use of renewable fuels, constitute challenges for sustainable renewable mobility, yet also provide the key to achieving the targets.



The extensive programme offers a variety of topics with relevance for increasing climate protection in individual and heavy goods traffic, as well as in the fields of aviation and shipping. On the opening day, the focus will be on mobility, set between the conflicting priorities of climate protection, economic efficiency and user acceptance. In the plenary session, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, the European Parliament, European agriculture, the petroleum and automotive industries and the scientific community will discuss future prospects for the transport sector.

On the second day of the conference, 11 forums will examine a broad spectrum of topics from all areas of renewable energy in the mobility sector: German and international experts will present news on technical developments, research, certification, market analysis and trade flows, as well as entering into discussions with conference participants. These forums, like the exhibitor forum with exhibition stands, will also offer scope for professional exchanges and networking. Contact:

German Bioenergy Association (BBE)

Phone: +49(0)228/81002-22

hartmann@bioenergie.de SOURCE German Bioenergy Association (BBE)

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[October 23, 2018] George Zhao, President of Honor, talks "Fearless Technology, Infinite Innovations" with young entrepreneurs at TEDx CaohejingParkSalon

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018 /CNW/ -- George Zhao, President of Honor, delivered his first TEDx talk at Caohejing Park, Shanghai today where he shared his vision for perfection and technological innovation. Zhao also revealed how Honor received global success by becoming the top smartphone e-brand in China for four consecutive years. At TEDx CaohejingParkSalon Zhao explained to a young audience of budding entrepreneurs that "in 2015, I travelled back to my homeland to lead Honor. Although I only had B2B experience back then, I knew that I only had one option -- to make Honor succeed. Over the past few years, in a 'Fearless Technology, Infinite Innovations' environment, Honor never ceases to enhance its technology or product quality and raise its core competitiveness. Innovation, quality and service have always been and always will be our top priorities. By continuously exploring these three areas, our upcoming 'Honor Magic 2', will be officially unveiled next week in Beijing and is bound to take smartphones to a whole new level. We believe that a company can only rise above the rest and stay relevant by delivering the best product with ultimate user experience." "As the fastest-growing mobile phone brand, Honor never adopts an opportunistic approach in devising strategies. In 2015, Honor insisted on pooling their resources to deliver the best product and service quality, instead of relying on the 'spur-of-the-moment'. In 2016, when the global smartphone market suffered a steep decline, Honor persevered and was resolute in its vision. In 217, when the industry was skeptical about their prospects, Honor insisted that its enterprises keep their vision focused on the future and boost momentum. In 2018, despite the smartphone market in China hitting a severe slump, Honor sailed through the storm. Not only did they record positive sales growth, they also remained China's top smartphone e-brand for the year," he added.



As a leading smartphone e-brand, Honor encourages young people to achieve their life dreams every day and always stay true to themselves, with a commitment to innovation that changes people's lives. The aim of today's TEDx talk was to share this passion and confidence with young people directly, helping them to fulfill their aspirations and change the world. By empowering human beings to foresee the future, AI has always been a core strategic technology for Honor. Long before the industry came to realize the importance of AI, Honor had already invested heavily in AI R&D and built an AI ecosystem.

Zhao started his career with Huawei in 1998, working with them for 20 years in China and around the world. This experience gave him a great insight into how we use technology in our everyday lives and how it can change our lives for the better. As the President of Honor, he is responsible for the overall business management and growth of the Honor brand. TEDx is a programme offering local and self-organized events that bring people together to share TED-like experiences in the spirit of spreading worthwhile ideas. Every year, TEDx CaohejingParkSalon in Shanghai invites diverse and experienced leaders to speak and exchange ideas with young entrepreneurs. # # # About Honor Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers. For more information, please visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com or follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

https://www.youtube.com/honorglobal View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/george-zhao-president-of-honor-talks-fearless-technology-infinite-innovations-with-young-entrepreneurs-at-tedx-caohejingparksalon-300736693.html SOURCE Honor

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[October 23, 2018] XTransfer closes a $10 million series A round of financing led by China Merchants Group with participation from 01VC, Yunqi Partners and Gaorong Capital

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- XTransfer, a cross-border financial technology company dedicated to serving foreign trade B2B enterprises today announces it has secured a $10 million series A round of financing led by China Merchants Group with participation from 01VC, Yunqi Partners and Gaorong Capital. It is reported that the financing will be used for expansion by XTransfer of its international financial network, application for financial license and market promotion. Founded in May 2017 and headquartered in Shanghai, XTransfer has offices in Hong Kong, U.K., Canada, Japan and the U.S. The company provides offshore financing solutions for China's small and medium importers and exporters through its global capital network, offering services such as global collection, payments, foreign exchange and wealth management. China is currently the world's largest exporting nation, and the second largest importing nation. According to XTransfer founder Bill Deng, the Chinese government plans to additionally import USD 500 million to USD 1 billion of goods within the next five to ten years, the majority of which will be for local consumption to meet "people's desire for a happy life", a move which is in keeping with the businesses of small and medium enterprises. Thus, small and medium enterprises will in the future become a main force in cross-border import and export trade. Nevertheless, enterprises in cross-border trades often face problems with respect to global collections, payment and foreign exchange. Large enterprises are capable of setting out dedicated teams to handle global funding by developing a complex system to link with banks. Small and medium enterprises in contrast, are beginning to find it difficult to open offshore bank accounts, not least because of anti-money laundering measures. Several banks in China with offshore account capabilities have begun to tighten their policies since the second half of 2014. For example, Hong Kong-based banks such as HSBC and Hang Seng Bank have since 2015 raised their bar for offshore account-opening, which has resulted in opening of accounts difficult for many people involved in foreign trade. Then in the second half of 2016, banks began to urge Chinese enterprises to close their offshore bank accounts. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority even explicitly stated in a special report on its website dated February 8, 2018 about the difficulty of opening offshore bank accounts in Hong Kong. An individual/entity who fails to open an account would have to wait for half a year or longer for a second attempt. This problem is compounded by the fact that large local and foreign banks refuse, out of consideration on return and risk, to serve small and medium enterprises which often yield low returns but present a high risk to the bank. To tackle this problem, XTransfer partners with DBS Hong Kong and launches virtual sub-accounts with functions that are almost identical with those of traditional offshore bank accounts - it is akin to rendering the bank's counter work on-line. Enterprises in Mainland China and Hong Kong may open such an account by submitting their basic information to XTransfer's risk control team for verification. Furthermore, there are no charges for accout-opening. Such offshore bank accounts are multi-currency accounts - they support up to 14 major currencies, with more currencies being added.



Unlike accounts in traditional banks, offshore accounts with XTransfer are free of maintenance fees, annual fees or even account-entry fee. They can also be opened quickly - many within 24 hours of submitting a completed application to open an offshore account with XTransfer. XTransfer also faces money laundering risk. To counter this risk, Bill Deng reveals that it uses technology to verify the identity of persons having actual control over the enterprise, as well as identify the enterprise's structural data and logistics information.

Cross-border businesses often involve currency exchange. As 85% of China's foreign trades are with non-U.S. regions, such trades would require exchanging currencies on couple of occasions. For this XTransfer has launched a product called "XForward", allowing the buyer to give price quotation in his home currency. This has allowed emerging markets to be accessible. Buyers from non-US Dollar regions would not have to worry about exchange rate fluctuations as they only need to quote their prices in local currencies. This not only accelerates the negotiation process but also eliminates foreign exchange cost of buyers. XForward could also help buyers to lock in an exchange rate to avoid significant exchange rate fluctuations. "First of all, we acquire users through providing free, rapid establishment of offshore accounts for foreign trade B2B enterprises. We are then able to offer a series of global wealth management activities and services including collection, payments and foreign currency exchange. Our aim is to enable small and medium foreign trade enterprises to enjoy, through standardized, electronic and data-enabled products, cross-border financial services that previously only large global enterprises would enjoy," said Bill Deng to iHeima. It is understood that XTransfer is currently building an open platform for financial data related to international trade. Using end-to-end trade data, it aims to provide grass-root level financial infrastructure such as microfinance for financial institutions. When asked about competitive barrier, Bill Deng took the view that in today's business environment, for someone to gain customers' trust, one must let customers feel that every aspect of a product has been meticulously crafted. It is just like entering a "bank's lobby" which is impeccably furnished to give customers increased confidence. As long as one continues to increase value-added services and supplies products according to customers' needs while also providing professional services, one will ultimately gain customers' trust. Customers will tell them how to expand customer base by meeting their needs before developing new products. All they need is to then use their technology and products to accomplish this objective. This is a virtuous cycle. At present XTransfer serves more than 10,000 customers. Early in October the company also obtained a payment license in the U.K. on which it would conduct a round of promotion and advertisements at Canton Fair and in subways. As for the future Bill Deng said that once XTransfer is able to penetrate the Chinese market, the same set of financial services solutions can also be used to serve small and medium enterprises in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan region which require offshore financial services. In terms of the company's management team, all five of XTransfer's founders are from Ant Financial and Alibaba. They have seen within the Alibaba system the enormous success of One Touch which provides payment and financial services to small and medium foreign trade enterprises, despite the fact that it serves customers that make up less than 1% of the market. They also saw how innovative European fintech companies like TransferMate which focused on B2B cross-border financial services were expanding rapidly and attempting to open up the Chinese market. They therefore decided to leave Ant Financial to found XTransfer. XTransfer CEO Bill Deng graduated from Fudan University before working for three years in the Beijing, Singapore and Shanghai offices of VISA. In 2010 he joined Alipay (he was in Alipay's International Operations Department in 2014, responsible for retail sales collections of Chinese vendors; in 2016 he was responsible for Alipay's cross-border remittance operations). He resigned from Alipay in April 2017 to become an entrepreneur. The company's CRO Alice Yao graduated from Zhejiang University and has worked in American consulting firm Opera as well as PayPal under its Global Risk Management Department (covering payment risk, compliance and money laundering risk). In 2014 she joined Ant Financial, and was in charge of its Commercial Intelligence Department in 2016. CMO Leon Deng was among the first batch of business development staff for PayPal. From 2011 to 2016 he served at Ant Financial's International Business Department where he was in charge of development of e-commerce exporters' retail collections and local e-commerce importers. In 2016 he worked in Aliyun where he was responsible for business development of solutions for the medical industry. CPO/CSO K2 Deng joined Alibaba in 2004 and held a number of positions. He was regional manager for B2B China vendors. In 2014 he was at Alipay's International Business Department where he was responsible for external vendors. In 2016 he was responsible for Aliyun's international operations for corporate application. CTO Liu Yanfang worked in Alibaba's B2B operations where he was in charge of payment and financial technology; he set up Alibaba's payment and financial platform from scratch. This article is originally written by IHeima. XTransfer is authorized to translate and reprint it in the release. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xtransfer-closes-a-10-million-series-a-round-of-financing-led-by-china-merchants-group-with-participation-from-01vc-yunqi-partners-and-gaorong-capital-300736704.html SOURCE XTransfer

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[October 23, 2018] City of Marina Appeals Improper CPUC Approval of Key Environmental Document for Cal Am Desalination Project to California Supreme Court

The City of Marina has petitioned the California Supreme Court to review the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Cal Am Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (Project) approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The City asserts that the EIR is factually, scientifically and legally inadequate and fails to adequately consider the impacts of a large industrial desalination project in a protected coastal setting within a disadvantaged community. "The CPUC approval not only violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), but it flies in the face of long held values that our state has embraced for generations," said Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado. The City is now considering the Project's coastal development permit and it requires an adequate EIR to fulfill its responsibilities. The Project EIR's current widespread inadequacies impair its use by all responsible agencies that are now required to use the environmental document in their own permit review processes. The City is asking the California Supreme Court to quickly find that the EIR is inadequate under CEQA and overturn its certification to prevent permitting bodies from issuing project approvals based on a deficient environmental analysis. "We are greatly concerned about the potential harm from this Project to our city, and it is essential that other regulatory agencies understand how completely flawed the EIR and CPUC certification is before they base their own permitting decisions on this document," said Delgado. "The CPUC failed to fulfill its duty to protect our working-class community from anticipated severe impacts to our coastal ecosystem, our groundwater, and our own land use planning. It appears that the were in support of Cal Am's Project from the start and that has shaped their actions restricting communications with us, ignoring the adverse impacts of the Project to Marina, and ultimately rushing a decision in favor of Cal Am. They did not fairly or fully consider better water supply alternatives that could provide water to the Peninsula at a reasonable or lower cost and avoid adverse environmental impacts to Marina, which will bear the burden of the Project's construction and operation."



The desalination Project approved by the CPUC would use experimental slant wells almost completely located under the ground in the City of Marina, rather than under the ocean. These risky slant wells would extract approximately 16 million gallons per day of groundwater from the "critically overdrafted" Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (which supplies 100 percent of the City's drinking water) and export it after treatment to other Monterey Peninsula communities. Cal Am has no established water rights, or any likely path to obtain such water rights in the future, that would authorize it to extract water from this protected basin. The CPUC also committed legal error by failing to consider results of an important new study by Dr. Rosemary Knight from Stanford University that provides a three-dimensional picture of the actual hydrologic conditions in this basin, and which clearly demonstrates how the slant well intakes will tap into a supply of fresh water and make the groundwater basin further susceptible to depletion and contamination. The CPUC did not revise and recirculate the EIR to include this new information as was required by law, and instead inexplicably concluded that the potential Project impacts to groundwater would not be significant. The CPUC also failed to adequately address environmental justice concerns despite the fact that the Project wells will take water from a disadvantaged community without providing any meaningful protection or mitigation.

Marina's filing highlights a litany of deficiencies in the EIR that the CPUC failed to make any attempt to resolve. The Commission did not fairly consider reasonable alternatives, and improperly concluded that environmental impacts in key resource areas - including ESHA, terrestrial species, coastal ecosystem, marine species, groundwater resources and other areas - would be "less than significant." "This Project would likely cause irreparable harm to our city by damaging our local water supply and exposing our coast to significant environmental damage, none of which is adequately analyzed in this EIR," said Delgado. "There are no Project benefits for the City of Marina, and no proposed mitigations that would address our many concerns. The CPUC is required to carefully consider Project impacts as well as reasonable alternatives to meet the Project goals, but they failed on both accounts. Their EIR review of impacts is one-sided, and their decision in support of Cal Am is based on an EIR displaying serious violations of CEQA." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006250/en/

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[October 23, 2018] Consulting Engineers from Across Canada Celebrate 50 years of Excellence in the Industry

OTTAWA, Oct. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - From efficient building and iconic bridge designs, to enhancing the delivery of critical infrastructure and resource development, the work of consulting engineering firms was on full display in Ottawa Tuesday night, as twenty leading-edge projects received the highest recognition for engineering excellence at the 2018 Canadian Consulting Engineering (CCE) Awards gala. Twenty Awards of Excellence were handed out in a range of categories. Of these, five were recognized with additional Special Achievement Awards for demonstrating the highest level of technical innovation, dedication to the environment, Canadian expertise abroad, and engineering that most enhances Canadians' social, economic or cultural quality of life. Winners were selected by independent jurors with distinguished backgrounds in various sectors of the industry. Now in their 50th year, the CCE awards are presented jointly by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC) and Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine. "Tonight, we not only celebrate this year's incredible rojects, we celebrate the extraordinary work of consulting engineers over the past 50 years and the important role they have on the social, economic and environmental quality of life of all Canadians," said ACEC President and CEO John Gamble. "Consulting engineers have a direct impact on our communities and our daily lives. The CCE awards are our chance to recognize these achievements on a national stage."



In addition, ACEC presented three awards to deserving individuals and teams. The 2018 Beaubien Award for lifetime achievement was presented to Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., of McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. The Chair's Award for exceptional contributions to the industry was bestowed to the team at Public Services and Procurement Canada, led by Assistant Deputy Minister Arianne Reza, for championing a Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) pilot project. Finally, the 2019 Allen D. Williams scholarship, recognizing a young professional's commitment to consulting engineering, was awarded to Graham Lovely, P.Eng., of MCW Consultants Ltd. Since 1968, over 170 Member Firms, at times in partnership with others, have been recognized with an award for projects of high quality, innovation, and technical excellence. In all, some 459 projects have been awarded for their outstanding achievement in all areas of consulting engineering work.

This year's award-winning projects are described in full in the October-November 2018 issue of Canadian Consulting Engineer at www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/digital-edition/. In November, follow the #20DaysOfExcellence in engineering campaign on Twitter and at www.acec.ca/20daysofexcellence to watch videos of the winning projects and to learn more about the impact of consulting engineering on our quality of life. ACEC represents companies in Canada that provide professional engineering services to both public and private sector clients. These services include the planning, design and execution of all types of engineering projects, as well as providing independent advice and expertise in a wide range of engineering and engineering-related fields. For more information about ACEC and the 2018 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards, please visit www.acec.ca. Canadian Consulting Engineer is a bi-monthly magazine for engineers in the construction industry. It is a division of Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. SOURCE Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC)

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[October 24, 2018] Chris Newcomb Honoured for Lifetime Achievement at Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards

OTTAWA, Oct. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) is pleased to announce Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., Chair of the Board of McElhanney Services Ltd., as the recipient of the 2018 Beaubien Award. The Beaubien Award recognizes individuals for their lifetime contributions to ACEC and to the advancement of the consulting engineering profession and industry. The award was presented at the 2018 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards gala in Ottawa Tuesday night. The Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards are considered the highest form of recognition for excellence in the consulting engineering industry. Chris considers his path to leadership in the consulting engineering sector as one that is defined by his respect for the profession and his interest in being part of the community. Chris' educational background and STEM related skills allowed for a natural progression into the engineering profession. Upon immigrating to Canada "for a lark" after graduating from civil engineering at the University of Manchester in the late 1960s, he spent the next five years working as a design engineer for Associated Engineering. When an engineer for a project in Tanzania was needed, he volunteered to go, spending the next three years in East Africa and a subsequent two years in Ecuador. Upon his return to Vancouver in 1981, Chris joined McElhanney as a project manager, contributing to many important infrastructure projects, including the Southwest Calgary Ring Road, Port Mann Highway 1 and Sea to Sky Highway improvemens, the Golden Ears Bridge and the Vancouver Island Highway project. With his natural diligence, Chris rose through the ranks to become the firm's President in 1997. For the next 16 years, he oversaw this independently-owned firm quadruple in size, expand its geographic range, and significantly diversify its practice.



Shortly after becoming President, Chris saw an opportunity to pursue his passion for humanitarian work by extending his professional expertise to important international projects that had social value. He participated in major relief efforts in Southeast Asia, including within landmine-contaminated regions of Cambodia and post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in Aceh, Indonesia, assisting in rebuilding these countries after war and natural disasters. Throughout his career, Chris has devoted hours to strengthening the consulting engineering industry. He served on the Boards of ACEC-BC for five years and ACEC-Canada for 10 years, chairing both organizations during these tenures. Since 2007, he has been a fixture at the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) annual conference and was elected to their Executive Committee in 2011, a reflection of the high level of respect among his peers in Canada and overseas. During his time on these Boards, Chris strengthened relationships between government and industry, championed YP program development, advocated for Quality-Based Selection, and promoted Design-Build and P3 delivery models. At FIDIC, he was also responsible for implementing a fairer member subscription fee.

The development of young professionals is a constant theme throughout Chris' career. He was inspired to champion student outreach and young professionals by observing the raw talent of McElhanney's YPs. As Co-Chair of the ACEC-Canada Student Outreach Task Force, he was instrumental in the creation of the Engineering Legacies website. Chris has also been a strong proponent for the FIDIC YP Management Training Program, ensuring McElhanney YP participation. A testament to his passion for supporting YPs, McElhanney launched the CF Newcomb Award that recognizes an employee that has made a significant impact and demonstrated early success in their careers. Chris' vision and unique understanding of the forces impacting consulting has served the industry beyond measure. His passion and advocacy for the sector has also garnered respect among his colleagues, peers, clients, partners, and government leaders. Through his efforts and accomplishments, he has contributed to the improved stature of consulting engineering provincially, nationally, and internationally. As the recipient of ACEC's 2018 Beaubien Award, Chris is recognized by his peers for his exemplary service to the association, the consulting engineering industry and the engineering profession. The Beaubien award was created by ACEC in 1984 in honour of Dr. James de Gaspe Beaubien, who founded ACEC in 1925. About ACEC

ACEC represents companies in Canada that provide professional engineering services to both public and private sector clients. These services include the planning, design and execution of all types of engineering projects, as well as providing independent advice and expertise in a wide range of engineering and engineering-related fields. For more information about ACEC and the 2018 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards, please visit www.acec.ca. Multimedia (includes photo and video):

Chris Newcomb photo

Chris Newcomb, Beaubien Award Recipient page on acec.ca SOURCE Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC)

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[October 24, 2018] Toys "R" Us Iberia Partners With Openbravo to Deploy Its POS Solution as Part of the Transformation of Its Stores in Spain and Portugal

BARCELONA, Spain, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The strategic partnership will enable Toys "R" Us Iberia to execute its new business strategy after its recent acquisition by Green Swan, with the transformation of the shopping experience in all physical stores through the adoption of Openbravo's POS solution in the Cloud Openbravo today announced that it has been awarded a five-year contract by Toys "R" Us Iberia. The contract covers Openbravo POS software deployment in the Openbravo Cloud and implementation services in all 61 stores across Spain and Portugal. It also includes integration with SAP solutions ERP and Hybris to deploy a new end-to-end omnichannel solution. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773424/Toys_R_Us_Logo.jpg )

"We are pleased to have signed this contract with Openbravo," said Paulo Sousa Marquez, CEO, Toys "R" Us Iberia. "We value Openbravo's modern technology, which will enable us to accelerate the store transformations, and the agilitythat comes from being web-native and mobile-ready."



Through the adoption of Openbravo POS, a key component of the Openbravo Commerce Cloud solution, Toys "R" Us stores will gain access to a broad set of assisted sales capabilities that will enable greater customer focus and a faster, more convenient checkout experience while also supporting its omnichannel strategy. The cloud deployment will ensure central management for all stores and terminals, which will dramatically reduce total IT and maintenance costs. "Toys 'R' Us is an emblematic brand with which many of us share an emotional bond. This is why we are very proud to collaborate with the company to help the team achieve their business goals in this new growth stage," said Marco de Vries, CEO, Openbravo. "For Openbravo, this important agreement confirms our strategic success and further strengthens our market position as a reference retail software vendor. This partnership will be instrumental in further accelerating business growth in Spain and beyond."

About Toys "R" Us Iberia Toys "R" Us Iberia opened its first store in Barcelona in 1991. Today, it comprises 51 stores in Spain and 10 in Portugal, as well as online stores http://www.toysrus.es and http://www.toysrus.pt, and has approximately 1,300 employees. Now in its 27th year, the company's mission is to bring happiness to families with experiential stores and the best range of products for babies and kids. About Openbravo Openbravo is a global omnichannel software vendor for agile and innovative retailing. The Openbravo Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based retail software solution providing comprehensive omnichannel and supply chain capabilities. It is built on a highly flexible, mobile-enabled technology platform, which allows retailers to innovate more and faster, and to manage change more efficiently. With customers in more than 60 countries and over 16,000 back-office users and 20,000 points of sale currently using its solutions, Openbravo offers the most flexible omnichannel solution on the market. Openbravo has offices in France, Dubai, India, Mexico, and Spain. Learn more at http://www.openbravo.com. Contact:

Xavier Places

Marketing Director

+34-607-676-568

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First Release of StarlingX Open Source Edge Cloud Software Now Available

StarlingX-the open source edge computing and IoT cloud platform optimized for low latency and high performance applications-is available in its first release today. The project was established in May as a pilot project supported by the OpenStack Foundation (OSF) and builds on code contributed by Wind River and Intel (News - Alert) Corporation.

*** Download the first release of StarlingX at git.starlingx.io ***

StarlingX delivers new services to help fill the gaps in the open source edge cloud ecosystem to meet strict requirements of edge use cases and scenarios in both carrier and industrial applications. Additionally, StarlingX leverages components of projects including Ceph, OpenStack and Kubernetes and complements them with new services such as configuration and fault management with a focus on key requirements like high availability (HA), quality of service (QoS), performance and low latency.

Use Cases Reflect the Need for High-Performance Edge and IoT Infrastructure

Ultra low-latency 5G and industrial IoT use cases including industrial automation, cloud radio access network and smart city/buildings (metering and monitoring)

Multi-access edge computing applications including augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and location-based retail

High-bandwidth, large-volume applications including mobile high-definition video, content delivery and caching, and surveillance

Enterprise-focused small cell services for stadiums and high-density locations

Universal customer premise applications (uCPE)

An Engaged, Growing Community

Today's release reflects strong growth in the StarlingX community, with 1,329 commits from 84 contributors, including developers representing Wind River, Intel, 99Cloud, China UnionPay, SUSE, Fujitsu (News - Alert) and NEC, among others. Engage with the StarlingX community on IRC (#starlingx on Freenode) and on the mailing list (lists.starlingx.io).

Key Capabilities

Configuration Management-The code offers node configuration and inventory management services with auto-discovery and configuration of new nodes, critical for deploying and managing large numbers of remote or hard-to-access sites. The Horizon graphical user interface and a command-line interface manage the inventory of CPUs, GPUs, memory, huge pages and crypto/compression hardware.

Fault Management-Users can set, clear and query custom alarms and logs for significant events on both infrastructure nodes and virtual resources such as VMs and networks. Users can access the Active Alarm List and Active Alarm Counts Banner on the Horizon GUI.

Host Management-The software provides lifecycle management functionality to manage host machines via a REST API interface. This vendor-neutral tool detects host failures and initiates automatic recovery by providing monitoring and alarming for cluster connectivity, critical process failures, resource utilization thresholds and hardware faults. The tool also interfaces with the board management controller for out-of-band reset, power-on/off and hardware sensor monitoring and shares host state with other StarlingX components.

Service Management-StarlingX provides lifecycle management of services by providing high availability through redundancy models like N+M or N across multiple nodes. The service supports the use of multiple messaging paths to avoid split-brain communication failures as well as active or passive monitoring to specify the impact of a service failure with a fully data-driven architecture.

Software Management-This service allows users to deploy updates for corrective content and new functionality with a consistent mechanism applicable for all infrastructure stacks from the kernel up to OpenStack services. The module can perform rolling upgrades including parallelization and support for host reboot allowing the moving of workloads off of the node by using live migration.







Meet the StarlingX Community at the Berlin Summit

Members of the StarlingX community will gather at the next OpenStack Open Infrastructure Summit in Berlin, November 13-15, at the following sessions:

About StarlingX

StarlingX is the open source edge computing and IoT cloud platform optimized for low latency and high performance applications. It provides a scalable and highly reliable edge infrastructure, tested and available as a complete stack. Applications include industrial IoT, telecom, video delivery and other ultra-low latency use cases. StarlingX ensures compatibility among diverse open source components and provides unique project components for fault management and service management among others to ensure high availability of user applications. StarlingX is the ready-for-deployment code base for edge implementations in scalable solutions. The project is supported by the OpenStack Foundation. www.starlingx.io

Supporting Quotes

Jonathan Bryce

executive director

the OpenStack Foundation

"When it comes to edge, it is crucial to be able to blend together and manage all the virtual machine and container-based workloads and underlying bare metal environment. This is exactly what you get with StarlingX."

Junwei Liu

deputy general manager, Cloud Computing Products Division

China Mobile Suzhou R&D Center

"As a high-performance open source edge cloud platform, the StarlingX project has strong system configuration management, high availability management, software management, fault management and other capabilities. These capabilities are currently lacking in open source OpenStack and are also key requirements for enterprise customers. It is believed that the future StarlingX project can be widely used in the fields of edge cloud and telecom cloud. China Mobile (News - Alert) Suzhou R&D Center will participate in the StarlingX community in combination with its own products and business needs to create a better future."

Dr. Dan Chen

senior director of Edge Computing, Intelligent Network Center

China Unicom (News - Alert)

"We have run a full validation on StarlingX over the past six months. StarlingX improved efficiency on high-availability in both VMs and at the controller level. It also optimized the required number of nodes to support edge-deployment scenarios. Features were added in fault management, rolling upgrading, inventory discovery and VNF acceleration. StarlingX provided capability in VM-applications/VNFs hosting, and it also can be extended to support containerized applications in the future. It is one of the top strategies of China Unicom to build an 'open' edge platform. As an 'Open Infra' technology for edge computing, StarlingX will play an essential role in China Unicom's edge strategy."

Imad Sousou

corporate vice president, Intel Corp., and

general manager, Intel Open Source Technology Center

"Intel is proud of our contributions to StarlingX and work to build a resilient Cloud infrastructure for edge, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and telecom applications. Today marks a major milestone with the release of the full StarlingX software package. Congratulations to everyone involved for delivering an open, distributed edge solution that supports high-availability and ultra-low-latency."

Glenn Seiler

vice president of product management and strategy, Software-defined Infrastructure

Wind River

"Recognizing the vast need for a virtualized edge solution that can span across emerging 5G and IIoT use cases, Wind River contributed key technologies from our Wind River Titanium Cloud virtualization platform to the StarlingX project. With the first release of the StarlingX project, the community now has a complete, deployable platform that can be used in multiple edge use cases. We are looking forward to even greater participation and accelerated progress from the community to continue to drive new innovation and services deployed at the network edge."

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006236/en/
[October 24, 2018] ABLIC Inc., The World's First (*1) "ZCL (*2) Hall IC" That Will Bring Innovation to the Development and Manufacture of Brushless DC Motors

ABLIC Inc. (President: Nobumasa Ishiai, head office: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, hereinafter: ABLIC) has developed a ZCL Hall IC (magnetic sensor) that promises to transform the development and manufacture of brushless DC motors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006247/en/ The World's First ZCL(TM) Hall IC Using a New Detection Methodology (Graphic: Business Wire) Conventional bipolar Hall effect ICs cannot detect a signal passing the 0mT (zero millitesla), the S-pole and the N-pole switchpoint, and it takes some time for the signal to be output when it reaches the detection point.

For this reason, a rigorous design is required at the device development stage as dispersion in sensor positional accuracy and in the parts that make up the IC may otherwise affect motor performance in a number of ways.

Also, this bipolar Hall effect IC shortcoming sometimes increased the calibration work load at a manufacturing field. ABLIC has developed a "ZCL Hall IC" that uses neither unipolar nor bipolar latch detection but an entirely new detection methodology that solves the issues plaguing conventional Hall ICs. This new Hall IC employs our proprietary ZCL technology to detect and output a signal when it reaches 0mT (zero millitesla).

Our "ZCL Hall IC" significantly improves design flexibility for brushless DC motors and substantially improves efficiency of the calibration process. Since motor performance of a brushless DC motor using Hall ICs is more stable than one using conventional Hall ICs, quality is definitely improved.







[Major Features] 1. The World's first ZCL Hall IC, an IC that utilizes an innovative detection methodology that uses neither unipolar nor bipolar latch 2. Encapsulated in a lineup of packages in the world's thinnest (*1) class!

Application Examples High-performance home appliances that require low power consumption, quiet operation, low noise, low vibrations or other high-performance control features. (Example: Fans, washing machines, air conditioner indoor units, robot vacuum cleaners, etc.) In-vehicle motors, industrial motors and other fields that require high reliability and low noise performance. (*1) Based on our research as of September 2018 (*2) ZCL is an abbreviation of "Zero Crossing Latch." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006247/en/

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[October 24, 2018] VIPKid Announces Strategic Partnership with SSAT China to be the SSAT's Exclusive Online Learning Institution in China

This week, VIPKid, a global education technology company, announced a strategic partnership with SSAT China to become the exclusive online learning institution for the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) in China. The SSAT, developed by the EMA (News - Alert) (Enrollment Management Association), is the leading admission test for admission to private K-12 schools. VIPKid joins SSAT's member school network, an extensive network of over 1,200 of the most prestigious private schools across the world. Through the partnership, VIPKid and SSAT China will create a new standard for international K-12 education and work together to help students achieve their academic goals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006259/en/ Cindy Mi, Founder and CEO of VIPKid, receives SSAT Exclusive Online Learning Institution in China certificate from Dr. Jinghua Liu, Chief Testing and Research Officer of EMA at an event in Beijing, October 22, 2018. (Photo: Business Wire) Speaking at a press conference on October 22 in Beijing, Cindy Mi, Founder and CEO of VIPKid, spoke about VIPKid's desire to become not only the leading online education platform for children, but also the premier destination for students to build 21st century skils. "It's a tremendous honor to be the exclusive online partner of the SSAT China and I'm excited to work together to provide a path for our students to become global citizens," Mi said.



VIPKid has also made it easier for its students and parents in China to sign up and take the SSAT by creating a one-stop registration and application experience on the official VIPKid website. SSAT China will also help VIPKid improve its assessment system to more closely match international standards. Dr. Jinghua Liu, Chief Testing and Research Officer of EMA, spoke at the press conference on Monday, noting that VIPKid stands out for continually seeking to meet the demand for high quality education in China. "VIPKid has become the benchmark for the online education industry in China. We're proud to partner with VIPKid and look forward to working together to develop the highest standard of education for students in China," she said.

In the future, VIPKid will work closely together with SSAT China and EMA on a number of initiatives. VIPKid, EMA and SSAT China plan to develop comprehensive curricula for VIPKid students. In addition to testing academic ability, SSAT China will work with VIPKid to provide assessments on social and practical skills to complement the traditional cognitive assessment. The partnership with SSAT China is another step forward for VIPKid's plan to partner with the top educational institutions in the world. Most recently, VIPKid announced a partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to develop curricula lines. Through these partnerships, VIPKid will carry out in-depth research and curricula development as it aims to become the leading education technology platform in the world. About VIPKid VIPKid is a global education technology company that connects children with the world's best teachers for real-time online English immersion learning. VIPKid's mission is to inspire and empower every child for the future. VIPKid envisions a global classroom that empowers students and teachers through personalized learning, connects cultures across the world and sparks a passion for lifelong learning. It believes that education is not one-size-fits-all, rather, all students are unique and the world is within their reach when connected with great teachers capable of personalizing learning and sparking curiosity. Founded in 2013 and formally launched in 2014, VIPKid has become China's market-leading online education startup, attracting investment from Tencent, Coatue Management, Sequoia Capital (News - Alert) , Sinovation Ventures, Yunfeng Capital, Matrix Partners, Learn Capital, Northern Light VC and Bryant Stibel, among others. The VIPKid platform currently connects over 500,000 paying students with over 60,000 teachers in the US and Canada. For more information, please visit: www.vipkid.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006259/en/

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[October 24, 2018] EclecticIQ strengthens threat intelligence for critical infrastructures with new integrations

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EclecticIQ, which empowers cyber defenses with threat intelligence, today announced the availability of new integrations to EclecticIQ Platform. The integrations provide additional insights into threat intelligence for critical infrastructures. By offering integrations for Dragos and Honeypot.dk, EclecticIQ customers can ingest threat intelligence specific to industrial control systems (ICS) as well as to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. EclecticIQ's Platform, the analyst-centric Threat Intelligence Platform, provides analysts with the most relevant sources of intelligence and enrichment data from leading providers and data sources. In recent years, the number of attacks on critical infrastructures has been increasing but the defense of ICS and SCADA systems comes with a unique set of challenges. For that reason, EclecticIQ Platform now integrates the feeds of two leading intelligence providers: "Critical infrastructures have a unique threat landscape that requires novel attack vectors and more sophisticated TTPs (Tools, Techniques and Procedures)," said Ewan Hubac, product manager integrations at EclecticIQ. "To defend against those attacks, you need specific threat intelligence sources and specialized knowledge. With the integration of these two feeds, analysts can harness the full power of EclecticIQ Platform to prevent attacks on ICS/SCADA systems driven by threat actors wanting to have a real-world impact." With the number ofattacks on critical infrastructures expected to continue at an ever-increasing rate, EclecticIQ has recently launched EclecticIQ Fusion Center - Critical Infrastructure Intelligence Bundle, which covers specific threats including ICS-tailored malware and TTPs related to critical infrastructure operational technology and its supply chain.



For a full overview of all EclecticIQ Platform integrations, please visit the integrations section of our website. About EclecticIQ

EclecticIQ enables intelligence-powered cybersecurity for government organizations and commercial enterprises. We develop analyst-centric products and services that align our clients' cybersecurity focus with their threat reality. The result is intelligence-led security, improved detection and prevention, and cost-efficient security investments. Our solutions are built specifically for analysts across all intelligence-led security practices such as threat investigation and threat hunting, as well as incident response efforts. And we tightly integrate our solutions with our customers' IT security controls and systems. EclecticIQ operates globally with offices in Europe, United Kingdom, and North-America, and via certified value-adding partners. Learn more at www.eclecticiq.com About Dragos Dragos' industrial cybersecurity platform codifies advanced threat analytics to provide OT and IT practitioners unprecedented visibility and prescriptive procedures to respond to adversaries in the industrial threat landscape. Dragos' offerings include: the Dragos Platform for ICS threat detection and response; Dragos' Threat Operations Center for ICS threat hunting and incident response services; and Dragos ICS WorldView for weekly threat intelligence reports. Visit www.dragos.com for more information. About HoneyPot.dk Honeypot.dk provides the most comprehensive ICS/SCADA threat intelligence collected from globally-deployed ICS/SCADA honeypots. We offer a number of ICS/SCADA and IOT defense solutions and threat feeds to help the following industries: Energy (Electric power, Oil & Gas, Wind and Nuclear), Transportation (Rail, Air), Healthcare, Water and Waste Water Management. Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12736102 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eclecticiq-strengthens-threat-intelligence-for-critical-infrastructures-with-new-integrations-300735615.html SOURCE EclecticIQ

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[October 24, 2018] Uniphore Software Systems to Host Conversational AI Leadership Summit 2018

CHENNAI, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- - John Chambers to be the keynote speaker

- CEOs of leading enterprises will discuss the impact of conversational AI in delivering superior Customer Service Uniphore Software Systems, a global conversational AI company, is organising its flagship event 'Conversational AI Leadership Summit 2018' on October 31, 2018, in New Delhi . First of its kind in the country, the summit will focus on how enterprises are leveraging disruptive technologies in delivering superior Customer Service. The event will have CEOs, journalists and technology experts joining in as speakers and panellists to drive the conversation around AI, machine learning and speech recognition technology. Speaking about the Conversational AI Leadership Summit 2018, Umesh Sachdev, CEO, Uniphore Software Systems, said, "The transformation of the customer service space is underway and Conversational AI technology is at the forefront of this transformation. Companies say they listen to the Voice of the Customer but now we have technology that in the literal sense can listen, understand, and comprehend real intent of the customer. The technology is maturing and will become mainstream in delivering true business outcomes in real time. Uniphore's 'Conversational AI Leadership Summit 2018' is a great platfor where industry leaders will discuss and learn how they can use Conversational AI."



"Conversational AI is at an inflection point with speech analytics, AI technologies, real time processing capabilities, automation through conversational bots, and voice biometrics all coming together to deliver superior customer experience and drive business outcomes. While BFSI has been a leader in adoption, we find that there is great interest from telecom, retail, and healthcare where customer interaction is traditionally very high," he added. The highlight of the event will be an engaging keynote fireside chat between John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus, Cisco, and Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures and Umesh Sachdev. The summit will also have two panel discussions - 'Impact of Conversational AI on Enterprises' and 'CX Impact through Conversational AI'. Leaders from various business ventures like FE Credit, Bajaj Allianz, PNB MetLife, BNP Paribas, Genpact, NTT Data, and Dimension Data will partake in the panel discussions.

Please visit https://uniphore.com/leadershipsummit for further details. About Uniphore Uniphore Software Systems is a global Conversational AI technology company that builds transformational customer engagement solutions for businesses. Uniphore offers software for Conversational Analytics, Conversational Assistant and Conversational Security. Uniphore has served over 100 enterprise clients and 4 million end users. It has offices worldwide including in USA, Singapore and India. Uniphore was founded in 2008 at IIT Madras, India. The company was recognized as a Technology Fast 500 company in Asia Pacific by Deloitte in 2014 and ranked 10th in Deloitte's Fast 50 in 2015. Uniphore's Co-founder & CEO, Umesh Sachdev, was named in 2016 as one of the '10 Millennials Changing the World' by TIME Magazine, and 'Innovators Under 35' by MIT Technology Review. Uniphore's investors include John Chambers, IDG Ventures India, IIFL, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Ray Stata, YourNest Angel Fund and India Angel Network. For more information on how Uniphore delivers business outcomes using Speech and Conversational AI technologies, please visit www.uniphore.com For more editorial details, please contact:

Amrutha Joseph

H+K Strategies

amrutha.joseph@hkstrategies.com

+91-82812-44284





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[October 24, 2018] Eminent Scientist James Till Turned Philanthropist; Donates Prize Money to the Cause of Young Researchers

Stem cell discoverer Prof. James Till, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Canada who was awarded the Edogawa Niche Prize 2018 (www.edogawanicheprize.org), jointly by Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) and Jinsei-sha-Edogawa Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, has donated his prize money of One million Japanese Yen to establish a travel grant that will be named as "Joyce and James Till Travel Grant". This grant will support travel and other associated necessities for young scholars from developing countries to take part in future NCRM NICHE event from 2019. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005286/en/



Dr. Masahiro Katoh (Chairman, Edogawa Hospitals) awarding the Fujio Cup to Mr Tommy and Ms Grace (Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia), in the presence of Dr Ian Gallicano (George Town University). (Photo: Business Wire)

The Fujio Cup Quiz (FCQ) on stem cells and regenerative medicine is an active knowledge gaining event of NCRM NICHE, held every year in October since 2006. The FCQ delegates are selected through a highly competitive three levels of testing; one online, another assignment and a pre-final on-site quiz participated by students from various domains of science related to regenerative medicine from across the world. In the XIII Edition of the FCQ held on the 21st October 2018 in Shibaura Institute, Tokyo, the team representing Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia comprising of Grace Aprilia Helena and Tommy Octavianus Soetrisno Tjia emerged to be winners of the FCQ 2018. Awarding the winning team, the prestigious Fujio Cup, Dr Shojiro Katoh (President, Edogawa Hospital) said that their organization will continue to support such educational activities. The event was participated by Prof. Masaru Iwasaki (Vice President, Yamanashi University, Japan) and Dr Ian Gallicano, Georgetown University, USA, who commented that participation in this active knowledge gaining event will add value to the profile of the students. Many students after visiting premier institutes in Tokyo involved in regenerative medicine research expressed their interest in pursuing their higher studies in Japan. In April 2019, when the registration for the NCRM NICHE 2019 is open, the guidelines for Joyce and James Till Travel Grant will be announced and available in the URL: www.ncrmniche.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005286/en/

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[October 24, 2018] GSMA Announces First Speakers for Mobile 360 Series - MENA

The GSMA today announced the first speakers for its Mobile 360 Series - MENA (Middle East and North Africa) conference taking place on the 26-27 November 2018 in Dubai. The two-day event, which is now in its sixth year, will take place as a standalone event for the first time at the new location of the Westin Mina Seyahi Hotel. The event brings senior-level delegates together to debate and discuss the latest issues, opportunities and challenges facing the region, through a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions and workshops. This year's event will place a particular focus on the region's investment in transformative technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and 5G. "The region's significant investment in mobile technologies has fueled a rapid digital transformation, marked by growing subscriber numbers, high levels of mobile broadband adoption, and the development of a plethora of innovative new businesses," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "Of course this is an incredibly diverse region and we will also cover the requirements of emerging markets in addition to the impact of newer disruptive technologies. We look forward to welcoming delegates to this year's show." The first speakers confirmed for the event include: Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Officer International, Etisalat (News - Alert)

Imen Benzine, CMO, Algerie Telecom

Dr Ling Wu, Chairman, Carrier Blockchain Study Group (CBSG) Consortium

Osman Sultan, CEO, Du

Rafiah Ibrahim, President Middle East and Africa, Ericsson (News - Alert)

Mohie Elrafey, CMO, GE Healthcare, Eastern Growth Markets

Jawad Abbassi, Head of MENA, GSMA

John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA

Anthony Butler, Leader and Chief Technology Officer, IBM Blockchain Services, Middle East and Africa

Jaime Galviz, COO and CMO, Microsoft MEA

Thierry Millet, CEO, Orange Tunisia

Navin Gupta, Managing Director, South Asia and MENA, Ripple

Daichi Nozaki, VP Global Business, SoftBank

Nasser bin Suleiman Al-Nasser, CEO, STC

Ahmed El Beheiry, CEO, Telecom Egypt

Aysem Ertopuz, EVP Digital Services and Solutions, Turkcell

Scott Gegenheimer, CEO Operations, Zain Group (News - Alert)



Mobile 360 - MENA, which attracted senior-level leaders from mobile network operators, network infrastructure vendors, governments and regulatory bodies last year, offers delegates an opportunity to gain critical insight from senior industry leaders. The first day of the show will address the application of new technologies and their impact on different sectors of the economy, including topics such as blockchain, AI in enhancing the customer experience, cybersecurity risk, digital identity and the Internet of Things. The second day will focus on infrastructure, policy and the regulatory approaches necessary to drive further innovation in the 5G era. It will include a keynote on 'Digital Transformation and Strategic Partnerships', highlighting how operators can play a key role in the digital future. There will also be a workshop on the subject of 'Sustaining Innovation and Investment in North Africa'.

Industry leaders supporting the event include Etisalat (Host Sponsor) and Huawei (Headline Sponsor), as well as Ericsson, Facebook (News - Alert) , Intelsat and Matrixx Software (Supporting Sponsors). The GSMA recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Etisalat to support with the organisation of the Mobile 360 Series conference in the MENA region for 2018 and 2019. For further information on Mobile 360 - MENA, including sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.mobile360series.com/mena/. Follow developments and updates on Mobile 360 - MENA (#M360MENA) on Twitter (News - Alert) @GSMAEVENTS, on Facebook www.facebook.com/Mobile360Series and LinkedIn on www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-360-series. Download the event app for further information: www.mobile360series.com/app/. -ENDS- About the GSMA The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005128/en/

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[October 24, 2018] KLM's 'Tune into your Travel' makes waiting more pleasant

MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines makes waiting at airports more pleasant and launched 'Tune into your Travel'. This augmented-reality (AR) travel channel -- the first of its kind -- is designed to get passengers in the mood for their trip. Using the Facebook camera on their smartphone, passengers waiting at the airport have easy access to this new addition to KLM's AR services on social media. With the camera on the back, passengers can explore various travel landscapes, following animated characters dancing to music. With the camera on the front, passengers can apply all sorts of entertaining face filters, allowing them to interact with images, music and sound effects activated by their own movements. Get in the mood for your next trip with KLM's 'winter hot picks' on sale from 24 October until 5 November, 201 for travel from 29 October, 2018 until 30 September, 2019. Economy class return fares including taxes from Manila to Brussels, Copenhagen, Istanbul and Oslo start from USD 700 and Business Class fares including taxes from Manila to Paris from USD 2,071.



To view the fares and destinations of KLM's 'winter hot picks', visit www.klm.ph For more information on KLM's 'Tune into travel', watch the video: https://news.klm.com/klms--tune-into-your-travel-makes-waiting-more-pleasant/

About KLM Philippines: KLM offers daily direct flights between Manila and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (with a stop in Taipei) MANILA - AMSTERDAM KL808 departs Manila at 20:35 and arrives in Amsterdam at 06:50 the next day

at 20:35 and arrives in at 06:50 the next day KL807 departs Amsterdam at 20:50 and arrives in Manila at 19:20 the next day. (Winter schedule -- 28 October 2018 - 30 March, 2019) The daily flights are operated by a combination of Boeing B777-300ER and B777-200 aircraft with respectively 34 seats in Business Class and 374 or 286 seats in Economy Class. For more information and bookings visit: www.klm.ph

KLM Service centre at +63-2-588-6900 (Mon-Sun 8:00am-5:00pm )

) Social media: www.facebook.com/KLMPhilippines Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181023/2276249-1 SOURCE KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

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[October 24, 2018] Honor India Brings Festive Offers on Smartphones at Flipkart Festive Dhamaka Days Sale

NEW DELHI, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Honor 9N (4+64GB) at an all new price of INR 11,999 and Honor 9N (3+32 GB) variant at 9,999 on Flipkart

Honor 7A will be available for sale at INR 7,999 on Flipkart

Honor 9i will be available at a discount of INR 2,000 and the flagship Honor 10 will be available at slashed price of INR 24,999 Honor, a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group today announced a series of festival offers on its range of smartphones, available on Flipkart Festive Dhamaka Days Sale. The brand is offering a price drop on its best-selling phones and the offer will be available from 24th October to 27th October on Flipkart. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/682098/Honor_Logo.jpg )

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. P Sanjeev, Vice President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group said, "Festivals are all about joy and sharing happiness with your loved ones. Honor with its latest offers on smartphones, looks forward to add-on to the celebrations. We have slashed the prices in order to deliver smiles and let more people capture those smiles through our best-selling smartphones. This offer is another token of gratitude for the love and trust India has showered on Honor. Customers are invited to Flipkart to avail these lucrative offers." Aiming at enhancing the festivities, Honor is offering major price drops on its best-selling smartphones at Flipkart. Customers may avail the benefits of buying Honor 9N (4+64GB at an all new price of INR 11,999 and Honor 9N (3+32 GB) variant at INR 9,999. Budget smartphones by Honor - Honor 7A will be available for sale at a price drop of INR 1,000. Honor 9 Lite (3+32 GB) variant will be available at a great price of INR 9,999. Honor 9i will be available at a discount of INR 2,000 and the flagship Honor 10 will be available at slashed price of INR 24,999.



Customers can buy the Honor smartphones on Flipkart at discounted prices during the Festive Dhamaka Days sale only. Customers can also avail bank offers of 10% instant discount on Axis bank credit/debit and EMI transactions. No cost EMI also available on Flipkart Flipkart Model Offer Current price Flipkart price Start Honor 9N (4+64) 2K PD 13999 11999 24th Oct Honor 9N (3+32) 2K PD 11999 9999 24th Oct Honor 9 Lite (3+32) 1K PD 10999 9999 24th Oct Honor 7A 1K PD 8999 7999 24th Oct Honor 9i 2K PD 14999 12999 24th Oct Honor 10 8k PD 32999 24999 24th Oct

About Honor:

Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, 'For the Brave', the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through Internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers. Honor led the online smartphone market with a global shipment value of 2.5 billion USD to become the number 1 online smartphone brand, as per International Data Corporation (IDC) in Q1 2017. Huawei's Consumer Business Group, comprising of its dual brands Huawei and Honor, shipped 139 million smartphones globally in 2016 and reported an increase of 44% in its annual revenue. For more information, please visit: http://www.hihonor.com/in Huawei- Hotline number: 1800-209-6555 | 9 AM - 9 PM | Open on all days, except on public holidays Huawei website: http://consumer.huawei.com/in Huawei service website: service.hw.in@huawei.com Media Contact Huawei Karan Rao

karan.rao@huawei.com Rahul Bali

Rahul.bali@huawei.com Agency Contact Genesis Burson Marsteller Geetika Rani

Geetika.rani@bm.com

+91-9958537248 Yukti Gaur

Yukti.gaur@bm.com

+91-7503532697 Siddharth Bagchi

siddharth.bagchi@bm.com

+91-9821407433



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[October 24, 2018] Josh Bersin Joins PeopleStrong Board

GURGAON, India, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- PeopleStrong, a leading HR technology and solutions company from India, announced that Josh Bersin, global HR tech thought leader has joined PeopleStrong's board of directors, as an independent director. Josh is the founder of Bersin by Deloitte, leading provider of research-based membership programs in human resources (HR), talent and learning, and is a globally renowned research analyst, public speaker, and writer on the topics of corporate human resources, talent management, recruiting, leadership, technology, and the intersection between work and life. While he advises a variety of HR and learning companies to help them align their products and services toward the needs of corporate buyers, PeopleStrong would be the first HR technology company from India to have him in the capacity of a board member. Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Bansal, Founder and CEO, PeopleStrong said, "We are delighted to have Josh on our board. The HR tech market is going through exciting times and PeopleStrong more so. We have recently started on our journey to write the New Code of Work globally and having a thought leader like Josh with us definitely help us reach there faster." Sumit Sinha, Board Member, PeopleStrong and Principal, Multiples Alternate Asset Management shared, "We are excited to have Josh as part of PeopleStrong. He brings tremendous industry experience and we look forward to his valuable insights as we work towards building the largest HR tech brand from India."



Speaking on the occasion Josh Bersin shared, "India has always been a very interesting market and equally impressive is the way PeopleStrong has created the HR tech story for this market by creating a world-class enterprise tech product. I am sure their global journey would be as exciting and am thrilled to be part of it." Josh would join Rajul Garg (a renowned early stage investor in technology companies) in the board as the independent board member. Other board members include Investor directors: Renuka Ramnath, Founder and CEO, Multiples; Sumit Sinha, Principal, Multiples Alternate Asset Management; Praveen Kumar Bhalla - Head Human Resource, HDFC LTD and Executive directors: Shelly Singh - Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, PeopleStrong and Pankaj Bansal Co-founder & CEO, PeopleStrong.

About PeopleStrong PeopleStrong is a leading HR technology company from India, that is enriching experience at work for over 200+ customers and over 600,000 users. On its journey to writing the #NewCodeofWork, PeopleStrong delivers its technology and services in one offering, using its on-demand technology product PeopleStrong Alt, which has distilled tens of thousands of hours of natural research and development (R&D) - a decade long experience of servicing the HR functions of top Indian companies. Known for its penchant to innovate, PeopleStrong has many firsts to its name, the recent one being the application of Machine Learning in Recruitment (through Match Making) and Employee Experience (through India's first HR Chatbot Jinie). PeopleStrong is the first company in the space to be successfully assessed on SSAE18. For more information, please visit: https://www.peoplestrong.com/ Media Contact :

Kamakshi Pant

kamakshi.pant@peoplestrong.com

+91-9910007938

PeopleStrong



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[October 24, 2018] QuickBridge Releases Cybersecurity White Paper and Infographic in Time for the Holidays

With the holidays fast approaching, cyber grinches are ramping up their efforts to steal personal data from small businesses. QuickBridge, a privately-held, leading financial services firm offering small business loans to businesses nationwide, is providing business owners with helpful resources. QuickBridge's "Cybersecurity and Small Businesses: Are You Protecting Your Customers?" white paper and "Ransomware: Extortion in Today's Business Age" infographic offer advice on how to protect business data from cybercriminals. The new QuickBridge cybersecurity white paper and infographic educate small business owners on which industries are most at-risk for cyberattacks, the data hackers are targeting, the methods they use, and the use of supplementary working capital to protect business and customer data. Hackers are targeting small businesses that typically have a moderate amount of data with minimal security. Statistics ndicate that about half of small businesses have or will experience a cyberattack. Even more alarming, approximately 50% of small businesses that fall victim to cybercrimes are unable to recover and are forced out of business within six months.



Whether its e-commerce transactions or an upsurge in brick-and-mortar credit card purchases, the fast-paced holiday shopping season leads to an increase in hacking activity. "With risk rising at an alarming rate, small businesses must prepare themselves to not only keep attackers at bay but also to respond effectively in the event of a disaster," said QuickBridge President, Ben Gold. "At QuickBridge, we take cybersecurity seriously. We encourage business owners to have the resources and security protocols in place to guard against these attacks."

Download the complimentary cybersecurity white paper and ransomware infographic at https://quickbridge.com/blog/small-business-cybersecurity/ About QuickBridge Founded in 2011, Quick Bridge Funding LLC (stylized as QuickBridge) is a privately-held financial services firm headquartered in Irvine, California with a satellite office in New York City. QuickBridge provides small business loans and short-term working capital loans for small to mid-sized businesses nationwide. QuickBridge ranked two consecutive years on the Inc. 500 list and is a previous Business Intelligence Group and Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) award winner. Visit quickbridge.com. Products offered by Quick Bridge Funding, LLC and affiliates are business loans only. The products are provided by third parties and subject to lender approval. Loans to customers in California are made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law License. License number: 603 J292. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005088/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Europe's Fastest Growing Lingerie Brand Hunkemoller Partners with Selligent Marketing Cloud to Drive Personalized Email Marketing

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and BRUSSELS, Belgium, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Selligent Marketing Cloud , the B2C marketing automation company, today announced it has been selected by Hunkemoller , Europe's fastest growing lingerie brand to drive its personalized email marketing.

Selligent Marketing Clouds natively integrated marketing solution will help Hunkemoller to create meaningful omnichannel experiences, based on individual customer data, including website behavior and transactional data. The partnership will allow Hunkemoller to offer a 1-1 level of personalization across the entire shopping experience, including web, mobile, email and social channels. "Partnering with Selligent Marketing Cloud allows us to offer our customers products that perfectly fit their needs within our email marketing communications, said Alexandra Legro, Global Marketing and Communication Director of Hunkemoller. Being able to send relevant and contextual messages and offers based on behavior, demographic information, transactional data and advanced segmentation, allows us to drive higher engagement, loyalty and sales. "We are thrilled to be working with Hunkemoller, as one of the fastest growing lingerie brands, said John Hernandez, CEO of Selligent Marketing Cloud. The Selligent Marketing Cloud platform will help Hunkmoller to create a universal customer view that will act as the foundation to create truly engaging email marketing communications, based on individual consumer data.



Hunkemoller is the latest addition in a growing number of retail brands choosing to partner with Selligent Marketing Cloud, including ASDA, Farmdrop and Ocado in the UK, Walmart in the USA and Chronodrive in France. About Selligent Marketing Cloud

Selligent Marketing Cloud is a marketing automation platform that enables B2C brands to engage consumers across all critical channels. Built for the relationship marketer, Selligent Marketing Cloud is the only marketing cloud built on a single code base, featuring artificial intelligence and a Customer Data Platform with a universal consumer profile at the core of every action.

More than 700 brands across retail, travel, automotive, publishing, and financial services rely on Selligents proven platform. With 10 offices across the United States and Europe and more than 50 agency partners, Selligent serves over 30 countries with local, personalized service. Learn more at www.selligent.com and connect with the team at Twitter , LinkedIn , and our blog . About Hunkemoller

Hunkemoller is Europes biggest and fastest growing lingerie brand with almost 900 shops in over 25 countries. The company was founded in 1886 in Amsterdam and has grown since then to become a pan-European omnichannel lingerie brand. Hunkemoller produces perfectly fitting, fashionable and high-end clothing (from bras and underwear to nightwear, bathing wear and other categories, including sport). Hunkemoller is an authentic omnichannel retailer and has integrated extensive technology into every aspect of the business: from extensive customer profiling based on a loyalty programme to a digitalised recruitment and training process for retail employees. The customer journey forms the basis of Hunkemollers strategy and has resulted in a smooth interaction between the physical and digital environment with the aid of click2brick. Hunkemoller is 85% owned by Carlyle and the remaining part is in the hands of a management holding organisation (Stichting HKM Holding). Media Contact: Sylvie Tongco for Selligent Marketing Cloud Sylvie.Tongco@selligent.com

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[October 24, 2018] Optium Cyber Systems Provides Update on Contract to Provide Cybersecurity Services to Leading Gold Bullion Trading Firm

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Optium Cyber Systems, Inc. (the Company) (OTC:OCSY) is pleased to update shareholders on the previously announced negotiations to provide cyber vulnerability analysis and 24/7 support to a world leading gold bullion trading house. All due diligence is now complete and the formal agreement is being prepared. George M. Rutherford, President of Optium Cyber Systems, Inc., is making plans to meet with the client in Hong Kong before the end of the month for a formal signing ceremony and to commence the development of the infrastructure necessary to fulfill the contract.

This one contract represents a minimum of $2,400,000 in revenue over the next 24 months, stated George Rutherford, President of Optium Cyber Systems, Inc. This contract combined with our existing contracts and acquisitions puts us well within reach of our first years goal of $2,000,000 in revenue and we have accomplished all this within the last three months, continued Mr. Rutherford. About Optium Cyber Systems, Inc. Optium Cyber Systems, Inc. is a Texas based corporation positioning itself to be a premier provider and industry leader in protection and security services. It has developed a proprietary process to analyze, identify and address cyber security vulnerabilities in an organizations critical IT infrastructure, which is scalable to any size organization in any industry. In addition to its cyber security asset, Optium Cyber Systems is growing through acquisition. It recently annonced the acquisition of Iron Man Protection, LLC and is actively pursuing to acquire other companies in the security sector that will value to its bottom line. Optium Cyber Systems is a publicly traded company having its common shares quoted on the OTC Markets under the symbol "OCSY".



For more information contact Investor Relations

TEN Associates, LLC

Tom Nelson President w: +1-480-326-8577 email: tenassociates33@gmail.com website: www.tenassociatesllc.ocm Head Office

George M. Rutherford President w: +1-936-559-7407 email: rock@ocsi.ltd website: www.optiumcyber.com Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See Optium Cyber Systems, Inc.'s filings with OTC Markets which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Safe Harbor Statement This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. 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. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. 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.

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[October 24, 2018] Health Catalyst Expands Senior Team with Health System and Industry Veterans

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Catalyst, Inc., a leader in next-generation data, analytics, and decision support, announced four new members of its leadership team, adding decades of experience in driving positive transformation at some of the nation's largest health systems, and building on Health Catalyst's strengths in healthcare outcomes improvement. The new hires are: William Caldwell, MD, MBA, former senior vice president of clinical integration at Novant Health; Cathy R Menkiena, MBA, BSN, RN-BC, former senior director of EHR Solutions at Encore Health Resources, an emids company; Ryan Smith, MBA, former chief information officer (CIO) at Banner Health; and Steven Vance, MBA, FHFMA, former regional chief financial officer and compliance officer at Intermountain Healthcare. "We are excited to welcome Will, Cathy, Ryan and Steve, each of whom brings unique and highly valuable skills and experience to Health Catalyst that will help our clients improve their clinical, financial and operational outcomes," said Tom Burton, president of professional services and co-founder of Health Catalyst. "Their broad and deep experience in enterprise-wide healthcare information systems and process improvement within some of the country's most successful health systems will be vital to helping our clients realize their clinical outcome and financial goals." Ryan Smith brings nearly 25 years of health information technology and leadership experience from two of the largest non-profit integrated healthcare delivery networks in the country: Intermountain Healthcare and Banner Health. As CIO at Banner Healtha 28-hospital health system that provides services in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and WyomingSmith led the development and implementation of key technologies and strategies that positioned Banner as an industry leader in healthcare innovation.



As senior vice president of client engagement at Health Catalyst, Smith will work directly with client CIOs across the country to help them design strategies to consolidate point-solution analytics, increase the efficiency of information delivery, and accelerate improvement by leveraging the Health Catalyst Analytics Platform and library of advanced analytic tools. Dr. Will Caldwell has received over 26 awards for clinical excellence during his 17-year career as a clinician. He led the development of the Clinically Integrated Network at Novant Health, a leading healthcare provider with 15 hospitals and more than 350 physician practices across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. As medical director and chairman of the CIN from its inception in 2016, Dr. Caldwell grew the value-based platform to 2,800 physicians, transitioned the first payer product with 72,000 attributed lives, and built its business capabilities including IT connectivity, referrals and scheduling, internal and external communications, provider education, and legal compliance.

As senior vice president of physician and market development at Health Catalyst, Dr. Caldwell will advise clients on the tools and capabilities needed to transition from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based care, including how to set up physician networks, create value-based clinical pathways and protocols, overlay technology to drive success in those pathways, and aggregate data to report on outcomes. Cathy Menkiena brings over 30 years of combined experience in information systems, healthcare operations, administration, nursing management, analytics and consulting spanning Cerner, Epic, Eclipsys (now Allscripts), Healthlink, IBM Global Business Services and a number of healthcare providers including Tenet Healthcare and BayCare Health System in Tampa, FL. At Encore, Menkiena led a team of over 200 application consultants and was a member of the executive leadership team with responsibility for full lifecycle IT implementations, solution development, market positioning and differentiation. As senior vice president of professional services for Health Catalyst, Menkiena will work directly with clients, exercising her passion for using data to transform healthcare. Steven Vance spent eight of his nearly 25 years at Utah's Intermountain Healthcare as director of strategic planning in the southwest region, working with and implementing the principles of Dr. Brent James and Dr. David Burton, the process improvement team credited with turning Intermountain into a national leader in high-quality low-cost care. That experience influenced his most recent role as CFO of Intermountain's southwest region, which includes three hospitals and generates over $1 billion in annual gross revenue. As senior vice president of professional services at Health Catalyst, Vance will help clients across the nation optimize their use of the company's accountable care and financial solutions, as well as advance their overall process improvement efforts. To download a photo of all four Health Catalyst team members, please click here. About Health Catalyst

Health Catalyst, Inc. is a next-generation data, analytics, and decision-support company, committed to being a catalyst for massive, sustained improvements in healthcare outcomes. We are the leaders in a new era of advanced predictive analytics for population health and value-based care with a suite of machine learning-driven solutions, decades of outcomes improvement expertise, and an unparalleled ability to unleash and integrate data from across the healthcare ecosystem. Our Health Catalyst Data Operating System (DOS)a next-generation data warehouse and application development platform powered by data from more than 100 million patients, and encompassing over 1 trillion factshelps improve quality, add efficiency and lower costs for organizations ranging from the largest US health system to forward-thinking physician practices. Our technology and professional services can help you keep patients engaged and healthy in their homes, communities, and workplaces, and we can help you optimize care delivery to those patients when it becomes necessary. We are grateful to be recognized by Fortune, Gallup, Glassdoor, Modern Healthcare and a host of others as a Best Place to Work in technology and healthcare. Visit www.healthcatalyst.com, and follow @HealthCatalyst on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. For more information contact: Todd Stein

Amendola Communications

510-417-0612

tstein@acmarketingpr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-catalyst-expands-senior-team-with-health-system-and-industry-veterans-300736657.html SOURCE Health Catalyst

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[October 24, 2018] Voya Financial Joins the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA), announced today that it has become a supporter of the recommendations of the FSB Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which was established in late 2015 to help identify the information needed by investors, lenders, and insurance underwriters to assess and price climate-related risks and opportunities. The TCFD seeks to assist companies in developing a framework of voluntary and transparent climate-related financial disclosures through existing reporting processes. Voya is one of more than 500 organizations to express their support for the Task Force in time for the release of TCFD's 2018 Status Report. "Voya is committed to making a positive difference in our communities and minimizing our impact on the planet," said Rodney O. Martin, Jr., chairman and CEO, Voya Financial. "We understand the significant risk that climate change poses and we are proud to align ourselves with the Task Force - and its mission to change the way the business community approaches climate-related financial disclosure." Michael R. Bloomberg (News - Alert) , Founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, is Chair of the Task Force and the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action. Recommendations from the Task Force seek to catalyze more consistent, comparable, and reliable disclosure of climate-related information that will facilitate more informed business and investment decision-making. In an announcement releasing TCFD's 2018 status report, Mr. Bloomberg stated, "The more companies know about the risks they face, the faster and more effectively thy can address them - and the more they report that information, the better equipped investors will be to make smart decisions. It is encouraging to see the Task Force's group of supporters continue to grow. It will make the global economy more resilient and drive more capital to projects that are helping to reduce emissions and protect people from harm."



Companies in support of TCFD are from a wide range of sectors with a combined market capitalization of more than $7.9 trillion. The Task Force includes over 287 financial firms, responsible for assets of nearly $100 trillioni. More information about the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures is available at https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/. About Voya Financial

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings - to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 14.3 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $8.6 billion in revenue in 2017. The company had $528 billion in total assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2018. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible - one person, one family, one institution at a time - Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company. Certified as a "Great Place to Work" by the Great Place to Work Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has been recognized as one of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute; one of the 2018 World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine; as a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; and as a "Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion" on the Disability Equality Index by Disability:IN. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (News - Alert) @Voya. i https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FINAL-2018-TCFD-Status-Report-092518.pdf View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005124/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Esri Enters into Memorandum of Understanding with United Arab Emirates' Statistics Authority

Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, today announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), the national statistics body for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Under the agreement, FCSA and Esri will work together to geoenable its vital work. This agreement seeks to strengthen the future cooperation between FCSA and Esri. The resultant collaboration between the two will include the creation of an innovative road map to further enhance the geospatial capabilities of FCSA, further integrate location intelligence technology with statistics data, and provide subject and technical expertise to the UAE. "FCSA has a fantastic leadership and vision-to deliver its services via cutting-edge technologies and approach statistics in a new way," said Sohail El-Abd, Esri Global Business Development general manager, Middle East and Africa. "FCSA has already shown its commitment to the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the launch of its national portal, and this agreement will build on that and broaden support of all FCSA's functions." FCSA's commitment to further the integration of geospatial and statistical data is in line with and guided by the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework, as agreed by UN Global Geospatial Information Management Expert Group on the Integration of Geospatial and Statistical information (GGIM EG-IGSI), as well as the United Nations Statistics Division project on the Federated Information System for the SDGs (FISSDG). The FISSDG goal is to enable a system-of-systems approach to ollect, manage, and communicate policy-relevant, actionable SDG data and information at the global, national, and subnational levels in an integrated, standardized, and consistent manner.



"This agreement with Esri will allow FCSA to maximize the benefits of utilizing geospatial information in our important work," said Mohammad Hassan, FCSA Executive Director, The National Statistics and Data Sector. "Our innovation to date and planned road map for the future will help us deliver our vision with the help of technology and new ways of thinking. It will anchor and sustain the valuable effort in place to ensure its success and viability." The MOU between Esri and FCSA was signed on the opening day of the United Nations World Data Forum, hosted by FCSA in Dubai. The event focuses on global efforts in supporting and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. FCSA also used the event to announce the release of the FCSA SDG Open Data Hub. Esri is supporting the World Data Forum with demonstrations on the integration of geospatial and statistical data and its benefits, along with presentations from other member states that have stood up SDG hubs.

To learn more about Esri's capabilities and commitment to supporting the global community in the quest for sustainability through better mapping and spatial information, visit Esri's websites on Statistics and SDGs. About Esri Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, offers the most powerful mapping and spatial analytics technology available. Since 1969, Esri has helped customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Today, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations including the world's largest cities, most national governments, 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri engineers the most advanced solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and location analytics to inform the most authoritative maps in the world. Visit us at esri.com. Copyright  2018 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, The Science of Where, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products or services mentioned herein may be trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of their respective mark owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005151/en/

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[October 24, 2018] NATO Parliamentary Assembly Members visit Endeavor Robotics during U.S. trip

BOSTON, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, its Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Relations, consisting of 20 parliamentarians from 10 countries, yesterday visited the Chelmsford, Mass. headquarters of Endeavor Robotics, the world's leading provider of unmanned ground vehicles. The group met with Endeavor senior executives and watched robot demonstrations as part of a four-day trip to Boston and New York, Oct. 22-26. NATO parliamentarians saw demos of the company's PackBot and FirstLook robots, two Endeavor products used widely by U.S. military and law enforcement, as well as by defense forces in NATO nations. "The use of robots and related technologies to safeguard lives during security operations is of growing importance to all NATO member countries," said Michael Gapes, vice chair of the Transatlantic Relations Sub-Committee. "To visit Endeavor Robotics and learn more about their robots' ability to keep our forces away from danger gives us an appreciation for the role they can play in many areas. We're grateful to Endeavor for hosting us and building these life-saving machines." "It's a special honor to welcome members of NATO's Parliamentary Asembly," said Sean Bielat, Endeavor Robotics CEO. "We've provided large numbers of robots to NATO countries for years, and they're being used by a variety of forces across a wide range of needs. The common thread is that, whatever the mission, wherever the deployment, our robots help keep humans out of harm's way.



"The case for robotics technology and more autonomous solutions to bomb disposal, hostage situations, and hazmat events only continues to grow. We're pleased to be able to showcase our capabilities to NATO allies so they can see firsthand what our robots can do," Bielat added. Since its creation in 1955, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly has provided a unique forum for members of parliament from across the Atlantic Alliance to discuss and influence decisions on Alliance security. The Assembly is institutionally separate from NATO, but serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies, and fosters better understanding of the Alliance's objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance.

About Endeavor Robotics Based in Chelmsford, Mass., Endeavor Robotics, Inc. is the world's largest provider of tactical unmanned ground vehicles, delivering more than 7,000 robots to customers in over 55 countries. We design and build the most trusted, rugged, easiest-to-operate robots used to safeguard life and property around the world, whatever the mission. Every day, our products operate in areas of conflict, assist law enforcement agencies, and respond to natural disasters to help save lives. Endeavor Robotics is 100% U.S.-based. Visit us at EndeavorRobotics.com, or view jobs and more on LinkedIn. Media Contact:

Joe Ailinger, Jr.

+1-978-769-9339

jailinger@EndeavorRobotics.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nato-parliamentary-assembly-members-visit-endeavor-robotics-during-us-trip-300736712.html SOURCE Endeavor Robotics

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[October 24, 2018] Travelers Institute Hosts Symposium in Illinois to Help Businesses Prepare for and Recover from a Cyber Breach

The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), today will host an educational symposium, Cyber: Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore, aimed at helping businesses tackle evolving cyber threats, the second biggest business concern in the 2018 Travelers Risk Index. Timed to coincide with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the symposium will address the various types of cyber exposures that companies are facing, with a particular focus on commonly targeted organizations such as small businesses. Eighty-five percent of Travelers Risk Index survey respondents from small businesses reported feeling confident that their company has implemented best practices for cybersecurity. However, many of those organizations may be unprepared for a cyber attack, as the same survey showed that just 19 percent of small businesses said they have written a business continuity plan and only 18 percent said they have assessed the cybersecurity of vendors with access to their data. "Small business owners may be underestimating what it takes to prevent or overcome a cyber incident," said Edward Chang, Second Vice President, Cyber Risk Management at Travelers. "This symposium will provide them with an opportunity to hear insights from top cybersecurity leaders and learn the most effective preventive measures to help protect themselves against a growing threat"



The symposium will be held in partnership with VEDC, a nonprofit business development organization that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their business through education, empowerment and small business loans. "Small and medium-sized businesses typically have much of the same valuable information as the larger enterprises whose data breaches make the news, but many don't devote the attention to security for a host of reasons, such as a belief that it is a larger business issue or a lack of resources," said Colin Battersby of McDonald Hopkins, who will participate in the panel discussion. "But the out-of-pocket costs and the reputational damage associated with a data breach can be fatal to a smaller business, which makes securing and protecting data a top priority in a sound business risk mitigation strategy."

The event will take place at the Chicago Marriott in Oak Brook, Illinois, at 11:30 a.m. CT and will feature a keynote address from Joel Robertz, Special Agent, Counterintelligence and Cyber Program, Chicago Field Office at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, followed by a panel discussion on managing cyber threats. Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers, will moderate the discussion and be joined by: Colin Battersby, Counsel, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice, McDonald Hopkins

Edward Chang, Second Vice President, Cyber Risk Management, Travelers

Joel Robertz, Special Agent, Counterintelligence and Cyber Program, Chicago Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Matthew Wernz, Staff Attorney, Federal Trade Commission, Midwest Region Visit the Travelers Institute's website for more information on the Cyber: Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore symposium series. About the Travelers Risk Index Hart Research conducted a national online survey of 1,201 business decision makers from June 9-23, 2018. The survey was commissioned by Travelers. About the Travelers Institute The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers' senior management, as well as the technical expertise of many of Travelers' underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to public policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more information, visit www.travelers.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005457/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Department of Energy (DOE) Announces Funding Award for Dragos' "Neighborhood Keeper" Program for Threat Detection and Shared Threat Intelligence Across Small Infrastructure Providers

Dragos, Inc, developers of the Dragos threat detection and response platform, announced today the DOE's partnership on a cooperative agreement to research and develop a collaborative threat detection and shared intelligence program, Neighborhood Keeper. Together with Ameren, First Energy, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), NERC's (News - Alert) E-ISAC, and Southern Company, Dragos will begin to research and develop novel methods to make ICS threat analytics and data accessible to smaller infrastructure providers-- such as co-ops and municipality providers serving our local communities--who often lack resources to defend against targeted threats. The goal of Neighborhood Keeper is to develop a zero-trust and non-privacy invasive way of sharing threat insights from ICS and operations technology (OT) networks in near-real-time--providing immediate value to participants without sharing any identifying information or sensitive data. The Dragos threat detection and response platform will be deployed at near-cost to smaller infrastructure providers who often do not have the resources for advanced technologies or personnel to dedicate time to them. The Dragos Platform will leverage threat intelligence in the form of threat analytics to search for adversary behaviors in participants' environments--instead of simply looking for anomalies or technical indicators. The researc and development effort will be focused on creating and testing a threat analytics framework, new threat analytics, and a secure cloud infrastructure to sit above Dragos' ICS security technology, which will capture and share insights from threat detection occurring across participants. This framework and insight will be made available to all participants. This effort will allow program participants to:



Share insights and response procedures without releasing personal, sensitive, or identifiable data

Understand what detections are occurring across participants to prioritize and focus threat detection and hunting efforts

Create and understand trends in adversary activity

Proactively discover new adversary campaigns against the energy sector

Inform best practices and standards based off insights into the threats "Neighborhood Keeper represents an innovative and highly beneficial approach to providing security to smaller providers, as well as value to the entirety of the community, by sharing completely anonymized insights from threats detected in OT/ICS networks," said Robert M Lee, CEO Dragos. "Dragos is excited to begin work on this effort with funding and support from the DOE, together with the electric sector leadership from Ameren, First Energy, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), NERC's E-ISAC, and Southern Company. Larger providers are coming together to ensure that we take care of all of our infrastructure, especially in smaller communities. This is another example of the strength of the energy community and is being made possible by DOE's CEDS (Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems) program." The DOE CEDS' award provides funding for a period of two years to program participants to complete the research and development efforts and then transition it to the wider market. Neighborhood Keeper will begin with the publicly-identified participants, and as the program progresses, additional participants from smaller infrastructure sites will be added to continue to test the value to the sector. Neighborhood Keeper is designed to provide unique value on its own, while also augmenting existing national sharing programs, such as CRISP (Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program). Neighborhood Keeper's shared intelligence will allow the amplification of these programs through Idaho National Labs (INL) and the E-ISAC.

For more information: Learn more about Neighborhood Keeper here

Register for the ICS webinar series

For asset owners and operators, such as co-ops, municipalities, and gas pipeline operators, please register your interest here About Dragos The Dragos ICS threat detection and response platform distills decades of real-world experience from an elite team of ICS cybersecurity experts across the U.S. intelligence community and private industrial companies. Dragos' offerings also include: threat hunting and incident response services, and Dragos ICS WorldView for weekly threat intelligence reports. Dragos is headquartered in the Washington, DC area. For more information, please visit dragos.com or follow @DragosInc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005270/en/

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[October 24, 2018]

Schneider Electric Announces APC NetShelter Racks and Micro Data Centers Achieve Cisco Certification

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced today at EDGE Congress that APC NetShelter SX with Shock Packaging has achieved Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Pre-rack and Ship Certification, expanding certification from one standard size to covering the entire product line.

The NetShelter SX product line includes 13 preconfigured SKUs with Shock Packaging and thousands of customization options with configure and engineer-to-order factory processes such as the Micro Data Center Xpress SX 24U and 42U pre-integrated with all of the APC physical infrastructure. All of these products are now certified to ship as a pre-integrated package with Cisco UCS servers globally.

"This certification is crucial for our customers because it provides the assurance that our products are certified for shipments with potentially millions of dollars of equipment inside," said Dave Johnson, EVP, IT Division, Schneider Electric. "Schneider Electric is dedicated to our alliance with Cisco to ensure that we jointly provide our customers with the highest quality converged solutions that are the building blocks of the edge."

Cisco UCS is a leader in converged infrastructure and is the foundation for NetApp FlexPod, Dell|EMC VBLOCK, IBM VersaStack, Pure Storage FlashStack, and Microsoft Azure Stack along with Cisco's Hyperconverged solution HyperFlex. With the certification, all of these converged infrastructures can ship in APC NetShelter SX racks with Shock Packaging.

Multiple Benefits for IT Channel Partners and Systems Integrators

For IT channel partners, a combined Micro Data Center solution from APC saves both valuable integration floor space and time by not having to unbox, install, and configure during the integration process.

"Tech Data is excited to see this expanded certification on the APC NetShelter SX products because we know from experience that the testing and packaging meet the highest quality standards," said Maghen Hannigan, Director of Converged and Data Center Solutions, Tech Data. "This now gives us the ability to create a true end-to-end solution that saves our channel partners deployment time and money, while heightening the value we provide around converged data center solutions."

APC Products Surpass International Safe Transit Association 3E Tests

APC's NetShelter SX with Shock Packaging underwent stringent testing procedures beyond the standard International Safe Transit Association 3E tests. To earn the Cisco certification, Schneider Electric invested heavily in testing and analysis to measure the forces placed on the equipment and the NetShelter's ability to dampen them, ensuring reliable shipment.

"APC by Schneider was the perfect company to partner with in the Micro Data Center solutions space," said Dan Hanson, Senior Director, UCS Product Management, Cisco. "Through our Alliance, we are strengthening our commitment to delivering world-class Edge and IOT solutions that offer tremendous flexibility, resiliency, and deploy faster than ever."

A Wide Range of Options for a Wide Range of Customer Needs

The NetShelter SX family of products, the world's most versatile server rack enclosure with over 1 million units sold, comes in a wide variety of heights, widths, and depths for a wide range of customer needs. For example, for off-site colocation deployments, IT managers may want to maximize their footprint with taller racks, at edge locations they may require a rack that can ft in a closet or underneath a desk, while on premise IT managers may prefer wider cabinets for easier access and maintenance. The certification also covers customization of NetShelter SX racks with Shock Packaging so customers and partners can venture outside the catalog, such as integrating their necessary APC accessories or customizing racks in signature colors, while maintaining peace of mind knowing the whole family of products is certified.







APC now offers more options for pre-integrating a Cisco UCS in APC rack infrastructure and shipping it, providing an end-to-end solution for partners and a plug and play experience for end users, without voiding the UCS warranty. Reusable Shock Packaging meets the industry shipping standard ISTA 3E, protecting cabinets equipped with up to 2,000 pounds of IT equipment for reliable load, transport, unload, and deployment.

For the ability to manage these many environments, Cisco and Schneider Electric provide the EcoStruxure IT platform with Cisco UCS manager integration, which can simplify data management and provide visibility of the power infrastructure across the two platforms through a single pane of glass.

Check out the APC alliances page to learn more about how APC and Cisco are working together to create solutions that power advanced data center technologies. For more information on the NetShelter SX line of products, please visit our web page.

About EcoStruxure

EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric's open, interoperable, IoT-enabled system architecture and platform. EcoStruxure delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity for customers. EcoStruxure leverages advancements in IoT, mobility, sensing, cloud, analytics, and cybersecurity to deliver Innovation at Every Level. This includes Connected Products, Edge Control, and Apps, Analytics & Services. EcoStruxure has been deployed in 480,000+ sites, with the support of 20,000+ system integrators and developers, connecting over 1.6 million assets under management through 40+ digital services.

About EDGE Congress

Schneider Electric is the founding partner for EDGE Congress, the BroadGroup's brand-new series of innovative and interactive global events focused on edge computing's transformative impact on technology, business, and society. With strong market drivers and demand for more distributed IT architecture to support emerging technologies, the shift to edge represents one of the most profound opportunities to modernize today's legacy infrastructure and data center ecosystem. The defining industry players will meet in Austin, TX, October 24-25, 2018, for the inaugural event.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management  Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment. schneider-electric.com

About Cisco

Cisco is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow's digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/work/campaign/life-is-on/life-is-on.jsp

www.schneider-electric.com/ecostruxure

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SOURCE Schneider Electric
[October 24, 2018] A Robot Helps FANUC America Break Ground on New Facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan

FANUC America Corporation, the leading supplier of robotics, CNC systems, ROBOMACHINEs and Industrial IoT solutions held a ground breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of its new North Campus facility in Auburn Hills, MI. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005515/en/ A FANUC robot helps company executives and local dignitaries break ground on new facility in Auburn Hills, MI (Photo: Business Wire) "Robotics and automation are key drivers of manufacturing competitiveness," said Mike Cicco, president & CEO, FANUC America. "We're looking forward to expanding our facilities here in Oakland County to keep pace with the growing demand for automation." "To highlight the importance of robotics in the manufacturing sector, we've included one of our robots to help us break ground," added Cicco. Employees, customers and guests cheered as the robot broke ground along with FANUC executives and several local and state dignitaries, including: Congressman Mike Bishop; Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson; Auburn Hills Mayor Kevin McDaniel and MEDC Rep. Ricardo Gonzales. FANUC's products are applied in a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, food, pharmaceuticals, logistics and warehousing to name a few. Since 1982, the company's line of painting robots, and a variey of automation software products have been designed and built in Michigan. With the addition of the new North Campus building, FANUC America's three facilities in Michigan total 1,155,525 square feet.



Scheduled to open in the fall of 2019, FANUC America's new North Campus will house engineering, product development, manufacturing and warehousing. The $51 million expansion is expected to create 100 jobs. About FANUC America Corporation

FANUC America Corporation is a subsidiary of FANUC CORPORATION in Japan, and provides industry-leading robotics, CNC systems, and factory automation. FANUC's innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers in the Americas maximize productivity, reliability and profitability. FANUC embraces a culture of "Service First" which means that customer service is our highest priority. We are committed to supplying our customers with parts and support for the life of their FANUC products. FANUC America is headquartered at 3900 W. Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, and has facilities in: Atlanta; Boston; Charlotte; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Montreal; Pine Brook, NJ; Pontiac, MI; San Francisco; Seattle; Toronto; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, and Manaus, Brazil; and Aguascalientes, Monterrey, and Queretaro, Mexico. For more information, please call: 888-FANUC-US (888-326-8287) or visit our website: www.fanucamerica.com. Also, connect with us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005515/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Mitsubishi Motors Launches Digital Customer Experience Management Platform - MICAR

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) recently partnered with Dealer-FX, the leading Customer Experience Management provider for OEMs and their retailers, to launch an all-new digital platform for Mitsubishi (News - Alert) dealers entitled MICAR. MICAR is based on Dealer-FX's ONE platform, which connects all stages of service and gives customers a completely digital and convenient experience. The tablet-based system integrates seamlessly with dealer management systems and allows dealerships real-time access to critical data and the most advanced analytics in the industry. MICAR has been rolling out in Mitsubishi dealerships nationwide, and MMNA has a goal of enrolling 90 percent of dealerships on ONE Platform by 2020. "Optimizing the customer experience at our dealerships meant upgrading our systems and equipping our dealers with the tools they need to be efficient, informed and connected to consumers," said Fred Diaz, President and Chief Executive Officer, MMNA. "Dealer-FX has an established track record of transforming how consumers interact with OEMs and their retailers with ONE platform. They were the ideal partner for us when it came time to develop MICAR to improve both customer satisfaction and dealer financial performance." With the MICAR platform, dealership customers get the best digital retail experience possible. Customers can: Utilize convenient mobile and online scheduling, for 24/7 convenience

Be greeted by their advisor at their vehicle to conduct a thorough and transparent check-in

Maintain ongoing text, phone and email communication during their service visit

View Multipoint Inspection results and recommendations on any mobile device

Get detailed descriptions of each recommendation (including photos) and easily approve

Pay invoices remotely, eliminating the need to wait in line at the cashier, and more Dealerships using the MICAR platform have experienced a 12 percent increase in Customer Satisfaction Index scores and a 51 percent increase in Customer Pay Sales, as well as numerous efficiency and profitability improvements. MICAR has allowed Mitsubishi to meet the rising bar of customer expectations and ensure they drive away informed, satisfied and eager to maintain their dealership relationship. "MICAR helps dealers effectively drive service retention and ensures a connected, transparent and efficent customer experience at Mitsubishi dealerships," said Gary Kalk, CEO of Dealer-FX. "We're excited to be partnered with MMNA to further grow their business in the USA."



For more information on Mitsubishi Motors, please visit media.mitsubishicars.com. For more information on MICAR please visit: https://www.dealer-fx.com. About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all research and development, marketing, and sales for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells sedans and crossovers/SUVs through a network of approximately 360 dealers. MMNA is leading the way in the development of highly efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models. Mitsubishi has been producing cars for over 100 years. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com. About Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Since the Mitsubishi group produced its first car more than a century ago, we have demonstrated an ambitious and often disruptive approach, developing new vehicle genres and pioneering cutting-edge technologies. Deeply rooted in Mitsubishi Motors' DNA, our brand strategy will appeal to ambitious drivers, willing to challenge conventional wisdom and ready to embrace change. Consistent with this mindset, Mitsubishi Motors introduced its new brand strategy in 2017, expressed in its "Drive your Ambition" tagline - a combination of personal drive and forward attitude, and a reflection of the constant dialogue between the brand and its customers. Today Mitsubishi Motors is committed to continuous investment in innovative new technologies, attractive design and product development, bringing exciting and authentic new vehicles to customers around the world. About Dealer-FX Dealer-FX is transforming how millions of consumers interact with automotive brands and their retailers. Our customer experience management platform uses advanced data analysis and mobile applications to deliver convenience, transparency and trust to consumers, and increased efficiency, profitability, retention and brand loyalty to OEMs and dealers. We are backed by the strength and resources of HGGC, a private equity firm in Palo Alto, CA (News - Alert) . Our core offering, ONE Platform, is comprised of seven components, which along with the Service Dashboard, manage the entire service experience from initial contact through drive-off and to next visit. It delivers the best dealer service experience. Period. Dealer-FX is the exclusive or preferred service technology provider for Mitsubishi, FCA, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota, Lexus, Audi and several other OEMs in the US and Canada, and has more than 2,500 dealership clients. Dealer-FX is based in Toronto. For more information please visit dealer-fx.com, or connect on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005241/en/

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[October 24, 2018] AFSA Announces New Board Leadership; Executive Staff Succession Plan

The American Financial Services Association (AFSA) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected a new chairman, chair-elect and vice chairman-treasurer for the next 12 months. Additionally, the board approved a succession plan for executive leadership of the 102-year-old trade association representing the consumer credit industry. Josh Johnson, CEO of Mariner Finance Co., based in Baltimore, was elected the new Chairman of the AFSA Board. He takes the gavel from outgoing board chair Ginger Herring, President and CEO of 1st Franklin Finance Corporation, Toccoa, Ga., who completed her one-year term. Dale Jones, Executive Vice President of Ford (News - Alert) Motor Credit, Dearborn, Mich., was elected chair-elect of the AFSA Board and will succeed Johnson in 12 months. Tom Hudgins, President & COO of Western Shamrock Corporation, San Angelo Texas, was elected vice chair - treasurer. The AFSA Board approved an executive leadership transition plan that promotes Bill Himpler, AFSA Executive Vice President, to President-elect of the association, effective Nov. 1, 2018, until April 1, 2019, at which time Himpler becomes President and CEO of AFSA. Chris Stinebert, President & CEO of AFSA since 2006, will assume a transitional role of Assistant to the President, starting April 1 until Dec. 31, 2019. "These are exciting times for the consumer credit industry, our customers and our communities," said Johnson. "Chris Stinebert has provided excellent leadership of the association since 2006 while navigating the association through the recession, recovery, and creation of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP). During that same timeframe, Bill Himpler has worked tirelessly to provide our industry with a clear voice and message on Capitol Hill and with regulators on the need for safe, affordable consumer credit." Johnson said AFSA's Board, comprised of leaders in the consumer credit industry, believes that this executive leadership transition plan will ensure that the association's mission to provide access to safe, affordable credit, continues to support a robust U.S. economy. Johnson Bio highlights Josh Johnson is the President & COO of Mariner Finance, LLC, which he co-founded in 2002. Under his leadership, Mariner Finance has grown from a single branch in Marylad to more than 500 branches in 22 states. This growth has been fueled by strategic, organic growth and the acquisition of several regional consumer finance companies, including Pioneer Credit, Personal Finance Company and Regency Finance.



Johnson has over 25 years of executive level experience in the consumer finance business, including a previous CEO role with Rose Shanis Financial Services. In addition to his new responsibilities as Chair of the AFSA Board, Johnson has served in numerous leadership roles over the past decade, including Treasurer of the AFSA board, Chair of AFSA's Independents Section board and various roles in the AFSA Education Foundation.

Johnson and his siblings cofounded Jeffie's Choice, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to serving the needs of food banks across the footprint of Mariner Finance. Jeffie's Choice is operated 100% by volunteers and generously funded by Mariner Finance employees. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Towson University. Jones Bio Highlights Dale Jones serves as Ford Motor Credit Company's executive vice president of the Americas, with responsibility for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela businesses. His responsibility also includes global Operations and global Quality. He previously was vice president of Business Center Operations and, before that, vice president of Strategic Planning and Business Operations. Jones joined Ford Credit in 1989 and subsequently held a variety of increasingly responsible positions throughout North America. Jones is chairman of Ford Credit Canada Ltd, and a board member of FCE Bank, Ford Credit's European subsidiary, in addition to serving as chair-elect of the AFSA board. He also is a member of the board of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University. Hudgins Bio highlights James T. (Tom) Hudgins has served as President & COO of Western-Shamrock Corporation since 2011. He joined the company in 2007 as Vice President of Operations. Western-Shamrock Corporation is a privately-owned Traditional Installment Lender with more than 300 branch offices in nine states and more than 900 employees He currently serves as the President of the Independent Finance Institute of Oklahoma and the Missouri Installment Lenders Association and serves on the boards of the Georgia Installment Lenders Association; the New Mexico Independent Finance Association; the Tennessee Independent Loan Association; and the South Carolina Independent Consumer Finance Association. Hudgins attended the University of Colorado and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Public Administration from Texas State University. He is also a graduate of the AFSA Executive Leadership Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Himpler Bio highlights Bill Himpler joined AFSA in 2004 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he headed the congressional relations office. Prior to joining HUD, he was director of legislative affairs for BGR Holding, LLC, where he worked as a lobbyist. He has also worked on Capitol Hill, serving as tax counsel and legislative director for two members of Congress. Himpler holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Steubenville, a master's degree from the Dominican House of Studies, and a law degree from The Catholic University of America. Based in Washington, D.C., the American Financial Services Association (AFSA), now in its 102nd year, is the national trade association for the consumer credit industry, committed to protecting access to credit and consumer choice. Its 450 members include traditional installment lenders, vehicle finance/leasing companies, consumer and commercial finance companies, mortgage lenders and servicers, payment card issuers, industrial banks and industry suppliers. For more information, visit www.afsaonline.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005202/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Dominion Harbor Deepens Its Relationship with Intellectual Ventures

Dominion Harbor Enterprises (DHE) today announced that it has reached an agreement with Intellectual Ventures (News - Alert) (IV) to bring IV's portfolio of high-value technology patents to select customers. The agreement provides a new channel offering access to a license under IV's extensive patent portfolio to those select customers. Over the last two decades, IV has raised more than $5 billion from investors to build an intellectual property portfolio covering a wide array of technological breakthroughs useful to companies in a host of industries. This portfolio consists of tens of thousands of patents and patent applications that run the gamut from life sciences to financial services, and from computer hardware to AI and Internet of Things (IoT) patents. IV chose Dominion Harbor as one of its marketing partners because of DHE's stellar record of commercial success in patent licensing - including DHE's licensing of the world-famous Kodak (News - Alert) and American Express portfolios. DHE has earned a unique reputation in the marketplace for its fair, transparent, and non-litigious approach to licensing, which aligns well with IV's building of a monetization ecosystem for its broad and diverse portfolio. In October 2018, Dominion Harbor was named as one of "the world's top IP dealmakers" and a "key player in the IP value creation space" by the leading IP industry journal Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine. IAM noted DHE's team of IP transaction experts "continues to build momentum," which this new deal to represent IV's patent portfolio confirms. Intellectual Ventures joins a growing list of technology leaders such as Panasonic (News - Alert) who have looked to Dominion Harbor to market their patented technology assets. Dominion's IPedia patent intelligence platform is of particular interest to patent owners like IV and Panasonic because it assesses patented technologies and finds industry applications for them in eal time using a series of DHE-proprietary algorithms.



"We are honored to partner with Intellectual Ventures to introduce IV's world-famous portfolio of high-value technology patents to a select group of our customers," said David Pridham, chairman and CEO of Dominion Harbor Enterprises. "We will immediately begin marketing IV's portfolio of innovations to interested technology and manufacturing companies." "Dominion Harbor has deep relationships that allow it an unparalleled reach into certain sectors. By leveraging those relationships and DHE's expertise we can ensure the broadest number of market participants will benefit from access to IV's diverse patent portfolio," said Mathen Ganesan, executive vice president - Invention Investment Funds at Intellectual Ventures.

Ganesan went on to say, "IV is rapidly building on its already extensive monetization ecosystem through third party relationships like this agreement with DHE. The net result is that a broader set of customers will benefit from IV's portfolio. Relationships like this give IV the ability to truly match the breadth of our portfolio with a broad and diverse licensing customer base, providing scalability to our monetization efforts." About Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC: Dominion Harbor Enterprises (DHE) is the world's premier intellectual property transaction and advisory firms. It provides its clients with unmatched transactional expertise, a full spectrum of IP transaction and advisory services, and unrivaled access to highly targeted and credentialed licensees. DHE maintains its industry leadership with its proprietary IPedia patent intelligence solution, IPWire.com - The Patent Expert's Resource and IPFrequently - a humorous, yet serious podcast for today's IP practitioner. About Intellectual Ventures: Intellectual Ventures (www.IntellectualVentures.com) is a global invention and investment business that creates, incubates and commercializes impactful inventions. Led by avid inventor and technology leader Nathan Myhrvold, IV has created more than 15 companies with the power to transform industries. At the edge of technological advances to serve both the developed and developing world, IV works with many of the world's top inventors to push innovation forward. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005215/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Wolters Kluwer Focuses on Standardizing Care to Improve Outcomes at the 2018 ANCC Magnet Conference

Wolters Kluwer, Health announced today that the Chief Nurse of Health Learning, Research and Practice, Anne Dabrow Woods, will explore the critical role nurses play in addressing the global challenge of care variability and how it impacts patient outcomes at the 2018 ANCC National Magnet Conference. The thought leadership educational vendor session, "Improving Healthcare Outcomes-The Business of Caring for People," outlines three effective ways healthcare practitioners can access information to put clinical evidence into practice. The presentation takes place on October 24, 2018, at 1 p.m. When care variation exists in hospitals and healthcare systems, institutions face added challenges to meet reimbursable quality measures and provide optimal patient outcomes. Drawing from a recently authored white paper, Using the Best Available Evidence for the Business of Healthcare, Woods will discuss key factors that affect clinical care variation while demonstrating the need for standardized, coordinated care across the U.S. healthcare industry. Woods will also outline specific, proven steps, including implementation of advanced clinical decision support, that healthcare organizations can take to decrease variability in decision-making at the point of care. For instance, a recent Rockburn Institute study outlined in the white paper how use of nursing decision support tools at the bedside dramatically improved hospital Value-Based Purchasing performance scores. "Healthcare systems may vary from country to county, but their overall goals are the same-to provide the highest quality, most cost-effective evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes," said Woods, DNP, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, AGACNP-BC, FAAN. "Healthcare is the business of caring for people, and Wolters Kluwer is committed to equipping nurses with readily accessible tools and the best evidence. We owe it to our patients to provide the highest standards of care quality to optimize their experience."



Sponsored by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Magnet Conference is the largest nursing conference in the United States, offering more than 70 concurrent sessions in addition to daily general sessions. Including pre-conference events, attendees can earn 46.75 continued nursing education (CNE) credits. The event takes place October 24-26 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. To learn more about Woods' presentation, please Wolters Kluwer in Booth #568 during the conference. A copy of the white paper, Using the Best Available Evidence for the Business of Healthcare, can be downloaded here: http://lippincottsolutions.lww.com/magnet.html.

About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) is a global provider of professional information, software solutions, and services for physicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, tax specialists, and finance, audit, compliance, and regulatory sectors. The company provides expert solutions - a combination of deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services - that help professionals navigate change, solve complex problems, and deliver impact in their respective fields. Headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, Wolters Kluwer holds market-leading positions in 40 countries globally, represents customers across 180 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide. In 2017, it reported annual revenues of 4.4 billion. Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit http://healthclarity.wolterskluwer.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter (News - Alert) @WKHealth. For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005272/en/

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[October 24, 2018] MantisNet Announces the Next-Generation of the Reconfigurable Frame Processor, the RFP-NG

MantisNet, a leading developer of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) -based network monitoring solutions, today announced the availability of the next-generation Reconfigurable Frame Processor (News - Alert) (RFP), the RFP-NG. The RFP-NG delivers unparalleled real-time capabilities to monitor, manage and secure network traffic at speeds up to 100G and beyond. With an innovative and flexible approach to data-plane programming, advanced instrumentation and packet processing at its core, the RFP-NG supersedes purpose-built packet brokers, load balancers, and firewalls. More than just an "identify and alert" platform, the RFP-NG can take action on network threats with an open, "vendor agnostic" approach to management and monitoring that simplifies deployment with third-party applications and analytic workflows. With the RFP-NG, DevOp, NetOp (News - Alert) and SecOp teams finally have the end-to-end visibility and the ability to manage network traffic flows at speeds of up to 100G and beyond. "The explosion in volume and velocity of data that businesses depend on for-day-to-day operations, go to market and cyber defense has resulted in a critical need for solutions that can keep up with those demands as well as increase productivity while reducing risks. With the RFP-NG, MantisNet empowers organizations with the information and tools they need to successfully address those challenges and adapt to the future," says Peter Dougherty, CEO MantisNet. The RFP-NG solution consists of MantisNet software applications running on a P4-programmable SDN platform to provide next-generation packet broker (NGPB), flow-aware load balancing, advanced telemetry and more. It takes advantage of the advanced capabilities of the Barefoot ofino chipset that provides 3.2Tb/s (32 x 100G) or 6.4Tb/s (64 x 100G) of bandwidth at network speeds of - 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G or 100G. With a programmable match-action pipeline architecture, the RFP-NG supports a wide variety of functions including service chaining, streaming telemetry, filtering, de-encapsulation, load balancing and per-packet visibility with nanosecond precision Barefoot Smart Programmable Real-time In-band Network Telemetry - Barefoot SPRINTTM as well as Yang model-driven management. Additionally, the RFP-NG architecture provides investment protection and flexibility by supporting MantisNet software applications that can be loaded onto systems to accommodate new functions when and where they are needed.



"Barefoot Tofino with its P4-programmable pipeline and the Barefoot SPRINT unique set of telemetry features are enabling our partners and customers to build the next-generation networking systems which are solving critical limitations faced by today's high-speed networks," stated Roberto Mari, Director, Product Management, Advanced Applications at Barefoot Networks. "Network operators, as well as data center and cloud service providers, are deploying 100G, soon 400G, to keep up with the exponentially increasing data traffic and need platforms to provide per-packet, nanosecond scale visibility, and control. MantisNet has built their next-generation packet broker using our technology enabling them to deliver per-packet and real-time insights into customers' infrastructure." "Having precise visibility and control of network traffic is fundamentally important and critical to any enterprise. Our solutions provide the most flexible and advanced capabilities for identifying, filtering, engineering/editing and feeding traffic flows to new or existing analytics and management workflows," added Dougherty. "MantisNet is focused on addressing the world's need for real-time intelligence and remediation that businesses and governmental organizations need to continuously operate and make decisions on current and future network traffic at speeds up to 100G and beyond."

About Barefoot Networks Barefoot Networks launched in 2016 after two years of developing technology that built switch silicon with a forwarding plane that is defined in software while not compromising on performance. Barefoot empowers network owners and their infrastructure partners to design, optimize, and innovate to meet their specific requirements and gain competitive advantage. In combining the P4 programming language with fast programmable switches, Barefoot has also created an ecosystem for compilers, tools, and P4 programs to make P4 accessible to anybody. Barefoot Networks is headquartered in Silicon Valley and is backed by strategic investors including Alibaba, Dell (News - Alert) Technology Capital, Google Inc., Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, and Tencent, and by premier venture capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, and Sequoia Capital (News - Alert) . For more information, visit https://barefootnetworks.com/. About MantisNet MantisNet develops Software Defined Network (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) network intelligence solutions that provide businesses and governments real-time network monitoring solutions, for 100G speeds and beyond. MantisNet's solutions better enable network teams to monitor, manage and engineer the increase in network traffic flows they're experiencing compared to the preceding generation of packet brokers, firewalls, load balancers and event management solutions. MantisNet combines end-to-end visibility, wire-speed network monitoring and protocol analysis (from L2 to L7) with the ability to perform real-time traffic engineering and remediation against operational issues, security threats, fraud, and malicious activities, either manually or autonomously. Our solutions are deployed at leading telecom, service providers, NEM labs and government sites. We work to make network intelligence actionable for a broad range of DevOps, network and application performance testing, streaming analytics, and cyber security applications. For more information, visit https://www.MantisNet.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005542/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Nintex Study Finds Manufacturing Employees Worry Less About Job Loss Than Losing Marketable Skills Due to Digital Transformation Initiatives

BELLEVUE, Wash., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent study from Nintex, the global standard for process management and automation, 75 percent of manufacturing employees in the United States are not concerned about their job security even amid the rise of intelligent automation and artificial intelligence technologies. In fact, of those concerned, 33 percent say these tools make their jobs harder. Nintex's latest research, called "The State of Intelligent Process Automation Study", finds 63 percent of workers employed in the manufacturing industry are very aware of digital transformation and its promised benefits. In fact, compared to all survey respondents across industries, those who identified themselves as part of the manufacturing industry were second only to technology industry workers in their overall awareness of digital transformation. That said, just 23 percent of manufacturing employees surveyed are currently involved in their organizations' digital transformation efforts and 73 percent want more involvement. The study also provides insight on why manufacturing professionals may be skeptical of intelligent technologies. The data reveals 35 percent have been in their role for more than 10 years, and 98 percent say moderate to deep expertise is necessary to carry out their roles. While these employees understand the potential of digitization, they fear a negative impact to their expertise as a result of digital transformation. Seventy-seven percent of manufacturing employees think artificial intelligence (AI) will make them lazy and cause them to lose their marketable skills. Nintex's study also surveyed manufacturing decision makers on their perceptions of digital transformation. Thirty-one percent have had a formal digital transformation plan in place for on to three years and about a third (30 percent) say their digital transformation efforts are significantly ahead of other industries. At the same time, just 15 percent say automation and AI will definitely eliminate jobs at their companies. Still, more than half (56 percent) of manufacturing leaders blame lack of in-house talent for transformation shortcomings. Another 35 percent say insufficient employee training on new technologies has hindered their digital transformation success.



"Manufacturing industry decision makers understand the value in digital transformation but, like in many industries, are struggling to find the right talent to make it a reality," said Nintex Chief Evangelist Ryan Duguid. "A very practical solution is to rethink the problem. Hiring hard-to-find talent isn't the fastest solution. Instead, invest in the people you have and give them the proper training and tools necessary to engage in more meaningful, transformative work. Begin by closely looking at how your business runs and visually map out your processes with a solution like Nintex Promapp. Engage the very people involved in your business processes every day and you'll drive continuous process improvements, including identifying processes that are ripe for automation." The "State of Intelligent Process Automation Study" is based on survey data from more than 450 decision makers and 650 line of business employees at U.S. based companies with more than 250 employees. To learn more about this research, download the report at www.nintex.com/stateofIPAstudy.

Media Contact

Kristin Treat

kristin.treat@nintex.com

cell: (215) 317-9091 About Nintex

Nintex is the global standard for process management and automation. Today more than 8,000 public and private sector clients across 90 countries turn to the Nintex Platform to accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimizing business processes. Learn more by visiting www.nintex.com and experience how Nintex and its global partner network are shaping the future of Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Study Methodology

Nintex commissioned third-party research firm, Lucid, in April and May of 2018 to conduct two surveys. The first was completed by more than 450 U.S. decision makers directly involved in their organizations' digital transformation strategies at companies with 250+ employees and work in either manufacturing, healthcare or finance in an operations, IT or marketing role. The second surveyed 650 U.S. line of business employees at U.S. companies with 250+ employees. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nintex-study-finds-manufacturing-employees-worry-less-about-job-loss-than-losing-marketable-skills-due-to-digital-transformation-initiatives-300736598.html SOURCE Nintex

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[October 24, 2018] Vivo Spearheads 5G-Embedded "Intelligent Phone" Era, Accelerating AI Research and Development

Vivo presented a keynote on AI at the Qualcomm 4G/5G Summit

Vivo has successfully accomplished its "5G First Call" in August 2018 and plans to showcase the development results of the 5G-based software application in December

Vivo announced plans to launch the first Vivo 5G embedded smartphone aka the "Intelligent Phone" HONG KONG, Oct. 24, 2018 /CNW/ -- Vivo, a long-term partner of Qualcomm, shared its vision and insight on 5G development and how it will empower a new era of smart living during Qualcomm's 4G/5G Summit held in Hong Kong on 22  24 October 2018. The three-day Qualcomm 4G/5G Summit gathered many of the world's leading mobile industry leaders. During the conference, Zhou Wei, the Vice President of Vivo, Head of Vivo Artificial Intelligence Global Research Institute presented a keynote during the summit's AI Forum and focused his speech around "Intelligent Phone being the key to 5G development success". Mr. Zhou highlighted the deep integration of 5G and AI, and how these elements will be the key to the future growth of 5G embedded smartphones, which Vivo has termed as "Intelligent Phones". AI allows smartphones to literally learn and think, while 5G will provide smartphones with enhanced and faster connection capability. The combination of these factors will transform smartphones from "smart" to "intelligent" while providing users with outstanding new features and the ultimate mobile experience. According to Mr. Zhou, Vivo plans to complete the development and mass production of the first NSA and SA 5G smartphones in 2019 to launch its first batch of pre-commercial 5G smartphones. The company aims to achieve full commercialization of 5G smartphones by 2020. As an industry leader in innovation, Vivo has invested heavily in the development and research of 5G smartphones, and seeks to bring consumers the best mobile experience within the shortest amount of time possible. An early driver in 5G development From 2G in the 90s, to today's 4G era, network connectivity capabilities, smartphone features and functions have changed dramatically. Every upgrade of communications technology is accompanied by industry needs and inspires an upgrade in consumer demands. Currently, the evolving change in consumer needs is the key driving force behind the next generation of 5G communication technology development. As a leader in the communications industry, Vivo is one of the pioneers amongst mobile terminal companies to spearhead 5G technology R&D and standardization. In 2016, Vivo established its 5G research institute center in Beijing, laying the foundation for 5G technology development and standardization. In the same year, Vivo also joined the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project, the 3rd Generation Partner Program), and began its participation in 5G standardization work. The company is now very active in the RAN1, RAN2, RAN4, SA2, CT1 and other core technology groups in 3GPP. Up to now, Vivo has submitted more than 1,500 technical proposals to 3GPP, and is one of the major contributors as a mobile terminal company within 3GPP.



In 2018, Vivo formally launched the research and development of a 5G signaling tester prototype, and successfully accomplished its 5G First Call in August this year. This is an initial key milestone in completing the development of 5G smartphone hardware and software for commercial usage. Based on this, Vivo has plans to showcase its 5G enabled application on mobile terminal in December.

As one of the key partners of the "China Mobile 5G Device Forerunner Initiative", Vivo has maximized its value on such platforms, and made several notable contributions in regards to the standardization of 5G terminal characteristics, such as self-interference, power consumption savings, 5G multi-antenna, low latency and high reliability, high-level protocol design, physical layer protocol design and other terminal characteristics. The company also collaborates closely with key partners to further drive 5G development for the arrival of the 5G era. Consumers define 5G embedded smartphones Vivo has always adhered to the consumer-oriented approach when innovating new products, which ensures consumers enjoy personalized experiences and services. For the upcoming 5G era, Vivo believes that consumers will remain at the core of the smartphone industry ecosystem and Vivo will continue as the key player in defining the growth of 5G embedded smartphones. While challenging technical problems can now be addressed thanks to the rapid development of smartphones and mobile networks, consumers expectations of smartphone continue to rise  ultimately, today's smartphones need to be well-equipped with more flexibility to think, and to provide personalized services. For Vivo, these changes have motivated the brand to not only make major breakthroughs in 5G technology development, but also cultivate a deeper understanding of a "smarter life" and the smartphone ecosystem. The aim is to equip smartphones with better intelligence to better serve consumer demands. As shared by Mr. Zhou in his keynote, "we believe that the manufacturing of smartphones will also evolve from providing basic functions to providing intelligent features. All of these will ensure that the consumer demands for the future intelligent phones will be met. In the future, the development of 5G and AI will be the main drivers for many new scenarios and applications." AI Technology is key for Vivo in developing "Intelligent Phones" Vivo believes that the combination of 5G and AI will be the key trend for the 5G embedded smartphone era. Aside from being active in laying out the fundamental of 5G technology, Vivo has also spearheaded the development of AI research. In June 2017, Vivo has established its AI Labs to kick start AI research and development. In March 2018, Vivo released Jovi - a new AI sub-brand. After more than half a year of team effort, Vivo has made considerable progress in AI technology. Mr. Zhou highlighted that AI is not just about voice recognition, NLP or deep learning etc. It is based on these technologies that AI can provide consumers with a framework for a whole new range of products and services. As such, Vivo has been proactive in building mobile phones that act as a smart terminal in serving as a connection center, further creating an equal, mutual and open platform to deliver relevant services by connecting them to the consumers' needs. Mr. Zhou also elaborated in his speech Vivo's understanding of AI, as well as the company's devotion in this sector. 5G will cultivate new application scenarios, the future of smartphones will essentially be able to self-learn, self-discover and self-recommend. On July 4, 2018, Vivo has established the IoT Open Ecosystem Alliance together with other key IoT industry representative companies. Through this ecosystem, the full interaction between devices can also be enabled even if the adaption is with various brands. It also ensures that when a developer releases a product, it would provide the customers with the perfect user experience. Most importantly, it would also give consumers the ability to choose their preferred products for their needs and experiences. Based on this platform, Vivo is building its own "Intelligent Phones" ecosystem, by investing heavily and leading the industry to realize 5G technology application development and provide consumers with the ultimate user experience. Please download from this link for more images About Vivo Vivo is a leading global technology company committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile innovations and services. Vivo is devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, and currently owns and operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centers in the US (San Diego) and China (Dongguan, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Beijing and Hangzhou). These centers focus on the development of cutting-edge consumer technologies including 5G, AI, mobile photography and next-generation smartphone design. By the end of 2017, Vivo had over two hundred million users enjoying its mobile products and services around the world. Vivo is present in 18 markets globally and features offline retail stores in over 1,000 cities worldwide. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vivo-spearheads-5g-embedded-intelligent-phone-era-accelerating-ai-research-and-development-300737017.html SOURCE Vivo

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[October 24, 2018] Crossix Launches DIFA HCP Site to Provide a More Comprehensive View of HCP Website Visitors

Crossix announced today that it has expanded its market-leading DIFA digital optimization and measurement platform to encompass healthcare professional (HCP) website analytics. Healthcare brands and agencies can now measure and have a deeper understanding of the quality of the audience visiting HCP sites and the impact on health outcomes, connecting patient treatment behavior back to HCP actions on the website. "With many professional websites offering open access, it historically has been difficult for brands to determine exactly who is visiting their HCP websites. Our clients demand a smarter measurement strategy that enables ongoing website and campaign optimizations," said Ira Haimowitz, PhD, VP, Product Strategy at Crossix Solutions. "With DIFA HCP Site, marketers are able to get a quantifiable view of audience quality by tying site metrics to the medical history of the patients these HCPs are treating, including previous diagnosis and treatment history." Fully integrated within the DIFA measurement platform, DIFA HCP Site is designed to complement existing web analytics solutions by answering key questions that require linking anonymous visitation information to actual healthcare data: Who is visiting my website? Are they consumers or HCPs?

How do the HCPs on my target list engage with the content on my website?

Are the visiting HCPs treating patients that are eligible for my brand?

How does visiting my website influence treatment decisions? "Crossix has been intrumental in helping us support our clients with the innovative technology of their DIFA platform," said Sonya Svaty, VP, Media Strategy at Klick Health. "We are excited they have extended their proven expertise to HCP website analytics and look forward to continuing our partnership with DIFA HCP Site."



"We are always looking for deeper metrics that allow us to optimize our marketing and site development," said Erin Hutson, Digital Media Strategist at Butler/Till. "DIFA HCP Site not only allows us to answer those questions on a single platform, the data is updated monthly allowing us to adjust our promotional plans." The launch of DIFA HCP Site is one of many major enhancements Crossix has made to DIFA, the best-in-class health advertising optimization and measurement platform. The DIFA suite of products now includes DIFA for display, video and mobile, DIFA Site, DIFA HCP and DIFA HCP Site. DIFA has been used by agencies and brands to measure and optimize more than 300 health campaigns and websites and over 10 billion display, video and mobile media impressions to date.

For more information, please visit https://crossix.com/difa-hcp-site. About Crossix Solutions Crossix empowers healthcare companies and companies that care about health to plan, measure and optimize their marketing and communication initiatives. Fueled by its Distributed Data Network (DDN) technology and the industry's most comprehensive set of health and non-health data, which encompasses more than 250 million U.S. consumers, Crossix analytics inform strategic decisions, maximize business results and drive improved patient outcomes. Crossix connects Rx, OTC, CPG, clinical, medical claims, hospital, consumer and media data with best-in-class privacy safeguards far exceeding HIPAA requirements. Through an unrivaled commitment to innovation and its first-of-their-kind partnerships, Crossix offers an expansive suite of audience and media optimization solutions across programmatic advertising, addressable TV, mobile marketing, search, point-of-care and beyond. Founded in 2004, Crossix is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.crossix.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005597/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Bank of America Names Clayton S. Rose to Board of Directors

Bank of America's Board of Directors today appointed Clayton S. Rose as director, effective immediately. He is a member of the Audit and Compensation and Benefits committees. Dr. Rose, 60, served as a director from 2013 until 2015, when he was named to his current position as president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He is a former senior executive with J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc. During his approximately two decades with the firm, he headed two of the five major lines of business - Global Investment Banking and Global Equities - and was a member of the senior management team. He was a founder of J.P. Morgan's equities business, and had management roles in securities, derivatives, and corporate finance businesses. A former professor at the Harvard Business School, Dr. Rose also taught at the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University and the Stern School of Business at New York University. His teaching and writings range from strategy to corporate responsibility, moral leadership and ethics, managerial values, and business engagement with societal challenges. "We welcome Clayton back to our board," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan. "In every dimension of how we drive Responsible Growth - focusing on our clients, managing risk well, and ensuring that growth is sustainable - Clayton brings terrific perspective." "Clayton's expertise in a range of financial and strategic disciplines, enhanced by his experience as an academic leader, will add important judgment and diverse insight to our board," said Lead Independent Director Jack Bovender.



Dr. Rose received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned an A.B. and MBA from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a trustee of the Howard Hughes (News - Alert) Medical Institute, the nation's largest private supporter of academic biomedical research. The board is composed of 16 directors, 15 of whom are independent. Eleven of the independent directors joined the board since the company's 2012 annual meeting.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,400 retail financial centers, approximately 16,100 ATMs, and award-winning digital banking with more than 36 million active users, including nearly 26 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom. Click here to register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005605/en/

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[October 24, 2018] New Alliance Memory High-Speed CMOS PSRAMs Offer Densities From 8Mb to 128Mb in 48-Ball and 49-Ball FPBGA Packages

Devices Provide Cost-Effective, Easy-to-Use Solutions for High-Bandwidth, Low-Power Applications SAN CARLOS, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance Memory today introduced a new family of high-speed CMOS pseudo SRAMs (PSRAMs) with densities from 8Mb to 128Mb in 6.0 mm x 7.0 mm x 1.0 mm 48-ball FPBGA and 4.0 mm by 4.0 mm by 1.0 mm 49-ball FPBGA packages. The devices combine the most desirable features of SRAMs and DRAMs to provide designers with easy-to-use, low-power, and cost-effective memory solutions for wireless, automotive, networking, and industrial applications. Featuring high-density DRAM cores with SRAM interfaces and on-chip refresh circuits for refresh-free operation, the devices released today provide the high bandwidth and the low power necessary to replace SRAMs in portable electronics such as mobile phones and PDAs, or to serve as companion chips to burst NOR Flash applications. The interfaces of the AS1C1M16PL-70BIN, AS1C1M16P-70BIN, AS1C2M16P-70BIN, AS1C512K16PL-70BIN, and AS1C512K16P-70BIN are compatible with asynchronous type SRAMs. The AS1C4M16PL-70BIN and AS1C8M16PL-70BIN CellularRAM PSRAMs feature a multiplexed address/data bus for greater bandwidth. The devices support asynchronous and burst operation, and feature read or write burst lengths of 4, 8, 16, or 32 words, or continuous burst. Available in industrial temperature ranges, the PSRAMs offer fast access speeds of 70s and operate from a single power supply of 1.7V to 1.95V or 2.6V to 3.3V. Additional power-saving features include auto temperature-compensated self-refresh (ATCSR), partial array self-refresh (PASR), and a deep power down (DPD) mode. Device Specification Table: Part number Density Organization V CC Range (V) Temp. (C) Package AS1C512K16PL-70BIN 8Mb 512K x 16 1.7 to 1.95 -30 to +85 48-ball FPBGA AS1C512K16P-70BIN 8Mb 512K x 16 2.6 to 3.3 -30 to +85 48-ball FPBGA AS1C1M16PL-70BIN 16Mb 1M x 16 1.7 to 1.95 -40 to +85 48-ball FPBGA AS1C1M16P-70BIN 16Mb 1M x 16 2.6 to 3.3 -40 to +85 48-ball FPBGA AS1C2M16P-70BIN 32Mb 2M x 16 2.6 to 3.3 -40 to +85 48-ball FPBGA AS1C4M16PL-70BIN 64Mb 4M x 16 1.7 to 1.95 -30 to +85 49-ball FPBGA AS1C8M16PL-70BIN 128Mb 8M x 16 1.7 to 1.95 -30 to +85 49-ball FPBGA



About Alliance Memory Inc.

Alliance Memory is a worldwide provider of critical and hard-to-find DRAM and SRAM memory ICs for the communications, computing, consumer electronics, medical, automotive, and industrial markets. The companys product range includes DRAMs and SRAMs with commercial, industrial, and automotive operating temperature ranges and densities from 64Kb to 8Gb. Privately held, Alliance Memory maintains headquarters in San Carlos, California, and regional offices in Europe, Asia, and South America. More information about Alliance Memory is available online at www.alliancememory.com .

Agency Contact:

Bob Decker

Redpines

+1 415 409 0233

bob.decker@redpinesgroup.com Alliance Memory Contact:

Kim Bagby

CFO

+1 650 610 6800

kim@alliancememory.com Editor resources: Link to product image:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alliancememory/albums/72157674406412898 Link to detailed product info: https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C512K16PL/ (AS1C512K16PL-70BIN)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C512K16P/ (AS1C512K16P-70BIN)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C1M16PL/ (AS1C1M16PL-70BIN)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C1M16P/ (AS1C1M16P-70BIN)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C2M16P/ (AS1C2M16P-70BIN)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C4M16PL/ (AS1C4M16PL-70BIN)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS1C8M16PL/ (AS1C8M16PL-70BIN)

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[October 24, 2018] Scantron's New Look Reflects Its Expertise as an Assessment and Technology Solutions Company

Scantron Corporation, a leading, global provider of assessment solutions, technology solutions and scanners and forms, is changing the way people think about the testing icon by updating its brand and positioning. For more than 40 years, Scantron has continued to supply the highest quality optical mark recognition (OMR) scanners and forms available, which have delivered billions of paper assessments worldwide. And, it did all of this while professionally developing and delivering more than 200 million online assessments as well as managing hundreds of thousands of technology devices and IT endpoints. With expertise in so many solutions, Scantron knew it was time to revitalize its image to match its capabilities. "In a recent study conducted by an outside firm of Scantron clients and stakehoders, characteristics such as knowledge, expertise, broad technologies, and commitment to service were frequently attributed to the organization," said Kevin Brueggeman, CEO, Scantron. "Everything we've done to our website and brand reflects the fact that our clients count on us to be the technology-enabled experts who are committed to creating the best solutions for them. As we continue to grow, we are making a concerted effort to match what we do with how we look."



Part of Scantron's brand refresh involved the adoption of a new logo sporting a stylized, futuristic font that reflects the technologies inherent in all of its solutions. It also coined the phrase "Smart Starts Here" letting current and prospective clients know that Scantron is a leading assessment organization in certification, licensure, K-12 education, and higher education along with its growing position in managed IT services, managed print services, and hardware support services. These and other design elements are carried throughout its intuitive, easy to navigate, new website. "With so many mission-critical solutions available from Scantron, it's important for us to be more than a testing icon," said Cathy Pickoski, Sales and Marketing Senior Vice President, Scantron. "We've always offered more than scanners and forms, and it's time the brand reflects our expansive portfolio of solutions. We've spent a year creating a look and feel that matches our capabilities, and now we are excited to showcase it to the market."

As one of the most iconic names in education, Scantron provides solutions to 42 international ministries of education, 84 out of the top 100 higher education institutions in the U.S., and countless school districts across the nation. Simultaneously, the company also provides IT support to more than 10,000 customers nationally, services more than 300,000 pieces of equipment, and has technicians in 45 states. With distribution in 53 countries and strategic partnerships with 49 international distributors, Scantron is known around the world for offering mission-critical assessment, technology and data capture solutions. It's no wonder "Smart Starts Here." ABOUT SCANTRON Scantron Corporation is a global, diversified company that empowers growth through intelligent, mission-critical assessment, technology, and data capture solutions for business, education, certification, and government clients around the world. Each year the company develops and delivers millions of digital education assessments and certification tests, provides managed technology support for several hundred thousand IT endpoints and devices, manages nearly a billion copied pages, prints & delivers hundreds of millions of high-precision, scannable answer sheets, and supports leading educational institutions, certifying bodies, small to large businesses, and government agencies across the globe. Scantron is headquartered in the Twin (News - Alert) Cities of Minnesota, with other locations in the Research Triangle of North Carolina; Omaha, Nebraska; and Columbia, Pennsylvania. Scantron is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings. For more information visit www.scantron.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005627/en/

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[October 24, 2018] LTI Q2 FY19: USD revenue growth up 21.4% YoY; Net Profit jumps 46.7% YoY

Larsen & Toubro Infotech (News - Alert) (BSE code: 540005, NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, announced its Q2 FY19 results today. In US Dollars: Revenue at USD 328.5 million; growth of 2.7% QoQ and 21.4% YoY

growth of and Constant Currency Revenue growth of 3.5% QoQ and 22.9 % YoY In Indian Rupees: Revenue at Rs 23,312 million ; growth of 8.1% QoQ and 33.1% YoY

; growth of and Net Income at Rs 4,003 million; growth of 10.9% QoQ and 46.7% YoY "Q2 revenue growth was driven by Digital Services that now make up 37% of our revenues. We secured another large deal for a global pharma company with a net-new TCV of US$55m. Healthy pipeline, continued large deal momentum and uptick in Digital Services across all verticals make us optimistic about the future. " - Sanjay Jalona, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, LTI Recent Deal Wins Multi-year, multi-million managed services deal across the globe for a world leader in pharma space

US Insurance major has engaged LTI as strategic IT partner for its largest technology modernization program using Guidewire product suite

Europe headquartered global financial services group selected LTI to transform user experience across their branches in Africa

Leading designer and manufacturer of mass transport system engaged LTI for transforming its operations, accelerating time to market and digitize internal processes using S/4 HANA

Selected by an American broadcaster for its enterprise wide CRM consolidation, design and deployment on Salesforce platform

Awarded multi-year managed infrastructure services deal by a Global Energy corporation

North American Video Relay Service provider selected LTI for its Digital transformation journey involving rollout of modern flexible platform for its mobile applications

Utility major engaged LTI for implementing SAP (News - Alert) CRM 360 Management System to improve its customer experience and increased visibility into request fulfillment

Global Insurance broker chose LTI as its Digital partner to define their automation roadmap

Global Pharma giant, a new client logo, chose LTI as a strategic digitization partner to drive their Robotic Process Automation journey Client Testimonial "We chose LTI as our strategic IT partner for global development and implementation of Parts Management System and Remanufacturing System. We are impressed with LTI's deep understanding of our industry, experience of doing business across the globe and intense focus on customer satisfaction." - Yoshisada Takahashi, Chie Information & Innovation Officer (CIO), President, Information Strategy Division, Komatsu LTD



Awards and Recognitions LTI recognized as a "Leading IT Service Providers" in Gartner's (News - Alert) Competitive Landscape: Consulting and System Integration Service Providers for Robotic Process Automation

LTI recognized as a "Leader" in ISG Provider Lens TM Overall Next-Gen ADM Services in the U.S. Market

Overall Next-Gen ADM Services in the U.S. Market LTI recognized in Forrester's (News - Alert) Now Tech: Digital Process Automation Service Providers, Q3 2018

LTI featured as a Major Contender and Star Performer in Everest Group PEAK Matrix Assessment 2018 for Application Services in Global Banking

LTI recognized in Forrester's Now Tech: Digital Experience Agencies In Asia Pacific, Q3 2018

LTI named by the 3Q18 Global ISG Index as one of The Breakthrough 15 Sourcing Standouts in the Americas Other Business Highlights

The Board of Directors at its meeting held on October 24 th have declared an interim dividend of Rs. 12.5 per equity share (Face value of Re. 1)

have declared an interim dividend of Rs. 12.5 per equity share (Face value of Re. 1) LTI unveiled a state-of-the-art Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, focused on Internet of Things (IoT) based innovations. The CoE will showcase the possibilities of transformative technologies to global customers, featuring Industrial IoT solutions developed on PTC's ThingWorx platform

Designated as an official Centre of Excellence by Automation Anywhere for their platform

LTI won the 2018 Stevie Awards for Great Employers in Internal communications & Employee engagement categories

Won the CIO 100 award for LTI's Workplace by Facebook project

Awarded Best Corporate in Women Empowerment for its CSR (News - Alert) initiative in Revival of the Warli Artform through Entrepreneurship at National CSR Summit & Awards 2018 *Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research public ations, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About LTI: LTI (NSE: LTI) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 300 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 30 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation with LTI's Mosaic platform enabling their mobile, social, analytics, IoT and cloud journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unrivaled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 25,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations and deliver value to their customers, employees and shareholders. Find more at http://www.Lntinfotech.com or follow us at @LTI_Global Connect with LTI: Read our News and Blogs

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[October 24, 2018] Cyclica's Cloud-Based Platform, Ligand Express, Will Help New Discovery Efforts in Bioactive Products for the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada

Cyclica is pleased to announce that, through the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP), a team of scientists from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) will have access to Ligand Express-Cyclica's cloud-based platform. Accessing Ligand Express will help advance new discovery efforts at the NRC, particularly in naturally occurring bioactive products. This new technology will provide important insights to enhance how the NRC's Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre conduct target identification and off-target profiling in compound discovery. Naheed Kurji, President and CEO of Cyclica said, "It's an honour to have a large team of scientists from the National Research Council access our platform ovr an extended period of time to support their R&D efforts. This is a great opportunity to further demonstrate the value of Ligand Express for not only traditional pharmaceutical drug discovery, but to natural products as well. Gaining feedback from expert scientists at the NRC will also enhance the design and functionality of Ligand Express going forward, which important for us as we are constantly looking to build elegant and friendly products that are valued and appreciated by the end user."



About Cyclica: Cyclica is a Toronto-based biotechnology company that is driving drug discovery by empowering scientists in pharma with an integrated cloud-based and AI-augmented platform that enhances how they design, screen and personalize medicines. To learn more, visit www.cyclicarx.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005644/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Production Monitoring Market Worth $6.4 Billion by 2023 - New Report by MarketsandMarkets

CHICAGO, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Production Monitoring Market by Component (Solutions and Services), Solution, Service (Professional and Managed), Organization Size, Industry (Process Manufacturing and Discrete Manufacturing), and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Production Monitoring Market is expected to grow from USD 4.0 billion in 2018 to USD 6.4 billion by 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.8% during the forecast period. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg ) Don't miss out on business opportunities in Production Monitoring Market. Speak to Our Analyst and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=176717688 The major factors driving the Production Monitoring Market include a rising demand for industrial automation and servitization in the manufacturing industry. Security management services to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Security is the biggest concern for all organizations, be it a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) or a large enterprise. Any data breach would significantly hamper the business. Therefore, the main focus of enterprises is to protect the inherent property of the organization, such as customer service delivery, without compromising on the output. Manufacturing companies who are focused on product development have high amounts of data, including product designs, prototype information, customer information, vendor details, and contract details. These data are very important, and enterprises cannot afford to lose them. Therefore, various organizations offer managed security services, including smart security services and cybersecurity services.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Production Monitoring Market" 105 - Tables 47 - Figures 188 - Pages View more detailed TOC @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/production-monitoring-market-176717688.html





Business process optimization application area to hold a larger market size during the forecast period

Business process optimization is a management approach that helps construct new processes and develop new resources to make an organization as effective as possible. This approach encourages organizational leaders to get back to basics and get rid of processes that are not working anymore. It creates an environment of ongoing monitoring, analysis, and adjustments when necessary. The production monitoring solutions based on platforms, such as Machine Learning (ML), IoT, and big data, are helping manufacturing organizations in achieving their short-term and long-term goals. These solutions enable manufacturing organizations to reduce the number of costly errors and achieve a vastly improved result by implementing a well-designed set of business process management solutions.

North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

North America is expected to be the largest contributor to the Production Monitoring Market in terms of market size, as it is a technologically advanced region. The top countries contributing to the Production Monitoring Market in this region include the US and Canada. These countries have sustainable and well-established economies, which enable them to strongly invest in R&D activities, thereby contributing to the development of new technologies. Due to the early adoption of trending technologies, such as IoT, big data, DevOps, and mobility, manufacturers are keen to adopt new advanced technologies for their production process. Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=176717688 Major vendors in the global Production Monitoring Market include Capgemini (France), Infosys (India), Oracle (US), Hitachi (Japan), Siemens (Germany), Verizon (US), Emerson (US), Rockwell Automation (US), AspenTech (US), Schlumberger (US), IQMS (US), sedApta (France), Softweb Solutions (US), ORDINAL Software (France), Infinity QS (US), TESAR (Italy), PCE Instruments (Germany), LineView (England), Monnit (US), Coesia (Italy), RT Engineering (US), Cannon Automata (Italy), Intouch Monitoring (England), PetroDAQ (US), and Vertech (France).



Browse Adjacent Markets @ Software and Services Market Reports & Consulting About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact:

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[October 24, 2018] U.S. Chamber Honors Advocates for Legal Reform

Today, the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) presented its 2018 Legal Reform Awards to two distinguished individuals and one organization at its Summit XX: Law, Policy, Politics event. The awards recognize the notable achievements by those advocating for civil justice reform in three fields: alliances, state government, and research and policy. "The Legal Reform Awards recognize the outstanding work that propels the civil justice reform movement," said ILR President Lisa A. Rickard. "We're honoring each winner for helping to promote a more balanced legal landscape." The three award winners include: Georgians for Lawsuit Reform, which received the Outstanding Alliance Award in recognition of its quick rise on state reform initiatives, including its leadership in the push for a statewide business court.

which received the Outstanding Alliance Award in recognition of its quick rise on state reform initiatives, including its leadership in the push for a statewide business court. Vermont Governor Phil Scott, who received the State Leadership Award in appreciation of his key role in improving the business climate of Vermont by vetoing liability-expanding bills during the 2018 legislative session.

who received the State Leadership Award in appreciation of his key role in improving the business climate of Vermont by vetoing liability-expanding bills during the 2018 legislative session. Judy Pendell, who received the Research and Policy Award for her contributions to ILR's research products and economic studies as one of ILR's most long-standing partners. ILR seeks to promote civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial, and educational activities at the national, state, and local levels. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.







InstituteforLegalReform.com @LegalReform www.freeenterprise.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005657/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Love at First Bite: CheapOair Invites Travelers to Follow Their Appetites Around the World

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Food is now considered to be an attraction, motivator, and even reason for traveling. More and more travelers are visiting destinations specifically to learn and explore new cultures through their stomachs. CheapOair.com, a leading online travel agency, wants to take you on a tour of some of this year's most popular culinary travel trends and destinations. Eat Your Greens: The Most Vegan-Friendly Destinations

2018 has quickly become the year of the sustainability-conscious consumer, particularly in the food industry. According to Google, web searches for 'vegan' reached an all-time high in 2018 and United States ranks fourth among countries performing this search1. As the number of people identifying as vegans continues to rise, so does the number of vegan restaurants around the world. Los Angeles, California, Berlin, Germany, and Tel Aviv, Israel are some of the most vegan-friendly destinations that you can visit. Each of these cities is not only known for having unique culinary scenes, but also for offering a range of vegan substitutes for their respective traditional dishes. The future is sure becoming friendlier to vegan travelers. Take It to The Streets: Destinations with A Booming Street Food Scene

Food trucks, sidewalk vendors, street carts, and hole-in-the walls are no longer a guilty pleasure. Destinations like Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Mexico City, Mexico, and Portland, Oregon have set the bar and blurred the lines between gourmet and fast food. Portland has a booming street food scene with over 500 food trucks. Meanwhile, in Mexico City more than 75% of locals eat street food at least one per week. Ho Chi Minh City has food stands on nearly every corner, of every block, in every district and travelers are flocking there for the tasty Vietnamese cuisine. These destinations prove that you can look outside of the fancy restaurants for some haute cuisine. But First...Coffee: Must-Visit Destinations for Coffee Lovers

Drinking coffee has become a staple in the daily routine of many cultures. For those that love their cup of joe, Seattle, Washington, Istanbul, Turkey, and Medellin, Colombia are just a few destinations you should add to your travel wish list. Seattle is the perfect destination for coffee lovers as it's home to Starbucks; one of world's largest and most recognizable coffee brands. The city's coffee culture doesn't stop there. There are also a number of small, independent roasters scattered across the city. Travelers should also venture to South America to check out what's brewing. Medellin is the perfect starting point to explore Colombia's famed Coffee Triangle. In Istanbul, having Turkish coffee is almost ceremonial in the unique way it is prepared and served. The one thing that unites these different desinations is not only their love of coffee, but the way coffee shapes their culture, community, and way of life.



Say Cheese: The Best Cheese Destinations

Cheese is one of the most versatile and varied foods there is. Cheese enthusiasts can rejoice in the various options, styles, and destinations they can visit to get that perfect bite. Normandy, France is amongst the most famous cheese destinations, especially if you are a fan of Camembert. La Mancha, Spain is the place to go if you prefer Manchego, El Greco, or Don Quixote. For those who can't get enough Parmigiano Reggiano, head to the Emilia Romagna region of Italy where Parmigiano originated. When it comes to cheese, you could travel the world and still be unsure of what the "king of all cheese" is, but with these destinations you'll be ready to do the research. Let's Wine About It: Unconventional Wine Destinations

From Old World to New World, the following are some must visit destinations for all wine connoisseurs. Alentejo is one of the largest wine regions in Portugal where visitors can sample a wide variety of wines and local delicacies. Cape Town, South Africa is home to the only new grape variety created outside of Europe and features some iconic wineries with Cape Dutch architecture. For those looking for a glass of wine with a view, head to Santorini, Greece. Santorini not only has nine indigenous grape varieties, but also has a fascinating wine museum.

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream: The Top Destinations to Eat the Best Ice Cream

We can all agree that ice cream is one of the few desserts that is both timeless and suitable for all ages. It's hard to go wrong when it comes to ice cream, but when it's done right it truly is an icy treat! If you are searching for the perfect scoop, we've got the scoop on some destinations you may want to check out. Italy is an obvious choice, but did you know you can find some of the best gelato in Florence? New York City is also an ice cream hotspot with its many specialty ice cream parlors. For a unique twist on the classic cold treat, visit Tokyo, Japan to try mochi. Cheers: Where to Find the Perfect Pint

Brewing has truly become an international affair, so we've put together a list of a few destinations where you can find that perfect pint. Beijing, China has recently developed as an emerging scene in craft brewing as this ancient city continues to prove it can create modern marvels. St. Louis, Missouri may be home to brewing giant Anheuser-Busch, but it is also becoming a destination for craft brewing. Want to truly change it up? Forget Oktoberfest and head down to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for their annual Craft Beer Festival. For more information, please visit www.cheapoair.com , plus follow our social media pages, www.facebook.com/cheapoair , www.twitter.com/cheapoair , and www.instagram.com/cheapoair . Download the CheapOair app for iOS or Android for an on-the-go travel concierge experience. CheapOair 's mission is to educate and aid consumers and travel professionals in both planning their travel accommodations and staying current on the most popular destinations. With a portfolio of products, including rate and schedule information from 450 global airlines, CheapOair is a great way to book the travel that's right for you. About CheapOair

CheapOair is a flight-focused hybrid travel agency that enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android , by phone (1-800-566-2345) or live chat. Part of Fareportal's family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with certified travel agents available 24/7 to help find deals and offers to destinations worldwide on over 450 airlines, a million hotels, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and Pinterest to learn how to travel the world for less. 1 https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2008-10-22%202018-10-22&q=Vegan View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/love-at-first-bite-cheapoair-invites-travelers-to-follow-their-appetites-around-the-world-300737086.html SOURCE CheapOair

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[October 24, 2018] AGF Investments Inc. Opens NEO

AGF Investments Inc. ("AGF"), including Senior Vice-President, Head of Product, Florence Narine, joined Erik Sloane, Head of Business Development, Funds at NEO, to open the market to celebrate the recent launch of the AGFiQ Enhanced Core Global Multi-Sector Bond ETF on NEO. The new fund, which began trading on October 22, 2018 under the symbol QGB, seeks to provide interest income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in fixed income securities of issuers from around the world. QGB is the first Canadian ETF to use a multi-factor approach to select fixed income securities. This is AGF's third NEO-listed ETF, following the launch of the AGFiQ Enhanced Global ESG Factors ETF (QEF) and the AGFiQ Enhanced Global Infrastructure ETF (QIF) in February 2018. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005668/en/



AGF Investments Inc. ("AGF"), including Senior Vice-President, Head of Product, Florence Narine, joined Erik Sloane, Head of Business Development, Funds at NEO, to open the market to celebrate the recent launch of the AGFiQ Enhanced Core Global Multi-Sector Bond ETF on NEO. The new fund, which began trading on October 22, 2018 under the symbol QGB, seeks to provide interest income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in fixed income securities of issuers from around the world. QGB is the first Canadian ETF to use a multi-factor approach to select fixed income securities. This is AGF's third NEO-listed ETF, following the launch of the AGFiQ Enhanced Global ESG Factors ETF (QEF) and the AGFiQ Enhanced Global Infrastructure ETF (QIF) in February 2018. (Photo: Business Wire)

About NEO Exchange Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. is the operator of Canada's next generation stock exchange, putting the needs of investors, businesses looking to raise capital and dealers first. Launched in March 2015, the NEO Exchange currently offers an innovative trading venue for all listed Canadian securities and value added listings process for capital raising companies and investment products, focused on liquidity, transparency and efficiency. For more information, please visit: NEOstockexchange.com Join us on social media: twitter | linkedin | Instagram View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005668/en/

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Textron Declares Quarterly Dividend

The Board of Directors of Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) today declared a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share on the company's Common Stock.

All dividends will be paid on January 1, 2019 to shareholders of record as of December 14, 2018.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions nd services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information visit: www.textron.com







View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005670/en/
[October 24, 2018] The Carlstar Group Introduces Student Loan Repayment Benefit for Employees

The Carlstar Group announced today that it has partnered with Gradifi to offer a Student Loan Repayment (SLP) benefit to its U.S. employees beginning November 2018. The Carlstar Group is an industry leader of specialty tires and wheels and employs over 3,400 associates in 17 facilities located in four countries. "This is an exciting new benefit we are able to offer to our team of employees," stated Jon Mathews, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at The Carlstar Group. "As a large, U.S. based manufacturer employing thousands of talented team members, we hope to lessen the financial burden that Student Loans place on our employees while at the same time expanding our total benefit offering and enhancing employer/employee connections throughout our business." Working with Boston-based Gradifi, the leading provider of Employer SLP Plans, The Carlstar Group is joining the ranks of other progressive companies, including PricewaterhouseCoopers (News - Alert) (PwC), in leading the charge of tackling our nation's student loan debt crisis, which impacts 70% of recent college graduates in the United States. Beginning in November of this year, The Carlstar Group will supplement eligible employees' regular student loan payments with a monthly contribution through a managed progra offered by Gradifi.



"Each eligible employee can participate in the SLP program for up to five years, with a total benefit of up to $5,100 toward the principle of a student loan," said Mathews. "This financial assistance can help save thousands of dollars while reducing the overall life of the loan." Meera Oliva, Chief Marketing Officer of Gradifi said, "We are proud to partner with The Carlstar Group to offer a student loan repayment benefit to employees. A student loan repayment benefit not only relieves the burden of student loan debt for employees, but also creates a competitive advantage for employers seeking to attract and retain talent in today's tight labor market. The Carlstar Group is a leader in recognizing the challenge and in providing a cost-effective, easy-to-implement solution."

About The Carlstar Group The Carlstar Group is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and is a global manufacturer of original equipment and aftermarket specialty tires and wheels for the agriculture, construction, outdoor power equipment, powersports, high speed trailer and flat free/manual markets. The diverse portfolio of solutions are offered under several leading brands including Carlisle tires and wheels, ITP tires and wheels, as well as Cragar, Black Rock and Unique wheels and Marastar manual tires. The Carlstar Group employs over 3400 associates in 17 facilities located in 4 countries. The Carlstar Group has a culture of converting great ideas into advanced products and has created a legacy of excellence in product innovation, quality, and customer service. For more about The Carlstar Group, visit www.carlstargroup.com. About Gradifi Gradifi is an innovator in employee benefits for U.S. employers. Gradifi's mission is to help employers build loyalty with their workforce by providing employee benefits that positively impact their employees' financial well-being. Gradifi offers a single-platform solution to allow employers to offer employees student loan refinancing opportunities, and employer-sponsored contributions to student loans and 529 college savings plan accounts. A unit of First Republic (NYSE:FRC), Gradifi works with more than 400 employers and serves organizations of all sizes across the U.S. www.gradifi.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005071/en/

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Department of Defense Awards HackerOne Third 'Hack the Pentagon' Crowdsourced Security Contract

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) today announced that HackerOne, the leading hacker-powered security platform, has been awarded a third crowdsourced security contract to help strengthen sensitive DoD assets. This latest award is in addition to HackerOne's existing multi-year contract with the DoD to test public-facing assets. These new contracts are the latest extension of the Department's 'Hack the Pentagon' crowdsourced security initiative - pioneered by the DoD's Defense Digital Service (DDS) in partnership with HackerOne in 2016.

Since the launch of 'Hack the Pentagon,' the DoD has found more than 5,000 valid security vulnerabilities through its vulnerability disclosure policy on HackerOne, conducted six successful public-facing crowdsourced security exercises, also known as bug bounty challenges, and two live hacking events with HackerOne to improve the security of its sensitive assets. The award announced today, as part of the Department's expanding crowdsourced security program, will allow the Department to run bug bounties on a broader range of assets such as hardware and physical systems. The DoD will also continue to build out bug bounty programs for public-facing websites, and pursue other crowdsourced digital defense tactics. The DoD awarded contracts to three private-sector security firms.

This latest contract comes on the heels of HackerOne being awarded a multi-year contract with General Service Administration's ( GSA (News - Alert) ) Technology Transformation Service (TTS), the first civilian agency to run a public bug bounty program, announced in September 2018.

"When something works tremendously well, you do more of it," said HackerOne CEO Marten Mickos. "The DoD, assisted by DDS, has established the most progressive and effective vulnerability disclosure program of the modern era. Their program serves as a role model for other federal agencies and large corporations. HackerOne, with the biggest and uniquely talented hacker community on the planet, is the only hacker-powered security vendor to be selected for all of DoD's programs. We are proud to partner with the U.S. government to help keep citizens and critical infrastructure safe."

The first valid vulnerability was reported duing 'Hack the Pentagon' in 2016. Since then, more than 5,000 valid vulnerabilities have been reported in government systems through HackerOne. These bug bounty challenges and results include:







Hack the Pentagon bug bounty program launched in May 2016 and resulted in over 130 valid vulnerabilities resolved and tens of thousands of dollars paid to ethical hackers for their efforts.

bug bounty program launched in May 2016 and resulted in over 130 valid vulnerabilities resolved and tens of thousands of dollars paid to ethical hackers for their efforts. Hack the Army launched in December 2016 and surfaced over 115 valid vulnerabilities resolved and paid $100,000 to ethical hackers.

launched in December 2016 and surfaced over 115 valid vulnerabilities resolved and paid $100,000 to ethical hackers. Hack the Air Force launched in April 2017 and resulted in over 200 valid vulnerabilities resolved and more than $130,000 paid to ethical hackers.

launched in April 2017 and resulted in over 200 valid vulnerabilities resolved and more than $130,000 paid to ethical hackers. Hack the Air Force 2.0 launched in December 2017 and resulted in over 100 valid vulnerabilities resolved and more than $100,000 paid to hackers.

launched in December 2017 and resulted in over 100 valid vulnerabilities resolved and more than $100,000 paid to hackers. Hack the Defense Travel System launched in April 2018 and focused on testing a DoD enterprise system and resulted in 100 security vulnerabilities reported and $80,000 paid to hackers.

launched in April 2018 and focused on testing a DoD enterprise system and resulted in 100 security vulnerabilities reported and $80,000 paid to hackers. Hack the Marine Corps launched in August 2018. Hackers reported nearly 150 unique valid vulnerabilities to the U.S. Marine Corps Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER) team and were awarded over $150,000 for their contributions.

"Finding innovative ways to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen security has never been more important," said Chris Lynch, Director of the Defense Digital Service. "When our adversaries carry out malicious attacks, they don't hold back and aren't afraid to be creative. Expanding our crowdsourced security work allows us to build a deeper bench of tech talent and bring more diverse perspectives to protect and defend our assets. We're excited to see the program continue to grow and deliver value across the Department."

Hackers who become aware of vulnerabilities can disclose them to the DoD through its ongoing vulnerability disclosure program with HackerOne. The Defense Department launched its Vulnerability Disclosure Policy in 2016 as part of Hack the Pentagon to provide a legal avenue for security researchers to find and disclose vulnerabilities in any DoD public-facing systems.

About HackerOne

HackerOne is the #1 hacker-powered security platform, helping organizations find and fix critical vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. More Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 1000 companies trust HackerOne than any other hacker-powered security alternative. The U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors, Google, Twitter, GitHub, Nintendo, Lufthansa, Panasonic Avionics, Qualcomm, Starbucks, Dropbox, Intel (News - Alert) , the CERT Coordination Center and over 1,200 other organizations have partnered with HackerOne to resolve over 83,000 vulnerabilities and award over $37M in bug bounties. HackerOne is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in London, New York, the Netherlands, and Singapore.

For a comprehensive look at the industry based on the largest repository of hacker reported vulnerability data, download the The Hacker-Powered Security Report 2018.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005184/en/
[October 24, 2018] Astronomer Spins Out MetaRouter, a Company Focused on Secure Clickstream Data Routing

Astronomer, creator of the leading managed Apache Airflow platform, announced today that it has successfully completed the spin-off of its streaming data routing ("Clickstream") division into the newly created MetaRouter, which will provide SaaS (News - Alert) , private cloud and on-premise data routing solutions for organizations requiring enhanced security and flexibility. The new company has received funding from existing Astronomer investors, and Astronomer co-founder, Tim Brunk, will be taking the role of CEO. He is joined by Astronomer's dedicated Clickstream engineering team, including Lead Product Engineer, Andrew Murray. MetaRouter will use its new capital to build out its engineering and product teams to accelerate the commercialization of its new enterprise products. "While our SaaS Clickstream business has continued to grow, we have received a considerable number of prospects looking for a more secure solution that gives them control over the system's components and the underlying raw data," said Ry Walker, CEO of Astronomer. "In the wake of new compliance requirements like GDPR and continued high-profile data breaches, companies are looking for data routing solutions they can manage directly. The opportunity to build a VPC or on-prem deployed platform for ingesting and routing clickstream data is too good to ignore." MetaRouter's new Enterprise platform is built in a modular fashion allowing companies to own the whole data routing system ("end-to-end"), or just the components they need to fit into their existing data infrastructure. Leveraging open-source systems like Kubernetes, the entire system can be deployed into any private cloud environment including AWS, Google (News - Alert) Cloud Platform, Azure Cloud Service or on-premise, and can be up and running in hours. For example, if a customer already has an internal data collection technology, they can purchase MetaRouter's Data Conditioner and Data Router modules to clean, filter, and direct the flow of collected data. The Enterprise Platform also gives customers an unprecedented level of control over their customer data, allowing them to own the raw data and ontrol what is sent out to third parties. No data leaves the customer's secure environment until it is sent directly to its desired end point over secure server-side connections. This server-side connectivity also has the benefit of being faster and more secure. Companies moving their marketing and analytics integrations from the client or browser to the server see materials reductions in site latency and bounce rate.



"For several months, we have been pioneering our Enterprise Platform with a Fortune 500 retailer and are now beginning to open access up to new customers. The value to large or fast growing businesses of having transparency and control over the system and its components is impossible to overstate," says Tim Brunk, MetaRouter CEO. "It's all the perks of a home-grown system minus the years and massive investment required to build and maintain it." The MetaRouter Enterprise Platform is built using the leading tools for Big Data transportation, including Apache Kafka and Kubernetes. The modular design allows for easy updates or substitutions of the core internal technologies to keep the platform updated with the latest "best-in-class" offerings.

The MetaRouter team has significant experience working with streaming customer data-as well as the third party analytics and marketing vendor integrations commonly used with that data-through their involvement in building and supporting Astronomer's global Clickstream business. MetaRouter will begin hiring immediately to expand its product and engineering teams. "Our Product Roadmap is aggressive but designed around years of customer feedback and inbound requests," says Andrew Murray, MetaRouter CTO. "We're excited to add new engineers and product leaders to the team as the technical challenges before us are significant. There's a reason no-one else is offering a solution like this. But those same challenges are what excite and motivate us." MetaRouter will also continue to support and develop its SaaS product offering. "Our SaaS product is actually just a large deployment of our Enterprise Platform, managed by MetaRouter with partitioned access for each customer," says Brunk. "It will directly benefit from each upgrade and release we make to the Enterprise Platform." More information on the SaaS product can be found here: www.metarouter.io/#cloud. Astronomer and MetaRouter will continue to have a close partnership and have a license agreement in place for Astronomer's Apache Airflow platform to support data warehouse loading for MetaRouter customers desiring to store clickstream data in Amazon Redshift, Microsoft (News - Alert) Azure and other data warehouses. For more information or to join the MetaRouter team, visit: www.metarouter.io or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) : @metarouter. About MetaRouter: Based in Cincinnati, OH with a globally distributed engineering team, MetaRouter builds streaming data routing solutions for security sensitive companies. MetaRouter is a spin-out company from Astronomer, Inc., creators of the leading Apache Airflow platform. MetaRouter also provides server-side, third party integration development and streaming data infrastructure consulting services. About Astronomer, Inc.: Based in Cincinnati, OH, Astronomer is dedicated to helping Apache Airflow win in the marketplace, and is the first company to offer a commercial platform and support for Apache Airflow. Astronomer Enterprise can be deployed in minutes to your Kubernetes for maximum security and control. Astronomer also provides support, services and training to help your organization adopt an agile data engineering culture. Astronomer is trusted by Fortune 100 companies and startups, around the world. For more information, visit www.astronomer.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005693/en/

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[October 24, 2018]

NNT Unveils the Future of Intelligent System Integrity Monitoring: Gen7R2

NAPLES, Fla., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New Net Technologies (NNT), leader in security through system integrity, today announced significant advances to its flagship change control solution with the release of Change Tracker Gen7R2. Gen7R2 solves IT Security and Service Management problems that plague every organization.

Completely re-designed to enhance scalability and manageability, change noise is also reduced by more than 90% through use of built-in threat intelligence, integration with ITSM systems, and advanced automation. Gen7R2 elevates system integrity monitoring to unprecedented levels of forensic visibility and change control. Crucially, many of the innovations directly address alert fatigue, the nemesis of traditional file integrity monitoring tools.

At the core is NNT's self-learning breach detection technology. This utilizes pattern-matching intelligence to identify expected, planned changes, against unexpected changes, including indicators of compromise. Gen7R2 leverages contextual change control, underpinned by the world's largest authoritative whitelist database, enabling organizations to spot breach activity in real-time and act before any serious damage is done.

In fact, Change Tracker Gen7R2 provides three key technologies that work together to give he security intelligence needed, without false positives.







NNT F.A.S.T Cloud

NNT Intelligent Closed-Loop Change Control

NNT ITSM Integration

It's so revolutionary that industry analysts have positioned NNT's concept as an entirely new IT Service Management discipline  SecureOps.

SecureOps monitors your organization's attack surface, highlighting where systems require security hardening. NNT is a fully certified Center for Internet Security (CIS) Vendor: where Gen7R2 leverages the latest secure configuration guidance and benchmarks from an industry-leading authority.

But what makes Gen7R2 unique is its Closed-Loop Intelligent Change Control technology, delivering forensic change control but without disruptive change noise. Gen7R2 is the only integrity monitoring solution to be ServiceNow Certified, automatically reconciling actual changes to the approved change request (other ITSM integrations available).

"All security breaches start with a change or the need for a change. Having clear visibility of all changes is the only way to ensure systems remain secure," said Mark Kedgley, NNT CTO.

About New Net Technologies

New Net Technologies (NNT) is the leading provider of Security through System Integrity, helping organizations reduce their security risk, increase service availability and achieve continuous compliance. NNT automates the operation of Critical Security Controls, leveraging intelligent change control technology to track system integrity, and using dynamic policy management to ensure systems remain secure, available and compliant. Visit www.newnettechnologies.com

Contact:

Mark Allers

503-705-4778

203835@email4pr.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nnt-unveils-the-future-of-intelligent-system-integrity-monitoring-gen7r2-300737168.html

SOURCE New Net Technologies
[October 24, 2018] Illinois American Water Encourages Customers to Participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 27, 2018

Illinois American Water encourages customers to participate in the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Residents are encouraged to drop off their unwanted medications at approved collection sites so they can be incinerated, which is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recommended approach for pharmaceutical disposal. Flushing medications down the toilet and throwing them in the trash are discouraged. The event is Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Collection sites participating in this event can be located by visiting https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html. "This event is a great opportunity for residents to securely drop off any unused or expired medications," said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water President. "It's important for us to keep these items out of our landfills and water supplies as well as the hands of those who may misuse or abuse them." Hauk added, "We encourage those who cannot participate during this DEA event to continue to use their community pharmaceutical disposal programs to properly dispose of their unwanted medications. Through all of these efforts we can protect not only our water but our community as a whole." Through partnership and collaboration with local pharmacies, environmental stewards, police departments and government officials, Illinois American Water has helped to implement permanent pharmceutical disposal programs across the state. These programs are located in Alton, Bartonville, Belleville (two sites), Caseyville, Champaign (three sites), Chillicothe, Collinsville, Columbia, Dixon, East Alton, Edwardsville, Fairmont, Freeburg, Glen Carbon, Madison, Maryville, Mt. Carroll, Mt. Vernon, O'Fallon, Orland Hills, Pekin, Peoria (three sites), Peoria Heights, Pontiac, Red Bud, South Beloit, Sterling, Streator, Urbana (two sites) and Waterloo.



The pharmaceutical disposal programs were created through a model developed by Pontiac Township High School students and their teacher Paul Ritter (News - Alert) . The program, P2D2, has been recognized as a model for all pharmaceutical disposal programs. Through P2D2's efforts, millions of pounds of unwanted medications have been collected and disposed of properly. To learn more about P2D2 please visit https://p2d2program.wordpress.com. About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005769/en/

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[October 24, 2018] AmerisourceBergen Applauds Signing of Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Opioid Abuse

AmerisourceBergen, a global healthcare solutions leader, released the following comment regarding the signing of Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment ("SUPPORT") for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 28, the U.S. Senate on Oct. 3, and signed into law today by President Trump during a ceremony at the White House. The Act contains increased funding for a variety of treatments for opioid abuse as well as preventive measures, with provisions that will increase data transparency between the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") and manufacturers and distributors. "AmerisourceBergen applauds Congress and the White House for the passage and signing of 'SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act,' which will strengthen the federal government's response to the ongoing opioid epidemic through a variety of tactics and new requirements. For drug distributors, chief among these new protocols will be therequirement for DEA to regularly share select ARCOS data with distributors and manufacturers. By disclosing the total number of distributors serving a pharmacy, as well as the total quantity and type of opioids dispensed to each pharmacy, we are moving toward the greater transparency sought by the industry. This transparency will be helpful in allowing all parties to continue to work together to identify and stop bad actors within the pharmaceutical supply chain."



"We will continue to work with policymakers on ways we can further help curb opioid misuse, and as always, we welcome guidance from regulators to increase data transparency between the DEA and members of the pharmaceutical supply chain, so distributors can better evaluate the context of all controlled substance orders." About AmerisourceBergen

AmerisourceBergen provides pharmaceutical products, value-driving services and business solutions that improve access to care. Tens of thousands of healthcare providers, veterinary practices and livestock producers trust us as their partner in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Global manufacturers depend on us for services that drive commercial success for their products. Through our daily work-and powered by our 21,000 associates-we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #11 on the Fortune 500, with more than $150 billion in annual revenue. The company is headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa. and has a presence in 50+ countries. Learn more at investor.amerisourcebergen.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005824/en/

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[October 24, 2018] Channel Products Completes Construction, Moves into State-of-the-Art Corporate Headquarters & Manufacturing Center; Celebrates a Series of Recent Awards and Recognition

Teresa Hack, President & Chief Operating Officer of Cleveland-based manufacturer Channel Products announced today the company's move to its newly constructed corporate headquarters and manufacturing center in the Cleveland suburb of Solon, Ohio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005922/en/ A peek inside the new Channel Products headquarters and manufacturing center located in Solon, Ohio. (Photo: Business Wire) "Our motto is 'customer thrill.' This effort includes both our external customers and our Channel associates, who we consider internal customers. Our new building is equipped with technology, conveniences, and features intended to help Channel maintain its competitive advantage as one of the best places to work in Northeast Ohio," Hack commented. "We designed it around the needs of associates and customers." "From ultra-modern and efficient manufacturing space to offices and training facilities engineered to enhance productivity," Hack continued, "we've built and occupied a new homea place to support our continued growth and a base of operations from which we can continue to thrill our customers." Located at 30700 Solon Indusrial Parkway, the building features state-of-the-art training facilities, an innovation design center, a variety of conference rooms and huddle spaces, as well as an employee-morale center - complete with an exercise facility, game room, refreshment shop, and coffee bar.



"In addition to designing a space that maximizes productivity and facilitates the fundamentals of our work, we've taken great care to create a workspace people will appreciate," Hack added. "We've paid great attention to detail such as lighting, ambiance, and amenities in an effort to make our new work place as comfortable and inviting, as it is efficient and productive. This building will be the epicenter for the company's next great achievements." Indeed, the company is thriving.

This month, Channel Products was honored with the prestigious Weatherhead 100 Award, recognizing the 100 fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio. "We've grown exponentially in a number of the industries that we serve," Hack reported. "That sort of growth is not possible without a cohesive culture among a dedicated group of people - at every level of the company - committed to a shared set of values. We've achieved that at Channel Products, and our new workspace is part of a plan to sustain it. We're honored by the Weatherhead 100 recognition." Also this year, Hack was recognized as an Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Finalist. According to a statement released by EY, "The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. These business leaders were selected by a panel of independent judges." In addition, Hack was honored as a recipient of a Corporate College Smart 50 Award, as presented by Smart Business magazine. This award recognizes the top executives of the 50 smartest companies in the region for their ability to build and lead successful organizations. She also received recognition from Crain's Cleveland Business as a "Notable Woman in Manufacturing" and as a "C-Suite Award winner in the category of COO." These awards profile leaders in their workplaces and in the community as nominated by clients or colleagues. "These honors are a reflection of the hard work and dedication Channel associates have put in to help our customers thrive. When our customers are successful, we all share in the results," Hack concluded. "I couldn't be more proud of our team or grateful for the recognition." About Channel Products Channel Products invents and manufactures component systems and technologies designed to improve safety, ensure reliability, and enhance efficiency. Best-known in the gas appliance industry for igniters, safety controls, assemblies, and accessories, the company provides manufacturers worldwide with high-quality components and systems for a variety of industries. Channel Products is a Weinberg Capital Company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005922/en/

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(Image credit: Google)

Ad networks rely on automated processes that buy and sell advertisements, which pay out based on how many people saw or interacted with them. However, this system also makes those networks vulnerable to abuse. In a blog post this week, Google said that's exactly what happened with an ad fraud network that relied on more than 125 popular Android apps to generate fake page views for their operators, so they could rake in the payments from ads that were never actually seen.

BuzzFeed discovered the ad fraud network and revealed it to Google in mid-October. The outlet reported that this network was buying apps from developers, transferring ownership to seemingly unrelated companies and then funneled payments to an ad fraud scheme "connected to a network of front and shell companies in Cyprus, Malta, British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Bulgaria and elsewhere." Purchased apps were also used to train bots so they would appear to act like humans, evading various fraud prevention tools and letting the operators make their money in secret.

Google explained how the fraud was perpetrated: "In similar fashion to other botnets, this operates by creating hidden browser windows that visit web pages to inflate ad revenue. The malware contains common IP-based cloaking, data obfuscation and anti-analysis defenses. This botnet drove traffic to a ring of websites created specifically for this operation and monetized with Google and many third party ad exchanges." The company estimated that the operators brought in "under $10 million" for their trouble, with most of it coming "from non-Google, third-party ad networks."

BuzzFeed said that AppBrain, a mobile analytics company, estimated that all of the apps involved with this scheme had a collective 115 million users. Affected software ranged from games--the most popular category--to utilities like smartphone flashlights and nutrition apps. An app's intended audience didn't seem to matter; several of the implicated apps were made for children. The operators of this ad fraud network likely just kept an eye on which apps were become popular, offered to buy out those apps' developers and then quickly folded them into the network.

These apps were all found in the Play Store. This is the latest issue to raise questions about companies' ability to monitor their distribution platforms for bad actors. Apple had numerous problems with the Mac App Store earlier this year, and Google has long struggled to keep the Play Store clear of malicious software. The point of these platforms is to protect smartphone owners from apps that want to steal their information, spy on them, or otherwise abuse their trust; yet, more than 125 apps used by about 115 million people contributed to this ad fraud network.

It might be hard to shed a tear for the marketers affected by this scheme, but it also had a direct effect on the apps' users. Monitoring someone's activity without disclosure or consent to train bots how to mimic human behavior is a privacy violation. Some of these schemes can also affect device performance by opening these invisible web browser windows to "view" so many ads. It also shows that even apps with millions of users can have serious privacy and security flaws that go unnoticed until someone finally decides to connect the dots.
The latest commits to Linux kernel version 5.20 point to out-of-the-box support for the Hygon Dhyana system on a chip (SoC). Hygon is a joint venture between AMD and Chinese company Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment Co., Ltd (THATIC), which was formed to create processors for the Chinese server market using AMD IP soon after the U.S. government banned the sale of Intel Xeon processors to China.

AMD formed the joint venture in 2016 before the first Zen-based chip was out. AMD was losing money rapidly, and selling its CPU IP to a Chinese company was a quick way to gain some revenue. Selling its GPU IP to Intel was another similar move.

The first SoC created by this joint venture and using the name Dhyana entered production earlier this summer. AMD has said that it doesnt actually sell the final designs of its chips to the Chinese partner, but instead allows them to build their own variations based off the Zen architecture. However, from previous Linux kernel commits we know that Dhyana is so similar to AMDs EPYC that the main code change required was changing the vendor ID.

In the latest kernel version, there seem to be only a few hundred lines of code that are different between Dhyana and AMDs 1st generation EPYC server CPU. These changes include primarily identifiers for Hygon and its Dhyana SoC. These identifiers are then linked to the code for AMDs own Zen processors, which further confirms that Hygons processors are basically repackaged AMD processors.

Hygons Dhyana is now expected to work out of the box with Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu 19.04, Fedora 30 and other distros that come with Linux kernel version 5.20, or distros that have backported the 5.20 kernel.
Road rage killing of KC mother gets man 5 years in prison | The Kansas City Star A man who caused the death of a Kansas City mother in a 2017 road rage crash was sentenced in Jackson County Circuit Court to five years in prison. Juan Sanchez, 22, had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

The latest example that neither Conservatives nor their progressive counterparts care much when inner-city ethnic violence occurs.. Read more:
HORRIFIC

Southland Gunfire Special

Two people shot at KCMO Price Chopper on Blue Ridge Blvd. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police are investigating after a man and woman were shot at a Kansas City, Missouri grocery story Tuesday night. The victims were shot at the Price Chopper at 9550 Blue Ridge Boulevard. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital.

BULLETS FLY ON BLUE RIDGE!!!

Police investigating shooting at Price Chopper on Blue Ridge Boulevard The Kansas City Police Department is searching for a suspect after a shooting at an area grocery store. That incident happened just after 8 p.m. in front of Price Chopper in the 9500 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard. Two people were injured. They were able to drive themselves to the hospital.

THAT'S AT LEAST 6 HIT BY BULLETS ON THIS BLOODY KCMO TUESDAY!!!

Yet another shooting to document at the conclusion of aday for violence in Kansas City proper . . .Checkit:Now . . .Count this double shooting along with theAND THEN. . .And those of us in the urban core can already hear police sirens rushing around local streets tonight.Developing . . .
Josh Hawley Is Too Busy Campaigning to Do His Job, Complaint Alleges click to enlarge Earlier this year, Attorney General Josh Hawley drew criticism for his penchant for mid-morning workouts far from his office in Jefferson City. But these days, a complaint filed with the state alleges, Hawley has been skipping out on office hours not to pump iron, but to pump up his campaign against Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri).

Not even the biggest GOP schmuck would pretend that golden boy is doing any work that voters elected him to do with only two weeks to go until he might get a better job . . . He's now leading in the polls outside of the margin of error . . . Read more:
KCMO Tripe Shooting Tonight

Triple-shooting in Kansas City leaves victims with serious injuries KANSAS CITY, MO. (KCTV) -- Three people were seriously injured in a shooting on E. 44th Terrace and Lawn. The shooting happened just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday. There's no information about the gender of the victims. There's no suspect information at this time. Copyright 2018 KCTV (Meredith Corp.)

Urban Core Double Nasty Charges

Couple charged with 17 criminal counts of neglecting and abusing minors A Kansas City couple, Arthur S. Peterman, 47, and Jenny L. Peterman, 39, of Guinotte Ave., Kansas City, MO, were charged today in connection with alleged sexual assaults, beating and drug use with children, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office.

More Meth Town Outrage

Mother sues Independence police over fatal shooting of son INDEPENDENCE, MO (AP) -- The mother of an Independence man who was fatally shot by police last year is suing the city, the police chief and the officer who fired the shot. Fifty-one-year-old Carlos Cruz was shot in January 2017 at his home. Police say he was shot after pointing a shotgun at officers.

Quick glimpse at some of the top crime stories for tonight . . .Developing . . .








Help Find This Local Youngster

JoCo Throws Away The Key

Parole denied in 1974 murder of Prairie Village girl | The Kansas City Star A former janitor at Shawnee Mission East High School who was found guilty in the 1974 murder of 13-year-old Lizabeth Wilson has been denied parole in the Kansas prison system. John Henry Horton will be eligible for parole again in 2023.

Meth Town Snuff Clip Global News

Three juveniles arrested over extremely disturbing Facebook video Independence, Missouri police say filmed incident took place on Saturday One of the teens sought for questioning, Alexander Schader, 17, was arrested Video posted on social media shows disturbing instance of bullying Boy was forced to get down on bent knees and threatened at gunpoint Teen is seen threatening boy and ordering him to 'kiss his feet' Another teen then enters the frame and holds a pistol against bullied boy's head Horrifying video footage shows a child being held at gunpoint by a boy just moments before he is punched repeatedly by one of his peers.

Dealing With NextGen Junkies

Shawnee Mission School District looks to stock drug overdose medication OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Opioids, including pain pills and heroin, kill four people every hour in the United States. There's a widely used medicine called naloxone, known by brand name Narcan, that can almost instantly reverse the effects of an overdose, helping save lives.

Great Stolen Colon Writing

Kansas City Police Need Your Help Tracking Down a Giant, Inflatable Colon Urban legends-those unsubstantiated stories of terror that allow us to use our imaginations to fill in increasingly horrifying details with each retelling-have been with us forever. While the internet has made dissemination of them easier, humans have been goading one another with spooky anecdotes for centuries.

Attacker Hit Back With Hard Time

Kansas City man convicted of threatening 2 federal officers KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A 53-year-old Kansas City man faces up to eight years in federal prison after being convicted of threatening two federal officers with his vehicle. Geno Williams was found guilty Tuesday of assaulting a federal officer or employee.

Justice For Kansas City Worker Gunned Down Over Smokes???

More deets about the end of an Internets TV era:Closer to home, prison drama prepares us to these scary local news links:Developing . . .
SERIOUS Social Media Snafu

Independence teen charged after disturbing video shows boy being assaulted An Independence teen, who surrendered Tuesday to police after a disturbing video surfaced on social media of a boy being assaulted, has been charged with robbery. Jackson County prosecutors charged Alex Schrader, 17 with the felony on Wednesday. Schrader turned himself in to police Tuesday after video surfaced, showing someone pointing a gun at a 13-year-old's head.

Global Internets Sensation

Snapchat Consequences

Internets fameon this localwho won't do well in prison as local media offers a bit of mugshot fair play and calls this dude a man given the serious charges he now confronts . . . News links highlight:Developing . . .
Federal officials say a Kansas City fire captain faces additional charges related to illegally selling firearms to felons. James Samuels, 53, of Kansas City, was charged in a 14-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury. Wednesday's indictment replaces a criminal complaint filed against Samuels on Oct. 1.
When American fashion designer Rachel Roy was looking for a place to open her first pop-up this fall, she picked Overland Park's Oak Park Mall for its "vibrancy." Alchemy Bath Co. in Lawrence also opened its first storefront there this year, hoping the "traffic and exposure" would raise the profile of the home-based business.
Joplin Uber driver reports being raped by customer JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Joplin police are investigating an Uber driver's report that she was raped by a customer. Capt. Trevor Duncan says police learned of the attack when the 50-year-old woman sought treatment Sunday at a Joplin hospital.

Tech cabbies are getting screwed over in a lot of ways, this is one more horrific example from today's news cycle:
Its a bittersweet feeling to see muscle cars go hybrid. Ford just recently hinted at a hybrid Mustang in its latest promotion, and now Chevy is pondering a hybrid Camaro. No, we did not spot it being tested or anything, but Chevrolet recently ran a survey with existing Camaro owners to see what they thought about the prospect of a hybrid Camaro.

How It All Began

In August of this year, screenshots of a customer survey were posted to the Camaro6 forum, in which the automaker explicitly asked a current Camaro owner for his views on a four-cylinder, turbocharged, hybrid engine and V-8 hybrid engine. Chevrolet asked about the 2019 Chevy Silverados 2.7-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine that churns out 310 horses and offers 25 miles per gallon as an option as well.

The New Options On The Menu

The survey asked which hybrid option the customer would choose in a Chevrolet Camaro out of the following  a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged hybrid engine that produces 265 horses, or a 6.2-liter, V-8 hybrid unit that develops 545 ponies. The former offers an economy of 30 mpg and sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, whereas the latter achieves 24 miles to the gallon, and sprint from naught to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

There Is An Alternative As Well

One thing is clear  Chevrolet will be plonking a hybrid unit in the Camaro.

In fact, even prices have been speculated; the 2.0-liter unit comes at a $4,000 premium, while the 6.2-liter engine would cost $8,000 extra.

To put things into perspective, the 2.0-liter unit makes 275 horses in the Camaro SS, and the 6.2-liter, V-8 LT1 engine produces 450 ponies. So, there is a significant increase in the power output as well as the fuel economy. However, to keep the costs in check, customers will potentially be offered with the 2019 Silverados unit as a zero-cost option as well.

Nice Try, GM

Speaking on this topic, a General Motors spokesperson told Motor Authority, "We routinely survey our customers across all of our vehicles on potential future technologies or features, but that doesnt mean we are going to institute them. Way to douse the fire, Mr. Spokesperson.

It Wont be the Same Hybrid Found in the C8 Corvette

As far as the R&D goes, the bow-tie patented a high-compression, twin-charged hybrid unit last year and thats the only thing in the works as of now; that could be offered in C8 Corvette hybrid.

On the other hand, it doesnt look like the Camaro hybrid will share much with that engine, because the engine and transmission in the Corvette are designed to fit in the middle of the car.

And, back in 2013, Mark Reuss, GMs North America President said that a hybrid Corvette could come in the future; so a hybrid Camaro is still easier to imagine.

Our Take

What could have triggered this off is probably the new advertisement by Ford that teased a hybrid Mustang. The hybrid Mustang is due in 2020. Can Chevrolet have its contender ready by then? Only time will tell.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro.

Read our full review on the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Read our full review on the 2018 Ford Mustang.

Source: GM Authority
Its fascinating to see uber-luxurious automakers going off-beat, especially into collectibles and limited-edition things that basically have nothing to do with cars. We have seen automakers dive into the collectible market before, but this time Rolls Royce has teamed up with Faberge to create a one-of-a-kind bejeweled egg.

The Rolls-Royce Egg is More Than Just An Egg

The bejeweled egg, called the Spirit of Ecstacy, was unveiled Tuesday at Rolls-Royce headquarters in Goodwood, West Sussex, England. It represents the heritage of both the companies.

The name comes after the iconic hood ornament that has graced the Rolls-Royce cars since 1911.

In Faberge history of over a century, the Spirit of Ecstacy is only the second egg to be deemed Imperial Class; which means it is styled in the same way as the original 50 Imperial Easter Eggs created for Imperial Russia between 1885 and 1917 by Peter Carl Faberge, the founder of Faberge.

These eggs are linked to the lives of the Romanov family. During the reign of Emperor Alexander III from 1885 to 1893, ten eggs were created; and another 40 were produced during the rule of his son, Nicholas II. According to Rolls-Royces archives, Nicholas II was a patron of the luxury car maker; thus both the companies say the egg celebrates the history, heritage, and legend for which both Rolls-Royce and Faberge have been revered over more than a century.

About The Egg

Although its no larger than an ostrich egg, it took two years and seven craftspersons from Faberge to create the egg.

The Sprit of Ecstasy stands at 160mm or 6.3 inches and weighs about 14.1 ounces or 400 grams.

This includes the surprise, which is the signature detail of all Faberge imperial eggs. According to Faberge, the design of the egg and the mechanism that opens the vessel is highly complex, conceived through computer-aided design and animation, and developed with micro engineering. Talk about modern engineering being combined with traditional goldsmith techniques!

The egg rests on an engine-turned, hand-engraved, purple enamel guilloche and 18-karat white gold base.

The egg itself is in an open-worked design with the exterior of the individual branches made of 18k white gold, defining its shape.

Inside the egg, which can be partially viewed through the branches from the outside, is a base of 18k rose gold. The branches open by operating a discreet lever at the base of the stand to fully reveal the surprise: the familiar figurine of the Spirit of Ecstasy, hand-sculpted in frosted rock crystal. When the egg is fully open, one can see that the rose gold interior of the branches, embellished with 10 carats of round white diamonds. Those diamonds blend into amethyst swathes that total more than 390 carats.

What They Had To Say

Commenting on the Spirit of Ecstasy, Rolls Royces CEO, Torsten Muller-Otvos, said, The Spirit of Ecstasy Faberge Egg was born from an intrinsic desire to further the realms of bespoke personalization. Responding to the continuing demands of patrons in search of unique and cherished possessions, a designer at the House of Rolls-Royce sketched an egg, igniting a fascination that will undoubtedly become one of the most collectible items of modern times.

Sean Gilbertson, Faberge CEO, said, The creation of the Spirit of Ecstasy egg represents the meeting of two masters of unrivaled quality and design, showcasing two globally recognized symbols.

This is not a mere collectible; its a celebration of history - in an egg. These two brands have a rich heritage over the last century, and this egg stands for it. What are your thoughts on the egg? Let us know in the comments section below.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Rolls Royce Phantom.
Public Lecture by Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga at Duke University

It is always a great pleasure and honor to speak in a prestigious academic institution. It gives me an opportunity to share my vision of Africa with the next generations of leaders across the globe.

This is a vision I have developed through decades of struggle for democracy, justice and pursuit of equality and prosperity for all Africans.

These interactions also provide time for reflection away from the constant hassle of politics at home. As you well know, politics is rewarding to the extent that it makes nations great. But at times, it can also be extremely brutal both to the politician and the nation.

I therefore like listening to both accomplished and aspiring scholars to enrich my thoughts on the way forward for my country, Kenya and for Africa and I must admit I have benefitted immensely from these engagements and I know the experience in Duke can only make the experience better.

I thank the Duke University, and my host, Dr. Giovanni Zelnada, the Director of the Duke Center for International and Global studies, for this opportunity.

Today, I will argue that an African Miracle is possible. It is slowly but steadily taking shape as the continent addresses the critical issues that have held it back.

I do not use the term miracle lightly. The World Bank assembled a group of most prominent economists and constituted the Commission on Growth and Development in 2006. The team reported that since 1950, only 13 countries sustained economic growth at 7 percent or higher for 25 years. These 13 countries are all from East Asia, except a few, that include Brazil and, importantly, Botswana.

The Commission reports that some people view these cases as economic miracles, events impossible to explain and unlikely to be repeated.

I am adhering to the same high standard of a miracle when I state that an African miracle is possible.

Many of you might find my view puzzling. After all, globalization, that fueled economic growth over the last seven decades, appears to be ending.

The principle of multilateralism, that underpins the current world economic order, is also under attack.

And Democracy, that in my view underwrites long-term social and economic stability, appears to be in retreat worldwide.

There have been some setbacks in Africa too.

According to a report of Credit Suisse, Africas share of world wealth is not even 1 per cent.

Wealth per household in Africa actually fell by 1.9 per cent from 2016 to 2017 whereas it rose by 8.8 per cent here in North America.

It is hard to imagine that an economic regime that allows such monstrous inequality can be sustained. It will surely cause a populist revolt in one form or another. Migration from Africa to Europe is a manifestation of such tension.

So you may ask, what is then the source of this Afro-optimism amid such global pessimism? You may also say we heard this African miracle story about 15 years ago. But it proved short-lived.

And you are actually right to doubt. The collapse of commodity boom revealed that Africa is still vulnerable to a downturn of commodity prices.

I am aware that the Asian miracle was driven by exports of manufactured goods to open and growing markets in Europe, U.S. and Japan. Such a favorable environment does not exist today. Manufacturing in Africa has actually been declining by 2 per cent annually. Some say that as China upgrades its economic structure, a huge room will be left open for basic light manufacturing for Africa.

But even if it does, I doubt that low value products can be a basis for closing the huge gap between Africa and the developed and emerging economies.

Therefore, we will not create an African miracle by emulating the East Asian model. I envision that our own African growth model will drive an African miracle. Sustained high economic growth in the continent will be driven by African unity and political and economic integration.

I am not advocating an inward-looking protectionist policy here. I am aware that such policy failed in Latin America decades ago.

African markets will remain open to every country in the world. Indeed, we will promote free and fair trade. But, the main driver will be the growth of African markets. Let me give you an example.

In Africa, intra-continental travelers are often bound to illogical and time-consuming routes via Europe and the Middle East when flying between African countries. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects that if just 12 key African countries opened their markets and increased intra-continent connectivity, an extra 155,000 jobs and US$1.3 billion in annual GDP would be created in those countries.

In January this year, the African Union (AU) launched the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to transform intra-African air travel, lower costs and increase connectivity.

Under the SAATM, African countries have already relaxed visa restrictions for African citizens. We also launched an African Union Passport for heads of states and senior officials in 2006, and we plan to distribute it to all Africans by 2020.

Let me underscore that the SAATM is only one of several components of Agenda 2063 whose guiding vision is the creation of An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in international arena.

I, like many African leaders, fully subscribe to this Vision.

As you know, Africas intra-regional trade is very small. In 2016, intra-African exports made up only 18 percent of total exports of African countries. This compares poorly to 59 per cent for intra-Asia and 69 per cent for intra-Europe exports. The figures for imports are similar.

In 2017, intra-regional exports of sub-Saharan Africa amounted to only $68.8 billion. The continents GDP was $1,648.8 billion. So, intra-regional exports were a pitiful 4.17 per cent of GDP.

If we triple intra-regional exports, we can increase the continents GDP by more than 8 percentage points. This will go a long way to achieve a 7 per cent economic growth.

In March this year, 44 African nations signed the Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) under which the nations commit to cut tariffs on 90 percent of goods.

This is a big progress considering that there have been multitudes of overlapping sub-regional trade agreements and customs unions. AfCFTA now creates geographically the largest free trade zone in the global economy.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) projects that the simplification of border controls and the drops in duties and other costs will boost intra-regional trade by 52 per cent in five years. We still have work to do at the highest political level to complete AfCFTA.

Eleven (11) African nations have yet to sign the agreement, and this includes the continents two largest economies, i.e., South Africa and Nigeria. But I am confident that both countries will come on board as they regain sound economic footing following the next elections  Nigeria in early 2019 and South Africa in 2020.

The political will and determination to fully implement the AfCFTA exists. Once implemented, it will be the catalyst that moves the region toward high levels of intra-regional trade.

The foundation for development lies in a well-educated and healthy cadre of human beings. Africas population is young and growing fastest in the world.

In the coming decades, Africas population will double to some two billion people, and many of them will be under 18. This could bring tremendous opportunities for economic growth. Young Africans are tremendously entrepreneurial, talented and dynamic.

These young Africans could harness new technologies and ignite a new dynamism for growth but only if they are well educated, trained and healthy. Here too, Africa is making a major stride.

The working age population (age 15-64), who either had no formal education at all or did not complete primary school, declined from nearly 90 per cent in 1960 to less than 50 per cent in 2010. The working age population with primary and secondary education completed rose from about 10 per cent to more than 40 per cent over the same period.

Granted that the quality of education, particularly in the primary and secondary levels is unsatisfactory. Also, too many young children grow stunted because of inadequate care and nutrition during their first 1000 days of life.

We, African leaders, are now keenly aware of these challenges. It will take time, given limited financial resources and qualified teachers available. But, in a decade or two, you will see major progress in overcoming the challenges of quality of education and care in early childhood too.

We will harness diversity in careers and jobs. We will encourage entrepreneurship, arts and sports. We will encourage venture capital.

Realizing an African miracle, i.e., sustaining economic growth at 7 per cent per year, of course requires investment. The World Bank, IMF, World Economic Forum and our American friends have been telling us to implement reforms to make it easier to do business.

Many African countries have made important reforms to do so and I am sure that other African countries will follow.

But, is this how China and India have succeeded in attracting huge amounts of foreign investment? I hear that having a very large market  and expectations of an even bigger market  and a well-educated and disciplined labor force is the key to attract investment.

This is exactly what we are doing in Africa through the establishment of a pan African common market with strong regional infrastructure and through our commitment to education.

Our commitment to education includes higher education, in particular in science and technology. This requires the transfer of science and technology from the West, including from universities.

I therefore support strong collaboration between universities in the U.S. and our counterparts in Africa.

Africa should not be forever destined to be an exporter of unprocessed mineral and agricultural resources. We need money and technology for value-addition of our resources. This will be the basis for industrialization of the African continent.

I said earlier that intra-continental trade will be a major driver of economic growth in Africa. I am aware that people cannot trade unless huge infrastructure deficits in the continents are addressed. It is estimated that the cost of transport in Africa is on average 50-175 per cent higher than other parts of the world.

Let me repeat. The insufficient infrastructure networks across the continent have limited cross-border flows of trade, capital, information, and people. It has drastically affected Africas growth and broader development performance and regional integration. Improving land transportation is an imperative to development.

That is why last week; I accepted the appointment by the Africa Union Commission as High Representative for Infrastructure Development Championing to spearhead the modernization and upgrading of selected Trans African Highway Corridors and their missing links.

One of my main tasks will be to garner political buy in and ownership of member states as well as ownership of regional economic communities.

I strongly believe that the existence of a reliable infrastructure of roads and railways, running North to South, East to West of Africa, is critical to opening up the Continent and making it the gateway to the 21st century. You must have heard of the Trans-African Highway; the hugely ambitious, grand project, launched in 1971.

It is a network of nine highways which, when connected, will cover a combined total of 60,000 kilometers across the continent. One of them will stretch 8,000 kilometers between Cairo and Dakar; another for 8,000 kilometers between Cairo and Cape Town; a third for 6,000 kilometers between Lagos and Mombasa; and a fourth for 4,700 kilometers between Dakar and Lagos.

Only one of nine highways has been completed so far. That is the Trans-Sahelian Highway, which runs 4,500 kilometers between Dakar in Senegal and NDjamena in Chad. Although the others are only partially finished, countries are progressively opening them section-by-section. It is just one example of what we plan to complete.

There are also gigantic steps forward in rail transport as the new vision of Africa takes shape.

One of those steps is a modern rail line between Ethiopia and Djibouti that has recently been opened.

Another big project is the East African Rail Master Plan. This is a proposal to rejuvenate lines among Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. It is estimated to cost $13.8 billion.

The first section was inaugurated in June this year, covering Nairobi and Mombasa.

With the support of all the relevant institutions and offices of the AU Commission and the Continents partners, I will make full use of my position as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development to push Africa closer to the realization of the dreams of our founding fathers.

Our founding fathers envisaged a united and interconnected Continent that enjoys easy movement of goods and its citizens.

As we build strong infrastructure and human capital, I am confident that Africa will accelerate and sustain higher economic growth. But, growth that enriches only the rich is not what we want. We must ensure lasting peace and stability, that requires shared prosperity.

One of the biggest threats to the shared prosperity is Corruption.

I accept that it has been difficult to fight corruption on the continent. I admit that even in Kenya, where I have joined President Kenyatta in waging a campaign against corruption, many remain skeptical. But I see a turning point. Now, in most African countries, peoples voice can no longer be ignored.

My friend, President John Magufuli of Tanzania, won the election for the ruling CCM party, riding on the wave of public discontent about corruption and he has since made huge gains toward eradicating the crime.

In Kenya too, we have taken strong actions against corruption, and will continue to do so. Our actions are having a strong positive impact.

Alongside fighting corruption, we must renew faith in democracy. As a true and strong believer in democracy, I urge Europe and U.S. not to forsake the democratic values and sanctity of human right for the sake of partnership in anti-terrorism or for interest of their own private businesses.

Democracy will enable our people to believe in policies and ideologies instead of ethnic affiliation, or what we call negative ethnicity.

Kenya nearly broke apart in 2007-2008 because of ethnic driven politics. The country was on an edge once again following the last election in 2017.

Kenyans are now saying we cannot continue living like this. We cant continue living as Kikuyus, Luos, Kalenjins, Luhyas, Kisii, miji Kenda, etc. It has to stop. Tanzanians have done it right from independence to date. It is Kenyas turn to do it.

When I sat down with my partner in the Grand Coalition Government former President Mwai Kibaki a few months ago, he was struggling to understand why Africans go to international forums, talk boldly and loudly about continental unity, then go back home and start fighting tribe against another. It is curious and puzzling indeed.

I sat down with President Kenyatta and agreed to launch a new journey, to a new Kenya; a Kenya where elections are not civil wars, where winners and losers embrace and where corruption is not a way of life. We also agreed to set up a taskforce to deal with issues we identified to be holding the country and to prevent their recurrence in future.

And we will be urging other African leaders to follow our example. We need your support as leaders in academia and as diaspora. We need Americas support by standing up for, not against the ideals of democracy.

Then we will deliver the African dream, which will propel the world into a better and more prosperous and secure 21st century.

For all my life, I have been a Pan-Africanist and an Afro-optimist. My Afro-optimism never waiver. It remains stronger today than ever before.

Thank you.
Members of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) have backed Rwandan President Paul Kagames call for the August House to throw their weight behind the speedy ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Opening the two-week session of the legislative body of the African Union in Kigali on Monday, the Chairperson of the AU sought the support of the House in the speedy ratification of the AfCFTA, the protocol on the free movement of persons, and other key pillars of Agenda 2063.

Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent. So far, 48 countries have signed the AfCFTA agreement but only about five have ratified it.

PAP members who spoke to The New Times in an exclusive interviews welcomed Kagames call.

Julius Malema (South Africa) said: We agree with him entirely. The more we fast-track the process of free trade and the movement of persons in the continent, the better because ours should be to strive for one Africa and one trading arrangement.

We support entirely what the Chairperson said; we know that many countries have not signed and many of them are not showing a lot of interest in speeding up the process towards free trade and free movement of persons in the continent but we are confident that, gradually, well get there, said the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a South African opposition party.

Malema reasoned that Agenda 2063 will be achieved through small interventions that are being made. For instance, he added, the AU Chairpersons intervention and stand on free trade is one step in the right direction.

We are now seeing leaders of the continent committing that Africa should trade with itself in order to grow its economy because it has got sufficient potential to ensure that we maximise the [benefit] from our own natural and mineral resources, Malema said.

MP Thomas Solomon Segepoh (Sierra Leone) said Kagames appeal to PAP was in order.

It is unfortunate that not all Heads of State are seeing what he is seeing. As a matter of fact, the free trade agreement, in Africa particularly, is the best thing to do for the peoples of Africa because if Africa has to develop we must not have barriers when it comes to trade. We must not have inhibiting factors, you know, to our interactions, especially when it comes to trade.

Segepoh, who is the Deputy Speaker of Sierra Leones Parliament, also told The New Times that Kagame as Chair of the AU, could also have a better appeal to his colleagues.

I know, of course, he is relying on members of parliament to lobby, in a way. But he is also in a strong position as Chairman to have the best appeal to his colleagues.

MP Loide Lucky Kasingo (Namibia) said: It is very good because you see, I am from a very small country [Namibia], in size, of five million people and if this happens it will benefit all those small countries to ensure future Africa trading within itself rather than trading with Europe as sometimes the things [from Europe] are very expensive.

The continental free trade agreement is good for Africa. Trade barriers should be removed and should go hand in gloves with the movement of goods and persons.

MP Barbara Rwodzi (Zimbabwe) said: I think it is a great move for the Chairman of the African Union to come and ask for the fast-tracking of free trade in Africa. Why? I feel that though Africa is one family and we should open up to each other in terms of trade, the economy of Africa has to be driven by Africans.

Rwodzi, a Zimbabwean lawmaker with vast business experience, said that it is very critical for all the economies in Africa to easily trade with each other and emphasised that it is through national legislatures that such agendas can be pushed to fruition.

MP Jean Nepomuscene Sindikubwabo (Rwanda) explained that the AfCFTA ratification process has to go through each African countrys national parliament and, as such, PAP members have a vital role to play.

We think lawmakers in the Pan-African parliament can play a positive role back home in their respective countries, said Sindikubwabo.

Many of us are very influential back home. But we dont seem to be doing much. So, let us pull up our socks and do something, observed MP Fidele Rwigamba (Rwanda).
At World Investment Forum, four presidents, two prime ministers and four corporate leaders are downcast at splintering global scene but remain bullish about investment.

The international political climate may be turning against globalization and threatening economic growth, but there is still a chance to channel money into sectors that can boost prosperity in poor countries, political and corporate leaders said at a Global Leaders Investment Summit during the World Investment Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23 October.

The summit convened heads of state, government and giant corporations to share their vision of the future of multilateralism and how to ensure that a backlash against globalization does not derail the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said the political divide between the winners and losers of globalization could imperil not only global economic growth but efforts to manage climate change, migration and security.

The stakes are high, he said, explaining that, while investment flows had been stagnant for a decade, flows were acutely needed in sectors that boost development. Dr. Kituyi said policy responses were needed to unlock money that was trapped in the system but not channelled toward investments that brought the most benefit to the most people.

Abdul Hamid, President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, said globalization was not a recent phenomenon, but its discontents were. Technological change had boosted industrial and economic activity, but the dividends had not been spread equitably, he said.

A better tomorrow

Investment tended to sail into safe harbours but not necessarily to where it was most needed: policies needed to be adjusted to ameliorate this, and new ideas injected into the design of the global investment architecture, including for Least Developed Countries like Bangladesh.

We must act today for a better a tomorrow! President Hamid said.

Khaltmaagiin Battulga, President of Mongolia, said that despite the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, political and economic developments since were pushing them off the edge of a cliff unless urgent action was taken.

For landlocked developing states like Mongolia, foreign direct investment was a vital ingredient in its national development plan, and it had been increasing in recent years. More was needed, however, in sectors like agriculture, renewable energy and tourism, he said.

Today we find ourselves at the crossroads in the future of humankind. Are we going forward or backwards? said President Battulga, noting that the World Investment Forum was just the venue to answer such questions.

Milo ukanovic, President of Montenegro, said the market economy did not divide countries into large or small but into successful and unsuccessful, and it was a nations commitment to upholding the rules that determined this distinction. In this respect, Montenegro was a team player in the multilateral system and committed to building a progressive and transparent investment climate based on clear rules. This approach was bearing fruit, with $5.5 billion invested in South East Europe, including Montenegro, in 2017.

Novartis chief executive officer, Vasant Narasimhan, said the goal of the pharmaceutical giant was to reimagine medicine and that it made significant investments all around the world in order to do this.

Virtuous cycles

Novartis was committed to creating innovation ecosystems and investment virtuous cycles in developing countries, he said. In Hyderabad, India, for example, it employed more than 5,000 people working in drug development and administration  thanks to a commitment from the local mayor.

Paul Bulcke, chair of Nestle, defended globalization. An integrated world is better than a disintegrated world, while it was clear not everyone had benefitted, the project of free trade and globalization was not done yet, he said.

The private sector sought the maximum output in the most efficient way and this energy could be put to the common good if the public sector created an enabling environment that was stable over time.

Nestle had 450 factories in almost 100 countries and was making billion-dollar investments all over the developing world, with a commitment to creating shared value, he underscored.

Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, echoed the concerns of his fellow leaders but made a special appeal on behalf of African countries, particularly concerning investment in infrastructure. Inclusivity spelt peace and prosperity, and the reverse was true, he said, leading to the inexorable conclusion that multilateralism, midwifed by the United Nations, was the only course his country would pursue.

Rule of law

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, said his country was remained open, as it had for two decades, for inward investment in strategic sectors. His government planned to improve hard and soft infrastructure, enhance trading terms and train up its people to attract further investments, he said. He called on development partners to help Least Developed Countries like Cambodia to do their utmost in promoting sustainable development through investment.

Kocho Angjushev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, meanwhile said that the rule of law and stability were paramount if a small nation like his was to attract enough investment. This was achieved by joining regional partners in security and political structures, on the one hand, he said and reforming domestic legal and regulatory regimes on the other. His government was committed to improving trade and infrastructure links with Europe and the world, he added.

The World Federation of Exchanges chief executive officer, Nandini Sukumar, said that her members  stock, commodities and derivatives exchanges  was home to 45,000 companies which were participants in the real economy. High on the agenda for international investors were regulatory coherence across borders, now under threat from nationalism, cybersecurity and systemic risk.

Roland Chalons-Browne, Siemens Financial Services chief executive officer  the man with the money according to moderator Nisha Pillai  said that tit-for-tat tariff tensions between China and the United States were not helping the investment climate. He said investing in developing countries was critical not least to create opportunities for people who might otherwise migrate to find better conditions elsewhere.

Siemens Financial Services was an institutional investor in many large infrastructure projects, such as a power generation drive in Egypt, that were dynamic job creators, Mr. Chalons-Browne said. He said that liquidity in the market was often held by funds that were risk averse and were not necessarily interested in the very long-term investment commitment that infrastructure often required.
This painting by Gloria Martin is on display at [email protected]

The temperatures have dropped, the leaves are falling and artists are calling. The downtown art galleries, studios and artists invite the public to explore all things creative during Brevard's Fourth Friday Gallery Walk on Friday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Enjoy art, music, and wine at this free event. More than 20 galleries and studios will be open as well as retail stores and restaurants.

Tammy Hopkins, event organizer with the TC Arts Council, said, "October is always one of our favorite months for Gallery Walks, as we snuggle up in layers to explore this walkable event. Gallery Wa...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VARIANCE REQUEST TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER ORDINANCE OF TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY

Notice is hereby given that the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on a variance request to the Telecommunications Tower Ordinance of Transylvania County. The primary purposes of the Telecommunications Tower Ordinance are to provide a uniform framework for evaluating proposals; avoid potential damage from tower failure and falling ice; to maximize use of existing and new towers; minimize potential hazards to low flying aircraft; to restrict towers th...
Visiting foresters and scientists from Germany recently took a tour of public lands in Transylvania County, and other parts of the southeast U.S., to learn more about public and private land management.

Among them were a count, a baron, a member of the chancellors cabinet and the president of the German Forest Society.

Germans are no strangers to forestry. Dr. Carl Schenck, the founder of the first school of forestry in America, the Biltmore Forest School, was a German, and his legacy is upheld to this day in his native country.

The Germans toured tracts of land under intense restora...
On Saturday, Halloweenfest returns to downtown Brevard and includes some new faces. Sesame Street's The Count and Abby Cadabby will be at the festival as part of a celebration to announce Transylvania County's selection in Sesame Street in Communities, a nationwide initiative to support parents, caregivers and community providers to give children, especially the most vulnerable, a strong and healthy start in life.

Event: Flight of the Vampire

Times: Race begins at 9 a.m.

Location: West Main Street, near the

Post Office

Info: www.brevardrotary.org

The Rotary Club of Brevard...


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'Gene Kranz Day' honors flight director, funds Mission Control revival



October 24, 2018  A NASA legend who led the team that landed humans on the moon almost 50 years ago was saluted in Houston on Tuesday (Oct. 23) for his current role preserving the historic site where the Apollo 11 mission was managed.



Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed Oct. 23, 2018 "Gene Kranz Day," honoring the Apollo flight director at an event organized by Space Center Houston. The "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon was also a benefit, raising $300,000 for the restoration of the Mission Operations Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center where Kranz defined the principles of Mission Control.



"Gene Kranz has made extraordinary contributions to human space exploration by pioneering the processes and protocols that continue to ensure successful missions," said Turner. "These processes emphasize toughness, competence, teamwork and accountability."



"As a native Houstonian, this is a very proud moment," said Turner, addressing Kranz in front of a room of 400 NASA managers, elected officials and business leaders at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Houston. "You really have put not just the city of Houston, but Webster, Friendswood, and the whole area on the map."



Kranz served as a flight director for NASA's Gemini and Apollo programs. He was at the head of Mission Control when Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, but he is perhaps best known for his role in saving a stranded moon-bound crew in April 1970, as portrayed by Ed Harris in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13."



"Gene, we salute you for making the terms 'discipline, morale, toughness and competence' the core values of the work in Mission Control," said astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor in a video recorded on the International Space Station. "Your legacy will enable us to continue the journey back to the moon and beyond."



In recent years, Kranz has spearheaded the effort to return his former workplace  NASA's historic Mission Operations Control Room  to how it looked at the time of the first moon landing. Space Center Houston, as the official visitor center for Johnson Space Center, has led the campaign to raise the $5 million needed to complete the restoration in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission in July 2019.



"Today is really monumental because we have been working to raise funds, a $5 million campaign, to restore the historic mission control room and we are getting closer to that goal," said William Harris, president and CEO of Space Center Houston. "All of the proceeds from today's luncheon are going to towards those efforts."



The city of Webster, a suburb of Houston, provided the lead gift of $3.5 million in 2017. A successful Kickstarter campaign raised an additional $500,000.



The $300,000 from Tuesday's "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon brings the total raised to date to $4.5 million.



"We're restoring Mission Control to the 1960s," said Harris, "so it will be as if all of the flight controllers got up and took a break. You're going to be able to experience what it was like during the historic Apollo missions."



Three Apollo astronauts attended Tuesday's event, including Walt Cunningham who flew on Apollo 7 50 years ago this month and Charlie Duke who walked on the moon on Apollo 16 in 1972.



"I would be remiss if I did not give recognition to two special donors who are here today, Apollo 8 astronaut and Major General Bill Anders and his wife, Valerie," said Gwen Griffin, event chair and the daughter of Apollo flight director Gerry Griffin. "When Bill received the invitation to today's luncheon he wanted to outdo the rest of us, so he created his own level of support.



"He [Anders] named that level 'Go for TLI,' which those in the space business know stands for Trans-Lunar Injection. Apollo 8, Bill's flight, marked the first time that we sent a crew to the moon and we were 'go for TLI,'" said Griffin.



The luncheon kicked off Space Center Houston's countdown to the Apollo 11 50th anniversary next year. The nonprofit educational center is planning activities to lead up to July 2019, when a month-long "Defying Gravity" celebration will be held, including a ribbon-cutting for the restored Mission Control room.



"It was really a great opportunity to work in Mission Control," said Kranz, standing alongside fellow flight directors Griffin and Milt Windler. "We thank the members of the Flight Support Division who are restoring Mission Control and we thank Space Center Houston for their efforts in raising the funds to restore it."



Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (at left) presents Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz (at right) with a proclamation declaring Oct. 23, 2018 as "Gene Kranz Day" while Space Center Houston president and CEO William Harris looks on. (collectSPACE)





Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz addresses "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon guests at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (collectSPACE)





Embroidered patch representing the restoration of NASA's historic Mission Operations Control Room in Houston. (collectSPACE)





Gene Kranz (center) with Apollo 16 moonwalker Charlie Duke and his wife Dotty (left) and Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders with his wife Valerie at the "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon. (collectSPACE)



 2021 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.
Mission Health has announced that again in 2018, four nurses from across its health system were selected for this years list of Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina. Nurses are recognized by their peers for their professionalism and practice and commitment to the health and wellness of their communities.

We honor our extraordinary nurses for the inspiring work they do each and every day to help our western North Carolina community be well, get well and stay well, said Jill Hoggard Green, R.N., Ph.D., chief operating officer, Mission Health. Our four honorees are great leaders in...
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The city of Scottsdale, Arizona, is best known as a hotbed of well-heeled leisure pursuits  a place where upscale spa resorts and immaculately coiffed golf courses dominate the surprisingly lush landscape of the northern Sonoran Desert. (Also, somewhat inexplicably, there's a very large aquarium.)

Phoenix-neighboring Scottsdale is also a bona fide destination for architecture lovers due to the presence of Taliesin West, the late-career studio and snowbird retreat of pioneering 20th century American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. A trip to the Valley of the Sun, however, is no longer required to tour the fabled 620-acre desert property thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which is headquartered at Taliesin West, and Swiss digital surveying firm Leica Geosystems.

Using an advanced 3D imaging laser scanner, the foundation and Leica have developed an immersive virtual walk-through tour of Taliesin West that's tailored to armchair tourists and anyone who might have future travel plans to Scottsdale but are hankering for a sneak peek before experiencing the real deal. (More than 100,000 annual visitors make the pilgrimage to Taliesin West.)

"True to our mission, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is dedicated to preserving Taliesin and Taliesin West for future generations. Through our partnership with Leica Geosystems, we're able to carry out our mission, and Wright's vision into the future, by making Taliesin West available to the world so it can experience his ideas, architecture and design in new ways," says Stuart Graff, president and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, in a press release.

Per the foundation, there are plans to generate digital self-guided tours of additional iconic Wright-designed buildings through the partnership, dubbed the Frank Lloyd Wright 3D Laboratory or simply 3D Lab.

Next up for scanning will be Taliesin, Wright's thrice-rebuilt primary studio and summer home in rural Sauk County, Wisconsin. Taliesin and Taliesin West  both listed as National Historic Landmarks  also serve as dual campuses for the Taliesin School of Architecture (formerly the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture), a graduate program for apprentice architects dating back to 1932.

Self-guided tours for everyone

Describing Taliesin and Taliesin West as "unfinished works" when compared to "complete" iconic Wright designs that were originally commissioned by private clients, Graff elaborates in a promotional video (embedded below) as to why immersive virtual tours are so crucial at these two particular properties, particularly when it comes to accessibility ... or the lack thereof:

"Despite the over 110,000 visitors that come here to Taliesin West every year, there are many more people that would like to come but don't get the chance whether that's because of distance, because of accessibility challenges or because a desert camp, which Taliesin West was formed to be, is not the most friendly for mobility challenged members of our public." He adds: "All of these buildings were built as experimental buildings. They were constructed over time, sometimes without even plans."

Translation: Taliesin and Taliesin West aren't the most accessible places for everyone.

Open year-round and offering a variety of ticketed tours that range from 90 minutes to three hours long, Taliesin West is inherently hobbled by accessibility issues. The sprawling property is terraced into the foothills of the McDowell Mountains with few considerations made for modern day accessibility standards. The foundation does make this clear to potential visitors, noting that while there are some narrow ramps, the complex is largely dominated by gravel walkways, stairs and uneven surfaces.

Spread across over 600 acres, Taliesin West features lush desert gardens and sculptures designed by Wright himself in addition its main studio and residential buildings. (Photo: David Silverman/flickr)

The push to preserve an 'extremely complicated building'

While providing highly detailed virtual tours of Taliesin West that "allow visitors to roam from room-to-room, walk the gardens, and zoom in on the expansive collection of sculptures that adorn the property," is certainly a huge deal, the preservation-aiding aspect of the 3D Lab initiative cannot be underestimated.

The foundation provides more detail into the technology at play:

The Leica BLK360 was used to capture the property. It is the world's smallest, fastest and most simple to use 3D imaging laser scanner. The BLK360 provides the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation with data in two ways. The first is the 360o spherical imagery that feeds the visual immersive experience. The second comes in the form of a point cloud, a dimensionally accurate laser reproduction of the property that can be used for the Foundation's preservation efforts. The point cloud can even be loaded in popular CAD and BIM software for highly accurate renovations and careful design changes should the need arise.

As mentioned by Graff, Wright and his students constructed Taliesin West in somewhat of an ad-hoc manner using desert rocks and other natural, locally sourced materials  additions were made and alterations were executed often without the benefit of proper blueprints.

As such, the compound, which dates back to 1937 and is where Wright designed some of his most famous creations such as Manhattan's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, can be viewed as a perpetual work-in-progress. And while this all makes for a fascinating and enigmatic work of architecture, it presents a challenge to preservationists 80-some years later.

"Taliesin West is an extremely complicated building," Fred Prozzillo, the foundation's vice president of preservation, recently explained to Quartz. "Everything is handmade, everything is custom, everything is designed with the environment."

The high-accuracy digital models captured through the 3D Lab project make the job of Prozzillo and his colleagues much easier.

A view of Taliesin West's living quarters, which, along with the entire historic Arizona compound, are now open for virtual tours via the Frank Lloyd Wright 3D Lab. (Photo: InSapphoWeTrust/flickr)

"It's one of the most important architectural sites in the U.S., if not the world," elaborates Prozzillo in the promo video. "We really need accurate drawings and data to be able to understand the building and then make correct decisions on how to preserve and care for it."

While no doubt impressive, one does wonder if the obsessive and notoriously ill-tempered "godfather of organic architecture" would have embraced emerging technology like 3D architectural scanning and virtual reality. Graff thinks he would.

"Experimentation, innovation is at the heart of Frank Lloyd Wright's 70-year career," he tells Quartz. "What's possible is the credo his work."

Cutting-edge tech has been used to preserve and restore other Wright-designed structures including the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel (1941), a concrete "textile block" structure on the campus of Florida Southern College  home to the world's largest single-site collection of Wright buildings  that was recently restored with the aid of 3D printing technology.

Graff also notes that the legacy of Wright, who died in 1959 at the age of 91 following a prolific and often scandal-plagued career, is now more important than ever as contemporary architects strive to leave the lightest ecological footprint possible with their own designs. "More than an architect of buildings, Wright was an architect of ideas whose time has come now with great urgency as we face great challenges to sustainability," he says.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 23

Importers and exporters are irked at the merger of the local Director General Foreign Trade (DGFT) office with the DGFT, Ludhiana.

The Union Commerce Ministrys foreign trade arm, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, took the decision of closing its regional offices in Amritsar, Goa and Puducherry with a view to optimally utilise its human and material resources two days ago.

These three offices have been merged with Ludhiana, Mumbai and Chennai offices.

A leading pharmaceutical exporter, Raman Gupta, said the excuse forwarded by the ministry that the local office didn't have substantive workload to justify a full-fledged regional office did not sound plausible.

He said the border district was exporting merchandise, including, basmati rice, shawls, chess, pharmaceuticals and textile worth over Rs 2,200 crore.

He said the figure apparently pointed towards a good number of exporters active in the region and they had to frequently consult the DGFT office for documentation.

All exporters have to seek import and export code numbers, popularly known as IEC number, for dabbling in export, he said. Later, they regularly come in touch with the DGFT. For instance, banks issue relation certificate to exporters which is dispatched to the DGFT which displays these on its website. "The DGFT is also authorised to release two to five per cent subsidy on export of freight on board value, he added.

A city resident, Harjap Singh Aujla, flayed the decision of the Union government. He said the holy city was among the fastest growing cities in the state. He asserted that the potential of export of perishable produces from the Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport remained unutilised. He recalled that direct flight to London had made it possible to conveniently export fresh farm produce from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. He said it was a major demand of restoration of direct flight to London.

Aviation experts have already stated that exports to the Central Asian countries, like Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, would be the next prominent markets, he said. He added that in case vital infrastructure was withdrawn at this stage, it would be extremely difficult in future to commence their trade.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

New Delhi, October 24

The cenral government has directed Internet service providers to block 827 websites that host pornographic content following an order by the Uttarakhand High Court, official sources said on Wednesday.

While the Uttarakhand High Court has asked to block 857 websites, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) found 30 portals without any pornographic content.

Meity asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to block 827 websites named in the list issued as part of the order, sources said.

"All the internet service licensees are instructed to take immediate necessary action for blocking of 827 websites as per the direction from Meity and for the compliance of the Hon'ble High Court order," the Department of Telecom said in an order issued to internet service providers.

The high court order was issued on September 27, 2018, and it was received by Meity on October 8.

Meity informed the DoT that the Uttarakhand High Court has ordered for blocking 857 websites contained in an old notice of DoT dated July 31, 2015.

The DoT had changed its order on August 4, 2015, to ISP saying that the ISPs are free not to disable any of the 857 web links which do not have child pornographic content. PTI
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 24

Coming to the support of the protesting Haryana Roadways employees, whose strike entered the ninth day today, the teaching and non-teaching employees have decided to go on leave en masse on October 26.

This was decided at a joint meeting of the teaching and non-teaching staff associations of the Education Department in Panchkula district. The meeting was held in the office of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh and presided over by Jaipal Dahiya.

Members of the Haryana School Lecturers Association, State Elementary Teachers Union, Haryana School Teachers Union, Haryana Education Ministerial Staff Association, Part-time Sanitation Workers Union, Edusat Chowkidar Union and the Mid-day Meal Workers Union were present at the meeting.

Dahiya said the roadways employees were not protesting for an increase in their salary, but were trying to save the government transport so that unemployed youth in the state could get jobs.

He said instead of resolving the issue, the state government was adamant on privatising the transport services. He said it had also been decided that the teaching and non-teaching employees of the Education Department would participate in the indefinite fast being organised by the roadways employees at the district headquarters tomorrow.

Dahiya said the teaching and non-teaching employees would go on leave en masse on October 26 and issue a warning to the state government to accept the employees demands.

Satish Sethi, state auditor, Sarv Karamchari Sangh, Rampal Malik, district president, Vijay Pal, cashier, and Randhir Singh, organising secretary, were among those present at the meeting.

Nearly 35 buses of the Haryana Roadways left for various destinations from the Chandigarh bus terminal under police protection.

The employees were protesting against the hiring of 720 buses from private operators under the kilometre scheme. Led by Bhagirath Kathaith, members of the district unit of the Haryana Karamchari Sangh participated in the strike of the roadways staff for the third day.

Meanwhile, commuters continued to face harassment. Auto-rickshaw drivers reportedly charged double the amount from students and office-goers. Taxi operators could be seen charging Rs 5,500 against Rs 3,500 for a one-way trip from Chandigarh to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
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Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24

The bus strike across Haryana will continue on Thurdsay with the talks between Haryana Roadways (HR) unions and a high-level delegation led by Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar failing today.

Sources said the deadlock between the Talmel Committee of the HR unions and the Haryana government persisted as the unions were adamant on the scrapping state governments decision to hire 700 buses of the private owners under kilometre scheme.

The state government delegation was ready to reconsider the scrapping of the decision to run 190 private buses as the tenders were yet to finalised.

However, the union leaders alleged irregularities in the allotment of tenders for the remaining 510 buses to which the government delegation offered to get the matter investigated by the State Vigilance Bureau(SVB). If irregularities are found in the allotment of the tenders after the inquiry the allotment would automatically stand cancelled, a senior government functionary said.

Panwar told The Tribune that there was no possibility of a rollback on the decision to run 510 buses as the Haryana Cabinet had already decided on this matter and agreement had already been signed to this effect. We have offered to hold a vigilance inquiry but the unions are adamant on scrapping the decision to run 510 which led to failure of talks today, he asserted.

Meanwhile, the strike entered the ninth day leaving thousands of commuters high and dry. It will continue tomorrow also following which the employees would chalk out future course of action.

Talks between the Haryana government and the striking roadways employees had failed on October 21 with the protesters sticking to their demand on the same issue of 700 private buses.

The employees have been on strike since October 16 against the state governments decision to hire 700 buses of private owners. They claim the move is a step towards privatisation of the transport department.They alleged that the state government was trying to benefit a private transporter by hiring private buses.

Under the kilometre scheme, the buses would belong to the private operators, who will pay the salary of the drivers, bear diesel and maintenance cost, but the conductors would be appointed by the government and the revenue generated from the tickets would be deposited in the state exchequer, officials said.

They claimed that the categories entitled to free or concessional fare would continue to avail the same in private buses too.

Strike update

Official sources claimed that 2,994 buses plied on various routes today. These included 1,815 HR buses, 120 Regional Transport Authority (RTA) buses and 1.059 cooperative society buses.

Meanwhile, 309 drivers and conductors joined duty on probation today.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, October 24

The state police chief BS Sandhu on Wednesday said the Supreme Courts order on the use of crackers during Diwali would be strictly implemented.

He said the court directives were being studied and due action would be initiated against violators.

Sandhu was here on Wednesday to inaugurate the newly built complex of Police DAV Public School at the police lines.

He said the Haryana Police Housing Corporation had spent Rs 5.50 crore on the school complex. Sandhu said the state authorities had started 22 schools in the state with the DAV management to ensure better education to the wards of police personnel.

Sandhu said about 16,000 students were enrolled at various police DAV schools and almost half of the children belonged to the families of police staff.
editorial@tribune.com

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 24

Completion of one year of the BJP Government in Himachal will be celebrated on a grand scale in the presence of Central leadership, including Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah so that the occasion can be used for launching the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

The issue regarding celebrations marking the completion of formation of the BJP regime in the state on December 27 came up for discussion during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here.

Sources said it had been decided to hold a mega rally either at the Ridge here in the state capital or at Dharamsala to mark one-year completion.

Though Health and Family Welfare Minister Vipin Parmar said the rally would be held on a grand scale like the oath-taking ceremony on the Ridge here last year on December 27 the government is keeping both the options of Shimla and Dharamsala open. He said the issue had been discussed during the Cabinet meeting and preparations will be made accordingly.

Some of the ministers were of the opinion that since December 25 to New Years Day is the peak tourist season in Shimla it would be better to have the rally in Dharamsala. The fact that the winter session could be held there around the same time would tilt the scales in favour of Dharamsala. Moreover, with the early onset of winter this year, the government could prefer Dharamsala.

The Congress had chosen to celebrate completion of its one year in power on December 25, 2013 by holding a big show at Hamirpur, the home turf of former CM and Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal. The then CM Virbhadra Singh had virtually launched the campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Hamirpur while targeting Anurag Thakur, son of political foe Anurag Thakur and the MP from Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat. On the contrary, the BJP had chosen the same day of December 25 to submit its 28 page charge-sheet against the Virbhadra regime to Governor Urmila Singh at the Raj Bhawan.

Party officials said the occasion will be used by the ruling party to kick start its campaign for the Lok Sabha election as either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or national party chief Amit Shah will be invited for the mega event. We would want that some major announcements are made on the occasion so that the party can reap the political dividends in the ensuing parliamentary polls, said a BJP MLA. The BJP is faced with a herculean task of retaining its hold on all the four Lok Sabha seats which it had won in the 2014 elections. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will also be under tremendous pressure to ensure that Congress is unable to wrest back the initiative.
editorial@tribune.com

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 24

BJP celebrations to mark the completion of one year of the formation of its government will coincide with opposition Congress submitting a charge-sheet against the Jai Ram Thakur government.

The Congress will submit a charge-sheet against the BJP Government to the Governor on the same day when the government will hold its celebrations, revealed Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president.

It was on December 27, 2017 that Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had assumed office along with 11 other ministers. The oath taking ceremony was held on the Ridge here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah. More than half a dozen chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states had marked their presence at the oath-taking ceremony.

Though submitting a charge-sheet annually is a ritual that both parties have been performing but with Lok Sabha election being due next year, the charge-sheet that the Congress will prepare will be viewed as an important document.

Sukhu said the charge-sheet committee would be constituted soon so that the document, listing the acts of omission and commission by the BJP regime, can be highlighted. The document will have specific charges and the fact that there is very poor governance, RSS interference in administrative affairs and unleashing of political vendetta against political opponents, he said.

Sukhu said while deteriorating law and order situation in the state was one of the biggest concerns of the Congress, the entire efforts of the BJP regime were aimed at closing cases and charges faced by its own leaders despite many being in various courts of law.

It has been a tradition here in Himachal for the two main political players  BJP and Congress to submit a charge-sheet against the government every year. It was as part of this practice that the BJP had submitted a charge-sheet against the Virbhadra-led Congress regime to the then Governor Urmila Singh on December 25, 2013, on completion of one year in office.
editorial@tribune.com

Jalandhar, October 24

It was a moment of celebration for all Zambian students who celebrated their day of freedom with musical performances in the auditorium of CT Group of Institutions, Shahpur campus. More than 300 Zambian students from various educational institutes namely CT University, LPU, Rayat Bahra and CT Group of Institutions celebrated their 54th Independence Day.

The chief guest of the event was Sikapale Henry Chinzewe, Deputy Commissioner of Republic of Zambia.

The programme began with the raising of the flag ceremony along with singing of their National Anthem and prayers. Expressing his contentment over the occasion, Sikapale Henry Chinzewe, Deputy Commission of Republic of Zambia, said, The struggle for independence was founded and won on account of unity of purpose. Our country is a blend of 73 tribes with different religions and political persuasions. Despite our diversity, we are all Zambians. We share a common heritage. We need to stand against anything and everything that attempts to divide us. We are one. I really loved visiting India especially Punjab.TNS
editorial@tribune.com

Jalandhar, October 23

KMV College, Jalandhar and faculty of education and psychology, Eotvos Lorand University, Hungary have entered into an agreement of cooperation for creating a sustainable international education partnership.

During Principal Atima Sharmas recent visit to the Eotvos Lorand University where she was invited to deliver talks, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between KMV and Eotvos Lorand University. It was signed by KMV Principal Atima Sharma Dwivedi, and Prof Zsolt Demetrovics, Dean, Eotvos Lorand University during a faculty meet organised by the university for the occasion. OC
editorial@tribune.com

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 24

A total of 32 schools burnt down in the 2016 unrest in the Valley will be turned into model schools as the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has approved funds for their reconstruction.

Director, School Education, GN Itoo said the MHRD had approved funds for the reconstruction of school buildings which were mysteriously gutted in Kashmir during the summer unrest of 2016. He said the work would start soon on the buildings. We will develop them into model schools, Itoo said. In 2016, when the region was on the boil following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, 34 schools were set ablaze by mysterious elements. Some of the schools were fully damaged.

The damage to school buildings had affected the academics of around 5,000 students.

The state had released Rs 50 lakh and the money was used to repair the partially damaged schools, Itoo said. The funds were not sufficient to construct the schools that were fully damaged, he said.

An official of the education department said the Central government had approved funds for the reconstruction of the schools under the Centrally sponsored Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan schemes. The state had projected 34 school buildings, including some private schools, for funding from the MHRD, the official said.

He said Rs 11 crore had been approved for 12 school buildings under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Rs 9 crore for 16 school buildings under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

We are in the process of making a detailed project report. Once it is done, the construction of the schools will be taken up at a fast pace, the official said.

Last year, the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir, had prepared a detailed project report worth Rs 8 crore for the reconstruction of the damaged school buildings. The reconstruction of the buildings, however, could not be taken up due to paucity of funds.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 24

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against a Pakistan-based Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist, Zabiullah, in connection with an encounter which took place in Kupwara on March 20 and 21 this year. In the incident, five security men were killed and the same number of terrorists were gunned down.

Zabiullah, alias Hamza, had managed to escape from the spot but was arrested later from Jugtiyal, Tarshan in Kupwara. Zabiullah is a resident of Multan, Pakistan.

The chargesheet was filed in the Special NIA Court, Jammu, under various sections of the RPC, the Arms Act and the Foreigners Act.

Giving details, NIA spokesperson ADGP Alok Mittal said the case pertained to an encounter which took place on March 20 and 21 in the forest of Chak Fateh Khan, Halmatpora, Kupwara, between the security forces and Pakistan-based LeT terrorists. In the encounter, five terrorists were killed and one terrorist, namely Zabiullah, managed to escape.

Three Army personnel and two policemen were martyred whereas four security personnel were injured. Besides other articles, five AK-47 rifles, two pistols, two under-barrel grenade launchers, one silencer, knife, four compasses and huge quantity of ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, he said.

The NIA spokesperson said during the investigation, it was found that in the first week of March, a group of six LeT terrorists infiltrated into the Indian territory through the Line of Control, Kupwara. The group was heading towards the Lolab area of Kupwara for establishing their base for carrying out subversive activities. While this group was passing through the forests of Chak Fateh Khan, they were intercepted by security forces and a gun battle took place on March 20-21, he added.

Zabiullah was injured during the encounter but managed to escape. He was apprehended a fortnight later. The investigation has established that Zabiullah is a Pakistani national and belonged to the LeT. Evidence collected from the scene of crime clearly linked the AK 47 recovered from the possession of Zabiullah with the empty cartridges recovered from the spot. Zabiullah also pointed out his place of residence in Pakistan, LeT training camps, launch pads and the route taken by him to enter into the Indian territory during his questioning, Mittal said.

Five ultras were killed
shalender@tribune.com

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24

The TDB, which administers the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, today decided against filing a review petition against the Supreme Court order lifting the ban on women of menstruating age from entering the shrine, saying it has no relevance now.

Meanwhile, four young women devotees approached the Kerala High Court seeking a direction to the state government to provide them security so they could offer prayers at the temple.

The Travancore Devaswom Boards decision not to file a review petition came a day after the Supreme Court listed for hearing 19 such pleas for hearing on November 13. The TDB also resolved not to file a report in the Supreme Court on the situation that prevailed at the shrine and the surrounding areas in the aftermath of its order.

Hardening its stand against the entry of women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala shrine, the erstwhile Pandalam royal family today said it was not prepared for any compromise as regards ancient rituals and traditions of the Ayyappa temple.

Speaking to reporters at Pandalam, royal family representative Sasikumar Varma rejected the Kerala Governments contention that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) was the custodian of the temple.

The temple is of devotees, he said, adding, If there is any violation of the customs and traditions, they have the right to question the same.

We have never asked to close down the temple. We are not prepared for any compromise on customs and traditions, Varma said.  PTI

BSNL transfers activist Fathima

Activist Rehana Fathima, a BSNL employee who made an attempt to enter the Sabarimala Temple, has been transferred to the Palarivattom telephone exchange in the city

The Sabarimala Karma Samithi had on Tuesday organised a march to the Palarivattom BSNL office, seeking her expulsion

The Kerala Muslim Jamaath Council had expelled Fathima from the Muslim community for hurting sentiments of Hindus

4 women move HC for security
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 24

The war within the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday saw a new development with the government handing over interim charge of the Bureau to its Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao with immediate effect.

The late Tuesday night order said the appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet after another order sent both the CBI chief Alok Verma and his number two Special Director Rakesh Ashtana on leave.

The internecine battle in the premier investigation agency of the country came out in the open recently after the top two traded charges of corruption against each other and the CBI filed a case against Asthana last week.

On Tuesday, Asthana who moved the Delhi High Court against the move got relief from arrest till October 29 while Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, another accused in the case arrested on Monday by the CBI in the case pertaining to meat exporter Moin Qureshi was remanded to police custody for seven days.

In an unprecedented move, the CBI had searched the office of DSP Kumar inside its headquarters following a complaint by a Hyderabad businessman Sana Satish Babu, alleging the DSP was demanding bribe in the Qureshi case to keep him away from the probe.

The CBI filed a case on October 15 against Asthana, Kumar and two others accusing the latter of having fabricated a statement by Satish Babu. On Tuesday, the CBI indicated that it was adding more provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including extortion to the case.

The flare-up within the CBI caused embarrassment to the government amid reports that the Prime Ministers Office was intervening. Prior to the CBI case against Asthana, the Special Director had written a letter to the Central Vigilance Commissioner alleging misdoings by Alok Verma.

According to reports, the Central Vigilance Commission met on Tuesday to scrutinise the counter-complaints by both Kumar and Asthana and recommended that they be sent on leave.

Sources said the government is likely to appoint a SIT to go into the charges of corruption filed by the then CBI Chief Verma and his number two Special Director Asthana against each other.

According to reports, the Central Vigilance Commission met on Tuesday to scrutinise the counter complaints by both Kumar and Asthana and recommend they be sent on leave.

Sources said the government is likely to appoint a SIT to go into the charges of corruption filed by the then CBI Chief Verma and his number two Special Director Asthana against each other.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 24



The Congress and AAP launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending the CBI chief on leave against all settled principles and practices.

Former minister Veerappa Moily said the PM should not have acted unilaterally in removing the CBI chief and followed the law.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked under what law the PM had acted while Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala accused the PM of denigrating every institution.

Modi Govt buries the last nail into the independence of CBI. Systematic dismantling and denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBIs integrity, credibility and reliability is buried & dead, said Surjewala.

The Delhi CM wanted to know the reasons for sending the CBI director on leave.

Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is Modi govt trying to hide? asked Kejriwal.

Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader whose father Lalu Yadav is under the CBI probe, also reacted to the developments saying Central BJP Intruders (CBI) have virtually taken over Caged Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to save Corrupt Brokers of India (CBI) through its Criminal Barter Interrogation (CBI) by its Crooked Bureaucrats of Incompetence (CBI). #CBIVsCBI.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, October 24

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are currently discussing an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha that would be restricted only to Maharashtra, according to sources in both parties.



The two parties are holding talks to divide up Maharashtras 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

"A decision on jointly contesting elections in other states would be taken up at a later stage," an NCP leader said.



On Tuesday, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar ruled out a national-level anti-BJP alliance. At an event in Mumbai, Pawar continued pushing for state-level tie-ups between like-minded parties to take on the BJP and its allies.



Leaders in both parties say the Congress and the NCP have decided on 30-32 seats and a decision on most of the remaining seats would be taken in the next few weeks. "There are a few contentious seats, particularly in Western Maharashtra, which are eyed by both parties. But even they will be finalised soon," a source in the Congress said.

Negotiators in the Congress and the NCP are looking to swap a number of seats so as to accommodate each other's candidates.

Reports from both outfits indicate that the NCP would settle for just under 50 per cent of the 48 seats it had demanded before the seat-sharing talks began. The Congress, which wanted to contest in 27 seats leaving the rest to the regional ally is likely to give up a few more seats, according to sources. Both the parties are expected to yield a few seats to smaller parties from their quota.



Sources in both parties say they have been approached by sitting MPs from the BJP and the Shiv Sena and this has complicated seat-sharing talks between them.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 24

In a first official reaction on the ongoing feud between two top functionaries of India's premier investigative agency CBI, the government on Wednesday said it stepped in to ensure the institutional integrity of the organisation and save it from becoming an object of mockery.

Briefing the media here after the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, while defending the government decision to ask the two feuding officers - CBI Director Alok Verma and his deputy in the agency Rakesh Asthana -- to proceed on leave, said it was done on the recommendations of the Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has the power of superintendence under Section 4(2) of the Act in relation to the investigation.

Read: CBI chief, deputy sent on leave; Nageshwar Rao is interim director

SC to hear Alok Vermas plea challenging move to send him on leave

Shake-up in CBI: 13 shifted including officer probing Asthana



CBI chief removed in wake of Rafale probe, alleges Congress

Congress, Kejri, RJD question PM after CBI chief sent on leave

"CBI is a premier investigation agency, which needs to maintain its institutional integrity and thus it is the pre-condition that fairness and honesty are maintained. We could not have afforded a situation where those who are accused and have gone outside India could raise fingers at the institutional integrity of the CBI," Jaitley said.

Noting that both the CBI director and his deputy in the agency have levelled allegations against each other, the Minister said the government on the recommendation of the CVC has decided to constitute an SIT to investigate into the matter. "When, how and who will form the SIT will be decided by the CVC and since neither of them can investigate charges against each other, both of them have been asked to sit out as an interim measure. They have also been asked to offer themselves in the investigation," Jaitley said, adding that it was "an extraordinary situation and the SIT will not function under either of the two".

Rebutting the opposition charges of government indulging in the investigative affairs of the agency, which was supposed to investigate allegations in relation to BJP president Amit Shah, Jaitley said, "It is utter rubbish and the allegations cast serious doubts that did opposition has access to what was going on in the minds of officers in the CBI?"

Insisting that the government will not pre-judge anything in the ongoing affairs, the Finance Minister said, "We are committed to ensure institutional integrity so that agency does not become an object of mockery."

Meanwhile, as the government took the decision to ask the two officers to proceed on leave based on the communication it received from the CVC, the anti-corruption watchdog in its note to the government last night observed that the CBI director has been non-cooperative with the Commission and has created wilful obstructions in the functioning of the Commission which is a Constitutional body.

Later in the day, in a separate statement the government said, "The CVC, on receipt of a complaint on August 24, 2018 containing various allegations against the senior functionaries of the CBI has served three separate notices (under Section 11 of CVC Act, 2003) on September 11 upon the Director, CBI, to produce files and documents before the Commission on September 14."

Quoting CVC, it further said various opportunities have been given to produce such records and after several adjournments, though CBI assured the Commission on September 24 to furnish the records within three weeks. "Despite repeated assurances and reminders, the Director, CBI, failed to furnish the records/files before the Commission. The CVC has observed that Director, CBI, has not been cooperating in making available records/files sought by the Commission relating to serious allegations," it said.
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 28

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused urgent listing of a petition filed by historian Romila Thapar seeking review of its September 28 order dismissing her PIL demanding immediate release of five activists arrested for their alleged Maoist links in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case and an SIT probe into the charges.

A Bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi declined the request made by Thapar's counsel after he mentioned the issue of urgent listing.

Agreeing with the contention of Maharashtra Police that the accused had arrested on the basis of "cogent material and evidence", a three-judge bench headed by then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had by a 2:1 verdict said, "It is not a case of arrest because of mere dissenting views or difference in political ideology."

"We are of considered opinion that it is not a case of arrest because of mere dissenting views expressed or difference in the political ideology of the named accused, but concerning their link with the members of the banned organisation and its activities," the majority verdict of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar said.

The majority had said the accused could not choose which investigating agency would probe the charges against them.

The court ordered that the accused will remain in house arrest for four more weeks during which they were at liberty to avail of legal remedies before appropriate judicial forums.

However, Justice DY Chandrachud had delivered a dissenting verdict in which he said, "Liberty can't be sacrificed at the altar of conjectures." He also pulled up the Pune Police for holding press conference and conducting media trial by leaking material to journalists.

The three-judge bench had refused to interfere with the arrest of the five rights activists and said further proceedings against them would be decided on the merits of the case without being influenced by the observations of the apex court.

In a pan-India crackdown on August 28, poet Varavara Rao was arrested in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj in Faridabad and Chhattisgarh and civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha in Delhi for suspected Maoist links.

The raids were part of a probe into a conclave-Elgar Parishad-held in Koregaon-Bhima near Pune on December 31, 2017 which had allegedly triggered violence the next day.

Maharashtra Police alleged that the arrested activists were planning to carry out violence in the country and ambush security forces and the raids were part of a probe into a conclave-Elgar Parishad-held in Bhima-Koregaon, near Pune, on December 31, 2017, which had allegedly triggered violence the next day.

The Maharashtra police had arrested the activists on August 28 in connection with an FIR lodged following a conclave-'Elgaar Parishad'-held on December 31 last year that had allegedly triggered violence later at Koregaon-Bhima village in the state.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Karachi, October 24

Sixteen Indian fishermen had been arrested by Pakistani authorities for allegedly straying into the countrys territorial waters, a security official said on Wednesday.

They were arrested on Monday by personnel of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) during an operation.

A security official told PTI that three boats of the fishermen were also confiscated.

A case has been registered against them at the Dock Police Station in Karachi.

Pakistan and India regularly arrest each others fishermen who inadvertently enter into their waters due to absence of any proper technology to confirm the coastline border between Pakistan and India near Sir Creek in the Arabian Sea. They languish in jails until they are set free on certain occasions. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, October 24

Subash Chander, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), has marked a probe into the allegations levelled by four Fatehgarh Churian students that a teacher, Brahm Dutt Sharma, regularly humiliated them and passed casteist remarks as they belonged to the Dalit community.

The ADC has marked the probe to Rakesh Bala, District Education Officer (Secondary), and told her to submit the report within a week. The next admission session starts in November. Therefore, I have asked the District Education Officer to complete her inquiry within a week. The charges are serious in nature and need to be probed comprehensively, the Additional Deputy Commissioner said.

The parents of the students have also moved an application with the national and state Scheduled Caste commissions. A copy of their complaint has also been sent to Krishan Kumar, Secretary (Education).

All the four are students of LMSD School, Fatehgarh Churian. Two of them are studying in Class X, while the other two Class XI. A police complaint, too, has been filed in this regard. Batala SSP Opindejit Singh Ghuman said he was aware of the complaint and had deputed an officer to look into the matter.

Gurdaspur spokesperson for the Punjab Students Union Amar Kranti said he along with the parents would be going to Chandigarh this week to meet senior officials of the Education Department.
editorial@tribune.com

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24

The display boards affixed outside shops, particularly those carrying brand names, have become a bone of contention between two categories of advertisers in the state.

Traders supplying advertisement material for display on the premises of shopkeepers have approached the Department of Local Government, alleging that the contractors, who have contracts for outdoor advertising in towns, were collecting goonda tax from them. The latter, however, alleged that traders supplying advertisement boards were flouting the norms and making money from the companies whose names were displayed prominently on the boards.

The Advertisers Welfare Association, in a communication to the Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and Director of Local Government Karnesh Sharma, has quoted Section 122 of the Punjab Municipal, Act 1976, which states that no tax can be levied on any advertisement related to the trade carried on the land where it is being exhibited.

Speaking on behalf of contract advertisers, a business owner, requesting anonymity, said: At least 80 per cent of the boards outside shops, for instance in Zirakpur, carry name of a particular mobile phone brand. You think they are for free? In fact, the name of the shop appears in small font at the bottom of the boards. Even small grocery shops have boards carrying fancy brand names.

Replying on the issue, Karnesh Sharma said: There is some confusion so far as display advertisements and shop advertisements are concerned. We are addressing each complaint separately. The office of the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) has forwarded the complaints to the deputy commissioners concerned. Another senior officer said: We are looking into the allegations of traders making boards for shops that they were being charged by advertisement contractors. The latter cannot do that.

Surinder Nayyar, president, Advertisers Welfare Association, alleged: Things have come to such a pass where our vehicles are being hijacked. Our boys are being threatened into paying money. We even have the receipts. Soorajmukhi Sharma, CEO, Degraphics Advertising & Marketing, said: We are not charging any money. We are only raising objections to the illegal advertisements with the authorities concerned.
shalender@tribune.com

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 24

The Chinese version of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is in the making. The multi-volume translated scripture will be in a descriptive format.

This was disclosed by Kulbir Singh Khalsa, chief of the US-based Sikh Dharma International (SDI) founded by his father Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi, popularly known as Yogi Bhajan.

A delegation from various countries under the banner of SDI is in Amritsar to take part in the celebrations chalked out by the SGPC to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Ram Das, founder of the holy city.

The SDI also launched its online SikhNet learning courses for the benefit of digital sangat.

Japuji Sahib has already been translated into Chinese. Khalsa said thousands of people from the UK, US, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Russia and India were associated with the SDI.

We have members from at least 20 countries. Looking at Chinese peoples curiosity on Japuji Sahib and Dhan Dhan Guru Ram Das mantra, it was translated into Chinese. Experts are now making efforts to translate Guru Granth Sahib into that language. It will be in several volumes, he said.

SGPC chief secretary Dr Roop Singh said it was good that the Gurus teachings were being spread across the globe.

The translation or transliteration of the holy book can be done under strict supervision only and it cannot be in the single-book form. We have copies translated into English and Spanish, but now its going to be in Chinese too. The parkash initiation can only be performed in the presence of the holy book in the Gurmukhi script in the single-book form, he said.

SikhNet board member Dr Harjot Kaur claimed around 3,000 persons from various countries had already enrolled for the online digital learning course.

Foreign Sikh activists emphasised there should be no gender discrimination regarding the initiation of Sikh rituals.

They demanded that Sikh women should not be restricted from performing kirtan in the Golden Temple.
editorial@tribune.com

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 23

In a record of sorts, at least 100 FIRs have been registered against a travel and immigration agent, Nitish Ghai (30) of Sunder Nagar here. He has allegedly duped hundreds of gullible youths, yearning for greener pastures abroad.

Nearly 80 per cent of his victims belong to Punjab. The remaining are from Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The Ludhiana police have so far filed challan against him in three cases.

Additional DCP Surendra Lamba, who led the investigation, told The Tribune, This is the first time in the state that the police have registered 100 FIRs against any agent. More than 300 complaints of travel frauds are still pending against him. These too are likely to turn into FIRs.Lamba said the accused was earning Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per month. He used to give advertisements in newspapers, mostly vernaculars, and his ad budget ran in crores of rupees. He only had a licence for visa consultancy service, but was taking money for processing files for work permits and immigration as well, the ADCP said.

On the agents free run since 2015, Lamba said Ghai was working in an organised way. He used to take just around Rs 25,000 each from people for work permits abroad. Then he would tell them that their visa had been rejected. Only a few among them would lodge a police complaint. He used to strike a compromise with them by paying Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 each, the ADCP said.

We are probing if any police official had connived with him, but no such case has come to the fore so far, he said.

Vengadasalam of Perambalur in Tamil Nadhu, one of the complainants, said on behalf of over 200 daily wagers in his state, he had given Rs 10,000 each to the accused for Canadian work permit, but none got visa.

As per the police, over 12 properties in the name of Ghai and his family members, including brother Munish Ghai, have been identified. Their market value is said to be over Rs 20 crore. Most of these assets have been acquired by him in the past three years. We have written to the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department for necessary action, Lamba said. Sources said Ghai was fond of luxury cars and high life. His father and brother used to run a small-scale hosiery unit. He started his firm in 2015 and became a millionaire in a short time.

On May 25 this year, the police raided his offices. Blessing Consultancy at Samrala Chowk and V Visa at Model Town were registered in his name, while other companies  GGI Group near Gill Chowk, 99 Visa and Bright Solution Consultancy, both at Madhok Complex, Ghumar Mandi, were registered in the names of his aides Tajinder Singh and Ravinder Singh. He also had offices in Jalandhar, Nakodar, Phagwara, UP, Delhi and Ludhiana.

The police have also booked his wife Gurminder Kaur, brother Munish Ghai, brother-in-law Kulbhushan Sood and an employee, Gurmeet Kaur Asha.

Modus operandi

Nitish Ghai used to charge between Rs 25,000 and Rs 35,000 for work permits and immigration abroad.

He roped in three laboratories  Chaudhary Diagnostic Centre, Ludhiana, Fast Diagnostic Centre, Samrala Chowk, and Delhi Diagnostic Centre, Sector 44, Chandigarh  for medical examination of applicants.

The staff at these laboratories collected blood and urine samples of applicants, but prepared no reports.

Ghai told the police that he used to charge little amount so that people could bear the loss.

Exposed in May
harinder@tribunemail.com

Srinagar (Garhwal), October 24

More than 900 students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Uttarakhand, had left en masse for their homes to press for their demand that the institute be shifted from its present unsafe location along National Highway 58 to a permanent campus, officials said.

The NITs temporary campus comprises two clusters. The hostels and classes are located on the government polytechnic campus while the administrative buildings and laboratories are located at the government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) located 400 m away. Students have been agitating since October 4 demanding that the institute be shifted from its present location along NH 58 in the town which, according to them, is unsafe. Three BTech students had met with accidents while commuting from one cluster of the institutes temporary campus to another along the highway. Two girl students of the institute were badly injured after being hit by a vehicle earlier this month while going from one cluster of the campus to the other, sparking an agitation by the students.

The agitating students have threatened to continue their boycott of the lectures till the campus is shifted from its present location. The students have written to the President, the Prime Minister, the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the Minister for Human Resource Development seeking their intervention to resolve their problems.

Col Sukhpal Singh, Registrar, NIT said the HRD Ministry had been apprised of the development.  PTI
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

Paris: A new treatment for a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis can cure 80 per cent of sufferers, according to a trial hailed as a game changer in the fight against the global killer. Doctors in Belarus-a country with one of the highest rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world-spent months treating patients with a new drug, bedaquiline, alongside other antibiotics. The results, seen exclusively by AFP, were startling: Of the 181 patients given the new drug, 168 people completed the course and 144 were cured. AFP

Driverless hover-taxis to take off in Singapore

Singapore: Test flights of a driverless hover-taxi will take place in Singapore next year, a German aviation firm said, the latest innovation to offer an escape from Asias monster traffic jams. Millions of commuters in the regions cities have to contend with chronic gridlock everyday. German firm Volocopter said on Tuesday it will conduct the test flights in Singapore in the second half of next year with the support of the government. Resembling a helicopter, Volocopters electric air taxis take off and land vertically. They are based on drone technology and can fly two people for around 30 km. AFP

Some police dogs now have cameras, too

Milwaukee: Police dogs have always helped their human counterparts through their eyes and nose, and now some of the dogs are getting their own backup - cameras that transmit live video. The devices generally attach to dogs backs on a vest and transmit video to a handler watching from a screen, possibly on their wrist or around their necks. Its so the officers can better assess what they are up against before they go into a situation. David Ferland, executive director for the US Police Canine Association, said departments generally use the cameras when dogs go out to look for suspects, missing people or explosives, for the dogs safety and for intelligence gathering. AP

Canadian rapper dies after falling off a plane during stunt

Toronto: Canadian rapper Jon James McMurray has died after a plane stunt went wrong. The 34-year-old rapper was performing a stunt which involved him walking on the wing of a plane while rapping on Saturday when it went horribly wrong. In a statement, McMurrays management team said the rapper had been working on the shoot for months and trained intensively for it. However, as Jon got further out onto the wing of the plane, it caused the small Cessna to go into a downward spiral that the pilot couldnt correct. Jon held onto the wing until it was too late, and by the time he let go, he didnt have time to pull his chute. He impacted and died instantly, read the statement. PTI
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Washington, October 24

There is a good chance that the US will formally launch its Space Force next year, President Donald Trump has said. The National Space Council has also voted to send six strategic recommendations to the presidents desk, laying out the administrations vision and a roadmap to establish the force.

I think we have a good chance next year of officially doing our Space Force, Trump told reporters in a brief interaction during a meeting with military officials on Tuesday.

Everybody in this room feels strong about Space Force, he said, adding that Im talking about defence and offence, and not just rockets going to the Moon or Mars.

Defence Secretary James Mattis said that right now what were going to do is set up a combatant command, and the military would be working with the Congress on it.

Earlier in the day, Vice-President Mike Pence said the Space Force was essential to protect the US assets, particularly satellites. There is an increasing threat to these from countries such as Russia and China, he said.

The purpose of the space force will be to secure our vital national interests in space, Pence said at an event hosted by The Washington Post.

Pence asserted that the US was going to protect its interests in space and said to understand American defence today, is to understand the interrelationship between satellite technology and aircraft, ships at sea and submarines under the sea.

Our warfighters on the ground regularly rely on information that is obtained, images that are captured, by satellite technology, he said.

So, the first order of business is ensuring that the infrastructure of our satellite technology is protected. And the reality is, the more we look at our competitors in space  chiefly among them are China and Russia  we see the deployment of technologies by both of those countries  anti-satellite technologies, Pence said.

China, not long ago, actually tested a missile that took out one of their own satellites, he said, referring to the deployment of additional and new anti-satellite technology into orbit, which are able to move in proximity to existing satellites.  PTI

The vision

Build a Space Force like the Air Force was launched after WW II and evolve it to ensure that US remains as dominant in outer space militarily as it is on Earth

Growing threat

Space Force is aimed at protecting US assets, particularly satellites, given growing threat from countries such as Russia and China

In 2007, China tested a missile that took out one of its own satellites. Also, Russia assigned a part of its aerospace division to a space force

Targeting assets involves deployment of additional and new anti-satellite technology into orbit that can move in proximity to existing satellites

What it entails
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Sydney, October 24

A 102-year-old man has been charged with aggravated indecent assault against a 92-year-old woman at an old peoples home in Sydney, police said on Wednesday.

The unnamed man will appear in court next month, police said, after he was accused of assaulting the fellow resident at a care facility in the citys eastern suburbs.

Police declined to give details of the alleged crime, but said the incident took place around lunchtime on Tuesday and was reported to police.

Officers arrived on the scene, not far from Bondi Beach, and took the man into custody. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in jail.

He was however granted bail pending a court appearance on November 20.

A handful of centenarians have faced trial for crimes committed earlier in their lives, but being charged with a current offense over the age of 100 is rare.  AFP
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Karachi, October 24

At least four children were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a school in Pakistans Quetta city in the restive Balochistan province.

The gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on the gate of Danish Kadah School  a private school located in the city suburbs, the Dawn reported.

Four students received bullet injuries on their legs in the firing. The injured studentsthree boys and a girl  are aged 9 to 12 years.

The injured children were taken to the Civil Hospital, and are now in stable condition.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Saleem Ahmed Khosa condemned the firing incident and said those involved in the attack will be apprehended soon.

In 2014, Taliban militants stormed an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 149 people, mostly children.

The Human Rights Watch in a report last year said that attacks by the Taliban and other militant groups disrupted the education of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls, in Pakistan.  PTI
shriaya.dutta@tribuneindia.com

Beijing, October 24

Bank of Kunlun Co, the key Chinese conduit for transactions with Iran, is set to halt handling payments from the Islamic Republic under pressure of imminent US sanctions against the country, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Kunlun, the main official channel for money flows between China and Iran, has verbally informed clients that it will stop accepting yuan-denominated Iranian payments to China from November 1, said the sources, who include external loan agents and business officials who trade with Iran.

The bank, controlled by the financial arm of Chinese state energy group CNPC, had already quietly suspended euro-denominated payments from Iran in late August, the four sources said, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Kunlun did not respond to an emailed request seeking comment. A CNPC spokesman declined comment.

It was not immediately clear how long the suspension of services will last and how Chinese businesses still selling goods or services to Iran would be able to receive payment. It was also not clear whether the banks services settling Chinas payments for Iranian oil purchases would be affected.

China is the top buyer of Iranian oil and nearly all of its oil payments go through Kunlun. China had been buying some $1.5 billion worth of oil each month from Iran as recently as September. But state refiners have since October been scaling back oil purchases from Iran to comply with looming US

sanctions, oil industry sources have said.

The previously unreported moves by Kunlun highlight the mounting pressure Beijing faces as Washington reimposes sanctions targeting Irans financial and oil sectors from early November.

A Kunlun account manager told us payments from Iran made after that date will be rejected and returned, said one of the sources, an agent who serves as a go-between for the bank and corporate borrowers.

Whether and when to resume the services depends on the international situation after the sanctions start on November 5, said another one of the sources, a businesswoman, citing a WeChat message from her trade agent recounting what she had heard from Kunlun. The agent urged her in the message to hurry up payment collections, the person said.

The new round of US sanctions aims to force Tehran to stop its involvement in regional conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq and halt its ballistic missile programme, after President Donald Trump abandoned a 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers aimed at curbing Tehrans nuclear plans.

China has said it is opposed to any unilateral sanctions and has defended its commercial ties with Tehran.

Iran connect

Kunlun was established in 2006 as a city commercial bank in Karamay, an oil-producing hub in Chinas far-western Xinjiang region.

CNPC became its major shareholder in 2009 through a capital injection in a bid to expand its oil financing business. Kunlun is now 77.09 percent owned by CNPC Capital, the banks latest annual report shows.

Early this decade, Kunlun was chosen by Beijing as its main bank to process billions of dollars in oil payments to Iran, shielding other banks from penalties under Western sanctions that ran between 2010 and 2015.

The US Treasury sanctioned Kunlun in 2012 for conducting business with Iran and transferring money to an entity linked to Irans Revolutionary Guards.

The lender has nearly 30,000 corporate clients, largely state-owned enterprises and oil firms, its annual report said.

One of its flagship products is called Yi Lu Tong, meaning Iran Connect, the bank said in its annual report.

The 2012 US sanctions barred Kunlun from directly accessing the US financial system. Most of the banks transactions are conducted in yuan and euros.

Two of the sources said Kunluns moves to suspend euro settlement in August and yuan starting next month were triggered by US sanctions. They did not give further details.

We were told that from November 1 Kunlun would no longer receive payments from Iran. That basically means Iran will have to stop importing from China, said an executive with an eastern China-based manufacturer that exported electronic components to Iran until recently.

Chinas exports to Iran totalled $16.4 billion in 2016, the latest year for which data is available, while imports totalled $14.8 billion in 2016, down one-third from the record $24.3 billion in exports and $27.5 billion in imports posted in 2014, according to data from Chinas National Statistical Bureau.

Most of what China imports from Iran is oil.

Kunlun had 317.5 billion yuan ($46 billion) in assets at the end of last year, and reported annual revenue at 5.4 billion yuan and net profits of 2.97 billion yuan.  Reuters
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Istanbul, October 24

US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabias Crown Prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Jamal Khashoggis killing, and Turkish police were allowed to extend their probe at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

In his toughest comments yet, Trump told the Wall Street Journal he wanted to believe the prince when he said that lower level officials were to blame for the killing at the Saudi mission.

But he suggested responsibility lay higher up: Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him.

His comments heaped pressure on his close ally amid a global outcry over the journalists death, and came hours before Prince Mohammeds appearance at a Saudi investment conference where he is due to make his most high profile comments since Khashoggi was killed on October 2.

A number of high profile business and political figures have pulled out of the conference over the death of the journalist, a prominent critic of Saudi Arabias de facto ruler.

An adviser to Turkeys president said Prince Mohammed had blood on his hands over Khashoggi, the bluntest language yet from someone linked to Tayyip Erdogan.

Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the remarks by Trump and the Erdogan adviser.  Reuters
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Peshawar, October 24

Four kidnapped employees of an oil and gas exploration company in Pakistan have been killed by militants near the countrys restive northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday.

They were abducted from North Waziristans Spinwam Abakhel area on Tuesday. Later, their bullet-riddled bodies were discovered.

Security forces have launched an operation to nab the militants.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.

Last week, two workers of the same company were kidnapped. One of them was released later.

North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, October 24

Suspicious packages sent to former US President Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as the CNN bureau in New York triggered immediate investigations on Wednesday, less than two weeks before US congressional elections.

The package to Clinton was found late Tuesday while the one addressed to Obama was recovered early Wednesday, both during routine off-site mail screenings, the Secret Service said. Obama and Clinton were not at risk, they said.

With the country deeply polarised under President Donald Trump, the packages brought a new level of concern to political contests that will decide whether Democrats can challenge the majorities now held by Trump's Republicans in the US Congress.

A bomb was delivered earlier this week to the suburban New York home of George Soros, a major Democratic Party donor.

The Time Warner Center housing a CNN newsroom in New York was evacuated "out of an abundance of caution" after a suspicious package was received in the mail room, CNN President Jeff Zucker said in a note to employees. He said CNN was checking its bureaus worldwide.

CNN is a frequent target of Trump, who routinely calls the news media the "enemy of the people" and belittles critical coverage as "fake news."

The White House, in a statement, condemned the attempted attacks on Obama and Clinton.

"These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. "The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards." Trump was briefed on the suspicious packages "and we're taking it very seriously," said a senior White House official.

The FBI said it was investigating.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the Secret Service said in a statement.

The package addressed to Clinton at her home in the New York suburb of Chappaqua was an explosive device, the New York Times reported.

Former President Bill Clinton was home when the device was intercepted at a Secret Service facility not near the Clintons' home, MSNBC reported. It said Hillary Clinton was in Florida attending fundraising events.

A federal law enforcement official told Reuters that more than one of the packages appears to have the same construction or design.

The New York Police Department's bomb squad said the package at the Time Warner Center, which also houses stores and restaurants, appeared to be an explosive device, CNN reported.

The discovery of the packages came after a small bomb was found earlier this week at the home of billionaire liberal donor Soros in the New York City suburb of Katonah, about 10 miles (16 km) from the Clintons' home.

"Nothing made it to their home," Bill Clinton's spokesman said in an email. A spokesman for Hillary Clinton referred queries to the Secret Service statement. Reuters
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Ankara, October 24

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday discussed steps to "shed light" on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in their first telephone conversation since the killing, a presidential source said.

Erdogan has far spoken twice on the phone with Saudi King Salman since Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Riyadh critic, was killed inside the Saudi consulate on October 2, which he had visited to obtain documents for his marriage to a Turkish woman.

But Wednesday's telephone conversation was the first time he has spoken to the crown prince, known as MBS, who is seen as the driving force in day-to-day rule of the kingdom.

The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.

The phone call was at the request of the prince, the presidential source noted.

After more than two weeks of vehement denials, Saudi Arabia asserted Saturday that the journalist was killed in a "brawl and fist fight" inside the country's consulate in Istanbulwithout revealing the whereabouts of his body.

Erdogan has never directly blamed Riyadh for the killing but vowed that Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with the "savage murder".

"We are determined not to allow any cover up of this murder and for all those responsible - from those who gave the command to those who executed it - not to escape justice," he said on Wednesday.

'Heinous'

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Khashoggis murder a "heinous crime that cannot be justified", and said separately that the killing will not "drive a wedge" between the kingdom and Turkey.

His comments Wednesday came at the Future Investment Initiative. This year's summit, however, has been overshadowed by the killing October 2 of Khashoggi.

Turkish officials say a 15-man Saudi team killed the writer at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. A member of Prince Mohammed's entourage was allegedly at the consulate at the time.

International business leaders have pulled out from attending the summit over the killing. Agencies
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United Nations, October 24

The United Nations, evaluating information on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said on Tuesday that it has asked Turkey and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in order to get to the bottom of what happened.

The world organisation stands by statements made over the weekend including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggis death and full accountability for those responsible, Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesman, told a regular briefing, Xinhua reported.

We are evaluating information as it comes up, Haq said in response to questions about why the United Nations has not started an official investigation. If there are any changes, special requests one way or the other, well have to consider them in due course.

For a UN investigation to be successful we would need cooperation from the various parties who would be involved and normally we expect to have some form of mandate from a block of member states and well have to see if that can be achieved, he said.

Weve already asked for cooperation among the Turkish and Saudi authorities to get to the bottom of what happened to Khashoggi.

Ultimately we want to make sure there is agreement on a strong investigation, one way or another, he said.

Of course if we have a role to play in that we will consider it.

Asked if the world organization isnt already at the point of empowering a panel to investigate, considering the information at hand, he said, We are not at that stage yet. You are hearing different parties talking about a UN role. I am just talking about ways that can be achieved.

Khashoggi disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. His fiancee waited in vain for him to come out of the building. Saudi authorities first said they didnt know anything, that he had left their office but later admitted he was killed during a fight following an argument in the consulate.  IANS
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.

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Is mask wearing more important than purchasing testing kits for Covid-19? Proper mask wearing prevents you from transmitting or receiving infection.

The testing kits tell you if you are asymptomatic but carrying the virus.

Wearing your mask properly prevents you from spreading it. A Covid-19 testing kit cannot do this. I am of the view that while it is nice to know if you are a carrier how many times do you have to self-test?
Re: Roadtrip Itinerary help- In and Out of Amsterdam

1. Re: Roadtrip Itinerary help- In and Out of Amsterdam

All the cities you name can be done easily by train, most people would prefer to do it that way.

I wouldn't get a car unless you have plans to venture out into the countryside and see small towns and villages.
We will have 2.5. days in Darwin, arriving 9th December in the afternoon (flying in from Singapore), and departing 12th in the morning. Would like some inputs on what to do/itinerary.

Currently considering two options:

Option 1. spend the first afternoon in town, probably watching rain and lightening over the sea?.Second day; Rent a car and drive to Adelaide river for jumping crocodile cruise. Spend the afternoon in town for the Northern territory Art Gallery (and more rain and lightening). Day 3: drive and spend the day in Litchfield national park.

Option 2: First afternoon as above, but try to include the Art museum if possible. Day 2+3: Join a 2 day Kakadu national park tour.

Any comments on what is the best itiniary?

If option 1, I find it a bit hard to understand what attractions in Litchfield that are open during rainy season? Any suggestions for itinerary/attractions? How long is the drive to Adelaide River?

For option 2, I see that there might be changes to the Kakadu tour during rainy season. Day to is planned for East Alligator region and Ubirr, but this could be cancelled, and the alternative is then going back and joining a jumping crocodile cruise on the way back. What is the likelihood of being able to access the East Alligator region mid December?

All answers appreciated!
The problem with prepaid SIM is that it is usually a trade off. Lots of data tends to come from the carrier that has poorer coverage so that they can make the big data as their selling point. While the best coverage can do the "take it or leave it" approach as they knew they have the advantage.

So, OP, if you are staying in the major cities then Vodafone (and any cheap reseller like Kogan) will have lots of data (in your 20-40GB range) while the best coverage ones like Telstra will have a few gigs and then you pay for extras ($$$).

Hope this helps.
Hi Mary,

Yes, you can do multiple cities.

Suggest using googleflights.com to see the schedules and pricing. You can do this by choosing the multiple cities option (the link will be under the "Round Trip" option).

If you don't have your flights to Singapore, home from Tahiti booked yet, look at adding the destination after Singapore and before Tahiti into your booking.

You'll need to experiment with various scenarios to see what works best for pricing. It might work out better to just book your flights from/to the U.S. on one ticket and then book separate tickets for each of the other legs. Or you might get a better fare by combining legs.

In Australia, Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar and Tiger will come up on googleflights.com

Book your flights directly with the airlines.

Have you planned your itinerary ... i.e. how long will you be spending at each destination? Will you be firming up flights and accommodations prior to leaving for your trip?
Re: Help with my 10-day Vietnam itinerary

2. Re: Help with my 10-day Vietnam itinerary

Two countries, five destinations, ten nights?

Rather you than me. :-(

"My big question is whether we spend 1 extra day in Hanoi and 1 less day in Hoi An?"

No, that's not your big question.

You're big question is whether you want to spend most of your time travelling between places, or whether you'd prefer to actually see some of the places you're visiting?

Little things like this -

"Return to Hanoi February 25

(1/2 day in Hanoi)"

That's not half a day, as you'll likely get back to Hanoi around 5 - 6.00pm.

Anyway, your 'holiday', but if it were me, I'd drop a country, plus one other destination.

Scott
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First time traveling to Japan and need some help.

My flight will be arriving to Narita Airport Terminal 1 November 6th at 15:30. Our destination is Hachioji. We would like to take the Narita express but i am a little confused on how yo order tickets.

It looks like the only train that goes to Hachioji is at 19:46 and 20:44 daily, is this correct?

And when i went to purchase tickets it says i need to pick them up the day before. I was trying to purchase on JReast website. Also is this a direct train, looking at the map, I would think you need to switch/transfer trains. Any help would be appreciated.
While Africa is endowed with plenty of natural resources and a cultural and ecological diversity, the majority of the continent still remains underdeveloped. In fact, no other continent features in the list of the least developed nations more than Africa. Despite the volatile economic situations brought about by civil unrest, corruption, tribal wars, and deep poverty, a number of African countries are defying the odds to post significant economic improvements. Check out this list of the 20 most developed countries in Africa by the Human Development Index.

The Human Development Index is a metric that is used to measure key dimensions that make up quality human life. These are the level of knowledge, a long and healthy lifestyle, and a decent living standard. When these factors are combined, they give a rough idea of the impact of economies of the quality of life. While it is widely said that Africa is developing, it is important to stress that there is no African country with very high human development, according to the HDI report that was released in 2018. Below is a ranking of the 20 most developed countries in Africa.

READ ALSO: Largest country in Africa by size and population

1. Seychelles - HDI: 0.797, GDP per capita: $16,332

According to the HDI, Seychelles is the most developed African country. However, it sits at position 62 on the world stage. The country consists of 115 islands that are situated about 1500 Km to the East of the East African coastline. As an economy that once relied on plantation farming, Seychelles has positioned itself as a leading tourist destination in Africa. This country with the highest HDI in Africa also depends on other major sources of income include fishing, boat building, printing, and processing of agricultural products such as vanilla, coconuts, sweet potatoes, poultry, and beverages, among others.

2. Mauritius - HDI: 0.790, GDP per capita: $10, 437

Positioned the second most developed country in Africa and at position 65 in the world, Mauritius is also a major tourist destination in Africa. The country grew from an agriculture-based economic set up in the 1960s into a middle-income diversified economic set up with expansion witnessed in industries such as textile, sugar, financial services, and tourism. Mauritius is currently focusing on important sectors such as healthcare, property development, seafood, communication, and renewable energy to boost its economic income.

3. Algeria - HDI: 0.754, GDP per capita: $4,669

Algeria is one of the largest countries in Africa that is situated North of the Sahara and borders Tunisia. It's the third most developed country in Africa and at position 85 in the world. Algeria gets most of its income from the booming oil industry where it is one of the largest producers in Africa. Its dominance in the oil industry has created lots of job opportunities for the Algerian youths. Aside from hydrocarbons, Algeria has struggled to find alternative sources of income. At present, there are developments in the tourism, fuel research, and communications industries, but they are still insignificant compared to the revenue generated by hydrocarbons.

4. Tunisia - HDI: 0.735, GDP per capita: $3,531

Situated in North Africa, Tunisia is positioned as the 4th most developed African country according to HDI, and the 95th most developed country in the world. The significant expansion of the country's economic muscle is a result of manufacturing, tourism, services and mining. In fact, the services sector has contributed highly to the expansion and economic development of the country. The country is also home to many foreign investors who have set up camp there due to its lucrative business environment.

5. Botswana - HDI: 0.717, GDP per capita: $8,443

Botswana is a landlocked country situated in Southern Africa. It is one of the sparsely populated countries in Africa with a populace of only 2 million individuals. It is positioned as the 5th best country in Africa and position 101 in the world in terms of human development. The major pillars supporting the expansion of Botswana are mining, tourism and cattle rearing. It is positioned as having one of the fastest growths per capita in the world. Due to the many investments taking place in the country, economists have predicted more expansion in the future.

READ ALSO: How Many Countries Are There in Africa in 2018?

6. Libya - HDI: 0.706, GDP per capita: $7,998

Libya is positioned as the 6th most developed country in Africa and position 108 in the world thanks to an economic set up that is predominantly dependent on oil. The country holds the largest oil reserves in Africa, however, its poor climate limits other sectors such as the agricultural industry. The country has also undergone instability periods in recent years due to war, which led to a significant increase in unemployment. Libya is registered by the World Bank as one of the eight developed African countries with the upper-middle-income economic set up.

7. Gabon - HDI: 0.702, GDP per capita: $7,741

Gabon is positioned as the 7th most developed country in Africa and 110th in the world. Gabon has a populace of 2 million and its economic expansion is dependent on oil. While mining is the major income generator, Gabon is also investing in other sector to supplement its development.

8. South Africa - HDI: 0.699, GDP per capita: $6,541

South Africa is positioned as the 8th most developed country in Africa. It is positioned at position 113 in the world and has a populace of 57,725,600. The economic development of South Africa has been supported by a number of activities which include: agriculture, mining, industrial growth and tertiary services. While mining has been a huge industry in South Africa, tertiary services are emerging to the highest income earners.

9. Egypt - HDI: 0.696, GDP per capita $2,501

Egypt is one of the unique countries in that, part of it is in Africa while some parts are in the Middle East. Globally, Egypt is positioned as the 118th most developed country while in Africa it ranks at position 9. Egypt has a populace of 94,798,827 and it relies on mining, telecommunication and agriculture. Presently a middle-income country, economists predict that Egypt has a potential for more expansion opportunities in the future

READ ALSO: List of richest countries in Africa

10. Morocco - HDI: 0.667 GDP per capita $3,435

Morocco sits in the 10th position as one of the most developed countries in Africa and at position 123rd in the world. The country has an approximate populace of 35,740,000 and its terrain is majorly characterized by the large deserts, mountains and abroad coastline. Moroccos resources come from the services sector, mining, construction, manufacturing, textile, telecoms, information technology, and tourism, among others.

11. Cape Verde - HDI: 0.654, GDP per capita $3,287

It is positioned as the 11th most developed country in Africa with a populace of 539,560. Cape Verde is a combination of Islands, which are located 570 km off the coast of West Africa. The country`s array of mountains, the seaside villages, the relentless beauty of landscapes and appealing beaches have been of beneficial interest to tourist and foreign investors in the country. It relies on tourism for the most part.

12. Namibia - HDI: 0.647, GDP per capita $5,073

Situated in the southern part of Africa, Namibia is positioned as the 12th most developed country in Africa and 129th position worldwide. The country has a populace of 2,606,971. The economic expansion of Namibia is closely related to that of South Africa due to the fact that they share a common history. Mining, agriculture, and tourism are the major economic activities in the country. In terms of technology, they have a highly effective online banking system which operates as a great medium of online transactions.

13. Congo - HDI: 0.606, GDP per capita $446

It is positioned as the 13th most developed country in Africa with a population of 5 million. According to the HDI, the country sits at position 129 in the world. Congos development is characterized by a combination of handicrafts, agriculture and an industrial sector, which is predominantly dependent on petroleum production. Mining is also a major activity in the country but a large vast remain untapped.

READ ALSO: List of the 23 African Forbes 2018 billionaires in Africa

14. Ghana - HDI: 0.592, GDP per capita: $1,697

Ghana is positioned as the 14th on the list of the most developed African countries by HDI and 140 worldwide. It has a population of approximately 28 million individuals and it largely relies on the exportation of industrial minerals, agricultural products, petroleum and natural gas.

15. Equatorial Guinea - HDI: 0.591, GDP per capita: $11,457

Located on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, Equatorial Guinea is the 15th most developed country in Africa and 141st in the world with a populace of 2 million individuals. The country is situated in a favorable position geographically which provides it with a great platform for exporting goods to the Americas and Europe. Its major export is oil. The exports of the country have played a key role in creating employment opportunities for the youth of the country

16. Kenya - HDI: 0.590, GDP per capita: $1,790

Kenya is the 16th most developed country in Africa and 142nd worldwide with a populace of about 43,125,325. The economic development of Kenya primarily depends on tourism, agriculture and industrial activities. The recent infrastructural developments in the country have led to projections that the countrys economic muscle is bound to grow.

17. Sao Tome and Principe - HDI: 0.589, GDP per capita $1,668

This is 17th most developed country in Africa and 143rd most developed in the world according to the HDI. The economic development of Sao Tome is dominated by agriculture, which is one of the major economic activities in the country.

The main export in Sao Tome is Cocoa which represents about 90% of the exports. Apart from cocoa, other export crops include: palm kennels, coffee and copra. On the contrary, the country`s domestic food production does not meet the local consumption, hence most of their food is imported. Efforts are being made by the government to expand food production in the country.

READ ALSO: Ten Most Powerful Passports In Africa

18. Swaziland - HDI: 0.588, GDP per capita $3,934

It is positioned 18th most developed country in Africa with a populace of 1,343,098, but falls at position 144 in the world. The economic growth of Swaziland is highly dependent on agriculture, forestry, and mining. As a landlocked country, the country does most of its business with South Africa.

19. Zambia - HDI: 0.588, GDP per capita $1,342

This 19th most developed country in Africa sits at joint position of 144 in the world. It has a populace of 16,591,330 million individuals and its economic expansion relies on various activities like mining and farming.

Its economic activities serve as the backbone of the growth of the country and they fuel the attraction of investors from other parts of the country. The recent increase in employment opportunities is mainly due to the economic activities that have played an important role in the country`s growth and development.

20. Angola - HDI: 0.581, GDP per capita $4,101

It is graded as the 20th most developed country in Africa. The economic development of Angola has been highly influenced by activities such as agriculture, mining and industrial activities. On the world stage, Angola is positioned number 147. Its populace stands at 25,789,204 at present, with a per capita GDP of $4,101.

READ ALSO: Highest paid presidents in Africa, see UHURU'S position

Africa is widely regarded as a continent on the rise. The 20 African countries mentioned above are on the forefront when it comes to paving the way for a better future in the continent. If you were wondering what is the most developed country in Africa in terms of living standards, then this list should answer your question. While most of these countries arent in a better position to compete with their European counterparts, there is still a chance with more Africans pioneering developments in technology, farming, services, and industries.

The Human Development Index may not be entirely accurate, but it helps to show a picture of the overall ease of living of a particular countrys citizens. The above list of the most developed countries in Africa showcases that there is still much to be done in the continent when it comes to ensuring a long and healthy life. It also outlines the need for countries in Africa to bolster trade and improve service delivery in the continent.

Source: Tuko
No doubt, UN offers the most competitive salaries in Kenyas job market. Earning a six-figure salary and huge allowances are one of the prestigious benefits of working with the global organisation. Its always the dream of any graduate to land a well-paying job; UN Kenya salary scales grant you just that. The International NGO frequently posts job vacancies to deserving Kenyans. With so many rewards, its every Kenyan job seekers dream to work with the UN due to the rewarding benefits in the offing. Talking about benefits would you be interested to know how much you are entitled as salary once employed by UN? If you are into humanitarian work, I bet you cant wait to get all the juicy rewards package details. Read on to get the figures.

UN office in Kenya

Kenya enjoys the luxury of being home to the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON). The office is one of the four main United Nations offices (UN Headquarters in the US, UN Office at Geneva, and UN Office at Vienna)

The office houses Kenya-based UN agencies- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Additionally, the strategic office is also the UN headquarters in Africa. Other UN missions In Kenya that have a strong presence including but not limited to the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Health Organization (WHO) Kenya is also privileged to be home to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The agency has its headquarters in Nairobi. The agency promotes sound and sustainable urban development programs.

UN salary scales in Kenya

Kenyans workers have their salaries reviewed regularly to be at par with UN standards. The ever-increasing remuneration for the Kenyan surpasses that of their counterparts in public and private positions. Two years ago, a UN Staff working in Kenya pocketed Ksh.249,396 per month up from Khs.240,258 in 2015.

For purposes of contrast, a Kenyan working with UN gets an additional Kshs.100,000 compared to a similarly qualified worker serving in the public sector.

Depending on whether you are recruited for local or international missions, The UN will reward you an attractive remuneration package inclusive of other perks and benefit-medical, housing allowance etc.

Housing allowance for Kenyan employees is pegged at 10% of their salaries. The compensation is either paid in other forms of benefits or unavailable for internationally recruited staff. As a staff, you stand to receive travel expenses to cater to travelling needs while away for official duties or relocating to a new duty station.

Maternity leave is offered to expectant women who also get an additional two hours rest daily once they resume from their leave. Depending on the occupation category, you are paid a dependency allowance subject to your spouse's earning and the number of children.

If you're stationed in Kenyas remote areas with extreme living conditions like that of the North Eastern, one is eligible to receive hardship allowance. Annual leave of 30 days is granted to all UN staff.

UN-sponsored medical insurance and a joint staff pension fund caters for health and pension interest depending on the requirements of the job category.

UN salary scale

UN Salary scales are subjects to recurrent review to reflect the economic conditions of the duty stations. Appointments and job positions within the UN fall under the following categories;

Professional and higher categories (P and D)

General Service categories (G, TC, S, PIA, LT)

National Professional Officers (NO)

Field Service (FS)

Senior appointments (SG, DSG, USG and ASG)

Professional category

Professional staff working on this level are sourced internationally or locally. Kenyans' salaries are subject to the best prevailing conditions at their job station. If you receive an appointment to an international position, the UN compensates on basis of a standardised international scale.

The base salary takes account of your dependents, the current cost of living at your duty station and most importantly the job group. Have a look at below annual net salaries for Kenyans under this category:

Entry level professionals (P1 - P3):

P1: $36,347- $49,432

P2: $46,472- $61,889

P3: $59,151- $76,390

Mid-career professionals (P4 - P5)

P-4: $71,332- $89,955

P-5: $85,543- $104,842

Senior level professionals- Directors (D-1 and D-2 levels)

D1: $97,805- $120,489

D2: $108,189- $127,565

Other benefits include the already tax-exempted salary, rental subsidy, dependency allowances, education grant, hardship allowance, hazard pay, rest and recuperation break.

One of the easiest ways to enroll for professional roles is to apply for the Young Professionals Programme; run by the UN Secretariat. Successful applicants get absorbed into a global professional position while enjoying the salary scale of P-1 or P-2 level.The UN Secretary General is the head of the United Nations Secretariat.

General Service Staff (G1 - G7)

UN recruit general staff locally and hence their remuneration is subject to local salary scale. Among the benefits to expect include family allowances, grants and health insurance. Participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund admits only staff with a continued six months employment period since appointment.

Have a look at this UN Nairobi salary scales for staff working under this level: Remuneration computed as an annual net stipend in Kenyan shillings.

G1 (No work experience) - Kshs. 586, 053- 911,643

G2 (Minimum of 2 years of work experience)  Kshs.791,171 - 1,230,711

G3 (Minimum of 3 years of work experience)  Kshs.1,068,082 - 1,661,462

G4 (Minimum of 4 years of work experience)  Kshs. 1, 441,910 - 2,242,980

UN G5 salary is Kshs.1, 787,970- 2,781,290

G6 (Minimum of 6 years of work experience)  Kshs.2,217,091 - 3,448,801

G7 (Minimum of 7 years of work experience)  Kshs.2,749,187 - 4,276,507

Personnel like a UN driver in level G3 would be taking home more than 100k monthly. Generally, the annual UN driver salary is between $39K - $42K.

National Professional Officers (N0-A to NO-E)

Just like general service staff, Kenyans workforce grouped in this categories are locally appointed. Salaries and allowances paid are subject to the duty station and local salary scales and conditions.

Persons recruited to serve the UN in this category fall under five job groups. The higher job groups attract added duties and responsibilities in return for better salaries, allowances and perks.

Kenyans workers enjoy the following annual UN salary scale for professional staff:

NO-A (minimum 1 to 2 years of work experience) - Kshs.5 million-8.2 million

NO-B (minimum 2 to 3 years of work experience) - Kshs.6.5 million- 10.6 million

NO-C (minimum five years work experience) - Kshs.8.5 million to 13.7 million

NO-D (minimum seven years work experience) - Kshs.11 - 17.6million

NO-E over seven years work experience-rarely does this level draw appointment.

The Field Service category

The Labour force called upon to fill this category are usually recruited internationally. Remuneration is equated to a UN worldwide scale, but still subject to living conditions within the area of jurisdiction.

A Kenyan lucky to secure such an appointment in any of the seven job group mandated by the United Nations is entitled an annual salary as follows;

Annual net base salary ranges approximately in US$:

Entry level Field Service staff (FS 1 - FS 3-)- $31,000 - $54,000

Mid-career Field Service staff (FS 4 - FS 5)- $44,000 - $68,000

Senior level Field Service staff (FS 6 - FS 7)- $56,000 - $90,000

UN volunteers salary

Joining the Volunteers (UNV) programme is the easiest way to a rewarding career path within the ranks of the UN.

Volunteers (UNV) programme is mandated by UNDP to recruit the qualified candidates to fill various roles within the UN. However, the program runs on two platforms: a national and an international programme;

The National Program- the UNV Kenya Field Unit manages this local programme in Kenya within UNDP. Kenyans over 22yrs of age can volunteer to offer their serves for a period of up to 4 years. Expected net salary computed against a local salary scale is roughly Kshs. 60,000 per month,

The International Program-Anyone from any part of the world including Kenya can enroll in this International program as long as they are at least aged 25 years. Recruited candidate get to enjoy better allowance than their local volunteers. Remuneration varies with the role and duty station, but volunteers take home a monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of 2,200 USD (Kshs.220, 000 plus an additional adjustment multiplier allowance of $1,500,

UN Volunteer Programme pools around 8,000 qualified and experienced persons from over 160 different nationalities annually. Other benefits include settling-in-grant, annual leave, permanent disability insurance, return airfares, resettlement allowance, medical and life insurance.

UN service contract salary bands

UN gives opportunities to fill various contractual roles. Salary figures are unavailable for the different bands.

Permanent Contracts- Offered by the UN Secretariat.

Continuous Appointment (CA)

Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) - Duration is between one to two years.

Temporary Appointment (TA) - Contracts held for less than a year.

Non-staff and Consultant Contracts- Carry limited benefits and in most cases short-term.

There are a lot more opportunities that UN has to offer. If you desire to lodge an interest for the advertised vacancies you can do that within the UN Human resource portal . Although most UN agencies provide various positions of internships, No remuneration is catered as compensations for services rendered. With an overview of UN Kenya salary scales, one is in apposition to narrow down on the role that befits his passion and academics credentials.

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Source: Kenya Breaking News Today
- Kiunjuri claimed those dragging his name in the maize scandal wanted him to resign

- The NCPB maize scam saw over KSh 1.9 billion paid to fraudulent maize suppliers

- The C, however, vowed not to resign but take those he termed as haters head-on

- Kiunjuri directed blame on his predecessor Willy Bett, stating that fraudulent transactions happened during his tenure

Kenyans have been left disappointed following the latest address by Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri when he claimed that people castigating him for the mess in his ministry were politically frustrated and that he would deal with them when the right time comes.

Earlier, President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed Kiunjuri to explain how billions of shillings was paid to fraudulent traders while legit farmers who supplied maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) were left out.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

Kiunjuri has been tasked explain how billions of shillings were paid to fraudulent traders while legit farmers who supplied maize to the NCPB were left out. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Maize cartels want me out for unmasking their faces - Kiunjuri claims

Kiunjuri said any mess that happened at the NCPB was orchestrated by his predecessor and that he would find ways in future to deal with his critics whom he termed as haters.

"I assure you that when the right time and right moment comes, I will deal with you," Kiunjuri told his 'haters'

READ ALSO: Jubilee MPs turn against Kiunjuri, tell him to resign over KSh 1.9 billion maize scam

The sentiments left a bitter taste in the mouths of Kenyans and a disturbing tune in their ears.

Some claimed the CS was incompetent, arrogant and should vacate the office if he could not deal with the mess.

The protest against Kiunjuri's sentiments was taken to social media where a section of users pressed on Uhuru to execute changes in the ministry which they claimed was on its death bed.

READ ALSO: Ruto announce plans to collapse National Cereals Board days after maize purchase scandal

Julius Mmasi, who wrote on Twitter, stated that it was shameful for a CS to state he would deal with critics who pointed out his flaws.

"Before CS Kiunjuri deals with Kenyans who critique him positively on his performance, let President Uhuru Kenyatta sack him so that he can deal with Kenyans as a commoner not as a public servant," wrote Mmasi.

Instead of hurling suggestive threats, Boniface Mwangi, said it was time Kiunjuri reinstated sanity in his ministry.

This, Mwangi said, was the only way he was going to redeem his image from public shame.

"CS Kiunjuri should work hard now. Let him prove himself in front of his haters and redeem Agriculture Ministry. Let him not work by words but by actions," tweeted Mwangi.

A tweep identified as George Kopana sought to inform the CS that there was no right time where he could deal with his haters.

The president, Kopana claimed, was totally displeased with the CS and he (Kiunjuri) was destined to face more trouble in the near future if he did not act swiftly.

"There is no right time. The president is not happy with you at all and I think what's ahead of you is worse than what you see today," shared Kopana.

"CS Kiunjuri should deal with the cartels that have taken over the Ministry of Agriculture instead of getting so preoccupied with sentiments about the so called haters. With such a statement it clearly shows how crooked his priorities are," Victor Ooko responded to the CS.

READ ALSO: Names of Kenyans who irregularly supplied maize to National Cereals and Produce Baord

Jame Mathenge was emphatic that Kiunjuri had caused maize farmers and the food security sector immense pain.

Mathenge stated that if only the CS would understand the plight of the poor farmers, then he would deal with their troubles first before hunting down his 'haters'.

"Sir, I wish you could step into the shoes (actually stand on the bare feet of) a Kenyan farmer and feel their pain for a second, then you would direct the energy you're reserving to deal with your 'haters' in fixing farmers pain," he stated.

Here are other responses from social media users who descended on the CS and schooled him on what they termed as arrogance and misplaced priorities.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

THE SAD LIFE OF DEDAN KIMATHI'S FORGOTTEN FAMILY| Tuko TV.

Source: Tuko.co.ke
- Wamalwa said despite being an Opposition MP, he had liberty to work with any politician

- He said he chose to work with Ruto to enhance the handshake spirit between Raila Odinga and Uhuru

- Saboti MP Caleb Amisi accused Wamalwa of jeopardising Luhya unity by working with Ruto

- Wamalwa said the handshake between Raila and Uhuru had realigned political stands

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa has told off a section of Luhya leaders who are uncomfortable with his new found relationship with Deputy President William Ruto saying he has a constitutional right to associate with any leader.

He was responding to accusations by Saboti MP Caleb Amisi that he (Wamalwa) was scuttling the communitys efforts of producing a presidential candidate through his association with Ruto who has declared he would contest for the top seat.

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READ ALSO: Angry Murang'a residents torch of man who stabbed his brother to death

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa strongly defended his move to work closely with Deputy President William Ruto. Photo: daily Nation.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Boni Khalwale claims IEBC will declare Ruto president in 2022 whether he wins or loses

Speaking at Mitume Catholic Church in Kitale, Amisi said Wamalwa's association with Ruto was sabotaging to Luhya leaders like Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi who are potential 2022 presidential candidates.

It all looks like you have joined Ruto's camp. This means you are standing in the way of Luhya unity as they seek to produce a presidential candidate," claimed Amisi.

Wamalwa, however, said he had the liberty to work with any leader irrespective of their political inclination to address the needs of the constituents.

He said he was only walking in the spirit of Building Bridges Initiative borne out of the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi hit out at Chris Wamalwa for supporting DP William Ruto saying he was jeopardising Luhya unity. Photo: Caleb Amisi/Facebook.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Bungoma man shamed by daughter for abandoning family to fight over body of another woman

I want to remind Amisi the handshake has brought about new realignments. He should not be surprised to find himself in Rutos team in 2022. Politics is very dynamic and a lot happens within a short stint," Wamalwa said.

He and Amisi had once been at loggerheads with the DP courtesy of their affiliation with the National Super Alliance (NASA) which was Jubilee's main rival..

Amisi criticised Wamalwa's move saying he would not auction his political allegiance for handouts.

Deputy President William Ruto challenged Saboti MP Caleb Amisi of ODM to soften his hard line and support Jubilee government's development agenda. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Raila to have offices in at least 5 African countries for his African Union job

Ruto had challenged Amisi to soften his hard line stance and join other Trans Nzoia legislators who had pledged to support Jubilee's agenda.

The MP who has had a frosty relationship with the DP recently said he would not auction his political allegiance in exchange for weekly handouts saying he was not cheap like some of his colleagues.

Amisi and Wamalwa, however, had a consensus that the current Constitution needed to be amended to seal loopholes which threatened national cohesion.

Story By: Philip Bwayo, TUKO.co.ke Correspondent, Trans-Nzoia County.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

The Sad Life of Dedan Kimathi's Forgotten Family - on Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
A man of God has been suspended and his services to the church terminated indefinitely after he allegedly attempted to marry a second wife.

Pastor Patrick Muoki, 47, of African Inland Church (AIC) of Kenya had already initiated negotiations with the parents of his second 'wife to be' when the beans were spill to the public.

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READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

The preacher was suspended after he admitted he was madly in love with the lady and was not ready to let her go. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Scare in Kisumu County Assembly as Sergeant-at-Arms fires his gun

In a report by the Daily Nation, AIC clergymen from the region gathered at the main church in Shanzu, Mombasa County, where they held a consultative meeting before they agreed on suspending Muoki indefinitely.

"As the church, we did a lot of investigations in the last six months and realised he was involved with another woman and he also went ahead to negotiate bride price at the womans home, said Rev Johana Songok.

According the the clergymen, the matter had tainted the name of the church and warranted a one-year discipline to the pastor where he will not be allowed to share the word of God with the Christians.

READ ALSO: Mike Sonko plans to increase parking to KSh 400

Muoki was suspended after he admitted he had a serious romantic relationship with the lady and he was not ready to let her go.

Songok further clarified it was against the guiding principles of AIC church to marry more than one wife.

READ ALSO: Majority of Kenyans cannot stand a Moses Kuria presidency - Poll

On Sunday, October 20, the angry man of God is alleged to have gathered a group of youths who caused commotion in the church but police intervened.

The church leaders also accused Muoki of misusing church funds.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news

THE SAD LIFE OF DEDAN KIMATHI'S FORGOTTEN FAMILY| Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Newspaper
A hungry man is an angry man, so they say. It is also important to note hunger comes in many shapes and forms. It could be hunger for freedom or even justice.

An irate teacher from Litein, Kericho County was caught hammering a police officer during a riot and boy did the internet go crazy!

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READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

READ ALSO: Uhuru Kenyatta's niece Kavi Pratt to drop collabo with late Kamaru soon

In a viral video seen by TUKO.co.ke, the male teacher dressed in a conspicuous yellow shirt ran after a police officer and hit the cop on the back uing a huge piece of wood, the kind of rungus used by police to quell riots.

It all started when teachers decided to hold a protest on Tuesday, October, 23 after their colleague and his wife were found dead in their Chesingoro village home.

READ ALSO: Kenyans grossly angered by Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuris perceive arrogance

Policemen within the area tried to contain the commotion and they started chasing after some of the rogue educators.

As the teachers took to their heels amidst teargas and clobbering by the anti-riot cops, one man, presumably a teacher in a yellow t-shirt, came from behind and attacked one of the policemen then proceeded to run away.

The rest of his colleagues just took to their heels without bothering to turn around and catch a glimpse of the predator becoming the prey.

The officer who was gleefully running after the teachers salivating to clobber one of them with his rungu was taken a back and shocked, he suddenly stopped the chase, clueless as to who decided to savagely attack him.

Social media was left giggling and poking fun at the policeman with some congratulating the teacher for shooting his shot.

Prior reports by TUKO.co.ke indicated a man who was a teacher at Cheborge secondary school was found lifeless next to his deceased wife in the dawn of July, 21 2018.

TUKO.co.ke understands the man was found with deep wounds while his wife was killed using a blunt object.

The ladys eyes were said to be gorged out.

Witnesses intimated to TUKO.co.ke the assailants may have forcibly gained entry to the couples home before mutilating the duo.

Further reports suggested the perpetrators of the heinous crime are yet to be punished.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

THE SAD LIFE OF DEDAN KIMATHI'S FORGOTTEN FAMILY| Tuko TV:

Source: Breaking News
- The senator accused the MCAs of holding Speakers at ransom when their demands are not met

- Mwaura said the Speakers were being harassed and impeached over petty issues

- He suggested the county assembly Speakers should be protected from the rogue Ward Reps

- Mwaura was reacting to an incident in Kisumu where MCAs went for Speaker and Sergeant-at-Arms' throats for adjourning sitting

- A month earlier, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker was forcefully ejected from her office by irate MCAs

Nominated senator Isaac Mwaura has raised alarm over the manner in which County Assembly Speakers are being treated while in the line of duty.

The senator accused Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) of harassing and impeaching the county Speakers on flimsy grounds.

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READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

Nominated senator Isaac Mwaura accused Members of County Assemblies of harassing and impeaching county speakers over petty issues.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Ousted Nairobi Speaker Beatrice Elachi obtains orders stopping her impeachment

Appearing on Citizen TV on Wednesday, October 24, Mwaura proposed the Speakers should be protected from the rogue Ward Representatives who were out to make their work difficult.

"MCAs have become rogue and are holding county Speakers at ransom. They always want to be given every thing they demand for which is not sustainable," he said.

READ ALSO: Kisumu youths attack MCAs in assembly

The senator argued the Speakers were being impeached over petty issues and therefore it had become important for their tenures to be protected even if they are elected by the MCAs.

"Good Speakers are being impeached on very minute issues. We need to secure the tenures of Speakers to ensure that they are not impeached haphazardly. The MCAs have a bad mentality that they can impeach Speakers anyhow because they elected them," Mwaura said.

READ ALSO: Kisumu Speaker sets record straight over unfinished seats that cost KSh 245k each

The senator was reacting to chaos that erupted on Tuesday at Kisumu County Assembly where the Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, George Amayo, was forced to fire in the air after MCAs descended on him after Speaker Eric Agola adjourned a sitting.

The Ward Reps were angered by what they termed as an illegal adjournment of the session.

They were adamant that the sitting had to go on, but the Chief Sergeant-at-Arms wanted to hear none of it.

Things quickly spiraled out of control and police had to be called in to intervene amid fire exchange.

READ ALSO: MCAs embarrass Busia governor while on retreat in Kisumu by walking out on him

About a month earlier, Nairobi MCAs not only impeached their Speaker, Beatrice Elachi, but practically ejected her from office despite a temporary court order stopping her removal.

Elachi was impeached by a majority 103 out of 107 members on September 6 for allegedly spending KSh 1 million taxpayers' money on plastic surgery.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Mike Sonko Exposes Pumwani Hospital - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
- A technical committee has been formed to solve the boundary dispute in Migingo

- The two countries have different laws regulating marine activities on Lake Victoria

- Plans are afoot to harmonise the distinct regulations to make fishing operations easier

The Ugandan government has pledged to stop harassing Kenyan fishermen on Lake Victoria but urged them to abide by marine laws.

Special Presidential Advisor in the Ugandan government Hajji Mayanja said most Kenyan fishermen breach fishing regulations on the lake thus leading to constant disciplinary action being taken against them.

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READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

There is a technical committee put in place by the two governments to solve the boundary dispute on Migingo. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Raila to hold talks with Museveni over Migingo Island dispute between Kenya and Uganda

Mayanja urged fishermen who will be harassed by Ugandan law enforcers to report to respective authorities for action to be taken, Kenya News Agency reported on Wednesday, October, 24.

We assure Kenyans that there will be no more harassment of fishermen on Lake Victoria. We do not condone habits of extortion and harassment of fishermen. It is the policy of our government to protect foreigners in Uganda, said Mayanja.

READ ALSO: Uganda police animosity force Kenyans out of Migingo island

Kenya fishermen have been complaining of frequent arrest and detention by Uganda authorities whenever they go fishing.

Residents of the contested rock have also complained of Ugandan soldiers storming the Island and disrupting business activities.

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i had warned Uganda from interfering with Kenyan citizens fishing on Lake Victoria. Photo: CS Matiang'i

Source: Twitter

Earlier, the soldiers reportedly lowered the Kenyan flag on the area and thereafter, chased Kenyan policemen guarding the island.

The Ugandan government said the stalemate surrounding the ownership of the isle was being addressed.

There is a technical committee put in place by the two governments to solve the boundary dispute on Migingo. The outcome from the committee will be accepted by the two counties, he said.

Earlier, the soldiers reportedly lowered the Kenyan flag on the island and thereafter, chased Kenyan policemen guarding the isle. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kenyan police manning disputed Migingo island chased like stray dogs by Ugandan counterparts

TUKO.co.ke had earlier reported that Interior CS Fred Matiang'i had warned Uganda against interfering with Kenyan citizens.

This came after two Ugandan soldiers crossed into Busia where they opened fire at a vehicle which was carrying fish.

Both Kenya and Uganda have distinct laws that govern fishing on the same lake and this always lands fishermen in trouble with marine authorities. Kenyan fishermen are, however, the hardest hit.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Ken Okoth Is Fighting For Marijuana Legalization | Tuko TV.

Source: Tuko
- The supporters arrived at Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday morning to wait for ruling on bail

- They were, however, blocked by the police from entering the precincts of the court

- The supporters had been demanding for release of Obado claiming he was an innocent man

- Obado was eventually freed on bail of KSh 5 million on condition he does not abscond court

- The governor's co-accused, Michael Oyamo and Casoal Obiero, were denied bail

Supporters of Zachary Okoth Obado erupted in celebrations following the release of the Migori County governor accused of killing his seven-month pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sharon Otieno, and her unborn baby.

The supporters had pitched tent outside Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi, to stand in solidarity with their governor who is facing two counts of murder charges alongside his personal assistant Michael Oyamo and Migori County clerk Caspal Obiero.

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READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

Migori governor Zachary Okoth Obado's supporters who were demanding for his freedom celebrating in Nairobi following his release on Wednesday, October 24.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Governor Obado now staring at 2 counts of murder as prosecutor amends charge sheet

TUKO.co.ke on the morning of Wednesday, October 24, observed Obado's supporters, who had been demanding for his freedom since his arrest, claiming he was innocent, could not hide their joy when they heard he had been freed on bail.

The governor was released on a KSh 5 million cash bail after spending a month in remand in connection with the gruesome murder of Sharon and her baby.

READ ALSO: DNA test confirms Migori Governor Okoth Obado sired late Sharon Otieno's baby

While delivering her ruling, judge Jessie Lessit granted the Migori County chief bail on conditions that he will not go anywhere and will attend all court sessions.

"The accused shall not go anywhere within 20km of Migori County boundary and the court has the liberty to cancel your bail at any time, the judge ruled.

The governor's co-accused, Oyamo and Obiero, were, however, denied freedom and returned to remand at the Industrial Area Prison where they will remain until a pre-trial conference slated for February 14, 2019.

READ ALSO: Migori Governor Okoth Obado believes he does not belong to jail

The judge argued Oyamo and Obiero were denied bail because they were likely to abscond court sessions and cause public disturbance if freed.

Obado has been in police custody since his arrest on Friday, September 24.

He initially spent three nights at Gigiri Police Station before he was moved to the Industrial Area Remand Prison where he had been awaiting for determination of his bail.

The governor was originally accused of aiding and abetting commission of Sharon's murder between September 3 and September 4, 2018, jointly with Oyamo and Obiero.

The charges were later revised to two counts of murder for all the three suspects.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Okoth Obado Supporters Celebrate His Release - On Tuko TV

Source: Kenyan Breaking News
- The Bill was introduced by Mathira Member of Parliament Rigathi Gachagua

- Gachagua argued the Bill would help secure employment opportunities for Kenyans

- He accused Chinese of taking up jobs and projects that could be done by locals

Mathira Member of Parliament, Rigathi Gachagua, has introduced a Bill seeking to restrict Chinese firms and other foreigners from getting contracts or tenders worth less than Ksh 1 billion.

In his Bill, Gachagua proposed that all contracts valued at less than a billion Kenya shillings be strictly awarded to Kenyan owned companies.

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READ ALSO: Kutana na binti mrembo Mkorino anayewakosesha wanaume usingizi

Mathira Member of Parliament, Rigathi Gachagua, accused Chinese of taking up jobs and tenders that are supposed to be given to Kenyans.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: List of Chinese construction companies in Kenya

Speaking in his Mathira Constituency, Nyeri County, on Tuesday, October 23, Gachagua said the Bill, if successful, will ensure Chinese can only bid and qualify for contracts that exceed KSh 1 billion and which Kenyan firms are not in position to bid for.

We have what I would call the Chinese economic invasion to the Republic of Kenya. These people came here and are slowly kicking out the owner of the house economically, the lawmaker argued, adding that his Bill would also help locals secure employment opportunities.

READ ALSO: Number of Chinese companies in Kenya surpasses 400 as government moves to strengthen trade ties

The MP attributed the lack of money circulation within the country to the fact that tenders that could be awarded to Kenyans were being awarded to foreigners.

The Chinese after getting contracts in Kenya. They then buy everything used in construction from China. As lawmakers, we cannot allow the Chinese invasion to impoverish our people. This cannot be allowed to happen, he protested.

READ ALSO: Kenya among countries with people living in extreme poverty

The Bill further proposes serious punishment against any Kenyan who will be found to have been used as a proxy by foreigners to register a company in the country.

Gachagua further proposed for amendments to the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act to ensure Kenyan goods find local market in cases where the tender are awarded to foreigners.

Story by Enock Ndayala

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Mike Sonko Exposes Pumwani Hospital - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
- Itumbi is rumoured to be an ex-lover to TV news anchor Jacque Maribe

- Photos of the two getting cosy with one another circulated in different social media sites sometimes back

- The State House digital communication personnel insisted he and Maribe were just good friends

- Itumbi has consistently and openly showed his support for the TV girl since she was arrested and charged with murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani

- He posted a late night poem offering a hand of support for Maribe ahead of the Wednesday, October 24, bail application ruling

Dennis Itumbi, the rumoured ex-lover of TV news anchor Jacque Maribe who is facing murder charges together with fiancee Joseph Irungu, has been in a poetic spree for the last one month.

The State House head of digital communication has been continuously penning letters and poems soaked in themes of intimacy and sympathy for Maribe , apparently to prove solidarity, a move which has not amused a section of social media users.

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READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Dennis Itumbi with Jacque Maribe at Citizen TV news anchor Jacque Maribe. Itumbi has been posting messages of support to Maribe who is facing murder charges. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Migori Governor Okoth Obado believes he does not belong to jail

Itumbi seemingly not deterred by opinions of social media users, took to Facebook on Wednesday, October 24, at 2pm and posted a poem of encouragement to Maribe, just a few hours before she appeared in court for the bail application ruling.

"I can only pen a little poem, written through a keyboard, but composed from the depth of a soul that has always connected to your heart. I wish I had a moments eraser I would sure delete what faces you today. I wish I would be able to move time to tomorrow when am certain you will be free," read excerpts from his poem titled Here my Hand.

A section of Facebook users accused Itumbi of habouring a hidden motive aimed at regaining affection from Maribe besides drawing unnecessary sympathy to the news anchor at the expense of justice for slain Monica Kimani.

READ ALSO: Trans-Nzoia changaa brewers using snakes to scare off police during crackdowns

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THE SAD LIFE OF DEDAN KIMATHI'S FORGOTTEN FAMILY| Tuko TV

Source: Breaking News
- James Mureu accused Chinese traders of killing local retail sectors

- Mureu said the Chinese Embassy in Kenya was frustrating Kenyans from getting visas to export their products

- He called on the government to curb the influx of the Chinese in order to protect local businesses

The influx of Chinese nationals in Kenya small and medium sized enterprises (SME) could soon turn the country into their colony if the government does not act on time.

Vice-chairman of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry James Mureu warned continued stay of Chinese businessmen in retail sectors would kill local traders on same line of trade.

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READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Chinese national at a road construction site in Nairobi. Kenyan businessmen have decried influx of foreign retailers. Photo: Nation.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Uhuru Kenyatta defends Chinese dominance in Africa

Speaking on NTV on Wednesday, October 24, Mureu blamed the Immigration Department for opening doors for the citizens of the Asian nation yet the same cannot be reciprocated by the Chinese embassy for Kenyans importers.

"If you look at what is going right now, Kenyans are disenfranchised, they are feeling like foreigners. Our systems are so porous that soon or later, our country will be a Chinese colony,"he said.

The vice chairman bitterly complained why the government was not dealing with the infiltration of foreign retailers who were literally dumping their goods in the same space with local counterparts.

READ ALSO: Matiang'i deports 60 foreigners, fires 28 immigration officers

"They follow you goods in china, they follow you with goods in same quantity in the same playing space. The Chinese embassy denies us visa so that their citizens can bring in their goods here," he pointed out.

Mureu who imports clothes and other apparels now proposes tight policies which prevent any foreigner from providing locally available jobs and services.

"Our policies are so pro-Chinese that these people have walked all the way to Nyamakima market, they are doing business there. Our immigration should make sure that these people only do what cannot be done by Kenyans,"he urged.

READ ALSO: Racist Chinese national who called Kenyans 'filthy monkeys' to be deported

The Beijing-Nairobi link can be traced to huge borrowing from the Asian growing economy by President Uhuru Kenyatta regime.

Major infrastructural developments realised or being undertaken are funded by Xi Ji Ping government and a number of leaders have expressed their displeasure on the same.

Uhuru has however defended Chines dominance insisting Ji Ping's administration is mutually developing Africa through taking advantage of valuable opportunities ignored by European countries.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Obado to Spend More Days Behind Bars - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Breaking News
-Over three million Kenyans will start benefiting from Universal Health Coverage starting December, 1 2018

-The scheme will ensure all Kenyans have access to quality healthcare which is part of the Big Four agenda

-The UHC pilot will be rolled out in four counties of Isiolo, Kisumu, Nyeri and Machakos

President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to launch the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) pilot programme on December, 1 2018, opening the door for over three million Kenyans to enjoy high quality, free medical services.

The launch which will coincide with the World Aids Day will be a major stride in the presidents bid to actualise his legacy-shaping Big Four agenda.

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READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Three million Kenyans from four counties are set to receive improved and free healthcare services.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Uganda swallows humble pie, promise to respect Kenyans around Migingo Island

The UHC which aims at ensuring all Kenyans have access to quality healthcare, is part of the affordable healthcare pillar of the Big Four.

The pilot will be rolled out in the four counties of Isiolo, Kisumu, Nyeri and Machakos before it is finally scaled up to cover the rest of the country, a decision that was arrived at on Tuesday, October 23, when Uhuru met with the UHC Inter-Governmental Committee at State House, Nairobi.

The pilot phase is expected to last for a year and its progress reviewed after six months before it is scaled up to cover the rest of the country.

READ ALSO: Governor Obado's wife quotes Bible verse as she celebrates his release from remand

The project set to launch on December, 1 2018, will see people from Machakos, Nyeri and Isiolo counties receive free healthcare.

Source: Facebook

After registration, patients will be treated free of charge, including referrals.

The new UHC package will benefit at least 3.2 million Kenyans and is expected to contain a new bouquet of services accessible in public health facilities.

According to Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, the pilot programme will cost the government around KSh 3.17 billion.

The national government will allocate KSh 800 million for each of the participating counties, with an additional KSh 800 million for referral cases. Governors will also contribute a similar amount towards the programme.

The success of the pilot programme in the four counties will clear the way for the national roll out which will mark the beginning of a new era in public health service provision.

During the State House meeting also attended by Governors Mohammed Kuti (Isiolo), Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), Prof Anyang Nyongo (Kisumu) and Dr Alfred Mutua (Machakos), the president gave the UHC Inter-Governmental Committee his approval to finalise the launch plans and also draft the respective MoU between the Ministry of Health and the four counties.

He encouraged the governors to actively sensitise their people before the pilot project is launched.

The decision to pilot the programme in the four counties was based on existing evidence on their disease burdens.

Kisumu was identified because it leads in the infectious diseases category, especially for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, while Machakos records the highest number of injuries mostly from accidents occurring along the busy Mombasa-Nairobi highway.

Nyeri was selected because it leads in non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes, while in Isiolo, the government will seek to establish how the package is well suited for nomadic and migratory populations.

Piloting the package in a controlled population ensures less chances of failure and we can minimise the risks when the programme is later scaled up to cover the entire country, the CS earlier stated.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Obado to Spend More Days Behind Bars - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
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Global Cement Tiles Market Research Report 2018 is In-depth Collective information of Industry which gives descriptive information of market segmentation, size, Key Regions, growth, dominating firms, Major Manufactures. The report also analyze innovative strategies for business growth, premium opportunities. The Cement Tiles report provides competition analysis along with company profile, revenue, product & services, latest developments trends.

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Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (North America, EU, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India) and other regions can be added. The report focuses on current and upcoming premium trends such as Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, and Challenges, technological advancements, Industry Competitor analysis to assess the intensity of competition in the market.

Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @ https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/664567

No. Of Pages: 123

Key Companies Analyzed in this Report are:

Boral Limited

Border Construction Specialties

Coastal Screen & Rail

Elliott Brothers

Forticrete

Masterworks Art Tiles

Nicholls & Clarke Group of Companies

Oldcastle Architectural

PortStone Manufacturing

Real Value

Rockford

Shoemaker Drywall Supplies

Slatesystem Productions

Stogsdill Tile

Uni Group U.S.A.

Wausau Tile

Elite Precast Concrete Limited



The report focuses on Global Cement Tiles Market major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What's more, the Cement Tiles industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.

On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

S Tile

Corrugated Tile

Flat Tile

Market size by End User

Workshop

Average House

Luxury Villa

Other

Key Stakeholders

Cement Tiles Manufacturers

Cement Tiles Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers

Cement Tiles Subcomponent Manufacturers

Industry Association

Downstream Vendors

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Major Points Covered in Table of Contents:

1 Cement Tiles Market Overview

2 Global Cement Tiles Market Competition by Manufacturers

3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Complementary DNA Microarrays (cDNA

4 Global Cement Tiles Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)

5 Global Cement Tiles Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

6 Global Cement Tiles Market Analysis by Application

7 Global Cement Tiles Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis

8 Cement Tiles Manufacturing Cost Analysis

9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

11 Market Effect Factors Analysis

12 Global Cement Tiles Market Forecast (2018-2025)

13 Research Findings and Conclusion

14 Appendix

About Us

Orian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.

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- 583 applicants hold Masters Degree and above translating to over 70%

- Only 56 out over 1000 applicants have been shortlisted for positions of vice-chairperson and seven members

- A study by the UNDP recently ranked Kenya as having the highest unemployment rate in East Africa

At least 56 out over 1000 applicants have been shortlisted for eight positions of vice-chairperson and seven members of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Out of the applicants, 583 hold Masters Degree and above translating to over 70% which brings to fore the reality of the unemployment in Kenya.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Margaret Kobia is the former Chairperson Public Service Commission (PSC). Photo: Margaret Kobia/Facebook.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Detectives arrest conman promising Kenyans fake jobs in Qatar

Through Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Margaret Kobia who was the commission's chairperson, the government announced vacancies on September 28, 2018.

A study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently ranked Kenya as having the highest unemployment rate in East Africa region.

According to the study, one out of every five youth in Kenya is unemployed even as thousands of graduates flock the job market every year.

The UN body however expressed optimism that President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four agenda, premised on provision of quality health services, affordable housing, manufacturing and food security, would create a pool of job opportunities.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Obado to Spend More Days Behind Bars - On Tuko TV

Source: Kenyan Breaking News
- The online poll showed 62% of Kenyans support a referendum, 16% do not and 22% dont care

- Majority of Kenyans want the law amended to reduce political representation in the country

- Others felt a review should help transfer the management of health sector back to the national government

As the push for a referendum in the country continues, Kenyans have come out to outline what they want changed in the Constitution.

In a Twitter poll conducted by political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi in October, an overwhelming 62% of Kenyans declared their support for a referendum, 16% opposed it while 22% stated they dont care.

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READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Majority of the Kenyans support the referendum with some saying they are over represented by their leaders. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kenya National Chamber of Commerce vice-chairman believes Kenya will soon become a Chinese colony

Majority of the 12,237 respondents appeared to support the Punguza Mzigo initiative which is premised on drastically reducing political representation in the country as a way to tame public expenditure.

They called for the number of MPs, MCAs and senators to be reduced, and the position of Woman Representative abolished.

They advised against the creation of additional posts such as that of prime minister as proposed in some quarters.

READ ALSO: Malindi Sub-County hospital ordered to pay minor KSh 500,000 for wrong medication

Others argued corruption was Kenyas main enemy and called for the introduction of a tough formula in the Constitution to conquer the vice.

Some other respondents felt the plebiscite should be used to right some of the wrongs introduced by the 2010 Constitution, among them the transfer of the management of the health sector to county governments.

Below is a sample of the recommendations by Kenyans on what should be reviewed in the Constitution.

Majority of the 12,237 respondents appear to support the "Punguza Mzigo" initiative that is premised on drastically reducing political representation. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Moses Kuria calls out ex-governor Kabogo for mocking CS Kiunjuri's heavy kikuyu accent

READ ALSO: Uganda swallows humble pie, promise to respect Kenyans around Migingo Island

John Kivisu: All MCAs, women reps, senators, all nominated politicians and useless commissions must be eliminated!!!

Ngongu Kiarie: We have to take home MCAs, Senators, Women Reps and most of the MPs. We have to reduce number of Constituencies!

Albert Chess: I don't support ODM reasons for Referendum to create posts but I support @EAukot reasons for a referendum.

Peter Gitari: We only need to introduce a clause that will seek to hang (or shoot in public) corrupt leaders. Corruption is the problem in Kenya not the Constitution.

The legislator: I support the change... We are over represented.

Julius Ekal Ekuwom: In total support: referendum to usher in a parliamentary system of governance. We are tired of a presidential system.

Cheruh Kirui: I will only support the referendum if it's about reducing number of MPs, Senators and do away with nominated positions.

The George: Raila wants to create additional super counties. The country requires a drastic reduction of electoral seats!

Chris Mwangi: We need to revisit it. On Wanjiku's terms and not these greedy politicians terms however. Massive sensitisation and education must accompany it. I shall volunteer where necessary.

Alex K Jackson: I agree that we need a referendum. What am not agreeing with is what in the constitution will be changed... and as usual am sure it's going to be what the politicians want instead of what's good for Kenya and its citizenry.

@girkum: I support but on one condition. That there should be no more creation of positions

Bryant Cherubert: We support a referendum of Punguza Mzigo but if its about introducing posts....to hell with it...

Nicholas Kahiu: It should be changed, it's extravagant and years after implementing it,there is very little to show

Alphonce MGM: Referendum should have come yesterday. Anyone against it must be for his/their own gain but not for Wanjiku.

Richard: County governance is just like another form of Nusu mkate regime. Having so many leaders for no good reason.

True Kenyan: I support a referendum but it has to be on the real issues affecting Mama Wanjiku. Never on creating more loop holes for corruption and spending the tax payers money. It has to deal with over-representation, resizing the national assembly and cabinet, scrapping unnecessary slots.

Mr. Kinuthia Pius: Women Rep kwanza....which country in the world have "women rep" position in their constitution?

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news

THE SAD LIFE OF DEDAN KIMATHI'S FORGOTTEN FAMILY| Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
- The two pleaded not guilty to amended charges of the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani

- Prosecution amended the charge sheet to include other suspects not before the court

- Justice James Wakiaga set the official ruling date for matter on Tuesday, October 30

- The prosecution argued Irungu was a flight risk and Maribe had capacity to influence witnesses courtesy of her association with influential individuals

- Maribe's lawyer, Katwa Kigen, said prosecution failed to raise compelling reasons to warrant denial of bail

- Wakiaga also dismissed a Non-Governmental Organisation which sought to be enjoined in the case

Popular TV news anchor Jacque Maribe and her fiance Joseph Irungu alias Jowie will spend six more days in remand after Justice James Wakiaga said he would rule on their bail application on Tuesday, October 30.

TUKO.co.ke understands Maribe and Irungu pleaded not guilty to amended charges of the murder of businesswoman Monica Nyawira Kimani.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

The High Court set the ruling on bail application by Jacque Maribe and Joseph Irungu on Tuesday, October 30. Photo: UGC.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Governor Obado's wife quotes Bible verse as she celebrates his release from remand

The prosecution amended the charge sheet to include other suspects yet to be arraigned before court.

During the Wednesday, October 24, session, the two who are accused of committing the offence on Thursday, September 19, in Kilimani, Nairobi had their probation reports presented in court and perused by their lawyers.

After the plea of not guilty was entered, both prosecution and defence lawyers engaged to justify their position to have the suspects remanded during trial or be released on bail respectively.

Prosecution's lead counsel, Catherine Mwaniki, was firm the two needed to face trial while in remand saying they faced capital offence charges and had potential of interfering with key witnesses.

"The first accused is a flight risk which has been demonstrated through his nature of work. His job demands indicated he traveled to Middle East countries before," read part of the prosecution's submission.

The prosecution said Joseph Irungu the first accused was a flight risk because his work demanded he travels across the world. Photo: UGC

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: Kenyans have their say on why they support referendum

The prosecution further raised concern revealing to the court that Irungu was not cooperating with police and had told numerous falsehoods adding that Maribe had association with influential figures who could likely intimidate or interfere with witnesses.

"The second accused's account in the affidavit is inconsistent. The argument that she is a single mother is not strong enough to warrant her get a bail. She also has a very supportive family," the prosecution argued.

Maribe's lawyer, Katwa Kigen, on the other hand differed with the prosecution saying their grounds were not compelling to meet the Constitutional threshold.

Justice Wakiaga also dismissed application by Empowering Africa Through Media to be enjoined in the matter.

The judge say the Non-Governmental Organisation had failed to indicate its interest in the matter and challenged the petitioner to file a proper application if they needed to be part of the case.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenya News Today: Okoth Obado Supporters Celebrate His Release | Tuko TV

Source: Kenya Breaking News Today
- The DP on Wednesday gave students a glimpse of his thesis on effects of land grabbing

- Ruto arrived late at the TVET Curriculum Framework launch in Gigiri and he explained he had a lecture prior

- He further gave detains of his PhD thesis which he defended to the head of department, School of Biological Science at Nairobi University

Deputy President William Ruto excited a crowd on Wednesday, October 24, after he outlined the particulars of his PhD coursework.

Ruto was addressing students at a graduation ceremony in the Kenya Technical Training College, where he explained that part of his reason for coming late to the event was because he was attending a lecture at the University of Nairobi.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Ruto defends his PhD thesis on effects of land grabbing and human activities on riparian land

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: DP Ruto fails to impress supervisors, will not graduate

"I wished to have been with you earlier but I was called by the head of department School of Biological Science, the University of Nairobi. I am a student there and you know as a student your lecturer comes first. I had to go there first to defend my thesis," he told the crowd which burst with excitement.

The DPs thesis took a unique approach on the influence of pollution activities on lands which could have otherwise been productive if they had been used with diligence.

His thesis seemed to revolve around the notion that it was human activities such as land grabbing and constructing on riparian land which had a hand in degrading the environment.

Known to very few, the DP is actually a learned fellow and part of his latest academic adventure was pursuing a PhD

Ruto already boasts a Bachelor's degree in Botany and Zoology and Masters in Plant Ecology.

In fact, he joined politics while still in campus at the University of Nairobi as a KANU youth winger christened YK92.

He worked alongside former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo in former president Daniel Moi's regime to get the former president re-elected.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news

Kenya News Today: Okoth Obado Supporters Celebrate His Release | Tuko TV:

Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest
- Raila said he will take advantage of his new AU role to link Africa through modern highways and railways

- He cited building a 6,000kms road linking Mombasa to Lagos in Nigeria among his priorities

- The Opposition leader said he intended to oversee construction of 60,000kms of Trans-African highway to open up continent for trade

- President Uhuru while congratulating Raila on the new appointment said the position would be beneficial to Kenya

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has indicated linking Kenya to Nigeria via road will be among his priorities as African Unions High Representative of infrastructure and development.

Raila who was appointed to the plum job on Saturday, October 20, said he intends to oversee construction of 60,000kms of highways linking the entire continent as the man in charge of infrastructure development.

READ ALSO: Picha za uchi za Seneta Malala; Wanahabari wakiri kupewa pesa kumchafua

Opposition leader Raila Odinga and AU Congress Chairperson Moussa Faki. Raila said he was determined to build 60,000 kms of roads to link all Africa. Photo: Raila Odinga/Twitter.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Bombs found in mail sent to Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton

Speaking while delivering a public lecture to students of Duke University in the US on Wednesday, October 24, he said his main goal would be to see the Trans-African Highway project commissioned in 1971 is completed.

Among key infrastructural linkages Raila highlighted as part of his priorities was a 6,000kms highway linking Mombasa to Lagos.

Primary projects will be an 8,000kms highway linking Cairo (Egypt) to Dakar in Senegal. Another 8, 0000kms road will stretch from Cairo and Cape Town (South Africa). A 6,000kms road linking Mombasa (Kenya) to Lagos (Nigeria) is part of this ambitious project, he said.

Raila Odinga being congratulated by Deputy President William ruto and Namibia President Hage Geingob following his appointment by African Union. Photo: Daily Nation.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: ODM MPs confident Raila will beat Ruto to the presidency in 2022

Raila who said he accepted the role by AU because he believed land transport was an integral part of the continents economic growth added he intended to have another 4,700kms road between Dakar and Lagos built.

He explained that out of nine highways proposed over four decades ago, only the 4,500kms road between Dakar and NDjamena in Chad had been constructed.

My belief is that having reliable road infrastructure and railways linking all corners of Africa will open up the continent and make it a gateway to the 21st century. Through my new position I am determined to take Africa to economic independence, Raila said.

While congratulating the ODM party leader on his new appointment, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the position would benefit Kenya.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Obado to Spend More Days Behind Bars - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
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Market Insights:

Market Research Future (MRFR)s latest study reveals that the Global Process Fluid Market will grow moderately over the forecast period 2016 to 2023. The widening range of application for process fluid across different industry verticals is fueling demand in the Process Fluid Market. The trend is likely to perpetuate over the next couple of years.

The growth of the Process Fluid Market is highly dependent on the growth of the end-user industries such as electronics, fragrance, oil & gas, etc. The characteristics of Process Fluid have enabled its use in specialized applications such as extracting agents, reaction mediums, polymerization mediums, softening agents, etc. This is expected to keep influencing the expansion of the process fluid market positively in the foreseeable future.

Increased demand from oil & gas industry is the primary factor forecasted to drive the growth of the process fluid market over the next couple of years. Additionally, Process Fluid has developed an application in the paints & coatings industry. The strong value maintained by the paints & coatings industry is likely to catapult the market on an upward trajectory. The increase in disposable income coupled with improving standards of living has propelled the demand for Process Fluid in the fragrance and veg & bio oils industries. The Process Fluid Market looks attractive at this point and is likely to remain so during the assessment period.

Industry Developments:

In March 2018, Quaker Chemical Corporation, a leading global supplier of process fluids, launched an extensive range of process fluids for applications in pipes & tubes.

In September 2018, the U.S. based 3M announced new features for its Emphaze AEX Hybrid Purifier that delivers deliver consistent, high-purity clarified process fluid.

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Market Segmentation:

By Type, the Global Process Fluid Market is segmented into segmented into paraffinic oils, naphthenic oils, aromatic oils, veg & bio oils, and others.

By Application, the Process Fluid Market has been segmented into polymerization, catalyst, solvents, cleaners, and others.

By End-User, the Global Process Fluid Market is segmented into oil & gas, paint & coatings, plastics, electronics, fragrance, and others.

Regional Outlook:

By Region, the Global Process Fluid Market has been segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the largest market for the process fluid and is projected to retain its prominence over the next couple of years. The massive demand from the oil & gas industry is expected to drive the growth of the Process Fluid Market in Asia Pacific. China, Japan, and India are some of the primary revenue generators in the region.

North America is expected to remain a highly lucrative market over the next couple of years. The presence of a thriving chemical industry is the key factor driving growth in the region. Europe is an important growth pocket and is anticipated to generate considerable revenue during the assessment period. Meanwhile, the Middle East & Africa and Latin America are estimated to resonate strong growth opportunities.

Competitive Dashboard:

Some of the key players profiled in the report are Eastman Chemical Company (US), LUKOIL Lubricants Company (Russia), Panama Petrochem Ltd. (India), Eastern Petroleum Private Limited (India), Process Oil Inc. (US), Renkert Oil, LLC (US), HollyFrontier Refining & Marketing LLC (US), Taurus Petroleums Pvt. Ltd. (India), Pentagon Lubricants (India), and Nynas AB (Europe).

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Blood pressure test is done for the patients with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes. Systolic and diastolic pressure is important for continuously monitoring the blood pressure. The test is mostly recommended for the patients with hypertension to determine the risk of any cardiovascular disease such as coronary heart disease.

Prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes is on the rise across the globe, especially in the developing countries. The market is driven by the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in rural areas of the developing countries. Rising geriatric population further increases the chances of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, thereby accelerating the market growth. Additionally, increasing research and development activities, and technological advancements to identify the causes and risk factors for chronic heart diseases is fuelling the growth of the global blood pressure test market. The high cost of treatment may restrain the growth of the market.

According to WHO, more than 35% of the total global population was suffering from major or minor cardiovascular complication in 2015 and is the most common cause of death globally.

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Blood Pressure Test Global Market  Key Players

OMRON Corporation

SunTech Medical, Inc.

SPENGLER

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Schiller AG

Spacelabs Healthcare

American Diagnostic Corporation

Bosch + Sohn GmbH u. Co.

Withings SA

Welch Allyn, Inc. (Hill-Rom)

A&D Medical

General Electric Company

Intended Audience

Medical Device Manufacturers

Medical Device Suppliers

Medical Research Laboratories

Research and Development (R&D) Companies

Market Research and Consulting Service Providers

Potential Investors

Segments for Global Blood Pressure Test Market:

The global blood pressure test market is segmented on the basis of product, indication and end user.

On the basis of product, the market is segmented into sphygmomanometers, blood pressure transducers, blood pressure instrument accessories, and others.

Sphygmomanometers is further sub-segmented into mercury, aneroid and digital. The blood pressure transducers is further sub-segmented into disposable and reusable. Blood pressure instrument accessories is further segmented into blood pressure cuffs, bladders, and bulbs & valve

On the basis of indication, the market is segmented into hypertension, coronary heart disease, and others.

On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, home care, and others.

Regional Analysis for Global Blood Pressure Test Market:

The market for blood pressure test is found to be increasing in the Americas. Increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and availability of quality care services in various healthcare centers in the U.S. and Canada also influence the growth of the market. Also, rising emphasis on early diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and increasing demand for technologically advanced diagnostics and presence of major market players in the region also influence the growth of the market.

In Europe, the prevalence of diabetes, a major risk factor for heart disease, is rising from last few years. Lifestyle changes, lack of physical exercise, and extensive research and development activities on the medical devices, drive the market growth. Germany and France are the two largest market in the European region owing to extensive use of diagnostic medical devices in healthcare institutes such as hospitals.

In Asia Pacific, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, rising number of healthcare facilities, and rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases are major drivers for the market growth. There is a rising demand for specialty care services in countries such as India, stimulating the market growth. Furthermore, increasing focus on the development of qualitative healthcare services drive the market growth. According to the International Diabetes Foundation, 98.4 million and 65.1 million diabetic patients live in China and India respectively. China is the largest market for blood pressure test in Asia Pacific followed by India. This growth is attributed to the rising geriatric population in China, and increasing demand for diagnostic services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the geriatric population in China in the year 2013 was 22.6 million which is expected to show a massive growth to 90.4 million in 2050.

In the Middle East & Africa, rising prevalence of obesity, and diabetes diseases also drives the growth of the market. The Middle East is the largest market for Blood Pressure Test. In Africa, the prevalence of diabetes is low, but there is a continuous demand for diagnostic and treatment services in healthcare. There is also an improvement in healthcare infrastructure in various African countries.

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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

4.2 Restrains

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

TOC Continued

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Georgian Baklava or Pakhlava

Georgian Baklava or Pakhlava is a delicious dessert found in many restaurants and delis around the world. Many countries can claim the bragging rights to this sweet dessert because the history of Baklava is not well documented. The name is Turkish in origin and the dish is believed to have originated during the Ottoman Empire. Baklava or Pakhlava is made of many layers of phyllo dough, spices such as cardamom or cinnamon and chopped nuts like pistachios.

What is Baklava?

Baklava pronounced [BAHK-lah-vah; bahk-lah-VAH] is popular in Greece and Turkey, this sweet dessert consists of many layers of butter-drenched phyllo pastry, spices and chopped or ground nuts. A spiced honey-lemon syrup is poured over the warm pastry after its baked and allowed to soak into the layers. Before serving, the dessert is cut into triangles and sometimes sprinkled with coarsely ground nuts.

What is Pakhlava?

Pakhlava, also known as baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo, a thin unleavened dough filled with chopped nuts, sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. Its a staple of Turkish cuisine and is also found in Central and Southwest Asia. This sweet pastry is very popular in Georgia as well. Georgian Pakhlava is a delicious dessert and our version is made with dried chopped fruit as well as ground nuts.

What is Phyllo?

Phyllo pronounced [Fee-loh] literally translated, the Greek word phyllo means leaf. In culinary terms it refers to tissue-thin layers of pastry dough used in various Greek and Near Eastern sweet and savory preparations, the best known being Baklava and Spanakopita. Phyllo also spelled fillo, is very similar to strudel dough. Packaged fresh and frozen, phyllo dough is readily available. Fresh can be found in Greek markets and frozen in most, if not all, supermarkets.

Purchased Phyllo Dough

Unopened, phyllo can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. Once opened, use within 2 to 3 days. Frozen phyllo can be stored for up to 1 year. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Refreezing phyllo can make it become brittle. Due to the difficulty in making phyllo dough at home, most people prefer to purchase phyllo dough. Athens is probably the most recognizable brands of phyllo dough and can be purchased just about anywhere.

Where is Georgia?

Georgia, Georgian Sakartvelo, country of Transcaucasia, is located at the eastern end of the Black Sea on the southern flanks of the main crest of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. It is bound on the north and northeast by Russia, on the east and southeast by Azerbaijan, on the south by Armenia and Turkey, and in the west by the Black Sea. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi.

Georgian Baklava (Pakhlava) A delicious mixed fruit filling made with Paradise Fruit. No ratings yet Leave a Review  Print Recipe Ingredients 2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

2 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup dried fruit, chopped (dried pineapple, red and green cherries, lemon peel) , Paradise

, 2 tablespoons Bourbon or Brandy

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup finely ground walnuts

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons water Instructions Place flour and baking soda in a large bowl; stir to combine. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry blender or two knives until mixture forms pea-sized pieces.

Reserve 1 egg yolk in cup; cover with plastic wrap. Add remaining yolk and sour cream to flour mixture; toss with a fork until mixture holds together. Form dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

Meanwhile, for filling, combine dried fruit with Bourbon or Brandy and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Set aside and let sit 90 minutes. Stir in ground walnuts, sugar and ground cinnamon. Let sit 30 minutes longer.

Beat egg whites in a clean large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. (After beaters are lifted from egg white mixture, stiff peaks should remain on the surface and when bowl is tilted, mixture will not slide around.

Gently fold in fruit mixture with rubber spatula by gently cutting down to the bottom of the bowl, scraping up the side of the bowl, then folding over the of the mixture. Repeat until fruit mixture is evenly incorporated into the whites.

Grease and lightly flour 9-inch square baking pan. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a 3-inch square about 1-inch thick. Place each square between two pieces of well-floured waxed paper. Roll dough into a 9-inch squares. (You may have to lift the paper and dust dough with flour occasionally to prevent sticking.)

Remove top sheet of waxed paper from one dough square. Invert dough into bottom of baking pan. (You may have to trim dough to fit pan.) Remove second sheet of waxed paper.

Add water to reserved egg yolk; beat lightly with fork until foamy. Brush dough with egg yolk mixture. Spread half of fruit mixture on dough. Repeat procedure with second dough square, egg mixture and remaining fruit mixture. Cover with third dough square; turn edges under for a neat appearance.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Score top of dough into diamonds by making lengthwise diagonal cuts, just through top layers of dough, every 1 1/2 inches, with sharp knife. Make crosswise horizontal cuts, just through top layers of dough, to form diamond shapes.

Brush dough with remaining egg yolk mixture. Bake 45 minutes or until browned. Remove pan to wire rack; cool completely. Cut bars all the way through with serrated knife; carefully lift bars out of pan with thin flexible spatula.

Store tightly covered in single layer. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen bars. Notes *For this recipe we used a mixture of Paradise candied dried red and green cherries, pineapple and lemon peel. We also used golden raisins. Paradise Fruit Co. and Sun Maid . Course: Christmas, Dessert Cuisine: Georgian Author: Lynn / Turnips 2 Tangerines Keyword: butter, Christmas, dried fruit, nuts, Paradise Fruit Co. Did you make this recipe? Tag @lynnturnips on Instagram with the hashtag #turnips2tangerines

Welsh Tea Cakes or Snickerdoodle Cookie is another fantastic recipe using Paradise Candied Dried Fruit.

Recipes Inspired from Around the World: Greek Pastitsio
From midnight, the State of Emergency, inclusive of the 10pm to 5 am curfew shall come to an end.
Ukraine and the EBRD are launching a new strategy for cooperation, which involves the implementation of long-term and financially large projects, both at the level of the private sector and at the level of public administration.

Respective agreements were reached at a meeting between Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and EBRD Vice President Alain Pilloux, according to the government portal.

"Probably, we have no other partner countries similar to Ukraine. We have approved a new strategy of activities with Ukraine and one of the core areas is activating and increasing our activities in the private and public sectors," Pilloux said.

He thanked Groysman for the level of leadership that helps increase the volume of cooperation.

According to Pilloux, the EBRD is greatly interested in alternative energy projects, development of state-owned banks. That is why the legislative initiatives concerning the law on alternative energy, state banks, concessions and the activities of the business ombudsman are much awaited.

"The volume of existing cooperation is not in line with our potential. You mentioned amendments to the legislation, and we support the majority of them. But these are work-related issues. We are focusing on improving legislation, and at the same time, we need to concentrate on the already existing opportunities. This should be a parallel process. We can't wait for the adoption of laws, their implementation - it can take years, we need to boost the economy now," Groysman said.

The sides stressed that a large-scale privatization, intensification of cooperation both at the level of municipalities and in the sector of infrastructure projects could become powerful impetuses to the process. Thus, by the end of the year the EBRD is planning to sign a number of practical arrangements with PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia and Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise.

"When I talk to investors and we are discussing Ukraine, all negotiations are being held in a positive way," Pilloux said.

"Ukraine will become stronger and I think next year we will be able to increase the pipeline of projects", Groysman said.

op
EBRD Vice President Alain Pilloux has assured of further support for the infrastructure reforms in Ukraine.

"We will continue to support... the advances in transport and infrastructure, which are very important for Ukraine," Pilloux said at the meeting with Ukraines Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan, the Ministrys press service reports.

The EBRD Vice President praised the infrastructure reforms taking place in Ukraine.

In turn, Omelyan thanked the EBRD for successful joint work on the implementation of infrastructure projects.

We have a really good portfolio of joint projects. First of all, I should mention the Beskyd tunnel, which was built thanks to joint financing from EBRD and PJSC Ukrzaliznytsya (Ukrainian Railways). The tunnel was opened in May of this year with the participation of the President of Ukraine. This is a really large joint Ukrainian-European project which strengthened our transportation lines", the Ukraines infrastructure minister noted.

According to him, another important project is the "Electrification of the Dolynska - Mykolaiv - Kolosovka railway link ", which provides for electrification of the line, modernization of railroad tracks and signal and telecommunication systems at the expense of the EBRD and EIB sovereign loans. Now the work is underway to ratify the relevant guarantee agreement signed at the end of 2017.

Volodymyr Omelyan also told Alain Pilloux about the progress in introduction of the road fund and rapid development of the aviation industry in Ukraine.

ol
The European Union welcomes Ukraine's efforts in resolving the situation around the Azov Sea in international courts.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said this while addressing MPs during hearings on the situation in the Azov Sea.

"We appreciate that Ukraine is seeking justice in international courts, such as the ongoing case under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," Mogherini said.

She said that when international law is violated, when Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are violated, the European Union stands by the people of Ukraine. "We immediately condemned the construction of the Kerch Bridge without Ukraine's consent. In July, the Council added six entities involved in the construction of the [Kerch] Bridge to the list of those subject to restrictive measures over actions that undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Mogherini said.

She said that the EU would continue to push for the respect of international law and conventions, and to support Ukraine in these challenging circumstances.

"I am sure that I can count on the support of this [European] Parliament in this work we are doing," she said.

Russian security forces in April began to detain vessels heading to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea. Such actions by the aggressor are a violation of international maritime law aimed at undermining the economic, political and security interests of Ukraine in the region.

op
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has received credentials from the newly appointed ambassadors to Ukraine - the State of Israel, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of Iceland, the press service of the head of state has reported.

The report notes that the president and Israeli Ambassador Joel Lion "expressed content with the intensive dynamics of political dialogue between the two states and the level of Ukraine-Israel cooperation."

Special attention was paid to the enhancement of bilateral trade-economic cooperation, particularly the importance of prompt signing of the free trade agreement between the governments of Ukraine and Israel.

The parties also discussed cooperation within the UN and other international organizations.

At the same time, during the conversation with Ambassador of Qatar to Ukraine Hadi Al Hajri, the parties reached an agreement on the necessity of supporting the high level of political dialogue, as well as increasing the interaction in trade, economic, investment and energy spheres. They also stressed the importance of launching the work of the joint intergovernmental commission for economic, trade and technical cooperation in November.

The head of state praised the completion of the internal state procedures for the entry into force of the agreement on mutual abolition of visa requirements between Ukraine and Qatar and the introduction of the visa-free regime for the citizens of the two countries on November 2, 2018.

The parties stressed the importance of prompt ratification of bilateral agreements on facilitation and mutual protection of investments, as well as prevention of double taxation.

The president thanked Qatar for the unwavering clear support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within the UN and other international organizations.

During the conversation with Ambassador of Belgium Alex Lenaerts, the parties confirmed mutual interest in maintaining positive dynamics of bilateral trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as supported the need to intensify political dialogue.

Poroshenko expressed gratitude to Belgium for a clear and unchanging position in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as practical assistance provided by the Belgian side in the context of overcoming the consequences of Russian aggression. Particular attention was paid to strengthening cooperation within the UN, taking into account Belgium's membership in the Security Council in the period of 2019-2020.

During the conversation with Ambassador of Iceland Arni Thor Sigurdsson, the head of state stressed the importance of intensifying trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Iceland. The president thanked the Icelandic government for solidarity with Ukraine in the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the clear policy of sanctions.

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Russia has recently started deploying military vessels to the Sea of Azov in significant numbers.

Even more worrying, tougher controls on naval traffic in the [Kerch] strait have gone in parallel with the militarisation of the Azov Sea. Russia has recently started deploying military vessels to the area in significant numbers, and Ukraine has partially responded with an increased military presence," Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said at the European Parliament plenary session on the situation in the Sea of Azov.

The diplomat stressed that militarisation of the Azov Sea is in no-one's interest. It can only destabilise the delicate security situation in the wider Black Sea region, Mogherini stressed.

In April, Russian security officials began to apply a new inspection regime for the vessels heading towards the Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov waters. Such actions of the aggressor are a violation of the international maritime law, aimed at undermining the economic, political and security interests of Ukraine in the region.

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The European Union does not and will not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea.

"I would like to thank the Parliament for keeping a strong focus on the security situation around the Black Sea, after the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula. We do not and we will not recognise the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula to the Russian Federation," Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said at the European Parliament plenary session on the situation in the Sea of Azov.

According to her, Russia's current actions in the Sea of Azov constitute another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The construction of the Kerch Bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian Federation took place without Ukraine's consent, and it constitutes another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On top of that, the bridge hinders the passage of vessels to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea," Mogherini noted.

She reminded that six months ago Russia had started to apply a new inspection regime for cargo vessels coming from Ukraine's ports in the Azov Sea or heading towards them.

"These inspections lead to long delays, which have increased dramatically over the past months. This has direct consequences on shipping costs, not only for Ukrainian exporters, but also for vessels flying a European Union Member State's flag," Mogherini underscored, noting that so far more than 200 vessels under both Ukrainian and international flags have been affected by these controls by Russia, which in some cases lasted several days.

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Almost 100 Ukrainian political prisoners are currently kept in Russia and in the occupied territories, which is reminiscent of the Soviet times, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin has stated.

Again there are political prisoners in Russia. We counted almost 100 Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia. This is the return of the USSR era, Klimkin said in his speech at the Warsaw Security Forum, an Ukrinforms own correspondent reports.

According to him, Ukraine wants to have its own independent state and independently make decisions about its future, but the Kremlin does not support this.

Russia cannot accept this, so there was the occupation of Crimea and Donbas, stated Klimkin.

The minister stressed that Ukraine shares European values, which at the same time are alien to Russia. He noted that Russia, on the contrary, is afraid of the European values and transatlantic unity.

In his speech, Klimkin also drew attention to the implementation of the North Stream 2 project. According to him, if a political approach to the implementation of this project is accepted, this will lead to the complete dependence of Europe on the Russian Federation.

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The external aggression from a stronger neighbor is ongoing in Ukraine, not an internal conflict.

The Ukrainians have the right and the duty to protect themselves and are fighting with a very powerful force. It is not an internal conflict. It is a fight against external aggression," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said at the Warsaw Security Forum 2018 on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the military potential of Russia was incomparable with that of Ukraine, but Kyiv made all the necessary efforts to protect the country.

The Lithuanian minister stressed that the Ukrainians were protecting their homeland from a very specific enemy and had the full right to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Linkevicius added that if someone still doubted, he had a simple answer: "Ukraine is a sovereign country that has the right of self-defense."

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The European Parliament emphasizes the need to appoint a special EU envoy for Crimea and Donbas.

This is stated in a motion for a resolution on the situation in the Sea of Azov, which was made available to Ukrinform.

"The European Parliament calls on the VP/HR to follow more closely the evolving security situation in the Sea of Azov, given its growing potential for conflict on Europe's doorstep, which may have wider security implications affecting the EU and its Member States directly. In this regard, [the EP] considers that it would be very useful to appoint an EU Special Envoy for Crimea and the Donbas region, whose responsibilities would also cover the Sea of Azov," the draft document says.

MEPs also call on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to extend its monitoring mission mandate to the Sea of Azov or to establish a separate international monitoring mission for this body of water.

The European Parliament will vote on this resolution on Thursday.

As was reported earlier, Russian security forces detain vessels heading to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov. Such actions by the aggressor state are in violation of international maritime law, aimed at undermining the economic, political and security interests of Ukraine in the region.

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President Petro Poroshenko has proposed that the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, extend until August 1, 2019 an agreement on cooperation with the Netherlands on the MH17 tragedy.

A respective bill, No. 0204 of October 23, has been registered on the website of the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the explanatory note to the bill, the purpose of the document is to give consent to the obligation for Ukraine (through an exchange of notes) to have an agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the extension until August 1, 2019 of the effect of the July 28, 2014 agreement on the international mission to protect investigation.

It notes that the approval of the draft law by the Verkhovna Rada will further facilitate the practical involvement of the Netherlands in investigating the causes of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which occurred in Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

As reported, the Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down in Donbas in July 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crewmembers on board the aircraft. All of them died.

In September 2016, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) concluded that the aircraft was shot down with a 9M38 Buk missile fired from a rebel-controlled field near Pervomaisky in eastern Ukraine. It also found the Buk missile system used had been transported from Russia into Ukraine on the day of the crash.

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The issue of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been actively discussed and reported in the media not only in Ukraine. The reason is that after the Moscow Patriarchate adopted a destructive position, world Orthodoxy is on the verge of a split - the largest after the Great Schism and the faction of Christianity into Catholics and Orthodox Christians a thousand years ago.

The Greek website Orthodoxia.info pays great attention to the main topic of the Orthodox world.

This "church news agency" earlier published an exclusive record of a meeting between Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill, who arrived in Istanbul late in August to "solve" the Ukrainian issue. The website in Greek, English, French and Russian informs its readers about all other major events around Ukrainian autocephaly.

Ukrinform decided to talk to Orthodoxia.info editor-in-chief Andreas Loudaros.

Question: On October 15, the Holy Synod of the Russian church decided to sever all Eucharistic ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in response to the latter's decision to begin the process of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian church. Also, some problematic statements concerning Constantinople and Patriarch Bartholomew himself have been made of late by the Russian church. How do you assess this decision and the behavior of Moscow, the 'third Rome'?

Answer: This reaction was expected, as the Russian church had previously warned that it would do this. Of course, I should note that the decision came a lot earlier than expected.

Remember that when Constantinople sent its exarchs to Kyiv, the Russian synod decided to cut Eucharistic ties with Patriarch Bartholomew and the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, warning that should Constantinople grant the Tomos, Moscow would proceed with severing all remaining ties.

And this is what ended up happening, though not because the Tomos was issued, but because a decision was made to annul the letter of 1686 and to reinstate the schismatic bishops.

I really do wonder what the Russian church's response will be when the Tomos finally gets issued. What troubles me is the level and quality of the Russian church's arguments. We are hearing them talk about a decrease in Russian tourists visiting pilgrimage sites. We are reading about a ban on donations to the monasteries of Mount Athos.

These are not ecclesiastical arguments. These are more like disagreements between two states. We even heard them talk about the Islamic nature of the country in which the Ecumenical Patriarchate is based. Where was the Ecumenical Patriarchate based when it decided to recognize the Russian church's autocephaly? In some sort of 'Orthodox paradise'? These are not serious arguments.

Q: The Ukrainian authorities transferred the majestic St. Andrew's Church to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for permanent use. Is there any possibility of Patriarch Bartholomew's moving in the future his permanent residence to Kyiv so that the Russians are no longer able to use their 'Islamic arguments'?

A: It is something beyond science fiction. The Ecumenical Patriarchate stayed in Constantinople even when the Turks were slaying the Christians. There is nothing in the world that will force the Patriarchate to leave its seat.

The Russians have a major problem with their arguments. They are more akin to anecdotes than serious positions.

Q: How do you assess the transfer of the St. Andrew's Church to the Patriarchate of Constantinople?

A: It is a move that strengthens the ties of Kyiv with its Mother Church. I believe that the St. Andrew's Church will be the point where the Ecumenical Patriarchate will be able to carry out the moves it needs to complete the process. It is a neutral space. He does not belong to Onoufri, neither to Philaretos nor Makarios.

Q: Can the Moscow Patriarchate be considered a canonical church now that it has severed Eucharistic ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate?

A: I am not a theologian to be able to answer this question with clarity; but, in any case, when someone severs Eucharistic ties with the source of their existence, which is what Constantinople is for the Russian church, I think there is a problem.

Q: What could the Ecumenical Patriarchate do in response to Moscow's decision? Will the other churches support Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew or the Russian church? Will the Russian church face self-imposed isolation?

A: I am not a theologian to be able to answer this question with clarity; but, in any case, when someone severs Eucharistic ties with the source of their existence, which is what Constantinople is for the Russian church, I think there is a problem.

At present, we are not expecting any particular reaction from the Ecumenical Patriarchate and I cannot imagine what it might do, though it seems nothing has changed in the process regarding autocephaly, which is well underway. The Russian church's self-inflicted isolation which you mentioned is something that is very likely to become a reality if we think back to the Synod at Crete in 2016, when only three other churches sided with Patriarch Kirill.

I think that recent developments should be of concern to the Russian church's leadership, which might benefit from improving how it views its position in the Orthodox world and the way the people might react to this.

Q: How do you personally interpret the decisions made by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on October 11 vis-a-vis the Ukraine issue? Do you know how many churches took part in the meeting of the Synod and supported the move in granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian church? Besides the Russian church, which other churches oppose this move?

A: Only metropolitans of the Ecumenical Patriarchate take part in the synod in Constantinople. No other Orthodox church has taken part in the decision process thus far. The remaining Orthodox churches will be called upon to take a position on the matter once the final decision to grant the Tomos is made. Only then will we see which churches support the Russian church. Naturally, there are some churches which have voiced their concern, such as the Antiochian, Serbian, and Polish churches, but I suggest that we wait until the final decisions are made.

Q: The Holy Synod is expected to convene again in November. Is there any possibility that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will issue the Tomos to the Ukrainian church during this session? Could Patriarch Bartholomew go back on his decision and give in to pressure and threats from Moscow?

A: In its recent announcement, the Ecumenical Patriarchate made it clear that it is proceeding with the autocephaly as per normal. I cannot, however, foresee Constantinoples next move, as there are many factors which need to be taken into account.

I think it is unlikely that we will not have any developments at the next meeting in November, and we should not ignore the fact that on the Ukrainian side in Kyiv there is already talk of some disagreements. For example, the head of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Filaret, continues to consider himself a patriarch.

As far as the Orthodox Church is concerned, there is no Kyiv Patriarchate nor a patriarch in Ukraine. I think these things should first be sorted out before the final decisions are made. In my opinion, if there is anything that can make the Ecumenical Patriarch change his mind, it is not pressure from the Russians but the apparent weakness of some people in following the established canons of the Orthodox Church.

Q: In your opinion, in its struggle for influence within Orthodoxy with Moscow, which considers itself the 'third Rome' and cites its enormous flock, will the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian church weaken the position of the Ecumenical Patriarchate or, on the contrary, strengthen its authority and reconfirm the status of Constantinople, the 'second Rome,' as the main capital of the Orthodox world?

A: There has never been a 'second Rome,' only a 'New Rome that has certain responsibilities and prerogatives which were granted to it by the Ecumenical Councils. Of course, this issue could be put up for discussion in a future Ecumenical Council; but, until then, we have canons which need to be followed.

If every time someone feels stronger than the rest they try to gain control of the leadership, the Orthodox Church will become a rabble. The head of the Orthodox Church has a mission which is clearly spiritual. He is not the 'alpha male.'

Q: In your opinion, what ramifications will there be for the Russian church as a whole as well as for its head, Patriarch Kirill, should autocephaly be granted to the Ukrainian church?

A: Given the Moscow Patriarchate enjoys close ties with the Kremlin, I fear the issue of Ukrainian autocephaly might create major disturbances. How Russia deals with the autocephaly issue is a matter for the Russians, and nobody can tell them what to do or what not to do.

Without doubt, though, Moscow losing influence within the Ukrainian church is something that will tarnish the patriarchy of Patriarch Kirill. In my opinion, the Moscow patriarch's decision to convene his synod for the first time in Belarus was not something a man who is powerful and sure of his power would do.

This is something a man who is afraid of what tomorrow might bring would do. In any case, I think that the Russian church is not doing itself a favor by citing its superior numbers over the other Orthodox churches. Russia has a rich spiritual heritage which it can showcase and be proud of.

The Russian church is more than a 'large group of people with both money and power,' and this is something Russia itself has to first realize.

Vasyl Korotky, Vienna
On October 23, the events within the framework of the action Light a candle of remembrance, dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-33 in Ukraine, were held in Cape Town, South Africa.

According to the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of South Africa, the events were held at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.

"The action started with a lecture of Harvard University researcher Nadiya Kravets Death by Starvation: Geography and Legacy of Stalin's Terror-Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine that presented the latest findings of the Universitys research group. The researchers use geographic data as a tool for studying demographic, political, environmental and economic phenomena, including collectivization and land reform as the causes of artificial famine," the statement reads.

The exhibition "PEOPLE OF THE TRUTH" was also opened within the framework of the action. It was prepared by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance and tells about the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine based on firsthand testimony.

During the event, the memoirs of the relatives of Ukrainians, members of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa, who survived the Stalins terror-famine, were read out.

The action to commemorate Holodomor victims was organized by the Ukrainian Association of South Africa and the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of South Africa.

On September 1, 85 days before the Holodomor remembrance day, Ukraine and the world began to honor the victims who died during the genocide of 1932-1933.

Photos taken from Facebook page of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of South Africa

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Russia is now seeing the beginning of very complex internal processes, and the Kremlin will be distracted by handling them.

Russian entrepreneur and politician Konstantin Borovoy has said Russian President Vladimir Putin now pays less attention to Ukraine, having stepped up a propaganda campaign in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).

He wrote in his blog post on the Obozrevatel media outlet that "Putin had sought the complete subordination of Ukraine during [Viktor] Yanukovych's presidency," but now "this is no longer being implemented."

Read alsoPutin imposes sanctions against Ukraine

"Russia is now seeing the beginning of very complex internal processes. In a certain sense, the Kremlin will be distracted by handling them. Let's say this is a positive moment in the situation with regard to Ukraine and preserving its independence. Now the propaganda campaign in the Baltic States is very active. This means Ukraine is lucky, the Kremlin is now paying a little less attention to it," he said.

At the same time, according to Borovoy, the Kremlin will definitely make serious efforts to keep Ukraine within its influence.

"It [influence] has been weakened and it has been weakened by the Kremlin itself," the politician said, adding "it is necessary to constantly be wary of Russia's active actions."
MEPs are also expected to express concern about the participation of European companies in the construction of the Kerch Strait bridge.

The European Parliament intends to urge all EU member states in the EU Council to tighten sanctions against the Russian Federation in the event of an even greater aggravation of the situation in the Sea of Azov, according to the EP's draft resolution.

In particular, the draft states that the European Parliament declares illegality of the construction of the Kerch Strait bridge and welcomes the decision of the European Council to impose restrictive measures on the six companies that were involved in the bridge construction.

In this regard, according to the draft resolution, the European Parliament urges the Vice-President, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, together with the EU member states in the European Council, to clarify that targeted sanctions against Russia will be strengthened, if the conflict in the Sea of Azov escalates further.

It is also assumed that MEPs will express their concern about the participation of European companies in the construction of the Kerch Strait bridge, since such participation undermines the EU sanctions regime, either consciously or unconsciously.

Read alsoMilitarization in Azov region could lead to destabilization in Black Sea  Mogherini

In this regard, the European Parliament intends to urge the European Commission to examine and verify compliance with the EU's existing restrictive measures, and the member states  to exchange information on whether criminal cases have been opened in cases of possible violations of the EU sanctions regime by European companies.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on October 25, the European Parliament will consider a resolution concerning the situation in the Sea of Azov. On October 23, the European Parliament held a debate on the issue, where the MEPs offered to introduce new sanctions against the Russian Federation because of the situation in the region.

Earlier, on October 12, President Poroshenko introduced the Decree of the National Security and Defense Council "On Urgent Measures to Protect National Interests in the South and East of Ukraine, in the Black and Azov Seas and the Kerch Strait." The NSDC decree emphasizes that, having considered threats to national security in the south and east of Ukraine, in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas and the Kerch Strait, caused by aggressive actions of the Russian Federation, the Council stated that there are conditions that could lead to a critical destabilization of the economic and social political situation , the maritime blockade of the Ukraine coast.

The Cabinet has been instructed to create an interdepartmental coordinating body that should generalize the legal position of the state on the preparation of the official consolidated claim to Russia regarding the international legal responsibility of the Russian Federation for armed aggression against Ukraine.
A sum of EUR 5.11 million will go towards supporting the Mykolayiv Vodokanal water project.

Last week, the Government of Ukraine signed a grant agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and multi-donor Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) fund to support the rehabilitation and modernization of the municipal utility for water distribution and water treatment of the city of Mykolayiv.

Read alsoHeating, hot water tariffs increased in two Kyiv's districts

A sum of EUR 5.11 million will go towards supporting the Mykolayiv Vodokanal water project. The project will improve water services in the City of Mykolayiv in southern Ukraine, benefiting over half a million inhabitants, EU Neighbours wrote.

"The support to the Mykolayiv Vodokanal project demonstrates the commitment of the EU and the international community to improve the availability of clean water and safeguard the natural environment for the benefit of the citizens of Ukraine," said EIB Vice-President Vazil Hudak. "It will also help Ukraine meet its international commitments under the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution."

The E5P is a EUR 200 million multi-donor fund designed to encourage municipal investments in energy efficiency and environmental projects in the EU's Eastern Partner countries. The fund merges financial contributions from the EU and a group of 21 nations, which are then used to leverage national funds and loans from international financial institutions.
Experts worry that more arms in Ukraine could lead to more arms being trafficked to and within Europe.

Sales of illegal weapons have doubled in Ukraine in the past year, according to the national police, many of them smuggled from the east of the country where a war against Russia-backed forces still simmers.

"This year, we held two operations, 'weapons' and 'explosives,'" said Vyacheslav Abroshkin, the first deputy head of Ukraine's National Police, as he spoke to reporters about the rising tally of police seizures, according to OCCRP.

"During one of these operations, 913 items of firearms, 804 grenades and 266 explosives from illicit trafficking were seized. Also, almost 100,000 units of ammunition and 195 kilograms of explosive substances were seized," he said.

Read alsoUkraine's army gets utility task vehicles to transport anti-tank systems (Photo)

Abroshkin said that a primary challenge for Ukraine's national police is finding and eliminating supply channels for the traffic, especially those from Ukraine's troubled east to the west of the country, where there are no hostilities.

Ukraine has long been a hotspot in the global arms trade, a situation that has intensified since the beginning of Russia-backed conflict in the east in 2014.

Experts worry that more arms in Ukraine could lead to more arms being trafficked to and within Europe, much as the war in the Balkans in the 1990s led to an estimated 6 million guns now circulating on the continent.

There is also evidence that many of the arms now in the control of non-state groups in Ukraine fall into the hands of organized crime groups selling arms to the Middle East, often through Odesa, Reuters reports.

One factor driving illegal arms sales from Ukraine is the country's recent bitcoin frenzy, which saw last winter a spate of raids on million-dollar cryptocurrency mining operations.

Some of those operations financed Russia-backed forces in Donbas and Luhansk, said officials, who cited concerns that cryptocurrencies could give weapons traffickers new ways to sell their wares.

"Lack of regulation means that cryptocurrencies are being used to finance terrorism, in particular, in the occupied territories of Ukraine," Ukraine's interior ministry said in a statement.
Siumar said the introduction of quotas should be gradual.

Ukrainian language quotas are likely to be extended to print media.

After the bill on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language passed its first reading, some publishers were skeptical about certain provisions of the draft law, according to the parliament's official publication Holos Ukrainy.

"We are involved in drafting amendments to the bill on the Ukrainian language in the context of a gradual transition to the Ukrainian language of printed publications," Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information Policy Viktoria Siumar said.

According to her, the introduction of language quotas on television and radio has had a positive impact in terms of new jobs.

Read alsoUkrainian ranks 8th among 10 most spoken languages in Europe (Infographics)

"When language quotas were introduced on television and radio, this was done with a very simple purpose  to create jobs. Ukrainian songs on the radio mean work for both music groups and recording studios. On television, after the introduction of quotas, the number of Ukrainian-language TV programs filmed by Ukrainians and in Ukraine has noticeably increased. These are comic shows and educational programs, TV programs and films. We have actually launched the production of Ukrainian movies and TV series. And these are actors, directors, and scriptwriters  a huge group of creative workers who have got their job," Siumar said.

According to her, it is a problem that Ukrainians have been taught to read in Russian. The quotas for print media, in her opinion, will solve this problem, but there is the probability of increased smuggling of Russian-language media from the east.

Read alsoLviv region bans movies, books, songs in Russian until end of Russian occupation

Siumar said the introduction of quotas should be gradual so that "the industry has the opportunity to survive, and journalists, layout designers and editors do not lose their jobs."

"As an option, two or three years may be given, during which the publications will be forced to switch to the Ukrainian language. Or they will be offered a gradual introduction  25% of the Ukrainian language during the first year, 35% during the second, and then 50%," the report reads.

Siumar also stressed that the quotas should not apply to publications that are published in the languages of the European Union.

"We should be interested in the fact that our children, scientists, anyone could have the opportunity to read the periodical press in English, German or French," she said.
One enemy troop was eliminated and another four were wounded.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA).

"One Ukrainian soldier was killed in the past day. According to intelligence reports, one occupier was killed and another four were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on October 24, 2018.

Read alsoRussian media start dubbing Zakharchenko 'criminal' (Screenshot)

Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms to attack the defenders of the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka, and the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska, Starohnativka, Pavlopil, Vodiane, and Hnutove.

The enemy also resorted to 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems and small arms to shell the Ukrainian fortified positions near Avdiyivka. In addition, the Ukrainian positions near Pavlopil and Vodiane were attacked with the use of automatic and hand-held grenade launchers and small arms.

"Since Wednesday midnight, Russian-led forces have attacked the Ukrainian positions near the village of Taramchuk in the Donetsk sector, using large-caliber machine guns and small arms. No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported since the start of the day," reads the report.

"Despite continuous enemy shelling, the defending units continue fortifying their positions, taking measures to improve their tactical deployment and adequately responding to enemy [attacks]," the JFO's press center said.
The two presidents met in Helsinki in July.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will probably meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month, when both leaders will be in Paris for the centenary of the end of World War One.

Read alsoTrump, Putin may meet again in Helsinki next year  media

After a meeting in Moscow between Putin and Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, officials on both sides said a preliminary agreement on a November 11 meeting in the French capital had been reached, and that detailed arrangements were underway, as reported by Reuters.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the two presidents met in Helsinki in July and the summit was followed by backlash in the United States over Trump's cordial public tone with the Kremlin leader.
The head of government noted that the conditions that led to the sanctions on the part of the EU were preserved, but it is also right to maintain economic ties between Italy and Russia.

Italy will not use its veto right regarding the prolongation of European sanctions against the Russian Federation, imposed over Russian aggression against Ukraine, according to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, answering the question on whether Italy would veto the automatic extension of sanctions against Russia, Conte said: Obviously, the problem of the crisis in Ukraine is a problem that created a crack and slowed down in some way, blocked the dialogue that has developed over 25 years, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

We can't let this happen, and we are obliged to overcome this stage - it even lasted too long. You ask me a question about the veto. Italy considers it fruitful to convince all European partners to move in the same direction. We would like to not make a decision now, we will take it in due time, he added.

Conte stressed that Italy "is very ambitious, but would like to convince all partners that dialogue is the best way to reach a solution."

Read alsoRFE/RL: Italian minister says Rome will oppose extension of EU sanctions on Russia

He also noted that the conditions that led to the sanctions by the EU were preserved, but it is right to maintain economic ties between Italy and Russia.

I have repeatedly said and here I'd like to confirm that for Italy, sanctions are never the objective. They are a tool that should be left behind as soon as possible, because dialogue is the best solution, he assured.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte recognized the connection between the sanctions applied to Russia and Moscow's failure to comply with the Minsk Agreements, but hinted that the EU sanctions policy should change anyway.
October 24 2018

Duddingston House Properties and Urbanist Hotels, co-developers behind a hotel vision for Edinburghs Old Royal High School, have reaffirmed their commitment to press ahead with the project following a public inquiry.

Over the past month the Scottish government has been considering evidence in the developers vision to bring a world class Rosewood Hotel to the city, despite the Hoskins Architects design being thrown out by the city council last year.

That decision prompted both developers to lodge an appeal with government reporters, who suggest that their initial findings will be presented in spring 2019.

Updating on the progress so far David Orr, co-founder of Urbanist Hotels said: We are, as we always have been, very positive about bringing this world-class hotel development, and its associated investment and jobs, to Edinburgh, and to Scotland.

The inquiry clearly presented a wide range of positive evidence from a large array of witnesses in support of the hotel proposal, and we remain steadfast in our view that it provided the right forum to discuss such a complex, emotive and divisive issue.

A rival bid to transform the Calton Hill landmark into a music school won planning permission back in 2016 but is unable to proceed until expiry of a hotel agreement between the council and hotel developers in 2020.
T's so quintessentially Cuban that even a young, machete-wielding Fidel Castro used to hack away at the cane stalks vital to the Caribbean island's economy.

Havana, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Sugar: it's so quintessentially Cuban that even a young, machete-wielding Fidel Castro used to hack away at the cane stalks vital to the Caribbean island's economy.

Now, the long-time world leader in sugar production is importing the stuff for the first time, and in large amounts, from France after another bad harvest.

Sugar used to account for the vast majority of Cuba's exports. But the fall of its big brother, the Soviet Union -- a key, hungry customer -- changed everything, as did a lack of investment in seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.

To wit: in the early 1990s, Cuba produced about eight million tons of sugar a year. A decade later, it stopped reaching two million a year.

Back then, sugar accounted for almost 75 percent of Cuban exports. In 2015, it was only 13 percent, with other products like nickel and tobacco making up some of the difference.

The 2017-2018 harvest suffered badly after Hurricane Irma ravaged the country, followed by a long rainy season.

So Cuba is importing sugar from France.

On the island, residents quickly caught wind of the somewhat counter-intuitive development.

Here, sugar from cane tends to be brownish. But the French version comes from beets so it is whiter, and the granules are finer. And that is what Cubans started receiving with their "libreta" -- their ration book.

"The sugar we get now is very good.

It is very sweet, not very different. The only difference is the color," said Felicia Navarro, a 40-year-old homemaker.

The French government farm and seafood export agency FranceAgriMer said that from 2001 to 2017, Cuba had imported just three tons of sugar from France.

But in just three summer months this year -- June, July and August -- that number ballooned to 40,000 tons.

"This is the first time in history that Cuba is importing significant amounts of sugar from France," FranceAgriMer said.

These new numbers are humiliating for Cuba, given its past as the world's largest producer of sugar and one of the biggest exporters. Until 1960, the US was one of its main customers.

Then came the Soviets, who bought Cuban sugar at a discounted price. These days, sugar production here is disappointing.

The expected annual amount is 1.6 million tons, but it is actually just 1.1 million. And it is no surprise that Cuba has to import because it has export contracts with China to fulfill, said FranceAgriMer.

A British farm consultancy called FO Licht said it expects Cuban output to improve next season and reach 1.5 million tons -- even if that is far from the big numbers it used to post in the 1980s.

Cuba's government blames the US trade embargo, which since 1962 has blocked imports of badly needed farm and industrial equipment.
SVETLOGORSK (Kaliningrad region) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) VETLOGORSVETLOGORSK (Kaliningrad region) (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) K (Kaliningrad region), October 23 (SVETLOGORSK (Kaliningrad region) (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) putnik) - Deliveries of gas to Poland by Russia's Gazprom in the first nine and a half months of this year equaled the full-year 2015 result, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said on Tuesday.

"Poland is among the leading countries in the growth of demand and consumption of Russian gas. Over nine and a half months, it increased its purchase by almost 10 percent compared to the same period in 2017. The volume reached 8.9 billion cubic meters.

For comparison, we delivered the equal volume of gas to Poland for the whole 2015," Miller told reporters.

Last week, the Polish state-owned oil and gas company PGNiG signed a contract with US-based Venture Global LNG for the supply of 2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year to Poland for 20 years. One million tonnes of LNG equals about 1.38 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

PGNiG buys most of the gas from Russia's Gazprom, but traditionally declares its dependence on Russian gas and the need to diversify imports. The contract signed in 1996 provides for deliveries of up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Poland from Russia. The contract expires in 2022.
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Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) has selected a six-member team of students to participate in the 15th 'International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), scheduled to be held in December 2-11 in Botswana on the theme "Discovery, Innovation and Environment".

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) has selected a six-member team of students to participate in the 15th 'International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), scheduled to be held in December 2-11 in Botswana on the theme "Discovery, Innovation and Environment".

IJSO is a science competition for students under 16-year-of age on December 31 of the competition year.

IJSO was established to promote interest in science among school students, exposing them to problem solving, critical thinking and experimentation.

Talking to APP on Wednesday, Principal Scientific Officer, PSF, Syeda Rehana Batool said Pakistan became member of ISJO in the year 2016 and since then its students have won bronze medals and other awards despite lack of proper training, lab facilities and other facilities.

She said a panel of scientists and experts selected six students to participate in the Olympiad after conducting tests and adopting a transparent procedure.

These students will be provided guidelines during the two months training period to participate in the competition in better way, she said.

"PSF wants Pakistani team to bring laurels for its country by giving their best in the competition and raise the positive and healthy image of the country", Rehana Batool said.

The science olympiad competition basically comprises over three components which are experimental part, theoretical and MCQs, she said.

Over the years, IJSO aims to positively impact science and mathematics education at school level. IJSO is held in the first week of December of every year, in different countries.
Health experts have urged the government to introduce a proper public health policy to control the spread of seasonal diseases especially influenza which has became a threat to the citizens especially kids in present day weather situation.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Health experts have urged the government to introduce a proper public health policy to control the spread of seasonal diseases especially influenza which has became a threat to the citizens especially kids in present day weather situation.

"The awareness campaigns regarding flu vaccination are necessary and the government must initiate efforts to educate citizens about consequences of influenza virus on their health, preventive measure they can adopt and of course the remedies and proper medications", said Dr. Mubashir who is a General Physician at Maroof International Hospital.

Talking to APP on Wednesday, he said, a lot of patients are suffering from serious health consequences due to spread of influenza virus, therefore, its vaccination is a must for the children, adults and even elderly people to prevent them from further health deterioration.

He said a lot of people believe in a myth that influenza vaccination will create any health problem and it is not right thing to take vaccination for controlling flu. "Flu vaccine is made from an activated form of influenza virus and virus component cannot cause any element of disease. Even, pregnant women can take this vaccination and it is totally safe", he observed.

The school kids are mostly suffering from influenza these days and their parents should take it seriously and ensure their proper treatment before sending them to school to avoid spread of this viral infection which can really catch the other kids having less immunity, he said.

More than 50 percent disease can be controlled with the help of vaccination however rest of it can be cured with wearing warm clothes, avoiding beverages and taking soups and fresh juices, he advised.

Dr Mubashir informed that in Pakistan there are three local manufacturing companies of influenza vaccination named as Novartis Pharma, Glaxomithkline and Sanofi Aventis which are providing vaccination between Rs600 to Rs800, however the private hospitals are providing imported influenza vaccination costing Rs15,000 which is not affordable for a common man.

He said influenza virus is seasonal and its outbreak in Pakistan is mostly by the H1N1 virus.

We need to adopt effective measures to prevent from its higher risks and complication which sometimes leads to death.

National Institute of Health (NIH) should have a leading role to create awareness programme regarding influenza, he suggested.

General Physician, Islamabad Diagnostic Center, Dr. Rizwan Uppal said we can protect ourselves from this disease by adopting small methodologies like keeping the hand washing all the time, not to touch anybody having this virus, and wash hands properly in case of shaking hand with the affected person, disposing off the tissues papers properly after sneezing coughing and cleaning our hands especially in gathering.

Severe flu virus can be suspected most of the time in the current weather and people should rush to the specialists instead of an ordinary physician, Influenza complication can really hurt and creating more serious situation for the patient if not cured.

Dr Uppal said awareness from NIH is required at large to deal with this virus which is not forthcoming so far. There is lack of awareness among the citizens about role of immunization in Pakistan.

Influenza is a disease which is epidemic and the government must enforce proper public health policy in such kind of situation where spread of communicable diseases especially flu are really threat to the citizens, he said.

The locally produced influenza vaccination is available in Pakistan for the last many years but it was discussed a lot at this time when measles vaccination programme was carried out by the government, he said.

He said influenza vaccination is essential for the citizens especially children and elderly people and those having asthma and allergies with advent of Winter season every year as the DNA of the virus changes every year.

Dr Afzaal Qureshi, who is a General Physician and running his own clinic at I-10 sector recommended that proper research on influenza virus should be conducted so that vaccination can be introduced accordingly.

Private hospitals are minting money from the citizens by charging Rs10,000 upto Rs15,000 for influenza vaccination terming it "imported vaccine" which is not affordable for a common man.
AJK President Sardar Masood Khan Wednesday underlined the need for reviving the spirit of 1947's freedom movement to take the ongoing liberation struggle in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir to its logical end.

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) ,:AJK President Sardar Masood Khan Wednesday underlined the need for reviving the spirit of 1947's freedom movement to take the ongoing liberation struggle in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir to its logical end.

He said that Azad Jammu and Kashmir was liberated by the sons of soil from the despotic Dogra rulers after tremendous sacrifices and expressed his resolved that every inch of the liberated area would be defended by battle- hardened people of the liberated territory of AJK.

Masood Khan expressed these views while speaking a function held in connection with 71th anniversary of the foundation of AJK government at Police Line in the State's metropolis on Wednesday. The ceremony was attended by AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, members of cabinet, members of AJK Legislative Assembly, Chief Secretary, Inspector General Police, high-ranking civil and military officials, notables and large number of people belonging to different walks of life.

A smart contingent of Azad Kashmir Police presented guard of honor to AJK President, Prime Minister, Chief Secretary and Inspector General Police of Azad Kashmir on the occasion.

The President reiterated the resolve of the Kashmiri people that struggle would continue till the liberation of the occupied part of Jammu and Kashmir from Indian clutches.

Terming the October 24 as an important milestone in the history of Kashmir liberation struggle, President Masood said it was the day when people of Kashmir under the revolutionary leadership of Ghazi-e- Millat Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan established their self-rule on the area, which they liberated from the Dogra rulers.

Paying homage to the founding president of Azad Kashmir, Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and his associates for waging struggle for liberation of Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan said that Ghazi-e- Millat not only physically participated in the liberation struggle of Kashmir but also chaired the historic meeting that adopted the resolution of Kashmir's accession to Pakistan in 1947 at his Srinagar residence.

He also paid homage to Raees-ul-Ahrar Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, Sardar Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan, K H Khurshid and others for their great role in Kashmir liberation struggle and development of Azad Kashmir.

The President expressed his resolve that AJK Government established on this day in 1947 with the aim to liberate the remaining areas of Jammu and Kashmir will continue its struggle to liberate Kashmir and to make it a part of Pakistan.

"People and Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir will relentlessly continue struggle for which the government in the base camp was established 71 years ago," the president vowed and urged the global community to take serious notice of Indian state terrorism in occupied territory to crush indigenous struggle of Kashmir people for their birth right.

He also paid glowing tributes to the Ghazis and Shuhada of Kashmir liberation struggle and expressed confidence that sacrifices of Kashmir people will bring fruit soon and the day is not far off when people of Kashmir will succeed in their struggle.

Later addressing a function organized by Azad Jammu and Kashmir University to mark the foundation day of AJK government, Sardar Masood Khan termed India as most callous country on the face of earth that has usurped not only the land of Kashmiri people but also has snatched their right to live with dignity.

He said it is moral and religious duty of every Kashmiri to expose ugly and brutal face of India by using his tongue, pen and any other medium of communications and to raise the voice of the oppressed people of Occupied Kashmir.

Saluting the undaunted struggle of Kashmiri people, President Masood said that the vulnerable yet courageous people of Occupied Kashmir have been fighting 800,000 strong army of India for 71 years in general 28 years in particular and they have refused to bow before the Indian occupation.

Negating Indian fake claim of the world's largest democracy, President said that people of Kashmir have not seen a single day of democracy and have never experienced what democracy is all about. They have just seen army, paramilitary forces, bullets, guns, dead bodies, mass graveyards, torture and mass rapes.

Describing right to self- determination as mother of all rights and an absolute entitlement of Kashmiri people, AJK President said that no power on earth including India or even United Nations can deprive them of this very right.

The foundation day of the state government government was also celebrated other parts of Azad Kashmir with zeal and national ferver. There was public holiday and the day was dawned with 21-gun salutes in the state capital. Special prayers were offered in the mosques for integrity and prosperity of Pakistan and early liberation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Special functions, flag hoisting and prayer ceremonies were held at all district headquarters of the state to mark the day. Special tributes were paid to the Shuhada and heroes of the Kashmir liberation struggle.
The members of the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), which comprises academics, senior civil servants, jurists, journalists and trade union leaders, have strongly condemned the recent killing of ten people by Indian troops in Laroo area of Kulgam district.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :The members of the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), which comprises academics, senior civil servants, jurists, journalists and trade union leaders, have strongly condemned the recent killing of ten people by Indian troops in Laroo area of Kulgam district.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the GCC members in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the tragedy raised grave concerns about the mode and manner of the Indian forces' cordon and search operation that left ten people dead and scores injured. "The SOPs have been apparently violated, with impunity," the statement said.

As per GCC, Kulgam killings raise many questions that remain unanswered and would be unraveled if a thorough probe into the brutal and dastardly incident was conducted. "We strongly condemn the loss of innocent lives and call for an impartial and time-bound probe into the painful incident, at the highest level, through credible persons, so that those responsible for it are unmasked and dealt with under law.

We also express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The civilian deaths onceagain underscore need for an immediate, meaningful and result-oriented dialogue between the stakeholders,"the statement added.
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(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 25th Oct, 2018) ABU DHABI, 24th October 2018 (WAM) - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, H.H Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, attended the final event of Pitch@Palace GCC 1.0, in the presence of The Duke of York, Founder of Pitch@Palace, at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.

Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED), founding partner of Pitch@Palace UAE and GCC, announced the four winners of Pitch@Palace GCC 1.0.

The winners are: Saif Al Darmaki, for Artelus, which is an AI start-up company that utilizes artificial intelligence to provide screening solutions for the 'forgotten billion,' a term reflecting the billion people around the world who do not have access to Primary healthcare screening. Abdullah Al Shimari, for Foodate, an online-based smart system for food & Beverage services. It provides high-end tech-savvy services through an eCommerce gateway, which includes business tools like customized eCommerce web/app, smart management tools and payment gateways. Hala Sulaiman, for Alrawi, a new application that looks towards enhancing digital capability through audio book creation and distribution of Arabic books translated to a wide range of languages. Alharith Al Atawi, for One GCC, which is a breakthrough app that helps match the skills of today's line of job seekers with potential employers.

H.H Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said at the closing event: "The country believes in its youth and their potential to make a positive difference. Youth are the pillars of development, and any investment in encouraging their creativity, ideas and abilities, and equipping them with the right knowledge and guidance, will yield substantial results and contribute to the process of progress in the country."

H.H added: "The wise leadership is making every effort to encourage young minds to innovate, think fearlessly and help in the smooth transition of the country into a post-oil era. In this context, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, launched the "Tomorrow 21" - "Ghadan 21" plan, the Abu Dhabi Accelerated Development Program, aimed at stimulating businesses and enhancing knowledge and innovation, giving the Emirate a competitive edge and bolstering its economic, developmental and social progress."

Sheikh Abdullah also affirmed Abu Dhabis keenness to continue its pioneering role as a global hub of innovation and creativity by promoting entrepreneurship among citizens, providing support to ensure their success and creating a platform to implement their ideas and converting them into fruitful projects.

H.H. thanked His Royal Highness for supporting the Pitch@Palace UAE and GCC, by providing youth with timely advice and guidance to start their dreams and achieve success in their businesses.

H. H Sheikh Abdullah, along with The Duke of York, toured the Khalifa Fund Innovation Oasis exhibition held on the sidelines of event and met with the Entrepreneurs supported by the Fund and its local partners. His Highness discussed with them their ideas and ambitions, providing them with timely advice.

HRH The Duke of York said; "It is an enormous pleasure to be here at Pitch@Palace GCC. Pitch has been expanding in this area for two years to include other members of the GCC.

I believe very strongly that enabling entrepreneurship is a team effort. We need to build a community that gets behind and encourages these startup businesses, and working with colleagues here makes our job easier. Pitch works for entrepreneurs in a country, with the county, to give them that doorway to help their business move forward."

He added: "The one thing that makes more of a difference than anything else are the connections that you - the Audience - can make. Youre going to have a lightbulb moment when you realize exactly who you can put these businesses in touch with. All of you can make an enormous difference to these businesses when you make that serendipitous connection."

Hussain Jasim Al Nowais, Chairman of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, commended all local, regional Entrepreneurs of this year's Pitch@Palace competition, which has become a frontrunner in promoting innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

He said: "Ever since the launch of Pitch@Palace UAE last year, we have been able to achieve tremendous success in encouraging Emirati youth to become entrepreneurs. We owe our thanks and gratitude to our wise leaders, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for their continuous support and encouragement. The competition provides the perfect platform for innovation and creativity to flourish. It also encourages our young entrepreneurs to dream big and benefit from global exposure and exchange of experiences."

Al Nowais pointed out that since its establishment, Khalifa Fund has taken upon itself the responsibility of supporting and developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as instilling a culture of entrepreneurship in UAE society in an effort to empower the young generation and strengthen their leadership skills.

He added: "Khalifa Fund has been a major contributor in promoting the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a leading global hub for innovation and projects that rely entirely on advanced technologies. Right from inception until today, we have approved more than 1,400 projects with loans equaling AED 1.66 billion. The successful projects financed by the Fund exceeded 80 per cent. We conducted over 800 targeted campaigns that attracted more than 18,000 Emiratis to avail of its services. The Funds specialized team provided timely advice, guidance and training to over 8000 Emiratis, of which over 60 per cent were women. While start-ups accounted for 79 per cent of approved projects, and 21 per cent were growth. Over 8 per cent of our active portfolio are exporting and more than 10 of our projects are now being franchised, which indicates a doubled investment rate and the success of the fund in supporting young local entrepreneurs to think creatively and harnesses new technologies, Artificial Intelligence and robots to serve fellow human beings and their homeland."

The winners will be able to participate in Pitch@Palace Global 2.0 and showcase their innovative projects at St. Jamess Palace in London this December. Entrepreneurs from the UAE and the Gulf region will be given an opportunity to present their ideas before an elite group of businessmen, investors, and high-level company executives, hosted by The Duke.
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ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Oct, 2018) Emirati entrepreneur Nashwa Al Ruwaini was one of the winners of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice 2018.

She won the award for her philanthropic efforts to revolutionise the condition of women in the middle East, as well as for the charitable activities she undertook to improve the lives of women and children through her humanitarian organisation, the Nashwa Foundation.

Al Ruwaini was presented with the award in Mumbai, India, at a ceremony organised by the Harmony Foundation following a conference themed, 'Protect Her Empower Her', which focused on the empowerment of girls. Al Ruwaini spoke about the importance of lobbying for laws, society and technology to protect and empower young women a cause Al Ruwaini is dedicated to. She received the award from the great-grandson of the legendary Mahatma Gandhi, Tushar Arun Gandhi, in the presence of Mohamed Al Jalah Al Teneiji, the UAE Consul-General in Mumbai. She is the first Emirati woman to win this award.

Al Ruwaini is currently a board member and CEO of Pyramedia Group and Chairwoman of the Nashwa Foundation, a charity that is dedicated to philanthropic works across the Arab world.

She said, "It is such a great honour to win this accolade, which I am extremely proud of. It is very dear to my heart. Mother Teresa is one of my favourite role models. I aspire to be just as charitable and this award serves as a reminder that I need to continue my philanthropic work, which is just as important as my professional career. I believe that it is my role and purpose to always give back to the community, especially to women and young girls, so that they can lead healthy lives and not be subjected to any form of oppression or injustice.

I will continue to work towards this goal, especially in the Middle East."

She also added that under the wise guidance of the UAE leadership, especially H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, women are provided with all the necessary resources and systems, allowing them to succeed, fulfil their goals and be an integral and significant part of the society. She wished the same success to other women and young girls in the region.

Former winners of the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice in 2016 are H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mahatir Mohamed, the Dalai Lama and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai.

This year other awardees alongside Nashwa Al Ruwaini included the winners of the Nobel Peace prize 2018 Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor, and Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist who provides medical, legal, psychological and economic support to survivors of rape.

Other awardees of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice 2018 include Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a Presidential candidate in Nigeria and an ardent and passionate advocate, who is a ray of hope for women against Boko Haram; Sister Lucy Kurien, who has worked passionately to restore the dignity of destitute women so they can lead normal lives; Salman Sufi, who introduced reforms that have provided legal, medical and counselling services to women who are victims of violence; Laxmi Aggarwal, a prolific campaigner and active voice for the victims of acid attack, and many others who have played a pivotal role in human rights and are fighting for women across the globe.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura today met with Walid Al-Moualem, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

GENEVA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Oct, 2018) UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura today met with Walid Al-Moualem, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

The meeting took place following that of the UN Secretary-General and Al-Moualem in New York on 28th September 2018, and against the backdrop of continuing consultations of the Special Envoy on the launch of a constitutional committee giving effect to the Sochi Final Statement, in the context of the Geneva political process and the implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 2254 of 2015.
UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Forty-nine young people from the Nana Gribizi prefecture in the Central African Republic (car) have graduated from a carpentry course carried out by Pakistani's "Blue Helmets" serving with MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping operation deployed in the country, according to a report received in New York on Tuesday.

Professional carpenters from the Pakistan contingent carried out the training which focused on the acquisition of technical skills in basic carpentry namely cutting and assembly. A graduation ceremony was held on Oct. 15 at which each beneficiary received a complete carpentry kit that included hand saws, hammers, measuring tape, pliers and other materials.

Pakistan is the second largest contributor of military personnel to MINUSCA with more than 1,250 currently deployed.

Their main task of ensuring the security of the local population was greatly appreciated by the participants and the local authorities, the report said.

The Prefect of Nana Gribizi, Abdoulaye Mahamat, thanked the Pakistani contingent, saying, "These young people will now be able to get out of unemployment by themselves. " Representing the contingent commander, the officer-in-charge of civil-military cooperation, Major Abdul Wahab promised to contribute to the local community as has been the case so far.

In a recent communications campaign carried out by the UN's Department of Public Information, Pakistani peacekeepers were lauded for their long history of providing skills training to young people in war-torn countries to help them find employment and to support the countries' economic recovery.
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Ambassador of Morocco, Mohamed Karmoune Tuesday called on Federal Minister for Defence Production, Zobaida Jalal here.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Ambassador of Morocco, Mohamed Karmoune Tuesday called on Federal Minister for Defence Production, Zobaida Jalal here.

The minister besides emphasizing the need to enhance defence cooperation between the two countries urged for coordinated efforts in the international arena by both the countries, said a press release issued here.

Both sides agreed to increase the frequency of high-level meetings to establish more robust contacts and communications.

The minister said both countries needed to learn from each other's experiences.

She offered Morocco cooperation in the fields of defence industry, including naval defence production.

She proposed for joint ministerial setup to look into avenues for defence cooperation.

The minister appreciated Morocco's humanitarian efforts in many countries.

She also invited the Ambassador to attend the Ideas 2018 in Karachi.

Both sides agreed to continue cooperation in areas of technical education, tourism and culture.
Ambassador of Nepal in Pakistan Ms Sewa Lamsal Wednesday visited the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) here.

SIALKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Ambassador of Nepal in Pakistan Ms Sewa Lamsal Wednesday visited the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) here.

The ambassador said that the time was high to do more for further increasing mutual trade ties between Pakistan and Nepal besides assuring a regular exchange of mutual trade delegations.

She stated this while addressing a meeting of surgical instruments manufactures and exporters held here at the office of SIMAP. Pakistan Surgical Industry Leader Muhammad Jehangir Bajwa and Chairman SIMAP Khalilur Rehman Mughal jointly presided over the meeting.

The ambassador said that Nepal was keen to boost the mutual trade ties with Pakistan, pledging to make efforts for removing hurdles from the way of promoting trade between both the countries.

She stressed the need for making all-out sincere efforts to establish strong trade relations between Pakistan and Nepal.

Ms Sewa Lamsal agreed with surgical exporters proposal regarding the regular exchange of trade information and delegations to enhance the trade between the two countries.

She said that there were also bright opportunities to establish the strong Business-to-Business contacts between Sialkot and Nepal, adding, it would help to boost the trade ties as well.

She assured the Sialkot exporters of easy access to international trade markets of Nepal.

On this occasion, Pakistan Surgical Industry Leader Muhammad Jehangir Bajwa said that Sialkot-made surgical instruments could find a good market in Nepal. He added that exporters had a great potential to explore and capture markets of Nepal by exporting their world-class traditional and non-traditional export products.

Chairman SIMAP Khalilur Rehman Mughal said that Nepal should also focus on direct import of Sialkot-made surgical instruments direct from Pakistan instead of purchasing instruments from European countries on very high prices.

Later, the Nepalese envoy also visited several leading industrial units and took keen interest in the production of surgical instruments.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2018 ) :Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS) on Wednesday organized a day-long conference on water security to discuss the looming water crises in Pakistan and the mechanisms to mitigate the challenges and devise an extended policy framework.

Addressing the conference, Minister of State for Climate Change, Zartaj Gul said that solving water scarcity issue in Pakistan demands multi-facet solutions. She added there is a need to create public awareness through capacity-building.

She said, "Our country is suffering from history's worst water crisis that requires coordinated efforts at multiple fronts including individual, community, tehsil, district, provincial and national.

Former Minister for Law Advocate Ahmed Bilal Soofi presented his views on Indian violation of Indus Water Treaty. He said that engineered treaty and framework will not work instead we must address our issues at UN and WTO.

Chairman Federal Flood Commission Ahmed Kamal presented speech on mainstreaming Disaster (Flood) Risk Reduction in water sector. He stated that current development practices are not fully considerate about climate change and disaster risks as there is a visible shift in summer and winter weather pattern from the normal.

He said, "Our focus must be to ensure water sustainability through mainstreaming DRR and CC approaches in water sector project planning and implementation.

" National Coordinator on Water Resources, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) Zakir Hussain Dahri talked about surface storage and groundwater recharge in Pakistan. He suggested water storage policy recommendations for future.

Director General, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) Dr Muhammad Ashraf said that it has been reported that out of 43 canal commands, the water table was declining in 26 canal commands due to rapid increase in groundwater abstraction.

Similar is the situation in large cities where water table is depleting at an alarming rate, he added.

Director, Climate Energy and Water Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, (NARC) Dr Muhammad Munir Ahmad enlightened the participants about the major constraints in food security that included water availability but no land, underutilization of available water, conventional energy scarcity and less command area development.

Chairman CGSS Lt Gen  Muhammad Zahir Ul islam said that in recent years, Pakistan has suffered from severe water shortages, flooding and declining water quality. The worsening water crisis must be resolved to achieve stability and progress.
A two-day Chinese food cooking classes would be held here at a local hotel in sector G-5 from November 10, to help participants to learn how to cook quality dishes.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :A two-day Chinese food cooking classes would be held here at a local hotel in sector G-5 from November 10, to help participants to learn how to cook quality dishes.

Master the Art of Chinese Cooking led by Chef Zubin will shared Chinese food cooking tips with the participants during two-day sessions.

The participants would discover how easy Chinese cooking can be and also learn how to create restaurant quality dishes and work together with other students in a fun, hands-on environment led by Chinese Master Chef.

Chinese cooking seems like really tricky to most of us, but on the contrary it's just simple saut, boiling and stirs fry with different important ingredients.

The purpose of the Chinese cooking course was to meet the need of Chinese food lover in Pakistan and to help people to learn how to make some restaurant style Chinese dishes.

Chinese cuisine has become so popular across the capital city, a favorite amongst everyone.

If you're a fan of Chinese cuisine and like to cook Chinese food at home or restaurant, even if it's just hot and sour soup, there a few important ingredients used in Chinese cooking which will be explained by Chinese food Master Chef Zubin in the two-day session.
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Help line:1099 to assist women about the religious and legal protection and right to inheritance

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :The Ministry of Human Rights launched a help line:1099 to assist women about the religious and legal protection and right to inheritance.

Muhammad Khawaja, an official of the ministry said that Federal Minister Dr Shireen Mazari was committed to providing women equal rights in federal and at provincial levels, this help line would further guide the woman about their share in property according to Islamic law and country's law.

He said that the protection of women's right to inheritance has been one of the priorities of incumbent government for equality and justice in the country.

He further said that under the campaign by ministry for women rights to inheritance, the awareness will be given for women share in property under the Islamic Jurisprudence and Constitution.

He highlighted social, cultural issues restricting women to get their due share in inherited property, so government is fully devoted to provide women speedy justice.
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to evolve an effective strategy for extradition of Pakistanis detained in the UAE for committing petty crimes.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to evolve an effective strategy for extradition of Pakistanis detained in the UAE for committing petty crimes.

An agreement to that effect was reached during a meeting held the other day between UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari here, a spokesperson of Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development said.

In the meeting, the two sides discussed plight of Pakistani workers imprisoned in the UAE for minor crimes and considered ways and means to mitigate their sufferings.

They also deliberated on the matters of bilateral interests and stressed the need for further cementing the existing ties between the two countries.

The discussion focused on how to improve the working conditions for the blue-collar Pakistani workers across the UAE and they agreed to increase opportunities for the Pakistani manpower there.

The ambassador, in the meeting, expressed his commitment towards improving the visa process by establishing a specialized visa desk at a the UAE consulates operating in Pakistan.

The special assistant underlined the need for better coordination among relevant departments of both the countries to forge closer ties as it would eventually enhance the export of skilled labour for future projects across the UAE as an investment in human's capital of Pakistan.
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ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Senators during meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Power on Tuesday stressed that efforts should be made to stop electricity theft and improve recoveries so that the government would not have to ask for loans from international financial institutions.

Chaired by Senator Fida Muhammad, the Committee was briefed on the industrial, commercial and domestic line losses of LESCO in one year and on the import of electricity from Iran and steps taken by the government to connect those cities of Balochistan with the national grid that are presently being fed through the imported electricity. The Committee was also told about the generation capacity of Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand dams and the estimated period of their construction.

Federal Minister for Power Umar Ayub said the government would work with the provinces to resolve issues related to the power sector. He said the circular debt had reached Rs 1300 billion, adding a task force had been set up to stop electricity theft and first big defaulters would be taken to task.

The Chairman Committee said that it was unfortunate that electricity was suspended in the areas of Makran and Gwadar. Gwadar was not linked to the national grid so far, he added. The committee was told that 6000 illegal tubewells were working in Balochistan.

The Committee was told that land for Bhasha dam could not be acquired due to disputes. LESCO chief said there was no system to know about the line losses of commercial and domestic consumers.

The Minister informed the Committee about the irregularities in the maintenance of transformers, adding there was only one meter reader for 20,000 homes in Batagram.

The Senators were assured that matters related to over-billing would be settled.

Officials of the Ministry and distribution companies attended the meeting.
High Commissioner of Pakistan in Canada Tariq Azim Khan has stressed upon the Pakistani origin students to actively participate at the local and international events of different universities to promote true perspective of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :High Commissioner of Pakistan in Canada Tariq Azim Khan has stressed upon the Pakistani origin students to actively participate at the local and international events of different universities to promote true perspective of Pakistan.

He was expressing his views in a meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Students Association (PSA) University of Ottawa, a message received here Wednesday said.

The high commissioner said Pakistanis students must avail the life changing opportunities offered by post-secondary education at the Canadian universities.

He emphasized upon them to actively participate in the communities in which they lived and promote good-will between the two countries.

On the occasion, the students briefed the high commissioner on the activities they planned to promote understanding of Pakistani culture among the Canadian and international students of the university.

Tariq Azim also assured them full support in their efforts to promote true image of Pakistan in the Canadian society.
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Secretariat Police Station have arrested three foreigners for their alleged involvement in supplying drugs to students at educational institutions and recovered narcotics from them, a police spokesman said.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Secretariat Police Station have arrested three foreigners for their alleged involvement in supplying drugs to students at educational institutions and recovered narcotics from them, a police spokesman said.

He said a team of secretariat police station headed by Inspector Shabbir Ahmed Tanoli arrested three Nigerian nationals near Quaid-e-Azam university identified as Amanaeul, Mark Stephen and Philip.

Police also recovered 800 gram heroin, 250 gram cocaine and 300 gram hashish from them.

SSP Islamabad Syed Muhammad Amin Bukhari has appreciated this performance and directed all police officials to remain vigilant in their respective areas and ensure arrest of those involved in this ugly business of drug pushing.

The SSP said such elements would not to be tolerated anywhere and appealed to citizens to inform social media cell of Islamabad police in case of any such activity around them .
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Acting US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul Jones Wednesday called on Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan during his visit to Peshawar.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Acting US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul Jones Wednesday called on Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan during his visit to Peshawar.

During the meetings with provincial leadership, Charg d'Affaires Paul Jones who is currently acting US ambassador in Islamabad discussed political, economic, and security issues in KP including the newly merged tribal districts.

He also talked about US government-supported programmes in the province and underscored the United States' continued commitment towards regional prosperity and security.

The US envoy expressed U.S. government's desire to work with the Government of Pakistan toward the fulfillment of the common goals.

Ambassador Jones appreciated the hospitality he received and expressed desire to try some of thelocal cuisine and visit the historic landmarks of Peshawar.
Minister for Defence Production, Zobaida Jalal Wednesday visited Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO) where she was briefed on its role and ongoing preparations for International Defence Exhibition and Seminar 2018 (IDEAS 2018).

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Minister for Defence Production, Zobaida Jalal Wednesday visited Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO) where she was briefed on its role and ongoing preparations for International Defence Exhibition and Seminar 2018 (IDEAS 2018).

The IDEAS 2018 is scheduled to be held at Karachi Expo Centre from November 27 to 30, a press release said.

The minister was informed that the response of exhibitors and delegates for IDEAS 2018 was very encouraging. The DEPO informed about the initiative of promoting Public-Private Partnership in defence production.

Later, the minister visited state-of-the-art organization's display centre and appreciated the quality and specifications of Pakistan's defence products.

She expressed satisfaction at the arrangements made for the successful conduct of IDEAS 2018,which was aimed at further promoting Pakistani products at international level.

She also appreciated the initiative of Public-Private Partnership and assured her full support in bridging the gap between public and private sectors.
At least one person was injured due to an explosion at the PDVSA plant in Venezuela' northern state of Miranda, local authorities said Tuesday in a statement.

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2018) At least one person was injured due to an explosion at the PDVSA plant in Venezuela' northern state of Miranda, local authorities said Tuesday in a statement.

"Firefighters of Miranda and Zamora [municipality] are involved in extinguishing the fire caused by the gasoline spill near the PDVSA filling complex in the area of El Ingenio de Guatire.

One person was injured and immediately taken to hospital," the statement reads.

The injured person reportedly received burns of 90 percent of the body.

Rescuers and firefighters are now evacuating the population from the nearby area. The black smoke can be seen over the plant.
(@rukhshanmir)

Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Belarus Pham Hai on Wednesday.

MINSK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Belarus Pham Hai on Wednesday.

The ambassador presented copies of his credentials, the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.

Vladimir Makei and Pham Hai confirmed it is necessary to continue stepping up manufacturing cooperation and the establishment of joint ventures.

The importance of continued regular contacts between the Belarusian and Vietnamese ministries of foreign affairs was mentioned.

It is also necessary to continue constructive cooperation in international organizations and the active dialogue between interested ministries and organizations in Belarus and Vietnam.

Vladimir Makei and Pham Hai exchanged opinions about topical aspects of Belarus-Vietnam cooperation.

Prospects of advancing Belarusian-Vietnamese ties in politics, economy, humanitarian affairs, and other spheres were discussed.

The diplomats paid close attention to the implementation of the agreements reached when the Vietnampresident visited Belarus in June 2017.
(@rukhshanmir)

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Bolivia's leader Evo Morales has called the United States an enemy of world peace after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to quit a historic nuclear treaty with Russia.

Trump said over the weekend he wanted to pull his country from the Cold War-era pact banning ground-launched medium-range nuclear missiles over Russia's violations, which it denied.

"Trump threatens to send his troops to the Mexican border against thousands of Central American migrants, after announcing the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia. Thus, the US is the enemy of world peace and human rights," Morales tweeted.

Trump was heavily criticized for his decision - subject to Congressional approval - by ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who co-signed the landmark treaty with then US President Ronald Reagan. The Kremlin called the US move "dangerous."
(@rukhshanmir)

The Bulgarian parliament said on Wednesday it had rejected a motion of no confidence against the government led by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The Bulgarian parliament said on Wednesday it had rejected a motion of no confidence against the government led by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

"The parliament rejected the draft motion of no confidence against the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria, submitted by the 'BSP for Bulgaria' parliamentary group over failures in the healthcare sector," the statement read.

Out of 232 parliamentarians present at the voting, 99 supported the motion, and 133 rejected it, the parliament added.

The ministers attended the plenary session, where the vote was held.

The two previous initiatives of the socialists to issue a motion of no confidence into the Borissov government also failed to receive the support of the other legislators.

The motion obliges the government resign, if passed. It requires support of more than half of the 240 lawmakers of the National Assembly. The ruling center-right coalition has a slight majority in parliament, while the socialists have only 79 seats.

In May 2017, Borissov headed the Bulgarian government for the third time. He first became the country's prime minister in July 2009.
CEO of Italian energy giant Eni Claudio Descalzi has discussed joint projects with Igor Sechin, the CEO of Russia's Rosneft, a spokesperson of the Italian company told Sputnik on Wednesday.

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) CEO of Italian energy giant Eni Claudio Descalzi has discussed joint projects with Igor Sechin, the CEO of Russia's Rosneft, a spokesperson of the Italian company told Sputnik on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, an employee of the Russian government's Executive Office said that Eni has pulled out of its joint Black Sea shelf project with Rosneft, while the temporary suspension of another Eni-Rosneft venture on the Barents Sea shelf is currently under discussion. The Italian giant in response said that it will not comment "the rumors."

"The meeting was held on the eve in Moscow, it was very cordial and provided an opportunity to discuss joint projects, such as the large Zohr field in Egypt and possible future scenarios, which, of course, will fully comply with international rules," the spokesperson said.

In May 2017, Rosneft and Eni signed a deal to expand cooperation on oil production. The document reinforced the companies' previous agreements, specifically those concerning offshore drilling in the Black and Barents seas. In addition, the parties agreed to consider further expanding their international cooperation.

In mid-May, media reports emerged that the US sanctions against Russia called into question Eni's possibilities to finance oil projects with Rosneft, while the Eni CEO qualified the reports as rumors and said that the company remained in its joint ventures with Rosneft.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

China has launched a new rail and road cargo service linking Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, with Islamabad in Pakistan.

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :China has launched a new rail and road cargo service linking Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, with Islamabad in Pakistan.

The first train carrying 30 carriages of mechanical equipment, auto parts and daily necessities left a logistics centeryesterday in Lanzhou, bound for Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The goods will then be transported to Islamabad by a highway, China's state-run media reported on Wednesday.

According to Luo Zhe, deputy director with the management committee of the International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou), the 4,500-km trip will take 13 days, around 15 days less than the traditional sea route.

This was the second freight train service launched by Gansu to south Asia.

In 2016, a rail and road cargo service opened between Lanzhou and Kathmandu, Nepal.

"I hope the new rail and road cargo service can set a good example for cooperation between China and Pakistan and encourage more countries and regions to join the Belt and Road Initiative," Luo said.
Colombian President Ivan Duque has called on the global community to boycott Caracas amid the mass exodus of Venezuelan migrants triggered by a deepening crisis within the country.

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Colombian President Ivan Duque has called on the global community to boycott Caracas amid the mass exodus of Venezuelan migrants triggered by a deepening crisis within the country.

"The world should isolate the Venezuelan regime," Duque said on Tuesday during his debate with Robert Malley, CEO of the non-governmental International Crisis Group, as quoted by Colombian NTN24 tv channel.

Duque qualified the migrant flow coming from Venezuela as "apocalyptic," claiming that this was the greatest humanitarian crisis in the history of Latin America.

However, the Colombian president emphasized that he did not support the idea of military intervention in Venezuela.

"Military invasion is not a way out," he stressed.

Duque also added that he did not plan to promote Colombian ambassador's return to Caracas.

Venezuela is currently facing a deep political and economic crisis prompted by the oil prices decrease and the consequent fall of state revenue.

While the country is shaken by mass protests, scores of Venezuelans are fleeing the tough situation abroad, with the number of Venezuelans who left the country since 2015 reaching 2.3 million people, according to the UN estimates. Colombia has borne the brunt of the mass exodus as at least 1 million Venezuelans fled to this country.

Over the past years, Colombia and Venezuela have recalled their ambassadors multiple times amid tense relations between the two neighboring countries. In the most recent case in May, Colombia recalled its ambassador to Venezuela after Nicolas Maduro was re-elected as the Venezuelan president. Bogota refused to recognize election results. Tensions escalated further after the assassination attempt on Maduro in August. Caracas accused Bogota, particularly Colombian ex-president Juan Manuel Santos, of having a role in the attack. The Colombian Foreign Ministry denied any involvement of Bogota in the assassination attempt on Maduro.
If Russia and the United Sates fail to establish a dialogue over Washington's intention to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, it may lead to an escalation of tensions similar to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defense Vladimir Shamanov told Sputnik on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2018) If Russia and the United Sates fail to establish a dialogue over Washington's intention to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, it may lead to an escalation of tensions similar to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defense Vladimir Shamanov told Sputnik on Tuesday.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the treaty because Moscow was allegedly violating the agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted Trump's claims and stressed that Russia would be forced to take measures to ensure its security if the United States started to covertly or openly develop weapons prohibited under the agreement.

"All of this shows that if we do not stop and do not engage in talks, we actually can potentially create an environment similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis," Shamanov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow would decide on its stance on the issue once the United States gave official clarifications regarding Trump's decision.

Lavrov also said that any actions by Washington in that area would be met with counteractions.

The Cuban Missile Crisis is believed to put the world's most powerful nations on the brink of a nuclear war. In 1962, when the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States reached its peak, Washington deployed its ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey, while Moscow responded in kind and sent its own ballistic missiles to Cuba to prevent the United States from invading the island.

Following a period of tense talks, the two sides agreed that the Soviet Union would withdraw its missiles from the island and that the United States would not invade Cuba. The Moscow-Washington hotline allowing the presidents of the two countries to communicate directly with each other was established as well.

The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 and became a landmark agreement that required the Soviet Union and the United States to cut their nuclear arsenals. Moscow and Washington pledged to destroy their ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 310 to 3,400 miles.
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Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

Tehran, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

"I don't think that any country would dare do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.
The UK authorities' decision to deny entry to the suspects in the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has an effect of "protecting" them against arrest in the United Kingdom, WikiLeaks whistleblowing organization said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The UK authorities' decision to deny entry to the suspects in the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has an effect of "protecting" them against arrest in the United Kingdom, WikiLeaks whistleblowing organization said Wednesday.

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier in the day that the UK government would be taking action to prevent suspects from entering the United Kingdom. UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that if any of these individuals had UK visas, those visas would be revoked.

"In response to the murder of Washington Post columnist #JamalKhashoggi the UK says it will not give the alleged assassins visas to enter the UK.

This has the effect of protecting them from arrest in the UK which would be diplomatically embarrassing as in the Pinochet case," the organization said on Twitter.

The journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on Friday that the journalist had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their involvement in the incident. Turkey is conducting a separate investigation into the journalist's death.
(@FahadShabbir)

Most heavy weaponry has been withdrawn from the demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib, the number of ceasefire breaches has gone down by nearly 90 percent, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Anadolu news agency on Wednesday.

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Most heavy weaponry has been withdrawn from the demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib, the number of ceasefire breaches has gone down by nearly 90 percent, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Anadolu news agency on Wednesday.

"Most of the heavy weaponry has been pulled out of the zone in Idlib, determined by the Sochi agreement, this is a corridor of 15-20 kilometers [9-12 miles]. The ceasefire breaches have reduced by almost 90 percent," the minister said.

The demilitarized zone was established in Syria's Idlib following the Russian-Turkish agreement concluded in September.
The murder of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul would not have been committed without the support from the United States, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The murder of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul would not have been committed without the support from the United States, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

"Nobody would imagine that in today's world, we witness such an organised murder and I don't think without getting support from the United States a country would dare to commit such a crime ... It seems that a tribe ruling a country is enjoying protection, and relies on a superpower to commit such a crime and that superpower supports them," Rouhani said at a Cabinet session, as quoted by his press service.

Iran's leader pointed out that the United States supports the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemeni conflict even though the coalition's strikes have resulted in many victims among the civilians.

"How come a nation as great as Yemen has been under severe bombardment for years and the world is silent towards it? If it were not for US support, would the people of Yemen be under such savage bombardment?," Rouhani stressed.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi policies, was working as a columnist for The Washington Post. The journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on Friday that the journalist had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their involvement in the incident. Turkey is conducting a separate investigation into the journalist's death.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The US government asked the United Nations to take action against Cuban diplomats for disrupting a UN-sponsored event about the plight of political prisoners, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a press briefing.

"Last week, a delegation of Cuban diplomats threw a childish temper tantrum at a UN-sponsored gathering at the UN," Pompeo told reporters on Tuesday.

"In response, I have written a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres requesting to know what measures the UN will take to respond to these actions and make sure that they do not happen again."

Last week, diplomats from Cuba were banging on tables and yelling during a meeting about helping political prisoners that was held at the UN, Fox news reported.

The meeting was part of a US-launched campaign dubbed "Jailed for What?" - a movement designed to boost the anti-government opposition in Cuba.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled during the talks with US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Tuesday that the US national coat of arms has a Latin inscription "E pluribus unum," which means "Out of Many, One," thereby stressing the need for the two countries to look for common ground despite differences of opinion.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2018) Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled during the talks with US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Tuesday that the US national coat of arms has a Latin inscription "E pluribus unum," which means "Out of Many, One," thereby stressing the need for the two countries to look for common ground despite differences of opinion.

"Therefore, despite a difference of approaches, I believe we can and must seek common ground," Putin said at a meeting with Bolton after making a reference to "E pluribus unum" inscription.

Bolton said that it was exactly what the United States was seeking to do.

"As far as I remember, the US coat of arms displays an eagle, which holds 13 arrows in its left talon and an olive branch a symbol of peace-loving policy with 13 olives in the other talon.

A question is: has your eagle pecked all the olives, leaving only arrows?" Putin added, provoking laughter among members of the two delegations.

Bolton, in turn, expressed hope that the talks would help them to clarify the situation in bilateral relations, adding that he had not brought an olive branch with him.

"That's what I thought," Putin reacted.

The US national security adviser noted that the fact that the eagle on the US national coat of arms has an olive branch in its right talon reflected the US foreign policy priorities.

Bolton arrived in Russia back on Sunday and earlier held talks with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
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Saudi Arabia enlisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in a bid to deflect attention of the international community from the Khashoggi affair, Esmaeil Kosari, the deputy head of the IRGC Sarallah Headquarters, said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Saudi Arabia enlisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in a bid to deflect attention of the international community from the Khashoggi affair, Esmaeil Kosari, the deputy head of the IRGC Sarallah Headquarters, said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that Bahrain and the kingdom decided to add the IRGC to their terrorism lists over the corps' alleged support to Iran's subversive activities. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC special forces unit, was among the Names that appeared on the list.

"Saudi Arabia is stuck in a quagmire from which it cannot get out easily, so they are looking for a escape forward by taking such actions ... The Saudis are seeking to deflect public attention in the region and the world from the Jamal Khashoggi's case, the Saudi dissident journalist who was murdered in their general consulate in Istanbul," Kosari said as quoted by the Mehr news Agency.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, known for his criticism of the kingdom's policies, was recently working as a columnist for The Washington Post. The journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on Friday via state television that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate. Riyadh has arrested 18 people over their involvement in the incident, while at least five Saudi officials, including Saudi Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmed Asiri, have been dismissed as the Khashoggi affair was gaining momentum.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will discuss the crises in Syria and Libya, as well as bilateral cooperation, during their meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Conte arrived in Moscow to pay his first official visit to Russia. In addition to meeting with Putin, he is scheduled to hold talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and to meet with Italian businesspeople working in Russia. Conte's trip to Russia was preceded by visits of Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi.

Putin and Conte plan to discuss the state and prospects for the development of Russian-Italian cooperation in various spheres, exchange views on urgent international and regional issues, including the situation in Syria and Libya.

On November 12-13, the Italian city of Palermo will host the international conference on the situation in Libya. According to Milanesi, it will be mainly focused on securing elections in the crisis-torn country.

On October 8, Milanesi said that Putin had been invited to the conference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia would certainly attend the conference, but would later determine the level of its representation.

Conte has previously repeatedly said that Italy would promote the revision of anti-Russia sanctions, adding that Moscow had played a major role in resolving geopolitical crises in recent years. The new Italian government, which was formed in late May by a coalition comprising the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the eurosceptic Lega party, stated the need to lift the EU sanctions imposed on Russia in their government coalition agreement.

Just before his visit to Russia, Conte expressed support for the idea for the G7 (Group of Seven) to readmit Russia, which would allow the group to deal more effectively with a number of urgent international issues.
(@FahadShabbir)

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Russia and Belarus had agreed to be observers of the alliance's Trident Juncture drills 2018.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Russia and Belarus had agreed to be observers of the alliance's Trident Juncture drills 2018.

The NATO-led military exercise to be held in Norway in October and November.

"All members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have been invited to send observers to Trident Juncture. I welcome that Russia, as well as Belarus, have accepted the invitation," Stoltenberg said.
The Russia-Belarus military exercise Union Shield-2019 is not a response to the NATO drills and is exclusively of defensive nature, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The Russia-Belarus military exercise Union Shield-2019 is not a response to the NATO drills and is exclusively of defensive nature, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the meeting of Russian and Belarusian defense ministries approved the plan for the joint drills.

"The main event of the next year will be the Union Shield-2019 exercise, which should demonstrate our common determination and ability to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two states ... First and foremost, I would like to stress that our drills are exclusively of defensive nature. We do not plan any offensive actions, unlike those exercises that our colleagues [NATO] will begin tomorrow. We certainly do not do this in response to any drills, but in response to the threats that exist today and, unfortunately, increase each year," Shoigu said.
Russia is expecting Oslo to apologize for the arrest of Russian upper house employee Mikhail Bochkarev and guarantee safety of Russian lawmakers traveling to Norway, Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko said Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Russia is expecting Oslo to apologize for the arrest of Russian upper house employee Mikhail Bochkarev and guarantee safety of Russian lawmakers traveling to Norway, Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Konstantin Kosachev, the Russian upper house's International Affairs Committee head, told Sputnik that Russian upper house lawmakers have decided to abandon their plans to visit Norway within the framework of the bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation over Oslo's unfriendly actions with regard to Moscow.

"We are waiting for apologies and guarantees that senators and upper house staffers who participate in events in Norway will be protected," Matviyenko said.

Russia is interested in resuming good-neighborly cooperation with Norway, the speaker added.

In September, the Norwegian authorities detained Bochkarev, who was accused of illegally gathering information in Norway. Last week, he was released as Norway dropped its charges.
Russia will make a significant contribution to the conference on Libya in Italy's city of Palermo, and Moscow's participation is fundamental to ensure the country's stabilization process, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2018) Russia will make a significant contribution to the conference on Libya in Italy's city of Palermo, and Moscow's participation is fundamental to ensure the country's stabilization process, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday.

The Palermo conference is set to be held on November 12-13.

"Italy ... invited all directly involved Libyan parties, as well as key partners in the region and across the world. Russia's participation is fundamental in order to ensure a step forward in the stabilization of Libya. I shared this point with the president [Vladimir Putin] and received his full support. Therefore, Moscow will make a significant contribution to this conference," Conte told a press conference after talks with Putin.

He said that during the meeting with the president of Russia, the sides discussed the issue of Libya and the strengthening of its institutions.

"Economic and social development in Libya can be promoted only through a process of inclusive dialogue and reconciliation, which the United Nations must lead, and the Libyan people themselves should carry out this process. It is necessary for the international community to demonstrate solidarity, and support the work of the UN," Conte said.

Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.
Russian upper house lawmakers have decided to abandon their plans to visit Norway within the framework of the bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation over Oslo's unfriendly actions with regard to Moscow, Konstantin Kosachev,

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) Russian upper house lawmakers have decided to abandon their plans to visit Norway within the framework of the bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation over Oslo's unfriendly actions with regard to Moscow, Konstantin Kosachev, the Russian upper house's International Affairs Committee head, told Sputnik Wednesday.

In September, the Norwegian authorities detained Russian upper house employee Mikhail Bochkarev, who was accused of illegally gathering information in Norway. Last week, he was released as Norway dropped its charges. Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko characterized the situation as provocation.

Asked whether the Russian senators decided to refrain from vising Norway over recent developments, Kosachev said "at this stage, yes."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura had an open and earnest discussion on the Syrian settlement with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem in Damascus and pledged to brief UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the results of the talks, de Mistura's press service said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura had an open and earnest discussion on the Syrian settlement with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem in Damascus and pledged to brief UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the results of the talks, de Mistura's press service said on Wednesday.

"They had a frank and intense exchange of views in a cordial atmosphere," the press service said.

The envoy will report to Guterres and the UN Security Council on the talks results, the statement added.
(@FahadShabbir)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The United States supports Uzbekistan's ongoing political and democratic reforms and believes they are improving the country's potential for international investment, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said during a speech in Tashkent.

"I want to applaud the successful political and democratic reforms that are underway in Uzbekistan, and to encourage your continued commitment to them," Ross said on Tuesday.

"Such reforms are improving the business and investment climate of your country, and they are leading to a new era of growth."

Ross also said, as a result of these reforms, US companies are far more engaged than ever before in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ross met during the commerce's secretary's trip to discuss industrial, agricultural and infrastructure projects, the Tashkent Times reported citing the government press service.
Munich, Germany (UroToday.com) When assessing the completed combination trials in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), most studies have met their anticipated endpoints. When all various treatments have been shown to be successful, this makes deciding which treatment will be right for which patients difficult. The problem with all the combination trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and VEGFR inhibitors, is the fact that they were compared to sunitinib, and not to newer treatments that have been proven to work, such as nivolumab and Ipilimumab (figure 1).



Figure 1- Phase 3 first-line combination trial in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients:



As new strategies get approved, the cross-trial comparison will be the basis for treatment decisions. Several factors will need to be considered: Survival improvement, the degree of overall survival (OS) benefit, complete response (CR) rate, benefit in specific populations, and drug toxicity. The available information we have to date on tumor and disease biology does not answer the question of which treatment for which patient at what sequence. Our treatment decisions are currently based on histology and the various risk categories for mRCC (Figure 2).





Figure 2- Treatment decision based on histology and IMDC/MSKCC risk scores:



Impressive results can be obtained when the biology and treatment match. A good example is the Checkmate 214 trial comparing nivolumab alone to nivolumab +Ipilimumab in different dosages. An excellent response was seen when the combination was given to PD-L1 positive patients1. For the non-responders, we need more data on individual biology. Part of the problem is that despite the staging attempting to stratify patients into smaller groups, the population is still highly heterogeneous. A good example is the intermediate risk group patients, who are highly heterogeneous2. It has been shown that within risk groups, gene signatures may vary tremendously, with high and low angiogenesis, high and low T Effector cells, and PD-L1 positive and negative3. All these have substantial effects on the treatments that these patients will respond to.



There are two different clinical scenarios that deserve a closer look:

Patient belongs to a specific and well-described risk group, receives what is supposed to be the most appropriate treatment, but still does not perform well. The patient does not fit any of the guidelines, because his profile is quite rare.

When considering the biology, we need to consider the biology of the tumor and the disease. In the biology of the tumor, it is important to understand the histology and genetic drivers, activated pathways, antigen expression, immunogenicity, and predictive biomarkers. When assessing the biology of the disease, we need to take into account the patients age, high tumor burden, risk category, anemia, and influence of his nutrition and the microbiome on the individual cancer immunity.When a tumor continues to progress despite treatment with immunotherapy, it is important to raise the question of whether the tumor is escaping cancer immunity despite the treatment being received. There are various escape mechanisms, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells, impaired T cell metabolism, impaired T cell tracking, and impaired infiltration, T cell dysregulation, induction of T cell apoptosis, lack of antigens, or microbiome dysbiosis. Therefore, it would tremendously help to get as much information as possible on the tumor escape mechanisms from the pathologist. This might help us to find a druggable target, but this is not always enough.When the patient expresses high levels of CRP while being treated with ICI, and there are no signs of tumor regression, this might reflect high IL-6 secretion, which mediates myeloid-derived suppressor cells activation, a known escape mechanism, due to their ability to hinder ICI activity. VEGF inhibitors can be added to this patient, due to their ability to activate CD8+ T-Cells, and more importantly due to their capacity to deplete myeloid-derived suppressor cells. But aside from increased CRP, there are other signs of systemic inflammation that could represent an immunotherapy escape mechanism. These include thrombocytosis, neutrophilia, and an increase in CRP. These objective signs could all be a reliable surrogate for myeloid-derived suppressor cells or other immune escape mechanisms.In summary, biology can help guide treatment decisions, with biomarkers showing differential effects across treatment groups. However, we are still not at a stage where we can get an exact fingerprint of the individual tumor along with a recipe for the best-detailed treatment. Biology cannot answer questions that should have been addressed in clinical trials. It is imperative that we understand that the individual biology can help to modify a treatment that was less effective than expected. This will be extremely useful in cases where the patient profile does not fit into any guideline. Understanding the biology will potentially make a therapeutic difference and improve outcomes of these patients.Presented by: Manuela Schmidinger, MD, Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaWritten By: Hanan Goldberg, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow (SUO), University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Twitter @GoldbergHanan at the 2018 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (#ESMO18), October 19-23, 2018, Munich Germany References:1. Motzer RJ et al. NEJM 2018 2. Sella A et al. Clin Genito Cancer 2017 3. Guida A et al. ESMO 2018
Pakistani Christians take part in a service for the victims of a suicide attack at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore in 2017 (AFP or licensors)

In comments to Polish speaking pilgrims at the weekly General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis noted that on Sunday 28th October the Church in Poland celebrates the 10th Day of Solidarity with the persecuted Church.

By Lydia OKane

In his words, the Holy Father thanked both the Pontifical Foundation "Aid to the Church in Need" and the Polish Episcopal Conference for organizing this initiative of peace and solidarity and said that this years financial support would be donated to Christians in Pakistan. According to Aid to the Church in Need, for Christians in Pakistan oppression is a daily reality, and they are often put under pressure to abandon their faith.

Education and job prospects

Speaking to Vatican News, the Head of Press and Information at ACN in the UK, John Pontifex said that, the important thing to say about the position for Christians in Pakistan is that they really are second class citizens.

He added that their whole job prospects are very very limited and that the education system in Pakistan has been accused of being very prejudiced against Christians; that theres a whole systemic problem of hatred of Christians in schools.



Mr Pontifex pointed out that amid growing extremism, Christians and other minorities inevitably are considered to be in grave risk of attack or indeed even being killed



Addressing the issue of the Blasphemy laws in the country, he said, that on the flimsiest of pretexts they (Christians) can be accused of either disrespect towards the prophet Mohammad or indeed disrespect somehow to texts containing verses of the Koran.

Asia Bibi

Arguably the most high profile case of a Christian being accused of blasphemy is that of Asia Bibi, a Catholic mother of five who was arrested in November 2010 and sentenced to death. In July 2015 the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended her death sentence pending an appeal. As she awaits a final appeal hearing, people around the world continue to pray that she will be released from jail.
The audience hall of Paul VI will be the venue of the annual Vatican Christmas concert on December 15th. Two projects dedicated to helping refugees in Uganda and Iraq will benefit from the concert.

By Joachim Teigen

Details of the annual Vatican Christmas concert were announced this week. The two projects whose work will be aided by the sale of concert tickets are the Don Bosco Mission working for the improvement of conditions for refugees in Uganda, and the Scholas Project aiming to provide education for refugees in Iraq. The concert will take place on December 15th at 18.30 in the Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican.

Refugees in focus

The theme of this years concert is Refugees. With migration issues very present in public awareness, this concert will try to shed light on the situation of refugees who can travel no further than to neighbouring countries. In the wake of the war in South Sudan, for example, millions of refugees have sought shelter in Uganda. This is where the Salesians of the Don Bosco Mission do their share to meet the refugees with an hospitable welcome. They provide the youth with specialised education, which they get to put to use through micro-work inside the camp. The Scholas Ocurrentes Project does similar work in Erbil, Iraq, where it also aims to provide collaboration between university students in Italy and the ones who find themselves in the refugee camps.

Love of music and neighbour

Ever since 1993, the Paul VI Audience Hall has hosted the Vatican Christmas concert, during which a wide range of Italian and international artists perform free of charge. The concert has always sought to bring high quality music together with solidarity, thus countering the stereotype of many a commercial Christmas concert by putting into action the message of the Christmas season.
Talk of Greece intending to enlarge its territorial waters raises tensions across the Aegean Sea.

By John Carr

Tensions across the Aegean Sea have suddenly spiked, after Greece announced its intention to extend its western territorial waters from six to twelve miles.

Though the measure does not apply to the island-studded Aegean itself, at least not immediately, the Turks fear a twelve-mile Greek limit will turn the sea into a Greek lake, and in the past have threatened war if that should occur.

The announcement was a parting shot from the outgoing foreign minister, Nikos Kotzias, who walked out of the government last week after a spat with the defence minister. Its still unclear why he picked that moment to raise the territorial waters issue.

Listen to John Carr's report

But Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has refused to rise to the bait, saying any extension of Greeces waters would first have to voted by the Parliament and endorsed by the president.

The subtext here is a growing rivalry between Greece and Turkey over undersea oil and gas deposits, especially around Cyprus. Tsipras appears determined to avoid any clash on the grounds that crisis-ridden Greece simply cannot afford one right now.
Honduran migrants hoping to gain entry to the US (AFP or licensors)

A second caravan of Central American migrants is now heading for the Guatemalan / Mexican Border, with the aim of crossing it, in an attempt to reach US territory.

By James Blears

Another group of desperate Central American migrants are making their way through Guatemala, bound for and determined to cross into Mexico. Estimates put their number at between one thousand and two thousand people...so far. Other caravans are expected to form and start marching.



Nikki Haley who`s stepping down as US Ambassador to the UN has suggested on Twitter: "There`s a need to look at political motives. Honduran politicians allied with Venezuelan and Cuban socialist dictators are encouraging the Caravan to undermine the US friendly Government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras."

Many of the migrants insist that extreme poverty and the fear of organized crime back home are their only agendas.

Mexico, which has refused to build a Border Wall is still monitoring the situation which is unfolding and moving on its territory, asking the human rights branch of the United Nations for help and advice.
United Nations Day is marked each year on October 24, in commemoration of the day in 1945 when the UN Charter ratified by 51 countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a video message on this occasion.

By Robin Gomes

United Nations Day was marked on Wednesday, in commemoration of October 24, 1945, when the world body came into being with the ratification of the UN Charter, that was signed earlier on June 26 in San Francisco, United States.

The day has been observed each year since 1948, three years after the ratification of the Charter.

Never give up

In a video message ahead of this years UN Day, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged UN personnel and those they serve, to never give up in tackling the worlds many challenges.

Listen to Antonio Guterres

Guterres said that, despite the odds and obstacles, and growing inequality we dont give up because we know by reducing inequality we increase hope and opportunity and peace around the world.

The UN chief made clear the Organizations determination to implement climate action, fight for human rights and the life of peace that everyone deserves to enjoy: On United Nations Day, let us reaffirm our commitment. To repair broken trust. To heal our planet. To leave no one behind. To uphold dignity for one and all, as united nations.

UN family

The United Nations was born out of the need for peace by the worlds nations that were in ruins at the end of World War II. It was a replacement for the League of Nations, that was established after World War I to maintain world peace but failed miserably in preventing World War II.

What began with 51 members on October 24, 1945, the UN today is composed of 193 Member States. The mission and work of the UN are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.



The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat.

People on the move

In connection with UN Day 2018, the UN has organized a photo exhibition on People on the Move at the UN headquarters in New York. The exhibition captures moments in time from the last seven decades of the millions of those who have, for one reason or another, become people on the move. (Source: UN)


The Animal Foundation will partner with the Vegas Golden Knights in a Pucks for Paws community event to kick off the adoption process for the large number of Pomeranian dogs rescued by Las Vegas police and Clark County officials from the back of a U-Haul truck in Sandy Valley on November 30 (Pictured: Pomeranian dogs as they arrived at The Animal Foundation).

On Monday, December 18, beginning at 11:00am, the Vegas Golden Knights will host members of the public at City National Arena for a team practice session that begins at 11:30 am immediately followed by a live auction of five (5) dogs. Golden Knights players will assist in the live auction while the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation will also contribute funds to allow each attending adult over the age of 18 one free chance to adopt one of the ten (10) additional dogs there that day. Additional chances to increase an attendees odds of adopting a dog will be available for a discounted fee starting at $20 per ticket. A non-discounted online promotion to facilitate adoptions of the remaining majority of the dogs will launch at the same event, with members of the public invited to purchase tickets through 11:59pm on January 1, 2018.

Given the overwhelming interest on the part of the community, we are very excited to partner with the Vegas Golden Knights in welcoming the public to celebrate the journey of these rescued dogs and begin the process of helping them find loving homes, said Christine Robinson, Chief Executive Officer for The Animal Foundation. Borrowing from our annual and highly popular Best in Show dog auction format, we plan to kick off this adoption process by showcasing five of our top picks of these special dogs. As with every adoption promotion, every penny made will go right back into our many lifesaving programs at The Animal Foundation.

Thanks to the generosity of the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, those interested in adopting one of the ten additional Pomeranian dogs there on Monday will receive one free chance per person to adopt. Attendees may also purchase an unlimited amount of discounted chances starting at $20 each. Winners will be chosen at random by an independent third-party raffle administrator and notified at the event. All winners must be present to win and only one winner per household is allowed.

The free and discounted tickets for the chance to win will serve as the adoption fee for the winners. Spay/neuter, microchip, up-to-date vaccines, a starter bag of food, 30 days of free pet insurance and a voucher good for a complimentary wellness exam at participating veterinary hospitals will all be included thanks to the funds contributed by the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation. The Animal Foundation can and will deny adoptions to participants who do not meet all adoption requirements or in the instance that the placement is not in the best interest of the dog. No refunds will be issued.

A non-discounted online promotion to facilitate adoptions for the remaining majority of the Pomeranian dogs for $200 per dog less than the cost to care for each dog during their stay at The Animal Foundation and equal to our highest adoption fee  will also launch at the event on December 18, with tickets available for purchase through 11:59pm on January 1, 2018. Further details of the online chance to adopt will be made available on December 18.

All the rescued Pomeranian dogs have been in the care of The Animal Foundations animal care and veterinary staff since they were brought to the shelter by Animal Control on November 30. Based on evaluations of each dogs health and temperament, placement options for some of the Pomeranians dogs will include care in a foster home and not immediate adoption.

The Animal Foundation is located at 655 North Mojave Road.A For more information and to find a new Pomeranian or other companion, please visit animalfoundation.com.


Murray the Magician aka Murray SawChuck hits a HUGE milestone on his most recent project YouTube, with achieving 1 million subscribers today! Murray is officially a YouTube Star after building his fans and subscribers on social media over 3 years along with his producing partner social media genius Seth Leach.

Seth Leach started doing YouTube videos when he was just 13 when YouTube first started out really studies the pulse of the industry.

Seth saw Murray perform at the Tropicana in 2013 and followed him on Instagram and YouTube. After about 2 years Seth reached out to Murray via Instagram telling him, Your magic is great and should be going viral but no one is seeing it the way you are sharing it! After that first connection Murray and Seth formed a partnership and business and now are celebrating a massive milestone in social media history reaching over 1 million subscribers and fans.

This makes Murray The Magician the first and only YouTuber to have a resident show on the Las Vegas strip. Murray celebrates his show opening at the Tropicana Las Vegas Laugh Factory this Wednesday Oct. 24, 2018 and will be celebrating much more when he takes the stage with his over 1 million subscribers.

Murray is also a regular on History Channels Pawn Stars in his 10th season and CWs Masters of Illusion in his 5th season. You have also see Murray on more than 21 reality shows.
French companies are being urged to prepare for "all options" for a post-Brexit business environment, including the possibility that a new deal won't be struck between the EU and Britain AFP/Aurore Belot

The meeting between junior finance minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher and members of trade federations comes after the French government unveiled draft legislation setting out preparations for a possible "no-deal" Brexit.

"It's about really explaining to them that they must prepare at the same time for the United Kingdom becoming a third-party country, and the risk of there being no transition period after March 2019," a ministry source said of the meeting.

Any transition period to smooth Britain's exit "depends on an exit deal having been reached with the United Kingdom", the source said - a deal that has eluded the EU and Britain so far, just months away from Britain's scheduled departure on Mar 29, 2019.

French companies are therefore being urged to prepare for "all options", the source said.

About 30,000 French companies export goods to Britain, according to the finance ministry. The exports were worth some 31 billion euros (US$35.5 billion) in 2017.

"There are also all the companies which import goods from the United Kingdom and those that import services which are also affected," the source said.

Credit insurer Euler Hermes estimated Tuesday that a no-deal Brexit could cost French exporters up to three billion euros next year.

Germany would however be the biggest EU country to lose out in trade terms, with its exporters losing some eight billion euros, followed by the Netherlands with four billion euros of losses.

Belgium, like France, would lose an estimated three billion euros under the credit insurer's model, which is based on import taxes of 4 to 5 per cent being imposed as per default World Trade Organisation rules.

It is also based on estimates that the pound would crash from its current value of 1.13 euros to 0.88 euros by the end of 2019.

The car manufacturing industry would be the worst affected by such a scenario, Euler Hermes predicted, followed by equipment manufacturing, electronics, aeronautics and drink production.

The draft bill unveiled by the French government this month lays out in broad terms the preparations needed for a potential no-deal Brexit.

It will cover what happens to French citizens living in Britain and vice versa, as well as customs plans to ensure the neighbours can continue to trade smoothly.

France has already begun recruiting extra customs agents to be deployed along the border after Britain leaves the EU.
The first Kings found

On September 29, the grand launching ceremony of the King Palace Complex"Where Kings Live" was held at InterContinental Hanoi Landmark 72 Hotel. In just over two hours of the event, nearly a quarter of the 410 luxury apartments at King Palace were successfully purchased by the first owners.

The main advantage that helped King Palace achieve such impressive results was its prime location at 108 Nguyen Trai Street. The development is located right beside the Royal City Complex, among the most dynamically developing areas in Hanoi, where many professionals and businessmen from Japan, South Korea, and European countries work and live.

King Palace has a wide range of advantages to excel in the high-end apartment segment

In addition, with its unique design and optimised living space, equipped with world-class facilities and integrated with smart technology, the King Palace effortlessly attracts the attention of customers in the high-class segment.

Selling nearly a quarter of the apartments on the day of launching is an impressive result for a high-end project in Hanoi. The outstanding features, apartment designs, and floor plans immediately won the hearts of investors.

The launching ceremony of King Palace received great attention

The first owners of King Palace apartments were presented with gifts from CAO Fine Jewellery

One of the honoured sponsors of King Palace's launching ceremony on September 29 was CAO Fine Jewellery. At the event, the first apartment owners were presented with gifts worth a total of VND 300 million ($13,000), the most valuable of which was golden rice that symbolises the sponsor.

Many apartments acquired by the Korean community

Among the apartments sold at the King Palace launching ceremony, 65 units were bought by Korean people living and investing in Vietnam through their representative Kim Jae Hoon, CEO of J & Partners. This is also the highlight of the grand launching ceremony called "Journey to find the Kings."

Jacob Hemels, international sales director of VIREX (left), congratulated Kim Jae Hoon for successfully purchasing 65 apartments at King Palace

The interest of the South Korean community came as no surprise. This special project has been the centre of attention and was assessed by real estate experts as particularly attractive for foreign customers.

Lee Jae Hoon said at the event: "Although there are many real estate projects constructed in Hanoi, few projects could meet King Palaces standards of architecture, location, and quality. Built and operated in line with the highest international standards, I believe King Palace could be the best choice for foreigners in general and the Korean community in particular.

King Palace is expected to continue stirring up Hanois property market. In addition to its prime location, modern facilities, international-quality management services from Savills, and leading integrated technology, King Palace also offers investors attractive and exclusive financial support from Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB).

For more information, please visit: www.kingpalacehanoi.vn!

Hotline: +84 916 20 7979
Philippe Starck talking about his collaboration with Cassina over the past 20 years

Philippe Starck has overseen 10,000 creations from furniture, smart thermostats, electric bikes, and wooden pre-built homes to multi-storey buildings in his native country of France and across the globe.The multifaceted inventiveness of Philippe Starck has always focused on the essential, his vision: that creation, whatever form it takes, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. This is why he is one of the pioneers and central figures of the concept of democratic design.

By applying his prolific work to all domains, products of daily life, architecture, as well as naval and spatial engineering, he has been continually pushing the horizons of design, becoming one of the leading visionaries and most renowned creators of the international contemporary scene.

His work is exhibited in the collections of European and American museums, including the Musee National d'Art Moderne, the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the MOMA, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, the Vitra Design Museum in Basel, and the Design Museum in London.

Philippe Starck has been honoured with more than 180 prizes and awards to acknowledge his great contribution to design and to honour the importance of creation to humanity.

During The Other Conversation, Philippe Starck discussed his creative process, particularly for the projects with Cassina which birthed a series of living environments with sofas, chairs, stools, and beds, all revolving around the concept of elegant and timeless comfort.

About his design career, Philippe Starck said that he had a mission, a vision: that creation, whatever form it takes, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. Starck vehemently believes this poetic and political, rebellious and benevolent, pragmatic and subversive duty should be shared by everyone. He summed it up with the humour that had set him apart from the very beginning, No one has to be a genius, but everyone has to participate.

In the eyes of this accomplished citizen of the world, sharing his ethical and humanist vision of a moreequal planet is a duty that results in unconventional projects, bearing surprises. It is easy to guess his course of action: an object must be useful before being beautiful. Whether its a toothbrush, an airplane or a chair, its always the same philosophy: to think about what the user will gain, he said.

Philippe Starck also shared three famous collections namely My World, Prive, Volage EX-S, with pragmatic and intelligent design, his evolution of trademark capitonne quilted workmanship, and the high level of quality and aesthetics that have always distinguished the Cassina brand.

The Cassina showroom at Times Square Building features a series of living environments with sofas, chairs, stools, and beds by Philippe Starck, all founded on the concept of elegant and timeless comfort.
Carton boxes containing auto parts in one suspected container

The Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department under the General Department of Customs has joined hands with the Customs Department of Goods Verification under the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department to clarify signs of violations at Posco SS Vina Limited, located in the provinces Phu My 2 Industrial Park.

Earlier, on September 14 Posco SS Vina opened an import declaration at the Cai Mep Port Border Gate Customs Bureau.

Accordingly, the company had declared importing steel scraps meeting Vietnamese standards and weighing more than 122.6 tonnes distributed in five containers. The shipments were transported from Melbourne Port in Australia to Vietnam.

The products were bought from a company named Stamcorp International Pte., Ltd. headquartered in Singapore.

After checking, customs officers detected that besides scraps, three out of the five containers contained boxes of brand-new goods suspected of being automobile components.

According to final check results, inside the four containers are different carton boxes containining various kinds of brand-new auto components such as screws and disc brakes as well as related guide instructions.

Later on September 26, Posco SS Vina opened another import declaration to import scraps from the same company.

The batch consisted of 10 containers weighing more than 240 tonnes and was shipped from Melbourne Port in Australia to Vietnam on September 25.

After checking, customs officers detected that besides scraps one out of the 10 containers contained several packed boxes placed on one end of the container that held brand new screws.

In this situation, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department has asked the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department to order the Cai Mep Port Border Gate Customs Bureau to keep a close eye on the batches of goods, clearly define the suspected goods, their volume, quality, and estimated value, as well as keep tabs on all remaining containers still sitting at the port that belong to Posco SS Vina.

According to the final results of the checks, inside the four aforementioned suspected containers are different carton boxes containing various kinds of brand-new auto components, such as screws and disc brakes, as well as the related guide instructions.

As some carton boxes were broken, their contents have been gathered and are kept in the container they were found in. The investigation is still ongoing.
Toru Kinoshita, chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association

Is the Vietnamese automobile industry competitive and capable to produce and export a CBU car? Or is it only capable of producing and exporting car parts?

Currently, the size of the Vietnamese market is quite small compared to other ASEAN members such Thailand, Indonesia, leading to the small scale of production. As a result, production costs are not competitive. In this situation, it is difficult to produce a whole car and export to other countries, mainly because of our cost incompetitiveness. In the future, if the market expands enough and/or the government has supporting policies equivalent to rival nations, Vietnam can have chance and the conditions to produce and export cars.

As for parts, Vietnamese manufacturers are already producing and exporting parts to other countries, but their business is very limited and extend only to labour-intensive parts.

Import duty on CBU vehicles from the ASEAN has been removed, along with administrative barriers like Decree 116 to prevent CBU imports, as a result of which a lot of firms resumed importing to Vietnam. What are the challenges to local manufacturers in producing a CBU car or increasing localisation rates?

As I previously said, production in Vietnam is smaller in scale than in Thailand or Indonesia. The scale of production greatly affects production costs as production cannot support the increase of localisation for parts production, which is critical to reduce costs. If you invest in the production of new cars, you will need to invest in die or jig production, which is very costly.

For that amount of money, if we produce in small volumes, unit costs will be very high. In Thailand they can produce ten times as many cars with the same investment. This lack of competitiveness strongly affects investment decisions.

If there is support from the government to overcome the difficulties, increasing the production scale, Vietnam can become sufficiently competitive.

Recently, there has been a trend of protectionism, with several countries erecting trade barriers to protect local goods and governments calling back companies to invest domestically. This trend will certainly impact Vietnam. Where do you see Vietnam in the future?

We think Vietnam has a bright future ahead. In 10-20 years, economic development will be even faster thanks to the big population and the improved quality of human resources. I do believe that Vietnam will become a huge market and the automobile industry will also grow.

However, to turn potential into results, it is necessary to continue to create a favourable business environment, have consistent and stable policies, and especially to realise the intention behind specific policies and actions.

What specific policies does Vietnam have in place to enhance local automobile production? What do you think about applying 0 per cent import tax for CKD parts?

We regularly recommend consistent policy solutions to achieve the following development goals:

(1) Having long-term policies to maintain the stable development of the market;

(2) Having supporting policies for domestic production to increase cost competiveness, narrow the production cost gap, and treating all domestic producers in a fair and transparent manner  in this sense, we support the idea of applying the 0 per cent tax for CKD parts;

(3) Having practical and feasible policies to support the development of parts suppliers, such as the reducing the cost of die, jigs or introducing tax incentives or human resources development.
Rice loaded for export. Rice export would be among the 22 sectors which could see fewer business conditions.-Photo vneconomy.vn

VCCI sent a document to the Legal Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment asking to revise the list of conditional business sectors laid out in the amended Investment Law 2016.

According to VCCI, the issuance of the list of conditional business lines in the Investment Law 2014 was a big step toward the transparency of the sectors. The business community could identify lines of business to make investment decisions, as well as monitoring State agencies when implementing business management policies.

The list of conditional business sectors was supplemented and amended to be cut down from 267 to 243 in 2016. The amended list removed many unsuitable business conditions, creating an open and favourable business environment.

However, VCCI said there were some shortcomings in the current list which should be continued to be reviewed and amended.

VCCI reviewed 243 conditional business sectors in the list and released a recommendation that 22 lines should be removed more.

The sectors also include temporary import for re-export of frozen foods, job service trading, automobile maintenance, shipbuilding, travel service trading and printing service.

In addition, it also proposed 10 business lines which should have a narrower scope of business conditions control such as food trading under the specialised management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, franchising, aquatic product trading, animal feed and pesticides trading.

Currently, the Government and the Prime Minister have directed ministries and agencies to reduce the business conditions. The PM asked ministers to submit to the Government for promulgation of decrees and simplifying at least 50 per cent of business conditions before October 30.
Vinapaco's divestment Phuong Nam Pulp Mill has been unsuccessful multiple times

Being one of the unprofitable businesses of Vinapaco, Phuong Nam Pulp Mill has been put on auction with two extensions in 2017. Nevertheless, the project is still up for grabs since no investors seemed to be interested.

In February 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) proposed the government to approve specific incentives for the projects, which is similar to Decree No.61/2017/ND-CP detailing the initial valuation of bad debts, collateral assets for bad debts.

Accordingly, if the first auction fails, the firm will be permitted to reduce the initial price by 10 per cent (no more than twice) in the following sessions. Moreover, in case there is no buyer even with the discounted price, it is proposed that Vinapaco will appraise its financial capacity as well as its ability to repay debts and then report to the government to set a new discount for the next auctions.

In its recent report to the MoIT, Vinapaco stated that some investors have expressed interest in buying the mill, however, the approved auction dossiers have ceased to be effective.

We are looking for a contractor to reappraise Phuong Nam Pulp Mills fixed assets and inventory, then continue with the auction, said a representative from Vinapaco.

Notably, the management board has admitted that even if the firm is reappraised, it is uncertain whether a subsequent auction will be successful. This project has remained unsolved for a long while, affecting the progress of Vinapacos privatisation.

Dang Quyet Tien, head of the Ministry of Finances Department of Corporate Finance, said that while Vinapaco is making efforts to deal with Phuong Nam Pulp Mill, they will likely face numerous difficulties.

The project may not be sold and the mill will go bankrupt or it will need to convert into a new business model, Tien stated.

Phuong Nam Pulp Mill is not the only obstacle, legal difficulties may push Vinapaco to give up on privatising its three remaining branches and has made it impossible to privatise Vinapaco itself and its subsidiary Southern Paper Materials Company scheduled by 2018.

Furthermore, Vinapaco is at a standstill in its attempt to divest from its other businesses, namely Tan Mai Group JSC and BBP Paper JSC. Specifically, Vinapaco has offered to sell its capital in Tan Mai Group twice and even gave out a 10 per cent discount on the remaining shares it holds, but still found no interested investors.

The latest solution is to list Tan Mai Group on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UpCOM) on the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) in order to complete the divestment by 2021.

Vinapacos capital of VND52 billion ($2.26 million) in BBP Paper Company shows no brighter prospects as BBPs accumulated losses hit VND218 billion ($9.48 million) in 2014, 96.54 per cent of the owners equity. In 2015, the company continued to lose VND45 billion ($1.96 million), after which BBP has been brought to a halt by piling up difficulties.
U.S. agents arrested nearly 17,000 members of family units attempting to cross the U.S. border with Mexico in September, a 31 percent increase over the previous month, according to official statistics released Tuesday.

In a news briefing with reporters Tuesday, Trump administration officials pointed to the increase in migrant families as evidence of a "border crisis" because those groups are more difficult for immigration enforcement officials to detain and deport because of protections granted by U.S. law to migrant children.

President Donald Trump's administration has expressed alarm at the change in the makeup of migrants attempting to cross into the United States from mostly single adults to children and families traveling together.

About 40 percent of those apprehended in fiscal 2017 and 2018 were unaccompanied children or families with children, compared with 10 percent in 2012, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank.

According to numbers released Tuesday, U.S. border officials arrested nearly 397,000 people in total at the southern border in the 2018 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, a significant increase over the 304,000 apprehended in 2017 but largely in line with arrest trends of migrants at the U.S. southern border over the past decade.

Border arrests dropped in the months after Trump took office in January 2017 but have rebounded over the past year.

Experts believe that Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric dissuaded potential migrants from crossing in the first months of his presidency.

Trump has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America over a caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants fleeing violence and poverty at home.

He has called the caravan, which is currently in southern Mexico, a national emergency as he seeks to boost his Republican Party's chances of maintaining control of Congress in the Nov. 6 elections.

Earlier this year, Trump's administration tried to deter families from traveling to the border by instituting a "zero tolerance" policy, separating thousands of children as their parents were prosecuted.

About 2,500 children and parents were separated before Trump abandoned the policy in June after a public outcry. A federal judge ordered the families reunited, a process that is still incomplete.

'Not sustainable'

In Texas' Rio Grande Valley (RGV), where more migrants are arrested crossing illegally than in any other section of the 2,000-mile-long (3,200-km) border with Mexico, apprehensions continued to rise in October, said the Border Patrol sector's Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla.

RGV made over 12,700 arrests in the first three weeks of October, marking a 112 percent increase over the same period of 2017, Padilla said in a phone interview.

Sixty-four percent of those detentions were of family members or unaccompanied children from countries other than Mexico, up from a rate of 51 percent in all of fiscal year 2018, Padilla said. Over 5,400 family units were detained in the first half of October, up 300 percent from the same period of 2017.

"Right now we're at maximum capacity when it comes to detention, and so is ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Our detention capacity is just breaking at the seams," said Padilla, predicting border-wide family apprehensions would rise again in October. "This is not sustainable."
A caravan of Central American migrants was set to resume its arduous journey to the U.S. Wednesday after pausing Tuesday to mourn a fellow traveler who was killed in a road accident and to tend to various travel-related ailments many have developed.

Such caravans have been routine over the years without much attention, but U.S. President Donald Trump has used the caravan to rally his Republican base before the Nov. 6 midterm elections.



Trump tweeted Wednesday his administration "will never accept people coming into our Country illegally."

Trump fueled the controversy in a series of tweets Monday, saying without evidence that "criminals and unknown Middle Easterners" were among the caravan of Central American migrants bound for the U.S.

Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway defended those statements Wednesday, telling reporters outside the White House they don't know "what information he has," without offering proof of the accuracy of the remarks.

"I can promise you he knows more than you do and than I do on any given day about this information," Conway said.

Trump has blasted Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala for not stopping their citizens from departing for the U.S. He said Monday he would begin cutting off or reducing foreign aid to those countries and threatened last week to use military troops to close the U.S. southern border.

The caravan of more than 7,000 of mostly Hondurans who are fleeing violence and poverty in their home country, was in the southern Mexican town of Huixtla, about 50 kilometers north of the Guatemalan border and more than 1,000 miles from the closest U.S. border.



Many in the caravan may not qualify for asylum even if they reach the border.

The U.S. does not consider escapes from poverty and violence as qualifying factors.

International law requires that individuals fleeing violence and persecution must be allowed access to the country where they are seeking asylum and the right to apply for it.

Staff from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees arrived earlier this week in the Mexican town of Tapachulas, which is near the Guatemalan border, to help stabilize the migrant caravan's chaotic situation and to register asylum seekers.

UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told VOA staffers are also safeguarding migrants' rights.



"All countries have a right to be able to manage their own immigration and manage their own borders," Edwards said. "What is important for us is that those borders are managed in an asylum-sensitive way, which means giving people access, assessing their claims and then dealing with them accordingly in line with international law."



Trump has vowed to prevent the caravan of migrants from entering the U.S., but beyond threats to cut or reduce foreign aid, administration officials have not indicated how the U.S. will respond to what he has called a "national emergency."

Faces in the Crowd: The Honduran Caravan photo gallery
Ecuador does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in talks over his situation as an asylee in the South American country's London embassy, Ecuador's foreign

minister said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said in an interview with Reuters that Ecuador's only responsibility was looking after Assange's well-being, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

"Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps," Valencia said. "We are not Mr. Assange's lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain."

This position marks a departure from the country's previous practice of maintaining dialog with British authorities over Assange's situation since granting him asylum in 2012, when he took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy after British courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case.

That case has since been dropped, but friends and supporters have said that Assange now fears he could be arrested and eventually extradited to the United States if he leaves the embassy. WikiLeaks, which published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets when Assange ran the operation, faces a U.S. grand jury investigation.

Valencia said he was "frustrated" by Assange's decision to file suit in an Ecuadorian court last week over new terms of his asylum, which required him to pay for medical bills and telephone calls and to clean up after his pet cat.

"There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr. Assange's laundry," he said.

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has said that asylum is not meant to be eternal, but he has expressed concern about the possibility that Assange may be extradited to the United States.

Valencia said Tuesday that he had not discussed Assange's situation with the U.S. government.

Last December, Ecuador granted Assange Ecuadorian citizenship and sought to name him as a member of the country's diplomatic mission in Britain and Russia, which could have assured him safe passage to leave the embassy. Britain denied the request.
After the United States announced it was suspending a joint air defense military exercise with South Korea, Seoul announced it will conduct its own drill.

The joint aerial exercise Vigilant Ace had been planned for December 2018, but was canceled by the Pentagon to give diplomatic efforts with North Korea "every opportunity to continue.

Experts speaking to VOA were divided on whether conditions on the peninsula had advanced enough to warrant the exercises suspension and have their intended effect.

Vigilant Ace is one of two major exercises suspended since the June Singapore summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The exercises were suspended to ease tensions on the peninsula and encourage dialogue with Pyongyang, so it would abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

But a South Korean defense ministry official announced on Monday, No changes will be made to the drill to be staged by the South Korean Air Force, though the joint programs will not take place.

Last year, the joint Vigilant Ace exercise had more than 230 aircraft and around 12,000 U.S. service members participating.

Incentivising North Korea

The two Korean leaders have met three times in 2018, most recently in September, when South Korean President Moon Jae-in traveled to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Dong-yub, Kyungnam Universitys Head of Office Research at the Institute for Far East Studies, tells VOA the cancellation reflects changes on the Korean peninsula and in the North Korea - United States relationship.

That sentiment is not shared by Daniel Pinkston, international relations lecturer at Seouls Troy University.

It appears that the intention of the cancellations is to persuade or encourage North Korea to make progress in denuclearization, but North Korea has already made those commitments in the past [and] I don't know if this is going to convince North Korea, said Pinkston.

He said from an arms control perspective, if joint military drills between the United States and South Korea are halted, then North Korea should cancel or tone down their upcoming winter drills.

Kim Dong-yub stresses that not all joint exercises between Seoul and Washington are being canceled.

This is a tentative decision and officials can resume military exercises should circumstances on the peninsula change, he said.

But Dongguk University professor Kim Yong-hyun doesnt think there is much difference between temporarily suspending drills or outright canceling them.

I believe [suspending or canceling the drills] is a measure to encourage North Korean denuclearization, said Kim Yong-hyun.

He said that while this is a temporary measure, theres a high probability the trend of suspending or canceling exercises could continue.

But Pinkston said he doesnt, see how canceling the exercises makes the peninsula more secure or stable.

He doesnt assume North Korea will denuclearize because drills, like Vigilant Ace, are suspended.

There seems to be some kind of pretend or make-believe narrative in some circles and certain governments, that maybe some people are making that assumption, but I don't think that assumption really holds or is plausible, said Pinkston.

Implications for Seoul carrying out their own drills

Seoul planning to carry out its own aerial exercises, without the United States, should pose no irritation to Pyongyang, said Kim Yong-hyun.

North Korea often calls the large-scale joint exercises with U.S. troops and their South Korean counterparts provocative and has requested they be canceled for quite some time.

Military professionals can sit down and have a detailed discussion on the cancellation of drills, said Pinkston.

He noted that under the terms of the armistice agreement, both sides have an obligation to maintain the ceasefire and military professionals know what [exercises are] threatening or intimidating.

The communication mechanism provides for open and clear discussion.

If both sides want to get into a threat reduction process and scale down or scale back exercises that will encourage or instill mutual confidence, then I would welcome that. But, there doesn't seem to be much coordination and cooperation, Pinkston said.

Kim Yong-hyun theorizes that because the South Korean drills are not carried out on the same scale as the joint exercises, it would be viewed by Pyongyang as a form of general practice, and not contribute to an increase in regional tension.

The cost of cancellation

United States military personnel typically are stationed on the Korean peninsula for one year; therefore, they typically have only one opportunity to go through the complete training cycle.

Pinkston said being ready should the armistice collapse, or if another problem were to arise requiring military force, is instrumental and critical.

In addition, RAND Corporation Senior International and Defense Researcher Bruce Bennett points out another reason the joint exercises are conducted is, to introduce them to their Korean colleagues to get them starting working together.

Thats something thats got to continue, said Bennett.

Lee Ju-hyun contributed to this report.
European leaders have urged the United States not to abandon a landmark Cold War-era agreement prohibiting the U.S. and Russia from possessing ground-launched tactical nuclear missiles; but, they have tempered their reaction to President Donald Trumps threat to do so by supporting his call for the Kremlin to be more transparent about its new missiles.

The U.S. leaders announcement of his plan to withdraw from the Reagan-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty of 1987 has prompted a flurry of disapproval in Europe with predictions that quitting the pact will trigger an arms race and return Europe to the danger of a hair-trigger nuclear exchange.

On Tuesday, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton told reporters in Moscow that Washington hasnt yet supplied Russia with official notification that it intends to withdraw from the historic arms treaty, but said such a move would be coming in due course.

Bolton has long been a critic of the treaty, citing Russian violations of the pact in the form of the development and deployment of a missile the Russians designate as the 9M729. Russian officials deny the 9M729 is an intermediate-range cruise missile, but the Obama administration, too, had worried about the class and range of the missile, telling Congress of its concerns in 2011. The weapon has been described as non-compliant with the terms of the treaty.

In early 2017, a senior U.S. military officer said that Russia had begun deploying the missile. Russia denies the missile is non-compliant.

Of the major European powers, only Britain has offered support, with the countrys defense secretary, Gavin Williamson, accusing Moscow of making a mockery of the INF treaty, an agreement that eased Cold War tensions. Britain stands absolutely resolute with the U.S., Williamson told the British media, in hammering home a clear message that Russia needs to respect the treaty obligation that it signed.

We of course want to see this treaty continue to stand but it does require two parties to be committed to it and at the moment you have one party that is ignoring it, Williamson said.

But while other European leaders are also calling on Russia to be more transparent about new missile developments, they say the INF treaty, which has kept nuclear missiles out of Europe for almost three decades, shouldnt be abandoned.

The INF contributed to the end of the Cold War and constitutes a pillar of European security architecture since it entered into force 30 years ago, a spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement. She added, The world doesnt need a new arms race that would benefit no one and, on the contrary, would bring even more instability.

Frances Foreign Ministry argues great importance should be attributed to conventional and nuclear arms control agreements. We call on all the parties to avoid any hasty unilateral decisions, which would be regrettable, the ministry said in a statement. And Germany has advised against the scrapping of the treaty, saying it will be placed in a tough spot by the U.S. abandonment.

German officials say they will seek NATO's help to keep the INF treaty alive and use all diplomatic means to do so. But they also stress the Kremlin bears much of the blame for the U.S. plan to abandon the pact by saying the alliance has to be ready to take action to force Moscow to comply with its INF obligations.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas Tuesday told a German newspaper, The American frustration is not unfounded. But that should not result in throwing the baby out with the bath water. Maas said there is understandable anxiety about Russia's failure to address allegations it is violating the treaty.

Then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the INF treaty in 1987. It bans either the U.S. or Russia from possessing, producing or test-firing ground-launched nuclear cruise missiles with a range of between 480 and 5,500 kilometers. Trump has accused Moscow of violating the treaty for many years and warned Russia and China, which is not a signatory to the agreement, to cease their development of ground-launched tactical nuclear missiles, otherwise the U.S. will restart its own program.

Some analysts in Europe say the U.S. is unlikely to find allies willing to host on their soil American INF missiles, fearing that would trigger a repeat of the kind of massive protests seen in the 1980s. They argue Russia would be unshackled if the INF treaty were abandoned and could seek to develop more short- and medium-range ground-launched nuclear missiles. They maintain also that it feeds into the perception of a U.S. leader eager to tear up treaties that he believes hamstring America.

Supporters of Trumps plan to quit the accord counter that continuing with the treaty rewards Russia for cheating and does nothing to halt INF developments by China, which the Pentagon says now has the largest and most diverse nuclear missile force in the world.
Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi policies, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his marriage.

Saudi Arabia initially denied knowledge of his fate. Then, on Saturday, its public prosecutor said he had been killed in a fight in the consulate, an explanation that has drawn international scepticism.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

A senior Saudi official confirmed to Reuters they were among the 18 Saudis detained, along with three local suspects.

Most of the 15 worked in the Saudi military or security and intelligence services, including at the royal court, according to Saudi and Turkish officials and several sources with ties to the royal court.

Turkey's pro-government Sabah newspaper published what it said were photographs of the men taken from surveillance footage at the airport, two hotels they briefly checked into, the consulate and the consul's residence.

The following profiles of some of those detained or dismissed are based on those photographs, Saudi media reports and information from Saudi officials and sources.

Saud al-Qahtani

Saud al-Qahtani, 40, seen as the right-hand man to Prince Mohammed, was removed as a royal court adviser and is the highest-profile figure implicated in the incident.

Qahtani entered the royal court under the late King Abdullah. He rose to prominence as a confidante in Prince Mohammed's secretive inner circle. He regularly spoke on behalf of the crown prince, known as MbS, and has given direct orders to senior officials including in the security apparatus, the sources with ties to the royal court said.

Tasked with countering alleged Qatari influence on social media, Qahtani used Twitter to attack criticism of the kingdom in general and Prince Mohammed in particular. He also used Twitter to attack critics and ran a WhatsApp group with local newspaper editors, dictating the royal court line.

Qahtani had tried to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia after he moved to Washington a year ago fearing reprisals for his views, according to people close to the journalist and the government.

In an August 2017 Twitter thread asking his 1.35 million followers to flag accounts for a black list for monitoring, Qahtani wrote: "Do you think I make decisions without guidance? I am an employee and a faithful executor of the orders of my lord the king and my lord the faithful crown prince."

The senior Saudi official said Qahtani had authorized one of his subordinates, Maher Mutreb, to conduct what he said was meant to be a negotiation for Khashoggi's return to the kingdom.

Qahtani also supplied Mutreb with unspecified information based on his earlier conversations with Khashoggi, the official said. Qahtani did not respond to questions from Reuters. Reuters was not able to reach Mutreb for comment.

Maher Mutreb

General Maher Mutreb, an aide to Qahtani for information security, was the lead negotiator inside the consulate, according to the senior Saudi official. He is a senior intelligence officer and part of Prince Mohammed's security team. He appeared in photographs with the crown prince on official visits this year to the United States and Europe.

According to the Saudi official, Mutreb was selected for the Istanbul operation because he already knew Khashoggi from their time working together at the Saudi embassy in London.

"He knew Jamal very well and he was the best one to convince him to return," the official said.

Mutreb received Khashoggi at the Saudi consul's office around 1:25 pm. He began urging him to come home and claimed he was wanted by Interpol, the official said.

The official said Khashoggi told Mutreb he was violating diplomatic norms and asked whether Mutreb planned to kidnap him. Mutreb said yes, the official said, in an apparent attempt to intimidate Khashoggi.

Sabah newspaper published stills from surveillance cameras that appear to show Mutreb entering the consulate three hours before Khashoggi, and later outside the consul's residence.

Britain's Foreign Office confirmed that Mutreb served as a first secretary for a period including 2007.

Salah Tubaigy

Salah Tubaigy is a forensic expert at the Saudi Ministry of Interior's criminal evidence department, according to a biography posted online by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.

In the Istanbul operation, he was supposed to remove evidence such as fingerprints or proof of the use of force, according to the Saudi official.

Tubaigy spent three months in 2015 at Australia's Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine to observe death investigation procedures and learn about the use of CT scanning for mass fatality incidents, director Noel Woodford told Reuters.

Photographs from the institute's 2015 annual report, which resemble the suspect named by Turkish media, show Tubaigy wearing medical scrubs, a smock and rubber gloves in a laboratory setting, and separately chatting with colleagues.

Tubaigy did not respond to an email sent by Reuters.

The Saudi Society of Forensic Medicine lists him as a board member. He earned a master's degree in forensic medicine from the University of Glasgow in 2004, the biography shows. A university spokeswoman declined to comment.

Tubaigy is 47 years old, according to a passport copy provided to U.S. media by Turkish officials.

Ahmed al-Asiri

Ahmed al-Asiri, former deputy head of General Intelligence, was among those sacked by King Salman. He joined the military in 2002, according to Saudi media reports, and was spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition which intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015.

Asiri was named deputy chief of foreign intelligence by royal decree in April 2017.

Reuters was unable to reach Asiri for comment.

Moustafa al-Madani

Moustafa al-Madani led the intelligence efforts for the 15-man team in Istanbul, the senior Saudi official said.

According to that official, Madani donned Khashoggi's clothes, eyeglasses and Apple watch and left through the back door of the consulate in an attempt to make it look like the journalist had walked out of the building.

Madani is a government employee who studied at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, according to a Facebook profile with photographs resembling the suspect identified by Turkish media.

Reuters was unable to reach Madani for comment. University officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Meshal Saad Albostani

Meshal Saad Albostani is lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force from the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, according to a Facebook profile with multiple photographs resembling the suspect identified by Turkish media.

The senior Saudi official said he was responsible for the Istanbul team's logistics.

Albostani studied at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, according to Facebook. University officials contacted by Reuters said they could not confirm a graduate of that name.

A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo says he has served in the air force since 2006.

He is 31 years old, according to a passport copy provided to U.S. media by Turkish officials.

Albostani could not immediately be reached for comment.

Other members of the team

Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Hawsawi is a member of the security team that travels with the Saudi crown prince, according to a New York Times report that cited a French professional who has worked with the royal family. He is 31, according to a passport copy provided to U.S. media by Turkish officials. Reuters could not reach Hawsawi for comment.

General Rashad bin Hamed al-Hamadi was removed as director of the general directorate of security and protection in the General Intelligence Presidency.

General Abdullah bin Khaleef al-Shaya was removed as assistant head of General Intelligence for human resources. General Mohammed Saleh al-Ramih was removed as assistant head of General Intelligence for intelligence affairs.

The three generals could not be reached for comment.
Ten leading human rights organizations have chosen three human rights defenders  two from Turkey and Colombia, and a third  a Sudanese refugee in Papua New Guinea--as finalists for the 2019 Martin Ennals Award. The award honors Amnesty Internationals secretary-general from 1968 to 1980.



The three human rights defenders won out over 75 candidates because of their stubborn pursuit of justice for the rights of disadvantaged and marginalized people, often at great risk to their personal freedom and lives.

Eren Keskin, a lawyer and human rights activist in Turkey was imprisoned in August 2016 as part of a national sweep one month after an attempted coup against the President.

Director of the Martin Ennals Foundation, Michael Khambatta, tells VOA at the time of her arrest, Keskin was editor-in-chief of a newspaper that dealt with Kurdish issues. He says she was held responsible for many of the published articles and was given a 12-and-one-half-year sentence. This currently is under appeal.

She has worked on, basically on womens issues, everything from sexual assault in prison to  that is one where she actually created an organization," he said. "She works on LGBTI issues and Kurdish issues and also on the Armenian genocide. Those have been her four main priorities since 1996.

The second nominee, Marino Cordoba Berrio, a member of the Afro-Colombian ethnic group, has been fighting for his peoples right of ownership over their land. Khambatta says he has faced threats and attacks from powerful land owners interested in exploiting the land for commercial logging and mining.

The last nominee, Abdul Aziz Muhamat is from Darfur in Sudan. He fled to the capital Khartoum, got into trouble as a student activist and fled again to Australia seeking asylum. He has been in detention on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea for the past five years.

Khambatta says Muhamat has been advocating for the hundreds of men who are living in horrid, punitive conditions on the island. He does this through the skillful use of social media and podcasts.

He keeps things peaceful and he has been a voice to the wider world, particularly to Australia on the impact and consequencesThe real thing that he highlights is not so much the actual conditions of the camp, but the fact that they have nowhere to go and they have no future, said Khambatta.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelet, will announce the laureate of the Martin Ennals Award February 13. The winner will receive a cash prize of $30,000. The two runners-up will receive $10,000 each.
Four U.S. soldiers were injured in a major North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercise in Norway in an accident involving four vehicles Tuesday, the U.S. military said.

One soldier was released shortly after being hospitalized, and the three others are under observation in stable condition, the U.S. Joint Information Center said in a statement.

The soldiers were in trucks delivering cargo to Kongens Gruve, Norway, in support of Trident Juncture 18, the biggest NATO exercise in recent years, two days ahead of the start date.

Trident Juncture 18 will involve around 50,000 personnel from NATO Allies and partner countries, about 250 aircraft, 65 vessels and up to 10,000 vehicles. It will take place from Oct. 25 to Nov. 7 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.

"The accident occurred when three vehicles collided and a fourth vehicle slid off the pavement and overturned while trying to avoid the three vehicles that had collided," the information center said.

The vehicles and personnel in the accident were assigned to the U.S. Army's 51st Composite Truck Company stationed in Baumholder, Germany.

The U.S. military is working with Norwegian authorities to investigate the accident.
On a recent humid day in downtown Atlanta, dozens of voters gathered near the state capital to demand Brian Kemp step down as the states top election official. "No voter suppression in Georgia!" a middle-aged woman in sunglasses shouts to passing cars. "We will not have it!"

Kemp serves as Georgias Secretary of State and is charged with overseeing the states elections. Hes also running to be the next governor of Georgia, and is being accused of blocking minority voters. "Brian Kemp has a really long history of suppressing the vote in Georgia, and its time that he needs to resign," Maggie Chambers said. "Especially for an election when he is top of the ticket.

Chambers is a Democrat and works for Kemps opponent, Stacey Abrams. If elected, Abrams would be an historic choice: she would be the first black governor of Georgia, the first female governor of Georgia, and the first ever black, female governor to be elected in the United States.

Abrams, a Yale Law School graduate, is one of three African-American gubernatorial candidates running to make history in their states. Democrat Andrew Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, is fighting to become the first black governor of Florida. And Ben Jealous, the former president and CEO of the NAACP, is running to become the first black governor of Maryland.

"We have a chance to make history," Abrams said to a cheering crowd when she won the Democratic nomination for governor in April. To make sure no one is unseen, or unheard."

Abrams formerly served in the Georgia legislature as a Democratic leader, and is running a campaign on issues such as expanding Medicaid and providing affordable education and earned income tax credits for low-income families. Kemp, however, calls Abrams too extreme for Georgia and is campaigning to cut state spending and crack down on crime and illegal immigration.

"This is a fight for the soul of our state, a battle for our future," has become Kemps campaign signature line. Kemp, a University of Georgia graduate, is a former small businessman who was involved in agriculture, financial services and real estate management.

Following an Associated Press report that revealed 53,000 Georgia voter registrations  most of them belonging to black voters  had been suspended under a controversial verification program, a coalition of civil rights groups sued Kemp in his official capacity as Secretary of State. Abrams campaign called for Kemp to resign his position and do away with the exact match program, which voting rights advocates say places an unnecessary burden on primarily minority voters.

"The Secretary of States office must do away with the discriminatory exact match program and process all voter registrations immediately," according to a statement from the Abrams campaign. "In addition, Brian Kemp needs to resign his position, so that Georgia voters can have confidence that their Secretary of State competently and impartially oversee this election.

Under the "exact match" program, residents wishing to vote must present identification that exactly matches that of their registration. The smallest mistake  a typo or a missing hyphen, for instance -- means their registration is held up.

They can, however, still vote. As a "pending voter" at the polls, they would have to provide a photo identification that substantially reflects the name on the voter registration form, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.

"My opponent manufactured a crisis to fire up her supporters and fundraise from left wing radicals throughout the country," Kemp tweeted. "Her dark money voter registration group submitted sloppy forms. Now, they are faking outrage for political gain."

Abrams is credited with registering tens of thousands of new minority voters through her non-profit, the New Georgia Project. She has previously declined to identify the donors funding her initiative, according to local media.
Campaigners in a bohemian district of Berlin celebrated Wednesday after Internet giant Google abandoned strongly-opposed plans to open a large campus there.

The US firm had planned to set up an incubator for start-up companies in Kreuzberg, one of the older districts in the west of the capital.

But the company's German spokesman Ralf Bremer announced Wednesday that the 3,000 square-metre (3,590 square-yard) space  planned to host offices, cafes and communal work areas, would instead go to two local humanitarian associations.

Bremer did not say if local resistance to the plans over the past two years had played a part in the change of heart, although he had told the Berliner Zeitung daily that Google does not allow protests dictate its actions.

"The struggle pays off," tweeted "GloReiche Nachbarschaft", one of the groups opposed to the Kreuzberg campus plan and part of the "F**k off Google" campaign.

Some campaigners objected to what they described as Google's "evil" corporate practices, such as tax evasion and the unethical use of personal data.

Some opposed the gentrification of the district, pricing too many people out of the area.

A recent study carried out by the Knight Fox consultancy concluded that property prices are rising faster in Berlin than anywhere else in the world: they jumped 20.5 percent between 2016 and 2017.

In Kreuzberg over the same period, the rise was an astonishing 71 percent.

Kreuzberg, which straddled the Berlin Wall that divided East and West Berlin during the Cold War, has traditionally been a bastion of the city's underground and radical culture.
Authorities in a North Sumatra village have banned three HIV+ orphans from elementary school, and threatened the children, who are from outside the area, with expulsion from Nainggolan due to community fears of transmission.

The children, a boy and two girls, aged 7 to 11 years, were infected by transmission from their mothers, Berlina Sibagariang, executive secretary of the Batak Protestant Christian Huria AIDS Committee (HKBP), told VOA Indonesia. The orphaned children attended preschool and the Nainggolan State Primary School in North Sumatra for one day before they were expelled, in response to outcry from students and parents who learned of their HIV status, according to Sibagariang.

We want those three children to enjoy their rights to go to school and get an education, Sibagariang said, adding the community hopes that the children will no longer attend local schools. They are afraid that their children will be infected with HIV.

The children were removed from classes on October 22, and Sibagariang said the local community set an October 25 deadline for the children to leave the village.



While an estimated five million people are infected with HIV in Asia, the rate of new infections has slowed in the last decade. But not in Indonesia, which now has an estimated 660,000 people living with HIV, according to the UNAIDS. According to the U.N. agency, Indonesia had 48,000 new HIV infections and 38,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2016, an increase in AIDS-related deaths of 68 percent from 2010. As of 2016, an estimated 3,200 Indonesian children were infected with HIV due to mother-to-child transmission.



There is, Indonesians activists note, ignorance of HIV and its transmission.

Many people in our rural area still dont really know what HIV/AIDS is, or the regulations covering it, Puta Elvina, commissioner of Indonesias National Commission to Protect Children (KPAI) told VOA. In Nainggolan, the school should educate the [Parent Teachers Association (PTA)] about HIV/AIDS so they know they dont have to worry about it. [The PTA} should communicate to them how people become infected, how HIV is transmitted, etc. And the school has an obligation to those HIV-kids, to protect and support them. Actually not only the school, but also the local people (to support the kids) and the local government.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can only be transmitted from an infected person to another through direct contact of bodily fluids such as blood (including menstrual blood), semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk, according to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, a leading U.S. source of information on HIV and AIDS. Blood contains the highest concentration of the virus, followed by semen, followed by vaginal fluids, followed by breast milk.  It is possible for an HIV-infected mother to transmit HIV before or during birth or through breast milk. Breast milk contains HIV, and while small amounts of breast milk do not pose significant threat of infection to adults, it is a risk for infants.

The shunning behavior in Nainggolan is not unique. HIV stigma is effectively universal, but its form varies from one country to another, and the specific groups targeted for AIDS stigma vary considerably, says the University of California, Davis. Whatever its form, HIV stigma inflicts suffering on people and interferes with attempts to fight the AIDS epidemic.

Tiqoh, who has only one name, is an activist at Yayasan Pelita Ilmu (YPI), a non-governmental organization with a long track record on HIV/AIDS education in Indonesia, understands the difficulty of talking about HIV with the local people, but perhaps the school could also involve doctors from the local clinic. Those parents and local people who refuse to take care these kids, or dont want them to study in the same class as their children, theyre taking these actions because they dont know much about HIV/AIDS. Theyre just worry that their kids might be infected.

HKBP is continuing talks with local government officials and the community as the Thursday deadline approaches in an attempt to stop expulsion of the children from Nainggolan.

They said that we should remove those children because the local government hasnt issued a permit to send children to those schools or even stay in that village, said Sibagariang. In fact, the home in that village  where we sent the children  is our home, an HKBP home. They have right to stay there. Its our home!

Local leader, Samosir Regent Rapidin Simbolon, told VOA that the HKBP hospital in Nainggolan once accommodated the elderly, but now they accommodate children who are exposed to HIV.

So far, the talks have resulted in a suggestion to homeschool the children but the HKBP AIDS Committee rejected this option, saying it would isolate the children and paper over what they see as the real issue: misunderstanding of HIV-AIDS.



The committee criticized another local leader, Samosir Deputy Regent, Juang Sinaga, who called for the children to be expelled from the village, and sent to the jungle.

Rapidin told VOA "I am responsible, he said. I will not allow the public to directly shun them.  We will protect (the children) so no one will take advantage of the situation. Be assured we are protecting them, we will even involve the police, if necessary. I guarantee that the children are being monitored.

But the regent said that there were different opinions about the orphansparents dont want their children in classes with the HIV+ orphans, while HKBP who said that [separating these children] is discriminating against HIV-people.

The HKBP does not want to understand us, Rapidin said. The three children who are positive are not from our region. They come from outside. We are actually very tolerant, it's OK here. But they (HKBP) are insistent. The HKBP cannot insist like that. Nainggolan residents also have rights."

Anugerah Andriansyah reported from North Sumatra, Indonesia and Eva Mazrieva reported from Washington, D.C.
A Japanese freelance journalist is on his way home after more than three years in captivity in Syria.

Japanese officials in Tokyo have confirmed that a man who walked into an immigration office Tuesday in the southern Turkish city of Antakya is 44-year-old Jumpei Yasuda.

"I am happy that I can return to Japan. At the same time, I don't know what will happen from here or what I should do," Yasuda told Reuters on his flight home.

He said he had not spoken Japanese in more than three years and was struggling to find the right words.

The circumstances of Yasuda's release are unclear, but a senior Japanese government spokesman said Qatar and Turkey negotiated his freedom. The spokesmen denied a ransom was paid.

Al-Qaida-affiliated militants in Syria are suspected of kidnapping Yasuda just after he came to Syria in 2015 to cover the war.

He was also briefly held captive in Baghdad in 2004.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a senior White House envoy on Tuesday as the U.S. affirmed President Donald Trumps intention to exit a landmark nuclear treaty amid charges of violating the agreement.

US National Security Advisor John Boltons meeting with the Russian leader capped two days of talks with senior Kremlin officials aimed at paving the way for the United States withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The deal, brokered between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, required the elimination of all short- and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles in Europe  then divided by the worlds two great superpowers.

For now, the U.S. has yet to formally exit the agreement. Yet Bolton left no doubt that the move was imminent.

The INF is ignored and outmoded, said Bolton. Its a Cold War treaty for a multipolar world.

President Trump has justified the withdrawal by pointing to a recent history of Russian transgressions  a charge Moscow has repeatedly levied against Washington.

Russia has not, unfortunately, honored the agreement, said Mr. Trump, in comments at a political rally over the weekend. So were going to terminate the agreement and were going to pull out.

Until people come to their senses  we have more money than anybody else, by far, added the American leader.

Bolton echoed that rationale before reporters again in Moscow.

This question of Russian violations is long and deep, said Bolton, noting that Russian violations had dated back to the Obama administration.

The threat is not Americas INF withdrawal from the treaty. The threat is Russian missiles already deployed.

Arms race 2.0?

From President Putin on down, Kremlin officials have repeatedly warned any new U.S. arms deployments that result from the treatys collapse will be met in kind.

Such exchanges have unnerved key European allies  including Germany and France  who fear a return to the days of the Cold War when Europe served as a nuclear sparring ground between the worlds two superpowers.

Other American allies, such as Poland and England, have voiced support for the move.

Yet behind the U.S. decision: the growing military capabilities of nations not included in the INF  such as China and Iran.

One-third to one-half of Chinese missiles today would violate the INF, argued Bolton.

Exactly one country is constrained by the INF treaty: the United States.

Thou doth protest too much?

In Moscow, debate has centered on whether the Kremlin tacitly achieved its aim  or doom  by prompting the U.S. withdrawal of a treaty in lieu of NATOs subsequent expansion into Eastern Europe.

For Russia, its beneficial to have in its arsenal a class of nuclear and strategic weapons to combat regional threats without the distraction of the limitations of the strategic arsenal aimed at the USA, argues independent analyst Vladimir Frolov in the online publication Republic.

Its a big diplomatic accomplishment for Vladimir Putin, he added.

Its sad to watch, countered opposition activist Vladimir Milov in a Facebook post. Trillions and trillions will be thrown to the wind.

The decades-old system of global security is being destroyed before our eyes, and will not be easy to resuscitate.

Either way, the Kremlin seemed eager to embrace Boltons visit  the second in the past 4 months  as a willingness to engage despite ongoing allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.

We barely respond to any of your steps but they keep on coming, said President Putin, joking to Bolton before cameras at the Kremlin in a reference to U.S.-Russian tit-for-tat sanctions over ongoing allegations of election meddling.

In turn, Bolton argued Russias actions had not changed the outcome of the 2016 race. Rather theyd made it all but impossible for progress in U.S.-Russian relations.

The two sides, noted Bolton, did make progress on reinstating cooperative efforts relative to terrorism, Syria, and North Korea. And, President Trump had accepted Putins offer to meet on the sidelines of the upcoming celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the armistice marking the end of World War I in Paris in November.

But much hinges on how the U.S. views Russian cyber activities ahead of an already charged political season when Americans head to the polls November 6th for midterm elections.

Depending on how things go, warned Bolton, the U.S. position could change with a keystroke.
Leaders of Kenya's northeastern counties met this week and vowed to fight against al-Shabab, the Somalia-based militant group that has terrorized the region since 2011. One troubling question hung over the meeting: How can that be done effectively?

The five counties represented at the two-day meeting  Mandera, Garissa, Isiolo, Wajir and Marsabit  all have seen their share of deadly al-Shabab attacks. The worst one took place in April 2015, when militant gunmen stormed Garissa University College and killed 148 people, most of them students.

More recently, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for attacks that killed eight security officers in Wajir County in June and two teachers in Mandera County this month.

Ali Korane, the governor of Garissa County, said northeast Kenya is hugely suffering as a result of such terror attacks.

"Today our schools are not functional, our roads are impassable, doctors have abandoned hospitals, and carrying out development projects is impossible, and all these are the results of the regional insecurity posed by the terrorists," Korane said. "We have to pull out all the stops to prevent" further attacks.

One call for withdrawal

The meeting in Mandera city was the first to bring together politicians, elders, villagers and officials from Kenyan security agencies to discuss insecurity and al-Shabab attacks in northeastern Kenya.

Mandera County Deputy Gov. Mohamed Arai, whose county borders Somalia, called for the withdrawal of Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers from neighboring Somalia. Al-Shabab began its attacks in Kenya after the KDF entered Somalia in 2011 to help protect the perennially shaky Somali government.

"Everyone knows where we were security-wise before Kenyan troops crossed the border into Somalia in 2011 and where we are now," Arai said. "If we are people of Mandera, we have no interest in KDF presence in Somalia. They should withdraw, come along our border and protect us."

Other participants focused on taking community action to prevent further attacks.

One idea was to require residents to compensate the families of non-local victims of al-Shabab. The militants tend to attack schools, the army and police, whose employees are often not from northeastern Kenya. If locals knew they'd have to pay the families of terrorism victims, they might be more willing to cooperate with police, according to proponents of this idea.

Greater cooperation with police is essential, said Mandera East MP Omar Maalim Mohamed.

"People are not providing information and the much-needed goodwill. Let us do all we can to face the threat that does not only affect the region but also the future of our families," Mohamed said.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders agreed to "aggressively sensitize" the public to the danger of violent extremism; request that the central government give amnesty to young men who joined the militants; and demand that security agencies have a quick-response plan when an attack takes place. In the past, local leaders have accused the central government of reacting slowly to terrorist attacks.
Packages with explosive devices sent to prominent Democrats and a major donor to the party prompted widespread condemnations across America's political landscape, as well as some finger-pointing.

"Those behind such reprehensible acts must be brought to justice. We cannot tolerate any attempt to terrorize public figures," Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin tweeted.

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Virginia's Mark Warner Took to Twitter to call for unity.

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who still walks with difficulty after surviving a mass-shooting incident near Washington last year, condemned the mailing of possible explosives as "beyond criminal" and "acts of pure terror," adding that those responsible "must be hunted down and brought to justice."



Some noted the explosive packages were sent at a time of intense political polarization and often-radicalized rhetoric in the nation's discourse.

"Unfortunately, this atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making to turn to violence, there's no question about it," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference, adding that the solution is "to bring down the temperature."



De Blasio said, "To all public officials of all partisan affiliations: Don't encourage violence. Don't encourage attacks on the media. You can disagree, but you have to show respect for people and air your disagreements peacefully."



At a White House event, President Donald Trump said "in these times we have to unify. We have to come together."He added that "acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

Some commentators noted that Trump himself has labeled the news media an "enemy of the people"  a characterization that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders repeatedly declined to retract or contradict at a press briefing earlier this year.



On Wednesday, former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's onetime aide, Adam Jentleson, scoffed in response to a tweet by Sanders, stating that the White House's initial condemnation of the suspicious packages was meant to include the device sent to cable news outlet CNN.



"You [Sanders] refused to disavow President Trump's declaration that the media is the enemy of the people,'" Jentleson tweeted.

Some conservative commentators, meanwhile, suggested that leftist elements allied with Democrats may have sent the suspicious packages as a diversionary tactic ahead of next month's midterm elections.



"None of the leftists ostensibly targeted for pipe-bombs were actually at serious risk, since security details would be screening their mail," tweeted Frank Gaffney, president of the Washington-based Center for Security Policy. "So let's determine not only who is responsible for these bombs, but whether they were trying to deflect attention from the Left's mobs."



An intended recipient of one of the possible explosive devices, former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, said America is living through "a troubling time" and "a time of deep divisions."



Speaking in Florida, Clinton added, "We have to do everything we can to bring our country together. We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same."
New York's attorney general sued Exxon Mobil Corp on Tuesday, alleging that the world's largest oil company for years misled investors about the risks of climate change regulations on its business.

The suit, filed in New York Supreme Court, New York County, seeks undisclosed damages, a court order for a review of the company's representations, and that the company corrects "numerous misrepresentations" to investors.

It alleges Exxon assured investors it had properly evaluated the impact of climate regulations on its business using a "proxy cost" for the likely effects of future events on its business.

However, these proxy figures frequently were not used in its internal planning or cost assumptions, the suit claims.

The company also failed to properly account for such costs in determining its volume of oil and gas reserves, or whether to write down the value of its assets, a metric important to investors.

"The company claimed to be factoring the risk of increasing climate change regulation into its business decisions," Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. "Yet as our investigation found, Exxon often did no such thing."

Exxon "looks forward to refuting these claims as soon as possible and getting this meritless civil lawsuit dismissed," said spokesman Scott Silvestri in a statement.

He further described the suit as the "product of closed-door lobbying by special interests, political opportunism and the attorney general's inability to admit that a three-year investigation has uncovered no wrongdoing."

In the past, Exxon has called the state's investigation politically motivated and designed to silence it and others in the debate on climate change regulations.

It unsuccessfully fought to halt the New York investigation and a similar probe by the state of Massachusetts that claims Exxon misled consumers with its statements on climate change.

Exxon and other oil companies including BP Plc, Chevron Corp and Royal Dutch Shell face lawsuits by cities and counties across the United States seeking funds to pay for seawalls and other infrastructure to guard against rising sea levels brought on by climate change.

"Exxon clearly has a big problem telling the truth about climate change," said Richard Wiles, executive director of advocacy group Center for Climate Integrity. "The company needs to pay investors they misled and the cities and states now facing massive climate expenses."
Pakistan has freed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban and former second-in-command of the Taliban insurgency that is fighting the U.S.-backed government in neighboring Afghanistan.

The senior Afghan insurgent leader, popularly known as Mullah Baradar, was captured in 2010 in a joint raid by Pakistani and American security operatives against his hideout in Karachi, Pakistans largest city. He was second-in-command at the time of his arrest.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid Wednesday confirmed to VOA that Mullah Baradar is now a free man and has joined his family. He did not elaborate further, nor did he say exactly when the release took place. 

Qatar may have helped

Pakistani officials were not available to comment on the insurgents claims. The Gulf state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintains its so-called political office, is said to have played a role in securing freedom for Baradar.

His release came just days after a high-level Qatari delegation, led by the countrys deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, visited Islamabad Friday and held meetings with the Pakistani leadership.

After the visit, official Pakistani statements did not mention anything about Baradar but focused on bilateral political and economic cooperation.

Respected Taliban leader

Baradar hails from southern Afghanistan. He had been under United Nations financial and travel sanctions since February 2001.

Despite spending eight years in captivity in neighboring Pakistan, Baradar is still highly respected among the Afghan Taliban, insurgent officials say.

Baradars freedom, analysts say, could be part of efforts to advance a nascent peace dialogue the U.S. has recently initiated with Qatar-based Taliban political representatives.

The latest round of such talks took place earlier this month, where the newly appointed U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, led the American delegation.

Pakistan has pledged to make all possible efforts and use whatever influence it has on the Taliban to encourage them to end violence and seek a negotiating settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan.

In a statement Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared upbeat about the U.S.-Taliban peace talks, saying they would hopefully lead to Afghan peace and stability.
The figures tell one story; gay activists fear another.

But nobody disputes that Paris has suffered a string of homophobic attacks in recent months, with gay men set upon in a chic inner-city neighborhood and a trans prostitute shot dead in a popular cruising spot in the French capital.

Yet police say their data show a strong drop in homophobic attacks, so the mood among activists has turned angry, fear of the what-next jostling with frustration at perceived inaction by authorities in a city with a reputation for tolerance.

Sitting in the lounge of Paris's LGBT Centre, 68-year-old activist Arnaud Rault told Reuters he felt "on edge" following the rise in anti-gay violence.

"We saw August as a signal," Rault said, referring to the murder of Vanesa Campos, a Peruvian transgender prostitute who was shot dead in Paris' Bois du Boulogne.

Earlier this month, two men were harassed and beaten by a Paris taxi driver for kissing in his cab in the "city of love."

The couple immediately pressed charges.

Police have logged a 37 percent drop in reports of LGBT+ related attacks during the first nine months of this year, with 74 incidents reported against 118 in the same period of 2017.

However, activists say the numbers do not tell the whole story as many assaults go unreported.

"[The police figures] are not representative, since not all victims of LGBT violence file an official complaint," said Joel Deumier, president of SOS Homophobie.

The organization, which runs a free hotline service so LGBT+ victims of assault can report the attacks anonymously, said it had received a 15 percent increase in calls over the past year.

In response, the Paris Prefecture told Reuters that its job was to "collect statistics based on reported assaults." As for providing any additional numbers, the police said "that's where the work of NGOs comes in."

According to SOS Homophobie's 2018 report on homophobia in France, one LGBT+ person is assaulted every three days.

Take to the streets

More than 3,000 people  including members of French President Emmanuel Macron's government  gathered Sunday in Paris to denounce the violence and demand action.

"The government must take concrete measures to contain this wave of homophobia," said Deumier, who demanded the government increase its annual 500,000 euros ($570,000) budget allocated toward fighting anti-LGBT+ hate.

Addressing the crowd, Guillaume Melanie, president of Urgence Homophobie, an organization that helps LGBT+ people to seek asylum in France, recounted how he had been assaulted just days earlier in an attack that had left his nose broken.

"I didn't steal anything, I didn't insult anyone, I didn't attack anyone. I'm just homosexual," Melanie told Reuters at the demonstration.

Melanie says he was punched in the face and verbally harassed while leaving a restaurant in the Marais, an elegant Paris district with a strong gay culture.

Shortly after posting about his assault on social media, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the recent series of homophobic attacks "calls for a collective action."

The deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire, who attended Sunday's rally, said he and Hidalgo would meet a number of LGBT+ associations, police representatives and other government organizations over the coming weeks to work out next steps.

They would seek to establish a response to what he called the "resurgence of homophobic violence."

Possible extension of gay rights

The attacks come as France considers legalizing assisted reproduction for gay women  a campaign promise by the centrist president. The move would mark a significant extension of gay rights in France, where violent protests preceded the legalization of same-sex marriage and adoption by homosexual couples in 2013.

France's gender equality minister Marlene Schiappa insisted the Macron government was working to suppress the current spate of violence.

"The state is with them," she told a television reporter.

"Homophobia is not an opinion, you do not have the right in France to threat, aggress, insult or discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation."
Julius Wakam worked in auto manufacturing for 11 years before being laid off in 2008. Today, the married father of three has a job at a hardware store to make ends meet until he can secure another well-paying position in his field. Like many workers in America's so-called Rust Belt, Wakam lost his manufacturing job not only to an influx of robots, but also because the jobs were shipped overseas where labor is cheaper. "For me and my co-workers, they shipped the jobs overseas to Mexico, Brazil, China and a few went to India," Wakam says. Today, the Rust Belt is perhaps best-known for its declining industry, aging and shuttered factories, and falling population, primarily in the Midwest and Great Lakes region.

But the Midwest region was once known for the booming steel production and heavy industry that powered the nation for several generations. And it could be in a position to do so again. "Probably the greatest driver of our opportunity in a changed economy from the factory era is this innovation infrastructure where we have 20-plus of the largest research universities on earth," says John Austin, director of the Michigan Economic Center. "Thats more than any other region. The West Coast has 13. The East Coast has 15. No place in Europe has this concentration of large scale universities that produce thousands upon thousands of STEM, MBAs, engineers and medical talent. The Midwest is also home to more than 200 of the nations Fortune 500 companies. Austin says America's Heartland has the horsepower to grow new jobs and industries. The Rust Belt can be and is becoming a center of innovation, new business and job creation in all of the arenas that are emerging," he says. "The emerging sectors, the work of tomorrow, not just the work of the past where we kind of ruled the world and created the great agro-industrial economy that powered America after World War II for several generations. Austin says some Rust Belt cities have already turned the corner from being single industry towns to more diverse, economic regions. He cites places like Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Minneapolis-St. Paul as examples of metropolitan areas that have built robust economies partially powered by technology and medical innovation.

However, money is key to that transformation and it's been slow in coming. Rust Belt innovations tend to be commercialized on the East or West Coast. And that's where most of the Midwest's investment dollars end up as well. Half of all investment money comes from the Midwest, but only 5 percent of total venture capital is invested in the Midwest, according to Austin, who says that dynamic must change for the Rust Belt to reach its full potential. "We are working to create a Midwest/Great Lakes regional fund that would help more of the wealth and investment dollars from the region, and the big dollars on the coast, find good investments and create more jobs and businesses locally," Austin says.

There is a place for laid-off workers like Julius Wakam in the Midwest's emerging new economy. In many cases workers go back to school to learn how to program the robots that supplanted them in the factories where they once worked. "Someone has to program the robots, someone has to maintain and repair the robots," says James Sawyer, president of Macomb Community College. "So thats kind of the transformation thats gone on. The loading jobs no longer exist, but someone, a skilled worker, needs to take care of the robots that replaced that human element." The Michigan-based community college offers workforce training programs that can last 12-to-18 weeks.

The majority of our workforce programs tend to focus in the advance manufacturing arena," says Sawyer. "So these are things like robotics, control systems, integration of automation, those types of programs have been very popular in the recent past. And thats very indicative of the transformation currently going on in manufacturing. So were supplying the workers to help do that transformation. At the time he was laid off, Julius Wakam was already pursuing an engineering degree at the University of Michigan Dearborn. He completed his degree and then signed up for a workforce training program at Macomb Community College to make himself more marketable. That is a program that America really, really needs with the robots taking over," says Wakam.
Pink from the sun, unshowered and barefoot, the 17 teenage girls scarfed down fried chicken sandwiches after seven days at sea.

I used to be a very anxious person, and I would let my anxieties hold me back from doing stuff that I felt I need to do, Waverly Kremer, a high school junior, told VOA as she waited to board the Liberty Clipper.

And that was the point of the voyage arranged by their small private school in Charleston, South Carolina: Return confidence to girls at a time in life when it traditionally starts to wane.

WATCH: Sailing trip

The Offshore Leadership Program at Ashley Hall School aims to boost the confidence of girls aged 15 to 17  a time when studies show girls can lose up to 30 percent of their confidence.

Roscoe Davis, the classics teacher at Ashley Hall, created the yearlong program 10 years ago. The boat trip is what he calls the capstone of the program, which involves identifying failures in leadership in reality television shows, and reading Greek philosophy that empowers women.

Kremer said she was excited and nervous at the beginning of the trip. Like most of the girls, she had no sailing experience.

My biggest fear is just kind of being away from home so far away 20 miles offshore, Maura Mooney, a junior, said. I guess just I miss my dog. I miss my family, but Im really excited to get to know everyone. So hopefully, I wont get too homesick.

I like to talk about the Oracle of Delphi, whose injunction was, Know thyself,'" Davis told VOA. He explained that the girls get to know themselves on a deeper level when faced with the challenges of being on the boat.

They identify their own weaknesses that they think are holding them back from the persons they need to be, the leaders they need to be, and they work on those weaknesses, he said.

When the girls docked in Charleston  having shed their duck boots after realizing bare feet were more practical  they said the trip had been more challenging and rewarding than they had anticipated.

I learned  beside the terminology  how to be confident in things that I do outside of my comfort zone, Celia Smith, a senior, told VOA. Once I committed myself to really embracing everything it had to offer, I knew I was going to get the most out of this experience. She showed her parents around the stern, explaining the steering and navigation systems.

The girls described cold weather, long nights and physical challenges.

Im over here by myself pulling at one of these lines, and toward the end, it was absolutely my full body weight to pull this thing down, Waverly said, describing what she called her toughest challenge on the ship  raising one of the sails.

It was cold and windy, like really hard manual labor, she said.

The other challenge the girls said they faced was the vast amount of downtime  being disconnected and feeling so far from everything they knew.

For so much of it, we were literally just in the ocean, and the ocean looks the same a lot of the places where you are, Smith said. There were a lot of times when we were not feeling so great because the waves were so rough. Or because it just looked like the sun wasnt going to come out that day. But in the end, wed make it through, and wed see how far we had gone. And that was just so rewarding, she said.

And though the main lesson was introspective, some of the girls fell in love with the sailing itself.

Mooney never ever thought she would want to sail again after satisfying the requirements of the academic program.

Now, shes considering taking a gap year before college to spend more time at sea.
President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that targeting current and former high-ranking U.S. government officials with explosive devices is "abhorrent" and "despicable" and has no place in the American political scene.

Trump, speaking at the White House, said he was "extremely angry and unhappy" to learn that packages containing bombs had been mailed to individuals including former president Barack Obama and Trump's 2016 presidential election opponent Hillary Clinton.

Similar packages were also sent to a former attorney general, a Democratic Party member of Congress and a former director of the CIA, all of whom are prominent critics of his presidency.

The president said that "a major federal investigation" is underway to determine who sent the packages.

"The safety of the American people is my highest priority," Trump said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top two Democrats in Congress, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, accusing Trump of fanning the flames of political unrest.

"Time and time again, the President has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and his actions," they wrote, pointing to recent Trump campaign rallies where he has voiced support for a legislator who used physical violence against a reporter, and where he has branded the press as enemies of the people.

Within hours of the U.S. Secret Service announcing it had intercepted a package sent to Clinton in New York and one to Obama in Washington, the Time Warner Center in New York, where news network CNN has studios, was evacuated Wednesday morning after a suspicious package addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan was found in the mail room there.

A device that was contained in an envelope was safely transported from the site in a special truck by the citys police department bomb squad. The addressee, Brennan, is a commentator on MSNBC, a rival cable news broadcaster.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, This investigation is of the highest priority for the FBI. We have committed the full strength of the FBIs resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages."

New York police officials said it appeared to be a live explosive device and the package it came in also contained a white powder. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said, "What we saw here today was clearly an act to terrorize," but stressed there were no other credible threats in New York City.

The police department in Sunrise, Florida, announced that it was investigating a suspicious package found near a building containing the local office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who formerly chaired the Democratic National Committee. News reports say the package was addressed to Eric Holder, the attorney general during the Obama administration.

"FBI Miami is aware of a suspicious package that was mailed to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz' office in Sunrise, FL," FBI Miami spokesman James Marshall said in a statement emailed to VOA.

Clinton, Obama packages

The Secret Service says the package addressed to Clinton was discovered late Tuesday, intercepted at a mail screening facility near her home in a New York suburb where she lives with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Speaking on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton thanked the "men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package." She said her family is fine but noted it is a troubling time of deep divisions in the country.

A separate package addressed to Obama, according to the Secret Service, was intercepted at a screening facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a 365-hectare military facility in Washington.

An explosive device was found on Monday in a mailbox outside the home in the state of New York of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a major donor to Democratic candidates. Officials said the newly discovered devices appear similar in construction.

We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement before Trump spoke, adding that the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

She later tweeted that Trump and his administration are closely monitoring the situation.

The Secret Service said the packages addressed to Obama and Hillary Clinton were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees [Obama and the Clintons] did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

"The FBI is working in coordination with our law enforcement partners to investigate the suspicious packages, Kadia Koroma, a spokeswoman for the FBIs Washington DC field office told VOA.
A prominent nuclear weapons expert says White House threats to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty are diplomatically shortsighted, potentially dangerous and politically risky for President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections.

Calling the landmark 1987 missile treaty a key part of European and international security for over 30 years, Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said while there have been concerns about Russia's compliance with the agreement, U.S. withdrawal would shift blame for the collapse of the treaty from Moscow, "where it belongs," to Washington.

His comments came shortly after U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top Kremlin officials in Moscow.

"The other reason why this is problematic is that the United States and Russia have not exhausted the diplomatic options to resolve this conflict," Kimball said, pointing out that Bolton's Moscow visit is only the third U.S.-Russia meeting under the current administration.

"One of the available options that should be tried is mutual transparency visits by Russian experts to U.S. missile interceptor sites in Romania, and U.S. technical expert inspections of the 9M729 missiles that the U.S. is concerned about in Russia," Kimball said.

U.S. officials, including Trump, accuse Russia of ground-launching an 9M729 cruise missile in violation of the treaty in 2014, a charge long denied by Russia, which says U.S. missile defense systems in Europe violate the agreement.

"Both sides are going to have to try harder to work out a diplomatic solution," Kimball added. "I think if the two sides have the necessary political will, it's possible, and the INF treaties can be preserved."

Bolton, who said he was in Moscow as part of Trump's commitment to improve security cooperation with Russia, had earlier hinted the arms control pact with Russia is outdated.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the INF accord in 1987, which bans the United States and Russia from building, testing and stockpiling ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range from 500 to 5,000 kilometers (310-3,100 miles).

"Because intermediate-range missiles have a very short flight time to their targets, they're especially destabilizing," Kimball told VOA's Russian Service. "Because there's very little warning time, it can lead to instability in a crisis, which is why Reagan and Gorbachev eliminated them in the 1980s."

Addressing reporters in Moscow, Bolton said he believes Cold War-era bilateral treaties are no longer relevant because now other countries are also building missiles.

At recent political campaign rally in Nevada, Trump said the United States would have to start developing new weapons if Russia and China, which is not part of the INF treaty, do. He then proposed having China join the treaty, an idea that Kimball calls highly unlikely.

The U.S. and Russia, said Kimball, "would love to have China in this INF agreement."

"Why? Because about two-thirds of China's nuclear arsenal is deployed on short, medium, or intermediate-range missiles," Kimball said. "That's because of geography, because of the way China deploys its relatively small nuclear arsenal. So, that would be a win for the U.S. and Russia, and a loss for China."

Asked if he expects the administration to withdraw formally, Kimball was skeptical.

"The past few weeks, the United States government has been discussing what to do with respect to the treaty. I think that Bolton, if he's smart, he would have gone to Moscow to say, 'Look, we're not going to let this problem linger for too much longer. We may withdraw from this treaty if you, Russia, don't take the following steps,'" Kimball said. "But I think Donald Trump  with his penchant for tough rhetoric  may have jumped the gun a little bit when he said on Saturday that we will terminate the INF treaty."

In Russia, state media such as RIA Novosti cited anonymous sources offering similar interpretations of Trump's rhetoric, which they dismissed as midterm election rally grandstanding, where politicians can score political points for appearing tough on Russia.

Although European leaders have supported U.S. efforts to bring Russia into compliance with the treaty and called on the Russian government for greater technical transparency with its arsenal, they have largely resisted U.S. withdrawal.

"The INF contributed to the end of the Cold War and constitutes a pillar of European security architecture since it entered into force 30 years ago," said a spokesperson for the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in a prepared statement issued Monday.

"Thanks to the INF treaty, almost 3,000 missiles with nuclear and conventional warheads have been removed and verifiably destroyed," the statement said. "The world doesn't need a new arms race that would benefit no one and on the contrary would bring even more instability."

French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue with Trump by phone the morning after the Nevada rally to "underline the importance of this treaty, especially with regards to European security," according to a statement by the French ministry that called "on all the parties to avoid any hasty unilateral decisions, which would be regrettable."

Matthew Kroenig, deputy director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, hailed Trump's proposed withdrawal as "the right move."

"Russia has been cheating on this treaty for years, and there was no hope of getting Moscow to return to compliance," he said in an Atlantic Council blog post. "It doesn't make sense for the United States to be unilaterally constrained by limits that don't affect any other country."

A Putin spokesman said a U.S. pullout from the INF treaty would make the world a more dangerous place, and that Russia would have to take security countermeasures to "restore balance."

Addressing reporters in Moscow, Bolton said he discussed Russian meddling in U.S. elections with Putin, calling it counterproductive for Russia. He also said Trump looked forward to meeting Putin in Paris on Nov. 11.

This story originated in VOA's Russian Service.
The U.N. aid chief warned Tuesday that humanitarians are losing the fight against famine in Yemen and that 14 million people could soon be at risk of starvation.

"There is now a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen," Mark Lowcock told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. "Much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen in their working lives."

Lowcock has warned before of the risk of famine  two separate times in 2017  but a significant scaling up of the humanitarian response and the end of a Saudi-led coalition blockade on Yemen helped avoid a worst-case scenario.

"What I am telling you today is that the situation is now much graver than on either of those two occasions," Lowcock said.

He said a U.N. assessment in September that about 11 million people could be at risk was wrong, and a revised review puts the number significantly higher.

"Our revised assessment, the results of new survey work and analysis, is that the total number of people facing pre-famine conditions  meaning they are entirely reliant on external aid for survival  could soon reach not 11 million but 14 million," Lowcock told the council. "That is half the total population of the country."

Currently, the U.N. and partner agencies reach 8 million people each month in every district of the country with critical assistance. The relief operation is the largest in the world and has earmarked $3 billion for this year, of which the U.N. has received $2 billion from donors. Lowcock expressed concern that the operation could be overwhelmed if the numbers continue to grow.

The aid chief said that after nearly four years of conflict and struggling to survive, millions of Yemenis are physically more vulnerable, as they are less able to withstand hunger, cholera and other diseases.

One of the main culprits driving the food crisis is the collapse of the national economy. The country imports 90 percent of its food, fuel and medicines, and the devaluation of the national currency has impeded imports. Civil servants have also not been paid in almost two years, adding to their inability to afford food, especially when the price of many staple items is skyrocketing.

Clashes around the country's most important sea port  Hodeida  is hindering food distribution. A main road from the city to the densely populated northern city of Sanaa remains blocked, affecting trade and aid convoys.

A Saudi Arabia-led coalition began bombing Houthi rebels in support of the Yemeni government in March 2015. Since then, the U.N. estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly due to airstrikes.

Political efforts to end the crisis have mostly stalled since the Houthis skipped September U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva with the Yemeni government.
The U.N. independent expert on human rights in Iran urged Tehran on Wednesday to abolish the death penalty for juveniles.

"I appeal to the Iranian authorities to abolish the practice of sentencing children to death, and to commute all death sentences issued against children in line with international law," Javaid Rehman, special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, told a General Assembly human rights committee.

Execution of juvenile convicts violates international law and contravenes the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Rehman said five individuals convicted of having committed murder as minors have been put to death this year in Iran. The most recent, Zeinab Sekaanvand, was executed three weeks ago. She was accused of killing her husband in 2012 when she was 17.

"Claims that she was coerced into confessing to the killing, had been beaten following her arrest and was a victim of domestic violence were reportedly not adequately examined during her trial," the special rapporteur said.

Iran not alone

Iran is by far the leader among a handful of countries  which include Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, South Sudan and Yemen  that have executed minors in the past decade, according to the Death Penalty Information Center website.

Rehman said the Iranian executions continue despite amendments in 2013 to the Islamic Penal Code that allow judges to give alternate sentences for juvenile offenders in certain circumstances.

He said there were "numerous" other juvenile offenders on death row in Iran.

The Iranian government says it has established a task force that will deal with the protection of the rights of children and adolescents, and Rehman has urged it to address the situation of juveniles on death row.

Needs improvement

The report from Rehman, a law professor at Brunel University London, was his first since he took up his post in July. He has not yet visited Iran but has requested that authorities allow him to have unhindered access to the country.

He expressed a series of concerns about human rights in Iran, where for nearly a year the country has seen a wave of protests fueled by a flagging economy, high unemployment, the rising cost of living and social discontent.

At the start of the demonstrations last December, numerous arrests were made, and at least 22 people were killed during a security crackdown. Media workers have also been harassed and intimidated.

"I remain concerned about the fate of those arrested during the protests, and call upon the government to ensure that all those imprisoned for peacefully exercising their freedom of opinion and expression are released," Rehman said.

The situation of women and girls also warrants improvement. One issue that has been in the spotlight is the mandatory veiling of women.

"Any form of coercion on women violates their rights," Rehman said. "So, enforcement and forced dress code, thereby, is contrary to international human rights law."

The Iranian government rejects the concept of the special rapporteur's mandate, but provides some cooperation with his office. Speaking at the meeting where Rehman presented his report, the Iranian representative said the exercise was "counterproductive" and was about "pressure, not cooperation."

Progress

The special rapporteur reported that use of the death penalty in drug-trafficking cases was down substantially. He welcomed the development, noting that a change in the law had downgraded penalties for some drug offenses from capital punishment to prison terms. This year, only two drug cases have resulted in executions, a major drop from 2017, when 213 individuals were executed.
Its a good day for Illinois farmer Bob Gehrke, as the sun shines above the brown, dried and ready-for-harvest rows of soybeans in his fields outside Elgin.

A good day because Gehrke isnt fighting wet weather as he spends up to 16 hours a day racing the clock and the calendar to harvest corn and soybeans.

My biggest concern right now as were harvesting is not getting stuck, he told VOA, and that we get the crops out before Mother Nature throws snow at us.

WATCH: US-China tariffs

The S-word isnt his only concern this year. Farmers in the American Midwest are working the fields this fall amid a trade dispute between the United States and China, once one of the largest importers of U.S. corn and soybeans.

The marketers' advice even this spring never was calling for soybeans to go down this extreme. Of course, they werent expecting a tariff, Gehrke said.

Chinese tariffs on U.S. grain products, a retaliatory move for U.S. tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, have pushed soybean prices down as much as $2 this year.

Thats a big deal for a farmer who is counting on that yield and that farm income, said Tamara Nelsen, senior director of commodities for the Illinois Farm Bureau. This is the fifth straight year of lower farm income, I think, the lowest farm income year since 2012 right now.

Nelsen said news of a pending new trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, also known as NAFTA, so far isnt doing much to put farmers at ease.

Whether or not that was achieved because of the tariff threats remains to be seen, because the steel and aluminum tariffs still remain on Mexico and Canada, and their retaliatory tariffs threatened against us still remain.

Gehrke had hoped decades of negotiations and relationships in China would be paying off, reversing declining farm income by keeping one of the largest markets for U.S. soybeans open. So far this year, USDA tracking shows that China accounts for only 5 percent of U.S. soybean exports.

We built trade up to where it was working, said Gehrke. Now, in a matter of six months, a lot of that has been really knocked down, maybe even devastated, to where will it come back? How long will it take to come back?

What was supposed to be a silver lining in an otherwise gloomy year for farmers was the U.S. Department of Agricultures estimated $12 billion aid package. While it helps offset his lower soybean prices  they are saying we would get $1.60, $1.65 a bushel  Gehrke said it doesnt help his corn.

Its a penny, he explained. Why even bother if you are going to give us a penny? Thats more paperwork than it's worth. And then in their package, what they present  $200 million is for market development. We had the market! Thats sort of a joke.

Soybeans are still being sold around the world, even if they might not be going to China. Sales to Europe and Argentina are up this year. So, the question remains: Are the trade tactics adopted by President Donald Trump and his administration ultimately working?

I think if you ask most farmers right now, they would probably say no, Gehrke told VOA during a rare working break. But you ask them maybe a year from now, six months from now, they might change their mind.

Six months from now, Gehrke himself will be in a very different mindset, shifting gears from harvesting his crops to planting seeds for a new growing season  a season he hopes is filled with more certainty.
The Trump administration appears determined to pull out of a key 1987 arms control agreement with Russia, in the wake of talks Tuesday between national security adviser John Bolton and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by deploying missiles in Europe.

Bolton called Russian violations "long and deep."

"The threat is is not America's INF withdrawal from the treaty. The threat is Russian missiles already deployed," Bolton said. "The American position is that Russia is in violation. Russia's position is that they are not in violation. So, one has to ask how to ask the Russians to come back into compliance with something that don't think they are violating."

Bolton told reporters after the talks that formal notice of a withdrawal would be filed "in due course."

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the INF Treaty in 1987. It bans the United States and Russia from building, testing and stockpiling ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range 500 to 5,000 kilometers.

U.S. officials going back to the Obama administration have accused Russia of deliberately deploying a land-based cruise missile to pose a threat to NATO.

Trump said the United States would have to start developing new weapons if Russia and China  which is not part of the INF Treaty  did.

Bilateral treaties outdated?

Bolton hinted the INF deal with Russia might have run its course and that bilateral Cold War treaties might not apply to the current global security environment when other nations, including China, Iran and North Korea, have also developed missiles.

Russia denies violating the INF pact and says it is U.S. missile defense systems in Europe and other unprovoked steps that are in violation.

"On the coat of arms of the United States, there's an eagle holding 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other," Putin reminded Bolton. "My question is whether your eagle has gobbled up all the olives, leaving only the arrows."

Bolton replied by saying he did not bring any more olives.

In more serious remarks, a Kremlin spokesman said a U.S. pullout from the INF Treaty would make the world a more dangerous place, and Russia would have to take security countermeasures to "restore balance."

But both sides said Tuesday there was a need for dialogue and work on areas of mutual concern.

Bolton also said Tuesday that plans were being made for Trump and Putin to meet in Paris next month. Both leaders will be in France to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

Previous summit

The last meeting between Trump and Putin in Helsinki in July turned out to be a bit of a domestic disaster for Trump. At a post-summit joint news conference, he appeared to accept Putin's denials of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, contrary to the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies.

Bolton said he also talked about Russian interference in the U.S. elections. He said such efforts do not affect the outcome of the vote and only create distrust between the U.S. and Russia.

Bolton also laid three separate bouquets of flowers during his visit to Moscow  the traditional wreath at the World War II Memorial by the Kremlin wall; flowers to remember the victims of last week's massacre of college students at the Black Sea port of Kerch; and flowers at the site near the Kremlin where Russian opposition leader and Putin critic Boris Nemtsov was gunned down in 2015.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the United States had "identified at least some" of the Saudi officials involved in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and was revoking their visas.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable," Pompeo said. "We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence."

The visa revocations were the first punitive actions the U.S. has taken against Saudi Arabia since news broke of Khashoggi's disappearance on Oct. 2.

Pompeo, who made the announcement at the State Department, did not say who or how many Saudi officials would have their visas revoked. Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced it had already arrested 18 Saudis and fired several top intelligence officials in connection with Khashoggi's death.

The secretary also said the U.S. was considering taking action, such as imposing financial sanctions, under the Magnitsky Act. That law was named for Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in a Moscow prison after he reported tax fraud involving government officials; it was aimed at punishing officials responsible for his death.

Earlier Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for the first time about the Khashoggi case, saying the journalist was "murdered in a ferocious manner," and contending that Saudi Arabia carried out the killing in its Istanbul consulate in a premeditated plot. He dismissed Riyadh's claim that "rogue agents" were responsible.

"All evidence gathered shows that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a savage murder," Erdogan told the Turkish parliament in Ankara. "To cover up such savagery would hurt the human conscience."

The Turkish leader said "to blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community."

Erdogan demanded that whoever ordered the killing of Khashoggi "be brought to account," and that the 18 officials already arrested by Saudi Arabia in connection with the killing stand trial in Istanbul.

In Washington, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Saudi authorities had staged "one of the worst cover-ups" in history with their response to the killing of Khashoggi, 59, a U.S.-based Saudi dissident.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

When a reporter asked Trump if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, should be held accountable, Trump said, "I spoke with the crown prince yesterday, and he strongly said he had nothing to do with this  it was at a lower level."

Vice President Mike Pence said Erdogan's assessment of the killing "underscores the determination" of the Trump administration "to find out what happened. The word from President Erdogan this morning that this brutal murder was premeditated, preplanned days in advance, flies in the face of earlier assertions that had been made by the Saudi regime."

"The world is watching," Pence said at an event at The Washington Post, where Khashoggi wrote opinion columns that were critical of the Saudi crown prince. "The American people want answers, and we will demand that those answers are forthcoming."

Erdogan told Turkish lawmakers that "Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder. As of now, we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible, from the highest ranked to the lowest, and to bring them to justice." The Turkish president described Khashoggi's death as a "murder" 15 times in his speech.

Erdogan never mentioned Salman in his speech and did not play an audio recording of the killing that news accounts have cited.

Erdogan gave new details surrounding the killing  which involved 15 Saudi agents who started arriving in Turkey on Oct. 1, the day before Khashoggi was killed  while largely confirming earlier news accounts of Khashoggi's disappearance, including that Saudi agents deployed a body double with Khashoggi's clothes, glasses and beard to walk out of the consulate to make it appear as if he had left the diplomatic outpost alive.

The Turkish president said that on Oct. 1, a team of Saudi consular staff scouted out two separate locations in a forest outside Istanbul and at Yalova, 90 kilometers south of the city. Turkish authorities have searched the locations, theorizing that Khashoggi's remains might have been disposed of there, but have not found his body. Erdogan said Saudi agents removed the hard drive from the consulate's surveillance system.

Saudi officials at first said that Khashoggi had walked out of the consulate and that they did not know his whereabouts. Then they said he died in a fistfight in the consulate. Most recently, the Saudis said Khashoggi was killed in a chokehold when he tried to leave the consulate to call for help.

"When the murder is so clear," Erdogan said, "why were so many inconsistent statements made? Why is the body of a person who has officially been accepted as killed still not around?"

Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to get documents he needed to marry his fiancee, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz, who waited outside in vain for his return.

The Turkish leader stressed the need for his police and intelligence services to conduct a thorough probe, both to avoid falsely accusing anyone and to fulfill a responsibility to the international community.

Since Saudi accounts said a "local collaborator" had disposed of Khashoggi's remains, Erdogan said, "I am now asking: Who is this local collaborator?"

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel was in Turkey to confer with Turkish officials about their investigation.

WATCH: US response to Khashoggi's death


A near collision between Chinese and U.S. ships in the contested South China Sea has shaken Asian countries whose economies and military security depend on a tense yet nonviolent Sino-U.S. relationship, and has raised the stakes for a deal with Beijing.

The USS Decatur came within 40 meters of a Chinese ship in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands on Sept. 30, causing the American vessel to change course, according to the Pentagon. China claims 90 percent of the sea that's off its south coast, but the United States says other countries have legal rights to use it.

On Saturday, defense leaders from the 10-member bloc Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), four of which dispute China's claims, used a summit in Singapore to seek explanations from Chinese and American participants including U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Those countries worry that a real collision someday may accelerate Beijing's militarization of the sea to ward off Washington, scholars say. Countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam value the existing friction to get money from China, which wants them on its side, in addition to military protection against China from the United States.

"The question is whether one side deliberately tries to take provocative moves to make a certain statement and runs into the risk of miscalculation," said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Stimson Center think-tank in Washington.

"The near-collision makes ASEAN more wary and anxious," Sun said. "They want the U.S. to be more engaged in the region, but are not willing to see the risk of conflict or war with China in the South China Sea."

Near miss

The U.S. destroyer was making one of what Washington calls "freedom of navigation operation" moves in the South China Sea.

"At approximately 0830 local time on Sept. 30, a PRC Luyang destroyer approached USS Decatur in an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea," Navy Cmdr. Nate Christensen, the deputy spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet, told VOA.

Christensen added that the Chinese military ship carried out "increasingly aggressive maneuvers" and sailed within about 40 meters of USS Decatur's bow, causing the ship to maneuver in order to prevent a collision.

The United States does not claim the 3.5 million-square-mile waterway but wants it open internationally and says the Chinese warship made an unsafe move.

China's official Xinhua News Agency accused the United States in an editorial Friday of entering a sea too far from its coasts. "Which party was aggressively closing in upon the other?" Xinhua said. "The answer is self-evident."

China has upset the United States as well as Southeast Asian leaders by landfilling the sea's tiny tropical islets for military installations. It has sent bombers and missiles to some of those holdings.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam contest the Chinese claims. They value the sea for fisheries, fuel reserves and marine shipping lanes but lack the military or economic clout to vie with China's expansion.

After the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting, Singapore's minister, Ng Eng Hen, called the incident "too close for our comfort," the Singapore-based Straits Times reported.

Call for formal restraints

Southeast Asian nations are wary of Beijing's naval expansion but look to China's $12 trillion-plus economy for investment, trade and tourism. To check China's expansion, many have turned to the United States for weaponry and quietly welcome the "freedom of navigation operations," or FONOPs.

"I don't think ASEAN will resist these types of overt signaling behaviors using FONOP," said Stuart Orr, business and law professor at Deakin University in Australia. "For example, the Philippines is becoming increasingly uncomfortable about China's development of the reefs right near its coastline, Malaysia has cooled in its relationship with Beijing and Vietnam of course is experiencing increasing conflict with China."

The U.S. Navy sent vessels through the Taiwan Strait this week in what experts call a show support for a welcoming Taiwan, an informal U.S. ally, over China. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its own territory.

China-ASEAN union

The near collision gives China a chance to improve relations in Southeast Asia by signing a code of conduct aimed at heading off such mishaps. China, after years of stalling, agreed last year to open talks with ASEAN on that code. The United States is not a party to it.

China will use the code of conduct to bolster its foreign relations, "to say 'we can manage South China Sea disputes on our own,' said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Southeast Asian maritime claimants would applaud.

"I think what they want to do is try to pull every concerned party into those mechanisms and at least provide some predictability, and of course the end result is sort of promote some stability," Koh said.

The United States will safely pass ships into the disputed sea, said Sean King, vice president of the Park Strategies political consultancy in New York.

"I see very low risk of any U.S.-PRC mishap at sea, as just too much is at stake," King said. "Both sides are too careful. I don't think it'll happen."
After a fitful night of throbbing abdominal pain, curled up in a ball inside her hurricane-battered home trying to wish away the agony, 21-year-old Angelena Sawyer could barely function, let alone tend to her infant daughter.

Writhing in misery, Sawyer had no idea she was suffering from acute appendicitis. Neither did her parents nor her husband, Jacob Sibilia, fully realize the gravity of the situation as they coped with the larger crisis of surviving the aftermath of a natural disaster.

A week already had passed since Hurricane Michael laid waste to rural Bay County, Florida, leaving Sawyer's family, like many others, essentially stranded without electricity, phone service or running water. They had little if any gasoline, a 3-month-old to care for, and Sawyer's stepmother, Jessica Melvin, was suffering from an infected foot injury.

The turning point was a random visit that day by three disaster volunteers  Zach Smith, John Basehore and Robert Pepper  checking on residents door to door in the sparsely populated Florida Panhandle community of Fountain, northeast of Panama City.

Assessing Sawyer's condition, they realized she needed immediate medical attention. While Smith cleaned and bandaged Melvin's foot, his colleagues called the local fire department and arranged for an ambulance to transport Sawyer to the nearest hospital some 30 miles away.

Doctors who treated her later told Sawyer her appendix had nearly ruptured. The intervention of Smith, Basehore and Pepper had likely saved her life.

At least 29 deaths in Florida have been attributed to Michael, which slammed ashore on Oct. 10 as a Category 4 hurricane and the most powerful on record ever to hit the Panhandle region.

"If it wasn't for this crew and these men, I wouldn't have made it to the hospital," Sawyer told Reuters in a text message following her ordeal.

The three men, all U.S. military veterans, were part of the volunteer group 50 Star Search and Rescue, one of dozens of such outfits formed during previous flood disasters in Texas and Louisiana and reactivated in Florida when Michael struck.

Many, including 50 Star, operated under the banner of CrowdSource Rescue, a larger Houston-based network that coordinated and supported teams on the ground with thousands of volunteers working remotely around the country.

Specialized technology was a key to their work.

Their search teams relied on a digital application that enables cell phones to operate as walkie-talkie radios, as well as an Uber-like app with global positioning satellite (GPS) map to pinpoint those in distress.

Much of their effort was devoted to searching for people whom loved ones reported missing in the hardest hit shorefront communities of Mexico Beach, Panama City and Panama City Beach.

Teams also fanned out to isolated areas farther inland to deliver meals, water and medical assistance.

Their mission, said Smith, 30, was to "make sure that medically everyone is safe and sound and that people have supplies and that there's no medical emergencies."

After 11 days, CrowdSource teams succeeded in locating more than 2,800 people initially unaccounted for  all found alive  and turned over about 30 unresolved cases to local authorities, the group's co-founder, Matthew Marchetti, told Reuters. The groups served some 4,500 meals to survivors during the past weekend alone, he said.

While reinforcing the strained resources of official search-and-rescue teams, the volunteers worked largely independently of them, Marchetti said.

Valerie Sale, a Bay County emergency management spokeswoman, said an almost total lack of cell phone and internet service that lasted nearly a week prevented coordination with outside volunteers, but "we're grateful for their efforts, for sure."
Violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak that has already killed more than 150 people, according to the World Health Organization.

"It's a very serious situation. This is something that we have been fearing from the beginning; that the security situation will influence the response to the level that we cannot really function fully," says a WHO spokesman, Tarik Jasarevic.

The outbreak in Congo's North Kivu province is in a conflict zone where dozens of armed groups operate. Aid agencies have been forced to suspend or slow down their work on several occasions since the outbreak began in July.

Health workers killed

It happened again over the weekend, when two health agents with Congo's military were killed by rebels. The next day, residents in the city of Beni pelted aid groups' vehicles with stones during a protest against a separate rebel attack that killed at least 13 people.

Jasarevic tells VOA's English-to-Africa service that the incidents have forced Ebola containment teams to severely curtail their operations. The result?

"Contacts will not be followed; this is something that has to be done on a daily basis. People who may develop the disease will not go immediately to treatment centers and will present danger to their environment," he says.

Containment delayed

That means health workers will have to essentially start over to locate contacts of Ebola victims and ensure they are vaccinated.

"In case we are not able to access communities, if in case response measures are not being put in place safe burials, contact tracing, vaccinations, provision of treatment to those who are sick  it is really difficult to hope that the Ebola outbreak can be contained on its own," Jasarevic says.

Latest numbers

According to the WHO's most recent report, released Tuesday, a total of 238 confirmed and probable Ebola Virus Disease cases have been reported in Congo's North Kivu and Ituri provinces. It said 155 people have died.

The WHO has warned the virus could spread to nearby countries, such as Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

"Neighboring countries need to be ready in case the outbreak spreads beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo," said the latest WHO report.
While President Donald Trump repeatedly rails against a caravan of undocumented Central American migrants attempting to reach the United States, Democrats are sticking to poll-tested campaign issues like health care with fewer than two weeks to go before midterm elections that will determine which party controls both houses of Congress.

"The caravan  look, that is an assault on our country," Trump said in Houston late Monday at a rally for Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. "And in that caravan you have some very bad people. And we can't let that happen to our country."

In Virginia, Republican Senate candidate Corey Stewart seized on the caravan to blast his opponent, Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine.

"Tim Kaine is inviting this invasion into our country," Stewart tweeted. "@timkaine & his fellow socialists are openly calling for these invaders to violate our laws & smash through our borders."



"The timing [of the caravan] works well for Republicans," said Molly Reynolds, a fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. "Republicans have been somewhat concerned about the level of enthusiasm among their base voters in 2018. So, in that sense, it [highlighting the migrant caravan] is really a tactic to motivate the base."

'Fear-mongering'

Many Democrats have not commented on the caravan other than to accuse Republicans of political games.

In a joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said Trump "is desperate to change the subject from health care to immigration because he knows that health care is the number one issue Americans care about."

The Democratic leaders added, "Democrats are focused like a laser on health care and will not be diverted."

Asked about the caravan, California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris on Monday told reporters, "What the people of our country want is leaders who are focused on the challenges that they face every day  not vilifying some group for the sake of fear-mongering and politics."

"What Democrats have decided to do in prosecuting the midterm campaign is focus on health care in particular and other issues that affect everyday Americans," Reynolds said. "They have created a pretty sizable lead in generic ballot polls. So some Democrats ask, 'Why change what's been working so far?'"

Human rights groups dispute Trump's assertions that the caravan includes criminals and Middle Easterners  claims for which he has provided no proof. Numerous migrants interviewed by reporters covering the caravan have maintained they seek a better and safer life in the United States.

Related: Faces in the Crowd: The Honduran Caravan photo gallery

The caravan and the election

Trump's often stark and unsubstantiated pronouncements on illegal immigration helped propel him to the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and were credited with boosting Republican turnout in the general election, in which Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Reynolds said the president's anti-caravan rhetoric may mobilize core Republican voters once again this year, but argued that images of the caravan blanketing American news channels call into question Trump's warnings of a dire threat to U.S. security.

"It is worth noting that a lot of the images of the folks in the caravan are of women and young children who are fleeing violence. So it's not entirely clear to me that people aren't going to view them somewhat sympathetically, particularly after the crisis over the summer involving family separations at the [U.S.-Mexico] border."

The caravan, and Trump's statements about it, have received blanket coverage by some cable TV outlets and led many network news broadcasts in recent days, crowding out coverage of Democrats' favorite themes ahead of the November elections. The trend has not gone unnoticed by some progressive and Democratically-aligned commentators.

"The saturation coverage of this caravan, based on Trump's grotesque lies is more grossly irresponsible than the panic-laced coverage of Ebola [cases in the United States] in 2014," tweeted Brian Beutler, editor-in-chief of Crooked Media, a news and opinion website.

Republicans, meanwhile, are eager to highlight a drama-filled real-time event tied to America's larger conversation about illegal immigration, an issue they believe puts Democrats on the defensive.

"You're going to choose between Republicans who will secure the border, versus Democrats who want to open the border," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at the Cruz rally.
The U.S. Secret Service says it has intercepted two suspicious packages with possible explosive devices, one of them addressed to former President Barack Obama and the other to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 national election to President Donald Trump.

Within hours, the Time Warner Center in New York, where news network CNN has studios, was evacuated Wednesday morning after a suspicious package was found in the mail room there. A device that was contained in an envelope was safely transported from the site in a special truck by the citys police department bomb squad. CNN reports the package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, a vehement critic of Trump who is now a commentator on MSNBC, a rival cable news broadcaster.

New York police officials said it appeared to be a live explosive device and the package it came in also contained a white powder. New York Mayor Bill de Blassio said "what we saw here today was clearly an act to terrorize" and stressed there were no other credible threats in New York city.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters an explosive device was also sent to his office.

Clinton, Obama packages



The Secret Service says the package addressed to Clinton was discovered late Tuesday, intercepted at a mail screening facility near her home in a New York suburb where she lives with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.



Speaking on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton thanked the "men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package." She said her family is fine but noted it is a troubling time of deep divisions in the country.

A second package, according to the Secret Service, addressed to Obama was intercepted at a screening facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a 365-hectare military facility in Washington, D.C.

An explosive device was found on Monday in a mail box outside the home in the state of New York of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a major donor to Democratic candidates. Officials said the newly discovered devices appeared similar in construction.

We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement, adding that the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

She later tweeted that President Trump and his administration are closely monitoring the situation.

"Our condemnation of these despicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants, she said.

Vice President Mike Pence, on Twitter, condemned the attempted attacks on Obama, the Clintons, CNN and others and vowed those responsible would be brought to justice.

Trump tweeted that he "wholeheartedly" agreed with Pence's comments.

The Secret Service says the packages addressed to Obama and Hillary Clinton were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees (Obama and the Clintons) did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) says it "is actively involved with our law enforcement partners in the investigations surrounding the suspicious devices intercepted en route to multiple locations."

"The FBI is working in coordination with our law enforcement partners to investigate the suspicious packages, Kadia Koroma, a spokeswoman for the FBIs Washington DC field office told VOA.

Former DNC chief also targeted



Late Wednesday morning, the police department in Sunrise, Florida, announced that it was investigating a suspicious package found near a building containing the local office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who formerly chaired the Democratic National Committee.

"FBI Miami is aware of a suspicious package that was mailed to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz' office in Sunrise, FL," FBI Miami spokesman James Marshall said in a statement emailed to VOA.

Masood Farivar and Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report


As police carefully extracted an apparent bomb from Time Warner Center -- home of CNN's New York offices -- one image has spurred widespread curiosity.

What was that big white sphere that hauled the device away?

Bombs and explosive devices Crime, law enforcement and corrections Law enforcement Misc organizations New York Police Department Policing and police forces Weapons and arms Continents and regions New York (State) New York City North America Northeastern United States The Americas United States

CNN producer Anna-Maja Rappard shot footage of the giant bubble getting backed into Time Warner Center.

The capsule is called a "total containment vessel." Mark Torre, commanding officer of the NYPD bomb squad, said it's like the opposite of a diving vessel.

"Instead of keeping the pressure out and keeping you alive in five fathoms of water, it keeps the pressure in," Torre told The New York Times in 2016. If a bomb goes off inside, Torre said, small vents allow pressure to escape.

After a suspicious device is placed inside, the total containment vessel gets hauled away on the back of specially equipped flatbed truck.

Of course, the total containment vessel can't do everything. Real police officers still have to carefully enter the building.

Dr. Erin Olivio, a psychologist who was told to shelter in place near Time Warner Center, captured footage of a heavily suited NYPD officer going inside.

In all, NYPD has three total containment vessels, 16 bomb-sniffing dogs, several robots and a team of 35 bomb squad members that rushes into "literally explosive situations."
Donald Trump's unconventional approach to, well, everything is a hallmark of his presidency. It's at least part of why he got elected two years ago. But even by his own unorthodox standards, his answer to a question Tuesday from the Wall Street Journal stands out.

Here's the exchange regarding Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, commonly known as MBS, and the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi:

Continents and regions Donald Trump Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Jamal Khashoggi Middle East Middle East and North Africa Misc people Political Figures - US Saudi Arabia US federal government White House

WSJ: Do you believe him? Do you believe the denials?

Mr. Trump: I want to believe him. I really want to believe him. They've been a very good ally. They've been a tremendous investor in our military equipment and other things. They buy tremendous amounts of things from our country. It probably amounts to millions of jobs, you know, a million jobs. That's a lot of jobs. So I certainly want to believe him.

That's amazing stuff. And not in a good way.

Trump is making clear that he is going out of his way to believe MBS' claim that he had no idea about the attempt to lure Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where he was killed. Why? Because "they buy tremendous amounts of things from our country," according to Trump.

So, to simplify: The President of the United States is saying that he "really want(s) to believe" the Saudi government's story that Khashoggi died accidentally after a fistfight within the consulate because he doesn't want our lucrative business relationship with the Arab country to change.

Got that?

The problem with all of that is simple: There are any number of elements of the story the Saudis are telling that have either changed or don't jibe with known facts. If the killing was accidental, why did the Saudi government refuse to say anything about it for weeks? Why do we still not know the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body? Why was a bone saw brought into the consulate, as one source told The New York Times? Why was a body double spotted wearing Khashoggi's clothes in the hours after the murder?

And remember that Trump has from the start bent over backwards in hopes that the Saudi government can find an explanation that allows the US to maintain their mutually beneficial relationship.

First, Trump said he took King Salman's word that he knew nothing of the events surrounding Khashoggi's death, and floated the idea it might have been "rogue killers" who somehow gained entry to the consulate (Trump never explained where he got that theory from -- or whether he had any reason to believe it was true).

Then, late last week, he said he believed the Saudi government's "fistfight" explanation.

Now comes this Wall Street Journal interview where Trump makes plain how badly he wants the Saudis to find an explanation that allows them to maintain their mutual financial interests.

And, to be clear, this is not the first time where Trump has prioritized financial and/or geopolitical concerns over human rights. His public admiration for the likes of Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- all leaders who have questionable human rights records that Trump has either glossed over or ignored completely in meetings with them -- is well known.

While each of those episodes drew media attention, none of them were as brutally calculating as what Trump told the Journal about Khashoggi. And that is saying something.

This article has been updated.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that there are 155 patients under investigation this year for acute flaccid myelitis, a condition that that can cause paralysis and mostly affects children.

Of these, 62 have been confirmed by the CDC in 22 states, and the remainder continue to be investigated.

Acute flaccid myelitis, also called AFM, is a rare but serious condition that affects the nervous system -- specifically, the area of the spinal cord called gray matter. It affects fewer than one in a million people each year across the country, the CDC estimates.

The number of patients under investigation is up from 127 patients a week ago, though no new confirmed cases have been reported.

The average age of patients confirmed to have the condition is just 4 years old, and more than 90% of cases overall occur in children 18 and younger, according to Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the agency's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

"CDC has been actively investigating AFM, testing specimens and monitoring disease since 2014, when we first saw an increase in cases," Messonnier told reporters last week. "Most AFM cases occur in the late summer and fall," but no geographic clustering has been found and there is no other "unifying factor to explain the peaks," which seem to occur every other year, she added.

The CDC received information on 33 confirmed cases of AFM in 2017, 149 cases in 2016, 22 cases in 2015, and 120 cases in the latter part of 2014.

"There is a lot we don't know about AFM," including the cause in a majority of cases, Messonnier said. While potential causes may include certain viruses, environmental toxins and genetic disorders, the CDC says, "AFM can be difficult to diagnose because it shares many of the same symptoms as other neurologic diseases."

It is also unclear who could be at higher risk of developing AFM, Messonnier said. The CDC does not fully understand long-term consequences or why some patients recover quickly while others continue to experience paralysis and weakness.

The CDC urges parents to be aware of this illness and to seek medical care right away if family members develop sudden weakness or loss of muscle tone in the arms or legs.

"This is a mystery so far, and we haven't solved it yet, so we have to be thinking broadly," Messonnier said.

'Not knowing'

"What makes it worse is not knowing what caused it," said Erica Palacios, whose 2-year-old daughter, Abigail, began showing signs of AFM last month.

"It was one of the most horrific experiences of my life," said Palacios, of Columbus, Georgia.

All four of her children had come down with a cold at the same time, but young Abigail's condition continued to worsen despite her mother's best efforts to keep her kids healthy.

After a few days, she noticed that Abigail's arm had gone limp and rushed her daughter to the hospital, where doctors initially drew blanks, she said, adding that at one point Abigail couldn't move below the neck.

"They ran every test known to mankind," Palacios said.

Doctors transferred Abigail to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where she required breathing and feeding tubes in the ICU. She was later transferred to the healthcare system's Inpatient Rehabilitation Program at Scottish Rite hospital, where she regained some movement in one arm, and can now hold her head up and walk with assistance.

"At this point, she is making almost daily gains," said one of Abigail's doctors, pediatric rehabilitation physician Dr. Laura Jones.

Still, the 2-year-old will be returning home in a wheelchair. Palacios said her daughter wants to get up and play, but gets frustrated and doesn't understand why she can't.

"We don't know a lot about the long-term prognosis of AFM right now. That's something that we're still really learning about," Jones said. "We know that some kids have great recovery and recover really quickly, and other kids continue to have a lot of weakness going forward, but we haven't determined what factors decide which kids fall into which category yet."

Palacios says she wants answers to what causes AFM, and how to prevent and treat it -- for Abigail, and for other families who have been affected by it.

"She was at that age where was just learning how to be independent, and now she's dependent again," Palacios said.

"No parent should ever have to experience that."
Training the next generation of farmers, right here in the Tennessee Valley! Booker Farms will hold a workshop this week in partnership with Alabama A&M and the USDA.

It will give new farmers and ranchers the training they need to have their own farms. Here, they'll learn about soil testing, planting, harvesting and more. The owner of Booker Farms said there's a farm worker shortage that could have severe consequences down the line.

"What we tryna do is to encourage the farmers to actually lease or mentor a new farmer come on instead of losing the farmland. We can continue to have the produce and the different types of row crops and things that are needed," said J.D. Booker.

Booker said Thursday's workshop is the beginning of the three year long training.

If you enroll, you'll be placed at farms across the country. They hope to train 3,300 new farmers. If you want to sign up, it's not too late. Registration is open until Thursday's event, which starts at 8 a.m. at Booker Farms.
Superintendent Dr. Tom Sisk will be staying on as the superintendent of Limestone County Schools.

That decision was made by the Hawkins County School Board during a meeting Monday night. The board held their final vote to decide whether to name Dr. Sisk or Matt Hixson, the assistant superintendent of San Jacinto Unified School District in southern California.

Tom Sisk Tom Sisk

The board held two votes Monday night. The initial vote was 6-1 with district three board member Kathy Cardic as the lone dissenting vote.

Following that vote to choose Hixson over Sisk, the board held a final vote on offering Hixson the job. That vote passed unanimously.

Cardic said she threw her initial vote behind Sisk because she admired his expertise with budgets.

He had already looked at our budget and was very knowledgeable about getting a budget and presenting it to a county commission, Cardic said.

She said that while she initially hoped Sisk would get the job, she thinks Hixson will do a good job.

District two board member Chris Christian said he was and still is conflicted on his decision.

I want them both. Any school system would be very fortunate to have Dr. Sisk, Christian said.

Christian said that as he talked with the parents in his district, they said they were more impressed with Hixson in part because he was willing to relocate his family, including their five children from southern California to eastern Tennessee.

The seven-member school board considered six candidates initially that were presented to them by Tennessee Education and Management Services Inc. Those six were then whittled down to Sisk and Hixson.

Cardic said the board selected a committee, which will have its first meeting on Monday to determine when exactly Hixson will start and what his full compensation package will be.

WAAY 31 reached out to Sisk for comment. Well update this story with his response.
A former state narcotics officer was sentenced for computer tampering and ethics charges stemming from his illegal use of a statewide computer system.

Steven Wrea Ziaja, 40, was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail for 13 charges, including 12 counts of computer tampering and an ethics charge of using his public position for personal gain, according to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Ziaja pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on October 22, and was also sentenced to a three-month term of probation following his incarceration.

RELATED: ALEA fires agent involved with Sheriff Ana Franklin in investment scandal

Ziaja, who was a narcotics officer for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), began selling cars for a Morgan County car lot in 2014  without notifying his supervisors.

He also invested in the car dealer's parent organization, Priceville Partners. When purchasers failed to make payments on cars purchased from the lot, Ziaja used the Law Enforcement Tactical System search feature to obtain information on buyers and their family members so that repossessors could find the cars.

Ziaja also used the computer search information, which is legally restricted to criminal justice purposes to help with the car dealer's respossessions in Morgan and Jefferson counties.

As part of his plea agreement, Ziaja will forfeit his certification as a law enforcement officer, and will be barred from serving as a law enforcement officer in Alabama in the future.

"Mr. Ziaja misused his law enforcement position for personal gain and therefore betrayed the public's trust," Marshall said.
There is a shortage of qualified farm workers and some farmers are feeling stretched thin because they can't find extra help to work the land. WAAY 31 talked to two local farmers Tuesday about reasons why there is a shortage.

J.D. Booker has owned his farm in Toney for 14 years. Booker is a former Marine and is not afraid of hard work. He said long hours is one of the reasons why there is a shortage of farm workers.

"It's hard, hard work. Long hours. Sun up to sun down."

Matt Haney owns Haney Farms and said another reason for the shortage is the lack of skilled workers. He said it's not as simple as hopping on the tractors. Workers need to know how to properly operate the equipment and there are safety concerns.

"You can have somebody that can sit up there and drive, but they've got to be an operator. They've got to be able to operate the machinery, know when something's fixin' to go wrong."

Booker agreed with Haney that things can go wrong if someone doesn't know how to use the equipment correctly.

"It's a dangerous piece of equipment, yes. You can rollovers. You can fall off the tractor."

A third reason Booker gave for the shortage is that children who grow up on farms are no longer taking over the family business.

"After they receive their education, they go into corporations and move off the farm."

Haney agreed but said he's fortunate that his sons enjoy working on the farm.

"It makes me proud that my sons do want to farm one day, but, you know, they'll need employees too."

Low pay is also a reason Booker said people are no longer interested in farming jobs. Both farmers said although the work is tough and the hours are long, the work is rewarding and they are hoping others will consider jobs in agriculture.
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30 Oct-4 Nov. The Rome Savoyards and Plays in Rome present an English-language production of Major Barbara at Teatro S. Genesio in the Prati district, from 30 October until 4 November.

Considered one of George Bernard Shaw's most thought-provoking and witty plays, Major Barbara is a bittersweet comedy that highlights the conflict between power and poverty.

Set in 1905, the play follows Major Barbara Undershaft, a devoted Salvation Army officer, who becomes disillusioned when her Christian denomination accepts charity money from her armaments-manufacturing millionaire father. She initially sees the Salvation Army's acceptance of her father's money as hypocrisy but eventually comes to the conclusion that people with power are more in need of salvation than converting the hungry in return for food.

Shaw himself derided the notion that charities should only accept money from "morally pure" sources, pointing out that donations can always be used for good, whatever their provenance.

Directed by Sandra Provost, the cast includes (in order of appearance) Gabriella Spadaro, Frank Baj, Camilla Mazzi, Gabrielle Chiararo, Fabiana De Rose, Shane Harnett, Grant Thompson, Shelagh Stuchbery, Harry McCrory, Michael Fitzpatrick, Anna Butterworth, Edoardo Camponeschi, Carolyn Gouger.

Performances 30 Oct-2 Nov 20.30, 3-4 Nov 17.30. For tickets tel. 3478248661 or email playsinrome@yahoo.com. For more details see Facebook event page.
Yahoo has agreed to pay $50 million in damages and provide two years of free credit-monitoring services to 200 million people whose email addresses and other personal data were stolen in the biggest security breach in history. The restitution hinges on federal court approval of a settlement filed late Monday in a lawsuit seeking to hold Yahoo accountable for digital thefts that occurred in 2013 and 2014 but weren't disclosed until 2016. Yahoo revealed the problem after it had already negotiated a $4.83 billion deal to sell digital services to Verizon Communications. About 3 billion Yahoo accounts were hit by hackers that included some linked to Russia by the FBI.
The White House has not filled in key details of the new 10 percent plan, such as how they would define the middle class or pay for a plan that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade. Republicans did not pay for the tax law they passed last year, instead adding the $1.5 trillion cost to the deficit, but Trump said Tuesday his new proposal would be a net neutral. He did not explain how this would be achieved.
Guinan did not respond to messages left at five numbers associated with her or those of relatives. She also did not respond to messages sent via Facebook, even though she was active on the social media site, posting more than 15 times Wednesday. Reached by cellphone, her ex-husband said he would contact her by text and pass along a message from a Post reporter seeking comment.
The investigators found that Mr. Preucil and Mr. La Rosa engaged in sexual misconduct and sexually harassing behavior with multiple female students and colleagues over a period of years while employed by the Orchestra, the orchestra said in a statement. Moreover, the abusive conduct by both performers was made possible by their positions of power within the Orchestra and in the broader world of classical music. According to the investigation, women who were victims were intimidated by Mr. Preucil and Mr. La Rosa, and were afraid to take action after they were subjected to the unwelcome behavior.
In a bit of ill-timed fundraising, Trumps reelection campaign distributed an email attacking CNN around noon Wednesday, about two hours after CNN reported on the bomb threat against it. The fundraising letter came from Lara Trump, the presidents daughter-in-law, who criticized CNN for its reporting on a Trumps rally in Florida. Her email quotes an unnamed CNN figure who said of the rally, It felt like we werent in America anymore. Lara Trumps response reads, Its time for us to give the media another wake-up call from the American people.
Last year, a single brick-walled condo unit in the Helicopter Factory  yes thats what it used to be  fetched $2.3 million, shattering the record for its neighborhood adjacent to Howard University. A deal is currently pending on a 3,700-square-foot two-bedroom in another old schoolhouse in Washingtons Eckington neighborhood, wedged between some of the citys busiest thoroughfares and just around the corner from a gas station and a carryout pizza joint; the asking price was just over $1 million.
Julian had applied to GW and was waiting to hear whether hed been accepted and would be able to go after his Marine service ended. He was someone who loved his hometown, who, his mother said, got down and rolled around in it.
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If voters do have unstamped absentee ballots returned, they can mail them again with the correct postage  a single Forever stamp  or drop them off at the Board of Elections offices at 1015 Half St. SE or at their voting precinct on Election Day.
The most competitive election on the D.C. ballot is for the two at-large council seats, one of which is reserved for a non-Democrat. Voters can pick two candidates, and the top two vote-getters win seats. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At Large) is favored to win one of the seats as the only Democratic candidate, while independent Dionne Reeder is vying to unseat Elissa Silverman (I) with the endorsement and financial backing of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). Independent Rustin Lewis, D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate David Schwartzman and Republican Ralph Chittams Sr. are also on the ballot.
With GFP, you can see exactly whats going on inside a living organism. You can see what the neurons are doing, the way neurons are connected together. You can monitor what single proteins are doing inside a cell, or watch individual bacteria inside a colony. That changed the way we do experiments, where we used to depend on dead things and try to guess what was going on when it was alive. Now you can watch the processes as they happen.
Makiyah was fatally shot July 16 when four masked men jumped from a carjacked Infiniti and sprayed gunfire into a crowded courtyard at an apartment complex. Five people were hit, including Makiyah and her 18-year-old sister, who was wounded in the arm but survived. Makiyah was shot in the heart and died as she clutched a $5 bill she had been given to buy her ice cream.
When Ruby shared that story with her church Sunday as part of a talk on domestic violence, she did not yet know what the next several days would hold. She did not know that a New York Times article revealing that the Trump administration was considering defining gender based strictly on a persons anatomy at birth would cause her phone to start ringing and not stop. She did not know that she would be asked to speak again and again about why she and other transgender women and men deserve to exist and live free of fear.
The parking lot is fractured and warped, the plumbing is broken and construction workers are again replacing West Lumberton Baptist Churchs deep green carpet. The Lumber Rivers turbid floodwaters, again, overwhelmed the church, bringing mold and moisture and rot.

The historic rains that came to North Carolina with Hurricane Florence last month also brought with them the second historic flooding in as many years, following Hurricane Matthew, which brought similar destruction to this small town in October 2016. Many impoverished families in West Lumberton abandoned their waterlogged homes after the first storm, and those who stayed were just finishing their repairs and recovery this summer when the second storm came through.

They are now forced to start from zero again.

Everything that weve gained just in the last couple years, to try to get back to where we were before Matthew, all thats gone, said Pastor Rick Foreman, standing in sand and debris the river washed into the churchs backyard during Florence. It was just erased in one quick weekend.



Pastor Rick Foreman stands behind the West Lumberton Baptist Church. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Experts have called the aftermath from both hurricanes 1,000-year floods  meaning the odds are there will be one of them in each 1,000-year period  but the victims of those floods are skeptical. In their eyes, Gods will and a warming planet make a third flood inevitable.

You got to know that God has a plan and hes going to do it in his time, said Rhonda Bruce, a church parishioner who lost her home during Matthew and then during Florence lost the belongings shed managed to salvage. Its tough not knowing how to move forward.

Residents are searching for ways to keep the next flood from ruining them again, and theyre focusing on the Lumber River.

For centuries, the 133-mile long waterway has been a life source for those who made the banks home. The Lumbee, a North Carolina Native American tribe, used the river as a trade route before European settlers utilized it to float timber. The river has fed fishermen, transported travelers and provided a natural bath for baptisms.

But Matthew and Florence morphed it into an invasive threat.

One potential solution is a permanent floodgate in the churchs backyard, where the railroad tracks cross under Interstate 95 and create a barrier between the river and the rest of West Lumberton. During Matthew, the Lumber rushed through the underpass opening, through the church and down into neighborhood homes.

When Florence came, the church had a plan, working with the city and state to stack 5,000 sandbags and concrete barricades across the tracks in an attempt to tame the river. It held for several days as the river rose in September, but the water ultimately overwhelmed it. The pastor and dozens of other residents and businesses in West Lumberton believe a permanent floodgate would fix that.



West Lumberton Baptist Church seen after Hurricane Florence in September. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

A floodgate, though, requires cooperation from Jacksonville-based CSX, which owns the railroad tracks that run through the property. Since Matthew, the company has bucked attempts to construct a permanent floodgate and pushed to delay the construction of the temporary levee built on the eve of Florence, according to a class-action lawsuit Lumberton residents filed in September against CSX.

The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Southern Division, claims CSX told city officials that it would consider anyone attempting to stem the flooding from the underpass to be a trespasser and threatened to sue anyone who tried to place sandbags across the underpass. It took an emergency order from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) to override CSXs objections and build the temporary levee.

Lumberton residents argue that North Carolina Emergency Management Agency estimates show that a permanent wall would have reduced damage from the floods by 80 percent, saving 2,000 buildings and $232.6 million.

CSX declined to comment on specifics, but the company said in a statement that it is fully committed to working with the city on a permanent solution.

The city received $2.25 million in grant money after Hurricane Matthew to construct a floodgate, Lumberton City Manager Wayne Horne said. The city is in conversation with CSX, the state Department of Transportation and Robeson County officials to determine next steps. State engineers still need to complete a hydraulic study that will inform how a floodgate would be built.

Its a complex project thats taking time, Horne said. I cant give you a timeline with all the complexity of it.

Many of Lumbertons lower-lying homes that were flooded during Matthew remain empty and rotting, still containing abandoned beds, toys and Christmas decorations. Many residents who remain live in elevated homes that saw floodwaters rise to their doorsteps without spilling inside. Their damage is less devastating but is still potentially dangerous, as the wet undersides of the homes could be susceptible to mold and mildew.



A mold-filled room inside an abandoned house in West Lumberton. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Among the most vulnerable in West Lumberton are families like the Emanuels. Helen and Junior Emanuel, who are Lumbee, grew up as neighbors on Hedge Drive; they married 60 years ago and raised their children on the same street. Their son, Tony Emanuel, lives across the way in Juniors childhood home.

After Hurricane Florence passed, the river rose knee-high around their homes, soaking the foundation. Aside from the devastating flooding, other barriers exist that make recovery more difficult for the Emanuels. Junior cannot read or write. Helen can, but she has dementia. Junior applied for government assistance with outside help, but he doesnt know what the paperwork said. A painter and mechanic, he plans to start selling off his cars for cash. He has homeowners insurance, but he cant afford flood insurance.

At Tonys house across the street, floodwaters rushed into a basement that was originally built as a bomb shelter. It took Tony a month after Florence to remove the wet insulation, which he never replaced after Matthew.

In a nearby neighborhood, Sam Locklear had renovated his home after Matthew brought four feet of water into it. Then Florence brought another 33 inches. His family is one of the last left on their street. Hes not sure they have the energy to rebuild again.

I hope this is the last time, Locklear said.

Though the proposed floodgate would protect many West Lumberton families, there are others in town who would be worse off if the floodgate is built.

Behind the church, on the other side of where the railroad and highway intersect, is a 100-acre plot of land that has been in John Coxs family for nearly five generations. It meets the banks of the Lumber River, houses several members of Coxs family and includes an old historic home built decades ago by a former North Carolina governor.

Cox, 79, was born and raised on the land, the son of a white father and a Lumbee mother. The youngest of eight children, he helped farm cotton and tobacco, sold fish from Cox Pond on the property and, because his family had no plumbing until he was 16, bathed in the Lumber River.

His mother had to sell portions of the land over time to make ends meet, but Cox slowly bought it all back. This land, which he hopes to one day turn into a nature preserve, is his familys legacy.

But the floodgate would endanger all of it, pushing the rivers spillover onto his property. The temporary levee constructed during Florence did just that, forcing the river level to rise nine feet, devastating the homes of his stepson and nephew.

The river is nasty now compared to when I was a little boy, Cox said.



Lifetime Lumberton resident John Cox. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Cox Pond, accessible by Cox Road, was once the best fish pond in town, Cox said. Since Florence, fat bass keep floating to the surface, dead, probably from sewage backup or an influx of oxygen-choking sediment. Either way, the kill-off hinders his plan for the land: to be a natural refuge for the community.

So until the next flood comes, he said hell keep cleaning up, perhaps even plant new trees along the ponds banks.

I may never live to see them grown, but Ive got my vision in my head of what I want, Cox said. If they build that floodgate, it will probably destroy that dream. But I wont go down without a fight. Theres too much history here for the Cox family.

Zoeann Murphy contributed to this report.
Thousands of documents already have been released from the investigation that ended without determining a motive for the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, but the writings could provide insights into the thinking of the shooter, Adam Lanza.
But dont trust incumbents to act, regardless of what they say. In the weeks after the midterms, we need to press lawmakers to put their votes where their tweets are. We also need to keep an eye out for legal challenges against these measures from forces that stand to lose from a fairer system. Conservative activists could try to convince the Supreme Courts new conservative majority that ballot measures instituting electoral reform are unconstitutional. If the Supreme Court tries to choke off the voice of the voters, it would demolish public confidence and provoke a constitutional crisis.
There is scant chance that China would join the INF Treaty and voluntarily give up one of its core military advantages. It might be possible to renegotiate the treaty with Russia to limit its sphere to Europe, or to negotiate a new three-way treaty with Russia and China limiting the number of intermediate-range missiles but not banning them altogether. But simply staying in the INF Treaty and making futile protests about Russian violations wouldnt achieve anything. Declaring that the United States is ready to walk away is a good first step toward dealing with the security challenges of todays world, which are vastly different from those of 1987. The United States can now develop a new land-based intermediate-range ballistic missile to counter a growing Chinese threat  a successor to the Pershing II missiles destroyed under the INF Treaty  while retrofitting the Tomahawk cruise missile, already ubiquitous at sea, for launchers on land. Hypersonic weapons might be a promising new technology.
The more criticism there is of the crown prince, the more popular he is in the kingdom, Turki said. If you took a poll among Saudis today, you would find that he is more popular than he was two weeks ago. Thats because Saudis feel that their leader is being unfairly attacked in the foreign media. Thats true of the royal family, as well. They feel that this is an attack on Saudi Arabia and the royal family, not just Mohammed bin Salman.
But on the micro scale, where you can see the human faces, reasonable immigration restriction starts looking more like ruthless. Those Honduran migrants lying under a tarp in Huixtla, Mexico, arent any less deserving than you are of clean drinking water, safe streets and a warm, dry abode. They just failed to hit the Pick-6 in the birthplace lottery. By what moral right do we tell them to go back to Tegucigalpa and hope that their local MS-13 chapter decides to prey on somebody else? Looking at actual faces, rather than zeroes, many people would answer: None.
As in Republican women dont  though, of course, the March for Life draws plenty of conservative women. Her meaning was more metaphorical and may speak to why Democratic women are so much more successful in politics than their Republican counterparts. They make noise. Theyre scrappier and more willing to take to the streets, to shout in protest, to be agitators and activists. Plainly, its time for Republican women to kick off their heels, pull on their boots and get busy. But anyone hoping for a kinder and gentler country may have to wait awhile.
Virtually no one on the planet has the kind of power that a president of the United States has to scramble bureaucracies in the service of whim, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Whatever Donald Trump wakes up and thinks about, or whatever comes to mind in the middle of a speech, actually has the reality in that it is actionable in some odd sense.
With polls showing that large majorities of Americans favor keeping protections for those with preexisting conditions intact, Republican candidates have increasingly sought to assure voters that they support those protections despite a years-long GOP effort to repeal the 2010 law, a partial 16-day government shutdown in 2013 to try to defund it and dozens of House votes to revamp or scrap the law.
The caravan, which originated in Honduras, is traveling primarily by foot, which means its arrival at the U.S.-Mexico border could be weeks away. With no formal leadership, the group also could thin out and break up along the way, experts said, with a portion of the migrants choosing various paths: remaining in Mexico, taking alternative routes, or giving up and heading home. That would make the situation more manageable for U.S. authorities.
The Colombo Fort Magistrates Court had granted permission to the CID to ask Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei to help recover data which had been deleted from a phone used by Namal Kumara who revealed a plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena, Reuters reported today.

Namal Kumara last month said he had discussed the plot by phone with DIG Nalaka de Silva. He said former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was also a target of Kumara has since been questioned but not charged with any offence.

Officials at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told the court that some of Kumaras phone data, which could be evidence, had been deleted and therefore they needed Huaweis technical help to retrieve them.

Sri Lankan law prevents police from asking Huawei to help without first obtaining explicit permission from a court. The court granted it on Monday.
Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 people last year, and opioids have become a major campaign issue for both Democrats and Republicans. Drugs have become central in races in states such as West Virginia, Ohio and Florida, which have been hit hard by the opioid crisis. According to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal, ads in congressional and gubernatorial races that mention opioids have aired more than 500,000 times in 25 states; in 2014, there was only one ad about opioids, in a Senate race in Kentucky.
If we hope to bring the 11 million existing undocumented workers out of the shadows into the open, we have to give them a reason, Obama said. I am sympathetic, and I understand peoples frustrations with respect to those who have come here illegally, but we have to understand that they are now here, they are paying taxes, they are raising families, many of their children are U.S. citizens who were born here and are going to school here, and if we are going to get some handle on that population, then weve got to give them some incentive in order to come out into the open.
For example, when the New York Times first reported the existence of McCabes memos, Rosenstein said, Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment  not denying he had ever suggested there was. In a second statement hours later, he said, I never pursued or authorized recording the president and any suggestion that I have ever advocated for the removal of the President is absolutely false.
More than three weeks after Khashoggi was killed by Saudis in what Erdogan called a planned operation, his government has yet to publicly divulge all that it knows about the plot or who ordered it. Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggis whereabouts for weeks but acknowledged in the last few days that he had been killed in what they said was a fistfight with rogue Saudi operatives.
Dundar has since lived in legal limbo. He spent three months in pretrial detention. He won his temporary release. He escaped injury when shot at by an assailant who called him a traitor. (The assailant was arrested.) And in May 2016, he was sentenced to nearly six years in prison. He remained free to travel abroad while appealing that decision, and at the time of the coup, he was in Barcelona and working on a book. His lawyer suggested he not return, saying the courts couldnt be trusted to hear his case. Dundar listened. Instead, he went to Germany.
Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told the Cabinet yesterday that the government should launch diplomatic efforts to withdraw its co-sponsorship of the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka.

He said the government should also make every effort to replace the current resolution.

The minister said this when the Cabinet discussed the Bill to set up the National Truth Commission and pointed out that the government had taken several steps as far as reconciliation was concerned.

He cited the Office of Missing Persons, the Office for Reparation, and various commissions appointed during the former rule as steps taken in this direction.

However, the minister said there was no reciprocity from the other side. He said some countries such as Britain were lenient towards the LTTE activists because of the present approach by the government. (Kelum Bandara)
Cook has long been outspoken about privacy as he seeks to separate Apple from competitors such as Google, which rely on harnessing personal information about Web users to serve them targeted ads. During his speech Wednesday, Cook commended the new E.U. rules as a sign that good policy and political will can come together to protect the rights of us all.
I think that those who reproach Macron for this are bad historians, said Annette Becker, a historian of World War I at the University of Paris Nanterre. It was a world war, the First World War. Of course there was a victorious side  France, Britain and Italy  but to say that France was somehow alone and victorious is patently absurd, because all alone it would not have won.
The Hambantota Wind Farm, the only CEB-owned wind power plant, which was commissioned in 1999, is being disassembled to be removed owing to the high amount of rent the CEB has to pay for the land and also due to its less efficiency, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said.

The CEB said that it did not have any concrete decision as of yet on relocating the towers at a separate land.

According to unconfirmed sources, the CEB had to pay a colossal amount of Rs. 23 million as rent to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) for the land, following the agreement signed between the Chinese Company and the SLPA to lease out the Hambantota Port and several adjacent land plots.

CEB Spokesperson Sulakshana Jayawardena said both the wind power plant and its technology were outdated and that it was not viable to maintain the plant by paying a higher rent.

There are five towers at the farm but only three are operational at the moment.

It is not practical to have it at that particular location while paying a rent to the SLPA. If you make a high amount as a rent while maintaining the power plant which provides the only 3MW to the grid, the purpose is lost.

Not having this plant will make no significant impact on the system. No point in keeping the power plant as it is. Power plants too have life spans. When the time comes, the efficiency goes down.

Having considered the economic and the technological requirements and other aspects, the CEB decided to remove the towers, he told the Daily Mirror.

He said the CEB had a plan to relocate the wind towers at a land of the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) at Hambantota, where there was also a solar power plant, but added the plan was not final.

The Director General of the SEA said they are planning to put up wind towers at this particular land but they are thinking about the cost. Hopefully, we will be able to install them at the solar park but it depends on how feasible and economically viable it is, he said.

Defending the move to remove the towers, he said the towers are not performing at an efficient level.

The plant was put up at the late 90s. The relocation depends on how feasible it is to reinstall them somewhere else because there is a cost to dismantle and also to reinstall. However, the CEB is removing the towers in a systematic manner so then we can reinstall it at another place if we want and can, Mr Jayawardena said.

However, employees of the Wind Farm and CEB Trade Unions expressed sentiments against the move to remove the wind farm claiming it could incur an additional cost to the state.

The move to remove wind towers by spending millions of rupees and probably sell them for scrap metal is absurd. The CEB could have simply relocated the towers at a separate land. If that is not a viable option, the CEB should have allowed a private firm to remove it at their expense. As of Wednesday, the operations of all five wind towers had been terminated, an employee said.

They charged the CEB was bringing in technicians from India coupled with heavy machinery by spending Rs.45 million to remove the towers.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the CEB Employees' Union Ranjan Jayalal said the CEB, which is unable to pay the rent any more, was attempting to remove wind towers from the land for scrap metal.

The CEB rejected the allegations and said it called for tenders following the procedures to remove the wind towers.

We evaluated the proposals received and then selected the most benefited company to do the job, it said.

The Hambantota Wind Farm is Sri Lankas first commissioned wind farm and it was constructed with both state and foreign funds. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
Since Khashoggi failed to emerge from a scheduled visit to the consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, the Saudi story has repeatedly and radically changed. What started with complete denial  and insistence that he left the consulate under his own steam  became, in a Saturday statement from Riyadh, an admission that he was killed in a fistfight at the consulate during a rogue Saudi operation that Mohammed knew nothing about. Arrests had been made, the statement said, and investigations were continuing.
Officials said the packages used as a return address the office of Wasserman Schultz, who chaired the Democratic National Committee during part of the 2016 campaign. One such package used an incorrect address for former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr., and it was returned to her office in Sunrise, Fla., where it was intercepted, according to officials. Authorities do not believe she had anything to do with the packages and think she was a potential victim. A spokesman for Holder declined to comment.
President Trump said Tuesday that Saudi officials had engaged in the worst coverup ever after Khashoggis killing, and the United States on Tuesday announced its first concrete step to penalize Saudi Arabia, revoking visas for agents implicated in the killing. President Trump said he would leave it up to Congress to determine further steps against the kingdom, which is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and a vast market for U.S. arms manufacturers.
The strongest voter bloc for Bolsonaro  who resoundingly won a first-round votethis month but fell short of the number needed to avoid a runoff  is still white men. And this country of 210 million is now more polarized than at any point in its modern history, especially after a spate of attacks and incidents of harassment in recent weeks against women, gays and black people, allegedly committed by Bolsonaro supporters.
The question of how the migrant caravan began has wound its way to the American midterm elections. President Trump and other Republicans have suggested that Democrats paid migrants to begin the journey. As the group continues to grow, the largest such caravan in recent years, its beginnings are being scrutinized: How did more than 5,000 migrants from across Central America find each other?
The two assaults have raised new concerns over attacks against coalition personnel by Afghans in uniform, which have killed about 155 U.S. or coalition troops or contractors and wounded 200 since 2008. Such insider attacks peaked in 2012 but have declined steadily since then, with added vetting of Afghan recruits, extra guards accompanying foreign advisers, and the withdrawal of most foreign troops. However, there have been several such deadly attacks in the past two years, including some at the hands of highly-trained Afghan commandos.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa today said that he didnt believe that the Cabinet Ministers would have any links with the RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) of India.

Responding to journalists after visiting the Henakaduwa Temple at Tangalle, Mr Rajapaksa, however, said the act of one of the Ministers working for the RAW would amount to treason.

The Government always creates a mess. It is hard to say that there are Ministers with affiliations to the RAW.

If Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is saying there are such Ministers, he should reveal who they are. If such a thing is happening against the President, it is an act of treason. But I dont believe there are Ministers with RAW affiliations, he said. (Aneesha Manage and Chandrasena Gamage)

Video by Anisha Mannage
Singtel Optus has signed a three-year agreement with energy retailer Sumo allowing Australians to buy telecommunications services along with their gas and electricity, with mobile plans around the corner.

Sumo has 1000 broadband customers at the moment as part of an early foray into selling NBN services, and markets itself as saving households up to 42 per cent off their bills by bundling the different services together. It also offers a connection service for gas and electricity.

Optus has signed a deal allowing energy provider Sumo to sell bundles of telco products along with their utilities.

As a result of the deal with Optus, the Melbourne-based gas and electricity retailer will offer internet, telephone, gas and electricity for homeowners and small businesses in a bundle, or sell the services separately. Optus is providing access to residential broadband services over the National Broadband Network (NBN), mobile broadband and home wireless broadband.

Post-paid mobile plans are expected to be added to the bundle options in the near future.
Family members of the estate workers today staged a protest urging the government to increase the daily wage of an estate worker to Rs 1000. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana
A Singaporean doctor dubbed "Dr Love" is behind a new egg-freezing clinic in Australia that will target young millenials and prospective single mothers from Asia who can pay per month to keep their eggs on ice.

Rising numbers of Australian women are now choosing to freeze their eggs as they wait to meet the right partner.

Rising numbers of Australian women are putting their eggs on ice.

But the operator of the XY.Life franchise, which plans to begin operating here next year, says there remains an untapped market for the service in Australia in younger millennial women aged from their late 20s, and unmarried Asian women barred from accessing fertility treatment in their own countries.

Dr Ken Leong, chief executive of XY.Life, said big IVF clinics in Australia had not aggressively marketed their services to Asian countries.
Last week, the Queensland government finally dragged itself into the modern era when it voted to make access to abortion officially legal.

I say "modern era", but of course there are still legislatures all over the country (and the world) that are languishing in a state of regressive, misogynist policies that deny women and others with reproductive capacity the right to determine when, if and under what circumstances they become parents. New South Wales is one of them. Curiously, South Australia is another  for despite abortion being relatively easy to access in that state (and I should know, I had two there), its technically still listed on the criminal code.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said, correctly, that abortion law reform would modernise Queensland. Credit:AAP

Tasmania recently saw the closure of the last remaining public clinic to provide terminations, meaning those unable to access or afford private care will now have to travel to the mainland for intervention  a task that manages to be both inaccessible and unaffordable.

Of course, abortion is a fraught topic but not because there are two equal and opposite sides that must be taken into consideration. Its a fraught topic because there are still all too many people who consider the idea of a person to carry more weight and importance than the actuality of a person who already exists.
Stomach in knots at receiving that text? They could be your Kryptonite person.

I didnt know which person my friend was referring to but I knew what he meant. I have my own emotional Kryptonite person. Most of us do. They are our weakness, our trigger, the one who gets under our skin and causes us to lose our resolve. We might be strong and together in all sorts of ways, but when our Kryptonite person contacts us, we are hopelessly triggered.

Take a deep breath, you don't have to deal with your Kryptonite person straight away. Credit:Shutterstock

"Do you have any good techniques for dealing with the emotions stirred up when That Person, your emotional Kryptonite, gets in touch?," he wrote. "Im just ignoring and waiting for my stomach to unknot."

Your Kryptonite person could be an ex-lover, an ex-friend or an unrequited crush. It could be a narcissistic parent, or a sibling with an addiction. It could be any person to whom you feel profoundly attached, who has hurt you some way in the past.

When your Kryptonite person calls or messages, your heart lurches, or you start to shake. You feel guilt, or rage, or fear, or helplessness, or an almost irresistible urge to fall back into their arms. You may feel a combination of the above. Kryptonite is strong, after all. It deprives even the most Super Person of their powers.

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So how do we manage our own Kryptonite people? How do we deal with the emotional charge, and keep our heads?

I have a few techniques of my own, and I spoke with Elisabeth Shaw, CEO of Relationships Australia, NSW, for some other ideas.
Police divers have flown from Brisbane to join the investigation into the death of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley as detectives try to retrace her final hours in the hope it will lead them to her killer.

More than 24 hours after the young woman's body was found on a remote north Queensland beach, detectives have renewed their appeal for the public's help to crack the case with nothing ruled in or out as yet, according to investigators.

Toyah Cordingley was found dead on Wangetti Beach in north Queensland on Monday morning. Credit:Facebook

In their latest update, detectives want to track down anyone who was at Rustys Markets in Cairns on Sunday afternoon. Ms Cordingley was at the markets between midday and 1pm, an hour before she drove to Wangetti Beach to walk her dog and her body was found on the sand the next morning.

Police are also asking for dashcam vision recorded from 12-7pm on Sunday on the Captain Cook Highway between Smithfield and Port Douglas, as well as footage showing the northern or southern car parks at Wangetti Beach.
A woman who took a Perth rabbi to court claiming she was sexually harassed and purposely excluded from converting to Judaism has had her claim thrown out by the State Administrative Tribunal.

The matter was heard in the tribunal on May 2 this year, with the claimed discrimination dating back to February 2015.

The Mount Lawley synagogue. Credit:Temple David

The tribunal heard the woman was a conversion student at Temple David in Mount Lawley when she met the rabbi in June of the same year.

She claimed the rabbi took a special interest in her, and recommended a book that had "interesting chapters about sexuality and the wonders of the male body".
The Morrison government has hit a new hurdle in its race to drive down energy prices as it struggles to legislate new powers to force big retailers to heed its demands before the federal election.

The government does not have a clear majority in either chamber of Parliament for its latest energy policy, amid industry warnings that the new measures will not deliver the price cuts it claims.

As the voter backlash in the Wentworth byelection puts Prime Minister Scott Morrison on track for minority government, crossbench MPs told Fairfax Media they questioned the need for some of the new laws.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during question time on Wednesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The government is also under fire for not doing more to cut emissions, with an alliance of business and community groups issuing a statement calling on the government to ensure "full participation" in the Paris agreement on climate change.
Kevin Rudd is advancing a radical new theory of how political power works in Australia.

The former prime minister argues that holding the confidence of the House of Representatives - the constitutional definition of forming government -is not sufficient to hold power.

Mr Rudd claims that a government must also enjoy the support of Rupert Murdoch's media group, or the mining industry, or both.

Then opposition leader Kevin Rudd pictured leaving the News Corporation building with Rupert Murdoch after a meeting in April, 2007, in New York. He visited again after being elected prime minister. Credit:Michael Nagle

"To stay alive in Australian politics required you to have at least two of these three centres of power in your court.
There are three common responses we'll be hearing as people try to understand and contextualise reports of explosive devices being sent to prominent Democratic critics of US President Donald Trump, as well as CNN.

The first is to say that it's Trump's fault, as many American liberals will do. The second is to say that it means nothing and has nothing to do with Trump, as many conservatives will do. And the third is to blame it on broad forces that float about the country with no particular partisan pull, such as "polarisation" or "division" or "anger."

Allow me to suggest that "blame" is too narrow a way to make sense of a series of attempted bombings aimed at precisely the people Trump and other Republicans spend a huge amount of time vilifying. We don't have to look for clues about whether the person responsible has a MAGA hat, or what their party registration is. We don't have to assign direct blame beyond a reasonable doubt.

But what we can say is this: Given what Trump has done and said, this was absolutely predictable. In fact, it's a wonder that it took this long.
"This was clearly an act of terror attempting to undermine the free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence," New York Mayor Bill De Blasio told reporters. "We've seen worse. And we will not be intimidated." The latest incidents came two days after police "proactively detonated" a pipe bomb sent to the upstate New York home of billionaire philanthropist and Democratic donor George Soros, a frequent target of far-right groups and conspiracy theorists. The device was near identical to one intercepted by the Secret Service near the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York, and one intercepted in Washington addressed to Obama, authorities said. New York police cordon off several blocks around the CNN office in Manhattan on Wednesday. Credit:AP The Chappaqua Patch, a local news website, citing a law enforcement official, reported the pipe bombs sent to Soros, Obama and Clinton were "not fancy but definitely functional".

A similar package was sent to an incorrect address for former Attorney-General Eric Holder, who has been mentioned as a potential Democratic presidential candidate for 2020. It was sent back to the return address listed on the envelope - the Florida office of Congresswoman Deborah Wasserman Schultz - causing her office to be evacuated on Wednesday. A seventh package, addressed to frequent Trump target and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, was intercepted at a congressional mail sorting facility, MSNBC reported.

A police car sits outside the home of Bill and Hillary Clinton on Wednesday. Credit:WABC7 Multiple US outlets reported that all the packages looked similar and had the return address of Wasserman Schultz, an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. US President Donald Trump said "we're extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning and we will get to the bottom of it". "In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America," he said in brief remarks before speaking at a White House event on the opioid crisis. A bomb defusing robot is sent into the Florida building that houses Congresswoman Deborah Wasserman Schultz's office. Credit:AP

However, CNN president Jeff Zucker hit back with a pointed statement, saying the White House had "a total and complete lack of understanding... about the seriousness of of their continued attacks on the media". "The President, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter," he said. "Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that." Neither Clinton nor Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said in a statement. The device sent to the Clintons was similar to a pipe bomb sent to the home of liberal philanthropist George Soros on Monday. Credit:AP However, Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the incidents were indicative of a "troubling time".

"Everyday we are grateful for [the Secret Service]... and obviously never more than today," she said at a fundraiser in South Florida for congressional candidate Donna Shalala. "But it is a troubling time, isn't it? And it's a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together." The White House immediately condemned "the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures". "These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Vice President Mike Pence also condemned the "cowardly actions".

The package discovered at Soros' home was placed in a mailbox outside the gates of the compound. A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates, not near Soros' quarters, AP reported. Trump has propagated conspiracy theories about Soros, including that he has funded protests against Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh and partly orchestrated a caravan of South American asylum seekers travelling to the US border. He has also retweeted mock footage of CNN being punched and called Waters an "extraordinarily low IQ person". After Waters urged Democrats to verbally confront Republicans in public places, Trump tweeted: "Be careful what you wish for Max!"

Donald Trump said California Congresswoman Maxine Waters should "be careful what you wish for". Credit:C-Span Both Republican and Democratic politicians condemned the attempted attacks, even as some Democrats said Trump's rhetoric was escalating tensions. "Words matter. Leadership matters. This is the country @realDonaldTrump has created, and he must condemn such acts of terrorism in the strongest terms," Democratic Congressman David Price tweeted. US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, called the acts "reprehensible," adding, "We cannot tolerate any attempt to terrorise public figures". A package sent to the office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was later deemed to be unrelated.
Construction work of the proposed light railway system would begin at the end of next year, the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry said yesterday.

Ministry Additional Secretary Madhawa Waidyaratna said that seven railway tracks had been identified by the ministry under the proposal.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the feasibility study on one railway track had been concluded and the construction work would begin soon with funds from Japan.

The ministry expects to construct the rest of the six lines under three packages as a Private Public Partnership (PPP).

According to the proposal one line with a total distance of 33km would be constructed from Ragama to Kirulapone via Kadawatha, Fort and Bambalapitiya.

The 28.3km long second line would be constructed from Kelaniya to Moratuwa via Dematagoda, Borella, Narahenpita and Nugegoda.

The 22.3 km long third line would be constructed from Hunupitiya Tire Junction to Kottawa via Koswatta.

Mr. Waidyaratna said that they will select six foreign companies from 17 that had submitted tenders for the project.

The ministry had allowed these companies until the end of February 2019 to submit their bids for the project.

Mr. Waidyaratna said that with the proposed light railway train system the whole of Colombo and its suburbs would be covered.

He went on to say that after the light rail system comes into operation fully commuters will be able to reach their destinations much quicker while it would also greatly help to lessen heavy traffic congestion in the city and its outskirts. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Responding to the statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena that the UNP founded by the late D S Senanayake was no more, Minister Sarath Fonseka said yesterday DS was engaged in a different kind of politics during his time.

Leaders such as former prime minister D.S Senanayake were engaged in a different kind of politics because he was striving to free the country from British rule. If one tries to engage in such politics that person will be labeled as a mad man. One must also remember that there are no Bandaranaikes in the SLFP today. The UNP was led by several leaders such as J R Jayewardene, Ranasinghe Premadasa and D B Wijetunga. If someone tries to become another D S Senanayake it will be a joke, the minister told a media briefing. The statement that the UNP of the late D S Senanayake is gone makes me laugh."

When asked by journalists about allegations that four ministers had links with RAW, the minister said no one can accuse any minister of having connections with RAW just because they talk of an alleged plot to kill the President.

The talk about four ministers connected to RAW was popped by the statement made by the Hindu journalists that the ministers spoken about a RAW plot to kill the President. One cannot label ministers as RAW agents just because they talked to this journalist. Associating with RAW is an offence, he said.

Referring to the Reparation Bill, the minister said paying compensation to those such as former LTTE combatants, who were engaged in anti-government activities, was against the constitution. However compensation should be paid to state officers if they die or sustain injuries while performing their duties, he said. (Yohan Perera)

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Navy Intelligence Officer Lieutenant Commander Sampath Dayananda had been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the abduction and disappearance of two individuals in Kotahena in 2009.

Sources said the Navy officer was arrested over abductions and disappearances of Vadivelu Pakkili Sami Loganathan and Rathnasami Paramanandan.

They were reported to have been abducted on January 11, 2009 while on their way to Wellampitiya.

Victims were employees of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and they were abducted in and around Hendala, Wattala, for ransom together with the vehicle they were travelling in.

It was reported that around 16 pounds of gold and some Rs. 800,000 in cash that were in the possession of the victims at that time-is alleged to have been taken over by the abductors.

The CID had earlier informed the court that the van of Vadivelu Pakkili Sami Loganathan was found at the Welisara Navy Camp, while being discarded and cut into 72 pieces.

Earlier, the CID arrested Navy Intelligence officer attached to the Welisara Navy Camp, Lieutenant Commander Dhammika Anil Mapa in connection with the same incident.

He was later released on bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrates Court.

Sources said that Lieutenant Commander Dayananda was remanded till tomorrow after produced before Colombo Chief Magistrates today. (Darshana Sanjeewa)
Most Venerable Tirikunamale Ananda Mahanayaka Thera said yesterday the proposed new Constitution was flawed and detrimental to the nation and that it was a threat to the national reconciliation.

The Thera said this at a ceremony held at the Foundation Institute to launch the book Sri Lanka Orumitta Nadu compiled by the Jathika Ekabadda Committee.

He said it was doubtful why the new Constitution was brought in amidst public protest and added that Maha Sanga also urged not to do so.

Maha Sanga requested only to bring in amendments if needed. This is brought with a hidden agenda. NGOs and foreign forces are trying to invade the whole nation and ruin countrys traditions.

Ven. Ananda Mahanayaka Thera said the new Constitution leads the country to chaos and communal clashes adding that it was a threat to the national reconciliation.

That is what the external forces want. Those who bring in this Constitution want to unstable this country politically and disrupt it completely, he said.

The Thera said the Constitution should meant to uplift the economy and living condition through the development of economy, education, health and moral values of all nations equally and added that if not such a move should be nip it in the bud.

He said people should get together to form a new leader who was free of political obligations and accepted by the whole country to safeguard the country from the new constitution detrimental to the country.

He said We cannot expect politicians to do it. They see both the country and the nation through their political party. They do not see the party through the country. People should now pay attention on a new leadership who do not see that manner. That new leadership should not emerge from politicians. He should be devoid of politics and accepted by the whole country. We must act together to form such a leader, the Thera said.

Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera said the government had already had set the background to bring in a new constitution by enacting most of the acts and bills in parliament such as the Enforced Disappearances Bill, Reparation Bill and Provincial Councils Amendment Bill.

The Thera appealed the government not to make the country which is considered as the pearl of the Indian Ocean as the drop of tears.

Former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former chief justice Sarath N Silva, Senior Lecturer of University of Colombo Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan participated in the event. (Ajith Siriwardana)
One of the most quoted references of Gautama Buddhas teachings on well-being is the 204th verse of the Dhammapada, contained in the Sukhavagga or the Discourses on Happiness:

Aroga parama labha

san tutthi paramam dhanan

vis asa parama nathi

Nibbanan paramam sukhan

Acharya Buddharakkitha

translates it as follows: Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth; a trustworthy person is the best kinsman and Nibbana the highest bliss.

Health, contentment, kin and Nibbana can each be elaborated, but this is no thesis on Buddhism. What we need to draw is the importance of good health as being a condition that surpasses all else in terms of the tangibles one can obtain in life. A healthy nation can therefore be considered a kind of bedrock for all other improvements. Obtaining it is not easy. It is not that our leaders have been oblivious to the subject of health. For decades weve trotted out laudable numbers pertaining to importance indicators of good health, mostly flowing from an excellent public health system complemented by equally excellent awareness programs.

The question thats often being asked is whether it is sustainable. In other words, there are doubts that a country with an economy such as ours can afford to subsidize to the extent it does

The question thats often being asked is whether it is sustainable. In other words, there are doubts that a country with an economy such as ours can afford to subsidize to the extent it does. Perhaps it is not about blanket subsidies but intelligent support from the state. The discussion on the sector in recent times have been caricatured into a private vs public debate. Within it, theres mention of a national policy on drugs, price formulas for private hospitals and of course the controversy over private medical schools.

In all this, there has been a concerted effort to dub the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) as the villain of the piece. They, unlike other professionals, are not supposed to have grievances. They earn enough, we are told (as though only those who earn less than some magical figure have grievances and therefore have the privilege to protest). That vilification extends to the services provided. State hospitals are not plush entities like private hospitals, it is lamented. There is over-crowding and a general unkempt appearance (which does not mean its unhygienic, note).

In all this, theres a lot missing. Nothing about the fact that hospitals are understaffed in almost all categories, that those who have to work do the work of several (unlike in private hospitals), that even today the state hospitals provide the best services across the board (a hospital is not a resort hotel, note) and offer the kind of medical surveillance a private hospital just does not. It must be noted that there are excellently maintained state facilities in certain parts of the country, which clearly says that meagre though the resources may be, they can be intelligently used. And yet, any medical mishap in any state hospital is inflated in the media whereas negligence in private hospitals is swept under the carpet (if indeed it is even known!).

That said, the solution is not to have a policy of destroying one or the other, but to figure out a system where anyone has access to medical care that is affordable. Insurance has been offered as a solution, but the system introduced recently for school children essentially gets the tax-payer to fatten insurance companies and private hospitals.

As mentioned, it is not about the services but also about the drugs. Here too there is the public vs private matter being debated. Drug companies are villains, some say. The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation just cant deliver, others say. The default option so far has been to let multinational pharmaceutical companies to do as they please. There is very little talk about private-public partnerships or supporting the development of a local pharmaceutical industry.

Time was when regular work in the household and community provided all the exercise necessary. That community and that household has been all but destroyed. Now we have walkways, gymnasiums, spas and expensive hospitals. Somewhere, somehow, the basics seem to have been forgotten. For example, the General Practitioner is almost a dying breed. Patients have taken over that role. If one has seen a skin specialist, then one is qualified to recommend that specialist to someone suffering the same or similar ailment. Wheres the debate on nutrition? Wheres the debate on preventive measures? Wheres community medicine? Wheres awareness creation? Wheres the debate on enabling environments? Why are these not part of the overall discourse on development?

As mentioned, it is not about the services but also about the drugs. Here too there is the public vs private matter being debated. Drug companies are villains, some say

Development has destroyed a lot of things. When forests go, so do a vast treasury of genes that has the potential to cure. A culture of untrammelled consumption of which junk food and all kinds of unhealthy substances are touted as being essential parts of the good life have severely compromised the general health of the population. Remember that all this was attended by a deliberate and concerted vilification of all things indigenous  foods, medicine and medical practices included. Indigenous medical practitioners and practices are vilified as indulgence in mumbo-jumbo, but faith-healers protected in the name of religious freedom.

Lets leave Nibbana aside. Contentment has been codified in terms of material things. There are no kin; there are only partners in all kinds of profit-making operations. Can we truly say that health in Sri Lanka is thought of as the most precious gain? If not, why not?

Over to you, M/s Nagananda Kodituwakku, Rohan Pallewatte, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maithripala Sirisena and any other individual entertaining hopes of becoming the next President of Sri Lanka.

Author is a political analyst and freelance writer can be contacted on malindasenevi@gmail.com. or by visiting www.malindwords.blogspot.com
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President Maithripala Sirisena who was moving freely with the citizenry would see his movements being curtailed following the much talked about threat to his life

All of us, unless enlightened or spiritually inclined, fear death. Spiritual guru the late Bhagavan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) once said that death is blissful for those who have lived life to the fullest. But death in the political scene is something quite different to how life ends in the spiritual realms of human life.

When life is snuffed out in the political scene through killings or untimely deaths, we are aghast. Right now there is talk about there being assassination plots to kill the president and the former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The story about the assassination plot gathered momentum as the days rolled by and drew the attention of Indian Premier Narendra Modi because claims had been allegedly made by President Sirisena that Indias Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) may be involved in it.

All this begs the question why the Government doesnt clear the air about the assassination plot

He has also said that there are Cabinet secrets that should not be disclosed to the public

Sirisena is wise enough to know that this country has had a history of heads of state being assassinated

From what we have read in the newspapers we fathom that Sirisena is concerned about the threat to his life. That is natural because there is much for him to achieve as the head of the Yahapalana regime. He is not yet ready to go because so little has been done during the tenure of this utility Government. This is largely because of the tug-of-war between the president and the premier; whose henchmen form the majority of the government.

Sirisena is a Buddhist who has lived an exemplarily life as a citizen of this country. But the luxury life that politics offers and the power vested upon him as president probably make him view death as something that should be postponed. We all must go when the time comes to bid adieu to planet earth. But a politician may think differently.

ultimatum

If there is anyone who put the subject of death so early into the mind of President Sirisena its whistle blower Namal Kumara. The revelation of an assassination plot not only makes Sirisena intricately plan his future moves, but also highlights that wonderful lesson of Gautama Buddha that all good products come with a shelf life. Sirisena, a product of Pollonaruwa, rose to stardom in 2015 when the UNP and key members of the opposition united to field him as the presidential candidate under the guidance of the late Ven. Sobitha Thera.

This assassination talk also serves Sirisena an ultimatum that its now or never for him. Getting bumped off or being unseated as President right now might have similar effects on Sirisenas career. Sirisena must find the strength to wade through the glue he is stuck in. On one side there is an economy thats crashing and on the other there is a support base (As in the vote base) for him which is fast diminishing. Right now the assassination talk has cost him dearly because India, the accused, is badly hurt. According to media reports a scheduled press conference which was supposed to brief the fourth estate about the Governments response to the assassination story had been canceled at the eleventh hour.

A prominent Government minister had said that the news that the Indian journalist was fed with, regarding the presidents alleged statement about the plot to kill him, was false. All this begs the question why the Government doesnt clear the air about the assassination plot by having a press conference, releasing an official statement or by the President himself using the Government media arm and addressing the nation. We have read so much about Government officials working overtime to communicate with New Delhi in its attempts to do damage control now. Should the Sri Lankan citizens be left in the dark during a time of great concern like this?

Gotabaya putting a police entry with regard to the plot to assassinate him is a good enough happening to make Sri Lankan citizens demand to know the truths about this whole episode!

Sirisena sees the bits of information leaked to the press from what transpired at a Cabinet meeting as an attempt to tarnish his image and portray him as an enemy of India. Its now known that president Sirisena was not in favour of the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port to be developed with Indias help. The Indian premier had meanwhile conveyed his displeasure over some of the Indian funded projects in Sri Lanka facing a delay in completion. Uninformed citizens of this country are forced to guess or listen to the speculative stories that are doing the rounds that Modi and Sirisena are drifting apart in their relationship. But the positive news from Colombo is that Sirisena has taken the initiative to strengthen ties with India and Modi.

Uninformed citizens

Minister Amaraweera has said that he would take to task the four ministers who conveyed vital information about the Cabinet meeting to an Indian journalist, who works for The Hindu newspaper. He has also said that there are Cabinet secrets that should not be disclosed to the public. Isnt the news about the plot to assassinate the president important enough for the people to know? Gotabaya putting a police entry with regard to the plot to assassinate him is a good enough happening to make Sri Lankan citizens demand to know the truths about this whole episode!

Sirisena is wise enough to know that this country has had a history of heads of state being assassinated or there being attempts at taking their lives. The killing of President Ranasinghe Premadasa was master-minded by the LTTE and we all know that a good number of the tiger rebels were trained in India. We also know that over the years the Tamil Nadu Government had a soft corner for the tiger rebels. At one time during the civil war in the north it is said that LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabakaran went into hiding in India. (This is stated in the book Thiyuna Asipathaka Sevana Yata penned by Swaminathan Wimal). Indias interests in creating trouble for Sri Lanka dates back to the time of the islands kings. Hence the talk about the Indian national named M.Thomas claiming that he knew of the plot to assassinate the president leaves us wondering whether the adversities that the president faces gathered momentum with the aid of political winds that are blowing from India.

President Sirisenas Government has to do much investigation to get to the bottom of all this. Its reported in newspapers that Sirisena believes that Modi might not be aware of the alleged assassination plot. He believes that the Indian national could be a RAW agent. But above all the man who walked freely among crowds with the least security during the past two and a half years has now invited the thought of death to his mind.

Independent observers believe that these developments will hamper Sirisenas election plans for 2020. Even if the story about the assassination plot will take time to be proved, one thing is clear; those opposing the president have begun playing a psychological game to unnerve him. President Sirisena must revise the clock to 2010 and observe how Mahinda Rajapaksa held his nerve till the last minute to defeat Sarath Fonseka at the Presidential Elections.

In that election the person who could handle pressure better won in the end. Even if Sirisena survives the assassins bullet he has to negotiate the challenges that are thrown at him by his ownmen in the Yahapalana Government. The latter seems a tougher task than the first for Sirisena!
Lori J. Pelletier, the outspoken leader of the Connecticut AFL-CIO for the last five years, will leave to take a job in Washington, advising an insurance company on the coverage needs of organized labor groups.

Pelletier, the top labor leader in the state, was able to expand union membership at a time when organized labor is under siege throughout the country.

The labor movement is in a good place in Connecticut, Pelletier said in a phone interview Wednesday. We have a tremendous movement here and it will continue to be robust. This was an big opportunity, so my family and I are moving to Washington.

The second female president of the statewide federation of unions, Pelletier, 55, has led the group in political action and organizing, most notably in the recent New London debate for governor, in which she and fellow union members confronted Republicans including J.R. Romano, the GOP state chairman.

The first openly gay union officer in the nation, Pelletier was first elected in 2013 after serving 14 years as secretary-treasurer to John Olsen. Pelletiers resignation takes effect Nov. 30, when she joins American Income Life, which sells insurance to labor unions, credit unions and their families.

Ill be working with national union leaders, she said, adding that American Income Life is an asset for the national labor movement. Its a value-added part of collective bargaining, allowing workers to protect their families at home. Its also a way to help workers in low-wage jobs.

A 32-year member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 700, Pelletier, a longtime Pratt & Whitney employee, will become vice president of American Income Life, and executive director of the American Income/National Income Labor Advisory Board.

In a statement announcing her departure, the state AFL-CIO said that Pelletier was able to increase union membership in Connecticut to its highest level at least since the turn of the 21st century, going from 207,000 union members in 2013, to 278,000 today. The bulk of the growth has been in private-sector unions, especially in health care, as public-sector job totals have eroded.

She also encouraged union members to get involved in elective office. She campaigned in the state Capitol for higher minimum wages, better scrutiny of state business loans, and a bill requiring public schools to establish a labor-history curriculum.

Sal Luciano, the current executive vice president and former executive director of AFSCME Council 4, will serve as interim president until the executive board convenes to elect a new president to finish Pelletiers current four-year term, which began last year and runs until 2021.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
BRIDGEPORT  The sea of orange rippling through the city on Wednesday was impressive, but not as much as the stream of facts fifth-graders at Discovery Magnet School could spout.

More than 160,000 high school students (nationwide) skip school ever day because of bullying, Jorja Appleby said of his online research.

Kids who are bullied can suffer from depression and anxiety, added classmate John Carlos Cruz.

It is not acceptable, Sophia Dejusti, 10, declared flatly.

Throughout Discovery Magnet and the rest of the school district, Wednesday was Unity Day. It was a chance not only to see who could pull off vibrant orange shirts, leggings and hair ties best, but also to focus on a topic many say goes unreported among Bridgeports 21,000 public school students.

Under state law, school bullying is a repeated act by one or more students to another student in the same district that causes harm or makes the victimized student fearful. The state requires that such cases be reported, investigated and verified to be included in statistics.

In the spring, the Board of Education was so incensed that there were only 19 verified cases of bullying reported to the state that they directed Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson to make it one of her focus areas in the new school year.

Johnson has a task force formed and has embraced October as Bullying Prevention Month. Tapping into resources from StopBullying.Gov, the superintendent has sent out daily bullying prevention messages via email and twitter to staff. At the last school board meeting, members received bright orange antibullying wristbands.

Schools have been encouraged to apply for $500 district grants to use for programs, pep rallies, workshops or projects related to bullying prevention and improving school climates.

High Horizons Magnet hosted a program called The Ned Shows Kindness Adventure that teaches kindness, respect and acceptance.

At Thomas Hooker School, there were restorative circles were students are encouraged to share and be listened to on a variety of topics.

Beardsley School handed out affirmation stickers to students at the start of each day this week and brainstormed on ways to counteract bullying.

At Discovery, students created posters and essays based on online research, and seventh- and eighth-grade students are reading books like Juice Box Bully and Making Sara Cry to younger grades.

Discovery Principal Sangeeta Bella said that bullying is not a big issue at her school, but it happens, and students need to learn how to recognize it, report it and counteract meanness with kindness.

This wont end with this month, Bella said. It should be an ongoing conversation.

For teachers, too.

Kristen Gill, a fifth-grade teacher at Discovery, said she has focused on bullying before, but not like the past month. Research her students have done have taken them back to the 1500s, when bullying was sometimes considered a term of endearment.

Today an estimated 3.2 million students nationwide are victims of bullying each year, according to StopBullying.org.

Many of her students, Gill said, know what it feels like to be picked on, but few 10-year-olds stop to consider how their actions can impact others.

We should think twice before saying anything, said Yash Verma, 10.

Several students in her class associate bullying with older siblings, or the bus ride to school.

Bullying on buses happens Lots and lots of times, said 10-year-old Marcus Jean-Baptiste. Rather than report the abuse, most students he knows will simply try to ignore it.

Fifth grade is also not too young to experience cyberbullying. There is an online game called Fortnite, that often leads to teasing for the losers, Gill said.

Boys commit more acts of physical bullying; girls more on line, one student in the Discovery class said.

Beyond the research, the students have talked about what they and bystanders can do.

At the end of the day, the message is to be the nice kid, Bella said. Its not difficult.
BRIDGEPORT  After two incidents of shots fired within an hour Wednesday, police are bumping up their patrols in the city for the remainder of the night, particularly near where the shootings happened.

The first shooting was reported just after 4 p.m. in the area of Soundview and Omega avenues. No one was injured, but police found shell casings throughout the 500 block of Soundview Avenue.

Then, shortly before 5 p.m., police learned of another shooting near William Street and Bershire Avenue. No one was hit, but at least one car and one house were damaged by gunfire. Officers found shell casings in the 100 block of Berkshire Avenue, some of which were AR-15 shells, Police Chief Armando Perez said.

It sounds like retaliation, Perez said. He said it was likely rival gangs members opened fire on each other.

Perez said there were a lot of officers out patrolling the areas and ensuring the public is safe.

Everybodys out there right now, he said. Were trying to figure out whats going on. Were taking very, very proactive measures.

He said the idea of a rifle being used in either of these shootings was alarming.

The thing is that there are so many of those weapons out there, and they come into the city, Perez said.

He went on to caution legal gun owners in the city to make sure they are keeping their guns locked up safely.

Some people who own these weapons dont take care of them, he said. They get stolen and get back on the streets. And these young people, theyre not afraid to use them.

Despite this, he said the Bridgeport police force will protect the city.

Rest assured, I have a lot of officers out there right now, he said.
WESTPORT  The philosophy underlying the United Nations is the philosophy of one world, Bill Hass, President of the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut said at the United Nations Day Celebration.

The annual Oct. 24 event commemorates the birthday of the United Nations (U.N.) founding charter signed on the same day in 1945. A former U.N. employee and Westport resident, Hass said the U.N. is the only major cross-national institution that promotes solutions to problems that cross borders, such as international drug-trafficking and the refugee crisis.

When we think about these refugees, people coming from Mexico on the caravan, we could be in their position ourselves. Were just lucky we were born in this country and live in a very beautiful area and have a lot of blessings, Hass told the crowd of about 20 people gathered for the celebration in Westport Town Hall.

Hass read a statement from current U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Hass said is more relevant this year than ever before. Conflicts are multiplying, people are suffering, but we dont give up because we know every man, woman and child deserves a life of peace, the statement read.

Resident Aye Aye Thant, the daugther of Burma native U Thant who served as the U.N. Secretary General from 1961 to 1971, quoted from a speech her father gave in 1966. [Aggressive nationalism] feeds on fear, on the propaganda of hate and ideological antagonism, and on the intolerable presumption that the world should be remade in its own image. Aggressive nationalism produces a breakdown of understanding and communication, Thant said.

Touting Westports substantial expatriate community and the many U.N. employees whove called the town home over the years, First Selectman Jim Marpe proclaimed Oct. 24, 2018 United Nations Day in Westport.

Before the ceremony, Staples High School senior Taylor Barr, President of the high schools Model U.N. club, helped raise the U.N. flag outside of Town Hall. To develop into an effective leader, one needs to cultivate the art of diplomacy, negotiation, a mastery of communications, and convey approachability, all skills and attributes Model United Nations activities build and nurture, Barr said.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
Jim was a hard-working man who always had a smile for everyone
Even during the height of the war, they brought in tourists to the country and pumped in the much-needed foreign exchange to the reeling economy. When Tsunami wrecked havoc in southern and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka, they were able to rise from wreckage within a very short time, showing their resilience. Yes, we are talking about Sri Lankas hospitality industry, which is the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country that accounts for about 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

From the passionate speech made by The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte at the associations 53rd Annual General Meeting a week ago, where Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was the chief guest, we understand that all at the hospitality trade isnt hunky-dory. Despite the record tourist arrivals, the publicly quoted hotel companies have been making losses. Although the financial accounts of the privately owned hotels are not in the public domain, they couldnt be doing any better than their listed peers. So, where do all these tourists who visit Sri Lanka stay? The answer is Sri Lankas thriving informal accommodation sector.

Although exact data on the informal sector is scarce, several independent studies suggest that over 50% of tourists visiting Sri Lanka opt for accommodation in supplementary establishments i.e. guesthouses, hostels, rented apartments etc. Since the end of the war in 2009, a visible rise in the informal sector can be seen amid growing arrival numbers as a result of the lack of capacity in the formal sector due to the lack of investments during the conflict period. The growth in the phenomena of the independent traveller has also contributed to the rise of a booming informal sector in many a country.

So, in this context, a vibrant informal sector may be vital, but letting that to overshadow the tax paying, regulated formal industry could be imprudent. The profits of the registered establishments in the formal accommodation sector are heavily taxed -- 15% VAT, 2% NBT, 10% service charge and 1% Tourism Development Levy. However, the informal sector accommodation providers pay no such taxes, creating an unequal playing field.

Apart from losing out the tax income, the other negative implication stemming from this development to the wider economy is the lack of big investments going into the hospitality sector. It has been no secret that during the last three or four years, investments into the hotel sector have dried out significantly and some investors who have already made investments have scaled down. Obviously this is not a good development for a country, which aspires to make tourism the number one foreign exchange earner.

If the authorities feel that getting the informal sector under the tax net -- especially given their low-cost operating model -- is difficult, it is reasonable they should look into giving some concessions to those in the formal sector who pay taxes, generate direct and indirect employment for over 350,000 people and continue to make sizeable investments into the growth of the hospitality industry.

Ukwatte in his speech made several important points, the authorities should take serious stock of. One such was the call to recognize tourism as an export industry. The government should seriously look at including tourism into its export strategy and provide the necessary concession similar to other export industries. Ukwattes suggestion to establish tourism trade zones, similar to export processing zones, could also be a very innovative approach to develop some of the under-developed tourism hot spots in the eastern and the northern parts of the island. Also, the authorities should look at eliminating some of the discriminatory taxes on the hotels, such as NBT, which is not applied to most of the other stake holders in the travel sector.

Further they should take cues from how other governments in the world are dealing with informal sectors, evidently much bigger than in in Sri Lanka, and try to bring them under some sort of regulatory control, making sure that those businesses pay their due taxes.

A strong formal sector, which makes continuous investments into the industry, is a must for the type of tourists the government wants to attract. Given Sri Lankas limited capacity, what really matters is the quality of the tourists and not the quantity. It is essential that Sri Lanka itself is a fine balance between high spending tourists and backpacker and all the country promotion and marketing campaigns should revolve around this notion. We all should always remind ourselves that having such potential in tourism -- the culture, heritage, beaches, wildlife, top class hotels, hospitable people -- worker remittances still remain the highest foreign exchange earner for the country, which is nothing less than a national embarrassment.
Some of you may have heard of Mama Niths. Theyve had little pop-up dinners all over town. They have been very popular at both Emerson Biggins downtown and at the Laos Temple. I know the pop-up dinners at the Laos Temple draws BIG crowds.

Over the years theyve gained a big following and are now ready to open up their own restaurant. Mama Niths Crawfish is set to open at 604 S. Topeka. They have a tentative opening date of Saturday, November 17 at 11am according to a new Facebook event theyve set up. Heres what is listed on their event invite.

Come out and help us celebrate our special day!

There will be live music, contests, free food giveaway, merchandises, and music by Smooth T! Also, we will have our new merchandise available! Lots of fun!! Fun fact: this is also our 11th wedding anniversary! Extra special day for us!! Cant wait to see you all there.

Mama Niths Crawfish will serve all sorts of Cajun seafood dishes. Theyll have shrimp, crabs, lobsters, clams, and of course their ever popular crawfish. Houston, TX is a hotbed for Viet-Cajun crawfish and they are ready to popularize that here in Wichita where theres already a big Vietnamese community. I, for one, am very excited! I saw they recently asked if people would be interested in crawfish pho, I about passed out.

Well be sure to have a followup when they open. In the meantime, weve added Mama Niths Crawfish to our directory of restaurants. There we have a big listing of opened, closed and restaurants coming soon.

Happy Dining,

Eddy

To nominate your restaurant or event to be considered for a review, please e-mail us with your restaurant information. We are always open to suggestions.

Check out more from Wichita By E.B. by visiting our social media sites:


Updated: April 9, 2018, 12:30 p.m.

A 22-year-old man convicted of attempted first-degree murder April 2017 was sentenced to 90 years in prison.

Perriyon L. King was also found guilty of aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and mob action charges in October.

Police say King and another man were shooting at each other from separate cars in Rockford at Longwood and Rural streets. One bullet hit 69-year-old man Richard Griffin, who police say is still being treated for injuries.

King was sentenced to 55 years on one count of attempted first-degree murder and 35 years for the other charges.

------

Published: Oct. 23, 2018, 4:30 p.m.

A 21-year-old man was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder in Rockford in April 2017.

Perriyon L. King was also charged with aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and mob action.

Police say King and another man were shooting at each other from separate cars at Longwood and Rural streets. One bullet hit 69-year-old man Richard Griffin, who is still being treated for injuries.

His sentence is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
Wednesday is election day in Winnipeg and across Manitoba, and candidates have made their final pitches to voters. Its now up to the public to decide who will govern at the municipal level in this province. People will, no doubt, be very interested in the outcome of various races in hotly contested wards or the plebiscite on the future of the Portage and Main intersection.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/10/2018 (1122 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wednesday is election day in Winnipeg and across Manitoba, and candidates have made their final pitches to voters. Its now up to the public to decide who will govern at the municipal level in this province. People will, no doubt, be very interested in the outcome of various races in hotly contested wards or the plebiscite on the future of the Portage and Main intersection.

On election night in Manitoba, it's Chocolate Week on The Great Canadian Baking Show on CBC. (CBC PHOTO)

Meanwhile, over on CBC Television, its Chocolate Week!

Thats right, Chocolate Week. On The Great Canadian Baking Show. At 8 p.m., when the polls close on election night.

As was the case Monday in Ontario, when results-seeking viewers who flipped over to CBC-TVs primetime block in search of election coverage were greeted instead by three intriguing whodunits  Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries and The Mystery of the Disappearing Commitment to a Public-Broadcasting Mandate  TV-watchers in Manitoba looking for live primetime coverage of Winnipegs civic election will only find what theyre looking for on privately owned CTV Winnipeg, which will air a two-hour municipal election special from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

CBC  the public broadcaster that receives in excess of $1 billion in taxpayer-supported funding annually  has decided to take a pass on televised election coverage this time around, opting instead to relegate municipal election results and analysis to its radio arm and to Facebook and other online platforms. CBC-TV will reportedly air a half-hour of election coverage at 11 p.m.

This is, in a word, shameful. It is also, in another word, boneheaded.

One might reasonably think the CBCs mandate as Canadas public broadcaster would include an obligation to provide, on its primary platform, publicinformation programming of urgent local importance  such as election coverage  in the local markets it has been tasked to serve.

The rationale for this dubious corporate decision, according to a story published in this newspaper Tuesday, lies in CBCs "commitment to our advertisers" and the "competing priorities" that shape the TV networks primetime schedule.

What about a commitment to viewers  most of whom, one assumes, are also taxpayers who are responsible for paying the $1.2-billion annual freight that keeps the ever-morphing CBC in business?

One might reasonably think the CBCs mandate as Canadas public broadcaster would include an obligation to provide, on its primary platform, public-information programming of urgent local importance  such as election coverage  in the local markets it has been tasked to serve.

The Great Canadian Baking Show, while surely a tasty televisional confection, would not qualify as urgent or public-service broadcasting, regardless of how fervently committed CBC executives might be to the shows advertisers.

In response to questions from the Toronto Star about election-night coverage in Ontario, CBCs head of public affairs issued a written statement that said, in part, that "In planning our election night coverage, we considered a variety of options to best address competing priorities and we know through research that audiences want the results on mobile and digital."

Do they? Or does the CBC, in its determined effort to mutate and expand beyond traditional broadcast media and into various print-driven digital news platforms, just really need its audience to consume election information in the realms it is seeking, on the strength of billions in taxpayer dollars, to occupy?

Its a question that relates directly to the public broadcasters reason for being. If the CBCs job does not include covering elections  municipal, provincial, federal  on its traditional, signature broadcast services, then what does it include? Online comedy programming? Digital music services? Chocolate Week?

If the CBCs job does not include covering elections  municipal, provincial, federal  on its traditional, signature broadcast services, then what does it include? Online comedy programming? Digital music services? Chocolate Week?

Look, everyone knows the media business is changing, and that traditional news reporting is under assault.

We in the newspaper busines  which is not the recipient of government largesse despite ongoing discussions about the need to support and preserve local news coverage in an increasingly challenging economic environment  are more aware than most.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The CBC building on Portage in Winnipeg on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Winnipeg Free Press 2018.

Which makes the decision by the taxpayer-funded CBC all the more perplexing  the public broadcaster offloading election coverage to secondary platforms is akin to the Winnipeg Free Press stating that because its focused on its digital subscribership, it wont be offering election coverage in its print edition; instead, the front page of Thursdays printed Free Press will feature a selection of recipes  thats right, Chocolate Day!

It should be said here that not everyone within the CBC organization is in favour of this abdication of election-night responsibility. At least three dozen staffers at CBC Ottawa signed a letter in protest of the TV networks election-coverage pass, asking, "What does it say about our priorities as a public television broadcaster that on the one night where local politics takes centre stage, we are missing in action? How can it be that we would fail to show up for the most important moment of the four-year election cycle...?"

These are fair questions  ones that will no doubt also be asked in the darkened election-night corners of CBC Manitobas TV operation, and ones that should be given serious consideration when next the federal government sits down to discuss what to do with its $1.2-billion commitment to a public broadcaster whose election-night commitment is to its advertisers rather than to the TV audience it is mandated to serve.

brad.oswald@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @BradOswald
The race to the polls began 5 1/2 months ago, when two challengers  Jenny Motkaluk and Doug Wilson  filed their papers on opening day to run for the job of mayor of Winnipeg.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/10/2018 (1122 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The race to the polls began 5 1/2 months ago, when two challengers  Jenny Motkaluk and Doug Wilson  filed their papers on opening day to run for the job of mayor of Winnipeg.

By the time the nomination period closed Sept. 18, seven nominated candidates had stepped up to challenge incumbent Brian Bowman.

How to vote Click to Expand  Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Eligible voters can cast ballots for mayor, city councillors, school trustees, and the Portage and Main referendum.  Ballot question for referendum: Do you support the opening of Portage and Main to pedestrian crossings?  Voters can visit winnipeg.ca/WhereDoIVote, or call 311 to find their designated election day voting station.  All voters need a piece of valid identification that includes their name and current home address, or two documents that together show their name and current home address.  Examples of acceptable documents: drivers licence, enhanced identification card, SIN card, birth certificate, Canadian passport, credit or debit card, utility bill, health insurance card. - Source: City of Winnipeg

On Wednesday, Winnipeg voters will decide if Bowman returns for a second term, or if Motkaluk, the front-running challenger, can pull off an election-night upset: much like Bowman did in 2014.

If polling is any indication, Bowman should win.

In early October, Probe polling (commissioned by the Winnipeg Free Press and CTV Winnipeg) showed Bowman with a comfortable lead among decided voters with 61 per cent support, compared to Motkaluk at 28 per cent.

In addition to casting votes for mayor, ward councillor and school trustees, there is a plebiscite question for the first time since 1983: Winnipeggers are being asked if they support re-opening the Portage Avenue and Main Street intersection to pedestrians.

At the ward level, there will be at least five new city councillors, after four incumbents decided not to run again, along with the creation of a new Winnipeg ward boundaries. One incumbent councillor, Janice Lukes, was acclaimed in the newly created Waverley West. Two former councillors  Grant Nordman in Charleswood-Tuxedo and Garth Steek in River Heights-Fort Garry  also decided to run again.

Heres a look at the mayoral front-runners key promises, and a look back at the key moments along the campaign trail:

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mayor Brian Bowman

Bowman's top five promises

 Removing overtime when calculating police officers' pensionable earnings to save about $1.5 million annually from the police budget, which could be used to pay for 10 to 15 more officers.

 Freezing frontage levies and water and sewer rates.

 Scrapping $4.1 million in upgrades to the Fort Rouge transit garage in favour of 55 new heated bus shelters.

 Continuing to lower, but not completely eliminating, the business tax rate.

 Increasing property taxes by 2.33 per cent per year, with dedicated portions used to fund both road repairs and rapid transit to keep reducing the city's infrastructure deficit, while improving communication with local business owners who could be affected by road construction projects.

Motkaluk's top five promises

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jenny Motkaluk

 Freezing Winnipeg Transit fare increases, adding 200 electric buses to the fleet, and halting construction of rapid transit corridors.

 Imposing a freeze on the water and sewer rates, and not allowing any new increases to go into effect until an audit has been completed of the financial and operational management of the water and waste utility.

 Capping property tax increases at 1.16 per cent annually, for the next four years.

 Changing the role and diminishing the power of the mayor's executive policy committee. Motkaluk says she wants all 15 city councillors involved in the strategic planning process, with the EPC relegated to implementing those plans.

 Rebuilding the 137-year-old Louise Bridge linking Point Douglas and Elmwood, and extending the Chief Peguis Trail to Route 90.

Other mayoral candidates' promises

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mayoral candidates, from left, Tim Diack, Jennifer Motkaluk, Don Woodstock, Doug Wilson, Umar Hayat, Venkat Machiraju mayor Brian Bowman and Ed Ackerman take part in a mayoral debate at 360 Portage, Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Ed Ackerman: The filmmaker proposes building a $400-million "reverse toll bridge" that would pay motorists $10 a car to visit the North End and spend money in the area.

Tim Diack: The veteran Winnipeg Police Service member is seeking to tackle the city's crystal meth abuse problem by establishing a secure treatment facility, which could house anywhere from 50 to 100 individuals.

Umar Hayat: The entrepreneur promises to cut city spending by slashing civic grants to the Winnipeg Art Gallery to $600,000, from $5.6 million.

Venkat Machiraju: The Hindu priest supports the completion of an inner ring road running from Kenaston to Bishop Grandin boulevards, connecting to Lagimodiere Boulevard and Chief Peguis Trail, and more lanes on Keewatin Street and Inkster Boulevard.

Doug Wilson: The former mayor of Morden says poverty is Winnipeg's biggest issue, and seeks to work with the provincial government to increase wages and improve education.

Don Woodstock: The former Winnipeg Transit driver who runs a security alarm company proposes a hiring quota for Indigenous employees at city hall that matches provincial population percentages.

Key moments on the campaign trail

March 14: Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) announces she wont seek another term in office.

March 22: Mayor Brian Bowman announces his intention to seek a second term in office.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mayor Brian Bowman and his wife, Tracy Bowman, walk to the clerk's office to register to seek re-election at City Hall in Winnipeg on Friday, May 11, 2018. Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press 2018.

May 1: The first day mayoral candidates can register. Jenny Motkaluk and Doug Wilson both make their bids official.

May 3: Marty Morantz (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge) announces he wont run in the upcoming election. Don Woodstock registers his campaign for mayor.

May 8: Umar Hayat registers to run for mayor.

May 11: Brian Bowman makes his re-election bid official, and registers his campaign.

May 29: Tim Diack, a city beat cop, registers to run for mayor.

June 21: Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) and Russ Wyatt (Transcona) announce at a city council meeting they wont seek re-election. Wyatt later walks back that announcement and publicly mulls a re-election bid or a run at the mayors office.

June 30: The first day potential council candidates can register. Incumbents Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre), Matt Allard (St. Boniface) and Brian Mayes (St. Vital) all put in the paperwork to run for re-election. Janice Lukes (former South Winnipeg-St. Norbert ward) registers in the newly formed Waverley West. Couns. Scott Gillingham and Shawn Dobson both register to run in St. James (due to Dobsons St. Charles ward being eliminated by the city).

July 3: Devi Sharma registers to run for re-election in Old Kildonan.

July 4: Ross Eadie registers to run for re-election in Mynarski.

July 5: John Orlikow registers to run for re-election in River Heights-Fort Garry.

July 6: Former city councillor Garth Steek officially registers his campaign to take back his old seat in River Heights-Fort Garry.

July 17: Motkaluk slams Bowman over his desire to see the Portage and Main intersection reopened to pedestrians, as she tries to make the intersection a wedge issue with voters.

July 18: Jason Schreyer registers his re-election efforts in Elmwood-East Kildonan.

July 24: Jeff Browaty registers to run for re-election in North Kildonan.

July 27: Motkaluk says she would stop construction on rapid transit infrastructure after the Southwest Transitway is complete.

Aug 10: Venkat Machiraju registers to run for mayor.

Aug. 14: Motkaluk announces plans to electrify the entirety of the citys bus fleet over a five-year period, at the cost of $581 million.

Aug. 30: Ed Ackerman registers to run for mayor.

Sept. 7: Don Woodstock announces policy that would prevent senior city employees from having romantic relationships with people they oversee.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Mayoral candidate Don Woodstock wearing his "Order of Canada Medal" at a University of Winnipeg forum.

Sept. 10: Russ Wyatt officially announces he will not seek re-election in Transcona.

Sept. 14: Bowman announces his plan for property taxes if re-elected, which would see a hike of 2.33 per cent annually over his next term in office.

Sept. 18: The last day mayoral and council candidates can register. Motkaluk announces plans to change the capital procurement policies at city hall. Wilson announces his support for city-wide organic waste collection.

Sept. 25: Bowman announces he wont rule out a supervised drug injection site in Winnipeg.

Oct. 1: Bowman promises to build 55 new heated bus shelters.

Oct. 2: The Urban Knights and Ladies Peace Patrol: a local volunteer group: tells the Free Press it wants mayoral candidate Woodstock to return a service medal he has been seen wearing on his lapel throughout the campaign. The group said after Woodstocks membership was revoked earlier in 2018, he was told the return the medal. Woodstock refuses to do so.

Oct. 3: News breaks Machiraju has been arrested for breaching a protection order. Diack announces plans to make criminals foot the bill for policing costs.

Oct. 4: Motkaluk announces plans to create a meth task force, aimed at taking dealers off Winnipegs streets.

Oct. 5: Bowman says hell take a look at 24/7 construction, if re-elected. Ackerman reveals at a mayoral debate hes homeless.

Oct. 11: Motkaluk promises to raise property taxes by 1.16 per cent over the next four years.

Oct. 12: Woodstock announces plan to freeze property taxes for the next four years.

Oct. 17: Motkaluk promises to freeze frontage levy rates. Diack announces plans to abolish the citys executive policy committee, which he would not be mandated to do if elected.

Oct 22: Motkaluk announces she would implement a transit fare freeze over the next four years.

Oct. 24: Winnipeggers head to the polls.

The Portage and Main vote: How we got here

1979: Portage Avenue and Main Street intersection is closed to pedestrian crossings in an effort to funnel foot traffic to the Winnipeg Square underground.

GERRY CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Portage and Main

2003: Then-mayor Glen Murray initiates the City Crossing International Design Competition, that asked participants to imagine what Portage and Main could be if reopened.

2014: During his first bid to become Winnipeg mayor, Brian Bowman promises to have Portage and Main reopened to foot traffic by 2019.

September 2017: Dillon Consulting, an engineering firm, completes a 95-page report called the Portage and Main Transportation Study. Commissioned by the City of Winnipeg, the report outlines the implications of reopening the intersection. The study determines the biggest traffic delays would be felt during afternoon rush hour, adding an extra 33 seconds to the average commuters trip. It also pegs the cost of reopening the intersection at roughly $11 million.

October 2017: City council approves $1.5 million in spending on two separate contracts connected to Portage and Main. The first is an assessment and review of the underground concourse. The second: on hold pending the outcome of Wednesday's referendum: would hire a consulting firm to begin work on the redesign of the intersection, if opened to pedestrians again.

June 21: Couns. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) and Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg- St. Norbert) first float the idea of putting the reopening of Portage and Main on the ballot as a referendum question in the 2018 municipal election.

July 19: City council votes in favouring of including a question on the reopening of Portage and Main on the ballot in the upcoming municipal election as a non-binding referendum. Bowman and mayoral challenger Jenny Motkaluk have both said they will respect the outcome of the referendum, if elected.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The courtyard at the Bank of Montreal corner of Portage and Main is showing its age with surging concrete pavement and awkwardly patched cracks.

Aug. 16: The Coalition for Portage and Main: a volunteer group committed to getting the intersection reopened: launches the "Vote Open" campaign. The group launches a GoFundMe page, attempting to raise $100,000. As of Oct. 23, only $13,000 has been raised. However, the group said it raised roughly $47,000 through private donations as well, as of election day.

Sept. 11: A Probe Research poll commissioned by the CBC finds 67 per cent of Winnipeggers are against reopening the intersection.

Oct. 12: Free Press columnist Dan Lett reports the barriers at the intersection may need to come down one way or another, regardless of the outcome of the referendum, due to underground structural concerns.

Oct. 24: Winnipeggers head to the polls, and will get their say on the intersections future.

Ryan Thorpe

Reporter Ryan Thorpe likes the pace of daily news, the feeling of a broadsheet in his hands and the stress of never-ending deadlines hanging over his head. Read full biography
The provincial government says it will modernize Manitoba's procurement practices to achieve better results and save money.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/10/2018 (1121 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government says it will modernize Manitoba's procurement practices to achieve better results and save money.

The Progressive Conservative government announced Wednesday it has hired PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada  at a cost of $6.3 million  to assist in developing its new strategy.

Manitoba currently issues individual contracts for projects and often goes through separate tendering processes for various goods and services. Two recent reviews identified the need to modernize procurement services within government as a way to reduce costs.

The new approach to procurement that the province is investigating is known as category management. One contract can be issued for a particular category of goods and services for several departments, instead of entering into several separate contracts.

This allows government to negotiate lower costs through larger purchases of a product or service and improve contract management, the province said in a release Wednesday.

Finance Minister Scott Fielding said Nova Scotia has been updating its procurement services in a similar way.

"(PricewaterhouseCoopers) has been supporting this work in Nova Scotia, which is already seeing positive results," he said.

In Year 3 of Nova Scotia's implementation process, it is saving more than $25 million a year," Fielding said.

As part of its contract, the consulting firm will assist with staff training, program management and tracking any benefits.

Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said business had not been calling for the change, but he said it makes sense for the government to modernize its processes in line with what other jurisdictions are doing.

"I think if you can update the way you do procurement to make it easier for business, simpler for business, a lot more transparent thats going to be a good thing," he said. "At the same time if you can reduce cost for government, thats probably beneficial as well."

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Cities are a reflection of our thoughts, dreams and hopes. They are a dynamic mosaic of our values and priorities; they can inspire or defeat; nurture or destroy; captivate or dismiss. Cities offer the promise of solutions on a local scale as models for international co-operation. And they have the potential to be catalysts for change.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/10/2018 (1121 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Cities are a reflection of our thoughts, dreams and hopes. They are a dynamic mosaic of our values and priorities; they can inspire or defeat; nurture or destroy; captivate or dismiss. Cities offer the promise of solutions on a local scale as models for international co-operation. And they have the potential to be catalysts for change.

As we navigate a changing climate, international political instability and uncertainty and watch in disbelief an unfurling of condoned misdemeanours, we also, as citizens, have an opportunity during this municipal election and beyond to act on our shared desire and vision for a vibrant, accessible and fair city.

One step forward in realizing this opportunity is to establish a centre for citizen engagement and learning focused on implementing climate-change solutions using assets that render our city and province unique: built and natural heritage, hydroelectric power and shared knowledge. An undervalued yet defining feature of Winnipegs landscape has the potential to promote, in a co-working environment, the partnerships between local universities, colleges, government and the community that will position Winnipeg as a leader in clean energy in an international transition to a low-carbon future.

That centre, that feature and the true and silent soul of our city is the Hudsons Bay downtown.

As has been advocated by Lloyd Axworthy, a city university could be established at the Hudsons Bay downtown to address the challenges of a changing climate. The Bay downtown serves as a symbol and reminder of the vision, creativity and partnerships that built our city and province. The same vision and creativity can be harnessed and rediscovered, and partnerships and connections restored and expanded. A city university at the Hudsons Bay building would revitalize downtown Winnipeg by creating a social and cultural hub for learning; it would foster economic growth through training and employment opportunities, to ensure that Winnipeg and its citizens achieve their full potential.

Below are some proposed climate actions and solutions complementary to Winnipegs climate action plan that build on local assets and could be pursued in a city university and centre for innovation at the Bay downtown.

First, monitor greenhouse-gas emissions in real time to ensure emissions-reduction targets are met and registered with the provincially mandated carbon-savings account outlined in the Made in Manitoba Climate and Green Plan. In Europe, the company Everimpact uses satellite and ground-sensing techniques to provide high-resolution real-time carbon and emissions maps for several cities, including London.

Sensors deployed on aircraft, transit buses, automobiles, businesses and at strategic locations throughout the city would provide an accurate and constant emissions inventory and identify emissions-intensive zones in Winnipeg. A burgeoning tech startup industry in Winnipeg, housed in the Bay downtown, would be ideally suited to this task.

Second, develop and implement an emissions-reduction strategy with a focus on heritage preservation and low-carbon mobility that encourages domestic use of electricity. It has been shown that building reuse and energy-efficiency retrofits offer the most significant emissions reduction in the urban building sector, by avoiding climate-change effects associated with material resource extraction, water- and air-quality pollution and energy required for demolition and new construction.

Support built and natural heritage-conservation districts in all mature neighbourhoods as an extension to what has been pursued in Armstrongs Point and is being considered in Crescentwood. Provide an incentive to encourage reuse and retrofits over demolition and new construction through revisions to heritage-protection laws, municipal building codes and by introducing emissions fees in new construction.

Provide credits for tree maintenance and planting to preserve the urban tree canopy that acts as a sink for CO2 emissions.

Vibrant and accessible cities are distinguished by the quality of their public transportation systems. Develop an electric and hydrogen (E&H2) mobility strategy that will guarantee accessibility through an interconnected transit network of zero-emissions routes and zones. Consider developing an integrated transportation and energy-infrastructure framework for the city, utilizing federal infrastructure funds to invest in the infrastructure of a low-carbon 21st-century economy, not the asphalt of the 20th century.

Introduce a commuter tax along emissions-intensive routes. Ensure profitable domestic use of surplus electricity by rediscovering the integration between electricity and mobility, which gave rise to the Winnipeg Electric Streetcar company and streetcar system that once defined our city.

Winnipeg can, with a focus on heritage preservation and transit electrification, exceed the six per cent increase in building and 17 per cent reduction in transportation emissions by 2030 targets outlined in Winnipegs Climate Action Plan. The suggested 50 per cent of residential construction invested in infill housing could also be revised in light of housing opportunities available with underutilized and vacant heritage buildings.

Finally, support building- and transit-oriented participatory budgets for each ward (through reorganization of the existing budget and/or with federal infrastructure funds) that allow communities to identify optimal heritage and electric mobility solutions from the perspective of reduced emissions, increased accessibility and improved quality of life.

With these measures, let us act to find opportunities in addressing climate change and emissions-reduction challenges using an abundance of human and natural resources unique to our city and province.

And by acting, let us think, and dream, and hope again.

Jennifer V. Lukovich is a research scientist in climate change in the Arctic at the Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba.
In early 2017, with a new administration in office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture deleted its online public database containing thousands of pages of records that the public and animal protection groups depended on to monitor Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act violations.

These were public records financed by taxpayers, many containing descriptions of animal neglect and suffering at puppy mills, roadside zoos, research laboratories and cruelty on the part of trainers and owners of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds. It was a shocking dereliction of duty by an agency charged with maintaining public trust in our federal governments oversight of animal use in a variety of contexts.

Unfortunately, its only getting worse. A new Washington Post article shows that the USDA, tasked with inspecting such facilities, has cut back drastically on the number of warnings it issues to businesses and enterprises it regulates. According to the Post, two years ago, USDA inspectors issued 192 written warnings to breeders, exhibitors and research labs that allegedly violated animal welfare laws, and the agency filed official complaints against 23. This year, the department issued just 39 warnings in the first three-quarters of fiscal 2018, and it filed and simultaneously settled just one complaint  levying a $2,000 fine on an Iowa dog breeder who had been out of business for five years.

Our own research shows that the USDA did not revoke any pet breeder licenses between May 2017 and May 2018, in contrast to approximately nine pet breeder licenses revoked in 2016. In May 2018, the USDA announced it will no longer cite a facility for a critical violation if certain conditions are met; for example, if the incident is not a repeat violation and the facility reports it. That means a facility may completely avoid enforcement consequences by taking a few simple stepseven if their negligence or mishandling caused an animal to suffer or die.

The data purge last year made it nearly impossible for us to track animal abuse and push for ending it, and we are challenging the withholding of animal welfare citations in court. We and others have used this data to reveal some of the most egregious animal abuses, like those detailed in our annual Horrible Hundred puppy mill reports.

The USDA says that the information is still available through Freedom of Information Act requests, but when we submitted requests for records of inspections at four puppy mills in Ohio and at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia, where an HSUS undercover investigation discovered serious animal welfare violations, we were stonewalled. It was months later, and only after a threat to sue the USDA, that we finally received the requested documents, and relevant information, including the inspection dates, the number and species of animals at the facilities, and even the entire substance of the inspection reports, was completely blacked out.

The USDA also withheld more than 600 photographs and nearly a dozen videos obtained in connection with AWA inspections that the HSUS had requested, citing privacy concerns. This makes no sense because these are businesses conducting commercial activity, licensed to do so by the federal government, and some, like zoos, are even open to the public. And nobody who has trouble meeting the most basic animal welfare standards in the course of their business should be allowed to conceal the treatment of their animals.

With regard to Horse Protection Act enforcement, the USDA announced earlier this year that its inspectors at horse shows would no longer examine horses or cite for violations of the Act if an industry-appointed inspector first found a violation and show management disqualified the horse from competition. What this means is that a violation of the Act found right under the USDAs nose will never be documented, tracked or prosecuted by the agency  and no meaningful penalty will ever be issued (since Tennessee walking horse industry organizations impose little or no penalties on violators). Its as if the violation never happened  and the public will never know it did.

The agency told the Post that the drop in enforcement is the result of a suspension of hearings due to litigation, as well as a revamped enforcement process that emphasizes working more closely with alleged violators to remedy deficiencies. But in the absence of any transparency and information about these facilities online, we have no way to know if this is true.

Sadly, we believe that the USDA, despite its mandate to enforce federal laws, is bending over backward to protect the very parties it is supposed to regulate on behalf of a concerned public. We called the agency out on this when the first signs of its dereliction of mission surfaced, and we continue to apply pressure to right the ship over there. Were also working with allies in Congress to do the same. This year, a record bipartisan group of 190 Representatives and 38 Senators called for the USDA to strengthen its enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act and reverse the data purge. Congress as a whole directed the agency to restore the purged records, in appropriations language that the USDA has chosen to disregard. Theres a lot at stake, for animals and for those who care about them.

The post USDA scales back on enforcing Animal Welfare Act violations by puppy mills, roadside zoos and other businesses appeared first on A Humane Nation.

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Trump responded with a 512-word letter to the editor. Calling the story one of the most ridiculous I have read in many years, he complained that it ignored his tremendous successes with massive projects and instead focused on small jobs in the Florida cities of Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. He dismissed both as licensing deals for which I am not responsible for development.

Trumps reaction offers another capsule of his habit of twisting the truth regarding his real estate deals  one of the patterns revealed in a recent ProPublica and WNYC investigation, Pump and Trump, which focused on a deal in Panama. That article concluded that, contrary to the Trumps longtime claims that they merely licensed their name, they were deeply involved in their deals.

A trove of until-now unreported emails from inside the Trump Organization, unearthed during a lawsuit against the company filed after the Tampa project collapsed  the building was never constructed  sheds light not only on a U.S. Trump project, but also provides a rare glimpse inside the organization. (The suit, filed by people who had paid deposits in advance to buy condo units, was eventually settled, with the buyers receiving partial refunds of their deposits.) The documents provide copious detail on one of the small jobs that Trump would later claim he had merely lent his name to. And they reveal the same patterns of behavior seen in Pump and Trump.

The patterns include the Trump Organizations decision to team with an inexperienced group of developers  led by a former professional wrestler, in this instance  who planned to construct a 52-story tower on a parcel that they belatedly discovered couldnt support such a structure without millions of dollars in extra work. The patterns also involved false statements by Trump claiming he had an ownership stake in the development. And they included Trumps claims that the project was sold out  which were contradicted by a letter in which he notified the developers that they were in violation of their licensing agreement because they had sold less than 70 percent of the units. Finally, there were hefty potential fees for Trump, a beneficial insider deal for his son and plenty of evidence that the Trump Organizations involvement  including failed efforts to rescue the development  extended far beyond the use of the Trump name.

The Trump Organization did not respond to a detailed list of questions provided to it, nor did a White House spokesperson.

In an interview, the lead Tampa developer, Jody Simon, said of Trump, I dont blame Donald for the demise of the project. He attributed its eventual failure to weakness in the real estate market at the time. Still, Simon said of the Trumps: If everythings going good, everybody wants a piece of it. If it goes bad, they dont know anything.

The Tampa project began, as did many Trump endeavors, with improbable partners: five Tampa-area businessmen eager to develop a 1.5-acre downtown site they owned. The groups managing partner was Simon, a burly retired professional wrestler with a shaved head who had brawled under the name Joe Malenko and drove a Rolls-Royce. After retiring from the ring, Simon had launched, and sold, a successful medical-education company with his partner Frank Dagostino, a second member of the developer group. The three others were a local builder and a dentist whod partnered with a real estate broker. The five men incorporated as SimDag/Robel LLC. Collectively, theyd developed some strip shopping centers and condo projects. None had ever built anything approaching a 600-foot tower.

A New Jersey real estate broker named Roman Osadchuk introduced them to executives at the Trump Organization in May 2004. From there, things moved rapidly.

As they did in such deals, Trumps team negotiated upfront fees in return for licensing his name. The final terms: $4 million (to be paid in monthly installments), as an advance against 50 percent of all project profits. The Trump Organization, it would turn out, did not vet the developers closely. But the company was strict in one respect: It insisted that the developers personally guarantee the licensing fees.

Trumps involvement wasnt limited to selling his name. The licensing agreement gave him review and approval rights for virtually every aspect of the project. It required physical delivery to the Trump Organization of all plans and specifications for building design, engineering, floor plans, fixtures, lighting, exterior landscaping, and all sales and marketing materials  even the location and layout of the sales office. All were subject to written confirmation that they comply with the Trump Standards, an issue on which Trump himself would be the sole judge. The Trump Organization was to have access to the property and all project records at all times.

But first, there was the matter of the name. The Florida developers had been referring to the building, planned to rise along the Hillsborough River, as the Tampa Riverside Plaza project and were considering new versions in the vein of the Trump Riverside or the Trump Tampa Riverside. Trump quickly scuttled those ideas. He strongly prefers Trump Tower Tampa, Trump Organization executive vice president Russell Flicker told them, according to one of the emails that Trumps company provided in litigation. And so it would be.

By early October 2004, the developers and the Trump Organization had worked out a contract. I think were going to sign the deal this Thursday or Friday, Flicker advised the Trump marketing chief, Jill Cremer, on Oct. 5. Flicker also relayed plans for a key part of the signing process: you and I will go in together when we sign the deal to bring DJT the check, etc. (Spelling and punctuation have been rendered as they appear in the original emails.)

After the papers were signed on Oct. 27, the Trump team and the developers began making plans for the promotional rollout, which would include, as with all Trumps projects, taping an exultant video. As Cremer explained in an email to the Tampa team, He has always accommodated us on these things in the past, although only for no more than about 30 minutes (he is very quick!)

This would happen on Jan. 10, 2005, at 9:30 a.m., Cremer advised New York executives, including Donald Trump Jr., in an email: Jody Simon and his partners on the Trump Tower Tampa project will be here to meet with Donald and symbolically sign the agreement for photo-op purposes. This will take approximately 15 minutes.

The Trump marketing machine kicked into action. Its a great honor for me to be involved with building what I think will be the greatest building in Florida, and itll be right in Tampa, Trump declared in the 58-second video. I have the finest partners you can imagine. Theyre looking only at quality  Itll just be a spectacular building  and the tallest building around! ... You will love Trump Tower Tampa!

The $220 million tower was touted in a press release as a Donald J. Trump Signature Property  an ultra-luxury building featuring concierge and valet services, a fitness center and spa, a fine art collection, and imported marble floors with inlaid onyx highlights. Its 190 condos would command prices ranging from $700,000 to more than $6 million.

In February 2005, Trump appeared in Tampa, on one of his two contractually required all-expenses-paid marketing visits. (Maximum length: six working hours.) He arrived in a black limo with his new wife, Melania, sweeping into town like a crown prince, as a story in the St. Petersburg Times (which has since changed its name to the Tampa Bay Times) described it. Greeted by Tampas mayor, Trump was the showcase attraction at a gala marketing event for more than 600 invitees.

Spurred by excited belief in Trumps Midas touch  and about his personal commitment to the Tampa project  reservations for the condos, requiring a 10 percent refundable deposit, were going fast. Trump said that 98 percent of the 190 units had been reserved even before he touched down in Tampa, according to a St. Petersburg Times article at the time, and he had more than a hundred backup reservations.

In his letter to The Wall Street Journal, Trump would assert the Tampa building ultimately sold out. That statement was false. Court documents show only 109 of the towers reservations (57 percent of the building) turned into actual sales.

Those sales were achieved with the help of some deception about Trumps financial involvement. During his February 2005 appearance in Tampa, he told the St. Petersburg Times reporters that he already held substantial equity in the project and wanted to boost his stake, but his partners wouldnt let him because when theyre selling that well they dont let you do that.

In truth, Trump hadnt invested a dime  a fact he was keeping secret, with the help of a strict confidentiality provision in his licensing agreement, which barred anybody in the project from revealing Trumps lack of equity.

Trump also said his son Donald Jr., who would emerge as a point man on the deal for the Trump Organization, was buying a unit in the building.

Donald Jr. would indeed make plans to jointly buy one unit with three Trump Organization colleagues  on sweetheart terms not offered to other buyers. They got a discounted price, a reduced down payment (5 percent) and the right to sell before the building was completed, according to emails that emerged in litigation. The Tampa developers helped arrange a sale that was to net the three insiders a quick $200,000 profit; emails show the two sides also discussed backdating paperwork to assure the gain would get favorable tax treatment. (Ultimately, the project failed before Donald Jr. and his colleagues could make any profits, the emails suggest.)

But those plans  and many others  ran into obstacles. Construction, scheduled to start in the spring of 2005, still hadnt begun by early 2006, spurring rumors that the project was in trouble. The developers offered reassurances. Buyers who dropped out had been replaced within hours, one of the partners told the Tampa Tribune. Were absolutely going to build this building.

That was less than certain. In testing the ground at the site, the developers had discovered the terrain was too soft to support a 52-story building without tens of millions in extra foundation and design work. In March 2006, the projects general contractor, a prominent national firm, dropped out.

Meanwhile, the developers still hadnt found the $200 million in financing the project desperately needed, even though Trump, during his Tampa visit a year earlier, had told a reporter we have banks fighting over this project.

The project was facing a financial squeeze. As a result, the developers began to miss some payments to the Trump Organization. In May, marketing executive Cremer had to pester one of the developers, Dagostino, for $64,091 in overdue licensing payments. Im hiring you as my collector, Trump general counsel Bernie Diamond emailed her, when the money was on its way. And you didnt have to break his knee caps.

Yeah! Cremer responded. And he is even Italian! (When reached by phone and asked about the Tampa project, Dagostino replied: Im not opening that can of worms. I have absolutely no comment. I went through enough agony through all this.)

One potential lender after another dropped out. A Chicago bank that had loaned to another Trump-branded project demurred because the developers hadnt sold enough condos to meet the banks financing standards. The Trump Organization monitored the situation closely. At one point in 2006, Diamond advised Donald Jr., Ivanka and Cremer that Deutsche Bank is the only game in town. But that didnt come together either.

In August 2006, Donald Trump began to publicly express anxiety about the project, telling a reporter this is the only job I have in the world that isnt going up quickly. Another sign of his concern: He reversed his previous position that he had an ownership stake and disclosed that, in fact, he merely had a licensing deal. Trump announced he was considering a buyout of the Tampa developers interest to rescue the situation. I could build that [tower] out of my back pocket, he boasted to the Tampa Tribune. This isnt a big job for me. He also insisted he could easily find financing. Banks love me, he said.

After reading that article, Cremer emailed Andrew Weiss, the Trump Organizations longtime executive vice president for development and construction: Bernie and I need to discuss our Tampa project with you. DJT wants to buy out the job from the developers. Long story, but we need to do our due diligence

Why do I get the feeling that nothing good will come of this? Weiss replied.

Trumps deputies began gathering cost data on the project. But by late August 2006, there was another option. The developers had approached the Related Group, a prominent Miami developer that had built other Trump-branded Florida condo towers, about taking over the Tampa project.

Eric Fordin, the Related executive evaluating the situation, had gone to college with Dagostino of SimDag. He quickly concluded they were in far over their heads. Frank had no business doing a 50-story tower on a property with terrible soils, Fordin testified later in a deposition for a lawsuit brought by angry condo buyers. My first trip to Tampa, I was there for five minutes and told him he was never going to finish the project; he was never going to deliver the project on time.

By the fall of 2006, estimated costs were soaring toward $300 million. Two general contractors had dropped out. Liens were being filed for millions in unpaid bills. And more than 40 percent of the condos remained unsold, after dozens of buyers had canceled their reservations and pulled out. The projected completion date had slipped into 2009.

Related proposed tough terms to rescue the venture, including a provision that would eliminate the Trump Organization share of the profits and replace it with a fee for each condo unit sold.

Donald Trump Jr., 28 at the time, was furious.

I hate related, he wrote a Trump Organization colleague on Sept. 9, 2006. this is b/s. I do not think we could have been more clear with these assholes less than 3 weeks ago and they are already back to the flat structure nonsense and connot consider giving trump a piece of the backend, he vented to in-house attorney Diamond. They must think we are the dumbest people on the fucking block.

On Sept. 11, Donald Jr. emailed his brother Eric, his sister Ivanka and seven other company executives, calling for an all hands on meeting to decide what to do. We have some very important decisions to make regarding the outcome of this job, he wrote. Taking over the project was one option. As a second, Donald Jr. wrote, we have to assess the related offer which I hate, but it would be better than a failure if the numbers do not make sense for us.

There were larger considerations to weigh, Donald Jr. noted. I cannot stress enough the importance of not having any failures this early in the process of building up the licencing model, which had emerged as the Trump Organizations strategy.

Bad publicity was another. Forbes magazine was preparing a cover story on The Real Apprentices  how Trumps children were faring as his prospective business successors. A failed deal on their watch would damage the narrative.

Wrote Donald Jr.: With the Forbes piece underway and prob on stands in the next few weeks we will be under scrutiny more than ever and this presents us the opportunity to not only salvage a bad press situation but to potentially turn it inot a great thing for tyhe model if it makes sense. I.e. Trump saves the daywe will however have to do some real number crunching to see if it is in fact viable.

On Oct. 2, Diamond emailed Ivanka that either we swallow hard on the License Fee or take over the job, the latter being the least desired alternative.

Ivanka, who had just turned 25, had another idea. She began talking up the Tampa deal to Wood Partners, a Georgia development firm she was working with on a massive planned Trump Towers project in downtown Atlanta. (That development never became a reality.)

On Nov. 10, 2006, Ivanka emailed her brothers and other Trump executives that partners from the Atlanta firm were coming to New York. They want to discuss taking over the Tampa job, she advised. We have to give them a strong sell about how terrific this job is and that the only reason it is failing is due to the inexperience of the developers. She did not mention that the Trump Organization had chosen to work with these inexperienced developers.

But this pitch would go nowhere, and by early 2007, the Tampa developers had begun getting letters from lawyers representing condo buyers, threatening to sue unless they were released from their contracts and given their deposits back. The developers responded by writing purchasers  Dear Trump Tower Unit Buyer  offering excuses and inducements (such as paying interest on their deposits) to try to keep everyone on board. Buyers started filing suits.

Still, there were moments of levity between the developers and the Trump Organization even as the pressure mounted. In April 2007, Simon, the developer and former wrestler, emailed Trump Organization lawyer Diamond after a call with a potential investor whom they were jointly wooing. I told him to get off his ass soon and spend some warm and fuzzy time with you on the phone, Simon wrote. He promised he would, but well see.I may eventually have to reenact my own version of SmackDown here in Tampa. You want to be my tag team partner? Have you ever donned tights?

Despite Donald Trumps public talk, his organization made no move to invest in the troubled project bearing his name. Its efforts to help SimDag find a lender had gone nowhere.

To Donald Jr., dealing with Related now seemed a palatable option. He emailed his siblings and other company executives: we need to get this signed soon the longer it hangs out there with the press of buyers trying to pull out the less likely [Related] will sign on. Ivanka followed up with an email on April 16 to Relateds CEO: Is there someone on your team that I should contact directly to try to wrap up a deal?

That same day, Trump sent a notice to the Tampa developers, advising them that they were $903,637 behind in their licensing payments, and in default of the licensing agreement for failing to sell at least 70 percent of the condo units within 30 months and start construction within 18 months. Trump threatened to yank their rights to use his name on the building.

With the broader real estate market also deteriorating, Related executive Fordin grew more skeptical. In a May 7 memo, he wrote that Trump Tampa has evolved from a joint development opportunity into a distressed play opportunity.

By May 25, the Tampa developers had fallen more than $1 million behind on their licensing payments. That day, Trump filed suit in federal court against people he had previously described as the finest partners you can imagine. He also pulled his name from the project. With the lawsuit, he included a copy of his licensing agreement, including a confidentiality clause barring anyone  under any circumstances  from even revealing the deals existence. (The suit was later settled on confidential terms.) This was the first many Tampa buyers learned that Trump had no equity in the project, but had merely sold use of his name.

Prospects for salvaging the project were fading fast. In late May, a SimDag executive had emailed Relateds Fordin, raising the prospect of selling the 1.5-acre site for roughly $25MM.

You guys cannot be serious, Fordin replied. Nobody in their right minds are going to give you anything close to that number. Fordin listed seven reasons, including litigation, the soil problems, an all fucked up building design, and you have lost the Trump name.

In the months that followed, a member of the Tampa group periodically called or emailed the Trump Organization, informing the company of yet another new hope to attract financing  and then get Trump back into the deal.

Any news re the supposed financing etc.??? Donald Jr. asked his colleagues in early August.

None, Diamond replied.

Desperate, SimDag paid a $150,000 commitment fee  presumably for a loan of up to $200 million  to a purported faith-based lender named Providence Funding, run by Byron Levon Canada, who masqueraded as a priest and had served time in federal prison for fraud. The $200 million never materialized. (SimDag later sued Canada, who denied wrongdoing in his legal pleadings; the case was settled.)

Finally, in June 2008, the Trump Tampa Tower developers put the project into bankruptcy. Called for comment at the time, Donald Trump told a local reporter that he wanted to step in to save the project, but insisted his licensing agreement made that impossible. (That impediment was never mentioned in the internal Trump Organization documents.) The projects failure, Trump declared, was a real shame.

But apparently those sympathies didnt extend to the Tampa developers. In total, they had paid approximately $1.8 million in licensing fees to Trump, court records and documents show. Still, in 2009, Trump filed a new suit against the developers to collect unpaid settlements of $13,448.35 from each, citing the personal guarantees they had signed.

The Riverside property was foreclosed on in 2009, then sold in 2015 for $12.1 million to a local developer, who announced his own plans to build an iconic 50-story tower  the best building ever built in the Tampa market.

Today the site remains vacant, a weedy, fenced-in lot along the Hillsborough River.

Additional reporting by Katherine Sullivan.
The following companies are subsidiares of Lennar: 360 Developers LLC, Alliance Financial Services Inc., Ann Arundel Farms Ltd., Aquaterra Utilities Inc., Arbor Mill Veteran Project 2018 LLC, Asbury Woods L.L.C., Astoria Options LLC, Autumn Creek Development Ltd., Aylon LLC, Azusa Associates LLC, B2 Milpitas LLC, BB Investment Holdings LLC, BCI Properties LLC, BMR Communities LLC, BMR Construction Inc., BMTD LLC, BPH I LLC, Bainebridge 249 LLC, Bay Colony Expansion 369 Ltd., Bellagio Lennar LLC, Belle Meade LEN Holdings LLC, Belle Meade Partners LLC, Black Mountain Ranch LLC, Blue Horizons Estates LLC, Bonterra Lennar LLC, Bramalea California Inc., Bressi Gardenlane LLC, Breton Park Lennar LLC, CAP IL 1 LLC, CL Ventures LLC, CML INACTIVE LLC, CML-MO HAF LLC, CML-MO HAF PARKING LLC, CP Block 6aS LLC, CP Block 8aS LLC, CP Block 9aS LLC, CP Center Apartments LLC, CP Center Garage LLC, CP Red Oak Partners Ltd., CP Vertical Development Co. 1 LLC, CP/HPS Development Co. GP LLC, CP/HPS Development Co.-C LLC, CPFE LLC, CPHP Development LLC, CalAtlantic Financial Services Inc., CalAtlantic Group, CalAtlantic Group Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Arizona Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Georgia Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Texas Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Washington Inc., CalAtlantic Mortgage Inc., CalAtlantic National Title Solutions LLC, CalAtlantic Title Agency LLC, CalAtlantic Title Group LLC, CalAtlantic Title Inc., CalAtlantic Title LLC, CalAtlantic Title of Maryland Inc., Camarillo Village Park LLC, Cambria L.L.C., Candlestick Retail Member LLC, Cardiovascular Medical Specialists LLC, Carolina Blue LLC, Carson 175 LLC, Cary Woods LLC, Casa Marina Development LLC, Central Park West Holdings LLC, Cherrytree II LLC, Club Bonterra Lennar LLC, Coco Palm 82 LLC, Colonial Heritage LLC, Columbia National Risk Retention Group Inc., Commonwealth Incentive Fee LLC, Concord Station LLP, Coventry L.L.C., Creekside Crossing L.L.C., Crest at Fondren Investor LLC, DBJ Holdings LLC, DCA Financial LLC, DTC Holdings of Florida LLC, Darcy-Joliet L.L.C., Durrell 33 LLC, EL Ventures LLC, EV LLC, Eagle Bend Commercial LLC, Eagle Home Mortgage LLC, Estates Seven LLC, Evergreen Village LLC, F&R QVI Home Investments USA LLC, FLORDADE LLC, Faria Preserve LLC, Fidelity Guaranty and Acceptance Corp., Fidelity Land LLC, Fox-Maple Associates LLC, Friendswood Development Company LLC, GDI MANAGER LLC, Garco Investments LLC, Greystone Construction Inc., Greystone Homes of Nevada Inc., Greystone Nevada Holdings LLC, Greystone Nevada LLC, Greywall Club L.L.C., HCC Investors LLC, HPS Development Co. LP, HPS Vertical Development Co. LLC, HPS Vertical Development Co.-B LP, HPS Vertical Development Co.-D/E LLC, HPS1 Block 1 LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3B LLC, HPS1 Block 50 LLC, HPS1 Block 51 LLC, HPS1 Block 52 LLC, HPS1 Block 53 LLC, HPS1 Block 54 LLC, HPS1 Block 55 LLC, HPS1 Block 56/57 LLC, HSP Arizona Inc., HTC Golf Club LLC, Hammocks Lennar LLC, Harbor Highlands Group LLC, Harveston LLC, Haverton L.L.C., Heathcote Commons LLC, Heritage Pkwy East Holdings LLC, Heritage of Auburn Hills L.L.C., Hewitts Landing Trustee LLC, Hingham Properties LLC, Huntley Venture L.L.C., Inactive Companies LLC, Independence L.L.C., Independence Orlando LLC, Isles at Bayshore Club LLC, KMC Real Estate Investors LLC, Kendall Hammocks Commercial LLC, Kentuckiana Medical Center LLC, Kingman Lennar LLC, LB/L  Duc III Antioch 330 LLC, LCD Asante LLC, LCI Downtown Doral Investor LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor GP LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor LP LLC, LEN - Belle Meade LLC, LEN - OBS Windemere LLC, LEN - Palm Vista LLC, LEN BPT Investor LLC, LEN Mirada Investor LLC, LEN Notarize Investor LLC, LEN OT Holdings LLC, LEN Paradise Cable LLC, LEN Paradise Operating LLC, LEN-CG South LLC, LEN-Cypress Mill LLC, LEN-Ryan 1 LLC, LEN-Touchstone LLC, LENH I LLC, LENNAR HOMES OF TENNESSEE LLC, LFS Holding Company LLC, LH Eastwind LLC, LHI Renaissance LLC, LMC 10th & Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 144th and Grant Investor LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Holdings LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Investor LLC, LMC 360 Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 410 S Wabash Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Investor LLC, LMC 8th Avenue Apartment Investor LLC, LMC 990 Bannock Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Investor LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Holdings LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Investor LLC, LMC Block 42 Holdings LLC, LMC Build to Core III Investor LLC, LMC Build to Core III LLC, LMC Burnside Holdings LLC, LMC Burnside Investor LLC, LMC Chandler and McClintock Holdings LLC, LMC Charlestowne Holdings LLC, LMC Charlotte Ballpark Developer LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Holdings LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Investor LLC, LMC Cobalt Holdings LLC, LMC Costa Mesa Holdings LP, LMC Crest at Park West Holdings LP, LMC Denver Gateway I Investor LLC, LMC Denver Gateway II Holdings LLC, LMC Development LLC, LMC Downtown Doral South Holdings LLC, LMC Durham Gateway Holdings LP, LMC Evans School Holdings LLC, LMC Gateway Investor LLC, LMC Gateway Venture LLC, LMC Gilman Square Investor LLC, LMC Horton Street Holdings LLC, LMC Huntington Crossing Holdings LLC, LMC Inactive Companies LLC, LMC Lakeside Holdings LP, LMC Leya Holdings LLC, LMC Living Illinois LLC, LMC Living Inc., LMC Living LLC, LMC Living TRS LP, LMC Millenia Investor II LLC, LMC NE Minneapolis Lot 2 Holdings LLC, LMC New Bern Investor LLC, LMC North Park Holdings LP, LMC Parkfield Holdings LLC, LMC Parkfield Investor LLC, LMC Righters Ferry Holdings LLC, LMC River North Holdings LLC, LMC Spring Street Investor LLC, LMC Stonewall Station Investor LLC, LMC Triangle Square Investor LLC, LMC Venture Developer LLC, LMC Verbena Holdings LLC, LMC West Loop Investor LLC, LMCFX Investor LLC, LMCPNW Marymoor Holdings LLC, LMI - Jacksonville Investor LLC, LMI - South Kings Development Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle Holdings LLC, LMI - West Seattle Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle LLC, LMI Cell Tower Investors LLC, LMI City Walk Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale LLC, LMI Contractors LLC, LMI Glencoe Dallas Investor LLC, LMI Lakes West Covina Investor LLC, LMI Largo Park Investor LLC, LMI Las Colinas Station LLC, LMI Naperville Investor LLC, LMI Pacific Tower LLC, LMI Park Central Two LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners Investor LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners LLC, LMI-JC Developer LLC, LMI-JC LLC, LMV 1640 Broadway REIT-DC LP, LMV 1701 Ballard REIT-DC LP, LMV 19H REIT-DC LP, LMV 2026 Madison REIT-DC LP, LMV 85 South Union REIT-DC LP, LMV ATown REIT-DC LP, LMV Annapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Apache Terrace REIT-DC LP, LMV Block 42 REIT-DC LP, LMV Bloomington REIT-DC LP, LMV Bolingbrook REIT-DC LP (DE), LMV Central at McDowell REIT-DC LP, LMV East Village I REIT-DC LP, LMV Edina REIT-DC LP, LMV Fremont WS I REIT-DC LP, LMV Glisan REIT-DC LP, LMV Grand Bay REIT-DC LP, LMV II Grand Bay Pod V Holdings LP, LMV II Kierland Holdings LP, LMV II NoMo Holdings LP, LMV II Venture Developer LLC, LMV II Wynwood Holdings LP, LMV Kirkland REIT-DC LP, LMV Little Italy REIT-DC LP, LMV M Tower REIT-DC LP, LMV Millenia II REIT-DC LP, LMV Milpitas REIT-DC LP, LMV NE Minneapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Oak Park REIT-DC LP, LMV One20Fourth REIT-DC LP, LMV QR Build to Core Manager LLC, LMV Rio Bravo REIT-DC LP, LMV Scottsdale Quarter REIT-DC LP, LMV Tysons REIT-DC LP, LMV Vallagio III REIT-DC LP, LMV Victory Block G REIT-DC LP, LMV Warren Street REIT-DC LP, LNC Communities II LLC, LNC Communities IV LLC, LNC Communities V LLC, LNC Communities VI LLC, LNC Communities VII LLC, LNC Communities VIII LLC, LNC Pennsylvania Realty Inc., LNC at Meadowbrook LLC, LNC at Ravenna LLC, LS College Park LLC, LS Terracina LLC, LV Opendoor Investor LLC, LV Opendoor JV LLC, LW D'Andrea LLC, Lagoon Valley Residential LLC, Lakelands at Easton L.L.C., Legends Club LLC, Legends Golf Club LLC, Len - Little Harbor LLC, Len FW Investor LLC, Len Paradise LLC, Len-Angeline LLC, Len-Hawks Point LLC, Len-Land LLC, Len-Land West LLC, Len-MN LLC, Len-Verandahs LLP, LenCom LLC, LenFive LLC, LenFive Opco GP LLC, LenFive Sub III LLC, LenFive Sub LLC, LenFive Sub Opco GP LLC, Lenalto CMBS LLC, Lencraft LLC, Lennar Aircraft I LLC, Lennar Arizona Construction Inc., Lennar Arizona Inc., Lennar Associates Management Holding Company, Lennar Associates Management LLC, Lennar Avenue One LLC, Lennar Berkeley LLC, Lennar Bevard LLC, Lennar Bridges LLC, Lennar Buffington Colorado Crossing L.P., Lennar Buffington Zachary Scott L.P., Lennar Carolinas LLC, Lennar Central Park LLC, Lennar Central Region Sweep Inc., Lennar Chicago Inc., Lennar Cobra LLC, Lennar Colgate Urban Renewal Development LLC, Lennar Colorado LLC, Lennar Colorado Minerals LLC, Lennar Commercial LLC, Lennar Communities Development Inc., Lennar Communities Inc., Lennar Communities Nevada LLC, Lennar Communities of Chicago L.L.C., Lennar Concord LLC, Lennar Construction Inc., Lennar Cory Road LLC, Lennar Courts LLC, Lennar Developers Inc., Lennar Ewing LLC, Lennar Financial Services LLC, Lennar Flamingo LLC, Lennar Fresno Inc., Lennar Gardens LLC, Lennar Georgia Inc., Lennar Greer Ranch Venture LLC, Lennar Heritage Fields LLC, Lennar Hingham Holdings LLC, Lennar Hingham JV LLC, Lennar Homes Holding LLC, Lennar Homes LLC, Lennar Homes NJ LLC, Lennar Homes of Arizona Inc., Lennar Homes of California Inc., Lennar Homes of Indiana Inc., Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd., Lennar Homes of Texas Sales and Marketing Ltd., Lennar Homes of Utah Inc., Lennar International Holding LLC, Lennar International LLC, Lennar Lakeside Investor LLC, Lennar Layton LLC, Lennar Living LLC, Lennar Lytle LLC, Lennar MF Holdings LLC, Lennar MPA LLC, Lennar MPA WIP LLC, Lennar Mare Island LLC, Lennar Marina A Funding LLC, Lennar Massachusetts Properties Inc., Lennar Middletown LLC, Lennar Monmouth Redevelopers LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Victory Block G Mezz LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily Builders LLC, Lennar Multifamily Communities LLC, Lennar Multifamily Venture DC LP, Lennar New Jersey Holdings LLC, Lennar New Jersey Properties Inc., Lennar New York LLC, Lennar Northeast Properties LLC, Lennar Northwest Inc., Lennar OHB LLC, Lennar PI Acquisition LLC, Lennar PI Property Acquisition LLC, Lennar PIS Management Company LLC, Lennar Pacific Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Management Inc., Lennar Plumsted Urban Renewal LLC, Lennar Point LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core GP LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core LP LLC, Lennar Realty Inc., Lennar Reno LLC, Lennar Riverwalk LLC, Lennar Sacramento Inc., Lennar Sales Corp., Lennar Sierra Sunrise LLC, Lennar Spencer's Crossing LLC, Lennar Sun Ridge LLC, Lennar Texas Holding LLC, Lennar Ventures LLC, Lennar West Valley LLC, Lennar Winncrest LLC, Lennar at Franklin LLC, Lennar at Jackson LLC, Lennar at Marlboro 79 LLC, Lennar at Monroe LLC, Lennar.com Inc., Longleaf Acquisition LLC, Lori Gardens Associates II LLC, Lori Gardens Associates III LLC, Lori Gardens Associates L.L.C., Lorton Station LLC, Lyons Lennar Farms LLC, Madrona Ridge L.L.C., Madrona Village L.L.C., Madrona Village Mews L.L.C., Majestic Woods LLC, Maple and Broadway Holdings LLC, Menifee Development LLC, Mid-County Utilities Inc., Miralago West Lennar LLC, Mission Viejo 12S Venture LP, Mission Viejo Holdings Inc., Motomic Diagnostics LLC, Multibank 2009-1 CML-ADC Venture LLC, Multibank 2009-1 RES-ADC Venture LLC, NC Properties I LLC, NC Properties II LLC, North American Asset Development LLC, Northbridge L.L.C., OHC/Ascot Belle Meade LLC, One SR L.P., PD-Len Boca Raton LLC, PG Properties Holding LLC, POMAC LLC, PT Metro LLC, Pace Drive Holdings LLC, Palm Gardens At Doral Clubhouse LLC, Palm Gardens at Doral LLC, Palm Springs Classic LLC, Palm Vista Preserve LLC, Patuxent Infrastructure Inc., Pioneer Meadows Development LLC, Pioneer Meadows Investments LLC, Plaza Condominium Ventures LLC, Portside Marina Developers L.L.C., Portside SM Associates L.L.C., Portside SM Holdings L.L.C., Portside Shipyard Developers L.L.C., Prestonfield L.L.C., Quail Roost Lennar LLC, RCCF GP II LLC, RCCF GP III LLC, RCCF GP IV LLC, RCCF GP LLC, RES-FL EIGHT LLC, RES-FL SEVEN LLC, RES-FL VISION ONE LLC, RES-FL VISION TWO LLC, RES-GA CASCADE LLC, RES-GA DIAMOND MEADOWS LLC, RES-GA KAP LLC, RES-GA SOUTHERN PLANTATION LLC, RES-GA THIRTEEN LLC, RES-GA TWELVE LLC, RES-GA WEST LLC, RES-IL ONE LLC, RES-NC ONE LLC, RES-PA LSJ LLC, RES-PA POM LLC, RES-TX BOULEVARD LLC, RH Insurance Company Inc., RH MOA BBCMS 2017-C1 LLC, RH MOA CF 2017-C8 LLC, RH MOA LLC, RH MOA U 2017-C4 LLC, RH MOA U 2017-C6 LLC, RIAL 2014-LT5 CLASS B LLC, RIAL 2014-LT5 LLC, RL BB FINANCIAL LLC, RL BB INACTIVE LLC, RL BB-AL LLC, RL BB-FL ALHI LLC, RL BB-GA LLC, RL BB-GA RMH LLC, RL BB-IL LLC, RL BB-IN AA LLC, RL BB-IN KRE LLC, RL BB-IN KRE OP LLC, RL BB-IN KRE RE LLC, RL BB-MS LLC, RL BB-NC LLC, RL BB-OH LLC, RL BB-SC BROOKSA LLC, RL BB-SC CLR II LLC, RL BB-SC CLR III LLC, RL BB-SC CLR IV LLC, RL BB-SC CLR LLC, RL BB-SC CRRC LLC, RL BB-SC RACEDAY LLC, RL BB-TN BRISTOL LLC, RL BB-TN LLC, RL BB-TN RACEDAY TOWER LLC, RL BB-TX LLC, RL BB-WV LLC, RL CMBS Holdings LLC, RL CML 2009-1 Investments LLC, RL REGI ARKANSAS LLC, RL REGI Alabama LLC, RL REGI FINANCIAL LLC, RL REGI Florida LLC, RL REGI GEORGIA LLC, RL REGI INACTIVE LLC, RL REGI KANSAS LLC, RL REGI MISSISSIPPI LLC, RL REGI MISSOURI LLC, RL REGI NORTH CAROLINA LLC, RL REGI SOUTH CAROLINA LLC, RL REGI TENNESSEE LLC, RL REGI VIRGINIA LLC, RL REGI-AL HP LLC, RL REGI-AL VRC LLC, RL REGI-FL CRC LLC, RL REGI-FL ESH LLC, RL REGI-FL FT. PIERCE LLC, RL REGI-FL GDL LLC, RL REGI-FL ITALIA LLC, RL REGI-FL MRED LLC, RL REGI-FL RDI LLC, RL REGI-FL SARASOTA LLC, RL REGI-FL TPL LLC, RL REGI-FL VARC LLC, RL REGI-GA DRAD LLC, RL REGI-GA HAY DB LLC, RL REGI-GA MHU LLC, RL REGI-GA MPD LLC, RL REGI-GA RLR LLC, RL REGI-MO GMB LLC, RL REGI-MO MOSCOW MILLS LLC, RL REGI-MS Double H LLC, RL REGI-MS OCEAN SPRINGS LLC, RL REGI-NC CIL LLC, RL REGI-NC LITTLE WING LLC, RL REGI-NC MLD LLC, RL REGI-NC Mland LLC, RL REGI-NC RALEIGH LLC, RL REGI-NC SUGARM LLC, RL REGI-NM LLC, RL REGI-SC CTL LLC, RL REGI-SC LAKE E LLC, RL REGI-SC TDG LLC, RL REGI-SC TIG LLC, RL REGI-TN OAK LLC, RL REGI-TN SEVIERVILLE LLC, RL RES 2009-1 Investments LLC, RMF Alliance LLC, RMF Commercial LLC, RMF PR New York LLC, RMF Partner LLC, RMF SUB 1 LLC, RMF SUB 2 LLC, RMF SUB 3 LLC, RMF SUB 4 LLC, RMF SUB 5 LLC, RMV LLC, Raintree Village II L.L.C., Raintree Village L.L.C., Ral-Len BM LLC, Ral-Len LLC, Rannel Capital WeWork Series D LLC, Rannel Holdings LLC, Rannel Interests LLC, Rannel Investments LLC, Rannel Mortgage Investments LLC, Rannel Proprietary Investments LLC, Renaissance Joint Venture, Reserve @ Pleasant Grove II LLC, Reserve @ Pleasant Grove LLC, Reserve at River Park LLC, Reserve at South Harrison LLC, Rialto Commercial Mortgage Securities LLC, Rialto Credit Partnership GP LLC, Rialto Mezz Partners GP LLC, Rialto Mortgage Finance LLC, Rialto Partners GP II LLC, Rialto Partners GP III - Debt LLC, Rialto Partners GP III - Property LLC, Rialto Partners GP LLC, Rialto RSSF GP LLC, Riverwalk at Lago Mar LLC, Rocking Horse Minerals LLC, Rutenberg Homes Inc. (Florida), Rutenberg Homes of Texas Inc., Rye Hill Company LLC, Ryland Homes Nevada Holdings LLC, Ryland Homes Nevada LLC, Ryland Homes of California Inc., S. Florida Construction II LLC, S. Florida Construction III LLC, S. Florida Construction LLC, SC 521 Indian Land Reserve LLC, SC 521 Indian Land Reserve South LLC, SPIC CPCO Inc., SPIC CPDB Inc., SPIC CPRB Inc., SPIC Del Sur LLC, SPIC Dublin LLC, SPIC Mesa LLC, SPIC NC Fremont LLC, SPIC Otay LLC, SPIC Springs LLC, San Felipe Indemnity Co. Ltd., San Lucia LLC, San Simeon Lennar LLC, Schulz Ranch Developers LLC, Seminole/70th LLC, Siena at Old Orchard L.L.C., Sierra Vista Communities LLC, Silver Springs Lennar LLC, South Development LLC, Southbank Holding LLC, Spanish Springs Development LLC, St. Charles Active Adult Community LLC, St. Charles Community LLC, Standard Pacific 1 Inc., Standard Pacific Investment Corp., Standard Pacific of Colorado Inc., Standard Pacific of Florida, Standard Pacific of Florida GP Inc., Standard Pacific of Las Vegas Inc., Standard Pacific of Orange County Inc., Standard Pacific of Tampa GP, Standard Pacific of Tampa GP Inc., Standard Pacific of Tonner Hills LLC, Standard Pacific of Walnut Hills Inc., Standard Pacific of the Carolinas LLC, Stoney Holdings LLC, Storey Lake Club LLC, Storey Park Club LLC, Strategic Holdings Inc., Strategic Technologies LLC, Summerfield Venture L.L.C., SunStreet Energy Group LLC, SunStreet Manager LLC, TCO QVI LLC, TICD Hold Co. LLC, TIH Hold Co. LLC, Talega Associates LLC, Temecula Valley LLC, Terra Division LLC, Terra/Winding Creek LLC, The Baywinds Land Trust, The Bridges Club at Rancho Santa Fe Inc., The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe Sales Company Inc., The LNC Northeast Group Inc., The Oasis Club at LEN-CG South LLC, The Preserve at Coconut Creek LLC, The Vistas Club at LEN-CG South LLC, Titlezoom Company, Treasure Island Holdings LLC, Treasure Island Member LLC, Treviso Holding LLC, Two Lakes Lennar LLC, U.S. Home Corporation, U.S. Home Realty Inc., U.S. Home of Arizona Construction Co., U.S. Insurors Inc., U.S.H. Realty Inc., UAMC Holding Company LLC, UB 2018C14 MOA LLC, USH - Flag LLC, USH Equity Corporation, USH LEE LLC, USH Leasing II LLC, USH Leasing LLC, UST Lennar HW Scala SF Joint Venture, VII Crown Farm Investor LLC, Venetian Lennar LLC, Vineyard Land LLC, Vineyard Point 2009 LLC, Vista Palms Clubhouse LLC, WCI Communities, WCI Communities Inc., WCI Communities LLC, WCI Towers Northeast USA Inc., WCI Westshore LLC, WCP LLC, WIP Lennar OHB LLC, Waterview at Hanover LLC, West Lake Village LLC, West Seattle Project X LLC, West Van Buren L.L.C., Westchase Inc., Westchase Ltd., Westfield Homes USA Inc., White Course Lennar LLC, Wild Plum JV LLC, Willowbrook Investors LLC, Winncrest Natomas LLC, Woodbridge Multifamily Developer I LLC, Wright Farm L.L.C., and YLRichards4Acres 2015 LLC.
The following companies are subsidiares of NOV: AG Holding UK, APL France SAS, APL Management Pte Ltd, APL Norway AS, APL do Brasil Ltda., ASEP Group Holding B.V., ASEP Otomotiv Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Ackerman Holdings C.V., Ackerman Holdings GP LLC, Ackerman International Holland B.V., Advanced Production and Loading, Advanced Wirecloth, Aggregate Plant Products Co., American Pipe and Construction International, Ameron B.V., Ameron Holdings Pte. Ltd., Ameron International, Ameron International Corporation, Ameron Pole Products LLC, Ameron Polyplaster Industria E Comercio de Tubos Ltda., Ameron Singapore Holding, Ameron Singapore Poly Holdings Pte. Ltd., Ameron Trading Holdings Pte. Ltd., Andergauge Limited, Andergauge Redback, Andergauge USA, Arabian Rig Manufacturing Company, Axiom Process Limited, Belco Manufacturing Company, Big Red Tubulars Limited, Bondstrand Ltd., Bowen Downhole Inc., Bowen Downhole LLC, Brandt Interests, Brandt Oilfield Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., C.M.A. Canavera S.R.L., CJSC Fidmash, CJSC Novmash, CSI Inspection, Camco Drilling Group Limited, Chemineer, Coil Services Middle East LLC, Containment Solutions, Containment Solutions Services, Couoperatie Intelliserv Holding U.A., Couoperatie NOV NL U.A., Danco AS, Denali Incorporated, Denali Management, Devin International, Dreco Canada L.P., Dreco DHT, Dreco Eastern Europe ULC, Dreco Energy Services ULC, Dreco International Holdings ULC, Dreco LLC, E.C. Motors, Elmar Far East Pty Ltd, Enerflow Industries, Enerpro de Mexico, Environmental Procedures LLC, Ershigs, Fabricated Plastics Acquisitions Limited, Fabricated Plastics Limited, Fiber Glass Systems, Fiber Glass Systems (Qingdao) Composite Piping Co., Fiber Glass Systems Holdings, Fiber Glass Systems Oman L.L.C., Fiber Glass Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fiberspar, Fiberspar Australia Pty. Ltd., Fiberspar Corporation, Fiberspar Linepipe Canada Ltd., Fibra Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., FidService, Fjords Processing (Shanghai) Co., Fjords Processing 1 AS, Fjords Processing AS, Fjords Processing Australia Pty Ltd, Fjords Processing France SAS, Fjords Processing Korea Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing Limited, Fjords Processing UK Ltd., Fryma S.a.r.l., GOT German Oil Tools GmbH, GP USA Holding LLC, GPEX, German Oil Tools (Middle East) FZE, Grant Prideco (Jiangsu) Drilling Products Co., Grant Prideco (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Grant Prideco AB TCA Holding LLC, Grant Prideco European Holding, Grant Prideco Holding, Grant Prideco III C. V., Grant Prideco Inc., Grant Prideco Jersey Limited, Grant Prideco L.P., Grant Prideco Mauritius Limited, Grant Prideco Netherlands B.V., Grant Prideco PC Composites Holdings, Grant Prideco S. de R.L. de C.V., Grant Prideco USA, Grant Prideco de Venezuela, Greystone Technologies Pty. Ltd., GustoMSC B.V., GustoMSC U.S., Hebei Huayouyiji Tuboscope Coating Co., Hitec AS, Hydralift AmClyde, Hydralift France SAS, Hydralift Holdings UK Limited, Inspecciones y Pruebas No Destructivas, IntelliServ Norway AS, Intelliserv, Intelliserv GP Holdings LLC, Intelliserv International Holding, Intelliserv LLC, Interval LLC, JiangYin Tuboscope Tubular Development Co., Merpro Group Limited, Merpro Products Limited, Merpro Tortek Limited, Midsund Bruk AS, Mono Group Pension Trustees Limited, Mono Pumps New Zealand Company, Monoflo NOV S.A.I.C., Moyno Inc., Moyno de Mexico S.A. de C.V., NKT Flexibles I/S, NOV (Asia), NOV (Barbados) Holding SRL, NOV (Barbados) SRL, NOV (Caymans), NOV (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., NOV - Oil Services Angola LDA., NOV APL Limited, NOV ASEP Elmar Mexico, NOV Africa Pty Ltd, NOV Australia Pty Ltd, NOV Azerbaijan LLC, NOV Brandt Europe France, NOV Brandt Oilfield Services Middle East LLC, NOV CV1 GP LLC, NOV CV2 GP LLC, NOV Completion Tools AS, NOV Completion Tools LLC, NOV Completion and Production Solutions Korea Ltd., NOV DH de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., NOV DHT Canada Holding ULC, NOV Denmark Cooperatief U.A., NOV Downhole Argentina, NOV Downhole Bolivia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Colombia, NOV Downhole Comercializacao de Equipamentos para Petroleo Ltda., NOV Downhole Congo, NOV Downhole Eurasia Limited, NOV Downhole Europe B.V., NOV Downhole Germany GmbH, NOV Downhole Italia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Kazakhstan, NOV Downhole Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Downhole Pty Ltd, NOV Downhole Thailand, NOV Dreco GP LLC, NOV EU Acquisition SNC, NOV Elmar (Middle East) Limited, NOV Elmar NL B.V., NOV Elmar Pte. Ltd., NOV Enerflow ULC, NOV Eurasia Holding LLC, NOV European Holding LLC, NOV Expatriate Services, NOV FGS Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NOV FGS Singapore (Pte.) Ltd, NOV Fiber Glass Systems Fabricacao De Tubos E Conexoes Ltda, NOV Flexibles Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Flexibles Holding ApS, NOV Floating Production AS, NOV Fluid Control B.V., NOV GEO GP LLC, NOV GEO LP1 C.V., NOV GEO LP2 C.V., NOV GP Holding L.P., NOV GP1 Holding LLC, NOV Gabon SARL, NOV Germany Holding GmbH, NOV Ghana Limited, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Equipment Manufacturing LLC, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Products Middle East FZE, NOV Grant Prideco L.L.C., NOV Holding Danmark ApS, NOV Holding Germany GmbH & Co KG, NOV Holding Germany Management GmbH, NOV Holdings B.V., NOV Hydra Rig Pte. Ltd, NOV India Private Limited, NOV Intelliserv UK Limited, NOV International Holdings C.V., NOV International Holdings GP LLC, NOV Intervention & Stimulation Equipment US LLC, NOV Intervention and Stimulation Equipment  Aftermarket Comercio de Equipamentos e Servicos Ltda., NOV Kenya Limited, NOV Kostroma LLC, NOV Kuwait Light & Heavy Equipment Repairing & Maintenance Co., NOV LP (Trading), NOV MSI Pipe Protection Technologies Inc., NOV MSI Pipe Protection Technologies Mexico, NOV Mexico Holding LLC, NOV Middle East FZCO, NOV Mission Products UK Limited, NOV Mozambique Limitada, NOV NL Mexico Holding B.V., NOV Netherlands Finance Holding C.V., NOV Netherlands Finance Holding LLC, NOV North America I/P, NOV Oil & Gas Services Egypt (S.A.E), NOV Oil & Gas Services Uganda Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Ghana Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Nigeria Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Tanzania Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Vostok LLC, NOV Oilfield Solutions Ltd., NOV Park II B.V., NOV Process & Flow Technologies AS, NOV Process & Flow Technologies Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies Pte. Ltd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies UK Limited, NOV Process & Flow Technologies US, NOV Rig Solutions Pte. Ltd., NOV Romania, NOV Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd., NOV Saudi Arabia Trading Co., NOV Services Ltd., NOV Servicios de Personal Mexico, NOV Subsea Products AS, NOV TV2 LLC, NOV TVI LLC, NOV Tanajib Kuwait for Services and Maintenance of Oil Rigs Refineries and Petrochemicals, NOV Tuboscope Italia S.R.L., NOV Tuboscope Middle East LLC, NOV Tuboscope NL B.V., NOV Tubulars and Connectors Ltd., NOV UK (Angola Acquisitions) Limited, NOV UK Finance Limited, NOV UK Holdings Limited, NOV UK Korea LP, NOV Wellbore Technologies Norway LLC, NOV Wellbore Technologies do Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Wellsite Services Germany GmbH, NOV Worldwide C.V., NOV-BLM SAS, NOVM Holding LLC, NOW Downhole Tools, NOW International LLC, NOW Nova Scotia Holdings LLC, NOW Oilfield Services, NQL Holland B.V., National Oilwell (U.K.) Limited, National Oilwell Algerie, National Oilwell DHT, National Oilwell Middle East Company, National Oilwell Services de Mexico, National Oilwell Varco (Beijing) Investment Management Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco (Thailand) Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Algeria, National Oilwell Varco Almansoori Services, National Oilwell Varco Bahrain WLL, National Oilwell Varco Belgium SA, National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S, National Oilwell Varco Egypt LLC, National Oilwell Varco Eurasia, National Oilwell Varco Guatemala, National Oilwell Varco Guyana Inc., National Oilwell Varco Hungary Limited Liability Company, National Oilwell Varco Korea Co., National Oilwell Varco MSW S.A., National Oilwell Varco Mexico, National Oilwell Varco Muscat L.L.C., National Oilwell Varco Norway AS, National Oilwell Varco Peru S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Petroleum Equipment (Shanghai) Co., National Oilwell Varco Poland Sp.z.o.o., National Oilwell Varco Pte. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Rig Equipment Trading (Shanghai) Co., National Oilwell Varco Romania S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Solutions, National Oilwell Varco UK Limited, National Oilwell Varco Ukraine LLC, National Oilwell Varco de Bolivia S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco de Chile - Servicios Limitada, National Oilwell Varco do Brasil Ltda., National Oilwell de Venezuela, National-Oilwell Pte. Ltd., National-Oilwell Pty. Ltd., PT Fjords Processing Indonesia, PT H-Tech Oilfield Equipment, PT NOV Oilfield Services, PT National Oilwell Varco, PT PROFAB INDONESIA, Pesaka Inspection Services SDN.BHD., Pipex Limited, Pipex PX Limited, Pipex Structural Composites Limited, Pridecomex Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Pridecomex TA Industries, Procon Engineering Ltd., Profab Engineering Pte. Ltd., Profab Services Pte Ltd, Quality Tubing FSC, R&M C.V., R&M Canada Cooperatief U.A., R&M Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd., R&M Energy Systems de Argentina S.A., R&M Energy Systems de Venezuela, R&M Environmental Strategies, R&M Singapore Holding LLC, R&M UK Holding LLC, RE.MAC.UT. S.r.l., RHI Holding LLC, ReedHycalog, ReedHycalog International Holding, ReedHycalog LLC, ReedHycalog UK Limited, Robannic Overseas Finance A.V.V., Robbins & Myers, Robbins & Myers (Suzhou) Process Equipment Company Limited, Robbins & Myers B.V., Robbins & Myers Foundation, Robbins & Myers GP LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings, Robbins & Myers Holdings UK Limited, Robbins & Myers Inc, Robbins & Myers Italia S.R.L., Robbins & Myers N.V., Rodic S.A. de C.V., Romaco S.a.r.l., STAR Sudamtex Tubulares S.A., STBH2O TUNISIE, STSA, Screen Manufacturing Company Unlimited, Seabox AS, Slip Clutch Systems Limited, Smart Drilling GmbH, Soil Recovery A/S, South Seas Inspection, Subseaflex Holding ApS, T-3 Energy Preferred Industries Mexico, T-3 Energy Services, T-3 Energy Services Cayman, T-3 Energy Services Cayman Holdings, T-3 Energy Services India Private Limited, T-3 Energy Services Mexico, T-3 Investment Corporation IV, T-3 Mexican Holdings, TVI Holdings, Telluride Insurance Limited, Tianjin Grant TPCO Drilling Tools Company Limited, Tube-Kote, Tubo-FGS, Tuboscope & Co. LLC, Tuboscope (Holding U.S.) LLC, Tuboscope Brandt de Venezuela, Tuboscope Machining Services AS, Tuboscope Norge AS, Tuboscope Pipeline Services Inc., Tuboscope Services, Tuboscope Vetco (Deutschland) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco (France) SAS, Tuboscope Vetco (Oesterreich) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco Canada ULC, Tuboscope Vetco Capital Limited, Tuboscope Vetco Moscow CJSC, Tuboscope Vetco de Argentina S.A., Tubular Coatings Solutions Ltd., Tucom Composites Polyester Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Varco BJ B.V., Varco CIS, Varco Canada ULC, Varco I/P, Varco International de Venezuela, Varco L.P., Varco US Holdings LLC, Vetco Coating GmbH, Vetco Enterprise GmbH, Vetco Saudi Arabia Ltd., Visible Assets, Wilson International, Woolley, XL Systems, XL Systems Antilles, XL Systems Europe B.V., XL Systems International, voestalpine Middle East Free Zone Establishment, voestalpine Tubulars Corporation, voestalpine Tubulars GmbH, and voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG.
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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.
Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. The Global Wealth and Investment Management provides client experience through a network of financial advisors focused on to meet their needs through a full set of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. The Global Banking segment deals with lending-related products and services, integrated working capital management and treasury solutions to clients, and underwriting and advisory services. The Global Markets segment includes sales and trading services, as well as research, to institutional clients across fixed-income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity businesses. The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions

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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..
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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Capital One Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 1.58%. 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 12.56% next year. This indicates that Capital One Financial will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

View Capital One Financial's dividend history.
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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There is not enough analysis data for Dream Global REIT.

4.3 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Dream Global REIT has received 244 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Dream Global REIT has received 135 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Dream Global REIT has received 64.38% outperform votes from our community.

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

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JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN's stock was trading at $11.98 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, AMJ shares have increased by 57.7% and is now trading at $18.89.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
First BanCorp (Puerto Rico) is a holding company, which engages in the provision of personal, commercial, and corporate banking services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Mortgage Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment consists of the company's lending and other services for large customers represented by specialized and middle-market clients and the public sector. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment includes consumer lending and deposit-taking activities conducted mainly through FirstBank's branch network in Puerto Rico. The Mortgage Banking segment focuses on the origination, sale, and servicing of a variety of residential mortgage loan products and related hedging activities. The Treasury and Investments segment deals with treasury and investment management functions. The United States Operations segment represents all banking activities conducted by FirstBank on the United States mainland. The Virgin Islands Operations segment includes all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in

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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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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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SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

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HeidelbergCement AG, together with its subsidiaries, produces and distributes cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, and asphalt worldwide. It provides cement products, including special cements with targeted characteristics, special geotechnical building materials, and a range of binders. The company also offers natural stone aggregates, such as sand and gravel; crushed aggregates comprising stone chippings and crushed stones; and concrete/ready-mixed concrete for use in the construction of tunnels or bridges, office buildings, or schools, as well as for the production of precast concrete parts consisting of stairs, ceiling elements, or structural components. In addition, it provides asphalt primarily used in the construction of infrastructure, such as roads; and trades in cement, clinker, solid and alternative fuels, and other building materials. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany.

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Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. provides various financial products and services primarily in Italy. It operates through Banca dei Territori, IMI Corporate & Investment Banking, International Subsidiary Banks, Asset Management, Private Banking, and Insurance segments. The company offers lending and deposit products; corporate, investment banking, and public finance services; industrial credit, factoring, and leasing services; asset management solutions; life and non-life insurance products; and bancassurance and pension fund, and fiduciary services. It also provides consumer credit, e-money, and payment systems; wealth management and private banking services. The company serves individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, non-profit entities, corporates and financial institutions, private clients and high net worth individuals, institutional counterparties, and other customers. The company is headquartered in Turin, Italy.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE).
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iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF's stock split on the morning of Monday, December 7th 2020. The 2-1 split was announced on Friday, November 6th 2020. The newly minted shares were distributed to shareholders after the market closes on Friday, December 4th 2020. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF stock prior to the split would have 200 shares after the split.
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.
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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.
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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The following companies are subsidiares of Owens Corning: 0979301 B.C. ULC, AS Paroc, Asahi Glass - Composites Business, Crown Mfg. Inc., Deutsche Foamglas GmbH, Dutch OC Cooperatief Invest U.A., European Owens Corning Fiberglas SRL, FOAMGLAS (Italia) SRL, FOAMGLAS (Nordic) AB, FiberTEK Insulation, Fibreboard Corp., Finefiber (Shanghai) Building Material Co. Ltd., Finefiber Insulation Co. Pte. Ltd., IBCO SRL, IPM Inc., InterWrap, InterWrap (Hong Kong) Ltd., InterWrap (Qingdao) Trading Co. Ltd., InterWrap Corp., InterWrap Corp. Private Ltd., International Packaging Products Pvt. Ltd., Inversiones Owens Corning Chile Holdings Limitada, Northern Elastomeric, OC Canada Finance Inc., OC Canada Holdings General Partnership, OC Celfortec Company, OC Latin American Holdings GmbH, OC NL Invest Cooperatief U.A., OC PRO CV, OC Steklovolokno AO, OCCV1 Inc., OCCV2 LLC, OCV (Thailand) Co. Limited, OCV Chambery France, OCV Chambery International, OCV Finance LLC, OCV Intellectual Capital LLC, OCV Italia Srl, OCV Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., OCV Servicios Mexico S.A. de C.V., OOO Paroc, Owens Corning (Australia) Pty Limited, Owens Corning (China) Investment Company Limited, Owens Corning (Guangde) Rock Wood Manufacturing Co. Ltd, Owens Corning (Guangzhou) Fiberglas Co. Ltd., Owens Corning (Hangzhou) Fiberglass Co. Ltd., Owens Corning (India) Private Limited, Owens Corning (Nanjing) Building Materials Co. Ltd., Owens Corning (Shanghai) Fiberglas Co. Ltd., Owens Corning (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Owens Corning (Tianjin) Building Materials Co. Ltd., Owens Corning (Xian) Building Materials Co. Ltd., Owens Corning Alloy Canada GP Inc., Owens Corning Alloy Canada LP, Owens Corning Argentina Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Owens Corning Automotive LLC, Owens Corning BM (Korea) Ltd, Owens Corning By LLC, Owens Corning CV GP LLC, Owens Corning Canada GP Inc., Owens Corning Canada Holdings B.V., Owens Corning Canada Holdings ULC, Owens Corning Canada LP, Owens Corning Cayman (China) Holdings, Owens Corning Celfortec Canada GP Inc., Owens Corning Celfortec LP, Owens Corning Composite Materials Canada GP Inc., Owens Corning Composite Materials Canada LP, Owens Corning Composite Materials LLC, Owens Corning Composites (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Owens Corning Composites (China) Co. Ltd., Owens Corning Construction Services LLC, Owens Corning Corporate Services LLC, Owens Corning Elaminator Insulation Systems LLC, Owens Corning Enterprise (India) Pvt. Ltd., Owens Corning Fabrics (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Owens Corning Fiberglas (U.K.) Pension Plan Ltd., Owens Corning Fiberglas A.S. Limitada, Owens Corning Fiberglas Espana SL, Owens Corning Fiberglas France, Owens Corning Financial Services ULC, Owens Corning Finland Oy, Owens Corning Foam Insulation LLC, Owens Corning GlassMetal Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Owens Corning Global Holdings II Limited Partnership, Owens Corning Global Holdings Limited Partnership, Owens Corning HOMExperts Inc., Owens Corning HT Inc., Owens Corning Holdings 1 CV, Owens Corning Holdings 3 CV, Owens Corning Holdings 4 CV, Owens Corning Holdings 5 CV, Owens Corning Holdings Holland B.V., Owens Corning Hong Kong Limited, Owens Corning Industries (India) Private Limited, Owens Corning Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Owens Corning Insulating Systems Canada GP Inc., Owens Corning Insulating Systems Canada LP, Owens Corning Insulating Systems LLC, Owens Corning Intellectual Capital LLC, Owens Corning InterWrap Canada GP Inc., Owens Corning InterWrap Canada LP, Owens Corning International Holdings C.V., Owens Corning Japan LLC, Owens Corning Kohold B.V., Owens Corning Korea, Owens Corning Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Owens Corning Mineral Wool LLC, Owens Corning Non-Woven - Blythewood LLC, Owens Corning Non-Woven Technology LLC, Owens Corning Receivables LLC, Owens Corning Reinforcements (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., Owens Corning Remodeling Systems LLC, Owens Corning Roofing S. de R.L. de C.V., Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt LLC, Owens Corning Sales LLC, Owens Corning Science and Technology LLC, Owens Corning Supplementary Pension Plan Limited, Owens Corning Technical Fabrics LLC, Owens Corning Treasury Services LLC, Owens Corning U.S. Holdings LLC, Owens-Corning Britinvest Limited, Owens-Corning Cayman Limited, Owens-Corning Fiberglas Deutschland GmbH, Owens-Corning Funding Corporation, Owens-Corning Veil Netherlands B.V., Owens-Corning Veil U.K. Ltd., Paroc AB, Paroc GmbH, Paroc Group, Paroc Group Oy, Paroc Limited, Paroc Oy Ab, Paroc Polska Sp. Z o.o., Pittsburgh Corning, Pittsburgh Corning (Suisse) SA, Pittsburgh Corning (United Kingdom) Limited, Pittsburgh Corning (Yantai) Insulation Materials Co. Ltd, Pittsburgh Corning Asia Limited, Pittsburgh Corning CR S.R.O., Pittsburgh Corning Europe N.V., Pittsburgh Corning France, Pittsburgh Corning Gesellschaft m.b.h., Pittsburgh Corning LLC, Pittsburgh Corning Nederland B.V., Pittsburgh Corning Singapore Pte. Ltd, Qingdao Novia Polymer Co. Ltd., SIA Paroc, Soltech Inc., The Modulo /ParMur Group, Thermafiber, Thermafiber Inc., Transandina de Comercio S.A., UAB Paroc, UC Industries, and Vitro Fibras.
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..
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..
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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.
The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V..
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.
thyssenkrupp AG operates in the areas of automotive technology, industrial components, plant technology, marine systems, steel, and materials services in Germany, the United States, China, and internationally. The company's Automotive Technology segment develops and manufactures components and systems and automated production systems for the automotive industry. Its Industrial Components segment manufactures and sells forged components and system solutions for the resource, construction, and mobility sectors; and slewing rings, antifriction bearings, and seamless rolled rings for the wind energy and construction machinery sectors. The company's Plant Technology segment builds plants for the chemical, cement, and mining industries. Its Marine Systems segment provides systems in the submarine and surface ship building, as well as in the field of maritime electronics and security technology. The company's Materials Services segment distributes materials and offers technical services for the production and manufacturing sectors. Its Steel Europe segment provides flat carbon steel products, intelligent material solutions, and finished parts. thyssenkrupp AG was founded in 1811 and is headquartered in Essen, Germany.

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Toyota Motor Corp. engages in the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles and parts. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other. The Automotive segment designs, manufactures, assembles and sells passenger cars, minivans, trucks, and related vehicle parts and accessories. It is also involved in the development of intelligent transport systems. The Financial Services segment offers purchase or lease financing to Toyota vehicle dealers and customers. It also provides retail leasing through lease contracts purchase by dealers. The All Others segment deals with the design and manufacture and sale of housing, telecommunications and other businesses. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan.

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Travis Perkins plc distributes building materials to the building, construction, and home improvement markets in the United Kingdom. It operates through four segments: Merchanting, Retail, Toolstation, and Plumbing & Heating. The Merchanting segment distributes interior building products, which include drywalls, ceilings, external envelopes, fire protection products, flooring and partitioning products, and tools and accessories to professionals within the construction industry; civil, drainage, and heavy building materials to specialist contractors and trade professionals; and pipeline and heating solutions. This segment also distributes building materials, plumbing and heating products, landscaping materials, timber and sheet materials, painting and decorating products, dry lining and insulation products, doors and joinery, and hand and power tools to trade professionals and self-builders. The Retail segment operates as a home improvement retailer, which sells kitchen, bathroom, paint, and timber products. The Toolstation segment supplies products to the trade, home improvers, and self-builders industry through approximately 350 branches, as well as online, call center, and a mobile website. The Plumbing & Heating segment supplies its products to the trade, home improvement, and DIY markets. The company also offers kitchens and joinery products to specialist joiners, kitchen fitters, house builders, local authorities, and national house builders; and operates as a tile retailer. The company was formerly known as Sandell Perkins Public Limited Company and changed its name to Travis Perkins plc in October 1988. Travis Perkins plc was founded in 1797 and is headquartered in Northampton, the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of EnerSys: ABSL Power Solutions Inc., ABSL Power Solutions Ltd., Acumuladores Industriales EnerSys SA, Alpha Alternative Energy Inc., Alpha Broadband Services Inc., Alpha Innovations Industria e Comercio de Produtos Eletronicos Ltda., Alpha Innovations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alpha Mexico Network Power S.A. de C.V., Alpha Tech Energy Solutions India Private Limited, Alpha Technical Services Ltd., Alpha Technologies Ltd., Alpha Technologies Pty. Ltd., Alpha Technologies Services Inc., Alphatec Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Argus Research Ltd., Batterias Hawker de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Battery Power International Pte Ltd., Coppervale Enterprises Inc., DCPM Engineering Sdn Bhd, EH Batterien AG, EH Europe GmbH, EH Global Holdings GmbH, EH Swiss Holdings GmbH, ENAS Industrial Batteries Morocco Sarl, EnerSys (Chaozhou) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (China) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Chongqing) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Jiangsu) Huada Batteries Company Limited (94.7%) *, EnerSys (Luxembourg) Finance Sarl, EnerSys (Yangzhou) Huada Batteries Co. Ltd., EnerSys A/S, EnerSys AB, EnerSys AD, EnerSys AE, EnerSys AS, EnerSys Advanced Systems Inc., EnerSys Argentina S.A., EnerSys Asia Limited, EnerSys Australia Pty Ltd., EnerSys BV, EnerSys BVBA, EnerSys Battery Private Limited, EnerSys Brasil Ltda., EnerSys Bulgaria EOOD, EnerSys Canada Inc., EnerSys Capital Inc., EnerSys Cayman Euro L.P., EnerSys Cayman Holdings L.P., EnerSys Cayman Inc., EnerSys Delaware Inc., EnerSys Delaware LLC I, EnerSys Delaware LLC II, EnerSys Delaware LLC III, EnerSys Delaware LLC IV, EnerSys Delaware LLC V, EnerSys Energy Products Inc., EnerSys Europe Oy, EnerSys European Holding Co., EnerSys GmbH, EnerSys Holdings (Luxembourg) Sarl, EnerSys Holdings UK Ltd., EnerSys Hungaria Kft., EnerSys India Batteries Private Ltd., EnerSys JSC, EnerSys LLC, EnerSys Ltd., EnerSys Malaysia Sdn Bhd, EnerSys Mexico Holdings LLC, EnerSys Mexico Management LLC, EnerSys Participacoes Ltda., EnerSys Reserve Power Pte. Ltd., EnerSys S.r.l., EnerSys SARL, EnerSys SNC, EnerSys South East Asia Pte. Ltd., EnerSys de Mexico II S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys de Mexico S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys s.r.o., EnerSys sp. z o.o., EnerSystem Chile Ltda., Enersys Aku Sanaya Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Esfinco LLC, Hawker GmbH, Hawker Power Systems Inc., Hawker Powersource Inc., Hawker Systems GmbH & Co. KG., ICS Industries Pty Ltd, ICS Industries Pty Ltd., ICS Sheet Metal Pty Ltd., Industrial Battery Holding Ltda., International Communication Shelters Australasia Pty Ltd., Lancord Pty Ltd., Lenmic Pty Ltd., MIB Energy Sdn Bhd, N Holding AB, National Infrastructure Pty Ltd., National Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd., NaviSemi Energy Pte Ltd., NaviSemi Inc., New Pacifico Realty Inc., NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery DMCC, Outback Power Technologies Inc., Powercom (NSW) Pty Ltd., Powersonic S de R.L. de CV, Purcell Systems, Purcell Systems Inc., Purcell Systems International AB, Quallion LLC, Riverfront Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Shenzhen Huada Power Supply Mechanical & Electrical Co. Ltd. , SiteTel Shanghai Co Ltd., SiteTel Sweden AB, Telecomponents & Supply (Hong Kong) Ltd., The Enser Corporation, UTS Holdings Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (JB) Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (PG) Sdn Bhd, YCI Inc., and Yecoltd S. de R.L. de CV.
United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut.

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The following companies are subsidiares of WESCO International: 1502218 Alberta Ltd., ALLNET Technologies Pty. Ltd., AXE Distribution Solutions Trinidad Ltd., Accu-Tech Corporation, Anixter (Barbados) SRL, Anixter (CIS) LLC, Anixter (Switzerland) Sarl, Anixter (U.K.) Limited, Anixter Argentina S.A., Anixter Asia Holdings Limited, Anixter Australia Pty. Ltd., Anixter Austria GmbH, Anixter Bahamas Limited, Anixter Belgium B.V.B.A., Anixter Cables y Manufacturas S.A. de C.V., Anixter Canada Inc., Anixter Canadian Holdings ULC, Anixter Chile S.A., Anixter Colombia S.A.S., Anixter Communications (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Anixter Communications (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Anixter Costa Rica S.A., Anixter Czech a.s., Anixter Danmark A/S, Anixter Deutschland GmbH, Anixter Distribuidor de Soluciones Empresariales e Industriales S.A., Anixter Distribution Ireland Limited, Anixter Dominicana SRL, Anixter Egypt LLC, Anixter Espana S.L., Anixter Eurotwo Holdings B.V., Anixter Fasteners Deutschland GmbH, Anixter Financial Inc., Anixter France SARL, Anixter Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Anixter Holdings Inc., Anixter Holdings Mexico LLC, Anixter Hong Kong Limited, Anixter Iletisim Sistemleri Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.S., Anixter Inc., Anixter India Private Limited, Anixter Information Systems LLC, Anixter International, Anixter Italia S.r.l., Anixter Jamaica Limited, Anixter Japan KK, Anixter Jorvex S.A.C., Anixter Limited, Anixter Logistica do Brasil LTDA, Anixter Logistica y Servicios S.A. de C.V., Anixter Magyarorszag Elektronikus Halozati Rendszer Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Kft, Anixter Mid Holdings B.V., Anixter Middle East FZE, Anixter Morocco SARL AU, Anixter Nederland B.V., Anixter New Zealand Limited, Anixter Norge A.N.S., Anixter Operaciones y Logistica s De RL De CV, Anixter Panama S.A., Anixter Pension Scheme Trustees Limited, Anixter Pension Trustees Limited, Anixter Peru S.A.C., Anixter Philippines Inc., Anixter Poland Sp.z.o.o., Anixter Portugal S.A., Anixter Power Solutions Canada Inc., Anixter Power Solutions Inc., Anixter Procurement Corporation, Anixter Puerto Rico Inc., Anixter Real-Estate LLC, Anixter Receivables Corporation, Anixter Saudi Arabia Limited, Anixter Singapore Pte. Ltd., Anixter Slovakia s.r.o., Anixter Sub Holdings B.V, Anixter Sverige AB, Anixter Thailand Inc., Anixter U.S. LLC, Anixter Venezuela Inc., Anixter de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Anixter do Brasil Ltda, Atlanta Electrical Distributors, Atlanta Electrical Distributors LLC, Atlas Gentech (NZ) Limited, Avon Electrical Supplies, B.E.L. Corporation, Brews Supply, Brown Wholesale Electric, Bruckner Supply, CBC LP Holdings LLC, CDW Holdco LLC, Calvert Wire & Cable Corporation, Carlton-Bates Company, Carlton-Bates Company (CBC), Carlton-Bates Company de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Carlton-Bates Company of Texas GP Inc, Central Security Distribution Pty. Ltd, Communication Cables LLC, Communications Supply Corporation, Conney Investment Holdings LLC, Conney Safety Products, Conney Safety Products LLC, Distribuidora Materiales Electricos E-Supply Limitada, EECOL Electric, EECOL Electric Bolivia Ltda, EECOL Electric Corp., EECOL Electric Peru S.A.C, EECOL Industrial Electric (SudAmerica) Limitada, EECOL Industrial Electric Ecuador Limitada, EECOL Industrial Electric Limitada, EECOL Power S.A., EECOL Properties Corp, Eurinvest B.V., Eurinvest Cooperatief U.A., Fastec Industrial, HMH Pension Trustees Limited, Hazmasters, Hazmasters Inc., Herning Underground Supply, Hi-Line Utility Supply, Hi-Line Utility Supply Company LLC, Hill Country Electric Supply, Hill Country Electric Supply L.P., ICV GP Inc., Infast Group Limited, Inner Range Pty. Ltd, Itel Container Ventures Inc., Itel Corporation, Itel Rail Holdings Corporation, J-Mark Inc., LaPrairie, Liberty Wire & Cable Inc., Monti Electric Supply, Needham Electric Supply, Needham Electric Supply LLC, Obras Y Servicios Sunpark S.A.C., PT Anixter Indonesia, Potelcom Supply, Pro Canadian Holdings I ULC, RECO LLC, RS Electronics, Reily Electrical Supply, SASK Alta Holdings S.A., Services Voice Video and Data Distribution de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios Anixter S.A. de C.V., Signal Capital Corporation, Signal Capital Projects Inc., Stone Eagle Electrical Supply GP Inc., Stone Eagle Electrical Supply Limited Partnership, TVC Communications, TVC Communications L.L.C., TVC Espana Distribucion y Venta De Equipos S.L., TVC International Holding L.L.C., TVC UK Holdings Limited, Tri-Ed Puerto Rico Ltd. Inc., Trydor Industries, Voice Video and Data Distribution de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., WDC Holding Inc., WDCH LP, WDCH US LP, WDI USVI LLC, WDI-Angola LDA, WDINESCO B.V., WDINESCO II B.V., WDINESCO III B.V., WEAS Company S. de R.L., WESCO (Suzhou) Trading Co. Ltd., WESCO Australia Pty Ltd, WESCO Canada GP Inc., WESCO Canada I LP, WESCO DC Holding I LP, WESCO DC Holding II LP, WESCO DC Holding III LP, WESCO DC Holding IV LP, WESCO Distribution Canada Co., WESCO Distribution Canada LP, WESCO Distribution HK Limited, WESCO Distribution II ULC, WESCO Distribution III ULC, WESCO Distribution IV Inc., WESCO Distribution Inc., WESCO Distribution Ireland Limited, WESCO Distribution NL B.V., WESCO Distribution Pte. Ltd., WESCO Distribution de Mexico S. de R.L., WESCO Distribution-International Limited, WESCO Enterprises Inc., WESCO Equity Corporation, WESCO Holdings LLC, WESCO Integrated Supply Inc., WESCO Integrated Supply Polska Spolka z o.o., WESCO Netherlands B.V., WESCO Nevada Ltd., WESCO Nigeria Inc., WESCO Procurement Canada ULC, WESCO Real Estate I LLC, WESCO Real Estate II LLC, WESCO Real Estate III LLC, WESCO Real Estate IV LLC, WESCO Receivables Corp., WESCO Services LLC, WESCO TLD Holdings Co. Ltd., WND Nigeria Limited, WireXpress Ltd., Xpress Connect Supply Hong Kong Limited, XpressConnect Holdings B.V., XpressConnect International B.V., XpressConnect Supply B.V.B.A., XpressConnect Supply Colombia S.A.S., XpressConnect Supply Inc., XpressConnect Supply Mexico S.A. de C.V., and XpressConnect Supply do Brasil Ltda.
UTICA, NY  Utica residents concerned about abandoned or zombie properties in their neighborhoods had the chance to voice those concerns at a community forum Tuesday at Utica City Hall.

Members of the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank and Rust 2 Green listened to concerns and offered solutions to residents, letting them know what they are doing to combat the problem.

Joe Marino, Treasurer of the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank, says not only are these properties an eyesore, but they can also have an effect on your property value.

They can also be dangerous.

Theyre fire hazards. Theyre public safety hazards. Weve heard of several places that have pools that have been uncovered. God forbid a child gets in the backyard of these homes. They can fall in and no one would ever know it.

A zombie property is a 1 to 4 family residence that is in the process of being foreclosed, but the owner has abandoned the property before the foreclosure can be finalized.

City officials estimate there are between 80 to 100 zombie properties in Utica.

If you would like to report a zombie property you can do so here.
NEW YORK (AP) - Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wasted no time linking Republican challenger Marc Molinaro to the policies of President Donald Trump in the only debate between the gubernatorial candidates before next month's general election.

Cuomo, seeking a third term, on Tuesday repeatedly connected Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, to Trump, calling them both "extreme" and saying their policies are "reprehensible."

Molinaro reiterated his criticism of Cuomo for his handling of the state's economy, saying he let state spending increase. He also criticized his administration for corruption.

On the issue of the cost of living in New York State, Cuomo placed blamed on soaring property taxes and credited as a fix his implementation of a 2% property tax cap. Molinaro pointed blame at Cuomo, saying New York State forces too much state spending on to local taxpayers.

The two also talked about soaring healthcare costs and the Affordable Care Act.

The state of New York has a hard enough time getting the trains to run effectively in the city, Marc Molinaro said. To put the governor of the state government in charge of healthcare would be frightening.

Cuomo attempted to align Molinaro with President Trump.

Hes with Mr. Trump. There should only be healthcare for rich people, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said of President Trump. He [Molinaro] voted against the healthcare exchange when he was in the New York State Legislature, which insures 4 million New Yorkers.

Tuesday's debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City was to be broadcast at 7 p.m. on CBS affiliates around the state, including CBS-Utica.

It didn't include the three third-party candidates: Libertarian Larry Sharpe, Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins and independent ex-Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.
ROME  Development is officially underway following a groundbreaking for a new facility in the Griffiss Business and Technology Park on Wednesday.

The new corporate headquarters for NYSTEC will be built at Griffiss, and the company will also lease approximately 16,000-square-feet in the new facility as a means of fostering economic development.

According to the companys website, NYSTEC is a not-for-profit technology consulting company, advising organizations, agencies, institutions, and businesses since 1996.

NYSTEC started in Rome and it continues to grow locally.

Twenty-two years ago when there was the base closure here, NYSTEC was created by the state as a not-for-profit entity to serve governments in these high-technology projects, said Mike Walsh, president of NYSTEC. So we were born in Rome, we grew up in Rome, and now we have the opportunity to build our own headquarters, twenty-two years later, right here on the base, which is really the essence of how we started.
A man pleaded guilty to attempted making a terroristic threat in Oneida County Court on Wednesday.

Claude White is accused of sending local state Supreme Court Justice Norm Siegel a letter in 2017 that said when he got out of prison, White was going to shoot up a kindergarten class and then kill himself.

In exchange for his guilty plea, White was sentenced to three years in state prison.

White was being held in the Central New York Psychiatric Center in Marcy.
ROME  John E. Joy Elementary School in Rome was under a shelter-in-place Wednesday morning after a bullet was reportedly found in the school, according to the Oneida County Sheriffs Office.

Sheriff Rob Maciol says deputies responded to the elementary school Wednesday for the shelter-in-place after the bullet was reportedly found.

Maciol says the Sheriffs Office, school staff, and a school resource officer from the Rome Police Department are investigating the matter, and theyve determined the students arent in any danger.

The elementary school has since returned to normal operations, and an SRO from the Rome Police Department will be at the school for the rest of the day.
More than 150,000 workers protested yesterday in Melbourne, Victorias state capital, in opposition to the corporate-government offensive against jobs, wages and working conditions. Over 10,000 took part in a Sydney rally. A smaller event was held in Perth and protests will take place in other capital cities over the coming weeks.

The attendance at the Melbourne demonstration, which was one of the largest in the past ten years, expressed a growing desire by workers to fight back, after a decades-long suppression of the class struggle by the trade unions. There is immense anger over stagnant and declining wages, the soaring cost of living, and the gutting of jobs and conditions across every sector of industry, along with deep-going hostility to the official parliamentary parties.

However, the aim of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), which called the protests, is to channel these sentiments behind the election of yet another federal Labor government, committed to the dictates of the corporate elite of sweeping attacks on the working class.

A section of the Sydney protest

The rallies were part of the ACTUs Change the Rules campaign. None of the union speakers at the protests mentioned that the rules they claim to be opposingdraconian Fair Work Australia industrial legislationwere introduced by the last federal Labor government, with the full support of the ACTU and its affiliates.

Since then, Labor and the unions have invoked these repressive laws to prevent any political or industrial struggle by workers and to enforce the demands of big business.

At the Melbourne rally, thousands of construction workers, port employees and public servants gathered en masse before marching through the citys central business district.

Contingents of workers came from Melbournes working class outer suburbs and from regional centres. Employees at Endeavour Ceilings in Dandenong, an outer suburb 35 kilometres from the city centre, came as a group. There were also two busloads of highly exploited migrant workers from Robinvale, near the state border with New South Wales, who work on grape farms under onerous conditions enforced by labour contractors.

The real purpose of the unions campaign was on show as Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews lined up at the front of the march with ACTU secretary Sally McManus and Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari. The union officials did everything they could to promote Andrews and the Labor government, declaring that the premier had earned the right to march with us.

Daniel Andrews, Luke Hilakari and Sally McManus

Troy Grey, state secretary of the Electrical Trades Union, said that if Andrews won the November Victorian election, his government would resolve social inequality and abolish trickle down economics. Every state needs a premier like Daniel Andrews, Grey declared.

Karen Batt, Victorian secretary of the Public Services Union, touted Labors close collaboration with the unions, hailing as a record the 58 enterprise agreements struck between the Victorian government and unions officials over the past four years, all of which have maintained stagnant wages, and understaffing across the public sector. Batt declared: Return the Labor government, then turn our eyes to Canberra!

The open promotion of Andrews underscores the anti-working class character of the entire Change the Rules campaign.

The Victorian Labor government has starved hospitals and schools of funds, while providing the major corporations with significant tax breaks. It has used Fair Work legislation to ban strikes by power workers in the Latrobe Valley and other sections of workers (see: Australia: Victorian Labor government makes election pitch to big business)

Well aware of the widespread hostility to this record in the working class, unions officials did not ask Andrews to speak. ACTU secretary McManus did not mention the premier in her speech to the rally. She told a delegates meeting last month, however, that Andrews was the best boss ever.

The backing for the Victorian Labor government demonstrates that the unions would also collaborate with a federal Labor government, as it attacked living standards and democratic rights at home and supported US-led wars abroad.

Workers at the Melbourne rally

The speakers in Sydney made this plain, declaring that their aim was to oust the federal Liberal-National government of Scott Morrison and install Labor.

The line was most crudely summed up by Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union state secretary Darren Greenfield, who declared: Were here to change the government and change these laws that these bastards have brought in against us all over the last six or eight years. Were ready to get rid of these bastards. Theyre on their knees, theyre a rabble of a government and were ready to see them out.

Greenfields vague and inaccurate reference to the laws of the last six or eight years was not accidental. It was part of a broader attempt to cover-up the fact that the legislation being used to illegalise strikes and slash workers conditions was introduced in 2009 by Labor.

ACTU president Michele O'Neill reviewed the growth of casualisation, record low wage growth, mounting poverty and unprecedented social inequality, all of which she declared was a result of the Liberal-National government.

In reality, everything that ONeill referred to is a product of the decades-long collaboration of the unions with governments and the employers against the workers they falsely claim to represent.

The ACTU spearheaded the Accords with big business and the Hawke federal Labor government in the 1980s, clearing the way for the deregulation of the economy and the gutting of hundreds of thousands of jobs. It oversaw the introduction of enterprise bargaining, which the unions have used to impose one regressive agreement after another over the past two decades.

ONeill was clearly fearful of widespread hostility to Labor among workers. We are going to change the rules and we are going to change this government, she stated, before adding, Its not just about electing a Labor government, its about winning a change in fairness.

This disclaimer was so much hot air. The entire record of the unions demonstrates that they will do everything they can to enforce the pro-business agenda of a federal Labor government.

Other speakers also sought to demagogically appeal to increasingly oppositional and anti-capitalist sentiment. Maritime Union of Australia state secretary Warren Smith denounced capitalists who were bathing in rivers of gold. Were here to take them rivers of gold back for working people, Smith exclaimed.

The MUA has enforced the destruction of thousands of jobs in the maritime industry over the past two decades, and has backed every speedup and automation measure to ensure the profitability of the giant stevedoring companies.

At each of the protests, Labor, Greens and pseudo-left contingents mobilised to support their allies in the union bureaucracy. The pseudo-left organisations, including Socialist Alternative and Solidarity, called for workers to sign petitions demanding that Labor pledge it will change the rules. In other words, they were promoting the fraudulent claim that one of the main parties of big business could be pressured to advance the interests of the working class.

Socialist Equality Party campaigners were alone in exposing the bogus character of the ACTU campaign. They spoke to workers about the need for a break with Labor and the unions, for the creation of new organisations of struggle, including independent factory committees, and for a socialist perspective, aimed at establishing a workers government.

The authors also recommend:

The political issues posed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions Change the Rules campaign

[22 October 2018]
Less than ten days before Brazils presidential run-off, Jair Bolsonaro, a fascistic former army captain, continues to widen his lead against Workers Party (PT) candidate Fernando Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo, with the latest polls giving him 50 percent of the vote compared to 35 percent for his opponent.

Over the weekend, rallies called to oppose Bolsonaro were sparsely attended, with only a few thousand demonstrating in Sao Paulotheir numbers dwarfed by a far larger Bolsonaro rallyand only hundreds in other Brazilian cities. The turnout made it clear that the PT has neither the desire nor the ability to mobilize working class opposition to the far-right candidate. Instead of appealing to the workers, it is concentrating its efforts on winning the support of the Brazilian bourgeoisie and state, as well as that of international finance capital.

This orientation has come into clear focus with the reaction to a report in Folha de S. Paulo, Brazils most widely circulated newspaper, on the possible use of mass messaging on Whatsapp, a practice forbidden by Brazilian electoral law, by the Bolsonaro campaign.

On Thursday, October 18, Folha de S. Paulo reported that a network of companies whose owners support the fascistic candidate had hired mass Whatsapp messaging services using third-party personal databases, a practice which would violate Brazilian electoral law on three counts.

The first count would be the use of undeclared funds, since Bolsonaros campaign did not acknowledge the practice to the Electoral Court. The second would be receiving company donations, which is forbiddenparties have at their disposal an electoral fund appropriated by Congress and roughly split according to number of members and representation. Finally, electoral laws allow mass messaging only to social media users who explicitly relay their data to the candidates campaign, forbidding the use of commercial databases.

The Folha report did not disclose any evidence to support the allegations, but both the Electoral Court and the Attorney Generals office opened investigations into the claims, having considered them plausible. Whatsapp has taken sweeping action against Bolsonaro supporters and at least four marketing companies mentioned as those hired for the mass messaging operation, blocking the companies accounts and those of hundreds of thousands of others, according to a press release.

The most sweeping and right-wing stance, however, was taken not by the Brazilian State or any communications monopoly, but by Brazils leading pseudo-left organization and Workers Party (PT) apologist, the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), which includes both Morenoite and Pabloite factions. It took less than 24 hours for PSOLs legal team to ask the Electoral Court to order nothing less than the suspension of Whatsapp services throughout Brazil until election day, October 28.

While the appeal was denied by Electoral Court Justice Edson Fachin, PSOLs proposed injunction has undeniably exposed the whole pseudo-left anti-fascist front as a treacherous operation aimed at disarming workers and blocking any genuine attempt at resistance to, let alone counter-offensive against, the far-right threat embodied by Bolsonaro.

PSOLs injunction reveals with utmost clarity that the anti-fascist front, of which the party casts itself as a standard bearer, has no intention whatsoever of mobilizing the working class, nor even its narrow middle class base, against Bolsonaro.

Instead it demands state repression of the main medium for mass organization in Brazil in recent years, which played a major role in the 2015-2016 wave of school occupations sweeping thousands of facilities countrywide, and more recently in last Mays 300,000-strong truckers strike, which was vilified by elements of the pseudo-left as a defense of male privilege by the super-exploited truckers.

As the PT has done since the impeachment President Dilma Rousseff in 2016, the anti-fascist front is appealing to the bourgeoisie, using as leverage the views expressed by sections of the imperialist powers speaking though the New York Times, Le Monde, the Guardian and the Economist. It is demanding that the ruling establishment come to its senses and choose the tried and trusted PT candidate, the neoliberal former Sao Paulo mayor, Haddad. Its opposition to Bolsonaro is to be articulated only though bourgeois press editorials and columnists.

PSOLs appeal for state repression is only the latest move in a rush to the right by the PT and its pseudo-left satellites, which have been ever more embittered since the PT was ousted in 2016 in the face of working class hostility and indifference toward the party after 13 years of its rule.

The day before Folhas report, the head of Brazils main fact-checking agency, Lupa, penned a right-wing New York Times opinion piece publicly asking Whatsapp to reduce message forwarding from 20 to only five chats or conversations, and limiting the size of groups and message recipients, all in name of fighting fake news. Whatsapp had already restricted message forwarding in Brazil in August, in reaction to the truckers strike, which had 87 percent support among the population, even in face of widespread shortages of basic goods, from milk to fuel.

At one point, the column, titled Fake News Is Poisoning Brazilian Politics. WhatsApp Can Stop It, bemoans the fact that message encryption in the app makes it difficult to monitor political interactions. It adds that the app creates the potential for a small coordinated group being easily able to orchestrate a great campaign of misinformationjust what the Brazilian intelligence agency said about the motivation for the truckers strike.

The appeal for the state to intervene to suppress social media has gone hand-in-hand with the increasingly right-wing turn by the PT in the runoff campaign, as it seeks to garner support from the Brazilian and international bourgeoisie. Since the first round, after ditching the color red, for decades the PTs trademark, and adopting the same green and yellow national colors used by Bolsonaro, Haddad has repeatedly pitched appeals to Catholic voters, aligning himself with the Catholic Church hierarchy by indicting Bolsonaro for offending the Church, calling it Communist.

In Latin America, where the church hierarchy, including the Dirty War Pope Francis from Argentina, turned liberation theology priests, who were denounced as communists, over to the state and far-right terrorism in order to appease military juntas, such a defense of the Catholic church is wholly reactionary.

Even more right-wing have been the PTs recent attempts to red-bait Bolsonaro himself on Venezuela, with PTs campaign coordinator Jaques Wagner warning that we will turn into Venezuela if the PT loses. The attempt to equate Venezuela with socialism has been a hallmark of Bolsonaros campaign, with his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a congress member for Sao Paulo, delivering a fascistic rant to thousands of far-right supporters on Sunday declaring that Brazils next peace mission under Bolsonaros rule will be to free Venezuela from socialism.

The PT and its apologists have nothing to offer the Brazilian working class. Business circles are certainly conspiring not only to bring Bolsonaro to power but also to build a mass base for a fascist movement in Brazil. Illegal electoral practices may be an element of this campaign, which is chiefly enabled by the betrayals of the PT. The party has itself regarded Bolsonaro as the lesser evil for years, with PT propagandist Breno Altman writing as late as September 23 that facing Bolsonaro in the second round would be ideal, as the far-right would be scientifically easier to defeat.

The PTs focus on fake news as the reason for its massive rejection in virtually every working-class center that gave the party support for decades is a measure of the partys desperation and alienation from the masses of Brazilian working people. The vote, which included record levels of abstention, represented a referendum on 13 years of PT rule, which culminated in the concerted effort of the Rousseff government to place the full burden of the worst economic crisis in the countrys history on the backs of the working class.

The PT and its pseudo-left apologists are driven to promote state censorship, opening the way to Bolsonaros own authoritarian moves, because they have nothing to offer to the Brazilian working class.

The former battlefields of the most bitter union struggles in the country have given Bolsonaro some of his widest leads. At the same time, the pseudo-left is ever more clearly denying workers grievances, with PSOLs website recently posting another article slandering workers as reactionaries, called Its not the economy, stupida right-wing inversion of the famous aphorism of Bill Clintons campaign strategist in 1992.

The PT has pitched its appeal as well to the military, with Haddad scheduling one of his first meetings following the first-round election with the Gen. Eduardo Villas Boas, the chief of the military command. Party officials, like former foreign minister Celso Amorim, have repeatedly told the media that Bolsonaro does not represent the military.

This appeal for military support against the far-right candidate has ominous implications in a country that suffered two decades of military dictatorship following the 1964 US-backed coup. Given their support for imperialist wars for regime change in the Middle East and their Egyptian political co-thinkers backing for the Al-Sisis coup in 2013, the lining up of the Morenoite and Pabloite backers of the anti-fascist front with a section of the military is by no means excluded.

Brazilian workers must reject this treacherous front with contempt and draw the lessons of four decades of PT betrayals.
Last Saturday, several thousand people took to the streets of Frankfurt against the housing shortage and exploding rents. The anti-rent-mania demonstration, in which an alliance of over 30 initiatives participated, drew around 8,000 people.

The demonstration banner reads "City for all"

Many wore banners and hand-painted signs with inscriptions such as Stop building luxury properties, Houses to those who need them, Apartments instead of basements and No profit from rent. Other statements turned against the legal course in politics, such as Nationalism is deadly and No to the AfD, or ironically generalized the capitalist situation Rich parents for all! and called for essentially socialist measures #expropriate.

The housing shortage is a growing problem nationwide. The right-wing housing policy of the federal and state governments has entailed privatization and luxury refurbishment on the one hand; with housing shortages, forced evictions and homelessness on the other. As the number of publicly subsidized social housing consistently sinks, about 1 million people are homeless in Germany today.

In the banking metropolis of Frankfurt, real estate sharks are preparing for the influx of wealthy bankers following Brexit. Whole districts are converted into chic apartment blocks and luxury properties, while old tenants are evicted from the former workers quarters in Gallus, Bockenheim and Rodelheim.

According to a study by the Regional Association Frankfurt/Rhine-Main, the Frankfurt metropolitan area will be short 200,000 affordable apartments within the next 12 years. In the surrounding cities of Offenbach, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt and Mainz rents are also exploding with a similar shortage of affordable housing. Many of the demonstrators came from these cities.

Signs read: Apartments instead of basements and So many people, so few apartments!

In the week before Hesses regional election, the leading candidate of the Social Democrats (SPD) tried to profit from the demonstration. However, when Thorsten Schafer-Gumbel, the SPD faction leader in the Hesse State Parliament, tried to present himself as the voice of the people, he was booed and heckled.

Although the SPD has held the opposition in Hesse for 20 years, the party is hated among workers and young people. In recent polls, the SPD have garnered only 20 percent of the vote, which is over 10 percent less than in the last regional elections five years ago. The Social Democrats are identified not only with Germanys brutal Hartz IV labor reforms, but also with the right-wing policies of the Grand Coalition (Christian Democratic Union/CDU, Christian Social Union/CSU and Social Democratic Party/SPD). Their name represents the implementation of inhuman refugee policies, state rearmament and militarism.

The complete collapse of the Grand Coalition partiesthe CDU incumbent Prime Minister Volker Bouffier stands at 26 percent in the polls, which is 12 points less than their 2013 resultcurrently benefits the Greens. However, the Greens are no alternative to right-wing and anti-social policies. In Hesse, they have been governing together with the CDU for the last five years, with Tarik Al-Wazir as the minister of economic affairs and deputy prime minister. The Greens have supported deportations, police armaments, and deregulation. They have also driven the conversion of Frankfurts social housing into luxury properties. Their presence was almost nonexistent at the demonstration.

In contrast, prominent representatives of the Left Party (Die Linke) were at the demonstration, as was their top candidate Janine Wissler. Wissler, a leading member of the pseudo-left Marx21 tendency, however, abandoned her own speech in light of Schafer-Gumbels fiasco.

The Left Party in Hesse is seeking a joint government with the SPD and Greensthe two parties that have propped-up the right-wing government. As Wissler repeatedly emphasized, a coalition between the three parties on the left will not fail. Such a coalition currently holds power in Berlins State Parliament and its policies are just as right-wing and anti-working-class as those of other state governments.

If the Left Party held power in Hesse, they would pursue the same policy as all other parties in the German Federal Parliament. In Hesse, Wissler tolerated the SPD-Green coalition under Andrea Ypsilanti (SPD) 10 years ago, and a few weeks ago she appeared in the campaign for the Ryanair strike side by side with SPD candidate Schafer-Gumbel.

On the housing question, the Left Party, wherever it holds governmental responsibility, organizes brutal attacks. As part of the SPD-Left Party coalition in Berlin (2002-2011), Die Linke actively helped to privatize, smash and sell out the same non-commercial housing that they now demand in Hesse. The result can be seen in todays rapidly rising rent crisis in Berlin.
The ever-growing crisis of housing and homelessness in New York City is forcefully emphasized by newly released data which documents that during the last school year more than one in ten public school students, approximately 150,000 out of 1.1 million, were without permanent housing. This is the highest number ever recorded, and the third year in a row that the total has exceeded 100,000.

The surge in student homelessness comes at a time when the citys overall homeless population is also at record levels, exposing the utter fraud of progressive mayor Democrat Bill de Blasios pledges to address the critical lack of affordable housing.

The report, prepared by Advocates for Children of New York based on data collected by the State of New York, shows the dramatic growth of youth homelessness since the start of the economic crisis a decade ago. The number of homeless students was just short of 51,000 during the 2007-08 school year, demonstrating a nearly three-fold increase over the last decade.

Homeless students include both those living in city shelters, approximately 38,000 in 2017, and those temporarily living doubled up with relatives or friends. According to the city, so far this year the number of families with children living in shelters is over 40,000. Another 5,600 were staying in cars, parks, campgrounds, trailers or abandoned buildings.

The situation has continued to worsen during de Blasios five years in office. Between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years, the homeless student population grew by nearly 3,100, a 3 percent increase in a single year.

The problem is especially severe in 144 of the citys 1,800 public schools, where a third of the students are homeless. The homeless student population is concentrated in the citys poorer neighborhoods: most especially the Bronx (nearly 40,000), but also northern Manhattan, and sections of Brooklyn and Queens.

The impact of homelessness on these young people is demonstrable.

Students living in shelters tend to have a significant number of absences, averaging 30 days in 2017-18. Due to the distance between shelters and schools, some students have substantial commutes, adding to stress and loss of time. The citys band aid solution is to move some families to shelters closer to their childrens schools. So far, only 200 have been relocated.

Statistics indicate that homelessness has a severe impact on academic performance. Only 12 percent of students living in shelters passed the state math exam, and only 15 percent passed the English exam in 2015-16. They are also less likely to graduate high school on time.

Support services for homeless students are meager. There is one social worker for every 1,660 students. More than 100 schools with at least 50 homeless students have no dedicated social worker focused on their needs. The precariousness of even these services is reflected in that funding for all such services is not secure, but subject to the vagaries of the citys annual budget process.

The negative effects of homelessness on young people will have consequences throughout their lives.

In one of the richest cities in the world, the fact that 150,000 children have no permanent home represents a criminal indictment of the capitalist system. The token and ineffective efforts by the de Blasio administration to address the problem only highlight the immense and growing level of economic inequality that exists in New York and the fact that the citys ultra-wealthy financial and corporate elite are totally indifferent to its working population. Only a workers government implementing a socialist program will be able to address the twin problems of poverty and homelessness.
FLORENCE, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi mother and daughter have been arrested on charges that they tried to hire someone to kill the daughter's husband.

Rankin County sheriff's deputies arrested 48-year-old Tanja Peavy, and her daughter, 25-year-old Lauren Peavy, at their home in Florence on Monday.

News outlets report the women are charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They're jailed pending an initial appearance before a judge. It's unclear whether either has a lawyer to speak for her.

Rankin County deputies say they were contacted by Walthall County Sheriff's Chief Detective Jerry Martin last week. Martin told them the Peavys tried to hire a hit man to kill Marty Douglas McCalister, Lauren Peavy's husband.

Officials say the women offered an undercover Rankin County deputy $500 to kill McAlister.
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New Carrier Study Leads French Navy Modernization But Leaves Many Questions Open



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UPDATED: CNN President Jeff Zucker chided President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for their attacks on the media, after the cable news network was the target of an anonymous package containing an explosive device on Wednesday morning.

There is a total and complete lack of understand at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media, Zucker said. The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that.

The suspicious package found inside CNNs mailroom in New York forced the evacuation of its headquarters on Wednesday, coming just hours after the Secret Service reported finding packages containing pipe bombs sent to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Reporters for CNN said there were no injuries and the move was precautionary.

Throughout the morning there were also reports of devices sent to other top Democrats. The FBI said other packages were discovered that were intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder, that were sent to a building where Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) has an office. A suspicious package, which appeared to be an explosive device, was found earlier this week outside the home of major Democratic donor George Soros earlier this week.

The packages were similar in appearance, having been mailed in manila envelopes with bubble wrap interior, and they all listed Wasserman Schultz and her office as a return address. Holders package was discovered there after it was rerouted in the mail.

Capitol Police also said that they alerted the FBI to a package discovered at an offsite mail processing facility, which was evacuated as a precaution. Several networks reported that the intended recipient was Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).

Story continues

The package at the CNN headquarters appeared to be a live explosive and contained wires and pipe, James ONeill, the NYPD commissioner, said at a press conference outside the Time Warner Center. The package contained an envelope containing white powder, he said.

The package was removed from the building by authorities and was being taken to a screening facility. It was mistakenly addressed to John Brennan, the former CIA director, who is a contributor to MSNBC, not CNN.

After its offices were evacuated, CNN stayed on air, with Rene Marsh taking over anchor duties from Washington before handing it off to Wolf Blitzer. The New York anchors who were on the air at the time, Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto, evacuated as well, and then reported from a nearby street corner.

JUST IN: The NYPD is responding to a suspicious device discovered at the Time Warner Center, where CNN is based, in New York, according to a law enforcement source. The CNN bureau has evacuated as a precaution. https://t.co/BmgkJ2qaIE pic.twitter.com/Ad8PoQ5kkf  CNN (@CNN) October 24, 2018

CNN isnt the only media company with offices in the building. WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros. and HBO, has employees at Time Warner Center, as does Turner Networks. Zucker wrote in a memo to staff, I can confirm that we have checked all of our bureaus worldwide, and have found no other devices have been found.

We are working with authorities to determine the severity of the situation, Zucker said. The NYPD is on scene, and we [are] working closely with them to take every precaution. We are also checking all bureaus around the world, out of a complete abundance of caution. He said they were putting up magnetometers at the entrance to the CNN building in Atlanta, and that CBS News reached out and offered assistance.

At the press conference, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said authorities were stepping up police presence at media locations in New York. But he also decried what he described as an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press.

We cannot let the acts of a few change who we are, De Blasio said.

The news of the packages triggered a number of false reports of suspicious devices.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at the press conference that a device was also sent to his Manhattan office, but an NYPD spokesperson later confirmed that it was not a bomb.

The San Diego Union-Tribune was also briefly evacuated on Wednesday morning after a stack of suspicious packages was spotted in the building, the paper reported. The newspaper shares a building with the offices of Sen. Kamala Harris and other businesses. The San Diego Police Department said on Twitter that 6th Avenue was closed between A and B streets. Police later examined the packages and determined that they were everyday items.

Reports emerged on Wednesday that the Los Angeles Times had been evacuated over suspicious envelopes sent to the publication. However, according to the newspaper, the building had not been evacuated. Police were called to the LA Times at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday over a package addressed to knots berry farm sweets with the return address of LA Times. It was not addressed to the Times, and police found no threat of a bomb.

The FBI said it is possible that additional packages were mailed to other locations. They advised the public to remain vigilant and not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown packages. They also asked that any information about the packages to be sent to its tip line.

Statement on the FBIs Investigation of Suspicious Packages https://t.co/wwXDpyNt3A pic.twitter.com/rXu1wBAQHj  FBI (@FBI) October 24, 2018

At the start of a speech on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton thanked the Secret Service and said, Its a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.

We are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home. Every day we are grateful for their service and commitment and obviously never more than today.

Neither Obama nor Clinton received the packages or were at risk of receiving them, the Secret Service said. They were discovered during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the agency said in a statement.

We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures, Sanders said in a statement. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter, We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.

Trump tweeted about Pences comment, saying, I agree wholeheartedly.

Trump is scheduled to headline a rally on Wednesday in Wisconsin.

Attention very quickly focused on whether political polarization, exacerbated during the midterms, contributed to a deteriorating political discourse.

This is a political year, a political season. We are weeks from an election, said Cuomo, who criticized overheated rhetoric and extremism that pushed people the violence.

For elected leaders who in many ways set the tone, it is especially important, he said.

Brian Steinberg and Rebecca Rubin contributed to this report.

Related stories

CNN Returns to New York Offices After Bomb Scare

Fox News: 'Our Thoughts Are With CNN'

Trump Calls Mailing of Suspicious Packages 'Abhorrent'

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From ELLE

Last night, on one of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's only evenings off since their royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand began on October 16, the two reportedly spent some time together in paradise. Hello! reports that the royal couple were said to have left Suva, Fiji, where they had done events, and travelled to a private Fijian island resort for the evening.

According to Hello!, they flew out of Suva in the afternoon following their engagements there. Where they went was not reported (for obvious security reasons, presumably), but Hello! speculates that they either went to Laucala Island, an exclusive resort with only 25 villas, or Vatuvara Private Islands resort. Vatuvara Private Islands, in particular, would offer the two a large degree of privacy, as it's only accessible through the resort's private aircraft.

Both resorts look gorgeous and would offer the two a much-deserved break:

Meghan and Harry will be back doing a full day of events on Thursday morning, Fijian time (which begins in a couple hours). They will start their day flying over to Nadi in western Fiji and will attend a special event at Nadi Airport. From there, they'll take a chartered flight to Tonga, where they'll meet Princess Angelika Latufuipeka at the airport. In the evening they'll meet King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipauu, then attend an official reception and dinner.

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Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio Estefan are not holding back when it comes to discussing their sex life. The couple joined their daughter Emily Estefan and their niece Lili Estefan for a candid conversation about love and marriage on "Red Table Talk: The Estefans," which included a discussion of how they stay passionate after decades of marriage. The couple, who worked together before getting married in 1978, shared how they keep the spark alive.
A United Express airplane on its way to Chattanooga, Tenn., on Oct. 16 made a U-turn in midair and returned to its origin, OHare International Airport in Chicago, a representative for Skywest Airlines (United Airlines partner company) confirmed to Yahoo Lifestyle.

The aircraft had been en route for about an hour when the about-face was ordered, said Marissa Snow, the Skywest spokeswoman. Initially, the 50-person plane the passengers were supposed to board was unavailable, so they were upgraded to a larger ERJ-175 aircraft. The flight departed at 2:45 p.m. local time, just a few minutes behind schedule, according to USA Today, and was proceeding without any issues when the crew made an announcement from the pilot that the plane would be turning around.

A United Airlines plane (Getty Images)

A passenger, Vince Fallon, told USA Today that passengers on the airplane began to grumble upon hearing the news. The pilot, nor the flight attendants, did not have any information for us and just kept saying they would figure it out when we land, another passenger, Jill Lohsen, was quoted as saying.

But when the airplane did return to OHare, the passengers finally received a text alert that read, Your 2:13 p.m. United flight to Chattanooga is delayed because of unforeseen circumstances. This is an unusual situation and were working hard to solve it. We value your time and were sorry for the inconvenience.

The unforeseen circumstances? The jet was too big to land safely in Chattanooga. We didnt have the ground equipment there to handle that aircraft, Snow told Yahoo Lifestyle, also sharing the following statement:

On October 16, SkyWest flight 5277 operating as United Express from Chicago to Chattanooga, Tennessee returned to Chicago to change aircraft. The flight landed safely in Chicago, departed for Chattanooga on a different aircraft and landed safely in Chattanooga. We apologized to our passengers for the inconvenience and worked with our partner, United, to provide compensation.

Story continues

When the flight landed safely in Chicago at 4:27 p.m., passengers were provided with Cheez-Its, pretzels, and water, then assigned a new flight on a 50-seat Bombardier CRJ 200 that was scheduled to leave within the hour. Each passenger was also given a $300 flight voucher for a future trip. Their do-over flight wound up landing in Chattanooga at 8:30 p.m., three hours later than originally scheduled.

Though midflight turnarounds are very uncommon for airplanes, they do happen. In addition to the aircraft being too big for the runway, other weird reasons range from birds hitting the windshield to passengers getting sick, according to Travel + Leisure.

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Jim Dabakis, a talk-show host turned lawmaker in Utah, knows how to tell a good story. So when the Democratic state senator learned that his colleagues plan to vote against Utahs Medical Cannabis Act next month, he staged an unforgettable cannabis-edibles tasting session  featuring himself  on Facebook live.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 200,000 times, Dabakis identifies himself as a marijuana virgin who has been inspired to try the drug after coming to the conclusion that likely nobody in the states legislature had tried it before. I decided to come to Las Vegas and see what this is about, he says. Standing in front of a dispensary called NuLeaf, Dabakis reveals that he paid $30 for marijuana gummies and that he is going to try them live on camera as great sacrifice.

After struggling to open the bag (its not easy, I dont think we have to worry about kids getting into it!), he opens the bag and says it smells like gummy bears. Dabakis then breaks off half, per instructions he was given. Here goes, Im going to try it, he says. Its tangerine, but Im not really tasting it, he says, then crinkles his nose. I wouldnt recommend it as sheer candy; its kind of bitter.

For a second after eating it, Dabakis pretends to be off-balance, but then  after catching a laugh  says hes taking a designated driver to a hotel to hang by the pool. He assures viewers that he used no taxpayer dollars to pull off the stunt and that hes doing it under supervision. Were looking at major changes in Utah laws, he says. At least one legislator ought to see what this is all about.

Comments poured into the video praising the state senators moves, a response that he tells Yahoo Lifestyle has been overwhelming and unexpected. You are my hero and a true hero to the people of Utah, wrote one user named Doug. This is why you are my favorite! added a user named Arlin. If you read the comments, it makes ones ego soar, Dabakis tells Yahoo Lifestyle about the response, chuckling. But it was not an act of nobility or courage; it was just out of curiosity.

Story continues

Dabakis ended his initial video saying that he would provide an update afterward about how he felt, and, true to his word, the state senator posted a new video 24 hours later revealing what he felt. I made it back to Salt Lake and Im healthy, I wouldnt suggest shooting up marijuana to anybody, but Ill tell you, I think its a lot of ho-hum. I think the reefer madness crowd, you guys need to try it, he says. I felt a little high, you know, a little bit OK, but it didnt change my life. It wasnt like AHHH.

In speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle, Dabakis revealed that his real motivation for pulling off the stunt was to dispel the hysteria that hes witnessed from other lawmakers who think the dangers of marijuana outweigh the benefits. Its heart-wrenching to go into the homes of children who are convulsing 10 times a minute and when they use cannabis or take some kind of cannabis derivative its down to one. It breaks your heart, he says. So what was I weighing in my mind was: Whats the other side? I get the good side, but maybe something dramatic will happen to me?

As he details in the video, nothing dramatic did happen. I was a little mellow, he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. But the establishment in the state is frantic that it will destroy Utah, and I think it will help a bunch of people instead. Dabakis notes that the vast majority of the Utah Senate is made up of Mormons, and that the Mormon church has been openly opposed to legalizing medical marijuana.

But that wont stop him.

In the follow-up video, Dabakis implores his fellow state senators to relax their views and then suggests that they all partake ahead of the Nov. 6 vote. Everybody, mellow out, recognize that this is nothing to be afraid of because the people who are terrified by it seem to the be the people who HAVE NEVER TRIED IT, he says. I would suggest that a final dispensation be given to everyone in the Utah legislature to go try gummy bears, maybe we can pass a special session  we can do it in the capitol with nurses  All Im saying is no big deal.'

When asked whether he really wants the entire Utah legislature to try marijuana, Dabakis responds with an emphatic: Im totally serious! Although hes yet to get a response from any state senators, hes still hopeful. I think it would be the single most illuminating thing we could talk about, he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Virtually all the anti-marijuana people have never ever tried cannabis, so its an awkward debate, he says. It would really be good for them to try it. I think theyd find out what I found: Its not a big deal, its fine. If its going to help a bunch of people, then all these other arguments fade away.

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Republican state Board of Equalization member Diane Harkey and Democratic environmental lawyer Mike Levin are running to replace incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who decided not to seek re-election, in Californias 49th Congressional District, which includes Rancho Santa Fe. Below are interviews with the candidates (in alphabetical order):

DIANE HARKEY

Diane Harkey said she initially had no intention of running for the House of Representatives 49th District seat, despite being urged to do so by the incumbent, Darrell Issa, after he decided against running for re-election.

I never wanted to run for Congress because I like California, said the Dana Point resident who is the state Board of Equalizations District 4 representative and the groups chairwoman. I love my home and I love my district, and I also didnt want to move to Washington, D.C.

She changed her mind about entering the campaign, however, based on her feeling that her leadership is needed as well as her success in getting elected. She was voted onto the tax board in 2014 after winning three terms to the state Assembly from 2008 to 2014.

The district she represents on the tax board encompasses the boundaries of the 49th, which stretches along the Southern California coastline from Torrey Pines to the south to Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano to the north.

I decided it was something I probably could do, Harkey said. I decided to give it my all because I think we need a real strong person in this district so California gets the representation it needs.

She also believes that the majority of voters in the region do not identify with the message of her opponent, Mike Levin, and other Democrats that the current administrations reign is a disaster.

People are tired of dysfunction and chaos, she said. They want to know something is getting done, and they dont like a lot of the negativity. They would like to vote for a candidate they like instead of voting against a candidate they dont like.

Life is really good in the 49th District. People are working and the economy is great. Im not so sure its an easy sell for them that everything is terrible and weve got to impeach and resist.

It would be hard to argue with Harkeys assessment of her chances based on the results of the June primary, when she was the leading vote getter among 16 candidates.

Skeptics, however, point out that Issas decision not to run motivated a flood of Democratic candidates to enter the primary in a district that had traditionally been a Republican stronghold. As a result, the Democratic turnout was split among that partys candidates.

Harkey won the primary with 25.5 percent of the vote and a lead of a little more than 8 percentage points over Levin, who finished second.

Since no candidate won the primary outright, Harkey and Levin were required to face each other in a runoff election to be decided Nov. 6.

Some polls agencies have shown Harkey trailing Levin in some cases by as many as double-digit percentage points, but she contends her campaigns own assessments of the numbers paint a different picture.

Considering Im being outspent (nearly) four to one by my opponent, I think its going marvelously, she said. Im still in the hunt, which is good. Weve done our own internal polling and its not grim. Im energized quite frankly.

Billing herself as a tax fighter, Harkey said she will strive in Washington to control and lower taxes, while promoting regulatory policies that promote economic growth, innovation and entrepreneurship.

A change in party leadership, she contends, will be disruptive to the regions economy, which is largely tied to its military presence.

The economy is booming, and all the impacts that a strong economy can have are benefitting residents and spurring innovation in this district, Harkey said.

She opposes creation of a single-payer health-insurance system and believes it would stifle investments in groundbreaking biomedical and life-science industries that are thriving in the region.

This district is the Petri dish of everything that is going to be new in medicine, she said. We dont want to crimp that by starting a single-payer program. ... Doctors are in fact adamant about not wanting a single-payer program.

She would also like to see a sensible immigration reform bill finally approved by Congress.

We need to stop the drug-running and cartel activity, said Harkey, who had a 30-year career in corporate financing and banking.

Harkey is realistic about the challenge her campaign faces in overcoming anger and animosity generated by many of the presidents seemingly tone-deaf statements, particularly about women and minorities.

I know the president is not well-liked here, but you have to take the good with the bad, she said. As long as the policies that are rolling out are good, I can handle that. I think if people can enjoy their lives and where they live, that makes a big difference.

MIKE LEVIN

Mike Levin had been involved in politics for years.

He had volunteered for campaigns and served as executive director of Orange Countys chapter of the Democratic Party.

It wasnt until President Donald Trumps election that Levin decided to run as a Democratic Party candidate for the 49th District House of Representatives seat.

After the womens (protest) march following Trumps inauguration, my wife Chrissy turned to me and said, Were all in, the 40-year-old San Juan Capistrano resident said. Soon thereafter, I announced my candidacy and put together the team.

That was before the districts incumbent Congressman Darrell Issa, R-Vista, the districts representative since 2001, decided against running for re-election.

In 2016, Issa experienced his tightest contest when he barely edged out Democrat Doug Applegate, serving notice that the district was no longer a Republican stronghold.

The 49th stretches along the Southern California coastline from Torrey Pines at its southernmost reach to Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano at its northern border.

Issas announcement set up a primary election in June in which 16 candidates participated. While the Republican candidate, Diane Harkey of Dana Point, collected the most votes, Levin came in second, setting up the Nov. 6 runoff.

The primary and 2016 election results have fueled optimism among Democrats that their party could claim victory in the upcoming contest. The 49th is one of many seats expected to be hotly contested in a midterm election in which stakes are high in the quest for control of the House and Senate.

To date, polls have been trending in Levins favor, though Harkey disputes the results.

Were encouraged, Levin said. Our message is getting out there and people are paying attention. Were quite pleased by the direction our campaign is heading. We have to continue to be very proactive in executing our strategy and leave no stone unturned between now and Election Day.

Levin has received strong support in both endorsements and financial contributions from Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and the partys political action committee.

In total his campaign had raised nearly $5 million, including the primary, and his committee reported having $1.5 million left to spend as of Oct. 15, the deadline for reporting third quarter expenditures.

The key here is that we have the resources we need to win and to finish strong, Levin said.

A major thrust in Levins campaign is his support for developing clean and sustainable energy practices. The plank is a natural tie-in to his career as an environmental attorney and his involvement in several companies promoting clean energy technologies.

That is so critical because there are those on the other side, whether its Trump or Republicans, who dont want to acknowledge that you can protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time. Here in California, weve shown that you can have growth while cleaning the air and water.

Levin contends it is critical to have more representatives in Congress fighting for the environment, given what he says is the lack of regard so many of Trumps federal appointees have shown for the issue.

This president now has an Environmental Protection Agency that doesnt believe in environmental protection, and is trying to bring back asbestos, mercury, lead paint, cancer-causing pesticides and radiation, Levin said. Somewhere along the way, environmental policy has become partisan politics and it didnt used to be that way.

Another goal of Levin is to strengthen the nations health care system while opposing the current administrations policy of undoing the mandates for health-care insurance instituted during Obamas reign

Weve got to protect health care, Levin said. Weve got to protect the Affordable Care Act and make sure we have quality and accessible health care available for more people. ... Trumpcare failed. The bill didnt pass, but the damage that theyre trying to to the Affordable Care Act continues.

Gun violence prevention is another message point in Levins campaign, and unlike his opponent, he is not endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
Two-thirds of Americans are lit for legalising marijuana, according to a new survey.

For three consecutive years, pollsters Gallup recorded public support for legal pot. The most recent figure marks an all-time high in the last 50 years of polling American attitudes towards the drug.

The poll found that 66 per cent of Americans surveyed supported legalising marijuana. This is up two per cent from last year. In contrast, only 12 per cent of Americans supported legal pot in 1969.

Both Democrats and Republicans express similar opinions on pot legalisation with 75 per cent and 53 per cent favouring it, respectively. Seventy-one per cent of independents support legalising the drug.

The largest increase seen is among Americans 55 and older with 59 per cent supporting legal weed. In 2017, 50 per cent supported the legalisation.

The poll results are close to Quinnipiac Universitys April 2018 poll that found 63 per cent of Americans support the legalisation of marijuana, The Hill reported.

The poll results come about one week after Canada became the second country to officially legalise the sale and use of recreational weed. In the United States, however, marijuana is still outlawed on the federal level.

Although Attorney General Jeff Sessions pledged to crack down on marijuana use, more and more states have legalised weed for both recreational and medicinal purposes. As of October 2018, only nine states and the District of Columbia have legalised recreational marijuana usage. These states are Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. On Wednesday, Oklahoma became the 30th state to legalise medical marijuana use.

Earlier this year, Mr Sessions effectively rescinded a policy from the Obama administration that allowed flexibility for states to legalise recreational marijuana. The policy, known as the Cole memo, ordered US attorneys to deprioritise weed-related cases from prosecution.

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The White House, however, holds a different stance from Mr Sessions and his Justice Department. President Donald Trump said that he would be in favour of congressional efforts to end the federal ban on marijuana.

I really do. I support Senator [Cory] Gardner, Mr Trump said in response to a question about whether he would support a bipartisan bill sponsored by the Republican senator that would leave marijuana legalisation up to the states.
LIMA, Peru (AP)  Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie said Tuesday the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from their country has led to a "shocking" migrant crisis in South America that was "predictable and preventable."

Jolie was ending a three-day visit to Peru as a special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency. During her visit Jolie met Venezuelan refugees who live at a shelter in the capital city and also went to a border crossing in the north of the country.

On Tuesday, Jolie met with Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra to discuss potential solutions to the migrant crisis and ways of securing international support. After the meeting she thanked Peru for taking measures that are helping Venezuelans in that country to get legal status, and urged governments around the world to support procedures that help refugees to apply for asylum.

"None of the Venezuelans I met want charity" Jolie said. "They want an opportunity to help themselves."

More than 1.9 million people have left Venezuela since 2015 according to the United Nations and some 400,000 have moved to Peru. The UNHCR has described it as the largest population movement in Latin America's recent history.

Venezuela's government has denied there is a migrant crisis and said its enemies are playing up the situation in order to justify an invasion of Venezuela.

On Monday, Venezuelan Socialist Party boss Diosdado Cabello mocked Jolie's visit to Peru, writing on Twitter that it was merely a show that "right wing media" are using to distract from a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants heading to the United States.

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For more on Associated Press coverage of Venezuela's migrant crisis: https://www.apnews.com/VenezuelaExodus
Timothy E. Nelson was hanging out in a Dunkin location in Santa Fe, N.M., when he says he was kicked out for looking suspicious. (Photo: Courtesy of Timothy E. Nelson/Facebook)

A man who was kicked out of a Dunkin (formerly Dunkin Donuts) last week and alleged that the incident was racially motivated is speaking out.

Timothy E. Nelson, a historian and professor who teaches Africana Studies at the University of New Mexico, had dropped his car off to be serviced at a Santa Fe, N.M., Firestone, then stepped into a nearby Dunkin to buy a coffee and a doughnut. After stepping out briefly to check on his car and learn that it would be awhile, he returned to the coffee shop to use its Wi-Fi while he waited. It wasnt long before he says he was confronted by the franchise owner and asked to leave. When Nelson asked why he was being thrown out, he was told there was a one-hour rule for patrons.

Where was this posted? Nelson asked in a phone interview with Yahoo Lifestyle. She was rude when she came up to me. I didnt know Dunkin Donuts had an hourlong rule. When I wanted to know more, she wasnt very clear about the rule. Without showing proof of the policy, the owner of the Santa Fe Dunkin, Irene Deubel, continued to insist that he leave. So Nelson, who is also a racial justice director at the YWCA, pulled out his cellphone to record the confrontation.

In a video posted to Facebook, Deubel can be heard repeating, Youre done, and Timothy, goodbye. Nelson asks, So what youre saying is I only get an hour to sit here? and Did you call the police? It turns out Deubel had indeed called the authorities.

He recorded his conversation with the officers too and posted it to Facebook. In it, he describes the scenario, and the police tell him, Its a place of business. They make their rules. I bought a coffee, though! Nelson says. The officer responds, I completely understand where youre coming from, but its a place of business. Its a private property. If they dont want you in there, they can kick you out, man.

Nelson says it was a dangerous and bad situation because with police, I have to be extra courteous. Although his exchange with police was cordial and didnt end in violence or an arrest, Nelson sees the situation as an opportunity to teach his students  and his daughter  how race works.

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As a diversity instructor, intersectionality trainer, and as a professor that teaches about race and how it functions in society, all of that stuff comes down to this moment. I started [instructing] at the largest YWCA to teach people about this. We can now get this conversation started, he says.

The conversation, says Nelson, is summed up in his YWCA course on eliminating racism based on the principle of delegitimizing all notions of race, a concept for which the hashtag #racedoesntexist was created. Race doesnt exist and we need to start talking about it from that perspective, he says. Lets make sure [racial profiling is] no longer a valid thing to be doing.

Nelson, who just started teaching his online course at the University of New Mexico on the day of the Dunkin confrontation, says he hasnt yet gotten around to using his videos of the incident in his lessons, but he will. He tells Yahoo Lifestyle that he wants to make sure to incorporate them within the context of his curriculum and separate from whats going on with him personally. His ultimate goal is to prevent racially motivated events from happening to a new generation. The only alternative for us is to educate, he says.

A representative for Dunkin previously released the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle regarding the incident:

Dunkin and our franchisees share a goal of creating a welcoming and hospitable restaurant environment and treating everyone with dignity and respect. We are aware of the incident that took place at the Dunkin location at 1085 S. Saint Francis Drive in Santa Fe. The franchisee who owns and operates the restaurant informs us that this incident resulted from a misunderstanding, and that she apologizes to the guest for the poor experience.

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Chicago Tribune

The Kyle Rittenhouse jury on Thursday began its third day of deliberations  something that seems almost inconceivable to the social media pontificators who made up their minds about the case more than a year ago. For many legal experts, however, Kenosha County jurors are working right on schedule. I dont think the length of time says anything about what the jurors are thinking, veteran ...
MOSCOW (AP)  U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that he told Russian officials the Kremlin hurt itself by meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Wrapping up two days of talks in Moscow, Bolton said he told his Russian interlocutors that Moscow's meddling has been "particularly harmful for Russian-American relations without providing anything for them in return."

Bolton dismissed any suggestion that Russian actions may have affected the election results but said "it's the effort alone to interfere in our elections that are objectionable.

"The fact was that the outcome would have been the same by all the evidence we have," said Bolton after his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top lieutenants.

"What the meddling did was create distrust and animosity within the United States, and particularly made it almost impossible for two years for the United States and Russia to make any progress. That's a huge loss for both countries, particularly for Russia," he said. "So it's a lesson I think: Don't mess with American elections."

Russia has staunchly denied any state-sponsored meddling, although Putin has suggested some "patriotic" individual hackers might have been involved.

The U.S. has accused a group of agents with Russia's GRU military intelligence of a damaging hack of Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 campaign. Special investigator Robert Mueller indicted 12 people identified as GRU officers in July as part of his probe into possible Russian collusion with Donald Trump's campaign.

In addition, Mueller has indicted 13 Russians suspected of working for a so-called troll factory that allegedly spread disinformation and manipulated American voters online.
A bomb has been discovered in a package sent to the home of Hillary and Bill Clinton in New York, police say.

Officials say the suspicious package is similar to that left at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros just two days ago. Other packages reportedly containing explosives were also sent to former President Barack Obama, the White House, the Time Warner headquarters, which houses CNN's New York offices, and a Florida building housing the offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Follow latest updates on 'bombs' and suspicious packages sent to high profile recipients.

The packages, sent Wednesday morning to the Clintons residence in Chappaqua, New York, and Mr Obama's home in Washington, were intercepted by US Secret Service, after the package containing explosive powder was discovered at billionaire philanthropist George Soros home earlier this week.

Both the Clinton and Soros residencies are located in Westchester county.

The return address on at least two of the suspicious packages intercepted Wednesday were labelled as being from former Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, NBC New York reported. Shortly after, it was reported that a building housing the Florida lawmaker's office was also sent a suspicious package.

In a Wednesday statement, the US Secret Service said it has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees, naming Ms Clinton and Mr Obama as the recipients.

BREAKING: Secret Service intercepts suspicious packages addressed to the residences of former President Obama and former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Working with our law enforcement partners on the investigation. Our Statement: https://t.co/lJdTn04KmI  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) October 24, 2018

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the statement said. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

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The Secret Service added that it had already initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

On Wednesday morning, the New York Police Department also announced it was investigating a suspicious package sent to CNN's New York offices located inside the Time Warner headquarters.

We are fine thanks to the men and women of the secret service, Ms Clinton said Wednesday, adding the package was intercepted by Secret Service long before it made its way to our home.

As a person, Im doing great, as an American, Im worried, she said.

An employee of Mr Soros first located the suspicious package located at his residency earlier this week, placing it in a deeply wooded area before alerting the FBI and he Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives.

Chappaqua is a quiet suburb in Westchester county outside of New York City. The Clintons have lived in the home since the late 1990s.

FBI officials are reportedly working with local law enforcement to follow any leads in each case, and have been combing over surveillance footage to learn whether the package found at Mr Soros home was hand delivered or sent by mail.

The suspicious packages sent to Mr Soros  a major donor to the Democratic party  and former high-power Democratic leadership arrived during an especially tumultuous midterm election season, as both sides attempt to address an apparent lack of civility in the nationwide political discourse.

Officials declined to provide immediate details on the packages found Wednesday.

However, a senior official expressed "concern" over the similarities between the packages discovered at the Clinton and Soros residencies.

A press conference with the New York Police Department has been scheduled for this afternoon.

More follows
Boy, 13, stabs teacher with 8-inch butcher knife at Georgia middle school: Principal originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

A 13-year-old boy stabbed his teacher with an 8-inch butcher knife at his Georgia middle school on Monday, according to the principal.

The student was taken into custody after the incident in an eighth-grade language arts classroom at Trickum Middle School, Gwinnett County Public Schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach told ABC News.

The alleged assault began when the "student reportedly called the teacher over and then struck her in the chest area," the school's principal, Ryan Queen, said in a statement to parents.

PHOTO: A student stabbed his teacher in an eighth-grade language arts classroom at Trickum Middle School in Georgia, Oct. 22, 2018. (WSB)

(MORE: 14-year-old girl stabbed at high school assembly on 1st day of school)

The knife had been in the boy's backpack, Queen said.

As a school resource officer headed to the classroom, the boy "grabbed another student," said Queen.

The resource officer arrived and disarmed the boy, the principal said, and no students and no other staff members were hurt.

PHOTO: A student stabbed his teacher in an eighth-grade language arts classroom at Trickum Middle School in Georgia, Oct. 22, 2018. (WSB)

(MORE: Indiana middle schooler returns to class with 2 guns, shoots peer, teacher)

It "did not appear there was any issue between the student and the teacher previously," Roach said.

The school district is not publicly releasing the name or the condition of the teacher, and the boy's identity has also not been released, Roach said.

PHOTO: A student stabbed his teacher in an eighth-grade language arts classroom at Trickum Middle School in Georgia, Oct. 22, 2018. (WSB)

(MORE: NYC student killed in public school for 1st time in nearly 25 years)

Student Mason Watler told ABC affiliate WSB in Atlanta he put his jacket on the bleeding teacher.

When the boy allegedly grabbed another student, Watler said he told his classmates, "Get out of the classroom. Go get a teacher."

Classes are back in session Tuesday, but there will be additional counselors and police presence at the school, Queen said.

"We have never had a situation like this at our school and I know we all are concerned about this and the fact that one of our Trickum Middle family was hurt at the hands of a student is very upsetting," the principal said. "I ask that you keep our teacher who was injured in your thoughts and prayers."
European parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt (Getty)

Theresa May has been told to consider the Brexit deal 0% agreed until the Irish border impasse is solved.

The prime minister told MPs on Monday that the Withdrawal Agreement is now 95% complete and that the Irish backstop is the one real sticking point left in negotiations.

That was already a more generous assessment than the EU has made  the blocs chief negotiator Michel Barnier believes 90% of separation issues have been resolved.

Now European parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt has dealt another blow to Mays claims in what he called the battle of the figures.

Speaking to MEPs in Strasbourg, Verhofstadt said: Mrs May says 95% has been agreed. Michel Barnier says 90% has been agreed. I know that Britain has always had difficulties with the Metric system.

MORE: EU wont accept Mays plan to break Brexit deadlock, says Verhofstadt

But I have to tell you one thing: if it is 90 or 95 or 99, if there is no solution for the Irish border then for our parliament it is 0% that is agreed for the moment.

We need an agreement on the Irish border and the Good Friday Agreement has to be protected.

Verhofstadt made the comments in a debate on last weeks European Council summit, where leaders had so little Brexit progress to discuss some of them went for a beer.

It was made clear by the UK that more time is needed to find a precise solution [on the Irish border], said European Council president Donald Tusk. Therefore, there is no other way but to continue the talks.

Tusk also said that May had mentioned the idea of extending the transition period at the summit  a detail which is likely to infuriate Brexit supporters in her party.

Conservative MEP Syed Kamall in talks to EU Council president Donald Tusk at a recent debate (European Parliament)

European Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans backed Verhofstadts tough message to London amid fears that UK negotiators are gambling on the EU blinking over the backstop at the final moment.

We will not rush a deal through at expense of our principles or our agreed commitments, most notably on the Irish border question, said Timmermans.

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Syed Kamall, the leader of the Conservatives group, insisted though that the prime ministers position on the backstop was not a negotiating position or a bluff and blamed EU leaders for slow progress.

It was clear that, as leaders sat on the Grand Place sharing a joke and a drink instead of continuing until the early hours of the morning that there was no real sense of urgency around reaching a deal at this summit, he said.

UKIP MEP Nigel Farage called the Irish border issue a red herring and claimed the prime minister was leading the UK to a humiliating sell out over a Brexit deal in December.

MORE: Tory politicians in heated e-mail row over anti-Brexit march

Hitting back at Farage later, Tusk said: It is the Brexiteers who are 100% responsible for bringing back the problem of the Irish border.

A spokesperson for the largest group in the European parliament, the centre-right EPP, said last weeks summit was an opportunity wasted to show Theresa May that she has to take her responsibility on board.

Our dear British friends, the ball is in your court, she added.

Socialist group leader Udo Bullman backed demands for a second referendum made during a march by supporters of the Peoples Vote group in London on Saturday.

Once they have seen the lies of the Brexiteers, the British people deserve to have a final say on their future, he said. This is my firm belief and this is my understanding of democracy.

Timmersmans added later: As a democrat, as a human being, who in this house has never ever changed their minds on anything? But well leave that with the British people. Thats not for us to judge.




Photo: Reuters

A damning report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded that most of the complex issues surrounding the UK border in the event of a no-deal Brexit remain to be resolved.

Noting that the government has openly accepted the border will be sub-optimal, the head of the NAO, Amyas Morse, warned on Wednesday that the many businesses reliant on its smooth operation will pay the price.

Among several stark warnings, the report notes that, in a no-deal scenario, organised criminals are likely to be quick to exploit any perceived weaknesses or gaps in the UKs border enforcement regime. This, combined with the likelihood of reduced cooperation with the EU, could create security weaknesses which the government would need to address urgently, it says.

Citing findings by the cross-government Border Delivery Group (BDG), the report warns that as many as 11 of the 12 critical IT systems needed to manage the UKs border are at risk of not being delivered on time and to acceptable quality.

Similarly, delays in Brexit negotiations with the EU have reduced the time that government departments have for planning new border regimes, and the necessary infrastructure identified by government departments cannot be built before March 2019, the report says.

There is also a significant risk that the UKs Border Force will not be able to deploy all the staff it plans to recruit by the time the UK leaves the European Union on 29 March 2019.

In the event of a no-deal Brexit, up to 250,000 businesses who previously have not had to make customs declarations will need to do so, the report notes.

Though the government has issued technical notices to help businesses prepare for a no-deal Brexit, they may not contain sufficient detail to justify spending on no-deal arrangements. Similarly, the report suggests that ports and suppliers do not have the reasonable certainty needed to make significant investments in the necessary infrastructure, people, or systems.

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With respect to the potential for increased crime, the National Crime Agency noted in September that a loss of access to shared EU tools and databases would mean the UKs response to crime would be more fragmented and less effective in a no-deal scenario.

While the report examines the entirety of the UKs border, it also points out that the complex issues relating to the Northern Ireland land border with Ireland still need to be resolved.

While 205 million passengers crossed the border between the UK and the EU in 2017, it notes that the number who crossed the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is unknown.

While the BDG only began detailed planning work with respect to Northern Ireland in July, the report assumes that, even in a no-deal scenario, There will be no infrastructure at or near the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland at any stage.

READ MORE: Hard border will see return to violence within a week

In the event of a no-deal Brexit, Britains trading relationship with other countries will be governed by Word Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. While there is no specific WTO rule that requires a country to secure its border, it may be forced to erect a border if other members see its absence as a breach of the the organisations most-favoured-nation principle, which prevents a country from discriminating between its trading partners.

Brexit negotiations have stalled over continued disagreement about the nature of the Northern Ireland backstop, something which the EU wants in place until the future EU-UK trading relationship can be agreed. Up to now, the EU has insisted that the backstop would entail Northern Ireland being more closely aligned with the blocs customs and trading rules than the rest of the UK.

Commenting on the report, Labour MP Meg Hillier, the chair of the House of Commonss Public Accounts Committee, said it was particularly concerning how little information Government has provided to businesses so they can prepare for any outcome.

The Government must urgently work with businesses  time is fast running out, she said.




Terrorist bombs have been sent in the mail to Barack Obama and the Clintons, the Secret Service have confirmed

Explosive devices were sent to the homes of the Obamas and Clintons in the post today, the US Secret Service confirmed.

Functional explosive devices were sent to the politicians, as well as the the New York studios of news channel CNN, which was evacuated.

dDD

The White House condemned the attacks as despicable, and the Secret Service said they were conducting a full scope criminal investigation.

The disappearance of a woman who vanished two weeks ago is being treated as a murder investigation.

Sarah Wellgreen, 46, has not been in touch with her family since 9 October and was last seen in New Ash Green, Sevenoaks.

Police said her disappearance was entirely out of character.

She is described as white, around 5ft 7in tall, of medium build, with green eyes and straight brown shoulder-length hair.

A damning poll has revealed that public confidence in Theresa Mays ability to strike a good Brexit deal has plummeted to an all-time low.

The Ipsos MORI survey found that just 19% of Britons think she can pull off a good deal, a number that has plunged from 28% last month.

43% of people now think they will be worse off after Brexit and 61% believe that the economy will get worse in the coming year.

The alleged thief (left) has an uncanny resemblance to Ross Geller from Friends (PA)

A police appeal to find a suspected thief has gone viral after social media users spotted his resemblance to Friends Ross Geller.

The David Schwimmer doppelganger was pictured leaving a restaurant in the town carrying what appeared to be a crate of cans.
United States Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat from San Diego. Misael Virgen

A self-described counter-terrorism attorney is facing off against three-term incumbent Rep. Scott Peters in the 52nd Congressional District, which encompasses Carmel Valley, La Jolla, Poway and Coronado, as well as a number of other San Diego communities.

Republican Omar Qudrat is running against Peters, a Democrat, in a district with about a 5 percent Democratic registration advantage. According to the county Registrar of Voters office, some 34 percent of the district's voters are registered as Democrats, 29 percent are Republicans and 32 percent declined to state their party preference.

In an interview, Peters said his priorities if elected to a new two-year term on Nov. 6 include supporting veterans in San Diego County, as well as focusing on economic priorities to drive job creation in such sectors as tourism, the military, and science and technology.

He pointed to planned major investments by the military such as a $700 million training facility for Navy SEALs, and $300 million in upgrades to the Miramar Naval Air Station, as well as increases in the research budget of the National Institutes of Health, as funding that will boost job growth in San Diego.

Qudrat's campaign did not respond by press-time to multiple requests for an interview.

Omar Qudrat, a Republican, is challenging Rep. Scott Peters in the 52nd Congressional District. Omar Qudrat Facebook

According to his campaign website, Qudrat and his two sisters were born and raised in Southern California. Qudrat's parents emigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan in the 1970s. Qudrat earned a B.A. degree from UCLA, then earned graduate and law degrees from Syracuse University.

He served as a civilian attorney with the Department of Defense in Afghanistan, and as a prosecutor with the office of the Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions, where he worked on bringing criminal charges against alleged terrorists, according to his website.

Among the issues listed on Qudrat's website are veterans' homelessness, solving education, economic opportunity and defending our nation.

Peters, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, previously served as a Port District commissioner and on the San Diego City Council, where he held the post of council president.

He has authored bills addressing educational issues, to limit the amount of interest that can be charged on student loans, and a provision that would allow employers to pay a portion of their employees' student loan debt, a benefit that would not be taxable to the employees.

"We have to make sure people who live here are educated and trained for the jobs of the future," which includes programs at colleges and universities, as well as community colleges and technical schools, he said.

He also advocated allowing immigrants with advanced job skills to work in the United States after earning college degrees in this country, rather than being immediately sent to their home countries.

In an effort to come up with workable solutions in areas such as healthcare and immigration, Peters said, he is a member of bi-partisan groups in Congress, such as the Problem Solvers Caucus, which includes 43 representatives from each party.

"Anybody who has a good idea has my ear," he said.

He also belongs to a bi-partisan group focused on climate solutions. "The first step is to get representatives in a room who are willing to talk about it," Peters said.

While Peters said he joins other Democrats in considering healthcare as a right, not a privilege, he does not support a single-payer solution such as Medicare for all, because he believes the majority of Americans who get their health insurance through their employers are satisfied with their coverage.

Rather, he said, the focus should be on helping people who can't get health insurance, which is why he opposed efforts to repeal Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act.

Peters also said he supports gun safety measures such as closing a loophole that allows gun purchases on the internet and at gun shows without a background check. He opposes a Republican effort to force states such as California to honor concealed-carry permits issued in other states.

"We have to stand up against bad laws and stand up for California's good laws," he said.

Peters chairs a new Democratic political action committee that seeks to find moderate Democrats who can win in suburban districts similar to his own. "I think the chances of us taking the House are pretty high," he said.

While he pledged to work toward electing a new president in 2020, he is not advocating impeachment of President Donald Trump if Democrats do win a majority in the House.

"I think it's very premature," Peters said. "I'm not focused on that at all. Democrats should focus on winning elections and providing policy alternatives which we know are superior to the ones out there. At least we should give (Special Prosecutor) Bob Mueller a chance to finish his work."
Within the next two years, a city in China is hoping to launch an artificial moon into the sky that would be so bright, there would be no need for streetlights.

In Chengdu, there is talk of launching an artificial moon designed to complement the moon at night," according to Peoples Daily. The newspaper said that the artificial moon would appear up to eight times brighter in the sky than the real one and bathe the city of Chengdu in a dusk-like glow.

The satellite would be able to light an area between six to 50 miles (10 to 80 kilometers) across and be controlled within a few dozen meters, according to the newspaper. If successful, it could save the city up to $240 million in annual electricity costs.

A project leader said at a national mass innovation and entrepreneurship event last week that the technology behind the satellite launch has been in development for years. At this point, a 2020 launch could become reality.

The project also assures naysayers it wouldnt mess up the rhythm of the nature (or people) in the city. Kang Weimin, director of the Institute of Optics, School of Aerospace, Harbin Institute of Technology, told Peoples Daily that the moon would not disturb nocturnal animals because it would never get brighter than dusk.
CNNs offices in New York have been evacuated over reports of a potential explosive device.

The device was sent to the Time Warner Center and discovered in the buildings mail room.

It comes after the US Secret Service said agents had intercepted suspicious packages addressed to former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The device at the Time Warner Center was constructed with a pipe and wires CNN reported. The New York Police Department said that the device appeared live before it was removed.

An envelope containing white powder was also discovered in the packaging, according to the New York Police Department.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called it an act of terror.

Video posted on social media showed the moment CNN was forced to cut from its live broadcast, with one of the presenters telling viewers a fire alarm had gone off.

The US news channel had been in the middle of a discussion about the bomb threats against Mr Obama and Ms Clinton.

The moment when CNNs fire alarm went off while Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto were on the air. (via CNN) pic.twitter.com/6JUqzxFeRE  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 24, 2018

The Secret Service said neither former Democrat politician received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures.

A US official told the Associated Press that investigators believe the explosive that was discovered near the Clintons home in Chappaqua, New York, is linked to one found on Monday at the compound of billionaire George Soros. The package discovered at Mr Soros home appeared to be a pipe bomb, according to officials.

The package addressed to Mr Obama was intercepted early on Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington DC.

The White House condemned the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures.

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These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that that referred to the senders as these cowards.

Hillary Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the familys New York residence at the time. Bill Clinton was believed to at the home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility.
Vladimir Putin and President Trump are moving toward a new arms race 30 years after Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan worked to end the first. At center, a Russian nuclear submarine test-fires a Bulava missile in May. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP (2), Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

When the history of the post-Cold War era is finally written, chronicling the return to Cold War-style animosity and antagonism between Russia and the United States, this weeks apparent decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty may prove a fateful turning point.

Both sides can cite a long record of grievances. For Russia the turning points in the relationship include the Balkan wars of the 1990s, when NATO sided against the Russian ally Serbia; the steady expansion of the Western military alliance eastward; and efforts to promote democracy that Moscow perceived as meddling in its near abroad and internal affairs. The West was provoked by Russias return to authoritarianism, its meddling in U.S. and European elections, and above all the rewriting of international borders by military force in Georgia, Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.

Even as the two sides have settled back into well-worn habits of hostility over the past decade, however, they left in place a nuclear arms control regime that protected against the most dangerous excesses of the Cold War. Until now, that is.

We could spend a lot of time talking about who is to blame for the current state of U.S.-Russian relations, and both sides have their grievances, but we are seeing a steady erosion in trust and cooperation that is pushing us into an era of high risk and potential military confrontation, former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., who served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative, said in an interview. Top U.S. military leaders have recently confirmed to Yahoo News that Russia conducts daily cyberattacks on U.S. military command-and-control systems in Europe, some presumably linked to missile early-warning systems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with U.S. national security adviser John Bolton during their meeting in the Kremlin on Tuesday. (Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

I actually think the chance of a terrible miscalculation involving nuclear weapons is greater today than 10 or 20 years ago, and possibly even worse than during the height of the Cold War, said Nunn. Despite apparent Russian violations, he said, it would be a serious mistake for President Trump to withdraw from the INF Treaty altogether, a step that would likely be irreversible. The treaty resolved one of the most divisive issues between the U.S. and its allies until the present day: public opposition to basing American nuclear missiles in Europe. We could end up with the worst of both worlds: Russia having a free hand to deploy unlimited intermediate nuclear forces ranging Europe, and the United States finding that our NATO partners are unwilling to deploy our intermediate weapons on their soil, said Nunn. Thats why I dont see any strategy that would justify terminating the INF Treaty at this time.

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After announcing his decision to withdraw from the treaty at a political rally this week, President Trump sent national security adviser John Bolton to Moscow to explain the move, choosing as his emissary an uber-hawk who has made a career out of opposing arms control treaties and multilateral agreements that he views as undue constraints on U.S. military power. Having fought against arms control agreements and nuclear threat reduction efforts in the George W. Bush administration, Bolton is now targeting a pillar of the arms control regime. After meeting with President Vladimir Putin yesterday, Bolton rejected Russian appeals to preserve the agreement, which he described as outdated and a Cold War bilateral missile-related treaty in a multipolar ballistic missile world.

Signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, the INF Treaty was the first arms control agreement to eliminate a whole class of weapons, and actually reduce rather than limit nuclear arsenals. After the treaty entered into force, the two sides destroyed 2,692 intermediate missiles, considered among the most destabilizing because their relatively short range, from roughly 310 to 3,400 miles (500 to 5,500 kilometers), meant they could reach their targets in under 10 minutes, which required both sides to keep their arsenals on a hair trigger. Passage of the INF Treaty also prepared the ground for the 1991 START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) that ultimately resulted in the elimination of roughly 80 percent of all strategic nuclear weapons.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan exchange pens during the INF Treaty signing ceremony at the White House in 1987. Gorbachevs translator Pavel Palazhchenko stands in the middle. (Photo: Bob Daugherty/AP)

The INF Treaty has both symbolic and practical importance to American allies. It marked the end of the Reagan administrations deployment of intermediate-range nuclear missiles to Europe in the early 1980s, which sparked years of street demonstrations that threatened European governments and nearly split the NATO alliance apart. In breaking with anti-arms control hardliners in their own administrations, both Reagan and Gorbachev also developed the mutual trust that presaged the end of the Cold War just a few years later. Dismantling the treaty would thus be seen by many experts on both sides of the Atlantic as a return to one of the darkest and most dangerous periods of the Cold War.

In a tweet, Germanys former ambassador to the United States Wolfgang Ischinger said a better strategy would be expanding the INF Treaty to include China, meeting the objection of the U.S. military that it doesnt cover the growing threat from other nations. Multilateralizing this agreement would be a lot better than terminating it: beware: no way European allies like Germany could live through another INF [retrofitting] a la 1980s: that road is closed, tweeted Ischinger, currently the head of the Munich Security Conference. I am deeply worried!

Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former senior director for European Affairs on the National Security Council. I think Europeans will be uncomfortable with the Trump administration withdrawing from the INF Treaty, because it will be another sign that arms control has fallen off the U.S.-Russian agenda, and it will represent Trump pulling out of yet another international agreement after withdrawing from the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear deal, he said in an interview. European allies are in general agreement that Russia is violating the INF treaty, he notes, but the bigger question is whether its total demise will provoke further tit-for-tat escalation on the part of the Russians, possibly foreshadowing the collapse of New START when that treaty is up for review in 2021.

Were not yet back to an unconstrained nuclear arms race and a remilitarization of the border between NATO and Russia, but were creeping in that direction, said Kupchan, noting that Poland has recently requested the permanent basing of U.S. military forces near its eastern border. If were not very careful, we could wake up one day and find that the situation looks a lot like it did during the Cold War.

Vladimir Putin speaks at the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting in Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 18. (Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

The problem for the Trump administration and U.S. military planners is that Putin already seems to be operating from a zero-sum Cold War mindset. Speaking at the Valdai forum in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi last week, Putin gloated that the days of the United States global hegemony are numbered, hastened by a string of mistakes typical of an empire. Thank God, this situation of a unipolar world, of a monopoly, is coming to an end, Putin said. Its practically already over.

According to top U.S. military officials, Putin is trying to hasten what he sees as the decline of the West with a hybrid destabilization campaign, conducted just below the threshold of outright conflict. If you look at Russias cyber and social media activity, their disinformation operations, and their money and support to European organizations and political groups on both ends of the political spectrum, they are doing those things in many European countries, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, NATOs supreme allied commander, Europe, told me during an interview at a recent NATO summit in Poland. In my view, they are executing a destabilization campaign based on a strategy that assumes if they can destabilize Western governments it will be to Russias benefit. If you look at their military doctrine, that is part of what they call indirect activity.

Against that chilly backdrop U.S. officials have watched with alarm in recent years as Russia developed, tested and deployed the SSC-8 intermediate, ground-based cruise missile in clear violation of the INF Treaty. The Obama administration first raised the SSC-8 issue with Moscow in 2013, and in 2016 invoked the INF Treatys Verification Commission to air complaints. The commission meeting devolved into an exercise in mutual finger-pointing.

Under the INF Treaty the U.S. can still deploy intermediate sea- and air-launched cruise missiles, but the Russian deployment of the new ground-based missile potentially tilted the finely calibrated equation of nuclear deterrence and mutually assured destruction, however slightly. According to Bob Woodwards new book Fear, the Russians have also privately warned Defense Secretary James Mattis that they would not hesitate to use tactical nuclear weapons if it came to a conflict with NATO in the Baltics.

President Barack Obama speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Northern Ireland in 2013. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

The Russians will try and use the administrations withdrawal from the INF Treaty to drive a political wedge between the United States and our European allies, but the arms control regime is unraveling because of Russias bad behavior, not us calling them on their cheating, said Thomas Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. For years we have deluded ourselves that just one more concession on U.S. missile defense might convince Russia to come back into INF Treaty compliance, and for years Russia has continued to violate the treaty and invade its smaller neighbors. Allowing Russia to get away with its continued blatant treaty violations would have a corrosive effect on the faith democratic peoples have in international agreements and their own institutions.

Advocates point out that issues of treaty verification have played out over many years in the past, even as the nuclear arms control regime was constructed, over time eliminating the vast majority of nuclear weapons. For instance, Reagan, who insisted on trust but verify when it came to arms control, complained that a Russian radar at Krasnoyarsk violated the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. That did not stop him from negotiating the 1987 INF Treaty with Mikhail Gorbachev, who eventually dismantled the radar.

The INF Treaty has been a success story, and killing it will encourage Russia to deploy many more missiles targeting Europe, while not convincing a single European ally to base our nuclear missiles on their soil as a counter. Tell me how that makes us safer? said Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund and a longtime arms control advocate. You know, most Americans living today have no memory of the nuclear weapons scares and flare-ups of the Cold War. Theyve forgotten what a real arms race looks like, but stay tuned: They may be about to experience it for themselves.

James Kitfield is senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress and the author of the recent book Twilight Warriors: The Soldiers, Spies, & Special Agents Who Are Revolutionizing the American Way of War (Basic Books).

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(Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is the senior associate dean of leadership studies and a professor of management practice at the Yale School of Management, and the author of Firing Back. Roya Hakakian is the author of, most recently, Assassins of the Turquoise Palace, and a cofounder of Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. The opinions expressed are their own.)

By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Roya Hakakian

Oct 23 (Reuters) - As the Trump White House entertains Riyadhs dubious explanation for the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, the global business community is filling a vital moral void. Dozens of Western executives have cancelled their attendance at the investor conference nicknamed Davos in the Desert, which began Tuesday in Riyadh.

The devastating tale of Khashoggis murder has an uncanny precursor in the region, one in which business exerted its influence, to great effect. In 1996, Faraj Sarkohi, then the editor-in-chief of Adineh, the Iranian equivalent of the New Yorker magazine, also went missing. He had, according to the customs records from Tehrans airport, flown out of the country, but never landed in Frankfurt, Germany, where his family was awaiting him. Sarkohis disappearance gave a new meaning to the expression vanishing into the thin air, as Tehran emphatically denied any foul play. After 48 days of severe torture in captivity, Sarkohi magically materialized in Iran and appeared before a dumbfounded press.

Although German government officials, Amnesty International, Reporters without Borders and PEN International had already pressed Tehran with letters on behalf of Sarkohi, in the end, it was the potential loss of business that may have delivered the ultimate blow to the agents from Irans intelligence ministry to set him free. Sarkohi recalls in his memoir that since Tehran claimed he had left the country, and Germany had no record of him arriving, an international aviation body threatened to deem Irans airline too unreliable for insurance if he was not shown to be alive. This action would have brought the national carrier to a standstill, dealing a major blow to the Iranian economy.

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Corporate protests would not have saved Khashoggi, who was dead shortly after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. But recent high-profile controversies in the United States have shown how business activism can make a difference in shaping the agenda on divisive political and social issues.

For example, in the absence of a strong White House response to the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last summer, the nations top executives, led by the CEOs of Merck, Disney, HP, and Unilever stepped in, flagged their concern by pulling out of Trumps three business advisory councils, which culminated in the dissolution of those entities. This may be one of the first times in U.S. history that business leaders collectively rejected a call to national service by the White House.

In 2017 firms like AT&T, Apple, and Starbucks helped spark the repeal of the infamous bathroom bills trying to restrict transgender peoples access to restrooms in a number of states. And in the national trauma that followed the Parkland, Florida mass shooting last spring, companies such as Dicks Sporting Goods, Kroger and Wal-Mart announced that they would no longer sell firearms and ammunition to buyers under 21, among other restrictions on gun sales.

Now in the killing of a dissident by an ally, the moral voice of business is again sounding an alarm when the U.S. government has failed to act. Ironically, the White Houses reluctance to condemn the treatment of Khashoggi is attributed to the potential loss of $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia  even though its no secret in the U.S. business community that only about 10 percent of the deal is in contract, with the rest addressed in a non-binding memorandum of understanding. In fact, the United States does more annual trading with Switzerland than with Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggis death occurred in a particularly fraught and complex region. The journalists fate underlines, among other truths, the grave dangers dissidents in the region face. It also makes clear that when it comes to the two archrivals in the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the difference is not between good and evil, but between two pernicious forms of evil. Both claim to be the catalysts of womens equality, while the leading feminists of their nations languish in captivity. Both claim to be the vanguards of a just Islamic society and yet they imprison, torture, and murder their dissidents. While Khashoggis death has rightfully fixated our attentions, it has done so most notably because it raises questions about Washingtons close alliance with Riyadh. However, the absence of any U.S.-Iran relations has sadly meant far less scrutiny or reporting on the stories of the many Iranian Khashoggis.

Reform has been little more than political window dressing in either country. It has been, for the most part, a way to bait the West into bringing business investments into their countries. Its no surprise that the Saudi-Iran battle for supremacy has been at a stalemate. They are, in essence, too similar to distinguish themselves for either their populace or the international community. In the end, they make unreliable allies. They may buy American weapons or sell their oil to the world, but their lawlessness will sooner or later cost the United States much more in collateral damage, because it is in the uncivil and arrogant nature of violence to defy containment and spread.

Business leaders may not express it quite like that, but they have responded spontaneously to Khashoggis death, with top executives such as those from JP Morgan, Blackstone, The New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Uber, and Goldman Sachs spontaneously deciding to withdraw from this weeks Saudi government economic showcase, followed by the reluctant withdrawal of U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the IMFs Christine Lagarde. (Mnuchin did go to Riyadh, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, but did not attend the main investment conference.)

Contagion of conscience  or collective moral outrage  generally develops in three waves. The first comes from leaders, who are driven by their ethics. The second comes from people who respond to pressure from their constituents. The third wave comes from a group that joins the first two when it feels a shifting tide and is afraid of being on the wrong side of history. Regardless of why business leaders take a stand, however, their recent collective action has been changing history. In the Middle East, too, businesses can align with the regional forces of good, such as human rights and womens rights activists, to help pave the way for democratic change. (By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Roya Hakakian)
Mutsamudu (Comoros) (AFP) - Comoros President Azali Assoumani on Tuesday visited areas of Anjouan island that security forces recaptured from rebels after clashes last week in which at least two civilians died.

"I have come to see for myself. Nothing beats physically being on the ground," Assoumani, flanked by troops, said as he toured the medina, or old town, of the Anjouan capital Mutsamudu.

"I've seen normal life resume. Above all I want to congratulate the people of Mutsamudu for coping with the situation as well as our security forces, who have shown great professionalism," he said.

The army regained control of the densely populated medina on Saturday following the latest bout of instability to rock the coup-prone Indian Ocean archipelago.

At least two civilians were killed in a week of violence that pitted troops against Assoumani's opponents.

Assoumani told journalists that the priority was to "recover weapons and seek out rebels... who fled with their guns." He noted that an amnesty for rebel fighters to surrender their weapons without fear of prosecution was still in force.

Assoumani cut a calm figure, wearing a floral shirt and sunglasses and stopping to laugh with local shopkeepers and residents.

The rebel force was estimated to have numbered around 30, of whom 20 have been positively identified, according to a security source.

Following a deal between the national government and the island's authorities, controlled by the opposition Juwa party, Anjouan governor Abdou Salami Abdou was arrested on Sunday.

He is now under house arrest pending a court appearance but has denied any links to the rebels.

"I think it's regrettable that political leaders can be implicated in these incidents," Assoumani said.

Anjouan's chief prosecutor Mohamed Abdallah said the governor's case would be heard by a judge in the state security court.

"The charges are numerous: complicity in rebellion, disorder, possession of weapons, threatening territorial integrity," he said. "This won't be a political prosecution... just the application of law."

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Assoumani won a widely criticised referendum in July allowing him to scrap the rotation of the presidency among Comoros' three main islands, disadvantaging opposition-leaning Anjouan, which was next in line.

Anjouan's governor, Abdou, has bitterly opposed Assoumani's measures.

The government had sent in reinforcements to quell the unrest in the old quarter of Mutsamudu after rebels erected barricades last Monday and repelled attempts by the security forces to regain control.

Over the past six days, many have civilians fled as a curfew was imposed and water and power supplies were cut.

The president, who came to power in a military coup and was elected in 2016, has indicated that he plans to stage polls next year which would allow him to reset his term limits and theoretically rule until 2029.
It has finally happened. Donald Trumps own words have been used as an excuse to rationalize sexual assault, at least according to an official criminal complaint about the assault on an airplane. Yahoo commenters are not at all siding with the alleged perpetrator.

Sad having a president that sets this type of influence, said one commenter.

What is this world coming to, asked another.

A Southwest Airlines plane takes off from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., on July 27, 2017. (Photo: Wilfredo Lee/AP/File)

The backstory: A Tampa Bay man was accused of sexual assault while on a Southwest flight on Sunday. The man reportedly harassed a woman, touching her chest area inappropriately multiple times. The victim was eventually relocated to a different seat. Bruce Michael Alexander, the alleged perpetrator, was questioned and handcuffed when the plane landed in Albuquerque. While being questioned, the police affidavit says, Alexander stated that he thought it was OK to harass the woman because the President of the United States says its ok to grab women by their private parts.

Several commenters were disgusted that Trump is influencing this type of behavior.

President Trump speaks after signing a bill in the Oval Office on Oct. 23, 2018. (Photo: Ron Sachs/Pool via Bloomberg)

Every day Trump remains in office is a validation of this kind of behavior, one person wrote. Another succinctly summarized what many echoed: The president says a lot of things. None of which based in reality or facts or the truth.

Others were taken aback by the inaction of other passengers.

Okay, where are all the MEN on these flights stopping these kinds of incidents, asked one user. I really hope I would say and do something if I witnessed this type of behavior.

Jail time for 3-5 years for this, said another. Its an assault. His excuse for it should result in an increase in the penalty by a factor of 3X.

Another user put the onus on parents, saying behavior is learned; Teach your sons respect so that future generations wont have to deal with this type of behavior.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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A suspicious package sent to a Florida building housing the offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz was being investigated Wednesday as a string of explosive devices were sent to several high-profile recipients.

The offices were reportedly evacuated, along with CNNs offices in New York City after the Time Warner building was also sent a suspicious package.

Follow along with live updates on the suspicious packages sent to high-profile recipients.

The US Secret Service also announced Wednesday it had intercepted explosives sent to Bill and Hillary Clinton in New York, as well as former President Barack Obamas home in Washington. A suspicious package was also being investigated within the vicinity of a California building housing the offices of Senator Kamala Harris as well as the San Diego Union Tribune.

At least two of the suspicious packages intercepted by authorities on Wednesday reportedly featured return addresses labelled with Ms Schultzs name. A package sent to Eric Holder was reportedly returned to the congresswoman's offices, which was listed in the return label, though it wasn't immediately clear whether that was the package discovered in Florida on Wednesday.

Police in Florida confirmed they were investigating the possible suspicious package sent to the lawmakers Sunrise offices after a Broward Sheriffs Office bomb squat unit and firefighters were deployed to the scene.

Related Video: Secret Service Intercepts Packages to Obama, Clinton

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Other details on the package and when it was first discovered were not immediately clear. There were no initial reports of injuries.

In a Wednesday statement, the US Secret Service said it has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees, naming Ms Clinton and Mr Obama as the recipients.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the statement said. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

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The Secret Service added that it had already initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

On Wednesday morning, the New York Police Department also announced it was investigating a suspicious package sent to CNN's New York offices located inside the Time Warner headquarters.

An employee of Mr Soros first located the suspicious package located at his residency earlier this week, placing it in a deeply wooded area before alerting the FBI and he Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives.

Chappaqua is a quiet suburb in Westchester county outside of New York City. The Clintons have lived in the home since the late 1990s.

FBI officials are reportedly working with local law enforcement to follow any leads in each case, and have been combing over surveillance footage to learn whether the package found at Mr Soros home was hand delivered or sent by mail.

The suspicious packages sent to Mr Soros  a major donor to the Democratic party  and former high-power Democratic leadership arrived during an especially tumultuous midterm election season, as both sides attempt to address an apparent lack of civility in the nationwide political discourse.

Officials declined to provide immediate details on the packages found Wednesday.

However, a senior official expressed "concern" over the similarities between the packages discovered at the Clinton and Soros residencies.

A press conference with the New York Police Department has been scheduled for this afternoon.

More follows
Donald Trumps National Security Adviser John Bolton ended two-days of high-level meetings in Russia  including President Vladimir Putin - with a defiant message: Theres a new strategic reality.

The talks were largely dominated by the issue of withdrawal from a Cold War-era arms control treaty, with Mr Bolton also warning officials dont mess with American elections.

The 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was an anachronism of international relations, he told a press conference  outdated, outmoded and ignored by other countries. Russia was long in violation of the deal, Mr Bolton said  citing the testing and deployment of a ground-based cruise missile by Moscow. Other countries, like China, Pakistan and India "were not even signatories."

The Kremlin, which denies violations, officially condemned the move and warned that it could lead to a new arms race.

Mr Bolton and Mr Putin emerged from their one and a half hour meeting as they began it  with broad smiles. They cracked jokes in front of the assembled press.

The US seal depicts an eagle holding 13 arrows and an olive branch with 13 olives, Mr Putin said. Did your eagle eat all the olives and now only arrows are left? Mr Bolton said he had not brought olives.

He seemed to be offering carrots instead.

There was unexpected agreement that the two presidents would meet  in Paris on 11 November on the sidelines of 100-year celebrations of the end of the First World War. Moscow was genuinely surprised by this possibility. The previous presidential meeting in Helsinki was considered to have been a disastrous experience for the Americans. President Trumps inability to say whether he trusted his own security agencies over President Putin also damaged the ability of both sides to do business.

Later, when asked at the White House whether he and Mr Putin would meet in Paris, Mr Trump said: We may.

Thats being discussed right now, Mr Trump said. I think we probably will. It hasnt been set up yet, but it probably will be.

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In Moscow, Mr Bolton also left a door open on new sanctions. Under the auspices of the Chemical Weapons proliferation treaty, the Trump administration is obliged to impose a new set of restrictions in November. But there is considerable presidential discretion about how aggressive they can be, right up to major trade restrictions. That has caused worry in Moscow. Mr Bolton said no decision has been made, and even seemed to suggest the US side would not go beyond the bare essentials of statutory obligations.

As expected, Mr Bolton issued some tough words on Russian interference in US elections. He said Russia had suffered from its attempts to hack the 2016 presidential election, but, he was keen to point out, that had nothing to do with the eventual outcome  that saw his boss elected. He said the American authorities would be on high alert ahead of the mid-term elections, which take place in early November.

Dont mess with American elections, he warned.

But that was the past. The present was all about cooperation. The two countries had stepped up cooperation on counter-terrorism, Mr Bolton said, and would follow that with work in counter-narcotics and human trafficking. His earlier meetings with the secretary of the security council Nikolai Patrushev, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and defence minister Sergei Shoigu had been productive.

The security advisor also hinted there had been a discussion of a new security architecture with Russia, without giving too many details. The INF treaty was a bipolar treaty in a multi-polar world, and this concerned the Russians substantially. There was little clarity of what the new architecture could be. There was more clarity about what it wouldnt be. The advisor offered little prospect of a new, extended treaty to cover emergent nuclear powers.

We have discussed the conceptual possibility of universalising the treaty since 2004, he said. All our efforts failed.

Before Mr Boltons visit to Moscow, there had been some hope the INF treaty could be saved by further negotiation, especially given that the US had not yet given formal notice. But the advisor put paid to those hopes, confirming the six-month notice would be delivered in due course.

One key architect of the treaty has criticised what he described as the short-sightedness of American moves to exit his treaty. In a rare public statement, Mikhail Gorbachev said that all agreements aimed at nuclear disarmament  need to be preserved for the sake of life on earth.

The translator and commentator Pavel Palazhchenko was by Mr Gorbachevs side during negotiations at breakthrough summits in Reykjavik (1986) and Washington (1987), where the INF Treaty was signed. He told The Independent that he did not believe the Trump administration understood the significance of the treaty and had offered bogus arguments about the reasons for withdrawal.

The talk about other countries possessing intermediate nuclear weapons doesnt make sense. China, Pakistan and India arent going to be attacking the US with these missiles. And Id doubt there will be many countries who would agree to put American missiles on their soil. So they will be left with the option of basing them in America  with just Mexico and Canada in range.

Mr Palazhchenko said there was a dangerous possibility of a new arms race, but he believed the latest moves were based on less military considerations than political gestures. Its an attempt to show the US doesnt care for international treaties, and that they can act on their own, he said. They want to show the world they can withdraw from any agreements they dont like.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has asserted he paid his way on trips to Costa Rica and New York City that are now the focus of an ongoing ethics investigation, but newly released documents appear to contradict the Tallahassee mayor.

Text messages, video, pictures and other documents surrounding the trip were turned over Tuesday to the state's ethics commission that is probing the trips due to a complaint filed by a local businessman and persistent critic of Gillum.

In one exchange, Gillum is told that he is getting a ticket to the high-profile Broadway show "Hamilton" courtesy of "Mike Miller and the crew." Miller was the alias of an FBI undercover agent who met Gillum through a lobbyist and one-time friend of the rising Democratic star politician. Gillum replies back that getting the ticket is "awesome news."

The documents were turned over to the Florida Commission on Ethics by Christopher Kise, a well-known Tallahassee attorney representing lobbyist Adam Corey. Kise was once Florida's solicitor general and served on the transition team of Republican Gov. Rick Scott when he won in 2010.

Gillum has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing in the ethics probe, which is separate but related to an ongoing FBI investigation into city government. Under Florida law, local officials cannot accept gifts worth more than $100 from a lobbyist or a company that hires a lobbyist.

"I don't take free trips from anybody, I'm a hardworking person," Gillum said on Sunday during a testy debate with Republican Ron DeSantis after the former congressman kept asking him who paid for the "Hamilton" tickets.

Gillum issued a statement contending the records "vindicate and add more evidence" that he paid his way or was with family members who paid for expenses. The Gillum campaign back in September, which released receipts related to the trips, insisted that Gillum received the Broadway ticket because his brother swapped a concert ticket for it. Kise has called that "nonsense.'"

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In a Facebook video posted late Tuesday, Gillum said that while the tickets were reserved by friends of Corey and he assumed that they were paid by Marcus Gillum, his brother.

"So far as I know, that was the deal," Andrew Gillum said.

Gillum, who could become Florida's first African-American governor, also added that criticism from his opponents that he is unethical or doing something illegal "reinforce, frankly, stereotypes about black men."

The trips to Costa Rica and New York City came to light after the FBI investigation broke into the open in June 2017. That's when a federal grand jury subpoenaed five years of records from Tallahassee and a local redevelopment agency.

In February, a federal search warrant was accidentally made public on a court website and detailed that the FBI launched its corruption investigation in 2015 and that agents posed as out-of-town real-estate developers and medical marijuana entrepreneurs in order to gain access to various city officials. The warrant stated that agents were focusing on City Commissioner Scott Maddox, a former head of the Florida Democratic Party, and his former chief of staff. Maddox has denied any wrongdoing.

The FBI earlier this year also asked for more records, dealing primarily with an upscale restaurant that is located in a city-owned building. The Edison received $2 million in financial assistance from the city and the local community redevelopment agency.

One of the owners of the restaurant was Corey, who once served as Gillum's campaign treasurer and has known him since college. Gillum vacationed at a luxury resort in Costa Rica in May 2016 with Corey, as well as another investor in the Edison. During that trip, Corey set up a meeting between Gillum and people who ended up being FBI undercover agents.

The records turned over by Corey show that Gillum paid for airfare to Costa Rica with his credit card. But an invoice prepared by Corey's office for the Costa Rica villa that everyone stayed at has Gillum's and his wife's names crossed out, with the words "Hold on billing" listed next to the amount. Kise has said that Corey was never given any money for the trip by Gillum.

The records also include information on other trips involving Corey and Gillum and include texts between "Mike Miller" and Corey about setting up meetings with Gillum.

The state ethics commission is not expected to wrap up its investigation until after the Nov. 6 election. In a statement, Kise said that his client chose to release the records since they would eventually become public once the investigation is over. The statement does not answer lingering questions as to why Corey was working in tandem with FBI undercover agents.

"Mr. Corey has been unfairly and inaccurately portrayed in the media as being engaged in improper or criminal actions," Kise said.

When asked about Corey during the debate, Gillum said that "we all have friends that sometimes let us down."

Republicans, who have already run ads assailing Gillum over the ongoing investigations, seized on the latest disclosures.

"It's now abundantly clear that Andrew Gillum has repeatedly lied about taking free gifts and trips from lobbyists," said Stephen Lawson, a spokesman for the DeSantis campaign.
Donald Trump has described the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as the worst cover-up ever as he took his first tentative steps towards punishing the Saudi regime.

The United Stated is moving to revoke the visas of the suspects in the killing, an operation that the President labelled a bad original concept.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump called the killing of Mr Khashoggi a fiasco.

He also suggested for the first time that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could have been involved, telling the Washington Post that the prince is running things over there.

The President had previously appeared to believe the Saudi regimes outright denials of responsibility.

Donald Trump described Jamal Khashoggis killing as the worst cover-up ever (Getty)

The President has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite the killing (Getty)

Mr Trump told reporters: They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups.

Somebody really messed up, and they had the worst cover-up ever.

He added: It was a total fiasco. The process was no good. The execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good.

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Even in the face of ugly details of Mr Khashoggis death, Trump has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia and has been reluctant to antagonise the kingdoms rulers.

Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia over the suspected state-sponsored murder of the columnist, who lived in self-imposed exile in the US and wrote critically about Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Khashoggi vanished on 2 October after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey, where he went to pick up documents for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

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Mr Khashoggi wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Getty)

Turkish officials say that a Saudi team of 15 men tortured, killed and dismembered the writer and that Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

On Tuesday Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi Arabia must identify those who ordered the murder and turn over the suspects for trial.

Erdogan delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabias widely-criticised account that Mr Khashoggi died accidentally in a brawl, a story that followed weeks of denials that he had even died.

Turkish police crime scene investigators look for possible clues into the killing of the Saudi journalist (AP)

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a move to revoke the suspects visas was just a first step.

He said: These penalties will not be the last word on the matter from the United States.

Were making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence.

Neither the President nor I am happy with this situation.

Protestors outside the White House called for the US to stop their support for Saudi Arabia (Getty)

Despite the measures, Mr Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship.

He added: We continue to view as achievable the twin imperative of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr Khashoggi.
London (AFP) - The Dutch king on Tuesday bemoaned the "shadow of uncertainty" hanging over tens of thousands of Dutch and UK expatriates ahead of Britain's split from the EU in March.

King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima met Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace during a two-day state visit concluding on Wednesday.

In a keynote speech to parliament attended by Prime Minister Theresa May, the Dutch royal said seeing Britain go its separate way "truly saddens us".

London and Brussels should pay "special attention" in their negotiations about the fate 100,000 Dutch citizens in Britain and 50,000 Britons living in the Netherlands, he said.

"Many of them have lived and worked here for many years," Willem-Alexander said.

"Yet all these individuals now live under the shadow of uncertainty about their future status," said the royal.

"I understand how difficult this is for them and I trust this uncertainty will be resolved."

The Brexit referendum prevailed in 2016 thanks in part to support from Britons who wanted the UK to regain control over its border.

May has said that EU citizens will no longer be givin priority rights to live and work in Britain after Brexit.

But the terms of Britain's exit are still under discussion, and the issue of EU and UK expats' rights is still not finalised.
LONDON (Reuters) - King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands highlighted the "shadow of uncertainty" hanging over Dutch nationals living in Britain due to Brexit in an address to the British parliament on Tuesday during a two-day state visit. The king used a speech to lawmakers and diplomats in one of parliament's grandest halls to express his regret over Britain's decision to leave the European Union next year - a body he said was flawed, but which had also made great achievements. "It truly saddens us to see a close partner leave. But of course we respect your country's choice," he said. Reaching a deal and predicting the consequences of Brexit was a highly complex task, he said, adding that the 150,000 Dutch nationals living in Britain and 50,000 British nationals living in the Netherlands deserved special attention. "Many of them have lived and worked here for many years. They feel at home in their local community and their contribution to society is valued," he said. "Yet these individuals now live under the shadow of uncertainty about their future status. I understand how difficult this is for them and I trust this uncertainty will be resolved." Earlier, the king and Queen Maxima were formally welcomed by Queen Elizabeth with a Guard of Honor before taking a state carriage procession along the Mall in London to lunch at Buckingham Palace. The Dutch royals were also visiting the grave of William III and Mary II of England, the Anglo-Dutch couple who ruled Britain at the end of the 17th Century, and were also due to lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey. After his address to parliament the king was scheduled to take afternoon tea with Elizabeth's heir Charles at his official Clarence House residence. Elizabeth was later hosting the Dutch royals at a banquet to celebrate the first UK state visit by Dutch monarchy for 36 years. Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus visited Britain in 1982, while Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip paid a state visit to Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in 1958. (Reporting by William James and Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison)
Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopian lawmakers on Thursday will meet to appoint a new president, a largely ceremonial post in the Horn of Africa nation, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.

A session involving both houses of parliament is expected to hear and formally accept the resignation of current President Mulatu Teshome who has served in the post for the last five years.

No reason has been given for his expected resignation but observers speculate it was the outcome of continued negotiations between the four parties in the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

In April the EPRDF appointed Abiy Ahmed the first prime minister from the Oromo ethnic group, the country's largest, who has led a programme of reforms, making peace with former enemy Eritrea and reconciling with various opposition groups.

Abiy recently appointed a new cabinet, with half of all posts going to women.

Mulatu is the third president of Ethiopia since it formally adopted multiparty politics and a new constitution in 1995. The two former presidents were Negasso Gidada who served from 1995 to 2001 and Girma Wolde-Giorgis who served from 2001 to 2013.

Under the Ethiopian constitution the president is given a maximum of a two terms of six years each. Mulatu had one more year left in his first term.

Ethiopia follows a parliamentary system that places the majority of powers in the hands of the legislature and prime minister, with the presidency a largely symbolic post.

Abiy's reforms included ending two decades of conflict with neighbouring Eritrea, releasing jailed dissidents, welcoming formerly banned groups back into the country and announcing plans to privatise major state-owned industries.

He took office after anti-government protests began in late 2015 by Ethiopia's two largest ethnic groups against the heavy-handed rule of the EPRDF.
By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) - - Ecuador does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in talks over his situation as an asylee in the South American country's London embassy, Ecuador's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said in an interview with Reuters that Ecuador's only responsibility was looking after Assange's wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy. "Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps," Valencia said. "We are not Mr. Assange's lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain." The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment after normal business hours. Greg Barns, an Australian lawyer advising Assange, said in an email that "developments in the case in recent times" showed the need for Australia's government to intervene to assist "one of its citizens who faces real danger." This position marks a departure from Ecuador's previous practice of maintaining dialogue with British authorities over Assange's situation since granting him asylum in 2012, when he took refuge in Ecuador's London Embassy after British courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case. That case has since been dropped, but friends and supporters have said that Assange now fears he could be arrested and eventually extradited to the United States if he leaves the embassy. WikiLeaks, which published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets when Assange ran the operation, faces a U.S. grand jury investigation. Valencia said he was "frustrated" by Assange's decision to file suit in an Ecuadorean court last week over new terms of his asylum, which required him to pay for medical bills and telephone calls and to clean up after his pet cat. "There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr. Assange's laundry," he said. Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has said that asylum is not meant to be eternal, but he has expressed concern about the possibility that Assange may be extradited to the United States. Valencia said on Tuesday that he has not discussed Assange's situation with the United States' government. Last December, Ecuador granted Assange Ecuadorean citizenship and sought to name him as a member of the country's diplomatic mission in Britain and Russia, which could have assured him safe passage to leave the embassy. Britain denied the request. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, Writing by Luc Cohen, Editing by Toni Reinhold and Michael Perry)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Police on Wednesday intercepted suspected explosive devices sent to current and former U.S. politicians, as well as the CNN news channel, days after a bomb was delivered to prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had previously said at a news conference that he had received a suspicious package but later released a statement clarifying that the parcel contained computer files. Following are some of the key figures targeted: FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON: A suspicious package sent to Clinton, who opposed U.S. President Donald Trump as the Democratic candidate in the 2016 election, was discovered late on Tuesday during an off-site mail screening, according to the Secret Service. Clinton later said her family was fine. FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The Secret Service uncovered a suspected explosive device sent to Obama's Kalorama residence in Washington, D.C., early on Wednesday during a screening. Officials said Obama was not at risk. CNN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR JOHN BRENNAN: New York City Police evacuated the Time Warner Building Wednesday after a suspicious package was found in the CNN mail room. The package was addressed to Brennan, an outspoken Trump critic, who is a periodic contributor to the network. KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. SENATOR FROM CALIFORNIA: Democrat Harris's San Diego office was evacuated after suspicious packages were found near her building, according to her spokeswoman. The packages were not addressed to Harris or her office. U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN FROM FLORIDA DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ AND FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER: The building that houses Wasserman Schultz's Florida office was evacuated after a suspicious package was found, according to media reports. The package had been addressed to Holder but the former Democratic Party national chairwoman was listed on the return address. U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN FROM CALIFORNIA MAXINE WATERS: Democrat Waters said that Capitol Police informed her that her Washington office was "the target of a suspicious package that has been referred to the FBI." (Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by James Dalgleish and Rosalba O'Brien)
Washington (AFP) - Families crossing the US-Mexico border illegally surged to a "crisis" level in September as Trump administration policies failed to deter the inflow of migrants from Central America, officials said Tuesday.

The US Border Patrol apprehended 16,658 people who arrived in the country as families last month, some 900 more than August and nearly 12,000 more than September one year ago.

The surge was reported as President Donald Trump has called a caravan of some 7,000 migrants planning to traverse Mexico to the southern US border a "national emergency" and threatened to close the border completely to halt illegal immigration.

US Customs and Border Protection said for the full fiscal year that ended September 30, a total of 521,090 people without immigration documents have been apprehended or blocked at the Mexico border.

That was up by more than 105,000 from the previous year, Trump's first year in office when he declared that his tough crackdown on immigration was working.

Out of that, people arriving as families, many requesting asylum in the United States from the violence in their home countries, and as unaccompanied minors, has jumped as a percent of the total, to around 40 percent.

Speaking under condition of anonymity, a senior administration official called it a border crisis "that is unprecedented in our history."

The official said laws meant to protect the rights and safety of border crossers are also making it impossible to return people to their home countries and forcing the government to process their asylum claims and release them into the United States.

"The cost on society is enormous," the official said.

"We are apprehending these aliens. If we could return them, there would be no crisis."
By Lefteris Karagiannopoulos OSLO (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were injured in a major North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercise in Norway in an accident involving four vehicles on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. One soldier was shortly released after being hospitalized, and the three others are under observation in stable condition, the U.S. Joint Information Center said in a statement. The soldiers were in trucks delivering cargo to Kongens Gruve, Norway, in support of Trident Juncture 18, the biggest NATO exercise in recent years, two days ahead of the start date. Trident Juncture 18 will involve around 50,000 personnel from NATO Allies and partner countries, about 250 aircraft, 65 vessels and up to 10,000 vehicles. It will take place from Oct. 25 to Nov. 7 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. "The accident occurred when three vehicles collided and a fourth vehicle slid off the pavement and overturned while trying to avoid the three vehicles that had collided," the information center said. The vehicles and personnel in the accident were assigned to the U.S. Army's 51st Composite Truck Company stationed in Baumholder, Germany. The U.S. military is working with Norwegian authorities to investigate the accident. (Reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos; Editing by Richard Chang)
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Right-wing Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro once said he'd rather have a dead son than one who came out of the closet, but that isn't stopping conservative gay voters from backing him in Sunday's decisive election run-off.

And even though the former army captain has made comments deemed misogynist and racist, 30-year-old black administrative assistant Priscila Santos says she will tick the box next to Bolsonaro's name.

For these voters, Bolsonaro is tough on crime and will help create jobs in the country's flailing economy -- and those factors trump whatever questionable comments he may have made in the past.

"I don't see that wickedness in Bolsonaro that others see," says David Trabuco, a 26-year-old gay evangelical Christian and make-up artist now living near Brasilia.

"I think we're not used to dealing with someone like him -- a tough guy, strong, someone decisive."

Trabuco says he left Sao Paulo a year ago to settle on the outskirts of Brazil's capital, where he initially worked as a prostitute and got caught up in taking drugs.

He then received help from an evangelical church, one of the bastions of Bolsonaro support in the country, to escape the dark times.

During the bitter and polarized campaign that ends Sunday with Bolsonaro's run-off against leftist Workers' Party (PT) opponent Fernando Haddad, Trabuco says he's turned a deaf ear to warnings from friends that a far-right government would yield an increase in homophobic violence.

According to the Gay Grupo Bahia charity, 387 murders and 58 suicides occurred in Brazil last year due to "homotransphobia" -- an increase of 30 percent as compared with 2016.

But Trabuco says he's far more concerned about being unable to "step out into the street with a cell phone in your hand."

"I'm not just thinking about myself, nor worrying if he'll accept my (sexual) orientation," he added, referring to Bolsonaro.

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"I'm worried about security and health."

- 'Right-wing gay' -

Thiago Geraldo -- who is 29, gay and unemployed, having failed to finish university -- says Bolsonaro won him over with pledges to battle Workers' Party "corruption."

On Sunday, Geraldo took part in a massive pro-Bolsonaro demonstration in front of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana beach.

He wore a sleeveless T-shirt emblazoned with an image of the right-wing leader and took part in chants against "PT communism" and "gender ideology."

Sheepishly, he admits to having previously voted for the PT before a series of corruption scandals engulfed the party's top brass -- former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been jailed and his successor Dilma Rousseff was impeached.

Now a "right-wing gay," Geraldo says he believes that a strong government is needed to create employment and banish the fear of spiralling violence that left 63,800 people dead last year.

"A good citizen who is armed can protect me," he said, balking at suggestions that a Bolsonaro government would spell bad news for the LGBT community.

"This story about Brazil being the place with the highest number of murders of homosexuals is a lie."

Both Trabuco and Geraldo dismiss criticisms of Bolsonaro as "press inventions."

- The desire to feel safe -

Santos, for her part, is ardently anti-PT.

"My situation as a black woman is the same as my white neighbor or that of a homosexual: we're fed up with being robbed and of paying taxes without seeing results," she said.

The mother-of-three says she is excited by the prospect of a new leader with a military background tackling corruption.

Bolsonaro evokes fear in criminals and "makes them taste their own medicine," she says.

One of Bolsonaro's campaign pledges has been to allow citizens to carry arms for self-protection.

"Is someone going to act calmly knowing that other people are carrying weapons?" she asked.

Three times this year alone, Santos has been robbed of her cell phone, once by an armed assailant.

She says she wants more than anything to feel safe.

She insists, too, that she's "never seen a Bolsonaro proposal that removes rights," denying that the military man, who is nostalgic for the order and lack of crime under Brazil's 1964-85 military dictatorship, has ever said anything offensive.

In April, after visiting a black neighborhood, Bolsonaro made a comment about the locals' weight, adding: "They don't do anything. They're no use even to procreate."

In 2014, he said a leftist politician was "very ugly" and that she "doesn't deserve to be raped."

And in 2011, he told Playboy magazine that he "wouldn't be able to love a gay son."

While polls have Bolsonaro dominating the white vote, with 60 percent compared to Haddad's 29, the right-winger also leads amongst black and mixed race voters with 47 percent to the PT candidate's 41 percent, according to pollsters Ibope.
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SPOKANE (AP)  Proposed changes to Washington state's overtime rules could make more professional workers eligible for time-and-a-half pay.

The Spokesman-Review reports a draft concept by the state Department of Labor and Industries proposes overtime eligibility for workers earning up to $74,800 in 2019.





. . .
Geoffrey Rush and his wife Jane Menelaus leave the Federal Court

Geoffrey Rush may never act again, according to his wife Jane Menelaus.

The Australian actor  known for his work in The Kings Speech and Pirates of the Caribbean  was accused in a series of articles, by the Sydney Daily Telegraph, of inappropriate behaviour during a 2015 production of King Lear.

Rush is suing the newspaper for defamation for portraying him as a pervert and sexual predator who engaged in scandalously inappropriate behaviour in the theatre.

On Wednesday his wife gave evidence to support his case and claims he broke down when he saw the Telegraphs King Leer headline in November 2017.

He cried. He said, theyve just destroyed everything Ive tried to do [then] he put his arm around me and wept, Menelaus said, reported by the Guardian. I saw a man so altered and changed, his eyes sunk into his head, he retreated very much from, well, from the world, she said.

The headline that made Geoffrey Rush breakdown

Its very painful to relive something weve actually [been] trying terribly hard to forget for 11 months. Weve gone round and round in circles asking why someone would hate him so much.

He doesnt wish to act again.

Rush denies acting inappropriately towards his colleagues during the 2015 stage production but admits he might have said a younger co-star looked yummy.

The Telegraph is arguing a truth defence against the libel claims by putting forward evidence against the actor by his King Lear co-star Erin-Jean Norvill, who played Lears daughter Cordelia.

She claims he made groping and hour-glass gestures towards her during the run as well as trace his fingers over the side of her right breast during one performance and stroke her back under her shirt while waiting to go on stage before another.

Rush is also accused of making similar gestures towards Georgia Gilbert, a stagehand at the Sydnet Theatre Company where the production was being held.

The trial is ongoing.





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BERLIN (Reuters) - Intensive discussions are underway in the German government on how to deal with arms exports to Saudi Arabia that have already been approved but not yet delivered, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Monday to halt all German arms exports to Saudi Arabia until the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is cleared up. Asked whether this included arms exports that had already been approved but not yet delivered, Seibert told reporters: "Regarding the question of how to deal with permits already granted, or goods that have not yet been delivered, there are intensive discussions in the government on this at the moment, and we will have to examine this very carefully." Seibert said the review would be completed in the coming days, looking carefully at the arms sales from both a political and legal perspective. "We're not talking about weeks or months." A spokesman for the economy ministry said German officials were in close touch with other European countries about the issue, but declined to provide any details about progress in Berlin's push to ensure a unified European response. "We're working on it," the spokesman said. Germany has been more outspoken than other countries about stopping arms sales to Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday refused to take questions about halting arms sales. From 2008-17, Saudi Arabia was the second-biggest purchaser of French arms, with deals totalling more than 11 billion euros. German weapons account for under 2 percent of Saudi Arabia's arms purchases. Merkel's centre-left coalition government has slowed approvals for all arms exports since taking office in March, an industry source said, reflecting widespread scepticism among a public whose views are still coloured by Germany's Nazi past. A poll released Wednesday by Die Welt newspaper showed that 65 percent of Germans believed Germany should stop doing business with Saudi Arabia. The economics ministry said the government approved arms exports valued at 2.57 billion in the first half of the year, about 1 billion euros less than in the same period of 2017, but said a single large order could cause wide variations. Sales to the European Union, NATO and other close allies accounted for 1 billion euros of total arms exports approved in the first half, while sales to other countries such as Algeria and Saudi Arabia reached 1.54 billion euros, the ministry said. (Writing by Paul Carrel and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
Suva (Fiji) (AFP) - Prince Harry sipped on the narcotic drink kava at a traditional welcoming ceremony in Fiji Tuesday as the island nation gave the British royal and his pregnant wife Meghan the biggest greeting so far on their Oceania tour.

After more than a week in Australia, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex began a four-day swing through Fiji and Tonga, arriving to huge crowds in the Fijian capital Suva.

About 15,000 people, many holding union flags and pictures of the royal couple, packed into Albert Park in downtown Suva for the ceremony led by elders in grass skirts.

They presented Harry with a large sperm whale tooth known as a tabua, a symbol of prestige in Fijian culture.

He was then given a cup of kava from a communal bowl, with the sixth in line to the British throne appearing slightly apprehensive as he looked at Meghan and his entourage.

He drew cheers from the crowd through when he gave the traditional toast "bula" and downed the concoction in one, clapping himself after he was done.

The mildly intoxicating drink -- made from the root of a relative of the pepper plant -- is commonly described as tasting like muddy water, and leaves the face feeling slightly numb.

"Thank you Mr President and you the people of Fiji for the warm welcome you've given us here today," he said.

"The Duchess and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next two days."

- Zika precautions -

Fiji, a former British colony, became independent in 1970 at a ceremony in the same Albert Park venue that was attended by Harry's father Prince Charles.

Earlier, thousands of people lined the route as the royal motorcade made its way into Suva, with the couple's progress broadcast on live television to the archipelago's population of 920,000.

Harry wore medals from his own military service as he inspected a Fijian honour guard of soldiers wearing the distinctive sulu, a kilt-like white skirt with a zig-zag hem.

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Meghan followed medical advice to cover up and minimise the risk of Zika infection, donning a long-sleeved white dress with a matching hat.

The news of Meghan's pregnancy had sparked fears among royal watchers about exposure to Zika virus, which is officially listed as a risk in Fiji and Tonga.

Zika can cause congenital deformities in unborn babies but there have been no cases in either country this year and Kensington Palace said Harry and Meghan decided to proceed with the trip after consulting doctors.

Experts say the risk of infection is low if travellers in Zika-prone areas wear insect repellent, as well as loose, light coloured clothing and stay indoors where possible.

The royal visit is taking place during an election campaign, and Harry and Meghan were due to meet leaders from all political parties at a state dinner later Tuesday.

The royals will travel to Tonga on Thursday before returning briefly to Australia then wrapping up the tour with a visit to New Zealand.
By Rachit Vats (Reuters) - Harley-Davidson Inc reported its steepest decline in domestic sales in eight years on Tuesday, and warned that motorcycle shipments for the year will be at the lower end of its forecast as it faces higher tariff-related costs. Milwaukee-based Harley's shares reversed course and were down 5 percent, giving up premarket gains after company the recorded its best quarterly profit in two years. "We expect U.S. industry to remain challenged into 2019 and will continue to proactively address the weak U.S. industry," Chief Financial Officer John Olin said on a conference call with analysts. Harley's demographic challenges in the domestic market are well documented - core customers are growing older and efforts to attract new and young riders have yet to show results. In addition, President Donald Trump's call to boycott the motorcycle manufacturer for its decision to move production for European markets overseas has only compounded the company's troubles. Harley said on Tuesday it could see up to $48 million in costs from tariffs in 2018. Rising costs and a tit-for-tat tariff war with China have weighed on the shares of most U.S. manufacturers. Harley's shares are down about 30 percent so far this year and have underperformed the broader S&P 500 index. Analysts at Goldman Sachs last week cut their 12-month price target for the stock, while BMO Capital Markets downgraded the company's shares on Friday, citing its poor performance. To be sure, the company still dominates the local heavyweight motorcycle market, but rivals such as Polaris are chipping away at its market share. To counter weak demand at home, Harley plans to make deeper inroads into some of the fastest growing two-wheeler markets in Asia through lightweight motorcycles. Retail sales in the United States, which accounts for more than half of the company's sales, fell 13.3 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30 from a year ago. Total retail sales were down 7 percent. Analysts expect 2018 to be the third straight year of declining sales. International retail sales, however, rose about 3 percent, led by Europe. "First look (EPS beat) looks good, but when you dig further you see that retail was worse than expected, especially in the United States," Wedbush analyst James Hardiman said. The company's net income jumped 67 percent to $113.86 million for the third quarter, helped by cost-cutting and higher international sales. Excluding manufacturing optimization costs, the company earned 78 cents a share. Revenue from motorcycles and related products rose 16.8 percent to $1.12 billion. Analysts on average expected a profit of 53 cents a share and revenue of $1.07 billion, according to data from Refinitiv. The company now expects 2018 shipments forecast to be at the low end of its guidance of between 231,000 and 236,000 motorcycles. (Reporting by Rachit Vats in Bengaluru and Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Bernard Orr and Sweta Singh)
Johannesburg (AFP) - A bucket containing a soupy green mixture sits under a table in Nduna Ewrong-Nxumalo's consultation room in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa's economic hub.

The traditional healer, or sangoma, has trusted and prescribed the pungent mixture -- cannabis tea -- to his patients for years.

"We were given this holy plant by the ancestors," Ewrong-Nxumalo told AFP, scooping out a cupful.

"Healers who came before us and trained us showed us how to restore people's health with it," said the healer, wearing a leopard-skin vest and khaki trousers.

"It is a plant to be respected and protected, and I'm happy the law is finally doing that."

Last month, South Africa's top court decriminalised the private and personal use of cannabis in a landmark case that pitted law enforcement agencies against advocates of the plant, known in the country as dagga.

The Constitutional Court ruling changed attitudes overnight while bringing interim legal relief to those who use cannabis for medicinal purposes by decriminalising the possession and cultivation of dagga for private use.

Parliament has 24 months to iron out legislative details such as permitted quantities.

For Siphelele Luthuli, 47, who was diagnosed with asthma in 2010, the court ruling has been a saving grace after years of secretly buying cannabis from a merchant in a dangerous part of Durban, on South Africa's southeastern coast.

"Obviously it was illegal so I had my secret merchant," she said. "For me it's really liberating to be able to have access to it."

- 'Holy plant from ancestors' -

Luthuli, a tourism entrepreneur, turned to cannabis in her quest for a natural alternative to a heavy cocktail of steroids, which she said caused water retention and subsequent weight gain.

In 2014, her doctor did not object when she suggested trying home-brewed cannabis tea -- at a fraction of the cost of the Western treatment.

Story continues

"I would boil it and Google a recipe, even though with my measurements it wasn't that accurate. But I found solace in knowing that you can never overdose on weed because it's natural," Luthuli said.

After taking the cannabis tea for almost a year she went back for a check-up and was declared asthma-free, she said.

Dagga is sometimes seen as a gateway drug to harder substances.

But Sipho Ntanzi, 23, a goat shearer, has steadfastly used it as a basic painkiller for years.

The powers of cannabis have been an open secret in his family for generations.

"When I was growing up, my uncle used to brew cannabis tea for himself at home and there was no problem or stigma attached to it," he said, adding: "No one had a problem with it unless you smoked it -- then you would get into trouble."

As an adult, he started taking a cupful of the tea daily in the morning and evening.

"After drinking it I feel stronger and my system is refreshed," Ntanzi told AFP while sipping the tea at the sangoma's offices.

Criticising Western medicine for despising traditional herbal remedies such as cannabis, Ntanzi said he takes a dose whenever he feels "a bit sick -- to stop illness in its tracks".

- A generational open secret -

A 2007 study commissioned by the country's trade and industry ministry suggested that more than 26 million South Africans -- nearly half the population -- use traditional medicine, mostly derived from wild plants including cannabis, and some animals.

Legislation prohibiting the sale of dagga in South Africa dates back to 1908.

The battle over its legalisation has been waged in South Africa's courts since 2010, led by a group of activists who faced arrest for personal use in the past.

While the Constitutional Court did not decriminalise the use of the drug in public nor the offences of supplying or dealing, the legalisation of personal cannabis use has been met with some backlash.

The lobbying group Doctors for Life disputes the veracity of claims about cannabis's medicinal powers.

The conservative African Christian Democratic Party has also strongly condemned the court decision.

But the leader of the Traditional Healers Organisation of South Africa, Phephisile Maseko, says the ruling is a victory for all.

"Finally we are told, particularly by the Constitutional Court, that we can use traditional medicines... that's a real, real victory, not just to us as service providers but a victory to the clients and the patients that we service."

Patients use cannabis for a slew of ailments including cancers, as well as colic, anxiety, insomnia and as an antiseptic, Maseko told AFP.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not have murdered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as Washington vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible. "No one would imagine that in today's world and a new century that we would witness such an organized murder and a system would plan out such a heinous murder," Rouhani said, according to IRNA. "I don't think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America." Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 has triggered global outrage. Saudi Arabia initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi's fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with skepticism from several Western governments. Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon. U.S. protection has allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out bombings against civilians in Yemen's war, Rouhani said, according to IRNA. "If there was no American protection, would the people of Yemen still have faced the same brutal bombing?" Rouhani said. Rouhani also called on Turkey's government to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder. Separately, Rouhani said that Iran would "defeat" new American sanctions targeting its oil sector, according to the IRIB news agency. Washington plans to impose the sanctions from Nov. 4 with the aim of stopping Iran's involvement in conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and bringing Tehran to the negotiating table over its ballistic missile program. (Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Toby Chopra, William Maclean and Andrew Heavens)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said Wednesday it had won a $777 million (680 million euro) order from India to buy defence systems for its navy.

The deal with India's state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited to supply the marine version of the Barak 8 air and missile defence system for seven more warships follows a $630 million (551 million euro) order placed last year.

State-owned IAI, Israel's largest defence firm, said worldwide sales of the Barak 8 system now totalled more than $6 billion.

Israel is among the world's top arms dealers, with nearly 60 percent of its defence exports going to the Asia-Pacific region, according to Israeli defence ministry figures.

Russia is still by far India's largest arms supplier. During a visit last week, President Vladimir Putin won an order for the S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system, worth $5.2 billion according to an Indian source.

But as the United States has imposed sanctions on countries buying Russian military hardware, India has sought to diversify its suppliers.

Washington and New Delhi announced plans last month for joint military exercises in 2019 and the United States is now India's second-biggest supplier.

In April last year, Israel won 1.6 billion euros of orders from India, which it hailed as its largest ever arms export deal.

"It constitutes further proof that security is an investment not an expense," Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said of Wednesday's deal.

"Israel Aerospace Industries is a pillar of the nation that we must conserve and strengthen," he added, recalling his opposition to proposals for partial privatisation of the firm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a "groundbreaking" first ever visit by an Indian premier to Israel in July last year to cement growing defence ties.
Tokyo (AFP) - The Japanese government on Wednesday confirmed that a journalist kidnapped in Syria more than three years ago has been freed and is in Turkey.

"We have confirmed the safety of Jumpei Yasuda, who had been held captive in Syria since 2015," Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters.

"He appears to be in good health... We're very glad he's safe."

Japanese officials said late Tuesday they were trying to confirm reports that the 44-year-old freelancer, who was seized in June 2015, had been freed.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters he had called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to thank them for their support.

Embassy officials visited Yasuda at an immigration centre in Antakya in Turkey, and he is expected to return to Japan soon, after health checks.

"I've been held in Syria for 40 months, now in Turkey," Yasuda said in English in a video filmed at the immigration centre, which was shown on public broadcaster NHK.

Yasuda who wore a black T-shirt and had long beard spoke in a steady manner.

Yasuda's wife Myu was appearing live on private station TV Asahi when Kono announced the news.

"Thank you... Thank you for praying for him and taking action," she said in tears.

"I want to see him in good shape. That's all I want," Yasuda's father had told reporters earlier in the day.

"I don't know how he is now, but I want to tell him he kept his chin up," he added.

Yasuda was thought to have been seized by the group previously known as the Al-Nusra Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in northern Syria.

However, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Al-Qaeda's former branch in Syria, denied any involvement in a statement Tuesday.

Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate was known as Al-Nusra Front before it cut ties with the transnational jihadist network in 2016 and changed its name.

In August, videos emerged showing Yasuda and an Italian national, Alessandro Sandrini, appealing for their release.

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Both men were wearing orange outfits with armed, masked men standing behind them. The videos did not identify which group was holding the men or include specific demands.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Tuesday that Yasuda was released under a Turkish-Qatari deal, with some sources saying a ransom had been paid.

But Japan's top government spokesman denied Wednesday any payment was involved.

"That kind of thing never happened," Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

In 2015, militants from the Islamic State group beheaded Japanese war correspondent Kenji Goto and his friend Haruna Yukawa in Syria.

The Japanese government was criticised for what detractors saw as its flat-footed response to the crisis at the time, including apparently missed opportunities to free both men.
Subscriber content preview

On a site it doesn't yet own, at 7450 Woodlawn Ave. N.E., Washington Partners is proposing to replace an old triplex with a three-story apartment building with 26 units.

The property isn't listed for sale. It last traded in 2000 for $420,000. The city is considering it for a HALA upzone (the city's Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda).





. . .
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake admits he had doubts about the testimony of newly-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

But he didnt let that stop him from voting for him anyway, Flake admitted on The View on Tuesday.

The retiring Republican senator added that hearing from the Kavanaugh protesters who confronted him prior to the vote influenced his decision to ask for a delay allowing the FBI to investigate the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.

I felt for them, Flake said of the two women protesters who confronted him in a Senate elevator. You could tell that it was genuine, and I just want them to know we hear them.

Flake ended up voting to confirm Kavanaugh even though he admitted on the show that he still isnt sure if Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused the then-nominee of sexual assault, was telling the truth during her testimony.

You know, she was very compelling; he was very persuasive, Flake said. I dont know, I dont know. I wish I had the certitude that some of my colleagues expressed, but I said on the floor before that hearing, were likely to leave the hearing with as much doubt as certainty, and thats how I felt afterwards.

View co-host Joy Behar asked Flake why he couldnt support another candidate.

On the flip side ... if the mere allegation with no corroboration is sufficient to disqualify someone, weve entered into a new phase that we probably dont want to enter, Flake responded.

At that point, co-host Sunny Hostin cut to the chase.

So you didnt believe her? she asked.

I dont know, Flake said. I dont know if I believed him either.

The complete segment is below:

Also on HuffPost

Ashley Kavanaugh holds hands with her husband, Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, as they arrive for his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill.

Brett Kavanaugh arrives to testify.

Kavanaugh is sworn in before testifying.

(Third, fourth and fifth from left) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) with staffers at the hearing.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) listen to Kavanaugh.

Judiciary Committee member Graham shouts during the hearing.

Actress Alyssa Milano (second from right), a prominent figure in the Me Too movement, listens to Kavanaugh.

Edward Kavanaugh and Martha Kavanaugh, Brett Kavanaughs parents, listen to testimony.

Brett Kavanaugh testifies as Ashley Kavanaugh looks on.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.










Illustration by Raul Arias. Motion Graphic by Hyeon Jin Kim









Editor's note: On Tuesday morning, retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor revealed that she has been diagnosed with early-stage dementia. In light of this news, we are republishing this story from the March issue of The American Lawyer about lawyers and law firms' inability to cope with the effects of dementiaand the harm that can befall those who ignore it.



Before Myriam Marquez was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, she had a full-time practice as a public defender near Seattle. As her offices only Spanish-speaking public defender, she juggled up to 20 cases at one time.



One day Marquez couldnt remember how to drive home from the office. By 2010, at age 63, genetic testing had confirmed that she carried a gene for Alzheimers disease. She knew she had to tell her boss.



He said, Oh no, you cant work here anymore, youre a liability, says Marquez, a onetime adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.



His words, Marquez says, show the stigmaand the consequencesthat Alzheimers carries in the legal business. One of her own family members, also a lawyer with Alzheimers, has refused to publicly reveal the illness, she says, as have some of Marquezs closest friends.



A lot of them dont want anyone to know, they feel its a shameful thing, she says. Theyre afraid of telling anyone.



Despite the growing public awareness and advocacy to help lawyers confront addiction, depression and other mental health diseases, very few are willing to share their stories about Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.



We have lawyers who have substance abuse issues, who find recovery, they get better, and theyre willing to share their story to give other people hopethat you too can recover, says Terry Harrell, executive director of the Indiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program and former chair of the American Bar Associations Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP). But with dementia, unfortunately, all we know is it is only going to get worse.



The problem also promises to get worse for the legal industry.



As the baby boomers enter their 70s and attorneys live and work longer, examples have proliferated of lawyersincluding prominent Big Law partnersretreating from their practices due to dementia and Alzheimers, though none of the lawyers or their family members contacted for this story were willing to be identified. Several chief talent officers at Am Law 200 firms also declined to discuss the issue.





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Every major law firm, says Michael Ross, a Manhattan lawyer often representing lawyers and firms in ethical and discipline matters, is dealing with this because they have lawyers who are graying.



At the same time, many experts say the firms are woefully unprepared. From what Ive seen, law firms of all sizes have done a very poor job of planning for what is an inevitable circumstance, says Bree Buchanan, current chair of the ABAs LAP commission and director of the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program of the state bar of Texas.



The lawyers themselves may be unwilling to acknowledge their diagnosis, sparking ethical concerns, or may even be too impaired to assess their own abilities. Too often, say Buchanan and others, their colleagues are reluctant to bring issues to management's attentionrisking economic and liability concerns, harm to the clients and any chance for a graceful exit.



The Numbers



While the demographics of dementia won't spare any industry, law firms face special challenges given the importance of senior partners to their business.



With the reduction in mandatory retirement policies in law firms, the range of senior lawyers ages in full-time practice and lengths of phase-down intervals are increasing, with more seniors practicing into their late 60s and 70s, says Alan Olson, a law firm consultant at Altman Weil Inc. Profession-wide, this increases the possibility that some lawyers might continue to practice with diminishing skills.



In 2011, the baby boomer generation began to reach age 65 and beyondthe age range when the risk of Alzheimers is greatest, according to the Alzheimers Association. One in 10 people age 65 and older has Alzheimers dementia, the group says, and by 2025, the number of Alzheimers sufferers in that cohort is estimated to reach 7.1 millionalmost a 35 percent increase from the 5.3 million Americans over 65 who were affected in 2017.









Some who work on the front lines helping attorneys with mental health and impairment issues, particularly at lawyer assistance programs, are watching that wave take shape. LAPs were established in the 1980s to help lawyers with alcohol abuse, Buchanan says, but they are increasingly addressing a range of impairment issues, including forms of dementia.



In 2016, about 4.1 percent of the issues that LAPs addressed across the county involved cognitive issues and aging, according to preliminary data from a comprehensive LAP survey by the ABA commission. That appears to be an increase from 2014, when LAPs reported 2.8 percent of the issues they saw were for cognitive issue and aging.



When you have a greater percentage of the professional population begin to comprise senior lawyers, then its naturally going to follow you are going to start to see a rise in some cognitive impairment, says Buchanan, who is also co-chair of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being.





At the Texas LAP, Buchanan says she is getting more calls about cognitive impairment, including calls from lawyers, colleagues, judges, clients and family members concerned about a lawyer showing memory and judgment mistakes.



Since the trend began about five or six years ago, Buchanan says she gets up to 10 such calls a year now in Texas. Its not overwhelming but its an increase, she says, noting other LAPs are also seeing a rise in such calls. This is an emerging issue for LAPs across the country."



Eileen Travis, director of the New York City Bar Associations Lawyer Assistance Program, says she has seen a rise in calls from lawyers trying to balance their work demands while caring for a spouse or parent who has dementia.



Ross, the lawyer who counsels firms on ethics issues, says he has begun to help clients confront dementia-related issues at least a few times a year. In the 1980s, it was rare to get such a request, he notes, adding, Now its not unusual."



'A Devastating Moment'



Dr. Doris Gundersen, a psychiatrist and medical director of Colorado Physician Health Program, says attorneys possess something called high cognitive reservea trait they share with physicians and others with high levels of education. Even with some cognitive changes, an attorney may be able to function longer than somebody who doesnt have that reserve, Gundersen says.



One result is that a diagnosis for lawyers and other highly educated people can be delayed, says Dr. Davangere Devanand, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who studies Alzheimers disease and geriatric depression. They may have a diagnosis several months to a few years later than someone else, even though they have the same disease because they can compensate for it, he notes. Clinically they look like its early to moderate, but based on all the brain imaging it usually looks like its advanced a little more in the brain, Devanand says. Their brains have a way to work away the problem.



Early in Alzheimers, some of the most common signs are financial errors and mistakes, Devanand says, as well as short-term memory declines.



Long-term memory tends to be preserved, but over time as the illness progresses, unfortunately, a lot of function is lost, including basic activities of daily living, with advanced dementia, Gundersen says.



Gundersen says an attorney's colleagues could notice a real change in competency: demonstrating poor judgment, missing deadlines, being forgetful and relying more on support staff for things they would typically do independently.



The changes could also extend to appearance, says Patrick Krill, a consultant to law firms on mental health, addiction and impairment issues. Krill says colleagues may notice changes in dress and hygiene, as well as personality. Maybe some level of disinhibition, not exhibiting the same level of decorum, professionalism or cordiality, and their personality could just seem off, Krill says.



Gundersen and others caution that similar symptoms could stem from other, much more treatable illnesses, such as depression, addiction and various reversible medical conditions.



A lawyer with dementia often doesnt seek medical advice on his or her own, Gundersen says. Attorneys are commonly referred to her by a colleague, family member or assistance program, or after being investigated by a regulatory agency, she says.



Gundersen says her patients undergo a neuropsychological evaluation that can examine specific areas of deficiency and identify dementia. If thats established, the professional really needs a lot of support as they being to exit their professional lives. Its quite a devastating moment in time, she says.



Even with a professional diagnosis, there can be some denial when a lawyer is diagnosed, Gundersen says.



Their primary tool is their cognitive excellence, so theres a grieving process and it can be accompanied by clinical depression and suicidal thoughts," she says. You try to identify what strengths they have and get them involved in activities that they can still perform, make sure they have community support and theyre socially connected to avoid social isolation."



Gundersen herself recommends cognitive screening at age 75, noting its in the eighth decade of life that cognitive impairment is more likely and noticeable. The older we get, the more likely we all get dementia, she says.



Firms Delay Action



When there is a diagnosis, a tendency among both lawyers and their firms to delay taking action can often make matters worse. Sometimes even family members dont raise alarm bells, because they may want the person to keep working for personal or financial reasons, Devanand says.



The preferred path of many lawyers is to ignore it for as long as possible, to turn a blind eye on the trouble and hope it goes away. If the lawyer continues to deteriorate, youll likely to have harm done to the lawyer and the clients, Buchanan says. Lawyers show up in court, they dont know what case theyre on, they start a trial and they cant remember who their client is and they cant remember the fact scenario.



Even though we like these cases to be handled by LAPs, she says, what more often happens is, if theres no intervention or help, the disciplinary authority becomes involved. Lawyers assistance programs, she says, cant take away a persons license to practice and sometimes thats simply what it takes to get a lawyer to step away from their practice.



For a senior lawyer who has established a client base and has generated significant goodwill, there can be a level of deference shown," says Krill. But, he adds, sometimes "people are extended the benefit of the doubt beyond what is ideal.



Firms often won't take any action until there are direct complaints from other lawyers, or even from clients, Krill says. Frequently for firm management, he says, "Theres some reluctance, some heated debate about whether he or she has a problem. They can spin their wheels for a long time, and there can be an overanalysis happening and the problem can go unaddressed for a long time."



Buchanan says a majority of large law firms treat dementia diagnoses as individual emergencies and don't have a plan in place for transitioning lawyers with cognitive impairment. This is pretty cutting edge for law firms to have those policies or plans in place ahead of time, she says.



Krill agrees that firms are not nearly as a proactive as they should be. Theres sometimes institutional denial that the problems ... exist, theres a reluctance to deal with these problems and its been that way for a very long time, Krill says.



While Harrell, at the Indiana LAP, says colleagues are sometimes reluctant to force their partner to retire, the flip side is the earlier you can intervene, the easier it can be to get the person to cooperate through a retirement or by reducing his or her practice with supervision. If you wait too late and someone has significant dementia, theyve lost insight on their own behavior. Weve had a couple lawyers where dementia was so advanced, that they were no longer capable of making logical decisions in their own best interest, Harrell says.



Ethics and Liability



For firms, the risks extend to economic and liability consequences. Dan Donnelly, senior vice president of claims at ALAS, a malpractice insurance carrier to many Am Law 200 firms, says there have been times when a claim emerges and everyone looks back to a lawyer's behavior three to five years ago, when he or she may have had dementia.



Donnelly recalled one example when a lawyer who represented a charitable organization in negotiating a gift also represented the donor of the gift. Years later, he says, it became clear that the person already had dementia when entering into the conflict.



Donnelly has also seen about a half-dozen cases when lawyers who would be critical witnesses to the defense of a malpractice claim are incapacitated and have no reliable memory of events. While you hope there is a documentary track record, oftentimes it does come down to testimony from lawyers, that I did advise the client that he or she should do this or should not do this, Donnelly says. And when the lawyer who rendered the advice is incapacitated, it makes it more challenging.



Firms dont have to notify ALAS about an attorney with Alzheimers or dementia unless they think theres an actual event of liability or a client was harmed, says Robert Denby, the company's senior vice president of loss prevention.



Many firms keep their lawyers' past and current dementia diagnoses secret out of fear of malpractice claims or ineffective assistance of counsel complaints, no matter how frivolous, according to industry observers.



While malpractice liability should drive law firms to quickly address the issue, its also an ethical duty. Under ABA model rules, a firm should make reasonable efforts to make sure all lawyers in the firm conform to professional rules of responsibility, and a lawyer who has management or supervision responsibility should take steps to make sure employees are complying with the rules.



Impaired lawyers have the same obligations under the model rules as other lawyers, and a lawyer who believes that another lawyers known violations of disciplinary rules raise substantial questions about her fitness to practice must report them, according to ABA ethics opinions.



Lawyers themselves cannot meet the professional rules if they are not diligent and competent, says Ross, who said he would rate the profession much better in recognizing and addressing the issue than a couple decades ago. The economics and the ethics are driving us to do a better job, he says. If youre in a law firm and you disregard that risk, Ross says, it would be the same thing as disregarding your partner stealing.



Clumsy and Awkward



As if worries about potential malpractice claims weren't enough, firms also face employment law considerations involving various disability and privacy statutes.



Typically, a firm leader will approach the lawyer showing impairment issues in what is often a very clumsy and awkward conversation, Krill says. Ive been involved in situations where the lawyer in question will ultimately be very cooperative and Ive been involved in situations where the lawyer has told the firm to get lost. The response can range anywhere from full cooperation to complete defiance.



Very often in larger firms, Ross says, a firm will also contact a family member and want to test the water with a family member in a healthy and positive way and ask the question, Do you see John or Jane having challenges or problems with remembering or performing?



Sometimes the family will act defensively, because they dont want to interrupt an income source. But very often they will say 'I know what youre talking about and I think we may have an issue here, and oftentimes theres a collaboration between family and firm, Ross says.



Upon a diagnosis, when a lawyer realizes their career is at endgame, my experience is that theyre not going to go kicking and screaming, Ross says, adding they are often respectful of the firm and clients.



The attorney doesnt have to stop practicing completely. Sometimes lawyers with a cognitive impairment diagnosis will shift their practice to be less in court, Ross says. They may continue practicing but in a different capacity, such as mentoring other lawyers, he notes.



Denby says he has seen some firms require that a lawyer no longer bill client work, but may lend their name or give speeches.



Sometimes firms will take an intermediate step, ensuring another lawyer is on every file if the lawyer is still involved in client matters, Denby says. As long as the firm is actively monitoring the situation and adjusting as the situation changes, were OK with that, Denby adds.



When firm leaders learn of a potential cognitive impairment, Denby recommends they delegate a lawyer, such as the firms general counsel, to investigateincluding potentially reviewing past client work.



If theres a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, an attorney can continue practicing for a while with some accommodations and supervision, says Gundersen, who is on the character and fitness committee of the Colorado Board of Law Examiners. "Some people progress rapidly over a matter of months, and for others it may be years, she says.



If detected early, firms will likely make a transition plan to move matters to another attorney over a period of time and to assign another attorney to review current files, Denby says. If firms respond right away, such as removing the attorney from billing matters or assigning a shadow on all matters, I think its fairly effective in avoiding malpractice problems, Denby says.



However, firms face the risk when the attorney is a heavy rainmaker who doesnt want to give up the reins," Denby says. The fundamental practice risk is they may let that person practice without supervision too long," he says.



Marquez, the former Seattle public defender with Alzheimers, says after her boss told her she had to quit, human resources officials called her back and urged her to stay. Still, she decided to leave within weeks. She regrets leaving so soon, she says, knowing shes had many productive years since.



"Theres a lot of differences between one person with dementia and the next, Marquez says.



Whats Next



The ABA has become more active in publicizing the signs and symptoms of cognitive decline for LAPs and others, and various bar associations now organize webinars and conferences to raise awareness. LAPs across the country can educate lawyers about warning signs and how to proceed after a diagnosis.



Were coming from no systemized approach, so there was a lot of variability across states and law firms," says Gundersen. "Now theres an education process of utilizing LAPs more to make sure the intervention goes smoothly and the individual gets the help they need."



Were in the early stages of changing the culture of law to recognize attorneys are human first, not immune to illness," she says.



One major challenge is that there is still no widely disseminated model policy for law firms to look to for guidance. The last model policy on lawyer impairment was issued in 1990, and it was focused on helping lawyers experiencing alcoholism, Buchanan says.



The current ABA president, Hilarie Bass, co-president of Greenberg Traurig, has created a working group on lawyer well-being. The group is developing new model law firm policies, which could be released this spring, on recognizing and addressing issues related to impairments, including cognitive, mental health and substance abuse disorders. The guidance would cover how firms report and investigate problems, handling LAP referrals, confidentiality, lawyer and law firm obligations and employment considerations, says Buchanan, who is on the working group.



We hope that the policy that emerges from the working group is something that we would be happy to recommend to our firms, says ALAS's Denby, who is also part of the working group.



For now, a few firms are trying to create plans on their own to recognize warning signs in lawyers, whether they signal dementia, mental health or other issues.



Susan Manch, chief talent officer at Winston & Strawn, says law firms need to be more proactive. Manch, who joined Winston last year from Norton Rose Fulbright, and another Winston leader, Julia Mercier, the firm's director of learning and development, are trained and certified as mental health first responders to recognize signs of cognitive distress or impairment in lawyers and staff. This year, the pair will help launch a firm program to train employees, including human resources personnel, to recognize the warning signs and to be available as a resource.



We need to make sure from an HR perspective that were providing world-class benefits so we have the resources there to make sure people are courageous enough to come forward, says Manch, who started a similar program at her last firm. Every law firm can do better.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote critically of the kingdom's policies and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. Turkish officials say a 15-men team tortured, killed and dismembered the writer, while Saudi Arabia says he died in a "fistfight."

Here are some key moments in the slaying of the Washington Post columnist:

___

BEFORE HIS DISAPPEARANCE

September 2017: The Post publishes the first column by Khashoggi in its newspaper, in which the former royal court insider and longtime journalist writes about going into a self-imposed exile in the U.S. over the rise of Prince Mohammed. His following columns criticize the prince and the kingdom's direction.

Sept. 28, 2018: Over a year after the Post published his first column, Khashoggi visits the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, seeking documents in order to get married. He's later told to return Oct. 2, his fiancee Hatice Cengiz says. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says a plan or a "road map" to kill Khashoggi was devised in Saudi Arabia during this time.

Sept. 29: Khashoggi travels to London and speaks at a conference.

Oct. 1: Khashoggi returns to Istanbul. At around 16:30, a three-person Saudi team arrives in Istanbul on a scheduled flight, checks in to their hotels then visits the consulate, according to Erdogan. The Turkish president says another group of officials from the consulate travel to a forest in Istanbul's outskirts and to the nearby city of Yalova on a "reconnaissance" trip.

___

THE DAY OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE

3:28 a.m. Oct. 2: A private jet arrives at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport carrying some members of what Turkish media will refer to as a 15-member Saudi "assassination squad." Other members of the team arrive by commercial flight later in the day. Erdogan says the team includes Saudi security and intelligence officials and a forensics expert. They meet at the Saudi Consulate. One of the first things they do is to dismantle a hard disk connected to the consulate's camera system, the president says.

Story continues

__11:50 a.m. Khashoggi is called to confirm his appointment at the consulate later that day, Erdogan says.

1:14 p.m.: Surveillance footage later leaked to Turkish media shows Khashoggi walking into the main entrance of the Saudi Consulate. No footage made public ever shows him leaving. His fiancee waits outside, pacing for hours.

3:07 p.m.: Surveillance footage shows vehicles with diplomatic license plates leaving the Saudi Consulate for the consul general's home some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away.

__5:50 p.m.: Khashoggi's fiancee alerts authorities, saying he may have been forcibly detained inside the consulate or that something bad may have happened to him, according to Erdogan.

7 p.m.: A private plane from Saudi Arabia carries six members of the alleged Saudi squad from Istanbul to Cairo, the next day returning to Riyadh.

11 p.m.: Seven members of the alleged Saudi squad leave on another private jet to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which the next day returns to Riyadh. Two others leave by commercial flights.

__ Erdogan confirms reports that a "body double"  a man wearing Khashoggi's clothes, glasses and a beard  leaves the consulate building for Riyadh with another person on a scheduled flight later that day.

___

INITIAL REACTION

Oct. 3: Khashoggi's fiancee and the Post go public with his disappearance. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi visited the consulate and exited shortly thereafter. Turkish officials suggest Khashoggi might still be in the consulate. Prince Mohammed tells Bloomberg: "We have nothing to hide."

Oct. 4: Saudi Arabia says on its state-run news agency that the consulate is carrying out "follow-up procedures and coordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building."

Oct. 5: The Post prints a blank column in its newspaper in solidarity with Khashoggi, headlined: "A missing voice."

Oct. 6: The Post, citing anonymous Turkish officials, reports Khashoggi may have been killed in the consulate in a "preplanned murder" by a Saudi team.

Oct. 7: A friend of Khashoggi tells the AP that officials told him the writer was killed at the consulate. The consulate rejects what it calls "baseless allegations."

Oct. 8: Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Turkey is summoned over Khashoggi's disappearance and alleged killing.

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LEAKED FOOTAGE

Oct. 9: Turkey says it will search the Saudi Consulate as a picture of Khashoggi walking into the diplomatic post surfaces.

Oct. 10: Surveillance footage is leaked of Khashoggi and the alleged Saudi squad that killed him. Khashoggi's fiancee asks President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for help.

Oct. 11: Turkish media describes Saudi squad as including royal guards, intelligence officers, soldiers and an autopsy expert. Trump calls Khashoggi's disappearance a "bad situation" and promises to get to the bottom of it.

Oct. 12: Trump again pledges to find out what happened to Khashoggi.

Oct. 13: A pro-government newspaper reports that Turkish officials have an audio recording of Khashoggi's alleged killing from his Apple Watch, but details in the report come into question.

___

INTERNATIONAL UPROAR

Oct. 14: Trump says that "we're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment" if Saudi Arabia is involved. The kingdom responds with a blistering attack against those who threaten it, as the manager of a Saudi-owned satellite news channel suggests the country could retaliate through its oil exports. The Saudi stock exchange plunges as much as 7 percent at one point.

Oct. 15: A Turkish forensics team enters and searches the Saudi Consulate, an extraordinary development as such diplomatic posts are considered sovereign soil. Trump suggests after a call with Saudi King Salman that "rogue killers" could be responsible for Khashoggi's alleged slaying. Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to the Mideast over the case. Meanwhile, business leaders say they won't attend an economic summit in the kingdom that's the brainchild of Prince Mohammed.

Oct. 16: A high-level Turkish official tells the AP that "certain evidence" was found in the Saudi Consulate proving Khashoggi was killed there. Pompeo arrives for meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and Prince Mohammed. Meanwhile, Trump compares the case to the appointment of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing, saying: "Here we go again with you're guilty until proven innocent."

Oct. 17: Pompeo meets with Turkey's president and foreign minister in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Turkish police search the official residence of Saudi Arabia's consul general in Istanbul and conduct a second sweep of the consulate.

Oct. 18: A leaked surveillance photograph shows a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage walked into the consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there.

Oct. 20: Saudi Arabia for the first time acknowledges Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, claiming he was slain in a "fistfight." The claim draws immediate skepticism from the kingdom's Western allies, particularly in the U.S. Congress.

Oct. 22: A report says a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage made four calls to the royal's office around the time Khashoggi was killed. Police search a vehicle belonging to the Saudi consulate parked at an underground garage in Istanbul.

__Oct 23: Erdogan says Saudi officials murdered Khashoggi after plotting his death for days, demanding that Saudi Arabia reveal the identities of all those responsible.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish investigators have found two suitcases and other items in a Saudi consulate car in Istanbul, as part of the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, broadcaster CNN Turk reported on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether any of the items belonged to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi national who disappeared after visiting the consulate in Istanbul. A Reuters witness said a Saudi team accompanied the Turkish investigators as they carried out the search in a car park where the vehicle was found in Istanbul's Sultangazi district on Monday. Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by Saudi agents on Oct. 2. On video footage he did not appear to be carrying belongings when he entered the consulate that day. The search of the vehicle in the car park has been halted and will resume on Wednesday morning, the broadcaster said. (Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan and Andrew Roche)
Washington (AFP) - White House advisor Jared Kushner said Monday he had counseled Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be "fully transparent" with a probe into the murder of a journalist that has rattled the kingdom's ties with the West.

Kushner told CNN the administration of US President Donald Trump was still working to establish the facts surrounding Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi's death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Asked by CNN's Van Jones what his advice has been to Prince Mohammed, Kushner replied: "Just to be transparent. To be fully transparent. The world is watching."

Kushner added that he told the crown prince, who faces accusations that he ordered the killing, "to take this very seriously."

Asked if he thought the Saudis could be trusted to undertake their own investigation into Khashoggi's killing, Kushner answered that "as an administration, we're more in the fact-finding phase."

"We're getting as many facts as we can," Kushner said, "then we'll determine which facts are credible... and what actions we think we should take."

The son of King Salman has developed close ties with the Trump White House, and especially with Kushner, since becoming crown prince last year, pressing economic, social and religious reforms in the ultraconservative oil superpower.

But the shake-up has been overshadowed by growing global outrage over Khashoggi's death, with the kingdom's explanations seen by friends and foes alike as contradictory and evasive.

Kushner's remarks came at the start of a day-long political forum in New York with leading public figures including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, two weeks before the midterm congressional elections.

Kushner, who also has an oversight role on US policy in the Middle East but rarely addresses the issue in public, answered questions about a still-secret Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal he has been working on for months.

"I think we've made a lot of progress. The president has done a very good job of not allowing the old ways of thinking to constrain his actions," he said, without going into specifics.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on court fights involving porn star Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti (all times local):

3:10 p.m.

The former law firm of porn star Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti is being evicted from its office space in Southern California.

An Orange County Superior Court judge ruled against the Eagan Avenatti law firm Monday. It's the same day Avenatti was ordered to pay $4.85 million to a former colleague in a separate lawsuit over back pay.

Judge Robert Moss' order against the law firm terminates its lease and requires it to pay $154,000 in four months of back rent and storage space in Newport Beach.

Messages left for the landlord's attorney, Mark Kompa, were not immediately returned.

No one appeared in court on behalf of Eagan Avenatti.

___

10: 20 a.m.

A California judge has ordered Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti to pay $4.85 million to an attorney at his former law firm.

The ruling was issued Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Avenatti didn't attending the court proceeding.

The judge said Avenatti must pay the money because he personally guaranteed a settlement with Jason Frank in a lawsuit over back pay.

Frank alleged the firm misstated its profits and that he was owed millions.

Avenatti, who is toying with a possible 2020 presidential run, told The Associated Press that Frank owes him and the firm $12 million "for his fraud." He didn't provide details.

Monday's decision follows an earlier court ruling from a U.S. bankruptcy court judge who ordered Avenatti's former firm to pay $10 million to Frank.
Conakry (AFP) - At least 30 people were injured in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces in central Guinea, medical sources and witnesses said on Wednesday, after an opposition leader said his car was hit by gunfire a day earlier.

Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, a chief rival of President Alpha Conde, on Tuesday said his vehicle was struck by a police bullet during a banned rally in the capital Conakry over disputed municipal elections.

Police denied Diallo's allegations, but a teenager was later killed during clashes between opposition youths and police in the capital. His family said he had been shot by police.

Protests erupted on Wednesday after a meeting of Diallo's UFDG party in Labe, his hometown and an opposition stronghold, 400 km (248 miles) north of Conakry, local party officials said.

"There are at least 30 wounded among the demonstrators who we first received at the party headquarters before sending them to the regional hospital or private clinics," said Dr. Saliou Malal Barry, who runs a private clinic in the town.

Youths set up barricades and burned tires on several main routes in Labe to protest what Diallo had called an attempt to assassinate him.

"We are ready for everything," local UFDG representative Mamadou Dian Fadiga said.

Local police official Amadou Camara said youths had taken to the streets, causing disturbances and forcing local businesses to shut down.

"They were attacking everything close to them or anything appearing to be linked to the state and it took a massive deployment of security forces to calm the city centre," Camara said.

Tensions have been high in the poor West African country since the death on October 16 of a protester during a two-day opposition campaign aimed at bringing Conakry to a standstill.

The opposition claims Conde's government has reneged on a deal to install new officials elected in the contested February 4 municipal ballot, the first such vote since the end of a military dictatorship a decade ago.

Authorities have started to install new municipal officials, with the opposition accusing the government of bribing some to keep control of local councils across the former French colony.

The municipal elections had been repeatedly delayed because of political infighting and the Ebola crisis in 2013-16.
LONDON (AP)  The widow of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was killed by radioactive poison in 2006, said Tuesday that the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi should be a wake-up call to the world about the deadly behavior of authoritarian states.

Speaking at an event at the British Parliament, Marina Litvinenko said her husband's murder  and "the example of the Russian president"  may have contributed to an environment in which governments think "it's just so easy to kill people" without provoking a strong response.

Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian agent turned Kremlin critic, died in November 2006 after drinking tea laced with polonium-210 at a London hotel. A public inquiry concluded that he had been murdered by Russian intelligence, likely with the approval of President Vladimir Putin.

Britain has named two suspects, who remain free in Russia.

Marina Litvinenko said the death of Khashoggi and the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal in England earlier this year were evidence that her husband's death had not deterred governments from seeking to silence their critics.

Khashoggi, who had criticized Saudi Arabia's assertive crown prince, has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. Turkish authorities say he was killed there in a pre-planned murder.

Litvinenko said Western governments did not respond strongly enough after her husband died. She said that with Western nations considering what action to take against Saudi Arabia, "it's maybe a good point to see if something might change."

"It's very important to react (to) any kind of behavior and crime," she said. "Because if you will make nothing happen today, you will just be not sure what might happen tomorrow."




Carol Vorderman was left in fits of laughter today on Lorraine (October 24) after being shown a wanted thief in Blackpool who looks uncannily like Friends actor David Schwimmer.

Stepping in for regular presenter Lorraine Kelly during the half-term period, Carol cracked up when she was shown a CCTV image of the David Schwimmer lookalike holding a crate of beer.

The picture of the wanted man was then placed alongside a photo of Schwimmer in character as Friends character Ross Geller, the likeness prompting Carol to gasp.

It only got funnier for the presenter when she was read a statement from Blackpool police that confirmed that David Schwimmer was not in the UK at the time of the offence.

They wrote in a statement on social media: Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses. We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date.

Were sorry it has to be this way.

That then prompted a barrage of comical comments from social media users, who replied with famous quotes from the sitcom.

Carol was read a reply from one person who quoted the shows theme song: I dont think its been this guys day, his week, his month or even his year.

Nobody told David Schwimmer life was going to be this way. 

The Friends star has been mistaken for a Blackpool beer thief and the jokes have come flooding in.

Can you see the resemblance? #Lorraine pic.twitter.com/xgiF1DNeWm  Lorraine (@lorraine) October 24, 2018

Another person replied: Im surprised youve not found him its like youre always stuck in second gear.

Even the Scottish police have got in on the joke, with officers from Dumfries and Galloway sharing the post and writing: He is known to have studied Karate and we believe he has mastered the art of Unagi, the state of total awareness.

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While it might be incredibly funny to many (including Carol), others have stressed that a real crime has been committed.

The suspect is wanted for allegedly stealing a jacket, wallet and mobile phone from a restaurant.

Read more

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SEATTLE  The Louis Arms apartments, at 1515 Bellevue Ave. on Capitol Hill, sold for $4.7 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Louis Arms Apartments LLC, which acquired the property in 2007 for almost $3.2 million.





. . .
A man accused of groping a woman on a plane later told authorities that the president of the United States says its okay to grab women by their private parts, it is alleged.

Bruce Alexander was on a flight travelling from Texas to New Mexico when he leaned forward twice and grabbed the womans breast, according to documents filed at New Mexicos US District Court.

The woman, who has not been named, told investigators she initially believed the first touch was accidental.

About 30 minutes later she said she felt the 49-year-old grope her again and rose from her seat.

She then told the passenger behind her that she didnt know why he thought it was ok [to touch her] and he needed to stop.

A fellow passenger who witnessed the incident corroborated the womans story, the documents claim.

The woman was helped by a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, who found her a seat in a different section of the plane.

Mr Alexander was detained by police officers when the plane landed in Albuquerque.

After he was handcuffed he allegedly referenced Mr Trumps comments about sexual assault.

In a 2005 conversation with TV host Billy Bush that was caught on a live microphone, the billionaire businessman bragged about groping women without waiting for their consent.

He said that when he met beautiful women he felt able to grab them by the pussy.

You can do anything, he told the host, who was fired by NBC News after the recording emerged shortly before Mr Trump was elected as US president. He subsequently apologised for the vulgar remarks.

Mr Alexander has been charged with abusive sexual contact and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 23 October.
In a country where some of our leaders (and those sitting on the highest court in the land) are accused of sexual assault, we can only hope that their ability to maintain their positions doesn't embolden would-be-assailants.

Not the case for 49-year-old Bruce Michael Alexander of Tampa, Fl., who was arrested Sunday after a woman sitting in front of him on a Southwest Airlines flight accused him of fondling her breasts while she was sleeping. While he was in custody, Alexander reportedly cited Donald Trump's comments about women and told authorities that the President of the United States says its ok to grab women by their private parts," as justification for his actions.

According to a criminal complaint cited by the Washington Post, the woman felt a hand reach from behind her on the flight and touch the right side of her breast near her "bra line." After she felt a second touch, she stood up and told Alexander, who was sitting behind her, that she didn't know why he thought his behavior was okay and that he needed to stop. She changed seats, and Alexander was arrested once the aircraft landed in New Mexico.

Alexander reportedly asked authorities why he was being arrested and then made the comment about the president saying it's okay "to grab women by their private parts." He was likely referring to an Access Hollywood tape that captures audio of a 2005 interview in which Trump brags to television host Billy Bush about what he feels he's entitled to do to women.

"You know, Im automatically attracted to beautiful  I just start kissing them. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," Trump says in the audio.

Bush repeats, "Whatever you want," and Trump follows with what's now become his infamous pussy line: "Grab em by the pussy. You can do anything."

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Alexander's remarks have started a discussion about the very real consequences of the president's rhetoric toward women. Some have worried that Trump's vulgar comments might embolden men to also disrespect women and repeat patterns of misogyny and harassment. That someone arrested for sexual assault can now point to the president and claim that he "says it's ok" to grab women in an inappropriate way seems to confirm the fears of many.

The Southwest incident unfolds at a time when stories of sexual assault have pervaded political news. Judge Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, even after being accused of assaulting Christine Blasey Ford in 1982. A highly divisive and publicized hearing put Ford's story of alleged assault at the center of the national conversation.

The president himself has also been accused of harassing multiple women. He also has a long history of calling women disparaging names, referring to them as "dogs" and "pigs," and most recently called adult female star Stormy Daniels "horse face." He has also questioned women who have come forward with claims of sexual assault, mocking Ford at a rally and suggesting that sexual assault protesters are paid professionals.

Related Stories:

Brett Kavanaugh Has Been Confirmed to the Supreme Court

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A man allegedly posed as an officiant at this couples wedding, before stealing guests credit cards. (Photo Courtesy of Ashley Veilleux)

A man has been arrested after he allegedly posed as a nondenominational minister at a wedding and now faces charges of impersonating a justice of the peace and theft.

James C. Stern, 39, of Portsmouth, N.H., was taken into custody by the Middleton Police Department in Middleton, R.I., according to the Yarmouth, Mass., Police Department on Wednesday.

A warrant was issued by the Yarmouth Police Department for Sterns arrest after police received a call from a woman who said multiple members of her bridal party had received notifications of credit card misuse after her Sept. 15 wedding.

The bride, Ashley Veilleux, who goes by her married name, Ashley Mellen, on Facebook, spoke with Yarmouth police on Oct. 5 about the issue at the event and added that Stern had served as the officiant at her nuptials, according to the departments Facebook page.

Police wrote on Facebook that the fraudulent credit card charges were just part of a trail of wrongdoing by the unofficial officiant.

According to information posted to the police departments Facebook page, a search of the man who claimed to conduct a legal marriage ceremony revealed a long list of crimes, including identity fraud, fraudulent use of a credit card, and related larceny charges, dating back to 1994. It was also confirmed that Veilleuxs marriage to her groom was invalid.

Stern was required to submit the license to the state within 10 days of the marriage and he had not, the Facebook post reads. The Town of Yarmouth Clerks Office contacted the Secretary of States office to determine whether the officiant had been properly commissioned and was informed that he had not obtained a commission to perform the wedding.

It turns out that Veilleux and husband Dave Mellen arent the only ones who had an illegitimate wedding ceremony officiated by Stern. Since news broke that their marriage was a sham, Veilleux has gotten in touch with a number of other brides who are now attempting to track down their marriage licenses that were allegedly filed by Stern.

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Despite multiple fraudulent weddings, however, Veilleux tells Yahoo Lifestyle that Stern had great reviews on multiple reliable wedding websites.

I was originally researching photo booths and uplighting, and James Sterns business An Amazing Day was highly recommended on the Knot and WeddingWire. It stated on their sites that he had won multiple awards and had excellent reviews by others, she said. Although she eventually developed a negative gut feeling about her choice to use him as an officiant.

Veilleux says that Stern was highly involved in the process leading up to her wedding  until he was paid. After that, he was difficult to contact and ultimately showed up to the wedding rehearsal looking unkempt. When she found out that bridesmaids were receiving notices of fraudulent charges, Veilleux immediately suspected that it was Stern.

Now, just one day after calling him out on their Facebook page, Yarmouth police confirm that Stern is in custody.

Veilleux has since thanked friends and followers for their support, including those who have offered to marry the couple and provide a venue with other services. However, she says that she and Mellen plan to have a small ceremony at a local restaurant in Cape Cod, Mass., with an intimate guest list.

I feel like we have turned a negative situation into a positive one, Veilleux says. This man is forever in our photos and videos, we cant change that, but we can share with others and have been making a difference.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

 Bridezilla secretly fattens up her bridesmaids before her wedding to be center of attention

 Savage wedding photographer shoves brides stepmother aside to snag the perfect shot

 Woman shocked by bankers sexist insistence that she take her husbands name

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




A man who allegedly groped a woman during a flight told authorities after he was arrested that the president of the United States says its OK to grab women by their private parts, according to a complaint by the FBI.

The passenger, Bruce Michael Alexander, was likely referencing Donald Trumps remark in an infamous 2005 Access Hollywood recording that he could grab women by the pussy.

The complaint, filed Monday, alleges that Alexander made abusive sexual contact with a female passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight from Texas to New Mexico by touching the passengers breast, without their permission.

The female passenger has accused Alexander  who was sitting in the row behind her  of touching her no less than three times, recounting that she saw a hand that had thick fingers, were hairy and dirty fingernails.

A man allegedly groped a woman on a Southwest Airlines flight from Houston, Texas, to Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photo: Sbrownie via Getty Images)

The first incident allegedly occurred early in the flight when the woman  who had fallen asleep  felt her clothes move and a touching of fingers on her right side at and around her bra line.

Approximately 30 minutes after that, the woman said, she again felt Alexander grab the back of her arm before slowly groping her right side.

Flight attendants later reseated the female passenger.

In a statement to HuffPost, Southwest Airlines said that in light of the incident, the airline is continuously reviewing and updating the training of staff as necessary.

Alexander appeared before a federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday and remains in federal custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing, both of which are scheduled for Tuesday.

If found guilty, he faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
A Honduran migrant family taking part in a caravan heading to the US, rest on their arrival to Huixtla, Chiapas state, Mexico, on 22 October 2018: JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images

Senator Marco Rubio has said that aid to Central American countries help us more than them in response to Donald Trumps threat to cut off foreign aid to countries unable to stop undocumented immigrants making their way to the US.

The Republican from Florida tweeted Our aid to #Honduras & #Guatemala isnt charity. It helps us more than them. By seizing drugs before they enter U.S. & kill Americans.

Both men were talking about a caravan of approximately 7,000 refugees and migrants travelling north towards the US-Mexico border having gone through Honduras and Guatemala.

The president had said on Twitter earlier this week that the Central American countries nor Mexico were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the US."

"We will now begin cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to Honduras and Guatemala, the president said.

Mr Rubio, whose own grandfather came close to being deported as an undocumented immigrant from Cuba, said while he understood why the president would want to punish those countries for not adequately address the rampant poverty and gang violence which have plagued them for years and pushed people to seek asylum or enter the US illegally.

We need to be firm on caravan but also smart. If we end training & equipment to #Honduras & #Guatemala,it will become easier to ship drugs here. And it will empower MS13 & other dangerous gangs to continue to terrorize people,who will then eventually leave & come illegally.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 23, 2018

However, Mr Rubio noted our aid to #Honduras & #Guatemala isnt cash. Its primarily equipment & training to stop drugs headed to U.S. & to deal with the gangs causing people to leave those countries.

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Mr Rubio also noted it is border security because the aid focuses on violence prevention and ultimately helps the US fight the gangs that are terrorising the people who ultimately wind up on our border.

According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2016, the US gave Honduras nearly $128m, Guatemala $297m, and El Salvador $75m in aid across all federal agencies mostly aimed towards counter-narcotics activities, military training, agricultural subsidies, and violence prevention.

By next year, those sums are projected to fall to $69.4m for Guatemala, $65.8m for Honduras, and $45.7m in the case of El Salvador.

Several international development experts have noted US foreign aid is not perfect but cutting it off to the region could have disastrous effects for children in terms of education and malnutrition, and would allow gangs and government corruption to flourish unchecked.

He also said he had alerted US Customs and Border Patrol and the US military.

Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said that while National Guard troops are currently supporting the Department of Homeland Security on the border, the Pentagon had not been asked to provide additional support. There are currently 2,100 National Guard troops along the border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, according to the Pentagon
By Kylie MacLellan and William James

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May urged restive lawmakers to back her in the final stages of Britain's exit from the European Union, saying talks were in their most difficult phase even if a deal was close.

After facing some of the fiercest attacks to date over her Brexit plans since again failing to clinch a deal at an EU summit last week, May tried to calm passions in parliament where her strategy has angered eurosceptics and EU supporters alike.

"Serving our national interest will demand that we hold our nerve through these last stages of the negotiations, the hardest part of all," May told parliament.

Financial markets seized on the possibility that May could be toppled as prime minister by rebels in her Conservative Party, driving sterling below $1.30 to its lowest since Oct. 4.

With just over five months until Britain is scheduled to exit the EU, talks have stalled over a disagreement on the so-called Northern Irish "backstop", an insurance policy to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.

But May's attempt to unlock the talks by considering an extension to a status-quo transition period beyond the current proposed end date of December 2020 has further riled both pro- and anti-EU factions in her deeply split Conservative Party.

May again dismissed the EU's proposed backstop as unacceptable and she set out two options for Britain to choose from: an extension to the transition period, or a temporary UK-EU customs territory which was first outlined earlier this year.

May said the EU had made a substantial shift on the latter option. EU sources told Reuters negotiators were looking at ways to promise Britain a customs deal that could stretch Brussels Brexit red lines but might break a deadlock.

In an attempt to highlight how much progress has been made in more than a year of talks with the EU, she told parliament the government has reached agreement on everything from Gibraltar to future security over the last three weeks.

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"Taking all of this together, 95 per cent of the Withdrawal Agreement and its protocols are now settled," she said.

"VASSAL STATE"

But the deal - the terms of Britain's divorce - cannot be signed off until the two sides settle on future management of the border between Northern Ireland and EU member state Ireland.

British and EU leaders are committed to avoiding obstacles at the border, a crucial aspect of the 1998 Good Friday peace deal that ended decades of Irish sectarian bloodshed.

The EU proposal for Northern Ireland to remain in the bloc's customs union has been rejected by May as it would potentially create barriers to trade with the rest of Britain - something ruled out by Northern Ireland's DUP party, whose 10 votes in parliament prop up May's government.

At an EU summit in Brussels last week, any agreement seemed just as far off as it did months earlier, with EU officials and diplomats saying that May had offered nothing new to ease the deadlock.

Since then, her proposal to extend the transition period has stoked anger among Conservative eurosceptics, who fear she is leading Britain into a deal that will make Britain a "vassal state" indefinitely - unable ever to fully leave the EU or to forge its own free trade deals with other countries.

Critics of May used Britain's Sunday newspapers to rhetorically savage the British leader, with unnamed rivals using phrases such as "assassination is in the air".

However, that approach looked to have backfired as even May's harshest critics condemned the violent nature of the comments, tempering any confrontation with their leader.

A vote of no-confidence in May would be triggered if 48 Conservative lawmakers submit letters to the chairman of the party's so-called "1922 Committee" of backbenchers to demand such a vote. The Sunday Times said 46 had now been sent, but Reuters could not verify that number.

However a planned show of strength among the Brexiteers, who intended to rebel at a vote on Northern Ireland legislation in parliament later this week, was called off by the leader of the rebellion, former minister Steve Baker.

(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Toby Chopra)
Suva (Fiji) (AFP) - British royal Meghan Markle sent adoring crowds into a frenzy in Fiji on Wednesday when she took centre stage from husband Prince Harry to passionately promote women's rights.

The American-born 37-year-old recounted her struggle to afford higher education in her maiden international speech, made to students at the University of the South Pacific.

She also met female traders at the Suva markets, although so many enthusiastic fans were jammed into the venue that her security detail cut short the pregnant duchess's visit.

Meghan, who married into the royal family five months ago, made the case for open access to education, particularly for women.

"For women and girls in developing countries this is vital," she said. "Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development.

"When girls are given the right tools to succeed they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves, but for all of those around them."

Meghan, 37, graduated with a communications degree from Northwestern University in Illinois before becoming an actress then marrying Harry earlier this year.

Announcing two grants to encourage female empowerment in Pacific academia, she said higher education for her was "incredible, impactful and pivotal", despite the challenge of paying for it.

"It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study -- where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition -- that I was able to attend university," she said.

"And, without question, it was worth every effort."

Meghan's visit to meet women participating in the UN project Markets for Change was curtailed, with Kensington Palace later citing "crowd management issues"

She was calm as bodyguards escorted her out of the markets and into a waiting car without incident.

Rosemerry Dautei, 35, said Fijians were keen to see the visiting royals.

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"It is just the excitement... this is an opportunity that has to be grabbed with both hands," she said.

Meghan's message resonated with Shayaa Chand, 22, who said: "In today's era we should support women and we should make them leaders. We are very grateful that Mrs Meghan thinks that way."

- Climate change -

Harry, who attended the elite Eton school and Sandhurst military academy, watched his spouse's university address with admiration.

"No way I can follow my wife after that," he said, to laughter from the assembled students.

The prince acknowledged the Pacific's concerns about climate change, announcing four scholarships to study the issue.

"All of you living here are confronted with this threat in your daily lives," he said. "You're actually experiencing changing weather patterns, ferocious cyclones and rising sea levels, particularly in Tuvalu and Kiribati.

"You've been living with this for many years, way before the world started talking about it."

The royal couple, who arrived in Fiji on Tuesday after a week in Australia, appeared relaxed touring the campus, meeting students and pre-school children.

Meghan wore a pink floral wrap dress with a pompom trim, and flowers in her hair, while Harry sported a blue Hawaiian shirt.

The day started on a sombre note for Harry, who attended a ceremony at the Fiji war memorial in Suva.

"In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country," he wrote on a note attached to a wreath laid at the memorial.

The royals will travel to Tonga on Thursday before returning briefly to Australia then wrapping up the tour with a visit to New Zealand.


A Republican politician has admitted he is concerned about the consequences for his party if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote.



Brian Kemp, Georgia's secretary of state and the Republican nominee in the state's governor's race, said he was concerned Democrats were actively trying to boost voter turnout in the upcoming midterms.

Mr Kemp faces a difficult challenge from Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams, who he claimed was spending tens of millions of dollars to draw voters out.

"They have just an unprecedented number of that," Mr Kemp told donors at a campaign fundraiser, according to recording obtained by Rolling Stone magazine.

"[This] is something that continues to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote  which they absolutely can  and mail those ballots in, we have got to have heavy turnout to offset that."

The contest for Georgia governor look set to be a tight race with the largest polling carried out in the state, by SurveyMonkey in September, putting both candidates on 43 per cent.

Georgia has previously removed thousands of people from the polls because they had not recently voted in an election, while Mr Kemp was secretary of state.

Mr Kemp also faces legal action for putting 53,000 new voter registrations on hold due to errors including missing hyphens.

Of the 53,000, 70 per cent are believed to be African-American, according to an analysis conducted by AP.
An aerial view of the migrant caravan, as it passes through Mexico. The caravan is currently resting in the town of Huixtla, in Chiapas state - AFP

Members of a migrant caravan heading north through Mexico paused on Tuesday to pay their respects to two of their fellow travellers who have died en route, as hundreds turned back from the perilous journey to the US border.

Mike Pence, the US vice president, said he had been told by Juan Orlando Hernandez, president of Honduras, that the migrant caravan was being "financed by Venezuela."

And by the Democrats? asked Mr Trump, seated at his desk in the Oval Office.

The crowd laughted uneasily.

It has been organised by Leftist groups," said Mr Pence, after a pause.

Mr Pence re-stated Mr Trumps unproven claim that there were unknown Middle Easterners among the 7,000 migrants.

Its inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border, he said.

In the last fiscal year, we have apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border.

In the year to September 30, over 300,000 people were detained at the US-Mexico border, of whom 0.02 per cent - 61 people - were from countries in the Middle East. None of the reporters following the caravan have met anyone of Middle Eastern descent.

Pressed on whether there were people from the Middle East in the caravan, Mr Trump said: "There is no proof of anything, but there may well be."

Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the US, aboard trucks in Metapa on their way to Tapachula on Monday

Yet the claims are being frequently repeated on Fox News, as Mr Trump and his supporters watch his ratings rise with his repeated rants against the caravan.

On Monday night, Mr Trump called the caravan an assault on our country and suggested, without citing evidence, that Democrats had something to do with it.

He added: We need a wall built fast.

The government of Honduras, from where the caravan set out on October 13, announced on Monday that 300 people had elected to turn back. A further 150 had abandoned the march the previous day, taking up the governments offer of flights and buses back to their country.

Story continues

The countrys official Twitter stream showed images of exhausted-looking migrants on drips, being tended to by Red Cross personnel, or boarding buses to head home. Ana Garcia de Hernandez, the first lady of Honduras, published a video begging her fellow citizens not to carry on their dangerous path.

Two Hondurans have died so far, both falling off trucks  one on Saturday, and one on Monday.

This person had a dream, said one of the caravans leaders, addressing the crowd in the Mexican town of Huixtla, 35 miles north of the Guatemalan border.

They suffered, we know this is the route of death, where a lot of people have died. Everyone, please light a candle in your homes, in memory of them.

The caravan paused on Tuesday in respect for the dead.

On Wednesday organisers plan to continue, heading north along the coast to the town of Mapastepec, 38 miles away.
Huixtla (Mexico) (AFP) - The caravan of Honduran migrants defying President Donald Trump by slowly trekking to the United States includes hundreds of children whose parents are ready to risk everything to give them a better future.

In the past five days alone -- since the thousands of migrants crossed from Guatemala into Mexico -- the children's parents have exposed them to a stampede, a treacherous river crossing and searing heat.

Driven from Honduras by violence and poverty, they have little choice, they say.

Many of the mothers traveling in the caravan are barely 20 years old. But they tend to have one thing in common: they are fleeing Honduras to prevent gangs from killing or recruiting their sons, from kidnapping or raping their daughters, a fate that befell many of them.

In a journey fraught with danger, there are plenty of worries to keep a parent awake at night, despite the fatigue. First among them: losing a child in the human ocean.

"Help me grab this child!" one of the volunteers accompanying the caravan shouted at a recent stop, clinging to a 10-year-old boy who was trying to run off in search of his mother, who had lost him.

Ana Rivera, 27, meanwhile walked beside her two-year-old son, who was dressed only in a nappy, searching for her daughter in an improvised camp.

Nearby, an adolescent approached an ambulance to take a look at her three-year-old son, who was almost constantly vomiting water. She was told to come back later, when the queue had died down.

- Gate crush -

The caravan, which left Honduras on October 13, comprises more than 7,000 people, according to the United Nations. Humanitarian organizations say a quarter of them are babies and children.

On Friday, as the caravan amassed in the Guatemalan town of Tecun Uman looking to cross the bridge that separates it from the Mexican town of Ciudad Hidalgo, a multitude of migrants pressed up against a border gate that had been sealed by police.

Mexican riot police pushed back the migrants, but many children watched terrified as their parents, crushed against the gate, pleaded with authorities to let them through.

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"We were at the front, against the fence, and when the police fired tear gas, the child curled up in my arms," said Oscar Rodriguez, 22, while his 18-year-old wife, Ruth Fuentes, tried to calm a tearful Jasser, their toddler of 21 months.

At the border crossing, many migrants opted to try to navigate the Suchiate river in improvised rafts made of inner tubes with a wooden board on top.

Guadalupe Del Carmen, 29, was one of them. But her nine-year-old son got scared and started crying: "'"Mommy, take me back. Mommy, I don't want to do this anymore.' It was a very tense moment," she said.

Her son, with skinny legs and big black eyes, listened intently to her story.

"I explained we can't go back, that the situation in our country is too difficult and that's why we had to run away," said Del Carmen, who has been unable to sleep soundly since leaving Honduras due to the stress of looking after her son.

To distract him, Del Carmen was tickling him playfully, forgetting their surroundings amongst migrants with bloodied feet sleeping on wet and dirty pieces of cardboard.

- Fleeing for their lives -

Like a lot of the caravan kids, Jennifer Molina's two children, aged three and five, regularly have a fever.

"I know it's dangerous, I know we could be robbed, but we don't have another option," she said.

"The gangs wanted to force my husband to transport drugs and when he refused, they threatened to kill us all."

When not crying either over the imposing mass of migrants or from seeing their parents beg for food, the children entertain themselves with improvised games.

They play at a future in which their parents' American dream has become reality.

They "play as if they were already in the United States," said Molina, "as if their grandmother had already bought them a car, that they have this, that and the other thing, because they know their grandmother is waiting for them there."
Noel Fielding comforts Kim-Joy - Channel 4

The final of this year's Great British Bake Off is looming, and tensions are high in the tent, with only three bakers now left: Ruby Bhogal, Rahul Mandal and Kim-Joy.

Last night's semi-final was one of the most heated episodes yet  and saw Ruby awarded Star Baker for the second week in a row.

Briony Williams bade the show a tearful farewell as her puff pastry failed to rise, and her tarts proved disastrous (the mousse runny, the millefeuilles raw, the flavour too salty).

Despite this, she maintained a positive outlook. "I'm so happy with how far I've come. I don't often say I'm proud of myself, but I'm proud of myself," she said.

But some viewers are branding the results a fix, believing that Rahul was shown to have extra time to perfect his showstopper.

They also lamented the departure of Manon Lagreve, the French baker who was sent home last week, despite Rahul struggling with all three of his bakes in last week's inaugural Danish week.

Was Rahul given extra time? Credit: Channel 4

Most dramatic of all, however, was the reaction of Kim-Joy as she struggled with the chocolate mousse of a torta setteveli during the technical challenge.

"I just don't know how to make a chocolate mousse," she said, welling up while desperately trying to whisk her mixture together. "That's it, I'm going home".

To the delight of fans, presenter Noel Fielding rushed to offer comfort. Fortunately for Kim-Joy, she saw the challenge through  and came second out of four in the eyes of judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood. "It tastes good and it looks pretty elegant too," said Hollywood, to Kim-Joy's surprise.

"I cannot believe it," she replied. "I did think about giving up for about ten seconds."

As if that wasn't enough panic for one week, let's look back at some of the most memorable disasters in the Bake Off tent, in descending order...

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10. Icing on the cake

Mary-Anne Boermans proved that less is more back in 2011 when she smeared her bakes with copious amounts of icing and jam. Her buns were dubbed "Frankenstein's buns".

9. Taking the biscuit

Louise Williams crumbled under the pressure during biscuit week, and she found herself in bother as her biscuits spread across the tray and merged with one another.

8. A nasty surprise

Series three winner John Whaites confused salt with sugar when he prepared his Seventies-style rum babas, giving Paul Hollywood rather a shock.

Still, it didn't stop Whaites from winning, and these days he's an established food writer with his own cookery school.

7. The collapse of Dorret Conway's black forest gateau

A black forest gateau left 2015 contestant Dorret Conway in tears when the mousse failed to set. The soggy bottomed bake oozed out of the bottom of the tin, and she was inconsolable.

6. Botching the job

James Morton thought he'd blown it in the quarter-final of series four, when he tried to build a picturesque oak-framed barn out of gingerbread. When it began to collapse in on itself, James thought on his feet and cleverly changed the concept to a derelict haunted barn, complete with caramel cobwebs.

He was convinced it would spell the end of his stint in the tent. Instead, he was crowned star baker, went all the way to the final and became a successful published author.

5. A strudel-making faux pas

When slap-happy judge Paul Hollywood demonstrated his twist-and-throw dough-stretching technique, Cathryn Dresser copied it a little over-enthusiastically, sending her dough flying through the air and onto the tent floor.

4. Taking a battering

Jonathan Ross was branded "the worst celebrity contestant on The Great Comic Relief Bake Off" after Mary Berry allegedly declared his profiteroles to be "a bit like Yorkshire puddings".

3. Fondant memories

2012 semi-finalist Danny Bryden was left short of chocolate fondants when two of her puddings splattered down her leg and hit the floor.

2. Schoolgirl error

Great British Bake Off 2015 favourite Marie Campbell was eliminated when she forgot to turn on the oven, despite being nominated star baker the week previously. She also came under fire after it emerged she had received training at a top Paris cookery school.

"What's wrong with my oven?" she exclaimed, before the true horror of the situation dawned on her.

1. Baked Alaska-gate

But the biggest Bake Off disaster of all time (for now) has to be Ian Watters' molten Baked Alaska and the infamous "Bingate" episode.

A media frenzy erupted (it was even featured on Newsnight) when Belfast baker Iain Watters' Baked Alaska was seemingly tampered with by fellow contestant Diana Beard, and he threw it in the bin before storming out of the tent.

What's your favourite Great British Bake Off disaster moment? Tell us in the comment section below by logging in to your account, or you can register to comment, here.
The mother of a University of Utah student believed to have been shot to death by her ex-boyfriend was on the phone with her daughter when she was attacked.

"Suddenly, I heard her yell, 'No, no, no!'" said Jill McCluskey, describing her last conversation with her daughter Lauren. "I thought she might have been in a car accident. ... My husband called 911. I kept the line open and in a few minutes, a young woman picked up the phone and said all of Laurens things were on the ground," the mother said in statement released Tuesday.

Lauren, a 21-year-old senior who was a star on the college's track and field team, was shot and killed Monday night near the campus dorms, prompting a lockdown while police searched for a gunman.

The manhunt ended at about 2 a.m. Tuesday when police discovered the body of 37-year-old Melvin Rowland, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, inside the Trinity AME Church.

Jill McClusky's statement said her daughter had dated Rowland for about a month, but broke it off when she learned he lied to her about his name, age and criminal history. He also was a registered sex offender, according to a local report.

"She ended the relationship with her killer on Oct. 9, 2018. He had borrowed her car, and she requested for the University of Utah police [to] accompany her on Oct. 10, 2018 to get the car back. She blocked his and his friends phone numbers and complained to University of Utah police that she was being harassed," the mother said, according to the Deseret News.

Lauren had called her mom Monday between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. as the young woman returned to her apartment after attending a night class.

Then Lauren began screaming. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots, police said.

The student's body was found in the back seat of a car, and her cellphone and other belongings were found in another area of the parking lot, authorities said.

They did not provide details about who owned the car, or what Rowland may have said to his alleged victim.

Story continues

Lauren's parents are professors at Washington State University. Both said their daughter had complained of being harassed. Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown told a Tuesday press conference his department was "working to build a case" at the time of Lauren's death, though he did not give specifics about the investigation.

According to court records, Rowland was a registered sex offender following convictions for enticing a minor over the internet and attempted forcible sexual abuse, the paper reported.

Lauren was a communications major and would have graduated in May 2019.

"She loved to sing and had strength and determination. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed," her mother said.

A campus vigil is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday.

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Photo credit: Time Life Pictures - Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

Somewhere inside Americas sprawling space apparatus, a newly assembled team of NASA engineers has begun designing a spacecraft to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon. It would be humanitys first visit since the glory days of the 1960s.

The Lander Study Group, as its called inside NASA, put its very first ideas on paper within the past few weeks-that's according to a NASA presentation seen by Popular Mechanics. Whats most exciting about this nascent work is that the new lunar lander wont be a one-and-done like that of Apollo 11. This 21st century lander will make a round trip.

Introducing the Reusable Lunar Lander

Photo credit: Anatoly Zak

In this presentation, NASAs engineering team declared its intention to design a reusable crew cabin for the lander that comes with its own propulsion system. This part of the ship is called the ascent stage, and its responsible for the return of the crew from the surface of the Moon back to the lunar orbit. (The descent stage is focused on getting astronauts to the Moon safely, and as with the Apollo program, this stage would be left behind).

What makes the idea of a reusable lander possible is the fact that NASA and its international partners are already designing a small station for lunar orbit to be visited by crews at least once a year beginning in the mid-2020s. The idea is that the lunar lander would dock with this so-called Lunar Gateway and remain there while waiting for a fresh crew to arrive from Earth aboard NASAs Orion spacecraft.

With a reusable lander, the Lunar Gateway suddenly could be much more multi-dimensional to scientists, engineers, and space nerds alike. Instead of simply working onboard the Gateway in the emptiness of space , a part of the Orions crew can board the lander and make a sortie onto the lunar surface.

Between Man and the Moon

Photo credit: NASA - Getty Images

While the idea for a reusable lander makes logistical sense, some serious technical challenges stand in the way. For one, the Gateway will rest in a giant egg-shaped lunar orbit that, while good for some cases, is not the most convenient location for reaching the lunar surface in terms of gas mileage. Thats why the NASA team allocated a whopping 45 tons for the entire lander system, which is almost twice the Orions mass.

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The design team is also considering splitting the lander into three 15-ton segments: the crew cabin with the ascent engine, the descent stage, and the space tug. The space tug would do most of heavy lifting, pushing the lander away from its Gateway harbor toward the lowest possible lunar orbit, where the descent stage would then take over braking maneuvers.

As a result, the expendable descent stage, which would arrive with each new Orion crew (as well as propellant for the ascent engine), could have a minimum size, while the space tug could be used for multiple ferry trips. Both potentially reusable components of the lander-the ascent stage and the space tug-could be refueled in the lunar orbit from a 22-ton tanker sent from Earth.

Return to the Moon, Take Two

Photo credit: NASA

This reusable spacecraft is not the first lunar lander proposed since Apollo 11, the last crewed mission to the moon, returned in 1972. In the early 2000s, NASA drafted the impressive Altair lander for the Constellation program, President George W. Bushs vision for returning to the moon and then going to Mars. NASA abandoned Altair when the project ran into financial and political problems. The Orion spacecraft was the main survivor from the now-cancelled Constellation program, but without the lander, the four-seat capsule could only orbit the Moon.

In the intervening years, various aerospace contractors in U.S., Europe, and Russia tinkered with various lander designs, mostly at their own expense and without government approval. The latest example was the lander proposal from the Lockheed Martin revealed earlier this month.

Whats different about this study, though, is its NASA endorsement, and that its design is initiated within a framework of a wider multinational effort. While its still uncertain who will foot the bill for humanitys return trip to the Moon, several space agencies expressed optimism about their governments financial support.

Of course with these early-stage plans could change during the years of planning and development. But the Lander Study Groups reusable spacecraft is another compelling piece of evidence that humans are ready to go back to the Moon.

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Auction house Artcurial will be in the public eye this evening as it holds a sale in Paris that boasts three artworks by the famed bad-boy street artist, Banksy.

The British artist has cultivated his mystique after a print of one of his best-known works, Girl With a Balloon, slid half-way through a shredder embedded in its frame moments after it was sold at a Sothebys auction in London earlier this month.

Artcurial is the first auction house to sell prints by Banksy since the infamous Sothebys auction.

We have very strong interest and indeed a lot of media attending, a spokesperson told Yahoo Finance UK.

Banksy has promoted the shredding incident through videos and pictures on YouTube and his Instagram account.

Some people think it didnt really shred. It did. Some people think the auction house were in on it, they werent, he wrote on Instagram last week. A Banksy video shows he had planned for the work to be shredded entirely.

The woman who bid more than 1m ($1.3m) for the shredded print at Sothebys still went ahead with the purchase.

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, said the buyer, an unnamed female European collector, according to Sothebys.

Artcurial auctioneer Arnaud Oliveux has said he doesnt expect any more stunts, but he wouldnt mind if something happened.

Are we expecting it? Not really. Perhaps we are hoping for it, he said. I would love it if something happens.

The 2007 work Stop and Search by Banksy is expected to sell for up to 35,000. Photo: Artcurial

The items on auction tonight have much lower expected sale prices than the shredded work.

A subversive Banksy print of Queen Victoria engaged in a sexual act is expected to sell for up to 4,000 (3,530, $4,560). Another work showing a Tesco (TSCO.L) soup can is expected to sell for up to 20,000 (17,600, $22,800). The auction house believes another work showing the fictional character Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz will sell for as much as 35,000 (30,900, $39,900).





With files from Reuters
Seamus Leheny of Northern Irelands Freight Transport Association speaking to the committee. Pic: House of Commons

Northern Irish businesses would take a Northern Ireland-only backstop over a no-deal Brexit any day, the House of Commonss Exiting the European Union Committee heard on Wednesday.

Steven Kelly, chief executive of industry body Manufacturing NI, told the committee that if the choice was between no deal and the backstop, we would take the backstop absolutely.

Similarly, Seamus Leheny, policy manager of Northern Irelands Freight Transport Association said that the businesses he represents would choose the backstop over no deal any day.

READ MORE: Brexit could hit the lifeblood of Northern Irelands economy

Noting that a third of the 4.6 million commercial vehicles that cross the Irish border were from the agri-food industry, Leheny said that up to 4,000 commercial vehicles would have to stop for documentary ID checks in a no-deal scenario, and that up to 50% of those could be forced to stop for physical inspection.

The costs and the delays of that mean we would have to completely reinvent the supply chain really for the movement of these goods on the island of Ireland, he warned.

This would also affect the UK, he said, as many agri-food goods from Northern Ireland are transported via Dublin to Hollyhead, and on to supermarkets and other businesses in the midlands and south of England.

No deal is not an option for us, he said.

Declan Billington, the vice-chair of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, said that the agri-food industry had wanted the whole of the UK to remain in the European Unions single market and customs union. While he said that he knew that this would not be politically acceptable in some camps, his association was seeking a solution that could be delivered on a UK-wide basis.

Prime minister Theresa May has been seeking a UK-wide backstop as a way of avoiding committing to a Northern Ireland-specific backstop. While the bloc is reported to be considering the possibility of a UK-wide backstop, it is still likely to insist on a legally operable Northern Ireland-specific backstop.

Story continues

READ MORE: UK-wide customs union would still require Northern Ireland backstop

Aodhan Connolly, the director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said that, considering his organisation represented businesses that account for 70% of roll on, roll off freight traffic from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, any deal or backstop needed to have 0% tariffs, no new border frictions, and no new taxes.

If you could give me that, Id be very happy, he said.
A former speechwriter for President Barack Obama zinged Democrats as he addressed unfounded claims that are being made by President Donald Trump and other Republicans about the migrant caravan traveling through Mexico.

On Tuesdays broadcast of The Late Show, Jon Lovett pretended to agree with the right-wing conspiracy theory that leading Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were organizing the thousands of people from Central America heading for the U.S. because they wanted their votes.

I love the idea Democrats are organizing voters in Honduras when we cant even organize voters in Pennsylvania, Lovett told host Stephen Colbert.

Lovett, who appeared alongside his fellow Pod Save America podcasters Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau, also urged people not to look at polls as the November midterms approach.

It doesnt matter what the early votes look like, it doesnt what the polls look like, we could lose everything, he said. We lost everything two years ago, we could lose everything again. Oh my God.

Check out the clip here:

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Also on HuffPost

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Aurelio De Laurentiis a critique la forte implication du Qatar au Paris Saint-Germain. Le president de Naples a ouvertement drague Edinson Cavani.

Controversial Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has launched a surprising attack on Liverpool.

De Laurentiis, no stranger to an outburst in the media, took the surprise potshot at Merseyside while his own side were preparing for Wednesdays crunch tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

READ MORE:

Man Uniteds shambolic investments lack a grand designREAD MORE: Why Pjanic was key to Juventus domination

And after being prompted about the future of PSG star Edinson Cavani  who will make a return to his former club  the Italian deflected the chat.

Can you imagine waking up every day in Liverpool? You only have the house of the Beatles, Abbey Road, he told Le Parisien.

In Paris, theres loads of things to see, but the climate isnt great like in Naples.





Youd have to be crazy not to be happy in Naples. At home, I have the best view of Rome, but Id always swap it for that of Naples, just like my house in Los Angeles. These kids (the players) have to wake up, train and theyre done for the day. We pay them to have fun.

They also have the freedom of living in an idyllic situation.
Both Hamas (pictured) and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority were accused of torture - AP

Palestinian security forces regularly torture prisoners and arrest political opponents to crush dissent in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday.

A new report said both the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) and its rivals in Hamas make systematic use of torture and widespread arrests which could amount to crimes against humanity.

HRW called on Britain, the US, and the EU cut off funding for the PAs security forces until they stop torturing detainees and investigate officers of accused of abuse. The group also called on Qatar, Iran, and Turkey to halt their funding for Hamas.

Both the PA and Hamas security forces denied to HRW that they practice torture and said they investigate all allegations of abuse.

Tom Porteous, deputy programme director at HRW, said those claims were not accurate. Calls by Palestinian officials to safeguard Palestinian rights ring hollow as they crush dissent, he said.

In one of the most disturbing allegations, HRW said PA security forces arrested a 32-year-old civil servant and tied a cord around his genitals for eight hours, causing them to swell and turn blue.

The man said his captors kept him a small room known as the closet, roughly 60cm by 60cm, where he struggled to breath. He said he was kept in the room for 22 hours a day for 22 days in a detention facility in Jericho in the West Bank.

Hamas police burn drugs in Gaza Credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

His interrogators wanted him to confess to taking part in a murder he had seen a month earlier. If you do not speak, you will be destroyed, one security officer reportedly told him.

Other detainees in Hamas prisons in Gaza said they were beaten and kept in painful stress positions for hours at a time in a room they called the bus.

HRW said both the PA and Hamas suppressed free speech, arrested critics, stifled the media, and prevented people from taking to the streets to protest.

The PA and Hamas have both clamped down on the major outlets for dissent available to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, the report said.

Story continues

One Palestinian journalist was arrested in Gaza for 15 days after publishing a post on Facebook asking if the children of Hamas leaders sleep on the floor like ours do. The journalist was charged with misuse of technology.

A man is dragged away by what appear to be plain clothed Palestinian security forces, during protests in Ramallah pic.twitter.com/7DLwL5V0e4  Joe (@joedyke) June 13, 2018

Both Gaza and parts of the West Bank were under PA control until 2007, when Hamas overthrew the PA government in Gaza and seized power. The PA has been left with control of sections of the West Bank, while Israel maintains control of most of it.

The report found that repression in both Gaza and the West Bank had become worse as the PA and Hamas hunted each others supporters in their territory. Where they have autonomy, they have developed parallel police states, said Mr Porteous.

HRW has previously accused Israels security forces of torturing Palestinian detainees and abusing children taking into Israeli custody. Israel denies the claims.

The latest HRW report is unlikely to have much impact on Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the US and EU and is supported by states like Iran with dismal human rights records of their own.

But the report may put strong pressure on the PA security forces, who are largely funded by the West. The US and EU both support the PA and argue that the Palestinian security forces play a major role in preventing violence against Israel.

A spokesman for the PA prime minister did not respond to a request for comment.

Israeli and PA security forces cooperate closely against Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, although neither side is eager to discuss the relationship in public.
Washington (AFP) - Vice President Mike Pence suggested Tuesday that leftist groups financed by Venezuela might be behind the caravan of Central American migrants headed toward the US border.

Speaking at a forum hosted by The Washington Post, Pence said he had been in contact with the presidents of Honduras and Guatemala about the unfolding situation.

He said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez told him the caravan "was organized by leftist groups in Honduras financed by Venezuela and sent north to challenge our sovereignty and challenge our border."

The Wall Street Journal editorial board and the conservative Heritage Foundation also have highlighted reports that the caravan was organized by a former Honduran lawmaker, Bartolo Fuentes, of the leftist Libre party.

Fuentes was deported from Guatemala on Friday after being arrested for entering the country illegally with Honduran migrants who had trekked from San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

The Honduran newspaper La Tribuna quoted Fuentes on October 16 as acknowledging that he and other Libre members organized the caravan through Facebook.

Libre was founded by a coalition of leftist groups led by Manuel Zelaya, a former Honduran president and ally of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Zelaya was ousted by the military in 2009.

Pence said the United States was working closely with Mexico to keep the caravan, estimated to have grown to 7,000 people, from crossing the border.

"We're going to do everything in our power to prevent this caravan from coming north and violating our border," he said.
Roughly two-thirds of Americans support legalizing marijuana, marking a record-high approval rate, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Sixty-six percent of survey respondents support legalizing weed  a stance more and more Americans have taken this stance since 2000, when 31 percent endorsed legalization.

The survey found that support for legalization among Americans 55 and older had also increased, jumping from 50 percent to 59 percent since last year. Support across the East, West, South and Midwest regions is now about equal.

Like support for gay marriage  and in prior years, interracial marriage  support for marijuana legalization has generally only expanded, even if slowly, over the course of multiple decades  raising the question of where the ceiling in support might be, Gallups Justin McCarthy wrote.

Legal weed is now supported by a majority of Americans across various demographics. (Photo: News18)

The record-high support comes in spite of Attorney General Jeff Sessions rolling back Obama-era legislation on marijuana usage and paving the way for federal crackdowns on states that have legalized the drug. Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws authorizing use of recreational marijuana, medical marijuana or both.

The substance remains federally classified as a Schedule I drug that has no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, despite broad research findings to the contrary. And although there are no recorded instances of anyone dying from a fatal dose of marijuana alone, the federal government considers it to be more dangerous than cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

The Gallup poll was conducted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10, just before Canada became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana. Meanwhile, in the U.S., voters in four states are considering ballot measures in the upcoming midterm elections that would allow recreational or medical marijuana use.

Past Gallup polling has indicated support for legalizing marijuana across political demographics. For the first time, the majority of Republicans joined Democrats last year in supporting legalization.

Story continues

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Flying 1,500 feet above the Antarctic coast, NASA scientists recently passed over a bizarrely straight-edged rectangular iceberg and snapped a picture of the floating slab.

While an intriguing image for the many of us who don't take aerial surveys of the changing, cracking, and melting Antarctic coast, these "tabular" icebergs are a common sight for scientists working in Antarctica.

"It's not uncommon to see that in Antarctica  although that [the tabular iceberg spotted by NASA] is a fresh and sharp looking one," Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, said in an interview.

From yesterday's #IceBridge flight: A tabular iceberg can be seen on the right, floating among sea ice just off of the Larsen C ice shelf. The iceberg's sharp angles and flat surface indicate that it probably recently calved from the ice shelf. pic.twitter.com/XhgTrf642Z  NASA ICE (@NASA_ICE) October 17, 2018

"The ice shelves that produce the icebergs are extremely flat and expansive, so we often see nearby tabular icebergs similar to the one seen in the photo," Brooke Medley, NASA's Operation IceBridge deputy project scientist, added over email.

For years, Antarctic scientists have documented the curiously straight-edged icebergs floating in the water after snapping off from ice shelves  the ends of massive glaciers that float over the ocean.

In 2008 the British Antarctic Survey flew over a whole collection of these freakishly perfect tabular icebergs, which had broken off of the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The strange icebergs really become visible at about 8 seconds in:

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"It's just amazing," said Scambos of the Wilkins tabular icebergs. "There are hundreds of them."

"There's a whole field of these impossibly square blocks," he added.

Whether it's the recent tabular iceberg captured by NASA off the Larson C Ice Shelf, or the Wilkins blocks above, the method of their creation is the same.

SEE ALSO: This scientist keeps winning money from people who bet against climate change

The expansive ice shelves that create the icebergs are hanging off of Antarctic land, somewhat similar to the flimsy tape extended out from a tape measure.

"After a while, a tape measure will bend from its own weight," Catherine Walker, a NASA scientist who researches Antarctic glaciers, said in an interview.

Satellite images showing the 2008 Wilkin's Ice Shelf collapse.

Image: Formosat/Dr. Cheng-Chien Liu, National Cheng-Kung University and Dr. An-Ming Wu, National Space Organization, Taiwan/Nasa

"Usually, you get a certain point in which you pass its [the iceberg's] ability to hold itself up," said Walker. "Then you get a straight line where it calves."

Generally, ice shelves are very uniform substances, added Scambos. "In general, if you just have a long, flat plate you can have long, straight cracks."

This iceberg captured by NASA  akin to the Wilkins icebergs  was also pretty new and fresh, which certainly helped its profoundly sharp, almost unnatural appearance.

A semi-circle shaped iceberg with vertical sides, from the Venable Ice Shelf.

Image: nasa

"That shape is not hugely surprising," said Walker. "It's relatively new and not rounded off by melting or anything like that  a new piece of broken glass is sharp."

A month from now, however, waves and melting will likely eat away at the iceberg's sharp, right-angled form. But for now, it's in near-perfect shape  even if we can't quite see the entire slab.

"The scale of icebergs is often hard to convey," said Medley. "While I wasn't on this flight, it's important to remember that several of these icebergs cannot fit in the full camera frame due to their immensity."
By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Security forces of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's rival Hamas group routinely arrest and torture critics and opponents to try to stifle dissent, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Officials of the PA and Hamas denied the allegations of systematic abuse, made by the New York-based rights group, and said they were ready to investigate reports of mistreatment. In a report, Human Rights Watch said it documented more than two dozen cases of Palestinians detained by the PA or Gaza's ruling Hamas Islamists "for no clear reason beyond writing a critical article or Facebook posting or belonging to the wrong student group or political movement". Palestinian forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Gaza often put detainees into painful stress positions for prolonged periods - a practice similar to that which Israel has inflicted on Palestinians in its custody, the report said. "The habitual, deliberate, widely known use of torture, using similar tactics over years with no action taken by senior officials in either authority to stop these abuses, make these practices systematic. They also indicate that torture is governmental policy for both the PA and Hamas," it said. In the 25 years since Palestinians gained a degree of self-rule under interim peace deals, "their authorities have established machineries of repression to crush dissent", the report added. In comments to Reuters, Palestinian Authority and Hamas officials denied any pattern of mistreatment. "We do not have a policy of torture. This is a violation of the law," said Eyad Al-Bozom, spokesman of the Hamas-run ministry of interior in Gaza. "We have taken action against officers who violated the law, including issues of torture. Some were detained and put on trial, others were demoted," he said. Major-General Adnan Al-Dmairi, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority's security forces, said: "Arrests are being carried according to the law and we are committed to upholding the law." The rights group, urging a cut-off of foreign aid to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, said evidence it collected contradicted contentions that abuse occurred only in isolated cases and that wrongdoers were held to account. Human Rights Watch said it had met Palestinian intelligence services in the West Bank but was unable to accept a Hamas offer to come to Gaza because Israel refused to grants permits to HRW officials to cross into the enclave. In May, Israel revoked a work permit issued to Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch's local representative, accusing the U.S. national of supporting a boycott against it, an allegation he denied. Shakir challenged the decision in an Israeli court, and the case is continuing. Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. "As the Fatah-Hamas feud deepened despite attempts at reconciliation, PA security services have targeted supporters of Hamas and vice versa," Human Rights Watch said. (Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
For the first time, Mohammed bin Salman is facing widespread international criticism - Anadolu

Exactly a year ago, Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, was on top of the world.

Or more specifically, he was on stage at the first Davos in the Desert investment summit in Riyadh, happily discussing his plans for a $500 billion (385 billion) new Saudi mega city.

Western politicians and international business leaders flocked to hear the young prince describe his vision of a reformed Saudi economy and of a gentler society freed from the grip of hardline clerics.

Today, Crown Prince Mohammed at the centre of an international storm over allegations that he ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The same global elites who raced to Riyadh last year are nowhere to be seen this year. The conference hall at the Ritz-Carlton hotel remains packed but few of the attendees are from major US or European firms.

The fall from international favour is the latest dramatic turn in the life of the 33-year-old heir to the throne, who has gone in a few short years from an unknown royal to one of the Middle Easts most powerful men.

Widely known by his initials MBS, Crown Prince Mohammed is one of the younger sons of the current monarch King Salman and a favourite among his 13 children.

King Salman is 82 and in declining mental health Credit: EPA/MAST IRHAM

He has been groomed for leadership ever since King Salman took the throne in 2015, and unlike many of his siblings he was educated in Saudi Arabia not in the West.

He was appointed defence minister at the age 29 but his authority has spread to almost all corners of the Saudi government, earning him the nickname Mr Everything from some foreign diplomats.

His 82-year-old father is declining mentally and has handed his son broad powers over the economy. MBS has also been a driving force behind Saudi Arabias more aggressive foreign policy, including its disastrous bombing campaign in Yemen and the diplomatic effort to isolate Qatar.

In June last year, King Salman moved dramatically to re-order the Saudi line of succession and shift the direction of the kingdoms future. He removed the serving crown prince, his 58-year-old nephew Mohammed bin Nayaf, and gave the title to MBS instead.

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The decision overturned years of tradition in which the Saudi crown is passed sideways from brother-to-brother or cousin-to-cousin and instead set Saudi Arabia on a course where the son would inherit the fathers throne.

In 17 months since Crown Prince Mohammed was elevated, he has moved with unbridled aggression both at home and abroad, smashing what had previously been a slow-moving Saudi governing system based on consensus among the elite.

The crown prince imprisoned many of his rivals at the Ritz-Carlton Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

He pushed through high-profile social reforms, like allowing women to drive and re-opening cinemas, although he has done little to ease the guardianship laws which severely restrict the rights of female Saudi citizens.

Unlike his father, Crown Prince Mohammed has only one wife, a princess named Sara bint Mashoor. Little is known about her but the couple are believed to have four children.

In November last year, he announced an anti-corruption drive which saw Saudi police arrest many of his fellow princes and some of the kingdoms leading business figures. Analysts saw the move as an effort to consolidate power and crush any potential rivals.

At the same time, Crown Prince Mohammed summoned Saad Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, and effectively imprisoned him in Saudi Arabia and ordered him to resign his position in protest at Irans influence in Lebanon.

Mr Hariri was eventually freed and resumed his post after the intervention of France and other Western powers. But the crown prince did not pay any major price for flouting of international norms.

Saad Hariri was imprisoned in Riyadh and forced to resign his post Credit: (Future TV via AP)

All the while, Saudi Arabia continued its three-year bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. While human rights groups criticised the kingdom for the level of civilian casualties and for a devastating blockade that has fueled famine, MBS has retained the backing of the US and UK.

His support from Donald Trump, the US president, and his close relationship with Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, has insulated him from opponents at home and abroad.

One of the key questions of the Khashoggi crisis is whether the White House will rethink the trust it has put in a man it sees as a dynamic reformer, a reliable opponent of Iran, and a potential lynchpin of a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians.

Even if the White House stands by him, his international reputation has certainly been tarnished for the time being.

In the summer of 2018 he embarked on a high-profile tour of the US and met with Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and other leading figures from Hollywood and Silicon Valley.

Crown Prince Mohammed was once feted by international business leaders Credit: FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

These same figures are unlikely to agree to another photo opportunity with the crown prince while Mr Khashoggis murder is fresh in the public mind, although they will likely quietly continue do business with the kingdom.

Crown Prince Mohammed is likely to keep a lower profile for the time being as he licks his wounds and reflects on Western leaders who have not stood by him. Expect the Kremlin to aggressively court the young leader and whisper to him that the US and Europe cannot be relied upon.
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia's crown prince denounced the "repulsive" murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and vowed justice will prevail, in his first public comments on the case, without addressing US accusations of a monumental cover-up.

Speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh, due to end on Thursday, the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged there would be "no rupture" in ties with Ankara, after the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul triggered a diplomatic crisis.

"The incident was very painful for all Saudis, it's a repulsive incident and no one can justify it," he said in Arabic, during an address to the Future Investment Initiative forum on Wednesday.

"Those responsible will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail."

The prince, faced with mounting international censure, appeared relaxed as he shared the stage with Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad.

Three weeks since Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen living in self-imposed exile, disappeared after walking into the consulate to obtain marriage documents, the crisis shows no sign of abating.

Washington, a long-time ally of Riyadh, moved late Tuesday to revoke the visas of several Saudis. Britain followed suit on Wednesday as France said it was ready to back international sanctions against those responsible.

Saudi leaders have denied involvement in Khashoggi's murder, pushing responsibility down the chain of command.

- 'No rift' -

But Ankara has been holding its own investigation and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the killing was meticulously planned, calling for 18 Saudis detained by Saudi authorities to be tried in Turkey.

Erdogan on Wednesday spoke with Prince Mohammed in their first telephone conversation since the killing, a Turkish presidential source and Saudi state media said.

The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.

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Speaking at the investment forum, Prince Mohammed said: "Many are trying to exploit the Khashoggi affair to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey."

But, he said, "they will not succeed as long as there is a king named Salman and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman."

Since becoming heir apparent last year, Prince Mohammed has won plaudits for reforms, including ending a decades-long ban on women drivers.

But his image has been tarnished by Khashoggi's murder, despite repeated denials that he was involved.

The investment conference, nicknamed "Davos in the desert" and aimed at drumming up funds to help Riyadh diversify its oil-reliant economy, has been overshadowed by the outcry over Khashoggi's murder and a string of global business leaders withdrew from the three-day event.

While addressing the forum on Wednesday, the crown prince also adopted a light tone and joked about allegations that Lebanon's premier-designate Hariri was detained in the kingdom last year, saying he hoped his current visit does not spark "abduction" rumours.

- 'Worst cover-up' -

Riyadh's changing narrative over what happened inside the consulate on October 2 has met with deep scepticism abroad.

US President Donald Trump described the killing as "one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," and appeared to finger Prince Mohammed in telling the Wall Street Journal: "Well, the prince is running things over there... so if anybody were going to be, it would be him."

Faced with calls from US lawmakers across the political spectrum for tough measures, the State Department said it had identified 21 Saudis either whose visas would be revoked or who would be ineligible for future visas.

"We are making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

British Prime Minister Teresa May said Britain was "taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK".

France added that it would take "punitive measures" if Saudi Arabia was "proven" to be behind the murder.

- 'Savage murder' -

Turkish pro-government media reported Wednesday that Turkish intelligence had shared "all the evidence" from its probe with the CIA.

This included video and audio recordings from the consulate and the consul's residence, and was shared with visiting CIA chief Gina Haspel, the Sabah newspaper reported.

The location of Khashoggi's corpse remains unknown.

Turkish state media reported Wednesday that Saudi authorities had denied permission for Turkish police to search a well in the consulate's garden.

Erdogan vowed Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with "savage murder".

"It is not over yet," he said. "We are unravelling, dismantling (the case) and the world is closely following."

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By Kay Johnson and Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has agreed to give Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to $3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports to help stave off a current account crisis, Pakistan's government said on Tuesday. The $6 billion total exceeds forecasts by analysts and will likely reduce the size of any bailout Pakistan it receives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with whom it is currently engaged in talks on a rescue package. The Saudi agreement came as new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attended a Saudi investment conference that has been boycotted by several other leaders over the death of a dissident Saudi writer at the country's consulate in Istanbul. Khan had said before departing that his country is "desperate" to shore up its foreign currency reserves, which are at a four-year low, equivalent to less than two months' imports and barely enough to make its debt repayments through the rest of the year. Finance Minister Asad Umar this month requested talks with the IMF for the country's second bailout in five years. An IMF team is due to visit Pakistan to open negotiations on Nov. 7. Khan had however sought to avoid going to the IMF and still wants to at least reduce the size of any bailout by appealing to "friendly countries" for bilateral financial support. Khan had visited Saudi Arabia last month in his first overseas trip since taking office in August, but that trip failed to produce any significant assistance, despite Pakistani media reports of agreements on deferred oil payments. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night said the latest visit had met with success. "It was agreed Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of $3 billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support," the ministry said in a statement. "It was also agreed that a one year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to $3 billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia. This arrangement will be in place for three years, which will be reviewed thereafter." Khan is scheduled to visit China next week. Pakistani officials have been concerned the United States, which has fallen out with Islamabad, will push the IMF to impose harsh conditions on Pakistan as part of any bailout. Pakistani analysts say reducing the size of the bailout package needed from the IMF would shore up Pakistan's weak position during negotiations with the fund. (Writing by Kay Johnson and Drazen Jorgic; Editing by David Holmes and Andrew Roche)
Oyem (Gabon) (AFP) - In Gabon the majestic kevazingo tree, its tropical hardwood highly valued in Asia for upmarket furniture, is also held to be sacred by generations of forest dwellers in equatorial Africa.

Chopping down the kevazingo tree, which can grow to more than 500 years old, has been outlawed in Gabon since March, but that hasn't eased environmental fears.

A loophole in the law allows the sale of the prized wood if felled trees were abandoned or seized from illegal loggers which environmentalists say only encourages further exploitation.

The ban on felling the trees is intended to "limit trafficking in this wood", explains Simplice Nteme, the national director general of waterways and forests, which cover 85 percent of the west African country.

But for Martial, a 54-year-old resident of Oyem, capital of the northern Woleu-Ntem region, little has changed.

"They tell us that kevazingo is no longer cut, but we see lorries loaded with kevazingo logs leaving the forest to go to the capital Libreville," he told AFP.

The government insists it is taking away kevazingo that is considered "abandoned" after lying on the ground for six months after being chopped down.

"Who can cut down a kevazingo tree and then just leave it there?" asks Marc Ona, president of the Gabonese environmental NGO Brainforest.

"We've noticed in long years of work that some companies or even villagers, sometimes with other accomplices, chop wood illegally, then recover it six months later as abandoned wood," adds Luc Mathot, president of Conservation Justice, a group combatting wood trafficking and poaching in Gabon.

"So this is a way of laundering illegal wood," he claims.

- Villagers blockade -

The heavy, dense kevazingo wood ranges in colour from pinkish red to ruddy brown. Chopping down an ancient giant is a major enterprise, from clearing the surrounding area to digging a ramp to hold the trunk when it falls.

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More than 150 forestry firms have been welcomed to Gabon, where the industry accounts for about five percent of the gross domestic product.

Since 2014, timber companies have been legally obliged to give money to village committees to help pay for such services as schools and clinics.

In practice, locals may well end up mounting roadblocks to remind some loggers of this responsibility.

"It's unfortunate, but we are often forced to put up a show of strength in order to be heard," says Herve Allogo, a villager from Essong Medzome, near Oyem, manning a barricade of logs.

Timber firms tend to lay the blame for shortfalls in community support on internal constraints or outside factors, and also claim villagers lack information.

"Administration is slow, because projects must be approved at several levels," says Sylvain Ibouanga Mbouma, a director of Compagnie Dan Gabon, a Chinese firm active in the north.

The state is keen to promote the wood processing industry inside Gabon, rather than export raw timber for value-added treatment elsewhere.

On a manufacturing estate near Libreville, massive kevazingo logs are taken in charge by Asian firms to be carved into furniture for foreign markets, says Kumar Mohan, who runs logistics for the Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ).

The GSEZ -- a partnership between the state and agri-business multinational Olam -- earns 50,000 CFA francs (76 euros / $87) for each cubic metre (35 cubic feet) of the timber and the state receives 25 percent of the value of a log, Nteme says.

The price soars astronomically when logs have sufficient girth to yield products entirely carved out of a single chunk of wood. One cubic metre can then fetch anywhere between 400,000 CFA francs (610 euros) and 1.2 million CFA francs (1,800 euros), according to business sources.

Enterprising business people have moved in to claim a share of the earnings by being told to find and recover abandoned kevazingo wood and take it to a depot where it can be fetched by the GSEZ.

These individuals, who are usually members of the General Conferation of Small and Medium Businesses and Industries (CGPMEI) or the Collective of Gabonese Foresters and Industrial Workers (Cofiga), say they receive 30 percent of the value of a cubic metre.

They also say that they pass on 12 percent of the sum to villagers who identified the kevazingo for them in the first place.

Legally, however, kevazingo trees are the property of the state, which estimates that Gabon possesses five million cubic metres in viable resources.

- No new cutting down -

Since March and the chopping ban, Nteme's national forestry agency says it has observed no new cutting down of kevazingo trees.

"At the latest, all the kevazingo wood will have been brought out by December and that will be the end," the director says.

But CGPMEI chairman Emmanuel Nzue warns that "the vicious cycle in the kevazingo business is that the more international demand there is, the more illegal chopping there is."

Before the joint venture with the GSEZ, Nzue sold kevazingo directly to Asian manufacturers who paid "in cash", he says.

His business was founded on recovering illegally cut timber from the forest and was thus a legal activity, Nzue told AFP.

And most wood left on the ground of the forest is "of illegal origin", according to Conservation Justice.

But Nzue also admits that the new restrictions on kevazingo may very well lead Asian clients to lose interest in this wood.
Suspicious packages addressed to top Democrats and CNNs New York headquarters were recovered by law enforcement officials in multiple locations on Wednesday.

The U.S. Secret Service said it had intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

A third suspicious package found in the mailroom of the Time Warner Center in New York City forced the evacuation of the building, which houses CNNs New York bureau.

The package addressed to Bill and Hillary Clintons home in Chappaqua, N.Y., was recovered late Tuesday, the Secret Service said in a statement to Yahoo News. A second package addressed to Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, D.C., early Wednesday. The Secret Service screens all mail addressed to those it protects; the Clintons and Obamas have had a Secret Service detail since serving in the White House.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the statement read. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

Clockwise from top: An NYPD bomb squad stands outside the Time Warner Center in New York City; police officers outside a property owned by Hillary and Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, N.Y.; mailboxes at the entrance to a house owned by George Soros in Bedford, N.Y.; Secret Service officers at a checkpoint near the home of Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. (Photos: Kevin Coombs/Reuters, Seth Wenig/AP, Alex Brandon/AP, Seth Wenig/AP)

Hillary Clinton, who is in Florida campaigning for Democratic congressional candidate Donna Shalala, was not home at the time.

We are fine, thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home, Clinton said before a rally for Shalala on Wednesday. Every day we are grateful for their service and commitment and obviously never more than today.

The Secret Service said it has initiated a full scope criminal investigation to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

Thank you to the @SecretService and all law enforcement agencies who responded to this week's incidents. They work tirelessly to keep our country and communities safe. I am forever grateful for their efforts.  Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) October 24, 2018

The discovery of the three packages comes just two days after a pipe bomb was found in the Bedford, N.Y., mailbox of billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Soros, like the Clintons, lives in New Yorks Westchester County. According to the New York Times, the device sent to the Clintons was similar to the one sent to Soros, a liberal donor who has long been the target of conservative conspiracies.

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Officials told ABC News that the devices found in packages addressed to Soros, Clinton and Obama appear to be of similar pipe bomb-style construction.

NBC News reported that the return address on the suspicious packages sent to Soros, Clinton and Obama belonged to Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla., a former Democratic National Committee official. Wasserman-Schultzs offices in Sunrise, Fla., were evacuated Wednesday after a suspicious package was found mailed there, local police said.

According to CNN, the package that triggered the evacuations there was intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder but included the wrong address, so it was returned to Wasserman-Schultzs offices.

Meanwhile, multiple news organizations reported that a suspicious package addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was intercepted Wednesday at a congressional mail facility.

Police use a robotic vehicle to investigate a suspicious package in the building where Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has an office in Sunrise, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Waters, a frequent target of President Trump during his stump speeches across the country, released a statement Wednesday afternoon about the incident.

I have been informed by U.S. Capitol Police that my Washington, D.C., office was the target of a suspicious package that has been referred to the FBI, Waters said. I am appreciative of the law enforcement entities who intercepted the package and are investigating this matter. I unequivocally condemn any and all acts of violence and terror.

Earlier Wednesday, a spokesman for New Castle Police Department said its officers assisted Secret Service and the FBIs New York field office after the package addressed to Clinton was discovered.

In a statement, the FBI said its Joint Terrorism Task Force was taking the lead in the investigation.

At the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders issued a statement condemning the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures.

These terrorizing acts are despicable, she added. And anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

Vice President Mike Pence also condemned the attempted attacks in a tweet. President Trump retweeted Pence, adding: I agree wholeheartedly!

At a previously scheduled event at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Trump issued a longer statement condemning the attempted attacks.

The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority, he said. In these times, we have to unify. We have to come together, and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.

Shortly after 10 a.m. ET, the Time Warner Center was evacuated after a suspicious package was discovered in the mailroom. An alarm in the building went off as CNN hosts Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto were live on the air.

They continued reporting from their cell phones after they were evacuated.

Here's the moment CNN had to handoff to DC and evacuate Time Warner Center in New York pic.twitter.com/TUtnWrss9z  Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) October 24, 2018

The NYPD cordoned off several blocks around Columbus Circle, where the Time Warner Center is located. The device was removed by the citys bomb squad and taken to a location in the Bronx, where it could be safely detonated.

The package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan. Brennan, who has appeared on CNN, is an MSNBC contributor.

At a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, NYPD Commissioner James ONeill said the device sent to CNN appeared to be live.

Photos of the bomb and package sent to CNN pic.twitter.com/nBq3ArtChJ  Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 24, 2018

ONeill said the package also contained a white powder, which is being analyzed.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo initially said a similar device had been sent to his offices in Manhattan, but his spokesman later tweeted that a preliminary investigation on the package at @NYGovCuomos office shows it is computer files on the hate group, The Proud Boys, who recently appeared in New York.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the mailing of the suspected explosive devices was an effort to terrorize.

This is clearly an act of terror, de Blasio said, attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence.

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Read more from Yahoo News:
South Korean residents who smoke cannabis in Canada will be punished on their return home, the country's authorities have warned.

The North American nation became the second country in the world after Uruguay to legalise recreational marijuana last week, a move that has triggered global debate around decriminalisation of the drug.

But South Koreans living in there were told earlier this week to stay away from the drug.

"Weed smokers will be punished according to the Korean law, even if they did so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There won't be an exception, said Yoon Se-jin, head of the anti-drugs division at Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial police agency.

Those found guilty could face up to five years in prison

Korean police also said they plan to hold workshops in Canada and Uruguay to make clear the risks of smoking cannabis in the two countries, The Korea Times reported.

Related Video: Cannabis in Canada Running Low After Legalization

Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View.



Around 23,000 Koreans with student visas are living in Canada, according to ministry of foreign affairs data.

All of South Koreas laws apply to its citizens no matter where they are in the world and those breaking them can theoretically be prosecuted on their return to the East Asian country.

In contrast, Britains former chief police officer has called on the government to look into legalising cannabis.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has called for an urgent review of the evidence and said the Home Office must reconsider its position on the drug following Canadas legalisation.

If I was home secretary, I would have an urgent commission of experts to look at the evidence about whats happening about cannabis in North America, Sir Bernard told Channel 4s Dispatches programme.

The Home Office has insisted decriminalisation of cannabis would not eliminate illicit trade or the harms caused by drug addiction.
Starfish collected in the 1970s already had plastic in their stomachs - EdinburghElitemedia.co.uk

Deep sea creatures living off the Outer Hebrides have been feeding on plastic for at least four decades, researchers have discovered

Scientists examined archived specimens of animals collected more than 2,000m (6,561.8ft) down in the Rockall Trough off the Western Isles.

Traces of eight different plastics were found in the stomachs of the starfish, sea stars and brittle stars.

The creatures were collected between 1976 and 2015.

Polyester and nylon were among the plastics identified by the researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, suggesting they may have come from the washing of synthetic clothes.

The study has been published in Environmental Pollution, and follows SAMS research last year that suggested 48 per cent of sampled starfish and snails from the Rockall Trough had eaten microscopic pieces of plastic.

Mass production of plastics only began in the 1940s and 1950s, so it would be reasonable to expect less plastic in our earlier samples, with a subsequent upward trend to the present-day levels," said lead author Winnie Courtene-Jones, a doctoral student at the University of the Highlands and Islands and SAMS.

"But we haven't seen that. In fact, the level of microplastic ingestion is remarkably similar throughout the time series.

"This data shows, for the first time, the long-term prevalence of microplastic pollution in the deep sea and indicated that microplastics may have been present on the sea floor of the Rockall Trough prior to 1976."

The researchers had access to historical records collected from the annual Ellett Line scientific cruise, which began in 1975 and takes samples and observations at monitoring stations between Scotland and Iceland.

SAMS deep-sea ecologist and co-author on the report, Dr Bhavani Narayanaswamy, said: "To find such high levels of microplastic ingestion among deep-sea creatures sampled more than 40 years ago shows that plastic pollution in our oceans is not a new problem.

"Previous studies have highlighted the current levels of plastic pollution, or given us a snapshot in time, but we need more long-term data like this if we are to find out the true extent of the problem."
Authorities are investigating a series of suspicious packages sent to CNN as well as several high-profile Democrats.

The packages appeared to contain pipe bombs, officials said. No injuries have been reported.

Lawmakers and media personalities on Wednesday called for an end to aggressive, partisan rhetoric in the wake of the incidents.

Law enforcement officials are investigating suspicious packages containing potential explosive devices sent to several prominent Democrats, including Hillary and Bill Clinton and former President Barack Obama, as well as CNN.

The packages  all mailed in manila envelopes with bubble wrap interior  are being sent for analysis at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, the agency said Wednesday afternoon.

Devices were sent late Tuesday to the Clintons home in Chappaqua, New York, roughly 30 miles north of New York City, and early Wednesday to Obamas office in Washington, D.C., according to the Secret Service.

CNN reported Wednesday evening that investigators were tracking down an additional suspicious package apparently addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden. Citing two unnamed law enforcement officials, CNNs Jim Sciutto said authorities had considered the package a threat because it appeared similar to the others mailed this week.

Breaking: Law enforcement officials tracking down package addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden, considered suspicious because of similarities to other packages, two law enforcement sources tell CNN  Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) October 25, 2018

Reuters later confirmed the news about the mailing to Biden.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the Secret Service said in a statement about the first mailings. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

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CNNs New York newsroom was evacuated Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing a device that appeared to be a pipe bomb was discovered in the mailroom, along with an envelope containing white powder that is currently being tested, New York City Police Commissioner James ONeill told reporters.

The package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, CNN reported. Brennan, a contributor for NBC and MSNBC, does not for work for CNN.

This is a photograph of the suspicious package sent to the CNN building in New York City earlier this morning. Police say it appeared to be a live explosive device. https://t.co/aG9JsTfwhx pic.twitter.com/tcICHJErda  CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 24, 2018

The explosive device sent to CNNs headquarters appears to have been sent by the same individual or individuals who sent the packages to the Clintons and Obama, NYPDs chief of counterterrorism said. The same person or group is also expected to be behind an explosive device sent to prominent Democratic donor George Soros earlier this week.

Its unclear what motivated the individual or individuals to send the apparent explosive devices, though all of the intended victims are frequently subjects of President Donald Trumps ire. The president has repeatedly attacked CNN as fake news, called for Hillary Clinton to be thrown in prison, and claimed to be the victim of a conspiratorial takedown by Soros and Democrats.

All of the packages under investigation had Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, listed as the return sender, though her name was misspelled as Shultz, the FBI confirmed.

A suspicious package found at Wasserman Schultzs office in Sunrise, Florida, on Wednesday had been addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder but was rerouted to her address based on the return label.

Wasserman Schultz issued a statement denouncing the attempted violence and said she was deeply disturbed by the way [her] name was used.

JUST IN: Rep Wasserman Schultz Statement on Suspicious Packages pic.twitter.com/SlqB4DU0wN  Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) October 24, 2018

The FBI confirmed on Wednesday night that two suspicious packages addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) had also been intercepted.

According to CNN, one of the packages was discovered at a congressional mail sorting facility while the second was found at a Los Angeles postal facility.

Earlier Wednesday, Waters confirmed that her office had been told about at least one of the suspicious packages.

I have been informed by U.S. Capitol Police that my Washington, D.C. office was the target of a suspicious package that has been referred to the FBI, Waters told HuffPost in a statement. I unequivocally condemn any and all acts of violence and terror.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) also said a device had been sent to his office in Manhattan. However, an NYPD sergeant confirmed to HuffPost that it was not a suspicious package but rather was a letter and a USB drive that contained electronic files on violent, right-wing group Proud Boys and is not thought to pose any threat.

Several news outlets initially reported that a separate package had been sent to the White House. The Secret Service said the reports were incorrect.

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CLARIFICATION: At this time the Secret Service has intercepted TWO suspicious packages - one in NY and one in D.C. Reports of a third intercepted package addressed to the WH are incorrect. We refer media to our statement: https://t.co/lJdTn04KmI  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) October 24, 2018

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio strongly condemned the attempts as terrorist acts.

What we saw here today was an effort to terrorize, clearly an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders in this country with acts of violence, he said. I want to make clear the people of New York will not be intimidated, we will go about our lives undeterred because the very concept to terrorism is to change us and we will not allow that to happen.

The White House said the United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Initially, Trump did not personally make a statement about the situation but tweeted, I agree wholeheartedly! along with a statement from Vice President Mike Pence condemning the attempted attacks.

Speaking to the press later, Trump denounced the attempted attacks.

In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear strong and unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States of America, he said. Were extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning and we will get to the bottom of it.

CNN President Jeff Zucker slammed the White House over its repeated attacks against the media in the wake of the bomb threats.

There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media, Zucker said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that.

Hillary Clinton extended her gratitude to the Secret Service on Wednesday. Though she did not call out Trump by name in her remarks about the suspicious package, she noted the deep divisions plaguing the country.

We are fine, thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home, Hillary Clinton said from Miami.

It is a troubling time, isnt it? she added. Its a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.

Sebastian Murdock contributed reporting.

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whose Senate seat could soon have a new occupant, played along Tuesday evening when a supporter at a campaign event shouted Lock him up! in reference to Cruzs Democratic opponent, Beto ORourke.

Well, you know, theres a double-occupancy cell with Hillary Clinton, Cruz said in Georgetown, Texas.

He added: Yall are gonna get me in trouble with that.

Since the 2016 presidential campaign, supporters of President Donald Trump have taken to chanting Lock her up! in reference to Clinton. The former candidate for president infamously came under FBI scrutiny for using a private computer server for government business during the campaign, but was not charged with any crime. Trumps supporters have not given up the chant. Neither has Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Occasionally, the right repurposes the slur for other Trump foes, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), for receiving a letter from a constituent detailing an alleged sexual assault by now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

ORourke has become a surprisingly formidable opponent for Cruz. The Houston Chronicle, which typically supports Republican candidates for office, endorsed ORourke last week, praising his command of issues that matter to this state, his unaffected eloquence and his eagerness to reach out to all Texans.

As Nov. 6 ticks closer, polling shows the two candidates neck and neck.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
San Francisco (AFP) - Electric car maker Tesla on Wednesday reported an "historic" quarterly profit driven by demand for its mass market Model 3, as the company looks beyond its US home base to Europe and China.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said he expects the company to stay profitable from this point forward, and appeared to calm fears about his behavior, company debt, and snags ramping up production line efficiency.

Musk said he expected Tesla to make even more Model 3 vehicles in the current quarter, and to begin delivering the cars in Europe and China early next year.

"I am incredibly excited about what lies ahead," Musk said in an earnings call with analysts.

Tesla said net income reached $311.5 million on revenue that more than doubled year-on-year to $6.8 billion in the quarter that ended September 30.

The earnings beat Wall Street expectations that Tesla would take in less money in the quarter and log another loss.

Shares in the company leapt 9.8 percent to $316.80 in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures for its fiscal third quarter.

For the same period a year ago the company reported a loss of $619 million.

"Q3 2018 was a truly historic quarter for Tesla," said the flamboyant Musk, who also heads SpaceX.

"Model 3 was the best-selling car in the US in terms of revenue and the 5th best-selling car in terms of volume."

Tesla's assembly line produced an average of 4,300 cars weekly in the quarter, nearing a goal set a while back by Musk.

Tesla has also improved efficiency, ramping up the gross margin on Model 3 vehicles to more than 20 percent, according to Musk.

He expressed confidence that Tesla would remain profitable, despite using cash to pay off notes.

- Trading up big -

"Model 3 is attracting customers of both premium and non-premium brands, making it a truly mainstream product," Musk said, adding that the company's "earnings profile has flipped dramatically."

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The vast majority of cars traded in by Model 3 buyers are non-premium models priced new at less than $35,000.

"For many people, it is the most expensive car they ever bought," Musk said.

"They are demonstrating they are willing to spend more money for a Tesla."

Model 3 cars start about $50,000, despite a Tesla goal of making an electric car priced for the masses. Musk said his aim is to get the Model 3 price down to $35,000, with production cost of less than $30,000.

"That is our goal, and that is what we are pushing very hard to achieve."

- Ride-share rival -

Tesla is also hard at work on a computer chip that will dramatically increase self-driving capabilities in its cars.

Musk envisioned a day when Tesla owners would be able to make their autonomous cars part of a ride-sharing fleet run by the company.

"I know for sure Tesla will operate its own ride-hailing service," Musk said.

"It will compete directly with Uber and Lyft obviously, and have ability for customers to add or subtract cars to the fleet at will."

Tesla would likely take a percentage of revenue brought in by people's cars in the ride-share fleet, according to Musk.

He assured analysts that Tesla was not starving new vehicle development to feed profitability.

Tesla has made significant progress on a Model Y, with a prototype set for production, and is continuing to develop an electric semi truck as well as a new roadster model, according to Musk.

Tesla executives expect to begin delivering Model 3 cars in Europe in the first quarter of next year, and in China by the second quarter.

Production will initially take place in California, but Tesla is "moving rapidly" to get production going in China and wants to have that going next year, according to Musk.

"We will also have a factory in Europe long term, because it is pretty silly to make cars in California and ship them to Europe," Musk said.

Tesla shares got a boost earlier this week when a high-profile stock short-seller shifted gears to say the electric car maker is "destroying the competition."

Tesla is at something of a turning point.

It has been accelerating production of its Model 3, yet the company remains burdened by billions in debt.
(Reuters) - Texas Instruments Inc posted smaller-than-expected quarterly revenue on Tuesday and forecast current quarter sales and profit below analysts' estimates as the chipmaker wrestled with slowing demand for its products.

Shares of the company fell nearly 6 percent in extended trading after Chief Executive Officer Rich Templeton said demand for the company's products slowed across most markets.

The company said it expected fourth-quarter revenue of $3.60 billion to $3.90 billion and earnings of $1.14 to $1.34 per share.

Analysts on average had estimated revenue of $4 billion and earnings of $1.38 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

The company's chips are used in industries ranging from automotive to consumer electronics.

The automotive market contributed https://bit.ly/2POWUxJ 19 percent to the company's revenue in 2017, while the industrial sector added 35 percent to its sales.

Net income rose to $1.57 billion, or $1.58 per share, in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 from $1.29 billion, or $1.26 per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose to $4.26 billion from $4.12 billion.

Analysts, on average, had expected the company to earn $1.53 per share on revenue of $4.30 billion.

(Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
A crumpled and bent take away coffee cup and a partially eaten vanilla dip donut with candy sprinkles from Tim Hortons in Victoria, BC on January 21, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Don Denton)

Parent company of Tim Hortons, Restaurant Brands International, reported disappointing sales on its Q3 earnings report today.

Tim Hortons, along with fellow RBI-owned brands Burger King and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, saw sales that fell short of expectations in the last quarter, although Canada wasnt fully responsible for missing the mark.

Global comparable sales were 0.6 per cent, reflecting Canada comparable sales of nearly 1 per cent, partially offset by softer results in the U.S., Daniel Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of RBI said on an earnings call.

Our improving comparable sales in Canada reflect our growth in breakfast foods, driven by our breakfast anytime launch, while softer results in the U.S. were driven by weaker sales of brewed coffee and baked goods, partially offset by strength in breakfast foods and cold beverages, Schwartz explained.

While the Tim Hortons brand (and in particular its coffee) has been widely seen as a Canadian institution, the cafe chain has failed to take root in the American psyche in quite the same way.

RBC Capital Markets recently conducted a survey, assessing the favourite quick service restaurants of American customers.

Tim Hortons came in dead last.

The survey results were part of RBC analyst David Palmers note to investors upgrading Chipotle to Outperform status, good news for the chain after a rocky couple of years.

New management at Chipotle Mexican Grill will grow sales at the burrito chain through a new menu, digital and delivery offerings and other marketing successes, according to RBC Capital Markets. (Business Insider)

But the results put Tim Hortons at the very bottom of the ranking, asking more than 1,000 Americans which chain do you most prefer?

Only 0.3 per cent of respondents (about three people) selected Tim Hortons as their favourite restaurant chain on the list.

Tim Hortons expanded into the U.S. market in 1985, when it opened its first U.S. store on Niagara Falls Blvd. in Buffalo. Its expansion south of the border really got going in 1995, when it joined forces with Wendys International. Now owned by Restaurant Brands International (QSR.TO), which also owns Burger King and Popeyes, Tim Hortons operates more than 600 stores in 14 U.S. states. By comparison, there are more than 2,100 Chick-fil-A stores (the top-rated chain included in the survey) in the U.S.

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While the company did not address specific expansion plans for the future in the U.S. on the earnings call, RBI representatives did say that their plans globally include refining menus to meet the needs of specific markets (like including a kids menu and enhanced beverage options) and accelerated expansion in both established and new markets outside of Canada.

Despite the softer comps and not yet reflecting the benefits of the potential accelerated growth for Popeyes and for Tim Hortons, we grew our systemwide sales by nearly seven percent,

said Schwartz, speaking broadly about global sales and not specifically the U.S. As we ramp up the pace of growth in Popeyes and in Tims, we resume to better same store sales, that would be a number we aspire to grow much faster in the long run. I think we have the right team and the right partnerships set up around the world to achieve that.

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UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Genocide is still taking place against Rohingya Muslims remaining in Myanmar and the government is increasingly demonstrating it has no interest in establishing a fully functioning democracy, U.N. investigators said Wednesday. Marzuki Darusman, chair of the U.N. fact-finding mission on Myanmar, said thousands of Rohingya are still fleeing to Bangladesh, and the estimated 250,000 to 400,000 who have stayed following last year's brutal military campaign in the Buddhist-majority country "continue to suffer the most severe" restrictions and repression. "It is an ongoing genocide that is taking place at the moment," he told a news conference Wednesday. Darusman said the requirements for genocide, except perhaps for killings, "continue to hold" for Rohingya still in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korea says it has discovered what could be Korean War remains at a frontline area where it's jointly clearing mines with North Korea. The two Koreas began removing mines from one of the heaviest Korean War battle sites at their border on Oct. 1 before starting their first joint searches for war remains. The joint searches were among tension-reduction agreements the Koreas struck last month. Seoul's Defense Ministry says its troops found what it believes are two sets of human remains during the demining work. An army identification tag with the Korean name "Pak Je Kwon" was found along with the bones.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his ex-treasury chief have been jointly charged with criminal breach of trust involving 6.64 billion ringgit ($1.6 billion). The six new charges against Najib on Thursday come on top of 32 earlier counts of corruption, breach of trust and money laundering that he face linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund. That scandal led to his coalition's shocking ouster in May's national polls. Both Najib and former treasury secretary-general Mohamad Irwan Serigar Abdullah pleaded not guilty to misappropriating government funds between December 2016 and December 2017.

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TOKYO (AP)  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to bolster cooperation and friendship between Japan and China in a key policy speech Wednesday before making the first official trip to Beijing by a Japanese leader in seven years. Abe said Japan and China are both responsible for the region's peace and prosperity, which he hoped to achieve by boosting exchanges between them. Abe will hold talks with Chinese leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang during his three-day visit. "Tomorrow I will visit China," Abe said. "As we unflaggingly exchange summit diplomacy, I will also deepen the exchanges between the two peoples in all levels of activities from business cooperation to sports." Abe's visit comes as the two countries mark the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Japan-China Peace and Friendship, and follows Li's visit to Japan in May.

TOKYO (AP)  A Japanese journalist freed after more than three years of captivity in Syria said Wednesday he is safe in neighboring Turkey. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Japanese Embassy officials met with the freelance journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, at an immigration center in southern Turkey near the border with Syria. "We are extremely pleased that we have confirmed the safety of Mr. Jumpei Yasuda," Kono told reporters. Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, after contact with him was lost in June that year. A war monitoring group said he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly consists of Chinese jihadis in Syria.

BANGKOK (AP)  Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad met Wednesday with Thailand's leader and discussed peace talks in Thailand's southern border provinces where a Muslim separatist insurgency has been raging for over a decade. Malaysia has been a facilitator between rebel groups and the Thai government but so far little progress has been made. Almost 7,000 people have died in the insurgency in Thailand's three southernmost provinces since 2004. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he and Mahathir discussed the problems facing Thailand's southern border provinces and agreed on greater cooperation. "We understand each other better on our concerns and limitations," Prayuth said.

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga (AP)  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived in the tiny Pacific kingdom of Tonga, where people gathered at the airport to welcome them wearing traditional outfits, playing guitars and singing. Prince Harry and wife Meghan were greeted at the airport Thursday by Princess Angelika Latufuipeka. They are scheduled later to meet with Tonga's king and queen and to attend a reception and dinner with traditional Tongan entertainment. Meghan stepped off the plane wearing a red dress while Harry wore a beige suit. The couple is on the 10th day of a 16-day tour of the South Pacific.

HONOLULU (AP)  Super Typhoon Yutu crossed over the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands early Thursday as the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest storm to hit any part of the U.S. this year, the National Weather Service said. "At its peak, it felt like many trains running constant," Glen Hunter wrote in a Facebook message to The Associated Press. Hunter lives on Saipan, the largest island in the commonwealth, which is a U.S. territory about 3,800 miles (6,115 kilometers) west of Hawaii. "At its peak, the wind was constant and the sound horrifying," he said.

NEW DELHI (AP)  The government of India placed the director of the federal investigative agency and his deputy on leave on Wednesday days after the agency filed a case against the deputy alleging that he took bribes to settle a money laundering case. A government appointment committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi put out an order around 2 a.m. Wednesday sending the Central Bureau of Investigation's top two officials on leave and appointing a joint director as the interim head. India's Central Vigilance Commission, an autonomous anti-corruption body, had recommended the removal of director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana on Tuesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in a news conference Wednesday, calling it a "bizarre and unfortunate" situation.

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision to attend a Riyadh investment conference despite the outcry over the killing of a Saudi journalist has coincided with an agreement for a $6 billion assistance package from the oil-rich kingdom, a crucial infusion of cash as Pakistan grapples with a soaring deficit. Analysts say the Saudi infusion will allow Islamabad to breathe a little easier as it seeks a critical loan from the International Monetary Fund to address its $18 billion deficit. The deal was signed Tuesday by Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar and his Saudi counterpart, Muhammad Abdullah Al-Jadaan, on the sidelines of the Saudi conference.
Conservative MEP Syed Kamall (European Parliament)

A Conservative politician sparked furious scenes in the European parliament on Wednesday by claiming that the Nazis were left-wing.

Syed Kamall, the partys most senior MEP, was forced to apologise after describing Nazism as a strain of socialism during a heated debate in Strasbourg.

His comments were condemned as disgusting and an insult to socialists who were murdered because of their opposition to Hitler.

The row broke when the leader of the social democrat group, Udo Bullmann, used his speech to say centre-right MEPs should not pander to right wing extremists over immigration.

Kamall responded by telling Bullmann: I would remind you that when you talk about right-wing extremists, we have to remember that Nazis were national socialists. Its a strain of socialism.

MORE: Brexit deal is 0% agreed until Irish border issue solved, Verhofstadt tells May

Through loud heckling, he continued: Lets not pretend: its a left-wing ideology. They want the same things as you. You dont like the truth do you  Come on its national socialism. Im telling you its a left-wing ideology. Dont pretend.

European Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans could be heard calling the Conservative MEP an idiot, but UKIP Nigel Farage shouted: You dont like the truth.

Kamall was called on to apologise by Liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt, who said his comments were an insult for all those social democrats who fought against the Nazis, who died in concentration camps.

The Conservative MEP, who leads the third largest group in the European parliament, responded by saying: I do get tired of people saying that Nazism is a right-wing ideology  We disagree on this but what I would say is that I believe in freedom of speech but, if I have offended you, and clearly I have, I apologise unreservedly.

I do not believe in offending my political opponents or my friends so I apologise. I hope you will accept that.

European parliament president Antonio Tajani accepted his apology, but Bullmann was not satisfied.

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Conservative MEP Syed Kamall with socialist group leader Udo Bullmann earlier in the year (European parliament)

Social Democrats throughout Europe resisted Hitlers regime and paid for it with their lives, read a statement from the German MEP issued after the debate. With his disgusting comparison, Kamall has mocked these brave people.

At the conclusion of the debate, Timmermans said the comments had really affected me emotionally and accused the Conservatives of using the same narrative as Mr Farage.

Has the Conservative party finally been eaten by UKIP? he asked after quoting Winston Churchills saying that an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.

In the middle of that controversy, a row also broke out between Farage and Tajani.

Tajani had sought to calm the situation by saying: I dont think there are any people who are nostalgic for Nazism or the communist dictatorship from the Soviet block  two ghastly and devastating political systems which caused terrible wounds for Europe.

MORE: Tory politicians in heated e-mail row over anti-Brexit march

Farage and some of his fellow UKIP MEPs laughed when the president added: Thank god these two dictatorships have vanished thanks to the European Union.

Rebuking Farage for his response, Tajani said: Its really not a laughing matter  Laughter is the last refuge of the stupid. You should learn to respect other people if you want respect yourself Mr Farage because thats what democracy is all about.

You seem to be someone whos nostalgic for dictatorships yourself if you dont respect other people.

Farage hit back at what he called personal insults, telling Tajani: Maybe you have a bit of a problem with your temper.

We do seem to be struggling a little bit with our history, he said.

To claim, Mr Tajani, that the European Union brought about the downfall of Nazism and Soviet communism isnt only laughable, it is very ungracious and deeply insulting to the United States of America who made massive sacrifices so that Europe could be free twice in the 20th century and to a slightly lesser extent the UK, as 30,000 British dead in Italy will attest.




On Monday evening, President Donald Trump took the opportunity to post a fear-mongering tweet about criminals and unknown Middle Easterners seeking to enter the United States in a migrant caravan.

The tweet, debunked as baseless even by Trumps own administration, has alarmed advocacy groups with its blatantly xenophobic, Islamophobic and anti-immigrant nature.

Its playing on peoples fears, said Abed Ayoub, the legal and policy director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C. It is looking at our community, the brown communities, the black communities, the Arab communities  all of us  through the same lens  as a threat to our national security.

With the November midterms just around the corner, other politicians are following Trumps lead and appealing to bigotry for votes.

Its just a racist and Islamophobic dog whistle that he knows will work because its worked for him in the past, Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told HuffPost.

The president has a lengthy history of making Islamophobic comments and propagating anti-immigrant hysteria. He called Latinos criminals and rapists and said Muslims were not assimilating and wanted sharia law to take over the U.S.

The latest controversial tweet appeared after several right-wing sites known for promoting Islamophobic conspiracy theories, such The Daily Caller and Judicial Watch, speculated that Bangladeshis had joined the migrant caravan currently crossing through Mexico toward the United States. (Bangladesh is not part of the Middle East, and its not clear why this would matter whether its true or not.)

Regardless of the facts, Trumps tweets are an attempt to rally public support for his immigration policies by telling a story that promotes fear, said Faiza Patel, co-director of the Liberty and National Security program at the Brennan Center.

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This is a continuation of his strategy of painting Muslims and Middle Easterners as a security threat despite all the evidence to the contrary, Patel said. Its a lot easier to do that if you can portray everybody outside the country as being a threat or at least having a threat mixed in with them.

Advocates and civil rights groups are concerned about the potential effect of Trumps tweets. This is going to further alienate our communities and cause division as a result of his words and policies, Ayoub said. Its going to lead to additional scrutiny, hate crimes, harassment and discrimination.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Donald Trump declared himself a nationalist at a campaign rally in in Texas, encouraging members of the crowd to use that word.

Lending his support to Republican Senator Ted Cruz on Monday, the president told the packed Houston event that Democrats wanted to restore the rule of corrupt, power hungry globalists.

He described himself a nationalist, despite conceding were not supposed to use that word, before encouraging members of the crowd to also identify as such.

Were putting America first it hasnt happened in a lot of decades, were putting them first, were taking care of ourselves for a change, the president said.

But radical Democrats want to turn back the clock and restore the rule of corrupt, power hungry globalists.

You know what a globalist is right? A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much.

We cant have that. They have a word, it sort of became old fashioned - its called a nationalist.

Really, were not supposed to use that word, you know what I am? Im a nationalist, okay? Im a nationalist, use that word.

Mr Trump had clashed repeatedly with Mr Cruz when the pair went head-to-head during the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Back then, Mr Trump devised the nickname Lyin Ted for the senator, before posting a picture on Twitter mocking his wifes appearance, prompting Mr Cruz to brand him a snivelling coward.

But now visiting Texas to offer his backing to the senator in next months midterm election, the president said much had changed since, revealing his new name for Mr Cruz was Beautiful Ted.

In just 15 days, Texas is going to re-elect a really good friend of mine, Mr Trump told the rally. We had our differences, but if you remember the beginning, it was a love-fest.

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It got nasty, and then it ended and I tell you what, nobody has helped me more with your tax cuts, with your regulation, with all of the things that were doing, than Senator Ted Cruz.

The president wasted little time attacking Mr Cruzs democratic rival, Beto O'Rourke, describing him as a stone-cold phony and a radical, open borders left winger.

Mr ORourke, who initially looked set to take the senate race down to the wire and potentially cause a monumental upset in a usually-red state, has recently fallen behind Mr Cruz in the polls.

About a month ago, they were talking about this 'blue wave, Mr Trump said, in reference to Democrats who had been anticipating midterm gains.

We're not hearing that anymore. The blue wave is being dissipated a little.
Donald Trump has returned to using the harsh and aggressive anti-immigration rhetoric that he utilised so effectively two years ago to help secure the White House.

Less than three weeks before 6 November, the president has been trying to stoke fears over immigration, turning his attention to the caravan of mostly Central American migrants making its way northwards from the southern Mexican border. He has claimed it was organised by the Democrats and said there are unknown Middle Easterners among them, although he has offered no evidence to support this.

While it is possible, refugees from places such as Syria and Iraq are among the convoy, reports suggest the overwhelming majority are people from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, fleeing gang violence and economic hardship.

That is an assault on our country and in that caravan you have some very bad people and we cant let that happen to our country, Mr Trump said in Houston on Monday night at a rally for Ted Cruz, the Republican senator who two years ago he repeatedly mocked. I think the Democrats had something to do with it.

He added: This will be the election of the caravan, Kavanaugh, tax cuts, law and order and common sense.

The New York Times said Mr Trump and other Republicans had made a calculation that focussing on the issue would help get out their base of supporters. It said a number of Republican candidates and political committees had delivered messages plainly aimed at stoking cultural anxiety among white voters.

While the issue of immigration is never far from Mr Trumps teleprompter or Twitter feed, it is something he has returned to repeatedly in recent days. On Monday, he threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the first two of which suffer the deadliest violence outside of a war zone.

Sadly, it looks like Mexicos police and military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the southern border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergency. Must change laws, he tweeted.

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Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic immigration Laws! Remember the midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally.

Asked later on Monday about his assertion about unknown Middle Easterners in the caravan Mr Trump told reporters: Unfortunately, they have a lot of everybody in that group..Weve gotta stop them at the border and, unfortunately, you look at the countries, they have not done their job.

On Tuesday, vice president Mike Pence repeated the presidents assertion.

Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic Immigration Laws! Remember the Midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2018

Its inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing towards our border, Mr Pence told the Washington Post.

It is possible that some people who voted for Mr Trump in 2016 and who are said to have been turned off by his rhetoric, may see his comments are further reason to vote for a Democratic candidate, or not vote at all in the midterms. Without doubt, it is likely to encourage his grass roots supporters.

Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at New Yorks Fordham University, told The Independent: This is red meat to his base. We know he has trafficked in nationalist and white supremacist language.

He claims he knows Middle Easterners are among them. We dont know where he is seeing that, but his base hears it and they believe it.

Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz is among those who have claimed the caravan was funded by Democrats and even liberal financier George Soros. On Monday, police were called to Mr Soross New York home to deal with what was described as a genuine explosive device.

This is more fear-mongering from Donald Trump. It helped get him elected president, so hes gone back to the tried-and-true, although you can argue that Trump has used the technique consistently, said Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia.

MS-13 gangs, Middle Eastern terrorists, evil illegal immigrants. According to Trump they are all part of the caravan. They are immigrants for sure, fleeing despotic rule and gang violence. To Trump, they are a major part of the campaign litany he hopes will reelect Republicans to the US congress.

Many of the claims of Mr Gaetz and Mr Trump have been debunked by US media  including the claim the caravan was paid for by Democrats or that it contains terrorists.

NBC said the Department of Homeland Security is able to gather biometric data as migrants pass between the borders of Central American countries. A former senior intelligence official said there is no evidence that any Middle Eastern terrorists are hiding in the caravan.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Oglesby, a professor at the University of Arizonas Centre for Latin American Studies, told the network: The reason that the caravans have been organised are to help protect Central American refugees and migrants as they make the perilous journey through Mexico and to highlight their petitions for asylum.

The caravan of migrants, said to be between 7,000-10,000 people, is currently close to the city of Huixatla, 45 miles from the border with Guatemala where they crossed near the city of Hidalgo.

Earlier this year, a smaller caravan headed for the Tijuana-San Diego crossing, dissipating as it advanced. About 200 of the 1,200 who started the journey, arrived at the border with California.

One of the current members of the caravan, 48-year-old Edwin Enrique Jimenez Flores of Tela, Honduras, told the Associated Press, he had persistent coughs, but still vowed to reach the US to seek work. He said: I feel strong. My feet are good.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday admitted he had no proof that unknown Middle Easterners were attempting to enter the United States as part of a migrant caravan moving towards the southern border, but alluded that such evidence was immaterial because they very well could be.

I have very good information, the president told reporters in the Oval Office after he was asked about a growing migrant caravan of more than 7,000 people moving toward the border with Mexico. Trump has slammed the movement in recent days and threatened to militarize the region amid his own baseless claims that criminals were among the group.

When pressed repeatedly by CNNs Jim Acosta on Tuesday if he had any proof that people from the Middle East had joined the caravan, Trump later admitted: Theres no proof of anything. Theres no proof of anything, but there very well could be.

Im not letting them in, the president later added. Theyre not coming in. Were going to do whatever we have to, theyre not coming in.

Sadly, it looks like Mexicos Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2018

According to reporters traveling with the caravan, many people are migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America, set on making their way to the United States where they hope to apply for asylum. The caravan can offer those seeking refuge a relatively safe means of passage, according to The Washington Post.

These people are fleeing from the poverty of their countries, Jose Luis Laparra Calderon, the mayor of Huixtla, Mexico, told The New York Times. These are working people. They arent bringing bombs. They want to improve their lives.

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The event has become an unexpected hot-button issue ahead of next months midterm elections as the White House has ramped up its attacks on Democrats immigration policy. Many have accused Trump of fear-mongering for political gain and pointed to the presidents past attacks on foreign citizens.

Vice President Mike Pence cited false statistics while standing next to Trump on Tuesday, saying that law enforcement apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border from countries that are referred to in the lexicon as other than Mexico  that means from the Middle East region.

As HuffPosts Elise Foley notes, that account is grossly misleading and represents all known or suspected terrorists that are stopped from coming to the U.S. by any means  often on air travel  from any country, not just from the Middle East and not just along the southern border.

Despite his lack of evidence, Trump doubled down on his claims, saying there was a very good chance such individuals were now part of the caravan.

They dont necessarily have to be in that group, he said. But certainly you have people coming up through the southern border, from the Middle East and other places that are not appropriate for our country. And Im not letting them in.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that there were citizens from the Middle East and other regions in the caravan, and said some were gang members or have significant criminal histories. Its unclear how many people DHS had identified, and the agency did not provide any statistics to back up the assertion.

.@DHSgov can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories.  Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) October 23, 2018

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By Ece Toksabay and Michele Kambas ANKARA/ATHENS (Reuters) - Turkey warned Greece on Wednesday to stay out of its activities in the eastern Mediterranean, heralding a potential showdown with Cyprus over hydrocarbons research in a region thought to be rich in natural gas. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara would not tolerate further Greek harassment of Turkish vessels after complaining last week that a Greek frigate had hassled a Turkish exploration ship west of Cyprus. Greece, which has a defense protection pact with close ally Cyprus, denied the charge. Attempts to tap hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean, along with a dispute over Greece's maritime borders, have revived tensions between Athens and Ankara - NATO allies who are separated by the Aegean Sea. Turkey and the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government in Cyprus have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the eastern Mediterranean. Both sides plan exploratory drills this year. Turkish officials earlier this month said a drill would take place in October. "Our warships are providing the necessary protection in the region. We will never tolerate new harassment," Akar told Turkey's state Anadolu news agency. "We have (taken) all kinds of measures. I want everyone to know that we will not tolerate a fait accompli of any sort on this subject." Cyprus, which has no diplomatic relations with Turkey, accused Ankara of stirring up tensions. "We are not going to go along with this artificial climate of tension which is trying to give an impression that there is a dispute," Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said. "There is no dispute in the seas of Cyprus." Breakaway north Cyprus, which is supported by Turkey, says any offshore wealth also belongs to them, as partners in the establishment of the Cyprus republic in 1960. Greek Cypriots, who run the island's internationally recognized government, say any future benefits of gas finds will eventually be shared by all Cypriots. The island was split in 1974 after a Turkish invasion triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Countless peacemaking endeavors have failed, and offshore wealth has increasingly been the elephant in the room of peace negotiations even though Greek Cypriots say that matter is not up for discussion. (Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish intelligence has shared "all the evidence" over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with the CIA chief during a visit, pro-government media reported on Wednesday.

CIA Director Gina Haspel visited the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday for talks with officials about the killing of Washington Post contributor Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate.

Video images and audio tapes as well as evidence gathered from the consulate and the consul's residence were shared with Haspel during the briefing at the Turkish Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Sabah newspaper reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stopped short of pointing the blame at the Saudi leadership for the death of the Saudi insider-turned-critic.

But he said in a keynote speech on Tuesday that the murder was meticulously planned, demanding that all those involved brought to justice.

Khashoggi, 59, vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi mission to obtain documents for his wedding.

- 'Savage murder'-

Speaking at a ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan on Wednesday vowed that Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with their "savage murder".

"We are determined not to allow any cover up of this murder and for all those responsible from those who gave the command to those who executed it -- not to escape justice," he said.

"We are not implicating anyone," he added, saying that Ankara would be transparent as it gathers more evidence that shed light on the "dark sides" of the murder.

"It is not over yet," he said. "We are unravelling, dismantling (the case) and the world is closely following."

The whereabouts of Khashoggi's corpse still remain unknown.

Erdogan said on Tuesday that a 15-person team came from Riyadh to kill Khashoggi, including by carrying out reconnaissance outside Istanbul and deactivating security cameras at the consulate.

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Turkish police searched the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, and the consul general's residence as well as hunting for evidence in an Istanbul forest.

On Tuesday, the police searched an abandoned car belonging to the Saudi consulate in an underground car park in the Sultangazi district of Istanbul.

The Saudi leadership has denied involvement in the murder and instead blamed the chain of command.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "strongly said that he had nothing to do with this, this was at a lower level," US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, adding he had spoken on Monday to the prince and his father King Salman.

Turkish pro-government media has claimed that Ankara has audio tapes of the killing.

Last week, the Turkish government denied giving "any kind of audio tape" from the investigation to any US official.
On Tuesdays This Is Us, Kevin began the search to find out more about his father Jacks time during the Vietnam War. Jacks secrecy about it meant Kevin wasnt having much luck  until he made a connection.

While visiting with one of Jacks fellow soldiers, Kevin pulled a picture from an envelope and saw something familiar: Jack was in a picture with a mysterious Vietnamese woman who was wearing the necklace that Jack gave Kevin when he was a teenager. Fans immediately began theorizing on Twitter.

anybody else think The Big Three

is about to become a Foursome?#ThisIsUs  Jessica C  (@JessJ1127) October 24, 2018

Im thinking the Pearson kids have some siblings they are unaware of. #ThisIsUs  Blac Tina (@AJP0130) October 24, 2018

Fueling fan speculation was a brief moment between Jack and the woman in the photo in last weeks episode, when the pair exchanged a brief but deliberate look after her son ran to Jack and offered him a fish he had caught.

Some fans want nothing to do with the Jack has a secret kid idea. Some were emotional, while others had a more practical approach.

I have faith in NO men if Jack#ThisIsUs  anchorless757 (@anchorless757) October 24, 2018

yall gotta stop saying jack has another kid in vietnam please for the sake of my emotional health dont do this to me #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/PvnFergfuE  meda / tiu spoilers (@infnitywar) October 24, 2018

I dont think he had an illegitimate child-I think that woman saved his life and/or has something to do with Nicky the real question is who will be portraying said woman cuz the guest stars always are amazing #ThisIsUs  Taylor Quinn (@_taylorquinn) October 24, 2018

Kevin is going to Vietnam to meet that lady #ThisIsUs  Jenny Berrocal (@jennybg93) October 24, 2018

And while we dont yet know if Kevin will go to Vietnam to find the woman, we do know on thing: The theories will keep coming, because the promo for next weeks episode had people saying things like, That preview though.

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This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of This Is Us for free on Yahoo View.

Check out what This Is Us fans had to say when the show finally introduced Jacks brother:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, said on Monday the United States is still in a fact-finding phase on the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and has its "eyes wide open." Kushner, who has a close relationship with powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deflected questions in a CNN interview about whether he trusted the Saudis to investigate themselves. Saudi Arabia has given shifting explanations about what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and strong critic of the crown prince, after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Riyadh confirmed on Saturday he was dead and said he was killed in a fight in the building. "We're getting facts in from multiple places and once those facts come in, the secretary of state will work with our national security team to help us determine what we want to believe, and what we think is credible and what we think is not credible," Kushner said. Turkey's ruling party said on Monday that Khashoggi was the victim of a "monstrously planned" murder, as Western incredulity deepened over varying Saudi accounts of the journalist's disappearance. Asked whether he thought the Saudis had been deceptive, Kushner said he sees deceptive things every day. "We have our eyes wide open. The president's focused on what's good for America, what are our strategic interests, where do we share interests with other countries let's work towards those," Kushner said. Kushner stressed that Saudi Arabia was an important ally of the United States, especially in countering Iran's influence in the Middle East. Kushner also said he had advised the crown prince: "Just to be transparent, to be fully transparent. The world is watching. This is a very, very serious accusation and a very serious situation." Asked how the prince responded to that, Kushner said, "We'll see." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Alistair Bell)
Dr Katy Hayward of Queens University Belfast speaking to the Exiting the European Union Committee. Pic: House of Commons

A specific Northern Ireland backstop would still be required even if the Brexit withdrawal agreement contains a UK-wide customs backstop, the House of Commonss Exiting the European Union Committee heard on Wednesday.

While a UK-wide solution would address customs and trade relations, and thus would go some way to preventing a hard border in Ireland, there would still need to be a separate agreement that addresses the specific Northern Ireland issues, Dr Katy Hayward of Queens University Belfast told the committee.

Prime minister Theresa May has been seeking a UK-wide backstop as a way of avoiding committing to a Northern Ireland-specific backstop, considering Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) opposition to arrangements that could see Northern Ireland remain in closer alignment with the EUs trade and customs rules than the rest of the UK.

But a UK-wide solution would not be able to fully address the critical question of sustaining the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland peace process, Hayward said.

Hayward noted that the current draft of the Northern Ireland backstop protocol mentions many things unrelated to trade and customs, such as the rights of Irish citizens and north-south cooperation.

She said that electricity, telecommunications, energy, the environment, and broadcasting are just some of the areas that would need specific arrangements for to sustain after withdrawal from the EU.

A UK-wide agreement could not address these, since theyre particular to the consequences on the island of Ireland, Hayward said. The customs arrangement is different. Its a particular area of the protocol that is of course the point of contention.

There is also the concern about the longevity of a UK-wide solution as a means to preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland. David Shiels, a policy analyst with thinktank Open Europe, noted that neither the EU or the Irish government would believe that a longer-term customs union would be politically sustainable from a UK point of view.
London (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May "strongly urged" Saudi Arabia in a phone call with King Salman on Wednesday to cooperate with a Turkish investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, her office said.

"The prime minister said the current explanation lacks credibility so there remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened," a Downing Street spokeswoman said in a statement after the telephone conversation.

"She strongly urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation and to be transparent about the results.

"The Prime Minister also reiterated that all individuals bearing responsibility for the killing of Mr Khashoggi must be properly held to account," it added, noting May had expressed "grave concerns" over the matter.

The call, the first between the two leaders since the growing crisis over the journalist's death three weeks ago, comes as King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hold conversations with various world leaders.

On Wednesday, the king spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron while Prince Mohammed held his first call since the killing with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier Wednesday, May announced Britain will revoke the visas of any Saudi citizens suspected in the murder which Turkey has said occurred inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The prime minister informed King Salman of the decision, which follows a similar move by the United States on Tuesday, Downing Street said.
A University of Utah student-athlete was fatally shot Monday evening at the schools Salt Lake City campus, according to a statement by the school about the death of Lauren McCluskey.

The suspect in the killing, Melvin Rowland, a convicted sex offender, was found dead hours later on Monday night inside a Salt Lake City church from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to multiple reports.

According to the schools statement, the shooting took place at about 8:20 p.m. Campus police responded to a call of a possible abduction at that time and found McCluskeys body in a parked car outside a dorm.

McCluskey, a Washington state native and a senior at the school, was majoring in communication and was a highly regarded member of the schools track and field team, the statement added.

Police have said she may have had a previous relationship with Rowland, 37, which might have prompted the attack, ABC reported. After the shooting, Rowland was seen fleeing from the part of campus where McCluskey was discovered. Then he allegedly killed himself, police said.

They chased him to this location, where they found that he had forced entry into the church, University of Utah Police Services Lt. Brian Wahlin told ABC. After clearing the building, they found our suspect deceased in a room in the church, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Melvin Rowland, the suspect in Lauren McCluskey's death

University of Utah Campus Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

ABC also reported that Rowland, a Salt Lake City native, was not a student at the university and that court records show he had been convicted of attempted forcible sex abuse and enticing a minor over the internet in 2004.

Lauren McCluskey

According to a Facebook account that apparently belonged to McCluskey, she was 21.

All University of Utah classes on Tuesday were canceled, and the school is planning a vigil for McCluskey on Wednesday at 5 p.m. to allow our campus community to grieve the senseless loss of this bright, young woman, school president Ruth Watkins wrote in the statement. Her family is understandably in shock at this news about their daughter. They are heartbroken.

According to USA Today, this is the second deadly shooting at the university within a year. In October 2017, Austin Boutain was charged with carjacking, which led to the death of 23-year-old Chenwei Guowas. Boutain, 24, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
US national security advisor John Bolton meets Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday - REUTERS

US national security advisor John Bolton has said after meeting Vladimir Putin that the United States cannot prevent Russia from violating a key nuclear arms control treaty and will withdraw from it.

Donald Trump said last week he would leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a landmark US-Russian agreement dating to 1987, but some have wondered if the sudden announcement was simply an attempt to force Russia to renegotiate the treaty or come to a new understanding.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Mr Bolton said he had talked with Mr Putin for an hour-and-a-half about arms control issues, the new nuclear landscape, and the president's decision on the INF treaty.

The Russian side had continued to insist it was complying with the treaty, he said, despite the accusations Washington has been making since 2014 that Moscow is developing missiles banned by the agreement.

The Trump administration will draft an official notice of withdrawal from the INF treaty, even though it is a long way from any decisions about what might replace it, he said.

It is the American position that Russia is in violation, it is Russia's position that they're not in violation, Mr Bolton said. So one has to ask how does one get the Russians to come back into compliance with obligations they don't think they're violating.

Mr Trump had warned on Monday that the United States would expand its nuclear arsenal if Russia and China continued to increase their own stockpiles.

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally for senator Ted Cruz on Monday Credit: Leah Millis/Reuters

Mr Bolton also agreed with Mr Putin to set up a meeting with Mr Trump in Paris on November 11 in Paris. Both presidents have been planning to travel to the French capital for the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended WWI.

The pair last met in Helsinki in July for a controversial summit. Mr Trump appeared to side with Russia against his own intelligence agencies when he told reporters afterward that Mr Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

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In a published exchange with Mr Bolton earlier on Monday, Mr Putin joked that withdrawing from the INF Treaty would contradict the US seal, which features an eagle holding arrows in one claw and an olive branch representing peace in the other.

So has the eagle eaten all the olives and only left the arrows? Mr Putin asked with a smile.

Despite Mr Putin's jibe, Mr Bolton stubbornly insisted there was nothing to be done to save the agreement, which was negotiated by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev amid a Cold War missile crisis.

The problem is there are Russian INF-violating missiles in Europe now, Mr Bolton said. The threat is not that America is withdrawing from the INF treaty, the threat is that Russian missiles are in Europe.

The treaty bans ground-based cruise missiles that have a range of 300 to 3,400 miles, a capability that is arguably more important to Russia, which borders China and North Korea, than to the United States.

Mr Bolton laid a wreath at both the Kremlin tomb of the unknown soldier and at a makeshift memorial to opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down in 2015 Credit: Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

Russia has claimed that US missile defence systems in Europe can be repurposed into an offensive weapon, arguing that it is in fact Washington is in violation of the INF.

Mr Bolton argued that the treaty somehow kept the United States from competing with China's growing nuclear potential.

He was dismissive of the suggestion that the agreement might be expanded to include China or other countries and brushed aside fears of a new arms race. Concerns about the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, which he orchestrated as George W. Bush's undersecretary for arms control, had not bourne out, he claimed.

On the conceptual possibility of universalising the treaty, yes, that's something we thought of as far back as 2004, and efforts were made then to see if it would be possible to extend the treaty, he said. They all failed.

Asked about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Mr Bolton would only say that he had briefed Mr Putin on the US position. Both Mr Trump and Mr Putin have been reluctant to blame their allies in the Saudi royal family, insisting that more evidence is needed before fingers can be pointed.

Mr Bolton also said that he and Mr Putin had discussed cooperation in Syria and on anti-terrorism and anti-narcotics efforts.

The United States wants to avoid a humanitarian disaster in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib in Syria, he said.
US national security advisor John Bolton meets Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday - REUTERS

US national security advisor John Bolton has said after meeting Vladimir Putin that the United States cannot prevent Russia from violating a key nuclear arms control treaty and will withdraw from it.

Donald Trump said last week he would leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a landmark US-Russian agreement dating to 1987, but some have wondered if the sudden announcement was simply an attempt to force Russia to renegotiate the treaty or come to a new understanding.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Mr Bolton said he had talked with Mr Putin for an hour-and-a-half about arms control issues, the new nuclear landscape, and the president's decision on the INF treaty.

The Russian side had continued to insist it was complying with the treaty, he said, despite the accusations Washington has been making since 2014 that Moscow is developing missiles banned by the agreement.

The Trump administration will draft an official notice of withdrawal from the INF treaty, even though it is a long way from any decisions about what might replace it, he said.

It is the American position that Russia is in violation, it is Russia's position that they're not in violation, Mr Bolton said. So one has to ask how does one get the Russians to come back into compliance with obligations they don't think they're violating.

Mr Trump had warned on Monday that the United States would expand its nuclear arsenal if Russia and China continued to increase their own stockpiles.

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally for senator Ted Cruz on Monday Credit: Leah Millis/Reuters

Mr Bolton also agreed with Mr Putin to set up a meeting with Mr Trump in Paris on November 11 in Paris. Both presidents have been planning to travel to the French capital for the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended WWI.

The pair last met in Helsinki in July for a controversial summit. Mr Trump appeared to side with Russia against his own intelligence agencies when he told reporters afterward that Mr Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

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There was "no possibility" Russian meddling tipped the election for Mr Trump, Mr Bolton said in Moscow, despite an upcoming book by a University of Pennsylvania statistician that argues the opposite. He called Russia's interference "junior varsity" compared to China's.

In an exchange with Mr Bolton in the Kremlin earlier on Monday, Mr Putin joked that withdrawing from the INF Treaty would contradict the US seal, which features an eagle holding arrows in one claw and an olive branch representing peace in the other.

So has the eagle eaten all the olives and only left the arrows? Mr Putin asked with a smile.

Despite Mr Putin's jibe, Mr Bolton stubbornly insisted there was nothing to be done to save the agreement, which was negotiated by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev amid a Cold War missile crisis.

The problem is there are Russian INF-violating missiles in Europe now, Mr Bolton said. The threat is not that America is withdrawing from the INF treaty, the threat is that Russian missiles are in Europe.

The treaty bans ground-based cruise missiles that have a range of 300 to 3,400 miles, a capability that is arguably more important to Russia, which borders China and North Korea, than to the United States.

Mr Bolton laid a wreath at both the Kremlin tomb of the unknown soldier and at a makeshift memorial to opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down in 2015 Credit: Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

Russia has claimed that US missile defence systems in Europe can be repurposed into an offensive weapon, arguing that it is in fact Washington is in violation of the INF.

Mr Bolton argued that the treaty somehow kept the United States from competing with China's growing nuclear potential.

He was dismissive of the suggestion that the agreement might be expanded to include China or other countries and brushed aside fears of a new arms race. Concerns about the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, which he orchestrated as George W. Bush's undersecretary for arms control, had not bourne out, he claimed.

On the conceptual possibility of universalising the treaty, yes, that's something we thought of as far back as 2004, and efforts were made then to see if it would be possible to extend the treaty, he said. They all failed.

Asked about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Mr Bolton would only say that he had briefed Mr Putin on the US position. Both Mr Trump and Mr Putin have been reluctant to blame their allies in the Saudi royal family, insisting that more evidence is needed before fingers can be pointed.

The national security advisor also told Mr Putin that the United States is considering further sanctions against Russia over the chemical weapons attack in Salisbury but hadn't made a decision yet.

Washington imposed sanctions in August following the poisoning of Sergei Skripal with a nerve agent deployed by two Russian military intelligence agents. A second round of sanctions is supposed to be imposed in November unless United Nations inspectors are allowed to make sure that Russia doesn't have chemical weapons.

In addition, Mr Bolton and Mr Putin discussed cooperation in Syria and on anti-terrorism and anti-narcotics efforts.

The United States wants to avoid a humanitarian disaster in the last Syrian rebel stronghold of Idlib, the American envoy said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump on Tuesday described the killing of a Saudi journalist as a botched operation and a "bad original concept" as his administration took its first, careful steps toward punishing the Saudis by moving to revoke the visas of the suspects.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the entire operation was a fiasco.

"They had a very bad original concept," Trump said. "It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up, and they had the worst cover-up ever."

Even in the face of ugly details of Jamal Khashoggi's slaying, Trump has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to the kingdom and has been reluctant to antagonize the Saudi rulers. Trump considers the Saudis to be vital allies in his Mideast agenda.

Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. and wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The writer, who was a contributor to The Washington Post, vanished Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey, where he went to pick up documents for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

Turkish officials say that a Saudi team of 15 men tortured, killed and dismembered the writer and that Saudi officials had planned the killing for days. Saudi officials  after weeks of denials  now concede that he died, but they say it happened accidentally in a fight at the consulate.

"It was a total fiasco," Trump said. "The process was no good. The execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move to revoke visas was just a first step.

Visa records are confidential and Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 "Saudi suspects" would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the U.S.

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"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter," Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.

The administration "will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence," he said. "Neither the president or I am happy with this situation."

Still, Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

"We continue to view as achievable the twin imperative of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr. Khashoggi," Pompeo said.
Vietnam lawmakers on Tuesday elected as president Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, the only candidate on the ballot, making him the most powerful man in the country where consensus leadership has traditionally kept strongman rule in check.

Trong was ushered into his new role as head-of-state with 99.8 percent of the vote from Vietnam's rubber stamp parliament members a month after the former president died from a prolonged illness.

Though the president's role is seen as largely ceremonial, 74-year-old Trong will maintain his position as party head -- the first person to hold both roles since revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in the late 1960s.

His new position was cemented in a tightly orchestrated swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday after an overwhelming vote from 477 lawmakers, with only one vote against, according to the government's website.

"I, president of Vietnam, vow to be completely loyal to the nation, people and constitution," Trong said at the ceremony, speaking beneath a large bust of Ho Chi Minh.

"This is a very huge honour, while at the same time, a very heavy responsibility for me," he added, acknowledging his advanced age.

His election comes as no surprise after the Communist Party's Central Committee put his name forward as the only contender last month following the death of Tran Dai Quang, a former police chief who had been president since 2016.

Trong's dual role in two of the so-called "four-pillar" top leadership positions allows him to yield a huge amount of power in the government whose inner workings are often shielded from the public.

The two other "pillars" are the prime minister and National Assembly chair.

His appointment is not likely to shake up politics in the one-party state, though observers have said it will eliminate any potential opposition to an anti-corruption campaign that he has spearheaded since his re-election as party chief in 2016.

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The campaign has seen dozens of top officials, executives and bankers put behind bars, many seen as Trong's political foes because of their perceived alliance to former prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung who was sidelined in the last leadership shuffle two years ago.

- 'Politically unassailable' -

Some say the campaign likely allowed Trong to secure the top job as president, an unlikely and rare move.

"Trong did this because he is currently in a politically unassailable position," Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, told AFP.

"(He) has effectively used 'anti-corruption' to purge rivals within the party," he added.

Trong's time in office has also coincided with a crackdown on dissidents, with more than 55 jailed this year alone, according to an AFP tally, that rights groups say shows no sign of abating.

The US ambassador to Vietnam congratulated Trong on the post Tuesday, celebrating cosying ties between the former war enemies who are both seeking to counter China's rising military and economic might.

"We look forward to continuing to work closely with President Trong on further strengthening and expanding the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership," ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink said in a statement.

In addition to running the powerful Communist Party, as president Trong will now be in charge of welcoming foreign delegates and travelling abroad as the public face of the administration.

The white-haired longtime party member has a carefully guarded reputation as a committed apparatchik, and is also a member of the powerful politburo.
Washington (AFP) - Virginia authorities announced Wednesday they have opened an investigation into sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy, the latest in a series of states to launch their own probes into pedophile priests.

The state's attorney general, Mark Herring, launched a dedicated 24-hour hotline and web page to allow people who were victims of priests to report their experiences in support of the investigation.

The move comes after similar probes were launched in Pennsylvania, Washington DC, New York and New Jersey in the wake of a Pennsylvania grand jury report documenting more than 300 "predator" priests accused of abusing over 1,000 children in the state over seven decades.

The Virginia probe will examine the behavior of priests as well as whether the leaders of Catholic dioceses in the state abetted or covered up crimes.

"Like so many Americans, I read the grand jury report on clergy abuse in the Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, and I felt sick," Herring said in a statement.

"If there has been abuse or cover-up in Virginia like there was in Pennsylvania I want to know about it, I want to root it out, and I want to help survivors get justice and get on a path to healing," he said.

The Pennsylvania grand jury report released in August sent a fresh shock through the US Catholic church.

It led to the forced resignation of Washington DC archbishop and former bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Donald Wuerl, who was blamed for not doing enough to deal with pedophile priests.

Other states, including Missouri, New Mexico and Nebraska have opened investigations into possible abuse by clergy in their Catholic institutions.
A viral respiratory illness outbreak has killed 11 children and infected 23 others at a medical facility in New Jersey, state health officials confirmed.

The New Jersey Department of Health initially announced that 18 cases of adenovirus, six of them fatal, had been confirmed among pediatric residents at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell. On Friday, officials announced that the case count has risen to 34, and 11 children have died. A Wanaque staff member also became sick but recovered.

The affected medically fragile pediatric patients, some of whom had respiratory problems before the outbreak began, range in age from toddlers to young adults, though the vast majority are younger than 18, according to the Department of Health. An investigation is ongoing, but the center has agreed not to admit new patients until the outbreak is deemed over.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement that state and local health officials are working to contain the outbreak.

I am heartbroken by the news that several children have lost their lives in an adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and pray for the full recovery of the other children impacted, Murphy said. I have been briefed by [Commissioner of Health] Dr. Elnahal, who has assured me that the Department of Health has recommended vital measures to enhance protections against the further spread of infection and will continue its active on-site surveillance.

Heres what to know about adenovirus and the outbreak in New Jersey.

What is adenovirus?

The various strains of adenovirus can cause a variety of illnesses, ranging from common colds to neurologic conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Illnesses resulting from this family of viruses are usually fairly minor, although certain strains can cause more severe sicknesses. Adenovirus 7, the strain health officials said is behind the New Jersey outbreak, is commonly associated with respiratory diseases, though its also been linked to fevers and conjunctivitis (pink eye), according to the CDC.

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The viruses can be spread through close personal contact, coughing and sneezing or touching contaminated objects. Some strains can also be spread through water that an infected person has been in or through stool, the CDC says.

Whats behind the New Jersey outbreak?

Wanaque is a residential facility that cares for medically fragile newborns, children and young adults, as well as elderly individuals and those requiring rehabilitation. These patients preexisting health issues, as well as their shared environment, may have facilitated the spread of adenovirus, according to the state health department.

Unfortunately, the particular strain of adenovirus (#7) in this outbreak is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems, the New Jersey Department of Health said in a statement. The strain has been particularly associated with disease in communal living arrangements and can be more severe. Those with weakened immune systems may also carry and transmit the virus after they have recovered from an illness, the CDC says.

What are other risks of adenovirus outbreaks?

Adenoviruses can cause a variety of illnesses on their own, but the infections are also connected to another pediatric condition in the news: acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a polio-like illness that can cause muscle weakness, paralysis and even death. Its often difficult to prove what causes AFM, but it can follow adenoviruses, as well as poliovirus, enteroviruses and West Nile virus, the CDC says. The CDC is currently investigating an uptick in AFM cases, with 72 diagnoses confirmed so far this year in 24 states, including New Jersey.

Whats known about Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation?

Wanaque Administrator Rowena Bautista said in a statement provided to TIME that the facility is cooperating with local and national health authorities to stem the spread of disease.

The facility promptly notified all appropriate government agencies when the virus was initially identified, including the New Jersey Department of Health, the Passaic County Department of Health, the Communicable Disease Service and the Centers for Disease Control, the statement says. The Wanaque Center continues to fully cooperate with these agencies and has sought out their medical guidance with respect to the virus. As a result, facility staff have diligently implemented all available infection control and prevention measures in order to protect the health and safety of the Wanaque Centers residents.

A surprise inspection in October revealed that Wanaque failed to ensure hand hygiene was performed according to facility policy and acceptable standards of infection control practice. A report resulting from that investigation said that the facility must establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program that includes systems for preventing, identifying, reporting, investigating, and controlling infections and communicable diseases for all residents.

Unrelated Medicare investigations in 2017 and 2016 also found infection control issues at Wanaque, including failing to properly clean and disinfect surfaces and objects inside the facility, improper storage of syringes and other tools and inadequate hand-washing practices.

Wanaque was also one of the subjects of a $50 million lawsuit earlier this year, when the estate of a 75-year-old Alzheimers patient accused staff at the facility, as well as local police, of negligence and recklessness, NorthJersey.com reports.

Could more people get sick?

While health officials are working to contain the outbreak, they have warned that adenovirus symptoms can appear as long as two weeks after virus exposure. The Wanaque patients who are currently ill got sick between Sept. 26 and Nov. 12, so its possible that more cases will arise. Wanaque will not admit new patients until the outbreak is declared over  four weeks after the last illness onset  to contain infections.

With cases still emerging, the Department of Health on Thursday called on members of the New Jersey Medical Reserve Corp. to help the facility quarantine sick children from those unaffected by adenovirus. That effort must be complete by Wednesday. Wanaque will also be required to hire an infection control practitioner, the Department of Health said.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, health officials confirmed that four patients at Voorhees Pediatric Facility, about 100 miles south of Wanaque, have become infected with a separate strain of adenovirus. The two cases do not seem to be related, and health officials said illnesses at Voorhees do not seem to be as serious as those at Wanaque.

The pediatric patients in Voorhees do not have the severity of illnesses were seeing among residents at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Elnahal said in a statement. While we cannot release private medical information, these patients in Voorhees are not in critical condition.

In an effort to prevent similar outbreaks in the future, the New Jersey Department of Health sent a team of infection control experts and epidemiologists to Newarks University Hospital and four long-term pediatric care facilities  Wanaque, Voorhees and Childrens Specialized Hospital in Toms River and Mountainside  to educate staff on proper procedures. Facility outbreaks are not always preventable, but in response to what we have seen in Wanaque, we are taking aggressive steps to minimize the chance they occur among the most vulnerable patients in New Jersey, Elnahal said in a statement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook praised European Union privacy laws during a speech in Brussels. Photo: Aris Oikonomou/AFP/Getty Images

Heres a daily overview of the top business and economic developments the Yahoo Finance UK team is monitoring in the UK and Europe:

Apple CEO praises EU privacy rules

Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has praised new European privacy rules during a morning speech at a Brussels event. He also said his company fully supports a comprehensive federal privacy law for the United States.

Cook was the keynote speaker at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners.

Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google (GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai will also share their thoughts via video messages at the two-day event.

Cooks remarks underscore how US tech giants are jostling to curry favour in the region as regulators tighten their scrutiny.





European bank earnings  Deutsche Bank, Barclays

Shares in Germanys Deutsche Bank (DBK.DE) are slumping by about 4% in morning trading after the bank reported disappointing third-quarter results, which overshadowed the banks assertion that it is on track to return to profit this year.

After three years of losses, a failed stress test, several attempts to restructure, a leadership shake-up and a ratings downgrade, many investors have lost faith in Germanys biggest bank. Shares have fallen by about 44% this year.

Barclays (BARC.L) stock was edging higher in London in early trading after the bank beat third quarter profit forecasts and reported higher revenues at its investment bank. Shares in the British bank have dropped by about 18% this year.





Heineken earnings

Dutch beer brewer Heineken (HEIA.AS) reported increased beer sales in all four of its global regions in the third quarter and stuck to its full-year outlook on Wednesday.

Heineken, which is the worlds second largest brewer, noted that hot weather in Europe helped it sell 2.2% more beer versus the same quarter in 2017.

Shares in the company were slipping a tad in morning trading in Amsterdam.

Peugeot results in focus

PSA Group (UG.PA), the French parent company of car brands including Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall, is set to report new financial results after European stock markets close on Wednesday.

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Shares in the company are dipping by about 2% in morning trading ahead of the results.

The automaker sells the vast majority of its cars in Europe, where customers are increasingly shifting away from diesel cars towards purchases of petrol, hybrid and electric cars.

French competitor Renault (RNO.PA) reported its results on Tuesday, blaming a slump in emerging markets for its lower quarterly sales. Mercedes-Benz manufacturer Daimler (DAI.DE) is reporting results on Thursday.





New auction of Banksy works

The auction house Artcurial will be in the public eye this evening as it holds a sale in Paris of some artworks by the famed street artist, Banksy.

The British artist has cultivated his mystique after a print of one of his best-known works, Girl With a Balloon, slid half-way through a shredder embedded in its frame moments after it was sold at Sothebys in London earlier this month.

The woman who bid more than 1m for the print still went ahead with the purchase.

Artcurial is the first auction house to sell prints by Banksy since the infamous Sothebys auction.

Artcurial auctioneer Arnaud Oliveux said he doesnt expect any more stunts, but he wouldnt mind if something happened.

Are we expecting it? Not really. Perhaps we are hoping for it, he said. I would love it if something happens.





With files from Reuters and Associated Press
The far-right leader allegedly told his wife: The only language women understand is violence

Richard Spencer rose to prominence during Trumps presidential campaign as a well-dressed, media-savvy white nationalist. Photograph: David J Phillip/AP

The wife of the white nationalist Richard Spencer has accused him of emotional and physical abuse, including choking her, dragging her by her hair and attempting to punch her while she was pregnant, according to divorce filings in the Flathead county district court in Montana.

One of [Spencers] favorite statements to me is, The only language women understand is violence, Spencers wife Nina Koupriianova alleged in divorce filings. She claimed he called her genetically defective and a parasite, and that he verbally abused her in front of their young daughter.

Im famous and you are not! Im important and you are not! the white nationalist leader would sometimes tell her when he was angry, she claimed in the divorce filings.

The allegations in the divorce filings were first reported by Buzzfeed News after multiple attempts by Spencer to keep them under seal.

Spencer called his wifes allegations of abuse a wild mischaracterization of who I am and said he would not comment on her specific allegations. Im not going to be engaging with specifics, he told the Guardian.

Spencer rose to prominence during Trumps presidential campaign as a well-dressed, media-savvy white nationalist eager to explain to journalists why Trumps presidential campaign was a political step forward for American neo-Nazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan.

He became internationally famous after shouting Hail Trump! Hail our people! and being greeted with Nazi salutes at a white nationalist event in November 2016, shortly after Trump was elected president. In 2017, he was one of the most prominent participants in the violent white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, which included violent clashes in the streets, attacks on black Charlottesville residents, and a car attack on a crowd of counter-protesters that left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead.

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Spencer and Koupriianova married in 2010 and have been living separately since July 2017, according to the filings. They have two young children.

In the divorce filings, his wife argued that Spencers abusive behavior, drinking and white nationalist political activism put their children at risk.

Most if not all of [Spencers] public speaking events end in violence, his wife noted.

Koupriianova, who has her own ties to the Russian far right, has previously defended Spencer and his views. In December 2016, the month after the Hail Trump! event, Spencers prominence as a racist advocate had sparked outrage in Whitefish, Montana, where Spencer and his family sometimes lived. Koupriianova wrote an op-ed in a local newspaper suggesting that her husband had been the subject of a witch hunt and claiming that Spencer promotes positive identity for peoples of European descent around the world.

Spencer was one of the most prominent participants in the violent white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Spencer had been misrepresented by the establishment media, she wrote in 2016, in a plea for free speech and being respectful to differing views.

In divorce filings, she suggested that Spencer, a believer in traditional marriage and traditional gender roles, had sometimes failed to provide for his family and care for her and their children, as well as engaging in physical violence and verbally abusing her in front of their children.

Last year, after she returned from hospital after the birth of their second child, Spencer left her alone without any help to care for the newborn and their toddler daughter, his wife alleged.

During their marriage, the white nationalist leader sometimes told her to use her own savings to pay for groceries, saying that his money was for the cause, she alleged. He also regularly failed to pay water, internet, electricity and cellphone bills and failed to make healthcare payments, causing their health insurance to lapse three times, including once shortly before the birth of their second child.

In 2014, when she was pregnant with their first child, he held her down with his body weight and grabbed her by the neck and the jaw, leaving bruises, she alleged. In 2017, when she was nine months pregnant, he attempted to punch her in the face, she claimed.

After he was punched in the face in Washington DC on the day of Trumps inauguration in 2016, Spencer left a loaded .38 pistol on the table in their bedroom in Montana, where it was easily accessible to their then two-year-old daughter, Koupriianova alleged. When his wife confronted him about the risk to their child, he did not seem to adequately appreciate the danger, she claimed.

She claimed he repeatedly told her to kill herself and asked if her parents would attend her funeral. Much of the abuse happened in front of their children, she alleged.

Spencer has noticeably increased his alcohol intake in recent years, which contributes to his aggressive behavior and reduces his impulse control, she said. During their video chats, he would sometimes be holding a bottle of liquor early in the afternoon, she claimed.

The older daughter, who was three years old this summer, has witnessed Spencers outbursts and heard his verbal abuse of his mother and her babysitter, whom Spencer called a fucking sub-mediocre human being, Koupriianova alleged.

In the filings, she describes the daughter as trying to intervene when Spencer berated her mother, including putting herself between her parents and trying to distract her father or ask him to stop, and said the little girl was suffering from sleeplessness, nightmares and anxiety as a result of witnessing the abuse.

While Spencer repeatedly attempted to have the divorce proceedings sealed from public view, Judge Heidi Ulbricht denied the motion, citing the Montana constitution and first amendment press protections.

Matthew Heimbach, another prominent young neo-Nazi leader, was arrested on domestic violence charges in March.
Tokyo (AFP) - A group of women is demanding compensation from a Japanese medical university that admitted routinely altering the scores of female applicants to keep them out, lawyers said Wednesday.

More than 20 former applicants are demanding Tokyo Medical University make amends for the scandal, which led to the discovery of similar discrimination in other medical schools after prompting a government investigation.

Lawyers for the women, who were rejected by the school after taking entrance exams at the school from 2006 onwards, are expected to present a claim to the university next week.

They acknowledge they cannot yet prove whether they were rejected because of discrimination or insufficient test scores, but are calling on the university to disclose their results.

They are also asking for 100,000 yen ($890) each in compensation for "mental anguish" and for the university to reimburse money they paid to take the entrance exams, travel to the school and stay in the area during the application process.

The women in the group include a doctor, students currently enrolled at other medical schools and women who have taken jobs in other fields.

The university admitted the process of altering the test scores of female applicants began in 2006.

An independent probe said Tuesday that the school had disqualified about a quarter of female applicants who should have been offered places based on their original, unaltered test scores during 2017 and 2018.

"I'm speechless over these numbers -- how much weight each one of them carries," Sakura Uchikoshi, one of the lawyers representing the women, told reporters Wednesday.

The university reportedly sought to keep the percentage of female students low in part because of a belief that women would leave the profession soon after graduation when they married and had families.

The scandal caused outrage in Japan and abroad and prompted an education ministry investigation, in addition to the independent probe.

On Tuesday, the ministry said in an interim report that it had uncovered several more cases where medical schools discriminated against female applicants, as well as those taking the entrance exam for a second or third time.

But the ministry has no plans at present to punish the implicated schools and has declined to name them, while urging them to change their practices.
Five of the most valuable exhibits at the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC have been found to be fake.

The artefacts, thought to be part of the historic Dead Sea Scrolls, will no longer be displayed.

Academics tested the fragments and found that the show characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin and therefore will no longer be displayed at the museum, the institution said.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest copies of Bible text ever found, and include passages of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, that range from 1,800 to more than 2,000 years old.

Though we had hoped the testing would render different results, this is an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of verifying the authenticity of rare biblical artefacts, the elaborate testing process undertaken and our commitment to transparency, said Jeffrey Kloha, the chief curatorial officer for Museum of the Bible, said in a statement.

As an educational institution entrusted with cultural heritage, the museum upholds and adheres to all museum and ethical guidelines on collection care, research and display, Mr Kloha said.

While the cost of the scrolls has not been revealed, the museum is thought to have spent millions of dollars on them. The institution faced questions over the authenticity of the fragments even before the site opened in November 2017.

In April 2017, it sent five fragments to the Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und-prufung (BAM) a German institute for analysing materials, who tested the ink and the papyrus. The Museum of the Bible said that the recently-received report further raises suspicions about the authenticity of all five fragments.

The museum said that supported two other research projects on its DSS fragments. Two years ago, Brill, a leading international academic publisher, released the first in a series of planned volumes sponsored by Museum of the Bible. Edited by Emanuel Tov, Kipp Davis and Robert Duke. Mr Davis and some of the contributors raised questions about the authenticity of some of the fragments.

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My research has focused primarily on two aspects of Museum of the Bibles fragments: scribal quality and technique in the penning of the texts as well as the physical composition and current state of the manuscript media, said Mr Davis. My studies to date have managed to confirm upon a preponderance of different streams of evidence the high probability that at least seven fragments in the museums Dead Sea Scrolls collection are modern forgeries, but conclusions on the status of the remaining fragments are still forthcoming.

Today, many of the Dead Sea Scrollswhich total some 100,000 fragmentsare housed in the Shrine of the Book, part of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The excavation and selling of fragments is outlawed under a UN convention on cultural property from 1970, which means that private sellers fight over fragments removed before that time.

The founder of the Museum of the Bible, Steve Green, who his business the Hobby Lobby craft chain, faced scrutiny over the purchase of more than 5,500 artefacts from 2010 that originated from Iraq. The chain agreed to pay a $3m fine last year to settle a case with the Department of Justice that claimed the objects were illegally smuggled. The items have since been returned.

Hobby Lobby said that it was new to the world of antiquities when it began acquiring historical items for its Museum of the Bible in 2009 and made mistakes in relying on dealers and shippers who did not understand the correct way to document and ship them.

Reuters contributed to this report
The gang of robbers were told to come back later in the day when the owner had more money  and were promptly arrested (Handout)

A group of bungling robbers found themselves arrested after they were told to return to a store when the shopkeeper had more money.

The six people stormed into the e-cigarettes shop in Charleroi, Belgium, in broad daylight and demanded cash from the tills.

However, salesman Didier told the group to come back at the end of the day when he could give them more money after a day of sales.

Unbelievably, the group did exactly as he said and left the shop before retuning by close of play  where police were waiting to arrest them.

The group tried to rob an e-cigarettes shop in Belgium (Getty/stock photo)

Didier told the BBC: Its like it was a comedy. Theyre being called the worst robbers in Belgium.

He added: I didnt give them a thing, but said if they came back later I would have 2 or 3,000 euros

When I called the police, they didnt believe they would come back.

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The thieves returned at 5.30pm  one hour before the vaping shop was due to close, but Didier told them to come back at 6.30pm, when the store closed.

The men returned for a third time and were swiftly arrested by police, who were waiting at the back of the shop.

Five males were arrested, including one minor.
Some of the powerful senate testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, has appeared in the form of graffiti posted at the university where the judge studied.

Pictures posted on social media of the Sterling Law building at Yale Universitys campus in New Haven, Connecticut, showed graffiti on the entryway that read: Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter.

The words were taken from Ms Fords testimony last month before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was considering Donald Trumps nomination for the Supreme Court. Ms Ford was among at least three women to accuse the judge of sexual misconduct or sexual assault. He denied all the allegations.

Entrance to the Yale Law School this afternoon pic.twitter.com/7fONRFWByS  Tom Jawetz (@TomJawetz) October 22, 2018

In one part of her testimony, Ms Ford, an academic from California who said Mr Kavanaugh had tried to remove her clothes at a high school party three decades ago, was asked by Democratic senator Patrick Leahy to recall her most striking memory of the alleged incident.

Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense, said Ms Ford, a research psychologist, referring to the part of the human brain believed responsible for dealing with emotion and memory.

I was underneath one of them while the two laughed. Two friends having a really good time with one another.

Mr Kavanaugh was also accused by a fellow Yale student, Deborah Ramirez, of exposing himself to her and forcing his penis in front of his face, during a drunken dormitory party. He also denied that had taken place.

While Ms Fords testimony moved many who watched it, the committee voted 11-10 on party lines to move forward to a full vote in the senate. After a brief delay during which the FBI carried out another background check on Mr Kavanaugh and senators judged there was nothing to stop his nomination moving forward, he was confirmed 50 - 48.

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Ms Fords lawyers did not immediately respond to enquiries on Tuesday. Yale University also did not answer questions. Reports suggest the graffiti, first reported by HuffPost, was removed by university staff on Monday afternoon.

One of the students who photographed the graffiti, told the news site: Something about the permanence of paint speaks to how deeply betrayed and disappointed people feel."

She added: Theres still a lot of anger and disappointment in the halls of [Yale Law]. I think in particular, a lot of female students feel very fundamentally betrayed. But also very determined to change things for the better.
A waitress in North Carolina got a $10,000 tip, and all she did was deliver two waters.

Alaina Custer arrived at work at 4 p.m. this past Friday when her boss, Bret Oliverio, owner of the Sup Dogs restaurant in Greenville, N.C., assigned her a table that would change her life. The two guys at the table started sipping their waters and looking at the menu, and then kind of just walked away, Oliverio tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

He then sent Custer over to see what had happened. So I went over there and I wasnt paying attention, looking down at the ground, and Im like, Theyre not even here, Custer tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And then I looked at the table. Thats when she hit the jackpot. There was a note on the table that said, Thanks for the waters, and a stack 3 or 4 inches high of $100 bills, Oliverio recalls.

YouTuber Mr. Beast leaves a $10,000 tip for a North Carolina waitress. (Photo: Sup Dogs)

It totaled $10,000, and it was just for the two waters  and a big tip, of course. It was crazy, Oliverio says. Adds Custer: I was just mind blown. Im just like, theres no way this is real. I thought it was fake, like someone was playing a joke on me. So I didnt want to get really excited about it. I was so confused. I was like, OK, no ones gonna leave this big a tip. I did nothing besides get them waters. It was wild. I was shaking so much. And I just kept asking Bret, What is this?!

The two guys at the next table had the answer to her question. I saw them taking pictures of me and asked if they knew what was going on, and they said, You just got tipped for the waters. And I was like, OK, I do not need that much money for waters  you guys are crazy. And they told me that they were with Mr. Beast and they do YouTube videos.

Turns out, this was the work of a very popular YouTuber, one whos known for handing out cash. Mr. Beast (his YouTube name is MrBeast) has almost 9 million subscribers and lives in Greenville. His videos frequently revolve around spending money, whether its handing hundreds to strangers or buying $50,000 worth of lottery tickets.

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Mr. Beasts camera team just kept saying, Good things still happen to good people, which I thought was cool, Oliverio remembers.

And then the two guys that originally got the waters walked back in, and I gave them all hugs, says Custer. The 22-year-old nursing student and Oliverio didnt recognize anyone in the group. So they said, We were the ones who did the money tree a while back, and I was like, Oh yeah, I do remember that, Custer recalls.

This money tree is exactly what it sounds like: The Mr. Beast team stuck bills to trees in front of restaurants and in parks, and watched as people helped themselves. That video was posted in June and has more than 4 million views.

The video from the recent restaurant outing just went live and has almost 500,000 views so far. We have a $30,000 budget for this video, Mr. Beast says in the beginning of the video. They go to multiple restaurants, starting out with just a penny tip and increasing the amount as they go along. Custer was the lucky recipient of $10,000  the largest tip in the video.

However, this isnt the most money Mr. Beast has ever given one person, which he makes clear at the end of the video before highlighting some of the crazy things hes done on his YouTube channel. He has another video in which he gives outrageous tips to restaurant staff. He also has a few videos in which he donates large sums of money or loads of supplies to homeless people and shelters.

I enjoy the feeling of giving to others, Mr. Beast tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Seeing the surprised look on someones face after giving them a large amount of money never gets old to me. Which is why I love the position I am in. Companies pay YouTubers like me for promotion in our videos, and I just take that money and try to think of fun ways I can use it to help people.

In a June 2017 video, he explains that he is giving 100 percent of the money he receives from sponsors away to random people.

Turns out, Custer is just as generous. Immediately she was like, I cant keep this, Oliverio says. Her first comment was, We should split it up. Custer kept $800 and split the rest among the entire staff. So cooks, bus guys, hosts, food runners, servers  we have a pretty big staff, close to 80 people. So everyone else got either $100 or $200, Oliverio explains. If anyones ever worked in the restaurant business, especially a high-volume restaurant, its just incredibly hard work.

This all happened over homecoming weekend, when the restaurant was extra-busy. We were working all day, all night, nonstop, says Oliverio. So it was nice that out of nowhere, everyone left with a nice chunk of money in their pocket.

For Custer, sharing the money was the only option. I just felt like I didnt deserve that. I didnt deserve that money at all; I got them waters, she says. I didnt think it would be fair for everybody if I took all of that money. And I wanted to do what was the most fair for everybody, so splitting it up felt like the right thing to do.

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YAKIMA, Wash. -- A meeting Monday afternoon on the issue of missing Native women in Washington state will take place in Yakima.

The meeting hosted by Washington State Patrol Capt. Monica Alexander and Craig Bill, director of the Governors Office of Indian Affairs, is set from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Yakima Convention Center, 10 N. Eighth St.

Officials had planned to hold the meeting in the event center at Legends Casino in Toppenish but changed the venue a couple weeks ago to ensure there would be enough room, said Lacey Ledford, Alexanders assistant. Alexander is the legislative liaison for the State Patrol.

We hope for a good turnout, she said.

It is among several meetings happening around the state as a result of Washington House Bill 2951, which requires the State Patrol to work with the Office of Indian Affairs, federally recognized tribes, tribal and other law enforcement and tribal leaders to determine how to increase reporting and investigation of missing Native American women.

The legislation also requires the state to collect data, for the first time, on the numbers of missing Native women.

The State Patrol must report the results of its study to the Legislature by June 1. This must include data and analysis on the number of missing Native American women in the state, identification of barriers in providing state resources to address the issue, and recommendations to improve safety and reporting.

Another meeting will take place in Shelton on Nov. 8 at the Little Creek Casino, Sa-Heh-WA-Mish Room, 91 West State Route 108.
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If US President Donald Trump fails to present his peace plan in the weeks following the US November 6 midterm elections, French President Emmanuel Macron intends to present his own peace plan, the Foreign Ministry's Political Director Alon Ushpiz said Monday in a secret discussion at the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

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Ushpiz told MKs that the Foreign Ministry is aware of the French plan, and that "very soon after the (US midterm) elections, the French will demand Trump to present his plan or they would present theirs."

According to Ushpiz, Jerusalem believes the Democrats will come out ahead in the midterm elections, something that would undoubtedly have a significant effect on Israel.

French President Macron and US President Trump (Photo: EPA)

A third of Congress members are going to be replaced, and it is unclear if they are all on our side. In fact, we will be starting from zero, and what we had since Trump had taken office is going to changeand we must prepare for that, said Ushpiz.

Despite that, Ushpiz the State Department's strategic goal is to keep Israel a bipartisan issue. "We're making great efforts and investing a lot of energy in that," he said.

When asked by one of the MKs about Trump's comment that he could press Israel as he is pressing the Palestinians, Ushpiz said he was not familiar with such a statement, and that the Foreign Ministry does not know what the American peace plan entails.

Ushpiz warned that Israel was losing the support of Jewish communities in the US. "We are facing a challenge with the young Jewish generation, which is less identified with Israel," he said.

He called on the MKs to meet with members of the Jewish communities in their travels to the US. "It doesn't help if you meet only with the Evangelicals, they support us. But among the others, we're not in a good situation," Ushpiz added.

Foreign Ministry's Political Director Alon Ushpiz

Israel, Ushpiz said, had a serious PR problem when it comes to the situation in the Gaza Strip. "We can't convince (foreign) diplomats and government officials who visit Gaza. They go in there and come out in shock. Facing the humanitarian situation in the strip, our people can't do much," he explained.

But the diplomatic effort to convince other nations to move their embassies to Jerusalem is high on the list of the Foreign Ministry's priorities, Ushpiz noted.

Ushpiz also reviewed the next stage of the sanctions against Iran, telling MKs that Tehran's economy "will suffer a significant blow. The economic situation there is catastrophic, and we don't remember a similar departure of foreign companies from Iran in the past. The sanctions are effective, because no one in the world wants a conflict with the US."

MKs were surprised to learn that the current diplomatic crisis with Jordanover territories leased to Israel under the peace treaty that Amman seeks to reclaimwas not part of Ushpiz's briefing.

We have a strategic relationship with Jordan, and we need to ask ourselves what we prefer: To fight over what had happened or to continue our long-term relationship. We have a whole year to get them off it, and we need to understand that what they say to us in private isnt what is being told to the media," he responded.

The Foreign Ministry said in response that "the report is ridden with errors and inaccuracies. There are things that are simply not true, and unfortunately we cannot elaborate due to the secret nature of the forum."
A 23-year-old Palestinian man was killed overnight Tuesday in clashes with the IDF in the town of Tammun in the West Bank, between Nablus and Jenin.

The clashes erupted when an IDF force entered the village during the night to carry out an arrest.

According to the Palestinians, the man was shot in his upper body and evacuated to the hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The IDF is looking into the Palestinian claim the man was killed from Israeli fire.
A young Palestinian man was killed overnight Tuesday in clashes with the IDF in the town of Tammun in the West Bank, between Nablus and Jenin.

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Some 50 Palestinians started rioting when an IDF force entered the village during the night to carry out an arrest. They hurled stones at the troops and set off fireworks in their direction. The soldiers responded with crowd dispersal measures and with live fire.

According to the Palestinians, the 21-year-old Mohammed Bsharat was shot in his chest and evacuated to the hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. At least five other rioters were wounded in the clashes.

Clashes in Tammun

X

The IDF is looking into the Palestinian claim the man was killed from Israeli fire.

During the night, Israeli security forces arrested 16 wanted men in the West Bank suspected of involvement in terror activity, popular terrorism and violent rioting. The suspects were taken in for questioning.

Clashes in Tammun

IDF troops also seized two locally-produced weapons during a search for illegal weapons in the Menashe Territorial Brigade area.

On Tuesday night, IDF soldiers at the checkpoint near Halhul opened fired in response to what they believed was shooting in their direction from a moving vehicle. An initial investigation found no one had opened fire on them. No one was hurt, but a suspect was arrested.

On Monday, a terrorist stabbed a military driver in Hebron. The driver shot and killed his attacker.
Israel will resume supplies of fuel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning after a 12-day halt imposed over violent border clashes.

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The Defense Ministry suspended the deliveries of Qatari-financed diesel on October 12, hours after a group of 20 Palestinians blew up a hole in the border fence and infiltrated Israel to attack an IDF post. The IDF opened fired at the Palestinians, killing three of them.

"In accordance with recommendations by security bodies it has been decided to resume the supply of Qatari fuel from tomorrow," the Defense Ministry statement said on Tuesday night.

Fuel supply resumed to Gaza (:  )

X

On Sunday, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the reopening of Gaza's goods and pedestrian crossings into Israel after a four-day closure sparked by a Palestinian rocket attack into southern Israel.

His office cited "a decrease in the violent events in Gaza over the weekend and efforts Hamas made to restrain" border protests as grounds for the reopenings.





Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited Sderot on Tuesday to back incumbent Mayor Alon Davidi in his reelection campaign, said Israel was "ready for any scenario" in Gaza.

"We'll handle this in a very determined and very calculated manner," he continued.

"We're dealing with a theological junta that took control over 2 million people. They (Hamas) were 3,000 men strong before the wretched, erroneous and tragic disengagement, and today they are 65,000 men strong," added the prime minister, who voted in favor of the Gaza Disengagement in 2005.

"They are committed to our annihilation, and that is why they're not partners for dialogue in the diplomatic sense. But they understand our other messages well, and we won't allow them to continue. We also won't allow them to even dream of carrying out their plans," Netanyahu vowed. "The first thing I'm committed to is security: No rockets, no mortars and no (incendiary) balloons."

Near-daily protests along the Gaza border since March 30 against Israel's 11-year blockade of the enclave have sparked repeated clashes with the IDF.

On Tuesday, a 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead and several others were wounded by IDF fire as some 200 rioters clashed with Israeli security forces east of Deir al-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF, the Palestinians set alight tires and threw explosive devices and stones at Israeli troops, who responded with riot control measures, as well as sniper fire, which intended to neutralize the main instigators.

Meanwhile, six fires broke out in Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Tuesday, caused by incendiary balloons from the strip.

The fuel deal, brokered by the United Nations and backed by the United States, Israel and others, briefly brought thousands of liters of diesel into Gaza daily to boost the impoverished territory's electricity supply.

But the daily shipments to Hamas-ruled Gaza's only power station lasted merely for three days.

Under the limited agreement Qatar, a longtime Hamas backer, was to pay $60 million for fuel to be brought into Gaza over six months.
The police arrested a Jerusalem resident in his 20s on Highway 1 on Wednesday morning on the suspicion he was planning to carry out a terror attack.

The suspect was detained for questioning.

The eastbound lanes of Highway 1 were blocked from the Shoresh Interchange.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly believes President Reuven Rivlin will not task him with creating the government after the next elections because of "personal score settling," something the President's Residence dismissed on Wednesday as "paranoia that is not based on a concrete move or thought that happened in reality."

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In response, coalition Chairman MK David Amsalem (Likud) said he intends to submit a bill proposal that would require the president to task the leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the Knesset with the construction of the government.

At present, Basic Law: The Government gives the president the authority to task any MK who agrees to it with the formulation of the government.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Rivlin (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Amsalem seeks to change the law so the president would only be able to task the "head of the party" or "the candidate," thus ensuring no other MK in the winning party can put together the new government.

Netanyahu's close associates accused a former senior Likud Party member of spreading the report by speaking about the matter with several partners in the coalition. While the former member was not named, it is believed the associates meant former minister Gideon Sa'ar, who vehemently denied any connection to the reports.

"Normally, I don't comment on delusional claims, particularly when there's no one willing to stand behind these claims and make them openly. But since my name came up, I want to say in the clearest manner: There is no basis for the reports. They're completely farfetched. I'm bothered by the thought there is someone who whispers such nonsense in the prime minister's ear," Sa'ar said.

Likud MK Miki Zohar, a close associate of Netanyahu, told Ynet that "the attempt to accuse Gideon Sa'ar of an attempt to carry out a blitz against the prime minister is no more than complete nonsense."

He went on to say that "Gideon Sa'ar is joining forces with Likud to aid the party and aid Netanyahu to continue leading and succeeding with the members of Likud, for the benefit of the State of Israel."

On the statement from the President's Residence, Zohar said that "if someone tells me the president decides in a strange move not to task Netanyahu with the construction of the government, I wouldn't be surprised. There's bad blood between the two, no one denies it."
MOSCOW - Russia and the United States have discussed the possibility of President Vladimir Putin visiting Washington next year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Peskov said that such a possibility was briefly touched upon during a visit by US National Security Advisor John Bolton to Moscow this week. No specific plans had yet been arranged, Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

US President Donald Trump and Putin plan to meet in Paris next month, officials said on Tuesday, their first encounter since a summit in Helsinki that unleashed a storm of criticism that Trump was cozying up to the Kremlin.
Seven-year-old Yonatan Regev from Kibbutz Mefalsim near the Gaza border was immortalized on Tuesday when 13-year-old Uriya Kabir, who lives in the same kibbutz, snapped a photo of him on his bicycle pedaling away from a fire caused by an incendiary balloon from the strip.

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The photo, which Kabir posted on social media, was widely shared and went viral.

Yonatan and his friends were riding their bicycles in the area "to see what's going on near their home," said Yonatan's father Avishai. "But as soon as the fire spread, (firefighters) asked them to leave. It's an unpleasant experience; the entire kibbutz was covered in smoke."

Yonatan Regev pedaling away from the fire (Photo: Uriya Kabir)

This fire was one of six that blazed through Israeli communities on the Gaza border as a result of the Palestinian arson terrorism on Tuesday. The biggest conflagration was in the Gvar'am Nature Reserve in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, which scorched some 120 dunams (30 acres) of one of southern Israel's most beautiful nature sites.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to maintain a permanent Israeli military force in the West Bank, saying that if it weren't for Israeli troops stationed there, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be "overrun in two minutes" by Hamas.

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Netanyahu told a major Jewish conference that Israel doesn't have the liberty to repeat its mistake in Gaza, where Hamas violently seized control from Abbas after Israeli forces withdrew from the coastal strip.

Asked about his vision for the West Bank, Netanyahu said he preferred to avoid labels such as "Palestinian state." But he did make clear his view that Abbas, known by his nickname Abu Mazen, and his Palestinian Authority owe their very existence to Israel's protection, and directly benefit from the presence of Israeli troops.

Netanyahu at the Jewish Federation of North America conference (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, evacuating its settlements there and pulling back all its troops. The following year, Hamas won parliamentary elections and a year after that, it violently overthrew forces loyal to Abbas and has since ruled the territory with an iron fist.

As part of interim peace deals in the 1990s, the West Bank was carved up into autonomous and semi-autonomous Palestinian areas, known as Areas A and B, and Area C, which is under exclusive Israeli control and home to dozens of Israeli settlements.

Previous peace talks have come to a deadlock over how much of the territory would become part of the future Palestinian state.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an Abbas spokesman, said the only way to achieve peace and stability was through a Palestinian state on the entire West Bank, with east Jerusalem as its capital.

"Other than that, it is just excuses to keep the occupation," he said, adding that continued occupation and settlements "will only lead to instability and violence."

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

After years of rejecting the concept, Netanyahu ultimately agreed to the idea of a demilitarized Palestinian state in 2009. But he has since walked it back some, faced with pressure from his more hard-line coalition partners.

Maintaining security control of the West Bank is a longstanding position of Netanyahu. Israel continues security cooperation with Palestinian forces even though there haven't been serious peace talks since Netanyahu took office in 2009. US President Donald Trump, however, has promised to present a far-reaching and much-awaited peace plan of his own at some time.

Netanyahu's comments appeared to indicate how far he'd be willing to go if forced to compromise in the West Bank.

"They (Abbas' authority) were there in Gaza, they had 15,000 armed men, Hamas had 3,000. Within a few days they kicked him out and we can't afford that happening in Judea, Samaria, the West Bank," he said, referring to the area by its biblical name. "We left Gaza. What happened? This tiny thumb became a position of radical Islam supported by Iran and they fired 4,000 missiles on us."

While Israel and Hamas have waged three wars in Gaza over the past decade, the West Bank has remained relatively calm.
A delegation of senior Egyptian intelligence officials entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to meet with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as part of Cairo's efforts to mediate a ceasefire in the strip.

This is the second meeting in a week between the two sides.
Israel's Chief Rabbi David Lau called on Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid to condemn videos produced by the party's candidates in the municipal elections that include "grave expressions of incitement" against the ultra-Orthodox public.

"In recent weeks, we see expressions of hate and hateful videos making the rounds in Tel Aviv, Holon, Ramat Gan and Ashdod," Lau said at a swearing-in ceremony for the Chief Rabbinate's Council. "Is this how the head of the party envisions the future of the people of Israel?"
GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Wednesday Hamas is "deterred," but is still "looking under and above ground for ways to harm Israel."

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Speaking at the change of command ceremony in the Gaza Division, Halevi added that "the gates of Gaza are heavy. We're in a complex time... patience and ploys are required."

Concluding his time in the role, outgoing Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs said the "underground fighting was the most challenging task I've encountered in my life," promising that the underground obstacle being built along the border "will significantly improve the security of the area's residents."

Photo: Change of command ceremony (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

Fuchs went on to say that "Most of the resources that go into Gaza are diverted to digging tunnels and producing rockets."

"In the Gaza Strip there is an enemy who digs in the ground and curses the earth in which orchards can bloom. When the need arises, this enemy will meet those who seek life in the form of IDF fighters."

Incoming commander Brig. Gen. Eliezer Toledano vowed that "there is no one who can stop us from continuing to build our national home."

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Halevi met with the local authorities' heads of the Gaza border communities, as tensions rise along the Gaza border.

"Our policy is to restore the status quo prevailing before March 30 (when the Hamas-led "Marc of Return" campaign was launched in Gaza-ed).

"We definitely see that Hamas is attempting to preserve the calmthere was a decrease in the intensity of the Gaza border riots and the launching of incendiary balloons," he elaborated.

"Humanitarian aid will help to reduce violence, since Gaza's residents will have something to lose," he concluded.

Fire erupting amid incendiary balloons across Gaza border communities

In addition, todayfor the second time within a week and the fourth time within two weeksa delegation of Egyptian intelligence senior officials headed by Ahmed Abdel Khalek, who holds the Palestinian portfolio, entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing to meet with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in order to promote the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Hamas official Husam Badran said that "Qatar is investing great efforts to ease the siege imposed on Gaza.

"Qatar, the UN and Egypt are tirelessly working to restore calm in Gaza. In addition, Hamas is holding intra-Palestinian talks with other Palestinian factions. The goal is to end the siege and the long-lasting suffering of the Palestinian people," he explained.

"Gaza's residents live under intolerable conditions and are experiencing hardships which increase every day amid the Israeli blockade as well as the sanctions imposed by the Palestinian Authority on the strip," Badran went on to say.

"If the pressure on Gaza continues, it would lead to a flare-up that will harm all parties involved. The Palestinian nation does not wish for war. However, the resistance has many abilities that cause Israel much concern, prompting it to think long and hard before it carries out a new foolish operation," the Hamas official exclaimed.

"The strip's residents should continue with the "March of Return" campaign, and make as many sacrifices as needed in order to achieve their national demands and aspirations," he concluded.
China's vice president and Israel's prime minister have kicked off a joint innovation summitwhere the two countries are working to cement their fast-growing relationship.

Wang Qishan and Benjamin Netanyahu toured a number of exhibits by high-tech Israeli start-ups focused on self-driving cars, health care and agriculture. They were scheduled to attend an evening gala event and the opening of an Israeli innovation center on Thursday.

Wang, a close confidant of President Xi Jinpin, is one of the most senior Chinese officials to visit Israel since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.
Regional councils in the West Bank receive the highest government funding in comparison to other regional councils across the country, according to a report issued by the Knessets Research and Information Center.

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The report was ordered by the Knesset's Transparency Committee Chairwoman Knesset member Stav Shaffir (Zionist Union). It determines that regional councils in the West Bank receive a quarter of Israels state grants, even though they represent only 5 percent of the countrys regional councils.

The Israeli Government doesnt see its citizens, and lies to the residents of the periphery, MK Shaffir said.

The report gathered data from several sources and reviewed the funding the regional councils had received between 2015-2016 in education, and welfare as well as support grants from Ministry of Interior.

However, the latest report did not include security budgets, as opposed to previous reports issued by the Knesset.

Maale Adumim (Photo: AP)

According to the findings, a student in the settlements receives NIS 15,900 per year, while the national average stands on NIS 9,800.

In addition, it was found that support grants to regional councils in the West Bank are larger the the ones other Israeli regional councils receive.

The report indicates that residents of the two ultra-Orthodox cities in the West BankModiin Illit and Beitar Illitreceived 6.6% of all support grants, despite the fact they represent only 2.7% of Israels population.

Furthermore, the residents of the West Bank regional councils are also funded in a disproportionate way to their number. They recieve NIS 99.8 million, making up 9.2% of all grants, even though they make up 6.7% of resinders in regional councils in Israel.

The biggest gap was evident in the budget to regional councils: NIS 144 million, which is a quarter of all budgets to regional councils in Israel, go to regional councils located in the West Bank, while these councils constitute only 5% of all the country's regional councils.

MK Stav Shaffir (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

This report is really not a surprise, Shaffir told Ynet. It only repeats the data we have been gathered in the past years, and its only becoming more and more evident.

What we are seeing here, shaffir continued, is an official report from the Knessets Research Center, that looked into the budgets and concluded they exceed budgets to any other part of Israelincluding the periphery communities.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, since the report doesnt include the budgets that are transferred outside the budget plan, like the Settlement Divisions budgets that are mostly invested in the West Bank settlements and not in the State of Israel, said Shaffir.

This is the answer to Orna Peretz from Kiryat Shmona, who asked the prime minister where are the budgets for health facilities in the north.

There are many sought-for-budgets to be found in this report, budgets that the north has been waiting for for a long time, Shaffir concluded.
A Palestinian crossed the Gaza border into Israel on Wednesday, and turned back shortly after. IDF forces are searching for another man who crossed with him, and it is yet unknown whether he too had turned back into Gaza.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles in Europe would force Russia to target the nations hosting them.

Putin's stern warning on Wednesday followed US President Donald Trump's weekend announcement that he intends to opt out of a landmark nuclear arms control pact over alleged Russian violations.

Putin rejected Trump's claim that Russia breached the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. He alleged it was the United States that violated the agreement.

Putin says he hopes to discuss the issue with Trump in Paris on the sideline of Nov. 11 events marking 100 years since Armistice Day. He added that if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Russia would have to respond by targeting the countries where the missiles are based.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that allies blame Russia for violating an important Cold War-era missile treaty but he does not expect them to deploy more nuclear warheads in Europe in response.

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In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin followed up on US President Donald Trump's declared intention to pull out of the 1987 arms control pact by warning that if the US deploys the now-banned missiles in Europe, Russia would target the nations hosting them.

US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (: )

The European Union has described the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty as a cornerstone of European security and urged Russia and the United States to uphold it. But Stoltenberg did not encourage the US, the biggest and most influential member of NATO, to stay in the treaty.

"I don't foresee that allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile," Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. However, he noted that the 29 allies were assessing "the implications of the new Russian missile for our security."

Putin said he hoped the United States did not plan to put the kind of missiles the treaty banned in Europe, if it does withdraw from the pact.

"If they are deployed in Europe, we will naturally have to respond in kind," Putin said at a news conference after talks with visiting Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "The European nations that would agree to that should understand that they would expose their territory to the threat of a possible retaliatory strike."

The Russian leader strongly rejected US and NATO allegations that Moscow has violated the treaty. He charged it was the US that violated pact with missile defense facilities in Romania that could be used to hold cruise missiles in violation of the INF.

With tensions over the treaty's possible unraveling mounting, NATO on Thursday will officially launch its Trident Juncture war games in Norway, its biggest maneuvers since the Cold War.

Russia, which shares a border with Norway, has been briefed by NATO on the exercises and invited to monitor them, but the move has still angered Moscow. Russia's defense minister warned that Moscow could be forced to respond to increased NATO military activities near its western border.

"NATO's military activities near our borders have reached the highest level since the Cold War times," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, noting that the war games will be "simulating offensive military action."

Speaking on a trip to Belarus, Shoigu also warned that Poland's plan to permanently host a US army division would affect regional stability and trigger a Russian response. He said Moscow would have to "take retaliatory measures to neutralize possible military threats."

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: AFP)

The NATO maneuvers in Norway will involve around 50,000 personnel, 65 ships, 250 aircraft and 10,000 vehicles in a hypothetical scenario that involves restoring Norway's sovereignty after an attack by a "fictitious aggressor."

The United States insists that a new Russian missile system -- known as the 9M729 -- contravenes the 1987 INF treaty. NATO allies agree that is probably the case. The pact between Moscow and Washington bans an entire class of weapons -- all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range from 500-5,500 kilometers (310-3,410 miles.)

Experts say the Russian system would operate at lower altitudes, making it tough to detect and bring down. It could also reach targets across Europe and even the US west coast if stationed in Siberia.

Stoltenberg said he was concerned about the weapons, but did not expect a repeat of the so-called "Euromissiles crisis" in the 1980s. Back then, the United States deployed cruise missiles in Europe to counterbalance a perceived threat from Russia's SS-20 nuclear warheads.

"The INF is a landmark treaty, but the problem is that no treaty can be effective, can work, if it's only respected by one" side, Stoltenberg said, adding that the "US is in full compliance."

He said, based on US intelligence and Russia's reluctance to discuss the missile system with NATO, "the most plausible explanation is that Russia is in violation of the treaty."

Asked whether he thought the United States should stick with it, Stoltenberg said: "The challenge, the problem, is the Russian behavior which we have seen over many years."

In Berlin, Germany's foreign minister urged his Russian counterpart to do everything possible to preserve the treaty. The German Foreign Ministry said Heiko Maas told Russia's Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday that includes clearing up the allegations that Moscow has violated the pact.
A Red Code Alert sounded at 11:17 pm on Wednesday across the Eshkol and Merhavim Regional Councils, which were followed by explosive sounds.

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At least one rocket exploded in an open area in the eastern part of the Eshkol regional council. No casualties were reported.

IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the incident is being investigated.

File photo (Photo: Reuters)

Earlier, An Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked a Hamas observation post east to Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

IDF spokesman said that the IAF attack took place due to incendiary balloons being launched from the post.

In addition, two Palestinians crossed the Gaza border into Israel. They returned back to the strip shortly back.

IDF forces searched the area, and ruled out infiltrations into Israel.

Nine fires sparked throughout the day across the Gaza border communities amid incendiary balloons sent from Gaza.

Speaking at the change of command ceremony in the Gaza Division, GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated Hamas is "deterred," but is still "looking under and above ground for ways to harm Israel."

Photo: Change of command ceremony (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

Halevi met with the local authorities' heads of the Gaza border communities, as tensions rise along the Gaza border.

He added that "the gates of Gaza are heavy. We're in a complex time... patience and ploys are required."

Concluding his time in the role, outgoing Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs said the "underground fighting was the most challenging task I've encountered in my life," promising that the underground obstacle being built along the border "will significantly improve the security of the area's residents. "

Last week, a rocket fired from Gaza landed on a Be'er Sheva home while another landed in the sea off the shores of a city in central Israel early Wednesday morning, prompting an IAF retaliatory attack in the strip.

The rocket attack came a day before Kamel Abbas, the head of Egyptian intelligence, is due to arrive in Israel to discuss the ceasefire talks with Hamas.

After the early morning rockets, Hamas and Islamic Jihad released a joint statement in which they said they "oppose rocket fire that hurts the efforts to lift the siege."

The rocket alert siren went off at 3:39am in Be'er Sheva and surrounding communities in the Negev region, following which a rocket hit a house, breaking through two floors of concrete.

Seven people were treated for shock after the attack, including a 39-year-old mother and her three children aged 9, 10, and 12, who were in the house when it was hit. In addition, three people were taken to the Soroka Medical Center in the city suffering from light bruising sustained when falling as they were running for shelter.
A recent CoreLogic Property Pulse showed a significant drop in property turnover through the year to July, affirming the worsening condition of the market.

It was reported that the number of properties purchased within a given year cover a very small part of the overall market, with trend even tracking lower over previous years. Through 12 months to July, only 4.6% of national dwellings were transacted  down from 5.3% in 2017.

Citing declining home prices during the period, as well as the low number of newly listed stock added to the market since 2012, CoreLogic Analyst Jade Harling said that the downward shift in property turnover was expected.

The study found that the slowdown was driven by decreasing housing affordability in the country. Sydney and Melbourne, for instance, registered high growth in values, while household incomes only saw slight growth.

Ffteen years ago, dwelling prices across the nation were 5.1 times as high as the gross household income. However, recent data showed that the dwelling price to income ratio hiked to 6.8. In Sydney and Melbourne, where affordability has been an issue for potential buyers, the price to income ratio currently sits at 9.1 and 8.1 respectively.

Consequently, housing has become less affordable across some capital city markets and buyers preferred seeking properties in regional areas  the more affordable option.

Another factor that pulled down the number of properties sold was the expensive transactional cost to both purchase and sell property.

From the sell side there are marketing costs, agent fees and commission, legal costs and potentially some costs associated with getting the property ready to present to market. From the buy side, stamp duty costs as percentage of the purchase price are a major barrier to entry, especially in the more expensive markets as well as the costs associated with building and pest inspections and conveyancing, the report stated.

Finally, credit rationing has recently played a part in stifling housing activity.

While overall property turnover decreased, the report also highlighted that 4 out of 7 of the rest of state regions saw a higher level of turnover compared to their capital city counterpart. This trend was headlined by New South Wales. Sydney, Australias most expensive property market, saw a turnover rate of 4.1%, while outside of the metro area, turnover stood at a higher level, with 5.6% deals logged over the year.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - President George W. Bush visited the Valley on October 18 to open a traveling exhibition of his paintings, Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chiefs Tribute to Americas Warriors. Brought to Phoenix by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Arizona Historical Society, and the Sandra Day OConnor Institute, the Portraits of Courage collection grew out of George W. Bushs personal commitment to veterans and the ongoing work of the Bush Institutes Military Service Initiative.

Following a tour of the gallery, guests were invited into the auditorium, where President Bush interviewed U.S. Army veterans Manny Colon and Tim Gaestel, two subjects in the portraits on display. The conversation revealed the moving stories of how these men are recovering from both the visible and invisible wounds of war, as well as the connection between President Bush and the post-9/11 veterans he has gotten to know.

Portraits of Courage brings together 66 full-color portraits and a four-panel mural painted by President Bush of 98 service members and veterans who have served our nation with honor. The Arizona Historical Societys Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park in Tempe is one of just four venues to host the paintings this year. Portraits of Courage will be on display from October 19 through December 29, 2018.

Admission to Portraits of Courage is included with tickets to the Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park (1300 N College Ave Tempe, AZ 85281). Adults are $12; Seniors 65+ are $10; Ages 7  17 are $8; Children 6 and under, Arizona Historical Society members, military and veterans are free. Two-for-one admission is offered on the first Tuesday of the month. To learn more, visit www.PortraitsofCourageAZ.org

Each featured painting is accompanied by the inspiring story of the warrior depicted, written by President Bush. As the stories unfold, readers and visitors will encounter the faces and the hearts of those who answered the nations call and learn of their bravery on the battlefield, their journey to recovery, and the continued leadership and contribution they make as civilians. In addition to the collection of portraits, the exhibit includes information and resources created by the Bush Institutes Military Service Initiative that visitors can use to learn how to better support post-9/11 warriors in their communities. These resources are intended to help bridge the military-civilian divide.

The paintings featured in Portraits of Courage are also the subject of a hardcover book by the same name, available now in stores and online. President Bush is donating 100 percent of his profits from the book to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, whose Military Service Initiative works to ensure that post-9/11 veterans and their families make successful transitions to civilian life with a focus on gaining meaningful employment and overcoming the invisible wounds of war.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - Arizona Western College Talent Search is holding a Trick or Treat event for eighth-grade students in the program to help them learn about the different departments on campus. The group will have an opportunity to tour various areas of the college, trick-or-treating all along the way.

Students will also play a game of Jeopardy to help them prepare for what is to be expected as they head into high school and college.



Talent Search is a federally funded grant program through the U.S. Department of Education. Its designed to help students graduate from high school and continue on to college, ultimately earning a post-secondary degree. Eligible students are potential first-generation college students, and/or low income.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - On Tuesday, at approximately 6:20 p.m., a FedEx van was waiting to pull out northbound from AutoZone parking lot in the 2500 block S. 4th Avenue. As the driver started his turn to merge into the curb lane he struck a female bicyclist riding against traffic on the sidewalk.

The 38 year old female bicyclist was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with what was initially described as non-life threatening injuries.

The roadway was shut down while Traffic Investigators responded to the scene to conduct further investigation.

This case is still under investigation.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.
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Connecting the mind and body for resilient living

Life is full of challenges and setbacks. Resilience is what helps us bounce back from them. And just like a muscle in the body, resilience can grow stronger through practice. On this episode, Deloitte chief well-being officer Jen Fisher discusses strategies to build resilience, vitality, and a deeper mind-body connection with Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, a leading voice in the world of positive psychology and the science of flourishing.

99.99 percent of any living species that has ever been alive is actually extinct today. So we are very resilient that we survived. We are like the 0.01 percent, and that is because our body knows what to do.

 Emiliya Zhivotovskaya
Timeless and elegant dinner wear is a must have for any lady who wants to stand out from the crowd. Whats to love about these dress designs is that they are multipurpose. This means that once youre through with your dinner event, you can also wear the dress to any formal or semi-formal occasion. The simple rule that you need to abide in when choosing an evening dress is always to wear an outfit that you can breathe in and walk in even after eating!

With so many options out there, it can be daunting choosing the right outfit. You have to consider the event, your body shape, skin tone, hairstyle, and accessories.

Great looking combinations to try out

To make the date memorable, one of the key factors to consider is your dress code. Getting it right with dinner wear dresses may not be as complicated as one may tend to believe. With this detailed article, we highlight some of the greatest looking dinner combinations that you can choose from.

1. Classy floor length African wear styles for dinner

Nowadays, it is not enough for a lady to simply choose a dress that fits and wear it to dinner. African women are blessed with different body shapes which mean that the dinner dress you select has to flatter your body and hide flaws. Remember always opt for dinner dresses that flatter your body shape and hide any imperfections.

The tail of the dress screams 'unique'! What lady wouldn't want to wear that gorgeous dress?

This style is for the more reserved women opting for a full covered look. As for the next one, the print of the dress is so beautiful and will definitely make the woman wearing it stand out.

2. African wear dinner dresses for a casual birthday dinner party

There's a ton of dinner dresses with African prints that you can wear when attending your next birthday or dinner party. The African wear dinner dresses can feature a lot of volume on the skirt or a slim fitting design. While the African prints make a statement on their own, the accessories go a long way in completing your look.

The beautiful green color will make any woman shining as she walks down the street in that dress.

This is for the curvy women out there who want to flaunt their curves and look the sexiest!

3. Rehearsal dinner wear in Ghana

When attending any African event especially in Ghana, you will see dinner outfits that blend culture and glamour. There are different dinner wear dress styles and various shades of fabrics, but it doesnt mean all will look good on you.

Go for fabric colors that complement your skin tone. To show curves wear a dress that hangs closer to your body.

4. Off shoulder dress for low key dinner at a friends or family member

Every lady has her own dress preference. And when it comes to Ankara dinner wear for attending a casual dinner party, the choices are endless. When choosing what to wear for dinner with friends you can opt for short dresses, figure-hugging, high low, bodycon, ankle length, to modern and traditional attire.

When you are with friends or family members, you can rock any dinner dress that will suit your preference.

5. Tunic dress that you can wear to dinner at a restaurant

Having dinner at a restaurant with your significant other, business partner or a friend provides the perfect opportunity to make a lasting impression. Ankara dinner wear styles are known for representing African culture. But the dress designs suit any fashion style and come in colors and patterns that can help you get a modern or conservative look.

6. Dinner wear for ladies who love to show off less skin

Did you know that you can look sexy without showing off too much skin! Styles for dinner wear for ladies that show off less skin are all about letting the cleavage, arms or legs be the center of attention for a change.

7. Be ready to impress with an elegant dinner date ball gown

Do you want dinner dresses that make you look like a princess? Then opt for a ball gown. Long ball gowns are the staple evening wear for formal occasions, and they are designed to turn heads regardless of whether youre the guest of honor or simply a guest.

8. Comfortable yet classy dinner wear for pregnant ladies

You are wrong if you think that pregnant ladies have limited choices when it comes to dinner dresses. While comfort is key, you should embrace your beautiful pregnant body by choosing dresses that you can easily transition from a day to a night event. These dresses flatter the growing bump and emphasize the feminine curves.

9. Glamorous dinner African wear for bold ladies

Glamorous dinner wear often has luxurious fabric such as lace, satin, silk or velvet. If youre not comfortable wearing the bold patterns in African prints, then opt for a dinner dress that has African fabric only on the neckline or sleeves. But you cannot go wrong by wearing a well designed African print dress.

10. Long sleeve formal dinner wear to beat the cold weather

Warmth has to be the number one priority when choosing the perfect dinner wear styles for ladies. You dont have to break the bank to buy a dress that will keep you warm and at the same time impress everyone around you with your fashion style.

A classy yet simple long sleeve dress, heels, and matching clutch will make you picture ready for the dinner.

11. Thigh high slits dinner wear

Dinner dresses with thigh-high slits are the new trends, and you can often spot the look with celebrities. This slit is so high that it will expose a lot of skin so wear it with confidence.

12. Dinner dresses with front slits

No matter how classy your outfit is if its not comfortable then its bound to look unpleasant. Styles of dinner wear with slits gives you the added freedom to move especially if youre going to be doing a lot of dancing after dinner. Such dresses are suitable for after party dinners.

The trick to wearing this dress design like a pro is that the dress should be tailored to your body so that it moves naturally.

13. Styles of dinner wear with a wow effect

Nothing screams WOW than dinner dress styles that have glitters. Sparkly outfits including sequins make a perfect outfit for attending evening events as they help any woman stand out. Pair with a matching clutch and solid high heels.

14. Low cut bodycon dinner dresses

Clinging African dinner wear styles with strapless or low cuts are great for showing the upper body such as toned shoulders, collarbones, and a long slender neck. You can also use a short length to flaunt your sexy legs.

This dress can be won during award ceremonies and official functions

Ensure you pick a dress design that accentuates your best features. Avoid dresses with very thin fabrics as they can exaggerate problematic areas.

15. Short pencil African dinner wear styles

Figure-hugging dinner dresses in pencil design look amazing on women with hourglass figures as they emphasize the curvy body. Just dont kill the good vibe of this dress by wearing flats or open sandals.

This type of dress is ideal for corporate dinner events

Always pair your pencil dinner wear with comfy wedges, stilettos or pumps. When wearing this dress dont over accessorize. Instead, let the dress be the showstopper and use a few accessories such as a watch or dangling earrings to complete your look.

16. Maxi dinner dress designs

Nothing screams "simple dinner wear styles" than a maxi dress. The loose fitting design complements all body shapes and is great for hiding any body flaws. The flowy design of this dinner wear can make your body to disappear in the fabric, especially for slim ladies. So use a belt or go for a maxi dress with a slit to accentuate your feminine features.

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Source: Yen
Going to college is a huge milestone. This level of education brings you closer to pursuing your ideal career and scoring that dream job! So you have to be sure that your ideal campus has the right subjects or course content, a comfortable environment and the accommodation is friendly enough to call home. The Multimedia Institute of Ghana (MIG) can be that ideal college for you. So what is the admission requirement, the fees needed to purchase the admission form, fee structure for each course and programs offered? Here are a comprehensive article and everything you need to know on how to prepare for your admission at multimedia institute of Ghana.

Courses offered at the Multimedia Institute of Ghana

Are you thinking of pursuing a bachelors degree, advanced diploma, diploma or a certificate that will help you get a job at your dream company? Then check out the following courses offered at multimedia institute of Ghana and their fees structure. The courses are grouped into three classes: Media, Business and Theatre Arts. While the mode of fee payment is full payment, per semester or quarterly, the amount depends on which course your undertaking.

The certificate courses take approximately 6 months to complete and include a provided internship while the diploma which also has a provided internship takes one year to complete. On the other hand, an advanced diploma takes two years to complete and also includes a National Youth Service. Upon completion, all students at MIG are assured of getting an attachment placement.

Business courses

There are several business courses offered at MIG which include:

Hospitality Management

Level 200 Diploma  Tuition fee GHC 3, 980

Level 300 Advanced Diploma - Tuition fee GHC 3, 420

Information Technology

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Advance Diploma Level 300- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations

Level 200: Diploma  Tuition fee GHC 3, 980

Level 300 Advanced Diploma  Tuition fee GHC 3,420

Accounting & Finance

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Advance Diploma Level 300- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Graduate Diploma (Bachelors Degree) Level 400- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Human Resource Development

Level 200 Diploma - Tuition fee GHC 3, 980

Level 300 Advanced Diploma - Tuition fee GHC 3, 420

Business Studies

Certificate Level 100-Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Diploma - Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Advance Diploma Level 300- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Graduate Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980.

Media Courses

MIG offers the following ICM CERTIFICATION COURSES in MEDIA

Level 100 (Core) Certificate which takes 6 months to complete

Level 200 (Elective) Diploma which has an approximately one year study period

Level 300 (Elective) Advanced Diploma takes two years to complete

Students wishing to pursue a course in media can take the following core courses

Level 100: Certificate  Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Introduction to Journalism

Media & Society

Media Ethics & Regulations

English for Journalists & Writers

Communication Skills

Psychology

ICT Training

Elective Media courses

Media students undertaking Level 200 diploma can either choose to study elective media course A or B. Students wishing to get a Level 200 Diploma in Media will have to pay a tuition fee of GHC 1, 980.

Elective Media Course (A)

The courses in this elective media class are:

Journalism & Media Studies:

Broadcast Journalism

Freelance & Feature Writing

Sub Editing

Media Law & Ethics

Newspaper Reporting

Studio Practicals

Elective Media Course (B)

Multimedia Institute of Ghana offers the following elective media course:

Journalism /TV & Radio Presentation/Newscasting:

Sub Editing & Design

Digital TV & Radio Journalism

Sports Journalism

Magazine Journalism

Studio Practicals

Under the media category, the following courses are also offered at MIG.

Level 300 Advanced Diploma- Tuition fee GHC 3, 420

Under this course you will study the following:

Convergent Journalism

Electronic Media Management

Investigative Reporting

Managing in the Media

Programming for TV, Radio & the Internet

Theatre Courses

If you are looking to pursue a certificate or diploma course in one of the top private media schools in Ghana, then multimedia institute of ghana can meet your higher education needs. They offer a level 100 (Core) Certificate course which takes six months to complete while level 200 (Electives) Diploma theatre course takes 1 year.

Level 100: Certificate-Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Introduction to Journalism

Media & Society

Media Ethics & Regulations

English for Journalists & Writers

Communication Skills

Psychology

ICT Training

Elective Theatre Arts Courses (1-9)

Level 200: Diploma

TV & Radio Presentation/Newscasting (Local Dialect)

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Diploma- Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Sound Engineering-Radio DJ

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC2,000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC1,980

ICM Professional Courses

ICM offers a wide range of globally recognized courses at Multimedia institute of Ghana. The college works to broaden and provide both practical and extensive theory that will enable a student to build their careers on the media industry. The following are ICM courses offerd at MIG.

Journalism (TV & Radio Presentation/Newscasting)

Journalism & Media Studies

Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations

Business Management

Accounting & Finance

Human Resource Development

Managing Health & Safety

Hospitality Management

Management Studies

Professional Computing

Other courses:

Other competitive courses offered in this college include:

Sound Engineering/Radio DJ

TV & Radio Presentation/Newscasting (Local Dialect)

Video Editing & Animation

Acting, Directing & Film Production Management

Camera & Lighting

ICT

Graphic Design & Web Development

Editing & Animation

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1,980

Editing/Animation & 3D

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Diploma level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1,980

Advanced Diploma level 300- Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Acting, Directing & Film Production Management

Certificate course takes 6 months to complete

Diploma takes 1 year

Camera & Lightning

Certificate Level 100-Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Editing/Animation & 3D with Camera & Lightning

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2,000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

Advanced Diploma Level 300- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Graphic & Website Development

Certificate Level 100- Tuition fee GHC 2, 000

Diploma Level 200- Tuition fee GHC 1, 980

If you are wondering why should I get my diploma at multimedia institute of Ghana? The Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), the UK, awards the diplomas at multimedia institute of Ghana. ICM has a presence in over 30 countries worldwide and serves millions of students globally.

By partnering with ICM, multimedia institute of Ghana can offer diplomas that are internationally recognized which puts the graduate at a competitive advantage. The diplomas offered at Multimedia Institute of Ghana are also fully accredited by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of Ghana.

What are Multimedia Institute of Ghana admission requirements?

Depending on which course you want to study and the grades you obtained in WASSCE, SSCE or BECE examination, when you gain admission in MIG, You will go through a 4 month intensive study of professional core courses for the first semester. This is to help a student to acquire a professional certificate from ICM which can take you to a tertiary institution level 100. You can get a certificate and diploma within a year.

After the core courses, you are required to do an elective course for a diploma. On completing the diploma, you can go for attachment or continue for 1 and 1\2 years with Multimedia Institute of Ghana for the Advanced Diploma which qualifies you for Nation Service. Additionally, the Advanced Diploma (HND) can take you to level 300 in any tertiary institution.

Whether you are a local or international student, if you are worried that your grade will not give you admission to MIG, then please visit their campuses or contact the admission office who will provide you with the minimum entry requirement for the course you want. This college also has an upgrade system for students who have failed in the subjects needed for entry requirements. So there is no reason why you should not apply at MIG for the course you want.

How can I apply to Multimedia Institute of Ghana?

Now that you know which courses are offered at Multimedia Institute of Ghana, the next crucial step is to understand how to apply. To apply for the current or next intake at MIG, you first need to download the admission form. You then need to fill out the form and submit it to either the Accra or Kumasi campus depending on which is nearest to you. You will have to pay GHC 50 to get the admission form.

The form you have submitted and all the required documents will then undergo an intense vetting to ensure you meet the requirements for the course you are applying for. You can use the official MIG website to check your admission status.

Where is Multimedia Institute of Ghana located?

The learning environment including facilities and curriculum at multimedia institute of Ghana is designed to meet the needs of both local Ghanaians and international students. MIG has two campuses where you can enroll and pursue your dream course:

Accra campus located at opera square in Accra

Kumasi campus is found at the STC junction, Oforikrom in Kumasi.

Do you want an institution that makes it easier for you to learn on your own schedule? Programs offered at multimedia institute of ghana are available during daytime (regular classes), in the evenings and on weekends. Just like regular classes, weekend and evening classes are taught with the same experienced and knowledgeable professors on the course matter.

The students are held to the same standards as their regular counterparts. Even if you have a full-time job or you are unable to take some time off work during the day, you can use the weekends or evening classes to pursue your diploma or advance diploma at MIG.

Fee payment options at Multimedia Institute of Ghana

Multimedia Institute of Ghana has three primary modes of fees payment: full payment, quarterly and per semester. The quarterly and per semester methods of payment involves paying the fees in installments. This is to enable students to choose the payment method that suits them best.

A point to note when considering the fees of multimedia institute of Ghana is that while the tuition fees you will pay varies depending on the course, the total fees excludes the admission form fee of GHC 50. Furthermore, the hostel facilities are available in both two campuses, and the hostel fees cover the mattress, bed, waste management, and utility bills.

Are you having trouble pursuing your higher education because of financial strain?

We live in a world where a college degree plays a vital role on whether or not you get that lucrative job. A scholarship will give you an equal chance to earn an education without having to worry about where you are going to pay your tuition fees. A scholarship can help alleviate that burden. However, prospective students can visit the campuses to get important details about any available Multimedia institute of ghana scholarship or bursaries and how to apply.

About Multimedia Institute of Ghana

MIG is a Ghana-based education accredited learning institution that was established to provide academic excellence in media, theatre arts, Information Technology and business. This learning institution has two campuses that have attracted both local and international students. Thus MIG not only produces professional graduates with skills that help them get jobs not only in Ghana but also in Africa.

Each of the courses offered in MIG is designed to meet market needs and measures against industry benchmarks. So whichever course you decide to purse from this institution you are assured that you are studying in a community that has assisted and continues to support different types of students in meeting their personal, academic and professional learning goal. By continually creating innovative courses and programs based on professionalism, research, and integrity, MIG has been influential in fostering positive social and cultural impact.

Students pursuing journalism or any other media course can take advantage of the modern facilities such as active online radio and TV channels where they can host, produce or edit their own programs. Multimedia institute of Ghana has four modern halls: Angel halls, Fadda Dickson, Nakwadus, and Gerald. During admission, each new student is ushered into one of these halls. The campus also has various facilities including modern lecture halls, a dining hall, a well-equipped library, sound engineering studio, News editing room, ICT lab, Master Control Room, and Radio studio.

The following core values guide the institution:

Developing innovative courses, ideas, and programs

Growing Ghana's human's resource

Strengthening the diversity of MIG culture through education

Developing Industrial partnerships

Providing expert teaching crafted through professionalism, integrity, and research.

No matter your grades in SSE, BECE, or WASSCE exams, dont hesitate to apply for any of the offered course at multimedia institute of ghana. This college has a variety of courses that guarantee attachment placement in media houses which can help kick-start your career. While the stated fees structure for each course is listed above, before your admission make sure you check with the administration office as the figures are subject to yearly change. For more information or further inquiries about the admission or fees structure, feel free to contact Multimedia Institute of Ghana.

Contact for Multimedia Institute of Ghana

Tel: 0504488418/0235488418/0302672723

E-mail: info@mig-edu.com / admissions@mig-edu.com

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Source: Yen Ghana
Dominion University College is as a result of the Church's desire to contribute towards economic and social progress in society. The development and expansion of major Christian organizations in Ghana has resulted in the stewardship of critical economic and social growth in the country. Action Chapel International is not just a church; it is a strong Christian organization that has trained renowned Christian leaders in Ghana and beyond. It believes that moral values are a crucial base of remarkable university education. Therefore, Dominion University College was founded to provide cutting-edge training and research, based on critical ethical and moral values. The university accepts students from of all races although it is founded on Judeo- Christian principles. This article provides a summary of the university's courses as well as the admission requirements you need to know about.

Dominion University College (DUC) is a fully accredited institution of higher learning by the national accreditation body of Ghana. DUC is an autonomous private university, which was established primarily to provide high-quality education and become a first choice university for both local and international students. The university aspires to be recognized globally as a leading center of academic excellence. It operates under four principles as follows: Quality education, social responsibility, superb student experience, and financial stewardship. The vision of the university is to produce graduates of character, integrity and workplace competence in the emerging economies. Explore the text to find out what the university offers.

READ ALSO: Valley View University distance learning programs

Courses offered at Dominion University College Ghana

Dominion University College provides exclusively cutting-edge courses, which thoroughly prepare graduates to be competent in the market. Apart from the competence, students are morally upright and can mingle with people from all backgrounds. Moreover, programmes at Dominion University College are offered under three distinctive schools as follows;

School of business

School of computer science and

School of theological studies.

School of Business Management

Dominion University College School of business offers competent four years programmes that result to a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). This program has four areas of specialization including accounting, marketing, banking and finance and, human resource management. The BBA options are classified as follows:

Bachelor of business administration (Accounting)

Bachelor of business administration (Marketing)

Bachelor of business administration (Human Resource Management)

Bachelor of business administration (Banking and Finance)

The university also offers a bachelor of public administration (public sector accounting) as a separate program.

School of Computer Science

This competent school familiarizes the student with information technology and computer science basics. The school offers one program which is the Bachelor of Science in computer science and management.

School of Theological Studies

The school offers a comprehensive four-year program that leads to a Bachelor of Arts where students specialize in theology, missionary leadership, and pastoral care and counseling. Dominion Bible School program is also offered under the School of Theological Studies. The programs offered include the following:

Bachelor of Arts (Theology)

Bachelor of Arts (Missional leadership)

Bachelor of Arts (Pastoral care and counseling)

Another vital program offered is Dominion Theological Seminary Ghana. It is a separate program but is also geared towards releasing great Christian leaders who can teach in Africa and the world at Large.

READ ALSO: Anglican University College of Technology courses and admission requirements

Dominion University College fees

The Action Chapel International of Ghana sponsors Dominion University College, and therefore their fees are slightly affordable. The university admits both local and international students. The two groups of students are charged differently.

Fees payment in Dominion University College should be paid through any of the following ways

1. Direct deposit into the University account under the following account details:

Degree/HND students

Account name: Dominion University College

Bank name: Fidelity bank

Branch: Action Chapel

Account number: 1300016813019

DST students

Account name: Dominion Theological Seminary.

Bank name: Fidelity bank

Branch: Action Chapel

Account number: 1050011699784

2. Present a cheque or draft to Dominion University College financial office for approval and issuing of an official receipt. Cheques and drafts should not be paid directly into any DUC bank account.

3. United States Dollar or equivalent currency of your fees can be paid or transferred to the DUC bank account with the following details:

Account name: Dominion University College

Bank name: Fidelity bank

Branch: Action Chapel

Account number: 1300016813019

Swift code: FBLIGHAC

Dominion University College has a friendly and flexible fee payment program that favors all students. Fees are paid in semester basis. Under this criterion, students are allowed to pay the fees in four installments but clear before the end of the semester examination.

Fee schedule

Note: these fees do not include the SRC charges of GHC 40 per semester.

Other charges, which apply include the following:

Academic transcripts charges GHC 40.00 per semester.

Introductory letter GHC 20.00

Certified true copies and others GHC 40.00

Examination resit GHC 60.00

Mature student classes and examination GHC 300.00

Graduation fees GHC 600.00

A penalty for unauthorized deferment GHC 300.00

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Admission requirements into Dominion University College.

Students who wish to be admitted into Dominion University College must meet the following minimum requirements.

Students joining level 100

Students who wish to join level 100 must the following.

West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) holders who want admission must possess credit passes (A1-C6) in three core subjects including core mathematics, English language, and integrated sciences. The student should also have passed in three relevant elective subjects with an aggregate of 36 or better.

Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) holders who want admission into Dominion University College must have credit (A-D) in three core subjects including core mathematics, English language, and integrated sciences. The students should also pass three relevant elective subjects with an aggregate of 24 or better.

General Business Certificate Examination (GBCE) holders who want admission to the University must have six credit (A-D) in English language, mathematics, and science with passes in three elective subjects with an aggregate of 24 or better.

Mature applicants

Students who wish to be admitted under the mature applicant criterion must meet the following minimum requirements.

Must be 25 years and above

The applicant should produce evidence of at least two years working experience

The candidate must possess a credit in mathematics and English language in GCE O level. WASSCE/SSSCE/GBCE holders who seek admission as mature applicants must have at least grade C6 in core mathematics and English language.

Note: Applicants who had failed would be required to sit for a special entrance examination. Similarly, all applicants must pass the mature students' entry examination.

Top-up (Level 300)

Applicants who want to seek admission into level 300 must meet the following minimum requirements:

Must be holders of a higher national diploma from an accredited institution of higher learning with a certificate awarded by NABTEX in any program that is relevant to the course, which the applicant is applying.

The applicants should produce a recommendation to prove 2-year working experience.

University or tertiary diploma holders who want to secure admission must have a diploma in any relevant business course from an accredited institution of learning.

Applicants applying with professional qualification must be at least level 2 or 3 in the following professions: CIM, ACCA, CIMA, CIB, ICSA, and ICAG.

Note: Applicants in all cases must possess credit passes in core mathematics, English language, and integrated sciences.

International applicants

International applicants will be admitted based on their home country qualifications. The national accreditation body of Ghana will determine the eligibility of the candidates. Eligible candidate will be forwarded the university administration for admission. It is also crucial to know that evidence of proficiency in English must be provided for all students from non- English speaking countries.

Note: Dominion University honors college requirements more than anything else. Therefore, students who do not meet all qualifications will not be enrolled.

READ ALSO: Technical universities declare an indefinite strike

How to apply to Dominion University College.

Students who have met all the requirements can apply to Dominion University College. The application procedure is simple. Students can apply either online or manually. The manual application involves collecting an application form from Dominion University, complete all the details and submit it with an application fee of GHC 60.00 for local students and 60 dollars for international students. Alternatively, students can apply online. Completed forms should be submitted to the university administration with the required application fees.

Dominion University College admission forms collection and admissions will be communicated before the beginning of each academic year. However, notifications will only be sent to the qualified candidate.

Dominion University College address

Dominion University College is among the best private universities in Accra Ghana. Students who wish join the university can access it through the following contact information;

Found at Action Chapel International off Tetteh Quashie interchange,

Spintex road,

Dominion University College,

PMB CT 69 Cantonments  Accra.

Tell: +233 200180247

Email address: info@duc.edu.gh

Dominion University College is one of the excellent institutions of higher learning in Ghana. The university offers comprehensive programs based on Christian morals and virtues. It produces the most competent and respectful workforce that work in Ghana and beyond. Most people who know that the University is ground grounded on Christian faith have always been asking themselves questions like is Old Dominion University a good College or can it accommodate student from other faith. Surprisingly, the answer is yes. It admits students from all backgrounds and races. Old Dominion University has been expanded and is now among the best institution in Ghana. Students who want to join the University should consult first with the school before applying.

READ ALSO: Perez University College courses and admission requirements

Source: Yen
The decision and the choice of the school for your daughter are very important. It will determine the kind of education she gets and make a value system of what she is likely to become in her entire life. Legacy Girls College will never compromise when it comes to giving you the kind of quality education you need to achieve and to attain the kind of life you want for your child. This article will help you get all the information that relates to the school, the programs it offers, their contacts and all that you would like to know pertaining to the school.

A good education is not easy to come by. Even so, parents need to strive to ensure that they enrol their children in schools that guarantee quality education for them. Legacy Girls College will not disappoint. Check out these details on how to contact them in case you desire to join the school or enrol your daughter.

READ ALSO: 37 Military Hospital Nurses Training College courses and admission requirements

About Legacy Girls College

Legacy Girls College has the uniqueness of being the only private girls' college in the whole of Ghana. The school was foundered in September 2015 with the main aim of providing holistic education and nurture young girls into becoming agents of change in different parts of the world. The school is carpeted in the green woodlands that provide a conducive environment for teaching and learning. The school has core values that they try to achieve in their endeavour to achieve a high-quality education. These core values are:

Integrity

Responsibility

Excellence

Ambition

Determination

Given a chance, this school will totally nurture you and help you achieve all you want in life.

Mission

Legacy Girls College has a mission to:

Nurture the potential of every girl and ensure to equip them to cater for the demands of the ever-changing and dynamic world we live in.

Provide an education for girls that prepares them for excellence in the real world by ensuring that they are well-equipped to be confident, competent and caring in all the fields of life they find themselves in.

Vision

Legacy Girls College believes that there is no strategy better than that which involves women as the centre of it. It is because of this reason that they aim at educating girls and women as a social policy that has been tested and proven to work. Their vision is inspired by these words from Kofi Annan. - "A vision of girls and women understanding their rights and responsibilities and playing their central role in national development"

Location of Legacy Girls College

Legacy Girls College is the first private girls' school in Ghana. It is located in the green woodlands of Ghana. The institution overlooks a serene and hilly environment. This offers a perfect ambience for sobriety and studies.

Courses offered at Legacy Girls College

Legacy school Ghana offers various courses to the girls. These courses and programs majorly offered in the school are classified under WASSCE and IGSCE. These programs include both the compulsory and the elective subjects as shown below.

WASSCE

Social Studies

English

Core Maths

Integrated Science

General Arts

Literature

History

Christian Religious Studies

Geography

Government

French

Elective Maths

Economics

ICT

Business

Business Management

Financial Accounting

Principles of Cost Accounting

Science Biology

Chemistry

Physics

IGCSE

English

Literature

Mathematics

ICT

Humanities and social sciences

History

Sociology

Geography

Additional Mathematics and Economics

Biology

French, Science, and Chemistry

Physics

READ ALSO: Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses, fees and contacts

Entry/Admission requirements.

The entry process in Legacy Girls College is majorly through entrance examination and interviews. The admission department prepares the exam for the applicants where they get chances depending on their performance. The proficiency test covers Mathematics, English Language and Science. Interviews are done as well and the best students are enroled. Admission to the school is, however, only confirmed after the students have passed the examinations. However, despite the examination and the interviews, in order to get an admission into Legacy Girls College, the following entry requirements and criteria are compulsory. This is mostly for the entrance into the senior high school.

Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)  for WASSCE.

Cambridge Secondary Checkpoint  for IGCSE.

How to apply

In order to be enrolled in the school, they carry out examination and interviews which determine the eligibility of the students to be admitted. In order to apply, follow the procedure below:

Download the application form from the school's website

Fill the form and afterwards, attach the requirements and submit them to the school personally

Alternatively, after the filling of the form and all other requirements, scan and send them to Legacy girls college email which is info@lgc.edu.gh

READ ALSO: List of accredited journalism schools in Ghana

Legacy Girls College contact number

Legacy Girls College has various contacts that can be used to reach them. The following contacts are applicable.

Administration office line: +233 303 965533

Telephone 1: +233 201 423474

Telephone 2: +233 244 583138

Telephone 3: +233 243 860824

Telephone 4: +233 244311643

Legacy Girls College address

The school's post office address is as follows:

P. O. Box 84, Akuse - E/R, Ghana

Legacy girls' college Facebook

The Legacy Girls' College Facebook page is Legacy Girls' college.

Legacy girls' college Twitter

The twitter handle for the school is Legacy Girls college @LegacyGirls-

You can use the Legacy Girls College twitter handle any time to get any information concerning the institution.

Legacy girls' college Instagram.

@legacygirlscollege

This is the Legacy Girls College Instagram. You can check out the different pics and stories about the school.

Owing to the courses offered at Legacy Girls College, you will never regret pursuing your education in legacy Girls' College. The quality and skills you will acquire are exceptional. Additionally, the school nurtures the students in various disciplines, enhancing their compatibility with the dynamics of the ever-changing global world. This way, its students have a competitive advantage in the real world

READ ALSO: 10 top private senior high schools in Accra

Source: Yen
British Airways is the flag carrier and the largest airline in the United Kingdom based on the fleet size, international flights, and international destinations; and the second largest, after the easy jet when measured by the number of the passengers carried. British Airways has expanded to other countries. British Airways Ghana contact is what you need to facilitate easy travel by the airline. The contacts make it possible for the airline to serve its customers to and from Ghana for holiday vacation or business purposes. You need to know the right British Airways Ghana ticketing office if you want to get the right assistance. Read on to know all the contact details you need to have.

Travelling internationally has never been easier and more affordable than it is now. With so many options to choose from, competition has pushed airlines to come up with favourable packages for their customers. If you are considering to fly with British Airways, you are assured of excellent services. British Airways flight deals to Ghana are just a scroll away. You will also get a wallet-friendly British Airways flight to Ghana, to top British Airways airports, and a list of popular destinations in Ghana in case you still are not sure where you want to go. British Airways was founded on 31st March, 1974. British Airways is a global airline giving year-round low fares with an extensive global route network flying to and from centrally located airports. The secret to enjoying the services offered by the company is to get the right contact for British Airways Ghana so that you can make the right inquiries. Here is how to.

READ ALSO: Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses, fees and contacts

British Airways Ghana deals

There are several popular British Airways flight deals to Ghana that will make planning your trip hassle-free. With flexible travel dates to choose from, you can always rely on the company to offer the best deals when you want to travel. Things have been simplified for you with the online system which allows you to book your flight by indicating your place of departure and the departure time, destination as well as the class of your flight. This can either be first class, business class, premium economy class or the economy class. You can easily manage your British Airways Ghana flight booking by simply logging into the website of the British Airways Ghana using your booking reference number, and here, you can find another booking if you deem fit. To understand this more, use the British Airways contact number Ghana to talk to someone who would assist you directly.

British Airways Ghana airports

Good news to esteemed customers of the British Airways company is that you do not have to spend your time and energy scouring airports in Ghana. The company has a list of top airports in Ghana that British Airways flies to. Yours is to check out some of the major hubs so that you can quickly book cheap British Airways flights to and from Ghana.

The Airports handling the British Airways Airlines include:

Kotoka International Airport Accra Air Force Station

Lome - Tokoin Airport

Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport

The British Airways Ghana has contacts established all over Ghana for easy accessibility. To know if the company goes to a destination you are interested in travelling to, use British Airways Ghana office contact to inquire.

READ ALSO: ABC transport Ghana contact number, price list and offices

British Airways Ghana routes

You can plan your trip in a very easy way and be able to book your flights on British Airways to Ghana by viewing the most popular routes. By selecting one of the popular routes, you will save money and time during your bookings. Whether you are going for a weekend gateway or a long holiday, finding a flight that works for your good is easy. Expand your travel beyond the state of Ghana while still booking with one of your favourite airlines; British Airways Ghana. Browse the selection of British Airways flights worldwide to plan your next holiday.

British Airways Ghana business

There are several businesses handled at British Airways Ghana that work in favour of every customer:

Transportation/ Air/ Airlines

Tourism/ Holiday Services/Airlines

Business Services /Business Travel / Airlines

Business Services/ Aviation/ Airlines

British Airways Ghana customer service

Find below, the customer care details of British Airways in Ghana, including the email address and the phone numbers. You can comfortably reach the company using the contacts indicated for new ticket booking, refunds, cancellation of your flight, baggage claim, deals, cheap airfares and any other services that you require to be handled at the British Airways in Ghana. Customer care contacts are your trusted sources for the phone, address, email and the website of the company

Telephone: +233 (302) 214 996/7

Fax: +233 (302) 823 233

Airport Ticket Desk: +233 302 779998

Delayed Baggage: +233 (302) 773 737

Aviance: +233 (302) 920 614

READ ALSO: WAEC Ghana contact number and regional offices

British Airways Ghana address

The contacts provided below are a guide to customers who want to get in touch with British Airways by simply calling or sending an email. You can also visit the offices located in different parts of our country.

Physical Address: 60 Liberation Road, Horizon Plaza,Woolworth Building, Airport Residential, Accra, Ghana

Telephone: +233 (302) 214 970

Fax: +233 (302) 823 233

Email: contactba.ghana@britishairways.com

Official Website: http://www.britishairways.com/

British Airways online check-in

Flight status check

British Airways Airport Office Address

Physical Address: Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana.

British Airways Reservation Office

Telephone Contact: +233 302 779 998

Fax: +233 (302) 920 614

British Airways baggage services

Telephone contact numbers: +233 (302) 773 737

British Airways Ghana is the best option for you to consider when thinking of using Airlines from Ghana and back. Fly with British Airways Ghana and enjoy award-winning services and excellent value for your money. The economy prices include:

Flexible fares to suit your travel plans as well as your budget

Generous fee hand baggage allowances

Online, Airport or mobile check-in

Download the British Airways mobile application for free so that you can manage your travel plans while on the move wherever you are. In case you are interested in visiting Ghana for business or recreational purposes, consider flying with British Airways. With its availability in major world countries, you can be sure that you will be able to book a flight from where you are to Ghana and back. Consider getting the right British Airways Ghana contact so as to make the right inquiries.

READ ALSO: Printex Ghana contacts and office locations

Source: Yen
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has honoured young Ghanaian actress Clara Benson, popularly known as Maame Serwaa.

The teen actress was awarded for her tremendous contributions to the Ghana movie industry in recent years.

Maame Serwaa was honoured during the premier of the television series One Over Eight held at UCC on October 20, 2018.

Maame Serwaa honoured at UCC for her diligent works. Source: Ghanacelebrities.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Anas gets another landmark judgement from NMC

The upcoming TV series was directed by Miss Hannah Acquah and produced by B. Bright Wirekoh.

She was presented with a plaque as recognition for her contributions in the local movie industry despite her young age.

The citation reads: We honour you this day as one of the big six celebrities on the occasion of One Over Eight Tv series premier dubbed.

Your contribution to the showbiz industry in Ghana, the immense discipline you have exhibited over the years, in and outside your profession has been highly recognized and appreciated.

Your unwavering moral standards and influence have won the admiration of all Ghanaians especially we the students of the University of Cape Coast".

Maame Serwaa honoured by UCC. Source: Ghanacelebrities.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Meet Elizabeth, a UCC distance education student who sells dried fish

It is refreshing to know that Ghana can still boast of stars whose underlying responsibility of social role modelling is not tanned by the pressure of spotlights and splendour of red carpets. We hope that you are motivated enough to continue and improve your efforts in uplifting the name of Ghana.

Maame Serwaa is one of the budding actresses in the country, and has also starred in a couple of movies as the lead character despite being a teenager.

She expressed gratitude to all her fans for supporting her to this point.

Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students / Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: I like thick tall and handsome men - Adwoa Smart

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Source: Yen.com.gh
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has lost two of its supporters who participated in a meeting with former president John Mahama over the weekend.

The deceased were part of some party faithful who travelled to Goaso in the Brong Ahafo Region to support Mahama in his campaign.

However, reports suggest they died on Sunday after being involved in a motor crash on their way back home.

READ ALSO: Maame Serwaa honoured by UCC

A statement from Mahamas office confirmed the death of the two, saying the NDC flagbearer aspirant is saddened by the event.

The statement, which was signed by James Agyenim Boateng, said Mahama will call on the bereaved families to mourn with them.

The former President is deeply saddened by the news of the demise of the two unnamed persons, who were said to have actively participated in last Sundays meeting.

It is shocking to know that we lost two very enthusiastic supporters in an accident on Sunday night. They were young, vibrant and very helpful during the meeting. My prayers are with their families and friends in this very difficult time, sections of the statement read.

Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students / Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: Anas gets another landmark judgement from NMC

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: Yen Newspaper
Former students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have catalogued a seven-page document of abuses students suffered in the school, which triggered violent protests Monday, October 22, 2018.

The seven-page press statement by the Concerned Fellows of Kantanga Hall said KNUST lecturers were known for caning students, among other things.

The statement submitted was linked to viral video evidence of caning of some students including females. However, some people believed the caning was light-hearted and jovial.

Some students of KNUST during Monday's demonstration. Credit: YEN.com.gh

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Video: Meet Elizabeth, a UCC distance education student who sells dried fish

The alumni who were former residents of Katanga Hall maintained that the practice of caning was well known and not surprising.

The students recalled that all males within a block at Katanga Hall were once ordered onto a pitch and directed to kneel in the rain as punishment.

It was punishment for singing  jama songs and allowing infiltration by continuing students who did not reside on the main campus, the statement alleged.

KNUST has become a ghost town after the Ashanti Regional Security Council imposed a curfew and shut down the school indefinitely.

While media reports have linked the disturbances to the decision of the university to convert the male halls into mixed halls, the students have said Monday's protest was about a culture of oppression.

The students said, as important stakeholders in the second largest university in Ghana, their views were not taken into consideration by the university authorities led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Obiri Danso, who was facing calls to resign.

READ ALSO: Maame Serwaa honoured in UCC

The protest which has gained national attention and government intervention has seen the students venting in the media over the treatment meted out to them.

A student alleged that some duly-elected hall executives who were seen as not favourable to school authorities were removed from office and replaced by first-year students.

The concerned fellows of Kantanga Hall criticised the University for shaming and sanctioning four female students for accommodating males in their rooms at odd hours. They wondered how the university would find that offensive after converting the previously male hall into a mixed one.

The university has been on a collision course with students following attempts to halt and ban jama sessions on campus  a more than 50-year-old practice popularly called morale.

All the above, according to some students of the school, led to the chaotic demonstration by students of the school.

READ ALSO: Over 20 KNUST students in police custody after violent protest

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that some aggrieved students of KNUST were set to demonstrate over the recent brutality meted out on students by security personnel at the University.

The student body decided to boycott classes on Monday, October 22, 2018 as a way of registering their displeasure with happenings on campus.

However, vice-chancellor of the school Professor Kwasi Obiri Danso, in a broadcast text message to all students, called on them to disregard the decision to boycott their lectures.

The students defied the caution from the VC and embarked on the demonstration which led to destruction of school properties and personal belongings of some employees of the school.

Aggrieved students reportedly set the car of the school's Dean of Students on fire as a way of registering their displeasure.

READ ALSO: King Promise denies Yasmin Behzadi's claim of spending $150k on him

Watch: Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students / Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh

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Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, the foundation vice-chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria has called for the elimination of examination in the educational system in Africa.

According to a report sighted by YEN.com.gh on Myjoyonline.com, the professor made the call in Accra at a three-day International Conference on Open, Distance and Electronic-Learning organised by the University of Ghana, Legon.

The conference was held on the theme: Meeting Quality Education through Open, Distance, and Electronic-Learning.

Professor Olugbemiro Jegede. Credit: www.olugbemirojegede.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: KNUST lecturers cane students, others ordered to kneel in rain - Concerned Katangees

Prof Jegede said the examination system affected the continent's goal of achieving quality education, suggesting that the education system in Africa must have an in-built way of continuous assessment of students and build up the portfolio for effective teaching and learning.

He called for a radical reform in Africas educational curriculum, stressing that university learning in Africa should be more inclusive, effective and efficient to meet the needs of society.

Prof Jegede said through his years of experience in teaching at the secondary and university levels, I have seen that the major purpose of teaching and learning was to pass examinations.

He said Africas examination system afforded students with the ability to memorise facts and repeating them to meet the desires of the examiners, limiting the thought and creative abilities of the students.

He said examinations should be abolished because it killed the creative power of the students, encouraged cheating and made all learning theoretical and geared towards passing exams.

READ ALSO: Meet Elizabeth, a UCC distance education student who sells dried fish

He said African examination system had failed to asked students to relate what they have learnt to what the outside world needed, adding that most of the curriculum were more content based at the cognitive level; neglecting the skills and competency of students.

Prof Jegede urged African leaders to 'emancipate from mental slavery' and learn from the experiences of Singapore for abolishing examinations in the primary and secondary levels.

Singapore has started eliminating examinations in their system, they do not conduct exams in the primary and the secondary level and are moving on to the tertiary levels.

They make sure that their students studied courses that could be related to the current environment, he added.

For Africa to achieve its dream of being prosperous and a healthy continent, the leaders must re-focus on using education as the fundamental and virile instrument for continental, regional and national development, Prof Jegede said.

He urged Africa leaders to embark on knowledge generation with emphasis on open, distance and electronic learning research and initiatives for sustained development.

READ ALSO: KNUST students 'defy' VC's warning; embark on demo and cause mayhem

In commenting on other aspects, Prof Jegede called for the scrapping of age limit associated with employment, particularly the teaching profession, saying that, making the age the criteria for hiring and maintaining people was going to slow down development.

Prof Kwame Offei, the pro-vice chancellor, University of Ghana, said education played a critical role in the socio-economic development of any country and had been a means through which nations empowered, developed and built capacities of individuals, institutions and communities.

The pro-vice chancellor expressed optimism that the conference was going to address pertinent challenges confronting distance education and suggested solutions to addressing them.

READ ALSO: Maame Serwaa honoured in UCC

Watch: Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students / Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh

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Ghanaian actress and producer Lydia Forson has reached another milestone as she turns 34 years today October 24.

To celebrate the occasion, the beautiful actress has released some very gorgeous and tantalizing photos.

In the photos shared on Instagram sighted by YEN.com.gh, Lydia was seen wearing a white shirt over a hot pink miniskirt.

Matching it with a silver-colour pair of high heels, the plus size actress really looked hot as the colour of her skirt.

READ ALSO: Wild video of 40-year-old woman who has given birth to 44 kids stuns social media

"I havent felt this happy, at peace and more alive than I do today. Its all Ive ever wanted...," the caption of Lydia's first photo for the day read.

Lydia followed it up with another celebrating her horoscope which happens to be 'Scorpio'.

Knowing how 'tasty' she was looking in the birthday photo, the actress could not help but compare herself to something edible. And she chose no other than angwa mo (oil rice).

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah 'unites' Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy with just 1 photo

She wrote: "May3 sokyeeeee s3 angwa Mo!", which literally translates as 'I'm as inviting as oil rice'.

Well, Lydia's 'sokyeeeness' has not gone unnoticed as many of her fans have taken to her handle to celebrate her beauty and wish her a happy birthday.

@akwuada_boni thought Lydia was: "More than angwa mo @lydiaforson ..happy b day Queen"

@digitalkofi said:"Woboa! Wa y3 sokyeeeee s3 soncheck"

@asamoah.33 wished Lydia a happy birthday: "Birthday picture ,anyway I wish you more blessed life ..hbd."

@hellymoh said:"Have a wonderful, happy, healthy birthday now and forever. Happy Birthday to my mother's birthday mate @lydiaforson!"

Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students/Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh:

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Source: Yen.com.gh
Award-winning rapper, Sarkodie, has come under a barrage of attacks on social media following the news that Shatta Wales Reign album, launched a little under two weeks ago, has made it onto Billboard World Album Chart.

Shatta Wale, on Tuesday, had taken to social media to celebrate his album reaching number six on the charts.

Around this same time, Sarkodie also took to Twitter to share the iTunes link to his Highest album which was released about a year ago.

It is no secret that Sarkodie and Shatta Wale are no longer friends, at least not publicly.

This follows Sarkodie's release of his 'My Advice' diss song against Shatta Wale in which he gave loads of insults to Shatta who had previously attacked him on several platforms.

But while Sarkodie did not mention anybody's name in the tweet, his post has incurred the wrath of some social media users who think the rapper was subtly diminishing the relevance of Shatta Wale's achievement.

READ ALSO: Wild video of 40-year-old woman who has given birth to 44 kids stuns social media

Many who took offense to Sarkodie's post reminded him of some of the lines he used to attack Shatta Wale. Others simply choose of mock him.

@oneImusic picked Sarkodie's diss on Shatta Wale being insecure:

@Quame_Cipraino said Sarkodie had caught feelings:

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah 'pleases' Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy with just 1 photo

@Tkayjr1 thought it would have been better if Sarkodie had congratulated Shatta Wale:

@RichieSamJunio2 came with a troll:

READ ALSO: King Promise finally responds to 'Obroni' sponsor's threat to sue him

And so did @aboba_onezee:

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has sighted a video of Sarkodie flaunting a new Range Rover Vogue he acquired.

READ ALSO: Woman narrates how co-tenant's ghost wrote a letter to husband who killed her at Ablekuma (Video)

Coming at a time when Shatta Wale bought himself a brand new Benz with the'ADVICE-1-18" custom plate, many have concluded that Sarkodie was replying his rival.

Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students/Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh:

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To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play today

Source: Yen.com.gh
The month of October 2018 seems to be a very good one for popular broadcaster and gender activist, Gifty Anti.

After celebrating the third anniversary of her grand wedding to Nana Ansah Kwao IV, Chief of Akwamu Adumasa in the Eastern Region, she had another thing to smile about:

Gifty Anti was honoured by the chiefs and people of Manya Krobo at their Ngmayem festival.

According to Gifty, she had originally attended the festival as the guest speaker for the Yokama Day, a part of the celebration which is dedicated to women.

READ ALSO: Meet the 40-year-old woman who has given birth to 44 kids (Photo, Video)

But she ended up being given the title, Yokama, which means ideal.

Taking to social media to share beautiful photos of the ceremony, was full of gratitude to the chiefs for the honour done her.

"Today, I left Home knowing that I was going to be the Guest Speaker at the Yokama Day, which is a Womens Day for the Ngmayem festival of the people of Manya Krobo.

After delivering my speech which i think went down well, (Preserving our cultural heritage for a sustainable development), My former colleague at GBC, Soyokour was honoured for being a Yokama, an ideal woman, from the area.

As Is applauded her with admiration, my name was also mentioned and honoured for being a voice for women and children . I was honestly surprised.

I do not come from the area and to be honoured by the Paramount Chief, Nene Sakite II and the Paramount Queenmother, Nana Amplam II is a big deal for me.

I was paraded around the crowd and made to sit on the lap of the paramount Queenmother.

Thankfully, my traditional godmother, Nana Afrakoma II, Paramount Queenmother of Akwamu traditional in her wisdom, sent two Queenmothers and some elderly women from Akwamufie to accompany me to the event.

It was beautiful, it was colourful and I thank God for such an honour.

And so yes, behold Oheneyere Yokama (Ideal woman) Gifty Anti of Manya Krobo lol.

Thank you to His Royal Majesty Nene Sakite II, Konor of Manya Krobo, Her Royal Majesty Nana Amplam II, Queenmother, the planning committee of the 2018 Mgmayem Festival and people of Manya Krobo for this honour.

All Glory to God," she wrote on Instagram.

READ ALSO: Woman narrates how co-tenant's ghost wrote a letter to husband who killed her at Ablekuma (Video)

(Swipe for more pictures)

Gifty was not the only one excited by the honour as many of her fans also expressed their happiness and congratulated her.

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah 'unites' Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy with just 1 photo

@kimberlyjo9 said:"Congratulations Oheneyere. May the Lord continue to surprise you all days of your life. Am proud of you mum."

For @obaa5972 it was just the beginning of greater things to come: "Congrats Oheneyere Ante Gifty ,this is just the beginning,God blessing is going overflow, relax and never be surprised ,that how He works,his either name wonderful God."

@gragorgeous was full of admiration and pride: "Sis. you are now Oheneyere Dr. Yokama Gifty Anti aka (Awo Dansoa ) I admire you so much. Am also proud of you. We thank God for your life"

@dorcasapraku thought the honour was well-deserved: "you deserve it Keep doing the this work. I admire you from afar"

@naa_yacoba was also an admirer: "Congratulations Oheneyere....really admire you....remain Blessed"

READ ALSO: You don't even have noticeboard - Fans mock Sarkodie after Shatta Wale's Reign reached the Billboards

Ghana News Today: Chaotic Riot by KNUST Students/Poisonous Tilapia on Ghanaian Markets |Yen.com.gh:

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De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) was today praised as an exemplar university as the United Nations announced the full list of those institutions promoting its global goals.Some 17 universities around the world will each become a hub for one of the UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to end poverty,protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all.DMU was selected for the innovative ways in which it has brought the goals to life and helped engage and enthuse members of the public about the SDGs.DMU is a hub for goal 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and has been asked to take the lead in engaging universities across the globe in its work to support refugees. It is the only university in the UK to have been chosen as a hub.So far, DMUs work includes: Embedding the 17 global goals across its curriculum and informing teaching, learning and research Banning the use of non-recyclable plastic on campus Holding a series of 24-hour vigils to share ideas on how to achieve global goals Aligning DMU research to the SDGs, with academics tackling global challenges Setting up a global network of universities to find ways to successfully integrate refugees into communities Working with partners in Leicester, nationally and globally on practical ideas to achieve the goalsEach university will remain a hub for at least three years and become a resource for best practice across the United Nations Academic Impact network, made up of 1,300 universities and colleges in 140 member states.Scholarship does good. Students deliver good. Nowhere has this combination worked more effectively, indeed dramatically, than in university engagement with the SDGs, said Ramu Damodaran, chief of UNAI.Whether through research projects, innovative curriculum or campus activities, the global academic community has summoned its creativity and energy to devising practical ways in which the 2030 Agenda can be fulfilled in a manner that is inclusive, sustained and worthy of the organization which gave it shape.UNAI is an initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of United Nations goals and mandates, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.Maher Nasser, Director of the UNs Department of Public Information Outreach Division, praised DMU's work on the SDGs at summer graduations. He said: Through DMUs efforts, students from all six continents have found their voice and confidence in taking practical steps to sustainable goal 16 and other selected goals.The visibility given to the SDGs in DMUs strategic plan will undoubtedly spark curiosity. And curiosity in the hands of young people and nurtured within the walls of this university can help channel energy into activism, action and the creation of a better world.Universities are crucial to achieving the SDGs as they serve as incubators of new ideas, inventions and solutions and they raise awareness, educate and inform about the SDGs, on their campuses, in their communities and beyond.The UN said it was critical to remember the role of academia in ensuring the wellbeing of mankind and the ideals pursued since it was founded in 1945.Here is the full list of universities announced as SDG hubs:SDG 1: No Poverty - Kristu Jayanti College (India)SDG 2: Zero Hunger - University of Pretoria (South Africa)SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being - New Giza University (Egypt)SDG 4: Quality Education - University of La Punta (Argentina)SDG 5: Gender Equality - Ahfad University for Women (Sudan)SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - University of Manitoba (Canada)SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - Energy Policy and Development Centre, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (Pakistan)SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Nagaoka University of Technology (Japan)SDG 10: Reduce Inequalities - Western Sydney University (Australia)SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Carlos III University of Madrid (Spain)SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Buenos Aires (Argentina)SDG 13: Climate Action - University of Zurich (Switzerland)SDG 14: Life below Water - University of Bergen (Norway)SDG 15: Life on Land - University of Zanjan (Iran)SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - De Montfort University (United Kingdom)SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - American University in Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
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Better roads. Cleaner water. Real Democracy.

This post is part of a new project at Eclectablog called A Fresh Michigan. Our goal is to help people understand the astonishing impact they can have on the future of our state by supporting the three statewide ballot proposals along with Sam Bagenstos and Megan Kathleen Cavanagh for the State Supreme Court. You can read more about this project HERE.

Check out and share our non-partisan voter guide for a new Michigan at AFreshMichigan.com.

Todays essay in support of Proposal 1 was written by Ari Goldstein & Nick Zettell. Ari is a U of M Law student and the chapter leader of U of Ms Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Nick is the Michigan Field Manager for MI Legalize and the Michigan Field Manager for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

The November 2018 Midterm election is fewer than two weeks away and the spotlight is on the three critically important ballot proposals. In addition to the contentious state races for governor and attorney general, Michigan voters will decide whether cannabis should be legalized statewide. Proposal 1, backed by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, is an opportunity for Michigan to end the senseless War on Marijuana and safely regulate its production and distribution. Perhaps even more critically, Proposal 1 will bring much needed reforms to Michigans criminal justice system that allow us to replace unnecessary state expenditures with new revenue streams while simultaneously creating thousands of new jobs for communities across the state.

Voters passed the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act in 2008 with an astonishing 63% and nearly 300,000 state registered patients find relief from using cannabis in its many prepared forms from smokeable dried flowers and concentrated oils to edibles and analgesic salves.

Critics of Michigans robust medical marijuana market (second only to California by number of registered patients) often seek to challenge the legitimacy of either medical cannabis use in general, or physician recommendations made on the basis of subjective, self-reported symptoms. In suggesting that individuals suffering from chronic pain simply need to take an Aspirin sometimes, Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems to question both. Unfortunately, such comments display both an astonishing lack of empathy and a poor understanding of modern medical research on pain management and the well-documented medical uses for cannabis. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Program has been wildly successful in providing medicine to patients. Unfortunately, it has fallen short of reducing the astronomically high arrest rates for simple marijuana possession among both patient and non-patients.

The interest in medical cannabis alone is irrefutable evidence of the strong demand for a legal cannabis market. Our national experience with more than four decades of prohibition reveals the abject failure of such policies, which have had especially pronounced detrimental effects here in Michigan. Substantial law enforcement and judicial resources must be expended to investigate and prosecute the more than 20,000 cannabis related arrests made in Michigan each year (87% of which are for simple possession). Diverting such resources away from violent crime (rates of which has actually decreased in states that have legalized recreational cannabis) has left a tragic backlog of unsolved rapes and murders. Efforts to enforce cannabis prohibition have been wrought with racial inequity and young people of color are 3.3 times more likely to be arrested than white people, despite comparable rates of use (with some studies even suggesting that use may actually be higher among Caucasians). Proposal 1 would put an end to a vast majority of non-violent and victimless crimes related to cannabis.

The economic impact of legalization will be felt all over the state. A recent Senate Fiscal Agency report estimates annual tax revenue of $287.9 million by 2023, with $182 million coming from a 10% excise tax in addition to the standard 6% sales tax. If accurate, that means the School Aid Fund for K-12 and the Michigan Transportation Fund would each receive over $63 million (35% each) with the rest being circulated into local municipal and county governments (15% each). Thousands of new jobs, from budtenders to compliance specialists, will be created bringing new economic opportunities to both rural and urban communities across Michigan. Using existing state resources for law enforcement and judicial administration more efficiently will lead to safer neighborhoods, and a less congested criminal justice system.

Voting YES on Proposal 1 is an incredibly important step to building a better future for Michigan. Our economy will improve, law enforcement will be able to focus on crimes that actually pose a threat to public safety, and most importantly, we will be able to end the ineffective and damaging policy of cannabis prohibition. Voters have earned this right to decide on cannabis legalization and Michiganders deserve all the benefits that will come with this monumental policy change.

Remember to turn that ballot over and vote YES on Proposal 1.
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
Bellwether took a look at the stories of eight cities innovating with whats often called the portfolio model of schools and built a website to tell those stories.

Max Marchitello on Arizona pensions. Spoiler alert, not an optimal retirement plan! (Thats not financial advice, just common sense based on how it works and how life works).

While the Red Sox were breaking through the Dodgers pitching, Chad Aldeman stayed focused and live tweeted the PBS pension special.

David Leonhardt suggests that people dont double-major in college. Im not sure this is good advice or at least not good advice too broadly applied.

When you look at the number of courses and credit hours it takes to major relative to the number it takes to earn a four-year degree you see a pretty substantial gap at most schools. This is the cleavage that varies boot camps and other non-traditional approaches are trying to leverage open.

On campus, at its strongest, that gap is filled by taking a wide range of courses that give someone a broad education so when they hear a reference to a foundational idea or event they get it and they know a little about the world beyond the end of their nose. That short of shared knowledge is out of fashion in our tribal and exhausting first person times, but its nonetheless pretty vital to a country that celebrates both the pluribus and the unum. And it does. The overall political landscape is thankfully not as radicalized as media, social media, and our political class make it out to be.

Yet at its worst, and largely the norm in higher ed, students take a bunch of classes that dont really hang together or study an awful lot of critical this and critical that without ever engaging in the underlying content and ideas they are supposed to be critical of. So its sort of a mish mash. Up against that, and the number of courses you have to take, a second major can make a lot of sense. You can learn more about something that interests you (full disclosure this is what I did). You can also do this and still take some of the random electives that make college interesting and fun and expose you to ideas and areas of learning you might otherwise not know about.

For sure, a second major should be a passion or interest project, not a credentialing one. Leonhardt is absolutely right that the credentialing arms race and its side effects are out of hand. But when hiring, I find the resume from the person who studied both a hard science and English or engineering and history an appealing one. While not dispositive at all, they are at least slightly more likely to be able to think about the world with a bit more texture and have interesting analogies to bring to bear on the problems were trying to solve.

Elsewhere:

This would have an impact on schools.

This could have an impact on your car, driverless school buses being surreptitiously tested.

Inequities in course taking.

Maine schools quickly faced hurdles

Some education implications to this election, so you should pay attention to the Full Rhode Island.

Our times.

Education work at San Quentin.

Bears and Timbits dont mix.




Arla commits to supporting local dairy production in Bangladesh

Bangladesh's demand for milk is growing. However, with local dairy production only meeting 40% of its requirement, Arla Foods, and Bangladesh's leading dairy cooperative, MilkVita, are collaborating to support the sustainable development of the country's dairy sector.

The agreement with MilkVita was signed at the P4G Summit in Copenhagen recently. As well as enabling knowledge sharing between MilkVita, Arla Foods and relevant knowledge institutions and ministries, best practice from the Danish dairy sector will be exchanged with the aim of fulfilling the country's commitment to improving quality standards to the level of those applied in Europe.



Working with Arla will also enable MilkVita to strengthen Bangladesh's cooperative dairy model and it will draw on Arla's expertise to increase the yield per cow. The benefit for Arla is that it will gain a better understanding of the dairy sector in Bangladesh, enabling it to develop targeted products for a market which holds great potential.



Arla's executive vice president for International, Tim rting Jrgensen, said, "As a dairy cooperative with over 100 years of dairy experience on which drawn, we look forward to inspiring MilkVita and sharing our extensive knowledge about sustainable dairy farming, food safety and technology.



"The agreement is also a further example of Arla's commitment to the UN's sustainable development goals as we will support the development Bangladesh's agricultural sector, which in turn will strengthen sustainably produced milk and improve the livelihoods of farmers."



Arla has a presence in Bangladesh since 1961 and its DANO milk powder brand is said to be the "best known" in the country.


By Town Hall Oct. 22, 2018





According to the long-held media consensus, buttressed by Democrats' repetition of their preferred narrative, Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada was supposed to be the most vulnerable incumbent in Congress' upper chamber this cycle. There's no question that he's in a tight race, and both parties are pouring resources into the Silver State battle; President Trump was just in town, as was former president Barack Obama.

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Greece backs down from extending territorial waters limit

Greek PM backed down on the maritime border.

Former Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias had said on Saturday that the ministry planned to start extending the territorial waters of Greece in the Aegean Sea to 12 nautical miles from the current six miles.

Turkey will never allow another harassment to any Turkish ship in the Eastern Mediterranean, the country's defense minister had said earlier on Wednesday. Hulusi Akar said: "Our warships in the region are providing the necessary protection. We will never allow a new harassment." Akars remarks came after Turkey warned Greece against taking actions in the Mediterranean Sea that would "spark tensions" in the region.

THE ISSUE SEND TO THE PARLIAMENT

According to the Greek AMNA agency, Greek prime minister had backed down on the issue of maritime borders after Alexis Tsipras reportedly suggested that he may seek dialogue with opposition parties over the extension of Greeces territorial waters in the Ionian Sea and that he wanted the matter to come to Parliament in a bill.
NYT: President Erdogan rejected Saudi Arabia's bribe offer

According to The New York Times, Saudi Arabia made some offers to Turkey to hush up the Khashoggi murder.

Turkey carries out a successful investigation on the Jamal Khashoggi case starting the day that the Saudi journalist went missing.

President Erdogan had promised that he will reveal the truth in full nakedness, in the face of what his aides have called a Saudi cover-up. Turkish officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, had also said they have recordings and other evidence showing that Mr. Khashoggi was murdered and then dismembered on orders from the highest levels of the Saudi royal court.

In an article published in The New York Times, its been claimed that Saudi Arabia offered bribe to Turkey to cover the Khashoggi case.

ERDOGAN ANGRILY REJECTED

According to an anonymous source, a Saudi envoy, Prince Khaled bin Faisal, had offered a package of inducements for Turkey to drop the case  including financial aid and investments to help Turkeys struggling economy, and an end to a Saudi embargo on Qatar, a Turkish ally.

But President Erdogan angrily rejected the offer as a political bribe.
Turkey dead set against one-sided Greek steps in Aegean

Foreign ministry remarks come after former Greek FM says country is ready to increase territorial waters to 12 miles

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy on Tuesday responded to statements by Greek officials saying the country would extend its territorial waters from six miles to 12 miles.

LAST WARNING TO GREECE

Aksoy said in a statement: "We have followed the statements of Greeces former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. [Nikos] Kotzias and its Prime Minister and new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. [Alexis] Tsipras regarding the plans for the gradual extension of Greek territorial waters, as well as the related news."

"We cannot tolerate any step that is not based on mutual consent in the Aegean Sea where two countries have opposite coasts," the statement said.

"The declaration of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, dated 8 June 1995, contains a necessary political warning and is still in force today," it added.

ALL POWERS READY FOR A COUNTER ATTACK

The declaration warns that if Greece increases its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea beyond six miles, the Turkish parliament will give "all powers", including the military powers, to the government to defend Turkey's interests.

On the Greek Ambassador in Ankara Petros Mavroidis being summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry earlier Tuesday, Aksoy said they conveyed their "views and warnings" to him.
Greg Dyke and Gisli Snaer from the LFS visited the University to discuss opportunities to deepen and strengthen the successful relationship between the two organisations

Celebration of pioneering partnership between University of Exeter and the London Film School

Experts are celebrating a pioneering partnership between the University of Exeter and the London Film School which gives students unique training in the movie industry.

Former BBC Chairman Greg Dyke, now LFS Chairman, and the new Director Gisli Snaer have visited the University of Exeter to discuss opportunities to deepen and strengthen the hugely successful relationship between the two organisations.

Mr Dyke and Mr Snaer toured the Universitys Digital Humanities Laboratory and Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.

They were also able to meet new students studying for the LFS and University of Exeter joint MA in International Film Business. The course is run jointly by the two institutions and enables students to hone their filmmaking skills alongside their academic studies. Students develop a unique set of practical and theoretical skills related to the business of the film industry. The course is designed to train the next generation of innovative executives for the international film industry. Students learn about film finance and sales, distribution and marketing, creative management and development, digital strategy and festival curation and programming.

The MAIFB is just entering its fifth year and will welcome its 100th graduate at this years Winter Degree Congregation.

Kevin Keane, 21, from Dublin enrolled on the course because of his dual interests in film and accountancy. He said: I have a degree in business, but I also really enjoy screenwriting and filmmaking. I want to combine both skills and learn more about raising finance and film production and organisation.

Neyda Santana, from the Dominican Republic, enrolled on the course because she wants to be a film producer. She said: I chose Exeter because I was impressed by the experience of academics and the access to facilities such as the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. Its great that we carry out research and learn both creative and business skills.

Peter Bwire hopes to use his experience on the course to boost the film industry in his home country of Kenya. He said: I graduated in 2015 in film technology and really want to work in the film industry, but there isnt really one in Kenya. I tried starting my own company, but decided this course would help me fulfil my goals. Kenya needs people with the sort of skills this course is offering. I would love to distribute and market films made in Kenya around the world.

London Film School (LFS) is the first film school in the UK. Since 1956 LFS has trained thousands of directors, cinematographers, editors and other film professionals now working across the globe. Alumni include Bill Douglas, the founder of Exeters Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. LFS is one of only three Skillset Film Academies, accredited by the UK film industry as a Centre of Excellence.
Weather to finally dry out for harvest

With the weather drying out from now until Monday, we should be seeing average rainfall and a return to the dry summer we are used to for the rest of the year.
Two top executives of a now-defunct oil company were found guilty Wednesday of fraud and money laundering after a six-week trial in London.

Osman Shahenshah, the former CEO of Afren, and Shahid Ullah, the former COO, took $45 million from a secret deal they made with their companys business partner in Africa.

They used $17 million for themselves, buying luxury homes in Mustique and the British Virgin Islands. They split the rest with some of the partners employees.

The SFO said Shahenshah and Ullah struck the secret side deal to increase their pay after Afrens shareholders objected to their salaries of 6.6 million ($8.5 million) and 3.8 million ($4.9 million).

They tricked the Afren board into investing $300 million in a deal in Nigeria. They didnt disclose that the partner, Oriental Energy Resources Ltd, would kick back 15 percent or $45 million to a Caribbean shell company they controlled.

Shahenshah, 56, and Ullah, 59, were found guilty by the jury at Southwark Crown Court of one count of fraud by abuse of position and two charges of money laundering.

The jury acquitted them of a second count of fraud for a $100 million payment connected to a management buyout at another partner, Amni International Petroleum Development Company.

SFO director Lisa Osofsky said Shahenshah and Ullah failed in their duties as company directors, abused their positions, and lied to their board.

Instead of acting in their companys best interests, they used Afren like a personal bank account to fund an illicit deal, with no regard for the consequences, she said.

Afrens internal investigation uncovered the fraud in 2014.

The SFO started a criminal investigation after Afren collapsed in June 2015. The defendants were charged in September last year.

The oil exploration firm was once a FTSE 250 company with a market cap of more than $2.6 billion.

Shahenshah and Ullah are scheduled to be sentenced on October 29.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
Buying a property abroad is a big decision. Keeping your wits about you is essential when buying any home and here in Turkey its no different. You need to take your time making a decision, choose the right location, do your research, use professional guidance and not rush into any purchase.

Turkey Homes are fully accredited estate agents with many years experience in helping clients buy and sell properties in Turkey. With an head office in London, regional offices just off the Kordon (seafront promenade) in Fethiye, and others in Bodrum, Antalya and Istanbul, we are well versed in navigating the Turkish property market. To help make a property purchase easier, heres our little guide on the dos and donts when buying a property in Turkey:

Do set a realistic budget / Dont overspend

Its very easy to fall in love with apartments or villas in Turkey, similar properties in the UK or Spain cost considerably more. But, its also very easy to overspend which can lead to numerous problems down the line. Assess your finances before starting a property hunt and tell your agent. A good agent will listen and show you properties you can afford. Dont get romanced by all thats on offer and keep in mind that there will be additional purchase charges and often furnishing costs before you get it up and running. Set an ideal and maximum budget before you start looking.

Do use an accredited agent and lawyer / dont just buy off a barman

We have all heard horror stories of people purchasing a property in Turkey only to find out the legalities were not in order. There was a time when everyone was selling Turkey properties  the barman, the hairdresser, the taxi driver, even a market trader, they all knew someone with land or a property and a great deal. This does still happen. To avoid pitfalls, do use a fully registered and accredited agent and employ an independent solicitor to oversee the sale. Although not strictly a legal requirement, good agents should run due-diligence checks on all properties and developments they represent and a decent lawyer will protect your interests giving you the peace of mind that youre money and purchase is in good hands.

Do research areas / Dont simply buy the first property you see

Turkey is diverse, there are a lot of locations and properties suiting different tastes and budgets. Here in Fethiye you have the town centre and suburbs of Deliktas or Tasyaka that offer a great range of apartments suiting those that want to live amongst the locals. Then theres the popular resorts of Cals, Hisaronu and Ovack. Cals is on the flat and boasts an established expat and tourist community and superb beach and sunsets. Ovack and Hisaronu rest on the hillside, 10 minutes bus ride from the famed beach of Oludeniz. Both are great options for the buy to let investor or those looking to reside in the area. And, for those that want a big property for a great price, Uzumlu should be considered. Just 20 minutes inland from Fethiye this quaint village has an abundance of affordable villas for those looking for a more rural escape. Do your research and ask your agent to suggest areas first. Its often best to pick a location then find out what property is on offer.

Do negotiate / Dont accept the first price quoted

This is Turkey and as such a certain amount of negotiation on most things is expected. Unfortunately, gone are the days of 50 percent discounts, but it is possible to negotiate a deal in most cases. Be guided by your agent as they should know the vendor or developer. Tip: With new builds it may be better to negotiate inclusions (air con, upgrades etc.) rather than cash discounts. A builder tends to buy kit in bulk therefore gets the likes of white goods or materials at great rates  it may cost you considerably more to organise the same additions yourself.

Do keep looking / Dont give up

There are many properties for sale in Turkey and buying a second or holiday home doesnt need to be a long process (if you find what youre after and already have the monies in place, the process can be completed in just 24 hours in many cases). But sometimes things simply dont all fit into place and you may need to walk away before making a decision. If thats the case, dont give up. New properties come on the market on a daily basis. Keep an eye on Turkey Homes website for new listings and tell your agent to keep you informed on Turkish homes matching your criteria  do come back for a second look.

If you would like to know more about property for sale in Fethiye, please contact Turkey Homes. If you are in the area please drop by our office found below Cafe Park Teras, above the chemist opposite McDonalds on Fethiyes seafront promenade  our friendly bi-lingual team will be happy to help.

Theres an App for That,

Turkey Homes now have an easy to use mobile app making searching for property even more convenient. Download it today

For more information about Turkey Homes please visit:

www.turkeyhomes.com

www.fethiyepropertysale.com

This is a sponsored advertorial brought to you in association with Turkey Homes.
Syntiant Corp., an Irvine, CA-based artificial intelligence semiconductor company, raised $25m in Series B funding.

The round was led by M12, Microsoft Corp.s venture fund, with participation from the Amazon Alexa Fund, Applied Ventures, Intel Capital, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital and Robert Bosch Venture Capital.

Syntiant also announced the expansion of its board to five members with the appointments of:

 Samir Kumar, managing director of M12, and

 Bret Johnsen, CFO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), who will serve as an independent director.

Led by Kurt Busch, CEO, Syntiant is creating an entirely new class of ultra-low-power, high-performance, deep neural network processors for edge computing.

Its chip solutions merge deep learning with semiconductor design to produce highly efficient ultra-low-power neural computation for always-on applications in battery powered devices. They are suited for applications as small as hearing aids and IoT, to as large as smart speakers and mobile phones.

FinSMEs

24/10/2018
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The annual placement of the Trees on the Bay started last week as the Long Beach Marine Maintenance team towed the floating light platforms to their holiday locations.
Increasing homeless and loitering : Beuel Rathausplatz continuously monitored

Beuel The growing number of homeless people in the area of Beuel Town Hall has not only alarmed politicians and local businesses. Many GA readers have echoed this concern. City and police have responded.

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Local politicians from the CDU, SPD and FDP demanded last week that measures be taken to deal with the problem of groups of people loitering outside Beuel Town Hall, whether it be youth who are drinking alcohol or the homeless.

Underage drinking

Officials say that for around a month now, there has been daily monitoring by police, on and around the Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square). 40 persons have been checked for identification, and 30 youth have also been checked for their IDs. Director of the Ramersdorf Police Station, Gerd Peter, says the police have clearly increased their presence, and banned some people from the area.

Peter says he would not describe the area as a hot spot but that there are areas where police monitor more frequently because they required special police attention due to the kinds of people who were meeting up there. During the checks, alcohol has been confiscated several times. In three cases, minor offenses were filed because garbage was carelessly thrown away. There was also a complaint filed for a discarded cigarette and a person banned from the area for urinating in public. Besides police, street workers are also out doing their work- not only at the Town Hall, but also at the public transport stops on Konrad-Adenauer-Platz and at the Bruckenforum.

No solution for the homeless

Citizens have called for a more attractive design of the Town Hall Square, and the administration wants to examine if a boule pit or childrens playground can be built on the green area behind the district administrative offices. Also targeted for improvement is lighting in the area, as well as the installation of more trash cans and ashtrays. In addition, the administration is currently seeking bids for the daily cleaning of the area. But part of the property belongs to a private investor, who would also have to agree to the measures taken.

Annette Standop of the Green party is a social policy spokeswoman in the city council and she said they received complaints about unwelcome groups of people in places in the city where residents or businesses feel they are being harassed by them. She emphasized that these complaints were taken seriously. But she said it would also be shortsighted to just send the people away as the conflict would only be shifted to another place.

The demolition of the so-called Bonner Loch, a former gathering area across from the central train station in Bonn, resulted in the displacement of people who used to hang out there. The growing number of homeless people in Bonn aggravates the problem, says Standop. She said the Greens call for the support of projects such as Bonn Feger (Bonn Sweepers), in which addicts are paid wages to clean up areas which are prone to conflicts between residents and people with drug and alcohol addiction.

Orig. text: Jutta Specht
New findings daily : Public warned about grenades in the Rhine

DUSSELDORF Remnants of a warring past, grenades are being discovered almost daily, and not only on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn. The Dusseldorf district government warns of the deadly dangers.

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From the Kennedy Bridge, one has a beautiful view of the Rhine  or at least what is left of the river at its current low level. With so little water, the river bed reveals all sorts of debris, including unexploded bombs and grenades from World War II. On both Monday and Tuesday, several grenades were found on the banks of the Rhine. They were cleared away by ordnance experts in the early evening.

The low level of the Rhine means that many dangerous remnants from wars past become exposed. Almost every day an unexploded grenade or bomb is discovered. Last weekend alone, the ordnance clearing experts were called out 22 times in Cologne. Seven unexploded bombs were salvaged on the riverbanks of the Rhine in Bonn on Sunday, and on Friday, a 110-kilogram grenade filled with TNT had to be lifted out of the riverbed with a crane. In Cologne, a 50-kilogram dud was successfully deactivated last week.

But there are also false alarms where it turns out that the objects in question are not bombs. Yet, authorities from the district government in Dusseldorf say they would rather receive one call too many than too few. A spokesperson said, The low water level means that more grenades are being discovered than usual.

People can now access areas which were otherwise inaccessible, the spokesperson explains. The district government is warning all walkers and self-proclaimed treasure hunters  "bomb tourists"  who are increasingly found walking along the Rhine, to not touch the unexploded grenades. This can have deadly consequences. Not just for yourself, but also for uninvolved people standing nearby, she says. And it is prohibited as well.

Phosphorous grenades pose a special danger

Last Friday, a father was out playing with his children on the banks of the Rhine in Kleve, when they came upon the remains of a phosphorous grenade. At first I thought it was a shimmering stone, says Denis Trisolini. When I pulled it out of the water and held it in my hands, the surface suddenly began to steam. Trisolini immediately put the item back in the water and informed the police. Already two days before that, a grenade had been removed at the same place.

Phosphorous grenades are amongst the most dangerous weapons ever, and are washed up on the banks of the Rhine time and again. Even the smallest fragments can lead to serious injuries. Three years ago, a 77-year-old man experience that firsthand. He mistook a fragment of such a grenade for a stone and put it in his pocket. It ignited in the man's pocket and he suffered severe burns on his hand and hip.

While the government cannot say just how many unexploded devices loom in the Rhine and other waters, it is assumed that there must be many of them in the Rhine, especially near bridges, large cities and settlements. These were the targets of the air raids during World War II. In all, it has been determined that about 2.7 million tons of munitions were dropped on the German Third Reich back then, around a quarter of them fell over the state of NRW.

Almost half of the British and American air strikes targeted the industrial center in the Rhineland and the Ruhr. Aerial photographs from the allies play an important role in evaluating where the bombs might be today. But we only do that for the Rhine when we have to set in a new bridge pillar, said a spokeswoman for the regulating authorities.

Orig. text: Christian Schwerdtfeger, Christian Kandzorra
Slipknot and Tool in the line-up : These bands are coming to Rock am Ring 2019

Nurburg The organizers of the popular music festival Rock am Ring have announced via Facebook the acts that will be performing in 2019. Already more than 80,000 tickets for the event next year have been sold.

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On Tuesday, organizers announced the line-up for the popular music festival Rock am Ring, scheduled for June 7 to June 9 in 2019. Two new headliners are on the roster: American heavy metal band Slipknot and the progressive rockers Tool from Los Angeles. Slipknot is as successful as it is controversial, and it returns to the Eifel after its last appearance in 2015. The U.S. rock band Tool returns to the festival after a long absence, as they begin their Europe tour in June in Berlin. According to the organizers of the festival, visitors can look forward to "exclusive appearances".

For fans of even harder rock genres, also confirmed are: Dropkick Murphys, Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, The BossHoss, Sabaton, Amon Amarth, Fine Cream Fish Fillet, Architects, Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Arch Enemy, Hot Water Music and Halestorm.

National and international hip hop will be brought to the festival by Alligatoah, Bonez MC & RAF Camora, Kontra K, SDP and Die Antwoord.

Also announced are the Indie bands Bastille, The 1975 and the Foals. Welshly Arms, Against The Current, Blackout Problems and Power Trip are the musical newcomers on the festival scene.

Already in summer, organizers had announced the German rapper Casper as headliner. Marek Lieberberg, the organizer of Rock am Ring, announced at a press conference on the last day of this year's festival that the Arzte will also perform.

Tickets cost 169 euros. More than 80,000 tickets are said to have been sold already for the festival next year. Tickets are available at bonnticket.

Orig. text: ga.de
Students at Tebakor School with their computers and printer presented by Scott Proud and Cathy Hivo from iCOUNT
nametalkam at 23-10-2018 09:20 PM (3 years ago) (m)

Prince Charles of Wales and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will arrive in Nigeria in two weeks, according to the United Kingdom High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright.

Prince Charles of Wales and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will arrive in Nigeria in two weeks, according to the United Kingdom High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright.

The announcement was made in a tweet via the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigerias official Twitter handle on Tuesday evening.



According to Arkwright, Prince Charles and his wife will meet President Muhammadu Buhari, traditional rulers and other prominent Nigerians.



[html] In two weeks Their Royal Highnesses will arrive in #Nigeria where they will meet President @MBuhari, Traditional Leaders and other prominent Nigerians to celebrate the long-standing friendship between the UK and Nigeria. We are excited about the visit @PaulTArkwright @AsoRock pic.twitter.com/oVZOMxrV87  UK in Nigeria The announcement was made in a tweet via the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigerias official Twitter handle on Tuesday evening.According to Arkwright, Prince Charles and his wife will meet President Muhammadu Buhari, traditional rulers and other prominent Nigerians.[html]

Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 23-10-2018 09:20 PM (3 years ago) | Hero
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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.
South Carolina voters rejected a ballot initiaitve that would have made the state superintendent of schools an appointed, not elected position.Amendment 1, which had the backing of current state Superintendent of Schools Molly Spearman, was rejected by 60 percent of the voters. Meanwhile. Speaman cruised to victory in her own bid for reelection.After decades of electing the states top education official, voters were being asked to let the governor fill the position. If it had passed, the measure would have gone into effect in 2023.Backers of the amendment argued that it would have ensured a qualified administrator hold the post. South Carolina's superintendent position requires neither experience in education policy nor a college degree. If voters had approved Amendment 1, appointees would've needed at least a masters degree and "substantive and broad-based experience" in public education or "experience in operational and financial management" in another field.Spearman's Democratic opponent, Israel Romero, who is a former public school teacher, viewed the move as a power grab by the governor. "Education must keep being directed by a person elected by public vote," Romero toldnewspaper in early October. "What [Republicans]are trying to do is have control. ... The superintendent has to be independent, not somebody who is being given instructions by the governor."South Carolina is one of 13 states where the state superintendent of public schools iselected. Seven of those states -- Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming -- are holding elections this year.In 35 other states, the superintendent of public schools is appointed by either a state board of education or the governor. In New York and Rhode Island, the state superintendent of public schools is appointed by the state board of regents and the state board of education, respectively -- governing bodies that hold authority over not only primary and secondary but also higher education.Electing top education officials is a rarity not just at the state level. Voters elect local superintendents in only three states in the country -- Alabama, Florida and Mississippi -- or 147 of the more than 14,000 school districts.
Grocery Taxes

Tobacco Taxes

Tampon Taxes

For some voters, filing their taxes is one of the only regular interactions they have with the government. It's no surprise, then, that many of them feel strongly about the topic.On Tuesday, voters in several states had a chance to weigh in on what does and does not get taxed -- Groceries? Tampons? Tobacco?Residents in the Pacific Northwest were split on two similar ballot measures that would have banned any new taxes on groceries -- with the exception of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.Oregon rejected its measure, while Washington voters appear poised to pass its grocery tax ban. With 64 percent of precincts reporting, 54 percent were in favor.Oregons was more stringent, retroactively applying to any tax passed after Oct. 1, 2017. If approved, it would have killed a soda tax passed in Multnomah County. It would also have prevented the state from enacting any new grocery taxes, whereas Washingtons would only ban local grocery taxes.Advocates of the measuressaid its a way to make food more affordable for struggling families."Heaping taxes on everyday grocery items will raise our cost of living and make it even harder for working families, small businesses and their workers to get by," said a statement by Yes! To Affordable Groceries, a Washington state group that supported the measure.Such taxes are regressive, meaning they take a proportionally larger share of income from lower- and middle-income residents than from wealthier taxpayers. Daniel Floy, a spokesperson for the Measure 103 campaign in Oregon, said grocery taxes keep popping up in the statehouse and city halls, and this initiative would have killed them once and for all."Were done fighting them. Its not something we want to keep fighting year after year," said Floy.But given that neither Oregon nor Washington tax groceries, opponents said grocery tax bans are just a way to weaken local authority -- and to stop soda taxes, a progressive trend to curb obesity and raise revenue thats gained popularity in cities, including Seattle. The major soda companies funded both initiatives.In addition to support from major soda companies, Oregons measure was also backed by the Northwest Grocery Association. Meanwhile, Gov. Kate Brown and the state's Democratic party opposed the measure.In Washington, the measure had the support of the Washington Farm Bureau, the Washington Food and Beverage Association, and the local Teamsters union. Opponents included the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition and the Healthy King County Coalition.There, soda companies helped supporters massively outraise their opponents. The opposition campaign only had $13,384 on hand, compared to supporters' $20 million.Every state taxes cigarettes. They often fund smoking cessation programs. But on Tuesday, Montana and South Dakota declined to raise them to fund other initiatives.In Montana, voters were asked to hike the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $2, bringing it up to $3.70.The extra revenue would have been used to fund Medicaid expansion, a central tenet of President Obama's signature law that makes more low-income people eligible for health care. The legislature expanded its Medicaid program in 2015, but the policy will expire next year unless the state finds a new way to fund it.All of the major health organizations in the state came out in favor of the measure, including the Montana Hospital Association and the Montana Public Health Association. But tobacco interests spent big, raising more than $17 million to fight the tax hike. Supporters had comparatively raised $9 million.In South Dakota, the tax increase -- from $1.53 to $2.53 a pack -- would have been used to fund technical institutes to shore up the states workforce development, which is lacking."We can't compete. Workforce development is a critical issue, and I think we have a responsibility to act," state House Speaker Mick Mickelson told theThe main supporter of the measure was the Tuition 4 Tech Students organization; its biggest opponents were tobacco interests, South Dakota Retailers Association and Americans for Prosperity, which argue that the tax hikes are unnecessary.Supporters raised around $720,000, and opponents -- largely tobacco interests group -- raised $9 million.Nevada became the 16th state to nix the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.The policy has become a relatively bipartisan issue in recent years. Republicans like tax cuts, and Democrats see it as a way to address gender inequality and make tampons and pads more affordable. Four states nixed the so-called tampon tax in 2017 alone.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has tapped House Speaker Todd Richardson to run the state-run health insurance program for the poor.Richardson, a Poplar Bluff Republican, will take over as director of MO HealthNet, the agency that oversees Missouri's $11 billion Medicaid program. He will begin his new job Nov. 1. He was already leaving office at the end of the year because of term limits.His new salary will be $225,000. As speaker, Richardson was paid $38,400 per year."Missouri is incredibly fortunate that one of its most respected policymakers has chosen to continue his service to our state by tackling one of the most important challenges our state faces," Parson said. "Providing accessible, quality healthcare to our citizens is crucial to further growing our workforce development."Richardson has earned bipartisan accolades during his three years as the highest ranking legislator in the Missouri House, leading the chamber during a tumultuous time that began with resignation of then-House Speaker John Diehl over an inappropriate relationship with an intern and culminated with the effort earlier this year to impeach former Gov. Eric Greitens."I have respected Todd Richardson for his integrity and his willingness to work across the aisle," said Democratic state Rep. Kip Kendrick of Columbia. "As he becomes Missouri's new Director of MO HealthNet, I look forward to working with him in that same spirit of bipartisanship and dedication to improving access to healthcare for all Missourians."Richardson helped pushed through an avalanche of GOP priority legislation, from tougher regulations on labor unions to tax cuts. And although he fell short on one of his signature issues, a ban on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers, he oversaw a rewrite of the House's intern and sexual harassment policies aimed at improving the culture in Missouri's Capitol.He is also a longtime champion of expanding the number of Medicaid patients who are covered by private managed care companies.Richardson's former chief of staff and longtime political adviser -- David Willis -- stepped down last year from his legislative job in order to lobby on behalf of the managed care industry.Richardson and Willis were roommates in Jefferson City during the last two legislative sessions.Managed care in Missouri has been a contentious issue in recent years, culminating in 2015 when the state's budget was amended to shift roughly 200,000 Medicaid recipients to privatized managed-care plans.MO HealthNet has not had a permanent director since 2016. The previous director was a doctor. Richardson is an attorney.Before becoming speaker following the resignation of John Diehl, Richardson built his reputation on handling high-profile -- and complicated -- legislation.Asked about his proudest legislative achievements by The Star shortly before his first legislative session as speaker, Richardson pointed to an overhaul of the state's beleaguered second injury fund for workers hurt on the job and a constitutional amendment placing limits on the governor's authority over the state budget.House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, will serve as interim speaker until the legislature convenes again in 2019. He was already chosen by his GOP colleagues to succeed Richardson next year.
Public Campaign Financing

Banking and Cashing In

Taxing for a Cause

Affordable Housing

Voting Age and Method

Should the system that was used to select medieval popes be used to elect city commissioners in Fargo, N.D.? That seemingly odd question was just one of multiple ballot measures at the local level dealing with voting this year."Election policy is such a hot topic," says Josh Altic, director of the ballot measures project at Ballotpedia.Most of this year's municipal and county ballot measures dealt with traditional topics, such as approving bonds for schools and parks. But a good number addressed policy questions including housing, banking, campaign finance and energy.Voters in, refused to repeal a local minimum wage hike they passed in 2016, continuing the trend of wage increases winning approval at the ballot box.In California, local versions of a failed statewide measure over the regulation of dialysis, which is used to treat kidney problems, were rejected in the cities ofand. Those measures would have limited the amount that dialysis companies could charge to 15 percent above the "reasonable" cost of service. Any overage would have to be rebated.Here's an overview of some of the other most interesting and consequential measures on local ballots around the country:Ballot measures in a few major cities sought to limit the influence of big donors on campaigns, largely by having the cities fund campaigns themselves."Almost all the public financing we're seeing enacted is at the city and county level," says Catie Kelley, director of policy and state programs at the Campaign Legal Center.Voters inandcreated public campaign financing systems, while voters incould expanded theirs.In Denver, voters passed a charter amendment to amplify donations for candidates who accept public funds. Now, when city residents donate to local candidates, the city will multiply those contributions up to $50 by a 9-to-1 ratio, which means a $50 donation would be worth a total of $500 to a candidate. In exchange, candidates who accept the funds would face overall caps on contributions, which would vary depending on the office.The New York ballot measure will expand the size of the public financing match from 6-to-1 to 8-to-1."It creates a strong incentive for candidates to raise money from residents within the city," says Kelley, of the Campaign Legal Center.The shape of Baltimore's new system remains completely up in the air. A commission will figure things out, including how to pay for a new "fair elections fund."An expansion of's public financing system will be on the ballot there in February.TheCity Council unanimously sent a proposal to voters that would create a public bank, which they rejected.Rather than relying on private institutions to finance housing, infrastructure and community development, the city would have set up its own bank that supporters said could eventually serve the broader community.Public-sector banks were at one time fairly common in early America, but now the Bank of North Dakota, established in 1919, stands alone. But officials in other jurisdictions have expressed interest in setting them up, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.With commercial banks funding companies and activities that many L.A. residents find "reprehensible," having the city start its own bank would have been "a logical step for divestment," says David Jette, volunteer legislative director for Public Bank LA, which backed the charter amendment. Commercial banks, he says, have poorly served hundreds of thousands of Angelenos, mostly black and Hispanic. Jeffe contends that a public bank could have also saved the city money since it would no longer have to pay fees to commercial banks.The banking industry disputed that.Because taxpayer dollars would be used to capitalize the bank, those dollars would potentially be put at risk, traditional bankers argued, with no clarity as to how potential defaults would be covered. What's more, startup costs could run into the billions, says Beth Mills, a spokeswoman for the Western Bankers Association."A public bank large enough to serve the metropolitan area of L.A. will need to hire attorneys, consultants and compliance officers, with compliance costs likely to total millions of dollars annually," Mills says.In Alabama, sheriffs have courted controversy by pocketing unspent portions of the funds designated to feed inmates. Last month, the Alabama Ethics Commission dropped its investigation of Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin, who had used food funds to buy a $740,000 beach house, concluding that he violated no rules to do so.In response to local abuses,voters approved measures banning the practice for their sheriffs.Voters in select jurisdictions around the country weighed in on whether to raise their own taxes -- or those paid by local businesses -- to fund specific programs., imposed a licensing fee on large retailers to pay for clean energy projects. But voters in, which includes Pittsburgh, rejected a children's fund measure that would have increased property taxes to pay for early childhood education, afterschool programs and school nutrition.'s Measure C passed, however. It will tax the city's top corporations to fund homeless services. The measure will impose a gross receipts tax of about 0.5 percent on corporate revenue topping $50 million, which means it would apply to more than 300 of the city's largest businesses.Measure C will raise up to $300 million a year, which would effectively double the amount of money spent by the city to combat homelessness. Half of the money will be earmarked for housing; 15 percent will go toward prevention of homelessness, such as eviction defense; 10 percent will be devoted to emergency shelters; and 25 percent will be devoted to mental health services.Marc Benioff, who chairs the tech company Salesforce, not only backed Measure C but donated $2 million in support. The tax bill for Salesforce, the city's largest private employer, will go up by some $10 million under the new measure.But other tech CEOs and corporations were against it, including Jack Dorsey of Twitter, who gave $75,000 to the opposition campaign; Stripe, which gave $400,000; and Lyft, which gave $100,000.Mayor London Breed also opposed Measure C. She said she believes the city should first inventory its current homeless services and needs and make sure there is greater accountability for the influx of money that will come in.In, Measure V would authorize the city to issue up to $450 million worth of bonds to fund affordable housing for a variety of groups, including working families, veterans, seniors, teachers, nurses, paramedics, survivors of domestic violence, disabled and homeless people. It's right on the edge of the two-thirds majority needed for passage., voters approved $135 million worth of bonds to help house low-income people.Again, there is overlap between a statewide initiative in California and local measures. Proposition 10 would have repealed a state law that limits cities' power to impose rent control. Invoters approved rent regulations that would have taken effect if the statewide measure had passed, butvoters rejected the idea.Voting methods and the voting age were up for debate in several jurisdictions., opted not to join a handful of other cities in allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections."They will be affected by the decisions of voters longer than lots of other people in the electorate," said Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan, who supported the proposal.There was no organized opposition to the measure. Nonetheless, it failed.Currently, three Maryland cities allow citizens as young as 16 to vote in local elections, while Berkeley allows voters that young to participate in school board elections. The idea is pending before the Washington, D.C., City Council.Invoters approved a novel voting system. They adopted "approval voting," which was used in medieval times to select popes and is sometimes used by associations to pick boards, but has never been used in American electoral politics.Here's how it works: Everyone would vote for as many candidates as they want. If there are four candidates for the city commission, you can vote for one, two, three or all four of them. In contrast with ranked-choice voting, which has been adopted in a couple dozen cities, each vote would count the same. The person with the highest total would win.Advocates argued that approval voting gives people more flexibility and eases worries about wasting votes on spoiler candidates who have little chance of winning. In theory, candidates with extreme viewpoints would have a harder time since the eventual winner would have to be broadly acceptable.But when approval voting has been used, most people worry their top choice could lose since votes are spread thin and end up voting for a single candidate anyway.There was no organized campaign opposing the measure. ( Read more about the measure here. Voters inrejected a measure placed before them by the city council to repeal ranked-choice voting, the most commonly adopted form of multiple-choice voting.Under ranked-choice voting, people vote for various candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, candidates are eliminated and people's second and third and subsequent choices are tabulated until one candidate comes away with a majority. Maine voters approved a ranked-choice voting system that was used for the first time this year, although not yet for state offices.Memphis voters handily approved ranked-choice voting a decade ago, and it's set to take effect for local races next year.'s ballot featured yet another potential new voting system. It's known as STAR voting, an acronym for "score then automatic runoff." It works this way: Each voter rates candidates for county offices on a scale of zero to five. An instant runoff is held between the two top finishers, and the candidate with the highest total would win.But voters turned down the idea.
With just days to go until the mid-term elections, a Hillsborough County Superior Court judge has blocked the state from implementing a new election law known as Senate Bill 3.Judge Kenneth Brown issued his injunction Monday after hearing weeks of testimony from witnesses called by the state in defense of the law and by the League of Women Voters and New Hampshire Democratic Party challenging the law.Implementation of the election law will be suspended pending further legal action.Supporters of SB 3, which imposed new proof of residency requirements, said it would deter voter fraud and voting by out-of-state residents. Opponents said the law was burdensome, unnecessary and targeted specific populations like college students."Where the law threatens to disenfranchise an individual's right to vote, the only viable remedy is to enjoin its enforcement. Plaintiffs motion for preliminary injunction is granted," wrote Brown.Brown said the state did not make a compelling case that voter fraud or lack of confidence in election outcomes are big enough problems to merit the constraints of SB3."As with voter fraud, improving confidence in New Hampshire's election system is not a significant state interest that justifies placing increased burdens on voters," he wrote. "Moreover, there is no evidence that SB 3 even accomplishes its stated goal in this regard. The state presented no evidence that the new domicile affidavit has had any impact on the public's perception of the election process."Brown agreed with the plaintiffs in the case that the language of the new voter affidavit imposed by SB 3 would discourage legitimate voters from casting ballots."The language of the forms was drafted by legislators and reads like a statute, but is meant to be read, understood and followed, under threat of criminal charges and civil fines, by all eligible citizens regardless of education or disability under the pressure of a line of dozens, if not hundreds waiting behind them, and with the assistance of volunteers with as little as five minutes of training," he wrote."Accordingly, the court finds plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits for their claim that SB 3 unconstitutionally burdens the right to vote."Brown ordered the state to use the 2016 domicile affidavit in the upcoming election."The court is confident that the secretary of state shall be able to ensure all the proper registration forms are distributed to all polling places throughout the state prior to the election," according to his ruling.Judge Brown's ruling can be viewed below:SB3, passed last year and signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu, establishes new procedures for voter registration within 30 days of an election or on election day. It requires would-be voters to provide proof of residency, other than the voter affidavit they had been required to sign.If someone trying to register doesn't have the right documents, they have to produce those documents within 10 days (30 days in some cases) or face penalties for voter fraud, including a fine up to $5,000 and a year in jail.The lawsuit to block the law from taking effect was filed last year by the New Hampshire Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire and individual voters who claim the new registration requirements are onerous and an unnecessary obstacle to exercising their constitutional rights.A different judge late last year allowed the law to take effect, but put a stay on the imposition of any penalties until the lawsuit is resolved. Brown's ruling now puts the law on the shelf until the litigation is complete. A full-scale trial on the merits of the law is still months away.Secretary of State Bill Gardner issued this statement after the ruling: "We will have this election regardless of any obstacle. What is more troublesome, however, is rhetoric painting this order as evidence of active voter suppression when it is a fact that New Hampshire is the easiest state in the country to vote in since we are the only state with Election Day registration, no durational residency requirement, and no provisional ballots. This order does not change that."Sununu predicted that SB3 would ultimately take effect."SB3 is a modest change to our election laws that does nothing more than ensure that all those who register to vote present valid identification," he said. "While this ruling is not unexpected, it is just one step in the process and I am confident that SB 3 will ultimately be upheld."His Democratic opponent Molly Kelly said she was pleased with the ruling and would work to repeal SB3 if elected.N.H. Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley called the injunction "a win for all eligible voters."
Missouri voters who do not have a photo ID when they arrive at the polls will no longer have to sign a sworn statement to cast a ballot.In a ruling issued Tuesday, Cole County Senior Judge Richard Callahan clarified an earlier decision that jettisoned the sworn statement as a requirement for voting on Nov. 6 without a photo ID.In his ruling, Callahan said the decision "applies to all persons who act in concert and participation with the Secretary of State and the State of Missouri in administering and certifying elections within the State of Missouri, including local election authorities."Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft had argued that an earlier Callahan decision to end the use of the affidavit made it unclear if the ruling applied at the local level.The Missouri Supreme Court declined to overturn Callahan's decision on Friday and attorneys from both sides of the issue met with the judge Monday to hammer out a clarification heading into what could be a high turnout election."Accordingly, voters presenting a form of identification ... shall be allowed to cast a regular ballot without being required to sign an affidavit," Callahan wrote.Ashcroft issued a blistering response, calling Callahan into question and expressing disappointment in the Supreme Court."Today, a mere two weeks from the November 2018 midterm election, Senior Judge Richard Callahan has eviscerated Missouri's photo ID law as crafted by the state Legislature. Somehow, while holding the law constitutional, Judge Callahan has prohibited the enforcement of the law for the upcoming election," Ashcroft said."I am deeply concerned that Judge Callahan, who previously struck Missouri's photo ID law in 2006, has once again thwarted the clear desire of Missourians to secure their elections. I am further disappointed that the Missouri Supreme Court has denied my request for an emergency stay of Judge Callahan's ruling," Ashcroft added.Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is defending Ashcroft, did not rule out further legal action."We are reviewing the court's clarification and are determining next steps. We will continue to defend the common-sense Voter ID law that 63 percent of Missourians approved in 2016," said spokeswoman Mary Compton.House Minority Leader Gina Mitten, D-Richmond Heights, said Ashcroft, a Republican, needs to immediately announce there is not a need for voters to sign the sworn statement."When Missouri's top election official intentionally violates a court order so he can continue engaging in voter suppression, it calls the integrity of our elections into question. If Secretary Ashcroft finds himself unable to comply with the court's clear and lawful directive, then he is unfit to oversee our elections," Mitten said.The haggling is a response to the 2016 decision by Missouri voters to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow lawmakers to create requirements for voters to identify themselves when voting at their polling place, including using photo IDs.Priorities USA, which is aligned with Democratic causes, said the amendment didn't change the effect of previous constitutional language that said people who are registered properly "are entitled to vote" and the new law enacted under the amendment's authority created problems for people trying to vote.The American Civil Liberties Union praised Callahan's decision and slammed Ashcroft."The Missouri Secretary of State and others sowed confusion for voters this year. We know the real threat to democracy is that not all eligible voters vote. The people should question when the government makes it harder for citizens to exercise this basic right," said Tony Rothert ACLU of Missouri legal director.St. Louis County officials said Tuesday that sample ballots would be reissued this week after incorrect ballots were mailed to voters on Monday due to a "print vendor error."The new Notice of Election card that voters receive will be marked "reissued" in red lettering, officials said Tuesday on Facebook. The sample ballots will be reissued at no cost to voters.
Iowa Democrats are worried that a small change in the states voting law might have serious implications up and down the ballot this fall.For the first time, Iowa voters will be denied the opportunity to vote a straight-party ticket  a time-honored practice that enables voters to choose a partys entire slate of candidates with a single mark. Until the legislature outlawed the practice in 2017, voters could simply fill in just one oval to back every single party candidate on the ballot.Now, with grassroots enthusiasm surging and a higher-than-usual turnout expected in November, Democrats are increasingly nervous that the change will end up tamping down their vote totals in a year that shows signs of being a wave election for the party.Republicans approved this legislation because they knew they had to face a midterm with an unpopular president, David Yepsen, an Iowa political analyst and longtime former political reporter for The Des Moines Register. Much of the Democratic strategy is aimed at first-time voters, especially millennials. Theres going to be a lot of first time, anti-Trump voters who will show up, and they could be confused in the polling booth.Straight-ticket voting is how one of every three Iowa voters have cast ballots in the past, so the elimination of the practice is of no small concern. With less than three weeks left before the election, Democrats are working to educate their voters to fill in all the ovals  and of the dangers of skipping down-ballot races.
Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit Monday to force the Trump administration to answer questions about a crackdown on immigration over the summer.Racine argues Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by refusing to provide information about immigration enforcement actions between July 9 and July 12 that resulted in 12 people being detained.Racine said in the eight-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that activists and community groups have expressed concern that this operation involved ICE officials detaining individuals indiscriminately or based on ethnic profiling.We are very concerned that District residents may have been racially profiled and unfairly targeted during ICE raids in the city this summer, Racine said in a statement.
New Jersey's top Democrats in the Legislature acknowledged Monday that they will not meet their self-imposed deadline this month to vote on a bill to legalize recreational marijuana.At least one of them says he needs Gov. Phil Murphy's help to get the measure passed.Some Democrats in the Senate "are taking a different position" on the proposal to legalize and tax the drug, Senate President Stephen Sweeney said. Sweeney did not name those lawmakers or disclose their reasons for withholding support, but he called for Murphy to intervene so the Senate can get the 21 necessary votes for the bill to pass."The administration has got to be a part of this. This is a big lift," said Sweeney, D-Gloucester. "I need help. I need to get to 21," he added.
Finance Minister Pikioune receiving the first ever dividend from the Chairlady of VADB Board, Ietonga Aiong
As Grovetown prepares to house sex offenders in its council chambers on Halloween night, questions have arisen about the plan's legality.Titus Nichols, an associate with Bell and Brigham Attorneys at Law in Augusta, said the city might not have the authority to hold 25 to 30 sex offenders on the holiday from 6-9 p.m., with probation officers and an officer from the Grovetown Police Department present.Mayor Gary Jones said the action is being conducted with the Georgia Community Services Probation Department and is legal."If they are not on probation, they are not under the thumb of the government," Nichols said.Those on probation might not be obligated to appear either."I can't imagine a single judge in Augusta revoking probation because they did not comply," he said.Nichols added that many sex offenders are not necessarily child molesters but have committed a sex-related crime.The announcement about the Halloween plan came from Jones' Facebook page just after 3 a.m. Monday and immediately drew criticism. That evening, Jones made a second post: "Friends I am not personally going to pick up, round up, call or going to any sex offender's home. This is a joint effort with GA Community Probation Services. They are the ones with the authority under special conditions to require that offenders report. The reporting location is Grovetown City Hall. This is legal.....good grief!"Jones originally planned to make a public statement Wednesday morning but after reportedly receiving hundreds of emails and social media messages from all over the country, he opted not to make a statement."This matter is legal and was not intended to draw the scrutiny it has," City Administrator and Public Information Officer John Waller said in a statement. "The city will proceed as coordinated Halloween night but does not plan any additional media engagements on this topic."Jones' decision is being criticized by a member of the city council."I am truly taken aback, and I am speaking out against this unconstitutional and unlawful act, and I urge other members of the council to speak up and speak out against such a negligent act that would be a clear breach of duty on the part of the mayor," Deborah Fisher wrote in an email. "This act is unlawful, negligent and an unethical act, and it is a clear violation of the rights of any person who is held against their will."The Richmond County Sheriff's Office said there are no legal requirements in the law that allows them to detain sex offenders without cause. Sex offenders do have certain legal requirement, but those can vary on a case by case basis, according to the sheriff's office.The Department of Community Supervision is in charge of enforcing any additional requirements for sex offenders on probation, the sheriff's office stated.
Description

GIS  24 October 2018: Government ambitions to transform Mauritius into a high income economy by 2023 and the manufacturing sector plays an important role in achieving that goal as it contributes to 12% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product and generates some 95 000 jobs.

The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this statement this morning at La Maison de lEtolie, Moka, during the opening ceremony of an event organised by the Association of Mauritian Manufacturers (AMM) to mark the fifth anniversary of the Made In Moris label, in presence of other eminent personalities.

In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted that the Made In Moris label regroups some 88 enterprises and valorises the local competence as well as the Mauritian savoir faire, while illustrating the continuous engagement of enterprises towards the Mauritian society. Local entrepreneurs, he stated, are talented with the ability to innovate, which is in turn beneficial for consumers in terms of quality and price.

Government, underscored Prime Minister Jugnauth, has officially recognised the Made In Moris label by promoting local products in the public procurement policy. In addition, Government financially supports Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), who want to affix the Made In Moris label on their products and use it as a promotional tool, by providing a subsidy of Rs 5 000 for registration fees, he added. He commended the Made In Moris network which mobilises the Mauritian brands and the industry as a whole towards the commitment of continuous improvement which takes into account the economic, social and environmental dynamics both locally and internationally.

The Prime Minister listed out some measures taken by Government to support the manufacturing sector. These include the Leasing equipment and modernisation Scheme; the Speed to market Scheme; the Freight rebate Scheme; and an annual allocation of Rs 200 000 to SMEs who participate in international fares abroad. He underlined that a memorandum of understanding was signed between SME Mauritius Ltd, Business Mauritius and the AMM in October 2018 so as to facilitate SMEs' access to the Made In Moris label and assist them in their development.

He further outlined the new market opportunities available as a result of the existing African Free Trade Agreements and the bilateral agreements. The conclusion of terms and conditions of an agreement with China and the negotiations for a Comprehensive Partnership Agreement with India will also allow local entrepreneurs to have greater access to international markets, he pointed out.

Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email:

Website:

://gis.govmu.org
Security apps

Virtual private networks (VPNs) allow you to establish a secure connection with a remote server and route all your traffic through it so it cant be tracked by your internet service provider. VPNs are commonly used to access geo-blocked content, and for additional privacy.





allow you to establish a secure connection with a remote server and route all your traffic through it so it cant be tracked by your internet service provider. VPNs are commonly used to access geo-blocked content, and for additional privacy. Ad-blockers prevent advertisements from appearing on the websites you visit.





prevent advertisements from appearing on the websites you visit. App-lockers allow you to set passwords for individual apps. For example, if somebody borrowed your phone to make a call, and then tried to access your Facebook app.





allow you to set passwords for individual apps. For example, if somebody borrowed your phone to make a call, and then tried to access your Facebook app. Tor hides your identity while you browse the internet, by encrypting and moving your traffic across multiple Tor nodes.





Know the risks

Accessing unnecessary data

Creating a false sense of security

Software going rogue

Know what youre giving away

How to be safer

Consider whether you need a security app

If you do, use antivirus software

Its been a busy few weeks for cybersecurity researchers and reporters. There was the Facebook hack , the Google Plus data breach , and allegations that the Chinese government implanted spying chips in hardware components.In the midst of all this, some other important news was overlooked. In early September, Apple removed several Trend Micro anti-malware tools from the Mac app store after they were found to be collecting unnecessary personal information from users, such as browser history. Trend Micro has now removed this function from the apps.Its a good reminder that not all security apps will make your online movements more secure  and, in some cases, they could be worse than doing nothing at all. Its wise to do your due diligence before you download that ad-blocker or VPN  read on for some tips.There are range of tools people use to protect themselves from cyber threats:There are multiple dangers in using these kinds of security software, especially without the proper background knowledge. The risks include:Many security tools request access to your personal information. In many cases, they need to do this to protect your device. For example, antivirus software requires information such as browser history, personal files, and unique identifiers to function. But in some cases, tools request more access than they need for functionality. This was the case with the Trend Micro apps It makes sense that if you download a security app, you believe your online data is more secure. But sometimes mobile security tools dont provide security at the expected levels, or dont provide the claimed services at all. If you think you can install a state-of-the-art mobile malware detection tool and then take risks online, you are mistaken.For example, a 2017 study showed it was not hard to create malware that can bypass 95% of commercial Android antivirus tools. Another study showed that 18% of mobile VPN apps did not encrypt user traffic at all. And if you are using Tor, there are many mistakes you can make that will compromise your anonymity and privacy  especially if you are not familiar with the Tor setup and try to modify its configurations Lately, there have been reports of fake antivirus software, which open backdoors for spyware, ransomware and adware , occupying the top spots on the app charts. Earlier this year it was reported that 20 million Google Chrome users had downloaded fake ad-blocker extensions Numerous free  or paid  security software is available in app stores created by enthusiastic individual developers or small companies. While this software can provide handy features, they can be poorly maintained. More importantly, they can be hijacked or bought by attackers, and then used to harvest personal information or propagate malware. This mainly happens in the case of browser extensions The table below shows what sort of personal data are being requested by the top-10 antivirus, app-locker and ad-blocking apps in the Android app store. As you can see, antivirus tools have access to almost all the data stored in the mobile phone.Permission requests of the top 10 Andriod antivirus, app locker and ad blocker appsThat doesnt necessarily mean any of these apps are doing anything bad, but its worth noting just how much personal information we are entrusting to these apps without knowing much about them.Follow these pointers to do a better job of keeping your smart devices secure:If you stick to the official apps stores, install few apps, and browse only a routine set of websites, you probably dont need extra security software . Instead, simply stick to the security guidelines provided by the manufacturer, be diligent about updating your operating system, and dont click links from untrusted sources.But before you select one, read product descriptions and online reviews. Stick to solutions from well-known vendors. Find out what it does, and most importantly what it doesnt do. Then read the permissions it requests and see whether they make sense. Once installed, update the software as required.Only install other security tools, such as ad-blockers, app-lockers and VPN clients, if it is absolutely necessary and you trust the developer. The returns from such software can be minimal when compared with the associated risks.
Designing for the past

I-10 flooding gives a new meaning to car pool! #azwx #monsoon pic.twitter.com/QaGFvUvs8f  Michael Chow (@photochowder) September 8, 2014

The hazard exceeds design tolerances. This was the case of Interstate 10 flooding in Phoenix in fall 2014, where the intensity of the rainfall exceeded design conditions.





During these times there is less extra capacity across the system: When something goes wrong there are fewer options for managing the stressor, such as rerouting flows, whether its water, electricity or even traffic.





We often demand the most from our infrastructure during extreme events, pushing systems at a time when there is little extra capacity.





Agile and flexible by design

file-20181015-165918-1kq9bat.jpg A smart tunnel in Kuala Lumpur is designed to supplement the citys stormwater drainage system. David Boey



Planning for uncertainty

file-20181015-165921-r5wzp3.jpg Microgrid technology allows individual buildings to operate in the event of a broader power outage and is one way to make the electricity system more resilient. Amy Vaughn/U.S. Department of Energy



The Netherlands has changed its system of dykes and flood management in certain areas to better sustain flooding.



The most recent international report on climate change paints a picture of disruption to society unless there are drastic and rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.Although its early days, some cities and municipalities are starting to recognize that past conditions can no longer serve as reasonable proxies for the future.This is particularly true for the countrys infrastructure. Highways, water treatment facilities and the power grid are at increasing risk to extreme weather events and other effects of a changing climate.The problem is that most infrastructure projects, including the Trump administrations infrastructure revitalization plan , typically ignore the risks of climate change.In our work researching sustainability and infrastructure, we encourage and are starting to shift toward designing man-made infrastructure systems with adaptability in mind.Infrastructure systems are the front line of defense against flooding, heat, wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters. City planners and citizens often assume that what is built today will continue to function in the face of these hazards, allowing services to continue and to protect us as they have done so in the past. But these systems are designed based on histories of extreme events.Pumps, for example, are sized based on historical precipitation events. Transmission lines are designed within limits of how much power they can move while maintaining safe operating conditions relative to air temperatures . Bridges are designed to be able to withstand certain flow rates in the rivers they cross. Infrastructure and the environment are intimately connected.Now, however, the country is more frequently exceeding these historical conditions and is expected to see more frequent and intense extreme weather events . Said another way, because of climate change, natural systems are now changing faster than infrastructure.How can infrastructure systems adapt? First lets consider the reasons infrastructure systems fail at extremes:Gradual change also presents serious problems, partly because there is no distinguishing event that spurs a call to action. This type of situation can be especially troublesome in the context of maintenance backlogs and budget shortfalls which currently plague many infrastructure systems. Will cities and towns be lulled into complacency only to find that their long-lifetime infrastructure are no longer operating like they should?Currently the default seems to be securing funding to build more of what weve had for the past century. But infrastructure managers should take a step back and ask what our infrastructure systems need to do for us into the future.Fundamentally new approaches are needed to meet the challenges not only of a changing climate, but also of disruptive technologies.These include increasing integration of information and communication technologies, which raises the risk of cyberattacks. Other emerging technologies include autonomous vehicles and drones as well as intermittent renewable energy and battery storage in the place of conventional power systems. Also, digitally connected technologies fundamentally alter individuals cognition of the world around us: Consider how our mobile devices can now reroute us in ways that we dont fully understand based on our own travel behavior and traffic across a region.Yet our current infrastructure design paradigms emphasize large centralized systems intended to last for decades and that can withstand environmental hazards to a preselected level of risk. The problem is that the level of risk is now uncertain because the climate is changing, sometimes in ways that are not very well-understood. As such, extreme events forecasts may be a little or a lot worse.Given this uncertainty, agility and flexibility should be central to our infrastructure design . In our research, weve seen how a number of cities have adopted principles to advance these goals already, and the benefits they provide.In Kuala Lampur, traffic tunnels are able to transition to stormwater management during intense precipitation events , an example of multifunctionality.Across the U.S., citizen-based smartphone technologies are beginning to provide real-time insights. For instance, the CrowdHydrology project uses flooding data submitted by citizens that the limited conventional sensors cannot collect.Infrastructure designers and managers in a number of U.S. locations, including New York, Portland, Miami and Southeast Florida, and Chicago, are now required to plan for this uncertain future  a process called roadmapping. For example, Miami has developed a US$500 million plan to upgrade infrastructure, including installing new pumping capacity and raising roads to protect at-risk oceanfront property.These competencies align with resilience-based thinking and move the country away from our default approaches of simply building bigger, stronger or more redundant.Because there is now more uncertainty with regard to hazards, resilience instead of risk should be central to infrastructure design and operation in the future. Resilience means systems can withstand extreme weather events and come back into operation quickly.This means infrastructure planners cannot simply change their design parameter  for example, building to withstand a 1,000-year event instead of a 100-year event. Even if we could accurately predict what these new risk levels should be for the coming century, is it technically, financially or politically feasible to build these more robust systems?This is why resilience-based approaches are needed that emphasize the capacity to adapt. Conventional approaches emphasize robustness, such as building a levee that is able to withstand a certain amount of sea level rise. These approaches are necessary but given the uncertainty in risk we need other strategies in our arsenal.For example, providing infrastructure services through alternative means when our primary infrastructure fail, such as deploying microgrids ahead of hurricanes . Or, planners can design infrastructure systems such that when they fail, the consequences to human life and the economy are minimized.This is a practice recently implemented in the Netherlands, where the Rhine delta rivers are allowed to flood but people are not allowed to live in the flood plain and farmers are compensated when their crops are lost.Uncertainty is the new normal, and reliability hinges on positioning infrastructure to operate in and adapt to this uncertainty. If the country continues to commit to building last centurys infrastructure, we can continue to expect failures of these critical systems and the losses that come along with them.
(TNS)  It won't take kids on a rocket-fueled flight through the solar system or a fantastic voyage inside the human body, but to educators in the Downingtown Area School District, their brand-new, tricked-out science class on wheels is nevertheless something of a magic school bus."I'm a real-life Ms. Frizzle," said teacher Brittany Schwab, referring to the Lily Tomlin-voiced teacher and driver in the 1990s Magic School Bus cartoon. That will be the likely frame of reference for many parents when they see the white-and-blue bus retrofitted with sleek counters and computer screens, and loaded up with Legos, iPads, and all kinds of high-tech doo-dads that will teach kids coding, robotics, and other science skills.Slated for an official ribbon-cutting on Thursday, the 40-foot Mobile Innovation Lab will visit all 10 elementary schools in the Chester County district during the school year  a novel way to introduce Downingtown kids to state-of-the-art experiments in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) without building new classrooms.On a recent afternoon outside East Ward Elementary, Schwab showed off what the lab on wheels can do to an eager group of fourth graders who filed in and sat down in the wide, carpeted center aisle. That day's excursion of the mind did involve a certain brand of magic  Model Magic clay  and MaKey MaKeys, which are electronic wiring tools, to teach the students how to make and program their own Pac-Man controller.Schwab  who'd been a third-grade teacher at East Ward before taking over the lab this fall  called the project "a big push" to jump-start intensive science learning in the highly rated, 12,000-student district that also boasts the innovative Downingtown STEM Academy , one of the top schools in the state."A lot of the buildings don't have the space," said Schwab, quite possibly the only school teacher in Pennsylvania who had to prepare for the new school year by getting her commercial driver's license. "And if we were to buy all of the instructional resources, that would cost so much money."That said, launching what district officials believe is the Keystone State's first learning lab on wheels was neither cheap nor easy. The $350,000 cost of converting what had been a 72-seat school bus  donated by the Krapf Bus Co.  into a vehicle for innovation was covered by the Downingtown Educational Foundation and by individual donors who were solicited by the nonprofit group, according to chief academic officer Matt Friedman.Last year, Friedman and other district officials traveled to Baltimore to check out Maryland's decade-old Bio Lab project, which travels to schools around that state, and then worked with a Downingtown company that customizes RVs  the EL Carpenter Repair Co.  to give the inside of their donated vehicle a complete makeover."The reason we wanted a bus is that our 10 elementary schools are all different sizes, and we wanted to focus on equity," Friedman explained. "We wanted everyone to have access to the same curriculum. Not all of our schools have the space for a lab."The Mobile Innovation Lab will be driven from school to school  for two stints at each school a year, which will run from one week to 10 days. Unlike its Maryland forerunner, which helps teach biology, the Downingtown project focuses more on tech-oriented topics like programming computers and robotics that schools increasingly are teaching to younger kids.For Schwab, the challenge over the summer  aside from learning to navigate Chester County traffic in the wheeled behemoth  was developing curriculums for kids from kindergarten to fifth grade to make the best use of an array of learning tools, like pocket-size coding robots called Ozobots or the 65-inch touchscreen on the bus exterior that can be used to teach outdoors on a nice day.She said first graders, for example, will be working with Legos and small motors to build fans, and then write the computer programs to run them. "It's amazing," said Schwab, describing how the students write codes that can run the fans at variable speeds.The fourth graders from East Ward who last week filed onto the Mobile Learning Lab  which was parked next to the school playground  first received a brief lecture from Schwab reminding them to apply what she called the habits of the mind, such as persistence, communication, and reliance on basic facts, to their experiment.After she demonstrated each step of the project, the kids broke into groups of three to connect four different-color wires with alligator clips from the MaKey MaKey circuits to Model Magic disks that acted as control buttons to manipulate their Pac-Mans right or left, up and down, in the existential quest to avoid getting eaten. It was a fun introduction into electricity and engineering know-how that school districts increasingly see as the work skills needed by today's students.For Friedman, the new bus places his district on that road map, he said, "ahead of the curve."
Governments are more digitally connected than ever before, making them more effective and constituent-friendly  but also increasing their vulnerability to cyber attacks. Because a growing number of high-profile cybersecurity breaches involve trusted insiders or compromised network credentials, organizations are moving toward a zero-trust security approach to safeguard valuable data and systems.
Members of the Red Bull team are making "jokes" about Daniel Ricciardo.

That is the news from Max Verstappen, the energy drink-owned team's continuing driver.

Ricciardo is switching to Renault's works team, but ironically he has been bearing the brunt of the problems with the French manufacturer's customer engine at Red Bull lately.

"It's ironic that it always happens on his car," team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Auto Bild.

"I'm sure he'll have a few words with his future employer about it."

Verstappen revealed that after Ricciardo's latest Renault-related problem in Austin, the Australian was particularly furious.

"Daniel punched a hole in the wall between our rooms," he told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport.

"I think within the team there are secretly some jokes being made about it.

"But for the team it is just very bad. I know exactly how he feels, as I experienced it often enough last year," Verstappen added. "It's just bad."

(GMM)
UNELCO GM Marc Perraud (l) exchanging signed agreement with VNPF Vice Chairman Henrickson Malsokle (r) witnessed by VNPF GM Parmod Achary (next to Malsokle, VNPF Board Members and UNELCO officials).
Dorcas Reilly with a huge fan. Photo: Courtesy of Campbell Soup Company

Dorcas Reilly, who invented one of 20th-century Americas classic dishes with her green-bean casserole, passed away on October 15 at the age of 92. The dish (originally known as the green-bean bake) was created in 1955, and like a lot of classics from that era, it was the product of a corporate test kitchen.

A graduate of Drexels home-economics program, Reilly was a supervisor for Campbells Home Economics Department. The dish was, after much testing, her teams six-ingredient answer to the APs request for an easy side recipe incorporating two then-ubiquitous ingredients, Campbells cream of mushroom soup and green beans. In 1960, five years after green-bean casserole was invented, Campbells put the recipe on its cream of mushroom soup cans. And in 2002, the company donated Reillys original recipe card to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Since the green-bean casseroles invention, the inexpensive and uncomplicated dish has become deeply associated with the Midwest (a.k.a. the land of casseroles), to the point that people seem to think it originated there. Its as much a part of Thanksgiving as cranberry sauce, and in an obituary for Reilly posted to its website, Campbells says that in excess of 20 million Americans cook the dish during the holiday. The company has also stated that a whopping 40 percent of its cream of mushroom soup is bought specifically to make the casserole.
News

'We thought he had COVID-19 but it was smog:' Life in polluted Pakistani city of Lahore

"It's very worrisome," the father of a 4-year-old boy admits. "I knew that the smog can be bad for health  but I didn't know it would be so bad that my son would be hospitalised." Teachers also worry for the children.






Haiti - FLASH : Categorical denial of the Presidency





In a note, the Office of Communication of the Presidency provides "a formal denial of information circulating in the media and on social networks, making believe that the vehicle of a member of the presidential family was the victim of an armed attack.



The Office of Communication of the Presidency calls on all sectors of the population not to give in to disinformation practices that have become commonplace in the country in recent times."



While some information suggested an armed attack on Nazon Tuesday in the middle of the day, against the vehicle of Joverlein Moise, the eldest son of the President, Avenida Joseph, one of the spokesmen of the presidency explained that there had confusion. She explained that the President's son's vehicle arrived at the scene, moments after an incident involving gunmen attempting to rob a woman returning from the bank. A version confirmed by Commissioner Michel Ange Louis Jeune, spokesman of the National Police of Haiti.



HL/ S/ HaitiLibre


















Kevin Winter/Getty Images via ABCWant to travel the world and earn more than $100,000 per year? All you have to do is cook for Madonna.

According to the U.K. tabloid The Daily Mail, the "VVIP" who is advertising for a cook on the website Talent Private Staff -- is the Queen of Pop.

The job ad reads, "Top chef with existing Private Household experience required, for VVIP client in Mayfair. This is a London-based position, with a chef in place at U.S. residences (however, you must be willing to travel to the U.S. when required)."

Then it gets very specific: "To be suitable for this role, you must have knowledge of kosher cooking. The Principal does not run a kosher kitchen...but you must be familiar with all the basic rules (no dairy and meat served together, no pork, fish must have fins and scales -- no swordfish, shellfish etc.)."

The job pays up to $141,000, and the successful applicant must know how to cook "the client's favored foods," which include "Italian cuisine (risotto is a favorite), Asian, Sushi/Sashimi, classic European and American dishes. They are not looking for a fine dining chef; food should be healthy, simple and family style."

In addition, the chef will be "cooking for the Principal, any guests/staff and young children (who all love food and eat the same as the Principal)."

Madonna's "young children" include David, 13, Mercy James, 12, and twins Stella and Esther, six.

There's no mention of cooking in Portugal, which is where Madonna recently moved to, but perhaps she already has a chef there.

The position starts late this month or early next month, if you're interested.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.








Haiti - DR : A young Haitian shot in the head in Santiago





The Consulate General of Haiti in Santiago deplores the death of the young Haitian citizen Wadner Petit-Choute, student doctor died of a bullet to the head after a shot fired by a police officer, while he was watching Monday around 7:40 pm, from the window of his apartment on the second floor, a violent clash involving taxi motorcycles who were demonstrating to demand a reduction in fuel prices and the Dominican police force in the area of Beijing in Santiago.



Immediately after being informed of this tragic incident, the representatives of the Consulate met the Prosecutor, Andres Mena at the "Juan XXIII" Hospital Center where Petit-Choute passed away. "Last night (Monday), alerted to the tragic death of a Haitian citizen in Santiago in the Dominican Republic, I instructed the Charge d'Affaires in Santo Domingo to inquire immediately about the circumstances of this sad situation and to keep me informed of its evolution," said Bocchit Edmond, Minister of Foreign Affairs.



In these painful circumstances, the Consulate accompanies the relatives of the victim for the legal consequences and facilitate the repatriation of the body in Haiti.



For its part, the Dominican police announced that it had opened an investigation into this incident.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Donation of pollution measuring equipment

On Tuesday, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) handed over three pollution meters valued at US $ 5,000 to measure pollution sources in order to make the necessary decisions, to improve the health of the population. The Ministry said the equipment will be located in three major cities: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien and Les Cayes.



Laureate of the Henri Deschamps Literary Prize

On Monday at the Hotel El Rancho, after deliberation by the jury, the Henri Deschamps Literary Award 2018 was awarded to Ronald C. Paul for his novel "La couturiere de Martissant" (The Seamstress of Martissant). This prize is accompanied by a check for 150,000 gourdes and 1,000 copies of the novel (which is not yet on the market).



Continuation of the work stoppage of the lawyers of the Bar to PAP

The lawyers of the bar of Port-au-Prince continue their stoppage of work to denounce the police brutality which are victims several of their colleagues. The batonnier Stanley Gaston announces for this Wednesday the holding of a General Assembly to decide the continuation. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25923-haiti-petrocaribe-laurent-lamothe-did-not-show-up-at-the-prosecutor-s-office.html



Reforestation in the Selle Biosphere Reserve

On Tuesday, Joseph Jouthe, the Minister of the Environment, was visited by a delegation from the UNESCO-Paris office on a mission to Haiti in the framework of the supervision of reforestation actions in the Selle biosphere reserve.



Let's build a safer web

Let's build a safer web together. Report to the Digital Observatory in Haiti via an online form at : www.obsnumerique.org/signaler/ any cybersecurity problem, scam or other incident that deserves emergency intervention. You can also contact the Observatory directly by email: signaler@obsnumerique.org



Cristina Cadet will represent Haiti in Bolivia

Cristina Cadet, 1st runner-up for Miss Haiti 2018, will represent Haiti at the 2018 edition of Reina Hispano-Americana to be held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on November 3, 2018.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















(HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced it has agreed to a settlement with Christopher A. Faulknerthe self-proclaimed Frack Masterin connection with his wide-ranging securities-fraud scheme that raised over $80 million from hundreds of investors nationwide. Faulkner has simultaneously entered into a plea agreement relating to the same misconduct under which he will serve 12 years in federal prison for securities fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.

According to the SECs June 2016 complaint, Faulkner systemically deceived investors across the country by disseminating false and misleading offering materials, misappropriating millions of dollars of investor funds, and manipulating the stock of Breitling Energy Corporation (BECC), a publicly traded company Faulkner controlled. Faulkner started the scheme in 2011 through privately held Breitling Oil and Gas Corporation (BOG), which offered and sold turnkey oil-and-gas working interests to investors using a team of commissioned cold-callers. As part of these offerings, Faulkner lied to investors about his experience, the drilling-cost estimates for the prospects, and the use of their invested funds. Over time, the scheme evolved to include BOGs successor, BECC and two affiliated entities that he secretly controlled, Crude Energy LLC and Patriot Energy Inc. Faulkner, with the assistance of others, used these entities to raise more than $80 million and then he misappropriated approximately $23.8 million to fund his lavish personal lifestyle. The SEC also charged 11 other individuals and entities for their roles in the misconduct, reaching settlements with a majority of them.

In August 2017, on an emergency motion filed by the SEC, the court froze Faulkners assets and placed them, as well as BECC and BOG, under the control of a court-appointed receiver due in part to Faulkners continued misappropriation of investor funds. The court also preliminarily enjoined Faulkner and the two companies from violating antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. A month later, the Commission obtained emergency relief against Faulkner and others for a separate offering fraud in California involving real estate.

Faulkner first proclaimed himself the Frack Master in order to deceive investors about his expertise and steal millions of dollars to fund his lifestyle, and the SEC put an early end to his second effort to defraud investors in a real estate scheme, said Shamoil T. Shipchandler, Director of the SECs Fort Worth Regional Office. Todays serious civil and criminal sanctions serve as a warning to anyone who intends to target retail investors.

Under the agreed final judgment, which is subject to court approval, Faulkner would be ordered to disgorge $23.8 million; permanently enjoined from violating various provisions of the federal securities laws and from participating in any unregistered securities transactions; and barred from serving as an officer or director of any SEC-reporting company and from participating in any offering of a penny stock.
Weve agreed on measures for a number of upcoming weeks, starting from next week. A total of 50,000 people will fall within the scope of the measures, Ann Selin, the chairperson of PAM, stated in an impromptu press conference broadcast on Tuesday by YLE.

Service Union United (PAM) has announced it will continue to take industrial action in protest of the employment policy approach of the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre).

Selin spoke to the media after meeting the prime minister at his official residence, Kesaranta, in Helsinki.

She declined to specify any of the measures under consideration, but revealed that they will include the entire range of industrial actions. PAM, she added, will shed further light on the measures next week.

Several trade unions have resorted to industrial actions in recent weeks in a bid to compel the government to both scrap its proposal to ease laying off for small businesses and re-consider its general approach to employment policy making. The Finnish Industrial Union, for example, will start a three-day strike tomorrow in protest of the much-discussed legislative proposal.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
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The New Guinea jungle was a boiler room. A slanting sun sifted through the dense canopy. Ahead, our native guide, Berua, and his tattooed wife, Bima, led the way, walking along a cliff that fell thousands of feet into a murky valley. Behind me a line of muscled young men sang call-and-response folk songs in haunting four-part harmony.

Nursing a fascination with New Guinea since my first trip in 1989, I was back on the island for a fifth time. Accompanied by a small expedition team and film crew, I was trying to repeat a little-known World War II march, a tragic episode in the battle for the Southwest Pacific.

In October 1942, General Douglas MacArthur ordered 1,200 untrained, poorly equipped American troops from the 32nd Infantry Division to cross New Guineas Papuan Peninsula. Historians consider the march one of the cruelest in modern military history. In 1942, New Guinea was terra incognita. Its interior was rugged and unmapped, its vast swamps and grasslands a breeding ground for disease, its climate pernicious.

No one had hiked the route since the soldiers cut their way across the peninsula more than 60 years ago, and I was advised not to attempt it. The terrain was still too rough, the rivers too fast, and the tribes unpredictable.

A week and a half after setting off from the south coast, we approached the spine of the Owen Stanley divide, the midpoint in our crossing. The faint hunting trail rose precipitously. We climbed through deep, leech-infested mud, grabbing at roots and vines. Squawking indignantly, giant hornbills fled their treetop sanctuaries with a whoosh of their great wings.

As we crested a peak, the clouds cleared, and I got my first glimpse of the islands tortured topography. Errant 9,000-foot ridgelines ran in almost every direction. Ahead of us lay a summit the soldiers came to know as Ghost Mountain. As we entered the realm of the cloud forest, where everything seemed suspended in perpetual twilight, it began to rain, an icy onslaught that left the porters agitated. Ghost Mountain, they believed, was haunted by masalai, evil spirits that swirled back and forth across the misty, trackless ravines.

Here in the cloud forest the American march almost collapsed. You can hardly realize how wild and ghostlike this mountain country is, wrote 1st Sgt. Paul Lutjens in his diary. Almost perpetual rain and steam. We have been traveling over an almost impassable trail. Our strength is gone. Most of us have dysentery. Boys are falling out and dropping back with fever. We seem to climb straight up for hours, then down again. God, will it never end?

After five weeks on the trail, the exhausted soldiers limped out of the mountains and arrived at the north coast battlefields of Buna and Sanananda. The peninsulas north coast was a maze of stinking, tea-black swamps, 8-foot kunai and elephant grass and viciously spiked nipa and sago palms. Military historian Eric Bergerud called it some of the harshest terrain ever faced by land armies in the history of the war.

Saddled with dysentery, malaria, jungle rot and trench foot, the soldiers were, in Bergeruds words, battered, filthy, longhaired, gaunt, festering wretches. Yet they went directly into battle, slashing and lunging with their bayonets.

The Japanese positions were nearly impregnable. Bunker and trench systems protected all of the inland approaches to Buna and Sanananda. The camouflaged bunkers were reinforced with coconut logs, I-beams, sheet iron and steel oil drums filled with sand. They opened directly onto fire trenches or were connected to them by crawl tunnels. Mortars, artillery and air bombardment proved ineffective, so American soldiers were forced to rush in and try to push grenades through firing slits, a feat that took a lifetime of good luck. According to Major Herbert Smith, Many more failed than succeeded.

Japanese machine-gunners drove back the 32nd Division time and again. The soldiers took refuge in hip-deep swamps, clinging to the weblike roots of mangrove trees, always on the lookout for enemy snipers, giant long-haired rats and crocodiles. Captain Alfred Medendorp agonized. His men were out there between the lines where they could not be gotten, wounded soldiers crying out for help and dead bodies bloated by the heat. At night a breeze came in off the Solomon Sea, cooling the jungle; a mixed blessing, it also carried the stench of rotting corpses.

After eight weeks of fighting, the 32nd Infantry Division finally managed to dislodge the Japanese from the coast in late January 1943. It was a costly victory. Percentage-wise, fatalities approached the worst battles of the Civil War. MacArthur resolved never again to force a head-on collision of the bloody, grinding type.

No more Bunas, he pledged.

The combined victory at Buna and Sanananda was psychologically and strategically momentous. Together with the fall of Guadalcanal, it destroyed the myth of Japanese invincibility. And it broke Japans hold on New Guinea, ensuring the security of the Australian continent and the American supply line to it.

Today Buna and Sanananda are quiet villages where people still practice subsistence fishing and farming. The fierce battles fought there are forgotten now. But these were the starting points, the first land victories of the South Pacific campaign that would propel MacArthurs army north to the Philippines. It was, in fact, the 32nd Division to which General Yamashita surrendered near Kiangan on September 2, 1945. It was entirely fitting, a general wrote, that the 32nd Division should receive the vanquished enemy. At Buna, they had won the battle that started the infantry on the jungle road to Tokyo.

Originally published in the December 2007 issue of Military History. To subscribe, click here.
The ubiquitous T-6 Texan flew in a dozen wars and earned a half-dozen nicknames.

What American-made aircraft served in the armed forces of 55 nations in a wide variety of roles such as primary, basic or advanced trainer, fighter, bomber, attack, transport, tow target, photographic and observation plane? What aircraft served in the U.S. Air Force and Navy and fought in a dozen wars, including World War II, Korea and Vietnam? What aircraft and its many variants were known as the Texan, Mosquito, Harvard, Yale, Wirraway, Boomerang and Tomcat?

There is only one answer: the North American single-engine, two-seat aircraft known first in the U.S. Army Air Corps as the AT-6 (later T-6) and in the U.S. Navy as the SNJ. The manufacturer dubbed it the Texan. The other names, except Mosquito, were given to it or its variants by the British, Australians, Canadians and French. Mosquito was a nickname given to the plane in Korea by American pilots when it was used as a target-spotting aircraft.

There were 17,096 Texans of all models built by North American Aviation Co. and the foreign companies licensed to produce them. Not only did they serve in the wars mentioned, but they also saw combat in the war between Ecuador and Peru in 1939 and in the Israeli 1948 War for Independence. They were used in the war between the British and Malaysian terrorists during 19481951 and in a counterinsurgency role by the French in Algeria during 19541961.

Belgium used these aircraft in the war in the Congo, and they were flown by the Congolese during the 1960s against rebels in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea. Former French T-6s were used in Nigeria during that countrys civil war of 19671970. One T-6 was credited with destroying a Soviet-built MiG fighter on the ground during a strafing pass. The last known use of the Texan in combat was by the Spanish air force against guerrillas in North Africa in 1975.

The Texan began life in 1935 as the NA-16, a prototype trainer designed by James H. Dutch Kindelberger, president of North American Aviation, Inc. It had two open cockpits and a fixed gear and was powered by a 400-hp engine.

In 1934 the U.S. Army Air Corps had issued specifications for an airplane to provide a means of command liaison and command reconnaissance for Corps and Divisions, and to provide for the maintenance of the combat flying proficiency of pilots and observers. Kindelberger and North American worked to secure the contract, and the NA-16 flew for the first time on April 1, 1935. The NA-16 was chosen over the competitors designs, but before ordering any NA-16s, the Air Corps required North American to enclose the cockpits with a sliding canopy, install streamlined fairings over the wheel struts and add wheel pants.



The U.S. Navy christened its new trainer the NJ-1. (U.S. Navy) The U.S. Navy christened its new trainer the NJ-1. (U.S. Navy)

When the modifications were complete, the Air Corps ordered 42 under the company design number NA-18; the Air Corps called it the BT-9 (basic trainer, type 9). The first production model was flown on April 15, 1936. The Navy ordered 40 of them after the existing engine was replaced with a 500-hp version. That model was designated the NJ-1 (N for trainer and J for North American).

Several improvements were made as production proceeded. The BT-14 followed with a new wing design and other changes, and the Air Corps ordered more than 250 of them. Concurrently, the French ordered 230 of the BT-9/BT-14 models and called them Tomcats. When France was overrun by the Germans in 1940, Tomcats not yet delivered were given to the Royal Canadian Air Force and designated Yale Mark Is.

Next came the BC-1 (basic combat, type 1), which had the same basic airframe design as the BT-9 but with a retractable main landing gear. It was equipped with one nose-mounted .30-caliber machine gun that fired through the propeller and a second .30-caliber gun on a flexible mount in the rear cockpit. The first one flew on February 11, 1938. The Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Co. was subcontracted to experiment with stainless steel in the wing panels to determine its structural feasibility in the aircraft.

The Navy had been searching for a trainer for pilots destined to fly its scout aircraft, such as the Douglas SBD dive bomber, and it chose the BC-1. Sixteen were ordered with modifications to suit Navy requirements and designated the SNJ-1 (for scout trainer). Later, as refinements were made, the BC-1 designation was dropped by the Air Corps and replaced by AT-6 (for advanced trainer, type 6).



North Americans BC-1 (basic combat, type 1) sported retractable landing gear. The Air Corps would redesignate the airplane the AT-6. (National Archives) North Americans BC-1 (basic combat, type 1) sported retractable landing gear. The Air Corps would redesignate the airplane the AT-6. (National Archives)

North American engineers designed two variants of the BC-1 to sell to overseas buyers as fighters and attack planes. One was a single-seat fighter and the other a two-seater; both had five .30-caliber machine guns in the wings and nose. The attack version also had a flexible machine gun in the rear cockpit. The first order, from the Siamese air force, was for 10, including both versions. Brazil, Peru and Chile ordered 49 single-seat fighters.

Siam never received any of the aircraft, however. Tension was increasing at the time between Siam and French Indochina, and the State Department prohibited the transfer. The aircraft were diverted to the Philippines, where they were taken over by the U.S. Army Air Corps. The fighter/attack two-seat version was then designated the A-27. Several A-27s saw action in the Philippines on December 8, 1941, against invading Japanese forces. The single-seat version was stripped of armament, returned to the States for fighter pilot training and designated the P-64.

The Navy later requested several modifications to the SNJ-1, including a more powerful engine. That changed the designation to SNJ-2. The Air Corps asked for other modifications, and the AT-6A/SNJ-3 emerged as the standard advanced single-engine trainer for both services. (It was used for basic pilot training and even for primary training toward the end of World War II, when Nationalist Chinese students were sent to the States for pilot instruction.)

To accommodate orders that amounted to more than 600 aircraft when war began, North American opened a new plant in Dallas in 1942 to supplement the aircraft being turned out in the Los Angeles area. The Dallas plant became the main point of manufacturehence the name Texan. New model suffixes were assigned as minor changes were made. To save aluminum, some of the AT-6/SNJs were turned out with plywood fuselages and internal stringers made from spruce. The Navy added tail hooks for carrier training. Bomb racks and belly fuel tanks were also added.

A number of Texans were either built or modified for experimental purposes. The Army Air Forces ordered one XAT-6E in 1944 with an inline, air-cooled engine installed. On test flights it reached a top speed of 244 mph and climbed to 30,000 feet50 mph faster and 6,000 feet higher than the Texans flying with radial engines. Unfortunately, the inline engine proved to be a maintenance headache, and only one XAT-6E was built.

Another experimental Texan was designated the ET-6F in 1950, when a swivel landing gear was installed to assist in making crosswind landings. The Northrop Co. experimented with autopilots in the T-6. Cameras were installed aft of the rear seat in a few aircraft for aerial photography; flares were added to make photography possible at night as well.

When the British realized they could not build enough trainers in the United Kingdom at the beginning of World War II, they ordered the BC-1, which they designated the Harvard Mark I. A single British machine gun for the right wing was specified, as well as British instruments and a circular control stick called a spade. The Canadians also ordered the Mark I, and one variant was labeled the AT-16. Since British engine mixture controls were reversed as far as Americans and Canadians were concerned, a warning plaque was installed that read: This airplane has British carburetor mixture control. Leanforward. Richback.

The North American Aviation Co. granted rights to the Australians to manufacture the two-seat BC-1, which they called the Wirraway, a native word meaning challenge. It had twin machine guns in the nose, a flexible gun in the rear cockpit and could carry up to 500 pounds of bombs on underwing racks. The first Wirraways were rolled out in 1939. They saw heavy service during the first days of World War II as interceptors, fighter-bombers and long-range patrol aircraft, as well as observation craft.

One Aussie pilot, Flt. Lt. John Archer, received an award for downing an enemy aircraft with a Wirraway off the coast of Buna on December 26, 1942. Archer was flying patrol with Sergeant N.J. Muir over a wrecked Japanese freighter that was suspected of housing a radio station and lookout post. Looking down, he saw a lone Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero cruising along unaware of his presence. Although he knew the Wirraway was no match for the Zero, he dove on it anyway, fired his single machine gun and watched the Japanese plane plunge into the sea. It was later learned that he had killed the pilot with a single shot through the head.

The Australians also flew the single-seat version, calling it the Boomerang. It was armed with four .303-caliber machine guns and two 20mm cannons.

After World War II, the U.S. Air Force changed many of its plane designations, and the A was dropped from the Texans identification. The T-6s were extremely active during the Korean War as spotter planes. Their pilots were officially known as forward air controllers, but their planes were popularly called Mosquitos, since they harassed the Communist forces and specialized in locating enemy targets and guiding fighter-bombers in for airstrikes. They were also flown for air rescues and leaflet-dropping missions. Several were used as interceptors against the North Koreans, who were flying Soviet-made Polikarpov PO-2 night raiders. When remanufactured T-6s arrived with improved radios, underwing bomb and smoke-rocket racks and two pod-mounted machine guns, they were designated LT-6Gs. By the end of hostilities, the LT-6Gs had flown more than 40,000 sorties and logged about 117,500 combat hours.



The Texan was modified during the Korean War for battlefield surveillance and forward air control. The modified trainers were nicknamed Mosquitos. (U.S. Air Force) The Texan was modified during the Korean War for battlefield surveillance and forward air control. The modified trainers were nicknamed Mosquitos. (U.S. Air Force)

After World War II, T-6s and SNJs were supplied to NATO nations such as France, West Germany, Italy and Belgium. Latin American pilots ferried many of the trainers home after they completed their training in the United States. Lieutenant Rene Barrientos flew one of the two dozen Texans purchased by Bolivia from Kelly Field, Texas, to La Paz after completing his advanced training at Moore Field, Texas. He later became president of his country.

For use in brush-fire wars, Texans were remanufactured with rocket and bomb racks and designated FT-6Gs. They were sent to such nations as Spain, Portugal, France and Brazil for counterinsurgency missions.

The Texan was phased out of U.S. Air Force and Navy inventories in 1958, but a number of T-6s were flown by the Civil Air Patrol into the 1960s. Although the American inventory during the Vietnam War showed no T-6s, armed Texans were flown briefly by Laotian and Cambodian pilots against Viet Cong targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

It is impossible to determine how many thousands of pilots have flown the Texan, but its popularity and availability on the war-surplus market after World War II resulted in many T-6s being bought and certificated to civilian standards. A Costa Rican pilot who had trained in the United States bought one, had the rear seat removed and used it to fly butter and eggs from the interior of his country to San Jose, the capital. A former Army Air Forces pilot who started an air freight service began by flying fresh flowers from Florida to New York in a T-6. Modern-day barnstormers use them for flying passengers and performing aerobatics at airshows. Western Airlines purchased three to fly mail over its routes in North and South Dakota. The movies Tora! Tora! Tora! and Black Sheep Squadron used modified T-6s to look like Japanese Zeros.



Modified to look like Japanese Zeros, Texans have flown in Hollywood productions and frequently appear at airshows. (Guy Aceto) Modified to look like Japanese Zeros, Texans have flown in Hollywood productions and frequently appear at airshows. (Guy Aceto)

I also flew an AT-6. A bomb rack had been installed under the fuselage of this one, and I used the plane to bomb U.S. Geodetic Survey crews stationed at remote mountain locations in Panama with food and medicine.

A number of civilian-owned T-6s have been modified by adding more powerful engines. One, called the Bacon Super T-6S, had a tricycle landing gear, bubble canopy and wingtip fuel tanks installed in a vain effort to attract nations interested in a counterinsurgency fighter. It was featured in a movie as a Russian Yakovlev fighter.

Civilian owners of Texans have formed the T-6 Owners Association, which functions much like an antique auto-owners group, to trade parts and information. The Experimental Aircraft Association has declared the T-6 an antique aircraft. The National Air Races held annually at Reno, Nev., feature races limited to the Texans.

Nearly 400 T-6s of various models are registered as civil aircraft in the United States today. According to Larry Davis, the aircrafts premier historian and author of T-6 Texan in Action: It is a rare airshow in the United States that does not have at least one T-6 on display. The numbers of T-6/Harvards active in Europe have also increased over the last few years, with Texans appearing on the civil registers of England, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Norway and France.

More T-6 Texans were produced than any other trainer type during World War II. No other aircraft type, not even the famous DC-3/C-47 Gooney Bird, has ever served in so many varied roles or has been flown by so many for so long. More than 60 years have passed since the first flight of the NA-16 in 1935, but it is a safe bet that some of its progeny will be flying well into the next century, and a few may even be flying on their 100th birthdays.

The late C.V. Glines was an award-winning aviation writer.

This feature originally appeared in the July 1998 issue of Aviation History. Subscribe here!
DEF LEPPARD To Play ROCK THE RING Festival In HINWIL, SWITZERLAND

Def Leppard 2019

Def Leppard have been announced to play a festival in Switzerland in June 2019 on their UK/European tour.

The fourth show to be announced for the 2019 tour.

Announced in the last hour or so by the organisers the band will play the festival on Thursday 20th June 2019.

Support comes from Whitesnake and old friends Tesla - who also play with them at the Download Festival a week earlier.

Likely to be yet another 'Hysteria & More' show.

As with the Italian show announced earlier today this will be a return after 13 years to the country.

Only the fifth time the band will have played in and around the city of Zurich having first visited in October 1983 during the Pyromania tour.

The last show played in Switzerland was on 12th June 2006 during the brief YEAH! European tour.

Tickets go on sale from 26th October.

Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

Def Leppard 2019 European Tour Date

Thursday, 20th June 2019 - Autobahnkreisel Betzholz, Rock The Ring Festival, Hinwil, Switzerland

Headliner - Def Leppard

Support Act - Whitesnake

Support Act - Tesla

Tickets - From 26th October

First time in this city.

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TAMPAEllen DeGeneres, Pierce Brosnan, Slash, Arielle Kebbel and other celebrities from Florida and across the nation have signed a letter urging Florida residents to protect dogs by voting Yes on 13, a proposed constitutional amendment that would phase out greyhound racing in the state by the year 2020. Florida is home to 11 of the 17 remaining greyhound tracks in the United States and the passage of Amendment 13 would be a significant blow to the dog racing industry and help bring an end to this cruel practice.

Kitty Block, acting CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States, said, Greyhound racing involves substantial cruelty, with a dog dying on a Florida track every three days. We are grateful that so many public figures are keeping this issue in front of voters.

A letter (PDF) urging all Floridians to vote Yes on 13 outlines several shocking facts about how greyhounds suffer in the racing industry:

Dogs are cruelly confined. Approxmately 8,000 greyhounds in Florida are kept in warehouse-style stacked metal cages that are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. They are normally confined for 20 to 23 hours per day in these cages.

Approxmately 8,000 greyhounds in Florida are kept in warehouse-style stacked metal cages that are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. They are normally confined for 20 to 23 hours per day in these cages. Dogs are dying at Florida racetracks. Since the state began tracking greyhound deaths in 2013, 493 dogs have died at Florida tracks. On average, a greyhound dies at a Florida dog track every three days, and 94 percent of these dogs were three years old or younger.

Since the state began tracking greyhound deaths in 2013, 493 dogs have died at Florida tracks. On average, a greyhound dies at a Florida dog track every three days, and 94 percent of these dogs were three years old or younger. Dogs are suffering serious injuries. In a single county, Seminole, since May of 2017, 87 greyhound injuries have been reported, including 64 greyhounds who suffered broken bones and five dogs that died.

In a single county, Seminole, since May of 2017, 87 greyhound injuries have been reported, including 64 greyhounds who suffered broken bones and five dogs that died. There is a serious doping problem in dog racing. Over the past decade there have been more than 400 greyhound drug positives at Florida tracks, including 73 greyhound cocaine positives, and positive results for novocaine, lidocaine, industrial solvent DMSO, and opiates oxycodone and oxymorphone.

Over the past decade there have been more than 400 greyhound drug positives at Florida tracks, including 73 greyhound cocaine positives, and positive results for novocaine, lidocaine, industrial solvent DMSO, and opiates oxycodone and oxymorphone. Greyhounds are fed meat from dead, dying, diseased or disabled animals. To reduce costs, greyhounds are fed raw 4D meat that includes denatured charcoal.

Carey Theil, executive director of GREY2K USA, said, Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane. Floridians have a once in a lifetime opportunity to help thousands of dogs by voting Yes on 13.

Actress Arielle Kebbel, who hails from Winter Park, Fla., said, Im proud to join my colleagues in the creative community to stand for greyhounds and support Amendment 13 in my home state of Florida. Anyone can love dogs and want to see them protectedthe fight to end animal cruelty has no boundaries.

The celebrities who signed the letter (PDF) are joining a large group of bipartisan elected officials and candidates, businesses, civic organizations, animal welfare organizations, local animal shelters and veterinarians, all in support of an end to greyhound racing.

The complete list of celebrity signers:

Uzo Aduba, Kristin Bauer, Melissa Benoist, Keely and Pierce Brosnan, Jai Courtney, Ellen Degeneres, Natalie Dormer, Scott Eastwood, Erin Foster, Daisy Fuentes, Bryan Greenberg, Claire Holt, Jack Huston, Arielle Kebbel, Minka Kelly, Richard Marx, Jennifer Morrison, Ednita Nazario, Danielle Panabaker, Josh Peck, Alicia Silverstone, Slash, Geoff Stults, Wilmer Valderrama, Johann Vera, Owen Wilson, Rainn Wilson, Bellamy Young, Parker Young.

For more information on Amendment 13, a full list of current supporters, and information on how it will help save greyhounds from needless suffering, please visit protectdogs.org.

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2640 MITCHAM DRIVE, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32308
North Adams Council Approves Stipends for Retirement Board



The new zoning map was presented to the council for approval on Tuesday but was instead sent to committee for further review. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The City Council on Tuesday closed a somewhat controversial debate by voting 8-1 to allow a stipend for the Retirement Board.

And it sent an ordinance that would cause major changes in the city's zoning to the Community Development Committee for further review.

The stipend matter had been brought before the council in June by Councilor Marie T. Harpin, the council's liaison to the board.

The councilors had at first been positive toward the idea but when they felt some of the questions as to how the stipends would affect the city budget weren't being fully answered, they balked and sent the matter to the Finance Committee, which met two weeks ago. The committee returned a recommendation on Tuesday night to approve it.

Finance Committee Chairman Wayne Wilkinson described the meeting as "a very interesting discussion."

"I learned a lot. But unfortunately, even though I think I have a really good grasp on finances it lost me in about 15 minutes," he joked. "What the people do in there is important stuff and they know a lot more about it than I did."

The board, through its Administrator Beth A. Matson, had asked that the council adopt Massachusetts General Law Chapter 32 that sets a stipend of no less than $3,000 and no more than $4,500 annually. Once the law was adopted, the Retirement Board would have control over voting the stipend.

Wilkinson said Matson had given a very informative presentation at the finance meeting and that Councilors Harpin, Rebbecca Cohen and Jason LaForest had asked very good questions.

He said the issue came down to several facts: that the board is well run and does good work in its oversight of the city's $70 million or so in retirement funds, that the council has to adopt the law, that the board determines the amount of the stipend.

The bottom line, Wilkinson said, was how it affected the city budget. The appropriation for the fiscal 2019 budget is already set but the stipend would eventually come out of the administrative expenses in the contributions.

Wilkinson said he was originally against the idea, "but then I saw a list of some of the other stipends that are given by the city."

Several other councilors also noted that they had been opposed or not sure and that the presentation and research had convinced them to vote yes. It hadn't been an easy decision, said LaForest, and that the councilors had really debated the stipend.

"I did indicate that if the board were to approve anything higher than the minimum allotted by law, I would be very disappointed in them," he said.

The board voted to adopt the law with only President Keith Bona voting against because he was concerned about setting a precedent. The Retirement Board works hard but so do other elected and volunteer boards, such as the School Committee that oversees half the city's budget.

"It was really vetted and I think each councilor took the time to look into this deeply," said Harpin, who had advocated for it from the start. "I just appreciate all the work that was done on this. ... it's a hard-working crew that's done a lot for the city. It's a big portfolio."

The councilors were all on board with referring an update of the city's zoning map and permitted uses to committee to give them a chance to review it more fully.

"I know a lot of work has been done and a lot of good work has been done but it's not very clear," said Wilkinson, who made the referral motion. "Zoning has the biggest effect on property values ... I have absolutely no idea what the present changes are."

LaForest read into the record a letter from David Moresi of Moresi & Associates who wrote that the zoning changes would have a negative impact on the Norad Mill, which is filling up with a wide range of small businesses.

The mill would be in a new zone that would prohibit uses such as storage, assembly and finishing of goods and publishing, among others for the mill.

"These are key uses to the redevelopment of the Norad Mill and the success it has had in bringing businesses and jobs to North Adams ... take the time to ensure there are no other unintended consequences created within the city," LaForest read.

The city has been working with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to realign and update outdated zoning. A joint public hearing with the Planning Board had been held last month. Councilors were also concerned that the changes had not been fully communicated to property owners who might be affected.

"There was no sense there would be letters or communications that would directly inform those folks that the actual zone category of where they reside or work or own could or would be changing," Councilor Benjamin Lamb said. "If my property zone was changing, I would want to be informed."

Mayor Thomas Bernard believed a list of properties could be generated and property owners informed in some way.

"I'm totally not against changing zoning because North Adams zoning is archaic," Wilkinson said. "It goes back to the 1950s."

In other business, the council:

Confirmed the appointment of Kayla Hollins to the Planning Board to complete the term of Allyson Holmes, who is moving. The term will end February 2022.

Approved a sewer hookup for Lily Kuzia for a new house being built at the top of North Eagle Street in Clarksburg.

Set a public hearing for Tuesday, Nov. 13, on H.A. George's request to install additional propane tanks at 651 Ashland St.

Also, Mayor Thomas Bernard reminded residents that the winter parking ban goes into effect Nov. 1. There is no parking overnight during the ban to allow for plowing.




iciHaiti - Economy : The Haitian Group GB could build a cement plant in Jamaica





The Haiti-based Gilbert Bigio Group (GB Group) is planning to build a cement plant in Jamaica, a market it already serves thanks to imports from its Domicem subsidiary, a Dominican cement plant. GB Group also operates a network of service stations in the Caribbean country through its "GB Energy" division.



"We believe that Jamaica is in a very good time right now," said Mauricio Pulido, Jamaica Country Head at GB Energy "We believe that to grow the country, we need to have more affordable materials to build."



According to Pulido, the plant's plans are still at the "exploratory" stage and depend on the results of feasibility studies and government approvals. The initial investment in the project would be approximately $15 million.



It should be noted that Caribbean Cement, a subsidiary of CEMEX-controller, TCL Group, is currently the only cement producer in Jamaica to operate an integrated cement plant in Rockfort. For its part, GB Group began importing cement from its subsidiary Domicem, after the opening of the market by the Jamaican government 10 years ago.



About GB Group :

GB Group is a leading, diversified group of industrial and trading companies in the Caribbean, with operations concentrated in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and St. Maarten and offices in the United States. Comprised of 21 companies from seven different divisions including agriculture, construction, consumer goods, infrastructure, energy, logistics and trading, GB Group collaborates with more than 4,000 employees and embraces managers from more than 15 countries companywide. GB Group and its operating companies have strategic alliances and/or partnerships with some the worlds top business organizations. The companys current endeavors include the $200 million Lafito Global project, which includes Port Lafito, Haitis first Panamax port. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14398-haiti-economy-inauguration-of-the-new-world-class-port-lafito.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16278-haiti-economy-gb-group-sold-its-interests-in-the-dinasa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14398-haiti-economy-inauguration-of-the-new-world-class-port-lafito.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7093-haiti-economy-gb-group-made-a-major-acquisition-in-the-petroleum-sector.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4155-haiti-economy-gb-group-acquires-224-texaco-service-station.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Israel Has Chosen Life

The Fellowship | October 24, 2018

Dear Friend of Israel,

Seven years ago this week, on October 18, 2011, Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was released after being imprisoned for five years by Hamas terrorists. As Israelis celebrated Shalits return, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza gathered to celebrate the return of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Shalit.

Among the men and women Palestinians celebrated that day was Ahlam Tamimi, one of the perpetrators of the 2001 Sbarro restaurant massacre in Jerusalem that killed 15 people. And Nasser Yatiya, involved in the horrendous 2002 Park Hotel bombing that killed 30. And Walid Abdel-Hadi, serving 36 life terms for his role in terrorist attacks. These terrorists with blood on their hands expressed no remorse for their actions, and in fact pledged to continue their resistance against Israel.

We have seen it many times before and since: celebrations in the streets of Gaza after terror attacks on Israel. Terrorist martyrs glorified and their relatives given stipends by the Palestinian government. Palestinian schools named in honor of terrorists. Demonstrations of hatred toward Israel and her people have, sadly, become a part of Palestinian culture.

As discouraging as this is, I recall that the Bible lays out for us a blueprint for a different way of living, a blueprint for all of us to follow: I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

This is the choice Israel has made. She has created a system of government that works to secure democracy and liberty for all. She has embraced creativity and innovation. She respects the humanity of her enemies, even in times of war. Israeli society is imperfect, as all societies are. But it is built on a foundation that reflects a fundamental belief in the sanctity of life, rather than the glorification of death.

Dear friends, even as our enemies choose death, let us choose life. Let us pray for the day when the virulent anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel that is so common among Israels neighbors is a thing of the past. And let us continue to pray for the day when God will bless Israel, and the entire world, with His most precious gift of shalom, peace.



Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Founder and President
Unions need to shape the future for digital journalism was the message emerging from a two day workshop with union leaders and digital media activists held in Kiev 22 and 23 October.

Research conducted by unions revealed a digital wild west for online media outlets combining the best of journalism with the populist trolls and masters of dark propaganda in an unregulated media scene that paints a chilling dystopian future for journalism unless urgent action can be taken.

With the financial bottom falling out of mainstream media those that survive do so by a thread or are propped up by state and political interests that use the media to pursue their own political or business ends. Quality journalism is migrating online where it is freer but also up against aggressive propaganda outlets.

While opportunities grow for unions to recruit digital journalists as jobs increasingly move online, most outlets are small, financially weak, often unregistered, rarely offer contracts and provide minimal pay.

There is much work for unions to do to help bring these media workers into the profession, improve their conditions and bring some order to the sector that can enable quality journalism to flourish.

Digital media inevitably attract young workers born digitally literate but with little awareness of the basics of journalism. Meanwhile mid-career journalists fear the technical revolution will sweep them out of their jobs unless they can adapt quickly.

Now is not the time for unions to sit back and ignore the future, instead they need to be part of shaping it.

They first need to recruit young digital workers if they are to understand the sector, build it and shape it.

New services need to be developed, setting minimum working conditions in digital media and strengthening support networks

Training programmes need to be developed to provide mid-career journalists with the new techniques available to journalism such as Digital storytelling, Data journalism and search engine optimization and train young media workers in the basics of journalism

The unions need to act young and act digital to be relevant and attractive to journalists.

In particular they need to continue to be the voice of journalists to act against intimidation, violence and oppression whether offline or online.

The workshop brought together IFJ affiliates from Belarus Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. It was supported by the Friedich Ebert Stiftung and Union To Union as part of the IFJs global digital media organizing campaign.

It was jointly hosted by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine.
This content is from: Corporate

The penalty is the first of its kind imposed by the countrys regulator, a signal it is ramping up oversight of merger activity
Home Search ICH Khashoggi Murder: Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Speech To Parliament



Video and Transcript - English



Turkish president said Khashoggi was killed in a planned operation, contradicting official Saudi account.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the country's parliament about the investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Posted October 23, 2018 Here is an English translation of Tuesday's speech. The original comments were in Turkish: "At this point in our group meeting, I want to make a comprehensive evaluation of the Khashoggi investigation, after it has been confirmed that he was killed. I'd like to firstly offer my condolences to the late Khashoggi, his family, friends, the people of Saudi Arabia, where he is from and the media world. First, let's quickly refresh our memories. "Khashoggi first goes to the Saudi Arabian consulate at 11:50 on September 28, Friday for procedures relating to marriage. It is understood that this visit is then passed on to the team planning the murder. Therefore, a planning period for a roadmap begins. Some consulate workers rushing back to their country shows there were preparations there. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter "On October 1 at 16:30, so the Monday, one day before the murder, a three-person team arrives in Istanbul on a commercial flight and goes to the hotel first, later the consulate. Meanwhile, another team from the consulate is carrying out exploratory searches in the Belgrad Forest and Yalova. "On October 2 at 01:45, a second three-man team again arrives in Istanbul in a commercial flight and goes to the hotel. A third 9-person team, including generals, arrives via private jet and goes to a different hotel. In total, a team made up of 15 people arrived separately between 09:50 and 11:00 to meet at the consulate. "Firstly the hard-disk in the camera system at the consulate was ripped out and Khashoggi is then called at 11:50 to confirm his appointment. At 13:08 on the same day, Khashoggi, who returned from London to Istanbul, arrives at the consulate building on foot. His fiancee is with him. And after this, nothing was heard from him again. At 17:50, his fiancee told our official authorities that Khashoggi was kidnapped at the consulate building or something bad happened to him. Upon this, the Istanbul security officials and police start an inspection." 'The investigation deepens' "After looking into the camera records filming the area, it becomes clear that Khashoggi never left the consulate building. According to the Vienna agreement - which was debated - they have diplomatic immunity. (EU foreign policy chief Federica) Mogherini had some comments on this the other day as well, and I believe the Vienna agreement will most likely be put to the table. In the first stage, there were no procedures that could be done on the consulate and consular workers. "Then, while our intelligence and security officials are looking into the situation, the chief prosecutor's office and delegated deputy prosecutor launch an investigation as well. As the investigation deepens, very interesting details are obtained. Firstly, it is seen that on the eve of the murder, 15 Saudi security, intelligence, forensic experts arrived in Turkey. Of these, six left our country at 18:20 on October 2, and seven at 22:50 with private jets. "After midnight, a man who was trying to resemble Khashoggi with his glasses, clothes and beard as well as another person with him, depart for Riyadh via a commercial flight. On the day of the event, the consulate workers are put in one room with the excuse that there is a supervision and residence personnel are given days off for the same reason. In their statement on October 4, the Saudi leadership initially fully rejects any claims that Khashoggi was killed. "In fact, on October 6, the consul general invites a Reuters correspondent inside and opens and closes cupboards, electrical panels and doors in a careless manner, trying to defend himself. Meanwhile, our intelligence and security officials and prosecutors are deepening their investigation and attempting to uncover new evidence and documents. Our foreign ministry constantly discussed this issue with its counterparts and engaged in the sharing of information. "Afterwards, there were talks with the 11-person Saudi delegation coming to our country on October 11. The topic being kept on the agenda by ourselves and the global media then led to the statement from Saudi authorities to allow our search of the consulate building. First, there are some questions that we must ask and seek answers to. This happens in Istanbul, so we are responsible and as those responsible, we have the right to question it. As the cloud slowly lifts, other countries also started taking action. At every opportunity, we said we would not remain silent and that we would take every step required by our conscience and the law." 'Phone call with King Salman' "In order to not unjustly condemn anyone, we waited for the results of the investigation. At our first phone call with King Salman on October 14, I explained the situation to him in accordance with the findings at hand. In this phone call, we agreed to form a joint working group and they started working. Upon the King's orders, teams tied to the prosecutors and police entered the consulate to carry out searches. "While the consul general did not allow this previously, I voiced some things about his incompetence to the first delegation that came, and also to the king. As a result of this, one day after our talk, the consul general was relieved of his duty and returned to his country. On October 18, there were inspections at the consulate once again. "On 19 October, 17 days after the murder, Saudi Arabia officially accepted Khashoggi was murdered. In the statement made by the leadership, they said Khashoggi was killed during a fight at the consulate. On the same day, I had another call with Salman during late hours. He told me 18 people had been arrested so far in the investigation following the acknowledgement of the killing. It is seen that the names being arrested match those found by our intelligence and security officials. Therefore, these 15 people, plus the other three who are already working at the consulate. These developments are important for the official acceptance of the killing. On October 21, I also held a comprehensive phone call with US President Trump and agreed to enlighten all aspects of this issue. "As Turkey, we carried out and managed this whole process in accordance with international law and a state mentality. Despite this, our country is being subjected to extensive campaigns to smear and corner our country and change our direction by various media organs. We know with what goal these campaigns are being carried out and by whom. It appears these attacks against our country's reputation have not and will not prevent our attempts to uncover the truth. "Firstly, this murder might have been carried out in the consulate building, which counts as Saudi Arabian territory. However, it should not be forgotten that this is within Turkish borders. Moreover, the Vienna agreement and other international laws all object to questioning about such a vicious murder being hidden through diplomatic immunity. We will, of course, investigate and inspect this murder within our borders and do everything necessary. On the other hand, the fact that Jamal Khashoggi is an internationally renowned journalist, aside from his Saudi identity, also puts an international responsibility on us. Turkey, as the representative of the world's common conscious along with its own sovereignty, is following up this issue." 'A planned operation' "The findings and evidence so far show Khashoggi was the victim of a vicious murder. Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership. The Saudi administration has actually taken an important step by admitting to the murder. "From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments in front of the law. We have strong signs that the murder was the result of a planned operation, not a spontaneous development. In light of the current information, these questions continue to pose questions for everyone. Why have these 15 people, involved in the incident, met in Istanbul on the day of the murder? We are seeking answers to this. Who are these people receiving orders from? Why has the consulate been opened to investigation days after the murder rather than immediately after? Why have so many inconsistent statements been made while the murder was so clear? Why has the body of someone who was accepted as killed not been found yet? "And, if the claim that the body was given to a local collaborator is true, then I ask: Who is this local collaborator? This local collaborator isn't being mentioned by an ordinary person, Saudi Arabia's officials say this. Therefore, you are obliged to reveal this local collaborator. You will reveal him. "Without these questions being answered, nobody should think the issue will be closed. Intelligence and security institutions have evidence showing the murder was certainly planned. Once the evaluation of this information is completed, they will find their place in the dossiers of the prosecutor's investigation. Pinning such a case on some intelligence and security members will not satisfy us and the international community. The conscience of humanity will only be satisfied once everybody is called into account, from those who gave the orders, to those who carried them out. "Personally, I do not doubt the sincerity of King Salman. It is very important for such a critical investigation to be carried out by objective, fair teams with no relations to the murder. Since this is a political murder, then any other culprits and accomplices in other countries, if there are any, must be included in the investigation as well. I believe this is what is required in international law, in Islamic law and in Saudi law. "As Turkey, we will follow this issue until the end. We will make sure our laws and international laws are implemented. In fact, I am also making a call from here today. This call is to the Saudi Arabian King and leadership: Where the event occurred is Istanbul. Therefore, these 15+3 people - the 18 that were arrested - should be tried in Istanbul. That is my proposal. Of course, the decision is theirs, but this is my proposal and demand since this is where the event took place. That is why this is important." Source of transcript: Reuters news agency 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 The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. 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.
Yemi Osinbajo said this on Tuesday during his address at the Multi-Purpose Indoors Hall, Bauchi, where he had gone to officially launch the federal governments Social Investment programme, Trader Moni .

The Vice President, who explained that the Trader Moni scheme created to give interest-free loans to petty traders, and when returned will be entitled to more.

In Yemi Osinbajos words:

President Muhammadu Buharis commitment to Nigeria is that he will not steal Nigerias resources. He will use Nigerias money for the benefit of all Nigerians. That is the pledged that he made the day he became president and he has maintained that pledge till now.

The Vice President further said that the determination of the federal government is to see that Nigerias money is used for the benefit of Nigerians.

We will not allow any part of Nigerias money to be used for private property. This country can afford to provide for its own citizens. That is why we are committed and determined to ensure that we provide for everyone especially young men and women.

Trader Moni scheme, he said that, I have gone round to everywhere but I want to say that when we came to Bauchi and saw all that the young men and women are doing, the entrepreneurs, the small and big businesses, I am now convinced that Bauchi State has the best entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
Immediate past governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, who was arraigned before a high court in Lagos, over a N30.8 billion fraud charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has been granted bail.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun ruled on Wednesday, that the former governor will reappear in court on November, 19th.

Fayose, who pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, was docked alongside his company.

Fayoses lawyer, Agabi, a former Federal Attorney-General , begged the court to grant Fayose bail, firstly because he willingly submitted himself to EFCC a day after leaving office as Governor of Ekiti State and secondly because he has no criminal record.

However, EFCC prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, urged the court not to, because investigations were still ongoing and that on the day Fayose submitted himself to EFCC, he came with a lot of hoodlums that nearly attacked the EFCC operatives before they were repelled.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun said since the offence alleged to have been committed is a bailable offence, and therefore granted him bail to the tune of N50million with one surety who must own a landed property in Lagos.

The surety must possess three years tax clearance and must also secure a bond of N50million from a reputable bank which will be forfeited if Fayose jumps bail.

Fayose was also ordered to swear to an affidavit not to tamper with the witnesses and should deposit his international passport with the chief Registrar of the court.
Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Mr Femi Fani- Kayode has criticised the vice President, Yemi Osinbajo for saying President Muhammadu Buhari has kept his pledge not to steal public funds.

According to the former aviation minister, anyone who believes such claims would believe anything. He queried the present government for always resorting to lies and propaganda.

The former minister stated that the hands of Mr President, are dripping of blood of innocent Nigerians saying he is not an angel.

He wrote:

President Muhammadu Buhari has kept his pledge not to steal public fundsVP Yemi Osinbajo

 If you believe that you will believe anything! Worse of all Buharis hands are dripping with the blood of the innocents. Stop the lies and the propaganda: Buhari is not an angel.
Chelsea star, Marcos Alonso has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until at least 2023.

The 27-year-old said he signed the contract because he wanted to stay at the club for more years.

Alonso joined the Blues in 2016 from Fiorentina, and has established himself as a key player for the West London club.

I am so happy to stay here longer and to keep playing for one of the best teams in the world, Alonso told the clubs official website.

Its been a very good two seasons and I am looking forward to more.

Chelseas Director, Marina Granovskaia added: We are delighted to be extending Marcos contract.

In the past two seasons he has developed into an important player for the club, demonstrating his outstanding ability and a fantastic attitude that has helped him become a Premier League champion and Spain international.
Vanguard

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has said that he would rally heavy support to ensure that the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, party, Babajide Sanwo-Olu whose coming has denied him a second term in office under APC wins the coming election in the state.

Thisday

The Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCO) has described the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, as the high priest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) cult of liars.

The Sun

Ekiti State House of Assembly has set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the passage of a N10 billion supplementary budget by some members of the House during the twilight of the administration of the immediate past administration of Ayodele Fayose.

Daily Times
These are trending throwback photos of Chris Oyakhilome which were taken about three decades ago when he was just starting his ministry.

Chris Oyakhilome, also known as Pastor Chris, born December 7, 1963 is the founding president of Believers Loveworld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy.

He is one of the biggest pastors in Nigeria and in Africa despite starting small.

According to a Forbes rating in 2011, he was worth $30-50 million.

Oyakhilomes ministry holds meetings in the United Kingdom and the United States, and has healing school sessions in South Africa and Canada.

Oyakhilome also hosts Higher Life conferences in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, UK, US and Canada, and organized the Night of Bliss South Africa event at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

Oyakhilome also operates an International School of Ministry, which held one of its Ministers Network Conferences in 2016 with 5000 ministers in attendance from 145 countries, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

See more images below:
Nothing is off the table

British businesses are weighing up the chances of a sudden increase in taxes in the budget statement due on October 29. Hammond has reportedly told Treasury officials that nothing is off the table in his search for an extra 26 billion ($34 billion) to fund the National Health Service (NHS), but he is considering a series of tax changes.

The chancellor pulled budget day forward in a bid to settle the nerves of financial markets as the UK enters the final days of Brexit negotiations, but the Treasury also has to find extra funds to achieve Prime Minister Theresa Mays promise to end austerity.

The options on the table include everything from dropping planned corporate tax cuts, levying a digital services tax (DST) and extending the VAT threshold to raising income tax thresholds and cutting tax relief on pensions.

The problem for Hammond is that the budget will have to satisfy opposing demands: the financial sector wants austerity to continue and taxes to remain low, while the electorate wants to see the pressure on public services being eased-up.

The list of options is wide open, the tax director said. So, the usual attempts to forecast the budget based on conference speeches is likely to be off the mark, he added, referring to the political party conferences that have taken place over the UK over the past month.

Dropping the corporate tax cuts

The UK is set to cut its corporate tax rate to 17% in 2020, but there has been consistent talk of this policy being too costly to uphold. The UK tax base shrinking and there is less support among businesses for the tax cuts.

Tax experts have also expressed doubts over the need for more cuts. Bill Dodwell, senior advisor at the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), has long argued for dropping the 17% tax cut. It could save as much as 5 billion a year after 2021.

Removing the corporation tax cut to 17% and reinvesting some of that money in supporting business investment would still leave the UK as the most competitive G20 economy, whilst raising some much-needed cash, Dodwell said.

Investing in better tax relief for intangible assets, where the UK has the least generous regime in the EU, would make sense to boost investment in the high-tech economy, he said.

Nevertheless, the British government remains officially committed to the 17% rate  for now. May reaffirmed this commitment to ever-lower corporate taxes in a speech in New York on September 25.

Whatever your business, investing in a post-Brexit Britain will give you the lowest rate of corporation tax in the 20, May told business leaders.

Giles Parsons, who was a tax director at Caterpillar for 20 years, told ITR that the chancellor may prefer to not to show his hand on corporate tax in the upcoming budget.

It would not look good to announce that it will not go ahead this month, and then implement it immediately next year, so maybe it will stay, Parsons said. But there could be some base broadening to raise more tax and be seen to address the low level of effective taxes highlighted in the media.

If the UK does abandon its lower tax rate, the country might become one of the few exceptions to the worldwide trend of falling rates.

Creating a digital tax

The UK could join the growing list of countries taking unilateral action on tech multinationals. The idea of an Amazon tax has made headlines this year, and the chancellor talked up the possibility of such a measure at the Conservative Party conference.

The best way to tax international companies is through international agreements but the time for talking is coming to an end and the stalling has to stop, Hammond told conference attendees. If we cannot reach agreement , the UK will go it alone with a digital services tax.

Mel Stride, financial secretary to the treasury , has also stated similar action to The Guardian in August. We have a strong preference for moving multilaterally, but in the event that that doesnt move fast enough for us then this is something we could consider doing unilaterally, or perhaps with a smaller group of other tax authorities, he said.

Heather Self, partner at Blick Rothenberg, suggested such a tax proposal would be unworkable and that the OECD is the best policy forum for dealing with digital tax.

Any attempt to levy a new tax on major digital businesses will be fraught with difficulty, Self said . The chancellor should resist the political pressure and continue to work on an international basis to achieve longer-lasting solutions.

The chancellor has his work cut out to retain the confidence of businesses in the lead up to Brexit, she added. [Hammond] needs to keep a steady hand on the tiller and not spring any surprises which could further damage key relationships.

At the same time, there are good reasons to doubt that the Treasury would opt for such a dramatic policy change any time soon. It would be a change on the scale of the diverted profits tax (DPT) with a vast ripple effect for the British economy.

While the UK is taking a lead role in the Task Force on the Digital Economy, taking immediate unilateral action would be a bit surprising, Parsons said. But the DPT was announced during the BEPS project, so there is a precedent.

I expect there to be continued commitment to an international solution, but perhaps an additional commitment to unilateral action in 2020 if the OECD does not reach a consensus, he added.

Reforming VAT

The UK may be overdue reforming its VAT threshold to bring its regime in line with global standards. The country has the highest VAT threshold in the European Union, where the minimum threshold is at 10,000 ($11,560) and the average is 22,000.

This leaves a steep cliff-edge for British companies. Many businesses try to find creative ways to lower turnover in a bid to avoid VAT.

The OTS has estimated that the UK could increase tax revenue by as much as 2 billion a year if the VAT threshold was reduced from 85,000 to 43,000. However, even some of its advocates are sceptical it will happen any time soon because it would affect at least one million self-employed businesses.

This option also has its drawbacks.

A low threshold encourages fraud via splitting sales invoices between VAT registrations, Richard Asquith, global VP of indirect tax at Avalara, told ITR. And politically it would be a negative as it drags a lot of core Conservative supporting sole traders into the tax net.

At the same time, many tax professionals are calling for the Treasury to limit the potential damage of Brexit through VAT policy. A deferral on import VAT would go a long way to putting taxpayers at ease.

This would allow all importers to offset the import VAT currently paid up front at the point goods arrival in the UK, said Alan Pearce, partner at Blick Rothenberg.

It should apply to goods arriving from outside the EU and, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, on goods arriving from the EU, Pearce said. This would put the UK on the same footing as other EU countries, notably France and the Netherlands, who currently have a commercial advantage over the UK.

As sensible as it may be, some observers still find it unlikely that the government would undertake such a policy right now.

Confirmation on a future import VAT deferral would be good to see, and it would give some certainty, but as the bigger issue is customs and trade, and that depends on the EU, I expect the uncertainty to continue, Parsons said.

Cutting tax relief

One way to raise funds without an increase in headline rates is to reduce the amount of tax relief available to individuals and businesses. This might even allow the government to stick to the aim of making the UK the most competitive tax jurisdiction in the G20.

The capital gains tax threshold could be cut, thereby limiting entrepreneurs relief. The threshold stands at 10 million and a slight reduction would expand the reach of the capital gains rate.

However, this would go against the governments unequivocally pro-business agenda. A safer option for the Treasury may be to cut tax reliefs for pensions. This could save up to 38 billion a year, more than enough to fund the NHS.

The options are vast, but the political environment surrounding it make the decisions difficult. Not only is the Conservative Party divided over Brexit, its coalition partner, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has made it clear that it will veto the budget if its position on the Irish border isnt respected.

This situation may leave Hammond trying to rock the boat without really rocking it. A difficult task for a risk-averse chancellor in an increasingly unpredictable world.

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Before the football game against University of Akron on Sept. 22, a video tribute was shown honoring Celia Barquin Arozamena. Members of the audience participated in a moment of silence to remember the Cyclone gold athlete at Jack Trice Stadium. The crowd was filled with yellow, as that was Barquin Arozamenas favorite color.
Fred Hubbell, 2018 Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa, speaks with supporters in the free speech zone on Oct. 23. Hubbell supports labor unions and hardworking men and women in the labor union, lowering tuition, weeding out tax credits, exemption, and deductions where costs to the state outweigh benefits and much more.
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Apple has been fined 5 million euros by Italys anti-trust watchdog for slowing down iPhones via software updates. Plus, it was slapped an additional fine of 5 million euros for not providing its customers with clear information on how to go about replacing their old iPhones battery under its discounted replacement program.

Alongside Apple, Samsung was also fined 5M for slowing down its devices or crippling their features with software updates.

The anti-trust body had received complaints from many consumer groups in Italy about their devices being slowed down with software updates thereby pushing them to buy a new smartphone.

The anti-trust body said in a statement that some Apple and Samsung firmware updates had caused serious dysfunctions and reduced performance significantly, thereby accelerating the process of replacing them. It added the two firms had not provided clients adequate information about the impact of the new software or any means of restoring the original functionality of the products.

Apple came under fire late last year when it revealed that it intentionally throttled older iPhones due to their degrading battery performance. This led to the company being the subject of numerous lawsuits and irked a huge section of its customers. To pacify them, Apple launched a discounted battery replacement program where it allowed customers to replace batteries of their old iPhone for only $29.

Samsung and other OEMs had clarified back then that they did not slow down their devices using software updates due to their degrading battery. However, the Italian anti-trust body has fined Samsung for the same. This is the first time the Korean company has been slapped a fine for allegedly throttling its devices.

[Via Reuters
Brand ambassadors are certainly not a new thing. Android manufacturers have quite a few of them. But while those celebrities are paid to endorse a device out in public, sometimes they just might not want to actually use the thing.

That appears to be the case for Samsungs brand ambassador in Russia. The company brought on politician and reality TV star Ksenia Sobchak to market its devices, hiring the public figure as a brand ambassador and expecting her to use the companys products while out in public. As reported by The Mirror, Sobchak has not been sticking to the contract. Most recently, Sobchak was seen using an iPhone X while shooting a television interview.

Sobchak apparently tries to hide the iPhone X while using it, using a piece of paper, but the incident was caught on video and prompting the discovery to spread across social media. It turns out that Sobchak has actually been caught using Apples iPhone in the past, including at major social events and on other TV appearances.

As a result, Samsung is suing Sobchak for 108 million rubles (about $1.6 million). As noted in a separate report from AppleInsider, its possible that Samsung is suing Sobchak for a lot more money than what she was paid to promote the Samsung brand out there in the wild. That would include penalties for breaching the contract:

The numerous sightings has led to Samsung suing Sobchak for a reported 108 million rubles (approximately $1.6 million) for breach of contract. It is unknown how much Sobchak was originally paid by Samsung, but it is likely the suits claimed damages are far higher in value, including penalties for breaking the agreement. 

Still, its not known just how much Sobchak was paid by Samsung to promote the brand.

Its not uncommon for companies to pay for brand ambassadors. But its also not uncommon for brand ambassadors to use different devices than the ones they are being paid to promote. Thats the reality of it, though, and its a business decision.

[via AppleInsider
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Obtained by ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- Investigators are frantically looking for clues after a growing list of suspicious packages were intercepted across the country, either on their way or delivered to top Democratic figures -- including two former Democratic presidents -- and others.

As of midday Thursday, law enforcement officials have confirmed at least 14 devices have been found.

On Wednesday, officials said the packages all contained an explosive device, adding that similar packages could still be out there.

The FBI, ATF, Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, NYPD and other authorities are investigating.

One new package was discovered in New York City on Friday as well as a new package in South Florida, where investigators are paying close attention to a particular mail facility. Two others were found in different parts of California.

Authorities reported Friday that one person is in custody in connection to the bombs.

Here is what we know about how the events unfolded:

Monday Oct. 22

3:45 p.m.

A suspicious device is found at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

His home is located about 50 miles north of Manhattan, in the town of Katonah, which is in Westchester County, New York.

The device was found to be a pipe bomb loaded with explosive black powder and is believed to have been hand-delivered to Soros' suburban home.

The bomb was found by a property caretaker for the billionaire, a law enforcement source said. The caretaker told investigators he noticed a suspicious envelope as he was walking toward the house. He dropped it in the woods away from the residence and called the Bedford Police Department, which sent officers to the scene.

Bedford police said the investigation was turned over to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Soros, 88, was not home when the device was discovered, and no one was injured in the incident.

Tuesday Oct. 23

The U.S. Secret Service discovered a single package that was addressed to Hillary Clinton on Oct. 23.

The Secret Service said in a statement that it was addressed to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Westchester County.

Hillary Clinton, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have a home in the suburb of Chappaqua where they have lived since leaving the White House in 2000.

Former President Clinton was at home at the time the package was found, according to a source familiar with the situation, who also stressed that the package was screened and discovered away from the residence.

Wednesday, Oct. 24

Early this morning

The third suspicious device was found early this morning, according to the Secret Service in a statement released at roughly 9:35 a.m. That device was addressed to the residence of former President Barack Obama but it was intercepted by the Secret Service.

The Secret Service, referring to the packages sent to the Obamas and Clintons, said they were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handles as such. The protectees did not received the devices nor were they at risk of receiving them.

The Naval District of Washington confirmed to ABC News that Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling identified a suspicious package this morning. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is home to the Secret Service's mail screening facility for the White House and those under Secret Service protection in D.C.

9:38 a.m.

The fourth suspicious package was discovered at 9:38 a.m. at the Time Warner Center in Manhattans Columbus Circle. The Time Warner Center is home to CNNs New York offices.

Law enforcement sources report that the package was discovered in the mail room and addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, though Brennan is a NBC News contributor and has no public ties to CNN.

10:09 a.m.

CNN anchors were on air at the time of the discovery and a fire alarm could be heard going off in the middle of the broadcast.

A few floors of the building were evacuated, and eventually, the whole building.

12:04 p.m.

President Donald Trump shared a tweet by Vice President Mike Pence, decrying the foiled attacks.

"We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice." Pence wrote in his tweet, published at 11:14 a.m.

Trump retweeted Pence's post, writing: "I agree wholeheartedly."

12:30 p.m.

Hillary Clinton was in Florida for a campaign event and made brief remarks addressing the news about the package that was intercepted.

Many of you and others across our country have asked after me and my family and I'm very grateful for that. We are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home. Every day we are grateful to their service and commitment... never more than today, Clinton said.

12:47 p.m.

Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that a suspicious package was also sent to former Attorney General Eric Holder.

The location and status of that Holder package remain unknown.

Holder served as the attorney general for former President Obama.

12:50 p.m.

NYPD commissioner James ONeill revealed at a news conference that white powder was also found in the search following the discovery of the Time Warner Center suspicious package.

During the same news conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that "a device was sent to my office in Manhattan." NYPD officials later determined that there was no device at Cuomo's office and reports of a suspicious package were unrelated to the other incidents.

"We wouldn't be surprised if additional devices are sent," Cuomo said.

1:00 p.m.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that U.S. Capitol Police are investigating at least one suspicious package containing a possible device that was intercepted at a congressional mail sorting facility in Maryland.

The Capitol Police bomb squad responded to the scene.

It was later determined that this package had been addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California.

2:23 p.m.

Trump spoke briefly at a previously scheduled White House event, calling the incidents "abhorrent" and "despicable acts."

"The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority," Trump said, noting that he "just concluded" a briefing with various law enforcement agencies about the packages.

"As we speak, the packages are being inspected by top explosive experts and a major federal investigation is underway," he said.

"In these times we have to unify, we have to come together," Trump said, adding "that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

"We're extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we've witnessed this morning and we will get to the bottom of it," Trump said.

First lady Melania Trump also condemned the attacks, speaking at the same event moments before her husband.

"We cannot tolerate these cowardly attacks and I strongly condemn all who choose violence," she said.

2:30 p.m.

The NYPD confirmed that the earlier suspicious package at Cuomo's office in midtown Manhattan was unrelated to the string of suspicious packages and there was no device inside.

3 p.m.

Former President Bill Clinton made his first public statement, praising the work of the Secret Service.

"Thank you to the @SecretService and all law enforcement agencies who responded to this week's incidents. They work tirelessly to keep our country and communities safe. I am forever grateful for their efforts," Clinton wrote on Twitter.

Roughly 3:30 p.m.

Waters released a statement about the package that was addressed to her congressional office in D.C.

"I have been informed by U.S. Capitol Police that my Washington, DC office was the target of a suspicious package that has been referred to the FBI. I am appreciative of the law enforcement entities who intercepted the package and are investigating this matter. I unequivocally condemn any and all acts of violence and terror," Waters said in a statement.

Roughly 3:50 p.m.

Sources familiar with the investigation shared new information about the package that had been addressed to Holder, which was found in Florida.

Like the package that was addressed to Brennan, the package to Holder had a return address to Debbie Wasserman Shultz, a Democratic congresswoman and former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The Holder package could not be delivered for some reason, the sources said, and it was ultimately sent to Wasserman Shultz in Florida. It's unclear exactly why the package addressed to Holder couldn't be delivered.

7:55 p.m.

FBI special agents responded to a call at a U.S. Postal Facility in Los Angeles where a package was addressed to Waters. Special agents and bomb technicians are en route to the scene.

Around 9:15 p.m.

The FBI had released a list of five packages -- which were addressed to Soros, Clinton, Obama, Brennan and Holder -- earlier in the day but on Wednesday evening, an FBI source confirmed that they were looking into two additional packages.

"We have now confirmed two additional packages, both addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, that are similar in appearance to the other packages," the source said.

The first Waters package was confirmed by the congresswoman in a statement earlier in the day, and the second was believed to have been found in Los Angeles, where the California congresswoman has an office.

By the end of the day on Wednesday, there had been a total of seven packages confirmed by law enforcement.

Thursday Oct. 25

5 a.m.

Security personnel at the lower Manhattan office of Robert De Niro's production company called the NYPD because they had seen a suspicious package addressed to the Oscar winner.

The package, found in the mailroom of Tribeca Productions, was similar to those recovered Wednesday.

The bomb squad responded and examined the package, with a similar device inside. It was discovered under X-ray.

5:20 a.m.

Multiple law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation in Los Angeles told ABC News that the package found there on Wednesday night did contain a live explosive device and that the device was consistent with those on the East Coast.

6:30 a.m.

The suspicious package found at De Niro's office was removed and transported to the NYPD's range at Rodmans Neck in the Bronx via bomb truck. A law enforcement source told ABC News that it appears to be from the same sender as the earlier packages.

8:36 a.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden appears to have become the latest high-profile Democratic target, as multiple sources tell ABC News that a package addressed to Biden was found at a postal facility in New Castle, Delaware. It bore similarities to the other packages that were recovered over the course of the past three days.

The FBI and ATF responded to the facility as part of the ongoing investigation of improvised explosive devices sent to high-profile figures this week. Authorities now believe this is the ninth package tied to the investigation.

10:35 a.m.

The FBI tweeted that the discovery of a second device directed at Biden, which was also found in the former vice president's home state of Delaware, has been found.

"The #FBI has confirmed three additional packages, similar in appearance to the others  one in New York addressed to Robert DeNiro, and two in Delaware addressed to former Vice President Joseph Biden," the FBI tweeted.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that the second package was addressed to Biden and was found at a postal facility in Wilmington, Delaware.

The FBI and other authorities have responded to that location, according to an FBI spokesman.

5:07 p.m.

Federal authorities are chasing promising leads pointing them to South Florida as a suspected origin of at least some of the potential bombs sent to prominent Democrats and others this week, multiple sources told ABC News.

The sources said law enforcement agencies are deploying additional resources to the area.

7:26 p.m.

The Miami-Dade police posted on Twitter that its bomb squad was working with federal authorities at a mail facility in Opa Locka, located just west of North Miami Beach.

Shortly after 8 p.m.

The shops and restaurants in the Time Warner Center in New York's Columbus Circle was evacuated by the NYPD after reports of suspicious packages were discovered. The Time Warner Center, which also houses CNN's New York offices, had been evacuated the day before as a result of the suspected bomb that had been discovered in the mail room.

The NYPD announced that "it was a false alarm" after the bomb squad analyzed "a couple of unattended packages inside the mall."

Friday, Oct. 26

7:02 a.m.

A postal facility in Opa Locka, Florida, has emerged as a focal point for investigators trying to track down the sender of the suspected mail bombs, law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

The Opa Locka location is one of the postal centers the packages may have moved through and the Miami-Dade police bomb squad swept the facility at the request of the FBI as a precautionary measure.

Investigators were led to south Florida in part by forensic evidence gleaned from the packages and from US Postal Service images of mail that is processed through their facilities.

8:34 a.m.

Another package -- the 11th -- has been recovered at or near Opa Locka. That package was addressed to Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.

9:13 a.m.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that the NYPD received a call at 8:14 a.m. for a suspicious package from a post office in midtown Manhattan.

The sources said a preliminary assessment indicates one package was found at the facility and it appeared similar to others recovered this week. That package -- No. 12 -- was addressed to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

11:05 a.m.

A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed that a person is in custody in relation to the suspected package bombs.

The suspect was tracked using a cell phone, according to multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Authorities have recovered a cell phone, a laptop computer and other electronic devices from this suspect.

Department of Justice officials are slated to hold a news conference at the Department of Justice at 2:30 p.m. today with more information.

12:38 p.m.

The suspect was identified by law enforcement officials as Cesar Soyac, a 56-year-old man based in Aventura, Florida.

The case against Sayoc will be handled by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, according to a senior law enforcement official. He is required to appear first in the jurisdiction in which he was arrested, the Southern District of Florida, but authorities are not yet certain whether that will happen today

1:47 p.m.

Another suspicious package was discovered in Sacramento, California, and multiple sources tell ABC News that it was addressed to Sen. Kamala Harris.

An FBI Evidence Response Team and bomb techs are on scene along with the Sacramento County Sheriffs Bomb Squad.

The package addressed to Harris marks the 13th suspicious package addressed to a high-profile Democratic politician or prominent figure.

2:36 p.m.

The 14th suspicious package was identified, with billionaire philanthropist and liberal donor Tom Steyer identifying himself as the intended target.

The package was intercepted at a mail facility in Burlingame, California.

"We're thankful that everyone we work with at NextGen America and Need to Impeach is safe -- that's always our first priority, and will continue to be our first priority," Steyer said in a statement.

"We are seeing a systematic attack on our democracy and our rule of law that extends much further than just one isolated terrorist in Florida. Whether it's voter suppression, voter intimidation, attacks on our free press, gerrymandering, or attempted violence -- the trust and norms that are the actual basis for our civil society and political system are being eroded. It's time for the Republican Party to denounce any attacks on the rights and dignity of any American and begin to work on building the broadest and most comprehensive democracy possible for each and every American," Steyer said in the statement.

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Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in the Central Okanagan went on strike at 6 a.m. Wednesday for 24 hours as part of rotating strikes across the country. Above, Kelowna workers picket outside the Canada Post depot on Baillie Road.
The Saudi Arabia flag flies outside the country's consul general's official residence in Istanbul, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Turkey's state-run news agency says Saudi officials did not allow Turkish investigators, probing the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, to search a well in the garden of the Saudi Consulate. Turkish forensic teams have searched the Consulate, the consul general's official residence as well as vehicles belonging to the consulate as part of their probe into Khashoggi's disappearance and death. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Sebelum Anda bermain, Anda perlu mengetahui apa yang Anda butuhkan untuk masuk ke dalam permainan roulette kasino online ini. Jika Anda sudah mendaftar di situs judi casino online dan sudah memberikan user ID, login terlebih dahulu dan pilih menu live casino yang tertera di situs judi tersebut. Pertama pilih dealer dan putuskan sendiri, lalu pilih meja atau kursi di dalam ruangan. Jika namanya tertera dan berwarna coklat, maka kursi tersebut sudah ditempati oleh pemain lain, dan pilihlah kursi kosong berwarna hitam.

Kasino Roulette adalah salah satu permainan paling populer di situs perjudian kasino. Jadi dalam permainan ini kamu harus menebak angka berapa yang akan keluar. Ada 36 nomor berbeda dalam permainan populer ini di mana sebuah bola kecil diputar dan dilemparkan ke dalam mesin roulette. Anda harus menebak dari mana bola kecil itu masuk dan di nomor berapa ia berhenti. Ada banyak jenis pilihan angka dari 0-36, dan mereka dihitung secara berbeda. Sebagai agen casino terpercaya, panduan permainan roulette ini juga memberikan informasi tentang jenis pilihan dan nama permainan roulette casino online sebagai berikut:

Jika Anda ingin bermain roulette di situs kasino online, caranya sangat sederhana. Anda dapat bermain di Kasino ION, Kasino Sbobet, dan Situs Kasino. Di bawah ini adalah artikel panduan bermain di mana Anda dapat mempelajari roulette langsung dan memainkannya di situs judi online mana pun.

tangkapan layar

Sebelum Anda bermain, Anda perlu mengetahui apa yang Anda butuhkan untuk masuk ke dalam permainan roulette kasino online ini. Jika Anda sudah mendaftar di situs judi casino online dan sudah memberikan user ID, login terlebih dahulu dan pilih menu live casino yang tertera di situs judi online tersebut. Pertama pilih dealer dan putuskan sendiri, lalu pilih meja atau kursi di dalam ruangan. Jika namanya tertera dan berwarna coklat, maka kursi tersebut sudah ditempati oleh pemain lain, dan pilihlah kursi kosong berwarna hitam.

Panduan Bermain Online Kasino Roulette

Kasino Roulette adalah salah satu permainan paling populer di situs perjudian kasino. Jadi dalam permainan ini kamu harus menebak angka berapa yang akan keluar. Ada 36 nomor berbeda dalam permainan populer ini di mana sebuah bola kecil diputar dan dilemparkan ke dalam mesin roulette. Anda harus menebak dari mana bola kecil itu masuk dan di nomor berapa ia berhenti. Ada banyak jenis pilihan angka dari 0-36, dan mereka dihitung secara berbeda. Sebagai agen casino terpercaya, panduan permainan roulette ini juga memberikan informasi tentang jenis pilihan dan nama permainan roulette casino online sebagai berikut:

1. Straight Up: Penempatan angka tunggal dari 0 hingga 36. Contoh perhitungan straight up adalah mengalikan taruhan dengan 35. Ini adalah jenis taruhan tertinggi dalam permainan roulette kasino, jadi 50 dikalikan dengan 35 memberi Anda 1750, mengapa jenis taruhan ini menghasilkan pengembalian yang begitu tinggi? Hal ini karena tidak mudah untuk memenangkan pilihan nomor dengan memilih hanya satu nomor dari banyak.

2. Taruhan split: Jenis taruhan yang ditempatkan pada dua angka atau di antara dua angka yang berbeda. Misalnya, menempatkan di sela-sela angka 9 dan 12 atau 13d dan 14 dihitung sebagai jenis taruhan split. Setiap nomor dapat ditempatkan dalam jenis ini selama nomor tersebut berdekatan dan persis seperti Gambar A dan B. Untuk taruhan ini, jika Anda memenangkan contoh dan mengalikannya dengan 850, Anda akan menerima jumlah taruhan yang dikalikan dengan 17. .

3. Taruhan jalanan: bertaruh dengan 3 angka ke bawah, misalnya 1,2,3 atau 10,11,12. Semua taruhan jalan akan menerima kemenangan dikalikan dengan 11. Misalnya, 50 dikalikan 550.

4. Taruhan sudut: Jenis taruhan di mana empat angka ditempatkan saling berhadapan, seperti 13,14,16,17 atau 19,20,22,23. Semua angka valid karena terdiri dari 4 angka yang diisi seperti kotak dan taruhan dikalikan 8 (misalnya 50 kali 800).

5. Taruhan baris: Atau, Anda dapat mengatakan bahwa ada 6 jenis taruhan yang terdiri dari 2 baris, tetapi 6 poin dengan 2 peregangan, seperti taruhan jalanan. Misalnya, jika Anda memilih angka 7 hingga 12 dan 13 hingga 18, taruhan 50 adalah 5 kali dan kemudian dikalikan dengan 250 kemenangan.

6. Kolom Inner Bet: Jenis taruhan vertikal dengan 12 poin berturut-turut, seperti kolom numerik 1,4,7,10,13,19,22,25,25,28,22,24,34 atau kolom lainnya. Dan jika dia memenangkan kolom, 50 taruhan digandakan dan 100 taruhan.

7. Lusin : Jenis taruhan menempatkan 12 angka tetapi menempatkannya pada kotak berbentuk seperti contoh Kolom A dengan angka 1 sampai 12 dan odds dengan kolom lain untuk dipilih dengan memilih 1 kotak pertama untuk Kolom A. Kalikan dengan 2, 50 taruhan 100.

8. Zero part : Cara bertaruh 0.1,2,3 sama persis seperti di gambar, karena berdekatan dengan angka 0, anda hanya bisa bertaruh 0.1,2,3. Menempatkan taruhan ini mengalikannya dengan 50. hingga 8.

9. Zero Corner: Bertaruh pada angka 0.1,2 atau 0.2,3 adalah dua pilihan karena Anda hanya bertaruh mendekati angka nol. Jenis taruhan ini dikalikan 11 jika taruhan menang.

10. Two Dozen: Jenis taruhan dengan hanya dua pilihan: 1-18 atau 19-36. Jika taruhan Anda adalah 50, itu dikalikan dengan 1 hingga 50 jika Anda menang.

11. Merah atau Hitam: Masukkan taruhan Anda dengan memilih Merah atau Hitam sebagai warna angka yang muncul saat taruhan 50.

12. Genap/Ganjil: Pilih angka yang menghasilkan jumlah jenis taruhan ganjil.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa - If you or someone you know is in the market for an age-friendly community, you might want to look at Charles City, which is planned to become AARP's next livable community in Iowa after Des Moines.

Community members gathered at the public library on Tuesday afternoon to discuss what it means to be a livable community (which AARP defines as a safe and secure place, have age-friendly and affordable housing and transportation options, social participation like access to shopping and outdoor spaces, includes vital services like health care providers, as well as civic participation and employment, and respect and social inclusion), as well as giving feedback on how to improve.

In addition, Charles City is being selected for a pilot rural outreach program to share their ideas with other potential cities.

State Director Brad Anderson says that the program is just the beginning of what they plan to branch out into a larger network.

"Our vision is 5 years from now, we're going to have 10-15, maybe even 20 communities within this age-friendly network, and Charles City's going to be one of the first."

Anderson adds that Charles City was chosen for this distinction, and for the pilot program, for a couple main reasons.

"Charles City is really, I think, the perfect city to become the first rural age friendly city in Iowa, in part because they have visionary leaders in Charles City, but also because we have a lot of AARP members right here in Charles City as well."

Anderson notes that Charles City has just over 400 AARP members in town alone, out of 370,000 members statewide.

Charles City will be the second livable community in Iowa after Des Moines, which joined the network in 2012.
MABEL, Minn. - Mabel-Canton School District was chosen to receive government funding to update their school security measures. Minnesota legislature approved $25 million for school districts' safety programs. Mabel-Canton applied for $463,000 and received $433,500.

With this money, Superintendent Gary Kuphal tells KIMT the school will be able to do almost everything they were hoping to update the school's currently minimal school security system. "Theoretically, people could come into the building and never check in and be free to go throughout the building so that's one of the things we really are focusing on changing," he explains.

With the money, the school is planning to build a new front entrance that requires people to check in to the district office before they are able to access the rest of the school. They will also be able to lock down all school doors at the push of a button.

With instances of school violence around the nation, Mabel-Canton wants teachers, students, and parents to feel at-ease that the school is safe.

"We always like to think that it's not going to happen to us, being a small school and Minnesota nice, you think you know everyone but we have to think that it could happen to us," says middle and high school language arts teacher Heather Wilder.

The district expects to have the money by July of next year to begin the improvements.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A not guilty plea has been entered for an April drug bust.

Timothy Charles Cassady, 42 of Mason City, is charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, unlawful possession of a prescription drug, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of liquid testosterone. He was arrested after authorities say a search of his home found 214 grams of marijuana in several plastic bags.

Investigators say they also discovered several pills, a baggie of 2.2 grams of meth, and two small vials of liquid testosterone.

Cassady is now due to stand trial on January 15, 2019.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A man accused of trying to sell a stolen truck is pleading not guilty.

Authorities say Christopher John Heyden, 34 of Manly, bought the truck for $300 and tried to sell it for $500. Law enforcement says not only was the vehicle worth around $2,000 but Heyden didnt get the title when he supposedly bought it.

Heyden is charged with 2nd degree theft as Mason City police say he should have known he was buying a stolen vehicle in the first place and should not have attempted to sell it.

His trial is set to start on December 4.
FOREST CITY, Iowa  A Titonka woman accused of embezzling from a Forest City business is pleading not guilty.

Authorities say Amy Lynn Richter, 49, used company credit cards, house charge accounts, payroll cash advances, and company checking accounts to steal $51,408.51 from Eddys Glass and Door. The thefts reportedly happened between May 2017 and June 2018.

Richter pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 1st degree theft and two counts of forgery. Her trial is set for December 5.
OSAGE, Iowa  A man accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old child is pleading guilty.

Louis Andris Stroberg, 70 of Osage, was charged in August 2017 with 2nd degree sexual abuse and lascivious acts with a child. The criminal complaint says Stroberg initially denied the charges but admitted performing a sex act on the child before being given a polygraph test.

Stroberg entered a guilty plea to lascivious acts with a child on Wednesday in Mitchell County District Court. His sentencing is set for December 18.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Many of our communities thrive on small businesses, yet those companies are the ones that often face the most challenges.

Former and current small business owners gathered on Tuesday in Rochester for a roundtable.

It takes big risks to dive into small business, and it's especially risky when it comes to money and health insurance coverage.

Matt Fursa co-owns D6 Games in Rochester, and doesn't have health insurance.

He's like many small business owners that faces challenges, one of them being able to pay for their own health insurance, as well as cover their employees.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 28.5 million people did not have health insurance in 2017.

Andrew Pruett and his wife are two people that didn't take the risk of owning a small business because of this.

"One of the biggest reasons my wife and I did not quit our full time jobs to go and do the thing that we loved very much, which was beekeeping ya know full time on our own, was because we were afraid," Pruett said. "We were afraid of what would happen if we got hurt. What would happen if we both ended up in the hospital."

Healthcare is a big topic in Minnesota's First Congressional District Race.

DFL candidate Dan Feehan spoke at Tuesday's roundtable, and thinks coverage should start with a common goal.

"Everyone deserves affordable healthcare," Feehan said, "and that's a principle we are not adhering to as a country. I think the biggest solution starts with providing more options to it. One option is to introduce a public option, that allows people to buy into Medicare."

Republican candidate Jim Hagedorn campaigned in Houston County Tuesday. However, we caught up with him on the issue when President Trump came to Rochester. His viewpoint is very different than Feehan's.

"They [Democrats] want socialized medicine," Hagedorn said. "What would that do for the city of Rochester, Olmsted County, and Southern Minnesota? You're talking about the government coming in and basically running the system. That's going to change the model for Mayo, that's going to put at risk about 40,000 jobs right here in this area. What's going to happen to their wages? What's going to happen to their benefits?"

It's worth the discussion, given the fact that every year more than a million people from all over the world come to Mayo Clinic for care.
WORTH COUNTY, Iowa  Authorities are asking people and businesses to be aware of fake currency being passed in Worth County.

The sheriffs office said on Wednesday that it received a call regarding counterfeit $50 bills being passed at businesses throughout the county.

Authorities are urging people to do proper checks to be sure the currency is not counterfeit.
CLARION, Iowa  A Wright County woman is going to prison for a burglary involving dozens of guns and thousands of dollars in stolen property.

Tina Renee Smith, 38 of Belmond, was charged in April 2017 with 1st degree theft, 2nd degree burglary, and 3rd degree arson. Authorities say Smith robbed an empty home in the 1300 block of Reed Avenue in Belmond in December 2016. Shes accused of stealing about 30 guns, silver and gold antique housewares, coins, ammunition, jewelry, tools, art, clocks, and food and beverages.

Court documents state the items stolen were worth over $10,000 combined.

In addition, authorities say Smith tried to set a fire and burn down the home after robbing it but the building did not catch fire.

Smith eventually pleaded guilty to 2nd degree theft and was sentenced Wednesday to up to five years in prison, with credit for time served, and must pay restitution to her victim.




By Dong Sun-hwa







Three A-list actors  Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo and Ma Dong-seok  will make a rare team-up for the big-budget sci-fi film "Mount Paektu."







They recently gave final approval for their appearance in the movie, according to reports. Star director Kim Yong-hwa will guide shooting that begins next year with a 20 billion won ($17.7 million) budget.







"Mount Paektu" will show covert operatives from the two Koreas struggling to prevent a volcanic eruption of Mount Paektu, a sacred 2,744-meter mountain straddling the North Korea-China border.







Lee will play a North Korean agent struggling to prevent an eruption, while Ha is a South Korean agent on the same mission. Ma will appear as a scientist.






A gas station in Seoul shows its prices for gasoline and diesel per liter. Yonhap



By Park Hyong-ki





The government announced Wednesday that it will temporarily lower the tax on refined fuel products such as gasoline and diesel to help ease the financial burden on low- and middle-income earners, and small businesses.



Under the new measure, the government will cut fuel taxes by 15 percent from Nov. 6 for six months, which it expects will reduce gasoline prices by up to 123 won per liter and diesel prices by 87 won per liter.



However, politicians and market analysts have shown lukewarm responses regarding the government's move, with data showing such a move in the past did not work and did not benefit the income groups intended.



As long as international oil prices keep rising, the effects of lowering the fuel tax rate would be limited, some lawmakers of the National Assembly Finance Committee argue.



Korea reduced the tax by 10 percent from March to December 2008, but the average gasoline price here rose instead by 3 percent over that period, said Rep. Yoo Sung-yup of the Party for Democracy and Peace during a National Assembly audit of the finance ministry, Oct. 19.



The reason behind the price rise was global oil prices, which rose nearly 8 percent to $95.4 per barrel then.








By Kang Seung-woo







Signiel Seoul's Stay receives Michelin star



Stay, the modern French restaurant at the Signiel Seoul Hotel, has earned a Michelin star.



The facility opened in April last year on the property's 81st floor, led by chef Yannick Alleno.



Stay has become the second restaurant of the hotel to receive a coveted Michelin star status following Bicena, a classy Korean restaurant which was first awarded one star in the Michelin guide in 2016.



Signiel is the only hotel in Korea to have a Michelin star restaurant for both Western food and Korean dishes.







Mercure Ambassador Gangnam offers diverse Mexican dishes



The Mercure Seoul Ambassador Gangnam Sodowe is hosting its Mexican cuisine promotion until the end of November.



At its Sodowe Restaurant on the second floor, while enjoying a buffet loaded with various Mexican food, guests can pick one main dish from seven options. The buffet menu includes quesadilla, taco, fajita, tortilla salad and avocado salad.



The promotion is available from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays only.







Sheraton D Cube City to host one-day dinner event



The Sheraton D Cube City Hotel will hold a Wine and Dine evening on Nov. 12.



Its executive chef Henning Leue will present a wine pairing five-course dinner at its 41st-floor restaurant Feast.



Guests will be able to taste cured salmon, followed by consomme, sea bass, steak with black truffle sauce and sweet mango ravioli as dessert.



The Wine and Dine is a one-day event that starts from 7 p.m. and those who want to experience the mid-autumn night dinner are required to make a reservation due to the limited number of seats.




Unique cuisine with natural flavors appeals to Koreans



By Kang Seung-woo



An appealing holiday destination thanks to its natural attractions, Finland is now seeking to take Korean travelers on a gastronomic journey with its unique Finnish cuisine that aims to bring nature to the dining table.





Sari Hey, public relations manager at Visit Finland, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Visit Finland

Visit Finland, an organization promoting tourism for the North European country, held a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday, to introduce Finnish cuisine the essence of which lies in pure, simple and local ingredients prepared to accentuate natural flavors.



"Being avid travelers, Koreans are increasingly exposed to diverse cultures worldwide and now seem to seek something new and more wholesome. Finland will prove to be the perfect destination for these experienced travelers," said Sari Hey, public relations manager at Visit Finland.



Jani Toivanen, the program coordinator, said Finland is a haven of clean and naturally nutrient-rich foods.



"The long summer days and cool temperatures enhance the aromas of and pigments in wild berries, while clean soil, clean air and clean water of Finland's northern location nurture the best ingredients," he said.



Also, Toivanen said Finns appreciate simplicity and honesty in all things and are deeply rooted in cooking.



"Everything starts with clean ingredients and less is usually more," he said.



"Whether it is Arctic char or a mushroom, you must be able to taste every ingredient by itself as well as the harmony with other flavors on the plate."





Finnish mushroom soup
By Kang Aa-young





Baek Jong-won Hwang Kyo-ik
SNU consumer studies Professor Kim Nan-do speaks during a press conference for promoting the book "Trend Korea 2019" in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Miraebook Publishing Co.



Best-selling author unveils consumer trend outlook for 2019



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Seoul National University (SNU) consumer studies Professor Kim Nan-do, in collaboration with the Consumer Trend Research Institute of SNU, has unveiled the 2019 consumption trend outlook which reveals the trends consumers should be aware of, opportunities for growth, and which markets are emerging.



"The upcoming year, 2019, is the Year of the Pig, a year often regarded as a symbol of good luck and fortune," Kim said during a press conference to promote his new book "Trend Korea 2019" in Seoul, Wednesday. "So we reported 'PIGGY DREAM' as the main catchphrase."



The term is made up of an acronym of 10 consumption trend keywords. Professor Kim and his team have reported on consumer keywords and published the "Trend Korea" series annually, and the year 2019 marks its 11th anniversary.



Already a best-selling author of "Youth, It's Painful," Kim has studied millennial behavioral trends and how industries should react to the evolving needs of the young generation.



Kim predicted "Play the Concept" as one of the trends for Korea in 2019. Consumers are interested in products that match buyers' self-concept. Brands and prices are secondary factors in their decision when choosing products to purchase.



Next is "Invite to the 'Cell Market.'" As mobile devices and social media are essential for millennials, influencers partner with businesses to create new products or sell them. Those who sell these products via their blogs and Instagram accounts are sometimes referred to in Korea as "sellsumers," a portmanteau of "sell" and "consumers".



Another rising trend is "Going New-tro." Often the term "retro" is meant to bring back nostalgia. But Generation Z also shows interest in throwbacks such as cassette tapes and vintage watches. By targeting them and reinterpreting past objects, businesses can promote their brand heritage and archives.



"Green Survival" is a much-debated trend, but Professor Kim claims that saving the environment is not optional anymore. It's a mandatory concern that is directly linked to human survival.



"You are my Proxy Emotion" trend represents how Koreans are vague in showing off their emotions. Living in a digitalized society, the general public is hesitant in expressing themselves, and so uses emoticons or images to represent their hidden feelings.





Book cover of "Trend Korea 2019"
President Moon Jae-in presides over a Cabinet meeting held in Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



President Moon Jae-in ratified an agreement signed between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their third summit in Pyongyang last month.



"Moon ratified the Pyongyang Joint Declaration. An official announcement will soon follow," a Cheong Wa Dae official said.



As a procedural step for the ratification, the Cabinet earlier approved the declaration, as well as a separate inter-Korean military agreement reached at the summit.



The move comes after the Ministry of Government Legislation concluded that obtaining the National Assembly's consent for ratification of the two agreements was not necessary as a broader inter-Korean agreement, the Panmunjom Declaration reached at the first Moon-Kim summit in April, is undergoing the Assembly ratification process.



The conservative parties sharply criticized the move, claiming Moon was backtracking on his earlier pledge to seek parliamentary consent for inter-Korean deals.



However, the presidential office said the ratification of the two agreements will boost the wider implementation of promises made in Pyongyang.



"At the Vatican, Pope Francis directly mentioned his willingness to visit North Korea. The U.K. and France, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), clearly showed their backing in terms of denuclearization as well as the peace process. The international community is on our side. I hope to win more support from the public in the ongoing process," Moon said at the Cabinet meeting, according to press pool reports.



The two Korea are engaging in military trust-building, the President said. "Once we see further progress in the easing of military tensions and the development of inter-Korean relations, then the whole denuclearization process will accelerate," Moon said, adding the agreement will also help promote human rights in North Korea.



The promises made at Panmunjeom in April and Pyongyang in September face the difficulties of the limits of economic cooperation under the extensive international sanctions regime on North Korea, and the issue of denuclearization.






South Korean business people who ran factories in the Kaesong Industrial Complex are pushing to visit the now-suspended industrial park in the North Korean border town next week at the earliest, a government official said Wednesday.



Baek Tae-hyun, a spokesman of the Ministry of Unification, said that the Seoul government is discussing with North Korea details of the South Korean business owners' visit to Kaesong.



"The business owners need to visit the Kaesong Industrial Complex to protect their property rights and inspect their assets. Discussions with the North are still underway, and the schedule has yet to be fixed," Baek said in a media briefing.



In this regard, ministry officials said about 150 business people are expected to make single-day trips to Kaesong in small groups for three days starting Oct. 31.



Baek then stressed that the business owners' planned visit to Kaesong is only aimed at protecting their property rights and has nothing to do with the resumption of the industrial park.



He explained that the Kaesong visit has been pushed in accordance with an inter-Korean summit agreement signed in Pyongyang last month.



Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon also told the National Assembly early this month that the government was discussing the South Korean business people's visit to Kaesong separately from the reopening of the North's industrial park.



The government of former President Park Geun-hye abruptly announced the closure of the Kaesong park on Feb. 10, 2016, in retaliation for the North's fourth nuclear weapons test and long-range missile launch.



Since then, the South Korean owners of Kaesong factories have never set foot in the North Korean industrial complex, though they have applied for a visit to the North's border town six times.



President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed in their September summit to normalize the Kaesong Industrial Park and South Koreans' tour of the North's Mount Kumgang as soon as conditions are met.



Meanwhile, the Committee for Emergency Measures for Kaesong Industrial Complex has begun relevant preparations for the Kaesong visit.



A committee official said the number of Kaesong visitors is expected to reach 150 people, including representatives of 123 firms that ran factories in Kaesong and 30 support facilities, such as convenience stores and restaurants.



The official said the visitors will likely be divided into six teams, each of which will be around 26 people, and one each will go to the Kaesong park in the morning and the afternoon for three days. (Yonhap)






By Kim Bo-eun



A group of businesspeople who had operations at the now-stalled inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong will visit there next week.



They will inspect production facilities there, South Korean officials said Wednesday. However, speculation is rampant that their visit is a step toward reopening the complex.



The issue could create a rift between Seoul and Washington, which have been reportedly at odds over maintaining sanctions against Pyongyang. The U.S. has insisted reopening the complex would violate international sanctions.



The visit will be the first since South Korea shut down the complex in February 2016, due to the North's missile and nuclear provocations. Since then, the businesspeople have filed six requests for visits, including three this year _ the unification ministry has turned all of them down.



The ministry's approval this time is seen as reflecting the current circumstances in which economic cooperation with the North has seemingly become more viable. The ministry, however, said the visit was not related to resuming operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC).






By Lee Min-hyung



Seoul is on track to reduce or cancel planned military drills in line with the ongoing inter-Korean tension-easing despite concerns the move may weaken defense readiness here.



Last week, the Pentagon said Washington and Seoul will suspend their upcoming joint air defense exercise, Vigilant Ace, scheduled to take place in December, as part of a bargaining chip for North Korea to speed up its denuclearization.



The decision came amid the rare peace gesture from Pyongyang which has in recent months urged Seoul and Washington to stop their joint annual drills. The regime has viewed such joint drills as a potential security threat, calling it the biggest stumbling block to prevent inter-Korean reconciliation.



Aside from the Seoul-Washington joint drills, South Korea has also decided to cancel its own military training. The biannual drill, taking place on the South's East Sea area, was supposed to take place next month, but the military decided to cancel it following an inter-Korean military agreement last month.



Under the agreement, South Korea set a buffer zone spanning 80 kilometers in the East Sea, as part of efforts to alleviate maritime military tension with North Korea.



"Starting from Nov. 1, South Korea cannot conduct a planned exercise there due to the military agreement," a government official said, asking for anonymity. "The Army, however, plans to hold an artillery drill by shifting the venue in a bid to maintain combat readiness."



The Army and the Navy have joined forces to conduct the drill each year in April and November with a view to keeping a solid defense posture in the face of possible military provocations from North Korea.



The decision is not the first of its kind, as the South Korean government is in a position to stop provoking the North to extend the dialogue momentum and keep the regime on the dialogue table.



In June this year, Seoul and Washington decided to suspend their joint large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise scheduled to kick off in August. Seoul and Washington have reached a consensus over the suspension in return for North Korea's pledge to realize what it calls the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for his southern counterpart President Moon Jae-in to take corresponding "peace-building" measures during their summit talks which were held three times this year.



In a recent European tour, President Moon also asked for international society to ease tough sanctions imposed on the North, so that Kim Jong-un can continue taking steps for peace on the peninsula.


By Lee Min-hyung



South Korea will propose to North Korea that the envisioned inter-Korean military committee be headed by vice minister-level officials from both sides in an effort to prevent possible border conflicts.



In September, the two Koreas agreed to launch a joint military committee to fulfill a series of inter-Korean military agreements signed during a summit in Pyongyang between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.



Details of the launch of the committee are expected to be discussed during the planned inter-Korean general-level military dialogue on Friday.



According to the defense ministry here, Seoul plans to propose Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk as the head of the committee on its side, and expects the North's Army General So Hong-chan, first vice minister of the regime's People's Armed Forces, to lead the northern side of the committee.



The Ministry of National Defense said details will be refined during the upcoming military dialogue.



On Wednesday, Suh attended a two-day defense forum in Beijing, and discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, keen attention has been drawn over whether Suh can meet with a North Korean delegation led by another vice defense minister of the regime, Kim Hyong-ryong.



"No schedules have been arranged for the vice ministerial meeting from the two Koreas during the forum, but Suh and his northern counterpart can meet immediately," South Korea's defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said.



Suh plans to meet with military delegations from 67 countries, and ask for continued support for the ongoing peace momentum. He is also expected to urge international society to support North Korea's pledge for denuclearization.



Expectations are that the two Koreas can speed up fulfilling their joint military agreement after establishing the inter-Korean military committee.



After Seoul and Pyongyang signed a comprehensive military agreement last month, both sides are increasing their military exchanges. Last week, South and North Korea finished their 20-day-long mine removal activity in the inter-Korea border village of Panmunjeom. The United Nations Command (UNC) also verified the inter-Korean mine removal.



The UNC said it would continue supporting the inter-Korean military tension-easing measures by helping them fulfill other joint military agreements, such as the pullout of troops and firearms from guard posts at the Joint Security Area (JSA).



The inter-Korean military committee, after its establishment, will likely discuss detailed timelines and measures to realize the comprehensive military agreement.


By Kang Seung-woo



The ruling party's move to form an independent judicial panel to "fairly" handle a power-abuse scandal is gaining steam, helped by bipartisan support.



However, some legal experts are expressing concerns over its possible unconstitutionality. It also needs to get the nod from the main opposition party.



On Tuesday, ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader Hong Young-pyo said his party will try to make a law to form an independent judicial panel in no relation to the power abuse scandal to preside over the cases of former and incumbent judges involved in it.



It was the first time the ruling party leadership, rather than an individual lawmaker, indicated the creation of such a judge panel. Currently, a bill proposed by DPK Rep. Park Ju-min is pending at the National Assembly.



The plan came as no one has been arrested or indicted despite the prosecution's four-month investigation into the allegation, in which former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae used politically sensitive trials as bargaining chips in dealings with the Park Geun-hye administration to curry favor for the establishment of a new court of appeals. Local courts also rejected dozens of search warrant requests from the prosecution.



"Considering the current members of the judicial panel, we cannot be assured of fair trial results," Hong said in a party meeting, adding that five of seven judges at the panel dealing with criminal cases are linked to the power abuse scandal.



"It is like letting the fox guard the henhouse."



Minor opposition parties welcome the suggestion.



"We need to uproot deeply entrenched judicial problems through the independent judges," Justice Party chairwoman Rep. Lee Jeong-mi said Wednesday.



Rep. Kim Kwan-young, the floor leader of the minor conservative Bareunmirae Party, also said no one will trust the courts unless they cooperate with the investigation of the scandal.



The Supreme Court has yet to issue an official statement on the ruling party's plans, but ranking judges oppose it, saying it may violate the Constitution.



"We need to take a cautious approach to introducing it," Choe Wan-joo, the chief of the Seoul High Court, told lawmakers during a National Assembly audit last week.



"A fair judgment starts with a random assignment of a trial. In that respect, picking a specific judge for another specific trial may invite controversy."



The main opposition Liberty Korea Party also remains negative on the issue.



Meanwhile, prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Lim Jong-hun, a former deputy head of the National Court Administration (NCA), Tuesday, on charges of his role in illicit lobbying and trial manipulation. The NCA is the Supreme Court's administrative body.



He is accused of being the key man who was in charge of carrying out Yang's schemes. In addition, the prosecution identified Yang and other former NCA chiefs as Lim's accomplices.



But many say the warrant may not be issued, considering the prosecution's search warrant requests for Lim's home and office have been rejected multiple times.






By Lee Min-young, Park Si-soo







Former lawmaker and lawyer Kang Yong-seok has been jailed for forging documents related to an adultery case he represents.







The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the Harvard Law School graduate to a year in prison on Wednesday. He was taken to a detention center immediately after the ruling. His lawyer's license was suspended.







Kang was embroiled in an adultery case in 2014 and the husband of Kang's alleged partner  popular blogger Kim Mi-na, nicknamed Dodo mom  filed a damages suit against him in January 2015, demanding 100 million won in compensation.







Three months later, Kang was accused again of colluding with Kim to forge documents sealed by the husband in an illegal scheme to drop the case.







It is not known yet if Kang will appeal. He served as a lawmaker between 2008 and 2012.


By Jung Hae-myoung







The 25th Gwangju World Kimchi Festival will kick off this Thursday through Sunday in Gwangju offering different programs related to the traditional Korean food at Kimchi Town.







The highlight of the festival is a kimchi contest where the winner will receive a presidential prize and a title of kimchi "master." Twenty teams that made it through the preliminary will present their entries at the opening ceremony on Thursday, and the contestants' foods will be displayed throughout the festival.







From Friday to Saturday, world's master chefs will come to the festival to learn how to make kimchi and apply the Korean fermented food to their own dishes.







An exhibition will show various kimchi types from all across the Korean Peninsula, including those from North Korea.







Visitors can also make their own kimchi, and the organizing committee will prepare a delivery service with cool bags to send their fresh handmade kimchi to their homes. They can also purchase quality kimchi ingredients such as salt and red pepper powder.






The entrance to one of the new public housing blocks opened for young theater actors near Seoul's Daehangno area. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government



By Lee Suh-yoon



The Seoul Metropolitan Government opened a new public housing complex recently for theater performers near Daehangno, Seoul's Mecca for plays, as a part of its ongoing efforts to expand public housing for struggling artists.



The new residence is comprised of six two-story townhouses, each containing multiple private rooms along with a shared kitchen and a living room space. It was designed specifically with the single-person household in mind.



The buildings were not built from scratch, but renovated out of six run-down houses the city government purchased for the project. The city-owned Seoul Housing and Communities Corp. (SH) led the construction.



The city government hopes this project will prop up young performers driving the thriving theater scene in Daehangno, well-known for its small musicals and plays, shielding them from the capital's high rents.



It also hopes the new residential complex will attract more young people to Chungsin-dong, an old neighborhood just southeast of Daehangno where the housing is located. Roads and buildings in the area were recently refurbished as part of Seoul's ongoing urban regeneration project.





The kitchen inside the new public housing complex at Chungsin-dong near Daehangno / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits in a chair at the National Gandhi Museum in New Delhi, July 9. The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation announced that Modi was selected as the winner of this year's peace prize for his contributions to promoting world peace by introducing policies for economic growth and anti-corruption. / Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was announced Wednesday as the winner of the Seoul Peace Prize this year for his contributions in promoting world peace through policies to achieve economic growth of local and international societies, the peace foundation said Wednesday. He is the 14th winner of the biennial award and the second incumbent leader to receive the prize following Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014.



"Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chosen for his effort to improve the lives of 1.35 billion Indian citizens, for establishing economic cooperation ties with various countries to improve human welfare and promote world peace, and for greatly contributing to the stability of the Asia-Pacific region by promoting international cooperation through active diplomatic policies," said Choe Chung-ho, president of the Seoul Peace Prize Selection Committee in a statement Wednesday.



The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation said in a press release that "Modi's contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, or 'Modinomics,' reduced social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor." The committee lauded Modi's initiatives to make the government "cleaner" through anti-corruption measures and demonetization.



The foundation added that the committee also said Modi contributed to regional and global peace with his "Modi Doctrine" and the "Act East Policy."



"By championing the 'International Solar Alliance,' a global partnership to scale up solar energy and reduce human dependence on fossil fuel, Prime Minister Modi has taken a leadership role in reducing mankind's global carbon footprint," it added.



Modi will be awarded a plaque and $200,000. The award ceremony will be held at the earliest date possible in Seoul.



Modi took power in 2014 as the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).



The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation was established in 1992 with the aim of contributing to world peace by awarding the prize to those who have made great contributions to the harmony of mankind based on the spirit of the 24th Seoul Olympic Games.



Other previous winners include former IOC Chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch, former secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon and Oxfam.


Kim Hyun-chul, President Moon Jae-in's economic adviser, answers questions in a recent forum held in downtown Seoul. Korea Times file



By Kim Yoo-chul



A presidential economic adviser believes Cheong Wa Dae needs wider cooperation from the business sector to counter the country's unemployment crisis and economic polarization as inequality deepens.



After the government's recent decision to cut its jobs outlook, forecasting the South Korean economy may add only 180,000 jobs this year from an earlier projection of 320,000, presidential adviser Kim Hyun-chul sees the need to adjust the 52-hour work week system.



"Since the country implemented a new 52-hour work week from July this year, there have been lots of concerns," Kim said. "The system needs adjustments to make it work properly."



The adviser was speaking during a press briefing at the presidential office, Tuesday, after returning home with President Moon Jae-in from the South Korean leader's nine-day European trip.



Citing the weakening job market and growing difficulties for the government to push forward Moon's economic growth agenda of relaxing regulations and encouraging private firms to invest more in businesses that were previously untouched, Kim said he will have to take on a greater role to explore measures to "soft-land" the new working-hour system.



Kim is one of the first senior Cheong Wa Dae officials to be vocal about better communication with private companies to keep the momentum of the new working-hour system alive.



South Korea said the system aims to promote a greater work-life balance by cutting the maximum hours people can work from 68 to 40, plus another 12 hours of overtime. Smaller firms won't need to make changes until 2020.



Moon was hoping the new system would increase jobs, productivity and birthrates as Asia's fourth largest economy had one of the longest work weeks among OECD countries. The long hours could be why the country also has one of the lowest birthrates, according to economists and analysts.



Being forced to soften the rollout of the policy indicates how much the initiative was driven by the government, rather than workers themselves that rely on overtime to earn enough money.



Kim said he is prepared for open debate with representatives of labor groups to find a "middle ground" to make the system work.



"Businesses are claiming that the new working-hour system is undermining their competitiveness, while workers are not supportive of the system as it may result in reduced income," Kim said.




The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) will donate 113.8 billion won (about $100,000) to Indonesia to help them rebuild following earthquakes and tsunamis, KAI said Wednesday.







The donation will be delivered to Indonesia via Korea Red Cross and will be used for the speedy recovery of the affected region and for relief supplies to help locals, KAI said in a statement.







"We will convey words of consolation to the Indonesian people who have suffered hugely from the sudden disaster," a company official said in the statement.







Starting with exports of the KT-1 basic trainer to Indonesia in 2001, KAI has so far maintained a solid relationship with Indonesia especially in the defense industry. The company exported its T-50 advanced jet trainers in 2011. The two are also in the process of developing the Korean fighter aircraft project, code named KF-X/IF-X.







The KAI made donations and delivered rescue supplies when a massive typhoon devastated the Philippines back in 2013 and Peru was hit by huge floods in 2017, said the statement.








By Mario Miszycki





It looked extraordinary. Hugs, handshakes, smiles and jokes between the two Koreas' leaders! It left me feeling perplexed. There was even an ex-idol, one of South Korea's cultural exports, Zico, rapping to disoriented North Koreans.



Not so long ago, like many foreigners, I felt uncertain and unsettled in Seoul due to the constant provocations from North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.



Missiles were flying more often than Air Koryo scheduled flights and questions remained: What was Kim up to? Unfortunately, I wasn't able to provide an answer to that question like most of the people around the world.



Therefore, I understood the sudden change in Kim's heart to be like an indirect plea for help from North Korea.



First, Kim's hand reached toward Trump showing that North Korea is willing to "talk" with the United States. Meetings between those two nations weren't fruitful because of the U.S. position on demanding a solid and clear denuclearization!



However, demands like that cannot be resolved overnight and I am not fully convinced North Korea wants to remove their only asset.



Therefore, Kim has reached toward President Moon Jae-in, who openly wants to have a good relationship with the North. Moon's countless, sleepless nights were the result of those North Korean provocations.



More than anything, he wants to provide mental comfort to citizens in the South and restore the status quo between the two Koreas.



From my perspective, having a good relationship with our Northern neighbors will be costly. China's help rapidly decreased thus there isn't anyone willing to help.



Even in the South, there are thousands against Moon's actions reminding him that Chairman Kim's tyranny cannot be ignored and human rights do not exist north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).



Undoubtedly, the third meeting between the two Korean leaders was the most significant, but real questions remain: "What's next?"



I assume South Korean companies will heavily invest over time in the North. This will include infrastructure, goods manufacturing and tourism. The manufacturing of goods in North Korea, from a logistical point of view, is cheaper, more efficient and overall better than in China.



Moreover, there will be more and more money flowing from South Korea. Kim even promised a visit to Seoul this year to "cement" the good relationship. This will be another milestone in their relationship, but I certainly can't imagine that there won't be massive protests all over the city.



To sum up, South Korea is divided again, like it was during the 2017 presidential election. This time the reason is of a very different nature.



The majority of people here simply don't trust the North's regime, whereas others just want peace and stability on the peninsula at any cost. This year is important, but next year will be crucial to solve the enigma that is North Korea.





Mario Miszycki (miszymar@gmail.com) is holder of a master's degree in political science and finance and investment. He is a visiting lecturer at Kookje College and works for Songpa Youth Center.




1 million urge no leniency for criminal suspects with mental disorder



More than 1 million people have signed a petition on the website of the presidential office, calling for no leniency for criminal suspects suffering "unstable mental conditions." The petition followed a brutal murder that took place Oct. 14 at an internet cafe in Seoul.



This is the first time the number of petitioners has surpassed the 1 million mark, since Cheong Wa Dae opened the online petition section on its website on President Moon Jae-in's 100th day in office in August 2017. This is a clear manifestation of public anger at a murder suspect, Kim Seong-soo, 25, who allegedly stabbed a 21-year-old part-time worker to death at the cafe and pled for leniency citing his depression.



The Criminal Act provides that for the conduct of a person who, because of mental disorder, is deficient in the ability to control their will, punishment shall be mitigated. This provision is applied to those who have poor ability to make decision or lack power to discriminate, allowing them to be exempted from punishment or subject to lighter sentencing than "normal."



It is hard, if not impossible, to understand that criminal suspects are be given leniency based solely on their mental disorder. Any criminal systems should change flexibly in accordance with the changing times.



Crimes committed by people with mental disorders may not be different from cases caused by those driving while intoxicated (DWI). To be frank, our society is too lenient on crimes committed by intoxicated drivers. Drunk driving is widely spreading in our society. Nearly 250,000 DWI cases are reported annually.



In particular, more than half of drunk drivers who caused accidents are two- or three-time repeat offenders. This indicates drinking and driving has increasingly become a habitual routine. Nonetheless, the punishment is too light. Statistics show fewer than 8 percent of drunk drivers who killed or injured others were given prison sentences.



It is quite ridiculous to consider the state of intoxication to be the same as having a mental disorder, eventually encouraging drunk driving.



Murderer suspect Kim will undergo a thorough mental examination at a prison hospital for a month and the results may be reflected in the course of trial. But the question is whether his symptoms of depression will serve as an excuse to mitigate punishment. The judiciary should rigorously review this matter.




President Donald Trump has made a habit of repudiating international agreements negotiated by Barack Obama, his Democratic predecessor.



Now he seems to be on the verge of withdrawing the United States from a landmark arms control agreement signed more than 30 years ago by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.



Trump's stated reason for abrogating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty  that Russia is violating its terms  seems superficially plausible. But withdrawal would still be a catastrophic mistake.



The treaty, concluded between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, ended an arms race in Europe that began in the late 1970s when Moscow deployed a new generation of intermediate-range missiles capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads, and NATO responded with a plan to deploy U.S. ground-launched cruise missiles and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.



Eventually the two superpowers agreed to a treaty banning all land-based missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,420 miles).



"We can only hope that this history-making agreement will not be an end in itself," President Reagan said at the time, "but the beginning of a working relationship."



And indeed, the INF treaty was part of a larger disarmament dialogue between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (and later the Russian Federation) that also included talks to limit long-range nuclear weapons.



Current strategic stockpiles and delivery systems are limited by the 2010 New START treaty, which expires in February 2021 unless the two nations agree to extend it for up to five years.



Trump has been telegraphing in recent days that the U.S. would be abandoning the INF treaty. On Saturday he said: "Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to."



The president apparently was referring to allegations that the Russians have developed a land-based cruise missile that exceeds the range specified in the treaty, an allegation the Russians deny.



The Obama administration also alleged that Russia breached the treaty's terms, and in 2016 convened a meeting of the Special Verification Commission, a body established by the treaty to address compliance concerns.



But rather than withdraw from the treaty, the Obama administration adopted a policy of trying to press the Russia back into compliance.



Initially, the Trump administration took the same position. In 2017, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon said that the U.S. was "making every effort to preserve the INF treaty in the face of Russian violations," although he warned that "continuation of a situation in which the United States remains in compliance while Russia violates the agreement is unacceptable to us."



That may sound reasonable. But arms-control experts point out that abrogating the treaty over one alleged violation by Russia would free Moscow to disregard all constraints imposed by the agreement. And that wouldn't be the only adverse consequence.



U.S. renunciation of the INF treaty also would undermine prospects for extending the New START treaty. Reacting to Trump's comments about leaving the INF treaty, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said "I hope we're not moving down the path to undo much of the nuclear arms control treaties that we have put in place."



A U.S. repudiation of the INF treaty also would also further damage relations with America's closest European allies already dismayed by Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement and the Paris climate accord.



On Monday a spokeswoman for the European Union, while calling on Russia to address concerns about its compliance, said: "We also expect the U.S. to consider the consequences of its possible withdrawal from the INF on its own security, on the security of its allies and of the whole world. The world doesn't need a new arms race."



In addition to complaining about Russian violations, Trump has pointed out that China is not bound by the INF treaty. "If Russia's doing it and if China's doing it, and we're adhering to the agreement, that's unacceptable," he said.



Some arms-control experts have spoken about "globalizing" the INF treaty to add China and other Asian nations. But the idea that the U.S. needs to be freed from the treaty's restrictions to deter China isn't serious given this country's other military assets not constrained by the agreement.



On too many occasions this administration has acted impulsively on the world stage and scrambled to contain the damage later. Trashing the INF treaty would be another such blunder. The president should pull back from the precipice.





The above article appeared in the Los Angeles Times. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




By Troy Stangarone





In less than two weeks, Americans will go to the polls for the midterm elections. It would be understandable if most South Koreans only casually follow the results or missed them entirely. The recent stagnation in job growth in South Korea and changing relations with North Korea are of immediate concern.



At the same time, midterms don't see the White House up for grabs, and historically less than half of eligible Americans will vote as well. But this might be one time to watch the results closely.



Midterm elections are traditionally a referendum on the current president and there is little reason to see this midterm as any different. Historically, the president's party has lost seats in a midterm election in the House of Representatives every time since the post-World War II era with just two exceptions: 1998 and 2002 due to anomalies that will not be replicated in 2018.



In recent years, America has become increasingly polarized and rather than working to bridge those divisions in the tradition of prior presidents, President Donald Trump has sought to benefit from those divisions for his own political gain. As a result, Trump has strong approval among his supporters, but has yet to see his approval rating above 50 percent in his presidency.



Off year and by-elections since Trump's election have seen Democrats increasingly motivated and recent polling by the Washington Post suggests that 75 percent of Americans are sure to vote in the midterms. While the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote will undoubtedly be less than that and closer to historical norms, it does suggest that there is strong interest in the current election and that turnout is likely to increase.



This is not a good sign for Republicans and the president. Presidents with approval ratings near 40 percent, as is the case with President Trump, tend to see their party lose a significant number of seats in Congress and polling indicates that Democrats are likely to retake the House.



In another poll by the Washington Post that focuses on the 69 battleground seats, Democrats are preferred by 4 percent. In contrast, in those same districts in 2016, Republicans were favored by 15 percent. FiveThirtyEight, a leading political analysis site, places the odds of Democrats retaking the House at 6 in 7, but in one bright spot for Republicans is that they have a 4 in 5 chance of retaining control of the Senate.



Whether Democrats are able to retake the House or Republicans are able to maintain control, the next Congress will look significantly different than the current one. Due to a high number of retirements, nearly 15 percent of the members will be new regardless of who wins, and if there are a high number of upsets the number of new members will grow.



The turnover in the Senate will likely be smaller, but it will remain fairly evenly divided with no party having more than a slim majority.



Americans won't be focused on the issues that will impact South Korea when they vote, but the results will determine the political capital that President Trump has for the next two years and shape the Congress that will be needed to implement his decisions on trade and North Korea that will impact the Korean Peninsula.



This could especially be true when it comes to North Korea. Despite the political divisions in the United States, North Korea has been one area of bipartisan consensus and Congress has played an important role in shaping U.S. sanctions on North Korea.



Currently pending before the Senate is legislation (S. 2736) that would codify U.S. policy toward negotiations with North Korea with the objective of the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Repealing sanctions will be increasingly difficult if the Trump administration doesn't address the concerns of Congress, which extend beyond the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program.



Because the Trump administration has expressed a preference to conclude a treaty with North Korea, it would require a super-majority, or 67 votes, in the Senate. If an agreement requires a change in U.S. law or appropriations, similar to the 1994 Agreed Framework, it would also require majority support in the House.



If President Trump is unable achieve a deal that is better than the Iran accord that he withdrew from, Senate approval of a treaty or the approval by both chambers of a more general agreement with North Korea would become increasingly problematic for substantive and political reasons.



President Trump will no longer be able to merely lean on his Republican majority in Congress. Instead, he will have to reach out to Democrats if he wants a lasting success on North Korea. Something which would make President Jimmy Carter's herculean effort to convince the U.S. Senate to pass the Panama Canal treaties in 1978 seems effortless.



While the Trump administration could follow the course of the Obama administration and reach an executive agreement with North Korea instead of a treaty, it would face the same uncertain future as the Iran deal and lack the stability a treaty could bring.



If Democrats regain control of the House, expect vigorous oversight of any Trump administration agreement reached with North Korea, particularly if the deal is perceived to be weaker on North Korean nuclear dismantlement than the Iranian accords.



If the current polling is accurate, the American public is likely to send a strong signal to President Trump that it does not approve of how he has handled his presidency. How he adjusts to that could play an important role in whether the Trump administration will be successful in reaching a lasting agreement with North Korea.





Troy Stangarone (ts@keia.org) is the senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Korea Economic Institute.




Bipartisan support key to improving inter-Korean ties



President Moon Jae-in has ratified a summit agreement and a separate military agreement reached with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Sept. 19. The ratification was made Tuesday immediately after the Cabinet approved the two accords.



As Moon pointed out, the ratification is crucial to promoting inter-Korean relations and facilitating the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It is also important to give legally binding force to such agreements, considering that previous summit agreements in 2000 and 2007 were virtually scrapped due to the changing of government from liberal to conservative.



In this regard, Moon's ratification of the Pyongyang Declaration and the military agreement reflects his determination to see them take effect with no further delay and prevent a future government from revoking them. It also sends a clear and strong message to speed up the peace process on the peninsula.



Despite such good intentions, the ratification is touching off a controversy because the opposition parties have tenaciously raised the issue of the procedural legitimacy of the President's action. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is taking the lead in accusing Moon of failing to seek consent from the National Assembly. The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party has joined the LKP in the blame game.



To avoid the controversy, the Ministry of Government Legislation concluded that obtaining National Assembly consent for the two agreements was unnecessary because a broader inter-Korean agreement, the Panmunjeom Declaration reached at the first Moon-Kim summit in April, is undergoing the Assembly ratification process.



But the conclusion is far from sufficient to silence the strong voices of the opposition against the ratification. Rather it has provided ample ammunition for the opposition parties to lay the blame on Moon and declare his actions null and void. Members of the LKP and Bareunmirae have threatened to take legal action to nullify the ratification which they claim violates the Constitution.



Of course, the opposition's move has many reasons to be seen as a political offensive against Moon and his liberal government to discredit his efforts for inter-Korean detente and put the brakes on his rush to resume economic cooperation with the North. But it would be better for Moon to reach out to the opposition and seek their cooperation in pushing for inter-Korean reconciliation, coexistence, peace and prosperity.



No one can overemphasize the importance of bipartisan support for inter-Korean relations. However, the Moon administration and the governing Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have to admit that they have not exhausted their efforts to form bipartisanship for better ties with the North.



It is also true that the conservative opposition parties have been against Moon's peace initiatives only for the sake of it. Now they must change their hard-line stance and actively participate in discussing how to achieve the North's denuclearization and establish a lasting peace regime on the peninsula.


A model uses FXGear's virtual fitting room FXMirror to virtually try on a garment. / Courtesy of FXGear



By Baek Byung-yeul





Choi Kwang-jin, CEO of FXGear

Choi Kwang-jin established computer graphics firm FXGear in 2004 and cultivated its cutting-edge technologies.

The Seoul-based firm's technological superiority is already well-known to many computer graphics firms, as its "Qualoth" cloth simulator software has been used in a slew of 3D animated films including U.S.-based animation studio DreamWorks' 2007 film "Shrek the Third."

To diversify its business portfolio, FXGear started paying attention to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)  both regarded as emerging technologies that can impact industries  six years ago when not many companies were aware of them.

"FXGear had to make a decision on whether we keep focusing on developing software programs for computer graphics used for creating scenes in films or find another sector so that we could apply our software programs there," Choi told The Korea Times at FXGear's headquarters in Seoul, Oct. 16.

"We have been developing software programs and our Qualoth simulator proved to be a boon in creating computer graphic-based films. But in our estimation, the entire film market that needs our software programs was valued at tens of billions of won, which was not enough to guarantee the continued operations of the company," Choi said.

At a crossroads, Choi focused on the possibility of AR and VR technologies in 2012. "We decided to focus on AR and VR technologies so we could apply them to mobile devices which would have a huge demand in the near future at the time," he said.

The decision was right. Now, FXGear has been actively involved in businesses using AR and VR technologies, getting more than 90 percent of its sales from these sectors as of last year. The firm is especially producing fruitful results in AR thanks to its virtual fitting program FXMirror.

When a person stands in front of the FXMirror, it measures the person's height and body shape and displays the person wearing a virtual garment. People can experience the FXMirror here as it is installed in Lotte Department Store.

With its AR technology, FXGear is expanding into China. The firm established a joint corporation Chixing Network Technology last year and has been exporting its virtual fitting program to Chinese e-commerce giant JD.Com. With FXGear's mobile virtual fitting service "Fit'N SHOP," customers using the JD.Com mobile shopping app can quickly browse various styles of clothes on their customized avatars.

FXGear also signed a contract with Chinese display maker Weiguan in May to supply it with 50,000 FXMirror software programs by 2020. With the contract, the firm said virtual fitting machines powered by FXMirror software will be installed at around 10,000 clothing stores in China.

"Among the emerging technologies, we have especially put our focus on the AR business. In China, customers who purchase their garments online account more than 50 percent of all purchases. When purchasing clothes online, people want to know if it fits. I believe FXMirror's mobile version can help customers find this out," Choi said.

Though there have been many companies that have developed AR-based changing rooms, those products took a lot of time to convert clothes to 3D.

"The previous virtual fitting technologies developed by other companies needed three to five hours to create a 3D database for a garment and this cost about $100 on average. But FXMirror takes less than 10 minutes and about $3 to make virtual clothes," Choi said.

"In the fashion industry, it is essential to roll out various kinds of garments per season. Many other companies in the virtual fitting room business have failed to meet the demands of fashion companies as their products take too much time and money. Using our AR technology, fashion firms can offer an enhanced customer experience," Choi said.

Although the firm has produced profitable results mainly in China, Choi said he has received inquiries from companies in Japan and Europe seeking to use the Seoul-based firm's virtual fitting room.

"We have made progress with a Japanese fashion brand for exporting our virtual fitting technology. I hope we can make an announcement about it in the near future," Choi said.

Choi said industries are putting more focus on AR, which is easier to apply to various kinds of businesses compared to VR.

"Users are required to wear bulky headsets to enjoy VR content. However, AR doesn't need a headset. That's the biggest benefit of AR," Choi said.

"I think AR can play a role in shopping. Shopping is essential to us. People have to buy something for living. I believe AR can enhance the shopping process. For instance, businesses currently use AR to help customers visualize how products will look in their homes."

In the VR business, FXGear has been selling its VR headset NOON since 2015. Choi said it has been been received well in North America.

"We have been supplying our NOON VR headset to the U.S. and Canada. The device is available at electronics retail chain Best Buy and Amazon. We are the third company to supply a VR headset to Best Buy following Samsung Electronics' Gear and Google's Daydream," Choi said. "The NOON VR also received the Innovation Award in VR technology at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. These factors prove the NOON VR has been recognized well in the sector."

Speaking of the future of VR and AR content, Choi said there would be new form of visual content using these emerging technologies.

"Currently there are some movies using VR technology. But the technology used in the film is just to help audiences feel the visual content more vividly. It is not interactive," Choi said.

"Even though VR and AR technologies are emerging at a rapid pace, I think film content won't disappear. Instead, I think a new form of visual content utilizing VR and AR will be created, and this will be more interactive so that audiences can decide what happens next," Choi said.

Choi also emphasized the strength of FXGear comes from its technological prowess that can quickly be converted to emerging technologies.

"The more technology advances, the more business chances we have. This is because we can develop high quality software programs for new and emerging technologies. If holographic technology becomes real in the near future, we could develop the right tool for it at the right time," Choi said.
One of my friends is a total worry-wart. He spends his days before elections calling voters for progressive candidates and trying to persuade them to get out and vote. Today he e-mailed me: "Ive been making calls for Andrew Gillum. Did 75 mins last night. Afraid hell lose. Especially with trump going to rally in Fort Myers next week (Its not official yet, but there are reports from CNN). 538 says Dems will won the house, but you cant trust the polls. And I feel like the Dems strategy isnt working." Good, keep working and working and working. Because we know the right is. Their spending has gone up dramatically in the last week.





Perhaps the ugliest ads of the cycle are all being put out in Florida by Republican neo-Nazis working for Ron DeSantis. The new robocall is shocking

A racist robocall that refers to Andrew Gillum as a "negro" and a "monkey" is making the rounds in Florida, prompting a furious response from the Democratic gubernatorial candidate's campaign.



Florida voters who receive the call-- audio of which was obtained by NBC News-- hear a man impersonating the African-American politician.



"Well hello there. I is the negro Andrew Gillum and I'll be askin you to make me governor of this here state of Florida," the voice says.



My state opponent, who done call me monkey, is doin' a lot of hollerin about how spensive my plans for health care be, the voice says. A chimpanzee noise is played during the word monkey.

That was the second robocall along these lines from the Trump/DeSantis' racist supporters. The one in August also impersonated Andrew: "We Negroes...done made mud huts while white folk waste a bunch of time making their home out of wood an' stone." There's a way to answer the Republicans. Please consider helping Andrew get out the Democratic base by clicking on the Blue America 2018 gubernatorial thermometer on the right. DeSantis and his neo-Nazi buddies are desperate. He bombed in the CNN debate a few nights ago and his polling has been in the toilet ever since Trump delivered him the Republican nomination. He has come out behind in every poll since August . The FiveThirtyEight forecaster gives him a 7 out of 9 chance to win (78.2%) and rates the race "likely Democrat."





The brand new Quinnipiac poll of Florida shows him with a 52-46% lead of DeSantis with likely voters-- and "with big leads among women, black, Hispanic and independent voters... Only 2 percent of Florida likely voters remain undecided and 4 percent of those who name a candidate say they might change their mind in the next 14 days... [T]here are wide racial, gender and partisan gaps:

 White voters back DeSantis 54-44 percent. The Democrat leads 99-1 percent among black voters and 59-36 percent among Hispanic voters;

 Women back Gillum 59-38 percent, as men back DeSantis 54-44 percent;

 Gillum leads 96-4 percent among Democrats and 57-39 percent among independent voters. Republicans back DeSantis 89-8 percent.

"Looking inside the numbers of the governor's race between Mayor Andrew Gillum and former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, we see shining examples of the problems Republicans face this year, not just in Florida, but around the country," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.



"The GOP has faced strong opposition from women and other anti-Trump voters. These defections have hurt GOP candidates around the country and made it difficult to attract the numbers of independent voters that are often major players in successful campaigns.



"Here in Florida that has translated into an 18-point Gillum lead among independent voters."



"Even more problematic for the GOP and telling about Mayor Gillum's candidacy, is that a liberal Democrat is on the plus side of a 50 - 47 percent split among white women," Brown added.

Ironically, the very conservative Florida Democratic establishment is counting on Gillum to drag a ticket of mostly right-of-center down-ballot candidates to victory on his coattails-- from sleepy, uninspiring and meaningless centrist Senator Bill Nelson right down the toilet to right-wing Blue Dog garbage like Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy in the Orlando area. Florida has almost no decent Democrats running for federal office... and Gillum's position at the top of the ticket is helping every one of these problematic voters who will be voting to oppose almost everything he hopes to see America accomplish.
Taxi drivers march on Cheong Wa Dae in downtown Seoul during their protest against Kakao's planned launch of the ride-sharing service, Oct. 18. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki



By Jun Ji-hye



It is not uncommon to see taxi drivers refuse to take passengers on the main streets of Seoul in areas in Itaewon and near Hongik University at night.



This happens because some cab drivers take passengers in accordance with their own destinations. But this causes a serious imbalance between supply and demand, causing a great inconvenience to the people.



Refusing passengers is cited as one of the major complaints about taxi services, along with reckless driving, violation of traffic lights and rudeness.



Citizens who have experienced these unpleasant situations, seem to expect Kakao's envisioned launch of Kakao T Carpool, a ride-sharing service designed to connect ordinary drivers to passengers during the morning and evening rush hours, to help resolve the imbalance between supply and demand, and other problems.



But it is not certain when the Uber-like service will begin as taxi drivers across the country have been on strike to protest the IT firm's plan, claiming the service will reduce the number of their passengers and kill the industry.



This clearly appears to be against what a majority of citizens want as the Realmeter survey conducted Oct. 19 showed 56 percent of respondents support the service because it will benefit them. Those opposing the service accounted for 28.7 percent.



In a survey conducted on the anonymous online community Blind last week, an overwhelming 90 percent of respondents said they approved of the service.



An office worker who works in Seoul and lives in Gyeonggi Province said, "It is almost impossible for those living in Gyeonggi Province to get a taxi at night in Seoul as drivers refuse passengers. I think cab drivers who are on strike are seeking their own interests."



According to Rep. Lee Hu-sam of the ruling Democratic Party, the number of regulation violations by taxi drivers was 103,187 over the past five years, and among them, refusing passengers accounted for 27,788 or 27 percent.



During a walkout by thousands of taxi drivers, Oct. 18, a strike organizer said in a statement, "We will undergo self-purification efforts to root out refusing passengers and other unkind acts. We will also develop an innovative service utilizing artificial intelligence (AI)."



But citizens still seem to be cynical.



Politicians also appear to be failing to speak for citizens, considering strong unions representing taxi drivers, which could affect elections.



Rep. Kim Sung-tae, the floor leader of the Liberty Party Korea, said the new service is driving taxi drivers over the edge, while Rep. Kim Kyung-jin of the Party for Democracy and Peace, criticized Kakao for not "making a concession."



On-demand transportation platforms, such as the ride-sharing service, have already received a flurry of interest worldwide as a means of reducing traffic congestion and passenger inconvenience.



Such services, incorporated with ICT technologies, have been actively developed in several countries already.



Grab Car, a ride-sharing service started in 2014 by Malaysia native and Harvard Business School student Anthony Tan, has expanded to about 30 Asian countries.



The beginning of new things will always have side effects. Discussion needs to take place to reduce such side effects but user convenience should not be ignored.


A model riding in a Kia Motors Ray compact vehicle with a dog waves in this file photo. The carmaker promoted a car seat for dogs during the Pet Seoul KAHA Expo in August. / Courtesy of Kia Motors



By Park Jae-hyuk



Carmakers have begun paying greater attention to better accommodate dogs and cats as more motorists travel with their pets, industry officials said Wednesday.



To capitalize on this growing trend, car manufacturers here are going all out to win the hearts of pet owners to boost sales.



On Oct. 13, Hyundai Motor invited 70 members of "Dogpalza," the country's biggest online community for pet owners, to a dog park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, for an event named "Petcnic," a portmanteau of "pet" and "picnic."



The nation's leading carmaker offered the participants opportunities to ride its SUVs with their dogs, and taught safer ways of driving when dogs are on board.



"As 10 million people in Korea now have pets, more customers accompany their pets when riding in their cars," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We hosted the event to help our customers safely enjoy driving their cars with their pets."



SsangYong Motor hosted an event similar to Hyundai's in June.



The India-based Mahindra & Mahindra subsidiary invited 10 Tivoli SUV owners having pets to a glamping site in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, for a two-day outdoor event.



Following Pet Camp in 2016, it was the second outdoor event the carmaker has hosted for pet owners.



During the recent event, a veterinarian taught safer ways of driving when dogs are on board.



SsangYong also sponsored the Pet Festival held at Ansan Wa Stadium in Gyeonggi Province from Oct. 20 to 21.



At the event attended by 70,000 pet owners and 70 companies, the automaker showcased the 2019 Tivoli and G4 Rexton SUVs at its own outdoor promotional booth.



"We will respect lifestyles of drivers having pets and will continue to carry out marketing campaigns to entertain them," a SsangYong Motor official said.



Kia Motors released a facelift of the Ray in December to attract pet owners.



The upgraded compact vehicle has come under the spotlight as it is available with an optional booster seat, dog barrier and carrier.



The sister company of Hyundai Motor said 14,625 Rays were sold in the first half of this year.



"We hope our products win the hearts of families who want to use their cars comfortably with their pets," a Kia Motors official said. "We will continue to make efforts to satisfy our customers having pets."



According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the proportion of households having pets rose to 28.1 percent in 2017 from 17.4 percent in 2010.



Data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute showed the size of the market for pets was 3.65 trillion won ($3.2 billion) in 2017.



The institute expects the market size will reach 6 trillion won in 2020.


Kids and instructors at Hyosung ITX's daycare center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, celebrate the opening of the center on May 20, 2016. / Courtesy of Hyosung



By Nam Hyun-woo



The corporate culture of Hyosung Group is becoming more employee-friendly under Chairman Cho Hyun-joon's initiative to boost worker satisfaction.



According to the textile giant, Wednesday, Cho has been putting more emphasis on the value of employee happiness since he was appointed chairman in January last year.



"Cho has been stressing that employees' satisfaction with a company makes the foundation for corporate performance," a Hyosung official said. "And the group believes in the power of a virtuous cycle in which a pleasant work environment leads to increased corporate performance, affecting employees positively.



"Under such a belief, the group has been striving to create an ideal workplace, helping employees to have a balance between work and their personal life."



Hyosung said one of the improvements drawing a favorable response is in-house daycare centers at its headquarters and units.



"I am very satisfied with the quality of care and the program of our company's daycare center," said Park Jae-yeon at Hyosung Heavy Industries, who has been sending her two children to the center in Mapo.



"The center relieves me even when my kids get sick, and if I have to do overtime, the center takes care of children after 6 p.m., which is really helpful for working moms like me."



Hyosung ITX, an info-tech unit, operates an exclusive lounge and medical room for women, because it has a high percentage of female employees.



Along with the facilities, it is operating a free cafe and nail shop run by a physically challenged person in the company. This not only helps employees manage their stress but creates jobs for underprivileged jobseekers.



"Also, Hyosung ITX has adopted a range of shift patterns, hiring terms and flexible work times to help employees select their working conditions so they can better find the balance between their work and life," the Hyosung official said.



Hyosung ITX has a human resources guideline guaranteeing that all employees will return to their positions after they finish maternity leave.



"Nearly 300 Hyosung ITX employees use maternity or parental leave a year and more than 80 percent of management posts are occupied by female employees," the official said. "It is natural for the company to take extra care of employees' families and nurture female talent."




In this undated picture provided by Japan's Jiji Press news agency on May 30, 2016, Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda holds a banner with a handwritten message in Japanese at an undisclosed location. A Japanese journalist kidnapped in Syria more than three years ago is believed to have been released, the government said on October 23. Jumpei Yasuda, a 44-year-old freelancer, was seized in the war-torn country in June 2015, and appeared in a rare video released by a militant group over the summer warning that he was in a bad situation. AFP

A man believed to be a Japanese freelance journalist who disappeared three years ago in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey, a Japanese official said.

The man is being protected by Turkish authorities in Antakya near Turkey's border with Syria and is being identified but he most likely is journalist Jumpei Yasuda, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a hastily arranged news conference late Tuesday.

Suga said Japan's government was informed by Qatar of the man's release and has notified Yasuda's family and sent embassy officials to the man's location. The man released is mentally stable and in good health, Kyodo News agency reported.

Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as Nusra Front.

Nusra Front later became known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or Levant Liberation Committee. The group handed Yasuda over to the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly comprises Chinese jihadis based in Syria, according to Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor.

Abdurrahman said Yasuda was most recently held in the village of Khirbet el-Joz near the Turkish border by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, a strong ally of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who released him.

Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in early 2000s. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese, but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release.

His last work in Syria involved reporting on his friend Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist who was taken hostage and killed by the Islamic State group.

Contact was lost with Yasuda after he sent a message to another Japanese freelancer on June 23, 2015. In his last tweet two days earlier, Yasuda said his reporting was often obstructed and that he would stop tweeting his whereabouts and activities.

Several videos showing a man believed to be Yasuda have been released in the past year.

In one video released in July, the bearded man believed to be Yasuda said he was in a harsh environment and needed to be rescued immediately.

Yasuda's family and friends were delighted by the news of his release.

''I'm so happy, that's all I can say,'' Yasuda's mother, Sachiko, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK. ''I just want to praise him for carrying through.''

Kosuke Tsuneoka, who had received Yasuda's last message in 2015, said he felt relieved. ''I'm sure he now knows a lot of details about terrorist organizations in Syria, and I hope he tells the world about them as much as he can.''

Syria has been one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the conflict there began in March 2011, with dozens killed or kidnapped.

Several journalists are still missing in Syria and their fates are unknown.

Those missing include Austin Tice of Houston, Texas, who disappeared in August 2012 while covering the conflict, which has killed some 400,000 people. A video released a month later showed him blindfolded and held by armed men, saying ''Oh, Jesus.'' He has not been heard from since.

Tice is a former Marine who has reported for The Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, CBS and other outlets, and disappeared shortly after his 31st birthday.

Another is British photojournalist John Cantlie, who appeared in Islamic State group propaganda videos. Cantlie has worked for several publications, including The Sunday Times, The Sun and The Sunday Telegraph. He was kidnapped with American journalist James Foley in November 2012. The IS beheaded Foley in August 2014.

Lebanese journalist Samir Kassab, who worked for Sky News, was kidnapped on Oct. 14, 2013, along with a colleague from Mauritania Ishak Moctar and a Syrian driver while on a trip in northern Syria.

In March 2014, two Spanish journalists _ correspondent Javier Espinosa and photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova _ were released six months after being kidnapped by an al-Qaida-linked group. (AP)
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For the third year in a row, Beth Pratt strapped on her mountain lion tracking collar before starting her 50-mile hike. The California director for the National Wildlife Federation stooped down in front of the Liberty Canyon trailhead and picked up her backpack and the cardboard-cutout she'll carry of P-22, Southern California's most famous mountain lion. Then she turned around and headed straight for the 101 freeway.

She and a few other brave hikers are participating in a three-and-a-half day, 50-mile hike that follows the cougar's famous car-dodging, freeway-crossing journey from the Santa Monica Mountains to Griffith Park.

And that journey started down a freeway underpass, sans sidewalk, through an Agoura neighborhood.

"That we make it without getting hit by cars is miraculous," Pratt said. "When you start looking at our human spaces through an animal's eyes, what they go through just to eat and survive, it underscores the importance of a wildlife crossing even more."

It's not the distance that's impressive so much as the urban obstacles that P-22 overcame along the way. Freeways are especially problematic, since they can separate animals from their natural habitat. P-22 lives in Griffith Park, confined to 8 square miles, which activists say is an oversized zoo cage compared to the 200-square-mile territories mountain lions are used to.

The map shows the path hikers will take from Agoura to Griffith Park. (Photo courtesy of Save LA Cougars)

He's essentially cut off by the 101 and 405 freeways from his likely birthplace, potential mates and food.

"He really does demonstrate the plight of these urban cats. Our freeways and development are really limiting," Pratt said. "He's trapped by freeways. He stays in a very small territory and he has for six years."

Crossing these thoroughfares is dangerous. His compatriot, P-55, was killed in 2015 trying to do just that. That's why political and environmental groups have fought to build a wildlife bridge that goes over the freeway and connects the preserved land on either side.

John Luker, president of Sky Valley Volunteers, joined Pratt for the first leg of the hike. He said the bridge needs to be built. And it will, as soon as they raise the $60 million they need to build it.

"This is probably the most important habitat linkage in California," he said. "Without this connectivity and what this bridge will provide, the Santa Monica mountains will go through a slow-motion death spiral."

The humans following in P-22's footsteps will cross both the 405 and the 101 -- but they'll do it on bridges, unlike P-22.

Pratt said the most dangerous part for her -- and for P-22 -- is walking along Mulholland, where there are no sidewalks. But the most strenuous part is the backbone trail in Malibu Creek State Park, where there's a 2,000-foot gain with full sun exposure.

As for Pratt's collar, she said that's the easiest part of her load.

"I'm wearing it to raise awareness for the research, but to also show that I hardly feel it," she said. "It just shows that if I can wear it, P-22 isn't having a problem with it."

The trek ends on Saturday at a free festival in Griffith Park, where you can, among other things, buy your very own plush P-22. Last year, thousands showed up. It's the culmination of Urban Wildlife Week, which aims to make humans more aware of the animals in our urban ecosystem. And P-22 fans can find updates from Pratt on her location and journey on P-22's Facebook page.

Elina Shatkin contributed to this story.

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Health care falls just below political corruption as the top campaign issue for Americans, according to a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

This is certainly the case among some in California's 45th district congressional race, where Republican incumbent Mimi Walters -- who has not made health care a central issue -- is being challenged by Democrat Katie Porter -- who is campaigning hard on the issues of protecting the Affordable Care Act and supporting Medicare for All.

"For Democrats, health care has consistently been at the top of their issue rankings," said Alexandra Cole Macias, a political scientist who volunteers with the nonpartisan group California's 45th. "But for registered Republicans, it's been issues of immigration, it's been issues with respect to taxes."

The district lies in the heart of Orange County; 37 percent of registered voters there are Republican, 30 percent are Democrats. The number of registered voters not affiliated with a party has been growing; it's now at 28 percent.

On a hot late summer day in Tustin recently, about 300 Democrats cheered in a sweaty warehouse to rally for Porter and Democratic candidate for governor Gavin Newsom. Volunteers pressed together chanting "Katie, Katie" while hoping to catch a glimpse of their candidate, who they hope will help flip the House of Representatives to Democratic control.

"Orange County is turning blue!" yelled a young volunteer into a mic. The crowd hollered back.

Porter is campaigning hard on health care. When she took the stage, she didn't take long to hit Walters on the issue, especially her vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

"Mimi Walters is selling out our democracy to the highest bidder, passing Trump's tax plan and trying to rip away health care from millions of Americans with preexisting conditions," said Porter.

The crowd booed.

Porter isn't alone. Democratic hopefuls across the country are highlighting the May 2017 House GOP vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. (You remember the bill that was narrowly defeated in the U.S. Senate when the late John McCain gave it a dramatic thumbs down.)

Porter said she wants to build on the reforms of the Affordable Care Act by expanding access to mental health care and increasing investments in health research, among other steps.

In an interview, Porter said she wants to repeal the law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating drug prices. And she expressed support for the idea of Medicare for All.

"The reality is that the Medicare system delivers -- in the American system -- the highest quality care at the best price point. And so, it's a really good example we should be looking to as we think about how to solve the health care challenges that we're facing," she said.

While working on this story, I contacted the Walters campaign several times seeking an interview with the candidate. When I didn't get a response, I reached out to the Orange County Republican Party, the California Republican Party and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The state party said it would pass my request on to the Walters campaign, but I never heard back.

Walters' campaign website is largely silent on health care. Her congressional website does point to her support for legislation to prevent and treat opioid addiction. It also talks about her support of a bill that backers say would protect people with preexisting conditions if Obamacare is repealed.

Walters does post about health care on social media.

"Individuals with preexisting conditions should not be denied health insurance coverage or charged more regardless of their health status," she said in a video posted on Twitter and Facebook. "Individuals with preexisting conditions must also have access to continuous coverage."

The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation said the bill Walters backs would require insurers to take people with preexisting conditions, but it includes a loophole that would allow insurers to exclude coverage for the treatment of those conditions.

At a forum for candidates running for Irvine City Council, I met one Republican who plans to support Walters, in part because she voted to repeal Obamacare.

"I don't think the Affordable Care Act solved the problems," said Michelle Bolden of Irvine.

Bolden is not a fan of Porter's. She doesn't like ideas such as Medicare for All -- which critics say would be prohibitively expensive.

"I think a lot of the issues are getting too progressive and I'm not comfortable with that," said Bolden.

As for Walters, her Twitter feed focuses mostly on the strong economy and her support for the GOP tax bill. She also attacks Porter in campaign ads as a dangerous "extreme" leftist and a friend of "radical" Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

In the end, the race may not hinge on Republicans or Democrats. With independents now comprising nearly 30 percent of the 45th District's registered voters, they may be the ones to decide whether Mimi Walters or Katie Porter will represent the area in Congress.

Get ready for the Nov. 6 election. Here at LAist, we want to make sure Angelenos have all the information they need to cast their votes. To get prepped on deadlines, candidates and ballot measures, check out our Voter Game Plan. And if you liked this election guide, consider supporting us! You can donate here.

Have questions about health insurance for our reporter? Submit them below!
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Orange County officials and advocates for the homeless have agreed on radical changes for addressing one of SoCal's most vexing problems.

The two sides this week filed a tentative settlement in a lawsuit stemming from the eviction of hundreds of people from the Santa Ana riverbed homeless encampment.

The settlement would ensure more emergency shelter beds, and standards for engaging with and providing services for homeless individuals.

Here's the deal:

WHAT'S THIS CASE ABOUT, AGAIN?

Back in January, Orange County officials started to clear out the large homeless encampment that had grown up along the Santa Ana riverbed that borders Orange, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley and several other cities.

The encampment had become a real embarrassment for local officials: a Third World-esque shanty town right in the shadow of Angel Stadium, in plain view of major freeways.

When they tried to evict the people living there, county officials were slapped with a lawsuit. Advocates for the homeless argued the evictions were unconstitutional because there was nowhere else for them to sleep without breaking the law. That was because of a lack of shelter beds, particularly ones that could accommodate people with disabilities.

About 700 people were moved into motels for a month -- paid for by the county. The goal was to use that time to set them on a path that would get them off the streets for good.

A line of homeless people at the Santa Ana riverbed wait to get connected with a motel room or shelter on Feb. 20, 2018. (Photo by Jill Replogle/LAist)

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

Some people ended up back on the streets, although we don't have exact numbers. There are a couple of reasons why. Some people got kicked out of shelters or were told they no longer qualified for services. Advocates say many of those people were kicked out unfairly.

Carol Sobel, a lawyer for homeless plaintiffs, said sometimes it was a simple as not knowing how to handle someone with a mental illness.

"You have somebody who's schizophrenic or bipolar, they get angry," she said, "and if you don't have someone trained ... they take offense and kick them out."

This settlement hopes to address that by setting up clear guidelines for how shelters are run, and establishing rules for residents and rights if they're threatened with eviction from a shelter or treatment program.

There'll even be an appeals process.

That was important to homeless advocates because if people are just kicked to the curb, it defeats the goal of trying to get them off the streets.

WHAT ELSE DOES THIS TENTATIVE SETTLEMENT CHANGE?

First, let's look back:

Prior to the lawsuit, sheriff's deputies might approach someone sleeping on county property or on a public sidewalk and threaten them with a trespassing charge or a ticket for loitering if they refused to leave.

A deputy might tell that person they could go to a shelter, but in reality, there probably wouldn't have been any open beds. There's currently only one county-run homeless shelter for single adults that doesn't require a reservation. It's a former bus depot called the Courtyard, located in downtown Santa Ana.

There are some private shelters, but most have conditions, like being a veteran, or pregnant, or make you feel like you have to participate in religious activities. So basically OC has only one place considered "low-barrier" when it comes to getting a bed.

The Courtyard has been packed since it opened in late 2016, often with more than 400 people per night. It is not appropriate for many people with mental or physical disabilities.

Here's what will be different, if this settlement is ultimately approved:

Going forward, a homeless person sleeping on county land or in a public space would be approached by a county health care worker. That trained social worker would figure out what the person needs and what resources and shelter options are available.

Only then, if that person still refuses to leave, would law enforcement be able to act.

WHAT ABOUT SHELTER SPACE? YOU JUST SAID THERE WASN'T ANY

That's true but it's changing. Carol Sobel, one of the lawyers for the homeless, says that about 1,200 new shelter beds are expected to become available in the next few months. And that within about six months, there should be available and appropriate beds for almost every unsheltered person in OC -- around 2,500 people, according to the latest county, from 2017. Sobel called the progress toward that goal "phenomenal."

"You know I've been litigating in Los Angeles for 18 years," she said, "so anything that turns around in 18 months, yeah, I'm excited."

And Sobel has been fighting with L.A. for all that time to get the city to develop an adequate emergency shelter system. The fact that it doesn't have one is a big reason why you see so many people sleeping on the streets in Los Angeles.

Sobel thinks the threat of becoming another L.A., is part of the reason why we seem to be headed toward a positive settlement in Orange County.

Homeless veteran Kendrick Bailey's tent in downtown Los Angeles on June 20, 2017. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

WHAT DOES THE COUNTY SAY ABOUT THE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL?

The majority of the Orange County Board of Supervisors is supportive of the proposed settlement, according to the county's lead attorney, Leon Page. There are still a few details to be worked out.

Page sees the settlement as a win for the county.

"What this does is provide the county with a road map for ensuring that there will be no encampments within the county, or at least on county property," he said.

The reason he's specifying county property is because settlements are still in the works with Orange County cities. Some of those settlements also are close to being finalized.

But this fight isn't over. Sobel's team plans to add cities in south Orange County to the lawsuit. That's because it's the one part of the county that's not working to open new shelters.

Currently, the only low-barrier shelter for homeless individuals in south OC is in Laguna Beach. It sleeps 45.

Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now.
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Updated Sunday, Oct. 28, 5:50 p.m.

A federal judge denied bail Wednesday for three Southern California men charged with conspiracy and rioting in connection to white nationalist violence at rallies in California and Virginia.

The charges come two weeks after other members of the same group -- Rise Above Movement (RAM) -- were also apprehended by federal authorities.

The latest round of arrests began Sunday when Robert Rundo landed at LAX on a flight from Central America. FBI agents were waiting to arrest him.

Rundo, 28, is allegedly a founder and leader of RAM, a group described in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday as a "white supremacy extremist group based in Southern California."

The New York Times reports Rundo fled the country earlier this month, crossing the border to Mexico and then making his way to Central America before being brought back to the United States.

Aaron Eason, 38 of Anza in Riverside County, was at-large before turning himself into authorities. (Courtesy of the U.S. Attorney's office)

Then on Wednesday, authorities on arrested two other RAM members Robert Boman, 25, and Tyler Laube, 22, in the South Bay. The FBI is still looking for one more member of the group, 38-year-old Aaron Eason of Riverside, according to FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller.

[Update: FBI officials on Sunday said Eason turned himself into authorities. He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday.]

Each defendant faces a maximum of 10 years of prison if convicted on the conspiracy and rioting charges, the U.S. District Attorney's office said in a statement.

Judge Maria A. Audero denied bond for both Boman and Laube at a Wednesday afternoon hearing. She citied the nature of the allegations in the complaint and the fact that both defendants have multiple prior criminal convictions.

A judge had previously denied Rundo bail in the morning.

Boman has violated the terms of his probation or parole five times, according to prosecutors, and admits to struggling with methamphetamine use. Laube is currently on felony probation for second degree robbery.

"The nature of the offenses is nothing short of horribly violent," Audero said during Boman's hearing.

Rundo is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 5, Boman and Laube for Nov. 7.

VIOLENCE CAUGHT ON TAPE

According to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday, the men participated in riots in Berkeley, Huntington Beach and San Bernardino, and conspired with other members of RAM who traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, to participate in a "Unite the Right" white nationalist rally.

It was there that counter-protester Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 others injured when a car driven by a suspected white nationalist slammed into the crowd. Two police officers monitoring the clashes also died when their helicopter crashed.

The criminal complaint details specific acts of violence allegedly committed by the three defendants. Here's a look at a few:

Tyler Laube:

Robert Boman:

Robert Rundo:

RAM'S BACKSTORY

In public social media channels, Rise Above members distribute images and slogans of "White Unity" and show members posed in skeleton masks and training in mixed martial arts techniques. The Anti Defamation League says on its website that RAM pushes white supremacist ideology and operates "like a street-fighting club."

In the arrest complaint, authorities documented "public online postings" they said underscore the group's philosophy. Authorities said Rundo, Boman and Laube are all identifiable in postings.

This week's arrests came a year after ProPublica, as part of the nonprofit newsroom's Documenting Hate series, asked why RAM members had not been targeted by authorities despite being caught on tape in violent acts.

ProPublica reported RAM members "boasted publicly of their violence during protests in Huntington Beach, San Bernardino and Berkeley. Many of the altercations have been captured on video, and its members are not hard to spot."

REASON FOR ARRESTS

This latest round of arrests comes after an October 2nd crackdown, when four members of Rise Above Movement from Southern California were arrested and charged with intent to incite or commit violent acts to further a riot for their actions during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA last year.

The reason for the latest arrests is contained in a FBI complaint unsealed Wednesday.

The complaint describes RAM's efforts to pose as security personnel at political gatherings. Members were instructed to wear polo shirts and khakis, wear short-cropped hair and appear organized -- all in an effort to be ready to jump into any violent confrontations that might crop up, according to the FBI.

At a "Make America Great Again" gathering in Huntington Beach on March 25th, 2017, for example, Laube is accused of punching a journalist in the face three times. Rundo allegedly punched and assaulted a counter-protester.

The group then allegedly celebrated the attacks on social media and over text messages and made plans for further violence at an upcoming rally in Berkeley.

"The allegations describe an orchestrated effort to squelch free speech as members of the conspiracy travelled to multiple locations to attack those who hold different views," said United States Attorney Nick Hanna in a statement. "This case demonstrates our commitment to preserve and protect the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution."

MEDIA SAVVY

Federal officials, in the complaint, painted a picture of a group getting more savvy about their public face. The affadavit filed by Special Agent Scott J. Bierwith describes RAM leader Benjamin Brook Daley, 25, encouraging members to look less like obvious supremacists. Daley is among the RAM members arrested earlier this month.

Here's an exchange documented in Bierwith's affadavit:

Daley: "We go for the implicit look so you'll have to change your [style] up a bit when your with us."The associate: "Yea that's fine [I] can grow my hair out if need be, drop the boots and braces look etc." Daley responded with an image of an "OK" symbol, and stated, "Trust I did it for a long time too but ultimately the 80s in that style of nationalism proved to be ineffective. . . . [I] think its time to reimagine the nationalist look and playbook, we have become predictable that needs to change."

UPDATES:

8:30 p.m: This article was updated with additional information about the timing of the arrests and the location of the alleged violent acts.

5:03 p.m.: Details from alleged violent incidents were added to this story.

4:45 p.m.: This story was updated with details from the afternoon arraignment, as well as additional details from the criminal complaint.

3:41 p.m.: This article was updated with information about Rundo's arraignment and an image of Eason.

This article originally published at 12:30 p.m.

READ THE COMPLAINT

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Photography enthusiasts can have a field day right now in Balboa Park, starting with Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty, the current show at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA).

Irving Penn (1917-2009) was famous for giving a new look to fashion photography in Vogue magazine in the mid-20th century. But theres much more to his work than Vogue-ing, as this 160-piece exhibition shows.

On view are wartime and Depression-era scenes, portraits of celebrity artists and writers, street vendors and children, unusual nudes, animal skulls, still lifes and, of course, some starkly beautiful fashion photos, too.

Most images are black and white, but theres also color, like the bouillabaisse blown up to several times life-size that gives theatrical presence to crawfish and shrimp. More than 70 years of Penns photographic output is represented, and MOPA is the last stop  and the only West Coast venue  on a three-year national tour.

Penn even makes cigarette butts look compelling, but his portraits are seriously riveting, and the closer you look, the more his artistry and his subjects essences are revealed. Organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., this is a show you could spend a long time admiring.

And when youve had your fill, theres still more to see at MOPA. Stop in at the front gallery to check out Reverberate: Sound + Image, MOPAs 13th annual juried youth exhibition, which features interesting pieces by students from both sides of the border. Perhaps one of them will someday become the next-generation Irving Penn.

 IF YOU GO: Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty, runs through Feb. 17, 2019 and Reverberate: Sound + Image through Jan. 9, 2019 at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pay what you wish admission. (619) 238-7559. mopa.org

Young Boy, Pause Pause (1941) is one of 160 photos on view in Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty at Museum of Photographic Arts through Feb. 17, 2019. (Courtesy)
After the Black Dahlia and Sharon Tate, shes probably Hollywoods most famous tragic cult figure. The tale of Peg Entwistle serves as the quintessential anti-Hollywood success story, a warning beacon to would-be starlets about the dark realities of heading west to seek fame and fortune.

Since Entwistle climbed to the top of the Hollywood signs 50-foot-high letter H and jumped to her death on Sept. 16, 1932, tour bus guides approaching the site have invoked her name on a daily basis. But more than half of what gets passed off as Entwistles story is, ironically, Hollywood-ized: that she was an unknown actress who couldnt land any roles, who had to pose for nude photos to pay rent, who had to kill herself to attain notoriety.

Author James Zeruk, Jr. spent six years investigating the true story of the fallen starlet  including a long-forgotten La Jolla connection  for his 2013 book, Peg Entwistle and the Hollywood Sign Suicide. This included interviewing Entwistles only living relatives to remember her: her younger brother Milton and cousin Helen, both of whom have since died.



I think its important to set the record straight about anyone who has some historical value, Zeruk said during a phone call from his Los Angeles home.

First off, there is no evidence of nude photos. That salacious curveball was tossed by author Kenneth Angers factually challenged 1965 book, Hollywood Babylon, which misidentified Peg in a photo of another actress.

More to the point, Peg was far from unknown. Though she was obviously not an A-list movie star, she was one of the eras premiere stage actors. Bette Davis even cited one of her performances  in a 1925 production of Henrik Ibsens The Wild Duck  as her singular inspiration for entering the theater.

Peg was written up in hundreds of magazines about her plays, Zeruk said. And when she came to Hollywood, she got recognized. One time, she was out to dinner with her aunt and another actress and some people asked for her autograph because they saw her in a play in New York a month earlier.

Peg Entwistle may be the subject of Steely Dan's 1978 smash hit, "Peg," although the band has never stated this. JAMES ZERUK JR./ENTWISTLE FAMILY COLLECTION

Early tragedies

Millicent Lilian Peg Entwistle was born Feb. 5, 1908, in Wales, where her London-based parents were vacationing. Her father, a stage actor, divorced her mother and remarried and, by 1913, had moved Peg to America so he could star on Broadway. Robert Entwistle joined the casts of several plays and escorted Peg backstage, where she observed the craft and fell in love. At age 12, she starred in a production of Peter Pan at her school.

Then tragedy struck  twice. Pegs stepmother, Lauretta, succumbed to meningitis at age 35. (To Peg, she was her mother for all intents and purposes. According to Zeruk, Peg never searched for her birth mother.) Only a year later, Robert, who quit the theater and opened a gift-box store to provide a more stable living for his children, was struck down by a hit-and-run limo driver while making a delivery. He lingered for 48 days in a body cast before dying at Brooklyns Prospect Hospital.

Peg and the boys were taken in by their Aunt Jane and Uncle Charles, who lived in Santa Monica at the time. (Both were in show business  Jane, who was Laurettas sister, was an actress and Charles managed the career of Broadway actor Walter Hampden.)



Jolla-wood shuffle



La Jolla enters the picture because Peg attended the Bishops School for two years, 1923 and 1924, back when it was an all-girls Episcopalian boarding academy. According to Zeruk, Peg didnt want to go to public school because she was ashamed of not having any parents, of being an orphan. And Bishops had a great academic reputation that her aunt and uncle approved of. It was also free. (Thanks to the financial support of Ellen Browning Scripps, there was no charge for tuition, room or board.)

Peg, 15, appears in center of the middle row in this yearbook photo from the Bishop's School in 1923, looking off at something to her right. JAMES ZERUK JR./BISHOP'S SCHOOL

Peg rode the train with Charles and Jane down from L.A.s Union Station for the orientation, according to Zeruk. Following an interview with head mistress Caroline Cummins, they were introduced to the principal and then probably to the Bishop (Joseph H. Johnson) and to Scripps, each of whom made a point of meeting the new students.

On weekdays during the school year, the Bishops students who lived on campus were awakened at 6 a.m. They took cold baths, donned white uniforms and performed vigorous calisthenics. This was followed by morning prayer in the chapel, breakfast and five hours of classroom study.

When contacted by the Light, the Bishops School could not locate Entwistles academic record. However, according to Zeruk, Entwistles brother told him she always had good grades and that wherever Peg went, she had a book or two under her arm.

Sports and other group activities were also stressed at Bishops, as they still are today, and Peg preferred the equestrian program.

She was proficient as a rider, Zeruk said, though she was too small to lift and toss a saddle onto anything much better than a Shetland pony. Zeruk said Milton told him their Aunt Jane had taught them how to ride, and that they frequently rode up Mount Lee, which is where the Hollywood sign would be erected in summer and fall of 1923.

Author James Zeruk Jr.'s 2013 biography of Peg Entwistle was a six-year labor of love. COURTESY

No sign of trouble yet



Originally, it read Hollywoodland, advertising the housing development  financed by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler  in which Charles and Jane had recently purchased a home at 2428 North Beachwood Drive. The letters were anchored five feet off the brush to telephone poles and illuminated by 4,000 light bulbs. At night, they flashed in four stages: Holly, then Wood, then Land and then the entire word. (The developer went under during the Great Depression. In the mid-40s, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce saved the sign from being demolished, restored it and removed the last four letters.)

According to Zeruk, Peg and her brothers were fascinated by the nearby sign, climbing up the maintenance ladders in back of each individual letter frequently as children: Peg would scamper up there like she owned it. It was a jungle gym to her.

Peg even watched the letters get driven up the hill from her house during its construction. According to Zeruk: Helen told me that one day they were sitting on the porch, pretending they were staging a play, when all these trucks and tractors went up the hill to Mount Lee.

That same summer, Charles found work stage-managing the revival of the 18th century comedy The School For Scandal starring Ethel Barrymore, and Peg spent many nights backstage, observing again. She wanted to be an actress, not a scholar. So, she decided, 1924 would be her last year at Bishops. After that, she returned to Hollywood and her tragic fate.

Peg and Robert Keith  who bears a strong resemblance to his son, Brian, the TV actor who died in 1997  pose on their 1927 wedding day. They would divorce two years later. JAMES ZERUK JR.

That included getting married at only 19, to an older stage actor named Robert Keith. The unhappy union lasted only two years. According to Zeruk, Keith drank heavily and physically abused Peg. As if that werent enough, he neglected to tell her that he was divorced with a six-year-old son. (That son grew up to become TV actor Brian Keith, who would never publicly mention Peg during his lifetime.)

On a role



Pegs acting career flourished, including a small role in a 1925 production of Hamlet, also starring Ethel Barrymore, and a co-starring role with Humphrey Bogart in The Mad Hopes at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. According to Zeruk, Peg and Bogey may have co-starred in real life as well.

I couldnt tell you if they were lovers, he said. He was married to another stage actress at the time, Mary Philips, although she was in New York. Who knows? But they dated casually. Her brother told me he would come to the house to pick her up. (Once, Zeruk said, Bogey waited outside in his car and got impatient. Uncle Charles got angry and demanded to know, Whos honking that horn?! Its a safe bet he didnt expect the answer he received.)

In 1926, Peg was snapped up by the New York Theatre Guild and starred in 10 of its Broadway plays  including 1927s Tommy, a smash hit that ran for 232 performances. But her marriage was on the rocks by then. During a highly publicized national Guild tour the couple undertook together, Keith began drinking heavily and often. The Guild fired him from the tour after a few months, according to Zeruk. Peg continued on with the troupe to L.A. But there, she was stalked by Keith, who made unwelcome, drunken stage-door appearances that made the newspapers. This troubled the Guild managers in no small way, Zeruk said, and out of fear of continued bad press, they reluctantly distanced themselves from Peg. Though not fired, she was no longer a Guild headliner.



They couldnt have one of their actresses be with this guy who made scenes and was out of control, Zeruk said.

Pegs one movie role  in 1932s Thirteen Women starring Myrna Loy and Irene Dunne  was a consolation prize. RKO Pictures had originally considered her for the lead in the film Bill of Divorcement but gave it to another promising new starlet instead: Katharine Hepburn. (If Peg had landed Thirteen Woman, Zeruk said, I think things would have turned out completely different, because she really had her heart set on that part.)

Pegs screen time in Thirteen Women was reduced from 16 to four minutes before it was even filmed. This was due to political issues about her character: Peg played a young married woman in a lesbian relationship. (In 1930, the Motion Picture Production Code was adopted by the industry, setting moral guidelines for all U.S. movies. Even though homosexuality was not specifically mentioned, the code prohibited it indirectly as any inference of sex perversion. Under pressure from the Studio Relations Committee  the codes enforcement arm  RKO deleted all hints of the relationship from the script.)

Then, to stay afloat during the Depression, RKO lightened its payroll by cutting all non-A-listers. In August 1932, Peg was released from her contract. The loss of income forced her out of apartments she rented in both New York and Hollywood, causing her to lose all her possessions and prompting a move back in with her aunt and uncle on North Beachwood Drive. In the midst of this tumult, Peg let slip her mind a handshake commitment she had made to star in a Broadway version of The Mad Hopes, causing powerful producer Bela Blau to blacklist her in New York.

While all this is going on, her ex-husband is in San Francisco, married to another actress and theyre working in a play together and he sells another play to a big producer, Zeruk said. There were all these little things that were all adding up.

There are better ways of achieving immortality than Peg Entwistle's. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Spectacular sign-off

Sept. 16 was a Sunday evening. Peg had told her uncle she was stepping out to buy a book from a drugstore and then visit friends. Instead, she vanished. An LAPD officer at downtown L.A.s Central Police Station took the call on Tuesday morning. Someone who wouldnt provide her name said shed been hiking near the Hollywood sign when she saw a womans shoes, jacket and purse. Further down the hill, the hiker reported, was what looked like a womans body.

The cause of death listed by the coroner was multiple fractures of the pelvis. Zeruk said he asked a modern-day coroner how a broken pelvis could be a death sentence, and was told that Peg probably bled out internally, through blood vessels punctured by the bone shards, within four minutes.

Police found a suicide note sticking out of the purse. It read: I am afraid Im a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain.  P.E.

She wasnt a coward, Zeruk said. She was the opposite. She had a lot of angst going on, a lot of things she was regretful for. She just blamed herself, and sometimes rightly so. A lot of it was her own doing. It never occurred to Peg to just try to get a job as a waitress or a secretary until something better happened to her.
The La Jolla Cluster Associations social intelligence committee had its first meeting, following the regular Cluster Association meeting Oct. 18 at Muirlands Middle School. The result was determining the early goal of having the elementary schools working together to create a consistent system and language that could be across all schools  and up to middle and high school  and have the students be the leaders in this effort.

The Cluster Association is comprised of parents, teachers and principals from La Jollas five public schools: Bird Rock Elementary, La Jolla Elementary, Torrey Pines Elementary, Muirlands Middle and La Jolla High. The concept of social intelligence Cluster-wide started last year to give students the ability to understand the concept of emotional well-being for themselves and others.

My goal would be to come up with social-emotional language regarding diversity, inclusivity that all sites use so when students go from school to school the students know what were talking about, said Cluster social intelligence committee chair Fran Shimp. We want to change the culture of our community so everyone stands up for each other and treats everyone with respect and says something if they see something wrong.

During the first meeting, representatives from each school shared what is already being done at their respective sites to encourage social intelligence.

For example, at Bird Rock Elementary School, there is a counselor on site one day a week who implements the San Diego Unified School District-recommended Second Steps for empathy, problem solving and anger management. La Jolla Elementary has a counselor one day a week and every other Wednesday, who used to implement Second Steps, but principal Donna Tripi said the program became dated so it was stopped, and now teachers facilitate character-building programs. Torrey Pines Elementary has a counselor that visits each classroom nine times a year to teach social-emotional skills.

In hearing this, several parents suggested representatives from each of the elementary schools get together to determine what worked, what programs (or components of programs) could be implemented to create a consistent curriculum that is age-appropriate.

La Jolla High School student Elizabeth Heller also recommended introducing language at the elementary school level that is being used at the middle and high school level, so when students make their way to the upper grades, they are familiar with the terms.

One of which is hype team, based on a program at La Jolla High. Hype team members cheer classmates in times of need. Another is upstander, which is someone who stands up and intervenes, tells an adult or supports the victim after an altercation, rather than just being a bystander.

Building from there, a group of Muirlands Middle School students, parents and principal Geof Martin recently attended the Anti-Defamation Leagues No Place for Hate conference, and has already implemented initiatives such as Project Wisdom, which teaches life lessons; and Allied Action, which is intended to create a culture of upstanders.

At La Jolla High, there is a club called Agents of Change in which students peer-counsel each other. Shimp explained the program involves upperclassmen meeting with freshmen during orientation to set the cultural tone as one of inclusivity and acceptance. The students train those in grades below them to keep the model sustainable.

To best bridge these programs, Muirlands parent Christy Littlemore suggested having the high school students reach out to middle school students, and make most of the programming student-led.

When the students lead these activities, its contagious. Thats the direction to go. Our middle-schoolers are not engaged by adults, they are engaged by high school students, she said.

At the next meeting, again following the next Cluster meeting, Heller will return with a list of traits she and her fellow Agents of Change would like to see addressed at the various grade levels, and representatives from the elementary schools will meet and report back.

Help Wanted: TPES principal

The ongoing search for a new Torrey Pines Elementary School principal is in the midst of one more round of candidate interviews. If a principal is not selected during this session, the search will be suspended until the spring.

Hopefully, we find a good match. If we dont, we have made a commitment to find another way to support the school and re-post in the spring because it doesnt make sense (to keep going on this path), said Area Superintendent Mitzi Merino.

Its not like the candidate pool is getting stronger as the year goes on. The teachers would rather keep looking rather than settle.

Chris Hargrave is serving as interim TPES principal, but if a principal is not chosen, a retired administrator would likely step into the interim principal position until a permanent one is found.

 La Jolla Cluster Association next meets 4:15 p.m. Thursday Nov. 29, at Muirlands Middle School, 1056 Nautilus St. lajollacluster.org
Two La Jolla scientists make the big TIME list

Steffanie Strathdees efforts to save her husbands life  documented by La Jolla Light in May  have made her one of TIME magazines 50 Most Influential People in Health Care for 2018, a list identifying people who have changed the state of health care in America this year, and bear watching for what they do next.

Strathdee  associate dean of global health sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine  pursued bacteriophages as a last-resort, experimental treatment to cure UCSD Psychiatry professor Tom Patterson, who was dying of a multidrug-resistant bacterial infection contracted while on vacation in Egypt. Her efforts helped reinvigorate the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages.

Its a great honor to be recognized for my efforts to bring phage therapy into the 21st century in North America, Strathdee said, but it all started with my single-minded desire to save my husbands life, and it truly reflects a team effort.

Also named to TIMEs list was Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor at Salks Gene Expression Laboratory, for his scientific innovations in addressing the shortage of human organs for transplant.

Combining gene-editing and stem-cell technologies, Belmontes lab was able to grow a rat pancreas, heart and eyes in a developing mouse. They were also able to generate human cells and tissues in early-stage pig and cattle embryos, marking the first step toward generating transplantable human organs using large animals whose organ size, physiology and anatomy are similar to humans.

Juan Carlos work is at the absolute forefront of an astounding number of biomedical areas with game-changing potential for peoples health, said Salk president Rusty Gage. He is very much a scientist and a humanitarian in the mold of all Salk faculty, and we are overjoyed to have his pioneering research acknowledged by a magazine as prominent as TIME.

Whats Barbara brewing?

Barbara Bry held her second Brews with Bry event of 2018 on Thursday, Oct. 18 at La Jollas Absolution by the Sea. On the taverns patio, the San Diego City Council member outlined her current priorities before chatting with about 50 residents who either had unresolved issues or just wanted to say hello.

Bry talked at length about a project she founded called the Workplace Equity Initiative, which addresses sexual-harassment claims and is developing a code of conduct for San Diego employees and employers.

I had my own Me Too movement experiences early in my career, Bry revealed. Wont go into detail tonight. And as this movement unfolded, I thought, What could we do here in San Diego?

To formulate the initiative  which Bry said she hopes will be introduced by the end of the year  three facilitated workshops were held in which representatives of San Diego business and educational institution dialogued about their concerns.

La Jolla student holds pre-registration drive

On Friday, Oct. 19, La Jolla High School junior Anabel Foster led a voter pre-registration drive at her school, providing fellow students with applications and information about voting for the 2020 presidential election.

Voting in all elections is the best way to have the politicians that care about your values, Foster said in a statement emailed to the Light by her mother, who reported that most students didnt realize they could pre-register before they were 18  as long as they turn 18 by the election they wish to vote in.

Once pre-registered, students receive a confirmation postcard from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, followed by another when they turn 18 stating that their registration is active. The deadlines to pre-register, and to register, have already passed.

UC Health: Business as usual during strike

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) strike against the University of California and its health systems  scheduled to run through Thursday, Oct. 25  is not expected to interfere with operations at any UC San Diego Health hospitals or clinics, according to a press release from UC San Diego Health. All medical facilities will remain open and fully functional, the release stated, with all scheduled surgeries and procedures expected to proceed.

In its second strike this year, AFSCME Local 3299 (the union representing UC System patient care and service workers) is picketing for higher wages for workers and less job outsourcing. Contract negotiations have been ongoing since June, following a three-day May strike in which 53,000 AFSCME members picketed.

ResMed helps kids count up to $10K

For the seventh year, the La Jolla-based ResMed Foundation has awarded a grant to the San Diego Center for Children Academys intensive math improvement program.

This years award, for $10,000, allows the program to reach 40 students, 15 more than during the 2016-2017 school year.

The grant will ensure that we can continue to provide, improve and expand this already successful program, said Moises Baron, president/CEO of the San Diego Center for Children.

The math program works with students through intensive one-on-one and small group instruction.

Researchers shatter blood-pressure myth

Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with the UC San Francisco School of Medicine, have shot down the common assumption that lowering high blood pressure in hypertensive patients damages the kidneys.

The findings  published in the Oct. 23 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine  suggest that lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg does not damage the kidney organ itself. Instead, any negative changes to clinical results are more likely due to decreased blood flow.

There has always been debate surrounding how aggressively blood pressure should be treated since more aggressive treatment would require more medications and strain on the kidneys, said Joachim Ix, chief of nephrology-hypertension at UCSD School of Medicine. However, we now have evidence that apparent changes in kidney function are predominantly the result of less blood flood, not damage.
Following a question of legal standing in the case of La Jolla Benefits Association vs. the City of San Diego as it pertains to the La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District (MAD), those against the formation of the MAD filed a request to have the plaintiffs changed in the case.

The new requested plaintiffs are A-440 Enterprises; Allison-Zongker, a California limited partnership; and the Boyadjian Seta Living Trust.

Judge Randa Trapp will hear the request to amend the original filing with the new plaintiffs on Friday, Nov. 2 in San Diego Superior Court. Deputy City Attorney Carmen Brock will represent the MAD, and Maria Severson of Aguirre Severson, LLP will represent La Jolla Benefits Association LLC.

La Jolla Benefits Association LLCs previous standing was based on the fact that its then-manager  A-440 Enterprises, Inc.  is a commercial property owner in the MAD.

However, on June 27, Judge Trapp found that at the time the complaint was filed, La Jolla Benefits Association was not managed by A-440 and therefore did not have legal standing to file a complaint. Further, by the time A-440 was managing La Jolla Benefits Association, the statute of limitations to file had expired.

The most recent filing argues that the requested plaintiffs all owned and operated real property located within  the La Jolla MAD before Nov. 28, 2016, and since that time, without interruption and are authorized representative(s) of (property) owners in the La Jolla MAD.

Allison-Zongker is a non-residential building operator based in La Jolla. Don Allison, a partner in Allison-Zongker, declined to comment on the lawsuit to the Light.

Additional plaintiff, Seta Boyadjian of the Boyadjian Seta Living Trust, La Jolla developer Claude-Anthony Marengos mother and owner of a beauty salon in La Jolla, could not be reached by the Lights press deadline.

The plaintiffs attorney Severson told the Light: Were looking forward to having this before the court so that it can be resolved on its merits. The intent of the change is to resolve the standing issue and have the case against the formation of the MAD re-heard.

La Jolla MAD history

The MAD was approved by a majority (weighted by property size) of the commercial and residential property owners within its boundaries in November 2016.

Soon after the MAD was passed, the La Jolla Benefits Association LLC was formed and it filed a lawsuit challenging the MADs legality on the grounds that services the MAD would provide are services the City should be carrying out, such as additional trash collection, litter abatement, graffiti control, landscape maintenance and power-washing sidewalks.

A-440 Enterprises president Lincoln Foster previously told the Light: We think proponents of the MAD  are honorable and well-intentioned members of the community and have the communitys best interest at heart. We agree with what they want to do  maintain the streets, improve landscaping and pick up trash  no one can disagree with that. Our disagreement is the mechanism by which they want to raise funds to carry out those objectives.

In November 2017, Judge Trapp ruled the formation of the MAD was unconstitutional based on La Jolla Benefits position. But on June 27, she determined La Jolla Benefits Association LLC did not have legal standing to file the case.

Soon after, La Jolla Benefits Association asked the court for permission to amend its original filing with the new plaintiffs.

The Citys opposition to this request calls it a delay tactic and reads: the (La Jolla Benefits) LLC has failed to demonstrate any reason why this court should reconsider its June 27 order, which clearly analyzed why the LLC lacked the right to be before the court. The LLCs Motion for Reconsideration is simply a delay tactic intended to forestall the Citys ability to commence the function of the (MAD) and implement a municipal finance mechanism the citizens of La Jolla affirmatively voted to pursue. The LLCs motion for reconsideration lacks legal merit and must be denied.

The Citys opposition further states: Displeased by the outcome of the (previous) proceeding, the LLC and its attorneys now ask for a do-over. The LLC would like to add new parties who the LLC claims would have had standing, had they timely filed within the 30-day statute of limitations. The request comes nearly two years too late.

Should the MAD prevail, it would be managed by the La Jolla-based non-profit, Enhance La Jolla. The majority of Enhance La Jolla board members are property owners within the district, as required by law.

Through the MAD, Enhance La Jolla could have the authority to enhance City-provided services, as well as privately fund and complete capital improvement projects in public spaces, such as upgrade trash cans, install benches, augment signage, create roundabouts, make park improvements, increase public art and plant tree canopies on main thoroughfares.
Following the backlash from a cautionary e-mail La Jolla Elementary School principal Donna Tripi sent to parents that made national news, a forum to address racism in the community was held in the school auditorium, Oct. 22. Those in attendance were encouraged to take what they learned, and keep the conversation going.

Moderated by San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) chief human resources officer Acacia Thede, the speakers included Tripi, land-use attorney and former San Diego County Board of Supervisors candidate Omar Passons, members of the La Jolla community, and San Diego residents at large.

The forum was held in response to two parental e-mails, the first of which unintentionally depicted an African-American man as threatening.

Sent in mid-September, the e-mail reads: This morning, a parent came to see me to report an incident that she experienced at a local business yesterday. She was with her two children patronizing the business when an African-American male about 30-years-old, about 6 1 to 6 2, dressed in all black and a hooded sweatshirt began staring at her daughter. She became uncomfortable and left the establishment. The man left behind her and followed her across the street. The parent was proactive, ensuring that she went to a place where other people were present before getting in her car and leaving the area. While nothing happened due to the vigilance of the parent, Im communicating the incident so you can take the appropriate steps to keep your children safe.

Tripi proceeded to list some safety reminders for parents to follow and concluded: Were all hoping it was an isolated incident, but reminders are always helpful.

She followed up the initial e-mail with one in mid-October that apologized for the potential harm it could have caused. My e-mail was a mistake. While it is critical to keep our school family safe, the way I communicated didnt provide enough specifics to identify the individual, but could easily lead to unnecessary and harmful reactions against other members of our community, she 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 e-mail is something for which I owe our community an apology.

The forum was set so parents and community members could share their thoughts on the e-mail, as well as their experiences with and questions about racism.

Today is the beginning of our conversation, Thede opened, and asked for civility among speakers. One of the most important parts of tonights time is that we are able to hear one another.

La Jolla Elementary School Donna Tripi (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

Tripi provided opening remarks, some of which included the content of her apology e-mail. She said: I have been the very proud principal of La Jolla Elementary School for almost two decades. I pride myself on being open and honest with our families. When we make a mistake, we own it and commit ourselves to getting better.  I would like to begin tonight by acknowledging my mistake. Safety and security has to be the highest priority for any principal.  In striving to create a color-blind community, where we do not see race but only see the potential each child brings to school every day, I overlooked the fact that our country is not color-blind.

She added that she hopes the community will be stronger as a result of this incident.

Passons, in his opening remarks, compared himself to the person described in the e-mail: When I got the original e-mail, it hit me. Im not six-foot, Im only five-foot-10, but if Im sitting down in a sweatshirt and the communication is there is a black man in a hoodie, thats me. When I saw the original e-mail, it punched me in the stomach. We want our kids to be safe, but some of those kids are black and brown. And we want them to be safe. I hope people leave here understanding that, while completely unintentional, an action can still have discriminatory effects.

The next 50 minutes were dedicated to people posing their questions and experiences. Several of the African-American men who spoke also commented that, based on the description, it could have been them referred to in the e-mail.

A parent of a third-grader asked what it was about the e-mail that was offensive (at which point, several hands went up from the audience wanting to respond). The bigger issue in La Jolla is the homeless problem, she said, and I think the principal has a huge responsibility to communicate with parents about different things that are going on. God forbid something happened to one of the children that day and she didnt communicate with us.

As one person attempted to respond, she interrupted and repeated her questions, raising tensions in the room.

One African-American man countered: It can become dangerous for me to be out on the street and have people assume Im a criminal because I have a hoodie on. And it happens to us all over this country.

Passons added that Tripi could have listed the four things to keep families safe without mentioning a description of the individual.

Another parent argued that the description was appropriate and said in the wake of 9/11, the motto is, if you see something say something and argued Tripi had no reason to apologize.

One attendee spoke against the concept of color-blindness. Being color-blind, or when I hear folks I know say they dont see race, it ignores the experiences and historical strain of our black and brown people in this country, she opined.

Monoghan Cromeans, a senior at La Jolla High and president of the Black Student Union, said she went to La Jolla Elementary and was one of the only students of color in her class. I never once experienced discrimination from Ms. Tripi  while mistakes may have been made (with this e-mail), many people in this room misdirect their anger about racism far too often, she told those gathered. Youre quick to label a situation such as this as racist, but are quick to turn a blind eye to actual racism.

As one of the few black students at La Jolla High School, I can speak to personal accounts that racism is prevalent in our community, but most dont see it, either because it doesnt affect them or they support what is being said. She added that she gets asked from where she is bused-in from to go to school. (According to greatschools.com La Jolla Elementary Schools student population is 1 percent black, 9 percent two or more races.)

Several attendees stood to offer a standing ovation following her remarks.

One La Jolla parent  originally from Jamaica  commented that though the e-mail came out of concern for safety, he questioned whose safety was being addressed: I have a son that is 11 years old.  Our son was less safe as a result of that e-mail. I feel less safe because of that characterization. I wont run at night in this community, and I live here. If I get locked out of my house, I wont jump my fence.

At the meetings end, the main speakers offered departing remarks and encouraged those in attendance to continue the conversation.

Thede said: Change happens by the commitment of those who live in the community, who make a commitment to change, love one another and listen, to be uncomfortable sometimes, to make something better. When you put yourself in a position to be a little bit vulnerable, thats when it can happen.

Passons added: I hope this is not the end of this conversation at your dinner tables, PTA meetings, with your children and with each other. Empathy isnt related to one skin complexion.  We can be and do better. There is empathy in everybody in this room.

Tripi concluded: I appreciate everyone coming out tonight. I feel like we are richer for this conversation. Weve learned a lot and we are going to continue these conversations.

At the end of forum, several people were seen introducing themselves to others, exchanging business cards and phone numbers, and more.
A presentation to the La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee board (PRC) that was seemingly heading for a return visit, took a surprising, last-minute turn when a project to add to a one-story duplex was approved 4-1-1, Oct. 15 at La Jolla Rec Center.

The La Jolla Shores property is at 8015 and 8017 El Paseo Grande, and applicants Ione Stiegler and Heather Crane successfully sought a Site Development Permit for alterations and additions to the 2,352-square-foot, potentially historic multi-family duplex; remodel the interior; and add a 1,181 square-foot second story with roof deck.

Were actually sort-of excited about this project because this (duplex) is a unique marriage between Lloyd Ruocco, who was a famous mid-century modernist architect in San Diego, and Homer Delawie, another famous mid-century modernist architect, during their short-term partnership in 1960, Stiegler said. Because of these accolades, the San Diego Historical Resources Board considers the property potentially historic and architect Crane has to adhere to the Secretary of the Interior standards for historic preservation.

We needed to set it back, differentiate, and complement the original, Stiegler said, and gave Crane kudos for doing masterful job at achieving these goals.

Stiegler said the homeowner bought and lived in the property in the 1980s, before moving to the East Coast. He maintained ownership of the duplex and rented it long-term, but he and his wife are looking to retire and move back to this house, she said.

As such, the architects seek to create an owner side to the duplex that includes a second story and a third floor balcony that overlaps both units. The single-story renter side would be largely unchanged.

The second story and balcony would add 1,478 square feet to the existing 2,352 square-foot duplex. The second story is set back 57 feet from the front to minimize the view from the street.

Two neighbors wrote letters of support, and while the residents of the house directly behind the property were contacted, they never responded.

The only issue raised at the meeting was the enclosed staircase that would lead to the new second story and balcony.

When asked about whether the staircase could be brought outside rather than being contained in a tower, Stiegler explained waterproofing stairs is terrible and is only going to last three to six years and then you are going to have to do it again. It is much better to have a roof over a set of stairs rather than water proofing them, adding, were being constrained with what we can do (based on its potential historicity).

Concerned about the tower-like appearance of the stairwell, PRC trustee Angie Preisendorfer noted, I think you folks have done a really good job, except for the push of the stairwell.

Trustee Janie Emerson added, if she lived behind the stair tower, Id be livid.

Although the applicant was asked to reconsider the stairwell configuration and was ready to come back  as some trustees said they needed more information before they could proceed with a vote  an about-face motion called for the project to be approved on its first review, which passed 4-1-1.

Its remarkable the rock and hard place youve been placed in between, trustee Matt Edwards said as part of his motion. Youve done a great job.

Grady Residence

Less successful, the Grady Residence project was asked to come back for a vote after its first review.

The applicants representative, James Alcorn, seeks a Coastal Development Permit and Site Development Permit to demolish an existing house and construct a new, two-story 4,640 square-foot residence over a 2,170 square-foot basement with garage and studio at 7910 Saint Louis Terrace.

James Alcorn presents renderings and a 3-D model of his project on Saint Louis Terrace to the La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee, Oct. 15. Ashley Mackin-Solomon

The property sits on a corner at the top of the street and is largely blocked by trees, which will remain. Despite its size, Alcorn said from Torrey Pines Road, you cant even see this property and that the height maxes out at 28 or 29 feet.

Although Alcorn presented drawn renderings and a 3-D model of what the house would be, he did not provide feedback from the neighbors, a street scape to show how the project would fit with the houses that surround it, a data sheet with figures about surrounding houses, material board or interior sections.

As such, he was asked to return to a future meeting with this information.
ABCNews.com(NEW YORK) -- Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reacted to the suspicious package sent to her house in New York Wednesday, thanking the U.S. Secret Service and calling out the environment of "deep divisions" framing the attempts.



"We are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made our way to our home," Clinton said, speaking at a campaign event in Florida for congressional candidate Donna Shalala, a former Cabinet official under President Bill Clinton.



"Every day we are grateful for their commitment, and obviously never more than today, but it is a troubling time isn't it? And its a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together," Clinton said.



Her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, tweeted her gratitude for the Secret Service earlier Wednesday.



The suspicious packages sent to CNN in New York and the homes of the nation's most powerful Democrats, former President Barack Obama and the Clintons, prompted swift condemnation from the White House and congressional leaders.



The preliminary belief is that all three devices are of similar pipe-bomb-style construction. Suspicious packages were also sent to former Attorney General Eric Holder, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Manhattan office and the building in Sunrise, Florida, where former Democratic National Committee chairperson Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz has an office. A pipe bomb was also found earlier this week in the home mailbox of billionaire George Soros, who has a house in a town near the Clintons in New York.



President Donald Trump was briefed on the suspicious packages sent to the Clinton and Obama homes Wednesday morning before other reports surfaced, including that a package was also delivered to CNN. The White House forcefully denounced the "attempted violent attacks."



We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.



Sanders followed up with an update after packages were found at CNN in New York: "This is an ongoing situation that President Trump and his admin are monitoring closely. Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated," she tweeted.



Vice President Mike Pence called the attempts "cowardly" and "despicable." Trump retweeted Pence's statement on Twitter, adding "I agree wholeheartedly!"



Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and adviser, tweeted that there's "no excuse" for the attempted attacks.



Senate leader Mitch McConnell, calling the deliveries "attempted acts of domestic terrorism," thanked first responders for their protection against "unconscionable acts."



I stand with all Americans in condemning todays attempted acts of domestic terrorism. As we continue to learn more, Americans are united in gratitude for the first responders  the Secret Service, the Postal Service, and other law enforcement  who protect our leaders and public figures from such unconscionable acts, McConnell said in a statement.



House majority leader Paul Ryan also commented, calling the acts "reprehensible."



Later in the afternoon, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi also reacted.



"The goal of terrorists is to instill fear," she said. "We will not allow them to diminish our commitment to building a brighter future for communities across America."



And Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who campaigned with Clinton in 2016, said violence  against people or media organizations  "has no place in our democracy."



Clinton's opponent for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, called for a battle of "words and ideas, not fists and bombs."



Rep. Eliot Engel, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester Counties in New York, asked the president for a personal rebuke on the "despicable actions."



Obama, who has been on the campaign trail stumping for Democrats, had no immediate comment through his spokesperson but deferred to the Secret Service for further information.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
President condemned the heinous murder of a Saudi Arabian journalist and said that different countries stances towards his slaughter would be a great test for so-called advocates of human rights.



AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): President condemned the heinous murder of a Saudi Arabian journalist and said that different countries stances towards his slaughter would be a great test for so-called advocates of human rights.



Speaking in a cabinet session on Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani described Jamal Khashoggis murder a shocking incident and said, Nobody would imagine that in todays world, we witness such an organised murder and I dont think without getting support from the United States a country would dare to commit such a crime.



He added, It seems that a tribe ruling a country is enjoying protection, and relies on a superpower to commit such a crime and that superpower supports them, not letting any court start to act against them.



How come a nation as great as Yemen has been under severe bombardment for years and the world is silent towards it? If it were not for US support, would the people of Yemen be under such savage bombardment?, he continued.



Dr Rouhani also went on to call on the Turkish government to impartially investigate Khashoggis murder, saying, All aspects of this crime, which is unprecedented in the recent decades, must be revealed to the world.



He continued, Committing such a crime indicates how a misguided belief system can lead to deviation, and this is the same way of thinking that has created terrorist groups like ISIS in the region.



Stating that the crime is an example that makes the nature and reality of the group that is ruling the country home to the holy shrines clear, the President added, There is no doubt that the United States, Europe and other countries stances towards the issue is the proof of how much they honour human rights and dignity.



Dr Rouhani also said, "Without a doubt, what deserves more condemnation regarding this crime and its perpetrators is the power that has given them the courage for this crime".



Today, it's clear to everyone in the world what kinds of regimes you are and on November 4, you also want to commit another crime and put pressure on a free, independent and great nation, he continued.



The President added, I hope that the peoples of the world will touch the facts as much as possible, and this is an opportunity to clarify the innocence of the people of Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, which are under pressure by the money of those criminals.



Appreciating the Iraqi government for establishing peace and security for Arbaeen pilgrims, he continued, Last year, good coordination was made between the Iranian and Iraqi governments on completing Khorramshahr-Basrah railway, which I hope it will be put into operation in the current year.





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Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk dusted his critics and gave his company room to breathe Wednesday, meeting profit and cash-flow promises for the electric car maker and exceeding analyst expectations.

The positive report reflects booming Model 3 sales and should tone down short sellers and analysts who argued that growth cant be sustained for at least several more months. The results also make it more possible for Tesla to raise debt or equity to provide capital needed for further growth.

The company said it earned $311.5 million on $6.82 billion in revenue in the third quarter, delivering a quarterly profit for the third time since 2013. Free cash flow came in at a positive $881 million. Cash on hand rose to $3 billion, up $731 million from the second quarter.

Earnings were a positive $1.82 a share, well above analyst forecasts, which had ranged from a $1.75 loss to an 88-cent gain.

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The results come amid rising production and sales of Teslas Model 3 and mean that Tesla can now make a $230-million bond payment due in early November with cash. An additional $920 million is due in March. The March debt has a stock conversion price set just over $359. If Musk can boost the stock price that high in December, bonds could be converted into stock, and Tesla would escape paying the principal.

Tesla shares rose 11% to $321 a share in after-hours trading Wednesday. They had slid 1.9% to $288.50 in regular trading.

In a conference call with analysts, Musk stressed the importance of generating sustainable profits.

This quarter was an important step toward that, Musk said. He repeated earlier vows that Tesla will be profitable and cash-flow positive from here on out.

Musk said he sees worldwide demand for the Model 3 eventually reaching 500,000 to 1 million cars a year. That would place the Model 3 among the top 25 models, based on 2017 sales. Only Fords F-series pickups sold more than 1 million units that year.

Results were bolstered by a 30% reduction in labor hours required to build the Model 3, Tesla said  a sign that the company is emerging from severe manufacturing problems that Musk had called production hell.

Continued growth in Model 3 sales is crucial. The company racked up its first strong volume on Model 3 production in the third quarter, nearly doubling the number of cars manufactured in the previous quarter to 53,239. The 4,000-cars-a-week average is well below the forecast of 5,000 a week Musk made in December and his 7,500-a-week prediction of July 2017. Model 3 unit sales tripled in the third quarter to 55,280, according to Tesla.

A profitable quarter is a good start, though Tesla has made this start twice before without follow-up or booking an annual profit, said Karl Brauer, market analyst at Autotrader. If Model 3 production, and demand, are sustained over the next three quarters Tesla could enter sustainable financial status for the first time in its 15-year existence.

Sales in coming months will provide more answers about the companys trajectory. Tesla skeptics say the company has almost exhausted its order backlog, while enthusiasts believe sales growth is just getting started.

Tesla is by far the worlds best-selling electric car brand, and based on third-quarter deliveries the Model 3 is now the fifth-best-selling sedan of any power train in the U.S., behind only the Toyota Corolla and Camry and the Honda Civic and Accord.

Tesla has had the electric car market nearly to itself since the Model S sedan was introduced in 2012. Competition is revving up, though, with several automakers introducing EVs in 2019 and dozens of models planned for 2020. Jaguars new I-Pace electric compact SUV already outsells Tesla in Norway, Teslas largest market outside the U.S. and China.

Sales in China have been crimped by a 40% import tax that country levied in response to U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. The company continues its hunt for money to construct a factory in Shanghai, which would build tariff-free cars.

Even if sales continue to grow, profit margins could get squeezed as the Model 3s average selling price falls, although Tesla said thats not expected to affect overall profits.

Last week, Tesla added another version of that car to its mix, a $46,000-base-price vehicle with a single rear-wheel motor and what Tesla calls a mid-range battery  260 miles compared with 310 for its longer-range model. A long-promised $35,000 Model 3, with an expected 220-mile range, is not yet in production and no longer appears on Teslas Model 3 order page.

Tesla said about 91,000 people who placed reservations for the Model 3  or 20% of the 455,000 reservation holders the company reported in April 2017  have canceled their orders. Tesla didnt say whether that number includes people who have asked for their $1,000 deposits back and not yet received them.

Many reservation holders have complained on social media and to The Times that they have not received their refunds and have had trouble getting through on Tesla customer service lines.

Third-quarter earnings were boosted by $52 million in zero-emission credit sales. The so-called ZEV credits are earned by making low- and zero-emission cars  such as Teslas electric vehicles  or by buying credits from automakers that have a surplus of them. Teslas electric car fleet creates no tailpipe emissions, so it sells its ZEV credits to auto companies that need them to meet California regulations.

The ZEV revenue contributes directly to the bottom line. Without ZEV credits, Teslas third-quarter earnings would have dropped to $259.3 million.

Accounts payable rose to $3.5 billion, from $1.8 billion in the previous quarter. Tesla reportedly has stretched payments to some suppliers and asked some for refunds.

Musk and Tesla have been under scrutiny from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Justice Department. In August, Musk tweeted that he had secured funding for a deal to take Tesla private at $420 a share but later showed little evidence that a deal was ever seriously discussed.

The SEC sued Musk, who settled with the regulatory body soon after, not admitting guilt but agreeing to give up his role as Tesla chairman and to have his tweets and other communications monitored by Teslas board and a Tesla lawyer. He also agreed to appoint two new independent directors to the board. Musk was assessed a $20-million fine, as was Tesla, but Teslas cash was preserved when Musk bought $20 million in Tesla stock.

Musk has said Tesla has no need to raise new capital, but most analysts believe outside financing will be necessary to pay for the factories needed to introduce new vehicles, such as a compact crossover and a semi-truck.

Such growth is built into the companys current stock price, they say. Capital spending in the third quarter was $510 million, less than half the same quarter last year.

russ.mitchell@latimes.com

Twitter: @russ1mitchell

UPDATES:

4:15 p.m.: This article has been updated with Teslas conference call with analysts.

3:40 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional detail from Teslas financial report.

2:15 p.m.: This article has been updated with per-share earnings and other data.

This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.
Megyn Kelly, who touched off a firestorm this week over racially insensitive remarks, has been in discussions with NBC News executives about exiting her morning show and taking a new role within the division, according to people familiar with the talks.

The negotiations began before Kelly committed a major blunder on her program Tuesday, said the sources who were not authorized to comment on the discussions.

During a round table chat on her show Megyn Kelly Today, she questioned why the use of blackface on Halloween was inappropriate, igniting a major backlash on social media.

An NBC News representative declined to comment regarding any change in Kellys status at the network.

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Kelly issued an email apology to colleagues later on Tuesday, saying she was wrong about the blackface issue, adding that it was a time for more understanding and love. She delivered another lengthy apology to viewers at the top of her Wednesday program.

It was the latest flap in what has been a rocky 18 months in the tenure of the high-priced star, and another embarrassment for NBC News. Insiders at Today have expressed frustration that management at NBC News has made no major changes at Kellys program, which is failing to draw a large audience and frequently generates negative press coverage.

The question now is whether the reaction to Kellys blackface remarks will affect the discussion about her new role. Kelly has indicated to NBC News executives that she wants to be more involved in hard-news coverage. Kelly is scheduled to be part of NBCs coverage of the midterm elections on Nov. 6.

NBC aggressively covered the blackface flap on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday and again Wednesday on Today in a segment that was followed up with some harsh condemnation from two of the programs African American co-hosts. Both of the taped segments contained clips of past racially insensitive remarks Kelly made when she was at Fox News, such as her insistence that Jesus Christ and Santa Claus are white.

But her comments on blackface, in which she said she failed to see what was racist about using it for a Halloween costume, has drawn the fiercest criticism yet. (Back when I was a kid, that was OK as long as you were dressing up as like a character, she said).

The fact is, while she apologized to the staff she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country, longtime Today personality Al Roker said on the program. This is a history, going back to the 1830s, minstrel shows to demean and denigrate a race, wasnt right. Im old enough to have lived through Amos n Andy, where you had white people in blackface playing two black characters and it would just [be] magnifying the worst stereotypes about black people, and thats what the big problem is.

Today news anchor Craig Melvin described Kelly as a friend who said something stupid, who said something indefensible. He was also skeptical that discussion about her remarks was a teachable moment, a notion that Kelly tried to convey in her email apology.

I guess it was an opportunity for us to learn a little bit more about blackface but I think a lot of people knew about blackface before yesterday, Melvin said.

NBC News Chairman Andy Lack praised the comments by Melvin and Roker on Wednesday during a previously scheduled town hall session with the division, according to a person who attended the meeting. The attendee said Lack did not discuss Kellys future, but criticized her remarks.

There is no other way to put this but I condemn those remarks, Lack said, according to the attendee. There is no place on our air or in this workplace for them. Very unfortunate.

Kelly read much of the text of her email apology at the top of her program on Wednesday, adding that she understood that the history of blackface made what she said unacceptable. She received a standing ovation from her studio audience and did a follow-up discussion with black commentators Roland Martin and Amy Holmes.

Kelly was a rising star when she was considered the more moderate of the conservative prime-time personalities in the Fox News lineup. She also showed she was unafraid to spar with President Trump, who attacked her after her tough questioning at the first debate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015.

But Kellys popularity at Fox News  where personalities can thrive with polarizing viewpoints  has not translated to NBC News or the generally feel-good atmosphere of a morning program such as Today.

Jonathan Klein, president of the tech company Vilnyx and a former chief of CNN, said this weeks controversy demonstrates how Kellys sharp-edged style is not suited for Today.

Megyn never flubbed on Fox, where she was sharp, cool and always in control, Klein said. It may be that morning TV is forcing her to be something that shes not.

Kelly was hired away with great fanfare and a pay package reportedly worth more than $20 million a year. Since she arrived as morning host in September 2017, she has lost about a quarter of the audience of 25-to 54-year-olds who had been watching the 9 a.m. hour of Today, the group that advertisers most want to reach with news programming.

The program had an average audience of 2.4 million viewers in the 2017-18 TV season, a 14% drop from the previous year, when Roker and Tamron Hall co-hosted the hour. It had 700,000 viewers in the 25-to-54 demographic, a 26% decline, according to Nielsen.

Kellys program has won kudos for providing a platform for many sexual harassment victims who came forward during the #MeToo movement, including those who have made allegations against her former colleague, the fired Today co-anchor Matt Lauer. She called for an outside investigation of the company after NBC News issued an internal review that largely exonerated the networks executives handling of their fallen stars transgressions.

Kellys prime-time magazine show for NBC, Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly, was a ratings failure and was quietly canceled by the network after eight episodes that aired in the summer of 2017.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio

UPDATES:

4:10 p.m.: This article was updated to include viewership details on Kellys morning TV show.

This article was originally published at 8:45 a.m.
New Yorks attorney general says Exxon Mobil misled investors about the risks that climate change poses to its operations.

Atty. Gen. Barbara Underwood said Wednesday that Exxon courted investors such as the states public pension funds with inaccurate information.

New Yorks lawsuit comes less than three months after the federal Securities and Exchange Commission dropped an investigation into the Texas energy giant along the same lines.

Exxon Mobil did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

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From the archives: How Exxon went from leader to skeptic on climate change research 
In a state with a persistent housing shortage, some believe older homeowners could provide some relief.

After all, Californians 55 and older own more than half of all owner-occupied homes. According to the California Assn. of Realtors, many want out of their large single-family houses but instead are locked in, unable or unwilling to pay the sharply higher property taxes that would accompany a new purchase, as dictated by the rules established 40 years ago under Proposition 13.

As a solution, the Realtors are pitching Proposition 5, which would let seniors move and carry their low property tax payments to any home, anywhere in the state, as many times as they like. The trade group, which has raised $13 million to support the measure, promises it will unlock the housing market and free up much needed inventory for young families.

The utilization of the housing stock, its not necessarily efficient, economist Jordan Levine of the Realtors group said. You have a lot of folks in homes that dont necessarily work for them.

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The complete list of L.A. Times endorsements for the November 6 election 

But, according to multiple outside housing experts, the measure is unlikely to unlock much of anything. Some data indicate that California seniors actually move more frequently than those elsewhere. And experts said its not clear a significant number of seniors, many of whom are wealthy, are ready to move only if they could keep their low property taxes.

There are a lot of reasons people move or dont, said Christopher Thornberg, founding partner with Beacon Economics. Some never want to leave a longtime home, while others get an itch to downsize or be nearer to grandkids. Property tax really isnt that big of a deal.

The measure, if it passes in November, may even contribute to rising prices, some experts said, as older households that wouldve sold anyway get a break and gain more buying power. Critics point out its expected to also reduce municipal tax revenues.

When Proposition 13 was approved in 1978, property values were soaring. Californians, particularly seniors on fixed incomes, worried they couldnt keep pace with each new assessment.

So to provide stability, voters limited property tax to 1% of a homes taxable value and capped how fast the valuation could rise, at 2% annually. That means the longer someone lives in a home, the more likely their taxes will be far below what someone would pay if they purchased the same house today.

After passage of other propositions in the 1980s, homeowners 55 or older can, once in their lifetimes, sell their home and transfer their under-market tax payments. But to qualify, the new home must be the same price or cheaper than the sales price of the old home  and, in most cases, must be in the same county. Only 11 counties, including Los Angeles and Orange, allow for inter-county transfers.

Thats what Dave Schmalz, 68, did. With the kids gone, he wanted out of the 3,669-square-foot house in Mount Washington that he and his now-ex-wife built in 1994. So two years ago, Schmalz sold the house  valued for tax purposes at about $650,000  for $1.3 million. He split it with his ex-wife and, with his girlfriend, purchased a Glendale home half the size for $885,000. Under current rules, his $650,000 tax valuation came with him.

That didnt have anything to do with our decision to leave or stay, he said. It was just like, Oh great, I can take advantage of this, so I will.

If Proposition 5 passes, seniors could use the benefit as many times as they want and there would be no restrictions on price or location of the new home. Like the current benefit, disaster victims and the severely disabled could also take advantage.

Source: Legislative Analysts Office (Kyle Kim / Los Angeles Times Graphics)

New property tax payments would be based on a mixture of the old valuation and new purchase price. If seniors purchased a less expensive home, the valuation would drop slightly. If they purchased a more expensive home, the valuation would rise slightly, but still be below  in some cases far below  what they purchased their new home for.

Asked for evidence that many seniors want to move but cant afford a jump in property taxes, Levine of the Realtors group pointed out that seniors make up the majority of California homeowners and said his analysis shows single-family homes here sell less frequently than in the nation as a whole.

But other experts said different, more detailed data tell the opposite story. If property tax lock-in was keeping many older Californians from moving, they should move less frequently than seniors elsewhere, they said. But according to a Zillow analysis of Census Bureau data conducted for the Los Angeles Times, older Californians actually move more frequently than those elsewhere in the country.

In 2016, 3.5% of California homeowners 55 and older had moved from another place in California that year and purchased a house or condo within the state. Nationwide, the share of older homeowners who did the same thing within their state was 3.1%. When removing from the data California and Florida, which has a similar property tax system, the national number fell to 2.9%.

Similar differences existed in 2011, 2006 and 2001, Zillow said. A similar analysis from Beacon Economics found older California homeowners are about as likely to move as those in Texas, which doesnt have Proposition 13-like restrictions.

Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, theorized that California move rates werent lower in the Zillow data because many seniors are wealthy and can afford higher property taxes if they want to move. The median household income for potential Proposition 5 beneficiaries is $77,000, nearly 15% higher than the statewide median, according to the California Budget and Policy Center, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income residents.

While tax policy may inhibit them from moving, Green said, the fact they have so much equity gives them extra wherewithal to move.

Levine of the Realtors group said Proposition 5 was never meant to be a silver bullet for Californias affordability crisis, but is instead meant to help by removing a financial disincentive to move.

Aaron Terrazas, a senior economist with Zillow, wasnt sure why Realtor data might show single-family homes sell less frequently in California, but Zillow data show Californians often move more frequently within their state. He noted, though, that Realtor data are less targeted toward an analysis of Proposition 5 and include sales by people who wouldnt be able to use the measure, such as investors.

Other research has shown Proposition 13 reduces mobility, and Terrazas said higher move rates among older Californians could just reflect a higher share of wealthier homeowners who arent in the labor force  two characteristics that make seniors more likely to move in the first place. And he points out the next-oldest generation of California homeowners, those 35 to 54 years old, also moves within their state more than their counterparts nationwide.

Although Proposition 5 could indeed provide a sales boost, Terrazas doubted it would be by much, because older homeowners can already transfer low property tax payments to less expensive homes. The states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office, using research on how many home sales have been spurred by that benefit enacted in the 1980s, estimated Proposition 5 could lead to a few tens of thousands more older homeowners purchasing homes.

The analysts office said it couldnt be more specific. But an increase of 40,000 home sales would have boosted home sales by 8% last year.

Fadel Lawandy, director of the Hoag Center for Real Estate and Finance at Chapman University, said such an increase could temper price growth slightly in some neighborhoods as seniors give up large single-family homes and downsize into condos or retirement communities.

But other experts say that seniors have to go somewhere and that not everyone will be moving to the desert. According to the Legislative Analysts Office, about 85,000 older households purchase a new home each year but dont transfer their old property tax valuation. If Proposition 5 passes, those seniors are likely to use their extra buying power to bid up the cost of homes, according to the California Budget and Policy Center.

Giving a break to people who wouldve moved anyway would eventually cost local governments $1 billion annually and cost local schools another $1 billion, the analysts office says. (The Realtors dispute those numbers, saying a rise in construction to serve moving seniors would result in more homes on the property tax rolls, offsetting negative effects.)

Jonathan Kaplan, a senior policy analyst with the California Budget and Policy Center, said the measure is a double whammy for younger, lower-income Californians. Not only could they face higher home prices, he said, but theyd also share the burden of reduced revenues, through a reduction in services or a shift of the tax burden. The estimated revenue loss to schools would cost the state less than 1% of the state budget, but that is enough to provide 110,000 children with child care, Kaplan said.

We have essentially a for-profit association in the Realtors doing what they can to strengthen and enrich their own pockets at the expense of almost every other service that enhances the quality of life in California, said Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, a union that is contributing money to the No on 5 campaign.

Times staff reporter Liam Dillon contributed to this report.

andrew.khouri@latimes.com

Follow me @khouriandrew on Twitter
Snap Inc. announced Wednesday that it is hiring two new executives to take on the responsibilities of former chief strategy officer Imran Khan  including a major hire from Amazon that could help the struggling social media company expand its user base and turn toward profitability.

The hires came just one day before the company was set to release its third-quarter earnings statement amid a long decline of its share price, from $20.75 in February to under $7 this last week. The companys stock price rose on the news before ending the day down 3% at $6.59.

When Khan left Snap in early September, the company announced that his replacement would have the new title of chief business officer. With Wednesdays hires, the company is effectively splitting Khans former role into two new positions  one focused on sales and marketing, the other on global user growth.

Jeremi Gorman is leaving her job as chief of global advertising sales at Amazon to become Snaps new chief business officer, and Jared Grusd, who was chief executive of the Huffington Post, is joining as chief strategy officer, Chief Executive Evan Spiegel said in a note to employees.

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At Amazon, Gorman was instrumental in turning the tech behemoth into one of the largest online ad publishers, after Facebook and Google, with ad revenues topping $2 billion in the first quarter of this year.

Jeremi joins us with proven expertise and talent that will make our platform even better for our partners and I am excited to have her on our team, Spiegel wrote in his note.

But as Snap prepared to release its earnings report on Thursday, analysts were split on a central question facing the company: Is Snap a Twitter, or a Myspace?

Twitter, despite facing public scrutiny over its management of offensive content and fake users, has added 3 million to 6 million new users in recent quarters and produced its first-ever profit at the beginning of this year.

For analysts who see Snap following this mold, a dip in user growth isnt terminal  but the company needs to monetize all those eyeballs.

Myspace dwindled to insignificance after its users left the early social network in favor of Facebook. For analysts in this camp, Snap needs to make a better product that draws more users in to stay valuable to investors, or it is doomed.

Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, is on the optimistic side of the divide.

I dont think most investors have teenage kids, Pachter said. Facebooks Instagram app has around 500 million daily active users, to Snapchats 188 million. But Snap skews much younger: 70% of its users are under 25, while 75% of Instagrams users are over 30. Younger users network is on Snapchat; theyre not going to move over. If Snap gets serious about making money, they can turn things around.

Pachter sees Wednesdays hires as a sign that Snap is doing just that.

Replacing a Mattel CFO and a stock market analyst with the head of Amazon ad sales and a seasoned internet executive says theyre serious about profitability, Pachter said, referring to former Chief Financial Officer Drew Vollero and Khan. It speaks volumes about Spiegel and his willingness to take investors seriously.

Snap has faced major headwinds since it redesigned Snapchat late last year following longstanding criticism that the app was too hard to navigate. But the changes didnt go over well, even sparking a Change.org petition with 1.2 million signatories.

In May, Snap tweaked the redesign and put content back into reverse-chronological order, as it had been since Snapchat first went live. The damage was done, however. Snap reported its first decline in daily active users when it released its second-quarter financial results in August, adding to fears that Facebook had successfully stolen Snapchats thunder by copying its core features with its Instagram Stories product.

Richard Greenfield from BTIG Research says the user dip points to the stark challenge facing Snap. The company has to make the product start gaining users and time spent, Greenfield said. Anything else is a sideshow.

He sees the Twitter comparison as a red herring.

Twitter has dramatically increasing [user numbers] and increasing time spent, Greenfield said. I dont think theres anything in the earnings results themselves that could change my outlook. They need to acknowledge theres a product problem.

Snap has seen a string of high-profile departures since its 2017 initial public offering.

Vollero departed in May and was replaced by Amazon.com Inc. veteran Tim Stone. Snaps vice president of product, Tom Conrad, also left earlier this year. Conrad, who was reportedly one of Spiegels closest lieutenants, told the publication TechCrunch that he was planning to leave the tech industry altogether. And Steve LaBella, Snaps vice president of marketing, is set to exit at the end of November.

None of the departures, however, were more significant than Khans. He had played an instrumental role in Snaps IPO and led the companys transition to a more lucrative automated advertising business model.

Sources at the time said Khan, who came to Snap after working as an analyst at Credit Suisse, was leaving to start his own technology investment firm.

Under his watch, Snap grew from just a few dozen employees to more than 3,000, operating in 13 countries. In 2016, Khans compensation totaled $5.5 million, according to a filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission last year ahead of Snaps IPO.

Snap says the turnover is not reflective of a company in chaos, but rather the regular churn of a young firm finding its footing.

Analysts do seem to agree on one thing: With forecasts for its stock price ranging from $5 on the bear end to $16 on the bull, Snap is unlikely to return to its $17 IPO price  let alone the $24 heights the shares reached in their first day of trading  anytime soon.

sam.dean@latimes.com

Twitter: @samaugustdean

UPDATES:

4:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional analysis and the stock market closing.

This article was originally published at 10:35 a.m.
In this era of partisan politics, when weve begun to fear that nothing will ever bring our divided nation together, heres a thought: Have we considered a good jump scare? Its scientifically proven that being frightened, within a safe environment, causes the brain to release endorphins that lead to euphoria and warm fellow-feeling.

This phenomenon can be experienced now at the Pasadena Playhouse, where the long-running London blockbuster The Woman in Black is stopping on its first American tour. After youve shrieked in full-throated harmony with somebody, after youve clutched her hand in a vise-like grip and stifled your gibbering pleas for mercy against her shoulder for two solid hours, can you really consider her a stranger anymore? (While Im on the subject, many thanks to the occupant of seat C13.)

English writer Stephen Mallatratt adapted Susan Hills 1983 novel The Woman in Black for director Robin Herford, who was looking for an inexpensive holiday show, in 1987. The script calls for only two actors, minimal scenery and a handful of low-tech special effects  with which Herford and his design team devised an atmosphere of delicious dread punctuated with well-timed shocks. The unexpected hit moved a few years later to Londons West End and has been running there ever since. This American tour, helmed by Herford and the original designers, stars the charming Adam Wesley Brown and Bradley Armacost  neither of whom, I couldnt help noticing, is a woman.

And thats all Im going to say about women, in black or any other color. (When youre talking about a suspense thriller, spoilers are even more uncool than usual.) Like the novel, the play is narrated by an elderly man named Arthur Kipps (Armacost), who has written an account of something dreadful he experienced years before. The twist Mallatratt has added to the script is that, after having written the account, Kipps intends to read it aloud to his family and friends, hoping to exorcise this memorys dark hold on him. He has even hired a young actor (Brown) to rehearse with him and liven up his delivery.

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The actor turns out to have a strong directorial vision, far more elaborate than anything Kipps imagined, involving costumes and lighting and sound effects and actual acting. The actor assigns himself the part of the young Kipps while casting the real Kipps as all the other characters in the story.

Kipps protests at first, insisting that hes not a performer. But from the moment he slips into his first role, his younger selfs jocular, rambling boss, he reveals increasingly virtuosic acting gifts. Meanwhile, the clever, meta-theatrical framework sweeps the audience up into the magic  reminding us how little is required, besides imagination, to set a scene. The performers start by reenacting the fateful day when Kipps boss sends him, a junior solicitor, to the village of Crythin Gifford on Englands North Coast to handle the estate of a recently deceased client: Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Kipps doesnt learn much about Mrs. Drablow except that she was a rum un and kept a great many papers that might take more than a day to go through.

Bluff, good natured and slightly obtuse, like so many horror story protagonists, Kipps embarks on this adventure without the slightest hesitation. When he gets to Crythin Gifford, hes more annoyed than alarmed by its sea frets, or sudden dense fogs, and the propensity he observes in the laconic locals to let conversations hang in the air whenever Mrs. Drablows name is mentioned. He sets off to spend the night at the lonely Eel Marsh House, oblivious to the quaking horror of everyone to whom he mentions the idea.

The beautifully paced chills and thrills that follow may be a bit gimmicky, but theyre so clever, playful, high-spirited and confidently performed that you cant help being impressed and delighted, even as youre jumping out of your skin. Its probably a good idea to sit next to somebody you know  unless of course youre in the mood to make a new friend very fast.

The Woman in Black, Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Nov. 11. $25 and up. (626) 356-7529 or pasadenaplayhouse.org. Running time: 2 hours.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei paid tribute to the martyrs defending holy Shiite shrines in Iraq and Syria for ensuring the security of the shrine of Imam Hussein in Iraqs Karbala that paved the way for millions of pilgrims to go there safely.



AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei paid tribute to the martyrs defending holy Shiite shrines in Iraq and Syria for ensuring the security of the shrine of Imam Hussein in Iraqs Karbala that paved the way for millions of pilgrims to go there safely.



The following are statements made by the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution during a meeting with some families of the martyred defenders of the holy shrines on October 22, 2018



In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,



Welcome dear brothers and sisters, respected families of our dear martyrs. The sacrifice made by your martyrswho were martyred outside Iran at this epoch of time resembles the sacrifice made by those who protected the grave of Imam Hussain (a.s.), giving their lives for it.



There was a time when the Abbasid caliphs had decided to destroy the sacred tombs of Imam Hussain (a.s.), and probably other sacred tombs as well. Some people prevent them and protected the grave, sacrificing their lives. They said if anyone comes to visit the grave, their arms will be cut off, legs will be cut off, and they will be killed. Nonetheless, they went. The same impetus has transformed today to the march of 20 million pilgrims on foot on Arba'een. If some people had not made a self-sacrifice then, the greatness and splendor of Imam Hussain (a.s.) would not have conquered the world today.



You see people from different countries, and populations, Persian, Turk, Urdu, European, even from the United States go there. Who made this possible? The first blocks were laid by those who gave their lives to visit the tomb of Imam Hussain (a.s.). Your children did the same. If it was not for your dear friends, your dear martyrs, those who went there and endeavored for the sake of God, the enemy would have advanced up to a few kilometres of Karbala, and close to the holy tomb of Imam Hussain (a.s.). They were pounding Karbala with short range mortars, 60 calibre mortars. They would have come that close. They were near Al Kazimayn, near Zeinabiyah, on which they had actually laid siege. Your youth went among thousands of others and counteracted the major plight that had befallen upon Islam and Muslims. This is the great work your youth did. And it has been for God. We didn't persuade anyone to go. It was not like the time of the US-backed Saddam war when we encouraged young men and Imam Khomeini made a command, and military songs were sung before military operations. It wasn't like that. Nonetheless, these youths went with such enthusiasm, begging for permission to go. This is self-sacrifice. This is a blessing by God Almighty.



God willing, you will see in the near future the effects of this blessing on the Muslim world. Of course, it is hard for you, fathers, mothers, spouses, children, brothers, and sisters. It is obviously very difficult. However, in return for the hardship, there is the blessing of God Almighty. His promise to those who are patient is that God Almighty blesses those who are patient during times of hardships. This is God's promise. It is in the Qur'an. God willing, you will be treated the same way. God willing, we join your youth, follow them on the same path, and reach the same destiny. Alright, please recite another salawat (peace be upon the prophet and his household).





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A hoot, a folly and a marvel, Luca Guadagninos magnificently obsessive remake of Dario Argentos Suspiria gets its ghastliest scene out of the way early, but good luck dislodging its sickle-like hooks from your brain.

Two students at an elite dance academy stand in two separate rooms, unaware that their bodies have been supernaturally conjoined. While Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) dances gracefully of her own free will, Olga (Elena Fokina) is brutally tossed about, a marionette jerked by invisible strings. Bones crack, limbs twist and urine pools in a tableau thats part ritual punishment, part pretzel-making demo and all shivery body-horror bliss.

For the devoted horror purists in the audience, what Susies dance does to Olga might seem analagous to what Guadagninos Suspiria does to Argentos Suspiria, twisting and torturing it beyond recognition. But there is meaning in this mutilation and, if you dont regard the classics as sacrosanct, a grim, brooding sort of pleasure.

The early notices that emerged from this years Venice International Film Festival suggested we might be in for the most polarizing howl of a movie since Darren Aronofskys mother!  a title that could easily have taken the place of this ones, punctuation and all.

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Guadagninos Suspiria shares little more than a basic premise  dancers and witches and knives, oh my!  with Argentos lush, gaudy ... original.

With its chilly gray palette, its emphasis on intellectual rather than visceral jolts and its luxuriant 152-minute running time, Guadagninos Suspiria shares little more than a basic premise  dancers and witches and knives, oh my!  with Argentos lush, gaudy, take-your-poison-straight original. That picture was a landmark in the Italian giallo horror tradition, an art-nouveau nightmare doused in candy-apple blood and a demon-possessed music box of a score by the progressive rock group Goblin.

Guadagnino, who has said he wanted to remake Suspiria since he first saw it more than 30 years ago, signals both his reverence and his seriousness by departing from it in every way imaginable  visually, sonically, dramatically, emotionally. He has drained away the bright, lurid colors and most of the scares, and crowded the story with historical and political detail. Notably, too, he has muted the swooning eroticism of his earlier triumphs, Call Me by Your Name (2017) and I Am Love (2010), and slowed the storys pulse to a steady, narcotic drip. This Suspiria takes its time creeping into your veins.

Its 1977, the same year Argentos film was released, and the radicals of the Red Army Faction and the lingering specters of the Holocaust hold sway over a rainy, still-divided Berlin. Whether we should fear the demons that lurk within the Helena Markos Dance Company or the violent events transpiring outside its walls is one of the movies more insistent questions. It begins with a student, Patricia Hingle (Chloe Grace Moretz), fleeing the school in distress and meeting with an elderly psychologist, Dr. Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf), who interprets her ravings (They are witches!) as a paranoid delusion.

Patricia runs off, rumoredly to join the RAF radicals, and is replaced at the academy in short order by Johnsons Susie Bannion, a young woman from Ohio who is strikingly pale of skin, red of hair and assured of manner. Her audition instantly rivets the academys formidable director, Madame Blanc, played by Tilda Swinton, an actress with so much natural sorcery in her fingertips that the task of playing an actual witch (not for the first time) summons forth one of her more restrained performances. Maybe even two of her more restrained performances, but Ill say no more.

Tilda Swinton in the movie Suspiria. (Alessio Bolzoni / Amazon Studios)

Johnson has faced off with Swinton before, in Guadagninos A Bigger Splash (2016), and after the softcore exertions of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, she is no stranger to being indoctrinated into a world governed by strange physical demands. Her Susie seems destined for horrible greatness from the moment she arrives, her outsiders naivete belied by her uncanny self-possession and the technical brio of her dancing.

Madame Blanc consorts with the other members of her faculty, a Nicolas Roegs gallery of witches that includes the marvelous if under-used Angela Winkler, Alek Wek, Sylvie Testud and Ingrid Caven (who worked with and was once married to the German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a major influence here). They position Susie as the companys new lead, and the implications of that decision are of far greater consequence in this Suspiria than they ever were in Argentos.

Guadagnino, always less interested in what happens than how it happens, has structured this six-part narrative as a detective story, and one that seems perversely willing to explain its own mysteries. The screenwriter, David Kajganich (A Bigger Splash), sends Susie into the schools secret archives with another sympathetic student, Sara (the excellent Mia Goth), and turns Dr. Klemperers private investigation into a parallel subplot. But the script also infiltrates the covens inner circle, laying bare the witches behind-the-scenes rivalries and giving their incantations an almost banal, bureaucratic hum. It all but nudges us onto their side.

Dakota Johnson stars as Susie in Suspiria. (Amazon Studios)

And why not? I mean, forced to choose between hijacking planes with the Baader-Meinhof Gang and eating chicken wings with Tilda Swinton, what would you do? Its not an entirely facetious question. In this movies boldly absurd reimagining, the art of dancing  mediated by Damien Jalets forceful choreography and Thom Yorkes eerie, dissonant music  becomes a form of supernatural resistance. The Markos coven is an all-female institution that channels violent national traumas into vibrant art, a stronghold against the tyrannies of the police state and the wars waged by mortal men. For Susie, it also offers a bold rejection of her repressive Mennonite upbringing, glimpsed in creepy, oneiric flashbacks.

This witchcraft may be righteous stuff, but it could hardly be called benevolent. Its high priestesses are identified in a students diary as Mother Tenebrarum, Mother Lachrymarum and Mother Suspiriorum, a nod to Argentos larger filmography, and their matrilineal magic takes an extraordinary physical, emotional and moral toll on its performers. (One piece, Volk, conceived in the wake of World War II, is choreographed with such hellish extremity that it can only be described as Hieronymus Bausch.) The women pass down their spells from generation to generation, bound by the terrible weight of history, the sense that the past is at once irretrievable and inescapable.

This is uncommonly weighty, lugubrious subject matter for a genre picture to take on, and those who miss Guadagninos signature sensuality may well chafe at his insistence on intellectualizing his movies demons. For once, the director doesnt seem particularly interested in individual psychology or, for that matter, straightforward identification. As the heroines baton passes among Susie, the principled, troubled Sara and even Madame Blanc, tragically entombed by her own rituals, Suspiria becomes larger in spirit and more symphonic in structure, stretching like a womb to accommodate the perspectives of its unholy sisterhood.

Guadagnino has always been an archaeologist of emotion, an excavator of buried, primal longings, and at the heart of this movie beats a love story, lost but not entirely forgotten amid the rubble of war and the weeds of memory. By the time the phantasmagorical finale arrives, you are flooded with blood and viscera, yes, but also something even more unsettling  a sudden onrush of feeling, a deep, overpowering melancholy. Its the most startling of the movies transfigurations, and it returns us to the primordial theme of motherhood, as Suspiria remade suddenly becomes Suspiria reborn.

RELATED: How the makers of new Halloween and Suspiria films took different approaches reimagining hallowed horror classics 

------------

Suspiria

Rated: R, for disturbing content involving ritualistic violence, bloody images and graphic nudity, and for some language including sexual references

Running time: 2 hours, 32 minutes

Playing: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood

justin.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @JustinCChang
The exuberant, khaki-clad animal expert and conservationist Steve Irwin was Animal Planets first superstar. The Australian Irwin and his American wife, Terri, starred from 1997 to 2004 in the popular documentary series The Crocodile Hunter, which also spawned other series, specials and even a feature film.

Audiences couldnt get enough of Irwin, who owned and operated Australia Zoo in Queensland, and peppered his conversations with such words as crikey, whopper and mate as he got up close and personal with animals including his beloved crocodiles. Their children Bindi  she was named for his favorite crocodile  and Robert eventually became part of the series.

But tragedy struck a dozen years ago when Irwin was killed at the age of 44 after he was struck in the heart by a stingray barb while filming a documentary.

Though Irwin is gone, his spirit is alive in well in the new 14-part Animal Planet series Crikey! Its the Irwins, which premieres globally on Sunday, Oct. 28. Just before the series kicks off, Animal Planet will air a two-hour celebration of the late conservationist, The Steve Irwin Story.

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The series explores the Irwins work at the Australia Zoo, their conservation efforts and their daily life which includes Stella the pug and a bossy 12-year-old chicken named Piggy.

It seemed quite apropos that the Irwins would be dressed in their trademark khakis during a recent visit to Los Angeles. They are exceedingly polite, friendly and passionate about animals. Bindi, now 20, won Dancing With the Stars three years ago and Robert has been channeling his dad as the animal expert on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The family had stayed in touch with Animal Planet over the years. And the series came up at a good time for them and a great time for us, said Terri. I think the stars aligned for all of this. With Bindi and Robert being older it just makes everything [like] school easier.

We did the Brisbane School of Distance Education, explained Bindi. We went to online classes with other students in our grade and learned everything like in a normal school, so we were able to travel with it. We didnt have to miss out going to Africa with Mum and Dad.

Animal Planet global president Susanna Dinnage talked about the massive goodwill toward the Irwins. People want them to be well, she noted. They want them to be happy. There is a real anticipation about their return.

Since Irwins death, Australia Zoo has become the biggest in the country with over 1,200 animals, 500 employees and a state-of-the-art animal hospital named after Steve Irwins late mother, Lyn.

Weve taken in over 78,000 sick, injured, orphaned animals to rehabilitate them and release them back in the wild, said Bindi. Were also affecting entire species. We get 800 koalas a year into the wildlife hospital and thats unbelievable. The koala population is having such a difficult time that if we werent there, we might not have koalas in our region. For us, the heart and soul of everything that we do is our conservation work.

The Irwins began the Wildlife Warriors conservation initiative in 2002. And now we have conservation projects helping to protect cheetah and rhinos in Africa, Tigers in Sumatra, noted Bindi. With this show whats so nice is that we are able to take people on the journey with us.

Steve Irwins best mate and director of the zoo, Wes Mannion, is featured prominently in the series, as his Bindis Florida-born boyfriend Chandler Powell. And many of their extendd family of animals including crocodiles Agro and Graham are living at the zoo.

Bindi and Robert agree that they knew they had to follow in their parents footsteps. With the upbringing that weve had and with a family like this, I dont think theres any doubt that weve ever wanted to do anything else, said Robert. I mean, this has always been our passion.

At the end of the day, Mum and Dad have always said just follow your dreams, do what you love, noted Bindi. I feel as Ive gotten older, I have been able to choose my path in life and be Bindi. I think we all have this destiny within our hearts.

Crikey! Its the Irwins

Where: Animal Planet

When: 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday

Rating: TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children)

calendar@latimes.com
CNN headquarters at the Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan were evacuated Wednesday morning following the discovery of what was described as a suspicious package in the mailroom.

We are working with authorities to determine the severity of the situation. The NYPD is on the scene and we are working closely with them to take every precaution, CNN President Jeff Zucker said in an email circulated to employees of the cable news giant.

The incident at CNN happened as anchors Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow were on air discussing news of the potential explosive devices addressed to liberal philanthropist George Soros, former President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They later reported from outside CNNs headquarters at Columbus Circle.

The Time Warner Center, located at the southwest corner of Central Park, is home to CNN as well as a number of retail stores, high-end restaurants and residences.

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Here's the moment CNN had to handoff to DC and evacuate Time Warner Center in New York pic.twitter.com/TUtnWrss9z  Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) October 24, 2018

11:40 am update from Jeff Zucker on security and safety following the evacuation of CNNs NYC bureau: pic.twitter.com/zojw2T0Juf  CNN Communications (@CNNPR) October 24, 2018

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

meredith.blake@latimes.com

Twitter: @MeredithBlake
At one of more than two dozen stations in a dimly lit Boyle Heights call center, Wendy Morales clicked her mouse to place a call to an L.A. County resident named Dulce.

Morales, 20, is young and Latino, like Dulce and the many others shes been working to reach. Shes part of a big push to get her peers to vote.

Dulce didnt hang up, as some do. In fact, she had a question as a first-time voter: Could she fill out her ballot with a pencil?

Young voters have been a particular target of outreach leading up to the November midterm elections because they are underrepresented. Theyre especially sought after by Democrats because they lean liberal, especially in California, where they could help flip Republican seats and unseat the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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For the last couple of years, too, those seeking young voters in the state have gotten a special boost from a new law that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote before they reach the legal voting age of 18.

Morales works for Power California, an Oakland-based nonprofit with a $3-million budget to focus on preregistered and minority youth. Others trying more broadly to activate 18- to 24-year-old voters include billionaire investor Tom Steyer, whose advocacy group NextGen America has pledged $33 million to engage young voters in 11 states  including $3.5 million in California. Theres also a national youth-voter drive, which was started by student activists who survived the February mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

California is not one of the states throwing up barriers to voting. It now allows not only preregistration but automatic registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles and late registration at specified locations up to election day.

Morales and the other callers have been speaking to many first-timers. Sometimes they need a little help, as Dulce did with how to fill in the ballot. (Morales told her to use black or blue ink). Some dont understand how mail-in ballots work, how to find a polling place or where to look for descriptions of ballot measures or candidates.

It used to be that those were the sort of topics high schoolers might hear about only in civics or government classes. But these days, students  with help from schools and outside groups  are much more involved in getting their classmates ready to vote. Registration drives are a big part of it. In March, students at Venice High in Los Angeles preregistered during a school-sanctioned walkout to commemorate the students who died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The nonprofit L.A. Promise Fund made voter registration tables part of Septembers Girls Build summit, an empowerment event at USC that brought together 10,000 female secondary students.

Kate Cruz, 16, a high school student at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, puts on a sticker after preregistering to vote during the Girls Build summit at USC. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

About 210,000 teens have preregistered since Sept. 2016. More than 117,000 will have turned 18 by election day, according to a Sept. 20 report from the California Secretary of State.

Although Johnathan Rangel, 16, a junior at Parlier High School in the Central Valley, is too young to vote, he may symbolize things to come.

He leans Democratic but says his mentality is nonpartisan.  I like concepts from every party.

Johnathan preregistered as a decline-to-state voter, a growing segment of the rolls. Among preregistered California teens, nearly half (47.5%) have no party preference, about a third (34.4% ) identify as Democrats and just 9.6%as Republicans, according to state data.

New voter Eugene Vang, 18, of Merced, preregistered and began making presentations last spring to his classmates at Buhach Colony High School.

I was able to talk to my peers about why voting is important to young people, said Vang, who started attending UC San Diego this fall. As we continued to talk, even some people who might not have been paying attention or not really caring at first began to help each other fill out forms.

Power California works in 40 counties, with 25 other organizations and within 25 school districts, including L.A. Unified. Its heaviest focus has been on major urban areas and the Central Valley, where a lot of young voters were not engaged. In 2014 in Merced, for example, out of every 100 potential young voters, 41 were registered and 7 voted, according to Luis Sanchez, the groups co-executive director.

Over the summer, Sanchez said, Power California sent about 15,000 texts. It has also made direct calls and knocked on doors to remind young voters about the Nov. 6 election and give them information about voting.

The group is supported by nonpartisan organizations including the Irvine, Ford and San Francisco foundations, so it has rules against endorsing candidates or ballot measures. But its callers try to convey to young people the importance of giving a greater voice to underserved and emerging minorities.

Of those younger than 25 in California, more than two-thirds are people of color, according to U.S. census data compiled by nonprofits and foundations. About half of those younger than 18 have at least one immigrant parent. The younger-than-25 populations of nearly a third of Californias counties are majority Latino. And 95% of California Latinos younger than 18 are U.S. citizens.

A call center worker and soon-to-be-first-time voter, Fabiola Argueta, 18, grew up with 10 people in a two-bedroom house in East L.A. She supports affordable-housing measures and rent control. She also opposes people who demonize immigrants who came here in expectation of something better.

Her mother had been a teacher in Guatemala and fled the violence plaguing that country. In the U.S., Argueta said, she had to start at the bottom, working at Jack in the Box.

Morales motivation for her work  and her voting  comes from seeing the homeless in Boyle Heights, her mothers struggle to pay rent and her commitment to the people she cares about who are not able to cast ballots.

Shes willing to get personal to help those she calls to understand why voting matters.

My story is that I have undocumented relatives and I have to vote for them, she said. The people that can vote and do have this right should vote.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblume
Los Angeles counter-terrorism officials are monitoring the string of suspicious packages reportedly sent to President Obama, Hillary Clinton and others, but said they are aware of no incidents in the city.

LAPD Deputy Chief Horace Frank said the department was reaching out to some organizations and individuals to make sure they were on alert and offering assistance.

Suspicious packages containing potential explosives and addressed to Clinton and Obama were intercepted by the Secret Service, and CNN reported an apparent third sent to its Manhattan building, prompting evacuation.

Law enforcement sources in Los Angeles said they had gotten no reports of any devices found in L.A. and no clear links to the region.

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The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement, Right now, there is no nexus to Los Angeles. However, we are monitoring the situation and communicating with our federal and local law enforcement partners.
Less than a year after a roaring mudslide left 23 people dead or missing in Montecito, state and federal officials gathered in Santa Barbara County on Wednesday to issue a warning to all Californians: Massive summer wildfires have left many communities facing an increased risk of flooding.

The announcement, part of California Flood Preparedness Week, comes as the states wet season is quickly approaching.

Standing outside the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management on Wednesday, lawmakers, first responders and survivors of the Montecito mud and debris flow told Californians to prepare for disaster.

They also urged people to heed government evacuation warnings.

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We have to recognize that theres still tremendous potential for the death and destruction that we experienced less than a year ago, said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). Every person needs to have a plan. What if?

A series of record wildfires have left countless California hillsides and valleys stripped of vegetation and at risk of collapse in heavy rains.

Officials noted Wednesday that the massive Thomas fire, which started in December, was still burning when a storm cell pounded the scorched hillsides above Montecito a month later. The rains dissolved area slopes into a deadly river of mud and rock.

Jeff Toney, administrator for the Governors Office of Emergency Services Southern California region, said public agencies do as much as they can to prepare for disasters and warn residents, but citizens have to take a role in their own survival too.

Statewide, the past couple of years have truly been catastrophic, Toney said. On the individual level, its important to stay informed, have a plan for your family and your pets and evacuate when authorities issue that local evacuation order.

Thats a lesson Montecito resident Curtis Skene learned the hard way. His home, along with many of his neighbors, was damaged in the Jan. 9 mud and debris flow. People in his neighborhood were told to evacuate just days before the mudslide.

The fact is none of us should have been there, Skene said Wednesday. You really all need to pay attention to what these individuals are telling you. Its not rhetoric. Its real.

Fires dont just destroy trees and brush, they also singe root systems that hold hillsides in place, according to Chris Orrock, a spokesman with the Department of Water Resources. Also, when fires are hot enough, they create a waxy top coat on the soil that repels the rain, sending the water cascading downhill where it can dislodge heavy boulders or clog drains and bridge passageways with mud and debris.

In Montecito, the concern last year was that any rain falling at a rate of more than a half-inch per hour could trigger a mud flow. It rained far harder than that in early January and triggered a slide that killed 21 people and left two missing. Though vegetation has returned to those same hillsides, it isnt much, and the potential for a mud flow will remain for years to come, experts say.

Now, more Californians than ever are sharing the risk of mud and debris flows because wildfires have grown bigger and more intense, Orrock said. These areas include the foothill and downslope neighborhoods around the Carr fire in Shasta and Trinity counties; the Mendocino Complex fire in Mendocino and Lake counties; the Ferguson fire in Yosemite National Forest; and the Holy fire in Orange County. The risk of mud and debris flows will last for years.

In California, every single county has had a flood event occur in the last 20 years, Orrock said. We like to tell people they need to be aware. They need to know where they are  are they near a burn scar, near areas of potential flooding?

A $15-billion mystery: Whos to blame for Californias most destructive fire? 

Once the fire has passed and the rain arrives, residents should stay vigilant and listen to their local emergency officials, Orrock said. When these storms come in and your local government says its time to evacuate, you need to evacuate.

He pointed to the mudslide in Montecito, when only an estimated 10% of residents heeded the sheriffs officials warnings to leave the area. Though many of those who died were in a voluntary evacuation zone, first responders had to make numerous rescues in the mandatory zone, in addition to recovering bodies.

In the Carr fire in July, residents fled for their lives with only minutes to spare. Many of them lived in areas that were under mandatory evacuation but had not heeded the warning.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

Twitter: @JosephSerna

UPDATES:

1:15 p.m.: This post was updated with comments from Jackson, Toney and Skene at Wednesdays event.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m.
To hear Mayor Eric Garcetti tell it, a city crackdown on downtown Los Angeles street encampments went off this month with barely a hitch: one arrest, seven people moved to shelters, 13 placed on the waiting list and the number of people in tents cut by more than half.

Cleanup crews with police escorts swept through homeless camps in the El Pueblo historic district, bagging and tagging possessions for storage and dumping tents, trash, needles and human waste.

Garcetti credited an outreach-led operation  social workers were at the camps for weeks before police and sanitation crews moved in  for a smooth rollout of a cleanup and enforcement model that he plans to bring to neighborhoods citywide.

But legal issues are clouding the citys shelter and cleanup plans  and thrusting Garcetti in the middle of angry property owners and religious and civil rights advocates as he moves to wrest control of the citys sprawling camps.

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The crackdown took place in a special enforcement zone around El Puente, the first of 15 shelters the city plans to open as part of its Bridge Home program. Garcetti has touted the zones to counter fierce resistance from communities, including Sherman Oaks, San Pedro and Venice, to taking the shelters.

The city is under a 2016 federal injunction against summarily seizing and destroying homeless peoples property on skid row. This month, downtown business leaders packed a City Council committee meeting demanding officials go to trial to lift the injunction.

Settling this  case, you give up on [skid row] as hopeless, said Charlie Woo, a leading toy industry and downtown community leader.

Some of us have spent almost half of our lifetimes making downtown come back, said Carol Schatz, the retiring head of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. This has been an economic miracle that is in great jeopardy.

This week, civil rights attorney Carol Sobel filed a federal lawsuit asking the court to intervene in camp cleanups in Venice. The lawsuit followed a letter from attorneys with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles warning of serious constitutional questions with the special zone enforcement.

Garcetti, in a phone interview, said he was hopeful he could find common ground with lawyers as the city builds homeless housing and shelters to ease the homelessness crisis.

In the past, the issue has been reduced to either/or: Deal with crime and grime or wait eight years for new facilities, Garcetti said. For too long weve been talking through emissaries.  Were firing on all pistons now, building record amount of supportive housing.

But time and again, the city has lost or settled lawsuits over confiscating and tossing out homeless peoples property.

Im not going to walk away from this problem, the mayor said. I cant and I wont.

1 / 8 Lisa Pacheco of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, right, gives a leaflet about new rules and restrictions to Alla Gavorkan, 61, who lives in a tent in downtown Los Angeles El Pueblo historic district. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 8 David Ruther, who has been homeless for the last 12 years, points to a sign declaring a special enforcement zone posted by the city near a new shelter in El Pueblo historic district. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 8 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority workers spread out in downtown Los Angeles to educate and warn the homeless of a coming crackdown on encampments. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 8 Amy Perkins of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, left, explains new rules and restrictions to Leticia Cervantes, who lives in a tent near El Pueblo. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 8 A homeless man with his belongings crosses Arcadia Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 8 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority staffers, Department of Sanitation workers and LAPD officers educate and warn the homeless of stepped-up enforcement against encampments near a new shelter in downtown L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 8 Sanitation workers and police officers said they would delay ticketing and aggressive camp clearances until homeless people are educated on the new rules. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 8 Homeless outreach workers and LAPD officers wake up a woman living in a tent along Arcadia Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Nearly 23,000 individuals camp in Los Angeles streets, canyons and riverbeds, the most of any city in the country. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September that homeless people cant be prosecuted for sleeping in public when shelters are lacking.

In response to a proliferation of homeless camps, the city in recent years created sanitation rapid response teams led by the L.A. Police Department, and intensified regular cleanups under an elaborate protocol that was largely shaped by court rulings.

Under the protocol, the city posts three-day notices warning homeless people to get their belongings out of the way before sanitation teams arrive with garbage trucks, trash compressors and hazmat squads to power-wash the area and remove garbage.

Homeless people are supposed to fold up their tents from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. or face arrest. Unattended belongings are seized and stored for 90 days at a skid row warehouse, where homeless people can retrieve them.

Contraband, weapons, contaminated or hazardous materials  needles, urine and explosive devices  are tossed in the trash. So are bulky items, such as mattresses, appliances, furniture, broken bikes and vending carts.

But what is hazardous, what is bulky and what is unattended? Tents with urine, blood spots or rat droppings  common in homeless camps  are considered contaminated and thrown out with their entire contents.

Homeless people who oversleep or ignore the cleanup notices are given 15 minutes to move their belongings. Whats left behind in the mad scramble  tent poles, boards, Hello Kitty backpacks, medication, IDs  goes into the garbage.

Some cleanups dismantle entire camps. In the El Pueblo sweep, 700 pounds of solid waste was destroyed; one bag went to the warehouse and another was returned to its owner.

Sobel, in her lawsuit, said Rebecca Cooley, a disabled homeless woman with Crohns disease, and her husband, Benjamin Hubert, lost almost everything they owned in an unannounced sweep in Venice in September 2017.

Another plaintiff, Andrew Zaroda, returned to the camp to find his property behind yellow police tape, the suit said. Zaroda persuaded an officer to let him retrieve some things but lost his transit pass and other important items, the suit contended.

Rob Wilcox, spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer, said the office would review the lawsuit but deferred comment.

Garcetti, in a news briefing this fall, acknowledged unfortunate instances of property destruction but said they are rare.

The public health threat from the camps, including the recent typhus outbreak, cant be ignored, he said during the phone interview. While not all homeless people are criminals, Garcetti said, there are public safety issues in Venice we need to address and resolve.

In issuing the skid row injunction, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero also expressed concern about the public health risks of burgeoning homeless encampments.

But losing medication also can have serious consequences, the judge said in an April 2016 order. To put it bluntly, plaintiffs may not survive without some of the essential property that has been confiscated, he added.

Shelter operators told the City Council committee that skid row is so loaded with sofas, mattresses and barbecues that their employees could barely get to work. Otero, however, denied the city permission to throw out bulky items.

If a bulky item presents an immediate threat to public health or safety then it may be seized by the city and stored, Otero wrote in a September 2017 order. If a bulky item does not pose such a threat, then it must not be seized.

Legal Aid attorneys said the city should bring trash pickup, showers, bathrooms and laundry to the camps, not encampment sweeps and criminalization.

Garcetti said he was encouraged that the lawyers had expressed a willingness to work with the city on making the cleanups better.

Tell us how to do it, he said.

gholland@latimes.com

Twitter: @geholland
A Madera County man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he illegally excavated a site containing Native American remains and artifacts in the county, according to federal documents.

Vance Franklin Myers, 31, of Ahwahnee was charged with possession of stolen government property and illegally removing, damaging or defacing archaeological artifacts from public land, the U.S. attorneys office said Monday.

Myers has pleaded not guilty.

According to the criminal complaint, Myers admitted to excavating a site in the Willow Creek area of Box Canyon in the Sierra National Forest that contained artifacts and human remains. The artifacts he is accused of collecting are worth a total of $59,588 including the cost of repairs, according to the complaint.

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Archaeologists believe members of the Mono tribe lived in the area as long as 1,500 years ago.

Myers also confessed to removing a video camera installed by investigators, which captured him excavating the site multiple times, sometimes accompanied by a woman, a toddler and a dog, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors say crews fighting a wildfire in the forest in 2015 found the excavated site along with human remains, artifacts and hand tools used for excavation. When investigators inspected the area, they saw mounds of sifted dirt and discarded artifacts in small piles around the site, which was littered with trash and tools.

U.S. Forest Service archaeologists and tribal members were called to restore the area and installed a second camera and license plate reader in August 2015. The looting continued, the complaint said, and video showed a man looking over the restored land.

About a year later, an anonymous person identified the people in the video, including Myers, authorities said.

The criminal complaint quotes Myers saying: I know what I did is a crime but I really enjoy finding and sifting areas. I really care about and respect the culture.

Myers invited investigators into his home to get whatever artifacts they could find, the complaint said. Prosecutors say he was found with stone tools, arrowheads, beads and other artifacts.

Myers said that he was vaguely aware of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and that he had recently begun exploring the hobby. He told officials that he spent about 12 hours at the excavation site each time he visited and that he had found human remains.

We are extremely proud of the Forest Services role in helping to reduce the theft and destruction of Native American remains and artifacts from national forestlands here in California, Randy Moore, the Forest Services Pacific Southwest regional forester, said in a statement.

Myers next scheduled court appearance is Jan. 28. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to two years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
Real estate tycoon Mohamed Hadid once boasted that a luxurious mega-mansion he was building in the hills of Bel-Air would sell for more than $100 million.

Hadid, known for his lavish homes and stints on reality television, chronicled the progress of construction on Instagram. In one post, he billed a cavernous space where workers were laying rebar as home for the next largest IMAX home theater in the world. In others, he showed off Italian marble, a Moroccan room and a modern yet classic Turkish bath.

Led in part by those statements, the county eventually valued the home under construction at more than $70 million.

But as Hadid faced delinquency on a hefty tax bill for the still-unfinished mansion, he asserted the property was instead worth just $10 million.

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Last month, the county reassessed the property at close to $29 million, saving Hadid half a million dollars a year in property taxes.

The question of how much the colossal home is worth opens a window into the rarefied world of high-end real estate in Los Angeles, where developers compete in Bel-Air, Brentwood and Malibu to build the biggest, most extravagant and most expensive homes.

Despite the sweeping size and prized details of Hadids house, some county officials questioned whether it was truly ultra-high-end luxury construction.

The decision to drop the value drew scrutiny from John Loew, a deputy assessor seeking to unseat Assessor Jeffrey Prang in the November election. Everybody should pay their fair share of taxes, Loew said. The perception of the public is that these celebrities get special treatment.

Robert Kalonian, spokesman for the assessor, said that wasnt the case at all and that appraisers had based the lower value on new information that came to light in the battle over the Bel-Air property.

Bruce Rudman, an attorney for Hadid, said $41.8 million  the amount that pushed the propertys assessed value past $70 million  should never have been added by an assessor last year, calling it a gross error. Even without it, he contended, the assessment was not justified.

The value as stated on the assessment is excessive, particularly with regard to the incomplete construction, Rudman said.

The tussle over taxes is the latest development in the saga over the Bel-Air behemoth, which became a flashpoint amid booming post-recession construction on the Westside.

Neighbors complained that the massive home on Strada Vecchia Road, which some dubbed the Starship Enterprise, had destabilized the surrounding hillside. City officials ordered a halt to construction and ultimately revoked the projects permits. Prosecutors alleged that the mansion was bigger and taller than city rules allowed and included entire areas that were never approved.

Hadid and his project manager insisted city inspectors were aware of changes during construction. But Hadid pleaded no contest last year to criminal charges tied to illegal construction on the property. He was sentenced to three years probation, thousands of dollars in fines and 200 hours of community service.

As for the hillside, there is no danger of the house falling down the hill  zero danger, Rudman said. There is some loose soil that needs to be remediated ... and there is a slope stabilization plan awaiting approval to do so.

The developer is also facing a civil lawsuit from neighbors demanding that he tear down all unapproved construction and restore the hillside. Hadid has sued back, alleging attempted extortion by his neighbors.

As he faced an overdue bill for taxes on the property, Hadid lodged appeals with the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board, arguing that appraisers had overstated the value of the unfinished site.

Late last year, appraiser Rachel Geist estimated that new construction on the land in 2017 was worth $41.8 million, bringing the total value of the property to more than $70 million. In a memo reviewed by The Times, she cited claims in media reports and on Hadids Instagram account that the property would be worth $100 million upon completion, span 30,000 square feet and feature an Imax theater.

Due to the unique nature of this property and craftsmanship/detailing as well as location and off-hill construction, standard costing amounts do not apply, she wrote in the memo.

In a 2018 memo she reaffirmed her estimate. The memo described details such as flooring in a Moroccan room that appeared to be antique, possibly imported.

Hadids appeals have yet to be scheduled for hearing by the appeals board, an independent entity.

But in August, appraisers signed off on dropping the propertys total value, including the land and unfinished home, to about $29 million, according to records provided by the assessors office.

The change will save Hadid $1 million in general property taxes and municipal levies owed for 2017 and 2018. Taxes on the property are delinquent, according to the assessors office.

Rudman said he was looking into the tax matter. My understanding is all the property taxes have been paid, he said.

In a memo explaining the change, appraiser Laura Booth said the $41.8-million increase had been erroneously added. She said new construction on the site was not an ultra-high-end luxury improvement and noted the owner would have to demolish some of it under the terms of his plea.

In interviews, Kalonian, assistant assessor George Renkei and supervising appraiser Milan Garcia said ultra-high-end luxury was a subjective term defined in relation to a scale set by the market  essentially a youll-know-it-when-you-see-it type of standard. They also said the cost and quality of materials, with some custom-made or imported, would be a factor.

The trio said previous assessments had consisted largely of guesswork, because appraisers werent allowed onto the property and there were few comparable homes to use as benchmarks.

But after the appeals were filed, appraisers were allowed onto the project site, leading them to reconsider their estimates, Kalonian said.

The property as it stands now is not the property that we believed was being built, he said, describing it as simply luxury instead of ultra-high-end luxury and pointing out that the size and features of the property would have to be scaled back to comply with the plea.

When asked about the chain of events, deputy assessor Loew said the county appeared to have helped Hadid.

Loew said appraisers shouldnt have given any credit for demolition until they could verify the property had actually been demolished, because in the meantime the developer could still get value from the illegal construction but not pay taxes on it. Guidelines for valuing properties instruct appraisers to verify a property has been demolished before deducting its value, Loew said.

But Renkei said the overarching standard for assessing a property is market value, defined as what a buyer is willing to pay a seller on the market.

If a property owner builds an addition to his home and appraisers boost the homes value assuming that the new construction is permitted, Renkei said, they will take the value back off once they find out its illegal and must be torn down.

Buyers know this when theyre purchasing the property, so theyre not going to give you value for that improvement because they know its worthless, he said.

Ignacio Rodriguez, an architect for the Bel-Air property, said builders have torn down a portion of a pool deck and begun separating the pool from the main structure to show the city in good faith that we were trying to comply.

Department of Building and Safety records show the property owners are still correcting plans to bring them in line with city rules.

Joseph Horacek, a neighbor who is suing Hadid, said he didnt think Hadid was getting an undue benefit from the reassessment.

The house is totally illegal, and he has destabilized the hillside and created great risk to the surrounding properties, Horacek said. In light of that, the house was over-assessed.

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

Twitter: @AgrawalNina

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlpertReyes
More than 30,000 police forces have been deployed at the Iran-Iraq borders with Iraq to facilitate the traffic and enhance security, said Iranian Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari on Wednesday.



AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): More than 30,000 police forces have been deployed at the Iran-Iraq borders with Iraq to facilitate the traffic and enhance security, said Iranian Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari on Wednesday.



Due to the good cooperation between pilgrims and the police, no problems have been reported, he said, adding, thanks to God, we are witnessing a high security.



Elsewhere he told Fars News Agency that those public vehicles which have obtained the required license plates can easily drive over the border but the Iraqi side has not agreed on the crossing of other private cars.



Pilgrims are making a journey to Iraq to attend Arbaeen mourning; a religious observance that occurs 40 days after the Day of Ashura. Pilgrims, including more than two million Iranians, annually convene in the holy city of Karbala  where Imam Hussein is buried  to mark Arbaeen which, this year, will be held on October 30. Many pilgrims travel miles on foot to reach Karbala.





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A federal prosecutor in the criminal trial of two Pomona police officers charged in a violent encounter with a teenager told jurors Tuesday that a video showing cops pummeling the teen would prove the officers guilt, while defense attorneys countered the same footage would help to vindicate the men.

The dueling claims over the video a bystander captured on his cellphone came during opening statements in the trial. Cpl. Chad Jensen, a 21-year veteran of the Pomona department, faces charges he used excessive force against then-16-year-old Christian Aguilar during the incident at the Los Angeles County Fair three years ago.

Jensen and Officer Prince Hutchinson, his partner on the night of the encounter, are also accused of lying in reports and court testimony to cover up the two blows Jensen dealt to the teens face. A separate trial for a third officer, who faces charges stemming from how he conducted the departments internal investigation into the incident, is scheduled for next month.

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Assistant U.S. Atty. Frances Lewis seized quickly on the video, saying Jensen snapped when he saw Aguilar using his phone to record Pomona officers who had arrested his father and cousin for public intoxication

Jensen struck Aguilar while the teen was in a defenseless position as his arms were hanging by his side, his chin was up, and his neck was exposed, Lewis said.

The officers were indicted last year after a lengthy FBI investigation into what happened on the night in September 2015 when Aguilar and his family attended the Los Angeles County Fair at the Pomona Fairplex.

As several officers escorted his father and adult cousin out of the fair grounds, Aguilar and a relative followed at some distance, and the teen began recording, Lewis told jurors.

On the teens video, which Lewis also played for the jury, Aguilar is heard rebuffing a calm request from an officer to stay back. A few seconds later, Jensen grabs Aguilar and pulls him over to a nearby wall, Lewis said. The bystanders video, which was posted on YouTube, shows Jensen whipping Aguilar around and striking him twice in the face with his forearm as the boy had both arms at his side. The first blow sends Aguilar backpedaling, but Jensen pulls him back in by his arm and strikes him again.

Hutchinson quickly appears in the frame and joins in the effort to tackle Aguilar to the ground. Another officer strikes the teen hard in the leg with his baton and Hutchinson then tosses Aguilar to the ground, the video shows. With the teen on the ground and officers struggling to subdue him, a supervisor walks over and threatens to use a stun gun on Aguilar.

That night, Jensen and Hutchinson wrote short reports of the incident, claiming the teen had ignored repeated commands to stay back and made it to within a few feet of the officers who were escorting his father and cousin. When Jensen had Aguilar against the wall and tried to pull him around, both officers wrote, the teen tried to hit the officer in the face. Hutchinson claimed Aguilar had tried to incite a crowd of onlookers as he was led away.

Aguilar was arrested for resisting arrest and charged as a juvenile. Eight months later, the officers repeated their accounts of the incident while testifying against the teen at a court hearing. The charges against the teen, as well as those against his father and cousin, were eventually dropped.

Attorneys for the men implored jurors to view the incident through the eyes of the officers. Jensens attorney said the video, when slowed down, supported the officers claim that Aguilar appeared to take a swing at Jensen as he was spun around. And the officers estimations about how close the teen had come to his father were also reasonable given how fast the scene unfolded and the danger they perceived, they said.

That sense of danger, they argued, was heightened by things not caught on the videos  namely a large crowd of onlookers who the attorneys said were angry at the officers for arresting the two men and were hurling insults at them. And Aguilar, who weighed nearly 200 pounds, did not appear to the officers to be a teenager, the attorneys added.

You need to see the world as they see it in order to sit in judgment of them, said Stewart Adams, Hutchinsons attorney. They are trained to act quickly before situations get out of control.

A spokesman for the city of Pomona, which paid Aguilars family $500,000 to settle a civil claim over the incident, declined to provide the officers current work status.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow @joelrubin on Twitter
Federal authorities have arrested key members of a Southern California white-power group, the latest move in an ongoing effort by authorities to break the back of an organization linked to racism-fueled violence.

Robert Rundo, leader of the so-called Rise Above Movement, was taken into custody Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

Two others  Tyler Laube and Robert Boman  were arrested Wednesday morning in connection with organizing and participating in riots, according to federal authorities. Another, Aaron Eason, was charged but remains at large, they said.

All four were charged with traveling and using the internet to organize or participate in riots, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

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Private messages between group leaders, members and associates show an effort to keep their violent intentions secret, according to an FBI affidavit attached to the complaint. One man, Benjamin Daley, urged members in a 2016 phone call to attend events wearing polo-style shirts and khakis, and to get military-style haircuts.

In an August 2017 exchange with someone considering joining the group, Daley said the individual would have to change your [style] up a bit when your with us. The associate said he could grow out his hair and drop the boots and braces look, the affidavit said. Daley responded: think its time to reimagine the nationalist look and playbook, we have become predictable that needs to change. He told another associate to keep a low profile on social media.

In private Facebook messages to the person in January, Daley said: I would be mindful of saying anything that could be misconstrued as a call to violence. I know people who literally have had feds show up at there door over posts. [J]ust food for thought. Trust Im not speaking in terms of morality rather practicality.

In a hearing Wednesday, the judge in the case denied bail for Rundo, calling him a flight risk. Prosecutors argued that Rundo  who appeared in court in a white jumpsuit, mostly staring down at his hands  had taken several trips abroad, including one to Mexico. He was picked up in Central America before he was taken into custody at the airport in L.A.

Rundo has demonstrated and undergone a significant personal sacrifice over the past three weeks, repeatedly seeking to flee from this ongoing engagement of law enforcement, said Assistant U.S. Atty. David Ryan.

Prosecutors also pointed out Rundos criminal history, which includes a conviction in a stabbing case, and said that when authorities searched his home, they found a large framed portrait of Adolf Hitler.

Boman and Laube appeared in court later Wednesday afternoon. Ryan said Boman was located in the morning after spending the night in a treehouse at someone elses residence. Boman  who has prior convictions for grand theft, robbery and assaulting a police officer  fled authorities by bicycle and foot before officers tackled and arrested him.

Bomans attorney said his client has a problem with meth and argued that he was not a flight risk because he has nowhere to go.

Judge Maria A. Audero ordered that he, along with Laube, be held without bail. Hes a member of a horribly violent group, she said of Boman.

Laubes attorney called him the least culpable of those charged in the complaint, saying his client wasnt on social media and didnt attend an April 2017 protest in Berkeley at which violence broke out, because by then he had withdrawn from the organization.

For 18 months, Laube has been residing in a sober-living home in Gardena.

The arrests come after several other members and associates of the group were publicly accused of traveling to Virginia with the intent to incite a riot and commit violence in Charlottesville last year.

Daley, 25, along with Thomas Walter Gillen, 34, both of Redondo Beach; Michael Paul Miselis, 30, of Lawndale; and Cole Evan White, 24, of the Northern California city of Clayton were arrested earlier this month.

Federal authorities said the group was founded in late 2016 or early 2017 by Rundo and Daley, originally branded as DIY DIVISION. The group grew in numbers through use of social media, on which they coordinated combat training before political events and bragged about the violence to recruit members.

Posts include video clips of members assaulting people at political events, their faces covered by distinctive skeleton or U.S. flag masks. In one February post, the group posted a photo of members covering their faces with books, along with the text: When the squads not out smashing commies . . . #nationalist #lifestyle.

Authorities believe that their Twitter account, @RiseAboveMvmt, was operated by Rundo. It has since been suspended.

As bold as the groups social media presence was, members have been guarded with the media and remain relatively under the radar in their communities. Family members of some group members have declined to speak with The Times, and former neighbors of others said they didnt know who the group members were. Local law enforcement agencies said they were unaware of the group causing major problems in the South Bay.

For more than a year, authorities say, the group has caused trouble across California, at political rallies in places including Berkeley and Huntington Beach. Much of the violence at the Charlottesville rallies was captured in photos and videos, screenshots of which were laid out in an affidavit prepared by an FBI task force officer.

In one scene, White is seen headbutting a woman, leaving her with a bloody gash on her face. In another, White grabs a counter-protester by the shoulders and jerks him away before headbutting a minister wearing a clerical collar. The footage also appears to show Miselis, his hands taped, shoving a black man to the ground and then striking him.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

UPDATES:

5:10 p.m.: This article was updated with information from court proceedings.

12:30 p.m.: This story was updated with new details and additional information about private messages.

11:05 a.m.: This article was updated with information from the criminal complaint and information from a court hearing.

This article was originally published at 9:45 a.m.
An Orange County Superior Court judge Tuesday reversed an order barring journalists from reporting on a search warrant filed in the case against a Newport Beach surgeon facing felony charges of drugging and raping seven women dating to 2009.

Grant Robicheaux, 38, once dubbed Orange Countys most eligible bachelor, and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, 31, are accused of rape by drugs, kidnapping, oral copulation by anesthesia, assault with intent to commit sexual offenses and other crimes. They have denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex.

The search warrant and corresponding affidavit, which details the police investigation into the couple beginning in 2016, was filed in court Jan. 3 and sealed Sept. 11, according to Orange County district attorneys office spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden.

The order to seal was affirmed by Judge Greg Jones on Sept. 18 when media outlets requested the document from the courthouse, she said. The Los Angeles Times acquired an unsealed copy of the public record.

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Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer said he obtained the search warrant before it was sealed and distributed it to the media Oct. 17 at a news conference.

Jones, who is presiding over the case, asked reporters from various outlets to return the document to the court and prohibited them from publishing information in the record, despite acknowledging that the proverbial genie was already out of the bottle.

On Tuesday, Jones reversed his order and unsealed the warrant, Van Der Linden said.

Spitzer told The Times that he obtained the document from the court file as a public record and spoke to Jones directly about the file. Spitzer is running for Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas seat in the November election.

It was a public record, and he acknowledged that it was not sealed and that other people, including The Times, had it. I told him I wouldnt be appearing as there was no dispute the record was public, Spitzer said. The case law is clear on this issue when it comes to public records.

Jones made his ruling after Rackauckas and defense attorneys asked him to have media outlets return the document, which the prosecutor said contains extremely sensitive information about the rape victims and the defendants. Rackauckas said the release of the information could compromise the integrity of the case.

Van Der Linden said victims of sexual assault are hesitant to come forward and could be deterred by having sensitive information about their assaults published.

I think this has a chilling effect on future victims coming forward, she said.

Attorneys for the Orange County Register and the Associated Press argued in court documents that the judges order was a preemptively unconstitutional prior restraint on speech.

Spitzer said he distributed the records to show that the district attorney has known since late last year about the couple and should have filed charges earlier, adding that Rackauckas wanted the document shielded from public view to avoid embarrassment.

The search warrant from January proves two points that the detective described the suspects as sexual predators and that she believed there were more victims out there, Spitzer said.

Rackauckas has said that his office learned of the investigation in late December when a DNA test related to one of the alleged sexual assaults was run through the offices lab.

The search warrant revealed that Newport Beach police launched their investigation into Robicheaux and Riley in April 2016 when a young woman said she was attacked. After initially cooperating, the woman repeatedly delayed a police interview, which stalled the law enforcement investigation, according to the document.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

Times staff writer Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report.
Authorities on Wednesday afternoon said several suspicious envelopes mailed to the Los Angeles Times headquarters in El Segundo were deemed safe by a hazardous materials team.

Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, said just after 5 p.m. that the envelopes had been screened and did not pose a threat.

Authorities said four suspicious envelopes had been mailed to the building, and police blocked Douglas Street and Imperial Highway for several hours.

Times security called police about 11:15 a.m. after a mailroom employee discovered standard-size envelopes that were bundled together and addressed to offices at Knotts Berry Farm with the return address as the L.A. Times. However, the envelopes had not been sent from The Times; an unknown person mailed them using the newspapers return address, police and fire officials said.

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Hillary Manning, a spokeswoman for The Times, said the mailroom employee identified the envelopes as unusual after Times staff asked whether any odd mail had been seen. The inquiry was prompted by suspicious packages found at the San Diego Union-Tribune, CNN and other places Wednesday. The address information was pasted on the envelopes, using what appeared to be either a label maker or printed labels.

Pieces of mail similar to those that are being screened have been delivered to The Times in the past, and there havent been any security issues reported related to this type of mail, Manning said.

There was no threat of a bomb inside the envelopes, officials said, and the building was not evacuated.

 Hazmat team examining suspicious envelopes mailed to Los Angeles Times

Authorities were inspecting the buildings mail room Wednesday evening, Manning said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the El Segundo Police Department and the L.A. County Sheriffs Department hazardous material team converged on The Times building about 2 p.m. to determine how to deal with the envelopes, which were placed in a box outside the building. A portion of the parking lot was taped off for the investigation.

Preliminary tests showed that no gas or radiation was being emitted from the envelopes.

Police blocked North Douglas Street from Atwood Way to Imperial Highway and were diverting traffic around the Times building.

Manning circulated a statement Wednesday afternoon about the incident to the newsroom:

Contrary to some media reports, we are not being evacuated. Given the reports about the package sent to former CIA chief John Brennan at CNN, and potential explosive devices sent to Obama, Hillary Clinton and former Atty. Gen. Holder, our security and facilities teams are being extra careful with mail and packages, as well as with any visitors to the building. There is some mail that is currently being thoroughly screened.

The response came hours after a suspicious package forced the evacuation of the San Diego Union-Tribune newsroom, a sister publication of the Los Angeles Times. That package was found to be harmless.

Several floors of the building on 600 B St. in San Diego, which houses the Union-Tribune, WeWork offices and a branch of Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris office, were briefly evacuated, and a hazardous materials team was called to investigate the area of 6th and B streets, authorities said.

In Fresno, police were called shortly before 8 a.m., to investigate a suspicious box in the parking lot of a building that houses TV stations CBS 47 and KSEE 24, police Lt. Mark Hudson said.

About an hour later, the departments bomb unit determined that the Mac computer monitor box was not a threat, Hudson said. It just had some trash and scrap metal inside, he said. It was probably just someone leaving their junk in a box.

The Secret Service reported Wednesday morning that it had intercepted potential explosive devices addressed to Hillary Clinton and President Obama, and CNN reported a third device was sent to its Manhattan bureau, prompting an evacuation.

Police and fire officials investigate suspicious envelopes at the Los Angeles Times building on East Imperial Highway in El Segundo. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles TImes)

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

UPDATES:

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with authorities giving an all-clear.

3:35 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the incident and additional comments from The Times.

2:40 p.m.: This article was updated with information from the hazmat screening.

2:05 p.m.: This article was updated to include a statement from The Times and information about hazmat response.

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated to clarify the nature of the suspicious mail.

This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.
Authorities are searching for a man suspected of shooting a 22-year-old motorist, stealing his car and running him over in Woodland Hills late Tuesday.

Officers were called to the 23000 block of Leonora Drive about 8 p.m., where they found a man who had been shot multiple times lying in the street. The man, identified as Dexterkane Justice James, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Officer Greg Kraft of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Kraft said the gunman shot James, then got in his car and ran over the wounded man as he drove off. Police found the vehicle abandoned several blocks away, but the suspect has not been found.

Witness Sam Kindseth told KABC-TV that he heard gunshots and saw James body being dragged by the moving car.

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[The suspect] was trying to pull the guy into his car, almost to like, hide the evidence, but maybe he couldnt get him in the car, and he just ran out of time and he took off and ran him over, Kindseth told the station.

Detectives initially theorized that the shooting was the result of a carjacking, although now they suspect James and the gunman may have known each other, Kraft said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

UPDATES:

12:40 p.m.: This article was updated with the victims name and additional details from police.

This article was originally published at 6:55 a.m.
While President Trump railed against a migrant caravan wending its way north through Mexico this week, hundreds of Central American immigrant families had already arrived at the border and been released into the U.S. by authorities.

The influx, unrelated to the caravan, has crowded immigration holding areas and detention centers across the Southwest. The Border Patrol has released so many families, advocacy groups in Arizona and Texas have had to house them in churches and motels.

In El Paso, the nonprofit Annunciation House shelter expected to take in 1,200 migrants this week and 1,500 more next week.

Were in effect receiving a caravan a month, said Ruben Garcia, the shelters director, after serving pizza to immigrant families staying in 70 hotel rooms his group rented this week at a nightly cost of $3,500.

As he spoke, a Border Patrol agent called and asked Garcia whether he could shelter an additional 80 immigrants on Thursday. Garcia agreed  he had just heard from a church willing to take in up to 90 people, the latest of 16 religious groups in El Paso and nearby Las Cruces, N.M., to volunteer. He appealed to another church late Tuesday to help. His group runs on volunteers and donations.

As the flow increases, I could say to Border Patrol I cant accept any more. But I wont, because I know what those holding cells are like. I want to expand our capacity, Garcia said late Tuesday as he waited for two Border Patrol buses to arrive with the 80 migrants.

The Border Patrol caught a record 16,658 immigrant family members crossing illegally in September, a White House spokesman said this week. More than 161,000 immigrant family members were caught or turned themselves in during the fiscal year that ended last month, 42% more than in any previous year, the spokesman said.

Central American migrants listen to an orientation speech by Annunciation House volunteer after arriving at an El Paso motel where they will be housed and fed for a couple of days before going to be with family members elsewhere in the United States. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) Keys for all the motel rooms where Central American migrant families are staying. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) Victor Joel Fuentes Godinez, from Honduras, right, and Emerson Ubaldo Esrobedo Sylvester, from Guatemala, look over their smart phones while staying at an El Paso motel. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Top: Central American migrants listen to an orientation speech after arriving at an El Paso motel where they will be housed and fed for a couple of days before going to be with family members. Left: Keys for the motel rooms where migrant families are staying. Right: Victor Joel Fuentes Godinez of Honduras, right, and Emerson Ubaldo Esrobedo Sylvester of Guatemala look at their phones at an El Paso motel. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Total annual apprehensions this year  family members, single adults, unaccompanied minors  were still below figures from 2014, the last major surge in families and unaccompanied children on the border, and far below numbers from past decades. Still, federal immigration detention facilities are now 98% full, forcing officials to release immigrants more rapidly and in larger groups, with the burden of sheltering them falling on immigrant advocates.

Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona was called on to shelter 250 immigrants last week, using motel rooms for overflow; 350 the week before in Tucson and 250 in Yuma. When Greyhound bus service east slowed because of Hurricane Michael this month, they chartered a bus with donations.

Its difficult to maintain this level of intensity, said Teresa Cavendish, the nonprofit groups director of operations, who said it was warned to expect 80 more immigrants Wednesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who dropped immigrants off at the motel where the group rented rooms, visited the nonprofits leaders Wednesday and warned that the first wave of the migrant caravan of 7,000 traveling northward could reach the border next week. Shelters are already full, and volunteers are exhausted, Cavendish said.

Carmelina Sales Sanchez of Guatemala brushes her daughter Elsa Elizabeth's hair in their room. Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Folks from ICE are doing their best in terms of estimating the number of people they will be able to accommodate in their facilities, said Marguerite Peg Harmon, chief executive of the Catholic relief group. They dont know either how many people they will get on a given day.

At the two El Paso motels, which Garcia asked not be identified for safety reasons, volunteers greeted arriving immigrant families with a brief orientation, then steered them toward showers and meals in a food tent set up in the parking lot. Afterward, working out of several rooms converted into makeshift offices, volunteers distributed room keys and helped families contact relatives to stay with as their immigration court cases proceed. Relatives usually pay bus fare so the new arrivals can join them.

Volunteers recorded the immigrants information on cards tacked to bulletin boards, including departure times and destinations, from Charleston, S.C., and New Orleans to Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

The motel crowd included more fathers than mothers. Some said they fled violence, others economic downturns, like the coffee rust fungus that has devastated crops in Guatemala.
Trying to stem global condemnation, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday spoke for the first time about the killing three weeks ago of a U.S.-based Saudi journalist, calling it a heinous and unjustified crime.

Mohammed, speaking in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, denied what is widely suspected  that he was involved in killing Jamal Khashoggi, a writer critical of his nations government  and vowed to find and punish the people responsible.

Saudi, Turkish and U.S. officials have said that members of the princes inner circle, including his security team, formed part of an execution hit squad dispatched from Riyadh to Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate on Oct. 2.

The United States on Tuesday revoked the U.S. visas of 21 Saudi officials and security agents identified as suspects. It was the first reprisal by Washington, though critics called it barely a slap on the wrist because the suspects were not likely to be planning trips to the United States.

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Saudi officials, after denying for weeks that Khashoggi had been killed, now acknowledge the crime, but blame it on officers exceeding their authority. The desert kingdom is struggling to shield the crown prince from blame, though most of the suspects reported to him, and he had already earned a reputation for rash, reckless behavior.

The incident that happened was painful for all Saudis, and especially because [Khashoggi is] a Saudi citizen, and I believe its painful for every person in the world, Mohammed said.

Its a heinous incident, totally unjustified.

He was speaking at a Saudi-sponsored conference of high-profile international investors in Riyadh. Many big-name participants, including from the United States, dropped out of the conference because of the Khashoggi case. But several thousand people, including more Saudis than in the previous year, were on hand to give Mohammed, the kingdoms de facto ruler, a standing ovation.

Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin also pulled out of the conference, ostensibly in protest of the killing, but showed up at a parallel meeting with Mohammed on Monday.

The prince pledged to work with Turkish authorities in their investigation of the killing and denied the episode had inflamed tension between the two rival Sunni Muslim countries.

Khashoggis body has not yet been found after Saudi officials only begrudgingly, after many days, allowed Turkish investigators into the consulate building in Istanbul. On Wednesday, Turkish media reported that Saudi officials finally relented in granting Turkish investigators permission to examine a well at the consulate.

Mohammed had not spoken of the case publicly until now but has spoken by telephone with President Trump and met last week with Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who traveled to Riyadh to express the administrations concern. Trump and Pompeo said the prince denied having ordered the execution of the journalist, who wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post and was a resident of Virginia.

On Wednesday, the Saudi government said the crown prince also spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mohammed, at the conference, said: Today the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking all the legal procedures to investigate and complete the investigations in working with the Turkish government  to get the results and present those who are responsible to trial.

He said there would be no rift between Turkey and Saudi Arabia as long as their current leaders are alive. We will prove to the world that the two governments are cooperating to punish any criminal and any guilty party, he said.

On Tuesday, Erodgan spoke to an assemblage of lawmakers from his political party about the killing. Although he did not name the crown prince, Erdogan seemed to have him in mind in calling for his father, Saudi King Salman, to undertake an impartial investigation into what Erdogan called a premeditated, savage murder. He also called on the king to extradite suspects to Turkey for trial, which is unlikely.

Some analysts predicted Mohammed, a 33-year old political neophyte who has upended Saudi Arabias signature brand of low-profile backroom politics, may yet weather what is arguably the countrys greatest crisis since the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, in which most of the attackers were Saudis.

The dynastic Saudi system has no mechanism for removing a crown prince from the line of ascendancy. Only the king can name his heir. Although Salman has dozens of other princes to choose from, he is said to be in bad health and unlikely to be able to pull off such a maneuver.

Meanwhile, Mohammed has many backers in international capitals, notably Trump and his son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, who are hoping to move past the grisly case quickly.

Not everyone believes the crime will be easily forgotten.

Ilnur Cevik, a member of Erdogans coterie of advisors, said that the international community is certain of the crown princes involvement, and that anything said to the contrary will be an empty effort to cover up the mess created by a clumsy Saudi clandestine operation.

Trump may try to stand up for [Mohammed] so Washington can use him for its plans against Iran, Cevik wrote in a column in the Daily Sabah, a Turkish newspaper. However, from now on, wherever the crown prince goes, he will be regarded as the man with Khashoggis blood on his hands.

Bulos and Wilkinson reported from Istanbul and Washington, respectively.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

Twitter: @TracyKWilkinson
It was billed as a town hall for Venice residents to hear about the shelter for homeless people that city officials had proposed for an unused Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus yard in that coastal community. Mostly, however, it was a three-hour flogging of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Councilman Mike Bonin  whose district includes Venice  and Police Chief Michel Moore.

People packed into the auditorium of the Westminster Elementary School last Wednesday didnt want to hear that the project would move at least 154 homeless people off the surrounding sidewalks and into bridge, or interim, housing.

Not in Venice! Not in Venice! they chanted.

They didnt believe Garcetti when he vowed that your housed or unhoused condition doesnt protect you from consequences for committing crime. I want you to hear that.

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They heard it. LIE! LIE! LIE! they shouted.

Residents didnt go to that town hall to be persuaded. They went there to persuade.

And they were unmoved by Garcetti and Bonin relating stories of homeless people who got housed, such as the man with bone disease who had spent 20 years on the street before moving into the new El Pueblo shelter downtown or the woman who slept on the beach with her young son at night until she got housing.

We dont want to hear your stories! a woman called from the audience.

With that, she perfectly summed up the opposition. This night was about their stories  of homeless people, described variously as meth-addicted, bicycle-stealing and mentally ill, who defecate on peoples sidewalks and grab at passersby. From their point of view, Venice residents have borne a disproportionate share of the burden of living with homeless people. Now they fear theyre being asked to accept a shelter that will, at worst, act as a magnet for more homeless people, and at best, house a fraction of the people living on Venices streets.

City officials say they dont expect shelters to act as magnets. And the city has promised that every neighborhood where bridge housing is located will get frequent cleanings and aggressive enforcement of ordinances against sitting on sidewalks with volumes of belongings.

But residents didnt go to that town hall to be persuaded. They went there to persuade. One questioner suggested having the Army Corps of Engineers set up emergency housing at Dockweiler State Beach and put Venice homeless there.

But housing needs to be near housing, Bonin told them. We are trying to reintegrate them into society, he said. Dockweiler State Beach is not near anything.

Exactly! someone called out.

Theres no question that living in Venice means grappling with homelessness on a scale that most of us dont encounter daily. According to the 2018 homeless count, there are 975 homeless people in Venice. Although thats nothing close to skid row nor as bad as Hollywood, its still a lot of people on the streets in a three-square-mile area.

Venice residents are right that one shelter wont eradicate street homelessness there. But removing 154 people from the streets is worth doing, not just for Venice homeowners, but for the individuals who get a place to live for several months, services and a shot at permanent housing somewhere. And when they do move on to other housing, that opens up space to house more homeless people. Thats the way this is supposed to work.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

And there are people in Venice willing to give this a try. Milissa Glen-Lambert, a schoolteacher who sat next to me during the town hall, had volunteered to canvass neighborhoods to learn peoples opinions on bridge housing. Once I got out into the community, people were mostly in favor of it, she said.

The bigger question is whether Garcetti can keep the bargain he has proposed to neighborhoods citywide: If you accept the housing, we will clear the sidewalks. One of the best questions of the night came from a woman who noted that Legal Aid lawyers had already warned Garcetti that zealous efforts to clear streets of homeless peoples surplus belongings could lead to a lawsuit. Would the city really enforce the law, the questioner wanted to know?

Garcetti said he was hopeful that the city could work something out with Legal Aid that would respect the rights of residents and the rights of homeless people. (Hopeful? someone in the audience said mockingly.) Finding that balance is going to be more difficult than putting up the bridge housing. But the city must find a way to keep the sidewalks clearer.

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Not long after California enacted a law allowing terminally ill people to obtain life-ending prescriptions, the state Department of Veterans Affairs (known as CalVet) adopted an emergency regulation making it clear that residents of its eight veterans homes would not be allowed to take advantage of the new laws provisions.

The emergency regulation prohibits CalVet staff from providing aid-in-dying drugs or assistance to residents of the agencys homes, and specifies that any resident who wants to take an aid-in-dying drug, even if it is provided by an outside doctor, must first be discharged from the residential facility where they live.

It is cruel and unfair to deny these 2,400 old and disabled veterans the same right afforded other Californians under the 2016 End of Life Option Act. But CalVet officials claimed the harsh regulation was necessary to keep the agency from losing millions in federal funding under the 1997 Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act, which prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for items and services (including assistance) the purpose of which is to cause (or assist in causing) the suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of any individual.

The veterans homes located in Los Angeles and other California cities provide a place to live as well as medical and rehabilitative care to former active-duty military members and their spouses who are over 55 or disabled. Veterans homes are also open to homeless vets in need of care. Though primarily funded by the states taxpayers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays for nearly $68 million of the homes $350-million budget.

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CalVet can and should find a way to comply with federal rules without forcing residents of its veterans homes to leave in order to seek aid in dying.

The federal prohibition makes it clear that doctors in veterans homes should not provide life-ending prescriptions, and though we disagree with that rule, the government has the right to make it; no hospital, doctor or healthcare employer is under any obligation to participate in the right-to-die program. But nothing in the text of the federal law indicates that it is necessary to evict sick people from their homes if they wish to obtain an outside physicians prescription for the life-ending drugs and ingest them on their own.

Indeed, other states that have legalized so-called medical aid-in-dying have interpreted the federal prohibitions in various ways. Like California, Colorado and Vermont require residents of veteran homes to leave the facilities if they wish to end their lives. But Washington and Oregon allow veterans home residents to stay while they get the lethal prescriptions from outside doctors and even when they take them, though staff is not allowed to assist in any way. Oregons Death with Dignity Act has been on the books for more than 20 years, and there have been no challenges under the federal prohibition.

Earlier this month, two veterans groups along with two residents of a veterans home in Yountville sued CalVet, claiming its restriction is punitive. Dying people may not have the strength or means to relocate to a new nursing home or hospice. Many veterans who move into veterans homes choose to do so because of subsidies for those with limited financial means, and most of them remain in the homes for the rest of their lives.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

The groups argued that CalVet could use accounting barriers to comply with the federal prohibition.

Californias End of Life Option Act passed in large part because of the moving story of 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, who was diagnosed with an aggressive and terminal brain cancer. After weighing her end-of-life options, Maynard and her family decided to leave the Bay Area and move to Oregon so that she could access that states aid-in-dying law. When California lawmakers finally made it legal for physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs the following year, it was with the promise that no dying Californian would be forced to choose between leaving home and suffering in their final days. But CalVet has broken that promise for the men and women living in veterans homes.

CalVet can and should find a way to comply with federal rules without forcing residents of its veterans homes to leave in order to seek aid in dying, as Oregon and Washington have done. Not just to avoid the time and cost of a lawsuit, but because it is the compassionate and correct thing to do.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
In 2009, Los Angeles magazine memorably put Antonio Villaraigosa on its cover with a one-word headline stamped across his torso: Failure.

A companion essay went on to assail L.A.s then-mayor, who was rumored to be pining for the governors seat. His career, the article said, was less about fulfilling commitments than about seizing opportunities and satisfying ever-larger appetites at the expense of those who put faith in him.

Doesnt that sound a bit like Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti right about now?

Today the buzz is about Garcettis desire for a national oval-shaped office. This year already, Hizzoner has visited the important primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Garcetti got glowing write-ups in GQ and Rolling Stone this summer. Hes been using social media this month to praise gubernatorial candidates in Georgia and Oklahoma. He blasts President Trump at every chance. Just last weekend, he was on CNNs State of the Union calling the president hostile to Latinos and the working class.

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Mayor Garcetti loves to make grand gestures geared to impress outsiders instead of concentrating on residents who already live in L.A.

Garcetti also declared on CNN that before the end of the year hell declare whether a run for the White House is in his future.

Heres some advice, Eric: Dont do it.

Hes cool enough. Garcettis stance on the big issues is in line with the progressive wing of the Democrats nationally. He has strengthened L.A.s reputation as a sanctuary for immigrants, and has consistently pushed for a higher minimum wage citywide. The mayor knows climate change is happening, that our regions love affair with the combustible engine is unsustainable, and that the Los Angeles Dodgers should win the World Series.

Still, Garcetti has now served Los Angeles, as either City Council member or mayor, since 2001  by far the longest run at City Hall since voters approved term limits in 1991. So we can fairly use the Los Angeles of today as a gauge of Garcettis career. And what does he have to show for it?

From down here in O.C.  long red, now purple and a better barometer of what will play nationally than, say, Mississippi  I aint impressed.

Lets start with typhus.

On Oct. 9, when Garcetti was asked about a skid row outbreak of the disease  historically associated with 19th century battlefields and prisons  he responded, Things sometime slip through the cracks. Hed spent his day asking followers on Twitter to choose a new cover picture for his account. And he gave a shout out to his Oklahoma City peer while not sarcastically using the hashtag #MayorsGetThingsDone.

The typhus outbreak is related to the citys homelessness crisis, which has deepened throughout his tenure. And that is a symptom of a housing crisis that has seen poor, disabled and blue-collar residents squeezed out of their homes by gentrification. Upscale development across the city has attracted the worlds hipster class, spawning economic stratification out of an Edith Wharton novel.

Nothing from Garcettis office approaches the semblance of a solution to this situation.

Theres still far too much work to do in Los Angeles for Garcetti to be eyeing whats next for his career. Yet he loves to make grand gestures geared to impress outsiders instead of concentrating on residents who already live in L.A.

He has fanboyed over the return of the Rams, even though theyre going to play in Inglewood in four years. His push to help turn Playa del Rey and Venice into Silicon Beach has cursed the entire Westside with tech bros, electric scooters littering the sidewalks and traffic that  inconceivably  continues to worsen. Bringing the Olympic Games to Los Angeles in 2028 might be fun, but will unavoidably exacerbate our current conditions.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

Stumping for candidates in Minnesota, like he did this past weekend, helps no one in Southern California but himself. Creating a political action committee and hosting a $1-million fundraiser with DJ Khaled in Hollywood to prop up Democratic congressional candidates across the country  that may pump up the #resistance, but it does little to pave potholes or keep the middle class in Los Angeles.

Yeah, those of us who must deal with the day-to-day grind of Los Angeles  the thick-as-molasses 405, the resurgent smog, the Chargers  will always trash it more than anyone. But its out of love: Los Angeles is still an awesome city, even if no one north of Santa Barbara thinks so. Still, a presidential run will bring a lot of attention to the things that have crumbled during Garcettis watch.

Even if he does rise to become the Lefts Great Italian-Mexican-Jewish Hope, Garcetti hasnt shown he can work across the aisle. Just last week, when he tried to convince Venice residents that an abandoned Metro bus yard in the community was the perfect place to build a homeless shelter, constituents responded with boos and anger.

I did feel bad for Garcetti after his Venice fiasco; theres little reasoning with NIMBYers. But one thing he said that night especially irked me. The easy thing to do politically is to walk away, he told the crowd several times.

Isnt that exactly what Garcetti is considering doing to Los Angeles?

mexicanwithglasses@gmail.com

Follow @GustavoArellano on Twitter.
A new nuclear arms race is underway, with California at the center, though its not clear its citizens realize it.

Under President Obama, plans were put in place for the U.S. to spend $1.7 trillion over the next 20 years to modernize the nations nuclear weapons. President Trump quickly decided that wasnt enough; he needed new, more usable weapons of mass destruction. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his generals were ready to deploy new hypersonic missiles in the coming months, and days later Trump announced his intention to tear up the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF. The INF ended the first Cold War in 1987; its demise signals the beginning of another.

In California, the new nuclear arms race is bringing in a flood of cash to laboratories run by the University of California, where scientists, engineers and technicians have had a hand in designing every single nuclear weapon the U.S. has ever built. And yet the state Legislature and the Los Angeles City Council have resolved that America should support the U.N.s 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. California is complicit in the arms race, and if nuclear weapons were ever launched, it would be one of the prime attack targets. Its citizens need to speak up to safeguard their future and end the states participation in the weapons industry.

The relationship of UC and nuclear weapons goes back to the 1940s, when the university managed the Manhattan Project laboratory at Los Alamos, N.M. That lab developed the first nuclear warhead and the atomic bombs that leveled most of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. In 1952, UC Berkeley and the Department of Energy set up another weapons research facility, in the Bay Area: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Every warhead ever created and deployed by the U.S. and its allies has been designed by a UC-managed or co-managed lab.

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The new nuclear arms race is bringing in a flood of cash to laboratories run by the University of California.

The UC regents have tried to separate the school from the weapons business to some degree. Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos are now co-managed with Bechtel and the University of Texas. But UCs direct ties to the labs remain strong. In 2013, when the regents visited Lawrence Livermore, then-lab director Parney Albright said, UC is the main supplier of talent to the lab. UC faculty have partnered on more [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory] papers than any other institution. A third of all postdoctoral researchers at the lab, he said, came from one or another of UCs 10 campuses.

Although Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos do not exclusively work on nuclear weapons research, it is key to both labs existence and funding. The 2019 U.S. budget includes $1.48 billion for Lawrence Livermore alone, with 88% of that money focused on nuclear weapons.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

The weapons under development in the East Bay and at Los Alamos are capable of causing harm so catastrophic its almost unimaginable. The labs advertise their mission as national security, but nuclear weapons development creates conditions of political and global instability, not security. That is why more than 120 nations voted in favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons last year. It has since been signed by 69 nations and ratified by 19.

On Aug. 8, during a commemoration of the Hiroshima bombing, the L.A. City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the nuclear ban treaty and policies such as ending the presidents sole authority to launch a nuclear attack. The same month, the state Legislature approved similar resolutions. It makes no sense that Los Angeles and the state Assembly and Senate have overwhelmingly voted to reject nuclear weapons, but new weapons  more usable and meant to last decades  are being designed in labs managed and staffed by and with the blessing of the University of California.

California is a leader on social issues, in technology and in politics. Weve seen the power of the states activism on many issues, including an effective fossil fuel divestment campaign targeting the UC regents. That same energy can be brought to the issue of nuclear disarmament. The University of California must permanently disengage from developing nuclear weapons, and the states representatives and senators in Washington should take the lead in supporting the U.N. nuclear ban treaty in Congress.

Beatrice Fihn is a Swedish lawyer and, since 2014, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
To the editor: Gone, apparently, are the days when firefighters were regarded as heroes for risking their lives and spending so much time away from their families. Now, with the Los Angeles Times investigation of higher overtime costs at the Los Angeles County Fire Department, were asking, We paid them how much?

Firefighters showed the world how valuable they are on Sept. 11, 2001, and more recently in Santa Rosa, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Shame on the penny-pinchers.

Of course there are more injuries, requiring other firefighters to fill in for their colleagues by working overtime  after all, there have been an unprecedented number of fires recently. Firefighters are always there for us; all we should say to them is thank you.

Mary Temple, San Gabriel

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..

To the editor: The extremely high pay for firefighters who work overtime amounts to common thievery. Overtime should be an exception and permitted only under emergency conditions that can be justified to a civilian oversight board.

The egregious examples cited by The Times should result in several forced retirements. These people degrade the reputation of many hard-working firefighters.

William Bergmann, Hollywood

..

To the editor: For years, it has been assumed that it is less expensive for fire departments to hire overtime personnel to fill vacant positions than it is to hire new people.

The overtime personnel are paid at time and one-half, but their benefits are already paid. Hiring new personnel requires that they be paid a salary plus benefits, costing much more than paying someone who already has benefits.

The department has a minimum number of people on duty each day. The shifts of employees who are taking paid time off are filled by personnel working overtime. In L.A. County, hiring has not kept pace with retirements, so a great deal of overtime is needed.

I understand that the local firefighters union has been trying to get the county to hire more personnel for years. The administration needs to be questioned about why it has not hired enough firefighters.

Mike Reardon, Fallbrook

The writer is a retired Los Angeles County Fire Department captain.

..

To the editor: Excellent job by The Times in reporting the exorbitant overtime pay for some L.A. County firefighters.

The public continues to be told that restricted budgets and very selective hiring hinder adequate staffing, but looking at those overtime statistics, its easy to conclude that poor scheduling and padding of salaries are at least partly to blame.

Also, since when does a manager get overtime pay in any business?

David Shannon, San Diego

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The great election-eve middle-class tax cut began not as a factual proposal, but as a false promise.

When President Trump abruptly told reporters over the weekend that middle-income Americans would receive a 10% tax cut before the midterm elections, neither officials on Capitol Hill nor in his administration knew anything about such a tax cut. The White House released no substantive information. And although cutting taxes requires legislation, Congress is not scheduled to be back in session until after the Nov. 6 elections.

Yet Washingtons bureaucratic machinery whirred into action nonetheless  working to produce a policy that could be seen as supporting Trumps whim.

One such option now under discussion by administration officials is a symbolic nonbinding resolution designed to signal to voters ahead of the elections that if Republicans hold their congressional majorities they might pass a future 10% tax cut for the middle class. And House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said Tuesday he would work with the White House and the Treasury Department to develop a plan over the coming weeks.

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The mystery tax cut is only the latest instance of the federal government scrambling to reverse-engineer policies to meet Trumps sudden public promises  or to search for evidence buttressing his conspiracy theories and falsehoods.

Trump tries to spur Republicans to vote with false claims and dystopian warnings of Democratic mob rule 

The Pentagon leaped into action to on plans both hold a military parade and launch a Space Force on the presidents whims. The Commerce Department moved to create a plan for auto tariffs after Trump angrily threatened to impose them. And just this week, Vice President Mike Pence, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House all rushed to try to back up Trumps unsupported claim that unknown Middle Easterners were part of a migrant caravan in Central America  only to have the president admit late Tuesday that there was no proof at all.

Virtually no one on the planet has the kind of power that a president of the United States has to scramble bureaucracies in the service of whim, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Whatever Donald Trump wakes up and thinks about, or whatever comes to mind in the middle of a speech, actually has the reality in that it is actionable in some odd sense.

Consider Trumps ongoing commentary this week about the caravan of Central American migrants traveling toward the U.S. border with Mexico.

The president tweeted an unsubstantiated warning Monday morning that criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in, and later repeated it. His claim received extensive news coverage, but administration agencies did not immediately provide information supporting it.

By the days end, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Trump absolutely has evidence that there are Middle Easterners in the caravan  but she cited only a statistic that each day 10 suspected or known terrorists try to enter the United States illegally.

Though Trumps claim was not about suspected terrorists specifically, he and his administration seemed to imply  again with no evidence  that his hypothetical Middle Easterners may have intentions to commit terrorism.

Pence sought to back up his boss claim, saying Tuesday morning in a Washington Post Live interview that it is inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern decent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border.

But just hours later, Trump admitted to reporters during an Oval Office event that he has no evidence to support the claim about the caravan.

Theres no proof of anything, Trump said, but there could very well be.

Daniel Effron, a professor of organizational behavior at London Business School who studies the psychology of lies, said political leaders such as Trump can make falsehoods seem true through imagination and repetition.

When falsehoods feel familiar, one concern is you dont actually know whats true and whats false, Effron said. Theres a lot of information to keep track of, and you use familiarity as a cue to whats true. The other concern is when youre invited to imagine how something could be true, you actually know that its false, but you dont necessarily think its unethical to say.

Simon Blackwell, a retired philosophy professor at the University of Cambridge and author of the book Truth, said, If you control the agenda efficiently, then theres no possibility of independent inquiry, and I think thats what Trump is a genius at.

Trump has a pattern of catching his aides off guard with random policy announcements that are rooted more in his imagination and desires than any organized administration initiative.

Trump has sometimes issued directives publicly when he believes his subordinates are not executing his agenda forcefully enough or taking his wishes seriously. He thinks, Hey, if I say it on Twitter, then these guys will have to follow, said one former White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly share the presidents process.

In July 2017, Trump revealed in a tweet his decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. His social media missive preempted a policy review with several options that he was set to receive from administration officials. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and his underlings scrambled to react and reconcile the presidents sudden demand with the militarys practices and protocols.

The Pentagon was also forced to develop a Space Force plan after Trump announced last spring that he wanted to create a sixth branch of the military. The president initially said it was conceived as a joke, but Space Force has become a frequent chant at his campaign rallies, and he has tasked Pence with overseeing the initiative.

Trump also sent military leaders reeling in January when he said in a meeting with Pentagon brass that he wanted a grand military parade like the one he had gleefully witnessed in Paris on Bastille Day, complete with soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the boulevards of Washington.

Pentagon officials took his desire as a presidential directive and worked reluctantly to stage a parade for this fall, but Trump backed off plans in August, citing cost concerns and blaming local officials in Washington.

After winning the electoral college in 2016, Trump falsely claimed he only lost the popular vote against Hillary Clinton because of widespread voter fraud leading to a formal commission on the issue chaired by Pence. The panel was eventually disbanded after it became mired in lawsuits and only managed to hold two meetings.

Trump has set off similar surprises in trade, one of his signature political crusades. Incensed that his initial tariffs were not bending Canadians, Japanese and Europeans to his demands, Trump in June threatened to impose duties on all foreign auto imports before a government plan was ever put together.

The threat, which he had repeated numerous times and once referred to as the mother lode, prompted the Commerce Department to move forward with a review and spooked U.S. allies.

Trumps pledge to cut taxes on the middle class, which he first floated Saturday, followed a familiar pattern.

The president has been boasting for days about an imminent tax cut, despite the lack of legislation so far  as well as any concrete details of the plan shared by any of the people who would need to be involved.

At a rally Monday night in Houston, Trump said, Were going to be putting in a 10% tax cut for middle-income families. Its going to be put in next week. He added, Weve been working on it for a few months, and singled out Brady, who was seated in the audience and responded with a sign of affirmation.

Trump went on: This is for middle-income people, all middle-income people, a big tax, 10%. Well be putting it in next week.

Meanwhile, racing to respond, administration officials began discussing a far more modest step of asking Congress to eventually vote on a nonbinding resolution for a 10% tax cut in the future.

But no decision has been made, and for the most part, lawmakers and senior administration officials are trying to temper expectations and deflect questions over a tax plan that, as of now, exists only in the presidents telling.

Though the president has a tremendous capacity to create his own reality, Jamieson said, the challenge lies in the execution.

It is infeasible to say were going to have a middle-class tax cut before the November elections unless Congress agrees to come back into session, she said. But there is a sense of reality about it when someone describes it in the terms that Trump described it. That is, the Republicans dont stand up and say, No, we havent, No, we arent, and No, we wont. 

Because of his position, Council of Economic Advisors Chairman Kevin Hassett probably would be involved in crafting administration policy on taxes. Yet he told reporters Tuesday that he could not answer questions on the matter.

Right now, the person whos discussing the 10% tax cut for the White House is the president, Hassett said, and so you should go to the press office and to the president if you want more information on that.

Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker write for The Washington Post. The Washington Posts Damian Paletta and Erica Werner contributed to this report.
A year after President Trump called for a public health emergency to control the opioid crisis, the administration is working to roll back health insurance coverage that public health experts say is critical to reining in an epidemic that killed nearly 50,000 Americans in 2017.

The White House is calling  in its 2019 budget  for more than $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade in federal aid to state Medicaid programs, which are a leading source of insurance coverage for people suffering from addiction.

The U.S. Justice Department is backing a sweeping legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act that would eliminate a requirement in the law that insurers cover people with preexisting medical conditions. That would effectively allow insurers to once again deny coverage to people seeking addiction treatment.

And just this week, the Trump administration took new steps to loosen rules on commercial health insurers to allow for skimpier health plans that dont have to cover a full range of benefits, including treatment for substance use disorders such as opioid addiction.

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What has really worked here is Medicaid expansion, said Linda Rosenberg, president of the National Council for Behavioral Health. Yet this administration is continually attacking entitlements because of the deficit. That really concerns us.

The Trump administrations health insurance moves come amid some promising signs that the sharp increase in opioid overdose deaths in recent years may be slowing. Preliminary data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the number of deaths flattened in late 2017 and early 2018.

At the same time, lawmakers from both parties were at the White House on Wednesday to celebrate a large opioid bill they passed earlier this fall.

We have mobilized the entire federal government to address this crisis, the president said at the ceremony. Together, we are going to end the scourge of drug addiction in America.

But rolling back insurance coverage or weakening rules on health plans threaten to undercut public health initiatives around the country to boost treatment, according to healthcare leaders.

The expansion of Medicaid covered more people, and those people are accessing addiction treatment, said Dr. Kelly J. Clark, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Prior to that, they simply werent able to.

Clark works in Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid coverage through the 2010 healthcare law, often called Obamacare.

Medicaid expansion has allowed states to extend coverage to millions of previously uninsured working-age adults, many of whom suffer from substance use disorders.

The program is now the largest source of funding for treatment of behavioral health, including substance use disorder.

Medicaid, which insures some 70 million low-income Americans, historically covered primarily poor children, pregnant mothers and the low-income elderly  populations that have not been as affected by the opioid epidemic.

In recent weeks, however, Trump administration officials and GOP congressional leaders have signaled renewed interest in rolling back the 2010 health law and cutting federal spending on healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in an interview last week that Republicans could make another attempt to repeal the healthcare law if they win enough seats in next months midterm elections.

Trump, who cheered on the repeal campaign last year, signed the recently passed opioid legislation during Wednesdays ceremony.

The bill, which had strong bipartisan support, takes a series of steps to bolster addiction treatment and clamp down on drug trafficking.

Among other things, the legislation will make it easier for patients to get inpatient treatment for substance use disorders and will allow more nurse practitioners and other medical providers to prescribe buprenorphine, a commonly used drug used to treat opioid addiction. It also takes aim at the illicit trade in fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid.

Many of these steps have drawn praise from Republicans and Democrats alike.

This bipartisan legislation gives communities and families the support that they need, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said after the Senate approved the final bill last month.

At the same time, National Institutes of Health is increasing research into non-addictive pain treatments, and the Trump administration has stepped up efforts to track opioid prescribing in Medicare.

Across the country, governors from both parties are also mobilizing major state efforts to tackle the epidemic with new initiatives to bring together healthcare leaders, law enforcement officials and other state agencies.

Many of these efforts have been made possible by the expansion of insurance coverage for addiction through Medicaid, according to state health officials in red and blue states alike.

In Ohio, for example, more than a third of the approximately 700,000 people who enrolled in Medicaid after the expansion began in 2014 reported some drug or alcohol dependence, according to a recent study by the state.

The vast majority did not previously have health insurance.

Medicaid has played a key role for us, said Dr. Mark Hurst, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Before expansion, Ohio, like most states, had to rely on a patchwork system of treatment programs funded by a mix of government grants, private donations and charitable efforts.

The system was poorly coordinated, funding was unpredictable and patients were often left on waiting lists to get methadone, buprenorphine and other medication-assisted treatments recommended for patients seeking to end their dependence on heroin or prescription painkillers.

Medication alone typically costs at least $300 a month. A year of treatment, including medications, medical appointments and counseling, can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Such high costs once discouraged many patients from even seeking care.

Those costs remain a huge barrier for low-income addiction patients in states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act, according to physicians and others healthcare leaders around the country.

Obamacare 101: A primer on key issues in the debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. 

The latest from Washington 

More stories from Noam N. Levey 

noam.levey@latimes.com

Twitter: @noamlevey

UPDATES:

12:45 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from President Trump and additional detail about the opioid legislation signed by the president.

This article was originally published at 12:05 p.m.
U.S. approval of the first novel anti-flu pill in two decades has doctors cautiously optimistic about a simpler treatment for a virus that killed almost 200 American children last season.

The drug, which is to be marketed globally by Shionogi & Co. and Roche Holding AG, gained Food and Drug Administration approval just as the winter flu season begins. Developer Shionogi won approval for the treatment, called Xofluza, in Japan in February after studies showed the medication, known also by its chemical name baloxavir, relieved symptoms as quickly as Roches Tamiflu with faster antiviral activity.

The tablet gives doctors a new weapon, but studies reveal a tendency for viruses to develop reduced susceptibility to the new treatment. Its not yet clear whether drug-evading germs are capable of spreading easily between people, causing potency to wane, Roche said. Lab tests indicate that Xofluza also may have weaker activity against the typically less-common influenza B strain.

A new antiviral against flu is of course welcome and is, at first blush, very attractive because its one dose, said William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. However, there are a couple of cautions, namely resistance seems to develop fairly readily, and the drug seems not to be as effective against influenza B strains, he said in a phone interview Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where he sits on an immunization practices advisory panel.

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The 2017-2018 Northern Hemisphere flu season was especially bad, leading to about 900,000 hospitalizations, including 183 pediatric deaths, in the U.S. alone.

Population-aging and the demand for flu immunizations, treatments and diagnoses will help push up the global influenza market 3% a year to reach $6.5 billion by 2022, BCC Research estimated in April. Shionogi will manufacture the drug in Japan, with the plan to transfer the manufacturing to Basel, Switzerland-based Roche, which has the rights to sell it everywhere except in Japan and Taiwan.

Tamiflu sales fell 33% to $537 million in 2017 after generic versions approved in the U.S. in August 2016 increased competition. Revenue peaked at $3.2 billion in 2009, when a novel H1N1 swine flu virus sparked the first flu pandemic in four decades.

Xofluza is an excellent drug, said Atsushi Seki, an analyst with UBS AG in Tokyo. Still, its commercial potential is moderate, he said, noting concern among some investors that the potential for drug-resistance represents a risk for sales, as does variation in the severity of flu seasons, which drives prescriptions. The past Southern Hemisphere winter flu season has been relatively mild.

Reduced susceptibility

Patient studies indicated a potential for viruses with reduced susceptibility to Xofluza to emerge in 2.2% to 9.7% of adolescent and adult recipients, and almost 20% of pediatric recipients, according to papers in the New England Journal of Medicine last month. More of the medicine might be needed to stop influenza B, according to a paper published this month in the journal Antiviral Research.

The FDA approved Xofluza to tackle uncomplicated flu in people 12 years and older. Its the first treatment to demonstrate a clinically meaningful benefit for people highly vulnerable to serious influenza complications, Roche said in an Oct. 17 statement. The drug is being tested in a late-stage study of pediatric patients.

Its taken as a single dose, unlike Tamiflu, which is usually taken twice a day for five days. The simpler regimen both eases concern that poor patient compliance could encourage drug-resistant viruses to emerge, and could ease the medications distribution during a pandemic.

These benefits may see Xofluza emerge as the standard of care for uncomplicated flu cases, said Takeki Uehara, who led research and development of the drug at Osaka-based Shionogi. The Japanese drug maker began work on the project in 2007, utilizing a library of molecules screened for activity against a particular vulnerability inherent in flu.

Synergistic effect

Taken together, Xofluza and Tamiflu may have a synergistic effect without any adverse interactions, though additional patient studies are needed to confirm a clinical benefit, Uehara said in an interview. Extra research is planned to confirm whether taking Xofluza 10 days before exposure to flu can successfully stave off the respiratory infection.

There is also a plan to test Xofluza in hospitalized patients with influenza in combination with other anti-flu drugs, according to Roche.

Unlike Tamiflu, which works by blocking a protein called neuraminidase that enables newly made viral particles to escape and spread through the respiratory tract, Xofluza targets an enzyme called cap-dependent endonuclease, which is needed to synthesize the proteins used to form new viruses.

Im particularly excited about this agent because its a novel mechanism in antiviral action, said Frederick Hayden, a professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, who was among a group of researchers studying Xofluza in the U.S. and Japan. We havent had any new influenza drugs in term of how they work in inhibiting the virus in about 20 years.
A contentious, two-year negotiation process that included no raises, along with teacher-led protests and marches, culminated in a 5-0 vote for a teacher pay hike during a Burbank Unified school board meeting Thursday.

The board approved 2% raises and back pay for all teachers and California School Employees Assn. staff, such as secretaries and custodians, along with the prospect of additional pay on the horizon if the districts proposed parcel tax gets voter approval in the Nov. 6 election.

Its a start, Burbank Supt. Matt Hill said. We wish we could give more than a 2% raise, but Im excited to move on to the next years negotiations.

Hill added, You take a moment, and you appreciate working with teachers. We all agree its not what we want for our employees, but its the best we can at the time.

The 2% pay increase concluded contract negotiations for the 2017-18 school year and is retroactive to July 1, 2017. The money is expected to be on paychecks within the next few months.

We definitely will be able to do the increases, and were pushing really hard to do the retros, Hill said when asked if raises would be made available for the holiday season. For the teachers, we should be able to hit it before the end of the year, and were still working out on [the California School Employees Assn.]. Our goal is to do all of them before the end of the year.

The pay hikes are the first for teachers in two years. Longtime district educators went without a pay raise between 2007 and 2014 and endured furloughs.

The Burbank Teachers Assn. hosted a series of marches and protests throughout the city this past year in order to put pressure on the board. The association also used various social-media platforms to point out pay gaps between local educators and those from neighboring cities, such as Glendale and Arcadia.

The Burbank Teachers Assn. and district negotiators eventually agreed on the 2% raise in September.

Three days of voting by union members produced a 424-76 result in favor of the increase on Sept. 28.

We are satisfied with the vote, Diana Abasta, association president, said at the time. Having 500 people vote is always a good thing, regardless of the outcome.

All that remained after the vote was for Burbank Unified to submit an amended budget to the Los Angeles County of Education office with new totals that included the raises.

The county approved the revision, which led to the boards vote on Thursday.

While negotiating for the 2018-19 contract has started, the board and union are now allies in an effort to pass the districts proposed parcel tax, known as Measure QS.

The 10-cents-per-square-foot annual tax, which has no end and can only be repealed by voters, would cost the average Burbank resident $170 a year and is expected to generate roughly $9 million for the district per year.

If Measure QS passes the difficult two-thirds voter threshold, teachers and staff will receive a one-time 3% salary increase effective July 1, 2019.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter @campadresports
A Burbank writer is using poetry to help him and others cope with love, anxiety, heartbreak and healing.

In Shelter, Kevin Tyler Norman uses a recent breakup as his source for inspiration with short poems and prose in his 196-page book.

That relationship didnt end well, Norman said. If Im going to go through this much pain, I want to make something of it.

During 2017, Norman, 26, said he was in what he considered a whirlwind romance. In April of that year, he had met a man from Australia who traveled to Los Angeles for work.

The writer was convinced that he would end up marrying the man.

Despite the distance between them and the infrequent times to see each other in person, Norman said he and the other man tried to make things work.

There were numerous video-chat calls and the two communicated frequently through WhatsApp.

However, Norman found out there was another person in the mix  another man that his partner had been seeing back in Australia.

He told me about him and told me that I was the person he wanted to be with, Norman said. So I flew out to Australia to be with him, and we made plans for me to live there.

Although arrangements were made for Norman to move, the plan quickly fell through when Normans partner told him that he wanted to be with the other person instead.

The next day I flew home and I never spoke with him again, Norman said.

The entire relationship, which lasted until December of that year, was devastating for Norman.

He said he thought he was in one of those relationships in which love can keep two people together, but that wasnt the case for him.

He learned that love is not a straight line and that there are peaks and valleys to relationships.

At the beginning of it all, he appreciated all the small things he experienced with his ex-boyfriend, such as getting dinner together or spending time with one another when he visited him in Los Angeles.

However, the breakup taught him how fragile relationships can be and how sometimes love can blind a person from the truth.

I had my own intuitions that something was wrong, but I would ignore them because I just wanted to fight for the relationship and not let go, Norman said. I wanted to give it everything I had because I had always believed that when it comes to love and relationships that you have to give it your all.

Doing that could either wreck you, but Id rather look back and see that I tried than regret not trying at all, he added.

While writing his poetry book helped him cope with the pain, Norman said he wants readers to understand that it takes time for wounds to heal.

I hated when people would tell me that it would all get better with time, but the truth is, it does, he said.

Norman said he has moved on from that experience and hopes that those who read his book reflect on their own relationships.

Shelter is available on Amazon.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom held a town hall meeting Tuesday night near Glendale hoping to woo potential voters as he outlined his vision for California in the lead-up to to the 2018 gubernatorial election.

The former San Francisco mayor answered a few questions from the roughly 150 people at the community at the Goodwill Community Enrichment Center, one of many stops across the state in his bid for governor.

The meeting focused mostly on defining Californias role in the United States and on statewide issues.

No one does what we do as well as we do, and it is a foundational predicate for everything else, Newsom said. Its time, as progressives, we step up and step in  we not capitulate, we not back off on these things.

The Los Angeles crowd, however, questioned Newsom on how to address local problems such as the countys housing crisis and rising homeless population.

Newsom was asked whether, as governor, he would support the repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act  a state law which bars rent-control measures from being placed on single-family homes and apartments built after 1995.

While not endorsing an outright repeal, he said he supports repealing provisions of the law. The issue of housing goes beyond evictions, he said, adding that offering incentives is the biggest hurdle. He also said the way resources are allocated to cities and counties needs to change.

You gotta change incentives for better behavior. Cities are not incentivized to develop housing, counties are, he said. The problem with counties is  its a diffuse governing structure that makes it more challenging.

Newsom advocated for a Direct Access to Housing model and said he was frustrated with programs that throw away money on outpatient drug treatment for individuals who return to homelessness.

Shelters solve sleep, [while] housing and supportive services solve homelessness, Newsom said.

L.A. County saw a 23% jump in the homeless population over the last year, despite increased success in housing placement.

Also, Newsom admitted hes disappointed in the uncertain funding for the proposed California High-Speed Rail system, but he thinks the first phase of the rail, from Merced to Bakersfield, will be completed.

Criminal justice reform, renewable energy and funding for arts education were also discussed.

Newsom announced his bid to succeed incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown  who is ineligible to run due to term limits  in February 2015.

So far, other candidates include former state Treasurer John Chiang, former state Supt. of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The upcoming gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 6, 2018.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Residents may want to reconsider getting behind the wheel after a night out drinking cocktails at a bar because the Glendale Police Department has received a $425,000 grant to fund traffic-enforcement operations through 2019.

The grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety and will go toward several education and enforcement activities conducted by the department including DUI checkpoints, saturation patrols and the identification of repeat DUI offenders.

The grant will be effective until Sept. 30, 2019.

Glendale Police Chief Carl Povilaitis said in a statement the funding will help the department continue its efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and improve road safety as well as raise awareness that collisions can often be preventable.

In addition to DUI enforcement, the grant will also help fund other safety operations including patrols at city cross streets with a high rate of pedestrian- and bike-related collisions.

According to collision statistics from the California Office of Traffic Safety, 697 people were arrested for DUI in Glendale in 2015.

The agencys numbers are several years behind the current date because the data relies on information provided by several other government agencies including the state Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol and the states Department of Transportation.

For more current numbers, the Glendale Police Department reports that 374 people were arrested for drunk driving in 2017, a drop from the 435 who were arrested in 2016.

Since the beginning of this year and up until August, the department reports that 223 people have been arrested for drunk driving in Glendale.

The Office of Traffic Safety also reports that Glendale saw 56 drunk driving-related collisions that resulted in injury or death in 2015.

Five collisions involved those under the age of 21, while 21 incidents involved those between the ages of 21 and 34.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
There may be a shortage of horses in the daily races, but there is no shortage in the upcoming Breeders Cup. A record 221 horses were entered into the 14-race event that will be held Nov. 2 and 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Slightly less than a quarter of the horses (51) are based in Southern California. Some horses are named in more than one race. The final entry list and post-position draw will happen Monday.

Leading the entries is Accelerate, for trainer John Sadler, who with a win in the $6-million Classic will open up the discussion if he could be horse of the year. Normally, Justify, a Triple Crown winner, would be a lock for the award. But the fact he ran only six races against an average group of 3-year-olds before being retired has raised the question of if he is the best horse. Accelerate won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar and the Awesome Again at Santa Anita and five of six graded stakes this year.

Other Southern California-based horses in the Classic include Axelrod and City Of Light for trainer Michael McCarthy; McKinzie and West Coast for Bob Baffert and Pavel for Doug ONeill. Collected, another Baffert horse, is also named but not likely to make the 14-horse field.

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The Distaff, the top female-only race, has four local horses with Abel Tasman and Vale Dori for Baffert, La Force for Paddy Gallagher and Mopotism for ONeill. However, the favorite is likely to be Monomoy Girl, who would be undefeated this year except for being disqualified to second for interference in the Cotillion Stakes at Parx.

The Filly and Mare Sprint has six horses from Southern California. Baffert has undefeated Dream Tree and Marleys Freedom; Anonymity goes for Richard Mandella; Miss Sunset for Jeff Bonde; Selcourt for Sadler and Skye Diamonds for Bill Spawr.

Every race but the Juvenile Turf Sprint can handle 14 horses. The 2-year-old grass sprint has only 12. There are 14 total races with a combined purse of $30 million.

European-based trainer Aiden OBrien has 18 horses entered in the two-day event.

This year, the format has changed. Friday will be devoted to 2-year-old races, with the Distaff moving to Saturdays nine-race card.

The Breeders Cup returns to Santa Anita next year for a record 10th time, and it comes back to Del Mar in 2021.
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Romanian Minister for Business Environment, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship Stefan Radu Oprea on October 23rd (Photo: VNA)



Congratulating Vietnam on Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs election as State President, Oprea informed his host about the outcomes of his working sessions with the Party Central Committees Economic Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and several relevant agencies on ways to step up the two countries relations.

He noted that he and the Ministry of Industry and Trade shared the view that bilateral trade and economic ties boast huge potential, agreeing to target trade revenue at USD500 million in the near future, instead of just USD200 million at present.

The Romanian delegation has worked with relevant Vietnamese agencies to enhance cooperation in agriculture, information technology, Industry 4.0 technology, tourism, and investment, as well as between small- and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries.

Minister Oprea said Romania pledges to strongly intensify links with Vietnam in fields matching its strength and Vietnams demand, such as developing expressway infrastructure, research infrastructure, and hospitals.

His country also wants to boost labour collaboration with the Southeast Asian nation and hopes to receive Vietnamese workers, he added.

He noted that Romania will hold the presidency of the European Union (EU) Council in the first half of 2019 - a good chance to promote Vietnams cooperation with the EU and Romania, including in the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

At the meeting, PM Phuc applauded the two countries cooperation in recent years, stressing that Vietnam has signed and will sign 16 new-generation free trade agreements, which will open up big opportunities for links between Vietnamese and Romanian businesses.

Valuing Romanias advantages in manufacturing industries, he said Vietnam has a population of about 100 million, and as such is a great potential market for Romanian firms in all fields, from seaports and tourism, to oil and gas, and infrastructure.

The PM shared his guests view that bilateral trade remains modest, adding that he hopes the two sides will raise their trade to more than USD500 million.

He also asked the Vietnam-Romania Intergovernmental Committee to devise concrete measures to strengthen bilateral relations in all aspects, including removing barriers in terms of tax and investment procedures, and organising many business forums to promote partnership between their businesses.

Vietnam has a diverse range of agricultural products, PM Phuc said, calling on Romania to bolster ties to help such products enter their market.

The Government leader also voiced his delight at Romanias holding of the EU Council presidency in the first half of next year. He expressed his hope that the EU will promote the signing of the EVFTA and the Investment Protection Agreement towards enhancing cooperation./.
You might automatically go into a stupor when the talk turns to legislation involving the Federal Aviation Administration, and no one would blame you. If you had any interest in the recent discussion about the reauthorization act, it probably died when you realized that airline fees would continue to be what they are. Baggage fees, for instance, set a record of $4.5 billion in 2017, and thats probably not the last record they will set, it seems certain. But what you might have missed is the discussion about airline seat sizes. Is there hope for the cramped?

Maybe. But dont pop those Champagne corks just yet, even though the FAA Reauthorization 2018 bill was signed Oct. 5.

Heres that background:

As was the case before the bill was signed, the FAA wants aircraft evacuated in 90 seconds in case of emergency. Our lives may depend on that.

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As was also the case before the bill was signed, aircraft seating space has not grown more luxurious in the last few years, which means, in many cases, that we are flying the overfriendly skies.

Seat pitch, which is loosely defined as legroom, is as little as 28 inches on some aircraft. If youre 12 or younger or if youre me, which is to say just slightly north of 5 feet, legroom is rarely an issue.

The other hard truth is that Americans are larger than ever. Nearly 40% of Americans are obese, the 2015-2016 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, up from about 30.5% in 1999-2000.

We also are growing taller, Scientific American reports; people in industrialized nations are about 4 inches taller than they were a century and a half ago.

Couple these things with load factorsthe percentage of aircraft seating that is takenwhich show that these days, airlines are carrying ever more passengers.

In 2017, domestic flights flew more than 80% full; for these first seven months of 2018, that number is almost 85% and was almost 88% in July, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That means your prayers that no one sits in the empty middle seat are unlikely to be answered, no matter how fervent your petitions.

Space is at a premium. Human beings dont like to be close to one another, said Samuel Engel, senior vice president at ICF, an aviation consulting business. You basically have more bodies breathing the same air. From a psychological perspective in Western culture, that makes people uncomfortable.

But is this a safety issue?

Engel is skeptical that what is safe today will be declared unsafe in the future. I cant imagine a government agency taking that position, he said.

Indeed, the FAA said in a July letter to Paul Hudson, the president of FlightRights.org, that the FAA has no evidencethat current seat dimensions [width and pitch] hamper the speed of passenger evacuation or that increasing passenger size creates an evacuation issue.

Economicsthe airlines and yours could also play a role in how this discussion goes.

Think for a moment about pilots, said Seth Kaplan, managing partner for Airline Weekly, a trade publication. A fuller aircraft means you get to divide the pilots wages among more passengers, so the pilots cost less per passenger, he said in an email.

Although airlines do this for their own benefit, not to help consumers, theres some consumer benefit in the sense that because of simple supply-and-demand economics, fares are a bit lower where there are more seats on the plane.

Its a battle between our backs, our knees and our wallets.

And who wins the battle of profits versus people? In terms of profit, airlines are smart companies and will do whats needed to protect their profits, said Joe Cortez, the travel expert for NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Hr also sees something a little more insidious: Its no secret airlines use decreased seat pitch to sell upgrades for flights, he said in an emailed statement.

If the FAA says they have to have less seats, then dont be surprised if we start seeing an increase in seat selection fees, bag fees or food and beverage costs on flights, he added in a subsequent email.

Part, but not all, of the solution to that may lie in airline co-branded credit cards, which often will give you a bag free and discounts on food and drink.

The future, as always, is the great unknown. The FAA said in an email that it is not yet able to comment on how we will implement individual provisions of the reauthorization bill.

No surprise; its been only a little more than two weeks. But in the end, we may be more comfortable, as Cortez suggests, but it also may be that in terms of comfort, we get what we pay for.

Have a travel dilemma or question? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Visitors to the Boris Yeltsin Museum start their tour with a small mockup of the hall where, on Oct. 21, 1987, the president of what was then the Russian Socialist Republic gave a shocking speech to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR.

Sitting in one of the original red velvet auditorium chairs, visitors listen to a recording of Yeltsin as he assails the slow pace of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachevs reforms, and unabashedly criticizes the party elite. Video of Yeltsins expressive face and exaggerated hand gestures hint at the magnitude of the speech that, many believe, marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union.

Yeltsin would go on to become the first democratically elected president of an independent Russia, leading the country through the shoals of social and economic breakdown after 70 years of communism. He left a complex legacy that has been overwhelmingly rejected by his hand-picked successor, Vladimir Putin, and by the vast majority of Russians.

Since the Yeltsin Museum opened in the late presidents hometown of Yekaterinburg in November 2015, political allies and supporters of Putin have complained that its depiction of events in the 1990s were destroying the national identity of the young and acting as a center of Russophobia.

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Still, the museum has soldiered on as one of Russias only venues discussing what Yeltsin Center staff insist is an important history lesson for young Russians, who take for granted many of the freedoms that came out of the chaotic transition from totalitarianism to democracy.

The Yeltsin center building in Yekaterinburg. September 13th 2018. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times)

Yeltsin is widely credited with liberating Russians from the suffocating strictures of the Soviet era, championing freedom of speech, religion and political participation, and open borders. At the same time, he presided over a period of crony capitalism, in which the most precious assets of the Soviet state were privatized and handed out to Kremlin allies, and average Russians saw the social safety net pulled out from under them.

It was a chaotic time, and it didnt help that the president had a well-deserved reputation for drunkenness. Russians who remember Yeltsins presidency often recall it with bitterness. A 2016 opinion poll conducted by the independent, Moscow-based Levada Center found that only 14% of Russians had positive feelings about Yeltsin, who had died nine years earlier, while 36% had a negative attitude.

One of the museums most outspoken critics is Nikita Mikhalkov, who directed a 1994 Oscar-winning film about Stalin-era repressions called Burnt by the Sun. A close Putin ally, Mikhalkov has said the museum glorified the Yeltsin era in a dangerously one-sided point of view.

When the museum won accolades from the European Museum Forum for its design, Mikhalkov compared the prize to receiving the Iron Cross in Nazi Germany.

The centers head of archives, Dmitry Pushmin, is surprisingly sympathetic to some of the rancor. The changes of the 1990s were frustrating and tough on all the people who remember them, Pushmin said as he walked up the stairs of the museum and into a glass-domed atrium. Tourists posed for selfies sitting next to a life-sized, bronze statue of Yeltsin on a bench.

A museum visitor takes a selfie with a bronze statue of Boris Yeltsin inside the Boris Yeltsin Museum. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times)

I perfectly understand their point of view, Pushmin said. But history is never a simple black and white picture.

Andrey Gramolin, 73, a pensioner from Yekaterinburg, said he has taken visiting family and friends to the museum several times since its opening because he appreciates the freedoms that Yeltsin championed.

Many of these freedoms are now under threat as Putin has silenced independent media, jailed political opponents and cracked down on anti-government protests.

I remember all this as if it was yesterday. But many people have forgotten this, others do not want to remember, the young simply do not know, Gramolin said. Its only outside of the museum that these rights are sometimes difficult to defend.

This is particularly important for Russians under 30, who dont realize what the Soviet Union was, and how the new Russia developed in the 1990s, he said.

A visitor listens to a guide in the Russias History Hall at the Boris Yeltsin Museum in Yekaterinburg. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times)

The Yeltsin museum takes visitors through more than 150 multimedia exhibits spread out through seven sections called the Seven Days that Changed Russia. Each room represents a different stage of events, from the final days of the Soviet Union to Yeltsins appointment of then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as acting president on New Years Eve, 1999.

In Day Two, a room dedicated to glasnost, a period in which previously banned music, books and films became available to Soviet citizens, visitors can watch videos of Soviet comedies and television programs. Black and white photos show lines forming at Moscow bookstores, as customers lined up to buy their first copy of titles such as Boris Pasternaks Dr. Zhivago.

At the museum, a line forms to listen to a video of Soviet rock icon Viktor Tsoi sing We Are Waiting for Change through headsets.

In the museums Day Three room, signs of trouble in the crumbling communist system come alive.

A typical Soviet apartment is reconstructed with a television set looping the ballet Swan Lake. The ballet played continuously on state television for three days during the 1991 August coup, when Yeltsin and his supporters went up against hard-line communists trying to derail Gorbachevs reforms. The general public was kept largely in the dark about the unfolding events in the halls of government.

A phone rings in the corner of the room. Visitors who answer it can listen to a conversation between confused neighbors exchanging rumors about what was happening as their government imploded.

The next room recreates a store with barren shelves to depict the deficit of food and consumer goods in 1991. Meat, butter, sugar, grain, soap and other staples were available only with government-issued coupons, and only by standing in lines. The shop included an abacus, which was used in Russia until the late 1990s, when cash registers became commonplace.

Visitors sit in a bus installed in one of the Boris Yeltsin Museums exhibition halls dedicated to the August 1991 coup detat attempt. (Vasiliy Kolotilov / For The Times)

In the last room, the original desk where Yeltsin sat and recorded his farewell address to the nation. Speaking on New Years Eve in 1999 with a Christmas tree in the background, Yeltsin handed the power over to Putin. As visitors exit the room, they step into a hallway with a large painting with the word Freedom ascending into a blue, cloudy sky.

In todays media, of course this time is called nothing less than the wild 90s,and there is little positive being written about them, said Natalya Maltseva, 38, from the Siberian city of Berezniki. Visiting the museum, Maltseva said she felt the halls interactive displays put into order a period she remembered well but hadnt seen in such a clearly summarized manner.

Her son, who was born at the end of the 1990s, had not been interested in either Yeltsin or the immediate post-Soviet years. After visiting the exhibits with her, Hes gotten inspired to understand  maybe not the era, but at least his own mother.

But there is one important question that the museum does not answer, but it should: How did Russia end up in the wrong place? she said.

sabra.ayres@latimes.com

Twitter: @sabraayres

Ayres is a special correspondent.
A Japanese freelance journalist who was freed after more than three years of captivity in Syria said Wednesday he is safe in neighboring Turkey.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Japanese Embassy officials met with the journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, at an immigration center in southern Turkey near the border with Syria.

We are extremely pleased that we have confirmed the safety of Mr. Jumpei Yasuda, Kono told reporters.

Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by Al Qaedas branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, after contact with him was lost in June that year. A war monitoring group said he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which is largely made up of Chinese jihadis in Syria.

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My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months, Yasuda said, somewhat haltingly, in English in a video broadcast by Japans NHK public television. Now I am in Turkey. Now I am in safe condition. Thank you very much.

NHK said the video was shot inside the immigration center and was released by the local government in Turkeys Hatay province.

Turkeys Foreign Ministry said, Every effort is being made to ensure that the journalist is returned to his country, but would not provide information on the handover.

News of Yasudas release came late Tuesday from Qatar, which helped in obtaining his freedom along with Turkey and other countries in the region, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

Asked if any ransom was paid, Suga said, There is no fact that ransom money was paid.

Yasudas parents earlier said they couldnt wait to see their son return home.

I was just praying for his safe return, his mother Sachiko Yasuda, 75, told NHK as she and her husband stood in front of their home outside Tokyo, holding a thousand cranes well-wishing origami ornament that she had added to every day for three years.

Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in the early 2000s. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese, but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release.

Syria has been one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the conflict there began in March 2011, with dozens killed or kidnapped.

Several journalists are still missing in Syria and their fates are unknown.

Those missing include Austin Tice of Houston, who disappeared in August 2012 while covering the conflict, which has killed approximately 400,000 people. A video released a month later showed him blindfolded and held by armed men, saying Oh, Jesus. He has not been heard from since.
Nearly three weeks ago, Honduran activist Bartolo Fuentes posted a flier on his Facebook page about a group of immigrants heading north for the United States. We are going to accompany these people, he said.

Fuentes, a former congressman who hosts a radio program about immigration, said he expected the group to number about 200 people. But soon his post was being shared hundreds of times over, and Fuentes was flooded with responses.

Im going to go, one person wrote.

Im ready for the trip, said another.

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Can one go with children? somebody else asked. I am interested.

When local television outlets in Honduras decided to feature the growing caravan, thousands more Hondurans packed their bags and joined.

Today, as the caravan makes its way through southern Mexico, it numbers around 7,000 people and stretches for miles  a spectacle that has led to widespread conjecture about its origins.

President Trump has suggested that the caravan is being used as a cover for terrorists from the Middle East. Vice President Mike Pence said there are reports that Venezuelas leftist government is funding the group.

Billionaire Democratic donor George Soros has been accused by figures on the right, and Russia has been accused by figures on the left, with both sides suggesting the timing might have something to do with the November midterm election.

But Fuentes insists it was none of those things.

There are no institutions  religious, charity or political  that are financing this, he said in a phone interview from Honduras, where he was deported after being detained by Guatemalan authorities. The only ones using this caravan in a political way are the Americans and Donald Trump.

His skeptics on that point include some powerful Honduran politicians, who have accused Fuentes  a member of the main leftist opposition party  of both funding the caravan and acting as a coyote who took money from the migrants to smuggle them north.

Mireya Aguero, the countrys minister of foreign affairs, suggested recently that Fuentes organized the caravan to make Honduras look bad.

This irregular mobilization was promoted and organized by the same actors as in the past and has always generated destabilization and ungovernability in the country, she said

Fuentes acknowledged that he has been an open critic of the Honduran government. But he pointed out that those marching in the caravan dont belong only to the opposition party and arent interested in making political statements.

Ask caravan members why they left home, and the most common reasons are to escape poverty or violence, or to reunite with family members living in the United States.

But most say they learned about the caravan in the same place: social media.

One video  taken at the Honduras bus terminal where caravan members started out  was viewed nearly 300,000 times on Facebook.

When the caravan left Honduras, it had fewer than 2,000 people. But thousands more raced to join it as they saw coverage of the group traveling north.

Jecson Chicas, 22, said he decided to pack his bags when he saw another Facebook video that showed the caravan arriving in Guatemala. His parents and younger sister had both fled Honduras months earlier after several relatives were killed by gang members. His mother and sister had applied for political asylum in Mexico, while his father was seeking asylum in the United States.

The caravan seemed like a cheaper and safer option than traveling alone or with a smuggler, Chicas said, so he took a series of buses to catch up to it.

A few days ago, Chicas illegally crossed the Suchiate River from Guatemala into Mexico on a raft. His mother, Cruz Chicas Lopez, 40, was waiting on the other side, and they cried as they embraced.

Mami, help me, he said, handing her one of several pieces of luggage he was juggling. Im tired after traveling for so many days.

I know, she said. You need to rest.

Chicas said he planned to go to the U.S. and seek asylum there.

Caravans have become popular in recent years because they allow migrants to share costs, and because many believe there is safety in numbers.

Earlier this year, another large migrant caravan from Honduras also angered Trump, who responded by sending National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.

Fuentes traveled part of the way with that group. When he learned earlier this month that several communities across the country were forging plans for another caravan, he said he offered to go with them.

He said enthusiasm grew when one newscaster mistakenly said some of the costs of the journey would be paid.

The journey in fact has been partly subsidized  by strangers along the way. Bus operators and even smugglers on the Suchiate river have offered discounts. In many towns, locals have organized to feed the migrants.

Even really poor people have given them water, food and soda, Fuentes said. Its been a really humane response.

The caravan spent Tuesday night in Huixtla, Mexico, a small town 50 miles north of the border, and on Wednesday advanced to the town of Mapastepec.

But not everybody continued the journey north.

Christian Alvardo, 16, had hoped to reach relatives living in the Los Angeles area, and his 15-year-old cousin, Walter Mejia, had planned to join family in Boston.

They had heard about the caravan on the news and rushed to the bus station to get to the city of San Pedro Sula before it left.

But on Wednesday they sat defeated in the central plaza in Huixtla. After days on the road, having endured scorching sun and tropical downpours, they were among the scores of migrants who had given up.

The Honduran Embassy in Mexico was sending at least one bus to bring them home.

Its just too hard  the heat, the rain. Its too much,  Alvarado said. But maybe Ill try again sometime. Its just too hard now.

Linthicum reported from Mexico City and McDonnell from Ciudad Hidalgo.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

Twitter: @katelinthicum

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT

Linthicum reported from Mexico City and McDonnell from Ciudad Hidalgo.

UPDATES:

5:54 p.m.: This article was updated with reporting from the Mexican city of Huixtla.

This article was originally published at 4:15 p.m.
The technologies allow the adjustment of temperature and humidity, and use solar energy to produce potatoes free from diseases, with the efficiency increasing by 25 times compared to traditional seedlings.

Production of potato seedlings free of diseases uses aeroponic technology integrated with technology 4.0.

At the inauguration ceremony of the house

Potato seedlings planted using aeroponic technology

The potatoes grow fast and free from diseases.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, President of the Institute of Agricultural Biology under the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, introduces the technologies controlled by smartphones.

Temperature and humidity and the seedling growth indexes are updated continuously on a mobile application.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thach, a leading expert on potatoes, gives an introduction of the model.

A device measuring temperature and humidity in the seedling house

An engineer inspects the growth of potatoes.

Orion Groups representatives present a potato research device to the Institute of Agricultural Biology

 and scholarships to students with excellent academic results.
Danville, WV (25053)

Today

Periods of rain. Morning high of 62F with temps falling to near 45. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 31F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Ambassador Kim Hjlund Christensen (Photo: congthuong.vn)

According to a statement from the Embassy of Denmark, Ambassador Kim Hjlund Christensen recently presented his credentials to acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, officially taking the position of Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Vietnam, to tighten bilateral relations between the two countries.

In a video sending greetings to Vietnam, Ambassador Christensen shared his first impressions of the land and people of Vietnam from the first encounter.

I first visited Vietnam in 2004. I was immediately impressed with the beautiful country of Vietnam and warm and open Vietnamese people," said the Ambassador.

I am a diplomat who has served more than 25 years in the Danish diplomacy. I am looking forward to four busy years to represent Denmark in Vietnam, working hard with our Vietnamese partners to tighten bilateral cooperation that is already very strong and durable between the two countries," the new Ambassador added.

According to him, this is a "wonderful time" for him to be in Vietnam in the context of the two countries "sharing many common interests, including strengthening economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of green growth, food and agriculture, health and education."

Vietnam and Denmark have a long, close relationship. Offical diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1971 and are being boosted within the framework of the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement.

Ambassador Kim Hjlund Christensen is a veteran diplomat. Before arriving in Vietnam, he served as the Danish Ambassador to Brazil, Guyana and Suriname from 2014 to 2018, Danish Ambassador to Chile from 2006 to 2010. From 2004 to 2014, he also held various positions in Denmarks Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked in Moscow (Russia) and Berli (Germany) in the 1990s and early 21st century./.
Catherine Balolang, 30, a licensed nurse and child development worker, was well aware of the kind of danger the approaching typhoon could bring to the mountainous region she calls home. News reports said Ompong (international name: Mangkhut) would barrel through northern Philippines, including Benguet province, where mining is one of the top industries. Coming from a family of miners, residing in Ucab village in Itogon town, she has learned to live with her fears and prepare for the worst. The familys survival kits packed, she joined fellow village volunteers in monitoring weather reports, such as through a group chat they created on Facebook Messenger. Suddenly what seemed an interminable silence followed as Ompong intensified on Sept.15, toppling power and communication lines, and cutting off contact with folks in the mining sites. As the worst of the typhoon passed, and mobile phone and data services were gradually restored, the village volunteers group chat became deluged with queries and calls for help, as well as grim reports no one wanted to hear. The typhoon had triggered a landslide in Itogon. Among those trapped in a mining site was a cousin of Balolang, whose wife and children lived in Isabela, another typhoon-ravaged province. She and her fellow volunteers converged near the landslide site, as the community organized rescue missions, ahead of the official operations by local authorities. Everyday thereafter, the volunteers went back to the site, not only to search for their missing loved ones but also to help in the operations in whatever way they could. Telecommunications company Smart Communications immediately deployed portable generator sets to the barangay (village) hall for the use of rescuers. The barangay usually taps the company to send provisions for power whenever theres outage due to calamities. The barangay rescuers need electricity to charge their searchlights, portable radios and power banks, which are important for retrieval operations. They also need to charge their phones, and be able to communicate with their families, as well as the local authorities, said Vivien Prado, a Smart sales employee based in Baguio City, about 16 kilometers from Itogon. Efforts soon shifted from rescue to retrieval as it became apparent that the chances of finding survivors in a landslide of that magnitude were slim. In the aftermath, 70 died and dozens were injured or went missing. Like food, first aid, and relief goods, technology plays a crucial role in an emergency. Upon Prados recommendation, Smart, with the support of Vodafone Foundation, set up free charging and Wi-Fi services in Ucab. The London-based foundation deployed their Instant Charge and Wi-Fi solutions at the barangay hall, the retrieval site, and the designated operations center for response, relief and evacuation for typhoon victims. The ultra-portable Instant Wi-Fi solution, which provided robust and secure Wi-Fi to up to 1,500 users across an area of up 10,000 sq m. It also set up an Instant Charge station, which powered up to 32 phones simultaneously. After an earthquake or any humanitarian crisis we observed that, apart from food and water, what victims need is connectivity, to be able to inform their families that they are OK, to call, to not feel isolated, said Ainhoa Montero de Espinosa, relationship and governance manager at Vodafone, who volunteered for this mission in Itogon.They also need to charge their phones, especially if they fled their homes, said Harm Kanters, a technical solution architect at VodafoneZiggo Netherlands, another volunteer of the foundation. In 2012 and 2013, Vodafone brought its ultra-portable Instant Network to Davao Oriental and Eastern Samar provinces, which were devastated by Typhoons Pablo (Bopha) and Yolanda (Haiyan), respectively. The solution provided affected residents with cellular coverage within 3- to 5-km radius, and enabled up to 80 calls and thousands of text messages sent at the same time. The Philippines experiences about 20 typhoons a year. So at Smart, we work hard to keep our network online and to restore services quickly in case of disruptions. At the same time, we also work with partners like Vodafone Foundation, so we develop good working ties with international organizations, which will be invaluable especially for large-scale disasters like earthquakes and super typhoons, said Smart public affairs head Ramon R. Isberto. We need Wi-Fi to consolidate data on dead and missing persons, send reports, post updates, make records and send to headquarters immediately, said Jasmine Bugtong, a police officer at the Cordillera Administrative Region, which has jurisdiction over Benguet. Air operations officer Jomar Marcito, who was deployed at the designated operations center for typhoon response, relief and evacuation, also relied on mobile communications. We need it for continuous communications, to check if theres a need to augment air operations, or other activities that would need our attention, he said. For Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan there was no overstating the importance of having stable, secure communication in times of disasters. We send reports to Manila and even abroad were crippled without information, he said. The communication facilities at the operations center enabled Balolang to update her fellow volunteers on the progress of retrieval operations, and family members on the search for her cousin. Charity Lubiton, 17, whose uncle was trapped in the landslide, was finally able to contact her relatives. Both women lost their kin; and the bodies were retrieved after a week. Ucab village chief Kennedy Waclin vowed to continue the search until all missing persons are found. We need to give the dead a proper burial, he said. The retrieval operations halted on Sept. 30, two weeks after the devastating landslide. For housewife Jill Landocan, 32, who lives in another part of Ucab that was hit by a landslide, her mobile phone was a life saver. She recalled texting her sister-in-law to leave their house quickly, and soon after the latter got her message, their kitchen ceiling fell. If they didnt get my message on time, they probably would have been trapped, Landocan said. The landslide in Itogon revived objections to small-scale mining operations. Balolang is not one to engage in debate. My father is a miner, his parents are also miners. This is the life we know, and the community we live in. Mining has given me the life and opportunities I have now, and I will always be grateful for it, she said.
Parents and teachers welcomed the promotion of bilingual education in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and officials said that bilingual education would also help with de-extremism and poverty alleviation work.

Bilingual education has been promoted in 1,277 kindergartens in Hotan, southwestern Xinjiang. Among these kindergartens, 86 were built in 2017 and the enrollment rate of school-age children reached 100 percent, Zhai Qiyong, the Communist Party chief of the Hotan Educational Bureau, told the Global Times on Monday.

The Global Times reporter learned from schools and kindergartens in Hotan that bilingual education has been promoted daily and more teachers have been hired.

Zhang Ruijuan, a teacher from Northwest China's Gansu Province, who works in a kindergarten in Hotan, told the Global Times that the children's proficiency in Putonghua has been greatly increased and they have become more outgoing, lovely and lively.

Zhang said that teachers are having greater interaction with parents in teaching activities.

"Parents support our bilingual education and also want to learn to speak Putonghua," Gulibahar Abulimit, head of the kindergarten, told the Global Times.

She noted that without communication barriers, children would have no problems finding jobs in the future.

"Ever since we learned Putonghua, our mutual communication, ethnic unity and many other things have improved. I think this is what we should learn. This is what we must learn. We are Chinese, why can't we learn? We must learn it!" she said.

Bilingual education is also currently promoted in all kindergartens and schools across Xinjiang. Residential communities have organized classes for the students' parents and residents, local officials told the Global Times.

Future-oriented education

"Enhancing the country's common language education and culture of all ethnic groups aims to cultivate talent to promote social stability in Xinjiang, and to meet the demands of urbanization," read an introduction on bilingual education work in Xinjiang from the website of the regions' educational department.

Promoting bilingual education could help in poverty reduction and de-extremism work, Ahmatjan Upur, an official from Gazon village in Hotan, told the Global Times.

The village, located in the western outskirts of Hotan, has 483 households. A total of 183 families, with 894 residents, are registered as poor families.

"Children in the village used to drop out of school at a young age and it was not easy for them to find a better job due to their limited Putonghua fluency," Upur said, noting that young people are also easily influenced by religious extremism.

He also said that investors are reluctant to start enterprises here considering the difficulties in communicating and managing local workers.

The situation has improved since the bilingual education was promoted, Upur said.

Azgul Abuliz is a mother of three children and lives in Gazon village. She told the Global Times she is happy to see her children learning Putonghua and they are good at learning it.

"I am learning Putonghua and we sometimes talk to each other in Putonghua This gives them an opportunity to have better higher education and I hope they can live a better life in the future" she said.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Another campaign mailer has been sent to potential voters with incorrect information.

According to Bret Rutherford, Yellowstone County Elections administrator, a mailer sent by the Republican National Committee incorrectly states that ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 will be accepted, which is not the case.

In Montana, absentee ballots must be received no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

"There is absolutely no grace period, even with a postmark," said Rutherford.

Rutherford said anyone with questions about their ballots should contact their areas elections office https://kpax.com/news/montana-news/2018/10/09/montana-voter-registration-coming-to-a-close/ .
Members of Montana Native Vote on Tuesday said several polling stations have turned away Native American voters, raising concerns over potential voter suppression within the Native community.

Leah Berry, political director with Montana Native Vote, cited issues in Poplar, Great Falls and Rocky Boy. Two of those three polling locations disputed the claims, saying theyre only following the law.

"I think in Great Falls, it was a lack of competency and not ill-intentioned," Berry said Tuesday. "But at Fort Peck, I personally think the two people working the office were non-Native and (the voter) was a Native, and they were very unfriendly, even when I walked in the office."

By Martin Kidston
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi in New Delhi, India, Oct. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Man Bo)

NEW DELHI, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China and India pledged here on Tuesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation especially in the areas of law enforcement and security.

While meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is willing to work with China to maintain strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields such as law enforcement and security, and promote the development of India-China relations to a higher level.

For his part, Zhao said the historic informal summit between the leaders of the two countries in April in Wuhan gave a strong impetus to the development of China-India relations.

The Chinese minister said that under the guidance of the important consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries, China and India should enhance strategic mutual trust, promote all-round cooperation, deepen pragmatic cooperation on law enforcement and security particularly on counter-terrorism and combating separatist forces and transnational crimes so as to further r the development partnership between the two countries.

During his visit to India, Zhao also met with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and co-chaired the first high-level meeting between China and India on law enforcement and security with Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The two sides also signed a cooperation agreement on law enforcement and security.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
It seems counter-intuitive: Some of the venture capitalists backing tech startups are now boosting a seemingly competing money source for their portfolio companies: equity crowd-funding. But leveraging equity crowd-funding alongside more traditional money sources can be a powerful combination, especially for consumer-facing companies.

"Youve got the most loyal customer ever. Theyll never leave," said Buck Jordan, managing partner of Wavemaker Partners in Los Angeles, of the small-fry investors who use equity crowd-funding to grab a previously unavailable piece of pre-IPO startups. Jordan said Wavemaker is now urging many of its portfolio companies to consider crowd-funding as part of their money-raising strategy.

David Bloom

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2018/10/22/equity-crowd-funding-venture-capital-investing-seedinvest-pongalo/#252eefb13f5b
Imagine a world where senators bought their seats, businessmen and politicians controlled the newspapers, sensationalized stories dominated the front page, and only a handful of smalltown journalists spoke out against corruption and greed.

Welcome to Montana at the turn of the 20th century.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) will partner with Invest Africa to generate sustainable finance solutions for the Continent during The Africa Debate 2021. The forum, which will take place from 14-16 September, will see African business, policy and other industry leaders meet to discuss how the region can assert its priorities for a sustainable and transformative recovery as regional entities look to drive a return to global growth.

Mohan Vivekanandan, Group Executive: Origination & Coverage, DBSA will lead a discussion with leading banks, regulators, capital markets investors and others to outline how sustainable finance can generate growth in emerging markets. Whilst green finance has made significant strides in Western markets, it has been under-funded and thus under-utilised in developing countries. Redressing this imbalance is essential both to global recovery efforts and to ensuring a just transition.

If the world is to meet its climate targets and keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius, the next decade will be critical. The adaptation and mitigation measures needed demand large upfront capital investments, which invariably poses a challenge for developing countries. Without a concerted and collaborative global effort to build replicable and scalable sustainable finance there is a danger that that regions with the greatest potential, including Africa, to leapfrog more developed markets in the transition to the green economy could be starved of capital.

As an African development bank, the DBSA continues to pioneer a path to creating sustainable finance solutions adapted to African markets. The bank launched its first green bond with support from the French development finance institution, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) this year and also has a climate finance lending facility in partnership with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The DBSAs leading role in The Africa Debate will forge pathways for further strategic partnerships and collaborations between development finance institutions and global financial markets to scale the use of sustainable finance in African markets.

Karen Taylor, CEO of Invest Africa, said The DBSA has a critical role to play in de-risking investment in Africa and crowding in private sector financing for sustainable infrastructure projects. The aim of The Africa Debate is to foster productive partnerships between the private and public sector as well as across borders and we look forward to taking part in the discussions led by the DBSA.

Mohan Vivekanandan, Group Executive: Origination & Coverage, DBSA commented DBSA continues to chart a leading role on the Continent, cognisant of our unique and specific contextual challenges, in the momentum towards a low carbon economy actively participating in the implementation of a just transition as evidenced by our support of sustainable investment programmes including the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and Embedded Generation Investment Programme (EGIP) among others. Moreover, our accreditation to global partners including the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the GCF has further propelled our role in promoting and leveraging sustainable development regionally in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

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Dairy needs political punch says Brokenshire

Former politician Robert Brokenshire says the dairy industry needs to be "stronger" in its negotiations with politicians and not be intimidated by government.
The Chinese naval hospital ship Ark Peace, which is on Mission Harmony-2018, arrived on Monday in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, providing humanitarian medical service in Antigua and Barbuda. (photo: Jiang Shan)

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Works on display include images and documentaries on different genres of Vietnamese folk paintings, including Kim Hoang, Hang Trong, Dong Ho, and glass painting, among others.

Visitors can also learn about how the folk paintings and traditional patterns can bee applied to household products, decorations and daily utensils.

The exhibits were selected from 300 entries send to the Initiatives from Kim Hoang Folk Paintings contest for children, which was launched by the Hanoi Ceramic Museum in June 2018.

The entries included more than 200 paintings, nearly 30 fashion designs, and 45 designs for postcards, handbags and scarfs, among others.

A fashion show introducing 27 childrens outfits inspired from Kim Hoang folk paintings will be held on the evening of October 24 as part of the exhibition

The exhibition will run until November 10 at the Temple of Literatures Centre for Scientific and Cultural Activities, 58 Quoc Tu Giam street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi.
HINDSIGHT 2021 Audio Article 10 Years Ago (2011)  Joshua Van Horn was hired on a one-year contract to teach at the newly established Raider Academy. The Morgan Local Board of Education said the Academy was created as an alternative school designed to reduce the number of out-of-school suspensions, reduce the number of dropouts...

Morgan County Sheriffs Office Daily Call Reports Audio Article Editors Note: The following are initial incident reports from callers to a Morgan County Sheriffs Office Dispatcher. Any details, charges or situations may have been distorted by the caller, or perhaps may have been found to be different after the officer further investigated the incident. Wednesday, July 14, 2021 ...

Morgan County Sheriffs Office Daily Call Reports Audio Article Editors Note: The following are initial incident reports from callers to a Morgan County Sheriff s Office Dispatcher. Any details, charges or situations may have been distorted by the caller, or perhaps may have been found to be different after the officer further investigated the incident. Wednesday, July 21, 2021...

Morgan County Sheriffs Office Daily Call Reports Audio Article Editors Note: The following are initial incident reports from callers to a Morgan County Sheriffs Office Dispatcher. Any details, charges or situations may have been distorted by the caller, or perhaps may have been found to be different after the officer further investigated the incident. Tuesday, July 20, 2021 ...

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Morgan County Sheriffs Office Daily Call Reports Audio Article Editors Note: The following are initial incident reports from callers to a Morgan County Sheriffs Office Dispatcher. Any details, charges or situations may have been distorted by the caller, or perhaps may have been found to be different after the officer further investigated the incident. Monday, July 12, 2021 ...
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Manh had a meeting with Governor of Ulyanovsk Sergey Morozov, during which both sides expressed their delight with the growth of Russia-Vietnam relations via regular high-level visit exchanges, particularly the visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, to Russia in September.

Morozov took the occasion to recall his memories of a beautiful, friendly and dynamic Vietnam when he visited the central province of Nghe An, the oblasts sister province, last year. He also lauded the important steps Ulyanovsk and Nghe An have taken to strengthen their ties, reflected by the opening of a Ho Chi Minh monument and a high school named after Vietnams late President in Ulyanovsk last year.

He noted the Vietnamese society in Ulyanovsk has helped expand relations between the two localities, praising them as hard-working and enthusiastic people.

The governor also said he expects that major Vietnamese enterprises such as TH Group will invest in the oblast and committed to providing them with top incentives. He handed Manh a list of proposed joint events for the two sides to foster cooperation in 2019, including a Vietnam  Ulyanovsk business forum, a student exchange between Nghe An and Ulyanovsk and celebrations of the birthday of President Ho Chi Minh.

Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh, for his part, reiterated that Vietnam attaches importance to developing ties with Russia.

There is plenty of room to expand cooperation between Vietnam and Ulyanovsk as many Vietnamese products, such as farm produce and clothing, have limited access to Ulyanovsk, while the oblasts products are not popular in Vietnam, he said. He suggested the two sides step up the exchange of information and hold more business forums to help their investors seek opportunities.

He also urged the government of Ulyanovsk to participate in events within the framework of Vietnam Year in Russia in 2019. He thanked Morozov and his government for having facilitated Vietnamese people to live, study and work in Ulyanovsk. With support from the local authorities, the ambassador hoped that the Vietnamese community would further contribute to local development.

During his stay in Ulyanovsk, Manh also met with several other senior officials and leading businesses in the oblast and visited the Ho Chi Minh monument and high school.
During a working session with delegates from the Communist Party of Germany, Thang, who is also Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council and Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said Vietnam has recorded achievements in reforms towards socialism over the past three decades thanks to tapping Marxism, Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thoughts in the new situation.

German representatives said part of German society sought ways to deal with existing social issues based on Marxism and studied the plus side of socialism in the past.

At the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the delegation learnt about issues regarding the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Leading German digital experts shared experience in preparing for the revolution and assessed its impact on the German economy and society.

About the protection of workers interest in the new situation, the delegation held a working session with the German Trade Union Confederation. The confederation forecast that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will impact nearly 50,000 German workers in the next decade.

At the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the largest and oldest political foundation in Germany, the delegation discussed issues of global concern such as relations among major countries, trade war and its impact, and the role of the European Union and the ASEAN in dealing with global issues.
At the reception, the PM spoke highly of the successful tenure of the diplomat, adding that she has made various contributions to the development of the Vietnam  Italy strategic partnership.

The bilateral relations saw strides during her term, and many Italian firms have come to Vietnam to invest in the country. However, the potential for cooperation remains huge, especially in trade and investment, he noted.

The EU  Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will be a driving force to lift the two-way trade turnover and investment, as well as a good opportunity for businesses of the countries, Phuc said, voicing his hope that Italy will push the signing and ratification of the EVFTA.

The Vietnamese Government will create optimal conditions for foreign investors, including those from Italy, he pledged.

The Government leader also expressed his belief that the Italian diplomat will contribute to the Vietnam-Italy ties in her new position.

For her part, Ambassador Cecilia Piccioni thanked the Vietnamese Govermenment, ministries and authorities for their support to her during her work in the country, and voiced her hope for the early signing and ratification of the EVFTA.

Italy is currently the fourth biggest trade partner of Vietnam in the European Union while Vietnam is the biggest trade partner of Italy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Over the past five years, two-way trade neared US$5 billion each year, and both sides are working to lift it to US$6 billion for 2017-2018. Within 10 years, from the fourth place, Vietnam has become the largest trade partner of Italy among the 10 ASEAN member countries.
Friends on the Run hit the trail again
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PM Phuc stressed that Vietnam attaches importance to its relations with the UN. He recalled his attendance at the High-Level General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, adding that he was impressed by a speech by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres which highlighted preventive diplomacy, conflict control, climate change response and gender equality.

UN Resident Coordinator Kamal Malhotra described Vietnam as one of the leading countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

To well implement sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, he emphasised the need for the UN and Vietnam to hold a high-level forum to reach a consensus on financial sources.

Representatives of UN agencies in Vietnam congratulated the country on its socio-economic development achievements, and showed their support for the countrys efforts to respond to climate change, intensify economic reform, and boost the development of the private economy.

They vowed to cooperate with Vietnam in socio-culture and child care, while appreciating and backing Vietnams commitments to environmental protection.

PM Phuc affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the UNs central role and considers the organisation one of the priorities in its foreign policy, and a leading partner.

Vietnam will maintain its active and responsible contributions to the UNs works in all the three pillars of peace, development, and human rights promotion, the Government leader affirmed.

He spoke highly of support by the UN agencies, which, he said, has brought practical benefits to Vietnam.

He suggested both sides maintain coordination to successfully carry out SDGs, global commitments and agreements to address challenges such as climate change adaptation and protection and sustainable use of water resources in the Mekong River basin.

He proposed UNICEF help Vietnam in making laws and policies more friendly to children, WHO in building a modern health system, and ILO in ensuring social equality.

For its part, Vietnam will step up collaboration with the UN and create all favourable for its agencies in the nation, he said, adding that it supports the organisations development system reform efforts.
Fiftyfive5 Expands in Sydney, Auckland and Singapore

Insights consultancy Fiftyfive5 has appointed fourteen new members of staff across its offices in Sydney and Auckland. The firm has also relocated Ken Choi from Sydney to Singapore, to take up the position of Director, heading up the Asia operations.



Fiftyfive5 was launched in 2010 by three former Directors of The Leading Edge: Karen Phillips, Mark Sundquist and Darren Kemp. In Sydney, Estelle Gohil and Philippa Dougall join the team, in the role of Senior Qualitative Consultant. Gohil re-joins Fiftyfive5 after living in India, where she ran her own consultancy, and Dougall was previously an Account Director at Vivid Research and joins with more than twenty years' experience. In addition, former Ipsos and Pollinate AD Alice Hacker and former The Leading Edge and Razor Research exec Loren Watling join as Consultants.



In Fiftyfive5's Account teams, former Kantar TNS exec Andrey Fedoseev, former The Leading Edge Consultant Jarrod Rust and former Ruby Cha Cha Consultant Jordan McVaigh join in new Senior Account Manager roles; while Ian Height and Robin Gale take up Account Manager positions from Bastion Latitude and Hall & Partners Open Mind respectively. The business has also hired Molly O'Brien as a Market Research Intern. Additionally, in Fiftyfive5's Social and Government division, Richard Kumar has joined the team in a dualist qual and quant Account Manager role, after stints at AMR Australia and Camino Research & Strategy. Additionally in Sydney, Elise Bliss has been hired in the newly created role of Chief Financial Officer and Natalie Briski joins in a business administration role.



In New Zealand, Lucia Henare has moved back to Auckland as a Consultant, following two-years in Canada, where she worked as a Research Consultant with NRG Research Group. Finally, Choi has relocated to Singapore after more than five years with the company, and having previously worked at TNS Australia and Nielsen. Sundquist (pictured) comments: 'We are delighted to welcome these talented practitioners with skills that genuinely enhance and extend the business. With growing client demand and teams now across three countries, we are looking forward to continued growth across the Asia Pacific region.'



Web site: www.fiftyfive5.com .




Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 23, 2018. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was "planned." (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

ANKARA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a premeditated "brutal murder," while demanding that the Saudi suspects be tried in Turkey.

"Whitewashing such barbarity will of course injure and wound the conscience of all humanity," the Turkish leader said in a much-anticipated speech to the lawmakers in Ankara.

Detailing the events that both led up to and followed the 59-year-old Khashoggi's disappearance after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, Erdogan said there were strong signs that "the incident was not a momentary issue or a momentary result of something that happened on site, but the result of a planned operation."

Erdogan confirmed that a body double of the slain journalist was used as a decoy after what he called a "political assassination."

He also asked about the whereabouts of the body of Khashoggi, a columnist for the U.S. newspaper The Washington Post and a strong critic of the Saudi government.

The Turkish president made no mention of any audio or video recordings reported by Turkish media in the days following the writer's disappearance, containing reportedly gruesome details of his killing and possible dismembering of his body by a Saudi hit squad.

Erdogan said that prior to the journalist's killing, a number of individuals had visited the nearby city of Yalova and the Belgrad Forest in Istanbul where searches for Khashoggi's body have been conducted.

Erdogan said that the CCTV hard disk had also been removed from the Saudi consulate prior to Khashoggi's visit on Oct. 2.

The Turkish leader called on the Saudi leadership to allow the suspects detained in this case to be tried in Istanbul. Saudi government has arrested 18 suspects related to the case.

Erdogan also called for an independent committee to be set up to look into the case, adding that he was confident about Saudi King Salman's sincerely and full cooperation.

He, however, did not mention Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely seen as the most powerful figure in the oil-rich kingdom.

"Everyone involved in this murder, from juniors to seniors, from bottom to the top must be brought to justice," Erdogan insisted, adding that "everyone, including the accomplices in foreign territories must be held accountable."

Saudi Arabia has confirmed the death of Khashoggi inside its consulate, saying he was killed as the result of a "fistfight" and "chokehold."

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2. to collect documents for his upcoming marriage to his Turkish fiancee. He has not been seen since.

After releasing the results of its initial investigations, the Saudi Public Prosecution announced that 18 people were arrested over their alleged connection to the killing of Khashoggi.

U.S. President Donald Trump sent Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel to Turkey on Monday. She was expected to meet with Turkish officials on Tuesday amid skepticism from Washington about the investigation results released by the Saudi government whose officials have made contradictory statements on the case.

"I an not satisfied with what I heard," Trump told reporters at the White House Monday afternoon.

Erdogan's address coincided with the start of the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Tuesday, which has been overshadowed by the Khashoggi case, with dozens of government and business leaders pulling out.
Political class must sacrifice in the ...
BERLIN  Assuring attendees that future economic development will come to the area, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy cut the ribbon on the new train station on Farmington Avenue.

"In the long run, Connecticut will be more competitive with the states that had made transportation investments that we have failed to make, and we're getting to a point where we can appreciate our own successes," Malloy said.

The station is part of the Malloy administrations efforts to expand mass transportation, most recently with CTrails Hartford Line service from New Haven to Springfield. As part of the project, new stations were built in Wallingford, Meriden, and Berlin.

The Berlin station features an overhead walkway and elevator as well as electronic signs and speakers to notify passengers of incoming trains. It cost approximately $21 million.

"Rail is not only environmentally friendly, it is economically a driving force, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. Around this station, I would predict in years to come economic development will thrive.

The town has plans to develop new housing and stores in an adjacent vacant lot. The Town Council selected Newport Realty Group LLC, a joint venture between developers Tony Valenti, of Waterbury, and Mark Lovely, of Southington, as developers.

We want that to spur economic development around here, said Mayor Mark Kaczynski.

dleithyessian@record-journal.com

203-317-2317

Twitter: @leith_yessian
NORTH HAVEN  As part of this years Veterans Day ceremonies, special dedications will be made to those who served in World War I and after Vietnam.

The annual ceremony will be on the town green at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. The program includes remarks from First Selectman Michael J. Freda, state officials, and American Legion Commander Charles Burke.

The veterans are very important to us, Freda said.

A new monument is expected to be unveiled during the ceremony, joining others on the green dedicated to veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars and World War II. The new monument will recognize more than 50 North Haven residents who served in overseas campaigns after Vietnam.

This years Veterans Day ceremony will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

I just couldn't imagine having an official town gathering, on Veteran's Day, for veterans, on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, without us doing something to acknowledge that, Third Selectman Sally Buemi said.

Buemi and Second Selectman William Pieper plan to read the 95 names listed on the towns plaque during the Sunday ceremony.

If any descendants of the World War I veterans are planning to attend, contact Buemi or Pieper so that they can be recognized during the ceremony. The second and third selectmen can be reached at sbuemi5@comcast.net and wpieper28@comcast.net

Buemi said World War I can often get lost in remembrances because Americas involvement lasted a year, but she asked people to remember that more than 116,000 Americans were killed during that brief period. One North Haven resident, William Murray, died in the war.

bwright@record-journal.com

203-317-2316

Twitter: @baileyfaywright
Kremlin says Putin, Trump to meet in Paris on Nov. 11

MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump are scheduled to have a full-fledged meeting in Paris on Nov. 11, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday.

"This arrangement was confirmed by our president at his meeting with Bolton," Ushakov told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Putin met with visiting U.S. national security advisor John Bolton, who also held consultations with Russian representatives of foreign policy and military political teams.

According to Ushakov, a preliminary agreement has been reached on arranging a comprehensive and well-prepared meeting between the presidents in Paris on the sidelines of events marking the centenary of the end of World War I.

Members of Russian and U.S. delegations will also attend the meeting, Ushakov said.

During his talks with Bolton, Putin said it would be useful to continue direct dialogue with Trump, such as the "fruitful" meeting held in Helsinki.

On July 16, Putin and Trump held their first one-on-one meeting in the Finish capital, which both sides considered as the first step toward better relations between the two countries.

The Russian president also said that Moscow wishes to seek common ground in its bilateral relations with Washington.

"Despite different approaches, one can and needs to seek this common ground, as it seems to me," Putin said.

Echoing Putin's remarks, Bolton welcomed the upcoming meeting between the presidents and underlined the significance of cooperation.

"Despite our differences, which exist because of our different national interests, it is still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation," he said.

Russia-U.S. relations have worsened in recent years over a number of disputes including the Ukrainian conflict and Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Despite the friendly atmosphere of the July summit, bilateral ties have not improved much. In August, Washington imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia and warned of the possibility of another round of stern restrictions in November. Moscow, in turn, vowed retaliation.

On Saturday, Trump said that the United States would pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987 with the Soviet Union, once again flaring up tensions between the two sides.
By Sunny Deye



I think my parents are happy with what were doing because I actually get what I need, says a fourth-grade student at Greenhurst Elementary in Nampa, Idaho. Before, things were too easy for me in mathnow that we switch classes to the right level, Im learning more.

At the mastery-based Greenhurst Elementary, fourth-grade students might be working in fifth-grade math standards and third-grade grade literacy standards. Another student explains, We all move up or down when we meet standards or when we are struggling. In fourth grade they put me in fractions; once I got it they moved me to decimals. I like to know where Im at. If I move up, I completed the thing I was working on and will learn new things to challenge me.

These students are describing how Greenhurst meets students where they are, ensuring they have mastered the content before moving on to the next level. This means that students are in mixed-grade classrooms, working toward the same learning standards as peers from throughout the building.

Students are pre-assessed on end-of-year standards; students who have already mastered grade-level standards go right up to the next grade to work on the next standard and students who are not yet on grade level are able to work on their learning gaps before progressing. Students report that it helps to know exactly where we areknowing where I am in math and reading helps because I wont forget, I actually have it in my head and know where I am.

Greenhurst is just one of 32 incubator schools in 19 districts participating in Idahos Mastery-based Learning Network. Idahos transformation to a mastery-based education system was first brought forward in 2013 as a recommendation of the Governors Task Force for Improving Public Education and was codified in HB 110 (2015).

The State Department of Education is charged with implementing the mastery-based education pilot program. Kelly Brady, director of instructional support for student-centered learning at the department, explains that participating schools are incubators not pilots. Pilots come and go, but incubators develop over time; an incubator is nurtured and allowed to change and make mistakes.

Brady s hared the departments ongoing statewide awareness campaign to help students, parents and educators understand the benefits of a mastery-based learning approach and what it looks like in schools.

Wilder school district is using one-to-one technology district-wide to ensure each student has a personalized learning plan. Instead of everyone learning the same subject at the same time, each student studies independently using iPads, with progress closely monitored by teachers. As Superintendent Jeff Dillon explains, at Wilder, schedules are fluidstudents move from one subject to another as needed and have flexibility (particularly at the high school level) to access classrooms and teachers as needed, depending on their own learning plan.

At the Synergy Program at Kuna Middle School, a school within a school where students opt in to learn in a less traditional environment with individual pacing, students learn in a problem-based learning environment with flexible pacing and combined grade levels that focuses on integrating all four core subjects (math, English language arts, history and science) into one project.

Students have a great deal of autonomy in the Synergy Program. You can move ahead if you want, and if you dont you can fall behindsynergy learning management system tracks progress in the year," says a middle-schooler. "Synergy lets you move at your own pace, so I go slower in math and faster in language arts, because thats what Im good at."

Another student reports that teachers care more about your work here and mentor us to get it done. Its like a family. Kuna School District Superintendent Wendy Johnson told the group that Synergy prepares students for high school because students are taught to manage their own learning."

This trip is the second time NCSLs Student-Centered Learning Commission has "gone back to school," studying how the schools of today can be adapted to meet the needs of the future through systems that are personalized, flexible and student-centered, and that prepare students to embrace lifelong learning.

This May, the commission studied New Hampshires transformation from traditional, one-size-fits-all education to more personalized, competency-based learning.

NCSLs Student-Centered Learning Commission will continue to study personalized, competency-based, and student-owned learning environments throughout 2018, and plans to release its findings in 2019. Follow along with the commissions work.

Sunny Deye is a program director in NCSL's Education Program.

Email Sunny
By PTI

Budget carrier IndiGo Wednesday put as many as 10 lakh seats up for sale for all-inclusive fares starting at Rs 899 under the Diwali sale offer.

Effective October 24 till October 26 IndiGo is offering customers all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 899, the airline said in a statement.

The low-cost carrier is offering 10 lakh seats for a travel period between November 8 and April 15, 2019, it added.

ALSO READ | Indigo Airlines' nationwide system hit by technical snag

This is the third time in the current fiscal that IndiGo, which posted its first quarterly loss at Rs 652.1 crore in the quarter ended September, has put 10 lakh or more seats up for grabs at heavily discounted fares.

Jet to start Singapore-Pune flights from December. Naresh Goyal-owned cash-strapped Jet Airways Wednesday announced the launch of a direct flight service to Singapore from Pune, starting December 1.

Besides, it will also add a third service from New Delhi to Singapore to cater to the increasing demand on the route, Jet Airways said in a release.

The Mumbai-based airline has also announced special inaugural return economy class fares at Rs 23,999 and Rs 66,999 for the business class for the new flight.

These inaugural fares are applicable for journeys commencing from December onwards, it said adding customers can also avail of special fares to onward destinations such Brisbane, Jakarta, Denpasar-Bali, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Nadi, Perth, Surabaya, Sydney and Darwin via Singapore.

Kilitch Drugs plans to start mfg operations in Ethiopia * Kilitch Drugs, a listed pharmaceutical Indian exporter is set to boost its expansion plans in Africa with its first manufacturing plant in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.

The manufacturing plant has completed about 60 per cent of its the construction, and production from the Kilitch's first plant is likely to commence from next financial year, a company statement said.

ALSO READ | New IndiGo flights launched to Male, Phuket

It expects to generate a revenue of Rs 500 crore in next 5 years as it is bullish on the African markets.

With the sole concentration on its upcoming plant, the management will look forward to replicating the Ethiopian model to the rest of Africa.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has withdrawn its 2016 report that had given a clean chit to former ICICI Bank chief executive Chanda Kochhar with regard to nepotism allegations against her, sources said.

ICICI Bank in a regulatory filing Tuesday said the clean chit given to Kochhar in March this year was based on the inquiry report of the law firm which is now saying that the same should no longer be treated as valid.

Following the allegations of nepotism and conflict of interest against Kochhar, the then Chairman M K Sharma in March had expressed full confidence in her and ruled out any quid pro quo as alleged with regard to certain loans given to the Videocon group.

ICICI Bank in a filing said the bank had expressed confidence in Kochhar on the basis of the inquiry report of the law firm which was engaged in 2016 to probe the allegations of nepotism and conflict of interest against her.

The inquiry was conducted by law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, according to sources.

"The law firm submitted its report in December 2016 stating that it had found no evidence of nepotism and conflict of interest on the part of Kochhar and accordingly the matter was treated as closed," ICICI Bank said.

When fresh allegations surfaced in March 2018 on the same matter, the board of the bank on the basis of inquiry report of the law firm issued a statement expressing confidence in then CEO and managing director Kochhar.

Subsequent to the additional whistle-blower allegations and further information made available to the bank, the board of directors of the bank announced a fresh inquiry, which was announced on May 30, 2018.

"Further, the bank informed the law firm about the said developments, whereupon the law firm expressed that its earlier report would no longer be valid," ICICI Bank said.

Later ICICI Bank instituted an external inquiry headed by retired Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna to look into the allegations of nepotism and quid pro quo against Kochhar.

Even as the board stood by her, details of misdoings emerged in the media, leading to a multi-agency probe against Kochhar by various law enforcement agencies.

The cases under scanner include the bank's Rs 3,250 crore loan to Videocon Group in 2012 and the involvement of Kochhar family members, including her husband Deepak Kochhar, in first sanctioning the loan and then restructuring the same.

On October 4, the bank informed that Kochhar had quit the bank with immediate effect.

The board of the bank had accepted the request of Kochhar to seek early retirement.

"The board accepted this request with immediate effect. The enquiry instituted by the board will remain unaffected by this and certain benefits will be subject to the outcome of the enquiry," it had added.

Following her resignation, the board appointed Sandeep Bakhshi as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for five years until October 3, 2023.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Nearly 2,500 employees working at automobile majorsYamaha India, Royal Enfield and Myoung Shin India Automotive (MSI)were detained by police on Tuesday morning when they attempted to march from Sriperumbudur to Kancheepuram collectorate. The march was organised by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). They were released in the evening.

Employees from Yamaha claimed that they were treated very badly at work. The company has not done anything about it, even though we have protested for over a month now. The labour department even instructed the company to reinstate two fired employees, but the company has failed to do so, said an employee. Employees of Enfield demanded that they be hired-back.

Speaking to Express, a source from the State Labour Department said: If no reconciliation happens for 45 days, then we will direct the case to labour court after deciding whether the concerns raised by the employees are genuine, the source said.
By PTI

MUMBAI:: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Wednesday said farmers should be provided new technology to make farming more sustainable and viable as boosting agriculture is one of the top priorities of the government.

"Agriculture is at crossroads and the sector is unviable as people are leaving farming. Boosting agriculture sector is one of the top priorities," Naidu said.

ALSO READ | Venkaiah Naidu urges companies to ensure Corporate Social Responsibility is not done for namesake

The vice president also pointed out the benefits of digital smart farming is already being realised in the country, and called on farmers, officials and scientists to make united efforts to help understand new technologies and reduce input cost of agriculture.

Naidu was addressing the International Conference of Asia Pacific Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) and World Congress on Computers in Agriculture (WCCA) organised here.

"As India is going to be third largest economy in the world and growing above 8 per cent, we need inclusive growth.

We have to protect and promote and give preferential treatment to agriculture," he said.

He pointed out the need to create required infrastructure, providing timely credit and value addition to farm produce.

As country's agri production has gone up over the years, yield is going down. He urged for more focus on agri research and technology needs to be made available to rural people.

Naidu further said providing information to farmers on the demand for their produce in advance was essential to prevent distress sale.

Providing affordable and reasonable credit to farmers is also equally important.

Loan waiver and free power are not a permanent solution as it would not help in creating long-term sustainable activity, and there needs to be long-term plans he noted. India is leading producer of pulses, wheat and rice.

ALSO READ | Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to release Rs 125 coin on Statistics Day

"To feed the population of around 130 crore people, we can't depend on imported food. We need food security and need to have evergreen revolution," Naidu remarked.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Domestic automaker TVS Motor Company reported a marginal decline in its net profit for the second quarter of the current financial year, clocking Rs 211.3 crore against Rs 213.2 crore seen for the corresponding period last year.

However, other metrics continued to remain strong, with revenue rising 23 per cent to Rs 4,994 crore during the quarter under review compared to Rs 4,098 crore last year. Operating profit had also risen 18 per cent Rs 428.2 crore against Rs 362.6 crore a year ago.

As for sales, year-on-year overall two wheeler sales grew 13.6 per cent, motorcycle sales by 14.9 per cent and scooter sales by 18.2 per cent. The firm also saw exported units rise by 35.2 per cent to 1.99 lakh units.

The company also elevated K N Radhakrishnan as Director and CEO of the company for a period of five years with effect from October 23, 2018. On Radhakrishnans record, TVS chairman Venu Srinivasan said his experience within the company and his prestigious position in the automobile industry has been instrumental in helping the company achieve significant milestones.

Radhakrishnan was promoted to executive vice president of the firm in 2004 and became president in 2006. TVS shares today ended 3.75 per cent up at Rs 536.05 on BSE.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Taking note of all the hue and cry in and and around Whitefield over the fugitive black soot emissions, the Supreme Court on Tuesday observed Graphite India to be the polluter, and directed factorys senior counsel Shyam Diwan to consult GIL authorities to decide on the quantum of compensation that the factory would have to pay for causing air pollution in the area for over 10 years.

The next hearing has been called by the apex court on October 29.

The Supreme Court considered deliberations presented to it earlier in this month by Sunita Narain who represents the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA).

GILs senior counsel Diwan urged Justice Madan Lokur that the matter be listed in December, but the court refused while restraining the Graphite India Limited from demanding a further date. The apex court observed that GIL was the polluter and will have to bear the compensation for the pollution it has caused all these years.

The next hearing, in this case, will be on October 29, where GIL will be submitting the decided amount payable as compensation.

Members of Whitefield Rising have hailed the decision of the SC.
A train carrying 30 carriages of mechanical equipment, auto parts and daily necessities is seen at a logistics center in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 23, 2018. A new rail and road cargo service was launched Tuesday, linking Lanzhou with Islamabad in Pakistan. The first train left the logistics center Tuesday morning, bound for Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The goods will then be transported to Islamabad by a highway. This was the second freight train service launched by Gansu to south Asia. (Xinhua/Li Jie)

LANZHOU, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A new rail and road cargo service was launched Tuesday, linking Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, with Islamabad in Pakistan.

The first train carrying 30 carriages of mechanical equipment, auto parts and daily necessities left a logistics center Tuesday morning in Lanzhou, bound for Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The goods will then be transported to Islamabad by a highway.

According to Luo Zhe, deputy director with the management committee of the International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou), the 4,500-km trip will take 13 days, around 15 days less than the traditional sea route.

This was the second freight train service launched by Gansu to south Asia.

In 2016, a rail and road cargo service opened between Lanzhou and Kathmandu, Nepal.

"I hope the new rail and road cargo service can set a good example for cooperation between China and Pakistan and encourage more countries and regions to join the Belt and Road Initiative," Luo said.
Madhumitha Viswanath By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Though residents and commercial establishments along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) religiously pay water tax as a part of property tax every month to the government, they do not enjoy the benefits of having underground water and sewage connection from Metro Water. The private tanker strike last week came as a rude reminder bringing prolonged water woes of residents back in the limelight.

Locals said that the pipeline work for water connection, which began at the end of 2013, was completed by 2016. But, no progress has been achieved since then, and work for final connections has been delayed for the past 18 months. If Metro Water had given water connections to individual homes, we wouldnt have suffered so much during the strike. Its been six years since these areas were included in the Corporation jurisdiction. But, we do not get basic amenities from the government even after paying all the taxes, said A Inian, a resident of Semmenchery.

Residents are forced to buy water from private tankers at Rs1,200 for one load and shell out Rs 600-Rs 800 for removal of sewage from septic tanks. When it rains, the septic tanks need to be cleaned once in 10 days. Underground sewage connections also have not been given even after persistent requests to Metro Water, said R Ramaswamy, a resident of Shollinganallur.

Residents said that as zones 14 and 15 of Perungudi and Shollinganallur are governed by DMK MLAs, the existing government isnt providing any support to these areas. Zone 15 MLA told me that he cannot do anything to help us and that it is between the government and the Metro Water Board to sort the issue. Officials also told us that due to lack of funds and political differences, pending work is not completed yet, said Ramaswamy, who will submit a petition to the chairman of Metro Water Board along with 30 other residents about delayed connections.

A recent report by Express noted that of the 42 added areas, more than half lack water and sewerage connections. But, in a stretch like OMR, where one cannot draw water from the ground water table by bore wells, the necessity of water supply from the government is important for residents. As private tankers shouldnt lose out on their business, connections are not given yet to these added areas. Eighty per cent of our maintenance is spent on private tankers alone. How much longer do we wait? added Inian.

According to Metro Water Board, work is under progress for sewerage connections in 13 added areas including Perungudi, Shollinganallur, Karapakkam and for water connections in 24 added areas including Thoraipakkam, Perungudi, Shollinganallur and Navalur. Pipeline laying works are in the final stages and only five per cent work is remaining. As most of the pipes have to be laid on the main road, digging work has to be carried out only in phases. This is causing the delay. By March 2019, the entire OMR stretch will get Metro Water supply, said a senior official from Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board.

Affected by strike

Areas of Perungudi, Karapakkam, Thoraipakkam, Shollinganallur, Semmenchery and parts of Navalur which come under the purview of Chennai Corporation were the most affected localities during the private water tanker strike last week.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : For M Rajeevan, secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Tuesday gifted both a coincidence and a trip down the proverbial memory lane. Inaugurating the states first Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC) at the IMD Meteorological Centre at the Observatory Hills here, the senior officer recalled how he had issued his first cyclone warning bulletin from the countrys first CWC - in Ahmedabad - 32 years ago. He was its first director.

I was very nervous. I was just six months old in the IMD, but I survived for seven years, he said. More than three decades later, on Tuesday, Rajeevan inaugurated the countrys fourth and Keralas first CWC in Thiruvananthapuram. So what was the name of his first cyclone? In those days, you didnt have names for cyclones, S Balachandran, IMD Deputy Director General, said.

Names like Ockhi, Luban, Titli, etc which have made the extreme weather phenomena familiar to the public, came later. The Indian Ocean rim countries decide the name by rotation. Ockhi was named by Bangladesh; Titli by Pakistan and Luban by Oman. Next one will be called Gaja, explained M Mohapatra, head (services), Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, IMD.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: After a 35-year acting career and with two iconic television characters to her name  Elaine Benes of "Seinfeld" and foul-mouthed Vice-President Selina Meyer  Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been honored with the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy.

On Sunday night at Washington's Kennedy Center, the 57-year-old actress received a stream of testimonials from celebrities including Jerry Seinfeld, Stephen Colbert and 2010 Mark Twain recipient Tina Fey, touching on the multiple aspects of her career.

"We both started comedy in Chicago," said Fey, paying tribute by tracking the similarities between their lives.

"We both moved on to 'Saturday Night Live.' We both lost our virginity to Brad Hall," referring to Louis-Dreyfus' husband and former SNL cast mate, sitting next to the honoree. Fey praised the "secret precision" of her comedy and her willingness to make her Seinfeld character so flawed.

"Julia let Elaine be selfish and petty and sarcastic and a terrible, terrible dancer," Fey said. "Julia's never been afraid to be unlikable -- not on screen and not in person."

Louis-Dreyfus is the 21st Mark Twain recipient, joining a list that includes Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Carol Burnett. Bill Cosby, the winner in 2009, had his award rescinded earlier this year after he was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.

During last year's ceremony to honor David Letterman, Cosby's name was never mentioned. But this year, two of the performers felt comfortable making Cosby jokes. Late night host Stephen Colbert displayed a sign proclaiming, "167 days since the last Un-Twaining."

With his fingers crossed, he told Louis-Dreyfus, "I think you'll be OK."

Later Keegan-Michael Key come onstage, dressed as Mark Twain himself and proceeded to roast many of the previous award recipients. When a picture of Cosby was briefly shown, Michael-Key quickly moved things along and said, "It's OK, he's not watching," then added that he doubted PBS was a popular channel "in the penitentiary."

Seinfeld, while on the red carpet before the ceremony, recalled first meeting Louis-Dreyfus during an informal audition. His iconic sitcom, "Seinfeld," was still in the planning stages and producer Larry David knew Louis-Dreyfus from their time together on "Saturday Night Live."

"We had just two short pages of script, and we sat down to read the dialogue together," Seinfeld said. "As soon as she opened her mouth, I knew she was the one."

Seinfeld also credited Louis-Dreyfus for having the confidence and strength of personality to hold her own on what he called "a very male show."

That confidence was evident very early for Louis-Dreyfus, who said she knew as a young child that she had a gift for comedy.

"The first time I really knew was when I stuffed raisins in my nose and my mother laughed. I ended up in the emergency room because they wouldn't come out!" Louis-Dreyfus said before the ceremony.

Comedian Kumail Nanjiani grew up in Pakistan and never saw an episode of "Seinfeld" until he immigrated to the U.S as an adult.

"But I became a huge fan as soon as I moved here," he said.

The co-writer of the movie "The Big Sick" recalled her iconic, slightly convulsive "Elaine Benes dance" on the show, which he credits to Louis-Dreyfus' gift for physical comedy.

"There are some comedians who think physical comedy is beneath them," he said. "But she was just fearless and ego-less."

At the end of the night, Louis-Dreyfus accepted her award with an extended comedic bit and a few shots at new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The veteran comedic actress first drew laughs by repeatedly referencing her true life's ambition to be a respected dramatic actress_stopping in mid-speech to deliver a monologue from Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice."

A native of the Washington suburbs in Maryland, Louis-Dreyfus is a graduate of the elite Holton-Arms school, alma mater of Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of assault.

Louis-Dreyfus make a veiled but unmistakable reference to Ford's testimony_framing it around her performance in high school of the play "Serendipity."

"I can remember every single aspect of that play that night, so much so that I would testify under oath about it," she said, to a round of laughter and applause. "But I can't remember who drove me there or who drove me home."

Louis-Dreyfus emerged from Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe before joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live." After her nine-year run on "Seinfeld," her turn as Vice President Selina Meyer on "Veep" earned her six consecutive Emmy Awards.

The upcoming seventh and final season of "Veep" was delayed as Louis-Dreyfus received treatment for breast cancer. That season is currently in production.

PBS will air the Twain event on Nov. 19.
Sajin Shrijith By

Express News Service

Debutant Maju KB's French Viplavam, which was supposed to release last month, will be finally hitting theatres on Friday. The film is actor Sunny Wayne's next theatrical release after Kayamkulam Kochunni. Apart from Sunny Wayne, Lal and Chemban Vinod Jose will also appear in key roles.

The film, set in 1996, explores the aftermath of the liquor ban in a village, says Maju. "The inhabitants of that village are ordinary folks. How they deal with this challenge forms the crux of the story. It revolves around four friends and their families. There is also a romance track. We also indirectly touch upon topics like drugs, foreign liquor, etc., through other characters."

Three scriptwriters have penned the filmAnwar Ali, Shajeer Sha and Shajeer Jaleel. Maju says this film was the writers' long-cherished dream, and their friends Shajeer Jaleel and Jafar Khan agreed to bankroll the project. Maju has also contributed to the script. "I've incorporated a few of my own ideas. I and my friend R Jayakumar wrote the dialogues."

The makers have adopted a realistic tone for the narrative. The film is replete with long takes, says Maju. "Using the single-shot approach helped greatly with the editing. We went for an experimental, never-before-seen style. It was a big challenge, especially for a first-timer like me. However, we managed to finish everything ahead of schedule, in 22 days."

Maju recalls that when Sunny Wayne gave him the green light and asked him to start work in three weeks, he got a bit nervous. "He liked the story and wanted to see a script, but it wasn't fully ready yet. But I took it as a challenge and said yes to him regardless. We finalised the locations and gathered the actors in three weeks. Everyone was so co-operative."

A former travel consultant, Maju was always passionate about cinema and wanted to be a part of it in some capacity. "I had zero experience in filmmaking, so naturally it was a bit difficult to get into this," says Maju.

He cites director Lijo Jose Pellissery, also a friend of his, as an inspiration. "Knowing Lijo helped me a lot. He taught me a lot of things. I got to spend 10 days on the set of Ee Ma Yau. I've studied all his films. He was very encouraging when I told him about my plan to make my directorial debut with this film."
Gopinath Rajendran By

Express News Service

Speaking about everything from family honour to festivals, Sandakozhi 2, which was released last week, made its way into the list of other rural-centric films of this year which got a good reception from the audience.

Films such as Mannar Vagaiyara, Madura Veeran, Semma, and the much celebrated Kadaikutty Singam, all received good reviews and set the cash registers ringing. Tamil cinema has a long tradition of rural subjects, and with films like Kalavani 2 and Kumki 2 lined up for the rest of this year, its clear that village-based stories have not gone out of trend. Heres what some directors known for choosing the fertile sands of our villages rather than the blazing tarmacs of the city as the backdrop for their films, have to say about the gratification of doing such films.

Gangai Amaran

Karagattakaran, Enga Ooru Pattukaran, Kozhi Koovuthu

The pleasure of making a film set in a village is incomparable. Instead of focusing on action and violence, Ive always stuck to the softer emotions which are at the heart of life in villages. We lived in the villages, and so were able to bring in a lot of authenticity to the scenes we added to our films. As caste-based violence has started to make headlines, more films are made with that as the core subject. But something like Thaikkupin Tharam (1956), which spoke about families, is the kind of cinema we should be making. I like the stories coming out today based in a rural backdrop, but I cant relate to the way theyre shot. Take the way they grandly show a thiruvizha, for example. I find it to be too cinematic. I prefer films that are closer to reality. I enjoyed Merku Thodarchi Malai. Well-established actors should do more such films.

Seenu Ramasamy

Thenmerku Paruvakaatru, Neerparavai, Dharma Durai

A while back, how well a film did in villages was the deciding factor for a films success. Now that producers have moved to the city, films have become a four-day business  from Friday to Monday. And now, the four or five major cities and towns with multiplexes have become the deciding factor. This translates into the urban backdrop being chosen more often. I wouldnt classify films as urban or rural. Id call them regional and more regional. Rural films are a window into the different cultures and traditions, which vary from village to village, let alone districts. The conventions, emotions, and even the feudal values are more in villages compared to the cities. But this doesnt mean urban films dont have emotions in them. Thats why I prefer to view them as regional and more regional films.

Kasthuri Raja

En Rasavin Manasile, Solaiyamma, Ettupatti Rasa

Village films are not important to Tamil film industry alone but for Tamil society as a whole. These stories are the true slice of a Tamilians life. Village films are a shout out to our culture and tradition. I never construct sets for my films. If I want to shoot a cooking scene, Ill choose a random house and shoot it inside that kitchen. Periya anda vechu keppakazhi kadaiya mudiyathu. In En Rasavin Manasile, we talk about how a Tamilian wears a veshti  thats the true essence of a village film. In a rural subject, a sickle can be used for many reasons, but in an urban film, its only for action. Violence in rural films has a justification. If you take films based on relationships, a city-centric film will only need the lead pair, but a village film will also look at both their families. With people leaving villages to go abroad these days, they prefer seeing films based on their current lifestyles. What they dont realise is that their souls are still rooted in our soil. Dhanushs passport will still read Dhanush K Raja even if he goes to Hollywood. Similarly, village films are our identity.

Sargunam

Kalavani, Vaagai Sooda Vaa, Chandi Veeran

Not just for Tamil films, every regions films across the world (mann sarndha padangal) are important. For example, if we want to know the way of living, dressing sense, the way they conversed, and so on, of those who lived in the 70s, we dont have any government records for it. But a film such as 16 Vayathinile (1977) will give you a glimpse of it. Though urban subjects also do this to an extent, village films are what truly reflect the lives of our people. For example, in Vaagai Sooda Vaa, we showed mudskipper fish climbing up a tree. Thats something the rest of the world wont know; its something unique to us.The number of stories from rural scripts is phenomenal, thanks to the kind of people one can encounter in villages. Bharathiraaja sir has documented this in his films well. Showing our culture is what will make our films stand apart in the international stage. Whats the point of copying from Hollywood films and calling them world-class films? We sent Barfi! as Indias official entry for the Oscars, but its inspired from Charlie Chaplin films. How can we expect them to give us an Oscar for that? Village films, if sent to festivals, will bring us due recognition.

Ponram

Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam, Rajini Murugan, Seema Raja

We all came to the city from villages, so were able to intricately showcase a scene if its a rural film. Almost 75 per cent of those in Chennai are from outside the city, so they love to watch village-based films. Rajini sir and Vijayakanth sir used to do a lot of such films. All the actors these days have done rural films to address the B and C centres, though some are hesitant to do them often because they dont want to get typecast. Producers too prefer rural scripts as the overall expense is considerably less. Getting permission to shoot inside the city is tough, and it can cost anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 3,00,000. Theres also a lot of disturbance if shooting in the city. We can control the environment better when we shoot in villages. Village films used to be the trend back in the day, and now, I think theres a good mix. If everyone keeps making the same kind of films, naange enna panrathu? (laughs)
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: The new 50-50 formula devised by BJP and JD(U) for sharing Bihars 40 Lok Sabha seats among NDAs four parties faced trouble on Tuesday as Ram Vilas Paswans LJP and Upendra Kushwahas RLSP rejected it.

While LJP upped the ante, demanding additional seats in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, RLSP said it expects to get more than three seats to contest in Bihar. Sources the 50-50 formula floated by BJP and JD(U) has caused deep disappointments in the two smaller NDA partners.

READ HERE: Upendra Kushwaha says some in NDA dont want Narendra Modi as PM again

As per the new formula, which is yet to be officially announced, BJP and JD(U) would contest on 17 seats each and allot the rest six seats to LJP and RLSP. While LJP would get four seats, RLSP would get two. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, LJP had contested on seven seats and won six, while RLSP had won all the three seats it had contested.

These seat-sharing numbers are based on speculation in the media, but we will not accept any less than seven seats. Besides, we also expect to be allotted seats in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand as we also have a strong support base there, said LJPs Bihar president Pasupati Kumar Paras, who is also a minister in the state government.

ALSO READ: I did not seek milk from RJD nor sugar from BJP: Upendra Kushwaha

RLSP national general secretary and spokesperson Madhaw Anand rejected the 50-50 formula, saying there has been no formal meeting of NDA over sharing of seats in Bihar and a final decision on this is due.

If any such formula comes up in total disregard of RLSPs enhanced support base in Bihar, we will reject it. Our aim for 2019 is the same as BJPs  to ensure that Narendra Modi becomes PM again. So we expect to get more than three seats, he added.

READ HERE: Ram Vilas Paswan's daughter set to contest against him in Bihar's Hajipur Lok Sabha seat

Sources in BJP and JD(U) said the new formula is the result of the one-upmanship game between the two parties, which resumed their alliance last year after a four-year break. This formula has been agreed upon amid indications that RLSP could switch sides, said a senior BJP leader.
By IANS

KOLKATA: A 100-year-old woman was brutally raped allegedly by a 20-year-old youth in the middle of the night in West Bengal's Nadia district, the police said on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: 102-year-old man charged with indecent assault in Australia

"The incident took place on Monday night. Argha Biswas alias Abhijit was caught by the family members of the old woman. A complaint was filed on Tuesday," an officer of the Chakdah police station said.

The culprit from the Gangaprasadpur area has been arrested and presented before the court.

The proceedings are going on and the centenarian has been released from the hospital after the required medical tests.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked two forensic auditors to file a detailed status report by Thursday regarding their progress in the Amrapali case.

The two forensic auditors -- Ravinder Bhatia and Pawan Aggarwal -- on Wednesday submitted to the apex court's division bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra and also comprising Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, that there could be a threat to their lives. But at present, the threat does not seem to be imminent, they appraised the top court.

To this, the court said "If you think or you even slightly feel that there is a threat perception to both of your lives, please you (forensic auditors) inform us or the lawyer's connected to the case. We will take proper steps and ensure your safety and security."

The two auditors further submitted to the apex court that the six office premises of Amrapali in Noida and Greater Noida had been opened, and these are being inquired into.

The top court also sought information from the auditors regarding the timeline to inquire all the documents. The auditors, in response, said they are at present making a detailed catalogue of all the documents and will take more time.

The court fixed the matter for further hearing on Friday.
By UNI

AMRITSAR: Punjab government on Wednesday provided Rs five lakh financial assistance each to nine more victim families of those killed in recent train mishap at Joura Phatak crossing.

The state government has so far given cheques for Rs 5 lakh each to 38 families.

The assistance in the form of cheques was presented to the affected families by cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria in the presence of Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu.

The Ministers also shared the grief of the families.

While handing over the cheques, Mr Mohindra said that the Punjab government stands shoulder to shoulder with the victim families in their hour of grief.

ALSO READ | Amritsar train tragedy: Explaining why loco pilot failed to stop train

He said that of the total 58 tragedy-stricken families, 38 have been financial aids.

He also said that the remaining would also get assistance very soon.

On the occasion, Mr Sarkaria said that though the loss of life in the mishap is irreparable but the financial assistance provided by the Punjab government would bring some succour to the victim families.

He said that injured would also be provided financial assistance Rs 50,000 each soon.

The state government, he said, would undertake every step for the rehabilitation of the affected families as it feels their pain.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The BJP, which is trying to capture power in Congress-ruled Mizoram, is importing tribal leaders from neighbouring Tripura to warm up to the ethnic minorities ahead of November 28 polls.



The ethnic minorities  Chakmas and Reangs (Brus)  have sizeable populations in five of the states 40 Assembly constituencies. The BJP has set its sights on these seats.



Tripura minister Santana Chakma and MLA Pramod Reang are among BJP leaders currently on a recce of the constituencies to try and understand the pulse of voters.

ALSO READ: Tribal outfit rakes up Chakma issue ahead of Mizoram Assembly polls



The Reangs are miffed with the Congress for allegedly doing little on the development front in their areas. They are also not happy over the manner in which the states Congress government is handling the issue of Reang refugees, lodged in relief camps in Tripura. The Lal Thanhawla government stands opposed to the refugees demand for the creation of an area development council for the Brus.



Similarly, the Chakmas are not happy with the government for denying quota to them. Last year, the states lone Chakma minister, Buddha Dhan Chakma, had resigned alleging racial discrimination. He had put in his paper after four Chakma students were denied seats in medical colleges despite clearing the National Entrance and Eligibility Test.



The BJP is now trying to keep the ethnic minorities in a good humour. The party has been successful to some extent as evident from its winning five seats in the Chakma Autonomous District Council election in April. This was for the first time that the BJP had won a seat in any election in Mizoram. Elsewhere in the state, the BJP hardly has any base.



They (BJP leadership) are talking big. They say they have conquered all states in the Northeast. Now, they will capture power in Mizoram. I will be surprised if the BJP goes on to win even five seats, a BJP legislator from Tripura told TNIE requesting anonymity.



He said the Mizos, who are in a large majority, would not vote for the Hindu party BJP.



The fight is expected between Congress and regional Mizo National Front (MNF). The MNF received a shot in the arms after four Congress MLAs, including a minister, had defected to the party over the past few days.



The MNF is an ally of BJP in non-Congress conglomerate of political parties North East Democratic Alliance. However, despite that, both parties decided to fight it alone. Mizoram is the last Congress-ruled state in the Northeast. The BJP is ruling the rest of the states with or without allies.
Visitors take photos in front of the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, where the China International Import Expo will be held. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

The upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) has been a big boon to revitalize the world economy, Bangladeshi experts said on Tuesday.

Experts here believed the mega expo in Shanghai is the most significant event which China has so far arranged because it demonstrates China's renewed determination to open its door wider for trade and investment amid the rise of protectionism.

They said the CIIE, to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, will open up enormous commercial opportunities fro participants from about 130 countries and regions, many of which have joined the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, proposed in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.

Munshi Faiz Ahmad, chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), said this is a clear manifestation of Beijing's commitment to holding out its arms open wide to the world.

"This expo is a significant move from the end of top Chinese leadership to facilitate countries and regions all over the world to bolster economic and trade cooperation," said the BIISS chairman.

He said this will surely help promote global trade and world economic growth in order to advance the development of an open world economy.

Citing a report released by the Chinese government, Ahmad said China had lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty through 40 years of reform and opening-up. Against this backdrop, the expo in Shanghai is aimed at firmly supporting trade liberalization and economic globalization and actively opening the Chinese market to the world.

Ahmad said he saw domestic consumption as the most important driver of the Chinese economy, as suggested by the supply-side reforms, adding that the Chinese economy has also "shifted from quantity to quality with a sharp rise in the number of middle-income Chinese."

"China acts timely to support the countries facing economic hurdles in the face of an increasing protectionist tendency," said the expert.

Experts here said China is sincere in its efforts to build the expo into a world-class one so as to promote world economy and global trade as well as to achieve common prosperity.

Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director of Bangladesh's Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), told Xinhua that traditional Chinese trade fairs emphasized on what Chinese firms could sell to the global markets.

But for the first time, he said, a special event is organized to tout foreign companies selling to China.

The researcher from Bangladesh's leading think tank said the CIIE, for the participants, is not merely an opportunity to have more market in China but also elsewhere in the world.

He said the expo will be a platform for countries like Bangladesh to seek new untapped opportunities in commerce by establishing trade links with many countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes.

Undoubtedly, he said, opportunities lie for all countries to revitalize their economies.

If the expo meets its goal as set by China, Moazzem said, all the countries of the world, especially those which joined the Belt and Road Initiative, will yield maximum benefits for their people.

"So far we understand this (event) will emerge as an alternative to the current (trade) platforms of the world."
Ramananda Sengupta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday lodged a strong diplomatic protest against the killing of three Indian troopers by Pakistani intruders in Rajouri near the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday, and demanded that Islamabad take back the bodies of two of its terrorists killed in the encounter.

A senior official in the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and a demarche was made lodging strong protest at the fatal casualties of Indian soldiers during an attempted cross border infiltration on 21 October 2018 by Pakistani terrorists in Sunderbani Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, an MEA release said Tuesday.

It was informed that two Pakistani armed intruders have been killed by the Indian security forces during the ensuing firefight and the Government of Pakistan take custody of the dead bodies of its nationals, it said.

The Ministry, condemned in the strongest terms such provocative action by Pakistan, which reveals their complicity in aiding and abetting terrorism and exposes the hollowness of Pakistans deceitful claims to promote constructive engagement and desire for peace, it said.

The troops died in a fierce encounter with heavily armed Pakistani intruders, said Indian Army spokesman Lt Colonel Devender Anand, adding that the Army too had requested the Pakistani military to take back the bodies of the two intruders killed on Sunday.

The same day, seven civilians were killed in Kulgam in South Kashmir when locals stormed an encounter site where security forces were battling a group of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists from Pakistan. While six of the civilians died when explosives left over by some slain terrorists went off, another was killed in the cross-fire between the terrorists and security forces. Three terrorists were also killed, and 30 civilians were injured in the clashes with the police

On Monday, The MEA had reacted sharply to newly-elected Pakistan PM Imran Khans tweet condemning Indian atrocities in Kashmir, and demanding that India abide by UN resolutions on Kashmir. Pakistan leadership should look inwards and address its own issues, said MEA spokersperson Raveesh Kumar.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: A month after the Narendra Modi government passed an ordinance making the illegal practice of instant triple-talaq a punishable offence carrying a jail term of up to three years, the first case under it in Madhya Pradesh has been registered in the poll-bound states Jhabua district, which neigbours the PMs home state Gujarat.

The man

A case under the newly promulgated Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018 was registered at Meghnagar police station of MPs Jhabua district against Dahod (Gujarat) resident Arif Hussain Diwan and mother Hussain Bano on Wednesday. While Arif has been arrested, mother Hussain Bano is absconding.

According to Meghnagar police station in-charge Kushalsingh Rawat, the victim woman, who is a native of Sherani Mohalla in Meghnagar (Jhabua) was married to Dahod (Gujarat) resident Arif 10 years back. The couple has two children, including a daughter and son.

Right since marriage, Arif allegedly tortured wife for being obese. Unable to tolerate repeated mental and physical agony, the woman came to her brothers house in Meghnagar recently. On October 12, Arif along with mother Hussain Bano to Meghnagar and verbally and physically abused his wife. Arif and mother also demanded dowry from the womans paternal family, before Arif uttered talaq-talaq-talaq to the woman to pronounce instant triple talaq to her.

ALSO READ: CPI(M) opposes triple talaq ordinance, says it's 'undemocratic'

On Tuesday, the woman along with her kin came to Meghnagar police station and reported the entire episode, after which the police first booked her husband Arif and mother-in-law Hussain Bano under Sections 323, 498A, 506 and 34 of IPC.

The woman and her children.

The Meghnagar police station in-charge added that on Wednesday, the statements of the victim woman and witnesses were recorded before a court in Petlawad (Jhabua). After the recording of statements, the police registered a case under relevant sections of Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018. While, the victim womans husband Arif has been arrested, co-accused mother-in-law is absconding.

This case is the first case registered under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018 in Madhya Pradesh.
By UNI

NEW DELHI: Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has announced an exgratia of Rs 5 lakh for those killed, Rs 1 lakh to the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries.

Offering his condolence to the families of victims of the overcrowding accident at Santragachhi, Kolkata, Goyal announced the compensation after the tragedy on Tuesday evening.

''Ex gratia compensation of Rs 5L will be given to kin of the deceased, Rs 1L to the seriously injured & Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,'' office of Mr Goyal tweeted.

At least two persons were killed and 14 injured, some of them seriously, in a stampede on the footbridge at busy Santragachhi station on Tuesday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who along with Chief Secretary, State Director General of Police and other senior State Government officials rushed to the spot, announced a compensation of Rs Five Lakh to the bereaved families and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

She said two persons were killed in the stampede, while 12 were undergoing treatment of whom the condition of one was stated to be critical.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear on Friday CBI director Alok Kumar Vermas plea challenging the decision of sending him on leave.

Advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan, who was also advocate for ED official Rajeshwar Singh, mentioned Vermas petition before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi who fixed the hearing for Friday.

Verma in his plea mentioned that the investigating officers of sensitive cases were being changed.

The ACC headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered that Rao shall look after duties and functions of Director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect.

During brief arguments, Shankarnarayanan told the bench that government at 6 am in the morning asked both Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to go on leave which will affect many sensitive cases.

Verma also challenged the decision to give interim charge of the agency to Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao.

ALSO READ: Internal squabble in CBI shocking and unprecedented: Former officials

The Centre had on Tuesday taken note of the CBI's internal feud and passed an order sending the CBI chief Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on leave and gave the agency's charge to Rao with immediate effect.

CBI DIG MAnish Kumar Sinha, DIG Taurn Gauba, DIG Jasbir Singh, DIG Anish Prasad, DIG KR Chaurasia, HoB Ram Gopal and SP Satish Dagar have been transferred. They were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana. pic.twitter.com/jOEkOMld9m  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

Sources called it the first such case in CBI's history.

The story is developing and more clarity is likely to happen after the government issues a detailed statement which is expected in the day, they said.

The order implies that the government has sidelined all the three additional directors, number three in the agency hierarchy, including A K Sharma whose name had figured in the complaint by Asthana.

There were reports that the CBI Headquarters had been sealed and officials or outsiders were not being allowed as a team of officers was inside, the sources said.

CBI's JD (P)Arun Kumar Sharma, A Sai Manohar, HoZ V Murugesan and DIG Amit Kumar have been transferred/posted. They were a part of the team probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana. pic.twitter.com/VWgI8KgkWU  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

However, the building has now been opened.

On Tuesday, a Delhi court allowed the CBI to a quiz in custody for seven days its Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who has been arrested in connection with bribery allegations involving Asthana.

The Delhi High Court, on the same day, directed the investigating agency to maintain status quo on criminal proceedings initiated against Asthana, while also clarifying no stay on the ongoing corruption probe against the IPS officer from Gujarat cadre.

During the hearing, CBI said charges against Asthana are serious and the agency was investigating the matter and is likely to add more offences in the FIR.

Asthana's counsel and senior advocate Amrendra Sharan said it is the case of illegal registration of FIR against the Special CBI Director which is based on the statement of accused.

The court also took a strong exception to CBI's remark that Asthana's presence in the organisation was akin to the pest in the wood.

(With Inputs from PTI)
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: At a time the people in Assam are hitting the streets in protest against the Centres move to pass the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, a leader of influential All Assam Students Union (AASU) has embraced the gun to protect and secure a sovereign Assam.

Pankaj Pratim Dutta joined the Paresh Baruah faction of United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) a month after he had gone missing while on a trip to Guwahati. He was the vice-president of

AASUs Dergaon unit.

That Dutta joined the ULFA-I was known after he had shared a video of him on social media holding a gun and narrating the reasons why he joined the outfit.

I have joined the ULFA-I on my own volition. I apologise to AASU members in Dergaon for taking this decision without informing them. I firmly believe that to be able to protect the existence of Assam,

there is no other alternative. We need Assams sovereignty to protect its existence. Thats the reason I joined the ULFA-I. We, the Assamese people, were once warriors but now, we are forced to stoop to the Government of India even for petty issues, Dutta said in the video.

He asked the Government of India not to belittle the handful of ULFA guerillas saying they were troubling the Indian Army and they would keep doing so.

This is the first instance of a member of AASU joining an insurgent group in the past 15 years.

There have been numerous such cases in the past. However, in the past 15 years or so, no one from AASU, except him, joined the ULFA, AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath told TNIE.

Duttas joining the outfit comes amidst statewide protests against the Citizenship Bill. It seeks to grant citizenship to the persecuted non-Muslim immigrants of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who

migrated to India till December 31, 2014. The Assamese organisations say the bill is aimed at dumping lakhs of Hindu Bangladeshis (read Bengali Hindu immigrants) in Assam.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: After a photo showing Bihar Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav in the company of a criminal surfaced, the ruling JD(U) on Wednesday stepped up its attacks on Yadav and said he may use criminals to facilitate his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs escape from Ranchi jail.

Tejashwi Yadav was seen with notorious criminal Suresh Chaudhary in what is apparently a group selfie taken during the RJD leaders ongoing statewide Samvidhan Bachao Nyay Yatra campaign in Gopalganj on Tuesday. Chaudhary, a dreaded criminal with several cases of murder and abduction lodged against him, is seen wearing a green angavastram symbolizing his support for RJD.

JD(U) leaders on Wednesday released another photograph showing Chaudhary sitting in the front row of the audience at a rally addressed by Yadav in Gopalganj on the third day of his public campaign against NDA.

Yadavs meeting with the family members of jailed don-turned-politician and former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin in Siwan on Monday was also questioned by JD(U) and its ally BJP. Shahabuddin, convicted in a double murder case of 2004, is currently serving life term at Delhis Tihar jail. He is also an accused in the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in 2016, a case being probed by CBI.

Shahabuddin, who served as MP for four terms, was shifted to Tihar jail from Bhagalpur jail last year to ensure a fair trial in the criminal cases against him. He still wields considerable influence on voters in Siwan and Gopalganj, which is why RJD is yet to snap ties with him.

ALSO READ: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav suffering from depression: RIMS medical report

The ongoing yatra of Tejashwi Yadav has once again exposed the ties he and his party have with dreaded criminals. We apprehend that he may use criminals to make a bid to ensure his fathers escape from judicial custody in Ranchi, said JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Neeraj Kumar. He also shot off a letter to the DGP of Jharkhand urging him to raise the security around Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is serving time in jail following his conviction in four fodder scam cases.

READ: Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti admits to discord between her brothers

But RJD leaders rubbished JD(U)s charges and apprehensions as baseless. They (JDU) are feeling so frustrated because of the huge crowds of people turning up at Tejashwi Yadavs rallies that they have resorted to alarm-mongering. They are forgetting how an accused in a hooch tragedy had visited CM Nitish Kumars residence and taken photos with him last year, said RJD legislator and spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav.
By PTI

BHUBANESWAR: The 1986 batch Odisha cadre IPS officer M Nageswar Rao, who has been made interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is known for his acumen in handling disasters in the state as well as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The selection of Rao to head CBI was lauded by many as the country's premier investigation agency is, for the first time in its history, hit by a situation akin to a disaster.

Describing Rao as a competent officer, former Odisha DGP Gopal Nanda said the former's experience will help in proper functioning of the agency.

Rao is considered a "crisis manager" in the Odisha Police circle and has often engaged in difficult situations, he said.

He is the second Odisha cadre officer to head the CBI.

Earlier, Uma Shankar Mishra of the Odisha cadre had worked as the director of the CBI.

Rao, as the Additional Director General of Fire Service and Home Guards of Odisha, had displayed excellent performance in disaster management during cyclone Philin in 2013 and Hudhud in 2014, recalled a senior officer.

Rao's team in 2014 bagged the first Chief Ministers award for Excellence in Governance and Innovation in Public Service for outstanding work during cyclone Phailin and Hudhud.

The IPS officer was also awarded Rs 5 lakh prize.

As cyclone Hudhud hit Visakhapatnam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had asked Rao to lead a team of more than 500 Fire Service personnel for rescue operations, an officer said.

The Andhra Pradesh government and people of Visakhapatanam highly appreciated the commendable work of the Odisha Fire Service under Rao's leadership.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu had felicitated Rao in a public function in Visakhapatanam.

A recipient of President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service, President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service, Special Duty Medal and Odisha Governor's Medal, Rao demonstrated his acumen in the police from day one of his posting as Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Talcher in 1989-90.

In the 80s and 90s, Talcher was known as the 'second Dhanbad' for coal smuggling and criminal activities.

Rao, then a young IPS officer, effectively controlled the situation and earned appreciation from one and all.

Rao has also worked as SP of Mayurbhanj, Nabarangapur, Bargarh and Jagatsinghpur districts.

He was also SP, Railways at Rourkela and Cuttack as well as SP of Crime Branch.

In Mayurbhanj, Rao took special interest in launching a programme targeting Lodha tribes members, who had adopted crime as their profession for generations.

With assistance and guidance from then Mayurbhanj district collector Hawa Singh Cahar, Rao brought reform in the community and effectively persuaded the tribe to refrain from crime.

Rao has also earned the distinction of being the first police officer in Odisha to use DNA finger printing technique in crime investigation and detected an unknown rape case when he was SP of Jagatsinghpur district in 1996.

The rape case ended in conviction of the accused for seven years.

A post-graduate in Chemistry from Osmania University, Rao used his ability to use science in crime detection and solved the rape case.

He had also undertaken research work at IIT-Madras before joining the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1986.

Hailing from Mangapet village of Warangal district in Telangana, Rao also contributed as an SP Crime Branch in successful prosecution and getting the main accused Belu Das convicted in the 1991 Hooch tragedy that killed more than 200 people in Cuttack.

He was known for detecting Urea diversion scam in Nabarangpur district and Sulphur scam in the Paradeep Phosphates Limited in Paradip.

His anti-insurgency works in Manipur as DIG (Operations) of CRPF also earned him a lot of praise.

As IGP, CRPF, Eastern Sector, Kolkata, he personally led Lalgarh operations against the Naxals in 2008.

Rao was instrumental in establishing CoBRA Battalion of CRPF and sanctioning of 2nd Group Centre of CRPF at Sambalpur.

As IG CRPF, Rao also played a key role in defusing tension in riot-hit Kandhamal in 2008.
Thiruvannathapuram S Ramakrishnan By

Political parties scoring own goals is not unheard of. Left parties in general, and the CPM in particular, have been known for this extraordinary skill, which is inimitable. By not understanding the aspirations of people who want to take part in economic activities in free market conditions, Left parties became irrelevant nationally a long time ago.

They retained their dominance in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura till the last decade, and began losing states one after the other. It all started with West Bengal: Losing an election or two is one thing, losing relevance is altogether another. The CPM not only lost West Bengal to the TMC, it forfeited even the runner-up position to the BJP. With the TMC hijacking both the ideology and violence to terrorise political parties, the core of the CPM shifted completely to the TMC, leaving only a shell behind.

It is to be seen whether the BJP will be able to win more seats than the TMC in West Bengal in the 2019 elections. Mamata Banerjee has realised the folly in going too far to appease Muslims, and took aU-turn and allotted state funds for Durga Pooja pandals.The fact is, although they have been in politics since Independence, CPM leaders have not even been as smart as the West Bengal CM, as is evident in the Sabarimala temple controversy. CPM leaders have never been in the habit of sensing the ground reality correctly. Kerala has been ruled by either Left governments (UDF) or left-of-Left governments (LDF). And since the CPM invariably gets the lions share of the Hindu votes, it has taken for granted the deep-rooted traditions and beliefs of Keralas Hindus.

Keralites, including Hindus, consume more beef compared to people in any other state. Moreover, the CPM, which channels Marxist ideology in seeing religion as akin to a narcotic substance, has been entrenched here among Hindus for far too long than in any other state (In fact, it is Hindus who brought the party to power, not Muslims and Christians). Anybody who sees this could come to a hasty conclusion that Keralas Hindus are less pious and indifferent about their traditions and customs. That is the reading on the surface. But when the Sabarimala controversy grabbed headlines, an undercurrent was seen where Keralas Hindus were not unequivocal in their support of the CPM, at a time when their religious traditions are trampled on by the LDF government.

Anybody who wants to have a darshan of Sabarimala Ayyappa has to observe vrata (penance) for 41 days and is only then allowed to climb the sacred 18 steps before reaching Sannidhanam. There is no exemption from the vrata for anybody, whatever their social or economic status. The devotees go as a group, singing songs in praise of Lord Ayyappa, travelling, staying, cooking and eating together. It is not uncommon for the group to include devotees cutting across different social, educational and economic backgrounds. In that sense, the pilgrimage to Sabarimala Ayyappa is a great unifier. This is precisely the reason Hindus are protesting the entry of women of reproductive age into Sabarimala.

A man can take a decision to go to Sabarimala only after getting the consent of the family members and especially the lady of the house (mother or wife), as without their cooperation, a man cannot observe vrata for 41 days. It is not uncommon to see girls under 10 accompany their fathers or uncles. Women above 50 also may go to Sabarimala. As the number of trips by the pilgrim increases, faith in Lord Ayyappa rises not only in him but in other family members too. This is the reason women take to the streets, with portraits of Sabarimala Ayyappa, demanding the retention of the status quo. Unfortunately, this is not understood by many who have been asking why women are supporting this misogynistic practice of not permitting women between 10 and 50.

The moot question is what would be political outcome of this turmoil. Hindus form 55 per cent and Christians and Muslims together constitute 45 per cent of Keralas electorate. Although psephologists and political pundits have been saying that Kerala does not vote along religious lines, it is only partly true. That is, Keralas Hindus have been voting in large numbers for the CPM although it never cared for their religious traditions and beliefs. Unlike Hindus, Muslims and Christians have been voting for parties representing their religion. Since the Congress has been maintaining almost a permanent alliance with parties representing Muslims and Christians, the UDF headed by the Congress has been garnering a majority of Muslim and Christian votes. To win elections, the UDF needs only a fraction of the Hindu vote. If Congress had been in power in lieu of CPM and walked on the same path that the CPM did on the Sabarimala issue, it would have lost some Hindu votes, but its core Christian and Muslim votes would have remained intact or even been strengthened due to the hard stance on Hindu traditions and customs.

On the other hand, the CPM, which gets the majority of its votes from Keralas Hindus, failed to judge the seriousness of the faith they have in their traditions and customs. Keralas Hindus were never bothered about the hypocrisy of the LDF, when it was in power, in matters of faith concerning Christians and Muslims. But as the same sensitivity has not been shown by the LDF in the Sabarimala issue, they are not ready to forgive the LDF or the CPM. The Sabarimala controversy is the breaking point for Keralas Hindus who have tolerated the insensitivity of the CPM towards their faith for a long time. They are now left only with the option of moving towards the BJP, as the UDF never cared for their religious traditions either.

Kerala will likely face a bipolar contest, with Christians and Muslims supporting the Congress-led UDF, and the majority of Hindus supporting the BJP, leaving the third place for the LDF in the 2019 general elections. The CPM was in its element during the Sabarimala controversy and scored another own goal.

Thiruvannathapuram S Ramakrishnan

The author is a public policy and political analyst

Email: ramakrishnan@iima.ac.in
By Express News Service

KURNOOL: With the death of a person from Mantralayam on Tuesday, the swine flu toll in Kurnool district has risen to seven in the past one month. So far, 24 cases have been identified in the district, Collector S Satyanarayana told the media on Tuesday evening. Of the 24 positive cases reported in the district, seven died, while 11 are being treated at the Kurnool Government General Hospital.

Six persons have been discharged from hospitals after treatment, the Collector said.

Satyanarayana said the KGGH has well-equipped laboratory and they have also set up separate blocks in the hospital to give medical treatment to persons affected by swine flu. As many as 11 round-the-clock screening centres, including the ones at Srisailam and Mantralayam, were set up across the district, he added.

Primary screening medical test centres were also set up at all places, including bus stands and railway stations in all major towns, where people congregate in large numbers, he said.

The H1N1 virus spread in the district is a cause for concern, but there is nothing to worry as the medical administration is equipped with required medication and facilities to control and manage the spread of virus, he said.

The Collector also directed the managements of hospitals to ensure adequate stocks of drugs, vaccines and masks, besides establishing separate outpatient (OP) wings for men, women, children and senior citizens.

He appealed to the people to seek treatment, if anyone has been suffering from symptoms such as fever, cold, cough, breathlessness, fatigue, shivers, dysentery and body pains.

Later, the Collector held a meeting with Kurnool Government General Hospital Development Society to review the conditions in the government hospitals across the district and take precautionary measures.

KGGH Superintendent Dr P Chandrasekar, DM&HO Dr JVVRK Prasad and others were present.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Kannada actor Duniya Vijay is facing another allegation of assault, this time from his 18-year-old daughter from his first marriage. Monica has accused her father and his second wife Keerthi Gowda, besides three others, of assaulting her at his home. She has reportedly sustained a fracture in her right hand and is recovering at a private hospital.

Based on a complaint filed with the Girinagar police on Tuesday, an FIR has been registered against Vijay, Keerthi, his driver Mohammed and two others  Hemanth and Vinod  under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 324 (assault with deadly weapon), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

Monica has alleged that her father, stepmother and the three others abused and assaulted her before threatening her with dire consequences. She also alleged that they banged her head against a wall.

The incident allegedly happened at around 10.30 am on Monday when Monica, who lives with her mother Nagarathna at Kempegowda Layout, went to Vijays house in Girinagar after shopping to pick up her car keys, clothes, drivers licence and other documents. Monica stopped living with her father after he allegedly asked her to falsely testify on his behalf in an earlier case.

Vijay told reporters that it was a false case and that he has provided CCTV footage to the police regarding the incident.Soon after the incident was telecast on news channels, Vijay released a video that apparently showed Monica attempting to barge inside his house and trying to break the door with a stone and kicking it repeatedly.

Duniya Vijay was arrested by the High Grounds police in the third week of September for allegedly assaulting gym trainer Maruthi Gowda over a trivial row and was released from jail after nine days.
The final quarter of 2021 is on its way and theres so much positivity about the rapid growth of the...
President Xi Jinping, accompanied by leading officials of Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong province, tours the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, after attending its opening ceremony on Tuesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

President Xi Jinping hailed the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the worlds longest cross-sea bridge, which opened for traffic on Tuesday, as a pillar project of the country.

The State-level project demonstrates Chinas comprehensive national strength and innovation capability, Xi said.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, announced the opening of the 55-kilometer-long structure at an opening ceremony in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

More than 800 people attended the ceremony, including government officials of different levels and important contributors from various organizations.

After the ceremony, Xi spoke with representatives of the bridges construction and management teams on an artificial island, where the bridge and an undersea tunnel meet.

The president spoke highly of efforts by designers, builders and operators of the bridge as they have overcome difficulties and completed the project thanks to world-leading advanced technologies and management experience.

Noting that the bridge is an extraordinary project that has set a number of world records, Xi said it shows Chinas hardworking spirit, ability to innovate and ambition to realize world-class achievements.

It is a bridge representing confidence and rejuvenation, Xi said, adding that its opening has fostered strong confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The completion of the bridge has proved that socialism is achieved through hard work, as is the new era, Xi said.

Xi required that the bridge should not only be of high quality, but also be maintained well, thus fulfilling its function and role in building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Vice-Premier Han Zheng said in his address at the opening ceremony that building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a national strategy planned and promoted by Xi.

The opening of the bridge will be helpful for exchanges of people, economy and trade among three areas  Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao  which has great significance for Hong Kong and Macao to integrate with the countrys development, he said.

Also attending the ceremony were Vice-Premier Liu He, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission He Lifeng, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Macao SAR Fernando Chui Sai-on, Guangdong Party Secretary Li Xi and Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui.

The construction of the HZMB started in 2009. The sea span, including a 6.7-km island and tunnel project, across the Pearl River Estuary was built with some of the worlds most complicated and advanced technologies.

The bridge will reduce travel time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macao from four hours to about 45 minutes.

The bridge, which is mainly located in Chinese mainland waters, will be managed by the HZMB Authority, which was jointly founded by the governments of Guangdong province and the Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR in 2010. It will be responsible for the operation, maintenance and management of the bridge.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Students, who failed to appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year, can still secure admissions for AYUSH courses, thanks to a recent high court order. AYUSH courses include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Sidda and Homeopathy.

The seat allotment process is currently underway, and the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has decided to allow even non-NEET students to get admissions to AYUSH courses.

However, such students can apply only after the admission process is completed for the students who appeared for the NEET.

After the completion of admissions for NEET students, the non-NEET students can directly go to colleges and get admissions, said a KEA official.

Earlier, as per an order issued by the Union Ministry of AYUSH and the state Department of Health and family welfare, NEET was made mandatory even for AYUSH courses.

But following complaints from college managements that they were unable to fill seats for AYUSH courses with just NEET-qualified candidates, the high court had passed an order, allowing even non-NEET students to take admissions in AYUSH courses this year.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid criticism the India Meteorological Department (IMD) failed to provide adequate warnings during the mid-August floods, Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary M Rajeevan underlined the importance of accurately interpreting weather-related warnings issued by IMD.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Cyclone Warning Centre at the IMD Meteorological Centre here on Tuesday.

He said weather prediction involves probabilities and no organisation can give accurate forecasts every single time. But if we give eight correct forecasts out of 10, the question is how the eight forecasts can be put to use to save lives and minimise damage. That is the skill the state government has to acquire. We will be happy to provide support as well as guidance to the government, he said.

General rainfall predictions made for the entire country cannot be used for dam management, he said.

Rajeevan said the ministry has received the states letter criticising the accuracy of IMD forecasts and the matter will be looked into.

IMD plans to set up more automatic weather stations and automatic rain gauges in the state as part of improving weather forecasts, he said. The intensity of rainfall events is increasing in states including Kerala, he said. The Central Water Commission plans to establish a flood-warning system for Kerala and the IMD will provide adequate support to the system with weather forecasts, he said.

IMD director general K J Ramesh said the government weather agency is in the process of introducing impact-based forecast systems and risk-based warning mechanism for all coastal districts. Additional Chief Secretary P H Kurian, IMD Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre head (services) M Mohapatra, Regional Meteorological Centre (Chennai) deputy director general S Balachandran and Thiruvananthapuram unit director K Santhosh spoke.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the Sabarimala temple was closed after the monthly pooja, ending week-long tension, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hit out at the Sangh Parivar for hatching a conspiracy to turn the hill shrine into a conflict zone.

ALSO READ | Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan hits out at BJP, RSS for violent Sabarimala protests

Once again, making it categorically clear the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala will be implemented, he accused the Parivar of a pre-planned move to create trouble. Attacks were unleashed against women who came to the temple. Simultaneously, their houses were attacked. It shows the Parivar protests were part of a pre-planned and deliberate move to create tension, he said.

The government respects the sentiments of devotees and their faith. At the same time, it has a constitutional responsibility to implement the apex court verdict. Sabarimala is a place of worship. Hence, peace should be maintained there. The efforts by the Sangh Parivar are to make it a tension zone. The government cannot and will not allow the same, said Pinarayi while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

As part of creating an atmosphere of tension, even women who are not in the 10-50 age group were blocked, he said.

Responding to questions, Pinarayi said the police maintained utmost restraint even when the protesters set up a pandhal. Neither the government nor the police tried to block any devotees. The police action came after the protesters began checking vehicles, blocking devotees and attacking women devotees in addition to attacks on media personnel.

The kind of attacks on the media were of a nature unheard in Keralas history. They wanted the media to report as per their wish. Otherwise, they will be attacked, said the CM.

ALSO READ | Sabarimala protests: Five women turned back on manic Monday

The Sangh Parivar protesters had taken law into their hands and unleashed attacks against devotees. He said the Parivar attempted to send protesters under the guise of devotees.

The CM referred to incidents where women officials who came for the review meeting were also checked by some protesters and reportedly by some Devaswom Board employees. It should be viewed seriously and the board should intervene.

Pinarayi also charged the Sangh Parivar and the BJP of trying to create communal divide within the police force. In an apparent reference to attacks on IGs Manoj Abraham and S Sreejith  who were on duty at Sabarimala  he said attempts were made to isolate and target police officers.

CM to meet cops today

The CM has called a high-level meeting of police officers in the capital on Wednesday to review the steps taken in connection with the womens entry issue. State police chief Loknath Behera, ADGPs Anil Kanth and Vinod Kumar and the SPs of Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam will attend the meeting scheduled for 11 am. The meeting will discuss the law and order situation in Sabarimala, the measures adopted and the future course of action on cases registered in connection with the violence.

Government plans restrictions

In the forthcoming Sabarimala season, the state government is planning major steps to ensure law and order. Enforcing the online system to restrict devotees is expected soon. As a first step, there could be steps to limit the number of devotees reaching the temple at any point of time. Nobody will be allowed to stay in Sannidhanam for more than a certain period.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Commissionerate Police on Tuesday arrested strategic affairs writer Abhijit Iyer Mitra for his comments denigrating the cultural heritage of Odisha and its lawmakers.Mitra was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed against him at Sahid Nagar police station here. Police had registered a case against Mitra under Sections 294, 295A, 153 A, 500 and 506 of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. Later on the day, Mitra was remanded to 14-day judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected by a local court.

Earlier, the Assembly Committee asked Mitra to appear in person again on November 2 and submit an affidavit on the comments made by him. Soon after he reached the State Assembly hall no-14 with his lawyer amid tight security, Mitra was questioned by the House Committee in two phases and his statement was recorded.

Leader of Opposition and Chairman of the Assembly Committee Narasingh Mishra told mediapersons that Mitra has been asked to appear again in person on November 2 with an affidavit. The committee will decide on next course of action after going through the affidavit, he said.

The committee, which was formed on the basis of allegations made by members of the State Assembly, is probing the matter. Mitra apologised for his stupidity before the committee, Mishra said.The House Committee told Mitra that if he wanted to explain in detail about the statement he made or if he was keen on additional statement, he can mention them in his affidavit. The Committee, after going through the affidavit, will decide whether it should accept the unconditional apology of Mitra. It will later recommend to the Assembly on next course of action, Mishra said.

The Opposition Leader said the committee will focus on the allegations against Mitra in the Assembly by the members. It will submit a report to the Assembly after the investigation is over, he said.

The House Committee had asked Mitra to appear in person on October 11. Instead of appearing in person, he had tendered an apology through e-mail to Speaker Pradip Amat through the Secretary of the Assembly. Assuming that Abhijit could not arrive due to cyclone Titli, the committee had directed him to appear on October 23.

A decision to form the committee was taken at an all-party meeting convened by the Speaker on the last day of monsoon session of the Assembly on September 20 after members cutting across party lines had protested and criticised Mitra for his comments. Other members of the committee headed by Mishra are Leader of BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo, Debi Prasad Mishra, Pramila Mallick, Arun Sahu and Sanjay Dasburma (all BJD). The committee will submit its report on the first day of next session.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Four persons, including two women, were killed and one man injured in a blast at an illegal firecracker unit at Kancheepuram on Tuesday. They had been making crackers at the house of one Madeen. Police said the unit, in a residential area, was run illegally.

At around 10 am, residents of Chinna Kancheepuram heard a huge blast and saw smoke billowing out of the house, said a police officer. Five fire tenders arrived and officers struggled for five hours to put out the fire.

The three, who died on the spot, were identified as Mastan (37), Sharina Banu (45) and her son Mustaq (22). Sharbudeen Banu (70) died at the Kancheepuram government hospital in the evening. The man who was hurt sustained 45 per cent burns. Kanchi taluk police registered a case and are looking for Madeen. Probe is on.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: DMK president MK Stalin has urged the party doctors wing to conduct medical camps to check the spread of dengue and swine flu, and create awareness on the diseases among the masses. In a statement, he said that 13 persons, including twins of Chennai, have died due to either dengue or swine flu in a week across the State.

This has created a flutter among the public as a large number of people have been admitted to various hospitals in the State. At the same time, government hospitals are not in a state of preparedness. Even medical camps have not been conducted by the State government, he said.

He said the government should check the spread of the diseases and provide proper treatment to the affected. Simultaneously, the partys doctors wing should conduct medical camps for the benefit of the people.
By Express News Service

KARIMNAGAR: A day after quitting as Bharatiya Janata Party's district unit president, and even giving up primary membership, Kotha Srinivas Reddy has joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the presence of IT Minister K T Rama Rao in Hyderabad here on Wednesday.

After returning Karimnagar, Srinivas Reddy participated in various programmes of the TRS party along with former MLA Gangula Kamalakar.

The resignation of Srinivas Reddy, an aspirant for Husnabad ticket, and his defection to TRS has come as no surprise as there were rumours ahead of BJP's recent Samara Bheri programme that he may quit the party, though he rejected the rumours at that time.

Srinivas Reddy was reportedly unhappy with the party's attitude towards him and was further angered when his name was not included in the list of 38 candidates released by the party ahead of December 7 Assembly elections.

In his resignation letter addressed to party's State president K Lakshman, Srinivas Reddy is said to have referred to party's decision to field another leader from the Husnabad constituency.

Srinivas Reddy's association with the saffron party dates back to his student days, when he was a member of ABVP.

Meanwhile, the party has already started the hunt for the right candidate for the post of district president and according to political observers senior leader and advocate Basa Satyanaryana is likely to be given the responsibility.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD/MAHBUBNAGAR: Union Minister and BJP in-charge for Telangana JP Nadda on Tuesday took party in various public meetings across the State as part of the partys election campaign. Nadda launched a scathing attack on TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao for dissolving the Legislative Assembly nine months ahead of schedule.

Earlier in the day, Nadda was at Palamur in Mahbubnagar district where he criticised the TRS for failing to address the issue of mass migration of workers from the region due to lack of employment opportunities there.

KCR promised to stop the migration of labourers from Palamur, but he has failed to do so, he said and compared TRS governance to BJPs in 22 States in the country where people were supposedly happy.

After his meeting at Palamur, Nadda travelled to Hyderabad where he held a press conference.

The TRS is not concerned about development. It had promised it would create elevated corridors from KBR park and Rajendra Nagar, he said. Besides that, he criticised the States failure in turning Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital into super speciality and world-class hospitals.
By Express News Service

KHAMMAM: In a peculiar yet tragic incident, a 38-year-old lady immolated herself to death on Tuesday leaving behind a single letter that said Jesus Christ was calling on her and so she had to leave.

Identified as Bangarala Veena, the deceased was an ayurvedic doctor posted at a primary health centre in Pedagopathi village in Khammam.

According to the locals and her colleagues at the health centre, Veena came to the hospital as usual on Tuesday morning at 11 am. Soon after her colleagues heard a commotion from the nearby Unani hospital in Pedagopathi village and rushed to the spot to find Veena on the floor with severe burns. She had poured petrol on her body before setting herself ablaze. Doctors declared her dead on the spot. Police also rushed to Unani hospital and informed her husband, B Shiva Kumar, an employee at a pharmacy company in Hyderabad, of her death.

In a letter found in Veenas handbag left in front of the hospital, said to be in her handwriting, it was written that her God, Christ, was calling her and so she was leaving to be with him. It also asked for both her children to be baptised which is the only way she would rest in peace. It also said that the husband was a good man and asked him to take good care of the children. It also said that no one except Veena was responsible for her death.

Veena lived with her husband and two daughters at Mamillagudem in Khammam town and did a daily shuttling between the town and village health centre. Her colleagues at the primary health centre remembered how she was a quiet one and never shared any of her personal issues with them. She preferred to work alone and had a separate room to herself in the health centre.
By UNI

UNITED NATIONS: Following complaints by two French Muslim women, fined for wearing a full-body veil or niqab, a UN Committee of independent human rights experts ruled in their favour, stating that their freedom to practice their religion had been infringed.

The Committee, mandated with monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, received the two complaints in 2016, United Nations news reported.

The women had been prosecuted, convicted and fined in 2012 for wearing the niqab, based on a 2010 French law which stipulates "no one may, in a public space, wear any article of clothing intended to conceal the face.

" The law has the effect of banning the wearing of the full Islamic veil in public, which covers the whole body, leaving only a narrow slit for the eyes.

The Committee of 18 independent experts from around the world, stated in two rulings, that the right to practice one's religion includes the wearing of distinctive clothing and head coverings.

READ| Enforcing Austria's burqa ban a delicate matter in Alpine resort

"The State has not demonstrated how the full veil presents a threat in itself for public security to justify this absolute ban," the decision read, adding that the French Government had not adequately explained why hiding one's face is forbidden for religious reasons, while it is authorised in other contexts such as sports, or artistic settings.

The experts also concluded that the ban, rather than protecting fully veiled women, could have the effect of confining them to their homes, impeding their access to public services and marginalising them.

The Committee acknowledged that Governments' law enforcement entities must be able "in some circumstances" to demand that individuals show their faces, meaning they would have to uncover them in specific and "concrete situations", where public security was at stake, or for formal identification purposes.

Committee members noted, however, that the scope of the French law was not limited to such specific contexts and that it prevents people from hiding their faces in public spaces "at all times".

"The decisions are not directed against the notion of secularity, nor are they an endorsement of a custom which many on the Committee, including myself, regard as a form of oppression of women," said Yuval Shany, Chair of the Committee.

He explained that the decisions reflected the position that a general criminal ban did not allow for a reasonable balance between public interests and individual rights.

Anyone can bring an alleged violation of human rights to the attention of the United Nations committees tasked with monitoring the realization of various international human rights treaties, and thousands of people around the world do so every year.

Once a case has been deemed admissible and a decision has been made, there is no possibility to appeal against the committees' decisions, as they are final.

If a committee concludes that a violation of a treaty has taken place, the decisions, which are not legally-binding offer recommendations for the State involved in the case, which then has 180 days to provide information on the steps it has taken to implement those recommendations.

In these two specific cases, recommendations include a compensation of the two petitioners, and measures to prevent similar violations in the future, including a review of the 2010 law.
Cross-industry collaboration has become a recent trend in an attempt to satisfy Chinese consumers' growing taste for innovative products, Morningpost.com.cn reported on Oct. 22.

The most recent example of such cooperation has been the clothing range made by Shanghai-based clothing brand TYAKASHA and Chinas largest rice cake and flavored milk producer, Want Want China Holdings Ltd.

The clothing range became a hit as soon as it was released online, with the manager of Want Want stating that the sales were beyond the company's expectations.

Analysts attributed the success to the product quality and reputation of the two brands.

Shanghai Jahwa is a pioneer of cross-industry collaboration in China. This June, its flagship product, Liushen Florida Water, a widely-used mosquito repellent, collaborated with Chinese alcopop brand Rio to produce a special-flavored cocktail.

The two products fit well together, and their collaboration was a sensation on social media. 5,000 bottles of the cocktail sold out in just 17 seconds.

Cross-industry collaboration is eye-catching and can spark heated discussion. Therefore, many products are actively seeking this innovative business model.

These collaborations can lead to different outcomes. For example, an empty bottle of the Liushen cocktail is currently priced at 300 yuan online, even though it has been four months since the drink was launched. However, the influence of other products, such as the White Rabbit candy-flavored lip balm, jointly produced by Maxam and White Rabbit, didnt last long.

A marketing expert said that the key to creating a favored product through cross-industry collaboration is to find a consumer-loved brand, and then build a new, innovative product. He said most brands winning recognition are from the food industry.

Additionally, successful products under cross-industry cooperation were not mass produced. Instead, a limited number of such products have been sold at one time as a marketing strategy.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: There is a "good chance" that the United States will formally launch its space force next year, President Donald Trump has said.

The National Space Council has also voted to send six strategic recommendations to the president's desk, laying out the administration's vision and a roadmap to establish the force.

"I think we have a good chance next year of officially doing our Space Force," Trump told reporters in a brief interaction during a meeting with military officials on Tuesday.

"Everybody in this room feels strong about Space Force," he said, adding that "I'm talking about defense and offense", and not just rockets going to the Moon or Mars.

READ| US needs Space Force to counter Russia, China: Defense Secretary James Mattis

Defense Secretary James Mattis said that "right now what we're going to do is set up a combatant command", and the military would be working with the Congress on it. Earlier in the day, Vice President Mike Pence said the space force was essential to protect the US' assets, particularly satellites.

There is an increasing threat to these from countries such as Russia and China, he said. "The purpose of the space force will be to secure our vital national interests in space," Pence said at an event hosted by The Washington Post.

Pence asserted that the US was going to protect its interests in space and said that to understand American defence today, is to understand the interrelationship between satellite technology and aircraft, ships at sea and submarines under the sea.

"Our warfighters on the ground regularly rely on information that is obtained, images that are captured, by satellite technology," he said.

"So, the first order of business is ensuring that the infrastructure of our satellite technology is protected.

And the reality is, the more we look at our competitors in space -- chiefly among them are China and Russia -- we see the deployment of technologies by both of those countries -- anti-satellite technologies," Pence said.

China, not long ago, actually tested a missile that took out one of their own satellites, he said, referring to the deployment of additional and new anti-satellite technology into orbit, which are able to move in proximity to existing satellites.

Pence said all of this informs the fact that "we have to have the capacity to protect our existing infrastructure in space".

Trump's vision, he said is that the United States builds a space force like the airforce was launched after World War II and then evolve it into ensuring that America remains as dominant in outer space militarily as it is here on Earth.

"That will be the project of the space force going forward. And there are a number of steps that will be launched in the very short term but that will ultimately lead to the launch of a Department of the United States Space Force in the next national Defense Authorization Act," Pence said.

READ| US needs Space Force to counter Russia, China: Defense Secretary James Mattis

In in 2015, China essentially stood up its own space force, he said.

"Russia, in the very same year, assigned a part of its aerospace division to a space force," the vice president said.

"First, we'll create a new unified combatant command, the United States Space Command, that will establish a dedicated chain of command for Space Force operations, ensure integration across the military and develop the doctrine, tactics and procedures of space warfighting in the 21st century," Pence said.

Secondly, the secretary of defense will create a new joint organisation, the Space Development Agency, that will break free from ineffective bureaucratic structures and provide the men and women of the space force, the cutting-edge warfighting capabilities that they need, faster and more effectively, he said.

With the help of the Congress, the United States Space Force will be created as the sixth branch of the armed forces.

"The time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of the armed forces of the United States, to turn the page to an evolution of our armed forces, to meet the challenges and opportunities on that limitless frontier," Pence said.
By PTI

DUBAI: An Indian national on Tuesday hit a jackpot to become the latest winner of the USD 1 million Dubai Duty-Free raffle, a media report said.

Sourav Dey, the 45-year-old who has been living in Dubai since last six years, works as a department head for an insurance company, the Khaleej Times reported.

He bagged the jackpot with his first ever ticket to Dubai Duty-Free, which he bought on his way to Kolkata for a vacation in September, the paper said.

"I'm so grateful to Dubai Duty-Free for giving me this new fortune that my family will truly treasure this for a long time," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

Two other winners, including an Indian, drove away luxury vehicles.

Babu Ajith Babu, a 44-year-old Indian national, drove home a BMW R 1200 RT motorbike, while 40-year-old Sri Lankan national Sajeewa Niranjan won a Range Rover HSE 380HP.
By IANS

MUMBAI: An Indonesian woman delivered a baby-on-board an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta on Wednesday morning, officials said here.

Following the medical emergency, the flight was diverted to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the woman was rushed to the Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri east and is now recuperating with her newborn baby.

The flight, EY-474, was delayed by at least two hours against its scheduled arrival of 3.05 p.m. at Jakarta due to the medical emergency, according to an official.

In September 2018, a Riyadh-based doctor delivered a child born on board a Saudia flight between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.

The incident happened when the flight was airborne and cruising at a high altitude when the mother went into labour.

Later, attempts were made to delay the delivery until the plane had landed, which could have led to complications for both mother and unborn child. With no option in hand, the doctor had to help deliver the baby mid-flight.
By AFP

TEHRAN: Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

"I don't think that any country would dare to do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.

Rouhani said that before Khashoggi's murder "it would have been unthinkable that in this day and age we would witness such an organised felony.

"It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder. The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them."

Khashoggi, a government critic who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he organised the paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

The case has triggered an international outcry against Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ridiculed Riyadh's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

The Sunni kingdom and Shiite Iran are fierce rivals which have long been engaged in a struggle for influence in the Middle East.
By Associated Press

TOKYO: Japan confirmed Wednesday that a man freed from Syria is a Japanese freelance journalist who was kidnapped three years ago and said he appears to be in good health.

The man was identified as Jumpei Yasuda, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. "We are extremely pleased that we have confirmed the safety of Mr. Jumpei Yasuda," Kono told reporters.

He said Japanese Embassy officials met with Yasuda at an immigration centre in southern Turkey near the border with Syria, where he has been protected since he was freed Tuesday.

Kono said Yasuda appeared to be in good health. Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front after contact with him was lost in June that year.

A war monitoring group said he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly comprises Chinese jihadis in Syria.

The news of Yasuda's release came late Tuesday from Qatar, which helped in efforts for his release along with Turkey and other countries in the region, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, thanking them for their support.

Asked if any ransom was paid, Suga said, "There is no fact that ransom money was paid." Yasuda's parents earlier said they couldn't wait to see their son return home.

"I was just praying for his safe return," his mother Sachiko Yasuda, 75, told Japan's NHK public television as she and her husband stood in front of their home outside Tokyo, holding a "thousand cranes" well-wishing origami ornament that she had added to every day for three years.

Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in the early 2000s. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release.

His last work in Syria involved reporting on his friend Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist who was taken hostage and killed by the Islamic State group. Contact was lost with Yasuda after he sent a message to another Japanese freelancer on June 23, 2015.

In his last tweet two days earlier, Yasuda said his reporting was often obstructed and that he would stop tweeting his location and activities. Several videos showing a man believed to be Yasuda have been released in the past year.

In one video released in July, a bearded man thought to be Yasuda said he was in a harsh environment and needed to be rescued immediately.

Syria has been one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the conflict there began in March 2011, with dozens killed or kidnapped.

Several journalists are still missing in Syria and their fates are unknown.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected as "baseless" and "unfounded allegations" by Afghanistan that the Kandahar attack, in which three top Afghan officials were killed, was planned in the neighbouring country.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Tuesday alleged that the attack on slain Kandahar police commander Gen Abdul Raziq was planned in Pakistan.

"I want to say that this conspiracy was plotted in Pakistan. So Pakistan should give us the criminals so that we can bring them to justice," Ghani claimed.

Commenting on Ghani's remarks, Pakistan's Foreign Office said no hard evidence or intelligence-related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims.

"Pakistan rejects baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks," it said in a statement.

It also said that there was elaborate mechanisms under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) to mutually and effectively address and investigate any such unfortunate incidents.

"It would have been more appropriate to invoke the relevant arrangement instead of resorting to media blame game which is contrary to the seven principles of cooperation agreed between the two sides, earlier this year," it added.

Kandahar's powerful provincial police chief Gen Abdul Razik and the province's intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, were killed in the Taliban attack on Thursday last, while provincial governor Zalmay West died later of his injuries at a hospital.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condoled the death of the senior Afghan officials.

In a phone call to his Afghan counterpart Friday, Qureshi assured him Islamabad's full support to the democratic process in the war-torn country.
By UNI

UNITED NATIONS: Welcoming the parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council called for continued engagement with electoral institutions and urged that any complaints over the vote should be carried through established legal and constitutional mechanisms.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the members of the Security Council 'commended the participation and courage' of Afghans for their participation in the vote, including women's engagement in the elections 'both as voters and candidates,' United Nation news reported.

READ| On day 2 of elections, roadside bomb kills 11 in Afghanistan

The members "reiterated their continued support for the Afghan Government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to develop sustainable democratic institutions" the statement added.

In addition, they reiterated the important role of national electoral institutions, including the Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission, and urged them to 'redouble efforts' to ensure the integrity, neutrality and transparency of the electoral process, that should include detection and prevention of fraud and careful monitoring of results.

They also took note of the situation in Kandahar, where the ballot was postponed due to security incidents until this coming weekend, saying it was important that the vote goes ahead.

In the statement, the members also 'condemned in the strongest terms' the actions of those who sought to disrupt the elections and emphasised that violence, or threat of violence in any form, was unacceptable.

"Perpetrators of such acts must be held to account and brought to justice," the joint statement from Council members.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: The United States Secret Service on Wednesday announced that it has intercepted and proactively detonated two "suspicious packages" addressed to former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

US news network CNN also announced Wednesday that it had evacuated its New York bureau over a suspicious package.

New York police said it has sent officers to the Time Warner Center, where the CNN bureau is located, to investigate reports of a suspicious package.

Neither Obama nor Clinton received the packages or were at risk of receiving them, it said.

The packages were discovered during "routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the agency said in a statement.

"Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them," the statement said. Officials "proactively detonated" the device, and determined that it contained explosive powder and "had the components of a bomb," it said.

HERE ARE UPDATES:

11:10 pm: NYPD's chief of counterterrorism says the explosive device sent to CNN's headquarters in New York appeared to be sent by the same person who mailed pipe bombs to US billionaire George Soros, Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. The devices all appeared to be crude pipe bombs. The New York device was black and had wires.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his office received one and it was being dealt with.

The package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington, DC, on Wednesday morning, and the one intended for Clinton was addressed to her in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday.

The FBI said the package intended for the former first lady and secretary of state Clinton was found in the vicinity of her residence in Chappaqua, New York. The Clintons have lived in Chappaqua, about 48 km north of New York City, since former President Clinton left office in 2001. NYPD & our law enforcement partners responded to reports of a suspicious package at CNN. Officers identified the device that appeared to be a live explosive device. NYPD bomb squad secured the device & removed it for investigation: New York Police Commissioner James P O'Neill pic.twitter.com/SysFtlxlbG  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

Earlier this week, a suspicious package targeting billionaire investor and major Democratic donor George Soros was discovered and rendered safe.

A senior White House officials told NBC News that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation. The White House said it condemned the "attempted violent attacks.

New York City's police commissioner says a package sent to CNN's offices in New York contained what appeared to be a live explosive and an envelope containing white powder.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at the briefing that "we will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives."

Hillary Clinton says at a Florida fundraiser that "we are fine" and is thanking the U.S. Secret Service for intercepting an explosive device in a package "long before it made its way to our home."

An officer with the Uniform Division of the United States Secret Service uses his dog to search a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama, Oct. 24, 2018, in Washington. (Photo | AP)

First lady Melania Trump said in a statement that, "Mrs. Trump condemns all forms of threats and violence" and "thanks law enforcement for their heroic efforts."

In Florida, the Broward Sheriff's Office is using a bomb squad robot in the investigation of a suspicious package at the office of Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

President Donald Trump retweeted a message from Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday, adding "I agree wholeheartedly!" In his tweet, Pence condemned "attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others."

(With online desk inputs)
By PTI

WASHINGTON: Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump has said as the US announced its first punitive action in the case by revoking the visas of some of the senior Saudi officials involved.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, disappeared after he entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

The Saudi government initially said he left the consulate through the back door. Following a global outrage, Riyadh on Friday in a statement acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight inside the consulate after an interrogation went wrong.

ALSO READ: Turkey shares 'evidence' with CIA chief over US journalist Jamal Khashoggi murder

Trump offered his most stinging indictment yet of a Saudi effort to silence a dissident journalist, calling the series of events that led to Khashoggi's death the worst cover-up ever.

"They (the Saudis) had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal. Should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.

Khashoggi's death has severely dented the international reputation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Responding to a question on the probe into the death of Khashoggi, Trump said, "And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, what they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea, I think, is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the "savage murder" of the journalist was meticulously planned and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

He, however, acknowledged Turkey was still searching for answers to key questions, including who gave the order. Trump told reporters that Erdogan was pretty tough on Saudi Arabia.

He was pretty rough on Saudi Arabia, I would say. I haven't gotten a full recap, as you know. "I have people in Turkey and I have people in Saudi Arabia and other places, and they're all coming back as we speak, they're heading back," he said.

The Trump administration has sent CIA Director Gina Haspel to Turkey and she is expected to be back soon in the US with details of the ongoing probe.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) reach an agreement on Monday to provide 10 million dollars to low-income countries.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Chen Maobo and Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, witness the signing of the AIIB Project Preparation Special Fund Contribution Agreement between the Hong Kong SAR and the AIIB on October 22, 2018. (Photo: CRI online)

On June 24, 2016, the Special Fund for Project Preparation was approved by the Board of Directors of the AIIB. In the framework of the $50 million funded by China, the fund was donated by members to support infrastructure projects in underdeveloped countries, according to Xinhua News Agency.
In one minute, what happens in Chongqing?

In one minute, 21,000 bowls of spicy noodles go out to customers.

In one minute, broth boils in 1,250 hot pots.

In one minute, 14 people cross Yangtze River in cable cars.

In one minute, 13 tourists experience real-life Spirited Away in Hongyadong.

In one minute, Sichuan Opera actor Xu Chao changes to 9 faces at the flick of a finger.

In one minute, intangible cultural heritage successor Li Jiankang throws shuttles 51 times to weave fabric.

In one minute, porter Shu Yiguo climbs 50 ladders.

In one minute, welder Shi Yalei uses 4 meters of wires to solder corridor.

In one minute, 1,451 cars driving past the main city bridge to cross the Yangtze River and Jialing River.

In one minute, about 1 cubic meter of rock is crushed at Funiuxi Tunnel.

In one minute, Light Rail Line 2 makes a turn of 100 meters in radius.

In one minute, over 355 people experience intelligent lifestyle at 2018 China International Intelligent Industry Expo.

In one minute, 116 laptops are produced.

In one minute, Yongchuan-built smart machine tools produce 6 workpieces.

In one minute, Chongqing Orchard Port handles 26.7 tons of cargo.

In one minute, the China-Europe freight rail moves 2,000 meters away from Chongqing.

In one minute, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport welcomes 88 passengers.

In one minute, Chongqing Liangjiang Star rockets top speed reaches more than 5.7 times the speed of sound.

Chongqing in one minute, the inland mountain city has increasingly prospered.

In one minute, embrace Chinas capital of mountains and rivers.

In one minute, meet the 3D magic city.

In one minute, experience Bayu culture.

In one minute, seek the Red Crag spirit.

In one minute, enjoy the idyllic time cozily.

In one minute, witness the rise of the mountainous city.

Chongqing in one minute, cherishing lofty ambitions.
The People's Bank of China issued 20,000 silver commemorative coins on Oct. 24 to commemorate the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, the world's longest cross-sea bridge.

The commemorative coin, which is 40 mm in diameter with a face value of 10 yuan, carries China's national emblem, name and the year on the front and has a blueprint image of the bridge on the back.

The special coins, each containing about an ounce (30 grams) of silver, were produced in Shenzhen and distributed by the China Gold Coin Incorporation.
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Secretary for Innovation & Technology Nicholas Yang said the Policy Address has proposed a number of measures to encourage re-industrialisation as well as research and development in Hong Kong.

Elaborating on the Policy Address initiatives at a press conference today, Mr Yang said the Government will focus on implementing both upstream and downstream initiatives.

It will inject an additional of $20 billion into the Research Endowment Fund and set up a scientific research matching fund of $3 billion.

Mr Yang said Hong Kong is home to some of the best universities, adding the new funding will help boost Hong Kongs R&D capabilities.

What we have done is we have given additional resources to the upstream part, to encourage them to generate so-called knowledge, transferable knowledge downstream. This is something that we have done.

To expedite re-industrialisation in the city, Chief Executive Carrie Lam proposed allocating $2 billion to launch the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme to subsidise manufacturers to set up smart production lines in Hong Kong.

She also recommended providing an additional allocation of $2 billion for the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation to identify suitable land in industrial estates for building manufacturing facilities.

Mr Yang said: One part is the subsidy part, no matter where you are setting up, your factory, your manufacturing facility, there will be a subsidy.

The second part is given to the Science Park (to) encourage the Science Park to set up so-called suitable, advanced manufacturing capability so that the re-industrialised sector can use (it). So this part, this is the downstream part.

He said the five chambers of commerce are positive about the new initiatives.
A young Chinese team recently went viral for reproducing the beauty of Hanfu, a traditional Chinese clothing of Han nationality.

The talented group spent 11 years recovering 200 outfits. Due to lack of relevant records in ancient books, they searched for clues in the clothing patterns and color collocations by studying ancient paintings and frescoes.

In addition, they referred to a vast array of literature and reports during the process, and colored the clothes with traditionally used vegetable dyes.

The team has two publications which detail the recovery work, and British TV producers reached out to them, later producing a show that introduced the exquisite traditional Chinese clothing to the world.

The style of clothing represents Chinese aesthetics and spirit, according to the team, adding that ancient peoples pursuit of beauty is impressive, and they hope, by reproducing the outfits, such traditional beauty can be passed down through generations.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan (second right) attends the Caixin Roundtable meeting in Bali, along with Peoples Bank of China Governor Yi Gang (right).

Financial Secretary Paul Chan today attended the Caixin Roundtable meeting in Bali.

Speaking on the roundtables theme of Financial Opening-up: The Engine of New Reformation, Mr Chan highlighted how as an international financial centre, Hong Kong can contribute to the opening up of the Mainlands financial market and assist enterprises in grasping development opportunities on the Mainland.

Government officials, academics and representatives of the business sector attended the event to discuss the global financial market and its innovation and reformation.

Earlier, Mr Chan met US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to discuss matters of mutual interest.

He also spoke about the global and Hong Kong economic outlook with representatives of the banking sector.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung

The label of "Made in Hong Kong" represents a shared vision of the past, present and future generations of Hong Kong. Many of us may still remember the days in the 60s and 70s when we found solace in stumbling upon a toy or a shirt labelled "Made in Hong Kong" as we travelled or studied abroad.

We all know how the story unfolded afterwards. Exactly 40 years ago, the economic reform of Mainland China took off. As Hong Kong manufacturers gradually moved north, Hong Kong began to transform into a service-oriented economy. During the course of development, we rode out the storm of the 1998 Asian financial crisis and survived the 2008 financial crisis. Nine years on, Hong Kong's GDP grew 3.8% in 2017, much stronger than the average of 2.7% among developed economies. Retail sales rebounded from the slump several years ago and grew 2.2% in 2017. Trade volume grew 8.4% the same year. In fact, our merchandise trade volume is three times the size of our GDP - a rarity in the world. Our unemployment rate hit a 20-year low at 2.8% or full employment this year.

Today, the service sector accounts for 92.2% of our GDP, supplying 88.2% of all jobs in Hong Kong across tourism, financial services, logistics, wholesale and retail, and business services. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector accounts for less than 2% of Hong Kong's GDP.

Some overseas economists wonder how Hong Kong's economy could survive over the years with such a small manufacturing sector while most developed economies still maintain a sizeable mix of manufacturing in their economy. On average, manufacturing constitutes 14% of GDP in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development) markets, ranging from 21% GDP in Germany to 11% in the US. Even for small economies like Singapore, they still retain a manufacturing sector representing 18% of its GDP.

Certainly, the vast opportunities offered by the enormous market in Mainland China are a big factor that sustains the thriving economy of Hong Kong, but the tremendous efforts that Hong Kong people have made to diversify our economy and bolster our competitiveness on the experience gained in the past also play an indispensable role.

Innovation and Technology

The current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is determined to strive for innovation and develop a high value-added and diversified economy. Innovation and technology (I&T) is crucial to promoting economic development, raising the competitiveness of the city and the quality of living of its people.

Over the past two years, we have invested over $60 billion for supporting I&T development, including allocating $20 billion for the first-phase development of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park located at the boundary with Shenzhen and in an area known as the Lok Ma Chau Loop, injecting $10 billion into the Innovation & Technology Fund and earmarking $10 billion to support the establishment of two research clusters - one on healthcare technologies and another on artificial intelligence and robotics technologies.

We also have a vibrant I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong. We are home to some 100 biotech companies, some 300 fintech businesses and over 2,200 startups. In 2017, we attracted about US$1.1 billion venture capital. We have set a target to double gross domestic expenditure on R&D (research and development) to 1.5% of GDP by 2022 or $45 billion a year. The 2018-19 Budget earmarked over $50 billion to expedite Hong Kong's I&T development. To encourage greater corporate investment in R&D, we have introduced a super tax deduction for research and development spending. The first $2 million eligible R&D expenditure will enjoy a 300% tax deduction, and the remainder at 200%.

While Hong Kong is a service-oriented economy, high-end and high value-added manufacturing has a promising prospect, following the development of I&T and promotion of research and development. Indeed, Hong Kong has all the qualities needed to promote high-end manufacturing. We have world-class I&T facilities, R&D capability, outstanding scientific research talent, financing platforms, geographical location, business environment, legal system and a well-developed regime to safeguard intellectual property rights.

More importantly, manufacturing has never left us. Home-grown industrialists may have moved their factories to Mainland China and other emerging markets but Hong Kong remains the home of their headquarters. Many of them who have grown into global companies and built their own product brands as businesses are passed on to the second or third generation. They are also a key feeder of business to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong accounting for 98% of companies in the city.

To capitalise on our experience in manufacturing, we will collaborate with the industry to promote integration of innovative technologies with industrial production and rejuvenate the "Made in Hong Kong" label. To this end, the second Policy Address announced by the Chief Executive just three days ago (October 10) proposes to promote high-end manufacturing through expedition of re-industrialisation. We will establish a $2 billion re-industrialisation funding scheme to subsidise manufacturers on a matching basis to set up smart production lines in Hong Kong.

The Precision Manufacturing Centre established by the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC) in Tai Po Industrial Estate and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre to be completed in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate will provide the industries with facilities for smart production. This year's Policy Address further recommends allocation of an additional $2 billion for the HKSTPC to identify suitable land in industrial estates for building manufacturing facilities required by the dedicated advanced manufacturing sector.

We believe that high-end manufacturing will generate R&D needs, which is conducive to raising R&D investment by the industries, thus contributing to robust and sustainable development of the R&D work of local universities and research institutes. High-end manufacturing will also provide quality jobs for local I&T talent, particularly young people, for the long-term development of Hong Kong.

To nurture talent to support our I&T development, we have launched a $500 million Technology Talent Scheme in August this year to recruit talent from outside Hong Kong to carry out research and development activities and train their local staff to apply cutting-edge technology for adding value to their businesses. The Postdoctoral Hub founded under the scheme provides funding support for enterprises to recruit postdoctoral talent for scientific research and product development. The scheme will also fund local companies on a 2 to 1 matching basis to train their staff in high-end technologies, especially those related to Industry 4.0 through its Reindustrialisation & Technology Training Programme. Response to the schemes has been positive. So far, 124 applications under the Postdoctoral Hub have been approved and 54 applications from the matching grant have been granted.

In parallel, we launched the Talent List last month to draw in high quality talents from all over the world in respect of 11 specified professions, including fintech professionals and innovation and technology experts under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme to support Hong Kong's development as a high value-added and diversified economy.

Creative Industries

To unleash the potential of our young people and promote emerging industries, the current-term Government has introduced an array of measures to support our creative industries. They are not merely a cluster of emerging professions mainly in the design, arts, cultural and communications sectors, but are also a powerhouse that will drive the economy, add value and revitalise the label of "Made in Hong Kong" internationally. From 2005 to 2015, the creative industries grew at an average annual rate of 5.4%. It is noteworthy that, the design industry grew 15% a year in the same period. In 2016, it contributed 4.5% to our GDP and employed 212 800 persons.

To promote the development of design and other creative sectors, we have injected $1 billion into the CreateSmart Initiative, of which $300 million has been earmarked for the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) mainly to fund mega activities. The Government, in collaboration with the Urban Renewal Authority and the HKDC, has secured space in a redevelopment project in the district for establishing a design and fashion project to combine design and industry, to bring Hong Kong's fashion design development to a new level, and to groom young designers. Construction works of the project will soon commence and are expected to be completed in 2023-24.

The film industry, a key sector among the eight creative industries in Hong Kong, does not only enrich our cultural life, but has also successfully built up a brand name for "Hong Kong Films".

Whilst the global film market has undergone major changes in recent years, and there is a significant decline in the number of local productions, Hong Kong filmmakers are doing well in other markets, and many talented and enthusiastic young people still choose to pursue their career in the film industry.

We believe that there is strong potential for our film industry to prosper. It is important for the Government to work closely with industry players to turn challenges into opportunities so that Hong Kong films can shine again. To this end, this year's Policy Address has just announced to make a one-off injection of $1 billion into the Film Development Fund to support initiatives for boosting the development of our film industry in the next few years. We will realise this vision through measures under the following four broad directions, including nurturing talent, enhancing local production, promoting the brand of "Hong Kong Films" to more markets on the Mainland and overseas and building local audience.

To strengthen further our support for Hong Kong-based businesses in tapping overseas markets, we have enhanced two funding schemes administered by the Trade & Industry Department, namely, the SME Export Marketing Fund and the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading & Domestic Sales or the BUD Fund. The SME Export Marketing Fund aims to encourage small and medium enterprises to expand their markets outside Hong Kong by providing financial assistance to them for participation in export promotion activities. To enhance support to SMEs in exploring new markets and new business opportunities, we have injected $1 billion into the fund, raised the cumulative funding ceiling for enterprises and relaxed the limitation on the types of eligible marketing activities since August this year.

In parallel, we have injected another $1.5 billion into the BUD Fund which aims to provide funding support to individual Hong Kong enterprises in undertaking projects to develop brands and restructure their business operations and promote sales on the Mainland market and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) market. To help SMEs, including start-ups, grasp economic opportunities and boost their competitiveness, we have extended the geographical scope of the BUD Fund to include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations markets by launching the ASEAN Programme and increase the cumulative funding ceiling per enterprise for projects involving the Mainland market.

Belt & Road and greater bay area

There is much more to share on the work that the HKSAR Government has undertaken to maintain our competitiveness and boost Hong Kong's brand. The key policy initiatives that I would like to use the remaining time to cover are the enormous opportunities for Hong Kong to seize in the development of the Belt & Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (greater bay area). These two national development strategies will have a direct bearing on the future of Hong Kong's economy and will open up opportunities for us to achieve new heights.

Our city's growth potential is intertwined with that of our motherland - the world's second largest economy. Hong Kong's strengths as a well-connected global business and financial hub will play an important part in these far-reaching economic initiatives.

The greater bay area aims to unleash the economic potential of the cluster of 11 cities in the Pearl River Delta region, including Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong Province. Hong Kong has a key role to play in the greater bay area given our strong global connectivity, well-established institutional strengths, and competitive edges in trade, finance, innovation, and legal services. We provide an important platform for Mainland enterprises to go global and overseas investments to penetrate the huge and lucrative China market.

To put the scale of this development into perspective, the greater bay area covers a population of nearly 70 million, similar to that of the UK; generates GDP of around UK$1.2 trillion, over half that of the UK or the size of Korea and Australia and spans an area of 56,000 sq km. The greater bay area is thus a huge market in its own right.

Brand new mega transport infrastructure, including the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will significantly reduce travel time, cut costs, promote connectivity and boost the flow of capital, talents, goods, business and information in the region.

Just last month, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail came on stream. The Vibrant Express, as the sophisticated trains are most fittingly named, links vibrant Hong Kong to the mainland's state-of-the-art express rail network covering more than 25,000 km, including services to Guangzhou in 48 minutes and Beijing in less than nine hours. Meanwhile, the impressive Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is expected to spring to life soon. It is the world's longest bridge-tunnel sea crossing, spanning 42 km across the Pearl River Estuary linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau.

Meanwhile, construction work of the third runway system is underway at Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. Our airport is the world's largest air cargo hub (handling 4.94 million tonnes of cargoes in 2017) and one of the busiest for passengers (handling 72.9 million in 2017). Once the Three-Runway System takes off in 2024, our airport will be able to handle altogether nine million tonnes of air cargo and over 100 million passengers annually.

These mega infrastructure projects will further consolidate Hong Kong's pivotal role in the greater bay area for many years to come. In fact, the greater bay area is also a key link to the far-reaching Belt & Road Initiative, serving as a converging point for flows of trade, investment and talent between Mainland China, Southeast Asia and all the way to Europe.

The Belt & Road Initiative is a mammoth national strategy, promoting land, sea, energy, financial and cultural links among more than 60 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. These countries account for about 31% of global GDP and 33% of global merchandise trade.

Since its inception in 2013, the Belt & Road Initiative has made headway under the watch of the world. More than 100 countries and international organisations have joined in. By the first half of 2018, trade volume between Mainland China and Belt & Road countries exceeded US$600 billion, while our country's outward financial investment amounted to over US$7 billion. Chinese firms have built more than 80 overseas economic and trade co-operation zones, with a total investment of more than US$25 billion, creating over 244,000 jobs.

Hong Kong is destined to play an important role in the development of the Belt & Road Initiative. As a highly open economy with extensive connections and international experience, Hong Kong is the freest market, allowing free flow of capital, goods, talent and information while keeping close ties with our motherland.

In December last year, we signed the Arrangement between the National Development & Reform Commission & the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for Advancing Hong Kong's Full Participation in & Contribution to the Belt & Road Initiative.

The arrangement allows us to give full play to our unique advantages under "one country, two systems" to contribute to our country and, at the same time, seize the opportunities brought by the initiative to give new impetus for our economic growth. The relevant measures will help reinforce and elevate Hong Kong's position as international financial, transport and trade centres, promote partnership between Mainland and Hong Kong enterprises, spawn the demand for Hong Kong's professional services and present our home-grown talents with promising prospects, thus enhancing the upward mobility of our younger generations.

Hong Kong enterprises and professionals are already participating in quite a number of projects in regions along the Belt & Road. Notable examples include the metro system in Saudi Arabia, airports in Cambodia and Sri Lanka, power plants in Thailand and Vietnam as well as a waste management system in Bangladesh. This testifies to our professional and project management capabilities in delivering world-class professional services that are "Made in Hong Kong" across the globe.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, just announced the second Policy Address of the current-term Government, which set out 244 new initiatives and 470 on-going initiatives to propel Hong Kong forward. We will continue to perform the roles as facilitator and promoter to proactively foster Hong Kong's long-term economic and social development, provide more land for housing and future economic activities, reinforce Hong Kong's advantages by stepping up investment in education, as well as innovation and technology, scale up our established industries, improve people's livelihood and promote quality living. Our aim is for the Government to join hands with the whole community to strive ahead and build a future full of hope and opportunities.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung gave these remarks at the CUHK EMBA Annual Conference on October 13.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan attends the APEC Finance Ministers Retreat in Papua New Guinea.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan today attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers' Retreat in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The focus of this years meeting is effective public finance strategies to support inclusive growth, particularly the role of public financial management, good governance and investment in productivity-enhancing reform.

Finance ministers and other participants attending the meeting shared their experiences.

Mr Chan will take part in various sessions of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting tomorrow.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan (left) meets Vice Minister of Finance Yu Weiping after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministers Meeting.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers' Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to promote Hong Kong today.

This years meeting focused on a range of topics, including the global and regional economic and financial outlook, the promotion of infrastructure financing, as well as strengthening international tax co-operation and transparency.

At the meeting, Mr Chan said that as a global financial and fundraising centre, Hong Kong plays a crucial role in infrastructure financing.

The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission provides a clear pathway for infrastructure project companies looking to list in Hong Kong.

The Monetary Authority established the Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office and signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to support the financing of its projects.

The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation under the authority will also pursue the securitisation of infrastructure loans to facilitate the flow of capital into infrastructure projects.

Furthermore, Hong Kong can provide professional arbitration and mediation services for infrastructure projects.

Mr Chan also pointed out that Hong Kong has been supportive in fostering international tax co-operation and enhancing tax transparency.

The city will keep a simple and business-friendly tax regime while complying with international requirements, he added.

On the margins of the meeting, Mr Chan took part in the APEC Business Advisory Council's Executive Dialogue to enhance communication and collaboration with the business sector.

At the press conference after the meeting, Mr Chan stressed that in spite of the rising trend of protectionism these days, Hong Kong is firmly committed to safeguarding free trade and the multilateral trade system.

He expressed the hope that free trade will be enhanced through negotiation and global co-operation.
The Hong Kong Examinations & Assessment Authority has submitted the 2018 Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) report to the Education Bureau.

About 10% of Primary Three students from public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools took part in the assessment.

The report said the performance of the participating Primary Three and Secondary Three students in the three subjects of Chinese, English and mathematics was steady.

The bureau noted the Primary Three TSA this year was conducted on the basis of no student names, no school names, no collection of reports and selection of participants by sampling.

The authority will provide participating primary schools with the data for use as feedback.

The bureau will not obtain school reports of individual schools from the authority.

The new arrangements have re-established the TSA as a low-stakes assessment without the need for drilling and the education sector is generally satisfied with them, the bureau added.

Seminars on the 2018 TSA arrangements will be held in November to introduce effective ways of using the assessment data and information to enhance learning and teaching.

The bureau will also closely observe the implementation of the new arrangements and explore room for continuous improvement and follow-up arrangements.

Click here for details.
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 19, 2018 shows the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue to held the upcoming first China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled to be held from Nov. 5 to 10, in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fan Jun)

The trade relationship between China and Australia will deepen over the coming years, said the Treasurer of Western Australia, Ben Wyatt, during a speech at an Auscham event held in Beijing yesterday, Oct. 23.

Western Australia spans two and a half million square kilometers with a tiny population of just over two million people. Home to vast resources and a large energy industry, the state is reliant on foreign investment, and Chinese companies have been investing heavily in WA for decades.

Last year alone, China bought more than $49 billion worth of WA iron ore, and Wyatt explained, China has been one of the real drivers of WA economic success, and the McGowan Government sees it as vital that it continues.

The treasurers comments took place during his fourth visit to China, during which time he expressed his excitement about the growing possibilities between his state and China. WA is known for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, which used to be exported solely to Japan. However, 20 percent of the countrys LNG is now sent to China, and Wyatt expects that as the demand for gas increases in China, those numbers will increase off the back of various investments Chinese companies have made into LNG industries.

Moreover, new industries in WA are creating new trade links between Australia and China.

For example, lithium is a new industry in Western Australia. In the last five years, it has grown dramatically WA has 45 percent of the global lithium supply, 100 percent of which is exported to China. Chinese companies have, in turn, been heavily investing in the WA industry, which has gone into expanding mines or opening new ones.

Port Hedland, which for generations only exported iron ore and some salts, now transports lithium, highlighting the changing global demand.

When asked about current changes in trade, Wyatt explained, The relationship with China is deepening beyond simply just investing in raw products and minerals. Theres Chinese investment in the agricultural and pastoral industry, so theres an opportunity for the relationship to deepen beyond what its been throughout history.

However, there is still room for improvement. Wyatt explained that the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) , in which 200 Australian companies will take part, is incredibly important for the relationship between Australia and China.

The relationship between China and Australia is at a point where we have a Free Trade Agreement that is being rolled out over time. However, I dont think theres been enough effort in making it clear to some of our smaller enterprises how they can maximize those opportunities, so conferences such as this [the CIIE] are fundamental.

The CIIE will take place in Shanghai between 5-10 Nov. Australia will have its own pavilion and display products and services from a variety of large and small companies from all over the country. Alannah MacTiernan, the Regional Development Agriculture and Food minister for WA, will also attend as part of the Australian delegation.

The relationship between WA and China has been great so far, but now we need to make sure that it becomes something more than just a government-to-government relationship, it needs to become more economic. Events like the CIIE will enable us to do so, added Wyatt.

Wyatt expects the relationship between China and Australia to further deepen over the coming decades. As China continues to grow and the nature of Chinese economic growth changes, the demand for services will increase, and I think thats what Australia can offer.
Attorney Who Thinks 'Like

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(Newser)  Russian President Vladimir Putin poked fun at the official seal of the United States while hosting President Trump's national security adviser Tuesday, saying he wondered if the American eagle had plucked all the olives from the branch in its talon. While sitting down with John Bolton at the Kremlin, Putin mentioned Trump's stated intent to pull the US out of a pivotal arms control treaty. He said Moscow also was aware of Washington's doubts about extending another landmark nuclear treaty and its plans to deploy elements of missile defense in space. The Russian leader then referred to the Great Seal of the United States, which includes a bald eagle holding a bundle of 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch with 13 olives in another, the AP reports.

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"I have a question: Has your eagle picked all the olives and only has arrows left?" Putin asked with a laugh. But while underlining the differences between Russia and the US, Putin also emphasized the need to maintain a dialogue, saying he would be ready to meet with Trump in Paris during centenary commemorations next month marking the end of World War I. Putin said his last meeting with Trump in Helsinki in July was useful despite their tough discussion, adding that he would be open to meet with Trump in France "if the US side is interested in such contacts." Bolton responded that Trump would look forward to seeing Putin in Paris on the sideline of Nov. 11 events marking 100 years since Armistice Day. (Mikhail Gorbachev says Trump's move is "not the work of a great mind.")
(Newser)  The Trump administration revoked the visas Tuesday of some Saudi officials implicated in the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi in its first punitive measure against its longtime Middle East partner, as President Donald Trump denounced the kingdom for one of the "worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups." Shortly after Trump made the comment, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was moving to revoke the visas of Saudi government and intelligence agents suspected of involvement in the death of Khashoggi. Visa records are confidential and Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 "Saudi suspects" would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the US, the AP reports.

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"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter," Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. The administration "will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence. Neither the president or I am happy with this situation." Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia. Trump has resisted calls thus far to cut off arms sales to the kingdom and Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship. But in his remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump derided the initial Saudi denial of any wrongdoing and efforts to conceal what happened to Khashoggi. "They had a very bad original concept," he said. "It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up and they had the worst cover-up ever." (The Saudi crown prince's day involved a jarring handshake.)
(Newser)  A judge on Tuesday rejected Bill Cosby's bid for a new trial or sentencing hearing, leading the comedian's wife, Camille, to again accuse the judge of bias against her husband. The ruling by the same judge that presided over Cosby's trial also led the entertainer's lawyers to file their appeal with the state Superior Court, the next step in trying to reverse his felony sex assault conviction, the AP reports. Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year state prison term after a jury this year found he drugged and molested Andrea Constand in 2004. Camille Cosby continued to issue searing attacks against Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill, as she has done since the first trial ended in a jury deadlock in June 2017. In the latest missive Tuesday, she again said he should have stepped down from the case because his wife has advocated for sex assault victims. O'Neill has heard the argument before and said his wife's work has no bearing on his legal rulings.

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The defense wants the legally blind, 81-year-old actor released on bail while he appeals over alleged trial errors. Cosby, in the meantime, is living in a single cell near the infirmary at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in suburban Philadelphia and has access to a day room, where he can watch television or eat meals, a state prisons spokeswoman said. For now, he is the only person using that day room, spokeswoman Amy Worden said. Several inmates are assigned to help him with daily living tasks as part of their prison jobs, she said. Cosby has also had several visitors. "He's a high-profile inmate. You want to make sure that they're safe and acclimated," Worden said. The defense also renewed attacks on the judge Tuesday, alleging O'Neill's ruling was influenced by a long-ago feud with a key pretrial witness as well as challenging his decisions to let five other accusers testify; let the jury hear portions of Cosby's damaging deposition in the accuser's related lawsuit; and declare Cosby a sexually violent predator. (More on that long-ago feud here.)
(Newser)  The estranged wife of Richard Spencer says the prominent white nationalist was "physically, emotionally, verbally, and financially abusive" and attacked her on more than one occasion. In divorce filings from Montana seen by BuzzFeed, Nina Koupriianova describes being hit, grabbed, dragged around by her hair, and "held down in a manner causing bruising." Koupriianova, who married Spencer in 2010, says much of the abuse happened in the presence of their two young children. She says he tried to punch her in the face when she was nine months pregnant in 2017. She alleges that one of his favorite statements is: "The only language women understand is violence."

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In the divorce filings, Koupriianova also alleges that Spencer often failed to pay bills or buy groceries for his family because he wanted to save his money for "the cause." She says he started keeping a loaded gun on a table in their bedroom, easily accessible to their toddler daughter, after he was punched in the face on the day of President Trump's inauguration. The filings state that Koupriianova, who has links to the far right in Russia, has been living apart from Spencer since July last year, the Guardian reports. Spencer, who popularized the term "alt-right," denies the accusations. He tells the AP he is "not an abusive person" and his wife was "never in a dangerous situation." (Florida declared a state of emergency before a Spencer speech last year.)
(Newser)  With congressional races around the country tightening up, fewer Democrats are talking about a "blue wave"and some concede that the Senate now looks out of reach. To win control of the chamber, Democrats need to pick up two seats and hang on to 10 others in states that voted for President Trump in 2016. "It's always been an inside straight, and it still is," Democratic pollster Paul Maslin tells the AP. "If it had been a different year, with a different map, we might have had a terrific sweep. That would be a long shot." Pollsters now believe control of the House could come down to a handful of races. In other election news:

A fiery debate in Georgia. There were no punches pulled in the Georgia gubernatorial debate Tuesday night, where Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp clashed on issues including immigration and health care, the Hill reports. Kemp accused Abrams of encouraging undocumented immigrants to try to vote, while Abrams accused Kemp of using his position as secretary of state to suppress minority votes.

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Big money in Sunshine State . The Miami Herald looks at the money pouring into Florida's gubernatorial race from across the country. Republican Ron DeSantis has the support of GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, while Andrew Gillum, the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee, has raised funds from George Soros and Tom Steyer, among others. "Its really a proxy battle," says GOP political strategist Mac Stipanovich. "Its Donald Trump and his prestige against Democratic progressivism and what they hope is the wave of the future."

. The Miami Herald looks at the money pouring into Florida's gubernatorial race from across the country. Republican Ron DeSantis has the support of GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, while Andrew Gillum, the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee, has raised funds from George Soros and Tom Steyer, among others. "Its really a proxy battle," says GOP political strategist Mac Stipanovich. "Its Donald Trump and his prestige against Democratic progressivism and what they hope is the wave of the future." RNC boosts war chests . The Republican National Committee has given the House and Senate campaign arms an extra $3.5 million each to counter a wave of Democratic spending, insiders tell Politico. The RNC has now given the congressional campaign committees $17 million.

. The Republican National Committee has given the House and Senate campaign arms an extra $3.5 million each to counter a wave of Democratic spending, insiders tell Politico. The RNC has now given the congressional campaign committees $17 million. "No-go zones" for Trump . Republicans in Senate races in states like Montana have been very happy to see the president, though other areas, including the Pacific Coast, are "no-go areas" where GOP candidates in races that could decide control of the House are stressing their independence from the president and do not want to be seen with him, the New York Times reports.

. Republicans in Senate races in states like Montana have been very happy to see the president, though other areas, including the Pacific Coast, are "no-go areas" where GOP candidates in races that could decide control of the House are stressing their independence from the president and do not want to be seen with him, the New York Times reports. Democratic hopes in Kansas. The Washington Post looks at the gubernatorial race in Kansas, where Democrats are hoping for victory in a state that Trump won by 20 points in 2016. Polls show Democrat Laura Kelly about even with Republican candidate Kris Kobach, who was endorsed by Trump but is deeply unpopular with moderate Republicans. Senior state Republicans, including two former governors, have endorsed Kelly.

(Texas saw a massive turnout in early voting Monday ,)
(Newser)  If the Honduran migrant caravan making its way toward to the US southern border is "the gift that keeps on giving for Donald Trump's midterm elections," as the Telegraph suggests, then a second caravan forming in El Salvador may be the bow on top. An internal report obtained by NBC News shows the Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the Salvadoran caravan as it comes together, with departure seemingly set for a week's time. While most early members are families with children said to have been inspired by migrants now moving through Mexico, the fact that gang MS-13 was formed by El Salvador nationals could be used to bolster President Trump's claims that criminals are among the group.

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Meanwhile, another caravan is already on the move. Per Reuters, a second group of more than 1,000 Hondurans was moving north through Guatemala on Tuesday, en route to Mexico. The first wave of some 7,000 Honduran migrants are holed up in Huixtla, Mexico, 30 miles north of the Guatemalan border, since fleeing violence and poverty at home on Oct. 12. That groupminus two men who've died in truck accidentsgot moving early Wednesday, with more than 1,000 miles to go before reaching the US. However, many members are expected to stay in Mexico, which has received 1,699 requests for refugee status, reports Reuters. "We only want to work," says one migrant, per CBC News. "We would do anything, except bad things." (Trump blames Democrats.)
(Newser)  A Japanese freelance journalist who was freed after more than three years of captivity in Syria said Wednesday he's safe in neighboring Turkey. "My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months," Yasuda said, somewhat haltingly in English, in videotaped comments broadcast by Japan's NHK public TV, per the AP. "Now I am in Turkey. Now I am in safe condition. Thank you very much." NHK said the video was shot inside an immigration center in southern Turkey and was released by the local government in Turkey's Hatay province. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Japanese Embassy officials met with Yasuda at the immigration center, located near the border with Syria. "We are extremely pleased that we have confirmed the safety of ... Yasuda," Kono told reporters.

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Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front. Several videos with a bearded man thought to be him were released in the past year, including one in which he said he was in a harsh environment and needed to be rescued ASAP. A war monitoring group says he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, mostly made up of Chinese jihadis in Syria. News of Yasuda's release came late Tuesday from Qatar, which helped obtain his freedom along with Turkey and other countries in the region, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, adding, "There is no fact that ransom money was paid." Syria has been one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the conflict there began in 2011, with dozens killed or kidnapped. Several journalists are still missing and their fates are unknown, including Austin Tice of Houston, who disappeared in 2012. (More on Tice here.)
(Newser)  With less than two months to go until his wedding, Florida's Christopher McGrory boarded Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line's Grand Classica ship planning to celebrate his last days as a bachelor. But the party was short-lived, per the Palm Beach Post. In what his fiancee calls "a tragic accident," the 29-year-old groom-to-be fell from the ship heading from Palm Beach to Freeport in the Bahamas around 8pm Friday, landing on a lower deck. One passenger who recalled seeing "pools and pools of blood" said he fell from the 10th or 11th deck, per the Post. The US Coast Guard rushed from its Lake Worth station to the ship, 13 miles from port, and transported McGrory to shore. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

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"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the guest's family at this time," a spokesman for the cruise line says, per People. Meanwhile, McGrory's fiancee, Jessica Arnett, describes "a heavy, heavy broken heart" in a Facebook post. "I'm at a loss for words, that man was my true love and my best friend. Please keep us all in your prayers," she writes. Her grandmother tells the Post that the couple, both graduates of Florida State University, were much in love, having met four years ago in Tallahassee. Instead of the expected Dec. 1 wedding date in Yulee, McGrory's funeral is set for 11am Wednesday in Stuart. (Another bachelor party this month in Costa Rica ended with the deaths of four celebrants.)
(Newser)  Kevin Grasha and Cameron Knight of the Cincinnati Enquirer are out with part three of their four-part story on Cody Jackson, a young Wisconsin drop-out with no job and essentially a single skill: "luring fragile young women," in two cases impregnating teens and in others holding them against their will through an extreme and manipulative set of rulesall seemingly without any legal consequences. Part two closed with two of those women finally fleeing an Ohio hotel room and calling 911. Jackson fled the state and returned to Wisconsin, where he met up with a girl from his hometown named Jade. She was just 15. He took her to Florida, and imposed even more extreme rules upon her: She wasn't, for instance, permitted to look out the car window on the drive.

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He also actively tried to impregnate her, making her lie still for 10 minutes after sex with her knees in the air. He wanted her to allow him to cut the birth-control implant she had in her arm out, saying "if I let him have a family, we could be happy ever after." Jackson was told police were looking for him in connection with Jade; she was put on a bus back to Wisconsin, and he moved on to a 16-year-old South Carolina girl. The pattern repeated itself, although this time, police managed to catch up with him and arrested the 19-year-old on kidnapping and abduction charges. With his father's aid, he posted a $100,000 bond. Then comes the ominous last line of part three: "Within weeks, he met a 14-year-old from Mason." Catch up with parts one and two here. (Read more Longform stories.)
What happens in Guizhou Province in one minute?

In one minute, Huangguoshu Waterfall welcomes 44 visitors.

In one minute, Chishui County welcomes 31 tourists.

In one minute, 41,900 hectares of forest in Mount Fanjing produces 7.65x1013 negative oxygen ions.

In one minute, 11 acres of forest is planted.

In one minute, 57 kilograms of Maotai liquor is sold worldwide.

In one minute, 622 kilograms of tea is sold.

In one minute, 10 guitars are made in guitar industrial park.

In one minute, 4 cars pass through Beipanjiang Bridge, the world's highest bridge.

In one minute, "made in Guizhou" all-terrain vehicle marches 1000 meters in the Antarctic region.

In one minute, Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) captures 48,000M of observation data.

In one minute, big data companies create output valued at 209,000 yuan.

In one minute, more than 70,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity is transmitted to the eastern part of China.

In one minute, 113 meters of highway is built to connect the rural regions.

In one minute, 3 people are lifted out of poverty.

In one minute, 70,000 yuan are invested into an action plan for building a Xiaokang society.

40 years of reform and opening- up makes a colorful Guizhou.

In one minute, immerse in the natural beauty of lakes and mountains.

In one minute, taste Guizhou flavored food.

In one minute, experience ethnic traditions.

In one minute, look back at the history of Long March.

In one minute, experience the endeavor for a better life.

In one minute, get a bird's-eye view of green Guizhou.

Guizhou in one minute, fast and steady development.
(Newser)  A six-inch pipe bomb was sent to George Soros two days ago, and two officials tell the New York Times that similar devices were intercepted while en route to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's offices. The AP called Clinton's a "functional explosive device." The Times reports Clinton's package was flagged by a technician who reviews her mail. A statement from the Secret Service obtained by CNN journalist Elizabeth Landers elaborates on the situation.

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It says the Secret Service intercepted "two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees." It says Clinton's package was intercepted late Tuesday in Westchester County, NY (she and former President Clinton live in Chappaqua) and that Obama's package was intercepted in Washington, DC. The packages "were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such." Clinton and Obama were not "at risk of receiving them." (Read more bomb stories.)
(Newser)  Monday marks the 400th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh's beheading, and that very head is now back in the news. It's all thanks to the discovery of an etching (see it here) concealed under layers of paint in the Tower of London's Bloody Tower, where Raleigh lived before his 1618 execution. Because the etching was found on the layer of wall that dates to the early 17th century, it's possible the drawing is a self-portrait of Raleigh, Fox News reports. The Telegraph reports the head is shown in profile and is crowned with a laurel wreath, which Dr. Agnieszka Sadraei, the historic buildings curator for the charity that manages the Tower, said might be significant: "Raleigh was a poet and it is possible that he could have been represented wearing such a wreath in an Antique fashion," though wreaths were also used at the time when illustrating kings.

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(Newser)  A researcher at Russia's remote Bellingshausen station allegedly stabbed a colleague earlier this month, the Guardian reports, citing the Russian-language Interfax news agency. Investigators say that the researcher, identified as Sergey Savitsky, wielded a knife on Oct. 9 and "deliberately struck [his colleague] at least one blow to the body" in the station's dining room. The injured man has been hospitalized in Chile, while Savitsky is on house arrest facing an attempted murder charge, per Business Insider Nordic.

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Bellingshausen station is located in the Antarctic on King George Island, some 500 miles from Argentina, according to Newsweek. A source tells Interfax that Savitsky may have snapped after living in such close quarters for such a long time (reportedly more than six months), per Business Insider. Some 30 countries have research teams in Antarctica, per Newsweek, which notes that investigating crimes there can be tricky since, based on a 1961 treaty, no country has a claim on the continent. (NASA captured an image of an unusual iceberg.)
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Prosecution witnesses will give evidence on October 31, 2018, in the case of the Bahraini Hizbollah terrorist group, in which 169 men have been accused.

The organization was formed after Iranian leaders issued orders to members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to merge several Bahrain-based terrorist groups under one organization, namely the Bahraini Hizbollah. The groups that joined this organization include three major terrorist groups  Saraya Al Ashtar (Al Ashtar Brigades), Saraya Al-Mukhtar (The Chosen Brigades) and Saraya Al Muqawama Al Shaabya (Popular Resistance Brigades).

An investigation into the terrorist network was completed by the Public Prosecution, which announced that 169 people have been identified as members of the organization. It also said that 111 defendants are in police custody and will stand trial before the High Criminal Court, while the rest will be tried in absentia.
Two doctors confirmed yesterday that a 28-year-old Bahraini man accused of beheading a Filipina woman was responsible for his actions.

The Bahraini suspected killer is said to have murdered his Filipina woman after an argument erupted between them. The woman was found dead in her apartment after she was reported missing by her friend. The friend informed police officers of her disappearance after she failed to reach her for four consecutive days.

The victims body was found in a terrible condition at the time it was recovered, according to court files. A medical report indicated that one of the victims eyes was pulled out, but the reason for her death was attributed to a cut in the throat.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have revealed that the woman whose corpse was found in a residence of an apartment building in the Roppongi entertainment district of Minato Ward died as a result of a skull fracture, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun

On the afternoon of October 18, officers working off a tip arrived at the fourth-floor residence located in the 5-chome area found the decayed body a later identified as belonging to 29-year-old Aisha Kumi Balletta a wrapped in a sheet at the side of a bed.

The results of an autopsy revealed that Balletta died due to a brain damage as a result of a skull fracture. Her body was found to have several injuries to the face and head. She is believed to have died up to 10 days before the discovery, police said.

The resident of the unit is believed to be a 40-year-old man. He departed Japan for Malaysia on October 13. Police are now seeking to question him about the case.

An examination of security camera footage taken in the building earlier this month showed Balletta entering the residence with a person believed to be the man. However, no such footage shows her leaving, police said.

Prior to the discovery, a person affiliated with the building found the body of Balletta and visited the police station to lodge a report.
Two major construction companies were Monday ordered to pay fines totalling 380 million yen for colluding to win contracts on the Japan's maglev project.

The state-of-the-art maglev -- magnetic levitation -- trains are scheduled to begin commercial service between Tokyo and Nagoya in central Japan in 2027, later extending to the western hub of Osaka.

The giant project, estimated to cost nine trillion yen in total, has seen a host of firms compete for contracts ranging from tunneling work to building stations.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission brought charges against four companies in March for suspected anti-trust violations, accusing them of sharing estimated costs for construction work.

On Monday, the Tokyo district court ordered one of those companies, Obayashi, to pay 200 million yen and a second, Shimizu, to pay 180 million yen. The case against the two other companies is still ongoing.

Presiding judge Takumi Suzuki said the collusion had "prevented fair and free competition", local media reported.
The Japanese government says it's highly likely that freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda has been released by militants in Syria.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a hastily arranged news conference on Tuesday night that the Qatari authorities had informed Japan that Yasuda could be released by the end of the day.

Suga said the Qatari authorities told Japanese officials about an hour-and-a-half later that the Japanese journalist was at an immigration facility in the Turkish city of Antakya.

He also said the available information indicates that it's highly likely the released person is Yasuda and the government has informed his wife of the news.

But Suga added that the identification process is likely to take some time.

Yasuda went missing in June 2015 after he crossed the Turkish border with Syria to cover the civil war in the country.

In March 2016, a video purportedly showing him was posted on the Internet.

Two months later, another video was uploaded. It showed a man believed to be the missing journalist holding a sheet of paper with a message in Japanese -- "Please help me. This is the last chance."
Innovation and interactivity are at the heart of a resolutely connected SIHH, which continues its strategy to position itself as a foremost communications platform, geared towards visitors' expectations.

In a changing environment, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie carries on the transformation it began in 2016. More connected, more dynamic and more open to the world, SIHH is still the first major gathering of the year, where the invited watchmaking community has exclusive access to the new models that will define trends for the twelve months to come. It is also a confluence of interests around the many facets of Fine Watchmaking, and a platform for communication that makes smart use of digital.

 SIHH

Experiencing the LIVE

Building on a successful debut in 2018, the LIVE concept returns to SIHH. More connected and with a more open outlook, entirely geared towards networking and people, the LIVE is more than a space within SIHH: it is an experience to be shared.

In a packed programme of events, the auditorium hands over the stage to exhibitors and to exchanges of ideas. Each day, guests and influential personalities from high-level disciplines such as fashion, design, the arts and new technologies will come together to discuss the most topical issues. Designed with all the amenities of a TV studio and capacity to seat more than 200 people, the auditorium is first and foremost a forum offered to exhibitors, who can meet their fans and followers at keynote launches which are streamed live to social media and around the world.

With this objective to spread and share information, the #SIHH2019 hashtag at the entrance to the fair will again put influencers, bloggers and online journalists at the heart of the action. Part of the same space, the White Box mini-studios return for more instagrammable moments. Both lighting and interior have been redesigned to create optimally functional and comfortable spaces for connected communication.

The LAB puts innovation front and centre

The big new feature at this 29th SIHH, the LAB is where visitors can view technologies and digital projects from the exhibiting brands as well as start-ups with connections to the industry. Revolutionary techniques, new materials, augmented reality and advances in mechanisms will be revealed - and explained - in a people-focused networking environment. Built around four themes that reflect what tomorrow's watch buyer wants, from Virtual is Real to Everything is Unique, SIHH invites new players, inventive start-ups and young entrepreneurs to share their work with exhibitors and attendees. Students will be on-hand to guide visitors, who'll be greeted at the entrance to this fabulous R&D incubator by the one and only Pepper the robot, for innovation all the way.

 SIHH

A dynamic format with extended opening hours

SIHH again welcomes 35 exhibitors, with 18 Historic Maisons, joined for the first time by Bovet, and 17 independent brands in the Carre des Horlogers. This year's fair introduces a more compact, faster-paced schedule over four days, with longer opening hours from 8.30am to 8pm Monday to Wednesday and until 10pm on Thursday, when SIHH opens to the public who can pre-register as from today at SIHH.org.

As distribution and consumption take new forms, and digital continues to play a strategic role for watch brands, SIHH stands out as the place to meet others and learn about this industry. SIHH has evolved to become much more than a launchpad for the major trends in watchmaking. It's also an immersive experience that's rich in content, a networking hotspot, and a communications hub sending information about watchmaking around the world.

Historic Maisons

A.Lange & Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, BOVET, Cartier, Girard-Perregaux, Greubel Forsey, Hermes, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin.

Carre des Horlogers

Armin Strom, Christophe Claret, Chronometrie Ferdinand Berthoud, DeWitt, elegante by F.P.Journe, Gronefeld, H. Moser & Cie, Hautlence, HYT, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, Ressence, Romain Gauthier, RJ, Speake-Marin, Urwerk.

Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie

January 14 - 17, 2019  www.sihh.org

Palexpo - Geneva  Switzerland

Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie  Geneva

> Watches & Wonders
I think its time for Buhari to give way for someone like Atiku Abubakar to lead us out of the present hardship, said Lawan Faro, who climbed billboard hanger in Adamawa.Angered by the spate at which Nigerians complain of hunger, killings and social injustice, a middle-aged man in Yola, Mr Lawan Faro, Wednesday climbed a 40-metre-tall billboard hanger and vowed not to come down till Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or anybody not less than him (Atiku) would promise him that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, would be ousted coming 2019 general election.Faro said that he would remain there for 12 hours to express his discontent following extreme poverty that has spread wide in the country.His words, I think its time for Buhari to give way for someone like Atiku Abubakar to lead us out of the present hardship, he cried.I will remain here for 12 hours to show my discontent, and someone not less than Atiku must come here to assure me that this government must be sacked in the forthcoming election.Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered at the bottom of the tall billboard hanger, chanting Sai Baba Buhari!Recall that Nura Ilyasu had done similar thing last month in Abuja. He climbed a telecommunication mast in protest against Buhari administration and re-election bid.
Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has been granted bail in the sum of N50 million by a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday.His second appearance before the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, lasted less than 30 minutes.He was also asked to provide a surety who must have landed property in Lagos. The guarantor is also required to have three-year tax clearance in Lagos.Fayose was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of corruption.He arrived at the court premises on Wednesday around 9am, escorted by armed security operatives and officials of the EFCC.Fayose is facing an 11-count charge bothering on receiving illegal monies to fund his 2014 governorship campaign in Ekiti State, among other allegations of benefitting from proceeds of money laundering.
The Federal Executive Committee on Wednesday awarded a contract for the repair of the Lagos Badagry Expressway.This was revealed in a tweet on the Government of Nigeria Twitter handle, @Asorock. It was revealed that the contract would be focused on the 46 kilometres stretch of the road from Agbara-Badagry-Seme Border.While the repair of the section from Eric Moore to Okokomaiko is being carried out by the Lagos State Government.See tweet:#FECBrief: FEC today approved a contract for the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, specifically the 46km Section from Agbara-Badagry-Seme Border. (The repair of the section from Eric Moore to Okokomaiko is being carried out by the Lagos State Govt) #GovtAtWorkNG Government of Nigeria (@AsoRock) October 24, 2018
The Coptic Christian clerics were demonstrating against restoration work carried out by the Israeli government at the Sultan Monastery in Jerusalem's Old City

Israeli security forces on Wednesday assaulted Egyptian Coptic monks and arrested at least one during a protest against the restoration of an ancient monastery in Jerusalem believed to belong to the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, according to the Palestinian Maan news agency.

The Coptic Christian clerics were demonstrating against repair work planned to be carried out by the Israeli government at the Deir Al-Sultan monastery in Jerusalem's Old City without the Coptic church's consent.

The incident stems from a decades-long dispute over the ownership of the monastery, which is now run by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. A number of Israeli court rulings ordering that control over the monastery be handed back to the Copts have not been enforced.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli forces physically assaulted the monks on Wednesday to allow municipality staff to enter the monastery to carry out repair work, according to Maan.

Local and Palestinian news websites published photos of Monk Macarius Orshalemy, who has been arrested, being dragged and pinned to the ground by Israeli security forces.

Sky News Arabia said tens of other protesters have been arrested along with the monk.

Coptic Church leaders have been in contact with the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv and the Egyptian foreign ministry to resolve the matter, it added.

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Osinachukwu Ideozu, senator representing Rivers west, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ideozu was elected on t...





Osinachukwu Ideozu, senator representing Rivers west, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).





Ideozu was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.





Ahmed Lawan, senate leader, announced his defection on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Wednesday while congratulating him.





No official letter was read by Senate President Bukola Saraki.





I want to congratulate my brother representing Rivers West, Osinachukwu Ideozu for moving from PDP to APC. Congratulations my brother, Lawan said.





Reacting to the defection, Emmanuel Bwacha, deputy senate president, taunted him saying: I wish him Godspeed because I know where he is going.





Going by the defection, all the senators from Rivers are of the All Progressives Congress (APC).




The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has mocked President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering his party, the All Pr...





The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has mocked President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, to takeover the state in 2019.





It advised Buhari to accept the imminent defeat that await the APC in the 2019 governorship election in the state.





The party said this in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Tunde Ashaolu, in Ilorin yesterday.





PDP stated this in reaction to the order by Buhari that APC should take over Kwara State in the 2019 general election.





PDP said, President Buhari should be more worried about the killings going on in different parts of the country and other pressing issues confronting the nation rather than get fixated on the tall dream of APC taking over power in Kwara State.





As a responsible and compassionate party, we enjoin the APC-led government to address the insecurity in the country rather dissipating its energy to cause unrest in a peaceful state like Kwara.





The killings in Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Borno and in other parts of the country are unacceptable.




Federal public servants yesterday accused the Federal Government of plotting to scuttle efforts at arriving at a new minimum wage for workers, warning of the dire consequences.Speaking through the Trade Union Side, TUS, of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, it stressed the need for both the federal and state governments to implement the new National Minimum Wage or face the wrath of workers.In a statement issued in Abuja, the TUS Chairman, Abdrafiu Adeniji and Secretary, Alade Lawal, lamented that instead of the federal government to send a bill to the National Assembly to enact the 2018 National Minimum Wage Act, it had chosen to embark on a fruitless plot to subvert the entire negotiation that took more than one year to conclude.The statement said: How can the Federal Government want to sabotage a democratically agreed National Minimum Wage that was even voted for and agreed upon by all the stakeholders? We call on the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) that participated actively and fully in the negotiation to speak out and tell the world the whole truth on what transpired before the new National Minimum Wage was arrived at.Labour is in the Exclusive Legislative list and as such the Federal Government should proceed to enact the National Minimum Wage Act instead of trying to intimidate workers by invoking a primitive labour law of no work no pay in this 21st century where the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is harping on international labour best practices.Nigerian workers are determined and no amount of intimidation will cow them from demanding for their right. The Federal Government should, therefore, send the National Minimum Wage bill to the National Assembly without further delay. Once the Federal Government sends the new National Minimum Wage bill to the National Assembly and it is passed into law, it will become binding on the state governments.
Another wave of defection has hit the house of representatives, barely a week after two lawmakers in the green chamber switched p...





Another wave of defection has hit the house of representatives, barely a week after two lawmakers in the green chamber switched parties.





At plenary on Wednesday, both Hassan Omale and Mohammed Soba announced their resignation from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively.





While Omale who is from Kogi state said he was joining Action Democratic Party (ADP), Soba from Kaduna state did not disclose his new party.





The lawmakers announced their defection in separate letters read by Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house.





They cited divisions and issues in their parties as reasons for their decision to leave.





Last week, the two major political parties  PDP and APC  lost a member each in the lower legislative chamber.





Most of recent defectors, including some 37 lawmakers who switched political parties in July, gave divison in their parties as reasons for leaving.





Meanwhile, Dogara has declared the seat of late Olufunke Adedoyin, who, until her death, represented Ekiti/Irepodun constituency of Kwara state, vacant.




Four machine guns, three pistols, five explosive belts, a handgun and a rifle were recovered after the shootout, an interior ministry statement said

Egyptian security forces have killed 11 fugitive militants in a shootout in the country's Western Desert, the interior ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

The shootout occurred during a dawn raid on a hideout in a mountainous area in the Farafra Oasis region, southwest of Cairo, the ministry said in a statement published on its official Facebook page.

The "terrorists" were killed after they opened fire on security forces when they approached them, the ministry said, adding that authorities are still determining their identities.

Four machine guns, three pistols, five explosive belts, a handgun and a rifle were found at the hideout, the statement said.

Egypt in February launched a large-scale operation against terrorists that have launched numerous attacks on security forces and civilians in recent years, killing hundreds.

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Egypt's Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla has announced that Egypt will offer the first bid on oil and gas excavation in the Red Sea before the end of 2018 after processing seismic reflection data.

During a meeting of the Egyptian-Canadian Business Council, El-Molla affirmed that all the gas and petroleum needs of the electricity sector, industry and households have been met in 2018, adding that the country spends more than $1.5 billion per month due to the international rise in petroleum prices.

The minister affirmed that total domestic natural gas production now amounts to 6.5 billion cubic feet per day, achieving self sufficiency, after four Mediterranean fields have entered the production map, namely Zohr, Atoll, Noorus and North Alexandria, with investments of $27 billion.

"The ministry's strategic plan includes diversifying energy supplies, addressing debt arrears, reforming the subsidy system, addressing domestic debt, improving governance of the sector, conducting structural reforms, and encouraging private sector investment," El-Molla added.

Zohr, discovered by Italian energy company Eni in 2015, is the largest natural gas field ever discovered in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nooros field, located in the Nile Delta region, was discovered in July 2015 and started production in September of the same year.

In March 2018, Eni said the field had reached production of 32 million cubic metres per day (the equivalent of around 215,000 barrels of oil per day), the highest ever recorded by an Eni field in Egypt in the last 50 years.

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The Egyptian Ministry of Aviation has said that it has no connection to a small training aircraft that crashed earlier on Wednesday into Qaroun Lake in Fayoum governorate southwest of Cairo.

Media reports have said that the aircraft belongs to the Egyptian Aviation Academy.

It is not yet clear if anyone was killed or injured in the crash.

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Related Israeli forces assault Egyptian Coptic monks during Jerusalem monastery protest

Israeli security forces have released an Egyptian Coptic monk arrested earlier on Wednesday when Israeli police in Jerusalem assaulted a peaceful protest by Coptic Christian clerics at a disputed ancient monastery that historically belongs to Egypt, a Coptic cleric in Jerusalem said.

The clerics were demonstrating against restoration work planned by the Israeli government at the Deir Al-Sultan Monastery (Sultan Monastery) in Jerusalem's Old City without the Coptic Orthodox Church's consent.

Online photos and video footage showed Monk Macarius Orshalemy being dragged and pinned to the ground by Israeli forces during his arrest. He was released shortly afterwards, Archbishop Antonios told Egypt's state news agency MENA on Wednesday afternoon.

The ownership of the 1,000-year-old monastery has been the source of a decades-long dispute.

The monastery, where Ethiopians have lived for decades, had been owned by the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church since the 7th century, according to Antonios.

Copts remained in control of the monastery until 1970, when Israeli authorities handed its control over to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church after police changed the monastery's locks and gave them the keys. Numerous Israeli court rulings ordering that the monastery be returned to the Copts have not been enforced.

"[We have organised] a peaceful protest to demand our rights as the owners of the monastery," Antonios said. "The Coptic Orthodox Church will never abandon the monastery. It is the original property of Egypt and the Egyptians," he added.

The Coptic Orthodox Church in Jerusalem recently hired a company to carry out much-needed repair work, but Israeli authorities refused to allow the church to do the work and insisted on carrying out the restoration without coordination with the church.

Antonios condemned the "physical violence" used by the Israeli security forces to deal with of the monks, saying that they "did not respect the peaceful protest or the fact that they are clerics."

The Coptic Church has been in contact with the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv, the Egyptian foreign ministry and the head of the Coptic Church Pope Tawadros II to seek a diplomatic solution for the crisis, Antonios said, adding that the church is also planning to take the matter to court to seek a legal settlement.

The Egyptian foreign ministry has condemned the attack on the protesters and expressed Egypt's "categorical rejection" of assaults on religious leaders. The ministry added in the statement that it contacted Israeli authorities about the incident, which it says had resulted in the speedy release of the Egyptian monk.

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On the occasion of the celebration of the United day in 24 October the UN conducted a series of interviews exclusively for Ahram Online.

The UN day marks the anniversary of the entry of the UN chart into force in 1945. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.

The eighth interview in the series is with Ranya Hedeya , Country director UN-Habitat, Egypt.

UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.

Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1978 to address the issues of urban growth, it is a knowledgeable institution on urban development processes, and understands the aspirations of cities and their residents.

How is UN-Habitat supporting the Government of Egypt and its people? What are the key areas you focus on?

For over 10 years, UN-Habitat in Egypt has been able to build strong partnerships with the government, civil society, donors, and various stakeholders, while pushing forward its vision of piloting new planning approaches and technologies that can support a more sustainable urbanization process.

The UN-Habitat Egypt Office is dedicated to working on 3 main programmes, which are summarized in the following: urban policies, governance and legislation; inclusive urban planning and design; and urban basic services, which also includes urban mobility.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals that you focus on in Egypt? And how do you align with the Government in achieving its national goals?



As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, many countries face growing numbers of slum dwellers, worsening air quality and insufficient basic urban services and infrastructure. To address these challenges, two principal international frameworks exist to support this urbanization process.

The first framework, the New Urban Agenda (NUA), seeks to harness the potential of urbanization as a force for development. The second international framework, SDG 11, which is the fundamental goal focusing on urban development within the SDGs, sets to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

The interlinkages between the NUA and the SDGs are extensive. All the SDGs come together in urban areas; issues such as climate change, housing financing, gender equality and migration are inextricably linked to cities. Using urban areas as a framework, these combined pursuits have the power to advance various development goals, such as SDGs 1, 2, 5, 8, 9 and 17.

It is to be noted that the visions of the government are well aligned with these international frameworks, relevant to the urban sector. The Egyptian 2014 constitution acknowledges the right to adequate housing, improved Quality of Life, slum upgrading and urban equity. Vision 2030 (SDS) refers to creating a modern, open, democratic, productive and happy society. Egypts Strategic Plan for Urban Development 2052 focuses on balanced population distribution, optimum utilization of geographical location & resources, and environmental risks.

In this regard, our programmes at UN-Habitat, mentioned before, work to support this great alignment of visions and strategies by working on: supporting the government at the policy level to develop policies and strategies that govern the urban sector, ensuring a sustainable urbanization process; supporting the government to improve local and central governance systems to ensure proper urban management; planning, management and design of new and existing cities; and improving urban services, through 3 components: housing & slum upgrading, water services, and mobility and accessibility.

Looking back, what do you consider as key achievements that you were able to achieve?



At the policy and legal frameworks level, we supported the redrafting of the local administration law, and also Law No. 119/2008, where we reviewed the law, creating integration between spatial and socioeconomic planning tools, and enhancing the ecosystem for local administration empowerment; which has been submitted to the parliament for approval.

Concerning basic urban services, clean drinking water has been provided to more than 180,000 beneficiaries in Minya governorate through advanced technology with a cost of construction and operation not exceeding 5% of the traditional cost. Furthermore, based on the success and efficiency of the introduced technology, Menya governorate mapped all water needs and decided to scale up and implemented 46 RBF units, to meet the local needs of more than 800,000 inhabitants. And now, other governorates are following suit.

Moreover, UN-Habitat supported the government in publishing the Egypt housing profile, giving an overview of the housing sector in Egypt. Following the analysis provided in the housing profile, we supported the Ministry of Housing to also draft the National Housing Strategy, which is currently being prepared to be launched. This strategy is a milestone since it positions Egypt as one of the leading countries responding to the Global Housing Strategy, which relies on the principle of inclusive cities achieved by mainstreaming human rights in urban development.

In the urban mobility aspect, we Introduced, for the first time in Egypt, the methodology for planning for mobility in new cities, based on the paradigm shift of planning for people, accessibility and connectivity. Currently, 2 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors are being designed to connect new urban communities to Cairo and Giza governorates, to create an integrated transportation system. The major success here is that these designs are based on people-oriented demand-based surveys and studies, instead of car-oriented ad-hoc planning.

As for field of strategic planning, the program has also cooperated with the Egyptian government in addressing the challenges resulting from the unplanned growth in developing the planning methodology of Greater Cairo Region (Metropolis) to identify priority projects.

Finally, in same field of strategic & urban planning and in the context of the project of preparing strategic plans for small cities (no more than 60,000 inhabitants), the program, in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing represented by the General Organization for Physical Planning, adopted 56 strategic urban plans out of 70 with holding almost 200 public hearing sessions with various stakeholders.

What are key messages you would like to send to the Egyptian people?



I want people to not get disheartened by the rapid urbanization process and understand that it can be a strong economic driver. Cities when managed well in an inclusive and engaging manner will not only ensure the wellbeing of their citizens but will also be an investment for all parties concerned.

The future needs are clear. Cities need to become more energy efficient and strike a balance between three fundamental principles: quality of life, economic competitiveness, and environmental protection.

The only way to move forward is through open dialogue, communal efforts and solid milestones and strategies aimed at achieving them.

Human-beings are the core of our focus, so when we plan, we plan for people and their quality of life.

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Shafiq dismissed rumours that he will be named honorary chairman of the National Movement Party

Ahmed Shafiq, former Egyptian prime minister under ousted president Hosni Mubarak and a former army lieutenant general, denied on Wednesday reports that he has decided to re-enter political life.

Khaled Al-Owamy, the spokesperson of the National Movement Party, which was founded by Shafiq in 2013, dismissed on Wednesday news reports that the party planned to name Shafiq as its honorary chairman.

Shafiq reasserted a statement he made in January that he has decided to withdraw from political life.

"I just hope the National Movement Party performs well in the coming period and that it will only serve the higher interests of Egypt," Shafiq said.

Shafiq, a former army air force officer, was named in 2002 as minister of civil aviation under then-president Mubarak. When Mubarak faced a popular uprising in January 2011, he named Shafiq as his prime minister.

After Mubarak was forced to leave office in February 2011, Shafiq was also pressured to step down in March.

In 2012, Shafiq ran in Egypt's presidential election against Mohamed Morsi, receiving 48.3 percent of the vote against Morsis 51.7 percent.

After the 2012 election, Shafiq left Egypt for the United Arab Emirates. When Shafiq returned in December 2017, many expected that he would run for president against the incumbent Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. However, Shafiq announced on 7 January that he has decided to withdraw from political life and that he supports the re-election of President El-Sisi.

The National Movement Party will hold its general assembly on Friday to elect a new chairman. Raouf El-Sayed  a former army major general and the man who has been in charge of the party's affairs since Shafiq's departure  is the only person who registered to run for chairman. The door for registration closed on Tuesday.

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The public accusations by Erdogan marks a significant escalation in the simmering dispute between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, two regional powers that were at odds well before the Khashoggi affair

Almost three weeks since the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey had strong evidence Khashoggi was killed in a premeditated and savage murder on 2 October at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Erdogans statements contradicted the version of events offered by Saudi officials. On Sunday Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said the killing of Khashoggi was a tremendous mistake and part of a rogue operation.

The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority, Al-Jubeir told Fox News. There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable in any government.

Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia was taking action to investigate how Khashoggi died and hold those responsible accountable.

On Tuesday, following a meeting of the Saudi cabinet chaired by King Salman, a statement was issued saying Saudi Arabia will hold to account those responsible of Khashoggis killing and those who failed in their duties, whoever they are.

Erdogan said he was not satisfied with Riyadhs version of events and demanded the highest ranking of those responsible be brought to justice. He also called for the trial of Saudi suspects to take place in Istanbul.

My demand is that 18 people be tried in Istanbul, Erdogan said in a speech to lawmakers in Ankara Tuesday, a reference to the 18 people, including security officials, already detained by Riyadh.

He stressed that Turkey wanted answers to key questions, including who gave the orders, adding that all those who played a role in the murder should face punishment.

Erdogan said the murder was premeditated, planned days in advance according to a roadmap executed by a Saudi team sent to Istanbul for the purpose.

The surveillance system at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul was deliberately deactivated, he said.

Erdogan said Riyadhs suggestion it was a rogue operation will not satisfy us and insisted there could be no diplomatic immunity for Khashoggis killers.

At the same time, he said he was confident of Saudi King Salmans full cooperation in the probe.

Though Turkish media have repeatedly said recordings exist proving Khashoggi was tortured before being decapitated, President Erdogan did not refer to the existence of audio and video evidence understood to be in Turkeys possession.

UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman said President Erdogans statement underscores the fact there remain questions which only the Saudis have the answers to while UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted he was deeply concerned to hear Erdogan describe the Saudi dissidents murder as premeditated.

The killing has alarmed even Saudi Arabias staunchest Western allies.

A UK foreign office official told the Weekly that there remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened on 2 October and thereafter.

The public accusation of a premeditated murder by Erdogan marks a significant escalation in the simmering dispute between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, two regional powers that were at odds well before the Khashoggi affair.

Aaron David Miller, vice president for New Initiatives at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre and a Middle East peace negotiator in many US administrations, says we are witnessing an extraordinary moment in the Middle Eastern politics, characterised by anxiety and uncertainty as two major powers battle it out in an open and brutal dispute.

It is a reflection on a broken, angry and dysfunctional Middle East. It is a reflection on where the region is today. And it is sad, he told the Weekly.

The controversy overshadowed the three-day Future Investment Initiative (FII), dubbed Davos in the Desert, that began in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The conference convened despite a wave of cancellations from policymakers and business titans following the murder of Khashoggi.

The organisers said they expected deals worth $50 billion to be signed during the gathering which opened amid tight security in Riyadhs Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Russian Direct Investment Fund Chief Kirill Dmitriyev, Patrick Pouyanne, the CEO of French energy giant Total and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were among the speakers in the opening day.

Dozens of executives, including from banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, ride-hailing app Uber and Western officials such as International Monetary Fund Chief Christine Lagarde, pulled out of the event.

The cancellations are indicative of the risks Saudi Arabia is facing. Foreign direct investment already plunged to a 14-year low last year, according to research firm Capital Economics.

However, many Western firms have too much at stake to pull out. Empty chair politics do not advance human rights, insisted Pouyanne.

Companies from China and Russia have also shown little interest in withdrawing, encouraged by a Saudi message that the country is looking East in the aftermath of the Wests reaction to the killing of Khashoggi.

The high-profile withdrawal of so many American CEOs from the conference certainly presents opportunities for Asian and Russian companies to make a splash, Ellen Wald, author of the book Saudi Inc, told AFP.

In a sign of US and UK reluctance to damage their relationship with Saudi Arabia beyond repair US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who withdrew from the investors conference, travelled to Saudi Arabia to attend a separate anti-terror finance meeting in Riyadh where Mnuchin met the crown prince behind closed doors for bilateral talks. Meanwhile, CIA Director Gina Haspel headed for Turkey.

US President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with Saudi Arabias latest explanation though his administration remained cautiously supportive of Riyadh.

However, the pressure is building. Bob Corker, chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee is insisting on a full investigation by US intelligence, which could potentially be followed by sanctions as mandated in the Global Magnitsky act, a piece of legislation named after a murdered Russian lawyer.

They can undergo their own investigation, but the US administration must make its own independent, credible determination of responsibility for Khashoggis murder under the Global Magnitsky investigation as required by law.

The administration has 120 days from the day the Senate invoked Magnitsky, 10 October, to present the results of an investigation and a decision on sanctions.

Miller emphasised the need for an impartial investigation. The only way to know what happened to Jamal inside that building is through independent investigation, either by the United States and the FBI or by a UN investigation.

He warned, the situation would be disastrous for US foreign policy if we did not hold the perpetrator accountable.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 25 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Trials of strength

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The Czech Republic will withdraw a diplomat from its embassy in Saudi Arabia in reaction to death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said an agriculture liaison posted at the embassy by the Czech Agriculture Ministry will leave the mission.

Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 has triggered global outrage. Saudi officials have acknowledged that Saudi operatives were responsible for his death, but the explanations around precisely how he was killed and why have shifted.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday discussed steps to "shed light" on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in their first telephone conversation since the killing, a presidential source said.

Erdogan has far spoken twice on the phone with Saudi King Salman since Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Riyadh critic, was killed inside the Saudi consulate on October 2, which he had visited to obtain documents for his marriage to a Turkish woman.

But Wednesday's telephone conversation was the first time he has spoken to the crown prince, known as MBS, who is seen as the driving force in day-to-day rule of the kingdom.

The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.

The phone call was at the request of the prince, the presidential source noted.

After more than two weeks of vehement denials, Saudi Arabia asserted Saturday that the journalist was killed in a "brawl and fist fight" inside the country's consulate in Istanbul -- without revealing the whereabouts of his body.

Erdogan has never directly blamed Riyadh for the killing but vowed that Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with the "savage murder".

"We are determined not to allow any cover up of this murder and for all those responsible -- from those who gave the command to those who executed it -- not to escape justice," he said on Wednesday.

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There are no indications that change is imminent in Saudi Arabia in the wake of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggis death

The ruling Al-Saud family in Saudi Arabia has been the focus of the Western press in recent days, with many English-language outlets in particular being flooded with op-eds and other pieces about the worlds richest and largest royal family.

Even in the absence of evidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman knew about the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in Turkey, attacks on him in the Western press have continued, along with speculation about his future as crown prince of the largest producing country in the oil cartel OPEC.

The attacks on the 33-year-old crown prince commenced a few days after Khashoggis disappearance in the form of press articles coinciding with a number of Saudi princes forging closer ties with Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz, 73, the brother of Saudi King Salman.

The articles quoted statements by Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz blaming developments in the kingdom on the present crown prince, though these were later denied.

A resident of London, Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz joined protesters against the war Saudi Arabia is undertaking in Yemen in early September. Why do you criticise the entire Al-Saud family, when the responsibility falls on a select few, he was reported to have asked.

He held the interior portfolio for five months in 2012 during the reign of late king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. This was later passed on to his nephew Mohamed bin Nayef, an expert on counter-terrorism who was proclaimed crown prince to King Salman before being replaced by Mohamed bin Salman.

Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz is one of the Sudairi Seven, sons of the founding king of Saudi Arabia Abdel-Aziz bin Saud and his wife Hessa Al-Sudairi.

The Sudairi Seven have been influential in the royal family of Saudi Arabia since the 1960s owing to their control over the ministries of defence and the interior, and they have provided governors of the capital Riyadh as well as a number of smaller positions.

Other members include the late Saudi king Fahd and his brothers Sultan and Nayef, crown princes who died before ascending to the throne, in addition to King Salman and the princes Ahmed, Turki and Abdel-Rahman.

Anonymous statements in the Western press have cited the wish of heavy-weight Saudi princes to see Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz take over as the Kingdoms crown prince, replacing Mohamed bin Sultan and former crown prince Moqren bin Abdel-Aziz.

This promotion of the name of Ahmed bin Abdel-Aziz seems likely to ignite another round of conflict within the royal household.

Saudi Arabias large royal family is led by the sons of founding King Abdel-Aziz, who bore 36 sons, each of whom had many sons and grandsons. These number in the hundreds, each bearing the title His Royal Highness and having some right to the throne.

There are also other princes, nephews of Abdel-Aziz, who have the title His Highness. Members of the Saudi Royal Family outside these two circles are called simply princes and number in the thousands.

The reports cited in the Western press also talked of the emir of Mecca Khaled Al-Faisal, 78, and Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabias ambassador to Washington and brother of the current crown prince, who returned to Riyadh after Khashoggis death, as possible candidates for promotion.

The US newspaper the New York Times explained that Khaled Al-Faisal had been ordered by King Salman to fly to Turkey to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the Khashoggi crisis, adding that this indicated his senior position.

The UK Daily Telegraph, however, excluded Khaled Al-Faisal being promoted to the position of crown prince after King Salman decided to form a committee headed by Mohamed bin Salman to restructure the countrys security and intelligence apparatuses.

Telegraph writer Robert Lacey added that Khaled bin Salman could be a potential nominee to replace Mohamed bin Salman, as he had made a good impression as the Kingdoms ambassador in Washington.

The fact that King Salman had summoned Khaled Al-Faisal from Washington for deliberations could be indicative of changes in the near future, Lacey said.

However, there have been no solid indications that change is indeed afoot in Saudi Arabia, despite the media speculation and the strong attacks that have been made on Saudi Arabia since Khashoggis death in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia is still of enormous world importance as a trusted oil exporter and the holder of 18 per cent of the worlds reserves of black gold.

Any attempt at destabilising the Saudi Kingdom could result in a further increase in oil prices, now standing at $80 per barrel. Saudi Arabia is also the biggest international buyer of weapons, with a defence budget that is the third largest in the world for military spending.

It has already signed a deal to buy US weaponry worth $110 billion, and the figure may rise to $360 billion within the next 10 years.

Riyadh has also played a role in ensuring world stability through fighting terrorism and extremist ideology over the past few years.

Saudi Arabia has helped British people walk the streets of their country safely, according to UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

The Saudi Kingdom is also integral to the fight against Iran and its expanding influence in the Middle East. This is a crucial point for the West, which fears the Islamic Republics strong presence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and more recently in Yemen.

It is no secret that economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia is important to a large number of countries. The Saudi Kingdom is a vast country with a relatively large population, and it has powerful economic and financial capabilities.

These factors will help protect Riyadh from foreign meddling, ensuring that any changes in the Kingdoms chain of command will remain in the hands of the ruling circle.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 25 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: No change in Saudi Arabia

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Congressional leaders from both parties say they dont believe the Saudi story on Khashoggis death, with demands made of an arms sale ban and expulsion of the Saudi ambassador

US lawmakers, including leading Republican senators, blasted as far-fetched Saudi Arabias explanation of the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Hours after the Saudi prosecutor-general finally admitted, Saturday, that the late opposition journalist was killed in a fist fight with Saudi officers who travelled to Istanbul, allegedly to convince him to return home, several key Republican and Democrat lawmakers said they were not convinced that the chain of command stopped there, insisting that if Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (known in the US as MBS) was behind the killing, the US must impose sanctions.

The comments set up a possible clash between Congress and President Donald Trump hardly two weeks before Congressional elections 6 November.

Trump had also cast doubt on the Saudi version of events but, so far, stood behind the crown prince and emphasised economic ties between the two countries.

If he directed it, we need to put the same types of sanctions in place that weve done with other people whove done the same thing, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on CNNs State of the Union Sunday.

Collectively, weve got to deal with this in an appropriate way.

Theyve lost all credibility as it relates to what has happened. I dont think anyone believes that story, Corker added.

Trump, after initially calling the Saudi moves a good first step and saying were getting close to solving a very big problem, said later Saturday that its a concern that Saudi officials havent specified where Khashoggis body is.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump said there have been lies, and deception, but that the prince is a strong person, he has very good control.

Trump said he didnt know if the Saudi crown prince, next in line to the Saudi throne, knew about the operation beforehand.

Nobody has told me hes responsible. Nobody has told me hes not responsible. We havent reached that point... I would love if he wasnt responsible,

Trump told the Post, where Khashoggi worked as a contributing opinion writer.

There is a possibility he found out about it afterward. It could be something in the building went badly awry, Trump said.

Trump was among the first world leaders to circulate the view that rogue killers might have been behind Khashoggis death, acting without approval from MBS or top officials.

Besides arresting 18 Saudi nationals, including the 15-men hit team who went to Istanbul allegedly to convince Khashoggi to return home onboard one of two private jets, Saudi authorities announced the removal of the Deputy Director of Saudi Intelligence General Ahmed Assiri, and a senior media adviser to the Saudi king, Saoud Kahtani.

They were both blamed for the operation, and Saudi officials claimed they did not inform MBS of the truth about what happened until two weeks after the murder of the Saudi journalist.

MBS was among the first Saudi officials to claim in an interview with Bloomberg that Khashoggi left the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul 20 minutes or an hour, after he was there to claim an official paper that would have allowed him to marry a Turkish woman.

However, Senator Corker pointed blame to MBS. Do I think he did it? Yes, I think he did it. It is my thinking that MBS was involved, that he directed this and that this person was purposely murdered, Corker said.

Senator Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, echoed that view. The Saudis have said a whole bunch of crap that is not accurate or true, he said on CNNs State of the Union.

You dont bring a bone saw to an accidental fistfight, Sasse said, referring to claims by Turkish officials that Khashoggis body was dismembered inside the consulate.

Corker said the presidents reluctance to assign blame was an attempt to keep channels open with Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally. But, Corker said, I see the president evolving on this issue in a positive way.

Corker added that Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is very impressive, but obviously, if he has gone forward and murdered this journalist, there has to be a price paid for that.

He said the US and its Western allies will insist on punishment that should be taken via a collective response.

Corker also clarified comments he made last week criticising the Trump administration for cancelling an intelligence briefing he was due to receive on the situation with Saudi Arabia.

We are getting the intelligence now, he said. The intelligence faucet has been turned back on.

He said he spoke to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Saturday afternoon, who said the US has yet to receive alleged audio recordings of the killing from Turkey. It would be helpful to have the tapes, Corker said.

Last week, Corker said that the US administration had clamped down on intelligence about the case.

Bipartisan members of Congress also took to Sunday morning political shows to say the Saudi story lacks credibility, and that they think the crown prince was likely behind Khashoggis death.

I find it impossible to believe that the crown prince wasnt involved, leading Republican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally, said on Foxs Sunday Morning Futures. Im not going to look the other way.

Trump is banking on the Saudis to buy billions of dollars worth of US weapons, keep oil flowing to global markets after Iranian sanctions hit next month, and to support a long-awaited Middle East peace plan.

But Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the situation should be relationship-altering for the US and Saudi Arabia, even though he expected Trump to ultimately accept Saudi denials that the crown prince was directly involved.

We ought to suspend military sales, we ought to suspend certain security assistance, and we ought to impose sanctions on any of those that were directly involved in this murder, Schiff said on ABCs This Week.

This really ought to be something that causes us to do a re-examination of our relationship with Saudi Arabia, Schiff added.

Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chambers number two Democrat, said the Saudi ambassador to the US should be formally expelled until a third-party investigation is done. He said the US should call on its allies to do the same.

Unless the Saudi kingdom understands that civilised countries around the world are going to reject this conduct and make sure that they pay a price for it, theyll continue doing it, Durbin said.

Republican Representative Peter King of New York said he wants Trump to thread the needle by strongly condemning Khashoggis death while recognising Saudi Arabias strategic value in the region to the US, including as a bulwark against Iran.

We have to try to balance it, King said on ABC. But again, what happened here was savagery, and we cant go along with their cover story.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Sunday on Fox News that there were discrepancies with what the Saudi security team that went to the Turkish consulate reported back, and that we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder.

He also predicted that Saudi-US relations will weather this.

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said its insulting to anyone whos analysing this with any kind of intelligent background to think that, Oh, a fistfight led to a dismemberment with a bone saw, a reference to news reports that one of the Saudis who went to the consulate brought the instrument.

It stretches credulity to think the crown prince wasnt involved in this, Paul said on Fox News Sunday.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 25 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Capitol Hill unconvinced

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Nippon Paper Industries Completes Construction of 'MinerPa' Demonstration Plant at Fuji Mill

Nippon Paper Industries' new demonstration plant will produce new functional materials, "MinerPa"  a hybrid material made of wood pulp and particulate minerals using Nippon's unique pulp modification technologies.

Oct. 24, 2018 - Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. announced that it has completed the construction of a demonstration plant at Fuji Mill (Fuji-City, Shizuoka Prefecture) in Japan on schedule.

The demonstration plant will produce new functional materials, MinerPa  a hybrid material made of wood pulp and particulate minerals using Nippon's unique pulp modification technologies.

A ceremonial event celebrating completion of the project was held on October 11.

Nippon Paper Industries explained that MinerPa is based on the company's unique technology for densely bonding mineral particles onto the surface of cellulose fibers, in this case, wood pulp. In addition to showing the functional properties derived from various mineral particles, MinerPa also shows the characteristics and advantages of wood pulp and can be processed into various types of materials such as wet pulp, sheets, boards (laminates) and powder. "Using wood as the basic raw material, it has now become possible to provide MinerPa with a content ratio of up to 90% mineral particles, and there are high expectations for the development of practical applications in a wide range of fields," the company said.

MinerPa offers deodorizing/antibacterial properties, along with newly developed functions such as antiviral properties to meet customer requirements, Nippon Paper added.

According to Nippon Paper, the new demonstration plant will start up with an annual production capacity of more than 450 tons and be capable of supplying large-scale samples for various applications to customers.

Nippon Paper Industries produces coated and uncoated paper, including specialty grades, and paperboard. To learn more about Nippon Paper Industries, please visit: www.nipponpapergroup.com .

SOURCE: Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
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Iran Charges Environmentalists With National Security Crimes

10/24/18

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Prosecutions Lacking Due Process Aimed at Deflecting Attention from Death of One of the Detainees

October 23, 2018 - Nine months after a group of environmentalists were imprisoned in Iran without any evidence of wrongdoing and denied due process-and after the death of one them in state custody-five of them have been charged with a serious national security crime.

"Instead of investigating the death in state custody of Kavous Seyed-Emami, Iranian authorities have spent the past nine months cooking up cases against his colleagues," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

"The Iranian judiciary should correct these egregious abuses of detainee and due process rights and allow an impartial and independent investigation into the unexplained death of Dr. Seyed-Emami," he added.

Attorney Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, who has been officially allowed to represent one of the detainees, Sam Rajabi, and is trying to get permission to represent Taher Ghadirian, told CHRI on October 22, 2018, that five of the eight detainees have been charged with "corruption on earth."

The detainees charged with "corruption on earth" are Houman Jowkar, Taher Ghadirian, Morad Tahbaz, Sepideh Kashani and Niloufar Bayani.

Three others-Amir Hossein Khaleghi, Sam Rajabi and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh-have still not been charged. All eight of them are being held in Evin Prison's Ward 2-A which is under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Aghasi added that Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi had changed the charge from "espionage" to "corruption on earth" after he allegedly received a letter from "the army."

Aghasi said he is unaware of the contents of the letter in question. He added that the charges were issued to the detainees on October 6, 2018, by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Magistrate in the presence of lawyers appointed to the detainees by the court.

The eight detainees have only occasionally been allowed to call their families or receive family visits. They were denied access to legal counsel for nine months until October, when some of them were told to choose their lawyers from a list approved by the judiciary.

According to the Note to Article 48 of Iran's Criminal Procedures Regulations, detainees accused of national security charges can be stripped of their due process and prisoners' rights, including the right to choose their own lawyer.

It is unclear why some of the detainees have been allowed to choose their own lawyer.

"The Iranian judiciary should allow all detainees unrestricted access to lawyers of their choice in accordance with Iran's international obligations," said Ghaemi.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Iran is a signatory to, recognizes in Article 14, subsection (3)(d), the right of an accused in criminal proceedings to be represented by legal counsel of his or her choice.

Aghasi told CHRI he doesn't understand why the original charge was changed.

"We are dealing with a very strange accusation," said Aghasi. "I completely object to this charge," he added.

Corruption on earth is an extremely serious charge in the Iranian penal code that pertains to national security. The maximum penalty for this charge is death.

"Previously, the authorities were accusing [the detainees of] cooperation with foreign governments and agencies, so I don't know how that has now changed to 'corruption on earth," he said.

No Accountability for Kavous Seyed-Emami's Death

Nine environmentalists were detained in Iran between January 24 and 25, 2018, after being arrested by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Intelligence Organization.

One of them, Iranian Canadian sociologist Kavous Seyed-Emami, was pronounced dead to his wife by security agents on February 9, 2018.

No one has been held accountable for Seyed-Emami's death, which a judicial official claimed was a suicide, before there was an autopsy. A so-called "fact-finding" commission set up by President Hassan Rouhani to investigate the deaths of at least five detainees, including Seyed-Emami, in state custody this year has also failed to announce any findings eight months after its creation.

Instead, Iranian authorities have harassed Seyed-Emami's widow, Maryam Mombeini, including by banning her from leaving the country, raiding her home and repeatedly interrogating her.

They have also kept eight of Seyed-Emami's colleagues behind bars despite the country's own Intelligence Ministry asserting that there is no evidence to justify their continued incarceration and calls for their release by Iranian officials and the UN.

"No Evidence That These Individuals Were Spies"

In May 2018, the head of Iran's Department of Environment, Vice President Isa Kalantari, refutedaccusations that the environmentalists were spies, pointing to the conclusions of Rouhani's own Intelligence Ministry and fact-finding committee.

"It has been determined that these individuals were detained without doing anything," Kalantari said. "The Intelligence Ministry has concluded that there is no evidence that these individuals were spies."

"The [Rouhani] government's fact-finding committee [also] concluded that the detained activists should be released because there's no evidence to prove the accusations leveled against these individuals," he added.

Kalantari went further in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on August 13, 2018, saying, "The judiciary has ordered us not to get involved...They told us this is none of our business and we shouldn't pursue it."

Kalantari added, "The esteemed intelligence minister has repeatedly said there is no evidence that the detainees had spied and yet the judiciary has still not resolved their situation. Almost all of our NGOs are at a standstill because they don't know to what extent they can operate without being accused of spying."

On October 22, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, the leader of the environmentalist faction in Iran's Parliament, said he was shocked by the new charge against the environmentalists and demandedthe detainees be given access to lawyers.

"We pushed for the case against the environmentalists to be sent to the judiciary. Last week we met with [Judiciary Chief Sadegh] Larijani and he had a talk with Dowlatabadi and eventually Mr. Dowlatabadi promised to submit the case to judicial authorities," he said.

"We hope this will happen as soon as possible and these individuals will be able to exercise their rights, including having a lawyer," he added.

Tabesh also urged President Rouhani's fact-finding commission to investigate the new charge.

"Based on the information that has been made public by the Iranian authorities, nothing justifies the continued incarceration of these eight environmentalists, let alone charges levelled against them that could carry the death sentence," said Ghaemi.

"One detainee has already lost his life during this travesty of justice," said Ghaemi. "Iran should immediately release the remaining detainees to prevent further loss of innocent life."
Iran's Silence On Khashoggi Killing Loosens, But Tehran Keeping Its Cards Close To Its Vest

10/24/18

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL

Tehran spent weeks watching quietly as the international crisis unfolded over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, reportedly in brutal fashion in the Istanbul consulate of regional foe Saudi Arabia.



"The Saudi Confession"

(artwork by Bozorgmehr Hosseinpur, Iranian daily Sazandegi)

Iranian officials largely refrained from commenting publicly on the death and purported dismemberment at the hands of Saudi agents of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and conspicuous critic of the Saudi government.

Reaction was even muted among hard-line elements that have been accused in the past of provoking tensions between Shi'a-dominated Iran and the mostly Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

But that hush was finally broken on October 22 in a speech by the powerful head of Iran's hard-line Judiciary, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, who appears to have become the first senior Iranian to publicly condemn Saudi officials' suspected role in the killing.

In his remarks, 20 days after Khashoggi was last seen alive entering the Saudi Consulate, Larijani accused Saudi Arabia of "first set[ting] out to cover up this crime with the help of the West and recently, when it was forced to acknowledge it to whitewash its corrupt system, [claiming] that some rogue elements committed this crime."

The brazenness of the Khashoggi incident has focused international attention on Saudi Arabia's perceived human rights abuses, including the jailing and harassment of dissidents, and on Riyadh's prosecution of a war in Yemen that has pushed that country to the brink of a massive humanitarian disaster.

It has also shaken relations between Riyadh and even its closest allies and prompted boycotts and other calls to punish the Saudis, making the silence out of Tehran particularly puzzling.

But analysts cite a number of reasons why it might be in the Iranian leadership's interest to leave the spotlight firmly on its neighbor across the Persian Gulf.



"Murderer"

Iranian magazine Mosalas calls Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

"At a time when Saudi Arabia already faces increased regional and international pressure, even from [U.S. President Donald] Trump, [Iran] doesn't see any reason to interfere in this issue," Hossein Alizadeh, a former Iranian diplomat and a researcher at the Peace Research Institute of the University of Tampare, in Finland, told RFE/RL.

"The Islamic republic [of Iran] and Saudi Arabia are already at the peak of tensions in their [mutual] relations, and Tehran probably feels that if it focuses on this case, when and if Saudi Arabia manages to weather the very serious situation it faces, it could retaliate."

Alizadeh compared the relative restraint to "quick and strong" Iranian condemnation after the execution by Saudi authorities of leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr in late 2015 or early 2016, after more than three years in Saudi custody.

If, on the other hand, mounting evidence ends up implicating the crown prince or other senior Saudi officials, the stakes could rise for both sides, and even outside the region.

Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group (ICG), speculated that Tehran might sense an opportunity in the Khashoggi affair.

"If [the killing] brings down Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, it could open the door for reconciliation with Riyadh; if it doesn't, then Iran's restraint could potentially help deescalate tensions with Saudi Arabia," Vaez said. "But overall, Iran seems to be happy getting out of the way of an adversary that is shooting itself in the foot."

The official statement ignores a final, macabre question: the fate of Mr Khashoggi's body https://t.co/h74RzPoatd  The Economist (@TheEconomist) October 21, 2018

Tehran-based analyst Ahmad Fateminejad suggested to the semiofficial news agency ISNA recently that Iran had already benefited from the Saudi crisis by doing and saying nothing.

"Just the fact that international public opinion has in the past 20 days focused on the [Khashoggi case] is positive [for Tehran], as it decreases the psychological [pressure] on Iran," Fateminejad was quoted as saying.

Fateminejad added that Iran's silence could be interpreted by Saudi Arabia as a "friendly" gesture "at a time when the country is under attack by everyone."

Iran-based foreign policy analyst Sadeq Maleki, who has contributed to The Iran Project and Mehr News Agency, cautioned Tehran against ratcheting up tensions and urged Iranian officials to use the crisis to rebuild ties with Saudi Arabia.

"Khashoggi's [case] will sooner or later leave political and media circles," Maleki wrote, adding that the rocky relationship between Tehran and Riyadh will be "the everlasting issue" on the agenda of the region and the world.

"Tehran and Riyadh don't have any other option than peace with each other by acknowledging and respecting mutual interests," Maleki wrote in a piece for irdiplomacy.ir.  "They will have to give in sooner or later. Let's not leave it until it's too late."



"The Brutal Crime"

(source: Iranian daily Kimiya Vatan)

An Iranian political scientist and former reformist lawmaker, Elahe Koulaee, had another suggestion for Tehran. Iranian officials could leverage the fallout against Riyadh from the Khashoggi case by scaling down tensions with the United States -- a traditional Saudi ally -- in an effort to alter influence in the region, she said.

"By focusing on 'scientific and cultural' diplomacy, Iran should rebuild relations with the United States and change the balance of power in the region to its advantage," she said on Twitter, without elaborating.

But others have suggested a further reason for Iran's muted response to the Khashoggi case: Tehran's own human rights record regarding dissidents and journalists.

"If Iran entered the stage, the West's campaign would be guided from Riyadh toward Tehran," former nuclear negotiator Hossein Musavian told Khabaronline.ir, praising Iran's public stance as "mature."

"The Western media would revive all the cases they have in past decades attributed to Iran."

Musavian appeared to be referring to killings of Iranian dissidents abroad during the 1980s that have been widely blamed on Iranian intelligence operatives.

A series of extrajudicial killings of Iranian dissidents and intellectuals in the late 1990s was blamed on "rogue intelligence agents" amid reports that the operations had been authorized by senior officials.

A tweet by former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolahian in which he condemned Khashoggi's murder and expressed condolences to Khashoggi's family went on to suggest that those responsible for his death were a "new terrorist and #neowahabbist," a reference to an Islamist movement with long ties to the House of Saud.

I condemn #JamalKhashoggi murder and express my condolence to his family & the #Saudis. Anyone who is responsible for this crime is new terrorist and #neowahabbist. #Trump's support to Saudi "neoterrorism" will one day target #Washington. pic.twitter.com/IOIzeOBMds  H.amirabdollahian (@Amirabdolahian) October 20, 2018

His comment prompted dozens of replies from Iranians and others who tweeted at Abdolahian the names and pictures of victims of Iran's state repression and executions. They included Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who died in 2003 from injuries sustained during interrogations following her arrest outside of Tehran's Evin prison.



About the author:



Golnaz Esfandiari is a senior correspondent with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She can be reached at esfandiarig@rferl.org
India, Afghanistan defy US on Iran's Chabahar port plan

10/24/18

Source: Press TV

India and Afghanistan are pushing ahead with plans to open a new transportation corridor between the two countries via Iran's strategic port of Chabahar despite US sanctions.



Iran-India-Afghanistan meeting in Tehran on Chabahar port plans

October 23, 2018 (photo by Mehr News Agency)

New Delhi sees the port crucial to its connectivity ambitions, including access to CIS countries - a regional organization of 10 post-Soviet republics in Eurasia.



For landlocked Afghanistan, the corridor means opening the way for billions of dollars in trade and cutting the country's dependence on foreigners for aid as well as stemming the illicit opium trade.



The US is plainly opposed to the project, not just because of its entrenched hostility to Iran, but also its plans for a long-haul military stay in Afghanistan and its efforts to keep India and Russia as apart as possible.



US President Donald Trump has also expressed an interest in Afghanistan's massive mineral resources which India has already won the rights to exploit, including an iron mine. New Delhi seeks to use a planned railroad to Chabahar to export iron ore from the Hajigak iron mine in central Afghanistan.



Both India and Afghanistan have signaled their commitment to the development of Chabahar.



On Tuesday, senior officials from the two countries met their counterpart in Tehran to discuss a full commissioning of the port that the three countries are jointly developing.



Iran-India-Afghanistan meeting in Tehran on Chabahar port plans

October 23, 2018 (photo by Mehr News Agency)

It was the first trilateral meeting of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement, coming in the face of fresh sanctions imposed by Washington on the Islamic Republic.



"Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalization of the trilateral agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar port," India's External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.



"All sides shared the view that a full operationalization of the trilateral Chabahar initiative will promote connectivity and economic development of Afghanistan and the region," it added.



According to the statement, a decision was also taken to form a follow-up committee that would hold its first meeting within two months in Chabahar.



It will discuss and aim to finalize a protocol to harmonize transit, roads, customs and consular matters that were shared by the Indian side at the meeting for making the route attractive, decreasing logistic costs and paving the way for a smooth implementation of the trilateral Chabahar agreement, the statement said



India has pledged to invest $500 million in Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman which is Iran's closest port to the Indian Ocean.



Last December, Iran opened an extension of the port, carried out with an investment of $1 billion including $235 million from India. In October, India sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar.

The port is also a key link in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes to move freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.



India is also attempting to put in place a separate corridor linking Gujarat and West Bengal to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and eastern Russia via Iran's Bandar Abbas.



Indian officials say the idea is to access the markets of the landlocked region and create a corridor to import natural resources from the region in a shorter period than being done currently.



Officials from India and Kazakhstan will reportedly meet in New Delhi next week to finetune proposals for the corridor which will run parallel with INSTC and Chabahar route.
Aggrieved customers of Menzgold have announced that they will embark on a nationwide demonstration to register their displeasure with the company following its failure to pay them their locked up investments.



The demonstration, according to the Spokesperson of the aggrieved customers, Timothy Binob will be staged at the end of October, this year.



Mr Binob, who was speaking to Accra-based Citi Fm, urged all customers of the company to join the demonstration.



We have been promised by the firm and for several times they have not fulfilled their promises. They gave us a four week period to come out with a percentage they will be paying, but none of the customers has received anything. No customers has received any money; not even a single one, he said.



Menzgold earlier this month announced that it would only pay the value of gold traded (initial investment) of customers in their gold vault market after January 9,2019.



According to the company, the decision was arrived at after a meeting with some customers from across the country at the Korkdam Hotel, Achimota in Accra.



The company also announced that customers wishing to terminate their investment with the company could also do after the stated date.



It further announced that it would no longer pay extra value [dividend] to customers because of the challenges and difficulties it is facing "with its Bankers arising from instructions and actions of certain government institutions."



Customer sues Menzgold



While others are waiting for a demonstration, one Rev. Joseph Appiah Odei has sued the company for breach of contract and misrepresentation.



Suspension of trading



Menzgold on Thursday, September 13, 2018, issued a six-day temporary halt of its operations following a directive by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ordering the company to suspend its trading activities.



Already, the SEC has ordered the company to halt advertising its investment business and desist from creating new contracts with depositors.



The suspension came on the back of investigations conducted by the regulator that found that Menzgold's business, which involves the purchase/deposit of gold from the public and contracts issued with guaranteed returns with clients, is a capital market activity which cannot be conducted without a valid licence issued by the SEC.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Barely 12 months after the ban on the export of five vegetable crops to the EU market was lifted, Ghana faces another ban on its exports.



This time, exported pepper is in danger of being blacklisted over doubts about quality.



About 24,000 tonnes of pepper is exported from Ghana to the EU annually.



The Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association has blamed the situation on delays in inspection processes by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).



The Associations Vice President, Felix Kamasah, said larvae were seen in some of the peppers despite all the tests they [MoFA] are doing.



The associations main concern is the effect a potential ban could have on pepper farmers.



You invest so much in the farm and there is a ban and you dont have a buyer. If we dont take steps now and check all those things, we are going to face the same problems.



The Ghana Export Promotion Authority has stated that its working to address the situation following receipt of the alert.



Maxwell Osei Kusi, the Director of Research at GEPA, said, We know that there is a problem. That is why the EU market is rejecting and talking about alerts.



He said the competent authorities have been notified for the solution to be put in place so we curtail the emergence of the pest in the alert.



Ghana was said to have lost about $30 million in revenue as a result of the ban on vegetable exports between 2014 and 2017 when the country was found to be non-complaint with the EU standards on the export of vegetables.



The products affected by the 2017 ban were chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants.



Aubergines have also previously been affected by bans.



The EU, which lifted the ban in 2017, said Ghana had taken significant corrective measures to improve inspection and control systems for plant health at exit points.

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Ghana today joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 73rd Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on 24thOctober 1945 in San Francisco in the United States of America.



The United Nations was formed to replace the League of Nations after World War II with the aim of preventing another such conflict, promote human rights and spearhead development around the world.



Upon attainment of independence in 1957, Ghana was admitted into the United Nations on March 8, 1957 and has since remained a respectable member of the global body, responding to several calls for action especially in the areas of Peacekeeping, Emergency Response, Disaster Coordination and Democratization processes.



Ghana is also widely acclaimed for providing the United Nations with some of the finest international civil servants notable among them, Mr Alex Quayson-Sackey, first black African to preside over the UN General Assembly, Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse; first female Director-General of ILO, Dr.Anarfi Asamoah Baah; former Deputy Director-General of WHO, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Dr. K.Y Amoako, the late Nana Wereko Ampem, Dr. Sam Jonah, Daasebre Oti Boateng, Prof Alex Kwapong, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Prof. Fred Sai; Mr. Robert Gardner, Mr Kenneth Dadzie, Dr. Leticia Obeng, Lt.Gen. Henry Anyidoho and ultimately the late Mr Kofi Annan who became the 7th Secretary-General of the Organisation.



Aside the global theme of Making the United Nations relevant to all people; global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies, Ghanas commemoration would also be guided by a local theme Legacy of Kofi Annan: An illustrious son of Ghana and Global statesman to further highlight the achievements and contributions of the late global icon.



It is the sincere hope of the Government of Ghana that many of the citizens would learn more about the United Nations and its works and realise the need for all to have a shared responsibility in making its goals attainable for a sustainable society, says Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.



A Flag Raising Ceremony will be held at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra to mark the day, among other events planned to commemorate the 73rd Anniversary of the United Nations.





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The Saudi crisis has given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan many winning cards in his personal quest to establish a regional power base

The world was waiting for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reveal the naked truth about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, as was announced days before.

However, his speech in parliament gave barely more detail than what is already known. Erdogan said Turkey had strong evidence Khashoggi was killed in a premeditated and savage murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October and demanded Saudi Arabia provide answers about where Khashoggis body is, and who ordered the operation.

The Turkish executive called for an independent commission to be set up to look into the case, adding that he was confident of King Salmans full cooperation.

He fell short of revealing what proof Turkey has, and who was responsible.

Known to be bold and direct, observers believe that Erdogan may be trying to save diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, or succumbing to pressure from Riyadh or Washington to do the same.

It is no secret that Erdogan has much to gain from the Saudi crisis. It comes as an opportunity to polish his image before the world and take revenge on the kingdom while presenting Turkey as a regional Islamic power base.

Erdogan has been a champion of political Islam, partnering with Riyadhs regional rival, Qatar, and provided a ground for a political movement that Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates see as a threat.

On Saturday, the Deputy Head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Numan Kurtulmus, said that Turkey will never allow a cover-up of Khashoggis murder and that Saudi Arabia will not be able to wriggle out of its responsibility by merely casting blame on a few officials.

He stressed that those individuals would never have been able to act without the knowledge of Saudi authorities. Therefore, Saudi Arabia should return to the ranks of nations that are committed to transparency, democratic principles and accountability before the people, he said.

Interestingly, the executive remained largely silent for the first five days of the crisis while ignoring provocative remarks from some members of the ruling party and giving some free reign to a well-trained media to pursue the line that they knew the government would take, which was to blame and censure Saudi authorities.

Still, Turkish President Erdogan said that the consulate was equipped with the latest surveillance system and could pick up a passing bird or even mosquito. He also questioned Saudi claims that the surveillance system had been turned off on the day when Khashoggi entered the embassy.

Then, striking an unusual conciliatory tone towards the US, he observed that others were as worried as he was. We see the concerns coming from the US as well, from Trump, Pompeo and Pence.All express their unease with regard to this incident. Coincidentally, these remarks came the day after the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson.

Later, when Riyadh acknowledged Khashoggis death, the Turkish press erupted in a wail of lament over the loss of that independent, freethinking journalist who chose voluntary exile in order to continue to wage his campaign to reform his country from abroad only to be murdered by those who didnt like his criticisms.

After receiving a phone call from the Saudi monarch, Erdogan agreed to be patient, out of respect for the excellent historical and brotherly relations between the Saudi Arabia and Turkey and their peoples.

He stressed the need to strengthen this relationship, adding that he hoped we will be able to reach conclusions that offer a reasonable explanation as soon as possible.

But others remained adamant. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that if the Saudis do not consent to a search of the places alleged to be where the body of Khashoggi was cut up and buried, their diplomatic staff will be sent home.

He added, Khashoggis disappearance was not just something the world is watching, it is a test of our laws. I have strong convictions on the case of his disappearance but I cannot say them, because this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Turkish judiciary.

Ibrahim Karagul, editor-in-chief of Yeni Safak newspaper, which is extremely close to Erdogan, added a call for the dismissal of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman as well as Emirati Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed after Riyadh acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed.

But then, suddenly, Hurriyet and the Demioren news agency, both loyal to the regime, wrote that Khashoggi had connections with the CIA and that his fame derives from an interview he conducted with Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Moreover, his uncle, Adnan Khashoggi, had served as the link between bin Laden and the CIA in the 1980s.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 25 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Erdogans game plan

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The Director of the Centre for Global Finance at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, Prof Victor Murinde, has described Ghanas ongoing efforts to create a digital, formalised economy as timely step in the right direction.



According to Prof Murinde, who is also the AXA Professor in Global Finance at SOAS, the decision by the Akufo-Addo administration to adopt technology in its bid to formalise the Ghanaian economy is very laudable and shows that Ghana is on the right path.



Ghanas trailblazing role in the African digitisation agenda is also commendable, Prof Murinde indicated, and urged other African countries to emulate Ghanas example and move in the direction of digitisation in order to take their rightful place in the ever-evolving world economy.



Prof Murinde made the commendation when he gave the closing remarks at the school after the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, had delivered the Distinguished Guest Lecture yesterday.



Speaking on the topic The Drive Towards Building a Digital Economy, Vice President Dr Bawumia outlined Ghanas rapid formalization of the economy, the Akufo-Addo administrations resolve to leverage technology to achieve the formalisation agenda, the successes chalked up so far, and the way forward.



Nearly 61 years ago, we gained independence and inherited an economy that pointed us in one direction: extract your natural resources and export them to the rest of the world; import what you dont have through trade and you may rely on external development assistance to fill your development gaps.



But this paradigm has not served us well. Our economy remains colonial, highly informal, undiversified, weak, vulnerable, and lacks the internal capability to renew itself, create jobs and spur innovation. We needed to change course, Dr Bawumia pointed out.



We have learnt from our past and have taken lessons from other economies. Sustained and high growth economies have absorbed know-how, technology and knowledge from the rest of the world. We must maximize knowledge diffusion to accelerate our progress in development.



Therefore, we have resorted to the use of technological innovations to address some of our structural and institutional weaknesses. That is the surest way to leapfrog change, the Vice President indicated.



Our effort to digitize the Ghanaian economy has not been without challenges, especially in the space of the past 22 months, Vice President Bawumia continued.



But that has not discouraged us. Someone has to initiate change. We must not relent in pursuing our vision to build good societies.



Like SOAS as a learning institution, we see ourselves as a government in the context of a continent in transition. To move the continent and its people to a better place, we must adopt technology to overcome old barriers and widen the opportunities for inclusion.



Ghana, Vice President Bawumia, maintained has chosen the road to develop a prosperous economy through transformation in the hope to move beyond aid, building on what technology enables us to do now. It is not an easy path. It is a challenge, but we see greater merit in the pursuit of that vision.



Speaking after the Vice Presidents lecture, Prof Murinde, who is a financial economist with more than 25 years expertise as practitioner and policy advisor for governments and leading international organisations, urged the Ghana government to accelerate the pace of the digitisation agenda to help rapidly formalise the economy.

Source: Daily Guide









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Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
A high-powered government delegation has failed to reach a definite consensus with the management and students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where a peaceful protest on Monday turned violent.



The delegation, led by the Education Minister Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh held two separate meetings with the parties in the impasse  the students represented by the Student Representative Council and the University Management led by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Obiri Danso.



Also in both meetings which lasted close to six hours were members of the Regional Security Council and the National Security Minister Kan Dapaah.



A peaceful protest of some recent decisions of the university management turned violent Monday morning on the campus in Kumasi, forcing the Regional Security Council to shut down the school indefinitely.



The students did not understand why some of their colleagues were manhandled by the university security last weekend during a vigil organised against the university authorities decision banning all morale nights



Some people have condemned the university students for their Monday action which caused destruction to both private and university property.



Sources close to the parties told 3news.com that footage of the Monday violent incident were shown to the delegation which is set to visit the Universitys campus Wednesday morning to assess the situation and get firsthand information.



Education Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, told journalists after the meeting that the current crisis is beyond the ambit of the Universitys Council.



Crisis beyond the University Council

We have met the university management, we have met the Security Council and we have met the students. Were going to collate our views and you will hear from government, he said.



Minister of Information designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah explained the situation demands higher interventions.



We have been engaging with various stakeholders, the university authorities, council representatives, student representatives, to understand what has happened. You know ordinarily the university is semi-autonomous and they handle their own affairs but its become obvious that these matters have not been contained at that level so now there is the need for high level intervention, he stated.



He said the first work of the delegation was than hence will move to the University campus Wednesday after which President will later be briefed before further decisions could be made.



We have finish our first level consultations, we are going to the campus to see and engage for ourselves and then we will report to the president and once clear decisions are made we will report to you where we are going with that, Mr. Oppon-Nkrumah said.







Source: 3news.com









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The United States will prohibit the entry into its territory to 21 citizens of Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.



"The Secretary announced that 21 Saudi suspects in the death of Jamal Khashoggi will have their visas revoked or be ineligible for a visa to enter the United States," a representative said.



US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert explained that "the Department has broad authority, under Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, to revoke visas based on information that comes to light at any time indicating that a visa holder may be inadmissible to the United States or otherwise ineligible for a visa. Visa confidentiality, protected by U.S. law, prohibits us from discussing individual visa cases."



Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States could impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on those responsible for the murder of Khashoggi. He did not rule out other measures against these individuals.



The slain Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's current policy, left his home country and moved to the United States in 2017. The journalist wrote articles for The Washington Post, analyzing the situation in Saudi Arabia and the country's foreign policy, and criticizing Riyadh.



The journalist arrived in the consulate general of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on October 2 to complete paperwork to marry a Turkish citizen and has not been in contact since then. On October 20, Saudi Arabias authorities announced that the journalist died after a conflict in the consulate general and did not provide any further details.









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For South Koreans in Canada, the police in their home country have no problem harshing their mellow.



Canada became the second country in the world to legalise recreational marijuana last week, but for South Koreans hoping to try the drug, their hopes have just gone up in smoke. Police in South Korea have repeatedly told their citizens not to partake in this newfound freedom, with the latest warning coming this week.



Weed smokers will be punished according to the Korean law, even if they did so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There wont be an exception, said Yoon Se-jin, head of the narcotics crime investigation division at Gyeonggi Nambu provincial police agency, according to the Korea Times.

South Korean law is based on the concept that laws made in Seoul still apply to citizens anywhere in the world, and violations, even while abroad, can technically lead to punishment when they return home. Those who smoke weed could face up to five years in prison.



South Korea strictly enforces drugs laws even for small amounts, and celebrities caught smoking weed are often paraded in front of media for apology tours. Officials work to project an image of a drug-free nation and only about 12,000 drug arrests were made in 2015 in a country of more than 50 million people.



However, details on how police would test those returning from Canada remain hazy. Experts suggested enforcement would focus more on drug traffickers than casual users.



South Korea cant screen everyone who visited a foreign country, but the police maintain a blacklist that leads to certain individuals being supervised, said Lee Chang-Hoon, a professor in the department of police administration at Hannam University in Daejeon. But the police are more concerned with the transportation of marijuana into South Korea, and the police messaging shows they are anxious about tackling this issue in the near future.

Judges in South Korea have a significant amount of discretion and will likely assess the crimes individually, Lee added, especially when marijuana is prescribed of medical reasons.



There are about 23,000 South Korean students in Canada, according to statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



Marijuana has a long history of use in making hemp fabric in South Korea and the plant was banned only in 1976 under dictator Park Chung-hee. Before prohibition only Indian marijuana was labelled as a narcotic and the drug was common in music and artistic circles in the 1960s and 1970s, where many took to happy smoke, as it was commonly called at the time, for inspiration.

Source: theguardian.com









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Brong Ahafo Regional First Vice Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe popularly known as Abronye DC has urged Ghanaians to vote for NPP in 2020 to introduce Free Tertiary Education and ignore One Party School for One Constituency message which is being propagated by the former President John Mahama.



Addressing delegates in the Sene West Constituency of the Brong Ahafo Region on Friday, October 19, 2018, former President John Mahama who is aspiring to lead the NDC in 2020 general elections, has promised to establish a party school for each constituency across the country to equip his party members.



Mr. Mahama said the school will help the party to know its members through a database collection and revealed that he can only fulfil this promise when elected as the President of this country.



President John Mahama further told the people that he was more experienced than President Akufo-Addo so when given the opportunity for the second time, he would change the country.



He urged his party members to be united and wrestle political power from the NPP government and save Ghanaians from the NPP's economic hardship.



But in a statement signed by Abronye DC, he indicated that former President Mahama failed to fulfil the NDC's 2012 campaign promises and therefore called on Ghanaians to ignore his recent promises.



The statement emphasized, "I will like to first and foremost draw the attention of all and sundry to some promises captured in the NDC manifesto made prior to the 2012 elections".



"The Good people of Ghana will rather prefer Free Tertiary Education over that bogus and useless NDC school," the statement stressed.



Below is the full statement



RE: ONE CONSTITUENCY ONE NDC PARTY SCHOOL IN 2021 - SAYS JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA



While the NPP is planning on how to implement a free Tertiary Education program in 2021, the flagbearer aspirant for the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama who is on a tour in the Brong Ahafo Region is heard on tape promising to facilitate the establishment of an NDC school dubbed Institute of Ideological Studies in each Constituency for the party faithfuls when he is elected as flagbearer and subsequently wins the 2020 general elections. He made those promises whilst addressing delegates at the Sene West Constituency.



I will like to first and foremost draw the attention of all and sundry to some promises captured in the NDC manifesto made prior to the 2012 elections.



Ghanaians voted for John Mahama based on those promises yet he failed to execute even one;



1. John Mahama promised 10% oil revenue for Western Regional Chiefs



2. He promised salt based chemical industries of Caustic Soda. See page 11 of 2012 manifesto



3. He promised Fertilizer industries to give impetus to agro development. See also page 11 of their 2012 manifesto



4. He promised in page 11 of their manifesto to establish textile industries and ventures in their value chain.



5. He promised to build an Eastern Regional hospital. See page 34 of manifesto



6. He also promised to complete the WA Regional hospital. see page 34



7. He promised to establish manufacturing enterprises to process agriculture produce especially beans, fruits and Shea nuts. See page 63 of manifesto



8. He further promised to establish integrated Shea butter processing factories in the Northern Region. See also page 63.



Just to mention a few. These are promises which induced the ordinary Ghanaian to vote for John Mahama however, he completely failed to fulfil any of these promises.



From the tape, it could be depicted that John Mahama is planning to use the ordinary Ghanaian tax payer's money to feed his party faithfuls. It is clear that, the intent of John Mahama's come back is to loot state funds for his party.



While the Nana Addo NPP government is Initiating policies such as NaBCo, Free SHS, etc be we have people from NDC condemning same.



The National Organizer for the NDC Kofi said NaBCo which will benefit the entire unemployed youth is a waste of resources.



Also, whilst the Nana Addo administration is trying so hard to reduce electricity tariffs and other tariffs including;



I. 17.5% VAT on domestic airlines



ii. 5% VAT on real estate



iii. Excise duty on petroleum



Iv. 7.5% on selected imported medicine, etc....



We have persons like the former president Mahama and his finance minister Seth Tepker telling Ghanaians that, reduction of tariffs is a populist approach and that, same is a recipe for disaster.



Sometimes, I wonder whether the NDC really thinks about Ghanaians. Anything that will benefit the entire citizenry, they will be the first to criticize but now, here are the same people promising to establish political party schools in each Constituency.



My simple question to all Ghanaians is that, will they prefer An NDC ideological school over Free SHS, NaBCo, 1D 1F, 1 village 1 Dam, etc.



The NDC institute of Ideological Studies will be of no benefit to the ordinary Ghanaian yet the NDC feel that one is prudent than NaBCo and Free SHS



The Good people of Ghana will rather prefer Free Tertiary Education over that bogus and useless NDC school.



Signed!



Kwame Baffoe Abronye



NPP Brong Ahafo Regional First Vice Chairman

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has described as wasted time former President John Rawlings 19-year rule of Ghana.



For a whole period of 19 years, during the rule of Jerry John Rawlings, I dont really see what this country benefited, I must say, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe whos a founding father of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) told Politics&Power Magazine.



To me, it was a wasted time because if he had been able to achieve what he wanted to do, he would have been the first person to really transform this country to a higher level but nothing like that came.



I mean, lets face it, nothing. His tenure, rather, brew indiscipline and the corruption that he wanted to clear at that time, he was not able to do it. Its gone worse now, he added.



According to the former Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, under the erstwhile NPP administration of John Kufuor, corruption has since permeated the entire fabric of the country.



Reacting public clamour of a return of a Rawlings-like regime to propel the countrys development and fight against corruption, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe said: It has not been able to transform the country. In anything at all, we are one step back.



Ghana, he said at the moment, needs someone with a vision similar to Kwame Nkrumah.



Element vision under Kufuor



Commenting on the series of military interventions that Ghana witnessed since independence, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe said it was their duty to run a nation. When we watch carefully, all the periods that they served things were rather getting worse.



According to him, the emergence of former President Kufuor on the political scene came with it an element of vision that had eluded the country for years.



He took over from a military leader, he had a lot of challenges. Once again, the economy was bad and he managed it nicely, I must say. Kufuor managed it nicely, I must and we got to a level that surprised a lot of people in the world so we all thought once we are now taking off, unfortunately, he had to leave office so one can say, even in the era of Kufuor there was an element of vision, he added.

Source: The Publisher









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Some top members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have called for the immediate removal of the KNUST Vice Chancellor, blaming him for the riots that happened at the university campus.



The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, has called on the Vice Chancellor (VC) to resign or be booted out.



He laid the blame for the confusion and chaotic scenes that led to the massive destruction of property at the university at the doorstep of the VC.



The NPP chairman, popularly known as Wontumi, insisted that the KNUST VC should solely be blamed for the chaotic scenes that occurred at the university.



He should be blamed and I suggest that the KNUST VC, Prof. Obiri-Boahen, should be sacked or resign for failing to deliver on his mandate, he said on Nhyira FM.



According to him, it is totally wrong for the students to take the law into their hands, but opined that the students wouldnt have lost their temper had Prof. Obiri-Danso done the right thing.



Nana B Call



Commenting on the issue on social media site Facebook, the governing partys National Youth Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly referred to as Nana B said the end of the KNUST Vice Chancellor was near, presumably over his handling of the several concerns raised by the students early on.



Nana B in registering his displeasure at the situation posted, I am very confident that Prof Obiri Danso will soon be history very very soon.



Afenyo-Markins View



Member of Parliament for Efutu constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has also blamed Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso and the schools authorities for the incident that occurred on the campus Monday.



According to the Efutu MP, the strict rules and policies implemented by the Vice Chancellor (VC) is the root cause of the students demonstration which resulted in vandalism.



Though condemning the students for vandalizing properties on campus, he said on Peace FM, accra based radio station that the VC and the University authorities should bow their heads in shame as the incident was avoidable if only they had sat to jaw-jaw with the students.



He wondered why Prof Obiri-Danso appeared to have grown wings that he wouldnt grant audience with stakeholders including the Sector Minister till the situation had to aggravate.



What has happened at Tech (KNUST) is a shame . . . Now the Minister that you wouldnt want to sit with him is going to order you to do what is needful. So, your absolute power after all is not absolute. VC of Tech, after all, your absolute power is not absolute! You forgot that to a certain extent, the State has a responsibility to protect; so, the State will intervene, he stated.

Source: The Publisher









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There is uneasy calm in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the disqualification of some members of the party who are vying for positions in the party in the forthcoming primaries.



Over four contestants have been disqualified by the party for not holding executive positions prior to the current contest.



One of the aggrieved persons, an aspiring National Youth Organiser, Elikem Kotoko, has dragged the party to court for disqualifying him in line with the partys constitution.



On October 16, 218, Elikem filed a writ at an Accra High Court against the party, the National Chairman and General Secretary.



Mr. Kotoko, in his writ, prayed the court to stop the NDC from holding the forthcoming primary to elect National Youth Organizer this weekend until his reinstatement.



Another aspirant, Wonder Madilo, who was also disqualified, was reinstated by the party upon appeal.



Elikem described the decision to disqualify him as improper and arbitrary.



The plaintiff wants perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants, their committees, organs, agents from going ahead with the election of National Youth Organiser without him.



According to him, the partys decision to disqualify him was wrong because he held various positions in the party at the constituency level.



He, therefore, wants the court to set aside the decisions of the vetting committee, chaired by Major General Carl Mordey and the National Executive Committee and reinstate him.

Source: Daily Guide









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Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has been given a messianic status by gurus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Eastern region.



At a meeting with executives of the NDC at Asamankese the Nadowli-Kaleo MP, who had a huge reputation as an incorruptible man, was declared as the partys saviour.



Yes that is what Mr Bagbin is, the partys saviour, and a saviour is exactly what the party needs at the moment, Mr. Ben Yamoah, Communication officer for Lower West Akim Constituency said at the meeting at Asamankese.



According to him, Mr Bagbin had already started saving the party and deserved to be allowed the whole platform to complete the salvation of the party by moving it into power from opposition in 2020.



When our Founder walked away from his own baby, it was Mr who teamed up with some elders of our party to draw him back.

It was not only the Founder, in fact the entire Council of Elders of the party was back on board with us because Mr Bagbin mediated on behalf of the party.



Mr Yamoah commended Mr Bagbin for clearly explaining issues to party faithful on every stop of his tour, and meeting chiefs, cadres, imams, and leaders of the zongo communities, a situation he said had invigorated the activities of the party.



I am confident that by the time he tours the whole country, all the people who love the NDC, but lost hope because of monkey dey work baboon dey chop will be attracted back into the party. This is how Bagbin is saving the NDC from hopelessness, Mr Yamoah added.



The Asamankese meeting was a huge affair with Constituency executives thronging the meeting to hear Mr Bagbin.



Mr Yamoah used the meeting as a platform to officially pledge his vote to Mr Bagbin and admonished the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament against repeating President Mahamas public statements which angered Ghanaians and cost the party dearly in 2016.



The Nadowli Kaleo MP had a positive response for everything that he said, including his observation that there was total neglect for the party, pro NDC journalists such as Raymond Archer and Jojo Bruce Quansah among others and promised that under him NDC, he would strengthen their media.



Meanwhile, Albert Anaafi Afari, alias Jerry, another Constituency executive who attended the meeting pledged in an interview on the sidelines of the meeting that Mr Bagbin would have a landslide victory from the Eastern region during the partys presidential primary.



We will work double time, the way we worked for Mahama to have victory in 2012. That promise that monkey dey work baboon dey chop will be a thing of the past under him is the best message I have heard so far from any of the aspirants because that is the main cause of disaffection in the party, he said.



According to him, Mr Bagbin was more than qualified to lead the party because, of all the aspirants, he had the most experience having served as the partys pioneer MP, Majority and Minority Leader, member of the Council of Elders and Member of the Partys Functional Executive among others.



The other candidates can boast of other things, but none can claim that they have very cordial relationship with our beloved Founder like Bagbin does and whether we like it or not we need our Founder to win 2020, Mr. Afari said.



Mr Mark Okraku, Fanteakwa South NDC Chairman said many NDC Executives were disgruntled because they did not benefit in the past, but were invigorated with the powerful message of the Second Deputy Speaker and would work hard for him.



I am impressed with Mr Bagbins brilliant delivery and I think he is the best to save the NDC, Mr Frank Ofosu, Atiwa West constituency Organiser has said.



Meanwhile, on the tour, Mr Bagbin this weekend stopped over at the Akim Oda Krontihenes Palace, and paid homage, when he and his campaign team visited the town.



Branch, Constituency and regional executives of the NDC there thronged the palace asking for Bagbins T shirts amidst the chanting of victory songs for the Nadowli-Kaleo MP.

Source: GNA









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Ostensible allies of Saudi Arabia are seeking clearer answers and rethinking ties after the kingdom confirmed that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in its Istanbul consulate

International reactions after the confirmation of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul almost three weeks ago came swiftly.

Western countries called for those responsible for Khashoggis death to be held to account, for the immediate recovery of the body, the suspension of arms sales, and a UN-led investigation, especially with so many questions still hanging in the air and so many versions of the story told.

Events are moving rapidly, and the fallout could affect the Middle East and the world on many levels.

Vehement condemnations were followed by some soul-searching and difficult questions: Did the West facilitate this incident by overlooking past abuses, mentioning words like human rights and democracy in its foreign policy statements less and less?

Aaron David Miller, vice president for new initiatives at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre and former Middle East peace negotiator in many US administrations, thinks the world is still missing the vital facts.

There has to be a factual basis laid out for what happened to Jamal inside that consulate building. And then conclusions can be drawn about what needs to be done about it, he said in interview with Al-Ahram Weekly.

So far, we know something terrible happened and we know Saudis are responsible for it. We know Jamal is dead, but we have no idea what happened to his remains. There is very strong circumstantial evidence that this was not a rogue operation. But beyond that we do not have the evidence that is required to answer many questions, he added.

Miller emphasised the need for an impartial investigation. The only way to know what happened to Jamal inside that building is through an independent investigation, either by the United States and the FBI or by the UN, so the agendas of those who are doing the investigations do not interfere with the facts.

The Turks certainly have information that they have not revealed, but even if they assert certain things, the question is, will it actually answer or provide additional information that will reveal the motivation behind this killing and who actually knew about it? Or how Jamal died? So, there is no accounting yet, and there is no accountability yet. The first needs to precede the second, Miller told the Weekly.

The furore over Khashoggis death grew particularly after Saudi Arabia said in a statement late Friday that he died after a fist fight inside the consulate building while a discussion to bring him back to Saudi Arabia went badly wrong, adding that 18 Saudi citizens were arrested over the killing.

Statment Meets Scepticism

On Sunday, Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir spoke to Fox News suggesting individuals had attempted to cover up the killing to his government and that it did not know the details.

The individuals who did this did so outside the scope of their authority. There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover it up, Jubeir said.

He added: We want to make sure that those who are responsible are punished.

Jubeir also said: We dont know where the body is.

So far, Saudi Arabia said it has arrested 18 people, sacked two aides of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and set up a body, under his leadership, to reform the intelligence agency.

Relations Under Pressure

The UK, France and Germany expressed shock after Khashoggis death was confirmed. In a joint statement they emphasised, nothing can justify this killing and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

London, Paris and Berlin noted the Saudi explanation, but added: There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened... beyond the hypotheses that have been raised so far in the Saudi investigation, which need to be backed by facts to be considered credible.

The three nations said they would not make a judgement until the explanation had been further detailed.

We, therefore, ask for the investigation to be carried out thoroughly until responsibilities are clearly established and that there is proper accountability and due process for any crimes committed, they added.

The European Union said details of Khashoggis death were deeply troubling and that an investigation was needed.

The EU emphasised that the continuing investigation should bring proper clarity on the circumstances of the killing, ensuring full accountability of all those responsible for it.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Khashoggis death and full accountability for those responsible.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said his country condemned the killing of Khashoggi and called for a thorough investigation into the incident, noting that many questions surrounding Khashoggis death remain unanswered.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the Saudi explanations offered to date lack consistency and credibility, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said about the explanations, this cannot stand. This will not do.

Spains government said it was dismayed by information about Khashoggis death and echoed the call from the UN for a thorough and transparent investigation to bring to justice those responsible for the killing.

Germany went beyond expressing shock to declare it will stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia and urged other EU member states to do the same in a further sign of the growing diplomatic firestorm sparked by the case.

Peter Altmaier, German economy minister, said that Riyadhs explanation of the killing had not been satisfactory. The government is in agreement that we will not approve further arms exports for the moment because we want to know what happened, he told the broadcaster ZDF.

He also called for a united European stance on the issue. Only when all European countries agree does that make an impression on the government in Riyadh, he said.

It has absolutely no positive consequences if we stop arms exports but at the same time other countries fill this gap, he added.

Steffen Seibert, spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, said: The Saudi explanation from before the weekend didnt really help We need to find out where Mr Khashoggis remains are and while that is going on, there is no basis for positive decisions on arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

Under an agreement reached between the parties in Germanys grand coalition government this year, Berlin restricts arms exports to all countries directly involved in the war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia leads a coalition there fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. But the curbs set out in the coalition agreement do not affect pre-approved deals.

This might now change. Seibert said Monday that the government was checking whether it could stop arms exports that have already been granted permits. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Economy confirmed existing permits could be revoked.

The oil-rich kingdom is the second-largest buyer of German arms, behind Algeria. Berlin approved 416.4 million ($480.1 million) of weapons exports to Riyadh during the first nine months of 2018.

Britain also called for urgent clarification of the circumstances surrounding the death.

There remains an urgent need for clarification of what happened beyond the hypotheses raised so far in the Saudi investigation, Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman declared.

May said in the parliament: I am sure the whole House will join me in condemning the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest possible terms. We must get to the truth of what happened.

Britain says it is considering its next steps and those responsible for Khashoggis death needed to be held to account.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt previously warned there would be consequences for British-Saudi relations.

May is under pressure to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner told BBC Radio 4: What we would do certainly at the moment, and I think the government should do this, is to suspend all arms sales to the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is the UKs key ally in the region and a significant trading partner.

Changing Tides

Many MPs in the British parliament think the UK and the rest of the Western sphere need to rethink their stances on many issues.

This could lead to major policy changes, especially in Yemen. Saudi Arabias intervention in the war in Yemen is one of the kingdoms most contentious foreign policy initiatives.

Also, in three weeks time, sweeping US sanctions will go into effect on Iran, as the US administration seeks to cut off the countrys oil exports. The current crisis could affect US policy towards Iran.

President Trump has made crippling the Iranian economy a foreign policy priority. A crisis with Saudi Arabia, which said it would compensate for the shortage of oil supplies after imposing sanctions on Iran, could slow Trumps plans.

As for the Middle East peace plan, it is simply dead in the water.

The Saudi image is tarnished, it would be difficult for them to play any meaningful role until this is resolved, according to Western diplomats.

For some, the current crisis only magnified the weakness of the US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Trumps relying on the Saudis was fanciful thinking to begin with. What role are they going to play in containing Iranian influence in the Middle East? That is very unclear. How much are they prepared to do to facilitate Arab-Israeli peace-making? Very doubtful. And it may be that some of their actions in Yemen, Qatar and Lebanon only enhanced Iranian influence, Aaron David Miller told the Weekly.

I think we are, in the US, way too dependent on the Saudis. I think this is the most profound crisis in US-Saudi relations since 11 September 2001. And whether this crisis may go beyond that, depends on what the Saudis actually knew about Jamals killing. I think its time to use this crisis to rethink the relationship; it is a disaster now because Jamal is killed.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 25 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Khashoggi fallout has just begun

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The AfricaWatch Magazine, one of the most controversial periodical publications on the continent, claims the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, is likely to attempt to curry favour with the current Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, to get the electoral body to compile a new voters register for the 2020 General Elections by use of the Ghana Card.



According to the magazine, whiles it sees nothing wrong with improving and enhancing the accuracy of the electoral roll, any bid by the current administration to undercut NDC strongholds under the guise of the ECs use of the Ghana Card as the basis for a new voters roll - because the current register is bloated with foreigners, mostly from Togo, who, it is believed, are more sympathetic to the NDC - might inflame passions and ignite a political conflagration.



In June this year, the National Identification Authority (NIA) commenced the registration process for citizens working in specialized institutions or Key Influencers as the Authority puts it. The NIA has so far registered officials at the Presidency, Parliament, former presidents excluding Jerry Rawlings as well as some government institutions giving out over 80,000 cards within the last four months.



A few days into the exercise, however, the opposition NDC, at a meeting by its Functional Executive Committee (FEC) took a decision  which was later communicated to the media by General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah - not to participate in the ongoing National Identification Card (Ghana Card) registration until the partys demand that the Voters ID card is included as one of the requirements for registration, is met.



Prior to that, the Minority in Parliament, had already boycotted the registration claiming the exercise will disenfranchise and de-nationalize several Ghanaians because only birth certificates and passports will be used as identification for registration. That impasse is yet to be resolved.



There is nothing wrong with cleaning up a voters registerbut it is quite dangerous for Akufo-Addos government to use the Ghana Card to undercut NDC strongholds and then turn around to have the EC use the Ghana Card as the basis for a new voters roll so that the NDC will not have the numbers to vote for them in future elections, the Steve Mallory edited magazine said.



Touching on the popularity of the current President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the AfricaWatch magazine believed it has waned rather significantly, largely because of his inability to deliver the numerous electoral promises, most especially the One-District-One-Factory.



This, the magazine said, has rendered the President highly strung and edgy as Ghanaians are becoming gradually disenchanted.



uneasiness is thus increasing as more people are coming to grips with the stark fact that some of the key presidents campaign promises may not materialize at all, such as his plan to build one factory in each of the countrys 216 constituencies during his first term in office, a scheme he proudly called One District, One Factory.

though, many questioned where on earth the funds would come from for such an enormous undertaking, he promised at the time that it would alleviate poverty and create more jobs. None of it has happened.



Hope in Akufo-Addos presidency is therefore turning into doubt and beginning to grow into disillusionment. This, naturally, is making the president become nervous and putting him on the defensive.



Africawatch, which boasts the catchline; the Pan-African Magazine of Choice, further claimed the honesty of the president is also being called into question by some of the people who voted for him, as his only notable achievement to date, which has become something of a mantra for party communicators; the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, appears botched.



Even the implementation of the promised Free Senior High program has somehow been botched, because the government rushed it without any proper consultation and planningnow that his honesty is being called into question by some of the people who voted for him, Akufo-Addo is becoming increasingly unpopular. That has made him nervous and he has already started covertly scheming to bolster his chances for re-election in 2020, the Africawatch Magazine said.







More anon......

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowed on Wednesday that the killers of Jamal Khashoggi would be brought to justice.

Prince Mohammed told international investors at a major conference in Riyadh that the furore over Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would not derail the kingdom's reform drive.

"We will prove to the world that the two governments (Saudi and Turkish) are cooperating to punish any criminal, any culprit and at the end justice will prevail," Prince Mohammed said to applause.

Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together "to reach results" on a joint investigation and described cooperation between the two countries as "special", despite criticism from Ankara.

"The incident that happened is very painful, for all Saudis... The incident is not justifiable," the crown prince said on a discussion panel at the conference.

Erdogan spoke to Prince Mohammed on Wednesday and the two discussed the steps needed to bring to light all aspects of Khashoggi's death, a presidential source said.

"There are now those who are trying to take advantage of the painful situation to create a rift between the kingdom and Turkey," he said.

"I want to send them a message that they cannot do this as long as there a king named Salman bin Abdulaziz and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, and a president in Turkey named Erdogan."

France said on Wednesday it could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia if its intelligence services establish that the kingdom was behind Khashoggi's murder, although government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said there would be no hasty conclusions.

The Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh was overshadowed by Khashoggi's killing, with more than two dozen high-level participants withdrawing.

But Saudi Arabia showed it could still do business despite the furore, signing deals worth $50 billion at the conference on Tuesday. The event was attended by hundreds of bankers and company executives.

Prince Mohammed, 33, was upbeat on the economy, predicting growth of 2.5 percent this year.

He seemed relaxed on the panel he shared with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa and Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. He joked about Hariri's detention in the kingdom last year, saying the Lebanese prime minister was free to leave after attending the conference.

"Prime Minister Saad is staying in the kingdom for two days so I hope you don't spread rumours that he was kidnapped," Prince Mohammed said.

The Saudi central bank governor sought to reassure foreign banks that withdrew from the conference that they would not be penalised and may apply for licenses to operate in the country, the Middle East's largest economy.

During the panel Prince Mohammed touted Saudi Arabia's success in its efforts to transform its oil-dependent economy and make the deeply conservative kingdom a more tolerant society.

"All our projects are going ahead, reform is going ahead, our war on extremism is going ahead, our war on terrorism is going ahead...our efforts wont stop no matter how they try to constrain us," he said.

Lucid Motors chief technology officer Peter Rawlinson was also present and the U.S. company had a dedicated stand at the venue. In September Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund agreed to invest more than $1 billion in Lucid as part of Saudi efforts to diversify the oil-dependent economy.

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August 5  Kverkfjoll Summit Attempt

After our successful first sortie, we were ready to explore the geothermal areas at the volcanos summit. Our UK collaborator, Claire Cousins of St. Andrews University, warned us that Icelandic weather could be very unpredictable. Now our guides were confirming this, sadly informing us that the weather would likely be bad for the remainder of the week, exceeding the several days that wed budgeted for contingency time. We would have only one chance to reach the volcano summit, on Sunday, August 5 before the weather shut us out. We had also been cautioned by our guides not to underestimate the length of the hike ahead of us - 8 to 10 hours round trip to the summit  for strong hikers in good weather.

Soon the volcano proved that it wouldnt yield its secrets easily. One problem was the ice quality. Since some areas of the glacier had melted away over the summer, we had to take a more circuitous, and longer, route. It was a harder slog than we anticipated, and with our equipment-laden packs we were making slower time than a typical, less-encumbered hiking group. By 4:30 p.m., we had been climbing for more than 7 hours, but were still an hour or more away from the summit geothermal areas. A fog was closing in, and there were more crevasses than our guides anticipated, slowing our progress further as we gingerly crossed them one at a time on tight lines.

We had reached the point when hikers were usually already descending, and we hadnt yet reached the top of the glacier. If we persisted we would arrive in early evening, hours behind in beginning our science measurements, and inviting a long descent in the dark, or else an unplanned bivouac at the summit. It was a difficult moment, as we knew that we wouldnt get another chance to reach the geothermal areas this year, but there was only one choice to make. Reluctantly, we took some parting photos and turned around to head downslope towards warmth and rest.

We had learned a lot on this trip, including how to work together as a team on the ice, and assist with each others science experiments. We had collected valuable samples of ice, rock and sediments, despite not reaching our ultimate goal at the high geothermal site. (Later, one of Icelandic friends, who wrote his PhD dissertation on the Kverkfjoll region, would tell me that it took him four or five attempts to finally get the data he wanted.) Our conversations with local guides and scientists had given us important insights into other ways we might access our destination in the future. We were returning with data to publish and samples to analyze. Already on the return flight, we promised: Iceland, we will be back!

We look forward to presenting the first science results from this expedition at the 2018 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union on December 10 to 15, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
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For their recital at the Sheldonian Theatre, Alessandro Fisher and Gary Matthew began with a group of Bellini songs all dating from 1829 (the year Bellini wrote). These are not as complex as the operas, they are essentially ariette created for the salon or the parlour, and all about the voice with the piano as basic support (often with a simple oom-pah bass rhythm).For, Alessandro Fisher gave us a lovely Italianate line with melodies which really flowed.was a little bit closer to an aria, with drama in the piano introduction and in the vocal line. Fisher displayed a fine tenore di grazia type voice, with lovely event tone through the range and a nice combination of vibrancy and ease. He did not make the mistake of trying to do too much with the songs, yet put each one over with engaging grace. The final one of the Bellini group,was quietly moving, almost an operatic cavatina we rather missed the caballetta afterwards.From Bellini we moved to a pair of Donizetti songs.which dates from 1837 (the year ofand), was perky and characterful with popular hints in the music. Fisher's performance was delightfully full of character and Gary Mattheman made the most of the rather basic accompaniment. In all these songs, Alessandro Fisher's engaging stage presence counted for a lot, as he made each a little story to be told. The second Donizetti songdates from 1842 (the year ofand the year before), this was darker and more dramatic with a strong sense of narrative.The group of Verdi songs took us to a few years later than the Donizetti ones, but still early in Verdi's career.dates from 1847 (the year of the original version of), it was another striking story in song with a perky accompaniment, yet would we guess it was by Verdi?dates from a couple of years earlier yet seemed much more like Verdi with a wandering bass line and quiet, intense vocal line, creating something atmospheric.(also from 1845) was far closer to an aria, with bravura hints in the vocal line yet always Alessandro Fisher's priority was a fine combination of line and text.By contrast, Sir Paolo Tosti specialised in songs rather than composing them as a side-line and he had a significant career in the UK.from 1907, setting Gabriele d'Annunzio, proved to be a delightful melancholy waltz with some lively details in the piano, and both performers gave it the necessary light touch.(from 1896) was a touching piece, lyrically flowing and beautifully crafted.Reynaldo Hahn'ssets six poems in Venetian dialect evoking the life and loves of gondolieri. I first came across the cycle in a performance by Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Graham Johnson with the Songmakers Almanac, and have performances by Rolfe Johnson and Martyn Hill on disc. So though the cycle is a Peruvian-Frenchamn setting Venetian, I associate it with the lyric English tenor voice. To this mix, Alessandro Fisher added a native speaker's way with the text and a certain Italianate inflection in the music, yet the melismatic line still flowed in a beautifully easy manner. The result was very engaging.Again we got a strong sense of Fisher's storytelling gift with little touches of drama in the vocal line. The melismas in the second song,, were beguilingly haunting whilst the third,, was taken at quite a lick, with a torrent of words and gestures too. The final song was simple and lovely, but both Fisher and Matthewman did a lot with it.We were treated to an encore, a classic from a later generation of Italian composers, Leoncavallo's. Fisher is a former member of Oxford Lieder Festival's Young Artist Programme and is clearly a talent to watch. We caught him in Salieri'swith Bampton Classical Opera [see my review ] and Anthony saw him in Mozart'swith Classical Opera [see Anthony's review ]. Looking ahead we will be seeing him in very different repertoire, as he is singing the tenor solo in Britten'sin Lincoln Cathedral (the first time the work has been performed there).
Sokol Detroit is a multifaceted organization, which has been providing unique inter-generational programs for families throughout Metro-Detroit for several years.

This year Sokol Detroit is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia at our Sokol Cultural Center, 23600 W. Warren Ave, Dearborn Heights Mi. We are celebrating this historic anniversary at our Dinner Dance with the theme 100 years of Czechoslovakia-1918-2018 Nov, 4.

Doors open 1:30 pm. and the event runs until 6 p.m.

Cost is $20 for adults, and $10 for children 10 and under. Dinner, including beer, wine and pop is included in the ticket cost.

The event is open to the public and will include basket raffles, live music and more.

For more information contact Renata Green at rzgreen@gmail.com.
At least 10 people were killed on Wednesday in an air strike that hit a group of farmers in a vegetable market in Yemen's Hodeidah province, medical workers and residents said.

A Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemens war in 2015 has conducted frequent air strikes targeting the Iran-aligned Houthi group.

Medics and residents in Bayt al-Faqih, a town 70 km (40 miles) south of Hodeidah city, said nine other people were also wounded in the air strike.

Houthi media said 19 were killed and 10 were wounded in the same area.

Residents said violent clashes erupted in the southern outskirts of Hodeidah, a port city that pro-government forces have been trying to capture from the Houthis since the renewal of an offensive in September.

A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Colonel Turki al-Malki, said the alliance is investigating the incident.

"We take this report very seriously and it will be fully investigated, as all reports of this nature are, using an internationally approved, independent process. Whilst this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further," he said.

The coalition entered Yemens conflict after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than 2 million and driven the country, already the poorest on the Arabian Peninsula, to the verge of widespread famine.

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When a brick is knocked loose, then another in the mind of a potential suicide victim, his or her world begins to fall apart. Reconstructing the damage becomes painful and more difficult by the day and sometimes impossible for those who see no light at the end of the tunnel.

As the tunnel becomes darker and gloomier, the inconsolable feel the urge to end their lives. Note, with some suicide victims, the signs are obvious. If a student seems down and depressed or unable to participate in classroom activities, the teacher might notice perplexing changes and share her concerns with the Counseling Department.

If an employee observes a sudden change in a coworkers behavior or attitude, she may share the information with her superior who may, in turn, recommend intervention. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many who kill themselves learn to mask their feelings and their death takes everyone by surprise. In fact, studies show that more than half of people who kill themselves do not have a diagnosed mental health condition prior to death. A clinical diagnosis is not always an option, and many victims are left undiagnosed.

The despair that leads people to take their own lives may be something they are suffering with for days, months, or even years. Yet, in the aftermath, we burden ourselves with one of the most repetitive questions  why?  a question we may never find an answer to. Essentially, it is important to recognize the seriousness of the problem, identify its causes, and seek preventative measures to intervene as quickly as possible.

Today, suicide is a national and global epidemic. The epidemic is so prevalent that recent studies show rates of death by suicide in the United States have risen roughly by 25 percent in the last couple of decades. On average, there are 123 suicides per day with mental health issues contributing to fifty percent of them.

Suicide is not only a mental health problem but a public one as well. Easy access to firearms makes it the most commonly used method. Also, suicide is not always intuitive. Those who commit suicide do not want to stop living, but if committing suicide is the only way to end their mental agony, they welcome it regardless of faith or religious beliefs. The Bible, The Quran, and the Old Testament strongly condemn suicide, but the last thing on the mind of those struggling with serious mental health problems is far connecting with spiritual truths.

When teenagers commit suicide, they are determined to cause their own death. According to the CDC, boys are 4 times more likely to die from suicide than girls, but girls are more likely to attempt it. Before attempting to take their lives, they go through suicidal ideation. They focus on doing things that may cause their death. Studies by John Hopkins School of Medicine reveal that they lose interest in usual activities and experience changes in their eating and sleeping habits, use drugs or become obsessed with death and dying.

Americans aged 65 years and older make up 20 percent of all suicide deaths and only account for 13 percent of the American population. Teenagers far outnumber seniors with attempted suicide, but seniors are more successful at it because they have a stronger desire to end their lives. According to Senior Living Link, depression is the leading predictor among seniors but it still fails to be recognized and treated consistently within health systems across the United States.

The CDC highlights strategies based on the best available evidence to help states and communities prevent suicide. Strategies include strengthening economic support. In other words, facilitate access to healthcare; reduce lethal means among persons at risk, provide self-help programs and community activities, promote connectedness, and teach problem-solving skills, identify people at risk, prevent future risks by providing safe reporting and messaging.

Suicide is serious, but preventable. While there are many causes that lead to suicide, prevention strategies are aimed at reducing factors that increase the dynamics that promote resilience and coping. Rarely do suicide victims turn to a physician, public education, treatments, media strategies, or the internet to find support. However, if warning signs are detected early on, suicide can be prevented. Studies have shown that people who receive help from caring family and friends are less likely to act on their impulses. The best way to help is to contact National Suicide Prevention Lifeline that offers support 24/7 and will connect you to a local crisis center. In the end, effective prevention strategies are necessary to promote awareness and social change. As psychiatrist Dr. Judith Orloff states, Freedom comes when those who are thinking about suicide persist in searching for the light until its visible again. We may not always be able to save a life, but we can try.

Mary Assel is the retired director of the English Language Institute at Henry Ford College in Dearborn. She holds a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from Wayne State University.
At TEDx CaohejingParkSalon Zhao explained to a young audience of budding entrepreneurs that "in 2015, I travelled back to my homeland to lead Honor. Although I only had B2B experience back then, I knew that I only had one option -- to make Honor succeed. Over the past few years, in a 'Fearless Technology, Infinite Innovations' environment, Honor never ceases to enhance its technology or product quality and raise its core competitiveness. Innovation, quality and service have always been and always will be our top priorities. By continuously exploring these three areas, our upcoming 'Honor Magic 2', will be officially unveiled next week in Beijing and is bound to take smartphones to a whole new level. We believe that a company can only rise above the rest and stay relevant by delivering the best product with ultimate user experience."

"As the fastest-growing mobile phone brand, Honor never adopts an opportunistic approach in devising strategies. In 2015, Honor insisted on pooling their resources to deliver the best product and service quality, instead of relying on the 'spur-of-the-moment'. In 2016, when the global smartphone market suffered a steep decline, Honor persevered and was resolute in its vision. In 2017, when the industry was skeptical about their prospects, Honor insisted that its enterprises keep their vision focused on the future and boost momentum. In 2018, despite the smartphone market in China hitting a severe slump, Honor sailed through the storm. Not only did they record positive sales growth, they also remained China's top smartphone e-brand for the year," he added.

As a leading smartphone e-brand, Honor encourages young people to achieve their life dreams every day and always stay true to themselves, with a commitment to innovation that changes people's lives. The aim of today's TEDx talk was to share this passion and confidence with young people directly, helping them to fulfill their aspirations and change the world.

By empowering human beings to foresee the future, AI has always been a core strategic technology for Honor. Long before the industry came to realize the importance of AI, Honor had already invested heavily in AI R&D and built an AI ecosystem.

Zhao started his career with Huawei in 1998, working with them for 20 years in China and around the world. This experience gave him a great insight into how we use technology in our everyday lives and how it can change our lives for the better. As the President of Honor, he is responsible for the overall business management and growth of the Honor brand.

TEDx is a programme offering local and self-organized events that bring people together to share TED-like experiences in the spirit of spreading worthwhile ideas. Every year, TEDx CaohejingParkSalon in Shanghai invites diverse and experienced leaders to speak and exchange ideas with young entrepreneurs.

# # #

About Honor

Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers.

For more information, please visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com or follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

https://www.youtube.com/honorglobal

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773689/George_Zhao_TEDx.jpg

SOURCE Honor
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
NATO allies are not expected to deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe in response to what the West says is a Russian breach of an arms control treaty, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

"I don't foresee that European allies will deploy more nuclear weapons as a response," he told a news conference.

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Rebuilding Median By LaGuardia Kicking off construction of a project to rebuild and beautify the Ditmars Blvd medians between 78th Street and the airport (82nd Street), a press conference...

Marathon 2021 Runners of all racing stripes took part in the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon on November 7. Racing categories in this, the largest marathon...

Mount Sinai Queens Opening New Infusion Center The last week of October was marked by an expansion of health care capacity in the borough, as Mount Sinai Queens celebrated the opening of...
The artist was known for his pop paintings of cultural icons, such as Um Kalthoum, Faten Hamama, as well as political figures

Chant Avedissian, renowned Egyptian artist of Armenian origins, has died this Wednesday afternoon at the age of 67.

His death came after 3 years of struggle with Lung cancer and bone metastases, according to his sister Nairy Avedis Avedissian who shared the news on Facebook.

Acclaimed artist Avedissian was born in Cairo in 1951 to an Armenian family, and was educated in Montreal and Paris.

He was known for his images of iconic figures in Egyptian history, notably Umm Kalthoum, Farid Al Atrash, Abdel Halim Hafez, Faten Hamama and Asmahan. As well as political figures from between the 1940s and 1970s.

He worked through a wide range of media, including prints, painting, photography and textiles.

His work often integrated traditional Pharaonic iconography, Islamic geometric patterns, Ottoman design,

as well as pop art, folk art, sufi poetry and zen principles.

Avedissian worked for the Aga Khan Foundation with celebrated Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (1900-1989), which inspired his strong interest in traditional art and local materials

Exhibited widely, Avedissian 25 solo exhibitions between 1969 and 2018. His artwork is held by the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution; the British Museum, London; the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam; the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh; and the National Gallery of Jordan.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at@AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Rantoul, IL (61866)

Today

Partly cloudy and windy. High near 40F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 22F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Moscow court upholds seizure of ex-FSIN director Reimers assets

 RIA Novosti, Valery Melnikov

16:59 24/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 24 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court has dismissed appeals filed by ex-director of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Alexander Reimer sentenced to 8 years in prison and upheld seizure of his assets, RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom.

On August 24, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow ruled to maintain seizure of Reimers assets of 1.7 million rubles ($26,000). In effect that ruling prevented the officials early release since those assets are required to pay the damages, a prerequisite for a convicted person to ask for parole.

On August 22, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow ruled to recover over 2.2 billion rubles ($32.5 million) from Reimer and his accomplices convicted of embezzlement.

In June 2017, the court sentenced Reimer to 8 years in a penal colony for embezzling funds allocated for procurement of ankle bracelets, fined him 800,000 rubles (about $12,000), and stripped of his General rank.

Convicted ex-deputy of FSIN Nikolay Krivolapov and an ex-director of FSINs Information and Technical Support Center Viktor Opredelyonov received 5 years and 8 months and 6 years in prison respectively. Krivolapov was fined 600,000 rubles ($9,000) while Opredelyonov got a 700,000-ruble fine ($10,300).

Lawyers of the defendants asked to repeal or soften the sentences. A lawyer of Reimer said that the Zamoskvorestsky District Court issued a ruling with numerous violations and that it did not study some of the case documents.

According to investigators, Reimer, Krivolapov and Opredelyonov conspired with businessman Nikolay Martynov to embezzle monetary funds from the Russian state budget.

Between 2010 and 2012, Reimer and his accomplices stole money allocated for the purchase of ankle bracelets for persons placed under house arrest. The procurement was pursued at an enormously overvalued price. Damage allegedly caused to the state budget was estimated at no less than 2.7 billion rubles ($40 million at the current exchange rate).

The defendants have been charged, depending of their role, with abuse of office and embezzlement committed through abuse of office. Krivolapov was additionally charged with illegal possession of ammunition. They pleaded not guilty.

A case against Martynov was reviewed separately as he fully admitted his guilt in large-scale embezzlement. The businessman cooperated with investigators and announced that he is going to compensate the government with delivery of 7,000 new ankle bracelets. Martynov is a head of NPF Meta company that was supplying bracelets for prison inmates.
Notorious Moscow Region landfill case shelved

 RIA Novosti, Sergey Korobko

17:39 24/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 24 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Regional Commercial Court has suspended proceedings over the Volokolamsk town administrations claim to shut down the notorious Yadrovo landfill site, the courts press service has told RAPSI.

The case has been shelved until December 22 because of conducting an ecological examination of the landfill site, a representative of the court said.

The Volokolamsk authorities filed their lawsuit this summer. The defendant in the case is Yadrovo company.

On June 19, the Volokolamsk City Court of the Moscow Region dismissed a lawsuit lodged by residents of the area, who asked to recover 1.4 million rubles ($21,800) in compensation from a company behind Yadrovo landfill.

The plaintiffs asked to compensate their moral damages, stop collection and transportation of waste by the company and organize redevelopment measures at the landfill.

According to the claimants, the company failed to meet its obligations regarding management of the site and violated their Constitutional right to live in beneficial environment and caused deterioration to the health of local residents.

The defendants said that there was no cause and consequence effect between gas emissions and health problems of the plaintiffs, asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Local authorities also supported that motion.

Earlier, the court dismissed several other lawsuits against the landfill.

In March, the Volokalamsk districts authorities initiated emergency protocol and announced measures to liquidate the consequences of ecological violations during exploitation of the landfill. Yadrovo company was fined 150,000 rubles ($2,300) by the Volokolamsk City Court.
TOLOnews.com, August 27, 2018

By Massoud Ansar

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that over 600,000 children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition.

UNICEF warned that if these children are not provided with sufficient medical treatment, they could even die.

The Afghan Minister of Public Health Ferozudin Feroz said Afghanistan still tops the list of countries with the highest maternal and child mortality rates.

According to health officials, 650 out of every 100,000 infants die in the country.

Meanwhile, the government of Japan on Sunday announced $8.1 million in financial assistance within the structure of UNICEF to scale up maternal and child health care in Afghanistan. This will help 3.1 million children in the country.

According to UNICEF, the grant is part of the overall support given to address the wellbeing of mothers and children, with a focus on health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene.

Since 2001, Japan has allocated over $270 million to Afghanistans health sector.

As part of this program the Afghanistan Maternal and Child Health Handbook (MCHHB) was developed last year. The Ministry of Public Health is now ready to roll out the implementation of the MCHHB program across all 34 provinces.

The contribution will target 5.2 million beneficiaries - 2.1 million pregnant women and 3.1 million children under two years of age - and their respective families.

Speaking on the new development, Feroz stated: I would like to thank again the government and people of Japan for supporting the Ministry of Public Health in scaling up this important project. I would like to thank UNICEF, our trusted partner, for joining us to implement this nationwide activity. Now it is our pleasure that we would again have you as a partner to reach every mother and child with such a passport, record to a healthy future.

Mitsuji Suzuka, Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan said: One of Japan's development policies is the promotion of the development and improvement of the public health system, especially for women. This system has continued for more than 70 years in Japan and has now been expanded to many parts of the world. This handbook is a collection of information that highlights the health of children. The mothers become happy when they look at the handbook and see the healthy growth of their children at growing stage and afterwards.

Now it's time for Afghanistan to have handbooks distributed through their relevant authorities. Although, it is important, of course, the distribution of the handbook itself does not guarantee the health of the mothers and healthy growth of the children. It is essential to have a good public health network, access to health facilities and the cooperation of public health personnel. I hope that the handbook will be used well in Afghanistan and further developed.

Japan has been assisting Afghanistan with its nation-building efforts since 2001.

We still have some challenges that we have to look at. We have today in Afghanistan only 46 percent of children who are fully immunized who are between the ages twelve and 23 months. We have 600,000 children who have severe acute malnutrition. So those children, if they are not treated, many of them will die, many of them will have consequences for life, said Adele Khodr, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan.

I believe as an outcome of this initiative, every child will have an MCH handbook demonstrating all the services they have received since inception until five years of age and of recording all records from the system. This is a huge task and I would like to thank all partners for their efforts, for their excellent work and supporting this initiative, added Feroz.

Since January 2016, the Ministry of Public Health, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), UNICEF, the WHO and other partners have been working together to develop Afghanistans first ever integrated home-based and hand-held personal record of maternal and child health and nutrition.
Al Jazeera, October 2, 2018

At least 13 people have been killed and 25 others wounded in a suicide attack at an election campaign rally in the eastern Nangarhar province in Afghanistan.

The assailant detonated his explosives on Tuesday at a rally by parliamentary candidate Abdul Nasir Mohmmand in the Kama district outside the provincial capital of Jalalabad, provincial governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said.



Afghan Security personnel inspect the site of the suicide attack. (Photo: AP) Afghan Security personnel inspect the site of the suicide attack. (Photo: AP)

The attack, claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also know as ISIS), came as campaigning began for parliamentary elections due on October 20.

"Elders were speaking at the meeting when there was suddenly a huge blast," Sayed Humayoun, who was attending the meeting, said.

"I was knocked unconscious but when I opened my eyes there were bodies scattered all around the blast area," he said, adding that he could see dozens of dead and wounded bodies on the ground.

Around 250 people were attending the rally, said Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the provincial council.

Five candidates have been killed in attacks, according to the Independent Election Commission, and there are fears violence will escalate.

The Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group have vowed to disrupt the election process as they ramp up attacks across the country.

More than 2,500 candidates will contest the ballot, which is seen as a test run for next year's presidential election.

But preparations for the vote have been in turmoil for months.

Bureaucratic inefficiency, allegations of fraud and an eleventh-hour pledge for biometric verification of voters threaten to derail the election and any hope of a credible result.

The international community is pushing hard for the vote to happen before November's ministerial meeting in Geneva, which the United Nations says is a "crucial moment" for the Afghan government and its foreign partners to demonstrate progress.

Some 54,000 members of Afghanistan's security forces will be responsible for protecting more than 5,000 polling centres on election day.

More than 2,000 polling centres that were supposed to open will be closed for security reasons.
Reuters, October 11, 2018

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan - At least 15 Afghan border police were killed battling Taliban insurgents on Thursday, an official said, as fighting continues ahead of this month's elections, with 21 Taliban killed in an operation in Wardak, west of the capital Kabul.

Amruddin Wali, a member of the provincial council in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, said 15 members of the paramilitary border police were killed when Taliban fighters attacked a checkpoint in Qala-e Zal district.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid put the casualty total at 25 and said seven police were wounded.

The latest violence follows increasing pressure by the Taliban on Kunduz, the northern city they twice overran in 2015 and 2016. The city has remained relatively secure over the past two years, but the insurgents control many of the surrounding districts.

Earlier, Afghan special forces, backed by air strikes, killed at least 21 Taliban, including senior commanders, as they gathered to plan attacks aimed at disrupting parliamentary elections on Oct. 20, the National Directorate of Security said in a statement.
Al Jazeera, October 13, 2018



Afghan Security personnel inspect the site of a suicide attack in the Kama district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 2, 2018. (Photo: AP) Afghan Security personnel inspect the site of a suicide attack in the Kama district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 2, 2018. (Photo: AP)

The number of people killed when a bomb went off at an election rally in northeastern Afghanistan has climbed to at least 22, Afghan officials said.

Khalil Aser, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Takhar province, said 32 others were wounded when an explosives-laden motorbike parked near the rally for Nazifa Yousufi Bek in Rustaq district blew up.

The victims included security officials and civilians, a local police official said, adding that the candidate was not at the rally at the time.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. It is the third attack against the election campaign process this month.

Attacks on election rallies

Afghanistan's parliamentary election is slated for October 20, with 2,565 candidates vying for seats in the 249-member chamber, including 417 female candidates.

Since official campaigning began, three attacks including Saturday's blast, have taken place at election rallies, killing over 30 people in total.

On October 2, an attack on a rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar killed 13 people and wounded more than 40.

Saturday's blast comes days after a suicide bomber struck an election meeting in Helmand province, killing at least eight people, including candidate Saleh Mohammad Achekzai.

At least five people have been murdered in targeted killings so far, according to the Independent Election Commission.

Preparations for the ballot, which is more than three years late, have been in turmoil for months and there has been speculation about whether the vote would take place.

Bureaucratic inefficiency, allegations of fraud and an 11th-hour pledge for biometric verification of voters threaten to derail the process and any hope of a credible result.
Xinhua, October 23, 2018

At least 28 people have been reportedly killed and 83 others wounded following consecutive violent incidents during the long-delayed Afghan parliamentary elections held over the weekend.

Balloting started on Saturday as the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) initially planned to hold the polls in one day, but the IEC officials extended the voting to Sunday as scores of polling centers were not open or running on Saturday after long delays due to militants' attacks, irregularities, and a low attendance of election workers.

Afghan Minister of Interior Affairs Wais Ahmad Barmak confirmed that 192 out of 1,800 attacks and explosions planned by Taliban militants occurred throughout the country, killing 28 people, including 11 security officials, and injuring 83 others, including 19 security personnel in the first day of the process.

However, some unconfirmed sources said that 67 people were killed and 126 others wounded in election-related violence, blasts and clashes across the country.

Media expert and analyst Mir Ahmad Shah blamed security sectors for their incompetency and being unprofessional in tightening security of the election under such sensitive conditions.

"They had already received the information about what would happen during the process, in the wake of the Taliban threat to disturb the process," Shah, who spent more than 40 years as a media professional and is now working for the state-run Kabul Times daily, told Xinhua.

Growing Taliban threats and technical problems, mostly from the election commission officials' failure to properly use the biometric verification machines contributed to the extension of the process to another day, observers said.

The elections covered 32 out of the country's 34 provinces. Voting in Kandahar and Ghazni provinces has been postponed due to security reasons.

Taliban militants had earlier threatened to sabotage the Afghan parliamentary elections and warned that their fighters have been instructed to create impediments to the process. But they promised to minimize civilian harms during the raids.

Election-related violence killed up to 10 parliamentary hopefuls. In the latest incident carried out by the Taliban, a prominent candidate, Abdul Jabar Qahraman and three of his supporters were killed in southern Helmand province.

The war in Afghanistan, Mir Ahmad Shah believed, was not only a domestic issue, but an intelligence war imposed on Afghanistan.

"So, there was a need to take preventative measures to foil any enemy plots aiming at sabotaging the process, as security organs announced the deployment of more than 54,000 troops to ensure election security," he said.

Ensuring transparency at the polls has also been a major task for the IEC and the Election Complaints Commission (ECC), the Afghan electoral watchdog, as the international community hoped that the Oct. 20 elections would be an improvement from the fraud-tainted 2014 presidential election.

However, allegations of fraud and complaints over irregularities were reported and thousands of complaints were filed by voters and ECC members from the 4,576 polling centers across the country.

More than 2,500 candidates are contesting for the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga or the lower house of parliament.

Most of the candidates stood independently as the country does not have many regular and standard political parties.

Nearly 9 million voters, out of 12 million eligible Afghans, were registered to take part in the process and elect their lawmakers for a five-year term.

However, just over 4 million Afghans, with 33 percent of them being women, cast their ballots during the two-day elections due to Taliban intimidation and security threats, according to IEC officials.

Preliminary results will be announced on Nov. 10 and the final results are expected to be released on Dec. 20, according to the IEC timetable.
About 1,070 units in Sivakasi can manufacture fireworks worth Rs 6,000-9,000 crore.

Sivakasi - the small town 550 km south of Chennai famous for manufacturing crackers and matches - breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday, with the Supreme Court not issuing a blanket ban on fireworks ahead of Diwali.

This means the fireworks industry will not lose out on its biggest annual sale - though it is reeling from a 30-50 per cent cut in orders this year.

The town, also known as little Japan, manufactures 90 per cent of firecrackers in the country and employs about 800,000 to 1 million people.

Ever since fireworks have been identified as a primary source of pollution, the manufacturers have been facing legal hurdles.

Though the SC has not banned fireworks completely, the general trend seems to be towards banning barium salts. This is hardly practical for us, as we dont have alternatives, said K Mariappan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA).

Barium salts, such as barium nitrate is used to create colourful flames in pyrotechnics.

Mariappan said the ban on this essential ingredient was imposed with consulting the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, the licensing and administrative authority for the industry.

Barium nitrate has been banned based on a report by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.

The industry could approach the SC to review the ban.

The TANFAMA claims the industry was facing losses to the tune of Rs 10-12 billion. Last year, too, the industry faced a huge loss with the SC banning sale of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR).

K Sivabalan, an industry veteran, said, Wholesalers in the NCR have not placed any orders with us this time.

About 1,070 units in Sivakasi can manufacture fireworks worth Rs 6,000-9,000 crore.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
At least 20 to 30 departures are being cancelled daily from metros and key airports including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Aneesh Phadnis reports.

Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Jet Airways is curtailing its daily operations to reduce cash burn.

The airline is reducing domestic flights in the winter schedule beginning October end and has already begun cancelling flights.

At least 20 to 30 departures are being cancelled daily from metros and key airports including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Aviation analysts point out grounding of planes and poor seat loads as probable reasons for the cancellations.

Two consecutive quarters of steep losses and mounting costs have pushed the airline into a corner.

Salaries are being delayed and vendor payments are getting stretched, as the airline looks to renegotiate its contracts and raise fresh capital.

The airline has been discounting forward sales to raise funds and is yet to pay September salaries to its pilots and engineers.

Thirteen of its planes including ATRs, Boeing 737s, Airbus A330s and Boeing 777 are on the ground.

The airline has a fleet of 124 planes and operates around 650 flights daily.

Aviation analysts say the airline has got into a spiral -- it is not earning enough to cover costs and this has forced it to keep some of its planes on the ground.

"While five Boeing 737 Max planes have been inducted, the overall capacity deployed by the airline has not increased because of the groundings," said Ameya Joshi, founder of the aviation blog Network Thoughts.

Jet Airways said the planes are under maintenance.

'As a part of the airline's routine operations the fleet including Boeing 737, Boeing 777, A330 and ATR aircraft are undergoing scheduled maintenance including C-checks,' the airline said.

'In line with practices followed globally, the airline regularly reviews its network to address its capacity exposure to markets and airports,' Jet Airways said, adding that network changes depend upon external factors like crude price, rupee weakness etc.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation approved the domestic winter schedule last week.

In all, 23,117 departures per week have been approved which is 22 per cent more than the previous year.

Jet Airways departures, however, will see a 1.2 per cent reduction.

Jet Airways has inducted five Boeing 737 Max planes in the past four months and said it will be inducting six more by March 2019.

The airline will add a new flight between Pune and Singapore and increase frequency between Delhi and Singapore, it said.
Allegations are flying thick and fast, from harassment, pressure on employees to sell their stocks in the firm, to not one but two extortion calls.

The plot at One97 Communications, in which three employees were arrested on Monday for allegedly trying to extort founder and Chief Executive Officer Vijay Shekhar Sharma, seems to be getting thicker by the minute.

Allegations are flying thick and fast, from harassment, pressure on employees to sell their stocks in the firm, to not one but two extortion calls.

But, even 24 hours after the arrest, no one beside Sharma and his core team seems to have any idea what was the nature of the stolen data, which the alleged blackmailers had used as leverage.

Sharmas brother, Ajay Shekhar, also part of the company, said in an interview to a website that the stolen data included the Paytm founders personal photographs and financial statements.

On Tuesday, Noida District Court denied bail to the three main accused, Sonia Dhawan, Sharmas personal secretary as well as Paytms vice-president of corporate communications; her husband Rupak Jain; and Devendra Kumar. They were sent to Kasana Jail in Noida.

Paytm did not comment on a detailed questionnaire sent to them.

It all started with a search for Sharmas missing iPhone he lost before a trip to the US in 2016.

It is not clear if the stolen data went missing from that phone or another one he got from one of his aides.

A month back, Sharma started getting extortion calls. The caller claimed he had mails as well as photographs of a highly personal nature that would compromise Sharma and his company.

"Sharma confided in Dhawan. She volunteered to help track the phone as well as the data, and set up a team to locate it, said a source close to Dhawan.

Besides her, the team that handles Sharmas personal expenses and bills might have had access to the phone.

A few weeks back, suspicion fell on Dhawan. She was only trying to help, said a source.

An extortion call to Rupak Jain

Jains lawyers in court said he had got an extortion call on September 22.

The caller threatened to harm Jains family if Dhawan did not mend her ways. A demand for Rs 5 crore was made.

The extortionist claimed his son would be harmed if they did not cough up the money. A complaint was also submitted to the police, said his lawyer in court.

Pressure on Dhawan

Dhawans lawyers said she was being forced to sell her stock in the company that she had accumulated over the years.

Some people close to Sharma were apparently trying to eject her from the company.

She has been working with One97 Communication for almost a decade and had accumulated over 17,000 shares. The value of this was Rs 30 crore.

Her lawyers claimed with the valuation of the firm touching almost $12-16 billion the company was forcing her to go for a buyback that she did not want to.

Paytm staff held for 'blackmailing' CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is facing a new data challenge  some people have threatened to leak his personal data, compromising the reputation of his company One97 Communications. Three of the mobile wallets employees, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sharmas secretary, were arrested on Monday by the Noida police for allegedly trying to extort Rs 200 million by threatening to leak his personal data. Sources said the alleged blackmailers threatened to ruin Sharmas public image. Sharmas personal secretary (whose name was not revealed by the police), her husband and property dealer Rupak Jain, and Devendra Kumar, a manager in Paytms administration department, have been arrested. A fourth person based out of Kolkata, whose name was also not revealed, is absconding, police said. This is a critical time for Paytm, which is still getting money from the last round of funding of about $340 million from Warren Buffett-owned Berkshire Hathaway. A leak of Sharmas personal data leading to a scandal would have cast its shadow on this deal, as well as embarrassed major investors such as Alibaba and SoftBank. Police said they were unsure what the alleged blackmailers were threatening to leak - Sharmas personal data or something about his company, which has the data of 350 million users. The owner of Paytm lodged a complaint with the police that some employees, a woman and her aides, had stolen some data from the company and were blackmailing him. They were demanding Rs 200 million for not leaking it, said Ajay Pal Sharma, senior superintendent of police, Gautam Budh Nagar. Paytm was in the news recently because of allegedly sharing user data with the government. Extortion call from Kolkata Sources in Noida police said Sharma contacted the security forces a week back and complained about extortion calls. He suspected his personal secretary of being the one behind the extortion bid. We are still analysing the data to understand how it would have been damaging to Sharma as well as his firm. We are also checking if the data was duplicated and there are copies, said a senior police officer. Police said the person from Kolkata - most likely an accomplice of Kumar - called Sharma and asked for the money. The Paytm founder wired Rs 200,000 to the extortionist on October 15. After getting Rs 200,000, the extortionist called again and even revealed he was from Kolkata. We put the call under technical surveillance and found that Sharmas personal secretary as well as her husband and Kumar were all linked to this caller, added the officer. Police said Sharmas personal secretary has access to his laptop and mobile phones, and might have stolen the data from there. The trio is in police custody. Paytm to stand by employees Sharma was not available for comments. Paytm, however, said it would support its employees. Noida police has arrested three people, including a female employee of Paytm, in an extortion case. We are standing by our colleagues till the police inquiry reaches its conclusion, the company said in a statement. Karan Choudhury

Photograph: Sankalp Phartiy/Reuters
The regulator also plans to widen the ambit of 'deemed fraudulent activities'.

This will include misleading information on digital media, front running by non-intermediaries, mis-selling of securities, mis-utilisation of client account and diversion of client funds and so on.

Shrimi Choudhary reports.

Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters

Insiders who use front entities, such as drivers or domestic help, to benefit from price-sensitive information could find the going tough as the Securities and Exchange Board of India will soon introduce more checks.

Those who lend their names, trading accounts or execute trades on behalf of others will be subject to more scrutiny such as financial background checks.

Sebi could soon deem trades by investors beyond their verifiable financial sources as fraudulent.

The market regulator also plans to revise the definition of 'dealing in securities' to include those who assist or orchestrate dubious transactions.

The move comes in the wake of numerous instances where front entities were being used to carry out transactions to conceal the identity of the real beneficiaries.

During the note ban, several such entities were being used to swindle an estimated Rs 40 billion.

In some cases, the so-called front entities were not even aware that their names were being used to execute trades and create huge unaccounted wealth.

The proposal to do background checks are based on the recommendations of a high-level committee led by former law secretary T K Vishwanathan on fair market conduct, aimed to detect, prevent and punish such market conduct that leads to market abuse and manipulation.

The Sebi board, at its meeting held on September 18, approved the recommendations made by the Vishwanathan committee.

The regulator is also planning to widen the ambit of 'deemed fraudulent activities' under Sebi's Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices norms.

This will include misleading information on digital media, front running by non-intermediaries, mis-selling of securities, mis-utilisation of client account and diversion of client funds and so on.

Sebi is also planning to introduce so-called affordability index, which will be on the lines of Cibil score for individuals.

The index will be prepared based on the income or net worth of investors.

The affordability index score will help establish whether an individual is fit to deal in the securities market.

Interestingly, the regulator may not limit the investor's exposures but use the information for surveillance purpose to check whether they are 'mule accounts' used for carrying out fraudulent transactions or facilitate insider trading.

'The concept aims to enhance due diligence by market intermediaries in case of trading beyond specified limits (affordability index) to prevent the use of mule accounts. If the trading volume by any person is substantially higher than affordability index, then such trading account would be suspected to be a mule account, possibly used for manipulation of price or volume of securities or for insider trading,' a Sebi paper on the minutes of board meeting said.

The onus will be on the broker to calculate the affordability as per the investor's credentials and documents and share with the regulator as and when required, the Sebi paper added.

In a separate agenda of the board meeting, the regulator has approved most of the recommendation around Sebi's settlement mechanism proposed by the Justice Anil Dave committee and may soon make required amendment in the rules.

According to it, Sebi may reduce the deadline to file consent application from two months to just two weeks.

According to the current norms, an entity has to submit a consent plea in less than two months after being served with a show-cause notice.

The new settlement rule may also include the contravention of the provisions of any other law (such as the Companies Act, 2013) to the extent it is administered by the Sebi board within the definition of 'securities laws' in the regulations.

Further, the Sebi board shall not consider an application for settlement, if an earlier application for the same alleged default has been rejected, the audit or investigation or inspection or inquiry is not complete (except in case of applications for confidentiality) or if recovery proceedings have been initiated.
But this could be shortlived as the rise has been buoyed on Chhattisgarh assembly poll freebies

Smartphone handset manufacturer Micromax has made a comeback.

After almost drowning in the rising tide of Chinese handset makers in the past two years, the Gurugram-headquartered company regained a slot among the top five in smartphone brands during the September quarter, says analyst firm Counterpoint Research.

During the June-September period, it managed nine per cent of all smartphone despatches in the country, at fourth spot, pushing Chinese player Oppo a notch behind.

Its comeback in the top-five league occurred exactly after two years.

In the September 2016 quarter, it held the second position with 10 per cent market share, behind Samsung.

However, analysts think this could be short-lived.

For, the rise has been buoyed on the coming legislative assembly election in Chhattisgarh, where the state government has a plan to distribute five million handsets to women and students.

Micromax and Reliance Jio have got the supply contract.

Once this contract ends, shipments might fall again.

In the previous 11 quarters, Micromax's sales dwindled as Chinese handset brands rocked the India market with competitive pricing and a marketing blitzkrieg.

Xiaomi rose to the top, replacing longstanding market leader Samsung; Vivo and Oppo together, cornered over 15 per cent.

Thus, taking the market share held by Chinese entities to over half the smartphone market.

Micromax's remained at five per cent during the period.

Loss of sales took place with resignations at the top.

Chairman Sanjay Kapoor, erstwhile managing director (MD) of Airtel, quit the company in late 2015.

Followed by Vineet Taneja, then the MD, who left after a disagreement with Micromax's co-founders over the firm's valuation, sources said.

Calls and messages to two of its co-founders, Rahul Sharma and Rajesh Agarwal, were not unanswered.

In fact, revenue fell after 2014-15, when it was an all-time high of Rs 10,450 crore.

That in 2016-17 was 46 per cent lower, at Rs 5,610 crore.

To strengthen its business, Micromax diversified into other consumer electronics categories -- flat panel televisions, air conditioners and washing machines.

Data from Counterpoint also show that after making a brief comeback into the top slot, Samsung has again slipped to the second spot. Xiaomi leads the market with 27 per cent share; Samsung has 23 per cent. Vivo has 10 per cent and Oppo is fifth with eight per cent.

Total shipment of smartphones during July-September rose five per cent from a year before.

Four of the top five - Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo and Oppo - reported record shipment, in anticipation of better sales during the festive season.

Karn Chauhan, research analyst, says: "India shipment surpassed those of the USA during the quarter, the second time this has occurred."

Realme became the first smartphone brand to hit a million shipments within five months of launch across online channels.

Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhury/Reuters
Lessor market sources said with the fuel prices remaining high, IndiGo would get better rates for the fuel-efficient A320neos.

Indias largest airline IndiGo has dropped the plan to outright purchase aircraft, and will continue with the sale-and-leaseback model, in a bid to conserve cash for the near future.

This is part of the plan to negotiate the volatile environment for the industry, when airlines cannot spike ticket prices even as they face the twin challenges of costly fuel and fluctuating exchanging rates.

This (model) makes more sense in the current business environment. When the cost environment improves, we will re-evaluate the strategy, said a source.

Last year, changing its strategy, IndiGo had said it would own aircraft rather than use the sale-and-leaseback model.

This could help reform the cost structure, as the airline would acquire and own for longer periods the fuel-saving new-generation A320neos.

However, the sale-and-leaseback model would help IndiGo boost income at a time when a fare war might hurt its numbers.

Lessor market sources said with the fuel prices remaining high, IndiGo would get better rates for the fuel-efficient A320neos.

Neos use 15 per cent less fuel than most other aircraft. In the current conditions, demand is high, and each aircraft could fetch $13 million.

"Last year, it was $10 million per aircraft, said an executive of a leasing company.

Between July and September this year, IndiGo has inducted 12 new A320neos in its fleet.

Sources said the company makes a profit of $10 million on each aircraft. For Q4FY18, the airlines profit of Rs 2.7 crore was driven mostly by sales.

With 143 of 169 aircraft on lease, IndiGo has been the most active user of the model.

A lessor buys aircraft from an airline and leases it back.

This removes debt from the airlines balance sheet, and allows it to invest equity for other purposes.

The company might disagree, but such transactions help boost its profit, claim experts.

The extra income is important as IndiGo is convinced it has to be well-capitalised to sustain in a prolonged low-fare environment.

We are the lowest-cost operator. At no cost, we would allow rivals to take away our traffic.

"To raise fares would be counterproductive to what we are trying to do. Whatever is happening in the market, we will keep cash in the company, said a senior IndiGo executive.

Indian carriers pay the highest jet fuel prices in the world, thanks to local taxes that can be as high as 30 per cent of the costs.

Yet, they offer such low ticket prices that they can hardly cover costs.

While India has experienced 46 consecutive months of double-digit (passenger) growth, it is still a challenging market for airlines to operate in, International Air Transport Association recently said.

Photograph: Vivek Prakash/Reuters
The meeting was amicable, a stark contrast to the meetings of earlier years that always ended with the rivals at loggerheads.

Nikhat Hetavkar reports.

Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

YES Bank founder and Chief Executive Officer Rana Kapoor proposed burying the hatchet with co-promoter Madhu Kapur in an attempt to retain control over the bank's operation.

Kapoor met with Kapur and her daughter Shagun Gogia last week to propose that the two promoters pose a united front.

The proposal also included an option for them to merge shareholding power and voting rights, said sources.

Kapoor's three-year reappointment was cut short by an order issued by the Reserve Bank of India recently.

He will be in office till January 31, 2019.

"Kapoor has enjoyed full access and knowledge of the functioning of the bank due to his role as CEO, which will go away once his tenure ends," said a source in the know.

The proposal was Kapoor's attempt at ensuring that he has better access to the bank's operations, the source said.

A YES Bank spokesperson said Kapoor had acted in his role as promoter and not as the bank's MD and CEO.

The bank's articles of association state that any nomination of directors needs the consensus of both promoters.

The two parties, the source said, had never made a joint nomination till date.

While the bank board can nominate a CEO without the approval of the two promoters, the source said a joint nomination by the two would be highly considered by the board.

The bank plans to submit MD and CEO candidates by December 15.

An external candidate was highly likely, the source added, and that Rajat Monga was the only internal candidate being considered.

Monga is senior group president at YES Bank.

Kapoor's peace proposal included a promise to maintain information symmetry of the bank's functioning.

Monga had earlier approached the Kapur camp to start peace talks on behalf of Kapoor, another source said.

The meeting between the two was amicable, this source added, a stark contrast to the meetings of earlier years that always ended with the rivals at loggerheads.

While there is no timeline set for Madhu Kapur to accept the proposal, both parties would like the matter to resolve at the earliest, he added.

Rana Kapoor and his family together owned 10.64 per cent of the bank's equity as of last month, while Madhu Kapur owns 9.27 per cent, according to a BSE filing.

Shares of the bank have been under pressure ever since the RBI trimmed Kapoor's term as the CEO in September.

The RBI had reaffirmed that Kapoor's successor needs to be finalised before February.
Arundhuti Dasgupta finds herself surrounded by Greek legends and fables in the mythical centre of the world.







IMAGE: The Oracle at Delphi. Photograph: Courtesy Walkerssk-1409366/pixabay.com

The bus turns a corner to park by a winding road, disgorging our group of 30-odd tourists into the light.

It is barely after 9 in the morning but already feels like noon. The sun beats down on us, spreading out against the majestic countryside and glinting off the blue of the ocean -- like a god resplendent in his heaven.

Delphi is home to the Greek god of light, Apollo, and this morning he is in full attendance.

The city seamlessly straddles multiple worlds and timelines.

In our imagined geography of the ancient world, it is home to spectacular battles, Apollo's oracles and divine tragedies.

In the present, Delphi is a much-feted and busy UNESCO heritage site as also a modern seaside getaway, selling curios and dishing up gyros and souvlaki to hungry wanderers.

We step out of the cocooned comfort of the bus, our large breakfasts slowing us down as we amble down a scrabbly path to the first spot of the day: the ruins of the Athena Pronaia.

This is the temple before the temple, our guide Joy, a young archaeologist with a deep voice tells us.

In nearly every ancient site across the Peloponnesian landscape that we have travelled through, the pronaia is a regular fixture.

It is a temple (usually) of a goddess that one has to step into before moving to the larger, more popular temple of the place, dedicated (typically) to a god.







IMAGES: The few remaining columns at Delphi. Photograph: Courtesy MemoryCatcher-168384/pixabay.com

The Athena Pronaia used to be ringed by a set of columns, Doric on the outside and Corinthian inside. Now just a few columns remain.

This is a precursor to the real act, the sanctuary of Apollo, which draws millions every day. No trip to Greece is complete without a walk down its sacred path.

It has taken us a couple of days to get here from Athens as part of a five-day tour of classical Greece.

We have made our way through the ancient sites of Epidaurus, Mycenae and Elis (Olympia) to get here.

And for the entire journey, Joy, with patience far beyond her years, has kept us going with a steady supply of stories about gods and kings, peppered with some sharp commentary about hubris and Greek politicians.







IMAGE: The amphitheatre at Delphi. Photograph: Courtesy MemoryCatcher-168384/pixabay.com

Delphi, the myths tell us, is the centre of the universe.

Zeus, god of sky and thunder, was looking for the perfect spot to rest the navel of the universe, or the omphalos (a large stone that looks somewhat like a menhir out of an Asterix comic).

He sent out two of his eagles, asked them to fly in from two directions till they met at the centre.

The place the eagles converged is where he dropped the stone.

The omphalos stands in Apollo's Grove, on the way to his temple, and has become one of the most popular selfie-spots in Delphi today.

But the star attraction is the Temple of Apollo. It stands silently, as if burdened by the weight of unspeakable secrets of the past.

The structure that we see today is an elevated platform encircled by columns.

This is where the oracles once sat, hunched on bronze tripods, inhaling a heady cocktail of gases, dispensing wisdom and foretelling the ruin or ascent of kings.

They spoke in riddles and every guide has a favourite story.

A popular one is about Lydian king Croesus who asked if he should go to battle against Cyrus, king of Persia.

"A great empire will fall if the king goes to war," the oracle said.

Emboldened, Croesus attacked Persia, only to find that it was his empire that was fated to fall.







IMAGE: Athena's sanctuary, Delphi. Photograph: Courtesy DebraJean-153318/pixabay.com

Many abandon their exploration of the site at the temple, their resolve weakened by the arduous climb that leads to the stadium at the top. But that is a mistake.

Built sometime in the 4th century BC, the stadium overlooks the sanctuary. It was the site of the Pythian Games, a precursor to the Olympic Games, and could hold 6,500 spectators in its heyday.

Neither photographs nor words can do justice to the grand panorama it opens up.







IMAGE: This votive sphinx was originally placed on a high column with a flattened ionic capital at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Photograph: Courtesy Tetraktys/wikimedia.org

Like every site in Greece, the treasures unearthed during the archaeological excavations have been housed in a museum next door.

Drop in for an insight into a fascinating world that we know of today only through myths and legends, and do not miss the large sculpture of the Sphinx.

One of the most majestic creatures from the mythical bestiary, it is a must-see.
'We had decided that if the audience liked Stree, then after two or three years we would plan a sequel.'

'Because of the kind of reaction we received for the film we have already started work on it.'

IMAGE: A scene from Stree.

How does a film with a budget of Rs 24 crores (Rs 240 million) earn Rs 175 crores (Rs 1.75 billion) and counting?

In an era where movies are yanked out of theatres quicker than Trump's tweets are refuted by the White House, Stree, which released on August 31, is still going strong in movie halls more than six weeks later.

Director Amar Kaushik, humble and down to earth, confesses, "We didn't know it would do so well and connect with the audience so much."

"12 years after I came to Mumbai I have delivered my first baby," Amar tells Rediff.com's Patcy N.

Congratulations! Did you think Stree would be such a big success?

Photograph: Kind courtesy Amar Kaushik/Instagram

Our motive was to make a good film. We wanted people to connect with the film.

The scripting was good, the shoot was one level up, the editing made it better. So when the film was almost ready, we knew that whatever we have invested in the film that much we will reap.

The film looked entertaining, but we did not know it would do so well and connect with the audience so much. People unanimously loved it.

People from the industry loved it a lot. Nitesh Tiwari (who directed Dangal) told me, 'When I go for screenings I don't meet the director and sneak out quietly if I don't like the film. But I have waited to meet you because I wanted to tell you I really loved the film.'

Anil Kapoor told me he liked the film. There were lots of tweets about the film. Rahul Dholakia (who directed Raees) tweeted that there should be a special award for Stree.

People all over have liked it and its viewership increased by word of mouth.

Did you get negative feedback? Yes, we did. I think it is necessary for a film to get negative feedback. Some said they did not like the songs, some said we are talking about feminism in the film and we have shot an item song Kamariya with Nora Fatehi. Some people did not understand the end of the film. I kept the ending that way so we could make a sequel. We had planned that if people start talking about the film and its climax, and if it connected with people, then there were reasons to make a sequel. My film was ready, but I added the bus scene to create curiosity, a hint for a sequel. We did not write a sequel, but we kept thinking what could be there in part two. Our writers Raj and DK (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, also the film's co-producers) had an idea that we could make the film in two or three parts. But till the time the first part was not released we did not want to talk about it. We had decided that if the audience liked Stree, then after two or three years we would plan a sequel. Because of the kind of reaction we received for the film we have already started work on it (the sequel).

Shraddha Kapoor's character is ambiguous -- is she a witch, a ghost, or a human who later becomes Stree? I have kept it open. I will clear it in part 2. We did not want to reveal if she is a witch, a ghost hunter or just a human being. There is a subtle hint in the film.

Horror comedy as a genre has not been explored in Bollywood films. How did you think of making one? When Raj and DK told me the gist of the story and asked if I would like to direct it, I agreed because it was different. For my debut feature film it had that uniqueness. I knew nobody knows me now, but if the film clicks everybody will know me. If it doesn't work, I will be back at square one. I had nothing to lose, I had no baggage or fear. My producers told me to make the film the way I wanted. I had already signed my second film so I wasn't worried. When we mix two genres in a film, then the film is neither here nor there, like say rom-com. The balance has to be right. Most of the time that doesn't happen. The balance is off. Therefore, people want to either make drama, horror or comedy. They don't want to mix genres because there is a worry it may not work. Every genre has its day. Everybody was once making rom-coms. Then my producers (Raj and DK) made zombie comedies. Two films were made in the genre. Nowadays everyone is making biopics. Now (after Stree's success) people may start making horror comedies.

Your story is inspired by the southern folk tale Nale Ba (Come Tomorrow). You shifted the story from the south to the north. How much did you have to change? Raj and DK told me it is a story from Tirupati where it is called O Stree, Repu Raa (Hey lady, come back tomorrow). All these beliefs are all over India. Some write Om outside their house, some have a horse shoe outside their homes to ward off evil. When Raj and DK asked me, 'Where do you want to base the story?' I could only think of the north because I know the nuances of the place I belong to. I also wanted the film to have shudh Hindi. Words like nimnlikht, uchcharan, which is missing nowadays from films. Hindi has a different twang in different places like Kanpur and Bhopal. I did a recce of many places. I went to the mountains because mostly in India horror films are shot in hilly regions. But we decided all the ghost stories we have heard are from where we have lived and in our houses, so we thought of keeping it in a town. As a child I once passed Chanderi and lived there for the night. It was very eerie. Suddenly, while doing recce for this film, I remembered Chanderi and thought of going and checking it out again. When I arrived, I thought it was the perfect place. First, no film had ever been shot there. I wanted the residents to give their town's name for this film. I did not want a fictitious town.

There are underlying messages in Stree. Can you elaborate on them? The kind of cinema I have come from, I wanted to make a meaningful film. Whether it is comedy or horror, it should have social relevance. I did not want it to be preachy. All the films of the '70s, '80s and '90s have the issues of those times in them. I thought we should talk about women empowerment. Also, because our film's name is Stree, we can't only have jokes in the film.

Pankaj Tripathi is brilliant. How did he come on board? My short film Aaba went to the Berlin film festival. His film Newton was at the same festival. We met there. He said I have heard you went through a lot of hardship to make Aaba. I want to see it. He liked it a lot. We spoke about the film a lot, then I told him whenever I make my first feature film I would like to work with you. When we were writing the film and there was the character of Rudra who knows everything, I decided that no one other than Pankajji can justify this role. When I approached him, he did not say yes immediately. After he heard the story he was not very sure. Then he heard the script and dialogues. After three meetings he agreed and he put in his 100 percent.

Every actor speaks about your style of direction -- like how you lighten the mood on set and play songs. Why did we come in this field? We did not want to do 9 to job, right? But we are shooting 9 to 9 and since I have been an AD (assistant director) for almost ten years I have seen there is too much tension on the sets. There is no fun on the sets. When I was an AD, I would joke on the sets, play the joker. To make people comfortable, so that people laughed. I had decided that whenever I became a director I will lighten the atmosphere on the sets. Our film was a comedy, therefore we needed good chemistry between the actors. Good dialogues should be delivered well. The friendship and bond had to come across. When I was an AD, there was a section called 'Thought of the day' on the call sheet. We would search Google and add it. I thought it was a fake section, so I made it 'Song of the day'. We would play the song according to the scene situation of that day's shoot. Like there is a bookstore scene in the film. Our song of the day was Kitaben Bahut Si Padhi Hongi Tumne (Baazigar). For Shraddha's scene we played the song Dream Girl, Kisi Shayar Ki Ghazal (Dream Girl). We would play the song at the start of the shoot. Everybody would dance and get into the mood of the shoot and forget all the tension. It was like meditation to get everyone charged for the day's shoot.

Were films always a career choice for you? I was born in Kanpur, but I have been brought up in Arunachal Pradesh. My father was a forest ranger. My mother was a teacher. Both are retired. I have a younger brother and sister who live in Chandigarh. My parents wanted me to be an engineer, they sent me for the entrance exam. I did not write the paper. My father came to know that I had handed in a blank answer sheet. I got a pasting. I was always a story teller. A small incident and I would make up a huge story. We had a VCR in our house. The place we then stayed in mostly did not have proper electricity. It would come and go often. To finish watching a film on VCR would take a week. I would narrate the film's story to my friends in school. From the point the electricity went off I would make up the film's story. When I watched the film next it would be something different from what I narrated. That gave germ to my telling stories. When we shifted to Kanpur I started watching lots of theatre. I started watching first day first show films. We did not have access to international films. I just watched Bollywood films. I joined a theatre group in Kanpur and took care of the back stage. I wanted to get into the film line. After Class 12 when I told my parents that I wanted to go to Mumbai, the atmosphere in the house changed. My parents were upset, they thought I wanted to be an actor. I had to complete my graduation. I worked as a pager salesman and sold holidays to people in Kanpur. Then I told my parents I wanted to be a journalist. I went to Delhi, did my Mass Comm, and from there I came to Mumbai. I had some Rs 20,000 in hand because of the jobs that I did in Kanpur.

After coming to Mumbai, what did you do? I came to Mumbai and stayed at a friend's friend's house. I did not know this person directly. He stayed in Thane (a city adjacent to Mumbai). I reached in the morning. I asked him about studios, he told me there are many in Andheri (north west Mumbai). By the afternoon I took a train and left for Andheri. I asked someone at Andheri station about where the studios were. He told me to go to Sagar Arts. I reached and discovered it was Ramanand Sagar's studio. The security did not allow me to go inside. I made up a story and somehow I got entry, I saw people wearing monkey masks and jumping around. They were shooting a new show. A girl came and asked, 'What are you doing?' I said 'Kaam karna hai.' She asked 'Kya kaam karna hai?' I said 'Kuch bhi.' She asked, 'What do you mean kuch bhi? Kya kaam aata hai?' I told I had just finished my journalism course, that I could write. I got a job on my first day in Mumbai. I was an assistant director! My work was taking printouts, getting the extras ready... all the basic work I was doing. I worked there for two months. I never got paid. I had no expense because I was staying at a friend's friend's house. I ate on the sets, I travelled by train and walked around mostly. So my cost of living was just 3,000 rupees a month. After that I joined Miditech. Again, I was put on internship because my job profiles at Sagar Arts and Miditech were different. Again, I had to work three months without pay. By now I was running out of money. I had shifted to Andheri. Four people, one room, Rs 500 rent for a month. The others worked at call centres and my coming at odd hours disturbed them. One day I lost that house too.

What happened next? I was travelling by auto and asked the driver where he stayed. He told me he stayed at a place in Juhu (north west Mumbai). I asked him to take me there. It was a huge hall with 15 beds and a cupboard. I had to pay just Rs 70 per night. Only one bathroom though and that was tough. That autorickshaw driver became a dear friend. He would drop me to office and pick me up. He has gone back to UP now. At Miditech I worked on Indian Idol, then on the serial Parivaar. My monthly salary was Rs 3,500. I was hardworking. I would stay in office very late as I had no friends, no relatives, no good house so I would take other's work and do that too. I would take interest in post production work. They saw I was very honest, so I was given the job of post production supervisor. My salary went up to Rs 25,000 in six months. After 3 months I got bored.

IMAGE: Mithul Dixit, left, and Rajkumar Gupta, centre, who produced Aaba, and Amar Kaushik, who directed the award-winning short film.

How did you get to work on films? I heard that Miditech was the line producer for the film Aamir. I went to my senior and asked if I could be an assistant director. Only if the director (Rajkumar Gupta) agreed, he said. I got the job, but I got a salary demotion. I was now paid Rs 8,000. I had savings of Rs 75,000 by now. But I had started staying in a good house. It was a one-and-a-half BHK on a twin sharing basis. The salary demotion made it tough. I was the last AD on Aamir, but I worked hard. I did the recce for all the locations. After Aamir I kept getting more work and never went back to television. On Aamir, most of Anurag Kashyap's crew members like Vasan Bala became close friends. Vasan told me to go and meet Onir. Onir took me on board, but there was no money. I was given Rs 6,000 for Sorry Bhai. They were shooting in Mauritius, so I could not resist. After the shoot ended, I told them I would like to work on the post production too. I wanted to learn. I got a salary hike -- Rs 15,000 -- for doing post production. From then on, there was no looking back. I was getting good work with Rajkumar Gupta and Onir. On No One Killed Jessica I was made associate director. From there on, there was only progress.

IMAGE: Amar Kaushik, left, with Dinesh Vijan, centre, who co-produced Stree, and Raj Nidimoru, who co-wrote and co-produced the blockbuster.
The newlyweds have zoomed off to the Indian Ocean atolls for their honeymoon.

After marrying in style in Mumbai on October 12, Prince Narula and Yuvika Chaudhary hosted a grand reception in Chandigarh for families and friends.

Then the much-in-love couple flew to the Maldives for their honeymoon.

Prince, who met Yuvika on Bigg Boss, took to Instagram to record the honeymoooners' progress after they arrived in the Maldives.

'Sunsets are always better on a cruise and even prettier with my wife next to me @yuvikachaudhary', Prince wrote.

The Om Shanti Om actress posted an Instapic captioning it: 'My escape is to just get in a boat and disappear on the water with @princenarula'.

Photographs: Kind courtesy Prince Narula/Instagram, Yuvika Chaudhary/Instagram
'#MeToo is not to be dismissed as 'shoot and scoot', but seen as the uncovering of dark truths about seemingly sophisticated and powerful personalities, or at least as one providing catharsis to a survivor,' notes Utkarsh Mishra.

IMAGE: Journalists protest against sexual harassment at workplaces in New Delhi. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

My hesitant contemplation of penning my thoughts about the #MeToo movement in India transformed into a firm, burning desire over the past week. Not the least because the unforeseen support lent by about 20 woman journalists -- including a former boss and an ex-colleague of mine -- to Priya Ramani in her legal fight forced a hitherto stubborn Union minister to step down.

But the fire was lit by a column by a veteran woman journalist in the Indian Express that, I must say, was spectacularly stupid. Frankly, the Express should have treated the column the same way it chose to publish censored information during the Emergency.

But this time, by blacking out the text; that way, it would have conveyed to the reader the magnitude of its sheer nonsensicality.

Digressing from her perennial conflicts with India's 'socialism' and welfare schemes like MNREGA, this time the columnist attacked the #MeToo movement for being 'too elite'.

Presenting a listicle of dreadful incidents of violence and abuse against rural women whose videos she saw on social media, she asked how this #MeToo campaign would help those poor victims.

In her pursuit to deride the movement, she put all phrases like 'sexual harassment', 'abuse', 'brave women' and 'predators' in quotes. Because, apparently, it is not sexual harassment for a young woman to have herself grabbed from behind by a man older than her father and have his tongue shoved down her throat.

And if you belong to that privileged fraternity of women who go out to work on their own terms and earn enough to support an upper middle class lifestyle then, hey, you can't be harassed.

Added to this column were WhatsApp messages and Facebook posts by friends and family members -- sadly, all women -- critical of the movement, accompanied by the usual questions: Why did they wait all these years? Why didn't they file a complaint then? Why did they continue to work at the same place? Every touch is not harassment etc, etc.

The major point that the veteran woman journalist and other women questioning the movement are missing is that this movement facilitated the uncovering of a vicious reality which even those women considered to be 'empowered' live out daily.

Rather than dismiss it as mere pretensions, those genuinely concerned would ask if this is what the 'empowered' women face and if this is what the seemingly gentlemen types do, then imagine the horrors the not-so-privileged women of our society would be going through.

The movement puts a question mark on the very notion that education and the strength to earn their own living 'empowers' women. It says that even if you escape one set of predators in your home or neighbourhood or village, you will certainly be introduced to another in your fancy offices or elegant university campuses.

And often the latter happens to be more shrewd and sly.

It is grossly unfair to dismiss the #MeToo movement as 'grumbling by elite women who got what they wanted at that time but have a problem with it now'.

I also intend to address a few other doubts and questions that I have encountered about this movement.

Why didn't they raise their voices then?

Firstly, most such incidents involve a young woman just starting out on her career and a man enjoying unbridled power in an organisation. Speaking up becomes a bit more difficult in such a case.

Moreover, such incidents shock a helpless victim tremendously, repressing her reflexes, as not even in her wildest dream would she have anticipated a physical assault by her middle-aged boss at her workplace while being asked to assist in regular work. (Thanks to the #MeToo movement, though, now one will not rule out such a possibility.)

Secondly, when a powerful person having greater reach in an organisation attacks you, who would you trust to lodge a complaint with?

In several cases, the complaints of survivors were not taken seriously even by their female bosses, who did their best to shield the predator instead.

Thirdly, I don't think there were Internal Complaints Committees at that time, which were recommended by the Supreme Court in the Vishakha guidelines in 1997, and mandated by Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

The options, therefore, were very limited.

Lastly, it is not only due to the fear of losing one's job that one avoided taking up the issue, but also due to the fear of escalation of harassment in case the complaint went in vain.

Sadly, it only emboldened the predators.

However, the #MeToo campaign is capable of changing all these.

On one hand, by creating a favourable environment for the survivors where their complaints are taken seriously and, on the other, by presenting the perpetrators with a disincentive that they can be named and shamed.

Legal options

Often the women who are joining this wave are criticised for not resorting to legal remedies at the time of the harassment.

Even if one musters up courage to embroil oneself in the rigours of a court case, the options, as mentioned earlier, were very limited those days.

'Sexual harassment' or 'outraging a woman's modesty' were loosely defined terms in the Indian Penal Code and there was no separate Act dealing with sexual harassment at the workplace.

It was only after the Bhanwari Devi case in 1997 that the Supreme Court issued the Vishakha guidelines, and sexual harassment was clearly defined.

But the most powerful legal weapon against such crimes was made available only in 2013 -- in the aftermath of the horrific Delhi gang rape of December 16, 2012 -- in the form of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Also, the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013 substantially modified Section 354 of the IPC, dealing with 'outraging modesty', and listing online stalking, forcing a woman to talk against her wish etc as criminal offences.

In criminal trials, the burden of proof lies on the prosecution. And it could be very difficult to prove if one was 'touched inappropriately', especially in a closed room with no witnesses.

The only possible disincentive for such men to desist from this sort of behaviour could be the fear that they can be outed. And that's what the #MeToo campaign does.

But there are some who have the gall to go to court alleging defamation even in the face of a concerted campaign calling out their predatory behaviour.

It requires a movement like #MeToo to take on such people. It is very difficult for an individual to do that, especially someone who just starting out in her career.

Why did they continue to work in the same organisation?

Excuse me! Why should I derail my career because of the sleazy behaviour of some maniac? A safe environment at workplaces is not a privilege to be given but a right of every employee.

And the one who is disturbing such an atmosphere needs to go, not the person at the receiving end.

This argument also reflects that mentality of our society where a family's answer to a complaint of eve-teasing by their daughter is to stop her from going to school, college or work.

Many girls, and women, therefore, prefer not to tell their family about the daily harassment they face lest they be confined to their homes.

All bad behaviour is not harassment

True. But even inappropriate behaviour not amounting to physical harassment can give the victim a lot of anxiety.

I've seen many commenting that 'You see, if someone backs off after your snub, then you shouldn't consider it harassment'.

Technically true, but why be so shameless to elicit a blunt response from someone, can't you read the signals and stop acting like a moron?

But there are creatures who don't do that because in their own parallel universe they think that enough persuasion is going to get them what they want.

And sometimes their big masculine ago is also hurt by a terse response so they begin maligning the girl.

Women have all the right to not expect their male colleagues make repeated attempts at wooing them, and they shouldn't be blamed for freaking out if that is what they encounter all the time.

And finally, the men

A lot of concern has been raised about the misuse of this movement. After all one anonymous complaint can cost a person his job and reputation.

But this very movement has also presented us with the example of Varun Grover to allay such fears.

His detailed response and willingness to be investigated by any committee of the 'victim's choosing' has convinced most of his followers of his innocence.

However, there is no denying that the amended Section 354 can be misused, just like IPC 498A or the amended SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act.

When concerns are raised about the misuse of draconian anti-terror laws, then experts advise us to live with this 'necessary evil' in order to contain a larger problem.

Something of that sort can be also said about concerns regarding #MeToo.

Nevertheless, the need to place safeguards arises from the very coarseness of such movements.

And, therefore, the nature of this movement must be preserved.

It is not to be dismissed as a 'shoot and scoot' but seen as the uncovering of dark truths about seemingly sophisticated and powerful personalities, or at least as one providing catharsis to a survivor.

Is that such a bad thing?
'Alok Verma can say he was helpless, but he could have made representations to the CVC, the Chief Justice of India or the prime minister in writing.'

'He could have told them that his number 2 was not cooperating and is corrupt, but he did not do that.'

'He acted arbitrarily and in a hurried manner, overnight.'

In 1993, journalist Vineet Narain filed a Public Interest Litigation (Vineet Narain vs Union of India) highlighting the indifference of Central Bureau of Investigation to probe what was known as the 'Jain hawala scandal'.

That case involved alleged payments to several politicians and bureaucrats from a dubious funding source. Among the accused were senior politicians like Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Kishenchand Advani, the late Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla and others, but the case folded up in court and none of the political leaders was found guilty.

Post their acquittal, the CBI came under criticism for botching up the investigation which led to Narain to file his PIL. On December 18, 1997, taking cognisance of his complaint, the Supreme Court laid down guidelines on ensuring that the CBI functioned with autonomy and independence, directing that the Central Vigilance Commission be given a supervisory role over the CBI under the CVC Act.

More than 20 years have passed since that landmark ruling, but the CBI continues to be hobbled by political interference and internal turf wars, as the latest instance involving director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana reveals.

With the two top-ranking officials of the country's premier investigating agency indulging in a no-holds-barred battle against each other, the government finally stepped in on Wednesday, October 24, morning to relieve them of their powers and gave additional charge of the CBI to Joint Director Nageswar Rao.

"There is a large game which I do not want to share right now. In coming days I will expose the whole game," Vineet Narain, below, tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

How do you see the government's move divesting both CBI director Alok Verma and his deputy Asthana of their powers and sending them on leave?

It is very unfortunate that both these officers have made a mockery of the CBI.

I would say that the blame does not go to Alok Verma alone who could not manage the CBI, but also the Central Vigilance Commission for letting the situation come to this pass, and also the prime minister's office.

These things were going on for months, but no action was taken in time.

Having said that, I would like to take you to 1993 when I filed a case on illegal hawala transactions in the Supreme Court. My request was to ensure proper and transparent investigation into the accusation of illegal funding of Kashmiri militants and political parties.

Unfortunately, Prashant Bhushan and team then wanted to divert the attention from the main issue to other issues. Therefore they spoke of autonomy of the CVC and CBI.

I objected at that time by filing an affidavit in the court stating we are not taking the main case (the hawala case) to its logical conclusion, but talking of the future of safety measures, and it will not work.

Has it worked after more than 20 years? It has not worked.

Earlier it was CBI chief Ranjit Sinha who was hobnobbing with all the accused, and now we have Alok Verma against whom Asthana has complained. What is going on?

By giving a two-year term to the CBI chief have we ensured accountability and transparency? No.

In fact, we have given the CBI chief immunity to do whatever he wants to do -- play politics and wash dirty linen in public. In due course, the CBI has lost its credibility completely in the public eye.

Nobody is interested in the CBI as an institution. The Congress will make a noise today.

But...

(Interrupts) The Congress is now saying that Asthana was brought into the CBI through the backdoor from Gujarat. I want to ask them: Who brought Archana Ramasundaram, who was DG (director general of police) Tamil Nadu, into the CBI as additional director?

The Manmohan Singh government brought her, violating the Vineet Narain judgment and the CVC Act.

I immediately objected and a case was fought in the Supreme Court so she could not join the CBI.

The unfortunate part is that the NDA National Democratic Alliance), when it came to power, it too supported Archana Ramasundaram.

It is not one party alone that is responsible for the deterioration of the CBI.

What is the origin of this Alok Verma versus Rakesh Asthana feud?

It is obvious that Alok Verma feels that Asthana is close to Prime Minister Modi and he in turn wants to have complete control over the CBI.

From day one he was opposing Asthana and the message that is going out is that Asthana is corrupt and some people say Alok Verma is honest.

I don't agree with this. How the hell can Alok Verma claim to be honest?

Has this feud crippled the CBI forever? How can the bureau be revived?

I think we will have to go back to court. A larger Constitutional bench and Parliament has to meet and new directives must come.

It is a process that will take time, but definitely the way CBI is running, it is not that we intended to happen in 1997-1998 when the judgment (the Vineet Narain judgment) came. I knew then this will happen.

An interim CBI chief has been appointed. Does it not violate the rule whereby the CBI chief has to be appointed by the Chief Justice of India and the leader of the Opposition?

He has not been appointed, but only given additional charge. And this is a matter which will be discussed on Friday (October 26) by the honourable Supreme Court of India. Let us leave it for the court to decide.

For the last three days I have been saying that this is the only solution, to send both the No 1 and No 2 of CBI on leave. Don't curtail their tenure or sack them. Just get an internal inquiry going against both of them.

Alok Verma only has four months left in office, so why did the government take this decision now? What was the reason it felt it could not wait it out?

Alok Verma was also acting in a hurry. There is a process and he has to share the investigation process with the CVC, but did Alok Verma share it with them?

The CVC cannot interfere in an investigation once the investigating officer is there, but before you take it up, you (Alok Verma) are supposed to discuss it with the CVC. He did not do that.

Alok Verma was also playing politics.

Against Asthana, you mean to say?

Asthana... there is a large game which I do not want to share right now. In coming days I will expose the whole game.

What does the divestment of powers mean to the Supreme Court order that the CBI chief must have a mandatory two-year term?

But what do you do when there is such a mess in CBI? Allow raids and arrests to go on for another three months? What is this happening?

Now Alok Verma can say he was helpless, but he could have made representations to the CVC, the Chief Justice of India or the prime minister in writing.

He could have gone and told them that his number 2 was not cooperating and is corrupt, but he did not do that.

He acted arbitrarily and in a hurried manner, overnight. What is the hurry?

CBI officers close to Alok Verma have been transferred out, but not those close to Asthana.

I just saw on TV that officers close to Asthana too have been transferred, but I am not aware of the fact.

When the PMO brought Asthana into the CBI, what was the reason for doing so? Set up a parallel centre of power? An inside man to keep a check on Verma? Why was it done?

I told you about Archana Ramasundaram when the 2G scam case was going on during Dr Manmohan Singh's tenure.

Archana was brought to the CBI on the pressure of M Karunanidhi by violating the same CVC Act in the Vineet Narain judgment.

Who doesn't do it? All prime ministers control the CBI.

This is my grudge from day one -- that the CBI is not an instrument to investigate corruption.

The CBI is an instrument in the hands of the prime minister of India and ruling party to blackmail political opponents.

That autonomy is never given to the CBI by any government.

Was the CBI independent ever?

The CBI was never independent and was always controlled by the PM's office. Later on, they made the CVC after the Vineet Narain judgment, but what powers do they have?

The directives of the courts have also been diluted by the parliamentary committee which was headed by Sharad Pawar. I think even Sushma Swaraj and Sanjay Nirupam were on that committee. I spoke to them personally, saying why were they doing it? In whose interest were they doing it?

There has been noise all over about the Vineet Narain judgment, but Vineet Narain is the most unhappy person because of this judgment.

But people still seem to believe in the CBI as an institution.

They say so because the state police is in much worse condition. To improve the CBI is the collective responsibility of everyone.

Now accusation games will go on. Opposition parties will attack the ruling party and the ruling party in turn will attack the Opposition. But no one will talk of how the CBI must function well with checks and balances.

I am not in favour of complete freedom to the CBI, then it will become draconian.
'The new generation of teenagers which has taken the forefront is largely an amorphous, leaderless mass.'

'It is extremely difficult to find a representative with whom to negotiate now, unless one turns to a militant leader.'

IMAGE: A policeman fires a tear gas shell at demonstrators during a protest in Srinagar, May 2018. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters

A chain, it is said, is only as strong as its weakest link, and what holds true for chains applies to nations, too.

A nation is only as strong as its weakest component -- and in India's case, the weak link clearly is Kashmir, the handling of which, at the best of times, seems like an impossible task.

That elected governments are seldom in tune with the aspirations of those who elect them is a truism about democracy. But in the case of Kashmir, what complicates matters is geography confounded by history that is marred by politics.

Such is the attitudes all around on the sensitive border state that peace in the volatile Kashmir valley refers now merely to the absence of violence. Thus, a few days of incident-free life in the valley is taken as an affirmation of the political process, even when the facts are to the contrary -- like the abysmal turnout in the recent local body elections.

For longstanding Kashmir watchers like David Devadas, the situation can be extremely frustrating. But unlike many observers on the region, Devadas has spent more time in Kashmir than elsewhere and thus knows the people's daily concerns as well as is a witness to the changing strands of what is euphemistically called the Kashmir problem.

His latest book, The Generation of Rage is Kashmir, is a must read for everyone concerned about the state's future, especially the policy-makers who have often been blindsided by the twists and turns in the agitation.

The book is first and foremost a reporter's work -- Devadas is a veteran journalist, and this book offers an insight as much into his working process as it is a reflection of the true situation on the ground -- and does what a reporter is ingrained to do: Let the voices tell their own story.

And it is a story that is grim and worrisome for those for who put the nation above all, but especially to those who call the shots for it is in their power to rectify the situation.

"I think they are hamstrung by their blindness and lack of understanding or policy," David Devadas tells Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com. The first of a two-part interview:

Very well written book, David, but it must have taken a lot out of you, I gather? I say so because I personally found the book a tad too depressing -- not its contents itself but what it portends. For India, and for Kashmir. Do you feel hope, or the absence of it?

Honestly, Sai, the situation is bad. But rather than describe myself as hopeless, I'd use the word frustrated -- frustrated at those who run our country.

And I include bureaucrats, security forces, intelligence chaps, security think-tanks, and political bosses from across the political spectrum.

The worst part is there is no accountability. No one is ever held to account. No deadlines are given. Nobody pays the price when colossal mistakes are committed, without even a backward glance.

I have known you for long, and as a political journalist to begin with. When and how did the interest in Kashmir begin? Or was it a natural extension of what you were doing?

When I was a political editor in the'90s, I covered Kashmir, along with the Mandir-Masjid issue, the Lok Sabha, the Cabinet, prime minister's office... the gamut. In 1998, a publisher suggested I write a book, saying: 'You are an expert on Kashmir. It'll take you six months.'

When I began work, I realised I had to unlearn and re-learn a lot, since there is a lot of propaganda and half-truths mixed up with narratives about Kashmir.

When my first book was finished, I thought I was done with Kashmir. But when agitations broke out after the land transfer in 2008, I was again told that I was an expert and should write another.

It's become a bit of a trap: the more I do, the more I get drawn into it.

You spend a lot of time in the valley, do you also live there? Or alternate between Kashmir and Delhi?

I've lived in homes there for long periods almost every year since 1995. I come and go, but have spent more time in Kashmir than in Delhi over the past decade.

In the beginning, I presume it must have been difficult to make inroads, find acceptance among locals. How did you manage to break the ice?

The only ice is on the lake in midwinter, Sai. The Kashmiri people's warmth and hospitality is unrivalled. And I have found in general, there and elsewhere too, that if one goes up to people and talks to them with an open heart and mind, they respond and share a lot.

From your earliest foray to now, how has the Kashmir issue changed/evolved?

It has become far more entrenched. The gap has grown. Anger has risen.

More important, as this book elaborates, the millennial generation -- today's teenagers -- have taken the forefront, and they are by and large radicalised and deeply committed to their cause.

The sad thing is that this has not been a continuous slide. Around 1993 to 1995, and again around 2004 to 2007, people by and large were willing to settle down to a negotiated peace -- peace with dignity.

Tragically, Mr (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's tireless efforts were wasted. And vast numbers of forces were poured in to the valley in 1994, just when a negotiated peace was possible.

It's a nightmare, like Alice in Wonderland, what those who run the government get up to.

Given your unique positioning, straddling both regions, you have a rare insight into what Kashmir wants, and what Delhi can give. Is a modus vivendi between the two possible?

The new generation of teenagers which has taken the forefront is largely an amorphous, leaderless mass. It is extremely difficult to find a representative with whom to negotiate now, unless one turns to a militant leader.

IMAGE: According to David Devadas, the rage grew after 2007 because the counterinsurgency apparatus was not wound down when militancy wound down. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters

As you shift from Kashmir to Delhi, you must have realised that there are two perspectives to the Kashmir problem. One as seen from Kashmir, and another as seen from New Delhi/India. Do you think the two can be bridged?

Perhaps it is even more complicated than that. There are many positions on it in India, and many within Kashmir too, even just within the valley.

One chapter in my book gives the findings of a survey we conducted among six to 7,000 students in more than 60 schools, colleges and madarsas across the valley. The title of the chapter is 'Varied opinions'.

Even the word 'azaadi' meant different things to different respondents, and opinions vary across geographical and socioeconomic location, across gender, and across time.

As I pointed out, the Indian State missed out on two distinct periods of hope and opportunity.

The rage in Kashmir, the focus of your book, is a little hard to understand when viewed from the rest of the country, do you think?

If that's so, it is because people across the rest of the country don't relate to what life has been like for young people in Kashmir.

Imagine growing up without ever being able to go for a picnic, or for a late evening stroll, or for an ice-cream after dinner. Young people had to be home long before sundown through most of the '90s, and lights were put off after dark for fear of attracting attention.

Then, the humiliation and distress of searches, checks, barriers, the fear that one might be killed at any time.

I have argued that the rage grew after 2007 because the counterinsurgency apparatus was not wound down when militancy wound down.

A new generation -- the children of war -- had come of age. They were inured to violence, immune to fear. They had seen death and destruction at close quarters from the time they were infants.
The 1986 batch Odisha cadre IPS officer has been described as a competent officer and is known for his acumen in handling disasters.

The 1986 batch Odisha cadre IPS officer M Nageswar Rao, who has been made interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, is known for his acumen in handling disasters in the state as well as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The selection of Rao to head CBI was lauded by many as the countrys premier investigation agency is, for the first time in its history, hit by a situation akin to a disaster.

Describing Rao as a competent officer, former Odisha Director General of Police Gopal Nanda said the formers experience will help in proper functioning of the agency.

Rao is considered a crisis manager in the Odisha Police circle and has often engaged in difficult situations, he said.

He is the second Odisha cadre officer to head the CBI.

Earlier, Uma Shankar Mishra of the Odisha cadre had worked as the director of the CBI.

Rao, as the Additional Director General of Fire Service and Home Guards of Odisha, had displayed excellent performance in disaster management during cyclone Philin in 2013 and Hudhud in 2014, recalled a senior officer.

Raos team in 2014 bagged the first Chief Ministers award for Excellence in Governance and Innovation in Public Service for outstanding work during cyclone Phailin and Hudhud. The IPS officer was also awarded Rs 5 lakh prize.

As cyclone Hudhud hit Visakhapatnam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had asked Rao to lead a team of more than 500 Fire Service personnel for rescue operations, an officer said.

The Andhra Pradesh government and people of Visakhapatanam highly appreciated the commendable work of the Odisha Fire Service under Raos leadership.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu had felicitated Rao in a public function in Visakhapatanam.

A recipient of Presidents Police Medal for Meritorious Service, Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service, Special Duty Medal and Odisha Governors Medal, Rao demonstrated his acumen in the police from day one of his posting as Sub Divisional Police Officer of Talcher in 1989-90.

In the 80s and 90s, Talcher was known as the second Dhanbad for coal smuggling and criminal activities. Rao, then a young IPS officer, effectively controlled the situation and earned appreciation from one and all.

Rao has also worked as SP of Mayurbhanj, Nabarangapur, Bargarh and Jagatsinghpur districts. He was also SP, Railways at Rourkela and Cuttack as well as SP of Crime Branch.

In Mayurbhanj, Rao took special interest in launching a programme targeting Lodha tribes members, who had adopted crime as their profession for generations. With assistance and guidance from then Mayurbhanj district collector Hawa Singh Cahar, Rao brought reform in the community and effectively persuaded the tribe to refrain from crime.

Rao has also earned the distinction of being the first police officer in Odisha to use DNA finger printing technique in crime investigation and detected an unknown rape case when he was SP of Jagatsinghpur district in 1996. The rape case ended in conviction of the accused for seven years.

A post-graduate in Chemistry from Osmania University, Rao used his ability to use science in crime detection and solved the rape case. He had also undertaken research work at IIT-Madras before joining the Indian Police Service in 1986.

Hailing from Mangapet village of Warangal district in Telangana, Rao also contributed as an SP Crime Branch in successful prosecution and getting the main accused Belu Das convicted in the 1991 Hooch tragedy that killed more than 200 people in Cuttack.

He was known for detecting Urea diversion scam in Nabarangpur district and Sulphur scam in the Paradeep Phosphates Limited in Paradip.

His anti-insurgency works in Manipur as DIG (Operations) of the Central Reserve Police Force also earned him a lot of praise. As IGP, CRPF, Eastern Sector, Kolkata, he personally led Lalgarh operations against the Naxals in 2008.

Rao was instrumental in establishing CoBRA Battalion of CRPF and sanctioning of 2nd Group Centre of CRPF at Sambalpur. As IG CRPF, Rao also played a key role in defusing tension in riot-hit Kandhamal in 2008.
Indias premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, is witnessing an unprecedented crisis since the last few weeks.

At the heart of the crisis is the struggle between its two top bosses -- Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana.

As the case continues to play out in the public with allegations being countered with more allegations, heres all you need to know about the feud and its various twists and turns.

A) People involved

Is this feud a matter of egos clashing?

Is this a case of competitive rivalry gone wrong between Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana? To understand the case, heres a background of the two top bosses who are at the centre of the infighting.

Alok Verma

Alok Kumar Verma was appointed as the CBI chief in January 2017 after being shortlisted from a list of 45 candidates. The committee that appointed him included Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader in Lok Sabha; and JS Khehar, the then Chief Justice of India.

He took over as the 27th Director of the CBI on February 1, 2017.

Verma is a 1979 batch Indian Police Service officer and has been in services for close to 38 years. In all these years, he has served at 24 posts. He was the Delhi Police Commissioner before being appointed as CBI chief.

The IPS officer has also served as the Director General for Tihar prisons, police chief of Mizoram among others.

Rakesh Asthana

A 1984-cadre IPS officer, Rakesh Asthana was appointed as the special director of the CBI in October 2017. He is said to be close to Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as both of them belong to Gujarat.

The appointment of the Gujarat cadre officer had not gone down well with many. His appointment was even challenged in the court by senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

He was a part of the Special Investigation Team that looked into the 2002 Godhra train burning case. He also investigated the fodder scam between 1994 to 2001 in which former Bihar chief minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted.

According to Prashant Bhushan, he is not fit for the post as his name figures in the diary of Sterling Biotech, which is being investigated by CBI itself.

B) Egos clash

An India Today report citing an insider familiar with the developments in the CBI said, The rivalry began the day, Asthanas appointment as special director was cleared by the government.

As stated before Verma took charge of the CBI on February 1, 2017. Till then, Asthana was the acting CBI director.

It is said that when Verma took charge, Asthana started flexing his muscles and took decisions without keeping the director in the loop.

When his appointment as special director came up for approval, Alok Verma had opposed the move citing his alleged connection with the Sterling Biotech bribery case.

C) Allegations vs counter-allegations

All this while it seemed that the tussle between the two heads would subside. However, in July this year, the infighting came out in the open when the CBI responded to a query by the Central Vigilance Commission saying that Rakesh Asthana did not have the mandate to represent agency director Alok Verma.

The CVC wanted to know as to who from the agency would attend a CBI selection committee meeting it had called on July 12. CBI chief Alok Verma was in Uruguay at the time. The CBI responded by requesting the CVC to postpone the meet to July 19 so that Alok Verma could attend the meeting.

In its letter, the CBI had told the CVC that Rakesh Asthana was under the scanner of the agency in cases of corruption. Next month in August, Rakesh Asthana wrote to the cabinet secretary alleging corruption by Alok Verma.

D) Case that started it all

On 4 October, a Hyderabad-based businessman named Sana Satish -- one of the suspects in the Moin Qureshi corruption case -- alleged that he paid a hefty sum to CBI officers to get the agency off his back.

Following this complaint, the CBI registered a case against Asthana as accused number one and a deputy superintendent of police-rank CBI officer, Devender Kumar.

Meanwhile, Asthana wrote a letter to the vigilance commission listing 10 cases where Verma allegedly tried to influence the investigation.

He alleged that one Satish Babu Sana, a Hyderabad-based businessman, paid Verma Rs 2 crore to save himself in the case of meat-exporter Moin Qureshi who is being probed by the CBI on charges of tax evasion, money laundering, etc. Asthana also claimed that he wanted to arrest Sana but Verma scuttled the move.

Asthana further claimed when he and his team wanted to arrest Sana in February, Verma called him and told him not to do so. Asthana has also accused Verma of taking him off probes into the IRCTC case against Lalu Prasad Yadav and the INX Media case involving former finance minister P Chidambaram.

E) Why was Asthana booked?

A few days ago, the CBI filed an FIR against Asthana and has now arrested Devendera Kumar, a deputy superintendent of police in the agency, who has been working with Asthana. Interestingly, the FIR was lodged on a compliant by Sana accusing Asthana of extorting money from him to shield him in the Qureshi case.

In his complaint, Sana claims to have paid Rs 3 crore to Asthana through a Dubai-based middleman Manoj Prasad and his brother, Somesh Prasad, He claims that Manoj showed him a WhatsApp conversation with Asthana and he saw Asthana's profile picture with the number which reassured him of Manoj's links with Asthana. Sana alleged that Manoj also claimed that Asthana had stayed at his home in London last year. He alleged that Somesh also dropped the name of a senior RAW officer Samant Kumar Goel. The FIR has named Goel too as part of the extortion gang.
IMAGE: A member of an activist group participates in a demonstration calling for sanctions against Saudi Arabia while holding a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the US State Department in Washington. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The United States has announced to revoke visas of Saudi officials allegedly involved in the 'killing' of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid an international outrage over the scribe's death.

Saudi Arabia has admitted that Khashoggi, 59, a contributor for The Washington Post, was killed in its Istanbul consulate.

The US will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult the Congress, and work with other nations, to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.

Given the information, currently, available with the United States, the administration is taking appropriate actions, he said.

The US has identified at least some of the individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death. These include those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Saudi foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries, Pompeo said.

Khashoggi, a former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, disappeared after he entered the consulate on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage.

The incident has severely dented the international reputation of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

"We are taking appropriate actions, which include revoking visas, entering visa lookouts, and other measures. We are also working with the Treasury Department to review the applicability of Global Magnitsky sanctions to those individuals," Pompeo said.

The Saudis, so far, have said that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight during an interrogation that went wrong, while Turkey has alleged that he was brutally killed and it was pre-planned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the 'savage murder' of the journalist was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

On the outrage against Saudi Arabia in the US, Pompeo said these penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States.

"We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he said.

The US, however, continues to maintain a strong partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The capsizing of a boat in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday could have turned into a major tragedy had the Indian Navy and Coast Guard not acted quickly, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said while ordering a probe into the mishap that claimed one life.

IMAGE: An Indian Navy helicopter flies near the proposed site of Shivaji Maharaj statue as rescue work is carried out after a boat capsized in the Arabian Sea. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

Fadnavis also announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a man who drowned in the afternoon incident that occurred when officials were on their way to the site of the proposed sea memorial Chhatrapti Shivaji, where work was to begin on Wednesday.

The boat accident was unfortunate. Due to the timely help and assistance provided by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard, a major accident was averted. The state government will conduct an inquiry into the incident, Fadnavis told reporters.

Expressing deep grief and condolences to the family of the deceased, identified as Siddhesh Pawar, Fadnavis said, The Maharashtra government declares an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased in this unfortunate accident.

Pawar was an activist of Shiv Sangram Paksha headed by Vinayak Mete, the chairman of a Supervisory Committee monitoring the construction of the Shivaji statue.

The state government had claimed that the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, coming up on an island in the Arabian Sea, would be the tallest in the world.

The incident occurred when the boat, carrying some officials of the state government and supporters of Mete, apart from others, was on its way to the site of the proposed memorial.

Two helicopters and rescue boats were deployed for rescue operations.

A survivor has claimed that the incident occurred after the boat hit a rocky patch in the Prongs Reef Lighthouse area in sea, which is the southernmost tip of Mumbai.

He also said the error of judgement by the skipper of the ill-fated twin-engine boat could have caused the incident.

Meanwhile, the Congress too has termed the incident as extremely unfortunate and suspicious.

It seems that Shivaji Maharaj doesnt want the present government to build his memorial, said Leader of Opposition in state Legislative Assembly Radhakrisha Vikhe Patil.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has been misusing the name of the 17th Century Maratha king to make false promises to the people.

State unit Congress chief Ashok Chavan demanded a probe into the mishap which he said seems suspicious.

Yesterday, Vinayak Mete, who heads the committee to set up the statue, had alleged irregularities in the tender process. And today the accident occurred which led to cancellation of the work ceremony. This is suspicious, he said and wondered that if the accident was meant to silence Mete.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhananjay Munde also demanded a probe to fix responsibility.
Its a man-made marvel!

After several delays and budget overruns, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge was officially opened on Tuesday, marking the completion of the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built, nine years after construction began.

Heres everything you needed to know about this bridge of steel.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge connects mainland China with the semi-autonomous territories of Hong Kong and Macau, measuring a whopping 55 kilometre. The bridge encompasses 11 cities, including Hong Kong and Macau, that are home to a combined 68 million people. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

The bridge took nine years to complete and spans the waters of the Pearl River Estuary. It will cut the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to 30 minutes. On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the construction, saying, I declare the Hong Kong -- Macau -- Zhuhai bridge officially open. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

The bridge was first proposed in the late 1980s by Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, a businessman from Hong Kong. He was a strong advocate of creating an advanced transport system in the Pearl River Delta area. However, the idea of a mega bridge was opposed at the time by Hong Kongs British colonial government, which was wary of development that might draw the city closer to Communist China. China expressed support for the project in 2003, and construction began in 2009. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Once it opens to the public on Wednesday, regular motorists, wont be able to drive across it -- a special permit is required. According to CNN, most drivers will have to park and then switch to a shuttle bus or specially hired car to go across. Tolls will range from 60 yuan to 300 yuan (Rs 300 to Rs 3,000), according to China Daily. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Once the bridge opens, it will be complicated to drive across the bridge. In Hong Kong and Macau, drivers travel on the left side of the road while in China, they travel on the right. To get around the issue, reports said authorities built a "merge point" for drivers to stop and switch sides when they cross into new territory. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Built to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, a super typhoon and strikes by super-sized cargo vessels, the bridge incorporates 400,000 tons of steel -- 4.5 times the amount in San Franciscos Golden Gate Bridge. Photograph: James Pomfret/Reuters

According to reports, the amount of steel used in this bridge is enough to build 60 Eiffel Towers and the bridge itself is 20 times longer than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. Photograph: James Pomfret/Reuters

The bridge includes a 6.7-kilometre submerged tunnel to help it avoid the busy shipping paths over the Pearl River Delta. The tunnel runs between two artificial islands, each measuring 100,000 square metres and situated in relatively shallow waters. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Special cameras will be on the look-out for drivers on the bridge who show signs of getting sleepy, among other checks -- yawn three times and the authorities will be alerted, local media report. To help counter potential terror attacks, there will also be 48 high-definition surveillance cameras mounted at intervals along the bridge as well as anti-terror police patrols, the South China Morning Post reports. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Originally slated to open in 2016, the bridge has been dogged by construction delays, budget overruns, and safety issues. Nine workers have died and more than 200 others have been injured building the bridge. This year, six subcontractors have been fined for endangering workers. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

The bridge isnt without criticism. Environmental groups say the project may have caused serious harm to marine life in the area, including the critically rare Chinese white dolphin. The number of dolphins seen in Hong Kong waters has decreased from 148 to 47 in the past 10 years and they are now absent from the waters near the bridge, according to the Hong Kong branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Critics of the Chinese government also say that the bridge is a tool to drag the Hong Kong closer into Beijings grip. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

The bridge, surrounding link roads and artificial islands cost a staggering $20bn to build - the main bridge alone cost $6.92bn. Chinese officials say it will generate up to 10 trillion yuan ($1.44tn) for the economy. According to an estimate by BBC Chinese, the bridge will only earn around $86m in tolls per year. In fact, the bridge's maintenance costs would already take away a third of this income. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
On any normal night, the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation is steeped in silence with only alert sentries of the Central Industrial Security Force seen guarding the imposing building in New Delhi; but Tuesday night was different.

IMAGE: Media persons outside the CBI headquarters in New Delhi. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo

Around 10 pm, teams of about 15-16 officers entered the compound in Innova and Ertiga vehicles, sources said.

A while sedan followed with M Nageswar Rao, who was given charge of duties and functions of CBI director.

History was made as no director of the agency was changed in such manner.

A 1986-batch Odisha cadre officer, Rao went straight to his office and took charge of the position around 11.30 pm as rest of the CBI staff was clueless about the changes taking place in the agency.

Alok Verma, who was director till then, had left the building earlier around 7.30 pm which is the normal routine.

He had earlier visited his North Block office during the day as an unprecedented tussle with his deputy, Special Director Rakesh Asthana, had reached the court.

Verma remained in the North Block office till afternoon and left for lunch keeping a tab on local court proceedings where the CBI was strongly arguing to get the custody of its own Deputy SP Devender Kumar on charges of extortion from a business being probed by him, the sources said.

He was seeking information on the developments of the Delhi high court where Asthana had approached seeking quashing of FIR naming him. A similar petition was also filed by Kumar.

In the evening, in Satarkata Bhavan, the Central Vigilance Commission was holding a crucial meeting which had to decide the fate of two feuding officers of the CBI -- Verma and Asthana -- who had levelled allegations of corruption against each other.

Asthana was booked by the CBI on October 15 in a case of corruption.

After going through available documents, the CVC in an unanimous decision recommended divesting all the powers of Verma and Asthana.

The recommendation was sent to the government around 8-8.30 pm, the sources said.

On the basis of the recommendation, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet handed over the charge of CBI Director to Joint Director Rao as interim measure.

After completing formalities of taking charge, Rao directed the officials to take charge of all the crucial files as sought by the CVC and to ensure no material is tampered with.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Orrstown Financial Services Inc. (ORRF) Tuesay said it has agreed to buy Hamilton Bancorp Inc. (HBK) for $58.5 million in a stock and cash deal.

Hamilton shareholders will receive 0.54 shares of Orrstown common stock and $4.10 per share in cash for each share of Hamilton common stock. The cash consideration is subject to reduction based on potential losses, write-downs, or reserves related to certain identified loans.

The deal is expected to result in earnings accretion of about 8% in 2020. Following the completion of deal, the combined company is expected to have about $2.5 billion in assets, $1.7 billion in loans and $2.1 billion in deposits.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019.

The deal has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Orrstown and Hamilton. The completion of the transaction is subject to Hamilton's stockholder approval and customary regulatory approvals.

"We are thrilled to welcome Hamilton Bank to the Orrstown family," said Thomas R. Quinn, Jr., President and CEO of Orrstown. "By joining Hamilton and Orrstown together, our institutions, shareholders, and customers will benefit greatly from our expanded footprint, enhanced products and services, and robust offerings.

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Business News
New Zealand will on Thursday release September figures for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

Imports are expected to be worth NZ$5.60 billion, up from NZ$5.54 billion in August. Exports are pegged at NZ$4.20 billion, up from NZ$4.05 billion in the previous month. The trade deficit is forecast at NZ$1.365 billion following the NZ$1.484 billion shortfall a month earlier.

Japan will release September numbers for producer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.2 percent on year - slowing from 1.3 percent in August.

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Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC), the fifth-largest food and beverage company in the world, announced Wednesday its agreement to sell Heinz India Private Limited to Zydus Cadila for approximately 46 billion Indian rupees or approximately $625 million on a debt free and cash free basis.

Heinz India is comprised of Indian brands Complan, Glucon-D, Nycil and Sampriti. Under the deal terms, Kraft Heinz will sell to Zydus Wellness Ltd., jointly with Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Heinz India, and two manufacturing facilities, with approximately 900 employees associated with these brands and operations.

At current FX rates, this generates approximately $150 million or 11.50 billion rupees in net sales and approximately $30 million or 2.25 billion rupees in adjusted EBITDA. The sale is not expected to have a material impact on Kraft Heinz's annual financial results.

The transaction is expected to close in early 2019, subject to regulatory approvals of the Competition Commission of India and other customary closing conditions.

Bernardo Hees, Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Heinz, said, "The sale of this niche business fits into our overall global growth strategy and our focus on investing in and growing brands within our core categories. India continues to be a key market for Kraft Heinz, and in fact, we're strengthening our commitment to expand and grow our Heinz sauces and Kraft business in India."

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Business News
While reporting its first-quarter financial results today, Carpenter Technology Corp. (CRS) said it has acquired LPW Technology Ltd. for about $81 million.

LPW is a supplier of advanced metal powders and powder lifecycle management solutions to the Additive Manufacturing industry, for approximately $81 million. The company, based in Widnes, Cheshire, United Kingdom, has additional processing operations near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and employs approximately 80 people.

Carpenter noted that the acquisition of LPW expands its growing position as an additive manufacturing or AM solutions provider.

"Our aggressive development in key aspects of Additive Manufacturing (AM) demonstrates our commitment to build on our industry-leading position in this space. The acquisition combines LPW's metal powder lifecycle management and processes with our technical expertise in producing highly engineered metal powders and additively manufactured components," said Tony Thene, Carpenter's President and Chief Executive Officer.

Carpenter noted that it's additive portfolio, including recent investments in Puris, a titanium powders producer; CalRAM, a leader in electron beam and laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing services, and construction of an Emerging Technology Center in Athens, Alabama represent a significant force positioned to capitalize on the rapid AM growth.

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Business News
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) granted a unit of major US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase the license under New York State Banking Law to operate as an independent Qualified Custodian for virtual currencies or cryptocurrencies in the state of New York.

The DFS also approved the formation of Coinbase Custody Trust as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinbase Global.

Coinbase Custody Trust can now offer secure custody services for six of the largest cryptocurrencies - Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Ripple (XRP) and Litecoin (LTC). It will act as a Qualified Custodian for crypto assets. All crypto-assets entrusted to Coinbase Custody will be stored offline.

Coinbase already holds Money Transmitter and Virtual Currency licenses from DFS since January 2017 to offer services for buying, selling, sending, receiving, and storing virtual currency.

Since 2014, the DFS has been monitoring and regulating operations of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and cryptocurrency-related products being offered in the State of New York and to New York residents. It has also been a strong advocate in its support for the responsible growth of the cryptocurrency industry.

In mid-March, Coinbase became the first cryptocurrency exchange to open a UK bank account, receive e-money license, and gain access to the UK's Faster Payments Scheme (FPS) for its UK-based customers, supported by all major UK banks. It was granted license by the UK's financial regulator Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Last week, Coinbase expanded its European operations to the Republic of Ireland with an office in the capital city of Dublin. The move will help it to continue serving its users in the European Union even after the impending Brexit.

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Business News
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed chargesheet under the anti-money laundering law against Sandesara brothers and their Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech Limited (SBL) in the fraudulent Rs 8,100-crore loan from domestic as well as offshore branches of Indian banks during 2004-2012.

The ED named 191 accused and 184 companies of the SBL group in the chargesheet filed in a special court. The SBL group include Sterling Biotech Limited, PMT Machines Limited, Sterling SEZ and Infra Limited, Sterling Port Limited, Sterling Oil Resources Limited and 179 shell companies.



Some individuals named in the chargesheet include main promoters of SBL group -- Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara and Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara -- Dipti Sandesara, Rajbhushan Dixit, Hitesh Patel, their chartered accountant Hemant Hathi and middlemen Gagan Dhawan.





The agency said the investigation in this case is still on as Sandesara brothers are learnt to be in abroad.



Action under Fugitive Economic Offenders Law shall be initiated soon against the Sandesara brothers and Red Corner Notice with respect to promoters shall also be issued, said the ED which registered a money laundering case against the SBL group, Sandesara brothers and others in August 2017, days after a case of alleged bank fraud of Rs 5,700 crore was filed against them by the Central Bureau of Investigation.



Investigation in ED revealed that Sandesaras brothers and others hatched a criminal conspiracy for cheating banks by manipulating figures in the balance sheets of their flagship companies and induced banks to sanction higher loans.



"After obtaining loans, the accused diverted the loan funds to non-mandated purposes through a web of shell companies. Thus, the loan funds were diverted, layered and laundered by the promoters for their personal purposes. Total amount of loan fraud as on date is Rs 8,100 crore. The loan fraud pertains to domestic as well as offshore branches of Indian banks," said an ED statement.



Loans to the tune of Rs 5,700 crore was disbursed by various banks during the years 2004-2012 and Look Out Circulars were opened against the accused in August, 2017, said the statement.



"To fulfil their criminal motive of defrauding banks, the promoters devised a multi layered strategy of cheating. They not only cheated banks but also revenue department as well as the share-holders. Their strategy included incorporation of shell companies, conducting circular transactions to artificially inflate turnover of flagship companies, claiming higher depreciations on non-existing machinery, artificial share trading with the use shell companies, layering and laundering of proceeds of crime within India and abroad through the web of shell companies."



The promoters used their employees' names and got incorporated 249 shell companies, said the ED, adding the ill gotten money were knowingly rotated, layered and finally integrated into the financial system and projected as untainted.



"The amount was further invested in the form of immovable properties. The loan funds were diverted for non-mandated purposes to shell companies and were withdrawn as cash. An amount of Rs 140 crore was withdrawn from shell companies and were used for the personal purposes of the promoters which also includes bribing of public officials," said the statement.



The ED said the promoters created a web of corporate and accounting structure abroad and they incorporated more than 100 entities in various countries including United Arab Emirates, the US, the UK, British Virgin Island, Mauritius, Barbados and Nigeria.



"Their main entities outside India includes Richmond Overseas, Sunshine Trust Corporation, SEEPCO BVI, SEEPCO Nigeria and Atlantic Blue Water Services Pvt Ltd. It is revealed during investigation that the funds were rotated through various structures and ultimately carried to Nigeria to finance their oil business," said the ED.



The banks have also found that the sanctioned loans were not used for the laid down purposes but were diverted for non-mandated purposes.



The ED said the banks have also declared the loans to the tune of Rs 8,100 crores as fraud (domestic loans Rs 3,675 crore and foreign loans

Rs 4,425 crore) as on date.



The ED said it has so far arrested four persons in the case including a Delhi-based business man-cum-middleman Gagan Dhawan, Ex-Director of Andhra Bank Anup Garg, Director of SBL R.B. Dixit and Ranjeet Malik, a front man of Dhawan.



Besides, the ED has so far attached assets to the tune of Rs 4,710 crore in the case.
A two-day workshop in Apia next month will offer Samoans the opportunity to be trained in securing their corporate networks that are accessed through remote devices.

Leading cybersecurity firm and antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab is providing the training in partnership with Auckland-based IT firm Quantum IT Limited, and local company Computer Services Limited (CSL).

The Kaspersky Labs presales technical manager and territory manager, Kirill Vorozhtsov and Graeme McDonald, will run the training from November 6-7 at the Elisa Hotel conference room.

The training will focus on the Kaspersky Lab comprehensive security portfolio, which includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialised security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital and online threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and they currently help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.

Kaspersky Lab, through the availability of a computer-based security awareness training platform to enhance the overall security of businesses, will provide the training to all participants. The training will see essential knowledge to recognise and avoid cyber threats being taught, as part of the training that will be provided.

According to the organisers of the training, implementing a proactive security awareness training program will protect organisations from cybersecurity threats to their organization, such as the most severe threats targeted attacks and ransom ware infection which are often caused by staff error.

When security awareness training are designed and implemented properly, it decreases the load on its personnel and makes employees more mindful about protecting corporate data, reducing losses related to security incidents. They also take into account different expectations of personnel depending on their management level.

As a result, Kaspersky Lab offers training programs on an ongoing basis with the latest gamification technologies that produce real, measurable results in terms of maintaining corporate security.Research shows that computer based interactive training leads to as much as 93 per cent probability of using the knowledge in day-to-day work and a decrease in the number of incidents by up to 90 per cent.

This type of training is vital in helping the businesses and their employees to maintain awareness and lower their exposure to risk. Security training is an important expansion of Kaspersky Lab range of security intelligence services, which also include intelligence sharing offers for it security experts, incident response and more.

Quantum IT Limited managing director, Ivan Rasquinha, said their decade-old partnership with Kaspersky Lab and CSL Samoa is a critical milestone for everyone involved in the project.

For many years, Kaspersky Lab, has focused on research and development rather than mass marketing and now independent tests have proven it has the fastest response time to new threats as well as the most frequent signature updates. Intelligent use of system resources means Kaspersky Lab reaches the deepest scanning levels without the slow-down in computer operation found in competing products, he added.
Lets talk a little bit about some public statements made recently. Coming from some of our countrys leaders, a couple of them demand scrutiny since they leave us with more questions.

Some completely boggles the mind, I tell you.

Take for instance Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaois message at the 40th celebration of the British American Tobacco (B.A.T.) Samoa Limited last week.

Now 40 years is a long time to survive in business and Prime Minister Tuilaepa was correct in acknowledging the companys investment and contribution through the provision of jobs over the last four decades. No one can fault that and as the nations leader, Tuilaepa is the best person to give that acknowledgement.

The truth is that we all know the product B.A.T. manufactures and distributes. We dont need to tell you. Like alcohol and all the unhealthy foods being promoted throughout the country, cigarettes kill people. There is no two ways about that. Which is perhaps why the company, sensitively, kept their celebration low key; prohibiting the media from attending.

But then perhaps they forgot to tell the Prime Minister not to send his speech to media outlets. Which is precisely what happened the next day.

In that speech, Prime Minister Tuilaepa, the man who wants to be known as the leader at the forefront of healthy living and what have you, is telling B.A.T. to expand its horizons to other Pacific neighbours.

Said he: 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.

What is the Prime Minister saying?

Are we correct to paraphrase by saying he is telling them to take their deadly product and use it to make some more people sick?

This, ladies and gentlemen, is extremely irresponsible, especially coming at a time where this same Government is promoting good health habits and better living among the population.

Have these leaders not heard the messages coming from the Samoa Cancer Society and the Ministry of Health about smoking?

So what message is this Government sending out to the public? In one breath the Government is saying smoking kills you and in the next breath they are encouraging them to spread their wings and inevitably the destruction of lives?

Absolutely ridiculous.

Away from Tuilaepa, another public figure, this time in the form of a District Court Judge delivered a ruling that has raised many eyebrows in Samoa and abroad this week. We are talking about District Court Judge Alalatoa Rosella Viane Papaliis description of two motorists screeching of their vehicle tyres out of respect for a boy who died in a car crash as a beautiful tribute.

In doing so, she also questioned the rationale behind the reckless driving charges, which the Police laid against the two men.

I myself thought it was a beautiful tribute for a car racer child really who passed away suddenly in rather tragic circumstances I did not see anything wrong with it, she said.

As an individual, Judge Alalatoa is entitled to her opinion and she might well agree with it. But her opinion is not just another opinion, she represents the Judiciary and her views carry a lot of weight. Young people look up to them for examples.

Prior to her decision, the Police and the prosecution had argued that the actions of the two defendants were dangerous. Not only did it lead to complaints from members of the public, it also posed a risk to other road users. Which is easy enough to see.

Judge Alalatoa though disagreed. She noted that their actions were done in a controlled environment as a tribute to their friends son, whose father was a member of the V8 Club.

I think its time we correct this common mistake that seems to be popping up quite frequently in charges brought against accused for screeching tires, she said.

That said; the two defendants were discharged without convictions. Judge Alalatoa is correct in some regards in reference to this case. We also know the men involved a hard-core car enthusiasts who have the skills to do what they did.

But this is setting a benchmark, a dangerous one that could be misinterpreted and abused at the wrongs hands. Again we ask, what message does this send out to members of the public?

Here we have the Police and Prime Minister Tuilaepas Government sending out quite a strong message against this sort of behaviour and rightfully so. It is dangerous and it could kill somebody.

Today, however, thats not the message from the Court.

Correct me if Im wrong but if I decide to do a burnout around the Apia Townclock and the Police charge me, I can easily say to them that Im paying tribute to a relative who loved cars and died two years ago?

We dont envy being the Police officer who tries to tell the next tyre screechers that what they are doing is wrong. But hey this is Samoa. Everything must go, I suppose.

What do you think? Write and share your thoughts with us!

Have a productive Thursday Samoa, God bless!
Dear Editor,

Re: Pacific Games next year

Lets work hard Prime Minister and Team Samoa to prepare the country to host the Pacific Games next year.

Keep going and make this another huge goal to be a successful one, just like the UN S.I.D.S. Conference in the past. This time around is way better.

Keep lifting up the countrys standards in terms of international venues to host international events for many years to come.

The more the Samoa government and P.M. build a better development the easiest of your work in coming years for big events like Pacific Games, UN Conference, Tourism Destination etc.

Also better for your economy as well.

Moaga Nuusa
The Samoa Cancer Society and United Nations have agreed to work together in the fight against cancer.

According to the United Nations (U.N.) Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative, Simona Marinescu, one way to show support is to advocate together.

Beyond that this is an organization that is supposed to ensure access to services for people to ensure opportunities for people to still lead a decent life regardless of their sufferings."

We would like to work together with the Samoa Cancer Society and address together the challenges these people are facing maybe we could work more on better services for them and ensuring stronger support in the community in their families."

In follow-up of this event we will sit together with all the U.N. agencies and understand where the gabs are and try to work together responding to those gabs and especially to the emerging needs of people suffering, she said.

Simona said the partnership will not just collaborate on cancer but other diseases in general.

Since we primarily work with national counterparts we would like to make a call to acting institutions in this country to reach out to us for partnerships. Among the many objectives we have strengthening civil societies, it is because we think that civil society gives voice to the people and it is better engaged and looks deeper in the problems of the community level.

The united showing yesterday at the new premises of the United Nations is an extension of the United Nations capacity to bring other non-government organisation partners on board.

So for us it is the extension of our capacity to bring non-governmental organizations to partner with us and through partnerships we hope it be more better effective, she said.

Samoa Cancer Society's Chief Executive, Shelley Burich, said their collaboration with the United Nations will open doors to further discussions on how their partnership can lead to more awareness building on cancer in Samoa.
The United Nations yesterday marked 73 years of their establishment as a global body by holding a tree planting ceremony outside their Apia office.

Coincidentally, the occasion also marked the relocation of their office from Matautu to Tuanaimato.

With staff wearing pink to draw attention to October being the month of pinktober  dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness  the U.N. Resident Coordinator Simona Marinescu presented a donation of $700 from her staff to the Samoa Cancer Society.

Simona said that U.N. is a global organization to protect peace and prosperity for all.

This is not a job that has been done yet this is why the organization continues to be relevant to the entire world, there is still extreme poverty, social inclusion, religion or political views we still have and see fragility and vulnerability in the world, she said.

Our main objective is to ensure that we protect the people of those islands against the aggressiveness of the deteriorating climate and environmental fragility. Every year we celebrate our day and we look into the challenges of the future, it is a time to reflect on mistakes, setbacks, and looking forward with more commitment.

Samoa Cancer Society Chief Executive, Shelley Burich, thanked the U.N. for the invitation to their celebrations and the donation.

I also thank every one of you spreading the message of Pinktober by wearing pink, you are all taking part in the significance of letting our people be more aware of breast cancer and cancer in genera."

And also advocating that it is best to seek medical advice really early for early treatment, she said.

The celebrations yesterday also marked the relocation of the U.N. Office in Samoa to a new location, added Simona. With her staff also using the occasion to show their support for Pinktober by raising awareness on breast cancer.
The United Kingdom (U.K.) will open a High Commission in Samoa next year.

The U.K. High Commissioner to Samoa, Laura Clarke, said this yesterday as she met with Samoan Government leaders and representatives of the private sector and civil society.

So far she has met with Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi, and the Head of State, His Highness Tuimalealiifano Va'aletoa Sualauvi II.

As the representative of the United Kingdom to Samoa, Wellington-based Ms. Clarke wants to strengthen a relationship she feels may have been taken for granted.

I would acknowledge that the U.K. in the early 2000's stepped away from the Pacific a bit too much actually, and we reduced our presence too much."

Part of what were trying to do now is to put that right, because weve got such shared history in this region, she said.

Next year should see the opening of the first British High Commission in Samoa. Ms Clarkes said this move is historical.

I think its historic in terms of our relations."

We have had a close relationship for such a long time but weve never had a proper High Commission, so I think its a really positive thing.

Though she tells the story humbly, Ms Clarke was the instigator of this milestone.

Returning to New Zealand from her first visit to Samoa in March, she wrote to the head office in England suggesting more should be done with Samoan partners.

Little did she know, the head office was debating where to inject extra funds, making her telegram extremely fortuitous, Ms Clarke said.

We advocated very strongly for Samoa to be one of the posts because of its regional leadership role, and convening power both within the Pacific and more widely.

Ms Clarke will tour Apia and will spend time with other foreign diplomats, civil servants and the media until tomorrow morning when she flies back to New Zealand.
The Police have made no arrests in connection with the death of Sau Justina Sau.

This has been confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Papalii Monalisa Keti, in response to questions from the Samoa Observer.

The Unit Trust of Samoa (U.T.O.S.) longest serving Chief Executive Officer of Apolima-uta and Sinamoga was found dead on Sunday morning.

To date there has been no arrest and this case is being treated as a homicide. Also we have yet to confirm when the autopsy will take place as it is unclear when pathologist will arrive in the country."

The Attorney Generals Office is in charge of making the request for the pathologist, said Papalii.

The Deputy Commissioner said the investigation into the death of the high ranking government official is a priority to the Government.

This case is being prioritised by the relevant parties and to date the investigation is still underway. We have been questioning everybody.

The Deputy Commissioner refused to indicate or give details on the people who have been questioned.

According to a police statement issued, in the early morning of Sunday 21st of October 2018 at 4.00am, a call was received from T.T.M. hospital reporting that a 43-year-old female was brought to the hospital and she was declared dead upon arrival.

The police say they are not ruling out foul play.
The Samoa Chamber of Commerce and the Pacific Business Network have signed an agreement to promote locally-owned businesses.

Speaking at the Samoa Chamber of Commerce office yesterday, Pacific Business Network (P.B.N.) Chairman, Tuala Tagaloa Tusani, said the partnership is important as it will enable employers to generate more revenue and over the long-term period create more jobs.

Part of what we do is we will promote the businesses here in Samoa, through our database and our online systems, and we are confident that with that support the businesses here will do well, he said.

The more money people make here means the employers will have more money to hire more people and to hire more people it is better for the villagers which serves our churches."

And that is why this is important its because then we dont have to ask our overseas family all the time for money, he said.

Tuala said Samoans rely on their families abroad for money so the partnership between them and the Samoa Chamber of Commerce will have to change.

At some point we have to rely on ourselves in terms of buying products from ourselves and this goes to our people overseas too."

We have to support our own businesses overseas with their shops there, it doesnt matter what they are doing over there, we have to buy from them and support them."

Because that money that comes back to the companies over here means it helps pay for our employees and so we hire our own people, he added.

According to the Samoa Chamber of Commerce C.E.O., Lemauga Hobart Vaai, there are eight companies dealing directly through the Pacific Business network.

He also said that the aim of this is to increase more products and make it more inclusive.

There is no secret that the largest population of the Samoan people are living in New Zealand and Australia,d and we want to create that network and that place where we could connect our members directly into our communities in New Zealand."

You see here a couple of ranges of our products we are already doing business in New Zealand but we want to increase that and we want to give more opportunities for our people to trade."

So having all these is very important for us to have those connections with our community overseas and we also want to make it inclusive not only for our businesses here in the town area but also our businesses in the rural areas as well."

So everybody is included in this process, he added.

Speaking about criteria, Lemauga said the local companies already have linkages with the network site.

They already had direct linkages in businesses in New Zealand and they already had their own networks. I think the difference here is basically we want to open the door knob to bring everybody else into the playing field. So there are some products here that we understand P.B.N. isnt aware of but we want to connect them to the network overseas."

We want to make sure everybody is included in the program and we are thankful for P.B.N. for opening those doors to us and you also have to know that these guys are regional so they have worked in Tonga and are moving to Fiji so we want to be a part of that as well, he added.
In his fourth week on the job, Dr. Osborne Embiruka Nyandiva is ready to introduce breakthrough medical interventions to help eradicate avoidable disease.

Dr. Nyandiva is a Pathologist, Oncologist and Forensic Pathologist and is the newest professor at the National University of Samoa. He joins the Faculty of Medicine to fill a crucial gap in the clinical stages of the curriculum.

An experienced doctor in his mid-30s, Dr. Nyandiva has experience teaching and practicing medicine in Tanzania, Somalia and Canada and well as his home country of Kenya. He said already, he feels his Samoan students are the best hes taught.

They are so ready to learn, and not just but deep learning, he said.

As an educator and self-described activist, Dr. Nyandiva likes to go beyond the book, setting challenging assignments for his students and asking them to present their work to the class.

Something about critical thinking, he added.

In his four weeks here so far, the doctor has already identified focal points in the health sector he wants to address, and chief among them are metabolic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

For Samoa, this issue is skyrocketing, he said, with nearly 40 per cent of patients presenting concerning symptoms.

This really calls for immediate interventions, and it should start at the grassroots, he said.

We need a mass media or community mobilisation about lifestyle, because most of these diseases are purely lifestyle conditions.

Solving the swell of diabetes, kidney diseases and even cancers means addressing nutrition, Dr. Nyandiva said.

Most of the foods people are taking are junk, just junk food, he added.

Too many quick and easy foods are packed with genetically modified organisms (G.M.O.), that after some time can have physiological impacts on the body, according to the doctor.

The accumulation in the body of the G.M.Os and processed sugars result in these dangerous metabolic conditions.

People are not even observing some of the simple things we need to do, for instance, having vegetables.

Greens are very important supplements because they control some of our metabolic processes.

He said the work of the dialysis unit at the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa, taking down detailed patient histories before dialysis, means he can clearly see the impact of lifestyle on the body.

It doesnt require rocket science to understand some of these things, he said.

There are a number of parameters that obviously answer my questions.

Before all else, Dr. Nyandivas obligations are to his students. He has spent the past three weeks preparing them for exams, and said he hopes to get to know the community better and win their confidence.

As a foreigner, Samoans should feel I am part of society, and I am of course anticipating to contribute whatever they expect of me as a doctor.

My biggest role will actually be alongside other medical specialists, in trying to come up with the mitigations across the board on some of these issues, he said.

Later, when the students begin their clinical placements, he will be alongside them the whole way in their interactions with patients.
SUVA, Fiji (AP)  The Duchess of Sussex was rushed through her visit to an indoor market in Fiji's capital Wednesday due to concerns about the large crowd that came to greet her in the relatively confined space.

Meghan chatted with one vendor and briefly greeted others at Suva Market, where throngs of people spilled into surrounding streets. She spent only about half of her allocated 15 minutes there as she was whisked through by security personnel in the enclosed and relatively dark market.

Meghan had visited Suva Market to meet some of the female vendors who have been involved in the U.N. Women's project "Markets for Change." Vendors were selling watermelons, pineapples and other fruit at the market, as well as handicrafts and fans.

A Kensington Palace spokeswoman told The Associated Press that her visit was cut short due to crowd management issues.

Meghan, who is four months pregnant, and husband Prince Harry are on the 9th day of their 16-day tour of the South Pacific. Harry was not scheduled to visit the market, and was instead unveiling a plaque at a forest site home to species such as the Fiji tree frog.

Earlier on Wednesday, Meghan gave a speech at the University of the South Pacific where she talked about the excitement of attending university and the importance of education for women and girls in developing countries.

She said she was only able to attend university thanks to scholarships, financial aid programs and paid work on campus, but that it was, without question, worth the effort.

On Tuesday, the couple attended a state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel and Harry said Fiji and Britain shared a love of rugby and a sense of humor.

"This visit is particularly nostalgic for us as a young married couple," Harry said. "My grandparents stayed in this very hotel, the Grand Pacific, a number of times over the years. But this visit is also an opportunity to learn more about the future of Fiji, your economic growth, sustainable tourism development and social enterprises."

The couple is scheduled to visit Tonga on Thursday before returning to Sydney on Friday night for the final days of the Invictus Games, Harry's brainchild and the focus of their tour. The couple will then finish their trip with a four-day visit to New Zealand.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that if the United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Russia will have to target the nations that would host them.

The stern statement follows U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement over the weekend that he intends to opt out of a 1987 nuclear arms control pact over alleged Russian violations.

Putin said he hoped the United States wouldn't follow up by positioning intermediate-range missiles in Europe. Such a move would be a repeat of a Cold War showdown in the 1980s, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union both deployed intermediate-range missiles on the continent, the Russian leader said.

"If they are deployed in Europe, we will naturally have to respond in kind," Putin said at a news conference after talks with visiting Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "The European nations that would agree to that should understand that they would expose their territory to the threat of a possible retaliatory strike. These are obvious things."

He continued: "I don't understand why we should put Europe in such a grave danger."

"I see no reason for that," Putin said. "I would like to repeat that it's not our choice. We don't want it."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the Western military alliance's members blame Russia for developing a new missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, but he doesn't expect them to beef up nuclear arsenals in Europe in response.

"I don't foresee that allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile," Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Putin rejected Trump's claim that Russia has breached the INF treaty, alleging it was the United States that violated the pact.

He charged that U.S. missile defense facilities in Romania hold intermediate-range cruise missiles with just a quick tweak in computer software.

The Russian leader added that he hoped to discuss the issue with Trump in Paris when they both attend Nov. 11 events marking 100 years since Armistice Day.

"We are ready to work together with our American partners without any hysteria," he said. "The important thing is what decisions will come next."

The INF treaty signed in 1987 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev prohibited the U.S. and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched nuclear cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles.)

The pact was lauded as a major safeguard for global security since they eliminated shorter-range missiles that take only a few minutes to reach their targets.

Trump said he planned to pull the U.S. out of the treaty due to the alleged Russia violations and also because China, which wasn't part of the pact, has intermediate-range missile capability.

Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, spent two days in Moscow this week to discuss the move with Putin and his top lieutenants. Bolton said Washington hasn't served a formal withdrawal notice, but he voiced strong skepticism the treaty could be salvaged.
With a decision pending on whether the city of San Diego should adopt a government-run power program, San Diego Gas & Electric has notified city officials it is withdrawing from putting together a counterproposal to what is called Community Choice Aggregation.

For the past two years, SDG&E has worked with city officials to create a program that would contract for increasing amounts of renewable energy to reach the citys Climate Action Plan goal of 100 percent renewable sources by 2035.

But in a letter to the city Monday, SDG&Es vice president of energy supply, Kendall Helm, said there is no clear scenario to develop an all-renewables plan that would leave the city free of financial or legal liabilities when it came to procuring energy contracts.

The utility also doubted whether the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, would approve such a proposal if a scenario developed in which customers who did not take part in the program saw an increase in their costs. The CPUC would have concerns about approving a program in which one set of customers bore the costs attributed to another set of customers, SDG&E officials said.

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Im a little surprised that this is (SDG&Es) response but not entirely shocked, given the ambitious goals of the Climate Action Plan, said San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez. In order to accomplish the (100 percent renewable goals), its going to take a lot of work  I can only assume their math led them to that decision.

Under a Community Choice Aggregation plan, or CCA, investor-owned utilities like SDG&E still maintain transmission and distribution lines (such as poles and wires) and handle customer billing. However, local government entities make the final decisions about what kind of power is purchased for customers in their respective areas.

Should a locality adopt community choice, customers in that particular area are automatically signed up for the CCA. However, if customers want to stay with the utility, they can opt out.

Touting themselves as offering cleaner sources of power at prices less expensive than investor-owned utilities, CCAs have grown across the state. CCA boosters and many environmental groups have been clamoring for the city of San Diego to jump on board, saying a CCA is vital to make sure the city reaches the goals set by the Climate Action Plan.

SDG&Es decision to drop its counterproposal comes 11 days after the CPUC cast a crucial vote concerning CCAs.

As per statute, CCA customers must pay an exit fee  called a power charge indifference adjustment  to the legacy utility in their area each month. The fee is required to offset the costs for the investments utilities have made over the years for things like natural gas power plants, renewable energy facilities and infrastructure projects.

On Oct. 11, the CPUC adjusted the exit fees. The fees vary, depending on the service territories of the three investor-owned utilities across the state (SDG&E, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric). According to estimates from the commission, the new exit fee in San Diego will be raised from 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour to about 4.25 cents.

For a prospective CCA residential customer who uses 500 kilowatt-hours per month, that works out to about $21.25 per month.

Many CCAs across the state complained the new, adjusted exit fees would hurt them because the additional costs could act as a financial disincentive for potential community choice customers.

SDG&E spokeswoman Helen Gao said the exit fee adjustment was not the driving force in why we made the decision, pointing to the fact the CPUC has indicated it will open another phase of the exit fee proceeding and the commission is considering large-scale changes to rules for procuring sources of energy.

In addition, Gao said the potential effects of recently passed bills by the California Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown affected SDG&Es decision.

Senate Bill 100, for example, requires utilities reach 60 percent of the states renewable portfolio standard by 2030 and sets a 100 percent renewable and clean energy target for California by 2045.

SB 100 essentially eliminates the need for a CCA because it will deliver the environmental benefits a CCA promises without saddling the city with any of the taxpayer risks, said Tony Manolatos, spokesman for the Clear the Air Coalition, a San Diego group critical of CCAs. The coalition includes the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown San Diego Partnership and lobbyists for Sempra Energy, the parent company of SDG&E.

CCA supporters counter by saying community choice can deliver power that is greener than SDG&E and reach the states climate goals faster in the process.

Consumers and families deserve choice, said Nicole Capretz, executive director of the Climate Action Campaign and a major advocate for CCAs. We need competition in this market. We need a downward pressure on price  We know if we stick with this monopoly utility, history has proven we just have a continuous upward trend.

A feasibility study released last year predicted a CCA in San Diego has the potential to deliver cheaper rates over time versus SDG&Es current service and provide as much as 50 percent renewable energy by 2023 and 80 percent by 2027.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer is expected to make a decision to bring a CCA proposal before the San Diego City Council soon.

In an email Tuesday, a spokesman for Faulconer would not say when the mayor will announce his decision.

Alvarez said he expects Faulconer to put forth a proposal before the City Councils environment committee, which Alvarez chairs. The committee is scheduled to vote on the issue Nov. 29. The full council is required to approve a CCA for it to go into effect.

Some council members complained earlier this year that SDG&E was dragging its feet when it came to putting together the specifics of its counterproposal. We cannot wait around forever, Alvarez said at a meeting of the citys environment committee in July.

City Council President Pro Tem Barbara Bry supports establishing a CCA.

Residents and businesses will have the opportunity to buy cleaner energy while simultaneously saving on their energy bills, Bry said in an email. A CCA is not anti-SDG&E. It is intended to be a public-private partnership where the city will procure clean energy from renewable sources and SDG&E will be in charge of distribution and billing.

SDG&E has long insisted it is not against CCAs and in her letter to the city, Helm said if the city forms one, we will be your partner to empower that.

The first CCA in California was established in Marin County in 2010. The 19th CAA began operations last month.

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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
Two years after the Red Sails Inn, a Shelter Island mainstay, closed its doors, the Brigantine is debuting a replacement  a $3.5 million restaurant, beer and gelato venue that will eventually be replicated on the Embarcadero.

Ketch Grill and Taps, a 203-seat indoor-outdoor eatery featuring a mix of seafood and American pub fare (plus 18 craft beers on tap), joins Portside Gelato & Coffee at the Shelter Island Drive site where the Red Sails Inn had operated for nearly 60 years.

The San Diego-based Brigantine Restaurants, which is also in the midst of building the $20 million Portside Pier replacement for the former Anthonys Fish Grotto on San Diego Bay, took over the Red Sails Inn leasehold a couple of years ago when the former owner reached out and said he was ready to retire.

A couple of years ago, Jack Dargitz, the former owner, left me a voicemail and said, Mike, we never met before but before my late partner passed away, he said, if you ever want to sell, reach out to the Brigantine, recalled Brigantine CEO Mike Morton Jr. It came out of thin air, and we thought, what a great opportunity, and we already have this new concept, Ketch, so why dont we roll it out here and work out all the kinks before we open the new one on the Embarcadero.

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Although the Port of San Diego will celebrate the grand opening Wednesday of Ketch and Portside Gelato, the two venues had a soft opening late last month and already are on pace to do more than the projected yearly sales of $4 million, Morton said.

The all-day restaurant and walk-up gelateria and coffee spot were supposed to open during the summer but an unexpected structural issue delayed the project by a few months.

When the contractor began dismantling the ceiling joists of the Red Sails Inn, the cinder block walls started to crumble and it quickly became apparent that the entire structure would have to be taken down, Morton explained.

In contrast to the dark interior of its aging predecessor, Ketch has a far more contemporary, airy feel inside with tall glass doors that slide open onto the restaurant patio. While still a year away from opening its Portside project on the Embarcadero, the Brigantine has already taken the opportunity to tweak the menu at Ketch, which will be one of four food and beverage venues at the bayfront project.

For instance, a turkey burger offering already has been jettisoned from the menu after few diners ordered it, Morton said. In advance of opening the gelato shop, the restaurant group did a lot of research on equipment and conducted gelato recipe tastings before debuting an ever-changing assortment of 16 flavors, including mulled apple cider, white chocolate raspberry and blackberry cabernet sorbet.

Rent payments to the Brigantines landlord, the Port of San Diego, are tied to overall food and beverage sales and are anticipated to be $140,000 a year, compared to the average $90,000 a year the Red Sails Inn was paying, according to the port.

One of the things that excites us about this is that theres the history of a restaurant group  the Brigantine  that started on Shelter Island 50 years ago and now they have two brand new concepts very close to the original Brigantine and their Miguels Cocina a couple blocks away that should have a synergistic effect and grow revenues at all the locations, said Port Chairman Rafael Castellanos.

Were also interested in seeing them succeed here so it creates excitement and expectation for the Portside Pier.

Morton said that 35 of the 48 pilings have been constructed for the project, which is being built over the water. The Brigantine hopes to have completed the concrete slab by the end of the year, with construction on the restaurant buildings to start early next year, he said.

A November 2019 opening is the current goal.

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lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
Santee will have its first by-district voting for City Council candidates this November, with three of its four districts represented.

Voters in District 1, District 2 and District 3 will be able to weigh in on their preferences for City Council. District 4 and the mayors seat will be on the ballot in 2020. The District 3 term in the 2018 election is for two years, instead of four, and will be filled again in 2020.

District 1 candidates are incumbent Rob McNelis, 46, a market leader for National Mortgage Banker; and Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield, 31, who has a bachelors degree in Chicano Studies from UC Berkeley and is a website developer/business owner.

District 2 candidates are incumbent Ronn Hall, 62, a small business owner of an insurance agency; and Rudy Reyes, 42, who has bachelors degree in anthropology/archaeology from San Diego State University and is a program adviser/director at SDSU.

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District 3 candidates are Zack Gianino, 25, who has a bachelors degree in international relations from UC San Diego and is a college liaison with the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District; Laura Koval, 53, who has a bachelors degree in sociology from SDSU and is Santee Lakes director of Park and Recreation; and Lynda Marrokal, 61, who retired after 20 years as manager for an orthopedic surgeons office.

Although the seven candidates vying for spots in 2018 are from different parts of the city of 56,000, one topic concerns and connects all.

Of many pressing issues facing the city, one of the most contentious is the number of housing developments in Santee  including ones that are in the planning stages  and the overall effect that bringing more people into the city will have on traffic.

Santee is heading a group called the Highway 52 Coalition, which is seeking help for jams on state Route 52 and nearby highways as it affects local traffic along city streets.

A citizens initiative on the ballot in 2020 would require voter approval of any project seeking a General Plan amendment.

The San Diego Union-Tribune asked the seven candidates this question: How can the city balance the need for housing with the additional traffic on state Route 52 and along city streets that new developments will create, as well as deal with added pollution and other environmental concerns?

Their answers, edited for space consideration, are below.

Rob McNelis:

We need to grow in order to continue to thrive and attract businesses to the community; however, that does not mean building high-density units on every corner of town. A strong housing mix will allow for the natural housing life cycle to occur and open up older, smaller housing stock to more first-time buyers,as the people that start there can move into move-up housing to better serve growing families.

Rob McNelis (Courtesy photo)

According to the recent SANDAG study, most of the traffic on our city streets during peak traffic hours comes from people outside the city of Santee that are just using our streets to avoid the bottlenecks on the 52 at the 67 and the 125 mergers. This was credited in great part to the advent of routing apps like Waze that show people how to save four minutes or more on a commute by cutting down surface streets.

Santee continues to meet or exceed all state environmental mandates. To answer the population aspect, this is something else that needs to grow. Our schools are in need of children to keep from closing more classrooms and with the way online sales tax works now, we only get a share of all online sales tax revenues based on the population of the city, not based on the ZIP code of the person making the purchase.

Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield:

We need development that our infrastructure can support. Development that will not add to our traffic gridlock and that we can protect from fire dangers. The city should prioritize alleviating traffic, improving our infrastructure and not make it worse by adding 6,000-plus vehicles to our roads with Fanita Ranch.

Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield (Courtesy photo)

Housing that is close to public transportation and walkable to commercial areas can reduce fiscal and environmental impacts of population growth.

Ronn Hall:

The region is heavily impacted with traffic from other cities and parts of unincorporated San Diego County. California updates the Regional Housing Needs Assessment every eight years. The program directs counties and cities to prepare a local plan to comply with the states housing needs. The RHNA numbers are to help ensure local governments prepare to accommodate growth in their communities.

SANDAG says these numbers in San Diego County should be 171,000 housing units. This would translate to building about 6,300 new housing units in Santee alone. Trips from this growth could add about 10,000 vehicle trips a day.

Ronn Hall (Courtesy photo)

Growth is needed; however, we need to control our growth. 10,000 vehicle trips a day will cause havoc, so walking this tightrope is difficult. To make things worse, the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 35 last year removing local control of planning. In the case of affordable housing, applications become subject to by-right housing, which means certain multifamily housing projects are designated a permitted use regardless of local general plans.

(We) formed the Highway 52 Coalition because this issue is truly regional. Santee alone cannot solve the current and projected congestion on state Route 52. However, in collaboration with local and regional stakeholders, Santee can seek to build support for addressing the problem.

Rudy Reyes:

The question is heavy as there is no simple solution. Im part of the 52 coalition and hope that its the solution for the traffic issue. I also know this is really a SANDAG issue and they are not scheduled to address state Route 52 till 2050. So to change the SANDAG schedule of the 52 we need citizens writing letters to SANDAG to bring the project to the front of their list. As a city we need to work with Caltrans to create a truly nonstop Mast Boulevard and create a smart infrastructure system that can communicate with itself to provide better traffic control.

Rudy Reyes (Courtesy photo)

Santee citizens are trying to pass a citizens initiative which could curb development and reduce traffic if it gets to be voted on due to council postponing the will of the voters initiative till 2020.

Zack Gianino:

The Santee General Plan is the citys highest land-use law and guide for balancing these complex issues because it has gone through both community and environmental review. Developers should not be allowed to escape the law. Development that is pedestrian-oriented is more affordable to potential residents and the city.

Zack Gianino (Courtesy photo)

Sprawl development is expensive for the city to serve and unaffordable for first-time home buyers. By rejecting sprawl, we can encourage efficiency, affordability and reinvestment in underutilized or poorly developed sites. Mixed-use developments near public transportation can be a valuable addition to the city when they are required to avoid or adequately mitigate their impacts.

Laura Koval:

Fears over Santees growth projections and housing needs are one of the many talking points in this election cycle. There are threats to local control of future housing developments across the state. State Legislature has proposed almost 130 different bills designed to address the states housing crisis, and some propose to limit the ability of local governments to slow or block the approval of new housing. What we want and what we can do legally will likely be in conflict.

Laura Koval (Courtesy photo)

Any solution to balance housing needs, traffic and environmental concerns should have a regional view. If Santee is the only community trying to resolve these issues, nothing will change.

One way to reduce traffic, pollution, and put a dent in the housing crisis is to utilize Priority Development Areas, specific regions that local cities and counties identify for higher-density growth. Another way is to create high wage jobs in Santee in order to produce counter-flow traffic during rush hour.

Lynda Marrokal:

I feel state Route 52 has to be widened before we could put major housing developments in. As the report the City Council had done says, our industry is too small and its very fragmented. I would like to see a beautiful industrial park on that side of Santee  Fanita Ranch. Maybe if Santee had something more to offer we would get those high-paying tech jobs. As it is now, itll never happen.

Lynda Marrokal (Courtesy photo)

We also have to rethink land use to protect our citizens by building away from major fire areas, using these areas for industrial use. Before we allow big housing projects to put in, we need to review our infrastructure, see how it will impact us.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
PHOTO: Escondido Charitable Foundation, an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, awarded $183,910 in grants at its 12th Annual Grants Celebration to six nonprofits that provide community arts and cultural programs in Escondido. The Foundation has granted more than $2.2 million to strengthen the community of Escondido since 2006. From left, Woody Woodaman, chairman, Escondido Arts Partnership; Colleen MacKinnon, membership chair, Escondido Charitable Foundation; Rosemary Burson, ECF member; Jan Bourgeois, ECF Member; Chrisanne Moats, executive director, Escondido Arts Partnership; Brian Murphy, vice chair, Escondido Arts Partnership and Ceci Lusky, grants chair, Escondido Charitable Foundation, celebrate the grant to the Escondido Arts Partnership, which will go toward creating a colorful mural and flag display in the City of Escondido.

Community events

CARLSBAD

Free genealogy class set for Saturday

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A free One-Day Beginning and Refresher Genealogy Class, sponsored by the North San Diego County Genealogical Society and Carlsbad City Library, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the Community Room of the Georgina Cole Library, 1250 Carlsbad Village Drive. Reservation requested at (760) 434-2931 or tbirdfor2@roadrunner.com.

Workshop Saturday

on protecting assets

A workshop and discussion on What you need to protect your assets is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Carlsbad Senior Center, 799 Pine Ave. Non-seniors are welcome. Cost is $15 per person. Register at (760) 434-9205.

Halloween in the Village set for Saturday

The Carlsbad Village Association hosts Halloween in the Village from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Carlsbad, in the parking lot behind the fountain at the corner of Grand Avenue and State Street. Highlights include games, arts and crafts, pumpkin bowling, a dog costume contest and trick-or-treating at participating businesses. The first 500 participants get a free trick-or-treat bag. Visit carlsbad-village.com/events/halloween-in-the-village.

ENCINITAS

Day of the Dead festival at community center

The fifth annual Encinitas Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. The free event begins with Danza Azteca Mision San Luis Rey blessing the ofrenda with traditional dances, followed by Mariachi Real de San Diego and other performances. Highlights include skull face painting, tissue flowers and sugar skull workshops, an art exhibit by Paul Ecke Central School students, a low rider car show, vendors and food trucks. Visit encinitasarts.org.

ESCONDIDO

Art association holds three-day garage sale

The Escondido Art Association, a volunteer-run nonprofit promoting the arts in North County, will hold its annual garage sale fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at a residence at 1638 Jose Lane. Items include gently used clothing, jewelry, household items, furniture, artwork, art supplies CDs, DVDs, toys and books. For pickup of donations, call (760) 639-9186. Visit escondidoartassociation.com.

Harvest Party features games, face painting

Emmanuel Faith Community Church hosts its annual Harvest Party from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at 639 E. 17th Ave. Parents can bring their children ages 2 through sixth grade for carnival-style games, face painting and balloon animals. Food will be sold. Visit efcc.org.

FALLBROOK

Foundation puts on annual fall benefit

The Foundation for Senior Care puts on its 13th annual fall benefit, Big Show, with a vintage circus theme. The event, which includes auctions, hors doeuvres and dinner, will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at The Vineyard 1924, 1924 E. Mission Road. A cocktail reception starts at 5 p.m., followed by carnival games, silent and live auction, prizes and dinner. Proceeds will benefit each of the foundations core services. Tickets are $110 at foundationforseniorcare.org or (760) 723-7570.

POWAY

Festival includes carnival, vendors

The 33rd annual Fall Festival will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday on the campus of the Community Church of Poway, 13501 Community Road. . Highlights include a childrens carnival with bounce castle, holiday gift vendors, food and pet adoption booths along with Blessing of the Animals at 1 p.m. Tours will be given of the 125-year-old chapel. Preschool supplies such as toys, puzzles, learning materials, books and art supplies will be on sale. There will be an auction of gift baskets and handmade quilts. Proceeds fund scholarships and special projects of the Womens Fellowship. Call (858) 748-3304.

RANCHO SANTA FE

Book-signing event Saturday at Chino Farm

A book-signing featuring author and chef Yotam Ottolenghi is at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Chino Farm, 6123 Calzada Del Bosque, as part of the Good Earth/Great Chefs series. Ottolenghis latest book, Ottolenghi Simple, features 130 Middle Eastern-inspired recipes. The event will include music, food samples and drinks. Visit chinofamilyfarm.com.

SAN MARCOS

Palomar College hosts Political Economy Days

Palomar College, 1140 W. Mission Road, hosts Political Economy Days from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. today and Thursday featuring expert speakers on a variety of political, economic and historical topics. Call (760) 744-1150.

SOLANA BEACH

Fire Department

to hold open house

The Solana Beach Fire Department holds an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the fire station, 500 Lomas Santa Fe Drive. The event features a 9/11 rescue rig, sheriffs talking car, fire safety trailer, sidewalk CPR, live music and food. Call (858) 720-2400.

VISTA

Free class on how to share family history

The Vista Family History Center presents a free class on Giving A Gift of Your Family History for the Holidays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the center, 1310 Foothill Drive. The class covers ways to share knowledge of family history with relatives. Visit familysearch.org/wiki/en/Vista_California_Family_History_Center.
The first time Nanci Weinstein and Heather Bone met in July 2014, neither of them expected the meeting to go well.

Weinstein and her husband, David, were the court-appointed foster parents for Bones daughter, Kristina, who had been removed from her custody shortly after birth when the newborn tested positive for methamphetamine.

Bone, then 30 and a longtime drug addict, was angry that her child had been taken away and given to strangers, so Weinstein expected tension at their first supervised meeting at a McDonalds in Vista.

What she didnt know was that Bone and her husband, Andy Tarnovsky, were secretly planning to snatch Kristina from her arms and go on the run.

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But the more we got to know her, the more we realized we couldnt do something like that to this woman, Bone said. She was too nice.

That was the beginning of an unlikely friendship that Bone describes today as the most important in her life. Weinstein has become her best friend, a mother figure, a fellow mommy confidante and the one person she trusts most for advice. She also credits Weinstein with giving her the tough love she needed in 2015 to get sober and get her daughter back.

I heard horror stories about foster parents so I felt extremely blessed to end up with Nanci, she said. If it had been anyone else, I dont think Id be here today because I wouldnt have survived the path I was on. We were brought together for a reason.

The Weinsteins, who live with their children in Encinitas, have served since 2013 as foster parents with the Angel Foster Family Network.

Heather Bone of Texas, left, and Nanci Weinstein of Encinitas during a visit to the Alamo monument in San Antonio, Texas. The women have become close friends since Weinstein served as foster mom to Bones infant daughter while she battled drug addiction in 2014 and 2015. (Courtesy photo)

Weinstein, 43, said surrendering Kristina to her birth parents after 14 months was the happiest day and most devastating day all at the same time.

She was happy for the young familys reunification but sad that they were moving that week to Brookshire, Texas, where Bone and Tarnovsky now live with Kristina, 4, and younger daughter Emma, 3.

I really miss them, said Weinstein, who still speaks by phone with Bone at least once a week and has twice vacationed with the family in Texas. I adore and love Andy and Heather. Theyre doing the best they can with their daughter and I really respect that.

Jeff Wiemann, executive director of Angel Foster Family Network, said relationships between birth and foster parents can easily become oppositional and that causes stress for the children caught in the middle. An important tool he teaches foster parents is to create a relationship of mutual respect with birth parents by practicing nonjudgmental compassion.

Heather and Nancis story is inspiring because both the foster and biological mother were committed to doing what was best for Kristina, Wiemann said. When you have two moms who see their work as a partnership, its the children who benefit.

Weinstein, who works from home as a travel agent with Moments of Magic Travel specializing in Disney destinations, said she has always felt a calling to help children in need. In 1975, her parents adopted her through a private agency when she was 2 months old.

Weinstein said she and her husband first considered adopting a child between the births of their daughters Grace, now 15, and Rebecca, 11. Then after moving to North County six years ago, the subject came up again and they decided fostering was a better choice.

We can touch so many more lives by doing this than adopting one child, she said. We went to the orientation and heard about the great need in San Diego County for homes to nurture and love these children. How can I say no? Once you know theres a great need, its hard to walk away.

Their first foster child in 2013 was a 7-month-old boy who reunified with his family after eight weeks. Kristina was their second. Their third is a boy who arrived as a newborn three years ago. His mother remains an active drug user so the Weinsteins are adopting him.

Having been through this most recent experience, Weinstein said she now appreciates even more how hard Bone worked to reclaim her daughter.

Bone grew up in New Jersey where she had a difficult childhood and started abusing drugs in her early 20s.

I guess Ive struggled with addiction on and off for 13 years, she said. It wasnt always the same drug. Id put one down and pick up another.

She became so expert in hiding her drug use that Tarnovsky, who shes been with for nine years, never knew she was on meth until Kristina tested positive.

Bone said losing custody of her daughter sent her even deeper into her addiction and over the next several months her health and weight plummeted.

I felt guilty and was coming to a point where I thought she was better off with Nanci than with me, Bone said. I was giving up on myself majorly. I didnt want to live.

Then Kristina was diagnosed with a rare condition called craniosynostosis, where the usually flexible bone plates of her skull fused prematurely, preventing brain growth. She would need several major surgeries and Bone and Tarnovsky leaned heavily on Weinstein to support and advocate for them through the process.

It was tough but Nanci was so supportive through it all, Bone said. I cant put into words how much I admire her. I think she reminded me a lot of myself if I hadnt ended up such a mess.

Weinstein said the couple never missed a single doctors appointment and over the course of 14 months only canceled or rescheduled three supervised visits. She was impressed with their devotion to Kristina, but frustrated that Bone was still using meth. Finally, she confronted Bone in one of their McDonalds meetings.

I told her, your daughter has to have this surgery and you havent made any changes. Theyre going to put your child up for adoption if you dont make a choice,  Weinstein said. I said, youre so involved in her life and youre under the influence of drugs. Imagine what you could do off drugs? Youd be unstoppable. 

Bone said Weinsteins words were tough to hear but delivered with love.

She told me Its very obvious you love your daughter  but youre not ready to get your act together. You are worth it. You do deserve better,  Bone said. Other people told me this many times but it never meant anything from anybody else.

By the time Kristina had her first surgery in January 2015, Bone was in rehab and has been sober ever since. Staying clean hasnt been as tough as she expected because her daughters give her a reason to survive.

I have to take care of them, she said. I know what happens if I go down that road again. Ive been down it so many times for so long and I cant do it anymore.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
National City plans to add 32 homes to a list of historic buildings in a move that is intended to preserve the historic value of the properties.

The citys register, which already includes 32 buildings, creates a layer of review should a property owner apply for a building or demolition permit.

The City Council gave city staff the go-ahead on Oct. 16 to begin a months-long process to add the additional homes to the list, which has been kept since circa 1983.

The council made its decision despite opposition from two property owners; a motion to exclude two properties from the list failed 3-2, with Mayor Ron Morrison and Councilmen Jerry Cano and Albert Mendivil opposed.

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One owner, Matthew Edwards, said he and a neighbor objected to the designation largely because of what he characterized as unnecessary supervision.

We feel its intrusive to force us onto the list, he said. Both of these homes have been taken care of beautifully. We dont need oversight on how to do it.

When he and his neighbor purchased their homes, Edwards said, nothing stated there would be government involvement in future plans to do work on the homes. Edwards said he purchased his house on East 24th Street in 1978.

He said he fears repairs would be costly if his property were on the list  if, for example, he were to be forced to buy a certain window to preserve the homes historic value.

This is an enormous financial burden on us, he said.

The mayor said he was torn between the property owners objections and the importance of historic preservation. Over the years, Morrison said, the city has lost a lot of properties that were truly historic.

Under the municipal code, the city must withhold a building or demolition permit that involves a listed historic property for 30 days. During that period, the Planning Division must review the application and seek input from the Historical Society, then provide a recommendation to the City Council. The council has the final say on the permit.

Edwards home and the 31 other properties were identified as historic in consultation with the National City Historical Society, which conducted extensive surveys, city staff said. The 32 homes are located on East 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 17th, 18th and 24th streets, as well as A, B, Coolidge, D, F, Harding, Hoover, J, Prospect and Wilson avenues.

Janice Martinelli of the Historical Society said her organization takes into account whether the property is linked to an eminent figure, such as the citys founders  Frank, Warren and Levi Kimball  or a renowned architect, as well as the architectural style.

The City Councils action initiates the formal process to add the buildings to the list. Next, the Planning Division will review the historic value of the buildings in collaboration with the Historical Society, then prepare a report and recommendation for the Planning Commission. The citizens commission will hold a hearing and vote to make its own recommendation to the City Council, which must hold a hearing before a final vote.

The hearings give property owners the chance to voice any concerns. Raymond Pe, the citys acting planning director, said city staff will go over the report and findings with owners before the Planning Commission and City Council meetings. He said the City Council will take final action in the upcoming year.

The move to expand the list comes five months after the City Council asked city staff to work on updating the register. The city held a meeting on Aug. 14 to provide property owners with information about the designation process. About a dozen owners attended, Pe said.

The Historical Society has identified roughly 80 to 90 other properties to add to the citys list. The City Council asked city staff to return with a resolution to initiate the designation process for those properties.

There are other properties that may not be historic but otherwise have historic features. In response, the Historical Society asked the city to create a process to notify the organization when the city receives an application for a building or demolition permit for a property with historic qualities so the organization can reach out to the owner to salvage or preserve the historic features.

City staff said a process would require additional resources and be potentially burdensome if the city were to be required to review the permits to identify homes with historic features. They suggested an alternative approach: work with the Historical Society to make outreach and informational materials available to permit applicants.

The City Council moved forward with the recommendation but also asked city staff to work with the Historical Society to propose process.

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Stephen Schwartz remembers exactly where he was when Wicked opened on Broadway 15 years ago this month. And it wasnt anywhere near the Emerald City.

I was already in Vermont, says the composer-lyricist behind the smash-hit musical prequel to the Oz saga, noting that he has a longstanding tradition of not attending his own opening nights in New York.

I found it best for my own peace of mind just not to be there. I go to other peoples openings and enjoy them a great deal, but I dont go to my own.

As it turned out, there wouldnt have been a whole lot to fret over. Initial Broadway reviews for Wicked may have been mixed, but the show  which visits San Diego next week for the fifth time on tour  quickly caught fire among fans, and has long since become a certified phenomenon.

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Wicked, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire (as adapted by Winnie Holzman), recently passed A Chorus Line to become the sixth-longest-running show in Broadway history, with Les Miserables next in its sights.

Its also the second-highest-grossing Broadway production all-time at well over $1 billion, second only to The Lion King.

And its staying power is evidenced by the fact that even after 15 years, the musicals tour is the only one that continues to get an extended, nearly monthlong sit-down stay here at the Civic. (Hamilton did it earlier this year, but thats a much newer show.)

Wicked has been around long enough now that fans who came when they were 12 or 15 now come with families of their own in many cases, says Schwartz, speaking by phone from his New England home. So it sort of keeps growing that way.

In case youve been lying under a fallen farmhouse for the past decade-plus: Wicked puts forth a back story for those familiar witches from The Wizard of Oz, long before Dorothy arrives. They come off as much more complex than theyre portrayed in the classic 1939 movie, which was based on L. Frank Baums stories.

At the center of the tale is the friendship between the green-skinned Elphaba, who will one day be dubbed the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the eventual Good Witch of the North (aka the Girl in the Bubble).

Kara Lindsay stars as Glinda in Wicked. (Joan Marcus)

Those two are played in the current touring production by two seasoned Wicked pros: Jackie Burns, who has done more performances as Elphaba between Broadway and the road than any other actor; and Kara Lindsay, who likewise has played Glinda both on Broadway and on tour.

Elphaba and Glindas fraught bond is set against a narrative that examines what happens to a society polarized and paralyzed by either/or thinking and the labeling of people as good or evil.

That political edge has always been part of Wicked  even in a funny and deceptively fluffy song such as Glindas Popular, with its chirpy sentiments about how heads of state just need to be liked instead of smart. But Schwartz says the show seems to land differently these days.

There are very unfortunate ways in which Wicked predicted the politics of spin and the lack of empirical truth that we seem to be dealing with right now, he says.

I actually wish Wicked were less relevant politically now instead of more so, but we know from a lot of things people have written, and communications that all of us involved in the show receive, that it seems to have become more politically of the moment now even than when it was written.

Given the massive success of Wicked, its a bit surprising to hear Schwartz reiterate (as he first mentioned in a conversation in San Diego three years ago) that he doesnt feel it ranks as one of his two best shows.

Those honors go to Children of Eden and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Disney-connected musical that had its U.S. premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014.

Well see if that remains the circumstance for the rest of my life  who knows? says the Broadway heavyweight behind such other enduring works as Pippin and Godspell.

But for me personally, I feel theyre the two best Ive been involved with, in terms of achieving artistically the goals that I and my collaborators set out to achieve.

A scene from the touring production of Wicked. (Joan Marcus)

And yet it would be hard to imagine his other shows earning the same kind of fervent devotion that Wicked has. When asked about that, Schwartz acknowledges he continues to hear from fans who say their lives were changed by the musical.

I get wonderful communications  in all honesty they were more frequent in the couple of years after the show opened. But I would get a letter or email from someone who would say specifically how encountering Wicked and, more often than not, Defying Gravity (Elphabas soaring anthem of empowerment), led them to make a decision about their own lives.

I think off the top of my head of a woman who was in an abusive marriage and ultimately took her kids and left her husband and went to another state and started a new life.

And I also think of a young man at a very Catholic college who tried to start a gay-straight alliance and met a lot of resistance from the administration initially, but then was given courage, he said, from encountering Wicked. And ultimately succeeded in doing so.

Those are two I remember quite vividly, but there have been many of them through the years. Most of them are not as dramatic as that  theyre from people who say, This helped me get through high school.

Those of us who are writers (chose that work) at least in some measure because we wanted to communicate with others, Schwartz adds. There were things we thought and felt and believed in and wanted to share with people beyond ourselves.

So when something one writes has an impact on others, thats really as gratifying as it gets, I think.

Wicked

When: Performances begin Oct. 31. 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 25.

Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown

Tickets: About $39-$169

Phone: (619/858/760) 570-1100

Online: broadwaysd.com

Wicked flying onto TV screens

As the touring production of Wicked gets set to open at the Civic Theatre, the show also will be rolling out a televised birthday celebration. NBC is presenting A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway, a taped concert program that reunites the original Elphaba and Glinda  Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth  for performances of songs from the show. Theyll be joined by top pop acts, including Ariana Grande and Pentatonix, plus the current cast of Wicked on Broadway, along with actors from past productions of the show. The program airs locally at 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, on NBC 7/39 San Diego.

From the archives

James Heberts Union-Tribune reviews of the touring Wicked from:

2009: Wizardry of Oz is what helps Wicked cast a spell

2012: Wicked wit still bewitches

2014: Feuding duo clicks in Wicked

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @jimhebert
Prosecutors on Tuesday asked the judge handling Robert Dursts murder case to consider as evidence a fictional movie loosely based on the New York real estate scions life, as well as the DVD commentary he made while watching the film.

Dursts comments and, at times, his silence while viewing All Good Things constitute a tacit admission of guilt, prosecutors wrote in a motion filed Tuesday. The 2010 film starring Ryan Gosling as the character based on Durst ties him to the slayings of his wife, his best friend, his neighbor and his dog.

After reading the script and watching this movie, prosecutors wrote, defendant did not sue the production company for slander, nor did he object to how the movie portrayed him.

The prosecutions request came during a preliminary hearing for Durst, who is charged with shooting his friend Susan Berman in the back of the head inside her Benedict Canyon home in 2000. Prosecutors allege that he killed her because of what she knew about his first wifes disappearance in New York years earlier. Los Angeles prosecutors have argued that Durst killed his wife, Kathleen, in 1982, but her body has never been found.

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The 75-year-old Durst has publicly denied involvement in Kathleens disappearance and has pleaded not guilty in the Los Angeles case, saying he didnt kill Berman and doesnt know who did. His attorneys have said they believe the Los Angeles murder prosecution was prompted by publicity surrounding the HBO miniseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, not evidence. He was arrested in connection with Bermans slaying on March 14, 2015, the day before the series finale aired.

In the motion filed this week, prosecutors said that after Durst watched All Good Things, he contacted the director, offering praise and agreeing to sit for an interview, which was used as commentary for the films DVD release. Dursts only criticism of the film, prosecutors said, was the depiction of him killing his dog, Igor.

His failure to dispute any of the other damning allegations from the rest of the movie manifests his belief in the movies truth, prosecutors argued. It strains all credibility to suggest that a person being depicted as a serial killer would not have stood up and proclaimed the falsity of such allegations.

In court Monday, Dursts lead attorney, Dick DeGuerin, scoffed at the prosecutions attempt to use the film as evidence.

Where do I start? DeGuerin said. This is a work of fiction. Its a work of drama, it has actors and all of the accouterments of a Hollywood production.

Judge Mark E. Windham has yet to make an official ruling on whether he will consider the film and commentary as evidence. In court Monday, the judge told prosecutors he had specifically avoided watching the film, saying he found it problematic to rely on a fictionalized account of something youre alleging actually took place.

As prosecutors laid out evidence Tuesday, a fuller picture emerged of how director Andrew Jarecki, who made All Good Things and The Jinx, helped Los Angeles authorities build their murder case.

By the time he contacted law enforcement, Jarecki was more convinced than ever that Durst was responsible for Bermans death and his wifes disappearance, according to a detectives report based on an interview with the director in 2015. Jarecki initially contacted an FBI agent, who suggested he call L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin, a veteran cold-case prosecutor.

The production team turned over a key piece of evidence to prosecutors  a letter from Durst to Berman in 1999 showing handwriting that looks similar to that in an anonymous note sent to police at the time of Bermans death, telling them theyd find a cadaver at her home. In both documents, Beverly Hills is misspelled as Beverley Hills.

In his interview with the detective, Jarecki said he didnt learn about Dursts arrest until a day after it happened, saying there was no effort to alert him to increase television ratings.

Prosecutors played clips from recorded interviews between Jarecki and Durst, including a portion that was included in the All Good Things commentary. As the defendant watched a scene in which Gosling yanks Kirsten Dunst  who plays the character based on Kathleen  by her hair, urging her to leave a social gathering, Durst said, This is close. The multimillionaire tells Jarecki that in the past he had heard two different versions of what happened that day.

One way I drag her out of the house by her hair; the other way, I grab her hair and a big chunk comes out, Durst said. Either one is close enough.

During a later interview, which was also played in court Tuesday, Jarecki asked Durst if hed had trepidation when first watching the film.

Oh, enormous trepidation, Durst said. But  I felt the movie was very, very, very close in much of the ways about what, pretty much, happened. There were parts where I said, Well, thats just not right. 

At the end of the preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to stretch into Thursday, the judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for Durst to stand trial for Bermans murder.

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

Twitter: @marisagerber

UPDATES:

6:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the court hearing.

This article was originally published at 4:15 p.m.
Suspicious packages reported outside a building that houses the San Diego Union-Tribune were found to be harmless, authorities said Wednesday morning.

Several floors of the building on 600 B Street, which houses the newspaper, WeWork offices and a branch of Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris office, briefly evacuated and a hazardous materials team was called to investigate the area of 6th and B Streets, said Lt. Kevin Wadhams.

Police were called to the building at about 8:15 a.m., when a bystander saw the stack of packages on a table and flagged down a lieutenant, he said. Officials closed 6th Avenue between A and B Streets.The five boxes contained a mix of items, including a shoe, two childrens books, a football, an empty bag of chips and a hat, Wadhams said.

They were not addressed to anyone, and after reviewing video surveillance footage, Wadhams said an unknown person dropped off the boxes at about 1:45 a.m.

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Union-Tribune immigration reporter Kate Morrissey described the boxes as priority mail packages positioned near an orange pump.

The Secret Service reported Wednesday that it intercepted potential explosive devices addressed to Hillary Clinton and President Obama, and CNN reported a third device sent to its Manhattan bureau, prompting an evacuation.

Its unclear whether the San Diego evacuation was related. It was like, theres news happening outside of our building, so lets report the news, Morrissey said.

Shortly before 8 a.m., Fresno police were called to investigate a suspicious box in the parking lot of a building that houses TV stations CBS47 and KSEE 24, said Fresno Police Department Lt. Mark Hudson.

About an hour later, the departments bomb unit determined that the Mac computer monitor box was not a threat, Hudson said. It just had some trash and scrap metal inside, he said. It was probably just someone leaving their junk in a box.

LAPD Deputy Chief Horace Frank said the department was reaching out to some organizations and individuals to make sure they were on alert and offering assistance.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra

UPDATES:

11:05 a.m.: This article was updated with the packages found to be harmless.

10:05 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details and background.

This article was originally published at 9 a.m.
A man suspected of fatally shooting his ex-boss, a Point Loma auto repairman seven years ago, is not mentally competent to stand trial, a San Diego judge ruled Tuesday.

Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren found that Nicolas Brito Rosales has a delusional disorder and could not assist his attorney in his defense.

After hearing three days of testimony, from three doctors as well as investigators, Halgren accepted that Rosales does not fully understand the murder charge he faces.

Rosales is to be sent to Patton State Hospital. If his mental competency is restored, he could be brought back to court to face the murder charge.

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Halgren said Rosales repeatedly gave nonsensical answers when asked about his own background and about the shooting.

He could face up to 50 years in prison if tried and convicted of killing 63-year-old Jalal Joe Abou at Joes Auto Repair on Rosecrans Street.

Hes facing a potential life sentence, Halgren said. He has a right to face those consequences in his right mind. I order that he be treated so that his mental competency may be restored.

Patrol officers checking reports of gunfire about 7:30 a.m. on April 19, 2011 found Abou in his garage parking lot, where several people were performing CPR on him. Medics were not able to save him.

Abou was an Iraq native and father of three living in Rancho San Diego.

Witnesses told police they saw a man in a dark green sedan parked near the repair garage before the shooting and saw the car leave shortly afterward. Rosales had not worked for Abou for nearly six months.

A mental competency hearing for Rosales was set when his lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Brian Schmidt, became concerned that his client was not able to understand his court proceedings.

Prosecutors argued that Rosales was competent and had answered many questions logically.

The judge heard evidence without a jury. On Tuesday she said she found credible the testimony of Rosales daughter, who recalled on the stand that her father had shown delusional behavior when she was a child.

District Attorneys investigator Jorge Duran, a former San Diego police homicide lieutenant, testified that Rosales behavior was bizarre when he was arrested.

Two of three doctors who had evaluated Rosales said his answers about the murder case didnt make sense. A third doctor found him competent to face trial, but Halgren said that doctor didnt probe far enough.

City News Service contributed to this report

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
When Donna Tooker heard that two dear friends had suddenly been signed up for hospice service, something seemed fishy.

She quickly found out that the couple, both Medicare beneficiaries, had been approached by a hospice recruiter out of Los Angeles while visiting the food pantry of a local Lutheran church. The couple, ages 92 and 85, had been promised a wide range of free benefits if they agreed to meet with an agent and learn more.

Shortly after that encounter, a doctor visited their home and certified that both should be placed on hospice service which, according to Medicare rules, means that a beneficiary has six months or fewer left to live.

Neither of them has a terminal illness. Ive known them for two years, Tooker said. It was clear they were being taken advantage of, both of them were just bewildered.

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She followed up, reporting what she believes is Medicare fraud to local state and federal agencies. While she has not heard anything further about her complaints, its likely they are being investigated, said Micki Nozaki, director of the Senior Medicare Patrol.

The patrol is a federally-funded organization charged with helping beneficiaries root out Medicare fraud and abuse statewide. It operates a hotline that routinely collects fraud reports and forwards those that seem the most solid to criminal investigators with the legal power to open investigations and, perhaps, pursue criminal prosecution.

We typically dont get any affirmation that an investigation is under way, but we do forward these kinds of cases all the time, Nozaki said.

She said there has been a spate of questionable hospice organizations inappropriately enrolling seniors. The issue, she added, is that these services, once billed for, end up attached to beneficiaries identification numbers in Medicares electronic records system.

Sometimes, if the senior is enticed to receive Medicare supplies or equipment they do not need or never receive, they end up being cheated out of future medical assistance.

Lets say I break my leg, and I need a wheelchair, but some fraudulent supply company has already billed Medicare for a wheelchair under my identification number. In that situation, Medicares going to say wait a minute, I can only give you one wheelchair every five years and my claim is going to be denied, Nozaki said.

Aside from hospice scams, which have been surfacing on and off for years, Medicare card trickery is the latest bit of bad behavior that directly targets those age 65 and older.

Medicare has started issuing new identification cards that move away from using beneficiaries Social Security numbers for identification. The new cards have a random number that is less sensitive to identity theft.

Weve had a couple of calls in the last few weeks where people masquerading as Medicare representatives call and ask to verify an old Medicare number before the new card is sent, Nozaki said.

With that old number in hand  remember, its your Social Security number  its possible, with just a little more easily-obtainable data, to start billing Medicare for services that will never be rendered and subjecting unsuspecting seniors to other kinds of identity theft.

Medicare makes it clear that its representatives will only call to request personal information in two situations: Representatives from specific health or drug plans you have already signed up for can call, as can representatives from 1-800-MEDICARE if theyre returning a message from you.

Thats it. Everything else from someone claiming to be a Medicare representative is likely to be fraudulent. Dont give them anything that makes their job easier.

Of course, the current fraud situation in Medicare also calls for more people like Donna Tooker  people inclined to speak up to protect vulnerable friends and family members.

We have to protect the elderly. We have to be involved in their lives and find out whats really going on, Tooker said.

Have you experienced shady Medicare practices? If so, report them to Californias Senior Medicare Patrols toll free hotline: (855) 613-7080.

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

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
Sometimes, Medicare makes mistakes, and Christopher Crowson has seen far more than his share.

As the lead attorney for San Diegos Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, Crowson has spent decades helping Medicare beneficiaries fight back when the nations largest health insurance program denies claims, misunderstands key facts about the care that patients have received or takes an action that is just plain wrong.

Christopher Crowson is the lead attorney for San Diegos Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program. (Courtesy photo)

Sometimes, he noted, its quite obvious that there has been a significant oversight. Take the time 10 or 15 years ago when a spate of women called with startling information: Each had received notice in the mail that their claims could not be paid because they were dead.

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All of the women were second wives of men who died but had been married two or three times, Crowson said. Somehow the computer system got mixed up and declared the women dead as well, so we were faced with the question how do you prove someone is still alive?

It took some time to get through Medicares administrative hearing process, with plenty of supporting documents, and prove their case to Medicares satisfaction.

Medicare service and procedure denials are the most common reasons Crowson ends up getting involved. Refusal to pay ambulance bills is a very common scenario, and one case in particular sticks out in Crowsons mind.

I had one time where this lady had fallen down, fractured her shoulder to the point where the bone was sticking through the skin, and it came back that the ambulance transport was denied because her situation was deemed to be not a medical emergency, Crowson said.

It seemed difficult to see how such a grisly injury, which occurred at a local hotel, could possibly be seen as a non emergency. After requesting and reviewing the womans full medical record, the attorney found the reason in notes written by the ambulance crew during their transport.

Some ding-a-ling ambulance tech wrote down sore shoulder in the spot on the transport form where it asked for the reason for transport, Crowson said. In our hearing with the judge, that was obviously ridiculous, and he very quickly ruled in our favor.

The lesson, the counselor said, is that its a very good idea to obtain and review your medical records when you get a Medicare bill that just doesnt seem right. Often, he said, there is information in that record that conclusively proves the service in question should have been covered.

It turns out, you can also learn a lot from spicy Mexican food.

Years ago Crowson handled a case where a local man went to a local hospital with chest pains, but Medicare denied his claim when it turned out his discomfort was not a heart attack but severe indigestion caused by several spicy tacos. Guess what? An appeal reversed that decision.

The rules, Crowson noted, dont require an emergency room visit to confirm the concerns that sent the beneficiary to the hospital. All that is necessary to get an emergency claim paid is to show that the person had good reason to believe they were having a medical emergency.

His medical history showed that he had a heart attack three or four years prior to the taco incident, Crowson said. The chest pains he was feeling, to him felt very similar to what he felt during his heart attack.

The law is very clear. If you have a reasonable belief that your life or limb is threatened due to a symptom youre experiencing, then Medicare considers that valid even if further examination finds that the cause wasnt what you thought it was, Crowson said.

Skilled nursing homes are another key location to find a solid lesson about Medicare appeals.

Many beneficiaries find themselves in a skilled nursing bed funded by Medicare after undergoing a significant hospital procedure. At some point, Medicare will decide that a patients condition has improved enough that they no longer require the level of care provided in such a facility and will issue a notice of non coverage letting beneficiaries know that its time to get themselves to a lower level of care.

But this decision is a highly subjective one. Patients and their doctors may disagree and do have the right to appeal.

If you feel the notice is made in error, its important, Crowson said, to follow the appeal instructions within the specified timeline. If you miss that deadline, your chances of success greatly diminish. There is a hotline number on the notice to start the appeal process. All you have to do is pick up the phone and dial. The effect, he said, is satisfyingly immediate.

As soon as you call that number they give you and they pick up, everything stops. You cant be discharged. They collect all of the medical records for review and will usually get back to you within 24 to 48 hours, Crowson said.

Provided you hit the deadlines, he said, you have a decent chance that this review will turn out in your favor. At the end of the day, he said, many just dont realize they have such a powerful right of appeal which can be taken all the way to an administrative law judge for a decision.

People dont realize how far they can take this. You dont have to accept no, he said.

The program has four lawyers who offer free 30-minute consultations to San Diego County residents age 60 and older. The program counsels about 4,000 new clients every year. To make an appointment, call (858) 565-1392.

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

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
Two weeks before the midterm elections, the Trump administration reiterated its wishes to hold immigrant children in detention facilities for longer and significantly alter the asylum system as it released fiscal year-end data on border apprehensions.

The number of people that Border Patrol apprehended trying to cross the southwest border illegally rose about 30 percent from 303,916 in fiscal 2017 to 396,579 in fiscal 2018, according to Customs and Border Protection data. The most recent years total is 3 percent lower than the 408,870 people caught crossing in fiscal 2016.

In San Diego, the number of apprehensions in fiscal 2018, at 38,604, reached the highest it has been since fiscal 2011 when agents caught 42,447 people.

The White House has worked to make immigration a focal point of Republican platforms in the November elections while Democratic leaders have tried to concentrate the debate on healthcare. While the Department of Homeland Security typically releases Southwest border migration data within the first few days of a new month, it held release of September statistics until the last full week of October.

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Senior administration officials speaking on background about the data referred to the situation at the border as a crisis caused by legal loopholes.

Many who monitor migration trends have pointed to the decline in apprehensions from previous decades to counter the administrations narrative of crisis. The annual number of overall apprehensions has dropped 75 percent since more than 1.6 million people were caught crossing the border in fiscal 2000.

The officials took issue with comparisons of current apprehension numbers to earlier years because, they said, fewer families were arriving then.

The percent of those apprehended who were caught with family members rose from about 19 percent in October 2017 to 40 percent in September, the highest percentage in any single month since the federal government began tracking data on arriving family members in fiscal 2013.

For the fiscal year as a whole, about 26 percent of Border Patrol apprehensions were family members, up from about 25 percent in fiscal 2017. In fiscal 2013, just under 4 percent of apprehensions arrived with family.

The officials said that the federal government has trouble deporting families because of a court settlement limiting the amount of time that children can be held in detention centers.

The unique nature of the border crisis today is that the aliens are being apprehended, but they cannot be removed, one official said. If you could return them home, there would be no crisis.

He said that less than two percent of the Central American families who arrived at the border in fiscal 2017 have been removed. The official did not say how many of the families had been ordered removed, and asylum cases often take more than one year to process.

The senior administration officials called for an overhaul of the asylum system, saying that many asylum claims are fraudulent. When asked about evidence of fraud, they pointed to the number of asylum cases that are denied each year.

According to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the agency responsible for immigration court, judges granted asylum in 43 percent of cases in fiscal 2016, the most recent statistics available. For defensive asylum cases, which would include asylum seekers who made their claims at the border, 31 percent won their cases.

Immigration judges distinguish between losing a case and submitting a frivolous claim. If a judge believes someone has submitted a frivolous claim, that person becomes permanently ineligible for almost any way of staying in the U.S. Judges give this warning to asylum seekers when they submit their applications.

The senior administration officials also reiterated the administrations criticism of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which transfers custody of unaccompanied children who arrive at the border to the Department of Health and Human Services rather than keeping them with the Department of Homeland Security.

They argued that the legislation makes deporting such children difficult. They said that because children from Mexico and children from countries that are farther away are treated differently under the law, it creates an incentive for children from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to come.

Under the TVPRA, children from Mexico and Canada can be quickly returned to their countries after officials screen them for fear of returning home or signs of being trafficked. The children who fall under those exceptions are treated the same way as children from other countries.

Organizations that monitor migration from Central American countries, like the Washington Office on Latin America, have pointed to extreme violence as one of the main reasons that people, including children, flee.

The Trump administration similarly timed release of border-related data to political pushes earlier this year over what compromises might be reached to give beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program a chance to stay in the U.S.

In comments about the upcoming midterms, the president has railed against a group of thousands of Hondurans moving north from the Guatemala-Mexico border. While many have likened the group to a caravan that drew the administrations ire earlier this year when many of its members came to the southwest border to ask for asylum, some have called the new group a mass exodus caused by violence and political upheaval in Honduras.

Democratic leaders in Congress have tried to avoid getting pulled into debate over the caravan.

The president is desperate to change the subject from health care to immigration because he knows that health care is the number one issue Americans care about and that Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Republicans in Washington are making a mess of our health care system, causing premiums to increase and care to decrease while threatening to gut protections for pre-existing conditions, said Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer in a joint statement. Democrats are focused like a laser on health care and will not be diverted.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter
A former UC Riverside vice chancellor sexually harassed two women he supervised with unwanted touching, intimate texts and persistent invitations to private dinners and drinks, a University of California investigation has found.

James Sandoval singled out at least four women in low-level positions for preferential treatment, made romantic advances toward them and bullied them if they rejected him, according to an independent investigation commissioned by the UC Office of the President.

Two of the women agreed to become complainants and two others recounted Sandovals behavior when interviewed as witnesses. None were identified in the heavily redacted report that the presidents office released this week.

Sandoval, who denied the allegations to investigators, could not be reached for comment. Before retiring in January, he was a vice chancellor for student affairs. During three decades at UC Riverside, he oversaw financial aid, student registration, enrollment, health and wellness, residential life and other services.

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UC President Janet Napolitano sent a letter to Sandoval Tuesday barring him from future UC employment and disqualifying him from emeritus status. She said this was the strongest action possible since he had already retired.

In an email to the campus community this week, UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox said Sandovals conduct to the complainants and others over two decades showed blatant disregard for university policies. He apologized to those affected.

Had these individuals not spoken up, the scope and severity of his actions may never have come to light, Wilcox wrote.

According to the investigative report, Napolitano and a dozen other UC administrators received an anonymous letter detailing the allegations in August 2017.

One woman told investigators that Sandoval in September 2015 began showering her with unwanted attention, including late-night texts unrelated to work, tearful confessions about personal traumas and invitations to go drinking in the guise of discussing her career. At the same time, he rapidly promoted her and gave her large raises and high-profile special assignments even though witnesses said she lacked the experience and qualifications.

When she began rejecting such advances several months later  she said they made her husband livid  Sandoval changed his behavior toward her like Jekyll and Hyde,  the report said. He took away her special assignments and drove her to tears, berating her over trivial matters.

By April 2017, she told investigators, she felt she had to submit to him to keep her job. She and Sandoval engaged in a five-week romantic relationship with hugs, kisses and declarations of love. The relationship ended the next month, after her husband confronted Sandoval.

Sandoval acknowledged their relationship but said it was consensual and that his favorable treatment was based on her stellar job performance. The investigators found that his conduct was unwanted and so severe and pervasive that it unreasonably denied, adversely limited or interfered with her job  a ground for sexual harassment under Title IX.

Sandovals conduct created an intimidating and offensive working environment that compelled the woman to submit to his advances and jeopardize her marriage or reject them and lose her job or suffer retaliation, according to the report prepared for the university by Public Interest Investigations, Inc.

Investigators made a similar finding in the second case, in which both Sandoval and the woman who came forward agree that there was no romantic or sexual relationship. He gave her hugs, held her hand, expressed affection in cards and messages, gave her small gifts and asked her to meet him after work for dinners and wine. She told investigators that she went along with some of the advances because she was afraid of his pointedly venomous anger and of risking her job.

She did reject him sometimes, turning down his invitation to share a bottle of wine and his request to stop by her hotel room around midnight on business trips in 2014 and 2015. She told him she was uncomfortable with his behavior more than a dozen times between 2013 and 2016, the report said, which led to verbal abuse that made her feel like a punching bag.

Sandovals behavior drove three of the four women to change jobs, the report said.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @TeresaWatanabe
Packages containing makeshift pipe bombs and addressed to high-profile political targets, including President Obama and Hillary Clinton, set off a wave of panic Wednesday as the FBI and Secret Service intercepted the devices before they could be delivered.

Similar packages were mailed to former CIA chief John Brennan, former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Los Angeles Rep. Maxine Waters.

On Monday, an explosive device was found at the suburban New York home of George Soros, the billionaire supporter of liberal causes. Soros home in Katonah, N.Y., is a short drive from the home that President Clinton and Hillary Clinton own in Chappaqua.

Law enforcement officials said authorities suspect at least five of the devices  and possibly all of them  were made and sent by the same person or persons. The officials described an aggressive full court press to identify and capture whomever is responsible.

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It appears that an individual or individuals sent out multiple similar packages, said John Miller, the NYPDs deputy commissioner of intelligence and counter-terrorism.

President Trump pledged the full weight of the federal government to bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. During an East Room event about the opioid addiction crisis, Trump said, Were extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of it.

Fearing additional packages were sent, authorities quickly stepped up screening of other potential targets across the country.

(Los Angeles Times)

The motive was not immediately clear. The list of targets suggested a political intent, but the sender may also be trying to create that impression or be motivated by a personal grudge or other unknown reasons.

Obama, Clinton, Brennan, Holder and Waters have been the subject of frequent attacks by Trump and other conservatives. Trump has criticized Obamas foreign policy and economic programs, and he has led lock her up chants at political rallies about Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of State whom Trump defeated in the 2016 presidential race.

At a political rally Wednesday night in Mosinee, Wis., Trump avoided such standard attacks, joking several times that he was trying to behave. Did you see how nice Im behaving tonight? he quipped at one point.

He began his remarks by reading a statement from a teleprompter lamenting that the explosive devices were an attack on our democracy itself, adding, such conduct must be firmly opposed.

We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony. We can do it, Trump said. After dozens of rallies in which he said Clinton should be prosecuted and described Waters as low-IQ Maxine, Trump said in Wisconsin, Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective.

Trump revoked Brennans security clearance in August, in what many considered an act of retaliation over Brennans frequent public criticisms of Trump. As Obamas attorney general, Holder long aggravated conservatives and later was hired by the California state Legislature to represent its interests against the Trump administration.

Late Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating another suspicious package addressed to Waters, which arrived at a South-Central Los Angeles postal facility, according to multiple sources. One of the officials said postal workers believed the package resembled those found on the East Coast. The Central Avenue facility was evacuated and bomb-disposal robots deployed.

The package to Brennan was sent in care of CNNs New York office. CNN anchors, speaking live from cellphones outside their bureau at the Time Warner Center, described the evacuation of the Midtown Manhattan landmark that disrupted traffic and drew the New York Police Departments bomb squad.

Brennan does not work for CNN; he is a contributor to NBC and MSNBC.

The package to Holder ended up at the offices of Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat.

Law enforcement officials said at least five of the packages had Wasserman Schultzs name  misspelled as Shultz  in the return address. When the package to Holder could not be delivered, it was sent to the congresswomans Florida office, a law enforcement official said.

Most of the packages were mailed in manila envelopes with bubble wrap interiors. They were affixed with computer-printed address labels and six standard U.S. Postal Service forever stamps, officials said.

The packages to Soros and the CNN office were not postmarked, suggesting they were hand-delivered. The FBI is trying to track down the courier firm CNN says delivered the Brennan package to the cable networks offices. Meanwhile, members of a Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York are checking video from dozens of cameras located near where packages were delivered.

One law enforcement official described the devices as pipe bombs made of lightweight material. Another said they included plastic pipe, shrapnel and fireworks-like material. The bombs were sent for analysis to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Va.

NYPD Commissioner James ONeill said that the Brennan package sent to the CNN mailroom appeared to be a live explosive device and that an unknown white substance was also found. It was found to be nontoxic. CNN tweeted a picture of the package, showing Wasserman Schultzs name on the return address and Brennan as the addressee. Both of their names, as well as the word Florida, were misspelled.

Wasserman Schultz was chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee until she was forced to resign in 2016 over complaints that she was favoring Clinton over her Democratic primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton spoke about the packages during a campaign appearance in Florida, expressing her gratitude to the Secret Service for intercepting the device and her fear about a difficult and dangerous moment for the country.

It is a troubling time, isnt it? she said. And its a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together. We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, speaking at a news conference with law enforcement officials and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, initially said his office had also received a suspicious package. But that turned out to be a false alarm, as did reports of a package sent to a San Diego building.

The New York officials said law enforcement planned to increase its visibility at other potential targets, including media offices, but said they had no more specific, credible threats in New York.

This is a political year. Its a political season. We are weeks from an election, and thats obviously in the air and thats an obvious factor, Cuomo said.

What we saw here today was an effort to terrorize, De Blasio said.

Republican Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) also condemned the attack. Political violence is never acceptable especially in a free & democratic country, he tweeted. I hope this terrorist is caught & punished to full extent of the law.

While Trump called for unity and bipartisanship, critics said he bore responsibility for creating a climate of violence against political opponents and members of the media, noting that only last week at a rally Trump praised a Republican lawmaker for body-slamming a reporter.

Trump has stoked a cold civil war in this country, Steve Schmidt, a former Republican political consultant who has become a leading voice among conservative critics of the president, wrote on Twitter. His rallies brim with menace and he has labeled journalists as enemies of the people. That someone would seek to kill their political enemies is not aberrational but rather the inevitable consequence of Trumps incitement.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called on Trump to soften his rhetoric. If he would take a more civil tone, it would help, Flake told CNN.

At his Wisconsin rally, Trump tried to shift blame to the media. The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone, he said.

The Secret Service said the packages addressed to Obama in Washington and Clinton in Westchester County, N.Y., were identified late Tuesday and early Wednesday, respectively, by Secret Service personnel during routine mail screening procedures.

Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location, according to the statement from Mason Brayman, assistant special agent in charge with the United States Secret Service. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

On Capitol Hill, officials warned lawmakers offices against accepting packages or any mail that is not processed through official sorting facilities, and to be careful about personal mail sent to their homes. After the discovery of the Waters package, a congressional sorting facility was temporarily evacuated.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

del.wilber@latimes.com

richard.winton@latimes.com

Bierman and Wilber reported from Washington, Winton from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Eli Stokols and Sarah D. Wirein Washington contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

6:35 p.m.: This article was updated with more Trump comments from his Wisconsin rally.

5:35 p.m.: This article was updated with Trumps comments at a rally and details about a second suspicious package addressed to Waters in Los Angeles.

2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about the packages.

1:40 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the Waters package being similar to the others.

1:05 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Waters and Flake.

12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with Schmidts comments.

11:50 a.m.: This article was updated with Trumps comments.

11:10 a.m.: This article was updated with information about a possible package addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters.

10:50 a.m: This article was updated with comments from New York Police Commissioner James ONeill, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others.

10:30 a.m.: This article was updated with the device sent to former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and additional details about the packages.

9:40 a.m.: This article was updated with details about Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the packages.

8:30 a.m.: This article was updated with officials citing similarities between the device sent to George Soros and the others.

8 a.m.: This article was updated with Los Angeles Times staff reporting.

7:10 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the Secret Service.

6:50 a.m.: This article was updated with information about a device being sent to former President Obama.

This article was originally published at 6:40 a.m.
OSCEOLA, Iowa  A county attorney in southern Iowa whos accused of being drunk in a courtroom has apologized and has asked voters to let her continue her work.

Clarke County court documents say 42-year-old Michelle Rivera is charged with public intoxication. A sheriffs deputy says in a criminal complaint that he noticed Rivera slurring her words and stumbling on her feet in the Osceola courtroom last Thursday afternoon. He arrested her after she refused to take a breath test.

Rivera, a Democrat, is running for re-election against Republican Adam Ramsey on Nov. 6. She issued a statement in which she said shes taking every step necessary to get help, to fix this problem and to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.

She apologized for what happened Thursday and said she hopes voters will afford me the opportunity to continue this endeavor next term.
Two people are dead and a suspect is in custody after a shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, Kroger Wednesday.

Police told WLKY that a man entered the Jeffersontown store around 3 p.m. and shot another man several times, then went back into the parking lot and shot a woman several times as well.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Police Chief Sam Rogers said.

Once they got the gentleman on the ground, I hollered at them and said, Look, Im an EMT. Let me get out here and try to help this woman, witness Eric Deacon told the station. So thats when I went, ran over, I get down. Im getting ready to start CPR on her, and when I looked at her, I knew she was gone. There was nothing I could do.

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A suspect is in custody after the Kroger shooting. (WLKY)

The suspect took off in his car but was captured by police shortly after.

We are shocked and saddened by the shooting incident that occurred around 2:30 p.m. today, a spokeswoman for Kroger said in a statement. Thanks to the quick response of the local police department, the suspect was apprehended and our store is secure. We are cooperating with law enforcement and assisting with their investigation. Our store is closed and will reopen after the investigation concludes.

A motive for the shooting is still unclear.
Wet and wild!

In just 60 seconds, NASAs water deluge system sent 450,000 gallons of water gushing about 100 feet in the air at Kennedy Space Center.

Video of the oddly satisfying footage was posted to YouTube recently. A previous wet flow test took place in May.

This system is used to reduce extreme heat and energy generated by a rocket launch, according to NASA.

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NASA conducted this test in preparation for the Space Launch System rocket launch on Exploration Mission-1.

Exploration Mission-1 is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars, NASA said.

The SLS system is a powerful, advanced launch vehicle for a new era of human exploration beyond Earths orbit, a NASA Fact Sheet explains.
Robert Rundo, the leader of the California white supremacist group Rise Above Movement, was arrested by the FBI Sunday at the Los Angeles International Airport.

Rundo, 28, is accused of inciting riots at demonstrations including Charlottesville, San Bernandino and Berkeley, according to the New York Times.

The FBI also cited the Rise Above Movement Twitter account, run by Rundo, which regularly posted content in support of the groups white supremacy extremist ideology, including photographs endorsing violence against nonbelievers.

In the spring, Rundo and several other gang members visited Germany, Ukraine and Italy to celebrate Adolf Hitlers birthda and meet with European white supremacist groups, according the Customs and Border Protection officers.

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The complaint lists multiple instances of violence at various rallies and protests around the country.

Tyler Laube and Robert Boman were also arrested Monday for organizing and participating in riots.

Rundo previously served 20 months in New York prison for stabbing an MS-13 member in 2009, when he was part of a rival gang called the Original Flushing Crew.

Two weeks ago, he fled California and crossed the border into Mexico and then continued into Central America, sources told the New York Times.

A judge denied Rundo bail Wednesday, calling him a flight risk, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Four other members of the Rise Above Movement, Benjamin Drake Daley, 25, Michael Paul Miselis, 29, Thomas Walter Gillen, 34, and Cole Evan White, 24, were indicted earlier this month for conspiracy to riot after being found responsible for attacks at last years Unite the Right protest in Virginia.
A pregnant Minnesota woman is being hailed as a hero after her quick thinking saved her husbands life  right before she gave birth.

Ashley Goette, 28, was 39 weeks pregnant when her husband Andrew woke her from her sleep with a series of loud gasps Oct. 16, according to ABC News.

After calling 911, a dispatcher walked Ashley through the steps of CPR, as Andrew, 28, had gone into cardiac arrest.

The mom-to-be managed to keep her husband alive until paramedics arrived to take him to United Hospital in Saint Paul, Minn.

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There, he was placed in a medically induced coma, from which he emerged one day later, Dr. Alex Teeters, a pulmonary and critical care physician at United, said at a press conference.

I dont think Andrew would be here today if it wasnt for the actions of Ashley, Teeters said. Absolutely the No. 1 most important thing is she recognized there was a problem and called for help.

Teeters said doctors believe Andrews heart went into an abnormal rhythm as a result of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome  and that while his prognosis is fantastic now, his team at first feared the worst.

Even with Andrew in the clear, the Goette familys hospital stay was far from over  two days after Andrews health scare, Ashley was induced at United and gave birth to their son, Lennon Andrew, according to ABC.

I didnt want to have to think for one second about having to do any of this without him, Ashley said at a press conference. I kept telling him the whole time he was asleep, or in his coma, that I was not going to have this baby until he woke up.

Andrew had to watch the delivery via FaceTime, but noted that he was the first person to hold his newborn.

I was just excited to be able to get to hold him right away, Andrew said.

A GoFundMe page to help cover Andrews medical costs has so far raised more than $5,000.
The University of Utah track athlete gunned down by a sex offender was being extorted.

Early in October, murder victim Lauren McCluskey deposited $1,000 into an account to prevent the release of compromising pictures of her relationship with Melvin Rowland, said cops on Thursday.

Police claim Rowland was on campus for days before the killing trying to lure McCluskey out of her residence hall by posing as a deputy chief in text messages.

The universitys police chief Dale Brophy said officers had been aware of the blackmail allegations since Oct. 13, the day McCluskey informed them.

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But the Rowland probe didnt begin until six days later. When asked for a delay reason, Brophy responded, Our detectives have many cases, and our detectives started work on the Tuesday after the initial report on the 13th and (were) working other cases until (Oct. 19.)

Rowland, a sex offender who murdered the 21-year-old student-athlete he once dated, had bragged during a previous parole hearing about his womanizing ways and his ability to sweet-talk his female companions into giving him anything he wanted.

Rowland admitted during a 2012 hearing that he was especially attracted to teenage girls and vulnerable females, adding that hes managed to manipulate every single woman hes ever met. The comments were part of a recording released Wednesday by authorities in Utah.

According to court records, he spent nearly a decade in prison after pleading guilty to trying to lure an underage girl online and attempted sex abuse charges. The 37-year-old was caught up in an undercover sting after he interacted with a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

His release date was listed as 2013.

Investigators had been working to build a case against Rowland before they discovered Lauren McCluskey dead from a gunshot wound Monday night. The 21-year-old USC student, who briefly dated Rowland, blocked his friends phone numbers and complained to the University of Utah police that she was being harassed, the victims mother, Jill McCluskey, said in a statement.

Police reports were filed on October 12 and October 13 in McCluskeys case, according to CNN.

Jill McCluskey added that her daughter only spent a month or so dating Rowland, who lied to her about his age, criminal background and name.

The University of Utah athlete was on the phone with her mother, returning home to her university apartment after her final class on Monday when she was abducted by her killer.

Suddenly I heard her yell, No, no no! Jill McCluskey recalled. I thought she might have been in a car accident.

The mother phoned 911 and authorities later discovered McCluskeys body in the backseat of a car parked in a university lot. The shooting prompted authorities to lock down the campus for hours as they hunted for a suspect.

Early Tuesday morning Salt Lake City Police spotted Rowland downtown and chased him briefly. He manged to slip into the back door of a church, where police found him dead from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

With News Wire Services
About 2,000 volunteers walked through swamps, cornfields and woods in chilly northern Wisconsin on Tuesday, but likely did not turn up any items linked to the disappearance of 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald thanked the throng of helpers, and called the outpouring of support from the community overwhelming.

Fitzgerald said authorities are assessing the items that have been collected, but they dont appear to be connected to Jaymes disappearance. The teen has not been seen since her parents were found dead in their Barron home on Oct. 15.

While many of the volunteers lived nearby, some came from as far as 80 miles away.

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I guess Im not doing anything different than I would hope someone would do if it was one of my loved ones in this situation right now, said volunteer Jill Robinson, who lives 60 miles away in Eleva. I just think anytime it hits close to home like this, it just makes you think it could be you or one of our loved ones.

Steven Fowler of Luck, Wis., and his dog Cheeka search a cornfield. (Jerry Holt/AP)

Its just so surreal being out there, you know, Vickie Longhenry told CBS in Minnesota. And you have your heart right here the whole time and every time it doesnt find, you dont find one little thing, you just you dont want to lose hope.

Jenny Weber, who came from Menomonie about 40 miles away, told the station: There is a little girl missing and if it was mine Id want the world looking for her. So Im able to be here.

The Salvation Army was responsible for making sure the volunteers had adequate food and water during the arduous search.

Each bag had a sandwich, chips, a cookie and fruit, The Salvation Armys Duana Bremer said, according to CBS in Minnesota. This is really heartwarming because youre looking at every aspect of life helping.

Volunteers search a field along 15th Ave. near highway 25 just north of Barron. (Jerry Holt/AP)

The volunteers were told to walk slowly and yell Stop! if they saw anything notable. Video posted by TV station KMSP showed the searchers walking in a grid pattern in tall grass. They were told to look for such items as a cell phone, a weapon or a piece of clothing.

Authorities are also searching for two cars that may have been near the Closs familys home on the night of the attack. The license plates were not known.

Investigators have received 1,400 tips and had closed 1,100 of them, according to Fitzgerald.

I cant thank, thank the people enough for their support, their hope, their love. I believe shes still alive. I believe shes still out there and the hope is what were riding on and thats what were going to go with, the sheriff said, according to CBS in Minnesota.

Denise and James Closs will be laid to rest on Saturday.

With News Wire Services
Suspicious packages were found outside the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper building early Wednesday morning.

Reporter Kate Morrissey tweeted that staff members are evacuating the building per police request. Morrissey also tweeted a photo of the suspicious packages.

The packages were placed near a garbage can. A police lieutenant reported the boxes at about 8:15 a.m., according to the Union-Tribune. The newspaper reported that a hazardous materials team was sent to investigate, but it was later determined that the boxes were filled with books, a football and other items.

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The scare comes as it was revealed that mail bombs were sent to the homes of former Presidents Clinton and Obama. They were intercepted by the U.S. Secret Service.

In addition, CNN offices in Manhattan were evacuated after a suspicious package was found in their mailroom.
His spidey senses werent working.

A California man set a house on fire Tuesday night when he tried to kill spiders with a blowtorch.

The Fresno man, who was the only person home at the time, found the black widows  among the worlds deadliest arachnids  when he was house-sitting for his parents.

The second story and attic were damaged from the fire, but he was uninjured.

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About 30 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire and they were able to put it out quickly.

Firefighters have not determined the exact cause of the fire, but it was assumed to be caused by the blowtorch. Fresno Fire Department could not be reached by the Daily News for comment.

Some guy set his garage on fire because he was killing spiders with a blowtorch . Man after my own heart. #KillAllTheSpiders  Arielle (@aeberna) October 24, 2018

Please dont use a blowtorch to kill spiders, said Fresno City Firefighters tweeted.

Some social media users joked about the mans method of killing the spiders. Rochelle, who goes by the handle @Miyahoka, said, Oh yeah, this would be me. Id drop the blowtorch in the middle of a hysterical spider dance and probably set myself on fire too..

This is not the first incident of its kind  earlier in January, a man in Redding, Calif., set his apartment ablaze while trying to kill a wolf spider with a blowtorch.
Hurricane Willa roared over an offshore penal colony and closed in on Mexicos Pacific coast with 120 mph winds Tuesday, threatening a major resort area along with fishing villages and farms.

Emergency officials said they evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal towns and set up 58 shelters ahead of the dangerous Category 3 storm, which was expected to blow ashore in the evening near Mazatlan, a tourist spot of high-rise hotels and about 500,000 people, many of them U.S. and Canadian expatriates.

By midafternoon, Willa was bringing torrential rain.

The storm battered the Islas Marias, a group of Mexican islands about 60 miles off the mainland that include a nature preserve and a federal prison. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions taken at the prison, citing security concerns.

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As Willa closed in, the beach in Mazatlan almost disappeared, with waves slamming against the coastal boulevard under looming black clouds. A few surfers took advantage of the high waves even as workers boarded up windows on hotels, shops and homes. Schools were closed and the streets nearly empty.

Some families went to a Mazatlan convention center, which opened its doors as a shelter. They spread out blankets along the walls and waited for the storm.

The house were living in is not well built, said Sergio Ernesto Meri Franco, who rents a studio apartment.

The federal government issued a decree of extraordinary emergency for 19 municipalities in Nayarit and Sinaloa states.

Bob Swanson, who is from Saskatchewan, Canada, and spends two to six months of the year in his house in the Cerritos neighborhood near the shore in Mazatlan, said he filled his washing machine with water, filled his home fuel tank and gassed up his car in case he needs to head into the mountains for safety.

Im kind of waiting with bated breath, he said over the phone, adding that he was sitting on his porch and smoking a cigarette.

Hurricane-force winds extended 35 miles from Willas center, and tropical storm-force winds were felt up to 115 miles out.

Forecasters said the hurricane could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain  with up to 18 inches in some places  to parts of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, with flash flooding and landslides possible in mountainous areas.

Farther to the south, the remnants of Tropical Storm Vicente continued to bring heavy rain that caused deadly flooding and mudslides. Federal disaster agency chief Luis Felipe Puente said 11 people died as a result of Vicente. Local officials earlier put the figure at 12.
Seeking to quickly get homeless people off the street without unfairly burdening particular neighborhoods, San Diegos City Council committed on Tuesday to building 1,260 transitional housing units across the city by January 2021.

Modeled after a similar campaign launched in Los Angeles last winter, San Diegos effort calls for at least 140 units geared for the formerly homeless to be built in each of the citys nine geographic council districts.

Spreading the units evenly across San Diego aims to ensure no particular area bears an unfair share of helping solve the citys homelessness problem.

It may also quell complaints from residents living near sites where such apartment complexes will be built, who often complain that such units should go elsewhere because other neighborhoods arent doing their fair share.

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While the commitment approved unanimously by the council on Tuesday is not legally binding, Councilman Chris Ward of University Heights said its an important move that will accelerate city efforts to end homelessness.

Ward compared the effort to Mayor Kevin Faulconers commitment three years ago to get 1,000 homeless veterans off the street within one year.

It took us 18 months, but we still got to that goal, Ward said. And we did that because we set that goal and then we started to hunker down and connect the dots and work with landlords.

The 1,260 units, which would include on-site counseling and addiction treatment, is based on the 1,227 units of such housing city officials believe they need after analyzing last winters annual count of the homeless.

Studies have shown housing units with such services help 80 to 90 percent of formerly homeless people avoid returning to the streets.

The city would pay for the units with existing federal funds and at least $32 million in new state money aimed at ending homelessness.

To spur accelerated construction, city officials say they are exploring reduced parking requirements for such projects, expedited approvals, development fee discounts and the donation of excess public property.

The campaign would increase by nearly 30 percent the 2,948 units in San Diego now geared for the formerly homeless, which officials call permanent supportive housing.

San Diego trails nearly every other U.S. metropolitan area in per capita permanent supportive housing units.

San Diego has 119 such units per 100,000 residents, compared to 971 in San Francisco, 722 in Boston, 594 in Portland, 341 in Chicago and 338 in Philadelphia.

The City Council in Los Angeles, which is barely ahead of San Diego at 198 permanent supportive housing units per 100,000 residents, agreed in February to build 3,330 such units by June 2020  at least 220 units in each council district.

The goal of requiring a minimum number of units in each council district is spreading the units across the city, instead of having them be concentrated in specific areas, which has been a trend in San Diego. If we can all get there together, we can get there faster, Ward said.

Councilwoman Georgette Gomez of City Heights said it makes sense to provide the housing throughout San Diego because homelessness is virtually everywhere. Its a city problem, not based on a particular location, she said.

San Diegos 2,948 units of permanent supportive housing include 1,378 units in apartment complexes devoted to such housing, and 1,570 units sprinkled across the city that formerly homeless people can rent with government vouchers.

Of the 1,378 brick and mortar units, 999 are in Wards Council District 3, which includes downtown San Diego, Hillcrest, North Park and surrounding neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, the citys three wealthiest districts  1, 2 and 5  each has zero units of permanent supportive housing.

District 1 includes La Jolla and Carmel Valley, District 2 includes Point Loma and the citys beach communities, and District 5 includes Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos and Scripps Ranch.

While residents in Districts 1 and 5 could argue that they also have the fewest homeless people in the region, District 2 had the third most homeless people during last winters count, trailing only District 3 and District 8 in the South Bay.

Developers of permanent supportive housing said the councils commitment to building so many units so quickly makes them more ambitious about locating sites and seeking funding for projects.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
Authorities at the Port of San Diego inspecting a shipment from Portugal last month discovered nearly 5,000 counterfeit iPhone parts, officials said Wednesday.

The shipment was at a bonded warehouse at San Diego International Airport, where imported merchandise can be securely stored until duty fees are paid.

The manifest listed the goods as back covers and polarizers. But when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers examined three pallets of boxes on Sept. 18, they discovered counterfeit backings and LCD screens for various iPhone models, authorities said.

Officers seized a total of 4,820 parts, which would be worth more than $222,000 if they had been real Apple products, CBP officials said.

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One of our goals is to protect American consumers and U.S. industry from the threats posed by counterfeiting and piracy, Port of San Diego Port Director Bill Snyder said in a statement. The attention to detail from these CBP officers helped protect the nations economic security.

CBP has created a public awareness campaign that warns of the dangers of purchasing counterfeit goods. Impacts can include the loss of jobs in the U.S., support of organized crime, and risks to health and safety.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
A 31-year-old woman broke her femur Monday when she jumped off an electric scooter that she was unable to stop as it gained speed down a sloped street just east of downtown San Diego, police said.

The crash, which happened around 6:45 a.m. near Broadway and 20th Street in Golden Hill, is at least the fourth wreck this month involving an electric scooter that San Diego police have categorized as a serious injury crash.

According to police, the woman was headed west on Broadway toward downtown when the scooter began gaining speed as the street slopes down.

The victim could not slow down  became frightened and jumped off the scooter, San Diego police Officer Sarah Foster said in a statement, adding that the victim fractured her right femur.

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The San Diego Police Departments traffic division was investigating the crash, which was the fourth serious-injury accident involving a scooter since Oct. 1, the day a 9-year-old girl fractured her femur when the dockless scooter she was riding with her 16-year-old sister struck a tree in City Heights.

On Friday, a 65-year-old woman riding a Bird scooter with a group of other riders fractured her femur when she lost control and crashed in the Marina area of downtown San Diego. And on Sunday, a 48-year-old Bird rider fractured his arm when he rear-ended another rider he was following near G Street and Seventh Avenue in downtown.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Thursday morning a proposal to regulate dockless scooters throughout the city, in large part because of safety concerns. The motorized scooters, which first showed up in the region earlier this year, can travel up to 15 miles per hour and are often improperly used on city sidewalks, creating issues for both riders and pedestrians.

Last month, public health officials at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego called the scooter trend a public health disaster in the making. Hospital officials said that while exact numbers on injuries are not yet available, at least 30 scooter riders have required hospitalization since June, with scores more being treated in the emergency room.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Prosecutors and victims are again fighting to keep the man known as the bolder-than-most rapist from walking free, this time by appealing a judges recent decision to release him to a home in the East County community of Jacumba Hot Springs.

Its the first time the District Attorneys Office has appealed the proposed placement of a sexually violent predator in the County of San Diego, a spokesman for the office said.

The District Attorneys Office has strongly and repeatedly opposed the release of (Alvin) Quarles into the community based upon his prior crimes and the danger we believe he poses to the community, the office said in a statement.

At a news conference Tuesday, two of Quarles victims thanked District Attorney Summer Stephan for filing the motion, and asked the community to help them protest the placement  approved by San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill, earlier this month  before Fridays hearing.

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We have to take every measure we can to communicate with Judge David Gill before that meeting, to let him know that the decision to release Quarles at this time, is a bad and dangerous one, a statement from Mary Taylor and Cynthia Medina read.

Quarles earned his infamous alias for a series of sexual assaults he committed in the 1980s. Quarles attacked his victims at knife point while they were sleeping in their apartments or hotel rooms, sometimes forcing couples to have sex while he watched, or raping women in front of their husbands and boyfriends.

Quarles pleaded guilty in 1989 to four counts of rape while armed with a knife as well as burglary and robbery charges related to the attacks. In return, prosecutors dropped 48 other charges against him. In all, investigators suspect he was responsible for more than a dozen sexual assaults.

He was 27 years old when he was sentenced to 50 years in prison, but due to the law at the time, Quarles got one day credit for every day he served with good behavior, effectively cutting his sentence in half.

In their motion, prosecutors argued that Quarles poses an unacceptable risk to the community, should he be released. The motion also states that the doctor who conducted Quarles annual review, the director of Coalinga State Hospital where he is committed and the director of the conditional release program that would monitor Quarles all testified he was not safe to be released into the community.

The motion also suggests that Quarles is so reviled that it might be appropriate to place him outside of San Diego County, something a judge can order if extraordinary circumstances exist in an offenders home county.

Multiple sexually violent predators have been released into San Diego County before, but never has the county seen such vocal objection to not only the release itself, but the specific location of the release, the motion reads.

Prosecutors also asked that the court require Quarles to complete the sex offender treatment program officers at Coalinga State Hospital before he is released.

Despite these concerns, on Oct. 12, Gill ordered Quarles to be placed in 43050 Desert Rose Ranch Road, a residence about four miles from the Jacumba Hot Springs downtown area, on or before Nov. 30.

It was at that hearing that Mary Taylor told the court for the first time what Quarles had done to her 30 years ago.

Taylor was a 27-year-old teacher then who lived with a roommate in San Diego. After returning home from a night with friends, Taylor said her roommate called to her from her bedroom.

When she walked into room, her roommate was sitting on the bed in a towel. Quarles was in the corner with a mask over his face and a knife in his hand.

That judge doesnt know what its like to have to make a decision because if you dont do what youre told to do someone whos standing there with a knife is going to kill you, the 57-year-old said Tuesday. No one should have to go through that.

Taylor and other victims were outraged when they learned that Quarles was slated to be released in November 2013. In an effort to keep him locked up, the District Attorneys Office initiated a process to have him committed as a sexually violent predator. Quarles agreed to the designation in 2014, and was committed to Coalinga State Hospital in Fresno County, where he could choose to participate in a sex offender treatment program.

To be classified as a sexually violent predator, a person has to have been convicted of a sex crime against at least one victim and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes him likely to re-offend. Quarles has been diagnosed with several disorders including sexual sadism disorder.

Two years ago, after completing less than half of the sex offender treatment program, Quarles petitioned to live on his own, but under supervision, as part of the states Conditional Release Program, according to the motion filed Monday by the District Attorneys Office.

Although Taylor said she is grateful prosecutors are fighting against his release, she added that she and other victims have continuously felt ignored by the legal system in connection with the Quarles case.

Many of the victims took issue with the decision to pursue a plea deal in the case, which resulted in nearly 50 charges against Quarles being dropped, Taylor said. She also said victims were not told Quarles could lessen his time in prison with good behavior.

None of them knew Quarles was slated to be released in 2013 until a victim read an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. They also didnt find out he was up for conditional release until two days after hearings on the matter had begun.

So many mistakes and bad decisions have been made in this case, Taylor and Medina said in a statement. It really is stunning. (We) have been on this terrible roller coaster. We have questioned whether we should fight this battle, or just let it go. But we have no choice.

The women also encouraged members of the public to sign a petition called Protect Our Community: Stop the Release of a Sexually Violent Predator at petitions.moveon.org, which asks Gill to reverse his decision.

The DAs motion also argues that Jacumba Hot Springs is not a suitable community for Quarles to be placed in because several of Quarles victims live or work in East County, and the community is home to a nudist camp, which is troubling given the petitioners diagnosis of voyeuristic disorder and the fact that the petitioners history of sexual assault began with and escalated from peeping in on women in various states of undress, the motion reads.

Of the 17 sexually violent predators who are participating in the states conditional release program, five currently live in San Diego County. Two live in Jacumba Hot Springs and the others live in Campo, Boulevard and Borrego Springs.

County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose district includes Jacumba Hot Springs, said in a statement that the decision to place Quarles in her district was shocking considering the grave concerns from residents and the strong objections by the District Attorney and treatment professionals.

The new motion filed by the District Attorneys Office demonstrates that Alvin Quarles represents a clear and present danger to the community, Jacob said in the statement. That message needs to finally sink in with the court.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
A UC San Diego sophomore was arrested this week on suspicion of stealing more than $220 worth of womens underwear from a university laundry room, school officials said Wedensday.

The stolen underwear, allegedly pilfered from a laundry room in the Marshall apartments, was first reported about about two weeks ago, according to The Guardian, the universitys paper.

The suspected student was arrested on Monday about 10 p.m..

This is the second time in a year that a student at the school has been accused of snatching womens underwear.

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In November, campus police arrested an 18-year-old freshman on suspicion of stealing about $2,500 worth of womens clothing. One of several boxes found in the suspects dorm room contained more than 190 pairs of underwear.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
A downtown San Diego building that houses the San Diego Union-Tribune and other businesses was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning after a stack of suspicious looking packages  later determined to contain an assortment of random items  was spotted near the front doors, San Diego police said.

Although police have not determined whether the incident was related, the scare occurred on the same day pipe bombs were sent to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. CNN also received a similar bomb at its building in Manhattan.

Out of an abundance of caution, we take these measures, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Wadhams said. Its better to be safe than sorry.

A bystander flagged down a San Diego police lieutenant after spotting five boxes on a table in front of 600 B Street about 8:15 a.m., police said. The building houses law firms, co-working, media and technology companies. Sen. Kamala Harris and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department also have offices at the address.

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The discovery quickly prompted the closure of several busy blocks. But about an hour later, with aid from an X-ray, police determined the packages were filled with everyday items.

San Diego police Lt. Kevin Wadhams said the unaddressed boxes contained: one shoe, two childrens books, one football, one empty bag of chips and one hat. A red air pump was located behind the packages.

UT building downtown has been evacuated after suspicious pkgs found at entrance. State Sen Kamaka Harris and SDFD has offices in bldg also.Bomb squad at scene. pic.twitter.com/Poe67gUJuE  John Gibbins (@JohnGibbinsSDUT) October 24, 2018

After reviewing surveillance footage from cameras in the area, police determined the boxes were dropped off by unknown suspect about 1:45 a.m.

Journalists at the paper said they were told by Jeff Light, the editor-in-chief, that police had asked them to evacuate about 8:35 a.m.

Kate Morrissey, an immigration reporter, said she saw officers putting tape around the boxes, but didnt think anything of it since a nearby coffee cart was still open. Shed been at her desk for about five minutes when she was told to go downstairs.

She described the boxes as priority mail packages positioned near an orange pump.

If you think of what Wile E. Coyote would push down on to make things explode  it looks like that, she said of the pump.

She said a number of other floors below her, including several occupied by WeWork, a shared workspace company company, were also evacuated.

Lily Adams, communications director for Harris, said on Twitter the packages were not directly aimed at her office. Our office was evacuated today after suspicious packages were found near the building, she wrote. The packages were not addressed to the senator or our office. We are grateful to the San Diego Police Department for their work to swiftly investigate this issue.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

12:30 p.m. This story was updated with additional details.
Someone pulled the trigger on a March night last year, firing off 12 rounds across an Escondido street. The bullets missed the intended targets  gang rivals  but killed a passing motorist, a woman headed home from church.

Dark surveillance footage shows two figures. It also shows muzzle flashes. But was the shooter a ranking gang member, as a prosecutor said Tuesday? Or was the gunman, as a defense attorney said, a teenager associated with the gang and who was with that ranking member that night?

After a two-week trial at the Vista courthouse, its a question now in the hands of a North County jury. Following closing arguments Tuesday, a panel of four women and eight men began deliberating the case against Dionicio Torrez, Jr., a documented Escondido gang member.

The 25-year-old Torrez has pleaded not guilty to four counts, including murder in the death of 55-year-old Cathy Kennedy.

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Kennedy had left Bible study at her church, made a quick stop at a store and then started down Grand Avenue to go home as she passed an apartment complex that an Escondido gang claims as turf.

As she drove past, someone opened fire. She was struck in the side of the head, and died at a hospital shortly afterward.

The defendant is the shooter, Deputy District Attorney Laurie Hauf told the jury during closing arguments. The evidence is clear.

Defense attorney Alejandro Morales told the jury that the governments case rests on the word of one person  a teenager who has taken a plea deal. (The teen is not being identified because it is the policy of The San Diego Union-Tribune not to identify juveniles charged with crimes).

Morales said that the teen is a gang member, who took it upon himself, unbeknownst to Junior (Torrez) to open fire on fleeing rivals.

According to Hauf, around 9 p.m. on March 7, 2017, two rival gang members were spotted tagging inside the complex where Torrez and the teen both lived, and where they were hanging out with others that night.

Torrez, she said, gave chase, followed by his teenage neighbor as the two rivals ran to a waiting Prius with a getaway driver parked on a nearby street.

Morales pointed to surveillance video that shows one figure arrive at the front of a complex, quickly joined by another figure. Muzzle flashes soon follow  shots fired by the second person to arrive, Morales said.

Morales said the teenagers story about what happened that night had been truthful  all except for who fired.

This case boils down to whether you believe (the teenager) or whether you believe a video, Morales said.

The prosecutor, however, told the jury that the teen had said that hed caught up to Torrez before shots were fired, and that it was the teen, not Torrez, who arrived first in front of the complex.

Hauf also said that everything the defendant did after this shooting shows that he knows he is guilty of murder.

After the shooting, Torrez and the teen walked away together, eventually getting a ride home later that night.

According to Hauf, Torrez ditched his cell phone and got a burner phone within days of the shooting. He also left town.

Torrez was arrested eight days later in the small town of Red Bluff, about 30 miles south of Redding in Northern California. That same day, the teen was arrested in Escondido.

Both were charged with murder.

In the summer of 2017, the teen took a deal with the District Attorneys Office. Charged as a juvenile, he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Aside from murder, Torrez also faces charges of shooting at occupied vehicles as well as attempted murder, for the bullets fired at gang rivals.

Jury deliberations will continue Wednesday.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
The first four measures Californians will see on their statewide ballot this year ask for permission to borrow lots of money.

Propositions 1, 2, 3 and 4 call for the state to issue a total of $16.4 billion in bonds to help build housing for low-income and homeless residents, improve the states watersheds, natural habitats and water treatment facilities and expand a network of childrens hospitals.

One of the bonds, Proposition 2, would tap revenue from a special income tax paid by millionaires for funding mental health services, while the other measures would rely on the states day-to-day operating budget for repayment.

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In total, the three bond measures from the states primary budget will cost $26 billion over the next four decades to repay with interest, according to the states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office.

Heres a rundown of what each of the bond measures will do and the arguments supporters and opponents have made about them.

Proposition 1: Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond, $4 billion

What it will pay for: Its no secret that housing is unaffordable for millions of Californians, with low-income renters the hardest hit.

This measure would allow the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to help finance new and rehabilitated apartments for low-income residents, build parks and water infrastructure around housing near public transit, provide down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers and support farmworker housing projects. The state would borrow an additional $1 billion to provide home loans for veterans with recipients on the hook to pay back those loans.

How it got on the ballot: In 2017, state lawmakers passed 15 bills designed to help address the states housing crisis. One of the bills, Senate Bill 3, put this bond measure on the ballot.

What supporters say: The bond would provide the biggest injection of state money into low-income housing programs in more than a decade. That money, backers say, is needed given the extent of the states housing problems and because funding from previous low-income housing bonds is depleted and another state housing program has been eliminated. A collection of business groups, labor unions and housing advocates are behind the measure.

What opponents say: Those against the measure, including the state Republican Party, are generally opposed to increasing government debt, especially for low-income housing programs.

The bottom line: Combined with federal funding, the bond measure would provide annual housing subsidies for 30,000 families and 7,500 farmworker households, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office. It would also provide down payment assistance to about 15,000 homebuyers and home loans to 3,000 veterans. The cost would be $170 million annually for the next 35 years.

Proposition 2: Homeless Housing Bond, $2 billion

What it will pay for: According to the latest tally, there are more than 134,000 homeless residents in California, a number thats grown considerably in recent years.

The states supplemental income tax on millionaires pays for mental health services. This measure would allow the state to borrow $2 billion from that fund to help finance housing for homeless residents with mental illnesses.

How it got on the ballot: This bond wasnt supposed to be on the ballot. In 2016, state lawmakers passed the $2-billion bond, but that decision was challenged in court in part on grounds that voters needed to weigh in before the state could issue debt. While the court fight continued, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators decided earlier this year to put the decision before voters.

What supporters say: Backers contend the state needs to help pay for new homeless housing projects, especially geared toward those with mental illness, to stem the rising numbers of people on the streets.

What opponents say: Those against the measure argue that the bond would divert money needed for mental health service programs.

The bottom line: The bond would help finance about 20,000 new supportive housing units for homeless residents, according to the legislative analyst. The annual bond payments would be roughly $120 million a year.

Proposition 3: Water Bond, $8.9 billion

What this is about and what it will pay for: This bond allows for significant new spending on a variety of new and existing water-related programs, including those that would protect the states watersheds, boost water and sewer infrastructure, improve fish and wildlife habitats and other upgrades. Theres money designated for specific projects, including $750 million to repair the federally owned Madera and Friant-Kern canals in the Central Valley and $200 million to repair the state-owned Oroville Dam, where storm damage in 2017 prompted the evacuation of 188,000 residents who lived downstream.

How it got on the ballot: Wildlife and agriculture interests ponied up to finance signature gathering so that the initiative would qualify for the ballot, and are funding the campaign.

What supporters say: Upgrades to the states water infrastructure are critical to ensuring its long-term viability and will improve the quality of unsafe drinking water facilities, backers argue. They say the money also will help prepare the state for future droughts, including the development of water recycling and desalination technologies. Supporters contend the state should pick up the tab for the federal Madera and Friant-Kern canals because theyre critical for irrigation deliveries to hundreds of thousands of acres of cropland. The Nature Conservancy and some other environmental groups are backing the measure.

What opponents say: Voters have approved $31 billion in bonds for water and environmental projects over the past 18 years, including a separate $4-billion bond that set aside some money for water improvements this June, according to the legislative analyst. Roughly one-third of that money is still available to spend. Those speaking out against the initiative, most prominently Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), argue that its filled with pet projects to benefit those who put the bond on the ballot and that lawmakers should have input over spending decisions.

The bottom line: The bond would finance dozens of water projects across California. The cost would be about $430 million annually for the next 40 years, according to the legislative analyst.

Proposition 4: Childrens Hospital Bond, $1.5 billion

What this is about and what it will pay for: California has eight nonprofit private hospitals across the state that focus on treating infants and children with severe illnesses and injuries. Under the proposal, 72% of the money will go toward construction and renovations at those hospitals. Another 18% would fund similar efforts at five UC childrens hospitals. Roughly 150 other hospitals in the state provide some dedicated services to children and theyd be eligible to receive grants for the remaining 10% of the money.

How it got on the ballot: The eight nonprofit hospitals, including Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, donated money to fund a signature gathering drive to place the measure on the ballot and are the primary funders for the campaign.

What supporters say: Most of those receiving care in childrens hospitals have health insurance through Medi-Cal, the public program for low-income and disabled Californians, which reimburses providers less than other forms of insurance. Backers say the hospitals need additional dollars to finance seismic retrofitting and other vital upgrades. Voters have previously supported two similar ballot measures over the last 14 years and those funds are depleted.

What opponents say: Those against Proposition 4, including the League of Women Voters of California, say the public should not fund improvements at private hospitals.

The bottom line: The initiative would fund upgrades at childrens hospitals at a cost of $80 million annually for the next 35 years, according to the legislative analyst.
After the Japanese overran Alfred Lims native Philippines during World War II, he joined the U.S. Army and became part of a guerrilla unit that sabotaged bridges and truck convoys and slipped into villages to live among the locals and watch the enemy.

He kept his fingers crossed that the Japanese wouldnt check his cigarettes.

If they had, during their periodic inspections of the villagers, they might have noticed that his smokes were American  and he could have been arrested as a spy and executed.

This was a story told regularly over the intervening years by Lim, who died Oct. 12 at a residential facility in San Diego. He was 107.

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When he came down out of the mountains to the villages, he would do everything he could to blend in, but he wasnt willing to give up his American cigarettes, said his daughter, retired Superior Court Judge Lillian Lim. He hid them in the wrapper for a local brand. One time a Japanese soldier pulled the package out of his pocket, but he didnt check the cigarettes themselves.

My father would often say that he was just lucky.

He had a similar ego-deflecting answer when people asked him the secret to his longevity. It runs in the family, he once told a Union-Tribune reporter. His father had lived to 102, his grandfather to 106.

Born on July 17, 1911, in the Philippine town of Jaro, Alfred Estoche Lim was raised by a single mother who died when he was 12, according to his family. He bounced around to various relatives in Hong Kong and China before moving to Californias Bay Area at age 18.

He supported himself as a houseboy, a chauffeur, a farm laborer, a civilian storekeeper for the U.S. Navy, and  for one bout  a professional boxer. He earned a GED from Berkeley High School.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ushered the United States into World War II in December 1941, Lim tried to enlist in the Navy and was turned down before joining the Army and becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

He was assigned to the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment and volunteered for a guerrilla unit that worked with resistance fighters to sabotage Japanese operations on the islands.

The efforts of the guerrillas were indispensable in shaping the campaign to take back the Philippines and its future as a nation, according to a 2011 monograph written for the Armys School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Lim received a Bronze Star with V for Valor, among other awards, for his efforts during the war. In 2017, he and the 250,000 other Filipinos who fought alongside the U.S. were recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal.

After the war, he got married and began working as a civilian at Clark Air Base north of Manila. Then he and his wife, Socorro, had their first two children and decided to move to the United States.

They wanted a better life for the kids, his daughter said. She recalled growing up in a household where the pursuit of higher education and the protection of civil liberties were emphasized.

For almost 30 years, Lim worked as an aircraft instrument mechanic at Naval Air Station Alameda, retiring in 1976. He and his wife then moved to Bonita to help take care of grandchildren. Except for a short period living in Hawaii, they resided in the San Diego area the remainder of his life.

Survivors include his wife of 73 years, Socorro; four adult children, Alfred (Judy) Lim Jr. of San Diego, Jaime (Emilia) Lim of Sacramento, Lillian (E. Mac Amos) Lim of Hawaii, and Chris (Lorraine) Lim of Chicago; an adopted son, Peter (Denise) Quon of San Diego; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Services are pending.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com
Donald Trump and the other populists around the world have transformed politics in three gigantic ways. First, they told a different narrative. Their central story is that the good, decent people of the heartland are being threatened by immigrants, foreigners and other outsiders while corrupt elites do nothing.

Second, Trump and the other populists have overturned the traditional moral standards for how leaders are supposed to behave. Hes challenged basic norms of honesty, decency, compassion and moral conduct. He unabashedly exploits rifts in American society.

Third, they have ushered in a new conversation. In the 20th century the big debate was big government versus small government. Now, as many have noticed, the core debate is open versus closed. Do you favor basic openness, diversity and pluralism, or do you favor closed ethnic nationalism?

Along the way Trump has challenged Americas basic identity as a nation of immigrants. Hes challenged the American-led postwar international order.

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In short, Trump and the other populists have transformed the GOP and thrown down a cultural, moral and ideological gauntlet.

This election is the Democrats first opportunity to push back against a thoroughly Trumpified Republican Party. It is a remarkable opportunity to realign the electorate, since polls continually show the percentage of the country that buys Trumps ethnic nationalism is in the low 40s.

So how, at this crucial moment in history, have the Democrats responded?

The top three issues this year are health care, health care and health care, J.B. Poersch, of the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, told CNN.

The Wesleyan Media Project recently surveyed the political landscape and came out with a report called 2018: The Health Care Election. It found that a majority of recent pro-Democratic political ads featured health care. Sixty-one percent of recent pro-Democratic ads in U.S. House races have been on health care.

Democratic candidates like Sen. Claire McCaskill are hammering home the same point in debates. Republicans tried to take away coverage for pre-existing conditions.

In normal times, theres good reason to run on this issue. Millions of families are plagued by inadequate insurance coverage. If youre trying to win a swing voter in Arizona, its a bread-and-butter issue that has appeal.

But the Democratic campaign is inadequate to the current moment. It offers no counternarrative to Trump, little moral case against his behavior, no unifying argument against ethnic nationalism. In politics you cant beat something with nothing.

Democrats missed the Trumpian upsurge because while society was dividing into cultural tribes, they spent 2008 through 2016 focusing on health care. Now that the upsurge has happened, they are still pinioned to health care.

Worse, the Democratic strategy simply revives the old 1980-2008 playbook. Its Democratic spending promises versus Republican tax cuts.

This familiar, orthodox argument pushes left and right back into their normal categories. It destroys any possibility of a realignment.

Weve learned a few things about the Democratic Party. First, its still fundamentally a materialist party. The Trumpian challenge is primarily a moral and cultural challenge. But the Democrats are mostly comfortable talking about how to use federal spending to extend benefits. Some Democrats want to spend a lot more (Medicare for all, free college education), and some want to spend less, but their basic instinct is that national problems can be addressed with more federal money. Their basic political instinct is that you win votes by offering material benefits.

Second, weve learned that when Democrats do raise a moral argument, it tends to be of the social justice warrior variety. The core argument in this mode is that the oppressive structures of society marginalize women, minorities and members of the LGBTQ communities.

It turns out that if your basic logic is that distinct identity groups are under threat from an oppressive society, its very hard to then turn around and defend that society from authoritarian attack, or to articulate any notion of what even unites that society. You can appeal to women as women and to ethnic groups as ethnic groups, but its very hard to make a universal appeal to Americans as Americans, or defend the basic American norms that Trump calls into question. Its a messaging vulnerability that Democrats have imposed upon themselves.

Democrats still seem likely to win the House, because Trump is so effective at driving away voters. But Democrats are blowing the political opportunity of a lifetime. They seem to be getting little traction in red states and now may end up losing ground in the Senate. Instead of drawing disaffected voters away from the GOP, they seem to be pushing Republicans back to Trump.

It has now become evident that Republicans are better at politicizing cultural issues and Democrats are better at offering economic benefits to those who are struggling. If you think voting behavior is primarily motivated by material appeals, the Democratic strategy is fine. But if you think its motivated by cultural identity, a desire for respect, a sense of whats right, loyalty to a common story, the Democratic strategy leaves a lot to be desired.

These days, culture is more important than economics.

The Democratic campaign is inadequate to the current moment.
The San Diego Union-Tribune recently e-mailed questions to the candidates running for state constitutional offices in the Nov. 6 election. Republican Konstantinos Roditis is challenging the incumbent, Democrat Betty Yee, for the office of state controller. Here are the questions and responses from Roditis.

Union-Tribune: CalPERS has for years minimized the severity of the states pension underfunding even as it uses its investments to make political statements instead of tightly focusing on strong returns. Its also suffered through several scandals. Should the controller, as a CalPERS board member, be an aggressive advocate of the publics interests, someone willing to rock the boat?

RODITIS: First, I would like to push back on your assertion that CalPERS has minimized the severity of the states underfunded pension. Even with slowly migrating the discount rate (rate of return on investments) from 7.5 percent to 7 percent, our outside consultants advise a rate of 6.2 percent. Stanford advises 5.5 percent. That means our total unfunded pension debt is approximately $900 billion (CalPERS, CalSTRS, UC pensions).

We must stop lying about how severe the problem is. We must first be honest with the problem to protect existing pensioners and put a plan in place to protect all of us.

I understand even a drop of 6.2 percent would put many municipalities in bankruptcy, let alone 5.5 percent. I believe the state lead the way in reform and should help local municipalities by assisting in funding their pensions. Only if structural changes such as changing unearned pension benefits for current employees and for all new employees putting them on contributed benefits plan like a 401(k) that puts the worker in control of their own retirement instead of bureaucrats that have been imprisoned for bribery and investing in stocks for politically ideological reasons instead of maximizing the rate of return.

As controller, I will work to protect all taxpayers and ensure we wisely invest, even if it means going up against special interests on the CalPERS board.

Union-Tribune: The Legislatures 2014 bailout of CalSTRS had as a key provision the requirement that school districts more than double how much they pay toward pensions from 2014-15 to 2020-21. Many districts say the bailout is too onerous. What should the controller, as a CalSTRS board member, do about this issue?

RODITIS: The controller should work with the next governor and the Legislature to push structural reforms in CalSTRS, use accurate actuarial calculations to determine the discount rate (5.5 percent - 6.2 percent), allow the discount rate to migrate to these rates over time slowly. Maximize the rate of return of our investment by divesting in politically ideological investments, and seek the best rate of return to protect teachers, school districts and all Californians.

Then, we must increase the states contribution level when changes to unearned pension benefits for current employees occur. and move all new employees to a 401k contributed benefit plan. Lastly, we must expand the Defined Benefit Supplement plan for current teachers so they can invest on their own.

The state government was the leading factor in causing this mess with the passage of SB 400 in 1999. Therefore, as controller, I will work to secure our investments, ensure the state government contributes to pension plans and cut the unfunded pension liability instead of wasting billions of pet projects.

Union-Tribune: The state has unfunded liabilities of more than $91 billion for retirement health care and dental benefits. Has the state done enough to make sure these liabilities can be handled in future budgets?

RODITIS: The state has not done enough to fund our retirement health care and dental benefits. Just like CalPERS, CalSTRS, and our UC pension systems, that need systematic restructuring, we should examine and restructure our health care and dental benefit programs that will provide adequate coverage for employees without bankrupting the state and local municipalities.

We must first recognize that the state has a spending problem. Since 2011-12, we have increased our state budget from approximately $86 billion to slightly under $139 billion in the current fiscal year. That is an increase of over 61 percent in eight years.

The state, on the other hand, continues to threaten taxpayers with new tax increases and an ever-increasing state budget.

The controller is the states chief fiscal officer, and it is time we had a controller that acts like one. A controller that will expose the waste, fraud, and abuse and put pressure on the legislature and the governor to reform programs, cut excess spending, prioritize spending, pay down our debt and unfunded liabilities, and seek to grow the economy to pay for years of neglect. Lets put California back on a sound fiscal pathway that makes California affordable for all Californians.

We can fix these problems. We dont need new taxes, just new solutions. I will bring these solutions and bold new leadership to the Controllers office.

Union-Tribune: The state has long had decades of problems with its computer systems, including those that handle the state payroll, which is a responsibility of the controllers office. Have these computer problems been properly addressed by the office in recent years?

RODITIS: I find it appalling that the state of California is so far behind in modernizing our computer systems and payroll systems. We must reach out to our partners in Silicon Valley and put a competitive request for bid on a new integrated system with state-of-the-art encryption to protect Californians and taxpayers information.

As you have seen from the current debacle at the DMV, the state has continually failed at maintaining a functional computer system, and when we update our systems, they seem to create more problems than actually solving them.

As controller, I will research and seek a private-public partnership to implement a new computer system for the Controllers Office and hopefully for other departments as well to finally fix these issues.

As a candidate that has not and will not take lobbyist, big business, corporate or special interest money, the voters can be confident that I have no political or financial incentives to implement one system over another. I will seek the best and most cost-effective system and implement it and finally modernize our computer system and make government more efficient and effective at a lower cost to taxpayers.

Union-Tribune: When he was controller, John Chiang took an extensive look at fiscal corruption in the city of Bell, saying it fit in with the responsibilities of his job. Many local governments are in shaky financial shape and will face pressure to cut corners with their budgets. Should the Controllers Office expand its oversight of local governments? Or is there only so much it can do because of limited resources?

RODITIS: The controller should primarily focus on exposing corruption, waste, fraud and abuse on the state level. For instance, the current controller has not only refused to audit the high-speed rail project but has continued to fund this project even though it is in clear violation of the voter-approved authorizing agent of Prop 1A in 2008.

As controller, I will hold all funding on the high-speed rail on day one because as controller I can hold funding on any payments that are unlawful. We either get the high-speed rail in compliance with the voters demand, or we need to cut our losses. It makes no sense to build the most expensive (estimated $98.1 billion) and slowest high-speed rail in history.

For fiscal corruption on the city level, I will advocate for greater oversight by the counties auditor-controllers. The county auditor-controller should have oversight over their cities, and the state controller should have greater oversight over the counties. This structure will provide an extra layer of oversight and protection for taxpayers.
The San Diego Union-Tribune recently e-mailed questions to the candidates running for state constitutional offices in the Nov. 6 election. Democratic incumbent Betty Yee faces Republican challenger Konstantinos Roditis for the office of state controller. Here are the questions and responses from Betty Yee.

Union-Tribune: CalPERS has for years minimized the severity of the states pension underfunding even as it uses its investments to make political statements instead of tightly focusing on strong returns. Its also suffered through several scandals. Should the controller, as a CalPERS board member, be an aggressive advocate of the publics interests, someone willing to rock the boat?

YEE: CalPERS was 101 percent funded in 2007. Following the 2008 financial market collapse, CalPERS funded status dropped to 61 percent. To put these numbers in perspective, it took until 2014 for CalPERS investment assets to reach the 2007 level again at $260 billion. Since joining the CalPERS board, I along with my board colleagues acted in several significant ways to ensure the sustainability of the fund: reduced the targeted return rate from 7.5 percent to 7 percent; reduced the amortization period for employers to pay off their unfunded liabilities from 30 years to 20 years; and approved a new asset allocation that is less subject to volatile market returns and includes selling most of the high-risk real estate investments that created issues during the downturn.

I also have aggressively supported CalPERS work with the companies in which we invest to ensure the best returns possible. I take my fiduciary duties seriously to ensure CalPERS can continue to pay promised retiree benefits. I believe in engagement, not divestment. If we divest, we walk away from the opportunity to make these companies more efficient and profitable for the long-term, which should be the goal of every long-term investor.

In addition, a large body of research shows strong corporate governance leads to stronger investment returns. Just as I have aggressively pursued policy changes to make CalPERS better able to withstand future market downturns, I have championed more efficient management of the companies in which we invest to ensure they also remain sustainable, worth-while investments in the future.

Union-Tribune: The Legislatures 2014 bailout of CalSTRS had as a key provision the requirement that school districts more than double how much they pay toward pensions from 2014-15 to 2020-21. Many districts say the bailout is too onerous. What should the controller, as a CalSTRS board member, do about this issue?

YEE: CalSTRS has been historically underfunded since inception. After years or discussion among stakeholders  the state, school district employers, and teacher representatives  the Legislature approved the funding plan in 2014.

Under the funding plan, the CalSTRS board now has the authority to gradually raise contribution rates to meet unfunded liabilities. The plan allows the board to increase the states contribution up to a half percent annually based on a funding formula. The board also may raise employer contribution rates on a gradual basis, but the contribution rate is capped. This provision provides certainty to employers so they can more accurately include the CalSTRS contribution in their budget projections.

As a CalSTRS board member, I encourage employers to meet with CalSTRS staff to understand how the funding plan formula will affect their district and future budgets and the importance of this benefit to their employees.

Union-Tribune: The state has unfunded liabilities of more than $91 billion for retirement health care and dental benefits. Has the state done enough to make sure these liabilities can be handled in future budgets?

YEE: Currently, the contracts between the state of California and all 21 of its bargaining units contain provisions for pre-funding retirement health care and dental benefits. Under the pre-funding plan, employee contributions are mandatory, and contribution rates must be uniform for all participating employees. Employees will be contributing more of the cost for retirement health care and dental benefits over time, which should lower the unfunded liability.

Since implementation of the pre-funding plan has just recently begun as the various bargaining unit agreements are finalized, my office will be monitoring to see if the state is on track to pay the unfunded liability down as projected. If not, consideration of additional contributions should be evaluated, but for now, the state is on the right path in reducing this unfunded liability. Additionally, I support and have advocated for health management incentive options that can help lower health care costs over the long term.

Union-Tribune: The state has long had decades of problems with its computer systems, including those that handle the state payroll, which is a responsibility of the controllers office. Have these computer problems been properly addressed by the office in recent years?

YEE: SCO [State Controllers Office] is properly addressing IT systems in several ways. We are continuing our efforts to ensure our current systems meet or exceed the high security standards needed to protect the states interests and data within the many systems SCO operates. For our technology replacement projects, we are working closely with the California Department of Technology to follow its prescribed Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL) processes, to give our projects the best chance for success. Specifically, for the payroll replacement system, we have learned how modern systems operate differently than our current system and processes, so we are reevaluating our current laws and bargaining unit contracts to determine where and if we can change procedures to align with modern products available on the market. These steps will be taken before we set our requirements and begin looking at potential replacement options.

Union-Tribune: When he was controller, John Chiang took an extensive look at fiscal corruption in the city of Bell, saying it fit in with the responsibilities of his job. Many local governments are in shaky financial shape and will face pressure to cut corners with their budgets. Should the Controllers Office expand its oversight of local governments? Or is there only so much it can do because of limited resources?

YEE: As state controller, I am authorized to audit any local government that receives state funds. My office can be reimbursed from the audited entity for the cost of doing the audit. Beyond a specific request by a local government official (as in the case of Bell where the interim city manager made the audit request to then-State Controller John Chiang), my audit authority depends on which local government we want to examine  whether a city, county, or special district, as there are some specific statutes that pertain to the counties, for example  such as road and gas tax audits and or collection of fines and forfeitures.

In 2017, the Legislature expanded the state controllers local government audit authority, whereby my office may audit any local agency for purposes of determining whether the agencys internal controls are adequate to detect and prevent financial errors and fraud. Unfortunately, the bill did not provide any additional resources to perform additional reviews or audits.
Personally, I dread the spring time change. It leaves me out of sorts for several days while I adjust to losing that hour. In fact, I am not alone, as studies have shown heart attacks increase during the week after daylight saving time (DST). While the idea of getting rid of the time change is appealing, California is forgetting about the safety and well-being of our children.

If we stay on DST, by Dec. 1 in cities north of Santa Barbara, the sun will not rise until after 8 a.m. By Jan. 1 in San Diego and Los Angeles, the sun will not rise until nearly 8 a.m.; in the Bay area/Sacramento region not until 8:20-8:30 a.m., and in Eureka the sun will not rise until 8:40 a.m. Millions of children will walk, bike, wait at the bus stop, and yes, drive to school in the dark, as many of Californias schools start by 8 a.m., and California has over 6 million public school students. Starting schools in the dark will increase pedestrian injuries, car accidents and deaths.

RELATED: Proposition 7: Why eliminating time change benefits health, safety

Do we really want students in their first class up to an hour before sunrise during the winter months? Are parents willing to leave their elementary school children alone in the dark at a bus stop? Or allow older students to walk, bike and drive to school in the dark? Talk about giving people heart attacks.

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Permanent DST would be even worse for our secondary school students. Many middle and high schools in San Diego and across California start between 7-7:30 a.m. These kids are already chronically sleep deprived and more likely to be in car crashes as these start times are too early according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Medical Association (AMA) and American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), among many other health organizations who recommend secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Imagine the consequences of adding traveling to school in the dark and starting classes without having seen the sun. Together, unhealthy school start times and starting school before sunrise will compromise student safety, academic achievement and success.

Our children are required by law to attend school. Unfortunately, there is mounting evidence that in California there exists a responsibility gap when it comes to protecting the health, safety, and academic success of public-school students. In addition to zero advocacy on childrens behalf regarding Proposition 7, state educators opposed a state law (SB 328, vetoed by Jerry Brown) that would have allowed middle and high schoolers to get the sleep their growing bodies need by starting school at 8:30 a.m. or later, despite the calls of medical experts. The evidence is overwhelming that too early start times for adolescents significantly increase rates of depression, suicidal ideation and car crashes while worsening academic achievement and graduation rates. Proposition 7 would make things worse.

Unfortunately, there is no well-funded union for children that will lobby against propositions or legislation that would bring them harm. Dont children have a right to safety, and to start their day when it is optimal for them to learn?

It would seem as if no one has our childrens backs. That leaves it to us, the adult voters to protect our children from the dark, literally.

Adults may be concerned that changing times increases the incidence of heart attacks on the Monday after springing forward. What is left out is that after setting clocks back in the fall, the incidence of heart attacks on Monday decreases by virtually the same amount it increased in the spring. What this means is that when adults get the sleep they need, the incidence of heart attacks decreases. The real message we should be getting from this issue is that when you take sleep away from people, its really bad for health. We have been taking sleep away from kids for decades with our too early school start times and this proposition will only compound their sleep deprivation during winter. If we want to get rid of the time change, going to permanent standard time would be the safe answer, but that choice is not the one being promoted.

Now voting adults have a solemn responsibility to protect the welfare of children who are unable to vote on policies that affect them. Its up to adult voters to protect the safety and academic well-being of Californias children. Vote no on Proposition 7.

Baughn, M.D., is Pathology Department chair, Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, and San Diego County chapter co-leader of Start School Later.
Its unbelievable how Republican presidents have kowtowed to the Saudi regime. After the 2001 WTC disaster it was proven that 14 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis. The mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, was a Saudi. Yet George W. Bush did not punish them in any way, citing our business connections. Instead, he initiated a war against Iraq, which had no hijacker involved.

Now Donald Trump is reluctant to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the heinous torture and killing of a Washington Post journalist because he says the kingdom is a valuable ally due to its purchases of arms from the U.S. Trump has also profited personally because the Saudis have paid him millions for his condos and stays at his hotels and resorts.

With Trump it is always about money. He is immoral and amoral and has no compass pointing to honesty and integrity on any issue.

Samuel M. Ciccati

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San Diego

Attempts to cast doubt on Khashoggi appalling

Re Whisper campaign aims to discredit slain journalist (Oct. 19): Thank you for printing the article about a whisper campaign now afoot to cast aspersions on the slain Saudi journalist. Im not sure which is more unnerving, the fact that this is being bandied about by Republicans looking to support Donald Trump and his relationship with the Saudis or that this kind of rhetoric continues to sow seeds of discord, conspiracy and hate.

In truth, Jamal Khashoggi was under fire for speaking truth to power in the hopes of establishing a free and truthful press in his homeland. Whatever affiliations he may have had decades ago, Jamal Khashoggi was a legal resident of this country, a contributor to the Post, and an advocate of free press.

Serena Contreras

San Diego

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Quest for fire power will bankrupt nation

Now the Strategist in Chief has concluded that he will Show Them, by unwisely pulling the United States out of yet another treaty important to political stability and progress to a shaky world.

In his mind this requires upgrading our bloated nuclear arsenal. It is not sufficient for this military genius that we have stockpiled more atomic weapons than any other country, enough to destroy life on this planet several times over. A number of other nations own similar power waiting to be unleashed by responsive insanity.

Heres the trick; All other nations negotiate to cooperate in standing pat, agreeing to cease manufacture of more bombs. Sit back and allow the U.S., mindlessly unimpeded, to proceed with its atomic idiocy , until its economy and institutions consume themselves by the unsustainable expenses of military zeal, leaving a function-less political fragment of what once had been a thriving world power.

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Stan Levin

San Diego

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US National Security Adviser John Bolton faces two days of high tension talks in Moscow beginning on Monday after US President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from a decades-long landmark nuclear weapons treaty with Russia.

Trumps announcement that the United States would leave the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty (or INF) brought sharp criticism on Sunday from Russian officials and even Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet Union president, who signed the treaty in 1987 with then US president Ronald Reagan.

Gorbachev, now 87, said Trumps decision to exit the pact is a mistake and would undermine efforts of disarmament.

Do they really not understand in Washington what this could lead to? Washingtons desire to turn back politics cannot be supported. Not only Russia, but also all who cherish the world, especially a world with out nuclear weapons, must declare this, Gorbachev told Interfax.

The signing of the treaty was seen as a watershed moment during the final days of the Cold War, helping to eliminate thousands of land-based missiles with ranges between approximately 300-3,400 miles.

According to the Kremlin, Bolton and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Tuesday amid soaring tensions over Washingtons declaration. Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he expected Bolton to professionally clarify the exact meaning of Trumps stance on the INF treaty.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that a unilateral withdrawal would result in negative impacts in many sides. She stressed at a daily news conference that it is completely mistaken to involve China in unilaterally pulling out of the treaty.

The INF is an important arms control and disarmament agreement signed by the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Hua said the pact has played an important role in easing international relations, pushing forward the process of nuclear disarmament as well as safeguarding global strategic balance and stability.

China urged relevant countries to cherish the hard-won results, properly handle this issue through dialogue, and think twice before exiting, she said.

Analysts worry that a US withdrawal could trigger an arms race worldwide.

Wang Xiaowei, a researcher at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the US withdrawal is actually in accordance with expectations as it is a vital step for the US to realize its ambitious strategic intentions.

On one hand, the withdrawal will help the US to curb Russias strategic influence in Europe. On the other hand, it can also strengthen its military forces in the Asia Pacific region if it is not restricted by the INF treaty.

AP contributed to this story.
Sicily, Italy -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/24/2018 -- The overwhelming interest in the Italian language and culture was obvious during the XVIII edition of the Italian Language Week, organized by the Italian Ministry of foreign affairs in cooperation with Accademia della Crusca, Societa Dante Alighieri and the Swiss Confederation: from October 15th to 21st 2018 more than 1300 events took place in over 80 countries worldwide with more than 130 embassies, consulates and cultural institutes involved.



The wide variety of initiatives of embassies, consulates and Italian cultural institutes available for everyone interested in learning our language can be found in the Italian Language Portal (http://www.linguaitaliana.esteri.it).



Immediately after the Italian Language Week another important event took place in Rome October 22nd: the third edition of "Stati Generali della Lingua italiana nel mondo". During the previous editions of this event some interesting facts have been discovered: in Australia, for example, Italian is the second most learnt language, and about 400 US American universities host Italian language departments.



The Language Week has turned out to be the most important event for promoting the Italian language abroad, with hundreds of initiatives all over the world.



Many international citizens consider the possibility of learning Italian in Italy.



Italian courses in Italy are in fact an excellent opportunity for young people and adults over 50 from all over the world to learn the Italian language or perfect their language abilities, combining a study holiday with a touristic experience.



The main advantage of studying Italian in Italy is that the student is surrounded by the Italian language during the entire journey. While sightseeing the student can practice all he or she has learnt during the lessons in everyday life.



Learning Italian in Italy is therefore an important step to living the Italian way all over the world: an enriching experience that is so much more than just language study. Learning Italian develops to living the country's history, traditions and lifestyle.



All lections are combined with some excursions to the most beautiful artistic and architectonic places in Italy.



All social and cultural activities that accompany the lectures are also held in Italian, enabling the student to live a total immersion, not only linguistic, but concerning the entire Italian way of life.



Apart from this, nearly all Italian language schools in Italy offer special "extra" courses, a real language study holiday: cooking sessions, food and wine degustation, ceramics courses, hiking and trekking, or even diving courses to obtain the PADI certificate.



If you want to live 100% the Italian way, you should definitely combine a wonderful holiday in Italy with a study abroad program to learn Italian in one of the language schools in Italy.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/24/2018 -- Global Body Screening Market: Overview



Body screening is a specific technique of identifying hidden objects that an individual may carry under their clothes. Most body screening equipment enable the formation of a 3D image of an individual standing under it, without any overalls or apparel. This implies the complete inspection of what a person may be carrying without and physical contact or authorities having to physically remove the suspect's clothes. Body screening equipment make use of wave technologies that were primarily used by military bodies for superior inspection and identification methods. A large number of body screening solutions are being used on airports as well as other locations where immigration of individuals can occur.



View Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/body-screening-market.html



This research report on the global body screening market provides a detailed examination in terms of chronological and relevant data with in-depth qualitative insights, along with market projections and predictions based on verifiable data and market expert insights. These forecasts that are featured in the report are largely generated through tried and true data gathering procedures research methodologies. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.



Global Body Screening Market: Trends and Opportunities:



The primary factor augmenting the growth rate of the global body screening market is the increasing concerns regarding security and safety, spurred by the swift rise in the rate of global terrorism and civil dissent. The global body screening market is likely to receive a significant growth boost over the coming years, primarily due to a rise in drug trafficking rates, terrorist activities, illegal migration and the recent crackdown against it in developed economies. Body screening is gaining preference among several governments due to its higher efficiency at identifying perpetrators and terrorists without disrupting or slowing down traffic. Body screening equipment are increasing being used in train stations and airports all over the globe, primarily due to rising threat of terrorism and for aviation security.



Request a Brochure of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=18020



On the basis of applications, the global body screening market is segmented into commercial, defense, and homeland security. The latter is further divided into seaports, airports, and VIP security. Defense is divided into high security zones, military premises, and border crossing controls. On the basis of technology, the global body screening market is segmented into digital tape measurements, white light patterns, laser scanners, 3D body scanners, and image modeling & processing. On the basis of systems, the market is segmented into X-ray systems, millimeter-wave, and backscatter.



Global Body Screening Market: Region-wise Outlook:



The global body screening market can be segmented on the basis of geography into the key regions of North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. North America has so far held a prominent position in the market as far as rate of adoption, player presence, and rate of research and development efforts are concerned. This especially visible in the stringent steps taken by the U.S government for the use of body screening procedures in airports. The growth of the market in Europe is expected to be limited over the coming years, due to bans imposed by several nations on full-body scanning owing to strict privacy protection policies. Conversely, the growth of the body screening market in emerging economies of Latin America and Asia Pacific is estimated to be significantly fast due to increasing security concerns, rise in the number of low cost carriers, expansion of the tourism industry, and booming air travel.



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Companies Mentioned in the Research Report:



The key players operating in the global body screening market include Westminster International Ltd. (U.K), Tek84 Engineering Group LLC (U.S), Smiths Detection (U.K), Scan-X Security Ltd. (U.K), Rapiscan Systems (U.S), Nuctech Co. Ltd. (China), L-3 Security And Detection Systems (U.S), Digital Barriers PLC (U.K), Braun And Company Limited (U.K), American Science and Engineering (U.S), and ADANI Systems (Belarus).



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Marine archaeologists from the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP) have discovered the 2,400-year-old intact shipwreck of an ancient Greek vessel on the floor of the Black Sea.

During the life of the Black Sea MAP project over 60 shipwrecks  varying in age from a 17th century Cossack raiding fleet, through Roman trading vessels complete with amphorae to a complete ship from the Classical period  were found.

It was during the most recent phase in 2017 that the archaeologists discovered a 75-foot (23 m) long Greek trading vessel.

The ancient ship lies in over 1.2 miles (2 km) of water deep in the Black Sea where the water is anoxic (oxygen free), which can preserve organic material for thousands of years.

A ship, surviving intact, from the Classical world, lying in over 1.2 miles of water, is something I would never have believed possible, said Black Sea MAP principal investigator Professor Jon Adams, from the University of Southampton, UK.

This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and seafaring in the ancient world.

In addition to the discovery of the shipwrecks, the researchers excavated the remains of an early Bronze Age settlement at Ropotamo in Bulgaria, near what was the ancient shoreline when the sea level was much lower than today.

As the waters rose, the settlement was abandoned and now the remains of house timbers, hearths and ceramics lie 8 feet (2.5 m) below the seabed.

The valley in which the village had lain became a sheltered bay visited by Greek colonists of the Archaic period, then a harbor for early Byzantine seafarers and finally an anchorage used by the Ottomans.
BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Tuesday met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Defense of Cambodia Tea Banh, and Nigerian Minister of Defense Mansur Dan-Ali in Beijing upon their attendance at the eighth Beijing Xiangshan Forum.

Wei said in his meeting with Banh that Chinese armed forces are willing to join hands with their Cambodian counterparts in implementing the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, expanding pragmatic cooperation and promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Cambodia.

Banh said that Cambodia firmly supported the one-China principle, and was willing to enhance comprehensive cooperation with China, consolidate their traditional friendship and promote the relationship between the armed forces of the two countries.

Wei said in his meeting with Mansur Dan-Ali that China welcomed Nigeria's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

He said that the efforts of Chinese and Nigerian leaders had led to major progress in the relationship between the countries' armed forces.

He also called on both sides to enhance their mutual strategic trust, further boost exchange and cooperation and bring the relationship between the two armed forces to a new level.

Dan-Ali thanked China for its support of Nigeria's social development and national defense, saying that Nigeria was willing to enhance its exchange and cooperation with China in international peacekeeping, personnel training and military science and technology development.
Military officials from ASEAN member countries were impressed after viewing a simulated training exercise on China's Qijiguang naval training ship in Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province on Tuesday.

Interested in teaching methods and training models on the ship, the group watched the Chinese naval crew complete maneuvers on a single-ship simulator and a virtual sailing formation system.

The teaching equipment installed on the Qijiguang can also provide confrontation exercises and other simulated drills through networked teaching terminals.

The system will improve training efficiency, Wang Jin, the ship's political commissar, told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that simulation systems are rarely installed on ships but common on land.

Captain You Fei told the Global Times that simulations allow more participants in one training session, greatly cutting costs.

The system contains information on the main vessel models of the Chinese Navy and is open to future upgrades, You said.

The simulation system has not been seen publicly and by inviting an observer group, "China expresses the good will of peace and friendship as host of the China-ASEAN joint maritime drills."

Military exchanges with ASEAN countries are beneficial and we always maintain an open mind so as to learn from each other, You said.

As the largest and most advanced training ship in Asia, the Qijiguang naval training ship has a full-load displacement of 9,000 tons and maximum speed of 22 knots. It can accommodate over 400 naval cadets or officers for training in offshore waters and high seas.
By Shao Longfei, Wang Shimin and Feng Xinhua

From October 24 to 26, 2018, the China Association for Military Science (CAMS) and China Institute for International Strategic Society (CIISS) will co-host the 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, director with the Secretariats Office of the forum and research fellow at the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Science, talked to journalists about the preparations, background and agenda of the forum.

Question: The 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is about to begin. As the director of the Secretariats Office, could you please brief us on the preparations for the forum?

Zhao Xiaozhuo: According to the schedule, a Chinese Party and state leader will attend the opening banquet of the forum and deliver a keynote speech. General Wei Fenghe, Chinese state councilor and defense minister, will deliver a keynote speech.

As of October 22, sixty-seven countries and seven international organizations have confirmed that they will send official delegations to attend the forum. Among them, nearly 50 foreign officials are at the vice-ministerial level and above. In addition, 82 foreign and 38 Chinese experts and scholars, as well as some observers will also attend the forum. There are a total of more than 500 official representatives and guests. Thus, compared with previous iterations of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, this years forum will be the largest one, both in terms of specification and scale.

Question: Could you please introduce the background of the 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum?

Zhao Xiaozhuo: At present, the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes, and peaceful development faces multiple challenges. The Cold War mentality, power politics, unilateralism and protectionism are clearly on the rise, and issues related to regional turmoil, terrorism, natural disasters and climate change are constantly arising.

Once again, human beings are at a crossroad of history: whether they will fight alone or work together and whether they will take the beggar-thy-neighbor policy or pursue mutual benefit and win-win results. These are the choices that all countries must make in our time. This forum is to be held in the context of the complex evolution of international security situation, and the debate on security philosophy will run through the forum.

Question: With the increasing improvement of both the specification and scale of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, what do you think will be the highlights of this forum as a member of the preparation team?

Zhao Xiaozhuo: What is certain is that the forum will become a platform for enhancing mutual trust and promoting cooperation, and make positive contributions to safeguarding world peace and stability.

The 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will have many highlights. Firstly, its extensively representative. This forum focuses on Asia-Pacific and obviously has a global perspective. Representatives from Asia, Oceania, America, Europe, Africa and Latin America, and many defense and military leaders, and experts and scholars will come together to exchange ideas on the topic issues.

Secondly, developing countries will form the main voice. Most of the forums speakers come from small- and medium-sized countries, which have fewer opportunities to speak on the international stage and have weaker say. However, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum provides a solid platform for them to make their own voices heard and express their own appeals.

Thirdly, there will be a face-to-face exchange between parties in dispute. The forum topics focus on hot issues, and all parties in dispute will sent personnel to participate in the exchanges. For example, there are representatives from both Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Republic of Korea (ROK) participating in the discussion of new security pattern for Northeast Asia. Representatives from Israel and Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey will talked about the way out for security issues in the Middle East.

Fourthly, its form will be rich and varied. For example, a seminar for young officers and scholars has been added. Young military officers and scholars from all continents will discuss international and regional security issues from the perspective of the younger generation, which will not only help deepen exchanges, communication and friendship, but also bring new hopes of resolving international security issues in the long run.

Question: According to the agenda, what international and regional issues will be the focus of the forum?

Zhao Xiaozhuo: Participants in this years forum will exchange views on topics of new ideas for and new approaches to international security governance, terrorism threats and countermeasures, reality and vision of maritime security cooperation, and challenges to and cooperation of UN peacekeeping.

They will discuss topics on sub-forums focused on the new security pattern for Northeast Asia and the way out for security issues in the Middle East, the assessment of Asia-Pacific military security mutual-trust mechanism, artificial intelligence and the evolution of warfare forms.

We believe that the 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will put heads together, narrow differences, and build consensus so that participants can talk about peace and development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world, and draw a blueprint for the win-win cooperation.
By Xu Ye, Jiang Shan

ST. JOHN'S, Oct. 24 (ChinaMil) -- The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark (Hull 866), currently on its Harmonious Mission 2018, arrived in Antigua and Barbuda's capital  St. John's on Monday at 10 a.m. for an eight-day friendly visit to the country. It was the first visit by a Chinese navy ship to Antigua and Barbuda.

Upon arrival, the ship was warmly welcomed by Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams and his wife at the port. Antigua and Barbuda's military band played the national anthems of both countries and local people performed traditional dances at the welcome ceremony.

At the ceremony, Williams said that the Peace Arks visit is a special gift from the Chinese government and its people, especially on the eve of the 37th anniversary celebrating the independence of Antigua and Barbuda. This visit has deepened the traditional friendship and promoted continuous exchanges between the two countries.

According to the task commander of the "Harmonious Mission 2018", the Peace Ark, loaded with the peace and friendship, will do whatever it takes to help local people. During its visit, the Peace Ark will carry out free medical services for local residents on the main platform of the ship, dispatch medical teams to local disability service centers and send ambulance helicopters to the island of Barbuda.

After the ceremony, Williams and his wife, together with government and military leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, embarked on the Peace Ark and visited Chinese medical staff.
Press Release

October 24, 2018 Dispatch from Crame No. 411

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on the Philippines as Duterte's Narco-State With billions of pesos worth of shabu smuggled successfully not once, but twice (and perhaps even more), into the Philippines under the very noses of Customs officials, the Philippines has truly become a Narco-State under no other President but Duterte himself. The biggest question in the Duterte administration's drug war that is not being answered by Malacanang is its anemic response to the smuggling of billions of pesos worth of shabu when compared to its impunity in killing alleged small-time pushers and addicts. PDEA claims that the latest smuggled shabu worth P6.8B, the shipment contained in magnetic lifters that slipped through Customs, has now found its way in the market. Former Customs X-Ray Chief Lourdes Mangaoang claims that if not for incompetence, or deliberate omission, Customs officials should have detected any illegal shipment hidden inside the hollow magnetic lifters. Despite these confirmations, the BoC and Malacanang, including Duterte himself, continue to deny the existence of this shipment. In the meantime, no official investigation as to who are responsible for this latest billion-peso shabu smuggling is ordered by Duterte. No Customs official is investigated or fired. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena refuses to accept responsibility for his agency's incompetence in stopping the smuggling of shabu, despite allegations even on his agency's possible connivance in the smuggling. This is just but a repeat of the original P6.4B shabu smuggled in five metal cylinders under the watch of then Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon last May of 2017. During the Senate investigation then, members of the so-called Davao Group who turned out to be friends and associates of presidential son Paolo Duterte were implicated in the importation of the illegal drugs. Faeldon was also immediately cleared by Malacanang of any responsibility for Customs' failure to stop the shipment, in the same way that Lapena is now being cleared by Duterte. There is a nagging pattern that shows Duterte's disinterest in going after these big-time smugglers and drug lords. First, there is a denial, and then a whitewash. For a President who has no qualms in ordering the summary execution of alleged small-time drug pushers and addicts, Duterte is exceptionally indifferent in going after the real drug lords who smuggle tons of illegal drugs into the country. One is tempted to believe that he is protecting them, and that his drug war is nothing but a sham to cover-up his own role as the number one protector of big-time drug lords in the country. In the two years that billions of pesos worth of shabu was smuggled into the country, one thing is clear. Duterte is not interested in going after the drug lord smugglers, or the Customs and other government officials who cover up their role or incompetence in the smuggling. Instead, he is the first to clear anyone of responsibility and frustrate any serious investigation on this network of drug lords, drug smugglers, and Customs officials that all point to a very influential person as the alleged leader of the so-called Davao Group. Clearly, he does not want to go to the bottom of all these things. By doing this, what is also clear is that Duterte is just letting shabu smuggled into the country find its way into our streets, to be sold by small-time drug pushers and addicts who are in turn marked for summary execution by the PNP and its death squads. This only makes the drug war itself part of the cover-up of large-scale drug operations controlled by drug lords and their government protectors. This is the real Philippine Narco-State that Duterte has built for himself, and for which he alone is responsible as the President who made it all possible.
Press Release

October 24, 2018 Dispatch from Crame No. 412

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on her colleague's reaction to the IPU reso I view with disappointment the harsh reactions of my colleagues, Senate President Tito Sotto and Sen. Ping Lacson, to the request of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for the Philippine Senate to act on the Duterte government's acts of persecution against me and Sen. Sonny Trillanes. As their fellow senator, I would like to think that they would be more receptive and open to the findings and recommendations of the IPU on the political persecution of one of their colleagues. Rather than criticize and disrespect this international organization of legislators, Senators Sotto and Lacson might do better to at least do an insightful reading of the IPU reports in order to understand where the IPU is coming from. After all, members of the IPU, like Senators Sotto and Lacson, are legislators in their respective countries who have certainly earned the right not to be treated with condescension by their Philippine counterparts. The IPU is not made up of unreasonable individuals who just happen to have the habit of picking on small countries like the Philippines. The IPU's Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians has gone through the length to look into my, and now Sen. Trillanes's, situation. They did not just blindly come out with their findings and recommendations. If only Senators Sotto and Lacson would open their petrified minds to what the members of the IPU have to say, maybe they can learn a thing or two about international collegiality and respectful interaction with their counterparts in the world. Sen. Lacson for one should know where the IPU is coming from. For a senator who once cried political persecution by the Arroyo Administration, and hid as a fugitive during my term as Secretary of Justice to evade what he claims to be an unjust warrant for his arrest, Sen. Lacson would expectedly be interested in looking into another case of political persecution. Unless, of course, his personal feelings of enmity against me for pursuing him while he evaded arrest have forever clouded his judgment, and now precludes him from deciding based on principles that he himself proclaimed to be fighting for during his rather long bout with the law. As for Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her position to withdraw membership of the Philippine Congress from the IPU, while patently unwise, is only expected. Arroyo's personal vendetta against me for her detention on electoral sabotage and plunder charges is not yet over, and is not about to end soon. She will continue to undermine any international effort in support of my plight as a political prisoner of President Duterte, who also just happens to be her major ally and personal savior from political ignominy. I have made enemies out of powerful individuals during my time as Secretary of Justice. Lacson and Arroyo who are now lashing out at the IPU for supporting my cause have their own personal reasons for my prolonged suffering under this government. For them it is just a matter of getting even, no more, no less. They are the least objective individuals to judge the reasonableness and value of the IPU recommendations on my case.
Press Release

October 24, 2018 CHIZ: WITHDRAWAL FROM IPU WILL ONLY ISOLATE PHL Sen. Chiz Escudero said a proposal seeking the country's pullout from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) following the organization's statement of concern over its perception of the human rights record of the administration will only isolate the Philippines from the community of nations. "Such isolationist policy will not serve the country's interests-both long-term and short-term," said Escudero in response to the recent proposal put forward by House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. According to Escudero, withdrawing from the IPU, a global organization of lawmakers, will also bolster allegations of political persecution of lawmakers critical to the Duterte administration. Rather than severing ties with the IPU, the Bicolano senator advised the government to use the platform as an opportunity to defend its human rights record and clear it name in the international community. Last March, the Philippines had notified the United Nations that it was pulling out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the latter's court prosecutor had announced an ongoing examination into allegations that President Duterte and his top officials had committed crimes against humanity in connection with the government's drug war policy. "Instead, the government must be able to defend and explain its position before these international organizations and not simply 'withdraw' each time it does not go their way," he said. However, Escudero said, he is still hoping that the government will still see the advantages of staying with the international parliamentary organization. "I hope the government reconsiders its position to withdraw and decide to simply engage other nations in these international fora and win them over." Arroyo attended last October the 139th IPU General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland during which member-states collectively expressed concern over the alleged human rights violations in the Philippines and the persecution of the Duterte administration's staunchest critics-detained Senator Leila de Lima and Senator Antonio Trillanes, whose amnesty had been revoked by the government. The IPU is composed of 178 member parliaments and 12 associate members.
Villanueva: Entry of 3rd telco to boost implementation of work-from-home bill

Senator Joel Villanueva on Wednesday said that the entry of a third telecommunications service provider could boost the implementation of the proposed Telecommuting Act or Work-From-Home Act.

Telecommuting is the partial or total substitution of computers or telecommunication technologies, or both, for the commute to work by employees.

"The entry of a third telco player will create competition and provide better services amid consumer problems on the country's slow and expensive internet. It will accommodate the potential influx of reliance on technology that may be brought about by the subsequent implementation of our Telecommuting Bill," said Villanueva, author and sponsor of the measure.

Based on content delivery provider Akamai's Global State of the Internet report in May 2017, the Philippines is reported to have the slowest average internet speed in Asia Pacific with an average of 5.5 megabits per second (mbps). This is much lower than the global average internet connection speed which is pegged at 7.2 mbps.

At present, internet services in the country are being offered by only two major telecom providers-the PLDT and Globe Telecom.

"We want to push for our Filipino workers to have a meaningful work-life balance by encouraging employers to explore telecommuting as a way of allowing work flexibility," the senator said.

"We therefore urge the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the National Telecommunications Commission and the private sector to work together to upgrade our existing internet infrastructure for our employees to afford an option to work under a flexible work arrangement," Villanueva said.
Steel & Tube Holdings has been ordered to pay a record fine for making misleading representations about steel mesh products that fell short of testing standards.

Auckland District Court Judge Warren Cathcart today sentenced the company to a fine of $1.89 million on 24 charges under the Fair Trading Act after an earlier guilty plea. The charges, brought by the Commerce Commission, related to conduct spanning four years, where Steel & Tube sold about 480,000 sheets of steel mesh for $24 million from 482 batches.

Steel & Tube misled the public with representations that the mesh met an Australia/New Zealand standard for reinforcing steel when it didn't, and that the batches had been independently tested when they hadn't.

The judge started at a $2.9 million fine for the company, discounted to reflect Steel & Tube's cooperation and early guilty plea.

"Steel & Tubes representations arose because senior management of a large company failed to put in place adequate procedures and oversight," commission chair Mark Berry said in a statement. "The penalty imposed today demonstrates that this is unacceptable and high-risk conduct that undermines the confidence of the public in construction products being sold into the market.

The company pleaded guilty in August last year, three days before reporting a 22 percent slump in annual profit. The result acknowledged the prosecution and included costs, penalties and fines that could be imposed within its $4.8 million of provisioning.

At the time, then-chief executive Dave Taylor said the company was working with the Commerce Commission to reach an appropriate resolution and that "the expected costs of this prosecution have been accrued, as have any expected proceeds under the groups insurance policies", without explicitly stating that it had entered a guilty plea. Taylor stepped down a month later, ending eight years in charge of the company.

Under new CEO Mark Malpass, Steel & Tube has strengthened its balance sheet with a deeply discounted rights issue, fended off an opportunistic takeover bid by Fletcher Building, and now has its major supplier - New Zealand Steel - as a cornerstone shareholder.

Steel & Tube shares were recently up 1.5 percent to $1.38.

(BusinessDesk)

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AMP plans to spin out its New Zealand wealth management and advice division in an initial public offering next year.

The Australian financial services firm has been reshaping under new leadership as it tries to rebuild a reputation tarnished by unethical practices uncovered by Australia's Royal Commission into the banking sector's conduct. That's included a review of the portfolio spanning banking, insurance, wealth management, financial advice and funds management.

That shake-up will see AMP exit its New Zealand wealth management and advice businesses through a public offer next year, provided the market conditions are right.

A decision has yet to be made on whether to list on the NZX alone or to pursue a dual-listing that includes the ASX. The parent's head shares are currently dual-listed.

The kiwi businesses contribute operating earnings of about A$40 million on a standalone basis. The spin-out won't include the local AMP Capital funds management unit.

"The IPO would release capital to AMP and create a standalone New Zealand wealth management and advice business," AMP said in a statement. If it goes ahead, the offer will be made under New Zealand law.

AMP has also agreed to sell AMP Life to Resolution Life for A$3.3 billion in cash, preference shares and future earn-outs. The firm has also signed an agreement with Swiss Re to reinsure the Kiwi retail wealth protection business before the planned sale, freeing up A$150 million of capital.

"The completion of our portfolio review marks a major step forward in reshaping AMP as a simpler, more focused group, that is well-positioned to compete in our core markets," acting chief executive Mike Wilkins said.

Incoming CEO Francesco De Ferrari has been tasked with transforming AMP, which Wilkins said will be easier with the extra flexibility created by the exits.

Separately, AMP reported a net cash outflow of A$1.5 billion in the three months ended Sept. 30, with weaker inflows since the firm's appearances at the Royal Commission earlier this year. Those hearings uncovered the firm misled the Australian Securities & Investments Commission over charging fees to customers who were provided no services in return.

The New Zealand business largely avoided the scandal, operating under a different regulatory framework. Managing director Blair Vernon said the proposed changes won't affect existing insurance policies or investment schemes.

"AMP New Zealand is a highly efficient, well-run business which has been a consistent contributor to AMP," he said in a statement. "A strong team with a history of consistent delivery for all stakeholders has prepared AMP New Zealand for this significant change."

The New Zealand financial services unit's net cash inflow improved to A$81 million in the September quarter, due to increased inflows and smaller outflows from its insurance and non-KiwiSaver investment products. KiwiSaver funds under management swelled to A$4.98 billion, rising at a slower pace than the previous quarter due to increased competition and a higher number of retirement withdrawals.

AMP's dual-listed shares fell 1.7 percent to $3.50 on the NZX.

(BusinessDesk)

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U.S.-based Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi was "murdered in a ferocious manner," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. Erdogan contended that Saudi Arabia carried out the killing in its Istanbul consulate in a premeditated plot, and dismissed Riyadh's claim that "rogue agents" were responsible.

"All evidence gathered shows that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a savage murder," Erdogan told the Turkish parliament in Ankara. "To cover up such savagery would hurt the human conscience." The Turkish leader said "to blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community."

Erdogan demanded that whoever ordered the killing of Khashoggi must "be brought to account," and that the 18 officials already arrested by Saudi Arabia in connection with the killing stand trial in Istanbul.

In Washington, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Erdogan's assessment of the killing "underscores the determination" of the Trump administration "to find out what happened." "The word from President Erdogan this morning that this brutal murder was premeditated, pre-planned days in advance, flies in the face of earlier assertions that had been made by the Saudi regime," he said.

"The world is watching," Pence said at an event at the Washington Post, where Khashoggi wrote opinion columns that were critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader. "The American people want answers, and we will demand that those answers are forthcoming."

Erdogan told Turkish lawmakers that "Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder." "As of now, he added, "we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible, from the highest ranked to the lowest, and to bring them to justice."

The Turkish president described Khashoggi's death as a "murder" 15 times in his speech. But he never mentioned Mohammed bin Salman in his speech and did not play an audio of the killing that news accounts have cited.


Why are no actress naming A-list superstars of any industry in India? Why are no top rung actress taking about sexual harassment? She raises these questions. Harshika's post is quite controversial and her view is completely opposite to the main argument that is going on now.

Heard of Harshika Poonacha? She is a Kannada actress who has been part of the industry for a while now. As Me Too movement is going strong, with many women coming out with their own horrific stories of sexual predators in the industry, Harshika has another view to share. She says some actresses are using this movement for publicity.

Read to know her full statement..

"Hello all , i have been watching all the developments of the so called #metoomovement. Being a strong woman myself and seeing our film industry from close quarters i totally agree that nobody should disrecpect women ,objectify them or force them to do anything against their will but iam truly disgusted to see how few actresses are using their feminity as a tool for pure publicity. Publicity is good ! But at the cost of what ?? Breaking a persons family ? Shaming his wife and kids ? Trying to ruin a persons career they have created with a struggle of over 15 -20 years with just 1 statement ?? Let me put it straight here !!

"I have been in this industry for nearly 10 years and i have seen everything personally with my own eyes.. Most of these so called activist actresses do everything when they badly need what they want in the initial stages of thier careers (get cast in good films , make money, network , travel, luxurious life etc) by giving all the freedom to these men who they now accuse for their own selfish needs of publicity , they start targeting the same men who they were smiling and walking hands in hands with ! I personally have seen these so called great activist actresses smoking ganja, having a great time in their song shoots in foriegn countries, falling on famous men (actors from other industries , producers , real estate barons etc at big award functions in Malaysia , Dubai, Singapore etc ) and doing things that i donot want to mention here. So at that moment it was fine to do what ever it needed for you to become a household name but now that you have gotten it you start making allegations on men who you have used for your personal success ??? Where was your me too feeling when it hapened 10,5,2 years back ?? Oh ! So at that phase it was ok but now you want to save all the women in the world from the clutches of these monster men?? Nonsense !! Utter nonsense !! I have a question for you!

"Do you have the guts to name the A list superstars in each film industry ???

"Why arent the superstar actresses of every industries not making any claims or allegations ??

"1 of the famous producers who is close to me and a wellwisher was showing me a video of a few of these so called me too actresses happily smoking ganja lying down on a famous persons shoulder and talking about how they can spoil the names of a few people. In another video there is this famous actor who has shot a video himself of this famous actress half nude in the car where she is seen happily telling him "i should be there in your next film also ok"

"This is not the way it should be! Correct ??

"I being an actress myself have come across a few people who asked me for favours and i clearly gave it back very politely and made my priorities and values clear to them right then and there !! And now after 10 years iam very proud of myself that NOT 1 PERSON in any industry can point a finger at me because i have remained pure and clean and done work which were clean ! I might have missed out on many big projects with big superstars but iam a very happy person and i still have a wonderful relationship with people from all industries.

"There might be a few people who oppose what i say today but thats the fact and it will remain so. I understand there are few men who are bad and might force women for favours to give them work but nobody will rape you or nobody will man handle you to do things you dont like!! You can always say a strong "NO" and walk out of whatever that you dont like !! A clap can happen only when 2 hands come together. So my request to all your activist actresses and generally to all women in industry is to #bereal. I think its high time men start the #wetoo movement because i know of so many who have been used by these actresses for their fame and name and then gotten ditched by thess actresses after they get what they want!

"I was keeping quiet for so long thinking i should not talk against my fellow actresses but this is becoming a mockery of us other actresses and our industry which has given us bread and butter and made us what we are today ! Jai Karnataka!."
Trade buzz is that the overseas and rest of India (outside Tamil Nadu) distributors of Sarkar have requested Sun Pictures to advance the release date of the film from Diwali day (November 6) to November 2 (Friday).

Trade buzz is that the overseas and rest of India (outside Tamil Nadu) distributors of Sarkar have requested Sun Pictures to advance the release date of the film from Diwali day (November 6) to November 2 (Friday).

But Tamil Nadu distributors have asked the producers to release the film only on November 6 as Diwali day release will be extra special.





Majority of fans also want Sun Pictures to release Sarkar only on November 6 as students of Anna University and Madras University have exams on November 2 so they will be missing the first-day-first-show celebrations.




: A man alleged that his relative was refused treatment at the King George's Medical University in Lucknow despite holding an Ayushman Bharat card. The man also alleges of having been told by the doctors to go to PM Narendra Modi if they did not have money for treatment.

The patient, 28-year-old Kamlesh, reportedly hails from UP's Shahjahanpur district and had electrocuted himself several days agp. He was rushed to the district hospital from where he was referred to KGMU.
President Moon Jae-in signed an inter-Korean military agreement into law in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday without subjecting it to scrutiny by the National Assembly. He also signed into law a joint declaration drawn up by the leaders of the two Koreas at their summit in September.

Moon earlier stressed that the inter-Korean pacts must be adhered to even if the administration changes.

"The declaration takes effect after being published in the government gazette while the military agreement takes effect on both sides after documents are exchanged with North Korea," a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said.


In a video that has gone viral, Smriti Irani had said, "I have right to pray,but no right to desecrate. I am nobody to speak on SC verdict as I'm a serving cabinet minster. Would you take sanitary napkins seeped in menstrual blood into a friend's home? No.Why take them into house of God?"

Congress leader and social media in-charge of the party Divya Spandana slammed Union Minister Smriti Irani for her comment on the Supreme Court verdict in the Sabarimala temple entry case.

In her tweet, Divya criticized the Union Minister and said, "Nothing that comes out of the vagina is to be ashamed of. Cant say the same about the mouth."

Nothing that comes out of the vagina is to be ashamed of. Cant say the same about the mouth. https://t.co/vAuTrJ9lsr  Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) October 23, 2018

Responding to the furore over her remarks on "menstrual blood" at a time when protests against women's entry into the Sabarimala temple are on, the minister said a propaganda was being launched using her as bait. Interestingly, before she responded to her comment, the Union minister had claimed that the video was "fake news".

Since many people are talking about my comments  let me comment on my comment.



As a practising Hindu married to a practising Zoroastrian I am not allowed to enter a fire temple to pray.  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 23, 2018

Going by the various media reports, the Union textile minister was speaking at the "Young Thinkers" conference in Mumbai, when she made the remarks while speaking on the Sabarimala controversy, she had said that "the right to pray did not mean the right to desecrate".

"I am nobody to speak against the Supreme Court verdict as I am a serving Cabinet minister. But just plain common sense is that would you carry a napkin seeped with menstrual blood and walk into a friend's house? You would not. And would you think it is respectful to do the same when you walk into the house of God? That is the difference. I have the right to pray, but no right to desecrate. That is the difference we need to recognise and respect," Irani reportedly said at the event.

Once the reports went viral, she took to Twitter to call it "fake news" and said she would come out with a clarification soon.
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday signed into law a joint declaration drawn up by the leaders of the two Koreas at their third summit in September and a supplementary military agreement without submitting them for ratification to the National Assembly. But the declaration is largely a follow-up accord to the joint declaration announced at the first summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April, which the National Assembly has yet to ratify. Moon is blithely jumping the gun.

The government decided to forego National Assembly ratification because it felt that there is nothing in the agreements that could "impose a significant fiscal burden on the public." A cursory look indeed suggests that there may be no significant causes for fiscal expenditures. They merely call for a ground-breaking ceremony for the re-linking of inter-Korean railways and roads, talks to re-open the shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex and cooperation on forestry. But actual construction to reconnect severed cross-border railways could cost up to W40 trillion, and the government is rushing into breaking ground before producing an exact cost estimate (US$1=W1,137). This suggests it wants to push the cross-border projects so far that the next government will find it difficult to halt them.

Opposition parties also pointed out that the military agreement falls into the category of an "agreement concerning national security," which requires National Assembly ratification under the Constitution. That is because expanding the no-fly zone around the military demarcation line and ending naval drills near the Northern Limit Line could have profound implications for South Korea's national security. One U.S. military expert who used to be a colonel said the expanded no-fly zones over the MDL would "benefit North Korea." The U.S. Forces Korea, which protects South Korea's borders together with domestic troops, is unhappy about the military agreement. Yet the Moon Jae-in administration is railroading the agreements into law simply because it can. It remains to be seen whether the National Assembly will take legal steps to determine the constitutionality of the latest moves.

What, at any rate, was the rush? There has been absolutely no progress in North Korean denuclearization as the North continues to refuse to hand over an inventory of its nuclear weapons and facilities or hold working-level talks with U.S. officials. But the South Korean government has already opened its chest of rewards, which should remain firmly locked until the North starts scrapping its nuclear weapons. If Seoul messes up the entire process, it could end up being seen as actually aiding and abetting North Korea in its ambitions to become a nuclear power.


Home  Just In  From the Kathmandu Press: Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Wednesday have given priority to a host of issues on their front pages. The most common news stories featured on the covers are the launch of an electric bus service in Kathmandu, exchange of arguments between Nepal Communist Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Province 2 Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut and the Secretariat meeting of ruling NCP.

Besides, there are few other important and interesting stories from political, sociocultural and economic spheres.

Important

Keshav Sthapit accused of sexual harassment

A six column lead story in The Kathmandu Post reports that two womena former staffer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and a former journalisthave accused Province 3 Minister for Physical Infrastructure Keshav Sthapit, who is also a former mayor of Kathmandu, of sexually harassing them. Rashmila Prajapati and Ujjwala Maharjan have resorted to social media to share their stories as part of global #MeToo movement, according to the report.

Sthapit, however, has denied meeting Maharjan and countered details given by Prajapati.

Suspended cops to furnish clarifications over Pant murder probe today

Nepal Police SP Dilli Raj Bista and Inspector Jagadish Bhatta, who have been accused of mishandling the case related to rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant in Kanchanpur three months ago, are preparing to furnish the government with their clarifications today, reports The Himalayan Times lead story.

On the other hand, the government is preparing to dismiss them irrespective of what they will claim in the clarifications, according to the report.

Meanwhile, The Kathmandu Post adds that the Police Headquarters is preparing to quiz them over the issue soon.

Thapa fears govt toppling by reactionary forces

Annapurna Post and The Himalayan Times report that Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa has expressed his fears that reactionary forces including the main opposition Nepali Congress are preparing to topple the government and jeopardise the political achievements of federalism, republicanism, proportional representation, secularism and inclusion.

Thapa said so while speaking at a meeting of Nepal Communist Party Secretariat yesterday.

Meanwhile, two Secretariat membersMadhav Kumar Nepal and Narayan Kaji Shresthahave given the birth to a new faction in the party over the formation of provincial committees, reports Rajdhani in its lead story.

Ignored

Congress yet to decide venue for mahasamiti meeting

The main opposition party Nepali Congress is scheduled to hold is mahasamiti meeting in November in Kathmandu. However, the party is yet to decide the venue for the event and the party President Sher Bahadur Deuba has recently directed Kathmandu district president Sabuj Baniya to find the place, reports Gorkhapatra.

Meanwhile, factions led by Ram Chandra Paudel and Krishna Prasad Sitaula have opposed the party leaderships proposal of making the president more powerful through a amendment to the party constitution, according to the lead story of Naya Patrika.

Amendment to contradictory laws delayed

Kantipur reports in a three column story that the government has failed to prepare draft bills for the amendment to laws that contradict new constitutional provisions though the 2015 constitution has given a deadline of March next year for the task.

According to the constitution, the Federal Parliament should amend the provisions that counter the constitution within one year of its first meeting, and the deadline will expire in the first week of March.

Otherwise, the contradictory laws will be null and void automatically.

Local govts barred from distributing social security allowance at their discretion

The federal government has introduced the new Social Security Act, which will bar local governments from distributing social security allowance at their own discretion, reports Karobar in a two column story.

The new law has it that the federal government will allocate funds for the allowances, hence local governments cannot allocate separate funds to avoid duplication.

Staff shortage hits court functioning hard

Republica reports in a four column story that the countrys judiciary has been grappling with severe shortage of human resources, resulting in the delay in justice delivery.

The report informs that the Supreme Court two months ago had asked the government to approve 1,339 new positions in the judiciary. Though the Ministry has already given the green signal, the Cabinet is yet to approve the request.

Interesting

Record rice production predicted for this year

The government has predicted that the country will produce around 5.8 million metric ton rice, the highest annual cultivation since the government began recording the production, this year.

Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Yubak Dhoj GC, has attributed the improvement to better monsoon rains and control of diseases, according to Nagarik anchor story.
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd14ed28)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd58e5b0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd14ed28)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd58e5b0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd157fa8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd58e5b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd58e5b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdcc77ba0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd5b9c80)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd5b9c80)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd6be388)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd6d7968)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd6be388)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd6d7968)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd6e0788)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd6d7968)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd6d7968)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdcc784e8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd6e5e48)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd6e5e48)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd5a68e8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd459dc0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd5a68e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd459dc0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd45d760)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd459dc0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd459dc0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdcc77ab0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd5a9da0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd5a9da0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd591958)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd5bfbc0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd591958)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd5bfbc0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd5cb3a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd5bfbc0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdd5bfbc0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdcc791d0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd5a9cd0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdd5a9cd0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



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Home  Just In  Nepal introducing new intellectual property law, says Minister Yadav

Kathmandu, October 24

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Yadav says the government is drafting a new law on protection and promotion of intellectual property rights.

During a meeting with World Intellectual Property Organisations Director General Francis Gurry in Geneva of Switzerland, the Minister said the new law would be based on the previous law, but protection of national interests would also be prioritised.

Yadav said protection intellectual property was a challenging task, but the government was committed to it as the constitution also recognises it as a fundamental right.

He said the government would spread awareness among the public to promote the idea.

On the occasion, he acknowledged the support provided by the WIPO to Nepal so far. In response, Gurry said the Organisation would continue its support.
US security chief says 'productive' talks in Moscow despite treaty pull out



Moscow, Oct 23 (AFP) Oct 23, 2018



US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Tuesday praised "productive" talks with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials despite an earlier announcement by Washington that it would pull out of a Cold War-era nuclear weapons treaty.

Bolton was in Moscow for two days of talks with the Russian defence and foreign ministers, among others, after US leader Donald Trump declared he was ditching the three-decade-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

"I had a series of very comprehensive and productive discussions," Bolton told a press conference after the visit.

A 90-minute meeting with Putin on Tuesday touched on the conflict in Syria and alleged election meddling by Russia as well as Trump's decision on the arms agreement, he said.

"We had lengthy conversations about arms control issues, the new strategic landscape and the INF treaty" he said.

Signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, the INF resolved a crisis over Soviet nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles targeting Western capitals.

Bolton described it as "a Cold-War bilateral treaty in a multipolar world" that did not cover the activities of countries such as China or North Korea.

He said he would want the US to remain in the treaty "if I were living in Beijing. But I am not".

A formal notice of withdrawal has yet to be filed but will be "in due course", he added. Moscow and Washington have both accused the other of violating the agreement.

Bolton said the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, another Soviet-era agreement that was abandoned by George W. Bush, was previously considered a cornerstone of global security but that the world had remained safe without it.

However the withdrawal from that deal created immense ill-will in Russia and Putin this year described the unilateral decision as the beginning of a new arms race.



- Trump, Putin meeting -



Earlier on Tuesday Bolton said Trump wished to meet Putin when the two visit Paris on November 11 for World War I commemorations.

The last time the pair met was in Helsinki this summer, after which Trump was criticised at home for failing to publicly address sensitive issues with his Russian counterpart.

Moscow-Washington ties are under deep strain over accusations Moscow meddled in the 2016 US presidential election. The two states are also at odds over Russian support for Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria's civil war, and the conflict in Ukraine.

"We discussed our continuing concern with Russian meddling in elections and why it was particularly harmful for Russian-American relations without producing anything in return," Bolton said of his meeting with Putin.

The pair also discussed the last major Syrian rebel-held bastion of Idlib.

"I reiterated what President Trump said on avoiding human catastrophe there," Bolton said of the fate of the province.
Israel to resume Gaza fuel flow Wednesday: defence ministry



Jerusalem, Oct 23 (AFP) Oct 23, 2018



Israel will on Wednesday resume supplies of fuel to the Gaza Strip after a 12-day halt imposed over violent border clashes, the defence ministry said.

Israel suspended the desperately needed deliveries of Qatari-financed diesel on October 12, hours after Israeli troops shot dead five Palestinians who the army said broke through the border fence and attacked a military post inside Israel.

"In accordance with recommendations by security bodies it has been decided to resume the supply of 'Qatari fuel' from tomorrow," the ministry statement said on Tuesday night.

On Sunday, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the reopening of Gaza's goods and pedestrian crossings into Israel after a four-day closure sparked by a Palestinian rocket attack into southern Israel.

His office cited "a decrease in the violent events in Gaza over the weekend and efforts Hamas made to restrain" border protests as grounds for the reopenings.

Near-daily protests along the Gaza 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 and one Israeli have been killed in the violence.

The fuel deal, brokered by the United Nations and backed by the United States, Israel and others, briefly brought thousands of litres of diesel into Gaza daily to boost the impoverished territory's electricity supply.

But the daily shipments to Hamas-ruled Gaza's only power station lasted merely for three days.

Under the limited agreement Qatar, a longtime Hamas backer, was to pay $60 million for fuel to be brought into Gaza over six months.
Security scare briefly locks down US nuclear weapons facility



Chicago, Oct 23 (AFP) Oct 23, 2018



Employees at the United States' primary nuclear weapons facility were briefly told to "shelter in place" Tuesday, when a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot triggered an emergency response.

The incident at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas occurred just before noon (1800 GMT), when a routine inspection identified "a potential concern with a vehicle," the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a statement.

"As a precaution, all employees were sheltered in place."

Police were called and authorities closed roads around the facility for about an hour while officials investigated.

"After searching the vehicle, it was determined there were no prohibited items or explosives, and the emergency event was resolved without incident," the NNSA said.

The plant is operated by government contractors and is the nation's primary one of six facilities for the assembly and dismantlement of nuclear weapons.

A recording on the plant's phone system said it was operating normally after what was initially described as a "security event."
Greek ex-minister jailed for graft in long-running defence probe



Athens, Oct 24 (AFP) Oct 24, 2018



A prominent Greek socialist ex-minister was jailed for graft late Tuesday in a 2003 case linked to a navy frigate upgrade, a court source said.

Former defence minister Yannos Papantoniou and his wife were placed in pre-trial detention for allegedly stashing some 2.8 million Swiss francs (2.45 million euros) from contract bribes in dozens of Swiss accounts.

Both deny the charges.

A 69-year-old economist, Papantoniou, was a key minister in successive socialist administrations between 1994 and 2004, previously serving as finance minister as Greece prepared to join the euro.

Papantoniou had been under investigation for the past 15 years.

In 2006, he won a defamation case against France's Liberation daily, over an article claiming that French defence contractor Thales had set aside a "commission fee" for him to secure a major security contract for the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Thales eventually lost the contract to American contractor SAIC.

Papantoniou is the second member of the powerful Pasok party to be jailed for graft, following founding party member Akis Tsochatzopoulos, who had preceded Papantoniou at the defence ministry.

Tsochatzopoulos was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2013 for contract kickbacks but was released in July on grounds of ill health.

str-jph/nla
Spain PM defends selling arms to Saudi despite journalist's death



Madrid, Oct 24 (AFP) Oct 24, 2018



Spain's Socialist prime minister defended Wednesday arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia despite an outcry over the murder of a Saudi journalist, saying it was in the country's "interests" to keep selling military hardware to the kingdom.

"If you ask me where I stand today, it is in the defence of the interests of Spain, of jobs in strategic sectors in areas badly affected by the drama that is unemployment," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told parliament.

Spain's state-owned shipbuilder Navantia in July signed a deal worth 1.8 billion euros ($2.0 billion) to supply oil-rich Saudi Arabia with five navy ships.

The shipbuilder is located in the southern region of Andalusia, a socialist bastion which has one of Spain's highest unemployment rates and which will hold regional elections in December.

Sanchez said he shared the "dismay and condemnation" of international public opinion regarding the "horrible assassination" of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

But the "seriousness of these horrible events which I unequivocally condemn can not and should not prevent us from acting responsibly," he added.

Catalan separatist parties and far-left party Podemos, whose support Sanchez's minority government depends on, have called on the government to suspend Spain's arms sales to Saudi Arabi in protest against Khashoggi's murder.

Sanchez's government came under fire in September after it decided to go ahead with the delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, amid concerns that they could harm civilians in Yemen where the kingdom is engaged in a bloody conflict.

The government had earlier said it would block the export of the weapons but Sanchez justified the about face at the time on the grounds that it was needed to preserve good ties with the Gulf state, a key commercial partner for Spain.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and prominent critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after entering the consulate in Turkey on October 2.

His murder has revived the debate in countries around the world over their ties to Saudi Arabia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that Berlin would not export arms to Saudi Arabia for now in the wake of Khashoggi's violent death.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that it would be "extremely difficult" to cancel a 2014 blockbuster sale of armoured personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia Without "paying exorbitant penalties".
Former US Europe commander warns of likely 'war with China'



Warsaw, Oct 24 (AFP) Oct 24, 2018



The former commander of US Army forces in Europe warned on Wednesday of a "very strong likelihood" of an armed conflict between his country and China in the Pacific.

"I think in 15 years, it's not inevitable, but it is a very strong likelihood that we will be at war with China," recently retired US Lieutenant General Ben Hodges told defence experts meeting at the Warsaw Security Forum in the Polish capital on Wednesday.

Hodges served as US Army commander in Europe until last year and is now a strategic studies expert at the Washington-based Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

"The United States does not have the capacity to do everything it has to do in Europe and in the Pacific to deal with the Chinese threat," he said, also describing the US commitment to NATO as "unshakeable".

NATO manoeuvres at the end of October in Norway are intended as a show of force and unity in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia.

Running from October 24-November 7, the Trident Juncture 18 exercise will draw in 45,000-50,000 troops -- the biggest movement of NATO personnel and vehicles since the Cold War.

"It's in the American interest -- and the American leadership knows that -- to have a very strong European pillar. Even if not one European country is spending a euro on its own defence, stability and security in Europe is in the interest of the United States," Hodges later told AFP on the margins of the security forum.

"The president (Donald Trump) knows that, Defence Secretary (James) Mattis knows that, so you're going to see us continue to invest here in Europe, continue to train, to practise rotational forces as well as permanently assign forces for the eventuality that in ten or 15 years we're going to be having to fight in the Pacific," Hodges added.

NATO allies have beefed up their presence on the bloc's eastern flank over the past four years, operating rotating garrisons in eastern Europe and the Baltic states in a response to Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

The US army also set up a new European headquarters in Poland in the spring of last year to command some 6,000 of its troops deployed in NATO and Pentagon operations across the alliance's eastern frontier.

The move is one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War.
Burundi govt to miss last round of crisis dialogue



Arusha, Tanzania, Oct 24 (AFP) Oct 24, 2018



Burundi's government said on Wednesday it would miss a last round of crisis talks in Tanzania that aimed to set up elections for 2020.

"Since October is a month of mourning in Burundi, the government has suggested that talks scheduled for October 24 be delayed," an official tweet said.

It referred to the murders of prince Louis Rwagasore on October 13, 1961, and Melchior Ndadaye, the country's first democratically elected president, on October 21, 1993.

The ruling Cndd-FDD party said Tuesday in local media that it would not participate if Burundi's government and the talks' organisers did not agree on who would "take part in a signing ceremony of a road map leading to 2020 elections".

Burundi has been gripped by political crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a third term in office in 2015, provoking severe civil unrest that has left at least 1,200 dead and displaced over 400,000 people.

The East African (EAC) bloc of countries is seeking to broker a political deal between the government and the opposition.

So far however, the government has refused to hold talks with some opposition groups that it brands terrorists, despite a mediation set up by regional countries under former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa.

A source close to Mkapa told AFP "I am not very optimistic" about the chances of a meeting taking place.

Opposition leader Anicet Niyongabo of the umbrella group Cnared told AFP by phone from Arusha: "This shows again that the Cndd-FDD never intended to negotiate with the opposition to lift Burundi out of crisis."

str-cyb-ndy/wai/pma
He took the top title in the 2018 Farmers Apprentice organised by Farmers Weekly, having made his way from an initial pool of 250 applicants through to an intense final week of tasks.



Sam, whose home is in Spennymoor, Co. Durham, battled against eight other contestants on bootcamp-style challenges as varied as fitting an autosteer system to a tractor to delivering a presentation to primary school pupils.

He took home a cash prize of 10,000 to invest in his farming future and his success is all the more creditable as the 22-year -old is not from a farming background.

Catherine Dixon, Askham Bryan Colleges Chief Executive said:

We are absolutely thrilled at Sams success which is richly deserved. He is a credit not only to himself, but also to Askham Bryan and clearly has bright future ahead. The Farmers Apprentice is a superb way of highlighting the incredible skills and knowledge that young people need to take the industry forward. Sam, and fellow Askham Bryan finalist Harry Madin, have without a doubt demonstrated impressive ability and their passion for agriculture.

A residential student, Sam graduated in July with a first in Agricultural Management and was encouraged to take part in the competition by his tutor, Fiona Macdonald. He is no stranger to success having achieved Askham Bryan Colleges Student of the Year Awards twice during his five years at the York-based campus.

Throughout his diploma and degree studies, Sam gained practical experience working near his home on a mixed beef and arable family farm  LR Welsh & Company. He also developed his leadership skills as Chairman and Treasurer of the Durham City Young Farmers Club. He is currently working on a sheep and beef farm in New Zealand.
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Aker Solutions ASA: Third-Quarter Results 2018

October 24, 2018 - Aker Solutions' earnings strengthened in the third quarter of 2018 as orders more than doubled from a year earlier amid increasing signs of a market recovery.

Financial Highlights

Revenue NOK 6.5 billion

EBITDA NOK 463 million

EBITDA margin 7.1%

EBITDA ex. special items NOK 492 million

EBITDA margin ex. special items 7.5%

Earnings per share ex. special items NOK 0.60

Order intake NOK 5.9 billion

Order backlog NOK 36.1 billion

The company delivered strong execution on major projects globally and made good progress on the second phase of its cost-efficiency program. These efforts helped maintain margins compared with a year earlier.

"Our order intake in the quarter more than doubled versus the same period a year earlier and we're seeing high tendering activity in all our markets," said Luis Araujo, chief executive officer of Aker Solutions. "A main development this quarter is that we are seeing increased order intake in key global markets such as China, Brazil and Angola, in line with our strategic ambitions," he said.

Orders totaled NOK 5.9 billion in the quarter, bringing the backlog to NOK 36.1 billion.

Orders in the quarter included a contract from Petrobras to deliver a subsea production system and related services at the Mero field development offshore Brazil. Petrobras also awarded a contract to Aker Solutions for maintenance and modifications services for nine oil and gas platforms at the Campos Basin. In Angola, Aker Solutions secured a contract with BP to deliver brownfield services at their Greater Plutonio and PSVM fields. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) awarded Aker Solutions a contract to deliver power umbilical systems to their Liuhua field. In the UK, Point Resources extended its maintenance and modifications contract with Aker Solutions in the North Sea.

In the quarter, the company signed a frame agreement with Equinor for current and future subsea projects. Aker Solutions also secured two 5-year framework agreements for potential future deliveries of unmanned wellhead platforms and subsea production systems and lifecycle services at ConocoPhillips-operated oil and gas fields on the Norwegian shelf.

Aker Solutions won 33 front-end orders in the period, bringing the total for the first three quarters of the year to 107. Almost a third of those orders are for projects outside Norway.

Finances were solid, with a liquidity buffer of NOK 7.4 billion at the end of the quarter.

Revenue and EBITDA

Revenue rose to NOK 6.5 billion in the quarter from NOK 5.4 billion a year earlier, driven by increased North Sea modifications work and continued good progress on a number of key projects across all business lines. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were NOK 463 million, compared with NOK 401 million a year earlier.

The EBITDA margin was 7.1 percent versus 7.4 percent a year earlier. Excluding special items, the margin was 7.5 percent compared with 7.8 percent a year earlier.

Aker Solutions has two reporting segments: Projects and Services. Revenue in Projects rose to NOK 5.2 billion in the quarter from NOK 4.2 billion a year earlier, mainly driven by recent strong order intake and ongoing North Sea modification and hook-up jobs. Excluding special items, EBITDA margin was 7.2 percent in the quarter versus 7.7 percent a year earlier.

Revenue in Services rose to NOK 1.3 billion in the quarter from NOK 1.2 billion a year earlier, driven by international growth in the company's production asset services sub-segment. Excluding special items, the EBITDA margin was 14.9 percent in the quarter compared with 13.5 percent a year earlier.

Outlook

The outlook for oil services remains competitive and there is pressure on pricing. Still, there are increasing signs of a recovery amid lower break-even costs and higher oil prices.

Tendering activity is high in the company's main markets. Aker Solutions is bidding for contracts totaling about NOK 45 billion. About two-thirds of these are in the subsea area, where the company expects key projects to be awarded over the next six to 12 months, including in Brazil, the UK, Africa, Australia and Asia Pacific.

For 2018, Aker Solutions continues to see overall revenue up by close to 10 percent from 2017, helped by the strong order intake and performance year to date. Underlying 2018 EBITDA margins are expected to remain around year-to-date levels, supported by solid execution and the company's improvement program.

Aker Solutions sees overall revenue in 2019 slightly up from 2018, on the back of our strong order intake year-to-date, and continued high tendering activity with underlying 2019 EBITDA margin expected to remain around full-year 2018 levels.

ENDS

Media Contact:

Tor Odland, tel: +47 22 94 60 80, mob: +47 990 90 872, e-mail: tor.odland@akersolutions.com

Investor Contact:

Fredrik Berge, tel: +47 22 94 62 19, mob: +47 450 32 090, e-mail: fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com

Aker Solutions helps the world meet its energy needs. We engineer the products, systems and services required to unlock energy. Our goal is to maximize recovery and efficiency of oil and gas assets, while using our expertise to develop the sustainable solutions of the future. Aker Solutions employs approximately 14,000 people in more than 20 countries.

Visit akersolutions.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see https://akersolutions.com

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

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: Aker Solutions ASA via Globenewswire


EQS Group-Ad-hoc: Polyphor AG / Key word(s): Change of Personnel

CMDO Debra Barker to leave Polyphor; Frank Weber to assist in the transition



24-Oct-2018 / 06:56 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Allschwil, Switzerland, October 24, 2018

CMDO Debra Barker to leave Polyphor; Frank Weber to assist in the transition

Chief Medical and Development Officer Debra Barker has decided to leave Polyphor at year end for personal reasons and will support on a part time basis afterwards. Frank Weber, member of the Board, will further support the company during the transition and assume ad interim the CMDO responsibility from January 1st, 2019. A search for a replacement has been launched.

Polyphor announced today that Debra Barker, Chief Medical and Development Officer, will leave the company at her own request to focus more on her family and pursue part-time activity. She will continue to fully cover the position until the end of the year and after that will support the company on part-time basis to enable a smooth transition. Polyphor has initiated a search for a successor CMDO to cover the position as soon as possible. Additionally, Frank Weber, member of the Board and former Chief Medical Officer at Merck-Serono will support the company on a part-time basis during the transition period, and will assume ad interim the CMDO role from January 1st, 2019, until a new candidate will be retained.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors and executive team at Polyphor, I would like to thank Debra for her leadership and support during this crucial period of the company. She has been key in designing the murepavadin PRISM-MDR and PRISM-UDR Phase III trials, in the advancement of the balixafortide program and in supporting the IPO process, and wish her all the best for her future" said Giacomo Di Nepi, Chief Executive Officer of Polyphor.

About Polyphor

Polyphor is a clinical stage, Swiss biopharmaceutical company which has discovered and is developing the OMPTA (Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics). The OMPTA are potentially the first new class of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria to have reached phase III stage in the last 50 years. The company's lead product, murepavadin, (POL7080) is in Phase III development against Pseudomonas aeruginosa - recognized as a critical priority 1 pathogen by WHO. Polyphor is also developing an immuno-oncology candidate, balixafortide (POL6326), which is in preparation for a pivotal trial program in combination with eribulin in patients with advanced breast cancer, and a pipeline of further preclinical antibiotics based on its OMPTA platform. Polyphor is based in Allschwil near Basel and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: POLN). For more information, please visit www.polyphor.com.



For further information please contact:

For Investors:

Kalina Scott

Chief Financial Officer

Polyphor Ltd.

Tel: +41 61 567 16 67

Email: IR@polyphor.com



For Media:

Alexandre Muller

Dynamics Group AG

Tel: +41 43 268 32 31

Email: amu@dynamicsgroup.ch
Maurel & Prom: Activity and sales for the first 9 months of 2018: US$342mm (286mm)

Paris, 24 October 2018

No. 14-18

Activity and sales for the first 9 months of 2018:

US$342mm (286mm)

Sales of US$342m for the first nine months of 2018, up 19% compared with the same period in 2017 Continued rise in crude prices: average sale price for the period of US$70.7/bbl, up 40% compared with the first nine months of 2017



M&P total working interest production of 22,681 boepd in the first nine months of 2018, down 5% compared with the same period in 2017 Oil production in Gabon was 20,162 bopd for operated interest (16,129 bopd for M&P working interest), down 20% compared with the previous year due to limited evacuation capacity in Q2 and Q3 2018 Production in Tanzania was 81.8 MMcf/d for operated interest (39.3 MMcf/d for M&P working interest), up 83% compared with the previous year with a steady level of demand at more than 80 MMcf/d.



Strong cash position allowing the Group to implement its internal and external growth strategy Cash balance of US$318mm at 30 September 2018 Continuation of the development drilling programme in Gabon Roll-out of the Group's external growth strategy



FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION



Maurel & Prom will hold an Analyst / investor presentation via an audio webcast, today at 9:30 am CEST, followed by a question and answer session.



https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/hwyr66qf/lan/en

Sales for the first nine months of 2018

Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 9 months 2018 9 months 2017 Change 18/17 Total production sold over the period, M&P working interest million barrels of oil 1.7 1.4 1.2 4.3 5.1 -16% million of MMBTU 3.4 3.7 3.9 11.0 6.0 83% Average sale price OIL, in US$/bbl 66.3 73.0 74.3 70.7 50.5 40% GAS, in US$/MMBTU 3.18 3.17 3.17 3.17 3.17 0% EUR/USD exchange rate 1.23 1.19 1.16 1.19 1.11 7% SALES (in US$m) Oil production 124 107 102 333 275 21% Gabon 115 98 92 305 260 Tanzania 9 9 10 28 15 Drilling activities 4 2 3 9 12 -25% Consolidated sales (in US$m) 128 109 105 342 287 19% Consolidated sales (in m) 104 92 90 286 258 11%

The Group's consolidated sales for the first nine months of 2018 stood at US$342 million, up 19% compared with the same period in 2017.

This increase was mainly related to the sharp rise in the average sale price of oil produced in Gabon (US$70.7/bbl, up 40% compared with the first nine months of 2017), despite a drop in production due to technical constraints impacting evacuation.

Hydrocarbon production in the first nine months of 2018

Units Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 9 months 2018 9 months 2017 Change 18/17 Production fully operated by M&P Oil bopd 23,975 19,173 17,409 20,162 25,239 -20% Gas MMcf/d 77.0 81.6 86.7 81.8 45.0 82% TOTAL boepd 36,804 32,778 31,853 33,794 32,684 3% M&P working interest production Oil bopd 19,180 15,338 13,928 16,129 20,191 -20% Gas MMcf/d 37.0 39.2 41.7 39.3 21.5 82% TOTAL boepd 25,346 21,877 20,869 22,681 23,769 -5%

Gabon

In Gabon, operated oil production stood at 20,162 bopd (16,129 bopd for M&P working interest) in the first nine months of 2018, down 20% compared with the same period in 2017. This was due to the restriction on the volumes evacuated by the pipeline connecting the Ezanga facilities to the Cap Lopez export terminal. These issues began in mid-May, improved in July but returned in August 2018.

Average monthly operated production in Gabon from July to October 2018 (bopd)



Note: Production data for October updated as of 22 October 2018

Exports were interrupted in recent months due to build-ups of pressure in the export pipeline operated by a third party, through which the production of several operators is transported. These pressure peaks are the result of fluctuations in the volume and proportion of the most "diluting" oils for the blend in the pipeline. The drop in temperatures during the dry season between May and September exacerbated the situation as it caused the flow characteristics to deteriorate.

Maurel & Prom carried out remedial and preventive actions (optimising oil processing, injecting gasoil into the pipeline) but still had to completely halt production on two occasions in August. Production gradually resumed in September but was disrupted again in October 2018.

A consultation is underway with the various pipeline users and Gabonese authorities to return to normal operating levels as soon as possible through better management of pipeline flows. Various technical solutions are also being considered (additional pumping station on the 18" pipeline, alternative export, etc.) in order to find a long-term solution to the challenges encountered.

Tanzania

In Tanzania, total operated production averaged 81.8 MMcf/d in the first nine months of the year, or 39.3 MMcf/d for M&P's working interest (48.06%), an 83% increase compared with the same period in 2017. Operated production reached 86.7 MMcf/d in the third quarter and is expected to stabilise at this level.

This increase reflected the continued rise in gas demand from Dar Es Salaam's industrial sector.

Financial position and outlook

Strong cash position

As at 30 September 2018, the Group's cash and cash equivalents position stood at US$318 million, up US$10 million compared with 30 June 2018.

Continuation of the development drilling programme in Gabon

On the Ezanga permit, the development drilling campaign, which began in the second quarter of 2018, continued with a total of six wells drilled and completed by mid-October. Drilling activities are continuing with two rigs in operation and a third one expected in December.

Roll-out of the Group's external growth strategy

Maurel & Prom announced yesterday that it had signed a share purchase agreement to acquire the 20% stake held by Angola Japan Oil Co., Ltd ("AJOCO") in blocks 3/05 and 3/05A located off Angola in the shallow waters of the Congo basin, the Group's historic regional foothold. Net production for the 20% working interest is approximately 4,600 bopd, with the assets offering significant development potential.

This acquisition, which remains subject to approval by the Angolan authorities, was described in a announcement released on 23 October 2018 and available on Maurel & Prom's website (www.maureletprom.fr) under "Investor relations > Press releases".

Maurel & Prom has also confirmed it is working on the acquisition of Shell's stake in the Urdaneta West oil field in Venezuela. This transaction is fully in line with Maurel & Prom's growth strategy, which focuses on high-potential development opportunities in the regions and countries in which the Group has operating experience. The Group takes all the necessary steps and actively works on meeting all condition precedents inorder to close the acquisition. A further announcement will be made in due course.

These two transactions highlight the Group's value creation strategy and transformation as Pertamina's international development platform.

French English Million M m Million pieds cubes pc cf cubic feet pieds cubes par jour pc/j cfpd cubic feet per day milliers de pieds cubes kpc Mcf 1,000 cubic feet millions de pieds cubes Mpc MMcf 1,000 Mcf = million cubic feet milliards de pieds cubes Gpc Bcf billion cubic feet millions de British Thermal Unit MBTU MMBTU million British Thermal Unit baril b bbl barrel barils d'huile par jour b/j bopd barrels of oil per day milliers de barils kb Mbbl 1,000 barrels millions de barils Mb MMbbl 1,000 Mbbl = million barrels barils equivalent petrole bep boe barrels of oil equivalent barils equivalent petrole par jour bep/j boepd barrels of oil equivalent per day milliers de barils equivalent petrole kbep Mboe 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent millions de barils equivalent petrole Mbep MMboe 1,000 Mbbl = million barrels of oil equivalent

For more information, visit www.maureletprom.fr





Contacts

MAUREL & PROM

Press, shareholder and investor relations

Tel: +33 (0)1 53 83 16 45

ir@maureletprom.fr

NewCap

Financial communications and investor relations

Julie Coulot/Louis-Victor Delouvrier

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 98 53

maureletprom@newcap.eu

Media relations

Nicolas Merigeau

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98

maureletprom@newcap.eu

This document may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial position, results, business and industrial strategy of Maurel & Prom. By nature, forward-looking statements contain risks and uncertainties to the extent that they are based on events or circumstances that may or may not happen in the future. These projections are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which may prove to be incorrect and which depend on a number of risk factors, such as fluctuations in crude oil prices, changes in exchange rates, uncertainties related to the valuation of our oil reserves, actual rates of oil production and the related costs, operational problems, political stability, legislative or regulatory reforms, or even wars, terrorism and sabotage.

Maurel & Prom is listed for trading on Euronext Paris

CAC All-Share - CAC Oil & Gas - Next 150 - PEA-PME and SRD eligible

Isin FR0000051070 / Bloomberg MAU.FP / Reuters MAUP.PA

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: Maurel & Prom via Globenewswire


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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.
Quai dOrsay occupies a unique little corner in the landscape of post-nationalized Cuban cigar offerings. The line is named for the street that runs along the left bank of the Seine in Paris, where both the French Foreign Ministry and the headquarters of former state-owned tobacco monopoly SEITA are located.

Quai dOrsay was created to appeal to French tastes, which was believed to favor milder cigars. The line was reportedly created by Cubatabaco in 1973 at the request of SEITA. SEITA managed the brand outside of the purview of Cuban cigar distribution company Habanos S.A., until SEITA merged with Spanish tobacco company Altadis, which later purchased a 50% stake in Habanos.

The brand has featured a resurgence in recent years. After years of neglect, Habanos revamped the line and elevated it from a purely regional brand to a global one. (It doesnt hurt that, unlike so many other brands, there isnt a competing non-Cuban version in the U.S. market, which means it wouldnt face the same trademark hurdles if the Cuban trade embargo is ever completely lifted.)

Given the historical connection, its no surprise when Quai dOrsay is featured as a regional exclusive for the French market. In 2016, another RE was released called Secreto (4.3 x 40). The three small coronas I sampled featured golden brown wrappers and were slightly spongy to the touch.

Pre-light notes included bread and cedar. Once lit, the cigar quickly shows off notes of hay, cedar, and white pepper. The profile is mild- to medium-bodied and evolves to include hints of cumin, pine, sourdough bread, and light roast coffee.

Secreto exhibited excellent combustion, with a perfectly even draw and a sturdy black and gray ash. At around $8 per cigar, and packaged in boxes of ten, its one of the more affordable Cuban cigars our there.

Ill admit this cigar surprised me, in a good way. Despite its small size, it provided nearly an hour of enjoyable, interesting, complex flavors. That earns the Quai dOrsay Secreto Cubano Exclusivo Francia RE 2016 a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick S



photo credit: Stogie Guys
Cloud Atlas route represents an idyllic way to pass the warmer months. Winding along the picture perfect coastlines of this classic cruising destination, she encounters green-tinged waters, platinum beaches and ancient architecture. Charterers will have the opportunity to experience the hedonistic sanctuary of Cote DAzur, the volcanic beauty of the Aeolian Islands and the rustic paradise of the Tuscan Archipelago.

The balmy beaches of this sublime Franco-Italian region are what make it a time-honoured retreat, however there is more to the area than meets the eye. Cloud Atlas offers the perfect opportunity to explore an established paradise in a fresh capacity - lesser known Amalfi Coast destination Narano provides an authentic taste of La Dolce Vita, whilst cruising the cubiform villages of the French Riviera takes on a different meaning in Cannes, home of the annual film festival.

Available with Flying Charter, the 46.02m cruising vessel is perfect for the experience. She is small enough for intimacy but has a sociable carrying capacity of 12, harbouring vast amounts of living room for a yacht of her size.

Charterers are impeccably looked after by captain Daniel Giometti, a highly experienced seaman with an unrivalled knowledge of the Mediterranean coasts. They are fed by chef Gabriele Spinosa, who combines his passions for cooking and seafaring by preparing mouth-watering delicacies onboard Cloud Atlas, and whose culinary specialities span Italian, patisserie and sushi.

The boats sleek exterior is cast in white and wood, making her a classic sight as she cuts through royal blue waters. Her main deck boasts a large salon with a lounge that combines warmth and sophistication, whilst accomodation spans five gorgeous cabins including a master suite wih private jacuzzi.

Extensive outdoor spaces offer endless possibilities for both activity and leisure. There is a jacuzzi, loungers and an outdoor bar for days spent luxuriating in the sun, as well as exciting extras that ensure guests are as entertained as they are relaxed - Cloud Atlas' garage is bursting with toys and a spacious swimming platform doubles as a beach club.

The onboard enticements are endless, and we cant think of one reason why you wouldnt want to spend the spring and summer months cruising the Med with this luxurious boat.
EmpoderaLive, the social innovation and empowerment conference which took place in Malaga this week, witnessed the potential sustainable future of smartphones. Fairphone, a creation by Dutch innovator Bas van Abel, is an attempt to challenge the way that phone manufacturers operate and create a smartphone that is long-lasting, easily repaired and made from sustainably-sourced materials.

Bas van Abel questions the way in which established, global phone producers such as Apple and Samsung design and produce their devices, which often break beyond repair within as little as 18 months. Our aim is to make Fairphone last five years, he says, aiming to buck the trend of short-life phones and create a phone that will be more environmentally and financially sustainable.

Despite his ambitions, van Abel is not negligent of the obstacles that his company and project face. He understands that the financial survival of his company, among the well-established competition, is not an easy endeavour, but he explained what seperates Fairphone from other competitors in the market, in particular its unique, forward-thinking, ethical awareness.

Creating a long-lasting phone is not the only thing on van Abels agenda. Unlike other smartphones, Fairphone can be easily repaired. This is achieved through the production process, which uses fewer parts which can be easily removed and replaced if faulty.

Fairphone focuses as much on the sourcing of materials and labour as it does on the physical design of the phone. This enables the phone to maximise sustainability from the very start of the process right until the end of the phones life.

A phone has around 1,200 parts; understanding the supply chain and the labour of those involved in each stage is vital, he says; the metals used in the production of phones come from all parts of the world, particularly Africa, where child labour and social conflict is rife. Fairphone does not simply aim to avoid these areas: Then we would be changing nothing. Instead, they look to work with these countries and particularly the areas where they could have the largest positive impact.

Fairphone is not just a distant concept, but something very real. The second version is now available on their website and from other online distributors for 529.34 euros. During its pre-sale period, the company raised a staggering 10 million dollars.

Fairphone was perhaps the standout presentation on the second and final day of the EmpoderaLive conference which began on Monday. A broad spectrum of themes were covered including the digital divide in Africa where the NGO Internet Sans Frontieres works to achieve a free and open internet which is accessible to everyone, according to the organisations director, Julie Owono, who spoke on Tuesday.

Other speakers included architect and engineer, Carlo Ratti, who explained the concept of intelligent cities in which the people are the driving force in finding solutions to urban problems.
Malaga's young farmers association, ASAJA Malaga, have called on Local Police forces across the Axarquia to tighten up controls on street markets and greengrocers in light of recent robberies of unripened avocados.

Sources from the association said earlier this week that they have evidence to suggest that robberies, particularly of the Hass variety of the fruit, have occurred recently and added that any being sold illegally will be unripe as the picking season is not due to start for another two months.

The association said that the illegal avocados will be sold at cheaper prices and asked police officers to carry out regular checks to make sure the origin can be proven, that the avocados don't appear to be very unripe and that the price they are being sold for is in line with the market value.

Earlier this year agricultural organisations asked police forces for increased security in the countryside to reduce the number of robberies from farms following a spate of organised crime in the area when thousands of kilos of avocados were stolen.

The Hass avocado is the main variety grown in Malaga province.
We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2018

Migrantes de la caravana responden a Trump que no son terroristas ni delincuentes VER VIDEO

For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2018

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmo este miercoles que permitir la entrada de indocumentados convertiria al pais en "un caos total", como ha ocurrido, a su juicio, en Europa ''en los ultimos cinco anos", ante la posible llegada de la caravana de migrantes centroamericanos que esta madrugada reanudo desde Mexico su marcha."Aquellos que quieren y defienden la inmigracion ilegal solo tienen que echar una buena mirada a lo que ha ocurrido en Europa en los ultimos cinco anos. Un caos total! Solo desean poder volver a tomar esa decision", senalo Trump en su cuenta de Twitter, sin dar detalles ni datos al respecto.La caravana de miles de migrantes centroamericanos que va camino a Estados Unidos reanudo esta madrugada su marcha desde la localidad de Huixtla, donde ayer descansaron, con destino a Mapastepec, unos 64 kilometros mas al norte en el estado de Chiapas.La semana pasada el presidente de EEUU amenazo con "cerrar" militarmente la frontera con Mexico, en la que ya hay desplegados unos 2.200 miembros de la Guardia Nacional, reseno EFE.Tambien dijo que su pais recortara "sustancialmente" la ayuda economica que concede anualmente a Guatemala, Honduras y El Salvador como represalia por el avance de la caravana de migrantes.
Oxford Circus based post house Directors Cut Films has made a significant investment in an expansion of its picture and audio facilities and has taken on another floor of its Great Portland Street building.

The investment includes adding more offline edit suites, the purchase of a Baselight 2 grading system for their newly refurbished main grading suite and expanding and updating the audio department. The Baselight 2 grading system, with Sony X300 monitoring, now offers a true 4K grading solution.

This, together with Baselights "Editions" plugins being added to their Avid Media Composer online suites, completes the grading workflow. Additionally, Resolve 15 finishing systems, Cinedeck Rx2 and CineXTools (for file based layback and insert editing), ProTools Ultimate, along with Avid S6 consoles were also acquired.

Directors Cut Films Managing Director Mark Manning said The decision to invest was based on more interest in 4K, Ultra HD and HDR for the likes of Netflix and Amazon. We thought this was the ideal time and opportunity to be ready to provide these services. Our vision is to remain one of the leading post-production providers in the West End, and this investment should show we are well placed to meet the latest delivery needs of all our clients

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Hollyoaks producer Lime Pictures has optioned the story of Madchester era clothing brand Gio Goi and is developing a 90s period drama based on the book.

Executive Producer Louise Sutton has optioned Still Breathing: The True Adventures Of The Donnelly Brothers by Christopher and Anthony Donnelly and Simon Spence. Still Breathing charts the Donnellys journey from allegedly criminal beginnings to global success with their brand worn by the likes of New Order and The Stone Roses. Its billed as a rags to riches story, Still Breathing is about a fashion brand, the two brothers behind it that make Liam and Noel look like Sooty and Sweep, and the decadence and dangers of Manchester in the 1990s. A decade that made Britain the country it is today.

Said Sutton: At Lime, we want to tell the stories from people from the margins of society, stories that have been neglected or ignored, and stories about people we think we know about when, in fact, we hardly know anything at all. In these stories, theres resonance and relevance for everyone because, ultimately, theyre about the indefatigability of the human spirit. Even if theyre about characters who set out to change the world and fail, the characters end up changing themselves  and thats the most wonderful of all stories to tell. Whenever these stories are set, whatever theyre about, theyre really stories about hope.

For me, Still Breathing is a timeless story. Of course it explores and is immersed in the spirit of the 1990s, but its a story about family, about growing up, about making your way in a hostile world, and its about believing in yourself despite the naysayers. And its also a story about how, sometimes, we can be our own worst enemies.

Sutton was appointed Executive Producer in June 2018. Having previously worked on Coronation Street, Dumping Ground and Midsomer Murders, Sutton won an Emmy in September 2018 for producing Black Mirror: USS Callister. She also produced Butterfly, the drama about a transgender child for ITV.

The script will be written by Simon Spence, who co-wrote the book with the Donnellys.

Anthony Donnelly said Christopher and I are ecstatic to be working with Simon again on this adaption of our book. Lime Pictures and Louise Sutton are the perfect team to help bring our story to life on screen. Its gonna be a huge musical and fashion tornado as well as a wild rock and roll, drug-fuelled violent fiasco with some extraordinary emotional moments. This is Peaky Blinders, in 1990s Manchester.

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Hurricane Willa weakens after slamming Mexico's Pacific coast



Escuinapa, Mexico, Oct 24 (AFP) Oct 24, 2018



Mexico cleared the debris and wreckage Wednesday strewn by powerful Hurricane Willa, but breathed a sigh of relief that damage from the Category 3 storm -- now downgraded to a tropical depression -- wasn't worse.

Willa, which had been a maximum Category 5 hurricane on Monday, slammed into Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday night with winds of 195 kilometers (120 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kilometers per hour.

In Escuinapa, the town of 30,000 people where it made landfall, residents got down to work after surveying the wreckage left by the hurricane: roofs torn off homes, a hospital and a church; trees ripped from the ground; roads blocked by debris and flooding; power and water outages.

But with no reports of dead or wounded, those in the storm's path were mainly counting their blessings.

"There were a lot of material damages, but the most important thing is that there was no loss of human life," said Sinaloa state Governor Quirino Ordaz.

Victor Aguilar, a hotel manager in Escuinapa, echoed that sentiment as he tried to figure out how to serve his 200 guests breakfast with no electricity or running water.

"We have a lot of repairs to do, but I'm not worried about that," Aguilar, 76, told AFP.

The important thing is that "not a hair on anyone's head was hurt," he said.



- 'Power of nature' -



Nearby, members of a Protestant church tried to salvage what they could from its wrecked remains, after the storm ripped off its roof and left the building in ruins.

"It was a total loss," said the church's pastor, Samuel Vicencio.

"What can we do faced with the power of nature?"

Businesses were slowly reopening in the town, though many still had their windows and doors boarded up with the plywood nailed in place as the storm approached.

"It sounded like the devil himself," resident Ernesto Mallorquin, 61, said of the hurricane's passage.

But three hours later, the worst was over, he said.

Willa first swept over the Marias islands, where Mexico has a federal prison with about 1,000 inmates. But there were no reports of damages there.



- Returning home -



Willa dumped heavy rain on the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Durango, Jalisco and Zacatecas before breaking up in the mountains over Nuevo Leon.

As of 1500 GMT, the storm was dissipating over northern Mexico, and its maximum sustained winds had decreased to 35 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.

State and federal officials were touring the affected areas to assess the damages and allocate emergency funds.

Soldiers were deployed to Sinaloa and Nayarit, the hardest hit regions, to help with clean-up and provide food and medical services where needed.

Many schools remained closed in both states.

More than 4,250 people had been evacuated from high-risk areas in the storm's path, including tourists who were on vacation at the beach.

They were gradually returning home from 58 temporary shelters.

Mexico's Pacific coast has already been hit by deadly storms and rains this hurricane season.

In September, at least 15 people were killed when flash floods hit the states of Sinaloa and Michoacan. Last week, 12 more people died in flooding in Oaxaca, including seven children.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
"Stuart From the AIDS Memorial," is the creator behind the heartfelt AIDS project found on Instagram. This platform is one of the few on social media that tell stories of those who have died due to HIV/AIDS.

June 5, 1981, marked the beginning of the AIDS pandemic as we know it. Five gay men in Los Angeles, my hometown, all shared common symptoms (e.g., pneumonia, lung infection) as their immune systems began to deteriorate. By the time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on this phenomenon, two of these men were already dead. This was the beginning of what was once known as "the gay cancer." Shortly after these reports, the numbers of people affected proliferated, and terror grew nationwide. Stuart's platform is supposed to bring awareness to the fact that people who died from AIDS-related causes were once here, that people living with HIV continue to be here, and that our stories must be told.

Stuart, who currently resides in Scotland and has not publicly revealed his last name, according to Vogue, is the architect behind a potentially beautiful project. He has been featured in POZ Magazine, in Out, and recently in Vice. However, there is always room for improvement and awareness, something that Stuart needs to accept.

The problem? His project lacks diversity. Log onto Instagram and check out The AIDS Memorial (with the official blue check), and you will find extremely few black and brown queer people. You'll find hardly any trans women or cisgender women either. Unfortunately, when I politely brought this to his attention, Stuart blocked me. I tried building common ground by letting him know that I too am HIV positive and am very thankful for his work. My only criticism was that I saw a "sea of whiteness." I immediately thought of Marlon Riggs's 1989 documentary, Tongues Untied, in which he describes his journey to the gay Mecca, aka San Francisco, where he was confronted with a lack of diversity in the gay community -- and also intense racism. The lack of representation on ads, posters, and even among go-go dancers in the Castro affected Riggs; he felt as though he did not belong.

I believe that it is our duty as black and brown people who disproportionately live and die with HIV to say something about erasure.

In 1982, Audre Lorde was a keynote speaker at a New York Institute for the Humanities conference, where she spoke about the role racism plays in feminist spaces, which fail to include of women of color. The essay "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House," found in the book Sister Outsider, has become one of her more famous essays, and it has influenced my scholarly activism and desire to raise with Stuart the issue of white erasure of communities of color in the epidemic. In the book, she says:

Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world. The oppressors maintain their position and evade their responsibility for their own actions. There is a constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.

At the end of the essay, she states that white feminist academics were a parody of white patriarchal heteronormativity. At the conference where Lorde spoke, they failed to include the narratives of women of color. As Lorde states, "We did not know whom to ask" has been the default excuse used to explain the lack of inclusion of feminists of color. White queers are no exception to this pattern and still use this justification from time to time to excuse their lack of critical thinking. In Stuart's case, he refused even to have a conversation.

This logical fallacy is dangerous. HIV/AIDS is still a problem in our country for people of color like Ariel Sabillon and Sanjay D. Johnson. These two HIV-positive men have faced problems with stigma and institutions, such as the criminal justice system and college campuses, that work against black and brown men. Stuart's lack of representation does harm to these young men's lived experiences, as well as to the trans brothers and sisters who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The people who have come before them are made invisible by what could be a very beautiful and inclusive social media accounting of all of those who have lived and died with HIV.

Stuart's dismissal of people of color who have tried to raise these issues suggests that he doesn't curate the memorials of people of color who have died of the disease because he doesn't care about those of us who are still living. For example, "RE" (who wishes to remain anonymous) has expressed his concerns about Stuart.

According to "RE," Stuart unfriended him on Facebook for pointing out that Stuart "cropped out the face of the only black actor in the entire show" of the Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band.

[Editor's Note 10/26: The alleged cropping appears to have occurred unintentionally as a result of Instagram's software, which automatically trims non-square photos before displaying them as square thumbnails on a user's primary Instagram page.]

This lack of accountability is problematic and needs to be addressed. To make matters worse, Stuart is being rewarded by so much fawning press attention that he doesn't address or question whom he has chosen to include and whom he has not.

And since he decided to silence me, I am going against the grain and saying "fuck you" to respectability politics (a term coined by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham), a tactic meant to silence marginalized people and prohibit them from challenging mainstream culture -- and in this case white gay men. Essex Hemphill once said, and I am paraphrasing, that the struggle of the white gay man is to have an orgasm, while our struggles as black and brown people are often to survive.

This is some food for thought; think what you will. However, what you won't do is silence me.

[Editor's Note 10/25: An earlier version of this article included an assertion regarding Stuart's racial identity that we have been unable to confirm, as well as a mischaracterization of the amount of diversity within The AIDS Memorial's Instagram feed. We have removed all references to Stuart's race and corrected the characterization.]

[Editor's Note 10/26: This article has caused a lot of conversation within the HIV community, particularly among followers of The AIDS Memorial, about whether the author's claims regarding an intentional lack of diversity in the memorial were justified, and whether an online memorial to people who have died from HIV is an appropriate place to have this kind of debate. In the wake of this response, we feel it's important to share our thoughts regarding this article and its place on our site.

As soon as we were made aware that there were factual assertions in Alvarenga's piece that appeared to be incorrect, we, as any publication would, began a new round of fact-checking on the piece, making corrections as we found errors. We also added an editor's note to ensure transparency regarding the inaccuracies we fixed, and we appended that editor's note to our prior social media posts on the article. This effort is ongoing. We regret that we failed to catch and correct these issues earlier in our editorial process, and we have already begun a review of that process to ensure that our fact-checking approach is as airtight as we can make it prior to the publication of an article.

We hope that the opinions expressed by Alvarenga in his article, and the difficult issues that he raises, can be addressed through a constructive debate over the issues themselves, without devolving into personal attacks. It can be particularly easy to slip into such attacks on social media, where reactions can be posted more quickly than we think them through, and where real-life human beings on both sides of an issue may forget there is a breathing, feeling person behind the avatar.

We believe strongly that TheBody should serve as a safe space to debate these tough issues. We will continue to do our best to represent the diversity of voices and opinions in the community -- and to ensure that when those voices state facts, we do all we can to verify those facts before posting them.]

Giuliani Alvarenga is a UC Berkeley alumnus who double majored in English and gender & women's studies. He is a Sidley Austin Pre-Law Scholar and wrapping up his two-year clerkship with Munger, Tolles, & Olson before he begins law school.
VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images

The last day of the Dutch state visit to Britain didnt include a glittering gala, but we did get to spot a few significant pieces of jewelry  including an outing from an heirloom British brooch!

Daniel Leal -Olivas  WPA Pool/Getty Images

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maximas schedule for the day was packed, including a meeting with the Lord Mayor of London at Mansion House (in lieu of, I suppose, the traditional Guildhall dinner), a visit to Brixton, a meeting with the Prime Minister, and a viewing of a joint water capability demonstration by the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines.

VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, plus the Duke of Kent, were the Dutch royal couples hosts for the day. Edward and Sophie may be a surprising choice for the role, but remember that the Wessexes have been the Queens go-to representatives at royal events for the past two decades, so theyve developed genuine personal relationships with many foreign royals.

VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images

Both Maxima and Sophie chose earrings for their highlight accessories for the day.

FRANK AUGSTEIN/AFP/Getty Images

Maxima paired her dangerous-looking dark pendant earrings with her vivid Oscar de la Renta dress.

Daniel Leal -Olivas  WPA Pool/Getty Images

She also popped on a few diamonds, wearing her diamond wedding bracelet and the ring that King Willem-Alexander gave her to celebrate the birth of Princess Alexia. For years the stone in this ring was described as a citrine, but apparently it may actually be a padparadscha sapphire.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The Countess of Wessex reached into her jewelry box for her modern gold and drusy earrings.

CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/AFP/Getty Images

Before they departed, the King and Queen popped back over to Buckingham Palace to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. She chose one of her grandmothers wedding gifts for the occasion, wearing the Women of Hampshire Brooch. Made by Garrard in 1893, the floral diamond and pearl brooch was given to Queen Mary as a wedding present by a committee of women chaired by the Duchess of Wellington.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Its been a completely delightful state visit, full of exciting jewels and enthusiastic royals. One of my favorite parts of any Dutch royal visit is how much King Willem-Alexander obviously enjoys his wifes popularity.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Just look at him! He knows he married a star, and he absolutely loves it. So endearing.

CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/AFP/Getty Images

Stop by anytime, Wax n Max!
The Government of Canada has announced new market access for live cattle exports to the Philippines, as well as sheep and goat genetics exports to Indonesia and the Philippines.

According to the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association, the export market of live cattle to the Philippines is estimated to be valued at $8 million, and exports of sheep and goat genetics to Indonesia and the Philippines add up to $100,000 annually.

The Philippines and Indonesia represent increasingly important markets for Canadian agri-food exporters and producers.

"Canada is building strong markets around the world which will benefit our farmers and food processors. These recent market access gains are setting the stage for deeper bilateral economic relations between Canada and the ASEAN region, and will contribute to our government's goal of reaching $75 billion in agri-food exports by 2025, said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

While the increased market access will advance the competitiveness of, and create new opportunities for, Canada's agriculture sector, the exports of Canadian breeding cattle and genetics will also contribute to rural economic development efforts of the Philippines in the agriculture sector.

"Increasing trade with fast-growing and dynamic markets such as those in the ASEAN region is an important part of our government's trade diversification strategy. Securing new market access for Canadian businesses of all sizes creates jobs for the middle-class allowing them to compete and succeed in new markets around the world, said Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification

The Philippines, Indonesia, and the wider ASEAN region are important commercial partners for the Canadian agriculture sector.

Canada exported over $325 million of agriculture products in 2017 to the Philippines and imported over $185 million.

As a group, ASEAN ranks as Canada's sixth-largest trading partner. In 2017, ASEAN had a combined GDP of $3.6 trillion and a population of 643 million.
Guest Commentary

By Matthew Lau

Recent employment data from Statistics Canada shows a troubling trend.

In July, the ratio of private sector to public sector employees (excluding the self-employed) dipped to lows that  except for the period of massive stimulus spending by the federal and provincial governments in 2009-10  have not been seen since Canadas fiscal crisis of the 1990s.

Outside of the 2009-10 government spending boom  during which the federal government expanded nominal program spending by 17 per cent and posted a $55.6-billion deficit  you have to go back to 1996 to find a time when government employment was as high as it is today, relative to private employment.

The first half of the 1990s was marked by unsustainably big government. Many Canadians will recall a prominent Wall Street Journal editorial in 1995 that  under the headline Bankrupt Canada  suggested that Canada had become an honorary member of the Third World in the unmanageability of its debt problem.

To be sure, Canadas public finances today are in better shape than during the fiscal crisis of the 1990s. But the Statistics Canada job numbers ought to be a warning signal to politicians and taxpayers that the size of government is rising far too quickly. Public sector growth is headed in the wrong direction.

By contrast, in the mid-1990s Canada was actually climbing out of a fiscal hole dug by decades of government overspending. The ratio of private employees to government employees sunk below 2.90 in the early 1990s, but rose to 3.40 by 1998 and hovered around that level for close to a decade.

That decade was one of great prosperity for Canada. As the government cut taxes and spending, the private economy boomed  hence the strong growth of private employment relative to government employment during this time. Notably, from 1997 to 2007, Canada led the G7 in business investment growth and gross domestic product growth. The poverty rate significantly declined.

Over the same period, Canadas employment growth rate was nearly double that of other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, on average, and significantly stronger than employment growth in the United States. Harvard political economist Alberto Alesina, a top expert on fiscal policy, cited this Canadian success story as an example of expansionary austerity  the economy expanded rapidly as the size of government shrank.

Importantly, public finances improved quickly as well. In 1994-95, the federal deficit was $36.6 billion (equivalent to about $57 billion today, after adjusting for changes in consumer prices). Just three years later, the deficit was erased and the government turned a surplus of $3 billion. The federal debt-to-GDP ratio fell by more than half, from 72 percent in 1994-95 to just under 33 percent in 2007-08.

Today, Canada is headed in the opposite direction, with big government deficits and a public sector thats expanding much too quickly. The current Liberal government inherited a balanced budget in 2015 and promptly sent the country into annual deficits of almost $20 billion, with no end to deficits in sight.

The recent decline of private employment relative to government employment is most pronounced in Alberta.

Alberta has added more than 70,000 public sector jobs in the past four years, an increase of 20 percent. Meanwhile, the private sector lost about 60,000 jobs, which represents a four percent decline. The oil price drop in the second half of 2014 and bad government policy  including higher taxes and stricter regulation of workers  are to blame for this unhappy result.

The federal and provincial governments should be shrinking the public sector instead of making it fatter. In the 1990s, cutting government spending resulted in less debt, more growth and greater prosperity. Cutting government spending today would deliver similar positive results.

Matthew Lau is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday it will be harder for countries to get waivers on Iran oil sanctions than during the Obama administration and dismissed concerns that oil prices could rise, saying the market had already factored in the losses.



In an interview with Reuters in Jerusalem at the start of a Middle East trip, Mnuchin said countries would have to reduce their purchases of Iranian oil by more than the roughly 20 percent level they did from 2013 to 2015 to get waivers.



I would expect that if we do give waivers it will be significantly larger reductions, said Mnuchin.



He added: Oil prices have already gone up, so my expectation is that the oil market has anticipated whats going on in the reductions. I believe the information is already reflected in the price of oil, he said.



His comments come two weeks before the Trump administration reimposes oil and financial sanctions against Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers, which aimed to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.



Irans oil exports could fall by as much as two-thirds due to the sanctions, straining oil markets.



Mnuchin was adamant that countries would eventually have to cut imports to nil.



I dont expect we will get to zero in November but I do expect we will eventually get to zero, he said, adding, There have been already very significant reductions in advance of this date.



His comments come as the administration actively considers waivers on sanctions it will reimpose for countries that are reducing their imports of Iranian oil.



The administration withdrew from a deal over Tehrans nuclear program in May and is unilaterally reimposing sanctions on Irans crude oil consumers after Nov. 4.



The sanctions aim to force Tehran to stop its involvement in regional conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq and halt its ballistic missile program.



Iran says it has abided by the 2015 nuclear deal, which was struck with five other world powers, besides the United States.



While Iran believes that it can ward off severe economic damages from the US sanctions for the remainder of Trumps term, Mnuchin predicted a significant impact on its economy as major companies exit the Iranian market for fear of US reprisals.



We have already begun to see the impact and my expectation is we will see a significantly larger impact once the sanctions go into place, he said, The economic squeeze will be very big over the next two years.



SWIFT NEGOTIATIONS



Mnuchin said the US Treasury was in negotiations with Belgian-based financial messaging service SWIFT, that facilitates the bulk of the worlds cross-border money transactions, on disconnecting Iran from the network.



Washington has been pressuring SWIFT to cut Iran from the system as it did in 2012 before the nuclear deal.



Although the United States does not hold a majority on SWIFTs board of directors, the Trump administration could impose penalties on SWIFT unless it disconnects from Iran.



I can assure you our objective is to make sure that sanctioned transactions do not occur whether its through SWIFT or any other mechanism, he said, Our focus is to make sure that the sanctions are enforced.



Mnuchin declined to give details of the talks with SWIFT executives.



He said, however, that the Treasury Department would identify as quickly as possible banks that would be allowed to process transactions for humanitarian funding to Iran.



We want to get to the right outcome, which is cutting off transactions, he said, declining to comment on which banks would be selected.



Germanys Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called in August for a SWIFT-style system independent of Washington that would possibly keep the nuclear agreement with Iran alive.Reuters




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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 08:42 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778fc550 4 Editorial #Editorial,mental-revolution,bureaucracy-reform,New-Order,corruption,corruption-eradication Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo is one of those idealists whose line of thinking is descended from the likes of Aristotle and Plato, people who believe that ideas and thoughts move the world and that changes in the world should begin in the mind. Hence his idea is about the mental revolution.



The idea began life as a proposal outlined in an op-ed for Kompas in May 2014 and was then adopted as a kind of manifesto for his presidential campaign, and when he was elected into office it was adopted as part of his bureaucratic reform agenda.



The premise of Jokowis mental revolution is simple enough; that all societys ills such as corruption, greed, selfishness and intolerance to the point of violence are part of a tradition or culture that resides in the minds of people and all these problems could be banished through a campaign of mental revolution. This mental revolution is the key to changing the mindset of the people, especially civil servants in the bureaucracy, so that they can rid themselves of the values inherited from the New Order.



The first point in Jokowis mental revolution agenda for instance was an instruction for civil servants to focus on providing services for the public and that they should improve discipline and transparency, including through e-government initiatives.



Early in Jokowis administration, efforts were made to translate what appeared to be a nebulous suggestion into practical proposals. In 2016, President Jokowi signed a regulation to kick off the National Mental Revolution, while the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister conducted various activities to publicize the program through radio talk shows, contests and the creation of a special website. Under the mental revolution banner, the Defense Ministry floated the idea of a military-like conscription to instill patriotism in young people. The Education and Culture Ministry also proposed longer school hours so that students could learn more about civics and morality.



After four years, the record would suggest that little has been achieved. In 2017, Indonesias Corruption Perception Index improved slightly to 37, from 34 in 2014, but civil servants still made up the bulk of individuals investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) between 2014 and 2018, accounting for over 30 percent of graft cases it handled.



With this less-than-convincing record, it is probably a good time for President Jokowi, who is seeking reelection and definitely in need of a rejigged campaign slogan, to shift his attention to revamping the system. People can inherently be good or evil, but in the final analysis, they will respond to incentives (or disincentives) provided by the system. A bureaucratic system tends to encourage corrupt practices if it fails to provide a robust mechanism of carrot and stick  reward achievers and punish those who do not perform.



Pairing the word revolution with the system, would provoke unnecessary fear among members of the public. Reform the system would be a more fitting term for Jokowi, if the people decide to extend his mandate for another five years.
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Linkedin Jossa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 08:50 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778fd2cf 1 Art & Culture fashion,photographer,fashion-show,photography,photo-exhibition,Erell-Hemmer Free

For fashionistas around the globe, Paris Fashion Week symbolizes the epitome of style, with slick dresses, towering pumps and statement bags being par for the course for at least a week.

While street-style photography capturing the showgoers designer outfits can be considered common practice, French photographer Erell Hemmer puts a spotlight on the contrast between the glitzy and the gritty as shown in her photos displayed at her newly opened photo exhibition titled La Galerie des Glaces (The Ice Gallery) in Jakarta.

After being exhibited at Institut Francais Indonesia in Surabaya, East Java, in February, La Galerie des Glaceshas made its way into the Fashionlink space on Senayan Citys eighth floor, where 16 of the 52 pictures will be displayed until the end of Jakarta Fashion Week on Oct. 26.

Despite Hemmers chief subject in the exhibition being the denizens of Paris Fashion Week, she is not a fashion photographer by trade, only being interested in the subject artistically.

I obtained my diploma in graphic design five years ago, then I specialized in documentary, reporting photography and then after that I focused on analog photography, Hemmer explained through an

interpreter.

Hemmers passion for analog photography runs so deep in her veins that she does not do any digital photography at all, preferring vintage-style cameras for her work.

Beyond the catwalk: French photographer Erell Hemmer highlights the contrast between the glitzy and the gritty of fashion week in her photos displayed at the La Galerie des Glaces (The Ice Gallery) exhibition in Jakarta. The exhibition runs until Oct. 26. (Courtesy of IFI/Ndaru Wicaksono)

The first thing I like about analog photography is the aesthetics. The thing about using analog cameras is that you dont have a lot of pauses, so thats why you should be super careful to be at the right spot at the right time, she says.

It allows me to take my time even more in thinking about what I want to capture because I cant just snap away like I can do with a digital camera, paparazzi-style.

She found there is a sense of adrenaline rush in analog photography as one would not be able to see the images taken until they are developed, giving them an element of surprise.

Combining this with the time-sensitive nature of street fashion photography, where there is only a limited timeframe between the subjects entering or leaving the premises, the experience becomes part of the thrill for Hemmer.

Of course, when I thought about working on a topic related to fashion, I immediately thought about fashion week. As a French, youd immediately think about Paris Fashion Week, Hemmer said, noting that fashion is a major part of French cultural heritage.

Indeed, Paris has for a long time been associated with fashion, with many iconic fashion houses originating from the City of Light as well as the many fashion weeks for each season, be it haute couture or ready-to-wear clothing.

Hemmer said she went to Paris twice in 2014 and twice in 2015 to study the subject, and straight away she knew that it would be very complicated to get access to the fashion week events because its not open to everybody.

The other side: Photos show the other side of Paris Fashion Week, with fashionistas arriving in style for the event. (Courtesy of IFI/Ndaru Wicaksono)

Its advertised everywhere, but to get access to the important fashion shows you have to be a very important person, Hemmer noted, saying that she did not receive any invitations as she is not part of the industry.

Erell Hemmer (-/-)

Fortunately, Hemmer has a now-retired uncle whose hobby is recording the fashion week attendees as they get in and out of the venues, enabling her to get the appropriate information regarding timing and location.

As Hemmers uncle had been doing his hobby for quite some time, he provided Hemmer with the necessary connections to the journalists and other members of the industry.

At first I was making my way into the venues, but very quickly I realized what was more interesting was what happened in the streets; this euphoria, this craziness before the guests come in and after they come out, she says.

What you have to know is that Paris is literally transformed during fashion week, and you can see even in the streets regular people walking around are super dressed up and super stylish.

The advent of social media and the internet enables people across the globe to see photos and videos of Parisian catwalks, but Hemmer said the streets are largely out of focus.

After sticking around in the streets during numerous events, Hemmer noticed a pattern in the shows guests when they mingled around being photographed before and after the shows.

When the guests arrive, all the journalists and photographers immediately pounce on them. Whats funny is this contrast  when everybodys inside and the show starts, during those 20 minutes everything calms down and it becomes a different ambience, and as everybody comes out and they only have a couple of seconds to get into their cars, it starts all over again.

Looking through Hemmers photographs, one gets the sense that the photos are not about the fashion, but rather the attitude of the people wearing them.

Pointing to a photo of a woman wearing a pair of stylish sunglasses, Hemmer explained the woman exhibited the three criteria for people photographed outside of fashion shows  the must-have sunglasses being one of them.

Always look busy on your phone, and make it very visible and obvious that you have an invitation; in this case, Dior, Hemmer said, adding that the people also rarely smile, being almost as cold as ice.

That ice-cold attitude ties into the exhibitions title, which coincidentally is also the name of a room in the Palace of Versailles that is filled with mirrors.

It is also a reference; I thought it was funny to use it as the title in reference to the icy look in peoples eyes as they want to look important, and also the mirror part where people look at themselves.
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Linkedin Daniel De Carteret (Agence France-Presse) Suva, Fiji  Wed, October 24, 2018 17:01 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877914ff1 2 People Meghan-Markle,Prince-Harry,Fiji Free

British royal Meghan Markle sent adoring crowds into a frenzy in Fiji on Wednesday when she took center stage from husband Prince Harry to passionately promote women's rights.

The American-born 37-year-old recounted her struggle to afford higher education in her maiden international speech, made to students at the University of the South Pacific.

She also met female traders at the Suva markets, although so many enthusiastic fans were jammed into the venue that her security detail cut short the pregnant duchess's visit.

Meghan, who married into the royal family five months ago, made the case for open access to education, particularly for women.

"For women and girls in developing countries this is vital," she said. "Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development.

"When girls are given the right tools to succeed they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves, but for all of those around them."

Meghan, 37, graduated with a communications degree from Northwestern University in Illinois before becoming an actress then marrying Harry earlier this year.

Announcing two grants to encourage female empowerment in Pacific academia, she said higher education for her was "incredible, impactful and pivotal", despite the challenge of paying for it.

"It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study -- where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition -- that I was able to attend university," she said.

"And, without question, it was worth every effort."

Meghan's visit to meet women participating in the UN project Markets for Change was curtailed, with Kensington Palace later citing "crowd management issues"

She was calm as bodyguards escorted her out of the markets and into a waiting car without incident.

Read also: Prince Harry and wife Meghan expecting a baby: Official

Rosemerry Dautei, 35, said Fijians were keen to see the visiting royals.

"It is just the excitement... this is an opportunity that has to be grabbed with both hands," she said.

Meghan's message resonated with Shayaa Chand, 22, who said: "In today's era we should support women and we should make them leaders. We are very grateful that Mrs Meghan thinks that way."

Climate change

Harry, who attended the elite Eton school and Sandhurst military academy, watched his spouse's university address with admiration.

"No way I can follow my wife after that," he said, to laughter from the assembled students.

The prince acknowledged the Pacific's concerns about climate change, announcing four scholarships to study the issue.

"All of you living here are confronted with this threat in your daily lives," he said. "You're actually experiencing changing weather patterns, ferocious cyclones and rising sea levels, particularly in Tuvalu and Kiribati.

"You've been living with this for many years, way before the world started talking about it."

The royal couple, who arrived in Fiji on Tuesday after a week in Australia, appeared relaxed touring the campus, meeting students and pre-school children.

Meghan wore a pink floral wrap dress with a pompom trim, and flowers in her hair, while Harry sported a blue Hawaiian shirt.

The day started on a sombre note for Harry, who attended a ceremony at the Fiji war memorial in Suva.

"In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country," he wrote on a note attached to a wreath laid at the memorial.

The royals will travel to Tonga on Thursday before returning briefly to Australia then wrapping up the tour with a visit to New Zealand.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Japan News/ANN) Tokyo  Wed, October 24, 2018 07:07 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778fa676 2 Business #China,#Japan,#XiJinPing,#Shinzo-Abe,#economy,#bilateral,China,Japan,economy,Xi-Jinping,Shinzo-Abe Free

When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing later this week, one of the main agenda items at their summit will be strengthening Japan-China economic cooperation.

Abe will make an official visit to China from Thursday to Saturday, the first official visit to China by a Japanese prime minister in seven years, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty. As for China, this year also marks the 40th year since the introduction of its economic reform and open-door policies.

We want Japanese companies with excellent technologies to invest more [in China]. Requests such as this were made one after another by local businesspeople when the Japan-China Economic Associations delegation visited the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China in early October.

Since this year started, local governments suddenly became active in approaching us, said Masashi Iwanaga, director of the associations Beijing office.

Behind Chinas efforts to expedite improvements in its relationship with Japan is the deterioration of the Chinese economy caused by China-US trade frictions.

Chinas gross domestic product growth in July-September stood at 6.5 percent, the lowest level in nine-and-a-half years.

Under the situation, China is aiming to get Japan involved in its Belt and Road Initiative, a mega economic zone project to nurture the initiative into a new driving force for of its economic growth.

At an economic forum held Saturday in Shanghai, a Chinese expert stressed: Japan and China should cooperate against protectionism. The Belt and Road Initiative can become the opportunity to promote bilateral cooperation.

Japanese companies, in fact, have been deeply involved in Chinas rapid economic development.

In October 1978, Deng Xiaoping, who was Chinas vice premier at the time, made an inspection visit to the Kimitsu Works of Nippon Steel Corp. (now Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp.). During the tour at the factory, which was highly automated, Deng appeared to be surprised at how few workers there were. He asked if the factory was closed that day.

It is said that Deng strongly felt the contrast with steelworks in China, which were full of slogans glorifying Chinas founding father Mao Zedong, but had yet to take sufficient safety measures.

Deng also visited factories of Nissan Motor Co. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (now Panasonic Corp.). About two months later, he declared the introduction of economic reform and open-door policies.

Since China began these policies, a number of Japanese companies have provided technological cooperation to China. Today, various Chinese products are sweeping the global market.

Regarding the steel industry, China accounts for about half of global production. In terms of the volume of smartphone shipments in the global market, Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. ranked second in April-June for the first time, surpassing Apple Inc.

However, Japanese companies are cautious of political tensions between the countries, which can adversely affect Japan-China business relationships, as seen in such past incidents as anti-Japan protests that occurred across China in 2012 concerning the Senkaku Islands.

Though China is sending signals to invite Japanese companies to join, firms remain highly cautious about the Belt and Road Initiative. One Japanese manufacturer said, We cannot help but take political risks into consideration.

Whether the summit meeting will be able to strengthen Japan-China ties and become a turning point to powerfully propel the economy is a matter to be watched.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 08:10 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778fc064 1 City Sentiong-River,sheet-pile,construction Free

The Jakarta administration will install 1,900 meters of sheet piling along the notoriously malodorous Sentiong River in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, next month.

Jakarta Water Resource Agency east flow unit head Nelson Simanjuntak said the agency would first explain the plan to residents around the river before carrying out the project.

"We'll do it soon. Maybe next month," Nelson said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

The project is aimed at strengthening the river wall, since the current brickwork is subsiding.

"The river wall is prone to subsidence especially when we dredge the river bottom," he said.

The project workers, Nelson added, would start dredging the river once the piling was installed. The dredging is expected to increase the river volume and prevent the flooding that often hits Kemayoran during the rainy season.

The Central Jakarta Water Resource Agency previously identified districts in the municipality that are prone to flooding, namely Cempaka Putih, Menteng, Pasar Baru and Kemayoran.

The Sentiong River, which looped around the athletes village in Kemayoran, made headlines in July when Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan decided to cover it with a giant net to make it more presentable to Asian Games delegates. (vla)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 16:39 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877913f15 4 Business Alipay,WeChat,Indonesia,operation,tourism Free

Bank Indonesia has said that two digital payment platforms from China, WeChat Pay and Alipay, have started down the path toward operating locally, eyeing transactions from the growing number of Chinese tourists to Indonesia.

BI deputy governor Sugeng said on Tuesday in Jakarta that WeChat Pay and Alipay representatives had met with state-owned lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) on establishing a possible partnership as per the central bank's requirement for foreign payment platforms to operate in the country.

They have met [with potential local partners], one of which was BNI, Sugeng confirmed to tribunnews.com.

BI senior deputy governor Mirza Adityaswara said the payment platforms' planned entry to Indonesia was expected to boost the arrival of Chinese tourists, which reached 1.9 million in 2017.

The point is that we support the tourism industry, which is good for small and medium enterprises, jobs and handcraft sales, Mirza added.

Earlier, the central bank's Bali representative office had discovered that many Chinese tourists on the resort island used Alipay, which was established in February 2004 by the Alibaba Group in Hangzhou, China, although neither company was licensed to operate in Indonesia.

WeChat Pay is another popular Chinese payment platform that has 800 million active users.

Chinese tourists are becoming more important to Indonesia, while WeChat Pay and Alipay are the two dominant payment platforms in China, said Mirza. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 18:45 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087791992f 1 City South-Jakarta,smoke,mask Free

Bintaro subdistrict head Dimas Prayudi has asked residents of neighborhood unit (RT) 10, community unit (RW) 02 in Bintaro, Pesanggarahan, South Jakarta, to wear face masks to protect them from odorous white smoke coming out of a nearby mound.

Since yesterday, Ive asked the RT head [to tell residents] to wear facemasks. [The smoke] can cause acute respiratory infections [ISPA], Dimas said on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

He added that his office had requested help from the Fire and Rescue Agency, Water Resources Agency and Environment Agency.

The [South Jakarta] Environment Agency has also told residents to be more careful [of the smoke], Dimas said.

Firefighters were dispatched on Wednesday to douse the smoke, but it continued even after firemen poured water on the mound.

Dimas said he planned to ask the Jakarta Water Resources Agency to drudge the mound, adding that the smoke might have originated from trash burned by residents months ago. The site had been covered with dirt but still produced smoke, he added.

A resident named Tomi said he lived around 100 meters from the site, which had been emanating smoke for some time.

It has been this way for a long time, I think about five months, Tomi said. (ami)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 10:33 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877901153 1 City bogor,land-shifting,building,collapse Free

Residents of 15 districts in Bogor regency, West Java, have been advised to move to safer places as their land is prone to shifting.

Land cracks were seen in Cimangurang village in Babakan Madang district from Saturday, the latest of such incidents in Greater Jakarta recently.

"The residents of Cimangurang village started to feel the crack in their houses as well as on the land on Saturday," the district head Yudi Santosa said on Tuesday

The land crack was more visible two days later with the width was about 1 meter while the length was about 150 meters.

The land continues to crack little by little. Now, the width is about 1 meter, he said as quoted by tempo.co.

Yudi said the phenomenon also affected about 25 houses and one mosque.

There are four buildings that are prone to collapse, so the residents were moved, he said.

Bogor Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPDP) secretary, Budi Pranowo, said Babakan Madang was listed as prone to land shifts.

The land in that area continues to shift, Budi said. Although there were no details about the land shifts, he said, it could physically damage buildings.

We need to see the examination result with the geology team first, but we dont have it now he added.

The BPDP has yet to release a status for the area. However, Budi urged Babakan Madang residents to find safer places.

Based on the BPDP data, there are 15 districts that are vulnerable to land shifts. Besides Babakan Madang, other districts include Sukaraja, Taman Sari, Megamendung, Cisarua, Sukamakmur, Cariu, Cigudeg, Leuwiliang and Tamansari. (srz)
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 18:40 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877918966 1 National irwandi-yusuf,KPK,pretrial-motion,corruption,aceh Free

The South Jakarta District Court has rejected non-active Aceh governor Irwandi Yusufs pretrial motion against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), upholding the antigraft bodys decision to name him a suspect and arrest him in a graft case involving the province's special autonomy funds.

The ruling, released on Wednesday, emphasized that the KPKs decision to name him suspect and subsequently arrest the governor had fulfilled all legal requirements.

The fact that Irwandi had been caught red-handed was also a key consideration in the ruling.

In July, the KPK arrested Irwandi along with non-active Bener Meriah regent Ahmadi and eight other individuals following suspicious transactions allegedly involving provincial and regency officials. Irwandi and four others were later named suspects and accused of scheming to embezzle Rp 8 trillion (US$557 million) from the provinces special autonomy funds.

In the pretrial motion, Irwandi and his legal team claimed that he never asked for or accepted any money relating to the special autonomy funds and cited his return of Rp 39 million to the KPK as a gratuity.

The KPK named Irwandi a suspect in a separate case regarding unlawful gratuities he allegedly accepted in connection to the botched pier construction in Sabangs free trade area in Aceh.

We appreciate the judges swift and precise decision. The investigation has reached the final stage, KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah told the press on Wednesday. (swd)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 13:23 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087790c849 4 Business CreativeEconomy,contribution,GDP-growth,Triawan-Munaf Free

Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) head Triawan Munaf has said that the creative industry sector contributed Rp 1.12 quadrillion (US$73.74 billion) to gross domestic product (GDP) this year.

Triawan said that creative industries' contribution to GDP growth had increased from year to year, from Rp 852.56 trillion (9.29 percent) in 2015 to Rp 922.59 (7.44 percent) in 2016, and more than Rp 1 quadrillion (7.57 percent) in 2017.

He added that growth in creative industries exceeded growth in the national economy.

Compared to national economic growth, which was 5.06 percent in the first quarter and 5.27 percent in the second quarter, [the creative economy] grew around 5.6 percent, he said on Tuesday in Jakarta, as reported by kompas.com.

Meanwhile, exports from creative industries contributed $19.3 billion in 2015, $19.99 billion in 2016 and $21.5 billion in 2017.

This year, the government projects that creative industry exports will contribute $22.6 billion, said Triawan. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 16:46 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877914b4c 1 City fire-engine,South-Jakarta,smoke Free

Fire fighters have been dispatched to stop odorous white smoke emanating from a mound near the Pesanggrahan River on Jl. Anggrek 1 in Bintaro, South Jakarta, on Wednesday; however, the smoke continued.

Firemen were spotted pouring water on the mound where the smoke originated from, but in the afternoon it continued to emanate from the mound.

Yesterday afternoon the firemen were here as well, but the smoke keeps coming, said one of the firemen in the area on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

He said that the firemen even tried to directly insert the fire engines water spray into the mounds crack, but the smoke kept coming, although less than before.

We havent seen the source of the smoke since yesterday. I think it went deeper, the fireman said.

Bintaro subdistrict head Dimas Prayudi said that the agency would continue trying to put out the smoke using water and had also planned to ask the Jakarta Water Resources Agency to drudge the mound.

We have requested heavy equipment for dredging, Dimas said.

A resident of neighborhood unit (RT) 10 and community unit (RW) 02 in Bintaro, Tomi, said that he lived around 100 meters from the site of the smoke and that it had been happening for quite a while.

It has been this way for a long time, I think since around five months ago, Tomi said.

He said that the smoke usually emanated a lot in the morning. When it rained on Monday, the smoke kept coming and local residents were at a loss on how to deal with it, he added. (ami)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Le Bourget, France  Wed, October 24, 2018 08:38 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778fc309 2 World #France,#military,France,military,launching,aircraft-carrier Free

France's government launched plans on Tuesday for a new aircraft carrier, saying it will make a decision on how to build the multi-billion-euro warship in 2020.

France currently has one carrier, the Charles-de-Gaulle, but is seeking to develop a replacement that would serve until 2080 and be adapted for next-generation combat jets.

"The Charles-de-Gaulle will need a successor," Defence Minister Florence Parly told reporters at the Euronaval industry expo in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

"The first step which we're launching today is a study period," she said. "It's about deciding together what and how we want our future aircraft carrier to be."

The budget for the study period alone will be 40 million euros ($46 million).

Running until 2020, it allows France to start organising the vast industrial operation needed to construct the vessel.

The Charles-de-Gaulle has been deployed in conflicts from Afghanistan to Libya and is key to keeping France strategically independent at sea.

The hulking 42,000-tonne vessel, which has also launched air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, is due to be retired in 2040.

It has been undergoing a major upgrade since early 2017 in its home port of Toulon, southern France, and will not be back in action until next year when it heads to the Indian Ocean.

Experts estimate that its replacement will cost between five and seven billion euros.

Key issues to be decided during the study period include whether or not the new carrier will be nuclear-powered like the Charles-de-Gaulle, and how to accommodate new combat aircraft being jointly developed with Germany.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 15:13 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877911507 1 National #Indonesia,#religion,Banser,members,apology,Burning,HTI,flag Free

Three men who took down a black flag with an Islamic creed written in Arabic and burned it during National Santri (Islamic students) Day in Garut, West Java, apologized on Tuesday for creating an uncomfortable situation.

Im here to apologize to everyone, especially Muslims, because this incident might have created an uncomfortable situation [for them], one of the men, who was wearing a black mask told the media at Garut Police Headquarters, as quoted by kompas.com.

The flag that we burned that day was the flag that our government has banned  the flag of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia [HTI], he added.

He also said that the incident was a spontaneous act and the action had nothing to do with the organization that they belong to.

They were allegedly members of the Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser) youth wing of the world's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

Chief of Garut Police, Adj. Sr. Comr., Budi Satria Wiguna, said that the three men had been detained in police headquarters for safety reasons while waiting for the legal proceedings until the situation calms.

We hope tonight before midnight there will be a certainty [about their status], Budi said.

The video of the flag burning went viral on Monday and drew outrage from many Muslims who deemed it an insult to Islam. (hol)
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Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang, Banten  Wed, October 24, 2018 14:48 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087790e86d 1 Business Jokowi,Trade-Expo-Indonesia,opening-ceremony,Enggartiasto-Lukita Free

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday launched the 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition in Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday.

The annual event targets to attract 28,000 visitors from 125 countries as Indonesia showcases various manufacturing products and commodities for export.

In his opening speech of the event, Jokowi called on the relevant ministers to provide incentives to boost exports, especially to non-traditional markets.

[There are] great opportunities that we have never taken care of for years, Jokowi said, mentioning countries in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. We should start taking better care [of these destinations] so that we can increase our exports.

Jokowi also urged business communities to find new export opportunities amidst the ongoing trade war, such as finding a way to replace goods and commodities supply to certain countries that could not be conducted by their traditional trade partners because of the trade war.

Meanwhile, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said that during the trade expo, the government expected to sign at least 68 trade contracts with 25 countries around the world with a total value of US$5.19 billion.

He said that the contracts were expected to be in the form of investment from China and Thailand worth $4.68 billion and trade transactions worth $513.97 million. (bbn)
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Linkedin Lee Jo-hee (The Korea Herald/ANN) Seoul, South Korea  Wed, October 24, 2018 15:03 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087790f6a7 2 World #SouthKorea,#Indonesia,Korea,aerospace,donation,Indonesia,Central-Sulawesi-earthquake Free

Korea Aerospace Industries said Wednesday the company will make a donation of $100,000 for the restoration of damages in Indonesia, which suffered enormously from a heavy earthquake that occurred in the area of Sulawesi Island and the resultant tsunami.

The donation will be delivered to Indonesia via the Korea Red Cross and will be used for the fastest restoration of damages in the affected region and for support of relief supplies to help damaged residents maintain their existence.We will convey words of consolation to the Indonesian people who suffered hugely from a sudden disaster, said an official at KAI, adding, the donation is to lend a hand for the earliest recovery of the damaged region.



Starting with exports of the KT-1 basic trainer to Indonesia in 2001, KAI has had a close cooperative relationship with Indonesia in the defense industry. Afterward, KAI exported its T-50 advanced jet trainers in 2011. Now, both sides are driving the Korean fighter aircraft project, coded named KF-X/IF-X, together.



KAI has continuously involved in relief activities, as shown in donations and the delivery of rescue supplies at a time when such disasters as the typhoon in the Philippines in 2013 and floods in Peru in 2017 took place.


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Linkedin Kim Da-sol (Yonhap) Seoul  Wed, October 24, 2018 11:30 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877909b0d 2 Business lotte-group,investment Free

Lotte Group announced plans Tuesday to invest 50 trillion won (US$44 billion) over the next five years, a move intended to quickly normalize the groups business after its Chairman Shin Dong-bin returned to the helm after eight months away, upon being released from jail earlier this month.

The retail-to-chemicals giant said it plans to invest 12 trillion won in 2019, the largest investment amount for a single year.

In the next year, the group said the amount will be put to mainly strengthening the two pillars of the groups business -- retail and chemicals -- such as by reinforcing online retail business with artificial intelligence and digital technology, as well as extending large-scale chemical production facilities in Korea, Indonesia and the US.

The plan indicates our will to quickly normalize management activities that recently slowed, secure competitiveness for future growth and contribute to revitalizing the national economy, Lotte said.

The group said up to 40 percent of the investment will be injected to intensifying its chemicals and construction businesses, while 25 percent and another 25 percent put to retail and hotel businesses. The remaining 10 percent is to go to its food businesses, including confectioneries.

Along with the investment plan, Lotte said it would hire about 70,000 people in the next five years, mainly to reinforce its retail arms e-commerce business.

Meanwhile, Chairman Shin Dong-bin flew to Japan on Tuesday, 19 days after he was released from jail on a suspended sentence in a bribery case.

The group officials said Shin will stay in Japan for one to two weeks to meet with executives there, including Japan-based Lotte Holdings CEO Takayuki Tsukuda.

Currently a Japanese firm owns major stakes in many Lotte units and binds the whole conglomerate together. Fifty percent of the company is owned by Japanese packaging firm Kojunsha, which owns almost the entire stake in Hotel Lotte. The Lotte chairman has been seeking to list the hotel chain in Korea by the end of this year in order to reduce the influence of his elder brother Shin Dong-joo, the largest shareholder of Kojunsha.

Earlier this month, a Seoul appeals court released Shin from jail after suspending a bribery and embezzlement sentence for four years.

Shin had been convicted following a series of investigations into the group, including a bribery investigation that led to the departure of former President Park Geun-hye. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 18:23 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877917fa6 1 City assault,Girl,mosque,South-Jakarta Free

Police have arrested a 26 year old man, identified as Ilham Yahya, who allegedly sexually assaulted two girls at a mosque in South Jakarta.

The suspect was arrested in his hiding place yesterday, South Jakarta Police criminal investigation unit chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Stefanus Tamuntuan said on Wednesday without revealing the location.

The incident happened around 1 p.m on Monday when Ilham asked the two girls, aged 9 and 14, to come to the second floor of the mosque. He then reportedly sexually assaulted the girls when they reached the second floor.

Stefanus said Ilham promised the girls money if they did as he said. The girls eventually managed to run away from the suspect, he said as quoted by tempo.co.

The girls families reported the incident to the South Jakarta Police after the girls told their parents. We immediately arrested the suspect, Stefanus said.

Ilham faces charges under the 2014 Child Protection Law, which carries a maximum punishment of 15 years imprisonment. (srz)
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Linkedin Winny Tang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 17:41 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308779165d6 1 Business Pool-Advista-Finance,IPO,profit,increase Free

Multifinance firm Pool Advista Finance announced on Wednesday it would hold an initial public offering (IPO) on Nov. 18 as it seeks fresh funds to acquire new assets and improve its information systems and technology in an attempt to boost its net income.

The company said it would release 800 million new shares to the public, or equal to 23.92 percent from the total paid up and issued capital, to collect Rp 100 billion (US$6.58 million) to Rp 120 billion in fresh funds.

The shares will be offered at between Rp 125 and Rp 150 apiece.

Raden Ari Priyadi, the companys finance director, said after the IPO, Pool Advista was upbeat about expanding its financing businesses for the productive sectors so that it could meet its net income growth target of 18.5 percent in 2019.

We expect Rp 27 billion in net profit this year and Rp 32 billion in 2019, said Raden on the sidelines of the companys public expose in Jakarta, adding that the company would purchase its current headquarters, which is currently rents, for Rp 45 billion.

He said the multifinance business was facing tougher challenges currently because banks were becoming more selective in channeling funds to multifinance firms.

In such a situation, many banks required multifinance firms to have fixed assets as collateral, Raden said, adding that the acquisition of the new asset could support the company's efforts to get more financing from banks in the future. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 14:52 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087790f28f 1 City North-Jakarta,sheet-pile,river Free

The rainy season that has just begun had caused a riverbank to collapse on Tuesday in Pejagalan, North Jakarta.

Six semi-permanent shops on Jl. Jembatan Gambang Raya along the bank of the Tubagus Angke River were flattened when the riverbank collapsed and took several segments of the river's sheet piling with it.

Pejagalan subdistrict head Yogara Fernandez said the collapse occurred when the riverbank failed as result of accumulated mud from heavy rain.

The sheet piling aged and held mud. A river re-functioning project had dredged [the bank] to a depth of two meters, said Yogara as kompas.com quoted him on Wednesday.

Yogara added that Monday's rain had also accelerated the river current and eroded the bank.

The incident did not cause any fatalities, but has caused losses of around Rp 40 million (US$2,634) to the shop owners.

It began with a small crack. They noticed that and fled the [shops], said Yogara, and that the shop owners escaped before the collapse occurred.

Debris from the shops remained scattered in the area on Wednesday morning, although it was later cleared by workers from the Jakarta Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU).

It has been reported that the city will evict the owners of 15 other semi-permanent shops in the area to prevent another riverbank collapse. (vla)
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Linkedin Anuj Chopra and Mohamad Ali Harissi (Agence France-Presse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Wed, October 24, 2018 08:08 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778fbb9d 2 World #SaudiArabia,#MurderCase,Saudi-Arabia,Crown-Prince-Mohammed-bin-Salman,investment,Conference,journalist,murder Free

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince appeared Tuesday at a glitzy investment forum boycotted by a host of global business leaders, as the petro-state admitted it is facing a "crisis" after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman smiled and took selfies with cheering delegates during his 15-minute appearance on the opening day of the three-day Future Investment Initiative (FII), which is aiming to project the historically insular Gulf kingdom as a lucrative business destination.

The conference, nicknamed "Davos in the desert", has been overshadowed by the outcry over the murder of Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, with a string of leading international investors pulling out over the case.

But Saudi organisers sought to portray it was business as usual, announcing 12 "mega deals" worth more than $50 billion in oil, gas, infrastructure and other sectors.

They sought to rally around Prince Mohammed, the king's powerful son whose reform credentials have been tarnished by the scandal despite repeated denials he had any involvement in the killing.

After his brief appearance on the opening day, Saudi media said the crown prince would take part in a panel at the conference on Wednesday.

But Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih acknowledged "these are difficult days".

"We are going through a crisis," Falih said in his speech.

Falih said the murder of Khashoggi was regrettable, adding that "nobody in the kingdom can justify it".

In further efforts to diffuse the crisis, Saudi Arabia's cabinet said his killers would be held accountable "no matter who they may be".

The comments came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded to know who gave the order for Khashoggi's killing in his country and the whereabouts of the slain journalist's corpse.

- Tight security -

The Riyadh conference opened amid tight security at Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel, with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriyev headlining.

Khan's government announced later Tuesday in a statement from Islamabad that Saudi Arabia had pledged $3 billion to Pakistan as it battles a balance of payments crisis, as well as to defer another $3 billion in payments for oil imports.

Falih heaped praise on the CEO of French energy giant Total, Patrick Pouyanne, for standing by Saudi Arabia in this difficult period.

"We see what partnership means when you have difficult times," Pouyanne responded as he shared the stage with Falih.

"This is when you really strengthen a partnership."

Dozens of delegates walked a red carpet into the vast conference venue at the Ritz-Carlton, with a cathedral-like lobby, frescoed ceilings and glittering chandeliers.

But as the day progressed, the crowds thinned in the main auditorium even as Prince Mohammed sat in the front alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II and billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was detained in the hotel last year along with other elites in what authorities called a crackdown on corruption.

Organisers frequently changed the agenda of the event in a sign speakers were dropping out.

SoftBank Group's chief executive Masayoshi Son -- who maintains close relations with the crown prince -- cancelled his speech, Bloomberg reported.

A long list of investors and international policymakers have already declined to show up in Riyadh in apparent protest against the Khashoggi killing.

Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser, corporate chiefs from JP Morgan, Ford and Uber, and media powerhouses like CNN and the Financial Times all scrapped plans to attend.

Ministers from Britain and France and the United States, which have huge defence deals at stake with Saudi Arabia, have stayed away.

A wider Western boycott of the conference suggests rising political risks in Saudi Arabia that could hit foreign direct investment, which already plunged to a 14-year low last year, according to a UN body.

And in a fresh setback, the forum's website went down on Monday after an apparent cyberattack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

It was back up with reduced content as the conference progressed.

- 'PR crisis' -

This year's conference contrasts with last year's inaugural FII -- a star-studded event at which Prince Mohammed was lionised as a visionary by speakers.

But many Western firms have too much at stake to abandon the Arab world's biggest economy, and some have decided to send lower-level executives.

"The West is still interested in the business opportunity that Saudi offers," said Tony Chan, president of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, who attended the forum.

"The no-shows have to be reconciled with that fact. As business shifts from West to East, those companies have to find a balance between maintaining a good PR image and their business considerations."

Companies from China and Russia have shown little interest in withdrawing from the event, an organiser said.

"The high profile withdrawal of so many American CEOs from the conference certainly presents opportunities for Asian and Russian companies to make a splash," Ellen Wald, author of the book "Saudi Inc.", told AFP.

The crown prince, widely known by his initials MBS, faces what the risk consultancy Eurasia Group has called "an acute public relations crisis" over Khashoggi's murder.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Geneva, Switzerland  Wed, October 24, 2018 13:41 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087790cc98 2 World #Swiss,#Russia,Swiss,probe,Russia,espionage Free

Switzerland's justice department on Tuesday cleared the attorney general's office to open criminal proceedings against two suspected Russian spies accused of attempting to hack sensitive targets in the country.

Swiss officials have said the two suspects, arrested in the Netherlands earlier this year, were planning a cyber attack on the Spiez laboratory in Bern and launched an attack on the Lausanne office of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

In a statement, the Swiss justice department said it had given the attorney general's office the green light for the prosecution after meetings with the Swiss foreign affairs department.

The Spiez lab was the target of a planned attack while it investigated the poisoning of Russian former agent Sergei Skripal in Britain, say Swiss officials.

The lab does analytical work for the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

WADA, for its part, has been a thorn in Moscow's side for several years over drug cheating in Russian sport.

The Montreal-based watchdog suspended Russia's Anti-Doping Agency in 2015 after declaring it to be non-compliant following evidence of a vast plan backed by Moscow to cheat at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Russia admitted to shortcomings in its anti-doping programme but rejected the existence of a state-supported cheating programme.

In September, WADA said a compliance review committee had cleared RUSADA to be reinstated.

Exact details of the alleged agents' arrests are unknown but on March 26 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that "two Russian intelligence workers" were expelled as a result of the Skripal attack.

Last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the reports that Russian agents had targeted the Spiez laboratory, saying he could not believe the arrests were not picked up at the time by the media.

In a separate development, Russia also denied that four of its nationals expelled by the Dutch in April had been trying to hack into the OPCW headquarters at The Hague, as Dutch officials allege.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, October 24, 2018 12:39 1121 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087790bd79 1 City inmates,suicide,Cipinang-Penitentiary Free

A Taiwanese inmate was found dead in his cell in Cipinang penitentiary in East Jakarta on Tuesday, a prison officer has said.

The suspected cause of the death of the 42-year-old man was suicide by hanging.

Yes, there was an inmate who died. [He] was found hanged at around 6 p.m., said Cipinang penitentiary spokesman Tri Mulyanto on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

The head of public relations at the Law and Human Rights Ministry's Corrections Directorate General, Ade Kusmanto, said that the inmate had been at the prison for a criminal case related to fisheries.

He was implicated in a fisheries criminal case and was sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment, he said.

Ade explained that his side could not provide more details yet regarding the motive of the alleged suicide.

[We are] still working on the crime scene, he added. (sau)
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Linkedin Yusmadi Yusoff (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur  Thu, October 25 2018

In May this year, Malaysia opened a new chapter in history when its voters chose change and elected the Pakatan Harapan government into office. The new government has demonstrated clearly that the country has not forsaken its partners  in particular, China.

This is even more evident with Anwar Ibrahims visit to the dragon state.

First, to address the elephant in the room: the cancellations of the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) and two gas pipelines and the postponement of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) link with Singapore. Though the moves may have irked Chinese leaders, it cannot be emphasized enough that they were made primarily with the governments bleeding coffers in mind.

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An estimated 670,000 to 7000,000 marchers for the Peoples Vote assembled in London's Parliament Square on Saturday to campaign for a referendum on the outcome of the negotiations with the EU. While the Met Police struggled to estimate the number of supporters, the start of the march had to be delayed due to the impressive turnout, as there were thousands more in attendance then had been expected.At the same time as the London rally, there was a pro-Brexit demonstration held in Harrogate, led by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and organised by the group Leave Means Leave. Farage called the people marching in London 'losers'. The People's Vote march on Saturday followed another which took place in London in June, held on the second anniversary of the EU Referendum. All generational differences were seemingly overlooked on Saturday, and for once three consecutive generations were brought together with a common purpose. Large parts of those in attendance said they were not there for themselves but there to fight for the future and rights of the younger generations, including those who were not eligible to vote in the 2016 referendum. Parents and grandparents marched with pride behind excited children who were effortlessly ignoring the discomfort of carrying their giant handmade signs. The sheer magnitude of this movement and the fight against Brexit was revealed by the lengths and variety of creativity people put into creating signs and travelling vast distances in order to have their plea for change heard. Comically, many dog owners even dressed their pets up in EU blue costumes, calling on them them to bark out against Brexit as part of the Wooferendum Crowdfunder.From 2pm onwards a collection of high-profile speakers gave speeches in Parliament Square calling for a People's Vote. Parliament Square gathered much momentum before people took to the stage, with a clear buzz of excitement. Gary Lineker addressed the audience, saying: I think its very rare in life that you get a chance to use the benefit of hindsight". Adding: "We have the benefit of hindsight if we use the Peoples Vote. Afterward a compilation of clips presenting reasons for the Peoples Vote was shown, comprised of celebrities voicing their opinions, including Jamelia, Dominic West, Philip Pullman, Josh Widdicombe, Stephen Mangan, Natascha McElhone, Tracey Ullman, Natty, Matt Lucas and Olly Alexander. A final deal is not going to be what anyone voted for on either side, Tracey Ullman said. Representatives from the three main political parties, including Conservative MP's like Anna Soubry, overcame their differences on stage by fighting for a common goal and addressing the significance of the Peoples Vote. Mayor of London and Labour man Sadiq Khan, who started the march in Park Lane, also gave a speech: There are some people who complain that we are acting and what is really important is that those that complain and say that a public vote is undemocratic, unpatriotic, realise that in fact the exact opposite is the truth. What can be more democratic, what can be more British than trusting the judgement of the British people?"For many, Saturday's protest was not just about the UK breaking apart from the EU but the UK becoming fragmented and broken within, and considerable attention was put on the looming threat Brexit has to the Good Friday agreement. A young woman from Northern Ireland, introduced by comedian Patrick Kielty, spoke of her homes unstable past in an attempt to shine an important light on the volatility of any proposed Irish border. I am fortunate enough to have grown up without the fear of being bombed, without the fear of losing a sibling in a terrorist attack in the pub and without the black cloud of violence looming over my head. Brexit threatens all of this, she said. One camera, one police officer or one customs post and it will turn into the perfect attack for power militaries who want to reignite the violence, she added.The impact some people believe Brexit will have on the poorest people in society was emphasised by young women from Hull in Yorkshire and Ynys Mon in Wales. The young woman from Hull said: We are a city that has education rates that are low, investment rates that are low and employment rates that are low and to be honest, often our optimism about the future is even lower. And thats why places like where I grew up voted leave and because the Brexit elite promised us investment in our public services, promised us investment in our worldwide shipping trade, promised us the hope that comes with taking back control. Where are those promises today, she later questioned. The young woman from Ynys Mon said: We know that Brexit will hit the vulnerable the hardest for the longest. Where men bearing the brunt of Boris Johnsons short comings. People of colour living with the consequences of Nigel Farages lies. The working classes living in Jacob Reese Mogs brave old world. Democracy means we do not have to accept their vision of the world, she added.The last young speaker, who was from Fife in Scotland, spoke of everyones personal stake in Brexit. Like many of you, I have a personal stake in Brexit too. From my Danish flatmate, my German partner, my family, fellow students and community. Every single one of us here knows someone with something to lose, he said. Theresa May has already ruled out a second referendum and has comitted herself and her Government to ploughing through with leaving the European Union in 2019. Yet, as the UKs departure scheduled for the 29th March 2019 rapidly approaches, only time will tell if Mrs May, or any one in Government, will start listening to the thousands who marched on Saturday. If the Peoples March achieves nothing else, no one can deny it has become an incredible source of inspiration to millions of people.
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Katie Meyler Receiving an Award with her Face Inscribed with the name of Poor and innoscent Abigail

In April 2018, six months before ProPublica and Time Magazine released their documentary Unprotected concerning the sexual abuse that occurred at Katie Meylers More Than Me school for girls, the More than Me CEO, approached me on a Liberian beach. Meyler knew me by the first name and mentioned that my former boss recommended me to her (which others disputed while discouraging me from getting into bed with her).



It was a sweaty day and Katie did well to run through their issues quickly. A male teacher had abused some school girls but was incarcerated. A hit job was expected and they needed PR control for the organization. She inquired of my Public Relations experience and interest in the job. We exchanged numbers and planned to meet.



The Meyler I met on the beach was much like the one portrayed in the Pro-Publica documentary. She was aggressive yet personable  not afraid to ask for help from complete strangers. She was also a bit off-putting and as I and the rest of the world know now, terribly disingenuous.



After the first meeting, I did some due diligence with friends in higher places and education. Everyone cautioned me to stay away. They advised that I should not get involved. A few weeks later, Katie would again approach me, this time on a roof-top bar. Thankfully, I had accepted a position elsewhere with a manic schedule. So, I politely declined.



I posted on Facebook briefly about this interaction. It was in response to denials by some of Meylers supporters that she was not engaged in a cover-up. They remarked that she had done all she could for the girls following the horrific acts committed by MacIntosh, her ex-boyfriend and community liaison officer, the ex-rebel turned educator.

I know of at least two other Liberian journalists Meyler approached before the publication. If Meyler had spent as much time looking after the girls and supporting them following the crimes, as she did scouting for spin doctors, she might be in less of a mess.



Katie is entitled to help, just as much a public relation specialist is needed if not more than a lawyer these days. However, it shows clearly how she views what happened and her wrongdoing. In our impromptu beach meeting, she casually downplayed the seriousness of what had occurred on the More Than Me grounds. Meyler alluded that few girls had been sexually abused. At least 10 girls testified in court. Others such as Liberian political pundit Taa Wongbe put the number at over 40 plus girls. Her expression was as if justice was served for the girls. It never was.



Meylers crime in this ordeal is indisputable. Devoid of oversight and regard for the girls safety, the inappropriate relationships and activities with her students, is loud. Her abandonment of the girls during the court proceedings when most needed deserves both national and international outcry.



Her claims of not being subpoena by the court and also not understanding Liberias legal system, are lazy. The further claim that she and her staff lack the expertise of running a school is no excuse excluding her of guilt.



The sexual abuse revelation at MTM has sparked a protest by Liberians at home and the Diaspora. A mass protest was held last Thursday gripping the attention of the government. It is also rumored that the Liberian Government is considering reopening the case. A task force investigation is underway by several civil society groups.

The More Than Me story has garnered so much interest. Perhaps, because, unlike most other sexual assault cases, there is a woman at the center.

In the world of #MeToo, seemingly every day, there is a new accusation made against a man of power. Every day another man is held to the fire for sexual and violent misconduct. The wests current war on men, as rape apologist refers to it, is subtly drowning out the on-going and deep-rooted sexual abuse still occurring in developing countries.





More Than Me

But, More Than Me has returned Liberia at the center of a discussion about race, poverty and sexual abuse. The ProPublica documentary and Time article focuses more on Meylers culpability than the crimes themselves. It is a sickening case of a white savior complex and what infuriates us all about NGOs and foreign-aid.



The school leadership accepts their mistakes and say that they were naive. But, Sorry, we didnt know better, doesnt suffice in 2018. They knew enough to open a school, to have the then president of Liberia donate a building and receive millions of dollars on the schools behalf.



My and others claims of interactions with Meyler clearly illustrate that she knows exactly what she was doing. She understands better than me and many other Liberians I would argue, Liberia, its culture and what you can and cant get away with.



Meyler like her counterparts understands that Liberia was and still is an insecure child that cant be trusted at home alone. Her parents be-it NGOs or the likes of the World Bank and UN must watch over her as she bathes making sure she doesnt drown in the bath water.



She cant be trusted with a task such as providing clean water, electricity or education for her citizens. She needs big kids like Meyler to show her how to do it. Meyler has shown to Liberia and Africa once again, the big kids will look out for you on the playground, but they expect a piece of your lunch money.



As long as Liberia and the functionality of her institutions are dependent upon outsiders, the country will always be in danger. A pervasive state of insecurity. Liberians and their government are also to blame for what happened at More Than Me.



In no way was I surprised by the story or that Katie brought underage children to expat parties or that the children were sleeping at her boyfriend McIntosh's house. It was neither to the knowledge of his wife about what was ongoing. These improprieties have become a part of the countrys culture.



I mentioned in my Liberias #MeToo article that hundreds of girls pay for their education with their bodies. The beach of Meyler and Is first meeting is notorious for sex-workers. Every weekend, underage girls are seen with or being escorted from bars by elderly men. Our silence perpetuates what has become a norm. Society is guilty.



In a report covering January September 2018 from Liberias Ministry of Gender, over 900 sexual and gender-based violence cases were reported. 500 were rape cases and 475 involved children.

In our little country of 4.6 million people, child abuse and prostitution are rampant. Yet, Liberia has one of the strictest rape laws in the world. President Ellen-Johnson historically made rape a non-billable offense which members of the Liberian Senate have continuously pushed to amend. Years later, rape is still the second most reported serious crime in Liberia and many of the cases never result in a conviction, like the More Than Me case.



Others have argued that the reoccurrence of rape and impunity is more-so a symptom of the post-war trauma and terminal poverty Liberia suffers but rape/sexual assault is a topical issue all around the world.



Especially in this sort of case, where a protector becomes the abuser. The UN alone has revealed, that over the past five years the UN has recognized the claims of 612 women and children who say they were victims of abuse, involving 353 separate claims against UN staff in peacekeeping operations alone, reports Express News.



Some have claimed that the More Than Me scandal would not happen in the West. But, arguably, as weve seen in the recent cases of Penn State and USA gymnastics, sexual assault cover-ups occur all around the world.



Like those cases, the More Than Me rape story was concealed by people in positions of power. They were aware of the truth of the matter yet, declined to help. Child sexual abuse will continue to be widespread until all those surrounding these cases  the educators, board members, government officials and the rest trusted to protect are held accountable.

I had no idea of the seriousness of the abuses or that it was ongoing until the recent story came out. I have learned from the post and private discussions, there was widespread knowledge of this: numerous people who were not even involved in education or the justice system but in positions of power were in the know.

Because those who knew preferred to engage in a cover-up or keep silent on the matter, Meyler opened 19 more schools in Liberia overseeing approximately 4,000 students across the country. The West Point Community was not alerted that there were now an additional 10 - 40 impoverished girls more than likely infected with HIV. They may or may not be receiving treatment living in the slums and pose a serious health risk to the community.

The National AIDS Commission of Liberia reported that in 2017, an increase in the number of persons living with HIV in Liberia from about 33,000 persons to 43,200 persons. The effects of their silence are real and dangerous.

We are all inherently to blame --- I included. As a writer and occasional journalist, when I was advised to decline Katies PR offer as a client, I should have delved into the story. As critics rightfully point out  this case happened years ago, why did it take a journalist from abroad to bring attention to it?

This case shows that Liberia continues to be the poster child for all that is wrong in Africa: impunity, corruption and widespread abuse. Liberia has also, and I believe still is a poster child for all that is possible in Africa: stable democracy following years of civil unrest, feminist movements and the unwavering tenacity of its people.

Unfortunately, we continue to succumb to impunity in corruption and sexual abuse. It is too weak and reckless to continue to use poverty as an excuse.

What does it say about us a country, as a people to the rest of the world? It is no surprise that we continue to go unprotected.


Speaker Bhofal Chambers

The Concerned Citizens United to Bring Our Money Back (COCUBOMB), a coalition of over 26 civil society organizations, vehemently frowns on latest statement from Speaker Bhofal Chambers suggesting non-compliance with foreign investigators, including FBI, who are in Liberia to forensically probe this missing L$16 billion mystery.



In his press statement, which in our opinion was overloaded with subterfuge and blatant blame-shifting on ex-President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Chambers said that Lawmakers would never be subjected to any form of probe by foreign investigators. COCUBOMB considers such statement as an unwarranted display of arrogance, crudity and scare tactic only intended to prejudice the ongoing forensic investigation.



This is what happens when a poverty-stricken nation like Liberia has a Puppeteering Speaker whose utmost interest is embellished in massive greed and racketeering. Such emotional outburst is the most appropriate reaction from a rather guilty speaker than an innocent speaker. COCUBOMB has reliably learned that this Speaker purchased a US$155,000 compound on GSA Road in Paynesville in May 2018.



Half of this amount was paid in LD while the other half was paid in USD according to our well-placed source. This is the same Speaker who has been accused of committing crime in the USA and clandestinely changing his name from Jallah Lahinin to Bhofal Chambers in order to fraudulently obtain a PhD degree in Criminal Justice.



This is the same Speaker who was linked to conflict of interest and corruption by an audit report of IAA indicting him of having a 7.5 percent share in Liberia-China Investment Group, a Chinese Company that siphoned millions of dollars intended to construct Bong Technical College. Isnt this the same Speaker who called for retributive justice yesterday, but in his opinion it is not necessary today?

This is the same Speaker who unscrupulously ratified two loan agreements (ETON and EBOMAF) costing almost a billion dollar without instituting due diligence. Such a Speaker is only good enough to be described as the most inconsistent, incompetent, corrupt, and rubber-stamped since 1847. This is why COCUBOMB is demanding the immediate removal of Speaker Chambers because he is unfit to lead.



Speaker Chambers needs to understand that the utmost desire of the Liberian people is for this spree of mass looting (missing L$16 billion) to be fully and independently investigated by foreign investigators, and not a compromised panel of diehard partisans. The people of Liberia through COCUBOMB will only accept report from international forensic investigators, and not any form of investigative panel set-up by this government.

The people have already lost trust and confidence in the government to investigate this national mystery because the government including the National Legislature is a party to this case. COCUBOMB challenges Speaker Chambers to show us any provision of the Constitution or any Law that prohibits or exempts Lawmakers from being investigated especially when they are linked to economic sabotage/corruption.



No wonder why the Criminal Justice Credential of this Speaker remains very questionable. A Speaker who does not frankly disagree with the President, even when our Constitution and almost all of our laws are being violated, is a rubber-stamped Speaker who can easily be used as an insatiable conduit of shady deals and racketeering.



COCUBOMB believes that if Speaker Chambers has nothing to offer as a solution to Liberias socio-economic nightmare and increasing hardship as a result of rampant GREED and CORRUPTION, he should be inviting Minister Samuel Tweah to provide detailed explanation about how US$25 million was infused in the Liberian economy. Furthermore, Speaker Chambers is not the investigator and/or the judge to name anyone as a Person of Interest. He must give foreign investigators the chance to independently probe this matter.



COCUBOMB admonishes our foreign investigators including the FBI to give no credence to vain outbursts and guilt-ridden loudness. Such a lousy alarm from this Speaker is on purpose. We encourage you (foreign investigators) to fearlessly proceed with your investigation as Liberians remain eagerly hopeful of a credible outcome. We call for a comprehensive audit of the National Legislature from 2006 up to present. Lawmakers too must be held accountable and responsible for public resources.



Those who viciously stole our money (L$16 billion) must account and account now. BRING BACK OUR MONEY remains the most popular call of the Liberian people from Montserrado to Maryland. The POWER of the PEOPLE is greater than those in power. Speaker Chambers and his likes must understand this uncontested reality and immediately refrain from any further upsurge of arrogance and racketeering.

For more info. or clarification, you can contact: Martin K. N. Kollie (0776572334), Emmanuel Gonquoi (0776771111) and Jeremiah Swen (0776569458)


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MBABANE - Art is another form of expression.

Hundreds of art lovers braved the freezing weather last Saturday to attend the opening of the Eswatini NOW Art Exhibition in Mbabane. There were art performances by modern dance artist Seipati Jonga, musician and artist Ralph Smith and conceptual artist Khulekani Msweli, as well. Visitors were all impressed with the old warehouse venue, finding it to be perfect for an alternative art exhibition! Thirty artists are presenting diverse works on the theme of Artists exploring their own vision of Swaziland opening our eyes to alternative realities. There are paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and installations on display.

Yebo Art Gallerys Curator Aleta Armstrong said; We are all very pleased with the turn-out for the opening and loving the positive feedback about this interesting venue and show.

Id like to thank the 30 artists who participated in the exhibition; their work is thought-provoking and wonderful. Also pleased with the sales of selected works and looking forward to more during the week, as it is important to support our talented artists. The exhibition is open everyday this week, and will end on Sunday at 5pm. There will be other art performances again this Saturday at noon. Armstrong further invited the public to view the rest of the exhibition. Its the last one Yebo will be having in Eswatini for a while as our focus for 2019 will be on international markets and the Joburg Art Fair, she said. The exhibition venue is a warehouse on Zwide Street in Mbabane, around the corner from The Theatre Club, opposite CTA. Entry is free and is open from 10am to 5pm.
MBABANE - Rapper C4 is adamant on having no limitations when it comes to words.

Back from the shadows, Eswatini veteran female rapper Cherise C4 Ford has shown the fearless side of her by dropping an explicit song titled Allegiance, a song which displays a sex scene. This publication cannot repeat the lyrics of the song because they contain explicit language. The song created social media abuzz where many supported it and some, condemned it for its explicitness. The song was released last weekend, after being produced by Eswatini renowned producer Ziyawa ka Zitha in his new studios. The artist behind the explicit song highlighted that she did not expect the song to be broadcasted on radio or TV as they have strict rules against airing songs with strong language. I am expecting it to go viral on social media, she said.

C4 said the song was motivated by her wanting to empower women. Women are so precious but are reduced to people who are there just to clean and pleasure people. Life comes from women and the places I speak about. It is time women are put on a pedestal. It is definitely meant for the public but I preferred to use social media as my platform because on radio you cannot say exactly what you want to say. I do not want people telling me how to write my songs and if they cannot play them here, they will be heard elsewhere. I want to encourage honest writing and break barriers, shatter ceilings, said C4.

She also said the reaction from the public excited her because it indicated that people understood her art and the message she was trying to convey. At the end of the day, I am trying to announce my utmost respect for women through the song. I hope it also generates a sisterhood that ends all the pettiness and fighting over trivial things and just handling their business like the bosses they are. I was just really expressive about it, she said. According to BTRtoday, music is an art form, and art has never held a good relationship with censorship. Earning the explicit label can be somewhat of an ordeal for songwriters.
MBABANE  The uncertainty over the next ACC boss is over.

His Majesty King Mswati III has appointed Daniel Dlamini as the new Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Dlaminis appointment was announced by the Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala yesterday. The announcement of his appointment came at a time when he is away in Brussels attending an integrity meeting. Dlamini (48) of Nkhungwini, who was a senior manager at Eswatini Revenue Authority (ERA), replaces Advocate Thanda Mngwengwe, whose contract ended in February 2018.

Inception

He is the fourth commissioner to be appointed since the inception of the ACC in 1998. Previous commissioners of ACC are Mike OConnor, the late Justice Michael Muthega and Advocate Mngwengwe who served from 2013-2018. At ERA, Dlamini who is also a Deacon at Pentecostal Assemblies; was the Director of Internal Affairs dealing with investigations of internal fraud, corruption and emblezzment of funds as well as managing the budget of the Internal Affairs Division. The new ACC boss holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law as well as Bachelor of Laws degree obtained in 1992 and 1994, respectively, from the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). In August 2005 to April 2008, Dlamini served legal articles under the attorney general and received exposure in instituting or handling of litigation cases before lower courts and higher courts of the land. Among other skills he acquired included attending to court orders in liaising with the office of the High Court registrar.

This involved participating in the taxing of various court matters before the registrar. Dlamini is not new in the commission as from 1998  2010, he was an investigator, senior ACC officer as well as chief anti- corruption officer. He is a member of the Eswatini National Task Force on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter- Financing of Terrorism and served as secretary to the commission of inquiry into the allegations of corruption in the procurement of a drilling rig by the Department of Geology. The new ACC boss also served in the following commissions: secretary in the commission of inquiry into allegations of misconduct relating to two Cabinet ministers and also served as secretary in the commission of inquiry into the alleged torture of bomb suspects.
LOBAMBA  Senate has embraced women empowerment when it comes to the position of president.

This is because after having had a woman as president in the previous three Parliaments, another one has taken over the hot seat. Former Minister of Public Works and Transport Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini, was yesterday elected unopposed as the president. Dlamini takes over a seat that was held by former President and acting koNshingila Chief Gelane Zwane.

Appointed

Zwane had been holding the position since 2006, when she took over from then President Mathendele Dlamini, who was appointed minister. Meanwhile, Pastor Lindiwes family members, including her husband and children, watched in excitement as her name was called out as the only one who was in the running for the election of president. Dlaminis name was raised by appointed Senator Thuli Dladla just after the new members had been sworn in. She was seconded by Senator Isaac Magagula and it seemed the rest of the members had made up their minds as there was no opposition.

As per the Standing Orders, Clerk to Parliament Ndvuna Dlamini, who was chairing the proceedings, asked if there was any other candidate but there was none, which put the pastor into the seat of president unopposed. The same procedure was used for the election of the deputy president, whose name was raised by Senator Sylvia Mthethwa. She was seconded by Senator Leckinah Magagula, and Senator Ndumiso Mdluli, who was the only candidate, and was declared the winner. True to his words which he emphasised on Monday during the first workshop for the senators, the clerk then made the announcement that the House should adjourn.

The clerk made it clear on Monday that those who would be nominated for the two positions would not take their seats until they received blessings from His Majesty King Mswati III. As the House adjourned, the new president requested journalists not to interview her as she was not ready to say anything. I will only be able to speak once I have received the blessing of His Majesty King Mswati III, she said. Before being the Minister of Public Works and Transport, the president was also a member of Cabinet as Minister of Housing and Urban Development. Mdluli, on the other hand, was a senator of note in the 10th Parliament as he featured prominently on issues related to the education sector.
Today marks the beginning of a new era in the corridors of power.

Expectations are high that by close of business today, the country will have a new prime minister following the call by His Majesty the King for the nation to converge at Sibaya.

Preceding this, it must be noted that the appointments by the King to Senate and some of the candidates from the electorate, comprise of what looks to be an arsenal very capable of resolving the socio-economic challenges facing this country. A good number of seats look set to be occupied by a wealth of academic, corporate, public and entrepreneurial acumen, which ignites a glimmer of hope that solutions could arise for a government that seemed to have run out of ideas. It now boils down to the appointment of the captain of the ship and the selection of the Cabinet team.

It must be said though, that the best armoury in the world cannot win a war without a strong political will from the top, accompanied by full buy-in and the commitment of the generals and foot-soldiers working in concert to execute a well thought out strategy to save us from ourselves. This presents the new team with the unenviable task of uniting a nation unsettled by a myriad of challenges that are no less than the rising cost of living, a cash flow crisis, lack of investment, high unemployment and exorbitant taxes, which have pitted the government against the people. This requires of the new generals to work quicker, harder and do more with very much less in the pocket, because the nation is adamant that the salaries and perks afforded to their predecessors, were not only incommensurate with their service delivery, but were beyond the countrys means.

However, the first hurdle to be overcome is the emerging evidence that exposes how Members of Parliament accepted money from those seeking to become senators, which has seriously tarnished the image of the 11th Parliament, tampered with the trust of the people and pierced the hopes of a nation that deserves a fresh positive start. Only a full blown investigation that would bring all culprits to book could revive our faith in what this new government has to offer. We thank His Majesty for the appointment of the new head of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), who should have no time to take a seat as he pursues answers from our new lawmakers. It is embarrassing that some well respected MPs have admitted to accepting money but see nothing of it. The last thing this country needs is to be served by a dishonourable group of people who can only make things worse than they already are.
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The Greek community of Egypt honored the Greek soldiers who fell in El Alamein, during the ferocious battle against the Axis powers during the Second World War, in a ceremony on Saturday

Officials from Greece and Egypt laid wreaths at the monument for the fallen Greeks. The highlight of the ceremony was 95 year-old Michalis Matzakos, a survivor of the battle, who fought against the Nazis at the age of 19.

The Greek government was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Terence Quick.

Several thousand Greek officers and soldiers, as well as members of the Greek government fled to Crete and then to Egypt in the face of the overwhelming German advance in April and May of 1941.

They were placed under British command, re-equipped with British arms, and complemented by volunteers from the local Greek population, together forming the Royal Hellenic Army in the Middle East.

The 1st Greek Brigade, placed under the British 50th Division in the Nile Delta, fought in the Second Battle of El Alamein, where it suffered 89 fatalities and 228 wounded.

Read more at greekreporter.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: apostolis k License: CC-BY-SA
Based on provisional data by the Bank of Greece, the balance of travel services showed a surplus of 3,436 million in August 2018, compared with a surplus of 3,388 million in the same month of 2017. More specifically, travel receipts in August 2018 rose by 1.4% to 3,604 million, from 3,553 million in August 2017, whereas travel payments increased by 1.6% (August 2018: 167 million, August 2017: 165 million). The rise in travel receipts was due to a 4.8% increase in inbound traveller flows, as average expenditure per trip fell by 19 or 3.2%. Net receipts from travel services accounted for 90.5% of total net receipts from services and more than offset (202.6%) the goods deficit.

In January-August 2018, the balance of travel services showed a surplus of 10,347 million, up from a surplus of 9,312 million in the same period of 2017. This development is attributed to an increase, by 11.1% or 1,177 million, in travel receipts, which were only partly offset by higher travel payments, up by 11.1% or 142 million. The rise in travel receipts reflected an 11.6% increase in inbound traveller flows, as average expenditure per trip edged down by 1 or 0.2%. Net receipts from travel services offset 77.6% of the goods deficit and accounted for 78.9% of total net receipts from services.

Travel receipts

In August 2018, as mentioned previously, travel receipts rose by 1.4% year-on-year. In more detail, receipts from residents of the EU28 increased by 2.2% to 2,605 million, while receipts from residents outside the EU28 fell by 0.4% (August 2018: 937 million, August 2017: 941 million). The higher receipts from within the EU28 were driven by a 5.0% increase in receipts from euro area residents to 1,775 million, as receipts from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries dropped by 3.3% to 830 million (August 2017: 858 million). Among major countries of origin, receipts from Germany fell by 5.0% to 578 million and receipts from France dropped by 21.5% to 272 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also decreased by 15.1% to 404 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from Russia fell by 39.5% to 59 million, while receipts from the United States rose by 10.9% to 149 million.

In January-August 2018, travel receipts totalled 11,764 million, up 11.1% relative to the same period of 2017. This development was driven by a 14.4% increase in receipts from residents of the EU28, which came to 8,175 million, as receipts from residents outside the EU28 fell by 36.7% to 1,997 million. In particular, receipts from euro area residents increased by 14.5% year-on-year to 5,215 million, while receipts from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries rose by 16.1% to 3,008 million. Specifically, receipts from Germany rose by 19.2% to 2,019 million, while receipts from France dropped by 8.3% to 732 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also decreased by 4.3% to 1,450 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from Russia decreased by 23.0% to 261 million, while receipts from the United States increased by 27.5% to 676 million.

Inbound traveller flows

The number of inbound visitors in August 2018 rose by 4.8% year-on-year to 6,093 thousand. Specifically, visitor flows through airports increased by 10.7%, whereas visitor flows through road border-crossing points declined by 4.1%. This increase in flows was due to higher visitor flows from within the EU28 (up 8.7%), as visitor flows from outside the EU28 declined by 4.2%. In greater detail, the number of visitors from within the euro area increased by 13.6% to 2,526 thousand, while visitors from the non-euro area EU28 countries also rose, by 2.7% (August 2018: 1.890 thousand, August 2017: 1,841 thousand). Specifically, the number of visitors from Germany rose by 4.8% to 773 thousand, while visitors from France fell by 8.0% to 354 thousand. The number of visitors from the United Kingdom also decreased by 6.7% to 529 thousand. Turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of visitors from Russia dropped by 32.2% to 97 thousand, whereas the number of visitors from the United States rose by 13.3% to 148 thousand.

In January-August 2018, the number of inbound visitors rose by 11.6% to 21,088 thousand (January-August 2017: 18,896 thousand). Specifically, visitor flows through airports increased by 14.1%, while visitor flows through road border-crossing points increased by 7.6%. In the period under review, the number of visitors from within the EU28 rose by 17.1% year-on-year to 14,999 thousand, while the number of visitors from outside the EU28 edged up by 0.1% to 6,090 thousand. Visitors from within the euro area rose by 17.8%, while visitors from the non-euro area EU28 countries increased by 16.2%. Specifically, the number of visitors from Germany increased by 26.4% to 2,906 thousand, while the number of visitors from France increased by 3.6% to 1,110 thousand. The number of visitors from the United Kingdom remained unchanged at 2,085 thousand. Finally, turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of visitors from Russia fell by 18.0% to 374 thousand, whereas the number of visitors from the United States rose by 29.7% to 709 thousand.

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: pixabay.com
The existence of a significant Greek community in the country facilitates business contacts and the consumption of Greek products

Greek companies can obtain direct access to the markets of China and Asia in general using a network of free trade agreements signed by Australia in the Asia region, Kate Logan, the Australian ambassador in Athens said during an "ExportReady" event organised by the Federation of Hellenic Enterprises (SEV) and the embassy of Australia in Athens, according to ANA.

Greek exports to Australia reached 151 million euros in 2017 with exceptional prospects for further growth since Australian consumers have high average incomes and seek quality products.

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: Chris Phutully License: CC-BY-SA
Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, can be said to boast a neighborhood like few others: one that became an independent state, according to Aristotles principles.

Meaning beyond the river or the other side of the river in the local Lithuanian language, Uzupis declared itself an independent republic in 1997.

Situated in a small and isolated area of around one square kilometer within the capital, the self-declared independent state is founded upon Aristotles basic idea that every great city needs to have a small population.

According to Tomas Cepaitis, the states foreign minister, a good state needs to be a small state with a population of no more than 5,000 people, as the human brain cannot recall more people than that. This offers the opportunity and the right to Uzupis citizens to control the government and to know if someone intends to steal or to engage in patronism.

Until Lithuania became an independent state in 1990, the neighborhood of Uzupis was neglected and abandoned, with destroyed houses and a high crime rate. Nevertheless, it was also a common meeting place for the artists and bohemians of Vilnius.

After the countrys independence and its revitalization, some of the areas inhabitants decided to take the extraordinary step of establishing an independent state, one that would promote their own values of peace and co-existence.

The state of Uzupis, even though not officially recognized by any country, has its own flag, currency, president, ministers, constitution, national anthem, and an army of approximately 10 men, most of whom have already retired.

Read more at greekreporter.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Jean-Pierre Dalbera License: CC-BY-SA
More than 500 participants from Bahrain, Gulf and Arab countries have registered to take part in the third annual Mena Pensions Conference opening in Bahrain on October 31 at the Four Seasons Hotel.



The forum will also witness the participation of public pension agencies, global asset management firms, actuarial companies, financial services providers and Fintech specialists.



The conference will address issues such as:

 What is the prevailing situation of pension globally and patterns of evolution in this vital sector?

 Are actuarial deficits in pension funds (globally) real or inflated, and how should they be understood?

 Can financial markets be a complementary alternative through meaningful pension products, and how should they be designed?

 Does the current legislation of financial regulators contribute to a flourishing pension industry?

 What are the best assets and asset allocations for pension investments?

 What is the digital ecosystem Fintech required to build a modern pension industry?



The conference, which will be inaugurated by Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Supreme Council of Health and chairman of Al-Hekma Society for the Retired, begins with a working paper presented by Dr Mohamed Ahmed Maait, Minister of Finance of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and former head of the pension reform program in Egypt.



Dr Maait holds high academic qualifications in actuarial sciences, insurance and mathematics, and is one of the permanent speakers at the World Bank on pensions.



Speaking in the conference will be leaders from specialized institutions, including KPMG Fakhro, Milliman, Ernst & Young, Mercer, SICO, public pension funds from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan, OECD and IFM Investors (Australias pension assets management) Central Bank of Bahrain, the Dubai International Financial Centre and Abu Dhabi Global Market.



The conference is sponsored by a number of prestigious national and international institutions, including Bahrains Economic Development Board, Tamkeen, the World Bank, the Abu Dhabi Global Market, Robeco, Allianz Global Investors, Intertrust, AON, Aberdeen Standard Investments, TMF Group, International Peace Institute, and UKs Pension Administration Standards Association (PASA).



Ebrahim K Ebrahim, Takauds chief government business & communications officer and chairman of the Conference, said: "This conference is the only event for the pension industry in the MENA region supported by a number of regional and international institutions, reinforcing Bahrains attractiveness as a hub for major economic and commercial activities in the region, especially in the financial sector.



What really makes this event distinguished among global pension conferences is the participation of all actors in the sector, including government funds, international institutions and financial markets. It also links pensions with HR management strategies in terms of employee benefits, performance management, employee engagement, and related technical applications, which is itself a large industry in developed countries; something new and appreciated by the regions HR leaders, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
The Saudi government has signed three landmark agreements worth nearly $14 billion for implementing mega railway projects on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative 2018 in Riyadh, reported state news agency SPA.



Minister of Transport Nabil Al Amoudi, who is also chairman of the board of the Public Transport Authority (PTA), signed the first agreement for the $10.6-billion Land Bridge project, which is aimed at linking the Red Sea and the GCC ports via the railways between the Saudi cities of Dammam and Riyadh

Another major deal signed at the "Davos in the Desert meeting was for $3.6 billion, with a Spanish consortium to build Phase Two of the Haramain High Speed Train project, said the SPA report.

The third agreement, worth $267 million, was inked between Saudi Railway Company and the US group Green Bakery Corporation for the manufacturing of train wagons in the kingdom, it added.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) has appointed leading design and engineering firm Dar Al Handasah to assist in bringing the Abu Dhabi commercial system to reality.



Dar Al Handasah, the founding member of the Dar Group, an international consortium of professional service firms, joins the project as design lead and as the latest investor in HyperloopTT.



Its team includes Dar Group members: Perkins+Will (architects, US), TY Lin International (engineers, US), GPO Group (engineers, Spain) and Currie & Brown (cost management consultants, UK).



An innovative transportation and technology company based in the US, HyperloopTT is focused on realising a system that moves people and goods at unprecedented speeds safely, efficiently, and sustainably, said a statement from the company.



Through the use of unique, patented technology and an advanced business model of lean collaboration, open innovation and integrated partnership, HyperloopTT is creating and licensing technologies, it added.



Earlier this year, HyperloopTT had signed an agreement with leading Abu Dhabi developer Aldar Properties, which, when executed, will allow for the creation of a new HyperloopTT centre including; a full-scale commercial Hyperloop system, an XO Square Innovation Center and Hyperloop Experience Center.



Construction of the Hyperloop commercial track as well as HyperloopTTs XO Square Innovation Center and Hyperloop Experience Center is likely to begin in the third quarter of 2019.



The proposed site within Aldars Seih Al Sdeirah landbank is also conveniently located on the border of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, close to the Expo 2020 site and Al Maktoum International Airport.



"We are bringing the future of rapid transportation technology to all those living in the UAE," remarked HyperloopTT chairman Bibop Gresta.



"Todays announcement is a testament to the continued commitment and determination of all our partners, both within the UAE and abroad. As we move forward with the system, we invite other interested organisations in the region and around the world to join us in making history," stated Gresta.



With todays announcement of the appointment of Dar Al-Handasah, Perkins and Wills, and Currie and Brown, we have achieved a significant milestone towards the construction of the worlds first commercial Hyperloop system in Alghadeer, said HyperloopTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn.



We are looking forward to working with all of our regional stakeholders to build this historic piece of transportation infrastructure.



"We are extremely honoured to be part of this global movement in mobility and rapid transportation and are looking forward to collaborating with HyperloopTT to deliver a truly iconic project in Abu Dhabi," said Talal Shair, chairman of Dar Group.



Founded in 2013, HyperloopTT is a global team comprising more than 800 engineers, creatives and technologists in 52 multidisciplinary teams, with 40 corporate and university partners.



Headquartered in Los Angeles, US, HyperloopTT has offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (UAE); Bratislava (Slovakia); Toulouse (France); Contagem (Brazil) and Barcelona (Spain).



Besides UAE, the company has already signed agreements in the US, Brazil, France, India, China, Korea, Indonesia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Ukraine.-TradeArabia News Service
Over 300 global blockchain innovators and professionals including a diverse group of regulators, entrepreneurs, investors and financial industry executives will participate in BlockOn 2018 - Redefining Finance, taking place next month, in Bahrain.



Bahrain FinTech Bay has announced the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) as the Strategic Partner for its global blockchain conference, BlockOn, which taking place on November 22, at the Wyndham Grand, Bahrain Bay.



Held under the patronage of Khalid Al-Rumaihi, chief executive, EDB and chairman of the Executive Board of Bahrain FinTech Bay, attending experts will convene to explore the rising opportunities and challenges presented by the industry, said a statement.



EDB has played a strong role in establishing Bahrain as a regional FinTech hub and in the attraction of leading FinTech companies of all sizes to the kingdom.



BlockOn will address the impact of blockchain on finance and other industries and its many applications ranging from trading and payments to security and legal ownership. The conference will examine related regulation, collaboration and other issues impacting blockchain innovation.



Seminars, panels, keynotes and fireside chats will be accompanied by roundtables and demos to and from the blockchain community. The conference will also see Bahrain FinTech Bay present the results of it BlockOn Survey currently in progress. Industry professionals are invited to take part by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YT6SBYP.



The survey aims to gather views and predictions on Blockchain and its future evolution with results to be shared at the event.



The conference agenda will feature an important range of topics including: Block Chain 101: Unlocking Blockchain, National E-KYC Benefit, Regulatory Sandbox, National Block Chain Strategy: How Monaco is aiming to become a trusted ICO location, Regulation/Transiting Adoption of Blockchain and The Future of Blockchain Tech.



Discussions will be followed by dedicated breakout sessions divided into business and technical tracks to train C-level innovation leaders on blockchain and at least 30 developers by conference end in the writing of blockchain smart contracts for financial services.



Khalid Al-Rumaihi said: We are delighted to partner with Bahrain Fintech Bay for the global BlockOn conference in November. Fintech is one of the most exciting sectors in the kingdom, benefitting from our strengths as a regional leader in finance and ICT.



Bahrain is therefore a natural home for BlockOn - an event which embraces both the challenges and opportunities of innovative technologies, as well as the regulations that underpin it, he said.



Khalid Saad, chief executive officer of Bahrain FinTech Bay, said: We are delighted to announce the Economic Development Board as the Strategic Partner for the event.



With dedicated FinTech focused teams, the EDB has played an instrumental role in fostering the growth and development of Bahrains FinTech ecosystem and is active player on the global FinTech scene. With their support, we are assembling a world-class roster of speakers and an agenda that can help attendees more fully grasp and leverage the transformative nature of blockchain and its impact on not only on the financial services industry, but also other industries that it can revolutionise, he added.



Also partnering with BlockOn are Corporate Partners: Roland Berger and GBM, Supporting Partners: Cambridge Blockchain, Careem, Pikcio and Rain, and Knowledge Partners: GetSmarter and Blockchain Academy Global.  TradeArabia News Service
A top-flight Omani business delegation recently met with a senior UK official in London, and a team of British investors drawn from manufacturing, logistics, mining, energy, finance, investment and tourism, to discuss business opportunities in Oman.



The delegations visit was organised by Ithraa, Oman's inward investment and export development agency, and was led by Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-chair of the Oman-UK Joint Working Group, said a statement.



The team met with Alistair Burt, UKs Minister of State for International Development and Minister of State for the Middle East and co-chair of the OmanUK Joint Working Group.



The purpose of the four-day Omani visit was to lure UK companies to set up offices in the sultanate, helping them connect with the fast-growing economies of the Gulf and East Africa, it said.



Nasima Al Balushi, Ithraas director general of export development and acting director general of investment, said: Omans development as a logistics hub coupled with a choice of free trade zones, industrial estates and tech parks offer an excellent mix for UK companies looking to tap into the Gulfs growing and lucrative market.



The visit will give the Omani delegation an ideal opportunity to showcase the wide-ranging manufacturing, tourism and logistics opportunities on offer in the sultanate. It will also enable participants to connect with the next generation of British companies looking to do business in the Gulf and East Africa, it added.



Al Balushi said: As well as having world-class infrastructure, Oman's political and economic stability gives UK investors great confidence. The strength and warmth of the bilateral relationship and the long trading history also add to the attraction.



Amongst the leading Omani organisations participating in the visit included: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ithraa, the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates, Muscat Securities Market, Asyad, ASAAS, Sezad, BP Oman and Vision 2040.



Al Balushi continued: There is no better place in the Gulf to establish a business than in Oman. This is the message we delivered at the recent meetings.



The UK is the largest investor in Oman with nearly 50 per cent of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2017 worth $11.8 billion and is also one of the sultanates top trading partners with exports of UK goods to Oman increasing year-on-year.



The Department of International Trade (DIT) based at the British Embassy in Muscat helped to support $4 billion of trade in goods and services between the UK and Oman in 2017, a 92 per cent increase from 2016.



Services provided by DIT Muscat include provision of in-country expertise and business guidance, signposting to relevant local partners, facilitation of meetings between suppliers and buyers, arranging of visit programmes, and provision of networking opportunities.



Al Balushi added: Trade promotion services form a central part of what Ithraa does and we are particularly proud of our track-record of helping UK firms set-up and export from the sultanate.



We also offer a range of inward investment services, advice and market intelligence that give UK clients interested in setting up in Oman the edge they need to compete in the Gulfs highly lucrative market, she said.



Our visit to London is a valuable opportunity to engage with major business leaders and further strengthen the economic relationship between Oman and the UK. We are here to highlight our countrys position as a gateway for UK companies into the Gulf and other global markets, she concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia-based Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, said it supported the recent Supply Chain and Logistics Conference as a Diamond Sponsor.



The event was held under the patronage of Saudi Arabias Minister of Transportation Dr Nabil bin Mohammed Al Amoudi, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.



Al Amoudi presented a commemorative plaque to Bahri, which was received on behalf of the CEO of the company by Ahmed Al-Ghaith, President of Bahri Logistics, said a statement.



The event brought together industry experts and top executives from major local and international companies involved in the supply chain and logistics sector to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the industry, it said.



Abdullah Aldubaikhi, chief executive officer, Bahri, said: Our sponsorship of the conference demonstrates our unwavering commitment to playing a key role in the development and growth of the maritime industry, particularly in the kingdom.



We believe the conference helped policymakers and other industry stakeholders explore the emerging trends in the logistics and supply chain business and discuss strategies to future-proof the sector, he said.



The conference was a unique platform to discuss how new initiatives under the National Logistics and Transportation Strategy are helping the kingdom reinforce its leadership position in the regional logistics and transportation sector by leveraging the countrys unique position, he added.



The two-day conference focused on new local, regional and global developments that will have a direct and transformative impact on the logistics sector, highlighting emerging trends in technology and consumer needs, it said.



A number of insightful sessions and panel discussions also shed light on the state of cybersecurity in supply chain, and explored how the industry will evolve with commercial vehicles of the future and driverless trucks, as well as with the adoption of new technologies such as blockchain, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Samsung Electronics Egypt is today (October 24) celebrating five years of producing Made in Egypt high-quality TVs.



The factory in Egypt is Samsungs first of its kind unit in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), applying state-of-the-art technologies to render cutting-edge QLED TV sets, said a statement.



With total investments of $270 million, Bani Suefs factory is one of Samsungs 14 worldwide factories specialised in TV production, it said.



Engineer Kassem Hassan, head of the TV Department at Samsung Electronics Egypt, said: Our factory in Bani Suef is a remarkable success story from the onset.



The factory has been established and inaugurated in 2013, to produce a wide range of locally made product lineup starting from 24 and up to QLED and 82 TVs, he said.



Hassan said: Moreover, the factory invests heavily in the skill development of its employees and has trained over 180 workers and technicians up to date on the latest manufacturing technologies applied in the factory.



As a testament to the high-quality products rendered by the factory, 80-85 per cent of its production is being exported to Middle Eastern and African countries, he added.



Building on Samsungs legacy as the number one TV manufacturer globally for 12 years, the factory is well equipped to respond to the local market demands and also export overseas, which in turn contributes to the overall economy by securing steady foreign currency flow, it said.



Moreover, the factorys production capacity is six million units annually.



In celebration of the factorys fifth anniversary, Samsung is currently conducting a massive discount and value added promotion campaign for its TV products which kicked off on October 15. The campaign covers Samsungs full TV range including Q-Led and large screen TVs, it said.  TradeArabia News Service
Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), a leading international classification society, said it plans to further expand its operations into the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region with new offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon and Nigeria.



The expansion plan underlines its commitment towards the growing number of customers from this region and enhances the classification societys proximity to flag administrations, ship owners, shipyards and other stakeholders in the MEA region, said a statement.



Promoting its new strapline - Your Partner in Maritime Risk Management, IRClass is exhibiting at the Seatrade Maritime Middle East 2018 (SMME 2018) and is showcasing new services including Cyber Risk Management & IMO Data Collection System, it said.



Suresh Sinha, managing director, said: The Middle East continues to be a key region for us with its high growth potential. With existing offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah and RO authorisation from UAE, Qatar and Oman flag administrations, our focus for this region will be to further extend our reach and gain recognition from other key flag administrations in the Middle East region.



We are also looking to engage with the regions major oil companies to supplement our growth and the proposed new offices will further improve our service levels, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain's leading telecom services operator Batelco has signed up Huawei to build an uptime institute certified tier III data centre for the company.



This is based on the companys vision towards digital transformation and expansion in new growth areas, and as part of its strategy to provide smart digital solutions to the public and private sectors through a coherent and integrated system, that includes infrastructure for storing and managing data, said a statement from Batelco.



The agreement, a significant development in the field of data management technology and cloud computing, was signed by Batelco Bahrain CEO Mohamed Bubashait and An Jian, President of Carrier Business Group, Huawei Middle East Region, at the recently held Gitex expo in Dubai.



With power capacity of 1.3 MW, the Tier III data centre will offer customers the most reliable and scalable facility in the Kingdom and contribute significantly to the Kingdoms digital infrastructure.



Customers will also benefit from continuous support from the Companys 24-hour Network Operations Centre and business-continuity management facilities for both the public and private sectors, enabling customers to benefit from a high degree of quality, safety and reliability, it stated.



Following the signing, Bubashait said: "Investment in IT infrastructure, especially data warehousing and processing, is a priority for the company as part of its strategy to deliver smart digital solutions including data storage and cloud computing solutions."



Batelcos plans to develop world class Data centre services and advanced infrastructure are in line with the Kingdoms vision and aspirations to maintain Bahrains position as a leader in the regions ICT industry and data economy, he added.



Jian said that Huawei was very pleased to join forces with its long-term partner Batelco to deliver the new Tier III Data Centre at the Companys Hamala Campus.



"The Centre will be built to world class specifications to ensure the highest levels of availability, maintainability, resilience and seamless business continuity to support Batelcos growing operations," he noted.-TradeArabia News Service
Expo 2020 has been a catalyst for development and growth in UAE, across all sectors. As the country continues to accelerate post Covid, the construction and infrastructure industries are set to enter a new phase of transformation in 2022, said an expert.
One&Only, created exclusively for the ultra-luxury market, has announced the appointment of Jacques Le Roux as resort manager at One&Only Nyungwe House.



Located in a working tea plantation in Gisakura in southwest Rwanda, on the edge of the ancient Nyungwe Forest, the resort began welcoming guests on October 1.



In his new role, Le Roux will be responsible for the overall operation of One&Only Nyungwe House and will support the strategic development of the brands resorts in Rwanda.



Le Roux brings over 10 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry to One&Only Nyungwe House, having previously held general manager, resident manager and camp manager positions in various African lodges, camps and hotels. Prior to joining One&Only, Le Roux held the role of general manager at Africas Eden Belo Monte  an exclusive boutique hotel in Sao Tome and Principe where he led over 100 team members and was in charge of all operations, as well as marketing, sales and reservations. Le Roux has also worked in South Africa, Bermuda, UK, Europe and Botswana.



Le Roux grew up just outside of Cape Town in South Africa, and after leaving school to travel, he moved to the UK where he joined the Nike Hotel Group and studied hospitality management. Upon completion of his studies, he joined one of their hotels as conferencing and banqueting manager. Following this, he moved to Bermuda where he worked on cruise ships for a number of years before moving back to South Africa and working in lodges around the Kruger National Park.



Reporting to Philippe Zuber, president and chief operating officer, One&Only Resorts, Le Roux is responsible for creating unrivalled, memorable experiences for guests at One&Only Nyungwe House, in keeping with the brands promise to enthral and excite. He will continue to develop innovative strategies for One&Only resorts that celebrate the best of Mother Nature, looking to One&Only Gorillas Nest, which is due to open in 2019.



I am thrilled to welcome Jacques to One&Only. Nestled within a lush tea plantation, on the edge of an ancient rainforest in Rwanda, One&Only Nyungwe House is an exceptional resort, offering truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for guests to discover, said Zuber. Jacques extensive experience and deep understanding of Africa will be a huge asset for One&Only, complementing the passionate team of people we have in place at the resort, from the executive chef through to the guest experience experts.



I am incredibly honoured to join One&Only Nyungwe House as nature resort manager. It is truly one of the most beautiful resorts in Africa, said Le Roux. The team here is so proud of all of the enhancements that have been made, as well as the new experiences that have been introduced for guests, and they are inspired to blow our guests away at every touch point. I am also very passionate about working with the local community, and I look forward to getting involved in projects to enhance the facilities and services for the Gisakura community. - TradeArabia News Service
The fifth biennial Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS 2018), which will take off on November 14 for three days, is set to be the biggest and most successful yet, a report said.



Held under the patronage of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the supervision of HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of His Majesty the King and Chairman of the BIAS Organising Committee, BIAS has already established its position on the global aerospace calendar, bringing some of the worlds leading and most influential organisations to the Sakhir Airbase, local news agency BNA reported.



Although one of the Middle Easts youngest shows, in just eight years BIAS has seen major expansion making it the fastest-growing show in the region:



 Exhibitor numbers for 2018 are up by 70 per cent compared with the previous show

 The Exhibition Hall has doubled in size

 Some of the largest regional companies in the sector are all set to participate, with the largest ever participation from Saudi Arabia and UAE

 Eleven out of the worlds top 15 aerospace companies are participating

 More than 110 aircraft flying and on static display



Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, minister of transportation and telecommunication, said: "BIAS brings together international business and senior government figures from across the region in one location, offering unprecedented business networking opportunities via its three-day military and commercial delegations programme, a focused conference programme covering civil and military topics, and an exhibition hall situated in the hanger at Sakhir Airbase."



"We have succeeded in attracting these global companies to Bahrain largely due to the guidance and supervision of HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whose support has been instrumental in positioning the show to where it is today."



"The regional aviation industry is growing fast and Bahrain is better positioned than ever to provide opportunities to leverage this. From our investment in airport and aviation-related infrastructure and technologies, to being a regional leader in regulations and human talent development, the aviation industrys contribution to economic development is at new heights."



BIAS capitalises on Bahrains strategically important location as a gateway to the Gulf and underscores the kingdoms internationally recognised reputation as being a pro-business environment, the report said. Some of this years highlights include:



 Air Display: The Bahrain Airshow always delivers one of the most exciting and varied air displays on the circuit. From fast jets through to the very latest in business and civil aviation; the sky above the Sakhir Airbase will be a focus for one of the worlds best aviation showcases, and this year it is expected to host some first time flying teams and aircraft that will make the lineup this year even more impressive.



 Conferences: On November 13, the Royal Bahraini Air Force hosts the second Manana Air Power Symposium, bringing together air force chiefs and leading experts from across the region to address emerging issues.



BIAS again unites aerospace and infrastructure with a conference titled "Into the Future: Challenges and Opportunities for Gulf Region Airports and Airlines", inviting industry leaders and experts to share experience and expertise. This conference continues a theme started in 2016 when the show served as the backdrop to around $1.1 billion in contracts being signed as part of the kingdoms Airport Modernisation Programme which aims at significantly upgrading Bahrain International Airports infrastructure and services.

A Women in Aviation conference on the third day of the show will serve as a valuable forum for women across the industry to discuss seizing opportunities for career development in the aviation field.



The BIAS FINN Sessions are a free-to-attend programme of conferences located in a theatre in the heart of the exhibition hall.



 Space: Space is a major focus for BIAS 2018, a dedicated exhibition has attracted a number of space research centres and organisations including the UAE Space Agency, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), Roscosmos and Information Satellite Systems. This presents a valuable knowledge-sharing opportunity particularly for the Bahrain Space Team who will be presenting their latest work on nanosatellite technology.
Starting from October 28, Russias flagship carrier Aeroflot will launch regular flights between Moscow Sheremetyevo and Dubai World Central (DWC), the airlines second destination in the UAE.



Daily flights on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft will operate on the following schedule (all times local):



- flight SU 522 will depart Moscow Sheremetyevo at 22:10 and arrive in DWC at 03:30.

- return flight SU 523 will depart DWC at 05:00 and arrive at Sheremetyevo at 10:40.



Flights will operate under the winter timetable effective from October 28 through March 30, 2019.



Vitaly Saveliev, CEO of Aeroflot, said: Today Aeroflot ranks as a leading global carrier and we continue to expand our international route network and offer new convenient connections for our transit passengers. This winter we are pleased to offer travellers new international destinations as well as additional flights on select popular routes, thus expanding travel options with Aeroflot for both business and leisure travellers.



We are very pleased to welcome Aeroflot to the growing list of international airlines at Dubai World Central. As an airport that offers a fast, friendly and convenient customer experience, DWC is emerging as an airport of choice, particularly for point to point routes. Aeroflots addition will further boost that popularity by expanding the airports connectivity. Considering that Russia is among the fastest growing destination countries for Dubai, the launch of Aeroflots services to DWC couldnt have been more timely, said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.



Dubai is the largest and most populous of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. It is a city of superlatives: people come here to see the tallest buildings, drive the fastest cars, shop in the most luxurious malls and enjoy the best tourist amenities. On top of that, Dubai is a key Middle Eastern business hub. Known for customer service excellence and world-class amenities, Dubai is a popular destination for both tourists and people travelling on business.



Flights to and from DWC, which is easily accessible from the most popular resorts and busiest commercial centres of the city, give passengers additional options for getting in and out of Dubai. Russias flag carrier this winter will continue to operate services from Moscow to Dubai International (DXB), bringing the total number of flights per week on Moscow-Dubai routes to 28.



In recent years, Aeroflot has established a reputation as a top choice for transit passengers, offering customers convenient connections through the companys Moscow hub. Moscows geographical location and the seamless connectivity via its modern facilities at Sheremetyevo Airport mean that journeys between different continents can be two hours or even shorter than through other major hubs. At the same time, Aeroflot offers its passengers top-class service and some of the most affordable fares globally. - TradeArabia News Service


Buy-Side Multi-Asset Trading: Challenges and Opportunities

For the buy side, multi-asset trading offers the promise of efficiencies, cost savings, and closer alignment with an increasingly interconnected global marketplace.

But how far do large investment firms wish to go to amalgamate legacy siloed trading desks? What is the blueprint? And most critically, what are the risks and rewards?

Those questions were among topics explored at a September buy-side roundtable in Boston, hosted by the GlobalTrading Journal and sponsored by TradingScreen.

As the buy-side universe is expansive, with an abundance of investment models and strategies, each journey toward multi-asset trading is unique. But there is one common denominator thats vital in driving the process forward: the underlying technology.

All of the consolidation and activity in the trading-technology space highlights the need for integrated workflows and increased automation across asset classes, said Varghese Thomas, Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at TradingScreen. Leveraging established and trusted technology partners are necessary to help bridge the gap between current solutions, fintech platforms as well as new emerging asset classes.

At a TradingScreen-sponsored roundtable in New York in June, participants noted that the buy side was shifting to buying technology rather than building technology; interoperability of systems and big data management were core challenges; and automation of processes, while a key ingredient in the evolution of a buy-side trading desk, has its limits.

The Boston discussion addressed the latter point.

The reality is that not everything in multi-asset trading can be done programmatically -- there will still be a need for human oversight," said Joseph Bacchi, Head of Multi-Asset Trading and Investment Operations at Acadian Asset Management. "There isnt one venue, one strategy, one platform or one relationship. Thats the foundation of multi-asset trading.

Market Recon

Some senior traders and technologists who attended the roundtable event said they were there to gather market intelligence, i.e. assess industry trends and vet what an individual firm is doing versus what the broader marketplace is doing. In multi-asset trading in particular, there is ample opportunity to learn from earlier movers.

Firms are at varying stages in the migration to a multi-asset class environment  some are just starting, some are fully multi-asset, said Rob Hegarty, Managing Partner at Hegarty Group and roundtable moderator. Others prefer to keep equity separate from fixed income and currency, at least for now.

As drivers of the migration to multi-asset trading, Hegarty cited increasing cost pressures; opportunities for collaboration; the availability and ubiquity of data; the rise of quant resulting in cross-asset strategies; advancements in available technologies such as Execution Management Systems; and new asset classes such as cryptocurrency.

One roundtable participant noted that consolidation of trading technology across asset classes is a lengthy process, and there is the question of whether technological products are mature enough to support multiple trading scenarios.

This person said one approach to technology is to leverage vendor platforms to handle plain vanilla tasks, which frees up traders to concentrate on higher-value, more strategic workflow.

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BYMA Integrates Bloomberg's EMS in its Electronic Order Routing

Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos (BYMA), the main Argentine stock exchange, announces the integration of Bloomberg's Execution Management System (EMSX) into its electronic management system for routing orders.

With the agreement, investors from all over the world will be able to send and execute electronic trading orders through EMSX, allowing direct access to negotiating securities in BYMA with the same operating standards worldwide.

The president of BYMA, Ernesto Allaria, said: "With this initiative we aim to promote the opening of the Argentine capital market to large institutional funds, through a more secure, reliable and direct access alternative. The implementation implies high standards of technology and automation that enable efficient tracking and recording of operations." He added: "A solid capital market supports the evolution of the economy and, consequently, collaborates with the improvement of the welfare of society".

Geraldo Coelho, Bloomberg Head of Sales for South America, said: "There is a growing demand in the capital and futures market in Argentina from buy-side and sell-side investors. The integration of the EMSX with BYMA makes trading so easy that it could help attract more international investors to the country".

Bloomberg EMSX is a multi-active/multi-agent trading platform, which allows users to send orders to more than 6,000 destinations, with algorithmic trading support. The EMSX integrates news, indicators of interest (IOI, for its acronym in English), market analysis, and portfolios in real time in an adaptable environment that allows users to analyze and monitor the quality of execution, as well as improve their decisions of trading.

About BYMA

BYMA is the new stock exchange of Argentina that intelligently combines markets and technology, to convert investment into growth and development.

Integrated under a state-of-the-art technological platform and with the quality and safety standards of the main markets of the world, BYMA offers safe and transparent access to the world of investments, both to institutions, companies and the general public. BYMA is the evolution of the Argentine capital market, combining liquidity, knowledge and professionalism, to face the challenges and demands of today's world, transforming investment in work and development for the country in a field of good corporate governance practices.

BYMA gathers all the steps of the Argentine capital market industry, from a vertical integration that includes the listing, negotiation, registration, liquidation, the custody with central deposit, the payment of credits, the access to holdings, and other pre and post negotiation services. For more information, please visit: http://www.byma.com.ar/

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Children of Central American migrants and refugees wait with their parents to apply for asylum at a checkpoint in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico.  REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

TAPACHULA, Mexico  When street gang members torched his family home in Honduras, 16-year-old Eduardo* felt he had no option but to run for his life.

"When I saw our house burning I knew our number had been called, our luck had run out, it was time to flee," he says.

After living in constant fear of being killed or recruited by the gangs in his home town of Colon, he and a group of cousins joined a caravan of thousands of children, women and men walking and hitch-hiking north through Central America on a quest for safety.

After crossing into neighbouring Guatemala, Eduardo and his cousins were at the head of the caravan of refugees and migrants as they attempted to cross the bridge over the Suchiate River to reach Mexico, when authorities closed the barrier and scuffles broke out.

"I felt helpless, unwanted by any country. I thought they would send us back."

"I felt helpless, unwanted by any country. I thought they (Mexican authorities) would send us back, and then my real nightmare would start," he recalls.

Eduardo was subsequently allowed to cross into Mexico, where he is among around 1,500 people who have lodged a claim for asylum.

"I've found 1,500 people have started the the asylum procedure in Mexico"



What's happening with the caravan in Mexico. pic.twitter.com/tE9rbaxh6z  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) October 24, 2018

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has mobilized staff and resources to southern Mexico since Thursday, following the caravans arrival in the borderlands. As of Monday, 45 staff are in Tapachula, in Chiapas State, and others are en route.

Working in support of the Mexican authorities, UNHCR teams are providing staffing and technical help to ensure timely registration of asylum seekers like Eduardo. They are also setting up identification and referral processes for those with vulnerabilities and needs, and are increasing assistance and shelter capacity.

Of concern to UNHCR at present is the developing humanitarian situation and the known kidnapping and security risks in areas the caravan may venture into, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told news media in Geneva earlier this week.

Stabilizing the situation has become urgent."

Stabilizing the situation has become urgent. It is essential that there are proper reception and other conditions for those seeking asylum as well as for others on the move, he added.

The caravan, which was estimated at up to 7,000 people or more in size is the second organized march in the region this year, the first having taken place in April in Mexico. In Guatemala UNHCR is monitoring the border at Tecun Uman. Staff are assessing individual needs, and with partners, organizing humanitarian assistance to those most in need.

UNHCR is also identifying those who are particularly vulnerable, counseling them on their best options. This has led to a few unaccompanied and separated children choosing to claim asylum in Guatemala. The UN Refugee Agency is also monitoring returns and deportations from Guatemala, to ensure that they are voluntary and respect the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.

A UNHCR staff member talks to Honduran refugees and migrants resting in a park in Tapachula in southern Mexico.  UNHCR/Julio Lopez

Most of those traveling in the caravan are in family groups, many with babies and toddlers. Their well-being is of particular concern to staff due to the extreme heat in the tropical lowlands of Chiapas, where temperatures are tipped to peak at 32C this week, with high humidity.

In Honduras, meanwhile, UNHCR is monitoring the situation at the border with Guatemala through its partners and its San Pedro Sula office, as well as working with the authorities to ensure safe reception for those members of the caravan who are returning.

UNHCR would like to remind countries along this route that this caravan is likely to include people in real danger, Edwards stressed. In any situation like this it is essential that people have the chance to request asylum and have their international protection needs properly assessed, before any decision on return or deportation is made.

Eduardo is currently receiving food, medical attention and shelter in southern Mexico. As his claim for asylum is processed, his thoughts are with his sister, who opted to stay behind in Honduras, where she remains vulnerable to street gang violence.

"My sister and I are thick as thieves, what I miss the most is hearing her voice every day, he says. I worry that one day her luck will also run out.

*Name changed for protection reasons.
Outside the white and blue building where immigration formalities are carried out, Venezuelan families camp under trees or wherever they can find some shade.

There are groups of people everywhere, sitting around their piled up belongings, holdall bags and suitcases. Big white tents function as clinics, nurseries, vaccination centres and information points. Adults and children eat and sleep in the open air or in the corridors, while they wait to apply for asylum in Peru.

Since August 2018, Tumbes, a hot and dusty border town in Peru's arid northern coast, has seen the arrival of tens of thousands of destitute Venezuelan refugees and migrants. Currently, some 2,000 cross from Ecuador every day.

UNHCR's Special Envoy, Angelina Jolie, was there this week, in order to witness the humanitarian situation, during an official visit to Peru on behalf of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who visited Tumbes himself earlier this month.

See also: Temporary residency permits a lifeline for Venezuelans in Peru

Peru is one of the countries most affected by the surge in Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the last three years  the largest movement of people in Latin Americas recent history.

"I heard stories of people dying because of a lack of medical care and medicine."

In Tumbes, Jolie visited the Daughters of Saint Anne, who have turned their convent into a soup kitchen, where hundreds of women, children and men can have at least one hot meal a day. She also visited the binational border post and a shelter for Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the Peruvian capital, Lima. She spoke to many refugees who told her about the reasons why they had to flee Venezuela.

See also: UNHCR chief calls for regional response to Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis

"I heard stories of people dying because of a lack of medical care and medicine: cancer patients whose chemotherapy was abruptly stopped, diabetes sufferers without access to insulin, children without basic antibiotics, people starving, and tragic accounts of violence and persecution," Jolie told journalists at a press conference in Lima.

During her time in Peru, the UNHCR Special Envoy met the country's President, Martin Vizcarra, as well as representatives of the Government and organizations contributing to the humanitarian response.

"It is crucial to reinforce the rule of law, respect for human rights, international protection and asylum systems."

"I told President Vizcarra how much UNHCR appreciates the steps Peru has taken, to help Venezuelans have legal status and access to basic services," Jolie said. "And we discussed the regional efforts being carried out in the Quito process, which is a first step towards a regional solution. We also spoke about what more the international community can and should be doing to support Peru and its neighbours."

Dancing to survive: Angelina Jolie visits Venezuelan refugee breakdancers in Peru (Regina De La Portilla, William Spindler, producers/ Roberto Villanueva, Camera Editor)

She also met young Venezuelans, including a breakdance group that works to inspire young people and create ties with the local community through dance and culture. She visited projects providing protection and assistance to asylum-seekers, refugees and host families, and observed Perus generous response to Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

"At a time when fundamental principles are being questioned, it is more important than ever that we have the systems and resources in place to identify people with genuine refugee and asylum claims, and to make sure that they have the support that they need," the Special Envoy said. "It is crucial to reinforce the rule of law, respect for human rights, international protection and asylum systems."

The Special Envoy focuses on major displacement crises, representing UNHCR and the High Commissioner at the diplomatic level. The Special Envoy Jolie last visited Latin America in 2012, for a mission to Ecuador, her third visit to meet Colombian refugees in the region.
New Delhi/Tehran, Oct 23 (UNI) The first trilateral meeting between India, Afghanistan and Iran of

the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement took place on Monday in Tehran.

"Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral Agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar Port. All sides shared the view that full operationalisation of trilateral Chabahar initiative will promote connectivity and economic development of Afghanistan and the region," an MEA statement said here.

The Indian delegation was led by T S Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations). The Afghan and Iran delegations were led by respective Deputy Ministers of Transport.

It was decided to constitute a Follow-up committee that would hold its first meeting within

two months in Chabahar Port, Iran. "It would, inter alia, discuss and aim to finalise protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs, consular matters that was shared by the Indian side at the meeting for making the route attractive, decrease logistic costs and pave the way for smooth implementation of the Trilateral Chabahar Agreement," the release said.

It was decided to hold the next meeting of the Coordination Council in the first half of 2019 in India, the MEA statement said.

UNI DEVN AR 2011
Moscow, Oct 23 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday ordering the government to compile a list of Ukrainian individuals and legal entities practicing "unfriendly actions" against Russia.

The Kremlins website on Monday reported the signing of the presidential decree, which said the measures were being considered in response to unfriendly actions of Ukraine. The government was ordered to determine the lists of individuals and legal entities in respect of which special economic measures are applied, and identify special economic measures applicable to individuals and legal entities", reports Press TV.

The decree was signed "in response to unfriendly actions of Ukraine contradicting international law" and "the imposition of restrictive measures against Russian citizens and legal entities," without specifying them.
UW Survey Finds Increasing Support for Personal Marijuana Use

Wyoming residents have steadily changing opinions regarding the use and possession of marijuana, according to a new survey by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center (WYSAC) at the University of Wyoming.

Nearly half (49 percent) of Wyoming residents now say they support allowing adults in Wyoming to legally possess marijuana for personal use. This continues the steady increase in support observed from 2014-16, when support rose from 37 percent to 41 percent among adults statewide -- a statistically significant trend.

According to Rodney Wambeam, a senior research scientist at WYSAC, the support for recreational marijuana use reflects a decrease in the perceived risk or harm related to the drug.

Despite the increasing dangers of marijuana use, like addiction or drugged driving, young people, in particular, seem to view marijuana as a safe and natural alternative to alcohol or other illicit drugs, Wambeam says.

At the same time, 86 percent of Wyoming residents say they support the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes if a doctor prescribes it. This continues a statistically significant increase from 2014-16, when 74 percent and 81 percent of Wyoming residents said they supported this, respectively.

Just over two-thirds of Wyoming residents (69 percent) believe that people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana should not serve time in jail.

This figure has remained steady since we started measuring in 2014, says Brian Harnisch, a senior research scientist at WYSAC. Its interesting to see that opposition to jail time started high and has remained high, while support for the legalization of both personal and medical marijuana continues to increase year after year.

The statewide survey was conducted Oct. 9-19, yielding 607 responses from randomly selected Wyoming citizens. The margin of error for the distribution of responses on any individual survey question is plus or minus 4 percentage points. Men and women from all age groups are represented, and all counties in Wyoming are proportionally represented in the survey sample. The final survey data have been weighted to reflect the actual population distribution in Wyoming on these key demographic characteristics. Landline and cellular telephone numbers were randomly generated for the study, resulting in 78 percent of completed surveys on cellphones.

The survey is funded by UWs Political Science Program and WYSAC.

Complete survey results are available at https://wysac.uwyo.edu/wysac/reports/View/6670.
The 2018 session of the Future Investment Initiative opened on 23 October

2018 in Riyadh. This conference was inaugurated in 2017 and the intention

was that it become an annual event. However, the feet of most speakers and

foreign sponsors turned blue with hypothermia following Jamal Khashoggis

death.

The Future Investment Initiative was being marketed the Davos of the

Desert. During the 2017 Session, the Crown Prince Mohamed Ben Salmane

(now commonly referred to as MBS) presented Project Neom: the

establishment of a tax haven in the Red Sea for the worlds elite. He

also announced his future plans to abandon Wahhabism [1].

During the year that has just flown past, Project Neom was entrusted to

Klaus Kleinfeld, a director of the Bilderberg Group. It had been extended

to the Western Bank of the Red Sea with Egypts help. Israel had to

ensure its security.

There was no public manifestation that Wahhabism had been abandoned. Strict

interpretation of the Koran as usual, the only slight relaxation being that

women now have the right to drive cars, a right contingent on them being

accompanied by their legal guardian.

The withdrawal of the key sponsors and orators from the conference seems to

confirm that Western Powers plan to marginalize the Crown Prince Mohamed

Ben Salman, who is the son of todays Saudi King, King Salman.

We know that the Family Council restricted to Saudis, has been meeting in

secret for several days now to revise once again the rule of succession to

the throne.
The Parliament of Macedonia of the former Yugoslavia, adopted by a

qualified majority a constitutional amendment authorizing the Republic to

change its name and to authorize it to apply for membership of Nato and the

European Union.

Only three months ago, on 14 July, the government of the Macedonian Prime

Minister Zoran Zaev organized a grand national festival to celebrate the

opening of the negotiations for incorporating the Republic of Macedonia

into Nato. However its citizens boycotted the 14 free concerts organized

all over the whole country and none of them took place.

Less than four weeks ago, on 30 September, 63.09% of the Macedonian voters

abstained from casting their vote in the referendum on name-change. This

name change was negotiated by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Greek Prime

Minister Alexis Tsipras. Due to the very low percentage of voter turn

out, the National Electoral Commission had to cancel the results of the

referendum.

Washington and the EU then decided to use the Macedonian Parliament to

mock the will of the voters.

The US ambassador in Macedonia was Jess L. Baily (who supervised Turkeys

participation in the wars against Libya and Syria) and in Greece, Geoffrey

R. Pyatt (who organized the Maiden Square Putsch in 2014 and the

fragmentation of the Orthodox Church in 20180. They immediately began an

operation to buy MP votes. Mathew Palmer, Head of the Balkans in the US

State Department was sent to support the campaign to buy up votes.

The judicial proceedings initiated against 8 MPs from the Opposition were

abruptly cancelled and those that had been detained were set free. Agent

Tesla handed over 25 000 dollars to each of them to cooperate with

Washington and to cast the vote Washington would want. This they did.

Considered traitors to the Motherland, the political parties to which they

had belonged decided to expel them.

The US ambassador Jess Baily and the vice-assistant of the Secretary of

State were present at the Macedonian Parliament during the debate and

subsequent vote by the MPs.

Immediately after the vote in Parliament, the Minister of Home Affairs

announced that it had decided to grant special personal protection to the

MPs who voted for Macedonias name change and who supported the

incorporation of the Republic into Nato and the European Union.

Thus Macedonia of the ex-Yugoslavia enters into the camp of democracy

(sic).

Meanwhile, in Athens, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias,

has just presented his resignation.
Garcia Calls for Unique Status for Gibraltar in Strasbourg

In an address in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia has said that Gibraltar may possibly want a deeper relationship with the European Union in the future.

This came in answer to questions from the Brexit working group of Green/EFA MEPs whom he met at their invitation.

Dr Garcia explained that Gibraltar enjoyed a differentiated, tailor-made relationship with the EU ever since joining its predecessor the European Economic Community in 1973. This status was unique and was therefore not enjoyed by any other Overseas Territory, by the Devolved Administrations or by the Crown Dependencies.

He said that the Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU still needed to be finalised so it was too early to tell what the future might look like. However, he pointed out that 96% of Gibraltar had voted to remain in the EU which suggested that people would want a closer relationship going forward.

There was considerable interest in the details of the Gibraltar Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU and in the five areas of arrangements for practical cooperation being discussed with Spain. The Deputy Chief Minister explained that the positions were now very close. He welcomed the comments which indicated that with the conclusion of the Protocol Gibraltar would be included in the transitional arrangements which are expected to run until the end of 2020.

However, if there was no UK-EU agreement then there would be no Gibraltar Protocol either. There was scope for practical cooperation with Spain nonetheless.

The UK-EU Protocols would cover the three Territories which have a land border with the EU. These were the bases in Cyprus, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.

Dr Garcia gave those present a brief history of Gibraltar. He said that Gibraltar was taken in 1704 during the War of the Spanish succession by English and Dutch marines under the command of a German Prince and in the name of an Austrian Archduke. This was, he said, a perfect example of European cooperation centuries before the EU had even been thought of!

He went on to explain the constitutional relationship between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, making the point that we enjoyed a very high degree of self-government.

The Deputy Chief Minister concluded by saying that Gibraltar will overcome the challenges posed by Brexit in the same way that we have overcome other challenges in the past. He thanked Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West and Gibraltar for organising the event.

This was one of a number of Brexit related engagements for Dr Garcia in the European Parliament in line with the policy of the Government of putting across our point of view to decision-makers in Europe.
Photo: Radiotopia

Whether we like or not, we are all speaking with our clothes, argues host Avery Trufelman in the closing moments of Articles of Interest, the well-named spinoff mini-series of 99% Invisible. And we might as well give a good hard think about what we want to say.

Sure, its a point thats already obvious to many people, women and practiced sartorialists in particular. And the idea of fashion and personal composition as power has been elevated countless times in pop culture, from The Devil Wears Prada to RuPauls Drag Race. But sometimes you have to make the argument from the beginning all over again, lest we forget or leave behind those who dont yet know. Articles of Interest is a picture-perfect starting point for those who need an introduction.

Tightly produced and briskly paced by editor Joe Rosenberg and the 99% Invisible team, the six-part mini-series is an excellent collection of studies looking at the things we wear. In neat packages that generally run under a half-hour, Trufelman stitches together stories of identity, history, capitalism, and aesthetics, and she does so with appealing verve and a vibrant point of view. The guest voices she finds are varied, textured, and consistently surprising. Their contributions and the ideas theyre meant to evoke are always interesting: Plaid isnt just a pattern, but a symbol of rebellion way back in the day and a social signal in some contemporary communities. Pockets are sites of expression for the patriarchy. Hawaiian shirts are totally colonialist artifacts  but really, who is surprised about that?

If theres a moment that succinctly captures what I appreciate about the spinoff, its this line from the fifth episode: In examining jeans, you realize that its impossible to create a morally perfect piece of clothing  at least, one thats affordable. The line is a transition, one Trufelman deploys to set up the difficulty of imagining a contemporary world in which clothing production for the masses isnt so wasteful, unethical, or harmful to the environment. Articles of Interest is a work of immense love and attention, and it is in that spirit that Trufelman weighs the virtues of her subjects alongside the conundrums and hypocrisies that anchor the terms of their existence. Trufelman appreciates, but she does not ignore.

The episodes, on pockets and plaid and blue jeans and other such things, crescendo up to a closing installment on punk fashion. Its the spinoffs highest point and, probably, its raison detre. Here, Trufelman consolidates all the major themes that shes been developing over the course of the series  that fashion is a product of power, that fashion is a tool for power  and uses the story of punk fashion to test the construct shes built. Punk, with its transgressive motor and eye-catching sensibilities, is a political vehicle that pushes the boundaries of taste, convention, and whats accepted. It forces reactions both for and against, instantiating moments of democratic power. In Trufelmans telling, the spirit of punk also embodies a core truth about fashion more generally, which is its nature as an accessible tool for individual liberation: Why not look like a goddess? Why not make a statement? #WhyNot?

Trufelman is a staff producer on the 99% Invisible team, and this is perhaps the first time the podcast has given an extensive platform to one of its own to fully explore their curiosity. Articles of Interest is purely Trufelmans show: Her voice defines its style, her vision defines its substance. These days, the eight-year-old design and architecture podcast is an institution, as is its founder and principal host Roman Mars, whose dulcet tones  along with that of fellow Radiotopia creator Nate DiMeo of the almost decade-old The Memory Palace  has spawned a veritable generation of similar-sounding podcast hosts. (Mars is a guest voice in the punk episode, but only briefly. Also, anyone surprised that Mars strongly identifies with punk subculture? Not me.) As with all successful long-running and subject-specific podcasts, the question lies with the future. How will 99% Invisible approach the next eight years while remaining interesting, curious, and evolving? A production that feels like both an extension of the mothership and something completely its own, Articles of Interest seems like an emphatic answer.
Cosby. Photo: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images

Bill Cosbys bid for a new trial was rejected by a Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday. According to the New York Times, Judge Steven T. ONeill dismissed the bid and told Cosbys team they could redirect it to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. The court has determined that no hearing or argument is required on the issues raised, the judge wrote in the order. Judge ONeill sentenced Cosby to three to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in April.

Cosbys former attorney Joseph P. Green asked for a new trial, on the basis that the prosecution had not proved the assault took place within a 12-year statute of limitations, and that a tape recording used as evidence had been tampered with. The lawyer also asked for Cosbys sentence to be reconsidered because he is 81 and legally blind. On Tuesday, Camille Cosby released a statement calling the judge corrupt.
Richard Madden, no longer a Stark in Bodyguard. Photo: Sophie Mutevelian/World Productions/Netflix

Bodyguard became an indisputable TV phenomenon in the U.K. last month, emerging as the nations most-watched new drama in a decade and one that, as the Guardian put it, placed viewers back in the world of the watercooler again. It was the kind of show that everyone was talking about, and that you had to watch as soon as it aired, otherwise youd be left behind.

Now we Americans get the chance to see what all those Brits have been chattering on about. Starting today, Bodyguard is streaming on Netflix, and as soon as the first episode begins, one can immediately sense why it became so popular across the pond. It stars Richard Madden, a.k.a. Robb Stark from Game of Thrones, as Sgt. David Budd, an Afghanistan vet turned police officer, who, six minutes into that first hour, is already breaking out in a panicky sweat. The show immediately thrusts him into a dicey situation: Hes on a train with his two young children when he has to jump into cop mode to help track down a suicide bomber, then talk her down from detonating the vest strapped to her torso. That lengthy opening sequence  a nail-biting search that morphs into an extremely tense negotiation  is indicative of what Bodyguard is at its best: gripping, nerve-rattling, cant-look-away television. In spirit and execution, it reminds me of what 24 or Homeland were like at their creative and cultural apexes.

At times, it also struggles with the same kind of issues that often dogged 24 or Homeland. While Bodyguard, created by British TV vet Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty), builds an elaborate web of twists and unforeseen complications in its law-enforcement-related conspiracy theories, it also occasionally slips into cliche. Professional relationships predictably turn sexual. The plot is determined to make us change our minds about who could be a mole every ten minutes. Muslim characters are pigeonholed as potential terrorists, although thats a trope that Bodyguard tries to subvert with a modest amount of success. And yet, even on those occasions when it lands exactly where you think its headed, it still threads a compelling enough needle to keep its audience hooked.

After that train negotiation in episode one, David is rewarded for his quick action with a promotion: He becomes the police protection officer for Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), Britains Home Secretary, which is the equivalent of U.S. Secretary of State. Montague is a hard-line politician who supported the level of British involvement in Iraq as well as Afghanistan, and who advocates for even more government power and surveillance capabilities in the interest of public safety. Her views dont jibe with Davids, who suffers from PTSD incurred as a result of his service in Afghanistan. Her unbridled ambition rankles plenty of others as well, including the prime minister. After an attempted terrorist attack at a school  one that Davids children coincidentally happen to attend  Montague puts Security Service officials in charge of the investigation, heightening an already tense relationship between that agency and the Metropolitan Police. The woman has plenty of enemies, which makes Davids new job an instant challenge on top of his preexisting personal challenges, including a broken relationship with his wife, Vicky (Sophie Rundle), who seems ready to move on without him. Complicating things further: the fact that David and Julia find themselves increasingly attracted to each other.

Yes, its a bit eye-rolling to watch as David and Julia become, inevitably, romantically intertwined. But their connection serves a purpose, by providing a foundation on which much of the six-episode season is built. The machinations of this series and the dynamics between its political personalities create a complicated puzzle that demands to be solved. Thats one of the factors that makes Bodyguard so instantly bingeable: You cant let go until you figure out how all those pieces fit together.

Another factor that works in its favor are its suspenseful setpieces, each of which seems designed to make everyone watching kiss their cuticles good-bye. That train setup is just a sneak preview of whats to come, including a targeted attack in episode three and an excruciating emergency situation in the final episode that brings things full circle. Thomas Vincent and John Strickland, who split directing duties, display a firm sense of control over scenes where things are rapidly spiraling out of it. They capture both the bigger picture  in terms of the stakes and, more literally, where everything is physically situated  as well as the smaller images that stand out in a crisis, like the sight of two shaky, bloody hands gripping each other while bullets ping off the body of a car.

Without his beard and regal King of the North bearing, Madden is practically unrecognizable as the man who once occupied the body of Robb Stark. Hes much more vulnerable as David, who carries himself with formal authority while handling his work duties, but becomes more jittery and emotional in private, especially as he becomes more and more desperate to defend his own reputation. Hawes, who previously worked with Mercurio in Line of Duty, is also very good here as a leader who never betrays a whiff of a desire to apologize for who she is or what she believes.

There are several unapologetic women in Bodyguard, all of them doing their jobs  which often involve supervising others  and sticking to their guns with zero hesitation. Whats beautiful is that the series doesnt make a big show of this by announcing, Look at all these women in powerful positions acting powerful. Instead, it treats them the way that women in such roles should be treated: as commonplace. Given all the women in charge in this show, Bodyguard may set a record for most Maams uttered in the course of a single season of television. Plenty of not-so-polite words get uttered as well. At one point, Anne Sampson (Gina McKee), the head of Metropolitan Polices counterterrorism division, ends a meeting by darting a look at her Secret Service counterpart, played by Stuart Bowman, then saying Fuck you, Steve. This is not played as some big ooh, damn! type of moment, which is totally how it would be handled if this were, say, a CBS procedural instead of a cop mystery originally produced for the BBC. Fuck you, Steve is just what prickly people  men or women  say to their adversaries when they feel theyve been undermined.

Even when Bodyguard does get a bit over the top, that same British flair for understatement prevents it from feeling as ridiculous as it might in other hands. This series has business to handle, much of which will involve ratcheting up the audiences blood pressure to agonizing heights. And it does not let anything distract from what it came here to do. No way. No maam.

Want to know whats new on Netflix? Check out Vultures streaming guide.
Bodyguard Episode 2 Season 1 Episode 2 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Sophie Mutevelian/World Productions/Netflix

An action-packed episode of BBC and Netflixs Bodyguard really complicates the relationship between David Budd and Julia Montague, both of whom have such a strong need for human contact that they turn to each physically, while also holding back crucial information. We are supposed to be as dismayed as David when he learns that Julia withheld the fact that the school Davids children attended was a terrorist target, but hes in something of a glass house if you think about it  holding back the fact that he has a past with and knows the background of the man who tried to assassinate Julia. As the two draw closer physically, their secrets will almost certainly surface.

Where do we begin? What sometimes seemed like it could become a politically heavy episode of television turned out to be even more action-packed than the premiere, anchored by two intense sequences of terrorist attacks, each of which raised the threat level in the U.K. by a degree. By the end of the episode, its the highest it can be: Critical.

The first attack is one that Home Secretary Julia Montague is warned about before it happens, hearing that theres a credible threat on the school attended by David Budds children. Not only is a threat on a school naturally terrifying, but the question arises as to how the terrorist group found out which one was attended by Davids children. There must be a leak somewhere in the organization. In fact, one could argue that the leak is why Julia keeps this information to herself, unsure of whom she can trust.

Before the leak can be discovered, a nightmare ensues on a quiet British street. MI6 is watching some terrorist subjects who appear to be on the move. In an expertly staged sequence, they track them across the city, the producers of the show deftly cutting to shots of crowded streets, revealing the ordinary day aspect of domestic terrorism. No one has any idea that government agents are chasing a truck that may have a bomb in it.

Then the truck spots its tail and speeds up, taking corners quickly and accelerating toward a school. Its time for what they call an enforced stop. As kids flee the playground, screaming, a cop car screeches in front and armed officer pop out, firing at the truck. They connect with the driver and passenger and it hits a parked car. It seems like everything is clear but then the worst happens  the truck explodes, killing officers.

The terrifying thing to consider regarding the politics of Bodyguard is that this attack is a positive event for Julia Montague. Sure, she doesnt want dead officers, but there are no dead kids and the threat level is raised. She wants enhanced powers and the attacks on the train on 1/10 and the explosion are giving her what she needs.

Its not working out as well for David, who is pulled from his protective duty. Obviously, hes now a target and it doesnt make sense to have a bodyguard who is more of an interest to the terrorists than the home secretary herself. He goes drinking and sits alone. It even appears that he may go down the path to domestic terrorism with Andy until Julia demands his reinstatement. She claims it sends the wrong message to remove him. At the same time, she pulls some strings and gets Davids son in a special school.

The threat level goes from Severe to Critical after the terrifying second action sequence of the episode. Theyre driving through London when shots ring out and Julias driver is killed. David hunkers down, appears to panic for a second, but gathers himself and turns heroic. First, he comforts a terrified Julia, who is covered in blood but in a bulletproof car. He just tells her to stay down. And when he realizes help isnt coming  which is suspicious  he gets out and finds the sniper himself. Knowing the snipers location, he pilots Julia to safety and then reaches the target himself, learning as the killer descends the stairs that its  Andy! The head of the Veterans Peace Group is an assassin. Andy says only one thing to his buddy: Someones got to stop her. Get it done. And then he blows his brains out.

Again, Julia Montague will end up using a terrorist attack  domestic this time  to further her political needs as she uses fearmongering catchphrases like the enemies of democracy. First, shell draw closer to David. They meet in her safe house and she expresses concern over why no forces came to save them. Were they deliberately held back? Was she left to die? And then the inevitable happens if you consider that these are two people desperately in need of human contact and united by the adrenalin of the assassination attempt. They kiss and make love although its interesting to consider how this coitus is shot compared to the one that ends the episode. This is about contact  hands clenched, close-ups of faces, a long hug.

The second time will be more about passion, maybe even anger. You see, David Budd knows now that Julia Montague knew about the threat on his children. And hes been ordered to keep an eye on Julia, to even monitor and report back to MI6. He can claim that this isnt going to complicate things, but we all know full well that it is.

Advanced Orders:

 Would they really not connect David and Andy? They clearly had a shared past, as we learned last episode, and it doesnt seem like one that would be that hard to discover. And then wouldnt someone ask, Hey, you didnt want to tell us you knew the guy who tried to kill Julia? Maybe that will happen, but Im worried theyre brushing past it, which tests my suspension of disbelief.

 Did David suspect that they were holding back support during the attempt? Otherwise, why get out of the car? He is the kind of guy who acts instinctively and quickly, so maybe he moved because he worried about an escape. Or maybe he was suspicious.

 Some of the music cues on this show are already starting to grate. Madden is good enough that we dont need the overheated music and sound cues to sell his PTSD and anxiety.

 If youre wondering where you know the leads from, Richard Madden played Robb Stark on Game of Thrones, of course, and Keeley Hawes was excellent on British series like Ashes to Ashes and The Missing. She also starred in Line of Duty from the same creator as Bodyguard, Jed Mercurio, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress.
Last week, radio host Charlamagne Tha God and Kanye West were meant to have a live interview for a TimesTalk on mental illness. That interview, however, was abruptly canceled just two days prior with Charlamagne saying it was his decision to scrap the interview because to have that conversation with him right now would not be productive. Charlamagne has now elaborated that point to Stephen Colbert, saying he doesnt think its right for anyone to discuss mental health with Kanye when Kanye is no longer taking his medication for bipolar disorder, which Kanye said he was when they previously spoke on the subject earlier this year. I think he needs to figure that out, Charlamagne says. The decision to ax the interview came two days after Kanye met with Trump claiming to be misdiagnosed; Charlamagne then called Kanyes people to inform them the interview was no longer happening and says they were relieved, but also made him break the news to Kanye himself. According to Charlamagne, Kanyes trip to Uganda wasnt the reason for the cancellation.

Related
The Kids in the Hall. Photo: Eglinton; Rick/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Paul Myers usually writes biographies about rock stars, and he used that approach to create The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, the story of possibly the greatest comedy troupe of all time, and Canadas greatest world citizens, the Kids in the Hall. Myers conducted interviews with pretty much everyone ever associated with the Kids in the Hall (and The Kids in the Hall) to produce the first authorized book about the five-man group, and which tells their complete story, from separate improv troupes through their dominance of the Toronto comedy scene to their five-season late-night show and even their film, Brain Candy and reunion mini-series Death Comes to Town. Its been a remarkable, comedy-changing journey for us and a life-changing journey for the people involved, so here are some of the most fascinating nuggets presented in One Dumb Guy.

1. They wouldnt have been the same without the Cigarette Smoking Man.

Troupe member Kevin McDonald, who grew up in poverty because of an alcoholic, perpetually unemployed father, received a full scholarship to Humber Colleges drama program. He was expelled after one semester, right around Christmas 1980. He says his improv teacher hated him because I always fell asleep in his class, while the dean called me a one-legged actor, meaning he lacked versatility, which was ironic as he was himself an actual one-legged actor whod lost a leg when a lighting grid fell on it during a production of Pippin. But one Humber instructor saw something in McDonald: William B. Davis. That dude later went on to become one of the scariest characters in TV history: the Cigarette Smoking Man on The X-Files. Disagreeing with the expulsion, he told McDonald that he was very good at comedy and that he should look into improv. And he wrote down the phone number for the Second City workshops, McDonald said.

2. They were ghosted by Theatresports.

Along with live-comedy institutions (and training grounds) like Second City, UCB, and ImprovOlympic, theres Theatresports, a Canada-born performance format that found comedy troupes competing in challenges in front of an audience like they were common athletes or something. Before their Kids in the Hall days, Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald were part of a Theatresports team called Uncle Vanya and the Three Sisters (so many Chekhov references!), but they hated its needlessly competitive approach to comedy. So, whenever they got the chance, Foley and McDonald would blow up the format and make up their own games, including Best Scene Until Kevin Gets an Asthma Attack. That required McDonald to run around the building until he couldnt breathe and the show would get shut down. On New Years Eve 1982, the organization had a huge, invite-only party at a fancy Toronto location  and didnt invite Foley, McDonald, or the rest of Uncle Vanya. They went down to the place where the party was being held, and nobody would let them in. (Fortunately, another comedy troupe called the Audience  featuring Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney  would move to Toronto just a few months later.)

3. The Head Crusher was born during a bad date.

First of all, Mark McKinneys dweeby, weirdo Head Crusher character  the man who would stand far away from people and frame their heads between his forefinger and thumb and pretend to smash them  has a name, albeit a seldom used one: Its Mr. Tyzik. When McKinney was a child, he had bad vision, and to focus on distant objects, hed look at them through the makeshift lens made by holding his finger and thumb close together. Flash-forward to the 80s, when McKinney and fellow Kid Kevin McDonald were on a double date that was going very badly, according to McDonald. McKinney somehow decided that the time was right to revive a childhood habit and birth a catchphrase. To break the tension, Mark started pinching his thumb and finger together, saying, Im crushing your head! Im crushing your head! The girls stormed out, but it made me laugh.

Paul Myerss new book.

4. The show was saved by the CableACE Awards.

After becoming a really big deal in the Toronto live-comedy circuit, the Kids got the attention of fellow Canadian comedy god Lorne Michaels. He arranged a showcase audition and briefly swiped a couple of troupe members to write for SNL in the 80s. It didnt work out, and after the group reformed, Michaels decided they were of one piece and dedicated his energy toward getting them their own sketch-comedy show, debuting in 1989 in the U.S. on HBO. It became a cult hit  which is to say, very few people watched it. In 1990, HBO sent word that a second season was likely not happening  until Mark McKinney got a surprise nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the CableACE Awards and, even more surprisingly, won (he beat Garry Shandling for The Larry Sanders Show). Now, back before cable channels could compete at (and dominate) the Emmys, they had their own awards, the CableACEs, and HBO won pretty much all of them. The network loved the prestige that accompanies awards, even back then, and after the CableACEs, it gave The Kids another season.

5. Brain Candy could have been a movie about carnivorous army ants.

The Kids in the Hall were on the verge of splitting up (in large part due to Dave Foley wanting to move on to NewsRadio), but they gave it one last go in the early 90s, signing on to write and star in a feature film. To figure out what movie they actually wanted to do, the whole group set off for a writing retreat in a lodge in rural Ontario. Kevin McDonald wrote a draft for a nostalgic, 1950s New Yorkset comedy called Memories, and everyone just savaged it. McKinney came up with something called The Asshole about an asshole-murdering serial killer. Foleys idea: Planes Are Crashing, a disaster comedy that involved a chaotic mix-up with air traffic controllers. Foleys other idea: All five Kids play guys hanging out in a bar in a hotel in the jungle, and they all tell their life stories. The big reveal would be that what ties all these people together is that they are all dead, McDonald recalls. Then, after theyre eaten alive by army ants, the bartender reveals that theyre actually in Heaven, not Hell. They finally came up with Brain Candy (which had a working title of The Drug), about a medication that makes everybody dangerously happy all the time, when McKinney walked into the room and said one word: Prozac.
Photo: Zm/Zoetrope/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Shirkers is, in many respects, a singular movie. Directed by novelist and filmmaker Sandi Tan, it debuted at Sundance earlier this year and its technically her feature debut. But its also about the feature debut that wasnt: the film Tan made with her friends in her native Singapore one summer in 1992 but never finished  and not for a lack of trying.

Also called Shirkers, this earlier film would have starred Tan as a teenage serial killer who travels the roads of her small country. What we see of the original Shirkers in Tans documentary looks pretty remarkable, a young cinephiles attempt to channel a lot of artistic impulses and punk energy into a bold statement in a country whose filmmaking, what there was of it, wasnt exactly filled with bold statements.

Except, for reasons best left unspoiled, Tan never got the chance to bring it all together, and instead uses the film as an attempt to explore the mystery of what happened and how its haunted her and her friends ever since.

Theres nothing quite like Shirkers, thanks to the way Tan weaves together her own story and that of Georges Cardona, the enigmatic mentor who encouraged her work and helped with the production and then  again, thats probably better left unspoiled. But in other respects, its also part of a long tradition of documentaries that depict filmmaking as a hellish process that always threatens to collapse on itself  and sometimes does. Tans story isnt like anyone elses but theres not a shortage of behind-the-scenes docs about troubled, sometimes doomed productions that would make fine accompaniments to Shirkers.

A couple even get referenced tangentially in the film itself. At one point, Cardona promises to bring in a production manager who worked on Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now to assist with the shoot, but as anyone whos seen the 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse can attest, this might not have been that helpful. An eye-of-the-hurricane look at the making of Coppolas troubled 1979 masterpiece directed by Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, and Franciss wife Eleanor Coppola (who also narrates), the film captures a shoot plagued by seemingly every possible adversity: bad weather, a star with health problems, and a director whose unwillingness to compromise seems to push him to the brink of madness. My film is not about Vietnam, Coppola declared when he brought Apocalypse Now to the Cannes Film Festival. It is Vietnam. Its what it was really like. It was crazy  And little by little we went insane. If that sounds pretentious, the film at least puts the statement in context.

Tan and Cardona shared an admiration for Werner Herzogs similarly troubled 1982 film Fitzcarraldo, in which Klaus Kinski plays a man obsessed with building an opera house in early-20th century Peru, a drive that leads him to hire a team to push a boat over a mountain. Except Kinski didnt always play the part, which once belonged to Jason Robards, who had to bow out due to illness, prompting Herzog to reach out to his frequent collaborator/hated enemy Kinski. Thats just one setback chronicled in Les Blanks making-of doc Burden of Dreams, released the same year. Its the rare behind-the-scenes look thats just as thrilling as the film its covering, exploring the relationship between the outside crew and the natives that, in shades of the movie they were making, they hire to do the heavy lifting and watching as Herzog starts to become exhausted, frustrated, and darkly philosophical, leading to his famous monologue about the obscenity of nature.

At least Herzog and Coppola were struggling to create remarkable art. The thing about filmmaking is that even bad movies take a lot of work. In the 2009 film Best Worst Movie, director Michael Stephenson dives into the madness of the 1990 film Troll 2, a low-budget horror film in which he starred as a child. An in-name-only sequel to the 1986 film Troll, made by an Italian director and crew and a cast of mostly nonprofessional actors working in Utah, the movies a laughable, largely incoherent disaster  so much so that it started to pick up a cult following. With fondness and mortification, Best Worst Movie finds Stephenson tracking down those who co-starred with him to see if they can figure out what happened, and discovers for some their brush with fame has been bittersweet.

An even richer character study, Chris Smiths 1999 doc American Movie shadows Milwaukee filmmaker Mark Borchardt and sidekick Mike Schank as they attempt to complete a short horror film called Coven. In the process they encounter problems common to all films and some of their own making, but its Smiths sympathetic treatment of Schank and, especially, Borchardt that sets the film apart. Is Borchardt delusional or as talented as any aspiring filmmaker and only held back by geography, financial circumstances, dependency issues, and character flaws? For all its comic moments, the film leaves these questions unanswered.

Shirkers also belongs to a documentary subgenre about films that never were. In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear, Les Diaboliques) began shooting LEnfer, a drama about a jealousy-gripped hotelier. He hit snag after snag before suffering a heart attack, forcing him to leave the film in an unfinished state. Serge Brombergs 2009 documentary Henri-Georges Clouzots Inferno makes clear this was a major loss. Bromberg tries to recount what happened and brings in a new cast to re-create some unfilmed scenes, but the real reason to watch is the surviving footage, which, taking cues from Vertigo, is experimental and hallucinatory in ways Clouzot had never let himself be before. This could have been a leap forward rather than a dead end.

Twenty-six years later, Terry Gilliam attempted to film a new take on Don Quixote called The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, only to watch as the shoot met with disaster after disaster, including the film-ending injury of star Jean Rochefort. In Lost in La Mancha, the 1992 documentary chronicling the process, co-directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, Gilliam seems to be channeling a careers worth of frustration. Its not the end of the story, though. Nearly two decades on, Gilliam finished The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in time for the 2018 Cannes film festival  a process with potholes of its own that Fulton and Pepe plan to cover in a follow-up film. But at least, after all these years, he emerged with something to watch and more than a few stories to tell. As Shirkers similarly proves, sometimes time and fate make their own plans for movies.
CVS will close 900 stores over next 3 years
By Mike Cooper/Luke Resser, West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 23, 2018 | 08:55 PM | PADUCAH

Mayor Brandi Harless issued a proclamation making the week of October 22nd as Vietnam Veterans Honor and Remembrance Week, during the Paducah City Commission meeting on Tuesday evening.The proclamation, in connection with The Wall That Heals being in Paducah this week, declares that this is a way to honor the Vietnam Veterans proud legacy with deepest gratitude. Mayor Harless commented, "a community is saying, you know what, if we don't agree on everything, we can at least agree that these Veterans deserve another welcome home, and that's what happened today."In other business, Mayor Harless also issued a proclamation that October is Head Start Awareness Month, and the commission heard presentations on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and Comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan Phase I Completion. They approved the consent agenda with 11 municipal orders, adopted three ordinances dealing with property rezoning, annexation of property, and the contract for the Pat and Jim Brockenborough Rotary Health Park Sprayground, and also introduced two ordinances, dealing with the Noble Park Peck addition design contract and the transfer of Riverfront property.The commission also heard public comments from Patti Jones dealing with flooding in her neighborhood, and Michael Swinford expressing appreciation for the City's help in bringing The Wall That Heals to Paducah.

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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 23, 2018 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 23, 2018 | 10:25 PM | PADUCAH

Students in WKCTC's chapter of the Kentucky Association of Nursing Students are taking on the fight against blood cancer with a bone marrow donor registration drive Wednesday from noon to 5 pm.



The DKMS - We Delete Blood Cancer event will take place in three locations on campus: Allied Health Building and Anderson Technical Building lobbies and the Student Center.



The students are joining forces with DKMS, an international non-profit organization that creates awareness, recruits donors, raising money, and supports patients after their diagnoses. The event, called DKMS - We Delete Blood Cancer, is near and dear to the hearts of the nursing students.



"As soon as I received an email about putting together a DKMS event on campus, I knew we (nursing students) had do it," said WKCTC nursing student and event coordinator Kaycee Byrd. "Being in our fourth and final semester, we have plenty on our plates, but I knew if we worked together we could accomplish it. We all agreed we wanted to leave a lasting impact here (WKCTC)....something that could really make a difference in people's lives."



Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. Statistics show that 30 percent of them can get a donation from a relative, but the rest must rely on the kindness of strangers who register as potential donors.



Byrd said so far, only about one percent of the people who register are a match for someone, and the procedure is usually simple.



She said, "Eighty percent of donations are made just like donating blood: you're set up with a cushy chair and an I.V., and you get to watch Netflix. They take your blood, they filter out what they need, and they put your blood back in."



Byrd said the other twenty percent donate by an outpatient procedure called needle aspiration.



Registering to be a bone marrow donor takes a few minutes with a swab of the cheek that will add the donor's name to the DKMS - We Delete Blood Cancer database.



"Becoming a bone marrow donor is fast and easy and it's the first step to providing a patient with a second chance." said Byrd. "We are asking our fellow students, faculty, staff and community to join the fight to delete blood cancer."



More information can be found on the WKCTC website at westkentucky.kctcs.edu, search for DKMS or by contacting Kaycee Byrd at kbyrd0041@kctcs.edu, 270-293-4732.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 24, 2018 | 11:09 AM | GRAVES COUNTY

A group of Graves County residents opposed to a tax hike has collected more than 2,000 signatures in hopes of putting the measure on the ballot.

The committee had 30 days to collect 1,680 valid signatures. Tuesday, the group turned in a petition with 2,507 signatures. The Graves County Clerk's Office now has 30 days to verify them.

If verified, it will be up to the Graves County Board of Education to decide whether to proceed with a special election. The special election would come with a $40,000 price tag, for which the Board would have to pay.

Graves County Schools approved a tax rate increase last month. The tax increase is 3.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, with 1.1 cents to go into the general fund and 2.8 cents to go into the building fund.

Of the proposed tax increase, Graves County Schools Superintendent Kim Dublin said the 1.1 cent portion will go toward new student resource officers. The 2.8 cent portion will go to renovate Lowes Elementary School and replace the HVAC at Farmington Elementary. Without the increase, Dublin says renovations to Lowes will not happen.

Dublin said the increase in a resident of Graves County's total tax bill would be in the neighborhood of $3 to $6 a month for most people.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 24, 2018 | 10:19 AM | SYMSONIA

A Graves County man was arrested Tuesday night on child sex exploitation charges.

The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch arrested 23-year-old Austin Freeman Tuesday, just after 8:30 pm. Freeman was arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation.

The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering Freeman communicating and exchanging photographs and videos with juveniles online. The investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant at a Symsonia home Tuesday night. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSPs forensic laboratory for examination.

Freeman is currently charged with two counts of prohibited use of an electronic communication system to procure a minor/peace officer regarding a sex offense. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
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By Bill Hughes

Oct. 23, 2018 | BENTON

By Bill Hughes Oct. 23, 2018 | 07:07 PM | BENTON

A Marshall County teacher and two students who attended the Student Gun Violence Summit over the weekend were encouraged by what they experienced.



Teacher Luke Inglish, who is president of the Marshall County Education Association, accompanied seniors Claire Harmon and Keaton Conner to Washington, D.C. for the summit, where over 100 students held breakout sessions on topics, then worked together to create and ratify a Students' Bill of Rights (see below).



When students from Parkland, Florida, where a school shooting took place in February, expressed interest in holding a summit but didn't have the means to pull it off, the National Education Association stepped up to help them organize it.



Inglish said that's when several other organizations, "came together and they paid for the students to travel there, so kids from all areas - whether they were low income or middle class or whatever - could come and wouldn't be out the money."



Harmon said she and Conner were excited to participate in the discussions.



Harmon said, "I tend to take a more observational role in group settings like that. I like to see what other people think before I chime in with my opinion, but I think Keaton and I both felt that we had something to offer and a fresh perspective, coming from such a small town in a rural area, because a lot of the other students there were from larger cities."



She said some of the other students from large cities haven't witnessed school shootings, but they deal with the reality of gun violence every day in their neighborhoods.



Breakout sessions covered topics such as the second amendment, mental health, prevention methods on campus, coping as a gun violence survivor, and policies that have worked to reduce gun violence. Inglish said he and other adults were present to facilitate the sessions, but didn't give much input into the process.



Inglish said, "I was just there as a fly on the wall. Basically, I just introduced the topic, and they talked back and forth and came up with their ideas. It was amazing to see as an educator, because they were coming up with what they felt was important, and they wanted their voice heard. It was also amazing to see the two that went from our community."



Harmon elaborated on the sessions that encouraged her the most, saying, "I think we mostly focused on prevention methods within schools, so we were talking a lot about making sure that schools had adequate funding for properly trained guidance counselors, mental health screenings for students, professional development training for teachers so they could identify students who might have issues, mostly just focusing on preventing future tragedies like the one that happened at our school and at other schools, and sort of focusing on a student-oriented prevention method."



Inglish said he appreciated, "seeing all of these kids come together and talk about these issues that are divisive - no matter where you're from - and they talked about it without getting mad at each other, because they all had different opinions, and they were able to talk about it openly and honestly and they came to their agreement on what they thought was important to them as students."



Two people were killed and eighteen were hurt in the January 23 shooting at Marshall County High School in Draffenville.



According to the summit's website, sponsors and facilitators for the event include the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, Guns Down America, Students for Change, Everytown for Gun Safety, Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.





Here is the document the students crafted:



Student Bill of Rights for Safer Communities



We, the students standing against gun violence in America, come together to address that this gun violence is destructive, intersectional, and preventable. In coming together to address how gun violence pervades our schools, homes and communities, we deem that institutions, leaders and policy makers across the country have an imperative to adopt comprehensive measures to prevent this unnecessary violence.



Together we must



1. Establish a school safety committee whose meetings are open to the public at every school equally composed of students, parents and faculty.



2. Provide immediate access to qualified counselors in safe spaces for students of all demographics at all levels of education.



3. Encourage all school personnel to foster positive relationships at all levels of education.



4. Provide professional development around mental health awareness and interventions for students, parents and faculty.



5. Require cultural competency and de-escalation trainings each quarter for law-enforcement provided by the local police department in conjunction with equity training organizations and companies.



6. Implement equitable funding to traditionally under-resourced schools specifically allocated for after school programs open to students and youth under 25 in the community year-round.



7. Support marginalized communities by educating and recognizing systemic and institutional oppressions, as well as implement programs that remedy the inequities for those marginalized communities.



8. Allocate sufficient funding for mental health programs including, but not limited to, school-based safety and security initiatives; violence intervention programs; healthcare services, including counseling and mental health evaluations, to be provided by a trained racially and culturally diverse team of mental health professionals.



9. Reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and illness by educating students and faculty on mental health; establishing support networks such as peer counseling; creating pathways for anonymous reporting, identification and intervention of at-risk youth based on mental health and Alternative Childhood Experiences (ACE) evaluations.



10. Require all gun dealers, sellers and owners to report stolen guns; prohibit the sale under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of semi-automatic military style weapons that fire velocity rounds, bump stocks and other accessories that alter the original firing capacity of a firearm.



11. Require universal background checks before all gun purchases; eliminate loopholes by connecting local, state, and federal databases of prohibited purchasers; require a minimum mandatory waiting period of 10 days to purchase a firearm; and raise the age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21 with exceptions for responsible training, like military service.



12. Promote responsible gun ownership by requiring safe storage policies and modeling gun licensing after drivers licensing (i.e. application, testing, etc.).



13. Invest in reducing gun violence by funding Center for Disease Control (CDC) research.



14. Ensure people who pose a heightened risk to community safety, such as domestic abusers, dont have access to guns by allowing extreme risk protection orders where family members, law enforcement, mental health professionals, educators, intimate partners and former intimate partners can petition the court to disarm the abuser.
Unlocking information for all

Wits has embraced Open Access, which refers to the practice of providing unrestricted access to peer-reviewed research journal articles via the internet.

The Library, Research Office, and the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development (CLTD) at Wits jointly hosted the eighth annual Open Access Seminar in the Senate Room on Monday, 22 October.

Its so important that we embrace Open Access and open up research and data, said Dr. Robin Drennan, Director: Research Development at Wits, who opened the seminar.

Its good to grapple with issues and see how Wits handles [these] mixed tensions, he said, referring to the challenge of, for example, making medical data openly available while simultaneously ethically respecting anonymity. Drennan invited delegates to share their ideas at the seminar, as it is only through such sharing that progress can be made.

Ms Denise Nicholson, Scholarly Communications Librarian at Wits, provided an overview of Wits OA policies, which were approved in June. The policies apply to all academic and professional staff at Wits.

Nicholson advised that postgraduate dissertations and theses (masters and doctoral degrees) are stored on WIREdDSpace (Wits Institutional Repository on DSpace). Click here for the Libguides, a comprehensive resource for researchers and postgraduate students on publishing (conventional, open publishing and self-publishing) and related issues, including:

Evaluating Journals

Accredited Journals

Predatory Publishers

Ethics and Plagiarism

Copyright

Myths about Open Access

Research Process and Resources

Wits Library Services and Resources

Plagiarism in South African management journals: Unethical practices in the academy

Professor Adele Thomas is a Professor in the College of Business and Economics in the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management at the University of Johannesburg. She is the former director of Wits Business School. The self-professed academic activist intently investigates plagiarism. Thomas delivered findings from a study in which she investigated the incidence of plagiarism in 19 management journals.

Thomas defined plagiarism as the verbatim or near-verbatim copy of text and submitting the work of another as if it were your own.

It is the act of making ones own that which rightfully belongs to another and it attacks the core value of academic integrity, says Thomas.

Student plagiarism is internationally recognised and researched  plagiarism in faculty, less so. However, faculty plagiarism is on the rise, says Thomas, and its linked to the proliferation of journals

Thomas study (which continued an earlier study) suggested that experienced researchers (as opposed to young, naive scholars) plagiarise and that in developing countries, in particular, rules of research protocol may be obscure. Institutional factors can promote plagiarism (were reputation is based on research output at the expense of quality), the study found, as does persistence of the publish or perish syndrome and institutional reward incentives such as attracting research grants, promotions, or salary increases. Furthermore, cut and paste tech enable plagiarism.

The following conditions at universities make plagiarism easier, according to this study:

Excessive competition

Higher value placed on research output than the quality

Disproportionate rewards for publication

Unjust working environment

Insufficient checks and balances

Furthermore, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DOHET) pays scholars up to R120 000 per article for publication in specific journals. The study found that DOHET paid up to R13m for articles that showed more than 24% plagiarism on Turnitin, a commercial, internet-based plagiarism detection service. The DOHET has since elected to re-examine its subsidy policy to address exploitation.

Thomas recommended vigilance of the research that universities are producing and zero tolerance for a culture of cheating. Universities need to balance [research output-related and rankings] information with quality assurance and promote research ethics within a context of multiculturalism.

The moral climate of the university can influence faculty and student behavior. Thus, addressing faculty plagiarism should be essential, says Thomas.

Wits and Massive Open Online Courses

Dominique Wooldridge is the team leader and content developer in the eLearning Support and Innovation Unit in CLTD. She shared an update on the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) available on the WitsX platform.

Everything is open access and free, says Wooldridge or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

WitsX currently has nine MOOCs, which 52 000 students worldwide have completed and WitsX has issued 1050 certificates. The first MOOCs, launched in 2016, have been successful:

The MOOC, Introduction to Stewarts Model of Physiological Acid-Base Chemistry, is aimed at physicians, ICU nurses and others working in acute care, and provides an introduction to Peter Stewarts model of clinical acid-base chemistry.

Professor David Ruben found a chemical approach to explaining the Ph levels in your blood, says Woodridge of this seemingly obscure but popular MOOC.

MOOCs developed in 2018 include Civil Society and African Media Policy in the Digital Age and Activism and Citizen Journalism through Media.

MOOC on Digital Transformation launches 7 November

On 7 November 2018, were launching a MOOC on Digital Transformation and the IT Team. This course will help you understand what digital transformation truly mean, how it impacts organizations and how it changes the role of the IT team, says Wooldridge.

Sign up. Its free!
Authorities have intercepted bombs intended for former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and several other top political figures were targeted in what authorities are investigating as a connected series of incidents.

Also, CNN's New York bureau in the Time Warner Center was evacuated after a package containing a bomb, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, was discovered, city and local law enforcement officials said.

In addition, sources told CNN that a suspicious package intended for California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters was intercepted at a congressional mail screening facility in Maryland; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo received what he said was a device at his Manhattan office; and the San Diego Union-Tribune evacuated its building after "suspicious looking packages" were spotted outside.

Later Wednesday night, two law enforcement sources told CNN that law enforcement officials are trying to track down a package addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden now considered suspicious because of similarities to other packages. The package was misaddressed and returned to sender.

The developments, which unfolded rapidly and continued steadily into the afternoon, touched off fear and confusion and immediately invited questions about the motives of those responsible. The recipients of the packages are all prominent targets of right-wing criticism and, in many cases, of President Donald Trump himself.

"This clearly is an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at an afternoon news conference.

CNN, citing a law enforcement official, was initially told a suspicious package containing a pipe bomb that was addressed to the White House was intercepted at Joint Base Bolling in Washington, DC. The Secret Service, however, later said it had only intercepted the two packages intended for Obama and Clinton and called reports of a package headed for the White House "incorrect."

Trump says 'no resources' will be spared

Trump vowed Wednesday afternoon that "the full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation."

"We will spare no resources or expense in this effort," Trump said at the top of his remarks at a White House opioid bill signing event. He said he had just concluded a briefing with the FBI, Department of Justice, Homeland Security Department and Secret Service.

The President -- who has recently taken to calling his political opponents "evil" -- called for unity in his remarks and said "we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that threats or acts of political violence have no place in the United States of America."

"This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans," Trump said, adding, "We are extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of it."

His remarks were greeted with a standing ovation in the room.

Devices appear to be similarly constructed

Bryan Paamann, an FBI special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division in New York, said the devices appeared to be pipe bombs. A law enforcement official told CNN that the initial examination of all of the devices shows them to be constructed similarly. At least one of the devices appeared to contain projectiles, including shards of glass. The devices are rudimentary but functional.

A law enforcement source said the device found in the Time Warner Center's mailroom is similar to the ones addressed to Obama, Clinton and billionaire investor and major Democratic donor George Soros, which was discovered earlier this week. The package to Brennan was delivered by courier, law enforcement sources said.

Neither Obama nor Clinton received the packages sent to them or were at risk of receiving them, the Secret Service said. They were discovered during "routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the agency said in a statement.

The package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington, DC, and the one intended for Clinton was addressed to her Chappaqua residence in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday, authorities said.

Speaking in Florida early Wednesday afternoon to campaign for Democrat Donna Shalala's congressional bid, Clinton said she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, were "fine" and praised the response by the Secret Service.

A suspicious package sent to the Florida office of Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder but had the wrong address, two law enforcement sources said. It was returned to the Democratic congresswoman because that was the return label on the package, the sources said, adding that it was the same return address for the packages sent to Obama and Clinton.

On the package sent to Biden and returned to sender, it was not clear if the return address was Wasserman Schultz's or another address. Authorities are trying to locate it, the officials told CNN.

Packages sent to Soros, Clinton, CNN, Obama, Holder and Waters were all sent with Wasserman Schultz's office as the return address in manila envelopes with bubble wrap interior, the FBI said in a statement Wednesday. Each package had six Forever stamps on the envelope as well.

The bombs show the presence of a sulfur substance, which could have exploded. The devices were pipe bombs and are inherently unstable, and could have been set off just by handling.

There is no information that suggests Wasserman Schultz sent the packages. The bomb squad was investigating the package discovered at Wasserman Schultz's office, a local police spokesman said. It was not immediately clear if the package contains a device similar to the others detected around the country.

The Soros package was believed to have been placed in a mailbox rather than mailed, a separate law enforcement source said.

The package addressed to Waters had similarities to the other suspicious packages, according to two law enforcement sources. One source said that belief was based on the timing, packaging and devices inside the packages, though it was not clear if it was capable of exploding.

Later on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Ginger Colbrun, said a second package addressed to Waters had been found at a postal facility in south central Los Angeles. Colbrun told CNN the package matches the description of those sent to CNN and Democratic political figures. The Los Angeles Police Department said the postal facility was evacuated while an investigation takes place.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement the investigation is the "highest priority for the FBI."

"We have committed the full strength of the FBI's resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages," Wray said. "We ask anyone who may have information to contact the FBI. Do not hesitate to call; no piece of information is too small to help us in this investigation."

The FBI said it's possible additional packages were mailed to other locations and advised the public remain vigilant.

The FBI's counterterrorism investigators are leading the investigation and are handling as a domestic terror matter.

The San Diego office of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, was also evacuated after "suspicious packages" were found near the building, but they were not addressed to the senator or her office, a spokeswoman tweeted.

New York device investigated

The device sent to the Time Warner Center was a "live explosive device," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said at an afternoon news conference, adding that police were also investigating an envelope containing white powder that was found as part of the "original packaging" of the device.

The package was removed from the building late Wednesday morning and was sent to an NYPD facility in the Bronx, a law enforcement official said.

At the news conference, Cuomo disclosed that a device was sent to his Manhattan office and that it was being handled. An NYPD official later told CNN that the device was simply an informational package containing literature.

"There's a number of devices and there's a pattern apparently with them," he said.

The NYPD increased patrols at media locations in the city and other potential areas, a spokesman for the department said. Officials from the ATF and Explosives are at the sites of the multiple packages and were at Soros' Bedford, New York, home on Tuesday, a spokeswoman said. The FBI also is involved in the investigation, the bureau said.

CORRECTION: The name of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been corrected.
CALCASIEU PARISH, La. (WLFI)  The U.S. Army is investigating the suspected murder of a Lafayette (IN) woman in Louisiana. The body of 22-year-old Shelena Kyle was found early Monday morning in the trunk of her husband's car near Fort Polk Army Base.

Investigators said Kyle's husband, Logan Kyle, was in the car along with 24- year-old Sarah Parker and her two young children. They believe the two adults were trying to find a place to dump Shelena Kyle's body when they were pulled over, thanks to a tip.

Logan Kyle is an Army Corporal with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Polk. He is in custody of the U.S Criminal Investigation Division while the case is being investigated. CBS affiliate KNOE reports Logan Kyle joined the Army four years ago. No mugshot is available for him.

Parker was arrested for obstruction of justice and failure to report a homicide.

A classmate confirmed that both Shelena Kyle and Logan Kyle graduated from Harrison High School in Lafayette.

We've been reaching out to Shelena Kyle's family here in Lafayette to learn more about her life. News 18 will continue to follow this case as more information becomes available.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Purdue University employees won't have to worry about a change in their insurance policies, at least for now.

As we previously reported, the university was working to put a rule in place that would have a major impact on some faculty and staff member's spouses. A statement released Tuesday said that will no longer be the case.

The university's Chief Financial Officer said the policy will be reviewed over the course of the next six months.

Professor in the college of engineering Alice Pawley said in six months time, it will be summer. Her fear is a decision will be made when the majority of faculty and staff is on break.

The email also said the university spends more than $4 million a year on spouses. It goes on to say the school feels that money can be better spent in other areas such as salary increases.

Pawley said she appreciates the extra time, but it doesn't add up.

"Well that money is not going to the ten dollar an hour employees, that money is going to administrators who are already making a huge salary," said Pawley.

There is a meeting Wednesday at noon to discuss all of this. It will be in the Purdue Memorial Union in the south ballroom.

The meeting will also be live-streamed. You can watch it all here.




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First Minister asked to consider sacking the Mr Bumble of Welsh Government the cruel overseer of the poorhouse

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Oct 24th, 2018

A Welsh Government Minister has labelled councillors asking for more funding Oliver Twists, as Wrexham Councillors come together to demand more from the final budget settlement.

This afternoon we observed a Wrexham Council scrutiny meeting where a local councillor and school governor related his recent experiences of local education funding, warning of job cuts to teachers, with retirements and job vacancies already not being filled, We cant physically cut another penny. Something has to give.

One response came from Council Leader Mark Pritchard who said: There has to be appropriate funding for schools. This is not just in Wrexham but across the country, and it is at Cardiff Bays door. They need to fund schools appropriately or there will be domino effect. We need more money into schools, it is as blunt as that. We are in the hands of both governments now.

At the same time comments from Local Government Secretary Alun Davies surfaced, where he compared councillors to Oliver Twist for wanting more.

Sat in scrutiny meeting that is quoting how skint schools are in Wrexham  with Council Leader saying appropriate funding is needed to stop a domino effect  it is at Cardiff Bays door. Then see this beeb story pop up pic.twitter.com/HecvHdfRnc  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 24, 2018

During the meeting we tweeted the above regarding this article from the BBC, that quotes Mr Davies saying Ive had a lot of councillors coming to me like Oliver Twists over the past few weeks  Can we have some more'

Mr Davies says councillors have agreed in private that 22 councils in Wales is unsustainable, but will not say so publicly, and thus he has had enough.

In response to comments by the Cabinet Secretary, Councillor Rob Stewart, the Welsh Local Government Association Deputy Leader said: The remarks from the Cabinet Secretary are deeply unfortunate and inappropriate particularly bearing in mind that he is supposed to be the voice of local government around the Welsh Government Cabinet table. Last week he spoke to BBC Wales and recognised that as a result of the Welsh Government Draft budget People are going to find local services diminishing as a consequence of the austerity .and that is going to have consequences in communities up and down Wales.

This week, he is belittling those who are arguing for proper levels of funding to support those treasured services such as education, social care, housing and transport for the most vulnerable communities across Wales.

We call on the First Minister to distance himself from the comments of the Cabinet Secretary and consider whether or not it is appropriate for him to remain in the Cabinet in his current position. The Cabinet Secretarys reference to Oliver Twist reflects a lack of understanding of both English literature and local government. Is he seriously characterising himself as the Mr Bumble of Welsh Government the cruel overseer of the poorhouse? We make no apologies for asking for more resources from Welsh Government to save those services provided by hardworking teachers, youth workers, librarians and care workers that protect the communities of Wales.

Going off council meetings we have attended in Wrexham over the last 48 hours it seems lobbying is set to increase in a cross party agreement  something that is usually quite rare.

Yesterday we documented the ongoing doom and gloom around the reaction to the budget settlement locally, with a direct request in the Executive Board meeting from the Council Leader and members of his Executive Board for councillors to lobby on behalf of the county borough for more cash.

Clr Wynn thanks Clr Jenkins 'for his honesty' over having to raise council tax. Notes he 'challenged' Cllr Marc Jones (Plaid) & Clr Davies (Lab) to lobby for Welsh Gov for Wrexham, adds he wants Cllr Jenkins (Lib Dems) to lobby too. Clr Jenkins replies 'we all need to do that'.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 23, 2018

In an unusual step political group leaders were named individually, all challenged to do their bit, and lobby upwards to Assembly Members and Members of Parliament. Cllrs Dana Davies of Labour spoke to say she was making representations, and Cllr Alun Jenkins of the Liberal Democrats indicated he was willing, but also pointed to the other 51 councillors (many not in the room) to do their part too.

With Plaid Cymru entering into a Welsh Government budget agreement in October last year with Labour, group leader Marc Jones was the only one not to specifically speak on the lobbying point.

Today Cllr Jones said I was challenged to make representations regarding council cuts yesterday. I couldnt say anything publicly at the time. But heres some breaking news.

Cllr Jones posted a link to the local Plaid groups website, that states: Plaid Cymru have requested an urgent meeting with the Welsh Governments Finance Minister Mark Drakeford over serious concerns about cuts to local government following the budget announcement.

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Finance, Rhun ap Iorwerth AM said: I am writing to Finance Minister Mark Drakeford to request a meeting to discuss the recent Welsh Government budget.

We have serious concerns regarding the cuts to Local Government and the devastating impact it could have on Education and Social Services. These cuts are severe and substantial and worse than anyone could reasonably have expected.

The WLGA and council leaders have all expressed deep concerns at the cuts and Labour members, including minister Hannah Blythyn, have slammed the Labour budget. Another Minister Alun Davies chose to attack councillors, telling them to stop complaining.

This is a Labour austerity budget. Councils are facing a situation where they will simply not be able to provide essential services to the public. This is not acceptable. I want a rethink, and for an assurance that increasing council funding will be a priority for Welsh Government should new finances become available in the forthcoming UK budget.

Last week we asked local AM Lesley Griffiths about the provision budget settlement for Wrexham Council, who pointed to Conservative austerity measures as a reason for a cut in local government settlements, noting there are Conservatives alongside Independents on the Executive Board locally  you can read her full remarks here.

Top picture: Local Government Secretary Alun Davies has a friendly chat with Council Leader Mark Pritchard.
Large concentrations of harmful toxins have been found in the dust and soil around Grenfell Tower. The toxins, which are potentially carcinogenic and may have long-term health implications for survivors of the fire and for local residents, have been identified in the preliminary findings of a study by toxicology expert, Professor Anna Stec.

Her findings back up the grave concerns of survivors, local residents and health experts of the health impact of potential contamination in the wake of the devastating fire, which killed 72 people last June.

The study conducted by Stec, who is Professor of Fire Chemistry and Toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire and was recently appointed an expert witness to the governments Grenfell Fire Inquiry, analysed soil, dust and residue samples taken from eight sites up to a mile away from the tower.

The early results of her study, which is due to be published in full early next year, indicated that huge concentrations of potential carcinogens were present in the dust and soil around the tower, as well as in the burned debris which had fallen from it. High levels of hydrogen cyanide were also found in the soil she analysed.

While Public Health England (PHE), a government agency part of the Department of Health and Social Care, has been monitoring air quality since the fire, no tests have been done into the potential contamination of soil until Stecs study.

In February, the professor briefed health and public authorities on her study, including PHE, the Department of Health, the police and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council (RBKC). She explained that her study went beyond an examination of air quality, and that she was looking for particles that were much smaller than those analysed by PHE, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a group of chemicals given off in fires, which can have health implications and are potentially carcinogenic.

In her brief to the public authorities, Stec said that her preliminary findings indicated high levels of PAH in the surrounding soil. She warned officials that the most significant threat to survivors and local residents was likely to be from absorbing toxic material through the skin and not from smoke inhalation. The black soot from the fire, for example, is highly likely to be contaminated with asbestos, which is known to have been present in the tower, according to Stec.

She found that the Grenfell cough, reported by many survivors after the fire, seems indicative of elevated levels of atmospheric contaminants.

In the light of her findings, Stec called on the authorities to urgently conduct their own tests to assess the potential health risks, suggesting that health authorities should consider taking blood and saliva samples from survivors, local residents and firefighters to monitor possible damage to their DNA.

Despite the seriousness of these concerns, local residents and survivors were not notified of Professor Stecs briefing to health and government officials and received no information about the potential health risks. Former residents of Grenfell Tower and the local community were only made aware of Stecs study when details of it were published in a Guardian article earlier this montheight months after the professor had initially raised her concerns.

Local community groups representing survivors and residents have expressed their anger about having been kept in the dark over these revelations and demanded immediate answers and action from health officials and local authorities.

In a letter to government ministers and to RBKC and PHE, Grenfell Unitedwhich represents the majority of survivorsdemanded further information and action from the council and health authorities.

It stated: This [contamination to the local area] has been a concern that Grenfell United have raised time and time again, and now the community of North Kensington has had to find out through a newspaper article that the area is not as safe as you have led us all to believe. We are deeply disturbed by this.

The possible health consequences of inhaling toxic smoke have frequently been raised by local residents in the wake of the blaze, as large quantities of highly toxic hydrogen cyanide were emitted by the towers burning cladding. Many have reported respiratory problems, including the aforementioned Grenfell cough.

Concerns over the safety of the secondary school situated at the foot of the tower have also been raised on multiple occasions. Due to toxicity worries and the traumatic impact on pupils and teachers alike, the school was relocated to a different site in the wake of the fire. But, as of the start of the new school year this September, they have returned to the Kensington Aldridge Academy building, mere metres from the burnt-out shell of the tower.

In September, the coroner leading the Grenfell fire inquiry, Dr. Fiona Wilcox, called for regular screening of those who were exposed to smoke and dust in the fire, including survivors, local residents and firefighters.

In a letter to NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, Wilcox said that those who had been exposed to smoke and dust from the fire were at risk of developing health conditions, as the burning tower had emitted multiple toxic substances and had contained asbestos.

NHS England said it will provide up to 50 million to fund long-term screening and treatment for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. PHE and RBKC, however, have responded with complacent dismissals of the significance of Professor Stecs report.

In a statement, RBKC merely declared that they would undertake a rapid review to ascertain if any action were necessary, while maintaining that health advice remained unchanged. Due to pressure from residents, a public meeting at the end of October has been called by the council to discuss the issue of soil contamination.

On the part of the council, this is yet another exercise in damage limitation aimed at placating anger from the community and will offer no concrete solutions to their concerns.

PHE refuses to even investigate reports of soil contamination until Stecs full study is published next year, and largely dismissed the concerns the initial findings raise. PHE claimed that soil contamination can come from a variety of sources, including historic industrial manufacturing and coal fires, and that it would therefore be difficult to link it directly with the Grenfell Tower fire.

The fact that the plume of smoke from the burning tower largely travelled vertically meant that contaminants were unlikely to have been deposited on the ground, it claimed.

The response of local and central authorities to this report, and the fact that the information contained within it was concealed from those affected for eight months, provides further confirmation of the official disregard for the health and lives of the former residents of Grenfell Tower and of the working-class inhabitants in the local area.

The contempt for the working class, manifestly clear in the official response to fire, is the same that created the conditions for the deadly inferno in the first place.
With thousands of Central Americans headed north through Mexico in a caravan of refugees and migrants, US President Donald Trump has launched a campaign of xenophobic and racist demagogy in an attempt to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment in the run-up to the US midterm elections.

Trump has told Republican campaign rallies that he will deploy the army to the US-Mexican border and cut off all aid to Central America, while repeating the lies that the caravan includes Middle Eastern terrorists and is comprised largely of criminals. At the same time, he has suggested that the Democratic Party is somehow involved in organizing the exodus of thousands of working class peoplemen, women and childrenfrom intolerable poverty and violence plaguing Honduras and the rest of the region.

For their part, the Democrats have maintained a cowardly and complicit silence on the immigration question. At a White House bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday, Trump repeated the allegation against the Democrats, pointing to senators from the party standing behind him, who attempted to laugh it off.

Trumps threats pose the real danger that the US-Mexican border could become the kind of killing field seen recently on the border between the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza and Israel.

As yet, however, his demagogy has not been translated into action. There have been no indications that the US regular Army has been given any marching orders, and it is by no means clear that Trump can simply turn off the meager spigot of aid destined to Central America, which is an appropriation enacted by the US Congress. The miserable total of this aid for Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador combined amounts to little more than $180 million, most of it going to state security forces tasked with repressing the population and securing borders.

Behind the scenes, however, the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies charged with the repression, hunting down and deportation of immigrants have been meeting to prepare a set of new measures aimed at denying the rights of refugees, exacting retaliation against those who seek asylum in order to deter others from trying, and organizing rapid and summary deportations.

The principal aim is to produce a new version of the zero tolerance family separation policy, which was implemented by the administration last April but then rescinded just four months later in the face of widespread popular outrage and court challenges to the forcible ripping of children from their mothers and fathers. At least 3,000 children were subjected to this cruelty and hundreds have yet to be reunited with their families.

According to a report in the New York Times Tuesday, officials from the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the State Department have been holding intense closed-door meetings to fashion a new policy that would be equally criminal in its effect on immigrants and refugees. Their aim, the newspaper said, is to roll out this policy before the November elections.

Under the new version of the family separation policy that is being prepared, immigrant parents would be presented with the agonizing choice of giving up their children to foster care or staying together in prison as a family, under the condition that the parents waived their childrens right to be released from detention within 20 days, which is now required under US law.

The Times quoted a person familiar with the discussion as saying that the aim was to present a binary choice that would maximize deterrence and consequences for families.

Other measures being prepared would speed up the deportation of migrant families and further limit the right of asylum, with the aim of turning back families who meet the standard of credible fear of violence and persecution in their home countries. Also being discussed is the more sweeping use of GPS ankle monitors for undocumented immigrants and the immediate arrest of anyone receiving a deportation order.

Such measures, while inflicting suffering and pain upon refugees and migrants, will not stop those who are driven to flee their homelands by the catastrophic conditions created by more than a century of oppression and exploitation at the hands of US imperialism, which backed a series of dictatorships and organized bloody civil wars to secure its interests in the region.

New caravans are reportedly forming in El Salvador and Guatemala, despite the threats from the White House and the repressive measures taken by the Central American and Mexican governments.

The main caravan of some 2,000 that set off on October 12 from San Pedro Sula in Honduras, dubbed the most violent city on earth, has swelled to over 7,200. The Mexican government claims that roughly 1,000 have applied for asylum in Mexico. The vast majority have rejected this option, which entails detention and, in most cases, deportation back to the country from which they came. Last year alone, Mexico deported some 82,000 Central Americans.

The main body of the caravan, described by the local press as an exodus, has reached the coastal town of Huixtla in the state of Chiapas. It paused there for the day and night Tuesday, with declarations that it was mourning for a young Honduran who was killed on Monday after falling off a vehicle. Many of the marchers, particularly children and mothers with infants, as well as the elderly, are suffering from the severe conditions of the march in the blazing heat of southern Mexico. They vowed to take the road north again early this morning.

The marchers filled the central plaza of Huixtla, sleeping on the ground and attempting to shelter themselves from the sun with makeshift tarps.

The Central American refugees have received an outpouring of support from the Mexican population, an expression of class solidarity with oppressed layers of workers who are marching north and demanding their rights.

This backing, which has included spontaneous efforts to deliver food, water, clothing, medical care and other assistance, has stood in stark contrast to the reaction of the Mexican government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, who on Friday declared that Mexico does not allow people to enter our territory illegally and much less so violently. Meanwhile, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has signaled that he will collaborate with the Trump administration on its anti-immigrant policy.

The mayor of Huixtla, Jose Luis Laparra Calderon of AMLOs Morena party, indicted the federal government for failing to provide any assistance to the migrant caravan. I dont see any support from the federal government, he said. I dont see anything.

Instead of aid, the Mexican government has sent federal police to harass the marchers, as well as military helicopters to track their progress, flying low over the crowds and terrorizing them.

A group of aid organizations that have assisted the marchers and advocated for their rights have also denounced the Mexican government for refusing to provide elementary humanitarian aid to the refugees, as part of a strategy to comply with US demands to impede their progress.

The groups, which include the American Friends Service Committee, the Jesuit Refugee Service, Doctors of the World and others, said that the Mexican government had responded not with aid, but with repression. They denounced arbitrary detention of the refugees at the border, condemning the government for the denial of access to the process of recognition as refugees, the rejection at the border and the mass deportations the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment carried out, running the risk that these people will be the victims of some form of torture.

The diametrically opposed response to the caravan of the Mexican government from that of the Mexican people expresses the immense class divide that exists not only in Mexico and Central America, but also in the US and internationally.

The Central American refugees have identified themselves in their chants as international workers and they deserve and have received class solidarity along the route of their march. The US working class must also come to the defense of these working people fleeing poverty, violence and repression, upholding their right, and the right of all workers, to live and work in the country of their choice.
WSWS reporters spoke to workers at Change the Rules rallies held by the Australian Council of Trade Unions in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday.

Workers denounced growing social inequality, the soaring cost of living and the corporate offensive against wages and jobs. Many agreed that Labor represented the interests of big business, and rejected the ACTUs claims that Labor governments would resolve the issues confronting the working class.

Marlon

Marlon, a carpenter in Sydneys construction industry who is originally from Brazil, said: Were here to try to show the government that they cannot attack workers. Things are getting worse and worse every single year, because the cost of living is continuously going up and our wages just havent increased over the same time.

Its harder for the workers to pay the mortgages and keep a roof over their heads. Half of the population in Sydney pays rent, because housing prices have kept rising. Theres a whole section of workers who cannot afford to buy a house.

Average house prices are over a million dollars, and mortgage costs keep growing. If you are earning between $1000 and $2000 a week after tax, how can you afford to pay for petrol, food and pay the mortgage? Even if you can, you cant make any savings.

Asked about the implications of a crash of the inflated housing market, Marlon commented: If the property and construction sector slows down, it is going to impact on all of us. What are we going to do? What are trades people going to do? Work at McDonalds? We cant do that, we have families to support.

Marlon expressed his hostility to growing social inequality, stating: The big companies are the ones making all of the money, and at the same time, the government wants to attack workers, so that they can make even bigger profits.

If workers earn over $85,000 a year, they are in a high tax bracket. But what about the corporations? Last year, Apple made billions of dollars in profits and they didnt pay any tax in Australia.

Asked about his thoughts on the current Brazilian presidential elections, Marlon said: I dont support any of the parties or candidates. They are all corrupt. They represent themselves and the rich, who are the ones with the real power.

I think its the same here. There is no real difference between Labor and the Liberals. Whoever is in the government they attack the workers so the rich get richer and the workers poorer. Thats how politics works now.

Marlon also spoke out against the growing demonisation of immigrants, including by Labor, stating: We are a country that has been made by immigrants, so they should leave us alone.

In Melbourne, Sean spoke about the growing jobs crisis facing young workers.

Im very worried about my kids, he said. My daughters a casual at McDonalds and she came home last night and said that McDonalds is going to convert to fully-automated self-serve. Theyre only going to have one or two staff manning the counters, so most of the workers wont get shifts anymore. What a great start for young kids!

The wages are pretty poor and she works hard and doesnt get home some evenings till 2 a.m. And shes only just turned 18 and then they just turned around in the school holidays and put all the older kids off and put all the younger ones on, because they can pay less. Everything is being automated. In ten years, the whole world is going to be casual labour.

Tony

Tony, who has worked in the construction industry for more than thirty years, said in Sydney, Its just been getting worse and worse for years. The ruling elite are eroding workers rights, and theyre pushing the governments to do it.

The governments control us. So the people that control the governments, the super-rich, the bankers and the corporate bosses, control us. For workers, the cost of living keeps going up, but politicians are voting for themselves to get wage rises every six months and corporate executives keep getting bonuses.

Asked about the unions calls for the election of a Labor government, Tony said: Its not going to change anything. Labor, Liberal, its exactly the same thing, the same horse in a different colour.

I know Fair Work laws were brought in by Labor. We elected them and then they kicked us in the teeth. Theyre all politicians, but theyre only in there to line their own nests. They dont care about the workers really. They say they do, but its all smoke and mirrors.

Asked about the promotion of nationalism by Labor and the unions, both of which routinely blame foreign workers for unemployment and other social problems, Tony said: The way the world is now, people are moving around the world all over the place. All the attacks on immigrants are crazy. Its divide and conquer.

When a WSWS reporter raised the necessity to unite internationally in the fight for workers governments, Tony replied, Thats right, lets get the whole world on board. People power, thats the way were going to change things, and we need to make it a global thing. And we should have a workers government, a government thats for the interests of every worker. If every worker across the country went on strike for a week, things would come to a halt. Then things might change.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday provided details of the premeditated murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2 in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. While Erdogan had promised to expose the naked truth about the brutal killing, his less-than-full account indicates that his government is intent on exploiting the issue to further Turkish interests in the Middle East.

Erdogan nevertheless did confirm incriminating details that had previously been leaked to the media, which puncture Saudi claims that Khashoggis killing was not planned, but was the result of an operation gone wrong. The speech will compound the political crisis in Riyadh, putting pressure on King Salman to take some action against his son and de-facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his clique of advisers.

The following are the key elements of Erdogans speech:

* The planning for the murder began immediately after Khashoggi first visited the Saudi consulate on September 28 to finalise divorce proceedings. The first three-person team arrived from Saudi Arabia on October 1, while another team from the consulate went to examine Belgrad Forest and Yalovaareas now being searched by Turkish authorities for Khashoggis remains.

* On October 2, further agents, including generals, arrived from Saudi Arabia, and the assassination team, numbering 15 people, was assembled at the Saudi consulate prior to Khashoggis second visit. The hard-drive was taken out of the buildings surveillance system and Turkish staff were told to stay away from the consulate. Most of the team flew out of Turkey on the same day, while a Khashoggi look-alike took a commercial flight to Riyadh to lend credence to Saudi claims, now repudiated, that the journalist left the consulate alive.

* Erdogan appealed for answers to a series of questions, including who ordered the killing and the location of Khashoggis body. Without these questions being answered, he said, nobody should think the issue will be closed. Intelligence and security institutions [in Turkey] have evidence showing the murder was certainly planned... Pinning such a case on some intelligence and security members will not satisfy us and the international community.

Erdogan, however, did not confirm key aspects of the murder that have been leaked to the Turkish media. He said nothing about how Kashoggi had been murdered, and did not release audio and video recordings which, according to Turkish sources, would contradict Saudi claims that the journalist was killed accidentally in a fist fight following an argument in the consulate. One of the Saudi hit squad was allegedly a doctor who used a bone saw to dismember the body.

Erdogan pointedly did not refer directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman nor to evidence that implicates him in the murder. According to Turkish reports, the crown princes chief security and intelligence adviser Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb was on the spot in Turkey on October 2. Following the killing, he made four phone calls from inside the Istanbul consulate to Bader al-Asaker, who manages Prince Mohammeds office in Riyadh. Saudi authorities insist that the crown prince knew nothing about the murder.

Erdogans deliberate omissions provide the Saudi regime with the leeway that it needs to concoct a new face-saving cover-up to protect top Saudi leaders, including the crown prince, who it has claimed knew nothing of the murder. Erdogan has had several phone calls with King Salman who agreed to establish a joint working group and to allow Turkish investigators into the Istanbul consulate.

Turkey may well be seeking to remove, or at least clip the wings of, Prince Mohammed whose aggressive foreign policy has conflicted with Turkish interests. The crown prince, who has close ties with US President Trump, effectively seized power in June 2017 by ousting his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef. He then consolidated his grip over the state apparatus, including the military and intelligence agencies, through an anti-corruption purge of hundreds of journalists, businessmen, Islamic scholars and fellow royals.

Khashoggi was aligned with sections of the Saudi monarchy opposed to Prince Mohammed and fled abroad after he came to power. Far from being a champion of democracy, the journalist had longstanding ties with the Saudi intelligence agencies, which are notorious for their criminal activities in the region.

Erdogan came into conflict with Prince Mohammed when he instigated a Saudi-led economic and diplomatic blockade of Qatar in June 2017 after it refused to cut ties with Tehran and halt the construction of a Turkish military base in the Gulf state. In March 2018, the Saudi crown prince said that Turkey was part of a triangle of evil, along with Iran and terrorist organisations, and accused Erdogan directly of seeking to re-establish the Ottoman Caliphatethat is, Turkish domination over the Middle East.

At the same time, Erdogan does not want an open breach with Saudi Arabia. Turkey has heavily relied on Saudi investment to stave off a deepening of its financial crisis. Erdogan is also looking for concessions from the Trump administration, which is wanting to protect Saudi arms sales and investment.

Trump, who is under fire for not taking a tougher stance against Saudi Arabia, yesterday declared that the Khashoggi case was the worst cover-up ever and stated that there would have to be some kind of retribution. He told reporters that whoever was responsible was in big trouble, and said: They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.

This utterly cynical statement is an indication of what is underway. It is significant that Trump is not critical of the brutal murder itself, but rather of the botched operation and subsequent cover-up. He has despatched CIA director Gina Haspel, who is herself directly implicated in the crimes of torture and forced disappearance, to review the evidence in the Khashoggi killing. He also spoke at length to Erdogan last weekend prior to the Turkish presidents speech yesterday. All this suggests that the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are engaged in elaborate behind-the-scenes negotiations to invent an improved cover-up that protects the interests of all three countries.

Neither Trump nor his critics in the US has any intention of damaging relations with the autocratic Saudi regime which has been a key cornerstone of US strategy in the Middle East. While Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pulled out of Prince Mohammeds showpiece Future Investment Initiative conference, dubbed Davos in the desert, he nevertheless flew to Riyadh to meet with the crown prince on Monday behind closed doors.

Trump has declared that he will leave the imposition of any penalties on Saudi Arabia up to congress and appealed for bipartisan support. At the same time, in an interview with USA Today, he made clear he would oppose efforts to end billions of dollars worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which he described as an economic boon to Americans. We have a very big picture we have to keep in mind, he declared, noting Saudi Arabias role in countering Iran.

Trumps comments reflect not only the attitude of his administration, but of the entire political establishment in Washington, which has turned a blind eye to the Saudi regimes crimes and repressive methods for decades.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which prohibited Washington and Moscow from developing short- and medium-range missiles.

It is difficult to overstate the criminality and recklessness of this action. The lives of billions of people in Europe and East Asia have been deliberately placed in the crossfire of Washingtons nuclear buildup against Beijing and Moscow.

American military planners are intent on not only building, but using, nuclear weapons in combat. They aim to demonstrate to their potential adversaries that no humanitarian or moral constraints exist for them, and that Washington out-does its rivals not just in weapons, but in bloodlust.

These plans are being laid in secret. The New York Times has treated the US withdrawal from the treaty as a non-issue. It was not even front-page news, and the newspaper published no editorial or columns about it. Nor was it discussed on the Sunday talk shows.

The Democrats have been almost entirely silent on the consequences, and the danger of global waror any opposition to warhas been excluded as an issue from the 2018 midterm elections, just two weeks away.

In the foreign policy press and the publications of think tanks, however, nuclear war is a preeminent issue. Even before the White Houses announcement, Foreign Affairs dedicated its current issue to a discussion of nuclear war, with its cover featuring a missile launch.

The issue features a column by Elbridge A. Colby, one of the principal authors of the National Defense Strategy published by the Pentagon in January, which proclaimed the effective end of the war on terror and the beginning of great-power competition.

Colby, the former deputy assistant secretary for strategy and force development, titled his article, If You Want Peace, Prepare for Nuclear War. He writes: The risks of nuclear brinkmanship may be enormous, but so is the payoff from gaining a nuclear advantage over an opponent.

Any future confrontation with Russia or China could go nuclear, Colby warns. In a harder-fought, more uncertain struggle, each combatant may be tempted to reach for the nuclear saber to up the ante and test the other sides resolve, or even just to keep fighting.

A sane person would see this as an argument for the abolition of nuclear weapons. But in the minds of the Pentagons professional killers, it speaks to the urgent need to build and use such weapons.

The best way to avoid a nuclear war, Colby writes, is to be ready to fight a limited one. In this dangerous world, US officials, Colby writes, must demonstrate that "the United States is prepared to conduct limited, effective nuclear operations.

In other words, Mr. Colby is advocating the use of nuclear weapons in combat, not as a doomsday scenario, but in an escalation of a conventional military conflict, whether in the Baltics against Russia, or in the Eastern Pacific against China.

There is an insanity to such arguments, but it is an insanity that has an objective basis. The capitalist world order, choking on the insoluble conflict between the nation-state and the global economy, is leading mankind toward a catastrophe.

While the INF treaty is with Russia, a major calculation behind the Trump administrations withdrawal from it relates to the growing conflict with China. In an article hailing the decision, the National Interest called the move Chinas New Nightmare. Washington, the journal wrote, risks becoming significantly out sticked in the ongoing range war between military systems designed to safely control the increasingly unfriendly seas and skies of the Western Pacific.

US withdrawal from INF, however, could help reverse this dynamic, it states, adding, New American conventional systems could be stationed in unsinkable, out-of-the-way locales such as Japan, the Philippines and Australia.

But while these countries are unsinkable, they are home to hundreds of millions of people. The populations living near such missile bases will be told, of course, that nuclear war is unlikely, even as policymakers, in secret documents, plan out exactly how many millions will die.

The driver of Washingtons nuclear brinkmanship is the protracted decline of the global economic power of the United States relative to its rivals, principally China. But this process has entered an acute phase in recent years, with a concerted effort on the part of the Chinese ruling elite to promote the countrys high-value manufacturing and high-tech sector.

In a speech announcing a new military and economic escalation against China earlier this month, US Vice President Mike Pence demanded that China cease its efforts to control what he called the commanding heights of the 21st century economy, including robotics, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence, making it clear that under the Trump administration, the United States is defending our interests with renewed American strength.

Were modernizing our nuclear arsenal, Pence threatened. Were fielding and developing new cutting-edge fighters and bombers. Were building a new generation of aircraft carriers and warships. Were investing as never before in our armed forces.

The active preparations for nuclear war, which would be a total war complete with a police-state crackdown on all political opposition, are being made behind the back of the public, which overwhelmingly opposes it.

Far from opposing the military build-up, the Democrats have focused their criticism of Trump for the past two years on claims that he is insufficiently aggressive against Russia, which has been used as the pretext for imposing a regime of internet censorship aimed at silencing domestic opposition.

Only the working class can stop this insane policy. The International Committee of the Fourth International reaffirms the critical principles it advanced in February 2016, in its statement, Socialism and the Fight Against War:

 The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements of the population.  The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war 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 war.  The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class.  The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism. The permanent war of the bourgeoisie must be answered with the perspective of permanent revolution by the working class, the strategic goal of which is the abolition of the nation-state system and the establishment of a world socialist federation. This will make possible the rational, planned development of global resources and, on this basis, the eradication of poverty and the raising of human culture to new heights.

We call on all workers and young people around the world who are determined to undertake a fight against imperialism on this principled basis to contact the International Committee of the Fourth International and join the fight for socialism.
Two weeks ago, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias reached a deal for a 2019 budget. Sanchezs minority Socialist Party (PSOE) government is now presenting it to the European Union (EU) for approval, just as the EU Commission has vetoed the austerity budget presented by the far-right Italian government of Matteo Salvini.

Two weeks ago, Sanchez and Iglesias signed a 50-page agreement on the 2019 budget, which raises the minimum wage to 900 a month from 736, or 22 percentthe biggest hike in 40 years. They also pledged increases in pensions, education spending, unemployment benefits, housing and paternity leave. The agreement foresees a rise in corporate and personal income taxes on those earning over 130,000 a year, as well as a new tax on financial transactions.

The agreement also specifies that if the budget fails to win parliamentary approval and so triggers early elections, the budget will be a joint campaign platform for the PSOE and Podemos. Indeed, it is widely expected that the budget will not pass, as it faces opposition both from the European Union and in the Spanish Senate, dominated by the right-wing Popular Party (PP).

In an Economic and Finance Analysis briefing, the Dutch bank ING bluntly wrote: There is a deal between Spains PSOE and Podemos on new fiscal measures for 2019, but that does not mean it will be passed in parliament. It noted that the PSOE is still jailing Catalan nationalist politicians, depriving itself of support it needs to get a majority in the lower house, and it is also difficult to find a majority in the Senate. The PP has a majority there.  We therefore conclude that the likelihood of Sanchez winning approval is low.

European Commission sources have already told the daily El Pais that the announced measures lack the means to finance them. Another high-ranking EU official told El Pais: A responsible government that wants to govern cannot sign off on a minimum wage raise of more than 20 percent when it has a 15 percent unemployment rate and a low-skilled workforce in general; the measures affecting businesses do not seem to be going in the right direction.

Due warnings must be made: the budget is a political maneuver, designed to win support for the PSOE and Podemos under conditions of growing social anger and class struggle in Spain and across Europe. However, the parties proposing the budget have no intention to fight for the wage increases that they have inscribed in a budget that is not designed to be passed.

PSOE is a long-standing bourgeois party that, since it first took power in its contemporary form in 1982, imposed policies of austerity and war. Podemos is the close ally of the Syriza government, which is imposing EU austerity in Greece. When the PSOE took power this year, backed by Podemos, they maintained the PPs austerity budget for the year. Anyone who believed that these parties would fight against the EU to raise workers living standards would be sorely deceived.

The only way to obtain substantial improvements in living standards and social conditions is a socialist struggle against austerity and the EU, mobilizing the growing strike militancy of workers in Spain and across Europe in a movement posing the transfer of power to the working class. This struggle would have to be carried out in opposition to both the EU and the PSOE government.

The 2019 budget agreement is the reaction of the PSOE-Podemos government to the upsurge of working-class struggles. In Spain, the number of strikes during the first three-quarters of the year amounted to 395, supported by 641,038 workers, causing the loss of 9.7 million hours of work. Compared to the same period last year, the number of workers who participated in strike action increased by 98.61 percent.

Major sectors include transport (Ryanair, airports, taxi, Deliveroo, metro), retail (Amazon, H&M), postal services, public health care, social services, education and many more.

The unions, who are closely integrated into the political milieu of Podemos, are frantically trying to suppress these struggles. They have appealed for a deal in airport baggage handling to avoid strike action and called for partial stoppages and strikes spread across November and December to avoid calling lasting strike action in the national postal service. They have called off planned strikes by firemen, subway workers in Madrid and Barcelona, drivers of Uber and Cabify, Alumalsa metalworkers, and Canary Islands ambulance staff.

The way forward for workers fighting to improve living standards and conditions is to take these struggles out of the hands of the unions, set up their own independent, rank-and-file organizations of struggle, and link up with rising class struggles across Europe. This entails a break, however, with Podemos and its various allies, who are desperate to tie the working class to the framework of the PSOE budget and the EU.

The main architect behind the deal is Podemos, which is seeking a lasting PSOE-Podemos alliance, to be replicated at the local and regional level. In a sinister manoeuvre, Pablo Iglesias said he will visit jailed Catalan secessionist leaders to try to obtain their support. This is the first time in Spanish history that a budget is negotiated with political prisoners jailed for having called peaceful protests.

The budget, however, is entirely in the EUs austerity framework. It contains the lowest public spending as a percentage of GDP since 2007. According to government estimates, spending will fall next year to 40.9 percent of GDP, 0.3 percent less than the budget designed by the Popular Party and passed by the PSOE government soon after it ousted the PP government.

The agreement also leaves out the recent labour reforms that have decimated the working class, the notorious Migrant Detention Centres, and the anti-terror lawsmeasures which both Podemos and the PSOE promised to revoke when in power.

The budget would not touch defence spending, even though the paltry 5 billion in social spending increases in the agreement equal the amount announced by Defence Minister Margarita Robles for the purchase of new weapons for the rest of this year. Earlier this year, the PSOE passed the PP governments budget, which included a 10.5 percent military spending increase, the largest ever made by a Spanish government.

The pro-PSOE El Pais welcomed the budget agreement, gloating: In less than five years, the anti-austerity Podemos party has gone from wanting to take heaven by assault during the Indignados protests in Madrids Puerta del Sol to solemnly signing a budget pact with the Socialist Party (PSOE) at the Moncloa Palace.

Another writer, Adolfo Pinedo, writes in Nueva Tribuna: The truth is that the agreement marks an evolution of Podemos towards realism. A road that Syriza has already travelled in Greece. [Alexis] Tsipras is today a valued European statesman, well respected by the troika and the markets. I think that is very good news.

This should serve as a warning of the urgent need for a mobilisation in the working class independent of and against Podemos.

In 2015, Syriza won the Greek elections pledging to end six years of devastating EU austerity imposed by successive social-democratic and conservative governments. Syriza had promised to negotiate an end to the EU austerity Memorandum and improve peoples lives within the framework of the EU and capitalism. It was hailed as a model by its sister parties internationally; Iglesias hailed Tsipras as a lion and shouted, Syriza, Podemos, we will conquer!

Since his election, Tsipras has imposed four rounds of draconian austerity measures. A fifth of the Greek population is now severely materially deprived. The EU estimates that one in three Greeks lives at risk of poverty or social exclusion and 420,000 Greeks of working age have left the country.
The film screened at the 2017 Toronto film festival. It has now opened in the US.

Written and directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Sandrine Bonnaire, Eriq Ebouaney, Aalayna Lys and Ibrahim Burama Darboe in A Season in France

The never-ending neo-colonial wars in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of Africa, exacerbating the already terrible poverty in those regions, have driven millions upon millions to seek what they perceive to be more stable conditions in Western Europe.

The responsibility for the refugee crisis and the immense suffering involved lies entirely with the great powers led by the United States. Cynically and demagogically, American and European politicians of every stripe, from the extreme right to the so-called left, then demonize immigrants and blame them for mounting social and economic woes.

Within the intelligentsia and artistic circles, voices condemning this catastrophic situation have been shamefully few. The honorable exceptions in cinema include Gianfranco Rosis Fire at Sea (2016); Mahdi Fleifels short A Drowning Man, shown at the 2017 Toronto film festival; Desierto (2015, Jonas Cuaron), about the plight of Mexican immigrants; and a relative handful of western European documentaries and fiction filmsSamba (2014, Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano), Si-o-se Pol (2013, Henrik Peschel) and others.

Mahamat-Saleh Harouns A Season in France is a serious effort to paint a picture of the human cost of the refugee crisis. Intentionally or not, the title as well as the events themselves bring to mind Arthur Rimbauds extended poetic work, A Season in Hell (1873).

Haroun was born in 1961 in Abeche, Chad. He is a director and writer, known for Bye Bye Africa (1999), Dry Season (2006) and A Screaming Man (2010).

In his new film, Abbas (Eriq Ebouaney) has fled the war-torn Central African Republicone of the 10 poorest countries in the worldwith his two children. He continues to be tormented by the memory of his wife, murdered during the civil war in his native land. Having assured his kids they will all be welcomed in France, Abbas encounters the opposite: a horrible web of bureaucracy and personal abasement. Every road is blocked as he tries to obtain legal status.

A Season in France

In fact, his relationship with a Frenchwoman, Carole (Sandrine Bonnaire), is all that stands between his family and homelessness. Also having fled Africa is his brother, Etienne (Bibi Tanga). Like Abbas, Etienne is educated, and like Abbas, working low-paying jobs, forced to shower in public baths and living in a makeshift hut.

As hardship piles on top of hardship, it all becomes too much. Etienne sets himself on fire in protest in a government office building. Eventually, Abbas and his children are forced to disappear.

Caroles parents were refugees too, as Haroun explained to an interviewer from Cineuropa, they came to France from Poland during World War II. In a way, Carole found the story of her own parents in Abbas story, and that brought them closer. Haroun told the same interviewer that the system for evaluating claims for asylum in France is a disaster because it takes a long time for refugees to get a response to their request. In the meantime, they are destabilised, living in a kind of no mans land, under the shadow of a death sentence.

In an interview included in the films production notes, Haroun explains he chose to make Abbas a refugee from the Central African Republic for the sake of topicality: its a country that is in difficulty, violence is still ongoing there, the civil war is not over. And its a country that is closely bound to France historically  Like many French-speaking African countries, its a nation that was simply invented: France gave it a name, borders, a currency and a language 

Hence, the manner in which France treats Abbas is all the more unjust. I cut one scene in which we learn that Abbass grandfather had served in the French army and had even died in France. Abbas is a French teacher; France is genuinely his second home. And language is a very strong bond between people, far stronger than the colour of ones skin.

Haroun noted that the plight of Syrian refugees was better known: Yes, there is a kind of refugee hierarchy, almost a fashion. There are those whose reason and need for leaving their country is widely known to the general public  But what drives Central Africans from their country is less well known, they are not on the media radar, their problems are given less consideration. Im not accusing anyone, but thats what Ive observed. There are 400,000 refugees from the Central African Republic in Chad. Ive visited their camps; they have fled appalling violence. No one flees their country with a smile on their face.

A Season in France is sincere and effective in portraying the poverty and humiliation that lead Etienne to psychologically unravel in the movies most disturbing moment. Overall, the film has a certain stiffness and lack of dramatic explosiveness, a muted quality. Conveying the dimensions of the ongoing tragedy is not an easy artistic undertaking.

Nonetheless, it is highly commendable that Haroun, now living in France, has spoken out.

* * * * *

This is a portion of an interview the WSWS conducted with Mahamat-Saleh Haroun at the Toronto film festival in 2000, where Bye Bye Africa was screened, about the state of life in Chad and the condition of African filmmaking.

David Walsh: Could you describe the present dilemma of African cinema?

Mahamet-Saleh Haroun in 2010 (Photo credit Masha Kuvshinova)

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun: The present dilemma is that a lot of African countries dont have the money to produce movies, so in the French-speaking countries every film is produced with money coming from France. And when somebody gives you money, you know, he or she is expecting something in return. He or she has an idea, perhaps a fantasy of Africa. African filmmakers want or need their own images of Africa.

The best way is to make our movies with our own means, and thats why with this movie, Bye Bye Africa, I tried to shoot it in video, and the budget is only about one hundred thousand American dollars. And also I got the money from Chad. If we can find small budgets, maybe we can make good movies, if we have something to say. Its not the same as having $10 million, you cant do the same things.

When I go back to my country, people consider me to be a spokesman, so I have to explain what the problem is, what the situation is. I have to make cinema about these problems, I cant make a comedy about this or that. You want first to gain respect. This is the situation of the African cinema now.

DW: Is this the situation in Chad in particular, or throughout the continent?

MSH: Its the same situation in Mali, there is no cinema now. It has been privatized. Previously the cinemas were public, and then the government said, We dont have the money, so they privatized them and there is nobody to buy these cinemas. Every cinema is closed. The same situation in Angola, the two Congos, also in Cameroon, cinemas are turning into casinos. Its the same situation in Central Africa. Its the same situation in Kenya. So Bye Bye Africa is a kind of manifesto, you know. I thought that first I had to talk about this problem. Then I can go out and make another movie. Its the same situation throughout most of Africa, its a tragedy. 

Should we just shut up because we dont have money? I dont think so. We have stories to tell, we have to build our memory, we have to put all our problems on the table and we have to find solutions. Even if there is no money, making movies is very important. Because people need to see their own images and on TV in Africa you always have about 80 percent of the images from Hollywood or Europe, so its a kind of domination, a kind of colonization through images. We need to make movies against these dominant movies. 

We need art, because we need a kind of mirror to see ourselves, to see whats going on, to see whats wrong, whats right. I think art is a mirror that reflects our own reality. This is a mediatized world and if you are invisible, you are dead. If we have war in Africa, hunger, if we are poor and nobody sees us, we are dead, we dont have any existence. Its very important. Art is not only a mirror that reflects. You have to try to say, Oh, you are not well, theres a problem there, how can I heal myself?, something like that. Its always a kind of resistance, you know, to say something, its memory. Every human being needs a memory. If we build up our memory we can make a choice, try to know where we can go, where we want to go. Thats the role of art. 

DW: Could you describe the conditions for ordinary people in Chad?

MSH: The situation is very hard, because you have a lot of problems. Unemployment, poverty. Theres been a crisis, war. Thats the life. People are trying to deal with these conditions in all sorts of ways. You have a lot of Mafia types. People dont want to pay taxes because they dont have money. Its very hard.

DW: Is it possible to imagine a rebirth of African cinema without profound economic and social change?

MSH: I dont think its possible. But we are beginning to do things too. We have our own cinemas. People are very excited to see this movie. You have a lot of young people who are dreaming. Dreaming of another life. So I think its a commercially viable way of doing films. But its impossible to do it if the political and social situation is bad. Thats why I think if I go back home, even if I die, its important to struggle, because I think that my struggle is also a political struggle.

Being a filmmaker youre not living in a dream world, youre in reality, and the reality of Chad is bad politically, socially. You cannot say, No, I am an artist, this is not my problem. I have a duty to struggle in a political way, and that is dangerous, but the solution is to say to people, if I die, that its for history, its for something, you have to follow me. Im dead, its for history, but we have to continue. Our happiness is out there, to get it we have to struggle.
Thousands of construction workers participated in partial warning strikes in the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Geneva last week. Workers are opposing wage dumping, i.e., outsourcing to low-wage contractors, and excessive working hours. The workers are also intent on defending their hard-won pension system, which allows them to retire at the age of 60.

On September 15, around 3,000 construction workers marched to the headquarters of the Swiss Association of Builders in Bellinzona, the largest city in the canton of Ticino. One day later, another 2,500 workers blocked the Mont Blanc Bridge in Geneva and decided to extend the strike several more days. A poll this summer of 20,000 construction workers found that 93 percent would be prepared to strike to defend early retirement.

The existing three-year contract (LMV) for around 80,000 workers in the construction industry is due to expire at the end of the year. Due to the close cooperation between the employers and the builders unions, Unia and Syna, workers have not received any wage increases for three years, although the construction industry and profits are booming.

Contractors have now announced that they will increase wages by 150 Swiss francs (US $150) a month starting next year. However, in return they are demanding an increase in flexible working hours from 100 to 300 hours a year. This would mean that construction workers would be required to work an average 10-hour day in the summer without receiving any overtime pay. Factoring in travel times to work and back many workers would in effect be obliged to complete a 12-hour working day.

At the same time, workers contributions to their pension plan are to be increased, while employers contributions are reduced. The national pension fund terminated its contract with the construction industry in May, because, allegedly, too many construction workers were taking early retirement.

The right to retire at age 60 was won by construction workers 16 years ago following a nationwide strike. The plan has remained a thorn in the side of employers ever since.

Recently, the unions agreed a new contribution structure that penalises workers and favours employers. According to the new plan, employer contributions to the FAR (Flexible Retirement Scheme), which regulates early retirement, are to be reduced from 6 to 5.5 percent while worker contributions increase from 1.5 to 2.25 percent of their gross wage.

The construction industry is one of the most lucrative industries in Switzerland and employs around 100,000 workers, including many cross-border commuters from Italy. Temporary work and subcontracting are increasing on construction sites. Older workers over fifty are being released and can only find work on a temporary basis. As temporary workers, they often end up working for the same companies they had previously been employed at for decades.

According to one study, the number of temporary employed workers on Swiss construction sites has risen by more than twenty percent in just three years, with the greatest increase among the over-50s. Frequently these temporary workers are unable to find work in winter, can no longer pay their pension fund contributions and lose their entitlement to the early retirement scheme.

The Unia and Syna unions approach the problem of wage dumping as a purely national issue. To protect Swiss wages, they are demanding measures to be taken to restrict foreign workers. In so doing they divide and disarm workers faced with the employers attacks. The unions have gone so far as to support police raids on construction sites.

Unia and Syna are in constant negotiations with the building employers and are striving to conclude a new contract on November 9. In negotiations in August and September, they already agreed to the paltry 150 franc salary increase with strings attached, claiming it was a victory in the fight for the early retirement.

The unions are now organising toothless protests and lightning strikes to dissipate the militancy of workers. The protests are a blatant maneuver aimed at crippling the workforce and preventing the development of a broader movement of the working class.

In September, Unia and Syna trade union delegates decided on this weeks short term strikes after concluding that construction workers would never accept such a massive increase in forced overtime in exchange for the poisoned bait of the 150 franc wage increase.

The 150 franc increase, coming on the heels of three years of stagnant wages, is not just a ridiculous pittance but a dangerous fraud. The threatened extension of working days in summer is a frontal attack on workers health and lives. As is well known, work on construction involves the risk of back and joint ailments, arthritis, etc. Any extension of working hours not only increase such health risks, it also massively increases the risk of falls and other potentially fatal accidents.

The latest strikes and protests express the extent of the discontent prevailing in factories and on construction sites. However, what is required is a new political perspective. The World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International call for workers to set up action committees, independent of the unions, to unite native born and immigrant workers and workers in Switzerland with workers across national borders. Contact the Socialist Equality Party (Sozialistischen Gleichheitspartei, PSG) in Germany to connect the struggles of Swiss construction workers with fellow workers across the globe on the basis of a socialist program.
Ahead of the election on November 24 in the Australian state of Victoria, the Labor government is attempting to retain office by promoting its pro-business and law and order credentials. The right-wing pitch underscores the gulf separating the entire political establishment from the interests of working people.

The last decade has seen unprecedented parliamentary instability in Australia, reflecting the collapse of the old electoral bases of support for the Labor Party and Liberal-National Coalition.

The last Victorian election, in 2014, saw the incumbent Coalition government thrown out after just one term in officethe first one-term government since 1955. The Labor Party won power with a bare parliamentary majority, holding 45 of the 88 lower house seats.

A hung parliament is threatened in this years poll, with the Greens aiming to capitalise on hostility towards the major parties and win more than the three inner-city seats in the lower house that they currently hold.

The Labor Partys election campaign centrally involves touting its economic credentials. Treasurer Tim Pallas declared on October 10 that the state has the fastest growing economy in the nation, with more than 370,000 jobs created since 2014.

Premier Daniel Andrews has repeatedly issued similar statements, deliberately covering up the reality that record population growth is chiefly responsible for the increased economic activity.

A Ponzi scheme economy has emerged, with population growth fuelling a speculative property bubble that has boosted profits for the banks and finance companies. The state capital of Melbourne now has 5 million people and is expanding by 2.7 percent or 125,000 people each year. This is the fastest growth rate in Australia and reportedly puts it among the top five of all cities in advanced economies.

Living standards have worsened for the working class. The Age last year reported that this growth was masking nearly a decade of stagnation in the Victorian economy, which has seen living standards fall in four of the eight years since the global financial crisis. The newspaper continued: If Victoria had the low population growth of Germany, the economy would have experienced at least three recessions since the global financial crisis.

The states income growth per person was just 0.8 percent between mid-2008 to the end of the 2016 financial year, seven times lower than the national average.

The opposition Liberal Party has been stirring up reactionary anti-immigrant sentiment in the election campaign, pledging to add to the federal governments plans to force new residents to live in regional areas. Opposition leader Matthew Guy declared that if the Labor Party was re-elected, we will continue to see a Melbourne that expands forever.

The problem confronting the working class, however, is not too many peopleeveryone ought to enjoy the democratic right to freely live and work wherever they wishbut rather a political and economic system that functions to maximise corporate profit and the private accumulation of wealth by an elite minority.

Population growth has been a boon for property speculators, while the state government has provided virtually no basic infrastructure for the new working class suburbs that are rapidly emerging on Melbournes outskirts. Seventeen suburbs have been created in this year alone.

The fastest growing area in Australia surrounds the new suburb of Mickelham, formerly a rural area but now part of Melbournes outer north. Family-owned dairy farms were sold off for tens of millions of dollars, subdivided into house blocks which were then sold for $500,000 each, with mortgages granted after a 5 percent deposit.

Aside from houses and a petrol station, there are almost no amenities. One public school that until recently taught the children of local farmers, has seen enrolments balloon and children herded into portable classrooms. Families in neighbouring Craigieburn have reportedly been waiting 18 months for a childcare position for a single day a week.

The governments failure to adequately invest in social infrastructure and basic services has placed enormous pressure on schools, hospitals, and public transport across Melbourne and the state.

The Labor Partys election campaign boasts of record infrastructure investment, but spending commitments are firstly far less than what is required, and secondly, overwhelmingly oriented to the transport and logistical requirements of business and not the needs of ordinary people.

The Grattan Institute think-tank calculated in 2016 that Victoria would require between 140 to 220 new schools over the next decade to keep up with student enrolments. This year the government opened just 11 new public schools, with 9 more due to commence in 2019.

Numerous public schools in Melbourne have more than double the maximum student capacity, with children crammed into portable classrooms that reduce the size of playing and sporting areas. Wealthy families continue to send their children to elite private schools. This month, the government announced it would hand over another $400 million in public funds to private schools.

The Labor government has functioned as the ruthless instrument of finance capital and big business. Four years ago, just prior to becoming premier, Daniel Andrews visited New York to meet with credit agencies and promise them that he would do everything to guarantee Victorias AAA credit rating.

This pledge has been delivered by denying public services the money required, so as to run up budget surpluses due to average $2.5 billion over the next four years. At the same time, the government has delivered tax cuts to corporations through a lowered payroll tax rate. It has provided new profit-making opportunities through the privatisation of public assets, including the Port of Melbourne worth $10 billion, and the Land Titles and Registry office worth $2.9 billion.

The government, working hand-in-hand with the trade unions, has suppressed attempts by different sections of workers to defend their wages, jobs, and conditions.

Real wage cuts have been imposed on different public sector workers via regressive new industrial agreements. These include public school teachers, who remain the lowest paid in Australia, working in schools that are the lowest funded per student.

The Labor government has used the draconian anti-strike provisions of the Fair Work industrial legislation against different groups of workers, including power workers in the Latrobe Valley. It has also helped engineer the ongoing de-industrialisation of the economy. Manufacturing accounted for 16 percent of Melbournes economic output in 1998, but last year this shrank to just 6 percent.

The liquidation of the car industry, enforced by the Labor and Liberal parties and the trade unions, has produced mass unemployment in several working class centres. The official unemployment rate in Broadmeadows, where the now-closed Ford plant was located, is now 25 percent.

The Labor government has also poured money into the police force as part of a reactionary law and order campaign. In late 2016, Premier Daniel Andrews pledged an extra $2 billion to expand the police by 20 percent, with an additional 3,100 officers. The move is part of the preparations nationally by the ruling class to suppress social opposition among workers and youth.

The Andrews government has legislated a number of draconian new laws, including harsher mandatory sentences for young people and restrictions on the right to bail. It has imprisoned children in high-security adult prisons.

According to figures released in June 2017, in the preceding decade the prison population rose by more than 70 percent, far higher than population growth. The Labor Party has also helped fuel a racist campaign targeting youth of Sudanese and Somalian origin, on the bogus pretext of combatting African gangs.

The working class faces no choice in the electoral contest between Labor, the Liberals and the Greens. Whichever party or combination of parties comes to office after November 24, the outcome will be a right-wing government committed to enforcing the dictates of finance capital and big business.
The WSWS urges workers with information on conditions in the plants to contact us.

Saturday, October 20, marked one year since the tragic death of Jacoby Hennings, a 21-year-old temporary part-time (TPT) worker at Fords Woodhaven Stamping Plant, just south of Detroit, who police say killed himself after an unexplained dispute with United Auto Workers officials.

Hundreds of family members and friends, including many autoworkers, gathered at the Hennings home in the eastern Detroit suburbs on Saturday to remember Coby, as he is affectionately known, and express their solidarity with his parents, Shemeeka and Bernard Hennings Jr., who are both long-time Chrysler workers, and Jacobys younger brother Jarrod.

Despite the efforts by Ford management, the UAW, the news media and the Woodhaven Police Department to sweep the young workers death under the rug, the Hennings family and autoworkers throughout the metropolitan area still want to know the truth about the death of this young worker.

Why would a young man who was very popular and described by friends and family as optimistic take his own life? What were the conditions inside the factory and the pressures exerted on workers that could have contributed to this tragedy?

As the WSWS has detailed in other articles, the UAW has refused to say why Jacoby, who had only worked at the plant for eight months, went to the union office for help, what his concerns or grievances were, and how Local 387 officials responded.

Instead, on the day of the tragedy, the UAW sought to place the onus on the young worker himself. Local 387 officials Chris Pfaff and Arnold Miller told police Jacoby appeared under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This slander was exposed as a lie by the Wayne County Medical Examiners autopsy report, obtained by the WSWS, which found nothing in Jacobys system except for caffeine.

Workers at the Woodhaven Stamping Plant are beginning to break the silence. A veteran worker at the plant recently contacted the WSWS and urged other workers to speak out.

I never bought the official story [about Jacoby], said the worker who used the pseudonym Mike to protect himself from retribution by the company and the UAW. The union officials probably told him to shut up and be happy you have a job. The TPTs have no rights, they are treated like slaves. They get no vacations and can be fired for missing a day of work.

Under the terms of the 2015 UAW contract, which greatly expanded the use of temporary part-time workers, the UAW agreed to a clause that says, The company may discharge or terminate the employment of Temporary Employee at any time.

They would bring in kids like Jacoby 50-100 at a time, Mike said. But they worked under a different set of rules. They didnt know anybody or anything about the plant, so they worked as fast as they could to keep up with the speeding robots. Management and the union wanted to keep these new workers segregated from the legacy workers because we would school them about not working so fast and doing the job safely.

They drew a line in the sand between legacy workers and the second-tier and TPT workers that could never be crossed. As a legacy worker, you didnt want to be on the other side where they worked you to death and abused you.

The legacy workers, Mike said, were mostly sympathetic to the second-tier and TPT workers. But management and the union pit us against each other. The veterans knew the operations were moving too fast and that it was dangerous, but when we tried to slow down management would write us up. They would say to us, The TPTs are running the parts this fast. This is the new standard, and if we didnt keep up, they said, they had plenty of TPTs to do your job. Management and the union were whipsawing us against each other. They pushed legacy workers to take buyouts or voluntary retirements, which were really forced retirements.

Whatever chance we could the legacy workers would tell the new workers not to work so fast. We told them they would get hurt. These guys were afraid to go to medical because they thought they would get written up or fired. If they got cut on their hands, they would just wrap it up and keep going, and waited until they got home to take care of it.

The TPTs did not feel represented by the union, Mike said. They pay dues, but the UAW wont do anything for them. If they filed a grievance, the union would say, you dont have a legitimate grievance.

African-American workers also faced racial discrimination in the plant, the worker said. They would put the black workers on lines that no one else would do. The north area in the press room was called the ghetto. There were new white workers there too, but they kept these workers in a segregated group and abused them. If they tried this with the legacy workers we would have said, Bring the ergonomics teams down here. Do a time study on this. Its too fast. Put someone else on the line. But they kept us away from them and these new kids didnt know any better and did the work.

I remember the company marching all of these part-timers into the press room. They were not allowed to bring their lunches. They were not allowed to drink a soda. It was like night and day from when I was hired in. The union is supposed to be the bridge between you and management, but they have become a crater. If you have the company and the union against you, youre toast. It makes me sick to say that I work for Ford.

In the 2015 UAW-Ford contract, the UAW agreed to a special competitive cost structure at Woodhaven in return for a promise of a $300 million investment for new hot metal presses. A joint letter signed by then-UAW-Ford Vice President Jimmy Settles said that both parties understood the expeditious transformation to an In-Progression non-skilled workforce is desirable and will require various joint efforts. Legacy workers at Woodhaven and other plants like Rawsonville and Sterling Axle were defined as surplus and the company and the union agreed to work together to get them out of these plants through transfers or retirements.

They want Woodhaven to be nothing but tier-two and tier-three and to push us legacy workers out, Mike said. All the work on the new equipment is going to be done by lower-paid workers while the guys with 22-25 years seniority are only allowed to work the junk lines. All the equipment from A to Z is going to be new and no legacy workers will be allowed in the mix. Its like keeping a bad ingredient out of a recipe. Thats what causes the animosity and friction between the legacy and new workers, he said. The atmosphere in the plant is terrible.

He continued, And just like we were kept out of their area, no TPTs are allowed in the legacy area. What kind of contract is that? They only want lower-cost workers on the new line and they want to prevent older workers from talking to the younger workers.

We have set break times; but the TPTs never stop and only get breaks when they are relieved. Instead of six TPTs getting together and saying, What are they doing to us? and having 10-15 legacy workers saying, Thats crazy, dont do it, they made sure the workers never got together. That way the kept the older workers from schooling them about what was right and wrong.

When I came into the plant 20 years ago, I was taken under the wing of the older workers who were there before me. They would tell us to slow down on the line and warn us that we would get hurt if we let management speed up us. Dont become a hero, they would say, or youll become a zero. Thirty years on the line will chew up your body, they would tell us, so slow down.

The union tells the TPTs they have to do what the company tells them. Do your job, the plant always has the right to tell you what to do, they say. If workers complain about conditions, the union committeeman says They can do it. Its not in the contract that they cant. Then there is the famous, Ill get back to you and they never come back. The committeemen and upper level UAW officials are not in the same boat as the workers. The local is famous for getting officers promoted to Region 1A and Solidarity House.

Mike then reviewed the changes he has seen since the mid-1990s when he was first hired in at Woodhaven Stamping. At that time 2,600 workers were still employed at the factory, which stamps body sides, front panels, tailgates and other parts for Fords top-selling pickup trucks, the Mustang and other models. Today there are around 400 workers left and half of them are TPTs.

Back then it took nine months to get to full pay. We started at around $12.25 and nine months later we were getting top pay of $19.40 an hour. We got the same vacation time after a year and the same number of paid personal holidays. You could miss up to 10 days without an excuse and it would not be problem. In the last two decades, he said, they changed all of that.

Starting in the 2000s, Mike said, management and the union started a push to get older workers to take voluntary retirements and buyouts. Between 2006 and 2008, Ford eliminated 50,000 hourly workers across the company in this manner. The workers who replaced the retirees, however, were not simply doing the same job but also the jobs of one or more other workers. We called it Retiree Syndrome, Mike said.

In some cases, these used to be easier jobs, like material handling, where guys could work off the assembly line as they got close to retirement. But instead of a new hi-lo driver servicing just one assembly line, now the worker replacing a retiree had to do two, three or more lines. The hi-los were speeding around so much there was an increase in injuries. People were hit by forks or completely run over, like one worker who almost died.

Fewer workers had to keep up with higher output. They were speeding up the lines and a supervisor would issue you a notice if it took 20 seconds to get out a part when they said you were supposed to get out in 13 seconds. From 200 parts an hour, you were up to 300 or 400 an hour.

Workers would continuously write grievances about hi-los having to work on three lines and working the drivers to death. The union and management would say it could be done safely. We would say, Ok, get on the hi-lo and show us how its done, but they never would. Management and the union didnt care, they just wanted to reduce head count.

Injuries went sky high between 2004 and 2008. Workers got back sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome in their hands and wrists, and they got hit by speeding hi-los. Management and the union would say these injuries were the workers fault. After coming back from a week or two on injury, they would get a week off for not doing the job right.

Between 2004 and 2008 there were three workers killed in the plant. On June 22, 2004, millwright Gerald Storey, who had 36 years in the plant, was killed near Bay #1 and Press Line #1. He was grabbing die set cables that were tangled up on a 50-ton overhead crane when the cables suddenly released, decapitating the 62-year-old worker in the air.

On July 23, 2008, Fred Todd, a 39-year-old die setter with 19 years seniority, was killed when the transfer bolsterused to move a stamping diehe was working on unexpectedly moved toward the second, stationary bolster, trapping Todd and crushing him to death.

Another worker, a millwright with less than four years seniority, was killed during this period, Mike said, when he hit his head falling off breakroom No. 4 in the plant.

It used to be mandatory that no die-setters should work by themselves. But they eliminated the die setter position and that rule. If Fred had been working with a co-worker, he might still be alive todayeverybody knows that.

In 2015, the UAW contract expanded the number of TPTs and allowed them to work any day of the week. They called them part-time temporary, but they were working 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday, and weekends too with no overtime, Mike said.

I heard that Jacoby shut down the line because he said it was unsafe. He went to the union for help and they wouldnt respond. He probably went to labor relations and didnt get the response he needed either. Do I think that things went down the way the UAW, the police and the media reported it? No. I wouldnt trust anything the UAW reps say. All of their stories were identical. They said he looked like he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But the Medical Examiner did not find anything in his system but caffeine.

I want to express my sympathy to the Hennings family for their loss and my solidarity in their fight to get to the truth and get justice. If we dont pay attention to what is happening to these second-, third- and fourth-tier workers, something like this will happen again. I would encourage current legacy workers at Woodhaven plant to come forward and provide information to shed more light on what happened to Jacoby.
SUNRISE, Fla. (WTXL) - Police in Florida say a Democratic U.S. Representative's office has been evacuated after receiving a possible bomb threat.

WPLG reports that the office building site of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office in Sunrise has been evacuated after reports of a possible bomb threat.

Police say they are investigating whether or not the threat is legitimate.

This threat comes after possible explosive devices were delivered to Hillary Clinton, Former President Barack Obama, and CNN's New York headquarters.

Sources confirm to ABC News that the public official whose name appeared in the return address of at least one of the packages is Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Authorities do not believe she actually has any connection to the sender.

According to a tweet from Schultz's account, she was set to be campaigning with Tallahassee mayor and Florida gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum in Plantation, Florida on Thursday:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - According to a recent LeRoy Collins Institute Report, Florida has recently seen a trend of resegregating schools.

And it shows that in Leon County is one of the most segregated in the state.

WTXL ABC 27's Jada Williams was live Wednesday morning to explain how the League of Women Voters is tackling the issue.

The League of Women Voters is hosting a panel discussion Wednesday to get to the bottom of why we're seeing this trend and also come up with possible solutions.

Resegregation in this sense doesn't completely boil down to race, but also wealth.

A representative with the League of Women Voters says the make up of a school's population can also be attributed to school choice, charter schools and vouchers - all factors that makes the chance to switch schools easier.

On Wednesday, a panel including a school principal, a member of the school board and the director of Florida State University's Leroy COllins Institute will all break down the topic.

If you'd like to get invoved in the conversation, it's all happening at the Lincoln Community Center on West Brevard Street. It starts at 5:30 p.m.
SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A new Florida app has been launched that will allow students, parents, and concerned residents to report criminal activities at any school in Florida anonymously.

The FortifyFL app will allow people to anonymously report unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent or criminal activities at any school in the state of Florida.

The message will go directly to local law enforcement and the school district, so that they can take action to protect students, teachers, and staff.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Today is World Polio Day, and in the Big Bend, one group is raising awareness about the disease.

The Rotary Club of the Tallahassee Southside is getting the word out all day long.

WTXL ABC 27's Jada Williams was live Wednesday morning to tell how they are getting their message across.

The Rotary CLub is hosting two events, a luncheon to teach adults in our community more about the disease and also a visit to a local school to teach the children.

Rotary Clubs across the country are all getting involved today.

But even outside of World Polio Day, the club works to raise awareness and funds to promote research and ways to eradicate the disease.

There's an increase in interest this year due to all of the recent cases of polio-like diseases.

The Rotary Club will visit students at Florida High at 3 p.m. to continue the conversation.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Gov. Rick Scott is asking for federal aid to help those in the fishing industry impacted by Hurricane Michael.

Scott submitted a request to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on Tuesday asking him to declare a federal fishery resource disaster.

This federal assistance will help communities that rely on commercial and recreational fishing in Florida.

Scott says the force of Hurricane Michael's impact on the industry is expected to be significant.
LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Halloween is supposed to be scary, a fun time for children and adults to dress up, enjoy frightening festivities, and trick or treat.

But there is one kind of fear no child should have to contend with on All Hallows Eve, and that's coming into contact with a sexual predator.

And to avoid that, law enforcement officials said parents have to be the first line of defense. Detective Dustin Brock of the Leon County Sheriff's Office said that means being informed, knowing where the bad guys are, and what places to avoid.

He advised parents to visit the sex offender website to find out where sex offenders live. There, parents can also sign up for alerts, which means parents can get an alert when a sex offender moves into their neighborhood or within close range.

"Parents can go to our website at LeonCountySO.com and find the link that says sex offenders search. That will take them to a website run by FDLE and there they can do a search of their neighborhood for any sex offenders that live near them," said Brock. "They can also search by name address of internet identifiers."

The Florida Department of Corrections takes extra precautions to make sure sex offenders do not take part in Halloween-related activities involving kids and minors. They are given strict rules to follow on Halloween night.

They cannot give out candy or other treats, their porch lights must be off with blinds closed, outside decorations are forbidden, they cannot answer the door to trick or treaters or dress in costumes or masks, and they cannot have Halloween parties where children will be present.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 00:52:09|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed regret on Tuesday in response to an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty while vowing to personally attempt to save the landmark international non-proliferation accord.

Speaking to the Funke media group, Maas said that he would use all diplomatic resources at his disposal as long as there was still a chance for the INF treaty to survive following Trump's "regrettable" decision. "This agreement touches vital interests of Europe," he said.

According to Maas, the German government would raise the issue as a matter of priority during North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meetings. "We are not willing to launch a new arms race," Maas said. He added that Berlin was also ready to exert pressure on Russia to ensure its compliance with the INF treaty.

Over the past weekend, Trump announced that his government would formally de-ratify the agreement signed between the United States and Soviet Union back in 1987. Also known as the "Washington Treaty", the Cold War accord mandated its signatories to phase out land-based nuclear rocket systems with a reach of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers and established a corresponding monitoring regime.

Although both countries officially subscribe to the non-proliferation measures in question, Washington and Moscow have repeatedly accused each other of acting in breach of the INF treaty. Responding to Trump's announcement, Russia warned against a new nuclear arms race but also said it was open to participating in talks on how to preserve the existing agreement.

In the meanwhile, the U.S.-Russian diplomatic row has witnessed a rare moment of political consensus in Berlin. German parties from all ends of the ideological spectrum were united in their desire to prevent the INF treaty from unraveling entirely.

"INF must be preserved," said Roderich Kiesewetter, the representative of the ruling CDU/CSU bloc joint faction in the German parliament's foreign affairs committee.

Greens (Gruene) foreign policy spokesperson Agnieszka Brugger went as far as to describe the U.S. departure as "risky nonsense" and a "dangerous, dumb decision".

Stefan Liebich, Left party (Linke) foreign policy spokesperson, similarly criticized what he considered to be a "big mistake" of the U.S. president.

The Left party also joined calls by the Greens for Germany to cancel its nuclear cooperation with the United States under the framework of NATO and oppose the stationing of further intermediate range rockets in Europe.

However, Norbert Roettgen (CDU), president of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, rejected this suggestion which he said ignored legitimate U.S. concerns over Russia's compliance with the INF treaty.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 01:37:25|Editor: yan

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China Mobile Communications Corporation (China Mobile), the largest wireless carrier in the world, plans to build a massive new data center and office in Silicon Valley to expand its presence in the United States.

The Chinese company's plan will be subject to a public hearing before the city of San Jose, California, makes a decision, according to the city's department of planning, building and code enforcement on Monday.

The proposal is currently under initial review and the timeline of approval is not yet available.

The project consists of the demolition of a set of existing office and R&D buildings and the construction of a two-story data center with a connecting five-story office building, according to the plan obtained by Xinhua.

The data center covers a floor space of 217,000 square feet (about 20,160 square meters) and the office takes up 65,000 square feet (about 6,039 square meters).

The city will also decide on the use of up to 15 generators to provide standby power to the data center.

The proposed project will be constructed in one phase on a site of approximately 7.5 acres (about 30,351 square meters). The office component will house approximately 200 employees, according to the plan.

The proposal was filed early this month by China Mobile International Limited, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of China Mobile. The property's owner is China Mobile International Infrastructure Inc., which purchased the property for 11,340,360 U.S. dollars in January this year.

Some hot technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and adaptive security architecture are set to drive further investment in flexible data centers.

China Mobile launched its first self-built data center outside the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong. It currently has 15 data centers across the world.

With self-built data center services, the Beijing-based telecommunications company said it has a range of features for private cloud services, such as cloud storage, flexible computing, snapshots and self-service portals.

China Mobile is the world's largest mobile telecommunications corporation by market capitalisation, and also the largest mobile phone operator by the total number of subscribers, with over 902 million subscribers as of June 2018.

China Telecom and China Unicom, the other two of China's three major communications providers, also have offices in Silicon Valley and plans for infrastructure investments to meet consumer demands in the U.S. market.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 02:27:40|Editor: yan

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KIEV, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine and Poland are preparing to implement several joint projects in the energy sector, local media reported on Tuesday, citing Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

According to UNN news agency, Klimkin, who is on a visit to Warsaw, said that Ukraine and Poland are working on a project to build a gas interconnector that would link their gas transportation networks.

Besides, the two countries are planning to launch a project on liquid gas deliveries, the minister said.

Klimkin arrived in Polish capital earlier in the day for a two-day working visit.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 03:02:51|Editor: yan

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TOKYO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan and China should proceed from the big picture to steadily develop their friendly and cooperative ties as the two countries share major responsibility for regional and world peace and prosperity,said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Abe made the remarks in a written interview with Chinese media ahead of his three-day official visit to China scheduled from Thursday, which will mark the first time since 2011 for a Japanese prime minister to visit China officially.

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Abe said the treaty marks the starting point for bilateral relationship between Japan and China.

He said he hopes to commemorate the anniversary together with the Chinese side during his visit and have frank exchanges with Chinese leaders on regional and world issues, in order to expand cooperation in all areas and facilitate greater development of bilateral ties.

He also said that it's normal for the two countries, as neighbors, to have differences over some issues.

Japan and China, in building a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship, have the responsibility to properly deal with those issues and steadily develop their friendly and cooperative ties from the big picture, he noted.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Abe said that China has achieved remarkable development during the past 40 years and has become the world's second largest economy.

As bilateral trade between China and Japan has reached around 300 billion U.S. dollars, and the economies of the two countries are inseparable, said Abe, adding that with no doubt, China's economic development is a huge opportunity and shall be welcomed by both Japan and the world.

Meanwhile, Japan has rich experience in dealing with issues such as environmental pollution and population aging, which can provide reference for China's further reform and opening-up, he said.

The prime minister also said that it's of great significance to meet the strong infrastructure need of Asia, the center of world economic development, and he hoped that Japanese and Chinese private companies will cooperate to meet the booming infrastructure demand of Asia.

On the Taiwan issue, Abe reaffirmed Japan's adherence to its position stated in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement.

Regarding the global free trade system, Abe said it is of great significance to reinforce economic order based on free and fair trade rules under the current circumstances. Any tit-for-tat trade war will benefit no one.

As the largest beneficiaries of the free trade system, Japan and China should keep cooperating to reinforce multilateral free trade systems such as the World Trade Organization, Abe said.

Abe also said that Japan and China share significant responsibility to contribute to the stability and prosperity of Asia and the world, and that the two countries shouldering the responsibility together is also a response to the expectations of the international community.

He said that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last November is a new starting point for Japan-China relations. Moreover, since Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan in May this year, bilateral relationship has been back on the normal track.

Abe also said that his talks with President Xi in Vladivostok, Russia in September and his scheduled visit to China this time mean that the bilateral relationship is advancing steadily toward a new phase.

He hopes that the Japan-China relationship could be brought into a new era through frequent mutual visits by leaders of the two countries, Abe added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 03:17:56|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The creator of the "stumbling stones" Holocaust memorial project, Gunter Demnig, laid the 70,000th brass stone into the ground in Germany's Frankfurt on Tuesday, local media reported.

The small brass plaques, known as stumbling stones, have been installed in pavements in Germany and other countries to commemorate the victims of Nazi Holocaust, as each plaque engraved with the name and fate of an individual.

The stumbling stones were embedded in the sidewalk in front of the last freely chosen place of residence of individual victims.

The 70,000th stone bore the name of Willy Zimmerer, a man with disability who was murdered in 1944 near Frankfurt, according to the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Two of Zimmerer's distant relatives have traveled from the United States to witness the stone being placed into the ground.

Gunter Demnig began the "stumbling stones" project in 1992.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 03:38:03|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A financing agreement worth 6 million euros (about 6.9 million U.S. dollars) was inked between the French Development Agency (AFD) and Tunisia, Tunisian Ministry of Investment, Development and International Cooperation confirmed on Tuesday.

The deal covers the financing of the Regeneration of Ancient Centers Program (PRCA), co-financed by the Tunisian government, the European Investment Bank and the AFD.

The goal of the deal is to reinforce the development in old urban cities, their rehabilitation, in addition to economic and social integration.

Tunisian government has planned an investment of 14 million dollars dedicated to carrying out regeneration operations of the old urban centers as part of a five-year plan from 2016 to 2020.

"The PRCA will contribute to a significant transformation of the concerned cities, by improving quality of life, preserving architectural and heritage features, and increasing tourism attraction," the ministry added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 04:03:11|Editor: xuxin

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A teacher (L) from the Confucius Institute teaches Chinese martial arts to a student at Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Egypt, on Oct. 23, 2018. The second edition of the Chinese Culture Day held by the Confucius Institute in Suez Canal University impressed the Egyptian students who gathered with eyes of admiration. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

by Marwa Yahya

ISMAILIA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- "Chinese events help Egyptian students learn more about cultural integration across different countries," said Ghada Ragab, a 18-year-old student learning Chinese in Suez Canal University in Ismailia province.

The second edition of the Chinese Culture Day held by the Confucius Institute in Suez Canal University impressed the Egyptian students who gathered with eyes of admiration.

The event helps the students learn more about Chinese daily life, other than focusing merely on language, Ragab told Xinhua, describing it as a model of introducing Chinese tradition, heritage and art.

Her schoolmate Sarah Saeed shared the same view while watching several paintings by Egyptian students about the Chinese philosopher Confucius who impacts her life significantly.

"My readings about Confucius philosophy which calls for values of love and respect for others are the main factor for encouraging me to study Chinese language," Saeed added.

She dreams of establishing a publishing house for translating Chinese literature which could help the Egyptian and Arab readers to recognize the "great Chinese values and traditions" which, to some extent, are similar to those of the Middle East.

At the Culture Day, all the students were busy with tasting Chinese tea and food, using red strings to make shapes of resembled luck and happiness, and watching Chinese Kungfu along with other activities.

"From Chinese events, I learned that the old civilization should be promoted via preservation of the heritage," said Aya Gamal, a student in her final academic year.

She explained that students who are learning Chinese should not only study the language in words, but also use it for understanding the culture and make efforts to present it to the world.

Miao Chen, a 24-year-old teacher at the Confucius Institute, was helping the students in making the Chinese paper fans.

"The paper fans with Chinese paintings such as bird and scenery full of Chinese elements attract many students," Miao said.

He pointed out that such activities could inspire the interests of learning Chinese language, and help teachers win their students' attentions on Chinese culture.

While attending the event, more and more students are encouraged to study Chinese language through not just traditional methods, he added.

"Both Chinese and Egyptian cultures are old, but the long distance between the two countries once hindered us to study the Chinese culture," said Hassan Ragab, the director of Confucius Institute in the Suez Canal University.

He noted that the cultural events have positively encouraged students to read more about the history and literature of China, saying "it's a kind of education on ground instead of only concentrating on the theoretical side of the language."

The Cultural Day from Oct. 23 to 25 also includes cinema and theater shows, and the Egyptian students will perform an old Chinese drama on stage.

Hassan Ragab said that the students at Confucius Institute believe learning Chinese language is a gate for good job opportunities as Chinese businesses are thriving in the Middle East and Africa.

Egyptian students are eager to learn about the Chinese culture and language as they see China as a model of developing countries, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 04:08:12|Editor: Liangyu

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MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump are scheduled to have a full-fledged meeting in Paris on Nov. 11, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday.

"This arrangement was confirmed by our president at his meeting with Bolton," Ushakov told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Putin met with visiting U.S. national security advisor John Bolton, who also held consultations with Russian representatives of foreign policy and military political teams.

According to Ushakov, a preliminary agreement has been reached on arranging a comprehensive and well-prepared meeting between the presidents in Paris on the sidelines of events marking the centenary of the end of World War I.

Members of Russian and U.S. delegations will also attend the meeting, Ushakov said.

During his talks with Bolton, Putin said it would be useful to continue direct dialogue with Trump, such as the "fruitful" meeting held in Helsinki.

On July 16, Putin and Trump held their first one-on-one meeting in the Finish capital, which both sides considered as the first step toward better relations between the two countries.

The Russian president also said that Moscow wishes to seek common ground in its bilateral relations with Washington.

"Despite different approaches, one can and needs to seek this common ground, as it seems to me," Putin said.

Echoing Putin's remarks, Bolton welcomed the upcoming meeting between the presidents and underlined the significance of cooperation.

"Despite our differences, which exist because of our different national interests, it is still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation," he said.

Russia-U.S. relations have worsened in recent years over a number of disputes including the Ukrainian conflict and Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Despite the friendly atmosphere of the July summit, bilateral ties have not improved much. In August, Washington imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia and warned of the possibility of another round of stern restrictions in November. Moscow, in turn, vowed retaliation.

On Saturday, Trump said that the United States would pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987 with the Soviet Union, once again flaring up tensions between the two sides.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 05:13:34|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (L) meets with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah, Oct. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

RAMALLAH, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan called here Tuesday for concerted global efforts to push for a just end to the Palestinian issue on the basis of a two-state solution.

In a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, Wang recalled that China was among the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine, and has always stood side by side with the Palestinian people.

Since the initiation of the Middle East peace process, China has supported the Palestinians and the Israelis in solving their dispute through peaceful negotiations, said the Chinese vice president.

He added that under the new circumstances, China advocates continuing to strive for a just settlement of the Palestinian issue via peaceful talks on the basis of sticking to the two-state approach.

Wang recalled that in July last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping raised a four-point proposal on the Palestinian issue, and in July this year, Xi once again urged relevant parties to adhere to international consensus and deal with the Palestinian issue in a just manner.

China stands ready to work with the international community to step up peace-promoting efforts, innovate on peace-promoting mechanisms, and make unremitting efforts in seeking a comprehensive, just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue as soon as possible, he added.

On bilateral relations, Wang said China appreciates and welcomes Palestine's active participation in Belt and Road construction, encourages competent Chinese businesses to invest in Palestine, and will continue to support Palestine's national development.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic relationship, he said that China is ready to join hands with the Palestinian side to further advance bilateral ties under the guidance of the consensus reached by their heads of state.

For his part, Hamdallah said the Palestinian side highly appreciates China's steadfast support for the just cause of the Palestinian people as well as its objective and just stance on the Palestinian issue.

Palestine, he added, welcomes the four-point proposal put forward by President Xi on the Palestinian issue and expects China to play a bigger role in promoting the Middle East peace process.

The Palestinian side is grateful for China's long-running selfless support, and willing to make good use of its own advantages in the process of Belt and Road construction, and seek more practical results of bilateral cooperation, he said.

The Palestinian prime minister suggested that the two sides deepen cooperation in fields such as trade, infrastructure building, clean energy and personnel training.

Before their meeting, Hamdallah held a welcome ceremony for the Chinese vice president, who is on a visit to Israel, Palestine, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates from Oct. 22 to 30.

Following their meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on starting China-Palestine free trade talks and other documents.

During his stay in Ramallah, the Chinese vice president also laid a wreath at the tomb of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 05:43:43|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Nishan oil field in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour returned into operation on Tuesday after the completion of the reparation process, state news agency SANA reported.

Syria's Prime Minister Emad Khamis attended the reopening ceremony of the oil field, which produces 1,100 barrels per day, said SANA.

It added that local government had repaired and rehabilitated the field, which was looted by the rebels when they were in control of the area.

Throughout the early years of Syria's more than seven-year-long war, the Syrian government had lost the majority of the oil and gas fields across the country.

The situation has changed when the army started clawing back rebel-held areas over the past three years and has recently become in control of over two-thirds of the Syrian territories.

Several oil fields in central Syria have returned operating and more are being repaired in order to be put back into service with other fields still out of the government control mainly in areas controlled by the Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria.

The oil sector has suffered great losses during the war, with 2017 statistics indicating that the losses in the oil sector are estimated at 68 billion U.S. dollars, according to Ali Ghanem, the Syrian minister of oil.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev answers questions from journalists at Khrabrovo airport in Russia's Kaliningrad region on October 23, 2018. (Photo by Russian government)

MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Economic sanctions to be imposed on Ukraine in accordance with a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin will affect hundreds of individuals and companies, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

"There will be many well known persons," Medvedev told reporters, according to a footage shown by the Russia 24 TV channel.

The sanctions will include the blocking of assets of certain Ukrainian citizens in Russia, banning exports of their capitals from Russia and suspending imports of certain Ukrainian goods to Russia, Medvedev said.

Ukrainian companies, controlled by citizens to be sanctioned, will also be subject for restrictions, Medvedev added.

He recalled that Russia continued to be the main trade partner of Ukraine in spite of various sanctions imposed by Kiev.

"In the shortest possible time these documents will be put on my table and I will sign them," Medvedev said.

On Monday, Putin signed a decree ordering the government to compile a list of Ukrainian individuals and legal entities practicing "unfriendly actions" against Russia and to determine economic sanctions to be applied to the individuals and entities on the list.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow have been deteriorating since early 2014 over Crimea and armed conflicts in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has imposed a series of sanctions against Russia since then.
Honduran migrants take part in a new caravanheading to the United States with Honduran and Guatemalan national flags in Quezaltepeque, Chiquimula, Guatemala on Oct. 22, 2018. (AFP Photo)

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- UN agencies are deploying additional staff to Mexico to cooperate with local authorities to attend to the needs of asylum-seeking migrants on their trek from Central America to the United States, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

Farhan Haq, deputy chief spokesman, told reporters at a regular briefing that representatives of the UN refugee agency, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were being deployed in Tapachula, Chiapas and nearby towns in southeastern Mexico, not far from the border with Guatemala.

"The UN agencies in Mexico have staff in place, with more to be deployed in the coming days, to cooperate closely with local and federal authorities, among others," he said. "Teams are prepared to help with the registration of those who have been admitted, as well as to help the migrants reach shelters and facilities equipped and waiting for them to give them humanitarian aid."

Rapid assessments are being done by the UN agencies to gather information on the needs of children and their families, as well as people with special needs, including those in nearby towns along the migratory route, Haq said, adding that there was concern about kidnapping in areas the caravan may travel.

"Stabilizing the situation has become urgent," he said. "It is essential that there are proper reception and other conditions for those seeking asylum, as well as for others on the move."

"It is essential that people have the chance to request asylum and have their international protection needs properly assessed, before any decision on return or deportation is made," said Haq.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 06:59:07|Editor: Yamei

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CHICAGO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures settled mixed on Tuesday, with wheat rising moderately following a sharp decline in the previous session.

The most active December corn was up 0.75 cent, or 0.2 percent to close at 3.7025 dollars per bushel. December wheat was up 1 cent, or 0.2 percent to settle at 5.09 dollars. November soybeans were down 1 cent, or 0.12 percent to close at 8.575 dollars per bushel.

CBOT wheat edged up over bargain buying, said market watchers, after a 1.31 percent decline on Monday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released late Monday its weekly crop progress report, pegging soybean harvest was 53 percent complete, well above the previous week's 38 percent, though still behind a 69 percent average of the past five years.

The latest report indicates that soybean collection has sped up significantly while the U.S. Midwest weather turned drier.

However, analysts said that without a resolution of trade dispute with China, large U.S. supplies will further pressure soybeans as local farmers are not anxious to add to sales at low prices.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 07:09:08|Editor: mym

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HAVANA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- More than 60 companies from around the world are set to attend the Havana International Trade Fair (FIHAV 2018) to be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, government officials announced Tuesday.

Foreign Trade and Investments Minister Rodrigo Malmierca told state daily Granma, that some 20 high-level official delegations, 30 chambers of commerce and over 2,500 foreign representatives have confirmed their participation to attend the trade fair.

According to Malmierca, 16 U.S. companies will also be attending, a similar number to the previous edition, including the newly created U.S.-Cuba biotechnology joint venture, Innovative Immunotherapy Alliance S.A., which is based in Cuba's Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) and mainly for the production of therapeutic anti-cancer vaccines.

Malmeirca said that the fair's attendees show that "the world supports Cuba despite the U.S. economic, trade and financial blockade," recently reinforced by U.S. President Trump.

The Russia-Latin American and the Caribbean Business Forum will also be held during the event and will offer the updated portfolio 2018 of investment opportunities for foreign entrepreneurs, according to the official.

According to official estimates, the Caribbean nation needs to attract every year at least 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in investments to keep a sustained development. In the fair last year, Cuba presented a portfolio of 456 projects, amounting to 10.7 billion U.S. dollars.

Aside from international companies, Cuban companies are also set to have a large presence at this year's trade event.

According to president of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce Orlando Hernandez, 350 national companies have reserved 5,000 square meters in floor space for their exhibition.

The Havana International Trade Fair is considered as the most important business forum in Cuba and one of the most important in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This photo taken from a footage by Tass news agency shows U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton at a news conference in Moscow, Russia on October 23, 2018. (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States will file a formal notice of its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) "in due course," U.S. national security advisor John Bolton said here Tuesday.

At a press conference following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolton said that the INF Treaty was "outmoded, being violated and being ignored by other countries."

Nevertheless, he said that the United States has not yet made a final decision on the deployment of U.S. missiles in Europe, adding that Russia is the one that has deployed missiles in Europe.

"It is the American position that Russia is in violation. It is Russia's position that they are not in violation. So one has to ask: how do you convince the Russians to come back into compliance with obligations they don't think they are violating," he said, according to broadcast by the Tass news agency.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington would pull out of the INF Treaty on account of Russia's alleged breach of the agreement. Moscow warned against a new nuclear arms race but also said it was open to participating in talks on how to preserve the existing agreement.

Speaking of the concerns that the withdrawal might lead to an arms race, Bolton said the rhetoric is "overheated," citing the U.S. withdrawal from the anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.

He also implied that he was not positive about the possibility of extending INF Treaty to include other countries.

The treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. The deal marked the first-ever pact reached by Washington and Moscow on nuclear disarmament and a major step forward in restricting arms race.

Washington's withdrawal would put the whole world in an arms control crisis, State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairperson Leonid Slutsky said on Sunday.

Moscow and Washington have been accusing each other of violating the arms control agreement in recent years amid increasing tension between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 09:39:43|Editor: mym

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CANBERRA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under fire from his own party for planning to send his predecessor to an environmental conference in Indonesia.

Morrison has announced that Malcolm Turnbull, who was deposed as the prime minister in August with Morrison chosen as his successor, will attend the Our Ocean Legacy conference in Bali as Australia's representative.

Barnaby Joyce, who served as the deputy prime minister under Turnbull, said the decision did not "stack up" and Turnbull had destroyed his legacy as the prime minister.

Members of the governing Liberal-National Party coalition (LNP) have expressed anger with Turnbull after he refused to campaign on behalf of the government in his former seat of Wentworth in the by-election triggered by his resignation, which was won by independent Kerryn Phelps.

"He didn't help, basically didn't even send through so much as a text supporting (Liberal candidate) Dave Sharma and, you know, it cost us the majority in parliament. Here's a serious question to be asked, are you going to reward him with a position in ... Bali?" Joyce said on Macquarie Media radio on Wednesday.

"I think he's just angry, angry about ... losing his job. One can only presume he's sort of sulking, but it's something you've sort of got to get over with."

Morrison has defended the decision, saying that Turnbull going on behalf of Australia was in the national interest.

"Former prime ministers continue to have a role to play, I think they should be treated with respect, I think they should be offered the honour to them for the service they provided to their country and they can continue to serve," he told reporters.

"I think sometimes we have got to get above the ruck of personality politics and actually just focus on what the national interest is."
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Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 11:00:08|Editor: Liangyu

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MACAO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Macao border zone of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), the world's longest cross-sea bridge, was put into use as the bridge opened to public traffic on Wednesday morning.

The 55 km-long bridge links China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province and Macao SAR.

The Macao border zone covers an area of 71.6 hectares, including a six-floor building for customs clearance, two public car parking lots with more than 6,000 slots for private vehicles and another 2,000 for motorcycles, municipal facilities as well as the road network, tunnels and flyovers.

The Macao border zone officially opened at 9:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT). The passengers went to the departure hall, and passed through the boundary checkpoints via automatic or manned channels. They bought tickets for shuttle buses from Macao to Hong Kong, with cash or by Alipay.

At 9:20 a.m. local time (0120 GMT), the first shuttle bus from Macao to Hong Kong left the the Macao border zone.

Cross-border services for passengers and vehicles travelling between Macao and Hong Kong are available 24 hours a day.

Meanwhile, passengers going to Zhuhai can use the brand-new "Joint Inspection and One-time Release" channel to pass through the check points.

The Macao border zone of HZMB was completed on Dec. 18, 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 11:15:12|Editor: mym

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TRIPOLI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday welcomed the new security arrangements in the capital Tripoli approved by Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj.

UNSMIL welcomes the so-called Greater Tripoli Security Plan and looks forward to the start of implementation, the Mission said late Tuesday.

Serraj approved earlier Tuesday new security arrangements in Tripoli, which focus on forming joint police and army forces to secure the city.

During a meeting on Tuesday with military and field commanders of the city of Misurata, some 250 km east of Tripoli, the head of the UN Mission, Ghassan Salame, said the UN Mission plans to replace the armed groups in Tripoli with a joint force.

"We're trying to replace the armed groups in Tripoli with a joint force. The capital is for all Libyans, and so any and every Libyan must be able to access it in safety," Salame said.

Tripoli witnessed weeks of violence between forces allied with the government and other armed groups in Tripoli in August, which caused hundreds of casualties.

The spate of violent clashes ended after rival parties reached a cease-fire agreement.

The agreement required the warring parties not to attack public or private properties and refrain from inciting violence.

The cease-fire deal also agreed on the formation of a joint military force to secure southern Tripoli, and that the withdrawal of armed groups from conflict areas should be overseen by tribal mediators.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and incessant violence since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 12:30:24|Editor: Chengcheng

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government appointed M Nageshwar Rao as an interim chief of its premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials said Wednesday.

Rao's nomination to take charge of the agency comes in the backdrop of internal strife within the organization between incumbent director Alok Verma and his deputy special director Rakesh Asthana over bribery allegations against the latter.

Officials said the government has asked both the officers to proceed on leave and put out orders for Rao to take over charge on Tuesday night.

"As per the government order, CBI joint director Nageshwar Rao will take interim charge of the investigation agency," an official quoting the government order said.

Local media reports said the offices of both Verma and Asthana have been sealed and all officers working with the CBI director have been sent on leave.

The government's order followed a recommendation by the country's top vigilance officer, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, that the CBI's warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, stripped of all responsibilities, reports said.

Verma had filed a case against his deputy, accusing him of bribery in an investigation. Asthana on Tuesday approached Delhi high court, asking for the charges to be cancelled and for protection against arrest.

The opposition Congress party accused the government of trying to protect Asthana and described him "blue-eyed boy" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 12:45:26|Editor: Chengcheng

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on the international community to continue to help the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) with its efforts to build peace and stability.

The political process in the CAR has recently made progress while the security situation remains fragile. There are still challenges for the country to realize lasting peace and stability, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN).

China calls on the international community to continue to support the efforts by the CAR government to enhance national capacity building, and assist the government's efforts to maintain security and stability, deal with humanitarian situation and crises, and resolve the root causes of the conflict, he told the UN Security Council.

China urges parties in the CAR to put the interests of their country first and resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, said Wu.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 12:50:28|Editor: Chengcheng

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SUVA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were greeted with a huge crowd at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, capital of Fiji on Wednesday.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle met university students and children who were waiting along footpaths and roadsides.

The Duchess of Sussex delivered her first official speech as a member of the royal family at the university.

She spoke on the importance of access to education and that everyone should be given an opportunity to receive it, especially for women and children in developing countries as this was the key to economic and social development.

She said the Association of Commonwealth Universities has offered two new grants that will be awarded to Fiji National University and the University of the South Pacific, allowing each of them to run workshops to empower their female staff.

Fijian president Jioji Konrote said earlier while welcoming the royal couple that Fijians shared the joy with the royals welcoming their baby.

Also on Wednesday, Prince Harry laid a wreath at the War Memorial in Suva, and met with Fijian war veterans, some of whom served with the British Army.

The Duke later travelled to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park, where he planted a tree and unveiled a plaque to mark its dedication.

The Duchess travelled to the British High Commissioner's residence in Suva before visiting the Suva Municipal Market to meet some of the female vendors.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex started their Fiji tour on Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 13:50:39|Editor: Liangyu

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Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza (R) meets with Liu Qibao, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Bujumbura, capital city of Burundi, on Oct. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

BUJUMBURA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A key Chinese political adviser and Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza on Tuesday pledged to further enhance mutual political trust and deepen pragmatic cooperation between their two countries.

In recent years, the relationship between China and Burundi entered the best period in history, Liu Qibao, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) who headed a delegation, said at a meeting with Nkurunziza in Bujumbura, capital of the central African country.

China is willing to translate the traditional friendship between the two countries into more tangible results that can benefit the two peoples, he said.

During the meeting, Liu highlighted the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China's achievements in social and economic development over the past 40 years since its reform and opening-up, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nkurunziza spoke highly of the relationship between the two countries and the great achievements China has made through its reform and opening-up.

He expressed Burundi's willingness to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China and promote the in-depth development of the bilateral relations.

During his visit, Liu also met with President of the National Assembly of Burundi Pascal Nyabenda and Burundi Senate Speaker Reverien Ndikuriyo respectively.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 14:00:42|Editor: mym

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MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban bomb maker, his wife and two children were killed as his device exploded prematurely in his home in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province on Monday, provincial police spokesman Abdul Karim Yurash said Wednesday.

"A Taliban mine maker Mullah Sadrudin was making a mine in his home in Garzewan district on Monday evening but the device exploded suddenly killing himself, his wife and two of his children on the spot," Yurash told Xinhua.

The two children killed were five and eight years old respectively.

The bomb had been intended to be used as a roadside bomb to target security convoys in the restive province, the official said via telephone from provincial capital Maimana.

Taliban militants, who are in control of parts of Faryab province and largely relying on suicide and roadside bombing, have not commented.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 14:15:43|Editor: mym

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed on Wednesday in a fierce gunfight with troops in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight broke out in Nowgam area of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"In a gunfight that broke out here today at Sothu Kothair of Nowgam here, two militants were killed," Indian army spokesman in Srinagar Col Rajesh Kalia told Xinhua.

Police said the area was cordoned off early Wednesday following specific intelligence information suggesting presence of militants.

Local media reports quoting senior police official VK Birdi said six government forces personnel were wounded fighting the militants during the stand-off.

The slain militants were identified as local cadres of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) hailing from southern Anantnag district, reports said.

Meanwhile, massive clashes broke out in the area with youth taking to the streets to disrupt the operation in a bid to help militants escape.

The local administration has ordered closure of all schools and educational institutions in Srinagar.

Mobile internet services were suspended in Srinagar and southern districts fearing it would help intensify anti-India protests.

On Sunday three militants were gunned down in a similar gunfight in Kulgam district, and later seven civilians were killed after a blast went off near the gunfight site.

A guerilla war is going on between militants and Indian troopers stationed in the region since 1989.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 15:00:52|Editor: Yurou

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QUITO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian businesses are getting ready to attend China's first-ever import expo to boost exports and advocate free trade, a business leader said.

"Today China is the standard-bearer of free trade and of greater exchange," Jose Antonio Hidalgo, the president of the Ecuadorian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

With the support of Pro Ecuador, the country's national export and investment promotion agency, the National Federation of Exporters and the chamber of commerce, at least 15 Ecuadorian companies will be participating in the China International Import Expo (CIIE), to be held in Shanghai next month.

The expo has drawn the interest of international companies from more than 130 countries and regions.

"It is a very large fair ... We think it's going to be a positive thing," said Hidalgo, regarding it as "a great initiative" of China to "consolidate the different sectors" the country's consumers need.

The chamber is helping to inform the local business community about the expo and how to attend, as well as "a little bit about the market, whether for exports or imports," so companies can plan ahead, said Hidalgo.

More than anything, the fair will offer countries like Ecuador with the opportunity to make contact with some of the world's largest importers of foodstuffs, he said.

China's opening-up offers a chance to increase trade in goods, especially fresh and processed foods, and in high value-added services, such as tourism, he said.

"That is an opportunity for Latin American countries to focus their comparative advantage in agro," added Hidalgo.

For years, China "has been the world's manufacturer," so it would be "tough" for Ecuador to compete in that area, he said.

"But we have to work hard on the products that do have a good market outlook," such as agricultural produce, services and tourism, he said.

To really take advantage of China's rising demand for goods, regional exporters should build an online presence, because the Asian giant is a world leader in e-commerce, Hidalgo said.

"Include more foodstuffs (online) and diversify the digital platforms to make the most of this consumption. We see the way Chinese society has taken to digital platforms and electronic payments on WeChat," said Hidalgo, referring to China's popular instant messaging platform.

To that end, the chamber, which has about 320 members, is working to help businesses learn about the advantages of e-commerce.

"We want the business sector to not just see the boom (in digital sales) but to be a part of this Chinese e-commerce," said Hidalgo.

"We have to begin to diversify our exports, to introduce other products and heavily promote pitahaya (dragon fruit)," he added.

According to China's embassy in Quito, bilateral trade in the first half of the year amounted to 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, a 21.6-percent increase year-on-year, while Ecuador's exports to China over the same period rose 104 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 15:10:53|Editor: Yurou

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BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China has announced a new round of tax cuts in a bid to shore up its economy amid external uncertainties.

Chinese authorities on Saturday unveiled draft temporary measures on special additional deductions from taxable personal incomes, as part of a broader overhaul of the individual income tax law.

The new deductible items include children's education, continuing education, treatment for serious diseases, caring for the elderly, as well as housing loan interest and rents.

These six deduction items could reduce annual tax burdens by 116 billion yuan (16.73 billion U.S. dollars), which could translate into an 81 billion yuan of consumption increase and may raise consumption growth and nominal GDP growth by 0.22 and 0.08 percentage points, respectively, Asian investment bank Nomura said in a research note.

"We expect more substantial tax reforms in the coming months," it said.

China has pledged a more proactive fiscal policy to boost the economy, which expanded at a pace of 6.7 percent in the first three quarters, above the government target.

In an interview with Xinhua earlier in October, China's Minister of Finance Liu Kun said the proactive fiscal policy will prioritize four sectors, namely cutting taxes and fees, improving weak links, boosting consumption, and improving people's livelihood.

Apart from policies to reduce taxes and fees unveiled at the beginning of the year, China has announced more policies to support the real economy and technological innovation, which will help reduce enterprises' burden by more than 1.3 trillion yuan this year, Liu said.

While the revision on the individual income tax law is expected to reduce household burdens, China's new value-added tax (VAT) reform measures helped trim the tax bills at the corporate level.

Starting from May 1, the VAT rate was lowered from 17 percent to 16 percent for manufacturing and some other industries, and from 11 percent to 10 percent for transportation, construction, basic telecommunication services, and farm produce.

In addition to the rates cut, the reform also offered tax incentives for some hi-tech companies and unified the standard for small-scale taxpayers.

Altogether, these measures have reduced corporate taxes by 238.6 billion yuan as of the end of September, according to Zheng Xiaoying, a senior official with the State Administration of Taxation.

Due to the reform, China's tax revenue slowed growth to climb 8 percent in the third quarter, lower than 13.1 percent in the second quarter and 17.8 percent in the first quarter, according to data from the administration.

More tax reduction measures may be on the way. Ma Jun, a member of the monetary policy committee of the People's Bank of China, said that China could cut the tax by about 1 percent of GDP next year, Xinhua-run Shanghai Securities News reported. That could mean China's tax cuts would be greater than the extent of the tax reductions in the United States, Ma said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 15:46:04|Editor: Yurou

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HOHHOT, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Forty-seven Mongolian children suffering from congenital heart disease will receive free medical treatment in Chinese hospitals, the Red Cross Society of China branch in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said on Wednesday.

Doctors from Beijing Anzhen Hospital and Inner Mongolia People's Hospital went to Ulan Bator and conducted screening for congenital heart disease for children aged 1-14.

A total of 47 children carrying the disease will receive free surgery in China in November. Twenty of them will be treated in Inner Mongolia People's Hospital.

The service serves as part of a humanitarian aid program by the Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF).

The plan is to provide 100 sick children with free heart surgeries in China. Last year, 53 Mongolian children received free surgeries.
Laborers clear debris from a destroyed building in the Syrian city of Raqa on Oct. 18, 2018. (AFP file photo)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition has killed as many as 3,222 civilians since its operations started in Syria in 2014, a war monitor reported Tuesday.

A total of 768 children and 562 women were among those killed by the strikes of the U.S.-led coalition in the northern provinces of Hasakah, Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The latest attacks by the U.S. coalition were reported on Saturday when the state news agency SANA said 63 civilians had been killed within 24 hours as a result of the U.S.-led strikes on areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:06:11|Editor: xuxin

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RIYADH, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Major deals in several sectors were signed on Tuesday at a Saudi investment conference in Riyadh, totaling over 55 billion U.S. dollars, with a range of international partner companies and entities, according to the organizers.

The contracts announced on the first day of Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative (FII) 2018 covered a number of projects across the energy, petrochemicals and transportation sectors, including the second phase of Haramain high-speed railway and the Saudi Land Bridge project.

Opening the FII 2018, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, managing director of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country's main sovereign wealth fund said: "Investment can pave the way to solving some of the world's great challenges -- this is why FII was created."

"It is a global platform focused on identifying future trends and opportunities that will help define the future of industries and ensure investment contributes to sustained prosperity and development," Al-Rumayyan said.

Al-Rumayyan also announced that FII will work as a new institution with an independent board and CEO and have its own dedicated offices and staff and an annual program, instead of solely as an annual event.

The event running from Tuesday through Thursday is organized by the PIF. It aims to explore and develop new opportunities that would shape the future of investment in the world.

This year's conference is the second edition of the event. It will host more than 35 individual plenaries, summits, open discussions and taskforce sessions, featuring 150 speakers representing over 140 organizations.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:11:14|Editor: Lu Hui

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BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will pay an official visit to China from Oct. 25 to 27.

Forty years ago in October, the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship formally went into effect. It is hoped that Abe's visit, the first by a Japanese prime minister in seven years, will help promote healthy and stable development of bilateral relations and bring it into a new phase.

During his visit in China, the two sides will hold a reception marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The Treaty, an important milestone in bilateral ties, affirmed various principles in the China-Japan Joint Statement in the form of law and explicitly stated that China and Japan should keep long-lasting friendship, establishing the political basis and legal norm for bilateral ties.

Over the past 40 years, the relationship between China and Japan has seen remarkable progress despite some twists and turns and severe tests. It is necessary to boost Sino-Japan ties based on the spirit and original intentions of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the four political documents signed between the two countries.

It is also of great significance to deepen cooperation and properly handle issues and differences in the spirit of taking history as a mirror and looking into the future so as to consolidate the political foundation for the future development of bilateral ties as a healthy and stable relationship will not only help contribute to the economic and social development of the two countries, but also bring benefits to the two peoples.

China and Japan, standing in new development stages, are both faced with opportunities and challenges. The two economies are complementary to each other with enormous cooperation potentials.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the two sides, bilateral relations have entered a rapid development track. In 2017, bilateral trade rallied to over 300 billion U.S. dollars. The Japanese economic circles are calling for increasing cooperation with China in third-party markets and in areas of environmental protection, scientific and technological innovation and methods to deal with an aging society.

Some Japanese enterprises like Nippon Express, Japan's largest logistics firm, have already joined the comprehensive cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As the world is undergoing major development, transformation and adjustment and global free trade system and multilateralism are being challenged by rising populism and unilateralism, promoting Sino-Japan ties will play an even more prominent role in contributing to the peace and prosperity of Asia and improving global governance.

China and Japan are the world's second and third largest economies and are deeply involved in the global industrial chain and trade system. Neither of them can isolate itself from the rest of the world. It is a win-win or multiple-win choice for the two countries to strengthen and expand areas of cooperation.

More importantly, people-to-people and cultural exchanges which are booming in recent years are indispensable for the promotion of mutual trust and understanding. Recent surveys show that the two peoples now have better impressions of one another and are looking forward to closer ties.

In 2017, personnel exchanges increased to a record high of 10 million. During the first half of this year, more than 4 million Chinese tourists visited Japan. At the same time, more and more Japanese young people begin to gain a deeper understanding of China through multiple channels. It is expected that the spirits of "peace" and "friendship" embodied in the Treaty could be passed on by the younger generation.

Everything in the past is the prelude of the future. As a saying from The Analects of Confucius goes, "at 40, I have no more doubts." It is believed that with concerted efforts, China-Japan ties will make steady progress and embrace a new chapter of greater development.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:16:15|Editor: xuxin

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by Xinhua writer Yang Shilong

NEW YORK, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. software-industrial company Honeywell sees great growth opportunities in China's national agenda including innovation-driven industrial upgrading and green development, said a senior executive of the company.

The China International Import Expo (CIIE), to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, offers "a good opportunity for global companies to strengthen cooperation with China," said Shane Tedjarati, president of Honeywell Global High Growth Regions, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The CIIE, the first-ever Chinese fair focusing exclusively on imported goods and services, draws over 2,800 companies from over 130 countries and regions.

China is expected to import 10 trillion U.S. dollars worth of goods and services in the next five years, which will bring lots of opportunities for global companies.

"Through the CIIE, Honeywell will introduce a series of hi-tech connected technologies to support China's booming digital economy," Tedjarati said.

During the upcoming expo, Honeywell Booth will sit at the High-end Intelligent Equipment Hall in Shanghai's National Exhibition and Convention Center. Honeywell's brand-new connected supply chain solution Connected Freight will come to the Chinese market for the first time, said Tedjarati.

The solution can provide real-time information about the location and condition of critical freight while in transit. With it, shippers and logistics companies will have unprecedented ability to monitor shipments of high-value and perishable goods, which could help prevent costly damage and loss, according to Tedjarati.

Logistics has become one of China's pillar industries. According to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, by 2025, the size of the smart logistics market will exceed 1 trillion yuan (143.8 billion U.S. dollars).

At the CIIE, Honeywell will also have some signings with Chinese customers, said Tedjarati.

Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, has a long history in China, dating back to 1935 when it established the first sales franchise in Shanghai. Over the past decade, the company has witnessed rapid development in China.

China is the largest market for Honeywell outside the United States and it is also the biggest contributor to Honeywell's growth, Tedjarati said. The company now employs about 13,000 people in more than 30 cities across China. About 20 percent are scientists and engineers.

Earlier in 2017, Honeywell set up Connected Enterprise business in China, the only regional team beyond the U.S. market.

"This testifies to the importance Honeywell has attached to and the confidence it has in the Chinese digital economy development," Tedjarati said.

In recent years, China has undergone an amazing digital revolution, which is transforming the way people live and work with exciting new technologies that connect each other and incorporate software and data in new ways in the country.

As a hi-tech industrial company, Honeywell is evolving into a software industrial company, which is "very aligned with" China's Internet Plus strategy, Tedjarati said.

China's efforts to improve its environment and build a "beautiful China" bring huge opportunities for companies like Honeywell too, he said.

"More than 50 percent of Honeywell's portfolio delivers energy efficiency. With more than 100 years of commitment and experience in sustainability and energy conservation, Honeywell can support China's industrial upgrading and help Chinese businesses speed up the transition and improve energy efficiency."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:21:17|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced Saudi handling of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling it the "worst cover-up ever", as Washington was revoking visas of Saudi officials involved in the case.

Trump told reporters at the White House that the incident was poorly managed by the Saudi authorities. "Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," he said.

Later in the day, Trump described the killing and the following cover-up as "a total fiasco."

Speaking to reporters, Trump also revealed that he will be fully informed by the U.S. intelligence personnel who were on their way back after investigations in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Also on Tuesday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with The Washington Post, which Khashoggi used to work for, that the United States will continue to dig up the truth about the death of the 59-year-old journalist.

"Our administration is determined to use all means at our disposal to get to the bottom of it," Pence said.

When asked by reporters to comment on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech about the case, Pence said it "flies in the face of earlier assertions that have been made by the Saudi regime."

Erdogan said earlier on Tuesday that Khashoggi's murder was planned days in advance.

Later in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States is revoking visas of Saudi officials who were suspected of involvement in the death of Khashoggi.

It was the first concrete step of punishment taken by the Trump administration after the disclosure of Khashoggi's death in Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul.

The State Department later told media that 21 Saudis are under visa penalties.

Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:26:18|Editor: xuxin

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SUVA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- More than 40 villages will be displaced in the next couple of years, said Duke of Sussex Prince Harry on Wednesday in his royal tour to Fiji.

Speaking in Colo-i-Suva forest during the unveiling of a plaque, Prince Harry said since 2012, five more villages in Fiji have been moved due to rising water level.

He said climate change is having a significant impact on Fiji and a profound effect on people's lives and it should not be ignored.

In the next 18 months, 10 more villages in Fiji will be relocated and within the next couple of years over 40 villages will be displaced, he stressed.

As of last week, 42 of the 53 Commonwealth nations joined the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project which is aimed at planting new forests, he added.

The project is an initiative that began in 2015 as part of a network of forest conservation programmes throughout the 53 countries of the Commonwealth nations.

Prince Harry also unveiled a plaque dedicating it to the project and planted a tree in Colo-i-Suva.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who started their Fiji tour on Tuesday, will visit the island nation of Tonga on Thursday.

This is the couple's first major official tour outside Britain. The 16-day visit to the four Commonwealth nations focuses on youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:26:18|Editor: xuxin

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SOFIA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's coalition government of the center-right GERB party and the nationalist United Patriots on Wednesday survived the third no-confidence motion in parliament.

The motion was backed by 99 deputies of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, while 133 voted against it.

The BSP filed the no-trust motion on Oct. 15, accusing the government led by GERB Chairman Boyko Borissov of unwillingness and inability to cope with "the catastrophic state of the healthcare sector."

The opposition filed the first and second no-confidence motions against the cabinet in January and June because of the government's alleged inability to cope with corruption and security issues respectively, but they were backed by only 103 and 104 legislators in the 240-seat parliament.

All no-confidence motions in Bulgaria in the last 28 years have been unsuccessful.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:26:19|Editor: xuxin

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The top UN humanitarian official on Tuesday warned of "a clear and present danger" of an imminent famine in war-torn Yemen and demanded a humanitarian cease-fire to avert that.

"There is now a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen -- much bigger than anything any professional in this field has encountered during their working lives," UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock told the Security Council at a briefing.

The latest estimate is that 14 million Yemenis, some half of the total population of the country, are likely to face pre-famine conditions, where they are entirely reliant on external aid for survival, said Lowcock.

"In my update for you last month I said that an additional 3.5 million people are likely to become severely food insecure in the months ahead ...," said Lowcock, who is also the world body's emergency relief coordinator.

The number of people who rely on urgent food aid for survival now stands at 14 million, instead of 11 million, he emphasized.

While millions of people have been surviving on emergency food assistance for years, the help they get is enough merely to survive, not to thrive, he noted.

The immune systems of millions of people on survival support for years are now literally collapsing, making them, especially children and the elderly, more likely to succumb to malnutrition, cholera and other diseases, he said.

The dire situation is mainly due to fierce fighting in Hudaydah, which chokes the lifeline that aid operations and commercial imports rely on, and due to the collapse of the domestic economy, said Lowcock.

Fierce clashes have continued in Hudaydah, including intense fighting, shelling and airstrikes in the Red Sea port of Hudaydah over the last several days, he said. More than 570,000 people have been forced from their homes across the Hudaydah governorate since fighting escalated in mid-June.

Due to ongoing clashes, the eastern road from Hudaydah to the capital city of Sanaa remains blocked, which impacts trade and convoys from the key ports that serve all the population centers of northern Yemen, said Lowcock.

Clashes have also continued to block access to a milling facility that contains enough aid-financed grain to feed 3.7 million people for a month, and several humanitarian warehouses have been occupied for over two months, he said.

In the absence of a cessation of hostilities, especially around Hudaydah port, the relief effort will ultimately be simply overwhelmed, warned Lowcock.

On the economy, the central problem is that Yemen is almost entirely reliant on imports for food, fuel and medicines. And the available foreign exchange has been simply inadequate to finance adequate levels of imports to support the population, he explained.

Since 2015, Yemen's gross domestic product has halved. More than 600,000 jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants and pensioners have not received regular payments since late 2016. More than 1.5 million families are no longer receiving support through public safety nets. More than 80 percent of Yemenis now live below the poverty line, he said.

To make things worse, the Yemeni government appears to be planning further restrictions on traders importing essential commodities, he said.

Traders trying to import six key commodities -- wheat, rice, sugar, milk, cooking oil and fuel oil derivatives -- are now being told that they must secure lines of credit from Yemen's central bank. But only a handful of lines of credit have been issued since June, mostly in just the last few days, he said.

Enforcement of these regulations is already having alarming effect. Two vessels carrying more than 29,000 tons of fuel have at the government's request been refused entry into Yemen in recent days.

"If current trends continue, water services and sanitation facilities will inevitably be either curtailed or cut altogether," he warned.

The government has announced that it intends to extend enforcement of the new regulations to food imports starting Nov. 9. Unless steps are taken to expedite the process or waive the new requirements, imports of key food commodities and fuel could fall by half, he said.

"That would, for reasons I have explained, be the death knell for countless innocent civilians, most of them women and children," he said.

Delays in issuing visas, restrictions on importation of equipment and cargo, retraction of permits, interference in humanitarian assessment exercises, interference in monitoring and other obstructions all limit the ability of humanitarian agencies to provide life-saving assistance to innocent civilians, said Lowcock.

He asked for the UN Security Council support in securing a humanitarian cease-fire -- a cessation of hostilities in and around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operations and commercial importers rely.

"A humanitarian cease-fire would reflect the obligations of the parties to the conflict to uphold international humanitarian law and to do everything possible to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance," he told the Security Council.

Lowcock also urged to protect the supply of food and essential goods across the country. Humanitarian and commercial imports must flow into all ports and onward to their final destinations. This means lifting planned and existing restrictions on imports and keeping the main transport routes open and safe, he said.

Lowcock called for a larger and faster injection of foreign exchange into the Yemeni economy through Yemen's central bank, along with expediting credit for traders, and payment of pensioners and civil servants.

He also asked for increased funding and support for the humanitarian operation and called on the belligerents to engage themselves to find a solution to the conflict.

Yemen has been in civil war in the past three years, pitting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that tries to reinstate the Hadi government.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 16:36:22|Editor: xuxin

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People walk across a railway track in Kolkata, India on Oct. 24, 2018. The state-owned Indian Railways is planning to put fencing along all train tracks across the country in order to prevent people from illegally entering, officials said Wednesday. According to railways data, some 50,000 people died in India after being mowed down by trains while crossing tracks between 2015 and 2017. (Xinhua/Tumpa Mondal)

NEW DELHI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The state-owned Indian Railways is planning to put fencing along all train tracks across the country in order to prevent people from illegally entering, officials said Wednesday.

"This has been suggested by railway police in the wake of the deaths of as many as 61 people who were hit by a train in the northern state of Punjab's Amritsar city Friday while watching the celebrations of Hindu festival of Dussehra from railway tracks," a senior official said.

According to railways data, some 50,000 people died in India after being mowed down by trains while crossing tracks between 2015 and 2017.

"Anyone coming to train tracks is considered a trespasser by the Indian Railways. The railway police also imposes fines on such people. But fencing will once and for all put an end to deaths on railway tracks," the official added.

The Indian Railways is one of the world's largest train networks, criss-crossing the country from north to south. It operates more than 9,000 passenger trains and carries nearly 23 million passengers every day.

This vast public enterprise can be referred to as a semi-state. It runs schools, hospitals, has it own police force and construction companies, and has 1.3 million people on its payroll, making it the seventh biggest employer in the world.

However, train disasters are common in India as much of the colonial-era rail infrastructure is out of date. In 2015, the Indian government pledged 137 billion U.S. dollars over five years to modernize and expand the railways.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 19:15:08|Editor: xuxin

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A racer competes during the buffalo racing in Chonburi, Thailand, Oct. 23, 2018. Hundreds of buffaloes took part in the centuries-old buffalo racing festival held annually in October among rice farmers to celebrate the rice harvest. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 17:16:32|Editor: mmm

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Pakistani security officials inspect the shooting site outside a school in southwest Pakistan's Quetta on Oct. 24, 2018. At least four kids were injured when unknown gunmen attacked a school in Pakistan's southwest Quetta city on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Irfan)

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least four kids were injured when unknown gunmen attacked a school in Pakistan's southwest Quetta city on Wednesday.

The students including three boys and a girl received bullet injuries in their lower limbs and their condition is stable, Waseem Baig, spokesperson of the Civil Hospital Quetta where all the injured kids were shifted, told Xinhua.

The incident happened when some unknown gunmen sprayed bullets at the students when they were leaving for their homes after attending the school.

The militants fled the scene after the assault, and no group or individual has claimed the attack yet.

The incident happened in Kali Shabu area of Quetta, the provincial capital of the country's southwest Balochistan province.

Police rushed to the attack site after the incident and cordoned it off for investigations.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 17:31:34|Editor: Yurou

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Mongolian Prime Minister and head of the ruling Mongolian People's Party Ukhnaa Khurelsukh meets with Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Asigang)

ULAN BATOR, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian Prime Minister and head of the ruling Mongolian People's Party Ukhnaa Khurelsukh met here Tuesday with senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Li Hongzhong.

Li, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee, led a CPC delegation on a visit to the East Asian country on Oct. 21-24. Mongolia's Parliament Speaker, Miyegombo Enkhbold, was also present at the Tuesday meeting.

Li said that the CPC and the Chinese government attach great importance to China-Mongolia relations and always place bilateral ties in an important position in China's neighboring diplomacy.

During the state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Mongolia in 2014, China and Mongolia lifted their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has provided the direction for the development of bilateral ties, Li said.

Leaders of the two countries have met several times this year and reached a series of important consensus on deepening China-Mongolia relations, Li said, adding that the two countries have been strengthening their political mutual trust and accelerating the alignment of their development strategies.

China is willing to work together with the Mongolian side to implement the important consensus between their leaders, and jointly promote bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, he said.

During the meeting, Khurelsukh and Enkhbold spoke highly of China's remarkable achievements made under the CPC leadership with Xi at the core since the 18th CPC National Congress, noting that in recent years, Mongolia-China relations have developed smoothly and bilateral cooperation has yielded fruits in various fields.

They expressed Mongolia's willingness to work with China to consolidate the political foundation of bilateral ties, dovetail their development strategies and promote practical cooperation in various fields so as to better benefit the two peoples.

During the CPC delegation's stay, Li met separately with Mongolia's Deputy Prime Minister Ulziisaikhan Enkhtuvshin, head of the Mongolian cabinet secretariat Gombojav Zandanshatar and chairman of Mongolia's opposition Democratic Party Sodnomzundui Erdene.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 17:36:38|Editor: xuxin

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VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Siberia is becoming an increasingly attractive target for international terrorists, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said Wednesday at a council meeting in Novosibirsk.

"Terrorist activity in the region is on the rise. There is a high risk of international terrorist organizations slipping into Siberia," Sputnik news agency quoted Patrushev as saying.

According to Patrushev, in the first nine months of this year, the council received 56 cases on terrorism-related charges.

He called for extra anti-terror measures for protection of fuel and energy facilities, especially in Khakassia, Trans-Baikal Territory, Novosibirsk and Tomsk Regions.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 17:41:38|Editor: xuxin

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BRASILIA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- As Brazil's presidential race heads into the homestretch, conservative Social Liberal Party (PSL) candidate Jair Bolsonaro takes a commanding lead over rival Fernando Haddad of the left-leaning Workers' Party (PT).

With just days left before the Oct. 28 run-off, Bolsonaro has a 14 percent to 20 percent advantage, according to the latest polls.

Surveys show that Bolsonaro has the support from 57 percent to 60 percent of the voters, compared with 40 percent to 43 percent for Haddad.

The outlook is grim for Haddad, who has described this race as a dispute between democracy and authoritarianism, given Bolsonaro's hardline campaign platform.

History shows a second-placed candidate has never been able to turn things around and win a presidential runoff in Brazil.

Additionally, Brazil's progressive sectors failed to unite behind Haddad, who was primarily hoping for an endorsement from ex-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. While Cardoso repeatedly expressed concern about Bolsonaro's outspoken right-wing views, he declined to support the PT candidate.

As Bolsonaro rose in the polls, Haddad changed tactic, deciding to distance himself from the PT's original candidate and spiritual leader -- ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is currently serving a 12-year prison term for corruption. He also admitted the PT made mistakes.

But the change in strategy made little difference.

Bolsonaro has maintained his lead even after allegations surfaced last week that his supporters paid millions to spread fake news via social networks.

The nation's top election body, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), opened an investigation into the charges but otherwise took no action, saying it was confident that Sunday's voting will go off without a hitch.

In another incident, Eduardo Bolsonaro, the candidate's son, was caught on video suggesting the top judicial body, the supreme court could be easily shut down with just "a corporal and a soldier."

The remarks angered supreme court judges, who said it was "irresponsible" and evocative of a "coup." Bolsonaro apologized on behalf of his son and expressed his respect for the high court.

During a campaign rally in Sao Paulo on Sunday, Bolsonaro again sparked outcries, saying his "red" adversaries should either leave the country or go to prison, including Haddad.

But these incidents have failed to make a dent in his popularity.

Aware of his strong lead, the PSL candidate refused to take part in traditional televised presidential debates, admitting it was a campaign strategy. His running mate Hamilton Mourao, a retired general, and economic adviser Paulo Guedes, have similarly kept a low profile.

Unless something comes up that could have a major impact on voters, everything points to a decisive Bolsonaro victory on Sunday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 17:46:39|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least six people have been killed in clashes between two communities over local body polls in the western Indian state of Gujarat, police said Wednesday.

The clashes took place at Chhasra village in the state's Kutch district Tuesday night.

According to police, some members of a community held a grudge against the other after facing defeat in local polls.

"An argument broke out and soon people from both sides suddenly attacked each other with sharp weapons, in which six people died," local police chief M.S. Bharada told the media.

Two people who sustained injuries in the incident have been hospitalized, he added.

"A probe has been ordered into the incident and a huge police force has been deployed in the village to prevent any untoward incident," another police official said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 18:11:46|Editor: xuxin

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Mourners and relatives carry the body of Mohammed Besharat during his funeral in the village of Tamoun, near the West Bank city of Tubas, on Oct. 24, 2018. Mohammad Besharat, 21, was fatally shot in the chest by Israeli gunfire during clashes, said the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)

RAMALLAH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian youth was shot dead during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said Wednesday.

Mohammad Besharat, 21, was fatally shot by Israeli gunfire in the chest during the clashes, said the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

Several others were wounded by live ammunition and rubber coated bullets and suffocated by tear gas, it added.

Witnesses said clashes broke out after Israeli forces raided the village of Tamoun, located near Tubas in the West Bank's Northern Valleys.

No Israeli sources were available for comment on the incident.

Israeli forces regularly raid Palestinian territories in the West Bank to arrest wanted Palestinians, while Palestinians say the arrests tend to be arbitrary and target civilians.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 18:41:58|Editor: Yurou

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HANGZHOU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Geely Group Company and Germany's Daimler Mobility Services announced Wednesday that they will form a premium ride-hailing joint venture in China.

The joint venture will provide ride-hailing mobility services in several Chinese cities using premium vehicles including Mercedes-Benz vehicles, according to a statement issued by the two companies.

The fleet initially will include Mercedes Benz S-Class, E-Class and V-Class, as well as Maybach vehicles, and could be supplemented by premium electric vehicles of the Geely Group.

The joint venture, which will have a 50-50 ownership split, will be headquartered in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. Daimler Mobility Services is a subsidiary of German automaker Daimler Group and Geely Group Company is Chinese carmaker Geely Holding Group's new business entity.

The two companies will jointly develop the software infrastructure required to support the business in China.

"The joint venture will play a significant role as we continue to enlarge our portfolio and global presence and solidify our strong position in the mobility market," said Klaus Entenmann, head of Daimler Financial Services.

Geely Holding launched CaoCao, the Chinese domestic ride-hailing service that currently has more than 17 million registered users, with 1 million regular active users on the app, according to the statement.

Daimler is currently providing free-floating as well as station-based car-sharing services to over 470,000 customers in China, it added.

"The development of such services, in which both companies already have a presence, forms part of our transformation from a vehicle manufacturer into a global automotive technology group," said An Conghui, president of Geely Holding.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 18:52:00|Editor: Li Xia

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HAVANA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren , who is on a visit here on Tuesday, expressed solidarity with the caravan of thousands of Central American migrants heading to the United States.

In statements to the press upon arrival in Havana for a five-day official visit to Cuba, Sanchez Ceren said his government is "totally opposed" to U.S. President Donald Trump's vision regarding emigration.

"For us to emigrate is a human right, therefore the right of these migrants must be respected," he said.

"We express our solidarity with that migrant caravan and we believe that Mexico will not lend itself to Trump's maneuvers," he said.

Sanchez Ceren said that in the case of Salvadoran migrants, they constitute an important part of the population in the United States and help its economy grow.

The president said his government has developed programs to reduce emigration and homicides, without depending on the aid offered by Washington, which will possibly be cut off.

The Salvadoran president also said his Cuba visit seeks to deepen friendship and exchanges after both countries restored diplomatic ties in 2009.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 18:57:05|Editor: Li Xia

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Valletta, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- All agreements between Malta and the UK are to remain in force after Brexit, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said.

Muscat on Tuesday said that all bilateral arrangements between the two countries will remain in place, including a 40-year-old reciprocal agreement which allows Maltese citizens to receive free health care treatment in the UK.

It had been agreed that European Union (EU) member states would not negotiate bilaterally with the UK until EU-level negotiations with Britain were concluded.

Muscat said that Britain's attitude had been "very conducive to continued good relations with Malta." The two countries will negotiate a comprehensive framework agreement on various sectors, covering the Malta-UK agreements concluded over the years.

"Besides being EU members, we are also members of the Commonwealth and have a very strong relationship with the UK. There is an understanding between both sides that in no way will citizens who live in our two countries be made to go through any negative experiences," Muscat stressed.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 19:12:09|Editor: xuxin

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will face additional charges related to mismanagement of government funds when he was in office, the country's anti-corruption body said Wednesday.

Najib was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Wednesday and is expected to face additional charges along with two of his former senior aides.

In a statement, the MACC said it had received permission to charge Najib, who was also the finance minister when in office, and former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah.

The two were summoned to the MACC headquarters to complete the final processes of investigation and charges, and will be facing charges over breach of trust involving funds belonging to the Malaysian government, the commission added.

Najib is already facing 32 charges including money laundering, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust related to the investigation into state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), where hundreds of millions of dollars were allegedly went missing.

It is unknown how many further charges will be added when he is to be summoned to a Kuala Lumpur court on Thursday.

Separately, the MACC said the former Malaysian External Intelligence Organization (MEIO) director-general Hasanah Ab Hamid, another former senior aide to Najib, will be charged on Thursday for breach of trust involving Malaysian government money.

MEIO was an intelligence unit under the Prime Minister's Department during the Najib administration, and Hasanah was reported to have misappropriated millions of funds. She was also involved in controversies for writing a letter to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency before the general election in May to seek U.S. support for Najib.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 19:37:15|Editor: xuxin

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PARIS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- France's main economic sectors lost momentum in October but local manufacturers expressed optimism about their future activities, the national statistics bureau Insee said Wednesday.

The business climate indicator lost one percentage point to 104 but it remains above its long-term average of 100 points.

"The turning point indicator for the French economy as a whole remains in the area indicating a favorable short-term economic outlook," Insee said in a monthly report.

Over the period, the employment climate is stable. The associated composite indicator stands at 107 for the third month in a row, well above its long-term average, it added.

October industrial sentiment indicator stood at 104, down by three points with overall order books has dropped significantly to minus 12.

However, "Optimism among manufacturers about the general production prospects for the sector persists," Insee noted, adding the turning-point indicator indicated a favorable economic outlook.

As for services, the index was unchanged at 105 for the second consecutive month, while that of retail trade lost four percentage points to 105.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 19:42:16|Editor: mmm

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Opening ceremony of a Friendship Forum to celebrate the 5th anniversary of unveiling the Belt and Road Initiative is held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Oct. 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Ajith Perera)

COLOMBO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Friendship Forum to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative kicked off in here on Wednesday.

Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, who was also the chief guest at the event, said Sri Lanka was looking forward to the Belt and Road Initiative as it was already benefiting the island country.

Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka was part of the ancient Silk Road in history and at that time, the island was an international trading hub and through the Silk Road, Sri Lanka was able to trade with many countries.

"I am sure the Belt and Road Initiative would bring about drastic changes to the economies of several countries across the world and we are looking forward to it," Jayasuriya said.

"Sri Lanka has always been treating China as a special friend and I am sure this Friendship Forum would further strengthen our ties," he added.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, proposed in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.

Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka said Sri Lanka had been a maritime trading hub throughout history and Chinese merchant ships had been frequenting ancient Sri Lankan ports at Galle and Beruwala, in the south, Trincomalee in the east and Mannar in the north.

Today, China remains a strong friend and partner to Sri Lanka and the island is one of the first countries to pledge its support to the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

He added that China has always been direct, open and consistent in its approach and China's contributions to Sri Lanka have always been productive with tangible and visible results.

Lin Yi, Vice President of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Counties, said the Belt and Road Initiative had gained remarkable achievements within the short period of five years due to the full support of governments from all countries as well as the effort from many friendship organizations from across the globe.

Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan said over the past five years, the Belt and Road Initiative had developed from an initiative to a reality, from a vision to an important platform for building a community of shared future for mankind, and had become a well-received public product internationally.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 19:57:20|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was supported by the United States, official IRNA news agency reported.

"I don't think a country could have the courage to do such a crime without the support of the United States," Rouhani said in the cabinet meeting.

"They (Saudis) do such a crime with a reliance on a superpower which supports them and does not let the international courts decide on any measures against them," he added.

Meawhile, Rouhani urged the Turkish government to continue "impartial and precise investigations to unearth the fact for the world opinion."

The Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi crown prince, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:16:05|Editor: xuxin

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People pay homage on Myanmar's traditional Thadingyut lantern festival at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, Oct. 24, 2018. The Thadingyut lantern festival is held on the full moon day of the Burmese Lunar month of Thadingyut. Myanmar people used to hold ceremonies to pay respect to the elder people with gifts. (Xinhua/U Aung)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:17:25|Editor: xuxin

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MADRID, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday defended the decision taken by the Spanish Congress to maintain arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the light of the case of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Although he told the Spanish Congress that his government "defended human rights, peace and freedom," and expressed his "repulsion" over Khashoggi's death, Sanchez said Spain would also continue to sell arms to the Saudis as it was in "Spain's interests" to do so.

"I defend the interests of Spain and I assume the international obligations," said Sanchez in Wednesday's appearance in the Congress.

"I have to concede interests from one perspective that others don't have, and have a long term view," commented the Prime Minister, adding he had to think about "what most interests society" and the need to "care for judicial security and contractual obligations."

The Spanish government in September performed a U-turn on a decision to block the sale of 400 bombs to Saudi Arabia after the bombing of a school bus in Yemen, due to fears the decision would lead the Saudi's cancelling of a contract for the construction of five corvettes in shipyards in the Bay of Cadiz in the community of Andalusia in southwest Spain.

This contract is worth around 1.8 billion euros and generates around 6,000 jobs in one of the regions with the highest unemployment rates in Spain. Losing the contract would also be a blow to Sanchez's Socialist Party who recently called elections for the Andalusian regional assembly for the beginning of December.

Sanchez highlighted that the contract was signed by the former People's Party (PP) government of Mariano Rajoy and explained that it fulfilled both Spanish and international obligations over arms exports.

PP leader Pablo Casado made no reference to an arms embargo in his appearance in Congress, while the leader of center-right party, Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera said Spain should respect its current contracts while revising future arms sales.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:27:28|Editor: xuxin

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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem (R) speaks with visiting UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura during a meeting at the Syrian Foreign Ministry in Damascus, Syria, on Oct. 24, 2018. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Wednesday that the Syrian constitution is a sovereign matter which should be decided without foreign interference. Al-Muallem made the remarks during his meeting with visiting UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, who arrived in the capital Damascus earlier in the day for talks over the formation of the constitution committee to draft a post-war constitution in Syria. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, Oct.24 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Wednesday that the Syrian constitution is a sovereign matter which should be decided without foreign interference, state news agency SANA reported.

Al-Muallem made the remarks during his meeting with visiting UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, who arrived in the capital Damascus earlier in the day for talks over the formation of the constitution committee to draft a post-war constitution in Syria.

The constitution and all relevant issues are a sovereign matter which should be decided by the Syrian people without any foreign interference, the minister said.

The Syrian government has positively dealt with the process of forming a constitutional committee to discuss the constitution, he added.

The meeting between al-Muallem and de Mistura touched upon the joint efforts to push forward the political track for the more than seven-year war in Syria, SANA reported.

Al-Muallem highlighted the Syrian government's keenness to continue efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis, it said.

The constitutional committee is expected to include 150 members, equally divided into three groups, one chosen by the government, the second by the opposition and the third by de Mistura himself.

In recent remarks ahead of his visit to Damascus, de Mistura said the objection remains, mainly from the government, over the third list that the UN is tasked with to include civil society representatives, religious and tribal leaders, experts and women in the committee.

Apparently, the envoy will try to ease the concerns of Damascus about the third list.

The 71-year-old UN envoy, who said he will resign at the end of November for "purely personal reasons" and whose successor has not yet been named, expressed hope to "be in a position" to convene the constitutional committee in November.

The Russians also seem to push for the formation of the constitutional committee, as part of a plan to draft a new Syrian constitution which has been under discussion since January.

But the process has since been hampered by disagreements over the formation of the committee to draft the charter.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin on Friday to discuss the political process in Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:27:30|Editor: xuxin

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ATHENS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Former Greek minister Yiannos Papantoniou and his wife Stavroula Kourakou were incarcerated in Korydallos prison at a Piraeus port suburb on Wednesday following a prosecutor's decision, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

Greek judicial authorities ordered that the couple be remanded in custody following their testimony on charges of money laundering.

The 69-year-old former official and his spouse denied charges of having laundered 2.8 million euros (3.19 million U.S. dollars) in kickbacks for a contract to upgrade six Greek navy frigates, according to judicial sources.

The contract was signed in 2003 when Papantoniou was at the helm of the defense ministry (2001-2003). Earlier he had also served as Economy and Finance minister in a socialist government.

In November 2014 the former minister was convicted by an Athens court of failing to declare 1.2 million euros found in a Swiss bank account held under his wife's name as part of an investigation launched regarding 2,000 Greeks who were major depositors in an HSBC branch in Switzerland.

The Greek list was part of a wider database leaked by an HSBC former employee to French authorities and was handed to Greek authorities from International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde, when she serving as France's finance minister in 2010.

For this case Papantoniou has filed an appeal to the European court of human rights against the Greek courts' ruling.

For a similar case on charges of receiving kickbacks and money laundering former defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos (1996-2001) was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2016.

Tsochatzopoulos, 79, also a socialist, was released this summer due to ill health.

He was the highest former official to be convicted for corruption in Greece in several decades.

His wife, Vicky Stamati, who was also sentenced to 12 years in prison for the same case, was released in 2015 for health issues. (1 euro=1.14 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:32:32|Editor: xuxin

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SANAA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least three people, including a child, were killed when a Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a gathering of internally displaced families in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, a local hospital official said.

Six others were critically wounded and sent to hospital for treatment, the official told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.

Last week, a coalition airstrike killed 17 passengers fleeing escalating war in Hodeidah, and injured 20 others.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The Yemeni civil war has so far killed more than 10,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million others.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:42:36|Editor: xuxin

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MADRID, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A joint operation by Spanish Civil Guards and National Police on Wednesday led to the seizure of over 6,000 kg of cocaine in Malaga, southern Spain, in what is thought to be the second biggest seizure of cocaine ever made on land in Europe.

The police informed that the drug, which has an estimated street value of over 360 million euros (410 million U.S. dollars), was discovered in a shipment of bananas in a warehouse at the Santa Teresa industrial estate on the city's outskirts.

A total of 15 people have been arrested in connection with the discovery, but since the operation is still ongoing, Spanish media reported that the number of arrests could rise to up to 30.

The operation included members of the anti-drugs and organized crime unit (Udyco and Greco) of the National Police and the Civil Guards Central Operations Unit (UCO), with witnesses describing how "at least" 20 camouflaged cars and three vans belonging to anti-disturbance police descended on the warehouse.

The building is situated in a quiet part of the industrial estate and had only recently been rented out. Inside the building, the police also discovered a freezer truck, vans, and a Chrysler Voyager vehicle.

This discovery comes just 24 hours after the police confirmed the seizure of a further 1,400 kg of cocaine from a tugboat which was intercepted by agents from Udyco in an operation around 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

Ports in the south and southwest of Spain are used by organizations looking to smuggle cocaine from Latin America. The biggest haul of cocaine ever seized in Europe was in the southern port of Algeciras in April this year, when police and customs agents discovered a container with 8,740 kg of cocaine inside.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:47:39|Editor: Yurou

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HANGZHOU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Geely Group Company and Germany's Daimler Mobility Services announced Wednesday that they would form a premium ride-hailing joint venture in China.

The joint venture will provide ride-hailing mobility services in several Chinese cities using premium vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz vehicles, according to a joint statement by the companies.

The fleet will initially include Mercedes Benz S-Class, E-Class and V-Class, as well as Maybach vehicles, and could be supplemented by premium electric vehicles from Geely Group.

The joint venture will have a 50-50 ownership split and be headquartered in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. Daimler Mobility Services is a subsidiary of German automaker Daimler Group, and Geely Group Company is Chinese carmaker Geely Holding Group's new business entity.

The two companies will jointly develop the software infrastructure required to support the business.

"The joint venture will play a significant role as we continue to enlarge our portfolio and global presence and solidify our strong position in the mobility market," said Klaus Entenmann, head of Daimler Financial Services.

Geely Holding launched CaoCao, a Chinese domestic ride-hailing service that currently has more than 17 million registered users, with 1 million regular active users on the app, according to the statement.

Daimler is currently providing free-floating as well as station-based car-sharing services to over 470,000 customers in China, it added.

"The development of such services, in which both companies already have a presence, forms part of our transformation from a vehicle manufacturer into a global automotive technology group," said An Conghui, president of Geely Holding.

"There is still great potential for the ride-hailing industry in China," said Chen Liteng, an analyst on digital economy. "To meet growing customer need is probably why automakers like Geely have ventured into the business."

However, Chen said it was still early to predict how the market would react to premium ride-hailing services, as high-end vehicles like Mercedes Benz may not be optimal for daily commuting, due to their high cost.

For many customers, the services provided by the new joint venture will simply offer another means to get home early.

"I have installed two ride-hailing apps on my phone, but it is still very hard to get a car during rush hour or on rainy days," said Zhou Zhaozhong, who works in Hangzhou.

Zhou said cost would be the biggest factor for customers when choosing if to use the service.

In 2017, the total volume of the ride-hailing market in China reached 30 billion U.S. dollars, according to consulting firm Bain.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:47:41|Editor: Yurou

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Weizhe Hong, a Chinese assistant professor of biological chemistry and neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), was one of 18 outstanding young scientists to be awarded the Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering for 2018, UCLA said on Tuesday.

Hong's laboratory seeks to understand how animals, including humans, exhibit a broad range of complex social interaction that are crucial to their survival and well-being.

His team uses optogenetics, imaging, genomics and machine learning to study how networks of neurons in the brain control social behaviors and how those networks become disturbed in disorders such as autism spectrum disorder.

Established in 1988, Packard Fellowships, which are presented by the Packard Foundation, enable the most promising early-career professors of the United States to pursue science and engineering research.

Each year, the Foundation invites the presidents of 50 universities to nominate two early-career professors each from their institutions. An advisory panel of distinguished scientists and engineers reviews the nominations and selects 18 Fellows to receive individual grants of 875,000 U.S. dollars distributed over five years.

"By providing the freedom for brilliant young scholars to pursue new frontiers in science, this prestigious award will allow Hong to further explore and expand our understanding of how the brain works," said Kelsey Martin, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"This type of scientific exploration can eventually lead to the development of new treatments for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders," Martin said.

Hong joined UCLA in 2016 after completing postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and earning a doctorate from Stanford University.

"It really is amazing to see what brilliant researchers can do when given the room to take big risks," said Frances Arnold, chair of the Packard Fellowships advisory panel.

"I'm not only talking about their impressive contributions to their fields. I'm also talking about building entirely new disciplines and giving back to the next generation of scientists," Arnold said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 20:52:42|Editor: xuxin

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by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States mulling to pull out of the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty will fret over the possibility of a new round of arms race worldwide, said U.S. experts.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his intention to withdraw his country from the 1987 treaty, citing Russia's violation of the deal.

On Tuesday, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, said that the United States will file a formal notice of its withdrawal from the treaty "in due course."

Experts see that the INF treaty probably will be the latest among a string of bilateral or multilateral agreements torn up by Trump as he felt they no longer benefit the United States.

Trump felt that "the United States is not going to be taken advantage of," Republican strategist and TV personality Ford O'Connell told Xinhua.

Moreover, it showed that the Untied States wanted to re-align its relationship with Russia, O'Connell said.

Analysts also noted that pulling out of the accord could allow Washington to develop weapons banned by the agreement.

"Trump withdrew from the INF treaty to give the administration greater flexibility on the deployment of nuclear weapons," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"Throughout his time on the political stage, Trump has often linked nuclear arms with national strength and greatness," noted Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College.

"From his perspective, limits on nuclear arms are limits on American power," the scholar added.

West believed that Bolton likely was behind this move, as he has often taken a tough stance on Russia and argued in favor of greater U.S. military flexibility.

"He is part of the group that wants America to be tougher abroad in its foreign policy," West said.

Meanwhile, analysts also worry that the move may trigger a weapons buildup around the world.

Withdrawal entails significant costs for U.S. and Western security, Steven Pifer, a nonresident scholar with the Brookings Institution, told U.S. online media Axios.

"The decision has already sparked controversy within NATO, with officials in Berlin, Rome and Paris criticizing Trump's announcement," Pifer added.

"It would be the first time, essentially, since the 1970s that there would be no nuclear arms control agreements regulating the nuclear powers of the world," Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, a private group in Washington, told National Public Radio.

"So the door would be wide open for, potentially, a new arms race," the expert added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 21:12:46|Editor: xuxin

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ALGIERS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Algeria's lower house of parliament on Wednesday elected Mouad Bouchareb as its new speaker in replace of Said Bouhadja, state APS news agency reported.

A total of 320 out of the 462 lawmakers elected Bouchareb of the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) as the new speaker of the National People's Assembly in a plenary session.

Electing a new speaker has put an end to weeks of crisis in the assembly, after two major parties and pro-regime parties as well as some independents, decided to withdraw confidence from the former speaker Bouhadja, also from the FLN.

Lawmakers from the opposition parties and some independents decided to boycott the session, saying it is illegal procedure.

Meanwhile, Bouhadja said he still considers himself the legitimate speaker of the lower house, as he pleaded to sue his antagonists to reclaim his right.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 21:17:49|Editor: Yurou

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Agriculture economists estimated that if the ongoing trade war with China ignited by the White House persists, the United States could lose 9 million acres of soybeans to Brazil permanently, a U.S. expert has said.

Wally Tyner, an agricultural economist with Purdue University, was quoted Monday by the U.S. leading agriculture industry information website AgWeb as saying that as the trade war with China escalates, it is about 9 million of total 89.6 million acres of soybeans in the country at stake.

"If Brazil and other exporters that compete with us in the world market, if they're able to expand their acreage, if this goes on long enough, Brazil could have an incentive to expand their acreage, and we will not likely get that acreage back," Tyner said.

He added that Brazil is a more attractive option for big buyers like China as cost of soybean production is quite low in Brazil.

Tyner stressed that the United States needs to get moving on negotiations with China, saying: "We need to get back to markets and selling to Chinese markets. That's really important."

However, he predicted that a cease-fire between the United States and China will take much longer than negotiations for the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which cost U.S. trade officials more than one year to negotiate and work through details.

The USMCA is scheduled to be signed by the three countries before the end of November to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 21:22:50|Editor: xuxin

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WINDHOEK, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community's (SADC) energy generation capacity can be sustainable, however it requires commitment through new, smart, ambitious and effective approaches, according to Namibia Energy Minister, Tom Alweendo.

Alweendo said this on occasion of the launch of the Southern African Development Community Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) in Windhoek on Wednesday.

In a statement he said that SACREEE will ensure that sustainable growth of any renewable power business will require the analysis of the interconnected and grid integration.

"I am glad to note that Southern African Power Pool and Regional Energy Regulatory Agency are working together with SACREEE to provide researched models for the amount of renewable energy that can be interconnected to the grid," he added.

According to the minister, the region requires an energy sector that will provide reliable and affordable energy to meet aspirations of a modern and healthy lifestyle.

Alweendo said Namibia has taken big strides in the growth of the renewable energy industry and the involvement of Independent Power Producers.

"Commendable efforts have led to 18 Independent Power Producers that have signed Power Purchase Agreements with NamPower to supply 170 MW of renewable energy generation projects by 2020. As at September 2018, 11 renewable energy power plants have been commissioned, and contribute 55 MW to the country's electricity supplies," he added.

Meanwhile he believes SACREEE will constantly engage countries and assist in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 21:22:51|Editor: xuxin

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MOGADISHU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Somali National Army (SNA) on Wednesday killed four al-Shabab militants including a senior commander and recovered weapons during a military operation in Bakool region, southwest Somalia, officials said.

Ugaas Hassan Abdi, Information Minister for the Southwest State in Somalia, told Xinhua that the senior commander, Moalim Derow was killed alongside his three bodyguards.

"SNA and Southwest State forces killed a senior al-Shabab commander and three of his bodyguards at Lafoole location in Bakool region and recovered four AK47 rifles from the terrorists, no casualties on our side so far," Abdi said.

He added the military operations will continue in several areas in the Southwest State and aim at liberating the regional territory from al-Shabab militants.

Al-Shabab militants did not comment on the latest military progress made by the army and instead said its fighters carried out attacks on two army bases in Qansax-dhere and Afgoye towns in Bay and Lower Shabelle regions respectively in the same Southwest State overnight.

Southwest State is preparing to hold presidential election on Nov. 17, despite security challenges and frequent attacks from al-Shabab militant group.

The group killed 22 people and injured 36 others in Baidoa town, the administrative capital of Southwest in Somalia on Oct. 13 after two suicide bombers wearing vests exploded explosives in the center of the town.
A Palestinian woman holds a baby as she walks past the entrance to an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) health center in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem Oct. 10, 2018. (Reuters file photo)

RAMALLAH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian authorities on Wednesday slammed Israeli attempts to annul the services of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Municipality has started to provide services for residents of Shuafat refugee camp "to impose a new reality in the camp by allowing its municipality to work there instead of the UNRWA," said a joint press release by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Refugees Affairs Commission and the Popular Refugee Camps Committee.

The statement also denounced an earlier visit by Nir Barkat, Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, to the camp as "a provocative step and a message of defiance to the international community, the UNRWA and the Palestinian refugees living in the camp."

Barkat is "seeking to stir up tension in the region" as the services will be offered "in return for taxes on the camp residents," it explained.

On Tuesday night, the PLO Refugees Affairs Commission held a meeting with UNRWA officials in Ramallah City to discuss the Israeli plan to shut down the UNRWA office in the camp, according to the statement.

"All Shuafat refugee camp groups will stand against the plan and not allow it to end the role of UNRWA," the meeting concluded.

As the oldest and largest relief organization, UNRWA was established in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development.

Its services include education, health care, relief, social services, infrastructure, camp improvement and microcredit.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 21:42:55|Editor: xuxin

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RAMALLAH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat condemned Wednesday the attack of Israeli forces against the Coptic priests and members of the community.

The blatant violation at the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in occupied East Jerusalem comes only a week after Israel claimed that Israel protects Christians, Erekat said in a statement.

"The attack is not an isolated case, yet it clearly shows the world the real status of Christianity under the Israeli occupation," the statement said.

Erekat said that it is a continuation of Israeli interference in the status-quo of the sites as well as an aggression against the people of Egypt and Palestine.

He accused U.S. President Donald Trump's administration of continuing "to provide full support to the Israeli occupation and annexation of the city as well as to the continued attacks against the Palestinian people in Jerusalem."

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli police reportedly in Jerusalem oppressed a sit-in by Coptic church, and attacked priests and members of the community. Footage of a priest being put to the ground and handcuffed by a policeman went viral on social media.

The sit-in came in protest of the Israeli government's rejection to allow the church to carry out renovations.

Israeli radio reported that the Israeli police exhausted all peaceful means to disperse the demonstrators before it had to use force.

Palestinian presidential church affairs committee criticized the attack, saying that such action "reveals that Israel is a racist state toward non-Jews and seeks to evacuate Christians from their homeland, particularly Jerusalem."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 21:42:56|Editor: xuxin

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JUBA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Wednesday provided a grant of 43.5 million U.S. dollars to South Sudan to help in the fight against hunger.

Benedict Kanu, AfDB Country Manager in South Sudan, said the donation seeks to provide immediate food assistance to hunger-hit areas of South Sudan.

Kanu added that the contribution will support efforts to improve people's resilience and food security by strengthening the capacity of the South Sudanese government to plan, coordinate and implement disaster risk management and humanitarian responses.

The lender said the Short-Term Regional Emergency Response Project (STRERP) will be implemented by the UN World Food Program (WFP).

"STRERP reflects the Bank's commitment to support its Regional Member Countries in addressing the drivers of food insecurity and unstable food production systems," Kanu said in a statement issued in Juba.

Adnan Khan, WFP Country Director in South Sudan, welcomed the contribution, adding that the funds would enable WFP to provide food aid to an estimated 300,000 people across South Sudan.

"It ( donation) will go a long way in helping us provide life-saving support at a critical period and ensure people have the means to feed themselves not only today but also in the future," Khan said.

According to the food security analysis report released early this month, three UN agencies and the government warned that 6.1 million South Sudanese face extreme hunger and 36,000 others experiencing famine-like conditions in parts of the country.

Although the report projected improved food production in the next three months, it warned that some 36,000 people in the east African country face real threat of famine in the first three months of 2019 if nothing is done to abate the situation.

Manasseh Lomole, chairperson of South Sudan's relief agency, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), said the AfDB assistance will make positive impact on the livelihoods of South Sudanese and help boost food security.

"Signing of the document has come at the right time indeed when our people have returned to the path of peace. When most of our people are returning from exile or internally displaced camps to their homes, this will surely assist our people greatly," said Lomole.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world as some 4 million people are said to be displaced internally and externally since 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 22:13:07|Editor: xuxin

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JUBA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said Wednesday it will host an international energy conference in November to woo global investors and service companies to strengthen the country's dwindling economy.

Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, South Sudan's Petroleum Minister, said the second oil conference will affirm Juba's commitment to spur the sector's growth following the peace deal signed in September.

"All the arrangements to host a two-day conference scheduled for Nov. 21-22 is in progress. The event will focus on addressing the challenges facing the oil exploration and how we can move forwards," Gatkuoth told Xinhua by phone in Juba.

In 2017, South Sudan hosted its first oil conference in an effort to energize the sector's infrastructure development. The November event is expected to woo investors to enter the market.

In September, South Sudan extended oil exploration and production agreements with PETRONAS, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to continue pumping oil in the Unity state oil fields for six more years.

According to the World Bank, South Sudan is the most oil-dependent nation in the world, with oil accounting for almost the totality of exports, and around 60 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 22:48:21|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, adopted on Wednesday a declaration calling for an end to the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba.

Sergei Kalashnikov, deputy chairman of the Council, called the declaration especially important ahead of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel's first visit to Russia on Nov. 1.

Cuba is expected to present a draft resolution on the need to end the U.S. economic, commercial and financial embargo to a United Nations (UN) plenary meeting on Oct. 31.

The Russian Federation Council called on the UN General Assembly, parliaments of UN member states and international parliamentary organizations to support the Cuban draft resolution.

On Oct. 18, Russia's State Duma, the lower parliament house, passed a separate declaration calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:03:27|Editor: yan

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ROME, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A dispute between Italy and France continued Wednesday as French authorities denied allegations by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini that French police are "dumping" migrants across the border.

Salvini on Tuesday accused France of trying to expel underage migrants by driving them unofficially into Italy and "dumping them" by the side of the road.

On Wednesday, the French Prefecture of the Hautes-Alpes "denied expelling underage migrants into Italy on the night of October 17-18, as stated on social media by... Salvini," French news channel BFMTV reported.

Citing an official statement, the French news channel said that unaccompanied minors are "systematically placed in (French) ... facilities, and not handed over to Italian authorities".

Salvini, who also serves as deputy prime minister of Italy, has ordered a permanent police patrol in the northern Piedmont region along the border with France, where unofficial "migrant dumping" incidents have been reportedly taking place over the past several days.

"France has tried to repel underage migrants into Italy," Salvini, leader of Italy's rightwing, anti-immigrant and euro-skeptic League, tweeted on Tuesday.

"It happened on Oct. 18 after 22:30, but we stopped them," wrote Salvini, who last week posted a video showing a French gendarmerie (police) van dropping off three people, who appear to be African, on a road near the Italian ski resort of Claviere, which lies close to the French border.

"I confirm the permanent presence of a patrol at the border and I confirm my invitation to Rome to French Interior Minister (Christophe) Castaner, it is essential we definitively shed light on these episodes," Salvini added on Tuesday.

Also on Wednesday, ANSA Italian news agency cited the French prefecture as saying the video showed an officially authorized "procedure of non-admission at the border".

NGOs like Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have denounced what they said are "systematic rights violations, illegal practices and violence" by French police against migrants and asylum seekers at the border with Italy.

Migrants allege that French police insult them, chase them with guns through the woods, deny them medical attention, and interrogate them without interpreters.

Turin prosecutors have opened an investigation into the border incidents, ANSA reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:13:29|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian police killed at least 11 militants on Wednesday in exchange of fire in the western desert of Egypt, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The shootout erupted while the security forces were combing the remote areas in the western desert in Upper Egypt, where terrorists used to take as hideouts, according to the statement.

The security forces gathered near the mountainous areas in Assiut Province, and broke into the terrorist camps when they were training to use explosive devices.

Five explosive belts, four automatic weapons, three guns and several maps were seized in the raid.

The statement added that efforts to strike terrorist organizations continue in order to track down terrorist elements at large who plot schemes against the country.

"Egypt is currently adopting proactive measures in combating terrorism instead of defending against actual attacks or security violations," said Samir Ghats, chairman of Cairo-based Middle East Forum for Islamic Movements Studies.

After the Islamic State was defeated in Iraq and Syria, Egypt's borders with neighboring Libya are vulnerable to penetration of militants, Ghats explained.

Over the past few months, Egypt applied new tactics of combing and searching for terrorists' possible strongholds to prevent any assault, which resulted in killing tens of terrorists, he noted.

The Sinai-based terrorist activities started to gain strength after the 2013 military ouster of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in response to massive protests against his one-year rule.

The raid on Wednesday is part of the anti-terror "Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018" launched in February, in which more than 400 militants and over 30 soldiers have so far been killed.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:13:30|Editor: yan

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PARIS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- France would take adequate action against Saudi Arabia if the facts of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death were clearly established and responsibility of Riyadh over the incident would be proven, Benjamin Griveaux, the government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"As long as the facts have not been clearly established, and corroborated by our information services, we will not take any decision," Griveaux told reporters.

"But on the other hand, once light has been shed on the matter and has been corroborated by our services, based on the hypothesis that Saudi Arabia's responsibility has been proven, then we would draw the necessary conclusions and take actions," he said during a weekly briefing after a cabinet meeting.

Griveaux added Paris would take "the appropriate sanctions against the Saudi authorities," and which would not solely involve limiting arms sales, according to the government's spokesman.

Khashoggi, a harsh critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2.

Turkish officials said they believed that the Washington Post columnist might have been killed inside the Saudi consulate, which has been denied by the Saudi authorities.

After two weeks of denial, Riyadh, last Saturday, admitted that the 60-year-old political dissent was killed during a physical fight with the people he met in the Saudi consulate, but did not give any explanation on the cause of his death.

The Saudi authorities reiterated the crown prince had no knowledge of the killing, saying the investigation over the case will continue and that all involved in the case will be held accountable.

Eighteen Saudis were arrested in connection with Khashoggi's death.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:13:32|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Deutsche Bank expressed confidence on Wednesday that a fall in profits recorded during the third quarter (Q3) of 2018 would not continue as corporate reforms begin to bear fruit.

According to earnings figures published by the DAX-listed company, its pre-tax profits were down at 506 million euros (577 million U.S. dollars) in Q3 from 933 million euros in Q3 2017. Net profits slumped from 649 million euros to 229 million euros during the same period. The development was attributed to an ongoing cost- and jobs cutting program at the Germany's largest financial institute.

"The pre-tax profit of 506 million euros is a further milestone on our path to a sustainably profitable bank. We have the costs under control and possess the capital to grow again," a statement by Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing read. Sewing added that the Frankfurt-based lender was "on track" to record an overall annual profit in 2018 for the first time in four consecutive years of losses since 2014.

In the first nine months of 2018, Deutsche Bank has so far recorded total pre-tax and net profits of 1.6 billion euros (2.6 billion in 2017) and 750 million euros (1.7 billion euros in 2017) respectively. During the same period, gross revenue fell by five percent to 19.7 billion euros.

"We have started to feel a new discipline in our bank which is also reflected in numbers", Sewing said. Addressing his employees, the CEO warned, however, that there was much work left to do in spite of progress in the corporate restructuring process between July and September.

Deutsche Bank further reported that it had met targets set by management to eliminate around 1,450 positions in Q3 and 2,800 positions in the first nine months of the year. The company consequently had around 94,717 full-time staff at the end of the quarter and re-affirmed a goal to lower the number to below 93,000 by 2019 and well below 90,000 by 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:23:35|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China will take part in "Megara Challenge 2018" for "Smart Cities" held in Tunisia, Sana Adouni, head of media relations at organizing committee of this event, told Xinhua Wednesday.

Candidate municipalities will propose projects in close connection with themes such as environment, cleanliness of municipalities and sustainable development.

Sana Adouni said MEGARA Challenge is not only a competitive stage for municipal projects, but also an international exchange of experiences on cleanliness and sustainable development, which is the responsibility of citizens and civil society.

As an international inter-municipal competition, this event is scheduled on Oct. 25-26 in La Marsa city, northern suburbs of Tunis, attracting over 20 countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:23:36|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- More than 15,000 workers from the wider coal industry in Germany protested against a hasty exit country from the power-generating technology on Wednesday.

The demonstration was held in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, only a short-distance from an ongoing meeting of official coal commission established by the federal government in Berlin. The so-called "Growth, Structural change and Employment Commission" is scheduled to provide concrete proposals on how to phase out coal power generation in the country in a socially-responsible manner by the end of the year.

Protestors were seen carrying banners with captions such as "Hambi must go" in reference to an ongoing public controversy in Germany over the future of the nearby Hambach forests. Environmental activists who want to prevent a remaining 200 hectares owned by the energy company RWE from being felled in the course of coal mining activities have chosen "Hambi stays" as one of their rallying calls.

Having recently drawn as many as 50,000 anti-RWE protestors to the area, the issue still remains unresolved and has become symbolic of the uncertain prospects of the once powerful German coal industry. For the time being, the Essen-based energy provider has been ordered to temporarily halt all clearance and felling operations until the environmental implications are assessed more thoroughly in spite of having previously already obtained regulatory approval to do so.

Speaking on Wednesday, however, Armin Laschet governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, warned that it would be wrong to reduce the work of the coal commission to the dispute over Hambach. "The question of the global climate and the German contribution is bigger than the question of the Hambach forest," Laschet said.

At the same time, the governor urged the Coal Commission to ensure the competitiveness of Germany as an industrial manufacturing location in its final recommendations. He emphasized that more than 250,000 individuals worked in energy-intensive industries in North Rhine-Westphalia alone and that reliable electricity supply was hence of enormous regional importance.

The Coal Commission is expected to release a first preliminary report addressing challenges of structural change and employment in former coal-mining areas in the course of October. According to a draft first cited by the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), the experts will propose introducing an "areal bonus" with regards to future expansion of German traffic- and telecommunication infrastructure.
An activist holds an image of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a demonstration calling for sanctions against Saudi Arabia and to protest Khashoggi's disappearance, outside the White House in Washington, U.S., Oct. 19, 2018. (Reuters file photo)

TEHRAN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was supported by the United States, official IRNA news agency reported.

"I don't think a country could have the courage to do such a crime without the support of the United States," Rouhani said in the cabinet meeting.

"They (Saudis) do such a crime with a reliance on a superpower which supports them and does not let the international courts decide on any measures against them," he added.

Meawhile, Rouhani urged the Turkish government to continue "impartial and precise investigations to unearth the fact for the world opinion."

The Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi crown prince, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:28:38|Editor: yan

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VALLETTA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A majority of foreign investors in Malta believe the country's appeal lies in its corporate tax rules, according to Ernst and Young's annual attractiveness survey.

This year's survey polled 150 companies that have a combined turnover of over 2.5 billion euros (2.85 billion U.S. dollars).

In general, 74 percent of investors said they believed Malta to be an attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), but only 48 percent said they believed Malta would still be attractive in three years time, with 47 percent saying they weren't sure.

Almost one in nine respondents (88 percent) said Malta was attractive due to corporate taxation considerations, while three-quarters cited the island's social climate as what made it more attractive. A total of 67 percent said Malta was attractive because of the potential for productivity increases for their company.

On the other hand, the areas investors felt Malta needed to improve most was in the stability and transparency of its political, legal and regulatory environment (44 percent); its R&D and innovation environment (37 percent); and transport and logistics infrastructure (26 percent).

The survey found most investors (83 percent) believe that Malta was keeping pace with regulatory changes in competing jurisdictions, up 19 percent since last year.

One of the biggest challenges faced by investors in Malta was the ability to source skilled labor. In fact, 64 percent of respondents said they were finding it difficult to recruit the required personnel.

Speaking at an event during which the results were announced, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat noted that a significant portion of respondents had pointed to a lack of talent as being a major obstacle.

Malta needed to be as open as possible, he said, insisting that the country could not expect growth if it resisted more foreign workers.

Muscat pointed out that in the last 21 quarters, Malta had always registered growth that was at least twice the European average.

He said the country had gone from the possibility of an excessive deficit procedure in 2013 to yet another budgetary surplus. "In one legislature we wiped out the debt that had been accumulated."

Maltese households had more money invested with local banks while business profits had also increased substantially since 2013. He said the country had been able to reduce electricity tariffs, lower income taxes, and implement other reforms despite scepticism both locally and abroad.
File Photo: Three veterans of USS Nuclear Submarine "Growler" (SSG 577), Melvin Williams (C), Dan Gillcrist (R) and Torykian lay a commemorative wreath into the water beside the submarine Growler at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, the United States, May 21, 2009. Commissioned in 1958 and on active duty through 1964, USS Growler carried nuclear missiles and performed deterrent mission patrols in the Pacific Ocean. (Xinhua/Gu Xinrong)

by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States mulling to pull out of the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty will fret over the possibility of a new round of arms race worldwide, said U.S. experts.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his intention to withdraw his country from the 1987 treaty, citing Russia's violation of the deal.

On Tuesday, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, said that the United States will file a formal notice of its withdrawal from the treaty "in due course."

Experts see that the INF treaty probably will be the latest among a string of bilateral or multilateral agreements torn up by Trump as he felt they no longer benefit the United States.

Trump felt that "the United States is not going to be taken advantage of," Republican strategist and TV personality Ford O'Connell told Xinhua.

Moreover, it showed that the Untied States wanted to re-align its relationship with Russia, O'Connell said.

Analysts also noted that pulling out of the accord could allow Washington to develop weapons banned by the agreement.

"Trump withdrew from the INF treaty to give the administration greater flexibility on the deployment of nuclear weapons," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"Throughout his time on the political stage, Trump has often linked nuclear arms with national strength and greatness," noted Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College.

"From his perspective, limits on nuclear arms are limits on American power," the scholar added.

West believed that Bolton likely was behind this move, as he has often taken a tough stance on Russia and argued in favor of greater U.S. military flexibility.

"He is part of the group that wants America to be tougher abroad in its foreign policy," West said.

Meanwhile, analysts also worry that the move may trigger a weapons buildup around the world.

Withdrawal entails significant costs for U.S. and Western security, Steven Pifer, a nonresident scholar with the Brookings Institution, told U.S. online media Axios.

"The decision has already sparked controversy within NATO, with officials in Berlin, Rome and Paris criticizing Trump's announcement," Pifer added.

"It would be the first time, essentially, since the 1970s that there would be no nuclear arms control agreements regulating the nuclear powers of the world," Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, a private group in Washington, told National Public Radio.

"So the door would be wide open for, potentially, a new arms race," the expert added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:33:40|Editor: Yang Yi

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Li Zhanshu (C), chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends the second plenary meeting of a bimonthly session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China's top legislature, on Wednesday convened a plenary meeting to review for the first time two reports submitted by the State Council on the condition of the country's state-owned assets.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attended the plenary meeting held during the ongoing bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee.

According to the reports, total state-owned assets in non-financial enterprises had reached 183.5 trillion yuan (about 26.4 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of 2017, while those in financial enterprises had hit 241 trillion yuan.

The reporting mechanism was introduced by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in December 2017 to enhance NPC supervision of state-owned assets.

During the session, Chief Justice Zhou Qiang delivered a report on court judgment enforcement, and told lawmakers that China was making headway on the issue, as seen in forcing more than 3.2 million defaulters to pay debts as required in court judgments.

The NPC Standing Committee then heard a report on the supervision of false litigation. Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Zhang Jun said that in the last five years, 799 people have been prosecuted on the charge of filing false lawsuits, which refer to baseless lawsuits without merit.

Lawmakers were also briefed on the implementation of the Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters and the Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:38:41|Editor: yan

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MOGADISHU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 50 people have been killed and about 100 others injured in fierce fighting in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland in the past two days, local officials said on Wednesday.

Abdirashid Hussein Arab, governor of Sool region, said the inter-clan fighting started on Monday over land disputes in Dhumay in southern Sool.

"The renewed fighting in Dhumay started after elders from the two rival clans signed a peace deal following talks that took a month," Arab told journalists.

Dhumay, an area controlled by Somaliland, has also being claimed by neighboring Puntland for more than two years.

The two regional Somali states have clashed previously since 2002 over control of disputed regions in northern Somalia.

Local residents said there is a lot of tension in the area, adding that there could be more retaliatory clashes in the nearby villages.

The Somali government and the parliament on Wednesday called for an immediate end to the fighting that has resulted in the loss of innocent lives, urging both sides to pursue dialogue to resolve their disputes.

Local leaders in the region have also called on both sides immediately stop fighting, amid efforts by elders of the Sool region to mediate.

Arab said the regional state has stepped up efforts to contain the fighting by redeploying troops to help calm the situation.

Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991, though no country formally recognizes it as such. Puntland is a semi-autonomous federal state of Somalia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:38:43|Editor: Yang Yi

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SHANGHAI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for building the country's pilot free trade zones (FTZs) toward new heights of reform and opening-up in the new era.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on the development of pilot FTZs.

The development of pilot FTZs is a strategic measure by the CPC Central Committee in advancing reform and opening-up in the new era and has become a milestone in the course, Xi said.

Five years of enterprising and pioneering work in the country's pilot FTZs has seen major progress and breakthroughs, offering the nation copious advances in institutional explorations, Xi said.

Xi also urged more efforts in advancing the development of pilot FTZs to generate more replicable institutional innovation, to make greater contributions in achieving China's two centenary goals and national rejuvenation.

Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said in an instruction that greater efforts were needed to advance the reform, opening-up and innovation of pilot FTZs with a new development philosophy under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

It is necessary to focus on solving deep-rooted contradiction and structural problems, intensify overall planning of reform and continue to highlight institutional innovation, so as to accelerate the formation of new development and competitive advantages, Li stressed.

The premier also said it's important for pilot FTZs to accumulate more experiences that could be copied and spread on a larger scale, even nationwide, and to continue their pioneering roles in reform and opening-up.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-24 23:53:50|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Nairobi Security Exchange (NSE) and China's Shenzhen Stock Exchange plan to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost their cooperation, an official said on Wednesday.

NSE CEO Geoffrey Odundo told Xinhua in Nairobi that the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is one of the most vibrant security exchanges in the world despite being relatively young.

"The agreement with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange will revolve around capacity-building, product knowledge, as well as attracting Chinese investors into the Kenyan capital markets," Odundo said during the launch of the Absa Africa Financial Markets Index 2018.

NSE has already signed an MOU with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The NSE has just concluded a study tour of the Chinese stock exchanges.

Odundo said Kenya is also seeking to gain knowledge from China on how to increase the number of listings at the NSE.

The MOU with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange comes at an ideal time as Chinese investors are adopting a strategy of investing overseas, he said.

Odundo said a number of Chinese firms have expressed interest in listing and raising capital at the NSE.

The NSE also plans to launch a derivatives market in the first quarter of 2019.

"We are now conducting a pilot phase using cash and we will use the output to inform the exact date of the launch of the derivatives trading," he added.

Once the derivatives market is launched, it will provide an appropriate avenue for investors to both diversify their portfolio and protect investments from the volatility of the securities market, Odundo said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:03:53|Editor: yan

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ZAGREB, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two Croatian police officers were slightly injured on Wednesday after a group of migrants threw rocks and other objects on them as they tried unsuccessfully to cross the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.

The incident happened at the Maljevac border crossing, near the northwestern Bosnian town of VelikaKladusa where thousands of migrants are set to cross the border and enter the European Union.

On Wednesday morning, a group of migrants broke police cordon and came near the Croatian border. When Bosnian police tried to push them away from the border, some migrants became violent.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Wednesday that Croatian police had not entered Bosnian territory.

"Migrants who are situated in the Bosnian canton broke the cordon of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian police, came to the Croatian border where they were stopped by Croatian police," Bozinovic explained.

He said that there has been an increase in migration due to Tuesday's fake news that Croatia will open the borders for migrants. "There will always be enough Croatian police at the border to prevent violent or illegal entry into Croatia," the minister said.

In 2015 and 2016, almost a million migrants passed through Croatia on the so-called Balkan Route on their way to western and northern Europe.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:08:55|Editor: Yang Yi

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Cai Mingzhao (R), president of China's Xinhua News Agency, meets with Lao News Agency (KPL) President Sounthone Khanthavong in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2018. Xinhua and KPL on Wednesday signed a new agreement on news exchange to advance bilateral cooperation. During a meeting in Beijing with Sounthone Khanthavong, Cai said the new agreement would help further enhance bilateral cooperation on text and photo and expand cooperation in areas of audio, video and new media. Hailing the sound relations between the two news agencies, Cai said the intensified cooperation between major news organizations in the two countries would contribute to China-Laos friendship and mutual understanding of the two peoples. Calling Xinhua a strategic partner of KPL, Sounthone said the two news agencies had conducted more and more effective cooperation in recent years. While thanking Xinhua for its assistance to KPL on equipment and personnel training, Sounthone said that he hoped his current visit would help to improve cooperation between KPL and Xinhua. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinhua News Agency and Lao News Agency, also known as KPL, on Wednesday signed a new agreement on news exchange, to advance bilateral cooperation.

During a meeting in Beijing with KPL President Sounthone Khanthavong, Cai Mingzhao, president of Xinhua, said the new agreement would help further enhance bilateral cooperation on text and photo and expand cooperation in areas of audio, video and new media.

Hailing the sound relations between the two news agencies, Cai said the intensified cooperation between major news organizations in the two countries would contribute to China-Laos friendship and mutual understanding of the two peoples.

Calling Xinhua a strategic partner of KPL, Sounthone said the two news agencies had conducted more and more effective cooperation in recent years.

While thanking Xinhua for its assistance to KPL on equipment and personnel training, Sounthone said that he hoped his current visit would help to improve cooperation between KPL and Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:13:56|Editor: yan

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TOKYO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will pay a three-day official visit to China from Thursday. The visit, the first by a Japanese prime minister in seven years, is expected to enhance ties with China and open up new scope for cooperation, according to experts here.

ENHANCEMENT OF TIES ACCLAIMED

According to a survey released ahead of the 14th Beijing-Tokyo Forum held here earlier this month, more than 70 percent of the respondents in China and Japan view bilateral relations as important and more than 60 percent hope the two countries enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

"In fact, it's a common understanding among Japanese politicians as well as the Japanese people that enhancing relationship with China is very important," Akio Takahara, a professor at the University of Tokyo, told reporters at the Foreign Press Center of Japan.

Since last year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent positive messages on a number of occasions on enhancing bilateral relationship, which have been noted and welcomed by China.

The momentum of improvement in China-Japan ties has been gathering steam since last year, and it is in the interests of both countries and will also have positive impact on the region's stability and prosperity, said Zhu Jianrong, a professor at Toyo Gakuen University in Tokyo.

Jin Jianmin, a senior fellow at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo, said that with China's fast economic development, the respective advantages of the industries and technologies of the two countries become clearer, and the foundation of win-win cooperation become more solid.

FURTHER COOPERATION EXPECTED

Experts here noted that the visit is expected to promote and open up new scope for bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Abe's visit is expected to promote mutual trust and it would provide a foundation "for conquering the difficulties in bilateral relations," said Kazuya Iwamura, commentator from Kyodo News.

Iwamura called for boosting cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and promoting trilateral trade cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, it provides a good opportunity for the two sides to review the important commitment made 40 years ago and the development of relations over the past 40 years, said Takahara.

He hopes that the two sides could enhance mutual trust through more people-to-people exchanges, especially through the communication between the younger generations.

Jin said it's hoped that the prime minister's visit would promote win-win cooperation between the industries of the two countries as well as the region.

"The two sides are expected to build a new win-win cooperation mode including third-country market cooperation and open up new cooperation scope such as in new economies and innovation sectors," he said.

Experts here also pointed out that the improvement of ties between the two countries is particularly significant under the current circumstances with rising trade protectionism in the world.

Tase Yasuhiro, political analyst and Nikkei columnist, said that trade protectionism would also hurt Japan, and it's vital for Japan to enhance cooperation with China to promote free trade.

"Coordination and cooperation between China and Japan will help curb trade protectionism in the world while providing a stable and predictable policy environment for cooperation between enterprises," said Jin.

Such cooperation, benefiting not only bilateral economic ties but also Asian economic integration and world free trade, will set a positive example for maintaining and developing global economic order, experts said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:18:58|Editor: mmm

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The UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura waves farewell after speaking to reporters following his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in the capital Damascus, Syria, on Oct. 24, 2018. The UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura arrived in Damascus on Wednesday for talks with Syrian officials, a week after his decision to resign by the end of November. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura on Wednesday described his talks with the Syrian foreign minister as "frank and intense" regarding the formation of the Syrian constitutional committee.

"We had a long meeting with Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem. During this meeting, we had a very frank and intense exchange of opinion concerning the constitutional committee and political process in general," Mistura said to reporters following the meeting.

However, he stopped short of giving further details about the outcome of his talks with al-Muallem.

Earlier in the day, al-Muallem said that the Syrian constitution is a sovereign matter which should be decided without foreign interference.

The Syrian government has positively dealt with the process of forming a constitutional committee to discuss the constitution, he added.

The constitutional committee is expected to include 150 members, equally divided into three groups, one chosen by the government, the second by the opposition and the third by de Mistura himself.

In recent remarks ahead of his visit to Damascus, de Mistura said that the objection remains, mainly from the government, over the third list that the UN is tasked with to include civil society representatives, religious and tribal leaders, experts and women in the committee.

Apparently, the envoy will try to ease the concerns of Damascus about the third list.

The 71-year-old UN envoy, who said he will resign at the end of November for "purely personal reasons" and whose successor has not yet been named, expressed hope to "be in a position" to convene the constitutional committee in November.

The Russians also seem to push for the formation of the constitutional committee, as part of a plan to draft a new Syrian constitution which has been under discussion since January.

But the process has since been hampered by disagreements over the formation of the committee to draft the charter.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin on Oct. 19 to discuss the political process in Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:24:02|Editor: yan

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STRASBOURG, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk said here on Wednesday that all details of the killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, shoud be revealed regardless of "who is behind it".

"This was such a horrible crime, that even the slightest trace of hypocrisy would bring shame on us," Tusk said in a speech to the European Parliament.

"It is not my role to state who wants to protect whose interests here. But I know one thing: the only European interest is to reveal all the details of this case, regardless of who is behind it," he said.

Tusk said he believed the members of the parliament would not allow the member states of the European Union or the institutions to become involved in "any ambiguous" game.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was supported by the United States, official IRNA news agency reported.

"I don't think a country could have the courage to do such a crime without the support of the United States," Rouhani said in the cabinet meeting.

"They (Saudis) do such a crime with a reliance on a superpower which supports them and does not let the international courts decide on any measures against them," he added.

Meanwhile, Rouhani urged the Turkish government to continue "impartial and precise investigations to unearth the fact for the world opinion."

The Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi crown prince, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:29:06|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's diplomatic policies toward its neighbors created at a working conference in 2013 have brought shared prosperity to bordering nations.

With a commitment to building friendships and partnerships with its neighboring countries, China aims to create an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood under the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

Over the past five years, China has made an unswerving effort to properly settle outstanding differences, enhance mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and consolidate the foundation of public support with its neighboring countries, setting a good example for the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for humankind.

SETTLING DIFFERENCES

Stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, the vast span of China's territory bestows a variety of neighbors upon the country. China has been dedicated to maintaining good relations and seeking common ground with its neighboring countries while reserving differences. The aim of China's efforts is to safeguard regional peace and stability.

As close neighbors facing each other only across a narrow strip of water, China and Japan have faced some stumbling blocks involving territorial disputes and the historical issues, hindering the development of bilateral ties.

Through the joint efforts of both sides, China-Japan relations have improved in recent time. On Oct. 25-27, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will pay an official visit to China, his first such visit since first assuming office back in 2012.

In 2017, a military stand-off in the border area of Dong Lang (Doklam) cast a shadow over China-India relations. At the end of April 2018, the leaders of China and India held an informal meeting in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, opening a new page in China-India relations.

In August, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached an agreement on a single draft negotiating text of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, marking a turning point in building the South China Sea into one of peace, friendship and cooperation.

The favorable turn of events on the Korean Peninsula would not have occurred without China's persistence. China has always adhered to solving issues through dialogue and negotiation, setting the stage for different stakeholders to sit and talk. With a firm commitment to achieving denuclearization, as well as peace and stability on the peninsula, China has played a unique role in ensuring security in Northeast Asia.

In recent years, while firmly safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests, China has continued to enhance trust and maintain close communication with its neighboring countries. The continuous stability of countries in this region highlights China's diplomatic achievements.

SHARING DEVELOPMENT

Over the years, China has been enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation with its neighboring countries in a bid to promote shared development.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an important public good, continues to flourish, bringing huge development opportunities for its neighbors, who are welcomed to board China's express train of development.

In the past five years, from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, from the New Eurasian Land Bridge to the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, the BRI has linked different countries together and created an interconnecting network between China and its neighboring countries.

"The enhanced cooperation between ASEAN and China under the framework of the BRI has not only benefited people's well-being in the region but also elevated the global status of ASEAN," Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Arroyo said.

The BRI falls in line with the Philippines' ongoing Build, Build, Build infrastructure program, Arroyo said, adding that the Southeast Asian country is eager to strengthen cooperation with China in science and technology, talents exchange and construction projects, so as to boost domestic economic development.

During a visit to China last December, South Korean President Moon Jae-in also expressed his country's willingness to actively participate in the BRI.

It is widely acknowledged by the international community that the BRI not only brings opportunities for infrastructure construction and technological development for participating countries, but also acts as a booster for world economic growth.

UNITING EFFORTS

Over the past five years, China's efforts to spread prosperity have laid a solid foundation of public support for China's relations with its neighboring countries.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. On Oct. 9, China's chartered planes with the first batch of humanitarian supplies landed at the Balikpapan Airport in Bali, Indonesia, delivering tents, water purifiers and generators to disaster zones. The Chinese government, enterprises, civil society and individuals all lent a helping hand to the earthquake and tsunami-hit areas in Central Sulawesi province.

Since the end of 2015, countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin have suffered from drought to varying extent due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon. At this critical moment, China discharged water to the lower reaches to help its neighbors fight drought, although China was also experiencing a shortage of water. The leaders of Thailand, Cambodia and other countries expressed their gratitude and appreciation for China's selfless help.

In Myanmese, "paukphaw" means brothers. The "Mekong Bright Action" of volunteering Chinese medical institutions is a genuine portrait of China-Myanmar "paukphaw" fraternity. So far, more than 10 Chinese medical and charitable organizations have offered free clinical services and successfully performed cataract surgeries for more than 6,000 local patients, lighting up the life of thousands of families.

In recent years, China and its neighboring countries have shared weal and woe and worked hand in hand. Looking ahead, China's neighborhood diplomacy will continue to write a promising chapter for the building of a community with a shared future.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:34:10|Editor: Yang Yi

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presides over the first CPPCC online conference in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's national political advisory body on Wednesday held its first online conference to discuss improving the business environment and promoting high-quality development in the private sector.

The meeting was presided over by Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee.

During the meeting, 13 CPPCC members made speeches at parallel sessions in Beijing, Zhejiang, Hunan and Guangdong, or through cellphones, with 800 members putting forward suggestions via mobile platforms.

Political advisors agreed that the private sector had a bright outlook as China's stable and positive economic trend remained unchanged, and authorities were working to improve policy support for private businesses.

The participants said that greater efforts were required to widen market access for private capital, in particular public infrastructure projects that could operate in market-oriented ways and open to foreign capital, adding that government approval should be more transparent, standardized and convenient.

There also should be stronger protection of property rights, bigger tax reductions and improved financing, according to the meeting.

The CPPCC members also advised private businesses to focus on their main business and speed up transformation and innovation to make a contribution to the high-quality development of the economy.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:34:11|Editor: yan

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KIEV, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The possible deployment of the UN peacekeeping troops in eastern Ukraine could bring peace to the conflict-hit region, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said here on Wednesday.

"UN-mandated multinational peacekeeping operation with a strong mandate and broad responsibilities would help bring peace on the Ukrainian soil," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

Last month, Poroshenko called on the UN to deploy peacekeeping troops in Donbas where the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-independence armed groups has been underway since April 2014.

Earlier, Poroshenko said that the UN patrol should be stationed across the whole area controlled by the armed groups, including the Ukrainian-Russian border.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:49:19|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Police in Sunrise, the U.S. state of Florida, said Wednesday they were investigating a suspicious package sent to the district office of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

The package was found hours after suspicious devices were sent to former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as to CNN's offices in New York.

The building that houses the Democratic lawmaker's office was evacuated after the suspicious package was found in the mail, according to the Sunrise police.

"ALERT!!! We are working an investigation of a suspicious package near Sawgrass Corporate Parkway," the Sunrise Police Department tweeted.

"There have been no reports of any other incidents or suspicious packages at any other venues within Sunrise," it said in another tweet.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:49:20|Editor: yan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Peace talks aimed at bringing a lasting peace and harmony in Burundi, a member state of the East African Community (EAC), stalled on Wednesday after representatives from Burundi government were absent.

By late Wednesday representatives of the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza had not reported in the Tanzanian northern tourist city of Arusha, the venue of the fifth round of talks.

This forced former Tanzania Benjamin Mkapa, the facilitator, to postpone the talks, possibly to Thursday, said sources privy to the talks.

Informal discussions, though, have been underway at a tourist lodge on the outskirts of Arusha city involving mainly the opposition leaders in exile.

There were also officials of the opposition parties who flew in directly from Bujumbura but none from the ruling CNDD-FDD party.

The leader of the opposition Uprona party in exile, Charles Nditiye, said it was meaningless for the peace dialogue to continue without the participation of the government in power.

"I don't see any prospects if the government is not represented," he told journalists.

Nditiye, who is based in Belgium, said there are up to 60 representatives from various Burundi political parties, including CNARED, a loose coalition of Burundi exiles operating mainly from Europe.

Another opposition leader, Chauvineau Mugwengezo, also expressed his concern over the slow pace of mediation efforts.

He called on all Burundi politicians to forge a common ground that would ensure successful attainment of peace in their country through dialogue.

Mugwengezo, president of UPD party, faulted the government for failure to send its representatives to the talks, saying it was a sign of lack of committment.

He called on regional leaders in the EAC to give every necessary support to former president Mkapa and his mediation team.

Launched in December 2015, the inter-Burundi dialogue is aimed at finding a solution to the political crisis in Burundi, but the previous four rounds have made no concrete progress.

Burundi plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term bid, which he won in July 2015. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 00:59:23|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner said Wednesday that it supported private investment in projects related to major national strategies and fixing economic weak links.

"The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) will promote public-private partnerships to encourage the participation of private capital in projects that have rational scientific policymaking and clear mechanisms on investment returns," NDRC spokesperson Meng Wei said at a press conference. "More efforts will be taken to improve social credit systems in a bid to create a sound environment for private investment."

China's private investment growth continued to recover in the first three quarters of this year, with an 8.7-percent rise from a year ago and outpacing the overall investment expansion by 3.3 percentage points.

The NDRC has promoted more than 1,200 projects to private investors, covering a wide range of areas including transportation, energy and environmental protection, with total investment surpassing 2.5 trillion yuan (about 360 billion U.S. dollars).

The NDRC would step up moves to solve difficulties of private enterprises, ease market barriers and restrictions, and increase financing support, according to Meng.

China has also allowed bigger private stakes in state firms. Meng said the NDRC had approved plans of eight subsidiaries of centrally administered state-owned enterprises to bring in private investment as part of the country's third batch of mixed-ownership reform, involving 31 state-owned enterprises.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:04:24|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of British students who head to Asia, South America and other exotic destinations on their gap years were Wednesday urged to add Britain as a new destination to their travel plans.

VisitEngland launched a campaign to inspire more young students to discover Britain by taking mini gap-year style breaks on their own doorsteps.

The 3.25 million U.S. dollar "Join the World -- #MyMicrogap" campaign will target young people with experiences and activities typically taken during a gap-year that can be condensed into a micro-holiday of one to three nights in the UK.

The campaign kicked off today with the first in a series of short films being rolled out across digital display and social media channels during the coming months.

The campaign, launched by VisitEngland and run in partnership with the tourism organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is part of a drive to get more young people to holiday at home.

Visit England said statistics show that in 2016, 16-to-34 year olds took almost 1.4 million fewer holidays in Britain than a decade previously.

The microgap campaign follows research by VisitEngland into the travel habits of young Brits which showed that less than a quarter of 18-to-34 year olds were likely to take a career break to travel in the next three years.

The idea of microgapping however appealed to almost two-thirds with more than half likely to take a microgap during the next three years. Research showed that young people keen on taking a microgap wanted the same self-development opportunities typical of a gap-year.

Top activities and experiences sought were well-being and relaxation, visiting iconic landmarks, trying local food and drink and seeing nature and wildlife.

VisitBritain director of marketing Clare Mullin said that whether learning a new skill, volunteering or ticking off a bucket list experience, Britain "is packed full of life-enriching experiences right here on our doorstep".

Mullin said: "From mastering the pottery wheel at a ceramics course in North Wales to walking alpacas in the Lake District, from canoeing on Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland to soaking up the live music scene in Glasgow, Scotland, we want young people to take a new look at the adventures, experiences and destinations on offer."

Join the World -- #MyMicrogap is expected to generate additional 80 million U.S. dollars in domestic tourism spend for the economy.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:14:27|Editor: yan

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RIYADH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on Wednesday over the phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the telephone conversation, the two discussed the necessary steps to clarify Khashoggi's case with joint efforts.

Khashoggi, a columnist for U.S. newspaper The Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, has been missing since his entry into the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The kingdom said early Saturday that Khashoggi had died in a "brawl" in its consulate, without explaining the cause of his death.

Meanwhile, the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered on Saturday the reorganization of the intelligence authority and sacked senior intelligence as well as other officials over the case.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:14:28|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Wednesday announced the release of 322 youths arrested in connection with riots in Burayu city, on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, in September that left dozens dead and thousands displaced.

Chief Constable Begena Midegsa of Burayu city police office, said the 322 youths were released after receiving education and orientation on the country's laws in two centers, state media outlet Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported.

Midegsa said another 308 people arrested in connection with the September violence will be brought before courts, as they are suspected of engaging in criminal acts.

The Sept. 12-18 riots in Burayu, pitting ethnic Oromos against other ethnicities, left dozens of people dead and around 26,000 displaced.

The riots followed earlier clashes in Addis Ababa among local residents and youth from surrounding ethnic Oromo areas who flocked to the city to celebrate the return of the exiled rebel leader of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) group.

Addis Ababa is an ethnically-mixed city of around 4 million people, but is situated within the larger Oromo-dominated Oromia regional state.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:19:30|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The new generation of African entrepreneurs has embraced ventures that are not only profitable but also help improve access to basic needs like food, clean water, shelter and education, a continental forum heard on Wednesday.

Delegates attending the Africa Youth Conference in Nairobi agreed that social enterprises that are largely owned by the youthful population are reshaping sustainable development in a continent grappling with hunger, poverty, inequality and climate change.

Fatuma Namutosi, founder of an Ugandan start-up, said businesses that address pressing societal needs have struck a chord with African youth as they become part and parcel of the continent's transformation.

"The social enterprise space in Africa is expanding as the youth leverage on technology, innovations and seed capital from different sources to venture into businesses whose primary goal is to address needs of the community," said Namutosi.

She noted that improved macro-economic environment, digital literacy and government support have sparked growth of social enterprises in Africa.

The three-day Africa youth conference, whose theme is prioritizing investments in African youth within the Post-2015 Agenda, aims to explore innovative ways this demographic can be engaged to catalyze economic growth and social renewal in the continent.

Yale Gbadamosi, a Nigerian entrepreneur, said Africa is the next frontier for growth of social enterprises thanks to the demographic dividend and proliferation of home-grown innovations.

"There are amazing stories of youth-led enterprises in many parts of Africa which are on the frontline of providing answers to chronic challenges like inadequate water supply, urban pollution and unemployment," said Gbadamosi.

He urged African governments to strengthen partnership with the private sector in order to address skills mismatch, financing and knowledge hiccups that have undermined growth of businesses that promote social good.

Benjamin Luta, a Kenyan brand strategist, said youth-led social enterprises that are promoting access to clean water, renewable energy, education and farm inputs have resonated with the African populace.

"It is evident that socially conscious business ventures are ahead of the curve in a continent, whose bulk of the population lives below the poverty line," said Luta.

He stressed that skills upgrade, mentorship, technology and market linkages are key to enhancing sustainability of youth-owned social enterprises in Africa.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:19:31|Editor: yan

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SANAA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed in a fresh Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a popular market in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday evening, medics and residents told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:34:35|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The CEO of the largest and fastest growing airline in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines, on Wednesday attributed the success and connectivity of his company to long-term planning as China does.

The CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam, was speaking at the Oct. 22-26 World Investment Forum hosted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) here at a session titled "Investment in a new era of industrialization".

"Long-term thinking and long-term planning is very important for countries in Africa to have success, such as they have had in China and Asian countries," said GebreMariam discussing the airline.

He said the State-owned, digitally modern airline is "a case study for the conference" as trade and investment require air connectivity so "air connectivity is essential."

"At Ethiopian Airlines we are implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025," he said.

GebreMariam said Ethiopian is "a pan-African airline" and the largest airline in the African continent with a 110-strong "modern and young fleet" connecting to 116 destinations worldwide, 22 in Ethiopia, with hubs in East, West, and Southern Africa.

"If we talk about government ownership being a problem for success, I don't think that is true because Ethiopian Airlines defies that belief," he said.

"If we think African companies cannot compete on the global stage, again that is not so," GebreMariam said.

"Ethiopian Airlines is competing on the global stage succeeding with the mega-carriers of the world," he said, by effectively using digital technology.

Conference moderator and UNCTAD Secretary-General, Mukhisa Kituyi, cited Jack Ma, Alibaba co-founder and chairman at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Forum last month, saying that in the next 10 years, 90 percent of the world's trade is going to be electronic commerce.

Kituyi noted that 50 percent of the world is still not connected to the internet and "what is that we do to include the other 50 percent?"

"If you look at the content of development bank financing, including the World Bank, only 1 percent of its financing goes to the ICT (Information and communications technology) sector and out that 1 percent, only 4 percent goes to policy development and ICT related services," said the UNCTAD chief.

That is a challenge for global political resourcing of digital infrastructure, said Kituyi.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:49:38|Editor: yan

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BEIRUT, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reaffirmed Wednesday the mission's firm commitment to maintain and solidify the existing calm in south Lebanon.

"We reaffirm the shared commitment of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to the cessation of hostilities, which has led to 12 years of overall calm, and to the current situation, where a stable and prosperous society can lead to sustainable progress and development," said the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander, Stefano Del Col.

Del Col's remarks came during the mission's celebration of the 73rd UN Day at its headquarters in Lebanon's southern city of Naqoura.

In his address to the ceremony attended by Lebanese dignitaries and fellow peacekeepers, Del Col said UNIFIL has been working since 1978 to safeguard stability in south Lebanon and promote peace.

UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter, and it has been celebrated since 1948. Lebanon is one of the 51 founding members of the UN.

During the ceremony, Del Col and LAF Commander's representative, Robert El Alam, laid wreaths at the UNIFIL Cenotaph in honor of the 314 UNIFIL peacekeepers who have lost their lives over the past nearly 40 years.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 01:54:40|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) on Wednesday signed five road projects worth 305 million U.S. dollars in total with three Chinese firms.

The roads, 342.2 km in total length, are expected to be constructed in the central, northern and eastern parts of the country.

China Railway 21 Bureau Group Company Limited, the China State Construction Engineering Construction Limited (CSCECL) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will build the five road projects.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Ethiopia's capital, ERA Director General Habtamu Tegegne said the five road projects will answer the long-held demands of communities whose economic and social activity has been severely restricted because of poor roads.

"These road projects will answer the long-standing demands of communities. They will also facilitate easier transportation, while generally having economic benefits for the whole of Ethiopia," said Tegegne.

Deputy General Manager of CCCC east Africa branch Wei Qiangyu said his company will build two of the five road projects with sstrict quality control and complete on time.

"The focus for executing the project will be strict quality and timely delivery," he said. "Full attention will be paid to proper management of environmental control and fullfilling our social responsibilities to incorporate more involvement of local professionals as well as focusing on knowledge transfer."

Wei told Xinhua that his company, which recently celebrated 20 years of presence in Ethiopia, has been able to survive and expand because it strives to undertake projects professionally and with great care.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 02:29:52|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will make an official visit to Tunisia on Oct. 25-26, Tunisian Presidency said Wednesday.

Four bilateral cooperation agreements between Tunisia and EU will be signed. "These financing agreements are worth a total of 270 million euros (307 million U.S. dollars)," EU Ambassador in Tunisia Patrice Bergamini said to the local press.

Bergamini added the talks will cover areas including business competitiveness, energy transition, support for the justice reform, tax reform and the promotion of social and solidarity economy.

According to Tunisian Presidency, the visit of the European Commission president is part of a shared desire between Tunisia and the EU to strengthen the strategic partnership and bilateral cooperation in several fields, in addition to the continuity of consultations on issues of common interest.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 03:05:05|Editor: yan

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LISBON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's Coastal Control Unit of the GNR police force detected 30 migrants in an inflatable boat on the Aegean Sea on Wednesday and handed them over to the Greek authorities.

The GNR said in a statement that the migrants were discovered by officers posted to the Greek island of Samos using night-vision equipment as part of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency mission (Frontex).

The Portuguese police have 13 officers and a boat stationed on Samos Island and carry out maritime surveillance operations.

The mission of the Portuguese police is to prevent and detect crimes connected with illegal immigration and human trafficking.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 03:45:24|Editor: Yang Yi

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Aerial photo taken on Oct. 24, 2018 shows a vehicle driving on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. After nine years of construction, the world's longest bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, has opened to traffic, giving a strong boost to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The 55-km bridge, situated in the waters of Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary, connects the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Zhuhai and the Macao SAR. The bridge is the first of its kind for Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao to jointly build a supergiant sea-crossing traffic project under the principle of "one country, two systems." (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

By Xinhua writers Yan Hao, Gao Jie and Zhan Yan

HONG KONG, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- After nine years of construction, the world's longest bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, has opened to traffic, giving a strong boost to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The 55-km bridge, situated in the waters of Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary, connects the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Zhuhai and the Macao SAR. The bridge is the first of its kind for Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao to jointly build a supergiant sea-crossing traffic project under the principle of "one country, two systems."

Loaded with travellers from Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao, hundreds of buses traveled on the mega bridge Wednesday, the first day of its traffic operation.

Vehicles keep right-hand traffic on the main section of the bridge and an underwater tunnel as in the mainland, and transform to left-hand traffic when they are about to leave the bridge and enter local streets in Hong Kong and Macao.

Before arriving at destinations on the three ends of the bridge, the buses passed through four artificial islands in the sea as well as the deep tunnel which had been built to allow heavy-duty vessels to sail in and out of the Pearl River Delta, one of the world's busiest manufacturing centers.

"It used to take more than four hours to go to Zhuhai on wheels, but now it is just half an hour's drive on the bridge!" said a driver surnamed Yu who works for a Hong Kong travel agency and has shuttled passengers between Hong Kong and Guangdong for more than seven years.

"Taking a bus through the bridge is a more convenient and faster new way than taking a shuttle ship from Macao to Hong Kong," said a Macao resident surnamed Yuen who took Wednesday's first Macao-Hong Kong shuttle bus on the bridge with her sister.

Meanwhile, the first trailer truck carrying a jet engine from Hong Kong also arrived in Zhuhai via the bridge on Wednesday. Compared with the route across the Humen Pearl River Bridge, the mega cross-sea bridge allows container trucks to save a lot of time while shuttling between Guangdong and the Hong Kong International Airport, the world's largest one in terms of annual cargo capacities.

The idea to build the bridge was initially proposed by a Hong Kong businessman.

Gordon Ying Sheung Wu, 83, who had a tour on the bridge on Wednesday, told Xinhua that he was very glad to be finally able to walk on the bridge he had dreamed of for nearly 40 years.

In 1983, Wu proposed to build a cross-sea bridge over the Lingdingyang Channel, a more efficient route linking Hong Kong and the western parts in Guangdong Province.

But the then British Hong Kong government was indifferent to Wu's ambitious idea.

After Hong Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, the Hong Kong SAR government actively promoted the idea and officially submitted its plan to build the bridge to the central government.

During the construction of the bridge, builders faced difficulties which had never been met by previous engineers. Some foreign companies even asserted that Chinese builders could never succeed in the bridge's underwater tunnel project.

Lin Ming, chief engineer of the bridge's tunnel project, said, "It has been my proudest achievement to lead the Chinese team to tackle the world-class engineering difficulties in building the bridge with our own wisdom."

Only with support and coordination of the central government can such a mega project be finished, said Michael C. Y. Cheung, executive director of Zhen Hua Engineering Company which had taken part in the construction of the bridge's Hong Kong section.

The mega bridge will not only remarkably shorten travel distance between Hong Kong and Macao and cities on the west bank of the Pearl River, but also increase opportunities for various industries in the greater bay area to integrate resources for a synergistic effect, said Joe Fang, research director of Hong Kong-based "One Country, Two Systems" Research Institute.

"The bridge has created a great room for us to imagine the prospect of integrated development of cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 04:20:33|Editor: yan

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LAGOS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The governor of Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai, on Wednesday relaxed a 24-hour curfew imposed on the metropolis and its environs following unrest that killed scores of people in the state.

The curfew has been relaxed from local time 6:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. till further notice, the governor said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos.

He said residents of the state are free to pursue their legitimate business, noting that the state government took the decision following a meeting earlier Wednesday of a select committee of the State Security Council.

The state government imposed the curfew on Sunday following violent clashes in the state capital.

On Tuesday, the government announced a 4-hour window, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., to allow residents to restock on essentials, but said the curfew would continue afterward.

The heads of the security agencies reported significant progress in restoring calm and commended residents for the peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves during the four-hour relaxation of the curfew in parts of Kaduna.

Violence erupted in some parts of Kaduna town and its environs on Sunday, five days after 78 people were reportedly killed in Kasuwan Magani, a village about 31 km from the state capital.

The incident reportedly resulted from a disagreement over where traders were to be off-loading their wares for sales during the weekly Thursday market. Fifty-five people were earlier confirmed killed. All the victims were burned beyond recognition.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 04:45:38|Editor: yan

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HARARE, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe has arrested over 100 illegal foreign currency dealers since last week in a nationwide crackdown on the black market, authorities said Wednesday.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently declared a war on the illicit trade, describing it as a threat to national security, following a hike in prices of basic commodities and shortage of some.

In a statement, the police said they embarked on a countrywide operation to enforce regulations that criminalize the illegal trading of foreign currency.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said the illegal money activities posed a serious security and economic threat to the country.

"Cumulatively, as from Oct. 18, 2018, a total of 107 arrests have been made for illegal dealing in foreign currency and 58 for blocking pavements countrywide.

"The operation is ongoing until sanity returns in all cities and towns," he said.

Illegal foreign currency dealers on Monday deserted the streets in Harare's central business district after realizing that the government was serious about apprehending them.

Under a September 2017 law against illegal foreign currency dealing, the state can jail offenders for up to 10 years and seize cash being transacted. The courts may impose fines of three times the value of the currency confiscated.

Other penalties include the freezing of funds, if the illegal deals are conducted through banks.

Before the September 2017, the Banking Act only allowed the central bank to impose penalties on offenders.

Business has been flourishing on the black market from where companies are said to have been sourcing foreign currencies because local banks have not been able to provide them.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 04:50:39|Editor: yan

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BEIRUT, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ambassador for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) Affairs of China's Foreign Ministry Li Chengwen said Wednesday that China is ready to cooperate with Lebanon under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with Charles Rizk, head of the board of directors of Fouad Chehab Foundation and former Lebanese minister.

The Chinese official said that China supports a prosperous Lebanon and works on enhancing mutual trust between the two countries.

For his part, Rizk said that Lebanon's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative is an ideal way to finance projects such as electricity and water in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 04:55:41|Editor: yan

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MOGADISHU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two United Nations agencies vowed on Wednesday to step up efforts to contain polio outbreaks in Somalia.

In a joint statement issued to mark the World Polio Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said efforts are underway to stop two concurrent outbreaks of vaccine-derived polioviruses that were confirmed late in 2017 in Somalia.

"The likelihood that the current outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses can survive in areas where there is low immunization uptake and lack of sanitation is high," said the UN agencies.

The agencies, including health partners, called for unhindered and safe access so that all eligible children in Somalia get vaccinated.

WHO Somalia Representative Ghulam Popal said health partners face a persistent lack of access to children due to insecurity, population displacement driven by conflict and natural disasters, and a struggling health system, all of which have contributed to low immunization rates in children.

"This has seen the emergence of polioviruses that are highly contagious and spread through poor hygiene. But a simple series of doses of the polio vaccine will protect a child for life," Popal said.

Polio was detected in Somalia in May 2013, for the first time in six years, after the parents of a two-year-old girl in Mogadishu found she was unable to walk.

The virus, which can cause paralysis or even death, spread quickly, affecting 194 people in 2013.

By 2014, the number was contained to just five cases, one of them an adult who died, all in the remote Mudug region of Puntland, in northeastern Somalia.

The Horn of Africa nation is also responding to an outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera, which began in January 2017. Polio systems and networks are being used in both interventions, according to the UN.

Steven Lauwerier, UNICEF representative in Somalia, said frontline workers are on a daily basis identifying children who need to be vaccinated, often in highly volatile areas.

"They are knocking on doors in communities and visiting camps for the internally displaced to educate families on the benefits of polio immunization and to deliver vaccinations. These are the unsung heroes in the fight against polio," said Lauwerier.

The two UN agencies will conduct countrywide immunization campaign from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 to ensure children most vulnerable to missing vaccination are included.

During the last immunization campaign held nationwide earlier this month, over 2.6 million children were vaccinated, said the agencies.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 04:55:43|Editor: yan

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Los Angeles Times building was evacuated Wednesday noon after police received a report of founding some suspicious packages.

The local ABC 7 news channel said a call came to police around local time 11:15 am over suspicious items in the building, which is the new site of the Los Angeles Times near the Los Angeles international airport.

The call prompted the newspaper's employees to leave the building.

Policemen, crews from LA county Healthy Hazmat and fire department arrived at the scene, the report said, adding some suspicious envelopes had been found.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:00:47|Editor: mmm

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Police are seen outside CNN headquarters in New York, the United States, Oct. 24, 2018. A suspicious package was found at the CNN headquarters in New York City on Wednesday, prompting an evacuation of the building. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

NEW YORK, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- An explosive device was sent to CNN's New York offices on Wednesday, hours after authorities said they had intercepted suspicious packages intended for former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The device, addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, was found around 10 a.m. at the CNN mailroom, prompting an evacuation of the Time Warner Center, where the CNN newsroom in New York is based.

Michell, a mailroom man at the Time Warner Center, said it was his assistant manager who found the package suspicious. The building security called the police immediately after receiving his report.

The device seized by the bomb squad at the CNN offices appeared to be a "live explosive device," and there was a suspicious white powder in the package, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

Jim Higgins was in a conference that gathered 1,200 people in the Time Warner Center building when told to evacuate.

"Everyone got up in an orderly fashion and evacuated two floors we were on...in five minutes," recalled Higgins in an interview with Xinhua. "I don't think anyone really knows what was going on till we get out."

The incident came hours after the U.S. Secret Service said it intercepted the suspicious package intended for Obama early Wednesday while the package addressed to Clinton was intercepted late Tuesday.

A number of other suspicious packages were also discovered. One apparently intended for Eric Holder, former U.S. Attorney General, was misaddressed and was ultimately delivered to the district office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida because her name was on the return address, according to media reports.

Police in Sunrise, Florida, said the building that houses the office of Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chair from 2011 to 2016, was evacuated after the suspicious package was discovered in the mail.

Moreover, a package addressed to Representative Maxine Waters was reportedly intercepted at a congressional mail facility in the U.S. state of Maryland before going to Capitol Hill.

The wave of suspected explosive devices came after a similar device was found in a mailbox at the home of billionaire investor and major Democratic donor George Soros in Bedford, state of New York.

None of the devices injured anyone. The identity and motivation of the perpetrator was unclear.

Bryan Paarmann, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of the counterterrorism task force in New York, said it appears a person or persons sent out multiple packages.

The investigation was in early stages and part of a group effort, he said.

The apparent mail-borne attacks came less than two weeks before the critical Nov. 6 midterm elections.

A Washington Post/Schar School Poll published Tuesday found that in 69 of the most contested House of Representatives districts in the country, 50 percent of voters back Democratic candidates and 47 percent throw their support for Republicans.

The incidents drew more attention as the recipients of the packages are high-profile Democrats or Democratic supporters, as many analysts noted.

Many U.S. officials are condemning the acts as terrorism at home.

President Donald Trump, speaking at an opioids event at the White House on Wednesday, said "the full weight of our government" is deployed to investigate the packages, pledging to "bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice."

"Acts and threats of political violence have no place in the United States of America," he said. "We're extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning and we will get to the bottom of it."

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the explosive device sent to the CNN offices "an effort to terrorize" and "an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press."

De Blasio told a news conference that it was an ongoing investigation and there was no credible threat against New York City at this time.

"This is the world we live in. Terrorism, the attempt to spread fear is the world we live in," said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo said there will be a heightened police presence following the incidents but urged citizens not to be alarmed.

Sarah Sanders, press secretary of the White House, condemned the attempted attacks, saying "these terrorizing acts are despicable."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:10:49|Editor: yan

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ROME, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The long history between Italy and Russia added a new chapter Wednesday when Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for the first time, vowing to strengthen trade ties.

Conte, who next week will mark his fifth month as Italy's head of government, traveled to Moscow to meet Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Conte invited Putin to visit Rome.

The main focus of the visit was economics. Trade between the two countries totaled 23.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, but that is less than half of the 54.1 billion U.S. dollars in Italy-Russia trade in 2013, before the Crimea issue.

Since 2014, Western countries including the United States and the EU have imposed a range of economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, and its alleged role in the conflict in the south of the country.

Since the Conte government was installed on June 1, Italy has been the leading European Union voice calling for the sanctions to be lifted.

A week ago, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini made his own trip to Moscow, where he called the current sanctions "madness."

On his visit, Conte took a more nuanced view, saying that, "For Italy, sanctions are never an end, but instead an instrument that must be overcome as soon as possible." Conte did not say whether Italy would use its veto power to block the sanctions, which must be renewed.

For his part, Putin praised the ties between the countries. "Our economic ties have remained strong," Putin said. "Despite difficult times, our political contacts have remained at a high level."

According to Andrea Giannotti, a historian specializing in Italy-Russia ties at both Italy's University of Pisa and at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations, Italy finds itself in a difficult position on the topic of Russian ties with Europe.

"Italy really has two priorities," Giannotti told Xinhua. "One is the European Union and the Atlantic alliance, and the other involves its long historical ties with Russia."

Giannotti said ties between the two territories dates to the 13th century.

The strong ties continued until modern times. According to Eleonora Tafuro, a researcher focusing on Russia for the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, Italian carmaker Fiat was among the first major companies to start production in the USSR when it opened a factory in Tolyatti in 1970.

Starting in the 1990s, former Italian prime ministers Silvio Berlusconi and Romani Prodi both visited Russia and prioritized the ties between the countries.

Today, despite the sanctions Italy gets nearly half its energy from Russian sources, Tafuro said in an interview.

"It is not a surprise Italy has been an advocate for Russia in the European Union," Tafuro said. "The ties are so deep and varied, whether it's through classical music or energy or political interests. It's a very important factor."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:10:50|Editor: yan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Tanzania said on Wednesday they are forming a regulatory body for the information, communication and technology (ICT) sector to deter quacks and curb cyber crime.

Deputy Minister for Works, Transport and Communication Atashasta Nditiye said a framework formulated by the ICT Commission on how the regulatory body will operate has already been submitted to the central government for approval.

Opening the annual ICT Commission conference in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, Nditiye said the regulator will be responsible for identifying and registering all qualified ICT professionals in the east African nation, as is done in other professions.

"One of the main goals here is to determine who is qualified to be called a professional ICT expert," said the official. "There are many people nowadays establishing very dangerous software that even threaten national security."

He said the government is working to ensure that the ICT sector contributes properly to national economic growth through building an industry that will be well regulated for security and development growth reasons.

Samson Mwela, the director general of the ICT Commission, said the annual conference, which was the second to take place in the country, will help experts discuss their roles in the fourth industrialization drive.

"ICT is a sensitive sector and there is need for careful regulation as there are a lot of people pretending to be ICT professionals but have ended up tarnishing the country's good image," said Mwela.

Jim Yonazi, deputy permanent secreatry in the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication, said the focus is to enable the sector to bring positive input to the economy.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:20:52|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk on Wednesday lamented the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and called on the international community to insist all parties, Israel in particular, bring an immediate end to "this disaster."

"Palestinians living in Gaza have access to no more than five hours of electricity a day. The coastal aquifer which supplies most of Gaza's drinking water is 97 percent contaminated by seawater and sewage," said Lynk as he presented his report to the UN General Assembly's Third Committee.

Reiterating the World Bank's conclusion, the rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories said Gaza's economy is "in free fall," as its unemployment rate has reached 53 percent, with youth unemployment over 70 percent.

On the casualties among the protesters of the ongoing Great March of Return movement, Lynk said more than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces and almost 23,000 injured since the campaign began in late March.

The protesters, who gather to various parts of the Gaza frontier with Israel every Friday, demand the Palestinians' right to return to their original homes and an end to the Israeli blockade against the enclave.

Lynk said these demonstrations have been "largely peaceful and unarmed," reminding Israel of the obligation that weapons and lethal forces should only be used as a last resort and only in cases of imminent threat of death or serious injury.

"At the very least, a significant majority of these deaths and injuries do not appear to satisfy this strict criterion," he said.

The special rapporteur also called to attention Israel's push to legalizing its settlement activities.

"We are witnessing strenuous efforts by the occupying power to entrench its claim over all or much of the West Bank," Lynk said, calling its increasing number of developments "soft-annexation."

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) has adopted a number of laws in the past year that have become "a flashing green light" for more formal annexation steps.

Taking the 2017 Settlement Regulation Law for example, he said the statute allows for the retroactive legalization of settlement outposts in the West Bank built on private Palestinian land.

The more blatant Jewish Nation-State Law provides "the state view the development of Jewish settlements as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation."

The rapporteur called for the UN to take actions insisting Israel either annul its annexations and relinquish its occupation or be prepared to bear the full consequences of international accountability.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:30:53|Editor: mmm

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MINSK, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that the Polish government's plan to allow a permanent deployment of a U.S. division in its territory as a threat to regional security, local media reported.

The Polish government's plans to permanently deploy a U.S. division in its territory are counterproductive and at odds with the goal of preserving stability and strengthening regional security, Shoigu said at a joint board meeting of the Defense Ministries of Belarus and Russia in Minsk.

"Given those circumstances, we will have to take countermeasures and get ready to neutralize possible military threats in every sector," he said.

In his turn, Andrei Ravkov, Belarusian Defense Minister, said Belarus-Russia military cooperation is a tangible factor of stability and an important element of the strategic deterrence of threats to the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty in the Eastern European region.

He also said the two countries had already begun to prepare Union Shield-2019 joint military drills. The drills will become the main event of joint training of the military command and troops in 2019 and ensure further improvement of the existing military security system of Belarus and Russia, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:35:57|Editor: mmm

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QUITO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said on Wednesday it will be difficult, in the short-term, to regain the level of diplomatic relations it had with Venezuela, following the occurrences of Oct. 18.

"The truth is that I don't know how this can be fixed in the future," Valencia said to local television station Teleamazonas, when asked if measures were already being taken to fix the relationship.

On Oct. 19, Valencia said that relations between the two countries "were currently at a fairly low level."

The diplomatic impasse between the two countries arose after Venezuelan Minister of Communication and information Jorge Rodriguez made comments about Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno, which the Ecuadorian government considered as "offensive."

Rodriguez questioned the figures in Moreno's speech about the number of Venezuelans fleeing their country and entering Ecuador during his speech at the UN's General Assembly on Sept. 25.

As a result, Ecuador expelled Venezuelan ambassador Carol Delgado from the country and declared her "persona non grata."

In retaliation, Venezuela expelled Ecuador's charge d'affaires in Caracas Elizabeth Mendez and also declaring her "persona non grata." Mendez had been in charge of Ecuador's embassy in Venezuela since Aug. 4, 2017 when its ambassador resigned and Ecuador did not send a replacement.

Valencia said that regardless of the diplomatic issues, the attention given to the Venezuelan migrants in their territory will continue as normal.

"A course that will demonstrate the solidarity of the Ecuadorian state, of Ecuadorian society with those who are going through a difficult situation due to the internal crisis in their country," Valencia said.

He also expected that business relations between the two countries are not affected by the current situation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 05:40:57|Editor: yan

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KIEV, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine central Poltava region welcomes the opportunity to cooperate with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which took part in the construction of the famed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the region governor Valeriy Golovko said on Wednesday.

"The company, which has built the world's longest sea bridge, will work in our region...We are open for investment and have all necessary support from the government," Golovko wrote on Facebook.

Last year, the CRBC signed a memorandum with Ukraine's state road agency Ukravtodor on joint construction of a bridge over the Dnieper River in Kremenchuk city in Poltava region. The bridge would be located on the international highway connecting Poltava with Moldova and Romania.

According to Golovko, the preparatory works for the project have already started.

The 55-km-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was opened on Oct.23. It links China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province and Macao SAR.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel addresses the General Debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Qin Lang)

MOSCOW, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, adopted on Wednesday a declaration calling for an end to the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba.

Sergei Kalashnikov, deputy chairman of the Council, called the declaration especially important ahead of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel's first visit to Russia on Nov. 1.

Cuba is expected to present a draft resolution on the need to end the U.S. economic, commercial and financial embargo to a United Nations (UN) plenary meeting on Oct. 31.

The Russian Federation Council called on the UN General Assembly, parliaments of UN member states and international parliamentary organizations to support the Cuban draft resolution.

On Oct. 18, Russia's State Duma, the lower parliament house, passed a separate declaration calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 06:11:08|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Egypt denounced on Wednesday the recent assault of Israeli police on monks of a monastery in Jerusalem whose ownership is claimed by Egypt's Orthodox Church.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli troops broke into Deir el-Sultan Monastery in Jerusalem, which is currently run by Ethiopians, to disband protesting monks who opposed Israeli attempts to do reparation works inside the monastery.

The Israeli forces also detained one of the Egyptian monks, who was later released after the interference of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

"Egypt denounces the assault of the Israeli police on a number of priests and deacons of the Deir el-Sultan Monastery in Jerusalem affiliated to Egypt's Orthodox Church and the detention of one of them," said a statement of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said that the ministry is closely following up the development of the incident on the ground and is in constant contact with the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv and the church leading clerics.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Diocese, head of Egypt's Orthodox Church, said that the Egyptian leadership is concerned about Deir el-Sultan assault as a national issue, not just a Coptic one.

The ownership of the 1,000-year-old monastery has been disputed since 1820, according to the Egyptian pope, who stressed that the Israeli constitutional court ruled the Egyptian Orthodox Church's ownership of the monastery.

He noted that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv have been holding several meetings to discuss the means of returning the monastery to the Egyptian church's ownership.

"The monastery has been occupied since 1970 when the Israeli authorities used the political situation then and allowed a group of Ethiopian monks to be present in the monastery," said the Egyptian top Coptic figure.

Anba Antonious, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East Metropolitan, said on Wednesday that the monastery, where Ethiopians have lived for decades, had been owned by the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church since the 7th century.

The Israeli aggression against Deir el-Sultan monks sparked criticism from other Egyptian officials and bodies, including Al-Azhar, the most prestigious learning institution for Sunni Muslims in Egypt and the whole world.

"Al-Azhar asserts its full solidarity with the Coptic church in facing the aggressions of the Israeli occupation and its invalid procedures," said Al-Azhar's statement, expressing full support for "the historical right" of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church in restoring Deir el-Sultan.

The Israeli move was also slammed by the Egyptian parliament, Egypt's Catholic Church, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, the Islamic Christian Committee to Defend Jerusalem and Holy Sites, the Palestine Liberation Organization and others.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 06:11:09|Editor: Yang Yi

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The first Zhengzhou-Liege cargo train leaves Liege, Belgium, on Oct. 24, 2018. Belgium and China Wednesday launched a new cargo train route linking the Belgian city of Liege, some 100 km southeast of Brussels, to Zhengzhou, the capital city of China's Henan province. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

LIEGE, Belgium, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Belgium and China Wednesday launched a new cargo train route linking the Belgian city of Liege, some 100 km southeast of Brussels, to Zhengzhou, the capital city of China's Henan province.

The first cargo train, loaded with 37 containers, left Liege Logistics Intermodal at 4 p.m. local time, starting a trip that covers more than 11,000 km and is set to take 12 days.

The Zhengzhou-Liege cargo train route is the third of its kind connecting cities of the two countries, marking their growing interests to nurture closer economic and trade ties.

The train service is scheduled to run once a week initially, and the frequency is expected to rise in the future.

The first cargo train route between China and Belgium was launched in June last year, connecting China's Daqing city to Zeebrugge Port, followed by the second one in May this year, linking north China's Tangshan City to Antwerp Port.

Pierre-Yves Jeholet, vice president of Wallonia, along with He Jinping, vice-governor of the Henan province, said at the launching press conference in Liege, "We have every interest in turning to China and having close, strong relationships, and we must see this as an opportunity and a necessity."

Jeholet said Wallonia is encouraging the region's large exporters and small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) alike to export more products to China.

"This railway link is that together we are able to make such projects," he said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the friendly relationship between Henan province and Wallonia, He noted, stressing that the route denotes a new phase of development between the two regions.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 06:16:11|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk on Wednesday lamented the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and called on the international community to insist all parties, Israel in particular, bring an immediate end to "this disaster."

"Palestinians living in Gaza have access to no more than five hours of electricity a day. The coastal aquifer which supplies most of Gaza's drinking water is 97 percent contaminated by seawater and sewage," said Lynk as he presented his report to the UN General Assembly's Third Committee.

Reiterating the World Bank's conclusion, the rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories said Gaza's economy is "in free fall," as its unemployment rate has reached 53 percent, with youth unemployment over 70 percent.

On the casualties among the protesters of the ongoing Great March of Return movement, Lynk said more than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces and almost 23,000 injured since the campaign began in late March.

The protesters, who gather to various parts of the Gaza frontier with Israel every Friday, demand the Palestinians' right to return to their original homes and an end to the Israeli blockade against the enclave.

Lynk said these demonstrations have been "largely peaceful and unarmed," reminding Israel of the obligation that weapons and lethal forces should only be used as a last resort and only in cases of imminent threat of death or serious injury.

"At the very least, a significant majority of these deaths and injuries do not appear to satisfy this strict criterion," he said.

The special rapporteur also called to attention Israel's push to legalize its settlement activities.

"We are witnessing strenuous efforts by the occupying power to entrench its claim over all or much of the West Bank," Lynk said, calling its increasing number of developments "soft-annexation."

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) has adopted a number of laws in the past year that have become "a flashing green light" for more formal annexation steps.

Taking the 2017 Settlement Regulation Law for example, he said the statute allows for the retroactive legalization of settlement outposts in the West Bank built on private Palestinian land.

The more blatant Jewish Nation-State Law provides "the state view the development of Jewish settlements as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation."

The rapporteur called for the UN to take actions, insisting Israel either annul its annexations and relinquish its occupation or be prepared to bear the full consequences of international accountability.

Moreover, Lynk said during his mandate, Israel has been on a "persistent stance of non-cooperation," denying his entry to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

"This stance of non-cooperation serves no one's interests, least of all the noble cause of human rights," he said.

He thanked Jordan for hosting his mission in June, noting that NGO workers and Palestinian officials had traveled to Amman to meet him or communicated with him through video or writing.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 06:26:12|Editor: yan

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MAPUTO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The main employers' association of Mozambique, the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), said on Wednesday that the new rules on the limits of hiring foreign labor will be bad for attracting investment in the country.

The government on Wednesday submitted for discussion a preliminary draft revision of the Labor Law. According to the CTA, the document presents many protectionist rules, one of which is the limited number of foreigners that a national company is allowed to employ.

The president of CTA Agostinho Vuma said these limitations do not match current market dynamics and will deter those who want to invest in Mozambique.

"The country has to be easy to reach, hire and invest in. At this stage of growth we have to have the principle and even adopt the business-friendly model at all levels," he said.

Vuma said that the government should focus on the training of labor to ensure that more Mozambicans have the skills to fill the vacancies available in the market.

Meanwhile, the minister of labor, employment and social security, Vitoria Diogo, said that the revision of the Labor Law aims to respond to the current challenges of the market and fundamental labor rights.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 07:01:17|Editor: Yamei

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QUITO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the arrest of fugitive ex-Communication Minister Fernando Alvarado, who is wanted on charges of embezzlement.

They also called for Interpol to help capture Alvarado, who indicated in a videotaped message that he had fled the country.

In a video aired on YouTube Tuesday, Alvarado said he was a refugee in a country "that understands there is political persecution."

The Prosecutor General's Office said via Twitter it was freezing the ex-minister's assets and bank accounts.

Alvarado also served as spokesperson of the previous government, headed by former President Rafael Correa. Correa, who resides in Belgium, is also wanted by Ecuadorian authorities, but for his alleged role in a politically-motivated kidnapping.

Alvarado had been wearing an electronic monitoring device since August, but took it off on Saturday, the government said.

The former minister has denied any wrongdoing and pledged to "fight from abroad" against prejudiced officials who have already labelled him "corrupt" and a "thief."

"I will continue to defend myself but in freedom. I'm not going to surrender my liberty to a corrupt justice system," Alvarado said in the video.

On Wednesday, Ecuadorian Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Valencia said the government "has not received any notifications" from any country on the whereabouts of Alvarado.

"I would be surprised if there is an application for political asylum when it is public and well known, evident to everyone, that Mr. Alvarado violated the conditions of his liberty and seemingly left the country," Valencia told television channel Teleamazonas.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-25 07:11:20|Editor: ZD

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CHICAGO, Oct.24 (Xinhua) -- Two people were shot dead at a grocery store in the U.S. state of Kentucky and one suspect was detained, local police confirmed on Wednesday.

The shooting happened at Kroger, a chain grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky.

According to local police chief Sam Rogers, the suspect first shot one person inside the store and then another in the nearby parking lot.

Initial reports said two people were injured in the shooting, but both were pronounced dead later. The motive behind the shooting is till under investigation.

"We are shocked and saddened by the shooting incident that occurred around 2:30 p.m. today," Kroger said in a statement. "Thanks to the quick response of the local police department, the suspect was apprehended and our store is now secure."

Kroger added that they are cooperating with law enforcement and assisting with the investigation. The store remains closed and will reopen after the investigation concludes.
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Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about whats going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.
A conservative and a liberal pundit recall the 1956 revolution and interpret contemporary politics in the light of past events.

In Figyelo, Daniel Deak likens the Hungarian governments battle to stop mass immigration to the 1956 October revolution. Hungary, the pro-government analyst writes, has for centuries fought for its own independence and freedom as well as for Christian European values.



He believes that the Sargentini report, supported by Western politicians, was meant to take away Hungarys national identity. Deak hopes that Hungary and Poland will remain resilient and will succeed in defending national and Christian values.

Heti Vilaggazdasags Arpad W. Tota suspects that the government will use the anniversary of the 1956 revolution to liken the EU to the Soviet Union. The liberal commentator finds it absurd to suggest that in 1956 Hungarians rose in defence of right-wing values.



Instead, he likens the current state of Hungary to the post-1956 period of the Communist regime. Just as after the anti-Soviet revolution, Hungarians today are once again trading freedom for stability and a few welfare perks, he suggests.



This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online Click here to Share Your Story



MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas
Hungarians are not the type to gamble with their country, but if necessary they can fight when there is no hope, although they prefer to have heroism and common sense on their side, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a state commemoration of Hungarys anti- Soviet uprising of 1956.

Orban said the freedom fighters of 1956 had made a sensible decision.



The Soviets withdrew from Austria, the Hungarian communists were focused on each other and the free West was urging Hungarians to rise up and promised help, the prime minister said.



On one side there was the hopelessness of certain decay and on the other the once-in-a-lifetime last chance, the prime minister said.



They had to try and they did. The only way we Hungarians know how.



With deathdefying bravery, by putting our bad disputes behind us, in complete unity and with a pure heart.



MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas



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The foreign minister expressed gratitude to every hero of 1956 for their role in ensuring that Hungary can today enjoy freedom, in a video message addressed to Hungarian communities beyond the borders and Hungarian diplomatic missions, marking the 62nd anniversary of the countrys anti-Soviet uprising.

Hungarian people in 1956 said no to tyranny and dictatorial rule, as they also said no to intimidation, the ministrys statement cited Peter Szijjarto as saying.



They said it was enough of others wanting to decide Hungarys future and dictating how they should live their lives in their own country, he said.



The Hungarian nation is a nation of freedom fighters.



This was shown in 1956, too, when Hungarian people had the courage to rise up against a vastly superior force and, despite the absence of the much awaited help from abroad, they fought until the end for Hungarys freedom, Szijjarto said.



We Hungarians will never accept that others should decide about our future. We owe that to the heroes of 1956, the minister said. The video message will be played during commemorations at embassies and consulates, the ministry said.



Photo: PM's press Office Szecsodi Balazs



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A torchlight march was held in Budapest on Monday to commemorate the Hungarian anti- Soviet revolution on October 23, 1956.

The march started from the Budapest University of Technology and ended at Bem Jozsef Square near Margaret Bridge.



Addressing the marchers, Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Ministers Office, said history has shown that we can only preserve our freedom and Hungarian culture if we stand together. Hungarians around the world have to know that they can count on the homeland, Gulyas said.



That is why we must do everything we can to protect the Hungarians in Transcarpathia, he said.



By paying our respects to the sacrifice of those who came before us and by remembering the hell they lived through after the revolution was stifled, we set standards. Remembrance is a responsibility, Gulyas said.



MTI photo Balogh Zoltan



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Un barbat a ingropat un pistol si o grenada in gradina mamei, sa isi salveze prietenul

Un barbat din Vladeni, judetul Dambovita, este acuzat ca a ingropat o grenada si un pistol in gradina mamei sale, pentru a-si salva prietenul, care se filmase cu armanentul si postase inregistrarea pe retelele [citeste mai departe]
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Reader: I loved your new dining guide's focus this year on classic Philly restaurants. But what about the suburbs?

Craig LaBan: Well, of course, last year's dining guide was all about the suburbs! I put more than 4,000 miles on my car scouting more than 180 recommendations from Chester County to South Jersey, so I decided this year to stay a bit closer to home. There were, nonetheless, a number of suburban classics noted in this year's edition, too, both in Pennsylvania (Margaret Kuo's, Eve's Lunch, Han Dynasty, Pica's) and in New Jersey, where veterans like Sagami, Ponzio's, Library II, Donkey's Place and Corinne's Place were singled out. But there were many I could not find room for, so here's a list of 16 more great suburban classics that have been serving consistent excellence across a wide range of styles for at least 10 years.

The Original Clam Tavern (2 bells) is a throwback in the very best sense, an old-school fish house of the sort that's all but disappeared in Philly. It has stayed true to blue-collar Clifton Heights for 50-plus years, with fair prices, classic nautical ambience, and devotion to the seafood classics. The clams casino is among the best around. The red-sauced mussels, creamy chowder, lumpy crab cakes, spaghetti with clams, and lobster fra diavolo are all spot-on. But don't miss the signature baked middleneck clams roasted whole in a distinctive steel tray beneath lightly browned Italian seasonings and a tangy, mysterious red dot. 339 E. Broadway Ave., Clifton Heights. 610-623-9537; clamtavern.net. $-$$

Charlie's Hamburgers is a Delco institution that's been serving hamburgers and shakes since 1935, and it has occupied this no-frills shack in Folsom since 1986, when then-owner Bernard "Bunny" McDonald moved it from the original location in Springfield. Now owned by McDonald's son, Steve, Charlie's still cooks every little patty fresh to order just a few feet away, toasting the buns on the shiny side of the flattop for extra flavor. And what those slider-sized burgers lack in size they more than make up for in a powerful savor. There are no froufrou truffled toppings here  unless the Velveeta-like cheese that oozes between the layers counts. Try the "Bunny" cheeseburger combo with raw onions, or fried onions and pickles on the "Charlie." Either way, you'll want two. You'll also want a black-and-white shake. 336 Kedron Ave., Folsom. 610-461-4228. $

Nectar (3 bells) has long been regarded as the Buddakan of the 'burbs, thanks to its Asian fusion menu and the massive silk-printed Buddha behind glass that watches over the soaring modern space. But, really, Nectar has convincingly blazed its own identity as a special-occasion destination, thanks in large part to talented chef-partner Patrick Feury, whose skills epitomize the sophisticated possibilities of East-West fusion. The sushi here is stellar and creative, but don't miss the crisp lobster dumplings and great steamed pork buns, as well as the wild boar lo mein and butter-poached lobster pad Thai. 1091 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn. 610-725-9000; tastenectar.com. $$$

Birchrunville Store Cafe (3 bells) at first glance appears to have changed little since I first drove into the bucolic heart of Chester County to visit in 2000. Ringed by misty cornfields and steepled churches, this old general-store-turned-idyllic-French-BYOB remains one of the single most charming dining experiences in the region (except for its cash-only policy). There's almost always stuffed roast pheasant, fresh fish with wild mushrooms, rack of lamb with minted risotto, and warm butterscotch cake for dessert. But so much here has continued to evolve. Chef-owner Francis Pascal's native Provencale touch has acquired some refined Asian accents (thanks, in part, to his marriage to Nui Kullana, who owns Phoenixville's Thai L'Elephant), from Sichuan-crusted duck to gorgeous summer rolls stuffed with delicately poached lobster marinated in Korean chilies, posed over a creamy lobster bisque. 1403 Hollow Rd., Birchrunville. 610-827-9002; birchrunvillestorecafe.com. $$$

Majolica (3 bells) was a fine-dining pioneer in this old mill town before the new, hip version of Phoenixville took root. This ambitious 44-seat BYOB, launched more than a decade ago by Savona alum Andrew Deery, brought a French-inspired menu devoted to seasonal local ingredients sourced largely from the borough's farmers' market, a warm bistro vibe, and polished service. With a satisfying menu that ranges from a tuna tartare starter to perfect roast duck over lentils in hazelnut oil, molasses-glazed sweetbreads, a hearty crock of cassoulet, and beignets with coffee-cardamom pot de creme, Majolica remains strong. It's not only Phoenixville's most sophisticated dining experience, but one of the top restaurants in the western suburbs, period. 258 Bridge St., Phoenixville. 610-917-0962; majolicarestaurant.com. $$$

Blackfish BYOB (3 bells) in Conshohocken was Chip Roman's big debut more than a decade ago, and now, after he's opened and sold multiple other projects, it is once again his primary address. This onetime trendsetter in the New American BYOB movement has benefited from the renewed focus with fresh items like the lobster ravioli topped with mild habanada chilies and a tostada piled with sweet crab, complementing menu standbys like the roulade of boneless chicken, the short rib-scallop twist on surf and turf, and the beignets. Look for the Tuesday-Thursday $49 themed-menu deals, and also, any nightly special that Roman  an avid fisherman  might have landed himself. 119 Fayette St., Conshohocken, 610-397-0888; blackfishrestaurant.com. $$$

Blue Sage Vegetarian Grille (2 bells) was one of the region's true innovators of serious vegetarian cooking when I first reviewed its globe-hopping menu in 2001. But a lot has changed since then, as mainstream audiences have learned to embrace their veggies and vegan cooking became the new meat-free dining norm. So I was delighted at my 2017 revisit to discover that not only had Blue Sage moved from its original strip-mall storefront into a larger contemporary space, but that chef-owner Michael Jackson's cooking was as fresh as ever. Arancini rice fritters took on an unexpected fall tone with pumpkin. "Buddha" tacos over soft yellow tortillas were stuffed with sweet potato hash. The Korean fried chicken trend appeared as fried cauliflower in spicy-sweet sauce over rich popcorn grits. Even dessert  a white chocolate cashew tart filled with whipped banana cream and bruleed bananas  was memorable. 727 Second Street Pike, Southampton. 215-942-8888; bluesagevegetariangrille.com. $$

Teresa's Next Door (3 bells) began more than a decade ago as a Belgian bar with a novel Mexican twist. But it has settled in, refined its Euro-taqueria bistro menu, and evolved into so much more than just a great beer bar. There aren't many places on the planet where you can order a bowl of delicate waterzooi seafood stew alongside some amazingly tender goat tacos. But even more compelling, TND, which is in fact right next door to the Italian-themed BYOB Teresa's, has blossomed into what may well be the single greatest place to drink in the suburbs, with nearly 400 whiskeys from around the world, a dedicated gluten-free tap box with several meads, ciders, sake, and wines on draft, and an extensive list of "natural" wines. And, of course, you can also still find some of the greatest beers in the world on its 24 other taps, with 150 more bottles to choose from. 124 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne. 610-293-9909; teresas-nextdoor.com. $$

Persian Grill (2 bells) opened in 1984 and, after more than three decades, it remains one of the region's only reliable destinations for the distinctive flavors of Persian cuisine, from charcoal-grilled kebabs over fluffy basmati pilaf to exotic sweet-and-sour sauces vivid with aromatic spice, and slow-stewed delights like chicken Fesenjan. Try any of the great kebab platters (koubideh; joojeh; lamb chops; Bareh, Dandeh and Soltani), the funky aged garlic and "five-year-old relish" (torshi), or refreshing faloodeh shirazi Persian ice for dessert. The Grill has now doubled the Persian pleasure with a new second location in Hatboro. 637 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill. 610-825-2705; persiangrillusa.com. $-$$

Little Saigon is indeed tiny. But this cozy pink dining room in Upper Darby is one of the region's longest-running Vietnamese restaurants and still makes some of the best spring rolls, with crackly rice paper crusts and meaty, mushroom-flecked fillings. I also enjoyed the soulfully aromatic soups (try the chili-laced bun bo hue), as well as a bo luc lac of tender sauteed beef cubes served with a dish of salt, pepper, and lime for dipping on the side. 113 Fairfield Ave., Upper Darby. 610-352-1002. $

Hymie's and its cross-street rival, Murray's, have been Main Line deli staples for decades. But I'm firmly in the Hymie's camp. The matzo ball soup, amped up with a "mishmash" of kreplach, bow ties and rice, has a soulful natural flavor. The pickle bar is abundant. And, most important, the house-made corned beef is superbly tender. As with all good delis, Hymie's is clearly a neighborhood hub for affordable, made-from-scratch takes on a variety of comfort foods, from wraps to smoked fish, huge salads, and hearty all-day breakfasts. But it's that corned beef I'd return for, especially paired with the peppery pastrami for a "Shmoozer" combo layered with coleslaw over fresh and crusty rye. 342 Montgomery Ave., Merion Station. 610-668-3354; hymies.com. $

Arpeggio was founded in 1995 but was reborn last year into an impressive new space in the Spring House Village Center. This Italian-Med BYOB owned by Mary Gigliotti Collum and Hamdy Khalil has a splashy contemporary dining room with soaring 24-foot ceilings and a big deck overlooking the valley. But the service is down to earth and personal. And the expansive menu still has an almost dineresque reach, ranging from wood-fired pizzas (try the Palermo) to pastas and simply cooked fresh fish. I favor the Middle Eastern flavors that speak to Khalil's Egyptian roots, especially the sesame-crusted falafel and baba ghanoush, flaky spanakopita, and marinated chicken shish taouk skewers served with fresh-baked pita. 1101 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House. 215-646-5055; http://arpeggiobyob.com/. $$-$$$

Creed's Seafood and Steaks is a welcome alternative to the chain-saturated landscape of King of Prussia. And there's a personal character to this independent King of Prussia survivor since the early 1980s  now thoroughly ringed on its service drive island by swanky new developments  that remains a worthy example of old-school chophouse class. Rich lobster bisque, no-nonsense lump crab cakes, and excellent steaks (I splurged on the fairly priced $42 Pennsylvania-raised one-pound rib-eye) that keep the clubby dining rooms bustling with a business crowd. 499 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia. 610-265-2550; creedskop.com. $$$

The Kibitz Room (2 bells) has been South Jersey's best deli since 2000, and it's a good thing the Katz JCC gym is just down the road, because I could eat my weight's worth of creamy blintzes and steamy corned beef. No place (outside of Famous 4th Street Deli) brings the New York-style deli savor quite like Kibitz, from the comfort soups to the grilled rye bread sandwiches piled high with pepper-edged pastrami, hot roast beef platters, and homey entrees (stuffed cabbage, chicken pot pie) to the bottomless pickle bar. The counter-service-only setup is my biggest complaint. 100 Springdale Rd., Cherry Hill. 856-428-7878; greatpastrami.com/cherryhill. $-$$

Chick's Deli may be hidden on an alley strip just off Route 70, but it has remained a worthy cheesesteak destination for cops, high school kids, and locals of all stripes for 60 years. The chicken cheesesteaks are the big draw here, though the beef steaks are also solid, in a basic, squishy roll, American cheese kind of way. The Italian hoagies aren't bad, either. 906 Township Ln., Cherry Hill. 856-429-2022. $

Caffe Aldo Lamberti is the upscale flagship to the ubiquitous Lamberti empire, and its sleekly modern dining rooms are Celebration Central for a senior slice of South Jersey diners. And though it may not be the most personal setting, it is nonetheless a reliable  if expensive  destination for a refined meal of high-quality seafood (expertly cooked whole fish, stone crabs, hard-to-find seppia "tagliatelle" salad), classic indulgences like Tuscan-spiced rack of lamb, and a lively bar scene. 2011 Marlton Pike W., Cherry Hill. 856-663-1747; caffelamberti.com. $$$
Allison Whitaker, an author and trans activist, at the Collingswood Book Festival on Oct. 6 Read more

The Trump administration seems prepared to proclaim that transgender Americans are either lying or ignorant about who they truly are.

Anatomy at birth shall be their destiny, forever, and always under the proposed edict from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Uncle Sam knows best!

The proposed doctrine represents "a troubling overreach by government into personal lives," former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman said on Twitter.

The change envisioned in the internal HHS memo disclosed by the New York Times could be profoundly painful to the 1.4 million Americans who identify as transgender, who could find themselves excluded from federal protections from discrimination in education, housing and health care.

All that's missing from the memo is a declaration along the lines of "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve"  the lame (if catchy) slogan familiar to generations of LGBTQ people.

We vividly remember how it felt to have pronouncements made and policies drafted about us, often by clueless bureaucrats acting without our advice or consent  let alone, our participation.

We can recall the bad old days when the nature of our natures was up for debate in the mainstream media (there were headlines like, "Homosexuality: Vice or illness?") and when various self-professed experts, typically with only faith-based credentials, suggested that our sin could and should only be forgiven via forcible conversion.

Which, presumably, would eliminate the "problem" of homosexuality.

Many continue to so profess and suggest: The quackery known as gay conversion therapy for minors  depicted in the soon-be-be-released film, Boy Erased  is legal in all but 11 states.

Talk about big government.

"It's scary," said Allison Whitaker, a 34-year-old Maple Shade author and trans advocate who transitioned 2 years ago. She tells the story in her recently published memoir, Sometimes It Hurts.

The administration's proposed policy threatens "our right to exist and be happy and whole in who we are," Whitaker told me. "It's about doing whatever they can to keep us separate, to keep victimizing and minimizing us. They're telling us we don't matter. It's as if they're trying to wipe us off the face of the Earth."

The proposed federal transgender control system would be imposed regardless of the facts of transgender lives  regardless of the truth in the minds, hearts, and bodies of Whitaker and others who know far more about the realities of being transgender than any traditionally gendered person. And who certainly know more than politicians with an obsessive, if not fetishistic, focus on which people should be permitted to urinate in which restroom.

Once issued, the HHS decree would be an official U.S. government seal of disapproval and disrespect, a punishment imposed by a purportedly secular state for the alleged sin of nonconformity to what are largely faith-based expectations. Ignorant of science, it's a move that nevertheless tries to disguise its prejudices by hiding behind an interpretation of science so narrowly incomplete it's about as scientifically plausible as the Biblical tale of Adam's rib.

Apparently, the view from the moral mountaintop that is the Trump administration requires that Obama-era regulations, about which the president really does seem obsessed, be dismissed along with the steadily emerging and persuasive jurisprudence that transgender people are people whose circumstances do not disqualify them from life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The sense of urgency behind the memo would seem to suggest either a national emergency, or some other compelling imperative. The mid-term elections, perhaps?

No wonder trans people and their allies are taking to the streets nationally and in Philly. It's maddening to find oneself being used as a campaign prop to further agitate already rabid members of the president's base, or to satisfy the desires of Vice President Pence, the pious homophobe who dreams of succeeding him.

But because so many millions of LGBTQ people have come out in the last half-century  2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots  no president, legislature, high court justice or government memo will have the power to erase us.

Because, as Whitaker said, "we're not going away."
The Reading Terminal Market, for all its on-the-surface chaos, is an institution that runs on routines and rhythms. And the death of Domenic M. Spataro, a son of the Terminal  its oral historian, merchant mediator, Hawaiian-shirt-cloaked ambassador  has upended those routines.

To the untrained eye, the market goes on as it always has  Domenic's colleagues can't stop the cheesesteak lines. So, they mourn as merchants can.

Working the cash register at Carmen's Famous Italian Hoagies & Cheesesteaks, Carmen DiGuglielmo will choke up if he thinks too much of his friend.

At his health food shop, David Schieber takes a break from loading his dolly to speak in soft words of his old friend, who welcomed him to the market.

And then there are those mornings when Tommy Nicolosi, the dignified roast pork maestro at DiNic's, perhaps Dom's oldest friend in the Terminal, will pause and remind himself again that his pal is gone.

"We lost one of the best of us," he said.

>> READ MORE: At Reading Terminal, rich history in a changing landscape

Domenic M. Spataro, who died at age 63 this month, was raised in the Terminal, the son of Domenic C., proprietor of Spataro's dairy, which opened in 1947. The family's original "Drink Buttermilk and Live Forever" sign still hangs near the center court of the market. One morning, when Dom was 8, his father woke him up. "I need you  get up," he said. Dom did, and went to the Terminal to work alongside his father, and there he stayed.

Over the years, Spataro's transitioned from a dairy to a sandwich shop to cheesesteaks, and sometime in the 1980s started stocking soda, at Dom's urging and with the reluctance of Mr. Spataro, at heart a dairy man. They held fast through the Terminal's dark days in the early `80s, when there were only 25 vendors, no air-conditioning, no heat, and talk of closing. Between slinging sandwiches, Dom somehow found time for night school and a master's in psychology at LaSalle. ("Question: $10," read the sign he hung near his counter. "Dumb question: $20.)

When his father died in 2012, Dom officially took over the shop.

And when he grew ill from heart trouble in recent years, his son, Alex, took over. Dom transitioned from his plaid work shirt to a loud Hawaiian print. He remarried, allowed himself to travel Europe, and perched on a stool at Tootsie's Salad Express across the way. He called himself the Terminal historian, and rightly so: His 55 years in the market made him its longest-tenured shopkeeper. "He had been in this building through thick and thin," Alex said.

And he would pass that history on, over coffee at Tootsie's, or if you caught him at the right time, over a scotch and soda at the Terminal bar. Every tour given by Anuj Gupta, the Terminal's general manager, stopped at Dom's stool.

"This is a joyful place," Gupta said. "And he represented the joy."

On Tuesday night, with their shops closed, the merchants allowed themselves to mourn in a way they couldn't during market hours. They held a memorial at center court. There were photos and flowers, and Tootsie Iovine sang a spiritual. They talked of how Dom's punchlines lightened the market. How he was a curmudgeon, but a lovable one when he felt like it. And about how he loved the market. Oh, how he loved the market.

And in the morning bustle, a new routine has developed: one born from absence. Spataro's general manager Walter Lefflbine sits alone at the counter of Tootsie's, which he and his boss  "a brother, if not father," he says  had called their office. He sits on Dom's old seat, under the photos of Dom that Tootsie taped to the wall.

"We have lost the centerpiece," Walter says from his stool, greeting the merchants, regulars, and Terminal veterans who know where to come to grieve.

"Will the market go on and thrive? Of course. Will it ever be the same? No," said Beth Palubinsky, a regular who stopped by Tuesday morning with her husband, Al, who remembers going to the original Spataro's, run by Dom's father, in the 1960s for ice-cold buttermilk, and cream cheese and olive sandwiches. "It felt there were things you could count on. Dom being here and holding court  he was always warm and funny, and he always had a smile on his face. This was his little kingdom. And that little spirit is gone."
A side-by-side comparison of fatal doses of heroin, right, and the synthetic opioid fentanyl, shows that the latter is much more powerful. Read more

Two drugs with opposite effects  cocaine and the synthetic opioid fentanyl  are contributing to more overdose deaths in Philadelphia.

Cheap, potent fentanyl  which can be 10 times stronger than heroin  has long been found in heroin, often with fatal consequences to people who sometimes don't realize they are using fentanyl. Both of those opioid drugs, like prescription painkillers, are depressants that slow down messages between the brain and the body. Cocaine, however, is a stimulant that speeds up the system.

Exactly why fentanyl is turning up in cocaine overdose cases is unclear, though law enforcement and public health experts have come up with several theories. There's no doubt, though, that fentanyl has created a new unpredictability in the drug supply that's proving increasingly fatal.

"As we see this expansion of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs into the drug supply, the universe of people who might be at risk is much broader," said Christopher Jones, the director of the National Mental Health and Substance Abuse Police Laboratory at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "That's why you see the really significant spikes in overdose deaths since 2015."

In a paper published last year, Jones noted a national spike in cocaine-related overdose deaths between 2000 and 2015  and that opioids appeared to be behind it, with more people overdosing with both drugs in their system. In Philadelphia, 280 people overdosed with cocaine and opioids in their system in 2016. More than half of the time, that opioid was fentanyl, according to the medical examiner's office. By June 2017, 262 people had overdosed on a combination of cocaine and opioids, and 85 percent of those deaths involved fentanyl.

Whether or not drug users realize they're ingesting that combination of drugs  generally a powder that is snorted or dissolved into a solution and then injected  is unclear. Speedballs, the colloquial term for a heroin-cocaine combination, have long been a popular drug cocktail, used together for what is said to be a unique euphoria. But a report issued to agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in January indicates that at least some people in addiction may be using  and dying from  the deadlier cocaine-fentanyl combination.

Of more than 30,000 cocaine samples from Pennsylvania that the DEA analyzed between 2015 and 2017, less than one percent contained fentanyl. But the number of samples that tested positive for fentanyl jumped 112 percent between 2016 and 2017, investigators found. And more than half the samples with fentanyl also contained heroin.

The DEA has theorized that a larger-than-average supply of cocaine in the area  coupled with a lower demand for that drug  may mean that cocaine is making its way into the heroin supply.

Investigators also looked at evidence from 73 death scenes where victims had overdosed on cocaine and fentanyl. About half of the scenes showed evidence of heroin use  syringes, stamped heroin bags, Narcan (the overdose rescue drug)  but not cocaine. Twenty showed evidence of only cocaine use.

"While it is not possible to conclusively associate drug paraphernalia with drug usage," the report reads, "scene evidence analysis supports the suggestion that heroin users may be purchasing cocaine and fentanyl packaged and sold as heroin."

Some accounts from drug users appear to support that theory: A woman from Northwest Philadelphia, who has been using heroin for 20 years, said in an interview with the Inquirer and Daily News that last year she bought a bag of what she thought was heroin. But blood work later showed she had been ingesting fentanyl and cocaine  neither of which she had sought out, she said, declining to be publicly identified because of a prior relationship with a dealer.

People in addiction could also be seeking out cocaine and heroin separately  but, instead of heroin, winding up with the deadlier fentanyl, the DEA wrote in last month's report. Even street dealers, the DEA said, are often unaware of what's in the product they're moving.

"People may not be aware of fentanyl being present [in cocaine], or they may assume it's not there, and mix it with heroin that also contains fentanyl," said David Metzger, an addiction researcher and director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at the University of Pennsylvania. "It speaks to the fact that we need to talk to drug users more and more, and learn about what their perception is of what they're buying."

Jones said fentanyl has added a deeper complication to the overdose crisis.

"We have to think about the universe of people who might be at risk besides people who are knowingly using opioids," he said. "Law enforcement has to share information about what drugs are in the drug supply locally and give that information out to the public. People are using substances and they largely don't know what they're getting."
Experts agree that the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl and its even deadlier relatives pose potential hazards to police and emergency responders who come in contact with the drugs.

But there is also concern that the risks are being overblown, potentially creating unnecessary stress for emergency workers.

Sometimes quoting law enforcement sources, media outlets are routinely stating that just touching fentanyl can cause an overdose or even death  a contention that medical toxicologists say is scientifically impossible.

"I hope this doesn't turn into hysteria," said Andrew Stolbach, an emergency physician and medical toxicologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "I don't want this to make people afraid of doing their jobs."

Fears of death from a touch were stoked in May when local and national media (including the Inquirer, the Washington Post, and the New York Times) reported the story of an East Liverpool, Ohio, police officer. He said that after searching the car of suspected drug dealers, he suffered a life-threatening overdose after simply brushing powder presumed to be a form of fentanyl off his shirt. He passed out and needed four doses of the opioid-reversal medication naloxone to save him.

"That sort of incidental exposure would not cause such severe opioid toxicity," said Joseph D'Orazio, a Temple University emergency physician and medical toxicologist.

Echoed Stolbach, "It's just not plausible that getting a small amount of fentanyl on your skin is going to cause significant opioid toxicity. You don't absorb enough drug fast enough to get toxicity that way."

Writing in the online magazine Slate, Jeremy Samuel Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, tried to imagine a scenario in which the Ohio officer could have accidentally inhaled or swallowed fentanyl  routes known to be potentially life-threatening. "But the amount that could have transferred from the  shirt to the fingers to the mouth or nose," Faust wrote, "would not be a clinically significant quantity, even accounting for fentanyl's potency."

Faust added that he doesn't think the officer or anyone at his police department is lying. "These police officers are at the front lines of an extremely challenging fight, and it is understandable that they would be freaked out by this event."

Still, Faust said, the huge dose of naloxone needed to revive the officer suggests it was "treating the wrong illness." And the media's uncritical embrace of the story indicates "an interesting new hysteria, for lack of a better term, about opioids."

The leader of the nation's war on drugs may be fueling the reaction. Last month, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a news release titled "DEA Warning to Police and Public: Fentanyl Exposure Kills" along with a video of two Atlantic County, N.J., detectives who were "exposed to a very small amount of fentanyl."

"I thought that was it. I thought I was dying," one detective says on the video.

Patrick Trainor, a spokesman for the DEA's Philadelphia office, said that ultra-potent forms of fentanyl such as carfentanil  which is legitimately used to tranquilize elephants and other large animals  are deadlier than the anthrax used in the mysterious bioterrorism attacks in 2002. Anthrax-tainted letters killed five people and sickened 13.

"They are worse [than anthrax] in our opinion," Trainor said in an interview. "You have a drug like carfentanil that's 10,000 times stronger than heroin. Just touching it, is that going to kill you? Probably not. But do you want to take the risk?"

In its 20-page briefing guide for emergency responders, the DEA declares that "it would only take 2 to 3 milligrams of fentanyl to induce respiratory depression, arrest, and possibly death." That amount is "about the same as five to seven grains of table salt."

Toxicologist Stolbach added some context: "Yes, two to three milligrams of fentanyl would be sufficient to make most people stop breathing if it found its way into the bloodstream. However, fentanyl just isn't absorbed through skin into your blood quickly or efficiently enough to make this kind of dose possible from incidental contact. Fentanyl is absorbed much better by inhalation and through [mucous membranes] but we feel like these routes of exposure are much less likely with routine precautions and good common sense."

Stolbach heads a committee formed by the American College of Medical Toxicology that will soon issue recommendations for protecting emergency responders from occupational exposure to fentanyl and its cousins.

But guidelines already exist, built on the twin pillars of proper protective equipment and good judgment. Depending on the situation, that equipment may range from gloves, safety glasses, and a dust mask all the way to hazmat suits with breathing gear.

"Fentanyl can be handled safely with proper training and equipment," says the DEA guide for emergency responders.

The rub, of course, is that the opioid epidemic is unprecedented and evolving. In the United States in 2015, opioid overdoses killed 33,091 people, including 9,580 who used forms of fentanyl, according to federal data.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the worker protection agency, says it "does not have enough empirical evidence to provide specific guidance for protection from exposure during every possible law enforcement operation."

The uncertainties should prompt prudence, not panic, said Temple's D'Orazio.

"Everyone is extrapolating what would happen without a lot of scientific evidence," he said. "But we don't need to jump to the conclusion that a little drug on your skin means you'll require numerous doses of naloxone and potentially die."
Seven children have died after becoming infected with an adenovirus at the Wanaque Center For Nursing And Rehabilitation, in Passaic County, N.J. Read more

Seven people, most of them children, have died after being infected with a virus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, New Jersey health officials said Wednesday.

The victims were among 23 "medically fragile" patients to be infected with a type of adenovirus at the facility in Haskell, Passaic County, the state Department of Health said. Four of those 23 were added to the total on Friday after confirmation by lab test.

A state inspection team was on site Sunday, finding "minor handwashing deficiencies," and the facility has been ordered not to admit new patients until the outbreak ends.

Adenoviruses can cause mild to moderate symptoms in many patients. But the strain of virus in this outbreak, known as No. 7, causes severe symptoms, and patients at the facility already suffered from compromised immune systems before becoming infected, the state said.

Six of the deaths were confirmed by health officials on Tuesday. State officials said they learned Tuesday night that the seventh person had died after being hospitalized; that death was announced Wednesday morning. All seven were described as pediatric residents, though at least one was as old as 22  the upper limit for how the center defines "pediatric," according to the Associated Press.

State health officials said they were continuing to investigate the outbreak with assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Tuesday, Gov. Murphy said state Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal had ensured the facility was undertaking "enhanced" measures to prevent further illness.

"I am heartbroken by the news that several children have lost their lives in an adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and pray for the full recovery of the other children impacted," Murphy said in a statement. "I am confident that the steps being taken by state and local officials will minimize the impact to all those who remain at the facility, including patients and employees."

The 227-bed for-profit facility cares for gravely ill children and adults, many of whom use wheelchairs and must breathe and eat via tube.

The center notified the state about a potential outbreak on Oct. 9, Elnahal told the AP. Inspectors were on site 11 days later, the AP said.

The Health Department also visited the site in August for a routine inspection and issued six citations, according to Medicare's Nursing Home Compare website.

Among the findings in an August site visit was old, mildewed carpet on the fourth floor, causing a "strong unpleasant odor" that was "pervasive throughout the entire floor," inspectors wrote.

Inspectors also found a hole in a urinary drainage bag in one patient room. Staff had placed a receptacle beneath the bag to catch leaking urine, and were unable to say how long the hole had been there, inspectors wrote. Asked about the leak, a nurse said that "supplies were not the best," state inspectors wrote.

Staff also failed to clean and trim the fingernails of one resident who was totally dependent on others for personal hygiene, causing "redness on the palm from the long nails pushing into the skin," inspectors wrote.

They issued a rating of "below average"  two stars out of five  in their Aug. 20 report.

This article was updated Friday to reflect the confirmation of four additional infections, bringing the total to 23. It contains information from the Associated Press.
The first time Nicki Saccomanno used fentanyl, she overdosed.

It was 2016, and the 38-year-old from Kensington hadn't known that the drugs she'd bought had been cut with the deadly synthetic opioid. She just remembers injecting herself with a bag, and then waking up surrounded by paramedics frantically trying to revive her.

Saccomanno, who has been addicted to heroin for 10 years, was shaken. But, before long, there was barely anything else to take but fentanyl to stave off the intense pain of withdrawal. Every corner, it seemed, was selling it. Saccomanno and other longtime heroin users found themselves forced to adapt.

For younger users, like the twentysomethings who live in the camps off Lehigh Avenue, fentanyl is all they've ever known. Like others before them, many graduated from using legal painkillers to illicit opioids in the last few years  except when they turned to the streets to feed their addictions, they were buying a drug much more powerful than their older counterparts had started on.

Young and old are paying for it with their lives. Fentanyl was present in 84 percent of Philadelphia's 1,217 fatal overdoses last year, and in 67 percent of the state's 5,456 overdose deaths in 2017, according to a wide-ranging report on the state of the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania released this month by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The report shows how, over the last five years, the opioid crisis ballooned into an overdose crisis  how fentanyl contaminated the state's heroin supply, overwhelmed county morgues with overdose victims, and shocked advocates, people in addiction, and law-enforcement officials alike with its sudden ubiquity.

But to all of them, the explosion of fentanyl makes a kind of terrible sense: Fentanyl is significantly cheaper to produce than heroin. It draws a significantly larger profit. It's significantly more powerful and more addictive than heroin, even Kensington's supply, which has long been known as the cheapest and purest in the country.

These days, Saccomanno uses a combination of heroin and fentanyl, even though she hates it.

"You get sicker," she said. "You need to get more fentanyl more often. It makes being able to get well and stay well even harder. But you can't find anything else."

A dramatic shift

Pure economics.

That's what law-enforcement officials say is driving the rise of fentanyl in Pennsylvania.

It has legitimate use as a drug to treat serious pain, like that in cancer patients, and has been on the illicit drug market for at least 15 years, said Pat Trainor, spokesman for the Philadelphia branch of the DEA. But it mostly turned up in unusual overdose rashes and would disappear from the scene again.

"Two or three years ago, we really saw a pretty dramatic shift," Trainor said. "It was initially seen as a cut or an adulterant in low-quality heroin, and it's really shifted now that it's pretty much largely  but not completely  replaced most of the heroin supply in Philadelphia."

In Philadelphia, he said, a kilogram of heroin, or 2.2 pounds, sells for $50,000 to $80,000, and a drug trafficker can make about $500,000 in profit off it. A kilogram of fentanyl sells for $53,000 to $55,000, is 50 to 100 times stronger, and can turn a profit of up to $5 million.

"For a lot of drug-trafficking organizations, it's that simple," said Trainor.

Most of the fentanyl that ends up in Pennsylvania is manufactured in China and smuggled through Mexican drug-trafficking organizations into the United States along the same routes used to traffic heroin, according to the DEA report.

People have also tried to make it closer to home, however. Unlike heroin, which is derived from opium poppies, fentanyl and its analogues can be produced in a lab. Earlier this year, DEA agents raided what they thought was a methamphetamine lab in a hotel room in western Pennsylvania. To their surprise, it turned out that the room's occupant had been trying to make fentanyl.

Seeking out fentanyl

Earlier this year, researchers from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, conducting a survey of opioid users at Kensington's needle exchange, posed a question to 400 people in active addiction.

They knew that most of the city's heroin supply had already been tainted with fentanyl, and wanted to know how people in addiction were reacting. And so they asked drug users what they would do if they knew that fentanyl was in the drugs they were buying.

The answers they received shocked them. Of the drug users the Health Department surveyed, 45 percent told researchers that they weren't trying to avoid fentanyl at all  that they would be more likely to use a bag of fentanyl.

"There was more acceptance  it had become part of the community in a way it hadn't been initially. It was actually something people were going for because it was an enhanced high," said Kendra Viner, manager of the department's Opioid Surveillance Program. "And people between 25 and 34 years old were significantly more likely to say they would seek out fentanyl."

In interviews on Kensington Avenue in recent weeks, drug users said they felt they didn't have much choice: Though the rush of a fentanyl high might have initially felt stronger and better than heroin, it also made returning to heroin difficult. Even though fentanyl was more dangerous, they said, their tolerance for opioids has become so high that heroin was not enough to stave off withdrawal.

"Before, people were scared of fentanyl, people wouldn't do it  but now my body is hooked on it," said Kia, a 23-year-old interviewed near the Emerald Street encampment last week. "If I wake up and don't do heroin cut with fentanyl, I'm still sick."

Physicians and addiction researchers have been advocating for some time for more research on how common medication-assisted treatments used to treat heroin addiction work for people who are now accustomed to a drug much stronger than heroin. Viner said more research on fentanyl trends in general is needed  for example, her survey focused only on drug users in Kensington who use the neighborhood's needle exchange. It's harder to track the habits and preferences of the hundreds of people from around the city and suburbs who fly under the radar, coming to the neighborhood just to score.

Still, the DEA wrote in its report, the findings in Philadelphia  echoed by treatment providers and people in addiction across the state  are deeply alarming. They're a sign that a tainted drug supply is driving demand  not the other way around.

William, a Bensalem man who came to Kensington earlier this week for fentanyl, as he has for the last four months, said he felt trapped by a drug he hadn't necessarily sought out  one that he now needs to function, one that is killing his friends and loved ones.

"Withdrawal  imagine the worst flu you've ever had," he said  then increase that pain by 10. "And you know that that one thing you hate  the thing that makes you feel this way  is the only thing that will make you feel better."
Patrick Lyons demonstrates a program at Temple University where the school uses virtual reality for training medical students. Read more

Margy McCook had been dreading the next step in her treatment for breast cancer.

Since her diagnosis in January, McCook had already endured surgery and chemotherapy, but it was the radiation she would receive at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center that scared her the most.

"I feel like my whole life I've heard radiation is bad for you," said McCook, 54, of Blue Bell.

As she waited for her first treatment at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, McCook found herself transported to a different place  sitting on the dock of a lake, watching the sun rise. Using Penn's new virtual reality mindfulness program, McCook watched a tree swing move with the breeze, several birds travel across the morning sky, and a large fish swim about as dawn began to break. A soothing voice encouraged her to "breathe deeply and enjoy the next 10 minutes of quiet and serenity."

"At the end of the 10 minutes, I was relaxed, I was at peace," McCook said. "I felt like I was in the here and now and OK and I'm going to do this radiation."

The 360-degree, three-dimensional computer-generated experience may be more familiar to video gamers than hospital patients, but in the last 15 years, as the prices for the technology have dropped and the devices have become smaller and more portable, hospitals have begun to embrace virtual reality. In the spring, the health-care market-research firm Kalorama reported that the virtual and augmented reality market grew from $525 million in 2012 to $976 million in 2017.

Much of the focus so far has been on using the technology with children, for whom distraction therapy has proven to be effective in reducing pain during treatments such as wound care for burn injuries. Now, local hospitals are looking to the technology to provide patient education and wellness, as well as training for medical students and professionals.

An immersive experience

At Abramson Cancer Center, the unassuming virtual reality station has a comfy chair and a headset. Nearby, a small television monitor lets others view what the user is seeing.

The program is intuitive to use, and most patients catch on quickly, said Fern Nibauer-Cohen, director of patient engagement and business development at Penn Medicine.

"It relaxes even the most anxious of minds," Nibauer-Cohen said.

Created for patients, caregivers, and staff, the program debuted in September. Penn partnered with Philadelphia-based production group Blue Design for the project.

To create the short meditative program, developers drew from the experiences of family and friends and gathered input from Penn to come up with the script, said Howard McCabe, creative director of Blue Design.

"With this kind of immersive experience, you can really transport yourself to another world while you are sitting here in our lobby," said William P. Levin, associate professor of radiation oncology at Penn, who helped develop the current program. Future programs could include a virtual reality trip to a local museum or even Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city set high in the mountains of Peru, he said.

For patients who are anxious about visiting the hospital, Penn also plans a virtual tour of the oncology department that could be used at home with a platform such as Google Cardboard, Nibauer-Cohen said.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said James M. Metz, chair of radiation oncology at Penn. There are multiple uses for virtual reality programs, he said, such as education so patients can better understand their diagnoses, treatments, and side effects, as well as stress relief for health-care providers.

Eventually, Levin hopes to combine the virtual reality technology with that used in a biofeedback study to address the effects of stress and anxiety on patients, caregivers, and medical professionals.

Virtual reality for radiation patients has also been used at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Young patients undergoing proton radiation need to remain completely still during the precisely targeted therapy session. Those who can't are usually put under general anesthesia, said Jorge Galvez, a pediatric anesthesiologist who created the program.

To avoid anesthesia, the hospital offers kids a smart phone with a simple plastic headset that allows them to tour the waiting room, nurses station, changing area, and the room where the scanner is kept. Child-life specialists then answer any questions patients might have, he said.

"Most of them thought it was pretty cool," said Galvez.

At Thomas Jefferson University, researchers are testing a virtual reality program designed to encourage cardiac-rehab patients to exercise.

Pavitra Krishnamani, a medical student at Jefferson and a former clinical fellow in health-care innovation at the school's Digital Innovation and Consumer Experience Group, said patients may benefit from using an interactive technology as opposed to paper materials.

"It provides controlled training in an immersive and realistic way," she said.

Students use virtual reality, too

Pop into the Innovation Space at Temple University's Ginsburg Health Sciences Library, and you are likely to see a medical student outfitted with a virtual reality headset and gripping two hand controllers.

The students, faculty, and staff at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine have been using virtual reality  and augmented reality, which superimposes digital information into what you see  for anatomy training. The technology can also serve as a stress buster, helping students blow off steam through popular games such as Beat Saber, which lets the user slash cubes with light sabers like a Jedi Knight to the beat of rhythmic music.

"The students that come in to study stay longer," said Patrick Lyons, librarian of the Innovation space. The library first began using the virtual reality program, which was developed at the University of Brisbane in Australia, in 2017, he said.

It allows students to explore all systems of the human body, down to tiny veins. They can remove each part of the eye to see the inner workings, or step into a beating heart to view how the valves open and close. Once students have learned how a healthy body operates, the program can show them what tumors or clogged arteries look like from the inside.

"The only thing it is really not good for is really tiny things, like the inner-ear bones," Lyons said.

Standing inside a box outlined on the floor with yellow tape, second-year medical student Benjamin Sussman pulled apart a skeleton, visible to those in the room on a large wall screen. He isolated each bone and rotated it 360 degrees to get a better understanding of the anatomy.

"The whole body can be taken apart," said Sussman. The program is easy to use and moves beyond a model of a skeleton or a textbook. If he makes a mistake when assembling the bones and puts the thumb where the pinkie finger belongs, he said, he can just hit restart.

"Nothing will replace a cadaver," said Sussman. "This is the next best thing."
CNN anchors Poppy Harlow and Jim Shiutto were forced off the set mid-show, and have been reporting from the street after a suspected explosive device was found in the network's offices in New York City. Read more

CNN was forced to evacuate its offices in midtown Manhattan Wednesday after a suspicious package was found in the mailroom.

After a suspicious package was discovered in the newsroom's mailroom at CNN's offices at the Time Warner building at 10 Columbus Circle, CNN anchors Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto were forced off the set mid-show, and have been reporting from the street.

The entire Times Warner Center, a popular tourist attraction that houses CNN as well as several popular restaurants and shops, was evacuated, and the NYPD is urging people to avoid Columbus Circle. Bomb squad officials removed the device intact from the building late Wednesday morning and is currently transporting it out of Manhattan in a large containment vessel.

The evacuation was ordered after the Secret Service intercepted explosive devices sent to the homes of former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. A fourth explosive device was mailed to the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros earlier this week.

"Speaking with a senior law enforcement official here in NY, there's belief that the package sent to CNN is similar to the packages sent to George Soro, President Obama and Hillary Clinton," NBC's Jonathan Dienst reported on MSNBC Wednesday morning. "So they are treating it as connected at this time."

Vice President Mike Pence condemned the attacks in a statement Wednesday morning:

A CNN report that a fourth device addressed to the White House was also intercepted was denied by the Secret Service.
Koeberle Bull with her daughters Olivia (left), 16 and Sophia (center), 11 pose in their Lumberton home October 23, 2018. Last week Bull received a hateful racist Facebook message from a Kentucky man who threatened her children. She reported it and police tracked the man down, arrested him, and announced he had intended to shoot up a school and was armed. Read more

Casually scrolling through her Facebook feed, sitting alone in her bed, coffee cup in hand, Koeberle Bull was stunned.

A stranger from Kentucky had sent the Lumberton resident a threatening message. A menacing, expletive-laden screed that attacked her interracial family and said her children should be hanged.

She called Lumberton police, then reached out to Kentucky authorities. Unknowingly, she averted shootings in two Kentucky schools, police announced two days later.

Kentucky State Police arrested Dylan Jarrell, 20, of Lawrenceburg, in his driveway last week as he was leaving his house. They found a gun, 200 rounds of ammunition, a 100-round high-capacity magazine, and a bulletproof vest in his car. In his house, police said they found detailed plans for attacking a high school and another public school in Anderson and Shelby Counties.

The stranger from Kentucky had messaged Bull, who is white, around 3 in the morning on Oct. 17. He apparently saw the photograph she had posted of herself and her three biracial children. Her husband, Braheim, who died seven years ago, was African American.

"I had promised my husband that I would protect them, and if I didn't follow through after receiving the message, I wasn't keeping my promise," she said Tuesday night in the home she lived in since she was 3. "It's not easy raising black children. It's definitely scary."

She didn't anticipate that her determination to keep them safe would end up keeping hundreds of other schoolchildren safe, too.

The stranger from Kentucky had messaged her and taunted her for having black children.

"Act your race," he warned.

Bull, 40, an office clerk, showed a reporter for the Inquirer and Daily News the message. It called her a "wannabe" N-word.

Her 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, said she was "speechless" when she saw it. But she said it didn't shock her.

"It was kind of expected for some people to feel like that now. That's how the world is right now," Olivia said.

Bull began sobbing. "That breaks my heart to hear you say that," she said gently.

Another daughter, Sophia, 11, said she was "amazed at how rude it was."

She said her teachers and friends at school made a fuss when the news broke and an article about her mom was posted on her school cafeteria's bulletin board. Her son, Isaiah, 8, was not home during Tuesday night's interview.

At an Oct. 19 news conference in Frankfort, Kentucky's capital, to announce Jarrell's arrest, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders credited Bull, whom he did not name at the time, with making the call that prompted the investigation.

The Kentucky State Police said it received Bull's complaint on Oct. 17 and Trooper Josh Satterly was asked to call Bull. Jarrell was arrested the next day.

"This young man had it in his mind to go to schools and create havoc," Sanders said during the news conference. Jarrell, Sanders added, "was caught backing out of his driveway with the tools he needed to commit this heinous act."

Sanders praised Satterly in particular for his work in the case. Sanders declined to elaborate on any details, including which schools were targeted.

Jarrell lived in a modest one-story house adjacent to the athletic fields of Anderson County High School. He reportedly attended school in Shelby County, but did not graduate, and later obtained a GED in Anderson County.

Trooper Satterly graduated from Anderson County High School and served with the Lawrenceburg Police Department before joining state police, the Anderson County News reported in a 2014 profile of the trooper.

"Our Heroes!" the newspaper proclaimed this week in a front-page headline featuring photos of Bull and her children, and Satterly.

Parents of students in those schools, more than 700 miles away, are also calling Bull a hero.

Someone told her that Lawrenceburg might have to organize a parade for her if she came to visit, she said with a laugh. She said she now has hundreds of new Facebook friends from Kentucky, a state she has never been to.

"I was angry, but now I have hope," she said. "Kentucky gave me hope. The people that reached out to me and said that Dylan Jarrell is not who this community is. We think your children are beautiful and amazing and we don't think like him."

Bull said she "did the right thing and I want people to know how important it is to report these things."

"I also want people to know there's no room for hate in this world," she said, adding that it was the first time she had personally encountered racism.

Reporting the racist message required a bit of an effort. When she tried to find out who the sender was  all she could see was his name and a thumbnail of his photograph  she noticed he had blocked her from accessing his Facebook page. She then cut and pasted the message, posted it to her own Facebook page, and asked if anyone could see his page and provide more detailed information about him.

Soon, she learned his identity and was told his Facebook page showed him holding an assault-type weapon.

Bull said she didn't mention anything to the children until later that day. Driving to work, she called Lumberton police, but was "disappointed with their response." She was told they would make a report.

Lumberton police on Wednesday did not respond to a request for comment.

Bull said a nagging worry compelled her to take the matter a step further. She wanted Jarrell arrested so he would stop making racist threats.

The next day, Satterly called her while she was at work to say that police had arrested Jarrell and that he had confessed he sent her "racially motivated messages."

She said Satterly had acted with compassion and investigated her report "as if it was his own children" who had been threatened. He did not tell her that police also found the guns and the detailed plans for a school shooting.

"He said, 'Go home and hug your babies a little bit tighter,' and that was when I finally told them," she said, tearing up. "That's when I knew they were safe."

Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.
Bucks County restaurant Chez Odette's, makes 1,000-foot, so site can be redeveloped as Riverhouse at Odette's. The restaurant closed in 2006. Read more

Kathleen Vorgang watched in awe as the stone structure rolled down South Main Street in New Hope. She thought of all the memories  raucous New Year's Eve parties and nights at the piano bar in the 1970s inside the building that was now on wheels in front of her.

"It was the place to be," said Vorgang, 75, of Washington Crossing, as she motioned toward the structure. "This just blows me away."

As hundreds watched, the building that was home to the beloved Chez Odette restaurant made a 1,000-foot move on Wednesday so construction could begin on the Riverhouse at Odette's. The Riverhouse will be the first luxury boutique hotel in New Hope when it opens in early 2020. The Odette's building, meanwhile, will be turned into an "interpretative" public space that teaches New Hope visitors about the history of the Delaware Canal State Park.

Developers and conservationists said they made the rare decision to relocate the structure, instead of knocking it down, in order to preserve the borough's history. Built in 1784 as a stone inn and tavern, the establishment served as a Bucks County landmark, first as the River House and then as Odette's, until it was shuttered in the late 2000s.

Located along the Delaware River, the French bistro attracted diners from near and far with its cabaret and piano bar. The bistro even drew celebrities. The place made national headlines in 1983 when NBC news anchor Jessica Savitch and Martin Fischbein, vice president of the New York Post, died in a car accident after dining there.

Years later, Odette's closed after suffering damage from flooding and storms, and it sat unoccupied and dilapidated.

But developers are finally setting into motion their vision for the parcel on the 200 block of River Road. They plan to start work next month on a luxurious 34-room hotel with a restaurant called Odette's, a rooftop bar, a piano bar, and event space, said Ron Gorodesky, managing director of the project. The price tag is estimated at about $35 million, a cost that includes improvements to aging canals nearby, he said.

"For us, the building move is a lot more than just getting the building off our property to build," he said. "It's about the benefit of having this canal interpretative center at the gateway to New Hope."

The hotel will pay homage to its predecessor, too. Gorodesky said they plan to preserve a 20th-century chandelier, menus, books, and artwork from the old building.

Gorodesky and his team look to past projects, like the Reeds at Shelter Haven in Stone Harbor, N.J., and said they anticipate the Riverhouse filling a similar niche.

New Hope Mayor Larry Keller agreed and said he was glad the borough did not have to choose between Odette's and new development.

"Odette's goes back so far. I can remember in 1970 having dinner there, 48 years ago," Keller said. "The day has come where it's a win-win-win."

The borough was able to preserve the building. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will use it as an educational space in its new location, and developers can build a waterfront resort that will fill a need for more hotel space in a picturesque town already full of restaurants and shops, Keller said.

In early talks, developers, conservationists, and town officials discussed whether to tear down the decaying Odette's or work to restore it. Then, John Norbeck, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, went on a trip to New York City and saw that Alexander Hamilton's house had been raised over a church and rolled around the corner as part of a renovation.

Back in New Hope, developers agreed that tearing down Odette's would be a "a loss to the community," Norbeck said. So they called in Wolfe House & Building Movers, the same company that moved the Hamilton home.

Wolfe workers moved Odette's with painstaking precision. The structure, which had already been placed on yellow support beams with wheels underneath, was slowly wheeled down the closed borough street. The process took four hours, and at one point required workers to turn more than a dozen sets of wheels one-by-one in order to situate Odette's in its new spot on the corner of Main and New Streets, next to the American Legion building.

"He's a master," Jen Turpin, 64, of Riegelsville, said as she admired the work of the moving crew. "Wow, we'll be able to say we were there when they moved it."

Keith Hoffman, 67, who lives across the river in Lambertville, N.J., said he went to Odette's several times after his family moved to the area in 2000. He was sad to see the restaurant close. On Wednesday, however, he was able to watch the building begin to come alive again.

Around 1 p.m., horns blared on the police cars and fire trucks that had been blocking off the streets. The careful move was complete, and the crowd broke into applause.
Debbie Africa, smiles next to Alia Africa, (granddaughter) and Mike Africa, son, during her first public appearance at the Faith Immanuel Lutheran Church, in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. Tuesday, June 19, 2018. The first MOVE member was granted parole, after 38 years in prison. Read more

It was a strange sendoff for Debbie Africa, as Janine and Janet Africa helped her pack, talked about the future, and quietly tried to make sense of their diverging fates.

On Saturday, Debbie Africa left the State Correctional Institution Cambridge Springs and, after 38 years, became the first of the MOVE Nine to be released on parole. She also said goodbye to two women she's been incarcerated with for four decades. Both were denied parole last week, for reasons Debbie Africa can't understand.

"Although I felt excited and overwhelmed and happy," Debbie Africa said, "I still felt incomplete, because I left prison and my sisters Janine and Janet didn't. We came in on the same charges. We had the same everything. But when it came time to get out of prison, they didn't do that the same. It's a bittersweet victory for me."

With an electronic monitor around her ankle and her son, Michael Jr., born while she was at the House of Correction, at her side, Africa, 62, made her first public appearance Tuesday at a news conference in the basement of the Faith Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Lansdowne.

Along with eight other members of MOVE, often described as a radical back-to-nature group, she was convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison after a 1978 standoff at its Powelton Village compound, where Philadelphia Police Officer James J. Ramp was killed and 18 police officers and firefighters were injured. At the trial and since, MOVE members have maintained that they did not fire any shots. None of the three women were found to have possessed weapons.

That incident came seven years before the infamous bombing of the MOVE compound on Osage Avenue that left 11 dead. Debbie Africa heard about that event in her prison cell.

"None of us believed it," she said. "When the officers came to tell us, we actually said, 'Get away from our door, because it's not true.' It was devastating."

But nothing, she said, was worse than giving up her son just three days after he was born. She also has a daughter, Michelle, who was just 2 years old at the time.

"That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do  and then feeling that emptiness," she said.

She said her constant belief in MOVE's values had kept her strong. Michael Jr. was raised by MOVE members, and continues to believe in what he describes as a prescient environmental ideology.

His father, Michael Africa, is incarcerated at Graterford Prison, and will be considered for parole in September. Michael Jr. said having his mother stay with him in his home outside Philadelphia has started to make him realize just how much he missed.

"I saw her feet. I noticed this was the first time I ever seen her feet before," he said. "A friend of mine said to me, 'You are learning at almost 40 what babies learn about their parents.'"

Debbie Africa, now a grandmother of nine, said she had sought parole nine times since 2008. This time, she had help from a group of legal advocates including Brad Thomson, a Chicago-based lawyer with the People's Law Office. He submitted thick packets for each woman with dozens of letters of recommendation, certificates of achievement, "exemplary" conduct reports and other supporting materials, including a review of their records by Martin Horn, a former Pennsylvania corrections secretary.

The parole board's decision to release Debbie Africa, whose legal name is Debbie Sims, cited her positive adjustment and a recommendation from the District Attorney's Office.

The decisions for Janet (Holloway) and Janine (Phillips), however, cite negative recommendations from the prosecutor.

A spokesperson for District Attorney Larry Krasner said Krasner had provided positive recommendations for all three women. A representative for the parole board declined to provide clarification, noting that communications to the parole board are confidential.

Two members of the group have died in prison. The others, ages 58 to 72, remain eligible for parole.

"They all have similar stories in terms of being mentors, deescalating conflict within the prison," Thomson said.

Robert Holbrook, a juvenile lifer who was released four months ago, worked on the case as a paralegal with the Abolitionist Law Center. He's hoping Debbie's husband, Michael Africa Sr., will be the next to come home.

"He was a mentor to a lot of us young guys coming through," he said. "He would help us navigate prison culture and maintain a positive outlook, as we unfortunately grew up in prison."

The couple have communicated only in letters for 40 years. Michael Jr. said he hopes the peaceful life his family longed for will be possible at last. "We're on the path now to make our family whole."
New York Police stand outside the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 in New York. A police bomb squad was sent to CNN's offices at the center, and the newsroom was evacuated because of a suspicious package. Read more

Suspicious packages were sent to the homes and offices of at least five prominent figures in the Democratic party, including the homes of former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service and law enforcement officials.

CNN was also forced to evacuate its offices in midtown Manhattan due to a mail bomb addressed to former CIA director John Brennan was discovered in the newsroom's mailroom.

The packages, some of which used the Sunrise, Fla. office of Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the return address, were mailed to:

 President Obama's home in Washington, D.C.

 Hillary Clinton's home in Westchester County, N.Y.

 Former CIA director John Brennan (sent to CNN's New York office)

 Former attorney general Eric Holder (mailed to the wrong address and sent to Schultz's office due to the return address label)

 California Rep. Maxine Waters (intercepted by Capitol Hill police)

President Trump, speaking at an opioids event at the White House, called for unity as officials investigate the suspicious devices that were mailed to prominent Democrats.

"We have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America," Trump said. "The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority,"

Officials say a single package addressed to Clinton in Westchester County, N.Y., was recovered late Tuesday. A second package addressed to Obama's residence in Washington, D.C., was intercepted by the Secret Service Wednesday morning.

>> READ MORE: CNN anchors leave mid-show as office evacuated due to suspicious package

"Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location," the Secret Service said in a statement. "The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

The suspicious package that forced the evacuation of the Time Warner Center in New York City was addressed to Brennan in care of "Time Warner (CNN)." Brennan is not a CNN employee  he is a contributor to NBC News and MSNBC, where he has been an outspoken critic of President Trump and his administration.

New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill told reporters Wednesday afternoon that the device sent to CNN contained a live explosive and an envelope with white powder.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that a similar device was mailed to his office in Manhattan, but that package was later cleared and ruled unrelated, according to an NYPD spokesman.

"As you've heard there's a number of devices and there's a pattern apparently with them," Cuomo told reporters.

The New York Times reported that the packages were similar to an explosive device found Monday at the suburban New York home of George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist known to support liberal causes. But unlike the packages mailed to other prominent Democrats, officials say the device at Soros' home was

Law enforcement officials told the Times that the device found at Soros' home "was constructed from a length of pipe about six inches long filled with explosive powder." It was ultimately detonated by bomb squad technicians, and no one was injured.

In recent days, there have been false reports that Soros was paying refugees in Honduras to join a caravan of migrants heading through Mexico toward the border with the United States. Those inaccurate claims were fueled by a video shared on Twitter by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, which was amplified by a retweet from President Trump.

But the video actually originated from Chiquimula, Guatemala, as Guatemalan journalist Luis Assardo confirmed to the New York Times.

"Because a Honduran government official sent me this video, I believed it came from Honduras," Gaetz said in a subsequent tweet, neither apologizing for the false video or removing it from his Twitter account, where it has amassed more than 2 million views.

A CNN report that a another device addressed to the White House was also intercepted was denied by the Secret Service.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at a Moms Demand Action gun safety rally at City Hall in Nashua, N.H. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Read more

Michael Bloomberg is spending $80 million to flip the U.S. House, but none of it in the Philadelphia region for the time being.

Independence USA, the super PAC funded mainly by the billionaire former mayor of New York City, has canceled the $1.2 million in time it had reserved to run commercials on area television stations in support of Democratic House candidates.

A spokesperson for Bloomberg confirmed that Independence USA is stepping back for now.

"Right now, we think that the races in and around Philly are in good shape for the Democrats, and we are focusing on where we can make a difference to flip the House," the spokesperson said. "There's always a chance we come back."

>> VOTERS GUIDE: View candidates in the 2018 midterm election based on your address, or browse all the action in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware

The Philadelphia region is home to some of the most competitive congressional races in the country, including Bucks County's First District and New Jersey's Third District. Bloomberg, a potential 2020 presidential contender, approved a plan in June to spend at least $80 million to oust Republicans from power in the House.

Independence USA's decision to withdraw from the Philly area will inevitably invite speculation about what it means for the midterm election in two weeks. It comes as national Democrats are sounding less bullish about their chances of taking back the House. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that "Democrats now fear the battle for the House majority will be decided by just a handful of seats."

Independence USA's website still notes its support of Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat running in the Sixth District, which includes Chester County and part of Berks County. The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia lists that seat as "safe Democratic" in its projections.

Although not mentioned on Independence USA's website, Bloomberg recently endorsed Democrat Scott Wallace, who is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's First District.

>> SIGN UP: Get daily text messages on key issues leading up to the election

Bloomberg announced his support for Wallace at Sunday's annual fall dinner for Montgomery County's Democratic Party, which he headlined, the Wallace campaign said.

The statistical website FiveThirtyEight calls the Bucks County race and the sprint for New Jerseys Third District toss-ups.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in LOVE Park on Tuesday afternoon to rally in response to a report that the Trump administration is considering a redefinition of gender that would deny federal recognition of transgender individuals in America and threaten their civil rights. The rally was organized as a joint effort between the Philadelphia Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs, Trans Equity Project, ACLU of Pennsylvania, and the William Way Community Center.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming siblings against discrimination, harassment, and violence," read the description on the event's official Facebook page.

At the rally, members of the transgender community took to the stage to share their stories and lead the crowd in a repeated chant: "Trans rights are human rights!"

Philly.com was there, speaking with members of the community and their allies about why they were compelled to take a stand at the rally. Answers have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

Eli Lynn, 28, West Philadelphia

"I'm recently trans-identified. I'm not an intentionally political person. I don't really like to go out places and wave signs, but I felt that it was important to show up for my community and be present. People seeing other people being openly proud of who they are is what makes tiny changes. I can only sit in my house for so long. Since I came out, so many people have been like, 'This is so important to me that you came out, and it gives me strength and hope.' It's really important right now that I be visible for other people because it's unexpectedly dangerous."

Bobbie Lembo, Northeast Philadelphia

"I think what our president is doing is an infringement on our rights. He has no right to do this. If I don't have the same rights as others, why did I pay taxes? I worked most of my life, so I was never able to get out to events like these. Now  I want to be a part of them."

Emily Carras, 36, Fishtown

"I'm disgusted and horrified and incredibly angry. I support trans lives, and I don't believe in the federal government telling us what our genders are. It's important for politicians and the public in general to see that folks are out here. We're on the streets, and we're informed citizens. If we know what's going on, then we're going to fight for our rights."

Jack Henry, 26, West Philadelphia

"I am very recently trans-identified, and I have never really been super political. I don't know tons about the trans scene, and I thought today's the day. Someone invited me, and I was like, 'Yes, I'm going to show up to that and show my support,' and just to also be around all of the other trans people to feel the sense of community that I've felt bereft of for all of my life. I haven't read the memo yet because I feel fear, but I guess that's when the Trump administration really became reality to me. Especially because this thing is so new, and it's like, I've just earned this. What do you mean it's about to be erased or taken away?"

Jennifer Angelina Petro, 50, Philadelphia

"It's just preposterous that any federal government would even try to erase a whole segment of the population. I won't say erase out of existence, because we've always been here, and we always will be. I have been verbally assaulted and assaulted in bathrooms, and this type of legislation that they're trying to push through is dangerous. It's such an awful idea, and it's so unscientifically sound to boil gender down to body parts. I worry most for the LGBTQ kids. I want them to have health care, insurance, and housing rights. We're just people. It's about human rights, and it's about safety. This Trump regime encourages hate and misogyny, they're complicit in the violence against LGBT people. Today it's about trans people, but what about tomorrow? Who will it be that the Trump regime wants to erase? Will they want to erase people of color? Democrats? Muslims?"

Tammy Bradshaw, 39, South Philadelphia

"I just want my kids to know that it's important to support people who are being threatened and that trans rights are human rights. Everyone deserves the same rights that they have. I also think it's really important for people who aren't trans, like a straight, white woman like me, to step it up and speak up. We should be more present and more than just voices on social media."
MUMBAI: An Etihad Airways flight travelling from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta was diverted to Mumbai on Wednesday morning after a woman passenger gave birth onboard.

An Indonesian woman delivered a baby onboard the flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta on Wednesday morning, an Etihad Airways official said.

The woman was rushed to hospital as soon as Flight EY 474 touched down at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, according to ANI.

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi-Jakarta flight diverted to Mumbai as a woman passenger gives birth onboard the flight. pic.twitter.com/zosDBe60Z2  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

The woman was rushed to the Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri east where she is recuperating with her newborn baby.

The flight, which was scheduled to arrive in Jakarta at 3.05 PM, was delayed by at least two hours due to the medical emergency, the officials said.

In September, a Jakarta-bound Etihad plane was forced to return to Abu Dhabi minutes after take-off due to a reported engine problem mid-air.

The airline landed safely and all the passengers were safe.

Last year, a woman gave birth onboard Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Multan-bound flight from Saudi Arabia.

The entire crew of the airline came forward and helped the woman to deliver.
Recent reports of washing dirty linen in public in the affairs relating to CBI are appalling. Surely, there were other ways of dealing with this. Indeed, the numero uno of the CBI should have handled the issue with more mature leadership. It is nobody's case that whatever esteem this premier investigation agency had in the public domain is further reduced.

Mandate of CBI

Why do I say so? It is not denied that CBI is an agency that is vested with matters falling under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Inducements investigation is one of the primary mandates of the organisation, besides those mandates which are assigned to it under the aegis of DSPE Act.

It is generally found that state governments are reluctant to assign cases to the CBI unless it is on the intervention of the judiciary or if the political dispensation in both the Union and assigning states are the same. To that extent, the credibility of CBI as a political tool already gets reflected. Hence, it is mostly the Prevention of Corruption Act cases against public servants that CBI is mandated.

With a trend of the people's mandate being assigned to different parties in Centre and state, CBI will more or less grow into an investigation agency dedicated to PCA cases. In a sense, it will become an investigative arm of the Central Vigilance Commission. In this context, this public spat between the two top investigators will further render the credibility of the organisation into its nadir.

First recourse to departmental remedies

Do we want this? Could this have been avoided? At least I for one do believe that the matter should not have been allowed to precipitate to this level. Notwithstanding the fact this is an investigating agency for PCA cases, before taking any precipitative action the CBI Director on receipt of any input of corruption, departmental proceedings should have been initiated against the officer. That would have helped the CBI to mine more authentic information on any misconduct of the charged officer. There is little evidence of this having been taken place.

On the contrary, the Director had indeed passed an order that in his absence his Number 2 will not attend an important meeting with CVC on his behalf. It was at the behest of CVC that this meeting was attended by the Number 2. This now leads to speculation that the actions of the Number 1 was not without possibilities.

Interventions of the minister in charge

On the part of Number Two also, a lot more counselling was required before bringing the matter before the Cabinet Secretary or PMO. Let us not get into the merits of the case. Indeed, before bringing the facts and evidences in his possession in a formal submission to the Cabinet Secretary, this officer could have met the Honourable Minister of State in PMO who is a very affable person, Dr Jitender Singh, and explained the full case against the Number One. It is not a far-fetched thing for such a senior officer of the agency.

Dr Singh is also generally liberal in granting appointments to his officers if my personal experience is to be relied. In the said meeting he could have impressed upon Dr Singh to carry out an internal neutral inquiry. Hence, an opportunity was lost. The MoS could have been co-opted by the parties as a mediator.

Dr Swamy's tweet

Having said that, I would like to bring out here about Dr Swamy's tweet today about D-Gang having infiltrated the agency. It is indeed a fact. May I take you to Chapter 11 of my book, where I have explained the D-Gang's long arm with a case study.

The present Minister for Urban Development, Mr HS Puri, was to take charge as Permanent Representative of India to UN in 2009. On a request from the USA for domestic designation of Dawood Ibrahim as a terrorist under relevant UNSCR resolutions, he desired to have clear evidences from Union Home Minister. Our Intelligence agencies were giving inputs, but the clinching evidence, which was available with CBI, was stonewalled by the agency. Hence, it is not today that subversive forces have access to CBI top brass.

Visitors to high offices

Now, I recall another incident relating CBI top brass. Ranjit Sinha, former CBI Director, used to meet several undesirable persons, including Moin Qureshi and his associates. This was all over the media in 2014. It was substantiated through the entries into his visitor register at his residence.

Talking of visitors registers in the residences of persons holding high offices including Constitutional functionaries, I believe that these are to be preserved for several years after they demit office.

Surely, whether it is a Police Commissioner or CBI Director or Special Director, they have a retinue of personnel who are at what is known as the Residential Office. These persons are drawn from the staff strength of the agency itself. Hence, one person can always be assigned to record the visitors to the residences of persons holding high offices.

As it is, the Indian capital is full of brokers for different types of services, including getting you appointed to high offices, promising you the sun and the moon, getting policy changes by the government (I don't know whether they can actually do it) or getting favourable judicial pronouncements. The government should necessarily keep track of the movements of these middlemen.

Previous instances

Why I am flagging this is more salient. There were visitors to the residence-cum-office of a high functionary during 2007-2014. These can corroborated if the visitor registers are available. These visitors were from SDPI/ PFI. This Constitutional functionary, after demitting office, had on few occasions expressed support to these outfits. He had also partaken in a meeting held in the house of a prominent Congress leader hosting a former Pakistani Foreign Minister in the recent past.

Therefore, without fear or favour, the visitors registers in residence of people holding high offices in the country should necessarily be maintained, preferably in an electronic format.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)
New Delhi: Actress Alia Bhatt, who had flew to New York to spend time with beau Ranbir Kapoor and his parents Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, was back to Mumbai on Monday. Upon her return, the 'Raazi' actress was seen heading to Indore to resume shooting for her upcoming period-drama 'Kalank'.

She stayed in Indore for a day and was back to Mumbai, only to fly back to the Madhya Pradesh's city. Yes, the actress has left again for Indore for her professional commitment. Alia was captured by the shutterbugs at the Mumbai airport in cool and casual comfy white sweatshirt which she teamed up with denims and cat-eye glasses.

Take a look at her photos from the airport:

(Photo courtesy: Yogen Shah)

Speaking of the film, 'Kalank' is directed by Abhishek Varman and produced by Karan Johar, Sajid Nadiadwala and Fox Star Studios. The film stars Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Khemu, Aditya Roy Kapur, Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles. It is scheduled to release on April 19, 2019.

As per reports, Madhuri essays the role of Ishmat, a courtesan while Alia plays her student. The film also stars Kiara Advani and Kriti Sanon in special appearances. Sonakshi, who plays a poet in the film, will be paired opposite Aditya Roy Kapur while Sanjay Dutt will be seen as Alia's father.

Incidentally, late actress Sridevi was originally signed for the character role played by Madhuri.
The Justice Arumughaswamy Commission, which has been probing the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Wednesday got an extension for its term from Tamil Nadu government.

The extension granted by AIADMK-led government is for four months.

This is not the first time that the commission's tenure has been extended. It was earlier extented twice in December 2017 and June 2017.

In September 2017, the Tamil Nadu government constituted the panel under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952.

The panel's terms of reference was to inquire into the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation of Jayalalithaa on September 22, 2016, and treatment provided by the hospital till her demise on December 5, 2016.

The Commission had invited all those having "personal knowledge and direct acquaintance" in the matter to furnish information to it.

Following Jayalalithaa's death, suspicion on the circumstances leading to her demise was raised by several people, including the present Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his followers.

Then a rebel party leader, Panneerselvam and his followers had demanded a probe into her death, either a judicial inquiry or a CBI probe.

After unification of the factions led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, the government notified constituting the panel.

The probe was a key precondition put forth by the Panneerselvam panel for the merger.

DMK Working President MK Stalin had batted for a CBI probe as well.

As of August, the commission's 75 witnesses and seven others who had voluntarily petitioned the panel were examined.

It may be recalled that the examined witnesses include over a dozen doctors (government and Apollo Hospital), retired and serving government officials and police officers.

Earlier in August this year, the commission had summoned three doctors from Delhi's AIIMS hospital.

The commissioned has summoned GC Khilnani of the Department of Pulmonology, Anjan Trikha, Professor of Anesthesiology, and Nitish Nayak, a professor at the Department of Cardiology.

The doctors had periodically examined Jayalalithaa when she was undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospital between September 22 and December 5, 2016.

(With PTI Inputs)
NEW DELHI: Despite several corrective measures taken by the authorities, the air quality in some parts of Delhi fell in the unhealthy category' on Wednesday.

According to the Air Quality Index, the pollution level in the national capital was measured in unhealthy category.

#Delhi's Anand Vihar at 999 under 'Hazardous' category, area around US Embassy, Chanakyapuri at 208 & area around Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium at 214 under 'Unhealthy' category in Air Quality Index pic.twitter.com/Sa5OJTYQqp  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

Pollution level in Delhis Anand Vihar was recorded at 999 under hazardous category, while the area around US Embassy, Chanakyapuri at 208 and area around Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium at 214 fell under Unhealthy category as per the latest AQI data.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which recently implemented an emergency plan to curb air pollution, has warned that the air quality may further deteriorate in the next couple of days.

Air pollution in Delhi and nearby states rises particularly due to stubble burning during the months of October and November and burning of wheat straw during April by farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

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.

Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain had formed a six-member inspection team to check air pollution in the national capital.

The six-member team comprises a representative of Deputy Commissioner (Revenue), Delhi Police, PWD, two representatives of MCD and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and a representative of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC)  area in-charge, not below the rank of Environmental Engineer.

Meanwhile, images obtained through NASA satellite imagery has shown several spot fires already burning in Haryana and Punjab. On its official website, NASA had stated that burning of crop residue in Punjab and Haryana has increased significantly over the past 10 days in and around Amritsar, Ambala, Karnal, Sirsa, and Hisar.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also warned that the city would soon become a "gas chamber" as the Centre, Punjab and Haryana governments did "absolutely nothing" for farmers involved in stubble burning.

In a significant development, the Supreme Court had on Tuesday refused to impose a blanket ban on the bursting of firecrackers, but allowed the use of green (eco-friendly and less polluting) firecrackers with reduced emission and decibel levels during all religious festivals.

Delhi was engulfed in a thick layer of smog after Diwali last year, bringing air quality standards to an all-time low in the national capital.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an urgent hearing on the review petition filed by historian Romila Thapar against the verdict that refused SIT probe into arrests of five activists in Bhima Koregaon case and allowed the Maharashtra Police to continue with its investigation.

Thapar and four activists had earlier filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the arrests of Left-wing activists in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence on 1 January and for suspected Maoist links.

Supreme Court declines urgent hearing of the review petition filed by historian Romila Thapar against the verdict that refused SIT probe into arrests of five activists in Bhima Koregaon case and allowed Maharashtra Police to continue with the investigation.  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

In their petition, which was mentioned by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the petitioners sought the release of all activists who have been arrested during raids in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

They also pressed for an independent probe into the five activists' arrest by the Maharashtra Police in August.

The Pune wing of the Maharashtra Police had raided the homes of prominent Left-wing activists in several states in August and arrested at least five of them for suspected Maoist links.

The raids were carried out as part of a probe into an event - Elgaar Parishad - organised in Pune on December 31 last year, a day before the caste violence broke out between Dalits and the upper caste Marathas at Koregaon-Bhima village near the city.

Near-simultaneous searches were carried out at the residences of prominent Telugu poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Farreira in Mumbai, trade union activist Sudha Bhardwaj in Faridabad, and civil rights activist Gautam Navalakha in New Delhi.

Rao, Bhardwaj and Farreira were subsequently arrested.

Surendra Gadling and Shoma Sen, arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case in March this year, are currently in the judicial custody of Pune Police.

Farreira, Gonsalves, Rao, and Bhardwaj are under house arrest at their respective residences.

On September 28, the Supreme Court had extended the house arrest of the activists by four weeks.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is the country's premier investigating agency, has been witnessing an unprecedented crisis since the past few weeks.

The crisis hit the agency after its chief Alok Verma filed a case against his deputy Rakesh Asthana on October 15, accusing him of taking Rs 3 crore as bribe from a businessman being investigated by him in lieu of ensuring relief and a clean chit in the case.

The case against Asthana was registered on the basis of a statement given by the alleged bribe giver, Sathish Sana, who was facing probe in a separate case of bribery involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Rakesh Asthana flatly denied the charges and instead told the government that it was his boss who had taken a bribe of Rs 2 crore from the same businessman.

He also sent a 50-page complaint against Alok Verma and his team.

Asthana further alleged that Verma had tried to stop raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The ongoing squabble between two top-ranking officials further escalated on October 22 after the central probe conducted a raid on the 10th floor of its own headquarters in New Delhi.

The CBI also arrested its DSP Devender Kumar in connection with bribery allegations against its special director Rakesh Asthana.

On October 23, Asthana approached the Delhi High Court to get CBI's FIR against him quashed.

Thought the HC did not cancel the case, it issued a notice to the CBI director and said that Asthana would not be arrested at least until it heard the case on October 29.

During the hearing, the probe agency told the court that an "extortion racket" was being run in the CBI in the garb of high-profile cases.

The spat between two officers actually began when Verma objected to the elevation of the then Additional Director Rakesh Asthana as Special Director before the Central Vigilance Commission.

The objections were noted, but the Central Vigilance Commission, in a unanimous decision, cleared Asthana as Special Director, making him the second-in-command in the agency.

Asthana was in-charge of the Special Investigation Team handling sensitive cases, including those related to Vijay Mallya, Agusta Westland and land acquisition in Haryana.

A PIL was filed by NGO Common Cause against the decision but it was also rejected by the Supreme Court.

The matter was referred by the government to the Central Vigilance Commission which then sought files of cases mentioned in Asthana's complaint.

In his response, Verma told the Commission that Asthana's role was under probe in at-least six cases, including one related to the loan default by Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech.

He also told the CVC that in his absence, his second-in-command Asthana cannot represent in panel meetings.

Asthana urged the government to intervene, seeking an independent probe into the allegations levelled by Verma and the cases in which his role was being alleged.

In the wake of corruption allegations against the top officials of the agency, the Centre, acting on the recommendations of the CVC, sent Alok Verma, Rakesh Asthana and Additional Director AK Sharma on leave on Wednesday.

They were also ''divested of all powers.''

In a sudden turn of events, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by PM Modi also appointed CBI Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, an Odisha-cadre officer, as its interim director with immediate effect.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said in its order that during the period of the subsistence of the aforesaid interim measure, M Nageshwar Rao, presently working as Joint Director, CBI, shall look after duties and functions of Director, CBI, and shall take over duties and functions with immediate effect.

Since taking over in the night on October 23, Rao overhauled the team probing allegations of corruption against Asthana, bringing in new faces.

Rao appointed Satish Dagar as Superintendent of Police to probe the case.

Challenging the Centre's order asking him to proceed on leave, Verma on October 24 moved the Supreme Court and pressed for an urgent hearing.

The previous investigating officer, Deputy SP AK Bassi, was transferred to Port Blair in "public interest" with "immediate effect".

In the governments first response to the ongoing turmoil in CBI, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that it is important to maintain the integrity of the central probe agency.

Referring to the extradition cases of fugitive business tycoons Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, Jaitley said those outside the country facing probe should not be given an opportunity to raise questions.

Jaitley also rubbished Opposition allegations of a Rafale link to the move.
New Delhi: The ongoing battle between the top two officers of the CBI has put the country's premier investigative agency under the scanner with several opposition parties questioning the decision to send Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana on leave.

The prime minister-led appointments committee in an order Tuesday night removed both Verma and Asthana, handing over the charge to M Nagheshwar Rao. It is a decision that has been slammed by several political parties, including Congress which linked the move to the Rafale deal. "We want to make a direct allegation that the Modi government has sent the CBI chief on leave as it is scared of the ongoing probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal, '' Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. (Read full report here)

CBI ??? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???????????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????- ??? ???? ?????, ???? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ????  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 24, 2018

CPI-M too questioned the decision and said that the central government was guilty of trying to protect 'handpicked' officers. "The illegal removal of CBI chief by Modi government to protect their own handpicked officer, against whom serious charges of corruption are being investigated, points to attempts at a serious cover-up to protect his direct links to the BJP's top political leadership", tweeted party general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

BSP's Mayawati joined in the chorus against the decision to send the top officers on leave and said that it is a matter of serious concern. "Misuse of government machinery and interference in CBI's functioning have earlier also caused disasters and the ongoing disturbance at CBI is a matter of great concern for the nation. It's good that the matter, that also had interference of central government, is before the Supreme Court now," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. She was referring to Verma's decision to move the apex court challenging the order to send him on leave.

Misuse of govt machinery & interference in CBI's functioning have earlier also caused disasters & ongoing disturbance at CBI is a matter of great concern for the nation. It's good that the matter that also had interference of central govt, is before the SC now: BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/gO7UZLYfso  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 24, 2018

Meanwhile, the appointment of Rao as the interim chief has also led to criticism with DMK chief MK Stalin pointing out to complaints against the IPS officer of the 1986 batch from Odisha cadre.

Several complaints were sent to CBI director against Nageshwar Rao and there are reports that the CBI director Alok Verma wanted to initiate investigations into allegations against him: DMK Chief MK Stalin on Nageshwar Rao appointed as CBI interim director. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/K4oe8IoPw4  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

The central government, however, has justified its decision by saying it wants CBI to maintain its integrity. "To maintain the institutional integrity of CBI and in the interest of fairness, purely as an interim measure, they will sit out by going on leave," Arun Jaitley had announced on Wednesday morning. (Watch news report here)
NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Wednesday made a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government holding it solely responsible for the entire mess in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and damaging the central probe agency's credibility and reputation.

In a series of tweets, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Narendra Modi Government has buried the last nail into the independence of the CBI.

Modi Govt buries the last nail into the independence of CBI. Systematic dismantling & denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBIs integrity, credibility & reliability is buried & dead. 1/n pic.twitter.com/11b451jYBV  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018

Surjewala blamed the present BJP dispensation at the Centre for ''systematic dismantling and denigrating'' of the central probe agency.

Surjewal further said that the integrity, credibility and reliability of the CBI, which was once a premier investigating agency, is now buried and dead under the Modi government.

Further attacking the Modi government in another tweet, the Congress spokesperson accused it of ''habitual and perpetual misuse of CBI'' to tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases.

Question the PM's inability to sack the CBI director, the Congress leader accused him of acting in a clandestine manner, which, he said, was the reason for this unfathomable mess.

2/n

PM Modi seeks to achieve surreptitiously & clandestinely what he cant do directly to sack the CBI Director. Habitual and perpetual misuse of CBI by Modi Govt & BJP to tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases is the reason for this unfathomable mess. pic.twitter.com/iH6fgeCtKI  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018

Surjewala also accused the PM of direct interference in the functioning of the CBI.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Prime Ministers role in the entire matter is under a cloud and the country is looking for a fair, impartial and independent investigation of serious charges of corruption involving senior-most officers of the CBI and the RAW.

Surjewala said the matter needs to be investigated and brought out as to who in the current political dispensation is involved in this entire saga and is attempting to shield the accused involved in the matter?

Instead, the Prime Minister is illegally and unconstitutionally interfering in the investigation, he alleged.

While alleging that the PM has shown the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI, Surjewala questioned has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam?

''Isnt the rest a shoddy cover-up? he said.

3/n

PM Modi has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI. Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isnt the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer! pic.twitter.com/80ckyFiOJX  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018

Addressing a press conference on the issue, Surjewala had on Tuesday asked whether the Prime Ministers action has put the role of the Chief Vigilance Commission also under a cloud and wondered why the CVC is shying away from its statutory obligation of acting impartially and decisively to punish wrongdoing.

Why did the Prime Minister call the head of CBI, also head of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to his residence? Was it to influence the ongoing corruption investigation against CBI and RAW officers?'' he asked.

Is the CVC also being instructed by someone in the political executive, he asked.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is solely accountable and responsible for dismantling, denigrating and destroying Indias premier investigation agency i.e., the CBI, he alleged, adding Modis role has come under a cloud.

The Congress leader alleged that there is lurking suspicion regarding the role of the resent political executive at the highest level along with the role of senior CBI officers. He cited the example of former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, whose resignation the BJP had sought merely for talking to the CBI director during the UPA government.

Surjewala also alleged that the CBI is not the only institution decimated and dismantled by a political design to subserve as the dirty tricks department of the Bhartiya Janata Party by the ruling elite and the PM.

There is a systematic pattern to vilify, disband and destroy every institution like the ED, Income Tax Department, CBDT, SFIO, NIA are other such institutions that are being used as captive puppets in converting them dirty tricks department of the BJP, he alleged.

Surjewala said a case in point is the repeated extensions being given to CBDT chairperson by the prime minister and another one is repeated extensions to earlier NIA chief and the temporary appointment of ED for years together and pending extension of the ED Director, post-retirement.

All these are meant to subvert, suppress and subjugate to serve at the whims of PM and the BJP, Surjewala alleged.

Remarks from Surjewal came minutes after CBI chief Alok Verma, his deputy Rakesh Asthana and several other officers were sent on leave in an unprecedented move by the government amid an ongoing internal battle within the country's top investigating agency.

M Nageshwar Rao was appointed the interim director of the CBI with immediate effect.

Nageshwar Rao, a 1986 batch officer, supersedes Rakesh Asthana and was joint director of the CBI or Central Bureau of Investigation.

Rao will "look after duties and functions of director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect," said the order by an appointments committee led by the Prime Minister.

Rao is a 1986 batch IPS officer from the Odisha cadre. Meanwhile, the offices of both Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana were sealed and all officers working with the CBI director sent on leave.

The opposition has accused the government of trying to protect Rakesh Asthana - a Gujarat cadre officer dubbed the Prime Minister's "blue-eyed boy" by Congress president Rahul Gandhi - who, after being appointed the number two officer last year despite stiff opposition from Alok Verma, handled major investigations.
Panaji: The BJP in Goa Wednesday said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, whose extended absence from office due to ill health has sparked demands of temporary replacement, is likely to resume duty next month.

The state unit Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) president Vinay Tendulkar, however, conceded the pace of administration in the coastal state has "slowed down" in absence of the chief minister.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) president Dipak Dhavlikar demanded that Parrikar hand over his charge to "any of the senior ministers" till he recovered from illness. He also said the people of Goa were complaining about the "collapse" of administration in absence of Parrikar.

The MGP is one of the two regional constituents of the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government--the other being the Goa Forward Party (GFP).

Notably, GFP chief and Cabinet minister Vijai Sardesai had last week said that the CM's ailment was affecting his work and that of the state administration.

According to BJP, Parrikar, 62, is currently recuperating at his private residence at Dona Paula near Panaji since he was shifted there from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

"Parrikar is recovering well and we expect him to resume office in the next month, that is November," Tendulkar told reporters.

BJP president Amit Shah had earlier clarified that Parrikar would continue to helm the coalition government.

Tendulkar also informed that no discussion was being held at the state level about the change of guard.

"We don't have the right to discuss issues like the leadership change. Senior leaders of the party in Delhi will take a call on it," said the BJP leader.

When asked about Dhavalikar's statement, Tendulkar said, "the administration has become slow due to Parrikar's absence from office".

He also said BJP would speak to MGP to enlist their support in the Lok Sabha elections due next year.

The Parrikar-led government has the support of 23 MLAs in the Assembly -- 14 of the BJP, three each from the GFP and the MGP and three Independent legislators.

The Congress had emerged as the single-largest party in the fractured verdict thrown up after the Assembly elections held in March last year.

However, it had failed to form the government as it could not muster the majority. Since then, the Congress is repeatedly claiming to form the government in the coastal state, arguing that it is the single-largest party.

The Congress now ceases to be the single-largest party after two MLAs of its 16 MLAs resigned and joined the BJP.
SRINAGAR: At least two terrorists were killed on Wednesday in an encounter with security forces in Nowgam area, a police official said.

One of the militants, identified as Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, was an M. Phil degree scholar who had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Sofi studied M.Sc from Barkatullah University in Bhopal and M.Phil from the Gowwalya University of Rajasthan.

Sofi is the third highly educated person to have been killed this year after joining militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The 33-year old Sofi also held B. Ed degree and had cleared the National Eligibility Test and Junior Research Fellowship.

This is not the first time when highly educated people have joined a terrorist organisation.

Earlier in October, Manaan Bashir Wani, an AMU scholar-turned-militant was killed in an encounter in Kupwara district in north Kashmir.

Esa Fazli, an engineering graduate from Ghulam Shah Badshah University, was killed in a gun battle earlier this year as well.

After Fazli's joining, an MBA student, Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, son of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, also disappeared and join the militant groups.

"The standard operating procedures were followed during the operation and there was no collateral damage during the encounter," the official added.

The police received a tip-off about militant activity in Suthu Kothair locality of Nowgam following which the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the early hours, the police official said.

He said the militants opened fire on security forces during the search operation, triggering a gunbattle in which two ultras were killed.

Incriminating material besides arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, he added.

Clashes broke out between protestors and security forces soon after the encounter ended, he said, adding the law-enforcing agencies were engaged in pitched battles with the stone pelters for most part of the day.

Authorities snapped mobile Internet services in the city and shut educational institutions as a precautionary measure.

(With PTI Inputs)

Jammu and Kashmir, Militants, Nowgam, Terrorists killed,
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lexington Biosciences, Inc. (CSE: LNB) (OTCQB: LXGTF) (the Company or Lexington), a development-stage medical device company, is pleased to review activities undertaken during Q3 of 2018.



Over the summer, the Company completed its first phase of clinical testing at Diablo Clinical Research. The results of the study validated safety protocols, provided the Company with critical information for product iteration, algorithm development, and clinical testing protocol refinement in preparation for the upcoming multi-center clinical study series.

During this same period, the Company commenced a brokered private placement offering in Canada that ultimately was unsuccessful due to prevailing market conditions. Currently, the Company has a non-brokered private placement open which is anticipated to close during Q4. As a result of investment market uncertainty, the Company has been operating in capital preservation mode, and as a result, the previously published timelines and strategic planning have been extended.

Currently, the Company is negotiating clinical contracts with multiple study sites in preparation for the commencement of its pivotal series of clinical studies.

Upon the successful conclusion of the upcoming financing round, the second phase of trial activities will be established almost immediately, and a new clinical timeline will be published.

To find out more about Lexington Biosciences, interested readers are invited to visit our website and view our video featuring principal HeartSentry inventor Dr. Jonathan Maltz, Ph.D., which provides an excellent overview of our business proposition and opportunity ahead

About Lexington Biosciences, Inc. (CSE: LNB / OTCQB: LXGTF)

Lexington Biosciences is a medical device company developing the HeartSentry, a new non-invasive diagnostic device to measure and monitor cardiovascular health by assessing the function of a persons vascular endothelium - the vital innermost lining of the cardiovascular system. Currently, the standard of care is measurement using expensive external ultrasound by a highly trained technician. The HeartSentry core technology was developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory over a fifteen-year R&D period involving many research studies and product iterations resulting in a portfolio of multiple pending and issued patents licensed to the company. Our aim is to make HeartSentry accurate, quick, and cost effective so it can become the standard of care for cardiologists, general practitioners, and ultimately patients for first line evaluation of a persons cardiovascular health. Lexington is engaged with the US FDA and other regulatory agencies on the required product approvals for the HeartSentry. For more information about the company please visit: https://lexingtonbiosciences.com/ .

On Behalf of the Board,

Eric Willis

Eric Willis

CEO & Director

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. 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 the failure to satisfy the conditions of the Canadian Securities Exchange and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.
NEW DELHI: Escalating its attack on the Narendra Modi government, the main opposition party Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Centre sent the CBI chief Alok Verma on leave as it scared of the ongoing probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal scam.

Accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of interfering in the working of the CBI, the Congress alleged that action against Verma was taken since he was keen to probe the Rafale deal, which is the ''biggest defence scam'' of the country.

Terming the government move as ''unconstitutional and illegal'', the Congress party said that the Modi regime has sent all important institutions of the country into the ICU.

''We want to make a direct allegation that the Modi government has sent the CBI chief on leave as it is scared of the ongoing probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal, '' Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

While calling the Centre's move against the CBI director as ''illegal, unethical and unconstitutional,'' Singhvi also questioned the CVC's authority to recommend action against the agency chief who has a fixed tenure of two years and can't be removed before that.

Echoing a similar statement, Singhvi's colleague Manish Tewari said according to the Lokpal Act and the Supreme Court judgement in the Jain Hawala case, the CBI director has a fixed tenure of two years.

''Government cannot curtail tenure/take interim measures without a meeting of Committee consisting of PM, CJI and Leader of Opposition/single largest party,'' Tewari tweeted.

Earlier, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala too alleged that the Modi government was afraid of the Opposition demand for a probe into the Rafale deal.

''Scared of the Rafale Scam probe, Modi ji is killing India's premier investigation agency,'' Surjewala said in one his tweets.

Congress chief spokesperson said that Modi government has put the "last nail" in the independence of the CBI by shunting Verma.

''Systematic dismantling and denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI's integrity, credibility and reliability is 'buried and dead','' he said in another tweet.

''Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isn't the rest a shoddy cover-up? Let PM answer,?'' Surjewala said in another tweet.

However, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Addressing a press conference on the issue, Jaitley said that the government's decision to remove CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the CVC's recommendations, asserting that it was absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.

The Central Vigilance Commission made its recommendations last evening, he said.

Jaitley told reporters that allegations by the top two officers of the country's premier investigation agency led to a "bizarre and unfortunate" situation.

A Special Investigation Team will probe the charges and both persons will "sit out" as an interim measure, he added.

It is an extraordinary situation, and the accused cannot be allowed to be in charge of an investigation against them, the minister said.

He also dismissed as "rubbish" allegations of opposition parties, including the Congress, that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

In a swipe at them, Jaitley said their allegations indicate they had access to what was going in the mind of the officer concerned, an apparent reference to Verma. That itself demolishes the integrity of the person they are trying to support, he said.
MUMBAI: Four members of an inter-state gang were arrested by Raigad Police in Maharashtra for allegedly smuggling snake venom worth Rs 1.7 crore in illicit markets, an official said Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Rajaram Jaiswar (46) and Udaynath Jaiswar (37) at Mandva Jetty in Raigad and recovered snake venom kept in a water bottle, he said.

The accused, hailing from Malvani in Mumbai, allegedly told police that two persons from Gujarat had handed over the venom to them.

Police then arrested Devilal Joshi (36) and Santoshkumar Singh (35) from Vapi district of Gujarat, the official said.

Joshi hails from Bikaner in Rajasthan while Singh is from Uttar Pradesh, he said.

All four were sent in police custody till October 29 by a local court, he said.

Police are investigating from where the accused procured the venom and for what purpose they were going to use it, he said.
SRINAGAR: Two terrorists were neutralised in an encounter with the security forces at Jammu and Kashmir's Nowgam on Wednesday morning.

According to the state police, there was no collateral damage. Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered.

"On specific info, we launched search operation along with 15 RR & CRPF. Two militants killed. People are pelting stones. We are requesting them not to come near site so that we can clear the explosives which generally remain with militants," said V K Birdi, DIG, Central Kashmir, as reported by ANI.

#JammuAndKashmir: An exchange of fire started between terrorists & security forces at Soothu, Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar earlier this morning. Internet services have been suspended. (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/tMIUg9cfmp  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

A case has been filed and probe initiated in the incident.

The encounter took place in Nowgam's Soothu area, on the outskirts of Srinagar. Internet services were suspended in the region.

#JammuAndKashmir: An exchange of fire has started between terrorists & security forces at Soothu, Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar. Internet services have been suspended. More details awaited.  ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2018

This comes two days after seven civilians were killed on Sunday in a blast at an encounter site in Laroo village in Kulgam district, after a gunfight between militants and security forces. Three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists were eliminated in the incident.

On Friday, two terrorists were gunned down when they tried to attack the police in the Kralhaar area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir.

The police had recovered two AK-47 rifles with Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, three grenades, two Chinese pistols and other weapons from their possession.

With agency inputs
Mumbai: A passenger boat belonging to the government of Maharashtra capsized near Shivaji Smarak off the coast of Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon.

The incident took place about 2.5 kms west of Nariman Point.

It is reported that 24 of the 25 people on board were rescued after Indian Coast Guard choppers were pressed into action. The missing person has been identified as Siddhesh Pawar - a resident of Santacruz. At the time of filing this report, search operations were being carried out to locate Pawar.
New Delhi: The 36-year-old`s debut single `...Baby One More Time` turned 20 on Tuesday. To mark the occasion, Spears took to social media to share a behind-the-scenes video of the iconic track from 1998, which became one of the best-selling singles of all time.She even thanked her `amazing` fans for supporting her career through the years.

"It`s hard to put into words what today means to me." she began the tweet. "20 years ago, the world heard my music for the very first time! So much has happened since then. But what I really want to say is thank you to my amazing fans who have been there for me since day 1." she continued.

In a separate tweet, the songstress said, "Your support over the years has meant the absolute world to me!! Love you all!"

Spears also shared a link to the full YouTube video paying a tribute on her hit song`s 20th anniversary. In the clip, a young Spears can be heard saying, "If I hear my song on the radio, I`ll just be like, crazy. I`d be like, `Oh my gosh!` I think that`d be so cool. I would love that. that`d be a great experience."

Its hard to put into words what today means to me 20 years ago, the world heard my music for the very first time! So much has happened since then but what I really want to say is thank you to my amazing fans who have been there for me since day 1... pic.twitter.com/oeMipXCSl9  Britney Spears (@britneyspears) October 23, 2018

The ...Baby One More Time 20th Anniversary Collection is available now for pre-order in the webstore! Shop here: https://t.co/bj4HpxDbDg pic.twitter.com/B5NWyiLD3S  Britney Spears (@britneyspears) October 19, 2018
New Delhi: Deepika Padukone is one busy lady, right? The lady might not be shooting for any film currently but she has a list of things to do for herself before the arrival of the big day. Deepika and Ranveer Singh, who have been with each other since last six years, recently announced their wedding date which is barely weeks later. Henceforth, she must be one busy gorgeous bride-to-be these days.

On Tuesday, the 'Padmaavat' star was spotted exiting a nail salon at Bandra and we couldn't skip the wedding glow on her face. She was wearing a giant-round shades as she sat inside her car and left. Take a look at her photos here:

Even before 'Deep Veer's wedding date was announced, rumours were strong that the couple is set to tie the knot at Lake Como, Italy. However, Times of India reports that both Deepika and Ranveer have now shifted their wedding venue from Italy to a five-star hotel in Mumbai. The reason is reported that that families of the two will find it difficult to travel all the way to Italy for the wedding.

Even before their wedding date was announced, rumours were strong that the couple is set to tie the knot at Lake Como, Italy. However, as per the latest reports, the wedding venue has now been shifted.

Times of India reports that 'Deep-Veer' have now shifted their wedding venue from Italy to a five-star hotel in Mumbai. The reason is reported that that families of the two will find it difficult to travel all the way to Italy for the wedding. Post the wedding celebrations, the couple will head for a brief honeymoon to an undisclosed location before resuming their respective professional commitments.
Mumbai: Apart from putting together a "robust programme" for the Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star and hosting filmmakers like Lucrecia Martel, Darren Aronofsky and Sean Baker, Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) will show solidarity with the #MeToo movement through a special programme on the global movement which is against sexual harassment and assault.

"The 20th edition this year, has some exceptional talent like Darren Aronofsky and Sean Baker. We have been able to put together a robust programme that has films from almost every genre possible that people would want to watch at MAMI," Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star, told IANS.

"We have over 200 films in the programme being showcased at 10 venues and over 20 screens at the theatres during the festival. There are many movies that will be premiering with us."

Amidst the #MeToo storm, various films have also been dropped from the line-up of the fest, which will conclude on November 1. Rajat Kapoor's "Kadhakh" and All India Backchod (AIB)-produced "Chintu Ka Birthday" are among those discarded. Rajat and members of AIB were accused of sexual harassment.

Among the main offerings, "Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota" will get its Asia premiere at the festival, which will begin here on Thursday.

Gujarati language short film "Rammat-Gammat" will have its India premiere at the gala, Steve McQueen's directorial "Widows", which will close the festival next month, will have its Asia premiere there.

Actress Rasika Dugal's series "Mirzapur" and film "Hamid" are also set to have their world premiere at the festival.

"My part in 'Hamid' as Ishrat is dramatically different from Beena in 'Mirzapur'. I am thrilled that they are both premiering at MAMI," said Rasika.

The festival organisers have created a "special programme where there are going to be two discussions dealing with different aspects about #MeToo and one workshop to explain the law related to it".

"Especially, since a lot of people are unaware of the sexual harassment laws," shared Kiran.

Apart from films dropped, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has stepped down as one of the board members of the festival's organising committee amidst a "shadow of doubt" that he remained silent when a woman complained to him of being sexually harassed by his business partner Vikas Bahl.

Kiran also said that this year, a phenomenal list of people will be hosting masterclasses and conversations with leading personalities like Martel, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, Aronofsky and Baker.

Like every year, the fest will put the spotlight on Indian regional cinema as well. There will be a Marathi cinema section again.

Kiran added: "There are a bunch of films in regional languages like Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Telugu and Gujarati."

What more?

"We will be screening 'ChaalBaaz', 'Lamhe' and 'Mom' to pay a tribute to Sridevi," said Kiran when asked about tribute to the actress, who died aged 54 in February by accidentally drowning in a bath tub in a Dubai hotel.
Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas haven't yet revealed their wedding date but it is likely that the two will enter matrimony in December this year. The star couple is expected to have a big fat Indian wedding in Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur reports suggest.

As fans of NickYanka are looking forward to seeing them as man and wife, the two are treating their admirers by sharing lovey-dovey pics on their social media accounts.

Priyanka took to Instagram Wednesday morning to share an adorable picture with her BAE.

The former Miss World dazzles in a red dress as she hugs her special man.

Nick, is visibly smitten by her stunning avatar and he seems to be in love with the colour red. It is apparent that he loves to see Priyanka in red dresses!

Take a look at the picture and Nick's reaction below:

Sometime in June, Nick visited India for the first time with Priyanka and they painted the town red with their budding romance. They walked hand-in-hand at Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta's Mehendi ceremony and pre-engagement bash, and looked so much in love with each other. Nick and Priyanka even flew to Goa along with the Chopras to spend some family time.

Nick's parents and relatives too went desi as they sizzled in traditional Indian ethnic wear during the roka ceremony. And it will be interesting to see their wedding ensemble.
JAIPUR: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will arrive on a two-day visit to poll-bound Rajasthan from Wednesday during which he will hold roadshows and public meetings in Kota, Jhalawar and Sikar districts which together have 18 assembly seats.

In the first leg of his visit, the Congress chief would cover Hadauti region, comprising Kota, Jhalawar, Baran and nearby areas which had been rocked by a large number of farmers' suicide.

In the second leg of his visit, the Gandhi scion would be in Sikar district, according to Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot.

Congress President @RahulGandhi will be in Rajasthan tomorrow as part of a two day tour. pic.twitter.com/AufJ063G4n  Congress (@INCIndia) October 23, 2018

Sikar is a part of the Shekhawati region dominated by farmers.

Rahul will address his first rally in Jhalawar  the home turf of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje - and follow it up with a nearly 100-km roadshow from Jhalawar to Kota, where he will stay at night.

The Congress chief will address a state convention of Mahila Congress at Kota on October 25, after which he would fly to Sikar to address a 'Sankalp Rally', Pilot said.

"The Congress is well placed in Jhalawar where I and Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi undertook 'kisan Nyay Yatra' 10 months ago. Gandhi's visit to Jhalawar will give a boost to the party there," Pilot added.

Pilot claimed the farmers in both the region are facing distress.

Almost half of the farmers' suicide occurred in that region only and there is resentment among them against the chief minister and the government, Pilot said.

State's Chief Minister Raje represents Jhalrapatan Assembly constituency in Jhalawar while her son Dushyant Singh is the member of Parliament from Jhalawar-Baran.

Jhalawar shares its border with Madhya Pradesh, which too is going to polls on November 28.

In Rajasthan, where assembly polls will be held on December 7, the Congress president has already conducted meetings in Jaipur, Dungarpur, Bikaner and road shows in Jaipur, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Dausa.
LUCKNOW: BJP president Amit Shah will arrive in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on Wednesday and interact with state unit leaders of the party.

Shah will also reportedly meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The meeting, which is slated to begin around 11 AM, is expected to continue till evening.

Besides the Chief Minister, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh senior functionary Krishna Gopal, state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal will also attend the meeting.

During the meeting, the BJP chief is expected to review the performance of the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet and sitting BJP MPs.

The turmoil caused in national politics by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent statement suggesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring a legislation in Parliament for clearing the hurdles in the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya will also be discussed during the meeting.

A senior leader of the party had said on Saturday that meeting would be crucial as it would set the agenda for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Party sources had suggested that a proposal to drop non-performing and tainted ministers may also be accepted during the meeting.

Besides, the BJP chief is also likely to tell the Yogi government and the party's state unit to improve its performance on law and order front and step up welfare schemes for the poor and the downtrodden.

Ahead of Shah's arrival, a meeting of the party's state unit was held on Saturday which was attended by all district chiefs, district in-charges, district conveners and in-charges of Lok Sabha constituencies and other office-bearers.

General secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal said that a Run for Unity would be organised in each district on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on October 31.

He asked party leaders to ensure participation of the maximum number of people in the event.
VANCOUVER, B.C., Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BOUGAINVILLE VENTURES INC. ("Bougainville" or the "Company") (CSE:BOG) is pleased to announce that it has signed a second lease agreement with a private Washington State Tier-2 I-502 licensee (the "Tenant") to lease up to 21,000 square feet of I-502-compliant space from the Bougainville Ventures Campus in Oroville, Washington. Bougainville will be involved with the Tenant as a consultant and in the infrastructure development capacity at its current location.

The Tenant is currently ready to harvest this years crop at the end of the month. Bougainville and the Tenant have agreed to the terms of the lease and will occupy a one acre parcel of land, following building, property and infrastructure improvements. The Tenant has been in operations since 2015 and has extensive experience and contacts in supplying the extract market in Washington State.



The Company would also like to add that it has completed its due diligence on the additional 3.33 acre parcel and will be moving forward to close on the transaction.



CEO, Andy Jagpal Comments:

With the addition of this second tenant lease for the Washington property, our business model is now well underway. We will continue to execute on our Cannabis Infrastructure business model to serve the needs of tenant-growers in the US and Canada."



About the Washington I-502 Marijuana Market

In November 2012, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) passed Initiative 502 (I-502) pursuant to a vote by the people of the State of Washington. I-502 authorized the WSLCB to regulate and tax recreational marijuana products for persons over twenty-one years of age and thereby created a new industry for growing, processing and selling of Washington State-regulated recreational marijuana products. A recent WSLCB commissioned report by the Rand organization suggests that there are currently up to 650,000 recreational marijuana users in Washington State, worth approximately $1.25 - $1.5 Billion USD in annual sales.



About Bougainville Ventures, Inc.

Bougainville provides cannabis infrastructure and seed-to-sale services to I-502 tenant-growers leasing greenhouse facilities space and providing fully built-out, turnkey solutions and ancillary services including processing, cannabis expertise and marketing and sales resources. Greenhouse canopies provide a 50% saving in cultivation cost. Bougainville has 10,000 sq.ft., in near production in Oroville, WA.



For more information please visit: http://bougainvilleinc.com/



On behalf of the Board of Directors

BOUGAINVILLE VENTURES INC.

_____________________

Andy Jagpal, CEO and Director



For further information, please contact Andy Jagpal at andy@bougainvilleinc.com or by phone at 1-844-734-8420





FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the Oroville, WA cultivation facility: statements pertaining to the ability of Bougainville Ventures Inc. (BOG); the anticipated economic potential of the property; the availability of capital and finance for BOG to execute its strategy going forward. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BOG in light of its experience and perception of current and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BOG believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause BOGs results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements, including: discrepancies between actual and estimated results from exploration and development and operating risks, dependence on early exploration stage concessions; uninsurable risks; competition; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; currency fluctuations; defective title to mineral claims or property and dependence on key employees. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Companys management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, 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 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.



No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release.






A day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that a recent attack in Kandahar was planned by elements in Pakistan, Islamabad issued a rebuttal and called the allegation baseless.

Kandahar's police commander General Abdul Raziq was killed in an attack which, according to Ghani, was a conspiracy hatched in Pakistan. "I want to say that this conspiracy was plotted in Pakistan. So Pakistan should give us the criminals so that we can bring them to justice, he was quoted as saying by Tolo News.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's Foreign Office rejected Ghani's allegation. "Pakistan rejects baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks. No hard evidence or intelligence-related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims."

Relations between the two neighbours have soured in the recent past with Afghanistan - along with India - accusing Pakistan of harbouring terrorists. Ties have suffered to the extent that even trade and commerce between the two countries have steadily deteriorated. Earlier this year, Ghani had even said Pakistan is Taliban's headquarters.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said Saudi authorities have staged the "worst ever cover up" in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia has admitted that Khashoggi, 59, a contributor for The Washington Post, was killed in its Istanbul consulate.

"They (the Saudis) had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.

"Very simple. Bad deal. Should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.

Khashoggi, a former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, disappeared after he entered the consulate on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage.

The incident has severely dented the international reputation of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Responding to a question on the probe into the death of Khashoggi, the US president said, "And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, what they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea, I think, is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the "savage murder" of the journalist was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

He, however, acknowledged Turkey was still searching for answers to key questions, including who gave the order.

Trump told reporters that Erdogan was pretty tough on Saudi Arabia.

"He was pretty rough on Saudi Arabia, I would say. I haven't gotten a full recap, as you know. I have people in Turkey and I have people in Saudi Arabia and other places, and they're all coming back as we speak, they're heading back," he said.

CIA Director Gina Haspel is currently in Turkey and is expected to be back soon in the US.

"I'll know, I think, everything in a very short period of time. It's a bad situation. But certainly, president Erdogan was not complimentary of what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened," he said.

Trump reiterating that he does not want to scrap the USD 110 billion mega arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the total investment of USD450 billion from that country, but did not rule out not taking any action against the Saudis.

"I want to see the facts first. Look, Saudi Arabia's been a really great ally. They've been one of the biggest investors, maybe the biggest investor, in our country.

"They are doing hundreds of billions of dollar's worth of investments. And, you know, so many jobs. So many jobs. Thousands and thousands of jobs," he said.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017, Trump signed an agreement with the Saudis for them to purchase USD 110 billion of US weapons, although so far only USD 43 billion of that has been detailed.

"The ultimate number is around USD450 billion. I think that's over a million jobs. A million to over a million jobs. So we do that, we're just hurting ourselves. We're just hurting ourselves," Trump said.
MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump and Russia`s Vladimir Putin plan to meet in Paris next month, officials said on Tuesday, their first encounter since a summit in Helsinki that unleashed a storm of criticism that Trump was cozying up to the Kremlin.

After a meeting in Moscow between Putin and Trump`s national security adviser, John Bolton, officials on both sides said a preliminary agreement on a Nov. 11 meeting in the French capital had been reached, and that detailed arrangements were underway.

Asked whether he and Putin would meet in Paris, Trump told reporters at the White House: "We may."

"That`s being discussed right now," Trump said. "I think we probably will. It hasn`t been set up yet, but it probably will be."

Both presidents plan to be in Paris for events to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One, and they are planning to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Bolton, speaking to reporters after his talks with Putin, said Trump would like to meet the Russian president in Paris and that precise arrangements were being worked on.

Putin and Trump have met several times on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings, but had their first bilateral summit in the Finnish capital in July.

Afterwards, Trump`s Democratic Party opponents, and some members of his own Republican Party, accused him of failing to stand up to Putin, especially over allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

At a post-summit news conference alongside Putin, Trump questioned the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had tried to influence the vote. Moscow denies any interference in the elections.

Republican Senator John McCain, who has since died, described the news conference at the time as "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory".

"No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant," McCain said.
Tymofiy Nagorny had to create a political party as a tool for promoting foreign policy interests of the Russian Federation

First, he was detained and put to the remand prison with the right of bail. So he has got bailed out and was released. Then he was detained again and sent to the remand prison without bail pending trial. Let us shed light to the case of Ukrainian businessman Tymofiy Nagorny

Tymofiy Nagorny remains incarcerated without bail.

The new arrest will last until November 30. At the same time, the investigation regarding the details of the case, which is opened against Nagorny, continues. And that threatens a businessman with a serious period behind the bars. Let us find out first who Tymofiy Nagorny is and what do we known about him.

Businessman and husband of a woman-gymnast

Many people have heard a lot about Timofiy Nagorny as the husband of Lilia Podkopayeva. In fact, everything is more complicated.

First, Nagorny has long had the status of "ex-husband" of the famous gymnast. And secondly, besides his marriage to Podkopayeva, other events happened in his life.

Nagorny is a businessman and sponsor, president of the Volunteer Fund of Ukraine, and director of the Sport-Service international company.

He comes from Makiivka (Donbas). The businessman headed the Volunteer Fund in 2009, before that, he was the development director at Ukr.net.

Nagorny tried to become a member of Verkhovna Rada in 2012, but he failed to win at his majority constituency. In 2014 there was an event from which, perhaps, the whole story began.

In September 2014, he participated in Peace March in Moscow, where Nagorny and his assistant were arrested for disobeying police officers, however, they were released after 5 days.

Ukraines Security Service claimed that then Tymofiy Nagorny was recruited by the Russian special services.

A criminal case against Nagorny

The background is as follows: a certain businessman from Canada has applied to Ukraines Security Service with a statement about fraud and extortion. He stated that someone was trying to extort money from him for closing the criminal case against him and his parents in Russia. According to the Canadian businessman, three persons were ready to solve his problem: two Russians and a Ukrainian (Nagorny).

Ukraines Security Service has demonstrated video records that, apparently, were provided by the businessman himself. Nagorny appears on this records.

During the meeting in Kyiv, he suggested that the situation should be solved through Russian Prosecutor General Yuriy Chaika with the help of the former Ukrainian people's deputy Artem Pshonka.

Nagorny requested 1 million 200 thousand dollars for his services  a million for closing the case, and 200 thousand for mediating.

The video shows Nagorny talking about his activities, including details of his recruitment, visits to the State Duma and the Putin administration, and different instructions.

Following the instructions of the FSB curators, a person (Nagorny) had to create and develop a political party as a tool for promoting foreign policy interests of the Russian Federation and destabilizing the situation in Ukraine. This structure was to take part in elections, lobby and defend the interests of the Russian Federation, prevent Ukraine from joining the EU and NATO, to raise the issue of granting the Russian language the status of the state language in our state," head of Security Service Office in Kyiv and Kyiv region Oleh Valendyuk has claimed.

The information about the party allegedly appeared from Nagornys telephone conversation record. The record stated that the goal of the party was to promote the idea of the non-aligned status of Ukraine, the Russian as the second state language, and an idea "if Ukraine follows EU, it must do it along with Russia."

A number of names appear on the published records: Putins assistant Vladislav Surkov, Ukraines Former PM of Yanukovychs times Mykola Azarov, former head of presidential administration Andriy Klyuev, and Viktor Medvedchuk.

Charges

Nagorny was detained on October 4th. Then he was arrested with the right to bail in the amount of 19 thousand USD.

The businessman was charged with treason and fraud. A week later, Nagorny was released and re-arrested.

How Nagorny explains the situation

Nagorny hinted that he was ordered. In an interview with Vesti outlet, he said the following:

I try to remember those whom I refused lately. There were several such people, and there were different negotiation processes, none of them threatened me, they were carefully negotiated. Someone apparently thought it wrong of me to refuse. Probably, it was probably a proposal that I shouldnt refuse. After that, the events that I am currently involved in happened."

What's next?

Apparently, Tymofiy Nagorny will remain in jail until November 30. By that time, it is quite possible that new details of this case will appear.

Read the original text at 112.ua.
The United States confirmed its intention to withdraw from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles. What is the essence of this agreement and what consequences its termination may have for the whole world?

Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF), which was signed 30 years ago in Washington by the leaders of the USSR and the USA. Now the whole world is thinking whether Trump will have enough courage to move from words to actions, when would this happen, and, in fact, what consequences will have the break of one of the key Cold War agreements for the participating countries, their allies and the whole world.

This is unacceptable: What did Trump say?



On October 21, US President Donald Trump, at a meeting with his supporters in Nevada, accused the Russian Federation of not complying with the bilateral treaty on the elimination of medium-range and shorter-range missiles (INF), and also criticized his predecessor as head of the American state Barack Obama, saying that Washington should break the agreement much earlier.

Not very smart decision: How Russia responded



The Russian Federation, like many years before, insists that the US accusations of non-compliance with the INF Treaty and the development of weapons prohibited by it are not true. Therefore, it reacted to Trump's statements quite with restrain, considering them to be something like blackmail or a mistake of a not very smart decision.

INF Treaty: What is the essence of the document?



The bilateral treaty on the elimination of medium-range and shorter-range missiles is one of the key agreements of the Cold War, signed by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan on December 8, 1987.

So, by May 1991 the contract was fully completed. In the USSR, 1,752 ballistic and cruise ground-based missiles were liquidated, in the USA - 859. And they allegedly no longer produced weapons that were banned under this agreement.



Speaking in a simple way, if the agreement is broken, then both Moscow and Washington will again have the opportunity to deploy such weapons, build up nuclear potential and frighten the whole world with its use.

Missiles launched in the air Open source

Talking about the withdrawal of a nuclear state from a disarmament treaty is always a matter of concern, especially for countries that trust them and have abandoned their nuclear weapons, or did not have one.



The reaction of the world was not long in coming. The first among the American allies was Germany. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Washington to consider the consequences of his decision not only for the United States, but also for Europe, which in the event of war with Russia will become a theater of military operations, as well as consider the future attempts to achieve disarmament and so on.



However, experts assure that its too early to worry - the very intention of the United States still doesnt say anything, and Washington, like Moscow, often uses the word "if."



At the moment, it is known that the White House did not make a final decision on withdrawal from the INF Treaty.



The local media suggest that an official decree may be signed within a few weeks. However, to be or not to be largely depends on the visit of the US National Security Adviser John Bolton to Moscow on October 22-23.



We recall that during the said visit to Russia, Bolton planned to meet with the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, foreign policy advisor to the head of the Russian state Yuri Ushakov, and did not rule out the possibility of negotiations with President Vladimir Putin.



According to the latest information, most of the points from this plan have already been fulfilled. But Washington continues to frighten Russia and other states with its withdrawal from this agreement and by building up its nuclear potential, if they do not change their minds and stop arming themselves; Moscow, as before, insists on its innocence, scares the United States in response, at the same time emphasizing that despite this it is ready to work with the White House to eliminate mutual claims in connection with the implementation of the treaty.

Not a new thing for the USA and the Russian Federation

Washington and Moscow have been accusing each other of violating the treaty on the elimination of medium-range and shorter-range missiles, probably for about five years.



In 2014, US President Barack Obama wrote in a letter to the head of the Russian state, Vladimir Putin, that the Russian Federation had tested a cruise missile, which, according to its characteristics, is subject to the prohibition stipulated by the agreement.



We are talking about a certain ground-based missile with the Novator 9M729 nuclear warhead (SSC-8 according to the NATO classification), which was developed on the basis of the Iskander-M 9M728 missile; now they are located in the Kaliningrad region.



Experts believe that, if necessary, with the help of such weapons, Russia can strike a blow at NATO countries as soon as possible.



Moscow did not say much about its new rocket, but insisted that it did not violate the INF Treaty, as it was an alternative to traditional weapons.



Since then, the United States is looking for the proof of its trueness.



In turn, Russia also accused Washington of not complying with the treaty - in particular, after the United States launched a global missile defense system in Europe.



It is interesting that statements about withdrawal from the INF Treaty sound not for the first time. In the same 2014, Russia itself thought about this, but it did not proceed to legal actions.



The problem of this agreement is not in a fact that it is not observed by the subscribing countries, but also that the document does not apply to other nuclear states, such as China, Pakistan, the DPRK, etc.
Open source

During the following day, October 22, the enemy violated the ceasefire regime five times without using the weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements. The press office of the Joint Forces Operation stated this on Facebook.

The enemy performed the shelling from grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns, and small arms. The enemys highest activity was recorded near Marinka. The Russian occupation forces shelled the positions of the Joint Forces in the areas of settlements Krymske, Marinka, Novotroitske, and Lebedysnke.

As a result of hostile activity, none of the servicemen from the personnel of the Joint Forces wasn't injured today, reads the message.

Reportedly, yesterday, October 21, the militants shelled the residential areas of Marinka. As a result of the shelling, a 40-year-old resident got a through-gunshot wound to the lower limb and was hospitalized in Kurakhove medical facility.
The fire density in combat area somewhat decreased

Open source

Since Tuesday morning, Russian militants opened fire on Ukrainian positions in Donbas nine times. One of the Ukrainian defenders lost his life in action. The Joint Forces HQ reported this on early Wednesday.

In general, the combat action in war-torn eastern Ukraine has dropped a bit, but the enemy continues using Minsk-banned weaponry, namely 82 mm mortars. On most occasions, they used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms.

Hostile troops opened fire in the areas of Stanytsia Luhanska, Avdiivka, Mariinka, Starohnativka, Pavlopil, Vodyane, and Hnutove. 82 mm mines hit the positions near Avdiivka.

The Ukrainian fighters returned fire, which resulted in the death of a Russian mercenary; another four were wounded.

Since Wednesday morning, the enemy attacked Taramchuk, using small arms and heavy machine guns.
A damaged water pipe in Toretsk, Donetsk region was repaired. Water supply in the settlement is restored, as the press office of the Joint Forces Operation reported on its Facebook page.

On October 23, according to the application of Donbas Water Company of Russias occupational power provided security guarantees for conduction of emergency recovery works on the water conduit near the mine named after Gagarin. The emergency recovery works of the damaged water pipe started on the next day. The water supply in Toretsk was restored with a gradual build-up of pressure in the water conduit, the message says.

It should be noted that since October 15, at 1:15 pm the Central Administration of Ukraines State Emergency Service received information on Horlivka-Toretsk water pipe break down.

Horlivka-Toretsk water pipe with a diameter of 900 mm is located near Horlivka (in the so-called grey zone). As a result of the breakdown, central water supply in Toretsk and Zalizne, Pindenne, and Pivnichne was ceased.
Wakefield, MA, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), the all-volunteer developers, stewards, and incubators of more than 350 Open Source projects and initiatives, announced today Apache ServiceComb as a Top-Level Project (TLP).



Apache ServiceComb is an Open Source microservices software framework that enables developers to easily build and manage microservices-based applications efficiently and conveniently. The project was originally developed at Huawei and was donated to the Apache Incubator in November 2017.

"We are very proud that ServiceComb has arrived at this important milestone," said Willem Jiang, Vice President of Apache ServiceComb. ServiceComb has evolved from a microservices software development kit to a full microservices solution in less than a year. While incubating in Apache, the number of ServiceComb users grew rapidly, and new developers are constantly coming in. It is amazing to grow at such a high rate."

As a one-stop microservices solution, Apache ServiceComb contains 3 sub-projects:

Java-Chassis - an out-of-the-box Java microservices SDK that includes four parts: service contract, programming model, running model and communication model, with a complete set of microservices governance abilities such as load balancing, fallback, rate limiting, and call stack tracing. Microservices governance and business logic are isolated.



Service-Center - a high-performance, highly available, stateless Golang implementation of the Service Discovery and Registration Center based on Etcd, which provides real-time service instance registration, real-time service instance notification, and inter-service testing based on contract.



Saga - provides an eventual consistency solution for distributed transactions which could be a pain point of microservices.

Apache ServiceComb's highlights include:



Asynchronous kernel - both synchronous and asynchronous programming models based on VertX effectively ensures high performance and low latency, both in traditional enterprise applications or in emerging businesses such as e-commerce, Internet, and IoT, to avoid avalanche effect when reaching peak loads.





Out-of-the-box experience - developers using the scaffolding website start.servicecomb.io, can launch microservices-based projects with integrated service registration, discovery, communication and microservices governance capabilities, and centralized configuration by default.





Open API - automatic code generation and isolating logic code from governance streamlines the DevOps pipeline, enabling different teams to efficiently and independently develop and manage code, test, and document using bidirectional contract files and OpenAPI.



Apache ServiceComb is in use at dozens of organizations, including CeeWa Intelligent Technology, Huawei Cloud, iSoftStone, itcast, MedSci Medicine, Pactera, PICC, and Tongji University, among others.

"In 2015, Huawei Cloud launched microservices-related services, and this is the original code base of ServiceComb," said Liao Zhenqin, General Manager of Huawei Cloud PaaS Product Department. "Apache ServiceComb is the core of Huawei Cloud microservices engine CSE. It is the defacto standard at Huawei, and is widely used on many major products, including Huawei Consumer Cloud, Huawei Cloud Core, Huawei EI, among others. We are very happy to see ServiceComb's rapid progress at in the Apache Incubator, and encourage more engineers to continue to accept and contribute to Open Source by becoming a part of the Apache Software Foundation volunteer community."

Huawei Consumer Cloud depends on Apache ServiceComb's high performance, low latency, and asynchronous technology to implement a 1,500+ node scale microservices that supports 400 million online mobile phone users. Using ServiceComb, the queries-per-second more than doubled, while reducing latency by 45%.



"We use Apache ServiceComb to build our 'intelligent brain' for drone control. ServiceComb is an out-of-the-box microservices solution, which provides the microservices governance abilities without any coding," said Zhou Sujian, Chief Architect of CeeWa Intelligent Technology. "Compared with using or implementing a traditional RPC framework, a lot of development resources are saved. With ServiceComb, both the team development and the node deployment efficiency are doubled, which are very exciting. We are also very happy to see ServiceCombs work on integrating Open Source distributed tracing systems such as Apache Zipkin, Apache SkyWalking and Prometheus, which greatly improved our cross-node chain tracing ability, and the team's efficiency to locate and solve problems."

"As microservices architecture is not a single-point technical issue, we need to response the rapid change of technology, organization, and processes flow," said Bao Yongwei, Vice President of Product Engineering Center at iSoftstone Smart City Technology. "Apache ServiceComb Java-Chassis does a good job, its core is implemented entirely on service contract which is based on OpenAPI that can help us automatically generate service skeleton code. This allows our teams to smoothly integrate our Smart City business system into microservices. We are very happy to see that our employees actively participate in the ServiceComb project and learned the Apache Way of open development with the Apache community. Apache ServiceComb is a star project, we strongly believe that participating in the ServiceComb community will help improve our software engineers' abilities."

"Apache ServiceComb has a solid community and a comprehensive technology background. The project's commitment to making it easier for enterprises to embrace microservices and cloud computing is impressive," said Yu Yang, Dean of itcast Institute. "Itcast selected ServiceComb as a microservices technology teaching material for education and training based on its good concepts on microservices design, excellent technical practice and perfect community documentation."



"Graduating as an Apache Top-Level Project demonstrates that all contributors have a place with Apache ServiceComb, whether they were part of the project before it arrived at the Apache Incubator or joined the community during the incubation process," added Jiang. "It is a pleasure to collaborate with volunteers in this open, equal, and diverse environment. We welcome new ServiceComb contributors to help with code development, evangelizing on innovations in microservices, promoting community development 'the Apache Way', and other ways of participating."

Availability and Oversight

Apache ServiceComb software is released under the Apache License v2.0 and is overseen by a self-selected team of active contributors to the project. A Project Management Committee (PMC) guides the Project's day-to-day operations, including community development and product releases. For downloads, documentation, and ways to become involved with Apache ServiceComb, visit http://servicecomb.apache.org/ and https://twitter.com/ServiceComb

About The Apache Software Foundation (ASF)

Established in 1999, the all-volunteer Foundation oversees more than 350 leading Open Source projects, including Apache HTTP Server --the world's most popular Web server software. Through the ASF's meritocratic process known as "The Apache Way," more than 730 individual Members and 6,800 Committers across six continents successfully collaborate to develop freely available enterprise-grade software, benefiting millions of users worldwide: thousands of software solutions are distributed under the Apache License; and the community actively participates in ASF mailing lists, mentoring initiatives, and ApacheCon, the Foundation's official user conference, trainings, and expo. The ASF is a US 501(c)(3) charitable organization, funded by individual donations and corporate sponsors including Aetna, Anonymous, ARM, Bloomberg, Budget Direct, Capital One, Cerner, Cloudera, Comcast, Facebook, Google, Handshake, Hortonworks, Huawei, IBM, Indeed, Inspur, LeaseWeb, Microsoft, Oath, ODPi, Pineapple Fund, Pivotal, Private Internet Access, Red Hat, Target, and Union Investment. For more information, visit https://apache.org/ and https://twitter.com/TheASF

 The Apache Software Foundation. "Apache", "ServiceComb", "Apache ServiceComb", and "ApacheCon" are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

# # #
Open source

The Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund is ready to approve a new economic support program for Ukraine (standby arrangement (SBA)) only after the final revision of the tariffs on heating in compliance with the gas price hike. This information is contained in the preliminary Eurobonds issue prospectus of the Finance Ministry. Interfax-Ukraine has the text of the prospectus.

The agreement with IMF experts implies that the tariffs for heating should be completely reconsidered given the increase of gas tariffs till the approval of the new programme by the Funds Board of Directors, the document says.

Reportedly, on October 19, the Government decided to increase gas prices by 23,5% since November 1. An hour later, the IMF website informed that Ukraine and IMF concluded an agreement on a new stand-by program for $3,9 billion, which would replace the program expanded funding (EFF), approved in March 2015. It expires in March 2019.

The representatives of the Finance Ministry expect the IMF Board to approve the program will the end of 2018 if Ukraine fulfills all the agreements, including the budget adopted by the Verkhovna Rada which complies with the recommendations of the Fund.
After twenty-seven years of independence, the Ukrainian economy continues to struggle. The country appears to be stuck in partial transition from the command to market economy. Many state-owned companies have been privatized, but many more remain in the custody of the state and are mismanaged. There is corporate governance and independent boards, but the assets are continuously stripped from companies by insiders. There are private but insecure property rights. There is liberalization in energy markets, but household gas prices are heavily subsidized. There is a shadow market for land, but the legislature has extended the land market moratorium sixteen times. There is private investment, but the movement of capital is restricted and minority shareholders are abused. The list goes on.



The standard logic of economic transition goes like this: reforms are unpopular. There are short-term losers. People will lose jobs in inefficient industries and will have to pay higher market prices on utilities and groceries. There are also long-term winners. The entire population and especially future generations will benefit from a better, more efficient, and prosperous economy. But the loserspensioners, state employees, minersare better organized than the winners. The losers will resist the reforms. The weak populist politicians will listen and reforms will stall.



This appears to be the tale of Ukraines reforms, too. We have cycles of revolutions and political crises that bring new governments to power. The new governments then undertake ambitious reforms. A new cadre of reform-minded politicians and civil society activists is created. New regulatory bodies are formed, and new competent and honest professionals are brought into the state bureaucracy. Several years later, the reforms get stuck and the public becomes disappointed, while reactionary forces regroup.



But what if Joel Hellman is right? In 1998, Joel Hellman, now a dean at Georgetown University, wrote an influential article in World Politics, which argued that there are well-organized elites who are interested in being lost in transition. These are enterprise insiders who have become new owners only to strip their firms assets, commercial bankers who have opposed macroeconomic stabilization to preserve their enormously profitable arbitrage opportunities in distorted markets, and local officials who prevented market entry in their regions to protect their share of local monopoly rents. We can expand this list to include many others who are doing well in todays Ukraine. International and domestic development consultants are busy appropriating millions of dollars and euros from their taxpayers for reforms. These funds might dry up if Ukraine becomes economically and politically independent. Agricultural companies have found ways to operate in the gray areas of the legal system. Some oppose international competition that liberalizing the land market might bring. The IT industry is thriving in part because of lax administration. If real tax reform is implemented, many IT businesses will see their immediate costs spike. The banking industry is one notable exception that underscores the rule. We have seen how much resistance there was to removing banks that funded related parties (e.g., their own businesses) at the expense of taxpayers. This resistance indicates how much there is at stake for those who would like to maintain the status quo.



The last but perhaps most important example is media. It holds the key to public opinion and, thus, ultimately to progress in the country. Today, the majority of Ukrainian media rely on the financial support of oligarchs or international donors. Their business model is advocacy of interests of their funders against those of their opponents. If reforms are successful, that model is dead.



Hellman argued that countries may get stuck in transition exactly because reforms create a powerful constituency that benefits from being stuck. This constituency resists fully transitioning to the market economy, supports inconclusive cautious and slow reforms, and is supportive of new reforms.



This might be the case in Ukraine. But what should we do about it? The natural inclination is to fight powerful elites. Lustration and the anticorruption agenda are examples. Such initiatives are important. There is a danger, however. The fight against corruption can leave policymakers more interested in fighting the previous elites than in the actual transition to a market economy.



The alternative approach is amnesty: forgive past transgressions and move to a new, better social contract between the elites and the public. The danger with this approach is that the elites will accept the amnesty but not the new social contract.



Whatever the solution might be, Ukrainians should acknowledge the problem of being lost in transition and start searching for a way forward.

Read the original text here.
Mogherini considers the current actions of Russia in the Sea of Azov as one more manifestation of the violation of the Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity

European Union will never recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, claimed this at the European Parliament during the hearing on the situation in the Sea of Azov as Ukrinform reported.

We do not recognize now and we will not recognize the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation in the future, the European diplomat noted.

Mogherini considers the current actions of Russia in the Sea of Azov as one more manifestation of the violation of the Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The construction of Kerch bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian Federation took place without the agreement of Ukraine and it is one more violation of the Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition, the bridge impedes the pass of the vessels to the Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov, Mogherini noted.

She reminded that a half of the year ago, Russia started to implement the inspection regime of the cargo vessels.

These inspections led to the long delays, which dramatically increased during the last few months. It has the direct consequences for the contracts not only of the Ukrainian exporters but also for the vessels under EU flags, Mogherini emphasized.

According to her, more than 200 vessels under Ukrainian and international flags were checked by Russia. In some cases, such inspections continued during a few days.

In parallel, Russia holds the mass militarization of the Sea of Azov.

More disturbing than a tight control of Russia of the pass of the vessels through the strait is that the militarization of the Sea of Azov takes place in parallel with it. Russia has begun to use more military vessels in this region and Ukraine partially responded to this actions with the increasing of its own military presence, she said and emphasized that the militarization of the Sea of Azov does not correspond to anyones interests.

It can just destabilize the fragile situation with security in the broader region of the Black Sea.

According to Mogherini, the European Union welcomes the efforts of Ukraine on the solution of the situation around the Sea of Azov in the international courts.

We welcome the fact that Ukraine seeks for the justice at the international courts as for example with the violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, she said.

We will urgently condemn the construction of Kerch bridge without an agreement of the Ukrainian side. In July, the EU Council added six subjects involved in the construction of bridge on the list of the entities against which the sanctions are used for the actions that subvert the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, she claimed.

Earlier Poland confirmed the consistent support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine and urged Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners.

Related video:
The Head of Hungarian MFA expressed hope that the draft decision will be discussed in early December

Hungary proposes Ukraine to sign an agreement on mutual protection of national minorities. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijjarto claimed this during the security forum in Warsaw, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Last time in Luxembourg we agreed to move in small steps to overcome the challenges in our bilateral relations. Today, I forwarded to Pavlo (Klimkin, Ukraine's head of MFA, - ed.) a draft decision because I think that the two countries must sign a new agreement on mutual protection of national minorities, Szijjarto claimed.

He expressed hope that the draft decision will be discussed in early December.

I hope that we will be able to start negotiations on the draft the next time in early December in Milan, where OSCE ministerial meeting to take place, the Head of Hungarian Ministry noted.

According to him, Ukraine and Hungary became closer to restoring confidence after todays talks. He also called the negotiations in Warsaw a constructive dialogue in a friendly atmosphere.

It should be noted that the relations between Ukraine and Hungary have significantly worsened after Ukraines education act, which provides that the national minorities are gradually transferring to schooling in Ukrainian, and can learn their own language as an elective.

Earlier, Ukrinfrom published a video where a few Ukrainians are receiving Hungarian passports and owe allegiance to Hungry in the Consulate in Berehove (Zakarpattia region). 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.
Polish Foreign Minister also claimed that the country will not recognize illegal annexation of Crimea

Poland confirms the consistent support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, condemns the Russian aggression against Ukraine and urges Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners as the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported after the meeting of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and his Polish colleague Jacek Czaputowicz.

Klimkin held the negotiations with Czaputowicz and Pawel Soloch, the Head of the National Security Bureau of Poland.

Jacek Czaputowicz published the decision of the Polish side to award illegally convicted Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov with the honorary award Pro Dignitate Humana.

The sides coordinated position toward the further political and diplomatic counter-acting against the construction of the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 and implementation of the key projects between Ukraine and Poland in the energy sphere that will promote the diversification of the ways of the energy supply.

Pavlo Klimkin informed the Polish colleagues on the challenges and threats to the security, which are created by Russia in the Sea of Azov. He also welcomed the efforts of Poland to strengthen the east flank of NATO and the negotiations with the U.S. on the deployment of the military base at the territory of Poland.

The sides also agreed to improve the situations at the Ukrainian-Polish state border.

The border should not divide us but should unite our nations, Klimkin said.

The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of the further professional discussion and studying of the joint history, particularly, the most tragic moments.

The most important is that the politicians should not manipulate history but listen to the opinion of the scientists, recognize the scientific evidence. Our history has a lot of examples of the brothers-in-arms, such as the joint fight of the Ukrainian People's Army and Polish Armed Forces against Bolshevik Russia in 1920, Klimkin noted.

Earlier Polish President Andrzej Duda urged the German government to give up on Nord Stream 2 construction.

Related video:
Open source

Polish President Andrzej Duda urged the German government to give up on Nord Stream II construction. He made the respective statement at the joint press conference with German President Frank-Walther Steinmeier on Tuesday, October 23, as Ukrinform wrote.

Duda called on Germany to drop this initiative since Nord Stream II creates a hazard for Ukraine and Slovakia. The Polish President insisted that the new pipeline would breach the current energy balance, posing danger to the energy safety of some countries in Central and Eastern Europe. That circumstance, in turn, would increase the dominating position of Russian state-run energy monopolist Gazprom.

According to Duda, it is not about the economic but more like about the geostrategic project; Warsaw expects the official EU support on this matter, he said.

Instead of buying the Russian gas, the Polish side opts to buy the liquefied natural gas, specifically from the U.S.

Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic States have been strongly opposing the construction of Nord Stream II, saying it would be a gas needle that increased the EU addiction to Russian energy carriers. Germany, Sweden, and Finland already issued the permissions for construction in their territorial waters; Denmark took a pause to consider the option.
Russia fears that the satellite system to threat the national security of the Russian Federation

Open source

The Federal Security Service of Russia is against the American project OneWeb, which has to provide Internet access to the most remote corners of the world, Reuters reports.

It plans to create a network of 900 satellites, most of which will be sent into orbit by 21 Soyuz launch vehicles from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the Guiana Space Center.

The contract for the launch was signed by OneWeb, Arianspace, and Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities in 2015. It will cost OneWeb $1 billion to have the satellites sent into orbit, Igor Komarov, Roscosmos former CEO, said after signing the deal.

Speaking at a conference in Moscow, Federal Security Service official Vladimir Sadovnikov said the FSB was against the project servicing Russia for security reasons since it could potentially hand a foreign Internet service provider a monopoly over rural and remote areas.

Some of Russias regions would become totally dependent on a foreign satellite service, Sadovnikov said.

He added that Russia favored setting up a similar network partnering with India, China, and countries which he described as non-aggressive.
Earlier U.S. President Donald Trump signed and order on the strengthening of the sanctions

The U.S. does not plant to impose new sanctions against Russia. John Bolton, the National Security Advisor of the United States, claimed this statement as Interfax-Ukraine reported.

The U.S. does not consider the imposing of the additional sanctions against Russia at the moment, Bolton noted.

According to him, the last American sanctions against Russia were imposed four months ago due to the Skripals case.

In practice, the U.S. imposed the additional sanctions during six months. There are imposed or lifted depending on the actions of the country. At the moment, we do not consider the possibility of the additional sanctions against Russia, Bolton added.

On September 25, the U.S. Federal Register released the document, which introduces sanctions against twelve Russian companies, which act against the U.S. national interests. The paper contains 18 pages.

Earlier Donald Trump put his signature on the decree about the increased sanctions pressure against Russia - for the ongoing aggression in Ukraine. The document enhances the sanction mode, yet it does not impose any additional limitations.

Related video:
This case puts the membership of Russian Anti-Doping Agency in the World Anti-Doping Agency under threat

Two Russians were detained in Switzerland on October 23 under a suspicion of trying to perform a cyber attack at the lab of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Lausanne, as Deutsche Welle reported.

The Swiss Justice Ministry allowed conducting a detailed investigation of this case as there is a suspicion that the supposed hackers planned to cyber attack other institutions.

A month ago, WADA restored the mandate of Russias Anti-Doping Agency, which lost its accreditation in November 2018, when it was reported that Russian athletes consumed doping.

Reportedly, the Netherlands claimed prevention of Russias cyber attacks at Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and accused Russias GRU officers of trying to access information about the international investigation of the MH17 tragedy.

Before that, the UK has accused Russian GRU of organizing cyber attacks in the entire world. Among them  a cyber attack against the U.S. Democratic Party National Committee in 2016.
The group illegally infiltrated the area; the perpetrators may face from 20 to 30 tax-free minimum incomes

The police of Kyiv region detained a group of stalkers in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, Kyiv region. The respective message appeared on the website of the regional branch of the National Police.

'A group of nine stalkers aged from 21 to 43, including one woman, was detected near the abandoned village of Zalissya. The citizens illegally infiltrated the territory of the zone for extreme tourism,' the post reads.

The police added it was the largest number of stalkers detained in the area over a while.

The administrative case was opened against the stalkers, as they breached the radiation safety regime in the area that suffered radioactive contamination as foreseen by Ukraine's Code of administrative violations.

As the perpetrators illegally infiltrated the area, they may face from 20 to 30 tax-free minimum incomes. The court of Ivankiv district, Kyiv region is now looking into the case materials.
WABASH, Ind., Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FFW Corporation (the Corporation) (OTC PINK: FFWC ) (10/23/18 Close: $45.00), parent corporation of Crossroads Bank (the Bank), announced earnings for the three months ended September 30, 2018.

For the three months ended September 30, 2018, the Corporation reported net income of $1,105,000 or $0.95 per common share compared to $1,420,000 or $1.22 per common share for the three months ended September 30, 2017. Net interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2018 was $3,313,000 compared to $3,360,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2017. The Company recognized provision for loan losses of $75,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and a negative provision for loan losses of ($319,000) for the three months ended September 30, 2017. The negative provision was due to a significant recovery of a previously charged-off commercial loan. Total noninterest income was $866,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $787,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2017. Noninterest expense was $2,760,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and $2,573,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2017.

The three months ended September 30, 2018 represented a return on average common equity of 10.82% compared to 14.53% for the three months ended September 30, 2017. The three months ended September 30, 2018 represented a return on average assets of 1.13% compared to 1.52% for the three months ended September 30, 2017.

The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of gross loans receivable was 1.41% at September 30, 2018 compared to 1.40% at June 30, 2018. Nonperforming assets were $3,494,000 at September 30, 2018 compared to $3,412,000 at June 30, 2018.

As of September 30, 2018, FFWCs equity-to-assets ratio was 10.25% compared to 10.54% at June 30, 2018. Total assets at September 30, 2018 were $387,800,000 compared to $379,790,000 at June 30, 2018. Shareholders equity was $39,750,000 at September 30, 2018 compared to $40,011,000 at June 30, 2018. Crossroads Bank exceeds all applicable regulatory requirements to be considered well capitalized.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include expressions such as expects, intends, believes, and should, which are necessarily statements of belief as to the expected outcomes of future events. Actual results could materially differ from those presented. The Corporation's ability to predict future results involves a number of risks and uncertainties. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to release revisions to these forward-looking statements or reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Crossroads Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of FFW Corporation providing an extensive array of banking services and a wide range of investments and securities products through its main office in Wabash and five Indiana banking centers located in Columbia City, North Manchester, Peru, South Whitley and Syracuse. The Bank provides leasing services at its banking centers and its Fishers, IN leasing and commercial loan office. Insurance products are offered through an affiliated company, Insurance 1 Services, Inc. The Corporations stock is traded on the OTC Markets under the symbol FFWC. Our website address is www.crossroadsbanking.com.

FFW Corporation

Selected Financial Information

Consolidated Balance Sheet

September 30 June 30 2018 2018 Unaudited Assets Cash and due from financial institutions $ 5,683,249 $ 6,288,268 Interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions 16,482,635 11,741,584 Cash and cash equivalents 22,165,884 18,029,852 Securities available for sale 78,109,843 78,489,583 Loans receivable, net of allowance for loan losses of $3,793,444 at September 30, 2018 and $3,716,543 at June 30, 2018 265,849,695 260,714,092 Loans held for sale 339,150 938,686 Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost 1,462,500 1,462,500 Accrued interest receivable 2,133,389 1,962,831 Premises and equipment, net 5,713,117 5,825,455 Mortgage servicing rights 852,974 823,965 Cash surrender value of life insurance 8,656,629 8,585,667 Goodwill 1,213,898 1,213,898 Repossessed Assets 64,850 167,000 Other assets 1,238,495 1,576,057 Total assets $ 387,800,424 $ 379,789,586 Liabilities and shareholders' equity Deposits Noninterest-bearing $ 32,507,213 $ 30,689,658 Interest-bearing 310,685,537 304,215,798 Total deposits 343,192,750 334,905,456 Borrowings 2,000,000 2,000,000 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 2,857,605 2,872,683 Total liabilities 348,050,355 339,778,139 Shareholders' equity Common stock, $.01 par; 2,000,000 shares authorized; Issued: 1,836,328; outstanding: 1,149,480 - September 30, 2018 and 1,165,980 - June 30, 2018 18,363 18,363 Additional paid-in capital 9,667,629 9,624,150 Retained earnings 41,177,254 40,313,968 Accumulated other comprehensive income (119,582 ) 344,886 Treasury stock, at cost: 686,848 shares at September 30, 2018 and 670,348 shares at June 30, 2018 (10,993,595 ) (10,289,920 ) Total shareholders' equity 39,750,069 40,011,447 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 387,800,424 $ 379,789,586

FFW Corporation

Selected Financial Information

Consolidated Statement of Income

Three Months Ended September 30 2018 2017 Unaudited Unaudited Interest and dividend income: Loans, including fees $ 3,315,237 $ 3,160,016 Taxable securities 317,153 289,551 Tax exempt securities 309,354 320,200 Other 67,525 58,592 Total interest and dividend income 4,009,269 3,828,359 Interest expense: Deposits 686,815 450,609 Borrowings 8,962 17,258 Total interest expense 695,777 467,867 Net interest income 3,313,492 3,360,492 Provision for loan losses 75,000 (319,000 ) Net interest income after provision for loan losses 3,238,492 3,679,492 Noninterest income: Net gains on sales of securities 18,111 - Net gains on sales of loans 129,635 112,673 Commission income 241,250 228,353 Service charges and fees 221,463 210,043 Earnings on life insurance 70,963 71,864 Other 184,887 164,335 Total noninterest income 866,309 787,268 Noninterest expense: Salaries and benefits 1,565,108 1,437,626 Occupancy and equipment 320,911 288,754 Professional 93,724 102,223 Marketing 99,247 96,861 Deposit insurance premium 28,542 33,578 Regulatory assessment 8,099 5,657 Correspondent bank charges 18,940 15,346 Data processing 226,108 174,806 Printing, postage and supplies 46,438 60,783 Expense on life insurance 18,730 (3,612 ) Contribution expense 6,817 40,900 Expense on REO 5,665 15,892 Other 321,532 304,406 Total noninterest expense 2,759,861 2,573,220 Income before income taxes 1,344,940 1,893,540 Income tax expense 240,157 473,388 Net income $ 1,104,783 $ 1,420,152

FFW Corporation

Selected Financial Information

Key Balances and Ratios

Three Months Ended September 30 2018 2017 Unaudited Unaudited Per common share data: Earnings $ 0.95 $ 1.22 Diluted earnings $ 0.95 $ 1.22 Dividends paid $ 0.21 $ 0.19 Average shares issued and outstanding 1,158,790 1,165,980 Shares outstanding end of period 1,149,480 1,165,980 Supplemental data: Net interest margin ** 3.61 % 3.85 % Return on average assets *** 1.13 % 1.52 % Return on average common equity *** 10.82 % 14.53 % September 30 June 30 2018 2018 Nonperforming assets * $ 3,494,381 $ 3,412,108 Repossessed assets $ 64,850 $ 167,000 * Includes non-accruing loans, accruing loans delinquent more than 90 days and repossessed assets ** Yields reflected have not been computed on a tax equivalent basis *** Annualized

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Emily Boardman, Treasurer, at (260) 563-3185
The merchants provided false information on the availability of relevant professionals in a medical facility and material-and-technical rehabilitation base during the bidding

Open source

The personnel of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) jointly with the Prosecutors office exposed the embezzlement scheme of the budget funds by merchants, allocated for the rehabilitation of the injured participants of the hostilities, the press office of SBU reports.

The operatives of the Security Service established that merchants provided false information on the availability of relevant professionals in a medical facility and material-and-technical rehabilitation base during the bidding (held by the State Service of Ukraine for veterans and Donbas war participants) for the provision of services for the rehabilitation of soldiers.

In connection with this, the participants of the hostilities didnt receive the full range of rehabilitation services provided by the tender conditions, the agency noted.

The personnel of SBU documented that the perpetrators illegally possessed the states funds in the amount of more than $213 thousand during 2016-2017.

Within the framework of the initiated proceeding, the director of the facility, who is also the MP of one of the local councils, is suspected of having committed misdemeanors under Art. 190 and 366 of Criminal Code of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is continuing.
The regulation of the Supreme Court of Ukraine on the cancelation of the fines for the owners of the cars with the European registration does not relieve them from the execution of the demands of the customs legislation

Open source

The regulation of the Supreme Court of Ukraine on the cancelation of the fines for the owners of the cars with the European registration does not relieve them from the execution of the demands of the customs legislation as the press service of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine reported.

The regulation of the Supreme Court of Ukraine is not a reason for the owners of the cars with the European registration to not execute the demands of the customs legislation, the message said.

The service recognized that on October 1, 2018, the Supreme Court decided that the use of the car imported in the customs regime transit and which customs registration is not finished is not an offence and punished with a fine.

By this decision, the Supreme Court of Ukraine stated the absence of the grounds for the administrative prosecution of a particular person in the form of the fine for the violation of the customs rules, the message said.

The State Fiscal Service drew attention of the car-owners that the mentioned regulation concerns only the fact of the administrative prosecution due to the signs of the offense provided by the Customs Code of Ukraine.

In any way, this decision can be a ground for the relieving from the responsibility of other persons for the violation of the terms of the transit import of the transport vehicles, provided by the Customs Code of Ukraine Non-delivery of the goods, vehicles of the commercial purpose and documents to the income and fees body, their issuance without a permission of the income body or lost, the message said.

On July 13, 2018, Verkhovna Rada supported a bill providing for increased responsibility for breaching the rules of car importto Ukraine. The document establishes a single term for sanctions for customs rules breach, - half a year since the day of detection of the violation.

Earlier the downtown Kyiv was blocked, and the car traffic in the city's government quarter went to a halt was is due to protests by the drivers of cars with EU license plates.

The car drivers joined the rally called 'Action for Protection and Customs Clearance'. They demand that the government approve the police checks of the cars with foreign license plates and apply sanctions according to the customs law. The drivers said they intended to make the rally a timeless event until the government agrees to their conditions.

Later drivers of EU license plates cars blocked the exits from the parliament's building and damaged a lawmaker's car. They blocked the exits located on the surface, which lead to the Constitution Square, Hrushevskoho street, as well as Shovkovychna and Sadova streets. The activists did not let outside the MPs, reporters and the parliament staff, chanting 'Shame on you!' and 'Go to work!'.

The speaker already closed the session of the parliament; however, the EU license plates car owners demanded that the MPs vote for the bill on customs clearance for such vehicles. A correspondent of 112 Ukraine TV channel reported that most of the MPs left the building of the parliament.
Open source

Yesterday, Nathan Gill, MEP from the UK, sent the deputy inquiry to High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini regarding the oppression of the freedom of speech in Ukraine and the intention of the Ukrainian authorities to close 112 Ukraine and NewsOne TV channels.

Related: European Parliament Vice President to support 112 Ukraine, NewsOne fight for freedom of speech

Ms. Mogherini will have two weeks to deal with this case, after which, she must provide a written answer. However, if the response letter is not received, this question will still remain within the walls of the EU leadership.

Reportedly, freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Ukraine are fundamental obligations of our state in accordance with the Association Agreement with the EU. This is why the representatives of the European Parliament are deeply concerned by the situation around the Ukrainian broadcasters and fully support 112 Ukraine and NewsOne TV channels in their fight for the right to speak.

Related: Draft law on sanctions against 112 Ukraine, NewsOne enters into force

***

The staff of 112 Ukraine TV channel insists that the steps made by the Ukrainian Parliament, which aim to apply sanctions against 112 Ukraine TV channel are nothing but a political decision; there is not enough evidence to make such decision, which badly lacks argumentation and may be considered unconstitutional.

Related video:
In addition, Groysman excludes further gas prices hike for the population in 2018/2019 season

Ukraine has accumulated enough gas reserves in the underground storages to provide normal heating, as Ukraines Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said at Governments session, 112.ua reported.

We have accumulated enough gas reserves in the storages. It means that nothing threatens the heating season, the Prime Minister said.

In addition, Groysman excludes further gas prices hike for the population in 2018/2019 season.

Gas prices will not be increased neither this year nor in the next one, he said.

Within the period from April 8 to October 22, Ukraines gas reserves increased in 2,5 times.

Reportedly, Groysman stated that gas prices increased less than the IMF demanded primarily.

As it was reported earlier, Volodymyr Groysman claimed that the heating season in Ukraine officially starts on October 15, but the local authorities can decide on the beginning of heating supply to the houses taking into account the actual weather condition.

Related: Gas price increase: Poroshenko demands to expand subsidy program for Ukrainians

Earlier, in 2017 the capitals authority decided to terminate cooperation with Kyivenergo, which was transferred to a new enterprise Kyivteploenergo. In April, the representatives of Kyivenergo stated that all the staff will switch over to Kyivteploenergo.

It was expected that the municipal enterprise will cover the receivables and payables of the company. However, on July 19 Kyiv Commercial Court refused to change Kyivenergo to Kyivteploenergo as a respondent concerning Kyivenergos debts.

Related: Cabinet of Ministers increases prices for gas by 23.5 percent

In its turn, Naftogaz stopped gas supply in Kyiv due to Kyivenergos debts, which make almost $178,5 million. Due to these debts, Naftogaz refuses to sign the contract with Kyivteploenergo on gas supply with the result that hot water supply in Kyiv was switched off.
The Crimean prosecutor insists that ICC initiates an investigation into the crimes of Russian senior officials

The International Criminal Court (ICC) could open its office in Ukraine to investigate war crimes committed by senior officials of the Russian Federation and occupation authorities of the Crimea. The prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Gyunduz Mamedov announced this information, as Interfax-Ukraine reports.

He informed that starting from 2017, the Crimean Prosecutor's Office, using its own resources, investigates violations of international law in the Crimea. The Ukrainian courts prosecute suspects in committing crimes against the national security of Ukraine.

At the same time, Mamedov said, investigation of a number of crimes is within the competence of the ICC.

Investigation of crimes committed by persons with diplomatic and political immunities is beyond the competence of Ukrainian law enforcement bodies.

"I think that senior officials of the Russian Federation and the occupation authorities with diplomatic and political immunities, should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court," he said.

In this regard, the Prosecutor General of the Crimea insists on the need to open an ICC office in Ukraine and initiate an investigation into these crimes.

As it was reported earlier, Ukraine submitted information on Battle of Ilovaisk to ICC.

The Ukrainian militaries controlled the major part of Ilovaisk on August 18, 2014. But they were enveloped after the invasion of the Russian troops on August 23-24. The President of Russia Vladimir Putin appealed to the Russia-backed militants to make the humanitarian corridor for the Ukrainian troops on August 29. The Ukrainian militaries began to leave the city on August 30 but the militants shot them. According to the Ministry of Defense, 108 Ukrainian soldiers died and more than 100 were injured and captivated. According to the Military Attorney, 366 militaries died and 429 were injured.
The act orders Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers to create the organization committee for the preparation for celebration of the Day of Dignity and Freedom in 2018

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed an order On the celebration in 2018 of the Day of Dignity and Freedom as the press service of the Ukrainian leader reported.

The order is published to properly celebrate Day of Dignity and Freedom in 2018 due to the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the mass civil unrest that took place during the Revolution of Dignity in November 2013-February 2014, honoring of the civilian feat of the members of the Orange Revolution and Revolution of Dignity, the message said.

The act orders the Cabinet of Ministers to create the organization committee for the preparation to the celebration of the Day of Dignity and Freedom in 2018, approve and provide the execution of the proper plant of the events.

Also, the government should adopt along with Kyiv City State Administration the urgent measures on the provision of the National Memorial Complex of Heavenly Hundred Heroes, the Museum of Dignity Revolution equipped by the areas for the placement of the exhibitions and storage of the exhibits.

Also, the order contains the number of tasks for the central and local bodies of the executive branch aiming for the proper celebration of the Day of Dignity and Freedom in Ukraine and abroad in 2018.

One of the most tragic events in the history of independent Ukraine took place in Kyiv on Maidan Nezalezhnosti 4 years ago, on February 18-20, 2014 - the brutal execution of participants of the Revolution of Dignity. During the clashes in the center of capital, 73 civilians and 11 law enforcers were killed. The Trade Unions Building on Maidan burnt to the ground.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko posthumously awarded 104 Heroes of Heavenly Hundreds the title of Heroes of Ukraine, as well as three foreigners - a citizen of Belarus Mikhail Zhiznevsky, Georgia - Zurab Khurtsia and David Kipiani. They were posthumously awarded the Order of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
On October 24, Obukhiv district court of Kyiv region delivered a conviction to Dmytro Rossoshansky who ran over and killed Svitlana Sapatynska, the sister of Iryna Nozdrovska killed in December 2017 as Anastasiya Nozdrovska, the daughter of murdered human right activist reported on Facebook.

According to her, Rossoshansky was sentenced to seven years of the imprisonment without a right for the amnesty.

Seven years without a right for the amnesty. I wish you a good way to hell as you will never see the world again, she wrote.

As it was reported earlier, relatives of Iryna Nozdrovska reported her disappearance on December 29th. She disappeared on the way from Kyiv in Vyshgorodska area. She investigated the death of her sister, who in September 2015 died in a car accident caused by Dmytro Rossoshansky, the nephew of a district judge, who was in a state of drug intoxication at the time of the accident.

Two years after the accident, Iryna was able to obtain punishment for Rossoshansky. At the end of May 2017 the court sentenced him to 7 years in prison, but on December 27th he almost escaped from custody: in the Court of Appeal of the Kyiv region, the lawyer tried to appeal the verdict and bring his client under amnesty, using the violations committed by the court of the first instance. As Irina's relatives said, she constantly received threats from Rossoshansky.

The mass media reported that the crime was committed by Yury Rossoshansky, born in 1954. The man is the father of Dmytro Rossoshansky - a driver who, in September 2015, killed Nozdrovska sister in a car accident - Svitlana Sapatynska. However, the defense of the family of Nozdrovska doubts such a hypothesis of the investigation because Dmytro Rossoshansky could be pardoned. It will be illogical for Yuriy Rossoshansky to commit the murder.

Related video:
Open source

Late evening October 23, Ukrainian far-right organization C14, which is included in the American terrorist base, has conducted anti-Roma attack at Kyiv central train station. One of the C14 members Serhiy Bondar was streaming the scene, calling it consequences of the cleansing operation. On October 24, this C14 member published new photos and videos, calling it new yield of Romani robbers.

As we might learn from his Facebook, Serhiy Bondar, besides being a member of the neo-Nazi organization, is a member of a paramilitary unit, legalized as state-funded Municipal Guard.

We are ready for chasing the burglars, he writes.

Founded in 2010, C14 is named after the 14-word slogan We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children of American Nazi David Lane. C14 is regularly involved in numerous attacks against civilians, students, journalists, lawyers, social activists, foreigners, minorities, LGBT activists, they often conduct hate crimes and often go unpunished.

This is not the first C14s pogrom against Ukraines Romani community.

April 20, 2018, C14 filmed themselves carrying out a pogrom in the Lysa Hora nature reserve near Kyiv, where they drove fifteen families from their homes. C14 gangs, carrying weapons, attacked the Roma. A video posted days later showed whole families with small children fleeing in terror, chased by masked men who hurled stones and sprayed them with gas canisters, before setting their tents ablaze. In July 2018, far-right C14 member Serhiy Mazur, was convicted for attacks against Roma settlement; he has received a two-month suspended sentence.

Other Ukrainian far-right activists and neo-Nazi have drawn inspiration from C14. Thus, May 22, 2018, a group of masked men armed with guns and bats forced Roma families living near Ternopil, western Ukraine, to flee into the forest, and then set fire to their temporary dwellings. Shots were fired and three people were injured in the attack.

May 10, anti-Roma pogrom occurred in Rudne village, Lviv region, people in masks dragged Romani out of their beds, beat them and set their homes alight, destroying all their belongings and forcing them to flee. Police and ambulance responders were on the scene, but no arrests were made.

June 23, 2018, neo-Nazi Sober and angry youth group, referring themselves to Hitler Youth, killed 24-year David Pap during a violent attack on Roma encampment near Lviv (western Ukraine). Four others national minorities were injured, including a young boy and a pregnant woman. The group posted a video titled A small report on a Gypsy Safari. The suspected attackers were detained along with a 20-year-old organizer. According to some information, this group is affiliated to far-right Misanthropic Division organization.

April 20, 2016, C14 members stabbed a left-wing anti-war activist and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy student Stas Serhiyenko. In September 2018, C14 members have conducted an attack against the lawyer in Zhytomyr.

C14, which has taken part over the spring in brutal anti-Roma raids with hammers, has recently been a recipient of Ministry of Youth and Sport grants totalling at least $14,000. C14 first emerged as the youth wing of the extremist Svoboda party.
The movie will tell about a man-eating predator in the Siberian taiga

Ukrainian film director Myroslav Slaboshpytsky will shoot the American film "Tiger". This movie will be made with a help of Focus Studio, as well as Protozoa Pictures, created by Darren Aronofsky, and Plan B, founded by Brad Pitt. The Variety reported this news.

"The pic, based on the 2010 non-fiction book by John Vaillant, takes place on the Siberian plain, where human development is encroaching on the tigers habitat  and one tiger turns on the intruders. With townspeople being tracked and hunted with an almost supernatural power, a conservationist game warden must face down the tiger. It is a fight that only one of them can win," the message says.

The film had been in development limbo, but a recent presentation got the studio and producers excited about getting it into production.

Slaboshpytsky broke on the scene with his movie The Tribe which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was eventually acquired by Drafthouse Films. He also directed the short films Nuclear Waste and The Fall.

The Tribe is a 2014 Ukrainian drama film directed by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy. The film is set in a boarding school for deaf children, where a new arrival is drawn into an institutional system of organized crime, involving prostitution. He crosses a dangerous line when he falls for one of the girls to whom he's assigned as pimp.

The film is entirely in Ukrainian Language with no subtitles. It won the Nespresso Grand Prize, as well as the France 4 Visionary Award and the Gan Foundation Support for Distribution Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival 's International Critics week section

Film critic Tod MacCarty advised viewers to keep in mind the name of Slaboshpytskiy Even if you cannot pronounce it.
Editors Note: Anders Torud is a senior advisor at Inkubator Aas, the campus Startup Incubator at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Inkubator Aas has companies like N2Applied and Saga Robotics among its incubator companies. Edvard Bergiton Iversen is the project coordinator for the Agritech Nordic Initiative connected to the T:lab incubator in Steinkjer.

Here Torud and Iversen write about the strengths of the Norway Agritech sector.

During this years World AgriTech Innovation Summit in London, one of the leading conferences for the agriculture technology community, five out of the 13 startups showcased were Norwegian.

Norway is not one of the worlds leading agricultural producers in terms of produced volumes and will most likely never be. Only about 4% of its total landmass is arable land, and less than 3% is actually farmed. So why does this small mountain nation have so many ideas about something it does relatively little of?

Norway is home to one of the fastest growing startup ecosystems in Europe, which might be translating into agritech. While small in terms of land mass, agriculture is still prominent in Norway, reaching across the countrys coastal regions, into the mountains, and from the cold South to the freezing North. It may be that this has made sure that farming is present in the mind of many tech entrepreneurs.

Mountain Management

NoFence, which presented at World AgriTech has its background in trying to a solve a problem that is very prominent in the mountainous areas of Norway but is also valid other places in the world: fencing. The founder of NoFence, a west coast goat farmer himself as well as a tech entrepreneur, developed a solution that allows the farmer to fence in his goat, sheep or cattle by way of a virtual fence. The solution consists of a GPS collar for the animals and a smartphone user interface; it has already been sold to over 2,500 customers.

The fact that smartphone penetration in Norway is at 91% (2017) and that Norway has the best mobile broadband coverage in the world, makes Norway a good place commercialize this solution.

Another company, Soilsteam International, also presenting at AgriTech, was originally founded by a group of farmers wanting to eliminate or at least drastically reduce the use of artificial pesticides in food production. The solution was the use of steam. In cooperation with local industry, academia, and the tech sector, the team has developed a soil steaming solution that has been proven to effectively combat fungi, nematodes and weed seeds, down to 30cm depth. Field tests during the summer of 2018 showed increases in yield for vegetables like carrots of over 40%. Recently UC Davis in California abandoned plans to develop a similar solution and instead purchased equipment from Soilsteam International; commercial customers are lining up.

Fertilizers Frontlines

A third company worth mentioning, N2Applied, has its legacy from one of Norways great industrial success stories  fertilizer production. In 1905, Norsk Hydro  now Yara, one of the worlds largest fertilizer companies, was established based on the combination of access to abundant hydropower resources and the invention of the electric arc technology that enabled the production of nitrogen fertilizer from the air. N2Applied has developed a modern version of the electric arc process that enables the energy efficient production of nitrogen in a processing unit the size of a kitchen fridge. This technology, which can be deployed on farms, has the power to potentially disrupt the value chain of fertilizer, putting the farmer in the drivers seat. The company has installed several test units with pilot customers and has received about 7 million in funding from investors.

Robotic Readiness

The Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry with its demand for robotic solutions, as well as a strong drive to automate industrial processes in general, has been a good basis for the development of academic and industrial competence in this field in Norway. The Agritech startup Saga Robotics is a company that will continue that tradition onshore.

Saga Robotics has developed a highly-versatile, modular robot that can be adapted to do a range of tasks in the open field, as well as orchards, greenhouses and polytunnels. The first commercial use case for the robot is as a carrier of UV-light racks in a greenhouse or in the field that exposes strawberry, tomato, cucumber and other crops to a defined dose of UV-light to reduce fungal infections and replaces chemical fungicides. The treatment needs to be done in darkness and at a slow, steady pace; a job well suited for a robot.

Aquaculture Awareness

Another area where Norway is making great technological strides is in finding alternative sources of protein for fish and livestock feed. While Norway is a small agricultural country with hardly any exports at all, it is a giant within fish. Norway is the biggest exporter of fish second only to China, and by far the biggest exporter of Atlantic Salmon. Fisheries and fish farming are some of the most significant industrial sectors in Norway.

The Norwegian government research projects Foods of Norway and NorZymeD are tasked with replacing imported soy as the main protein source for feed for the fish farming industry with seaweed, wood, and other domestic sources. The idea is that through novel biorefining and enzymatic processes, it is possible to convert these abundant resources to high-grade, protein-rich feed. The preliminary results show that it is a very realistic prospect.

Perhaps the most promising startup innovating in this arena is CageEye. The company has developed a solution that can detect the location of farmed salmon in a fish cage at any given time. If the majority of fish are swimming near the surface, it indicates it is ready to feed, and if most of the fish swim lower, it is time to reduce the amount of feed distributed. The technology offers the operator an opportunity to control the feeding process much more accurately, saving cost and reducing spill of highly nutrient feed to the environment.

Norway AgriTech Potential

Albeit small compared to the global agricultural powerhouses, Norway is continuing to show that a nation does not need a lot of arable land to disrupt the cultivation of it. Oil and gas production, from which Norway has accumulated great wealth, is not a sustainable industry of the future. Perhaps it will be the production of a different type of energy  the edible kind  that occupies the small mountain country from here on.
Winston-Salem, NC, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Inmar announced that it has been awarded the Pharmaceutical Reverse Distribution Program (PRDP) contract by Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Medical Supply Chain for Department of Defense CONUS (continental United States) locations covering the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines Corps and Coast Guard as well as OCONUS (outside the continental United States) locations for the Coast Guard.



Inmars ability to provide the industrys best-in-class, on-site that delivers the optimal credit and inventory efficiencies for the Department of Defense by using data analytics from all aspects of its pharmaceutical reverse distribution supply chain processing facility in Fort Worth, TX.

The Department of Defense recognized that Inmar is the trusted intermediary between manufacturers, wholesalers and pharmacies, and has been so for the last 35 years, said David Mounts, Chairman and CEO of Inmar. The combination of high-quality service delivery, personal connection with pharmacies and best-in-class technology made Inmar the preferred provider for this solution and we are honored to embark on this relationship with the Department of Defense, and each branch of the Armed Forces individually.

In addition to servicing 100 percent of continental United States Department of Defense locations, Inmar services pharmaceutical returns for 84 percent of hospitals nationwide, 95 percent of all wholesaler returns and 10 of the top 15 manufacturers.

For more information about Inmars pharmaceutical reverse distribution services, please visit https://www.inmar.com/solutions/solutions-for-health-systems-and-hospitals/.

About Inmar

We use technology, data science and analytics to improve outcomes for pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospitals, pharmacies and the patients they serve. Our analytics, platforms and services create efficiencies to optimize results and to drive profitable growth. Inmar has been a trusted intermediary for over 25 years. We manage billions of dollars of healthcare transactions, applying the highest standards for data and financial controls.

For more information about Inmars products and services, please follow Inmar on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, or call (866) 440-6917.




PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
The author presents his memoir, Disarmed: Unconventional Lessons from the World's Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter, and answers questions along with a book signing

Izzy Ezagui presents his memoir, Disarmed: Unconventional Lessons from the World's Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter. Izzy will also answer questions and participate in a book signing.





The inspiring story of a young American who volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces, lost his arm in combat, and then returned to the battlefield. Combining refreshing candor with self-deprecating wit, this memoir will encourage readers to fulfill their dreams despite impossible odds.



A decorated squad commander in the Israel Dense Forces, U.S. born and raised Izzy is the only solider in the world who lost an arm in combat and returned to the battlefield. On Wednesday, October 24 at 7pm, the JCC will welcome him from Los Angeles to inspire us with his recently penned memoir, Disarmed: Unconventional Lessons from the World's Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter.



While he continues to serve in an elite unit in the reserves, Izzy delivers talks across the US and internationally. He's appeared on the Huffington Post, Al Jazeera America, and Fox News. He also raises millions of dollars for hospitals, rehabilitation programs, and other charities such as the Birthright Foundation. He has worked with amputee organizations, schools, hedge funds, and for events at companies such as Nike and Apple. And he just turned 30 years old!





To purchase books in advance, please visit Bookworks, our affiliated book seller, at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW. Books will also be available for purchase at the event.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trius Investments Inc. (Trius or the Company) (TSXV:TRU.H) and African Cannabis Corp. (African Cannabis) are pleased to announce that they have entered into a binding letter of intent (the LOI) to complete a business combination by way of a reverse takeover (the RTO Transaction) of the Company by the shareholders of African Cannabis. Upon completion of the RTO Transaction, the combined entity (the Resulting Issuer) will continue to carry on the business of African Cannabis. The closing of the RTO Transaction is subject to the receipt of all necessary approvals, including without limitation regulatory approval for the listing of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer (the Resulting Issuer Shares) on the Canadian Securities Exchange or another recognized junior Canadian stock exchange (an Exchange) and the concurrent delisting of the common shares of Trius (the Trius Shares) from the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV). The LOI was negotiated at arms length and is dated October 12, 2018, as amended effective October 19, 2018.

In connection with the RTO Transaction, African Cannabis intends to complete a brokered private placement of subscription receipts (the Subscription Receipts) to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$15,000,000 (the Offering). African Cannabis has entered into an agreement with Canaccord Genuity Corp. (Canaccord) on behalf of a syndicate of agents including PI Financial Corp. (together with Canaccord, the Agents) to complete the Offering on the terms described below.

Description of African Cannabis

African Cannabis is a Toronto-based company incorporated in British Columbia in 2018, that was formed to be involved in the production, cultivation, extraction and export of medical cannabis in multiple African countries. African Cannabis was founded and is led by Carl Esprey and Kojo Annan, both experienced African business people with over 40 years combined experience on the continent.

Through local subsidiaries, African Cannabis currently holds a medical cannabis license in Lesotho and has entered into a joint venture with a Zimbabwean State-owned enterprise in order to obtain a license in that country. African Cannabis is in discussion with multiple other countries in Africa to develop the industry and ultimately produce medical cannabis at multiple sites across the African continent.

Further details concerning African Cannabis, its operations, management, and financial status will be provided via comprehensive news release following completion of due diligence and the negotiation of a definitive agreement in respect of the RTO Transaction (the Definitive Agreement).

Private Placement of Subscription Receipts

In connection with the RTO Transaction, African Cannabis has entered into an agreement with Canaccord on behalf of the Agents, whereby the Agents will assist African Cannabis in selling on a commercially reasonable efforts private placement basis up to 30,000,000 Subscription Receipts at a price of C$0.50 per Subscription Receipt amounting to aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$15,000,000. Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about November 30, 2018 (the Closing Date) and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and corporate approvals. Pursuant to the terms of the Offering, the Agents have been granted an option to arrange for the sale of up to an additional 10,000,000 Subscription Receipts for additional gross proceeds of up to C$5,000,000, which option is exercisable by the Agents any time prior to the Closing Date.

Each Subscription Receipt shall entitle the holder to receive, upon satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions and without payment of additional consideration, one unit of African Cannabis (a Unit). Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share of African Cannabis (a Common Share) and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant shall be exercisable into one Common Share at a price of C$0.75 for a period of 24 months from the date the escrow release conditions are satisfied.

Net proceeds of the Offering will be used to fund construction of cultivation facilities in Zimbabwe and Lesotho, for strategic acquisition opportunities, and for general working capital purposes.

Terms of the RTO Transaction

The RTO Transaction is expected to be completed by way of an amalgamation between African Cannabis and a subsidiary of Trius, following which the Resulting Issuer will continue the business of African Cannabis and will change its name to African Cannabis Corp. The RTO Transaction constitutes an Arms Length Transaction under the policies of the TSXV.

As of the date hereof, Trius has 11,270,841 Trius Shares outstanding and 1,125,000 stock options (the Trius Options) to acquire Trius Shares outstanding. Prior to the completion of the RTO Transaction, the Trius Shares will be consolidated on the basis of 1.7 old Trius Shares for one new Trius Share (the Consolidation), with the Trius Options adjusted accordingly, resulting in approximately 6,629,906 Trius Shares outstanding on a non-diluted post-Consolidation basis.

Upon completion of the RTO Transaction and following the Consolidation, holders of Common Shares (including the Common Shares received upon the automatic exchange of the Subscription Receipts) will receive one Resulting Issuer Share for each Common Share held, and the Common Shares will be cancelled. African Cannabis currently has 183,788,850 Common Shares outstanding. Any convertible securities of African Cannabis then outstanding (including the Warrants issuable upon the automatic exchange of the Subscription Receipts) shall be exchanged on a one-for-one basis for equivalent securities of the Resulting Issuer. The RTO Transaction values African Cannabis at approximately C$91.9 Million.

Upon completion of the RTO Transaction and assuming completion of only the Minimum Offering (as defined below), it is expected that the ownership of the Resulting Issuer Shares on a non-diluted basis will be approximately as follows: 3.3% by current holders of Trius Shares; 91.7% by current holders of Common Shares; and 5.0% by subscribers to the Offering.

Subject to the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals, the Resulting Issuer will pay a finder's fee to a third party in connection with the RTO Transaction in the amount of 5% of the value of the RTO Transaction, to be paid in the form of Resulting Issuer Shares.

Management and Directors of the Resulting Issuer

When the RTO Transaction is completed, it is anticipated that the board of directors of the Resulting Issuer shall be reconstituted to consist of such directors as African Cannabis shall determine, and each of the officers of Trius shall resign and be replaced with officers appointed by the new board of directors.

Conditions to the RTO Transaction

The RTO Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including as follows:

 each of Trius and African Cannabis obtaining any requisite director and shareholder approvals, including:

in the case of African Cannabis, for the RTO Transaction;





in the case of Trius, the TSXV will require majority of the minority shareholder approval for the delisting application;

 the completion of due diligence investigations to the satisfaction of each of Trius and African Cannabis;

 African Cannabis completing the Offering for minimum gross proceeds of C$5,000,000 (the Minimum Offering);

 Trius and African Cannabis entering into the Definitive Agreement; and

 all requisite regulatory and stock exchange approvals relating to the RTO Transaction, including without limitation Exchange approval for the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares, having been obtained.

Additional Information Regarding the RTO Transaction

Subject to regulatory approval, after the Definitive Agreement has been signed African Cannabis may request that Trius advance a bridge loan to African Cannabis for up to $250,000 on terms to be set out in a definitive loan agreement to be entered into between Trius and African Cannabis (the Bridge Loan). It is anticipated that the Bridge Loan, if advanced, will bear interest at the rate of 8% per annum and will have a maturity date of one year from the date of the Bridge Loan, unless extended by mutual agreement of Trius and African Cannabis. The Bridge Loan would be secured, in first position, by a general security agreement granting a security interest in all of the personal property, assets and undertakings of African Cannabis. African Cannabis would use any proceeds from the Bridge Loan for general working capital purposes pending completion of the RTO Transaction.

It is intended that the RTO Transaction will occur after the Trius Shares have been delisted from the TSXV. The final legal structure for the RTO Transaction will be determined after the parties have considered all applicable tax, securities law and accounting efficiencies.

Trius and African Cannabis shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to complete the RTO Transaction by January 31, 2019.



To Trius knowledge, at the time of entering into the LOI none of its directors, officers or significant shareholders had any direct or indirect interest in, nor any other relationships with, African Cannabis or its assets.

Further Information

For further information please contact: Joel Freudman Carl Esprey President and Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer Trius Investments Inc. African Cannabis Corp. Telephone: (647) 880-6414 Email: info@africancannabis.com Telephone: (212) 896-1204



Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Completion of the RTO Transaction is subject to a number of conditions including, but not limited to, the parties entering into the Definitive Agreement, TSXV acceptance and, if applicable pursuant to TSXV requirements, shareholder approval. Where applicable, the RTO Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the RTO Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or listing statement to be prepared in connection with the RTO Transaction, as applicable, any information released or received with respect to the RTO Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Trius should be considered highly speculative. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the RTO Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

All information contained in this press release with respect to Trius and African Cannabis was supplied by the parties respectively for inclusion herein, and each party and its directors and officers have relied entirely on the other party for any information concerning the other party. Trius has not conducted due diligence on the information provided by African Cannabis and does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of management of Trius and African Cannabis, respectively, with respect to performance, business and future events, including but not limited to express or implied statements and assumptions regarding the intention of Trius and African Cannabis to negotiate for or complete the RTO Transaction, the Offering or the Bridge Loan as proposed or at all. Forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which Trius and African Cannabis operate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. In particular, there is no guarantee that the parties will successfully negotiate and enter into the Definitive Agreement or complete the RTO Transaction contemplated herein; that the due diligence of Trius and/or African Cannabis will be satisfactory; that African Cannabis will successfully complete the Offering and/or use the proceeds therefrom as specified herein; or that Trius and African Cannabis will obtain any required shareholder or regulatory approvals, including the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on an Exchange and the concurrent delisting of the Trius Shares from the TSXV. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information herein, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Neither Trius nor African Cannabis undertakes any obligation to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.
TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Effective immediately Mag One Products Inc. will be reinstated for trading.



The Company has rectified the default situation that gave rise to the suspension.

__________________________

En vigueur immediatement, Mag One Products Inc. sera retabli pour le commerce.

La Societe a rectifie la situation par defaut qui a donne lieu a la suspension.

Effective Date/Date Effective: le 24 octobre/October 2018 Symbol/symbole: MDD

If you have any questions or require further information please contact Listings at (416) 367-7340 or E-mail: Listings@thecse.com
BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (the Company), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with Innovation Pharmaceuticals for its clinical development program of Brilacidin oral rinse for the prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) patients receiving chemoradiation.



The Companys Brilacidin oral rinse demonstrated a strong therapeutic benefit in patients receiving an aggressive chemotherapy regimen (cisplatin administered 80-100 mg/m2, every 21 days), which currently is the standard of care. In this patient population, the incidence of Severe OM was reduced to 25.0% in the modified Intent-to-Treat (mITT) population, versus 71.4% of patients on placebo. In the Per Protocol (PP) patient group, incidence of Severe OM dropped to 14.3% for patients receiving Brilacidin-OM, compared to 72.7% among those receiving placebo.

The completed Phase 2 study met its primary endpoint, showing a reduction of Severe OM incidence versus placebo, as well as beneficial treatment effects in reducing the duration of Severe OM and in delaying the onset of Severe OM.

Linked below is information, published in a blog on the Companys website, elaborating on how Brilacidin is positioned compared to other investigational Oral Mucositis drugs currently in clinical development.

http://www.ipharminc.com/new-blog/2018/9/24/brilacidin-for-oral-mucositis-at-a-glance-comparative-data-presentation-with-other-investigational-om-drugs

About Brilacidin and Severe Oral Mucositis

There currently are no FDA-approved drugs for the prevention of SOM (WHO Grade  3) in HNC patients receiving chemoradiation. The additional expenses incurred by patients suffering from SOM are estimated to be as high as $18,000 to $25,000 per case in the U.S. when hospitalization is required. These factors contribute to SOM qualifying as an area of significant unmet medical need. According to published statistics, the number of new annual HNC cases in the U.S. is estimated to be 65,000, and worldwide, ~750,000 cases. Between 60 and 70 percent of these HNC patients typically will develop SOM, with the overall incidence of HNC patients developing some grade of OM (WHO Grades 1 to 4) approaching 100 percent.

Alerts

Sign-up for Innovation Pharmaceuticals email alerts is available at:

http://www.ipharminc.com/email-alerts/

About Innovation Pharmaceuticals

Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPIX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a world-class portfolio of innovative therapies addressing multiple areas of unmet medical need, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, infectious disease, and dermatologic diseases. Brilacidin, a versatile compound with broad therapeutic potential, is in a new chemical class called defensin-mimetics. A Phase 2 trial of Brilacidin as an oral rinse for the prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in patients with Head and Neck Cancer, met its primary and secondary endpoints, including reducing the incidence of SOM. Positive results were also observed in a Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept trial treating patients locally with Brilacidin for Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis. A Phase 2b trial of Brilacidin showed a single intravenous dose of the drug delivered comparable outcomes to a seven-day dosing regimen of the FDA-approved blockbuster daptomycin in treating Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections. Kevetrin is a novel anti-cancer drug shown to modulate p53, often referred to as the Guardian Angel Gene due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations, and has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial in ovarian cancer. Prurisol, an oral psoriasis drug candidate acting through immune modulation and PRINS reduction, has now completed a Phase 2b trial and is awaiting statistical analysis. More information is available on the Company website at www.IPharmInc.com .

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements concerning projected timelines for the initiation and completion of clinical trials, our future drug development plans, other statements regarding future product developments, including with respect to specific indications, and any other statements which are other than statements of historical fact. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Companys actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as anticipates, believes, hopes, estimates, looks, expects, plans, intends, goal, potential, may, suggest, and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are the Companys need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock under securities purchase agreements; the fact that the Companys compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT

Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Leo Ehrlich

info@ipharminc.com
A suspicious package resembling a bomb was reportedly found in mail sent to the Chappaqua home of Hillary and Bill Clinton on Tuesday night. [UPDATES BELOW]

An additional potential explosive device addressed to former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service on Wednesday. The NYPD has also evacuated CNN's headquarters in Manhattan, and the adjacent Columbus Avenue mall, after a suspicious package was discovered in the mailroom.

In Westchester, Town of New Castle police lieutenant James Carol confirmed to WNYC that they assisted the FBI with an investigation into a suspicious package, but would not provide further details. Carol confirmed that there were no injuries reported.

An official told the Times that the explosive device was found by a technician who screens mail for the Clintons. According to NBC, a senior law enforcement source believes the package was similar to the pipe bomb found in the mailbox outside George Soros's home in Katonah, a hamlet of the wealthy town of Bedford, New York.

It's unclear if the two threats are related. Both homes are in Westchester County, and both the Clintons and George Soros have been the targets of widespread right-wing conspiracy theories.

No one was hurt in either instance. We'll update as more information becomes available.

Additional reporting by Mara Silvers

UPDATE 9:30 a.m.: On Wednesday morning, the Secret Service intercepted a second potential explosive device addressed to former President Barack Obama's home in Washington, DC. Both packages were intercepted before they arrived at their intended location, the agency said. A criminal investigation is underway. The full statement from the Secret Service is below:

"The U.S. Secret Service has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees. Late on October 23, 2018, the Secret Service recovered a single package addressed to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Westchester County, New York. Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to the residence of Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC. The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them. The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible."

UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: The third explosive device of the daya "pipe with wires hanging out of it"was reportedly sent to CNN's New York bureau in Manhattan. According to journalists at the scene, the Columbus Circle office has been evacuated, and there are "police everywhere." We've reached out to the NYPD and will update once we hear back.

Time Warner Center - where CNN's New York offices are located - was just evacuated. The alarm went off as @jimsciutto and @PoppyHarlowCNN were on air reporting the packages sent to the Clintons and Obamas. @ShimonPro reporting it was over "a suspicious package." pic.twitter.com/EYBsytil0o  andrewkaczynski (@KFILE) October 24, 2018

Breaking: CNN NY office evacuated. Police bomb squad is here. Were told of explosive device received. @CNNnewsroom  Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) October 24, 2018

CNN New York was just evacuated. Police everywhere pic.twitter.com/yZLB6Cep0i  Eric Levenson (@ejleven) October 24, 2018

In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders condemned " the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures." She continued, "These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards."

UPDATE 11:00 a.m.: According to law enforcement sources who spoke with TMZ and CNN, the package sent to the CNN building was addressed to ex-CIA director John Brennan, who now works as an MSNBC security analyst. Brennan is an outspoken critic of President Trump, and had his security clearance revoked earlier this year in an apparent act of retaliation.

Meanwhile, reports that a suspicious device had been sent to the White House are "incorrect," according to the Secret Service.

UPDATE 11:30 am: Police are investigating a suspicious package sent to the Florida office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, NBC Miami reports. Wasserman Schultz and members of her staff have previously been the target of debunked conspiracy theories spread by right-wing media and President Trump.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Police Commissioner James O'Neill will host a media briefing at Columbus Circle at approximately 12:45PM, according to a spokesperson for the mayor. You can listen on WNYC.org.

UPDATE 12:00 pm: Multiple emergency alerts have been issued warning residents of W 58th Street between Columbus Avenue and Eighth Avenue to shelter in place, and police are urging New Yorkers to avoid the area.

"This is everyday life in New York Cityyou just got to deal with it," Marc Gonzalez, a concierge at a building on 57th Street, told WNYC's Gwynne Hogan. "I heard it happened at a few other places, so I wasn't too surprised it happened here."

Hogan adds that police on scene are currently placing the suspicious device on a bomb transporter truck, and that the mood is not frantic. "People are more just amused, live-streaming, taking pics, ogling," she said.

Police on scene saying the suspicious device is currently being placed into a bomb transporter truck in the buildings loading dock. You can see it in the background very tiny here before it went in. pic.twitter.com/A1eMj7A7cO  Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) October 24, 2018

UPDATE 12:30 pm: Yet another suspicious package has been reported, this one outside the offices of the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper building. The building, which has since been evacuated, also includes an office belonging to Sen. Kamala Harris, according to Union-Tribune reporter Kate Morrissey.

In New York City, police say they have safely removed the suspicious device sent to CNN's headquarters in the Time Warner building. The order for residents on W. 58th Street to shelter in place has been lifted.

UPDATE 1:00 pm: Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed during a press conference on Wednesday that a suspicious device had been sent to his Manhattan officecontradicting initial denials from his spokesperson. "We are New York, and we are an international icon and for some we are an international target," the governor said. "There is a pattern to the devices. We wouldn't be at all surprised if more devices show up."

Earlier report was indeed untrue. Since then, a package was discovered, @NYGovCuomo was informed @ presser & he reported it in real time. https://t.co/CQnn619BtE  Rich Azzopardi (@RichAzzopardi) October 24, 2018

A total of six potentially explosive devices were reportedly recovered across the country on Wednesdayin addition to the pipe bomb sent to George Soros's home earlier this week. According to Police Commissioner James O'Neill, an envelope containing white powder was also found alongside the bomb sent to the CNN newsroom on Wednesday. That powder is currently being investigated, police said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio added that additional NYPD officers would be deployed across the city outside "key media locations" and other strategic points. "We at this time do not have credible and specific threats against locations in New York City," the mayor added. "People in this city have shown time and time again that they refuse to be intimidated."

UPDATE: 2:15 p.m. A police official tells CNN reporter Sonia Moghe that the "suspicious package" Cuomo claimed was sent to his office was actually just an informational package containing literature. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the governor's office, Tyrone Stevens, maintains that a device was in fact sent to the office, but says it's unclear if it was incendiary like the others. We've reached out to the governor's office to try to clear things up, and we'll update once we hear back.

According to NYPD spokesperson J. Peter Donald, "The earlier suspicious package at Governor Cuomos office in midtown has been cleared by NYPD personnel. It was unrelated. And there was no device of any kind."

UPDATE: 2:30 p.m. A Cuomo spokesperson now says that the suspicious package previously thought to be an explosive device is actually just some "computer files" related to the Proud Boys. The NYPD has clarified that the object was "a thumb drive and is NOT related to other events."

A preliminary investigation on the package at @NYGovCuomo's office shows it is computer files on the hate group, The Proud Boys, who recently appeared in New York.  Rich Azzopardi (@RichAzzopardi) October 24, 2018

The sequence of events:



1. Cuomos office denied reports it had received a suspicious package.

2. Cuomo announced on air that his office had received a device.

3. NYPD said the package in question was simply literature.  erica orden (@eorden) October 24, 2018

President Trump addressed the string of attempted bombings during an unrelated press conference on Wednesday. "Were extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of it," the president said. "Threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United State of America."

Minutes prior to that press conference, a congressional mail screening facility intercepted a suspicious package reportedly intended for Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat representing California. As with each of the other targets, President Trump has frequently sparred with the congresswoman, once warning her to "be careful what you wish for" in response to Waters urging Americans to push back against the administration's policies.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an extraordinarily low IQ person, has become, together with Nancy Pelosi, the Face of the Democrat Party. She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018

UPDATE: 4:00 p.m. The Time Warner Center has reopened, and employees have returned to work. The building, which includes CNN's offices as well as a shopping center with a Whole Foods and H&M, was evacuated earlier this morning after authorities found a pipe bomb and white powder in the CNN mailroom.

Law enforcement officials say the package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennana frequent CNN guest and Trump criticand listed the Florida office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as a return address. The same return address was included on devices intended for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George Soros, and Eric Holder, police said. You can see a photo of the bomb below:

PHOTO: CBS News has obtained a photo showing the explosive device sent to former CIA Director John Brennan at the CNN bureau in New York. The package has Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Florida office as the return address. https://t.co/e2hhbMxlJc pic.twitter.com/KPXvtz5IR7  CBS News (@CBSNews) October 24, 2018

Following a security sweep of the building, CNN President Jeff Zucker released a statement blasting the "total and complete lack of understanding at the White House" regarding President Trump's ongoing attacks against the media. "The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter," Zucker said. "Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that."
After weeks of exchanging insults and taunts, Governor Andrew Cuomo and his Republican challenger Marc Molinaro sat down on Tuesday for an hour of remarkably civil and nuanced policy discussion.

Just kidding.

The first and likely only one-on-one gubernatorial debate'brawl' might be a better way to describe itwas tense, from start to finish. Both candidates stepped on each other repeatedly, and both ignored the moderators and the ground rules limiting rebuttal time.

Listen to WNYC's Fred Mogul discuss the debate with Richard Hake on Morning Edition:

Cuomo was particularly aggressive. After one string of interruptions, WCBS co-host Marcia Kramer in exasperation told the governor, Dont make me punch you.

The two men sparred over corruption in Albany, President Trump, the MTA, taxes, education and the Buffalo Bills, among other things.

For many New Yorkers, the blistering showdown will be their only chance to see Molinaro speak. With around $900,000 cash in hand, as of a couple weeks agoa fraction of what Cuomo has raisedMolinaro cannot afford to advertise widely, and especially not in the metro areas expensive broadcast market.

Perhaps the most heated exchanges were over the ethical scandals that have plagued the states capitol, with Molinaro accusing Cuomo of presiding over the most corrupt state in America. Molinaro said economic development projects like Cuomos signature Buffalo Billion program had produced more indictments than jobs, and he pledged to reinstate the Moreland Commission, an anti-corruption panel that Cuomo disbanded while it was still investigating allegations of bribery and bid-rigging.

I would appoint people like Zephyr Teachout and Preet Bharara, Molinaro said, referring to Cuomo's high-profile primary challenger and the former U.S. Attorney known for aggressively investigating financial industry criminality.

Cuomo countered that federal investigators had not linked him to any criminal wrongdoing, and that those in his administration who were convicted of corruption, including Joe Percoco, were being punished for it.

Cuomo also accused Molinaro, who has been the Dutchess County Executive since 2012, of having his own ethical problems. Cuomo reiterated charges hes also made in commercials: that Molinaros wife has worked for an architectural firm that does work for the county.

Molinaro accused Cuomo of misrepresenting the job, but wasnt able to get out his defense until the spin room session after the debate: his wife, Corinne, got the entry-level job with Tinkelman Brothers Development Corporation before they were married, and that had nothing to do with the firms work for Dutchess Countywhich it won, he said, through a competitive bidding process.



(CBS 2)

Cuomos main line of attack was to try to paint Molinaro as an acolyte of President Trump and the extremist wing of the Republican Party, and he even tried to link him to former governor George Pataki, the last Republican to hold statewide office.

You seem obsessed with him, Molinaro countered.

Accused of opposing abortion, Molinaro said he believed Roe v. Wade is settled law, and said his former position on gay marriage was the same as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at the time but that he celebrated when it became legal.

Molinaro repeatedly refused to say whether he supports or opposes President Trump, saying he would back up the president when he does good things for New York but oppose him when he doesnt.

He also pointed out that Cuomo has accepted $60,000 in campaign donations from Trump over the years and declined to return it, and added that Trump went to Cuomo's bachelor party. (Trump sent video greetings.)

Asked if he would support the New York Health Act, a bill supported by Assembly and State Senate Democrats that calls for state-led single-payer healthcare, Molinaro said not only could New York not afford it, but he said the prospect of state government controlling healthcare would be frightening, when the state cannot even make the trains run effectively in New York City.

Cuomo ducked the question about a so-called Medicare for All program, instead focusing on Molinaros opposition to the states health exchange, when he was an Assemblyman.

They think if youre rich, you deserve healthcare, and if youre poor, good luck, dont get sick, Cuomo said.

Molinaro said he had grown up with his mother using food stamps, so he knew what it was like to rely on the social service safety net.

I have never forgotten where I came from, he said, in between jabs by Cuomo about Republicans lack of support for Medicaid. I wasnt born on third base.

Neither was I, Cuomo saidbefore the moderators jumped back in and tried, once again, to get the debate back on track.

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What if rust stains, graffiti and urine-soaked subway stations werent the norm? New York City Transit President and British citizen Andy Byford doesnt think they should be. So Byfords created a new management position at the MTA for 23 brave (foolhardy?) people who are now responsible for the appearance and cleanliness of as many as 25 stations each. In their first month theyre inspecting all their stations and compiling a list of everything thats wrong. It's like a taxonomy of decrepitness.

On a recent evening, one of those Group Station Managers (GSM), Sandy Castillo, was on his second week on the job and conducting his first inspections at the Flatbush Avenue/Brooklyn College 2/5 terminal.

Listen to WNYCs Stephen Nessen visit a subway station with a new Group Station Maanger:

With a notebook, pen, and cellphone in hand, it doesnt take long to document whats wrong: Mysterious brown stains on the tiles, graffiti and stickers on the subway entrance sign; a discarded bike lock attached to the ground-level subway entrance railings; clear mini-liquor bottles stashed in a hole at the top of a gate; peeling paint and rust stain on the ceiling.

And thats just in the first five minutes.

He notes the bike lock, graffiti and stickers should be a quick fix. These are items we can take care of right away," Castillo said.

Castillo stops to smile and introduce himself cheerfully to a group of older women in line to buy tickets. They smile and wave politely.

Some of the new GSMs comes from the private sector and have no experience in public transit. But most, like Castillo, who was previously a senior manager in the signals maintenance department, are culled from the MTAs rank and file.

Its a new approach, he said of Byfords plan. Its very different than whats in the past, in terms of putting the customer first. Theres a feeling now, that now is the chance to really make a difference. Theres a lot of energy.



Castillo has his work cut out for him (Stephen Nessen / Gothamist)

He continues his tour, surveying the condition at every entrancenoting which staircase has water damage issuesidentifying each one by a small sign attached to the stair: S2 (stairway 2). At the top of one he finds a cracked pipe with exposed electric wires connected to an advertisement.

"This I'm going to refer tonight to electrical, so this is the kind of item I'm going to immediately refer to them."

Byford believes that by focusing on these details it will improve the MTA's public image and maybe bring people back to the system. Since 2015, ridership has steadily declined by about 2 percent.

"You don't turn up at an airport and expect it to be in a pigsty state, you expect it to look good and people should expect the same of New York City Transit," he said.

Speaking to reporters at an announcement about this new management position, Byford said its about winning back a jaded publicand showing that the MTA is a competent organization.

"You have to prove to people that you will be capable of properly of managing the billions of dollars that we need to do what's really needed to upgrade the system."

What Byford really wants (and needs) is about $40 billion to fund his Fast Forward plan to improve the reliability of train service. The MTA currently has no way of funding it, so for now, Byford is focusing on the little things that he can do with the current resources.



Castillo disposes of a bra (Stephen Nessen / Gothamist)

In a statement, an MTA spokesperson said that the new positions were created without incurring additional costs and with reductions in other areas. The agency wouldnt specify how much each manager is paid or what was reduced to create these positions.

A New York Times investigation this year found, on average, including overtime and benefits, MTA managers make about $225,000 a year.

The GSMs will have individual budgets for overtime work, and some of the funds they need to complete projects will come out of the Subway Action Plan budget.

But some problems plaguing the system dont have quick fix.

The peeling paint above the tracks is the result of water damage. This is a low-lying station, so water will always come into the station. To paint above the tracks Castillo will need to initiate a series of steps, including asbestos testing, paint scraping, and will need to find a time no trains are running at this station, or put in an order to halt overnight service.

At one-point Castillo poked his head into the mens bathroom. It was full of cigarette smoke, and a pile of clothes and bags could be seen in the stall, as well as pair of bare feet poking out.

Someone there, right? he asked me.

Turning to his superintendent, Stephanie Jones, he tells her, We got to pay attention to this room.

He moves on, not engaging with the person.

Homelessness is at a record high in the city. President Byford doesnt see it as the MTAs job to deal with homeless people in the subway; its a societal problem, he said at a recent board meeting.

Further adding that theres nothing wrong with people want to warm up in a subway station, but lying across a seat or behaving in an antisocial manner or making a mess is not acceptable.

Castillo goes on to find a pile of clothes, a bag of oranges and a banana on the landing of an entrance nearby. He notes it could be a hazard if an evacuation was needed and people were tripping over these items. I mention the items could belong to the guy in the bathroom. Maybe, Castillo said. He has the superintendent get a cleaner to throw the belongings out.

A week later, I returned to examine the station, and see what Castillo had accomplished.

Theres a fresh coat of paint on the wrought iron fencing around all but one of the entrances. The tiles seem to have been power washed and the weird brown stains are gone. The exposed electrical wire is back in the casing.

But there are still stickers on the subway signs. The bike chain is still attached to a fence. And those pesky liquor bottles are still stashed on top of the gates.

Several regular riders, when asked if they notice anything different in the station, shook their heads no. But when pressed whether the station seemed a little cleaner acknowledged its possible.

It seems much cleaner to me, commuter Patricia Heyward said. Thats an improvement.


Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Esta ampliacion es una importante inversion porque el Jorge Chavez es la principal puerta de ingreso al Peru, que da la bienvenida a los miles de turistas que vienen a nuestro pais. pic.twitter.com/6a2QzDWynb
El buque USNS Comfort de @USNavy llegara al Peru en mision de asistencia medica el 30 de octubre. La tripulacion incluye a tres medicos de las Fuerzas Armadas del Peru que se embarcaron en Virginia. #EstamosUnidos ???????? https://t.co/BV0fdHLB0S
B&H Photo is already discounting the LG V40 ThinQ, less than a week after the device actually hit store shelves. At B&H Photo, only the unlocked model is being sold (it is technically the AT&T version, but it is not SIM locked), which makes this a really good deal for those that wanted an unlocked version of the V40 ThinQ. Its priced at $749 right now, and thats down from the original price of $949. And, B&H Photo is still offering up the second year of the LG warranty, as well as the 256GB micro SD card from SanDisk. Now those are both being offered by LG for all V40 ThinQ smartphones sold before November 2, so thats not a B&H Photo special, but still a really nice part of this deal.

The LG V40 ThinQ is a really good phone to pick up for a number of reasons. It has that big and beautiful 6.4-inch OLED display (with a notch), along with the Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage inside. LG is keeping the micro SD card slot, so you can expand its storage and give it up to an extra 400GB (thats the highest capacity micro SD card that is currently available) of storage, which is pretty impressive, to say the least. There is a 3300mAh capacity battery included here, which should keep the phone running all day long and then some. LG has also kept the headphone jack and its Quad DAC, so youre going to get a really good audio experience from this one. Now, LG has five cameras on the V40 ThinQ. There are three on the back  wide-angle, regular and telephoto lens  with two on the front which include a wide-angle a regular angle sensor. These cameras, as we found in our review, are not perfect, but LG is pushing out updates and really improving the image of this camera with each update. This LG V40 ThinQ will also work on all four US carriers. That includes AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, and supporting all of their bands (from 2G to 4G).

B&H Photo does offer up free shipping on virtually everything on its website. However, it does charge taxes in some States. This is up to laws in individual States. But for the most part it only charges taxes in New York and New Jersey, however that is starting to change. So youll want to keep that in mind. B&H Photo will ship your product out the same day, as long as you order before 4PM ET. Shipping will be pretty quick on the east coast and even in the midwest. But when it comes to the west coast, it may take a few extra days. This is because B&H Photo ships from its warehouse in New York City  so the closer to New York City you are, the faster youll get your delivery. If you are in New York City, you can also head to the B&H Photo store in Manhattan to pick up your order.
In case youve been waiting for a clipboard manager to become available in Gboard, youre in luck, as version 7.7 brings it to the table. Were looking at a stable version of the app here, at least the source doesnt mention this is a beta, and interestingly enough, clipboard manager is not available in Gboard v7.7 beta, at least not to us, as weve installed the app to make sure. This new version, 7.7, is still not available to us, so we were unable to test out the clipboard manager that XDA Developers mention, but you can check out the gallery down below in order to see some screenshots proving its existence. Now, the source does mention that the feature has been manually enabled, but doesnt really offer any explanation as to how, but its definitely not available via settings in the app, weve checked. This could mean that Google still did not flick the switch when it comes to this feature, even though its baked into Gboard v7.7, the company may release the feature via a server-side update, or we may see a new regular update to the app, but the former is more likely.

In any case, once it becomes available, you will be able to access Gboards clipboard manager by hitting the Google icon in the top left portion of the keyboard, and then hitting the three dots on the right. You will clearly see a clipboard icon there, and Clipboard text below it. Gboards clipboard manager allows you to add new clips, delete a clip, or pin a clip. This feature is still rather barebones, but the company will probably polish it out in the coming months. For now, though, it seems to be usable enough.

Background: Google has been adding new features to Gboard rather fast ever since the app got rebranded from Google Keyboard to Gboard. The company has recently added the floating keyboard mode to the app, and before then, GIF creation has been added, and also e-mail address autocompletion, all within the last couple of months. Before then, Google baked in Google Translate into the application, which can be quite useful if you find yourself in need of translation frequently. Gboard is one of the most popular keyboards in the Play Store, it has been downloaded over one billion times (pre-installs included), and it is currently holding a 4.2-star rating in the Play Store, after over two million reviews that the app received.

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Impact: Gboard is regarded to be one of the best keyboards for Android, and it is the go-to keyboard for many Android users. As already mentioned, Google did add quite a few features to the keyboard every since it got rebranded, but it doesnt seem like the company will stop there. It remains to be seen what will Googles next move be, as the Clipboard Manager was one of the most anticipated additions to the app, and its now here, same goes for the floating keyboard option which was added quite recently.
The camera app that debuted on the Pixel 3 earlier this month, is now beginning to rollout to the Pixel and Pixel 2 line of smartphones through the Google Play store. Its the same app  so theres not another app to download for your smartphone  just updated through the Google Play Store. It was actually updated last week, but it appears that the update has happened in the past few days, as more and more people are getting the update to the new version of the Google Camera.

The biggest change to the camera app  at least for those using the Pixel and Pixel 2  is going to be the fact that the modes are now just above the shutter button and are labeled. This makes it easier to swap between the different modes, without having to go to the overflow menu in the upper-right hand menu, which is what you have to do right now. This is going to make it easier to switch to these modes, as its right above the shutter button instead of having to reach into the upper-right hand corner. The only real issue with this is that not all of the modes are listed there. There is a More button on the far right which opens up a few other modes. Most smartphones use that for modes that the user wont use often, like Professional or Black and White modes. But for Google, basically everything outside of Panorama, Portrait, Auto and Video, is hidden in that menu. It does make sense from a design standpoint, but when you are trying to quickly switch to a specific mode, it does add in an extra step.

Background: The Google Camera is an app that Google broke out of its smartphones a few years ago (dating back to the Nexus line). The reason for breaking it out, was so that Google could update the camera without having to push an entirely new OTA to the device. Google wasnt the first to do this actually, Motorola has been doing this for quite some time  even before Lenovo bought the smartphone maker. This way of updating is much easier, primarily because an app update is much easier (cheaper and faster) than an entire firmware update, seeing as it doesnt need to get certified by Google, and the carriers. Which is what really slows down firmware updates. And for older smartphones, it allows Google to bring newer features back to its older devices, like it is doing today with the Google Camera update. While the only real change is the new user interface, some of the new features will also be coming in due time.

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The Google Camera app is only available for Pixel smartphones right now, unfortunately, but there will likely be an APK available for other smartphones very soon. So if you are waiting for this new camera app on a non-Pixel smartphone, you may be waiting a bit. The reason why this is only available for Pixel smartphones is because it is heavily optimized for the hardware on the Pixel cameras. Just like how Samsungs Camera app is better on a Samsung smartphone, rather than an LG or Motorola device. This is also why when you flash a ROM, especially a stock Android ROM, you are going to lose out on having a great camera, because of the proprietary software included to make that camera as good as it is, is being left out of the custom ROM.

Impact: For those that own either of the Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones, it gives you even less of a reason to upgrade. This is because the main selling point for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL is actually the camera features, which are coming to older devices. Right now, none of the Pixel 3 camera features are available in the Google Camera for non-Pixel 3 smartphones, but that is going to change. Google has said that these features will come to the older Pixel smartphones, but they will remain an exclusive to the Pixel 3 for the time being. These modes include Night Sight, Top Shot, and Photo Booth. Though Night Sight isnt coming to the Pixel 3 until next month anyways, so it would have been a huge surprise to see it available on the Pixel and Pixel 2 this early. But Top Shot and Photo Booth should come pretty soon. Top Shot essentially uses Motion Photos to take pictures before and after you actually hit the shutter button. This means that if you missed the shot you wanted, or someone blinked in your selfie, you can choose a different shot  which Google will recommend one for you, using its artificial intelligence. Theres also Photo Booth, which works just like you think it does. It will work like Google Clips, and only take photos when something happens. Or if you are using it on the front-facing camera, it will only take the picture when everyone is smiling. So you dont have an image with some people smiling and others not.

With these features coming to the Pixel and Pixel 2, there are less reasons to upgrade this year, and thats a good thing for those that have either device, though Google will still want to give people a reason to upgrade  which is where the design and hardware come into play. As mentioned the new modes that are found on the Pixel 3 are not yet part of this update, its largely just the redesigned camera app. But you can pick it up from the Google Play Store using the link below. This one appears to be a staged rollout however, as we do not yet have the update on our Pixel smartphones just yet. But it should be coming in the next few days. Google does typically do staged rollouts on its apps, to see if there are any big bugs that people are running into, and to keep the Google Play Store from getting hammered by people updating. So be patient and itll be here before you know it.
Google is getting serious about 4K as the company has now announced a significant change to UHD content available through Play Movies & TV. Most noteworthy is the confirmation that Google is upgrading select existing movie purchases to 4K for free and this is irrespective of whether the title was first purchased in a HD or an SD quality. This is understood to be starting today with the expectation consumers will receive a notification in the Play Movies & TV app confirming that a number of their titles have been upgraded. This is likely to be welcomed news for those who are already heavily invested in a digital movie library as those consumers will see their 4K collection instantly getting a major boost. Its worth noting there are some caveats to this and the most important of which is that theres no guarantee any title in particular will get upgraded to 4K. Instead, this will largely be dependent on support at the movie studio level. For example, Google says it will upgrade all 4K titles that are eligible immediately, and will continue to upgrade other titles as and when studio support becomes available. At present, this support seems to be limited to titles from Fox, Lionsgate, NBC Universal, Sony, and Warner Bros. Another of the caveats worth noting is this upgrading is only available to customers based in the US and Canada.

Free upgrades is not all Google announced today, as the company also took the opportunity to explain its taking a more widespread approach to improving access to 4K content through Play Movies & TV by ensuring the greater resolution content becomes more affordable at the point of purchase. Which as explained by Google now means consumers will have the option to buy new content in 4K at a much lower price than ever before. At present, Google has not confirmed how much cheaper 4K content will be, although the lower pricing structure is understood to be in effect now as those lower prices are already visible in Google Play. For example, Ready Player One was showing as $29.99 yesterday in 4K and now is listed at just $19.99. Lastly, to coincide with the upgrades and cheaper 4K movies, the Play Movies & TV apps on compatible Samsung, LG and Vizio TVs are also getting an upgrade.

Background: In 2016 Google added an Ultra device to its Chromecast lineup. This version was primarily designed to complement the existing Chromecast (thats now been replaced by the newer 2018 model) by offering consumers an option that supports 4K content. At the time, however, the Google Play Movies & TV service did not offer any 4K content although this was soon rectified. As during November of the same year consumers started to notice an option to purchase select content in 4K through the Google-backed rental and purchase service, and this was to mark the start of what would become an official launch of 4K content through Play Movies & TV in December, 2016. Since then, the available list of 4K content has grown although prices have remained high. In addition, while users could buy and rent new 4K content, there remained an issue for those who had already purchased content in an SD or HD format due to Google not providing any means for those users to upgrade their existing movies to a 4K version.

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Technically, Apple had the same issue although last year the iPhone-maker announced it was solving this by upgrading existing purchases from HD to 4K for free. This is in essence exactly what Google has announced its now doing for its Android users, although there is one clear difference  SD. While Apple was happy to upgrade content from HD to 4K for free, those who had purchased content in SD remained in the status quo with no upgrade route available. Google seems to be looking to avoid the same issue arising as it has committed to upgrading all content it can regardless of whether it was first purchased in either SD or HD.

Impact: While the upgrading is certainly the headline aspect, the announcement as a whole focuses on Googles intention to provide better support and access to 4K content in general. Which has been a long time coming and especially considering 4K devices are now far more commonplace than ever before with a number of TVs and streaming sticks now supporting the greater resolution. In part, the greater adoption of hardware has come through due to prices having decreased significantly over the last couple of years. For example, Xiaomi recently announced the launch of the Mi Box S in the US  an Android TV-powered box that supports 4K and can be picked up for just $59.99. With hardware entry-prices dropping as low as they have now, it was about time the selection of content optimized for those devices also becomes more affordable. Something that is likely to now improve thanks to Googles announcement.

One of the major questions that is likely to be asked now, is where does Movies Anywhere fit in with all of this. As Movies Anywhere provides digital content collectors the ability to collate all of their purchases in one easy-to-access location. In fact, multiple locations, as any digital content store who is signed up with the service effectively also acts as a master location. To put this into perspective, customers who have purchased content through Vudu can access content (as long as the movie studio is also a Movies Anywhere partner) through Play Movies & TV. Google did not specifically comment on this during the main announcement although the finer details in the help section on Google Play does make it clear that only movies purchased through Google Play or YouTube will be eligible for the free 4K upgrade. As a result, content purchased elsewhere, while remaining available for streaming through Movies & TV will remain at the purchase resolution level. Its also worth keeping in mind that having access to 4K content is only one side of the equation as the viewing experience is also limited by the hardware. As such, those looking to take advantage of their recently upgraded movies will still need to have the hardware capable of displaying 4K content  this goes for smartphones as well as TVs. In terms of the latter, TVs, Google is now in the process of rolling out an update to the respective LG, Samsung and Vizio Play Movies & TV apps with what the company says will bring a modern look and feel to provide a better experience.
Mobvoi has taken the wraps off of a brand new smartwatch, which is powered by Wear OS, in the TicWatch C2. Its the next-generation of its classic smartwatch, and it is also aimed at smaller wrists. Seeing as smartwatches are typically pretty big and bulky, it is rather refreshing to see the TicWatch C2 coming in a smaller size, for those with smaller wrists, or those that just want to have a smaller smartwatch on their wrist. The watch itself is about 43 mm in diameter, with two different strap sizes, 20mm and 18mm. Mobvoi is defining them based on their watch strap sizes, so there is a 20mm and a 18mm version  dont get that confused with a 42mm smartwatch, which is typically referring to the diameter of the smartwatchs case. Mobvoi offers this in three colors: Rose Gold, Black and Platinum. The Rose Gold is only available in the 18mm size, as it is suited more towards women, while the 20mm size comes in Black and Platinum colors. The Rose Gold version is also a tad bit thinner.

The TicWatch C2 is also running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset, with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display (360360 resolution). Theres 768MB of RAM inside and 4GB of internal storage for storing apps and some music offline. Mobvoi has included a 400mAh capacity battery which should get most people through a full day  and in fact, Mobvoi is touting two full days here. This is also IP68 water-resistant, so it can be taken into the pool and such. Of course Google Pay and Google Fit is on-board. So despite the smaller battery and a relatively large capacity battery, Mobvoi was also able to add in NFC support.

Background: Mobvoi is actually marketed as an artificial intelligence startup, that is funded by Volkswagen, Google and a few other investors. This makes sense, seeing as Mobvoi has debuted a number of products that use Google services. For example, a Google Assistant-powered speaker, as well as a few different Wear OS smartwatches and even an Assistant-powered pair of earbuds. This makes it a fairly interesting company, and its definitely not the first name you would think of when you think about smartwatches, especially elegant watches. Its a pretty small company, but it is hitting a ton of waves with its products and getting a whole lot of attention, of course having Google as a major investor does help with that.

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Impact: Mobvoi states that the TicWatch C2 is going to be available beginning the first week of December at retailers worldwide. It is currently available now for pre-order from its website, with a list price of $199 in the US, 179 in the UK and 199 in Europe. That actually makes the TicWatch C2 one of the cheaper smartwatches currently on the market, especially when talking about Wear OS smartwatches, many of them are closer to $400 if not a bit more than that. Its a nice watch that you can pick up and have in time for the holidays, which is also a good thing here.
The OnePlus 6Ts arrival is less than a week away, and the companys co-founder and CEO, Pete Lau, has shared the very first camera sample from the OnePlus 6T. In his post, the companys CEO wrote something that roughly translates to Bring your own filter, and the presented image comes in full resolution (13-megapixels), but it doesnt offer the EXIF info, so we have no idea what aperture does the camera sport, nor who is the manufacturer of the sensor (even though its almost certainly Sony). You can check out the full-res image by clicking here  but youll need a Weibo account to do so  while a compressed variant is included down below. Having said that, this is an image of a downtown Shenzhen, and its a night shot, needless to say. The image looks really good, it offers accurate colors, and theres plenty of light in it. Cloud textures are well represented, while the camera also managed to capture colors in the sky really well too. Having said that, its possible that a tripod has been used for taking this image, and some sort of a manual setting, we cant really say, but rumors have been suggesting that the company is working on a special Night Mode for the OnePlus 6Ts camera, so if thats true, that mode probably played a part in this.

Background: Quite recently, a rumor surfaced claiming that OnePlus is working on a Night Mode for the OnePlus 6T, and even though that rumor did not exactly elaborate as to what to expect, it will probably alter the exposure, amongst other things. On the other hand, its possible that the company prepared some sort of advanced processing for night photography, were only guessing here, of course, but its possible. In any case, everything will be revealed on October 29, when the company will introduce the device in New York City. The event was supposed to be held on October 30, but OnePlus was forced to alter the date because of Apples event which will take place on October 30. The OnePlus 6T will be made out of metal and glass, and the device surfaced a number of times thus far. It will resemble the OPPO R17 quite a bit, as it will sport a teardrop notch, really thin chin, and two cameras on the back. The device will include an in-display fingerprint scanner, while the company confirmed that it will not ship with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone will be fueled by the Snapdragon 845, it will sport a slightly larger display than the OnePlus 6 (a 6.4-inch panel), while it will also sport a battery with a capacity of approximately 3,700mAh.

Impact: The OnePlus 6T will arrive with the same processor, and quite probably RAM setup as its predecessor, while it will resemble it as well, mainly its rear side, but it will also bring some new tech to the table, such as an in-display fingerprint scanner. OnePlus did promise that the phone will also come with improved picture-taking capabilities, and the photo that Pete Lau shared is supposed to hype up the devices camera. It remains to be seen will the phones dual camera setup be as compelling in real life as the company and its CEO are claiming, though, stay tuned.
Qualcomm has now unveiled its latest smart audio reference design, one thats specific to Amazon Alexa support, and one the company refers to as the first qualified end-to-end Bluetooth Smart Headset of its kind. As is always the case with Qualcomms reference designs, the idea here is to make it easier for third-party manufacturers to bring to market more options with greater ease and at a lower cost. In this particular instance, this equates to those who want to bring to market options which specifically cater to Amazon Alexa push-button activation support for use with Android devices.

With this being a headset platform reference design, its use cases are fairly varied as this is not just resigned for use with a pair of Alexa-enabled Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, but in essence this platform provides a working framework for just about any hearable device you can think of. As the building blocks in use here go well beyond form and apply to all wireless listening devices fairly equally. Speaking of which, Qualcomm has confirmed its complete solution  the Qualcomm Smart Headset Development Kit  is now available, although the company did not confirm whether or not it has been adopted by any specific manufacturers as of yet.

Background: Qualcomm support for Amazon Alexa is not new in itself as the company previously confirmed its wider Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform as Amazon Alexa-certified in January of this year. So this latest announcement is more of a building on that previously announcement as a means to facilitate an increase in the number of devices heading to market that make use of the already available Alexa support. More specifically, the launch of a complete and robust solution that requires far less tweaking than what would be needed if device makers were solely relying on the Smart Audio Platform and having to then combine that platform support with other third-party technologies  including Amazons Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit. Instead device-makers will be able to now more greatly fall back on this complete solution to get their products into the hands of consumers quicker than even before.

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The big selling point here, is not only does this Qualcomm solution build on the Smart Audio platform in general, but with it being an end-to-end solution it does come equipped with support for all other Qualcomm audio solutions, both hardware and software-based. This means that in addition to Alexa support, device makers can just as easily incorporate other popular audio technologies from Qualcomm, including the companys aptX solutions. Whats more, and likely to be one of the biggest factors that impacts on the user experience is the reference designs reliance on Qualcomms QCC5100-series. This is the companys latest audio-based SoC (announced in January, 2018) and is almost purpose-designed to offer significant improvements to the level of battery life encountered with wireless headsets. Though there are additional noteworthy features associated with the QCC5100-series as well, such as better power consumption in general, and more seamless transitioning between actions. This is in addition to the QCC5100 family of chips also providing a better listening experience thanks to the employment of Qualcomms cVc audio technology  the companys noise-cancellation solution which not only provides better suppression at the near level, but also the far level. Something which in this instance will likely prove beneficial to voice calls made through a wireless headset.

Impact: In the short term, this announcement is more beneficial to developers and device-makers as they are the ones who will be provided with access to the reference design to work off when building their own solutions. This in turn will likely prove additionally beneficial to smaller companies who might typically suffer from greater time constraints and/or financial resources. Of course, in the longer-term this should mean that more devices come to market that offer support for Alexa, and at varying price points which will be of benefit to the general consumer. Equally as important from the end user perspective, as this is an end-to-end solution the increase in devices should also result in a more harmonized user experience, regardless of which device is purchased as they will all be built off the same Qualcomm-related technologies. In terms of the Android device aspect, its worth noting this more relates to the inclusion of the Amazon app on a given Android device, than a device itself. As the reference design caters to push-button activation support where users can just push a button on the headset to launch Alexa on a device.

On the subject of availability, usually when Qualcomm announces a new reference design the company also confirms if any third-party device-makers are already working with the new end-to-end solution and as a result is typically able to provide some sort of time-frame as to when consumers can expect devices utilizing the reference design to arrive to market. That does not seem to be the case on this occasion with Qualcomm simply stating the Qualcomm Smart Headset Development Kit is now available for device makers to make use of it. Therefore, it remains unclear how soon this wider variety of Alexa push-button activation-supported wireless headset options will become available at the consumer level.

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From Qualcomms perspective this further helps to confirm the companys intention to provide a greater wireless listening experience both at the hardware and software levels. In addition to reinforcing the companys belief that voice commands are becoming an increasingly important component of the wireless audio experience. For example, during the announcement Qualcomm draws on its own research to suggest that while quality remains one of the most important aspects when choosing a headset option, four out of five consumers have embraced voice services. Research like this is probably why Qualcomm has invested so heavily in voice assistant support lately, as while the company is specifically focusing on Amazons voice assistant here, Qualcomms solutions are already well-versed in multiple voice assistants, considering its Smart Audio Platform also supports Microsofts Cortana solution, as well as Googles Assistant through the Android Things ecosystem.
Samsung has been dropping subtle hints at a foldable Android phone announcement for a while now, with the latest one of those coming in the form of a tweet that seems to confirm the major tech milestone will be hit early next month. The company crafted a short animation meant to promote this years Samsung Developer Conference taking place in San Francisco which shows a where now meets next tagline followed by a minimalist arrow that ends up folding out into a straight line, alluding at a bendable handset.

The latest addition of the happening is taking place on November 7 and 8 at San Franciscos Moscone West center. Samsung has been rather blunt about its ambitions to launch a foldable handset in the near future but hasnt shared many details on the device itself so far. The companys suggestion that the handset will be launching at its next global developer gathering is in line with recent rumors about the product, though industry insiders remain adamant the Galaxy F or however the foldable phone ends up being called wont be available for purchase prior to early 2019.

Background: The South Korean technology juggernaut has been working on its foldable smartphone project for over half a decade now, often starting from scratch due to technical limitations and issues associated with yield rates and durability, according to numerous media reports. Its still unclear whether the company managed to fully address those concerns as new rumors suggest the Galaxy F will have a modest initial production run only amounting to around 150,000 units. Besides concerning yield rates, the size of the batch may also be indicative of Samsungs commercial ambitions for the device thats unlikely to be a massive hit due to its unconventional nature that the market has yet to get used to. Another major drawback of the handset is said to be its price tag which will reportedly surpass $1,500.

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Due to that state of affairs, Samsung is expected to primarily market the Galaxy F to the most passionate tech enthusiasts, as well as mobile gamers. Besides its foldable screen, the device is believed to be a relatively traditional flagship, featuring high-end specs and offering a premium Android experience. Its display panel is rumored to be a 7.2-inch affair when folded out, whereas the phones folded state will resemble that of a traditional wallet, meaning the two sides wont be sitting perfectly aligned with each other. The single OLED panel will bend alongside a mechanical hinge that Samsung is expected to mask to a degree.

The Seoul-based technology giant is expected to announce the handset alongside the future unfolds slogan, according to its recent trademark filing. Samsung has so far offered somewhat contradictory statements regarding its actual vision for the device, appearing unsure about how exactly it wants the gadget to be perceived. While DJ Koh, the CEO of the companys mobile unit, first said a lot of thought went into the effort to make the foldable handset different to just a more compact tablet, he later said thats exactly what the device will end up being. Its hence still unclear how Samsung intends to improve the contemporary smartphone formula through the addition of a bendable display as the extra screen real estate one can stuff into a pocket with such a device may not be enough to justify the massive price tag on its own.

Besides Samsung, only Huawei is believed to be launching a foldable phone in the near future, with the Chinese firms device being rumored to debut in mid-2019 with both a bendable screen and 5G capabilities. Samsung is also working on 5G smartphones and one Galaxy S10 model is said to support next-generation connectivity but the company gave no indication that its planning to join that technology with its first foldable Android handset.

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Impact: While Samsungs main developer conference stopped being just about the developer community for some time now, the fact that the companys first foldable smartphone is being announced at the event is a clear signal that the gadget in question may be seminal in nature but will also be niche offering. Instead of marketing it as a viable choice for the average consumer, Samsung appears to be preparing to launch the bendable device alongside a call for interested developers to support it with apps taking advantage of its unique screen. Only with a vast selection of software will the foldable smartphone trend catch on, many industry watchers believe. Samsung will hence almost certainly be trying to mobilize the global developer community to support its unconventional product, which largely explains its decision to launch it at its developer conference instead of waiting for a consumer-oriented trade show like CES or MWC, both of which are taking place in early 2019.

The device itself is likely to be positioned as the start of a new smartphone design trend more than a commercially viable product, though that isnt to say Samsung wont be releasing and marketing it globally; thats precisely what the tech giant is widely expected to do so as to use the industry-first gadget as an eye-catching advertisement for its innovation efforts. The release of the tentatively called Galaxy F should also mark the introduction of a third mainstream flagship lineup from Samsung which may be starting as a niche series but is eventually meant to evolve into a full-fledged alternative to the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S families.

The device should also see Samsung make a second attempt at mobilizing the global developer community in a span of only several months, with the company already resolving to do so in late summer following the debut of the Galaxy Note 9 whose Bluetooth-enabled S Pen is now available for tinkering via official APIs. Whether Samsung ends up finding immediate success with the foldable smartphone concept remains to be seen but regardless of how unlikely that scenario seems, the idea of bendable display panels is here to stay and many manufacturers such as LG, OPPO, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Sony are looking to commercialize such technologies in the near future, according to past official statements and IP documentation reviewed by AndroidHeadlines.
Samsung is ready to ditch lithium-ion smartphone batteries in favor of graphene cells, according to a new rumor wave that emerged on Chinese social media network Weibo. Details on the matter remain slim, with the speculation being based on an unverified claim that the companys Advanced Institute of Technology completed the development of its first-generation graphene batteries and will start mass-producing them next year.

As the company is unlikely to immediately license such a seminal technology, a first-party implementation of the thereof is likely to debut before Samsungs graphene batteries become available to third-party manufacturers. The production of the unconventional cells should be handled by Samsung SDI, the main battery-making arm of the Seoul-based conglomerate. A move to graphene is predicted to allow for a major evolution of the contemporary smartphone concept, enabling higher-capacity batteries that last longer, are quicker to charge, and arent as dangerous in cases of catastrophic failures.

Background: Graphene has been touted as the next big thing in the smartphone industry for over half a decade now but has yet to be commercialized in the form of a mobile battery. Besides the technical difficulties of manufacturing such cells on a scale with acceptable yield rates, producing significant volumes of graphene batteries is also an expensive endeavor and one that would almost certainly cause a spike in handset prices which are record-high as it is. Thats believed to be a large part of the reason why Samsung has yet to attempt implementing such technologies into consumer-grade products, though the company hasnt been shy about its ambitions to eventually do so.

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Late last year, Samsung won a patent on a solution that would allow it to even improve existing lithium-ion batteries by adding a graphene component to the process of manufacturing those traditional cells, claiming the end result of such a production approach could be cells that charge up to five times as fast as existing modules. The company has been ramping up its efforts in the battery R&D field ever since the Galaxy Note 7 debacle from late summer of 2016 that saw it lose what analysts estimate are hundreds of millions of dollars after the entire flagship lineup was recalled due to being a proven fire hazard. Following thorough investigations, Samsung and independent regulators concluded the battery design of the Galaxy Note 7 was at fault for the ordeal, with the cell fueling the phablet being too cramped and prone to catching fire even in the most benign of circumstances.

Samsung then spent massive resources on a global apology tour that lasted for about a year, vowing to do everything in its power to prevent such an incident from happening again. Besides improving its quality-control practices and revamping some of its manufacturing operations, the company also became more aggressive with investments in new battery tech, graphene included. Huawei and Tesla are some other high-profile names that have been exploring the concept of consumer-grade graphene batteries in recent years but the technology has yet to be commercialized on any significant scale. Samsungs tech institute previously claimed a graphene mobile battery can be fully recharged in approximately 12 minutes and have around 45-percent higher capacity than a lithium-ion cell of a comparable size. A year later, its tech is almost certainly even more advanced but the biggest issue the company has to address doesnt have anything to do with capacities or charging speeds but yield rates in the context of flow production thats as cost-effective as possible. Then again, Samsung is no stranger to tackling such challenges, having spent over half a decade doing so with its foldable phone project thats now ready to be announced next month.

A number of recent reports suggested Samsung is going all-in with its 2019 smartphones after a lukewarm market response to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 families. Besides revamped display panels, 7nm chips, and in-display fingerprint readers, that innovation push is also expected to include rear camera setups with three and more lenses which the company already started commercializing in recent weeks with the Galaxy A7 (2018) and Galaxy A9. However, the high production costs of graphene batteries will probably keep such solutions away from Samsungs mainstream smartphones planned to be released in 2019.

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Impact: Even if the new rumors of Samsung-made graphene batteries coming soon are entirely accurate, such cells are unlikely to be found inside Samsungs 2019 flagships  the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10. Instead, Samsung is likely to experiment with them on a smaller scale seeing how any handset using a graphene cell would likely cost a premium, especially if its other specs were also of the high-end variety. Samsungs favorite lineup for flagship experimentation is the W series of flip phones thats completely detached from its main Galaxy brand and only retails in China as a niche offering for nostalgic tech enthusiasts. The W2020 expected to be announced in late 2019 is hence much more likely to feature a graphene battery than any one of the companys mainstream models. Samsung recently tested the market response to a variable-aperture camera in a similar manner, having debuted it on last years W2018 before bringing it to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 lines earlier this year.

All of that is assuming the company is actually anywhere close to commercializing graphene batteries in the smartphone segment, which is a massive undertaking that even most of the worlds best-funded tech juggernauts are still steering clear from. Besides longer battery lives and significantly faster charging times the new solution would enable, it would also be the closest thing to a guarantee that a fiasco the size of the Galaxy Note 7 one will never happen again seeing how graphenes natural properties and conventional implementations of the thereof make it much safer and less volatile. Ultimately, graphene batteries are widely believed to be the future of the smartphone industry but how soon that future ends up becoming a reality remains to be seen. By most accounts, such solutions wont be commercialized on any significant scale prior to at least 2020 and may take much longer to become available outside of ultra-premium products.
T-Mobile has just launched a new promotion for those that might be looking to switch to the Un-Carrier. This new promotion is available for new and existing customers, so even if you are a current T-Mobile customer, you can trade-in your existing phone to get a new one at a very low price. It also uses T-Mobiles new 36-month Equipment Installment Plan (EIP), so when T-Mobile says as low as $40/month for some of these phones (which includes your unlimited plan), thats because the payments are spread out over an extra 12 months.

Included in this promotion are top smartphones from LG, Samsung and even Apple. So you can pick up something like the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S9 for a pretty low price. Of course, this is going to depend on the phone you are trading in, and how much it is worth. Obviously, when it comes to trade-ins, the newer phones get higher values, as they are phones that T-Mobile can actually turn around and sell afterwards. However, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and LG G7 ThinQ are both discounted already, which makes them great phones to take advantage of this plan. There are a slew of devices that will get you about $360 in trade-in value, those include the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy Note8, Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, LG V30, LG G7 ThinQ, Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Those that will net you $250 trade-in include the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S Plus.

Now the $40 per month price that T-Mobile is promoting does include your unlimited data plan. Which sounds pretty impressive. But its important to remember here that to get to the $40 per month, you need a phone for $10 per month and then sign up for T-Mobile Essentials. This unlimited plan doesnt really have any caveats, its the same unlimited that you would get from T-Mobile One Plus, the difference here is that you arent getting the extras like GoGo InFlight Internet, unlimited global roaming, free Netflix and so forth. Instead you are getting unlimited talk, text and data and thats it. And for many people, thats all they want or need. Of course, T-Mobile isnt limiting you to just the T-Mobile Essentials or One Plus plans, if you are eligible, you can also get the Military or 55+ plans, which are pretty heavily discounted already. T-Mobile has plenty of choices for those that do want to pay as little as possible for their new smartphone.

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To take advantage of this deal from T-Mobile, you can head to your local T-Mobile retail store, call T-Mobiles customer service or head to their website to get things started. Remember that when you are trading in a smartphone like you are with this deal, it is going to take a couple of months for the bill credit to be applied to your account. So you may end up having to pay the full, regular amount due on that phone for the first couple of months. But T-Mobile does generally get things straightened out after the first month or so. Its simply because these things take time, and its nothing out of the ordinary, it actually happens with any promotion that involves giving a customer bill credits. You can get started with trading in your smartphone at the link down below.
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Richard D'Souza

Cracking the Case of the Missing Galaxy

by Larry Eiler

From the October, 2018 issue

"Philosophy and theology are required for studying to become a priest," says Fr. Richard D'Souza. "Add in astronomy, and a third dimension becomes the norm."



Come again?



D'Souza is both a Jesuit priest and an astronomer. He's based at the Vatican Observatory in Rome but is currently doing a postdoc at the U-M, where he's working with astronomy prof Eric Bell. Their collaboration made news internationally this summer when they published their discovery of a galaxy that largely vanished a couple of billion years ago. Space.com headlined the news this way: "The Milky Way Had a Big Sibling Long Ago--And Andromeda Ate It."



Called "M32p," it orbited Andromeda, our closest galactic neighbor--until, in the words of a U-M press release, Andromeda "shredded and cannibalized" it.



That happened two billion years ago, making M32p's demise a very cold case. D'Souza and Bell cracked it using a combination of observational data and mathematical modeling.



"This is really great detective work!" exclaims U-M astronomy chair Edwin Bergin. "Looking at the available yet puzzling evidence and using it to look back in time to understand how our closest massive neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, formed and evolved.



"We know that a major, if not the major, way galaxies are constructed is by gravitational interactions with other galaxies, where the large galaxy strips material from the smaller one.



"So we now have evidence from the closest galaxy to us that suggests we need to revisit our understanding of how galaxies form. Science is great! We learn something new that points us in new directions."



If people know anything about the Catholic Church's connection to astronomy, it's likely to be the 1633 trial of Galileo Galilei for the "heresy" of suggesting that the earth revolves around the sun. But the church has actively engaged in studies of the cosmos since the sixteenth century, with Jesuit priests at the forefront. Thirty-five craters on the moon are named after Jesuits, and D'Souza is one of

...continued below...

twelve members of the order based at the Vatican Observatory.D'Souza straddles the worlds of faith and science with no apparent tension. "There is something deep in each one of us which lights up when we look up at the night sky," he says. "Ingrained in each one of us is a deep sense of amazement and wonder in the cosmos and the heavens."We are all searching for meaning in various ways. Science does not provide the meaning. Only the facts ... Religion gives us a sound reason to do good science because it is an expression of the transcendent--which is God."D'Souza is in the second year of his three-year postdoc. He also serves on the pastoral staff at St. Mary Student Parish. That's where I met him recently the night before he had to fly back to Rome.Tall, with well-cut features, dressed in casual street clothes, D'Souza explains that he lives with other Jesuits just east of downtown and he enjoys taking walks and exploring different espresso shops. He's made connections with staff and students he's met at both U-M and St. Mary. But there's not been much time for socializing."Galaxies grow by forming on their own or by merging with smaller galaxies over millions of years," he explains. "I've been focused the past few years on smaller galaxies merging." Andromeda drew his attention because it is thought to have formed from such mergers and has an intriguing "halo" of stars.D'Souza describes the work with Bell (who was unavailable for an interview) as "fun and fascinating--but mainly consequential." They gathered data from the Hubble Space Telescope and earth-based telescopes in Hawaii, then used math to simulate how the "halo" might have formed.Their conclusion: both Andromeda's halo and its small elliptical satellite, M32, were once part of a much larger spiral galaxy. Its "arms" of stars had been sucked into the larger galaxy, creating the halo. They dubbed that lost progenitor M32p.---D'Souza was born in Pune, India. Educated as a young boy in Kuwait, "in my early teens I was captivated at what the Jesuits had achieved." He returned to India to attend a Jesuit school, entered the novitiate, and was ordained. Afterward he spent a year studying the humanities in Pune and then earned degrees in physics at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai and the University of Heidelberg and a doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. Along the way, he founded a school in India that helps school dropouts find employment and earned two theology degrees.Having a Jesuit priest in the limelight for a scientific breakthrough provided a bright spot in a difficult year for the Vatican; more sexual abuse scandals in the church were reported, and a couple of top officials stepped down. Says D'Souza, "This is a time of great pain and suffering for the Catholic Church ... The only way forward is through a process of openness, listening, and reconciliation. It is not by hiding behind the power of the institution."He says his secular career, if anything, has brought him closer to his faith. "In my studies I have claimed as my own epiphany the story of how the Magi followed a star in seeking a newborn king," he says. In the Christian Christmas story, "the Magi are the wise ones, people of philosophy and science who sought the truth greater than themselves. I would like to think that as a Jesuit astronomer I continue this tradition." [Originally published in October, 2018.]
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The parliament session has kicked off with the election of a prime minister on the agenda.

The sole candidate is incumbent acting PM Nikol Pashinyan.

A number of other bills are also on the agenda.

Pashinyan tendered a technical resignation October 16 in order to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament and holding early elections.

Under the law, if a prime minister resigns lawmakers must elect a new PM within two weeks. If MPs fail to elect a PM during the first vote, a second round takes place a week later.

Prior to the vote, parliamentary factions must nominate candidates for the election. All factions agreed that they wouldnt nominate anyone in order to pave way for dissolution. But the Yelk faction nominated incumbent Nikol Pashinyan in a technical maneuver because the Constitution says that a vote must take place. Lawmakers are expected to deliberately vote down Pashinyan in order to fail the election and head for eventual dissolution, and early elections.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in parliament. Since taking office, PM Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesnt represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible.

Below is an excerpt from Article 149 of the Constitution of Armenia on Election and Appointment of the Prime Minister:

In case the Prime Minister submits a resignation or in other cases of the office of the Prime Minister becoming vacant, the factions of the National Assembly shall be entitled to nominate candidates for Prime Minister within a period of seven days after accepting the resignation of the Government. The National Assembly shall elect the Prime Minister by majority of votes of the total number of Deputies [Members of Parliament].

In case Prime Minister is not elected, a new election of Prime Minister shall be held seven days after voting, wherein the candidates for Prime Minister nominated by at least one third of the total number of Deputies shall be entitled to participate. In case Prime Minister is not elected by majority of votes of the total number of Deputies, the National Assembly shall be dissolved by virtue of law.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan talked about the deep meaning and political significance of the events which took place in Armenia in recent months during todays session in the Parliament, reports Armenpress.

The acting PM commented on whether what had happened in Armenia was a revolution or just a change of power. Its definite for me that a revolution took place in Armenia, since a real change of the formation of the society took place, and the essence of that change is that before April 2018 the criminal, economic and political elite, which the whole power belonged to, was a dominant political factor, decisive force in Armenia. But after the revolution that dominant political factor, the decisive force became the people who managed to force that political and economic elite to elect the candidate preferred by them [the people] as Prime Minister of Armenia and recognize the peoples power, Pashinyan said.

The acting PM added that this topic is urgent in a sense that there are still politicians and analysts who announce and insist that a change of power, rather than a revolution, has just taken place in Armenia. But the truth is quite the contrary: a revolution took place in Armenia, but change of power has not taken place yet, in other words, a complete change of power has not taken place. Yes, peoples power is established in Armenia, peoples government is established in Armenia, but the people and the democratic government still do not have the tool to completely implement their ideas, since the public administration system operates if not completely, but at least with a major part with the old logic and traditions, as well as with the secret hope for return to the old system, he said.

Pashinyan emphasized that since his election as PM in May 2018, criminal cases have launched against dozens of officials in Armenia on charges of abuse, bribe and embezzlement. I dont mean the cases which were filed since May 8 or over the events that happened before April-May. I am talking about the events which happened after the revolution, after my election as PM. I couldnt understand how after April-May any official in Armenia could think of taking bribes, making embezzlement, the acting PM said, adding that signals are sent to the old system that what had happened in Armenia has a prospect of several months. In other words, those people, who continue working with the old logic, must have a source of inspiration. And therefore that source of inspiration is the former parliamentary majority and the old system. Moreover, that inspiration have been both by internal channels and publicly. The representatives of the Republican Party have regularly publicly announced that there are no preconditions for holding snap parliamentary elections in Armenia, that the parliamentary elections in Armenia will take place in 2022, Pashinyan said, adding that all these has been done for keeping the former corrupted public administration system in Armenia, making the atmosphere in Armenia nervous, obstructing the economic and investment environment as much as possible, creating obstacles for the current government and waiting for the moment to achieve revenge.

He said a real attempt to achieve revenge has taken place before October 23. The first one was the attempt to make a consolidation over Robert Kocharyan [2nd President of Armenia], which, however, failed thanks to the definite rejection by the people as the main political factor. The second attempt was what happened in the Parliament on October 2 when such changes were being made in the Parliaments Rules of Procedure by the parliamentary majority so that the peoples factor will reach to zero in the context of ongoing political processes. But within just 2 hours nearly 80.000 citizens of Armenia blocked the Parliaments building and showed that all attempts to rule out the peoples political factor will meet large national resistance. The third attempt to achieve revenge was what happened in the Parliament this Monday, when the Republican Party boycotted and failed to adopt the Electoral Code reforms. This is being done for the upcoming snap parliamentary elections to be held with the current Electoral Code, in other words, with a ranked-voting system, since they suddenly hoped that this system may give a chance to them to reach revenge in the upcoming elections with the ranked-voting system, Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will visit the region next week, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan told reporters.

She said details of the visit will be released later.

Naghdalyan reminded that US National Security Advisor John Bolton will visit Armenia on October 25 to meet with the Armenian leadership.

John Bolton will meet with the acting Prime Minister, the Secretary of the National Security Council, and acting foreign minister and acting defense minister. A broad circle of bilateral agenda issues will be discussed, she said, adding that this will be the highest level and largest American visit to the country in the recent decades.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Switzerland on a working visit, met on October 24 with Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Mukhisa Kituyi in Geneva, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The President attached importance to the UNCTAD support to Armenias economy.

He stated that Armenia has great potential and ambitious programs in different sectora of the economy, in particular, IT, education, agriculture and added that it expects the active participation of international financial institutions in the implementation of different programs.

The UNCTAD Secretary-General highly appreciated Armenias growing engagement in different projects.

During the meeting the officials also discussed issues relating to Armenias investment policy, foreign debt management and expansion of cooperation.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged from the parliament floor to get psychologically ready for the complete revelation of the March 1 case.

During parliamentary debates on the first round of electing a Prime Minister, Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that no one should doubt that the March 1 case will be revealed until the end, until the last corners.

The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest clashes that left 10 people dead.

I am calling on us all to be psychologically ready for the entire volume of discoveries, because it isnt going to be easy to know everything that I am sure we will know soon, he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan has disclosed noteworthy details about the situation that has existed in correctional facilities and the changes that have been implemented.

Pashinyan was speaking in parliament today in the first round of election of a prime minister.

Addressing the issue in his speech, Pashinyan noted that the overpopulation issue in prisons is solved connected with the change of the practice of applying remand. Meaning that the issue that we spoke about for many years, that convicts are taking turns to sleep in prisons, that six convicts sleep on one bed at a time, is solved, he said.

He stressed that the abovementioned didnt take place accidentally or randomly. Dont think that this was done randomly, it wasnt as if the legal procedures were demanding so. As someone who has spent time in correctional facilities, I can say that it has been done deliberately. When they say that the criminal elite had power in Armenia, this is related to it. Not having somewhere to sleep is money, who will pay more to have a place to sleep? This issue of having somewhere to sleep, is a so-called [wiseguy sit-down], who is acting truly during elections, before and after elections, who has generally sufficiently served the power of truth, he said, referring to the criminal slang term truth, which is somewhat similar to a code of conduct of organized crime gangs.

Pashinyan said that correctional facilities have been the largest types of businesses. And the meaning was very simple, when a man enters a correctional facility, he is placed on the conveyer, and the entire system is working to drain maximally much money from him until he gets out. People are selling their homes to repay debts in prisons. The more convicts, the more people they collect money from. This situation exists today too, but we will eradicate it. A part of this Mafioso structure today continue holding office in correctional facilities. And why didnt we fire them all? For a simple reason, first of all its wrong to mix the wet with dry and align everything, second of all if we fire them, whom will we replace them with to work for 70,000 drams [salary]? Pashinyan said.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced from the parliament floor that his nomination as a candidate for prime minister in the first round of election today is a formality. He emphasized that he has been nominated not for re-election, but for being not elected.

Therefore, the National Assembly today shouldnt vote in favor of me. And the meaning of being nominated is not to leave space for any manipulations around the legitimacy of the upcoming parliamentary elections. At this moment I can note that it is definite and undoubted that we will have early elections of parliament in this December, elections which eventually must become the final destination of the Armenian 2018 non violent, velvet, democratic revolutions final victory, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan tendered a technical resignation October 16 in order to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament and holding early elections.

Under the law, if a prime minister resigns lawmakers must elect a new PM within two weeks. If MPs fail to elect a PM during the first vote, a second round takes place a week later.

Prior to the vote, parliamentary factions must nominate candidates for the election. All factions agreed that they wouldnt nominate anyone in order to pave way for dissolution. But the Yelk faction nominated incumbent Nikol Pashinyan in a technical maneuver because the Constitution says that a vote must take place. Lawmakers are expected to deliberately vote down Pashinyan in order to fail the election and head for eventual dissolution, and early elections.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in parliament. Since taking office, PM Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesnt represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible.

Below is an excerpt from Article 149 of the Constitution of Armenia on Election and Appointment of the Prime Minister:

In case the Prime Minister submits a resignation or in other cases of the office of the Prime Minister becoming vacant, the factions of the National Assembly shall be entitled to nominate candidates for Prime Minister within a period of seven days after accepting the resignation of the Government. The National Assembly shall elect the Prime Minister by majority of votes of the total number of Deputies [Members of Parliament].

In case Prime Minister is not elected, a new election of Prime Minister shall be held seven days after voting, wherein the candidates for Prime Minister nominated by at least one third of the total number of Deputies shall be entitled to participate. In case Prime Minister is not elected by majority of votes of the total number of Deputies, the National Assembly shall be dissolved by virtue of law.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting healthcare minister of Armenia Arsen Torosyan is in Astana, Kazakhstan on a working visit where he is taking part in the 2nd Global Conference on Primary Health Care, the ministry told Armenpress.

The event is organized under the auspices of the President of Kazakhstan in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The conference is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Declaration of Alma-Ata.

The meeting is attended by healthcare, finance, education, social insurance ministries from dozens of countries, high-ranking officials from the UN member states, Ambassadors, as well as representatives of international organizations and NGOs.

During the visit the cooperation agreement between the healthcare ministries of Armenia and Kazakhstan, which was ready yet in 2015 and agreed with the Kazakh side through diplomatic channels, will be signed.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The Eurasian Week International Forum is a good platform to get information, find partners and voice issues of concern, Karine Minasyan - Member of the Board  Minister in charge of Internal Markets, Information Support, Information & Communication Technologies, told ARMENPRESS.

The opportunities of the Eurasian Week International Forum

Karine Minasyan says the final results are not summed up yet, but according to the interim estimates, it can be stated that the Eurasian Week was quite successful from several perspectives. Firstly, from the perspective of presenting the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in Armenia.

In addition, we saw that many companies met with each other, found cooperation ways, reached a preliminary agreement on future activities. The Armenian audience became quite informed about the EAEU. I want to state that we have discussed quite serious topics these days. Concrete, practical issues concerning the business were discussed. To sum up, the Eurasian Week is a very good platform to receive information, find partners and voice issues of concern, she said.

The issue of representation of Armenian companies in EAEU programs

The EEC minister said she discussed issues on Armenias digital programs during the meeting with minister of transport, communication and information technologies Hakob Arshakyan. We are implementing several digitization programs. The first issue I voiced during the meeting with the minister related to Armenias digital program. As far as I know, it exists in the form of a draft. Yes, I have talked about the engagement in common projects, I think we need to more actively engage the Armenian companies in them. There are Armenian companies which have a very great potential in the IT field, have a great experience on working at other markets, she said.

The priorities of the EAEU digital agenda

The digital agenda supposes digitization of different processes, the base processes which are taking place in the EAEU space. Karine Minasyan said that by making the documentation process online, they can save nearly 10 million USD for each deal. If we look at the overall circulation, we will see that there is a great opportunity for cutting expenditures in case of digitization. Our main directions are quite clear  industrial cooperation, document circulation, digitization of transportation processes, movement of goods. The upcoming programs will be directed for these purposes, Karine Minasyan said.

EAEU opportunities for the Armenian companies

The EEC minister said Armenia uses quite well the opportunity to sell the produced product in the EAEU market. She said the export to the EAEU states increases every year by 20-30%. Agricultural goods, reprocessed agricultural products, light industry are mainly exported.

As for more complex industrial sectors, I think that the cooperation is not at the desired level. We have many good engineering organizations which are working at other markets. Here there is a very great potential for Armenia, she said. As for investments, Karine Minasyan said given the EAEU features, the public authorities should work more actively.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Switzerland on a working visit, delivered remarks at the Global Leaders Investment Summit which was held in Geneva within the framework of the World Investment Forum, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

In his remarks President Sarkissian said Armenia for centuries has been in the crossroads of civilizations, religions, interests and trade, played a key role in cooperation between the peoples.

Talking about Armenias economic development prospects and investment attractiveness, the President said the 4th industrial revolution or digital revolution launched in Armenia several years ago, and today it can be confidently stated that Armenia has the best IT sector in the whole former Soviet Unions territory. A number of major companies from the Silicon Valley, Europe have their representations in Armenia.

Why should someone think of investing in Armenia which is a small country with 3.5 million population? I would like to recall that the reality is the following: we are a small country, but a global nation. 4-5 times more Armenians live abroad. There are as many Armenians in Russia as in Armenia. There are as many Armenians in Armenias capital Yerevan as in Los Angeles, France or the Middle East. This is a small country, but a global nation, which is a great advantage in the 21st century. In the 21st century, when the world becomes smaller, correlated and active, there are very few states and peoples that have this advantage to have this global network.

Secondly, we are the state which has very good cultural, economic and political relations: in November 2017 we signed an agreement with the European Union. At the same time Armenia is part of the Eurasian Economic Union. In fact, Armenia is the only state which acts as a bridge between Eurasia and Europe from economic perspective. And we want to continue to be so.

The third factor is that, as I said, we are a global nation. In the 21st century this global nation is completely engaged in the ongoing events in the country. Even during the revolution, which in reality was not a classical revolution from the perspective of political parties, organizational terms, the participants were not only the citizens of Armenia, but Armenians of Argentina, France, the United Kingdom, Beirut or Madras. The whole Armenian people, comprising 12-15 million, were engaged in the process of political change. These people will participate in Armenias industrial revolution and economic development.

The fourth factor I would like to highlight is the importance of education. During the Soviet era Armenia had a very high level of education. Its not a coincidence that in addition to very good universities, research centers in physics, chemistry, biology in the country, the world-renowned astrophysics center was operating in Armenia, in Byurakan. This tradition continues also today, and we are proud to say that we have fantastic educational centers in Armenia, we even export new educational ideas and topics to the West. Weeks before a TUMO Center opened in Paris which provides extra-curricular high technologies and digital education. Its a leader of the 21st century on how to teach the children to become IT experts.

Education is important.

And of course, the stability of economy. Last year Armenia recorded 7.5% economic growth. We had a revolution, but this year as well we record almost the same result. In other words, nothing changed. The economy remained stable even after a great political change.

Armenia has the best financial and banking sector in the territory of the former Soviet Union. There are European, Lebanese, Cypriot, Greek, Iranian banks in our country, in other words, an international banking system is operating here which again is very stable.

Armenia is an economically and financially stable country. When you study Armenias figures in extraction, agriculture or tourism sectors, the new government, Armenia are committed to stable, clean extraction, natural agriculture. We expect to increase the number of tourists by several times.

Summing up and presenting Armenia of the 21st century, I want to state that our country is not only new, has a new government or leadership, or ideas, but also its new with its spirit. I would call this revolution not only a velvet revolution, but also a revolution of Armenian style. And in terms of development I would call the country young Armenia  young not in terms of the years, age, but the youth spirit which is participating in the industrial revolution, President Sarkissian said in his remarks.

Summing up his speech, the President invited to make investments in new Armenia, in Armenia of the 21st century.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The only lawmaker who voted against the candidacy of incumbent acting PM Nikol Pashinyan during todays election in parliament is Samvel Alexanyan.

Before the voting began, the Republican [HHK] and ARF factions announced that they will not participate in the voting.

Pashinyan was the sole candidate.

He himself urged MPs not to vote in favor of his candidacy in order to deliberately fail the election to pave way for eventual dissolution of parliament and early elections.

His nomination was a formality, and the down vote was also a formality.

The Armenian parliament is one step closer to being disbanded as it voted down Nikol Pashinyans candidacy today in the first round of electing a prime minister.

No one voted in favor, 1 MP voted against, and 11 lawmakers abstained.

53 votes are required to elect a prime minister.

The Yelk faction nominated incumbent acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans candidacy as a formality in a pre-arranged scenario of not being elected in order to trigger the process of dissolution of parliament.

Pashinyan tendered a technical resignation on October 16 in order to launch the process of calling early elections.

Under the law, if a prime minister resigns lawmakers must elect a new PM within two weeks. If MPs fail to elect a PM during the first vote, a second round takes place a week later.

Prior to the vote, parliamentary factions must nominate candidates for the election. All factions agreed that they wouldnt nominate anyone in order to pave way for dissolution. But the Yelk faction nominated incumbent Nikol Pashinyan in a technical maneuver because the Constitution says that a vote must take place. Lawmakers are expected to deliberately vote down Pashinyan in order to fail the election and head for eventual dissolution, and early elections.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in parliament. Since taking office, PM Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesnt represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible.

Below is an excerpt from Article 149 of the Constitution of Armenia on Election and Appointment of the Prime Minister:

In case the Prime Minister submits a resignation or in other cases of the office of the Prime Minister becoming vacant, the factions of the National Assembly shall be entitled to nominate candidates for Prime Minister within a period of seven days after accepting the resignation of the Government. The National Assembly shall elect the Prime Minister by majority of votes of the total number of Deputies [Members of Parliament].

In case Prime Minister is not elected, a new election of Prime Minister shall be held seven days after voting, wherein the candidates for Prime Minister nominated by at least one third of the total number of Deputies shall be entitled to participate. In case Prime Minister is not elected by majority of votes of the total number of Deputies, the National Assembly shall be dissolved by virtue of law.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The bill on declaring amnesty for criminal cases will be debated during the October 29 special session of parliament, Speaker Ara Babloyan told reporters today.

The initial agenda of the upcoming session didnt include the bill but the government requested the parliament to do so, he said.

Thus, the agenda of the October 29 special session will include the amnesty bill and the electoral code amendments bill, which was earlier rejected but then re-introduced on the agenda after a petition of lawmakers.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, 24 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 24 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.32 drams to 484.67 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.83 drams to 553.30 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 7.39 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.88 drams to 626.44 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 225.27 drams to 19259.19 drams. Silver price up by 1.48 drams to 229.3 drams. Platinum price up by 24.12 drams to 12949.06 drams.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Justice Minister of Armenia Artak Zeynalyan received today the delegation of OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission and discussed issues referring to holding early parliamentary elections with them.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Justice Ministry, the acting minister assessed the cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR as effective.

Artak Zeynalyan referred to the processing preceding the early parliamentary elections at the request of the guests, presented the works in the legislative sphere according to which the sentence for elections frauds has been toughened.

The acting minister also talked about domestic political developments in the country, the deadlines of early parliamentary elections and other issues.

The OSCE/ODIHR representatives thanked for the reception, as well as for proving full information and clarifications and reaffirmed their readiness for cooperation.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian met with Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I in Geneva today. President Sarkissian once again congratulated the Catholicos on the occasion of the 50 years of his religious service, wishing his health and long years of service, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents Office.

Its 50 years to devotedly serve the Armenian Apostolic Church, our Motherland and the entire Armenian people, Sarkissian said, expressing confidence that he still has much to do.

His Holiness Aram thanked the President for the warm wishes and mentioned that the Motherland, preservation of religious, national and cultural values, as well as the Armenian Cause have been the cornerstone have always been a priority during his service. The President and Prime Minister of Armenia are apostles in some sense, with a high sense of responsibility towards their mission, he said, assuring that he will continue serving his Motherland with the same vigor.

Armen Sarkissian and Aram I referred to the role of the Armenian Apostolic Church, assessing it one of the key components of the national identity.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir.

Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that freedom of speech is one of the key priorities for the Government of Armenia and added that currently freedom of media is on an unprecedented high level for Armenia.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia, according to Nikol Pashinyan, in contrast to the previous years the Government of Armenia exercises no control over any media outlet since he was elected Prime Minister. Nikol Pashinyan noted that this issue is of key importance for him also given his long years of journalistic experience. He emphasized that the Government of Armenia will guarantee the free functioning of media which will never be jeopardized during his tenure. The acting PM noted that the reforms of the Government are aimed at strengthening democracy, development of the civil society and guaranteeing freedom of speech.

Harlem Desir highly assessed the level of freedom of speech in Armenia and saluted the activities and policy of the Government in that direction. Harlem Desir highlighted the necessity of relevant reforms aimed at the consistent raising of the transparency of the activities of the Government and saluted the idea of live broadcasting the Cabinet meetings and debates.

During the meeting the sides expressed satisfaction over the close and productive cooperation between the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and relevant state bodies of Armenia.

Harlem Desir noted that Armenia is one of the best partners of the OSCE and emphasized the readiness to further deepen the cooperation in the sphere of information.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Hon prime minister, if you stand where I stood, you will see a stretch of corridor. If you look to your left and right, you will see curtains hanging lifelessly on the doors. I believe you would vividly know what is behind those curtains.

There was no life in this building except for the light from fluorescent tubes. I will bring to you the realities of this place.

The purpose of my visit was to see and feel the life in this ward. Hon prime minister, the first feeling that engulfed me as soon as I opened the door was similar to walking into a morgue.

PORT MORESBY  Dear prime minister, greetings to you and your cabinet. This morning (Monday 23 October), I visited the cancer ward at Port Moresby General Hospital at 1.13 am.

John wrote this open letter to prime minister Peter ONeill to illustrate the plight of women suffering from cancer. I understand the prime minister doesnt waste his time on social media. In fact, many in parliament dont. We all have people we have lost to cancer. Many are mothers and children taken in their prime. Its a grim reality many families face today  Gary Juffa

If you peep through those curtains you will see our mothers, wives and sisters awaiting their deaths. Looking at their lifeless faces, you see Death is inevitable. They expect it to come to them at any moment.

There are about 36 innocent patients awaiting their death. Their cancer has reached Stage 3 which requires radio therapy to cure. There is hope in the dimness of their faces - if only they are able to secure K60,000 for radio therapy treatment overseas.

This mother of two children has cancer. The only therapy available to her is Panadol

However, from my brief interview, none of them can afford that money. This they just pray with hope that there could be a miracle.

Hon prime minister, these women have no choices in life. Hon prime minister, cancer is curable at our doorstep if only we had these treatments available.

The obvious questions are who and why. Who is to provide this treatment for these innocent mothers? If there is someone to provide it, why is it not provided?

Hon prime minister, Papua New Guinea is hosting APEC in a couple of weeks time. We talk and walk luxuries from the floor of parliament to APEC Haus and into the settlements. We are forking out millions of kina from the bags and bilums of these suffering mothers, who are on death row, to fly in, all the way from the other side of the world, luxury cars costing millions of kina  Maseratis and Bentleys to be used for only three days.

Hon prime minister, its because of our mere ignorance that these innocents are suffering. This is just one hospital I am referring to but let us project it to the entire country. I believe there are hundreds or thousands of people suffering nationwide. Do we have a remedy for them or do we just let them perish where they are?

We are very capable of combatting cancer but our ignorance and negligence destroys innocent lives. I fear the Good Lord will hold us accountable for our deeds.

Therefore Hon prime minister, please can we just sell two of the 40 Maseratis after APEC and buy radio therapy equipment for our mothers, wives and sisters? I believe this approach would be taken by the men and their sons to save their mothers, sisters and wives.

Tomorrow it could be our mothers, wives and daughters who might face the same fiasco.

Hon prime minister, please do something to save the mothers of this great nation.

Thank you, may the Lord God bless you and guide your intuition to make good judgements for our backbones  the womenfolk.
William Samb, Minister for Bougainville Affairs

ANTHONY KAYBING

BUKA - Collaboration between the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the PNG National Government is gaining momentum as both entities work to prepare for next Junes referendum on Bougainvilles political future, president John Momis said as he welcomed Minister for Bougainville Affairs William Samb to the region.

Dr Momis was adamant that the continued growth in the relationship between both governments would enable the referendum to have credibility as the process unfolded in coming months.

The Ministry of Bougainville Affairs is the conduit between the ABG and the National Government, and Minister Sambs arrival shows PNGs commitment to peace building on Bougainville, he said.

The last Joint Supervisory Body meeting was a success that saw both governments consensually agreeing to important issues pertaining to the referendum.

Paramount amongst these was agreeing to the question to be put.
Photo: AAP

Are you being ripped off by your expensive energy bills? The Morrison government is about to help.

Within the next six months, the government plans to implement four new measures slated to slash bills for Australians all around the country.

Also read: Australias economic outlook is looking a whole lot gloomier

As a result of the changes, Australians who make the shift from a standard retail plan to the cheapest market offer could find themselves saving hundreds of dollars each year.

Depending on where you live, the savings could be as high as $832 per year.

Residents in the ACT could save $273 annually, while customers in NSW could see $365 back in their wallets, according to figures from the Australian Energy Market Commission.

Queenslanders and Victorians could save $504 and $574 respectively, while South Australians stand to benefit the most from switching by saving a whopping $832 a year.

Measure 1: Introducing a price safety net

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would bring down bills by implementing a price safety net, or a default price for electricity.

This would end the loyalty tax on customers around the nation who have been loyal to the same energy provider for a long time.

Just simply because theyve stayed with their electricity company, they pay more. That has to end, Morrison said on Tuesday.

The electricity regulator has been told to implement default prices by 30 April 2019, with residents and small businesses to feel the impact of the savings by 1 July.

Also read: Aussie petrol prices at a 10-year high  where to next?

Measure 2: Stemming price gouging by the big energy companies

The government will give the regulator tougher new powers to crack down on sneaky late payment penalties and force energy retailers to pass on savings to consumers that come through from wholesale prices.

This would be the big stick we need to keep these big energy companies in line, Morrison said.

I dont bluff.

Story continues

Measure 3: Forcing energy companies to stock up

This measure will see companies buy ahead and sign contracts that will guarantee enough energy to meet demand so as to prevent major blackouts.

Morrison described this as fair dinkum power designed to keep the lights on.

Also read: NAB customers could soon be withdrawing cash with their face

Measure 4: Investing in new generators

More electricity generators will heat up competition and attract investment in the market, lifting supplying and lowering wholesale prices.

That fair dinkum power generation that works when the sun doesnt shine and the wind doesnt blow, because if you want to keep the big producers and the big companies in check, well there needs to be more, Morrison said.

There needs to be more reliable power supply, reliable power generation in the electricity market.

Thats what also gets prices down [and] forces more competition into the system.

Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news.
Swedish photographer Sebastian Sardi has been photographing major mining sites all over the world for the last decade, having visited mines in China, Russia, Kazakhstan and India.

In India, Sardi was introduced to Dhanbad, a city known as the "capital of coal" due to the vast number of coal fields and strip-mines. The mining has turned the landscape into a post-apocalyptic moonscape.

Sardi has collected his years of work photographing Dhanbad into "Black Diamond," to be published in December. People can pre-order the book here.

With a population exceeding 1.3 billion and a quickly developing economy, India has become the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter.

Coal is a big reason why. In recent years, India has experienced a "coal rush" as the country attempts to satisfy its ever-expanding energy needs.

At the center of the rush is Dhanbad, a city known as the "capital of coal," and the nearby Jharia mines. There, mostly state-run coal companies operate massive open coal mines that wreak havoc on the villages that have long populated the area. The smoke-choked landscape is marked by burning cracks in the ground that have been on fire for over 100 years.

Swedish photographer Sebastian Sardi became fascinated by Dhanbad nearly a decade ago while travelling to mining sites all over the world.

Sardi told Business Insider that what struck him about the Jharia mines is the way villagers live amongst the mines, depending on them for their livelihood while also suffering terribly from the environment they create.

"It's a vastly changing environment in nature and, for the inhabitants, it's a disaster," said Sardi.

A book of Sardi's multi-year exploration of Dhanbad, titled "Black Diamond," will be published by German publisher Kehrer Verlag in December. Sardi is currently taking pre-orders of the book, which you can check out here 

Over 65% of India's power comes from locally mined coal. The Jharia fields are the country's biggest reserve, with approximately 11 billion tons of coal.

Story continues

Source: Caravan Magazine

Most of the mining done at Jharia is in open pits or strip mines, because it is faster and more profitable. But doing so exposes coal to oxygen and is highly destructive to the environment.

Source: Al Jazeera

Coal fires have been burning in Jharia for over 100 years. Large-scale open pit mining was ramped up in the 1970s when coal companies were nationalized by the government. It has made the fires far worse.

Source: Al Jazeera

Sardi first visited the Jharia mines in 2011 and was shocked by the living conditions.

"The environment is terrible," Sardi said. "As soon as I came close to it, I started coughing. All this dust gets into your system. It sticks to you. I could feel it for weeks after."

Coal is everyone's livelihood in the area. While most of it is mined by the state coal company, many locals illegally mine it themselves.

Source: YourStory

The area is so filled with coal that locals can simply dig a hole in the ground or blast rock with gunpowder or dynamite.

Source: YourStory

Much of the coal in the areas around the Jharia mines is coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal. It is a key ingredient in steel production, which it makes it very valuable to India's development. It is also highly flammable.

Source: Al Jazeera

As the mining operations have expanded, they have moved closer and closer to the villages. In many cases, the mining has caused the ground beneath houses to collapse.

Source: Caravan Magazine

All over Jharia, there are fiery cracks and pits that spew clouds of toxic gases like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and mercury.

Source: New York Times

With no heating in their homes and sometimes cold winters, locals often gather around the coal fires for warmth, Sardi said. It is very dangerous to inhale the fumes, but locals have little choice.

While the Indian government has created a master plan to deal with the fires and the environment, local press reports suggest little has yet been done.

Source: Caravan Magazine

A physician at a local hospital told Al Jazeera that 99% of people in the area are affected by the fumes and the fires, saying that there are widespread cases of tuberculosis, wheezing, asbestosis, pneumoconiosis, and skin allergies.

Source: Al Jazeera

Compared to mining sites around the world, locals and workers' quality of life is terrible, according to Sardi.

"Miners in Russia at least have a chair to sit on and a cup to drink their coffee out of. These people have nothing. They have a shirt, a pair of shorts, and flip-flops. That's it," Sardi said.

Some of the planned resettlement schemes call for moving up to 700,000 people to newly constructed housing away from the mines. But, recent reports suggest only a tiny fraction have actually been moved so far.

Source: Al Jazeera, Caravan Magazine

After locals have been evacuated, the villages where they once lived are often opened up into mines. Coal is everywhere.

Many locals told Sardi that they are convinced the government won't put out the rampant coal fires because it gives them an excuse to relocate the locals and access the coal underneath.

The government and the coal company have denied this, noting that coal fires are "notoriously difficult to kill" and extremely costly. Billions of dollars' worth of coal have been burned by the fires.

Source: YourStory

The villagers aren't entirely wrong. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has said he wants resettlement efforts accelerated both so the fires can be more effectively extinguished and to open up more access to coal.

Source: Al Jazeera

Sardi said that the situation has changed dramatically as he has visited again and again over the last eight years. When he first started visiting, locals were very reluctant to move because their entire community was in their village and there were few public services available in the resettlement areas.

But as the resettlement areas have become more populated, markets, schools, and medical clinics have sprung up, Sardi said, making it more appealing to move.

But locals don't just fear the loss of their communities or homes when they resettle. Most rely on coal to make a living. Many fear that moving to the resettlement zones, some of which are more than 10 miles away, will mean needing to find a new job.

Source: YourStory

Some activists have demanded that resettled villagers be provided government jobs. But considering the sluggish nature of the resettlement, it seems unlikely. For now, one thing is certain: The coal fires will keep burning and the mining will continue.

Source: YourStory
Local residents are anxious to vote and are proving it by going to the polls early.


Its not very often we see senior members of the British royal family curtsying to anyone apart from the Queen, and it seems Camilla has nearly forgotten how to do it.

The 71-year-old was pictured curtsying to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the Dutch embassy in London yesterday, during part of the monarchs two-day visit to the UK.

In the snaps, the Duchess of Cornwall  herself a future queen  appears to be struggling as she put one leg behind the other in a deep dip.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwalls, awkward curtsy to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has been caught on camera. Photo: Getty Images

Meanwhile, Prince Charles simply shook hands with King Willem-Alexander. Photo: Getty Images

Meanwhile, Prince Charles simply shook hands with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and greeted Queen Maxima with a kiss.

It was uncertain whether or not Camilla would actually curtsy to Maxima when they met, with royal experts claiming the rules around senior royals curtsying to each other are very vague.

The Order of Precedence in the UK outlines exactly which members of the British royal family are required to curtsy to whom, however, its different when it comes to overseas royals.

However, despite any initial awkwardness in their interaction, the two royal couples joked with each other before posing for a number of photos.

Later on in the evening, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, which was attended by Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander are currently on a state visit to the UK. Photo: Getty Images

Later on in the evening, they attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Photo: Getty Images

Kate Middleton wore a blue Alexander McQueen gown and the Cambridge Lovers Knot tiara, which once belonged to Princess Diana.

The diamond and pearl headpiece dates back to 1914, when Queen Mary commissioned the piece from Garrard. It was passed down to her granddaughter, the Queen, who then gave it to Princess Diana as a wedding present in 1981.

The tiara wasnt the only piece of jewellery of Dianas the Duchess of Cambridge wore.

Kate teamed it with Dianas Collingwood pearl and diamond drop earrings.

Queen Maxima also wowed in the Stuart Tiara for the dinner.



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Despite Fiji and Tonga having a moderate risk of Zika virus transmission, pregnant Meghan Markle has still chosen to visit these countries as part of her 16-day tour with Prince Harry.

Now its been revealed how the 37-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who is four months into her pregnancy, is navigating her overseas travels to avoid the disease which is mainly spread by mosquitos and can cause serious birth defects, in particular, abnormally small heads (microcephaly).

On Wednesday Meghan was seen wearing a long-sleeved flowing dress during her official engagements in Fijis capital, Suva, and her breezy attire was apparently a very calculated choice.

Meghan Markle is taking health precautions through her fashion in Fiji. Photo: Getty

There is a lot you can do to minimise risks, Professor James G. Logan, Head of the Department of Disease Control at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told PEOPLE.

Wearing long sleeves and baggy clothes will help. Mosquitos can even bite through jeans so if the clothing is loose its much harder for the mosquito to bite.

Upon arriving in Suva on Tuesday afternoon, Meghan stepped off the plane in a long-sleeved white Zimmerman dress, again an outfit aligning with Professor Logans comments.

Wearing long sleeves and light coloured clothing is meant to help in avoiding contraction of Zika virus.Photo: Getty

Wearing light coloured clothing can help as these mosquitos are often attracted to dark clothing. It also helps you spot them, if you see a dark mosquito on a light piece of clothing, he said.

UK health authorities recommend that those who are already expecting should consider postponing non-essential travel to areas with a moderate risk, until after pregnancy.

Recently it was reported that the royal couple would have done their research and sought professional advice before deciding to make the trip to these countries.

Meghan and Prince Harry meeting locals in Suva, Fiji on Wednesday. Photo: Getty

The Duke and Duchess will have taken advice at the highest level before deciding that they were happy to go ahead and plan the trip, a source told the Daily Mirror.

Every precaution will be taken. The royal couples health is naturally of the utmost importance, they added.

Story continues

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Meghan Markle has dressed diplomatically for her first evening engagement in Fiji.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were hosted by the President of Fiji, H.E Jioji K Konrote, and First Lady Sarote Knorote at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.

Dressed in a floor length, caped gown by London-based label SAFiyAA, the Duchess  who is currently pregnant with her first child  showed off her sartorial know-how by wearing the exact colour of the Fijian flag.

Meghan Markle dressed in a floor length, caped gown by London-based label SAFiyAA for a state dinner in Fiji. Photo: Getty Images

The Duchess of Sussex cradled her baby bump while dressed in the stunning $2,000 gown. Photo: Getty Images

The gown, known as the Ginkgo cape dress, retails at $2,000 (1,095) on the designers website.

The engagement is part of the couples 16 day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

In a rare hair move for the Duchess  who is famous for her love of messy buns  she wore her long brunette locks down and centre parted.

The gown, known as the Ginkgo cape dress, retails at $2,000 (1,095) on the designers website. Photo: Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with the President and First Lady of Fiji. [Photo: Twitter/@FijianGovt)

As for the dazzling chandelier earrings, Kensington Palace confirmed to The Suns royal correspondent Emily Andrews these are borrowed  but it remains unknown whether or not they are from a royal collection.

The engagement came after the Duchess was seen touching down at Nausori airport in Fiji alongside Prince Harry on Tuesday afternoon wearing a stunning, customised version of Australian label Zimmermanns long sleeve white dress, teamed with a delicate headpiece by Stephen Jones millinery.

Meghan also wore her favourite pair of Tabitha Simmons Millie pumps (AU $1038) and held onto a Kayu Anna Black Straw Clutch (AU $159).

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were pictured earlier in the day arriving in Fiji. Meghan was wearing a white Zimmermann dress. Photo: Getty Images

The couple were later seen on the balcony of the the Grand Pacific Hotel. replicating the Queens similar iconic moment in 1953, during her visit to Fiji with Prince Philip. Photo: Getty Images

The couple were later seen on the balcony of the the Grand Pacific Hotel. replicating the Queens similar iconic moment in 1953, during her visit to Fiji with Prince Philip.

The Duke and Duchess will be embarking on a three-day jam-packed programme of appearances in Fiji.

That includes a reception held by The President of Fiji at Borron House and an official welcome ceremony which will mirror in format that of the one attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in 1953.

Theyll be treated to dance performances, the presentation of the Tabua, and a Kava ceremony.

Story continues

With extra reporting by Francesca Specter.

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Afghan officials launched an investigation Wednesday into claims at least 14 civilians were killed in a military ground operation targeting the Islamic State group in their stronghold in eastern Afghanistan. Following Tuesday night's raid by Afghan special forces in Rodat district of Nangarhar province, scores of protesters temporarily blocked a major highway linking Afghanistan and Pakistan to demand action against those responsible for the attack. Sultan Mohammad, who was among the protesters, told AFP 14 people were killed in the operation and four others were wounded. Local elder Najibullah Amarkhil put the death toll slightly higher at 16, including women and children. "Government forces raided several houses -- they killed 14 people, including a six-month-old baby," Amarkhil told AFP, adding two more died from their wounds in hospital. "We demand the government punish those responsible." Afghan broadcaster Tolo News said the death toll was "at least 17". Images posted on Tolo's Twitter account purportedly showed dozens of men crowded around the bodies of victims under a tent next to the highway connecting the Nangarhar provincial capital of Jalalabad with Torkham, one of the major border crossings into Pakistan. Provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani confirmed there had been casualties in the operation and said an official probe was under way. "A delegation has been sent to the area to investigate the incident and report back to us," Khogyani told AFP. Ordinary Afghans have borne the brunt of the 17-year war, which is on track to be deadlier than Syria in 2018. Civilians continue to face "extreme levels of harm", a recent UN report said, with 8,050 people killed or wounded in the January to September period. Violence has intensified in the past year as US and Afghan forces step up ground and air offensives against Taliban and IS insurgents. IS, a smaller but potent rival of the Taliban, emerged in the region in 2014 and quickly established a heavy presence in Afghanistan's east before expanding north. Violence has intensified in the past year as US and Afghan forces step up ground and air offensives against Taliban and IS insurgents


A passenger plane has been forced to make a U-turn mid-flight, delaying those on board by about three hours.

Passengers were initially meant to board a 50-person United Express plane at Chicagos OHare International Airport on October 16, but that plane became unavailable.

Instead, they were upgraded to a much larger ERJ-175 aircraft which departed just a few minutes behind schedule for Tennessee, USA Today reported.

Marissa Snow, a spokeswoman for Skywest (United Airlines partner company) ,told Yahoo Lifestyle about an hour into the flight passengers on board were told the plane needed to turn around.

OHare International Airport, Chicago. Source: Getty Images (File pic)

Passenger Vince Fallon told USA Today passengers on board began to grumble on hearing the news.

Another passenger Jill Lohsen said those on board were kept in the dark.

The pilot, nor the flight attendants, did not have any information for us and just kept saying they would figure it out when we land, she said.

The plane returned to Chicago and passengers received a text message.

Your 2.13pm United flight to Chattanooga is delayed because of unforeseen circumstances, the text read.

This is an unusual situation and were working hard to solve it. We value your time and were sorry for the inconvenience.

Passengers check in at the United Airlines desk at OHare International Airport. Source: Getty Images (File pic)

Ms Snow told Yahoo Lifestyle what the unforeseen circumstances were.

It turns out the replacement plane was too big to land at the airport in Tennessee.

We didnt have the ground equipment there to handle that aircraft, Ms Snow said.

Skywest said in a statement, the flight safely landed in Chicago and those on board departed for Tennessee on a different aircraft.

We apologised to our passengers for the inconvenience and worked with our partner United to provide compensation, the statement read.

A United Airlines ERJ-175 plane  the same model which was used as a replacement for a 50-passenger aircraft. It was deemed to big to land in Tennessee. Source: Getty Images (File pic)

When the flight landed safely in Chicago at 4.27 pm, passengers were provided with Cheez-Its, pretzels, and water, then assigned a new flight on a 50-seat Bombardier CRJ 200 that was scheduled to leave within the hour.

Each passenger was also given a US$300 flight voucher for a future trip.

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Their new flight wound up landing in Chattanooga at 8.30 pm, three hours later than originally scheduled.

In other flight news, an elderly woman was on the receiving end of a vile racist outburst onboard a Ryanair flight earlier this week.

Disturbing footage shows a man verbally attacking the female passenger sitting one seat away from him during the flight between London and Barcelona on Friday.

In June, passengers on board a packed Alaska Airlines flight were left in awe of a kind-hearted teenage girl after she jumped into action to help a blind and deaf man.

Tim Cook, who was flying home after visiting his sister, is both blind and deaf and was unable to make any sort of communication with the flight attendants  who passengers said were doing their utmost to assist him.

That is when 15-year-old Clara Daly, who was travelling with her mother from Boston to Los Angeles via Portland, offered her assistance.


The chilling confession tape of a businessman who murdered a client with a hammer shows the moment he breaks down in tears and admits to the crime.

On Wednesday, Brisbane financial advisor Trung Ma was sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of Huegio Bonham in 2014 at his home in Tallai on the Gold Coast.

Police video shows Ma undergoing a gruelling interrogation, but after lying for two hours he finally breaks down and confesses.

He cries and moans, hitting his head as he tells police he struck his client three times.

Brisbane financial advisor Trung Ma confesses to murdering Gold Coast man Huegio Bonham in 2014. Source: 7 News

I picked up a hammer that I saw on the bench, Ma says.

He came back up again and then I just hit him in the head again.

He started to stir again. Whack. I just hit him for a third time and then that was it.

Ma told detectives he snapped when Mr Bonham threatened to bad mouth his business.

He tells detectives in the video he could see himself from the outside  he (Mr Bonham) was just lying there.

I saw an old sleeping bag, thats what I used to drag him across the floor, he says.

Because he was bleeding so much and the blood was going everywhere I just thought, well, maybe I can clean it up and not leave a trace.

He carried Mr Bonhams body to his car then drove north to Bunnings at Oxley. CCTV captured him buying two large plastic containers.

Mr Bonham was hit in the head with a hammer and killed. Source: 7 News

It was two weeks later when police found Mr Bonhams corpse dumped inside a large grey box at a storage facility in Indooroopilly.

The Crown argued Ma had clear motive. He had been siphoning more than $700,000 from Mr Bonhams accounts and was afraid hed find out.

It just thought Id lose everything and Ive lost everything, he says in the confession.

Mr Bonhams family spoke outside court on Friday, still heartbroken by his death.

Nothing can bring him back to his loved ones, his brother-in-law Ross Kelso said.

Ma was sentenced to life in jail. Hell be able to apply for parole in 2034.
Colombian authorities have arrested eight soldiers over the murder of a farmer earlier this year, one of thousands of such cases involving security forces under investigation in the conflict-worn South American country. The soldiers are accused of killing the campesino and wounding a second civilian on March 8 in Arauquita, in the northeastern Arauca region, the public prosecutor's office announced Tuesday. The killing was "unrelated to a confrontation," prosecutors said, but gave no details why the civilians were attacked. The arrested men will be charged with "aggravated homicide and attempted aggravated homicide," the prosecutor's office said. Colombia's military has long been accused of indiscriminately killing civilians in remote areas and presenting them as guerrillas killed in combat -- so called "false positive" killings. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the prosecutor's office is investigating "some 3,600 alleged unlawful killings from 2002 to 2008," with 961 security force members convicted. "The military often abducted victims...and killed them, placed weapons on their bodies, and reported them as enemy combatants killed in action," HRW said in its annual report. Though there had been a decrease in such killings since 2009, "credible reports of some new cases continue to emerge." Former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels and drug-trafficking gangs are involved in a battle for control of smuggling routes near the Venezuelan border in Arauca. Colombia -- the world's largest producer of cocaine -- is slowly emerging from five decades of conflict between the government and FARC. Peace talks with the country's last rebel group, the ELN, have been suspended since August. Colombian soldiers are seen patrolling in Arauquita, in the northeastern department of Arauca, Colombia
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy and windy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 64F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph..

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Partly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
A controversial new train is been introduced on Thomas the Tank Engine, with Nia a Kenyan refugee train joining the crew.

Nia, an African female train is the latest character to join international characters including Shane from Australia, Ashima from India and Yong Bao from China.

She debuted in the 2018 movie Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie, where writers worked with the UN to incorporate gender equality and other UN sustainable development goals.

Nia meets Thomas in her homeland of Kenya, where he stops to collect trucks to take to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The pair then embark on international adventures.

The new character aims to teach pre-schoolers about female empowerment, gender equality and the issues facing refugees.

She represents the role of the girl working side by side with the boy; creating these relationships that are necessary to succeed, Tolulope Lewis-Tamoka, UN-Womens Africa Programme Adviser said in a press release in October 2017.

Nia, a female Kenyan train, has joined Thomas crew. Source: Twitter/Thomas&Friends

She represents diversity, working with people from different regions and helping to grow their potential.

Nia embodies UN Womens mission statement as she portrays the aspirations of the SDGs, specifically, the goal on gender equality and the empowerment of women, which is directly related to themes present throughout the show, like education and health.

Nia helps tackle race and gender stereotypes

Ms Lewis-Tamoka said that the series aimed to address race and gender stereotypes early on, giving children a clean slate and new norms.

A series like Thomas & Friends, and characters like Nia, can open children to the ideas that others may look different from them or speak differently, but everyone is equally valued and have a role to play.

Nia is voiced by Kenyan-born English actress Yvonne Grundy.

Nia debuted in the latest Thomas the tank engine movie. Source: Twitter/Thomas&Friends

Thomas the Tank Engine writers, added Nia as part of a push to include five of the UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals into the series.

The collaboration was announced on October 16, 2017 and this season of Thomas & Friends will be aired in more than 110 countries in 33 languages.

The new season marks Season 22 of the franchise, which started as a 1945 book The Three Railway Engines written by Reverend William Awdry and as a 1984 TV series voiced by ex-Beatle Ringo Starr.
Heike Drechsler, Germany's former double Olympic long-jump champion, insists she never worked for the Stasi, the former East German secret police, and has employed an expert to prove it. "This has followed me around and every time, it sticks in my throat," the 53-year-old told German broadcaster BR over persistent rumours and false claims which linked her to the Stasi, the much-feared secret police in the now defunct East German state. "I have gotten really angry, because it is just not true that I was an 'IM' ('unofficial employee' of the Stasi) - it's simply not true." Drechsler won silver for the long-jump, then bronze over 100m and 200m sprints at the 1988 Olympic in Seoul, while competing for East Germany. After Germany reunified in 1990, she won the Olympic gold for the women's long-jump at both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 2000 Games in Sydney, then aged 35. However, persistent claims that she was an 'IM' - "Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter" (unofficial employee) for the Stasi followed her into retirement. In a bid to clear her name, Drechsler commissioned an expert on East German history and the Stasi, Helmut Mueller-Enbergs, to gather evidence and debunk any suspicion. After more than a year of research and interviews, Mueller-Enbergs has concluded a 30-page report which concludes that Drechsler was never a secret police informer. "The clear answer is: No", he insists, having found no evidence that Drechsler ever signed a declaration of commitment or drafted reports for the Stasi. Mueller-Enbergs blames lazy journalism and sloppy record-keeping, even in official Stasi files still housed in Berlin, for incorrectly labelling Drechsler as an 'IM' informer, which annoys the expert. "That's what happens when you work in a sloppy and vulgar manner. It's inappropriate," fumed Mueller-Enbergs. Other experts support his findings, including Kai Bonitz, a lawyer who has written a thesis on Stasi documents. "Mistakes have been made," said Bonitz. "Everyone involved, both from the authorities and from the press and the media, would do well to reflect on this critically again." Now Drechsler says that the next time she reads her name being linked to the Stasi, she will take legal action. "If somebody claims I was an 'IM', I would take legal steps against them," she insisted. Heike Drechsler, seen here competing at an event in Berlin in 2004, won the Olympic long-jump gold at Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000. The 54-year-old has turned to an expert to clear her name of links to the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. Heike Drechsler, pictured here in 2014, says she will now take legal action against anyone who suggests she used to be an 'IM' -- an unofficial employee -- of the Stasi.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday. "I don't think that any country would dare do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television. Rouhani said that before Khashoggi's murder "it would have been unthinkable that in this day and age we would witness such an organised felony. "It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder. "The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them." Khashoggi, a government critic who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he organised the paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee. The case has triggered an international outcry against Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ridiculed Riyadh's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history. Iran had been silent about the Khashoggi case until Monday when its judiciary chief slammed Saudi Arabia over his death. "This heinous murder further revealed the nature of Saudis, their kingdom and that young man who is seeking fame and murdering innocent people," Sadegh Amoli Larijani was quoted as saying by the judiciary's news agency Mizan Online, apparently referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. - 'Child-killing regime' - Iran has closely followed the backlash faced by its regional rival Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi murder. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday lashed out at the US Treasury for sanctioning two Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers who allegedly provided training, financial and logistical support to Afghanistan's Taliban. "To deflect from headlines on Saudi brutality in Istanbul and across Yemen, US Treasury -- while in Saudi Arabia, no less -- sanctions Iran for 'supporting' anti-Iran Taliban," he tweeted. The sanctions were announced by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center on Tuesday. Separately Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also on Tuesday designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and three of its officers, including Quds Force commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, as terrorist sponsors. "The House of Saud is seeking to divert international and regional public opinion away from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Brigadier General Esmail Kowsari of the Guards said, quoted by Mehr news agency. "Saudi Arabia is stuck in a quagmire they can't get out of," Kowsari said, adding that the designation was an attempt to utilise the tactic of attack being the best form of defence. "The murder of this journalist is one of the thousands of villainies committed by this child-killing regime, but they want to revolve the world?s attention away from themselves onto Iran," said Kowsari. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing" as he chairs a cabinet meeting in Tehran on October 24, 2018
British royal Meghan Markle sent adoring crowds into a frenzy in Fiji on Wednesday when she took centre stage from husband Prince Harry to passionately promote women's rights. The American-born 37-year-old recounted her struggle to afford higher education in her maiden international speech, made to students at the University of the South Pacific. She also met female traders at the Suva markets, although so many enthusiastic fans were jammed into the venue that her security detail cut short the pregnant duchess's visit. Meghan, who married into the royal family five months ago, made the case for open access to education, particularly for women. "For women and girls in developing countries this is vital," she said. "Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development. "When girls are given the right tools to succeed they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves, but for all of those around them." Meghan, 37, graduated with a communications degree from Northwestern University in Illinois before becoming an actress then marrying Harry earlier this year. Announcing two grants to encourage female empowerment in Pacific academia, she said higher education for her was "incredible, impactful and pivotal", despite the challenge of paying for it. "It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study -- where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition -- that I was able to attend university," she said. "And, without question, it was worth every effort." Meghan's visit to meet women participating in the UN project Markets for Change was curtailed, with Kensington Palace later citing "crowd management issues" She was calm as bodyguards escorted her out of the markets and into a waiting car without incident. Rosemerry Dautei, 35, said Fijians were keen to see the visiting royals. "It is just the excitement... this is an opportunity that has to be grabbed with both hands," she said. Meghan's message resonated with Shayaa Chand, 22, who said: "In today's era we should support women and we should make them leaders. We are very grateful that Mrs Meghan thinks that way." - Climate change - Harry, who attended the elite Eton school and Sandhurst military academy, watched his spouse's university address with admiration. "No way I can follow my wife after that," he said, to laughter from the assembled students. The prince acknowledged the Pacific's concerns about climate change, announcing four scholarships to study the issue. "All of you living here are confronted with this threat in your daily lives," he said. "You're actually experiencing changing weather patterns, ferocious cyclones and rising sea levels, particularly in Tuvalu and Kiribati. "You've been living with this for many years, way before the world started talking about it." The royal couple, who arrived in Fiji on Tuesday after a week in Australia, appeared relaxed touring the campus, meeting students and pre-school children. Meghan wore a pink floral wrap dress with a pompom trim, and flowers in her hair, while Harry sported a blue Hawaiian shirt. The day started on a sombre note for Harry, who attended a ceremony at the Fiji war memorial in Suva. "In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country," he wrote on a note attached to a wreath laid at the memorial. The royals will travel to Tonga on Thursday before returning briefly to Australia then wrapping up the tour with a visit to New Zealand. The Duchess of Sussex made her first speech of her royal tour of Oceania during a stop in Fiji The Duchess of Sussex received a traditional flower garland during her visit to a university in Suva The royal couple arrived in Fiji after a week in Australia Fijian children hold banners to welcome Prince Harry and his wife Meghan
Thousands of Central American migrants crossing Mexico toward the United States in a caravan have resumed their long trek, walking about 12 hours to their next destination. The migrants, who have drawn near-daily Twitter tirades from US President Donald Trump, walked and hitched rides from the town of Huixtla, in southern Mexico, to Mapastepec, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) away. Carrying their few belongings on their backs -- many with babies pressed to their chests or holding their children by the hand -- they left at dawn after taking a one-day break to rest, bathe and nurse aching and injured feet. "I miss my country. I'm not doing this because I want to. No one wants to leave their home to go to a place they don't know. But sometimes necessity pushes us to do this, because of what's happening in our countries," said Delmer Martinez, a migrant from El Salvador. - Determined to reach US border - Fleeing violent crime, political unrest and poverty at home, the migrants say they are determined to reach the United States -- despite Trump's vows to stop them, and his threats to cut aid to Central American countries, as well as to deploy the military and close the southern US border. There are now about 7,000 migrants in the caravan, the United Nations estimates -- though Mexican authorities put the number much lower Wednesday: 3,630. The vast majority are from Honduras. In a show of solidarity, Mexicans watching the caravan pass shouted out, "Keep it up, brothers!" and gave them food and water. "Mexico! Mexico!" the migrants shouted in reply, bathed in sweat under the hot sun of the southern state of Chiapas. They have so far traveled about 100 kilometers from the Mexico-Guatemala border, where they crashed through a series of border gates Friday. Halted at the final gate by hundreds of riot police, most of the caravan entered Mexico by swimming or taking rafts across the river that forms the border. Mexican federal police have periodically accompanied the caravan in trucks or flown overhead in helicopters, but without attempting to stop it. According to the Mexican government, about 1,700 people who were traveling in the caravan have requested asylum in Mexico. The migrants still have some 3,000 kilometers left to walk to reach the US. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro labelled US Vice President Mike Pence "a madman" after he accused Caracas of financing the caravan. "What tremendous convening power I have in Central America, Mike Pence! If it wasn't for an extremist, an extremist madman saying it....one would have to laugh." Pence on Tuesday said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez told him the caravan "was organized by leftist groups in Honduras financed by Venezuela and sent north to challenge our sovereignty and challenge our border." The Honduran migrants heading toward the US border left the Mexican town of Huixtla at dawn after taking a one-day break to rest Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the US take a bath in the Mapastepec river Honduran migrants traveling on a truck towards the US border receive food donations in the Mexican town of Acacoyagua, in Chiapas state
British lawmakers opened the door Wednesday to reform of Northern Ireland's strict abortion and same-sex marriage laws, adopting a legal requirement for the government in London to assess the policies' compatibility with human rights legislation. The obligation was added to a bill drawn up to clarify how decisions are taken in the province in the absence of its devolved government -- suspended since January 2017 due to a dispute between the two main parties that share power. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in June that Northern Ireland's abortion ban, which applies even in cases of rape, incest, or when foetuses have fatal physical defects, was incompatible with human rights laws, although the case failed on a procedural technicality. Opposition Labour MP Stella Creasy argued Wednesday that addressing this problem cannot wait until -- or if -- the assembly in Belfast is eventually reinstated. "Who can make sure that we don't spend another 10, 20, or 30 years hearing the stories of shame, of hurt, of the rights abuses of the people of Northern Ireland and simply shrugging our shoulders because politicians can't get their act together to have an assembly?" she asked. She proposed an amendment to compel Britain's minister for Northern Ireland and senior civil servants to address any incompatibilities between legislation in the province and national human rights obligations. The amendment passed by 207 votes to 117, after Prime Minister Theresa May gave her Conservative MPs a free vote. Gay marriage and abortion are legal in the rest of the United Kingdom. May's government has resisted pressure to impose reform on Northern Ireland, arguing that decisions are best made in Belfast. However, there is no sign that the two main parties there, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, are close to a deal on resuming office. The matter is complicated by the fact that the DUP, which strongly opposes abortion and same-sex marriage, props up May's Conservative government in London. Creasy's amendment was to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill, which was created to enable civil servants to take certain decisions in the absence of provincial ministers. The bill will now be debated in the unelected House of Lords. Protesters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, demonstrate against the country's abortion ban, which applies even in cases of rape, incest, or when foetuses have fatal physical defects
A suspicious mother-of-three who followed her gut instinct has helped prevent a mass school shooting.

Koeberle Bull, from Lumberton in the US state of New Jersey, woke up to a racist message on Facebook from a man in Kentucky on Wednesday.

It was really vulgar  he called my kids the N-word and hoped terrible things for them, Bull told Yahoo Lifestyle.

The mum, whose children are aged 16, 11, and 8, was especially concerned about the mans profile picture in which he showed off a gun.

Going on a gut feeling, she called her local police station and filed a report.

Mum Koeberle Bull helped stop a potential mass shooter in his tracks after a gut feeling inspired her to call 911. Source: Koeberle Bull

But I felt like it wouldnt really go anywhere, so I posted a screenshot of the message on Facebook, she revealed.

The man had blocked Bull, however her friends dug around for details about his identity, and Bull soon had enough information to share with the police in Kentucky.

Local and state police followed the mums tip, and on Thursday, officers drove to the home of a 20-year-old man named Dylan Jarrell, just as he was leaving his house with more than 200 rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, a firearm, a 100-round high-capacity magazine, and a detailed plan of attack.

He was heading towards two school districts in Anderson County and Shelby County, the Kentucky State Police said in a press conference Friday.

Theres no doubt in my mind that as a result of this investigation, we saved lives, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders said during the press conference.

Dylan Jarrell was arrested on Thursday. Source: Shelby County Detention Center

This young man had it in his mind to go to schools and create havoc.

He had the tools necessary, the intent necessary. And the only thing that stood between him and evil is law enforcement, he added.

When police searched Jarrells home, they found an internet search history on How to conduct a school shooting and a credible and imminent threat to Shelby and Anderson County schools, according to a press release.

Police also revealed that in May, Jarrell had been questioned by the FBI regarding social media threats toward a Tennessee school.

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Jarrell was charged with two counts of second-degree terroristic threatening and one count of harassing communications and is being held in the Shelby County Detention Centre.

Sheila Mitchell of Anderson County Public Schools told Yahoo Lifestyle that classes were closed on Friday due to concern for student safety.

I commend [Bull] for her courage and willingness to follow through on the threat and the collaborative efforts of local and state law enforcement. Were very blessed and grateful.

Bull has received grateful invitations to visit families from all over the country and says the timing of the arrest was divine intervention.

She also encourages people to report social media messages of concern. That one-in-a-million call could prevent a tragedy, Bull tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Im thankful everyone is OK.
A genocide against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims is still continuing, UN investigators said Wednesday as they presented a report to the Security Council, calling for the issue to be referred to an international tribunal. Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, said that beyond mass killings, the conflict included the ostracization of the population, prevention of births, and widespread displacement in camps. "It is an ongoing genocide," he told a press conference. "We consider the genocide intent can be reasonably inferred," he said as he presented the team's report to a United Nations Security Council meeting. The 444-page report, first made public last month, called on the council to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or to create an ad hoc tribunal, as was done with the former Yugoslavia. The explosive 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 720,000 Rohingya to flee over the border to Bangladesh. - 'Grossly disproportionate' - The conflict has also seen about 390 villages destroyed and 10,000 Rohingya killed, Darusman said. "The conditions are not in place for a safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh" to Myanmar, he warned, adding any attempt would just risk more deaths. At the end of an October 10-20 visit to the country, the UN's Special Envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said that accountability and "inclusive dialogue" were the two important pillars for national reconciliation. "Credible fact-finding is the first step towards accountability," she said. The Myanmar government rejected the UN mission's findings, questioning its independence and pointing out that it had itself established an independent investigative commission made up of Asian diplomats. Darusman said however that Myanmar's internal inquiries have "proven to be ineffective failures" so far. The Security Council meeting was called by Western powers but opposed by China and Russia, allies who have friendly ties with Myanmar's military and have regularly shielded the nation from criticism. Myanmar maintains that the violence in Rakhine was triggered by Rohingya extremists who attacked border posts in August 2017. The military has denied almost all accusations of genocide levelled against it, insisting that "clearance operations" were necessary to fight Rohingya militants. But the UN fact-finding mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the atrocities were committed with the intention of destroying the Rohingya. It found that the military's tactics had been "consistently and grossly disproportionate to actual security threats", and that estimates that some 10,000 people were killed in the crackdown was likely a conservative figure. Myanmar's de facto leader Suu Kyi -- once lionised by the international community as a democracy icon -- has seen a sharp fall from grace following her refusal to speak out against the military. The UN mission has pointed out that her government's attempts to whitewash facts had worsened the situation for the embattled Rohingya. Myanmar police patrol a Rohingya camp on the border with Bangladesh on August 24, 2018 Major Rohingya refugee camp populations in Bangladesh Monks in Yangon hold portraits of Myanmar's General Min Aung Hlaing, who the UN says should be investigated for genocide
A Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire during a clash with the army in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, the health ministry in Ramallah said. An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed that an operation had sparked a clash with Palestinians in Tammun, northeast of the city of Nablus, but had no word on any death. The Palestinian ministry named the dead man as Mohammed Bisharat, 21, and said he had taken a bullet to the chest. It said three other Palestinians had been hit by live fire and three by rubber-coated bullets. The Israeli army acknowledged firing live rounds. "Around 50 Palestinians threw stones and petrol bombs at our soldiers, who responded with anti-riot tactics and live fire," a statement said. The West Bank, which has been occupied by Israeli forces since the Six-Day War of 1967 and transformed by the persistent expansion of Israeli settlements, has seen a rise in tensions in recent weeks. On October 7, a Palestinian shot dead two Israeli colleagues at an industrial zone adjacent to a settlement in the northern West Bank. The suspect remains on the run. On Monday, a Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier in the flashpoint southern West Bank city of Hebron before being shot dead by troops. On October 12, a Palestinian woman died of wounds sustained during a stone-throwing attack near Nablus. The Palestinians say it was the work of settlers, while Israeli police say her death remains under investigation. Israeli soldiers pictured following clashes between Israeli settlers from the settlement of Yitzhar and Palestinians from nearby Urif village, south of Nablus in the West Bank, on October 10, 2018
The Philippines' most famous resort island Boracay re-opens Friday after a six-month clean-up intended to fix the damage done by unrestrained mass tourism. Here are some other global hotspots that authorities have moved to protect: - Bali, Indonesia - Officials on the holiday island, Indonesia's top tourist destination, declared a "garbage emergency" last year after the palm-fringed Kuta beach was swallowed up by mountains of trash. Indonesia, second only to China as the world's biggest contributor to marine debris, deployed 700 cleaners and 35 trucks to remove roughly 100 tonnes of debris each day from Kuta and two other popular beaches to a nearby landfill. - Easter Island, Chile - Known for its 900-odd human figures standing up to 10 metres (32 feet) tall, the isolated Pacific island severely curtailed visitor numbers in August this year due to concerns over the remote Chilean territory's environmental sustainability. Tourist stays on the island, believed to have been settled by the Rapa Nui people around the 12th century, were cut to 30 days from 90, after the population -- along with the crime rate -- doubled in a few decades. Those who wish to live on the island are now required to be a parent, partner or child of the Rapa Nui people. - Dubrovnik, Croatia - Dubrovnik, which boasts an old walled city, saw cruise ship arrivals shoot through the roof after it was used as a backdrop in the smash television drama series "Game of Thrones", causing congestion as tourists made a beeline for the shoot locales. Mayor Mato Frankovic told AFP the authorities plan to cut cruise ship numbers coming into the Adriatic port, while deploying cameras to count the number of people entering the old town. - Venice and Florence, Italy - Venice authorities are trialling a system that forces visitors to make a reservation if they want to go to the popular Saint Mark's Square during peak hours. They are also fining tourists 500 euros ($585) for bathing or having picnics in the city's famous canals. In Florence, officials have resorted to hosing down public spots such as church steps where many visitors congregate to eat picnics. This aims to prevent people from sitting on the wet pavement. - Machu Picchu, Peru - Peruvian authorities increased surveillance at the 15th-century Incan citadel high in the Andes mountain range in 2014 as nude photos and streaking became increasingly common. Tourists have since at least 2013 been posting their naked selfies on social media, which the government described as a "disrespectful act" aimed solely at getting attention. - Maya Bay, Thailand - The glittering Thai bay immortalised in the movie "The Beach" was closed indefinitely on October 1 to allow it to recover from the impact of mass tourism, after a four-month respite failed to ease beach erosion and pollution. About 5,000 tourists had arrived by boat each day to the beach framed by limestone cliffs that was made famous by the 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. burs-cgm/jm/hg Boracay has morphed from a backpacker paradise in the 1980s to an increasingly developed beach resort, fuelled by a quadrupling of visitors in just a decade Bali's Kuta beach is a popular spot for many of the tourists who visit the island every year The Moais -- stone statues of the Rapa Nui culture -- on Easter Island, are on many global travellers' bucket lists 'Game of Thrones' sparked a huge surge in Dubrovnik's visitor numbers The many canals of Venice are a popular tourist draw The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is embedded within a dramatic landscape at the meeting point between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin Maya Bay was once a pristine deserted beach, but has been swamped in recent years by as many as 5,000 selfie-taking tourists every day, prompting authorities to shut it
French police seized a six-week-old lion cub from an apartment in a Paris suburb, and arrested its owner, a source close to the investigation said Tuesday. The female cub was discovered in a child's bed in the apartment of neighbours of the 30-year-old suspect, who was found hiding in a closet, they said. The cub was in good health, and was handed over to wildlife officials. Police were alerted by videos circulating on social media, in which a man offers the cub for sale for about 10,000 euros ($11,470), said the source. It was not known where the lion came from. The source said it seemed the suspect had bought the cub with the intention of reselling it, and that it was very likely stolen. A lion cub born on April 15, 2017 is pictured inside the new enclosure "La Terre des Lions" on June 23, 2017 at the Zooparc of Beauval


A young family is celebrating two miracles in the space of hours after a father suffered a medical episode before his wife gave birth.

Andrew Goette, from Minnesota in the US, was found in distress and not breathing by his wife Ashley on October 16, just a day before she was due to go into induced labour, according to a GoFundMe page.

Ms Goette performed CPR and called an ambulance but by the time paramedics arrived her husband was in cardiac arrest. He was rushed to United Hospital in St Paul, Minnesota.

In the first hours of treatment at the ER and ICU the prognosis was dire, the page reads.

CT and MRI scans, along with clinical signs, pointed to catastrophic brain injury. The team of specialists treating Andrew prepared the family for the worst; it was likely he would not wake up from this.

Minnesota man Andrew Goette was found not breathing by his wife Ashley as she was about to give birth. Source: GoFundMe/ Miracle Man, Ashley and Baby Lenny

Friends and family waited by the father-to-bes bedside, before the ICU team got to work and lowered his body temperature to allow his brain to heal.

By his side the whole time was Ashley, calm and collected, telling him she would wait to have this baby until he woke up, the page reads.

Doctors warmed up Mr Goettes body the next day and removed his life support.

As the nurse began to remove the sedatives, Andrew began to twitch, the page reads.

Still thinking it could be shivering or a seizure, his nurse Libby said Andrew, open your eyes and as if in a movie, he did exactly that.

The father-to-be had heart arrhythmia. Source: GoFundMe/ Miracle Man, Ashley and Baby Lenny

Mr Goette gave a thumbs up, and over the next 36 hours he continued to recover as his wife prepared for the familys second miracle.

Ms Goette was induced on the night of October 18 in the same hospital.

The only problem is dad needed 24-hour one-on-one monitoring, but wanted to be there for his wife and baby, the page reads.

Once again, the amazing professionals at United came to the rescue. They made arrangements to move Andrew into Ashleys labouring room and delay his scheduled heart procedure to Monday so they could be together.

The following day, on October 19, the family faced another challenge as their son would have to be born via a Caesarean section.

Story continues

Hospital staff moved Mr Goette to be with his wife before she gave birth. Source: GoFundMe/ Miracle Man, Ashley and Baby Lenny

Because of limitations in the operating room, Andrew would have to watch via Facetime in the next room, the page reads.

Not the situation they had hoped for, but the whole week was full of unexpected events, so what was one more?

Little Lennon was born at 5.16am.

Three days later, his father underwent heart surgery to resolve his arrhythmia.

Mr Goette holds his newborn son Lennon. Source: GoFundMe/ Miracle Man, Ashley and Baby Lenny

Lennon was born via a C-section. Source: GoFundMe/ Miracle Man, Ashley and Baby Lenny

It was a success.

However, the family has one final obstacle to conquer  paying for their medical care.

The Goettes hope their GoFundMe page will raise the US$25,000 to pay for the medical procedures which helped save one life and ensured the safe delivery of another one.
Brazil, like other countries, is facing a very electronic election. WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter are the weapons of choice to sway the country's 147 million voters -- and abuse of social media has been widespread. Facebook and its WhatsApp messenger service -- hugely popular in the Latin American nation -- have been thrust into the spotlight for being used to traffick in disinformation. The extreme-right frontrunner in the run-off election on Sunday, Jair Bolsonaro, has largely eschewed Brazil's established media, preferring to woo voters online in a manner very reminiscent of US President Donald Trump. Bolsonaro's trailing rival, leftwing candidate Fernando Haddad, has raged against "fake news" and "lies" targeting him and his Workers Party, as Bolsonaro's support has grown into what looks to be an unassailable lead. Surveys suggest Bolsonaro could pick up 59 percent of the vote, to 41 percent for Haddad. If the race goes in that direction, Brazil -- a country that threw off military dictatorship just three decades ago -- will veer to the far right, under a president Bolsonaro vowing a relentless crackdown on crime and corruption. This week, the 63-year-old former paratrooper, a pro-gun lawmaker backed by influential evangelical groups, warned the "red marginals" of the Workers Party "to get out or go to jail." The language online is just as blunt, mixing truth with lies, or presenting opinions as fact. Many shared posts amplify the Workers Party's past corruption. Some portray Haddad as trying to promote homosexuality in schoolchildren. Others, those backing Haddad, call Bolsonaro a "fascist" bent on destroying democracy. - Closed accounts - Accusations of defamation and campaign dirty tricks are flying back and forth. The federal police have opened an investigation into online "fake news" against both candidates. The potential of social media to influence Brazil's election also evokes the revelations of meddling that came out in the wake of the US election and the Brexit referendum in Britain, both in 2016. Facebook, its reputation badly marred by those revelations, said on Monday it has closed 68 pages and 43 accounts linked to a Brazilian marketing group, Raposos Fernandes Associates, that media reported was promoting Bolsonaro online on a massive scale. WhatsApp said it has shuttered hundreds of thousands of accounts to counter "spam or disinformation" after a report saying several companies had been hired for $3 million each to send bulk messages attacking Haddad and the Workers Party. Bolsonaro has denied having anything to do with the contracts. A WhatsApp executive, Victoria Grand, vice president for policy and communications, told reporters in Sao Paulo on Tuesday that the company had no plans to lift a 20-recipient cap for forwarded messages imposed in July, down from a previous limit of 250 recipients. "We?re pretty comfortable with that number," she said, implicitly rejecting a call Bolsonaro made last week for the smaller cap to be overturned. Grand stated: "I know this is a critical moment for Brazil." WhatsApp is one of preferred methods for communicating in Brazil. The country, population 210 million, has 120 million WhatsApp users. - 'Emotionally-charged' - Bolsonaro, a previously obscure lawmaker, is a deft user of social media, just like Trump, for whom he has expressed admiration. After being stabbed last month by a lone assailant, Bolsonaro intensified his online use while convalescing. His Facebook videos, tweets and Instagram posts have millions of followers, far more than Haddad, a 55-year-old former mayor of Sao Paulo who is telegenic but restrained in manner. Further frustrating Haddad, Bolsonaro has dodged the usual televised debates. Instead of dueling over policies, he has harangued and attacked his rival on the internet. According to an Oxford University study of Brazil's presidential election, Bolsonaro dominated Twitter conversations and "Bolsonaro supporters spread the widest range of known junk news sources," though Haddad supporters shared the biggest volume. But Twitter is used by a much smaller, better-informed niche than the more generally adopted WhatsApp. One of the researchers on the study done by the Oxford Internet Institute, Nahema Marchal, cautioned that it was "extremely difficult to make causal claims between what people see online and how they vote" and that "every election is different." "Like the US, however, Brazil has seen a number of popular political Facebook groups hacked. There has also been an uptick in political violence, in what has been a bitter and divisive campaign," she told AFP. While digital technology use differs from country to country, "research indicates that disinformation and conspirational content circulates faster than factual information on social media," she said, in large part because online content "is often the most emotionally-charged." People at a bar in Rio de Janeiro watch Brazilian presidential candidate Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party give a press conference on TV A man in Brasilia reads the front page of a newspaper referring to the results of the Brazilian first round national election
Spain defender Marcos Alonso has signed a new contract with Chelsea that will run until 2023, the Premier League club announced Wednesday. The 27-year-old Spain defender, who joined Chelsea in August 2016, helped them win the Premier League in 2016-17 and claim the FA Cup last season. "I am so happy to stay here longer and to keep playing for one of the best teams in the world," he said on the club's website. "It's been a very good two seasons and I am looking forward to more." Alonso has made 92 appearances and scored 15 goals for Chelsea since being signed from Fiorentina. He previously had spells in England with Bolton and Sunderland. The left-back, who began his career at Real Madrid, made his international debut in March this year and has won three caps to date. Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: "We are delighted to be extending Marcos' contract. "In the past two seasons he has developed into an important player for the club, demonstrating his outstanding ability and a fantastic attitude that has helped him become a Premier League champion and Spain international." Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso, who has just signed a new contract with the London club, is seen challenging Manchester United's English striker Marcus Rashford
(Editor's note: Due to flyers that were placed on vehicles outside Catholic churches in central New York, we are reposting this fact check examining claims against Democratic candidate John Mannion.)

A mailer sent to voters in the 50th Senate District is drawing attention.

The mailer paid for by the New York Republican State Committee accuses Democratic state Senate candidate John Mannion of supporting a "radical expansion" of abortion.

Mannion, who is running against Republican candidate Bob Antonacci in the 50th district race, supports the Reproductive Health Act. Antonacci opposes the bill, and Republicans have criticized Mannion for backing the legislation.

There are four claims in the mailer about Mannion's position and the Reproductive Health Act.

Late-term abortions

The mailer claims the Reproductive Health Act would allow late-term abortions "up to the moment of birth." Without the proper context, this is false.

The Reproductive Health Act would decriminalize abortion in New York and create exceptions for abortions conducted after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Under current law, an abortion may be conducted after 24 weeks only if the mother's life is at risk. The bill would change that to include the mother's health and if the fetus is no longer viable.

Only under those circumstances could a medical professional perform an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Opponents of the bill have used this part of the proposal to claim that it would allow "abortion-on-demand" after 24 weeks. However, the bill spells out the conditions under which an abortion may be performed.

Non-doctors performing abortions?

The Reproductive Health Act would expand the list of medical professionals permitted to provide abortion services. Under current law, the interpretation is that only doctors are allowed to perform abortions.

The legislation would clarify the law and allow licensed midwives, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide abortion services.

Opponents have often mentioned this provision as one reason why the bill should be rejected. The New York State Catholic Conference claimed that allowing non-physicians to perform abortions is a "goal" of abortion advocates "as they seek to boost access in the face of a declining number of doctors willing to perform the procedure." The conference added, "It should stand to reason that allowing non-doctors to perform surgery is dangerous for women and infants."

However, the facts don't back up that claim. A study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found doctors and non-physicians who performed abortions had "comparable rates of complications, which were extremely low  lower than most existing published rates."

Care for babies who survive abortions

The mailer claims that the Reproductive Health Act wouldn't require doctors to provide care for babies who survive abortions. This is an apparent reference to a provision in the bill that would repeal section 4164 of the state Public Health Law.

There is more to this section than the mailer suggests. It requires that abortions shall be performed "only in a hospital and only on an in-patient basis" after the 12th week of pregnancy. If abortions are performed after the 20th week of pregnancy, the law states that a physician "other than the physician performing the abortion" shall be present to "take control of and to provide immediate medical care for any live birth that is the result of an abortion."

Those who oppose the Reproductive Health Act have used the proposed repeal of this section to claim that it would prevent doctors from caring for newborns after a failed abortion. However, there are existing laws that provide protections in such cases. Advocates of the bill note that medical providers are required to abide by standards of practice.

Protections for pregnant women against domestic abusers

The final claim in the mailer is that the legislation would remove protections for pregnant women against domestic abusers.

One of the main objectives of the Reproductive Health Act is to decriminalize abortion. The legislation would shift many of these provisions from the penal code to the Public Health Law.

Opponents charge, as Republicans noted in the mailer, that it would remove protections for pregnant women against domestic abusers. But the New York Civil Liberties Union, a supporter of the Reproductive Health Act, explained that "[c]riminal acts against women that result in termination of pregnancy could still be charged under numerous provisions of the criminal code, including assault and unauthorized practice of medicine."

The New York Civil Liberties Union added that the bill actually strengthens penalties for crimes against pregnant women by including pregnancy loss in the definition of "serious physical injury."

Earlier this year, a pregnant woman was stabbed in the Bronx. The alleged perpetrator, her boyfriend, was charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

With or without the Reproductive Health Act in effect, there are criminal statutes in place to charge domestic abusers if they assault pregnant women.

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Elliott Auerbach and Michael Conners are Democrats, but they're endorsing Republican candidate Bob Antonacci in the 50th Senate District race.

Antonacci announced the endorsements at a press conference Wednesday in Syracuse. Auerbach and Conners are comptrollers in Ulster and Albany counties. Antonacci serves as Onondaga County's top fiscal officer.

Conners, who was elected Albany County comptroller in 1995, called his Republican counterpart "a proven fiscal watchdog." Antonacci has been Onondaga County comptroller since 2008.

"He knows what it takes to cut waste out of the budget so we have the resources necessary to invest in our shared priorities," Conners said. "And he'll be an important voice for upstate New York in the state Capitol."

Auerbach, like Antonacci, was elected county comptroller in 2008. He said his decision to endorse the Onondaga County Republican wasn't about party labels.

In Auerbach's view, it's important to preserve balance in state government.

"The alternative is more taxes, more spending and more debt for middle-class families," Auerbach said. Regardless of party, Bob Antonacci is the right choice for the 50th Senate District and for all of central New York."

Auerbach and Conners chose to endorse their colleague over the Democratic candidate in the 50th district race, John Mannion. Mannion has received support from other Democrats, progressive groups and unions.

But for Antonacci, the endorsements from the two fellow county comptrollers sends a "powerful signal" about what's at stake in the election.

"If the New York City politicians take control of the Senate and our entire state government, New York City will continue to take more and more from us," he said. "Instead of getting the fair share we deserve, we'll get scraps from Albany. We need balance in government and I'm the only candidate in this race who can do it."

Antonacci and Mannion are vying for the 50th district seat being vacated by state Sen. John DeFrancisco. DeFrancisco, a Republican, is retiring after more than 25 years in office.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 18-10-23 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, 23.10.18 [A] Turkish Cypriot Press [01] Nami: Even deeper and comprehensive relations will be established with Turkey in the field of energy [02] Turkey's Defence Minister threatens [03] Kalin: "Turkey will never abandon its rights in Eastern Mediterranean - Turkey's vessels will continue drillings" [04] Sener Levent's lawsuit against Erdogan was rejected [05] The Lefkonoiko airport is turned into a ghost structure [06] Immunity of UBP "deputy" was lifted [B] Turkish Press [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Cavusoglu alleges that the Greek Cypriots saw that Turkey will not allow their "games" in Eastern Mediterranean [02] Kalin: "Khashoggi issue does not concern only Riyadh and Ankara" [03] Celik: "Khashoggi's death is a 'monstrously planned' murder" [04] Erdogan: "Local polls may bring the end of Turkey's main opposition" [A] Turkish Cypriot Press [01] Nami: Even deeper and comprehensive relations will be established with Turkey in the field of energy Illegal Bayrak (23.10.18 http://www.brtk.net/namiturkiye-ile-enerji-konusunda-cok-daha-derin-ve-genis-kapsamli-iliski-olusturulacak/ 2/8) broadcast that the self-styled minister of economy and energy Ozdil Nami stated that even deeper and comprehensive relations will be established between Turkey and the "TRNC". Nami, who made a statement to Ankara Anatolia news agency, said that it is too early to say anything regarding the natural gas and the oil reserves in the Mediterranean. Nami said that the availability of petroleum and natural gas in the sea is also important. "Neither us nor the Greek Cypriot side has the necessary data to make a clear statement yet. However, we know that Israel has reached important resources especially in the region between Cyprus and Egypt. We know Egypt has found resources in its own exclusive economic areas. Therefore we think that there is great possibility to be found in the areas that belongs to Cyprus as well", he stated. He went on adding that "TRNC" and Turkey are moving forward to alternative projects and said that serious potentials regarding natural gas occur after TANAP for Turkey. Nami said that the "TRNC" has very important potentials as regards renewable energy and said that the talks with various firms located in Turkey regarding this issue continue. "Therefore in the coming period even deeper and comprehensive relations will be established between Turkey and the TRNC", he said. Evaluating the so-called harassment against Barbaros seismic ship, Nami said that the ship continues its activities as were planned in the region. He said that the necessary attempts were made so that the tension not to be increased. He said that Turkey behaved within the authority given to the country by the international law and that the Greek ships should abandon their harassments before the way is paved for any unfortunate event. Nami said that the activities between Turkey and the "TRNC" in the field of energy will continue and added that there are signed agreements between the two "countries". As he said, the Turkish Cypriots made collaboration with Turkey to make researches in common areas and added that as the Greek Cypriot side has the right to do this kind of agreements with US, Italian and French firms, it is natural for them (the Turkish Cypriots) to make agreements with Turkey in order to protect their rights and interests in the region. (CS) [02] Turkey's Defence Minister threatens Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (23.10.18), under the title "Turkey threatened!" on its front page, reports that Turkey's Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar stated that Turkey will not tolerate a step taken against the country in the Aegean or Eastern Mediterranean. Speaking during a military drill in town Polatli, Akar further said: "No fait accompli or step taken against Turkey in Cyprus, the Aegean or the Eastern Mediterranean will be permitted. Everybody should know that any project in the Aegean or Mediterranean, of which Turkey and the TRNC are not included, does not have a chance to survive. Everybody should give up and avoid the provocation that will endanger the region". Claiming that Turkey intends to continue pursuing its goals in the region, Akar argued that their Armed Forces will continue to protect Turkey's rights and interests in the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as "TRNC's" rights and interests and will be the guarantee of peace and security on the island of Cyprus in line with the international guarantees and the Treaty of Alliance. Akar concluded by threatening: "Nobody should doubt it and let everyone do their account accordingly". (DPs) [03] Kalin: "Turkey will never abandon its rights in Eastern Mediterranean - Turkey's vessels will continue drillings" Turkish Cypriot daily K?br?s newspaper (23.10.18) reports that Ibrahim Kalin, Spokesman of the Turkish Presidency, has alleged that Turkey will never abandon its so-called natural rights, its rights deriving from the international law in Eastern Mediterranean. In statements yesterday, Kalin said also that Turkey's vessels will continue drillings in the area. Kalin alleged that it will not be possible for them to allow any step which will not be taking into consideration and into account Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side and claimed that this would be unacceptable from the point of view of the international law. "There are some conditions required by the international law regarding the exclusive economic zones on the point of the sovereignty rights here, the territorial waters", he said and alleged: "Especially the Greek Cypriot side and from time to time Greece make some assessments taking as basis some maps which they have drawn themselves by saying 'this is our area' without reaching an agreement". He went on and claimed: "When our research vessel, our Barbaros vessel, our Fatih vessel carries out drillings in the Mediterranean in a distance of 10, 20 or 30 miles from our borders for example, they assess this as violation and try to take some steps themselves. A violation is out of the question, because anyway we do not accept such imaginary or fancied boundaries. What we are saying from the very beginning is the development of a sharing model which will be taking as basis the common interests of both sides in Eastern Mediterranean, that is, in the economic zone around Cyprus, the Turkish and the Greek Cypriot side. While the Greek Cypriot side [] can carry our drillings by creating an actual or a de facto situation, it is anyway unthinkable for Turkey to avoid this. Secondly, I am saying this regardless of the solution process in Cyprus, whatever the r esult which will come up from this is, Turkey will not abandon its natural rights in Eastern Mediterranean, its rights deriving from the international law. The Greek Cypriot side should know the following: Any possession there, either this is a drilling or it regards other issues, without taking Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots into consideration, into account will neither be acceptable from the point of view of the international law nor it will be possible for us to allow such a thing. Therefore, our scientific research vessels, Fatih, Barbaros and others will continue their drilling works in the area, just like they did until today. The necessary measures have always been taken for this and they will continue to be taken". Referring to a possible new military base in the occupied area of Cyprus, Kalin said that "it is out of the question such a separate base, but as you know, some updates are carried out from time to time, such as improving the logistic conditions of our soldiers there". "Of course, some arrangements can be made within this framework", he added. (I/Ts.) [04] Sener Levent's lawsuit against Erdogan was rejected Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (23.10.18) reports that the lawsuit filed by Sener Levent, editor-in-chief of Afrika newspaper, in the "district court" of the occupied part of Nicosia against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for inciting the events of January 22, 2018, was rejected. According to the "decision", "senior judge" Avcioglu argued that the state leaders have a judicial immunity and the grounds of Levent's lawsuit were inconclusive. In a statement to the press after the "court decision", Sener Levent said that he will meet with lawyers in "south Cyprus" (government controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus) and in the ECHR, adding that if it is possible, he would file a lawsuit in the courts of the Republic of Cyprus or in the ECHR. Levent further said: "The legal procedure in our own country has been completed. We want to take the decision read by the judge to the ECHR and to see whether the foreign state leaders can be sued or not." (DPs) [05] The Lefkonoiko airport is turned into a ghost structure Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (23.10.18) reports about the Lefkonoiko airport in the occupied area of Cyprus and writes that businessman Asil Nadir, who rented the airport ten years ago "selling the dream that cargo planes could landon it", made neither an investment in the area nor he paida single cent as a rent. The illegal airport, in which no planes have landed since 2004, has turned into ghost structure, writes the paper noting that the "state" lost more than 135 million TL in rents while the damages for abandoning the airport are beyond measure. (CS) [06] Immunity of UBP "deputy" was lifted Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (23.10.18) reports that the immunity of Aytac Caluda, "deputy" with the National Unity Party (UBP), was lifted after a voting took place at the so-called assembly. The paper writes that the "attorney general" prepared 30 separate "law suits" against Caluda who is accused of causing a 230,000 TL damage to the "state". After this development, the way was paved for a "trial" against Caluda. According to Yeni Duzen 34 "deputies" voted in favor of lifting Caluda's immunity, 8 of which come from his party, 6 "deputies" voted no and 10 refrained from voting. (CS) [B] Turkish Press [01] Cavusoglu alleges that the Greek Cypriots saw that Turkey will not allow their "games" in Eastern Mediterranean Turkish Anatolia news agency (23.10.18, https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gunun-basliklari/bakan-cavusoglundan-kasikci-aciklamasi/1289916 ) reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has argued that the Greek Cypriots have accepted that the Turkish Cypriot community has also rights on the hydrocarbon reserves around the island, but are in favor of discussing this issue after a drilling is conducted. "There is a game here. In the past they also saw that we do not allow this game", alleged Cavusloglu in statements to Anatolia news agency. He said that Turkey had submitted the proposal of finding a solution to the issue through the EU. "In the end, if reserves exist around the island, if both sides have rights on these reserves, they should be shared. This is our grievance", he claimed and reiterated the Turkish allegation that during the Crans Montana negotiations everybody saw that the Greek Cypriots were not ready for a federal solution. "What we want now before a new process to start? What we will be negotiating for? First we will determine this", he argued. Cavusoglu said that they meet with all sides in the occupied area of Cyprus and agreed that some preparations should be made. "I look at the island. They are carrying out cheap politics. You know that, unfortunately, there are some groups which are maintaining enmity against Turkey", he claimed. Cavusoglu further alleged that they do not exclude any group and do not impose any solution proposal or system. He argued: "No one can accept one more failure. Especially, we cannot accept it. If there will be a negotiation, it should be result oriented. Its framework should be known and we should reach a result now". Cavusoglu went on by suggesting to Greece to meet with the "TRNC", as he called the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus. Asked about Turkey's reaction in case Greece extended its territorial waters from 6 to 12 miles, Cavusoglu alleged that "Greece makes such statements from time to time to cause tension" and that "populism is always in front of realities for them". "The expectation of the public opinion is in this direction. The public opinion in us is reasonable", he claimed alleging that Turkey is in favor of solving the problems in the Aegean in a peaceful manner, but "whenever Greece attempted to create tension, we gave the necessary response". "When the time comes, we put them in their place", he argued claiming that Greece should think how they could solve these problems instead of causing tension. (I/Ts.) [02] Kalin: "Khashoggi issue does not concern only Riyadh and Ankara" Ankara Anatolia news agency (22.10.18-https://www.aa.com.tr/en/jamal-khashoggi/khashoggi-issue-does-not-concern-only-riyadh-ankara/1289669) reported that Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Monday that the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is an issue larger than one which concerns only Turkey and Saudi Arabia. "The issue is not between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkey is taking necessary steps to unveil the incident under international and national law," Kalin said at a news conference in capital Ankara. "The issue is to shed light on an atrocious murder," he added. Kalin said further that Turkey has been carrying out "sensitive and comprehensive" investigation on the case of Khashoggi, who had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. "The stance of our President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] is very clear since the beginning. Nothing will remain hidden regarding this incident," Kalin added. He reminded reporters also that Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the Khashoggi case, fight against terrorism and latest developments in Syria in Sunday's phone call. "Trump thanked our President over the Idlib deal and said: 'You prevented a major humanitarian disaster via this deal in Idlib, where 3.5 million people live'," Kalin said. About the latest developments on the Turkey-U.S. joint patrol in Syria's Manbij, Kalin said: "U.S. officials have started taking necessary steps to accelerate the process. "The ongoing joint training in [Turkey's southeastern province] Gaziantep will be completed in the upcoming days and joint patrols around Manbij will start soon." The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of terrorist YPG/PKK forces from the city in Aleppo province, northern Syria to stabilize the region. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken 40,000 lives, including many women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch. Kalin also said that Turkey expects the U.S. to remove sanctions "as soon as possible" so as to contribute to normalization of bilateral ties. He added that some issues remain a problem between Ankara and Washington, particularly the fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). He said that Turkey expects the U.S. to take concrete steps regarding FETO, PYD and PKK. FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt in Turkey on July 25, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. () [03] Celik: "Khashoggi's death is a 'monstrously planned' murder" Turkish daily Sabah (22.10.18-https://www.dailysabah.com/investigations/2018/10/22/khashoggis-death-monstrously-planned-murder-ak-party-spokesman-says) reported that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Omer Celik said on Monday that Jamal Khashoggi's death was a "complicated" murder that was "monstrously planned". Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Celik said that the suspects took great effort to cover up the journalist's death. "Hopefully everything will be uncovered and those responsible will be punished so no one will dare to think such things again," Celik said. Celik also said claims of negotiations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia as part of the investigation into Khashoggi's killing were unethical, adding it was Turkey's responsibility to uncover the truth about the case. Also, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday he would reveal the "truth" about the Khashoggi case on Tuesday while Turkish officials vowed to pursue the case after Saudi Arabia's admission of guilt. "We seek justice and this will be revealed in all its naked truth, not through some ordinary steps but in all its naked truth. This is not an ordinary case. I will make statements on Tuesday at the AK Party parliamentary group meeting. The incident will be revealed entirely," said Erdogan. () [04] Erdogan: "Local polls may bring the end of Turkey's main opposition" Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (22.10.18-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/local-polls-may-bring-end-of-turkeys-main-opposition-erdogan-138163) reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Oct. 22 that the March 2019 local election may bring the end of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) with Kemal K?l?cdaroglu at its helm. "This is because the person who is heading the main opposition is not just a trouble for the nation, but also for the CHP. We need to save the CHP from this person," Erdogan said at a training program of the women's branch of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at its headquarters in Ankara. "Some friends [of mine] say 'It is to your benefit that he [K?l?cdaroglu] stays at that position.' Despite losing every election, you [K?l?cdaroglu] are still entering elections. Is there a bigger democracy than this?" Erdogan said. ()Erdogan also accused CHP officials of using a "discriminatory" language against Syrian refugees in Turkey. "By targeting the oppressed, using chauvinistic statements and discriminatory words befitting fully the CHP, they think that they will garner more votes. They have utilized every kind of lie to provoke this nation But, whatever they do, the result of the March 2019 elections will be the same. Hopefully, they will experience the same fiasco again," he said. "We have not committed any discrimination [towards Syrian refugees]. The number [of Syrian refugees] is four million in total [in Turkey]. The EU has not given the funds it should have given us, this is not important for us. What is important is what we have done. We have made a spending of $33 billion until now [for Syrian refugees], whereas the amount they [the EU] have given us is $1.75 billion. Whether it comes from them or not, we will continue to be the host [of the refugees]," Erdogan said. Erdogan added that the number of women Mayors of the AKP was "not enough," calling for an increase and that the number of women Mayors should reflect the proportion of women in the country's population. "The AKP has eight women Mayors. This is not enough. Our desire is to reflect a proportional picture in accordance with the population," Erdogan said. "A politics that ignores, sidelines or wastes the potential and power of women does not stand a chance in Turkey," he said. "Those who exclude women or view them just as 'showpieces' are doomed to fail in politics", he said. Erdogan added that the AKP's women's branch has already started preparing for the upcoming local elections. "The full reflection of the results of the June 24 parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey will be related to the success of the upcoming local elections" set to be held on March 31, 2019, Erdogan added. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION (AK/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Keith Batman received the support of New York's senior U.S. senator in his bid to unseat state Assemblyman Gary Finch.

Batman, D-Scipio, announced Tuesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed his candidacy for the 126th Assembly District seat. It's a high-profile endorsement for Batman, a Cayuga County legislator and former Scipio town supervisor.

Schumer, D-N.Y., cited his work with Batman when he was chairman of the Cayuga County Legislature. Batman held the post for two years. He declined to seek another term as chair in 2018.

In endorsing Batman, Schumer said he "truly represents the values of central New York and will do a wonderful job in the Assembly advocating for the communities he loves."

"His integrity and dedication to public service make him an ideal candidate, and I'm happy to endorse him," Schumer added.

Schumer has endorsed candidates in other state-level races across New York, but Batman is the first candidate running in a Cayuga County-area state legislative race who has received the senator's support.

Schumer, who has visited each of New York's 62 counties every year he has been in office, joined Batman for a press conference last year at Emerson Park in Owasco. He held the event to call on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to approve a permit for the Owasco Flats restoration project.

In a statement, Batman lauded Schumer for his work on behalf of New Yorkers.

"I look forward to working with him to improve the lives of each and every resident of the 126th Assembly District," he said.

Batman is challenging Finch in the 126th district, which includes parts of Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland and Onondaga counties. Republicans hold an enrollment advantage in the district, and Finch is a longtime incumbent.

Finch won a special election in 1999 to fill the seat vacated by Dan Fessenden. He won his first full term in 2000.

The two candidates participated in a forum Monday at Southern Cayuga High School. They will square off in a televised debate on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Cayuga Community College.

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The cold of fall means the comfort of quilts at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, which will open its annual "Quilt=Art=Quilts" show Saturday, Oct. 27.

It is the 37th annual juried quilt show at the Auburn art center, which has long been a proponent of quilts as a visual arts medium. The show features 73 works by 59 artists from around the world, from Trumansburg and Syracuse to Northern Ireland and Australia. Among them is Patricia Kennedy-Zafred, of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, whose quilt "Glimpse of Daylight: The Boys of the Mines" incorporates a 1908 image of an 11-year-old boy who worked long hours in a mine.

"Oftentimes, these boys were supporting other family members  mothers, younger siblings  after the injury or death of their father," Kennedy-Zafred said in a news release. "During this time, there was no Social Security, no disability or insurance. If a child was injured or killed in the mine, it was easy enough to find a replacement, unfortunately."

The exhibit's opening reception takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the center, 205 Genesee St., Auburn. Prize juror Bob Shaw will announce the exhibit's winners at the reception.

Trunk shows will feature artists from the exhibit on Nov. 4, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. There will also be a Fall Fiber Retreat Weekend Nov. 9-11, and a yarn/fiber event Nov. 18. The exhibit will close Jan. 6. Additionally, the Schweinfurth's new member show will open Nov. 2 and remain on display until Jan. 6.

Admission to the opening reception is free and open to the public. Otherwise, admission to the show is $10 for adults and free for members, participating artists and children 12 and younger.

For more information, call (315) 255-1553 or visit myartcenter.org.

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The year 2018 sees the 200th anniversary of Auburn Theological Seminary, which moved to New York City in 1939. On the eve of this anniversary, it may be interesting to examine the most lasting memento of the centennial celebration in 1918: John Quincy Adams "History of Auburn Theological Seminary." The book seems never to have been seriously reviewed. We are in for some surprises.

One-thousand copies of this volume were published in June 1918. Adams (1849-1940), the seminary librarian, had been working on it since 1915. A relatively short narrative of 182 pages is followed by some 60 pages of appendices, including the schools charter, bylaws, internal regulations and lists of faculty and students. There are illustrations of faculty and scenes of the Auburn campus.

Adams history is a fundamental tool for study of the seminary. He describes the schools founding, its early struggles, the two crises of the 19th century when it closed for a year and when it almost moved to Aurora, and its flowering into a beautiful campus in the 1890s. The reader learns who taught what, when they were hired and when they retired. Adams prose is workmanlike but dry.

Adams seldom refers to events in the larger world, like the second Great Awakening or the Gilded Age. This approach works, more or less, but in one area it breaks down: Adams says nothing about the schools anti-slavery activities, its role in the Underground Railroad or seminary life during the Civil War. From Adams history, the reader would not know there ever was a Civil War.

Chapter IX, "Finding Itself," spanning 1855 to 1870, has the following divisions: Changes in the faculty. Financial conditions. Curriculum. Library. Financial agent. Scholarships. Examinations. Semi-centennial. The war took place in 1861-1865.

Chapter X, spanning 1820 to 1916, has no subdivisions, and is titled, "The Ecclesiastical Relations of Auburn Seminary." That is it for the period that saw the greatest crisis in American history. What is missing here? Auburn Seminary was deeply involved in the greatest issues of the time.

Historian Judith Wellman, in her "Uncovering the Freedom Trail in Auburn and Cayuga County, New York," has clearly shown the involvement of the seminary in the anti-slavery movement: "Auburn was in the eye of the hurricane, she writes. The early commitment of many of its students and faculty to abolitionism, as well as its willingness to accept African American students, placed it clearly in the camp of reformers and contributed to the division in 1837 of Presbyterians into separate northern and southern churches.

Wellman noted that March 1834 saw the founding of the first anti-slavery society at the seminary, which enrolled black students. In 1838 and 1850, the society sent two anti-slavery petitions to Congress. Wellman added, Faculty members sympathetic to abolitionism most likely included Samuel Miles Hopkins, professor of church history, who arrived at the seminary in 1847. His sister, Sarah Bradford, worked in 1868 with Harriet Tubman to record and publish the first book-length version of Tubmans life history.

It is clear from both Wellman and biographers of Tubman like Jean Humez and Milton Sernett that Auburn and its seminary were key points on an Underground Railroad that went north from Dorchester County, Maryland, to Philadelphia, New York, Albany and then west to the Niagara frontier and Canada. Adams says nothing about this. This is more than ironic, since Adams was a part of it.

On hearing of Tubmans death in 1913, Adams, who was in Harrisburg at the time, sent a letter to the Auburn newspapers: When I think of Lincoln and John Brown, as a boy standing one hundred yards off and saw Stevens and Hazlet (Browns companions) hanged at Charleston (sic), Virginia, how can I forget Sainted Aunt Harriet? Not only the colored but the good whites, many of them, helped her in her efforts at all times. Mrs. Adams uncle, John W. Jones of Elmira, New York, was associated with her and others in the Underground System. He told us very much of Aunt Harriets good work. These are Adams very words! But in his history, Adams has not one word about Aunt Harriet.

Finally, Wellman also noted that in 1903, James R. Cox, son of a seminary professor, and a lawyer associated with William Henry Seward, recalled that fugitives that came to Auburn were, during the summertime, hidden in the theological seminary, meaning the original building erected in 1820. Cox lived at 22 Franklin St., a couple of blocks from the school campus, and says he brought food and water to fugitive slaves on the campus. (Coxs father had been hounded from his church in Brooklyn for his abolitionist views)

The seminarys engagement in the anti-slavery and abolition movements is evident. Adams knew all this; he was involved. The seminary leadership all knew it. Why hide the fact? A vital chapter of the seminarys history is probably lost forever! To try to get at an answer, we must examine what was going on in the country when Adams was writing.

What probably happened was something like this:

War had been declared on April 6, 1917. People were singing "Over There." Other people  war protesters  were being rounded up and thrown in jail. People read the papers like never before. In July, when Adams was perhaps two-thirds of the way through the time allotted for his work, politics banged its way into his study. Two events in particular, reported in local papers, must have caught his attention:

On July 2, 1917, in East St. Louis, Illinois, there occurred what historian A. Scot Berg has called a veritable pogrom directed against black people: A phalanx of whites marched down a thoroughfare of the city, and waited at a main intersection. As black people appeared, the mob attacked, pointlessly and relentlessly shooting, clubbing, stoning and stomping to death; they set fire to 200 homes in the African American neighborhood; they dumped bodies into Cahokia Creek. In two days, 150 people died. This event seems to have been a reaction to blacks migrating north and taking jobs in factories usually held by whites.

Less than two months later, another event occurred in Houston, where black troops under white officers had been sent to train. Berg: From the moment of their arrival, the black soldiers had clashed with white civilians. On August 23 some black troops  members of the 3rd Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment  mutinied, breaking into an arsenal and procuring guns, which they used indiscriminately as they rampaged through town. Fifteen people were killed and twelve others assaulted. In a subsequent court martial, many of the black soldiers were hanged, without review. These events were followed by race riots from Philadelphia to Chicago, Berg notes.

The Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, supposed to insure black citizenship and the right to vote, had been dead letters for years, but now the black man, left to his own devices by the federal government after the end of Reconstruction in 1877, was back in the news. The unsettled issues of the Civil War were in the open, undeniable. Black men taking jobs usually held by whites, black men in military uniform: This was unacceptable to many whites. The white reaction was irrational, hysterical, violent. Berg: The old bugaboos of black men preying on white women, and black women seducing white men played into peoples fears. There was war abroad, and social upheaval at home.

What, Adams probably asked himself, was he going to do? If he wrote about the seminarys efforts to emancipate the blacks, his school might be dragged into this unspeakable situation. His institution might come to be seen as part of the problem. See where your efforts have got us! some people would rage. Blacks taking American jobs! Blacks in military uniform! Blacks looking at white women!" The Auburn community had financially supported the school at the time of the 1870s crisis; was all that in jeopardy?

On the other hand, other people would ask, What happened to your interest in black Americans? What have you been doing all these years? For many decades, it seemed, the seminary had been mainly interested in sending missionaries to the Far and Middle East. Adams would catch it from too many sides. This was supposed to be a joyful ceremonial occasion!

His apparent solution was to drop that chapter of the schools history, and in effect say, "We had nothing to do with it! In fact, the Civil War and all its issues had never happened!" He probably did not realize how skewed his book would look with such omissions. Was he too desperate to care?

And it was not Adams alone. In his preface, Adams describes how he had handed his manuscript around to his colleagues, notably George Black Stewart, seminary president, and professors Robert Hastings Nichols and William John Hinke. They have made many suggestions which have almost uniformly adopted, Adams noted, adding, the writer alone must bear the responsibility for the book as a whole.

So, official silence was the schools unannounced stand. It is not an unfamiliar position of governments and institutions. Is it foolish to expect more of a seminary?

Adams would have done better to hit the situation head-on. "The work of the church  and this seminary  is never finished!" he might have asserted. And he could have pointed to seminary graduates like Edward Miller and George Shaw, who had established schools for blacks in the South. Adams was the one best qualified to write about the antebellum period. He was in a difficult position, but he did a disservice to his school by excising a vital part of its history. Even a house historian must be held to certain standards.

Whatever their reasons for the omissions in the "History," Adams and his colleagues probably need not have worried. He could have written anything about the seminarys antebellum period, and few would have noticed. A thousand copies is not many, and most of them probably were distributed to the seminary community. Two complaisant reviewers  one in the Seminary Record and the other in the newspaper  found no fault in it.

The war overshadowed everything. In the fall of 1918, Americans were fighting in the Argonne forest, the largest American battle ever fought. Plans for the centennial ceremony on Oct. 7-10 went on, but had to be abbreviated. The influenza epidemic began to make itself felt. Guests had to decline. Banquet food was mediocre! Musicians kept being drafted and the historical pageant had to be postponed until 1919. Secretary of State Robert Lansing gave a fiery speech in the State Street Armory that boded ill for Germany. Adams "History" was lost in this overheated, distracted atmosphere.

On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in Europe ended. Auburn Theological Seminary began its second century. Civil rights for African-Americans were a long way off.

N.B.: From early in the 20th century until the day it closed, and even afterwards, The Auburn Theological Seminary had powerful friends in Washington. Theology professor Allen Macy Dulles brother-in-law was Robert Lansing, second secretary of state (after William Jennings Bryan) in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson. Both men married daughters of John Watson Foster, Benjamin Harrisons secretary of state and longtime Washington insider. In 1918, Dulles two sons, John Foster and Allen, were in government service, and would attend the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Later, in the Eisenhower administration, John Foster served as secretary of state and Allen as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Woodrow Wilson was a southerner elected president after being president of Princeton and governor of New Jersey. His attitudes toward race were reactionary. He discouraged blacks from applying to Princeton, and one of the first acts of his presidency was to segregate federal offices. After the United States declaration of war against Germany, his administration was uncompromising in jailing war protesters and critics.

So: A racist southern president in the White House, his secretary of state the brother-in-law of its most prominent professor, the professors sons in government service  these circumstances alone would not have led Adams to delete the Civil War chapter from his "History," I dont think. Nor would the war, by itself, had had that effect. It was rather the rioting, the violence, the sudden appearance of the black man asserting his rights, and the panic of the white population, that probably caused Adams, uncharacteristically, to lose his nerve.

Ed Rossmann lives in Aurora and has been an educator most of his life, including 17 years in high school. Among the works consulted for this column: Auburn Seminary Record, 1897-1931; "Wilson" by A. Scot Berg, 2013; "Reconstruction: Americas Unfinished Revolution" by Eric Foner, 1988; "Uncovering the Freedom Trail in Auburn and Cayuga County, New York" by Judith Wellman, 2005; "An Old Boy Remembers" by John Quincy Adams, 1935; "Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories" by Jean Humez, 2003; "Harriet Tubman: Myth, Memory and History" by Milton Sernett, 2007; Auburn Citizen, July-August 1917; New York Review of Books, Sept. 28, 2017.

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AUBURN  The Cayuga County Legislature Monday approved a revised version of a land development agreement for a proposed 6.5 megawatt solar array on county-owned land in the town of Sennett.

In a 10-5 vote, the Legislature approved a land development agreement, with a lease option, that would allow developer Abundant Solar Power, a Canadian company, to develop an array on an approximately 35-acre piece of county property at the county's Natural Resource Center at 7445 County House Road.

Prior to the vote, Chris Carrick, program manager for the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, which helped conceive the project and which Cayuga County is a member of, explained the project and the approval process to the legislators.

The approved resolution only provides for a land development agreement, which includes no cost to the county but would provide the developer the confidence it needs to pay for a $15,000 study to determine what is needed to connect with the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation grid.

If the study determines that the costs are in line with the company's estimate of $750,000, the company would present the county with a lease and power purchase agreement to approve or deny.

As the county would also be acting as the sponsor allowing the developer to apply for approximately $2 million in state grants, which Carrick said the project depends on, the purchase agreement would offer the county a favorable rate of 6.6 cents per kilowatt.

Carrick said the project estimates the county, if it decided to purchase power from the array, would consume approximately 25 percent of the electricity generated with the rest available for purchase by county residents, with a targeted 10 percent savings compared to current costs.

Legislators Andrew Dennison, R-Ira and Tucker Whitman, R-Sterling, questioned the favorable rate for the county, saying the 6.6 cents rate or whatever could be afforded should be offered to residents.

"John Q. Public is the county," Dennison said.

Carrick, however, said the economics of the project made it impossible to support such a rate.

The agreement traveled a difficult path to approval, having previously been approved, defeated and tabled at several legislative committee meetings in recent months.

Several legislators Tuesday expressed concern at the process of the resolution, which was most recently reintroduced during October's Ways and Means committee meeting.

Legislator Aileen McNabb-Coleman, D-Sennett, said at the time she had felt "blindsided" by the proposal and did not have a chance to get more information.

While McNabb-Coleman still had some concerns Tuesday, she ultimately voted in favor of the project since the current resolution did not commit the county to any costs or purchase agreements.

"For now, I don't want to stand in the way of Abundant reaching out [for a state grant]," McNabb-Coleman.

Legislator Timothy Lattimore, R-Auburn, who is also on the board of the Cayuga County Public Utility Services Agency, had similar concerns as McNabb-Coleman, but voted against the agreement out of concern that the contracts for similar projects in the past left the county with too much liability and that CCPUSA members had not been involved enough in the drafting process.

"I want to make sure the project is successful and the only way to accomplish it should be to have [CCPUSA] at the table," Lattimore said.

In other news:

The Legislature also recognized the 49-year law enforcement career of retiring Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould by proclaiming Oct. 23 Sheriff Dave Gould Day in Cayuga County.

"Dave has succeed in his mission to protect and serve," the proclamation reads.

Gould, who was surprised by the announcement, joked that he would keep his remarks short before he choked up, but thanked everyone gathered for their support of him and his office over the years.

"I truly, truly, from the bottom of my heart, appreciate it," Gould 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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AUBURN  The Auburn Enlarged City School District's proposed multi-million dollar capital project is going to the ballot.

Without discussion, the board voted unanimously at its meeting Tuesday night to put the capital project up to a vote on Jan. 8. The project, which eyes major district-wide safety and security overhauls, is set not to exceed $43.7 million.

The proposal is currently set for two phases, with the first set at appropriately $28 million and an estimated $15 million price for the second phase. It would cause a 1.98-percent tax levy increase for the duration of the project, which is estimated to be until approximately 2025. Construction is targeted for 2020, with the district hoping to start bidding with contractors for the project in January or February of that year and start construction by that spring, with the second phase estimated to be underway by 2023 if the community approves the project.

District Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo said 93 to 95 percent of the project is set to be eligible for state aid. The district would receive around 84 cents back from the state for every dollar spent on the project within that eligibility.

The board also approved C&S Companies to take care of pre-referendum work for the proposed project. Pirozzolo said the Syracuse-based group would use a third party to double check the estimated costs for the project's various elements and get information out to the community through materials such as pamphlets. A public hearing for the project is set before the vote, but Pirozzolo said he wasn't sure when.

Safety increases would include beefed-up entrances, making outside visitors unable to reach student areas without running into additional security. Partial air conditioning and relief air is set to be included for all elementary schools and the junior high school, which Pirozzolo had previously said would come to $7 million. Other improvements include various structural fixes to the different buildings and the replacement of Auburn Junior High School's radiator system with a hot water system.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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AUBURN  Community members described Auburn's future as diverse, accessible, thriving and fueled by sustainable growth Tuesday night.

During the first public workshop for Auburn's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Landscape Designer Liz Podowski King, of Bergmann Associates  the consulting firm hired by the state to lead Auburn through DRI  invited the community to dream of the ideal Auburn.

King first gave the public an update of the goals of the DRI and how the process works. She explained that the goal of the DRI program "is really to catalyze future development and redevelopment by making a public investment ... that advances revitalization." She added that some of the hopes are to create active downtowns with a sense of place, support diverse populations and employment, grow tax bases and attract tourists.

From the $10 million awarded, $300,000 is set aside for the planning process that ultimately produces the strategic investment plan, King said. The plan is the final deliverable of the whole process, guided by the local planning committee which acts as an ambassador to ensure the vision for Auburn is met through the projects.

"In that strategic investment plan the local planning committee will be recommending specific projects for DRI funding," King said. "It's ultimately the state that is going to select the projects that will receive funding ... We'll all find out together which projects are finalized."

After explaining the process, King invited the public  about 80 in attendance  to be a part of the process by sharing their voice.

In response to King's prompt, residents used words ranging from advancing, potential, historic, rising, "diamond in the rough," to frustrating, split and homogeneous to describe Auburn. When asked what words people would like to use to describe Auburn in five years, people said things like diverse, intellectual, accessible, green, cultural, affordable, heterogeneous, artistic and the "best small city in New York State."

In a similar vein, people described Auburn's greatest assets as history, art, hospitality and potential. Some of Auburn's challenges that echoed among many were resistance or fear of change, and lack of retail, affordable housing, parking, diversity and public transportation.

After getting a pulse on how the community views Auburn's assets, challenges, and where people would like to see it grow, King gave each table a large print out of downtown Auburn with the DRI boundary area highlighted as well as different colored markers to showcase where they would like to see improvements.

Resoundingly, people expressed a desire to see the west end's arts campus expand. People also suggested theater expansion, more ethnic food, retail, green spaces, recreational centers accessible to all socioeconomic statuses, more affordable housing and public bathrooms.

Many also expressed a desire for some smaller scale additions  such as improved gateways and city signage.

"Because there is a lot to do in Auburn," Kierstyn Zaykoski said, "(and) as a transplant to Auburn  I've been here about four years  and I still haven't seen all there is to do in Auburn because half the time I don't know what there is."

King said that everything shared and generated at the public workshop would be compiled and presented back to the local planning committee at the next meeting, Nov. 27, so it can move forward with the public's input in mind.

She also reminded the community that project proposals will be accepted through 4 p.m. Nov. 2 if anyone has an idea for a project they would like to have included in the strategic investment plan. More information about the types of projects that will be considered can be found with the application at auburnsparks.com/dri/call-for-proposals. The application can be submitted online or a hard copy can be found at Memorial City Hall.

Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart.

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The United Nations climate organization released a report saying humanity needed to take dramatic action immediately  unprecedented in scope in human history  if we are to avoid a civilization-threatening climate disaster.

The NY Times Magazine devoted an entire edition in August to a story on how we are too late to save humanity because our politicians will never agree to do so.

Climate change is humanitys greatest threat, and it is happening much faster than the worst case scenarios previously outlined.

I am running for state comptroller on the Green Party line in support of the simple step of getting the state to divest our pension funds from fossil fuels so that we no longer seek to profit from the destruction of the planet. It is morally wrong and an increasingly bad financial investment.

Since 350.org started the divestment campaign five years ago to help create the political will to act on climate, more than 1,000 institutions with $7.2 trillion in investments have agreed to divest. New York City and the Republic of Ireland have agreed to do so as well.

The hardest task we face is to commit to a society-wide emergency mobilization to save humanity.

The good news is that we already know how to do a lot of things that will help, like renewable energy from wind, solar and geothermal. Moving to those energy sources means millions of new living wage jobs, thousands of fewer deaths annually in NYS from air pollution, and much lower electric rates in the future. Scientists with the Drawdown Project recently put out a list of the 100 most effective (including on cost) steps we can take to reduce climate change  many of them surprising (increasing education of women, agriculture practices.)

We need to vote this election for candidates who are wholeheartedly committed to climate justice and taking immediate action. Ask them how they stand on the issue. Vote knowing that the lives of your children and grandchildren depend on it.

Mark Dunlea

Poestenkill

Mark Dunlea is a candidate for state comptroller.

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LOS ANGELESFree Speech Coalition, the adult industry's national trade organization, has issued a statement titled Condemning Cruel Political Erasure of the Transgender Community. The memo by Executive Director Eric Paul Leue reads as follows:

This week, we learned that the Trump administrations Department of Health and Human Services has considered redefining the legal definition of sex and gender as something fixed at birth. This would effectively eliminate many current and future protections for transgender people, and it is more important than ever that we speak out. The adult industry has always valued the contributions of our trans and non-binary workers, producers, owners and colleagues. We are the platform, however imperfect, through which the straight cisgender community most commonly engages with individual trans people.

From its earliest days, the adult industry has encompassed people of all sexes, genders, sexualities and physicalities. While those in the constrained confines of government offices, DC lobbying firms, and conservative churches may see sex and gender as constant and immutable, our own experience and community provides endless proof of the opposite.

As an industry, it is more important than ever that we stand up for the rights and dignity of trans people everywhere. This week, we call on our producers, fans and colleagues to use the powers they have to affirm those rights and that dignity, and to show the trans and non-binary community that they are not alone.

For our colleagues, this is a time to examine your policies, language, marketing, and other communications. Are you using terminology and pronouns that validate and celebrate trans identity?

For our fans, are you speaking out on behalf of the trans and non-binary performers whose work you enjoy?

Now is the time for all of us to stand with the trans community  to educate ourselves, and those around us .

As an industry that draws strength from members both cis and trans, we want to let the larger transgender and non-binary community know that we see you. We are standing by you. We are your partner in this fight and we will not let them erase you.

None of us individually, have the same power, as legal definitions put forward by the federal government forcing a false and artificial binary. However, together we have the power to collectively change the culture. We can provide the bulwark that helps neutralize institutional bigotry.

This is not the first time that our communities have suffered as a result of anti-scientific politicization of medicine. During the 80s and 90s, we saw healthcare denied and funding cut for HIV/AIDS prevention after conservative politicians decided that their moral truths trumped medical ones. Millions died.

We must never let that happen again, and we must fight each time a government attempts it.

Today, we are donating $1,000 to help support Trans Lifeline, a vital support network for transgender people who are struggling with institutional discrimination. Other organizations worth supporting: the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, [email protected] Coalition, Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Trevor Project, just to name a few.

FSC members will be in attendance at rallies happening all around the US in the coming and days and weeks. We encourage you to join us and share words of encouragement and solidarity by using #WontBeErased and #TransRightsAreHumanRights.

What is most important in these dark times is to let those around us know that they are not alone.
MONTREAL  Advertising network TrafficJunky will be rolling out a fresh batch of advanced targeting options on internal publisher Tube8 starting next Monday, October 29. Advertisers will benefit from connection type, browser, language, IP range, and negative targeting when creating mobile campaigns on Tube8.

While these advanced settings are solely available on Tube8 for the time being, TrafficJunky is working to unlock them across their network to publishers Pornhub, Redtube, and YouPorn.

Enabling these features on Tube8 takes us one step closer to having a full suite of targeting options on our platform. Were looking forward to developing these options for all our sites in the very near future, says Rabih Boulmona, TrafficJunkys Product and Operations Manager.

Advertisers are encouraged to contact their dedicated account manager for any additional information on the newly released features.
A winding-up petition against Patisserie Holdings trading subsidiary Stonebeach Limited has been dismissed by the courts.

Earlier this month, the businesses announced serious accounting irregularities and the urgent need for a 20m capital injection to save the business.

The Patisserie Holdings board also became aware of a winding-up petition filed at the High Court, advertised in the London Gazette on 5 October 2018, related to 1.14m owed to HMRC by Stonebeach.

The company has today (24 October) said the winding-up order has been dismissed by the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts. Winding-up orders are typically dismissed when a business pays what is owed, or has reached an agreement to pay back what is owed.

Patisserie Holdings resolved its short-term crisis with a share offer that raised 15.7m, while company chairman Luke Johnson has loaned the business 10m under a three-year term on an interest-free/fee-free basis, and is providing a bridging loan of up to 10m to be paid back from the share offer.

This means the company, which operates more than 150 Patisserie Valerie sites and around 50 sites under other brands (see below), can continue trading in its current form for the foreseeable future on completion of the fundraising.

Finance director Chris Marsh was suspended from his role this month, and has since been arrested and bailed.

The companys shares remain suspended from trading on AIM and this is expected to continue until the financial position is clearer.

Patisserie Holdings

Total number of sites: 206 *

Brands: Patisserie Valerie (153 sites), Philpotts (22), Druckers (20), Baker and Spice (4), Flour Power City Bakery (1)

Employees: 3,200

Food/drink split (2017): 57/43

Eat in/takeaway split (2017): 65/35

Turnover: 60.5m (six months to 31 March 2018)

EBITDA: 13.6m (six months to 31 March 2018)

HQ location: Birmingham

Key management: Paul May, CEO; Luke Johnson, chairman

Patisserie Holdings has a vertical supply chain, producing goods in-house at seven bakeries and delivering them to stores. Products are also sold online.

Since acquiring the Patisserie Valerie business in 2006, the business has expanded rapidly through acquisitions and openings to more than 200 sites. In its current financial year, the business has been aiming to open 20 stores.

Timeline

1926: First Patisserie Valerie cafe opened in Frith Street in Londons Soho by Madame Valerie to introduce Continental-style patisserie to the English

First Patisserie Valerie cafe opened in Frith Street in Londons Soho by Madame Valerie to introduce Continental-style patisserie to the English 1939-1945: Cafe destroyed by bombing in Second World War, and Madame Valerie opens new Patisserie Valerie on nearby Old Compton Street

Cafe destroyed by bombing in Second World War, and Madame Valerie opens new Patisserie Valerie on nearby Old Compton Street 1945-2005: Patisserie Valerie grows to eight sites in central London

Patisserie Valerie grows to eight sites in central London 2006: Luke Johnsons private equity firm Risk Capital Partners backs acquisition of Patisserie Valerie by Patisserie Holdings

Luke Johnsons private equity firm Risk Capital Partners backs acquisition of Patisserie Valerie by Patisserie Holdings 2007: Acquires Druckers  Vienna Patisserie

Acquires Druckers  Vienna Patisserie 2009: Acquires Baker & Spice, which operates sites in London and Oxford

Acquires Baker & Spice, which operates sites in London and Oxford 2013: Acquires London-based organic bakery Flour Power City Bakery

Acquires London-based organic bakery Flour Power City Bakery 2014: Acquires the Philpotts food supply and cafe chain

Acquires the Philpotts food supply and cafe chain 2014: Patisserie Holdings listed on Alternative Investment Market

Patisserie Holdings listed on Alternative Investment Market 2016: Annual sales exceed 100m for the first time

Annual sales exceed 100m for the first time 2017: Launches trial partnership with Sainsburys, selling branded products on 12 supermarket counters. Partnership is a success and has since been expanded to 70 stores.

2018
Curating information literacy stories from around the world since 2005
On Friday, The Daily Caller's Kerry Picket reported that the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan, which houses the Manhattan Republican Party and the New York City regional office of the New York Republican Party, was vandalized, including broken windows and spray-painted anarchist symbols. The criminal group that did the damage also left a note:Tonight, we put the Republican Party on notice , in defiance to the policy of mass misery. They have championed.The U.S. government has established concentration camps around the country for Latino people, shamelessly murdering black people, and continues its war machine that has slaughtered Muslim people with impunity for decades. The so-called "Land of the Free" leads the world in incarceration rates per capita, all the while profiteering in the new plantation within the prison walls.While these atrocities persist unabated the Metropolitan Republican Club chose to invite a hipster fascist clown to dance for them, content to revel in their treachery against humanity. The Republican Party joined by their spineless partners in crime, the Democrats institute a policy of domestic and foreign terror felt the world over.Our attack is merely a beginning. We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize. Those of good conscience and clear mind know this state of oppression cannot remain. The US fascist political system is one of the most savage institutions in history and we will combat it relentlessly until all are free of American barbarism.Just a few weeks ago, vandals covered a Republican office in Illinois with the word "rape" in the midst of the hearings regarding now-Justice Kavanaugh.The Metropolitan Republican Club attributed the attacks to the " leftist hate group Antifa ," adding:Sadly this is only the most recent example of leftist violence and aggression against the Conservative Movement. But rest assured that we will not be intimidated by violence, threats, or hate speech. We will continue to fight for freedom of speech and liberty here in New York City and all across this great nation.
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Racing dogs are muzzled 95 percent of the time and kept inside stacked cages for 20-23 hours every day. Photo by Alamy

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Greyhound racing is a bleak and sordid enterprise for the animals. The dogs are confined 20-23 hours a day in stacked, warehouse-style metal cages barely large enough for them to turn around in, and death rates on the tracks are high. In Florida alone, one dog, on an average, dies every three days on the racetrack.

But hope is at hand. On Nov. 6, the voters of Florida, the largest remaining bastion of this sport in the United States, will consider a constitutional amendment that would phase out greyhound racing in the state by 2020. Today, a chorus of 30 celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, Pierce Brosnan, Slash and Owen Wilson, have added their voices to those already speaking out, urging a yes vote on the constitutional amendment.

A victory on Amendment 13 will be a significant blow to the industry and will help bring an end to this cruel practice in this country, says the letter whose signatories include Uzo Aduba, Wilmer Valderrama, Rainn Wilson, Minka Kelly, Scott Eastwood and Kristin Bauer.

We, along with our allies at GREY2K USA Worldwide, the Doris Day Animal League and others, have been working hard to push this amendment across the finish line, generating broad, bipartisan support from government, business leaders, civic organizations, animal welfare organizations, local animal shelters and veterinarians in Florida.

But as Election Day approaches, opponents of this measure, including the American Kennel Club, the NRA and the Farm Bureau, have ramped up their efforts to defeat it, using baseless and deceptive tactics to attempt to mobilize farmers, ranchers and gun owners across the state against Amendment 13, although it has nothing to do with their industries or interests. With a 60 percent majority needed to approve the measure, well need every last voter on our side.

To highlight the industrys cruelties, we are also releasing today an undercover video shot at Palm Beach Kennel Club in April that shows disturbing glimpses into the lives of the greyhounds. The dogs  muzzled 95 percent of the time  can be seen hyperventilating inside the stacked cages where they remain most of the day, before they are released only to make a mad dash around the racetrack in chase of a mechanical lure. This is no way to treat these beautiful animals.

There are now approximately 8,000 greyhounds in Floridas racing industry, and since the state began tracking greyhound deaths in 2013, 493 dogs have died on its tracks. Ninety-four percent of these dogs were three years old or younger. In a single county, Seminole, since May 2017, 87 greyhound injuries have been reported, including 64 greyhounds who suffered broken bones and five dogs who died.

In addition to these critical threats to animal welfare, there is the sad issue of doping in the greyhound racing industry. Over the past decade there have been more than 400 greyhound drug positives at Florida tracks, including 73 greyhound cocaine positives, and positive results for novocaine, lidocaine, industrial solvent DMSO, and opiates oxycodone and oxymorphone.

Greyhound racing is a dying enterprise, already illegal in 40 states, and where it does exist, the dogs mostly run in front of empty or near-empty bleachers. Ending it in Florida, home to 11 of the remaining 17 greyhound racing tracks in the United States, would all but guarantee the end of this industry in the United States. Lets strike a death blow to this enterprise built on the suffering of animals.


Yahoo! JAPAN



Yahoo! JAPAN
An official with the U.S. Veterans Administration proudly displayed a lit formal portrait of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Ku Klux Klan's first Grand Wizard, despite protestations from people who worked for him. 'I thought it was very nice,' he said of the official showcased art, which he is sad to have been forced to take down.

David J. Thomas Sr. is the deputy executive director of the VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

Thomas says he removed this painting from his office after discovering the guy on the big horse, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was a slave trading Confederate general who became the first leader of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

The painting is titled 'No Surrender,' by artist Don Stivers, and a signature shows it was painted in 1999.

"Thomas's staff includes 14 managers, nine of whom are black," reports Lisa Rein at the Washington Post.

She reports that it was only removed after "offended employees began signing a petition to present to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

David J. Thomas Sr. is deputy executive director of VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, which certifies veteran-owned businesses seeking government contracts. His senior staff is mostly African American. Thomas said he took down the painting Monday after a Washington Post reporter explained that its subject, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was a Confederate general and slave trader who became the KKK's first figurehead in 1868. He said he was unaware of Forrest's affiliation with the hate group, which formed after the Civil War to maintain white control over newly freed blacks through violence and intimidation. A basic Google search of Forrest's name returns various biographies detailing his role in the Confederacy and the white-supremacist strains of its aftermath. "It was just a beautiful print that I had purchased, and I thought it was very nice," Thomas said. He said he knew of Forrest only "as a Southern general in the Civil War" and kept the portrait in his basement before decorating a new and larger office at VA's administrative headquarters a few months ago.

The official, David Thomas Sr., said a black woman who works for him that his wife told him he should take the painting of Nathan Bedford Forrest down. But that he wouldn't. https://t.co/gcKQYquIOk  Lisa Rein (@Reinlwapo) October 23, 2018
You guys, when the weird gets weird on top of the weirdest weird, you have this kind of story. It's really weird.

Campbell Soup Company was today forced to deny claims tweeted by lobbyist Kelly Johnston that billionaire philanthropist George Soros' foundation is helping the so-called "caravan of migrants" who are walking from Central America to the United States border.

Kelly Johnston is Campbell's vice president of government affairs. On Monday, he tweeted that the Open Society Foundation arranged for "troop carriers" and "rail cars" to support the loosely organized group of asylum seekers who are walking north, and suffering greatly.

Vice President of Government Affairs for @CampbellSoupCo @johnston_kelly (a former Secretary of the US Senate under Bob Dole) spreading conspiracy theory about @GeorgeSoros' @OpenSociety planning & executing migrant caravan "including where they defecate." https://t.co/vDQvw4mUwh pic.twitter.com/NdLnpGQ9uE  Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 23, 2018

Johnston's Twitter account has since been deleted. The tweet is gone, but Ken Vogel from the New York Times screengrabbed it.

"The opinions Mr. Johnston expresses on Twitter are his individual views and do not represent the position of Campbell Soup Company," a company spokesperson says.

Someone delivered a bomb to one of George Soros's homes in New York earlier this week, and a person who worked there opened the package and could have been killed. This kind of inflammatory hate speech has consequences.

Vice President of Government Affairs for @CampbellSoupCo @johnston_kelly (a former Secretary of the US Senate under Bob Dole) spreading conspiracy theory about @GeorgeSoros' @OpenSociety planning & executing migrant caravan "including where they defecate." https://t.co/vDQvw4mUwh pic.twitter.com/NdLnpGQ9uE  Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 23, 2018

I've called @CampbellSoupCo PR & @johnston_kelly asking for evidence of this claim, & also whether it reflects Campbell's corporate position. I will update if I hear back. Johnston is currently registered to lobby for Campbell on trade & agriculture issues https://t.co/W2ppfkBJJm  Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 23, 2018

RESPONSE FROM CAMPBELLS SPOX: "The opinions Mr. Johnston expresses on Twitter are his individual views & do not represent the position of @CampbellSoupCo."

MY FOLLOW-UP: What is the company's position on the subjects raised by @johnston_kelly's tweet?

AWAITING RESPONSE.  Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 23, 2018

Also, it appears that Kelly Johnston has deleted his Twitter account, which seems like quite a contrast from his confrontational defense of his @georgesoros/@OpenSociety-conspiracy tweet yesterday. pic.twitter.com/oomnIBVTNA  Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 23, 2018

From CNN's followup:
Ecuador plans to stop intervening with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, reports Reuters today.

His situation as an asylum beneficiary in the South American country's London embassy may be ending, the statement from Ecuador's foreign minister on Tuesday suggests.

Excerpt from the Reuters report:

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said in an interview with Reuters that Ecuador's only responsibility was looking after Assange's wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

"Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps," Valencia said. "We are not Mr. Assange's lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain."

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment after normal business hours.

Greg Barns, an Australian lawyer advising Assange, said in an email that "developments in the case in recent times" showed the need for Australia's government to intervene to assist "one of its citizens who faces real danger."
For years we have chronicled the tireless fight of rogue archivist Carl Malamud (previously) whose Public.Resource.org has devoted itself to publishing the world's laws, for free, where anyone can see and share them.



The principal that the law must be both readable and writable is as old as the idea of the rule of law itself, dating back to the Magna Carta and beyond. But in recent years, governments have begun to integrate commercially developed standards into their laws as their official safety code ("The plumbing code of East Dingleberry County shall be version xyz of the Unified Plumbing Standards Body's Master Code"), and thereafter, people who want to read the law  to make sure they're obeying it, to investigate whether someone else has violated it  has to pay (often thousands of dollars) to get a copy of their own laws.

Malamud's position is that once a standard is part of the law, it is no longer copyrightable and he can publish it. Despite the obvious justice of this position and its long precedent, he often finds himself on the receiving end of dire legal threats and even lawsuits.





Last week, Malamud and EFF his lawyers, Alston & Bird and Elizabeth Rader scored a massive victory in this fight: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit struck down the state of Georgia's bid to suppress the publication of its laws, upholding Malamud's right to publish them. The appeals court's decision was unequivocal in its support for the position that the law is free for all to read and write  and that Georgia's bid to make its laws pay-to-read was unconstitutional and illegitimate.



Friday's decision means that Malamud and PRO can continue with the project, as no part of the OCGA is covered by copyright. The opinion throws out the specious notion that official copies of the law can be privatized by adding annotations, when those annotations were themselves dictated by the legislature and were widely considered to be "part and parcel" of the state's legal code. More importantly, it makes clear that Georgia's annotated laws "are attributable to the constructive authorship of the People." The opinion recognizes that when it comes to accessing the work of lawmakers, the debate must be grounded in our notions of democratic rights. It isn't simply an argument about dividing up a market for published items. This is a major step forward in a larger fight to free the law from copyright. EFF represents PRO in a separate litigation, in which Malamud and PRO are fighting to publish codes and standards that have been incorporated by reference into law. Those standards, which relate to building and product safety, energy efficiency, and educational testing, were incorporated by reference into regulations by state and federal agencies, after heavy lobbying by the standards development organizations that created them. Yet those same groups have fought PRO's efforts to publish the standards. That case is headed back to district court for further proceedings, after EFF and PRO scored a win this summer when an appeals court ordered the district court to re-consider the issue of fair use.



Appeals Court Tells Georgia: State Code Can't be Copyrighted

[Joe Mullin/EFF]
The U.S. Marine Corps is looking into allegations that one of its pilots drew a giant invisible dick in the sky, angering people who don't like giant invisible dicks.

From USA Today:

Maj. Josef Patterson, spokesman for 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, told the Marine Corps Times that the aircraft in question belongs to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101. Patterson could not say whether the pilot was an instructor or in training.

"Obscene or inappropriate actions, flight or not, do not reflect the core values we hold as Marines," Patterson told NBC 7 San Diego.
Alex Stamos stepped down as CSO for Facebook in August, after a career in which he rather fearlessly and bluntly warned about deficiencies in Facebook's security (this was totally in keeping with Stamos's character; he seems to have walked out on his job running security for Yahoo rather than building an NSA backdoor for them, making him something of a human warrant canary).



Stamos is now at Stanford's "Information Warfare group" where he's leading interdisciplinary teams "studying the misuse of technology" (they're producing some pretty alarming warnings).

In a wide-ranging interview with MIT Tech Review, Stamos talks about the problems of deputizing Facebook and the other platforms to police the speech that their users post, whether it be in the name of preventing harassment or hate-speech.





Stamos warns that these powers will not be exercised solely on behalf of good, legitimate states, but also on behalf of autocracies (according to Stamos, more than half of Facebook's users "live in either non-free countries or democracies without protection for speech"). But more importantly, when you put Facebook in charge of speech policing, you're saying "We want you to have more power to control what other people say and do."





Instead of giving Facebook more power, Stamos recommends other measures, like "advertising transparency" and federal legislation to limit ad targeting.

Stamos is skeptical of breaking up the platforms: he says smaller platforms are harder for states to monitor and lack the resources to effectively secure their users' data.





I take his point, but disagree. The reason Facebook has been politically permitted to behave so recklessly is that its size gives it political clout: if we want states to create the kinds of rules he advocates and enforce them, we need to make Facebook smaller so that it can't push its regulators around.





That said, there's a middle ground: mandating "data portability" so that users can leave Facebook and take their data with them, and eliminating Facebook's ability to use the law to prevent competitors from crawling Facebook on behalf of recently departed Facebook users who want to use a new service, but continuously import the messages waiting for them on Facebook while they wait for their friends to follow them to a rival platform.



Democrats are inevitably going to be more receptive than Republicans to these kinds of solutions. How do you make this nonpartisan? The idea that election interference only helps Republicans is insane. The Russian playbook is out there. The weaknesses in our system have been demonstrated. We have signaled to our adversaries that they can interfere in our election and we will do nothing to really punish that. So I would fully expect other adversaries to get involved in future elections. China, Iran, North Koreathe idea that all of these countries are going to support Republicans is ridiculous. So my message to Republicans is, "Let's fix this problem before you guys have to have your own 2016." This discussion needs to move past Trump. Republicans end up with a brain freeze if you imply that Trump was not elected fair and square. So we just have to talk about the vulnerabilities and what possible impact it has in 2020. When I talk privately with Republicans they're much more receptive to this.

Facebook's ex security boss: Asking Big Tech to police hate speech is "a dangerous path" [Gideon Lichfield/MIT Tech Review]

(Image: Guillaume Paumier, CC-BY)





(via /.)
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS STORY, AND WILL BE UPDATED. Authorities in New York are holding a press conference on 7 or more suspicious packages, some of which contained pipe bombs, sent to political targets, mostly in New York state. On the face of it, the coordinated attack appears to be an attempt to assassinate up to 7 different perceived political enemies of President Donald Trump.

One or more of the packages also contained envelopes that had an unknown white powder inside.

All of the targets are perceived as activist Democrats.

Targets include former first families the Obamas and the Clintons, NY governor Andrew Cuomo, philanthropist George Soros, the headquarters of CNN in New York, and former Attorney General Eric Holder. An additional package addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was intercepted at a U.S. Congress mail facility, which was not located on-site where the congresswoman works.

The bomb sent to Holder ended up being re-routed to the return address of Florida Democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, in Florida. There was no package addressed to her, but multiple packages had her address as the return address.

The CNN package got all the way into the mailroom.

During the live TV briefing, New York governor Andrew Cuomo revealed that his office in Manhattan also received a package similar to the ones sent to others, which contained explosive devices.

Suspicious package @NYGovCuomo said was sent to his midtown NYC office contained "no device of any kind," according to @NYPDnews.  Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 24, 2018

An ATF official said during the press conference that the device sent to CNN was a pipe bomb.

NYPD said the device sent to CNN was "a live explosive device," and the implication is that this and other devices had the capacity to kill. None of the devices went off. Their lethality has not yet been confirmed by bomb technicians.

Feds wouldn't disclose during the press conferences exactly what was in the package, but said 'it was consistent with the other packages.'

The investigation is ongoing. Authorities appear to be saying that various devices sent to the Clintons in New York, the Obamas at one of their addresses, George Soros in New York, Maxine Waters, and Eric Holder (rerouted to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz) were similar in nature and capacity.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: "I want to make clear the people of New York will not be intimidated, we are going to go about our lives undeterred."

No specific threats to other areas of the city at this time, the mayor says, but media locations around the city will get extra police presence.

It's not clear exactly how these devices were sent.

Nothing is known yet about any suspects.

This post was last updated at 10:41am Pacific Time on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

Soros

Obama

The Clintons

CNN

Eric Holder So, Glenn Beck's whiteboard. https://t.co/pDGYPeNdJj  Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) October 24, 2018

Here's the package containing a "live explosive device" and white powder that was addressed to John Brennan at CNN's office with Debbie Wasserman Schultz's return address. Brennan is misspelled and Florida is "Florids" pic.twitter.com/sFxCyQUDNl  Tasneem N (@TasneemN) October 24, 2018

Both "Brenan" and "Shultz" are misspelled https://t.co/Eui8rUmilD  Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) October 24, 2018

The same return address was used for the Clinton and Obama suspicious packages, law enforcement says https://t.co/QB7fqBqcqN  CNN International (@cnni) October 24, 2018

Throw the names of those reportedly targetedSoros, Obama, Clinton, CNN, Holder, Wasserman Schultzonto a chalkboard, attach some strings between their names, and oh baby you've got a TV segmentoh, wait, right.  "Andrew Kirell" is my Halloween costume (@AndrewKirell) October 24, 2018

Hillary Clinton praises the Secret Service for their response to a bomb threat on her residence in Westchester County, New York, adding that we live in a "troubling time of deep divisions." https://t.co/4R1BQuBNPf pic.twitter.com/hwiI31pbzi  CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) October 24, 2018

This photo obtained by @ABC and confirmed by two law enforcement sources shows the device recovered from @CNN by the NYPD bomb squad. pic.twitter.com/HFzTMSoJXG  Gio Benitez (@GioBenitez) October 24, 2018

George Soros's son, on what changed in 2016: "A genie was let out of the bottle, which may take generations to put back in, and it wasn't confined to the United States." https://t.co/mzzOU8rvHy  David Gura (@davidgura) October 24, 2018

INTERESTING: Cuomo confirmed a device sent to his office. Indicative that the bomber is likely resident in NY State. Out of staters don't think about this governor at the same level as HRC or Obama. The angriest people are upstaters still furious over the NY SAFE gun control act.  Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) October 24, 2018

False alarm in San Diegobut as many as other seven suspicious packages found elsewhere around US: https://t.co/O4tXIfILjG  Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 24, 2018

Reminder that the majority of terror attacks in the US are carried out by the far-right https://t.co/DhO87sCgCV  Klippenstein's monster (@kenklippenstein) October 24, 2018

JUST IN: Authorities intercepted a suspicious package that was addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder, people familiar with the matter told NPR's @johnson_carrie.  NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) October 24, 2018

This is the suspicious package received this morning at the Time Warner Center, which houses the CNN New York bureau. Police say the package appeared to be a "live explosive device." It has now been removed and taken to a NYPD facility in the Bronx. https://t.co/8mBvdMxf8q pic.twitter.com/4do7Io7yjn  CNN International (@cnni) October 24, 2018

BREAKING: Authorities intercept suspicious package that was sent to former AG Eric Holder, officials tells @PeteWilliamsNBC. pic.twitter.com/3otSSLPxb3  MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 24, 2018

Slightly noteworthy that the FBI just publicly described the suspicious packages in exact same terms they use to define "domestic terrorism." "The utilization of violence in order to further one's own political agenda is unacceptable," senior FBI official just said at press conf.  Mike Levine (@MLevineReports) October 24, 2018

The president is spreading what he now admits are made-up theories about dangerous Middle Easterners migrating through southern Mexico.

Meanwhile, actual violent threats are being made against those the president has designated as his enemies: CNN, George Soros, the Clintons.  Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) October 24, 2018

All the latest reporting from @abc: Capitol Police investigating one suspicious package containing an explosive device intercepted on way to the Capitol https://t.co/kcz0Uaeb5e via @ABC  Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) October 24, 2018

tell that to damn near every abortion clinic https://t.co/locPuMwiJu  Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) October 24, 2018

Armored police vehicle across the street from the NYT building pic.twitter.com/9w9pmVT2H9  Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) October 24, 2018

just into @CNN from me, @MaryKayMallonee & @PamelaBrownCNN: 2 law enforcement sources confirm to CNN that a suspicious package has been intercepted at a Congressional mail screening facility in Capitol Heights, Maryland. The Capitol Hill Police bomb squad is on the scene.  Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) October 24, 2018

A Fox News columnist is among the pro-Trump media declaring that explosive devices sent to Obama and Clinton are a false flag https://t.co/wThVO4GjKI pic.twitter.com/UfTOzhIAp3  Media Matters (@mmfa) October 24, 2018

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."  Ann Coulter https://t.co/xJX1zo4WOd  Zedward D Wood Junior (@Zeddary) October 24, 2018

Two of the top four rising posts on r/The_Donald right now are the false flag narrative. About an hour ago, a post said this was "straight out of the Democrat playbook." "They are doing it to themselves," it said. pic.twitter.com/cSGgwBXdsM  Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 24, 2018

The unabomber, which is how it's spelled, had a section called "The Dangers of Leftism" in his manifesto and derided the "totalitarian tendencies" of leftists, whom he said were "inconsistent with wild nature [and] human freedom." So this is entirely wrong. https://t.co/i0YcvrJuzJ  Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 24, 2018
The assassination and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi (previously) finally accomplished what decades of detailed reports of human rights abuses and years of increasingly grave details of a brutal proxy war in Yemen could not do: it made the Saudi royal family into international pariahs, even among the plutocrat class who had fattened themselves off of Saudi money.

But not everyone is willing to write off the House of Saud and its current leader Mohammed bin Salman, AKA "Mister Bone Saw," the man widely believed to have ordered Khashoggi's murder. While many of the world's elites pulled out of the "Davos in the Desert" conference (previously) that was supposed to bring the Saudi royals closer to western business interests, many attended on the delusional basis that this conference would not be used to burnish the credentials of a murdering crowned thug.

Of course, this was obviously not true, and the 3,000 attendees at the "Future Investment Initiative" were treated to a surprise visit by the butcher-prince, and dutifully rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation.

Among those in attendance: Tally Zingher, chief executive of Dawsat; Ken Moelis, the founder and chief executive of Moelis & Co; Henry Biner, an executive at the Boston-based P/E Investments; officials from Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup; Michael Slater of Northern Trust; Lubna S. Olayan, the deputy chairwoman of the Olayan Financing Co; journalists from Sky and RT, and others.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin travelled to Riyadh to meet with the prince but did not attend the conference.

Some who did attend said they were there just to do business and dismissed the Khashoggi situation. "It's just noise to me," said Michael Slater, who runs the Middle East and Africa investment business for Northern Trust and is based in Riyadh. "The people I need to see are here, and that's what I care about."



Standing ovation for Saudi crown prince thrusts conference attendees into limelight [Alan Rappeport/Seattle Times]
The disabled elderly woman, who was the victim of racial abuse on a Ryanair flight, has finally spoken up about the ordeal.

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A 77-year-old pensioner, who was identified as Delsie Gayle, was on the receiving end of a man's racism on board a Ryanair flight.

The man threw a temper tantrum because he did not want to sit next to the gogo, whom he dubbed an "ugly black b***ard".

As Briefly.co.za reported previously, a video of the incident was posted online and it sparked outrage amongst social media users.

According to ABC news, Gayle was on her way home after she enjoyed a holiday in Spain with her daughter to mark the anniversary of her hubby's death.

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Man goes on racist rant on board a Ryanair flight. Photo credit: Facebook/David Lawrence

Source: Facebook

However, her lovely holiday came to a horrible end when the man went on a racist rant.

Speaking about the incident, Gayle told ITV she was "shocked" since it was the first time someone said those words to her.

She added she felt depressed and low because of the way the man acted towards her based on her skin colour.

Her daughter, who was seen defending her mom on the plane, added she was disappointing in the way Ryanair handled the situation.

"Nothing was done, he wasn't moved and we've not had an apology, nothing," she said.

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When taking a look at the African presidents' kids, it is obvious they live quite the lavish lifestyle. Take for example Robert Mugabe's kids or Duduzane Zuma, who was allegedly made a wealthy man by is dad's friends.

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However, Munuti Salva Kiir aka 'Young Tycoon' claims his dad was not responsible for the luxury lifestyle he lives.

In fact, the South Sudan president's son claims he got his wealth from Jesus Christ, not some corrupt individuals or his dad's bank account.

In an interview, which was shared on social media, Munuti bragged about his $10 000 (R14k) shoes and $100k watch, which totals over R1.4 million.

The son of the African president wanted to make a point that he is wealthy and at one point he made a list of his 'blessings', which includes jets and a presidential suite.

READ ALSO: Pupils show up to matric dance with police escort and SAPS management is not happy

However, he wanted to make sure the interviewer knows he did not get rich off his dad or other individuals- his wealth was a blessing from above.

"My Lord Jesus Christ blessed me. I fly with private jets, I live in presidential suite," he was quoted.

A clip of the interview was shared on Twitter by Muhammad Goje, who captioned it:

"The son of South Sudans President explaining how he got his money."

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Glencore International CEO Ivan Glasenberg is set to retire within three to five years, according to a Bloomberg report.

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The South African billionaire is reportedly a top ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa in the business world.

Glsenberg, 61, has established a reputation as a workaholic. Briefly.co.za compiles five interesting facts about him.

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1. Glasenberg's dad was Lithuanian and mom South African

Business Insider reports that Glasenberg's dad was from Lithuania. The businessman grew up in Illovo, Johannesburg, and went to Hyde Park High School.

2. He is among South Africa's richest people

According to Forbes, Glasenberg is worth a whopping $5.4 billion (R78 billion). This puts him at number 309 on the list of billionaires in the world.

In South Africa, he is reportedly third.after Nicky Oppenheimer and Johann Rupert.

READ ALSO: Finance Minister Tito Mboweni: Eskom needs to shed 30,000 jobs

3. Glasenberg has a reputation for business ruthlessness

Over the years, Glasenberg has built Glencore into the world's largest commodity trading company.

As a sign of his ruthlessness, he famously edged out his close friend, Mick Davis, from the CEO position after their companies merged. Davis eventually left the company, according to Business Insider.

4. He almost took part in the 1984 Olympics

Glasenberg is known to be a race-walking enthusiast, so much that he almost participated in the 1984 Olympics. Curiously, he reportedly wanted to compete under Israel's flag.

5. He and Ramaphosa have been in business together

Glasenberg and Ramaphosa have reportedly known each other for over 30 years. The two partnered in the Shanduka Coal project in 2005 and other ventures.

Interestingly, they are both early morning walkers.

READ ALSO: Video of toddler doing the vosho nearly broke the internet

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- Bonang will be honoured by 5 For Change for her efforts as an activist

- The star earned the award for all the work she has done through her scholarship program

- Queen B may be a style icon but she has certainly done a lot to inspire young women

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Queen B is, for the most part, having a good year and she has every reason to celebrate. In 2018 alone, Bonang has received numerous awards and made history, now she is being honoured for her role as an activist.

Every year 5 for Change host a gala where they honour both celebs and everyday people for the good deeds they do to make the world a better place.

This year, the organisation has decided to implement a new category into the evenings celebration, the 5 For Change Maker Award, which will be awarded to Bonang later this week.

Queen B earned this achievement for the work she has done to empower women through the Bonang Matheba Bursary Fund.

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The bursary is awarded to ten young women each year for them to further their studies through Boston College so that each young women has the chance to make a better future for themselves.

The Managing Director at 5 For Change, Robyn Deutsch has praised Queen B for her efforts and also acknowledged that the media personality is the perfect ambassador for the organisation.

According to the Independent Online, Deutsch believes that they would be out of their minds to not recognise the impact that Bonang has on many women and young girls in society.

Briefly.co.za learned that the topic of woman empowerment is very close to Queen Bs heart.

READ ALSO: Proverb and Liesl Laurie are already moving on after their breakup

The starlet has recently been on New York to host a panel discussion at the United Nations General Assembly, where the main focus of the talks were on bettering education for women around the world.

As a smaller gesture, Mzansis darling hosted a competition on social media for three young girls to win a makeover and one of her evening gowns to wear for their Matric dances.

Not to mention that time where she bought an X-Box for one of her followers on Twitter for getting 3 000 retweets.

While she might be known as a style icon or for always blocking tweeps, Bonang does have a big heart and Mzansi is proud to see her be honoured for her efforts.

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It seems the saying holds true that nothing is safe from criminals in South Africa  not even a 3m x 4m fibre-glass pool.

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Cheryl Heyden was in disbelief as she discovered the pool had been stolen from the premises of Poly Phoenix Fibreglass Products.

Heyden, the company director, said a man observed 2 suspicious looking men walking around the property on Sunday evening.

She shared that the company is offering a reward for information leading to the recovery of the pool.

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Briefly.co.za gathered the pool to be valued at over R18 000. Facebook users were in disbelief as the post was shared on Monday.

One of the facebook users remarked, Where are they going to hide it. Others labelled it an inside job and couldnt hide their disgust.

Heyden revealed the company normally leaves their pools outside in the yard but this unsavoury incident will surely lead to a change in policy.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

ZANU-PF youth league has come out guns blazing against Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, accusing him of being used by external forces in an effort to destabilise and discredit government programmes.Ncube was fished from Europe, where he was running a consultancy firm and hoisted as a technocrat with solutions to fix the burning economy.But since coming on board as a Cabinet minister, he has been tripping on political landmines, with the latest being the appointment of chairperson of communication taskforce, William Gerald Mutumanje, also known as Acie LumumbaPolitburo member and youth league deputy secretary Lewis Matutu called Ncube to order, telling him to be sober and avoid advancing the agenda of pro-former President Robert Mugabe's remnants in government."Corruption should never be tolerated at all levels of government and society in general and it is every Zimbabwean's responsibility to fight the cancer. However, the Finance minister Ncube, through his 'spokesman' Mutumanje, has decided to directly criticise government," he said.Matutu, who is currently out of the country, said he had noticed an attempt to scandalise Sakunda Holdings when the company was the backbone of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's command agriculture programme."The attempt to attack government programmes, particularly command agriculture, under the guise of exposing corruption at the RBZ [Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe], is unacceptable," he said."We are very much aware that there are a lot of people who believed in the old dispensation, but are still in government, while others are not in government or outside the country influencing what is happening in government.We call upon Minister Ncube to be sober and responsible in difficult economic circumstances like these, to be mature and to remain focused on the revival of the economy."In a show that real power resides with Zanu-PF and not government, Matutu said it was foolish to think that government needed a Facebook live video to act on corruption at RBZ.He said, instead, both Ncube and RBZ chief John Mangudya should take responsibility and not attempt mudslinging tactics.Ncube yesterday refused to take questions on Mutumanje during a media briefing held after the Cabinet meeting.But government has already sought to distance Ncube from Mutumanje, saying he was yet to fully assume his role as the spokesperson of the ministry."Minister of Finance Hon Ncube would like to inform the public that he doesn't have a spokesperson outside institutions of government. Regarding the communications taskforce, he is yet to operationalise it as he is dealing with requirements of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe and Civil Service Commission," Information ministry permanent secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana said.
News / National

by Satff reporter

Terence Mukupe, former finance deputy minister has given one of the suspended Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) directors Norman Mataruka a 24 hour notice to resign or he spills the beans and provides corruption evidence against him.Mukupe posted on his Facebook wall alerting the Zimbabwe anti-corruption chairperson Goodson Nguni that if Mataruka does not resign from RBZ within the next 24 hours then he will be ready to be a star witness and provide evidence of corruption by the RBZ official.Said Mukupe on his Facebook wall, "ZACC Chairman Mr Nguni. If this economic saboteur and thief does not resign from the RBZ within the next 24hrs I'm offering myself as a star witness with all the primary evidence you need."The RBZ Governor Dr John Panonetsa Mangudya suspended four senior executives following allegations of corruption and illegal foreign currency dealings by the RBZ.RBZ governor, in a statement said: "The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe wishes to advise members of the public that following allegations of impropriety levelled against senior officials of the bank, namely Messrs Mirirai Chiremba, Norman Mataruka, Gresham Muradzikwa and Azvinandawa Saburi, by Mr Lumumba, the bank has found it necessary, for the sake of transparency and good corporate governance, that the allegations be followed through and investigated in line with the bank's Employment Code of Conduct."
News / National

by Staff reporter

The trial involving businessman Wicknell Chivayo and Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) yesterday failed to kick off following a delay by the State to present their charge against him.ZPC is accusing Chivayo and his company Intratrek of swindling over $5 million, money laundering and violating Exchange Control Regulations.The State justified its delay in coming up with the charge on Chivhayo on the basis that the defence team had made amendments on their first submissions."In our last appearance before this honourable court, we were placed on notice and we agreed on the 42-page document presented by the defence team."The delay is now as a result of the changes that have been made on the document, it was 42 pages and it has now been reduced to 17 pages so as the State we need more time to respond."Our response would determine the charge that we are to make as the State."I am hoping that by the end of the day, I would have gone through the document but I wouldn't want to promise the court that I would have completed all the necessary consideration," according to the State prosecutor.Advocate Uriri who was representing Chivayo said the State was failing to come up with the charge against the accused because there was no case to answer."There has been three attempts by the State in changing the charge against the defence."This is because there is no case that is there to answer, the State cannot pretend to be delaying with coming up with the charge because of the document which has been placed before the court."In any case, the document has not changed much from the first document that was presented in court," he said.It is the State's case that on October 23 2015, the Zimbabwe Power Company acted in misrepresentation and signed a contract with Chivayo Company for implementation of the Gwanda solar project.It is alleged that ZPC deposited US$5607814.24 into Intratrek account for the project to take off.It is further alleged that he was authorised by the RBZ to load US$849479 into his visa card for the importation of earth moving equipment but nothing came into the country.
News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC Alliance party national chairperson and the leader of the opposition in Parliament, Ms Thabitha Khumalo, allegedly had to be restrained from attacking members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) who had questioned why her party failed to field an adequate number of female candidates in the recently held harmonized elections.The incident reportedly occurred on last Wednesday, outside a hotel in Bulawayo, after the conclusion of a meeting by the Gender Commission of Zimbabwe.It was during the meeting, WOZA co-founder Ms Magodonga Mahlangu, questioned why the Gender Commission had failed to protect leader of the MDC-T, Dr Thokozani Khupe, after she was attacked by violent elements from the MDC Alliance."After a presentation before the Commission in which they admitted their failure to field an adequate number of female candidates in the 30 July polls, Ms Mahlangu asked the MDC Alliance leaders why this was so? And this is when tempers flared," said a source who attended the meeting."Furthermore, sidelining Dr Khupe had led to the silencing of other female political voices, as it intimidated other female candidates that had ambitions of attaining higher political office, Ms Mahlangu argued," said the source.Dr Khupe was subject to abuse during her tussle for the MDC top spot with eventual losing candidate Advocate Nelson Chamisa, with party youths threatening to set alight a hut she had found shelter in during Morgan Tsvangirai's funeral in Buhera this year."Throughout her speech, Ms Mahlangu was subjected to abuse from members of the opposition led by Ms Khumalo, with boos and jeers rather than robust debate. The ugly scenes did not end there as Ms Khumalo and at least 15 other high ranking members of the opposition party waylaid Ms Mahlangu and fellow WOZA leader Ms Jenni Williams, as they were about to leave the venue."The two of them were rescued by a group of men who took them to their bus and from there they left safely. Who knows what could have happened to them if those men had not turned up," she said.Ms Khumalo said there was no confrontation but just a mere exchange of ideas."Honourable (Karenyi) Kore (MDC Alliance Women Assembly chair) accepted her failure as she was accused, saying her role was to ask women to submit applications for positions to represent the party in parliament. The WOZA directors instead hired some scruffy looking women and perhaps paid them to come and cause chaos at the meeting after Kore made her remarks," said Ms Khumalo.WOZA co director Jenni Williams preferred ignorance on the matter saying the Gender Commission was better suited to respond to questions about the incident."They know what happened talk to them first then you can contact me after," she said.
News / Press Release

by ZLHR

THE High Court has overturned an irrational decision by Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC), which had barred a 15 year-old teenager from sitting and writing her Ordinary Level examinations. ZIMSEC had barred Shelter Chisiri, a minor aged 15 years, from sitting and writing her November 2018 Ordinary Level examinations after demanding that the minor should be in possession of an Identity Document, or Passport, or Driver's licence bearing her picture (as per ZIMSEC requirements) if she was to write her November 2018 Ordinary Level examinations. Shelter was unable to secure these documents in time for her examinations which were scheduled to begin on 15 October 2018.This compelled her mother Winnifrida Chisiri to seek the services of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) as she feared that her child might not write her Ordinary Level examinations due to ZIMSEC's stringent requirements.ZLHR through its lawyer Denford Halimani petitioned the High Court on Thursday 11 October 2018 by filing an urgent chamber application seeking an order to suspend ZIMSEC's decision, which was described as irrational.In her application, Winnifrida argued that Shelter was not in possession of any identity document as she is a minor who hasn't turned 16 years and as a matter of policy she could not be issued with such a document by the Registrar-General. Winnifrida also stated that Shelter had applied for a passport in September 2018, which was not yet issued and therefore she could not produce a passport at the time of writing her examinations.Winnifrida argued that ZIMSEC's decision is discriminatory as it does not apply to other minors who are not attending private schools and violates the minor child's rights to education and administrative justice.She also submitted that barring Shelter from writing her examinations would be unjust and would seriously prejudice her prospects in life. This resulted in High Court Judge Justice Davison Foroma granting the order sought by Winnifrida and suspended ZIMSEC's decision to bar Shelter from sitting and writing her November 2018 Ordinary Level examinations and also ordered that Shelter is entitled to sit and write her Ordinary Level examinations for November 2018 at a local private college upon the mere production of her birth certificate.
Competitive US Senate and Gubernatorial Races in Florida (2 weeks out)

Senate Race

The US Senate race is tight with Gov. Rick Scott (R) at 42% and Incumbent US Senator Bill Nelson (D) at 41%, and 13% were still undecided. In addition, Independents are in favor for Scott over Nelson in the Senate race 39% to 27%.

Gov. Scott has a slight edge in job performance with a 43% approval and 36% disapproval, while Sen. Nelson has a 36% approval and 35% disapproval.

It appears Scotts response to the Hurricane was positively viewed with 39% saying he did an excellent job and another 32% said he did a good job; 25% said he did a fair job with 5% saying it was a poor response.

Voters also approved of the Florida evacuation plan with 74% saying the State had a good/excellent plan while 26% said it was fair/poor.

Gubernatorial Race

In the Gubernatorial race, Democrat Andrew Gillum is at 41% with Republican Ron DeSantis at 37%, 18% were still undecided. In addition, Independents are in favor for Gillum 34% to 26%.

A major factor in the Governors race is age, as 18-34 year olds are in favor for Gillum 46% to 25%.

Presidential Job Approval

President Trump has a 45% approval rating and 42% disapproval.

Important Issues for midterm elections

The most important issues for voters is healthcare at 31% and immigration at 24%. The only other issues to reach double digits is the economy at 13% and gun control policy at 10%. Voters who said healthcare was most important are breaking for Nelson 64% to 20% while voters who said Immigration was most important were breaking for Scott 71% to 17%.

Regarding Gun policy, voters support an assault weapons ban 43% to 34% who oppose, 24% were undecided.

Methodology

The FAU BEPI Florida poll was conducted October 18-21, 2018. The sample consisted of registered voters who said they were very likely to vote, n=704, the polls margin of error (MOE) of +/- 3.6 percentage points. The data was weighted by ethnicity, mode, party affiliation, gender based on a 2016 voter model. It is important to remember that subsets carry with them higher margins of error, as the sample size is reduced. Data was collected using both an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system of landlines and an online panel provided by Survey Sampling International, SSI.
SYDNEY/YANGON (Reuters) - Australia on Tuesday slapped travel and financial sanctions on five top Myanmar military officers, accused of overseeing brutal violence against Rohingya Muslims by units under their command, following similar moves by the European Union and United States. More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh last year, according to U.N. agencies, following a counter-insurgency operation launched by Myanmar's military after attacks on security posts by Rohingya militants in August last year. A recent U.N. report accused Myanmar's military of gang rapes and mass killings with "genocidal intent" 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. However Australia, which has previously provided training for Myanmar's army and refrained from imposing sanctions, on Tuesday responded to the U.N. report by targeting four of the men named, and one other senior commander. "I have now imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against five Myanmar military officers responsible for human rights violations committed by units under their command," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement. A separate document named the officers; Aung Kyaw Zaw, Aung Aung, Maung Maung Soe, Than Oo and Khin Maung Soe. It said financial dealings with them can now attract penalties of A$1.7 million ($1.2 million) for companies and 10 years jail for individuals. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay did not pick up a call seeking comment on Tuesday. The United States imposed similar restrictions on top generals in August. Like the United States, Australia omitted Myanmar's military chief, Min Aung Hlaing from the sanctions. The European Union imposed similar restrictions in June. ($1 = 1.4168 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Tom Westbrook in SYDNEY and Simon Lewis in YANGON; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
China on Tuesday opened the world's longest sea-crossing bridge linking Hong Kong to the mainland, a feat of engineering carrying immense economic and political significance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a ceremony in Zhuhai to open the 55-kilometre Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which links the city to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Digital fireworks exploded on a screen behind him as leaders of the three cities watched.

The $20-billion US bridge took almost a decade to build while incurring major delays and cost overruns. It includes an undersea tunnel allowing ships to pass through the Pearl River delta, the heart of China's crucial manufacturing sector.

Its opening will cut travel time across the delta from several hours to just 30 minutes, something China hopes will bind the region together as a major driver of future economic growth. Heavily regulated traffic using permits issued under a quota system will begin flowing on Wednesday.

The bridge forms a physical link between the mainland and Hong Kong, an Asian financial hub that was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997 with the assurance it would maintain its own legal and economic system for 50 years.

'1 country, 2 systems' under pressure

That carries major political significance for Xi's administration, which has rejected calls for political liberalization in Hong Kong, sparking fears Beijing will clamp down further on civil liberties before the end of the "one country, two systems" arrangement in 2047.

The bridge's opening also comes a month after the inauguration of a new high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to mainland China that runs along a different, shorter route. That line has vastly decreased travel times but also raised concerns about Beijing's growing influence because mainland Chinese law applies within part of the line's Hong Kong terminus.

To Claudia Mo, a Hong Kong democratic politician, the bridge's political significance outweighs its practical usefulness.

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Kin Cheung/Associated Press

"It's not exactly necessary, because Hong Kong is connected to mainland China in every way already, by land, by air, by sea," Mo told The Associated Press.

"But they still need it as a political symbol or icon to remind Hong Kong people ... that you are connected to the motherland, with this very grand bridge. It's almost like an umbilical cord."

In Zhuhai, however, sentiments revolved around economic growth and national pride.

Airline pilot Liu Gang said he had been eagerly anticipating the opening of the bridge, calling it a symbol of the mainland's increasingly close ties with Hong Kong and Macau.

"It'll bring us even closer together, make us more flexible, economically and in many other ways. We're now one family," Liu said Monday afternoon while strolling along a walkway and shooting photos of the structure.

Luo Fengzhi, who works in real estate, cited the bridge as evidence of China's growing economic and engineering prowess.

"For Chinese people, this makes them feel proud," she said. "I hope that every patriotic Chinese person can come and see this great feat of engineering, and I welcome foreigners to come and see for themselves as well."
Putting tolls on highways that run through Parks Canada sites in Western Canada could net the federal agency about $85 million a year, says a consultant's report on how to manage the parks' roads, bridges and dams.

But that revenue-generating measure is likely "off the table" because of a federal policy that requires alternate free routes through national parks.

On the other hand, the report identified 183 dams and bridges worth almost $1.3 billion as prime targets for disposal, whether through sales or transfers to other levels of government.

Supplied

"There are no apparent legal show-stoppers in terms of ability to transfer land under the dams and bridges to another entity," says the August 2018 report. "This should be examined more closely by PCA [Parks Canada Agency].

"Transfer to another entity is very likely to achieve the outcomes desired by PCA."

The findings are part of a $204,187 assessment by KPMG LLP of the potential divestiture of "non-core" Parks Canada assets  infrastructure items owned by the agency that are not seen as having heritage or cultural value and therefore fall outside its core mandate.

The 59-page draft report was obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act.

Parks Canada owns about 15,000 infrastructure assets  buildings, roads, dams, etc.  worth $17.5 billion; about $8.3 billion of that asset pool is considered non-core. About half the entire inventory is considered to be in poor or very poor condition, requiring up to $2.9 billion in deferred repairs.

The Liberal government asked the agency last year to prepare medium- and long-term plans for its asset portfolio. Parks Canada hired KPMG to start the process.

Five stretches

The KPMG report examined five stretches of the Trans-Canada highway in Western Canada that have the potential for road tolls. About 186 kilometres of the coast-to-coast highway run through Banff (which has two sections), Yoho, Glacier and Mount Revelstoke national parks.

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The consultants reviewed 2017 traffic volumes and assumed a one-way toll of $2.50 per vehicle. Costs to build toll booths, staff them and cover overhead administrative costs were also calculated.

"[P]otential net revenues from tolling were estimated at up to $85 million per year," says the report. "This would be sufficient to cover the cost of implementation of a tolling system in the first one to two years."

"... the analysis indicates that tolling is not a viable option." - Parks Canada spokesperson Dominique Tessier

A spokesperson for Parks Canada said that the draft KPMG report is preliminary and still being reviewed, and that the "analysis indicates that tolling is not a viable option."

"Parks Canada currently has no plans for divestiture of these assets and no decisions regarding future action or next steps related to Parks Canada's assets have been taken," Dominique Tessier said in an email.

She said the report was "exploratory" and will be finalized later this fall.

The report notes that current federal legislation forbids Parks Canada from transferring ownership of the land under the highways, and that tolling is not currently possible because of a federal policy that "requires ... a reasonable alternative 'free' route to be available to the public."

KPMG also suggests that Parks Canada could contract out highway maintenance to the private sector or other levels government to "better optimize" its operational spending.

The non-core bridges and dams "have moderate to potentially high pre-feasibility as a transfer candidate." There are 80 such bridges  spanning the historic Chambly, Lachine and Rideau canals and the Trent-Severn Waterway  that together are worth about $225 million.

Another 103 dams on the same waterways, as well as the Saint-Ours Canal, are estimated to be worth about $1 billion.

A British Columbia member of Parliament whose Kootenay-Columbia riding includes four national parks  Kootenay, Yoho, Revelstoke and Glacier  said he worries tolls could end up making visits to the national parks less affordable for ordinary Canadians.

Charged again?

"These need to be places that everyone can afford to go to and to get in without having to pay additional costs," New Democrat MP Wayne Stetski told CBC News.

"You've already paid for that highway once through your taxes. Should you be charged again through tolls?"

Stetski, who has experience working with the Manitoba and B.C. provincial parks services, said privatization could hurt small communities that support Parks Canada operations by drastically cutting wages.

"Parks Canada and the federal government need to factor in the potential impact on small communities of privatizing any of those resources, in terms of what it would ultimately mean for those communities being places (where) people can afford to live."

Stetski said that, at a minimum, the Canadian public needs to be consulted before any decisions are made.

Parks Canada operates 46 national parks, a national urban park, four national marine conservation areas and 171 national historic sites, including nine historic canals.
YILAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - The driver of a train in Taiwan that crashed killing 18 people told a court on Tuesday he had switched off its speed-control system, a court official said, as investigators pieced together events that led to the island's worst rail crash in decades. The train came off the rails on Sunday on a curve while moving at almost 87 miles per hour (140 kmh), nearly twice the speed limit of 46 mph (74 kmh), in the island's mountainous northeast, the head of a government investigation team said. Chief investigator Wu Ze-cheng told Reuters earlier it was not clear whether the speed-control system, called automatic train protection, had switched off by itself or had been manually disabled before the accident, which also injured 187 people. A spokesman for Taiwan Yilan District Court told Reuters the driver told his bail hearing he switched off the system himself to boost the train's power when it had slowed down on an earlier stretch of the journey. "He should have turned the system back on at the next stop," said the court spokesman, Huang Yong-sheng. "The defendant is highly suspected to have been negligent." Reuters was not able to reach the train driver, You Zhen-zhong, 48, for comment. He was granted bail of T$500,000 ($16,167) and barred from leaving Taiwan after being detained for the investigation. You had been treated in hospital after the accident. You's public defender, Kou Tua-jai, said the driver knew he had to turn the protection system back on, but he had failed to do so because he was busy communicating with other coordinators due to a separate problem with the train's speed. "He admitted that he's responsible for dereliction of duty, but hed like to raise one point: there was something wrong with the train," Kou told Reuters. Kou said the driver said the speed shown on the train's indicator was not its real speed. Chief investigator Wu said more investigation was needed to determine why the driver failed to turn the protection system back on. He said it was not immediately clear if the speed shown on the train's indicator was different to its actual speed. GRAPHIC: Deadly train crash in Taiwan - https://tmsnrt.rs/2NZiXQi The disaster was Taiwan's deadliest rail accident since a 1981 collision that killed 30 people. The head of the state railway administration, Lu Jie-shen, had offered to resign but that was not accepted by the transport minister, the railway authority said. Premier William Lai apologized for the accident on behalf of the government. "People expected the railway to be the safest," Lai told parliament. "I apologize to the people on behalf of the Executive Yuan," he said, referring to the island's cabinet. Train derailments are not uncommon on the island, which has rough, mountainous terrain, but deadly accidents are rare. (Reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Environment and Climate Change Canada raised a litany of concerns with Teck Resources's proposed Frontier Oilsands mine during the last week of hearings.

Environment Canada was among several federal government departments that presented on Monday during the public hearing for the mega oilsands project.

Frontier is a $20.6-billion mega mine that's undergoing public hearings in Fort McMurray before a joint review panel established by the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

Frontier, which was first proposed as a four-phase project in 2011, would be built in two phases of 170,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) and 90,000 bpd with a planned mine life of 41 years.

The mine's lease area, 110 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, covers 292 square kilometres.

Environment Canada joined the region's First Nations in raising concerns about the impact of the mine on the health of the Ronald Lake Bison herd. The herd's current range overlaps with the Frontier lease area.

Rob Berlanger

Susanne Forbrich, a regional director and the team lead for Environment Canada at the hearing, told the panel there is concern the mine would cause significant habitat loss for the wood bison herd.

Forbrich warned a loss of habitat would result in the depletion of the herd and facilitate disease transmission, as seen in other herds in Alberta.

"It is Environment and Climate Change Canada's view that the project represents a high risk to the Ronald Lake herd," Forbrich told the panel. "And that some of Teck's mitigation measures are potentially uncertain or ineffective."

Current bird deterrents don't work: Environment Canada

Forbrich also raised concerns that the mine would kill migratory birds that breed in Wood Buffalo National Park.

Forbrich said Frontier represents a "high mortality risk" particularly for whooping cranes  one of North America's rarest birds  and other migratory species.

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She said Environment Canada fears the mine would create more tailings ponds, which the cranes could mistake for a lake despite bird deterrent efforts.

"This conclusion is based on evidence that whooping cranes land near the proposed mine, that whooping cranes have landed at existing oilsands mines and at tailings ponds despite the availability of bird deterrent systems," Forbrich told the panel.

Environment Canada submitted a list of recommendation fo bison, whooping cranes and other wildlife the proposed mine would impact.

When it comes to bison it's calling for Teck to fund independent studies to understand the impact of the mine on the bison.

For whooping cranes, it called for the reduction of the size of tailings ponds and for the use of mitigation measures such as drones to patrol the area and to fund studies into cumulative effects of the oilsands on migratory birds.

In documents filed with the joint panel Teck said it disagrees that the Frontier Mine would pose a significant risk to the bison or migratory birds, but the mining company has agreed to fund studies to monitor bison and bird health and the effect of its mitigation measures.

Teck, First Nations and other groups are scheduled to cross examine Environment Canada and other federal agencies on Tuesday and over the next three days  the last week of the public hearings before sides share their closing statements.

Connect with David Thurton, CBC's Fort McMurray correspondent, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or email him at david.thurton@cbc.ca
By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO's top official on Wednesday blamed Russia for breaching a landmark nuclear arms pact that Washington is talking about quitting, but said he did not believe the Russian threat would lead to new deployments of U.S. missiles in Europe. The NATO allies are due to meet on Thursday to hear Washington explain the thinking behind President Donald Trump's move to quit the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which rid Europe of land-based nuclear missiles. European allies see the INF treaty as a pillar of arms control and, while accepting that Moscow is violating it by developing new weapons, are concerned its collapse could lead to a new arms race with possibly a new generation of U.S. nuclear missiles stationed on the continent. In his first remarks since Washington announced on Saturday that it planned to pull out of the INF Treaty, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg lay blame on Russia for violating the treaty by developing the SSC-8, a land-based, intermediate-range Cruise missile which also has the name of Novator 9M729. But he said he did not think this would lead to reciprocal deployment of U.S. missiles in Europe as happened in the 1980s. "We will assess the implications for NATO allies, for our security, of the new Russian missile ... but I don't foresee that allies will station more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile," Stoltenberg told a news conference. He spoke a day after senior U.S. official John Bolton informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of the plans in Moscow. Trump has said that the United States will develop new intermediate-range missiles unless Russia and China agree to halt development of their own. Military experts believe the United States would be better off modernizing its long-range missile deterrent and ensuring that it could penetrate sophisticated Russian air defenses, rather than developing a new class of medium-range rockets. "It's an extremely dangerous intention," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Trump's comments when asked about them by reporters on a conference call. "It will make the world more dangerous." The INF treaty, negotiated by then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ratified by the U.S. Senate, eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the world's two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice. U.S. Cruise and Pershing missiles deployed in Britain and West Germany were removed as a result while the Soviet Union pulled back its SS-20s out of European range. But since 2014, the United States accuses Russia of breaching the INF by developing the SSC-8 though Moscow denies it is in violation and says the planned U.S. withdrawal from the INF pact is dangerous. "All allies agree that the United States is in full compliance ... the problem, the threat, the challenge is Russian behavior," Stoltenberg said. "NATO is in favor of arms control but to be effective, arms control agreements have to be respected by all parties," Stoltenberg added. STRAIN ON NATO A U.S. exit from the INF treaty would put another strain on NATO allies already shaken by Trump's demands for higher defense spending by the Europeans. "It is another headache for the secretary general because there is no agreement in NATO about what to do," said Lukasz Kulesa, an arms control expert at the European Leadership Network think-tank. "European allies are not really sure where the U.S. strategy is going," he said. The treaty requires the United States and Russia "not to possess, produce, or flight-test" a ground-launched cruise missile with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 km (310-3,420 miles), "or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles." At a NATO summit in July all 29 allies, including the United States, said they were "fully committed to the preservation of this landmark arms control treaty." NATO envoys are due to be briefed by a U.S. arms control official on Thursday in Brussels. They are concerned about the fate of other arms control and safety pacts with Russia, including the 2010 New START nuclear treaty which can be extended beyond 2021 by mutual agreement. Stoltenberg said he still hoped the United States and Russia could agree to extend the New START treaty, which also limits deployed land- and submarine-based missiles and nuclear-capable bombers, although Trump has described it as a bad deal. (Additional reporting by Andrey Kuzmin and Maria Kiselyova in Moscow; editing by Richard Balmforth)
By Yimou Lee, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart TAIPEI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Monday in the second such operation this year, as the U.S. military increases the frequency of transits through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China. The voyage risks further heightening tensions with China but will likely be viewed in self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from President Donald Trump's government amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing. "The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Commander Nate Christensen, deputy spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a statement. "The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows," he added. Taiwan's defense ministry said it closely monitored the operation and was able to "maintain the security of the seas and the airspace" as it occurred. Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province of "one China", had already expressed "serious concern" to the United States, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing on Tuesday. "The Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territory, and is the most important, most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations," she said. China urged the United States to handle the Taiwan issue cautiously and appropriately to promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, she added. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said he was unconcerned about any negative Chinese reaction. "I'm not worried about anything; I don't worry about things," he said in answer to a question. Reuters was first to report U.S. consideration of the sensitive operation on Saturday. The U.S. Navy conducted a similar mission in the strait's international waters in July, which had been the first such voyage in about a year. The latest operation shows the U.S. Navy is increasing the pace of strait passages. Washington has no formal ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to help it defend itself and is the island's main source of arms. The Pentagon says Washington has sold Taiwan more than $15 billion in weaponry since 2010. STATUS QUO? China has been ramping up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the island. It raised concerns over U.S. policy toward Taiwan in talks last week with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Singapore. As the United States prepared for a fresh passage through the strait, it told China's military that its overall policy toward Taiwan was unchanged. Mattis delivered that message to China's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe personally on Thursday, on the sidelines of an Asian security forum. "Minister Wei raised Taiwan and concerns about our policy. The Secretary reassured Minister Wei that we haven't changed our Taiwan policy, our one China policy," Randall Schriver, a U.S. assistant secretary of defense who helps guide Pentagon policy in Asia, told reporters traveling with Mattis. "So it was, I think, a familiar exchange." Taiwan is only one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which also include a bitter trade war, U.S. sanctions and China's increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea. Taiwan's relations with China have deteriorated since the island's President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, swept to power in 2016. Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, responded to the July passage with a warning to the United States to avoid jeopardizing "peace and stability" in the strategic waterway. It has also viewed U.S. overtures toward Taiwan with alarm, including its unveiling a new de facto embassy in Taiwan and passage of the Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages U.S. officials to visit the island. Military experts say the balance of power between Taiwan and China has shifted decisively in China's favor in recent years, and China could easily overwhelm the island unless U.S. forces came quickly to Taiwan's aid. China has also alarmed Taiwan by ramping up military exercises this year, including flying bombers and other military aircraft around the island and sending its aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait. (Reporting by Yimou Lee in Taipei and Lee Chyen Yee in Singapore; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Writing by Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra, Bill Berkrot, Nick Macfie and Dan Grebler)
Photo - Boy Parachutist 1943-45

'Auckland NOW' ran a feature some time ago - by Aimee Gulliver on the gathering of New Zealand WWII veterans who fought at Monte Cassino in Italy with Prince Harry as the honoured Royal Guest for this dedicated occasion.

Prince Harry attended a two-hour ceremony at the Commonwealth cemetery with Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae commemorating the 2176 New Zealanders who died, on this the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory that cost so dearly.

Thirty-eight New Zealand veterans attended the ceremony, which included contemporary accounts of the battle, and a minutes silence was observed after a bugler had sounded the Last Post anyone bothers!

Monte Cassino was a mountain monastery and therefore a strategic point for the Nazi forces from where the entire southern plain was observable and it needed to be taken.

From February 1944 four major attacks on the Monastery saw failure after failure. The Polish forces took the heaviest casualties. This was one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, the Allied troops made slow progress in removing Nazi forces from the rocky outcrop which was home to the 1400 year-old Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino.

The US Air Force dropped a huge number of bombs on the Monastery trying to dislodge the Germans. New Zealand forces played a big part in the second and third battles, before Allied forces finally managed to break through German lines in May 1944.

Photo - German parachutist in full gear

German side

Harry Henkel was one of the defenders of Monte Cassino and his e-book Boy Parachutist 1943-45 details the defence of this strategic position.

He writes: We carried stones and used them as building materials for these defensive positions. We didn't have to dig in, as these huge stones provided ideal protection. I cannot recall having carried so many huge stones ever since. This was designated as the first line of defence. The second line of defence was inside the courtyard of the monastery. The courtyard provided enough runway for an aircraft to land and take off. This was an enormous monastery and it provided ideal protection for light aircraft to both land and take off. Our quarters were deep within the dungeons of the monastery.

He continues: It is remarkable that in the beginning Colonial (New Zealand, Sudanese and Indian) and European troops such as the Poles and Czechs were used to assault the mountain. They took a terrible punishment. Every German was a machine gunner. We also had the added advantage of rolling hand grenades down the mountain. We didn't even have to throw them. The forty degree angle of the incline of the mountain gave precious little assistance to the attacking Allies.

Our machine emplacements changed from day to day because of the bombardments which threw the stones about. So although the stones protected us and we knew how to duck when artillery came toward us, the stones nonetheless were thrown about like match sticks. This served two purposes. One, it gave us new gun positions, and two, the Allies often targeted what was a gun position. Their own artillery in effect saved our lives.

And again: My machine gun was always tilted down toward the enemy at that 40 degree angle and I cannot recall how many boxes of ammunition that I used during this period. It was my number two's duty to replenish the ammunition boxes and he carried two boxes at a time up from the dungeons across the yard to my defensive position. I never shot at any single target in this time, it was always a swathe of shooting down the hill.

They never got within two hundred metres of where we were, as the fire power was so intense. Any movement toward us past that point was suicide. They knew it and we knew it. They tried night attacks but even these resulted in carnage. We had flares which lit up the night sky as if it was daylight. They never had a hope. We all had sleeping turns in order to catch reasonable sleep and this ensured there was always somebody wide awake and alert. When an attack came a whistle was blown and we were all awake at once.

Harry Henkel's e-book is available at http://www.writerspen.com.au/bushorchestra/HarryHenkel.htm

Harry Henkel was wounded during the battle for Monte Cassino and evacuated to Germany. He fought in North Africa, Catalina (Sicily), Monte Cassino and the Russian Front. After the war he became a translator (his mother was English) and migrated to Australia in 1952.

He died two years ago and was a member of the Banora Point Baptist Church having been won to Salvation in Jesus Christ in 1988. Harry Henkel sat with me for six months in 2008 to record his story in those dramatic three years - a 16 year old boy parachutist.

Photo - Parachutist jumping from Junkers

Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.

Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
Photo - Troson du Coudrays Optical Illusion

I recall an article in the Sydney Morning Herald by Nathan Bell titled 'A different kind of property bubble' discussed the true value of property trusts and how badly they were hit at the time of the GFC.

Paul Weightman, as then CEO of Cromwell Property Group is quoted as saying back in 2013 "We are seeing a different bubble developing this time compared to 2006. We have an enormous amount of capital from offshore looking to find a home in the Australian market, but we have pretty poor underlying property fundamentals. Investors searching for yields have been bidding up prices.

Nathan Bell notes that a remark this candid from someone in Weightman's position is incredibly rare. Bell surmises Weightman plans to sell assets before the bubble bursts and sees "a very strong opportunity in the next couple of years to improve both the tenor and price of debt."

It is noted that the Sydney Morning Herald states that Nathan Bell is research director at Intelligent Investor and this article (cited above) contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 282288).

It was noted then that The Lowy family has built a $30 billion property empire but recently sold its entire $664 million stake in Westfield Retail Trust, despite a sale price at a 10 per cent discount to net tangible assets and Nathan Bell asks that if you own shares in A-REITs (Australian real estate investment trusts - the new name for  property trusts), at that time - you may want take another look.

He concludes that some of the biggest names in Australian commercial property, those with deep inside knowledge of the sector, at that time were selling assets. You may want to ask yourself why.

Photo - Troson du Coudrays Appetitie

Mining Sector community housing

Im providing an overview over the past few years. The mining industry on the other hand is disparately trying to accommodate its work force and their families. My article of June 2012 cited the ABC Television 4Corners program (Monday 28 May 2012) on this very issue, showed housing development for single person quarters by buying up and demolishing family homes in these mining communities. One statistic shown was that 80 families had left Moranbah in the past 12 months.

Men or women, for their own well-being and person-hood, need their partners and children nearby, even if that means, a few days away at a time, and a three hour drive home. Spouses (partners) and families civilise the community and too many of one (male or female) creates unhealthy and unwelcome situations. Recent history reveals how traumatic it can become.

Then the Carlisle Coast saw significant property housing movement in the Midge Point area (Carlisle Coast) for the mining families working across the Bowen Basin in Queensland. Reasonably priced housing, from a basic $280,000 for a three bedroom home on a house block, specifically catering for the mining family industry are selling. Readers were invited to check out the Carlisle Coast and its affordable sea-change housing.

The local developers saw at that time saw the mines as a draw card for families wanting minimal community living (away from the cities and large regional centres) but within reach of supermarkets and convenience stores. The Whitsundays airport is 20 minutes away, Proserpine is a 25 minute drive, Cannonvale's large supermarkets another 12 minute drive, whereas south to Mackay is a one hour and 10 minute drive. These drive-time allotments are about the same time it takes to go from Sydney's outer suburbs to Sydney airport or the city's CBD.

Now, a close inspection of real estate on-line sites recently revealed some real bargain prices in the realm of the lower $200ks for a three bedroom duplex in sight of the astonishingly beautiful blue waters of Repulse Bay. An article I wrote for Christian Today at that time spells it out.

Photo - Troson du Coudrays Art and Sport

Vision is part of being 'coastal and affordable'

Today, 2018 there is 4G on-line access as well as land line ADSL Internet access as many professional people today can work from their home office. There is a local school, SES, Bush Fire Brigade, a community tavern with published culinary acclaim, various community groups; and there is a good school bus services for high schoolers. The Whitsundays (Proserpine) airport is 20 minutes away.

A sea change can mean - coastal and affordable - if people have the capacity to vision what may be, or have the type of work that can be activated by the Internet, or willing to make something out of the multiple-hundreds of thousands of dollars they save from not buying in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or the larger regional centres.

Interestingly, three bedroom two bathrooms duplexs are selling around $180,000 (give or take as there are a small number of them). It is a buyers market right now.

It is certainly the ideal location for the Well-Being Australia missionary respite facility, and we've enjoyed a steady stream of mission people taking their own time-out.

Photo - Troson du Coudrays Moon light

Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.

Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty  2 Peter chapter 1, verse 16.

Peters second letter speaks of the truth of Jesus Christand Peters message is as instructive to us today as it was to those who originally heard it. In this letter Peter confidently proclaims the lordship of Christ, rebutting the notion that the power of Jesus is just a cleverly contrived myth. Peter bears witness to a faith that is historic and realnot mythical but factual.

I want to share three reasons why we can have the same confidence as Peter in saying we do not follow cleverly devised myths.

A true story

The Christian faith celebrates true historic events, and they must be treated as such.

Philosophically speaking, if a story is presented as fictitious, then it is most unwise and illogical to present it as a fact (though facts may be used). The same goes for a story presented as an historical account (as the gospel narratives and epistles are)we may say that it is presented as fact but it was really fictitious; such an assertion would require facts to substantiate this assertion. If we are not careful it could be that we are smuggling in our own underlying assumptions that the supernatural or metaphysical could not possibly exist.

The Jesus Seminar (a group of critics formed in 1985) does not present Jesus as a myth; their idea is that the Jesus we know today was cleverly devised, and thus was a myth, he was, however, a good moral prophet (so they say).

Another example is a statement Richard Dawkinsthe famed atheist and author of The God Delusionmade during a debate with the Christian apologist John Lennox in 2008: I take it back, Jesus did exist and most historians acknowledge this, but so what.

We must understand the implications of affirming the statement Jesus existednamely time and history contain vestiges of Jesus existence. We cant have our cake and eat it; we cant say Jesus existed and then call it myth. We cant say Jesus existed; but who he has been presented as is mythicalnot without some evidence that substantiates this claim.

Testimony from those who dont believe

We do not follow cleverly devised myths, because even the stones cry out (Luke chapter 19, verse 40); in other words, there is credible testimony from those who dont believe.

Flavius Josephus a Roman historian who wrote Against Apion and Antiquities of the Jews says:

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvellous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.

With this example in mind, how can we call what Peter exalts cleverly invented myths?

John Warwick Montgomery writes that To be sceptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well-attested bibliographically as the New Testament.

Eyewitness testimony speaks loudly

Biographical information on Jesus in the New Testament was not put down or cleverly contrived, but was based on eyewitness testimony.

Consider what John Warwick Montgomery notes about the pre-Christian Roman dramatist Plautus one eyewitness is worth more than ten purveyors of hearsay; those who only hear about things say what they have heard, but those see know the score.

What do these eyewitnesses have to say?

In his first letter the Apostle John writes:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.

(1 John chapter 1, verses 12)

Similarly, the Apostle Paul writes to the believers in Corinth:

 And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep...

(1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 56)

Lastly, Luke writes:

In as much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.

(Luke chapter 1 verses 13).

I conclude by putting this to you, that we do not follow cleverly devised myths, because that option has simply not been given to us: he is either Lord of all or not at all, as CS Lewis said in Mere Christianity, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

We have come to know this Lord, not through stories cleverly devised, but through objective sources passed down to us for all to see and follow since that is what these truths calls us to do. Follow this God as did our forbears as they beheld his majesty.

Paul Lewis is a staff worker for Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship in Kingston Jamaica. He has aspirations of becoming a Christian Apologist and he loves reading, especially topics like: History, Philosophy and Theology. You can follow him on twitter @VeritasDeiVinci

Paul Lewis' previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/paul-lewis.html
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of Americans take angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to lower their blood pressure, but a new study suggests they might also increase their odds of developing lung cancer.

Among people taking these drugs for more than five years, the increased risk may be as high as 14 percent. Although that seems a small number, it could represent a large number of patients, the study authors noted.

"The silver lining of our findings is that while we found an association, the risk at the individual patient level is likely low, even after 10 years of use," said lead researcher Laurent Azoulay, an associate professor of epidemiology and oncology at McGill University in Montreal.

"For this reason, this should not deter patients from taking these drugs, should their physician deem the treatment appropriate," he said.

Azoulay also cautioned that this is an observational study, and it can't prove these drugs actually cause lung cancer.

Although ACE inhibitors are great for lowering blood pressure, they may also increase chemicals in the body that are linked with lung cancer, he explained.

Specifically, chemicals called bradykinin and substance P in the lung have been found in lung cancer tissue, and bradykinin may stimulate the growth of lung cancer.

Common ACE inhibitors include Lotensin (benazepril), Prinivil (lisinopril) and Altace (ramipril).

Deirdre Cronin Fenton, from the department of clinical epidemiology at Aarhus University in Denmark, said patients should weigh the benefits of these drugs against a small possible risk.

"In an individual patient, any concerns about the risk of lung cancer should be balanced by the survival benefit associated with the use of ACE inhibitors," said Cronin Fenton, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study.

Both were published Oct. 24 in the medical journal BMJ.

For the study, Azoulay and his colleagues collected data on nearly 1 million patients whose medical records were in a British database. These patients began taking drugs to control blood pressure between 1995 and 2015.

The participants were at least 18, with no history of cancer, and they were followed up for an average of six years. During that time, nearly 8,000 developed lung cancer.

After accounting for factors that might influence the findings, such as age, gender, weight, smoking, drinking and history of lung disease, Azoulay's team found that ACE inhibitors were tied to a 14 percent increased risk for lung cancer.

The risk for lung cancer was seen after five years of taking these drugs. For those who took them for more than 10 years, the risk increased to 31 percent, the researchers found.

A specialist not involved with the new study said patients taking ACE inhibitors should not worry because the benefits of these drugs far outweigh any risk for lung cancer.

"ACE inhibitors have been extensively studied in a multitude of large-scale, randomized clinical trials in very diverse patient populations," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In these trials, the benefits of ACE inhibitors have outweighed any potential risks, and many of these studies showed reductions in deaths without any evidence of an increased risk of cancer in general or lung cancer in particular, he said.

"These findings should not raise concerns about the safety of ACE inhibitors," Fonarow said.

More information

Visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine for more on ACE inhibitors.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- New Jersey health officials on Wednesday confirmed the deaths of seven children following infection with an adenovirus -- a member of the same viral family that causes the common cold.

Eleven other children are infected, and all cases occurred at the same health care facility, the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, according to N.J. Commissioner of Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal.

"This is an ongoing outbreak investigation," Elnahal said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the particular strain of adenovirus 7 in this outbreak is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems. The strain has been particularly associated with disease in communal living arrangements and can be more severe."

The Wanaque Center is licensed to care for 92 children and 135 adults, according to the Bergen County Record.

The facility is designed for the care of severely disabled children, some of whom are in comas. Many will never walk or talk, and may reside at the center until they are 21 and are moved to another facility, the Record explained.

Adenoviruses are common viruses that populate the lining of the airways, intestines, eyes or urinary tract. They can lead to colds, coughs, sore throats, pinkeye and diarrhea.

One expert who often deals with cases of serious infectious illness said tragedies such as the New Jersey outbreak are rare, so most parents should not be alarmed.

"There are over 60 different subtypes of adenovirus, but adenovirus 7 is particularly dangerous and may lead to significant respiratory complications, including pneumonia," explained Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

But for the vast majority of children, adenovirus infection "is generally more benign," he stressed, "with symptoms lasting five to seven days."

The adenovirus 7 outbreak in New Jersey "appears to have affected children with a weakened immune system," Glatter noted.

That's typical for this viral strain.

"It generally can strike adults or children who are immunocompromised, and it also has an affinity for those persons with asthma, COPD and coronary artery disease," Glatter explained.

Another factor could encourage the virus' lethal spread: crowding.

"Living in crowded conditions is also a risk factor for rapid spread of this highly contagious virus," Glatter said. For example, "we often see [outbreaks] in persons in the military living in close or crowded conditions," he said.

Finally, Glatter said, any lapse in hygiene control can up the odds that adenovirus can spread and cause harm, especially for immunocompromised people.

In fact, Elnahal said his inspection team "on Sunday found minor hand washing deficiencies" at the Wanaque Center, "and the Health Department is continuing to work closely with the facility on infection control issues."

As the common cold season begins, there are things families can do to cut down on their risk of contracting any strain of adenovirus, according to Glatter.

"The virus can be rapidly spread by just coughing or sneezing," he said. "Touching your eyes, nose or mouth after contact with a contaminated surface is often responsible for the rapid spread of the virus. For this reason, it's important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water."

Washing for about 20 seconds should do it, Glatter said, and if you don't have soap and water, hand sanitizers will do. "Disinfection of community areas are also important, including tabletops, kitchen appliances and doorknobs," he said.

What if you or your child still gets sick? Unfortunately, there remains no cure for the common cold, but it will pass, Glatter said.

In the meantime, "medications to control fever and maintaining adequate hydration are vital, especially in children as well as in older adults," he said.

In rare cases -- such as what happened at the New Jersey center -- people with adenovirus can develop more severe illness.

"People with adenovirus who develop difficulty breathing, continued fevers, vomiting or change in their mental status need to be evaluated immediately in the emergency department," Glatter said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on adenoviruses.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Children with asthma who live in areas with dirty air require emergency medical care more often than those with less exposure to air pollution, a new study finds.

The Columbia University study included nearly 200 children with asthma in New York City, ages 7 to 8. They came from middle-class families in four of the city's five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that can make it difficult to breathe.

For the study, researchers grouped the kids based on asthma rates in their neighborhoods.

Although family incomes were similar, those in neighborhoods with higher asthma rates tended to live in apartment buildings or on higher floors. They were more likely to live in crowded quarters, and to be cared for by single mothers, the study found.

Those children needed emergency care more often and tended to suffer more from exercise-induced wheezing.

Air pollution levels nearby were higher than in neighborhoods with lower asthma rates, the researchers reported.

However, children in neighborhoods with lower asthma rates were also significantly affected by air pollution, too, according to the study.

The findings were published Oct. 18 in the journal Pediatric Research.

"In neighborhoods with less poverty, children exposed to air pollution were more likely to be taken for emergency asthma treatment," said lead author Dr. Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, a pediatric pulmonologist.

"However, in neighborhoods with more poverty, it's likely that other things in the environment, such as stress and violence, have a stronger effect on urgent asthma treatment than air pollution," Lovinsky-Desir said in a journal news release.

She warned that neighborhoods where asthma is less common should not be excluded from clean-air efforts.

More information

The American Lung Association has more on asthma in children.
China inaugurated Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, worlds longest sea bridge with total length of 55 km. The new sea bridge will connect the east and west sides of Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea, connecting two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau with Zhuhai i.e. mainland China.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

It includes dual three-lane, oversea stretch (22.9 km) and undersea tunnel (6.7 km) which reaches depth of 44 m. The rest 25.4 km of the bridge runs over land. The two ends of tunnel of bridge are connected to two artificial islands, each million sq ft, constructed in shallow areas of Pearl River Estuary to allow transit between bridge and tunnel sections.

The 6.7 km undersea tunnel is made of chain of 33 submerged hollow blocks, each 38 m wide, 11.4 m high and weighing 80,000 tonnes. The bridge contains 400,000 tonnes of steel. It is designed to withstand magnitude-8 earthquake and strikes by super-sized cargo ships.

The project was initially conceived in 2003, and construction began on December 2009. Its total cost was 120 billion yuan ($17.3 billion). This has been shared in different proportions by Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai governments. It is estimated that 29,000 vehicles would cross the bridge every day.



Significance

China considers this mega structure as key component of its plans to develop Greater Bay Area. This area will be business hub comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities of Guangdong province (mainland China). This bay area is being developed with aim to rival New York (US) and Tokyo (Japan) in terms of technological innovation and economic success. This bridge will play vital role in facilitating creation of a single market by connecting.

The bridge will put three cities within hours commute of each other and is expected to boost economic development. It will cut travel time from Hong Kong International Airport to Zhuhai from 4 hours to 45 minutes. It will also bring down trip between Kwai Chung Container Port (Hong Kong) and Zhuhai to 1 hour and 15 minutes from existing 3 hours.

Criticisms

This bridge is considered is another move of China to assert more control over Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions. Both provinces are former European colonies (Hong Kong was under British control and Macau was under Portuguese control), handed back to China in late 1990 and are run under one country, two systems principle, which allows them to retain their economic and democratic systems of government (multi-party system) independent of China for 50 years. Concerns of affecting ecology of area especially to White Chinese dolphin also have been raised. Safety concerns of bridge also have been raised after reports that artificial islands has drifted.
The first trilateral meeting between India, Afghanistan and Iran of Coordination Council of Chabahar Agreement was held in Tehran, capital city of Iran. India, Iran and Afghanistan in May 2016, had signed agreement which entailed establishment of transit and transport corridor among three countries using Chabahar Port as one of regional hubs.

Highlights of Meeting

Detailed discussions were held between three sides on full operationalisation of trilateral Agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar port. They shared view that full operationalisation of Chabahar port will promote connectivity and economic development of Afghanistan and region. They also reviewed its implementation.

They also decided to constitute follow-up committee that will hold its first meeting within two months in Chabahar port. This committee will discuss and aim to finalise protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs and consular matters for making the route attractive and decrease logistic costs. It was also decided to hold next meeting of the coordination council in India in the first half of 2019.

The meeting assumes significance as strategically-located Chabahar port on energy-rich Irans southern coast was coming under ambit of US sanctions on Iran. The sanctions were announced after US under President Donald Trump administration withdrew from 2015 Iran nuclear deal that lifted most of embargoes on Iran imposed for its suspected nuclear weapons programme. India is committed to Chabbar project despite threat of US sanctions on nations doing business with Iran including buying oil or investing in the country. It also has conveyed to US importance of Chabahar project, saying it can be major link for trade with war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Chabbar project

Chabahar is strategically located in Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich Irans southern coast in Gulf of Oman. It is less than 100 nautical miles from Chinese built port of Gwadar in Pakistan. India in 2003 had first proposed developing Chabahar port. The port is seen as golden gateway for India to access landlocked markets of Afghanistan and Central Asian markets bypassing Pakistan. India and Iran had signed lease agreement for operation of Shahid Beheshti port or phase 1 of Chabahar in February 2018. Under the terms of this agreemetn, India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL), an Indian company was to take over interim operations of tport Chabahar and operate terminal for 18 months.


International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR  2018) was held at Bangaram Island, Union Territory of Lakshadweep from 22nd to 24th October, 2018. The theme of the conference was Reef for Life. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

STAPCOR  2018

It was jointly organized by Department of Environment and Forest, Union Territory of Lakshadweep Administration with the technical support of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and in association with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Environmental Information System (ENVIS) in consonance with declaration of year 2018 as 3rd decadal International year of Reefs. About 150 delegates both international and national had participated in this mega event. The delegates and keynote speakers for technical deliberations in this conference were from United State of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Kuwait, Italy, France, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

International Year of the Reef

International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) has declared year 2018 as International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2018). It is designed to raise awareness about the threats to coral reefs and the associated ecosystem.

Coral reef

It is underwater marine ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Corals secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons that support and protect them. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Coral belongs to class Anthozoa in animal phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones and jellyfish. Corals are often called rainforests of the sea as they form some of Earths most diverse ecosystems. They occupy less than 0.1% of worlds ocean area, but provide a home for at least 25% of all marine species.

Coral reefs flourish in ocean waters that provide few nutrients. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water coral reefs exist on smaller scales in other areas. Great Barrier Reef, located in Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia is largest Coral reef in the world. The major reef formations in India are restricted to Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kachchh, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. Coral reefs are fragile, partly because they are sensitive to water conditions.

Conditions required for their growth: Warm tropical oceans located between 30 degree north and 25 degree south latitudes where a minimum temperature of 20 degree is found and this temperature favour the growth of coral organisms, oceanic water free of sedimentation, transparent parts of ocean bodies, relatively low salinity ocean bodies.

Threats: They are under threat from excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), rising temperatures due to global warming, oceanic acidification, sunscreen use overuse, overfishing (eg. from blast fishing, cyanide fishing, spearfishing on scuba),and harmful land-use practices, including runoff and seeps (e.g., from injection wells and cesspools).
India: Activists seek scrapping of Sagarmala projects

October 24,2018 | Source: The Times of India

The National Alliance of Peoples Movement together with the National Fishworkers Forum have demanded that the Sagarmala and and all related projects be scrapped immediately in the state in keeping with the demands of the fishing community.



The groups, in a memorandum submitted to the Captain of Ports on Tuesday, demanded denotification of six rivers of Goa, namely Mandovi, Zuari, Chapora, Mapusa, Cumbharjua and Sal from the National Waterways Act, 2016, denotification of Mormugao Port Trust (MPT)s jurisdiction over inland and coastal waters and land and zero coal transportation at MPT.



Demands also included withdrawal of autonomy to MPT under the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2016, stoppage of dilution of coastal regulation zone (CRZ) and withdrawal of all three amendments to CRZ notification, 2011. The Samvidhan Samman Yatra, which started in Gujarat on October 2, has reached Goa after visiting five states. The rally was launched out of concern for democracy, secularism, and loot of natural resources. NAPM representatives in Goa visited Mopa villagers on Tuesday to express their solidarity over the proposed greenfield airport. They also visited sacred groves and invoked blessings.



Stating that resources are being destroyed in the name of development, Green Nobel prize winner Prafulla Samantara from Odisha said, Our appeal to the government is to plan policies following the Constitution. Activist Krishnakanth said the government is trying to take away peoples rights through the national shipping policy and different amendments.
Odisha: Climate change in India: Odisha all set to redraw its map

by Ashis Senapati

October 24,2018 | Source: Down to Earth

This 6-metre-tall hand pump is testimony to the growing wrath of the sea, says Pramila Behera, a resident of Satabhaya village in Odishas Kendrapara district, pointing to a bizarre structure. In the past one year, the Bay of Bengal has washed away chunks of land from the coastal village and now the pumps water cylinder, which remains below the ground, stands exposed on the beach. The village residents have tied a rope to its handle to pump and attached a pipe at its mouth to collect water. The sea has swallowed up 10 other hand pumps over the past 20 years. This one, when installed 18 years ago, was well in the middle of the village. Today, it is too close to the sea and is likely to be gobbled up in a few months, she says, adding that this is the last source of drinking water in the village. The villages 12 km-long beach is the fastest eroding in the state, says Subhendra Kumar Nayak, chief general manager of the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA).



In fact, the entire gram panchayat of Satabhaya, literally seven brothers, may soon become a thing of the past. It originally consisted of seven villages. Now, only Satabhaya and Kanhupur remain. Five othersGobindapur, Mohanpur, Kharik ula, Chintamanipur and Badagahiramatha have been devoured by the Bay of Bengal since a massive cyclone hit Odisha in 1971, killing over 1,000 people. More than 600 houses and 2,400 hectares (ha) of agricultural land have gone under the sea in the past 48 years, says Maguni Raut, revenue inspector of the region. Once boasting of lush paddy fields and coconut trees, the two surviving villages are now ghosts of their former selves where half-buried, decaying tree stumps greet the eye.



The first major instance of sea erosion occurred here some 30 years ago when the winter palace of Shivendra Narayan Bhan jadeo, scion of the royal family of Rajkanika, ended up in the sea. The 110-year-old Panchubarahi Upper Primary School in Satabhaya met the same fate in 2012, prompting the district authorities to build a thatched house as a substitute the next year. In 2015, that too, was washed away. This prompted the government to establish in 2016 the states first resettlement project for sea erosion-affected people in Bagapatia village, 12 km from Satabhaya.



Till April this year, 577 of the 650 families in the village had been shifted to the resettlement colony. The district admini stration has also shifted all the five village deities from the 400-year-old Panchubarahi temple to a newly built accommodation in the resettlement colony and has built a school. But people say they now face newer challenges. So far, my daily routine has been to catch fish and crabs in the creeks of Satabhaya, says Malati Mandal, a fisher man who shifted to the rehabilitation colony early this year. Now, every day I walk all the way to those creeks of Satabhaya to eke out a living.



But more worried are those who have been left out by the rehabilitation project. Unofficial estimates show some 75 families still live in Satabhaya under constant shadow of death. The district administra tion denied us rehabilitation, saying they have allotted the standard 10-decimal (404.6 sq metres) plot and given the Rs 2 lakh compensation to my father-in-law, alleges Manorama Behera. But we live separately and my husband should be rehabilitated separately. Now we are stranded in Satabhaya without neighbours and relatives. District Collector Dasarathi Satpathy says the problem has crept in because the rehabilitation was done based on the Census 2011. The government is trying its best to provide lands to all the affected families.



Till then, relocation within the village has become the safest way to escape the fury of the sea. Every night, the constant roaring of the sea strikes fear into my heart, says Mahesh Sahani of Kanhupur village. He has shifted his house five times in the past three decades and yet lives barely 3 km from it. People who have traditionally depended on paddy farming, have switched over to fishing or shrimp cultivation after saline water rendered agriculture lands infertile.



Grazing fields are also turning saline. Our village has lost over 6 ha of pasture, says Rasmita Sahani, sarpanch of Satabhaya. People here have been known for making money by selling milk, cheese and curd. In fact, till two years ago, the residents used to get sufficient milk from around 400 cows and buffaloes. Now, we have only 100 milch animals left, she says, sitting in her residence-cum-office at Bagapatia rehabilitation colony.



Efforts to beef up coastline



So far, Odisha has lost 153.8 km, or 28 per cent, of its coastline due to coastal erosion, shows a study by the National Centre for Coastal Research, released in July 2018 (see Climate assault on p60). This has dealt a massive blow to the state governments plan to promote beach tourism. The beaches at Satabhaya, Pentha, Agaranasi, Hukitola, Eakakula, Madali, Habalikothi and Puri are losing charm as tourist spots. Disappearing and shrinking beaches at several other coasts are causing loss of work for fishing communities.



Transition is imminent everywhere. Rising sea level coupled with change in wind patterns are causing high tidal waves and inundating coasts for a longer period of time, says Ananta Kumar Sahoo, senior ecologist working on the World Bank- sponsored Integrated Coastal Zone Mana gement Project launched in 2010 to build national coastal management capacity. As part of the programme, Garware Technical Fibres Ltd in Pune constructed a 505-metre long geosynthetic wall two years ago at a cost of Rs 32 crore to protect Pentha village in Kendrapara from tidal waves, cyclones and tsunami. This is the states first such experiment. Its success will pave the way for other such projects in erosion-prone areas, Sahoo says.
Myanmar: Thailand combats illegal fishing after EU threatens seafood ban

October 24,2018 | Source: Nikkei Asian Review

Thailand's government is ramping up its crackdown on unlicensed fishing boats -- which are often a hotbed of forced labor -- in a bid to ward off a ban on seafood exports to the European Union. On Sept. 12, representatives from 10 nations were invited to the coastal province of Samut Sakhon to witness the destruction of nine illegal fishing boats. An excavator demolished the decrepit ships, to demonstrate to the EU delegation that Thailand is taking the problem seriously.



Western nongovernmental groups have shed light on unregulated fishing boats often forcing migrant workers from Myanmar and other countries to work under conditions comparable to slavery. The vessels are also known to engage in illegal fishing. Even so, major local food producers like Thai Union Group and Charoen Pokphand Foods have worked with these suspect suppliers.



In 2015, the EU put Thailand's government on notice for failing to adequately monitor fishing boats or ensure the traceability of marine fishery products. The so-called "yellow card" warning meant that a lack of improvement would result in a ban on all Thai seafood imports.



Starting that year, Thailand implemented laws mandating fishing boats to display license plates, and published a list of registered vessels for the benefit of all ports. Authorities have pushed ahead with the dismantling of vessels unclaimed by owners. However, licensed boats are required to have GPS tracking devices and to register the names of non-Thai crew members. Because of the costs and effort needed to comply with those requirements, many ships simply went rogue. Even if the vessels were caught, fines could not be levied if ship owners could not be identified.



Thai government officials say they have endeavored to eradicate illegal fishing, pointing to the roughly 10,000 vessels registered as of mid-August. Authorities claim the number of unregulated ships has decreased drastically as well. CP Foods and Thai Union Group -- the company behind the Chicken of the Sea brand -- mainly ship frozen shrimp and canned tuna to Europe. The EU stands as a key market after the U.S. and Japan. An EU trade sanction would result in up to $500 million in losses, according to a Thai research firm.
KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyers of Liberty has called on the government to help save a Malaysian citizen Prabu Pathmanathan, who will be executed at Changi Prison in Singapore on Friday for alleged drug trafficking.





Its adviser N Surendran said the government must make act to save Prabu from the gallows.





Singapore must halt the execution of Malaysian citizen Prabu Pathmanathan at Changi prison on October 26, 2018.





The family of Prabu have been informed that he will be executed at Changi Prison for alleged drug trafficking.





The family were only informed of the Friday hanging on Oct 20 by a letter from the Singapore Prison Services, which is less than one weeks notice.





In the same letter, the family has been asked to make the necessary funeral arrangements, he said through a statement issued today.





The continued use of the death penalty for drug offences is a violation of the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights (ICCPR), of which Singapore is a state party.





The death penalty is cruel and inhumane, and particularly so when used in drug cases which results in the execution of drug mules from poor socio-economic backgrounds.





On October 13, 2018, the deputy foreign minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya had assured Malaysians that the government would come up with a solution for Malaysians facing execution abroad, he added.





On Oct 15, Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong had said the Malaysian government would go ahead with plans to abolish the death penalty.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
A woman's online petition calling for her father to be given the death penalty for killing her mother has surprised the nation.





Besides the shocking content, controversy is rising over whether it is proper for the Cheong Wa Dae website to allow people to take advantage of the national petition site and suggestion board to gain public attention for personal matters.





The post comes after the murder of a woman by her ex-husband at an apartment complex parking lot in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, Monday.





The ex-husband, surnamed Kim, stabbed her to death, telling police he had become emotional from the divorce process.





Soon after the murder, the police began searching for Kim after examining CCTV footage recorded near the scene, one of which showed him staggering through. The police confirmed he was hospitalized after drinking and taking several sleeping pills, and detained him there. They asked the prosecution to seek an arrest warrant for him, Wednesday.





The murder gained more attention after the victim's daughter, who is in her late 20s, posted the petition titled "I am the Gangseo-gu apartment victim's daughter" Tuesday night, in which she called for the death penalty for her father who she called a "vicious criminal."





"My mother has been a victim of domestic violence for four years, and after their divorce, she received constant death threats from him," the daughter wrote. "She became anxious with all the threats and was not able to live a normal life and take part in social activities."





The mother and the daughter had to move five times including to protection facilities, but the father was able to find them every time and continued his threats, she added.





The daughter urged for the need to isolate suspects from society to prevent secondary damage, and for the legal system to make an example out of him. The petition garnered more than 80,000 supporters as of Wednesday evening.





"The post was made by the eldest daughter, but we are currently investigating to see if the details are true," an official from the Gangseo Police Station said.





The petition is one of more than 310,000 petitions posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website since the launch of the message board in August 2017 to better communicate with the public.





Cheong Wa Dae makes it a rule to respond to any petitions that garner more than 20,000 signatures within 30 days. Fifty-three petitions have been answered, mostly socially controversial issues such as the abolishment of anti-abortion laws and calls for stronger punishment for drunk driving.





However, criticism has also risen that more people are submitting their personal issues to the website, requesting to resolve individual hardships including "there is too much homework" and "please reduce the stairs, there are too many."





Some people have been calling for the petition site to be shut down or to make the petitioners disclose their real names. But Cheong Wa Dae said it believes the website has more positive effects than negative ones, giving the government the opportunity to listen to the public.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
'Pakistani troops fired rocket propelled grenades (RPG) and small arms at around 1035 hours during ceasefire violation. One round landed on a barrel type store shelter in Poonch causing it to catch fire,' Jammu-based defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said on Tuesday evening. (Representational Image)

Jammu: Pakistani troops on Tuesday violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with one of the shells landing inside the brigade headquarters in the town but causing no casualties, a defence spokesman said.

The ceasefire violation came just two days after three Indian soldiers and two heavily-armed Pakistani intruders were killed in a gunfight along the Line of Control (LoC) in nearby Rajouri district.

"Pakistani troops fired rocket propelled grenades (RPG) and small arms at around 1035 hours during ceasefire violation. One round landed on a barrel type store shelter in Poonch causing it to catch fire," Jammu-based defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said on Tuesday evening.

"Initial analysis indicates caliber of 105/106 mm RCL (recoilless gun). Further details are being ascertained," he added.

Earlier in the day, when the blast was reported inside the 93rd brigade headquarters at Moti Mahal in Poonch, the spokesman had said that it had nothing to do with cross-border shelling from Pakistan.

However, Senior Superintendent of Police, Poonch, Rajiv Pandey later told reporters that initial investigation suggested that a bomb fired from across the border landed inside the brigade headquarters of the Army casing a minor fire.

In another ceasefire violation, Lieutenant Colonel Anand said one round of 82 mm mortar landed in Jhalas in Krishna Ghati sector in the evening.

"One muffled blast around 1800 hours was misconstrued as blast in the garrison," the spokesman said adding there was no casualty reported.

On Sunday, two Pakistani intruders believed to be members of border action team comprising Pakistani army and terrorists opened fire on an army patrol along the Line of Control in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri killing three soldiers and injuring another.
The disqualified MLAs took a holy dip in river Thamarabarani before moving to the resort. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: The resort politics in Tamil Nadu is back with most of the 18 disqualified MLAs of the AIADMK being moved to a resort at Courtallam in the Tirunelveli district, about 600 kilometres from Chennai as politics heat up in the state with speculations that the Madras High Court might decide their take up their disqualification case this week.

All the disqualified MLAs are supporters of jailed and ousted AIADMK chief VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran.

The disqualified MLAs took a holy dip in river Thamarabarani before moving to the resort.

Barring P Vetrivel, the MLAs are likely to remain holed up at the resort till the verdict comes out.

The move to shift the disqualified legislators to a resort is seen as an attempt to prevent any poaching by the AIADMK led by Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam.

The lawmakers were disqualified by the Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal in September last year, invoking the anti-defection law after they wrote to the state Governor seeking the replacement of Palanisamy as chief minister. Their letter had also stated that they are not withdrawing their support to the AIADMK government.

Should the court set aside the Speaker's order, these 18 members would turn legislators who could potentially bring down the present AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier in June, a two-judge bench of the Madras High Court had given a split verdict.

Tamil Nadu has been witnessing resort politics ever since the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016. After the rebellion by O Panneerselvam in February, 2017, the MLAs owing allegiance to VK Sasikala-led AIADMK faction were moved to Koovathur resort on the outskirts of Chennai.

When Panneerselvam merged his faction with chief minister Palanisamys group, Sasikala's nephew, Dhinakaran took 19 MLAs supporting them to Puducherry first and then to Coorg, after submitting a memorandum seeking a change of chief minister.

Currently, with 20 seats vacant - including the 18 disqualified legislators - the Tamil Nadu Assembly has a total strength of only 214 in the 234 member house; with 116 legislators, the ruling AIADMK is well above the half way mark of 107.
FastGo launched its services in southern provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong. Photo by Reuters

Vietnamese ride-hailing app FastGo has expanded its services to Dong Nai and Binh Duong, provinces neighboring HCMC.

FastGo aims to cater to high travel demand within the southern provinces and for commutes between the provinces and Ho Chi Minh City

Nguyen Huu Tuat, general director of FastGo Vietnam, said that Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai and Binh Duong were two municipalities next to HCM City with large traffic flows and number of commuters.

The introduction of the app in these localities will make it more convenient for customers to travel, as well as reduce wasteful empty miles for local cabs, he added.

Currently, FastGo has about 1,000 drivers operating in these two cities.

The company plans to expand its presence into Ha Long City in the north and Nha Trang City in the center early next month. By the end of the year, it will also introduce food delivery and "On Demand Shopping" services.

Launched in June 2018, FastGo now operates in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang with more than 30,000 drivers. It has already completed over one million kilometres of service.

At the end of August, the company received funding from VinaCapital, and is planning to mobilize up to $50 million for a second expansion phase that will target Indonesia and Myanmar.

FastGo has three core services: Fast Car - a four-wheel drive app for private contractors wanting to make additional income; Fast Taxi - a service linked with existing taxi companies who can receive orders on the app; and Fast Luxury  a semi-luxury car service.

FastGo last month said it has 15,000 taxi and motorbike partner drivers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but they are still not a common sight on the streets, unlike the ubiquitous red and green uniforms of Go-Viet and Grab drivers.

Tuat said he wants FastGo to become one of Southeast Asias top 3 ride-hailing apps in the future.

A Nikkei Asian Review report quoted the company as saying it hopes to make its service available in 20 cities in Vietnam and five other Southeast Asian markets, including the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand, by the end of next year.

FastGo Vietnam Joint Stock Company was established in April 2018 with its headquarters in Hanoi. The company belongs to a wide network of services provided by Nexttech  a leading tech firm in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, buying and selling foreign currencies on the free market is against the law. Photo by VnExpress/Le Chi

Lawyers say a VND90 million ($3,855) fine for exchanging $100 in a gold shop is disproportionate and unreasonable.

The administrative fine was levied by the Peoples Committee of southern Can Tho City on Nguyen Ca Re, a 38-year-old electrician.

The VND2.3 million ($98.48) that Re received from the shop for the $100 note was also confiscated.

Meanwhile, the gold shop was fined VND295 million ($12,630) for several violations, including the $100 exchange. The $100 note was also seized.

Re said that he had been given the $100 by a relative. Late last year, hed taken the note to a gold shop and was caught red handed by police officers. The police later issued an official record of violations after months of working with Re.

Re said: Before, Ive always brought dollar notes to exchange at gold shops without any trouble.

He said that with his monthly salary of VND4 million ($171), he doesnt know how to get the money to pay the VND90 million fine.

Current regulations ban the buying and selling of foreign currencies, but gold shops have for long been used by the public for this purpose.

A State Bank of Vietnam representative told VnExpress that such fines on foreign currency trading was allowed by law.

However, many lawyers have criticized the punishment as being disproportionate.

They said that many people like Re, who do not know the law well, would find it very difficult to legally handle foreign currency.

Nguyen Van Hau, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, asked: "How do you exactly identify a licensed foreign currency exchange point? It is difficult for an ordinary person to do so. An ordinary person would simply find the nearest place to carry out this transaction."

Furthermore, Hau said, a fine must be based on the severity of violation and harm done.

He said: Exchanging $100 for a little more than VND2 million but being fined VND90 million may be legally correct but not reasonable at all.
The dark side of FDI in Vietnam

Cheating and overexploitation of workers are among the myriad of negative impacts FDI has had on Vietnam.

In the absence of the defendant - a multinational company just 20 minutes from the courthouse, the Tan Uyen Peoples Court in May and June this year ruled that E.V.'s dismissals were illegal and ordered the company to compensate the workers.

Lee Sang S., director of the company with the self-proclaimed "professional working environment" and his legal representatives did not attend any court hearing and the company did not reply to any of the court's summons.

The workers demanded that they be paid their salaries for the remaining months of their contracts, which they argued was illegally terminated without justification.

In the lawsuit filed by the workers against the company at the Tan Uyen People's Court, all plaintiffs are migrant workers from the Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang and An Giang. All of them received monthly salaries of around VND4 million ($171) and lived in dormitories near the company before being fired for "repeated violation over many days of failing to meet ironing productivity."

However, the workers did not accept these dismissals, arguing that they couldn't have committed "repeated violations" since theyd never received any disciplinary notice prior to being fired.

T.A was not alone. On January 22 this year, the E.V company dismissed several workers of the ironing unit, citing the same reason.

He received a monthly salary of VND4.4 million ($190) and got to sign an official one-year employment contract on July 1, 2017. However, just six months later, he was dismissed for "repeated violations over many days of failing to meet ironing productivity during pay-rise period."

These were the promises with which T.A. started working for the ironing unit of E.V, a South Korean-invested garment firm in Vietnam, on April 24, 2017.

In the recruitment announcement of the South Korean garment firm that T.A had applied for, which can still be found online, the promises are alluring: Dynamic, professional working environment; Promotion opportunities for dedicated, long-term committed employees; and most importantly, full entitlement to laborer's benefits and rights in accordance with the Labor Code."

Truong T.A, a 22-year-old man from a coastal district in the Mekong Delta's Soc Trang Province, is one such rural worker.

Huge swathes of farmland across rural Vietnam have been sacrificed to set up hundreds of industrial parks, attracting massive investments looking to exploit cheap labor made available by such sacrifices.

The large and the small roofs are set against the background of patches of farmland - reminders of a not-too-distant rural, agricultural past.

A male worker doing the laundry in a neighborhood near an industrial zone in Ho Chi Minh City.

A male worker doing the laundry in a neighborhood near an industrial zone in Ho Chi Minh City.

Surrounding the factories are the small corrugated metal roofs, just over 2 meters wide, dozens of meters long, branching out from the roads and alleyways around the factories. These are the roofs of dormitories for migrant workers - the main workforce component in industrial parks across the country.

The large corrugated metal roofs are those that cover factories spanning thousands of square meters. Such factories have been the core economic component of both Tan Uyen and the whole Binh Duong Province for decades. And most of these factories belong to foreign direct investment (FDI) companies.

The commune stands just an hour's drive north of Ho Chi Minh City in Tan Uyen Town, and the satellite images are typical of Vietnam's economy in the 21st century.

Satellite images of Tan Vinh Hiep Commune in the southern province of Binh Duong dont show much more, but on the earth, these pictures are worth more than the proverbial thousand words  they tell a thousand stories, and counting.

In just the Tan Tao Industrial Park, where Hoa works, the number of workers employed by her company has already crossed 90,000 people.

"As long as the factory and machinery are still here, the owner wouldn't dare to run away; and seeing that there are lots of workers, they wouldn't dare to play dirty," she explained.

Having witnessed the risks in the life of a worker, she believes that only staying with a big company would keep her safe.

Nearly two decades have passed, enough time for Hoa's company to grow into the world's largest footwear manufacturer, but she has never changed her job.

The turn of the century was also when Hoa, then just a 17-year-old girl, packed up her belongings and left her home in central Nghe An Province to work for a Taiwanese factory in Saigon.

However, as the 21st century dawned, the proportion of FDI companies in these sectors began skyrocketing. It was the first significant sign of the coming flow of FDI and of a new era as Vietnam opened up its economy to the world.

The last few decades of the 20th century saw state-owned companies and family businesses dominate Vietnam's textile and footwear sectors.

However, most workers of companies in industrial zones do not have the luxury of taking their employers to court, steeped as they are in poverty and dependent on their salaries to feed their families. They quietly endure their employers unfair conditions and treatment.

In another case handled by the Tan Uyen court earlier this year, the workers claimed that their South Korean employer had demanded that they sign resignation letters instead of firing them. They refused, and took the employer to court.

The workers, of course, have seen it differently, as oppression that ignores their legitimate right to reasonable pay and good working conditions.

While the labor ministry suspected that the companies "intentionally dismissed old workers, the Dong Nai Province People's Committee reported that "the businesses and workers agreed on the dismissals in the spirit of mutual agreement" and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor said workers were "forced to quit their jobs due to productivity pressure and high labor standards."

The story of "old" workers at industrial parks being fired, a common occurrence among FDI companies, was a topic hotly debated in National Assembly meetings and in media accounts throughout July 2017.

While the flow of FDI has brought to Vietnam in general and Binh Duong in particular undeniable achievements, they are accompanied by problems that have become inherent.

Tan Uyen, with a population of just under 200,000, has repeatedly made headlines for workers being fired illegally, the spread of illegal gambling games, a food poisoning case in a local factory with 300 victims and several cases of company owners disappearing without paying workers.

The series of lawsuits against E.V are not the only ones on illegal dismissal of workers that the Tan Uyen court has received this year.

Whether the workers will get their compensation or not remains to be seen. It depends on how the judgment is executed, and whether a lengthy battle with foreign employers ensues.

However, almost everything has changed since Hoa first set foot there. The dormitory rent has more than doubled, and Tan Tao has turned from a marsh into a hub for Ho Chi Minh City's economic development, attracting nearly 300 businesses.

Hoas dormitory room meanwhile is still a 10sq.m room with just one front door and a window. And this space no longer hosts a young, single woman. It is home to her whole family  her husband and their two children.

Life has not gotten any easier for Hoa.

Unable to afford the VND10 million ($430) fees needed for a place at a day boarding school in the area, Hoa had to send her firstborn son to live with his grandparents, where he could attend a school day. The younger one is looked after by a babysitter living nearby for VND2 million a month.

Hoa also had to fork out an extra VND100,000 ($4.3) in monthly rent to move to another dormitory room on higher ground as her old one was getting inundated by sewage water every monsoon season, posing a health risk for her children.

After a while, a garbage dump appeared near the new room and every breeze would bring in stench that would pervade the area, but she no longer plans to move.

Hoa now has greater concerns than her accommodation: the manager has frequently been scolding her for low productivity. She is no longer capable of walking much around the factory or standing for hours next to the production line like she used to do when she was still in 20s.

As arthritis torments her legs, every afternoon Hoa comes home wishing she was still single so she could leave and never return.

She wishes she had another skill, so her entire family could move back to her hometown and be reunited. But after 15 years in a footwear factory, the only skills she has are affixing shoe soles and standing for 8 hours straight.

While the company does provide free training classes for workers in the evening, Hoa is too tired and busy caring for her sickly child to attend them. Furthermore, the classes only teach hairdressing and makeup, both of which are skills that she has no talent for and give her no promising prospects back in her hometown.

How did this happen?

Hoa's story and that of her company is a prime example of what happens with FDI inflows, in this case, into the textile and footwear sectors from China to Vietnam.

Up until the beginning of the century, this company was still the symbol of the city of Dongguan in Guangdong Province - a major manufacturing hub of China. In 2003, Chinese female workers like Hoa became the main characters of "Factory Girls", an international bestselling book by Leslie T. Chang on migrant worker populations.

As strikes and demonstrations by tens of thousands of workers demanding pay rises soon became a common sight in Dongguan, China ceased to be a cheap labor haven.

From 2011 to 2017, the average salary of Chinese workers increased by 64 percent, according to Euromonitor.

In a process that has become way too familiar, the manufacturing sector's capital started flowing to Vietnam. "The new world's factory" was how international media called Vietnam, to distinguish it from the "old factory" of Guangzhou, Guangdong's capital city.

The "old factory" on the other hand is now the cradle of the "Made in China 2025" plan. China has successfully absorbed many advanced technologies in recent years, and is now slowly turning away from low-skilled manufacturing in favor of more high-tech fields.

And the scenarios in Dongguan described by Leslie Chang 15 years ago are now being recreated in Tan Tao and Binh Duong: a generation of workers that earn just enough money to survive, and are left with no accumulation once they become "old" by their employers' standards.

The flow of foreign capital into Vietnam mostly goes to processing and assembly sectors with low value added that only require low-skilled labor. This has caused many problems for many Vietnamese workers, as the low skill requirement means companies do not have to provide more benefits for workers.

"Workers have to live in small, low-quality dormitories with rents that do not follow any standard," said Associate Professor Nguyen Duc Loc, head of a research project on the welfare of young workers.

"Many workers have to relocate frequently to find accommodation with suitable rents. This not only affects their settling down but also poses a major immigration management issue for the authorities," he said.

Demanding that businesses help workers settle down is something Hoa has never dared to dream of. She only worries about how long she will be able to keep doing this VND6 million ($257)-a-month job.

The issue of workers losing their jobs at industrial parks when they become old has generated social pressures. They find it difficult to find new jobs as they have no financial or skills accumulation, and they can't return to their hometowns as there are fewer and fewer jobs in the countryside.

Last June, exactly 30 years after Vietnam began receiving foreign investments and the problems they bring, Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said the government has "agreed to develop a project to organize training and retraining for workers."

Left hanging

It was a cold, pitch-black night in late January 2018, just less than a month before Tet, Vietnam's Lunar New Year and the countrys biggest holiday.

Under a tarp shelter temporarily set up on a sidewalk in Ho Chi Minh City's Tay Bac Cu Chi Industrial Park, Hanh added another dry twig to the fire as her infant son slept soundly in a nearby hammock.

The South Korean director of Hanh's company had been missing for over a week, having taken off with the workers' wages for December. Hanh and her coworkers had camped outside the company's gate just in case he returned.

On sunny days, they camped under the shade of trees, and during the nights, they slept in hammocks and took turn keeping twig fires burning for warmth.

Renting price is from VND800,000-2 million ($34.2-85.5) per month per house near Tan Tao.

Occasionally, the sound of someone cursing or sobbing could be heard. Their plans to buy new clothes for their children or a pair of tickets to come home for Lunar New Year had all disappeared with the director.

"All 6 of us siblings and siblings-in-law work for this company so now we're all done for. We don't know anyone we can borrow money from to buy tickets to go home for this Tet," Hanh said.

The South Korean director had not only taken away the Tet holiday of his 600 workers but also nearly VND30 billion ($1.28 million) in social insurance that he had been subtracting from their monthly pay.

Hanh's baby was already nearly a year old but she had yet to receive her maternity insurance, and many of her coworkers' maternity insurance payments still remain on paper, despite their children being 2-3 years old.

Unable to afford bus tickets to go home for Tet, Hanh and her siblings ended up celebrating the holiday with what little money they had in Saigon, hoping for better luck in the new year.

Everyone knew they were being put at a disadvantage and that the company was violating the law, but few dared to quit, as no one could be sure that the same scenario would not be repeated at a new workplace.

Hanh did not dare to risk any move as she thought her company at least did not fire old workers or make regular personnel changes.

Despite being only 25, Hanh already had enough experience as a worker to know that her rights could be taken away at any minute, having started working at a factory without any contract since she was 13.

This scenario is repeated all over the developing world, at most factories of the world like India and Vietnam.

According to incomplete statistics compiled by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), there are currently hundreds of runaway FDI company owners, many of whom still owe their workers 3-4 months' worth of wages and many years worth of social insurance. Vietnamese officialdom and legal establishment seem helpless in pursuing such criminals and bringing them to justice.

A child waits for her parents to come home from work in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Nothing changes



Answering the press recently, a representative of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said Vietnam's current law provisions related to labor have been fully completed, including those regarding timely payment to workers and social insurance obligations of employers.

The representative said that workers whose employers owe them wages or fail to pay their social insurance should report these violations to the local workers' union.

However, "nothing changes" and "no reply" are the only responses workers at the Tay Bac Cu Chi Industrial Park received when they reported their employers' violations.

In the end, they had no other option than fight for their rights, but even in this, they are disadvantaged with authorities liable to accuse them of "causing public disorder".

Two sides of a coin?

"Every coin has two sides: good and bad," said Phan Huu Thang, former head of the MPI's Foreign Investment Agency.

Thang was part of the first generation of officials that created a legal framework for bringing foreign investment into Vietnam, and after 30 years he generously gives an 80:20 gain-loss ratio to the FDI sector. They have brought 80 percent gain and caused 20 percent losses to the country, he estimates.

"Low labor value" is one of the frequently mentioned downsides to FDI in Vietnam.

While the country's human capital index is the best among the "world's factories," according to the World Economic Forum, in terms of labor effectiveness, Vietnams performance is only slightly better than Bangladesh.

The reason for this, experts have argued, is that over many decades of trying to attract foreign investment, Vietnam has settled on a system of investing human capital in low-value manufacturing.

This has meant that people like Hoa, Hanh and many other youth living in the countryside would graduate from Vietnam's general education system only to find that their only job opportunities are in factories where their education is not needed.

The per capita production value of a Vietnamese worker in 2016 was $3,683, or less than a third of the $12,362 created by a Chinese worker.

However, this is not because a Chinese worker makes three times as many shoes as a Vietnamese peer, but because the shoes made by Chinese workers have more added value because of better design licensing, sales and marketing systems.

Or simply because many Chinese workers are no longer making shoes, but instead have switched to assembling Chinese smartphones.

Importantly, the responsibility for this "low labor value" certainly does not lie with workers like Hoa or Hanh, but a flawed free market system and shortsighted policymakers, critics have pointed out.

After celebrating Tet in Saigon, Hanh chose to remain in Cu Chi. She found a new job at another textile factory in the same industrial park, which was probably the only career option available to her.

In a national project that receives foreign funding, if a Vietnamese worker's youth can be considered counterpart funds, it is still being spent the same way it was 20 years ago. This human capital is being depleted rapidly, and there is not much in the way of replenishment.

Has Vietnam sown the FDI wind to reap the whirlwind?

Story by Duc Hoang, Bao Uyen

Photos by Huu Khoa
Czech man jailed for 18 years for stabbing Vietnamese woman to death

A court in the Czech Republic has sentenced a man to 18 years in jail for the brutal murder of a Vietnamese woman.

Vaclav Matous, 40, stabbed 53-year-old Tran Thi Tam at the Vratislavice nad Nisou Village on the outskirts of Liberec City in January this year.

Tam had migrated to the Czech Republic three years ago to reunite with her family, the trial heard Monday.

The murderer was also ordered to pay CZK2 million ($89,000) to the victims husband as compensation and an additional CZK32,000 ($1,423) for funeral services, said Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny.

According to the indictment, the culprit pretended to be a customer at a grocery store run by Tam, and attacked her while attempting to rob her. The Vietnamese woman succumbed to 14 stab wounds.

Using camera footage, local police detained the suspect the day after the murder incident took place.

He confessed to the police that he needed CZK5,000 ($221) to pay the rent for his apartment or be thrown out.

Liberec, near the border of Germany and Poland, is home to around 2,100 Vietnamese people.

More than 65,000 Vietnamese live in the Czech Republic now, making it the third biggest minority group in the country.
Nguyen Manh Hung, former CEO of military-run telecom giant Viettel, was officially appointed Minister of Information and Communications Wednesday.

The appointment was formalized after 461 of 469 National Assembly (NA) delegates voted yes on the decision.

Hung, who holds the rank of a Major General, studied telecommunication electronics in Russia, got a masters degree in telecommunication in Australia and a degree in business administration in Hanoi.

The native of Phu Tho Province, two hours northwest of Hanoi, has been with Viettel Corporation since 1989, when it was known as Sigelco. He rose quickly from a technical assistant to an investment manager in 1995. Hung served as Viettel's CEO from 2014 until he was appointed acting minister last July.

He is said to have played a key role in the development of Viettel, which is currently Vietnam's top telecommunications service provider with operations in 10 overseas markets. Last year, the firm had revenues of VND249.5 trillion ($11.1 billion) and it aimed to become a global top 10 telecom firm in the next two years.

Hung's appointment followed the official dismissal of his predecessor Truong Minh Tuan by the assembly Tuesday.

Tuan had been temporarily suspended from his position in July for signing a decision to approve the acquisition of private pay TV firm AVG by the state-owned telecom firm MobiFone without the Prime Ministers approval. This decision was taken while he was the deputy information minister from 2011 to 2016.

MobiFone, the country's third largest telecom firm, made headlines early in 2016 when it announced it was breaking into the pay TV market with the acquisition of a 95 percent stake in AVG.

Government inspectors concluded that the deal had violated investment laws and caused an estimated loss of about VND7 trillion ($307 million) to the state budget.

It is the first time in many years that an active minister in Vietnam has been dismissed.

After Tuans suspension, the Politburo had also appointed Hung as the new Party head of the information ministry.
Flowers and incense are offered at the spot where a newborn baby died after being thrown out of the 31st floor of a building in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Vu Cuong

Preliminary investigations have found that a 21-year-old woman threw her newborn baby from the 31st floor of a Hanoi building.

Hoang Mai District police Tuesday identified the woman as Dinh Thi Van Anh, a senior college student.

On the night of October 18, a man heard a loud thump between two buildings in Hoang Mai District, west of Hanoi. He went to see what it was and found a dead infant on the ground.

Police said that forensic tests indicate that the baby girl, weighing 2.7 kilograms, was alive at birth when she was thrown out of the building, contradicting the womans statement that it was stillborn.

She could be charged with murder or abandoning of a newborn, a crime punishable by up to two years in jail.

Anh has said that on the night of October 18, she was visiting her boyfriend in his apartment on the 31st floor of an apartment complex in Hoang Mai District when she noticed signs of labor.

She delivered the baby in the toilet, but saw no sign of breathing or crying from the infant, so she put it in a bag and threw it out of the ventilation window in the toilet, she told the police.

Her boyfriend and his cousin were present in the apartment, but were unaware of what had happened, police said.

The boyfriend said that their relationship had only begun a week earlier, and he was unaware of her pregnancy.

Police said Anh and her earlier boyfriend had broken up in February after a relationship of nearly three years. It was only in May that she realized she was pregnant.

She is in unstable health now and being treated in a local hospital, the police said, adding that she is yet to recover.
Nguyen Thi Nga makes a phone call in her car after crashing into multiple motorbikes Sunday night. Photo by VnExpress/Nga Le

The Saigon woman whose drunk driving killed one person and injured five, two of them critically, was arrested Wednesday.

Binh Thanh District Police, who arrested 46-year-old Nguyen Thi Nga, are looking at charging her with traffic offences that can carry sentences of three to 10 years in jail.

Nga, a restaurant owner, was reportedly speeding on Dien Bien Phu Street and approaching the Saigon Bridge as she lost control and crashed her BMW into five motorbikes waiting at the Hang Xanh intersection traffic light.

The car only came to a halt after ramming into a taxi. A 38-year-old woman died immediately and five other were injured. Two of them are currently in critical condition with fractured skulls and spine injuries.

Breathalyzer tests showed alcohol content of 0.94 milligrams per liter. "The level showed that the driver had consumed a lot of alcohol and lost control," a police officer said.

Nga insisted, however, that she was not drunk and was fully conscious at the time.

According to the police, Nga drank alcohol at her own restaurant on Pasteur Road, District 3, before driving to her house in District 12. The accident happened at around 11p.m.

Nga told the police that as she approached the traffic light, she tried to slow down, but the back straps of her high-heel footwear got entangled in the process. In her confusion, she accidently sped up instead of slowing down.

The police are continuing to investigate the accident.

Any concentration of alcohol in a car drivers body system is illegal in Vietnam. The presence of alcohol in a drivers blood or breath can attract fines of VND2 to 18 million ($85-767).

Road crashes are a common cause of death in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour, according to official figures.
A Vietnamese man was found dead in a detention room in Thailand on Wednesday. Photo by Shutterstock/Nomad_Soul

Two men, a Vietnamese and a Cambodian, were found dead in a Bangkok detention room by a fellow detainee early Wednesday morning.

The detainees were among 15 held in the room by Thailands Immigration Police Bureau, The Nation reported.

Kamolpop Dissayabutr, deputy inspector of the Thung Mahamek police station in Sathorn District, identified the Vietnamese man, aged 72, only as Robat; and the Cambodian man, 55, as Sakhi.

Both bodies were found in a sleeping position on one side of the room, Dissayabutr said.

The two deceased men had been charged with unlawfully entering the country and transferred to Bangkok from different provinces.

Their bodies had been sent to the Chulalongkorn Hospital for autopsy.

Citizens of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can travel to all countries in the bloc without applying for a visa, but the maximum stay allowed is 30 days.

Thailand had announced earlier this year that it was hunting for more than 8,000 foreigners who have overstayed their visas.
Doctors perform a health check on a bear before releasing it from 17 years of captivity in Cao Bang on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Animals Asia

Animals Asia has rescued a moon bear held captive for nearly two decades for its bile in the northern province of Cao Bang.

The rescue Tuesday raised the number of bears released from captivity by the Hong Kong-based animal welfare organization in Vietnam to 200 in the last 11 years.

The animal, weighing over 200 kilograms (440 pounds), was held captive in an iron cage and lived in abysmal conditions in a backyard.

The farmer who had held it for the last 17 years earlier informed Animals Asia about his desire to hand it over.

Volunteers from the organization used a blowdart to anesthetize the bear and doctors carried out a general heath check, finding the animal was suffering from tooth decay, gall bladder damage and obesity.

It has been moved to a bear rescue center in Tam Dao, around six hours from Cao Bang, where it is expected to be isolated for 45 days before being released into a semi-natural environment.

Vietnam banned commercial bear bile extraction in 2005, but more than a decade later it remains a problem.

Animals Asia has signed an agreement with the Vietnam Administration of Forestry to shut down all bear bile farms in the country and free the remaining 800 bears in captivity by 2022.

The agreement is expected to finally close the loophole, committing the Vietnamese government to ensuring no bears are allowed to be kept by private households.

Tuan Bendixsen, Animals Asias Vietnam director, told VnExpress International there are still some people keeping bears for their bile and who have refused to release them.

However, there have been positive signs in recent years with many volunteering to hand over their bears to the activists, he said.

The trading of bile extracted from live bears has been declining. A survey by the organization last year found 90 percent of traditional doctors in Vietnam saying they do not prescribe bear bile and "No" to bear bile extraction.

Vietnam is home to the Asian black bear and sun bear, both listed as vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The extraction of bile from living bears is illegal in parts of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, where it has been used for long as a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine.
Mechanical figurines of action characters from comics and games are often very expensive but this is not deterring Vietnamese collectors.

The figurines are made with extraordinary precision and detail, and have 30 joints that enable various parts to move independently.

Duong Tat Thanh, 23, of Hanoi, is an avid collector. He said people need skill and patience to track down these action figures.

According to action figure aficionados, there are around 10,000 collectors in Vietnam, mostly men, but only a few hundred with more than 30 items.

To collect the full set of Marvel characters in The Avengers and Guardians of The Galaxy took Thanh over a year. The cheapest character cost around VND2 million ($86).

He said: I had trouble finding the figure of Stan Lee, the man who created Marvel Universe. I tried looking everywhere, even in Malaysia and Singapore, but in vain. One day when I was on a business trip to Shanghai I saw what I was looking for in a shop and luckily it was the last one they had left.

Hoang Tung, 25, of Hanoi has been collecting Batman action figures for three years now. The first one he got was this Batman figurine, and he loves the details in it from the muscles to the wounds, he said.

Back then I had some money to spare, so I bought one just for fun, but then it became a hobby. When Im far from home I actually miss them. When I get home every night I take them out just to look at them.

This one, also a Batman toy, costs as much as a computer. But Tungs wife has never complained and even helps him money buy them. The Batman figure has weaponry and dozens of tiny pieces of equipment.

Tung has collected 10 Batman figures so far. The biggest item in his collection is a Batmobile. This one even has headlights.

You can see even the smallest details are done carefully. It requires great skill to put together a piece like this, so its definitely worth the money for me.

Tran Lan, 40, of HCMC has been a long-time collector. It took him three years to get all 10 characters in the Joker set.

He explained: The hardest to find was this Joker played by the late actor Heath Ledger. Since hes gone, his character was no longer available and became rare.

Lan is a big fan of the Heath Ledgers Joker, sometimes he wears make ups just like the character.

These action figures are not meant for playing with or treated as toys, but are more like collectibles like stamps and coins, especially considering their quality and high price tags.

With the high quality and the expensive price tag, these figures are not meant for kids and collecting them is definitely not some childs play like people thought.
Still images taken from two different CCTV videos and obtained by Turkish security sources claim to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he arrives at Saudi Arabia's Consulate and another man allegedly wearing Khashoggi's clothes while walking in Istanbul, Turkey October 2, 2018. Photo courtesy of Reuters TV

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi this month.

Trump spoke hours after Turkeys president, Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggis death on rogue operatives. Erdogan urged Riyadh to search from top to bottom to uncover those behind Khashoggis death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, an incident that has sparked global outrage and strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

For Saudi Arabias allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability.

Trump said the killing and subsequent cover-up by Saudi Arabia were a total fiasco.

There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened, Trump told reporters. He said he had spoken on Monday with the crown prince who denied having anything to do with Khashoggis killing.

Earlier, Trump said the Khashoggi matter was handled badly by Saudi officials.

Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever, Trump told reporters at the White House.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

Trumps comments in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with very severe consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the countrys role as a U.S. ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major purchaser of U.S. arms.

Trump did not give his views on who was ultimately responsible. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggis murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking U.S. visas.

The U.S. State Department said 21 Saudis would have their visas revoked or be made ineligible for U.S. visas. Another official said the vast majority of the group had U.S. visas.

As we continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, not only those who executed it but those who were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable when we develop this fact set, Pompeo told reporters.

Pompeo also said the State Department was looking into whether sanctions could be applicable for those found to be involved.

These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States, Pompeo said, although he emphasized as have other senior U.S. officials, the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Neither the president nor I are happy with this situation.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the U.S. measures.

As the crisis unfolded over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia changed its tune on Khashoggi. Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggis fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with skepticism from several Western governments, straining their relations with the worlds biggest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggis death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggis killing by giving orders over Skype.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

Erdogan vow

Erdogan on Tuesday stopped short of mentioning the crown prince who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing.

The Saudi administration has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments, Erdogan said in a speech in parliament.

From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account, Turkeys president said.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Khashoggi family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 23, 2018. Photo by Saudi Royal Court/Bandar Algaloud/Handout via Reuters

Turkish sources have said that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing. Erdogan made no reference to any audio recording.

A Saudi Cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman said Riyadh would hold to account those responsible for the killing and those who failed in their duties, whoever they were.

Turkish investigators searched a Saudi consulate vehicle in Istanbul that contained two suitcases and other items, according to broadcaster CNN Turk. It was not clear what was in the suitcases.

'Brutal murder'

Trump said he would work with the U.S. Congress to determine the U.S. response to the Khashoggi matter.

In terms of what we ultimately do, Im going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - up to Congress, Trump said, adding he would like a bipartisan recommendation.

CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters on Tuesday.

A host of Western executives and governments have pulled out of a high-profile Saudi investment summit that started on Tuesday because of the Khashoggi affair.

Erdogan said the killing was planned from when Khashoggi, 59, first went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28 to obtain documents necessary for his marriage. He was told he would need to return later to collect the documents.

A day before Khashoggis death, agents arrived from overseas and began to scout locations, including the Belgrad Forest near Istanbul and the city of Yalova to its south, Erdogan said. Police have searched both areas for evidence of Khashoggis remains, Reuters has reported.

On the day Khashoggi arrived for his appointment and was later killed, the hard disk in the consulates camera system was removed, Erdogan said.

Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership, he said.

We have strong signs that the murder was the result of a planned operation, not a spontaneous development.
Poland, along with the U.S., has consistently criticized Germany for the new pipeline bypassing Ukraine which will double Russias export capacity of 55 billion cubic meters to Germany.

Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed strong opposition to the construction of the planned Russo-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline, while the German president urged Poland to respect the European Unions court ruling on judicial overhaul.

We definitely think that the investment, which is the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, should not take place, Duda said on Tuesday, according to PolandinEnglish.

We believe that the investment will disrupt future energy relations in Europe, President Duda said during a joint news conference with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.

Poland, along with the U.S., has consistently criticized Germany for the new pipeline which will double Russias export capacity of 55 billion cubic meters to Germany.

Eastern European and Baltic states fear it will increase Europes reliance on Russian gas and undermine Ukraines lucrative gas transit route. The US also opposes it, contending that it could undermine Europes energy security.

Read alsoConstruction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline actively under way in Germany as Audacia joins in

In return, Mr Steinmeier urged Poland to respect the order of the European Unions top court to suspend an overhaul of the countrys Supreme Court.

I hope that the Polish government will find a suitable way that respects European jurisprudence, said Mr Steinmeier.

The European Court of Justice (CJEU), the highest court of the European Union, issued an injunction on Friday against the implementation of Polands new law on the Supreme Court, freezing any changes to the existing system.

Duda criticized the timing of the ruling ahead of Sundays local elections in Poland.

To reduce its reliance on Russia, Poland has taken several steps to diversify its fuel source.

Poland opened its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Baltic Sea and also aims to connect Poland to Norwegian gas deposits via Denmark by October 2022, in a project known as the Baltic Pipe.

Read alsoNaftogaz names Plan B in case of Nord Stream 2 launch

The Baltic Pipe will cross the existing Nord Stream pipe, which brings gas to Germany from Russia, and possibly its planned second line, Nord Stream 2.

Duda called Nord Stream 2 a political and strategic project and not a commercial one.

In June, Polands state-run gas firm PGNiG signed long-term agreements with US Port Arthur LNG and Venture Global LNG for liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries, in another attempt to reduce its reliance on Russian supplies.

When the question of Germany buying US LNG was raised, Mr Steinmeier said whether American LNG will be purchased or not, it is a non-political decision, only an economic and commercial decision.
France's AXA sells insurance assets in Ukraine to Canada's Fairfax

AXA Insurance and AXA Insurance Life will continue to operate and fulfill all their obligations without any changes.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree with a very colorful title On the application of special economic measures in connection with the unfriendly actions of Ukraine in relation to citizens and legal entities of the Russian Federation. UNIAN figured out who could be hit by sanctions and whether the restrictions would have an impact on the Ukrainian economy.

Overwhelmed by indignation at the rebellious Ukraine which is shifting further away from Russia toward EU integration, Vladimir Putin decided to avenge Ukraine through sanctions. Today, much fewer Ukrainian enterprises cooperate with Russian companies, which is why the trade turnover between the countries fell almost 80%. This is something that strongly affects Russian businesses, already lined with economic restrictions imposed by the United States and the European Union. By means of new sanctions, the Kremlin is once again trying to retain its influence in Ukraine.

Russian horror stories

Putin ordered the Russian government to draw up a list of Ukrainian individuals and legal entities to whom economic restrictions would apply, without disclosing any other details. However, PM Dmitry Medvedev voiced a few nuances.

It is, firstly, about blocking their assets in the territory of the Russian Federation, that is, banning them from taking any action in their relation. Secondly, it's about banning transfers of funds from sources located in the Russian Federation, as well as banning capital exports. Thirdly, it's about banning certain categories of goods that are produced in Ukraine from being delivered to the Russian Federation, Medvedev said, adding that he intends to sign a resolution on sanctions in the near future.

He assured that the sanctions will affect a large number of people in Ukraine, including "high profile" figures. "I already have versions of several government resolutions; these resolutions naturally reflect the essence of the decree. They imply that sanctions are imposed on individuals who harm the interests of the Russian Federation," the prime minister said, noting that the list also includes "Ukrainian companies, that is, legal entities registered under the laws of Ukraine, which are somehow controlled by such citizens, against whom sanctions will be imposed."

Medvedev said that Moscow could ban the supply of a number of Ukrainian goods, but stressed, as if flirting with the Ukrainians, that the retaliatory measures would not affect the majority of Ukrainian citizens, including those living in the territory of the Russian Federation.

Experts believe that the sanctions will be of no global significance, although they will affect a number of sectors of the economy. This may especially affect the market of petroleum products, but in general they will not be able to exert a pressure too strong on Ukraine. The Kremlin simply seems to have felt that our country is getting stronger on its feet, and decided to somehow obstruct these developments.

However, Russia's sanctions could be counterproductive, since both countries would become further alienated, and Moscow should not expect Kyiv to obey. Past experience confirms the point.

Russia introduced the first economic restrictions on Ukraine back in 2014. Then the Russian authorities banned Ukrainian exports of all plant products. Even earlier, restrictions were imposed on the imports of Ukrainian dairy and confectionery products, fish and canned food, as well as certain types of liquor. And in 2016, Russia banned the transit of Ukrainian goods through its territory. Kyiv opened new markets and filed complaints with the WTO. Decisions are expected to be handed down shortly.

So what consequences could Russia's sanctions entail?

Sanctions as blackmail

The executive director at the International Blazer Foundation, Oleh Ustenko, believes that Putins decree on imposing sanctions on Ukrainian legal entities and individuals is a classic example of theory of games.

The main thing here is individuals, not legal entities, as it may seem at first glance. If Russia wanted to impose sanctions on legal entities, it could have done this earlier, when they sharply limited Ukrainian exports, or when they almost completely halted sales of Ukrainian engineering products in their territory. Now restrictive measures against Ukrainian exporters will still be painful, but not the same way as before. The impact will be much weaker. Commodity markets are global. Ukrainian companies, as well as any other, can reorient themselves toward new destinations. In this case, we have a situation with hidden meanings from the theory of games, said Ustenko.

According to the expert, the logic of the decree can be interpreted as follows: Imagine that there are two groups of actors on stage. The first group has nothing to do with the decree, and therefore it's absolutely indifferent. It will continue to complain, resent, sympathize, have fun, and grieve. This is a crowd of extras. The second group of actors includes those to whom the decree applies. This second group of actors consists of those who relatively openly do business in Russia or with Russia, and those who conceal their Russia ties. The main intrigue is focused on the latter 'secret group.' It is heterogeneous in its composition. Here we have top actors and supporting actors. The play's author is focused on them. They are in a difficult situation. The viewer is unaware about them. In the course of the play, their remarks may be completely unexpected, and their actions  unpredictable. This is that very intrigue. But both the author and those actors themselves are aware of their involvement. In addition, each of these actors doesn't know for sure whether the author knows about all their 'little sins.' They hope he doesn't. But there are no guarantees, of course. At any time, the author can put them into a spotlight and provide evidence. All this is done to force the actor to behave 'in a right way'."

Ustenko emphasizes that the decree is not aimed at real action but rather a threat of applying this action for the wrong steps made.

Kremlin not to hurt loyal people

According to the president of the Strategy-XXI Globalistics Center, Mykhailo Honchar, there are several spheres that the Putin decree may affect, but the effect will be minimal.

First of all, this is the gas issue as it has always been sensitive. But exactly one month later it will be three years since Ukraine has not purchased any gas from Gazprom. Therefore, Russia does not have a gas lever as such. What they could do is cut off gas supplies to Europe. But Russia will never go for that, he notes.

Another sensitive issue is the supplies of coal, which is very important for Ukraine. This is about deliveries from the occupied territories, which Russia may abuse. I think that the effect will be minimal, since in 2015-2016 there was a substitution of coal supplies from Russian sources. Then, a rather worrying thing is the supply of petroleum products. We dont have direct supplies of Russian gasoline. But we do see its disguised presence. It is well known that the gas stations under the brand AMIC Energy, which is an Austrian company, but in reality it's [Russian] Lukoil. There are also gas stations allegedly owned by the Swiss company Glusco, but in fact it's Rosneft. Russia may, by exerting pressure on Belarus, where we get the bulk of petroleum products, and by ceasing supplies, cause a shortage of petroleum products in the Ukrainian market, which will provoke a price hike, the expert noted.

However, according to him, this is unlikely to be a success. There will not be any ultimate success. This is a business covered up by [Viktor] Medvedchuk who is close to Putin. So this crony business has opportunities to survive, and the pressure of sanctions will be limited. But they can cause turbulence in the market anyway, Honchar explained.

In his opinion, Moscow will not achieve any cardinal success with its sanctions: They are stepping on the same rake as in August 2013, at the time of the Yanukovych rule, when they practically introduced an economic blockade. And then nothing happened. And now, nothing will happen, either. But they will try this anyway.

I believe that the whisperers from the Kremlins entourage will offer advice to press a little more, claiming that Ukraine will collapse as a result, since its already in chaos, let's just copycat U.S. sanctions and finish it. But these sanctions will further increase the barrier between the two countries. Russia has only one method  that is, to crush. They are waiting for the "junta" to crawl to the Tsar of Moscow and beg for mercy. But even when previously someone from Donetsk used to crawl on their knees, nothing came out of it. And now it will definitely not, either," says Honchar.

The expert is convinced that Russia will pursue its policy. However, this mobilizes Ukrainian society to resist even more. In addition, these sanctions will knock the ground from under the feet of those who said that it is necessary to improve relations with Russia and that it is necessary to negotiate. That is, Russia is doing them a disservice, he said.

Mirror response?

International economic expert Ihor Harbaruk also believes that the sanctions will have a significant effect: After all that's happened in Ukraine-Russia relations, its impossible to say that the new sanctions will be some kind of global blow.

These are mirror sanctions, a response to the sanctions imposed by Ukraine on Russian legal entities and individuals. A few days ago, the Security Service of Ukraine made a statement that there are a number of Russian companies that are engaged in foreign economic activity in our territory, including in the occupied territory held by the so-called DPR and LPR. These are transport and logistics companies now targeted by Ukraine's sanctions. Therefore, Putin decided to impose sanctions on Ukrainian enterprises and ordered the government to draw up a list. Since the Ukrainian side targeted individuals and legal entities, most likely, mirror sanctions will also affect similar categories. These can be our politicians, business leaders, all those who oppose Russian policy, or those who have assets in Russia. Assets could be seized, and a ban on the withdrawal of capital could be imposed, said the expert.

A resolution of the Russian government on the introduction of restrictive measures against Ukrainian individuals and legal entities is expected to emerge shortly. And then it will becomes clear who continues to "be friends" with the enemy.

Of course, the target audience of such information will be Ukrainian voters.

Nana Chornaya

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LIVE. Parliament session kicks off. Election of prime minister on agenda (video)

The parliament session has kicked off with the election of a prime minister on the agenda. The Yelk (Way Out) Faction has nominated acting PM Nikol Pashinyans candidacy to this office, whereas the other factions have nominated no candidates. A number of other bills are also on the agenda. Pashinyan tendered a technical resignation October 16 in order to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament and holding early elections. Under the law, if a prime minister resigns lawmakers must elect a new PM within two weeks. If MPs fail to elect a PM during the first vote, a second round takes place a week later. Prior to the vote, parliamentary factions must nominate candidates for the election. All factions agreed that they wouldnt nominate anyone in order to pave way for dissolution. But the Yelk faction nominated incumbent Nikol Pashinyan in a technical maneuver because the Constitution says that a "vote" must take place. Lawmakers are expected to deliberately vote down Pashinyan in order to fail the election and head for eventual dissolution, and early elections. Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (RPA) still has most seats in parliament. Since taking office, PM Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesnt represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced from the parliament floor that his nomination as a candidate for prime minister in the first round of election today is a formality. He emphasized that he has been nominated not for re-election, but for being not elected. Therefore, the National Assembly today shouldnt vote in favor of me. And the meaning of being nominated is not to leave space for any manipulations around the legitimacy of the upcoming parliamentary elections. At this moment I can note that it is definite and undoubted that we will have early elections of parliament in this December, elections which eventually must become the final destination of the Armenian 2018 non violent, velvet, democratic revolutions final victory, Pashinyan said.
Statement nn the ongoing Aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia

"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

Statement of the MFA of Armenia

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National join-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy has signed a contract with Garant Energy M LLC, which manages property of Novy Rozdil and Novoyavorivsk combined heat and power plants (CHPP, Lviv region), for supply of gas and distributed the required applications to ensure their operation, the company's press service has reported.

For signing the contract Garant Energy M LLC opened accounts with special regime and fulfilled the requirements of the law on heat supply, recognizing the debts accumulated by the combined heat and power plants in the amount of UAH 305.2 million and confirming its right to manage the plant's assets.

"This is the first time that Naftogaz has entered into a contract for the supply of gas with heating plants, which property has been arrested and transferred to the National Agency for Stolen Asset Recovery (NASAR)," the company said.

"We took advantage of all the opportunities to conclude the contract as soon as possible under the conditions stipulated by the legislation and to provide heat to almost 70,000 residents of Lviv region, who depend on the operation of Novy Rozdil and Novoyavorivsk CHPPs," First Deputy Head of Naftogaz Serhiy Pereloma said.

As reported, the Kyiv's Solomiansky District court seized the assets of the Novy Rozdil and Novoyavorivsk CHPPs (Energia-Novoyavorivsk LLC and Energia-Novy Rozdil LLC) in Lviv region at a request of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. After that, the CHPPs were transferred to the temporary administration of NASAR.
The total sum of overpayments to PJSC Gazprom for gas transit sent to National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz Ukrainy to offset the penalty accrued on the debt of the Russian company in line with the arbitration award on the transit contract issued on February 28, 2018, has reached $18 million, Chief Commercial Officer of Naftogaz Ukrainy Yuriy Vitrenko has said.

"By the way, in addition to $2.1 billion, which, in accordance with the arbitration award, we have already withdrawn from Gazprom in the form of gas, we have also already withdrawn from Gazprom $18 million in cash. For two months in a row we collect $9 million in cash from Gazprom," he wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday night.

As reported, according to the decision of the Stockholm arbitration of February 28, 2018, Gazprom owes Naftogaz Ukrainy $2.56 billion for non-fulfillment of obligations under the transit contract, on which penalty is also charged for each day of non-execution of the arbitration decision.

At present, the amount of accrued fine has exceeded $100 million.

On October 10, Naftogaz Ukrainy reported that the company sent a statement to Gazprom that it collected overpayments for gas transit as the sum to refund the penalty.
IMF ready to approve new program for Ukraine after new gas prices reflected in heating tariffs

The Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is ready to approve a new program to support the economic policy of Ukraine, a Stand-By Arrangement, only after the final review of heating tariffs in accordance with the increase in gas prices.

The relevant information is contained in the preliminary prospectus for the issue of eurobonds of the Finance Ministry available to Interfax-Ukraine.

"The agreement with the IMF experts suggests that heating tariffs should be completely revised taking into account the increase in gas prices before the new program is approved by the Board of Directors of the Fund," the document says.

As reported, on October 19 the government decided to raise gas prices for the population in Ukraine by 23.5% from November 1, 2018. The issue of gas prices for the population is the key to renewing IMF financing.
The wording of the post of the Hungarian government "envoy for Transcarpathian" will be changed next week, and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry will then introduce a similar post, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"The decision will be made next week. It will be published in respective Hungarian sources. We agreed that after the name is changed and the decision is made public, we in our ministry will introduce a post that will cover cross-border cooperation," he told reporters following a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Warsaw on Wednesday.

According to Klimkin, bilateral intergovernmental consultations will be held on this issue in the near future.

Klimkin added that complex consular consultations would also be held in Budapest.

"Now we are deciding on the dates. Our delegation will be headed by the director of the consular department. It should also include representatives of other ministries," the minister said.

At the same time, Klimkin stressed that Ukraine would not allow violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, as well as Ukrainian legislation on its territory.
The Ukrainian army has seen nine attacks on the Donbas contact line in the past 24 hours, one Ukrainian soldier was killed, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said.

"The number of hostile attacks has reduced, yet weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements were used again. One serviceman of the Joint Forces was killed in the hostilities, no one was injured," the press center wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

Over the past day, the enemy shelled Ukrainian positions outside Stanytsia Luhanska, Avdiyivka, Maryinka, Starohnativka, Pavlopil, Vodiane and Hnutove.

Russian-occupation troops fired 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms on Ukrainian strongholds outside Avdiyivka. JFO positions near Pavlopil and Vodiane came under automatic and mounted grenade launcher and small arms fire.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, one militant was killed and four others were injured.
Boris Lozhkin urges business to be more careful with debts on the verge of a global recession

An investor, Vice President of the World Jewish Congress Boris Lozhkin, who headed the Administration of the President of Ukraine and was the Secretary of the National Investment Council, expects a global recession in a year or two, caused by the accumulated global imbalances and debts, trade wars (especially between the US and China) and due to the cyclical nature.

Ukraine will just the same be affected, even though we are on the outskirts ... It is necessary to be more careful with the debts, the investment projects, but if the investments are made into the high-quality projects and management, then business will survive, Boris Lozhkin shared his advice at the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF).

He noted that such countries as Argentina, Turkey, Brazil, Russia have already experienced the first negative signs. In his opinion, Ukraine has so far been less touched, since the country's economy fell very much four years ago.

Boris Lozhkin stressed that the preparation of the Ukrainian business for the recession should include an understanding that it will be difficult to find debt financing.

At the same time, head of the Board of Directors of the Effective Investments group of companies Igor Liski gave a somewhat more optimistic forecast: in his opinion, an adjustment after a strong growth is to be expected, but not a recession. However, the adjustment will definitely happen, he said.

In his opinion, the main risks for the global economy are trade wars and political turbulence, while the situation with the traditional crises suppliers  the banking sector and the oil industry  does not give such concerns. According to the businessman, the imbalance in the oil industry due to refusal from the fossil fuels is brewing, but it will happen no sooner than in 3-4 years.

To make investments into the non-speculative projects, to be attentive to debts, thats the advice of Igor Liski to the Ukrainian business, before adjustment takes place.
Law enforcement officers from the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) have prevented citizen S. from illegally selling ammunition and explosives.

Law enforcement officers detained citizen S. during the next sale of ammunition, namely the F1 grenade and RGD-5, and receiving $200 for this illegal activity. It is noted that the lawbreaker was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, the JFO press centre reported on Facebook.

"In general, during the disclosure of illegal activities of citizen S., the fact that he sold ten grenades of various brands was documented," the JFO press center noted.

Currently, urgent investigative actions are being carried out in order to document his criminal activities, as well as the seizure of things that are dangerous to others. Searches are being conducted at the place of residence and in the garage premises used by the armed man.

"The possibility of involvement of the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the commission of this crime is thoroughly checked," it said.
During training exercises involving Ukrainian Navy surface ships and its training center, the crews of two Island-class patrol boats, which were handed over by the U.S. Navy to Ukraine at the end of September, worked on improving their knowledge of English language, the Ukrainian Navy's Command has said.

Ukrainian Navy Maritime Commander Captain 1st Class Volodymyr Dohonov said the sailors were carefully selected, the Ukrainian Navy said on Facebook on Tuesday evening.

"The naval crews have practical experience in performing tasks at sea, are physically trained, motivated and have a high level of moral and professional skills and knowledge of the English language," the report said.

As earlier reported, on September 27 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Vice Admiral of the U.S. Coast Guard Michael McAllister attended a ceremony at which two Island class ships were presented to Ukraine at the naval base in Baltimore (Maryland).

Ukrainian Navy Commander Admiral Ihor Voronchenko and U. S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Michael McAllister signed the memorandum of transfer of USCGC Cushing (WPB-1321) and USCGC Drummond (WPB-1323) patrol boats to Ukraine.

Island-class patrol boats were built for the U.S. Coast Guard between 1985 and 1992. A total of 49 patrol boats of the class were built. The U.S. Coast Guard began to replace them with new Sentinel-class patrol boats in 2014, yet 12 Island-class patrol boats remained in service. The United States is handing over decommissioned patrol boats of the Coast Guard to its allies. According to public information, the United States will have about 30 Island-class patrol boats left after it transfers two boats to Ukraine.

The basic modification of Island-class patrol boats has a displacement of 168 tonnes, a length of 34 meters, a width of 6.4 meters, and a speed of 29.5 knots. They have a crew of 16, including two officers. Patrol boats are armed with a 25mm cannon and two machine guns. In addition, patrol boats are equipped with an AN/SPS-73 radar system and a 5.4-meter Zodiak Hurricane 540 inflatable craft.
Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deputy (Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction) Refat Chubarov at a meeting in Kyiv of the Ukrainian-Russian commission on fisheries in the Sea of Azov has declared the inadmissibility of such negotiations. He also demanded Ukraine's SBU Security Service immediately expel the head of the Russian delegation from Ukraine because he illegally visited Crimea, which is temporarily occupied by Russia.

"Refat Chubarov! At the talks with the Russian Federation on the distribution of fish quotas in the Sea of Azov, I made a statement about the need to immediately expel the head of the delegation of the Russian Federation who was in the occupied Crimea ... demanding that the representative of the SBU, who is in the delegation of Ukraine, immediately take the measures," Andriy Klymenko, head of the NGO Maidan of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday morning.

Verkhovna Rada deputy (People's Front Party faction) Serhiy Vysotsky also attended the meeting. "The commission meeting has been disrupted," he said.

Chubarov earlier said on Facebook that the Ukrainian side could not hold talks with the Russian delegation and called on fellow deputies to attend the meeting. He said it was absurd to sit down at the negotiating table with Russian citizens who visit Crimea and dispose of criminally seized property on the peninsula.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said he hopes for the constructive position of the Hungarian side as part of NATO on the alliance's interaction with Ukraine.

"Tomorrow, Mr. [Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter] Szijjarto will meet with NATO Secretary General [Jens Stoltenberg] ... We are saying that although Hungarian policy does not concern the blocking of substantive things, but nevertheless no one needs this symbolism, including Hungary. I hope the Hungarian side will conduct constructive negotiations within NATO," Klimkin said after a meeting with his Hungarian counterpart in Warsaw on Wednesday.

At the same time, Klimkin stressed that Ukraine, in cooperation with Hungary, would firmly and consistently defend its state interests.

"Not to fight with Hungary, but to promote our interests. We will work together where it is possible, and we will speak further where we cannot [work together]," he said.
The detentions of Ukrainian citizens in Belarus and their transfer to Russia indicate that the presence of Ukrainians in this country may be dangerous, and this issue will be discussed with Minsk, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"This indicates that the stay of Ukrainian citizens on the territory of Belarus is potentially dangerous, and we will talk about this with Minsk. We understand that the Russian authorities are operating on Belarussian territory. Russia is present there in the security sphere," Klimkin said in interview with Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, when responding to the comment that a Ukrainian journalist was arrested for spying in Belarus and a Ukrainian blogger was detained and transferred to Russia, where he stays in prison.

At the same time, Klimkin said, "we have no big problems" in political and economic relations between Ukraine and Belarus.

"Again, this is about Russia, which is trying to destabilize the CEE region. In addition, it is trying to bring a split to the EU," he added.
On Monday, October 29, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "The Results of October - Electoral and Socio-Economic Dimension." Participants include Director of Ukraine's Institute for Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov, expert of the Gardarika Strategic Consulting Corporation Kostiantyn Matviyenko, and Director of the Ukrainian Barometer Sociological Service Viktor Nebozhenko (8/5-A Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) withdrew as shareholder from the Iranian Telecommunications Company and a major cell phone operator company, Hamrah Avval, on Wednesday October 24.

The IRGC announcement annuls a controversial acquisition during which it had got hold of 50 percent plus one share of the country's national telecommunications company and its leading cell phone operator in 2009. That was the biggest transaction to date in the history of the stock exchange in Iran.

The announcement was made after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week renewed an order he had issued on January 20 ordering IRGC and other military forces to abandon commercial interests that were inconsistent with their status as military organizations. IRGC had ignored the order during the past ten months.

Most observers on social media welcomed the decision. Some, such as Iran analyst Reza Haghighatnejad questioned whether it was an anti-corruption measure or a decision to avoid US sanctions.

Had the two companies been hit by sanctions, it would have affected Iran's telecommunications backbone and one of the most important cell phone operators in the country.

Other observers linked the development to efforts by the Iranian regime to prove that it is complying with the FATF standards.

In 2009, when IRGC acquired the companies without a tender bid, the media and critics within the Iranian political circles lashed out at the populist Ahmadinejad administration. Even then- Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi criticized the administration for handing over the key companies to IRGC.

The Iranian Parliament (Majles) also admitted that the transaction was made under a "non-competitive" and "stage-managed" situation.

IRGC's supporters argued that the corps needed to control the telecommunications networks for security reasons. The counter-argument at the time was that even if IRGC's reasoning was true, it did not need to own the networks.

What made the acquisition controversial at the time, was that the company which had submitted the highest bid withdrew its offer without any explanation minutes before the IRGC stepped in as a prospective buyer bidding only 3 rials (less than one cent) higher than the best offer.

The IRGC announced on Wednesday that the initiative to end its ownership of the two companies was based on a decision made by the joint staff of the Iranian armed forces.

Stock exchange observers in Tehran say that "The Executive HQ of Imam Khomeini's Order," a body which is part of the gigantic economic conglomerate that operates under the supervision of Khamenei's office is likely to buy the shares IRGC is giving away, and to own the largest number of shares in the telecommunications sector.
GENEVA, Oct 24 (Reuters) -

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not have murdered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as Washington vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.

"No one would imagine that in today's world and a new century that we would witness such an organized murder and a system would plan out such a heinous murder," Rouhani said, according to IRNA.

"I don't think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America."

Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 has triggered global outrage.

Saudi Arabia initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi's fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with skepticism from several Western governments.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.

U.S. protection has allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out bombings against civilians in Yemen's war, Rouhani said, according to IRNA.

"If there was no American protection, would the people of Yemen still have faced the same brutal bombing?" Rouhani said.

Rouhani also called on Turkey's government to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder.

Separately, Rouhani said that Iran would "defeat" new American sanctions targeting its oil sector, according to the IRIB news agency.

Washington plans to impose the sanctions from Nov. 4 with the aim of stopping Iran's involvement in conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and bringing Tehran to the negotiating table over its ballistic missile program.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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Azerbaijan has mobilized all forces to fulfill the tasks set by the Sustainable Development Goals, the Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Coordinating Council on Sustainable Development Ali Ahmadov said.

He made the remarks Oct. 24 at a meeting with the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Inga Rhonda King.

The deputy prime minister noted that Kings participation in the Baku Forum, organized on the theme of expanding regional and international cooperation, would contribute to the relations between Azerbaijan and the UN.

The deputy prime minister expressed hope for further successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and the UN, stressed that Azerbaijan successfully implemented the concept of radical renewal, reformation of the economy in order to fulfill the tasks of the Sustainable Development Goals and to improve the standard of living of the population.

Ahmadov stressed that the National Coordination Council on Sustainable Development was established by decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated October 6, 2016.

He noted that in the summer of 2019, the second voluntary national report of Azerbaijan on the Sustainable Development Goals will be presented at the High Level Political Forum.

The deputy prime minister also briefed King on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and said that as a result of the conflict 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands were occupied and more than one million compatriots became refugees and internally displaced persons and that this problem should be solved within the framework of Azerbaijans territorial integrity according to the norms of international law.

He also noted that the territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan have been reaffirmed and the immediate withdrawal of the occupational forces from Azerbaijani territories has been demanded in the four resolutions of the UN Security Council on this conflict.

"Unfortunately, these resolutions are still not implemented," Ali Ahmadov said.

Inga Rhonda King expressed appreciation for her stay in Baku and participation in the high-level forum, thanked the Azerbaijani government for the invitation.

At the meeting, an exchange of views took place on a number of issues of mutual interest.

The meeting was attended by the Head of the Azerbaijani Permanent Mission to the UN Yashar Aliyev.
Details added (first version posted on 12:40)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

Trend:

During the working visit of a delegation led by President of Azerbaijans state oil company Rovnag Abdullayev to Georgia, a meeting was held with Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Kobulia, SOCAR said in a message Oct. 24.

At the meeting, Director General of SOCAR Energy Georgia Ltd. Mahir Mammadov and Giorgi Kobulia signed a memorandum of cooperation.

The memorandum provides for consideration of opportunities for cooperation in promoting socio-economic development, increasing the standard of living of people in highland areas, supporting the development of tourism and recreation, and providing heating with alternative ways.

Earlier, SOCAR implemented an environmentally efficient virtual pipeline project in Sairme, which is a resort area of Georgia.

Virtual gas pipeline technology is a method of transporting natural gas in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG) to consumers living in highland areas. In world practice, CNG is transported over relatively short distances. Sairme is located 52 kilometers away from the existing gas receiving point.

After signing a memorandum for long-term cooperation, it is envisaged to establish a working group in this direction.

The SOCAR delegation also held a meeting with representatives of the local community in the Marneuli district center, where Azerbaijanis live, inquired about their social problems, and ways to solve them were discussed.

SOCAR began its business activities in Georgia in 2006. In the same year, an oil terminal in the Georgian port of Kulevi was acquired to transport oil to Western markets.

SOCAR Georgia Petroleum LLC has 115 gas filling stations, 16 service centers and five oil terminals, and organizes wholesale and retail sales of oil products of Azerbaijan and third parties in the Georgian market.

SOCAR Georgia Gas LLC collects and distributes natural gas to the regions of Georgia and operates local gas distribution network serving more than 670,000 subscribers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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The central government of France, although the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, shows a stance of passive observer towards illegal actions, Chairman of the Coordination Council of Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Professor Elchin Ahmadov said.

The Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region of the Republic of Azerbaijan has made a statement on the illegal visit of the mayor of the French city Saint-Etienne to the Armenia-occupied territories.

Commenting on the statement, Professor Ahmadov said:

According to the Armenian media, a Declaration of Friendship has been signed between the occupied Shusha city of Azerbaijan and French city of Saint-Etienne. To this end, the mayor of the city of Saint-Etienne is accompanied during this illegal visit by Francois Rochebloine, a person notoriously known for his bias position against Azerbaijan and acting under influence of the Armenian lobby in France.

The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the illegal visit of the mayor of French city of Saint-Etienne to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and signing an illegal declaration of friendship with the occupied Shusha city and expresses its anger in this regard.

Despite the Circular instruction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Internal Affairs of France, the mayors of some French cities illegally travel to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan under the influence of the Armenian lobby in France and sign various illegal documents with the cities under military occupation. Unfortunately, although being the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the central government of France has shown a passive attitude in respect of such illegal acts and does not take effective steps."

"Such illegal steps of some mayors of the cities of France, including the city of Saint-Etienne, support and vindicate the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and bloody ethnic cleansing against more than one million Azerbaijanis in the occupied territories, Ahmadov said.

The armed forces of Armenia occupied an ancient Azerbaijani city Shusha on May 8, 1992. As a result of the occupation, Shusha city and 30 villages of the region were destroyed, 195 innocent civilians were killed, 165 were wounded, 58 persons still remain missing, and more than 24,000 inhabitants of Shusha were subjected to ethnic cleansing.

Along with being an inalienable part of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, Shusha city, which is under occupation, has high historical, cultural, moral and symbolic meaning for the people of Azerbaijan. Occupation of Shusha city, which is called Cradle of Azerbaijani Music, Conservatory of the Orient, inflicted heavy damage to the cultural, spiritual and moral heritage of Azerbaijani people."

"In the framework of Armenias deliberate policy of destruction, plundering, desecration and embezzlement of cultural and religious heritage of Azerbaijan in the occupied lands, only in Shusha more than 170 buildings with the status of architectural monument, 160 cultural and historical monuments, mosques, rare manuscripts were destroyed and subjected to vandalism. Imarat of Panah Khan Complex and Library, Khan Palace and Karvansaray, Yukhari and Ashagi Govharaga, Saatli mosques, Mausoleum of Vagif, Natavans House and many others are among them.

Fundamental human rights are universal and must be applied on an equal basis. Speaking only about the rights of the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh in the conditions of gross violations of the most fundamental rights of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, including more than 33,000 inhabitants of Shusha, by Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy is unjust and a disrespect to human rights."

"The policy of the Armenian side to hide behind the ceasefire regime and to promote by such dishonest and feeble actions the illegal regime created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, will never give the expected results.

"In order to achieve progress in the settlement of the conflict in accordance with the demands of the UN Security Council resolutions, Armenia must withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, and ensure the return of internally displaced persons as well as the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region to their native lands.

We believe that the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh will live in peace and reconciliation again within the borders and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Only in this case, it will be possible ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region.

"As the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, we call on the Government of France to take effective steps to prevent such illegal acts that undermine the resolution of the conflict and to strengthen efforts for solving the conflict together with the other co-chairs, Professor Ahmadov added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing funding for the construction of Gobustan-Poladli road in Gobustan district.

Under the presidential order, the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency is allocated 6.4 million manats for the construction of the road connecting six residential areas with a total population of 5,000 people.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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There is a great potential for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Estonia, Vice-President of the Estonian Parliament Kalle Laanet said, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry said in a message.

He made the remarks at the meeting with Azerbaijans Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Mammadyarov greeted Laanet and noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Estonia are developing successfully.

Mammadyarov noted that there is thriving cooperation in the fields of information and communication technologies as well as e-government between Azerbaijan and Estonia.

Touching on the relations between Azerbaijan and the EU, Mammadyarov informed Lannet about Azerbaijans participation in the Eastern Partnership and the negotiations on a new, strategically important agreement that would form the legal basis of relations between Azerbaijan and the EU.

Kalle Laanet expressed gratitude for sincere welcome and noted that Estonia has always been interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan and there is a great potential for cooperation between the two sides in the field of information and communication technologies, as well as in the transport field.

At the meeting, the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current status of relations between the two countries, and noted the importance of regular political dialogue as well as high level mutual visits and meetings between the parties.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Javanshir Feyziyev, co-chairman of the EU-Azerbaijan parliamentary cooperation committee, Azerbaijani MP, will be in Strasbourg October 24-26 to discuss prospects for cooperation with European colleagues, Azerbaijani parliament said in a message.

Feyziyev will hold talks with co-chair of the EU-Azerbaijan parliamentary cooperation committee from the European side Sayyad Karim, the European Parliament rapporteur for Azerbaijan Norica Nicolai and members of the Club of Azerbaijans Friends in the European Parliament.

At the meetings, the participants will discuss the state of current relations and the prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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The military personnel of the motorized rifle units of Azerbaijan conducted shooting exercises, according to the combat training plan for 2018, approved by the Minister of Defense.

"The servicemen fulfilled the task of firing at targets set at various distances using assault rifles, mortars and grenade launchers," the Ministry of Defense said in a message on Oct. 24.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.24

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The UN will continue to support Azerbaijans commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP and UNFPA Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Ghulam M. Isaczai said in his video message on the UN Day.

Today is the United Nations Day which marks the foundation of the organization 73 years ago.

Today is also an opportunity to celebrate 26 years of UN partnership with the government and people of Azerbaijan and to recognize its work for the development and prosperity of the country, he said.

Isaczai noted that Azerbaijan has been a valuable and active member of the United Nations since its independence and we count on its continuing support for a better and stronger UN.

The UN will continue to support Azerbaijans commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDG Forum that will take place tomorrow is a solid proof of our partnership and joint work in advancing the sustainable development agenda in the country, he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the delegation headed by Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs John Bolton, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry said in a message.

Underlining that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the relations with the US, Mammadyarov stressed that Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the US in several fields, particularly as part of the fight against terrorism.

Mammadyarov also thanked the US Government for its support to the projects implemented by the initiative of Azerbaijan.

Highlighting the necessity of further developing cooperation relations in different spheres between the two countries Bolton said that the US-Azerbaijani relations are of the strategic importance.

Bolton also reiterated that the contribution of Azerbaijan to the operations in Afghanistan as part of the fight against terrorism is highly appreciated.

Informing Bolton about the negotiation process on the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadyarov underlined that the current status-quo is unacceptable and unsustainable.

Mammadyarov emphasized the illegal existence of the armed forces of Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and stressed that in order to achieve sustainable and peaceful solution to the conflict, first of all the Armenian troops should be withdrawn from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the people who were forced to flee these territories should return to their homeland.

At the meeting the sides discussed the energy, transit and transport projects implemented by the initiative of Azerbaijan, especially Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Southern Gas Corridor.

Furthermore the sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
Details added (first version posted on 16:27)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The US will remain committed to the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the US President's National Security Adviser John Bolton said at a press conference in Baku Oct. 24.

Bolton noted that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will affect the establishment of peace in the region, as well as in the world.

That is, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from a strategic point of view is important for the US as well, Bolton added.

He noted that after Azerbaijan he will visit Armenia.

Bolton expressed hope that after holding a meeting with Armenian officials, he will also get acquainted with Yerevans views on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The US is one of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and acting in this direction, the US will continue to demonstrate its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully, said Bolton.

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. 24

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During the official visit to Israel, the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel-General Najmeddin Sadikhov met with his Israeli counterpart, Lieutenant-General Gadi Eisenkot in Tel Aviv on Oct. 24, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan said in a statement.

First, the official welcoming ceremony took place. The chiefs of general staffs passed before the guard of honor, after which the anthems of the two states were performed. According to the protocol, an entry was made in the "Book of Honor".

Having greeted the guests, Lieutenant-General Gadi Eisenkot stressed that Israel attaches particular importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan in all areas, particularly in the military sphere, adding that there are ample opportunities for the further development of military-technical cooperation between the two countries.

Colonel-General Sadikhov noted the importance of such meetings and mutual visits for strengthening the Azerbaijani-Israeli military ties.

During the meeting, the importance of strengthening military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel, as well as the contribution of the two states to regional security was especially emphasized.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.25

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The VI International Humanitarian Forum is due to kick off in Baku on Oct.25.

The VI Forum is dedicated to the topic Shaping a New World and a New Humanity: Creativity and Human Development.

Quite interesting plenary and working sessions will be organized on this topic.

The main topic of the forum should be perceived as support for the human capital development policy of Azerbaijan. The forum's topic will allow demonstrating at the national and international level the country's model and strategy for turning economic development into human capital.

Around 581 people will participate in this two-day forum, including 416 foreign guests from 86 countries and 24 international organizations.

The International Humanitarian Forum is a prestigious event that brings together prominent statesmen from various countries, Nobel Prize winners in various fields of science and leaders of reputable international organizations, including representatives of the political, scientific and cultural elite of the world to hold wide-ranging dialogues, exchange views and hold discussions on global issues.

The main goal set by representatives of the world cultural elite, being the organizers and participants of the forum, is to shape a new humanitarian agenda in the fields of natural, social and human sciences with a goal of considering it in the future at international level.

Within two days, officials, representatives of international organizations, as well as specialists in the above-mentioned areas will consider ways to address actual issues of concern to humanity.

The initiators of the forum, which has been held since 2010, are the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia.

The forum will be attended by two deputy secretaries-general of the UN, deputy heads of organizations such as ISESCO, IRCICA, TurkPA, TURKSOY, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), the International Turkic Academy (TWESCO), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the UN Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC), UNESCO, Executive Committee of the CIS.

The event will also be attended by the Vice-President of Sudan, the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia and Slovakia, the chairmen and deputy chairmen of Slovenia, Uruguay, Russia, Egypt, Belarus, Italy and Estonia, the ministers and deputy ministers of Georgia, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Turkey, Sudan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Bulgaria, ombudsmen from Kazakhstan, Turkey, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as more than 40 MPs from 15 countries, heads of diplomatic missions of 46 countries, heads of companies, scientists and experts.

A varied cultural program will be presented to organize leisure activities for participants in the framework of the International Humanitarian Forum, and guests' walks will be organized to explore the sights of Baku.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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Chairman of Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, Lieutenant-General of the Customs Service Safar Mehdiyev met with Ambassador of Mexico to Azerbaijan Juan Rodrigo Labardini Flores, Azerbaijans State Customs Committee said in a message.

During the meeting, it was noted that Baku will host a conference and exhibition of the World Customs Organization.

Mehdiyev spoke about the relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico in both political and economic spheres. He noted that the wide economic potential of both countries makes it possible to further develop relations in this direction, and expressed hope for more successful results.

It was also emphasized that as part of various international events, conferences and seminars, meetings of the heads and employees of the customs authorities of both countries are held periodically, and after an agreement is signed between the governments of Azerbaijan and Mexico on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters and information exchange, these ties will develop more effectively.

Mehdiyev also touched upon effective working relations with international organizations and customs structures and regarded holding of the conference on information technologies and the exhibition of the World Customs Organization in Azerbaijan in June 2019 as contribution of the Azerbaijani customs service to global customs services.

The Mexican ambassador spoke about the relations between the two countries and noted that they are rapidly developing.

It was noted that the signing in the near future of an agreement between the government of Azerbaijan and the government of Mexico on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters and information exchange will create conditions for the further strengthening of ties between the two countries and the growth of trade turnover.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

Trend:

A meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) working group on transport was held in Baku on Oct. 24, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan said in a message.

The meeting was attended by responsible representatives of relevant agencies of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Georgia, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.

The event discussed a number of issues, such as the signing of memorandums of understanding on cooperation of the BSEC Member States in the field of transport, coordinating the development of the Black Sea Ring Highway, the development of shipping lanes, simplification of goods transportation methods and appointing transport representatives to the working group.

Moreover, the Memorandum of Understanding proposed by the Russian Federation on the development of multi-modal freight and passenger ferry lines in the BSEC member countries was also discussed.

In addition, the meeting considered the cooperation with international organizations.

In conclusion, a decision was made on the application of decisions, resolutions and recommendations by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and the meeting report was adopted.

The event will continue its work with a ministerial meeting tomorrow. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Mehmet Cahit Turhan will also attend the meeting, which will be chaired by Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ramin Guluzade. Other countries will be represented at the level of deputy ministers.

The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, which was founded in 1992, is an intergovernmental organization uniting 12 states of the Black Sea and Southern Balkans. The headquarters of the organization is located in Istanbul.

Azerbaijan assumed the BSEC chairmanship at the 38th meeting of the Organization's Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which took place on June 27. Azerbaijan will chair the BSEC until December 2018.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are discussing the details of Kazakh gasoline supplies to Kyrgyzstan and expect a final resolution of the issue within 2-3 weeks, Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told journalists, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan.

"The documents have been prepared, sent to colleagues, and this week either my deputy or other ministry official will go to Kyrgyzstan. If there are additions, they will discuss and resolve them on the spot. We think the issue of gasoline export will be resolved within two or three weeks," he said.

Bozumbayev added that the volume of export will be determined in stages, starting with 10,000 tons. Kazakh gasoline supply will be at market prices set in Kyrgyzstan.

Bozumbayev assured that there will be no problems with the lack of gasoline in Kazakhstan due to the launch of exports.

"[lack of gasoline] is impossible. If we export, we will ship [gasoline] according to quotas. There will be no shortage of gasoline," he explained.

The minister also noted that the cost of gasoline has decreased from 160-165 tenge at the beginning of the year to 150-150 tenge today.

"This is due to the fact that three refineries have been upgraded, so we have a gasoline surplus," Bozumbayev said.

Kazakhstan plans to sign agreements with other Central Asian countries, where the volumes of supplies for each country-importer of Kazakh gasoline will be prescribed. This is necessary to avoid the overflow of oil products to the markets where the cost of fuel and lubricants is higher than in the domestic market of Kazakhstan.

The official exchange rate on October 24 is 361.15 KZT/USD.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

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Uzbek and US companies signed 13 agreements worth $2.5 billion at the annual business forum in Tashkent on Oct. 23, Uzbek media reported citing Chairman of the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce Carolyn Lamm.

Air Products and Uzbekneftegaz signed an agreement on the implementation of promising gas processing projects, including the production of industrial gases amounting to $2 billion.

Silver Leaf and BMP Trade agreed to create a textile cluster in the Jizzakh region on an area of 31,000 hectares (12,000 hectares in the Dustlik district, 8,000 hectares in the Pakhtakor district, 7,000 hectares in the Mirzachul district and 4,000 hectares in the Arnasaysky district) amounting to $350 million.

John Deere and Uzagrosanoatholding signed an agreement on the establishment of a joint venture for the production of agricultural equipment on the basis of the Tashkent Agricultural Equipment Plant of (TAEP) after the delivery of 500 tractors. John Deere also agreed with the TAEP on the supply of modern agricultural machinery and tractors.

Imperial Jewelry and the Jewelry Industry Association of Uzbekistan signed an agreement on the establishment of a joint venture for the production of jewelry in the Zargarlik plant in Tashkent.

Caterpillar and the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine signed a protocol of intent on the supply of 10 mining dump trucks.

CETS and the Ministry of Agriculture signed a protocol on cooperation in the introduction of modern technologies for the production of high-quality potato seeds in Uzbekistan.

The US-based United Investment Healthcare Group, after signing the agreement, received in trust a network of pharmacies of the Dori-Darmon company based on the principles of a public-private partnership.

US Inc. and Farm Agency agreed to organize the production of a wide range of diagnostic test systems in Tashkent for the detection of various diseases.

Crane Currency and the state association Davlat Belgisi (State Insignia) will cooperate in the production of banknotes. The American side will supply a special micro-optical thread and chemical materials.

In addition, the US Macro Advisory and the State Committee on Investments have agreed to cooperate in attracting direct American investments.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

Trend:

The Ministry of Agriculture of Kyrgyzstan is negotiating with the Uzbek side on the export of surplus potatoes, left due to price drop, Uzbek media reported citing the meeting of President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Minister of Agriculture, Food Reclamation and Industry Nurbek Murashev.

The minister said that the price of certain agricultural products, namely potatoes, in 2018 is lower than last year and amounts to about 5-7 soms per kilogram. In 2017, the price of potatoes was 8-10 soms.

"The market analysis has been carried out. In October every year, the price of potatoes is slightly lower than in other months. We expect prices to rise from mid-November. Negotiations are currently underway with Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan on the export of potatoes and other products," Murashev said.

According to him, in 2017, the potato was sown on 83,200 hectares of land, in 2018 - on 84,500 hectares, the total harvest amounted to 1.5 million tons, while the internal demand of the republic is 800,000-900,000 tons. About 600,000 tons of potatoes will be exported.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Huseyn Veliyev  Trend:

In the framework of GUAM, discussions are underway on the joint introduction of the process of electronic tax declaration, Elmir Velizade, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, said Oct. 24 at the international conference dedicated to the presentation of the mobile residence program.

Velizade noted that these discussions will continue in Baku in the near future.

"We believe that the successful experience of Azerbaijan can be applied and developed not only at the level of the GUAM secretariat, ISESCO, but also in other international organizations. The only thing that matters is that this work would be carried out in accordance with our legislation, since it is based on European directives, that, in turn, simplifies our work in terms of mutual recognition of e-signatures," Velizade said.

The deputy minister noted that the new eIDAS (electronic identification and trust services) legislation (2014/910 / EU) has been applied in the EU since 2016, replacing the EU Directive on electronic signature dated December 13, 1999.

"Currently, we have developed a new bill together with the European Union. The work is at the final stage of completion and, after the work in this direction is completed, the document will be submitted to state authorities for approval according to the internal procedures of the country. I note that the countrys activities in this direction fully meet the growing needs and trends of global development," Velizade said.

The project of mutual recognition of e-signatures between countries is of interest in the countries of the region, Velizade said.

"The creation of such an opportunity not only allows for expanding the list of e-services in the country, but also makes them accessible to foreign citizens," Velizade said.

The introduction in the country of new generation of identity cards, which also integrate e-signature certificates, will play a special role in expanding the use of e-signatures in Azerbaijan, Velizade said.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 24

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The government delegation of Turkmenistan held a number of business meetings in Tokyo, in particular the meeting with the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Shinichi Kitaoka, the Vatan newspaper wrote Oct. 24.

The JICA has expressed its interest in collaborating on projects with a social focus. From this point of view, the Turkmen side has put forward a proposal to consider the possibility of participating in the project of modernization of the railways of Turkmenistan as a socially significant project aimed at providing high-quality transport services to the population of the country, the message says.

The sides noted the successful experience of interaction between the Government of Turkmenistan and JICA, through which the joint work in the field of seismology has been set up. The need to further expand ties in the field of education was also noted.

The series of talks in Tokyo also included a meeting with the Governor of the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Tadashi Maeda, with whom the possibility of expanding the activities of this largest financial institution of Japan in Turkmenistan was discussed. The meeting was also held at the Japanese Nippon Export and Investment Insurance Agency (NEXI), which provides insurance coverage for financing joint economic projects.

An agreement was reached on holding consultations with NEXI on the issue of attracting various financial institutions to the implementation of projects in Turkmenistan.

A meeting was held with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Hiroshige Seko, at which a list of priority joint projects was determined, which were planned to be considered in 2018-2020. As a result, a memorandum on cooperation in the sphere of infrastructure was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

As for the proposed project in the transport sector, Turkmenistan is conducting work on the electrification of railways, in particular, this refers to the purchase of modern locomotives powered by electric motors.

Earlier it was reported that the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, which was commissioned in 2014, will give a powerful impetus to the development of the Caspian region. The total length of the trunk rail line, which runs from the steppes of Kazakhstan through the Karakum desert to the mountainous province of Gulistan in northern Iran, has been increased to 900 kilometers.

The purpose of the North-South corridor is to provide a transit link of the countries of Northern Europe and Russia with the countries of the Persian Gulf basin, the Indian Ocean basin and Southeast Asia region through Iran.

Being an alternative to the sea route through the Suez Canal, the North-South international transport corridor lays claim, above all, to container freight traffic. In November 2016, the opening ceremony of the new railway from the Turkmen city of Atamyrat to the Afghan residential settlement of Akina took place.

This railway section is part of the transnational railway project extending along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan route. As a result, the new rail road should connect the Afghan Akina-Andkhoy rail section with the Atamyrat-Imamnazar rail section in Turkmenistan and Pyanj in Tajikistan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

Azerbaijans Fakhraddin-K LLC, engaged in brick manufacturing, systematically increases production volumes, and in the result, the annual increase in production is about ten percent, Deputy Director General of Fakhraddin-K LLC Fuad Jafarov told Trend.

He said that the share of the companys products accounts for 30-40 percent of Azerbaijans domestic market, and the company continues to develop the foreign market.

Our products are sold in a number of CIS countries, and in the near future, we plan to enter the European markets, said Jafarov. Approximately 10-15 percent of the total volume is exported to Russia, Georgia and Kazakhstan. We produce high-quality environmentally friendly bricks and tiles. The products of our plant can be used for the construction of country houses, high-rise buildings, as a finishing material and during construction in general.

He noted that the cost of the produced bricks is quite acceptable, and in general the prices are lower than the market ones.

We receive a lot of proposals related to export, mainly from Georgia and Russia, but we intend to further expand the geography of our products supply to other countries of the former Soviet Union as well, he said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend:

Some 9,934 business entities with foreign capital are registered in Azerbaijan, director general of the state registration and accounting department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Taxes Alakbar Mammadov said at an international conference.

Mammadov noted that this represents 15.1 percent of the total number of legal entities registered in Azerbaijan.

"Issuance of mobile e-signature ASAN Imza to non-residents contributes to an increase in the number of companies with foreign capital. In the first nine months of 2018, the number of companies with foreign capital registered in the country significantly increased. They account for approximately 58 percent of the total number of companies that have passed state registration," Mammadov said.

Having received an e-signature, non-residents will be able to carry out the operations they need from outside the country.

For example, to conduct operations for registration of an LLC, open bank accounts, certify notarial acts, use the services of the e-government portal, send tax returns, conduct import and export operations, etc.

Detailed information on issuing e-signatures to non-residents can be obtained at https://dth.azexport.az/en

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The Ataturk Airport in Istanbul will end operating flights at 00:00 (GMT +3) on Dec. 31, the General Directorate of State Airports of Turkey (DHMI) said in a statement Oct. 24.

Beginning from 00:00 (GMT +3) on Dec. 31, all passenger and cargo flights will be operated from the third airport of Istanbul, the message says.

The third airport was built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul.

The first airport in Turkey was built in 1912 and was used for military purposes.

In 1953, Istanbul airport was opened for international flights for the first time, and in 1985 it was renamed in honor of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The gas transportation agreements on the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project, which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria, are expected to be signed by the end of the first quarter of 2019, Teodora Georgieva, Executive Officer of ICGB AD (project company) on the Bulgarian side, told Trend.

"The company is aiming to finalize the approval of the IGB Network Code by the end of February 2019, as the procedure involves as well public consultations. Therefore, the conclusion of the Gas Transportation Agreements (GTAs) is expected by the end of Q1 2019," she said.

Georgieva pointed out that today, most of the processes are already completed or about to be finalized in the coming months.

"First, we are glad to share that on 8th of August 2018 the National Regulators of Bulgaria and Greece issued a Joint Decision on the exemption of IGB from the requirements under article 36 of the European Gas Directive 2009/73/EC," said the executive officer.

Georgieva noted that the decision taken confirms the measures requested by the project company in the application filed, in particular:

Exemption from the rules for third-party access for the capacity booked under the Market test completed;

Exemption from regulated tariff for all the gas pipeline capacity for a period of 25 years.

Exemption from ownership unbundling for a period of 25 years.

"The award of the exemption decision establishes the regulatory framework of the pipeline and allows the project company to start the preparation of the IGB Network Code. The adoption of the Network Code and its approval by the national regulatory authorities (NRAs) in line with the awarded third-party access (TPA) and regulated tariff exemption gives a green light to the project company to proceed with the conclusion of the Gas Transportation Agreements with the shippers that has reserved capacity during the market test," she added.

IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.

The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas.

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Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 24

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The European Union has shown great interest in the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline and the supply of Turkmen natural gas to the European market, the state news agency Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary reported Oct. 23.

This issue was raised during the recent negotiations in Brussels. The sides discussed the issues of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU in the energy sector, modernization of the legal framework of the partnership, implementation of the project of construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, the message says.

The delegation of Turkmenistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who held a series of meetings, in particular with the Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, as well as a working meeting with representatives of the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission and others.

The topics of further improvement of the principles of activity of the Caspian Development Corporation (CDC), the continuation of the negotiations of the working group on the implementation of this energy project, including economic, environmental and commercial issues were touched upon.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was briefed on the results of the trip the day before during the telephone conference. The participants in the negotiations from the European Union expressed their readiness to help attract investment in the implementation of this important energy project, which, as the head of state noted, meets not only national objectives, but also aims to strengthen the energy security of the continent.

Thanks to the adoption of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, the necessary legal framework has been created for laying a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea.

Now, only the consent of the project parties and an environmental impact assessment that meets the strict requirements of international standards are needed for the realization of this project, said the article.

The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project provides for the supply of Turkmen energy resources to the European market in the amount of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually for at least 30 years with its transfer at the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan has all the opportunities to implement major energy projects, both in this direction and in other vectors, the message said..

The necessary infrastructure including the East-West domestic gas pipeline, which provides for reverse gas transfers from eastern Turkmenistan to the western regions and back, have been created in the country for this purpose.

The negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been conducted since 2011. The Southern Gas Corridor, which includes the Trans-Caspian project, remains a priority for the EU.

In May 2015, the Ashgabat Declaration on Energy was signed by the Ministers of Energy of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Maros Sefcovic. The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian sea to the shores of Azerbaijan, as noted earlier by the parties concerned, is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market.

Further, the Turkmen fuel can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries. The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline could become part of several large-scale projects, including AGRI and TANAP, in which Azerbaijan and Turkey are participating.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Various types of ecosystem will be developed in Uzbekistan when the mobile and fixed internet environment becomes more solid, South Koreas telecommunications giant KT Corporation told Trend.

According to the company's representative, KT Corporation will be very glad to introduce new tech solutions when the Uzbek market is ready to accept them.

"Uzbekistan is a country with great potential in terms of the telecommunications sector. Other than telecommunications sector, there are many areas that can be developed such as automated fare collection system, intelligent traffic system, fintech, etc.," the rep noted.

He also reminded that KT has two subsidiaries in Uzbekistan, ET and EVO, which were acquired 11 years ago. KTs share in ET is 90.98 percent (remaining 9.02 percent belong to Uzbektelecom), in EVO  100 percent.

KT Corporation, Koreas largest telecommunications service provider re-established in 1981 under the Telecommunications Business Act, is leading the era of innovations in the worlds most connected country. The company leads the 4th industrial revolution with high speed wire/wireless network and innovative ICT technology. After installing 4.5 million fixed lines for 20 million users in just 12 years, KT was the first telecom provider to introduce 5G broad-scale trial service in 2018. It is another step in KTs continuous efforts to deliver essential products and services as it seeks to be the No.1 ICT Company and Peoples Company.

Uzbekistan is the main trading partner of the Republic of Korea among the countries of Central Asia. Uzbekistan accounts for over half of the trade turnover of the Republic of Korea with the states of the region.

In the 1H2018, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and South Korea amounted to $762.4 million.

Currently, there are more than 460 enterprises with participation of Korean capital in Uzbekistan (386 joint ventures and 75 enterprises with fully Korean capital). Representative offices of 75 South Korean companies are also accredited in Uzbekistan.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 24

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Dovran Khalbaev has been appointed as Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Service under the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, the presidential decree reads.

This agency, as previously reported, was established "in order to successfully implement the tasks arising from the Law of Turkmenistan on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, and international treaties."

In 2010, Turkmenistan became a member of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG). In 2007, it joined the Council of Europe Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism.

Prior to that, a law was adopted for countering the legalization of proceeds gained from crimes and the financing of terrorism.

Ashgabat is regularly visited by delegations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The cooperation between Tehran, Moscow and Ankara has developed situation in Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said, IRNA reports.

According to Russian Federation News Agency, Vershinin made the remarks addressing the trilateral meeting with representatives of Iran Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Turkey Sedat Onal.



Reducing violence in Syria, victory over terrorists and paving the way for finding political solution for Syrian issues were the biggest achievement made by the three parties in Syria, he said.



Maintaining cooperation in line with Astana talks has prepared the grounds for improving conditions in Syria, he added.



Vershinin went on to say that cooperation between Iran, Russia and Turkey will help the conflicting sides move toward a political settlement.



He also referred to signing an MoU on creating safe zones in Syria as the most important achievements of the fourth round of Astana talks.



The Syrian army with the support of Iran and Russia has inflicted heavy damage to terrorists and as a result over 80,000 terrorists were killed and 95% of their soil is now under the control of the Syrian government, said Vershinin.
Iran and South Korea have issued a joint postage stamp called Shilla and Persia as a symbolic act to mark the year of cultural cooperation between the two countries, IRNA reports.

The joint issue with the circulation of 800,000 stamps was unveiled to commemorate the implementation of the cultural cooperation agreement.



The agreement was signed in 2016 when the former South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited Iran.



The postage stamp shows Shilla that is a Korean stone lion that dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries.



The other image on the postage stamp is the Achaemenid Persian Lion Rhyton.



The year 2017 was designated as the year of cultural cooperation between Iran and South Korea.



The history of Iran-South Korea relations dates back to 1,500 years ago.
Tehran, Iran, Oct.24

Trend:

Around 20 foreign currency dealers have been arrested in Iran, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi said.

He said that with the collaboration of the Central Bank, the Tehran Prosecutor, the Ministry of the Interior and the police, the purchase and sale of foreign currency on roads were banned, Fars news agency reported.

Last day 20 foreign currency dealers were arrested, he said.

Buying and selling currency on roads is prohibited and considered a crime, and if anyone wants to buy and sell currency, they must go to the official currency exchange, said Dolatabadi.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

Sanctions have nothing to do with Iran's electricity exports and the exports will be carried out under the agreements with neighboring countries with no changes, ILNA reported citing Iran's Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian's speech on the sanctions the US intends to impose on Nov. 4.

Iran wants to develop electricity swap, according to Ardakanian.

"First of all, we intend to increase the electricity swap with Azerbaijan. If technical conditions allow to connect the three countries' [Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran] electricity systems, we will export about 600 megawatts of electricity. In case if there are any technical problems to connect to Russia's and Europe's electricity grids, we have alternative ways," he said.

He also mentioned that Iran exports electricity to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq as well.

About 2,000 megawatts of electricity are exported to neighboring countries, he added.
The representative of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Iran said that the body is ready to cooperate with Iran on establishing green industries, with energy productivity at the center, IRNA reports.

'Energy productivity is a way for creating a sustainable, trustworthy system, and will be helpful in solving environmental problems and energy security,' Maryam Javan-Shahraki said on Wednesday.



A rise in the demand for energy has created numerous challenges in the contemporary world, but the advancement and innovations as well as the rising players of the market have mitigated the problems, she said.



Enhancing energy productivity is one of the ways to fight climate change, the UNIDO representative added.



Iran is among the ten countries that emit the most greenhouse gas, Javan-Shahraki said noting that Iran and the UN in May 2017 announced a national strategic plan under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement for combating climate change.



'However, we have a long way to go,' she said.
Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani, who is on an official visit to Lithuania, attended the sitting of the bilateral Georgian-Lithuanian commission on European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The sitting was co-chaired by Lithuanian FM Linas Linkevicius, CivilGe reports.

In its press release of the meeting, Georgian Foreign Ministry said the commission members positively assessed the two countries cooperation, and welcomed the countrys progress on its path to EU and NATO integration, as well as its contribution to Euro-Atlantic security.

According to the MFA, the parties also discussed Georgias upcoming presidential elections, security and humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions and the Georgian Governments new peace initiative for residents of the two areas.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said, the officials also touched upon the political situation in the run-up to the presidential elections. This week, the Georgians will make a very important decision on who should take the lead and represent the country; I believe Georgia will prove its loyalty to European values, said Foreign Minister Linkevicius.

In Vilnius, the Georgian Foreign Minister also met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Parliament Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis.
Saudi Arabias powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowed on Wednesday that the killers of Jamal Khashoggi would be brought to justice, in his first public comments since the journalists murder sparked global condemnation, Reuters reports.

Striking a defiant tone, Prince Mohammed told international investors at a major conference in Riyadh that the furor over Khashoggis killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would not derail the kingdoms reform drive.

His comments came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying that as Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, the crown prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Khashoggis death.
France said on Wednesday it could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia if its intelligence services find the kingdom was behind the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, even as Paris worked to maintain important business and strategic ties with Riyadh, Reuters reports.

French reaction has been relatively guarded to date, as Paris sought to retain its influence with Riyadh and protect commercial relations spanning energy, finance and arms.

As long as the facts have not been clearly established, and corroborated by our information services, we will not take any decision, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said.

On the other hand, once light has been shed on the matter and has been corroborated by our services, based on the hypothesis that Saudi Arabias responsibility has been proved, then we would draw the necessary conclusions and impose appropriate sanctions, he said.

Any steps would not just involve sanctions on arms sales he said, without elaborating.

Earlier, a French presidency source said there would be no hasty decision.

Other major Western allies of Saudi Arabia have already spoken out. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be behind Khashoggis death. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Khashoggis killing a monstrosity and vowed to halt German arms exports.

Britain, like France a major weapons supplier to the kingdom, has said a Saudi explanation that Khashoggi died in a fight in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul were not credible. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday Britain would prevent all suspects in his death from entering the UK.
Chinese Sichuan Airlines operated its first flight to Cairo International Airport on Tuesday with 222 Chinese tourists on board, marking its maiden flight to Africa, Xinhua reported.

The flight will run twice per week on Tuesday and Friday in A330 Series plane.

According to Egyptian statistics, China has become the fourth largest exporter of tourists to Egypt since the beginning of 2017.

Egypt has been announced as the fastest growing tourist destination in terms of year-on-year increase of visitors, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization's 2018 report on global travel and tourism.

The annual report showed that Egypt welcomed about 8.5 million tourists during 2017, up by 55.1 percent compared with the same period of the previous year.
China has signed a free trade agreement memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Palestine, Chinas commerce ministry said on Wednesday in a statement posted on its official website, Reuters reported.

Chinas Ministry of Commerce (MofCom) said the MOU was signed by the countrys vice commerce minister Qian Keming and Palestinian Minister of the National Economy Abeer Odeh, during Chinese Vice President Wang Qishans visit to Palestine.

Both sides agreed to step up negotiations and try and reach an early agreement, according to MofCom.

In 2017, the bilateral trade volume between China and Palestine hit $69.28 million, up 16.2 percent compared to the same year-ago period.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrived in Russia on Tuesday and will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Before Conte's visit, a meeting of the Russian-Italian Entrepreneurship Committee initiated by the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce (IRCC), was held in the RCC, Sputnik reported.

Russia and Italy will launch a joint brand "Made with Italy," Elena Panina, member of the Russian State Parliament's International Affairs Committee, said on Tuesday.

"Brand 'Made in Italy' is known worldwide. Therefore, its very important for Russia to offer the Italian side to create a new brand, 'Made with Italy.' It refers to a production of Russian-Italian products that will be sold both in our country and in third countries," Panina told Sputnik.

During Contes visit to Moscow, issues related to enhancing of Italian investors' activity in Russia and the creation of new joint ventures, not only in the automotive industry, but also in consumer goods manufacturing, will be discussed, she noted. The politician recalled that Russia still imported a lot of Italian clothing, shoes and textiles.

She added that many European countries, including Italy, France, Germany and Hungary, no longer wanted to listen to the dictates of the United States and began to openly restore relations with Russia.
Japans government plans to sign a peace treaty with Russia based on a solution to the territorial issue, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking at the opening of Japans parliamentary session on Wednesday, TASS reports.

"Based on relations of confidence with President Vladimir Putin, we will solve the territorial issue and sign the peace treaty with Russia," he said.
Agenda of the meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, which is expected to be held in Paris on November 11, still needs to be clarified, but Moscow is expects full-format and extremely practical conversation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told, TASS reports.

Earlier, Aide to the Russian President Yury Ushakov said that Moscow and Washington had reached a preliminary agreement on holding a meeting of heads of state on the sidelines of events marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the World War I.

"A preliminary agreement on a meeting in Paris on November 11 has been reached. And we proceed from the fact that this will be a full-length meeting. That is, this is not a quick meeting, or a meeting on the go," Ryabkov said.

When asked whether the summit would have a fixed agenda, Ryabkov said "The agenda is subject to additional discussion". "We are in favor of the most practical substantive conversation," he added.
Roscosmos is ready to send a delegation to the US in early 2019 to hold negotiations with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a spokesperson for the state corporations press service told TASS on Wednesday.

"Roscosmos intends to further develop business partnership with colleagues from NASA and is ready to send its delegation in early 2019 at the invitation of the agencys head, Jim Bridenstine. By the end of November Roscosmos and NASA will have coordinated the agenda of the upcoming negotiations in the US, and the agenda will be coordinated with the countrys administration," the source said.
Efforts are underway to agree on the dates for North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns visit to Russia, there are no specific times yet, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told, TASS reports.

There are no such plans yet, he said when asked whether a meeting between the two leaders was planned next week.

[Putin] will have a fairly busy week, he noted. Work to agree on the dates for Kim Jong-uns visit continues, Peskov added.

The North Korean leader earlier received an invitation from President Putin to pay a visit to Russia. It is expected to take place before the end of this year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey stands for preserving Syrias territorial integrity, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, Turkish media reported Oct. 24.

He said that Turkey wont allow creation of any new state at its borders.

We wont allow creation of any corridor for terrorists in Syria, said Akar.

Akar stressed that the parties that support the terrorists have already realized that Turkey wont make concessions in the fight against terrorists.

He also noted that for Turkey there is no difference between the PYD/YPG militants and other terrorists.

Turkey has repeatedly proved its determination in the fight against terrorism, said Akar.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the US did not keep their promises regarding the withdrawal of the PYD/YPG terrorists from the Syrian Manbij.

"According to the agreements reached by Turkey and the US, the detachments of the PYD/YPG fighters were to leave the Syrian city of Manbij in 90 days, but it did not happen," Erdogan added.

On June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed a road map on Manbij during talks in Washington.

Also, Pompeo and Cavusoglu met in Brussels and discussed the Operation Olive Branch, as well as other issues.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 24

Trend:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman held a telephone conversation on Oct. 24.

According to the sources in the Turkish presidential administration, during the conversation, the sides discussed the joint efforts to clarify all aspects of the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On Oct. 2, Khashoggi, known for his criticism of the policy of Riyadh, disappeared when he visited the consulate general of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, where he came to obtain documents for registration of marriage with a Turkish citizen. A few days later, the Turkish police launched an investigation into his disappearance.

On Oct. 20, the Saudi authorities reported that Khashoggi was killed as a result of a conflict in the consulate general.

The Attorney General of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Saud al-Muadjib said 18 nationals of the country are under investigation, whose identities have not been revealed.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 24, 2018 - 07:13 | All, World

U.S. President Donald Trump will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit slated for Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 in Argentina, a senior White House official said Tuesday.

"The two presidents will meet for a bit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the G-20," Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters.

The leaders will meet amid an escalated tariff war between the two countries. The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports -- or about half of the goods it imports from China each year -- in response to Beijing's alleged intellectual property and technology theft.

Trump has threatened to tax all imports from China unless it addresses "unfair" trade practices.

Trump has demanded that China improve market access and intellectual property protections for American companies, remove industrial subsidies and cut its massive and chronic trade surplus with the United States.
By Seana K. Magee, KYODO NEWS - Oct 24, 2018 - 10:26 | All, World

While the political climate surrounding North Korea has dramatically changed, the country's human rights situation has been left out of key discussions, a U.N. human rights expert said Tuesday.

"The human rights situation at the moment has not changed on the ground in North Korea despite this important progress on security, peace and prosperity," Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea, told reporters.

"It is the time for North Korea to show commitment to the human rights agenda in some way or another."

Ojea Quintana was referring to the spate of summits that have been held since an improvement in relations in the wake of the winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. These included a historic summit in Singapore in June between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Although Argentinian lawyer Ojea Quintana described the changes as "extraordinary developments" that offer hope of achieving a long-sought peace on the Korean Peninsula, more needs to be done on the rights front, he said.

"What I think is needed now from North Korea and in the context of the peace talks, etc. is a sign, a signal from North Korea that they will discuss human rights at some point," he said. "I would like to see a signal to start working based on that commitment."

While Ojea Quintana said it was unrealistic to expect North Korea to suddenly open up completely, he stressed that human rights must not be left behind as political developments are "moving so fast".

One such positive move, he explained, would be for Pyongyang to accept a visit by the head of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.

"No human rights language has been included in the key inter-Korean public statements that have emerged during the latest rapprochement, nor in the Singapore statement," Ojea Quintana said, speaking of the meeting between Trump and Kim.

Ojea Quintana, who has served in his post since 2016, has not been allowed into North Korea. He bases his findings on information compiled from interviewees in nearby countries, which include escapees, many of whom are living in South Korea.

In his yearly oral report to the U.N. General Assembly's third committee, which debates social, humanitarian and cultural issues, he touched upon the living conditions North Koreans continue to face.

They include restrictions on freedoms, food insecurity, particularly faced by people in rural areas, as well as the conditions under which political prisoners live. He also raised concerns about women who are repatriated from China.



(Mansu Hill in Pyongyang in October 2018)

Japanese and South Koreans have also been abducted in the past, with 12 from Japan who have been officially recognized and 516 from South Korea.

"On the abductions issue, I have not seen any progress, unfortunately for their families who are getting old, many of them who don't know where their relatives are," he said in response to a question raised about the Japanese nationals who were kidnapped mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. "The priority is to seek the truth about what happened to these people."

In his written report, Ojea Quintana also addressed an issue raised by Pyongyang, which has alleged that 12 North Korean restaurant workers were taken from China to South Korea in April 2016.

He had met with two of them, Kim Ryong Hui and Kwon Chol Nam, both currently in South Korea, and has called on the South Korean authorities to review their cases with "a view to granting them the possibility of travel" back to their home country.

There was no North Korean representative present to respond to Ojea Quintana's findings. However, diplomats from countries such as China, Russia and Syria expressed objections to his report, claiming it was used to "politicize" the situation.

"We believe that the (General Assembly's) discussion of (North Korea's) human rights issues should solidify the current momentum of easing and of dialogue, not the opposite," the Chinese representative said.
Minister V Abdurahiman called upon Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia and said the Centre has given a favourable response to state's requests.
Some patients reported that they used the techniques in place of medication

Complementary practices such as meditation and mindful breathing helped patients manage chronic pain and in some cases reduced the need for medication such as opioids, according to a study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City.

The research, "Complementary Practices as Alternatives to Pain: Effectiveness of a Pain Management Program for Patients in an Orthopedic Clinic," was presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals annual meeting on October 24 in Chicago.

"Opioid misuse and addiction are a major public health issue in the United States, and approximately 70 percent of individuals who use opioids on a long-term basis have a musculoskeletal disorder, such as low back pain or arthritis," said Maggie Wimmer, coordinator of Programs and Outcomes, Public and Patient Education at HSS. "To address this epidemic, Hospital for Special Surgery implemented a Pain and Stress Management program in its orthopedic clinic to enhance patient knowledge and encourage complementary practices as alternatives to medication."

HSS launched the pilot program in March 2017 for patients at the hospital's Ambulatory Care Center, which serves a low income, diverse community living with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Reaching 122 participants, the program included a monthly workshop led by a meditation instructor and a social worker, as well as a weekly meditation conference call. Participants engaged in mindful breathing techniques and meditation to manage chronic pain and stress.

To evaluate the program, researchers surveyed participants after each monthly meeting. Data was collected to assess program effectiveness, participants' knowledge of complementary practices, how often they used the techniques, and how the practices helped them cope with pain and stress.

Researchers reported the following;

98 percent strongly agreed/agreed that they were satisfied with the program.

95 percent said the program increased their understanding of complementary treatments and the ability to apply the techniques to manage pain and stress.

93 percent indicated that they would recommend the program to others.

One out of three participants reported using the alternative techniques five or more times in the previous week in place of medication, and 11 percent used the techniques three to four times in place of medication.

More than half of the participants indicated that mindful breathing helped them manage their chronic pain and stress.

The debriefings conducted by the social worker during the monthly sessions also revealed that in addition to reduced pain and stress, many participants experienced improved daily function, calmness and improved state of mind after using the techniques.

Comments from participants recorded by the social worker include:

"It's not just pills that help with pain; you can do it with your mind."

"I learned how to breathe; it relieved my pain."

"It was very calming, and it helped."

"The stillness gives the body time to rebalance itself."

"I feel less anxious, and it was very relaxing. The mind is a powerful tool".

"The results indicate that alternative approaches are effective in reducing pain and stress, and in improving self-management and general well-being," said Robyn Wiesel, associate director, Public and Patient Education at HSS. "Based on the success of the Pain and Stress Management program in the orthopedic clinic, it has been expanded to include patients in the HSS Rheumatology Clinic, many of whom rely on opioid medication to manage chronic pain."

###

About Hospital for Special Surgery

HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the ninth consecutive year) and No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report (2018-2019). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In 2017 HSS provided care to 135,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures. People from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The culture of innovation is accelerating at HSS as 130 new idea submissions were made to the Global Innovation Institute in 2017 (almost 3x the submissions in 2015). The HSS Education Institute is the world's leading provider of education on the topic on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.
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40 Legit Companies That Will Pay You To Work From Home

There might have been a time when working from home seemed too good to be true, but no more. The U.S. economy was already shifting toward more remote jobs even before the coronavirus pandemic struck. Now, with social distancing in place, working from home is more critical than ever.

Using FlexJobs list of the 100 top companies with remote jobs, GOBankingRates pinpointed 40 organizations that have offered work-at-home positions. Note that job listings change constantly, and some work-from-home opportunities are either temporary or seasonal. Some companies have also recently trimmed their listings due to the effects of the coronavirus.

Read on to learn more about 40 employers that recently listed work-from-home jobs.

Last updated: Oct. 16, 2020

Amazon

The worlds largest online retailer employs more than 53,500 people in its Seattle office alone but also offers plenty of remote positions. Amazon has a virtual customer service program that offers full-time work-from-home jobs that provide benefits.

Examples of positions available: Software development engineer, senior solutions architect, digital platform marketing leader

Benefits : Health insurance, 401(k) plan, vacation and paid time off

Pay : Software engineer, $92,000/year

Where to apply: Amazon jobs page

Intuit

The company behind tax software program TurboTax and business software program QuickBooks has 9,400 employees worldwide and was named by Fortune as one of the best companies to work for 19 years in a row. Heres a look at work-from-home positions available at Intuit:

Examples of positions available: Certified public accountants, enrolled agents, work-at-home tax specialists

Benefits: 401(k) plan, employee discount, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Enrolled agent, $25-$27/hour

Where to apply: Intuit jobs page

Aetna

This Hartford, Connecticut-based managed healthcare firm has been named one of Fortune magazines most-admired companies in the healthcare sector. Aetnas remote jobs offer competitive pay and benefits.

Story continues

Examples of positions available: Senior account executive, broker manager, clinical case manager

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision coverage; company contributions to health savings account (HSA); employee discounts; stock purchase plan

Pay: Clinical case manager, $70,290/year

Where to apply: Aetna jobs page

UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group provides healthcare benefits for companies and their employees as well as state Medicaid and Medicare plans. The Minneapolis-based company offers a variety of remote jobs.

Examples of positions available: Care manager, product manager, reporting analyst, Medicare consultant

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, life insurance, HSA

Pay: Reporting analyst, $61,602/year

Where to apply: UnitedHealth Group jobs page

See: 20 Jobs Where You Can Make $60,000 Out of College

Salesforce

Salesforce is a leading provider of customer relationship management software. Its cloud-based platform lets businesses manage and analyze customer activity and is used by companies such as Unilever, BBVA and T-Mobile. Salesforce has numerous work-from-home positions.

Examples of positions available: Software engineer, build engineer, account executive, account manager

Benefits: Health, dental and vision insurance; life insurance; 401(k) plan

Pay: Software engineer, $126,867/year

Where to apply: Salesforce jobs page

Williams-Sonoma

Founded in 1956, this home products retailer operates Pottery Barn, West Elm, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham in addition to its namesake Williams-Sonoma stores. The companys call center positions are sometimes offered as home-based options, particularly during the holiday seasons.

Examples of positions available: Call center customer service agent

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off, employee discounts

Pay: Call center customer service, about $12/hour

Where to apply: Williams-Sonoma jobs page; it might also put up seasonal job application sites

Anthem

Indianapolis-based Anthem is one of the top health insurance providers in the U.S. It offers work-at-home positions that require some travel in addition to remote and telecommute jobs.

Examples of positions available: Case manager, business improvement consultant, account and program director, marketing director

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Case manager, $53,406/year

Where to apply: Anthem jobs page

Xerox

This Fortune 500 company is known for its office printers and copiers, but it also focuses heavily on solutions and services. Xerox has been named to the JUST Capital JUST 100 list for outperforming peers in worker pay and treatment.

Examples of positions available: Sales agent, client manager, account operations manager

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, paid holidays

Pay: Client manager, $56,507/year

Where to apply: Xerox jobs page

Humana

Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana is one of the largest health insurance providers in the U.S. It provides group health insurance and Medicare plans as well as the TRICARE program for active duty and retired military members and their families.

Examples of positions available: Sales, Remote RN case manager

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; vacation and paid time off

Pay: Remote RN case manager, $31-$34/hour

Where to apply: Humana jobs page

TTEC

TTEC is a global customer experience technology and services company that provides human-centric, tech-enabled customer service solutions. Several remote positions are available.

Examples of positions available: Work-at-home customer service representative, technical project manager, instructional media designer

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k); HSA plan; health insurance; paid time off

Pay: Work-at-home customer service representative, $10/hour

Where to apply: TTEC jobs page

Here They Are: 15 Best Work-From-Home Jobs for Retirees

SYKES

Based in Tampa, Florida, SYKES provides customer engagement services to companies around the world. Its services include phone, email, online and social media customer service support. Its work-at-home jobs mainly involve customer service.

Examples of positions available: Customer service representatives

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; tuition assistance program

Pay: Work-at-home customer service representatives, $10/hour

Where to apply: SYKES jobs page

Working Solutions

Working Solutions provides home-based sales and customer service representatives for a variety of businesses. Its call center support services aim to provide on-demand solutions in four main areas: customer care, sales, business continuity and back-office support. Remote jobs are available in customer service and sales.

Examples of positions available: Customer service representative, sales agent

Benefits: Job training, flexible hours

Pay: Work-at-home sales representative, about $12,000/year

Where to apply: Working Solutions jobs page

Cactus Communications

Cactus Communications is a medical communications agency that provides writing, editing and transcription services for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Its based in Mumbai, India, but hires freelance contractors around the world.

Examples of positions available: Full-time work-at-home translator positions and part-time editor positions

Benefits: Performance bonuses

Pay: Part-time editor positions, $14/hour

Where to apply: Cactus Communications jobs page

Fiserv

Fiserv provides financial services technology solutions such as payment processing for banks, credit unions, lenders and investment firms. It has previously been named by Forbes magazine as one of Americas best employers.

Examples of positions available: Sales operations consultant, business strategy consultant, technical consultant, proposal management specialist

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Technical consultant, $73,443/year

Where to apply: Fiserv jobs page

BroadPath Healthcare Solutions

BroadPath Healthcare Solutions provides business, compliance and technology services to healthcare providers and payers such as insurance companies. It is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, but offers full-time remote positions.

Examples of positions available: Member service representative, case manager, quality analyst

Benefits: 401(k) plan, job training

Pay: Quality analyst, $16-$17/hour

Where to apply: BroadPath Healthcare Solutions jobs page

Commonwealth of Virginia

Virginias state agencies offer a variety of full-time jobs with the option to work remotely within the state. The commonwealth recently launched a streamlined jobs application on its website that lets users submit a resume and minimal personal information to begin.

Examples of positions available: Environmental health technical specialist, staff actuary, finance analyst

Benefits: Pension plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Environmental specialist, $44,000-$66,000/year

Where to apply: Commonwealth of Virginia jobs page

K12

Based in Herndon, Virginia, K12 provides online educational programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12, hence the name. Its programs are geared toward military families, home-schooled children, athletes and traveling entertainers. Numerous work-from-home positions are available.

Examples of positions available: Teacher, guidance counselor, speech pathologist, special education

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; paid time off; gym and tuition reimbursement

Pay: Special education teacher, $39,894/year

Where to apply: K12 jobs page

See What You Like: 26 Highest-Paying Jobs That Let You Work From Home

ADP

ADP provides payroll services, human resources software and tax and compliance services to businesses around the world. Its been named to Fortune magazines most admired companies list 12 years in a row. Some of its remote positions offer excellent pay and benefits.

Examples of positions available: Human resource outsourcing partnership manager, pharmaceutical research and development recruiter, data analyst

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Data analyst, $71,587/year

Where to apply: ADP jobs page

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo, headquartered in San Francisco, is one of the biggest banks in the country. Some of its full-time positions offer an option for remote work.

Examples of positions available: E-business systems consultant, information security engineer

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Information security engineer, $123,105/year

Where to apply: Wells Fargo jobs page

BCD Travel

BCD Travel is based in the Netherlands but has its regional U.S. headquarters in Atlanta. The company focuses on making corporate travel more cost-effective and streamlined for clients. It offers several telecommute and remote job opportunities.

Examples of positions available: Risk analyst, travel consultant, senior outsourced travel manager

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance

Pay: Travel consultants, $48,470/year

Where to apply: BCD Travel jobs page

Check This Out: Feel Like Youre Retired With One of These 30 Laid-Back Jobs

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific develops biotechnology products, reagents, scientific instruments, software solutions and other science-based products and supplies. It boasts more than 75,000 employees around the world. Some of its remote jobs require heavy travel.

Examples of positions available: Computer system specialist, customer care center process implementation manager

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; employee discounts

Pay: Customer care manager team leader, $66,000-$71,000/year

Where to apply: Thermo Fisher Scientific jobs page

SAP

SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software. The company has more than 100,000 employees in over 140 countries.

Examples of positions available: Senior account executive, software development engineer

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; paid time off

Pay: Software development engineer, $97,876/year

Where to apply: SAP jobs page

PRA Health Sciences

Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, PRA Health Sciences helps companies develop drugs in areas such as infectious diseases, neurology, oncology and gastroenterology. It has more than 17,000 employees.

Examples of positions available: Senior medical writer, clinical trial manager, medical copy editor

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Clinical trial manager, $131,000-$142,000/year

Where to apply: PRA Health Sciences jobs page

Enterprise Holdings

Enterprise Holdings offers car and truck rental, fleet management and other transportation services. Among its brands are Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo and National Car Rental. Remote jobs are offered in customer service and sales.

Examples of positions available: Customer service agent, reservation sales representative

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; employee discounts; vacation and paid time off

Pay: Reservation sales representatives, $25,000-$31,000/year

Where to apply: Enterprise Holdings jobs page

VocoVision

VocoVision provides online speech, language and occupational therapy services. It also offers sign language interpreters, teachers of the visually impaired and school psychologists through its video conferencing services.

Examples of positions available: Speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, school psychologist, special education teacher

Benefits: Negotiable

Pay: Speech-language pathologists, about $41-$45/hour

Where to apply: VocoVision jobs page

Afirm

Headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, Afirm provides risk mitigation, loss control and audit services to insurance companies. It has recently listed openings for full-time remote work positions.

Examples of positions available: Auditor, loss control surveyor

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; stipend for career development

Pay: Loss control surveyor, $27,000-$29,000/year

Where to apply: Afirm jobs page

Learn: The Best and Worst Things About Working From Home

American Express

This financial services company offers personal, small-business and corporate credit cards as well as savings accounts and CDs. American Express is headquartered in New York and has more than 64,000 employees around the world.

Examples of positions available: Virtual travel consultant, virtual collections specialist

Benefits: Health benefits, tuition assistance, paid parental leave

Pay: Collections specialist, $39,401/year

Where to apply: American Express jobs page

Magellan Health

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Magellan Health works with health plans, employers, Medicaid, Medicare and the federal government to provide managed care, behavioral healthcare and pharmacy benefits management. Several remote jobs are available here.

Examples of positions available: Senior manager for proposals, registered nurse care manager, screening specialist

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; life insurance

Pay: Senior care manager, $72,805/year

Where to apply: Magellan Health jobs page

Dell

Computer and technology giant Dell is based near Austin, Texas, but offers a number of full-time positions that allow you to work from home.

Examples of positions available: Account executive, services sales executive, systems engineer

Benefits: 401(k) plan, health insurance, vacation and paid time off

Pay: Systems engineer, $113,137/year

Where to apply: Dell jobs page

LanguageLine Solutions

LanguageLine Solutions provides interpretation and translation services. It claims on its website that its the largest provider of over-the-phone interpreter services in the world. LanguageLine hires interpreters who can work at home receiving client calls and translating conversations.

Examples of positions available: Interpreters who receive client calls and translate conversations

Benefits: 401(k) plan, job training

Pay: Interpreter/translator, $12/hour

Where to apply: LanguageLine Solutions jobs page

Sutherland

Sutherland offers services that help companies improve their business processes and customer engagement. It works in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, insurance, banking and government. Sutherland has posted job listings for a variety of work-at-home positions.

Examples of positions available: Sales agent, customer support agent, account management

Benefits: Vision, dental and health insurance; paid training; paid time off; performance incentives

Pay: Customer support, $13/hour

Where to apply: Sutherland jobs page

Leidos

This Reston, Virginia-based company provides services for defense contractors, healthcare organizations and federal agencies. Leidos offers a variety of telecommuting jobs throughout the country.

Examples of positions available: Network systems administrator, web developer, junior server administrator

Benefits: Medical and dental insurance, paid parental leave, HSA, group universal life

Pay: Systems administrator, $79,000

Where to apply: Leidos jobs page

Kelly Services

Kelly Services is a staffing agency committed to pairing people with companies that need their skills. The company provides staffing for 90 of the Fortune 100 companies. FlexJobs has named Kelly Services one of the Top 100 employers for remote jobs every year since 2014.

Examples of positions available: Technical support representative

Benefits: Medical, prescription and group life insurance; vacation, holiday and sick pay; job training

Pay: Up to $17/hour

Where to apply: Kelly Services jobs page

Sodexo

Sodexo has been named a FlexJobs Top 100 employer of remote workers two years in a row. The provider of facilities management and food services typically offers remote work options to about half of its employees.

Examples of positions available: Registered dietitian, application developer, field marketing coordinator

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; vacation and paid time off

Pay: Dietitian II, $60,750/year

Where to apply: Sodexo jobs page

VMWare

VMWare is a software company that helps companies transition into digital businesses. It recently listed more than 1,500 jobs on its website, with many of those being remote positions.

Examples of positions available: Customer success architect, QA engineer, government sales manager

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; vacation and paid time off

Pay: QA engineer, $103,000/year

Where to apply: VMWare jobs page

Kaplan

Kaplan has an 80-year history as a test prep company for everything from SAT students to lawyers and doctors preparing for licensing exams. Data scientists and educators are often in demand for remote positions here.

Examples of positions available: Senior content specialist, instructor, data engineering manager

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; paid time off

Pay: SAT instructor, $22/hour

Where to apply: Kaplan jobs page

CVS Health

CVS Health has been a FlexJobs Top 100 remote employer since 2014. Sales positions are among the common remote opportunities at the company.

Examples of positions available: Network engineering advisor, district leader, territory sales executive

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; employee discounts; vacation and paid time off

Pay: Territory sales executive, $79,209/year

Where to apply: CVS Health jobs page

Achieve Test Prep

Achieve Test Prep has made three straight appearances on the FlexJobs

Top 100 remote employers list. The company develops products for the Credit-by-Examination Educational Marketplace and offers all of its people work-from-home opportunities.

Examples of positions available: Customer retention manager, instructor, sales representative

Benefits: On-the-job training, support for educational and professional development

Pay: Instructor, about $22-$23/hour

Where to apply: Achieve Test Prep jobs page

World Travel Holdings

World Travel Holdings is Americas largest cruise ship agency and one of the nations leading online and offline leisure travel companies. Because World Travel is primarily a sales agency, it lends itself toward remote workers.

Examples of positions available*: Customer care representative (*current hiring freeze due to COVID-19)

Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan; travel discounts; paid time off

Pay: Customer care representative, $13/hour

Where to apply: World Travel Holdings jobs page

Hilton

Global hotelier Hilton has been on the FlexJobs Top 100 remote employers list for two years in a row. Although hiring has taken a pause during the coronavirus outbreak, Hilton typically offers remote positions for customer care representatives and reservations specialists.

Examples of positions available * : Remote customer service representative, remote reservations sales representative (*hiring currently suspended due to COVID-19)

Benefits: Employee discounts, vacation and paid time off, health insurance, retirement savings program

Pay: Remote customer service representative, $11/hour

Where to apply: Hilton jobs page

More From GOBankingRates

Pay and benefits information was sourced from Glassdoor when the information was unavailable through the companies websites.

Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the images may not reflect the companies listed in this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 40 Legit Companies That Will Pay You To Work From Home
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II aircraft participate in a training mission near Kunsan Air Base, South Korea in preparation for VIGILANT ACE 18 in South Korea in this December 1, 2017 U.S Air Force photo made available on December 5, 2017. Courtesy Josh Rosales/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

By Philip Blenkinsop and Andrea Shalal

BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Belgium has chosen Lockheed Martin's <LMT.N> F-35 stealth jets over the Eurofighter Typhoon to replace its aging F-16s, news agency Belga cited government sources as saying, in a move that would cement the U.S.-made war plane's position in Europe.

The country has been deliberating for months over a multibillion-dollar purchase of 34 new fighter jets, with the latest deadline for a decision being Oct. 29.

A defense ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the government's decision and did not confirm the end-October deadline.

Lockheed spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson did not confirm that a decision had been made but said the company remains confident that the F-35 is the right choice for Belgium.

"The F-35 offers transformational capability for the Belgian Air Force and, if selected, will align them with a global coalition operating the world's most advanced aircraft."

If confirmed, the decision will make Belgium the 12th country to buy the radar-evading F-35 jets and could help to strengthen the U.S. aerospace company's position in forthcoming tenders in Switzerland, Finland and Germany.

The decision, the likely outcome of which was reported by Reuters last Friday, had been expected in July before the NATO summit in Brussels. The order for jets due for delivery from 2023 is estimated to be worth 3.6 billion euros ($4.14 billion). [nL2N1WV11Y]

Washington has extended the terms of the F-35 bid to Oct. 31 at Brussels' request, U.S. sources said, adding that any further delay would trigger changes in pricing.

Lockheed has said its bid will give Belgian companies significant opportunities to contribute to the global F-35 enterprise.

EUROFIGHTER BLOW

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has previously said he would like to make the decision on the F-16 replacements before a national election in May and Defence Minister Steven Vandeput has said he hoped to settle the matter before he steps down at the end of the year.

A win for Lockheed would mark a setback for Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain, the four countries behind the Eurofighter program, who had mounted a strong lobbying campaign for the European war plane.

Story continues

It is also likely to anger France, which did not submit a formal bid for the Rafale fighter built by Dassault Aviation <AVMD.PA> but had offered Belgium close defense cooperation to prevent a further spread of the F-35 in Europe.

Other European buyers of the F-35 include Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Turkey and Norway.

The Eurofighter is flown by Germany, Britain, Austria, Italy and Spain.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and David Goodman)
By Dasha Afanasieva

LONDON (Reuters) - Private equity firm HarbourVest said on Wednesday it will open a Dublin office to help minimise any disruption to its clients and funds from Britain leaving the European Union (EU) next year.

HarbourVest, which has $50 billion in assets under management and more than 400 employees, is not planning to reduce the size of its London office but will have fund managers in Dublin, its managing director John Toomey said.

Many firms without regulated EU operations outside Britain are working on the assumption of a "hard Brexit", where they will no longer be able to sell their services across the EU without an operation regulated by an EU member country.

Disagreement over what to do about the Irish border after Britain leaves the EU has stalled a Brexit deal in recent weeks.

Some investment management firms with a base in Britain are opening offices on the continent as part of plans to ensure they can sell to EU clients after Britain exits the bloc.

HarbourVest said it will open the Dublin office once it has Irish AIFM (Alternative Investment Fund Managers) authorisation.

Blackstone (BX.N) is among a number of financial services companies to have chosen Luxembourg as the site for a European Union subsidiary while several hedge funds, including Winton, have opted for Dublin.

(Reporting by Dasha Afanasieva; Editing by Alexander Smith)
* Public job centres to have role in "citizens' wage" scheme

* Centres need a makeover, now lack staff, technology

* Few unemployed Italians get work through job centres

* Critics say scheme will encourage benefit cheats

* New benefit is most costly item in deficit-hiking budget

By Francesca Piscioneri

NAPLES, Italy, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Outside the job centre in a poor quarter of Naples in southern Italy, Emanuele Varriale uses a ballpoint pen to fill in a form certifying he is looking for work.

But he has no hope that the centre will find him a job.

Inside the dusty office, scores of people are completing the same form, helped by five middle-aged employees working with piles of folders and paper clips more than computers.

"I have only come for the certificate", says 26-year-old Varriale, who lost his job in a fruit shop. "My father has been enrolled for 30 years and they've never offered him anything."

The certificate entitles Varriale to a temporary unemployment cheque of a few hundred euros per month, linked to his previous salary. But it could soon give him access to a far more generous income of up to 780 euros ($894) under a new welfare policy designed to lift 5 million Italians out of poverty.

The "citizens' wage," championed by the governing 5-Star Movement, will cost 10 billion euros next year, the most expensive item in a big-spending budget which itself has raised concerns in the European Union that Italy could be sowing the seeds of a financial crisis.

Italy's 550 state-run job centres will be in charge of verifying that recipients of the new benefit meet an important eligibility criteria: that they are actively looking for a job.

But Italians widely regard the centres as being blighted by obsolete technology and insufficient and under-qualified staff, creating fears they will be unable to verify that recipients are genuinely looking for work and could encourage benefit cheats.

Another concern is that they will fail in their most basic task of advertising all job opportunities, raising the risk that even industrious people will be funnelled into welfare simply because they were not made aware of suitable vacancies.

Story continues

The new populist government plans to spend 1 billion euros to modernise the centres -- 10 percent of the total cost of the new policy in its first year in 2019. Critics say it is not enough and that the wage will reward people for doing nothing.

"Lots of people will just sit on their couches because the centres aren't equipped to offer jobs or to check that people are searching for them," said Renato Brunetta, an opposition politician, former minister and professor of labour economics.

The 5-Star Movement used to bill the citizens' wage as a basic-income policy -- an unconditional form of welfare -- but imposed conditions to counter the charge that it would pay people to be idle.

Unlike a basic-income scheme that was tried and abandoned in Finland, Italy will impose the job-seeker requirement for everyone except retirees and those unable to work. It will be means tested and will now more closely resemble income-support schemes offered across the EU, though it will rank among the more generous.

Direct comparisons are complicated, but the 780-euro maximum amount available to a single person with no other income is about double the 318 pounds ($412)available to someone aged 25 or over under Britain's universal credit scheme.

Still, the citizens' wage has drawn scepticism from labour experts who say the job centres are a weak link that is unlikely to be fixed in the five months before it is rolled out.

'HUMILIATING EXPERIENCE'

Labour Minister Luigi Di Maio, head of the 5-Star party, acknowledges the job centres are a "humiliating experience" for the unemployed, but is staking his career on transforming them into a high-tech network that can help people find jobs or guarantee them training courses to improve their skills.

If he fails, it could backfire on 5-Star, embarrass the new government and erode a central pillar of the budget.

Some 700 km (430 miles) north of Naples, a manager at a successful glass-making firm near Venice says that when he needs new staff the last place he turns to is the local job centre.

"The few times we tried, it was a dreadful experience," says Alessandro Zanchetta, head of human resources at Somec, whose 400 workers make glass sheeting for ships and skyscrapers.

The candidates sent by the centres always lacked the skills Somec needed, Zanchetta said, adding that he now used private agencies or head-hunters.

In Italy, only 3 percent of unemployed people find work through public job centres, compared to 20 percent in France and Germany, according to the EU's statistics office, Eurostat. Italy's centres employ 8,000 people, compared with 100,000 in Germany and 45,000 in France.

Members of the workforce who receive the citizens' wage, which is due to launch by March, must do eight hours of community service per week and accept one of the first three job offers for which they are qualified.

"We are working on a single software for all the job centres that is able to cross-check databases," 5-Star leader Di Maio told Reuters. "In this way we will know who is receiving the income, how he is being trained, how he is behaving and if he is entitled to receive it again."

He has also launched a public competition to give the centres a new design and logo.

FEARS OF A 'TSUNAMI'

Some labour experts, and some of the centre's employees, are sceptical the system can be overhauled by March, saying that the 1 billion euros budgeted to upgrade them will not be enough.

"It's not clear how we can bring about this revolution in such a short time," says Sonia Palmeri, head of employment policy in the Campania region around Naples.

"We need to hire young and trained people, otherwise we will be overwhelmed (by applicants) like a tsunami."

Michele Tiraboschi, professor of labour law at Modena University, holds out even less hope.

"It's going to be a total failure," he said. "In Italy the job centres never worked, not even after World War Two when the State had the monopoly of the labour market."

The average age of job-centre employees is 50, and only 26 percent have a university degree, according to a survey by Italy's national agency for labour market policies. Fifty percent said their computer systems were inadequate. In Italy's poor south, 17 percent of job centre staff held a degree.

In the south, where most people do not work and many others toil in the shadows of the black economy, the wage is so eagerly awaited that some residents have already tried to claim it.

"I came for the citizens' wage but they told me to come back in 2019," Cuono Orto, a 54-year-old unemployed builder, said despondently as he left the job centre in Naples.

($1 = 0.7703 pounds) ($1 = 0.8729 euros)

(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones, editing by Gavin Jones and Timothty Heritage)
By John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - When James Dyson, the billionaire British inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, unveiled a plan to build an electric car plant in Singapore, it raised a few eyebrows.

Not only does the land-starved city state have some of the highest average salaries in the world, but it has been nearly 40 years since Ford closed its factory in Singapore, effectively ending car production on the Southeast Asian island.

"It is a bit of a surprise because of the cost base and no other car manufacturing plant being here," said Shantanu Majumdar, a regional director at consultancy JD Power.

Dyson said on Tuesday the decision was based on supply chains, access to markets and the availability of expertise, which offset the cost factor.

But what other factors could have influenced the decision? Why not head straight to the biggest electric vehicle market in the world, China, like rival Tesla?

Here's a look at some of the less obvious pros and cons:

1. High Costs vs Generous Incentives

Compared with other global cities, Singapore has some of the highest average salaries in the world after tax, according to studies by Deutsche Bank. Land available for industrial use is scarce and expensive, and it ranks highly in general cost-of-living indexes.

But aside from its skilled engineers and scientists, for a high-tech firm like Dyson, Singapore offers generous incentive schemes.

Some schemes include tax breaks for five years, which can be extended, and grants that can cover up to 30 percent of the cost of projects to improve business efficiency. Singapore declined to comment on whether Dyson benefitted from any such schemes.

To shore up productivity in its manufacturing sector, which makes up less than quarter of its output, Singapore has focused efforts on attracting high-end manufacturers and those who adopt automated production processes.

2. Small Market vs China Gateway

Dyson may have decided to make electric cars in Singapore, but few are likely to be driven here or anywhere in Southeast Asia for that matter.

Story continues

The number of privately owned electric vehicles in Singapore is in single digits, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticised Singapore for not being supportive of electric vehicles.

Singapore is one of the world's most expensive places to own a car because the government strictly controls the vehicle population by charging owners a variable rate for the right to own and use a vehicle for a limited number of years.

In the broader Southeast Asia, only 142 electric vehicles are forecast to be sold this year, data from consultant LMC Automotive shows.

By contrast, sales in China are forecast to almost reach 700,000 vehicles this year, more than double the combined sales from the United States and Europe.

But with one of the world's busiest ports on its doorstep, Dyson can roll a car off the production line in Singapore and within the hour it can be on its way to China or other sizable electric vehicle markets like South Korea or Japan.

Dyson products - which also include bladeless fans, air purifiers and hair dryers - are becoming a premium brand in China and other Asian markets. Asia accounted for more than 70 percent of its growth last year, the firm said.

3. Familiarity vs New Frontier

Dyson's history with Singapore probably also played a role.

It already employs 1,100 people in Singapore, making 21 million digital electric motors a year. It also has manufacturing hubs in Malaysia - connected to Singapore via two road bridges - and the Philippines.

"This is obviously a surprise but since Singapore is at the heart of Southeast Asia, Dyson would be best placed to source many components from neighbouring countries and, locally, assemble and manufacture the high-tech car here," said a corporate banker who deals with multinational firms in the region.

Another option for Dyson could have been to follow rival Tesla to the biggest market, China.

By the time Dyson's first car is ready in 2021, Tesla may already be selling locally produced cars in China after it signed a deal with the Shanghai government for an 860,000 square metre plot of land to build its first overseas Gigafactory.

But China is becoming a crowded market for making electric vehicles and the government is reining in subsidies.

Meanwhile, Singapore does have an extensive free trade agreement with China which lists various car types and car parts in its tariff-reduction schedule.

Singapore's Economic Development Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether electric vehicles would be eligible for exemptions under this arrangement.

JD Power's Majumdar said intellectual property would be another consideration for Dyson.

"Intellectual protections are very strong in Singapore... It is definitely an advantage. When you are in China...you may not be so comfortable on that part." (Reporting by John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan; Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Anshuman Daga and Yilei Sun; Editing by Neil Fullick)
(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. havent detected Chinese meddling in the 2018 elections, company officials said, casting doubt on claims by President Donald Trump that the Asian nation is trying to interfere.

The social media giants have reported online disinformation campaigns ahead of the Nov. 6 elections that appear to originate from Russia and Iran. But officials from both companies said they havent found evidence so far of such activity from China.

"When we think about China, we havent seen the same sort of coordinated operations involving information operations as we have from the other nation states," Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook, told reporters in Washington on Wednesday.

A press representative from Twitter, who spoke on condition of not being identified by name, wrote in an email that the platform is not detecting coordinated activity from China.

Facebook and Twitter are the latest in a string of tech companies that have made findings undercutting Trumps claim. Last week, top cybersecurity firms -- FireEye Inc., Symantec Corp., and Crowdstrike Inc. -- said that, in working to help safeguard the November elections, they havent seen evidence of digital interference by China.

In the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Facebook and Twitter have stepped up efforts to detect and stop foreign-government disinformation campaigns on their platforms. The companies use automated algorithms and human reviews of suspicious activity to search for coordinated campaigns.

Facebook and Twitter have both suspended or removed accounts that appeared to emanate from Russia and Iran and seemed to be intended to influence U.S. opinion as this years elections approach. Its possible that Chinese activity could be undetected or surface closer to the election.

The Trump administrations claims about Chinese interference have mounted since last month, when the president told the United Nations Security Council that "China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election, coming up in November, against my administration.

Story continues

Vice President Mike Pence followed up with a speech this month, saying: "There can be no doubt: China is meddling in Americas democracy." Pence characterized Beijings behavior as an unprecedented effort to influence American public opinion, the 2018 elections, and the environment leading into the 2020 presidential elections.

Trump and Pence have both cited a paid advertising supplement the Chinese government placed in the Des Moines Register, Iowas largest newspaper, criticizing the administrations trade policies.

Beijing and Washington are currently locked in an escalating trade conflict, and late last month, U.S. and Chinese warships nearly collided in the South China Sea, where both nations are seeking to assert their regional dominance.

The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Office of Director of National Intelligence warned last Friday that nations including China were engaged in "ongoing campaigns" to "undermine confidence" and influence policy and opinion in the U.S.

The administration hasnt provided evidence to back up the allegations.

(Updates with Facebook comment in third paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Mike Dorning, John Harney

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
The logo of the Ford Motor Company is seen outside a car dealership in Cape Town, South Africa, October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

By Yilei Sun and Adam Jourdan

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co has hired a new chief for its troubled China operations, ending a nine-month search after the previous head suddenly quit and tasking him with fixing a deep sales slump in the world's biggest car market.

Anning Chen, 57, a former Ford engineer and chairman of Chery Jaguar Land Rover in China, will take the helm from Nov. 1. An American national who was born in China, he is fluent in Chinese and has roughly 14 years experience of working in the country.

The move, which cements a shift to Chinese management in the country for Ford, comes at a pivotal time with sales sliding on the lack of a popular SUV for the market as well as rocky relationships with its Chinese joint venture partners.

"Getting a local person in this role is a good move. This will likely give Ford a better understanding of the market," said Bill Russo, head of Shanghai consultancy Automobility Ltd.

Ford's vehicle sales fell 43 percent in September from a year earlier and are down 30 percent in the first nine months of the year. Ford blames its weak China business on an ageing model lineup that is awaiting an overhaul.

By comparison, industry-wide sales are up 1.5 percent for the year to date with rival Toyota Motor Corp logging a 12.5 percent gain.

China represents Ford's second-biggest market by sales volume but in the second quarter the automaker booked a pretax loss of $483 million for its operations there.

Executives have noted the combination of lower prices and falling sales, particularly in the hot crossover and SUV market, had hit the company hard.

Ford is due to report third-quarter earnings later on Wednesday.

Chen's appointment comes as Ford restructures operations worldwide, and its China business will now become stand-alone business unit, reporting directly to global headquarters. Chen will report to Jim Farley, president of global markets.

"China is absolutely essential to Ford's profitability and growth," Farley said in a statement, adding the new structure would help the China operation be "more fit as a business, increase our decision-making speed and be closer to our customers."

Story continues

Chen's predecessor Jason Luo - also brought in to turn around the business - resigned abruptly in January this year after roughly five months in the job.

Industry insiders said Chen's arrival would help Ford in the market - including mending bridges with its partners Changan Automobile Group and Jiangling Motors Group - but that success was no sure thing.

Tensions in Ford's China partnerships have hurt the morale of the joint ventures sales forces, especially after the U.S. automaker tried to streamline its two separate brand identities and its dual distribution systems, sources have previously said.

Jiangling Motors said it welcomed the appointment.

"We are very pleased to see that Ford is paying more and more attention to the Chinese market and better implementing its 'In China, for China' strategy," a spokesman for the company said in a text message to Reuters.

Other appointments this year that have brought in Chinese expertise include naming Henry Li, a former senior sales executive at Mercedes, as vice president for sales and marketing in China.

Mao Jingbo became chief of Lincoln Asia Pacific and China after serving at Mercedes' Chinese operations for more than ten years, while Richard Chen, a former Key Safety Systems executive, became Ford's vice president of strategy and partnership for Greater China.

(Reporting by Yilei Sun and Adam Jourdan; Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
FILE PHOTO: Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of the Americas, speaks during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit FILE PHOTO: Joe Hinrichs, Ford executive vice president and president of global operations, speaks during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., Jan. 9, 2017. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo

By Ben Klayman

WAYNE, Mich. (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co <F.N> has seen higher steel and aluminum costs driven by trade tariffs bite into profit, but is hopeful the United States and China can avoid further tensions that could make things more costly, a top Ford executive said on Monday.

The United States said in March it would impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum from most countries. The tariffs have allowed U.S. steel producers to raise their prices.

"They're certainly up year over year and they're up versus what we were expecting," Joe Hinrichs, Ford executive vice president and president of global operations, said of steel and aluminum costs.

U.S. steel costs are higher than anywhere else in the world, Hinrichs told reporters. Ford officials have been working with all the parties involved, including the U.S. government, to address the issues, he said at a plant in Wayne, Michigan, to celebrate next week's production launch of the Ranger midsize pickup truck.

While the United States reached a new regional trade agreement with Canada and Mexico late last month, the tariffs remain an issue. In addition, the United States and China are locked in a spiraling trade war in which they have lobbed increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other's imports.

The U.S. auto industry has warned against imposing more tariffs on Chinese products, saying that doing so would harm vehicle sales and cost jobs.

The only Ford exports that have been hurt have been vehicles built for the Chinese market, due to that country's move to increase tariffs to 40 percent after the United States slapped 25 percent tariffs on Chinese-built vehicles entering the United States, Hinrichs said. However, the affected vehicles are not a significant volume.

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford last month said the automaker wanted trade deals that allowed it to plan and invest with certainty. The day before, Chief Executive Jim Hackett said U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs would cost the automaker $1 billion in profit in 2018 and 2019.

Story continues

The new Ranger pickup will go on sale in early January, bringing back a vehicle Ford previously killed in 2011.

Ford's decision to invest $850 million in the Wayne plant to build the Ranger and a new Bronco SUV won praise last year from U.S. President Donald Trump.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Wayne, Mich.; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Rosendo Garza Jr., with Day Pitney in Hartford, left, and Robert Reardon Jr., with the Reardon Law Firm in New London, right.

Rosendo Garza Jr., with Day Pitney in Hartford, left, and Robert Reardon Jr., with the Reardon Law Firm in New London. Courtesy photos



For some attorneys, doing upward of 300 hours of pro bono work every year, in addition to representing big corporations as a commercial litigator, might seem like a tough balancing act.



But then again, these attorneys have not served three tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, like Day Pitney's Rosendo Garza Jr.



Garza, who easily puts in more than 50 billable hours per week at the firm, said he leans on his military experience to find the time to juggle his Day Pitney responsibilities and the pro bono work that gives back to the community.



Garza is one of thousands of attorneys across the state who are giving up their time, energy and money to help others in need. No agency keeps a comprehensive count, but the Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut logged about 4,000 hours of pro bono work by volunteer attorneys helping low-income clients.



That's more than $1 million worth of services, donated by attorneys who often otherwise charge by the hour.



"You have a job and you figure out a way to do it," Garza said.











15 Years Pro Bono: Why a Connecticut Lawyer Stood With Clients Who Couldn't Pay











The numbers show that firms, such as Day Pitney, value pro bono. Like others across Connecticut, it follows the American Bar Association standard requiring lawyers to serve clients who cannot afford representation. It requires attorneys to donate at least 50 hours per year to serve low-income clients, nonprofits and others who need their expertise.



But the 38-year-old Garza far exceeds that minimum expectation. When he joined Day Pitney in September 2016, Garza immediately sought out pro bono work. In 2017, he topped 300 hours, earning an award for outpacing the 68 other attorneys in the firm's Hartford office. And this year, he's on track to surpass that performance. It's a big accomplish for an attorney from Day Pitney, where Connecticut lawyers have logged more than 6,000 pro bono hours so far in 2018.







12 Years' Commitment



Among those putting in the hours are lawyers and paralegals at The Reardon Law Firm in New London, who dedicated 12 1/2 years to a case they handled free of charge.





Story continues

Enterprise_Connecticut_Reardon





Attorney Robert Reardon Jr. led the yearslong mission to get tenants out of a rat-infested 124-unit complex known as Thames River Apartments. Now, the three high-rise buildings that comprised the complex are vacant. But it took more than a decade of fighting with City Hall and the local housing authority to finally get to the point where, with the help of the law firm and the new members of the housing authority, vouchers were made available via the federal Housing and Urban Development to relocate families so they could rent from private residences in New London and elsewhere.



While Reardon said he thinks the city wanted to wait them out, he had no intention of giving up the fight. The firm spent more than 5,000 hours, valued at about $1.1 million, fighting for the tenants.



"We had 10 banker boxes of pleadings and correspondences related to this case," said Reardon, who said he had never even come close to doing more than a decade worth of pro bono work on any other case in his 48-year career. "We also filed 192 pleadings in court, while the case was always aggressively defended by the city and housing authority lawyers."



And Reardon has no regrets.



"There was no hesitation on spending time on the project," he said. "Everyone in the firm agreed this was something we needed to do. It was important to us because the New London community has been very generous to us. We owed an obligation to the city to pay it forward."







Support From Management



Murtha Cullina lawyers feel a similar obligation to their pro bono clients.





I





According to pro bono chairman Marc Finer, attorneys have the full support of management to help clients in need.



"We actually count, as a firm, up to 100 hours of pro bono work toward our total billable hours per associates and counsel," Finer said, "That incentivized both associates and counsel to do pro bono work. One hundred hours toward total billable hours is very generous. The most I've ever heard of is 50 hours."





Marc Finer, partner with Murtha Cullina, left, and Jonathan Shapiro, president of the Connecticut Bar Association and owner of Jonathan Shapiro Law Offices, right.

Marc Finer, a partner with Murtha Cullina, left, and Jonathan Shapiro, the president of the Connecticut Bar Association and owner of Jonathan Shapiro Law Offices, right. Courtesy photo



In total, Murtha Cullina saw attorneys do 1,064 hours of pro bono work in 2017 with a value of $385,934. To date, in 2018, its team has donated 1,792 hours valued at $617,167. That's more than $1 million over about two years.



The 2018 hike in pro bono hours and value is due, in part, to Local Rule 83.10, which took effect in December 2017, according to Murtha Cullina associate Kristen Zaehringer.







"If you are admitted to federal court in Connecticut, you could get assigned to take on pro bono cases most being prisoner lawsuits," Zaehringer said. "In the past, there was not a set standard for declining such a case. The new rule makes it harder to decline pro bono cases."



Finer said the new rule had an impact on Murtha Cullina's increase, but, he said, it's not clear how many firm attorneys were affected by the rule,







Push During National Pro Bono Week



With National Pro Bono week beginning this week, Connecticut Bar Association President Jonathan Shapiro said the CBA is being more creative in trying to entice attorneys to do their part in helping others without collecting a fee. One strategy entails putting up a billboard, probably along the Interstate 91 corridor, offering free legal assistance to the public.



A major area of focus: training attorneys to assist with housing-related cases.



"We teach them the basics of what the law is behind security deposits, so they can represent tenants who may not have their security deposits properly returned," Shapiro said.



Fighting for these deposits is common, and could create new hardships for people of modest means.



"It's all part of our obligation as attorneys," said Shapiro, principal of Shapiro Law Offices in Middletown. "It's rewarding when you can make a difference for someone. You have the same opportunity to do good in a small- and medium-sized firm as you do in a large firm."








Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. FMX or FEMSA is slated to report third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 26.



The company has a dismal surprise trend, with an earnings miss in six of the trailing eight quarters. However, it has delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 36.3% in the last four quarters. Meanwhile, revenues lagged estimates in four of the preceding six quarters.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter is pegged at $1.02, reflecting a year-over-year plunge of 79.6%. Notably, estimates have been stable over the past 30 days. Additionally, consensus mark for revenues is $6.16 billion, down 4.2% from the year-ago quarter number.



The question lingering in investors minds is, whether or not FEMSA will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported.



Factors Likely to Impact the Quarter



Apart from a dismal surprise history, FEMSA has been witnessing soft margins due to higher raw material costs in certain markets that are hurting its Coca-Cola FEMSA division. In the last reported quarter, soft operating margins at Coca-Cola FEMSA and FEMSA Comercios Retail division dented the companys consolidated operating margin. At Coca-Cola, operating margin was hurt by non-cash operating foreign exchange loss in Mexico, incremental costs related to acquisitions and higher sweetener costs in the Philippines. Operating margin contraction at FEMSA Comercios Retail division can be attributed to higher operating expenses due to initiatives to strengthen compensation for in-store personnel, higher transportation costs and accelerated store openings.



Additionally, FEMSAs bottling business is likely to be affected by rising aluminum costs owing to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. These issues are likely to remain major concerns in the upcoming quarter as well.



Despite these aforementioned headwinds, FEMSAs strategic efforts to expand the store base, diversify the business portfolio and focus on the core business activities are encouraging. Also, the companys efforts to achieve growth via acquisitions is commendable. In order to strengthen its retail portfolio, FEMSA acquired Big John  a grocery store, in Santiago, Chile. Moreover, FEMSA has been diversifying its retail chain format operations by acquiring businesses across Latin America.



FEMSAs venture into the drugstore business also strategically fits its chain store business and will be accretive to both its top and bottom lines in the future. The companys exposure in various industries, including beverage, beer and retail, gives it an edge over competitors.



What the Zacks Model Unveils



Our proven model does not conclusively show that FEMSA is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both  a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold)  for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.



Although FEMSAs Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of earnings beat, its Earnings ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult in the upcoming release.



Stocks With Favorable Combination



Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:



Archer Daniels Midland Company ADM has an Earnings ESP of +3.85% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Newell Brands Inc. NWL has an Earnings ESP of +5.00% and a Zacks Rank of 3.



Monster Beverage Corporation MNST has an Earnings ESP of +1.37% and a Zacks Rank #3.



Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?



Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



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Newell Brands Inc. (NWL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (FMX) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Attractive stocks have exceptional fundamentals. In the case of China Telecom Corporation Limited (HKG:728), theres is a highly-regarded dividend payer that has been able to sustain great financial health over the past. Below, Ive touched on some key aspects you should know on a high level. For those interested in digger a bit deeper into my commentary, take a look at the report on China Telecom here.

Excellent balance sheet established dividend payer

728s debt-to-equity ratio stands at 25%, which means its debt level is acceptable. This indicates a good balance between taking advantage of low cost funding through debt financing, but having enough financial flexibility and headroom to grow debt in the future. 728 appears to have made good use of debt, producing operating cash levels of 1.2x total debt in the prior year. This is a strong indication that debt is reasonably met with cash generated.

SEHK:728 Historical Debt October 23rd 18

For those seeking income streams from their portfolio, 728 is a robust dividend payer as well. Over the past decade, the company has consistently increased its dividend payout, reaching a yield of 2.7%.

SEHK:728 Historical Dividend Yield October 23rd 18

Next Steps:

For China Telecom, there are three fundamental aspects you should further research:

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 728s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 728s outlook. Historical Performance: What has 728s returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Other Attractive Alternatives : Are there other well-rounded stocks you could be holding instead of 728? Explore our interactive list of stocks with large potential to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.90 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.89 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.71 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 0.53%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this equipment manufacturer for the transportation, power, food and construction industries would post earnings of $1.98 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.97, delivering a surprise of -0.51%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.

Illinois Tool Works, which belongs to the Zacks Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, posted revenues of $3.61 billion for the quarter ended September 2018, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.96%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $3.62 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Illinois Tool Works shares have lost about 24.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 2.5%.

What's Next for Illinois Tool Works?

While Illinois Tool Works has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Illinois Tool Works was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.87 on $3.70 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $7.63 on $15 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Manufacturing - General Industrial is currently in the top 38% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.



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Zacks Investment Research
* "Most Popular Intellectual Property Law Blawg" of all time according to Justia rankings , November 2021.

* "Most Popular Copyright Blawg" of all time according to Justia rankings , November 2021.

* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020.

* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018.

* IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

* Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013.

* Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011.

2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100.

* Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010.

* Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010.

* Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010.

* Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll.

Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008.
(Adds context, analysis)

By Davide Barbuscia

DUBAI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Oman sold $1.5 billion in sukuk, or Islamic bonds, on Wednesday but the generous investor returns it had to offer showed that the crisis over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is raising funding costs across the Gulf region, fund managers said.

The bond issue is Oman's second public debt issuance this year, as the sultanate borrows internationally to finance a budget deficit caused by a slump in oil prices over the past few years. It follows a $6.5 billion conventional bond issue in January, the countrys largest ever debt sale.

Oman's new debt issue came amid rising investor concerns over the deterioration of Saudi Arabias international relations after the killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The sultanate started marketing the seven-year notes earlier on Wednesday with an initial price guidance of about 300 basis points over mid-swaps.

The issue, which received orders in excess of $3.5 billion, was launched with a final spread of 280 basis points over mid-swaps, around 15-20 basis points above what some fund managers considered to be the new issue's "fair value".

A Dubai-based fixed income trader said the added value was not surprising, adding: "The market won't allow Oman to not leave something on the table given the circumstances."

The bonds offer almost 50 basis points more than Omans existing $2 billion sukuk issued last year and due in June 2024 .

Even accounting for a premium of around 20 basis points over the 2024 notes for the one and a half year maturity extension, the new sukuk offer investors about an extra 30 basis points which fund managers partly ascribed to the Khashoggi fallout.

Saudi Arabias crown prince said at in investment conference on Wednesday that the killers of Khashoggi would be brought to justice. Earlier U.S. President Donald Trump said the prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Khashoggi's death.

Story continues

Saudi Arabia's foreign debt has been under pressure since the crisis erupted, with yields rising across the country's dollar bond curve. Saudi credit default swaps, which investors buy as protection against default, rose to 100 basis points late last week for the first time since June, though they have partly recovered since then.

Despite the volatility, Oman was not the only borrower in the Gulf to brave the markets. Abu Dhabis state fund Mubadala and Bahrains oil company Nogaholding have announced this week plans to issue international bonds soon.

Gulf International Bank, HSBC, JP Morgan, KFH Capital and Standard Chartered arranged Oman's debt issue. (Reporting by Davide Barbuscia Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and David Stamp)
Quest Diagnostics (DGX) Q3 Earnings Meet, Guidance Tweaked Quest Diagnostics (DGX) gains on successful execution of its strategy of accelerating growth in Q3.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporateds DGX third-quarter 2018 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.68 were on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings rose 20.9% from the year-ago number.

Reported EPS came in at $1.53, reflecting a 32.7% rise from the year-ago quarter.

Reported revenues in the third quarter moved up 1.8% year over year to $1.889 billion but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.1%.

Volumes (measured by the number of requisitions) increased 2% year over year in the third quarter. However, revenue per requisition was down 0.8%. Diagnostic information services revenues in the quarter rose 1.9% on a year-over-year basis to $1.81 billion.

Cost of services during the reported quarter was $1.222 billion, up 2.7% year over year. Gross margin came in at 35.3%, reflecting a 60-basis point (bps) contraction year over year.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Quote

Selling, general and administrative expenses rose 1.7% to $354 million in the reported quarter. Consequently, adjusted operating margin showed a contraction of 50 bps to 16.6%.

Quest Diagnostics exited the third quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $263 million, compared to $132 million at the end of second-quarter 2018. Net cash provided by operating activities was $905 million for the nine months ending Sep 30, 2018, compared with $852 million in the year-ago quarter.

In the third quarter, the company repurchased 0.9 million shares of the common stock for $100 million. As of Sep 30, 2018, Quest Diagnostics was left with $0.8 billion of authorization under the approved share repurchase plan.

Guidance Tweaked

Quest Diagnostics has updated its 2018 guidance. Excluding the impact of amortization expense, adjusted EPS for the full year is now projected in the range of $6.53 to $6.60 compared to the previous range of $6.53 to $6.67. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.59 is within the guided range.

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Revenues for 2018 are now estimated around $7.62 billion (annualized growth of roughly 3%) compared to the previous range of $7.70 billion to $7.74 billion (annualized growth of 4-4.5%). The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues of $7.70 billion, exceeds the companys projected figure.

Operating cash flow for 2018 is still expected at around $1.3 billion. The current estimates for capital expenditure remain unchanged at the range of $350 million to $400 million.

Our Take

Quest Diagnostics exited the third quarter on a mixed note. The company is refocusing on its core diagnostic information services business and working on disciplined capital deployment.

We are also highly optimistic about the companys focus on its two-point strategy. The companys latest collaborations with hospitals and integrated delivery networks continue to act as major growth drivers.

Quest Diagnostics has been grabbing headlines on a slew of inorganic developments. In this regard, the company recently acquired certain assets of Hurley Medical Center, Hooper Holmes and PhenoPath. Moreover, in a bid to expand in the field of fertility diagnostics, the company acquired ReproSource.

The company announced its plans to acquire the U.S. laboratory services business of Oxford Immunotec Global PLC. Moreover, Quest Diagnostics came up with a laboratory partnership with Regional Medical Center Health System (RMC).

Management also seems upbeat about the expanded long-term strategic partnership agreement with UnitedHealthcare, a business of UnitedHealth Group, to operate as a preferred national laboratory for all of the companys members starting Jan 1, 2019.

Meanwhile, in the last couple of years, Quest Diagnostics has faced several reimbursement issues which have hurt revenues.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Quest Diagnostics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few top-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Amedisys, Inc. AMED, Baxter International Inc BAX and Masimo Corporation MASI.

Amedisys is expected to release third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 29. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for adjusted EPS is 79 cents and for revenues is $410.2 million. The stock carries a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Baxter is expected to release third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 31. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS is pegged at 74 cents and for revenues at $2.79 billion. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Masimo is slated to release third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 31. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS is pinned at 68 cents and for revenues at $206.3 million. The company is a Zacks #2 Ranked player.

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retire in argentina

When choosing a place to retire, you may want to look for an affordable locale thats full of things to do and sights to enjoy. If youre interested in retiring abroad, Argentina is an attractive country to consider. In addition to the low cost of living, it showcases a number of diverse cultures and has varied landscapes to explore  the Andes Mountains, glacial lakes and the Pampas in addition to Buenos Aires. But before making any moves, its a good idea to talk with a financial advisor  an expert who can help you understand the best way to make your retirement savings last. If youre just researching why Argentina could be a good retirement destination and how you might go about moving there, this guide should help you.

Cost of Living and Housing

In 2001, the Argentine economy suffered a crisis that greatly lowered the strength of the Argentine peso. This has made Argentina even more of an affordable destination for U.S. citizens to retire. Before the crisis, the peso was on par with the value of the U.S. dollar. Currently, $1 is worth about 37 pesos.

According to numbeo.com, the cost of living in Argentina is 50% to 60% less than in the U.S. All told, you can expect to live comfortably on $1,500 per month. If you were particularly economical, you could expect to get by on about $1,000 per month.

In particular, housing in Argentina is quite affordable by U.S. standards. Even if you want to live in a big city, like Buenos Aires, you can generally expect monthly rent between $500 and $1,000. If you live somewhere outside of the city, you can expect to pay significantly less.

If you dont want to rent and would rather buy a home, things could get a bit tricky. Transferring money into or out of Argentina from a U.S. bank account may not always be possible. For specific questions about moving money into and out of Argentina, consider speaking with the Argentinian consulate.

Retire in Argentina  Taxes

Argentina does not tax pension income. Thats good news if youre just planning to live off your retirement savings. However, you will need to pay income taxes if you get a job or earn other income from another source within Argentina. The standard income taxes range from 0% up to 35%.

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Retire in Argentina  Visas

retire in argentina

One important part of retiring in another country is getting the right visa. For starters, citizens of the U.S. and Europeans only need a visa if they plan to stay for more than 90 days. This applies as long as you have a passport that expires six months or more after your stay.

If you plan to stay in the country for longer, the visa you need will depend on how long you plan to stay and whether or not you plan to work in Argentina.

For individuals planning to move to Argentina after retirement, there are visa options specifically for pensioners. You will need to prove that you are retired, and you will need to show three receipts of a pension, such as Social Security benefits. Its also necessary to have monthly income above a certain threshold. That threshold is about 30,000 Argentine pesos, which translates to about $820 a month. There are also requirements around where you store your money. For example, you may need to go for a different visa option if you have international income or if you have multiple streams of income.

In addition to pension and bank account information, you should expect to provide documents such as marriage certificates and police clearance from whatever countries you lived in during the three years prior to applying for a visa.

Visas for retirees are valid for one year. After two renewals, you are eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Retire in Argentina  Healthcare

The healthcare system in Argentina is well-developed and offers quality services. There are both public and private hospitals across the country. About half of the population uses the countrys public healthcare system. Foreigners also have access to the public healthcare. And while public hospitals typically face higher demand and longer wait times, they offer a full suite of services and have qualified staff.

If you want more specialized service or dont want to risk long wait times, you should consider private healthcare. It boasts shorter wait times and the highest quality services. Many private facilities offer their own healthcare plans, which makes it easier to finance medicine and treatments through flexible payment plans and discounts on services.

However, it may not always be necessary to go to a doctor when youre feeling a bit down. It may be possible to visit a pharmacy and receive over-the-counter medicine without a prescription.

The Takeaway

retire in argentina

Argentina has quickly become a prime location for retirement. It offers cultural diversity, delicious foods and beautiful sights. Some even compare Buenos Aires to a European city. And you can enjoy all of that on a budget equivalent to about $1,500 per month. (If you can afford a bit more, you may also want to consider retiring in Mexico.) You can also expect good healthcare and low taxes in Argentina. Whats more, theres no tax on pension income. Getting a visa is pretty straightforward, though it may get more involved if you plan to work in Argentina.

Tips to Make Your Retirement Savings Last

The average Social Security benefit in 2018 was about $1,400. For some people, that alone is enough to live off in Argentina. You can get a better idea of your expected benefit through our Social Security calculator.

If youre looking to retire somewhere cheaper but arent quite ready to leave the country, consider one of these great places for retirees in the U.S. You can also try our cost of living comparison tool to see how other cities around the country compare to your current location.

No matter where or when you want to retire, its a good idea to get an experts opinions. Thats where a financial advisor can help. A financial advisor will be able to look at your financial situation and help you create an actionable plan to meet your goals. This free financial advisor matching tool will simplify your advisor search. Answer a short questionnaire, and it will pair you with up to three local advisor.

Photo credit: iStock.com/AleksandarNakic, iStock.com/FrankvandenBergh, iStock.com/pawopa3336

The post How to Retire in Argentina appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.

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Ed Farmer, 20, died after a night out in Newcastle in December 2016 (Picture: Facebook)

A university student died after taking part in a bar crawl initiation that involved a round of 100 triple vodkas and a pigs head, an inquest has heard.

Ed Farmer, 20, died in hospital in December 2016 after a night out with the Newcastle University agricultural society.

Newcastle Coroners Court was told on Monday that a round of at least 100 triple vodkas had been ordered at one of the venues on the bar crawl.

There was also a plan to drink vodka from a pigs head, but Mr Farmer was so ill he was unable to take part in the task.

Mr Farmer, a first-year economics student from Leicester, was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary after being found unconscious.

A post-mortem examination found he had five times the legal drink-driving limit of alcohol in his blood.

Excess alcohol caused cardiac arrest which led to brain damage and his death, the inquest heard.

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The initiation went ahead on December 12, 2016 despite such events being banned by the university.

CCTV footage from that night showed students visiting a number of bars. At one point, Mr Farmer can be seen falling over and being held up by two other students, then being carried by his arms and legs.

After the bar crawl, students ended up at the home of agricultural society chairman James Carr in the Jesmond area of Newcastle, where a third-year student shaved Mr Farmers head.

Mr Farmer was heard to be snoring loudly, making students think he was sleeping soundly, but the inquest heard it signified partial obstruction of the airways.

Mr Carr told the inquest he was woken by another student at about 4.30am who said Mr Farmer needed to go to hospital.

I was panicking if Im honest, I was in a state of shock, said Mr Carr.

Story continues

Mr Farmer was a first-year economics student at Newcastle University (Picture: Facebook)

The inquest heard that Mr Farmer could have been saved if he had received medical treatment earlier.

Dr Reuben Sahara, head of the Royal Infirmarys Emergency Medicine Department, said cardiac arrest is at the end of the scale of the spectrum of alcohol poisoning.

We knew that the situation was very grave from the outset, he said. I would agree that had he been in hospital prior to cardiac arrest then I would expect the patient to survive.

Previously, Mr Farmers parents have raised questions about the police investigation, a pre-inquest review heard last October.

Their solicitor said there were text messages circulating between students which said deny, deny, deny before they were interviewed by police. The family wanted the police to interview more first-year students who attended the event.

The inquest continues.
MOSCOW, Oct 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's national security advisor John Bolton used a series of meetings with Russian government officials on Tuesday to complain about China's economic and military policies, the RIA news agency reported.

Bolton is due to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday where he is expected to explain Trump's desire to leave a landmark nuclear arms treaty.

One of Trump's concerns is that China is not covered by the treaty and is free to develop and produce intermediate ballistic and cruise missiles. (Reporting by Polina Devitt Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Trump lawyer who represented Hulk Hogan wants to take Yelp to the Supreme Court over bad reviews

The country's highest court would have to agree to the hear the case and rule to overturn a lower court's decision.

But the outcome could have widely felt implications on websites that host user-generated content like Facebook, Google and Twitter.

The case calls into question a legal provision called Section 230, which protects publishers of user material from liability related to those posts.

Charles Harder, who has represented President Trump and Hulk Hogan in legal disputes, now wants to take Yelp YELP to the U.S. Supreme Court over a pair of negative reviews.

The country's highest court would have to agree to the hear the case and rule to overturn a lower court's decision, but the outcome could have widely felt implications on websites that host user-generated content like Facebook FB , Google GOOGL and Twitter TWTR .

The case calls into question a legal provision called Section 230, which protects publishers of user material from liability related to those posts. Under Section 230, Facebook can't be held responsible for threats a single user makes against another on its platform, for example.

But the case Harder is petitioning to the Supreme Court  centering on a Yelp review that Harder claims to be defamatory  could muddy those publisher protections.

Harder's client, attorney Dawn Hassell, sued a former client for leaving negative and false reviews of her law firm on Yelp. Hassell wanted Yelp to take the reviews down, but the company refused, claiming First Amendment rights and the right to due process, saying it had not been properly named as a defendant in initial court proceedings.

The case was heard before several more courts, and in July, the Supreme Court of California ruled in Yelp's favor and determined the company did not have to remove the reviews.

Harder claims the refusal to remove falsely negative reviews threatens small business owners, and Yelp claims the insistence to remove the posts threatens free speech and public forums.

Story continues

Yelp declined to comment, and pointed to a July blog post that claims the case "threaten[s] the rights of online platforms that allow people to freely share their thoughts and the billions of people that do so."

Harder is best-known for representing former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan in a defamation lawsuit against Gawker Media. The lawsuit, which was bankrolled by tech magnate and Trump supporter Peter Thiel, resulted in $140 million verdict for Hogan and drove Gawker into bankruptcy; the case was later settled for $31 million. President Trump hired Harder earlier this year to represent him in an arbitration battle with former aide Omarosa Newman.





More From CNBC


Canadas recent legalization of marijuana will put pressure on the U.S. government to follow suit, says Coda Signature CEO Mark Grindeland. Coda Signature is the number one maker of cannabis-infused chocolate edibles in Colorado by market share and has seen a 100% growth from 2017 to 2018.

Its a huge milestone for Canada. Were really excited for all of the companies up there. Were incredibly excited. We do think that this will also influence Congress to address national legalization in the U.S, he told Yahoo Finance.

Although marijuana is now legal for recreational use in Canada, cannabis-infused edibles wont be legal for at least another year.

Grindeland is ready. So well be in that market. We do believe that as soon as infused products are available to Canadians that it will start to take market share away from flower sales, which has been the case in the U.S. in each state that has legalized, he said.

In Colorado, Coda Signature has three of the top-ten selling marijuana-infused chocolate bars  Coffee & Doughnuts, Cream & Crumble, and Maple & Pecan. Grindeland attributes their growing popularity to their ease of consumption and their appeal to seniors.

One of the other advantages of edibles, as well as topicals, [is] for seniors who are looking for medicinal effects of cannabis and CBD products, he said.

Grindeland says that cannabis infused edibles have greater market share in Colorado than flowers.

Today in Colorado, if you look at the overall market share, about 48% of the market is comprised of edibles, topicals, and concentrates, and youve got about 42% flower, meaning what Canada is selling today, he said.

Grindeland says Coda Signature tries to distinguish its products the same way as top brands outside of the cannabis world.

If you look outside of the cannabis world into consumer packaged goods, beverages  consumers are passionate about brands, and we think that the brands that gain market share in the cannabis industry will be the dominant brands and create great shareholder value in the future. Its harder to brand flower, he said.
Yahoo! headquarters in Silicon Valley.







Yahoo Inc. has agreed to pay up to $85 million to settle consumer class actions brought over its recent data breaches.



The settlement, filed in court on Monday, includes a $50 million fund from which consumers can file claims to be reimbursed. In addition, Yahoo has agreed to provide credit monitoring and pay up to $35 million in attorney fees.



The deal is one of the largest data breach settlements in U.S. history, resolving legal claims for more than 200 people with about 1 billion Yahoo accounts from 2012 to 2016.



We are pleased that we were able to reach a settlement with Yahoo, which would provide relief to impacted users and ensure that Yahoo improves its security practices going forward, wrote lead plaintiffs attorney John Yanchunis of Morgan & Morgan in Tampa, Florida.



Representatives from Altaba Inc., the new name for Yahoo since it was sold to Verizon, and Oath Holdings Inc., which owns Yahoos operating company, declined to comment. Ann Mortimer of Hunton Andrews Kurth in Los Angeles represented the defendant in the case.



Yahoo previously filed a notice of the settlement but provided few details at that time other than a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that said it had set aside $47 million in additional expenses to help pay for class actions related to the breach.



U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who granted final approval to a separate $80 million settlement that resolved securities class actions relating to Yahoos data breaches, is slated to hear arguments on whether to approve the motion for preliminary approval of the settlement at a Nov. 29 hearing in San Jose, California.



Yahoo announced in 2016 that 500 million accounts had been hacked in 2014, compromising names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and passwords. Months later, Yahoo disclosed another breach in 2013 that affected 1 billion people, a figure that Verizon increased to 3 billion last year. The settlement also involves a third breach in 2015 and 2016.



In March, Koh refused to dismiss a consolidated complaint in the case, allowing punitive damages to go forward. Yahoo also paid $35 million to resolve SEC claims that it failed to notify investors for two years about its 2014 breach.



The settlement comes after plaintiffs lawyers filed a class certification motion, which Yahoo opposed on Sept. 1. It also follows the depositions of several former Yahoo executives, including former chief information security officer Alex Stamos and former chief information Officer Jay Rossiter. Other depositions were planned for Yahoos former general counsel, Ron Bell, and former CEO Marissa Meyer.



Both sides reached a settlement after two all-day mediation sessions in San Francisco on Aug. 14 and Sept. 7 before former San Francisco Superior Court Judge Daniel Weinstein, now at JAMS, according to court documents. The settlement also includes data breach cases brought in California state court, coordinated in Orange County Superior Court, and class actions brought in Israel.



Under the deal, Yahoo will provide at least two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection insurance to class members, and implement enhancements to its security programs. It also will pay up to $35 million in fees and $2.5 million in costs and expenses to plaintiffs lawyers, who plan to file a motion supported with detailed lodestar information and an accounting of expenses.



As part of the fund, claimants can seek cash reimbursements for out-of-pocket costs, such as fraud charges and professional fees, associated with the breaches. Small businesses and others who paid for Yahoo accounts can submit claims for up to 25 percent reimbursement, and class members who already have credit monitoring also can submit claims for at least $100 in alternative compensation.
Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC) could be a stock to avoid from a technical perspective, as the firm is seeing unfavorable trends on the moving average crossover front

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL October 24, 2018  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Tilray Inc. TLRY,Cronos Group Inc. CRON, Canopy Growth Corp. CGC, GW Pharmaceuticals plc GWPH and Constellation Brands STZ.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

Marijuana Stocks Plummet to All-Time Lows: Whats Next?

Over the last few days, share prices of major marijuana stocks have plummeted to their worst in the trailing eight months. This free fall commenced following the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Canada on Oct 17.

Legalization Considered a Boon for the Industry

Notably, legalization has long been considered a boon for the marijuana industry. Canada has become the first major world economy and the second country after Uruguay to legalize recreational use of marijuana.

In the United States, nine states and Washington, D.C., have currently legalized recreational marijuana, while 29 states have legalized medical weed. Medical use of marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001.

Effective Oct 17, Canadians can legally buy and consume marijuana. Growing legalization of recreational or medical marijuana is likely to bolster investors confidence in this industry.

Extremely Volatile Industry

Recent plunge in share prices of marijuana stocks is a result of market concerns regarding retailers facing supply shortages in the early days of legalization. Per a recent report by BNN Bloomberg, the pot industry in Canada is struggling with shortages as provincial and private-sector retailers struggle to keep up with the strong demand for recreational cannabis in the country.

Marijuana industry is considered as extremely volatile. Most of these companies are in their early stages of development and characterized as risky one for investors. However, this industry had been providing fabulous returns to investors in 2018 before the legalization in Canada.

Story continues

Since the industry is in its nascent stage, even a minor negative may become the cause of major stock price fluctuations. The news of supply shortages results in panic selling as investors look to offload risky stocks. According to some industry experts, 5-10% share price volatility daily should not be considered as unnatural for this industry.

On Oct 22, shares of major marijuana companies such as Tilray Inc., Cronos Group Inc., Canopy Growth Corp. and GW Pharmaceuticals plc tumbled 15.6%, 12.3%, 11.2% and 2.1%, respectively. Cronos Group and GW Pharmaceuticals carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Strong Market Potential

Research firm Euromonitor has estimated that the American market for legal marijuana products will reach $20 billion by 2020 from mere $5.4 billion in 2015.

According to the Arcview Market Research, the U.S. legal cannabis market is expected to reach $11 billion in consumer spending in 2018, expanding further to $23 billion by 2022. Research firm Cowen projected that the market size of U.S. legal cannabis industry will reach $75 billion in by 2030, surpassing the carbonated soft drink market in 2017.

Many beverage giants have decided to invest in cannabis. Coca-Cola is in talks with Canadas Aurora Cannabis to develop cannabidiol infused beverages. Recently, Constellation Brands raised its stake to 38% in Canopy Growth after investing $4 billion in the company.

Bottom Line

Marijuana industry has strong potential especially after legalization for recreational and medicinal use. However, extremely volatile nature of this industry remains a primary concern. Consequently, investors should be careful about timing and selection of stocks within this industry.

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STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Kobie Boykins has no doubt that people will go to Mars during his lifetime.

The mechanical engineer at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory knows of what he speaks. Over the past 14 years, the winner of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal has helped build the Mars rover exploration vehicles that have made contact with the red planet.

Seeing your hardware on another planet, said Boykins, its awe-inspiring and humbling and amazing. Its related to the birth of your child. Youre so overcome with all these emotions, and you understand theres something new thats never been done before. For however many years its been now, weve gotten pictures back from the surface of Mars, and they each have a little piece of my heart in them.

If you go "KOBIE BOYKINS: EXPLORING MARS" Presented by National Geographic Live!, 7 p.m. Friday, Shockley-Zalabak Theater, Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., $19.35-$39.50; 255-3232, tickets.uccspresents.org

Boykins will visit Ent Center for the Arts on Friday to present his National Geographic Live! lecture, Exploring Mars. The 90-minute talk, with videos and a question-and-answer session, will tell the story of Mars through the eyes of the rovers.

Mars matters to this engineer, whose passion for the planet bubbles over in conversation. Experiments and studies help us learn about planetary evolution. Scientists have discovered that though Mars was once a wet place, the water has been gone for maybe hundreds of thousands of years. They still dont know why.

The disappearance of water on Mars begs the question: Could whatever happened there also happen here?

Not tomorrow, Boykins said. Were talking on a scale of hundreds of thousands of years or millions of years, although a cataclysmic event could occur. Were looking at the kinds of markers that would tell us. Could it happen? Yes. But its possible we become Venus as well, a greenhouse planet gone crazy.

Scientists and engineers will continue their work, though the science is already in reach to skyrocket humans to Earths neighbor. One challenge for human bodies versus robots is all about the stopping. Robots can take a 12- to 15-G (gravitational force) load. Human beings black out at about 3 to 4 Gs and dont tolerate deceleration well.

The other, perhaps bigger, challenge stems from our humanness. Our big brains will make the journey possible, yet our fallible emotions and innate humanness might prove to be the stumbling block. Spending extended time with the same person or people in outer space, with no way to take a break from them, is a concern.

It takes two years to get there, said Boykins. Its a social experiment. There are psychological impacts of being in deep space with the person next to you. Its a six-year journey.

Jennifer Mulson, The Gazette, 636-0270

jen.mulson@gazette.com
Two urban renewal projects that developers say would transform blighted portions of south and southwest downtown Colorado Springs into hotels, apartments, restaurants and the like have taken critical steps forward.

The Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority on Wednesday recommended that the City Council declare 1.5-acres southwest of Tejon and Costilla streets as an urban renewal site. That recommendation was based, in part, on a consultants report that found deteriorated buildings, unsafe conditions and other evidence of blight on the property.

The authority also recommended the City Council approve an urban renewal plan for the South Tejon site, which spells out the goals and details of the redevelopment project.

A local development group  composed of commercial broker Jim DiBiase of Olive Real Estate Group in Colorado Springs, Kevin Engelhardt of Hotel Operation Services in Monument and Springs general contractor Vince Colarelli  has proposed construction of a Marriott-branded hotel on South Tejon. The site is a vacant lot and three buildings that would be razed.

Also Wednesday, the Urban Renewal Authority made the same recommendations to the City Council for nearly 82 acres in southwest downtown. The area is bounded roughly by Colorado Avenue and Cucharras Street on the north, Cimarron Street on the south, Cascade Avenue and Sahwatch Street on the east and Interstate 25 on the west. Blighted conditions also were found in the area, according to a consultant.

The U.S. Olympic Museum is under construction in the area, where Springs real estate company and majority land owner Norwood Development Group envisions a mixed-use development that could include apartments, restaurants and offices. The area includes America the Beautiful Park, but excludes most of the Denver & Rio Grande Western rail yard right of way.

The City Council declared a larger, 100-acre portion of southwest downtown as an urban renewal site in 2001, but little, if any, redevelopment has taken place in the area since. Norwood and the Urban Renewal Authority want the City Council to amend the 2001 urban renewal plan  removing the 82-acre section and establishing it as a new, standalone redevelopment project.

Creating the new southwest downtown urban renewal site is another key for the areas redevelopment. As part of urban renewal projects, bonds typically are issued to finance road and utility work, sidewalk upgrades and other public improvements in the redevelopment area.

Those bonds are repaid over 25 years using increased property and sales tax revenues generated by new development in an urban renewal area. But 17 years have gone by without any redevelopment in southwest downtown, and backers of the new project want to restart the 25-year clock to make full use of their ability to borrow and collect revenue to fund public improvements.

The South Tejon and southwest downtown urban renewal proposals are slated to go to the City Council for review during the councils workshop session Nov. 13.

The council then would formally consider the urban renewal designations at its Nov. 26 meeting.

At that time, the City Council must make another important decision regarding the fate of the projects  determining how much of the citys 2 percent sales tax to set aside to fund public improvements in the urban renewal areas.

Under the states urban renewal law, similar revenue-sharing agreements  as theyre called  also must be finalized before Nov. 27 with other taxing authorities whose jurisdictions extend into the urban renewal areas, said Jariah Walker, the authoritys executive director. Those taxing authorities include El Paso County, Colorado Springs School District 11 and the Pikes Peak Library District.

For now, developers welcomed the authoritys decision to move the projects forward.

DiBiase said the eight-story, Marriott-branded hotel now is envisioned with 262 rooms, 4,000 square feet of meeting space, large suites to accommodate families or other groups and a two-level, underground parking garage with 224 spaces that will be open to the public as well as hotel guests. Other amenities include a restaurant and possible retail space.

In a best-case scenario, DiBiase said, the hotel would break ground around March 1 and open in January 2021.

Norwood Development Group has made presentations to the City Council in the past showing a multistory hotel, and a residential tower in southwest downtown, east of the Olympic Museum site. The museum  a tribute to the nations Olympic and Paralympic movements  is under construction and targeted to open to the public in 2020. Its expected to help anchor the areas redevelopment.

Norwood President Chris Jenkins said he had no imminent announcements about uses coming to southwest downtown; news might come in early 2019. But he said hes encouraged by interest shown in southwest downtown and the rest of the city.

The Olympic Museum, along with America the Beautiful Park, a rebuilt I-25/Cimarron Street interchange, downtown trails and a bridge that will link the museum and park are helping to spur interest in the area, he said.

All of those things, including knowing there is Urban Renewal endorsement and support and theres a plan, these layering effects make that appetizing to others who are looking to invest in our community, Jenkins said.
David Cook, co-owner of Gather Food Studio, has a fun, superefficient way to roast chiles. He uses a Santa Barbara Chile Roaster, which he demonstrated in a Green Chile class.

This roaster is not like the huge ones you see in parking lots spewing flames, smoke and the strong aroma of scorched chiles. This is a 30-inch, Teflon-coated, stainless steel roasting drum attached to a stand, with five burners running the length of the stand. The home-friendly rig then is attached to a propane tank.

I can roast up to 11 pounds of chiles, Cook said, loading a batch of Pueblo greens into the drum. It will take about 15 to 20 minutes for them to get deeply charred.

When I char chiles on a gas burner, I never get them as black as Cook did in his roaster. Getting that charred burn makes a difference in how easily the chiles peel. After they were black all over, he poured them into a metal bowl and covered them with plastic wrap.

These will steam about 15 minutes or until you can handle them, he said. Keep a little bowl of water on the side to dip your fingers in while peeling. Never, ever peel chiles under running water. That washes away the flavor.

I usually buy a bushel of roasted green chiles from a parking lot purveyor. I dump the plastic bag in my car trunk and let them steam on the way home. Then I peel and package them for freezing. With a home chile roaster, I could roast fewer chiles at a time. Theyre much easier to peel, and I think the flavor is truer than when theyve been frozen and defrosted.

In the class, we prepared several recipes using the chiles Cook had freshly roasted. One of my favorites was a squash recipe, a perfect side dish for fall meals. I have my eye on this one to add to my Thanksgiving menu. Use roasted, peeled unseeded chiles in the recipe that follows. Youll get even more flavor and spiciness from the green pods with the seeds remaining. But if youre unsure of your chiles heat level, remove the seeds. Its up to you.

Yes, the roasters are pricey: $239.99 on Amazon. But think of the fun you can have roasting chiles in your backyard. And if thats not enough, you also can roast corn on the cob in the drum. Visit tinyurl.com/yas2l7tq.
60,000 ballots not delivered in Colorado county; duplicate ballots sent out in another
The Colorado Springs City Council unanimously imposed annual permitting fees and regulations on short-term rental property owners Tuesday after hours of protest and suggestions from dozens of residents.

The two new ordinances define short-term rentals, apply city regulations to them and charge property owners $119 a year for a permit.

Councilmen Don Knight and Dave Geislinger said their affirmative votes came with extreme reluctance.

This is a start, Knight said. Some people called it a good start. I wouldnt put that adjective on it, but it is a start.

Short-term rentals often are advertised through Airbnb or VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) and other online sites. City officials and others estimate that the city has 1,200 to 3,000 such properties.

We dont know, were just guessing, Council President Richard Skorman said. We dont know how theyre impacting neighborhoods. We dont know how theyre impacting private property rights and businesses.

The new ordinances will set a baseline for the burgeoning industry, said city Planning Director Peter Wysocki.

Lets get something in place and implemented and then, if necessary, make any changes, Wysocki said.

But some residents expressed concern that the ordinances will legitimize businesses they see as revolving doors for miscreants and criminals, endangering neighborhoods and destroying property values.

Michael Applegate, founder of the Neighborhood Preservation Alliance, urged the council to tweak the ordinances. Only property owners who live on-site should be allowed to operate short-term rentals, he said. Otherwise, out-of-state investors buy local homes to make money at the expense of property values and quality of life in city neighborhoods.

If theyre businesses, why are we allowing them in our residential zones? Applegate said. It will put gas on the bonfire thats already happening, and investors from anywhere in the world will be able to buy up our property for their own commercial gain.

The council did not tweak the ordinances.

Some took issue with the added financial burden,which requires operators to get a sales tax license and give the city 2 percent of each transaction.

Ceil Horowitz said the taxes and permitting fees will cut into her meager income.

I can only hold onto my house in Old Colorado City because of Airbnb, Horowitz said. I feel (the fees are) very heavy on my back.

Another man cautioned that overbearing regulation quashes businesses, infringes on property rights and discourages younger generations from coming to Colorado Springs.

Home sharing has been around for hundreds of years, and what youre doing is directly hurting a generation thats using technology to explore new things, he said. Youre saying, Hey millennials, we dont like you coming here because were not going to give you the option for this.

All three arguments were echoed many times throughout the meeting.

After the public comments, council members debated whether to cap how many short-term rentals can operate in the city. Geislinger moved to impose a cap, but his motion was shot down in a 3-5 vote.

Council President Pro Tem Jill Gaebler said she appreciated the concerns, though many complaints of criminal activity are covered by existing laws.

She said the ordinances will allow the city to track and regulate short-term rentals but also afford some flexibility, Gaebler said.

If there truly are things that need to be changed, the data will show that, she said.
Srinagar: Thousands of mourners took part in funeral of slain PhD scholar, Sabzar Ahmed Sofi, in his native Sangam area of Bijbehara in Islamabad district.

Sabzar Ahmed Sofi was killed along with another youth, Asif Ahmed, by Indian troops during a fierce gunfight in Nowgam area of Srinagar, early morning today.

As the body of the PhD scholar was brought to his native area, thousands of people gathered and participated in his funeral prayers. They raised high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans.

At least six freedom-fighters including Zeenat-ul-Islam appeared in the funeral of Sabzar Ahmed Sofi and offered him a gun salute.

Earlier, massive clashes erupted between protesters and Indian forces personnel in Sangam after the news about the killing of the PhD scholar reached there. Several protesters were injured due to the firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by the troops on the demonstrators.


WICHITA, Kan.  A Kansas man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the horrific abuse and slaying of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found encased in concrete in the laundry room of his home four months after his death.

Stephen Bodine, 41, of Wichita, was convicted Wednesday in the May 2017 death of Evan Brewer. Bodine was also found guilty of child abuse, aggravated child endangerment and two counts of kidnapping. He will be sentenced December 17.

Prosecutors called dozens of witnesses and presented more than 550 pieces of evidence during six days of trial, including parts of the concrete tomb found in the rental home where the boy had lived with his mother, Miranda Miller, and Bodine. Jurors saw videos and photos showing Evan being abused, including footage of him chained and naked in a basement, being berated by Bodine and Miller, and forced to stand in a corner for hours.

Carlo Brewer, Evan's father, celebrated the verdict but said his joy was tempered by sadness because of the cruelty his son had endured. Brewer had been fighting for custody of Evan in the months leading up to his death, and authorities had been alerted at least six times that Evan was being abused .

"(Evan) didn't get to have the imagination like other children, where they think there's monsters in their closets or under their beds," Brewer said. "He had real monsters."

Miller is also charged with murder in her son's death. In exchange for testifying against Bodine, she will be allowed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder.

Much of the evidence at trial came from a cache of 16,000 photos and video files collected by the couple's home surveillance system. In one video, Bodine and Miller are heard chastising Evan over the course of several hours, less than two months before he was killed.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said the jury performed and extraordinary service to the community for enduring the sometimes grisly testimony.

"I can't really overstate what a difficult task it was to sit and absorb the kind of wretched details of how this little boy lost his life and the role this defendant had in it," Bennett said.

Miller testified that Bodine had been punishing Evan for not eating on May 19, 2017, when he took the screaming boy into the bathroom. She said he soon came out with her son's wet and lifeless body in his arms.

She said during a preliminary hearing that a few days later Bodine told her that he wanted "to take care of Evan before he started to smell." She said he mixed up several bags of concrete and buried the boy's body in it.

Evan was discovered entombed in the concrete in early September, after Miller and Bodine had moved out of the property.

An autopsy couldn't determine the cause and manner of Evan's death because his body was so badly decomposed by the time he was chipped out of the block of concrete. He had Benadryl in his system, and Miller said she thinks Bodine sickened him in the days leading up to his death by force-feeding him large amounts of salt.

Brewer said he hopes his son's death will lead to more efforts to confront child abuse.

"Take a step back and question what you're doing as a parent, question if it's the right way to discipline or not or if it's abuse," Brewer said. "Because it's got to stop. It's got to stop."
Colorado Politics senior political reporter

Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist.
A deer carries in its leg an arrow shot by a poacher in an unincorporated neighborhood in northeast Colorado Springs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking the public to help identify the poacher. (Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.)
[Aamir Ali Bhat]

Days after a pregnant woman and her unborn child was killed in cross-firing inside her courtyard in Pulwama, her utensils are still lying unwashed near the tap where a bullet hit her. Perhaps living adjacent to an army camp had its own lurking dangers for young Firdousa whose tragic passage has left behind another conflict-torn family in Kashmir.

On the evening of October 19, a six-month pregnant woman Firdousa Akhter, 28, had tea with her family in her single-storey house adjacent to the Indian armys 44 Rastriya Rifles camp in Shadimarg village of Pulwama. After finishing tea, she went outside to wash utensils at a tap installed in the lawn, along with her 5-year-old daughter Aalima.

When Firdousa bent to open the tap, a bullet pierced the tin sheet and struck her throat. She fell on the ground.

Her daughter Aalima stumbled and received injury on her forehead. She stood up and ran indoors amid the ear-shattering gunshots.

Firdousas husband Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, their two kids Aalima and Tawqeer and her sister-in-law Asmat Jan were peeking through the window. They thought Firdousa had stumbled too and fallen on the ground. They were hobbling frantically across the kitchen. The bullets were raining.

The spot were Firdousa was hit. (FPK Photo/Amir Ali Bhat)

It was difficult to go outside. Around five minutes later, Khursheed Bhai took a risk, and he went outside. He tried to pick her up, but it was difficult, says Asmat, grieving over the loss.

Later, I too went outside, and we brought her to the corridor. The blood was gurgling out from the hole caused by the bullet. We screamed for help, but in the din of gunshots, no one could come to our rescue.

Watching his wife dying in front of his eyes, Khursheed was wringing his hands in desperation while waiting for the firing to stop. He called his brothers and father who live two kilometres away in Qasbayar village and informed them about the incident. Alima and Tawqeer were looking towards their mother who was lying before them, taking her last breath.

The firing didnt stop for half an hour, Asmat says, wearing benumbed eyes. We were helpless. I gave her water. She was trying to say something and moving her eyes from Alima to Tawqeer to Khursheed.

Tawqeer and Aalima, Firdousas kids. (FPK Photo/Amir Ali Bhat)

When the firing finally stopped, Firdousa was taken to Rajpora hospital, and from there she was rushed to Pulwama District Hospital where she took her last breath. Her death certificate mentions the cause of death as firearm injury.

Her body was taken to her in-laws, where they performed her last rites and buried her along with the unborn baby under the mounds of mud and stone.

Since then, Khursheed has been suffering from Bradycardia, a condition wherein an individual has a very slow heart rate. Unable to come to terms with his wifes tragic death, he has locked his house, and is now living with his father. The unwashed utensils that Firdousa had taken out for cleaning on the fateful day are still lying near the tap.

The militants fired a UBGL grenade at a camp of armys 44 Rashtriya Rifles in Shadimarg village at around 7.10 pm, on Oct 19, and the blast was followed by intense firing, police said in a statement. The soldiers retaliated the fire, and one woman was killed in cross-firing. That woman was Firdousa.

Firdousas death certificate. (FPK Photo/Amir Ali Bhat)

That day, Firdousa was happy as she had invited her brothers family for lunch. She had called Asmat for help.

She was in a very jovial mood that day, says Asmat, with tears in her eyes. We cooked many dishes together, but a single bullet changed everything, rendered her two kids orphan, silenced her husband and didnt allow an unborn baby to see this cruel world.

Hailing from Srinagars Panthachowk locality, Firdousa, in 2007, was married to Khursheed, who works in a private workshop. Both of them were living a happy life and had two kids. Tawqeer is studying in 3rd standard and Aalima in LKG.

The couple had built their own house and was waiting for their third kid.

They built a separate house and shifted there a few years ago. The house is adjacent to the army camp. I insisted Khursheed many times to leave the house, says Mohammad Maqbool, Firdousas father-in-law, whos now concerned about his grandchildrens future.

Firdousa and Khursheed.

These kids dont even know their mother has died. Theyre hoping that their mother will return soon. What was their fault, and that of their unborn sibling? This world is so cruel. Shouldering the coffin of an unborn child is a huge burden.

Oblivious to their enforced orphanhood, Aalima and Tawqeer are repeatedly asking heart-wrenching questions to their family: Did Mamma take the baby with her? Will it not come now?

They killed our two family members with a single bullet, says Maqbool, sitting inside his house surrounded by walnut trees. Sa Aaas PariFirdous Jan Aaas Pari (She was angelFirdousa was Angel).
AURORA  Colorado authorities say a juvenile wearing a clown mask and chasing students walking home from a middle school has been nabbed by the school principal.

Police in Aurora say they received reports about the clown near the middle school on Monday but weren't able to find him.

Cherry Creek School District spokeswoman Abbe Smith says the principal and a school security staff member went to the same area on Tuesday and apprehended the clown when he made a second-day appearance.

The juvenile, who was not cited, was taken home by police.
BRECKENRIDGE  Snow crunches. Branches snap. In the shady woods east of town, people sneak through the trees.

The hunt is on.

Their target? The massive troll that has taken residency in the clearing ahead, among the rocks and mud.

Friendly banter is overheard.

The troll didnt walk away, did he? asks one man.

Nah, responds another, returning from the pilgrimage. He only comes alive after midnight.

Actually, the troll, named Isak Heartstone, looks perfectly content in his place. A smile is stuck to his wooden face, boulder-sized black eyes focused on the cairn he builds up toward his head at 15 feet.

His mane is unkempt, a shock of sticks and twigs. While one hand builds, the other is planted in the ground, his fingers longer than any legs of the parents scattered about on this day. The toes are bigger than some of the kids.

Every hour it seems, 100 more come to get their picture with Heartstone. Since arriving three months ago, his fame has swept the Front Range, spreading faster than skiers will next month when the runs open on the mountains seen beyond.

Theres been a lot of talk in Denver about it, says Mike Porter, on a day trip here like most of the others.

Also, theres been a lot of talk locally.

Most everyone is cool with it, says Kayle Burns, a Breckenridge resident among those cool with Heartstone, whom she now is introducing to visiting family. Its just the people here.

Shes referring to the neighborhood a stones throw away. Houses are on the other side of the buck and rail fence that recently was installed, a sign attached: PLEASE RESPECT OUR NEIGHBORS.

IF YOU GO Breckenridge's troll can be found at the end of the short Wellington Trail, reached by heading east from town on Wellington Road. The town encourages visitors to park at the South Gondola Lot and take the free bus, Purple Route B to stop 305 at French Gulch. Signs there point to the troll. Click here for more information.

The troll has become the Halloween attraction no one saw coming.

Through social media, more and more people started sharing their pictures, says Robb Woulfe, president and CEO of the organization responsible, the town-funded nonprofit Breckenridge Creative Arts.

I think people were gravitating to this idea of the legend of the troll, and thats part of what Thomas creates. He likes the folklore of it, the mythical nature of it.

Thomas Dambo is the Danish artist who has unleashed trolls elsewhere in the world. And it was his trolls that Woulfe thought of when contemplating a special installation for Augusts Breckenridge International Festival of Arts.

The annual event has proudly spotted art in nearby nature. A yeti of moss and grass, for example, and red chairs and tentacles spiraling from the Earth  all intended to be awe-inspiring surprises.

What if Dambo brought one of his trolls to Breckenridge?

For $40,000, he and his company spent two weeks constructing with beetle kill timber collected from the area. A kid from the neighborhood delivered a heart-shaped stone, the trolls namesake now kept in his chest.

The artist left, the hunters came, and Breckenridge never has been the same.

It has been insane, Mayor Eric Mamula says.

He, like everyone else around, isnt used to such crowds in the weeks before ski season.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought in the middle of October in Breckenridge there would be something like this, he says.

But the mayor has had to answer to the nightmares described by Heartstones neighbors. Those black eyes stare through windows, they say, though the troll isnt as menacing as his visitors.

They reportedly have parked on the streets, blocking driveways. They have littered this trail once mostly reserved for the 282-home neighborhood, and they havent been cleaning up after their dogs either. They are loud. They lurk at night, their flashlights disrupting the peace and quiet.

Others have expressed new fear for the children playing in the alleys.

If you guys want, I can promote the Burning Troll Festival, one homeowner told the Town Council this month, as reported by the Summit Daily. Id be really happy to get that going.

In response, the town formed a troll task force.

Police presence has increased. Trash cans have been installed, along with the fence posts and signs pointing the proper way to the troll. At the trailheads often-full parking lot, an electronic display encourages drivers to park in town and board the bus that has become known as the troll trolley after once serving only neighborhood commuters.

The mayor looks at data now: On one Saturday this month, an estimated 500 people got off at the stop along French Gulch Road. For the same Saturday last year, that number was three.

But anyone waiting to see Heartstone gone will have to wait longer. The Town Council on Tuesday accepted the recommendation by the troll task force: Let him stay for the winter, continue to try to ease worry and reassess in the spring.

Its hard to have something this successful and get rid of it without making an attempt to mitigate the impacts, Mamula says.

So Heartstone waits for his next hunters. The intent was for the troll to remain until ruined by elements or people, and Woulfe hopes that plan sticks.

In considering his surprise to the wide reception, perhaps he underestimated the power of imagination.

We all want to believe in trolls, he says, and we love the idea that trolls live up in Breckenridge.
TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rupert Resources Ltd (Rupert or the Company) (TSX-V:RUP) (FSE:R05) announces results for the second quarter ending August 31, 2018 and provides operating highlights for the period at the Companys projects in Finland. During the six months ended August 31, 2018, the Company spent $2,894,015 (six months ended August 31, 2017 - $4,283,844) on exploration and evaluation activities. As at August 31, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $3,720,820.

James Withall, Chief Executive of Rupert Resources, said, "Rupert achieved a number of key milestones through the quarter, the most important being the completion of a new geological interpretation for the Pahtavaara Project. This has confirmed the potential for significant gold and base metals mineralisation on Ruperts licence area in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt and has provided us with a number of new areas of interest. These targets are being followed up with base of till drilling ahead of a new diamond drilling campaign which we expect to commence by the end of the year.

Operating Highlights

Pahtavaara, Northern Finland

Geology and Exploration

On July 30, 2018, Rupert published a new geological interpretation for Pahtavaara and the surrounding land package. The new interpretation, combined with historical data will provide the basis for ongoing exploration for gold and base metals. Over the summer fieldwork season, six student geologists mapped and sampled outcrops over the entire Rupert licence area with 947 samples collected including 133 from outcrop. Rupert has also commenced base of till BOT drilling at a number of near mine areas (all within 5km of the Pahatavaara mill) with the intention of generating a number of new drilling targets. The BOT drilling will continue over the rest of the year, when the campaign will be expanded to include new distal targets generated by the summer fieldwork and new UAV magnetic survey data that was gathered in 2018.

At the Pahtavaara mine, the geology team is continuing with their programme to increase confidence in, and potentially expand the resource through to selective re-logging and assay portions of the >100km of unsampled diamond drill core. This work has been augmented by underground channel sampling of the ramp and existing underground development where there is evidence of previously unrecognised mineralisation in multiple areas.

Central Finland properties

On September 11, 2018, Rupert announced the results of its 2018 drill program at Hirsikangas. The program comprised 1,318m in ten diamond drill holes and targeted areas close to the historic resource estimate, including one hole under the main deposit, four holes to extend a known parallel or offset structure and a further five holes along the strike of the defined mineralisation to identify further parallel or offset structures to the east, testing a resistivity high. Eight out of ten drill holes intersected the target structures. Fieldwork comprising geological mapping and sampling of boulder, outcrop, soil and heavy minerals will continue on the property until the onset of winter.

Gold Centre Property, Ontario and Surf Inlet Property, British Columbia

A new database of all historic data for Ruperts two Canadian properties has been compiled and an assessment will be made of prior planned work programs for the project.

Financial Highlights

Ruperts net loss totaled $1,169,927 for the three months ended August 31, 2018, with basic and diluted loss per share of $0.01. This compares with a net loss of $1,572,792 with basic and diluted loss per share of $0.02 for the three months ended August 31, 2017. No revenue was recorded in either period.

The net loss decreased by $402,865 due to the following:

Share-based payments decreased by $492,624 as a result of the stock options vested.

General and administrative expenses increased to $574,484, which was $55,360 higher than the comparable period primarily due to increases in salaries and benefits of $8,191, office and sundry of $72,220, and professional fees of $72,923. The increase was offset by decreases in travel of $72,073, transfer agent cost of $11,413 and consulting fees of $21,415

Accretion & interest expense of $310,277 was incurred as a result of the convertible debentures, as compared to $274,291 for the three months ended August 31, 2017.

All references to currency in this press release are in Canadian dollars.

Management changes

On June 25, 2018, Mr. Gunnar Nilsson assumed the role of non-Executive Chairman of the Company, replacing Mr. Brian Hinchcliffe, who was the Executive Chairman until that date. Mr. Nilsson was previously a Director of NARL. Prior to this, Mr. Nilsson held senior roles at Johnson & Johnson and Svenska Cellulosa/Molnlycke before retiring to act as a private investor. Mr. Nilsson has over 30 years experience of developing and operating businesses in Europe and through joint venture companies outside Europe.

On July 30, 2018, Dr. Charlotte Seabrook joined the Company as Group Exploration Manager. Prior to joining Rupert, Dr. Seabrook was District Geologist for Newcrest in West Africa. She has 13 years experience in geology and mining having completed her PhD at the University of Witwatersrand and holds an MSc Mineral Resources (Cum laude) from the University of Wales (Cardiff) and is based in Finland.

About Rupert

Rupert is a Canadian based gold exploration and development company that is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol RUP. The Company owns the Pahtavaara gold mine, mill, and exploration permits and concessions located in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt in Northern Finland (Pahtavaara). Pahtavaara has an Inferred mineral resource at a 1.5 g/t Au cut off grade of 4.6 Mt at a grade of 3.2 g/t Au (474 koz) (see the technical report entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report: Pahtavaara Project, Finland with an effective date of April 16, 2018, prepared by Brian Wolfe, Principal Consultant, International Resource Solutions Pty Ltd., an independent qualified person under National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). The Company also holds a 100% interest in two properties in Central Finland - Hirsikangas and Osikonmaki; the Gold Centre property, which consists of mineral claims located in the Balmer Township, Red Lake, Ontario; and the Surf Inlet Property in British Columbia.

Review by Qualified Person, Quality Control and Reports

In compliance with National Instrument 43-101, Mr. Mike Sutton, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person who supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

For further information, please contact:

James Withall

Chief Executive Officer

jwithall@rupertresources.com Thomas Credland

Head of Corporate Development & Investor Relations

tcredland@rupertresources.com

Rupert Resources Ltd

82 Richmond Street East, Suite 203, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1

Tel: +1 416-304-9004



Web: http://rupertresources.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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains statements which constitute forward-looking statements, including the completion of the proposed Transaction, deadlines, regulatory approvals, business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the general risks of the mining industry, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended February 28, 2018 available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.
Agreement will see Emblem export to one of the worlds largest legal medical cannabis markets



TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emblem Corp. (TSXV: EMC, OTCQX:EMMBF) ("Emblem" or the "Company"), today announced that, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Emblem Cannabis Corporation (ECC), it has signed a definitive agreement with German pharmaceutical wholesaler Acnos Pharma GmbH (Acnos) in respect to launching a joint venture under the name Emblem Germany (the JV) for the purpose of exporting Emblem-branded cannabis products from Canada into Germany. The JV  owned 60% by ECC and 40% owned by Acnos  will allow Emblem to commence exporting its products to Germany, with first deliveries expected to be made in mid-2019.

With a population of approximately 82.5 million and federal health insurance coverage for medical cannabis, Germany has created potentially one of the largest legal medical cannabis markets in the world. Subject to all applicable regulatory approvals, Emblem will supply the JV with cannabis oil for sale to German pharmacies, wholesalers and clinical labs for medical purposes.

Finalizing and signing the definitive agreement with Acnos is a critical first step towards the establishment of a world-class distribution channel that extends internationally to key markets including Germany, said Nick Dean, President and CEO of Emblem. Our joint venture capitalizes on Acnos significant market knowledge, depth of understanding, and experience as a distributor with a strong track record in the pharma industry. We anticipate incredible demand for medical cannabis in this market and with that comes an opportunity for Emblem to provide physicians, pharmacists and patients with its trusted, high-quality, innovative, and patient-focused products. Emblem is well positioned to begin operations in an important international market.

Emblems new 30,000 sq. ft. Product Innovation Centre, which includes a 5,000 sq. ft. laboratory built to GMP standards, is expected to be online in Q1 2019. This expanded footprint will provide significantly increased oil extraction capacity required for Emblem to meet the expected demands of the German market.

Emblems medical division has positioned itself as an industry leader by innovating and producing high-quality pharmaceutical products, said Maximillian Claudel, Co-Owner of Acnos. From our experience, the long view of the German medical market is focused on oil extracts versus combustible products. Emblems experience innovating and delivering premium oil products to patients  along with the Companys imminent growth in extraction capacity  make it an ideal international partner for Acnos.

The export of products to Germany will be predicated upon Emblem satisfying applicable regulatory requirements for shipping cannabis products to Germany. This includes completion of Emblems GMP-certified laboratory in Ontario, followed by receipt of the European Medical Agency GMP certification which is expected to occur in mid-2019. Emblem will also require a Health Canada issued export permit and provisional import status from the German Bundesopiumstelle (Federal Narcotics Bureau) to import medical cannabis products into Germany.

Mr. Dean added, This milestone further solidifies Emblems position as an industry leader in product innovation, branding and securing distribution networks. We are leveraging the Companys strong medical history to create lucrative, sustainable partnerships that continue to put patients first. This will be achieved by building long-lasting relationships with some of the best partners the industry has to offer.

About Acnos

Acnos Pharma GmbH is a pharmaceutical wholesaler based in Aachen, Germany. The companys mission is to supply branded and non-branded medicines to pharmacies, wholesalers and other healthcare companies within the industry. By working closely with medical professionals and multinational manufacturers, Acnos strives for the highest and the latest standards and procedures to ensure the highest level of safety and quality. The quality management system and staff far exceed the industry's regulatory requirements and standards to ensure flawless, traceable and monitored product paths from the manufacturer to the customer.

About Emblem

Emblem is a fully integrated cannabis company focused on driving shareholder value through product innovation, brand relevance, and access to patient and consumer channels. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Emblem Cannabis Corporation, Emblem is licensed to cultivate, process, and sell cannabis and cannabis derivatives in Canada under the Cannabis Act. Emblems state-of-the-art indoor cannabis cultivation facility and Product Innovation Centre is located in Paris, Ontario. Emblem is also the parent company of GrowWise Health Limited, one of Canadas leading cannabis education services. Emblem trades under the ticker symbol EMC on the TSX Venture Exchange.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Morgan Cates

H+K Strategies

416.413.4649

Morgan.Cates@hkstrategies.ca

For further information contact:

Ethan Karayannopoulos

Investor Relations

Emblem Corp.

647.748.9696

ethank@emblemcorp.com

Alex Stojanovic

Chief Financial Officer

Emblem Corp.

416.923.1331

alexs@emblemcorp.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things: (i) the timing and completion of the proposed facilities by the Company; (ii) the ability of the Company to utilize the new facilities to produce additional dried cannabis; (iii) potential sales of dried cannabis produced at the new facilities and the value thereof; (iv) the Company's future production capacity; (v) the availability of additional sources of financing; (vi) the ability of the Company to negotiate and enter into definitive agreements with respect to the JV; (vii) the Companys ability to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals required to complete the export of cannabis to Germany; (viii) the demand for the Companys products in the German market; (ix) the ability of the Company to produce high quality dried flower; (x) the intention to grow the business, operations and potential activities of the Company; and (xi) the size of the market expected to exist in Germany. Management of the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Various material factors and assumptions are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking statements. Those material factors and assumptions are based on information currently available to the Company, including data from publicly available governmental sources as well as from market research and industry analysis and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of this industry which Emblem believes to be reasonable. However, although generally indicative of relative market positions, market shares and performance characteristics, such data is inherently imprecise. While Emblem is not aware of any misstatement regarding any industry or government data presented herein, the medical marijuana industry involves risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various factors.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause the Company's actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks identified in the Company's December 31, 2017 Management's Discussion and Analysis, which has been filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Press release.
Among first tenants in iconic new building

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

AGF Management Limited (AGF) is pleased to announce plans to relocate AGFs downtown Toronto office to CIBC SQUARE.

AGF will occupy 97,000 square feet on the 38th, 39th and 40th floors at 81 Bay Street, the first tower of the project, which is currently under construction by Ivanhoe Cambridge and Hines.

We have spent the last two years researching our options in the downtown core to ensure our office continues to represent our legacy of innovation, said Blake Goldring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AGF. Knowing that this move represents significant change, we sought a location that would meet the needs of our business and our employees both today and well into the future.

CIBC SQUARE will feature two buildings and a one-acre elevated park at the fourth-floor level, which will span over the rail corridor between the two buildings. Phase 1 of CIBC SQUARE at 81 Bay Street is scheduled for completion in 2020. Phase 2 at 141 Bay Street and the elevated park will be completed in 2023.

CIBC SQUARE will be a 2.9 million-square-foot urban office campus, providing its occupants with market-leading amenities and an iconic design, while being strategically located at the confluence of all major transit channels in the heart of downtown Toronto.

On behalf of Ivanhoe Cambridge and Hines, we are delighted to welcome AGF to 81 Bay Street. AGF has an impressive 60 year history in downtown Toronto and were absolutely honoured that they have chosen CIBC SQUARE as their new home to thrive for many years to come. AGF joins a growing roster of leading companies that have chosen to make CIBC SQUARE their location of choice, said Jonathan H. Pearce, Executive Vice President, Leasing, Office & Industrial, North America, Ivanhoe Cambridge.

Open floor plans and the most up-to-date building systems will enable tenants to optimize the footprint and new technologies. CIBC SQUARE will seek LEED Platinum Core & Shell certification, WELL Certification and WiredScore Platinum accreditation.

AGF is thrilled to be joining other world class firms and innovative organizations as the first tenants in this transformative project, Goldring added. We believe the buildings WELL certification will contribute to the overall health of our employees alongside a continued consideration of reducing our organizations environmental impact through the buildings LEED Platinum Core & Shell certification.

ABOUT AGF MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. AGF brings a disciplined approach to delivering excellence in investment management through its fundamental, quantitative, alternative and private client businesses focused on providing an exceptional client experience. AGFs suite of investment solutions extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and individual investors to institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds and endowments and foundations.

AGF has investment operations and client servicing teams on the ground in North America, Europe and Asia. With nearly $39 billion in total assets under management, AGF serves more than one million investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B.

Media Contact

Amanda Marchment

Director, Corporate Communications

416-865-4160

amanda.marchment@agf.com

About Ivanhoe Cambridge

Ivanhoe Cambridge develops and invests in high-quality real estate properties, projects and companies that are shaping the urban fabric in dynamic cities around the world. It does so responsibly, with a long-term view to generate optimal, risk-adjusted returns. Ivanhoe Cambridge is committed to creating living spaces that foster the well-being of people and communities, while reducing its environmental footprint.

Vertically integrated in Canada, Ivanhoe Cambridge invests internationally alongside strategic partners and major real estate funds that are leaders in their markets. Through subsidiaries and partnerships, the Company holds interests in more than 1,000 buildings, primarily in the residential, office, retail, industrial and logistics sectors. Ivanhoe Cambridge held more than C$60 billion in assets as at June 30, 2018 and is a real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec ( cdpq.com ), one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers. For more information: ivanhoecambridge.com .

Ivanhoe Cambridge Public Affairs

Media line: +1 866 456-3342

media@ivanhoecambridge.com

About Hines

Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 207 cities in 24 countries. Hines has approximately $116.4 billion of assets under management, including $64 billion for which Hines provides fiduciary investment management services, and $52.4 billion for which Hines provides third-party property-level services.

The firm has 109 developments currently underway around the world. The firms current property and asset management portfolio includes 527 properties across a wide range of sectors, representing more than 224 million square feet.
DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While serving in the US Army for over 22 years, Mason Hutton learned about the importance of hard work. He says, "While assigned as a paratrooper at Ft. Bragg, I learned the challenges of decision making under pressure. I served in various roles and deployed to multiple countries, earning my stripes the oldfashioned way with hard work and determination constantly seeking selfimprovement to achieve new success. My career climaxed with an assignment as a First Sergeant and finally as an Operations Sergeant for 2 different organizations."



Mason retired from the Army in 2013 and worked in various director and supervisor roles before deciding to take charge of his future and go into business for himself. He was able to take advantage of Minuteman Press International's conversion program where an independent print shop was converted into a full-services Minuteman Press design, marketing, and printing center. Mason says, "I opened our Minuteman Press franchise right here in Dayton one year ago in 2017. I had exactly zero years of experience working in a print shop and no significant understanding for print processes or the varieties of material available for our use. As with several other positions, I went in full throttle to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible, intending to become a knowledgeable owner able to help solve the needs of our clients and leap over small buildings in a single bound."

Today, Mason is serving the business community of Dayton, Ohio with the same passion and fervor as he served his country. He explains, "We are a new Minuteman Press design, marketing, and printing franchise in our area. We provide solutions and assistance for other small businesses within our community. We simply talk with our clients to create a shared understanding for their unique business and identifying courses of action for their marketing needs. Then we collaborate with them for an ideal solution, helping them to achieve their next level of success. We are not just another print shop; we offer real solutions for your business, ensuring you have what you need, when you need it."

Mason continues, "Some of the biggest rewards I receive are the sincere words of appreciation and gratitude that I hear from our clients. Knowing that we not only met their expectations, but that we exceeded their expectations, creating a 'WOW' moment for them is a tremendous reward on which you cannot put a price tag. Earning the respect of our clients and creating rave reviews for our work is always exciting."

One year into his new life as an entrepreneur, Mason reflects, "I thrive on the nonroutine daytoday activities. Each day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to partner with a client, to find a solution for their business needs. I typically only plan about 4 hours of work each day, because I know that the unexpected will always arrive when you least expect it. This directly relates to the benefit of being my own boss. I can structure my daily meetings and tasks as I see fit and allow myself the maximum opportunity to interact with our clients, whether they are walkin clients or during brief meetings in their offices. Another great benefit about being my own boss is scheduling my performance review  it has never been easier!"

Why Minuteman Press?

Mason Hutton had the drive to be an entrepreneur, which is an important factor to consider when looking into owning a business. He says, "I wanted to create an environment that would foster and embrace new ideas, accept creativity, and allow new perspectives to find solutions. The obvious choice was to become a business owner myself. While considering my options, I reviewed several franchise opportunities."

When researching the various franchise opportunities available to him, Mason Hutton found Minuteman Press to be the right fit. He says, "Although, Minuteman Press was not the first franchise I reviewed, it is the one I selected to be a part of. The franchise has a great respect for establishing family time and makes that fact wellknown. Another attractive point is the latitude that I have as an owner  to promote my shop, to work within the community, and to offer competitive prices. Finally, the franchise fee and monthly royalty cap were equally significant factors in choosing Minuteman Press."

With one year as part of the Minuteman Press franchise family under his belt, Mason is happy with the decision he made. He says, " We have enjoyed incredible support from our field representatives! Our time spent with Rich and Andrew has been of great benefit for our growth and development. They have each assisted with equipment questions, marketing assistance, and unique projects for our clients. Our Regional Vice President Gary Nowak has also been very helpful. Gary has consistently been responsive to our calls and emails for assistance and has provided new solutions to help solve problems. Their combined experiences and knowledge continues to be an invaluable resource for our team. Additionally, we have confidently relied on assistance from Minuteman Press International headquarters."

Getting Involved and Giving Back to the Community

One of the biggest benefits and rewards of owning a business is becoming an active part in the community . Mason explains, "I truly enjoy and embrace the opportunities that are available to become more involved with various community events. At present, we are members of the local Chamber of Commerce and the local Optimist Club. The Chamber of Commerce has provided great assistance with welcoming us to the community and has assisted with introducing us to many other small business owners. They host several networking events each month and keep the community at large engaged with upcoming events. The Optimist Club has been a fantastic organization with which to work. As a club, we are involved with multiple fundraising activities throughout the year with our primary focus as raising funds for youth activities and presenting a recent high school graduate with an additional scholarship fund. Being able to be involved with these groups and being able to participate within our community is a reward unto itself. Knowing that you get to make a difference for a youth somewhere is always rewarding."

What is a typical day like for Mason Hutton as the owner of Minuteman Press in Dayton? He answers, "This is easy as there is no typical day. Every day is different, offering new challenges and bringing new solutions to our clients. One of my key goals is to remain as flexible as possible, to continue to execute finding a solution or result that meets the needs of the client. I typically schedule about 4 hours each day for key events or tasks, allowing me the opportunity to flexecute when a new challenge arises, or as a new and urgent client need is identified. Another key with each passing day is to ensure you leave with a victory. The daily goal is to always 'Win the Day' with each day and with each challenge. Find the victory you enjoyed that day and leave the office knowing that you won another day, planning to come back the next day ready for the next challenge. No matter how the 'typical day' unfolds, when it's over, warm cookies and cold milk makes everything better."

When he gets some time to relax away from the business, Mason enjoys time well spent with his family. He says, "As a new small business owner, I do embrace my work and I do enjoy the many aspects of being an owner. However, I also enjoy traveling and taking short trips with my family. Being able to travel is always refreshing and allows us to give pause and appreciate new things, whether its a trip to New York City or a trip to the Appalachian Mountains, each provides a new perspective on life and allows us to consider what is truly important: our family."

Business Goals and Advice for Others

Mason has a plan for Minuteman Press in Dayton, which is in good hands under his leadership. He explains, "The immediate business goals are to grow and develop this shop to consistently achieve our monthly sales goals. Next on our list of goals is to achieve a higher volume of sales, enabling us to provide employment opportunities for others. My 5year plan is to grow the business and to expand with a secondary location, ultimately creating additional employment opportunities with continued sales and growth."

He continues, "I have to add that Minuteman Press International's IT department is superb! When encountering any related technical issues, I never hesitate to contact this team for guidance and problem resolution. Their professionalism is beyond reproach and their quick results ensure each franchise can capably maintain efficient production schedules."

As for the advice he has for other aspiring entrepreneurs or franchisees, Mason shares, "Always do your homework. Advice from others is helpful but ultimately every decision is yours and you will be the one living with your choice. Do not rush into a decision without doing your due diligence and research. If you are being rushed for a decision, then you really need to slow the process down and understand why there is a rush to decide anything. These choices directly impact your family and your financial well-being; do not rush blindly into the fire without being as fully prepared as you can be. "

Mason concludes, "There are plenty of additional resources available for you to utilize, take advantage of them. If you are considering entering in as a new franchise owner, try to spend a full day or more with the current owner or with the owner of a sister shop. This is the best time to develop a true understanding of your role as the franchise owner and the responsibilities you will incur as the owner."

Minuteman Press in Dayton is located at 2599 Needmore Road, Dayton, OH 45414. For more information, call Mason and his team at (937) 890-0783 or visit their website: https://dayton-oh.minutemanpress.com

About Minuteman Press International

Minuteman Press International is the number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. Started in 1973 by Roy Titus and his son Bob, Minuteman Press began franchising in 1975 and has grown to nearly 1,000 business service franchise locations worldwide including the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Minuteman Press is ranked #1 in category by Entrepreneur 26 times and 15 years in a row, including 2018. Franchise Business Review has also named Minuteman Press International to its 2018 Top Franchises, 2018 Top Franchise Leaders, and 2018 Top Franchises for Women lists thanks to positive reviews from our owners .

At Minuteman Press, We Are The Modern Printing Industry  providing high quality products and services that meet the needs of today's business professionals and go way beyond ink on paper. Today, our centers offer innovative branding solutions and produce custom designs, promotional products, branded apparel, direct mail marketing, large format printing (banners and posters), signs and graphics, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise.

To learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and speak with one of our experienced franchise representatives at no obligation, call 1-800-645-3006.

Continue your franchise research, watch exclusive owner videos and access Minuteman Press franchise reviews at www.minutemanpressfranchise.com

Contact:

Minuteman Press International

Franchise Opportunities, 1-800-645-3006

www.minutemanpressfranchise.com

or

Media Inquiries:

Chris Biscuiti, 631-249-1370, ext. 249

cbiscuiti@mpihq.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/92303e39-aea7-4d91-8621-7415d320f2c5
2 secretaries recalled to OMPCM

The government on Wednesday recalled secretaries of two ministries to the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM).
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sanatana Resources Inc. (Sanatana or the Company: TSX-V: STA) is pleased to provide the details of the acquisition of the Tirua project to its shareholders.



The Tirua project, hosted in the 15km wide (68 square kilometres in area) Tirua volcanic caldera, is located on New Georgia Island, in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, part of the South Pacific archipelago of volcanic islands around the Ring of Fire. This chain of islands is renowned for hosting large copper and gold deposits, extending from Papua New Guinea ("PNG") in the northwest to Fiji to the southeast, most notably the giant epithermal Ladolam Gold Deposit on Lihir Island and the copper-gold porphyry Panguna deposit on Bougainville, immediately west of New Georgia Island.

Pursuant to a prospecting agreement, which is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval ("the Agreement"), signed with Trevor Wright, Sol Mar Por Pty Ltd, Brian D Edgar and Stadnyk and Partners (collectively, "the Vendors"), the Company, through its Solomon Islands wholly owned subsidiary ExSol SI Ltd, has received notice of a letter of intent (the "LOI"), from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification to issue a Prospecting License (the "PL") subject to the completion of surface access agreements ("SAA"), which will allow for exploration of the Tirua Project.

A presentation outlining and detailing the Tirua project will be posted shortly on Sanatana's website, www.sanatanaresources.com .

Sanatana will be working with Trevor Wright, MSc Geology, who has some 20 years experience in gold and copper projects in the Southwest Pacific. Trevor, and his team, who bring expertise in community relations, support and logistics will partner with Sanatana's Buddy Doyle, who spent 8 years in PNG and was instrumental in the discovery, definition, and decision to mine phases of the world class Lihir Gold Mine.

Mr. Wright undertook surface and geophysical studies at Tirua that led to a six hole drill program being conducted. This and other limited work has demonstrated that the Tirua caldera has gold and copper mineralization, much of which, including significant targets developed by Mr. Wright, remains untested and underexplored.

Highlights of Past Exploration:

Drilling: The best intervals from 11 drill holes ran 62m @ 0.45% Cu from surface and 3m @ 2.52 g/t Au from 98m.

Trenching: 15m @ 1.16 g/t Au (open).

Maximum rock chip float samples of 37.7 g/t Au, 201 g/t Ag, and 0.25% Cu.

Maximum soil samples of 10.7 g/t Au, 322 g/t Ag and 0.29% Cu.

Completion of airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the entire caldera highlighting a distinct ring structure.

Wide spread alteration and porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal Au mineralisation associated with geophysical / structural interpretations.

Note that previous exploration was conducted between 1983 and 2013 and the data has been verified by Mr. Trevor Wright from open file reports obtained from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification. These samples may not be indicative of future results.

Peter Miles, President and CEO states, "We are excited to acquire the Tirua project. In our opinion the limited work done at Tirua to date has shown it to have extensive and significant mineralization in a world class underexplored geological setting. Sanatana is in a unique position to maximize the potential of the project by combining Buddy's knowledge of caldera geology and logistics gained through his experience at Lihir, and Trevor's similar experience at Tirua".

Buddy Doyle, VP Exploration states, "The Tirua project is in a geological setting with a large mineralized alteration system that has seen only minimal historic drill testing, leaving many high priority exploration areas and specific targets untested. I look forward to helping with the future exploration of this exciting opportunity".

Sanatana's exploration and management team are planning to visit the Tirua project shortly in order to plan exploration and to begin the process to acquire the necessary SAAs, which are expected to be in hand before Christmas.

The terms of the Agreement, are:

Within 10 business days of the issuance of the PL, 25,000,000 shares of the Company will be issued to the Vendors;



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) indicating a minimum resource of 1,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors;



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 indicating a minimum resource of 2,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors;



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 indicating a minimum resource of 3,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors; and



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 indicating a minimum resource of 4,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors.

The information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Buddy Doyle, BAppSc (Geol.), MAusIMM, VP Exploration for Sanatana. Mr. Doyle is a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this news release.

About the Company

Sanatana Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration and development company with an experienced management team and board of directors. Sanatana is based in Vancouver and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: STA).

SANATANA RESOURCES INC.

(signed)  Peter Miles  ______________



Peter Miles

President and Chief Executive Officer

For additional information on the Company, please contact:

Mr. Peter Miles, President and Chief Executive Officer at (604) 408-6680 or email investor@sanatanaresources.com .

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Some of the statements contained in this news release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, intends, is expected, potential, suggests or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond Sanatanas control. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precipitate Gold Corp. (the Company or Precipitate) (TSXV: PRG) is pleased to announce it has entered into a purchase-sale agreement with Everton Resources Inc. (Everton) (TSX.V: EVR) whereby, subject to closing, Precipitate will acquire a 100% interest in three of Evertons Dominican Republic exploration concessions, including two highly prospective concessions (the Pueblo Grande Property), adjoining Barricks and Goldcorps world-class Pueblo Viejo gold-silver mine, one of the largest gold mining operations in the world.



Highlights of New Property Acquisition:

100% interest in a strategic land position adjoining Barricks Pueblo Viejo mine (largest active gold mining operation in Latin America; fourth largest gold mining operation in the world*)

(largest active gold mining operation in Latin America; fourth largest gold mining operation in the world*) Two historical drill zones (Tres Bocas and La Lechoza) with impressive near surface gold and silver intercepts warranting follow-up;

(Tres Bocas and La Lechoza) with impressive near surface gold and silver intercepts warranting follow-up; Substantial areas of under-explored Advanced Argillic alteration adjacent to, and on strike from the Pueblo Viejo open pits;

adjacent to, and Extensive drill dataset from over 200 historic drill holes totalling approximately 29,500 metres ;

; Situated in an active and mining-friendly district within 10 kilometers (km) of 3 operating mine sites ;

; Select highlight historic trench samples (from La Lechoza zone): 11.3 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 310 g/t silver over 18 metres (Linear Gold, 2015) 6.65 g/t gold and 18.8 g/t silver over 22 metres ; including 22.1 g/t gold and 48.6 g/t silver over 4 metres 1.13 g/t gold over 18 metres 4.35 g/t gold over 10 metres

Select reported historical highlight drill intercepts include:

Metres

(m)

Gold

(g/t) Silver

(g/t) Zinc

(%) Zone Everton News Source 23.4 m 4.76 23.0 La Lechoza Jan 27/11 (DDH APV-30) 10.6 m 2.96 104.9 9.4 Tres Bocas May 17/06 (DDH TBM-07) 27.0 m 2.46 26.7 La Lechoza Feb 02/11 (DDH APV11-02) 7.5 m 2.56 47.2 4.4 La Lechoza Dec 20/10 (DDH APV10-13) 10.5 m 2.29 65.0 3.4 La Lechoza Apr 13/11 (DDH APV11-30)

All above noted intercepts commence at less than 20m drill depth and are drill intercept widths. The true thickness of the zones has yet to be determined.



Map View of All New Acquired Concessions

Map View of Pueblo Grande Property

Jeffrey Wilson, Precipitate President & CEO, stated, "We are pleased with this new acquisition as it positions Precipitate with an impressive new landholding flush with targets adjacent to one of the largest gold-silver mining operations in the world, in the heart of the Dominican Republics most active and mining-friendly district. This acquisition represents much more than an area play for the Company, as the projects geological environment, compelling geophysical signatures and impressive prior results make this an exciting new addition to our project portfolio. Applying our in-country experience and technical expertise, which includes highly-regarded Board members Quinton Hennigh, Alistair Waddell and Adrian Fleming, should allow Precipitate to reinterpret the data and commence systematic programs to test previously unrecognized opportunities within this property package. Our teams ongoing interaction and dialogue with the countrys decision-makers and industry peers has reinforced our confidence in the outlook for the jurisdiction, such that we believe this acquisition presents a unique and timely opportunity for the Company and its shareholders to be positioned for long-term growth. Pueblo Grande and our existing Juan de Herrera Project, adjacent to GoldQuest Minings Romero, combine to establish Precipitate as one of the Dominican Republics leading explorers, poised to build near and long-term value through strategic district-scale landholdings and ongoing work programs. See full CEO Summary video of this news release at the Companys website.

Michael Moore, Precipitate VP Exploration, states, "The Pueblo Grande property offers near-term discovery potential immediately adjacent to Barricks Pueblo Viejo Mine, one of the worlds biggest gold and silver operations. The sizeable historical property dataset gives us an excellent starting point to benefit from past work and to immediately focus on priority gold and base metal prospects identified through geophysics, geology, geochemistry and past drill intercepts with limited follow-up. Our exploration plan will focus on high priority zones for immediate field work and drill target testing. The target-rich project has year-round access and well-developed infrastructure, allowing for consistent, systematic programs and steady future news flow.

Two concessions, comprising a portion of the Pueblo Grande Property, are contiguous to the Pueblo Viejo mine operated by Barrick Gold via a joint venture between Barrick (60%) and Goldcorp (40%). The third concession (the Ponton Project) acquired in this transaction is located approximately 30 km east of Pueblo Grande in a similarly favourable and prospective geological environment. The Company has also submitted exploration concession applications for an additional strategic land position connecting the two main Everton concessions along the eastern boundary of the Pueblo Viejo mine to form the newly consolidated Pueblo Grande Property. As a result, Precipitates new land position adjoins Barricks Pueblo Viejo mine site on the west, north and east sides, covering about 9,863 contiguous hectares. See the accompanying maps or the Companys website at www.precipitategold.com for the property location illustration maps.

Highlights of Pueblo Grande Exploration Potential:

The area to the west of the Pueblo Viejo mine is interpreted to be a high-level advanced argillic lithocap alteration type environment which lacks significant known gold-silver mineralization but has the same highly anomalous trace element suite that typifies the adjacent Pueblo Viejo deposit. The lithocap alteration is dominated by pervasive silica-pyrophyllite-pyrite with numerous and widespread irregular pods, veins, and veinlets of massive hematitized magnetite. Magnetite, silicification and various pathfinder elements associated with Pueblo Viejo style high sulphidation epithermal gold-silver-copper mineralization offer key exploration vectors into and through the extensive altered lithocap zone (see aster image and airborne magnetics geophysical map). Past drill testing appears to have focused mainly on coincident geochemical and induced polarization chargeability anomalies on the eastern extents of the lithocap, largely overlooking the sizable magnetic-high anomalies within the central lithocap region, leaving much of this target area untested. The prospective lithocap alteration within Precipitates concession boundaries, west and northwest from the Pueblo Viejo mine pits, measures roughly 5 km by 3 km, with the coincidental prospective magnetic-high anomaly measuring approximately 2.5 km by 3 km, representing a sizable and highly prospective yet essentially untested target for initial work programs and possible near-term drill testing.

https://precipitategold.com/assets/docs/nr/2018-10-23-nrm3-pg-jft3q6.pdf

Additional magnetic anomalies (both high and low signatures) within the property package, specifically to the southeast of Pueblo Viejo, will undergo future geological mapping and sampling. Previous drilling has also encountered at least two additional key areas of mineralization within the property (namely La Lechoza and Tres Bocas) evidencing the projects potential to host multiple areas of interest and several styles of mineralization. The size and scale of the property package, combined with its proximity to one of the largest gold mining operations in the world, make this a compelling project for extensive and ongoing exploration.



Highlights of Acquired Pueblo Grande Dataset:

In acquiring the Pueblo Grande Property (previously named the Ampliacion Pueblo Viejo (APV), Mermejal, Jobo Claro, Loma Mate and others) and the nearby Ponton Property from Everton, the Company acquires valuable associated datasets that include:

Two high-level historically drilled gold-base metal discovery zones: Tres Bocas and La Lechoza;

Drill hole database, including 158 diamond drill holes and 62 shallow RAB drill holes ; totalling about 29,500 metres and 10,600 core  rock pulp samples;

and ; and  rock pulp samples; Heliborne magnetic-GeoTEM geophysical survey (729km of flight lines at 100 metre spacing);

Numerous ground geophysical surveys, including magnetics, induced polarization and max-min EM;

Approximately 18,050 surface geochemical samples (combined stream sediment, rock, soil, trench);

(combined stream sediment, rock, soil, trench); Extensive surface geological mapping at various detail levels; and,

A large highly prospective lithocap area of Advanced Argillic alteration located directly to the west of the Pueblo Viejo mine.

Highlights of Barricks Pueblo Viejo Gold-Silver Mine:

Largest active gold mining operation in Latin America, and fourth largest mining operation in the world in 2017 *

* High sulphidation epithermal gold-silver deposit

13.4 million ounces (Moz) gold , 74.4 Moz silver , and 298.5 million pounds copper (measured and indicated mineral resource from 169.5 million tons grading 2.46 g/t gold , 13.66 g/t silver and 0.08% copper )**;

(Moz) , , and (measured and indicated mineral resource from 169.5 million tons , and )**; Additional 3.6 Moz gold , 16.0 Moz silver , and 87.2 million pounds copper in the inferred category;

, , and in the inferred category; Annual production of approximately 1.0 million ounces gold at US $525.00 all-in-sustaining cost per ounce ***; and,

***; and, US $4.3 billion project infrastructure investment

*Based on 2017 production figures -Thomson Reuters and stats released by gold miners. **March 2018, NI 43-101 report. ***Based on annual 2017 production, Barrick website.

Pueblo Grande Purchase-Sale Agreement Terms:

As consideration for 100% title to Evertons three Dominican exploration concessions totalling 9,583 hectares, and extensive geochemical, geophysical, geological and drill data, Precipitate will deliver to Everton the following upon closing:

CDN $25,000 cash;

Seven million common shares of Precipitate subject to resale legend restrictions for up to 3 years, expiring as follows: 10% (700,000 shares) with resale legend expiring 6 months from the date of issue; 10% (700,000 shares) with resale legend expiring 12 months from the date of issue; 10% (700,000 shares) with resale legend expiring 18 months from the date of issue; 15% (1,050,000 shares) with resale legend expiring 24 months from the date of issue; 15% (1,050,000 shares) with resale legend expiring 30 months from the date of issue; and 40% (2,800,000 shares) with resale legend expiring 36 months from the date of issue



The closing date for the transaction will occur at five business days after the later of (i) the date the TSX Venture exchange accepts the transaction, and (ii) the date the Dominican Republic Ministry of Energy and Mines accepts and completes full legal title transfer of the three exploration concessions to Precipitate. The agreement is subject to a 45-day due diligence period, from the date of execution of the agreement, whereby Precipitate can complete a satisfactory review of project technical and corporate documents and related materials. The Company has 90 days to facilitate completion of the official transfer of legal title of the concessions, after which the Company can elect to extend the closing date by consecutive 30-day periods by delivering 100,000 common shares of the Company (deducted from the payment shares noted above) for each 30-day extension. If the Closing does not occur by March 30, 2019 either party may elect to terminate the agreement.

Additional payment stock conditions include (i) should Everton elect to sell or dispose of any of the payment shares, and in each instance, it will give Precipitate at least 10 business days advance notice, so as to allow the Company to assist in finding a purchaser for such shares and (ii) the selective legend removal of various escrow payment share release restrictions should the Companys common shares trade at or above $0.20, $0.40 and $0.60 per common share for 10 consecutive trading days on the TSXV (based on a volume weighted average price, VWAP). Pre-existing advanced stage or mining-related commitments to a third party include (i) a sliding scale net smelter royalty (NSR) ranging from 1%, where gold is under $US 1,000/oz, to 2%, where gold is over $US1,400/oz and (ii) a sum of cash or shares in the event a resource of 1.0 million gold equivalent ounces or greater are delineated at certain grades and in various indicated and inferred categories.

Expanding the Precipitate Gold Project Portfolio:

The acquisition of Pueblo Grande compliments the Companys existing Juan de Herrera Project situated in the western part of the Dominican Republic, adjacent to the countrys most prominent development-stage project, GoldQuest Minings Romero, establishing the Company with substantial landholdings in the countrys two most significant gold and copper camps. Importantly, Precipitates complete project portfolio now provides shareholders valuable exposure to three major mining/exploration gold camps with landholdings immediately adjacent to, and contiguous with three prominent operations; the world-class Pueblo Viejo operated by Barrick (central Dominican Republic), the Tireo-Romero operated by GoldQuest (west Dominican Republic), and the Upper Hyland River-3 Aces operated by Golden Predator (southeast Yukon, Canada). All of these Precipitate gold assets are owned 100% by the Company, free of any underlying vendor payments or work commitments, and limited holding costs.

This news release has been reviewed by Michael Moore P. Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Precipitate Gold Corporation, the Qualified Person for the technical information in this news release under NI 43-101 standards.

About Precipitate Gold:

Precipitate Gold Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on exploring and advancing its mineral property interests in the Tireo Gold Trend and Pueblo Viejo Camp of the Dominican Republic. The Company also maintains assets in southeast Yukon Territory, specifically the Companys Reef property located immediately adjacent to Golden Predators 3 Aces Project in the Upper Hyland River area. The Company has entered into an Option to Purchase Agreement with Golden Predator whereby Golden Predator can earn a 100% interest in the Reef claims by making certain staged payments in cash and shares and warrants. Precipitate is also actively evaluating additional high-impact property acquisitions with the potential to expand the Company's portfolio and increase shareholder value.

Additional information can be viewed at the Companys website www.precipitategold.com .

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Precipitate Gold Corp.,

Jeffrey Wilson

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Tel: 604-558-0335 Toll Free: 855-558-0335 investor@precipitategold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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 press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Precipitate Gold Corp.s (Precipitate or the Company) current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Company and on assumptions it believes are reasonable. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Precipitate to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the exploration concessions may not be granted on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the concessions acquired by the Company may not have attributes similar to those of surrounding properties; delay or failure to receive governmental or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation affecting mining; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. Although Precipitate has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Precipitate does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/86f501c4-76c4-46f8-9589-88ae81275261

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3ef5aaf-4b7c-4691-a9f9-07ae877a6738

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d17ab3cc-b504-49da-8fe4-1c4eec7a8c48

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14a0f547-48c6-42b7-9e79-7360ab51fe0b

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a901d787-76a0-45b5-a3e4-efe50c0b84bf

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/59697490-feff-4832-b1d2-7db1641cdf6e
Icelandic English

Marel hf. will publish its Q3 2018 condensed consolidated interim financial statements after market closing on 31 October 2018.



Investor meeting and webcast

On Thursday 1 November 2018, at 8:30 am (Icelandic time), Marel will host an investor meeting where CEO Arni Oddur Thordarson and CFO Linda Jonsdottir will give an overview of the financial results and operational highlights.

The investor meeting is held at Marel's headquarters in Iceland. Breakfast is served from 8:00 am.

Please note that the meeting will also be webcast on www.marel.com/webcast .

Financial calendar

Q4 2018 results 6 February 2019

Annual General Meeting 6 March 2019

Investor relations
English French

Media relations:

Florence Lievre

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 71

E-mail: florence.lievre@capgemini.com

Investor relations:

Vincent Biraud

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 87

E-mail: vincent.biraud@capgemini.com

Capgemini reports strong Q3 and raises its growth target for 2018

Paris, October 24, 2018 - The Capgemini Group achieved consolidated revenues of 3,228 million in Q3 2018, up 8.7% year-on-year at constant exchange rates*.

Paul Hermelin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Capgemini Group commented: "The Group continues to grow at a robust pace, driven by the ongoing development of Digital and Cloud activities. Momentum remains strong in North America, our largest market, with a double-digit revenue progression. In Europe, the United Kingdom returned to growth and France reported an excellent quarter.

With the launch of Capgemini Invent last month, we're well placed to capture even more of the demand for digital innovation, consulting and transformation coming from the heads of business and operations of leading groups. We benefit from a unique market positioning, thanks to the combination of our experience in consulting, data science and emerging technologies, together with expertise brought to the Group by recently acquired digital companies, such as LiquidHub this year.

Our momentum will remain strong in Q4 2018 despite an even higher comparison basis and we now expect to reach growth of 6.8% at constant exchange rates. This leads us to raise our full year 2018 target: we now aim for revenue growth of above 7.5% at constant exchange rates."

(In millions of euros) Change Revenues

(IFRS 15) 2017

(restated) 2018



At current

exchange rates At constant

exchange rates* Q3 2017 2,996 3,228 +7.7% +8.7% 9 months 9,276 9,695 +4.5% +8.2%

Group growth remained strong during the quarter despite a high Q3 2017 comparison basis. Revenues totaled 3,228 million, up 7.7% year-on-year at current exchange rates and 8.7% at constant exchange rates. Organic growth* (i.e. excluding the impact of currency fluctuations and changes in Group scope) was 6.3%.

Digital & Cloud activities grew over 20% at constant exchange rates in Q3 and now generate around 45% of Group revenues.

In the first nine months of the year, Group revenues grew 8.2% at constant exchange rates and 6.4% on an organic basis.

OPERATIONS BY REGION

In Q3, North America revenues (33% of Group revenues) grew 12.9% at constant exchange rates, a particularly robust performance given the high comparison basis in Q3 2017. As in the first-half, growth was mainly driven by the Financial Services, Consumer Products and Retail sectors. We also benefited from the impact of Digital acquisitions in the reference period.

The United Kingdom and Ireland (12% of Group revenues) returned to growth as expected. Revenues rose 4.0% at constant exchange rates, driven by an acceleration in the Energy and Utilities sector and an upturn in the Public sector.

France (21% of Group revenues) reported a strong 6.9% growth. Performance continues to be fueled by the Energy and Utilities, Financial Services and Consumer Products and Retail sectors.

The Rest of Europe region (27% of Group revenues) maintained momentum, posting Q3 growth of 7.7% at constant exchange rates. The Manufacturing and Consumer Products and Retail sectors were the main driving forces.

Finally, the Asia-Pacific and Latin American region (7% of Group revenues) reported revenue growth of 7.5% at constant exchange rates. In Asia-Pacific, which accounts for around three-quarters of activity in this region, growth was fueled by the Manufacturing and Public sectors. Latin America reported revenue growth for the second quarter in a row.

OPERATIONS BY BUSINESS

Consulting Services (6% of Group revenues) reported Q3 growth of 47.2% at constant exchange rates. This primarily reflects the impact of acquisitions in the reference period but also a positive momentum in the main regions. Activity was particularly buoyant in the Financial Services and Manufacturing sectors.

Technology & Engineering Services (15% of Group revenues) progressed 6.4% at constant exchange rates, with a significant contribution from the Manufacturing, Energy and Utilities sectors. While North America remained the most dynamic region, all geographies contributed to this growth, with an acceleration in France.

Application Services (64% of Group revenues) continue to benefit from customer demand related to new Digital and Cloud needs and maintained a high rate of growth. Q3 revenue increased 10.7% at constant exchange rates, with all regions reporting high single digit to double digit growth rates.

Other Managed Services (15% of Group revenues) declined 5.8% at constant exchange rates, with improved infrastructure services performance masked by a slowdown in Business Process Outsourcing activities.

HEADCOUNT

At September 30, 2018, the Group's total headcount stood at 208,800, up 5.1% year-on-year, with nearly 120,000 employees in offshore centers (57% of the total headcount).

BOOKINGS

Bookings totaled 2,808 million in Q3 2018, a 6.7% increase at constant exchange rates year-on-year.

OUTLOOK

For 2018, the Group:

raises its growth target and now aims for revenue growth at constant exchanges rates of above 7.5% (versus revenue growth "slightly above 7%" previously), and

confirms its objectives to increase profitability, with an operating margin of 12.0% to 12.2% and to generate organic free cash flow in excess of 1 billion.

In addition, the Group confirms that the impact of currency movements on revenues should be limited to -3 points in 2018.

CONFERENCE CALL

Paul Hermelin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Carole Ferrand, Chief Financial Officer, will present this press release during a conference call in English to be held today at 6 p.m. Paris time (CET). You can follow this conference call live via webcast at the following link. A replay will also be available for a period of one year.

All documents relating to this publication will be placed online on the Capgemini investor website at https://www.capgemini.com/results.

PROVISIONAL CALENDAR

February 14, 2019 2018 results

April 25, 2019 Publication of 2019 Q1 revenues

May 23, 2019 Combined Shareholders' Meeting

DISCLAIMER

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such statements may include projections, estimates, assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and/or expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations and services and product development, as well as statements, regarding future performance or events. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "projects", "may", "would" "should" or the negatives of these terms and similar expressions. Although Capgemini's management currently believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties (including, without limitation, risks identified in Capgemini's Registration Document available on Capgemini's website), because they relate to future events and depend on future circumstances that may or may not occur and may be different from those anticipated, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Capgemini. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed in, implied by or projected by forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not intended to and do not give any assurances or comfort as to future events or results. Other than as required by applicable law, Capgemini does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

This press release does not contain or constitute an offer of securities for sale or an invitation or inducement to invest in securities in France, the United States or any other jurisdiction.

About Capgemini

A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of 200,000 team members in over 40 countries. The Group reported 2017 global revenues of EUR 12.8 billion.

Visit us at www.capgemini.com. People matter, results count.

* *

*

APPENDIX

DEFINITIONS

Organic growth, or like-for-like growth, in revenues is the growth rate calculated at constant Group scope and exchange rates. The Group scope and exchange rates used are those for the reported period. Exchange rates for the reported period are also used to calculate growth at constant exchange rates.

Reconciliation of growth rates Q3 2018 9 months

2018 Organic growth +6.3% +6.4% Changes in Group scope +2.4 pts +1.9 pt Growth at constant exchange rates +8.7% +8.2% Exchange rate fluctuations -1.0 pt -3.7 pts Reported growth +7.7% +4.5%

Currency impacts since the beginning of the year are linked to the appreciation of the euro against most other currencies and primarily the U.S. dollar.

REVENUES BY REGION

Revenues

(In millions of euros) Change

(Q3 2018 / Q3 2017) Q1

2017 Q2

2017 Q3

2017 Q4

2017 Q1

2018 Q2

2018 Q3

2018 At constant

exchange rates Reported North America 961 969 953 990 960 1,069 1,076 +12.9% +12.9% United Kingdom and Ireland 417 428 371 364 386 395 387 +4.0% +4.7% France 662 659 620 734 698 703 664 +6.9% +6.9% Rest of Europe 831 856 813 915 888 909 864 +7.7% +6.2% Asia-Pacific and Latin America 245 252 239 246 221 238 237 +7.5% -1.1% TOTAL 3,116 3,164 2,996 3,249 3,153 3,314 3,228 +8.7% +7.7%

Revenues

(In millions of euros) Change 9 months

2017 9 months

2018 At constant

exchange rates



Reported North America 2,883 3,105 +15.6% +7.7% United Kingdom and Ireland 1,216 1,168 -2.6% -3.9% France 1,941 2,065 +6.3% +6.3% Rest of Europe 2,500 2,661 +7.8% +6.4% Asia-Pacific and Latin America 736 696 +4.8% -5.6% TOTAL 9,276 9,695 +8.2% +4.5%

REVENUES BY BUSINESS

Revenues

(In millions of euros) Change Q3 2017 Q3 2018 At constant exchange rates



Consulting Services 134 194 +47.2% Technology & Engineering Services 445 474 +6.4% Application Services 1,876 2,056 +10.7% Other Managed Services 541 504 -5.8% TOTAL 2,996 3,228 +8.7%

UTILIZATION RATES

Q1 2017 Q2 2017 Q3 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Consulting Services 71% 72% 69% 72% 72% 73% 67% Technology & Engineering Services 82% 84% 85% 84% 83% 85% 84% Application Services 81% 81% 82% 83% 81% 82% 83%
Denver, Colo, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InnovAge today announced with Adventist Health and Eskaton their shared intent to partner in bringing a new Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) center to Sacramento, Calif. InnovAge and Adventist Health are also exploring an expanded partnership to bring PACE to several other California communities. PACE is an alternative to nursing homes, designed to keep seniors living in their own homes and communities for as long as safely possible. Participants are primarily dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.



In addition to its operations in four other states, InnovAge currently operates a PACE center in San Bernardino, Calif.



For more than 20 years, PACE has been the core of our business, said InnovAge CEO and President Maureen Hewitt. Our passion and mission at InnovAge is to provide services to the most vulnerable seniors to help them age in their own homes with dignity. We look forward to collaborating with Adventist Health and Eskaton to bring PACE services to seniors in the Sacramento area, and we are excited to work with Adventist Health to reach more seniors throughout the state of California.



According to the U.S. Census, by 2020, there will be nearly 14,000 low-income seniors in the Sacramento area who could qualify for PACE; statewide, this number is about 220,000.



At Adventist Health, we see PACE as a unique and important strategy which can help us transform the health of our communities, said Bill Wing, president of Adventist Health. A comprehensive plan and coordinated approach to care for the frail elderly can improve independence, improve outcomes, relieve stress from family members, and reduce total community cost of care. We are thrilled to be partnering with InnovAge, a proven expert in coordinating this type of care, to bring this innovative service to our communities.



Eskaton is excited about being involved as a partner in bringing this new PACE center to Sacramento, serving our most vulnerable older adults and expanding our year mission of enhancing lives through innovative health, housing, and social services, said Todd Murch, president and CEO of Eskaton.



Since August, InnovAge has acquired four PACE facilities in Philadelphia, PA; and two in Virginia. The company serves more than 5,000 older adults with PACE and is the largest PACE provider in the U.S.



About InnovAge. InnovAges mission is to help seniors live life on their terms by aging in place, in their own homes and communities, for as long as safely possible. The companys primary offering is the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. InnovAge has supported and cared for thousands of seniors since 2001. InnovAge has more than 1,600 employees at 15 PACE centers in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. InnovAge is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and is committed to expanding PACE to serve more seniors throughout the country. For more information, visit www.MyInnovAge.com.


Although we still celebrate the late twentieth-century as victory of democracy, our understanding of what democracy entails in both theory and practice is increasingly subject to a variety of qualifying definitions, many of which now seem to devalue the role of elections and electoral accountability. This is so obviously seen in the politics of the European Union (EU), where the efforts to resolve conflicting issues in arenas where democratic authority is incapable as well as the efforts to depoliticize issues that relate to European integration have led to the development of a distinct political system in which the exercise of popular control and electoral accountability proves very difficult.



European Unions democratic deficit within the context of the more widespread drift towards forms of decision-making eschews electoral accountability and popular democratic control. However, EU should not be seen as an exception or sui generis but best be regarded as a political system that has been constructed by national political leaders as a safeguarded sphere in which policy making can evade the constraints imposed by representative democracy. The rationale that lies behind it conforms closely to current thinking about the role of non-majoritarian institutions, on the one hand, and about the putative drawbacks of popular democracy, on the other.



Overall, EU can better be conceived as an outcome, or as the consequence of a longer developmental trajectory, in which the democratic process grows and mutates, and in which the mechanisms that allow democracy to function change and adapt. As the experience of the EU suggests, the combination of popular democracy and legitimacy is proving increasingly problematic in making key decisions - not only in Europe, but also further afield. To put it another way, the fact that conventional forms of democracy and representative government are difficult to apply at the level of the EU is not so much exceptional as symptomatic, and if we could democratize the European Union along conventional lines, then we probably wouldnt need it in the first place.



Show Spoiler A.OUT OF SCOPE: Decision- making process cannot be outgrowth of democracy, no mention of decision-making at various levels.

B.OUT OF SCOPE: There is no mention of who makes decisions in EU.

C.OUT OF SCOPE: Nothing has been mentioned in this regard.

D.CORRECT: Both para. 1 &2 explicitly mention that it's very difficult to exercise popular democracy in the EU.

E.OUT OF SCOPE: Decision-making at EU level is discussed, not on government (country) level.

1. From the passage, which of the following about the decision-making process in EU can be inferred as true?



A. It is an outgrowth of democracy, making up for the inability of a democratic process to make good decisions at various levels of an organization

B. Members who are not elected as decision makers by the general population of EU make key decisions.

C. The decisions made through the decision-making process are not popular with the electorate.

D. It does not adhere to the generally accepted norms of decision making in a strictly democratic manner.

E. It is the poster-child of a new form of decision making that is likely to become the de-facto standards for governments.





Show Spoiler A.CORRECT: EU had to be formed as popular democracy was hampering key decision making.

B.INCONSISTENT: EU system is not a disruption but a deviation from popular democracy.

C.OUT OF SCOPE: The passage does not say whether decisions made by the EU are better.

D.OUT OF SCOPE: This cannot be inferred from the passage.

E.OUT OF SCOPE: There is no mention of the free world anywhere in the passage.

2. According to the passage the decision making process in EU is:



A. an evolution of current democratic process to suit decision making a level much higher than the democratic processes were designed for.

B. a disruption to the classical process of decision making that will likely spread to other continents.

C. an improvement that allows better decisions to be made.

D. a symptom of great changes to come that will transform democracy.

E. representation of a new form of thinking related to decision making in the free world.





Show Spoiler A. OUT OF SCOPE: The purpose is not to talk about decline of electoral accountability. Also, EU is just one example of changing democracy.

B. OUT OF SCOPE: The author has not presented any anecdotal examples.

C. CORRECT: Citing EU as example, the author elaborates on the idea of changing democracy.

D. OUT OF SCOPE: There are no reasons mentioned for decline of democracy in Europe.

E. OUT OF SCOPE: There is no mention of any such cause in the passage.

3. The primary purpose of the passage is to:



A. describe the decline of electoral accountability in a world where countries combine to form unions.

B. provide anecdotal examples in which traditional democratic processes are unsuitable in the context of EU.

C. present an evolution of democratic decision making using an example.

D. describe the reasons for decline of democracy in Europe.

E. outline the causes that may lead to the rise of new political system in Europe. A. It is an outgrowth of democracy, making up for the inability of a democratic process to make good decisions at various levels of an organizationB. Members who are not elected as decision makers by the general population of EU make key decisions.C. The decisions made through the decision-making process are not popular with the electorate.D. It does not adhere to the generally accepted norms of decision making in a strictly democratic manner.E. It is the poster-child of a new form of decision making that is likely to become the de-facto standards for governments.A. an evolution of current democratic process to suit decision making a level much higher than the democratic processes were designed for.B. a disruption to the classical process of decision making that will likely spread to other continents.C. an improvement that allows better decisions to be made.D. a symptom of great changes to come that will transform democracy.E. representation of a new form of thinking related to decision making in the free world.A. describe the decline of electoral accountability in a world where countries combine to form unions.B. provide anecdotal examples in which traditional democratic processes are unsuitable in the context of EU.C. present an evolution of democratic decision making using an example.D. describe the reasons for decline of democracy in Europe.E. outline the causes that may lead to the rise of new political system in Europe.
Hi SHIWANGAD,Since there have not been any follow-up posts, I assume that you are still studying for the GMAT. GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 3 Official Scores show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 610 +/- a few points), even though your Scores are spread out over the course of almost a year. As such, it's possible that you have gotten 'stuck' at this particular score level.Before I can offer you the specific advice that youre looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying since you last took the GMAT and your goals:Studies:1) What study materials have you used over the last month?2) How many NEW CATs have you taken during that time? How have you scored on EACH of those CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?Goals:3) What is your goal score?4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?6) What Schools are you planning to apply to?GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,Rich_________________
96 parties fail to furnish property details: EC

As many as 96 political parties are yet to notify the Election Commission (EC) about the status of submission of property details by their central committee members to the party headquarters.
Dahal warns CM Raut not to overtake federal government

Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has asked the Province 2 government not to overtake the federal government, warning that it could derail the country from its journey towards federalism.
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IceViking strongly condemns physical attacks and harassment directed towards them.





They are also often victims of the Islamic idea. This is true when it comes to the cruel and tragic treatment of Muslim women and children when it is in accord with the Koran, the example of Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia, which may be applied regardless of where a Muslim male may find himself in the world, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country.





However, in no way, shape or form should one judge all Muslim men because of what is in Islamic scripture and what constitutes the Islamic law, Sharia.





"Race", ethnicity or basically anything that you are "merely" born with should never be a basis for bigotry and discrimination.





Apostates from Islam have been executed for 1400 years in accord with the Koran and the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia.





They should be lovingly helped.





Furthermore, approximately as many as 11,000,000 Muslims may have been killed by other Muslims since 1948.





To quote the website The Religion of Peace (TROP), edited by Glen Roberts:





While it may be safe to say that a true Muslim would not intentionally kill another true Muslim ( 4:92-93 ), the Quran places no such value on the life of a Muslim who is not true. Consider verse 9:73 :

Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell.

The Arabic for strive hard uses the same root as Jihad - and the context in this sura is holy war (see v. 86 and 91). Thus, there are two distinct classes of people that a true Muslim is to target with harshness: disbelievers and hypocrites.



A disbeliever obviously refers to a non-Muslim, so a "hypocrite" must be a Muslim of some sort. In fact, hypocrites are those who say they believe, but do not act as they should. In other words, they are "Muslims", but not true Muslims. They will go to hell just as unbelievers do, and so, according to the verse, their lives matter for naught.



The same sura says that a hypocrite can be recognized not just by lack of piety (reluctance to follow Sharia), but by fear of death ( 9:56 ), reluctance to fight ( 9:44-45 ) and even friendliness toward non-believers ( 9:67 ). A true Muslim would thus be a pious person who relishes martyrdom, is eager to fight, and shuns non-believers.



Even the Quranic passage that warns against killing "believers" ( 4:88-94 ) is more complicated than it first appears. It never says that a true Muslim is incapable of killing another Muslim, just that it should not be done. In fact, it makes exceptions for the unintentional killing of "believers" in war and mandates the killing of "hypocrites."



Verse 17:33 says, "Do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause" . The greatest cause of all is that Islam be superior ( 9:33 ), which is exactly what Islamic terrorists say is their goal. Thus believing Muslims are allowed to be collateral damage in the war on unbelievers.









There is sadly a phenomena that I`ve noticed in Sweden and elsewhere of people using true facts about Islamic doctrine and history as a cover for all sorts of irrational targeting of Muslims, ranging from xenophobia and racism to verbal abuse and physical attacks.





This is strongly condemned by this website and does not in any way serve serious criticism of orthodox Islam and other important work.





It`s also important that one tries to express oneself in a civilized way. Words matter.





In this bloggers humble opinion the root cause of the problem is the ancient doctrine of orthodox Islam.













In simple terms a non-Muslim is a Kafir.





" The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life."





An exact quote, as stated in the writings of Dr. Bill Warner in the article "Kafir" at http://www.politicalislam.com/kafir .





In the perfect Koran (Allah`s direct and literal word as revealed to Mohammed through the angel Jibril), Muslims are told 89 times to emulate Mohammed in all ways (see Koran 33:21 for instance).





Mohammed`s example, the Sunna, is found in the Hadith (stories of what Mohammed said and did) and the Sira (biographies of Mohammed).





Islamic law, Sharia , is directly derived from these unchanging scriptures. It is based on the Koran`s numerous commands to obey Allah and obey the Messenger, that is Mohammed (see Koran 4:59 for instance).









Islam is Sharia. Sharia is Islam.





It is a capital crime for Muslims to deny Sharia in any way.





A Muslim is someone who submits to Islam and submitting to Islam means obeying the Sharia of Allah.





Sharia law includes pronouncements for both Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs).









Islam is a "complete way of life", a "complete code of life", a "complete system of life".





Islam is not just a religion but also a comprehensive ideology.





Islam is a supremacist ideology.





Islam is a totalitarian and imperialistic ideology akin to Communism and Nazism.





Islam is a civilization.

Islamic law, Sharia, is a manual for a civilization.





Islamic law, Sharia, governs every aspect of life.

It has a say about every conceivable human act .





Non-Muslims are morally and legally inferior in Islam. Women are morally and legally inferior in Islam.

























The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS by Robert Spencer is the first one-volume history of jihad in the English language and a great book on the topic.





Allah guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for him (Koran 9:111).





A hadith depicts a Muslim asking Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44)





Muhammad himself said:

I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah. (Sahih Muslim 30)









Freedom of speech, human rights, democracy, science and human lives are all at stake in the fight against the Islamic Jihad.




By Nancy Thorner -

President Joe Bidens Soviet-born and educated woman, Saule Omarova has been nominated to lead a key branch of the Treasury Dept. If approved, shed be Comptroller of the Currency.'

As Fox Business reported:

Saule Omarova was born in the Soviet Union in what is now called Kazakhstan and graduated from Moscow State University in 1989. She has pointed to the USSRs practices as recently as 2019, when she tweeted about the gender pay gap, citing the USSR as a better model.

U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey, R-Pa., last week, asked Omarova to turn over a copy of her thesis  in both English and the original Russian  for review by the committee no later than Oct. 13. Her thesis, titled Karl Marxs Economic Analysis and the Theory of Revolution in The Capital, remains an item of interest to some members on the committee. 

Omarova had not complied with the request as of Thursday, Oct. 14, a spokesperson for Senate Banking Committee Republicans claimed.




Gun control lies debunked

The following gun control lies, all debunked, were discussed by Lott:

Claim that the U.S. is unique in terms of homicides. Claim U.S. is unique in gun ownership. Claim that 32% of households have guns. Source: "General Social Survey", New York Times. Claim that guns allow people to kill themselves much more easily. Claim that policies limiting access to guns had decreased suicides. Claim we have a model for regulating guns

How does the U.S. compare to other countries?

According to President Obama, as cited in an interview that aired on CBS Evening News, Dec. 2, 2015: "The one thing we do know is that we have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.

"Not so," said Lott. Compared to Africa, Australia, Europe and Israel, the U.S. has a relatively low per capita death rate from large mass public shooting, defined as 4 of more deaths in a public place. Among other countries whose borders are primarily in Europe, the rate is 65% higher than that of the U.S. The U.S. makes up about 4.4 percent of the world population (322.8 million/7.411 billion) and accounts for 4.2 percent of the deaths from these attacks. It's simply a matter of adjusting for America's much larger population.

Lott then proceeded to debunk Criminologist Adam Lankford's study covering the years of 1966 to 2012 claiming this nation had 31% of all mass public shooters in the world over 47 years, despite having less than 5% of the global population (World Factbook, 2014). Although Lankford's study received coverage in hundreds of news stories, with international news coverage in at least 35 different countries, Lankford refused to provide his list of cases, refusing to answer questions about how he got his "complete" list of cases from around the world.

Do countries with more guns having higher homicide rates?

All studies making international comparisons of gun ownership rate make use of something called the 2007 Small Arm Survey, a group that receives funding from and often works closely with George Soros's Open Society Institute. The UN provides homicide data for 192 countries, but the Small Arms Survey only lists gun ownership and homicide data for 116. The missing countries all have higher homicide rates than the U.S. The Small Arms survey makes it look as though there are only twenty-five countries with higher homicide than the U.S., but there are really 101 countries.

As to how homicide rates compare across all 192 countries, the 2008 UN provided data showed that the U.S. rate was slightly less than 5.4 homicides per 100,000 people. The worldwide rate was 10.5 (about twice the U.S. rate), and the median was six per 100,000. Even so, you can't always trust the numbers provided by the countries themselves as politicians and dictators like to give the impression that they are doing a better job than they really are, as in Chicago where what looks like murders are reclassified as "noncriminal death investigation."

About gun bans?

Every place that has banned guns (either all guns or all handguns before and after) has seen murder rates go up. It's impossible to point to one place where murder rates have fallen, whether Chicago or D.C. or nations such as England, Jamaica, and Ireland, or obscure places like the Solomon Islands. Reference was made to Australia's gun buyback of 1996-97. Evidence shows no benefit from the law, as the buyback only took guns away from law-abiding citizens. The reason higher crime rates didn't happen is that self-defense use in Australia was already illegal and resulted in extreme penalties if detected. U.S. data, however is clear. Laws that restrict gun ownership adversely affect people's safety.

As to regulating guns?

If government regulations were actually so effective, motor vehicle safety should have improved relative to firearms regulation. Neither point has turned out to be true. As to guns, there is no evidence that safety regulations reduced total suicides, as there are too many ways for people to kill themselves.

Dr. Lott's Research Center website to join

The Crime Prevention Research Center, ( CPRC) founded by John Lott, is a research and education organization dedicated to conducting academic quality research on the relationship between laws regulating the ownership or use of guns, crime, and public safety; educating the public on the results of such research; and supporting other organizations, projects, and initiatives that are organized and operated for similar purposes. It has 501(C)(3) status and does not accept donations from gun or ammunition makers or organizations such as the NRA or any other organizations involved in the gun control debate on either side of the issue. Nor do we accept donations from organizations involved in the debate over illegal immigration. To subscribe to the Research Center, click here.





Lennie Jarratt spoke about School Safety prior to Dr. Lott's gun presentation

The Heartland Institute's Lennie Jarratt, project manager for the Center for Transforming Education at The Heartland Institute, opened the event by presenting startling statistics on school safety. Watch here the youtube of Lennie Jarratt addressing the issue. Regarding Illinois's ranking for bullying in 2018, Illinois ranked #19 in bullying prevalence, #15 in bullying impact and treatment, and #4 in highest cost of truancy due to bullying. In a survey taken this past July 34% of adults didn't think school safety was an important issue; however, among low income parents 48% agreed it was.

As Jarratt remarked, in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, Heartland and the Heritage Foundation partnered to consider school safety. The Heritage Foundation published a report by Lindsey Burke and Jennifer Marshall titled the Safe Student Scholarship -- Expanding Education Choice Options to Improve School Safety. Heartland's contribution was its report by Vicki Alger and Timothy Benson titled, Protecting Students with Child Safety Accounts.
Illegal settlers grab 3,709 hectares of Forest Ministry land in Makwanpur

Illegal settlers have encroached around 3,709 hectares of forestland in Makwanpur and built unauthorised private properties, according to the Province 3 Ministry of Forest.
Optimism about the economy, measured by Americans who are optimistic about current conditions and the future, hit an all-time high in CNBCs All-American survey, the financial news network reported Monday. Fifty-one percent of Americans approve of Trumps handling of the economy, according to the CNBC survey. This was the second consecutive CNBC quarterly survey showing that Trumps handling of the economy was viewed positively by the majority of Americans. It further supports the finding Friday from the University of Michigan consumer survey that confidence in the governments economic policies jumped to the highest level in fifteen years.

The Left is counting on fear and extreme hatred toward Trump to bring about a change in the US House leadership spurred on by angry voter turnout in the November mid-term elections. But consider this development :

Rasmussen was far more accurate in 2016 than the Washington Post ABC polling which reported that Trump nationwide had a 41 percent approval rating, and Democrats had a 53-42 percent edge in the generic ballot for the House. But inside the 66 districts that were tossups, or only leaning toward one party or the other  the majority makers, or breakers  that lead evaporated into a 46-47 Democrats v. Republicans race. Its a similar dynamic  driven by Democratic strength in cities, and weaknesses in rural areas  that is driving House and Senate forecasts in opposite directions, amid a campaign close set to be dominated by the president. If you add in the 3 to 5 point bias that Washington Post/ABC showed in 2016, the Republicans are in no danger of losing the House.

Polling of swing districts on October 16, 218, shows a lead Republican surge and lead: New Jersey 3rd District - MacArthur vs. Kim (Stockton University), MacArthur 47, Kim 45; Florida 26th District - Curbelo vs. Mucarsel-Powell (Mason-Dixon), Curbelo 46, Mucarsel-Powell 45; Utah 4th District - Love vs. McAdams (Salt Lake Tribune), Love 46, McAdams 46; New York 27th District - Collins vs. McMurray (Siena), Collins 46, McMurray 43; West Virginia 3rd District - Miller vs. Ojeda (Monmouth), Miller 48, Ojeda 45. This is the best liberal colleges and media outlets can do when in the past Democrat polling peaked, the weekend polling 3 weeks before the election!

See here the debate between Arizona's Senate candidates Sinema and McSally where Sinema did a Christine I am an innocent child Ford routine, while angry McSally, like Kavanaugh, grilled her on facts: Even though the race between Sinema and McSally is even considered dead even if you just look at the polls, the odds are very good for McSally based on the polling, history, and Sinema's radical past, plus the Kavanaugh/Trump bump. Read here to learn the 11 freakiest things about Democrat Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema. Republican Martha McSally is an Air Force veteran.

The last Real Clear Politics poll in the Senate races in Arizona is from 10/2; Florida, 9/27; Indiana, 10/2; Montana, 9/22; Pennsylvania, 9/23; W. Virginia, 9/26; Wisconsin, 10/3. However, at this point it doesn't look like Democrats will beat any Republican Senate incumbent. Democrats, like in 2014, are a lock to lose 4 seats and maybe as many as 8-10.

Since the New York Times can't fight back with their Siena polling, the preeminent academically situated polling Institute in New York State, the Times is trying to spin some big advantage with Dem fundraising, reporting that Democrats out raised their Republican opponents in 32 of the closest 45 House races by a total margin of $154 million to $108 million since November 2016

Hillary with her PACs outspent Trump 3 to 1; however, the age of the Internet and a nationalized campaign, thanks to Trump and Kavanaugh, doesn't need money for ads as much as in the past. Contrast the crowds for Trump (or even Ted Cruz and other Republican candidates) with those for the Democrats, and you see the same enthusiasm gap now for Trump as you saw in 2016. As Trump tweeted @realDonaldTrump:

"The crowds at my Rallies are far bigger than they have ever been before, including the 2016 election. Never an empty seat in these large venues, many thousands of people watching screens outside. Enthusiasm & Spirit is through the roof. SOMETHING BIG IS HAPPENING  WATCH!

Consider also President Donald Trumps re-election effort which raised $18 million in the third quarter, bringing his total since taking office to $108.1 million. This is an unusual amount for a president in the first two years of his term. The liberal media never considers Trump fundraising ability or Trump's crowds in their reporting of who is actually winning this election.

Regarding Elizabeth Warren's presidential aspirations to challenge Trump in 2020, the liberal media tried to spin Warren's latest DNA release as positive, but it actually shows Warren with more Latin American Indian blood than the Cherokee blood she claimed. Warren, in defending her decision to release her DNA testing, told the Boston Globe's Editorial Board she went public when she did because thats when the analysis came back. The timing of her release didn't set well with the Democrat Party.

As to why many Native Americans are angry with Elizabeth Warren, their anger is about what it means to be Native American  and who gets to decide. If Warren ever thought she was presidential material, she is fooling herself and so are her advisors. Kamala Harris' screeching at the Kavanaugh hearings and her other media events have also not helped Warren.

There is always Uncle Joe Biden waiting in the wings. Recently it was reported that Biden would likely announce his 4th run for president. Although opining that age would be an issue -- Biden would be 77 if challenging Trump in 2020 -- Biden did admit he was being pressured to run, even though he has never been viable outside his own state of Delaware. It's not likely that the Left, now defined as Democratic Socialists, would tolerate somebody with a moderate image to challenge Trump in 2020. That would mean that the Left would have had to accept the behind the scenes truth.

As of now, Democrats look like they are going to get pounded in the mid-term 2018 elections leaving them in a desperate mood. The hard numbers in four states (Iowa, Florida, Ohio, and Arizona) show a Republican surge of early and absentee ballots requests piling up in impressive numbers. The same is happening in Florida. No wonder the polling is starting to break for Republicans. Nothing can be hidden any more. Republican voters are also fired up to vote!
George Soros gave Ivanka's husband's business a $250 million credit line in 2015 per WSJ. Soros is also an investor in Jared's business.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
Immediate Cabinet reshuffle unlikely

Top leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party have ruled out suggestions that the Cabinet would be reshuffled immediately after the party Standing Committee meeting in the October-end.
With the economic factor playing a major role in the ongoing popular uprising, addressing the economic problems of the country would seem to be the most obvious solution. There are many qualified professionals, technocrats, and skilled individuals inside the establishment who are able to fix the economy. However, the economy does not seem to be a priority of the current administration.

Instead, its survival has become its priority. Its resources have been used to fund its proxies, like the Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. It has even considered using non-Iranian Shia militias to protect itself.

The peoples ongoing uprising, as well as the Iranian establishment, are also concerned with who will succeed the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Iranian President Rouhani is believed to desire the supreme leadership position.

But the establishment has tried to push him out. It had hoped to undermine Rouhani in the 2017 election. After he was re-elected the establishment began to pursue its strategy of undermining him by discussing the economic issues from a realistic perspective.

However, this emboldened the Iranian people begin protesting about their economic hardships and the suppression of their fundamental human rights.

Irans economic problems can be traced back to the Supreme Leaders apparatus. The embezzlement and corruption cases that continue to be revealed, all appear to be linked with Khameneis office.

Still, Rouhani avoids open confrontation with the Supreme Leader, as well as with Ali Larijani, the speaker of the parliament. A smooth relationship with these two figures is vital for his aspiration to the supreme leadership position.

But, the Supreme Leaders image is suffering. He has become the key target for the protesters. Instead of using opportunities to make a positive change, he stubbornly clings to old, outdated dogma. Khamenei relies on his hardliner allies.

For instance, during the recent parliamentary discussion on the FAFT, Larijani wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader to inquire about his personal opinion. Khamenei replied that he had already given his opinion to him (Larijani) during a conversation. He essentially refused to clarify his position on an important national issue.

Hardliner Khalil Muvahid sent thousands of threatening messages to MPs, warning them not to vote in favor of the FAFT. When Larijani claimed that he had the approval of the Supreme Leader, Muvahid stated, If it is proven that the Supreme Leader did actually approve [of the plan to] join the FAFT, I would be the first person to reject his leadership.

Ordinary Iranians are becoming aware of their fundamental rights. This ever-increasing awareness has focused the Iranian people on getting their freedom back and enjoying their fundamental rights to the full. They are calling for the overthrow of the current ruling system in its entirety, and looking to the Iranian Opposition and support from the West in this endeavor.
As the strikes grow, the Regimes rule is more and more untenable. Here are just some of the examples:

Tehran

 PhD students rallied outside of the Iranian regimes parliament protesting how hard it is to find jobs

 Other students gathered at Amir Kabir University to protest the incompetence of college officials and the decision to cancel exams

 Clients of the Revolutionary Guards-linked Caspian credit firm demanded their stolen money back, chanting slogans like The bankrupt government is sitting on our money, in a protest outside the Iranian regimes Central Bank

 Residents of the Vanak district protested the destruction of their homes

Isfahan

Farmers held a rally to protest the plundering policies of the Iranian regime and not receiving their share of water for their lands

Rasht

 More victims of the Caspian credit firm gathered outside of the local Caspian branch to demand their money, chanting Well continue our protests until our money is returned

Haft Tappeh

 Livestock workers went on strike to protest pressures imposed by regime officials

Shushtar

 Municipality workers held a protest outside the city hall to demand their six-month delayed paychecks

Sanandaj

 Open University students rallied to protest the ridiculous decision to scrap the nursing course, after students had already started

Qazvin

 Employees at the Albroz Industrial Complex protested having not received their pensions for the past 14 months

Protests were also rife over the weekend, with some of those continuing onto Monday.

On Saturday, protests broke out from PhD students, swindled investors, and fire-fighters.

The PhD students in Tehran gathered outside the Ministry of Sciences building  despite threats from education officials  to protest the lack of foreign currency available at the cheap government rate, which was promised by education officials.

While clients of the Sekeye Thaman credit company rallied outside of the public prosecutors office to demand the return of their stolen savings, and clients of the Kuye Farzan credit company gathered outside of the district mayors office, holding a banner that read: We are requesting houses and criminals to be handed over to the judiciary.

In Shadegan, southwest Iran, fire-fighters gathered outside of the Khuzestan governors office to demand an increase in salary, plus the payment of nine months back wages.

While young people in Behbahan, southwest Iran, turned up at Friday prayer site for a second week to protest their unemployment, after non-locals were hired at a nearby refinery.
These sanctions are a part of the campaign to pressure Iran over what the Trump administration describes as Irans malign role in the Middle East, including support for militant groups.

Radio Farda asked its listeners for their thoughts on the nature of Basijs activities, its structure, its link to the Iranian military, its expansion in the region, and its activities in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

A listener said, Those who defended Iran during the war with Iraq in the 1980s, were young men who were raised in Iran under the Shah. They are now either in prison or living in exile if they are still alive. What is known today as Basij is a tool to create terror.

Another highlighted Basijs role in intimidating and suppressing peaceful protesters, saying, Basij members keep shockers and tear gas canisters at home ready to be used against demonstrations as they break out. Sometimes they even frighten the regular police.

What he called the Basij members being brainwashed to believe the regimes core ideology and Supreme Leader Khameneis personality cult, was discussed by another listener.

Radio Fardas expert on the IRGC, Morad Veisi said, IRGC has four forces and two organizations. The four forces are the ground force, the aerospace force, the naval force and the extra-territorial Qods Force.

The two organizations are the Intelligence organization and the Basij. The Basij network starts from Tehran and spreads to the rest of the country down to the smallest villages via a capillary network. Veisi added, This structure, which runs through every street and alley, was widely used in the disputed Presidential election in 2009.

The network efficiently carried out decisions about supporting hardline candidates favored by IRGC down to the last person. The government has been using this network as a key tool since then.

He continued, Meanwhile, Basij has spread its structure into various sectors, creating sub-structures such as Students Basij, Government Employees Basi and so on. Veisi then described Basijs interests in the stock market and banks and steel plants, as well as its role in regional activities. He said, The Islamic Republic has duplicated Basijs structure and organization in various Middle Eastern countries to support the political forces that align with Tehran.

He explained, The first of such experiences was the creation of Hezballah in Lebanon, which is now a key player in that country. According to IRGC commanders, later on, in Syria, when the armed opposition was about to capture Damascus, IRGC commanders armed civilians to defend the Bashar al-Assad government. The first commander of the Basij-like forces in Syria was an IRGC general who was later killed in a road accident.

A listener said that Basij helped the Islamic Republic to attain its goals in the war against Iraq, but later it was turned into a force for suppression. Another listener agreed, saying that Basij identifies reform-minded individuals and intellectuals and clamps down on them.

Veisi said that Iran is duplicating Basijs model in Yemen, where it has been strengthening the militia group Ansarollah based on Basijs structure and mission.
Large cardamom farmers worried by slow demand

Farmers in the hilly districts are busy harvesting large cardamom, but demand for the spice in the major markets is not encouraging.
For many of us the smell of pine evokes air fresheners and long car journeys or taxi trips to the airport. Yet for French fashion house Balenciaga it may end up conjuring up the smell of legal trouble.

The fashion industry is indeed becoming a veritable dark forest of copyright infringements and everyday there seems to be a new lawsuit between this or that brand over an allegedly copied design. One of the latest cases involves Balenciaga and the Car-Freshner Corporation.

The French fashion house recently released a tree-shaped $275 keychain, but the design looks extremely similar to that of the iconic Little Trees products. The Car-Freshner Corporation (owning the rights to Little Trees) and Julius Samann Ltd therefore decided to sue Balenciaga (Car-Freshner Corporation and Julius Samann Ltd., v. Balenciaga America, Inc., 1:18-cv-09629 (SDNY)).

The pine tree-shaped disposable air freshener goes a long way back: trademark for the little odor-fighters was secured back in the early '50s when Julius Samann, a German-Jewish chemist and businessman, filed a patent for paper impregnated with "odor-destroying, air-perfuming substances," a cellophane wrapper and a string to hang it on. The product became an instant success and it is still selling strong.

Several companies in Europe produce Little Trees under license from Julius Samann Ltd. using the names Wunder-Baum (in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden) and Arbre Magique (in France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain).

It is undeniable that the keychains look remarkably similar to the trade dress-protected Little Trees car air-freshner that come in different colours and patterns; Balenciaga also copied some of the specific colours and graphics and the product is described on some sites as "inspired by car fresheners".

The description on the product page on Matches Fashion states indeed: "Designed to resemble a classic car air-freshener tree, Balenciaga's green leather keyring will lend a note of character to your accessory roster."

Legal documents for the case argue that Balenciaga's keychain design could therefore confuse consumers despite the nature of the product and the difference in prices. But a judge may rule against the plaintiffs (Car-Freshner Corporation and Julius Samann Ltd.) as, after all, consumers are perfectly capable of distinguishing between an air freshener selling for $3 in the States and a luxury leather keychain selling for $275. Similarity generating confusion may therefore not be a valid case, as consumers still know the difference between a cheap product and a luxury item, but it is clear that the product infringes instead a trademark (in the case of Little Trees, the coloured pine is undoubtedly a distinctive mark of the product/brand).





Balenciaga may play the irony and parody/satire card, explaining that this is a fun accessory in the same way Moschino did a Windex bottle-shaped fragrance called Fresh (plus a mobile phone cover and a series of accessories with the same design) and Windex never sued the brand probably because it realised consumers are not likely to confuse a detergent with a fashion house.

That said, there is something that may rule in favour of the plaintiffs: Little Trees has a range of products sold on its own store including luggage tags, key rings, greeting cards, socks, shirts and bags (just to mention a few).





The luggage tags actually look a bit like Balenciaga's keychains, but, what's even more remarkable is the fact that a while back Little Trees granted a license to designer Anya Hindmarch to use the tree design for leather tags/keychains for handbags (in the same way other companies including Buffalo Wild Wings, Kia Motors and Capital One also licensed air fresheners from Little Trees).

Balenciaga never applied to get a licence, but, seeing the other products and previous collaborations, consumers may think this is an approved partnership between Little Trees and the French fashion house. In a nutshell, Balenciaga would be guilty of unauthorized use of the design.

The plaintiffs are currently seeking injunctive relief which would bar Balenciaga from the "manufacture, production, sale, import, export, distribution, advertisement, promotion, display, or other exploitation of the infringing product." The Car-Freshner Corporation and Julius Samann Ltd. are also seeking monetary damages including profits made by Balenciaga in connection with the still ongoing sale of the keychains.

In the meantime the case between New York-based City Merchandise, Inc., a producer of souvenir items, against Balenciaga America (City Merchandise, Inc., v. Balenciaga America, Inc., 1:18-cv-06748-JSR (SDNY)) continues.

As you may remember, that case referred to the "Multicoloured New York" line of bags by City Merchandise, created by the souvenir merchandise company around November 2014, and featuring a collage of NYC landmarks (the Statue of Liberty, the Freedom Tower, the Chrysler Building, the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building) on an airbrushed hot pink sky with large, purple letters, unevenly bordered in white. The same image was replicated by Balenciaga on a series of products.

City Merchandise has been producing for over 30 years souvenir items and it has been using the New York skyline design on its products since 2015, while Balenciaga maintained a copyright registration in the U.S. since February this year.



The case was filed in July, but the American branch of the French house denied any wrongdoing stating that the City Merch bags lack copyright protection or is invalid since it shows common scenes and sets (but, it should be highlighted the arrangement, layout and colours are original, it was indeed created by Rafael Valentierra, but the copyright, as it happens in these cases, lies with the company he created the design for) and consequently denied it ran afoul of federal copyright law.

City Merchandise has recently amended its complaint and is seeking to immediately prevent Balenciaga America, Inc. from exporting and/or selling the allegedly infringing products outside of the U.S.

Deborah Gindi, current president and owner of City Merchandise, released a declaration on 11th October 2018 (that we received via the company's layer, Mr Edward Toptani) stating she was surprised and puzzled when she entered a Balenciaga shop and saw a bag with a design that looked remarkably similar to their line of bags. In her declaration she claims "it was my general belief that infringers generally knock-off high-end products", but in this case she discovered something peculiarly different. Rather than selling inferior quality knock-offs for relatively inexpensive prices, here was a luxury version of a very affordable bag (a tote by City Merchandise costs around $20, Balenciaga will set you back almost $2,000).

Mrs Gindi's main worry is that City Merchandise's products will therefore be considered as cheap knock-offs of Balenciaga's designs by people who are not aware of the situation and claims that her company lost sales as a result of the French house reproducing their designs.

She therefore proceeded to apply for a preliminary injunction to prevent Balenciaga America, Inc. from taking any steps to transfer, export, distribute and/or sell any of its U.S. inventory of products that infringe upon City Merchandises copyright (once exported the products would not be subjected to US copyright law and the fashion house would avoid having to pay City Merchandise for damages for such illegal sales; the same request done by the Car-Freshner Corporation in regard to the keychains) and an order of seizure of Balenciaga's infringing merchandise (Balenciaga states it has already voluntarily stopped displaying and selling them in the United States).

These copyright infringement cases are not new to Balenciaga: Demna Gvasalia, current Creative Director at the French house, has been under attack for using popular designs and turning them into luxury products or copying designs without crediting them (think about DHL T-shirts, IKEA shopping bags or his appropriation of the Ruff Ryders logo).

In the case of the pine tree keychain Gvasalia should have done his research before putting the product on the market: Car-Freshner fiercely defends its trademark of the tree-shaped air freshener design and has filed several lawsuits against makers of lookalike products and companies that use their products in other commercial media (throughout the years Car-Freshner sued a series of air-freshener makers, but also companies that produced holiday greeting cards that bore a glow-in-the-dark image of a scratch-and-sniff tree-shaped air freshener...).

Gvasalia has often explained in interviews that he loves injecting irony in his designs and elevating something cheap to luxury (hence the City Merchandise bags or the accessories decorated with a bland stock photo of cute animals...). Shame he never considered the legal implications and consequences of his "ironic exercises" in fashion detournement.
Ambassador of Finland to Tanzania Pekka Hukka (centre) today, Tuesday, 23 October 2018, visited the African Court in Arusha to familiarise with its activities. In the picture, Head of the African Courts Library Dr Fidelis Katonga(r) briefs the Ambassador. Left is Head of African Courts Legal Division Grace Wakio (Picture by a Correspondent).
NCP to dwell on performance of PM Olis administration

After a long dispute among its leaders, the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is preparing for an official discussion over the poor performance of the government.
Normal life resumes after district panel lifts Krishnanagar curfew

The District Administration Office (DAO) in Kapilvastu on Tuesday lifted the curfew clamped on the border town of Krishnanagar.
- The 94-year-old Juan Ponce Enrile is the oldest lawmaker of today

- He has been a key figure during the martial law and People Power Revolution

- Years after, he is seeking a comeback to the Senate

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Born on February 14, 1924, Juan Ponce Enrile also known as JPE is the oldest lawmaker up-to-date. In his 94 years of existence, he was also involved in many controversies. He was once labelled as the architect of martial law under the Marcos regime.

Back in 1972, late President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines and it really changed the countrys history. During that time, Enrile was working close with Marcos and he was serving as the Justice Secretary and Defense Minister based on the Senate Philippine's website.

However, tables have turned in 1986 when Enrile played a vital role to oust Marcos and started the People Power Revolution or EDSA Revolution. He resigned from his post as Cabinet member. Late President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was elected to replace Marcos in presidency and then, democracy prevailed. Enrile became the Defense Secretary of Aquino that time.

Enrile started serving in the Senate back in 1987 to 1992. He came back in 1995 to 2001 and then 2004 to 2006. He became as the Senate President during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagl-Arroyo until 2013. In a report by KAMI before, Enrile resigned from his post back in 2016. During his farewell speech, he cited Douglas McArthur.

Old soldiers never die, they will just fade away. I would say, today, my last appearance in this chamber, old politicians never die, they will just fade away. My head was bloody but never bowed.

It is not yet the end for Enrile. The 94-year-old lawmaker is seeking a comeback in the Senate despite all the controversies as previously reported by KAMI.

The question is, what were the issues or controversies Enrile was involved with? KAMI has listed three big events where Enrile played as a key player:

Pork barrel scam

Back in 2013, the issue about pork barrel scam erupted. As previously reported by KAMI, three senators were involved with this. Namely: former senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile. The controversy started when a whistleblower exposed businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles for allegedly orchestrating the P10 billion worth scam.

Enrile allegedly had a kickback of P172.8 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) which are supposed to be spent on government projects. He was charged with plunder and 15 counts for graft. However, in 2015, the Sandiganbayan allowed him to post a bail worth P1.45 million.

Port Irene

Enrile was a native in Cagayan. In 2013, around 200 contraband cars were smuggled at Port Irene in Santa Ana, Cagayan as reported by Inquirer. However, there was a law prohibiting the importation of vehicles in the country. The Executive Order No. 156 was signed by Arroyo.

The late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago wanted to probe Enrile to know his involvement to the smuggled cars at the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Free Port (CSEZ).

Photo from Inquirer

Source: Facebook

Mr. Enrile was the prime mover behind the CSEZ. Several years ago, he even arrogantly claimed that President Arroyos ban on the importation of used vehicles was unconstitutional, and with constant hubris, he also sharply criticized the Supreme Court for upholding the ban, Santiago said as reported by Rappler.

Enrile authored the Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 which made the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

Photo from Inquirer

Source: Facebook

As reported by Inquirer, Enrile welcomed the probe and denied these allegations. The issue about Port Irene ended under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. The CEZA destroyed the remaining luxurious cars at the Port Irene. 841 vehicles such Lamborghini, Porche, Hummer, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Mustang were scheduled for a public destruction in Inquirer's another report.

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Interview with former Sen. Bongbong Marcos Jr. about Martial Law

In a tete-a-tete between former Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. and Enrile, they revisited the martial law era to supposedly get the facts straight for the millennials. However, many have criticized the interview because Enrile allegedly tried to revise the history.

Enrile said that during the martial law, Philippines was a free country. No one was executed nor imprisoned because of their belief or for opposing Marcos. On his defense, all those arrested were involved in criminal acts.

Name me one person that was arrested because of political or religious belief during that period... None, said Enrile.

However, former Senate President Aquilino Nene Pimentel Jr. has debunked the statements of Enrile.

Siguro nakalimutan na niya ko. Thats part of aging, Pimentel quipped.

In a report by GMA News, Pimentel was one of the accused criminals. He was imprisoned for four times for allegedly opposing the Marcos administration. He even published a book titled, Martial Law in the Philippines: May Story, where he narrated his life in detention.

Huwag nating pahintulutan yan. Let us expose them for what they are. They are trying to perpetuate a legacy that had better be placed in the box of history several feet under [the] ground para [it] will not influence the thinking of the young people of our country and mislead them into the path of wrong assessment of life that the end justifies the means, Pimentel said.

With everything said, Enrile dreams to live a longer life.

I hope I will reach 110 years old, but in life, you cannot control the number of years. Only God can control it, Enrile stated in a report by ABS-CBN News.

Philippines tricky questions: can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! Kaano-Ano Ni Coco Martin SI Carmi Martin? 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
- There are many senators that made the country even better

- However, not all has made a remark to the Filipinos and to the country

- KAMI listed the senators who passed away, yet, left a legacy to the Philippines

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Our country may not be perfect, but there were politicians who tried their best to serve and fulfil their duties. Sadly, they can no longer be of service to what our country has been facing for the recent years.

Many senators have made a remark before they passed. Their legacy remains in the heart of many Filipinos and some still keep on living their principles. KAMI has listed 5 remarkable senators who definitely changed the history of the Philippines.

Gil Puyat

Photo from Wikipedia

Source: Facebook

Gil Juco Puyat Sr. was known to be a statesman and a businessman. He was born on September 1, 1907. According to Inquirer, Puyat was the youngest dean of University of the Philippines in College of Business Administration. Puyat was also a member of the Rotary Club of Manila. He became a senator from 1951 up to 1973. He also served as Senate President in 1967.

Puyats father, Don Gonzalo, was the founder of one of the biggest companies in the country according to the website of Senate of the Philippines. Puyat was a known as both business and national leader. His legacy was the Budget Act which was about the national budget and public works funds. Puyat died on March 23, 1980.

Ninoy Aquino

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Benigno Simeon Ninoy Aquino Jr was born on November 27, 1932. He was once the youngest mayor and also became a governor in 1961. Later on, he served as the secretary-general of Liberal Party. IN 1968, he started serving in the Senate and was even labelled as one of the outstanding senators according to Aquinos official website. Since then, he has been advocating for democracy in the Philippines most especially when the late President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972. Aquino was tagged as a fallen leader when he was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (now Ninoy Aquino International Airport) in 1983. Until now, Aquino can be seen on a 500-peso bill with his late wife and former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

Jose Diokno

Photo from Philippine Star

Source: Facebook

Jose W. Diokno was born on February 26, 1922. He studied at De La Salle University and then studied law at University of Santo Tomas. However, it was interrupted during the World War 2 and decided to continue learning through his fathers books. The Supreme Court granted permission to allow Diokno to take the Bar exams despite the lack of law degree. Still, he got a 95.3% and tied at the first place with Jovito Salonga. He became a justice secretary and in 1963 he started serving in the Senate up until 1972.

He became a part of Nacionalista Partys legal counsel. During the martial law, he was arrested. When he was released in 1974, he formed a Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) with Joker Arroyo and Lorenzo Tanada to give legal assistance to the martial law victims as reported by ABS-CBN News. He was also a founding chairman of Commission on Human Rights. On February 27, 197, he passed away due to lung cancer.

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Edgardo Angara

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Edgardo Angara was born on September 24, 1934. In 1975, Angara was the president of Philippine Bar Association and also became a president of Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 1979. He served in the Senate from 1987 to 1998. Back in 1993, he was elected as Senate President.

Angara was the man behind the laws that created National Museum and National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as reported by Rappler. He was also pushing the passage of laws regarding Free High School Act, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Renewable Energy Act, the National Health Insurance Act (PhilHealth), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Senior Citizens Act, the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), and the Procurement Reform Act.

In 1998, he ran to be the vice president of the country but he did not win against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He came back in the Senate in 2001 to 2013. Angara passed away on May 13, 2018, at the age of 83 due to a heart attack.

Miriam Defensor-Santiago

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Miriam Defensor-Santiago was born on June 15, 1945. She was known to be the Iron Lady of Asia for she is intelligent, fierce, smart, witty and outspoken. She served in the Senate in 1995. He got back to being a senator in 2004 and then in 2010. Santiago had also joined the Presidential race in 1992, 1998 and in 2016 but she lost. As previously reported by KAMI, she was also the first Filipino to become a judge in the International Criminal Court (ICC). She was also the Agrarian Reform Secretary under Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

She was able to serve in all branches of the government: judicial, executive, and legislative. She pushed for the passage of the laws Magna Carta of Women, Cybercrime Act of 2012, Reproductive Health Act of 2012, Sin Tax Law and many more. She also authored the book Stupid is Forever and Stupid is Forevermore. She succumbed to lung cancer on September 29, 2016.

Philippines tricky questions: can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! Kaano-Ano Ni Coco Martin SI Carmi Martin? 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
One dies of altitude sickness in Manang

A man died of altitude sickness at Tilicho Lake in Manang.
Over 55,000 goats sold in Valley during Dashain

The demand of Chobhar dry portt increased significantly during the festive season this year in the Kathmandu Valley, with nearly 55,000 goats sold over the two week period, according to Nepal Livestock Traders Association.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018

The Oklahoma Supreme Court denied a reinstatement petition

Our review of the record and testimony reveals that Tunell was first diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 1987 and that he has struggled with alcoholism since 2011. Tunell testified that he began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in July of 2012, which he has allegedly attended ever since. He also claims to have attended three counseling sessions with Lawyers Helping Lawyers. Tunell further testified that, following a relapse in October of 2012, he attended 30 days of outpatient counseling for his alcoholism and mental health issues at the behest of his wife and his employer, the Holden Law Firm. Tunell testified that he had another relapse in late 2013 that resulted in the loss of his job with the Holden Law Firm. According to Tunell, he then had a good period of sobriety and signed on with the Abowitz Law Firm in early 2014. In late 2014 and early 2015, Tunell had a major relapse, which led to his dismissal from the Abowitz Law Firm. Shortly thereafter, Tunell and his wife separated. Tunell testified that this scared him into "a good period of sobriety," and he hung his own shingle. Tunell also testified, however, that he received 30 days of in-patient treatment at a facility near Dallas, Texas, during the summer of 2015. Eventually, his business dwindled--something he attributes partially to alcohol use and partially to depression and anxiety. In the summer of 2016, Tunell sought treatment for his mental health issues at a facility in Oklahoma City; they initially admitted him and placed him on a suicide watch, but then quickly released him after he started medication and agreed to follow-up care. Tunell stopped his medication shortly thereafter due to his belief that the medication did not help him, but he attended counseling sessions through A Chance for Change from August of 2016 until February of 2017, when finances prevented him from participating further. While these counseling sessions were ongoing, Tunell had another relapse in October of 2016 that resulted in a DUI conviction. At some point after the DUI but before the imposition of his deferred sentence and probation terms in January of 2017, Tunell had another relapse.

In May of 2017, Tunell resigned from the OBA, claiming that his resignation was due to financial hardships. Upon review of the record, it appears Tunell may have voluntarily resigned in order to avoid proceedings under Rule 7 of the RGDP following his DUI conviction. Tunell was on probation through June of 2017. In December of 2017, Tunell sought reinstatement to the OBA.

Tunell purports that he has been sober since late 2016 or early 2017, although he cannot provide a specific sobriety date. Tunell testified that he currently attends at least one AA meeting per week, but tries to attend two, particularly if it is a bad week for him.7 He also testified that he treats both his alcoholism and depression issues using prayer, meditation, and community involvement. Tunell's alcoholism is likely propagated by the depression and anxiety from which he suffers, yet he has not taken any medication for depression or anxiety since mid-2016 or had any professional counseling since early 2017. When the PRT asked him what assurances he could give that he won't relapse again, Tunell responded, "If I'm being honest, I cannot give you any complete assurance that I won't relapse. . . . So I can't give you any assurances, but I very much believe moving forward that if I get that back in my life [i.e., being a lawyer], it gives me a three-legged stool, rather than a two-legged stool, to rely on and move forward."8

As evidence of his current moral character, Tunell testified himself and presented correspondence obtained from his priest, his estranged wife, a friend, and four attorneys who formerly worked with him. All of the attorneys' correspondence discussed Tunell's legal abilities when they last worked with him, but they have had no contact with him for years. Thus, they provide no evidence of rehabilitation.9 Tunell's wife, priest, and friend all mention that Tunell is very involved in church and is a good father; but those letters also reflect that the same has been true for years -- even before the DUI and resignation. Consequently, his continued conduct as a good father and churchgoer is a poor indicator of any rehabilitation.10 Regarding family responsibilities, Tunell's wife reports that he has not provided any child support during their 3-year separation and that, after agreeing to pay her auto insurance premiums, he failed to do so and failed to give her notice that she was uninsured.

Upon review of the relevant factors, this Court finds that Tunell has not presented clear and convincing evidence of appropriate treatment, rehabilitation, or good moral character at present. Furthermore, the problems he has with alcoholism, depression, and anxiety are serious -- even if they have never resulted in a client complaint or disciplinary investigation. The lack of such complaints and investigations is a testament to the diligence of Tunell's employers and coworkers. Finally, the amount of time which has lapsed since Tunell's voluntary resignation is minimal, and Tunell lacks a long enough track-record of proven moral character.

This is not to say Tunell shouldn't be readmitted to the bar at some point in the future. But on the record before us today, Tunell has not presented clear and convincing evidence of treatment, rehabilitation, or good moral character.

The petition of William P. Tunell, Jr. for reinstatement to the Oklahoma Bar Association is therefore DENIED. Pursuant to Rule 11.1(e) of the RGDP, 5 O.S.2011 ch.1, app. 1-A, the Petitioner may seek reinstatement again within one year of this denial.

Justice Kauger concurred

the attorney provided little evidence of rehabilitation or of continuing treatment for alcoholism, depression and anxiety. He stopped taking his medicine in 2017 because he thought it was ineffective. This attorney must continue on his track of recovery and demonstrate his commitment to sobriety by making a showing that, over a significant amount of time, he has maintained sobriety and refrained from abusing drugs or alcohol. Once he accomplishes this, he should be reinstated.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/10/the-oklahoma-supreme-court-denied-a-reinstatement-petition-our-review-of-the-record-and-testimony-reveals-that-tunell-was-fi.html
The Museum of the Bible opened in November 2017 in Washington, D.C. Even then, some questioned whether its collection of 16 Dead Sea Scrolls were real versions of the religious texts.

Now, the museum admits that at least five of its scroll pieces are fake. A team of German researchers used technology to identify the false texts.

The announcement has serious effects for the Bible Museum and other Christian individuals and organizations.

Jeffrey Kloha is the chief curator for the Museum of the Bible. In a statement, he said that the findings are a chance to educate the public on the importance of making sure that rare biblical objects are real. He added that the museum was committed to being honest about the situation.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The scrolls are a collection of ancient Jewish religious texts. They were first discovered in the 1940s near the Dead Sea in what is now Israel. The documents are believed to date back to the first century, near the time Jesus was alive, some say. Researchers believe the total collection includes more than 9,000 documents and 50,000 pieces.

Most of the scrolls and pieces are closely controlled by the Israeli Antiquities Authority. But around 2002, new pieces began to appear on the market. Bible experts became concerned. They warned that these pieces were designed to appeal to American evangelical Christians.

That appears to be exactly what happened. One religious school in Texas and an evangelical college in California reportedly paid millions of dollars to buy what they thought were pieces of the scrolls.

The Green family also bought pieces of the scrolls. The Greens are wealthy evangelical Christians and the main financial supporter of the Museum of the Bible. In the years before the museum opened, the family bought many ancient objects.

Now it appears the Greens mistakenly bought some not-so-ancient objects, too. Associated Press reporter Ashraf Khalil called the situation a massive case of archaeological fraud.

Im Jonathan Evans.

The Associated Press reported this story. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

curator  n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum

fake  n. not true or real

antiquities  n. objects from ancient times

evangelical  adj. of or relating to a Christian sect or group that stresses the authority of the Bible, the importance of believing that Jesus Christ saved you personally from sin or hell, and the preaching of these beliefs to other people

fraud  n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person
A new study has found that young babies learning languages through video materials do better with other babies around than they do alone.

The study confirms earlier studies that found a childs learning can be greatly improved when it happens together with another child.

The study was published earlier this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It included United States-based researchers from the University of Connecticut and the University of Washington.

In general, very young children are able to learn languages much faster than older children or adults. But researchers say there are still many unanswered questions for why this happens.

In the new study, researchers wanted to build on earlier studies that looked at the effectiveness of using video material in language learning for very young children. Past research has shown that a young childs learning level using video is very low compared to language spoken in a live presentation by humans.

One of the earlier studies measured the progress of 9-month-old children who listened to Mandarin Chinese during a series of visits to a learning laboratory.

The children heard the language presented in three different ways. Some received a live social presentation. Others watched a video recording of the live social presentation. A third group listened to an audio-only recording of the live presentation.

The study measured the ability of the children to recognize differences in Mandarin speech sounds that they heard. The children who listened to recorded Mandarin did not experience the same learning progress as those who received a live social presentation.

Those results suggested that the language-learning process does not require long-term listening and is enhanced by social interaction, the study stated.

In the new study, researchers wanted to see if language learning through video would be improved if the child went through the process with another child instead of by themselves. The experiment involved 9-month-old children who listened to Mandarin-language videos.

This time, the children were permitted to interact with a video screen. The children could touch different parts of the screen to control the presentation of Mandarin video clips they saw. The researchers noted that the babies were quick to learn that touching the screen would activate a video.

The researchers watched the children for signs of behavioral and brain reactions to measure their skill level of processing language sounds.

They reported finding brain-based evidence that clearly showed a higher level of language learning among the children who took part in the experiment with another child. In addition, the study found that putting the children together with new, unfamiliar partners led to even higher learning results.

Patricia Kuhl co-led the study. She is a professor at the University of Washington and heads the Bezos Family Foundation for Early Childhood Learning. She told Science Daily that the study demonstrates the importance of working with a social partner to improve language learning.

Working with others - even at such a young age - increases arousal, which in turn leads to increased learning, Kuhl said. Social partners not only provide information by showing us how to do things, but also provide motivation for learning," she added.

The researchers said the results show that the increased learning only appeared related to the social interaction between children.

They did not find clear links between higher learning levels and the amount of viewing time or number of videos watched. Learning improvement was also not directly affected by how many times the screen was touched or how much movement ability a child had, the study found.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Quiz - Language Study: Babies Learn Better with Others Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

enhance  v. to improve something

interaction  n. the activity of talking or doing things with other people

screen  n. front-facing part of an electronic device

unfamiliar  adj. not known to you

arousal  n. making someone have a particular feeling or reaction

motivation  n. the enthusiasm, need or reason for doing something
Qualcomms Quick Charge technology is one of the most widely used fast charging systems for smartphones. The latest version supports 18W fast charging, allowing you to get longer battery life from less charging time.

But next year Qualcomm plans to launch a new version of Quick Charge that will support 32W charging so your phone can spend even less time plugged into the wall.

Qualcomms current fast-charging solution is called Quick Charge 4+ and it uses a feature Qualcomm calls Dual Charge to help keep your phone from overheating while its charging by splitting the power down two paths instead of sending it through one. Qualcomms technology makes use of both lines to make adjustments to balance power delivery and heat.

The company says its next-gen fast charging system will introduce a Triple Charge system, enabling support for 32W fast charging while using a wired charger or 15W charging with a wireless charger.

So does that mean Qualcomms Quick Charge 5 (or whatever its called) will be the fastest game in town? That remains to be seen.

There are already several competing systems that offer a higher wattage, although I suspect theres more to determining which charger is fastest than simply looking at the maximum wattage.

Huawei already offers a 40W fast charger for some of its latest high-end smartphones

OPPOs Super VOOC charger can fully charge a phone with a 3,4000 mAh battery in just 35 minutes thanks to a 50W fast charger.

Meizus Super mCharge technology could theoretically support up to 55W.

via 91mobiles and GizChina

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Planned construction of Chobhar dry port in limbo

The planned construction of an inland clearance depot (ICD) at Chobhar in the southwestern part of the Kathmandu Valley has gone into a limbo following protests by locals.
New York magazine columnist Ed Kilgore's coverage of the Georgia governor's race comes with local perspective that most national writers lack.

A native Georgian and former communications director for former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, Kilgore brings a deep knowledge of the state's political history to his work. Kilgore, a well-known Democratic activist and writer before joining the magazine's staff, is a graduate of Atlanta's Emory University and the University of Georgia's Law School.

Kilgore's analysis of Tuesday night's debate between Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp shows how Kemp's efforts to keep minority voters from the polls have deep roots in Southern history.

Earlier this week, Kilgore wrote the best piece on the report that Abrams as a college student participated in a 1992 demonstration to support removing the Confederate battlefield symbol from the Georgia state flag.

In contrast to a distorted New York Times article on the flag-burning ceremony, Kilgore gave in-depth background on the lawful protest. His strong perspective was informed by the fact that he was present at the Georgia State Capitol on the day of the protest. He mentions that the flag-burning likely fizzled because of a steady rain that day.

As Kilgore points out, Abrams and the other protesters acted in support of then-Gov. Zell Miller's opposition to the use of the Confederate symbol. The Civil War insignia, added in the 1950s by white supremacists opposed to school integration, was eventually removed under Gov. Roy Barnes, a factor in his defeat.

Kilgore's versatility is admirable; he also wrote a searching essay Wednesday on the dangers of political violence following the discovery of bombs sent to George Soros, Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama and CNN.

With Kilgore, Frank Rich, Jonathan Chait, Rebecca Traister and others, New York magazine has an admirable lineup of progressive political writers. I could do without weekly columnist Andrew Sullivan, but he gives balance with his conservative outlook.
THE government of Cape Verde intends to close the privatization process of the national air carrier by the end of the year with the sale of a controlling stake of 51 percent, according to an official statement.

In the document, the government said it had received a proposal from Icelandic carrier Loftleidir-Icelandic, for the acquisition of 51 percent of the capital of TACV  Cabo Verde Airlines.

This proposal, the document said, was evaluated by a commission appointed by joint order of the Finance, Tourism and Transport Ministers and advised by international experts in commercial law, air transport and privatization.

The Council of Ministers then decided to elect the tenderer as a strategic partner for the privatization of TACV, the statement said. The privatization of TACV will be carried out through the direct sale of all the shares representing the share capital, and that three lots will have specific recipients.

A first tranche of 39 percent will be sold to institutional investors, the second batch of 51 percent is for direct sale to a strategic partner and the remaining 10 percent will be set aside in equal shares for workers and Cape Verdean emigrants. MDT/Macauhub
Son Pou columnist Lei Kwok Keong says that the competencies of the Macau Legislative Assembly (AL) are not being fulfilled, as stated in his recent column. It is a general fact that Macaus human rights and freedom has severely shrunk. The function of the AL has also been [taken away]. Whats more, people who talk about the truth are silenced, and those silent people continue being silenced. Lei also accused the security authority of establishing the telecommunication interception law as an act towards the legalizing of information interception, and as an attempt [at] eliminating the truth.

Woman shot improper pictures on Macau streets

A 20-year-old Taiwan female resident will likely face criminal charges if she sets foot in Macau again. Earlier, while the woman was visiting Macau, she took pictures of her exposed intimate parts at several different locations across the city. She later posted the pictures online. According to the Public Security Police Force (PSP), the woman might face one year in prison, once she is convicted of having violated the law. The woman, a Taiwan university freshman, claimed that she publicized these pictures because she faces heavy pressure from her studies.
Dyson, the British company best known for vacuum cleaners and prized hair dryers, said yesterday will build its new electric car in Singapore as it joins the increasingly crowded race to create the next generation of clean vehicles.

The bespoke manufacturing facility is due for completion in 2020 and is part of a 2.5 billion pound (USD3.2 billion) investment in new technology globally.

Dyson did not say what kind of a car it hoped to produce, or how many a year. But it is set to at least try to get a foothold in the electric car industry, where visionaries like Elon Musk at Tesla have struggled to translate ideas into profits.

Other car makers also are ramping up their investments in electric cars, but theres no clear front-runner in the field, said David Bailey, a professor of industrial strategy at Aston Business School.

Bailey guessed that Dyson would shoot for a premium product  aiming at Tesla, BMW or Jaguar. Given Teslas challenges, it is likely to not be simple  particularly since Dyson doesnt have the infrastructure other carmakers do, he said.

I do think they underestimate the scale of the challenge, he said.

The location in Singapore would put Dyson close to the big and growing Chinese market, where carmakers are increasingly focusing sales. The country is preparing a big shift to electric cars to fight its heavy levels of pollution and to modernize the economy.

But tapping the Chinese market can be difficult. Tesla signed an agreement to secure land in Shanghai for its first factory outside the United States only last week. BMW took a majority stake in its China joint venture earlier this month. General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG and Nissan Motor Corp. are also pouring billions into making electric vehicles in China

Dyson is one of the new players in a profoundly changed market, Bailey said. The race is on.

The choice of Singapore, meanwhile, will raise eyebrows in Britain, which was hoping Dyson would invest more as the country prepares to exit the European Union.

The decision of where to make our car is complex, based on supply chains, access to markets, and the availability of the expertise that will help us achieve our ambitions, Dyson CEO Jim Rowan said in writing to the companys staff. Our existing footprint and team in Singapore, combined with the nations significant advanced manufacturing expertise, made it a frontrunner.

Billionaire founder James Dyson has been a prominent advocate of Britains departure from the EU. His critics immediately suggested the companys decision was hypocritical, given that the U.K. is destined to leave the 28-nation bloc and market of 500 million in the coming year.

Its hardly a vote of confidence in global Britain, said Ian Murray, a Labour Party lawmaker and supporter of an organization fighting to keep Britain in the EU. When even someone who claims there will be a resurgence in British manufacturing after Brexit isnt prepared to put his money where his mouth is, it raises serious questions about the future of our economy and the impact on jobs and livelihoods as a result of Brexit.

Automakers such as Ford, Nissan and Toyota have expressed concern about the potential impact of Brexit on their operations without a deal. Britains car industry, which employs 814,000 people, relies on manufacturing techniques in which cars are assembled, not forged in a single place. Critics fear such just in time manufacturing techniques will be endangered by new border rules and tariffs on parts as they cross borders to be inserted into cars.

But Dyson doesnt have the same issues as other carmakers, as its manufacturing facilities are in Asia. Though it has research and development facilities in the U.K., where it employs some 4,800 people, it makes nothing in the country.Danica Kirka, London, AP
Nirmala murder: Police start questioning two suspended officers

Suspended Nepal Police SP Dilli Raj Bista and Inspector Jagdish Bhatta will face further interrogation at the Nepal Police Headquarters for their dubious role in the Nirmala Pant rape and murder case.
Pansy Ho, the vice chairman and secretary general of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) was nominated as the first ambassador in Macau of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili made the announcement during his keynote speech yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 7th GTEF, which closes today in Macau.

We decided to have the first Ambassador of UNWTO in Macau. It will be a fantastic lady, who is from Macau. She will be our first Ambassador in the region, Pololikashvili said, before calling Ho to the stage.

The UNWTO Secretary General acknowledged Hos great service to the organization and its members over the years. Pololikashvili also noted the relevance of the organization of the GTEF in Macau saying, This forum is an example of Macaus long-term economic vision and priorities [given] to tourism development.

He added, Today is an historic day for the region and for Macau and Guangdong province. Im very proud, very glad and honored to participate from the opening and celebration of the Greater Bay Area region with the connection between Macau, Hong Kong and nine cities in mainland China. This is a great project, unique in the world and Im sure that this is another huge opportunity to attract more and more tourists in the region.

The Secretary General highlighted the importance of the project in the region, which is the fastest growing region for tourism in China.

According to Pololikashvili, one-third of all Chinese tourists travelling around the world come from Guangdong province, and thus he noted the high importance of such a market for everyone, with a special focus on the European Union (EU).

The Greater Bay Area vision can help with its innovation, infrastructure and connectivity to make our sector grow better now and in the future [and also] will help to speed up the transition from manufacturing [sector] to services [sector] positively impacting the tourism across the region, he said, adding that Macau represents an important pillar of such a construction, taking the opportunity to reveal that, for the upcoming year, the theme of the GTEF will be Tourism and Sports.

Macau is small, but with big success, especially in tourism. We are very glad and proud to be with you and I want to announce that [for] the next Global Tourism Economy Forum, the main topic will be Tourism and Sports and Im sure that will be another very important event, Pololikashvili announced.

Pololikashvili also described one of the important roles of the UNWTO  The role of education  and to this end announced the furthering of the cooperation with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), which will be the host of the first edition of the UNWTO Asia-Pacific Academy this year.

IFT is a very strong supporter [of our event] and we are also a very strong supporter of education and we can announce that this year, we will have the first presence of the UNWTO Academy in Asia-Pacific region, which will be [held] in Macau, he concluded.

EU-china year of tourism seeking to build Bridges between people

ADDRESSING THE audience in her keynote speech, Carmen Cano de Lasala, the head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau, has noted that the purpose of the establishment of the Year of Tourism between the European Union (EU) and China is a year full of initiatives seeking to connect our people closer together. The diplomat added that such a strategy is not restricted to China, but to Asia in general, noting that it is a wish of the European Union (EU) to seek and create links with its partners in Asia while promoting our values, she said, noting that [the] EU wants to give a fresh impetus to its relationship with Asia, and tourism is an important part of our strategy.
President Xi Jinping yesterday opened the worlds longest sea-crossing bridge linking Hong Kong to the mainland, a feat of engineering carrying immense economic and political significance, while the Macau Chief Executive (CE) used the occasion as evidence that the One country, two systems policy is working. The bridge will open to traffic at 9 a.m. today.

At about 10 a.m. yesterday Xi walked up to the podium installed in the city of Zhuhai and announced the opening of the 55-kilometer-long bridge. After the ceremony, Xi rode in a vehicle to tour and inspect the bridge.

During the inspection, Xi ascended on a platform to overlook the bridge at the east artificial island, which is a key part of the bridge. Praising builders of the bridge for breaking a number of world records, Xi said they demonstrate the nations spirit of striving to overcome any difficulties, the national strength, the innovative ability, and the aspiration to be the worlds best.

You participated in the design, building, and maintenance of the bridge, gave full play to your talents and wisdom, and accomplished the tasks with good quality and quantity, Xi said. With the bridge, we have further enhanced our confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said.

In his speech, Xi said that the bridge should strengthen the Greater Bay Area and promote economic development in its three regions [Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong]. He stressed that the bridge is important for supporting Hong Kong and Macau in integrating their own development into the overall development of the country

A 140-member Macau delegation also joined yesterdays ceremony in Zhuhai. The delegation included principal officials of the Macau SAR government and people from the local community. Several officials from the delegation joined President Xi on a tour of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, following the opening ceremony.

Macau Chief Executive Chui Sai On was invited to speak at the ceremony. He commended the sea bridge in the Pearl River Delta as a way to facilitate Macaus contributions toward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road initiative.

He also said the advent of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge  the first direct-line road link connecting the three places  had significant influence in terms of politics, economics, and its likely effect on society. Moreover, the close communication between the three governments in building the bridge demonstrated the successful implementation of the One country, two systems principle.

The USD20 billion bridge took almost a decade to build while incurring major delays and cost overruns. It includes an undersea tunnel allowing ships to pass through the Pearl River delta, the heart of Chinas crucial manufacturing sector.

Its opening will cut travel time across the delta from several hours to just 30 minutes, something China hopes will bind the region together as a major driver of future economic growth. Heavily regulated traffic using permits issued under a quota system will begin flowing today.

The bridge forms a physical link between the mainland and Hong Kong, a financial hub that was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997 with the assurance it would maintain its own legal and economic system for 50 years.

That carries major political significance for Xis administration, which has rejected calls for political liberalization in Hong Kong, sparking fears Beijing will clamp down further on civil liberties before the end of the one country, two systems arrangement in 2047.

The bridges opening also comes a month after the inauguration of a new high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to mainland China that runs along a different, shorter route. That line has vastly decreased travel times but also raised concerns about Beijings growing influence because mainland Chinese law applies within part of the lines Hong Kong terminus.

To Claudia Mo, a Hong Kong democratic politician, the bridges political significance outweighs its practical usefulness.

Its not exactly necessary, because Hong Kong is connected to mainland China in every way already, by land, by air, by sea, Mo told The Associated Press.

But they still need it as a political symbol or icon to remind Hong Kong people [] that you are connected to the motherland, with this very grand bridge. Its almost like an umbilical cord.

In Zhuhai, however, sentiments revolved around economic growth and national pride.

Airline pilot Liu Gang said hed been eagerly anticipating the opening of the bridge, calling it a symbol of the mainlands increasingly close ties with Hong Kong and Macau. Itll bring us even closer together, make us more flexible, economically and in many other ways. Were now one family, Liu said.

Luo Fengzhi, who works in real estate, cited the bridge as evidence of Chinas growing economic and engineering prowess. For Chinese people, this makes them feel proud, she said. I hope that every patriotic Chinese person can come and see this great feat of engineering, and I welcome foreigners to come and see for themselves as well. MDT/Agencies
French film star Catherine Deneuve has received Japans most prestigious art award at a ceremony in Tokyo, where she was greeted by Emperor Akihito.

Deneuve received the Praemium Imperiale yesterday for her achievement in film and theater performances.

The 84-year-old Akihito, who is abdicating at the end of April, shook hands with Deneuve at a reception afterward and congratulated her, according to Japans Kyodo News agency.

Deneuve has appeared in more than 100 films during a career spanning over 60 years.

The 75-year-old Deneuve is currently working on a new film by Japanese award- winning director Hirokazu Koreeda in Paris. She said at a news conference Monday that shes lucky to be able to work with Koreeda and thanked him for giving her a break to pick up her award. AP
Jet Airways India Ltd. has approached banks for a moratorium on loans and asked for fresh funds to ease a cash crunch, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, adding to signs the carrier is sliding deeper into trouble.

The airline has already grounded about a dozen planes as part of a review of its network aimed at reducing unprofitable domestic routes, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans arent public. The Mumbai-based carrier is also studying laying off more employees in non-core areas, the person said.

The moves show Indias biggest full-service carrier  unprofitable in nine of the past 11 years  is struggling for survival as two-cent fares in one of the worlds most expensive places to buy jet fuel negate the gains from a surge in domestic passenger numbers. Indian banks, having suffered setbacks from lending previously to failed Kingfisher Airlines, had earlier rebuffed Jet Airways with their reluctance to extend additional loans to the company.

The carrier is continuously evaluating commercial viability of its operations and will make announcements on specific measures, spokesman for the company said in an emailed statement.

The board approved turnaround strategy is under implementation. The strategy encompasses various cost-reduction and revenue enhancement initiatives including working on restructuring of our balance sheet via debt-reduction, streamlining cash flows, payroll optimization, exploring funding options such as capital infusion, monetization of companys stake in its loyalty program, and several other measures, to realize higher productivity and operational efficiencies, the company said in the statement.

Shares of the company jumped as much as 4 percent yesterday in Mumbai, before paring their gains to 1.15 percent, on optimism any successful arrangement with lenders could help the carrier get its finances back in order. Jet Airways has the highest portion of short-term debt to total debt compared to its Asian peers at 46 percent.

For Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways, its critical to raise funds as the airline is battling a depreciating local currency, intense local competition from budget carriers and surging fuel prices. The banks have asked for a detailed action plan from Jet Airways on proposals to sell shares, the people said.

The carrier was one of the first to take off in the early 1990s after India opened up aviation to non-state carriers. Jet Airways has shared little details of a turnaround plan it announced in August, while the stock has plunged 75 percent this year, shrinking the market value of the company to about $325 million.

Among the proposed steps it announced were the sale of the carriers stake in its frequent-flier program, capital infusion, paring of debt and cutting costs by as much as 20 billion rupees ($271 million) over the next two years. While Blackstone Group LP and TPG Capital were reportedly in talks for the stake in the loyalty program, JetPrivilege, the carrier hasnt given any indication it is anywhere close to a deal.

Jet Airways owns 49.9 percent of JetPrivilege, with the rest held by Etihad Airways PJSC, which separately owns 24 percent of the Indian carrier.

Cash and equivalents at Jet Airways dwindled to 3.2 billion rupees as of March, from as high as 20.8 billion rupees three years earlier, signaling the urgency to raise capital and tide over any squeeze.

Net debt was at 73.6 billion rupees as of June 30, 65 percent of that denominated in dollars, Chief Financial Officer Amit Agarwal said in August. The local currencys 13 percent slide against the greenback is making matters worse by threatening to drive up plane financing costs.

Jet Airways has 124 aircraft in its fleet, according to its website, compared with IndiGos 159 as of end-March. P R Sanjai, Saloni Shukla, Bloomberg
South Koreas liberal president yesterday formally confirmed his recent reconciliation deals with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, triggering immediate backlash from conservatives who called him self-righteous and subservient to the North.

Some experts say President Moon Jae-ins move is largely symbolic, but others say it shows his determination to carry out the September deals despite growing skepticism about whether his engagement policy will eventually lead to North Koreas nuclear disarmament.

Moon ratified the deals yesterday afternoon, hours after his Cabinet approved them during a regular meeting, his office said in a statement.

The back-to-back endorsements came with no prior parliamentary endorsement. In South Korea, a president is allowed by law to ratify some agreements with North Korea without consents from lawmakers.

At the start of the Cabinet meeting, Moon said in televised remarks that the ratification would help further improve ties with North Korea and accelerate global efforts to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party criticized Moons action, saying the deals would only undermine national security and waste taxpayers money.

We deplore the fact that the Moon Jae-in government is weighted toward its subservient North Korea policy and is consistently being self-

righteous and lacking communication with parliament, said party spokesman Yoon Young-seok.

Moon, who took office last year, has said that greater reconciliation with North Korea would help resolve the international standoff over the Norths nuclear ambitions. Moon has met with Kim three times this year, and he shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to help arrange a series of high- level talks between the countries, including a June summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Since entering nuclear talks earlier this year, Kim has taken some steps like dismantling his nuclear testing site and releasing American detainees. The United States responded by suspending some of its annual military drills with South Korea but is reluctant to provide the North with major political or economic rewards unless the country takes significant disarmament steps.

Moons September deals with Kim were largely associated with the broader agreements struck during their first summit in April. Under the latest deals, the two Koreas are to hold a groundbreaking ceremony on a project to reconnect cross-border railways and roads and push to resume stalled economic cooperation projects. The two sides also agreed to disarm their shared border village, establish buffer zones along the border and withdraw some of their front-line guard posts.

Moon has previously pushed to get parliamentary approval on the April agreements. But conservative lawmakers objected, saying the deals, which had Kims vague commitment to denuclearization, would only help the North buy time and prefect weapons systems in the face of international sanctions.

Yesterdays ratification follows a contentious ruling by Moons ministry of government legislation that allowed him to skip parliamentary endorsement on the North Korea accords before ratifying them.

According to the ministry, Moon can unilaterally ratify the deals because they are largely meant to implement the earlier April accords that it says are in the process of getting parliamentary approval. It also cited a law clause that a president can ratify deals with North Korea without lawmakers approval if they dont cause unspecified significant financial burdens to the public or require related legislation.

The opposition party disagreed, saying inter-

Korean projects stipulated in the September accords would eventually require tremendous taxpayers money. It also said the deals mutual reductions of conventional military strength would weaken the Souths war readiness and its alliance with the United States because the Norths nuclear capability remains intact.

Moon knows how important public support is for his North Korea overture. Most of the detente projects mentioned in his summit deals with Kim were what his liberal predecessors had pursued during a 1998-2008 Sunshine Era. Those projects were stalled after conservatives took power in South Korea. Moon now cannot unilaterally revive those projects because of U.S.-led international sanctions. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP
Saudi officials murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in their Istanbul consulate after plotting his death for days, Turkeys president said yesterday, contradicting Saudi Arabias explanation that the writer was accidentally killed. He demanded that the kingdom reveal the identities of all involved, regardless of rank.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said he wants Saudi Arabia to allow 18 suspects that it detained for the Saudis killing to be tried in Turkish courts, setting up further complications with the Saudi government, which has said it is conducting its own investigation and will punish those involved. Saudi Arabia has described the suspects as rogue operators, even though officials linked to Saudi Arabias assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have been implicated in the killing.

To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community, Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in parliament.

Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder. As of now we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible  from the highest ranked to the lowest  and to bring them to justice, said the Turkish president, who used the word murder 15 times in his speech.

Erdogans speech was previously pitched as revealing the naked truth about Khashoggis slaying. Instead, it served merely to put a named source to information already circulated by anonymous officials and the Turkish press in the days since the columnist for The Washington Post walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Erdogan didnt mention Prince Mohammed by name in his speech. However, he kept pressure on the kingdom with his demands for Turkish prosecution of the suspects as well as punishment for the plots masterminds.

All evidence gathered shows that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a savage murder. To cover up such a savagery would hurt the human conscience, he said.

Erdogan mentioned information that was earlier leaked by Turkish sources, including reports of 15 Saudi officials arriving in private jets shortly before Khashoggis death as well as a man, apparently dressed in the writers clothes, acting as a possible decoy by walking out of the consulate on the day of the disappearance.

Why did these 15 people all with links to the event gather in Istanbul on the day of the murder? We are seeking answers. Who did these people get their orders from to go there? We are seeking answers, Erdogan said. When the murder is so clear, why were so many inconsistent statements made? Why is the body of a person who has officially been accepted as killed still not around?

International skepticism intensified after Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Khashoggi died in a brawl. The case has shocked the world and raised suspicions that a Saudi hit squad planned Khashoggis killing after he walked into the consulate on Oct. 2, and then attempted to cover it up.

Before Erdogans announcement, top Turkish officials said Turkey would clarify exactly what happened to Khashoggi as pressure increased on Saudi Arabia, which is hosting a glitzy investment conference this week that many dignitaries have decided to skip because of the scandal.

As we all know these are difficult days for us in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told attendees seated in an ornate hall during the opening of the conference in Riyadh.

Nobody in the kingdom can justify it or explain it. From the leadership on down, were very upset of what has happened, Al-Falih said

Saudi Arabia said it arrested suspects and that several top intelligence officials were fired over Khashoggis killing, but critics alleged that the punishment was designed to absolve Prince Mohammed, the heir-apparent of the worlds top oil exporter, of any responsibility. Any major decision must be signed off by the highest powers within its ruling Al Saud family.

Earlier, leaked surveillance video showed a man strolling out of the diplomatic post hours after Khashoggi disappeared into the consulate, apparently wearing the columnists clothes as part of a macabre deception to sow confusion over his fate.

The new video broadcast by CNN, as well as a pro-government Turkish newspapers report that a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage made four calls to the royals office from the consulate around the same time, put more pressure on the kingdom. Meanwhile, Turkish crime-scene investigators swarmed a garage yesterday morning [Macau time] in Istanbul where a Saudi consular vehicle had been parked.

Saudi Arabias foreign minister, meanwhile, said yesterday the investigation into the killing of Khashoggi would produce the truth about what happened and that his country was committed to ensuring that the investigation is thorough and complete and that the truth is revealed and that those responsible will be held to account.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, in Indonesia, also pledged that mechanisms will be put in place so that something like this can never happen again. Suzan Fraser, Zeynep Bilginsoy & Christopher Torchia, Ankara, AP
The Minister of Industry and Commerce of Mozambique, Ragendra de Sousa, at the 2018 edition of the Macau International Fair (MIF), called on China to invest in his country, in areas ranging from agriculture to forestry to infrastructure projects.

On his first visit to the MSAR, Sousa told Macauhub he was impressed by the level of development in Macau, which this year welcomed Mozambique as a guest country at MIF, which took place between 18 and 20 October.

At the opening of a forum dedicated to Mozambique and Fujian, a Chinese province also showcased at this years MIF, the Mozambican minister invited the audience of investors to jointly produce food for humanity.

Mozambican agricultural resources are available to Mozambicans, but also to any investor in this audience, said Ragendra de Sousa.

The minister also extended the invitation to sustainable forestry  not raw but processed, and for investors also to replace the felled trees.

Chinese investment can also be channeled into shipping, he said, as the country prepares to start producing liquefied natural gas and in the next 7 to 10 years to become one of the worlds largest producers of this raw material.

We want to export gas, but we also want to develop our petrochemicals. We have almost signed contracts to produce fertilizers, fuels and the entire chain of the petrochemical industry, said Sousa, who said the country was ready to consider development proposals downstream from oil exploration.

Investment opportunities in Mozambique were outlined by Lourenco Sambo, president of the Mozambican investment promotion agency (Apiex), who detailed projects planned for real estate, transport, mining, among other areas, and for which the Government is seeking investors.

At the opening of the event, Mozambican ambassador to Beijing, Maria Gustava, told Macauhub she expected the highlight of MIF 2018 would be to deepen knowledge about the reality and potential that the country offers in terms of business and investment for Chinese businesspeople and also for entrepreneurs of other Portuguese-speaking countries.

Mozambique was represented at the PLPEX by government and municipal entities, as well as by a diverse range of companies, from safari tourism to food, clothing and handicrafts. MDT/Macauhub
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted by hundreds of flag-waving well-wishers yesterday after arriving in Fiji for a three-day visit as part of their tour of the South Pacific.

School children in uniform and people of all ages lined the streets and waved both British Union Jack and Fijian flags as Prince Harry and Meghans motorcade drove past.

The couple arrived from Australia, where Meghan, who is four months pregnant, had her schedule reduced in recent days after a hectic start to their 16-day trip across four countries. Meghan has not announced any plans to reduce her schedule in Fiji.

After stepping off the plane, Meghan needed to hold her cream-colored hat to prevent it from being blown away as Harry inspected a guard of honor. There was a light drizzle and an official held an umbrella above Meghans head.

The couple was scheduled to attend an official welcome ceremony at Suvas Albert Park that will mirror one attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1953. It was to involve traditional elements of Fijian culture, including dances and a kava ceremony. Members of the public are invited and 15,000 are expected to attend.

The couple was scheduled to attend a reception and state dinner hosted by Fijian President Jioji Konrote.

Home to just over 900,000 people, Fiji is a former British colony that became independent in 1970 and later became a republic. Fiji remains a part of the Commonwealth group of countries and is a popular destination for tourists thanks to its warm climate and beaches.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women not travel to a number of countries including Fiji and Tonga because of the presence of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can cause severe birth defects.

There is no vaccine for Zika, and the CDC says the best way to avoid infection for those who must travel is to take extra precautions to prevent mosquito bites.

The couple is scheduled to visit Tonga tomorrow before returning to Sydney on Friday night for the final days of the Invictus Games, Harrys brainchild and the focus of their tour. The couple will then finish their tour with a four-day visit to New Zealand. Kirsty Wigglesworth & Nick Perry, Suva, AP
A high-profile economic forum in Saudi Arabia began yesterday in Riyadh, the kingdoms first major event on the world stage since the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

Khashoggis death loomed large over the Future Investment Initiative forum and coincided with Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogans claim that Saudi officials murdered Khashoggi in their consulate after plotting his death for days.

Saudi Arabia, which for weeks maintained Khashoggi had left the consulate, on Saturday acknowledged he was killed there in a fistfight. Turkish media and officials say a 15-member Saudi team was flown in to kill Khashoggi and accosted the writer in the consulate, cutting off his fingers before killing and dismembering the 59-year-

old Washington Post columnist who wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Prince Mohammed did not attend the start of the conference. International pressure is mounting against him and critics suspect he ordered Khashoggis killing or at the least had knowledge of it.

As the conference opened, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih described the journalists killing as abhorrent in his speech.

The forum kicked off without some of its keynote speakers after numerous Western executives and officials cancelled plans to attend over Khashoggis Oct. 2 slaying.

As we all know, these are difficult days for us in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Falih said to attendees seated in the forums ornate hall.

Nobody in the kingdom can justify it or explain it. From the leadership on down, were very upset at what has happened, he added, referring to Khashoggis slaying.

The forum is the brainchild of Prince Mohammed and is aimed at drawing more foreign investment into the kingdom to help create desperately needed jobs for millions of young Saudis entering the workforce in the coming years.

Despite the absence of key executives and speakers from the United States and other Western partners, some USD50 billion in deals were signed yesterday at the forum with Russian and Asian businesses and officials eager to do business with the kingdom.

Those partners who are here with us today to continue that journey with us are certainly going to look back and find out  how committed the kingdom is to its partners that stay the course, Al-Falih said, just moments before several deals were inked on stage. AP
Emergency crews were struggling yesterday to rescue 18 coal miners trapped underground in eastern China following a collapse inside the shaft three days earlier.

Three miners were killed by falling rocks in Saturdays collapse in Shandong province that also destroyed part of a drainage tunnel.

State media showed ambulances standing by at the mine entrance and crews equipped with oxygen tanks heading underground.

More than 300 people were working inside the mine at the time of the collapse, and most were lifted to safety.

China long had the worlds deadliest coal mines but safety has improved considerably with more modern equipment, better training and the closure of most of the smallest, most dangerous mines.

China is by far the worlds largest coal consumer and the amount it mined last year increased about 3 percent in 2017. While some coal projects have been cancelled as China struggles to clear polluted skies, coal remains key to providing heat and powering the economy. AP
Subedi appointed Nepal Police Spokesperson

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Uttam Raj Subedi has been appointed as Nepal Police Spokesperson.
Chinas vice president yesterday [Macau time] kicked off a trip to Israel that illustrated the warming ties between the two countries.

Wang Qishan is in the region for a three-day trip. The highlight will be co-hosting a joint summit of innovation cooperation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will also head to the West Bank to visit the Palestinians.

Wang, a confidant of President Xi Jinping, is one of the most senior Chinese officials to visit Israel since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. In 2000, Chinas then president, Jiang Zemin, became the first-ever Chinese president to visit.

Netanyahu called the visit a tremendous compliment to Israel.

Wang visited Jerusalems Old City before he was welcomed by Netanyahu at the prime ministers official residence for dinner.

Israel and China have become close trade partners, with China showing interest in Israeli developments in agriculture, water and other environmental technologies.
Teach for All conference starts in Capital today

Teach for Nepal (TN) will share its success stories and its contribution to transform public education in Nepal to the world at the Global Conference of Teach for All starting here on Wednesday.
Time to act

Laws abound to end discrimination against women, but a political will to implement them is a must
In 2014, anguished with a derailed career, social alienation, and the finale of How I Met Your Mother, I took a train trip to Surabaya, to fulfill my dream of traveling across Java. In a Periplus store, I found a romance novel thats up my alley  My Singapore Lover (MSL) by Judy Chapman.

The cover blurb promises the expected quality  Love and infidelity between a Western woman and her Chinese lover. Sold. I didnt really look for scandalous sex in the Manhattan of Asia, but more of a romance starring a Chinese man.

I ended up not reading the book, as I was too afraid to invest in the story. I would empathize with the Chinese lover, I believed the story wouldnt end happily, and for a reason Singapore is both my dream place and my dystopia.

I imagined Singapore to be worthy place to live and work in, though more difficult. Cleaner, safer, and more organized than Jakarta, but with bigger stress and meaner people. At least thats what people who have worked in the two cities told me. Whether in Australia, Singapore, or Indonesia, its quite easy to find friendly Indonesian-Singaporeans (meaning they have become naturalized Singaporean citizens) but Im yet to find a friendly Singapore-born person, except some journalist friends on Twitter.

Finally, I read MSL completely. Chapman was an Editor-in-Chief of Spa Asia and now a consultant on spa and wellness travel. Like Crazy Rich Asians (CRA), MSL was published in 2013, by Singaporean publisher Monsoon. I pick this romance novel as a topic because its surprisingly deep. Its even more relatable than CRA.

Sara Jamison is an Australian writer who grew up in a hippie family in India, and is hired as the editorial director of Ong Publishing House. Her first assignment is to write an article about romances between Westerners and Asians, and except a French-Moroccan woman who married a Malay Singaporean and is dating an Indonesian, all her sources are white men who worship Asian women.

The article becomes the talk of the town and elevates Saras popularity (Impossible? It happened to Teen Vogues Lauren Duca). She hangs out with senior designer Tammy, marketing director Manish, and Aditri, whose Italian husband is the house photographer of Ong. The only ethnic Chinese in this squad is Tammy. She also often reminisces about her teenage romance Ravi.

I describe their titles because Chapman exposes the problems of working in a magazine in Singapore. Female staff are ignored in meetings. The bosses talk cutting edge while also cutting corners. Men steal ideas and women dont stand with women. Western staff want someone familiar to rely on but also sabotage each other, especially as they come from different countries. Now I get the idea on the perils of my dream job.

The Singapore Lover is Jimmy Ten, an Indonesian-Singaporean who according to Sara, is different from other Chinese Ive met (I hear that often too, despite my awkwardness). Hes a hotelier, but their romance blooms from the silat class that he teaches, instead of lavish dinner. To my surprise, the sex scenes are not explicit and focus on Saras feelings instead.

Kevin Kwan wrote CRA to preserve the memory of his childhood and to introduce Singapore to American readers. Besides showcasing the Singaporean culture of eating out and intertwining cultural affiliations, the novel also spells out diaspora Chineses worldviews across the Pacific. In MSL, Judy Chapman shares her experiences, knowledge, and thoughts on societies and spirituality in Singapore, perhaps to other Western and Asian women.



In the final act of the novel, Jimmy tells the history of his family. His parents moved from Indonesia following the anti-communist purge that also turned into anti-Chinese killings. He romanced a Japanese woman, which enraged his father. Not only because of his fathers memory of Japanese occupation, but because shes not Chinese, so he would taint his bloodline.Its not only about racial purity, but also about status and wealth. I always wonder why people from different cultures can accept a Chinese woman marrying a non-Chinese man, but feel that a Chinese man marrying a non-Chinese woman to be unnatural. Perhaps because Chinese men are stereotyped to have unpleasant characters? Internally, are Chinese daughters seen as pieces of chess to raise the familys fortune? Are Chinese sons seen as heirs to the family bloodlines, and so expected to present good daughters-in-laws for their parents?Some Hollywood executives wanted to whitewash Constance Wus Rachel Chu into a white woman. Besides the obvious sin of whitewashing, this would deny a crucial intrigue presented in both CRA novel & movie  Singaporean Chineses contempt for Chinese-Americans, with their American English, USA passport, and disregard for the established power structure.Jimmy Ten and Sara Jamison cant be together  he has a Singaporean wife and kid, whom he has learned to love following his affair with Sara. Had he been single, would he refuse steady relationship with Sara because shes not Chinese? Sara says one reason they never get caught in Singapore and Shanghai is because no one ever sees them as a romantic couple.Sadly, Saras newfound confidence cant beat the neocolonial institution of Ong Publishing House, where Asian and white men conspire to nurture mediocrity and please their target readers  snobby expats and Anglicized old money like the Youngs of CRA. She resigns and finds a new job in a hipster company that values her independence.Some feminists say that romance novel is fun and safe to read  less triggering, less misogynistic, guaranteed happy ending. I read this novel four years too late, though its meant to be read in the year of Crazy Rich Asians. I prefer it to the latter. The CRA franchise mainstreams Singapore and Asian actors in Hollywood, but MSL teaches me the reality of a publishing career. It is less mean, and it represents Indians and Indonesians better.Find out why some women of color support Trump and his Supreme Court Justice Choice Brett Kavanaugh and follow @MarioRustan on Twitter.
Imaging technology that detects deadly pneumonia infections in under 60 seconds is safe and practical for clinical use, a study has found.

Tests on patients with suspected infections found the approach could detect bacteria deep inside the lung where other technologies fail to reach.

Experts say the technology will enable bedside decision making in critically ill patients, helping to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics.

It could also help doctors to better monitor patients' illness, so that treatment can be stopped once infection has cleared, or if alternative therapies are needed.

The technology could also help us to better understand lung infections, paving the way to develop improved treatments.

Each year, across the world, around 20 million patients in intensive care need ventilators to help them breathe. Up to one third are suspected to have serious lung infections, such as pneumonia. This leads to huge antibiotic use, which can increase drug resistance and make bacteria harder to treat.

Doctors currently test fluid samples from patients' lungs to check if bacteria are present, but these tests can take days to return a result and may be inaccurate.

The authors used optical endomicroscopy (OEM) to image Gram-negative Staphylococcus aureus bacteria expressing a green fluorescent molecule in the lungs of sheep. Credit: A.R. Akram et al., Science Translational Medicine (2018)

They can also use x-rays, which are overly sensitive and can lead to patients being treated with powerful but unnecessary antibiotics.

Monitoring patient responses to these antibiotic treatments in real time is not feasible with either of these approaches.

The new imaging technology involves spraying chemical probes into patients' lungs that light up when they attach to specific types of infectious bacteria.

This fluorescence is detected using tiny fibre-optic tubes that travel deep inside patients' lungs.

Researchers focused on one of the new probes, designed to detect a subset of bacteria called Gram-negative bacteria. These are fast becoming the hardest infections to treat with antibiotics and are a major cause of pneumonia.

The team developed the technology in the lab and then tested the probe in patients with a disease called bronchiectasis, which causes repeated cycles of inflammation and infection. They also tested intensive care patients who had suspected infection.

Striking fluorescence was seen in lungs of patients with bronchiectasis who had Gram-negative bacteria in the deep parts of their lungs.

The imaging probe visualized the presence of bacteria (green) in the alveola of a mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patient with suspected pneumonia. Credit: A.R. Akram et al., Science Translational Medicine (2018)

Bacteria were also successfully visualised in intensive care patients using the new technology with striking results. In some of these patients, conventional methods had returned negative results. The researchers say this is not surprising as the individuals were being treated with several types of powerful antibiotics.

The underlying research was supported by Wellcome and the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through support of the Proteus consortium, which includes the Universities of Edinburgh, Bath and Heriot-Watt.

Proteus is also funded by CARB-X, the world's largest public-private partnership devoted to antibacterial early development research.

The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Kev Dhaliwal, Professor of Molecular Imaging & Healthcare Technology at the University of Edinburgh and a Consultant Respiratory Physician, said: "Drug-resistant bacteria are fast emerging as the greatest threat to humanity"

"We urgently need to develop and test new ways to diagnose infections in patients and also to improve our understanding of human disease. Our interdisciplinary Proteus team is developing next-generation technologies to improve patient care"

"The teamwork required to deliver this bench to bedside technology has taken many years and we are incredibly grateful to the patients and families who allowed us to test these exciting approaches and now the follow-on funding to further develop and test this technology in intensive care units around the UK."

Explore further Probe speeds detection of deep lung infections in patients

More information: A.R. Akram el al., "In situ identification of Gram-negative bacteria in human lungs using a topical fluorescent peptide targeting lipid A," Science Translational Medicine (2018). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine A.R. Akram el al., "In situ identification of Gram-negative bacteria in human lungs using a topical fluorescent peptide targeting lipid A,"(2018). stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/  scitranslmed.aal0033
Vendor to print driving licences from this week

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has said Malika Incorporated would start printing smart driving licence from this week.
Credit: Shutterstock

Children are the UK's most precious resource. More older people are living longer, and it is today's children who will provide the wealth to support them. So, from an economic perspective, the UK needs healthy, educated, creative, resilient and happy children. Those who can should be able to develop the life skills to become confident adults and parents.

But if we have any aspiration to be a compassionate society, we must make sure that those who can't  through disability or disadvantage  are supported to develop their full potential. Surely, this aspiration should drive the decisions made in parliament. But throughout my years researching and advocating for children  initially as an academic and later as the first Children's Commissioner for England  I have discovered the uncomfortable truth: it does not.

There are fantastic children all across the UK, many of whom are overcoming difficulties not of their making. Most are supported by loving families and motivated staff in children's services. For many, it is the best of times to be young in Britain. But for too many others, it is the worst of times: this nation has some of the worst outcomes in the developed world for children's health, social care, education, youth justice and poverty.

The betrayal of childhood

In my new book, The British Betrayal of Childhood, I set out to capture the reality of childhood in austerity-driven Britain today. The devastating impact on children's services is stark. The number of homeless children and those needing protection is soaring. Many authorities are failing to intervene until complex cases reach crisis point; more than 47,000 children (that's 65% of all looked after children) are in the 63% of councils that regulator Ofsted has categorised as inadequate or requiring improvement.

The appalling sexual exploitation of children in Huddersfield and other cities points to a catastrophic failure of police and social services to respond to repeated cries for help. The tsunami of emotional and mental ill health is a national scandal, with one in three children suffering, while less than a quarter of them are able to access the services they need.

The "revolving door" of youth re-offending shows that programmes to reeducate and reintegrate young offenders back into society are failing. Meanwhile, the debacle of reform to social benefits through Universal Credit is throwing countless families into hopelessness and despair.

Education inequality dominates: the majority of the nation's top jobs in law, politics, medicine, journalism and the military are held by people who were privately educated, despite the fact that just 7% of the population attend independent schools. And yet politicians cannot or will not explain why this happening in one of the richest countries in the developed world.

Yet my work reveals that there are clear reasons for all of this. For one thing, the indifference in public and political attitudes toward the importance of children in the UK stands in stark contrast to that I've seen in other countries including Holland, Canada and Finland, where children are at the heart of policy decisions, as well as being visible and welcome in society.

Placing children in the centre of things. Credit: Shutterstock

Government policies are short term, inconsistent and untrustworthy  as exemplified by the Coalition and Conservative governments' dismantling of the world-admired Every Child Matters policy from the New Labour years.

What's more, there has been a failure of effective political advocacy by professionals, voluntary organisations, academics and politicians for the best interests of children. Meanwhile, bunkers and silos in and between organisations in the children's sectors prevent them from working together to set and achieve common goals.

To counteract this, I argue that the UK needs a long-term cross-political party, evidence-based and well-funded policy programme for children, based on clearly defined outcomes that work in their best interests. "It doesn't have to be like this" should be the mantra.

Building a village

In my view, children need nurture, and this should be everybody's business, as encapsulated in the proverb that it takes a whole village to raise a child. Parents are fundamentally important. But local communities are vital to manage risk and facilitate play and connection with nature alongside sport, music and the arts.

Faiths promote spirituality and purpose of life, while local politics provide resources for statutory children's services in health, education and social care, supported by the voluntary sector. Internationally, there are tried and tested methods of building such "villages" for children, so that they can reach their full potential.

In Canada, for example, the Human Early Learning Partnership model offers national, regional and local governments a means of understanding local contexts by "mapping" children's lives using routine data about the population and its demography, spending on children's services, as well as clear descriptions of local services.

This enables authorities to develop a long-term strategy, while beginning with the end in mind  in other words, defining objectives and metrics which measure progress toward clear goals, which have been generated by listening to children, young people and families.

At the end of the day, it is local leadership that will drive progress. Remember Thomas Coram, the 18th-century creator of the Foundling Hospital in London, who had courage in standing up for the children nobody else wanted to know about, compassion for the abandoned babies and relentless commitment over 17 and a half years to create his hospital, against formidable opposition from the society of the day.

It is time to now apply these attributes to improve the outcomes for our own children today. We cannot afford to continue failing so many. So let's have a genuine debate on what we are trying to achieve for our children and how we're going to get there.

Explore further Key to lifelong good mental health  learn resilience in childhood

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Lawson Health Research Institute

In recent years deaths from opioid overdoses have become one of the most common injury-related deaths in North America. The continent also has the highest per capita rate of opioid prescription in the world.

Recognizing the role that opioid prescribing plays in the opioid crisis, a team of researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University have developed a new clinical protocol called STOP Narcotics. A study demonstrating the efficacy of their protocol is being presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Boston, Massachusetts on October 24.

The protocol includes a combination of patient and health care provider education and an emphasis on non-opioid pain control. The study found that they were able to reduce the overall amount of opioids being prescribed after general surgery by 50 per cent while still adequately treating a patient's post-operative pain.

"By significantly reducing the amount of opioids prescribed, this decreases the exposure risk and potential for misuse of narcotic medication," said Dr. Luke Hartford, a resident in general surgery at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and first author on the study. "This also decreases excess medication available to be diverted to individuals for whom it was not intended."

The study involved 416 patients at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph's Health Care London who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy or open hernia repair. They received medication for post-operative pain through the standardized protocol, specifically acetaminophen (Tylenol) and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (Naproxen) for the first 72 hours post-surgery.

The protocol instructs physicians to write a limited prescription of ten pills of opioids (Tramadol), with an expiry date of seven days after surgery, with instructions for the patient to fill this prescription only if adequate pain control was not otherwise achieved. There are also instructions on proper disposal of unused medication for the patient.

Dr. Ken Leslie, scientist at Lawson, associate professor in the Department of Surgery at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, and Chair/Chief of the Division of General Surgery at London Health Sciences Centre led the implementation of the new protocol.

"We recognized that before STOP Narcotics, every surgeon had a different approach to pain control, and that most surgeons were prescribing more narcotics than are actually needed," said Dr. Leslie. "When we looked at the data from this new protocol, we saw that the patient's pain-control was just as good with this pathway, without a huge prescription for narcotics."

The results showed that in the STOP narcotics group, compared to a control group, there was a 50 per cent reduction in the number of opioids being prescribed. They also demonstrated that only 45 per cent of patients actually filled their opioid prescription, compared to 95 per cent in the control group, and they were also able to increase appropriate disposal of excess opioid medication from 7 per cent in the control group to 23 per cent in the STOP Narcotics group. The levels of reported post-operative pain were the same in both groups.

The group now hopes to expand the protocol for applications beyond general surgery.

"If we can decrease the opioid exposure risk in our patients, and decrease the amount of excess medication available for diversion, and spread this to other institutions and surgical procedures and specialities, this has the potential to significantly impact the opioid crisis," said Dr. Patrick Murphy, a resident in general surgery at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and co-author on the study.

More information: Luke B. Hartford et al, Standardization of Outpatient Procedure (STOP) Narcotics: A Prospective Non-Inferiority Study to Reduce Opioid Use in Outpatient General Surgical Procedures, Journal of the American College of Surgeons (2018). Journal information: Journal of the American College of Surgeons Luke B. Hartford et al, Standardization of Outpatient Procedure (STOP) Narcotics: A Prospective Non-Inferiority Study to Reduce Opioid Use in Outpatient General Surgical Procedures,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2018.09.008
Physician payment models are becoming more complex and the pace of change is increasing, creating challenges for physician practices that might hamper their ability to improve the quality and efficiency of care despite their willingness to change, according to a new joint study by the RAND Corporation and the American Medical Association.

"The complexity and pace of change in how physicians are paid for their services has required practices to spend substantial resources just to keep up with program details," said Dr. Mark W. Friedberg, the study's lead author and a senior physician policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "While the practices in our sample generally voiced support for the goals of alternative payment models, these implementation challenges could make it difficult to achieve them."

The study is a follow-up to a similar one conducted in 2014 to assess how physician practices were responding to alternative payment models. These models are changing how physicians are compensated for the care of their patients to create stronger incentives for efficient, high-quality medicine. They often involve either bonuses for meeting quality goals or penalties for falling short.

Researchers from RAND examined 31 physician practices in six geographic markets to describe the effects of alternative health care payment models on physician practices. Whenever possible, researchers re-interviewed the same physicians and practice leaders that participated in the previous study.

The findings are intended to help guide system-wide efforts by the AMA, which sponsored and co-authored the study, and other health care stakeholders to improve alternative payment models and help physician practices successfully adapt to the changes.

"Physicians tell us that it's more difficult than ever to understand the growing complexity of payment models and they are straining against a conflicting muddle of public and private value-based policies and rules that are continually in flux," said AMA President Dr. Barbara L. McAneny. "The resulting administrative burdens take physicians away from patient care. Today's report is a call to action to align multiple payers and payment models with consistent measures aimed at improving patient care. It is clear the long-term sustainability of payment reform hinges on value-based payment models that must be operationally and financially sound, sustainable over time, aligned across payers, and must work for physician practices and patients. The AMA is committed to spearheading and engaging these efforts."

Across the markets studied, leaders perceived an acceleration in the pace of change in alternative payment models from both private insurers and government programs since 2014, at least partially driven by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Quality Payment Program.

As in 2014, many physician practicesespecially those that are small and independentreported that they lacked the skills and experience with data management and analysis that are needed to perform well in alternative payment methods, according to the report. Building in methods to help these practices master the use of health data would improve the potential success of many alternative payment methods.

The study found that medical practices increasingly were averse to the financial risks posed by alternative payment methods that include penalties for cost of care overruns. In some cases, practices renegotiated contracts with payers to reduce their downside risk or transfer some of that risk to partners such as hospitals or device manufacturers.

In addition to finding ways to reduce the complexity of alternative payment methods, study findings suggest that a slower and more-predictable pace of change might benefit medical practices, payers and other stakeholders.

As in their previous study, researchers found that physicians were broadly supportive of alternative payment methods that enabled their practices to make noticeable improvements in patient care. They voiced satisfaction with clinical improvements, even when they did not result in financial bonuses.

However, when the alternative payment methods created new reporting and documentation burdens or when they created no perceptible improvements in patient care, physicians reported disengagement and skepticism.

Allowing practicing physicians and other practice leaders to help design alternative payment methods might help improve physician engagement and improve the likelihood that such strategies will produce improvements in patient care, according to the report.

The project conducted interviews between January and June 2018, speaking with 84 people from 31 physician practices in six markets throughout the country: Little Rock, Arkansas; Orange County, California; Miami, Florida; Boston, Massachusetts; Lansing, Michigan; and Greenville, South Carolina. Researchers also spoke to leaders of eight health plans, 10 hospitals or hospital systems, 10 state and local medical societies, and four Medical Group Management Association chapters.

Explore further Physician practices need help to adopt new payment models, study finds

More information: The report, "Effects of Health Care Payment Models on Physician Practice in the United States: Follow-Up Study," is available at The report, "Effects of Health Care Payment Models on Physician Practice in the United States: Follow-Up Study," is available at www.rand.org
Visualization of insulin binding with extracellular part of the insulin receptor. Credit: Maja Divjak, WEHI.TV

An international collaboration co-led by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has made a discovery that could make therapeutic insulins more effective by better mimicking the way insulin works in the body. The findings could improve treatments for diabetes, a disease that impacts the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Published today in Nature Communications, the study reveals the first definitive 3-D image of how insulin successfully interacts with its receptora 'gatekeeper' for transmitting information into cellsin a process that is crucial for instructing cells to lower blood sugar levels in the body. Understanding exactly what this process looks like could inform the design of faster-acting and longer-lasting insulin therapies.

The research was co-led by Associate Professor Mike Lawrence from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, in collaboration with teams led by Dr. Matthias Dreyer from the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH and Dr. Christoph Muller at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), both based in Germany.

The missing piece of the puzzle

Associate Professor Lawrence said he was thrilled to have resolved how insulin triggers cells to lower blood sugar levels.

It is well established that insulin instructs cells to lower blood sugar levels in the body by binding to a receptor that is located on the cell surface.

Associate Professor Lawrence said the problem was that no one knew precisely what was occurring during the interaction.

"Current insulin therapies are sub-optimal because they have been designed without this missing piece of the puzzle," he said. "Together with our collaborators in Germany, we have produced the first definitive 3-D image of the way in which insulin binds to the surface of cells in order to successfully transmit the vital instructions needed for taking up sugar from the blood."

Animation of insulin binding to the extracellular part of the insulin receptor. Credit: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Seeing is believing

Associate Professor Lawrence said the detailed image was the outcome of a collaboration between structural and cell biology experts from the Institute, working together with both cryo-electron microscopy specialists at EMBL in Heidelberg and an insulin receptor specialist from the University of Chicago.

"We knew that insulin underwent a physical change that signalled its successful connection with its receptor on the cell surface. But we had never before seen the detailed changes that occurred in the receptor itself, confirming that insulin had successfully delivered the message for the cell to take up sugar from the blood.

"My colleagues at the Institute carefully engineered individual samples of insulin bound to receptors so that our collaborators in Heidelberg could use cryo-electron microscopy to capture hundreds of thousands of high-resolution 'snap shots' of these samples.

"We then combined more than 700,000 of these 2-D images into a high-resolution 3-D image showing precisely what the successful binding between insulin and its receptor looks like. And there it was before our eyes, the full picture in exquisite detail.

"It was at that point we knew we had the information needed to develop improved insulin therapies that could ensure cells would respond correctly and carry out the functions necessary to lower blood sugar levels," Associate Professor Lawrence said.

Insulin receptor structural biology. Credit: Felix Weis and Christoph Muller / EMBL

Optimal therapies now possible

Associate Professor Lawrence said the findings meant it would now be possible to design insulin therapies that could mimic more closely the body's own insulin.

"Going forward, pharmaceutical companies will be able to use our data as a 'blueprint' for designing therapies that optimise the body's uptake of insulin. There has already been great interest in these results and their application, and the Institute has a network of collaborations underway.

"After more than two decades of research by Melbourne scientists to get to this point, it is phenomenal to have achieved results that will ultimately benefit patients with the development of more effective therapies, particularly for those whose lives are dependent on a daily injection of insulin," he said.

Professor Lawrence's work was funded in part by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

Explore further First image of insulin 'docking' could lead to better diabetes treatments
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The more weeks a woman takes pain-reliving medication during pregnancy, the earlier their daughters enter puberty. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University.

For the majority of girls, puberty begins when they are around 10 or 11 years old. Puberty onset can be earlier if the mother has taken painkillers containing paracetamol during pregnancy. Researchers from Aarhus University examined the correlation between the intake of the analgesic paracetamol during pregnancy and pubertal development in boys and girls. The results have just been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"We found a dose-response correlation. That is to say, the more weeks with paracetamol during pregnancy, the earlier puberty in girls, but not in boys," says Ph.D. student Andreas Ernst from the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, who is behind the study.

The study is based on the largest collection of puberty data in the Danish birth cohort (BSIG.dk). A group of around 100,000 women provided detailed information about their use of paracetamol three times during their pregnancy. A total of 15,822 children, 7,697 boys and 8,125 girls born to these mothers between 2000 to 2003 were followed from the age of 11 and throughout puberty with questionnaires every six months about several different aspects of their development.

The study showed that girls on average enter puberty between 1.5 and three months earlier if the mother took painkillers for more than 12 weeks during pregnancy.

"While entering puberty 1.5 to three months earlier may seem unimportant, when taken together with the frequent use of paracetamol during pregnancy, our findings ought to make people take notice. Our results are certainly not the decisive factor that should change current practice, but the perception of paracetamol as a safe and harmless choice during pregnancy ought to be challenged," explains Andreas Ernst.

Worldwide, the average consumption of paracetamol has been increasing, and studies suggest that more than 50 percent of pregnant women make use of painkillers containing paracetamol at least once during their pregnancy. "As earlier pubertal development has previously been tied to an increased risk of more frequent and serious diseases in adulthood such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and testicular and breast cancer, it's important to identify possible causes of early puberty so we can prevent this development," says Andreas Ernst.

Explore further Age at which women experience their first period is linked to their sons' age at puberty

More information: Andreas Ernst et al, Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) Exposure During Pregnancy and Pubertal Development in Boys and Girls From a Nationwide Puberty Cohort, American Journal of Epidemiology (2018). Journal information: American Journal of Epidemiology Andreas Ernst et al, Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) Exposure During Pregnancy and Pubertal Development in Boys and Girls From a Nationwide Puberty Cohort,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwy193
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People who have greater self-control and stronger saving habits are more likely to save money and not make impulsive decisions, research led by Curtin University has found.

The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, interviewed 594 participants from the United States of America and examined the psychological influences, such as saving intention, buying impulsiveness, saving habits and saving behaviour, on someone's ability to save money.

Senior author Associate Professor Barbara Mullan, from the School of Psychology at Curtin University, said evidence suggested strong saving behaviour can have positive effects on family stability and well-being, as well as improved mental and physical health.

"Our research examined people's behaviour by comparing reflective systems, such as conscious deliberation and goals, with impulsive systems, such as automatic tendencies to purchase something without much thought," Associate Professor Mullan said.

"We found that individuals who have greater self-control, saving habits, and stronger intentions to save money were less likely to make impulsive decisions, suggesting that people with low saving habits were particularly vulnerable to becoming impulsive spenders."

Associate Professor Mullan explained the findings highlighted the direct relationship between our behaviour and the ways we save and spend money.

"Our research shows it is important to understand and examine the causes of saving behaviour in order to promote this positive behaviour," Associate Professor Mullan said.

"Our findings indicate the complexity of saving behaviour and suggest that using strategies that target reflective and impulsive systems are needed to change an individual's behaviour. For example, if a person is seeking to save more money and put a stop to impulsive purchases or decisions, they would need to set goals and targets, develop plans for savings, and reward one's self with non-spending rewards when successful."

Explore further Knowing your neighbor cares about the environment encourages people to use less energy

More information: Vanessa Allom et al. Reflective and impulsive processes underlying saving behavior and the additional roles of self-control and habit., Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics (2018). Journal information: Journal of Neuroscience Vanessa Allom et al. Reflective and impulsive processes underlying saving behavior and the additional roles of self-control and habit.,(2018). DOI: 10.1037/npe0000093
A monthly vaginal ring that slowly releases an antiretroviral (ARV) drug called dapivirine is currently undergoing regulatory review. If approved, the dapivirine ring would be the first biomedical HIV prevention method developed specifically for women. Importantly, it would also provide women with another option besides oral PrEP, which involves daily use of a tablet called Truvada. Oral PrEP is already approved and being rolled out in many countries.

Yet the concern with these and potentially any prevention method containing an ARV is that their use by someone who is unknowingly already infected could allow the virus to become resistant against the ARV and to other drugs in the same class, because while one ARV may be sufficient for preventing HIV, it is not enough to suppress the virus from continuing to replicate in someone who is infected. Moreover, if that individual were to infect others with drug-resistant virus, it would be increasingly more difficult to control HIV with mainstay drugs.

New findings reported today at the biennial HIV Research for Prevention conference (HIVR4P 2018) suggest the risk that drug resistance could develop with use of the dapivirine ring is minimal, though researchers caution that their results represent only one study.

The researchers, from the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), analyzed plasma samples from women who acquired HIV during participation in the ASPIRE Phase III trial using both standard genotyping and a more sensitive next-generation sequencing technique. Both tests identify changes, or mutations, in the genetic makeup of HIV that are known to cause resistance to certain drugs. Next generation sequencing, which is only being used in research settings, can target a specific region of a gene as well as detect mutations rarely seen with standard testing.

Among women who acquired HIV in ASPIRE, relatively few had evidence of resistant virus, particularly virus resistant to drugs in the same class as dapivirine, which are known as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Moreover, the researchers did not find any rare mutations associated with resistance.

The results suggest that the few instances of NNRTI resistance were likely due to those women having been infected with drug-resistant virus and not due to the use of the dapivirine ring at the time of infection.

"We looked pretty hard, using the most sensitive tests that can detect genetic changes in thousands of individual viruses from a single infected person," said Urvi Parikh, Ph.D., associate director of the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) Laboratory Center Virology and Pharmacodynamics Core at the University of Pittsburgh. "In this study, we found that the risk of dapivirine-related resistance in someone using the dapivirine ring was the same as the risk in someone who wasn't using the ring."

ASPIRE, which was conducted by the MTN, enrolled 2,629 HIV-negative women ages 18-45 at 15 trial sites in Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The dapivirine ring, which is intended to be used for a month at a time, was developed by the nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM). IPM also conducted The Ring Study, a sister Phase III study of the monthly ring with similar safety and efficacy results and is seeking regulatory approval of the ring.

Of the 2,629 women who participated in ASPIRE, 168 acquired HIV. Plasma samples from 165 women underwent testing for drug resistant virus using the standard genotyping technique (96 samples from women who had been assigned to use the placebo ring and 68 samples from women in the dapivirine ring group), while 123 samples were also tested using the more sensitive technique (61 from the placebo group and 62 from the dapivirine ring group).

Standard genotyping identified no differences in the frequency and patterns of HIV drug resistance between those assigned to use the monthly dapivirine ring and those assigned to use a placebo ring, with 8 of 69 (11.6 percent) of the dapivirine ring group and 10 of 96 (10.4 percent) of the placebo group having resistant virus.

Dapivirine resistance is most commonly associated with the presence of any of four specific mutations. Both tests yielded the same results, finding only two cases of NNRTI resistance among women in the dapivirine ring group who acquired HIV, each involving the same single mutation (K103N).

Looking at other common NNRTI mutations, the sensitive test uncovered only one case that had not been detected by the standard test. Finally, when researchers narrowed their search to the specific region of the gene where NNRTI mutations are most likely to exist, they found no significant differences in the type or frequency of mutations between the placebo and dapivirine ring groups.

"Dapivirine primarily stays in the vagina where it is needed to protect against HIV infection. Very little drug gets into the blood and goes elsewhere in the body. But should any HIV pass the drug barrier in the vagina and start multiplying in the bloodstream, there probably isn't enough dapivirine circulating to be noticed and to cause resistant virus to emerge," explained Dr. Parikh.

Truvada, which contains the ARVs emtricitabine and tenofovir, is used for both HIV prevention and, in combination with other drugs, also for treating HIV. Dapivirine, on the other hand, has been developed exclusively for HIV prevention, although other drugs in its class of NNRTIs are used for treatment. Women who acquired HIV during ASPIRE immediately stopped using their assigned ring to avoid the possibility that the virus could become resistant to dapivirine or other NNRTIs, such as efavirenz and nevirapine, which are commonly used in treating HIV. Similarly, with PrEP, a person must test negative for HIV before starting the regimen and be tested regularly thereafter.

IPM holds an exclusive worldwide license for dapivirine from Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), which is designed to ensure that women in low-resource settings have affordable access to any dapivirine-based microbicide.

In all, 20 oral and poster presentations will be given by MTN investigators at HIVR4P 2018, which runs Oct. 22-25. Additional presentations include two plenary talks and a number of satellite sessions and conference symposia.

Explore further Dapivirine ring did not confer drug resistance among women who acquired HIV in ASPIRE

More information: Dr. Parikh will discuss her abstract, Sensitive Next-generation Sequencing of HIV-1 From Seroconverters in the MTN-020/ASPIRE Dapivirine Vaginal Ring Study, in an official HIVR4P press conference on Wednesday 24 Oct. from 12:00-13:00 CET.

Provided by Microbicide Trials Network
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A researcher at the University of California's Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology has found evidence that taller people are more prone to getting cancer due to their larger number of cells. In his paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Leonard Nunney describes his study, involving comparing height with cancer risk and factoring in the total number of cells in the body.

Prior research has suggested that taller people might be more prone to getting cancera finding that has also been seen in other animals such as dogs. In this new effort, Nunney and assistants at UoC gathered statistics on known cancer risks while factoring in height. They used data from studies that gathered such information in Norway, Korea, Austria and Sweden. He and his team then built models to factor in the total number of cells in a person's body.

Nunney reports that he found a 13 percent increase in cancer risk for women for each 10 cm of increased height. For men, the number was 11 percent. He reports further that 23 types of cancers were included in the study and that increased height was a risk factor in 18 of them. One type of cancer that did not show any risk associated with height was cervical cancer, which, Nunney notes, has been associated with HPV infections. Skin cancer, on the other hand, showed the highest risk increase. Nunney suggests this could be due to an increase in growth hormones that can cause an increase in cell division rates, leading to the kinds of larger mutations seen in skin cancers.

Overall, Nunney found that cancers of the skin, thyroid, colon, lymphoma, biliary tract and the central nervous system were more closely tied to added height risk in men. In women, they were skin, thyroid, colon, womb, breast, lymphoma and ovaries.

Nunney suggests his model offers a simple explanation for the increased risk of cancer as people grow tallerthey have more cells in their bodies. He points out that as cells divide, mutations occur and sometimes those mutations become cancerous. More cells mean more mutations, which increases the odds of getting cancer.

Explore further Height clue to cancer risk

More information: Leonard Nunney. Size matters: height, cell number and a person's risk of cancer, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Leonard Nunney. Size matters: height, cell number and a person's risk of cancer,(2018). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1743

 2018 Medical Xpress
Credit: National Cancer Institute

A study by researchers at the University of Waterloo reiterates the need for health care professionals, including pharmacists, to take certain precautions to minimize the risk of their patients suffering shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).

SIRVA is an uncommon and understudied phenomenon that people may experience after receiving an improperly administered vaccination. It occurs when an injection is administered too high in the arm, and the vaccine is delivered to the shoulder capsule instead of the deltoid muscle.

"With flu season underway and flu vaccinations widely available, both the public and health care providers should understand how to recognize and respond to SIRVA," said Kelly Grindrod, a professor in the School of Pharmacy at Waterloo. "There are strategies we can adopt to decrease the likelihood of experiencing SIRVA.

"When going for your flu shot, wear a sleeveless shirt or a shirt where the sleeves can easily be rolled up. Don't pull the neck of your shirt down as this can lead to a vaccine being injected into the shoulder instead of the arm. Putting your hand on your hip with your elbow out and away from the body will also help relax the deltoid muscle where the injection is going."

It is common to experience a dull muscle ache after a vaccine injection, but that pain disappears within a few days. By contrast, SIRVA will result in pain that begins within 48 hours of vaccine administration and does not improve with over-the-counter painkiller medications

"In patients who experience SIRVA, months may pass by, and patients will still complain of increasing pain, weakness, and impaired mobility in the injected arm. Simple actions like lifting your arm to brush your teeth can cause pain," said Grindrod. "It's important that we learn to recognize these signs of SIRVA so that we can access appropriate treatment."

People experiencing these symptoms should talk to their doctor. An ultrasound scan is necessary to diagnose SIRVA and determine the level and type of damage. Treatment includes a corticosteroid injection to the shoulder or physiotherapy.

Though SIRVA is fairly uncommon, it also often goes undiagnosed. Improved awareness about SIRVA is necessary for health care providers as well as patients. Grindrod and co-authors conducted a review of the literature to develop resources that teach health care providers about SIRVA and how to avoid it by using proper vaccination landmarking techniques.

The article, Getting it in the right spot: Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) and other injection site events, recently appeared in the Canadian Pharmacists Journal.

Explore further All children should receive flu vaccine ASAP, doctors advise
Via @MartinDVassolo @ChuckRabin @DavidJNeal and @TavelJimena

A suspected bomb that arrived at the office of Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Wednesday scrambled law enforcement, including the FBI, to the Sunrise location just hours after authorities investigated three pipe bombs sent to President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the offices of CNN in New York.

But her package differed in this regard: It only got there because the address it was originally sent to  the office of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder  was incorrect, and the package bore the congresswomans return address.

It was one of seven suspicious packages sent across the country to mostly Democratic standard bearers and a couple of news outlets that raised tensions throughout the nation.

A second package arrived in South Florida at the building that houses Wasserman Schultz district office in Aventura, the police department in the northeast Miami-Dade city said Wednesday afternoon. The building has been cleared out.

The packages were one of at least six suspicious packages sent across the country to mostly Democratic standard bearers and a couple of news outlets that raised tensions throughout the nation.

Most of the packages appear to have listed as the return address Wasserman Schultzs Sunrise office. Wasserman Schultzs return address was also reportedly used on explosive packages sent to CNN and Democratic mega donor George Soros, who received a pipe bombin the mail at his New York home on Monday.

The congresswomans offices were evacuated just before 10:30 a.m.. Wednesday, and explosives technicians with the Broward Sheriffs Office assisted officers with the Sunrise Police Department at the scene. FBI agents were also on the scene.

Click here to read the rest.
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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On a day when someone tried to mail a possible explosive device to her New York home, former first lady Hillary Clinton lamented the deep divisions in our country during a speech in Miami and implored Democrats to bring civility back to American by electing the right people.

It is a troubling time, isnt it? she asked from the stage of the Coral Gables Womans Club.

In South Florida this week to raise money for gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum, Clinton ventured into Floridas 27th congressional district Wednesday to raise dollars for Donna Shalala, a longtime friend who served as Health and Human Services secretary under Bill Clinton and more recently as head of the Clinton Foundation. Shalala, running in an unexpectedly tight contest against Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, has struggled to put away a race that a year ago both parties would be a blow-out for Democrats..

With Clinton in South Florida, the Secret Service intercepted a suspicious package addressed to Clintons Chappaqua home Wednesday morning at a Westchester screening facility, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. As many as six similar packages were also intercepted Wednesday, including those addressed either to or from former President Barack Obama, CNNs New York City bureau, the San Diego Tribune, and the Sunrise office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who was expected to attend Wednesdays event with Clinton but didnt show.

George Soros, a Democratic mega-booster, received a pipe bomb in the mail Monday.

Clinton, who headlined the $200-a-plate luncheon, spent most her speech lauding Shalala as perhaps the smartest person shes ever worked with. The two women worked closely when Clinton was first lady and pushing controversially for an unsuccessful healthcare overhaul.

But Clinton stopped first to address the mornings events.

Click here to see what she said.
By Ritah Kemigisa.

The Catholic Church has denied reports that it fraudulently attained the 4.5 acre land on which Ntinda primary school sits.

Addressing journalists at Ntinda Parish church, the vicar general of Kampala Archdiocese Monsignor Charles kasibante said the church followed the right procedures in applying and acquiring the lease from the Uganda Land commission in 2015.

He says the intention of the church is to redevelop the school and support government in improving the education sector and not demolishing it to put up a shopping mall as is being alleged by some individuals.

He adds that although their development plans were submitted to KCCA for approval, they were unfortunately rejected in a 6th April 2018 letter.

Kasibante has now accused some individuals from KCCA of having selfish motivates to grab the land and frustrate the good efforts of the church.
Black Friday, which falls on 23 November this year, is the biggest online shopping day of the year in South Africa.

Local online retailers are planning their largest sales ever, with many shops promising significant discounts on big brands.

One of the biggest challenges for online shops on Black Friday is the ability to cope with high traffic volumes.

South Africas largest online store Takealot, for example, suffered from slow load times and unresponsive pages minutes into Black Friday 2017.

Later that morning, it temporarily took down its website and apps due to the failure of a fundamental service within its platform, which caused site-wide problems.

This downtime occurred despite Takealots changes to its systems and processes to ensure it doesnt leave customers disappointed.

These changes included making their IT systems more robust and putting backup payment processes in place.

This raises the question: How are South African ecommerce players preparing for Black Friday 2018 to ensure their platforms can handle the spike in traffic?

Here are the responses from prominent local online stores on their Black Friday 2018 preparations.

Game

Jody Forrester, Games director for omnichannel and financial solutions, said Massdiscounters online platform performed very well during Black Friday last year because of their investment in a new SAP Hybris E-Commerce platform.

To stand us in the best stead for Black Friday, we initiated a project to review our Black Friday readiness last year and have done the same this year, incorporating the learnings from 2017, said Forrester.

He highlighted some of the elements that they are looking at and optimising.

System code reviews and refactoring.

Performance testing and tuning based on load injection.

Shutting down unnecessary portions of the site which may cause performance degradation.

Redirecting static content to a Cloud Distribution Network in-country.

Scaling up their cloud-based front and back-end systems to provision more capacity and cater for increased load.

Having an increased number of dedicated multi-functional resources allocated to monitor their end-to-end ecommerce processes and respond to issues.

Increasing the numbers of customer support staff.

Having a contingency plan should there be a service disruption to their partners systems, like payment platforms or the SABC for TV licences.

Parcelninja

Parcelninja CEO Justin Drennan said they always spend a few months preparing for Black Friday.

This includes longer shifts, with shifts over the weekends. We need to ensure that if our clients make sales, we are able to honour the promise and deliver on time, said Drennan.

Its far tougher to scale a logistics business than an ecommerce site.

Travelstart

Travelstart CTO Jan-Andre le Roux said they do periodic load testing to know how far the platform can scale before Black Friday.

This enables us to know our limits and weak points, and one also learns about your platform architecture, said le Roux.

The company also communicates with its data centre provider about bandwidth limits, which are raised for the Black Friday week.

Also, we have a chat with our service providers (in Travelstarts case, airlines) to warn them about high-volume API requests, and also tune timeouts to API endpoints, he said.

We also use a CDN to alleviate pressure in terms of website content. This can also save on bandwidth costs.

There are also configuration changes before Black Friday, like rescheduling nightly maintenance jobs and tuning caches, since inventory will move much quicker.

To track any problems, Travelstart has real-time tracking dashboards, and alerts for when critical thresholds are breached.

When it comes to Black Friday, we know anything could happen; some of these factors are entirely out of our hands  like issues with payment gateways, le Roux said.

We brainstorm all the possible worst-case scenarios and decide upfront how we will handle those situations if they arise, so that were ready to act on the day and minimise any possible customer frustrations.

Takealot

Julie-Anne Walsh, chief marketing officer of Takealot, told MyBroadband that they have prepared intensively for Black Friday over the past year.

Weve looked at all options to ensure an excellent experience and efficient management of traffic to the site over the period, she said.

Superbalist.com

Superbalist.com told MyBroadband that its engineering team are already preparing ahead of Black Friday, which includes testing their systems rigorously to pre-empt any possible issues that may arise.

Last year, we experienced zero downtime and we are aiming to replicate that success, Superbalist.com said.

Raru

Raru has had a good track record with Black Friday, without any big outages hitting the company in previous years.

We will stay with what has worked so far for us during previous Black Friday events on the online side, with a few tweaks here and there, Raru co-founder Neil Smith told MyBroadband.

MultiChoice

MultiChoice told MyBroadband that its Black Friday 2018 deals will work mostly through Takealot.

We are confident that our online infrastructure will be able to handle the increased load on Black Friday, MultiChoice said.

Esquire

Asgar Mahomed, managing director for Esquire group, told MyBroadband that for the past few years, their online systems have been able to cope with the increased load without any problems.

Even with Esquires decision to include its 500 virtual reseller network ecommerce clients this year, they remain confident that its systems will handle the load.

We are confident that everything should be fine as we process between 400 and 600 online orders per day already, said Mahomed.

He added that they will have their technical team on standby, like they have done in the past, in case of any problems.

Now read: How Takealot is getting ready for Black Friday
South African Airways and the SA Post Office are two of the biggest failures when it comes to state-owned enterprises.

In SAAs financial results for its 2017 financial year, the organisation reported a loss of R5.7 billion.

The SA Post Office is not much better, and for the year ended 31 March 2018 it posted a loss of R908 million.

Not only are the two enterprises a massive drain on the South African fiscus, the Post Office cannot even fulfil its basic mandate of delivering a letter.

Extensive tests by MyBroadband showed that the Post Office fails to deliver letters, or it takes months to send a letter from one town to another in the same province.

SAA has also found to be plagued by rampant corruption and maladministration, and has been described as technically bankrupt.

Your tax money well spent

Despite these massive failures, the National Treasury has allocated billions of rand to these companies  as detailed in its mid-term budget statement this afternoon.

The following amounts have been allocated to SAA and the Post Office, which ultimately will come from the tax South African citizens pay to the government through Sars.

SAA  R5 billion

SA Post Office  R2.9 billion

SAA was given the money as it needs to repay debt, and was described by Bloomberg as one of several state-owned companies that will struggle to refinance or redeem debt without government assistance.

Other organisations receiving funds include:
Huawei owners who have envied the ability to tap and pay with their smartphone will not have to wait much longer for their own mobile payment app.

Speaking in an interview with MyBroadband at the South African launch of the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei South Africa chief technical officer Akhram Mohamed confirmed that Huawei Pay would be released in South Africa.

Huawei Pay is a mobile payment platform similar to Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, which enables users to tap and pay using their smartphone instead of using their bank card.

These apps are compatible with card payment terminals and are secured by strong cryptography and biometric authentication.

Huawei Pay in South Africa

Mohamed elaborated on Huaweis plans to roll out the mobile payment app in South Africa, stating that it was definitely coming but would take some time to release.

There are regulatory processes we need to go through for something like this  you have to have the key partners in terms of financial institutions, Mohamed said.

But also what is critical for us is that, if you look at Europe or China for example, Huawei Pay is already in effect. The capability and the application is there.

He noted that international implementations cannot just be carried over, however, due to regulation requirements and the need to partner with local financial institutions.

We have to customise a solution and ensure we meet all the regulatory requirements locally, and we are still looking into the PoPI Act and other regulations.

Mohamed said the payment app was in the pipeline for some time soon, however, as the company is already working with partners and regulatory bodies to move the process along.

All I can say is we expect it to launch early next year, he added.

What to expect

Like Samsungs mobile payment system, Huawei Pay will leverage NFC technology to make payments on compatible POS terminals.

While Samsung Pay also offers payment via magnetic secure transmission (MST) when paying using terminals without NFC technology, it is currently unknown what other technologies Huawei Pay will include.

[Huawei Pay] will have integration with QR codes and a few other mechanisms that we are working on, Mohamed said.

He added that the need to partner with financial institutions may limit some aspects of the application compared to other markets.

At the current moment, we do not want to be seen as a competitor to payment platforms provided by financial institutions.

One thing is for certain, however, Mohamed said. When it does launch, it will be either as good or better than the offerings from industry that are currently available.

Now read: Samsung Pay to support more South African banks
FONTANA -- Looking at a map of California on a projector screen, Johannes Moenius, an economics professor at the University of Redlands, hovered his mouse over the Inland Empire, which glowed with a splotch of red pixels.

The colored dots signified how susceptible an area would be to job losses caused by automation. And the alarm-bell red that covered Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario signaled high risk _ roughly 63 percent of tasks performed by workers in the area could be automated in the future.

To Moenius, the rise of robots in warehouses, factories and fast-food restaurants presents danger for places like the Inland Empire, where most residents work in logistics and the service industry and just 21 percent of adults have four-year degrees. As technology transforms the nature of work in California, how do people most at risk find their way to new jobs?

"We're facing a major challenge," Moenius said. "If we don't do anything, then it will turn into an apocalypse."

Whether confronting an increasingly automated labor market or grappling with how the gig economy is reshaping the relationship between companies and their workers, California's next governor will have to address the changing nature of work.

That could mean rethinking how to educate Californians, remaking labor laws or considering major social safety net proposals such as a universal basic income. State government might not be able to control change in the workplace, but it will have to deal with the fallout.

The coming years "will make or break California," said Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of the state's community college system.

"If we don't find a way to provide the skills and education and training necessary for the majority of Californians," he said, "there's going to be a lot more have-nots than we have today."

California's economy is booming. Its 4.2 percent unemployment rate is a record low. But experts warn the state's labor market is particularly vulnerable to disruption from widespread automation.

"We are seeing a pretty high percentage of our workforce in relatively low-paying, low-skilled jobs," said Somjita Mitra, director of the Institute of Applied Economics at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Since the 2007-09 recession, the prospect of getting a well-paying job with just a high school diploma is dim.

"The challenge in the economy right now is that the kind of jobs that are being created are either at the lowest wages or the very highest wages," Oakley said.

The rise of automation has sparked considerable angst among American workers. A 2017 Pew poll found that 72 percent of adults said they were worried about a future where robots and computers can perform human jobs.

But there's no consensus on what the future will look like. One 2013 study, which Moenius used to build his analysis, estimated that 47 percent of American jobs were at risk of being automated. A 2016 paper put that figure at only 9 percent.

A study in 2017 posited that 23 percent to 44 percent of work hours in the United States will be automated by 2030 _ particularly in jobs with a high degree of repetition such as machinists, office support and retail sales. But that study also said jobs would be added, especially among care providers such as surgeons, nurses, and construction workers.

Artificial intelligence _ computers performing tasks typically done by humans _ takes many forms. Computer vision, which allows machines to glean information visually, can be used in agriculture to give crops water and pesticides based on a plant's needs.

Virtual assistants such as Siri or Alexa are being used in hotels, standing in for concierges or front desk assistants. Self-driving vehicles could upend the country's transportation and logistics sectors, but it's not clear how quickly those cars and trucks will be widely deployed.

"Depending on who you talk to, that's a couple of years away or 30 years away," said Stephen Baiter, executive director of the Oakland Workforce Development Board.

It's one thing for a technological breakthrough to be invented, and it's another to see businesses adopt that technology on a large scale. Experts predict that the impact on jobs will not be sudden, but more like a rolling wave.

The level of upheaval could vary by region. Moenius' research found the Bay Area _ home to Silicon Valley and highly educated workers _ faces relatively low risk of job loss. The threat is higher in Fresno and Orange County.

But the area most susceptible to automation in California spans Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario. According to Moenius, it is the fourth-most vulnerable metropolitan area in the nation, just behind other service-industry-heavy cities such as Las Vegas.

During World War II, the Inland Empire city of Fontana was home to Kaiser Steel, the Pacific Coast's first steel mill, and was a crucial cog in the state's vast shipbuilding industry.

But the steel jobs had withered by the 1980s _ Fontana, like the rest of the region, became a bedroom community outside Los Angeles. It clawed its way back from the recession due in large part to warehouse and logistics jobs, and the service industry.

Now, on the campus of California Steel Industries Inc., the successor to Kaiser Steel, the Inland Empire is trying to reinvent itself again.

The Chaffey College Industrial Technical Learning Center, or InTech, is touted as the first public-private partnership in the state community college system. Originally envisioned as a place where companies could train workers for more advanced jobs, the program's participants are now primarily unemployed or underemployed workers.

Training programs range from basic construction to more advanced skills like computer numerical control, which enables automated operation of machines. The center is run by local community colleges, but participants don't earn college credits. Instead, they receive certifications based on input from local industry partners.

"Everything we do is designed by industry, for industry," said Sandra Sisco, the center's director.

For employers who need workers trained in HVAC repair, InTech teaches that. For companies that need employees skilled in additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, InTech teaches that, too.

Joanna Farias, 23, attended InTech two years ago for an electrical boot-camp class. Now, in addition to her aerospace engineering studies at Cal Poly Pomona and her internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, she's returned to teach 2D and 3D design. And she won't rule out returning as a student to pick up a new skill.

"You have to keep coming back to centers like these to get training and get updated," she said.

Training centers and community colleges are likely to be the front-line defense against a changing labor landscape.

Since 2014, the community college system has received more than $240 million a year for career and technical education to prepare students for jobs. Last year, an online-only community college was created for working adults who want to learn new skills.

Educators at traditional schools resisted.

"Generally speaking, our academic institutions feel reluctant to place a high value on employability. Traditionally, our attitude has been: We prepare students to be better citizens, deeper thinkers," said Oakley, the community college chancellor. "That's all very true. But we have also become a proxy for employability, so we have to realize much more acutely the importance of job preparation in our curriculum."

Much of the attention has centered on a gulf in the labor market. Companies continue to seek workers with college degrees. But in California, 8 million workers between ages 24 to 62 ended their studies in high school. To close that gap, some advocate more emphasis on certificates and other types of credentials that show a worker's specific skills.

"We should focus on what an employee can do, not just their background or pedigree or educational attainment," said David Marsh, who manages the Rework America Task Force at the Markle Foundation.

Others fear that deemphasizing degrees could exacerbate inequality.

"You end up stratifying your workforce," said Lande Ajose, executive director of California Competes, a higher-education advocacy group. "You end up with people who have wealth or privilege who continue to get four-year degrees, and everyone else ends up with some kind of degree that is less than that."

Education is usually seen as an issue for young people. But in a recent facilities maintenance class at InTech, the students ranged from early the 20s to mid-50s, showing how mid-career workers also need places to learn.

"It's a really vexing problem _ what do you do with that existing workforce where the occupations that are in demand are changing all around them?" said Kish Rajan, former leader of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. "They're going to need new training, new skill-set development to be competitive."

Chris McGarry, chief administrative officer of the Save Mart grocery company, said his business has never considered technology as a means to "strip out labor."

But he does envision redeploying those who work at cash registers and in stockrooms, where technology can help trim costs, to positions that interact with customers, which he considers a necessity to compete with online retailers like Amazon.com.

For the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents grocery clerks, that means figuring out a way to move cashiers to other parts of stores, such as butcher counters and prepared-food sections. The union is looking to apprenticeships, which have long been favored by construction and firefighters unions, as a training pipeline; a new law will expand apprenticeship to fields such as health care, retail and cannabis.

California has had some success in creating new work opportunities through its Employment Training Panel, which gives companies funding to train workers in more advanced skills. Businesses are paid only if workers are employed for at least three months after training, among other performance requirements. The program, which awarded about $100 million in contracts this year, is funded through a tax on employers that's remained at the same rate since 1983.

"We have more demand than we have funding," said Stewart Knox, the panel's executive director.

There's no shortage of policy proposals to promote lifelong learning. Some suggest a state tax credit for companies that invest in worker training. Others would lift the age limit on CalGrants, the state's financial aid program, so people over 27 can qualify for assistance.

"What's keeping somebody from (going back to school)? Perhaps it's child care. What about infrastructure, like high-speed internet at the house?" Mitra said. "What are the ancillary support services we can provide to our residents and our workforce?"

The future of work is not just a matter for the classroom. The next governor will inherit a debate playing out in courtrooms and legislative chambers: How do we define the relationship between employers and workers?

The California Supreme Court sent businesses into a frenzy this year when a decision in a class action against Dynamex, a courier service, made it harder for companies to classify their workers as independent contractors instead of employees.

The fight over worker classification isn't new. Companies have increasingly relied on independent contractors in nearly every job sector _ for example, trucking, beauty salons and medical practices. Using contractors represents major savings for employers because independent contractors are not entitled to minimum wage, overtime or employer-provided benefits. A 2017 study found that about 8.5 percent of California workers were employed as independent contractors for their main jobs.

Even though the number of Californians working full time for on-demand platforms such as Uber or TaskRabbit is small _ the University of California, Berkeley study estimated they are just 0.5 percent of the workforce overall _ the gig economy's high-profile emergence has inarguably shaped the debate.

Businesses are certain to turn to the next governor to buffer the impacts of the decision, either through exempting certain industries or reviving a dormant state commission to regulate wages, hours and working conditions.

Labor unions will seek to keep the court ruling intact. More people classified as employees means more opportunities for unions to organize. But advocates also say they're fighting against erosion in the social safety net spurred by the rise of contractors. With fewer employees, companies have fewer obligations to pay into unemployment insurance or pay Social Security and Medicare taxes.

"There's a massive amount of investment in the social infrastructure that is lost on the independent contractor side," said Derecka Mehrens, executive director of Working Partnerships USA, a labor-affiliated advocacy group.

The anxiety over automation colors this debate, even if it is not explicitly connected to worker classification.

"All the work we've done on automation just points to further erosion in job quality and potentially more independent contractor jobs," said Doug Bloch, political director of the Teamsters Joint Council in Northern and Central California.

Both issues at their core are about the role of workers, Bloch said: "What can the next governor do to promote that (role) so workers have more power?"

The prospect of radical changes to work _ a new robot-driven industrial revolution _ has led to equally broad solutions being bandied about. Among the boldest is universal basic income. The concept, a fixed income for every adult with no strings attached, has been pitched as an answer to an automated future. Stockton's millennial mayor, Michael Tubbs, this year planned a pilot program to give $500 a month to a select group of residents.

The proposal has been especially embraced in Silicon Valley tech circles, reflecting uneasiness over how their innovations may affect workers.

"There's a surprising amount of circumspection, at the very least," said Brian Brennan, senior vice president with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

The proposal inspires fierce critiques over its anticipated costs and manages to unite frequent foes in opposition.

"We could not be in more opposition," said Rob Lapsley, who heads the California Business Roundtable. He promoted policies such as tax credits for the working poor, "rather than diversions like universal basic income that remove the personal value and financial incentive for work."

Barry Broad, who lobbies for a number of labor unions, is similarly dismissive.

"In the labor movement, we believe very fundamentally that human beings need work," Broad said. "What we need is a just vision for that society, not a bunch of these techno-narcissists lecturing us about how society is supposed to be constructed."

Still, the universal basic income debate is indicative of the big-picture deliberations over the future of work that await the next governor. Should government undertake a safety net program to guard against job displacement? What about using regulation to ensure humans stay relevant in light of new technology?

The Teamsters union has used its lobbying power to carve out roles for themselves in a changing world. In San Francisco, they secured a city ordinance that encourages companies operating delivery robots to use union labor.

As commercial truck companies explore "platooning," in which a convoy is controlled by the truck in the lead, the Teamsters pushed regulation to ensure that a company testing that technology in California has a commercially licensed driver in each truck. Government intervention has been a key part of the union's strategy to keep workers employed.

"It's when the government either regulates or uses the threat of regulation that the employers will come to the table," Bloch said.

Others say the state of the economy _ near-full employment is making it hard for companies to fill jobs with qualified workers _ means businesses will be more open to new approaches to address workforce needs. That could mean benefits that workers could take from job to job or imposing a shorter workweek that would allow people to share jobs while taking home full-time pay and benefits.

"There is this opportunity with employers to start having the conversation about unique and creative ways to solve their labor market problems that at the same time create economic mobility and security for ... workers," said Tim Rainey, executive director of the California Workforce Investment Board.

The policy solutions differ, but the refrain from labor, business and educators is remarkably similar: What the next governor does will play a major role in determining just how scary the future of work will be.

"This is one of the biggest wealth opportunities we have in history, one of the biggest opportunities to alleviate us from burdensome work," Moenius said. "The opportunity will only unfold if we pave the way for it today."
Casting long shadows, the morning autumn sun helped warm Oak Avenue where parade watchers lined the shade-dappled sidewalk waiting for the Pet Pawrade to start the 32nd annual St. Helena Harvest Festival on Saturday.

One cat, three chickens and an assembly of tail-wagging dogs dressed as heroes, bugs, spiders and, of course, a cluster of grapes, paraded down the center of the road delighting spectators who waved and cheered as they walked along. Some of the parade entrants tossed Halloween candy toward the sidewalk and children scrambled into the street to collect the sweets.

The Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School Blue Devils band led the way with the Girl Scouts following close behind. Mayor Alan Galbraith took on the role of dispatcher, a very important job, he said, in sending out the parade marchers from their holding spot at Oak/Pine. You have to make sure there is enough space between the Pawrade entrants, he said, so that when they get to the judges table at Oak/Adams, the judges have time to review the costumes.

The Festival kicked off with a 5k and 10k fun run, and a pancake breakfast at St. Helena Catholic School, served up by St. Helenas Troop 1 Boy Scouts, got the day rolling. Artists offered their sculptures, paintings and jewelry while groups such as Wine Country Animal Lovers enticed pet lovers with cuddly purring kittens for adoption.

A Dixieland band, made up of the Saint Helena Community Band, entertained folks as they sat at tables enjoying food goodies such as tacos, enchiladas, home-baked cookies and pie, burgers, pork sliders, ice cream and wine for purchase by the glass.

Members of the St. Helena Odd Fellows Lodge #167 ran a silent auction, offering wine all donated by the community, to help raise funds for their many local support efforts, said lodge leader Tash Bunge. Member Tony Albright said they tried a new way of running the silent auction. Higher-valued lots were available for bidding all day, while smaller lots were changed every hour.

There were kids activities such as pumpkin painting and bouncy houses to keep children entertained all day long. Visiting their son who lives in Calistoga were Graham and Ellen Davis from Wales, who said they just got lucky in finding the festival. It was their first time attending the event, and they said they were enjoying the small-town feel.

Keith and Courtney McWalter were back in town from their new home near Columbus, Ohio, visiting with friends. They had a vacation home on Deer Park for several years and were married by the Rev. William Father Mac McIlmoyl. This was not their first festival, but it was a special one as they celebrated their wedding anniversary.
The disclosure of confidential water use data, the Napa Valley Vine Trail, and new financial controls were among the topics of discussion at Tuesdays meeting of the St. Helena City Council.

After a report from City Attorney Tom Brown, the council told staff to prepare a Municipal Code amendment that would expand the councils official duties to include oversight of specific customers water use.

Some members of the public have pressed the council to tighten up oversight of the citys water contract holders and verify compliance by commercial customers who agree to water neutrality and other water use restrictions when their project is approved.

The problem is that specific customers water use is confidential and cant be disclosed, even to councilmembers, unless the council votes that the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in non-disclosure.

Short of that blanket authorization, Brown proposed that certain customers water data could be disclosed privately to a council subcommittee charged with verifying compliance. Those councilmembers couldnt disclose the raw data to the public, but they could give the public general assurances that customers are abiding by their water restrictions.

Staff will return to the council with a Municipal Code amendment that would make water oversight one of the councils official duties and pave the way for an oversight subcommittee.

Vine Trail

Chuck McMinn, founder and chair of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, briefed the council on the progress of the pedestrian and biking trail, particularly the St. Helena segment.

The Vine Trail already has a continuous route mapped out from Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga to Pratt Avenue in St. Helena. South of Pratt, the trail is tentatively planned to follow the railroad tracks south before heading past the library and along residential streets like Hunt, Starr, Pope, Mariposa, McCorkle, Allison and Charter Oak.

McMinn said that route, which is included in the citys Bicycle Plan, has always bothered me just a little bit because it would put cyclists on public streets instead of the separate Class 1 trails that make up the rest of the Vine Trail, and because its on the opposite side of the highway from most of St. Helenas schools.

So now the Vine Trail is in talks with property owners and leaseholders like Clif Family, Rodney Friedrich and Ted Hall to explore a potential second route west of Highway 29 that would cross Sulphur Creek and run along or near Oak Avenue, connecting St. Helena High School, St. Helena Elementary School, the Boys & Girls Club, nearby churches, and RLS Middle School.

Theres over 1,000 kids who attend one of those three schools, and its very difficult for them to get to school except in a car, McMinn said.

McMinn said one option for the potential School to School trail would be to turn Oak Avenue into a one-way street for cars, which would make room for a bicycle/pedestrian path.

Councilmembers were skeptical of making Oak a one-way street, saying it could have negative effects on business, parking and traffic. But they accepted McMinns offer of money for a feasibility study to look at potential bike routes in general on both sides of Highway 29 and even as far out as Silverado Trail.

Other action

The council adopted two new financial policies, following up on suggestions from its financial auditor.

The council approved policies on accounts payable payment processing and cash controls, and gave direction on a third policy concerning the overall financial management, budget development and fiscal administration of the city.

Finance Director April Mitts said staff were already observing those accounting practices, but now they will be official city policy.

Regarding the third policy on general financial management, the council told staff to come back with a policy that increases the citys General Fund reserve target from 25 percent to 30 percent. Councilmembers noted that smaller cities like St. Helena typically need reserves that are proportionally larger than reserves in bigger cities in order to have enough cash available to deal with an unforeseen emergency.

Once the third policy is adopted, the city will have completed all of the policies recommended by its financial auditor.

Public Works Director Erica Ahmann Smithies reported that a truck hit the Pope Street bridge on Monday.

The damage appears to be cosmetic, but engineers will assess the foundation of the bridge to ensure there was no serious damage that could threaten the bridges structural integrity.

Councilmember Paul Dohring suggested that the council talk about updating its Code of Conduct to address private communications involving councilmembers and appointed boardmembers and commissioners.

Councilmember Mary Koberstein agreed, saying the recently adopted Code of Conduct needs to address communication via phone calls and email.
The city of St. Helena has released a new draft of the long-awaited General Plan update and its accompanying Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The documents were posted Tuesday at cityofsthelena.org/planning/page/2040-general-plan-update.

Printed copies of the 400-page General Plan and the 620-page draft EIR are available at City Hall and the St. Helena Public Library. Digital copies and a limited number of paper copies are available by contacting nhoush@cityofsthelena.org or calling 968-2659.

The city is inviting public comments on the documents through Jan. 2. The 72-day comment period exceeds the mandatory minimum of 45 days.

Written comments can be sent to Noah Housh, Planning Director, City of St. Helena, 1480 Main St., St. Helena, CA 94574, or by email to nhoush@cityofsthelena.org.

The St. Helena Planning Commission will hear oral comments at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Vintage Hall.

Once the city has collected the comments and responded to them, the General Plan and final EIR will be submitted to the Planning Commission and City Council for public hearings. The councils final decision is tentatively scheduled for late winter/early spring 2019.
Yountville ceremony blesses animals, great and small

All creatures great and small, weve got them all! Carol Fink genially proclaimed  and then proceeded, with gentle words and a hawks feather dipped in holy water, to give her blessings to a 6-foot-tall camel, a tiny guinea pig and dozens of furry friends in between.

Yountvilles Veterans Memorial Park played host Sunday afternoon to the towns 20th annual Blessing of the Animals, a local highlight during a month marked by animal-honoring events inspired by the Catholic feast St. Francis of Assisi. And leading the way was Fink, who has offered blessings to pets and domestic animals  and even stuffed toys and photographs of beloved animals  since 2000.

Before an audience that included numerous dogs, a few cats, a horse and others, Fink  a Cleveland rabbis granddaughter who raised her adopted Costa Rican daughter as a Catholic  urged her two-legged witnesses to understand what their animal friends could teach them.

We ask for a better understanding as we learn from our animal companions their wisdom, their innocence, their loyalty  and above all their ability to not judge humans unkindly, she said as the ceremonys co-minister. Let us accept their pure beauty, their ability to live in the moment, and may we accept the perfection of each and every masterpiece.
By Benjamin Jumbe.

Political leaders in Tororo County have renewed calls to president Museveni for a district.

It follows continued tensions between the Iteso and Jopadhola communities over ownership of land

While government agreed to grant Tororo County a district status ,location of Tororo Municipality remained a matter of contention as each group claimed it.

Now speaking at the commissioning of the first phase of the Uganda-China Free Zone of International Industrial Cooperation project in Tororo Yesterday, Tororo South county Mp Fredrick Angura said this would be the only way to put an end to the long standing conflict between the two communities

Government recently sent a delegation to the UK for a colonial map to establish the actual boundary of Tororo Municipality on orders of President Museveni.

The tensions between the two communities started before independence in 1962 and led to the demarcations that separated West Budama for Jopadhola from Tororo County for Iteso.
Were going to make two bold predictions: Anna Chouteau is going to be St. Helenas next city councilmember, and shes going to be a good one.

Of course, the first prediction isnt bold at all, since Chouteau is running unopposed for the council seat being vacated by Peter White. Youll still see her name and Paul Dohrings on the ballot, but as a mere formality.

The second prediction is based on our interview with Chouteau, who impressed us with her passion for public service, eagerness to learn, and lack of a discernible agenda.

Chouteau vice-chaired the St. Helena Asset Planning Engagement (SHAPE) Committee and has been an active school volunteer, contributing to the annual Give Big fundraiser.

She told us that after the last presidential election, my heart broke open and she was inspired to get involved in local politics. Eight months of grueling SHAPE Committee meetings gave her a crash course in public buildings and finance and some seasoning in city government.

The parent of two children ages 7 and 9 who attend St. Helenas public schools, Chouteau has the energy level youd expect of someone her age but the professional resume of someone much older.

Holding a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine, Chouteau has consulted with businesses on the concept of servant leadership, which encourages collaborative leadership approaches in traditionally hierarchical organizations.

That background, coupled with her stint as executive director of an environmental nonprofit, makes her well-suited to be an open-minded, collaborative and consensus-building city councilmember.

Chouteau said rebuilding City Hall and revitalizing downtown businesses are among her top goals. Citing the rise of Internet shopping and the departure of local businesses like Rabbit Rabbit, she talked about the need to loosen up the citys zoning restrictions, eliminate red tape, and encourage more creative business models.

Theres always a learning curve for new councilmembers, and Chouteau seems eager to learn from her council colleagues and from members of the community, including folks with varying views on controversial subjects like the Adams Street property.

During our interview, Chouteau kept jotting down notes whenever one of our board members rattled off a name or a topic she wasnt familiar with  a telltale sign of an avid learner.

Chouteau realizes that political involvement at the grassroots level is the antidote to apathy, cynicism and despair, and can make the community a better place. Figure out what youre passionate about  and where you have the interest and curiosity to make things better  and then get involved in a positive way.

Chouteau has done just that, and were confident St. Helena will be better off thanks to her involvement.

The Star editorial board consists of editors David Stoneberg and Sean Scully and community volunteers Norma Ferriz, Christopher Hill, Shannon Kuleto, Bonnie Long, Peter McCrea, Gail Showley and Dave Yewell.
There are two initiatives on the mid-term ballot that will benefit our local community. Measures E and I would raise the TOT tax by 1 percent with all of the additional revenue going to affordable, workforce housing. TOT stand for Transient Occupancy Tax, which is paid exclusively by tourists staying in local hotels. Therefore we will receive additional housing funds with no tax increase for residents.

The incremental funds will flow into each of the five cities and the countys Affordable Housing Funds. St. Helena is estimated to receive about $300,000 per year plus money from county funds for specific local projects. I can see no reason why our community would not support these ballot measures since we will receive additional funds to build and preserve badly needed workforce housing at no cost to us individually.

Please vote yes on both measures: Measure I is for the unincorporated areas in the county and Measure E is for the City of St. Helena. It is important for St. Helena residents to turn over your ballot, because our local initiative, Measure E, is the only item on the back of the ballot.

Mary Stephenson

St. Helena
In 2016, when Geoff Ellsworth ran for City Council, St. Helena was suffering from deferred infrastructure maintenance, inadequate financial and water oversight, and spiraling legal costs that hit $1.1 million a year in 2016/2017! This was a very sad state of affairs for our little city, and one that burgeoned during the decade that Mr. Galbraith served the city.

Mayor Galbraith is an attorney, so, at the very least, one would think the spiraling legal costs (similar to the legal costs of Napa, a city 10 times our size) over the last six years would have raised a red flag! But it has only been through the efforts of Council members Geoff Ellsworth and Paul Dohring (and not the mayor) that a thorough review St. Helenas legal policies was initiated. As a result the City Council was able to cut $500,000 in legal fees from the yearly budget.

Why is this important? Among other things because these spiraling legal costs occurred at the same time our fire department was critically understaffed and in desperate need of an additional engine driver, according to our new city manager. Even if 20 firefighters were to show up to fight a fire, their effectiveness is severely impacted, through no fault of their own, if theres no one to drive the fire engine! And that threatens every resident, visitor, and business in the city.

Our fire department deserves and needs a mayor that is aware of their resource needs. And the city needs a mayor with the will and ability to fully analyze and prioritize critical city and safety functions. And yet, during Mayor Galbraiths involvement in city government, these needs were not addressed.

Accurate water rate oversight also has a direct correlation to the financial health of our community. Last year 900 people signed a petition asking for corrections to the 2016 water rate study that raised residential rates substantially and impacted over a dozen small downtown businesses with a 2000 percent wastewater rate increase, from $42/month up to $850/month!

And now we find out that these rates were based on a flawed study that was fully supported by the mayor and the previous city council. Indeed, it was announced at the Oct. 9 City Council meeting that the city has filed a claim against the consultant who presented the flawed 2016 study our current rates are based upon.

Mayor Galbraith made a huge mistake in supporting the sub-standard work of the 2016 rate consultant that led to the water rate adjustments. And every business and resident in St. Helena has been paying the price ever since. But whats worse is that the mayor still has not acknowledged that the calculations leading to these rates were flawed. As a result, many people in town continue to pay exorbitant water/wastewater rates and several small, long-standing businesses remain saddled with unsustainable base rates that threaten their livelihood!

That same consultant made the assertion that because St. Helena has multiple sources of water, we cannot have tiered rates. (That is, rates based on the cost to actually deliver the service.) This means that residents and businesses located in the hillsides, including those outside city limits, pay the same rates as everyone else, even though it costs much more to deliver water to those water customers.

Yet, more than a dozen outside water agencies, and experts throughout the state, have concurred that Proposition 218 supports tiered water rates in St. Helena, provided we have the data. Even so, Mayor Galbraith, based only on the advice of the same consultant that the city has now filed a claim against, continues to assert that tiered rates are prohibited in St. Helena. There is a time to admit you made a mistake and get on with serving the community. So far, the mayor has refused to do so.

Under Mayor Galbraiths current plan, water rates could go up again in November, if the calibration of our rates is not corrected!

It really is time for a new mayor. St. Helena needs the kind of innovative, proactive leadership that Geoff Ellsworth will bring to the city. He has a vision for the future of St. Helena that will serve those who visit here, those who do business here, and those who live here. He sees where we need to go to serve all those entities. He also has the ability to foresee problems, the energy to look for solutions, and a commitment to oversight that many believe has been seriously lacking under the incumbent mayor.

A vote for Geoff Ellsworth for mayor is a vote for a thriving future for St. Helena: one that will serve both the community and the city for years to come.

Elaine de Man

Sharon Dellamonica

Kathy Coldiron

St. Helena

Editors Note: The Star asked Mayor Alan Galbraith to respond to the letter. It is as follows:

St. Helenas infrastructure was suffering from underinvestment for years before I became mayor. As a result, when I became mayor in late 2014, we were under enormous legal pressure from regulators and well-financed environmental watchdogs, especially as to our water and wastewater systems. The council, working together, has methodically addressed these issues over the last four years. Expensive legacy issues, requiring large legal expenses, are substantially behind us. As a result, legal expenses, and the amount we budget for them, have come down. I, along with my colleagues on the council, have worked hard to make this happen.

As for the fire department, I have complete confidence in our Fire Chief John Sorensen. I have supported every resource request sought by the fire chief, without exception. This includes supporting the chief (and city manager) on all fire department staffing issues (no easy issue, given changing demographics).

Further, having lived through the fires a year ago (with much time at the Emergency Operations Center at the sheriffs headquarters), let me underscore my admiration for our fire department including its staffing, which is widely shared around the county. To achieve this, we have a respected record of being able to discharge our fire engines on short notice. Since becoming mayor, the situation there is greatly improved. I have backed this improvement at every step.

As for the water and wastewater increases, they were absolutely necessary to put ourselves in a position where we could access state funds to finance the large improvements required of us. The council unanimously approved them. There was no choice. We needed to come into compliance with critical financial terms in our bond covenants if we wished to avoid cash financing of mandated improvements, with yet more dire impact on rates. Yes, there were some unintended consequences as we moved to new rate structures, but the city in my estimation did a good job of working through them.

We do have a current issue with our consultant on the wastewater side. The issue arose in connection with the second rate study, not the first. I am hopeful that this matter will be satisfactorily resolved. Let me add just one word here; the best of professionals can make a mistake. I know this from representing great professionals in litigation. That is why the city insists on insurance coverage.

As for tiered water pricing, we must understand what is meant. In tiered pricing, customers who use more than a certain volume of water pay a higher price for that additional water, even though there is no additional cost to provide the additional water (and indeed it may be less). We could not continue this practice under a judicial decision that became the law of California. Our situation was no different from that of many California cities, including Calistoga.

Now, if we find that we have additional costs to serve a specific customer (such as uphill pumping costs), it may be indeed possible to assign such additional costs to that customer. This is not a tiered water pricing issue. This is an add-on charge issue (much different). I certainly have an open mind with respect to this type of add-on charges. There are also significant defenses to such charges. I will not support litigation unless the outcome in the citys favor appears reasonably clear.

I am blessed with a deep understanding of cost-of-service matters from my long legal life in private practice. This included working with the California Utilities Commission on a matter of immense consequence to the State of California. The overriding consideration for me is to ensure that all customers on our water system (both inside and outside the city) and wastewater system (all inside the city) are treated equitably, taking into account how our systems operate to the benefit of all ratepayers.
Margaret Winslow, author of "Smart Ass: How a Donkey Challenged Me to Accept His True Nature and Rediscover My Own" will be at the Napa Copperfield's at 6 p.m. on Nov. 3 to talk about her book and do a Powerpoint presentation on her donkey, Caleb.

While Caleb is unable to attend, littleburroevents.com/ will be co-sponsoring and will bring two little burros.

Publishers Weekly wrote: "Sports car? Italian villa? Inappropriate love interest? Not for author Margaret Winslow, an overworked college professor in New York City. She met midlife agita not head-on, but ass-on, fulfilling a childhood curiosity about donkeys by answering a for-sale ad for a 'Large White Saddle Donkey' in the American Donkey and Mule Societys magazine, The Brayer."

Winslow's midlife decision to adopt Caleb, a 700-pound white Andalusian donkey, upended her life and her understanding of herself. A field geologist with Ph.D. from Columbia University and more than 30 years experience in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, she realized a long-forgotten childhood dream and met her match in Caleb who possessed a willingness to speak truth to power, to trust, and to forgive.

Winslow's National Geographicfunded fieldwork on earthquake hazards and archaeological settlement patterns in Alaska and Chile is featured in the PBS series Fire on the Rim. She is professor emerita of earth sciences at the City College of New York and resides in the lower Hudson Valley. Caleb boards nearby with 50 horses and ponies, where he continues to steal the show every day. During the holiday season Winslow is frequently asked, Could my church borrow your donkey for a nativity show?

Caleb is much in demand and is a huge draw at local charity horse shows and races, as well as churches and libraries. He receives typing assistance from his owner and can be reached through www.MargaretWinslow.com.

More information at www.MargaretWinslow.com.
Dance, dream, discover  thats what Alex Blitstein says is the purpose of The Dance House Napa Valley, a new dance studio he opened on Jefferson Street in August. So far, he says, 300 students have registered for classes.

Blitstein said that he believes in progressive dance community, that offers a wide range of dance styles and encourages children  and adults  to try new things.

I didnt come in here to put people out of business. I opened a studio because I thought there was a place for me, he said. Everyone should get along and be able to work together  there is a place for everyone on the dance floor.

I hope to inspire everyone that wants to be able to do it to come and do it, he said.

Dance House Napa offers classes in hip hop, ballet, jazz, tap, and acro, or acrobatics. Blitstein, who grew up in Walnut Creek, started his career as a gymnast and has traveled the world working as a dancer and choreographer on various big-name productions including Glee and The Disney Channel.

Ive been so lucky, living in an airport and travelling around the world, to see the energy in so many different arenas, Blistein said. Its not always going to be easy, but if you can keep trying you can do whatever you want.

One of the most important things he learned while working around the world, he said, was how accessible it was to give back to the community using dance.

Dance is magic to me  it can make people happy, it can make people sad or angry, it can make people cry, he said. It can also be used as an outlet to give back.

Hes spent much of his career teaching dance at dance festivals, colleges and the Broadway Dance Center in New York City and Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles.

Even with all his traveling, though, Blitstein always knew he would eventually want his own home. He achieved that goal last year when he purchased a home in Napa, where his parents have been living since he graduated from high school.

Blitstein hadnt initially planned on opening a studio. But, he said, after living here, he saw a need for more childrens activities  something he knew he could provide.

It was a turning point, he said. He found a great location at 3220 Jefferson St. and it kind of just happened.

The Dance House Napa Valley officially opened Aug. 20.

Blitstein credits himself for working hard, but credits his parents for always supporting him. Although he is the owner of the studio, Blitstein said it is still very much a family-run business. His mother, known to students as Ms. Rhonda, is at the studio every day, he said.

I would say that a large reason that I opened my studio here is that I want to see my family every day and for them to see what Ive been able to do because of their love and support.

Blitstein wants to give that same support to his students.

Im just trying to remind everyone who walks through my door that theyre important ... remind them that if they work hard, they can do anything that they want, he said.

The studio is accepting new students  of any age and ability  and is offering a free trial week to anyone who wants to come check it out. The studio offers private lessons, fitness classes, and birthday parties. Blitstein is also working on offering an accelerated learning program for more serious dancers.

For more information, visit dancehousenapa.com.
A lawsuit seeks to overturn a state-approved timber harvest plan allowing Davis Estates to clear 10 acres of forest near Angwin for a vineyard.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed the suit in Napa County Superior Court. The defendant is the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which oversees commercial timber harvests.

Davis Estates seeks to create a 13.6-acre vineyard using 10 acres that have such trees as Douglas firs and California foothill pines. The 38.7-acre site at 1875 Friesen Drive is in the mountains east of Calistoga.

The clear-cutting and subsequent vineyard conversion of this forested area will destroy wildlife habitat, pose risks to surface water quality, produce greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate the sites capacity to sequester carbon, the lawsuit said.

In contrast, a 900-page draft environmental impact report issued by Cal Fire in 2015 concluded any potential environmental harm could be rendered less than significant with certain steps.

Napa County has seen an increasing number of vineyards proposed in the mountains as the Napa Valley floor has filled up. The dynamic has created community tensions that culminated in Measure C, the watershed and oak woodland protection measure that narrowly failed in the June 5 election after a bitter campaign.

Logging forests requires a Cal Fire permit. The Angwin area in recent years has had three timber harvest plan requests before Cal Fire to create vineyards, including the one by Davis Estates.

The Center for Biological Diversity has entered the fray with its legal challenge of Cal Fires Sept. 21 timber harvest plan approval for the Davis Estates Friesen vineyard. Davis Estates is pursing the vineyard under the name Frostfire Vineyards II, LLC.

We are hoping to send a message to Cal Fire and Napa County, Center for Biological Diversity staff attorney Aruna Prabhala said. We are watching closely to whats happening with these vineyard expansion projects in remote areas.

The group previously sued Napa County to try to stop the Walt Ranch vineyard project in the mountains east of the city of Napa. That project involves removing oak woodlands not subject to timber harvest plans. Napa Superior Court ruled in favor of Napa County and the case is on appeal.

Mike Davis of Davis Estates couldnt be reached this week to comment on the lawsuit. His Davis Estates winery is near Calistoga, a few miles from the proposed Friesen vineyard site.

However, Davis talked to the Napa Valley Register in 2015 about the proposed vineyard and how it fits in with the winery.

When I put this whole project together, I built a financial model for a business plan to produce a lot of estate grapes, he said then.

On Oct. 3, Davis Estates winery won Napa County Planning Commission approval to expand annual wine production from 30,000 gallons to 100,000 gallons.

The Cal Fire 2015 environmental report on the Friesen vineyards proposal drew 48 letters. The City of St. Helena wrote that the superior choice would be no project because the watershed drains into Bell Canyon Reservoir, a major city water source.

Therefore, it is imperative that the watershed of this reservoir be managed to protect the health and life safety of the residents of the City of St. Helena, a city letter stated.

But Stuart Smith of Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery wrote in defense of the Friesen project.

This project represents one three thousandths of a percentage of Napa County and three one hundredths of one percent increase of vineyards in Napa County, Smith wrote. If there was ever a de minimis project, this is it.

A Center for Biological Diversity press release said about 500 acres in Napa County is converted to vineyards annually. Scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service have warned that vineyard water use and soil erosion into creeks threaten endangered populations of steelhead trout, it said.

Planning, Building and Environmental Services Director David Morrison said the county has approved 12,032 acres of new vineyards since 1992, excluding replants. Thats an average of 445.6 acres annually. But the numbers have fallen in recent years.

Fifty-five percent of all vineyard approvals since 1992 occurred prior to 2000, Morrison wrote in an email. In other words, we approved more vineyards in the first 10 years than in the past 18.

Cal Fire did not return requests for a comment on the lawsuit as of Wednesday.

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The federal government is attempting to seize a St. Helena property in connection with the governments takedown of Backpage.com, a classified ads site that was operated by seven people who are accused of facilitating prostitution and money laundering.

James Larkin, one of the sites two founders, was formally charged by the feds in April. He and his spouse, Margaret Larkin, purchased the St. Helena property as trustees of the Ocotillo Family Trust, according to a county document and a lawsuit filed recently in the U.S. District Courts Central District of California Western Division.

An attorney for James Larkin did not respond to requests for a comment.

County records show that the St. Helena property mentioned in the lawsuit is located at 493 Zinfandel Lane. It sits on three acres and is worth about $2.8 million, according to county data.

More than $10,000 spent on the St. Helena home in 2016 was tied to multiple violations of federal law related to sex trafficking of children, money laundering, and spending money earned from a crime and conspiracy, according to the lawsuit. The funds were also found to have violated a federal law created in 1952 to break up organized crime by making it illegal to plan to commit crimes via mail, and across state or country lines.

The lawsuit claims the $10,000 spent in 2016 was to buy or maintain the property, which the Larkins had owned since at least 2011, county records show.

Numerous Backpage ads were used to sell minors for sex and forcibly traffic adult women for sex, prosecutors wrote in the lawsuit. Among the pimps and sex traffickers who used Backpage to advertise their victims were many who were later convicted of sex trafficking offenses.

The feds are attempting to seize millions of dollars Larkin holds in assets and tens of millions of dollars held in his bank accounts. Theyre also looking to seize an Arizona property held in his name and a Chicago property held by the Larkins.

Margaret Larkin became the sole trustee of the Ocotillo Family Trust in November and the sole owner of the St. Helena property.

She agreed in April to forfeit the property to the feds if her husband, who was let out on $1 million bail, failed to appear for every court date or comply with the terms of his release, county documents show.

If he shows up at all the hearings and follows all other court orders, Margaret Larkin will get to keep the house, according to county records.

Larkin, who founded Backpage with Michael Lacey, was in charge of the sites policies and strategic direction. He wielded a lot of control over the site, according to the lawsuit, and received tens of millions of dollars, even after claiming to sell his interest in Backpage in 2015.

Co-founders Larkin and Lacey also started an alternative weekly called the Phoenix New Times. They bought several other papers that were operated through Village Voice Media Holdings, according to the lawsuit. Village Voice Media Holdings publications routinely included prostitution ads dating to the 1980s.

They created Backpage to compete with Craigslist in 2004, according to the lawsuit. The sites popularity saw a boost after Craigslist banned adult service ads.

The government shut Backpage down in April, but it was previously visited by 75 million to 100 million people per month, according to the lawsuit.

The site raked in tens of millions of dollars annually from adult advertisements between 2004 and 2018, the lawsuit said. Less than 10 percent of all ads on the site were related to adult services, but those ads generated more than 90 percent of Backpages earnings.

The site had always earned most of its revenue from illegal activities, and by 2015 major credit card companies refused to process payments to or for Backpage. Thats when operators began pursuing money laundering schemes, according to the lawsuit.

Internal emails obtained by the federal government indicate that Backpage operators were aware that site ads were used to facilitate prostitution, but indicate site officials did not take issue with them, so long as a sex act was not depicted in photos. Deleting adult ads would mean Backpage would no longer be competitive with Craigslist, according to a letter written by a site official included in the lawsuit.

To read the complaint in full, click the PDF link in the sidebar.

St. Helena Star reporter Jesse Duarte contributed to this report. 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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Advocates for creating a cultural center serving Napas Latino community are again pressing their case to place their project at the countys main fairground.

An effort to create a meeting place for the Latino Cultural Center of Napa Valley is focusing on Riesling Hall, at the Napa Valley Expo on Third Street. Long championed by the developer George Altamura and American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia, the project has received renewed attention in recent weeks after appeals by its supporters to the state-owned fairgrounds board of directors.

Tuesday morning, board members at the Expo made no immediate steps toward a freestanding Latino center  but expressed an openness to increasing the number of Hispanic-focused programs at the fairground. They also invited Altamura and other backers to tour the Expo property soon to discuss possible event sites and the needs for various types of programming.

Board member Jose Hurtado announced an invitation for cultural center supporters to take a walking tour of the Expo to make their case. His colleague, Jeri Hansen, suggested the Expo could work with the centers advocates to coordinate a range of events and exhibits at the fairground, as a way to reset the project and hammer out a vision for what a cultural hub should be and do.

We could host (events) on the Expo grounds easily; its just a matter of when and how, she said.

For more than a decade, Altamura has advocated creating a permanent meeting center at the Expo catering to Napa Countys roughly 48,000 Latino residents  a community he and allies call critical not only to the local wine industry but the community as a whole.

The fairgrounds is the domain of the public; a very large part of the public in Napa County is Latino, Garcia said in August 2015 of a proposal for the Expo to lease the Riesling building to the Latino Heritage Committee for a dollar a year.

However, fair officials have resisted reserving Riesling or other Expo spaces for a Latino centers exclusive use, arguing the Expo first must complete a master plan for replacing buildings torn down due to damage from the 2014 earthquake. (The Expo on Friday released its request for proposals to carry out that plan.) Board members also have called for maximizing limited space by keeping facilities as versatile as possible and limiting the creation of single-use fixtures at the fairground.

Supporters of a cultural center again appealed to Expo directors at the board last month, once more upholding Riesling Hall as an ideal venue. Gerardo Martin, president of the Napa County Hispanic Chamber, assured fair directors such a facility would be opened to other Napa groups beyond the Latino community, according to minutes of the Sept. 25 meeting.

Riesling Halls size and kitchen continue to make it the ideal place for a cultural hub at the Expo, Altamura said in an interview Tuesday afternoon, adding that the cultural center would pay for upgrades to the building.

I just want a place for Latinos because they should have a place for baptisms, dinners and meetings, he said. Theyre such a big part of community and our brothers, I love them and thats why Im trying to do it. Im 87 years old and Id like to see it done pretty soon.

Any moves toward a larger presence for Hispanic events at the Expo are unlikely to take the form of immediate new construction, board member John Dunbar said in September. Although he told backers the Expo is ready to continue talks over a future cultural center, the Expo will not pursue new development projects while a lawsuit by the Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society  which sued the fair authority at the end of 2017 over the expiration of its fairground lease  remains in court.

Members of the model train group have argued the Expos intention to replace their building with parking space for a new Junior Livestock Auction venue violates state law by launching the fairgrounds redevelopment plan without required environmental studies.

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SAN FRANCISCO  A law firm suing California bishops for the records of priests accused of sexual abuse released its own report Tuesday listing more than 200 clergy in the Bay Area it says are accused of misconduct, including several who had served in Napa County in various capacities.

Minnesota-based Jeff Anderson & Associates compiled the list from lawsuits and public websites to publicize the breadth of the problem, said attorney Jeff Anderson. He accused church leaders of keeping quiet to protect themselves and the Roman Catholic Church, putting children at risk.

The Catholic Church is reeling from a grand jury report released in August that estimated hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania molested more than 1,000 children since the 1940s. The report accused senior church officials of systematically covering up complaints.

The report released Tuesday notes that the vast majority of the claims have not been proven in court. Andersons firm first said the number of accused clergy was higher, but lowered the number because some of the accused clergy worked at more than one diocese.

The document does not include the Diocese of Santa Rosa, which includes Napa County, but four names on the list do appear to have worked in Napa at some time.

Fr. Edward F. Beutner spent the majority of his career in the Midwest, but was listed as on special assignment at Mont LaSalle in Napa in 1987. There are no specific details about the allegations against him in the report. He died in 2008.

Fr. Don D. Flickinger was the subject of reports and lawsuits dating back almost 40 years by the time he retired in 2009, according to the report. He served in several Northern and Central California Dioceses, but his only contact with Napa was as a novitiate at Mont LaSalle from 1981 through 1983.

Fr. Francis Verngren, however, has a more extensive resume in Napa. The reports lists him as having posts at St. Marys College High School from 1969 through 1984, and Justin-Siena High School in 1984. He later founded the Holy Family Community for retirees before himself retiring in 2002. He died in 2003. The report says he was accused of molesting an underage man in the late 1960s when he was principal of a Catholic school in Berkeley. A lawsuit was eventually settled.

The only allegation of wrongdoing in Napa County, according to the report, was against Br. John Moriarty, when he was assigned to the Christian Brothers Retreat House in St. Helena from 1974-78. The report does not detail the allegation except to say the person who reported it was underage at the time. His whereabouts since 1993 are unknown, the report says.

Br. Donald Johanson, head of the LaSallian District of San Francisco New Orleans, which serves 21,000 students in states across the West and South, including Justin-Siena and Mont LaSalle, said in a statement our hearts go out to those who suffer from injustice on so many levels.

We as a District are committed to mandate child safety education, background checks, and reviews of child protection policies and practices, he wrote.

Tuesdays report lists 135 clergy members accused in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, including names, photos and background information, 95 accused in the Diocese of Oakland and 33 in the Diocese of San Jose. In San Jose, thats more than double the 15 included in a report released last week by Bishop Patrick McGrath.

San Jose has done something that is less than the full truth, Anderson said, adding that bishops overall have made a lot of promises, but weve seen no action and very few disclosures.

Mike Brown, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is conducting listening sessions. Brown said the archdiocese could release a list of names as part of a broader response in November.

To assist the victims is the primary concern, or any victims who have not come forward. It probably would help very much to have credibly accused clergys names, Brown said.

A spokeswoman for the Oakland diocese, Helen Osman, referred The Associated Press to a statement earlier this month in which Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber said he would release the names of credibly accused clergy within 45 days. The Diocese of San Jose did not return a request from the AP Tuesday for a comment.

Anderson said his firm also plans to sue the Vatican on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco.

He represents two clients who say they were abused by priests who plan to allege that the Vatican failed to adequately address child sexual abuse by its priests, leaving numerous children at risk, according to a draft of the lawsuit Anderson provided.

He filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging California bishops should also be held responsible for abusive priests. His firm released a report with the names of 307 clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles it says was accused of sex abuse.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
By Damalie Mukhaye.

The former crane bank workers who were laid off during the transition to DFCU are demanding for over 40 billion shillings in compensation from bank of Uganda within 45 days.

Addressing journalist in Kampala, the workers lawyer Isaac Ssemanda of center for legal aid says that DCFU bank chased the former crane bank workers illegally because it was supposed to lay off all workers and formally recruit afresh.

He says that they have written a formal notice to bank of Uganda to discuss terms of settlement before December, treating court action if this is not done.

He says that 100 staff are involved and each one of them wants 120 million shillings, amounting to 48 billion shillings in compensation for the financial losses incurred.

Bank of Uganda said to have received the notice is yet to comment.
I'm the curator of the #ToddlerinChief thread on Twitter, a log of the times when a political ally of Donald Trump describes him as one would describe a small child. There are more than 535 examples in this thread since April 2017. But I have noticed a decided slowdown in the number of entries in recent weeks. There have been only 12 entries in October; Trump has averaged close to 28 entries since May 2017. Trust me when I say that has been a slow month.

Is there an explanation for this? Has Trump actually grown into the presidency?

Not exactly. As the midterm elections approach, and as Trump has devoted more and more of his time on the campaign hustings, he appears to have switched from general toddler-like behaviors to one specific toddler-like trait: lying.

Calling the president of the United States a liar used to be no small thing, but Trump's record for lies, falsehoods and general untruths is genuinely impressive. Still, even the folks who fact-check Trump for a living have been surprised at just how bald-faced his recent lies have been.

"I've fact-checked every word Trump has uttered for two full years. This is one of his most dishonest weeks in political life. He's lying about so many different things at once, and in big ways -- not exaggerating or stretching, completely making stuff up," the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale tweeted Oct. 22.

Here is Dale's latest story on Trump's repeated lies:

"Democrats will kick seniors off their health insurance. Democrats will end insurance protections for people with health problems. Democrats will destroy the Social Security retirement system. Democrats will give illegal immigrants free cars. Democrats will abolish America's borders. Democrats are behind the latest migrant caravan from Latin America. That caravan includes people from the Middle East.

"False, false, false, false, false, false, false.

"U.S. President Donald Trump made a brief attempt to campaign on his record of accomplishments but, as the November congressional elections approach, he has traded that shiny new positivity for the well-worn tactic that helped him win the presidency in 2016: a blizzard of fear-mongering and lies, many of them about darker-skinned foreigners.

"Trump has been a serial liar about just about everything for his entire tenure in office, but he has rarely before deployed so many complete fabrications about so many important subjects at the same time."

In the past 24 hours before I wrote this alone, Trump has told multiple whoppers. Let's start with the darkest one, about darker-skinned foreigners, shall we?

"Sadly, it looks like Mexico's Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!" he tweeted Oct. 22.

Ordinarily, when presidents make accusations like this one, they have, you know, some kind of evidence to back it up. Trump, however, only has Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth.

The Daily Beast's Pilar Melendez reports that Trump latched onto the claim only after Hegseth said it on "Fox & Friends." Follow-up reporting by the Los Angeles Times's Kate Linthicum, ABC's Matt Gutman and BuzzFeed's Karla Zabludovsky reporting with the caravan, and by Fox News's Shepard Smith found no evidence to support Trump's bogus claims.

Trump is also lying about a new tax cut. Congress has adjourned until after the midterm elections, which means it cannot pass new legislation. This has not deterred Trump from claiming it will happen, however. Politico's Nancy Cook and Ben White clean up Trump's lies on taxes:

"In recent days President Donald Trump has twice promised a new 'major tax cut' ahead of the November midterm elections, mystifying White House officials, congressional leaders, and tax wonks around town who mostly have no idea what he's talking about....

"White House officials spent the day trying to decode what Trump meant because no one knew the substance of any such tax cut, or had seen any policy proposal related to it. Aides were left wondering what Trump had read in newspaper clippings, or seen on Twitter, to inspire this grand promise from his rally podium.

"One senior administration official on Sunday night had not even heard about the president's tax cut remark on Saturday in Nevada and said they had no idea what he was talking about. 'I guess I'll hear about it when I get to work on Monday,' the official said.

"Trump said that House Speaker Paul Ryan was involved in crafting the plan. But Ryan's office shed no light, referring questions back to the White House."

What is truly bizarre about this Trump lie is that he is not talking about the signature legislative accomplishment of his first two years: the tax cut he did sign into law. Why talk about fake new tax cuts when there are honest-to-goodness actual tax cuts?

It is probably because those actual tax cuts have been very unpopular. As Politico's Brian Faler notes, that tax cut has proven to be a albatross for GOP candidates this fall: "With polls showing Americans are more likely to disapprove of the tax law than to approve of it, GOP candidates have been changing the subject to other issues like immigration and health care. Some of the lawmakers who wrote the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are even struggling to hang onto their seats."

The motivation for these lies is pretty obvious: Trump wants Republicans to do well in the midterms. As The Washington Post's Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey report, Trump is trying to reprise his 2016 campaign style again:

"Trump's messaging - on display in his regular campaign rallies, tweets and press statements - largely avoids much talk of his achievements and instead offers an apocalyptic vision of the country, which he warns will only get worse if Democrats retake control of Congress....

"The approach in many ways seeks to re-create the 2016 playbook that lifted Trump to the presidency, in which cultural flash points and controversies, like the specter of mass illegal migration, helped energize Trump's supporters. The president believes his best contrast with Democrats is on immigration and is looking for a way to keep the issue in the news until the midterms, advisers said.

"Stephen Miller, Trump's senior policy adviser who has long espoused hard-line immigration policies, is one of the chief authors of Trump's rally messages, though the president often goes further than his prepared remarks."

We will see if this gambit works come Nov. 6. It very well might. But it is worth noting that so far, even the Fox demographic seems pretty chill about the caravan.

I write about politics for a living. I am not naive about the ways in which politicians shape, adjust or spin the truth. But it is overly cynical to believe that they lie all the time. Most of them do care about the truth, which is one reason that, when they lie, it can look so bad.

It is ironic that a president whose base believes him to be a bold truth-teller is far and away the biggest liar to ever occupy the Oval Office. It is scary to think that in writing this column, I may be merely spreading Trump's lies to those readers too lazy to read all the way through. Still, the combination of the president's outrageous lies and the position he occupies in the federal government cannot be ignored.

The president is a liar. He needs to be checked by another branch of government, and soon.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor to PostEverything. He wrote this for The Washington Post.
Bhutan has welcomed the first airborne baby  Namdru Dorji  under the care of the Team BEAR-Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval.

Informing about the story of the airborne baby in the sky of Bhutan, former Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on the social media platforms, while sharing some pictures stated on Wednesday: Bhutan welcomes first air-born baby!

Starting that airborne babies are rare and those born in helicopters are extremely so Tobgay said he is thrilled to hear that a preterm baby was successfully delivered in mid-flight during a medical evacuation.

The baby, weighing a healthy 2.48 kgs, was born to Sangay Rigzin and Kuenlay Dorjee above Trongsa at an altitude of 12,000 ft on 4:34 pm, on October 22, 2018.

While lauding the efforts of the medical team behind the success story, Tobgay stated: A big shout out to Team BEAR-Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval on yet another extraordinary achievement, this one nothing short of historic.

He also gave thumbs up to Royal Bhutan Heli on yet another successful medevac, this one from Panbang.

The former Bhutan PM sharing the information stated that Kuen-lay Dor-jee says that mother and baby boy are healthy and doing well. Informing that the mother along with the baby have been discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, Tobgay stated: The babys grandfather has already decided to call him (baby) Namdru Dorji!
Assam Science & Technology University (ASTU) is organizing a Start Up Hackathon 2018 on October 27, at the Institution of Engineers(India) , Assam State Centre in Guwahati.

It is to support the Government of Indias Startup India initiative that encourages young minds to become successful entrepreneurs or job creators by launching innovative start ups.

This competition is being organized for all the engineering students of Assam to showcase their talents.

This competition seeks to find innovative solutions from the engineering students for better methods of crop cultivation, upgradation of traditional biomass cookstoves and upgradation of water harvesting mechanisms for areas with lower water table in Guwahati.

The competition requires the participants to come up with effective techniques for development of low cost integrated soil ploughing, seed sowing and watering machine that will increase the crop production and also makes the farmers work easier.

For upgradation of biomass cookstoves, the participants are required to come up with ideas for developing a clean biomass cookstove to reduce the health risk of household, improving the thermal efficiency of the cookstove and also for making it a clean technology for household operations.

For upgradation of water harvesting mechanism the participants have to develop ideas for a mechanism where the water can be manually inserted back to the ground through a layer of sand so that it mixes with layered water through a normal filtration process through the ground layers to the bottom where water table is available, thereby helping to increase the table.

The winners will be awarded with cash prizes of Rs 50000, Rs 40000 and Rs 20000 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Globally renowned Nepali music sensation Bipul Chettri is going to be the main attraction at the second edition of the Pine Tree Festival to be hosted at the hill town of Kurseong in Darjeeling district of West Bengal this year.

The two-day festival starting this Friday is being presented by Sterling Reserve Music Project in collaboration with the award winning event management company Decible Events.

The event is being hosted by filmmaker-musician from Kurseong Shenpenn Khymsar, currently based in Los Angeles

The main aim of the festival is to put Kurseong in the travellers map and also boost tourism.

The Pine Tree Festival will promote local artistes by providing a platform to showcase their talents and market their ethnic commodities, cuisines, genuine artwork and other miscellaneous goods, according to the organizers.

The festival celebrating music and art will include two stages with a wide range of high calibre acts from local and international artists, art, flea market, food and camping.

Some of the other highlights apart from Bipul Chettri are the Travelling Band of Kalimpong, rock and blues musicians Mukti and Revival, Nepali modern arena rock band Arogya, VH1 Sound Nation Best Hip Hop Artist Feyago, The Stage fame Tshering Leezum & The Irregulars, electronic-duo Rig Mona, The Rootless, pop/ jazz band Helium Heart, funk fusion band Mount Groove and Kurseong School of Music.

The venue will also include pop-up stalls by local artists and entrepreneurs.

To make the festival more fun, camping has also been added to the festivals agenda for participants who wish to make the most of the festival. The festival also includes a DJ stage.
Opposition MP: Granting corridor to Azerbaijan through Syunik Province will be gravest crime against Armenia

US Department of State representative says why Azerbaijan is not invited to Summit for Democracy

Armenian human rights activists to submit letters to ECHR regarding soldiers captured and considered missing

Armenia FM stresses importance of addressable response to Azerbaijan's actions during talk with Greek counterpart

Ex-ruling party official: Armenia authorities found reason for MOD's resignation after his visit to Karabakh

Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson: Nikol Pashinyan gave a confessional testimony in parliament yesterday

Armenia President talks about states' collective responsibility at Bloomberg New Economy Forum

Turkish website reports poisoning of Fetullah Gulen

Armenia FM holds phone talks with Cypriot counterpart, presents situation created after Azerbaijani attack

Mirzoyan, Zas discuss CSTO's possible actions to stabilize situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border, if necessary

Mothers of deceased servicemen demand Armenia PM's resignation

Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire at tractor in Armenia's Verin Shorzha village

Putin: Events unfolding on Armenia-Azerbaijan border attest to fact that situation has not calmed down in the region

Lithuania supports Armenia's territorial integrity

NEWS.am daily digest: 18.11.21

Ex-ruling party official: Incumbent authorities created deliberately organized chaos in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office to examine news about 6 Azeri servicemen captured and then secretly returned

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Armenia MOD planning training camps for reservists

Sergey Lavrov, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to discuss assistance to resolve situation in Karabakh

High-tech industry minister receives Chinese recipient of Armenia State Prize for global contributions to IT sector

Eurasian Intergovernmental Council's narrow-format session kicks off in Yerevan

Pashinyan views Eurasian integration as one of Armenia's priorities

Two Armenian citizens found in Afghanistan

Armenian health ministry gets $ 2.5 million to fight COVID-19

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office has telephone conversation with Jeyhun Bayramov

Deceased Armenian soldier Taron Sahakyan's brother refutes news that he was captured and tortured to death

Armenia seeks to develop cooperation in food safety within EEU

Armenia Ombudsman, UNICEF Representative discuss problems with right of children of borderline villages to education

Armenia allocates AMD 462 mln for 4 subvention programs ahead of local self-government elections

Major incidents not recorded in Armenia's border zones as of 2 p.m., operative situation is under army's control

Armenia parliament approves several legislative amendments

PMs discuss prospects for development of Armenia-Kyrgyzstan collaboration

Turkish Nationalist Movement Party gifts Erdogan a map of Turkic World, with a part of Russia 'seized'

Man, 49, found dead inside truck near Armenia village sand mine

Armenia emergency ministry uses off-road vehicles to provide for needs of Syunik Province border villages, says minister

There is investment activeness in Syunik Province, says Armenia economy minister

Russia PM arrives in Yerevan

Minister on Armenia economic growth: We are from optimistic realist to optimist

Armenia President, Singapore deputy PM discuss avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation

Ombudsman: Armenophobia, propaganda of enmity have reached extremist fascism in Azerbaijan (VIDEO)

Russia peacekeepers carry out round-the-clock monitoring of ceasefire in Karabakh

1 more person dies of coronavirus in Artsakh

Armenia premier: There is no Syunik Province settlement that is under blockade

Office of Armenia commissioner for diaspora, SADA Global Delivery Center sign memorandum of cooperation

Armenia government approves 2021-2026 action plan

Armenia PM: Russia MOD made proposals on preparatory phase of border delimitation with Azerbaijan

1,019 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Senator calls for end to US military aid to Azerbaijan

Armenia is elected to UNESCO Executive Board

Whose body is brought from Baku to Yerevan by Russian Southern Military District deputy commander?

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan opened random fire at some directions of Tavush Province late Wednesday evening

World oil prices still dropping

Newspaper: Armenia has set task to change its foreign policy vector, Russia analysts say

Newspaper: Coronavirus death statistics in Armenia are incomplete

Armenian immigrant couple in California sentenced to prison for $20M fraud

EEU countries PMs to arrive in Yerevan for intergovernmental council meeting

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

Opposition MPs remind Armenia PM about treason, get into dispute with ruling party deputies

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
YEREVAN.  Even the most dictatorial power in Armenia cannot resolve the Karabakh issue without taking the peoples view into account.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been nominated for the post of PM of Armenia, on Wednesday stated the abovementioned at parliament, and while responding to the MPs questions.

The peoples view is the decisive factor that shall decide [whether] this or that option for resolving the Karabakh issue is favorable to us, or is not favorable, he added. Any clandestine resolution of the Karabakh issue is ruled out. (). As long as the Karabakh authorities are not engaged in the [peace] process itself, it means we are not close to the settlement of the issue.

Also, Pashinyan said his words with respect to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict were twisted out of context.

I have said that Im authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, the acting PM explained. Im not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Nagorno Karabakh and its people for a very simple reason because the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic dont take part in the formation of power in the Republic of Armenia; they have their own government and their own power.

Pashinyan once again clarified why he, unlike the previous leaders of Armenia, cannot act in the negotiation process on behalf of Karabakh.

With their political genealogy, both [second President] Robert Kocharyan and [third President] Serzh Sargsyan are linked to the Karabakh movement and Karabakh, he said. They can consider that they have that mandate; but there is no such factor in my case.

Also, Nikol Pashinyan noted that during talks with international partners, it has to be specified as to what precepts need to be maintained in order to resolve the Karabakh conflict.

[But] if we dont want to resolve [it] and want to negotiate for another twenty years, no problem, lets negotiate.
Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was not elected Prime Minister at Wednesdays special session of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia.

No MP voted for his respective candidacy, eleven lawmakers voted against it, and one legislator abstained.

As reported earlier, the Way Out (Yelk) Faction had nominated acting PM Nikol Pashinyans candidacy to this office, whereas the other factions had nominated no candidates.

But at the same time, Yelk had asked all MPs not to vote for Pashinyan so that the parliament can be dissolved a week lateron October 31, when a PM is not elected yet again. In case of such a scenario, a snap parliamentary election will be conducted in the first half of December.

Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will visit Armenia next week.

Anna Naghdalyan, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia, informed the above-said at Wednesdays press briefing.

Earlier it was reported that the objective of this trip is to prepare for a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, in December.

The mediators plan to visit Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and Azerbaijan as well.

Serviceman Hayk Sargsyan has received a gun wound from the shot fired from the Azerbaijani side at about 12.10 p.m. local time on October 23 in one of the south-eastern units of the Artsakhs Defense Army.

The wounded serviceman was transported to hospital. The doctors assess his condition satisfactory.

Investigation is underway to reveal the circumstances of the case.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russias Vladimir Putin plan to meet in Paris next month, officials said on Tuesday, their first encounter since a summit in Helsinki that unleashed a storm of criticism that Trump was cosying up to the Kremlin, Reuters reported.

After a meeting in Moscow between Putin and Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, officials on both sides said a preliminary agreement on a Nov. 11 meeting in the French capital had been reached, and that detailed arrangements were under way.

A large concert dedicated to Charles Aznavour will be held in Paris.

The President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, stated the aforesaid in an interview on the air of RTS television of Switzerland.

Sarkissian informed that he has reached an agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron, and with respect to organizing a charity concert devoted to Aznavour.

As per the Armenian President, the event will probably take place in October 2019, and numerous musicians will be invited to perform at this concert.

Legendary French Armenian artist Charles Aznavour passed away on October 1, aged 94.

US Presidential National Security Adviser John Bolton will pay a visit to Armenia on Thursday.

Anna Naghdalyan, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, stated the aforesaid at Wednesdays press briefing.

She added that within the framework of this trip, Bolton is scheduled to meet separately with Armenias acting prime minister, defense and foreign ministers, as well as with the National Security Council secretary.

This is the largest US delegation to visit Armenia over the past several years.
JNIM Deputy Leader Warns MOC Members to Repent or Be Killed
SIU School of Law will host free Veterans Legal Clinic Nov. 6

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  A free Veterans Legal Clinic designed to help veterans with a myriad of issues will be held next month at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The inaugural event Nov. 6 at the SIU School of Law will pair veterans with licensed attorneys who will offer legal advice and assistance on civil issues including:

Evictions and housing.

Education.

Consumer issues.

Divorce.

Public benefit issues.

Sealing/expungement of cases.

Wills and power of attorney.

Discharge upgrades.

Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.

Social Security Disability/SSI claims.

The event is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Hiram H. Lesar Law Building, 1150 Douglas Drive, Carbondale.

Advanced registration encouraged

Veterans are encouraged to pre-register for eligibility pre-screening and to schedule an appointment by calling the Illinois Armed Forced Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) at 855/452-3526.

Same-day appointments will be accepted but scheduled appointments are preferred, said Martin Parsons, an adjunct professor at the SIU School of Law who oversees the law schools Veterans Legal Assistance Program.

Received grant in 2017 to provide legal aid services

The law school and Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation received grants to provide legal aid services as part of the states Armed Forces Legal Aid Network. The SIU program focuses on helping veterans with discharge upgrades and Veterans Affairs benefit appeals.

Meanwhile, in addition to accepting referrals from the hotline, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation has developed a new medical legal partnership with the Marion VA Medical Center.

The law school works to meet the needs of veterans in a 15-county region in Southern Illinois, while SIU Carbondale has a longstanding commitment and history of assisting veterans, active-duty military members, reservists and their dependents.

Several partners are involved with the Veterans Legal Clinic

In addition to the SIU School of Law, the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, and IL-AFLAN, the Public Interest Law Initiative, and Marion VA Healthcare System are partners in the event.

For more information, contact the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network at 855/452-3526.
Lesar Lecture to focus on affordable housing as a human right

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Housing policies in the United States and efforts to legislate and enforce fair housing will be among the key points in a lecture next week at the SIU School of Law.

Juan Carlos Linares, executive director of the Latin United Community Housing Association, a Chicago-based affordable housing agency, will present the Hiram H. Lesar Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 30 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In its 36th year, LUCHA assists more than 8,000 clients in the Midwest each year by offering housing counseling, foreclosure prevention and legal assistance.

Linares presentation, Advancing Housing as a Human Right, is at 5 p.m. Oct. 30 in the SIU School of Law Auditorium. The event is free, and the public is invited.

This is the 22nd lecture in the series established to honor founding Dean Hiram H. Lesar. A reception will follow the lecture in the law schools formal lounge.

Media Advisory

Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to attend the Lesar Distinguished Lecture with Juan Carlos Linares at 5 p.m. on Oct. 30 in the SIU School of Law Auditorium. For more information or to arrange interviews, contact Michele Mekel, director of external relations, at mmekel@siu.edu or 618/453-8768.

Housing is a baseline for basic needs and offers stability

Linares said housing serves as a platform for local and national policy making, which can drive the economy but also separate groups.

Whether we are discussing the unbalanced distribution of subsidies to homeowners versus renters, or the historic discrimination that has kept communities of color from opportunity and advancement, housing has been the root of many of our contemporary social ills, Linares said. But it is also a vehicle for which genuine individual participation can drive economic growth, social mobility, environmental sustainability and policy innovation.

Founding law school dean cared deeply about civil rights

Interim Dean Cindy Buys said with unfolding public housing crises exemplified by situations in Cairo and East St. Louis, Linares discussion on housing issues is extremely topical and important. She has worked with Linares on the Illinois Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

I know and respect his deep commitment to human rights in general and to the right to safe, adequate and affordable housing in particular, she said. We are delighted that he has agreed to be this years Lesar Lecturer to further educate our community about housing issues.

Housing is a human right

In determining housing opportunities, Linares said factors include interpreting equitable housing funding, how communities and neighborhoods are planned, and the impact on social mobility, climate resilience and health outcomes.

The lecture will look at:

The nations current built environment.

How people are housed.

How housing policy decisions are made.

Comparative approaches to housing in other nations.

Current case studies in housing policy, particularly as they relate to building inclusive community amenities that could overwhelm and displace a communitys original residents.

LUCHA owns and operates 198 affordable housing units in Chicagos Humboldt Park, Logan Square and West Town neighborhoods. The organization recently built the first multi-family passive house building in Illinois and completed a first-of-its-kind Health Action Plan for its Tierra Linda housing development along Chicagos 606 Trail.

The organization works with the local utilities and partners to measure and model energy savings with the hope that each tenant can save between 75 percent and 95 percent in energy costs in the first year, or about $1,100 annually.

Passive House is one of organizations proudest achievements

LUCHA worked with residents in Chicagos Humboldt Park community and partnered with local contractors and architects to build the states most energy-efficient multi-unit building, Energy efficiency and environmental resilience are keys to future housing policies and community development, Linares said.

The need for affordable housing

The term affordable usually means no more than 30 percent of a persons income should go toward rent or housing costs, according to Linares. The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University shows nationally for 2018, most lower-income households pay more than half of their income for housing. Research indicates that Southern Illinois tracks the national trend where 40 to 50 percent of residents are cost-burdened in their housing, he said.

The evidence makes clear that nationally, regionally and in Southern Illinois, there is a profound need for affordable housing options, Linares said.

Gift from parents was a strong and daily push toward education

Linares grew up in the Bellwood neighborhood of Chicago; his mother is from Peru, and his father is from Guatemala. Fearing police harassment and gangs, and crime that was taking hold, Linares said he was able to use his achievements in high school as both an escape from my daily circumstances and to learn about the history that shaped the places we lived in.

Meeting his wife, Monica, who is also a human rights attorney, while in college, Linares said they both realized a law school education was best. Linares said he knew he wanted to dedicate his career to civil rights and human rights while working with a local human rights lawyer in southern Mexico defending Guatemalan immigrants.

Service on several committees and boards

Linares chairs the Illinois Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and has a mayoral appointment to the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund Board. He is also on the boards of the Urban Theater Company and The Woodstock Institute, and serves on Northeastern Illinois University's El Centro Campus Advisory Council.

A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate with degrees in sociology and Spanish, Linares earned his law degree from DePaul Universitys College of Law. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an LL.M. in international business law from The John Marshall Law School.

Lecture honors founding dean

Hiram H. Lesar was the first dean of the SIU School of Law, which was established in 1973. While he retired as dean in 1980, Lesar continued to teach at the law school. Lesar died in 1997. In 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Founders Medal by the School of Law, the highest honor awarded by the law school.
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Wilderness preparedness: How one business makes the best survival gear for outdoor enthusiasts

Nye, Montana-based Wilderness Medical Systems manufactures medical kits for people who have the mind to explore the outdoors. These medical kits have traveled with their companions to as far as Afghanistan and Kuwait, Alaska, and Mongolia. Two of these kits went with a company that was conducting a rescue operation for a plane that landed in a glacier in Antarctica. One of them made it all the way across the Atlantic.

The majority of our clientele, traditionally, have been big-game hunters going to far-off places. But, as times have changed, more people have found us on the Internet. Weve been found by the military, overseas contractors, adventure travelers, and people wanting to be more prepared at home, Wilderness Medical Systems director Donna von Nieda said.

Donna said they define wilderness as any definitive geographical location that is situated an hour or more from facilities that can provide medical care. Taking this definition, the wilderness can be just about anywhere.

Donna and her husband, Kurt, who own Wilderness Medical Systems, do more than just offer the sale of their kits to would-be travelers. Its a little bit like insurance. And you cant leave one [piece] out, Donna said.

Their medical kits address concerns such as blisters and sprains. These may seem like a minor issue, but left untreated could cause further problems down the road, Donna said. As for major concerns such as big lacerations or deep wounds, Wilderness Medical System provide special kits and services to ensure the customers safety.

Hopefully youll never need it. But we hear all the horror stories, Donna said. (Related: You need to know these 8 essential survival tips to prepare you for the next catastrophe.)

They also basically teach travelers the value of bringing prescription medicines anywhere they go, and to think in hindsight of an escape route for every possible emergency situation that they might encounter.

The couple thinks its important for people who have gotten way too deep into their adventures to have a dependable rescue team to lean on in times when they encounter hardships that need rescuing from. To us, thats an absolute necessity, Donna said, relaying the story of a man whose father started having blood clots while on a trip in Mexico. Even before the jet left the tarmac in Miami to get him, they needed $41,000 in cash.

Kurt recounts another tale in which a hunter was gouged in the chest by a wounded Cape buffalo in Zimbabwe. A bill for such an evacuation in the outskirts of Zimbabwe would run into the hundreds of thousands, if people dont know the right companies to call, he said.

Wilderness Medical Systems was started decades ago by Dr. Gilbert Preston, who then had a primary care practice in rural Montana. Preston and his son were on a fishing trip one day when his sons wrist broke. Unfortunately, Preston wasnt able to bring the right medical supplies along, and from then on vowed never to be unprepared for any eventuality while traveling ever again. With that in mind, he started assembling and selling his own medical kits.

Donna, who is an artist by training, optimizes the business website by creating an interactive blog and managing its Facebook account. This is so out-of-the-box for me. But were so far from major commerce, the Internet is our shop. How else are people going to hear about us?

Simple disaster preparedness tips for you to chew on

It definitely wont hurt to be prepared for any untoward eventualities. One way of doing so is by always carrying water in a secure container with you wherever you go so that on the off-chance that you get stranded somewhere, you have a piece of a life-sustaining element with you.

Another way that you can help yourself and your family in times of emergency crises is by pooling your resources for your familys own emergency fund. Sacrifice one night to the movies to save up on money that would go to the fund so that your family can buy your own emergency preparedness kit and venture on a path towards total emergency preparedness.

For more stories on preparedness and survival, visit Survival.news.

Sources include:

Missoulian.com

SeattleTimes.com
WAVES of migrant caravans now targeting the United States in escalation of human invasions

On Monday, POTUS Donald Trump declared that a huge (and growing) migrant caravan heading towards the United States was a national emergency, and while he hasnt actually declared one yet, the president said hes been in contact with the military and the Department of Homeland Security to discuss response options.

But that was before a second migrant caravan formed and began following in the footsteps of the first caravan, which had reportedly grown to more than 10,000 people by late Tuesday.

As the U.K.s Daily Mail reported, the second caravan numbered around 1,000 people earlier this week before crossing from Honduras into Guatemala:

They are following in the path of a much-larger group, believed to number around 7,000, which was sheltering in the town of Huixtla, in southern Mexico, overnight on Monday.

It is not clear exactly when or where the second group started their march, though it is believed to be somewhere near San Pedro Sula, where the first started.

The paper said the second caravan is about 200 miles behind the first one, the latter of which is some 1,300 miles from the nearest U.S. border crossing in McAllen, Texas.

Though the migrant columns are being met by police and military, the host countries  Guatemala and Mexico  were not successful in stopping the vast majority of participants from continuing north.

Initially, Guatemalan police and army troops managed to block the first caravan from crossing a bridge into Mexico, insisting that everyone must first apply for visas before entering. However, most found a way around the bridge, floating across on makeshift rafts or being taken across in cars by native Mexicans. (Related: Even many liberals now agree: The wall needs to be built  WATCH at Brighteon.video.)

Whos financing the invasion?

Then there is the matter of who is helping the migrants along on their journey. While some believe that the Mexican cartels, who control the bulk of migration from and through the country, will soon become involved in smuggling groups for large fees; others suggest there are Left-wing organizations  perhaps some funded by the likes of George Soros  behind the migrant invasion.

Last week Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., addressed that issue publicly in a tweet, The National Sentinel reported. Gaetz said that footage he was provided showed mostly migrant women with children being given cash by young male distributors, suggesting the money was tied to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) aligned with the Left and Soros.

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! he tweeted.

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

Meanwhile, Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, has called on the Trump administration to investigate Americans likely involved in financing and organizing the migrant caravans, The Gateway Pundit reports.

Investigative reporter Sara A. Carter, who has traveled to the region, said in a tweet, Mostly men now crossing the #Guatamalen border  rehearsed answer this is not politics  this is about poverty. There were women and children but they were at the front of the caravan (smaller numbers). None would say who the organizers are but several said it was organized.

Mostly men now crossing the #Guatamalen border  rehearsed answer this is not politics  this is about poverty. There were women and children but they were at the front of the caravan (smaller numbers). None would say who the organizers are but several said it was organized. pic.twitter.com/MrojSwL3Ul  Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) October 22, 2018

She also noted that not all of the migrants are from Central America.

Guatemalan intelligence discovered people from India, Bangladesh, Africa had also joined in with the caravan -I bumped into a number of young MS 13 gang members. @JudicialWatch Chris Farrell and Guatemalan Secretary of Strategic Intelligence Mario Duarte on the border w/ me, she wrote in a separate tweet.

Guatemalan intelligence discovered people from India, Bangladesh, Africa had also joined in with the caravan -I bumped into a number of young MS 13 gang members. @JudicialWatch Chris Farrell and Guatemalan Secretary of Strategic Intelligence Mario Duarte on the border w/ me pic.twitter.com/qFkRUuXEiv  Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) October 22, 2018

POTUS Trump has threatened to deploy the U.S. military along Americas border if Mexican authorities dont stop the migrant hordes in their tracks. It may come to that, and sooner rather than later.

Read more about President Trumps strategy to deal with this invasion at InvasionUSA.news.

Sources include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

TheNationalSentinel.com

DailyMail.co.uk
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)  The latest on the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi (all times local):

7 p.m.

Turkish media have published a security camera image allegedly showing a vehicle belonging to the Saudi Consulate "scouting" a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul before the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The image obtained by state television TRT and other media on Wednesday shows a black car with a diplomatic license plate at an entrance to Belgrade Forest.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Consulate officials had made "reconnaissance" trips to the forest as well as the city of Yalova a day before Khashoggi was killed, while Turkish officials have told the AP that investigators were looking into the possibility that the journalist's remains may have been disposed at those two locations.

The photo was the latest in a string of images leaked by security officials to media organizations, in an apparent effort to exert pressure on Saudi officials.

___

6:30 p.m.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince has made a joke about Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri getting "kidnapped," after his bizarre resignation last year on a trip to the kingdom.

Speaking on Wednesday at an economic summit, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that Hariri "will be here for two days, so no ideas (please that) he's been kidnapped."

The audience at the Future Investment Initiative laughed and applauded.

Hariri resigned last year as prime minister during a trip to Riyadh, something many believe he was forced to do by Prince Mohammed. Hariri later left the kingdom and rescinded his resignation. He's been on other trips back since.

___

6:25 p.m.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince says his "war" is restoring the Middle East to its past glory, not mentioning the yearslong conflict he embroiled the kingdom in Yemen.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a standing ovation for the comment Wednesday at the Future Investment Initiative.

Story continues

He did not mention the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which he launched as the country's defense minister in 2015.

Over 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's civil war, which has displaced 2 million more and helped spawn a cholera epidemic. Saudi-led airstrikes have struck medical clinics and markets, killing large numbers of civilians and damaging vital infrastructure.

___

6:05 p.m.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince has called the killing of Jamal Khashoggi a "heinous crime that cannot be justified."

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman separately said that the killing of the Washington Post columnist will not "drive a wedge" between the kingdom and Turkey.

His comments Wednesday came at the Future Investment Initiative. This year's summit, however, has been overshadowed by the killing Oct. 2 of Khashoggi. Turkish officials say a 15-man Saudi team killed the writer at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. A member of Prince Mohammed's entourage was allegedly at the consulate at the time.

International business leaders have pulled out from attending the summit over the killing.

___

5:50 p.m.

Turkish officials say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have discussed what they said were "the need for joint efforts to shed light on all aspects of on the killing" of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The officials said the two, in a telephone call on Wednesday, also discuss steps that need to be taken for the investigation. They said the Saudi prince had requested the conversation.

The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity, in line with government regulations.

Turkish officials say a 15-man Saudi team, that includes at least one member from the prince's entourage, killed the writer at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia said the journalist was killed in a fistfight.

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5:35 p.m.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince has arrived for a talk at his Riyadh investment forum, a summit now clouded by the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appeared at the summit on Wednesday.

He was to talk with Bahrain's crown prince and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whom many suspect was coerced by Prince Mohammed to resign from his position on a visit to Saudi Arabia last year. Hariri later renounced his resignation.

It's the second year for the Future Investment Initiative. This year's summit, however, has been overshadowed by the killing Oct. 2 of Khashoggi. Turkish officials say a 15-man Saudi team killed the writer at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

International business leaders have pulled out from attending the summit.

___

4:35 p.m.

Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain will ban suspects in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from entering Britain.

Turkish officials say Khashoggi was killed Oct. 2 by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included diplomats and a member of Mohammed bin Salman's entourage on overseas trips.

May said that "if these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today."

May told British lawmakers that Britain condemned the killing "in the strongest possible terms" said she planned to speak to King Salman about the case later Wednesday

But May defended Britain's lucrative weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, saying U.K. arms export licensing conditions "are among the strictest in the world."

She said the High Court ruled last year that British arms exports to Saudi were legal, but noted that Britain kept all licenses "under review."

___

3:05 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says Saudi officials have not allowed Turkish investigators probing the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to search a well in the garden of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Anadolu Agency on Wednesday cited unnamed security officials for its report. It did not say however, whether Turkish investigators believe crucial evidence could be hidden in the well.

Turkish forensic teams have searched the consulate and the consul general's official residence, as well as vehicles belonging to the consulate, as part of their probe into Khashoggi's death.

Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family, was killed Oct. 2 at the consulate as a result of a fistfight. Turkey insists the 59-year-old Washington Post columnist's killing was pre-planned and was carried out by a 15-member assassination squad.

___

1:25 p.m.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is claiming that Saudi Arabia would not have dared have journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul without having some sort of backing from the United States.

The remarks follow Turkey's assertion that the writer was killed by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on overseas trips.

Wednesday's report by the state-run IRNA news agency quotes Rouhani as saying: "I don't think that without getting support from the United States, a country would dare to commit such a crime."

Rouhani offered no evidence for his allegations.

Rouhani also called the Saudi system of government a "tribal rule" under which individuals enjoy protection and support from those in power. That protection is such that no court would initiate any actions against those individuals.

___

1:15 p.m.

Australia says a ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia is one of the options it is considering after a journalist was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Australian officials say they are no longer prioritizing a defense industry agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne was asked in Parliament on Wednesday whether Australia would follow the lead of other countries and suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Payne responded that "all options are on the table."

She added: "We absolutely recognize this is an extremely serious situation of the highest order of magnitude."

Australia also responded to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the consulate in Istanbul by boycotting an investment conference created by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that is now underway in Riyadh.

___

1 p.m.

Spain's prime minister says his government will fulfill past arms sales contracts with Saudi Arabia despite his "dismay" over the "terrible murder" of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pedro Sanchez has told lawmakers on Wednesday that protecting jobs in southern Spain was also central to his decision last month to go ahead with a controversial bomb shipment to Saudi Arabia.

Spain has said that the $2.1 billion purchase by Saudi Arabia for five navy ships was put at risk when the government pondered canceling the shipment 400 precision bombs purchased by Riyadh in 2015.

Sanchez hasn't clarified what his plans are regarding future purchases by the long-time commercial ally.

The prime minister says his government will also make a proposal to make Spain a "pioneer" in verification and transparency on arms exports.

___

12:30 p.m.

Turkey's president says his country is determined not to allow all those responsible for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi escape justice.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also pledged that Turkey would share any new evidence it acquires in the investigation into the killing in a "transparent manner." He spoke on Wednesday at a symposium in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Erdogan says: "We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible  from the person who gave the order to those who executed it  not to escape justice."

Saudi Arabia has said that Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family, was killed Oct. 2 in a "fistfight" with officials sent to encourage him to return to the kingdom.

Erdogan has said the 59-year-old Washington Post columnist was the victim of a pre-planned "savage murder."

___

11:35 a.m.

The Saudi woman who defied authorities by driving a car before the kingdom's ban on female drivers was lifted in August, says her friend Jamal Khashoggi "was really assassinated for being outspoken."

Manal Al-Sharif says "this is a new level the Saudi government is reaching," adding that people inside the kingdom "are so afraid to speak up."

Al-Sharif spoke in Denmark where she's promoting her book "Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening,"

Turkey says Khashoggi was killed in a planned murder at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

Al-Sharif told Denmark's TV2 channel on Wednesday that Khashoggi supported her fight for the Saudi women's right to drive. After al-Sharif got behind the wheel, she was arrested and jailed. She now lives in "a self-imposed exile" in Australia.

___

9:45 a.m.

Pakistan says Saudi Arabia will provide a $6 billion package of loans and deferred payments in an effort to resuscitate Islamabad's flagging economy, struggling under the weight of a whopping $18 billion deficit.

The deal was signed Tuesday by Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar and his Saudi counterpart, Muhammad Abdullah Al-Jadaan, on the sidelines of an international investment forum underway in the kingdom.

Many international business leaders and officials had pulled out of attending the gathering in the wake of the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Pakistan's new Prime Minister Imran Khan went to the conference despite rights activists' urging he boycott the venue over Khashoggi's killing.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said the Saudi aid gives Pakistan an immediate $3 billion to bolster its foreign exchange reserves. At the end of one year, it's to be returned to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan will also get $3 billion in oil imports on a buy-now-pay-later basis.

Separately from the Saudi influx, Pakistan is also seeking an IMF loan.

___

8:50 a.m.

The Saudi crown prince is to make his first international speech since the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Mohammed bin Salman is to address the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon.

The summit is the prince's brainchild, an effort to draw much-needed foreign direct investment into the kingdom to create jobs for its young population.

However, this year's summit has been overshadowed by the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi. Turkish officials say the writer was killed by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on overseas trips.

Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue.

Many international business leaders have pulled out of attending the summit over Khashoggi's slaying.
Tuesdays massive sell-off in the global crude oil markets spread on Wednesday to the Middle East crude oil complex, where prices for December cash Dubaithe nearest month trading in Octoberplunged by 4.42 percent at close of business in Singapore in the biggest drop since June, traders tell S&P Global Platts.

The most actively traded international oil benchmarks, Brent and WTI, plunged on Tuesday to a two-month low, with both WTI Crude and Brent Crude slumping by 4 percentthe worst one-day drop since July. The decline was prompted by a broader equity market sell-off earlier on Tuesday and the Saudi move to assure that there will be oil for each oil customer and that OPEC and allies are in a produce as much you can mode.

Later on Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a huge build of 9.88 million barrels of United States crude oil inventories for the week ending October 19, adding further downward pressure on oil prices.

On Wednesday, twenty minutes before the EIA inventory report, WTI Crude was trading higher 0.90 at $67.03, while Brent Crude was up 0.30 at $76.67. As EIA confirmed a build, albeit a smaller one, Brent and WTI prices held steady.

But across the Middle Eastern, the December Dubai cash slumped on Wednesday by 4.42 percent to settle at $74.40 a barrel, down on the day from $77.84. This was the biggest day-on-day price movement in the front-month Dubai cash price since June 18, 2018, when the price of Dubai cash plummeted by 4.55 percent to $70.94 a barrel. Related: Why Is Canadian Crude Selling For $20?

Traders in Singapore told Platts that it was a general trend and everything is coming off.

Yet, according to Platts data, the December Oman futures contract traded relatively higher on Wednesday on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange, with the December Oman futures at $75.42 in the afternoon Singapore time, just $0.28 per barrel lower than December ICE Brent futures at the same time.

The Middle East crude oil prices are benchmarks for the official selling prices (OSPs) of the oil of all Middle Eastern producers who price the crude they sell to Asiatheir most-coveted marketagainst the Dubai and Oman benchmarks.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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With the whole oil world watching the latest news around Iran and the U.S. sanctions that seek to reduce its exports of crude to zero, an announcement by Iraqs Energy Minister passed largely unnoticed. The announcement was, as reported by Bloomberg, that Iraqs oil production rate had hit a record-high of 4.78 million bpd, which made the OPEC member the worlds fourth-largest oil producer, ahead of Canada.

One might wonder how this is significant, but only if this one is somebody who has only been focusing on Iran lately. Iraqs in the second-largest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia, and it is a very politically unstable country. The higher its production, the greater its share of the overall increase in output that the cartel is attempting, and so far, failing to achieve in a bid to offset the shortage from Iran.

And Iraq is not the only large producer that can swing prices higher or lower. Count Libya and Nigeria in as well. In Libya, the danger of production outages should be factored into prices on general principle given the frequency of these outages. The North African country has proved quite effective in reducing the duration of these outages, but any supply disruption from the Oil Crescent will immediately affect international prices.

Then there is Nigeria. While militant attacks on infrastructure in the Niger Delta have stopped after the federal government managed to convince the militants to lay down their arms, this does not mean it is all quiet in Africas top oil exporter. RBCs Helima Croft, for example, told CNBC this week that with elections pending in both Libya and Nigeria, supply could be threatened. RBC also warned its clients that half a million barrels daily could be wiped out from the combined production of Nigeria and Libya after the elections.

Yet elections in Nigeria are still months away. The worry that the next government could take a different approach to Niger Delta militants and these groups might resume their attacks on infrastructure is still in the realm of the hypothetical. Besides, any effect from the change of government in Nigeria will come even later. By then, the actual impact of U.S. sanctions on the Iranian oil industry should be evident, stabilizing prices, albeit temporarily. Related: Is There Too Much Light Crude On The Market?

Libyas elections may be a more direct threat for oil prices. Scheduled for December, the presidential and parliamentary votes might not even take place, according to a September update from the UN envoy to the country. "There is still a lot to do. It may not be possible to respect the date of December 10," the envoy, Ghassan Salame, told AFP. And yet, violent clashes in Libya have regrettably become more or less a part of life, and the National Oil Corporation has become rather effective in dealing with them so as to minimize the impact on production. Given Libyans dependence on oil revenues, this effectiveness is only to be expected.

Heres what Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights, a Singapore-based provider of research and analysis on the global oil markets, had to say about this. Ifand thats a big ifboth Libyan and Nigerian production is affected and it is as bad in Libya as the incident this summer, we could see 600-700,000 bpd disappear from the market. That would surely have OPEC running on fumes if it is already stretched covering the loss of barrels from Iran. However, if it is just Libya or Nigeria and the problem is it a prolonged one, OPEC may be able to compensate and we wouldnt necessarily see a sustained spike in crude.

Ole Hansen, Saxo Banks head of commodity strategy told Oilprice there was no doubt that the outages, if materialized, would increase the market volatility. Additional uncertainty about supply on top of Iran, Hansen said, should support the price while reducing the current focus on a demand destructive global slowdown.

So perhaps the danger of Brent hitting US$100 a barrel as a result of production outages in Iraq, Libya or Nigeria may be a little bit overblown in light of the fact that such outages are far from certain. On the other hand, these three certainly bear watching, in addition to Iran. It pays to be prepared, after all.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Frances oil and gas major Total said on Tuesday that the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Ichthys LNG project offshore Western Australia had left the port of Darwin for the first export of the US$40-billion project that began producing gas in July this year.

The planned production volumes at Ichthys will be 8.9 million tons of LNG annually, 1.65 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a year, and around 100,000 bpd of condensate at peak production and full capacity, according to the French energy supermajor.

Total is a partner in the Ichthys LNG venture with a 30-percent stake, while the operator is Japans largest exploration and production company, Inpex.

Inpex also confirmed on Tuesday that the first LNG cargo departed from Australia en route to INPEX-operated Naoetsu LNG terminal in Niigata Prefecture in Japan.

Some 70 percent of LNG from the Ichthys project will be bound for Japanthe largest LNG importer in the world.

Production at the Ichthys LNG began in July this year, when Inpex expected first shipment of products from the project toward the end of the first half of its current fiscal yearApril to September.

At the beginning of October, the first condensate cargo departed from the Ichthys LNG project for the Asian market, while the project is also scheduled to start the shipment of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) later this year, Inpex said today.

The start of LNG exports from Ichthys marks the commercial operation of the most recent LNG project off Australias coasts over the past decade. LNG projects that began operations in Australia in recent years include Chevron-operated Gorgon and Wheatstone.

The last of the major projects is Shells Prelude, a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility in Browse Basin off the northwest coast of Western Australia. Shells CEO Ben van Beurden said on an earnings conference call in July that based on Shells current commissioning schedule, we are on track to start production this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Canada probably wont stop exporting light armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia amid global outrage at the killing of Saudi government critic Jamal Khashoggi, but it needs to reduce its dependency on Saudi oil, the leader of the Conservative in parliament, Andrew Scheer told media, as quoted by The Huffington Post.

The LAV deal, signed by the previous government, has been honored by the current cabinet as well, and as per a Canadian Press report from this week it would cost US$760 million (C$1 billion) to cancel the US$11.5-billion (C$15-billion) deal. The Canadian Press cited PM Justin Trudeau as saying he did not want to saddle Canadians with a billion-dollar bill.

Just a day earlier, however, Trudeau was quoted by various media as saying that Ottawa was prepared to freeze the LV deal if it finds out the vehicles have been misused. "We strongly demand and expect that Canadian exports are used in a way that fully respects human rights," the PM said in parliament on Tuesday. "We have frozen export permits before when we had concerns about their potential misuse and we will not hesitate to do so again."

Faced with the same question, however, the leader of the Conservatives in parliament dodged it, turning instead to oil. "When we talk about what Canada can do to stand up to Saudi Arabia, I believe the most effective way to do that is to get Canada off foreign oil, especially Saudi Arabia's," The Huffington Post quoted Scheer as saying.

As reporters pressed the MP for an answer, Scheer conceded that a cancelation of the contract is a possibility but refrained from any more specifics.

Canadas relations with Saudi Arabia were already strained after a tweet from the Foreign Ministry in Ottawa criticizing Riyadh for the detention of human rights activists spurred the Saudis into action, which consisted of severing all diplomatic relations with Canada. Now, public outcry against the killing of Khashoggi could tip the scales further against Saudi Arabia and Canadas arms business with Riyadh.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Qatar plans to increase its liquefied natural gas production capacity by 43 percent to 110 million tons annually, S&P Global Platts reports, citing the countrys Energy and Industry Minister.

To date, Qatar has an annual LNG production capacity of 77 million tons annually and, S&P Global Platts notes, this latest update on future plans is the largest yet. Earlier, Qatar had announced plans to up production capacity to 100 million tons annually by 2020, after it lifted a moratorium on drilling in its largest deposit, the North Field, which it shares with Iran. Iran calls the field South Pars.

When the moratorium was lifted, plans were to build three additional liquefaction trains at the worlds largest gas field that would add 23.4 million tons annually to total capacity, Rystad Energy noted at the time, adding that the decision to start drilling at the North Field came as several large-scale LNG export projects in the United States awaited their final investment decision.

Indeed, Qatar, which is still the worlds top LNG exporter, has been facing growing competition from Australia and the United States, and both capacity updates aim to tackle this competition.

Now, Qatar Petroleum, the state company, will add a fourth liquefaction train to the North Fields processing facilities, which will have an annual capacity of 32 million tons of LNG, as per an earlier announcement from the companys chief executive, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, as quoted by Natural Gas Intelligence.

The expansion will put Qatar well ahead of Australia, whose total LNG capacity is about to reach 88 million tons annually once all projects begin producing at full capacity. Yet the timeline for the increase has been changed. While the 100-million-tons expansion was slated to be done by 2020, the 110 million tons will be produced beginning in 2024, minister Mohammad Bin Saleh Al-Sada said at an industry event in Japan.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Chinas largest refiners, state-held Sinopec and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), havent booked any crude oil cargoes from Iran for November due to fears that in doing so, they would be in breach of the U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil returning in less than two weeks, Reuters reported on Wednesday, quoting two people with direct knowledge of the plans.

The key concern for the state-owned refiners is the uncertainty over whether Irans Chinese customers would obtain waivers from the sanctions, Reuterss sources said.

China, Irans single-largest oil customer, has said that it would not stop buying Iranian oil despite U.S. efforts to have the Iranian exports down to zero. But Beijing was also said to have agreed to refrain from increasing its oil purchases from Iran. Iran, for its part, is keen to keep its single biggest oil customer when U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports kick in.

Analysts have assumed that China will keep buying Iranian oil and be pretty much the only certain meaningful customer of Iran, because the other major buyer, India, is even more hard-pressed by the United States to wind down purchases from Tehran.



Last month, Chinas top refiner Sinopec was said to be halving its oil imports from Iran as of September, bowing to pressure from the United States.

Related: Find 150+ Crude Oil Prices Here

Sinopeclisted in Hong Kong, but more importantly, also in New Yorkhas reportedly faced direct pressure from the United States to curtail Iranian oil imports. According a Reuters source, U.S. officials visited Sinopec in Beijing in August and demanded steep reductions of oil imports from Iran.

Now a senior industry official with a Chinese state oil firm told Reuters on Wednesday that in the face of uncertainty over waivers, No company will risk taking any barrels for November.

The risk is a lot greater than the amount of oil cut, the source told Reuters.

The United States has recently hinted that it was at least considering waivers, but U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said over the weekend that it would be more difficult for Iranian oil customers to get waivers from the sanctions than it was during the Obama administration, and the United States would issue waivers, if any, only to buyers that have significantly reduced Iranian purchases.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Depleting mature fields and lack of new exploration and investment will result in Vietnams crude oil production declining by 10 percent every year until 2025, the state-run Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, or PetroVietnam, said on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, Vietnams government said it expected the countrys oil production in 2018 to decline by 14.7 percent compared to 2017 and to average around 227,130 bpd.

Vietnam pumped 320,000 bpd of oil and other liquids in 2016, down by 9 percent from the 2015 production of 350,000 bpd, EIA data shows. Although production has risen in some years, overall production has dropped from a peak of 403,000 bpd in 2004 as output from the large mature oil fields falls.

The rise in recoverable reserves has slowed to an alarming rate, affecting the sustainability of the development of Vietnams oil and gas industry, Reuters quoted PetroVietnam as saying on its website today.

Insufficient funds have prevented PetroVietnam from expanding exploration activities, the company noted.

Another deterrent to more exploration offshore is the geopolitical hot potato, the South China Sea, where Vietnam and China and a bunch of other countries around the sea are disputing territories in the busy maritime traffic waterway, parts of which are considered to contain a lot of oil and gas.

Vietnam suspended in March a drilling project in the South China Sea under pressure from China. A few weeks later, PetroVietnam issued a rare comment on the South China Sea tension, saying that the dispute would affect the Vietnamese companys efforts to attract foreign investors to its offshore.

Vietnams falling production from mature fields is adding to the natural decline of production elsewhere in the world, which experts see as opening a supply gap in the early 2020s unless new large discoveries are made soon.

The industry basically needs to replace one North Sea each year, as the world needs to replace 3 million bpd of supply decline from mature fields, while global oil demand continues to grow at a robust pace, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Oil 2018 report in March this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Bucking the trend from last month, when spot cargoes of Middle Eastern oil traded at multi-year premium highs in Asia due to falling Iranian oil supply, this month spot cargoes are trading at discounts to their official prices, due to increased supply from Irans fellow OPEC members in the Middle East and to lower demand from Japan, where some refineries had closed in the wake of natural disasters.

Most of the Middle Eastern grades on spot cargoes for December loadings are trading at discounts this month, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing industry sources.

Last month, refiners asked for a lot of additional Saudi crude, according to a trader at a North Asian refiner. Saudi Arabia is boosting deliveries of Arab Extra Light to some refiners in north Asia, Reuters sources say.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia was said to be set to deliver extra 4 million barrels of its oil to India in November, in what could be a Saudi move to replace the loss of Iranian barrels due to the U.S. sanctions on Tehran returning early next month.

Apart from Saudi Arabia, Persian Gulf producers Kuwait and the UAE are also increasing supply and have recently launched new crude grades. The UAEs Umm Lulu and Kuwaits Super Light Crude are adding a combined 170,000 bpd of new light oil supply, according to Reuters estimates.

The Asian market is currently well-supplied with light sour crude grades, including Saudi Arab Extra Light, grades from the UAEs ADNOC, and from Kazakhstan, another trader with a refiner in north Asia told Reuters.



Related: Is There Too Much Light Crude On The Market?

While supply is ample, demand in Japan has faltered over the past two months, after a typhoon swept through the country in September, killing 11 people and forcing some refiners to shut refining units.

As of October 10, Japanese refiners had 20 percent of all refining capacity shut down, due to a combination of scheduled maintenance and unexpected closures because of natural disasters, S&P Global Platts has estimated.

Utilization rates in Japan are not very high and spot purchases are at a minimum, a Japanese oil buyer told Reuters on Tuesday.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Malaysia's new leader Mahathir Mohamad met his Thai counterpart on Wednesday in his first visit to his northern neighbour, pledging his help to bring peace in Thailand's violence-scarred south. Thailand's mainly Muslim southern region bordering Malaysia has been in the grips of a low-level but bloody insurgency for more than a decade, as ethnic Malay militants battle the Buddhist-majority state for greater autonomy. The insurgency has seen almost 7,000 people -- mostly civilians -- killed since 2004, although the death toll in 2017 was the lowest in 13 years amid a tighter security operation. Malaysia has long acted as a facilitator for brokering peace talks between the Thai government and Mara Patani, an umbrella group that claims to be the political wing of a shadowy network of rebel fighters clashing with state forces. But the talks have stalled in the past year, and both countries recently appointed new representatives to lead the delicate negotiation process. Mahathir met in the late afternoon with junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha in Bangkok, telling a press conference afterwards that working together to resolve the conflict was an "opportunity to display" the friendship between the neighbours. "We have pledged to help in whatever way possible to end this violence in the south," Mahathir said. Resolving the years-long conflict would be in the best interests for both countries, as well as for the region, Prayut told reporters. "The dialogue will resume immediately and Malaysia is the facilitator," Prayut said. "We both agree that this is Thailand's domestic problem. Malaysia is willing to help so that the problems will be solved faster," said Prayut. Neither party gave further details or a timeline for the process. Panitan Wattanayagorn, a security advisor to Thailand's deputy prime minister, told AFP on Tuesday that Malaysia's role was essential in ensuring peace and stability in the restive southern states. "This gives us hope to move the peace process forward," he said. "We need Malaysia as a facilitator." - Observers sceptical - But analysts of the Deep South conflict remain sceptical of moves to jumpstart fractious talks months before expected elections in February. "Mara Patani said they are not going to come to the table until there is a democratically elected government in Thailand," Don Pathan, a Thailand-based independent analyst, told AFP. "Most importantly, the BRN, the group that controls virtually all the combatants on the ground, are not part of the dialogue." The BRN, or Barisan Revolusi Nasional, is believed to oversee most fighters but has long refused to talk barring international mediation -- which the Thai government has consistently rejected. Thailand's three southernmost provinces were colonised over a century ago. But the majority Malay Muslim population have long chafed under Bangkok's rule. Rights groups have accused both both insurgents and security forces of widespread human rights abuses in the region. How far talks go depends not on Malaysia, but on the Thai military which has "dragged its feet" on the process, said Paul Chambers, an expert on the conflict at Naresuan University. "The fact that the talks have fallen off could mean that the junta has seen them more as a public relations stunt than as a sincere endeavour." Mahathir's visit to Thailand is the first for the statesman since he swept to a surprise victory in the country's national poll in May. He will also meet with members of the Malaysian diaspora on Thursday, followed by a public lecture at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University on the two countries' relationship. burs-dhc/joe/gle
CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma has urged the faithful to pray for the blessings they received in 2018 and for President Rodrigo Duterte.He appealed to the public not to cheer on the chief executives unflattering

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not intervene in the next moves of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Solicitor General (OSG), after a Makati court junked the government's petition for Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's arrest, Malacanang said Wednesday, October 24.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President has no plans of giving orders to the DOJ and the OSG.

Panelo said Duterte's mere directive was to "do what is best."

"Everyone will have to ask advice either from me or directly to the President. But mostly, hindi na kailangan mag-paalam kay Presidente kasi ang marching orders palagi do what is best for you to do," the Palace official said in a phone-patch interview with Palace reporters.

(Everyone will have to ask advice either from me or directly to the President. But mostly, the agencies no longer need to ask permission from the President because his marching orders is to always do what is best for you to do.)

"Walang latest directive si Presidente. Hindi nakikialam si Presidente diyan, palaging pinapabayaan niya 'yung mga sangay mag-desisyon. Ever since ganyan ang style niya," he added.

(There is no latest directive from the President with regard to Trillanes's case. He does not meddle. He always lets each branch of government to make their own decision. That's his style ever since.)

The DOJ is set to file a motion of partial reconsideration before the Makati RTC Branch 148 "not later than Friday (October 26)," instead of the OSG questioning the court's decision before the Court of Appeals.

Panelo earlier said Solicitor General Jose Calida will "very soon" file a petition before the Court of Appeals.

But Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he and Calida have agreed to file the motion for partial reconsideration before the Makati court first.

"Ang DOJ naman ang nag-file, sila nag-file sa RTC kaya hayaan na muna (The DOJ was the one that filed the petition. So let it be since it was the one who filed before the RTC)," Panelo said.

Story continues

"'Pag na-deny (If it is denied), that's the time the SolGen will take over... Kung di mare-reverse dumeretso ka na. ganoon lang 'yan. Pareho lang yan (If the ruling will not be reversed, go to the CA. That's it. It's just the same)," he added.

On Monday, October 22, the Makati RTC denied the DOJ's petition for an arrest warrant and hold departure order against Trillanes in relation to the dismissed coup d' etat case.

The case was dismissed in 2011 after Trillanes was granted amnesty by the Aquino administration.

President Duterte's Proclamation 572, signed on August 31, voided the amnesty granted to Trillanes and ordered the revival of cases against the senator.

Another court, Makati RTC Branch 150 revived the rebellion case against Trillanes and ordered his arrest on September 25. The senator was allowed to post bail on the same day.

Trillanes, a former Navy officer, was charged with rebellion and coup d' etat after he took part in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny and 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege against the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. (SunStar Philippines)
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, October 24, revealed that he has ordered the arrest of Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence agant Jimmy Guban, who was earlier citedfor contempt at the Senate for

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, October 24, revealed that he has ordered the arrest of Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence agant Jimmy Guban, who was earlier cited

for contempt at the Senate for perjury and involvement in the illegal entry of P6.8-billion shabu from China.

In a speech delivered at Palace's Heroes Hall, the President said he directed Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde to have Guban arrested and have him investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

"Iyang si Guban pinapa-aresto ko. Sabi ko, right after the session, 'You arrest him.' Sabi ni Albayalde, 'What ground?' [Sabi ko.] 'Just arrest him, bring him to the NBI. Huwag kayo kasi kayo, namention kasyo diyan sa investigation. Bring him to the NBI,'" Duterte said.

(I have ordered the arrest of Guban. I said, right after the session, "You arrest him." Albayalde asked, "What ground?" [I said,] "Just arrest him, bring him to the NBI.")

"Tawagan mo nga kung naaresto na. Naaresto na? (Call somebody and ask if he's already arrested. Is he already arrested?)" he added.

On September 11, Guban, a member of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, was ordered arrested by Senate blue ribbon committee chair Richard Gordon.

Guban, who is believed to be a conduit of international drug traffickers in the BOC, was cited for contempt for allegedly telling lies during a Senate hearing on the P6.8-billion shabu shipment intercepted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the Manila International Container Port on August 7.

A September 12 special report furnished by Duterte to Palace reporters on October 10 confirmed Guban's supposed links to illegal drugs.

The report claimed that Guban's style was to "try to impresss his boss or superior by providing accomplishments."

"He (Guban) would present himself as a team player, raiding warehouses full of fireworks and ukay-ukay," it read.

Story continues

"His modus was to arrange with the owners the raid of their warehouses. The arrangement is for the owners to remove 75 percent or their goods, and leave the 25 percent to be caught by the BOC officials and shown off for media mileage. By doing these, he could both look good to his superior while at the same time forwarding his own agenda with the warehouse owners," the report added.

The report that came from Duterte also recommended that Guban undergo a further investigation and an in-depth lifestyle check.

"The anomalies at the BOC will not come to an end until the individuals behind the illegal activities in the bureau are removed," the report said. "Even with great leaders, as long as these rotten personnel remains, the anomalities will still prevail."

Duterte, irked by Guban's alleged involvement in rampant narcotics trade, warned: "P****** i**, dalhin mo doon sa Cavite, ihulog mo doon sa... Siya ang nagpapasok, siya ang nag-fake ng ID. Alam mo, if you do that every day, p****** i**, ginagawa mo akong gago eh. 'Pag ganon na lang, I would rather resign."

(Son of a b****, bring him to Cavite and drop him.... He was the one who produced fake IDs. You know, if you do that every day, son of a b****, you want me to look stupid. If that's the case, I would rather resign.) (SunStar Philippines)
The size and shape of women's birth canals vary depending on what part of the world they live in but most medical textbooks are based on a European body type, scientists said Wednesday, warning of health risks. Differences in the depth and width of the pelvic canal determine a newborn's route into the world, and forcing births to conform to a single standard can be harmful to mother and child, they reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. "An obstetrician's training is based on a model of the pelvis that has been developed from European women," said lead author Lia Betti, a senior lecturer in evolutionary anthropology at the University of Roehampton in London. "But the typical pelvic shape and typical childbirth pattern can differ among populations," she told AFP. "An update seems necessary, especially in a multi-ethnic society." Women from sub-Saharan Africa, for example, tend to have a deeper canal, while -- at the other extreme -- native American women generally have a wider one, she explained. European and Asian women fall somewhere in between. This matters because, during birth, a baby rotates while travelling through the canal, aligning the sides of the head and shoulders to the channel's contours. "If a woman's birth canal is substantially different from the model described in textbooks, the movement of the baby will also deviate from the expected pattern," Betti said. She cited examples from the early-to-mid 20th century of "horrendous consequences" when forceps were used to rotate babies during delivery, based on erroneous assumptions about the shape of the pelvis. X-raying pregnant women -- standard practice well into the 1950s to determine the position of babies -- helped provide the database highlighting differences in female anatomy. Some 300,000 women die during or shortly after childbirth each year, many due to "complications from delivery," according to the World Health Organization. - Far from Africa - One of those "complications" is the fact that humans have a big brain encased in bone. "Owing to the tight fit, the foetus needs to perform a series of rotations to successfully navigate the mother's birth canal," Betti explained. The shape of the female pelvis has also been described as an evolutionary compromise between a short, compact body suited for walking on two limbs, and a spacious pelvic canal for big-brained newborns. But none of this tells us why women in Namibia, Nanjing, and Norway have different internal architectures for giving birth. There are three possible explanations, none of them mutually exclusive, the authors said. One is cold weather environments, which may have led to the emergence of wider hips -- and, at the same time, a larger inlet to the birth canal -- to reduce heat loss by increasing body mass for insulation. Some studies have suggested that natural selection may have helped to winnow out body types poorly suited to delivery. The evidence for both of these theories, however, is patchy at best. The most likely cause of variation, said Betti, has more to do with human migration. Homo sapiens originated in Africa and dispersed rapidly into new continents 60,000 to 100,000 years ago -- in the case of North American more recently. Each founding population was small, forming what is known as a genetic bottleneck. The further from Africa, the less genetic diversity the migrant groups had. That means that whichever traits they shared -- blond hair and fair skin in Scandinavia, for example -- would dominate locally. Likewise for pelvic shapes and contours, which remain far more diverse in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere. "This is clear evidence that birth canal variation has been shaped by past population history," Betti said. "Distance from Africa explains a remarkable 43.5 percent of canal diversity within human populations."
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Fires in the African savannah  planned by national park staff to regenerate the preferred grasses of grazers such as wildebeests and zebras  are killing the few foods that endangered black rhinos love to eat.

And that makes the long-term future of black rhinos even more uncertain, according to new research from T. Michael Anderson, a Wake Forest associate professor of biology who studies the black rhinos living in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. It's one of the last refuges for this critically endangered mammal.

Anderson's new research suggests that better protecting the places where rhinos find their food could be critical to ensuring their survival. "The burning question: does fire affect habitat selection and forage preference of the black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis in East African savannahs?" appears in Oryx: The International Journal of Conservation.

This is the first study on how fire affects food sources of the black rhino, one of the most threatened large mammals on the planet. Fewer than 50 black rhinos survive in Serengeti, after decades of poaching have whittled away at their numbers.

Natural resource managers for the Serengeti use fire as a tool to increase nutrient-rich forage grasses for grazers; keep the bush from overtaking the savannah; and control ticks and diseases. But Anderson's survey of the post-burn landscape shows that such controlled burning doesn't help the woody plants preferred by browsers like the rhinos.

The rhinos' size limits what they eat: Their height means they can only pluck the leaves and fruits that grow below two meters on bushes and trees  which are almost always destroyed by the fires. And their range is relatively small; they can't travel distances like their fellow browsers, giraffes and elephants. Of the many hundreds of plant species that grow in Serengeti, black rhinos selectively prefer only about 10. One of their favorites, according to Anderson's study, is Achyranthes aspera, or chaff-flower.

After analyzing where Serengeti's rhinos visited and what they ate, Anderson determined that black rhinos preferred to graze in spots that haven't burned in at least 10 years. The park conducts controlled burns at least once a year.

Anderson has shared his research with the Serengeti's park warden and suggested a multi-pronged approach to black rhino conservation, including anti-poaching efforts and habitat management. For instance, some places in the ecosystem could be burned less frequently to create patches of woody vegetation for the rhinos to feed on.

"We need to acknowledge multiple management goals even if they aren't in line with each other," Anderson said. "Then we need to try to implement a management plan that provides a mosaic or patchwork of solutions."

Explore further Two rhinos die in Chad after being relocated from S.Africa

More information: T. Michael Anderson et al. The burning question: does fire affect habitat selection and forage preference of the black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis in East African savannahs?, Oryx (2018). Journal information: Oryx T. Michael Anderson et al. The burning question: does fire affect habitat selection and forage preference of the black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis in East African savannahs?,(2018). DOI: 10.1017/S0030605318000388
Symrise Master Perfumer David Apel samples fragrances in front of Philyra, an AI solution developed by IBM researchers and Symrise, which helped create two new fragrances for global beauty company O Boticario to be released in 2019. Credit: IBM

Skilled perfumers bring art and science together to design new fragrances, a talent that takes ten or more years to develop. Crafting a fragrance that leaves an impression is one of the most important components a consumer considers when forming a positive or negative opinion about everyday products like laundry detergent, deodorant, air freshener and, of course, cologne and perfume. What if artificial intelligence (AI) could learn from these professionals to augment the process of developing new fragrances or identify completely novel creative pathways? With this in mind, my team at IBM Research, together with Symrise, one of the top global producers of flavors and fragrances, created an AI system that can learn about formulas, raw materials, historical success data and industry trends.

Building on previous IBM research using AI to pair flavors and for recipe creation, as well as our new IBM Research AI for Product Composition, we created Philyra. It is a system that uses new and advanced machine learning algorithms to sift through hundreds of thousands of formulas and thousands of raw materials, helping identify patterns and novel combinations. Philyra does more than serve up inspiration  it can design entirely new fragrance formulas by exploring the entire landscape of fragrance combinations to discover the whitespaces in the global fragrance market.

Our work with Symrise spans three of their business units within the Fragrance Division: Fine Fragrance, Home Care and Beauty Care, but our initial research and success started with fine fragrances and perfumes. Creating a fine fragrance is an art as well as a science that requires precision, as even the smallest change in the amount of a material can make or break a new perfume. As a result, our team took a data-driven approach, relying on data about hundreds of thousands of fragrance-formulas, fragrance families (e.g. fruity or floral), a fragrance's raw materials and historical information that captures the success of previously designed perfumes and formulas, among other data points. With this wealth of data, Philyra uses machine learning to generate new combinations of fragrance formulations that fit the specific design objectivesfor example, creating a unique fragrance for Brazilian millennials.

Discovering New Ingredient Combinations With Machine Learning

Credit: IBM

Our system includes algorithms that learn and predict:

alternative raw material complements and substitutes that could be used in a formula;

the appropriate dosing for a raw material based on usage patterns;

the human response (pleasantness and gender appropriateness); and

the novelty of the fragrance by comparing it to a large set of commercially available fragrances.

When it comes to new perfume design, novelty is a major driver, and Philyra learns a distance model to identify fragrances that are close in smell to existing fragrances. The larger the distance between a fragrance and its neighbors, the more novel the perfume is predicted to be.

Symrise used Philyra to design two perfumes, scheduled to launch in mid-2019, for O Boticario, one of the top global beauty companies. As part of the human-machine development process, the initial formulas suggested by the system were tweaked by a master perfumer to emphasize a certain note and improve how long it lasted on the skin. Philyra's understanding of consumer preferences allowed Symrise's perfumers to focus on perfecting the final perfumes rather than spending time searching for new fragrance combinations. As an innovator this collaboration with IBM Research and Symrise allowed O Boticario to exploit AI to create a product tailored for a specific consumer demographic and personality.

Philyra, based on IBM Research AI for Product Composition, uses advanced machine learning algorithms to create new and innovative fragrances. The system is able to sift through hundreds of thousands of formulas and thousands of raw materials, helping identify patterns and novel combinations. IBM Research and Symrise used Philyra to create two new perfumes that will be released in 2019 by global beauty company O Boticario. Credit: IBM

Symrise's longer-term goal is to introduce this technology to their master perfumers around the globe and continue to use the solution for the design of fragrances for personal care and home care products. Symrise also plans to introduce Philyra into their Perfumery School to help train the next generation of perfumers, firmly embedding AI into the heart of its organization.

Grounded in machine learning, IBM Research AI for Product Composition can also be generalized to other kinds of applications like designing flavors, cosmetics and consumer products like shampoo or laundry detergent, as well as industrial products like adhesives, lubricants or construction materials. While this is still research today, the technology has the potential to be made available as a service to help any number of businesses accelerate and scale their creative design process.

Our research continues to push the boundaries of augmenting human expertise using AI and demonstrating how AI can assist in domains where creativity is key. In the case of fragrances, the art and science of designing a winning perfume is something humans have explored for hundreds of years. Now, perfumers can have an AI apprentice by their side that can analyze thousands of formulas and historical data to identify patterns and predict novel combinations, helping to make them more productive, and accelerate the design process by guiding them towards formulas that have never been seen before.

Explore further Matching the expertise of perfumers to create new scents

More information: Computational Creativity Research: Towards Creative Machines: Computational Creativity Research: Towards Creative Machines: www.springer.com/us/book/9789462390843 AI for Fragrance Design: nips2017creativity.github.io/d  Fragrance_Design.pdf Kush R. Varshney et al. Olfactory signal processing, Digital Signal Processing (2015). DOI: 10.1016/j.dsp.2015.09.012 Florian Pinel et al. A Culinary Computational Creativity System, Computational Creativity Research: Towards Creative Machines (2014). DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-085-0_16

This story is republished courtesy of IBM Research. Read the original story here.
Members of Mark Zondlos lab used a suite of gas sensors to monitor air quality on Hawaiis Big Island during the summer 2018 eruption of the Kilauea volcano. Here, graduate student Levi Golston adjusts the sensors, which are mounted atop a car and powered by car batteries. Credit: Lei Tao

Mark Zondlo's research team has tracked greenhouse gases and air pollutants on the streets of Beijing and New York City, around Pennsylvania gas wells, and near animal feedlots in Colorado and California.

These experiments typically take six months of planning, but this year the lab geared up quickly for a time-sensitive mission: monitoring air quality on Hawaii's Big Island during the large eruption of the Kilauea volcano. Between May and August, lava flows destroyed around 700 homes. About 2,500 residents evacuated areas close to the active fissures, and many experienced breathing problems from the volcanic ash and gases.

"This was an opportunity to do something helpful," said Zondlo, an associate professor in Princeton's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and associate director of external partnerships in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Zondlo was asked to take measurements during the eruption in his capacity as a member of the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (HAQAST), which helps public health and air quality agencies make use of NASA satellite data.

The team's data and analyses will help public health officials and scientists better understand how volcanoes influence air quality and how changes in air quality might be associated with health effects.

Among volcanic gases, sulfur dioxide poses the most significant risk to public health; it can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory system. Combined with other molecules in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide forms fine particles that can travel deep into the lungs: "It gets you in two ways," said Zondlo. Sulfur dioxide is a key component of vog, the volcanic smog that often reduces visibility in Hawaii.

As part of a project called the Princeton Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (PACE), in 2013 and 2014 Zondlo's group developed and operated a suite of gas sensors that detect carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and other pollutants. The sensors, mounted atop cars and powered by car batteries, are more transportable and use less energy than most monitoring systems. The sensors use lasers that emit light at near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths, developed at Princeton's Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment.

Mark Zondlo and his research team, shown here in their laboratory at Princetons School of Engineering and Applied Science, have traveled around the world to track greenhouse gases and air pollutants. From left: James McSpiritt, opto-mechanical engineer; graduate student Da Pan; associate professor Mark Zondlo; and graduate students Rui Wang, Nathan Li, Levi Golston and Xuehui Guo. Credit: David Kelly Crow

Each sensor is tuned to a specific wavelength of light based on the molecule it is designed to detect. The Hawaii project was the first time the lab had used a mobile sensor to measure sulfur dioxide levels. Ahead of the trip, the researchers modified a sensor for ammonia, a common pollutant from agricultural activity, to measure sulfur dioxide.

The team dubbed its Hawaii project the Laboratory for Atmospheric Vog Analysis, or LAVA. While driving around and across the 4,000-square-mile island for three weeks, the researchers recorded continuous measurements of seven air pollutants, as well as meteorological data on wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity.

A major goal of the effort was to complement and fill gaps in data from satellite images and the island's networks of ground monitoring stations. Many populated areas are far from ground monitoring stations, and while satellite data can provide useful information on large spatial scales, these measurements may not reflect the air quality experienced by residents.

"Volcano emissions are lofted into the atmosphere," said Zondlo. In the case of sulfur dioxide, satellite data have difficulty resolving concentrations at different heights, "so the plume [of volcanic gas] could be lofted well above the surface, and the air quality could be perfectly fine at the surface. That's why we need surface networks."

During July and August, every member of Zondlo's lab traveled to Hawaii to join the project, including five graduate students, two staff members, a summer research student and a high school teacher who has worked with the lab for several years. The team worked in three overlapping shifts while staying in a rental house near Pahoa on the east end of the island, about 20 miles south of the town of Hilo and 10 miles from the volcano's most actively erupting fissure.

"It was uncomfortably awesome," said Zondlo. "From the house, you could see the laze [lava haze] from the lava hitting the ocean. At night, you'd see this huge orange plume in the sky from all the lava reflecting off the clouds and the smoke."

During the eruption of Kilauea, lava reflecting off clouds and smoke produced an orange plume in the night sky. Credit: Kira Olander

Each evening, the team planned the next day's sampling route by consulting the University of Hawaii's vog model, which combines estimates of volcano emissions with wind forecasts to predict which regions are likely to have the highest concentrations of sulfur dioxide and fine particles. They also reviewed initial observations from the team that had just finished the field sampling that same day.

With help from Princeton's Procurement Services office, Zondlo gained access to an all-electric Chevrolet Boltthe same type of vehicle his team uses for mobile monitoring studies in Princeton and New York City. Having an electric car is helpful because the exhaust from a gasoline-powered car would interfere with the sensors' measurements.

In groups of three, the researchers spent as much as eight hours per day driving around the island, covering large stretches of coastline as well as the Saddle Road that traverses the island and climbs to an elevation of more than 6,000 feet as it skirts the slope of the dormant volcano Mauna Kea. They took breaks to recharge the car's battery, and sometimes had to stop driving due to the heavy downpours common on the Big Island, said Da Pan and Levi Golston, two graduate students in Zondlo's lab.

Unexpectedly, the eruption of Kilauea stopped dramatically within days of the group beginning sampling. "Our idea of measuring high concentrations downwind of the source, a couple of miles away, kind of went out the window," said Golston.

The team's work was also cut short by Hurricane Lane, which caused severe flooding on the Big Island in late August. Although the timing was somewhat disappointing, said Zondlo, "scientifically it's probably much more interesting than if we had just measured a bunch of vog continuously for 22 days."

"The air quality didn't instantaneously get better as the older lava flowed to the ocean and some emissions still occurred," he noted. "So, it was kind of nice that we actually measured that transition."

A map showing the driving routes the Zondlo team took to sample air quality on Hawaiis Big Island during and after the eruption of the Kilauea volcano. The team worked in three overlapping shifts while staying in a rental house near Pahoa on the east end of the island, about 20 miles south of the town of Hilo and 10 miles from the volcanos most actively erupting fissure. Credit: Levi Golston

Because trade winds sweep west or southwest across Hawaii, the west coast and southern tip of the islandareas as much as 100 miles away from the volcanotend to experience poor air quality during an active eruption, a phenomenon Zondlo's group sought to document in detail. Remarkably, in mid-August the west side of the island enjoyed some of its cleanest air in a decade, providing a baseline to inform the lab's analysis, Zondlo said.

Now, the team is working to integrate its mobile sampling data with information from ground stations and satellite images. They plan to create a map of air quality gradients under each wind condition to better understand pollution levels based on the data available during the eruption in May, June and July.

"Every data set has its unique challenges and advantages, and if you can take the best of all of them you get a much more complete and accurate picture," said Zondlo.

Through his connection with NASA's Applied Science Program, Zondlo will present his lab's findings to air quality and public health agencies. With high-resolution maps of air quality, epidemiologists may be able to examine associations between pollution levels and hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Previous studies have shown that elevated levels of fine particles, which often occurred on the Big Island during the eruption, negatively impact health, said Zondlo.

"The State of Hawaii Clean Air Branch has a fairly small air quality program relative to more populous states," explained Tom Moore, Air Quality Program Manager for the Western Regional Air Partnership, a consortium of 15 Western states that includes Hawaii. "The ability of experts like Mark and others to go out and make ground measurements, and then connect satellite and ground datathat very activity is important. It provides a kind of calibration point," added Moore, who helped facilitate project efforts through NASA's HAQAST program.

Ultimately, Zondlo hopes the conclusions from this project can help researchers and public officials use satellite data to better understand air quality during any volcanic eruption. He noted that at the same time as Kilauea was wreaking havoc on Hawaii, in early June a violent eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano killed at least 75 people and compromised air quality for thousands.

"Can this be expanded more generally to other volcanoes across the world?" asked Zondlo. While Hawaii's air quality monitoring network may be less than ideal, he said, it is better than networks in many parts of the globe. "We want to use satellites to help understand where and when people should be concerned during a volcanic eruption," he said.

Explore further Health concerns rise along with Hawaii eruptions
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

The head of Apple on Wednesday endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant's commitment to protecting personal data, which he warned was being "weaponized" against users.

Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook applauded European Union authorities for bringing in a strict new data privacy law in May and said the iPhone maker supports a U.S. federal privacy law .

Cook's speech, along with video comments from Google and Facebook top bosses, in the European Union's home base in Brussels, underscores how the U.S. tech giants are jostling to curry favor in the region as regulators tighten their scrutiny.

Data protection has become a major political issue worldwide, and European regulators have led the charge in setting new rules for the big internet companies. The EU's new General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, requires companies to change the way they do business in the region, and a number of headline-grabbing data breaches have raised public awareness of the issue.

"In many jurisdictions, regulators are asking tough questions. It is time for rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead," Cook said.

"We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States," he said, to applause from hundreds of privacy officials from more than 70 countries.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

In the U.S., California is moving to put in regulations similar to the EU's strict rules by 2020 and other states are mulling more aggressive laws. That's rattled the big tech companies, which are pushing for a federal law that would treat them more leniently.

Cook warned that technology's promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information. He said the trade in personal information "has exploded into a data industrial complex."

"Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," he said. Scraps of personal data are collected for digital profiles that let businesses know users better than they know themselves and allow companies to offer users "increasingly extreme content" that hardens their convictions, Cook said.

"This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them," he said. "This should make us very uncomfortable. It should unsettle us."

Cook's appearance was one-up on his tech rivals and showed off his company's credentials in data privacy, which has become a weak point for both Facebook and Google. That is facilitated also by the fact that Apple makes most of its money by selling hardware like iPhones instead of ads based on user data.

Apple CEO Tim Cook holds up an iPhone as he speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

"With the spotlight shining as directly as it is, Apple have the opportunity to show that they are the leading player and they are taking up the mantle," said Ben Robson, a lawyer at Oury Clark specializing in data privacy. Cook's appearance "is going to have good currency," with officials, he added.

His speech comes a week after Apple unveiled expanded privacy protection measures for people in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, including allowing them to download all personal data held by Apple. European users already had access to this feature after GDPR took effect. Apple plans to expand it worldwide.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google head Sundar Pichai sent brief video remarks to the annual meeting of global data privacy chiefs.

Zuckerberg said the social network takes seriously its "basic ethical responsibility" to safeguard personal information but added that "the past year has shown we have a lot more work to do," referring to a big data breach and the scandal over the misuse of data by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

He also said the company is investing in measures to beef up protection, including building a new tool to let users clear their browsing activity and deploying artificial intelligence to detect fake accounts and take down extremist content.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

They both said they supported regulation, with Pichai noting Google recently proposed a legislative framework that would build on GDPR and extend many of its principles to users globally.

The International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners , held in a different city every year, normally attracts little attention but its Brussels venue this year takes on symbolic meaning as EU officials ratchet up their tech regulation.

The 28-nation EU took on global leadership of the issue when it launched GDPR. The new rules require companies to justify the collection and use of personal data gleaned from phones, apps and visited websites. They must also give EU users the ability to access and delete data, and to object to data use.

GDPR also allows for big fines benchmarked to revenue, which for big tech companies could amount to billions of dollars.

In the first big test of the new rules, Ireland's data protection commission, which is a lead authority for Europe as many big tech firms are based in the country, is investigating Facebook's data breach, which let hackers access 3 million EU accounts.

Google, meanwhile, shut down its Plus social network this month after revealing it had a flaw that could have exposed personal information of up to half a million people.

Apple CEO Tim Cook applauds during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Creator of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli, right, speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli, left, poses with Apple CEO Tim Cook, center, during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Creator of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Creator of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Explore further Apple chief says firm guards data privacy in China

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
A Martian dust devil winding its way along the Amazonis Planitia region of northern Mars in March 2012. Credit: NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The zip of electricity in Martian dust storms helps to form the huge amounts of perchlorate found in the planet's soils, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

It's not lightning but another form of electrostatic discharge that packs the key punch in the planet-wide distribution of the reactive chemical, said Alian Wang, research professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences.

"We found a new mechanism that can be stimulated by a type of atmospheric event that's unique to Mars and that occurs frequently, lasts a very long time and covers large areas of the planetthat is, dust storms and dust devils," Wang said. "It explains the unique, high concentration of an important chemical in Martian soils and that is highly significant in the search for life on Mars."

The new work is an experimental study that simulates Martian conditions in a laboratory chamber on Earth.

Surprising amount of a reactive chemical

When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the planet in search for environments suitable for microbial life, researchers were surprised to find high concentrations of perchlorates in the soilranging from 0.5 to 1.0 percent.

A popular misconception at the time led some people to believe that perchlorates would kill all Martian microbes. In reality, some microbes are able to use perchlorates as an energy source, although perchlorates are toxic to humans.

Atacama Desert. Credit: Wikipedia

The perchlorate ionmade of one chlorine atom and four oxygen atomsis stable, but chlorate, a related chemical with only three oxygen atoms, is a strong oxidizer as demonstrated by Kaushik Mitra, a Washington University graduate student in earth and planetary sciences.

Wang's new research shows that chlorate is the first and major product in the pathway of phase transitions from chloride to perchlorate during multiphase redox plasma chemistrythe new mechanism first described Oct. 15 in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

A source of energy in the storm

On Earth, naturally occurring perchlorates are formed by photochemical reactions powered by sunlight. They're rare, but they do exist: Perchlorates sourced this way have been found in the soils of hyper arid regions on Earth, such as the Atacama Desert of Chile, Antarctica's dry valleys or the Qaidam Basin on Tibet Plateau, for example. But Mars has about 10 million times more perchlorates in its soil than would be predicted through this type of photochemistry alone.

Modelers suggested that lightning could provide the energy for these chemical reactions on Mars. But Wang and her Washington University teamwhich includes Kun Wang (no relation), assistant professor in earth and planetary sciences; Jennifer Houghton, research scientist; and Chuck Yan, engineering technicianwere the first to create an actual experimental simulation that demonstrated a yield of chlorate/perchlorate that was 1,000 times the yield generated by photochemistry in the laboratory.

This work was completed in collaboration with Z. C. Wu at the Institute of Space Science, Shandong University in China; William Farrell at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; and Andrew Jackson at Texas Tech University.

Close-up image of a dust storm on Mars acquired by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in Nov 2007. Credit: NASA

The researchers designed two sets of experiments using a simulator dubbed the Planetary Environment and Analysis Chamber (PEACh), creating a Mars-like atmosphere with similar pressure and temperature conditions.

In the low-density Mars-like atmosphere, which has less than one percent of the atmospheric pressure of the Earth, charged particles are less likely to accumulate at a distance to form the dramatic spiking arc of lightning. Instead, wind events carrying sand and dust are more likely to develop near-surface electric fields that result in either Townsend Dark Discharge, an effect which is not visible, or normal glow dischargewhich appears, just as it sounds, as a dim glow.

"If a photo was taken in the evening without sunlight, the normal glow discharge should be seen in the form of a weak light and may last longer than lightning," Alian Wang said. "Actually, I have suggested to an atmospheric scientist who is working on the Curiosity rover that they should design an evening photo sequence to catch dust devils!"

In the Mars chamber in the laboratory, the research team observed the instantaneous generation of free radicalsmolecules with highly reactive unpaired electronsin normal glow discharge, detected by in situ plasma emission spectroscopy. They also measured the transition of chloride to chlorate, and then to perchlorate through interaction with the free radicals, using laser Raman spectroscopy.

Masking the signs of life

On average, global dust storms on Mars occur once every two Martian years, while regional and local dust storms occur every year.

A self-portrait of NASAs Curiosity rover taken on Sol 2082 (June 15, 2018). A Martian dust storm has reduced sunlight and visibility at the rovers location in Gale Crater. Credit: NASA

Wang and her team are confident that their results can be scaled up to general Mars conditions and can help researchers understand the large concentrations of these chemicals in Martian soils.

What's more, Wang suggests, chlorates produced in large quantities during dust events could be acting as scavengers, reacting with other surface chemicals in such a way that they "clean up" the biosignatures of active microbesmasking or erasing the evidence of life on Mars.

"This study opens a door. It demonstrates the strong oxidation power of electrons in electrostatic discharge process generated by dust events," she said. "It suggests that electrostatic discharge in Martian dust events can affect many other redox processes in the Mars atmosphere and Mars surface and subsurface, such as iron and sulphur systems as well."

Explore further Chlorate-rich soil may help us find liquid water on Mars

More information: Zhongchen Wu et al. Forming perchlorates on Mars through plasma chemistry during dust events, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2018). Journal information: Earth and Planetary Science Letters Zhongchen Wu et al. Forming perchlorates on Mars through plasma chemistry during dust events,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.08.040
A new beam absorber for the zones where the beams are injected from the SPS was assembled and tested last summer. This is one of the developments presented at the High-Luminosity LHC annual meeting. Credit: Julien Ordan

The High-Luminosity LHC has reached its halfway point. The second-generation LHC project was launched eight years ago and is scheduled to start up in 2026, eight years from now. From 15 to 18 October, the institutes contributing to this future accelerator came together at CERN to assess the progress of the work as the project moves from prototyping to the series production phase for much of the equipment.

The annual meeting is a chance to conduct a global review of the project  and global is the word, because, as project leader Lucio Rossi observes, "the High-Luminosity LHC is a worldwide project that has been worked on by an international collaboration since the very beginning". As well as CERN's Member States and Associate Member States, thirteen other countries are contributing to the project. New agreements have been signed recently with Japan and China and an agreement with Canada was announced in June. Representatives of the collaborating countries presented the status of their contributions during the plenary session. Some 1000 people are working on the project.

The civil engineering work has progressed considerably since it began in the spring: excavations have reached 30 metres at Point 1 and 25 metres at Point 5. The two 80-metre shafts should be fully excavated by the beginning of 2019.

As for the accelerator, one of the key tasks is the production of around one hundred magnets of eleven different types. Some of these, notably the main magnets, are made of a novel type of superconductor, niobium-tin, which is particularly difficult to work with. The short prototype phase is coming to an end for the quadrupole magnets that will replace the LHC's triplets and focus the beams very strongly before they collide. The long quadrupole magnets (7.15 metres in length) are being produced at CERN, while those measuring 4.2 metres in length are being developed in the United States in the framework of the US LHC-AUP (LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project) collaboration. Several short prototypes have reached the required intensities on both sides of the Atlantic. Two long prototypes (4.2 metres) have been produced in the United States and the second is currently being tested. At CERN, the assembly of the first 7.15-metre-long prototype has begun.

The dipole magnets at the interaction points, which divert the beams before and after the collision point, are being developed in Japan and Italy. One short model has been successfully tested at KEK in Japan and a second is in the process of being tested. INFN, in Italy, is also assembling a short model. Finally, progress is being made on the development of the corrector magnets at CERN and in Spain (CIEMAT), Italy (INFN) and China (IHEP), with several prototypes already tested. In 2022, a test line will be installed in hall SM18 in order to test a magnet chain at the interaction point.

One of the major successes of 2018 is the installation in the SPS of a test bench with an autonomous cryogenic unit. The test bench houses two DQW (double-quarter wave) crab cavities, one of the two architectures chosen for this ground-breaking equipment. The two cavities rotated the proton bunches as soon as the tests began in May, marking a world first. The construction of the DQW cavities will continue while the second architecture, RFD (radiofrequency dipole), is developed in the United States. The production of this novel equipment is the result of an international endeavour by Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

Many other developments were presented during the symposium: new collimators have been tested in the LHC; a beam absorber for the injection points from the SPS was tested over the summer and will be installed during the second long shutdown; a demonstrator for a magnesium diboride superconducting link is currently being validated; studies have been undertaken to test and adjust the remote alignment of all the equipment in the interaction region, etc.

Over the four days, some 180 presentations covered a wide range of technologies developed for the High-Luminosity LHC and beyond.

Explore further The crown jewel of the HL-LHC magnets
Hawaiian Gallinule's tendency to stay in one place puts island populations at greater risk from severe events such as hurricanes. Credit: J. Underwood

The Hawaiian Islands are home to a range of unique, endangered bird species. Many waterbirds such as the Hawaiian Coot and Hawaiian Gallinule have been recovering in recent decades thanks to intensive wetland management, but past declines have left them with reduced genetic diversity. A new study from The Condor: Ornithological Applications looks at what the birds' genes can tell us about their behavior today and finds that one species' lack of wanderlust may be putting it at greater risk.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Jared Underwood and his colleagues trapped birds on Oahu and Kauai and took blood, tissue, and feather samples. Genetic analysis conducted at the U.S. Geological Survey by Sarah Sonsthagen and colleagues showed that Hawaiian Coots disperse regularly between islands, while Hawaiian Gallinules do not. The researchers believe that Hawaiian coot populations in some wetlands are reaching the maximum they can support, which is one factor causing them to leave in search of new territories. Historical evidence suggests that gallinules also moved around frequently prior to population declines, so either their behavior has changed, or, unlike the coots, they have yet to reach local carrying capacities.

"The Common Gallinule as a species is considered quite vagilethat is, it tends to move around a lotso it was surprising to find a high level of genetic structure between two islands separated by only 175 kilometers," says coauthor Jared Underwood. "Other Common Gallinule subspecies found in the Pacific frequently move between islands that are separated by greater distances." Hawaiian Gallinules' homebody tendencies put them at greater risk from severe one-off events like hurricanes, which could wipe out an entire island's worth of birds. Their lack of gene flow also means that populations on individual islands need to be larger in order to be viable long-term.

Despite recent population gains, the researchers warn that rising seas, diseases, and introduced predators continue to threaten both species. "A key component of the resilience and persistence of species and populations is the retention of genetic diversity," adds Underwood. "Information regarding the genetic structure for each species will allow managers to design different strategies and criteria for the species' recovery."

Explore further Genetic drift caught in action in invasive birds

More information: "Interisland genetic structure of two endangered Hawaiian waterbirds: The Hawaiian Coot and Hawaiian Gallinule" "Interisland genetic structure of two endangered Hawaiian waterbirds: The Hawaiian Coot and Hawaiian Gallinule" DOI: 10.1650/CONDOR-18-98.1
Sediments under Lake Tanganyika in Africa store chemicals that give paleoclimatologists information about atmospheric conditions in ancient times. A Rice University professor has created a computational model that helps translate what they find. Credit: Sylvia Dee/Rice University

How cold did Earth get during the last ice age? The truth may lie deep beneath lakes and could help predict how the planet will warm again.Sediments in lake beds hold chemical records of ages past, among them the concurrent state of the atmosphere above. Scientists led by a Rice University professor and her colleagues have devised a new computational model to interpret what they reveal.

Sylvia Dee, an assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, and her colleagues have created a computational Lake Proxy System Model to translate data from deep beneath lake surface waters in a way that relates more directly to measurable climate model variables.

Their work is part of a public software platform created by Dee called PRYSM, and is described in the American Geophysical Union journal Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology.Scientists who study past climate analyze geochemical signals from archives like corals and ice cores, or encoded in the rings of old trees, but not everyone interprets the data in the same way. Dee's quest has been to design simple models that help interpret observations of past climate more uniformly with climate models, and in the process make these invaluable archives more relevant to studies of future climate change.

"We have climate model simulations going back thousands of years," said Dee, who joined Rice this year. "They help us understand the drivers of past temperature and precipitation changes, but we have to use climate data from the past to ground truth the models.

"For example, if a climate model shows strong agreement with the temperature reconstructions we have from lakes, we might conclude this model's physics are robust and that it can do a better job simulating what will happen under future anthropogenic warming."

Lake beds store evidence of climate history in layered sediment that can be analyzed and dated by extracting cores. Dee's study used climate model data to explore and understand the lake archives scientists use to reconstruct atmospheric conditions for a given time.

"Some of the richest temperature and precipitation histories that we have on Earth come from lakes," Dee said. "People have been measuring indicators in sediments for years, but it isn't straightforward to compare that data to climate models.

"That's where I come in," she said. "I'm part of a group of scientists focused on translating between what climate models tell us about past changes in the climate system and what the data are telling us."

Dee and her team simulated lake temperatures and climate archives in two lakes in Africa, Malawi and Tanganyika, stretching back to the last glacial maximum about 21,000 years ago, when global temperatures were estimated to be between 3 to 5 degrees Celsius colder than today.

"That's a clear target for climatologists," she said. "We have clues from the past that tell us how cold the African continent was. It's the last time in Earth's climate history that there was a dramatic shift in mean climate due to carbon dioxide forcing, and we use it as a test bed for climate model performance."

In the test case, PRYSM's simulation revealed that lake temperature proxies underestimated air temperature changes. "People generally assume that lake temperature reconstructions from sediments reflect air temperature changes," Dee said. "We assume they change in tandem. Our model simulations show that the lake is actually damping the temperature signal.

"For example, if modeled air temperatures show a 4 degree Celsius warming since the last glacial maximum in Africa and the lake damps that signal to 3 degrees, we might wrongly conclude that air temperatures were a full degree warmer than they really were. We're essentially able to quantify how much error one might expect in our interpretation of past temperature change.

Those errors are incurred by the lake alone," she said.

"That's important to know," Dee said. "These lake reconstructions are some of the only data available to help us understand how temperatures will evolve on the African continent in a warming world. Our hope is that PRYSM helps pin down these climate changes with higher confidence."

The open-source PRYSM is version 2.0, designed explicitly to model climate archives in lakes. Dee built the first version to model ice cores, corals, cave deposits and tree-ring cellulose.

She and her colleagues plan to add more known paleoclimate proxies over time. Because PRYSM is open source, anyone can access the code (through GitHub) and enhance it.

"I'm trying to get everyone in the modeling and paleoclimate communities to talk to each other," Dee said. "PRYSM is an effort to get both communities to understand we cannot compare apples to oranges. We need to compare paleoclimate data and model simulations in a more formal way, and in doing so, we hope to dramatically improve our interpretations of past climate changes.

"The great thing about being able to get snapshots of temperatures in the past is that we can hopefully build a broader understanding of how the planet is going to react to continued anthropogenic climate change," she said. "We have direct measurements of what's happened in the last 150 years. But if we look further back in time, we have bigger changes in carbon dioxide, bigger changes in volcanism and larger ice sheets on Earth. Those are heavy hammers. They help us understand how the climate reacts to stronger forcing."

Explore further Improving paleotemperature reconstructionSwiss lakes as a model system

More information: Sylvia G. Dee et al, PRYSM v2.0 : A Proxy System Model for Lacustrine Archives, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology (2018). Sylvia G. Dee et al, PRYSM v2.0 : A Proxy System Model for Lacustrine Archives,(2018). DOI: 10.1029/2018pa003413
Raymond C. Rumpf, Ph.D., working with a student in the EM Lab in The University of Texas at El Paso's College of Engineering. Credit: UTEP Communications

Raymond C. Rumpf, Ph.D., and his EM Lab team are motivated by extreme challenges that others may consider to be impossible.

The Schellenger Professor in Electrical Research in The University of Texas at El Paso's College of Engineering leads the EM Lab, a space dedicated to pioneering high-risk, high-payoff concepts in electromagnetics and photonic technologies that are enabled by 3-D printing.

"We keep a sign above our trash can that says, 'Incremental thoughts' on it with an arrow pointing down," Rumpf said in jest. "If we think it can be done, we are probably not interested."

But there's nothing funny about the discoveries that have been made within the lab's confines. Since 2010, Rumpf and his team of researchers have seen several revolutionary projects to fruition, including development of an ultra-high power frequency selective surface and one of the world's thinnest dielectric antennas. In addition, the team has recorded what is likely the tightest bend of an optical beam. However, the EM Lab's latest breakthrough is its most ambitious and far-reaching yet. Earlier this year, researchers completed the first true three-dimensional, volumetric circuit using a fully automated process. It is a feat that Rumpf said may change the paradigm of how products with electrical functionality are designed and manufactured.

"This is a very significant step and potentially disruptive achievement," Rumpf said. "There are many other large research groups that have been chasing this. It's what everybody in this field is working toward and talking about, yet nobody has yet achieved it. It's sort of the holy grail for 3-D printed circuits, and it was accomplished here at UTEP."

Research on the 3-D/volumetric circuit technology was borne out of the notion that a three-dimensional circuit offers more freedom to make circuits smaller, lighter and more efficient. 3-D printing allows them to be manufactured into arbitrary form factors that can be integrated into any object or surface. The concept offers many opportunities for the manufacturing industry. Rumpf said this recent breakthrough came as a result of years of research and assembling all of the tools and processes it would take to accomplish.

"The last three years were spent developing futuristic CAD (computer-aided design) tools, to produce 3-D/volumetric circuits. These tools do not exist anywhere else," Rumpf said.

Accomplishing these achievements took the work of a team of EM Lab researchersGilbert Carranza, Ubaldo Robles, Cesar Valle and Rumpf himself.

Carranza, a doctoral student, began his research in the EM Lab as an undergraduate senior two years ago. When Rumpf presented the challenge of finding a way to design circuits in three dimensions, Carranza jumped at the opportunity. He used an open-sourced CAD software to integrate his custom functions that allowed the EM Lab to design true 3-D circuits.

"I built a custom tool that allows us to place electric components in any position and in any orientation," Carranza said. "We can route the electrical interconnects throughout all three dimensions following smooth paths."

Carranza worked for a year on the software to produce the first version.

This animation offers a 360-degree view of the exterior and interior of the three-dimensional, volumetric circuit produced by UTEP's Electromagnetics (EM) Lab. Credit: EM Lab

"We couldn't go anywhere beyond that," Carranza said. "We didn't have the necessary tool to actually translate my design into something that could be read by our 3-D printer."

Enter Robles and Valle. The pair are also doctoral students and EM Lab researchers who spend many hours in the 3-D printing room. Much of the last year was spent trying to bridge the gap between Carranza's software and the printing process. At the beginning of summer, Robles successfully completed an interface that could convert the circuit design into code that the printer can read to build the circuit in one seamless step. From there, Valle and Carranza fine-tuned the process and produced the world's first 3-D/volumetric circuit using their automated process.

Raymond C. Rumpf, Ph.D., center, stands with two of his graduate research assistants, Gilbert Carranza, left, and Cesar Valle. The trio work in Rumpf's EM Lab in The University of Texas at El Paso's College of Engineering. This year, the lab developed the world's first 3D/volumetric circuit. Credit: Laura Trejo / UTEP Communications

"Getting the CAD, code generator, and 3-D printer to play along well together proved the most difficult step," Valle said. "Typically, when you make a circuit, it's two steps. You start with a thin sheet of plastic. On top of that, you form metal traces, then put electrical components onto that. What our tool does that is unique is it combines these processes, and it does it in three dimensions with complete design freedom. We are now able to load 3-D files, hit 'run' and out comes the part. Literally 'File,' 'Print.'"

Rumpf said there is a huge array of applications for this technology, which was developed using funding from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. With the ability to build circuits into any shape or surface, electronics can be built into anything with virtually no added size or weight.

"We can make circuits in any form or fashion," Rumpf said. "You could put circuits in munitions, in eyeglasses, in shoes, and even in coffee mugs. You can be at a restaurant drinking coffee and, when the liquid gets down to a certain level the server gets notified before you have to say anything. It's about making electronics ubiquitous in many different things."

He added that another aspect of this innovation will be the ability for small businesses that can buy a 3-D printer to become electronics manufacturers with the ability to produce products where each is customized.

"In the future, I don't think you will see places, such as major electronics manufacturing companies, churning out billions of things and dominating the market nearly as often," Rumpf said. "Instead, you may have thousands of small businesses in the U.S. churning out thousands of products, both mass-produced and customized. Our 3-D circuit technology may be the first step to change the paradigm of circuit manufacturing. And it may enable us to exploit and incorporate new physics in traditional planar (2-D) circuitry.

For the EM Lab graduate researchers, the effort provided real-world experience in the development of a technology that holds great promise to revolutionize manufacturing of circuits. It is something they credit with spurring them to continue their academic careers past their undergraduate journeys. Their breakthrough also offers the opportunity that a business could be incubated in El Paso to commercialize the EM Lab's multiple achievements, something that would keep them closer to home.

"I want to stay here in El Paso," Carranza said. "My whole life is here. I didn't think UTEP had anything like this. I expected to graduate then go somewhere else. I never thought I was going to be doing research that could literally change the world until I stumbled upon the EM Lab." Valle echoed those views. "Four years ago, if you asked me if I wanted to get a Ph.D., I would have said, 'no,'" Valle said. "Now, I'm close to getting it. I never considered that UTEP had such incredible opportunities for research like what is happening in the EM Lab."

Rumpf said there is something about his student researchers that elevates the level of work that can be conducted at the EM Lab.

"What we do is extremely difficult and high-risk," Rumpf said. "EM Lab students spend years just developing the tools they need to do their research. They know when they start their research, they're probably going to fail many times, because we are pushing ourselves that far. The type of person willing to take on this daunting level of risk and challenge is what UTEP and El Paso have to offer. It's a personal philosophy, and I don't think we could have accomplished this any other place but here."

Explore further Scientists invent new way to control light, critical for next gen of super fast computing
White rhinos close to Waterberg National Park, Namibia. Credit: Wikipedia/GFDL 1.2

Mathematicians have created a new modelof a variety commonly found in the world of financeto show how to harvest a species at an optimal rate, while making sure that the animals do not get wiped out by chance.

According to the theoretical study, hunting thresholds can be calculated for individual populations and species. The key to this is how quickly a population grows naturally, and how much it competes for resources.

The researchers say previous models that explore the impact of extracting wild speciessuch as whales, bison, rhinos, birds and fishdo not take into account random environmental factors that could threaten animals at the same time.

Published in the Journal of Mathematical Biology, the research was conducted by academics at Tufts University, Wayne State University, City, University of London and University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Sergiu Ungureanu, a Lecturer in Behavioural Economics at City, said: "The problem we found was that if numbers of a species become too small, not only does their usefulness to humans decrease, but there is also a chance that the entire species goes extinct.

"This is because random fluctuations in the environment will affect the numbers of the species, on top of what people do.

"In the past, the problem was tackled either without taking into account environmental chance, or by ignoring the possibility of extinction in the distant future.

"We removed these two important limitations and we proved a simple resultthere is always a population threshold under which there should be no harvesting."

A 'bang-bang' approach

The researchers conclude that a "bang-bang" approach is the most effective strategy. This is where hunting is done at one of two fixed rates, like an on-off switch.

It is argued that if humans can control animal populations better, harvesting can be more efficient and the risk of the population going extinct is lower.

According to the study, populations that grow faster should be left to grow to a larger size, before hunting starting again at the pre-designated hunting rate.

The researchers say that a faster growth rate means a higher, more efficient and sustainable rate of extraction can be maintained.

When a population becomes endangered and it has a lower growth rate, the study shows, it should be left to grow bigger to avoid the risk that it will go extinct through other environmental threats.

Dr. Ungureanu said: "The goal is to help ecologists understand the problem and its parameters, the variables of interest, and to give them tools to find the exact numbers they need for the optimal extraction strategy for any particular application."

The researchers say they conducted the study because many wild species are at risk of being harvested to both local and global extinction, including whales, elephant seals, bison, rhinos, endangered birds, mammals and many species of fish.

They explain this risk of extinction is increased because animal populations fluctuate randomly in time, due to environmental factors that cannot be predicted.

As argued in the paper, the issue of chance is not taken into account in previous studies and it can lead to an overestimation of the ability of species to recover, potentially leading to extinction.

However, the authors say a rate of harvesting that is too low also causes problems for a species as higher numbers will lead to higher competition for limited resources, which could also have a negative effect on their habitat.

Explore further What makes some species more likely to go extinct?

More information: Alexandru Hening et al. Asymptotic harvesting of populations in random environments, Journal of Mathematical Biology (2018). Alexandru Hening et al. Asymptotic harvesting of populations in random environments,(2018). DOI: 10.1007/s00285-018-1275-1
In this June 28, 2011, file photo, bottles of Roundup herbicide, a product of Monsanto, are displayed on a store shelf in St. Louis. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A Northern California judge has upheld a jury's verdict finding Monsanto's weed killer caused a groundskeeper's cancer, but slashed his $287 million award to $78 million. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos ruled Monday, Oct. 22. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

With its stock dropping and more lawsuits expected, Monsanto vowed Tuesday to press on with a nationwide legal defense of its best-selling weed killer Roundup after a San Francisco judge upheld a verdict alleging it causes cancer.

Legal experts said the decision will have little value in courtrooms across the country where similar cases are pending, but it will likely lead to more lawsuits. Similar lawsuits doubled from 4,000 to 8,000 after a San Francisco jury awarded groundskeeper DeWayne Johnson $389 million in August.

Monsanto's lawyers said they will fight Johnson and every other lawsuit in the country alleging that the active ingredient in the world's most popular herbicideglyphosatecauses cancer. Johnson's lawsuit was the first lawsuit to go to trial, and several more appear ready to start early next year.

Judge Suzanne Bolanos cut the jury's award for Johnson to $78 million on Monday but upheld its verdict against St. Louis-based Monsanto.

She reduced punitive damages from $250 million to $39 million in a brief decision that stood in sharp contrast to an earlier tentative ruling saying she doubted Johnson should receive any such award.

Bolanos previously said Johnson's attorneys failed to show Monsanto executives acted with malice, which is required for punitive damages. She didn't explain her change of mind. Several jurors wrote to the judge asking her to respect their verdict, but legal experts said that should not have influenced the judge.

This Aug. 31, 2015 file photo shows the Monsanto logo on display at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill. After a Northern California judge upheld a jury's verdict that found Monsanto's weed killer caused a groundskeeper's cancer, hundreds of other plaintiffs are wondering what the case might mean for their outstanding claims lawsuits against the agribusiness giant. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

Monsanto's lawyer said it would appeal the decision if Johnson accepts the award rather than asking for a new trial. He has until Dec. 7 to decide.

Monsanto argues that numerous scientific studies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have found glyphosate to be safe.

"Because of this, we will continue to vigorously defend our glyphosate-based products," company spokesman Daniel Childs said.

Johnson's attorney argued that the World Health Organization in 2015 concluded otherwise.

Legal experts say the San Francisco decision will have no immediate legal effect on the other lawsuits, especially since they predict monthsif not yearsof appeals.

In this Aug. 10, 2018, file photo, plaintiff DeWayne Johnson reacts after hearing the verdict in his case against Monsanto at the Superior Court in San Francisco. A Northern California judge has upheld a jury's verdict finding Monsanto's weed killer caused the groundskeeper's cancer, but slashed his $287 million award to $78 million. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos ruled Monday, Oct. 22. (Josh Edelson/Pool Photo via AP, File)

A San Francisco trial court decision also is not binding in any other court. California appeals court decisions are binding in California courts but not on state court actions elsewhere.

"It's just one early piece in a large, legal puzzle," said University of California, Hastings law professor David Levine.

Levine said the company will not consider settling any lawsuit until enough trial court decisions pile up against it. "There just aren't enough data points to make a decision," he said.

The German company Bayer Ag bought St. Louis-based Monsanto in August for $63 billion. Its stock price fell 8.6 percent per share Tuesday.

"Clearly this topic isn't going to go away," UBS analyst Michael Leuchten wrote in a note to investors Tuesday.

Explore further Judge mulls slashing $290 mn award in Roundup cancer case

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Noise levels in the world's oceans are on the rise, but little is known about its impact on marine mammals like dolphins that rely on sound for communication. Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science laid underwater microphones on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to find out more about the ambient noise levels in the area off the coast of Maryland. They found that dolphins are simplifying their calls to be heard over noise from recreational boats and other vessels in nearby shipping lanes.

"It's kind of like trying to answer a question in a noisy bar and after repeated attempts to be heard, you just give the shortest answer possible," said Dr. Helen Bailey, a marine biologist with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science who studies protected species in order to understand their habitat use and inform conservation and management. "Dolphins simplified their calls to counter the masking effects of vessel noise."

Helen Bailey and her assistant Leila Fouda studied underwater ambient noise levels and whistle calls by bottlenose dolphins in the western North Atlantic, which experiences relatively high levels of vessel traffic between shipping lanes and recreational boaters off the coast of Maryland. Acoustic recordings were collected using hydrophones deployed to the bottom of the ocean in the leased Wind Energy Area, approximately 20 miles off the coast.

They found that increases in ship noise resulted in high dolphin whistle frequencies and a reduction in whistle complexity, an acoustic feature associated with individual identification. "The simplification of these whistles could reduce the information in these acoustic signals and make it more difficult for dolphins to communicate," Fouda said.

Dolphins are social animals, and they produce calls for many different reasons. They talk to each other to stay together as a group, they whistle when they feed, and they even call out their names when different groups of dolphins meet.

"These whistles are really important," Bailey said. "Nobody wants to live in a noisy neighborhood. If you have these chronic noise levels, what does this mean to the population?"

Normally dolphin calls have a complex sound pattern with rises and falls in the pitch and frequency in their whistles. The researchers found that ambient noise had a significant effect on the whistle characteristics. Bailey and her team analyzed the duration, start and end frequencies, presence of harmonics, and inflection points. With background noise, such as the low frequency chug-chugging of a ship's engine, their usually complex whistle signatures flatlined.

"We need to be working to engineer quieter boats," said Bailey. The sound from the ships that were recorded had decibel levels up to 130, just like being near a noisy road. "We need to ask, 'Is there a way shipping can do it that is more environmentally friendly'."

Regulations and voluntary incentives to reduce the sound from vessels, with speed limits or quieter engines, could help to decrease the effects on dolphins and other species sensitive to sound.

The paper, "Dolphins simplify their vocal calls in response to increased ambient noise," by Helen Bailey and Leila Fouda of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciencewas published October 24 in Biology Letters.

Explore further Dolphins use extra energy to communicate in noisy waters

More information: Leila Fouda et al, Dolphins simplify their vocal calls in response to increased ambient noise, Biology Letters (2018). Journal information: Biology Letters Leila Fouda et al, Dolphins simplify their vocal calls in response to increased ambient noise,(2018). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0484
Fossil tortoise at the Central Natural Science Collections at MLU. Credit: Markus Scholz / MLU

The evolution of giant tortoises might not be linked to islands, as has previously been thought. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from Argentina and Germany have presented the most comprehensive family tree of extinct and extant tortoises so far. Analysing genetic and osteological data from living species and fossil tortoises, they have revised the evolution of tortoisetheir gigantism evolved on multiple occasions on the mainland. The findings will appear in the next issue of Cladistics.

Tortoises are a group of terrestrial turtles globally distributed in habitats ranging from deserts to forests, and include species such as the Greek and the Galapagos tortoises. Some species evolved large body sizes with a shell length exceeding one metre, whereas others are no larger than six to eight centimetres. Despite a particular interest from naturalists since the time of Darwin, the evolution of gigantism in tortoises remains enigmatic.

The fact that all living giant tortoises are insular may suggest that their evolution followed the so-called island rule: a trend toward dwarfism of large animals and gigantism of small animals on islands. An example of insular dwarfism is the Florida key deer, a dwarf version of the mainland white-tailed deer; its small size may be an adaptation to the limited resources found on the islands. Insular gigantism is best exemplified by the famous dodo, an extinct flightless pigeon from Mauritius, which probably evolved its large body size due to release from predatory pressure. Previous studies on extant tortoises were partly inconclusivegiant size has been linked to the absence of predatory mammals on islands, but researchers have also proposed that tortoises were already giants when they reached the remote archipelagos. Since very few giant tortoise species survive to the present, these hypotheses are impossible to test without analysing extinct species through the help of the fossil record.

In a recent study in the journal Cladistics, Dr. Evangelos Vlachos from the Paleontological Museum of Trelew, Argentina, and Dr. Marton Rabi from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU have assembled the most comprehensive family tree of extinct and extant tortoises so far. The researchers analysed genetic data from living species together with osteological data from fossil and living tortoises.

This is the first global-scale study to investigate body size evolution in tortoises. The fossils reveal a very different picture of the past compared to the present. Giant size evolved on multiple occasions independently in mainland Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America at different periods of Earth history. However, all of these species went extinct at latest during the Pleistocene ice age.

"The fossils highlight a great number of extinct mainland giant species and suggest that the evolution of giant size was not linked to islands," says Dr. Evangelos Vlachos.

Instead, living insular giant tortoises, such as the ones from Galapagos and Seychelles, more likely represent survivors of unrelated giant species that once inhabited South America, East Africa, and/or Madagascar.

"Giant tortoises may have been better island colonizers because they can tolerate water and food shortages during an oceanic dispersal for a longer period than smaller species. Giant tortoises have been reported to survive 740 km of floating in the ocean," says Dr. Marton Rabi.

What led to the extinction of these mainland giants remains enigmatic. For the ice age species, it may have been a combination of predatory (including human) pressure and climate change. If island insularity is not the driving evolutionary influence, what is driving tortoises to repeatedly develop gigantism?

"We expect that warmer climate and predator pressure plays a role in the evolution of giant size, but the picture is complex and our sampling of the fossil record is still limited," Vlachos says.

An unexpected outcome of the study was that the Mediterranean tortoises (familiar due to their popularity as pets) actually represent a dwarf lineage, as their ancestors turned out to be considerably larger.

"Tortoises have been around for more than 55 million years, and we are now better able to understand the evolution of this successful group. Today, however, out of the approximately 43 living species, 17 are considered endangered, and many more are vulnerable largely due to human-induced habitat loss. This is a disappointing fact," Rabi says.

Explore further Endangered Galapagos tortoises saved from suspected traffickers

More information: Evangelos Vlachos et al, Total evidence analysis and body size evolution of extant and extinct tortoises (Testudines: Cryptodira: Pan-Testudinidae), Cladistics (2017). Evangelos Vlachos et al, Total evidence analysis and body size evolution of extant and extinct tortoises (Testudines: Cryptodira: Pan-Testudinidae),(2017). DOI: 10.1111/cla.12227

Provided by Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg
Veterinary students try out a new virtual reality experience, created at Virginia Tech, that allows them to see and study a dog's anatomy. Credit: Virginia Tech

Sara Farthing, a first-year student in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, needed a mental picture.

As she practiced clinical exams on dogs during a lab, Farthing could not picture the canine's lungs and the way the heart is positioned inside the chest.

So she walked across the room and slipped on a virtual reality (VR) headset. Suddenly, she could see a large picture of a dog's lungs and skeletal structure floating in mid-air in front of her.

"I literally stood inside the rib cage," Farthing said.

The aspiring small animal veterinarian was using a new technology available this semester at the college that brings a dog's anatomy to life.

The VR experience, created by Thomas Tucker, an associate professor in the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech, shows up close the organs inside the skeletal system of a mid-sized dog. By moving and clicking a button, users can see layers of tissue, zoom in on certain organs, and step into parts of a virtual dog's body.

There is no other way to study a dog's organs and bone structure as intensively, said Michael Nappier, an assistant professor of community practice in the veterinary college's Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Nappier teaches clinical skills education and a physical exam lab for first-year students.

This is one view of the virtual image of a dog that users see when they put on the VR headset. Credit: Virginia Tech

When the college switched curriculum models three years ago, Nappier noticed that students were struggling to connect their anatomy classes with what they were learning when they physically examined dogs. The anatomy was taught concurrently with the physical examination, instead of beforehand.

"I needed a different teaching method," Nappier said. "They [students] don't have the mental picture. I wanted to develop a way for this to be in the lab and to work with the dogs, so that the mental picture is inside of your head."

Other ways that students may study a dog's body parts involve examining drawings and cadavers. But in most of these cases, dogs are not standing on four legs as they would be during a typical veterinary examination. The new VR experience shows an image of a dog standing.

Nappier heard about Tucker's past work with VR and puppy motion capture, a visualization tool to study a puppy's social behavior. He contacted Tucker about his idea, and Tucker ran with it.

Since then, Tucker and five graduate and undergraduate students, most all creative technologies majors, have been crafting this 3-D VR image of a dog by using CT scans to place the organs correctly. They also worked with Bonnie Smith, an associate professor of anatomy in the college's Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, to name the bones in a dog's body and to position them correctly.

Explore further How VR is revolutionizing the way future doctors are learning about our bodies
In January 2018 the team visited Santiaguito Dome Complex, located in the old eruption scar of Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala and measured a series of explosions. Credit: Benjamin Esse, The University of Manchester

Manchester-based Volcanologists have developed a method and camera that could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of ash plumes during a volcanic eruption.

Ash is sometimes seen as a secondary danger in volcanoes when compared to more visual hazards, such as lava and pyroclastic flows. However, ash can have a major impact on human lives and infrastructure, such as the 2010 eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, which brought international aviation across Europe to a standstill.

This research, which is being published in Scientific Reports, uses a new kind camera, developed at The University of Manchester, to measure the flow and speed of ash falling out of a volcanic plume.

The researchers measure how ash particles interact with sunlight and, specifically, how they change the polarisation of sunlight, in a similar way to how polarised sunglasses work. This wouldn't have been possible without the development of the new "AshCam" which is the first camera of its kind in the world.

During a volcanic eruption heavy ash fall can lead to building collapse, potentially injuring or killing those inside. Plus exposure to ash can cause irritation to the nose, throat and eyes, as well as aggravating pre-existing health conditions such as asthma.

But ash is also a major danger to other critical human infrastructure, including electrical, water and transportation networks, especially air travelsuch as the 2010 Icelandic eruption.

Chair in Volcanology at The University of Manchester, Professor Mike Burton, said: "Volcanic ash is a primary product of an explosive volcanic eruption which generally poses a threat to human health and infrastructure.

An example video of AshCam in action. The lighter colours show the presence of ash and the arrows show the direction of the flow. Credit: The University of Manchester

"The Icelandic eruption in 2010 highlighted to the whole world that ash-rich volcanic eruptions can have a major impact on the global economy through air space closures designed to minimise the risk of jet engine failure due to ash clogging."

The team visited Santiaguito Lava Dome, part of Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala, and measured a series of explosions with the camera. Santiaguito produces a number of these explosions every day, approximately one every two hours, making it the ideal place to test out new equipment, techniques and research models.

Professor Burton added: "Models of ash dispersion are key to forecasting the concentrations of ash during an eruption, which ultimately determine which air space is closed. Our research helps to measure the dynamics of ash fallout during an eruption. This gives us new insights into volcanic ash dynamics, providing an important step towards improved models of ash dispersion."

Previous studies have used ground-based UV cameras for the observation of volcanic ash or measured black carbon particles in ship emissions. However, these methods were unable to distinguish ash from other particles in the plume, making it difficult to measure the flow of the ash.

This is where "AshCam" is different. It is made up of commercial cameras already available on the market that have been adapted with special filters that can identify ash more easily using sunlight.

Ph.D. Researcher, Benjamin Esse, from Manchester's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, explains: "AshCam is small, lightweight and relatively cheap, making it ideal for use in volcanic environments where larger, more expensive equipment is unable to be deployed.

"This is an exciting development as it offers volcanologists a tool that allows them to easily measure the dynamics of ash plumes using only sunlight. The results from these measurements can be used to inform ash dispersal models, potentially improving their accuracy and effectiveness in mitigating the risks posed by ash plumes."

Explore further Scientists use 4-D scanning to predict behaviour of volcanoes

More information: Ben Esse et al, Quantification of ash sedimentation dynamics through depolarisation imaging with AshCam, Scientific Reports (2018). Journal information: Scientific Reports Ben Esse et al, Quantification of ash sedimentation dynamics through depolarisation imaging with AshCam,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34110-6
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It happens all too often each summer: yet another litany of weekend shootings in Chicago appears in the news.

A new Arizona State University and Purdue University research study has come out that examines this phenomenon. In it, the authors sifted through data on almost six million reported crimes in Chicago between 2001 to 2014 to try to tease out factors that might promote or suppress various types of crime.

"The results were interesting," said Sherry Towers, a research professor within the Simon A. Levin Mathematical, Computational and Modeling Sciences Center at the ASU School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. "We found that most types of crime in Chicago had very distinct patterns by time of year, time of day, weekday and even holidays."

The research team, which included Siqiao Chen, Abish Malik and David Ebert from Purdue University's VACCINE Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, published their findings in the latest online edition of PLOS ONE.

Weekend crime sprees

For batteries and aggravated assaults, the weekday pattern was particularly pronounced with a large peak on Friday and Saturday. Friday paydays were also correlated with higher battery and assault rates.

"People are often out and about on the weekend," said Towers, "interacting with a greater variety of people than they typically do on a weekday. Importantly, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, alcohol is likely to be involved and that can increase aggression."

The authors found a strong dependence of aggressive crimes on temperature, where higher temperatures than usualespecially in June and July- were associated with a sharp uptick in aggressive crimes.

"The confluence of hot summer days and weekends is thus a perfect storm that results in spates of shootings," said Towers. Conversely, the authors found rainy and windy days tended to suppress crime. "People simply don't want to go out in bad weather."

The authors are experts in the field of "predictive analytics" for policing. "If you can tell police where and when to focus their resources, it empowers them with information to be more effective and reduce crime," said Ebert. "There are natural time patterns to human activity, but they vary at the neighborhood level so it is important to pick those out and equip officers with this information. We just don't want to put the cops on the dots but put the right officers in the right location at the right times to be on the lookout for certain activities."

The authors note that while Chicago shootings dominate the news, the per capita rate of shootings in Chicago is actually lower than several other American cities. "Chicago isn't even in the top 5," said Towers. "Cities like St. Louis, Baltimore and New Orleans have much higher rates. But, Chicago has a much larger population, which means that even though its rates are lower than those other cities, the sheer numbers are higher, and that body count is what catches people's attention. Moreover, patterns based on weather and time of day are important in all communities, even small towns."

The authors also found that holiday effects are important to many types of crime. Aggressive crime goes down significantly on Christmas and Thanksgiving, for example. "Even criminals take time off to spend with family," said Towers.

The authors' study, "Factors Influencing Temporal Patterns in Crime in a Large American City; a Predictive Analytics Perspective," appears in the journal PLOS ONE.
First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin has taken part and made a speech in the plenary session of the international forum 'Eurasian Week': 'Real Sector of the EEU Economy: Enhancing Potential in the Course of Integration' in Yerevan.





Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan delivered his welcome speech to the participants of the Forum. He underlined the importance of the Forum and expressed the hope for effective and productive discussions that will facilitate the strengthening cooperation within the EEU.





About 2000 participants and more than 150 speakers, including First Deputy Chairman of the Russian government Anton Siluanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko, Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Zhenish Rasakov, Chairman of the Collegium of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sarkisyan, Minister of governments, heads of government corporations and business representatives of the EEU member states took part in the Forum.





Askar Mamin underlined that the EEU member states face a serious task - mitigation of the consequences of the upcoming secular slowdown of the world economy.





Owing to agreed policies of the EEU states, there are mechanisms allowing to confront negative trends, according to Mamin.





The introduction of the directions to develop the common economic space, to create unimpeded access to the markets of the EEU member states will enable to create conditions for increasing volumes of trade between the states irrespective of external influences. In the Doing Business 2018 rankings, the EEU ranks 35th out of 190 - it has risen by 5 positions compared to 2017," said Askar Mamin.





The volume of mutual trade turnover of the EEU for January - July 2018 has made up 34.1 billion dollars, a 13.8% increase compared to the given period of the past year. The volume of external trade of the EEU member states for January-July 2018 has equalled 419.6 billion dollars with a 22.7% increase to the same period of 2017.





To improve conditions to do business in the internal market of the EEU, 15 barriers in various sectors have been eliminated allowing businessmen to avoid considerable financial costs.





Askar Mamin underlined that so as to provide sustainable paces of economic growth within the EEU, it was necessary to introduce an agreed economic policy aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the production sector. One of the main directions of this work should become the formation of common production processes focused to integrate competitive benefits of all EEU member states and to reduce the cost throughout the value chain.





A plan to develop 130 joint collaborative projects in such sectors as space, medicine, extradition of natural resources, environment, agriculture," said Mamin.





The First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan noted digitalization was the main question of the further development of production potential. He underlined that 'there is a high demand to harmonize the digitalization process between the EEU states, including in connection with the high sensitivity of the process to the gaps between certain sectors, or regions'.





First Vice Prime MInister of Kazakshtan expressed confidence that the Forum 'Eurasian Week' would become the important tool to develop the economy, investment and export potential of the EEU states, further strengthening of integration business procedures.





Within the visit to Yerevan, Askar Mamin took part in the presentation 'Contemparary paradigm of development within the EEU', as well as he got familiarized with the exhibition of commodities of the processing sector of the EEU member states, as well as partook in the session of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Council.








He has been an ambassador of Kazakhstan to Egypt since September 2020, before that, since April 2019, he was Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and even earlier, from October 2013 to February 2019, he worked as Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UAE.
Local newspapers have struggled for more than a decade to secure a foothold in the digital era and stay in business. Dwindling revenues and flagging demand for print editions have led some southwestern Pennsylvania papers to close and others to downsize their newsrooms, affecting coverage of local news. To make matters worse, there doesnt appear to be a solution in sight.

No one is quite sure how to stop that process from happening, University of Iowa professor David Ryfe said. There are lots of people who are worried about it, but no one has found a solution in the 15 years [since] the digital world has erupted and called attention to the issue. No one has found a solution at the regional or local level.

Ryfe is the director at University of Iowas School for Journalism and Mass Communication and an expert on local and modern journalism who has written two books on the topic. All the local newspapers have left is local advertising. Theres not going to be any salvation for newspapers in multimedia, in digital media, or online.

According to a 2018 Pew Research Study, weekday newspaper circulation in 1990 was around 62 million nationwide. That number dropped to 55.7 million in 2000. In 2017 the estimated circulation fell to only 30.9 million.

As circulation has declined, local newspapers have had to adjust for the loss in revenue, sometimes by shrinking the size of their staffs, sometimes by selling out or closing up shop all together.

The Greater Pittsburgh area has lost five daily newspapers since 2015, with a host of others changing ownership. These changes pose a risk to both the quality and quantity of local content.

The downsizing of local news

Such changes have buffeted the southwestern Pennsylvanias newspaper industry for years without relief. In August, the areas largest newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, announced it would stop publishing print editions on Tuesdays and Saturdays as part of its transition to an all-digital platform. The newspaper publishes digital editions seven days a week. But a seven-day-a-week printed newspaper is no longer available in Pittsburgh. The Post-Gazettes chief competitor, Trib Total Medias Tribune Review, stopped publishing a print edition in the city in 2016.

Over the last three years, a number of daily and weekly newspapers in the surrounding area have also undergone changes.

In 2015, the Daily News in McKeesport and the Valley Independent in Monessen were among the first local papers in the region to cease operations. Both daily newspapers were owned by Trib Total Media.

The company sold eight publications in 2015, including the Leader Times in Kittanning and the Daily Courier in Connellsville, to West Penn Media, an affiliate of Sample Media Group, which had established footprint in the area with the Latrobe Bulletin in Westmoreland County.

Trib Total Medias largest daily, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, moved to a solely digital platform in December 2016. The Pittsburgh City Paper, an alt-weekly, would also be purchased by the Butler, Pennsylvania, based Eagle Media Corporation that same year.

In 2017, Calkins Media, headquartered in Pennsylvania, followed by selling off its local publications. The Ellwood City Ledger and Beaver County Times became properties of GateHouse Media, a division of New Media Investment Groupthe largest publisher in the nation today.

Calkins would also sell the Uniontown Herald-Standard to Ogden Newspapers Inc., a West Virginia-based company with more than 3,500 employees at its more than 40 daily papers. Recently Ogden, announced the purchase of the Washington Observer-Reporter from the Observer Publishing Company. With this purchase Ogden now controls the two largest daily newspapers within Washington, Fayette and Greene counties.

But the selling of small town and regional papers to national media companies isnt specific to southwestern Pennsylvania. According to a 2016 study by the University of North Carolina, the 3 largest investment groups at the timeNew Media, Digital First, and Gannettown a combined 900 newspapers in the U.S. with a circulation of 12.7 million.

Does Newspaper Ownership Matter?

As these local papers are gobbled up by out-of-town companies, things start to change, according to Ryfe.

The first thing that happens is there is correspondingly less local news that is published in the newspaper, he said, which he explained is largely the result of downsizing in newsrooms. UNCs 2016 report attempts to explain why thats happening. Researchers found many of these investment groups purchase newspapers that are in debt. In acquiring these debts, the investors usually employ a formulaic approach to management, which is focused on cutting spending and trimming budgets through laid off staff, frozen wages, reduced benefits and consolidated sales and editorial functions.

Rebecca Devereaux, 25, experienced the cost cutting measures brought on by a newspapers sale firsthand when she worked for Uniontowns Herald-Standard.

A multimedia editor, Devereaux was hired by the paper, which was then owned by Calkin Media, to help increase its video and digital storytelling capabilities, but in 2017, the Herald-Standard was sold to Ogden. Devereaux was notified of the sale via email while she was on vacation.

We didnt know the paper was for sale, at least at my level we didnt know, Devereaux said. It was very sudden.

Under Ogden, the papers entire visual media department was let go, leaving one of Devereauxs colleagues to ask: Who is going to hire a 60-year-old photographer? she recalled.

Since 2004, employment in the newspaper industry has dipped by 45 percent. In 2017, 39,210 people worked in the industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Reductions in staffing and consolidations of departments, or the outsourcing of certain newspaper functions, are meant to help the papers climb out of debt and start generating a profit, even if short-term. The UNC study says those profits derived from the cost-cutting have not been reinvested to improve their newspapers journalism, but [are] used instead to pay loans, management fees and shareholder dividends.

Ryfe acknowledged this profit-driven approach can create a problem not just for those working in the industry, but also their readers. As more newspapers are absorbed into larger corporations, the coverage turns away from local issues and instead becomes nationalized.

There used to be a mediating layer of political conversation that was local that had to do with potholes in the street and where to put the waste management facility, very basic problems, Ryfe said. The loss of that level of news has contributed to polarization and partisanship at the national level. All politics have become national, strangely enough, as this has happened.

Ryfe said the reduction of local reporters covering local government, keeping an eye on the inner workings of a community, can prevent the misuse of power even if covering a city council meeting may seem trivial to the average person. The fact of a journalist being on the beat tends to reduce the amount of political corruption, he said. Fewer local journalists could lead to more substandard or negligent decision making from government officials.

News Deserts in Rural Markets

As newspapers downsize or dissolve altogether, an information gap is created, especially in rural communities where access to information doesnt come as easy as in the nations more urban areas.

Metro markets usually have a surplus of news outlets, but also have something many rural communities do notaccess to reliable, high speed Internet that makes gathering news and information quick and accessible.

According to a 2018 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report, 68.6 percent of residents in rural areas are without broadband capabilities that meet federal guidelines for minimum upload and download speeds. This includes counties in western Pennsylvania where local news is declining, like Washington, Butler and Fayette. Approximately 14.9 million Americans are without access to high-speed Internet today.

The 2016 UNC study highlights an earlier FCC report that found only 10 percent of evening television news shows are committed to local or regional news. In addition, fewer than 40 percent of residents live in an area where they can receive all-news radio, leaving newspapers, as sometimes, the only source of local news in rural areas.

This creates the risk of news deserts, or, places that have such a small market they can support relatively little news at all. And dont have much news provided for them, according to Ryfe.

Ryfe acknowledged the Internet isnt the main cause of the daily newspapers death and the rise of these coalescing media companies, however, it exacerbated and accelerated it.

Some local papers double down on print

With strained Internet access in some rural communities, it may make sense for local newsrooms to focus on the traditional print medium. After all, a 2018 Pew Research study found newspapers still make significantly more revenue from the print advertisements on their pages than on digital platforms56 percent of their revenue, according to the study.

But for Mike Palm, the executive editor of Uniontowns Herald-Standard, his paper is choosing print for a different reason: competition.

When youre trying to compete in a digital world, youre competing with more [media outlets]. The Tribune, the Post-Gazette, all the TV stations, the Observer-Reporterin the digital realm all those become competitors, Palm said prior to his papers owner, Ogden, purchase of the Washington Observer-Reporter. In the newspaper realmin hard copywe have competitors, but in this area, theres not much.

Palms publisher, Michael Scott, has been with Ogden for 19 years and believes Ogden made the right decision, albeit through a series of difficult choices, when they changed their priorities from online back to print after buying the paper in 2017. Thats when Rebecca Devereaux and her colleagues in the visual media department were let go.

Calkins [Media] was focused on digital, Scott said, referring to the papers previous owner. Were focused on print. Having a good, solid print product, it comes with a good, solid business model where digital does not, and in order to keep the content the level we firmly believe we should be at for a local newspaper, we need to be [in] print.

Scott estimated the Herald-Standards current circulation to be approximately 50,000 and said they have 115 distribution racks throughout their coverage area. Calkins Media had previously removed all of the racks.

Scott believes newspapers made a mistake when they offered their product for free online. Yet, pay walls have not proven to be the answer for rural markets either.

Newspapers have not made money online. Their revenues have been flat as a whole and that includes the larger regional newspapers like the Boston Globe and Dallas Morning News, Ryfe said.

According to the Pew Research Centers 2016 State of the Media Report, weekday print circulation in 2015 still made up 78 percent of a newspapers distribution. Fifty-one percent of adults who read a newspaper did so in a print-only format, compared to 5 percent who preferred digital-only.

But those findings arent conclusive for the industry as a whole. In the same report, Pew found audiences are still gathering a large portion of their news from online sources when compared to the print newspaper.

Regardless of whether a consumer first saw an article on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, only 20 percent of the original content came from a daily newspaper, while 25 percent came from radio and 28 percent came from digital publications and apps.

While the Herald-Standard is doubling down on print, its neighbors to the north like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review are betting on digital.

Author and New York University journalism professor Samuel Freedman said those publications will have to find a way to make readers want to pay. You need to make the content strong enough that people want to pay for it. What can you provide to your [readers and advertisers] that they cant get anywhere else?

The Counter Argument

With all of the external pressures on the industry, whether a newspaper is family-owned or held by an investment firm can be irrelevant. Statistics may indicate a reduction in the size of local newsrooms and, in turn, a reduction in local news coverage when they are acquired by larger corporations. But that isnt always the case.

Theres nothing magical about local ownership, Freedman said. It is about who owns the paper. [The] problem isnt that theyre outsiders, it is if theres no commitment towards journalism.

A former New York Times columnist and reporter, Freedman pointed to billionaire Glen Taylor who bought Minneapolis Star-Tribune as an owner who has aggressively worked to grow the audience of his paper, vowing to make it a statewide publication.

Freedman agreed that there should be concern over media conglomerates buying all of the publications in one geographic area since history has shown they often have the short-term goal of debt cutting rather than growth. But as a former writer for New Jerseys Courier News, owned by Gannett and part of the USA Today Network, Freedman said his own experience wasnt that of drastic cuts.

Everyone hated Gannett [at the time], but we were never removed [from a job] and were never strained for resources, Freedman said.

Some local newsrooms today are finding benefits to being owned by the same large media company. Ellwood City Ledger managing editor Patrick OShea noted he utilizes a type of network journalism with the Beaver County Times.

As a former employee of the nearby paper, OShea said he has previously established relationships at the Times and he will often use local and regional stories from their reporters to fill his pages at the Ledger rather than national news. He said this type of resource sharing has been valuable for him.

According to Ryfe, this is common practice when chains buy local newspapers. These companies buy up papers in a geographic area so they can ring different kinds of efficiencies out of the chain. That means they share content across the newspapers.

Ownership change and reader perceptions

When newspapers are bought by a larger conglomerate, the regional approach they sometimes implement with their coverage can lead to resentment from local residents.

Joyce Blaho, a former marketing and advertising employee of the Herald-Standard in Uniontown, believes the paper has quashed its local content with their extended Mon Valley coverage.

The paper isnt the same since being bought out by the Nuttings, she said, referring to the owners of Ogden Newspaper Inc. Blaho isnt alone in her newfound discontent.

Sara Meyer, who works at the Free Carnegie Library in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, doesnt read the local Daily Courier because she believe it is too depressing. For her, the coverage is unappealing, too many stories about car crashes and arrests. Every patron that comes in tells me a story, said Meyer, who prefers to see more human interest stories in her daily newspaper. Something like that would help balance all the depressing news.

Meyer, who has a brother-in-law who works at the Herald-Standard, is empathic, though. She said she understands that local newsrooms dont have enough manpower to successfully cover the area. Yet, she still cant bring herself to purchase either paper regularly.

I cant justify buying it when I can get everything online, she said.

While a number of people in these communities interviewed for this story admitted while they dont read their local newspaper, theyd be more upset if the paper closed its doors entirely.

And that is the problem local newspapers are facing today: people want them, but they dont want to pay for them.

[Readers are] expressing a kind of ambivalence. They value journalism and yet relatively few of them are willing to pay enough money to sustain this journalism in their community, Ryfe said.

OShea has been the managing editor of the Ellwood City Ledger since the GateHouse Media merger in June 2017. He said there were 5 staffers in the Ledgers newsroom at the time. Now, it is operated by OShea along with one other full-time reporter, a part-timer and an 80-year-old contributing writer. The paper itself is laid out in Austin, Texas, at New Medias Center for News and Design, a design hub that serves 90 daily newspapers and 203 weekly papers, according to their website.

Hes not sure if any of the Ledgers 2,500 readers are aware of the staffing reductions that have taken place under GateHouses ownership, but said the lack of empathy between readers and newsrooms plays a role in some of the hardships facing the newspaper industry. Residents are almost always understanding once the situation is discussed, but those conversations can be few and far between.

Ideally, OShea would like to utilize additional staff to help allocate time to tackle more in-depth stories, but said he isnt holding out hope for the increased resources. If it were up to a local administration, I think there might be more chance of that happening But unfortunately, when you are part of a larger organization, the attention isnt really there.

This is a service the [residents] rely on. This is a business they rely on. OShea believes if the paper were to shut down, it would leave a serious hole in the community.

The only problem is someone still has to pay for the news.

This story was supported by The Pittsburgh Pitch, a project of 100 Days in Appalachia and the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. It was originally published by 100 Days in Appalachia.
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The selloff may have been necessary, but its looking overdone How does a bad call in professional sports relate to the selloff in Target (NYSE:TGT) stock? Allow me to explain.

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Sarvinoz Ruhulloh is no stranger to the hardships women face in her country, having focused much of her reporting for RFE/RLs Tajik Service, Radio Ozodi, on women and gender issues. Nor is she one to shy away from a controversial subject, but even she was surprised by the slew of negative reactions to her recent story on a female Tajik artist who paints nude portraits of women.

The artist, 25-year-old Marifat Davlatova, held an exhibition of her portraits in Tajikistans capital city, Dushanbe, and though many visitors praised her work, in the deeply conservative muslim majority country, it also touched a nerve.

Ruhulloh's report on the exhibition generated hundreds of negative comments directed at both the artist and the journalist. The attacks ranged from the boorish to the abusive. If you want to walk around naked, go to Europe, whore, spewed one commenter.

Ruhulloh tells Lady Liberty that the repercussions of her report on Davlatova are ongoing. She says she has been accused by her readers and also her friends of promoting Western culture and an immoral image of the Tajik woman and mother.

My aim was to show the art and the work and dedication that went into creating these paintings, Ruhulloh said. This report was very costly to me.

The price was also high for the artist, who received death threats. Davlatova said she was inspired in part to paint nude portraits of women after experiencing harassment and unwanted comments about her own body. She said she wanted to present the female body as something normal.

At first glance it was just an art exhibition in which the artist exposed the outer and inner world of a Tajik woman, Ruhulloh explains, yet the reactions to my video report proved once again how much our society is not ready to accept anything new and unusual that challenges the traditional mentality.

In her work for RFE/RL, Ruhulloh draws attention to the unfair social burden Tajik women bear from birth, telling personal stories about their struggles to obtain an education, the job they desire, the independence to choose who they marry, how to live, and even what to wear.

Sarvinoz Ruhulloh explains what sets Radio Ozodi's coverage of women's rights apart from other media.

The discussion of womens themes on Radio Ozodi is centered around the problems facing women in our society and womens own aspirations, said Ruhulloh. We publish womens unique, deep, and sincere stories in their own voices, while most media in Tajikistan discuss these problems from the view of experts.

Radio Ozodis reporting on womens stories often gets the attention of officials and has led to legal action. The most striking example is a prison sentence given to a Tajik man for inciting his young wifes suicide by berating her about her virginity. The charges were brought against him after Ozodi told her story.

Radio Ozodis features on survivors of domestic violence raise awareness about the problem and set an example that other local media have begun to follow with their own reports on domestic abuse.

As disputes over the Tajik artists subjects continue to rock Tajikistan and reveal rifts in public opinion about the role of women in society, Ruhulloh notes that at least one outcome is certain: the exhibition was a sellout.

--Claudia Shute
October 24, 2018 in Utility (E)

[prMac.com] Perg, Austria - Ergonis Software today released PopChar X 8.5, an improved version of the company's award-winning tool for finding and inserting special characters and exploring fonts. PopChar X 8.5 improves support for Mojave, particularly for Dark Mode. If you use your Mac in Dark Mode, you now have the choice to see PopChar's character table in a traditional black-on-white view as on paper or a light-on-dark view that blends perfectly with the dark appearance. Since this is a matter of taste, the preferred style can be changed in PopChar's preferences.



PopChar now also contains fine-tuned color adjustments of colors, such as highlight colors in both Light and Dark Mode, and it works around an issue where PopChar could not be reliably activated in Mojave. Since some of the improvements in the new version are important for Mojave, PopChar 8.5 is now the recommended minimum version of PopChar for anyone who is running Mojave or plans to upgrade to Mojave.



Finally, PopChar X 8.5 contains fixes and workarounds for user-reported issues and improves overall compatibility and stability on all versions of macOS. Visit Ergonis Software's website to learn more about the changes in this release and to download the new version.



PopChar solves a problem faced by every technologist and multi-lingual worker. Inserting special characters into application documents can be frustrating and results in a steady loss of productivity. With PopChar, thousands of special characters are only a few clicks away. Just pop up the PopChar window, click the desired character, and the character appears in your current document right away.



System Requirements:

Requires Mac OS X 10.6 or newer and is recommended for macOS Mojave (10.14).



Availability and Ordering:

PopChar X 8.5 can be purchased securely on the Ergonis Software website. The upgrade to PopChar X 8.5 is free for anyone who purchased a license for PopChar X 8 or for PopChar X 7 on or after September 1st 2016. Upgrade paths are available for owners of older licenses. For information about purchases, including enterprise licenses, volume discounts, and upgrade pricing offers, see the company's web site. Instead of purchasing PopChar separately, customers can save money by ordering the Ergonis Productivity Bundle, which also includes the text expander Typinator and the keyboard shortcut helper KeyCue.

Ergonis Software develops ergonomic and intuitive software that boosts the productivity of Mac and PC users. Ergonis Software, a privately held company founded in 2002, is headquartered in Perg, Austria. Copyright 2002-2018 Ergonis Software Gmbh. All Rights Reserved. Ergonis products are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Ergonis Software GmbH. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

###




Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected.





No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions.

Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with.
Whether its businesses losing money by not harnessing the ultimate power of huge data, investors changing the way they let their money be managed, or the government luring high-tech firms to its defense line-up in exchange for big influence in Washington, artificial intelligence is beyond making waves.

So much so that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)the AI pioneerthinks the field requires its own college, and its investing $1 billion to make that happen in the biggest single investment by a U.S. university in artificial intelligence to date.

AI in particular is reshaping geopolitics, our economy, our daily lives and the very definition of work, MIT president L. Rafael Reif wrote in a letter announcing the new internal college.

It is rapidly enabling new research in every discipline and new solutions to daunting problems. At the same time, it is creating ethical strains and human consequences our society is not yet equipped to control or withstand.

Artificial intelligence is set to become one of the biggest job sectors in the country, and the key isnt simply to focus on AI learningits to focus on combining key fields with AI. MIT wants biologists, chemists, political scientists, historians and linguists on board hereand it wants them to learn how to apply machine learning to their respective disciplines.

Rafael Reif calls them bilinguals. Related: Saudi Stocks Plummet As Foreign Investors Bail

MITs new college will be opened in September 2019, utilizing existing campus buildings--and by 2022 it is slated to have its own new space.

Stephen A. Schwarzman, the CEO of private equity firm Blackstone, pitched in $350 million, ensuring that the college would be named after him.

The college will include 50 new faculty positions, nearly doubling the current number of staff focused on the technology. It will span not just technical research in the field, but also delve into the ethical, geopolitical and social implications AI will have as it reshapes labor markets, business practices and state security.

MIT also has the race to AI domination with China in mind.

Its a race that many increasingly feel China will win.

Earlier this month, the MIT Technology Review quoted prominent Beijing-based investor Kai-Fu Lee as saying that the U.S. could fall behind China because of Washingtons complacency on the issue.

In this respect, the U.S. is its own worst enemy, Lee told MIT Technology Review, because it fails to prioritize investment in fundamental AI research. Chinas advantage is a state-run one, while in the U.S. commercial companies steal all the raw talent.

A next set of technologies [is needed] to overcome the limits of deep learning. Commercial companies arent going to focus on these things.

Related: Crypto And Blockchain Acquisitions Hit Record High

MIT hopes to help fill that gap, and while the $1-billion planned investment is its biggest, its not its first. In the past year, MIT as made several investments in expanding its study of AI, including a partnership with IBM last fall for a 10-year, $240 million investment in a new lab to advance AI hardware, software, and algorithms.

Earlier this year, MIT launched Intelligence Quest, an initiative to discover the very foundations of human intelligence and drive the development of technological tools that can positively influence virtually every aspect of society.

The message is clear: It has to be universities, not companies, in the AI drivers seat if the U.S. hopes to successfully compete with China, and until academics get paid as much as their commercial counterparts, its not likely to happen.

Can there be a gigantic GPU farm that gives professors as much computing power as Google has? Lee asks MIT Technology Review. Can you use the National Institute of Standards and Technologies to create a gigantic database that will neutralize the advantages of Facebook?

By Michael Kern for Safehaven.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
Lord of the Rings fanatics will not miss a beat here, but for the uninitiated, a Palantir is an all-seeing crystal ball that the evil wizard Saruman used to spy on his enemies.

Back to present-day reality, the U.S.-based data-mining firm of the same namePalantirthe big analytics and artificial intelligence brainchild of investor Peter Thiel is said to be mulling its own power move by potentially filing for an IPO next year, or in early 2020.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Palantir has been discussing IPO plans with Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, and expects to turn a profit this year. It could even IPO with a value of up to $41 billionmore than double what private investors recently valued it at, and 55 times its 2018 revenue.

Again, for the uninitiated, the company has been working for the Pentagon and the CIA in Afghanistan and Iraq, and even U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And to say its controversial is an understatement.

A contract with ICE is enough to taint reputation in some circles these days, but Palantir has been controversial from the start because of its association with Thiel.

But the new Trump administration has been good to Palantir, even if its predecessors were not. In 2016, Palantir sued the U.S. Army over allegedly unfair bidding processes and won. Trumps victory has led to a significant rise in Thiel influence in Washington, and in March this year, Palantir won an $876 million U.S. Army contract. Related: Did Chinese Stocks Just Get A New Lease On Life?

So, now its back in the IPO game, thanks to a political sea-change in Washington, and even if tech companies are under pressure to stop lending the government a hand, the fact that Palantir is even talking about an IPO and some are anticipating a $41-billion valuation suggests that its getting a pass.

But then again, Amazons Jeff Bezosanother increasingly influential personage in Washington--is taking a pass as well, even if some of his employees disagree.

In late June, nearly two dozens of Amazon shareholders asked companys CEO Jeff Bezos to stop selling- little known to public- facial recognition technology called Rekognition to law enforcement agencies. Also in June, Microsoft was criticized after a blog post from January resurfaced, detailing its work with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). A similar request came from 650 Salesforce employees.

In May, thousands of Google employees protested over its work with the US military, in a project known as Maven and concerns that Googles artificial intelligence could be used to improve drone strikes. The project helps the US government analyze drone footage using artificial intelligence.

Earlier this month, Bezos essentially said it was his duty to help the government. Amazon is favored to win a Pentagon contract worth as much as $10 billion. Its a contract that would make it one of the biggest federal contractors in the country. The power it implies is immense. After all, it means moving the entirely of the Department of Defenses (DoD) classified and unclassified data on to the cloud.

Related: America Has A Milk Problem

But Palantir is carrying around a bit more baggage that Amazon.

According to the whistleblower Christopher Wylies testimony, Palantir allegedly worked with Cambridge Analytica, which harvested data from Facebook users for political and geopolitical purposes. Even though the companies didnt have contract, Palantir confirmed later that one of its staff had links to Cambridge Analytica.

As Bloomberg puts it, Palantir knows everything about you as it uses War on Terror tools to track American citizens.

The prospect of a big bang IPO, though, seems to be shoving criticism under the rug for investors, though. After all, this is about turning data landfills into gold minesand where theres money to be made, investors are more than willing to grab a piece of Sarumans eye.

By Fred Dunkley for Safehaven.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
A proposal to add 187 new steam-injected oil wells and a new natural gas pipeline in West Cat Canyon will be considered by the Santa Barbara C
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 Should a state judge be campaigning against a state criminal justice reform initiative when talking to potential jurors?!?!? | Main | "Undue Influence: A Prosecutor's Role in Parole Proceedings" 

As summarized in this CNN piece, the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) has produced a big new report saying "the United Nations' drug strategy of the past 10 years has been a failure." Here is more:

The report claims that UN efforts to eliminate the illegal drug market by 2019 through a "war on drugs" approach has had scant effect on global supply while having negative effects on health, human rights, security and development. According to the report, drug-related deaths have increased by 145% over the last decade, with more than 71,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2017 alone. At least 3,940 people were executed for drug offenses around the world over the last 10 years, while drug crackdowns in the Philippines resulted in around 27,000 extrajudicial killings.

The IDPC, a network of 177 national and international NGOs concerned with drug policy and drug abuse, is urging the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs to consider a different approach to narcotics strategy for the next 10 years in the run-up to a March 2019 summit in Vienna, Austria. "This report is another nail in the coffin for the war on drugs," said Ann Fordham, the Executive Director of IDPC, in a prepared statement.

"The fact that governments and the UN do not see fit to properly evaluate the disastrous impact of the last ten years of drug policy is depressingly unsurprising. "Governments will meet next March at the UN and will likely rubber-stamp more of the same for the next decade in drug policy. This would be a gross dereliction of duty and a recipe for more blood spilled in the name of drug control."

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, responded to CNN's Richard Richard on Monday. "Obviously, there have been significant successes and failures in dealing with the problem of drug trafficking, and we've made that clear over the many remarks we've made about the drug problem each year," he said....

In 2017, Mexico, for example, recorded its most murderous year on record due to soaring levels of drug-related violence. As previously reported by CNN, the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography revealed that there were 31,174 homicides over the course of the year -- an increase of 27% over 2016. In addition to fueling violence, the existing policy of criminalizing drug use has also resulted in mass incarceration, the report said. One in five prisoners are currently imprisoned for drug offenses, many on charges related to possession for personal use....

"What we learn from the IDPC shadow report is compelling. Since governments started collecting data on drugs in the 1990s, the cultivation, consumption and illegal trafficking of drugs have reached record levels," wrote Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, in the report's foreword. "Moreover, current drug policies are a serious obstacle to other social and economic objectives and the 'war on drugs' has resulted in millions of people murdered, disappeared, or internally displaced."
 "Undue Influence: A Prosecutor's Role in Parole Proceedings" | Main | "How Jeff Sessions Is Undermining Trumps Prison Reform Agenda" 

This New York Post piece, headlined "Dean Skelos sentenced to more than four years in prison," reports on the latest high-profile political corruption sentencing from a state that always seeks to keep the white-collar lawyers busy. Here are the details:

Dean Skelos, once one of the most powerful men in Albany, was sentenced to more than four years in prison Wednesday for using his political office to benefit his do-nothing son  who was noticeably absent from court for his fathers day of reckoning.

Manhattan federal Judge Kimba Wood said she wouldve given the one-time state Senate majority leader less than 51 months behind bars given his advanced age, but tacked on an extra three months because she found he lied on the witness stand. Your repeated mischaracterizations and lies about your conduct warrant a three-month enhancement, Wood told the 70-year-old disgraced pol.

Deans son, Adam Skelos, who was convicted alongside him at their retrial in July, was nowhere to be found in court, underscoring the father and sons strained relationship. Adam will be sentenced later Wednesday afternoon.

In begging for leniency, Dean told the judge he hoped to one day repair their bond. My son, Adam, I love him more today than yesterday, he said, his voice cracking. I always try to protect him and I failed. Although our relationship is strained, I hope one day it will be restored. Dean also asked Wood to go easy on his only child. I hope that you show him mercy so that he can be the father he wants to be, Dean said.

The Long Island Republican, and Adam, 36, were convicted at their retrial in July of strong-arming companies seeking help from Dean into giving Adam no-show jobs and consulting gigs. The pair was first convicted in 2015, but the case was tossed on appeal  paving the way for the politician to take the stand in his own defense in July....

The feds had asked the judge  who sentenced Dean to five years after the first trial  to take it up a notch to at least six-and-a-half years. A lawyer for Dean asked for leniency, saying the case has already taken a severe toll on the once-powerful politician, including straining his relationship with Adam. Dean has also developed a drinking problem due to the stress, his lawyer said.

Adam Skelos was previously sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after the judge said the trial showed that he had no moral compass. Adam, who is expecting a second child with his fiancee next month, has also asked for leniency, saying the judges harsh words have forced him to seek help and to change.

As Senate majority leader, Dean Skelos served as one of the so-called three men in a room  the others being Gov. Andrew Cuomo and longtime state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was sentenced in July to seven years for corruption.
Distributed Dialogues: Blockchain Verification and Decentralized Subversion in Cambodia





Season 2 of Distributed Dialogues has begun, and a general theme will be the connection of major, real-world problems to possible solutions using blockchain technology. This is displayed in full on the first episode, which combines a historical context on Cambodian state repression with ways in which promising new technologies may bring new freedom of the press.



Like many aspects of the transition from French Indochina to independent states, alongside all the wars and U.S. interventions, it becomes difficult to fully understand the historical context. To help the audience understand how Cambodia got where it is today, Distributed Dialogues interviewed veteran journalist David Andelman. Andelman covered the Cambodian Civil War in the 70s, and came close enough to the front lines to find himself encircled by the Khmer Rouge. Using his wide breadth of knowledge and personal investment in this conflict, Andelman gives listeners a vivid and straightforward background on the state of affairs.

As for the current political repression in Cambodia, exiled Member of Parliament Mu Sochua came onto the show to discuss the ban of the nations opposition party, her exile from Cambodia and the state of affairs today. Sochua escaped a purge of this opposition party that found many leaders imprisoned. She is now a permanent resident of France and advocate for Cambodian freedom. Despite witnessing some of the horrors of life under the Khmer Rouge and its successors, Sochua remains resolute, stating, As we try to rebuild a nation thats been totally destroyed by violence, death, and mass murder, we have to also look to what is rich in our society, our culture.

Tying the episode together, Mounir Ibrahim discusses the ways that blockchain technology can intervene in the oppressive states stranglehold over the flow of information. Inspired by his work in the sState dDepartment in Syria and by the Arab Spring, Ibrahim was drawn to the power of a trustless, decentralized system for its ability to let citizens verify news themselves. His company, Truepic, verifies the authenticity of pictures taken on an in-app camera, encrypts all associated metadata, makes sure that the phones operating system has not been tampered with and stores pictures on a blockchain. By doing this, he believes that any concerned citizen with a smartphone can document public atrocities committed by authoritarian regimes and provide an alternative to state-run media.

These three guests provide a nuanced picture of autocracy, from its fledgling steps to its actions after decades in power. Using blockchain verification can be a possible way for people to push back against these actions in the present day; this will be a recurring theme throughout the episodes of Distributed Dialogues Season 2. Look for future exploration in the world of blockchain and authoritarianism on the Lets Talk Bitcoin Network.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.
Professor Andrew K Rose. (Photo: NUS)

Professor Andrew K Rose will join the National University of Singapore as the Dean Designate on 1 March next year, before succeeding current dean Professor Bernard Yeung, who is the Stephen Riady Distinguished Professor in Finance and Strategic Management, on 1 June.

Prof Rose, who has collaborated with former United States Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen, Nobel Laureate George Akerlof and Harvard macroeconomics expert Jeffrey Frankel, is currently a titled professor of international business and trade at the University of California, Berkeleys Haas School of Business.

Prof Rose has worked with international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank as well as the central banks of countries like Australia, Canada, England, the US, and Singapore.

Prof Rose was the founding director of the NUS Risk Management Institute in 2006 and has also held appointments in the NUS Business School since 2012.

Prof Yeung, who joined NUS in 2008 from New York Universitys Stern School of Business, is planning for a sabbatical before returning to the faculty.

Related story:

Which University Program in Singapore Offers the Highest Return on Investment?
In this article:

* Thai energy stocks hit by oil price fall

* Philippines edges lower on profit-taking

* Singapore recovers to lead gains in region

By Rashmi Ashok

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Thai shares fell nearly 1 percent on

Wednesday as the country's energy sector came under pressure

after oil prices slumped overnight, while shares in Singapore

pulled back from the previous day's losses.

Thai stocks were down 0.9 percent, having resumed

trading after a local holiday, with PTT Public Company Ltd

falling 2 percent, while PTT Exploration and Production

Public Co Ltd shed 2.5 percent.

Crude prices hurtled to two-month lows on Tuesday after

Saudi Arabia said it could supply more crude quickly if needed

to meet possible shortfalls ahead of U.S. sanctions on

Iran.

Meanwhile, mounting diplomatic pressure on Saudi Arabia over

journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death and worries about U.S.

corporate earnings weighed on sentiment.

Asian markets were largely subdued, with MSCI's broadest

index of Asian shares ex-Japan falling 0.2

percent, extending the previous session's losses.

Philippine stocks slipped 0.4 percent led by

financial and real-estate shares, with conglomerate Ayala Corp

losing 0.4 percent.

"Markets had been up for five sessions, and we saw

profit-taking eating into the market yesterday. Now we're seeing

some follow through selling from the continued weakness in Wall

Street," said Manny Cruz, an analyst at Asiasec Equities Inc.

"If you look at what happened yesterday, Philippine's losses

were meagre compared to losses in other Asian markets...some of

them are recovering but now Philippines continues to suffer from

selling pressure," he added.

Vietnamese shares extended their decline, with all

major sectors in the red. Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock Corp

lost 3.1 percent and food processor Masan Group Corp

fell 2.2 percent.

Singapore stocks, which led losses in the previous

session, posted a strong recovery with a 0.7 percent gain.

Transport provider ComfortDelGro Corp Ltd gained 3.2

Story continues

percent, after a fall in the previous session.

Indonesian shares inched up, with consumer and

energy stocks offsetting losses in the telecom sector. PT

Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk was the biggest loser,

falling 1.1 percent, while PT Bank Mayapada Internasional Tbk

gained the most.

Malaysian stocks also ticked up, and were on track

to snap four straight days of falls.

Telecom service provider Axiata Group Bhd rose 3.7

percent and resort and hospitality operator Genting Malaysia Bhd

added 1.1 percent.

For Asian Companies click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AS AT 0347 GMT

Market Current Previous close Pct Move

Singapore 3051.11 3031.39 0.65

Bangkok 1643.3 1658.56 -0.92

Manila 7169.54 7197.62 -0.39

Jakarta 5804.115 5797.891 0.11

Kuala Lumpur 1703.9 1697.6 0.37

Ho Chi Minh 937.47 939.68 -0.24

Change on year

Market Current End 2017 Pct Move

Singapore 3051.11 3402.92 -10.34

Bangkok 1643.3 1753.71 -6.30

Manila 7169.54 8558.42 -16.23

Jakarta 5804.115 6355.654 -8.68

Kuala Lumpur 1703.9 1796.81 -5.17

Ho Chi Minh 937.47 984.24 -4.75

(Reporting by Rashmi Ashok in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)
* China's new marine fuel rules lift demand for low-sulphur gasoil

* IMO 2020 regulations to bolster gasoil demand further

* Jet fuel margins also up on strong air passenger demand

* Jet fuel, gasoil cracks: https://tmsnrt.rs/2PhRgXS

By Koustav Samanta

SINGAPORE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Asian gasoil refining margins climbed to their highest in more than three years on Wednesday as a push to switch to cleaner marine fuels has revved up dependence on the fuel.

Refining margins, or cracks, for gasoil with a sulphur content of less than 10 parts per million (10 ppm) rose to $17.79 a barrel over Dubai crude on Wednesday, the highest since September 2015. That was up from $17.49 on Tuesday.

Jet fuel margins also rose, hitting an eight-month high of $17.55 a barrel over Dubai crude as the aviation sector in Asia booms. In February, jet fuel margins also touched a three-year high of $18.03 a barrel.

"Middle distillates have been strong for some time already and will stay strong for much of next year with IMO 2020 effects kicking-in in mid-2019," said Nevyn Nah, an analyst at consulting firm Energy Aspects.

In the shipping industry, new regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will force shippers to reduce the sulphur content in fuels from 2020. One way to do so is to switch to low-sulphur gasoil.

In China as well, authorities in October imposed tighter rules on vessel emissions in and around major ports including Shanghai, the world's biggest container port, propping up local demand for cleaner diesel fuels.

Meanwhile, in Asia's aviation sector, passenger traffic is booming. At Singapore's Changi airport, the region's biggest air travel hub, passenger figures rose by 2.3 million for January-August this year over the same period of 2017.

Lower supplies due to disruptions from typhoons and an earthquake in Japan, a major refiner, coupled with low inventories in the fuel centres of Singapore and Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) are also pushing up margins, trading sources said.

Story continues

Singapore middle distillate inventories declined to an eight-week low of 9.19 million barrels in the week to Oct. 17, while ARA gasoil stocks fell 5.3 percent in the week to last Thursday.

Also, diesel exports from China and India, pivotal for the overall Asian supplies, fell in September as steady domestic demand curbed overseas shipments.

China's September diesel exports fell to a 21-month low, while India's diesel shipments fell 7.6 percent from the same month last year.

Middle distillate margins are also being lifted as seasonal demand for modified jet fuel and gasoil for household heating is rising in Europe and Asia.

On a seasonal basis, gasoil cracks are at their highest in five years, and jet margins are at their highest since 2012 for this time of year, Eikon data showed.

(Reporting by Koustav Samanta, Roslan Khasawneh and Seng Li Peng; Editing by Henning Gloystein and Tom Hogue)
Elections everywhere can provoke moments of anxiety. But in Brazil, where violence, insults and fear of the future have made Sunday's presidential vote a source of mind-bending polarization, psychiatrists' couches are getting heavy use. Brazilians, or at least those who can afford it, were already keen believers in psychoanalysis. But shrinks have reported a rise in mental unease caused by the electoral climate. Admar Horn, a Rio psychoanalyst and member of the Brazilian Society of Psychoanalysis, said 80 percent of his patients expressed problems linked to the election. "That's huge," he said. "My patients have an anxiety that is rising because they are faced with the unknown," Horn said, evoking the "dangerous ambience" and, for some, "a terrible fear that an extreme-right regime will return." The country's polarization -- between far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, nostalgic for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, and his leftwing rival Fernando Haddad -- has cut through social bonds. "There are longterm friendships that are coming apart, big conflicts appearing in families, in workplaces," Horn said. Clinical psychologist Antonio Alberto Rito said his appointment book was full of "all these new patients coming with anxieties and a lot of fear." "In 20 years in my clinic, this is the first time I've seen this," he said, blaming a climate in which both Bolsonaro and Haddad voters express a "negation of the other, a very strong hate." "One patient even told me that if I vote for Bolsonaro she'll never come back!" he said. Symptoms include mood swings, insomnia, nightmares and bulimia, the psychologist said. Horn said he was seeing allergy and digestive problems, and a resurgence of "panic attacks that had been previously treated." - Group therapy - Fernando Rocha, another Rio psychoanalyst, said his patients have developed phobias -- particularly members of the LGBT community who feel singled out by Bolsonaro's past anti-gay remarks. "These people had found their place" in society, but now "they have started to be afraid to go out into the street, to be assaulted." "Almost all my patients are worried about what's going to happen to them. They are nervous and sometimes even depressed," Rocha said. In Sao Paulo, free group therapy sessions have been held for residents who need to overcome "electoral anxiety," the newspaper O Globo reported. Participants say the heightened emotions make it difficult, even impossible, to discuss the elections rationally within families, in their workplaces, or with their friends. And yet talk of elections is everywhere in Brazil. It is so consuming that university students report finding it difficult to study. "I read everything I can on Bolsonaro. I'm no longer able to read a book," one told O Globo. A flood of political messages -- and disinformation -- on cellphones is causing students facing exams to disconnect so they can concentrate. Andre de Souza, a lawyer in Rio, told AFP he received around 500 messages a day on his iPhone, all for or against one of the two candidates. - 'In Bolsonaro's head' - Epoca news magazine asked psychoanalysts to "get in Bolsonaro's head" -- and some have tackled the assignment with gusto, brushing aside the usual professional reluctance to engage in armchair analysis. Some described the 63-year-old former paratrooper as having an "authoritarian personality" with evident "cruelty" tending toward "paranoia" and narcissism. One psychoanalyst judged him to be "megalomaniac" with a "messianic dimension." With his law-and-order rhetoric, Bolsonaro wants to be a sort of father figure to Brazilians, one who engendered fear and who demanded submission in exchange for protection, the analyst said. For Rocha, the Rio psychoanalyst, Bolsonaro's rise corresponded to the Freudian theory of crowd behavior, in which people's super-ego is replaced by an idealized leader. That phenomenon, he said, is "utterly primitive, like himself."
By Brad Haynes and Anthony Boadle SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's messaging service WhatsApp has no plans to change its group messaging limits in Brazil, an executive said on Tuesday, resisting calls from the leading presidential candidate to allow easier forwarding of viral messages. Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right lawmaker forecast to clinch the race on Sunday, vowed last week to "fight" to let users forward text, audio and video messages to hundreds of contacts on a platform that has become a key political battleground. With few traditional campaign resources and almost no TV ads until this month, Bolsonaro stormed to the front of a crowded presidential race with an outsized social media presence and grassroots organizing via WhatsApp and other online platforms. He denied accusations from his leftist rival Fernando Haddad last week that he had asked supporters to fund secret bulk messaging campaigns over WhatsApp, which would be a violation of electoral law. Advocacy groups concerned with an explosion in the number of hoaxes and misleading propaganda texts and videos on the encrypted platform have called on WhatsApp to lower its forwarding limit in the country from 20 recipients to five, as is the case in India. "We're pretty comfortable with that number 20," Victoria Grand, vice president of policy and communications at WhatsApp, told journalists in Sao Paulo on Tuesday. She called the policy as an "experiment" that "could change over time." With just five days to go before the vote, she said there was no way that WhatsApp could change those limits before Brazilians choose their next president. She highlighted efforts to shut down accounts engaged in spamming activity, along with a marketing campaign encouraging users to be skeptical of rumors. Independent fact checkers and social media experts say that has not been enough to stop a flood of falsehoods and conspiracy theories distorting political debate without public oversight. "It is very worrying. We are walking on ice, because fake news is manufactured on an industrial scale, but the monitoring and fact checking is a slow and time-consuming process," said Thiago Tavares, head of SaferNet Brasil, a non-governmental organization that monitors social media for potential crime. Tavares, a member of an advisory council to Brazil's top electoral court on social media and the election, is one of many calling for WhatsApp to further restrict forwarded messages that effectively turn the service into a broadcast platform. Unlike Facebook's open platform, which the company monitors for abusive content, messages circulating in WhatsApp groups of up to 256 use end-to-end encryption, which keeps them hidden even from the platform's administrators. WhatsApp has more than 120 million users in Brazil, a country of nearly 210 million people, rivaling the reach of Facebook's main platform in one of the company's biggest global markets. BOLSONARO DECLINES DEBATE Opinion polls show Bolsonaro has a lead of around 18 percentage points over Haddad, making a last-minute surge for the leftist candidate seem an increasingly distant possibility. Haddad, running for the Workers Party (PT), has demanded that he and Bolsonaro debate before Sunday anywhere and in any format, saying Brazil's democracy will suffer if voters cannot hear and compare their ideas. But Bolsonaro said in a radio interview on Tuesday that he would not do that, saying that he was not physically fit enough due to a near-fatal stabbing at a rally last month. Haddad and his allies have said they are gravely concerned that Bolsonaro, a 63-year-old retired Army captain and seven-term congressman who has openly praised Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, could fall back into authoritarian ways. A cadre of high-ranking ex-military brass have supported Bolsonaro and are poised to take powerful roles in government if he wins. "We are not a threat to democracy. On the contrary, we are the guarantee for liberty and democracy," Bolsonaro said in the radio interview. He pointed to the political corruption that grew under successive PT governments and involved every major party as evidence that a Haddad government would allow graft to continue. Haddad has said he would fight against corruption. While his defense of the dictatorship and offensive comments about women and minorities have angered critics, Bolsonaro has not been hit by corruption charges - a selling point with voters weary of economic crisis and graft scandals. (Reporting by Brad Haynes in Sao Paulo and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks in Sao Paulo and Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Frances Kerry and Rosalba O'Brien)
Heres where to find Halloween costumes for you and your family. (Photo: Getty Images)

By Flora Yeo

Gear up for Halloween with these affordable Halloween costumes!

The time has come for you to get dressed and party in your favourite movie character or K-pop idol, without feeling too over-the-top. Halloween is the perfect excuse for you to go crazy with your creations!

Whether you are on a hunt for a scary Train to Busan-esque zombie costume, an Avengers team-up, or a simple pirate suit for the little ones, weve got you covered. Here is a guide to find your ideal Halloween costume for the annual trick-or-treat celebration.

While there are many shops in Singapore that offer a whole range of costumes for the whole family, we also offer suggestions on where to buy materials to make your costumes DIY if you have the time for it!

Awesome Costumes

The founder topped her cohort at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Fashion Studies course, and has gone on to design and create many colourful costumes for stage and TV productions, both local and overseas. Her designs are best suited for those who want a modern touch to their outfits, while looking fabulous at the same time.

3 Pemimpin Drive, #03-04E, Singapore 576147

Photo: Customade Costume & Merchandise

Customade Costume & Merchandise

From pilot uniforms to Disney princesses, Customade has been one of the popular costume rental shops in Singapore where its showroom houses over two floors of inventory. Their rental period ranges from 7 hours to 1 week, from $45/day  so you need not fret too much about bursting your budget!

3 Kelantan Lane #01-01, Singapore 208625

Costumes N Parties

If youre ever in need for a Star Wars themed party, this shop will be more than enough to cater to all the attendees of this party. With thousands of costumes to choose from, Costumes N Parties has been around for 20 years, known to have the largest selection of costumes and accessories in Southeast Asia. You name it and theyve probably got it.

2 Havelock Road, Havelock II, Unit #02-16/17/18, Singapore 059763

Lips Enterprise

Party-goers and cosplayers will know of this place very well. Although this small shop does not sell costumes or onesies, they offer a wide range of accessories, wigs and apparel to complete your look! Dont underestimate the moustache of a pirate, or the colourful wings of a fairy  it is the small details that count!

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14 Scotts Rd, Far East Plaza

#03-08, Singapore 228213

Pan-In-the-Box

Otakus and cosplayers have Pan-In-The-Box to thank for its anime paraphernalia. It is after all, Singapores first cosplay costume shop since 2003. It started out as a small shop at Chinatown, and now houses over thousands of masks and general party props in the heart of Singapores nightlife scene  Clarke Quay.

6 Eu Tong Sen Street, The Central Shopping Mall #02-51

Photo: Mias Fancy Dress Closet

Mias Fancy Dress Closet

For the little ones, dont forget to raid Mias Fancy Dress Closet, which has just the right costume for every little princess and prince who wants to live out their cute little fantasies. There is no physical shop; message the owners for an appointment.

Moephosis Concepts

Moephosis Concepts was founded in 2004 by Moe Kasim, one of Singapores self-taught professional costume designers known for his extravagant costume which was worn by Miss Singapore Universe two years ago. The boutique-style costume rental company also provides a vast collection of costumes, wigs, masks and accessories.

15 Shaw Road, #08-02 Teo Industrial Building, Singapore 367953

Photo: Moephosis Concepts

Miiostore Costume

If you intend to gather your friends to dress up in matching costumes, consider online rental store Miiostore Costume which offers 10-pax package deals for themes like superheroes, Mario and even Harry Potter! Its easy, cheaper and itll definitely look great for an #Ootd (Outfit Of The Day) shot!

Besides brick-and-mortar shops, you can always shop online for your ideal costume. From adult onesies to vampire capes, everything is just a click away. Even if youre looking for the most unique and obscure prop for your overall appearance, the World Wide Web will be your best bet. Just be sure to factor in the shipping period for your products!

Popular sites apart from Ebay and Amazon include EZBuy, Shopee and Lazada!

On the other hand, if you have time to spare, why not make your own costume from scratch? You are going to be the centre of attraction at the party when you confidently tell your friends that your getup is actually handmade. Its going to be unique, personalised, and designed to flatter your body shape. Sounds like a great idea, doesnt it?

Art Friend

Art Friend is probably the most-frequented art supply store in Singapore that sells practically anything and everything that is art-related. This is your go-to store to find your DIY masks, fabrics, and face-painting materials to start your Halloween costume-crafting journey.

Stores in Bras Basah Complex, Plaza Singapura and Clementi Central

Spotlight

Step up your game and opt for a different look this spooky Halloween. Spotlight has a wide variety of fabrics for the sewing nerds out there. Anything from textured textiles to wacky designed cloths, this is the place you should be visiting.

Plaza Singapura, Level 5, 68 Orchard Road (Located at the Dhoby Ghaut MRT)

Daiso JAPAN

Dont underestimate what goodies you can find in an everything-$2 megastore. If youre on a budget, the Japanese-franchised store will be able to complete your Halloween look  from witch hats to pumpkin candle holders.

Various stores around Singapore

Now youre all set for a spooky Halloween!

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Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Guangzhou on Wednesday afternoon on the fourth leg of his much-anticipated trip south ahead of the 40th anniversary of the countrys reform and opening up.

After attending the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Tuesday, Xi also visited Guangdong provinces impoverished backwaters, pledging that no one would be left behind in his poverty alleviation campaign.

State television reported that Xi had visited an old district of Guangzhou, the provincial capital, and asked about cultural heritage protection works.

A motorcade believed to be that of Xi also visited the campus of Jinan University in Guangzhou in late afternoon, according to a South China Morning Post reporter at the scene. The campus had been under heavy security since the morning.

Earlier on Wednesday, the president was in the tech hub of Shenzhen, where he visited an exhibition commemorating Guangdongs pioneering part in the reforms, in which Xis late father Xi Zhongxun played an early steering role.

Xi had then visited the pilot economic zone of Qianhai, confirming earlier reports by the Post. A motorcade arrived at the Qianhai zones exhibition hall after 11am.

Security was high from dawn onwards in Shenzhen, with a heavy presence of uniformed police and plain-clothes personnel at both venues.

At the Shenzhen Reform and Opening-Up Exhibition, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning Exhibition, blockades were in place from about 8am on Wednesday, while a police officer in Qianhai told the Post he had been on duty since 5am.

Xis visit to the impoverished parts of Guangdong on Tuesday was seen as highlighting Chinas efforts to eliminate extreme poverty by 2020 by resolving development gaps between rural and urban areas, one of the major national policies he has championed.

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Guangdong, which has severe income disparity between the affluent Pearl River Delta and rural residents in its west and north, has been targeted because it has one of Chinas biggest wealth gaps.

After leaving the opening ceremony of the 55km (34-mile) mega bridge in Zhuhai, Xi headed north to visit the city of Yingde on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Communist Party mouthpiece Peoples Daily, he made a stop at Lianjiangkou township in Yingde city, where he said that no one would be left behind in Chinas drive to eradicate extreme poverty.

It was reported that Xi had spent the afternoon with workers in a toy factory and local households. The president reportedly called on grass-roots party officials to speed up modernisation while boosting rural economic development and infrastructure.

We believe the livelihood of our rural residents will be happier as days go by, Xi was quoted as saying.

He also made a stop at Yingde e-commerce market, where he chatted with students at a training centre. He called for targeted poverty alleviation measures to turn weakness into potential while fostering balanced regional development in the deltas backwaters.

The Guangdong provincial government released its own three-year plan this month to eradicate extreme poverty.

During the 19th party national congress in October last year, Xi said the fight against poverty was one of three tough major battles that the country had to win to build an all-round well-off society by 2020.

To achieve this, China needs to lift about 30 million rural residents out of extreme poverty.

Guangdong is Chinas richest province but there are still 2,277 villages and 1.76 million people there that are considered to be relatively poor.

Additional reporting by Choi Chi-yuk, He Huifeng and Phoebe Zhang

This article Xi Jinping tours Guangzhou after highlighting wealth gap on visit to poorer areas first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

More from South China Morning Post:
Chinese nationals were behind the vast majority of medical disputes in South Korea over the past six years, making up nearly 70 per cent of all cases involving foreigners in a major hotbed of Asian medical tourism.

Government data released this week revealed 810 medical disputes were registered with the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency since 2013, of which 538 involved Chinese patients.

The number of annual medical disputes was 147 last year, up from 137 in 2016.

Medical disputes involving Chinese tourists have now dwarfed the number of cases involving other foreign nationals in Korea. Americans were only responsible for 72 disputes during the entire period, while the next most common nationalities were Vietnamese, Mongolian and Russian patients, who were behind 41, 22 and 17 cases respectively.

The most common types of procedures involved in the disputes were plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery and obstetrics.

It is necessary to come up with measures, such as increasing the number of counsellors or translators so that foreign patients can solve medical disputes with local medical institutions and hospitals, lawmaker Choi Do-ja said, according to Korean news agency Yonhap.

South Korea is a booming medical tourism hub within Asia and more than 320,000 foreigners arrived for medical treatment in 2017 alone, according to government figures.

Almost 100,000 of these medical tourists were from China  a considerable drop from 2016, when 127,648 of them went to South Korea.

The fall in numbers was due to a large-scale informal tourism boycott encouraged by Beijing that year, as a result of geopolitical tensions over South Koreas installation of the US-backed THAAD anti-missile defence system.

Some of the most common treatments for medical tourists travelling to South Korea included cancer, cosmetic surgery and skincare.

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Patients who believe they have experienced medical malpractice must settle their case with the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency.

The Korean government introduced stronger protection measures for foreign patients undergoing surgery in 2015, after a Chinese female patient fell into a coma after a plastic surgery procedure at a Korean clinic.

This article Chinese tourists lead to spike in medical disputes in Korea first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
Test flights of a driverless hover-taxi will take place in Singapore next year, a German aviation firm said, the latest innovation to offer an escape from Asia's monster traffic jams. Millions of commuters in the region's cities have to contend with chronic gridlock every day, sparking a race to develop new ways to avoid the snarl-ups. While the developed city-state of Singapore does not suffer major congestion, it is seen as a perfect test-bed for new technologies due to its compact size and openness to innovation. German firm Volocopter said Tuesday it will conduct the test flights in Singapore in the second half of next year with the support of the government. Resembling a helicopter, Volocopter's electric air taxis take off and land vertically. They are based on drone technology and can fly two people for around 30 kilometres (19 miles), the firm said in a statement. The Singapore tests follow a public demonstration in Dubai last year. "The Volocopter is designed specifically for inner city missions," Volocopter said in a statement, adding it can withstand minor turbulence around skyscrapers, allowing for smooth rides. "It is so quiet that at a flight height of 100 metres (330 feet), it cannot be heard over the typical background noise of a city." A company spokeswoman said the Volocopter can be controlled by a pilot using a joystick, or remotely from the ground. Apart from the test flights, Volocopter will also set up a product design and engineering centre in Singapore to support its expansion plans. Volocopter said they are getting ready to roll out their first fixed routes in cities. The hover-taxis will complement helicopter-hailing services which are already taking off in some cities to beat traffic jams.
Other investors are Global Innovation Fund, Endeavor Catalyst, Alpha JWC Ventures, Sequoia India, and Primedge

Indonesian tax solution platform OnlinePajak has received a Series B funding worth of over US$25 million led by Warburg Pincus. Global Innovation Fund, Endeavor Catalyst, Alpha JWC Ventures, Sequoia India, and Primedge also participated.

According to CEO and founder of OnlinePajak Charles Guinot, the funding will be used to develop new features to support tax solution, including AI and blockchain options, which will be an expanded capability on their end.

Were looking to help companies in increasing their productivities and doing business easier while supporting Direktorat Jenderal Pajak (Tax Directorate General) managing the tax, said Guinot.

Also Read: 9 epic speakers making the Manila Academy Roadshow better than Sinigang

OnlinePajak aims to reduce the administrative loads of companies by providing easy management of tax. The web-based app is integrated to count, submit, and report tax under one platform, all to support users in doing their tax obligation.

OnlinePajak also provides its users with features like invoicing and payroll to add to the tax management option.

We believe that OnlinePajak has contributed a tech solution for fulfilling tax obligation on an end-to-end platform, and it will help the countrys business running more efficiently, said Head of Southeast Asia of Warburg Pincus, Jeffrey Perlman.

Also Read: Dyson confirms to develop electric vehicle in Singapore-based production facility

Warburg Pincus is a private equity company focusing on growth investment since 1966. In Southeast Asia, Warburg Pincus has invested more than US$1.5 billion, including in Go-Jek.

Before this round, OnlinePajak also received a Series A funding just in the end of last year by Alpha JWC Ventures.

Currently, the platform that has been recognized by World Economic Forum claims to serve more than 900 thousand users, among them are notables like Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, Telkomsel, PT Astra Otoparts Tbk, Sinarmas, and Tokopedia.



The post Indonesias tax management startup OnlinePajak raises US$25M led by Warburg Pincus appeared first on e27.
Italy's competition authority on Wednesday said it was fining Apple and Samsung 10 and five million euros ($11.5 and $5.7 million) respectively for the so-called "planned obsolescence" of their smartphones. The ruling is believed to be the first against the manufacturers following accusations worldwide that they encourage operating system updates for older phones which slow them down, thereby encouraging the purchase of new phones. Two "complex investigations" by the anti-trust authority AGCM revealed that Apple and Samsung implemented unfair commercial practices, a statement said. "The two companies have induced consumers to install software updates that are not adequately supported by their devices, without adequately informing them, nor providing them an effective way to recover the full functionality of their devices," the AGCM said. Operating system updates "caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced their performance, in this way speeding up their replacement with more recent products." Samsung "insistently suggested" to owners of its 2014 Note 4 phone to install a new version of Google's Android operating system intended for the more recent Note 7, the ACGM said. But that was "without informing them of the serious malfunctions that the new firmware could cause due to greater stress of device's hardware and asking a high repair cost for out-of-warranty repairs connected to such malfunctions". Likewise, Apple "insistently suggested" to iPhone 6 owners to install an operating system designed for the iPhone 7, "without warning consumers that its installation could reduce the speed of execution and functionality of devices". A Samsung statement said it would appeal the fine, because the company "did not issue any software update that reduced the Galaxy Note 4s performance. "In contrast, Samsung has always released software updates enabling our customers to have the best experience possible," it said. Samsung pledged nonetheless to cooperate with the Italian authorities. - 'No support' - The ACGM said that Apple "did not offer any specific support measures for iPhones that had experienced such operating problems and were no longer covered by the legal warranty; only in December 2017 Apple provided for the possibility to replace batteries at a discounted price". Apple was also found not to have told customers about "essential" characteristics of its phones' lithium batteries, "such as their average duration and deterioration factors, nor about the correct procedures to maintain, verify and replace batteries in order to preserve full functionality of devices". Both companies were fined the maximum possible, Apple paying double Samsung's five-million-euro fine because of its two contested practices. The Italian anti-trust authority opened its investigation in January following customer complaints. The US company was forced to admit last year that it intentionally slowed down older models of its iPhones over time, sparking concerns it was unfairly nudging consumers to upgrade. At first, Apple had denied it intentionally shortened the life on any of its products. It said it slowed models to extend the performance of the phone -- which uses less power when running at slower speeds -- and to prevent unexpected shutdowns. The California-based group also faces a class-action suit in the United States and a slew of lawsuits in Russia. The companies will be required to publish an "amending declaration" on their Italian websites with a link to the AGCM's ruling. There was no immediate reaction to the Italian decision from Apple. In neighbouring France, a prosecutor opened an investigation into Apple's practices at the same time as the Italian probe. In the US meanwhile, the Justice Department and stock exchange watchdog SEC are looking into whether the slowing down of Apple phones infringed stock exchange rules.
FILE PHOTO: Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who is seen in this photo sent by e-mail to a Kyodo News photographer FILE PHOTO: Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who is seen in this photo sent by e-mail to a Kyodo News photographer on June 23, 2015 before Yasuda's departure to Syria, with the message reading, "I will smuggle myself into Syria from now", is seen in this undated photo released by Kyodo on December 24, 2015. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo

By Mert Ozkan

ANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - A Japanese journalist held hostage by Islamist militants for 40 months left for Japan from Turkey on Wednesday after being freed and said he was happy to be going home.

Jumpei Yasuda, a 44-year-old freelance journalist who was reported to have been captured by an al Qaeda affiliate after entering Syria from Turkey in 2015, was released a day earlier after three years in captivity.

Japanese diplomats in Turkey earlier confirmed that the released man was Yasuda, and Japan's foreign minister said the journalist would be brought home as soon as possible.

Speaking to Reuters on board a flight from Antakya in southern Turkey en route to Istanbul, from where he flew back to Tokyo, Yasuda said he did not know what the future held for him.

"I am happy that I can return to Japan. At the same time, I don't know what will happen from here or what I should do," he said. "I am thinking about what I need to do."

He also said he had not spoken Japanese for 40 months and was struggling to find the right words.

In an earlier video released by Turkish officials, Yasuda gave thanks for his freedom and said he was safe.

"My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months, now in Turkey. Now I'm in safe condition. Thank you very much," a bearded Yasuda said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had earlier voiced relief, while still waiting for confirmation of the identity of the freed man.

Both Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono thanked Qatar and Turkey for their cooperation in freeing the man. A government spokesman said that no ransom was paid for Yasuda's release.

"He looks to be in good health, but our staff will check his condition and transport him to Japan as soon as possible," Kono told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

Yasudo's three years in captivity were not the first time he had been detained in the Middle East.

He was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism at home for drawing the government into negotiations for his release.

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In Tokyo, Yasuda's parents spoke to reporters outside their house.

Yasuda's mother, Sachiko Yasuda, choked back tears as she clutched a white handkerchief.

"I could do nothing but pray. So I've been praying every day," she said.

His father, Hideaki Yasuda, said all he wanted was to see his son in good condition.

"Above everything else, I want to see him being fine," he said.

"When he's back, I want to tell him one thing, and that'll be 'good job hanging in there'," he said.

(Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; David Dolan, Ece Toksabay and Yesim Dikmen in Istanbul; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
A Japanese journalist kidnapped in Syria more than three years ago is believed to have been released, the government said Tuesday. Jumpei Yasuda, a 44-year-old freelancer, was seized in June 2015, and appeared in a rare video released by militants over the summer. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a late night press conference the Japanese government was trying to verify information from Qatari authorities but it seemed "highly likely" Yasuda had finally been freed. "The Qatar government informed us that Jumpei Yasuda has been freed and is now at the immigration centre in Antakya" in Turkey, Suga said. "We're now verifying the information... but it's highly likely it is Jumpei Yasuda himself," he added. A jihadist group in August released videos of the Japanese journalist and of Italian national Alessandro Sandrini, in which they appealed for their release. Both men were wearing orange outfits with armed, masked men standing behind them. The videos did not identify which group was holding the men or include specific demands. Yasuda was thought to have been seized by the group previously known as the Al-Nusra Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in northern Syria. However, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Al-Qaeda's former branch in Syria, denied any involvement in a statement Tuesday. "We deny the accusations directed against us in the kidnapping of Japanese journalist Yasuda. We heard of his release through media outlets," it said. Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate was known as Al-Nusra Front before it cut ties with the transnational jihadist network in 2016 and changed its name. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Yasuda was released under a Turkish-Qatari deal, with some sources saying a ransom had been paid. "He was released after his kidnappers handed him to a non-Syrian military force close to Turkey. He had been held in western parts of Idlib province," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. In the video released earlier this year, Yasuda identified himself as Korean and gave a different name, but spoke in Japanese. His wife said she had no idea why Yasuda had identified himself as Korean in the video, but confirmed it showed him and that he is Japanese. In 2015 militants from the Islamic State group beheaded Japanese war correspondent Kenji Goto and his friend Haruna Yukawa in Syria. The Japanese government was criticised for what detractors saw as its flat-footed response to the crisis at the time, including apparently missed opportunities to free both men.
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The son of Argentine ex-president Cristina Kirchner appeared in court Tuesday to testify as a suspect in the "corruption notebooks" scandal in which his mother is accused of receiving tens of millions of dollars in bribes. Maximo Kirchner appeared before investigating judge Claudio Bonadio and delivered a letter criticizing the court. "There is no evidence that even remotely justifies my subpoena," he said. The "corruption notebooks" case relates to a ministerial chauffeur's records -- written in school copybooks -- of his drop-offs of millions of dollars of bribes paid by businessmen to government officials to win public works contracts. According to prosecutors, Kirchner was linked to the case by the testimony of a former official, Jose Lopez, who said he received some of the payments. In court Tuesday, Kirchner -- a son from his mother's marriage to the late president Nestor Kirchner -- ridiculed Lopez's evidence and asked to have it reviewed by his lawyers. As a lawmaker in the lower chamber of Argentina's Congress, Kirchner -- like his mother, now a senator -- is protected by congressional immunity from imprisonment, although not from prosecution. However, last month the Senate did vote to partially lift Cristina Kirchner's immunity so that investigators could search her three homes. She has already been called in for questioning twice by Bonadio, the judge leading the wide-ranging corruption investigation. The 65-year-old is under investigation in seven corruption cases in total, but claims she is the victim of "judicial persecutions" aimed at derailing her bid to run for a third presidential term in next year's elections. Both she and Nestor Kirchner, whom she succeeded as president in 2007, are suspected of having accepted millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for public works contracts.
The first of five Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers charged with the death of a full-time national serviceman has been sentenced to a year and four weeks in jail yesterday, according to media reports.

Staff Sergeant Muhammad Nur Fatwa Mahmood is the man who pushed Corporal Kok Yuen Chin into the 12m-deep pump well at Tuas View Fire Station, leading to the 22-year-olds subsequent drowning and death. SSG Fatwa pleaded guilty to causing death by a rash act as well as abetting the obstruction of justice  the 33-year-old had asked a colleague to delete a recorded video of the incident from his mobile phone.

Back in May, CPL Kok died in a farewell celebration gone wrong. To commemorate his last day in national service, his colleagues urged him to take part in a long-held kolam tradition among firefighters, in which the outgoing personnel is dunked into the fire stations pump well  a 12m-deep reservoir meant for the training and testing of fire engine water pumps.

The court heard that a group of at least 13 SCDF officers had gathered in a room at the fire station to celebrate CPL Koks last day. Well-liked among his colleagues, he was presented with a plaque and cake.

SSG Fatwa then suggested that CPL Kok take part in kolam, which then sparked off others to chant kolam as well. Despite CPL Kosignalingng that he wasnt willing, SSG Fatwa and two other officers carried him to the well. The NSF kept saying in Malay dont encik, dont.

Once there, his colleagues placed him at the edge of the pump well and egged him to jump in the water. Someone told him to sit down at the edge, which he did. Still, he would not enter. Some of his squad mates knew that he was afraid of water, and could not swim.

SSG Fatwa  who didnt know that CPL Kok could not swim  shoved the young man from behind. The NSF failed to re-surface in the water.

Eight seconds since he was pushed into the well, an officer jumped into the water and tried to rescue him. Some jumped in but failed to find CPL Kok while others started using a fire engine suction pump to extract the water out from the well. Some donned breathing apparatus to dive deeper. Soon enough, the unconscious man was found and was pulled out of the water. Attempts to revive him failed, and he was pronounced dead about two hours since he was pushed in.

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In court, SSG Fatwas lawyer provided testimonials from the mans family, friends and people who were under his charge, all of whom asked for mercy, Channel NewsAsia reported. The SCDF regular was also noted to have confessed quickly, admitting his offenses to the court and pleading guilty to his charges.

After the sentencing, CPL Koks father spoke to reporters and mentioned that no matter what the jail term is, his son is not coming back.

The post SCDF regular who pushed NSF into fire station pump well sentenced to over a year in prison appeared first on Coconuts.
Hong Kong health authorities are warning travellers to exercise caution when visiting Japan after a sharp surge in rubella cases was seen during a local outbreak.

The citys Centre for Health Protection specified that children under one should not visit Japan, a popular holiday destination among Hongkongers, as they were not yet due for vaccination under the Childhood Immunisation Programme.

All pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy who were non-immune to the infection should not travel to Japan during the outbreak, the centre advised. Rubella infection during pregnancy can result in abnormal development of the fetus, especially during the first trimester.

In the past six weeks, 914 cases were reported, making up most of the 1,289 cases recorded this year as of last Wednesday. Only 93, 126 and 163 cases were recorded in 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively.

The cumulative incidence this year was highest in Chiba prefecture (37.6 cases per million population), followed by Tokyo (32 cases per million population) and Kanagawa prefecture (17.9 cases per million population).

Rubella is a highly infectious disease, with symptoms including cough, runny nose, low fever and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.

The centre said the disease could be transmitted by contact with secretions from the nose and throat of infected people through droplet spread or direct contact with patients.

Immunisation is the most effective way to prevent the disease. The vaccines are usually given in a Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) combined vaccine.

People who planned to go to Japan were advised to review their vaccination history and medical history, the centre said.

Those who have received a rubella-containing vaccine, have been confirmed to have rubella or have a positive blood test for rubella antibodies are considered to be immune against it. All other groups are considered non-immune.

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Those who have not had a rubella vaccination, have an unknown vaccination history or unknown immunity against rubella, are advised to consult their doctors about the issue.

The centre has been liaising with the World Health Organisation and the Japanese health authority while continuing to monitor the situation.

As of Monday, the centre had recorded six cases of rubella in the city this year, involving two males and four females aged three to 65.

Children are given their first dose of the MMR vaccine at the age of one, followed by a second dose in primary one under the Childhood Immunisation Programme.

From late March, an outbreak of measles was seen in Okinawa after an infected man from Taiwan visited the Japanese prefecture. Cases were also recorded in other parts of Japan. The outbreak ended in June.

This article Sharp surge in rubella cases in Japan prompts travel warning from Hong Kong health authorities first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Sri Lankan police arrested and charged a senior naval officer Wednesday for the abduction and murder of two Tamil businessmen during the final stages of the island's brutal civil war. Lieutenant Commander K. A. Dayananda was taken before a magistrate and remanded in custody over the double murder, which investigators believe took place in January 2009. Police said the victims, both from the Tamil minority group, were kidnapped by naval officers and later killed despite their families paying a ransom for their release. "The vehicle of the two victims was taken to Welisara navy camp on the pretext that it contained a bomb," a police official told AFP. "Later, they dismantled the vehicle and sold the parts after having killed the two men." Sri Lanka is investigating the disappearance and presumed murder of 11 young men between 2008 and 2009 in the dying days of the 37-year civil war between government forces and Tamil separatists. Several navy officers are currently on bail in connection with the alleged disappearances. The missing men are believed to have been murdered before the brutal conflict ended in 2009. Senior military figures and close associates of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse have been accused of murders, cover-ups and extortion during his decade of rule. Several intelligence officers have also been released on bail for charges related to the assassination of a prominent newspaper editor and attacks on other journalists and dissidents. The January 2009 killing of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga, a fierce critic of then-president Rajapakse, sparked international outcry and shone a light on human rights violations in Sri Lanka. Wickrematunga had accused Rajapakse's defence secretary and brother Gotabhaya of taking kickbacks in arms purchases, and was due to testify in court when he was murdered. Gotabhaya Rajapakse has denied running death squads. The Rajapakses are under investigation for large-scale financial fraud and murder during Mahinda's presidency, which ended in 2015.
By David Alire Garcia

MAZATLAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Hurricane Willa closed in Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday with winds of over 100 miles per hour (160 kph), threatening to batter buildings and dump torrential rain on popular tourist resorts where thousands of people were moved to safety.

Willa, which weakened to a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale on Tuesday, was blowing maximum sustained winds of about 120 miles per hour (193 kph) with higher gusts, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

It had reached rare Category 5 status on Monday with winds near 160 mph (260 kph) before it weakened.

Forecast to be one of the most powerful hurricanes to enter Mexico from the Pacific in recent years, Willa was due to weaken further before striking land on Tuesday evening.

By late afternoon on Tuesday, the storm was about 70 miles (113 km) south of Mazatlan, a popular coastal retreat in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the centre said. It was heading north-northeast at 10 miles per hour (16 kph).

Steady rain fell on Tuesday afternoon in Mazatlan, where hotels facing the boardwalks had sealed windows and doors with wooden planks. Only a few tourists were out as small red flags planted in the sand indicated the beach was closed.

On side streets people were boarding up windows while some young men surfed the higher-than-usual waves.

"I'm sure my house is going to flood," university professor Ignacio Osuna said on the boardwalk on Tuesday morning as he watched the surfers. He noted large parts of the city are below sea level.

"This is going to get ugly," he said.

The city's main convention centre was designated a shelter but only a few people had taken refuge there by Tuesday afternoon. A fleet of trucks owned by state electricity company CFE stood in the parking lot, ready to repair any fallen powerlines.

Several other tourist getaways in the state of Nayarit, as well as the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state, also lie near the path of the storm, which is forecast to bring a life-threatening storm surge of ocean water, wind and rainfall, the hurricane centre said.

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Howard Petty, a sport fishing enthusiast from Chevy Chase, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, said he had no idea the storm was coming.

"There's nowhere else for us to go so we're just going to stay put here," he said in the lobby of a hotel in Mazatlan.

Mexico's civil protection agency said on Twitter that families should move into nearby temporary refuges if necessary.

Up to 18 inches (45 cm) of rainfall could pummel parts of the storm zone, the hurricane centre said. Even buildings up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the coastline could lose power and suffer physical damage, Mexico's National Meteorological Service said.

In some states, Willa's menace was compounded by the remnants of Vicente, a post-tropical cyclone moving over the state of Michoacan on Tuesday morning, causing rain in parts of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero.

Nayarit Governor Antonio Echevarria said more than 10,000 people were being evacuated and schools would be closed. He warned locals not to defy the storm.

"Let's not play the macho," he said. "Let's not act like superheroes. It's a very strong hurricane, very potent, and we don't want any tragedies."

(Reporting by David Alire Garcia, Dave Graham and Brendan O'Brien; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Bill Trott and Sandra Maler)
The final round of Tech In Asia Jakarta 2018 ARENA Pitch Battle includes six startups working in the e-commerce, fintech, and healthtech sectors



Uiza, a Vietnam-based video and livestream cloud API platform, has been crowned as the winner of Tech In Asia Jakarta 2018 ARENA Pitch Battle today in Central Jakarta.

Selected out of six finalists, the startup won a cash prize of IDR50 million (US$3,300).

Founded in February by Gareth Nguyen, Uiza is a startup that helps businesses add a video feature on their apps. The company also utilises artificial intelligence to optimise viewing experience.

Having recently raised a pre-seed funding round, the company named LINE, Topica, and Framgia as its users.

In addition to Uiza, the competition also named Datanest and Danabijak as runner-up and third prize winners.

Datanest is a data-science-as-a-service platform with a current focus on finance and retail industry. Based in Indonesia, the company was founded in 2017 and is currently in the process of launching their business.

Danabijak is an Indonesia-based fintech startup that helps underbanked communities in Java, Sumatra, and Borneo get loans without the need of having credit history.

Also Read: Startup news portal Tech in Asia experiences significant layoffs

ARENA Pitch Battle is a startup competition that is part of the annual Tech In Asia Jakarta conference, held in October 23-24 by Southeast Asian tech news platform of the same name.

The competition includes finalists coming in from Asian countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The companies are working in various sectors from e-commerce, fintech, to healthcare.

The healthcare sector was represented by Medi Whale, a South Korean startup building an AI solution to detect eye and cardiovascular diseases.

The startup claimed to be able to help patients save healthcare costs in the long run by enabling healthcare professionals to diagnose cardiovascular conditions based on patients eye.

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Fintech sector, particularly peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, is a dominant theme in the competition.

In addition to third-prize winner Danabijak, the competition also named Bizhare as finalist. The startup helps small- and medium-sized businesses secure funding to run a franchise business.

The post Vietnams Uiza wins Tech In Asia Jakarta 2018 ARENA Pitch Battle appeared first on e27.
The sequel had better be better than the original.

In a flurry of announcements this fall, Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer claimed to have revived his plan to replicate the worlds most infamous ship, and send the Titanic II into passenger service along its original route between Southhampton, England, and New York Cityand then onto a circumnavigation of the globe.

At a time when the worlds in conflict, the Titanic represents Jack and Rose, Romeo and Juliet, Palmer told me over the phone from Australia, conflating the star-crossed romances of the title characters in James Camerons Titanic (Jack drowns after the Titanic hits an iceberg) with those of Shakespeares tragedy (Romeo dies by poison; Juliet stabs herself). We know how to make war; we have to make peace, he mused. Thats part of our motivation for making the ship.

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On Monday, Palmer announced the projects European headquarters would be in Paris to avoid complications from Brexit. The previous week, he appointed a European directorthe unfortunately named Clive Mensinkto handle staffing, operations, and construction.

Smooth sailing ahead? Not quite.

The same media-industry incentives that brought you news of the Hyperloop, Chinas levitating bus, and Bill Gates smart city in Arizona have produced a raft of stories to the effect that the Titanic II will sail the ocean blue as soon as 2022. Its that media frenzy, as much as any internal plan of action, that gives Palmer the confidence this project can succeed. The people want the Titanic IIalmost as much as he does. Youll see a lot of guys my age buying, building, and sailing boats, he said. Im building a bigger boat, because Ive got a bigger budget.

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Small caveat: Palmer isnt actually building anything. He first announced the Titanic II in 2012, to set sail in 2016. Constructing the replica, he told an Australian magazine that year, was a response to a request from Chinese shipbuilders looking to break into the cruise market. I said, Lets build the Titanic! It will be great, it will show off the competitiveness of Chinese shipbuilders. (He also loves the movie.) In April 2012, Palmer got Deltamarin, a real Finnish ship-design company, and CSC Jinling Shipyard, a Chinese state-owned shipbuilder, to sign a memorandum of understanding and conduct preliminary technical studies. In 2014, he extended the deadline to 2018. In 2015, workers at CSC Jinling told the Australian that basically nothing was happening. The agreement with Jinling is off.

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But Palmer still has the designsas well as 3,000-odd Titanic-themed sets of cutlery and flatware.

What has he been doing all this time as the world awaited, then forgot, then remembered the Titanic II? On the positive side, Palmer formed a political party named after himself and was elected to Australian Parliament, where he rarely appeared during a term that ended in 2016. He is back in politics again now, running candidates under the slogan Make Australia Great.

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But in other ways, its been a tough few years. At a coastal resort he bought, Palmer pledged but failed to build the worlds largest animatronic dinosaur park, before finally letting the property slip into abandonment. (Palmer says the property is merely closed to the public, and that he uses it like Donald Trump uses Mar-a-Lago.) As one of his companies, Mineralogy, fought with Chinese mining interests in court, another called Queensland Nickel went under, with creditors and former employees owed more than $200 million. Palmer tumbled down and then off Forbes list of the 50 wealthiest Australians, and then some.

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Things are looking up, Palmer says. His Chinese partners (bastards and mongrels, he once called them, when he was an MP) had run off with some of the money earmarked for the Titanic II. But a recent court decision in his favor meant that money was coming back his wayand renewed his dedication to rebuilding the great doomed ship.

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Its not clear whether this effort will be undertaken with more serious intent than the 2012 edition, in which nearly no one involved seemed to be working on the boat full time. The design consultants, Steve Hall and Daniel Klistorner, were not cruise industry vetsbut had recently co-authored a pair of books on the original boats interiors, Titanic: The Ship Magnificent (Volumes I and II). The projects global marketing director, James McDonald, would soon become Palmers chief of staff when he entered Parliament but doesnt list his position at Blue Star Line on his LinkedIn profile. John Eaton was the director of events for Titanic II and boasts that he created more than $500 million in media coverage for the ships launch events, one of which was held on the USS Intrepid in New York. But he was simultaneously the general manager for Palmer Coolum Resort on Australias Sunshine Coastthe mothballed, mosquito-ridden property where the Titanic dining sets are stored.

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But so what, Palmer said. Mineralogy is his company and he can redirect revenuesand his employeeshow he likes. The collapse of Queensland Nickel sent its only registered director, Palmers nephew Clive Mensink, overseashe has been hanging out in Bulgaria and has a warrant for his arrest extant in Australia after he didnt show up in court for a public investigation of the companys demise. (Its just like a parking ticket, really, Palmer said.) Now the fugitive Mensink is in charge of staffing, operations, and construction of the Titanic II.

As with the previous attempt to resurrect the North Atlantics greatest shipwreck, this one may come down to money. It can cost a billion dollars or more to build a state-of-the-art cruise ship, far more than Palmer is getting from his lawsuits against the Chinese mining consort. Were not ready for the commercial part of the project, Palmer concedes. But weve been inundated by people wanting to do some commercial deals. With the attention hes had, why not?
Recently, my husband uncovered from his parents basement his beloved childhood collection of Charlie Brown books, most notably Charlie Browns Super Book of Questions and Answers. The book, whose cover features Snoopy sitting atop his signature red house, was instantly recognizable; it had also been a favorite of mine. I touched the well-worn pages and remembered begging my babysitter to read it to me. I turned to the copyright page. 1976! And then my gaze froze. There, in fine print, the books art director, designer, and typographer were listed. Also listed was the books editor: Hedda Nussbaum.

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I knew that name. Nussbaum shot to national infamy in 1987 when she was charged, along with her live-in partner, Joel Steinberg, in the murder of their illegally adopted daughter, Lisa, age 6. On a fall night in 1987, Lisa was found unconscious in her familys Greenwich Village home, the result of a severe blow to the head. Her father, Steinberg, claimed he had been out most of the evening. Nussbaum, who was at home with the girl, did not initially seek medical treatment. When she finally did call 911, her daughter was rushed to the hospital; she was pronounced dead three days later. Nussbaumwhose instant vilification was, in some ways, more extreme than the public reaction to Steinbergclaimed she was innocent in the girls death, that she was not a perpetrator but herself a victim of Steinbergs physical abuse and mind control.

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Thirty years ago this week, on Oct. 25, 1988, the Steinberg trial commenced, captivating the publics attention and fixing our eyes on Hedda, who had agreed to testify against Steinberg; in exchange, the charges against her were dropped. Public fascination with the New York City murder trial, the first ever to be televised, was intense. And while there is no doubt that Steinberg became a much-despised villain, the medias collective attention focused unstintingly on Hedda. It was one thing for a madman to harm a child. Violence by men, one could convincingly argue, is to be expected. But for a mother to stand by while it happened? That is something else. How could any mother, asked the cover of People magazine, no matter how battered, fail to help her dying child?

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How can a mother know and not know?

People was not the only publication to take the easy route of vilifying Nussbaum. In a December 1988 Washington Post column, headlined When Weakness Becomes an Alibi, Richard Cohen led with the question, Why was Hedda Nussbaum given a walk? Cohen goes on to assert that it cannot be said  that she was not complicitous. For some portion of the public, time has not abated their hatred of Nussbaum: If you go to YouTube and search for Hedda Nussbaum, one of the first videos that comes up is a CNN special from 2005. The first comment, posted one year ago, reads, She is a murderer  This horrible woman deserved to go to jail for the rest of her life.

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I was in junior high in those years, a cheerleader and student-council representative living in a nice house in a Chicago suburba life that from all appearances had nothing to do with the depravity of the Steinberg-Nussbaum case. And yet it riveted me. Heddas bruised and battered face was everywherein the papers and news programs, and plastered on magazine covers. I was only 12 or 13, but I couldnt look away from her beaten-up, smashed-in face, her nose broken and craggy, her wiry gray hair protruding from a bandana kerchief.

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Like everyone else, I held Hedda in contempt. How could she have been so passive? How could she have allowed things to get that bad? How could she not have protected her daughter? My mother had a subscription to People, after all, and I looked at every picture and read every word. I understood that Hedda was not like other people who were usually associated with such crimes. For one thing, she was Jewish, like us. For another, she was an editor. An editor at Random House in New York City. The words themselves seemed coated with fairy dust, a dream of someone I might like to be someday.

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But there was another reason the case held my attention. And that was because I too was living terrified in the face of a mans inexplicable rage. In this case, my fathers. I too sometimes had bruises and marks that had to be explained. I too needed protection and wondered why nobody cared.

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Parading her before the press, blaming her for the death of her daughter, whispering that it was really she, not the man who inflicted the violence, who was at faultin all these ways, we used Nussbaum as a convenient scapegoat, a repository for our worst nightmares. Farah Fawcett had played a battered woman in the TV-movie sensation The Burning Bed just a few years earlier, but when it came to the plight of a real-life battered woman, perhaps it is not surprising that the woman designated for public flogging was not a leggy blonde. Aside from being a woman and a Jew, Hedda had something else working against her. A victim of long-term abuse, she suffered from trauma that so fractured her experience and memories that she had difficulty presenting a coherent account of her role in the events surrounding Lisas death. In the eye of a public with little understanding of (and even less sympathy for) the traumatized, this made her even more suspect.

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Even 16 years after Lisas death, in a 2003 interview on Larry King Live, it took only a few minutes until Nussbaums putative culpability came front and center. When King asked Nussbaumas any well-intentioned person wouldwhy she didnt just take Lisa one day and go, she provided the well-trodden answer of so many abused women: She tried. Multiple times. And, like millions of abused women, she was convinced, over and over, by equally well-intentioned people, to go back. I never saw him hit her, by the way, she added.

King: What do you mean? You never  Nussbaum: I didnt see him hit her. King: When did he hit her? When you werent there or  Nussbaum: Yes. Yes. King: Youd be in another room? I mean  Nussbaum: Id be in another room or Id be out of the house. I didnt see him hit her. King: Youd come home and youd see her. You knew she was hit, right? Nussbaum: There were some times that I did realize what must have happened, but by that point, I was justI was out of it already.

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How can a mother know and not know? How can she see and not see? Nussbaums explanationI was out of it alreadymay strike some as callow, if not outright criminal. And yet, there can be no doubt that her statement was an accurate description of her state of mind at the timeand that her inability to protect her daughter was rooted in the effects of living through chronic trauma. When she tells King she was out of it, she is speaking about dissociation, the inability to connect to ones emotional or somatic reality.

An international expert on psychological trauma, psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk (who, as it happens, was recently fired from the treatment center he founded after allegations of bullying, allegations hes denied), was among the doctors who provided expert testimony at the Steinberg trial, explaining how the brain, in the face of ongoing psychological and physical torture, excretes chemicals that effectively numb our ability to respond, rendering us frozen. In court, van der Kolk compared Nussbaums case to that of Patty Hearst, the heiress who famouslyand to most observers, incomprehensiblypledged allegiance to the violent terrorists who kidnapped her and held her captive.

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When people submit to overwhelming power, as is true for most abused children, women trapped in domestic violence, and incarcerated men and women, they often survive with resigned compliance, van der Kolk writes in his seminal work The Body Keeps the Score. When we are exposed to relentless psychological or physical violence, in other words, dissociating ourselves from our bodies, from what we are experiencing, is often our only recourse. As van der Kolk writes, Trauma makes people feel like some body else or like no body.

The worst thing that happened during my childhood happened in June 1984. I was 9, and Id landed the lead in the annual fourth-grade play, which would take place on the last day of school. A couple of days before the play, my father flew into a rage. Maybe my mother undercooked the chicken, or maybe hed had a bad day at work. I dont remember the genesis of his rage on that particular day, only the familiar pattern: racing to my room, trying to lock the door, my father breaking the door open, knocking me down.

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When it came time to change into my costume, I insisted to my teacher that I needed complete privacy since I was very modest. In truth, I couldnt bear for her to see the purple-blue bruises all over my arms, and I had no good answer to give if I was asked where they came from. I can still remember the grim car ride home after the play, staring down at my sandals, unable to stop the tears rolling down my cheeks.

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Why didnt my mother leave him? That is something I couldnt understandnot as a child, and not as the young woman I was becoming. My father must have understood the significance of my getting older because the physical violencefor a timebecame less frequent, though it never disappeared completely.

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By the time the Steinberg trial began in 1988, I was just starting my freshman year of high school. It wasnt like it was always bad. My familys Midwestern suburban split-level was nothing like the drug- and filth-infested squalor of the apartment Nussbaum and Steinberg shared. There was no shortage of birthday parties, sleepovers, family movie nights watching The Wizard of Oz, Passover Seders when my parents let us stay up past midnight. It wasnt all bad. But it also wasnt all good.

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The Steinberg trial dragged on for three months. I wished I wasnt thinking about Hedda. I wanted to think about a boy named Adam and whether he would ask me to go with him to my schools winter revue. The live trial footage was broadcast while I was at school, but I caught snippets of it on the nightly news, on the car radio, in the newspaper. The specter of a Jewish father killing his child was too close, too relevant to look away from.

I didnt really understand all the issues surrounding the casethe difference between first-degree and second-degree, what separated homicide from manslaughter. And, anyway, how could you call it manslaughter when the victim was a 6-year-old girl? But I did understand how much this case mattered. I understood that how the jury saw Hedda would mean something important for what happened to women who went up against their abusers. For some people, following the case provided a voyeuristic thrilla glimpse into the dark underbelly of one familys life. But for me, there was nothing voyeuristic about itI needed to know what would happen if you stopped being quiet, if you started saying out loud whats been happening to you.

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On Jan. 15, 1989, after more than a week of deliberation, the jury finally handed down its verdict. Steinberg was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years in prison. I regarded the sentencing with a sense of rightness. See, the verdict seemed to suggest, the world isnt such an inhumane place, after all. Sometimes justice is done.

Three years later, on a cold winter night in 1992, I awoke to the sound of my mother screaming. In the kitchen, I found her crouched in a corner while my father threw chairs at her head. Without thinking, I grabbed the car keys and drove to the police station. The police accompanied me home. By the time we arrived, my father had disappeared and my mother declined to press charges. When they asked if she planned to leave him, however, she said yes.

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In 2004, Joel Steinberg was released from prison after serving two-thirds of his 25-year sentence. Remarkably, he showed little remorse. In an interview with New York magazine soon after his release, Steinberg told a reporter, Of course Im sorry my daughters dead. But the medical reports showed no present or historical fractures or wounds. That means no history of abuse. Got it? Instead, he preferred to spend the interview bemoaning the abuse he received at the hands of the press. When the reporter pushed himWell, what happened that night, Joel?Steinberg erupted: How do I know what happened? I wasnt even there! Are you taking notes?  Have you read up on this?

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Nussbaum, meanwhile, in the years since Lisas death, has devoted herself to abuse victims advocacy, working for a number of years at a domestic violence shelter and helping to secure victims rights. Thirty years ago, many viewed her with suspicion, but as we have seen in the past year, the dynamics of power and abuse can shift in small but meaningful ways that transform how the abused, and the abusers, are viewed. As a social worker who specializes in counseling victims of domestic violence recently explained to me, there is increasing awareness of the necessity to move toward what those in the field call trauma-informed carea way of relating to victims that acknowledges that trauma is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

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In our public culture, too, we are learning incrementally to take trauma into account as we seek to understand behavior that seems unfathomable to those who have never experienced abuse. Women who were shamed into silence for decades and made to believe they were at faultbecause they didnt just go or because they didnt fight backare beginning to be listened to differently by a society finally willing to make room for their stories.

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I wanted to make room for Heddas. I wanted to talk to her and hear what she had to say about everything that happened. Was she angry? Was she sad? What did she think about #MeToo? But I was not able to talk to Hedda, because shes made herself impossible to find. Upon Steinbergs release from prison in 2004, she made herself disappearchanged her name and seemingly left the New York area, where shed lived all her life. When I reached out to someone who I thought might know how to get in touch with her, I was told that Hedda did not wish to discuss her life, past or present, with anybody for any reason. She had, this individual explained to me, already shared so much of her life on the record.

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Part of that record was the memoir Nussbaum self-published in 2005. Surviving Intimate Terrorism details Nussbaums life with Steinberg from their first meeting through the trial and its aftermath. Reading about the early years of their relationship in 1970s New York City offers a startling glimpse of happier timessinging together in the car on the way to a friends house, going for long romantic walks after dinners out, Joel encouraging her to ask for a long-overdue promotion at work.

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Speaking of work, Nussbaums book could have used a good editor. In its current form, the book has an almost childlike tone, the writing littered with exclamation marks, ALL CAPS, and 1950s lingo. (Of the night she and Steinberg met, she writes, Yes, I believed someday my Prince WOULD come. Could this man with the dark curly hair, thick mustache and fire eyes be the one?) Nevertheless, her love for her vocation comes through. Im not exaggerating when I say I LOVED being a juvenile book editor, Nussbaum writes. Guiding authors, line editing their work, checking illustrations  It was not just work; it was fun. I recognized her description all too well. And that is because when I grew up, I too got a job at Random Houseguiding authors, line-editing their work, checking illustrations. Like Hedda, I also couldnt quite believe my good fortune; working at Random House was a dream come true, another thing Hedda and I had in common.

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Charlie Browns Super Book of Questions and Answers opens with these lines: Do you ever ask questions? Of course! Everyone does. Questions are easy to ask. But sometimes the answers are hard to find.

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Nussbaum had no good answers to the questions facing her, and so many of us hated her for it. In her lethal passivity, I saw the antithesis of who I wanted to be. In every violent confrontation my father started, I fought back. I would not be a victim. I would not be Hedda.

It is hard to have empathy. Even Nussbaum, early in her book, describes her own judgment of a neighbor who was being beaten by her alcoholic husband. One night, the police come. The woman packs a bag and leavesonly to return the next day. Of this incident, Nussbaum writes, I absolutely couldnt understand her. I remember saying to myself, If my husband ever hit me, even once, Id be out in a minute, never again to return.

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My mother did not leave my father that night the police came to our house. She did not leave him the following night or on any nights that followed. She did begin the process of filing for divorce, but once my fathers family heard about it, they descended into our lives and coaxed my mother into staying. Hell change, they promised. Youll see. Everything will be OK. But things were not OK. For years, my father continued to push her against walls, twist her arms till they burned, wake her up in the middle of the night to spit at her face.

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By the time she finally left, after 40 years, I had a family of my own. On long walks through our hilly neighborhood, taking turns pushing the baby carriage, I would ask my mother over and over why she didnt leave sooner, and over and over she would try to explain it to me: She couldnt do it. In her mind, it was all her fault. But maybe I was asking the wrong question. As the scholar and activist Alisa Del Tufo has noted, The question really shouldnt be, why didnt Hedda leave Joel? The question should be, why did Joel batter her? And why did the system let it go on?

Toward the end of her book, Hedda shares a letter she wrote to her daughter one year after the little girls death, one in a series of letters she wrote as part of her psychiatric treatment.
This piece is part of the Radical issue, a special package from Outward, Slates home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture. Read more here.

The 1969 Stonewall riots galvanized what came to be called gay liberation, a period of disruptive activism in the 70s that formed part of a broader countercultural upheaval that began in the previous decade. But that heady momentfull of blistering manifestos and confrontational direct actioncame to a quick end in the survivalist demands of the AIDS crisis, and over the next half-century, riots have since been steadily replaced with solemn rituals. Back then, the nuclear family was on the chopping block; now, queer couples clamor to imitate it. Back then, activists rebelled against juridical standards of decency; now, respectability is all the rage.

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In fact, a conservative penchant for rules and continuity animates nearly every item on todays queer political agenda. Marriage was the coup detat in the quest for regularity, for it offered, in Justice Kennedys words, recognition, stability, and predictability. LGBTQ advocates have since doubled down on this security agenda, visible in the proliferation of safe zones, trigger warnings, anti-bullying campaigns, meticulously elaborated protocols for verbal address, and labyrinthine nomenclatures of identity. Order is the order of the day. Those behind this agenda see themselves as spearheading radical transformation and fomenting inclusion, as though authentic autonomy reaches its freest expression by hewing to bureaucratic decorum. What Im observing, put bluntly, is authoritarian conservatism tricked out as radicalism.

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I grant, of course, that you will search mostly in vain for rock-ribbed Republicans on staff at the Human Rights Campaign or populating the bylines of Them. Im speaking of a deeper conservatism that is positively Victorian in sensibility, one that construes queer lives as frail, delicate, and virtuous, and thus in need of institutions and protocols to protect them from the coarse utterances of a hostile public. But lest I be accused of misreading the zeitgeist of todays self-styled radicalism, it may be useful to step back to examine a radical movement from recent memoryone that found itself, like todays queer movement, in bizarre confederacy with a conservative zeal for supervision and censorship.

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What Im observing, put bluntly, is authoritarian conservatism tricked out as radicalism.

Radical feminism, though born out of groups like the Redstockings in the late 60s, really rose to national prominence in the 1980s by zeroing in on a single antagonist: pornography. Even before this period, pornography had already been indicted as a manifestation of the hate of women, and thus, an index of how deeply misogyny permeated the culture and structured the sexual division of labor. What was new, however, was the claim that pornography was the fundamental training ground for objectifying womennot a reflection of sex-based inequality, but its source. Men who masturbated to it, who fed and formed their fantasies by it, inextricably fused their desire with domination, then played out the script by abusing real womens real bodies.

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With formidable prose and ferocious conviction, Andrea Dworkin theorized that womens emancipation could never ensue without addressing pornographys power to enact, not just depict, subordination. In her 1981 polemic, Pornography: Men Possessing Women, she laid out the core of her argument.

From the perspective of the political activist, pornography is the blueprint of male supremacy; it shows how male supremacy is built. The political activist needs to know the blueprint. In cultural terms, pornography is the fundamentalism of male dominance. Its absolutism on women and sexuality, its dogma, is merciless. Women are consigned to rape and prostitution; heretics are disappeared and destroyed. Pornography is the essential sexuality of male power: of hate, of ownership, of hierarchy; of sadism, of dominance. The premises of pornography are controlling in every rape and every rape case, whenever a woman is battered or prostituted, in incest, including in incest that occurs before a child can even speak, and in murdermurders of women by husbands, lovers, and serial killers. If this is superficial, whats deep?

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Women, as Dworkin tells it, are mere marionettes twisted about by the pornographic pagedocile, inert, silenced, and fungible. Passivity never looked so inevitable. With radicals like this, who needs patriarchy?

Dworkins radicalism was actually radically reductive, capable of seeing only trauma, wounds, gouges, damage, and submission. Rich layers of self-discovery, spontaneous play, comedic deflation, ironic winking, campy self-awareness, queer pleasureall these got buried under an avalanche of accusations of harm. Offering a dissenting interpretation, as Ellen Willis, Gayle Rubin, and many other feminists did, meant being branded a collaborator in carrying out the carnage. More importantly, Dworkins analysis vilified the symbolic realmlanguage, images, pictures, narrativesin ways that made imagining new possibilities of pleasure and identity impossible.

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But what is really striking, in retrospect, is how these radical arguments eerily resonate with that most quintessentially American conservative rhetoric: Calvinism. Calling to mind colonial-era preacher Jonathan Edwards, Dworkin howled with fiery wrath against pornography by summoning lurid images of brutality and agony. With depravity so total, of course men and women would need to be rescued from their own fetid imaginations and debauched choices. Here, finally, enters the implicit plea for imperious oversight, for a policing institutional force to shelter the damsel in distress.

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Thus, a curious incident occurred in this trailblazing radical activism: It emerged onto a conservative thoroughfare and piled into the nearest car pool. Religious conservatives had long opposed obscenity as a vulgar incitement to sexual incontinence and a danger to the integrity of the family unit. Seizing the moment, President Reagan convened the Meese Commissionbefore which Dworkin would testify alongside more than 200 other witnesseswhich eventually issued a sprawling report in 1986 complete with florid proclamations on the harms wrought by obscenity. Its recommendations for stifling the pornographic menace doubled as a how-to guide in vastly extending bureaucratic intrusion and surveillance: racketeering laws, forfeiture statutes, IRS audits, pandering proscriptions, commercial regulation, centralized digital databasesa whole new legal toolbox to harass, intimidate, and jail the purveyors of sexual deviance. I need hardly add that the principal authors of the report included beloved patron of the LGBTQ community and founder of Focus on the Family, James Dobson.

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A broad coalitionled in large part by the ACLUs Nadine Strossenconverged to repel the crackdown on sexual expression, but my concern here isnt about the troubling resurgence of sex panic. I recount this history to throw into relief a covert conservatism latent in todays supposed queer radicalism.

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Institutions and bureaucracies have deeply involved themselves in controlling how gender and sexuality get recognized and categorized. Queer organizations routinely disseminate lengthy lists prescribing an obligatory woke lingo along with a profusion of gender and sexual brackets to masteran etiquette fine-tuned to the standards of Emily Post. These bulletins often arrive bristling with sanctimonious warnings that deviations not only reflect cis privilege and heterosexism but also perform epistemic violence, or discursive violence, or just plain violence. Language, by this theory, must be vetted by the right people at GLAAD as something that must fit just right, lest an errant word rend its subject. The irony of this corporate spreadsheet radicalism is that it cedes control to a handful of trendy arbiters of queer language and makes the rest of us stenographers of their authoritative diction. To be clear, Im all for busting open and subverting standardized language, but if the point is to stir things up and rupture existing categories, why deliver these terms as dogma?

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A good many national figuresjournalist Bob Woodward and philosopher Martha Nussbaum among themhave diagnosed fear as the defining emotion of our era. Given our pervasive anxiety and sense of powerlessness, its all too easy to become fixated on ways to wrest order and calm from the perceived chaos of our cultural and political moment. But a security-obsessed agenda inevitably yields disciplinary excesses. Just as paranoia over the harm wrought by pornography once mobilized authoritarian impulses to stifle expression, fearmongering today threatens to convince LGBTQ people of their brittle breakability and the necessity of institutional surveillance. An authentic radicalism must defy priggish codes of propriety and mawkish pleas from self-righteous do-gooders. Queer words and images should be prized for their creative, disruptive force, not muzzled or edited into party-line scripts. Thats the tragic irony here: Enlisting paternalistic bureaucracies to enforce radicalism is the surest way to paralyze queer dissidence.

Read all of Outwards special issue on Radicalism. And queer your ears with a special radical-themed episode of the Outward podcast.
This piece is part of the Radical issue, a special package from Outward, Slates home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture. Read more here.

Some names in this story have been changed.

Jay couldnt wait to attend the Naked Unicorn Party, the BYOB play party capping off Butchfest, a 2013 Dallas festival celebrating lesbians and queers who identify as tomboys, butches, studs, bois, transmen genderqueers, two-spirits, and all other identities masculine of center. He had attended a few other queer sex events before, but as a 42-year-old trans man with a limp, his trans identity and physical disability made it difficult for him to sexually engage others.

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Others often assume Jays disability puts him in chronic pain, but it doesnt. And as someone who identifies as 70 percent femme/female-attracted and 30 percent butch/masculine-attracted, he doesnt feel welcome in queer sex spaces. At one sex party, the host pointed to him as proof of the events inclusivity. As a result, he often feels physically and sexually awkward at these events and usually ends up watching as a voyeur.

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Luckily, the Naked Unicorn Party turned out to be different.

I got to see a cis man I respect interact well with a trans man, Jay explains. As trans men, it is hard to be comfortable nude with our female-appearing bodies. When I saw someone who was not medically transitionedjust as I am notable to enjoy the interaction they wanted from a nontrans male partner, I began to realize that maybe not all hope was lost.

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Sex spaces and events like the Naked Unicorn Party remain an important part of queer life, serving as places where people can buck Americas conservative, sex-phobic culture while exploring their sexual desires in mostly anonymous trysts. But many bathhouses, online cruising sites, and private sex parties cater almost entirely to cisgender and able-bodied men, often proving inhospitable to disabled and genderqueer people as well as survivors of sexual assault. Fortunately, some queer sex spaces and events are beginning to embrace these marginalized queer bodies, welcoming and centering their desires in new ways that could radically change how theyre treated in nonsexual spaces too. But the work of inclusion isnt easy.

If youre not allowing yourself to be with someone who might be different from you in a way you hadnt anticipated, then you probably shouldnt call yourself queer.  Terran Lane

Most spaces where people do private sex parties are not handicap-accessible, says Terran Lane, a part-time organizer of private queer sex parties in a major U.S. city. For the past two years, Lane has thrown a monthly party that draws mostly queer men and smaller spinoff parties for niche audiences and fetishes, like a dirty game night and a spanking party. These parties locations arent very accessible for disabled people. Lane says this is because they were built long ago with no consideration for disabled access, plus its hard to find accessible, low-key places where men can gather for sex without upsetting neighbors or attracting police.

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Its been a big issue for me, Lane says, and I know there are a lot of (disabled and trans) people who cant come to the parties. Them not being able to be there means that nobody cis gets to see them, nobody whos not disabled gets to see them, and they dont get to be considered in sexual ways.

Lane has actively sought spaces that are disabled-accessible, but its been difficult. He organizes his events alone, and various city policies restrict building new sex spaces or retrofitting pre-existing ones. In a private Facebook group, he tries to maintain transparency about his parties limitations, regularly engaging in contentious and productive conversations with disabled and genderqueer attendees about how he can continually improve his events. Lane offers refunds to anyone who has a bad time at his parties, but refunds dont compensate disabled and trans people for lost time, travel costs, or the preparations they must make in order to attend parties without risking their personal safety.

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Some of the trans people that do attend his events have told Lane that they dont feel particularly welcome: They say theyve heard insulting comments or felt ignored by the largely cis crowd. Considering the overwhelming societal discrimination trans people face, Lane understands how deeply personal such rejection can feel, but he also considers sexual attraction as a deeply complicated feeling that isnt always based on identity alone.

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Sex-event attendees might be reluctant to mix with a disabled or genderqueer person for many reasons, according to Lane. They might worry about not enjoying it, fear theyll accidentally injure or offend someone, or just not see themselves as possibly being attracted to someone unlike themselves. A lot of people like to say theyre queer, but they dont really have any intention of expanding their horizons, Lane says. Of course not everybody is going to be a match for everybody else, but if youre not allowing yourself to be with someone who might be different from you in a way you hadnt anticipated, then you probably shouldnt call yourself queer.

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Lane sees his events as good opportunities for people to play, break down barriers, and explore their sexuality in healthy ways. So, taking the feedback of his trans attendees into account, he created a spinoff party for trans guys and their admirers, open to all gender presentations. While the party runs the risk of segregating or fetishizing trans people, Lane hopes itll encourage more trans men to attend his main events and open more cis men up to exploring their desires with trans guys.

Alcohol, poppers, and weed are commonly ingested at Lanes parties, adding to the intoxicating sexual atmosphere while also raising the risk of nonconsensual physical contact. To avoid any instances of sexual assault, Lane emphasizes strong consent language in his parties promotional materials. He posts numerous signs in large print emphasizing the need for verbal consent before touching and has observers monitoring peoples behavior, interceding if anyone reports a problem. But still, he cant control everyones actions, especially if theyre used to nonverbal cruising.

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The culture of gay cruising is about unspoken looks, gestures, Lane says. For a lot of gay men of a certain age, groping and unwanted grabs are part and parcel to how gay men have cruised in spaces, and I feel like how you respond to that or how you view thatespecially in the age of #MeToo and conversations around consentdepends on what you like.

Daniel Saynt, the founder and organizer of NSFW, also uses monitors to ensure safety at his sex parties.* His group offers safe, judgement-free adventures in sex and cannabis for a carefully curated group of young creatives in New York City. Saynts observers are called nymphs. Clad in all-white leather gear, they oversee the check-ins, sobriety levels, and departures of his events attendees. They also intercede if anyone acts like a creeper, NSFWs word for those who make others feel uncomfortable.

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NSFW handles consent and safety differently than Lane: All NSFW attendees must apply to become members. Applicants submit links to all their social media accounts so that Saynt and his 10-member application board can select people whose lifestyles, ambitions, and outlooks gel best with the sexually progressive community theyre trying to cultivate. The notoriously exclusive application process can take several months. Ultimately, the board only accepts 20 percent of all applicants.

The application lets people choose from a variety of sexual orientations, like straight, heteroflexible, mostly gay, and asexual, and three gender options: male, female, or nonbinary or nongender specific.

Of their 1,300 members, NSFW has about 35 nonbinary members, a number that mirrors the roughly 3 percent of young people who identify as gender-fluid. Saynt says that other male- and female-identified members also present as gender-fluid, but he also hopes more genderqueer members will join, furthering NSFWs reputation as a safe, welcoming space where cis and nonbinary people can explore their sexual fantasies together.

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New members must also agree to a sexual code of conduct and attend NOOBS, a nonsexual discussion where newcomers learn about enthusiastic consentthat only yes means yeswhat to expect at NSFW sex events, and how to navigate nonmonogamy with accompanying partners. Only then can members attend NSFWs weekly themed events, where admission ranges from $39 to $100.

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Saynt believes that NSFWs long, exclusive application process and unique, educational play eventssuch as ones dedicated to shibari rope bondage, tantric sex, sexual witchcraft, and healing from sexual assaultencourage members to behave, lest they embarrass themselves amongst their peers or get banned from a one-of-a-kind community resource. As a result, he says, attendees respect each others consent and self-police for creepers.

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If someone reports a creeper, NSFW automatically sides with the reporter, contacting them for additional details before notifying the accused person of the proceedings. The resulting penalty depends entirely on the infraction and what the reporter wants to happen. Creepers may be asked to reattend the enthusiastic-consent course, have their memberships suspended for one to three months, or get permanently banned from all events.

NSFW sends out Creeper Reports to all members, reporting the infraction and the penalty and identifying the members involved using anonymous ID numbers. This way, members can see that the organization takes infractions seriously. The group also maintains a blacklist of people known for being creepy at other sex events so that theyre never allowed to join.

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Since beginning the class on enthusiastic consent, Saynt says NSFWs parties have had no reported creeper incidents.

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Saynt is himself a survivor of sexual assault in gay spaces and says of his events, For people who are victims of sexual assault, and people who experience it in a more traumatic way that impacts them, changes them, and creates triggers for them, its a good environment to exist in because you can be sexual, you can still watch people be sexual, and you can have experiences in those without having to have that fear that Im gonna be attacked. 

Sophie Saint Thomas is one queer-identified bisexual woman who found healing in NSFWs play parties after experiencing multiple sexual assaults. While therapy helped Thomas process the initial trauma of the assaults, NSFWs knowledgeable nymphs and mandatory consent trainings helped put her at ease among sexual strangers, eventually empowering her to feel like a powerful sex goddess once again.

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NSFWs basement play space in the West Village has disabled elevator access and nymphs willing to help disabled people engage sexually. But their play space has only ever hosted one visibly disabled attendee; it wasnt necessarily created with disabled bodies in mind.

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In this way, it differs from Sanctuary LAX, Los Angeles largest dungeon, which was built specifically to accommodate trans and disabled people.

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Founded in 2011 by the current owner, Mistress Cyana trans woman who is legally blind and yet still stunningly accurate with a whipSanctuary LAX hosts private dominatrix sessions, community panels, workshops, and private play parties where sex sometimes occurs within a context of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism).

The dungeon itself has wide doors and entrances that can accommodate mobility devices. It lacks stairs and has level floors and disabled-accessible bathrooms. Its staff and visiting dominatrixessome of whom also have physical disabilitiescapably assist disabled patrons with their mobility needs.

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In my journey, I experienced a feeling that I was tolerated rather than accepted where I went, Mistress Cyan says. As a result, she sought to create an LGBTQ-inclusive community space that hosts events like polyamory support groups, all-female kink gatherings, the CumUnion monthly male sex party, and panels on sexual violence and trans issues.

But even with its inclusivity, Sanctuary LAX still contends with the challenges of genderqueer exclusion and sexual consent. Of its roster of 35 professional dominators skilled in the BDSM arts, only two are trans. Cyan would like to hire more trans doms, but she says Sanctuarys cis clients largely view trans people as a niche fetish and request them less often. If she hired more trans doms, they wouldnt get enough clients to make it worthwhile.

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While undoubtedly imperfect, events like those offered by Lane, Saynt, and Mistress Cyan at least open peoples minds to the possibilities of greater queer sexual inclusion.

Sanctuary stations dungeon monitors throughout its venue. If someone encounters a person who has sexually assaulted them in the past, a monitor will ban them immediately if they had a police report filed against them. Otherwise, theyll tell the alleged assaulter that theyre aware of serious allegations against them and should behave or leave. If they cause trouble, theyre banned for 90 days. A second violation gets them banned for life.

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Cyan says some people see Sanctuarys policies as too tolerant to prevent sexual predators. But, in light of a few cases where people maliciously made false claims of sexual assault, she believes everyone should have a chance to engage the space while being monitored for bad behavior.

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Even with the efforts of folks like Cyan, advocates agree that queer sex spaces can do even more to engage disabled people and survivors of sexual assault.

Andrew Gurza, a queer disability-awareness consultant, has used a wheelchair for most of his life, having been born with cerebral palsy. In gay spaces, Gurza says, Im not talked to. Im not noticed. Im not flirted with. Im not given any kind of room to be myself. Those spaces dont feel very friendly because theyre not emotionally accessible.

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Gurza would like sex spaces to install disabled-accessible features, like wheelchair ramps, elevators, level floors, strobe-free play areas (to avoid triggering seizures), and ceiling and track lifts to help disabled people get in and out of their mobility devices. To offset their cost, hed like community fundraisers dedicated to disabled accessibility, similar to ones held for HIV, Pride, and other political causes.

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But Gurza says disabled-accessible features can still treat disabled people as afterthoughts instead of centering their desires in sex spaces. So hed also love to see sex spacesboth online and in real lifefeaturing disabled people in their marketing: showing people in disability devices, speaking openly about invisible disabilities, or announcing their presence in the club on certain nights.

Though these images could be construed as a form of fetishization, Gurza thinks its still important to distribute such images online via hookup apps and disabled LGBTQ social media groups to help normalize disabled people as inherently sexual beings. Pointing out that the U.S. Census estimates nearly 1 in 5 Americans as disabled, he adds, I think [gay men] need to realize that theyll encounter disability in one way or another at some point in their lives. Disability is gonna be part of their lives, whether it be through aging, disease, an action, or walking into the club and bumping into the sexiest disabled guy theyve ever seen.

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The gay-nightlife and sex-party scenes have traditionally provided one of the few safe spaces where LGBTQ folks can feel safe and surrounded by community, according to Dr. Baker-Braxton, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in LGBTQ survivors of sexual and domestic trauma who currently serves as the program manager of In.Power, the nations first holistic LGBTQ-specific sexual assault response program, at Howard Brown Health, an LGBTQ health and social services center in Chicago. We also know that these are also spaces where sexual harm can be caused, she says. [Thus, they] have an opportunity and a responsibility to the community.

Ideally, in Baker-Braxtons view, sexual spaces should offer survivors of sexual assaultwhen they are ready to re-engage sexuallya safe, comfortable place to practice empathy, self-compassion, patience, and pleasure (either solo or with others) where they remain in control. Of course, not all LGBTQ sex spaces are going to be equipped to offer the sexual atmosphere or holistic care that queer survivors need for healing. (Lane says aggressive consent and sexual assault messaging may well kill the cruise-y vibe at some bathhouses and backroom bars, for example.) But all can try.

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The same goes for accessibility. Lane, for instance, says hed like to throw a party specifically for disabled queers, but to do it properly, he says hed need six months to plan with a disability-sex advocate, wrangle all the gear, train volunteers, and give lots of advance notice so disabled attendees can prepare for the event. Considering that he organizes his parties independently and doesnt make a lot of money from them, its a lot to ask of a lone party promoter. But if he, Saynt, and other such cultural activists dont attempt to create radically inclusive sex spaces, its seems unlikely that bigger bathhouses, bars, or sex events ever will.

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While undoubtedly imperfect, events like those offered by Lane, Saynt, and Mistress Cyan at least open peoples minds to the possibilities of greater queer sexual inclusion, changing peoples conceptions about whos welcome and left out of queer sex spaces. By raising these issues publicly and in private conversations with the communities most marginalized from such sexual spaces, the organizers of radically inclusive parties and venues encourage others to create inclusive spaces of their own.

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That inclusivity is more important now than ever, especially with a president whose mockery of disabled people, dehumanizing of trans lives, and shrugging off of sexual assault has pushed these communities even further to the margins. We should champion spaces and organizers that attempt to invite these marginalized groups in and look to their efforts as a foundation for how inclusion might work elsewhere as well.

Read all of Outwards special issue on Radicalism. And queer your ears with a special radical-themed episode of the Outward podcast.
The following is a lightly edited adaptation of What Next, the new daily news podcast from Slate. Listen to What Next via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, Overcast, Google Play, or iHeart.

Republicans have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act dozens of times over the past several years. But after a dramatic showdown on the floor of the Senate, with then-Sen. John McCain battling brain cancer and flying in to block the bill, there was a shift. For the first time ever, more than half of Americans reported that they approved of Obamacare. And those approval levels have actually stayed pretty high.

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And now here we are again, about to go to the polls, and the conversation were having about health care is starting to sound differentin Washington and on the campaign trail. But instead of repeal and replace, theres a new catchphrase: Medicare for all.

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In 2016, there were 60 people who signed on to the Medicare for all bill in Congress, and then the next version, which is [from] the current Congress, has 120 people signed on, says Shefali Luthra, a correspondent for Kaiser Health News. And you also have the growth of the Medicare for All PAC, the Medicare for All Caucus. Theres a lot more interest in, at the very least, signaling that you are part of this group. Being part of this group doesnt mean that you necessarily support the idea of the legislation, it just means that you want to be in the club.

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But what does it mean to be in the club? When candidates talk about health care on the campaign trail this year, what are they talking about? At least one race shows the perils and the promise of campaigning on health care, a topic that is easily misunderstood.

This week in Tampa, Florida, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and his Republican opponent Ron DeSantis met for their first debate. It didnt take long for these two men to talk health care. Andrew Gillum has been campaigning hard on this issue of Medicare for all since the summer, and hes not afraid to get personal.

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I grew up having to wait for the free dental plan to come through my neighborhood in order for us to get our teeth cleaned, he said during the debate.

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DeSantis on the other hand is known as a politician loyal to President Donald Trumpa campaign ad features him building a wall with his toddler daughter and reading The Art of the Deal to his infant son. As DeSantis is running on the coattails of Trump, across the aisle, Gillum is pulling a page from Sen. Bernie Sanders.

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Bernie Sanders really popularized the Medicare for all idea a couple years ago, says Politicos Dan Diamond. I went to a Bernie rally a few months ago where Sanders was saying, essentially, Look what we did. This was seen as a fringe idea not so long ago, and now Democrats around the country, and Andrew Gillum would be one of them, are campaigning on this as a reality if they should win election.

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But careful watchers of Sunday nights debate know that, below the surface, Gillums opinion is actually shifting.

Gillum and some other Democrats who are running for office around the country have moved away from campaigning just on Medicare for all, and theyve been seizing on saying Medicaid expansion instead, Diamond says. And in Florida there are tangible reasons to get voters fired up about Medicaid. One, its a tangible programthere have been campaigns over the past number of years to expand Medicaid. And around the nation more Americans have gotten covered by Medicaid since the ACA.

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On the whole, Diamond says that Gillum is trying to push Florida in the direction of more than 30 other states that have already expanded Medicaid.

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It hasnt happened yet in Florida, because of the Republican control, not just of the governorship but also in the state Legislature, he says. While there have been efforts that walked right up to the precipice, they havent been able to go over. Partly out of fear that the Republicans have spread, that Medicaid will end up being too expensive, [and] partly because of donor pressure. There are groups backed by say, the Koch brothers, who have been very opposed to any expansion of Medicaid. Because once that expansion is locked in, it is that much harder to roll it back.

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Gillums evolution on this issue isnt just about Florida, though. It can tell us something broader about the state of the Democratic Party.

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Medicare for all is really catchy, says Diamond. Theres a reason why Democrats are running on it around the country, [and] it seems like the kind of idea that should be simple: just expand Medicare, which Americas seniors are covered by, just expand that to everybody. The problem with Medicare for all is its not clear what it means, or how it would work, or what that would mean for all of us who get covered by employer insurance, or even for our grandparents who are enrolled on Medicare right now. And Republicans have been able to really needle in on that and use that uncertainty against the Medicare for all idea.

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While Gillum supports Medicare for all, Diamond says that a more straightforward path may be to pursue a Medicaid expansion in Florida.

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Medicare for all, that might not be real for years and years to come. And Ive talked to Democrats and Republicans who have said, for all of the campaign rhetoric, the reality is still very far away, Diamond adds.

One reason that a Medicaid expansion would be more feasible? Money. As it stands now, most Democrats dont know how they would pay for Medicare for all, Diamond argues.

Theres been talk of taxing wealthy individuals, or shifting how the health care system works and finding new efficiencies, he says. But Ive talked to budget wonkspeople who believe in coverage expansions, people who in their bones want this ideaand they say the math just doesnt add up.

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Peter Orszag, who directed the Office of Budget and Management during the Obama administration, is one such person. He told Diamond that he is deeply skeptical that Medicare for all could work.

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Orszag compared this to Republicans saying, We will repeal and replace the ACA, but not actually having a plan to do it. Democrats are campaigning aggressively, [saying,] Were going to expand coverage, were going to have Medicare for all. But none of their plans are so thought out that a lawmaker could take power and then immediately put them in place, Diamond says.

But the political winds on health care may be shifting again, and the 2018 midterm election in Florida may be the ideal test case.

If Gillum wins, and if Democrats in the state Legislature make significant gains, as they probably would because Democrats all around the country are expected to make gains, Republicans may be spouting a different tune early next year, and responding to the will of the voters, Diamond says. Would the Medicaid expansion in Florida look like the full expansion that perhaps Democrats want? Not necessarily. Could they get to a compromise? Certainly possible.
U.S. Cyber Command has started launching its first offensive operations against Russian operatives trying to hack the midterm elections. Judging from the news accounts so far, Id say theyre not quite offensive enough.

According to articles this week in the New York Times and Washington Post, Cyber Command has notified oligarch-funded hackers (or perhaps the oligarchs themselves, its not clear) that we know who they are and see what theyre doing. Beyond that, the stories report, no direct threats have been made, but its implied that the U.S. could indict or sanction the guilty parties.

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This may deter further meddling if the contacted hackers like to travel in the West. Last week, U.S. prosecutors filed criminal charges against the chief accountant of a large company run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an oligarch known as Putins chef. Its a good start, but indictments are a limited tool; the Kremlin wont be extraditing the accountant, much less the oligarch.

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Getting serious requires cranking up the volumemelting the hackers servers, corrupting their networks, harassing them. Precedents can be found in NATOs campaign, in the late 1990s, against Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. This was mainly a bombing campaignan air war to dislodge him from powerbut it also involved some very secretive information warfare operations, which I wrote about in my 2016 book, Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War. The ops were run by a joint CIA-NSA organization called the Information Operations Center and a secret unit inside the Pentagons Joint Staff called J-39, with some help from Britains NSA counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters.

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The piece of this operation that has contemporary relevance was a successful attempt to pressure Milosevics business cronies into backing away from him. These cronies were essential to keeping Milosevic in power. J-39 sent a letter to one of them, the owner of a copper mine, warning that his mine would be bombed if he didnt stop supporting the dictator. The owner didnt respond. Not long before this, a CIA contractor had invented a device, made from long strands of carbon fiber, that short-circuited electrical wire on contact. This device was dropped on the mine. The damage was short-lived, and the repair was easy, but the message was effective. The donor instantly cut off contact with Milosevic.

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Of course that operation was pulled off in the context of a war. Were not at war with Russia; were not going to threaten to bomb a Putin crony engaged in hacking, but there are methods short of physical destruction. In another, especially pertinent case, a European satellite company was carrying the broadcasts of pro-Milosevic TV stations. A senior officer in U.S. Europe Command told the companys chairman that 80 percent of his board members were from NATO nations. When the chairman recited how much the Serbian stations were paying him, the American officer offered to pay $500,000 more if he shut the stations down. The chairman complied. These days, with the embarrassing publicity about hackers easy access to satellite TV and social media, a bribe probably wouldnt be necessary.

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Cyber Command could devise a scheme that put serious pressure on individual operatives without prompting some massive reprisal.

The Times story notes that Cyber Commands offensive operations to date have been limited, in part to avoid provoking the Kremlin into retaliating by, say, disrupting the U.S. power grid. Information ops and counterops are a delicate business; modern societies are glass houses when it comes to cyber vulnerability, and the United States is glassier than most. During the Serbian campaign, President Bill Clinton considered hacking into Milosevics banking accountsU.S. intelligence agencies knew where he kept his money, just as they almost certainly know today where Vladimir Putin keeps his moneybut Cabinet secretaries advised against the move, warning that blowback could roil financial markets.

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But the goal here is not to loosen Putins hold on power but merely to stop, or significantly reduce, the hacking into our elections. Certainly some imaginative strategists at Cyber Command or one of the associated agencies could devise a scheme that put serious pressure on individual operatives without damaging Putins regime and thus prompting some massive reprisal.

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One obstacle to taking this campaign a step further may be the Trump administrations mixed messages on U.S. policy toward Russia broadly. This past summer, President Donald Trump signed a directive that revised orders, in place since George W. Bushs time in office, requiring presidential approval for all cyber-offensive operations. Under the new directive, the secretary of defense and the commander of Cyber Command have wide latitude to conduct these operations at their own initiative. Nonetheless, Cabinet secretaries and combatant commanders like to stay within the boundaries of the presidents overall strategy; and when it comes to messing with Putin and his oligarchs, its not at all clear what that is.

To adapt Clausewitzs dictum to modern life, warincluding cyber-offensive operations short of waris the continuation of policy by other means. Our current muddlein all sorts of spheres, not just cyberspacestems from the mess in the White House.
A string of suspicious packages addressed to prominent Democratic figures and at least one news outlet have been discovered by the Secret Service in recent days. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been among the intended recipients of the devices, some of which have been identified as pipe bombs. Here is what we know so far.

The first suspicious package was discovered Monday in the mailbox of well-known liberal donor and philanthropist George Soros home in Bedford, New York, authorities said. After a caretaker found the device, a bomb squad detonated it. Authorities described the device as a six-inch-long pipe filled with explosive powder and rigged with a detonator. Federal authorities said they believed the device was hand-delivered, according to the New York Times.

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On Wednesday morning, news broke that the Secret Service had intercepted an explosive device addressed to Hillary and Bill Clinton in Westchester County, New York, where they have a home. Soon after, the Secret Service also revealed it had found a device addressed to Barack Obama in Washington, D.C, where he lives. The packages were discovered as part of a routine mail screening, according to a statement, and no one was harmed.

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Later in the morning, CNN was evacuated from its New York offices because of a suspicious package, leaving anchors to report from the street. Authorities later said the explosive device was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who does not work for CNN. The counterterrorism chief for the New York Police Department later said that the device appeared to have been sent by the same person who sent pipe bombs to Soros, Clinton, and Obama.

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A fourth suspicious package was reportedly found at the Florida office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former Democratic National Committee chairwoman. NBC News has reported that the suspicious packages sent to Soros, the Clintons, and Obama listed Wasserman Schultz for the return address. CNN reported that the package found at Wasserman Schultzs office might have actually been intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder: According to CNN, a suspicious package was addressed to Holder, but it was addressed incorrectly and rerouted to the return address. NBC has also reported that Secret Service intercepted a package addressed to Holder, but it is unclear if the two reports are about the same package.

U.S. Capitol Police told CNN on Wednesday afternoon that they had intercepted a suspicious package at the Capitol Heights, Maryland, facility where mail is processed for members of the House. CNN and NBC reported that that package had been addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters.

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During a press conference about the pipe bombs, and after one false report about a suspicious package sent to his office earlier in the day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that his Manhattan office had received a suspicious package as well. Officials later said that the package was not an explosive.

The Secret Service said it has launched a criminal investigation into the attempted attacks of Obama and Clinton that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to find the person or people responsible, according to its statement.

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The motive behind the attempted bombings are not known. Just as Clinton and Obama are vilified figures among the far right, Soros has been the focus of right-wing anger and conspiracy-mongering. Holder and Wasserman Schultz are also highly unpopular among the conservatives, as is CNN. Brennan has become an outspoken anti-Trump figure.

Authorities have said they suspect the bomb intended for Clinton in New York is the work of the same person who sent the bomb to Soros, according to the Washington Post. The New Castle Police Department in Chappaqua said it worked with the Secret Service and the Westchester Police in investigating the package sent to the Clintons.
When Ebele Okobi learned that her brother had died at the hands of police, her sense of shock conflicted with a feeling of inevitability. I was both stunned and not stunned, Ebele told me last week. Police brutality against black people, and particularly against black men, is something that Ive always worried about. Theres a reason we live in London.

Four years ago, not long after her son was born, Ebele moved to London and began working as Facebooks head of public policy for Africa. I refused to raise my son in the U.S., Ebele said. In the United States, black people make up 13 percent of the population but 25 percent of people killed by policea uniquely American problem unfamiliar to Londoners. In 2015, American police killed more people in the first 24 days of the year than England and Wales did in the previous 24 years. So to Ebele, the United States simply wasnt the safest place for a mother to raise her black son.

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But such a precaution could not protect her brother, Chinedu Okobi, a church-going poet and loving father whom Ebele affectionately described as a gentle spirit. On Oct. 3, Chinedu died after being tased multiple times by San Mateo County police. And while Chinedu joins the nearly 800 people killed by American police this year, his story is unique in its horror.

Ebele and her family are demanding to know why Chinedu was killed.

During a routine traffic stop, deputies approached Chinedu, who police later said was running in and out of traffic on an active boulevard in Millbrae, California. According to his family, Chinedu may have been experiencing a psychological breakdownan episode following ongoing battles with mental illness. As Ebele told USA Today, Chinedu had been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and, at that time, might not have been using his medication.

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According to John Burris, the lawyer representing the Okobi family, when Chinedu did not comply, five officers attempted to pin him against the ground. Soon after Chinedu evaded their grip, the officers response was swift and decisiverepeated tasing that left Chinedu lifeless against the asphalt.

Now as the San Mateo district attorney investigates the actions of the five officers involvedcurrently on paid leaveEbele and her family are demanding to know why Chinedu was killed.

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Burris has requested all available evidence, including the officers dash camera and alleged drone footage, be released immediately (ahead of Californias mandatory limit of 45 days). He is also calling for officials to release the full number of stun guns used against Chinedu, as recorded by the officers devices. Moreover, Burris has demanded a moratorium in California on the use of Tasers, which have been involved in three police killings in San Mateo County since December.

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Even as she grieves the loss of her brother, Ebele wants to know how California police officers are prepared in the future to protectnot harma person in psychological distress. If a person is ill, there should be protocols that help keep them safe, she said. Someone who is having a mental health crisis needs care and compassionnot to be Tasered to death.

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Chinedus death raises what seems to have become a perennial American question: Are police trained to serve people in crisis while effectively reaching resolution without violence? A closer look at police trainings across the United States reveals that de-escalation training is minimal and far from sufficient in protecting the lives of people like Chinedu.

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A Department of Justice report from 2006, the most recent of its kind, examined the ways state and local agencies allocate time for basic police training. Whereas 110 hours were spent on firearms skills and self-defense, a mere eight hours were spent on nonviolent methods, such as de-escalation training and conflict management. The gap between training on violent and nonviolent means is stark.

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Effective de-escalation trainings can teach police officers to employ peaceful interventions before resorting to violence. And in moments of police conflict, empathetic communication, tactical wait time, and patient negotiation may help defuse tension that borders on violence. More importantly, when coupled with crisis intervention training, it may help protect the lives of people suffering from mental illnesses.

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In the past few years, police reformers have increasingly pushed for requiring de-escalation traininga concept that first gained traction after a 2015 report from President Barack Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The report strongly recommended de-escalation practices and encouraged officers to be guardians, not warriors. By contrast, President Donald Trump has supported efforts to further militarize police and recently promoted controversial stop-and-frisk policies.

In 2017, American Public Media reported that 34 states do not require de-escalation training for all officers. And of the 34 police officers who shot unarmed people in 2015 and 2016, more than half had received two or fewer hours of de-escalation training since at least 2012.

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In 2015, California passed legislation seeking to mandate 15 hours of instruction on interactions with people with mental illnesses and other special needs and eight hours of crisis intervention training. A spokesperson from the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office shared that police officers can begin patrol without completing those requirements, but could not share how many hours of such training were completed by the five officers involved in the incident leading to Chinedu Okobis death.

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Given low or nonexistent requirements at the state level, the decision to require de-escalation trainings is often left to Americas 12,000 local agenciesa number too staggering for alignment or accountability. But in response to Black Lives Matter protests in recent years, some cities have increased their training requirements and are already seeing improvements.

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One video from Baltimore, which requires de-escalation trainings for its police officers, shows Officer Angel Villaronga calming a distressed man as he wielded a knife. Rather than resort to violence, Villaronga relied on empathy. Just drop it right here, man. I can talk to you, the officer said. Im 38 years old. I can relate to you, bro. Theres not a thing in this world that I have not dealt with that you probably have dealt with, OK? At the end of the day, I got kids to go home to. That day, both Villaronga and the man he served went home alive.

Writer and civil rights activist Shaun King has called for increased de-escalation trainings and mental health support for police suspects in crisis. And for King, Chinedus death hits close to home. King was Chinedus student body president during their time at Morehouse College.

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King nostalgically recalled Chinedu as a well-rounded student who could often be found recording music, speaking with others about his Christian faith, or repping his Bay Area home with unmatched pride. King diagnosed the incident that resulted in Chinedus death: When officers showed up with bias, with lack of training, and preconceived notions of threats on their life, Chinedu found himself in the perfect storm of bias, incompetence, violence, and ignored mental health concerns all thrown into one.

King argues that training is woefully inadequate and must extend beyond police officers. In cities like Chicago, 911 dispatchers are now trained to incorporate triage questions that help them pre-emptively identify mental illness, allowing police officers to be better prepared to intervene when they arrive at a scene. Going one step further, states like Colorado are piloting programs where mental health professionals are paired with police officers during 911 responses and routine patrols.

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While police officers often rely on Tasers as nonlethal weapons, a recent investigative report from Reuters showed just how deadly they can be. Since 2000, more than 1,042 people have died following encounters with law enforcement where Tasers were employed. And of the people whose race was identifiable by Reuters, 332 were black32 percent of those killed. Further, roughly 25 percent of those who died showed signs of mental illness, emotional stress, or a neurological disorder. So as a black man in need of mental support, Chinedu was doubly at risk.

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As the investigation of the five police officers involved continues, Ebele continues to fight alongside her family, friends, and colleagues to honor the life of her brother. When asked what she wishes the police officers knew before tasing Chinedu to death, Ebele replied, My brother was a human being who needed help. Black people are human beings, and theyre entitled to the same dignity white people are entitled to. Unless the approachand toolsof law enforcement in this country changes, black families like Ebeles will continue to bear the greatest cost of police doing what theyre trained to do.
Georgia election officials may not throw out absentee ballots on the basis of signature mismatch, U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May ruled on Wednesdaya victory for voting rights in a state that has become ground zero for voter suppression.

Under Georgia law, the signatures on voters absentee ballots must match the signatures on their voter registration cards. Election officials, who are untrained in handwriting analysis, must compare the two signatures; if they find a mismatch, they may nullify the ballot. The state often notifies voters of the problem days or weeks after the election, at which point they can no longer cure their ballots by casting a new vote.

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Signature mismatch laws primarily affect the disabled, the elderly, and people of color. Already this election cycle, officials have rejected more than 600 ballots and ballot applications on the basis of mismatch. A disproportionate number of these ballots were cast by minority voters. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia sued, demanding that the state give all mismatch victims an opportunity to cure their ballots. The group filed its suit against Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is running for governor against Democrat Stacey Abrams while vigorously suppressing minority votes.

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Just one day after hearing oral arguments in the case, Judge May ruled against Kemp. May rejected Kemps primary argument that, because there is no constitutional right to vote by absentee ballot, the state need not comply with traditional due process requirements. Voters, May explained, have a constitutionally protected liberty interest in voting. And when the state creates an absentee voter regime, it must administer it in accordance with the Constitution. That means the state cannot disenfranchise absentee voters without constitutionally adequate due process protection.

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From there, May easily concluded that Georgia has failed to provide due process to mismatch victims. She noted that the state could easily address this constitutional violation by giving voters notice of mismatch and an opportunity to cure their ballots. These safeguards impose a minimal burden on the state, May explained, because Georgia already has a process for absentee voters whose ballots are challenged for a different reason. If officials believe a voter is ineligible to participate in the election, for instance, they must provide her with notice, a hearing, and an opportunity to appeal. There is no reason why the state cannot use a similar process for curing mismatched signature ballots.

Kemps final argument was also his most absurd: He argued that the integrity of the election process will be put into question if mismatch victims can cure their ballots. May swiftly dismissed this strange claim. The court, she wrote, does not understand how assuring that all eligible voters are permitted to vote undermines integrity of the election process. To the contrary, it strengthens it.

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To remedy Georgias infringement on due process, May proposed an injunction directing election officials to notify mismatch victims and give them an opportunity to confirm their identitiesquickly enough to ensure that their vote will still count. She gave the parties one day to offer revisions to the instructions that these officials must follow. Kemp has not yet said whether he will appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If he does, it seems unlikely that the 11th Circuitor the U.S. Supreme Court, for that matterwill reverse May, given the limited scope of her ruling. Her decision is in line with those of other courts that have confronted signature mismatch and determined that due process requires at least an opportunity for appeal.

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Wednesdays order is undoubtedly a step in the right direction that restricts Georgias limitless discretion to void votes on the basis of amateur handwriting analysis. But this entire case illustrates the danger of signature mismatch laws, even those modified to comport with the Constitution. Kemp is an expert vote thief who has already blocked 53,000 voter registration applications, most of them from minorities, through his discriminatory Exact Match system. The mismatch law hands him another tool that can be deployed to quash minority votes and could even swing an election. It has no place in a democracy. And if Abrams manages to defeat Kemp after all this chicanery, repealing Georgias signature mismatch law should be at the top of her agenda.

This post has been updated with new information since it was originally published.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is going to get to the bottom of who is responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. He made this pledge in an address to the investment conference that nearly every big-name Western business figure and official who was scheduled to go ditched after Khashoggi was killed earlier this month in an operation many believe was overseen by the crown princes closest aides.

In his first public remarks since Saudi Arabia acknowledged Khashoggis death, the crown prince said that the heinous crime actually hurt all Saudis, not just the Saudi citizen who went into the Istanbul consulate for a marriage document and then was killed and allegedly dismembered by a forensic specialist who happened to be there with a bone saw.

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The Washington Post reported that the crown prince described the killing as really painful to all Saudis and that the ongoing investigation would find and punish Khashoggis killers.

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All the while, Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad al-Hariri was sitting next to him. Last November, Hariri, a dual Saudi citizen, announced he was resigning as prime minister during a visit to the kingdom. (Hariri was reportedly told hed be going on a camping trip with Mohammed bin Salman before being detained by Saudi officials and forced to read a resignation statement on Saudi TV). After the French government intervened, he was allowed to return to Lebanon and revoked his resignation. At the conference Wednesday, the crown prince, according to the Post, jokingly said that no one should think Hariri was being kidnapped just because he would be in Saudi Arabia for two days for the conference.

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Take my ally, please!
On Monday, President Trump did his chauvinist best to haul immigration back into the minds of voters ahead of the midterms by adding a dollop of (100 percent unconfirmed) terrorism. Sadly, it looks like Mexicos Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States, Trump tweeted. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. It is ludicrous claim. But its one that Trump held onto, refusing to budge, for a full day and change. The president even challenged a reporter to take your camera, go in the middle and search the caravan, before admitting, of course, he was full of it. Theres no proof of anything. But there could very well be, Trump said of the Middle Easterners claim in the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon. They say it happens all the time from the Middle East.

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The whole charade was a classic Trump distortion designed to stoke fear and ignite his base. The wild claim proved to be catnip to Trump world, which, no matter how ludicrous the Trump utterance, is now fully conditioned to start pulling facts out of thin air to show thatSee! See!Islamist terrorists conspicuously trudging through central America to get to the United States is a real thing. And while good faith would require you to view these cynical claims skeptically, much of Trumps support is not operating in good faith. But the upside of when Trump does an about face, which he almost always does, is it exposes just how vapid those are who line up to carry Trumps water no matter the illogic.

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This week the big winner was: Vice President Mike Pence!

Pence has a long history of covering for Trump and dutifully did so again only to be caught midair by Trumps pump fake. So while Trump was conceding he had made up the bit about Middle Easterners, Pence was out front, adamant that Trump was right. Its inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border, the vice president said during a Washington Post event. In the last fiscal year, we apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border from countries that are referred to in the lexicon as other than Mexico. That means from the Middle East region.

It will likely not surprise you thaaaats not exactly right. [The Department of Homeland Security] [-] told reporters Monday that Customs and Border Patrol agents had in fiscal 2018 apprehended 17,256 criminals, 1,019 gang members, and 3,028 special interest aliens from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Somalia, according to the Post. None of those countries are actually in the Middle East, the Post notes, and the statistics are not specific to the southern border.

When youre making it up as you go along, its hard to keep your stories straight.
President Trumps meandering response to the apparent murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took another turn Tuesday, this time for the even more absurd, when he criticized Saudi Arabias response as the worst cover-up ever. Thats certainly one way to put it. From that initial statement, made by Trump in the Oval Office, it isnt totally clear whether Trump means worst as in horrific and amoral or just botched. But he cleared that up pretty quickly. They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups, Trump told reporters, sounding like he was laying out the rationale for firing a contestant on an episode of the Apprentice.

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Trump seemed piqued by the shambolic attempt to conceal the murder of a journalist, but not all that interested in the actual murder itself. Instead, Trumps comments Tuesday characterized the hit and planned cover-up as a bad deal.

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The hits:

Somebody really messed up, Trump said. Because whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble.

However they talk about it, nothing theyve done has gone well. It certainly has not been spoken of properly, Trump said of the Saudi response. The process was no good. the execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good.

Very simple, Trump continued, Bad deal; should never have been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever. And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint.

So where does that leave the Trump administration on the Khashoggi murder? In terms of what we ultimately do, Im going to leave it very muchin conjunction with meIm going to leave it up to Congress, Trump said.
On Monday night, President Trump declared himself a nationalist. At a rally in Houston, he distinguished nationalists from globalists, people who, according to Trump, care more about the world than about their own tribe. Nationalism has a fascist pedigree, and Trump has a history of using race, religion, and ethnicity to turn the people he sees as real Americanspeople who look like himagainst those who have Arab or Mexican heritage. But violent nationalism, the kind that devoured Europe a century ago, couldnt happen in America today, could it? A president wouldnt encourage criminal violence against innocent people. If he did, his party wouldnt stand for it.

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Actually, it would. Trump has been testing the GOPs tolerance for demagoguery that explicitly promotes brutality. And so far, Republicans seem willing to go along.

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Trump has repeatedly invited his supporters to beat up protesters at his rallies. Initially, he implied that the protesters brought this on themselves by disrupting the rallies. But now hes endorsing violence against people who simply ask questions. Last year in Montana, Greg Gianforte, a Republican candidate for Congress, assaulted a reporter, Ben Jacobs, who was asking the candidate about health care. Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands, slammed him into the ground, and began punching him, according to a Fox News correspondent who witnessed the attack.

The sheriffs office announced that Gianforte would be charged with assault. Nevertheless, the next day, Montanans elected him to Congress. Two weeks later, Public Policy Polling asked a national sample of registered voters: Do you think it is appropriate or inappropriate for Republican politicians to body slam members of the media? Most people said no. But Republicans were closely divided.

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Last Thursday, at a political rally in Montana, Trump mimicked and praised Gianfortes assault on Jacobs. Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind ofhes my guy, said Trump. The crowd roared its approval.

Now a phalanx is forming around the demagogue. Prominent Republicans are excusing or defending Trumps remarks. Heres what theyre saying:

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1. No comment. To build support for political violence, you need potential adversaries within your party to clam up or look the other way. Trump is getting that from the GOP. CNBC says it asked Republican lawmakers, including every Republican senator, for reactions to the presidents comments. The network got no replies. Montana Public Radio asked Steve Daines, the states Republican senator, whether Trumps remarks were wrong. Three times, Daines ducked the questionYoull have to ask President Trump thatand his aide cut off the interview.

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2. Its not news. Americans are becoming accustomed to Trumps erosion of norms. Their indifference, in turn, has numbed Trumps former critics. On Sunday, Sen. Ben Sasse was asked on CNN about what Trump had said in Montana. Most people tune most of it out, Sasse shrugged. The presidents amoralistic take he explained, was already baked in to public expectations. When Sasse was pressed for his own views, he said Trumps remarks were not OK. But he added, Theres a danger in pretending each new rally is immediate, urgent. What Sasse meant was that if you speak up every time Trump says or does something bad, people will get tired and ignore you. But thats exactly how Trump has immobilized his critics: by repeatedly breaching moral boundaries, destroying the novelty of such attacks, and sapping opponents of the will to challenge him.

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When Republicans call this incident fun, theyre not talking about joking at the perpetrators expense. Theyre talking about joking at the victims expense.

3. Nobody got hurt this time. If any Republican were willing to speak up against the rhetoric of violence, youd think it would be House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was shot and gravely wounded last year by a man who was angry at Republicans. Instead, Scalise has written a series of tweets defending Trump. Not one person harassed the numerous media reporters who were present, Scalise said of the Montana rally. That argument glosses over the rally attendee who made a throat-slitting gesture at a CNN correspondent. It ignores the many rallies at which Trumps followers have harassed reporters. It also ignores the assault on Jacobs. And thats the point: to deflect attention.

4. Its fun. Scalise says Trump was just ribbing Gianforte. Sasse says many people see Trumps rhetoric as playful. Eric Trump, the presidents son, says his dad was just having fun. But the attack on Jacobs was no joke: It broke his glasses and sent him to the hospital for X-rays. It resulted in a guilty plea to misdemeanor assault. And when Trump congratulated Gianforte for the attack, he waved off the congressmans embarrassment about it. Theres nothing to be embarrassed about, said the president. So when Republicans call this incident fun, theyre not talking about joking at the perpetrators expense. Theyre talking about joking at the victims expense.

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5. Its politically incorrect. This is exactly why my father won: because so many people are so sick and tired of  the perfectly scripted politician, Eric Trump argued during an interview on Fox News. What voters like about President Trump, said Eric, is that he is un-PC, willing to joke about the body slam. This is what Sen. Marco Rubio meant two years ago when he observed that Trumps assault on political correctness was an assault on correctness. Taking assault seriously is PC. Therefore, in the upside-down ethos of defying PC, praising the assailant and making light of the assault is virtuous.

6. Its strong. Alex Castellanos, a veteran Republican political strategist, says the presidents praise of the attack on Jacobs shows Trump is all about strength. In an uncertain world where everything is falling apart, where people dont know what to believe in, where everything is uncertain, you want someone to hold it together. Thats what Americans want, Castellanos argued during a panel discussion on ABCs This Week. They want a president who projects strength.

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Sensing encouragement and no opposition from his party, Trump has pushed forward. A day after the Montana rally, a journalist asked him, Do you regret bringing up  the assault on a reporter by a congressman? Trump replied, No. Not at all. He repeated the phrase he had used to praise Gianforte at the rally: Hes a tough cookie. And Ill stay with that.

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A president can call himself a nationalist without hurting people. But if he also seeks to divide people by race, ethnicity, and religion, his nationalism becomes insidious. If he endorses violence, he puts peoples lives in danger. And if his party falls in line behind him, the ingredients for a catastrophe are in place. A day after Trump celebrated Gianfortes assault on Jacobs, a Republican official in Montana called in to a radio show to say she would have gone further. If that kid had done to me what he did to Greg, I would have shot him, she said.

Dont pretend it cant happen here. Its happening.
Its easy to get incensed about how Republicans are remaking the judiciary, but it tends to happen in waves. Three weeks ago, Democrats were beside themselves that Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court without a meaningful investigation of sexual assault claims against him. Last week, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to confirm federal court nominees while the Senate itself was in recess. Democrats, who thought they had struck a deal with Republicans to put this process on hold until after the midterms, were not present to vote on nominees such as Allison Jones Rushing, who was evaluated for a lifetime appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. She is 36 years old and has never been a judge. And this week, Democrats are bracing for unprecedented vote suppression in the upcoming midterms, something that has been enabled by Supreme Court rulings in voter fraud and race discrimination cases.

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The answer to any question about why Republicans are pushing judges through to lifetime office without scrutiny is a simple because we can. What Democrats can do about it is more complex. Vote, seems to be the main answer, even as the franchise has been limited by the Supreme Court in just the last term. But in recent weeks there has been a surge of serious legal scholars proposing real reforms to the courts. Sober constitutional thinkers are urging Democrats to find the resolve to pack the courts (here and here) push for term limits (here and here) and to just generally begin to burn all the norms and conventions around the courts to the ground. (here and here). These proposals seem to find traction for a moment, but by and large Democrats are inclined toward stunning conservatism around the Supreme Court, with a good amount of possibly misplaced reverence for the courts perceived role as a counter-majoritarian check in fraught times.

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Last week, however, a project seeking to recapture the federal judiciary was launched with an eye toward keeping this issue at the front and center of progressive politics. The project, named 1.20.21, launched last Wednesday, and among other goals, it seeks to expand the U.S. Supreme Court by four justices in 2021, and add dozens of seats to the lower federal courts in the coming years.

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The effort is run by Aaron Belkin, a political scientist from San Francisco State University, who has spent the last two decades tracking and influencing public opinion around dont ask dont tell and the ban on transgender service members. He is joined by Sean McElwee, the digital activist who created the #AbolishICE hashtag. Harvard Law Schools Mark Tushnet chairs the campaigns advisory board and Harvards Laurence Tribe also serves on their board. All of this makes me think it actually has a chance of succeeding. So, I spoke with Belkin via email about polling, public opinion and reforming the Supreme Court. (Full disclosure: Belkin and I did debate together in college.) A lightly edited version of our conversation is below.

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Dahlia Lithwick: The only thing most Americans know about court-packing is that it almost tanked FDRs presidency. In fact, even tentative conservative efforts to pack the federal courts were condemned across party lines just last year. Isnt even the idea of court packing the universally acknowledged third rail of judicial politics?

Aaron Belkin: Ill answer your question in the context of your reference to Democrats  proposing  to just generally begin to burn all the norms and conventions around the courts to the ground. It is not possible to begin to burn those norms and conventions because the Republicans have already burned much of the judicial house down.

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During President Obamas first term, the GOP arguably blocked more lower court appointments than were blocked in U.S. history. Then they stole a Supreme Court seat. Then multiple ostensibly moderate GOP leaders like the late Sen. McCain said that if Hillary Clinton were elected, they would fix the number of Supreme Court justices at eight throughout her term. Then they leveraged procedural abuses to confirm Brett Kavanaugh. And, of course, theres a much broader field of norms of governance that the GOP has shredded and that are not directly related to the courts. So its important to contextualize proposals to expand the court within the normative destruction that has already taken place.

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As you observe, court expansion was a third-rail topic as long as both parties behaved relatively fairly and honorably in the nomination and confirmation process. At this point, however, the sedimented weight of GOP judicial misconduct has prompted a range of progressive thought leaders, including Congressman Ro Khanna, to endorse court expansion in recent weeks.

So, on the one hand I agree with you that there hasnt been much of a national conversation about expansion (and thats why our new project is neededto amplify the conversation).

On the other hand, the discussion has taken off quickly; there is widespread recognition that democracy cannot function when one of the major political parties steals courts; and there is growing recognition that Democrats can and must do something about it.

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One final point is that the lessons of FDRs efforts may not be as straightforward as often assumed, as important differences distinguish then and now. In particular, FDR was reacting to terrible jurisprudence, not judicial theft.

Dahlia Lithwick: Conservative voters prioritize the courts. Progressive voters do not. This is one of those other seemingly universally acknowledged truths you are trying to overcome. I have a lot of theories for this, but Id love to hear yours. Why do progressives tend to be so unwilling to rank the courts as a top voting priority?

Aaron Belkin: Polling data show that Democratic politicians tend to talk about the court in positive terms, often emphasizing Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, and more recent gay rights jurisprudence culminating in Windsor and Obergefell. Republican politicians, by contrast, whip up their base by constantly pointing to decisions conservatives detest. So in this case, voters attitudes and priorities may reflect opinion leadership.

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But that begs the question as to why Republican politicians implicate the courts in their strategies for enraging their base. I would argue that this is a story about the power of capital. The greed wing of the Republican party (donors like the Koch brothers and politicians like Paul Ryan) cant attract voters by promising deregulation and tax cuts for the rich. So, the greed wing uses scapegoating to manufacture paranoia, which is effective at driving GOP turnout. The targets shift around, with some elections emphasizing immigrant gang members, others transgender people in the bathroom, others uppity women, plus the constant through-line of black crime. Even though the emphasis of scapegoating shifts, the recipe is always the same: The greed wing of the party incites paranoia to attract voters.

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It turns out that controlling the courts while also demonizing them is an important part of this strategy. Control of the courts delivers jurisprudence like Citizens United that promotes the interests of capital, in other words, corporations and elites. And demonizing the courts when they afford even minimal protections to minorities is helpful for stoking paranoia. Consider, for example, the use of Grutter v. Bollinger to incite rage about affirmative action.

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So, capital (eg the Koch Brothers) has a strong incentive to create and invest in NGOs like the Federalist Society to secure control over the judiciary and bullhorns like Fox News to talk about the courts in ways that inflame paranoia.

Dahlia Lithwick: The paradox here of course is that you want to use public polling data and activism to foster energy and enthusiasm about the most staid and predictable (and still popular!) branch of government. Even the liberal justices have rallied around Brett Kavanaugh and the institution itself in recent days, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor urging that the high court is going to let these times pass. What do you do when you look to be trying to demystify and in fact politicize the one branch of government that needs to stay mystified and apolitical in order to maintain public legitimacy?

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Aaron Belkin: Public policy should be based on fact rather than myth, and in this case, there are two truths that should play a more prominent role in national conversations: (1) Republicans stole the courts, and (2) the courts have spent more than a generation promoting the interests of corporations and elites at the expense of people of color, women and workers. (It may also be worth mentioning that in some cases, the court has relied on radical and unpersuasive reasoning such as the notion in Shelby that the Voting Rights Act isnt needed because it has worked.)

If the court wants to shore up its own legitimacy, it has the capacity to do that. If Republicans want to shore up the courts legitimacy, they can acknowledge their thefts and endorse policies such as court expansion that nullify those thefts. Democrats cant be held (or hold themselves) unilaterally responsible for maintaining the integrity of the judiciary, while Republicans and the court itself undermine integrity.

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Democrats cant be held (or hold themselves) unilaterally responsible for maintaining the integrity of the judiciary.

Dahlia Lithwick: How do you propose to break through the relentless media fog of drama and distraction to keep public interest sustained on the courts? Do you have any reason to believe that the outrage around the Kavanaugh hearings can last into the midterms and on into the 2020 election?

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Aaron Belkin: I think youre asking about two related but partially distinct phenomena, both of which Ill address below. In terms of public interest, I dont think the issue is whether discontent about the Kavanaugh hearings can be sustained. Rather, I think the issue is that the progressive base understands that (1) Republicans stole the Supreme Court; (2) judicial theft is embedded in a range of anti-democratic practices such as voter suppression, extreme gerrymandering, dark money in politics, and lying; (3) the cumulative effect of relentless cheating is that the GOP has rigged the system; (4) one result of relentless cheating is that government is unable to solve pressing problems like health care; and (5) democracy is seriously at risk.

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Our job at the 1/20/21 Project is to try to make sure that during the political campaigns that will span most of the next two years, conversations about the five points above include consideration of what to do about the courts. As well, we need to remind the public that aside from a few rulings such as Obergefell, the Supreme Court has spent more than a generation injuring people of color, women and workers. It is certainly true that candidates tend to prefer discussions of kitchen table issues like health care over procedural conversations about how to fix democracy. But I think there is sufficient concern about the precariousness of our democracy that there will be room for discussion of the courts during the forthcoming campaigns.

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As for the question about media strategies, my colleagues and I spent the past 20 years learning how to use state-of-the-art research to help ensure that policy conversations are based on evidence, not emotion, and our team played a role in informing public opinion during two long-term national debates (concerning dont ask, dont tell and then transgender military service.) So, well apply the lessons we learned during these two debates to the conversation about the courts. Here are a few examples of research and research translation that we are planning:

(1) studies of injuries that the courts have inflicted on people of color, women and workers; (2) video testimony by people of color, women and workers who have been injured by courts; (3) studies of the courts role in promoting the interests of corporations and the elite; (4) polling data about whether the public supports court expansion; (5) Outreach to political candidates to make sure that those running for office understand various options for judicial reform; (6) Op-eds and editorial board meetings; (7) Field work (boots on the ground) in Iowa and New Hampshire to discuss court expansion with voters; (8) Digital outreach, using the same social media strategies that elevated Abolish ICE to national prominence; (9) and town hall meetings and public debates about court expansion.

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There are three more important points to make about these strategies. First, I was very proud during our work on dont ask, dont tell and transgender military service that people who opposed inclusive policy used our research to support their arguments. The reason is that we published all of our findings, not just those findings that supported one political perspective. Well take the same approach to research about the courts.

Second, much of the research and research translation mentioned above has already been done, so you could ask, why do you need an organization to ask research questions that have already been asked? The answer is that theres a big difference between a few scholars knowing something and everyone else knowing it. When we started our work on dont ask, dont tell, even the militarys own scholars had already published studies showing that gays and lesbians dont undermine the military. It still took a decade of additional research to drive that point home in the court of public opinion.

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Finally, the list of research and research translation activities illustrates why you cant just rely on thought leaders to publish op-eds if you want to inform a national conversation. You need organizations to amplify the conversation systematically and persistently. Thats the rationale for our new project.

Dahlia Lithwick: Talk about some of the other reforms out in the ether. Term limits, restoring the filibuster, limiting the jurisdiction of the federal courts? Cant they achieve what you seek to do but in a less disruptive way?

Aaron Belkin: Democracy cannot work when a major political party steals courts, and thats just what Republicans have done. The Republicans stole the courts and Democrats must un-steal them. Yes, a robust national conversation about various reform options is needed. And yes, there is a strong case to be made for some of the options. But un-stealing the courts is the only viable path to nullifying and penalizing Republican misconduct. Expansion, in other words, is the only option that imposes a proportionate political penalty for theft.
Two decades ago, in late summer 1998, the journal Nature came out with an outrageous claim: Both women and men, a research paper argued, prefer faces with more girlish features. The authors of the study, based in Scotland and Japan, had expected the opposite resultthat square-jawed, hunky faces, more Harrison Ford than Leonardo DiCaprio, would be deemed more attractive. Our team has been working on this study for four years, one of the scientists, Ian Penton-Voak, told the New York Times in advance of publication. When it was found early on that there was a preference for feminized male faces, nobody believed it, so we did it again, and again. The preference for a feminized face keeps coming up.

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Could it really be the case that everyone prefers a man with a gentle nose and a low-T brow? If so, then why are (or were) Harrison Ford and Leonardo DiCaprio both considered highly sexy? And what about the other sexy 90s dyads of George Clooney and Jude Law, and Johnny Depp and Nick Nolte? The Nature data were no less perplexing for evolutionary psychologists like Penton-Voak. From that fields perspective, manly features are indicative of a males reproductive fitness. Given this assumption, one might guess that women have evolved to find those traits the most appealing, since they help identify the sort of men with whom you could make the strongest, most immunocompetent children. What would women get from delicate men?

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A year later, in the summer of 99, Penton-Voak and colleagues offered the beginnings of an explanation. For a second study, also out in Nature, and also drawn from research done in Scotland and Japan, they once again asked young women to evaluate male faces that had been digitally feminized to varying degreesonly now they had the women do so twice, at different points during their menstrual cycles. They found that a womans predilection for men with girlish features waxed and waned throughout the lunar month: When she looked at faces in the days leading up to ovulation, her tastes would tend a bit more masculine; later on shed flip back the other way.

This led the psychologists to propose a big idea, and one that helped to spawn a vibrant field of research: What if women had evolved to make specific shifts in sexual preference across their cycles? A woman might be drawn to macho men while in her fertile phase, since thats when their fitter genes would be the most useful. Meanwhile, the same person might have eyes for other sorts of menthose whose low masculine appearance suggests cooperation in parental care, as the authors put itat other times, when long-term bonding would help ensure a safe environment for her family.

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This hypothesisthat, for evolutionary reasons, a womans desires and behaviors oscillate throughout her menstrual cyclewould lead to many other odd and interesting results. One early line of research, using sweaty T-shirts as a stimulus, found that fertile women were more attracted to (or less disgusted by) the undergarment odors of men with symmetrical faces. Another found that womens tastes for manly body types, manly voices, manly competition, and manly height all have a tendency to peak during the days leading up to ovulation. Yet another said that women at mid-cycle are somehow sexierbetter-looking, better-smellingto men.

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In 2008, a pair of researchers at the University of New Mexicoevolutionary psychologist Steve Gangestad and biologist Randy Thornhillreviewed the decades worth of research that had followed on those early Nature papers, and they concluded there was reason to believe that women experience a period of oestrusi.e., once per month, human females enter into heat. Women possess dual sexuality,  Gangestad and Thornhill wrote, consisting of a phase of oestrus and a phase of extended (non-fertile) sexuality in their cycles. Later on that year, Gangestad and Thornhill wrote up a book-length disquisition on this theory called The Evolutionary Biology of Human Female Sexuality.

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One early line of research, using sweaty T-shirts as a stimulus, found that fertile women were more attracted to (or less disgusted by) the undergarment odors of men with symmetrical faces.

With this established, the psychological study of ovulating women launched into its own highly fertile phaseand another decade of obsessive focus on the signs and symptoms of dual sexuality followed. A host of bewildering, bizarre results made their way into the journals. Fertile women are better at sussing out which men are gay, one study claimed. Their breasts become more symmetrical, said another. They wear skirts instead of pants. They have a better sense of smell. Theyre more assertive. They seek out more variety in mini candy bars, but strive to lose more weight. They turn their backs on God, at least when they arent married, and they say theyll vote for Barack Obama.

As these data points sprayed across the pages of academic journals, it got harder and harder for anyone to connect them in a coherent way. The simple picture painted in the fields early daysthat menstrual shifts had women variously pursuing cads when fertile and hooking up with dads otherwisewas stretched and embellished in order to fit an increasingly disparate set of findings. Evolutionary psychologists guessed that hormonal changes around ovulation would have different effects on women with attractive partners compared with those with ugly partners, or that a single womans preferences when fertile would be different from a married womans. Some effects of oestrus could even be negated, at least according to one study, when a woman just imagined that she had a handsome boyfriend.

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Eventually, the underlying theory of this field of research grew so encrusted with garish findings, so brittle and baroque that it finally collapsed into a string of nonresults. The most recent came on Aug. 28, when a German researcher named Ruben Arslan and his colleagues published data from a massive survey study of a thousand female subjects, who answered questions about their menstrual status and sexual feelings and behaviors repeatedly across a six-week stretch. The study found no evidence to support the claimsdrawn from the smaller, less careful studies of the pastthat women put on sexy clothing when theyre ovulating, or that they become particularly attracted to people other than their boyfriends.*

There have been lots of findings of this type in 2018. Julia Junger, a postdoctoral researcher at the same lab at the University of Gottingen where Arslan started his research, has also posted work this year that picks apart prevailing notions in the field of ovulation research. One of her studies, out in March, found that fertile-phase women have no special preference for images of torsos showing greater upper-body strength. Another showed that ovulating women are not especially attracted to flirtatious men, and a third suggests they arent more attuned to men with deeper and more manly voices.

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Lastly, at the University of Glasgow, Benedict Jones has just finished up a large-scale study of these issues that he started half a dozen years ago, with a European research grant of 1 million pounds. Jones has brought hundreds of women into his lab for repeated visits, tracking their hormonal changes over time along with their behaviors on a broad array of tasks. In two papers published this year, he and colleagues showed that a womans hormonal status doesnt change her preference for facial masculinity, nor does it make her more desirous of short-term, uncommitted trysts.

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The implications of this newer research have not escaped the founding fathers of the field. In terms of overall effects, I dont think there is anything, admitted Gangestad in a recent interview, referring to his theory of womens so-called dual sexuality. There may still be some difference in fertile-phase effects for women who are single and those with long-term partners, he said, but the probability I would put on that is pretty low. In other words, the man who literally co-wrote the book on human oestrus now believes that he and others in the field were the victims of pervasive problems in the way that the psychology was donea bum steer that affected not just their research, but many others too. When we wrote the book, we were drawing on a broad literature, Gangestad told me, but some of what we wrote was just garbage because we trusted all that work, including our own.

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This may sound familiar at this point. The open science movementand the corresponding focus on replicating prior work with larger samples and more rigorous analyseshas burned its way through many bookshelves of results in university libraries and the popular ideas they sustained. In particular, several monumental theories of psychologyinvolving concepts such as ego depletion, social priming, and stereotype threathave now been cast in doubt, as certain classic findings get reclassified as false-positive results.

Yet the story of the cads-and-dads researchand the broader rise and fall of ovulational psychologymay stand apart from all the rest. Thats because this years incineration of its core results is in no way unexpected. Rather, its the coda to a longer process of critique, and one that started several years before the replication crisis went mainstream. These menstrual cycle studies have been ridiculed as sexist pseudoscience and rebutted on their merits for about as long as theyve been touted in the press.

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Journalists at Slate, for example, took a hacksaw to their methodology as early as 2010at a time when mainstream publications rarely seemed to hacksaw peer-reviewed research. Though we hadnt yet been made aware of flexible analyses, p-hacking, and the other common means of juicing stats to make them more amenable to scientific publication, keen-eyed skeptics such as Amanda Schaffer and Emily Yoffe poked around the methods sections of these papers and found them full of holes. Sample sizes seemed too small, as a rule, while findings that were inconsistent with the evolutionary theory as we understood it were simply wished away.

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These menstrual cycle studies have been ridiculed as sexist pseudoscience and rebutted on their merits for about as long as theyve been touted in the press.

Scientists from other fields launched attacks as well, claiming that participants for this research were almost always drawn from a weird, unrepresentative set of women: undergraduate psychology majors. In many ways evolutionary psychology resembles religious belief, wrote the evolutionary geneticist Jerry Coyne on his blog, in agreeing with the Slate barrage, at least in the fervor of many of its advocates and their tendency to completely ignore data that dont support their hypothesis.

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The following year, a stripper by the name of Bubbles took aim at what might have been the best-known finding from the field: a 2007 study that suggested exotic dancers make $15 more per hour when they are in the fertile window. After calling out this papers paltry sample sizeonly 18 women over two months, really?Bubbles shared results from her own longitudinal, n-of-1 analysis spanning her last three years of menstrual cycles. There was no consistent link between her earnings and her ovulation, she said.

By 2013, more sophisticated, statistical critiques of ovulating-woman science were showing up in mainstream media. In Slate, Andrew Gelman debunked a claim that ovulating women have a thing for wearing red or pink. There is no reason to assume the researchers were doing anything nefarious or trying to manipulate the truth, he wrote. Rather, like sculptors, they were chipping away the pieces of the data that did not fit their story, until they ended up with a beautiful and statistically significant structure that confirmed their views. (Meanwhile, the initial scientific basis for that studya prior paper claiming that men find women more attractive in the presence of the color redhas also been debunked.)

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Then came a pair of papers in 2014, each of which would try to pool results from at least 50 prior studies, published and unpublished, on whether ovulation changes womens desire for short-term relationships with manly men. One found no effect; the other said there was a robust relationship. It seems like every controversial field of research gets to have a moment just like this one, where disputes break down into a pair of dueling meta-analyses. The reason for this is that the methods used to carry out these omnibus reviewswhich studies to include, how to correct for publication bias, and so forthare themselves subject to a range of vexing scientific controversies. Although the number of meta-analyses has exploded, many dont bring clarity, wrote Jop de Vrieze in an excellent summary of the issue from September.

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This long history of doubts about the ovulating-woman papers, and their rank dismissal by certain members of the press, only makes it more surprising that the coda to this story also has a twist. Its certainly true that recent replication failures have been sanding many of the sparkles from this research literature: Ovulating women do not really change the way they vote or pray or choose their candy, and being in the fertile phase does not, in fact, lead a woman to wear red or commit adultery with a bearded paramour. It no longer seems the case that women have evolved to seek out flings with manly dudes and then settle down with sweet-faced doting dads.

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Yet certain other findings from this lame, lambasted literature have turned out to be amazingly robust.

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Amidst the data and debris from this years grand debunkings, there are some signs of clear effects: It appears to be quite true, for example, that sexual desire has a tendency to fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, getting stronger on average as a womans hormones shift for ovulation. This may strike readers as an epic, no-duh finding. (In summary, my mom predicted many of these results quite well, Arslan wrote on Twitter.) But its now been demonstrated in a more convincing, scientific way that provides a path for more important research down the road. If its true, as Arslan found, that the use of oral contraceptives flattens out such changes in desire, then we still have much to learn about the nature of that medications psychosexual effects. The only randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on this topic, published in 2016, suggested that the pill might exert a small downward push on womens sexual desire, pleasure, and arousal. Since this could influence a womans choice of medication, it would be nice to know for sure that its for real.

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Another major theme of ovulating-woman research also seems to have withstood the closer scrutiny: Women do rate themselves as sexier when theyre in the fertile phase, according to the recent studiesand, perhaps more surprisingly, so do men who look at them in photographs.

Its not clear yet what these changes mean, or whether they are (or arent) adaptive in an evolutionary sense. Theres also little data at the moment on how such effects differ across individuals, as they surely must. Still, the fact that these effects are real suggests there might be something worth pursuing after all. More insight in this field, based on rigorous results, would help us better understand the functions of hormonal shifts and what might happen when we deliberately obstruct them, even if they cant tell people what to wear to look sexy or how to avoid cheating. But in a way, this recent run of replication failures has served to break apart the ugly, overcomplicated framework from this useful topic of research, and then to brush away the rubble from its scientific fundaments. The findings may not be as notable as wed been led to think, but at least theyre right in front of us, as building blocks for something new.
In addition to the attack on the United Nations International Maritime Organization, multiple public and commercial shoreside facilities and vessel owners and operators around the world were hit by ransomware attacks, according to the 2020 MTS-ISAC Annual Report.

The report did not cite any specific reason for the rise in attacks, but instead said multiple factors were responsible, including geopolitical tensions, transitions in criminal activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, legal challenges that make cybercrime a low-risk endeavor, an increase in remote workers, and inadequate resources for IT and security teams in the maritime sector.
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 ...
Some shops will open on Tuesday, Oct 30, while they will all be closed on Thursday, Nov 1.

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The holiday next Tuesday, October 30, on which Slovaks will mark the anniversary closely linked with the establishing of the first Czechoslovak Republic, will be not an ordinary state holiday. Since this will be a one-off holiday held only this year, shops are not obliged to close. But this is not true for Thursday, November 1, when Slovaks will mark All Saints Day. On this day shops will be closed and people can buy basic food items only at some petrol stations.

Retail analyst Lubomir Drahovsky sees the freedom of shops to decide themselves whether they will open or not as a good step.

Shops can show that they honour shoppers and want to give them the opportunity to shop, said Drahovsky as cited by the Sme daily.

Read also:

Read also: MPs approve one-off holiday to celebrate Czechoslovakias centenary Read more

From the big retail chains only Tesco will close its outlets on October 30. It argues that it prefers to give a free day to its employees.

Billa and Kaufland will be open while adjusting opening hours. Kaufland will be open until 17:00 and Billa will follow its Sunday opening hours. Some Billa shops may be open until 17:00 and others even until 20:00. Lidl will be open like on a normal working day.

The Labour Ministry reminds than even though shops can decide themselves whether they would open on Tuesday, their employees are entitled for surcharges to work during holidays. These accounts for 100 percent of the average wage of the given person.

Read also:

Read also: Shops will be closed on all national holidays Read more

On Thursday, November 1, the shops are obliged to remain closed since this is one of 16 holidays during which shops must not force their employees to work, according to a revision of the Labour Code from the previous year.

Petrol stations as a last resort

One option for buying food during ordinary holidays are petrol stations. The extension of the range they offer is a logical consequence of the change in the Labour Code banning retail sale on holidays.

Shell started to sell basic food at some of its petrol stations at the beginning of this year. Those interested can shop at petrol stations in Bratislava at Einsteinova and Karlovoveska and in Sala and Nitra. By the end of this year Shell wants to offer basic food items at 17 petrol stations.

The offer of a specific petrol station depends on its locality and preferences of customers, said Petr Sindler, spokesperson of Shell as cited by the Sme daily. The petrol stations people pass when going to work offer, for example, basic foods so people can do their daily shopping on the way.

Lukoil, another petrol station chain, plans to extend its assortment of food, too. Recently it joined the retail chain Delia. For now, it has launched a shop at its petrol station in Bratislavas borough of Ruzinov.

However, people should be prepared for higher prices at petrol stations. They may be higher by even 10 percent compared to retail chains.
Creativity is universal, and can be found in places where one does not expect to find it. Perseverance and passion are essential to nurturing that creative ability.  Kelvin Doe

Kelvin Doe grew up in Freetown, Sierra Leone. At the age of 11, he started collecting scrap material on the way home from school. He discovered that with a little bit of tinkering he could make working parts from things that others had thrown out. Feeling inspired hed go to bed at 7pm only to wake up in the middle of the night and tinker while the rest of his family slept. Watch a short documentary about his story below:

The sweet sound of success

Kelvin successfully built his own music set-up including a 3-channel mixer, amplifier and microphone receiver. Electricity is scarce and unreliable in Sierra Leone, so he either powered the system with batteries that he restored from scrap, or from a battery he built himself. Kelvin even made a 12V generator out of old DVD players, which he used to keep his battery charged.

Finding a mentor

Kelvin met David Sengeh, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab Doctoral Student, at a summer innovation camp which David ran in Sierra Leone. The camp challenged students to think about issues facing their local community and come up with solutions. Kelvin believed a community radio station would enable everyone to communicate and share ideas in an unprecedented way. So he built and powered his own radio station. He would also DJ everyday under the name DJ Focus. Kelvin chose this name because he believes that if you focus, you can invent anything.

Using innovation to inspire a community

Kelvin became the youngest ever visiting practitioner at MIT. Over 14 million people have watched the video of his incredible story. It has inspired many to both think creatively about their problems and to nurture creativity in others. Kelvin has now returned to Sierra Leone where his mission is to inspire other young people to be technological innovators and help to improve their community.




Mark Sampson wrote:

"Any magic bullet will do, until next month's magic bullet magically removes the magic from this month's."

So wise and so true, isn't it? To some degree, for most of us, the latest and the best cameras exert a certain "magic" attraction. But I'm sure you've noticed the phenomenon Mark mentions, which is: when the next latest-and-best thing comes along, it abruptly relegates your former latest-and-best to a used-to-be. It's not the latest and best any more.

It's been dethroned.

That happened to my X-T1 when the X-T2 came along. People say, "nothing changed; the X-T1 is still the same camera; it still takes the same pictures." But that's only partially right, because things are always relative to other things. "An eye for an eye" was legal reform in Biblical times, meant to humanely and compassionately limit the extent of revenge; it meant that if you killed my uncle, I could just kill your uncle, instead of burning down your whole village and slaughtering everything larger than a chicken. Jerry West was the greatest shooting guard ever, but not after Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant came along. A Jaguar E-Type was a lustworthy car when you could buy it new (watch this great video if you have fifteen minutes for some fun), but Jaguar couldn't mass-produce a new one todaytoo much has changed. Too many expectations (fuel efficiency, reliability), too many safety regulations, too many standards (headlights, bumpers, or waist height, for example) are different now.

Years ago, in photo school (which doesn't exist in remotely the same form any more becauseper the abovetoo much has changed), I had a Contax 139. It was a nicely made but simple and basic 35mm film camera. I remember standing at a camera-store counter next to a customer who was gushing to the salesman about the then-latest-and-best thing, a Contax called the 167MT. It had all sorts of automation and even a built-in motor winder, which was cutting-edge at the time. I recall being smug as all get out. "This will do everything!" the man enthused. "From now on, every other Contax is obsolete!" Yeah, well, you know what, pal? I was thinking. I can put the same film in my camera and the same lenses in front of it, and no one will be able to tell your pictures from mine. I guess I should admit I also thought, ...except I'll shoot rings around you because I'm a better shooter.

Heh. The arrogance of youth.

But no longer. The functionality is baked into the cameras, and old sensors get dethroned. The Sony A900 that I bought to have the latest-and-best has a sensor that gets its butt kicked in so many ways by the little Fuji X-A5. Yes, it still takes the same pictures it always did. So does the Contax 139. But the world has moved on, and the relative meaning and value of each are in constant flux. Cameras have become...I hate to say it...disposable. On a longish cycle, yeah, but disposable in essence.

Ya know what I hate, though? The lifecycles are getting shorter and shorter just as the time it takes to thoroughly learn a new camerathe length of the disruption in your working processis going up and up! It used to be taken for granted that getting a new camera put you at a disadvantage for a year or so while you really came up to speed with all its quirks and features and got "the feel of the wheel" so to speak. But you could keep that camera for ten years (Nikon's official target for the refresh cycle for the pro F series) or even longer. Now, your camera is pretty seriously dated within five years, but a year is too short a time to really learn a new one inside and out. Sure, you can learn all the features in that time if you have the knack for tech, but it's not long enough to get really comfortable and learn to do everything intuitively, without conscious thought. For me, it's not even long enough to really know how I want the camera set upI'll still be changing this and that, still learning things, still figuring out the little peccadilloes. If not of the camera, then of the rest of the workflow.

It's not just that they've got us on a treadmill, it's that we have to run faster and faster to stay in the same place!

One thing I noticed, though, is that the X-T3 didn't do much to my X-T1. It was already dethroned. The next step down wasn't nearly so bad.

Speaking of which, damn latest-and-greatest X-H1 still ain't here. Where is the FedEx dude anyway?

Mike

(Thanks to Mark)

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:

psu: "A different angle on subject...about chasing bullets and keeping up: there is a famous software person by the name of Fred Brooks who once wrote a famous article about the nature of software production called 'No Silver Bullet' which stated, to summarize in a slightly too simple way, that there are no magic solutions to the particular problems that vex software projects, so you should not chase them. Not everything is as complicated as a big and complicated piece of software...but the catch phrase No Silver Bullet is mostly applicable in a fairly universal way. There are very few such bullets, and if you spend your life chasing them you'll always be sad."

Andy Munro: "Totally agree. I would love to stay with the current camera forever but that new magic is somehow irresistible."

Anthony Shaughnessy: "I disagree, for me at least. My nearly ten years old Pentax K20D is still as good as it was and I'm still as happy with the pictures. The about four-year-old Olympus OM-D E-M10 is a little better than the Pentax (six years newer technology) but I'm still just as happy with the Pentax pictures and I'm still just as happy with the Olympus pictures after four years. Yes, newer cameras might be 'better' in some way, but my cameras don't get worse. They'll remain just as good for as long as they stay working and my needs don't change."

Michael: "Jaguar E-Type Zero."



Joe Boris: "Don't worry Mike, your new X-H1 will arrive very shortly, just as the upcoming X-H2 is being announced by Fuji."

Mike replies: You jest, but that's really a problem I actually have: it sometimes takes me the whole lifetime of a product to decide whether I want to get one.
British royal Meghan Markle sent adoring crowds into a frenzy in Fiji on Wednesday when she took centre stage from husband Prince Harry to passionately promote women's rights.

The American-born 37-year-old recounted her struggle to afford higher education in her maiden international speech, made to students at the University of the South Pacific.

She also met female traders at the Suva markets, although so many enthusiastic fans were jammed into the venue that her security detail cut short the pregnant duchess's visit.

Meghan, who married into the royal family five months ago, made the case for open access to education, particularly for women.

"For women and girls in developing countries this is vital," she said. "Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development.

The Duchess of Sussex received a traditional flower garland during her visit to a university in Suva /  AFP

"When girls are given the right tools to succeed they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves, but for all of those around them."

Meghan, 37, graduated with a communications degree from Northwestern University in Illinois before becoming an actress then marrying Harry earlier this year.

Announcing two grants to encourage female empowerment in Pacific academia, she said higher education for her was "incredible, impactful and pivotal", despite the challenge of paying for it.

"It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study -- where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition -- that I was able to attend university," she said.

"And, without question, it was worth every effort."

Meghan's visit to meet women participating in the UN project Markets for Change was curtailed, with Kensington Palace later citing "crowd management issues"

The royal couple arrived in Fiji after a week in Australia /  AFP

She was calm as bodyguards escorted her out of the markets and into a waiting car without incident.

Rosemerry Dautei, 35, said Fijians were keen to see the visiting royals.

"It is just the excitement... this is an opportunity that has to be grabbed with both hands," she said.

Meghan's message resonated with Shayaa Chand, 22, who said: "In today's era we should support women and we should make them leaders. We are very grateful that Mrs Meghan thinks that way."

- Climate change -

Harry, who attended the elite Eton school and Sandhurst military academy, watched his spouse's university address with admiration.

"No way I can follow my wife after that," he said, to laughter from the assembled students.

The prince acknowledged the Pacific's concerns about climate change, announcing four scholarships to study the issue.

"All of you living here are confronted with this threat in your daily lives," he said. "You're actually experiencing changing weather patterns, ferocious cyclones and rising sea levels, particularly in Tuvalu and Kiribati.

Fijian children hold banners to welcome Prince Harry and his wife Meghan /  AFP

"You've been living with this for many years, way before the world started talking about it."

The royal couple, who arrived in Fiji on Tuesday after a week in Australia, appeared relaxed touring the campus, meeting students and pre-school children.

Meghan wore a pink floral wrap dress with a pompom trim, and flowers in her hair, while Harry sported a blue Hawaiian shirt.

The day started on a sombre note for Harry, who attended a ceremony at the Fiji war memorial in Suva.

"In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country," he wrote on a note attached to a wreath laid at the memorial.

The royals will travel to Tonga on Thursday before returning briefly to Australia then wrapping up the tour with a visit to New Zealand.
Prosecutors in Ho Chi Minh City have advised a court to rule in favor of Vinasun in its ongoing lawsuit against ride-hailing service Grab, in which the local taxi company demanded a hefty compensation bill for losses they claim to have been caused by the tech-based rival.

There are grounds to affirm that Grab has been operating as a taxi company and thus violated a transport ministry scheme on piloting app-based ride-hailing services in Vietnam, the Peoples Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City told a local court on Tuesday.

It was the procuracys turn to weigh in on the high-profile lawsuit in which Vinasun accuses Grab of having stolen 74 percent of their customers and having caused losses of VND41.2 billion ($1.77 million) since the latters launch in the Southeast Asian country in 2014.

Grab has consistently dismissed such allegations, insisting that the firm has operated pursuant to local laws and regulations.

According to public prosecutors, Grab was categorized as a passenger transport company  the same as Vinasun  in the first business registration certificate it obtained in Vietnam issued by the municipal Department of Planning and Investment.

Under a 2016 transport ministry decision, Grab was allowed to pilot its business model as a company providing technological solutions to connect drivers and passengers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Quang Ninh for two years between January 2016 and January 2018.

However, in reality the company has been recruiting drivers, setting ride fares and rolling out promotions, all practices typical of a conventional taxicab firm, the prosecutors noted.

From 2014 to 2017, Grab reported losses of VND1.7 trillion ($72.84 million) due to advertising and marketing costs, despite having a charter capital of only VND20 billion ($857,000), they added.

Grab representative Jerry Lim (L) speaks to the media after a court on October 23, 2018. Video: Tuoi Tre

Therefore, there are grounds to affirm that Grab is a taxi company, the municipal procuracy said.

According to documents provided by Vinasun, 74 percent of their customers have turned to Grab as of the time of the lawsuit.

The Singapore-based company reported revenue of VND738 billion ($31.63 million) in Vietnam in 2017, which is proof of its growth in the local market, the prosecutors pointed out.

Compared to 2015 figures, Vinasuns profits in 2016 and the first half of 2017 dropped by VND41.2 billion, the company claimed.

The prosecutors therefore advised the court to rule in favor of Vinasun and demand Grab to pay one-time compensation of VND41.2 billion as requested by Vinasun in its lawsuit.

Judges said at Tuesdays court they need more time to review both sides arguments as well as the prosecutors opinion.

A final ruling on the case will be made at 2:00 pm on October 29, they said.

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WASHINGTON/ANKARA -- President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the worst cover-up ever in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.

Trump spoke hours after Turkeys president, Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggis death on rogue operatives. Erdogan urged Riyadh to search from top to bottom to uncover those behind Khashoggis death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, an incident that has sparked global outrage and strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

For Saudi Arabias allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability.

Trump said the killing and subsequent cover-up by Saudi Arabia were a total fiasco.

There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened, Trump told reporters. He said he had spoken on Monday with the crown prince who denied having anything to do with Khashoggis killing.

Earlier, Trump said the Khashoggi matter was handled badly by Saudi officials.

Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever, Trump told reporters at the White House.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

Trumps comments in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with very severe consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the countrys role as a U.S. ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major purchaser of U.S. arms.

Trump did not give his views on who was ultimately responsible. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggis murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking U.S. visas.

The U.S. State Department said 21 Saudis would have their visas revoked or be made ineligible for U.S. visas. Another official said the vast majority of the group had U.S. visas.

As we continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, not only those who executed it but those who were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable when we develop this fact set, Pompeo told reporters.

Pompeo also said the State Department was looking into whether sanctions could be applicable for those found to be involved.

These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States, Pompeo said, although he emphasized as have other senior U.S. officials, the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Neither the president nor I are happy with this situation.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the U.S. measures.

As the crisis unfolded over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia changed its tune on Khashoggi. Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggis fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with skepticism from several Western governments, straining their relations with the worlds biggest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggis death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggis killing by giving orders over Skype.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

Erdogan vow

Erdogan on Tuesday stopped short of mentioning the crown prince who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing.

The Saudi administration has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments, Erdogan said in a speech in parliament.

From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account, Turkeys president said.

Turkish sources have said that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing. Erdogan made no reference to any audio recording.

A Saudi Cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman said Riyadh would hold to account those responsible for the killing and those who failed in their duties, whoever they were.

Turkish investigators searched a Saudi consulate vehicle in Istanbul that contained two suitcases and other items, according to broadcaster CNN Turk. It was not clear what was in the suitcases.

'Brutal murder'

Trump said he would work with the U.S. Congress to determine the U.S. response to the Khashoggi matter.

In terms of what we ultimately do, Im going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - up to Congress, Trump said, adding he would like a bipartisan recommendation.

CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters on Tuesday.

A host of Western executives and governments have pulled out of a high-profile Saudi investment summit that started on Tuesday because of the Khashoggi affair.

Erdogan said the killing was planned from when Khashoggi, 59, first went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28 to obtain documents necessary for his marriage. He was told he would need to return later to collect the documents.

A day before Khashoggis death, agents arrived from overseas and began to scout locations, including the Belgrad Forest near Istanbul and the city of Yalova to its south, Erdogan said. Police have searched both areas for evidence of Khashoggis remains, Reuters has reported.

On the day Khashoggi arrived for his appointment and was later killed, the hard disk in the consulates camera system was removed, Erdogan said.

Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership, he said.

We have strong signs that the murder was the result of a planned operation, not a spontaneous development.
A silk painting by a Vietnamese artist set a record high of nearly 440,000 for its first-time showcase at an art auction in Paris on Monday.

The painting named Thieu nu cam quat, or Tonkin girl with a fan in English and Tonkinoise a l'eventail in French, by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Nam Son was put up for sale at the event organized by the auction house Aguttes.

The Monday auction was meant for Asian and contemporary Chinese painters, 19th century paintings, impressionists, and modern - contemporary art.

Nguyen Nam Son is the professional name of Nguyen Van Tho, a Vietnamese artist born in 1890, who together with his disciple and teacher founded the Hanoi School of Fine Arts in 1924.

Done on silk, one of Sons favorite techniques, the 61.5cm x 43cm painting shows a young girl sitting on a divan with a delicate paper fan in her right hand, and an orchid stem emerging above.

The girl is crouching, with her left foot flat on the ground and her right foot bent under.

She is wearing a green traditional Vietnamese ao dai tunic and white trousers, and has the distinct look of a northern Vietnamese city-dweller, contrasting with the more simply-clad countrywomen.

The Tonkin girl with a fan painting by the 19th-20th century Vietnamese artist Nguyen Nam Son is seen in this photo.

The water color artwork, which is predicted to be made between 1935 and 1936, depicts a peaceful atmosphere that highlights the models tender beauty, Aguttes assessed.

Tonkin girl with a fan was estimated at a starting price of 50,000-80,000 before the auction. But to everyones surprise, it was sold for 440,000, 5.5 times higher and also a record high that any artwork by Son has ever been paid.

Researcher Ngo Kim Khoi, who is Sons grandchild living in France, said that he was very happy with the results of the auction, which is a positive sign that Vietnamese art is becoming more and more popular in international markets.

This is a pride for the artist and his family in particular, and for Vietnamese art in general, Khoi told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

As the identity of the painting buyer is undisclosed, Khoi still holds his hope that the Vietnamese painting can be brought back to its homeland.

Tonkin girl with a fan used to belong to Fernand Maller, a French military official, who was stationed in Hanoi between January 1936 and April 1938.

It was then brought to France and has since been preserved by the officials family until the Monday auction.

At the same auction, as many as 141 items were sold, 28 of which were works by Vietnamese painters or foreign painters on Vietnam.

The painting Le retour du marche by another Vietnamese artist, Tran Van Can, was sold for 230,000, the highest price paid for a piece by the painter so far, while it was estimated to be worth only 40,000-60,000 in the first place.

On March 26, another silk painting featuring a northern woman by Son was also sold at another auction by Aguttes for 205,000.

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Vietnams National Assembly on Tuesday elected Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the architect of an ongoing crackdown on corruption, as the countrys new president.

The election was largely procedural as the party had unanimously nominated him as the only candidate for the position earlier this month.

Trong, 74, became the first Vietnamese leader to hold the two titles since founding president and revolutionary Ho Chi Minh.

There wont be any immediate major changes in Vietnams policies, said Ha Hoang Hop, a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and a visiting senior fellow at Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

Trong being voted as president is only a provisional situation, and I dont think he can do much before the presidential term expires in more than two years.

Former president Tran Dai Quang died on Sept. 21 after a prolonged illness.

Trong, who became party boss in 2011, has presided over a crackdown on corruption that has seen state executives and a member of the politburo face trial over allegations of financial mismanagement and embezzlement.

I will try my best to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party, the state and the people, Trong said as he took his oath of office.

Hop said Trong would maintain relations with China and the United States, Vietnams two top trading partners, but would not lean towards either.
Read what is in the news today, October 24!

Politics

-- Leaders of China, Laos, Cuba, and Russia have congratulated Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, on his Tuesday election as the State President of Vietnam for the remainder of the 2016-2021 tenure, following the death of his predecessor Tran Dai Quang in September.

-- The Embassy of Israel in Vietnam has announced it would hold a series of activities this Saturday in collaboration with the Peoples Committee of Hanoi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Vietnam-Israel diplomatic ties.

-- Nguyen Manh Hung, who has been acting Minister of Information and Communication since July replacing his scandal-hit predecessor Truong Minh Tuan, was sworn into office on Wednesday by the lawmaking National Assembly.

Society

-- Ha Tien, a town of 81,000 people in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, has been approved for an upgrade into a city from November 1, according to a resolution issued by the Standing Committee of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly.

-- A Liberian-flagged ship has rescued and brought to safety four Vietnamese fishermen whose ship sank near Phu Quoc Island off the southern province of Kien Giang on Tuesday.

-- A man from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho was fined VND90 million (US$3,850) for exchanging a 100-U.S.-dollar bill into Vietnamese currency at a local gold shop that is not licensed to provide currency exchange service.

Business

-- Vietnam and Romania have agreed to target $500 million in trade, from the current $200 million, as Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Romanian Minister for Business Environment, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship Stefan Radu Oprea in Hanoi on Tuesday.

-- Prosecutors in Ho Chi Minh City have advised a court to rule in favor of local taxi company Vinasun in its ongoing lawsuit against ride-hailing service Grab, in which Vinasun demanded compensation of VND41.2 billion ($1.77 million) from Grab for losses they claim to have been caused by the rival company.

Education

-- Vietnam ranks 53 out of 150 countries in overall quality of its higher education, according to the latest Higher Education System Strength Rankings announced on Tuesday by British company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

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Garbage fees in Ho Chi Minh City are expected to gradually increase until 2022, as part of local authorities plan to raise the maximum cost of garbage pickup and transport services.

Deputy chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen has recently signed a decision to increase the fees of services relating to household waste.

According to the new regulation, residents will have to pay a much bigger amount of money for garbage-related services compared to the current cost.

However, local authorities have decided to gradually raise the fees over several phases from 2018 to 2022.

The decision will take effect on November 1, but it is still unclear when the new rates will be actually applied.

The current Decision No. 88 of the citys administration states that households along local streets are required to pay a fixed VND20,000 (US$0.86) per month, while those in alleys need to spend VND15,000 ($0.64) a month.

The new regulation, however, sets a detailed outline of three different fees, pickup, transport, and treatment, that make up the final garbage cost city-dwellers have to pay.

Pickup services will be charged at VND364 ($0.016) per kilogram.

Treatment cost is at VND475 ($0.02) per kilogram, but it is only applied from 2022 onward.

Transport fees will rise from VND40 ($0.0017) per kilogram in 2018 and 2019, to VND133.5 ($0.0057) in 2020, VND227 ($0.0097) in 2021, and finally VND247 ($0.011) in 2022.

According to the new scheme, each household is expected to pay a maximum of VND48,480 ($2.08) a month for garbage-related services in the 2018-19 period.

The municipal administration noted that the amount is the maximum fee that one family needs to pay.

The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Finance will coordinate with district-level authorities to determine the specific cost for each household.

One of the proposed methods is to decide on the average amount of garbage for each household based on the number of members, a representative from the environmental department stated.

A family of five, for example, dumpsre four kilograms of trash per day, or 120 kilograms a month, on average, he elaborated.

While many citizens are still confused by the new regulation, others have expressed their support, hoping that the higher fee will help improve the quality of such services.

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Residents have been able to return to the Carina Plaza Apartment Complex in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, about seven months after a deadly fire killed 13 people.

Hundreds of families have been allowed to come back home after the Ministry of Construction finished examining the quality of the buildings.

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday, security guards of the buildings had been back to work, while hundreds of motorbikes of residents entered and exited the parking basements throughout the day.

We are all happy to return to our home. No place feels like home, said Nguyen Van Hoa, a 65-year-old resident.

An employee cleans up the hallway of an apartment building. Photo: Tuoi Tre

I have been back home for about a week. Some services such as Wi-Fi and air-conditioning have yet to be complete, Hoa continued.

I hope everything will soon be as good as they used to be.

Nguyen Bao Nguyen, another resident, has spent the past days on repairing and replacing damaged furniture and appliances in his apartment.

We are planning to throw a small party in early November to mark the return, Nguyen stated.

A resident hangs her clothes inside an apartment within the complex. Photo: Tuoi Tre

At around 1:00 am on March 23, a blaze broke out in the parking basement of the apartment complex while most people were still asleep.

Thirteen people were killed and multiple others injured, while hundreds of motorcycles and automobiles were burned down.

The developer of the apartment complex began repair works and improvement of the fire safety system on June 29.

The affected residents were given VND300,000 (US$12.8) per day over five months to help pay for their temporary accommodations elsewhere.

Nguyen Quoc Giang browses for wallpapers to redecorate his home. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Quoc Giang (R) browses for wallpapers to redecorate his home. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man fixes a door lock of an apartment. Photo: Tuoi Tre

People join hands to repair and replace furniture damaged by the fire. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man repairs a light within the apartment complex. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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A Spanish man and a French woman have been killed after they crashed into a semi-trailer truck while riding a motorbike in the northern Vietnamese province of Ha Giang.

The fatal accident happened at around 4:30 pm on Monday along a section of National Highway 2 in Dao Duc Commune, Vi Xuyen District, the provincial Traffic Safety Committee confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday.

The truck, driven by 46-year-old Pham Van Nhuan, was traveling from the Binh Vang Industrial Park toward neighboring Tuyen Quang Province when it hit the two foreigners riding a motorcycle in the opposite direction.

The head-on crash caused the two motorcyclists to be seriously injured. The motorbike was also severely damaged.

They were admitted to a local hospital for emergency treatment but the man had passed away on the way to the infirmary.

The woman was later transferred to the Ha Giang Province General Hospital but she also succumbed to her injuries.

Initial information showed that the victims were Pena Laigesia Alvaro, a 30-year-old man from Spain, and Moreaux Ophelie, 32, a French national.

Further investigation is ongoing.

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PAKISJAYA, Indonesia -- An Indonesian aircraft with 189 people on board crashed into the sea on Monday as it tried to circle back to the capital, Jakarta, from where it had taken off minutes earlier, and there were likely no survivors, officials said.

Lion Air flight JT610, an almost new Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route to Pangkal Pinang, capital of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region. Rescue officials said they had recovered some human remains from the crash site, about 15 km (9 miles) off the coast.

Indonesia is one of the worlds fastest-growing aviation markets, but its safety record is patchy. If all aboard have died, the crash will be the countrys second-worst air disaster since 1997, industry experts said.

The pilot had asked to return to base (RTB) after the plane took off from Jakarta. It lost contact with ground staff after 13 minutes.

Its correct that an RTB was requested and had been approved but were still trying to figure out the reason, Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesias transport safety committee, told reporters, referring to the pilots request.

We hope the black box is not far from the main wreckage so it can be found soon, he said, referring to the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.

Search and rescue agency head Muhmmad Syaugi told a news conference earlier that no distress signal had been received from the aircrafts emergency transmitter.

Yusuf Latief, spokesman of national search and rescue agency, said there were likely no survivors.

At least 23 government officials, four employees of state tin miner PT Timah and three employees of a Timah subsidiary, were on the plane. A Lion Air official said one Italian passenger and one Indian pilot were on board.

The plane went down in waters about 30 metres to 35 metres (98 to 115 ft) deep. Items such as handphones and life vests were found, along with the body parts.

Ambulances were lined up at Karawang, on the coast east of Jakarta, and police were preparing rubber dinghies, a Reuters reporter said. Fishing boats were being used to help search.

Edward Sirait, chief executive of Lion Air Group, told reporters the aircraft had had a technical problem on a flight from the resort island of Bali to Jakarta but it had been resolved according to procedure.

Sirait declined to specify the nature of the issue but said none of its other aircraft of that model had the same problem. Lion had operated 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and it had no plan to ground the rest of them, he said.

The accident is the first to be reported involving the widely sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturers workhorse single-aisle jet.

Privately owned Lion Air said the aircraft had been in operation since August, was airworthy, with its pilot and co-pilot together having accumulated 11,000 hours of flying time.

'Be patient

Safety experts say nearly all accidents are caused by a combination of factors and only rarely have a single identifiable cause.

The flight took off in clear weather at around 6.20 a.m. and was due to have landed in Pangkal Pinang at 7.20 a.m.

Distraught relatives of those on board arrived at the airport in Jakarta and Pangkal Pinang.

Be patient, pray the best for papa, one woman arriving at Jakarta airport told a sobbing girl.

The woman declined to speak to reporters.

President Joko Widodo told a news conference authorities were focusing on the search and rescue, and he called for the countrys prayers and support.

The effort to find the wreckage and retrieve the black boxes represents a major challenge for investigators in Indonesia, where an AirAsia Airbus jet crashed in the Java Sea in December 2014.

Under international rules, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will automatically assist with the inquiry, backed up by technical advisers from Boeing and U.S.-French engine maker CFM International, co-owned by General Electric and Safran.

Boeing was deeply saddened by the loss, it said in a statement, and was ready to provide technical assistance for the investigation.

Data from FlightRadar24 shows the first sign of something amiss was around two minutes into the flight, when the plane had reached 2,000 feet (610 m).

It descended more than 500 feet (152 m) and veered to the left before climbing again to 5,000 feet (1,524 m), where it stayed during most of the rest of the flight.

It began gaining speed in the final moments and reached 345 knots (397 mph) before data was lost when it was at 3,650 feet (1,113 m).

Indonesias worst air disaster was in 1997, when a Garuda Indonesia A300 crashed in the city of Medan, killing 214 people.

Founded in 1999, Lion Airs only fatal accident was in 2004, when an MD-82 crashed upon landing at Solo City, killing 25 of the 163 on board, the Flight Safety Foundations Aviation Safety Network says.

In April, the airline announced a firm order to buy 50 Boeing 737 MAX 10 narrowbody jets with a list price of $6.24 billion. It is one of the U.S. planemakers largest customers globally.
BBC First has locked on The Little Drummer Girl from mid-November 14.

From the producers of The Night Manager and based on John le Carres best-selling spy thriller of the same name it stars Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water) and Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) and is directed by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, The Handmaiden).

The Little Drummer Girl is a passionate love story and a deeply immersive thriller. As audacious now as when the book was first published, it portrays a world in which the lines between hero and villain, and between love and hate, are dangerously in flux.

Set in the late 1970s, the pulsating thriller follows Charlie (Pugh), a young, fiery but unfulfilled British actress and idealist whose resolve is tested after she meets the mysterious Becker (Skarsgard,) while on holiday in Greece. It quickly becomes apparent that his intentions are not what they seem, and her encounter with him entangles her in a complex plot devised by the spy mastermind Kurtz (Shannon).

Charlie takes on the role of a lifetime as a double agent in the Theatre of the Real, but despite her natural mastery of the task-at-hand, she increasingly finds herself inexorably drawn into a dangerous world of duplicity and compromised humanity. Blurring the fine lines between love and hate, truth and fiction, and right and wrong; The Little Drummer Girl weaves a suspenseful and explosive story of espionage and high-stakes international intrigue.

This layered and complex international thriller, from the executive producers of Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning series The Night Manager also marks the television debut of visionary filmmaker, Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden). The award-winning director helms all six episodes of this landmark drama. The Little Drummer Girl was filmed at locations across the globe, including the streets of London and Prague and architectural phenomena such as the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon on Greeces Attica Peninsula.

Wednesdays from November 14 at 8.30pm on BBC First.
The Australian International Documentary Conference has opened applications for its ACCESS Documentary & Factual Screen Mentorship and Professional Development Program.

This offers doco and factual filmmakers the chance to be mentored by AIDC guests and win a paid internship with Beach House Pictures (Singapore) or attend Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Donovan Chan, Creative Director of Beach House Pictures, said: Beach House Pictures has always been a big fan of AIDC and were very excited to be taking our involvement to the next level this year. With such a wealth of talent and ideas on offer, wed be foolish not to grab the opportunity to meet and mentor the next generation of documentarians, and bring one into the Beach House family to develop their idea for the international stage.

The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), in partnership with Beach House Pictures, today opens applications for its newly configured ACCESS Mentorship and Professional Development Program, designed to give documentary and factual filmmakers the opportunity to hone their skills and develop ideas with top industry professionals  and the chance to win a paid international internship or entry to an international market.



This year the program is seeking documentary or factual filmmakers with an original idea in early development. Six successful applicants will receive the chance to incubate their idea in exclusive one-on-one mentorship sessions with global industry professionals during the four days of AIDC 2019. Previous mentors have included luminaries such as Ezra Edelman (Director, O.J.: Made in America), Jennifer Peedom (Director, Mountain), Robert Fernandez (Producer, Wormwood), Sara Ramsden (Creative Director, Love Productions) and many more.



At the end of the program, one project will be selected for the ACCESS Prize, a unique opportunity to undertake a one-month paid internship with Beach House Pictures in Singapore. The internship is designed to provide hands-on experience with one of the worlds leading production houses and an opportunity to further develop their project idea in a supportive, international setting.



AIDC is also partnering with Sheffield Doc/Fest to offer a second ACCESS participant a complimentary Festival Pass to the UKs leading documentary festival in June 2019. The recipient will shadow local and international industry professionals and learn how to navigate international festivals and markets.

ACCESS Program applications are open to anyone aged 18+ living in Australia with a non-fiction screen project idea in the early stages of development. Early-career, CALD and Indigenous practitioners are encouraged to apply.

Applications close Friday 14 December at 5pm
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It's nearly the most exciting time of the year: the release of the next series of The Crown! The last two series were released at the start of November - so it's strongly suspected that Series 3 is just around the corner. Of all the exciting new series we can expect, this is the one I'm most looking forward to.

Fans of the shown will know we are about to move into the third decade of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II reign, which means the actors need to be updated to reflect the royal family's age. So who will the new cast be?

The Crown: The Queen

Claire Foy has done an amazing job as the Queen in the first two series, which covered the period from 1947 to 1964 - but the 34-year-old, from Stockport, England, would find it a real stretch to play an ageing Queen Elizabeth as she reaches her fifties.

According to Radio Times, the Emmy-award-winning actress will be replaced by Olivia Colman, who is best known for her role in ITV's hit detective series "Broadchurch". Olivia's no slouch in the awards department, with three Baftas, three BIFAs and a Golden Globe in her trophy cabinet. Olivia is expected to stay for the whole of the third and fourth series of the royal bio-series.

However much we approve of Olivia Colman as The Queen, Olivia is more pleased: When she was cast, she told reporters she was "ridiculously excited."

Her consort, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was played for the first two series by former Dr Who Matt Smith, but the 35-year-old will make way for British actor Tobias Menzies.

Menzies has a wealth of small screen experience to draw on, having appeared in "The Night Manager" and "Spooks", for the BBC, as well as roles in "Game of Thrones", "Outlander" and a regular role as Brutus in the HBO series "Rome".

Princess Margaret

The other key role - that of Princess Margaret - will be taken on by British movie and TV star, Helena Bonham Carter.

This won't be Helena's first royal role: she was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in "The King's Speech (2010)" - and she also played The Red Queen in "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass". Ben Daniels - known for the TV series "The Exorcist" - will play her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones.

Marion Bailey - who will be a familiar face to any fan of Mike Leigh's films - will play the Queen Mother.

The new decade calls for a new Prime Minister, and it has been confirmed that Jason Watkins of "Line of Duty", will play the modernising Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.

Younger Royals

The younger royals are expected to play a far greater role in the new series, reflecting their increasing public profiles in the Seventies and Eighties. Princess Anne, who during that period dated a young man called Andrew Parker Bowles (who went on to marry a woman named Camilla Shand), married the glamorous Lieutenant Mark Phillips at a televised event which was watched by over 100 million people worldwide, and escaped a bloody and violent kidnapping attempt.

She will be played by Erin Doherty, known for "Call the Midwife" and "Les Miserables".

Prince Charles played a large part in public life in the Seventies, when he was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Josh O'Connor - who played Lawrence Durrell in ITV series "The Durrells" - will be playing the young prince.

There are reports that Camilla Parker Bowles - who first met Prince Charles at a polo match in 1971 - will appear in this series and there has been speculation that Princess Diana - who first met Prince Charles in 1977 - will make an appearance.
By Stefano Bernabei

ROME (Reuters) - European lawmakers have short-listed Italy's Andrea Enria and Ireland's Sharon Donnery to be the next head of the EU's banking supervisory body, two sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

Enria is chairman of the European Banking Authority while Donnery is the Irish deputy central bank chief.

The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee held a closed-door hearing in Strasbourg on Tuesday to assess three candidates who had put themselves forward to take charge of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM).

They subsequently passed on the names of Enria and Donnery to the European Central Bank, which takes the decision, the sources said. French financial markets regulator Robert Ophele was the third candidate, sources told Reuters last month.

The 25-member governing council of the ECB is expected to hold a secret ballot on the nomination at a Nov. 7 meeting.

Enria was not backed by the Italian ruling League party's representative within the European Parliament, the sources said.

"The League was very critical about Enria's position against banking rules for easing credit criteria to small and medium-sized businesses," one of the sources said, asking not to be identified since the procedure is not public.

According to the second source, EU lawmakers underlined Enria's international experience in its letter to ECB President Mario Draghi. They said Donnery would offer a better gender balance among top EU jobs.

Donnery has been seen for weeks as the favourite as she is expected to enjoy German support after taking a no-nonsense stance toward banks for hoarding massive piles of non-performing loans, other sources said earlier.

But Enria is also seen as a strong candidate for being tough on bad loans, a major problem for banks in his native Italy, as well as for banks in Greece, Portugal and Cyprus, two other sources said this week.

The current head of the SSM, France's Daniele Nouy, is due to step down when her term expires at the end of the year.

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An ECB spokesman declined to comment.

The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and the European Council must also approve the ECB's choice of new SSM chief.

(Reporting by Stefano Bernabei, additional reporting by Balazs Koranyi in Frankfurt; writing by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Adrian Croft)
retire in portugal

If you dream of retiring in Europe, Portugal is worth considering. It boasts a rich culture and a Mediterranean climate, all at an affordable price. There are sunny beaches in Algarve, wine in Porto and a historic metropolis in Lisbon. Whats more, the Portuguese government has taken steps in recent years to make the country easier and more affordable for tourists and expatriates. You may be eligible to receive up to 10 years of tax benefits, which will certainly help you extend your retirement savings. So for those looking to spend their golden years abroad, heres a rundown of the things you need to know in order to retire in Portugal.

Cost of Living and Housing

Portugal is an increasingly popular retirement destination in large part because of its low cost of living. On average, the cost of living is almost 30% lower than in the U.S., according to numbeo.com. Even if your only income is the average Social Security benefit, $1,400, you can live comfortably. This would require you to live a bit frugally if you want to reside in a major city, like Lisbon, but you could get more bang for your buck if you live outside of a city. Having a monthly budget of about $2,000 would allow you to live a more luxurious lifestyle.

For housing in particular, you can expect to pay $750 or less for a one-bedroom apartment in the center of a big city, like Lisbon. Living farther from the city center will save you as much as a few hundred dollars per month. Living more like a local, in the countryside, would also save you money.

If you do plan to spend years in Portugal, it might even be worth buying your own apartment. You can find apartments both in and out of the city at a price where your mortgage would be similar to the cost of renting.

Retire in Portugal  Visas and Residence Permit

In order to move to Portugal as a retiree, you will need to get a residence permit. As with other countries in the European Union (E.U.), getting residence in Portugal is rather easy for E.U. residents. However, the process is also simple for U.S. residents. In fact, getting residence in Portugal is easier than for other European countries. The countrys government has specifically taken steps in recent years to make itself a welcoming place for tourists and expatriates.

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For a U.S. citizen to apply for residence, you should visit a nearby consulate. You will need to complete an application and provide some documents, such as your passport, proof of income and evidence that you have health insurance. You will also need to go through a criminal background check.

After you go through the application process, you can obtain a temporary residence permit. This will last you five years. You can apply for permanent residence when your temporary permit expires.

Retire in Portugal  Healthcare

retire in portugal

The National Health Service in Portugal (Servico Nacional de Saude) provides free healthcare to Portuguese citizens. Unfortunately, you cant get this free healthcare until you become a permanent resident (unless you also have European citizenship). So you will need to pay for any health or medical services you use.

With that being said, you will need to have health insurance before moving to Portugal anyway. One of the requirements for applying for residence as a retiree is proof that you already have health insurance. If youd like, you can change to another private health insurance plan once you get to Portugal. This may not be worth it, though. Multiple major healthcare companies in the U.S. also provide coverage in Portugal.

In terms of cost, what you pay for private insurance will depend on the services you need. You can expect your annual costs to range anywhere from less than 700 euros up to several thousand. Start with the health insurance you use when leaving the U.S., and then do some research to make sure you plan healthcare costs in your budget. Also consider that you may want to live in or near a large city if you know that youll need specialized medical service. The best hospitals tend to be in or near large cities.

Retire in Portugal  Taxes

Portugal typically taxes all income. This includes pension income and income from international sources. However, as mentioned, the Portuguese government has taken steps to make the country a welcoming place for expatriates. This includes something called Non-habitual Residence (NHR) status. NHR applies to people who have not been tax-paying residents of Portugal in the previous five years. If you qualify, your income is exempt from Portuguese income tax for 10 years. This includes income from work, investments, capital gains, pensions and rental income.

Qualifying for NHR can save you a considerable chunk of change, so its a good idea to look into it. If you have specific questions on how to apply or whether you can apply at all, talk to an expert (like a financial advisor who understands international tax law).

The Takeaway

retire in portugal

Portugal offers the best of both worlds if youre looking to retire abroad: its a beautiful, European destination, and its affordable for the average retiree. Recent changes by the government to help attract foreigners could also allow you to save money on taxes for up to 10 years. In order to retire in Portugal, you will need apply for residence. The process may take some time but it is straightforward. The application requires you to provide a passport, proof that you have regular income and proof that you have health insurance. You will also need to submit to a criminal background check. And while this process may sound like a hassle, it will be worth it when youre kicking back and enjoying your golden years in style.

Tips to Help You Afford Retirement

As mentioned above, you can retire comfortably in Portugal, in a large city, on an income of $1,400 per month  or less. For some people, the value of your Social Security benefit is enough to cover your costs of living. You can estimate your benefit amount with this Social Security calculator.

While many people dream of living abroad in retirement, it isnt always the best option. Some places in the U.S. may offer similar benefits  sunny weather, tax advantages and a low cost of living. Before you make any big moves, its a good idea to talk with an expert. A financial advisor will help you understand how much you have in savings and how far it can take you. If you do have the money to move somewhere, an advisor can also help you understand the finer points of moving, including the tax implications. Our financial advisor matching tool will help you to find and get started with a financial advisor near you.

Photo credit: iStock.com/Sean Pavone, iStock.com/Silvia Bianchini, iStock.com/SeanPavonePhoto

The post How to Retire in Portugal appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.

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FILE PHOTO: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) logo is seen at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin, Germany FILE PHOTO: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) logo is seen at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - A no-deal Brexit could wreak chaos for travellers and a nightmare at airports, global airline industry body IATA warned, calling on British and European Union aviation authorities to put in place a plan to avoid such a worst-case scenario.

Britain is set to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019 but with just over five months to go, Prime Minister Theresa May has yet to reach a withdrawal deal and both sides have stepped up preparations for the possibility there will not be one.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday that planning for a no-deal Brexit needed to move much faster to ensure planes can keep flying and safety and regulatory frameworks keep functioning whatever the new relationship between the pair after March 29.

"We predict chaos if nothing is done," IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told reporters on a call on Wednesday.

"On April 1 it will be us, the airlines, who have to manage millions of passengers potentially grounded in airports unable to take a flight ... It will be a nightmare in European airports and UK airports," he warned.

Separately, IATA released forecasts on Wednesday showing that airline passenger numbers could double to 8.2 billion in 2037, bolstered by strong demand in Asia, though protectionism risks curtailing growth.

De Juniac said the trend towards restricting free trade, such as the introduction of recent tariffs, was weighing on the aviation industrys most recent forecast of 3.5 percent compound annual passenger growth rate over 20 years, down 0.1 percent from an earlier report. That small decline means 60 million fewer passengers over 20 years.

On Brexit, de Juniac said that airlines were "completely in the dark" as to how to plan for what sort of flying rights, safety framework and border management would exist if there is no deal due to a lack of transparency around the discussions. He said they needed certainty on these three critical issues.

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Flying rights to, from and within the EU, as well as between the United States and Britain, are covered by EU-wide "Open Skies" agreements. But unlike with trade, where Britain would revert to World Trade Organization rules under a no-deal, there is no default fallback option for the aviation sector.

"A backstop contingency plan to keep planes flying after March must be published, and quickly," de Juniac said.

The exclusion of the airline industry from EU-British discussions was exacerbating the potential for chaos, he warned, adding that IATA was ready to offer solutions if asked.

The chief executive of Ryanair <RYA.I>, one of Europe's biggest airlines, has warned that if there is a no-deal Brexit, UK flights could be grounded for up to three weeks.

IATA said it did not expect a scenario where all flights were grounded. "As a short term, emergency fall-back position, we understand that the EU and UK CAA have plans for a bare bones agreement ... to ensure at least a basic level of connectivity," IATA said in a study also published on Wednesday.

But it warned that minimum connectivity could be as little as 5 percent of the current number of weekly flights between Britain and Spain.

In Montreal, Airbus SE <AIR.PA> planemaking head Guillaume Faury told reporters on Wednesday the European company is working on priorities if there is no deal.

"For the moment our focus is completely on managing the transition period and making sure there is no disruption," he said," he said. "This uncertainty is by the way, one of the most difficult stakes (involving Brexit)."

(Reporting by Sarah Young in London, additional reporting by Allison Lampert; editing by Mark Heinrich and Susan Thomas)
An animal rights group said Albanian authorities on October 23 ordered 3 the closure of a zoo the activists referred to as the worst in Europe.

In a press release, the rights group said the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment would begin an evacuation process over the next few days for 12 neglected creatures, including three lions, a three-legged bear and a zebra, from the Safari Park Zoo in Mbrostar.

The animals will get medical care, and during their recovery time, plans will be made to relocate them, the press release said.

Four Paws began investigating the zoo in 2015. Credit: Four Paws via Storyful
HONG KONG (Reuters) - China opened the world's longest sea-crossing bridge and tunnel on Tuesday, linking the financial centre of Hong Kong, the gambling hub of Macau and western reaches of the Pearl River Delta at the heart of southern China's economic boom.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is made up of nearly 35-km (22-mile) of bridge and road sections, and a 6.7 km (4-mile) tunnel between artificial islands to allow shipping to pass unhindered.

President Xi Jinping presided over the inauguration early on Tuesday but said little except to declare the bridge officially open to a burst of fireworks projected onto a screen behind him.

Vice premier Han Zheng said the bridge would help drive China's strategic blueprint for a "Greater Bay Area" around the Pearl River Delta modelled on other global economic dynamos like San Francisco Bay and Tokyo Bay.

"Standing at this new historical starting point, we firmly believe that the opening of the bridge will further develop the special advantage of Hong Kong and Macau," Han said in a speech at the ceremony.

(For a graphic showing Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, click http://tmsnrt.rs/2pZ0YNU)

The bridge, which snakes across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong's Lantau island and passes Macau's glitzy casinos, will begin operations on Wednesday when some bus services begin.

Arrangements are being finalised for trucks and private vehicles will need special permits to use it.

According to Chinese media, authorities will use facial recognition systems to detect yawning drivers on the bridge, as a safety measure. If a driver yawns three times, an alarm will go off, media has reported.

Hong Kong authorities have defended the bridge's HK$120 billion (11.8 billion pounds) price tag, saying it would consolidate Hong Kong's position as a regional aviation and logistics hub.

Some critics, however, see the bridge as a white elephant that is part of a multi-pronged push by China to exert greater control over Hong Kong, which returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 amid promises to preserve the city's high degree of autonomy and individual freedoms denied in mainland China.

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The bridge was first proposed in the late 1980s, but it was opposed at the time by Hong Kongs British colonial government, which was wary of development that might draw the city closer to Communist China.

TROUBLED WATERS

The bridge's opening comes at a challenging time for China as it faces pressure from a trade war with the United States, volatile financial markets, mounting public debt and a slowing economy.

President Xi's visit to the southern economic powerhouse of Guangdong had been shrouded in secrecy, with state media making little mention of his itinerary before he showed up for the bridge opening.

Some media commentators have seen Xi's trip to Guangdong as an opportunity for Beijing to reaffirm its commitment to economic liberalisation.

Some point to the apparent symbolism of his visit to the crucible of China's boom on the 40th anniversary of the launch of its reforms, when it began a transformation from a centrally planned to a market-driven economy with Chinese characteristics.

Xi has come under fire from some businessmen and analysts for his state-centred approach to economic policy and his focus on stability, rather than proactively pushing market liberalisation.

He said last month, however, that China was still determined to reform and wanted to work with all parties to build an open world economy.

He said on Sunday the ruling Communist Party would always support private firms' development, and any acts to weaken the private economy were wrong, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Some Hong Kong media have dubbed Xi's trip, his second to Guangdong since taking office in 2012, as a "southern tour", echoing a high-profile 1992 visit to the special economic zones of the south by former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.

Deng's trip helped reaffirm China's commitment to reform after the international condemnation following the 1989 killings of protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

A senior Western diplomat said Xi's southern tour was an opportunity for him to say something significant on economic and market reforms, and to re-affirm Deng's legacy, noting that Xi had displayed "very little evidence of that" in recent years.

(Reporting by James Pomfret, Holly Chik and Ben Blanchard, Reuters Television in Zhuhai; Editing by Robert Birsel)
FILE PHOTO: Danske Bank sign is seen at the bank's Estonian branch in Tallinn, Estonia August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

By Teis Jensen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The whistleblower who helped to reveal a major money laundering scandal at Denmark's largest bank, Danske Bank <DANSKE.CO>, will testify before the European Parliament and the Danish Parliament at two events in November.

The scandal involves 200 billion euros ($230 billion) in payments through Danske's Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015, many of which the bank said in a report last month it thinks are suspicious.

The scandal has led the bank's former chief executive Thomas Borgen to resign and almost halved Danske Bank share price since February.

Howard Wilkinson, a British trader in Danske Bank's Estonia branch until 2014, will testify at public hearings in Copenhagen on Nov. 19, and in Brussels on Nov. 21.

Wilkinson has agreed to testify before the two parliaments as "all voters in Europe have a right to know what their governments are doing to stop corruption and protect whistleblowers," his U.S. attorney Stephen M. Kohn said in an email to Reuters.

Danske Bank, the financial regulator and the state prosecutor for financial crime are also invited to the hearing in Copenhagen, which is expected to be a major media event, one of the organisers, left-wing lawmaker Rune Lund, told Reuters.

It is crucial that Wilkinson will be free of any non-disclosure agreements following his tenure at Danske Bank so that he can speak freely, the spokesman for the European Parliament committee that arranges the Brussels hearing, Jeppe Kofod, told Reuters.

Danske Bank declined to comment on the hearings on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Teis Jensen; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Mark Potter)
The factory is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Dyson has decided to manufacture its new electric cars in Singapore, ending hopes for a site in Britain.

The firm confirmed to staff on Tuesday that the companys board has ratified the decision to construct its first advanced automotive manufacturing facility in the Asian country.

The factory is scheduled for completion in 2020 and is part of a 2.5 billion global investment drive in new technology.

Dyson is aiming to launch its electric vehicles in 2021.

However, the move could prove controversial given that Sir James Dyson, the companys billionaire chairman and founder, is an outspoken proponent of Brexit.

It also comes at a sensitive time for Britains manufacturing sector, with several car makers including Nissan, Ford and Toyota warning about the rising prospects of a no-deal EU exit, which would jeopardise their operations in the UK.

The technology tycoon took heavy fire following the announcement, with former business secretary and Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable laying into him.

Its strange Brexiteer James Dyson has so little faith in the prospect of the UK leaving the EU that he is manufacturing his electric cars in Asia.

Its not as if Singapore is even a low cost location, but this is a sign of the spectre that Brexit has cast over the UKs business environment.

Labours Wes Streeting also took to social media to criticise Sir James.

He said on twitter: James Dyson wants British taxpayers to subsidise his agriculture business. But he is planning to manufacture his electric car in Singapore. Theres still a word for this

James Dyson wants British taxpayers to subsidise his agriculture business. But he is planning to manufacture his electric car in Singapore. Theres still a word for this https://t.co/qpEyrCnSf6  Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) October 23, 2018

Dyson chief executive Jim Rowan said: The decision of where to make our car is complex, based on supply chains, access to markets, and the availability of the expertise that will help us achieve our ambitions.

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Our existing footprint and team in Singapore, combined with the nations significant advanced manufacturing expertise, made it a frontrunner.

Singapore also offers access to high-growth markets as well as an extensive supply chain and a highly skilled workforce.

Singapore has a comparatively high cost base, but also great technology expertise and focus. It is therefore the right place to make high quality technology loaded machines, and the right place to make our electric vehicle.

The firm was keen to stress its commitment to Britain, pointing out that it is investing 200 million in new buildings and testing facilities at its campus at Hullavington Airfield.

The company bought the disused airfield two years ago and has already renovated two hangars at the 517-acre site.

Dyson employs more than 12,000 people across the world, with 4,800 working in the UK.

The company, best known for its vacuum cleaners and other domestic appliances, revealed last year that it has been working on developing an electric vehicle.
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 10, 2018. Yoan Valat/Pool via Reuters

By John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Wednesday it could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia if its intelligence services find the kingdom was behind the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, even as Paris worked to maintain important business and strategic ties with Riyadh.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Wednesday that Khashoggi's killers would be brought to justice, in his first public comments since the journalist's murder provoked international condemnation.

French reaction has been relatively guarded to date, as Paris tried to retain its influence with Riyadh and protect commercial relations spanning energy, finance and arms.

But President Emmanuel Macron told King Salman that France, in coordination with partners, could take action against those held responsible for the murder, the presidency said in a statement.

Macron expressed profound outrage during a phone conversation with Salman, it said, adding that the president had asked the king that the circumstances around Khashoggi's death be fully disclosed.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Yemen and Syria, the Elysee palace said.

"As long as the facts have not been clearly established, and corroborated by our information services, we will not take any decision," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said earlier on Wednesday.

"On the other hand, once light has been shed on the matter and has been corroborated by our services, based on the hypothesis that Saudi Arabia's responsibility has been proved, then we would draw the necessary conclusions and impose appropriate sanctions," he said.

Any steps would not just involve sanctions on arms sales he said, without elaborating.

Earlier, a French presidency source said there would be no "hasty decision".

Other major Western allies of Saudi Arabia have already spoken out. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the crown prince may be behind Khashoggi's death. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called his killing a "monstrosity" and vowed to halt German arms exports.

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Britain, like France a major weapons supplier to the kingdom, has said an explanation by Riyadh that Khashoggi died in a fight in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was not credible. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday Britain would prevent all suspects in his death from entering the UK.

BALANCING ACT

A senior French diplomat acknowledged Macron was treading a thin line in pursuing his long-stated policy of avoiding taking sides between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran.

"We're a bit in the shit because of this," he said, referring to the Khashoggi furore. "We have an important partnership, but while we never considered Saudi to be the cradle of human rights, this is serious. It can't be ignored. There will be consequences, but we need to be prudent."

Since coming to power last year, Macron has largely ignored protests over arms sales he deems vital to jobs and France's strategic relationships in the region.

From 2008 to 2017, Saudi Arabia was the second biggest purchaser of French arms, with deals totalling 11 billion euros ($12.7 billion), including 1.5 billion last year alone.

Reflecting the range of French commercial interests in the region, the head of oil company Total was attending the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, a meeting boycotted by a number of his peers in the wake of the Khashoggi killing.

Macron considers Riyadh vital to help forge a region-wide peace deal with Iran, as well as an ally in the fight against Islamist militants from the Middle East to West Africa, and a rampart against the Muslim Brotherhood.

"The sale of weapons is something very political and part of a long-term vision," said Camille Lons, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Saudi Arabia is present across the region, so if there were to be complications in diplomatic relations it could have an impact on several regional theatres."

ALLIANCE OF YOUTH

At the heart of Macron's strategy is Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MbS, who has painted himself as a reformer but is under scrutiny over Khashoggi's death.

During a visit to France this year Macron urged detractors to give time to the 33-year-old leader-in-waiting.

"The challenge is not to lose MbS. A loss of influence in the region would cost us much more than the lack of arms sales," a French minister said on condition of anonymity.

Macron has tried to play down the importance of economic relations and instead played up the strategic partnership.

"Paris  while projecting its outward image of a beacon of liberalism and idealism  is deeply interested in getting even closer to the current rulers in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi," said Jalel Harchaoui, geopolitics lecturer at Versailles University.

"The dominant perception is that both leaders are dynamic and assertive while the Khashoggi affair is just a temporary crisis during which no mistakes must be made."

(Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier, Matthias Blamont; Writing by Ingrid Melander and John Irish; Editing by Luke Baker, Jon Boyle and David Stamp)
An explosive device was found at Bill and Hillary Clintons New York home (Getty)

Two terrorising bombs have been sent to Barack Obama and the Clintons, the White House confirmed today.

The functional explosive device found at the New York home of Bill and Hillary Clinton is thought to be linked to a similar package addressed to Obama which was intercepted by the Secret Service in Washington.

The White House condemned the attempted attacks as despicable, while the New York office of news channel CNN was also evacuated due to a package believed to have been a pipe bomb.

The attempted attacks came just days after another suspicious package was also addressed to billionaire philanthropist George Soros, on Monday.

The Clintons Chappaqua, N.Y., home. (Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters)

The gatehouse of Bill and Hillary Clintons house is in Chappaqua, New York, on Wednesday. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri



The device was discovered early on Wednesday morning at the Clintons home in Chappaqua, New York.

Police in New Castle, New York  who cover Chappaqua  say they assisted the FBI, Secret Service and Westchester County authorities in the investigation of a suspicious package.

A US official said one of the packages had the return address of US representative Deborah Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

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The package addressed to Mr Obama was intercepted on Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington.

The Secret Service confirmed that neither Mrs Clinton or Mr Obama were at risk of receiving the packages.

The agency said: The US Secret Service has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees.

Here's the moment CNN had to handoff to DC and evacuate Time Warner Center in New York pic.twitter.com/TUtnWrss9z  Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) October 24, 2018

Late on October 23, 2018, the Secret Service recovered a single package addressed to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Westchester County, New York.

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Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to the residence of Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

The Secret Service said a package identified as potential explosive device was sent to former President Barack Obamas home in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A suspicious package addressed to Barack Obama was also intercepted by Secret Service personnel (Getty)

A criminal investigation has now been launched by the Secret Service to identify those responsible for sending the bombs.

Mrs Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the familys New York residence at the time.

She is headlining a fundraising reception on Wednesday for former health and human services secretary Donna Shalala, who is running for Congress in South Florida.

A member of the New York Police Department bomb squad outside the Time Warner Center in Manahattan after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York. (REUTERS/Kevin Coombs)

Mr Clinton was at the familys Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility. The device was screened at the facility  not in proximity to their residence  and never reached the Clintons home.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Mr Soros home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a post box outside the gates of the compound. An employee for Mr Soros opened it just inside the gates, not near Mr Soros quarters.

The Secret Service said media reports that it has intercepted a suspicious package bound for the White House are incorrect.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not have murdered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as Washington vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.

"No one would imagine that in today's world and a new century that we would witness such an organised murder and a system would plan out such a heinous murder," Rouhani said, according to IRNA.

"I don't think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America."

Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 has triggered global outrage.

Saudi Arabia initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi's fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with scepticism from several Western governments.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.

U.S. protection has allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out bombings against civilians in Yemen's war, Rouhani said, according to IRNA.

"If there was no American protection, would the people of Yemen still have faced the same brutal bombing?" Rouhani said.

Rouhani also called on Turkey's government to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder.

Separately, Rouhani said that Iran would "defeat" new American sanctions targeting its oil sector, according to the IRIB news agency.

Washington plans to impose the sanctions from Nov. 4 with the aim of stopping Iran's involvement in conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and bringing Tehran to the negotiating table over its ballistic missile programme.

(Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Toby Chopra, William Maclean and Andrew Heavens)
It's the half term holidays for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and the Cambridge family have a busy week ahead of them! While they tend to go to their home in Anmer Hall in Norfolk during the school breaks, on Tuesday Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were in London ahead of the state banquet with the Dutch royal family. The doting parents took their youngest, Prince Louis with them to the capital, and were seen arriving by helicopter at Kensington Palace by a royal fan, who then posted a video on Twitter, which was picked up by Tea Time With The Cambridges's account. And Tuesday was an extra-special day for Prince Louis, who celebrated his sixth month birthday.

prince-louis

Louis has been kept out of the limelight since his birth in April, and was last seen in public at his christening in July. The only other time he has been seen out officially was when he was just a few hours old, when he was introduced to adoring crowds gathered outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in London. Four days after his birth, William and Kate announced his name, revealing that his official moniker was to be Prince Louis Arthur Charles.

MORE: Prince William makes rare comment about baby Prince Louis

cambridge-family

Fans are hoping that William and Kate will imminently release another official portrait of Louis when he is a few months older, as they have done previously with George and Charlotte. While he hasnt been seen a lot, his parents have occasionally spoken about him during royal engagements. Last month during a trip to Namibia, William revealed how his youngest had been keeping him up at night. "I'm delighted to be visiting Namibia for the first time. I am only sorry that my wife Catherine is not able to join me. She is immensely jealous, particularly as I am looking forward to a few good uninterrupted nights' sleep this week, away from my wonderful children."
Military vehicles carrying DF-26 ballistic missiles travel past Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing.

REUTERS/Andy Wong/Pool

Pulling out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia could give the US options for countering China, options that could "erode" China's missile edge in the Pacific, experts say.

China's growing arsenal of missiles is said to have affected President Donald Trump's decision-making on the Cold War-era pact.

Withdrawing from the agreement would give the US the freedom to ring China with missiles, but it is unclear if the US would pursue this.

Withdrawing from a cold war-era nuclear weapons pact with Russia would mean the United States could deploy intermediate ground-based missile systems in Asia to counter China, military experts say.

That would add to the military options available to the US  which can already carry out precise strikes globally  in the event of a conflict between America and China, they added.

The assessment came after US President Donald Trump on Monday said Chinas growing arsenal had played into his decision to pull out of the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned short and medium-range nuclear and conventional missiles.

While Beijing is not a signatory to the 1987 treaty, Trump said abandoning the arms control pact was a threat to China, Russia and anybody else that wants to play that game, and that the US would build up its nuclear arsenal.

Beijing rebuked Trump, with the foreign ministry saying it would not be blackmailed into joining the treaty. We have paid attention to the relevant statement made by US President Donald Trump and his adviser John Bolton regarding China in the context of the INF treaty, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a daily press briefing on Tuesday.

China has always adhered to the defensive nature of its national defence policy and protects its own state interests. China will not tolerate any blackmail from any country.

Adam Ni, a researcher on Chinese foreign and security policy at the Australian National University, said Americas withdrawal from the treaty would have a significant effect on the military balance between the US and China, especially if a conflict broke out, as it could deploy intermediate ground-based missile systems in Asia.

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The US currently has the ability to strike targets in China through air strikes and sea-based missile systems. The deployment of short or intermediate ground-based missiles to, say, Japan would add to US capabilities in the region and erode the Chinese advantage, which has been built over decades, Ni said.

Not bound by the nuclear arms treaty, China has built and deployed a sophisticated and modern missile arsenal that means it can target US and allied military assets in the Asia-Pacific region, including its aircraft carriers and airbases.

One of the intercontinental ballistic missiles China is developing, the DF-41, would put the entire US homeland within range, while other modern weapons like hypersonic aircraft and laser guns would add to the threat for America if there were a military clash between the two powers.

Collin Koh, a maritime security specialist at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said reinstating ground-launched intermediate range missiles would give the US a needed boost, not only for nuclear strikes but also conventional operations.

[China] has been able to make significant progress in the area of land-based offensive missile capabilities while simultaneously building up the air and sea components. There must have been pressure on the part of the US defence establishment to try to cope with these, with the awareness of the limitations of existing capabilities, he said.

Trumps announcement has raised concerns globally, with the European Commission urging the United States and Russia to pursue talks to preserve the treaty and Beijing calling on Washington to think twice.

But Liu Weidong, a US affairs expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the US might not start building up short and medium-range land-based missiles even if it pulled out of the pact because such a programme would be costly.

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FILE PHOTO: Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader gestures while talking to media representatives minutes before delivering a news conference in Bucharest, Romania, February 22, 2018. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's justice minister on Wednesday demanded the prosecutor general's dismissal, accusing him of exceeding his authority in a move that could heighten concerns in Brussels about democratic values in some eastern EU member states.

Other recent steps by Romania's ruling Social Democrats to change the justice system and replace senior judicial officials have triggered massive street protests, and sparked worries about the rule of law at the European Commission and among diplomats.

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader read a summary of a 20-point report that he had compiled, calling for Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar to be fired on the grounds that he was responsible for "acts and facts intolerable to the rule of law."

Lazar is the last major figure in an anti-corruption drive that has won praise from Brussels for exposing high-level corruption, including the theft of EU funds.

He condemned Toader's bid to oust him. "(This) is the way that the executive, by way of the justice minister, demonstrates its understanding about respect for prosecutors' independence," he told reporters.

Lazar oversees thousands of prosecutors, including anti-organised crime unit DIICOT and anti-corruption unit DNA.

The DIICOT leader's mandate has expired, and the head of the DNA, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was fired in July after a performance review similar to Lazar's. Critics say their potential replacements might be soft on crime.

Under Romanian law, the president must sign off on petitions to dismiss chief prosecutors, which are requested by the justice minister and also need approval from a judicial watchdog.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled earlier this year that the president does not have the right to oppose such a request from the justice minister. As a result, President Klaus Iohannis had to sack the DNA's Kovesi in July.

Iohannis will be limited to assessing the legality of the procedure. Analysts have said the constitutional court's ruling increased the government's power over prosecutors.

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Transparency International ranks Romania as one of the EU's most corrupt states and Brussels has kept its justice system under special monitoring since it joined the bloc in 2007.

Anti-corruption prosecutors have convicted thousands of public officials, including lawmakers and ministers.

Among them is Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea who has a two-year suspended jail sentence in a vote-rigging case. He was also sentenced to three and a half years in jail in a separate abuse of office case. He denies all charges and has appealed.

The European Commission, which is already seeking sanctions against Poland and Hungary for flouting democratic values, fears Romania is following suit. It is due to release its latest justice monitoring report on Romania in November.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Radu Marinas and Helen Popper)
Police and forest rangers in Maine reported they were responding to several road accidents resulting from snowfall across the state on October 24.

Near Beddington, in Washington County, Maine Forest Rangers said they were assisting state police with an incident in which a car veered off the road and rolled over, leaving the driver with minor injuries.

The National Weather Service said up to 12 inches of snow were recorded in Upton, Maine. Credit: Maine Forest Rangers via Storyful
Storyful

The makeshift migrant camps at the Poland-Belarus border were emptied on November 18, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported.This footage was published by the Polish Border Guard, who described it as showing the deserted area. People can be seen crowded near vehicles in the footage, as a makeshift camp area is seen empty.The State Border Committee of Belarus said all refugees from the spontaneous camp on the Belarusian-Polish border near the Bruzgi checkpoint voluntarily moved to the territory of the transport and logistics center due to sharply worsening weather conditions and the emerging threat to life, according to Google translate. Credit: Polish Border Guard via Storyful
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Hurricane Willa could play havoc with parts of Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued a necessary warning in this regard. In one of the tourist resorts, the beach bore the brunt of the attack as huge waves slammed the coastal boulevard and clouds gathered in the sky. The grim situation forced people to board up the windows of their homes, hotels, and shops. The federal Interior Department has announced an emergency in some municipalities in Nayarit and Sinaloa states.

Los Angeles Times reports evacuation of 7,000 to 8,000 people from danger zones in low-lying areas, mostly in Sinaloa state.

Authorities consider this to be vulnerable because of the presence of a number of small towns located between the sea and lagoons. Hurricane Willa was previously approaching Islas Marias which is a cluster of islands that has a nature preserve and a federal prison.

Hurricane Willa, an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, weakened slightly as it veered toward popular tourist resorts on Mexico's Pacific coast, prompting warnings for people to leave high-risk areas and take cover. pic.twitter.com/vdhs7Ok8yY  NBC News (@NBCNews) October 23, 2018

People are reluctant to evacuate

When Hurricane Willa strikes, it will throw life completely out of gear and areas in its path will face difficulties in the form of disruption of comminution links, and power outage, etcetera.

Therefore, the authorities have advised the people to move out to safer locations. However, there is a reluctance on the part of many to evacuate. Enrique Moreno, mayor of Escuinapa, a municipality of about 60,000 people, wants total evacuation of the seaside village of Teacapan but the response is not as expected.

Mazatlan is a vacation spot and is also in danger.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

It has a population of about 500,000 with many expatriates of American and Canadian origin. Shelters are ready to accommodate those who want to move out. Mayor Jose Joel Boucieguez said officials are monitoring the situation. The U.S. hurricane center has issued warnings of heavy rains accompanied by flash floods and landslides, especially in the mountains.

Flights are affected

According to CNN, Hurricane Willa is one of the strongest storms ever to hit the Pacific coast of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center predicts that Willa will move ahead with speeds of around 130 mph and could result in storms accompanied by heavy rains. Uncertain weather conditions have upset many flight plans. An aircraft of the Air Force had to return to base because of the possibilities of damage to its onboard equipment from lightning. Southwest has canceled its flights at the International Airport in Puerto Vallarta. This is a resort city in the state of Jalisco state. American Airlines has also followed suit by canceling flights in the city of Mazatlan.

Incidentally, Hurricane Willa is coming three years after the Category 5 Hurricane Patricia made landfall in Jalisco.

The increase in the number of major hurricanes in recent years is a matter of concern. Rise in temperature of the ocean waters because of climate change could be one reason for this. It seems the ocean waters off the western coast of Mexico are, right now, higher than the average for late October.
Democrat Amy McGrath is proving to be a formidable opponent for Republican incumbent Andy Barr in the race for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. The district includes Lexington, Kentucky's second most populous city and its surrounding counties. It has strongly favored Republican candidates in recent elections, making McGrath's success surprising and potentially consequential for the Democratic Party on a national level. Kentucky.com noted that the race has been characterized as a toss-up by many political analysts.

More about the candidates

Retired Marine Corps pilot Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath announced her candidacy in August of 2017 and won the Democratic Primary in May 2018. Her campaign has emphasized her extensive military service as well as her role as a mother. She has also declared her willingness to work across party lines, highlighting her past as a registered independent and the fact that she married a Republican. She has yet to run a negative ad against her opponent.

McGrath is open about her criticism of some of President Trump's policies, such as the Mexico border wall and steel and aluminum tariffs. She has stated she is in favor of reforming the Affordable Care Act instead of repealing it.

According to her campaign website, her economic plan focuses on combining agriculture, manufacturing, and technology to build Kentucky's economy. McGrath has managed to raise around $7 million, more than any other congressional candidate in Kentucky.

Rep. Andy Barr is a third-term incumbent. He defeated his last Democratic opponent by a large margin in the 2016 election.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

His campaign embraces traditional conservative values such as limited government with fewer regulations. His campaign website also stresses his connection to the coal industry, a key component of Kentucky's economy.

Barr was quick to run attack ads on McGrath, characterizing her as being too liberal for Kentucky. These ads point out McGrath's more liberal stances on issues such as abortion, health care, and climate change.

Barr usually votes with his party and has been slow to criticize President Trump's policies, even those which had the potential to harm Kentucky's bourbon industry.

Why this race matters

This race is gaining national attention. Both candidates recently received endorsements from high-profile politicians. On October 13, President Trump held a rally at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, where he promoted Barr's candidacy. Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for McGrath at a rally she hosted in Bath County, Kentucky, the day before Trump's rally.

Kentucky is a thoroughly Republican state, and this district favored Trump in the 2016 election by a comfortable 15 points. This is what makes McGrath's popularity so unexpected and it's what's made this midterm election a spectacle.

A win for McGrath could be good news for the Democratic Party because it would mean gaining one of the 23 Republican-held seats Democrats need to win to control the House of Representatives. McGrath's victory would also prove that a well-liked Democrat can win a traditionally red region.

McGrath and Barr are entering the final weeks of their campaigns. Midterm elections will take place November 6.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are on a royal tour in Fiji, and Meghan was on her solo program to meet a section of women entrepreneurs at a market. It was supposed to be a 15-minute program and interaction with the locals, who are involved in a UN program called Markets for Change. However, she spent about eight minutes before her entourage rushed her out, due to what has been termed as "crowd management issues." The royals also planned for a tour to Australia.

The New Zealand Herald reported that the atmosphere was hot and humid, and the crowd was larger than expected.

A royal aide confirmed that Meghan met all those she had planned to meet, but had to leave early, as advised by her staff. She is pregnant and the stuffy weather and overcrowding might have led to the decision.

Meghan talks about education for women

One of the first stops for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was the University of the South Pacific campus in Suva. The occasion was to mark the 50th anniversary of the university. There was a red carpet welcome, with pipe playing musicians and cheering crowds, and all the attention focused on the Duchess. Her young fans were delighted to have her in their midst. She later gave a speech to university students and spoke about the journey of education.

Pregnant Meghan Markle is rushed out of a market in Fiji https://t.co/IQCMaFKXWo pic.twitter.com/gnG57Hupsx  MSN Philippines (@msnph) October 24, 2018

During her speech, Markle said that education is vital for women and girls in developing countries. It opens up opportunities and is the key to economic and social development.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

It is a tool to create the future. As a part of the cultural program, the Oceania Dance Troupe of the university conducted a performance on the effects of climate change in the Pacific.

Focus is always on Markle

According to Sky News, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Their baby is due in the spring.

Therefore, much as she would have liked, Markle had to skip some of the events. That disappointed a section of the women who had expected to meet her. However, her attention has always been on the causes she wanted to champion as a member of the royal family.

Their program at the University of the South Pacific was about climate change and the education of women and girls. Both are important topics and the Duchess spoke at length about education. She also explained its benefits. She then announced two new grants for the university from the Association of Commonwealth Universities. These will help to run workshops that empower women.
WINFIELD, Kan.  On July 23, 2018, nine Asatru prisoners in Kansas filed a religious discrimination suit. The named defendants include the Winfield Correctional Facility, the Kansas Department of Corrections, and the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections. The suit also named eight individual guards at the Winfield Correctional Facility.

The nine prisoners charged that correctional officers had seized religious and other materials. They also alleged that the prison chaplain had already approved the religious material, and that the prison officials justified the seizure on the grounds that the seized material had  questionable content.

The suit alleged the prison officials restricted where the Asatru prisoners could stand and what they could say on the prisons religious grounds. No signage on those grounds restricts the space where inmates can stand.

According to KWCH, a local TV station, prisoner Marcus Drake, who was convicted for identity theft, forgery, charged that prison officials had punished him for altering a letter in one of the documents. They accused him of changing the letter o to form an Aryan cross. Drake alleged that he did not make an Aryan Cross, but manually substituted the word, our, for the word, for, when he corrected a typo.

A google search for an image of an Aryan Cross revealed something that looks like a bulls eye. It has equal length vertical and horizontal arms as well as a ring around the cross. Its arms extend slightly beyond the ring. This cross looks like the symbol for target practice. According to Wikimedeia.org, this image was adopted by the Nazis and is illegal to display in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Brazil, Israel, Ukraine, Russia and some other countries.

A Celtic Cross appears quite similar, but frequently has a much longer vertical arm, particularly when used as a grave marker. The two images are frequently confused.

When officials seized materials, a disciplinary hearing ensued. That hearing could have an impact on their eventual release dates.

The prisoners had at first asked for $22,400 per prisoner in damages. They based their $22,400 claim per individual on the assumption the disciplinary hearing would delay their release by at least one year. The estimated number is probable annual individual earnings during that one year.

In the original filing, Drake alleged that prison officials fined him $10 and restricted his movements for 60 days. During those 60 days, he was restricted to his bunk for 17. This would result in a loss of Drakes prison pay.

On July 26, the prisoners filed an amended lawsuit, which asked for $150,000 in damages for each of the nine prisoners. This new claim for damages arose from estimates of potential losses to their prison earnings. Prisoners depend on their prison earnings to start their life on the outside.

One local media outlet, KWCH, mentioned that Asatru has another name Heathenism. It also mentioned its links to white supremacists, but provided no other context.

Another media outlet provided a more balanced discussion of Asatru prisoners. Local paperThe Crowley-Courier-Traveler mentioned that many Asatru groups have also denounced those [white supremacists] beliefs. It also discussed the founding of Asatru in Iceland in 1972. It, however, confused the founding of the Asatru Free Assembly with that of the Asatru Folk Assembly. The Courier Traveler pointed out that Asatru prisoners frequently bring religious discrimination cases against prison officials.

The suit alleged that prison officials violated both the First (freedom of religion) and Fourth Amendment (no unreasonable search and seizure). It raised Fourteenth Amendment (due process) questions. Prison officials failed to provide evidence of potential wrongdoing associated with the seized material.

In 2013, the Winfield Correctional Facility was categorized as a minimum security prison. It has a capacity of 544 adult males. More recent data was not available. The prison has been in operation since 1996. Before that date, it was the Winfield State Hospital and Training Center for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. For most of the 20th Century, it was the citys major employer.
Ljubljana-based research oriented architectural practice ENOTA has completed a new spa complex, comprised of a series of tetrahedral volumes, becoming a continuation of the cluster of the surrounding rural buildings in Podcetrtek, Slovenia.

Named Termalija Family Wellness, the 8,780-square-metre complex is the latest in the series of projects which the studio has built at Terme Olimia in the last fifteen years and concludes the complete transformation of the complex from a classic health centre built in the 1980s to a modern relaxing thermal spa.

The transformation has been characterised by its gradual nature - each step was carried out in response to the then-current needs and did not follow any preconceived development plan. In fact, every new building was believed both by the investor and by ENOTA to be the last.

"The usual development of such complexes results in a series of extensions that slowly fill the space and do not conceal their origin in terms of either the period or the design. We took a rather different approach in the renovation of Terme Olimia, and with each new building, we tried to improve the situation also in terms of the urbanism," said ENOTA.

"At the same time, we invested a lot of effort into designing the buildings in such a way that despite the new programme added each time, the buildings do not actually fill the space but connect it even more with the nature that surrounds them."

The architects applied the same principles to the Termalija Family Wellness. The new facility is located at the site of the former wintertime covering of the outdoor pool.

The cover was supposed to be retracted every summer to free up the scarce outdoor space, but in practice, this was never done because of the complexity of the retraction process. With its size and form, the membrane covering of the outdoor water surfaces stood out considerably from the surrounding built structure.

"While the previous projects were the result of the wishes of the investor, this one was actually proposed by us. The existing winter covering was a definite detriment to the guests' experience of this otherwise very naturally designed complex," added the architects.

"But this was not the sole reason: in its programme and design, the old part featuring thermal content stood in stark contrast to the new one, giving rise to mounting complaints from guests who wanted the service to be on an equal level. This persuaded the investor to go ahead with this last step of the transformation of the entire complex."

Previously, a greater portion of the building was cut-and-filled under the surrounding terrain with each subsequent project, which reduced their presence on the site. In the case of the Termalija Family Wellness, however, ENOTA wasn't able to simply repeat this design approach.

The volume of the necessary space, especially in the area with water surfaces, required the siting of a much larger structure which could not simply be buried below the grade. No longer being able to reference only the surrounding natural landscape, the solution was found in the scale and form of the surrounding vernacular structures.

While ENOTA was still able to design Termalija's supporting programme in the same way as they had previously done Orhidelia, the large roof above the water area was divided into sets of smaller segments to prevent its scale from overwhelming the surroundings.

Viewed from a distance, the shape, colour, and scale of new clustered structure of tetrahedral volumes is a continuation of the cluster of the surrounding rural buildings, which simply visually extends into the heart of the complex.

The resulting fine structure of volumes has enabled the studio to solve another important task. The seemingly complex geometry gives the new roof static strength, allowing the entire pool space to be covered virtually without supports. In this way, the new roof floats above the pool platform, which is designed as an exterior space.

Due to the lack of outdoor spaces in the summer, it was imperative to examine solutions which would deliver the same closed space used by the guests in winter as an open space in summer. Numerous skylights in the roof, together with the ability to fully open all the facade glass surfaces, enable the guests to seamlessly pass through the interior of the building.

Despite its size and the space it occupies, the new roof simply acts as a big summertime sunshade and does not usurp any of the precious exterior space.

White model aerial view

Site plan

Ground floor plan

First floor plan

Roof plan

Sections

Elevations

Extension of green roof landscape into the surrounding terrain

Connection between inner and outer space

Enota also completed a sculpted chapel in Skorba village of Slovenia.

Project facts

Project: Termalija Family Wellness

Type: commission

Year: 2016

Status: built 2018

Size: 8.780 m2

Site: 10.200 m2

Footprint: 3.930 m2

Cost: 10.000.000 EUR

Client: Terme Olimia

Location: Podcetrtek, Slovenia

Coordinates: 4609'23.7"N 1536'25.2"E

Architecture: ENOTA

Project team: Dean Lah, Milan Tomac, Peter Sovinc, Nusa Zavrsnik Silec, Polona Ruparcic, Peter Karba, Carlos Cuenca Solana, Jurij Licen, Tjaz Bauer, Sara Mezik, Eva Tomac, Jakob Kajzer, Maja Majeric, Goran Djokic

Collaborators: Ivan Ramsak s.p. (structural engineering), Nom biro (electrical installations), Nom biro (mechanical services), Darrtech (pool technology).

All images  Miran Kambic

All drawings  ENOTA

> via ENOTA
Alex Carp in the New York Review of Books:

What was America? The question is nearly as old as the republic itself. In 1789, the year George Washington began his first term, the South Carolina doctor and statesman David Ramsay set out to understand the new nation by looking to its short past. Americas histories at the time were local, stories of states or scattered tales of colonial lore; nations were tied together by bloodline, or religion, or ancestral soil. The Americans knew but little of one another, Ramsay wrote, delivering an accounting that both presented his contemporaries as a single people, despite their differences, and tossed aside the assumptions of what would be needed to hold them together. When the war began, the Americans were a mass of husbandmen, merchants, mechanics and fishermen; but the necessities of the country gave a spring to the active powers of the inhabitants, and set them on thinking, speaking and acting in a line far beyond that to which they had been accustomed. The Constitution had just been ratified at the time of Ramsays writing, the first system of national government submitted to its people for approval. A vast expansion of the human mind speedily followed, he wrote. It hashed out the nation as a set of principles. America was an idea. America was an argument.

The question has animated American history ever since. For the last half century, the historian and essayist Jill Lepore told an interviewer in 2011, academic historians have been trying to write an integrated history of the United States, a history both black and white, a history that weaves together political history and social history, the history of presidents and the history of slavery. Over the same period, a generation of Americans have had their imaginations narrowed, on one side by populist myths blind to the evidence of the past, and on the other by academic histories blind to the power of stories. Why, at a time when facts are more accessible than at any other point in human history, have they failed to provide us with a more broadly shared sense of objective truth?

More here.
James Garvey in Prospect:

Just a few weeks before her death in October, Mary Midgley agreed to meet and discuss her new book, What Is Philosophy For? It seemed astonishing that someone about to celebrate her 99th birthday had a new book out, but I was less in awe of that than the reputation of one of the most important British philosophers of the 20th century and beyond.

People who have encountered Midgley often use the word formidable to describe her. Journalist Andrew Brown called her the most frightening philosopher in the country: the one before whom it is least pleasant to appear a fool. During my email correspondence with her to set up a date to talk about those philosophical problems which are exercising both me and the public, she worried that publications like the ones I write for occasionally give rather half-witted answers to large questions of this kind.

A lot of people were on the receiving end of her sharp intellect. She made puncturing scientific pretension into an art formgoing after DNA discoverer Francis Crick for saying that human behavior can be explained simply by the interactions of brain cells, the physicist Lawrence Krauss for claiming that only science can solve philosophical problems, those theorists who insist we must look to machines for our salvation, and, most famously, Richard Dawkins for the idea that a gene could be selfish.

In person, though, Midgley was kind, generous with her time and as engaged as ever with philosophical ideaseven if her voice was soft and she had a little trouble hearing me. She sat in an armchair, sipping tea, surrounded by books. Having just celebrated her approaching birthday with friends and family, she had a kitchen full of cakes.

More here.
Imagine you've escaped to a tropical island while you are indulging in food and drink featuring a Cuban flair, lots of lively music and applauding the smooth moves of salsa dancers, all part of the festive Havana Nights event in January 2019 when Cuba comes to West Tampa.

Don your dancing shoes, dress in your favorite guayabera shirt and get ready to take a time trip back to Old Havana without boarding a cruise ship or airplane.

This blast from the past takes place at a historic West Tampa building that once housed the A. Santaella Cigar Company which produced fine cigars that were lit up by such luminaries as Winston Churchill and Babe Ruth.

Now known as the Ampersand Event Center, this more than century-old venue will be where plenty of shaking, mixing and pouring will be going on at more than 15 drink stations. Featured cocktails include such classics as mojitos, the Cuba Libre and pina coladas. The Cuban rum and coke, Cuba Libre, originated when Coca-Cola started shipping its soft drinks to Cuba in 1900.

The menu offers a tantalizing assortment of empanadas, croquettes, black beans and rice, Cuban and roasted pork sandwiches plus chicken and yellow rice. An entire dessert station will be loaded up with all sorts of sweet treats.

Of course, the crowd is sure to work up a hunger and thirst that evening as everyone moves to the music performed, and presented by, the Salsa Podium Dancers, La Hora Loca Salsa Ensemble, a DJ and more.

General admission tickets purchased by Nov. 30 are $35 and $45 at the door. All general admission tickets provide event access from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. VIP tickets are $75 if purchased in advance and offer access to a private VIP area from 6 - 7 p.m., plus other perks like additional food and cocktail selections, commemorative swag and more.

Rounding out the activities available to all are a cigar bar, domino tables, classic cars, a fashion show and an art exhibition.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Social Awareness Foundation and its No Texting and Driving awareness campaign.
While security has improved in Darfur, inter-communal tensions in the conflict-plagued region of Sudan are still high, with clashes over land and livestock, the head of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission said on Monday.

Briefing the Security Council, via video conference, Jeremiah Mamabolo, the head of the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), also said there was continuing concern voiced by internally displaced civilians (IDPs) over continued attacks and harassment, the destruction of farms, land occupation and livestock theft.

UNAMID continues to focus on early warning, preventive measures, capacity-building and efforts to address the root causes of conflicts, he said.

The Mission was established in 2007 following a brutal civil war that broke out in 2003 and led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Darfuris and the displacement of nearly two million civilians, amidst allegations of ethnic cleansing of non-Arabs. Widespread atrocities, including murder and rape were reported in the fighting between Sudanese Government troops and militias and other armed rebel groups.

Mr Mamabolo told the Council Members that on the humanitarian front, aid agencies continue to provide assistance to people in need, despite limited funding and problems accessing some affected areas.

Our focus should be on building the capacity of the Government of Sudan to deal squarely with these challenges and to discharge its primary responsibility of protecting civilians and IDPs, providing security, addressing lack of confidence in reporting cases to authorities and lack of adequate law enforcement authorities and inability to provide basic social services.

In his briefing, Mr. Mamabolo also told the 15-member Council that the Mission has embarked on its reconfiguration and drawdown, and is in the process of relocating its headquarters from El Fasher to Zalingei.

Alongside the reduction of military personnel at the Mission, the process is being finalized to reduce civilian staff  both national and international, he added. In addition, ten team sites are slated for closure by the end of the year and three sector headquarters by June next year.

We continue to monitor the impact on the security situation and protection of civilian in areas from which UNAMID has withdrawn. So far, we have not witnessed any adverse impact, he said.
An estimated 50 percent of people who are prescribed statins to lower their cholesterol stop taking them within a year. It makes sense: We hate taking pills, and high cholesterol has no symptoms. So if we dont feel its effects, who cares if we forget to take our meds?

But for every year that your cholesterol remains out of control, your heart disease risk rises. One 2015 study found that for every 10 years that someone lives with borderline high cholesterol, his or her heart disease risk increases by nearly 40 percent.

Americas Got Talent judge Howie Mandel knows what its like to put yourself at risk unnecessarily. Diagnosed with high cholesterol 30 years ago, the 62-year-old stopped taking his pills within a few years of diagnosis. I read that they could cause muscle aches, he says, and Im a bit of a hypochondriac. Instead of checking with his doctor, he just quit his statin. Today hes back on one, but he admits hes running scared because of the time he spent with his cholesterol way too high. Mandels advice: If youre having trouble sticking to a statin, just talk with your doctor. He or she may be able to simplify or alter your regimen. And if you struggle to remember to take daily medications, try these simple tricks.
Northern State University student, wrestler dies Wednesday

Caden Moore died unexpectedly Wednesday, and authorities have told university officials that no foul play in suspected, per the release.
Nigerian pro-Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu, who has been missing for a year, disclosed that he was in Israel.

Kanu appeared in a video, shot at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, wearing a prayer shawl and yarmulke, according to Israeli media sources.

His appearance in Israel, streamed on social media over the weekend, appeared to offer his followers proof that Kanu was alive and well.

The former London estate agent who heads the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement and the outlawed pirate radio station Radio Biafra, disappeared on 14 September 2017, when the army deployed troops to his Umuahia Town. Kanu is facing treason charges and had been on bail at the time troops were deployed.

He maintains the Igbo people, who are in their majority based in southeast Nigeria, are a lost tribe of Israel and says his mission is to lead them to the promised land of Biafra.

In a broadcast on Radio Biafra, Kanu declared: Im in Israel.

I owe my survival to the State of Israel, he added, referring to the countrys Mossad spy agency but without specifying what kind of support Israeli authorities may have given him.

The Israeli government on Monday said there was no evidence of his presence in Israel. The pictures and videos showing Nnamdi Kanu praying in Israel could be old, it said.

Speaking during an interaction with some African journalists in Jerusalem, the spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry Emmanuel Nashon said there was no evidence that the leader of IPoB was in their country of recent.
Officers have arrested a man who broke into a trailer in southeast Albuquerque Tuesday afternoon, setting off a SWAT situation, according to police.

Albuquerque police spokesman Simon Drobik said 37-year-old Albert Perea will be charged with breaking and entering in connection with the incident that happened in the 9000 block of Zuni.

When officers challenged him, he went back inside the trailer, he said.

Thats when the SWAT team was called out.

This same individual caused quite a disturbance about a month ago doing the same thing, Drobik said.

The APD spokesman said the trailer had been repossessed by the trailer park and Perea continually returns to break into it.
SANTA FE  With the campaign in its final two weeks, New Mexicos gubernatorial candidates are distributing photos of each other posing with people convicted of criminal charges.

The latest dustup centers on Republican Steve Pearce appearing in a photo with a Deming pizza shop owner who pleaded no contest and was convicted of felony child abuse in 2014.

Pearces campaign said Tuesday that it had no knowledge of the mans history.

Lujan Grishams campaign noted this week that Pearce had shared a photo on Facebook of himself with his arm around Bob Yacone and also congratulated Yacones restaurant in 2017 for winning an award at the International Pizza Expo  recognition that triggered articles on Forghedaboudit Pizza in the Journal and other news media.

Lujan Grishams campaign also noted that Yacone contributed $1,000 to Pearces gubernatorial campaign this year.

The Pearce campaign said it will donate the money to a child abuse prevention charity.

The back-and-forth comes after the Pearce campaign launched a TV ad that features pictures of Lujan Grisham with Jerry Padilla Sr., a convicted heroin dealer released from prison in 1994.

Lujan Grisham supporters said she has no connection to Padilla and noted that its routine for candidates to take photos with people at campaign events.

Pearce spokesman Kevin Sheridan said Lujan Grisham is trying to distract the public from her own problems.

Much like the Albuquerque Journal when it profiled this man and his pizza shop last year, the Pearce campaign had no knowledge of his history, nor would we by any normal standard, which stands in stark contrast to Michelle Lujan Grisham knowingly palling around with the Padillas on many occasions, Sheridan said.
SANTA FE  Republican Steve Pearce picked up the endorsement of Albuquerques police union Tuesday.

In a letter announcing the endorsement, Albuquerque Police Officers Association President Shaun Willoughby said the union believes Pearce will continue to be a friend to law enforcement in our effort to make our community a safe and enjoyable place in which to live.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., weighed in this week for Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, endorsing her campaign for governor.

Warren said Lujan Grisham fights for working families, for seniors, for veterans, for everyone who needs a fighting chance at the American dream.
SANTA FE  Save the Children Action Network, based in Washington, D.C., is airing TV ads promoting Michelle Lujan Grishams support for expanding early childhood education programs and services.

Its part of a $400,00 ad buy on broadcast TV and online.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, supports a proposed constitutional amendment that would withdraw more money from New Mexicos permanent fund to pay for expanded pre-K, home visiting programs and other services for young children

Steve Pearce, a Republican, opposes the proposal, arguing that the permanent fund isnt the right source to find more money for education.
In a speech Tuesday, a general at Kirtland Air Force base stressed the need for more students to take courses in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. Other challenges facing the military, he said, include providing reciprocal licenses for spouses of military members as they move from one locale to another; and getting schools to accept credits as students transfer from school to school.

Maj. Gen. Shaun Q. Morris, commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland, talked about how to ease the transition for military families in the keynote speech for the Kirtland Partnership Committees 2018 annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown Albuquerque.

Morris also gave an overview of the mission and structure of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and talked about how the nuclear weapons landscape has changed.

The Kirtland Partnership Committee is a nonprofit coalition of local businesses, and military and support organizations located on the base. The committees mission is to grow Kirtland Air Force Base by helping enhance existing missions and attract appropriate new missions, as well as supporting legislation at local, state and national levels to help realize these goals.

The Air Force and the various operations at Kirtland Air Force Base generate about $7.6 billion into the local economy.

Getting a qualified work force to stay in New Mexico has long been problematic, but there are well-paying jobs available within the military in the STEM fields.

STEM is a big deal, and if you dont start kids early in this area, if theyre not interested in elementary school or middle school, and if it cant be stoked in high school, they are not going to enter a STEM degree in college and go into a STEM career, Morris said.

So how do we get them into the right STEM job, into the right STEM degrees, into the right universities and the right programs, so I can then bring them out the other side and put them to work in nuclear weapons? asked Morris. These are things that are challenges to us. Wed love to have a pipeline that develops that workforce here locally and that requires the continuing engagement with universities to make sure they have degree programs that are good feeders into what we need.

Accepting reciprocal licenses for spouses would make relocating for military families easier. For example, in the case of a spouse licensed as a nurse in another state, how do we get it so that if they move they dont have to start completely over?

Likewise, how easy is it for the children of military families to transfer course credits so they dont fall behind in school?

Earlier this month, Gov. Susana Martinez ordered changes to the occupational licensing process to make it easier for out-of-state professionals to practice in New Mexico. Some changes, such as fee reductions, can be accomplished through regulatory changes; however, legislation is required to change the reciprocal licensing laws that govern many of the occupations and trades targeted by Martinezs executive order.

Morris also talked about how the nuclear weapons landscape has changed since he joined the military in the early 1980s. At that time the only other major player was the Soviet Union. In terms of how we thought about threats and where we looked it was very simple, he said.

Today, we still have Russia, but we also have China. India and Pakistan have nuclear arsenals, mostly pointed at each other, and we have emerging states like North Korea and Iran interested in getting into the nuclear business.

Strategic deterrence went from the simplistic bipolar world of just the U.S. and the Russians, where the rules were clear, as was the comprehension of how the two countries operated and interpreted things, he said.

There was a language there we both understood. That language is now much more complicated.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

As a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants makes its way from Honduras through Mexico toward the U.S. border, President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday that the group will be stopped.

Im not letting them in, he said during a bill signing in the Oval Office. Were going to do whatever we have to. Theyre not getting in.

The president also reiterated his claim that Middle Easterners who could pose a danger to U.S. residents have infiltrated the group.

There could very well be. I have very good information, he said, though he also said, Theres no proof of anything.

During a background briefing call Tuesday on immigration numbers for fiscal 2018, senior administration officials said a record was set in September, when 16,658 family units from Central America were apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

The total number of families who arrived at the border during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 was 107,212.

The Trump administration blames Democrat catch-and-release loopholes exploited by human smugglers and radical left-wing advocates for driving migration from Central America.

Americas Voice, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization, accused the administration of using fear and lies to whip up a race-baiting frenzy over border security ahead of the midterm elections.

Republicans control the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, yet Trump is blaming Democrats, Americas Voice said in a statement released Tuesday.

In fact, over the past two years, Trump and his immigration adviser Stephen Miller made sure to blow up every serious effort to enact bipartisan immigration legislation.

At campaign rallies stumping for fellow Republicans, the president has repeated his call for a border wall.

He also has warned that if the migrant caravan from Honduras makes it to the U.S. border, Well call up our military if we have to.

I had to flee the gangs

The Border Patrols El Paso sector, which includes all of New Mexico, apprehended 12,312 families from Central America in fiscal 2018, a 43 percent increase over the previous year.

Churches in Las Cruces and El Paso have donated space to house some of the migrant families that have arrived during the recent spike in migration.

But the need for space, volunteers and donations continues to grow, along with the number of families.

I had to flee the gangs, said a 37-year-old mother who left Honduras with her 8-year-old son.

She was among a group of about 40 parents with kids who were spending Friday night at a temporary migrant shelter set up on the campus of a private Catholic school in El Paso.

I was terrified, a prisoner in my own home, said the woman, who is seeking asylum in the U.S. She said she witnessed gangs hiding stolen property in a house across the street and faced death threats.

The mother and son spent eight days in Border Patrol custody before they were released. She is wearing an electronic ankle tracking device while her case moves through immigration court.

A senior administration official on Tuesday called the U.S. asylum system the worlds largest immigration loophole.

It puts you into a legal system that takes more time to play out than we can detain you for, the official said.
(Earlier this month), the University of New Mexico president and interim provost proposed to UNMs Historic Preservation Committee that controversial murals installed in Zimmerman Library be temporarily covered with theater curtains. That proposal has received immediate criticism in the Journal, both from the Editorial Board (Oct. 13) and some UNM faculty and staff (Oct. 14). The debate is healthy because all public stakeholders should together discern the best way forward. These particular criticisms, however, missed the main point: The curtain proposal is an intermediate step in a process of longer discussions that will continue to seek a better long-term solution.

Universities across the country are confronting issues related to pubic art on campus. Indiana University, Dartmouth College, the University of Oregon, the University of Virginia and Yale University have taken steps to remove from public view artwork that portrays particular groups in derogatory ways. UNM recently returned to tribal ownership a totem pole misappropriated decades ago from the Tlowitsis Nation of the Pacific Northwest.

Since they were erected, the Kenneth Adams murals at Zimmerman Library have sparked controversy from those who say the murals offensively represent Native Americans and Hispanic peoples of New Mexico, caricaturing them as less than full equals to Anglos. This is the reality we face, even though at the time of their painting the artist intended them as a celebration of those peoples. Student leaders, faculty and staff have, for decades, called on the university administration to relocate, remove or cover the murals. A current round of protest calls for the murals to be preserved but relocated to the archives.

What the university has done over the last year was to act like a university. We gathered a task force including historic preservationists, faculty who study New Mexico and public art, and staff and students who work and study in the library. Then we offered a class for 60 students involving 30 guest speakers with varying expertise and points of view about the murals. Members of the press, including a journalist from the Albuquerque Journal, were invited to the class and wrote articles. The lectures were open to the public and remain available online.

Proposals regarding the future of the murals came from students, task force members and other members of the community. Ultimately, the UNM administration decided the status quo needs to change after decades of inaction. The president and interim provost proposed a short-term remedy that preserves the murals while addressing the immediate concerns of those who experience the murals as hostile to their very identity. Under this proposal, until a permanent solution is agreed upon, theater curtains will cover the murals as a default position. On scheduled days, the murals can be uncovered if a class, tour group or individual wants to view them. Discussion about the long-term fate of the murals will continue under the guidance of the Historic Preservation Committee and the vice president for diversity and inclusion, and ultimately under the authority of the Board of Regents.

UNM believes controversial art should be displayed. But constant display in a public study hall and workplace is not the best option for art experienced as derogatory, because viewers have no choice whether to view it. The Journals Editorial Board calls for a solution that ensures that everyone feels welcome to examine issues and exchange ideas in a civil manner. The universitys proposed curtains seeks to create a setting where that can happen.
Thank you for the Journals continuing coverage of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, most recently by Journal reporter Colleen Heild on (Oct. 14). Thank you also to Attorney General Hector Balderas and KOB TV reporter Chris Ramirez for their continuing investigations and coverage of this story.

The hypocrisy of the Catholic Church is appalling on this issue. The Church continues to press its onerous control of the sex lives of lay Catholics: no pre-marital sex, no birth control, no homosexual sex, no masturbation, no abortion, no anything other than sex within marriage to make children. While none of the forbidden behaviors are crimes outside of the Church, the rampant child sexual abuses inside the Church ARE crimes. Even the punishments of defrocking or excommunication are not in any way comparable to years in prison for lay child abusers.

The child abuse by priests issue has festered in this country and the world since its widespread exposure in the 1990s and is finally being addressed, although most of the abuse took place many years ago, they say. Why should anyone believe it is only in the past? There was a letter to the Journal a short time ago that argued that most priests are very good and holy people, and that the abusers are a small minority. Are 74 priests in New Mexico and 300 in Pennsylvania, multiplied by every state and every country in the world, a small minority? This was the position of most Catholics many years ago when it became a national and worldwide issue: that its only a few misguided people. Then the whole thing was swept under the rug.

It was swept away by the bishops and the cardinals and the popes who committed the crimes of covering up these actions and many more that have continued throughout the existence of the Catholic Church. Obviously, the priesthood has attracted men who knew that they could do things in the priesthood that were not tolerated outside of it and then be protected by the hierarchy.

Or you could say it was swept away in the confessional. Confession is a wonderful sacrament for most Catholics. It is evil if it is meant to cover up and wash away crimes. You can do just about anything, including murder, and be forgiven and go to heaven if you confess. As the mobster John Gotti Jr. said in an interview, he was good with the church, despite a history of murders and other serious crimes. A good friend of mine, now deceased, had gone to a priest for advice when she was a teenager and received his sexual advice for eight years, and gave birth to three daughters, who were put up for adoption. Of course, they both went to confession soon after every sexual encounter.

I left the Catholic Church more than 50 years ago, initially for a minor issue of hypocrisy after years of youthful devotion, and I have never regretted it. I also didnt buy Thomas Aquinas proofs of the existence of God, after acing an Aristotelian logic class in a Catholic college. I did know priests whom I admired and nuns in grade school whom I loved, but now I believe they may be innocent victims of this horror that stains the whole Catholic Church.

Please keep the spotlight on this issue. Spotlight is a movie about the Boston Globes reporting on the child abuse scandal in Boston that won the 2016 Academy Award for best picture. (It is) based on the book Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church by the investigative staff of the Boston Globe, which won a Pulitzer Prize and led to the resignation of a cardinal, who was later awarded a Vatican appointment  to protect him. The media and prosecutors must keep up the pressure to bring the perpetrators to accountability. This has gone on long enough.
WASHINGTON  Listening to President Trump recently, the question arises: Whats he got against babies?

Im not a baby, Trump felt compelled to assure CBS News Lesley Stahl  twice  during his 60 Minutes interview.

First, on the subject of Kim Jong Un, when Stahl described his cruel kingdom of repression, gulags, starvation, asking, This is a guy you love? Trump: Sure. I know all these things. I mean  Im not a baby. I know these things.

Second, on the question of whether he trusts his own White House staff. Im not a baby, Trump assured Stahl. Its a tough business.  This is a vicious place. Then, on Friday, The New York Times Emily Cochrane asked Trump what evidence he had that these are hardened criminals that are coming to the United States, Trump shot back, Oh please. Please. Dont be a baby. OK?

This is not a new development, although there does seem to have been something of a baby boom of late. Back during the presidential campaign, Joshua Green reported in Devils Bargain, Trump exploded at then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort over a New York Times report that campaign aides took to television to get Trumps attention. You think youve gotta go on TV to talk to me? You treat me like a baby! Trump said, in Greens recounting. Am I like a baby to you? I sit there like a little baby and watch T,V and you talk to me? Am I a f  king baby, Paul?

More recently, Bob Woodward, in Fear, recounts Trumps similarly phrased unhappiness with Rudy Giuliani when the former New York mayor took to the airwaves in the aftermath of the Access Hollywood tape. Woodward: Rudy, youre a baby, Trump said loudly. Ive never seen a worse defense of me in my life. They took your diaper off right there. Youre like a little baby that needed to be changed. When are you going to be a man?

Likewise, attacking Sen. Richard Blumenthal last year after the Connecticut Democrat defended the investigation into Russian collusion, Trump unfurled his favorite insult. After reports that Blumenthal misrepresented his military service, Trump tweeted, he cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness like a child.

And then, of course, that blimp  Trump in an inflated, diapered rendition, his babyhood made manifest. We know the image rankled, even if he managed to avoid it on his trip to England in July. I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London, Trump told The Sun.

Whats this all about? We know Trump has little evident interest in babies, including his own. Asked in a 2005 radio interview, when Melania Trump was pregnant with his fifth child, whether he would actually change diapers, Trump was quick to disavow such activities. Thats not my thing. Im really, like, a great father, but certain things you do and certain things you dont. Its just not for me.

 Trump expressed equal disdain for the apparently demeaning task of pushing his baby in a stroller, recalling how his second wife, Marla Maples, used to prod him to do so. Right, Im gonna be walking down Fifth Avenue with a baby in a carriage, Trump said. 

On one level, Trumps deployment of, and bristling at, baby as the ultimate insult illustrates his aversion to weakness, or the appearance thereof. Strong is Trumps go-to praise; nothing is weaker or more helpless than a baby. He does not want to appear either naive  for example, about Kims ruthlessness  or susceptible to being pushed around, whether by his staff or a foreign leader.

But there is more going on here. Trumps quickness to express resentment about such handling is reminiscent of teenagers seeking to assert independence from parents. Im not a baby. You treat me like a baby. These eruptions sound more like a petulant freshman home for fall break than a president of the United States. And, like a college student beginning the process of separation, they betray a lingering anxiety about unreadiness for the task at hand.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  As summer has turned into fall, Michelle Lujan Grisham has been hounded by opponents in New Mexicos governors race over her past ties to a consulting firm with a long-standing contract to run the states high-risk insurance pool.

The Democratic congresswoman, whos forgoing a re-election bid to run for governor, has steadfastly defended her past work with Delta Consulting as evidence of her commitment to helping the seriously ill and has insisted she violated no state laws or ethics rules.

But she has faced attacks from Republican Steve Pearce, whose campaign went so far as to call Lujan Grisham dishonest and dirty in a recent television ad and suggested her election could represent a return of sorts to Gov. Bill Richardsons tenure.

I think we all have suffered enough embarrassment through that, Pearce said in a recent KOB-TV debate.

Lujan Grishams campaign has pointed out that her ownership interest in Delta Consulting was cleared in 2011 by the U.S. House Ethics Committee and that she disclosed income from the company on annual reports that all members of Congress are required to file.

In all, Lujan Grisham earned $376,000 from Delta Consulting from 2013 to 2017, according to tax returns for those five years she released in May. Her campaign manager has said that income was not salary and instead represented distributions from the company that were largely used to pay the firms tax bills.

Meanwhile, a Journal review of Deltas past contracts to act as the high-risk pools executive director shows the contracts were awarded after the pool publicly solicited bids, as required by the states procurement code.

However, no other companies ultimately submitted bids for the job, despite what one board member describes as attempts to stir up possible interest from other firms.

Delta Consulting was co-founded in 2008 by Lujan Grisham and another former state Cabinet secretary, Rep. Deborah Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, who is still the firms president. At the time, Lujan Grisham had recently resigned as state Health Department secretary. She was then elected to Congress in 2012, after a two-year stint as a Bernalillo County commissioner.

Lujan Grisham divested herself from Delta Consulting last year  after announcing her campaign for governor  at no financial gain, campaign spokesman James Hallinan said.

He also said Lujan Grisham would, if elected, consider legislation barring elected officials from having state contracts. Such a law has been proposed on the campaign trail this year by Pearce and others.

Michelle would support looking carefully at any such legislation that would help bolster public trust and reduce the potential for conflicts of interest, Hallinan said. Michelle believes transparency and the protection of taxpayer dollars are paramount.

He also asserted that Delta does not have  and has never had  any state contracts. The high-risk insurance pool recently filed a lawsuit against State Auditor Wayne Johnsons office that hinges on whether the pool, which uses a mix of insurance company fees and patient premiums to pay for its administrative contracts, should be defined as a state agency.

The lawsuit was filed after Johnson, a Republican, announced plans to launch a special audit of the high-risk pool, saying the public deserves transparency from public entities.

Delta contracts

Delta Consulting signed contracts in 2009, 2013 and 2017 to run the high-risk insurance pool, which assists New Mexico residents who do not have insurance or have been quoted at higher rates than the pools rate.

Each of those three contracts allowed for three one-year extensions to be negotiated between Delta and the pools board, according to documents obtained by the Journal in response to a public records request. All three were also subject to competitive bidding, but Delta was the lone bidder.

If there had been another bid and they submitted a better offer  we would have given the contract to them, said John Arango, a longtime board member of the high-risk insurance pool who signed off on the 2017 contract.

The current yearly contract is reportedly worth about $790,000, and could be extended by the pools board before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Richardson has insisted the Governors Office had nothing to do with the 2009 contract awarded to Delta. The 2013 and 2017 contracts were issued during the administration of outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican.

In an interview, Arango said administrative duties for the high-risk pool were handled for years by the late Patty Jennings, who was married to former Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, a Democrat from Roswell. Jennings frequently clashed with Richardson during the ex-governors second term in office.

Delta Consulting has also made hefty campaign contributions to both Lujan Grisham and Armstrong in the past. Lujan Grisham reported receiving $11,000 in contributions  the maximum amount allowable for the 2018 election cycle  for her gubernatorial bid from Delta in March 2017.

But those contributions were exempt from a disclosure requirement under the states procurement code, Lujan Grishams campaign spokesman said, because they were not made to members of the high-risk pools board.

2,400 enrolled

New Mexicos high-risk insurance pool was created in 1987 and currently covers about 2,400 individuals, down from roughly 10,000 at the time the federal Affordable Care Act was enacted.

Many of those enrolled are kidney dialysis patients who are disabled, and others are immigrants who are in the country illegally and cannot qualify for federally subsidized health insurance.

But backers of the high-risk pool have expressed reluctance to scrap the pool, as some states have done, given recent debate in Congress about repealing or overhauling the landmark federal health care law. In response to criticisms that the rates are higher than elsewhere, supporters say the premiums are intended to ensure that only those with serious health issues remain covered.

As governor, Lujan Grisham would have the final say on whether to sign or veto potential bills dealing with the high-risk pool.

For her part, Armstrong, who is currently the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, has pledged to not sponsor any legislation for the high-risk pool and to recuse herself from any bills that could pose a conflict of interest.

As such, she did not vote on 2017 legislation that would have effectively done away with the high-risk insurance pool. The bill was ultimately tabled in the House committee she runs, and she did not participate in the hearing on the issue.

Lujan Grishams campaign spokesman told the Journal that Armstrong, who was also Lujan Grishams campaign treasurer until recently, would not be immediately considered for a Cabinet post in a Lujan Grisham administration, in part due to a constitutional provision that bars lawmakers from being appointed to civil offices during their elected terms.

Michelle is interested in appointing the most qualified New Mexicans for positions within her administration who can begin immediately and who are committed to seeing the critical work needed to move our state forward through to the end, Hallinan said.

Potential conflicts

Questions about Lujan Grishams past ties with Delta were raised by her rivals during a three-way Democratic primary election earlier this year and have been picked up by Pearce in the run-up to the general election.

The Republican gubernatorial nominee, who faces conflict-of-interest questions of his own about business interests in the oil and gas industry, recently called for the Legislature and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Delta Consultings contract history.

We must put an end to cronyism, phony contracts, and rampant corruption that undermines faith in our institutions, Pearce said.

New Mexicos Governmental Conduct Act allows elected officials and legislators to contract with state government, but only if the contract is issued after a competitive bidding process and if the elected officials publicly disclose their interest.

These false allegations and debunked theories are just nonsense, Lujan Grisham said during the KOB-TV debate in response to Pearces attacks about Delta and other issues.

Early voting has started for New Mexicos general election. Election Day is Nov. 6.
The Moroccan government on Monday said it would deport 141 migrants arrested on Sunday as they tried to force their way through the barbed wire fence of the Spanish-occupied enclave of Melilla.

About 200 people got over into Melilla and were taken to a reception center, Spanish authorities said.

The assailants who failed to enter the enclave would be returned to their home countries, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Public forces intervened to thwart this assault attempt and proceeded to the arrest of 141 illegal migrants, the ministry said, adding that 12 soldiers and a member of the auxiliary forces were wounded during this operation.

While trying to escalate the fence, one person fell from the top of the fence and died while 22 assailants were injured by barbed wire and transferred to the hospital to receive the necessary care, the Interior Ministry said in the statement.

More than 43,000 migrants have made the crossing to Spain since the start of the year, including around 38,000 by sea, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Moroccan authorities have so far this year foiled 54,000 attempts by illegal migrants to cross to Europe, it was officially reported last month.

Rabat said it had dismantled 74 criminal networks linked to people smuggling and seized 1,900 boats over the same period.

The number of people fleeing war or poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia who cross to the European Union has dropped to about 80,000 this year from more than a million in 2015, according to the IOM.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

A retired Navy commander and a high school teacher are competing to succeed Nate Gentry, the top Republican in the state House, in a battleground district that covers part of Albuquerques Northeast Heights.

Gentry, the House minority leader, is stepping down for family reasons after eight years in office, creating an open seat sought by Republican John L. Jones, a Navy retiree who also ran a water utility, and Democrat Natalie Figueroa, who teaches Spanish at Volcano Vista High School.

Both candidates say they would take a pragmatic approach to representing House District 30, which covers neighborhoods along Montgomery and Wyoming NE.

Jones said he has decades of leadership experience that would be an asset in addressing New Mexicos problems.

Im frustrated with where we are, he said. Im just looking for practical, ethical, common-sense solutions to move us forward.

Figueroa said her education experience gives her a broad background in dealing with all kinds of people, families and ideas.

Im a teacher, not a politician, Figueroa said. Im not driven by politics.

Figueroa ran for the seat in 2016, facing off against Gentry. It was a close race, and she lost by 4 percentage points.

Voters in the district preferred Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in that years presidential election by a significant margin, according to the online Daily Kos news site.

Jones hasnt run for office before. He is married to Janice Arnold-Jones, a former state representative now running for Congress.

Figueroa and Jones disagree over a proposed constitutional amendment that would withdraw more money from the states Land Grant Permanent Fund to expand early childhood education programs and services.

Jones opposes the proposal, noting that New Mexico has increased funding for early childhood programs in recent years, even as the state has faced budget shortfalls.

Figeuroa says she would support the amendment if it has a sunset clause and protections to ensure that the permanent fund would continue to grow.

The candidates also clash on the legalization of recreational marijuana for adults. Figueroa supports the idea, as long as driving under the influence and workplace safety are addressed.

Jones is opposed, he said, until theres enough evidence from other states to evaluate the unintended consequences.

Both candidates have well-funded campaigns, according to reports filed Oct. 8. Figueroa had about $47,000 in cash left heading into the final weeks of the campaign, and Jones had $42,000.

Democrats now hold a 38-32 advantage in the state House.

Natalie R. Figueroa POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic OCCUPATION: Teacher CITY OF RESIDENCE: Albuquerque RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: 29-year educator EDUCATION: A.B., Stanford University, M.Ed. UCLA CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.NatalieforNewMexico.org John L. Jones POLITICAL PARTY: Republican OCCUPATION: retired CITY OF RESIDENCE: Albuquerque RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Retired Navy commander (23 years), retired CEO of a regional community water system (21 years)  equates to experience in dealing with large bureaucracies and regulatory environments, and 20 years of experience in national, state and local policy dealing with water and wastewater issues. EDUCATION: BUS, University of New Mexico; M.A., international relations, Salve Regina College, Newport, R.I.; M.A., strategic studies and national security affairs, Naval War College, Newport, R.I. CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.Jones4NM30.com

Q-and-As online: To find out the candidates positions on key issues, go to ABQJournal.com/election2018. The site also includes links to Journal stories on statewide, legislative and county-level races, district maps, key election dates and other voter resources. It will be updated regularly with new candidate profile stories and other information.




RUIDOSO  Two years from their gathering and temporary removal from Lincoln County, members of an Alto horse herd appear to be on their way back to the status of wild horses, free roaming north of Ruidoso.

Last Friday, 12th Judicial District Judge Daniel Bryant issued his conclusions on the case and an order declaring that the New Mexico Livestock Boards action of taking possession and selling Lincoln County wild horses is ultra vires, or beyond the agencys power and therefore invalid.

The judge ruled the agency does not have jurisdiction over the horse herd and is enjoined from any further unlawful possession and selling of Lincoln County wild horses.

Bryant wrote that the wild horses should be released in the vicinity of the remaining stallion, which still is free in the Enchanted Forest on property owned by Diane Martin.

Bryant wrote that the Federal Wild Horse and Burro Act only required the Bureau of Land Management to inventory horses found on BLM land in 1971. It applied only to wild free-roaming horses and burros'(which) means all unbranded and unclaimed horses and burros on public lands of the United States.

Public lands covers any land administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the BLM or the U.S. Forest Service.

As such, the inventory by the BLM does not include New Mexico lands, the judge wrote.

Bryant awarded court costs for the action and reasonable attorney fees incurred by The Wild Horse Observers Association, which brought the action for an injunction against the livestock board in 2016 after 12 members of a wild herd were rounded up and transported to Santa Fe.

In a release from WHOA announcing the decision, president Patience ODowd wrote that Bryant has upheld the rule of law. He has ruled in favor of the Beloved Wild Horses and their Free Roaming Habitat in Lincoln County.

She wrote that WHOA would like to congratulate and thank all those citizens who stood strong for justice for these sentient beings, which grace our special neighborhoods and our majestic open spaces in New Mexico, where they long evolved and which was built entirely on their backs.
Editors note: This is the first in a three part series exploring housing in Carlsbad. The article was produced with help from New Mexico In Focus.

CARLSBAD The oil boom in southeast New Mexico generated millions in surplus funds for the State of New Mexico.

In return, local communities that host the developments were heavily burdened as businesses tried to keep up with the growth and subsequent population explosion.

Even local grocery stores saw increased demand and were forced to innovate.

John Jameson, regional vice president of the United Family said Carlsbads Albertsons utilized multiple initiatives to keep pace with the growing need.

A new kind of customer presented itself to the local grocery industry: one that needed items quick and in large quantities.

In the past year, Jameson said the changing needs of the community were obvious.

That meant more on-the-go-type offerings, intended to provide the unique needs of the fast-moving industry.

One of the things weve had to do is add extra food services items, Jameson said. A lot of folks moved into Carlsbad, theyre living in an RV. They dont have a lot of refrigerated spaces, so sandwiches, anything you can imagine, rotisserie chickens, quick grab-and-go items have been doing really well.

Weve really had to ramp up production in those areas.

Dairy was a challenge, he said, as the stores milk shelves were often left empty.

In response, Albertsons added twenty feet extra of space.

One of the challenges weve had is keeping enough dairy on the shelves, Jameson said. So, weve had to come back in and just in the last year and a half weve added this whole extra case just so we can keep milk on the shelves, and stay up with demand.

The meat aisle, he said, is the divisions second busiest, he said, but one of the smallest.

Of the 93 stores in the division, which comprises New Mexico and West Texas, Jameson said the Carlsbad store is the top performer.

Thats why Albertsons is planning an expansion.

The current store at Canal and Church streets will be bulldozed for additional parking, and a new, larger store will be built in hopes of meeting the demands.

Weve really outgrown this store, Jameson said. Its exciting to see all the excitement in the community, the growth from the boom, but it also has its challenges in staying ahead of it.

In the meantime, the store employed various tactics to keep as much merchandise on the floor as possible, seeing its highest volume of business during the mid-to-late afternoon when workers are headed home for the night.

One such tactic, what Jameson called sky shelves sees the store stacking popular items such as toilet paper and paper towels several feet on the top shelves, so they can be quickly replaced when needed, also saving storage space in the back.

This method is key to Albertsons survival during the boom, he said.

This is adapting and innovating, he said of sky shelves. We dont have enough room in the back. There is no way wed survive in this store without it.

Another needed adjustment was switching the angled produce stands to flat tops able to hold more fruits and vegetables.

The store has also had to embrace more food trends, which Jameson said historically dont reach into small towns such as Carlsbad.

Craft beer, organic food and other trends followed the population growth, leading to additional aisles and varieties.

Beer and wine are really taking off, Jameson said. Its a challenge because there are so many varieties.

But if the customer demands it, Jameson said Albertsons will continue to order the expanded product offerings, easily able to sell out to the growing customer base.

We tell them we need more, and they ask where were going to put it, Jameson said of the companys corporate leaders. We tell them just send it and well figure it out. We have that conversation a lot.

Another new market that opened up during the boom was catering on job sites, and bulk quantities of needed products such as bottled water.

Special requests for the oilfield, he said, are about two or three per week on average.

In regard to the oil boom, weve had a lot of special requests, Jameson said. Usually they give us a lot of notice, but sometimes were scrounging.

Housing industry expanding to keep up

Aside from what people eat during the oil boom, another challenge for Carlsbad is where they can live.

Marie Betty Blea, a local developer, said the wealth and population pouring into Carlsbad hasnt even peaked.

Everybody says its booming in Carlsbad. I understand its not even boomed yet, she said. Its coming and right now, were short housing. I mean, I know a lot of people that have actually lived in their cars, have gotten jobs that have left Carlsbad because there was no place to live.

Its just gotten to the point where we cant hire good people for different business, because theres no place to live here.

Her solution: subdivisions of custom-built homes that could attract wealthy corporate executives as their operations expand in the Permian Basin region of southeast New Mexico and west Texas.

She is planning such a development near the corner of Cherry and Canal streets, seeking upper-class residents willing to pay in the $450,000-range for homes.

There was some tension around developing the tract of land, now a large field of grass near the La Huerta just outside the Carlsbad city limits.

Besides meeting the expanding demands, Blea said developing in Carlsbad can raise the ire of residents looking to preserve their way of life  even as the community changes.

The public isnt ready to let go of their open spaces, she said. People are very protective, especially here in La Huerta. Apparently this is like a little farm town, and always has been a farm location, and they dont want to see the open spaces go away.

Changing needs create conflicts

For now, its a community with continuously evolving needs, said Wesley Hooper, director of Community Services for Eddy County.

Even outside of city limits, where the countys jurisdiction lies, Hooper said RV parks, man camps and other workforce housing is being installed to meet the demands of the industry.

The county has no zoning regulations, he said, which could present an issue for county residents who moved to the outskirts to escape the bustle of city life, but now find themselves too close for comfort to the expanding activity.

Issues are created whenever youve got businesses trying to go into where theres housing, Hooper said. So, we start getting a lot phone calls whenever some of the residents dont want certain businesses there.

But without zoning, theres really nothing the county can do.

Efforts to zone the county were voted down numerous times by voters opposed to proposals brought before the Eddy County Commission.

Recently, the county enacted a temporary housing ordinance, hoping to quell local concern by regulating man camps and RV parks, establishing setbacks and other guidelines to avoid impeding the local way of life.

It was also meant to give guidance to often-hastily-built housing, ensuring safety amid the growth.

With the boom, theres not a lot of places for people to stay that are moving in, Hooper said. People were putting them up there at their houses and running extension cords that were unsafe, so we looked at basing that ordinance off of those types of things.

The cCity of Carlsbad has a bit more teeth when it comes to housing.

Vested with zoning rights, the Citys administration recently formed a committee to look at how much housing is needed, and where it should go.

The City of Carlsbad recently released a report updating several housing developments across the city.

The developments included 189 units by White Oak Development on Boyd Drive and Hidalgo Road, 114 singe family residential lots in phase six of the Farmview Subdivision, and 311 new single family lots in the Oasis Subdivision.

One hundred and eight units are coming to Martin Farms, with 204 planned for the Pecos Vista Apartment complex.

Target Logistics is planing to install a man camp, read the report, with 530 beds in modular unites, and Copperstone Apartments is adding 104 apartment units to the complex on Callaway Drive.

The Montclair Master Planned Community is a 1,300 acre development planned for the eastern side of National Parks Highway and south of Derrick Road, per the complaint.

To expand where developments can be built and serviced, the City can also annex portions of land outside the city limits, and zone them for more housing.

Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tem and City Councilor Eddie Rodriguez said fluctuations in the housing market are directly tied to oil prices.

With more growth, he said, comes more responsibility for the city to manage the population explosion by supporting the industry and encouraging more development in Carlsbad.

Unifying the private housing industry toward the common goal, Rodriguez said, presented a challenge of its own.

Its a multi-faceted issue thats hard to get a handle on, kind of like nailing Jell-O to a tree, Rodriguez said. Companies are reluctant to give out a lot of their personal information that may give information to their competitors.

Its a problem a lot of cities in New Mexico would love to have. Were looking this gift horse in the mouth, but we are doing our best to make sure we address the needs of the community.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

Visit currentargus.com to see the first of three part report by New Mexico In Focus with correspondent Sarah Gustavus which explores the issue of housing in Carlsbad.



2018 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.)

Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services President and CEO Dale Maxwell told the Albuquerque Economic Forum that reducing the cost of care hinges on reforming the payment system and encouraging individuals to have advance directives, among other issues.

Currently, most health care in the United States is delivered on a fee-for-service model, according to Maxwell, encouraging providers to give patients more  but not necessarily better  care, which drives up costs. He said reforms to the system should focus on capitation (paying a set amount to a provider per patient regardless of whether they seek care) or bundling (paying providers based on a predetermined estimate of what the cost of treating a particular condition is likely to be).

Then there are advance directives, legal documents that state what actions, medical or otherwise, should be taken if an individual is no longer able to make decisions on their own behalf.

We spend most of our dollars treating patients at the end of their lives, said Maxwell. Encouraging or requiring (advance directives) would save billions of dollars and prevent patients from continuing to receive care they dont want.

The forum, which was held Wednesday morning, fell on the same date as Presbyterians 110th birthday. Maxwell described Presbyterian as the largest private employer in New Mexico, with about 12,000 employees and 530,000 members. About a third of all New Mexicans receive care in some way through Presbyterian, he said.

While the mission of the organization has remained largely the same over time, Maxwell said that how (Presbyterian) achieves that purpose has changed.

Among the more recent developments at Presbyterian cited by Maxwell: investment in multiple, hybrid emergency department and urgent care facilities; an influx of 85,000 members after UnitedHealthcare failed to win a renewal of its Medicaid contract here; and the opening of the Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center, which he said would eventually serve all of northern New Mexico.

Maxwell also announced that Presbyterian has submitted a bid to provide a Medicaid plan in North Carolina through its subsidiary, Fluent Health. If the bid is successful, the plan will begin enrolling members in late 2019 for health insurance coverage in 2020, he said.

Though he said he wanted to keep his remarks upbeat, Maxwell acknowledged that the state still faces significant challenges that place pressure on the health care system. He said New Mexicos struggling education system and high rates of crime have impacted his organizations ability to recruit and retain physicians.
Certain people arrested driving stolen cars in Bernalillo County now have an alternative to jail or prison.

The Substance Abuse and Treatment Option Program, or STOP, was announced with support from local court and law enforcement officials at a news conference Wednesday.

Judge Edward Benavidez, chief judge of Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, said the program is designed for non-violent offenders who are arrested for automobile theft and will require that the offender serve probation and receive at least 15 months of substance abuse treatment instead of serving time in jail or prison.

The new specialty court, which started accepting defendants in July, will be similar to other alternative courts in Bernalillo County, such as the DWI Recovery program.

This is something that, in the long run, is going to do great things to enhance public safety, District Attorney Raul Torrez said.

The Albuquerque area had some of the highest rates, if not the highest rate, of automobile theft in the country per capita in 2016 and 2017. And fighting the crime has become a priority for both the police and sheriffs departments. Through September, there were 1,653 stolen cars reported in Albuquerque, which marked a 28 percent decrease from 2017.

But the rate remains far too high, law enforcement officials have said.

Receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle in New Mexico is a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison. In order to enter STOP, the offender has to plead to two misdemeanor crimes, which carry a possible punishment of two years in jail or prison.

That plea deal allows the car thief to avoid a felony conviction, but they could possibly serve more time in custody if they fail to meet the requirements of the program.

Thats the great advantage for them, that they can avoid a felony conviction.  But they are pleading to more jurisdiction than what the crime itself has, Benavidez said. They are either going to get treatment and get rehabilitated or they are going to pay the price.

Stolen vehicles have been linked to other more serious crimes, such as armed robbers who use them as getaway vehicles. But law enforcement officials said they are still committed to using alternative courts for people arrested in stolen vehicles but who dont have violent criminal histories.

If we do stop them while theyre en route (to committing a more serious crime), maybe we can prevent them from committing violent crimes, and get them in the program and rehabilitate them, Albuquerque Deputy Chief of Police Roger Banez said. So Im not concerned.

The program will have an initial capacity for 30 people, but Benavidez said, if successful, the court hopes to grow the program. It is funded through a combination of federal grants and Metro Courts general fund, so the offender wont have to pay for any of the necessary treatment.

Treatment will include alcohol testing, face-to-face interactions with the program judge, intensive outpatient treatment, weekly group therapy and other supplemental therapy, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Judges Jill Martinez and Kenny Montoya will oversee the program. First Nations Community Healthsource will provide the outpatient treatment.

We want to be able to find different options instead of re-offending, Sheriff Manuel Gonzales said. The bottom line is, we need to have options. And these are positive options.
Bernalillo County commissioners have approved an industrial revenue bond package of up to $80 million for food distributor Ben E. Keith to develop a new regional headquarters and bring 93 jobs to the area.

The county also approved $800,000 in state Local Economic Development Act funds for data science company Resilient Solutions 21 for an expansion the company says will allow it to hire 80 employees downtown. The county will act as the fiscal agent for the funding.

Commissioners accepted the proposals at a meeting Tuesday evening. Ben E. Keith and Resilient Solutions 21 did not respond to a request for comment.

Ben E. Keith, a food distributor of more than 20,000 products, is located on Broadway Boulevard in southeast Bernalillo County. Its new office and warehouse will be located southwest of the Interstate 40 and Unser interchange, according to a news release.

County filings show that Ben E. Keith requested the bonds to facilitate its eventual goal to expand its regional operations to portions of Arizona and Colorado. Thirteen of the 93 new jobs are sales and administrative positions; the rest are warehouse, delivery and garage jobs. The annual average salary for all positions is $75,937.

Commissioner Debbie OMalley said in a release that the company will use the bonds for construction, equipment purchase and land acquisition.

An IRB also provides a tax break for a business without violating the states anti-donation clause. The value of the abatement is typically a fraction of the IRB sum. For Ben E. Keith, the abatement will total $10.1 million over 30 years, according to the filings.

Various clawback mechanisms will require the company to make payments if it does not meet its employment targets, barring business conditions or events that are outside the control of the company.

Resilient Solutions 21, also known as RS21, has said it will use the $2 million in LEDA funds to support a renovation of the Occidental Life building downtown and allow it to hire data scientists, developers, designers and other technology experts, increasing the companys head count from 20 to 100.

RS21 President, CEO and Founder Charles Rath told the Journal last month the company has already started hiring, and that several of the new employees are New Mexicans who have returned from out-of-state.
Two people were killed in a head-on crash in southwest New Mexico Tuesday afternoon.

New Mexico State Police says the crash happened around 2:40 p.m. on N.M. 26 between Hatch and Deming.

A Toyota car was heading east on N.M. 26  behind a van pulling a flatbed trailer with an automobile on it  when the driver of the car, identified as 75-year-old Roy Edwards of Silver City, tried to pass the van using the westbound lane of traffic, according to a State Police news release.

Edwards car collided head-on with a Dodge Charger being driven by 23-year-old Alexis Chavez of Deming.

Edwards and Chavez both suffered fatal injuries in the crash. They died at the scene.

The van driver and the driver of a Chevrolet Camaro, who were also involved in the crash, were uninjured.

Alcohol does not appear to be a contributing factor to the crash and it appears seatbelts were properly used, police said.

The crash remains under investigation.
Fight for Votes of Neutral Electorate

By Levan Khutsishvili

On October 19, Central Election Commission of Georgia decided in the ballot papers to not write presidential candidate Grigol Vashadze as a representative of united opposition force Power is in Unity, but as representative of the political party United National Movement.Grigol Vashadze and representatives of United National Movement believe that this decision is the unlawful and Central Election Commission of Georgia has fulfilled the task given by the Georgian Dream, in order to disorient electorate of Grigol Vashadze."This is another unlawful decision from the Central Election Commission of Georgia, which directly fulfills the task of "Georgian Dream". On September 28 we applied to the Central Election Commission that Grigol Vashadze will take part in elections as the representative of the joint opposition "Force is in Unity", and it should have been noted in the ballot paper. Unfortunately, the Central Election Commission (CEC) made a decision obeying the order of Georgian Dream and refused us. And it is strange, as, for example, in the six electoral districts where the elections of self-government are held, the candidates nominated by us will participate as the representatives of the united opposition force Power is in Unity and the presidential candidate from the same opposition force will not be written as candidate of Power is in Unity, but a candidate of United National Movement said Giorgi Vashadze, head of the headquarter of the presidential candidate Grigol Vashadze.According to him, chairperson of Central Election Commission (CEC) Tamar Zhvania supported the statement of Power is in Unity and all other members of commission controlled by the Georgian Dream rejected it.According to Tamar Zhvania, in the beginning, Grigol Vashadze was registered as a presidential candidate from United National Movement.The United National Movement registered candidates in both the presidential and self-governing elections as candidates of United National Movement. Later, they addressed me to change the affiliation of the candidates of municipal elections from National Movement to the united opposition force Power is in Unity and I with my decree did it. They also addressed in order of the presidential election, but in this case, it was addressed to the CEC and the decision should be made by the commission. The Central Election Commission decided on the basis of the articles that regulate the presidential elections. This was an appropriate and lawful decision because the electoral code does not allow us to change the name if it is about the presidential election", said Tamar Zhvania.Giorgi Vashadze declared that Georgian dream is in a very difficult situation and by using this kind of tricks is trying to create difficulties for Grigol Vashadze."I understand that you are trying to disorient our voters because we are campaigning on behalf of the United Opposition Force Power is in Unity. I understand that you are frightened because 11 political subjects are in this union. I understand that you want to portray this as a battle between two parties. But I want to tell you one thing - on October 28, Georgian voters will make a fair decision and will definitely pass past illegal actions that you are carrying out in Georgia. With such cheap tricks, you cannot get a result. These are illegal and unfair actions and every citizen of Georgia will give it an appropriate assessment. We will peacefully finish this illegality on elections and we will definitely reach the victory", said Giorgi Vashadze.The question is, in fact, how this decision of CEC will affect the positions of Grigol Vashadze, fact that United Nation Movement underlines that will disorient electorate can be true, and it can have an effect, but another more important thing is that now Grigol Vashadze will be directly associated with only United National Movement and all negative beliefs about the previous Government and ruling party  United National Movement, that still exists in big part of society can influence the decision of the electorate that still has not decided to whom to vote. According to the research done by Georgian Dream, amount of people who has not made decision yet or is not going on elections is very high - 48%, so for all political subjects participating in presidential elections, this neutral electorate will be the main target, and possibly Grigol Vashadze as a candidate from United National Movement will have small chance to get votes from them. According to the law, the winner will be named only according to the number of ballots where only one candidate will be signed. Spoiled ballots and/or law activeness from voters on elections gives Salome Zurabishvili high chance to win.
REDDING, Calif. - Officers from the Redding Police Department were dispatched to Mercy Medical Center on Oct. 16 regarding an 11-month-old boy who had been admitted to the hospital with seizures and appeared to have a serious head injury.

The condition of the child worsened and he was transferred to U.C. Davis Medical Center via life-flight for treatment.

The victim's condition continued to decline at U.C. Davis and he was placed on life support, and then officially declared deceased on Oct. 18.

Officers contacted the parents of the child, Brittney Marie Coffelt, 25, and Clyde Dale Coffelt, 33, both of Redding. During contact with the police, both of the parents made suspicious and inconsistent statements.

The Coffelt's second child, a 2-year-old boy, was taken into protective custody and turned over to the Shasta County Child Family Services. According to the department, the family moved to Redding from Oklahoma two days before the birth of the two-year-old.

Between the two parents, the family has a total of eight children, all of which have been taken into protective custody over a period of time spanning several years in multiple states.

In a search of the family's home at 2727 Lanning Avenue in Redding, Investigators found the apartment teeming with cockroaches and the living conditions were deplorable.

An autopsy was conducted on Oct. 23 in Sacramento County but the results pending the cause of death have not been released.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to contact the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200.

Stay with KHSL Channel 12 and actionnewsnow.com for the latest updates as they become available.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - A new list, compiled by survivor advocates, claims to expose more than 200 Bay Area priests accused of sex abuse.

The list includes the names of 260 priests. Attorney Jeff Anderson and his team said that there are135 of which are from the San Francisco diocese, 95 in the Oakland diocese and 33 in the San Jose diocese who are credibly accused.

Patrick Wall, also known as the "predator priest-hunter," is a former priest himself and helped the team of investigators compile the list.

"We're going through criminal filings, we're going through civil filings, we're going through news articles, we're basically scraping the internet of what is publicly available right now," he said.

The Oakland diocese responded to the allegations by saying that their own list will be released in November and that they have nothing to hide.

The San Jose diocese is currently reviewing the list and will have more information later but, but described the list as heartbreaking.

The archdiocese in San Francisco did not release an official statement but wrote in an email that they will review the list even though they are not sure how the list was assembled and with what criteria.

"Everybody on that list has been publicly accused," Anderson said. "And we're pretty rigorous about this because kids are not being protected by you archbishop."

Tom Emens is suing the Catholic church for civil conspiracy and public and private nuisance.

Emens, who said he was molested by priests in Southern California, hopes that the lawsuit will force the church to open up its records

"There are secrets," Emens said. "Even more secrets than the 30 names we're talking about here. There's more, and until every little corner of every secret archive is uncovered, we're never going to get to the truth."
STOCKTON, Calif. - A Stockton cemetery is facing backlash from the community over a planned Halloween festival on the grounds.

The Stockton Rural Cemetery has tombstones dating back to the 1800s and some families are concerned about damage and disrespect to these sites with the cemetery's decision to host a spooky festival and tour of the dead.

"I have a very dear friend of mine we just buried last week here," said Stacey Conrad, a resident in the Stockton area. "It's a fresh grave. I just don't want a bunch of kids running around on anyone's loved ones here."

The flyer promoting the event says that visitors will get a guided tour of "bone-thrilling" scares and true stories dating back to the 1800s.

The manager of the cemetery said that the event was intended to raise awareness of the history of the cemetery.

The event is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 26 in the daytime.
boAt- a lifestyle brand that deals in fashionable consumer electronics like- earphones, headphones, speakers, travel charger & premium rugged cables has signed on Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan as their new brand ambassador to help steer the brand to its target audience of fashionable youthful consumers.

In a sector dominated by established global brands, boAt has ramped up quickly in a short span of two years, through its core high-quality audio product line of smart, efficient, stylish and durable hearables. Bollywoods rising star strengthens the brand narrative of boAts high tech solutions offering the best in style and fashion. With a strong focus on consumer desires and aesthetics, the brand has created products that seamlessly integrate into the evolved consumers personal style statement. The trendy look and feel of the boAt bluetooth speakers and headphones, have led to the new category of hearables akin to fashion accessories. It has already created a community of over 800,000 boAtheads (consumers) who want to be seen listening and wearing their boAt accessories to make a lifestyle statement.

Says boAt co-founder Aman Gupta: We are happy to be associated with one of the most promising and upcoming stars in Bollywood Kartik Aaryan. His fun, easy-going and youthful persona goes perfectly with the brands DNA and we are hopeful he is going to take our brands style quotient to a whole new level. He complements our commitment to product designs and aesthetics and is seen as credible influencer amongst the new age millennials. Thus aligning with our brand image which is all about building brand equity through credible influencers and a strong word ofmouth approach.

Commenting on the association, Actor Kartik Aaryan, said. I am thrilled to be a part of boAts incredible journey of success and innovation. The brand perfectly represents a generation that is energetic, unapologetic and fun loving which resonates with my personality and age. The millennial audio brand offers designs that are bold, fresh and in line with the latest lifestyle trends, making it the preferred choice for those who looks to make a statement with their choice of accessories. I love the way the products seamlessly integrate into my lifestyle.

I am a proud boAt-head now. He added Kartik gained popularity through his recent films Pyaar Ka Panchnama and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.
Coca-Cola India, one of the countrys leading beverage companies, has collaborated with Vodafone Idea Business Services, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea Limited, the largest telecommunications service provider in India and eBest IoT, to introduce state-of-the-art Connected Coolers across the country. The IoT enabled fleet of Connected Coolers will enable Coca-Cola to understand consumer behaviour and use the insights to enhance consumer experience.

Under the partnership, Connected Coolers will be powered by Vodafone SuperIoT  an industry- first solution that enables end-to-end management of device, application, connectivity, service platform, support and security. The technology will also equip Coca-Colas partners to manage inventory, sales tracking, monitor usage pattern and track locations, thus enabling them to increase sales and enhance customer experience.

Commenting on the collaboration, Sanjay Rawal, Chief Information Officer for Coca-Cola India and South-West Asia said, Coca-Colas portfolio is expanding, and we are harnessing the power of technology to get consumer insights which can help us engage better with our consumers and provide choices tailored to their location and behaviour. The connected cooler is the next milestone in our journey towards digitizing the marketplace and establishing a connected environment with our consumers. We are delighted to have partners like Vodafone Idea Business Services and eBest IoT.

To ensure that customers get the best taste, this IoT solution has turned static cabinets into intelligent assets through a sensor that detects temperature, humidity and door closing/opening and helps maintain the quality of the bottle of Coke delivered to the customer.

Announcing the partnership with Coca-Cola India, Nick Gliddon, Chief Enterprise Business Offer, Vodafone Idea Business Services said, Vodafone Idea Limited is extremely pleased to partner with a global leader like Coca-Cola India to bring the benefits of Internet of Things closer to the consumers. As organisations embark on their digital journey, collaborations like this will enable them to harness the power of IoT, driving innovation and growth. I am confident that the introduction of Connected Coolers is the beginning of Coca-Colas journey in building a digital ecosystem for deepening their engagement with the Indian consumers.

Karan Bakshi, Chief Executive Officer at ebest IoT said, We are extremely happy to partner with Coca-Cola India for our Connected Retail Solution. We are confident that our solution will provide relevant insights to Coca-Cola and help them realize better ROI on their Cooling assets

The pilot for the Connected Coolers has been successfully completed and they will be introduced in phased manner across the country.
Max Life Insurance Ltd., one of the leading life insurers in India, has appointed Rahul Talwar as Senior Vice President and Head-Marketing of the Company. He will be based at Max Lifes corporate office in Gurugram and will report to Manik Nangia, Director-Marketing and Chief Digital Officer.

In this role, Rahul Talwar will lead Max Life Insurances brand and marketing activities and will be instrumental in further accelerating the brands journey across all touchpoints in the country. He will work closely with the leadership team to strengthen the Companys position and create a positive impact, aligned to the Max Lifes larger business objectives. With over 14 years of experience in the FMCG sector, Rahul joins Max Life Insurance from McVities (Pladis Global) where he led the Marketing function for India and South Asia. His career also boasts of long stints with PepsiCo and the Aditya Birla Group.

Speaking on the appointment, Manik Nangia, Director-Marketing & Chief Digital Officer, Max Life Insurance said, Rahul is an exciting addition to the Max Life Insurance family. He brings invaluable and unrivalled depth of experience in brand and marketing and we look forward to leverage his varied experience to scale Max Lifes marketing efforts nationally.

Commenting on his appointment, Rahul Talwar said, It is an exciting time for the life insurance industry and I am thrilled to be working with a dynamic and highly successful team at Max Life Insurance. He further added, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most dynamic brands in the country and abroad. It would be great to share the best practices with the team here in creating engaging and meaningful experiences for our customers and partners across platforms. Rahul Talwar is an alumnus of Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad and a Bachelor of Physics from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi.
[4] There is presently no hard science supporting the general expandability of the programme and its safety despite several hundreds of products in the pipeline (4) all waiting to be licensed, recommended and in many other countries mandated. Often in the last decade, and even quite recently British health officials (including Prof David Salisbury (5), Sir Liam Donaldson (6) and Prof Elizabeth Miller (7)) were apt to cite the 10,000 vaccine doctrine of Prof Paul Offit (8) in order to reassure the public. There were several obvious things wrong with Offits claim that 10,000 or 100,000 vaccines administered to an infant in one go might be safe. Offit was comparing routine exposure to environmental pathogens, with cocktails of serious disease derived pathogens; it took no account, for example, of the use of adjuvants to boost the antigens and the route of administration was nothing like routine exposure to pathogens in the environment i.e. in most cases injected when normally we have skin, the digestive system, the lungs which have evolved to protect us (9).

[5] Last year I was attacked by the Every Child By Two website (10), to which Offit is an advisor (11) and executive member (12), for suggesting he ever meant it literally (despite copious evidence (9, 13)), so the doctrinal/theoretical basis for the safety of the expanding programme seems to have evaporated, without it being replaced by anything else.

[6] The can be no assumption that vaccines boost general resistance, and publications from the team led by Aaby and Benn suggest negative possibilities (14, 15, 16).

[7] Recent studies have questioned whether pneumococcal vaccines actually result in a reduction of pneumococcal illness, or make the problem worse. For instance, Vila-Corcoles reported in a study of more than 2m middle-aged and elderly adults in Catalonia (17):

After multivariable adjustments we found that the PCV13 vaccination did not alter significantly the risk of pneumococcal pneumonia (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio [mHR]: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.751.83; p = 0.493) and all-cause death (mHR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.971.18; p = 0.190), although it remained significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause pneumonia (mHR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.481.94; p < 0.001). In stratified analyses focused on middle-aged or elderly persons and immunocompromised or immunocompetent subjects, PCV13 vaccination did not appear effective either.

[8] In Mawsons small but ground-breaking vaccinated vs. unvaccinated study of home-schooled children (18) it was found that 1.2% of unvaccinated children had had pneumonia against 6.4% vaccinated, while 5.8% unvaccinated had had Otitis Media against 19.8 vaccinated. However unpalatable it is to health officials and vaccine manufacturers it is urgent that this study  which looked at the effects of general vaccination against a range of health outcomes - be expanded.

[9] Vaccines may offer no panacea to the problem of antimicrobial resistance, will interact with it in unpredictable ways, and likely make it worse. Politicians need to be wary of being railroaded by industry objectives which are a matter of commercial exploitation and not the public good.

FOOTNOTES

(1) Jim ONeill etc., Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, May 2016, Intervention 6: Promote development and use of vaccines and alternatives, p.40-3 https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/160518_Final%20paper_with%20cover.pdf

(2) Childhood vaccines timeline https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/childhood-vaccines-timeline/

(3) Miller NZ & Goldman GS, Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?, Human and Experimental Toxicology May 2011, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0960327111407644

(4) Medicines in Development for Vaccines (sic), Washington, D.C. (April 20, 2012) Americas biopharmaceutical research companies are developing nearly 300 vaccines

(5) John Stone, What David Salisbury said and the DOHs position on multiple vaccine safety, BMJ Rapid Responses 20 September 2004, https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/30/what-david-salisbury-said-and-dohs-position-multiple-vaccine-safety

(6) John Stone, Irresponsible claims about vaccine safety? Questions for Sir Liam Donaldson and Prof Lewis Wolpert, BMJ Rapid Responses 3 July 2004, https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/30/irresponsible-claims-about-vaccine-safety-questions-sir-liam-donaldson-and

(7) Elizabeth Miller, Controversies and challenges of vaccination: an interview with Elizabeth Miller, BMC Med. 2015; 13: 267. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4608187/ Miller can make a rhetorical defence: Despite strong arguments against the overload hypothesis but of course an argument is not evidence. The citation is to the Offit article.

(8) Offit PA, Quarles J, Gerber MA, Hackett CJ, Marcuse EK, Kollman TR, et al. Addressing parents concerns: do multiple vaccines overwhelm or weaken the infant's immune system? Pediatrics. 2002;109:1249. doi: 10.1542/peds.109.1.124.

(9) Paul Offit, Are childhood vaccines safe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQQ7izQOPdw Segment 27mins to 29.20.

(10) Joel A Harrison, John Stone and the Best of Age of Autism: Just Plain Wrong About Everything, 27 February 2017, https://www.ecbt.org/index.php/facts_and_issues/article/john_stone_and_the_best_of_age_of_autism_just_plain_wrong_about_everything

(11) ECBT Advisory Board https://www.ecbt.org/index.php/about/article/scientific_advisory_board

(12) ECBT Board https://www.ecbt.org/index.php/about/article/board

(13) For instance, a newsletter from Offits hospital Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) states: No doubt about it, the immunization schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) can seem daunting. Your child can receive up to 23 shots by the time she's 2 years old and as many as six shots at a singledoctor visit. So it's not surprising that many parents have concerns about how vaccines might affect a child's developing immunity and often cite these as a reason to refuse a vaccine.But it should be the least of your worries. "Children have an enormous capacity to respond safely to challenges to the immune system from vaccines," says Dr. Offit. "A baby's body is bombarded with immunologic challenges - from bacteria in food to the dust they breathe. Compared to what they typically encounter and manage during the day, vaccines are literally a drop in the ocean." In fact, Dr. Offit's studies show that in theory, healthy infants could safely get up to 100,000 vaccines at once. https://web.archive.org/web/20060907100428/https://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=81553

(14) Aaby P, Whittle H, Benn CS, Vaccine programmes must consider their effect on general resistance, BMJ 2012; 344 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e3769 (Published 14 June 2012)

(15) Sankoh O et al, The non-specific effects of vaccines and other childhood interventions: the contribution of INDEPTH Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems, Int J Epidemiol. 2014 Jun;43(3):645-53. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu101. Epub 2014 May 30.

(16) Benn CS, Sorup S, Aaby P, BNJ Rapid Responses to Tielemans et al, Non-specific effects of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination in high income setting: population based cohort study in the Netherlands, 20 September 2017, 16 November 2017 and 7 May 2018 https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3862/rapid-responses

(17) Vila-Corcoles A et al, Evaluating clinical effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination against pneumonia among middle-aged and older adults in Catalonia: results from the EPIVAC cohort study, 18 December 2017, BMC Infectious Diseases201818:196, https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-018-3096-7

(18) Mawson AR, Ray B, Bhuiyan AR, Jacob B, Pilot comparative study on the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated 6- to 12- year old U.S. children, Table 2 Vaccination status and health outcomes  Acute Conditions, Journal of Translational Science, 24 April 2017, https://www.oatext.com/Pilot-comparative-study-on-the-health-of-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-6-to-12-year-old-U-S-children.php#Article
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In a further unexpected twist in Turkeys standoff with Saudi Arabia over murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly spoke by telephone with the kingdoms Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today, reported the Turkish press, quoting unnamed Turkish presidential sources. The leaders reportedly discussed working together to bring clarity on the death of the Saudi dissident commentator who went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The conversation must have gone well, since the crown prince soon after told a business forum boycotted by international businessmen and politicians, "Many are trying to  drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey.  They will not be able to do it as long as there is a King Salman, a Mohammed bin Salman and a President Erdogan."

Khashoggi was a vocal critic of the crown prince's murderous war in Yemen and crackdown on dissent in his columns for the Washington Post. There is widespread consensus that Khashoggi could not have been killed inside the consulate without the prince's prior knowledge. US President Donald Trump, who has shown extreme reluctance to link the prince to the commentators death, conceded that point. Trump told the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be [informed], it would be him.

Todays phone call was said to have been instigated by the Saudi prince, a sure sign that he wants to staunch the damage caused by the steady flow of Turkish official leaks that have punched holes through Saudi Arabias initial claim that Khashoggi left the consulate alive and later that he died in a fistfight. The latest Saudi iteration is that Khashoggis death was a rogue operation carried out by renegade security officials that went wrong.

Todays Turkish leak  footage charting the itinerary of a BMW sedan with diplomatic plates that place it as Saudi  indicates that Saudi officials scouted forest land, presumably to find a suitable place to dump Khashoggis remains. His body has yet to be found. Anonymous Turkish officials have consistently claimed they have evidence that it was dismembered and that a team of 15 Saudis dispatched for the job had an electric bone saw in tow.

The New York Times, citing an unnamed Turkish official, reported that Saudi Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, who secretly met with Erdogan last week in Turkey, had offered a package of inducements for Turkey to drop the case  including financial aid and investments to help Turkeys struggling economy and to end a Saudi embargo on Qatar, a Turkish ally. Erdogan had angrily rejected them as a political bribe.

It's likely that Prince Mohammed made some fresh offers to Erdogan, who is now clearly in the drivers seat. Analysts say Turkish asks could include slashing Saudi financial support for Kurdish militants in Syria. But such a move would place it directly at odds with the Trump administrations newly declared policy of keeping its troops in the Kurdish-controlled zone in eastern and northern Syria for post-Islamic State stabilization and rolling back Iran.

Turkey has not yet disclosed an audio tape that purportedly catalogues the full horror of Khashoggis death and possibly even the crown princes alleged part in it. Erdogan did not mention the tape in his parliamentary address yesterday. But in a thinly veiled swipe at the crown prince, Erdogan called for those who gave the order for Khashoggis execution and those who carried it out to all be brought to account.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether CIA Director Gina Haspel, who flew to Ankara Monday, reportedly to examine Turkeys evidence, heard the tape or not. Haspel asked for access to it, reported Reuters, citing four different sources.

Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, argued, This is not about money for Erdogan, it's about rebalancing the regional order, clipping bin Salmans wings and forcing the Trump administration to reassess its strategy of formulating its Middle East policy around the crown prince.

She told Al-Monitor, Erdogan likely recognizes that without Trumps backing and in the absence of a concerted Saudi push to remove him, bin Salman may well survive, albeit with his global image in tatters.

Erdogan, on the other hand, after years of negative press coverage of his ruthless authoritarianism, has captured the moral high ground. Aydintasbas noted that the silver lining, however faint, may be that Erdogan could seize the moment to reclaim the mantle of the Middle Easts great reformer, which he donned when his ruling Justice and Development Party shot to power 16 years ago. An immediate step would be to free prominent peace activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has been sitting in jail one week short of a year on trumped-up terror charges. The plight of Kavala, who has yet to be indicted, and more than a hundred Turkish journalists languishing in prison on similarly thin charges cast a dark shadow over Turkeys championing of Khashoggi.
Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce Meets with Reps and Policymakers in DC

Congressman Kevin Brady with participants in the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber DC Fly-in, pictured on the dais in the historical hearing room for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means.



Washington, D.C. - Last week, U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX08) hosted the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce in our nations capital. During their time in Washington, the Chamber met with Congressman Brady, Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and federal agency officials to discuss how tax reform is benefiting the Conroe community and other shared priorities such as workforce development.

It is always a privilege to meet with business leaders from my district and hear first-hand how tax cuts are helping them expand their companies, hire more workers and increase benefits for their employees, Congressman Brady said. One of the biggest goals of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was to help small business owners flourish, and the numbers prove it has done just that.



"As a former Chamber executive, I can attest that the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce does a top-notch job of representing their members and advocating on their behalf," continued Brady. "I hope that this is the first of many future trips to DC and I look forward to continuing to work with them on our shared priorities."





The Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce values the opportunity to build relationships with our elected officials, said Brian Bondy, President of the Chamber. Using the opportunity of a fly-in provided our members the chance to not only meet with them, but to hear how we can work with each other to make our area even more attractive to businesses and residents.



This was the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerces first trip to Washington DC and we could not be more pleased," stated George Waggoner, President of First National Bank Texas in Conroe and Chairman of the Board for the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber. "We had a very productive meeting with Chairman Brady and his staff about issues that are important to our membership and community. The Chairman and his staff were great hosts and we are very grateful not only for their time but for the introductions to many other Congressional Representatives and Governmental Agencies while we were there. This trip was an excellent opportunity for the Chamber to continue our work with Chairman Brady and we hope to be able to build upon the many new relationships and resources started while there.



In the weeks leading up to this trip, our planning team discussed issues that are critical to both Conroe and its elected officials, commented Steve Pilgrim, Director of Business and Economic Development for Entergy Texas, Chairman of the Conroe Economic Development Council, and Chamber Board Member. We were able to talk with Congressman Brady and his staff about those issues and to create opportunities for continued discussion and action. Most of all, I believe that we have taken an important step in creating an even stronger relationship with the Congressmans Office that will serve us all for years to come as we build on this event.



It was a privilege to travel with the Chamber to Washington, D.C. as both a member of the Board of Directors and as a representative from higher education," added Dr. Rebecca Riley, President of the Lone Star College Montgomery Campus. "It was a great opportunity to learn more about how Lone Star College can help our community address workforce needs. Our aggressive itinerary allowed us to meet with many agencies, legislators, and staffers who were extremely helpful to us. Best of all, we built relationships among representatives from each of the offices we visited.

The Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce is a 3-Star accredited chamber representing the greater Montgomery County area. Founded in 1934, the Chamber has over 1,100 members who represent a diverse range of businesses and community organizations. The Chamber is dedicated to strengthening the economic environment and quality of life in Montgomery County.



Caption: George Waggoner, Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber Chairman of the Board, and Congressman Kevin Brady meeting with additional Chamber members in the Ways and Means Committee library.
For the first time since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hit world headlines, Iran's president came out in condemnation today. "No one would have expected that such a coordinated murder could take place in our times," Hassan Rouhani told a Cabinet meeting in Tehran.

Rouhani demanded that Turkey shed light on all the "angles" of the "crime. More significantly, the Iranian president blamed Washington for standing behind Riyadh. "I don't think that any country would dare do such a thing without US backing," he said in comments broadcast on state television.

Why it matters: The comments came only one day after Rouhani renewed defiance against the imminent reimposition of key US sanctions targeting Iran's oil and banking sectors. "The US is planning to turn Nov. 4 into a bitter memory for Iranians, he said. But it will be definitely defeated by the resistant nation and the brave supreme leader."

That could also explain his belated response to Khashoggis murder. By implicating Washington and highlighting US "support" for the Saudis, Rouhani was seen trying to mitigate the impacts of the fresh sanctions. The president appears to be pushing to rally world governments around Iran and tell them the sanctions are coming from the very state that supported the murder of a journalist inside a consulate.

Whats next: Despite the unprecedented global coverage and the world outrage against Riyadh, Iranian officials have been largely muted on the Khashoggi mystery. Iran will most likely stick to the same low-key approach toward Turkey and not move beyond diplomatic calls on Ankara to dig in and reveal the truth. But it will probably continue to name the United States, blaming it no less than Saudi Arabia. At a time when Irans two arch foes are going the extra mile to crush Tehran, the Khashoggi case is seen as the proverbial stone Iranian officials can just pick up to kill them both with.

Know more: Al-Monitor has extensive coverage of the rapidly unfolding developments surrounding the Khashoggi case. Barbara Slavin's piece sheds more light on how the US pressure campaign against Iran is undermined by the journalist's murder. And for a closer focus on how Turkey is handling the situation through its phased leaking of intelligence, read Al-Monitor columnist Amberin Zaman's pieces here and here.
Iran wants to boost its Syrian profile, and presence, by plugging into that country's electrical sector needs.

While fighting and military actions seem to be subsiding in the country, talk of reconstruction is surfacing as the Syrian government's allies, namely Russia and Iran, seek to secure contracts to rebuild devastated sectors.

Tehran is facing US sanctions aimed at undermining its financial capability. Yet Iran is one of the most significant parties bidding and concluding agreements to reestablish the electricity sector and wants to take advantage of coming opportunities that also include mining and telecommunications.

Syria and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2017 to cooperate in the field of electricity. According to the memorandum, a 540-megawatt power plant will be established in Latakia and five 125 MW, gas-fired power plants will be built in the Mediterranean coastal city of Banias. Also, Iran would be allowed to assess the damage inflicted on the Aleppo thermal power plant, while also rehabilitating a 90 MW power station in Deir ez-Zor and the Jandar power plant in Homs, among others.

Officials believe half of Syria's estimated 23 power-generation stations are out of service.

Mahmoud Ramadan, director of the Public Establishment for Electrical Generation, told al-Watan newspaper that damages to Syria's electrical grid are estimated at 1.2 trillion Syrian pounds ($2.33 billion).

Before the 2011 protests erupted in Syria, it produced about 9,530 MW per day of electricity, but that fell to about 2,000 MW in 2016. When it recovered somewhat, to about 4,000 MW by March 2018, Minister of Electricity Mohammed Zuhair Kharboutli attributed the jump to strategic electricity generation projects in 2017 at Deir Ali, Jandal, Tishreen and Bania. He said the projects were valued at 900 billion Syrian pounds, the equivalent of $1.75 billion.

The parties that implemented and funded these projects haven't been revealed.

There are ongoing efforts and agreements with Iran to improve the current level of production. According to the Syrian government's SANA news agency, Kharboutli said priority will be given to Iranian companies in reconstructing Syria, especially in the field of electricity.

Of note, the Public Establishment for Electrical Generation and the Iranian MAPNA electric company agreed Oct. 2 on a timeline for implementing the 540 MW power generation project in Latakia at a cost of 411 million euros ($472.2 million). This would increase power production in Syria to about 4,540 MW, which is half the capacity produced before the war.

According to the timeline, the first phase of the project will be completed within 18 months, the second in 24 months and the third in 34 months.

Abbas Ali Abadi, MAPNA chairman and general director, stressed during Sept. 30 negotiations with Kharboutli in Tehran his companys readiness to provide various types of substantive and technical support for the Syrian Ministry of Electricity.

Hassan Danae Fer, head of the Committee for Development of Syrian-Iraqi-Iranian Economic Relations, said Iranian companies are fully prepared to cooperate with the Syrian side in the field of electricity in Syria, according to SANA.

Last year, Iran paid $300 million for a license to launch Syria's third mobile network operator, but it hasn't started the project. This raises the question of whether the projects Iran is undertaking will actually see the light of day amid the wave of US economic sanctions it faces.

Osama Kady, head of the Syrian Economic Task Force, told Al-Monitor that these projects, among others, are a way to repay Iran for losses it suffered during the Syrian war. Iran has spent billions of dollars a year supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad since the civil war began in 2011.

The projects, he said, include the Deir ez-Zor power station, the mobile network, agricultural investments in large areas stretching over no less than 5,000 hectares in Latakia, and the phosphate mine in Khunayfis, Homs province. Add to this the construction of oil reservoirs and other real estate projects, he added.

All of the investments that the Iranians have signed with the regime will depend on the international political balance," he said, referring to any new or previous political deals and how areas of influence are divided up. For example, it will be difficult for Russia to allow the Iranians to invest in phosphate, as Russia has already signed an agreement with the Syrian regime allowing Russia to invest in phosphate and other mining resources. This Russian agreement was signed before the Iranian-Syrian memorandum.

In addition, one of the deals between Iran and Syria is for Iran to rehabilitate the power station in Deir ez-Zor. But Americans aren't likely to allow Iran to enter their area of control in Deir ez-Zor.

Some potential investments such as these "merely serve media and political purposes aimed at entrenching Iranian influence in Syria, and are likely to be delayed, Kady added.

As Western countries refrain from participating in Syrias reconstruction because no political resolution has been reached, Iran might be able to rebuild part of the electricity network to alleviate the electricity shortage plaguing Syria.

According to Kady, however, the question arises as to the efficiency, continuity and environmental friendliness of the Iranian and Russian manufacturers, who can't compete with German, US or Canadian manufacturers.

Also, the financial revenues Iran would reap from participating in Syrias reconstruction are negligible, considering Iran's budget. Even though Iran is struggling financially, the Iranian GDP in 2016 amounted to $404.4 billion, while the Syrian GDP didn't exceed $60.04 billion before the revolution in 2011. [Syria's] GDP has now sunk to $11.9 billion. In other words, the return on Iranian projects in Syria is very marginal for the Iranian economy, but such projects serve as political and media messages used by Iranian decision-makers to achieve a better Iranian position in the world, Kady said.

Without a prompt political solution in Syria, the electricity shortage will remain a problem. Other sectors won't be able to recover, either, as long as Syria is divided into different areas controlled by several countries around the world  such as Iran, Russia, the United States and Turkey.
"I dont believe any country would dare commit such a crime without the support of the US," said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at an Oct. 24 cabinet meeting. Rouhani condemned the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as a "heinous crime" and advised the Turkish government to conduct a "precise and impartial" investigation into Saudi Arabia's role in it. He blamed the same US support for the Saudis' "savage bombardment" of the Yemeni people.

Turkey is playing a central role in the Khashoggi revelations that have rocked the world media  including Iranian outlets. Yet an Oct. 23 speech by Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan disappointed several Iranian hard-line papers and even some moderates, as he did not spill the secrets they had anticipated. "US, Turkey, Saudi colluding to close the Khashoggi murder case," opined Jomhouri-e Islami, a moderate paper with an agenda aligned with that of the Rouhani administration. The article read, "Erdogan made no mention of [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman  and addressed the parliament only after the CIA chief landed in Turkey." The article alleged that bin Salman managed to buy Trump and Erdogan's silence.

Hard-line Kayhan took a similar tone: "Erdogan running with the hare and hunting with the hounds," read its sarcastic headline, suggesting that the Turkish president is exploiting the killing. "Everyone was expecting his speech to be a coup de grace on bin Salman, but he only continued his game to grab more concessions from the Saudis." Kayhan reported the intelligence Erdogan presented in the speech was already outdated and that with his praise for the Saudi king, "he kept the door open for a deal" on Khashoggi's murder. Javan, another hard-line paper, expressed equal dismay at Erdogan for his failure to offer the "bare truth" he had promised.

Still, there were some who applauded the Turkish president's approach. Describing the case as a "Jamal Gate" scandal for Saudi Arabia, the Reformist daily Ghanoon argued that Erdogan emerged "triumphant" by "smartly" rejecting Saudi concessions, a view shared by many Iranians on social media. "In return for the closure of the Khashoggi file, the Saudis promised Erdogan financial aid and a lifting of the Qatari blockade, but he rejected it," one user tweeted, adding, "With his sophistication, Erdogan has managed to keep the news [of Khashoggis killing] as the worlds top headline." Posting a picture of the Saudi crown prince shaking hands with Khashoggis son, another user wrote, "You smother the man to death and then you force his son to meet you for your condolences. You must have a lot of nerve. Only Mohammad bin Salman can be that shameless!"

To many, the embarrassment the Khashoggi case has brought to the Saudi ruling family and the intensifying tensions around it were a one-in-a-million chance for Iran, but Tehran failed to exploit the golden opportunity. Pro-reform Etemad praised its "strategic silence," saying Iran does not need to react. "All it should do is sit back and watch as the gap widens in the alliance Trump had been building to intensify pressure on Tehran."
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq  After a three-week delay, election commissioners announced Oct. 21 the final results of the Iraqi Kurdistan regions parliamentary elections, in which the two major parties won most of the seats and the main opposition parties rejected the results.

A year after the failed independence referendum and its disastrous results, Iraqs Kurds voted last month in parliamentary elections that witnessed a low turnout and alleged large-scale voter fraud and irregularities by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

According to the final results announced by the Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission (IHERC), the ruling KDP came first with 688,070 votes, winning 45 out of 111 seats in the Kurdish assembly, positioning it to lead the next regional government. In the last parliamentary vote, in 2013, the KDP won 38 seats.

The PUK came in second in this election with 319,219 votes, winning 21 seats; the party had 18 seats in 2013. The Gorran party, also called the Change Movement, is the largest Kurdish opposition group and won 12 seats this time, down sharply from 24 in 2013.

While four of the nine Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) commissioners rejected the results, five commissioners  all affiliated with the KDP and the PUK  rushed to pass the votes final results, then held a midnight press conference in Erbil to announce them. The KRG is based in Erbil.

The four objecting commissioners, who are linked to the three main Kurdish opposition parties, issued a statement saying, The results of the election are not final and complete because they are full of shortcomings."

The dissenting commissioners concluded, "We were against the meeting and consider it illegal. We believe this work is unprofessional. That's why we didnt vote for it, nor do we approve it. We reject it."

Following the announcement of formal and final results, Nechirvan Barzani, the current KRG prime minister, called on all the political parties to remain patient and unified while Cabinet members are selected to form the new government.

Tension had escalated between the KDP and the PUK since the latter secured the election Oct. 2 of Barham Salih as president of the federal government in Baghdad  a largely ceremonial position reserved for a Kurdish politician. But the parties have both accepted the parliamentary elections results, showing signs of future cooperation in forming the next regional government.

Other parties, however, voiced many complaints.

The Change Movement completely rejects those results and will take all legal measures against it, the movement said in an Oct. 21 statement.

New Generation, a new opposition party led by businessman Shaswar Abdulwahid, rejected the results the day after the vote, calling the elections "rigged." Though New Generation got 127,115 votes, securing eight parliament seats, it said it will boycott the next legislative session.

The Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), which won seven seats, also said it would take legal action to oppose the results.

The electoral commission wasn't just in its treatment of the complaints and the voter fraud," and failed to take into consideration the opinions of the four dissenting KRG commissioners, KIG spokesman Rebwar Hamad told Al-Monitor. He also said the party will present all its evidence of voter fraud to the appropriate legal bodies, and the KIG leadership will convene soon to make their final decision on the regions vote and the political process.

The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan and the Reform and Development Movement, which jointly created the Reform List, won five seats. The KIU ran alone in 2013, when it secured 10 seats.

The KIU political bureau also said in a statement it rejects the election results and will pursue legal recourse.

The Communist Party, as part of the Azadi List, secured one seat. The Coalition for Democracy and Justice, which officially boycotted the election, had looked like it would secure a seat anyway when 85% of the votes were counted, but in the final outcome it lost its seat.

Out of the 11 seats reserved for the KRG minority groups, the Turkmens won five, the Christians five and the Armenians one.

The election commission said it received 1,045 individual complaints of electoral fraud and violations. After an investigation, the commission decided to annul the results of 96 polling stations, voiding around 119,000 votes.

IHERC secretary Esmael Khormali, who is from the KIU and did not approve of the results, told Al-Monitor there were so many complaints and irregularities that the electoral commission should have analyzed them carefully and resolved them.

We have asked that wherever there was a complaint against a political side regarding a ballot box, the vote of that political side be canceled  not the votes of all the other political sides, since this is the appropriate and just way, Khormali said. But the five commissioners decided to void all political sides' votes  thus the commissions credibility has come under the question."

The KRG judicial elections board had earlier ruled that results could be approved by a simple majority of 50% plus one, striking down the KRG commissions regulation that results must be ratified by two-thirds of the commissioners.

Shirwan Zrar, the IHERCs official spokesman and one of the four commissioners who rejected the results, told Al-Monitor the political parties have three days, until Oct. 24, to raise complaints with the KRG Court of Cassation about the announced results.

The Kurdistan region, which is already on edge because of disputes about democracy, and billions of dollars in foreign debts, may be dragged into further political, social and economic turmoil now that the opposition parties have rejected the vote results. The parties publicly say they might not be able to control the outrage of people who  frustrated by electoral corruption, high unemployment and poor services  could rebel against the ruling parties in the future.

The Kurdistan region is likely to see increased economic growth. If several opposition parties continue to reject the results of the elections, this could fuel near-term instability," Seth J. Frantzman, executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis, told Al-Monitor.

He continued, A stable Kurdistan is foremost in the interest of the Kurdistan region, Baghdad and the neighboring states of Turkey and Iran, as well as Western governments such as the US. Although there are disputes regarding influence in the Kurdistan region, overall, after the defeat of [the Islamic State], the region needs stability so Iraq can move forward into a new era of security.
The day after Israel signed the Oslo Accord with the Palestinians, the Jordanians rushed to sign in Washington the Israeli-Jordanian Common Agenda on Sept. 14, 1993. The Oslo process had caught the Jordanians by surprise: They were taken aback and wanted to guarantee their place in the new arrangements that were emerging in the region.

The common agenda became the starting point for peace negotiations between the two states; these negotiations ended a few months later in King Husseins palace. Then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Jordanian king held their discussions in the palace for many long hours into the night. The two heads of state came to arrangements regarding all the points that had remained, until then, in dispute. The peace treaty was signed on Oct. 26, 1994.

As a result of the common agenda, several representatives of localities in the Negevs Arava region along Israels eastern border asked to meet with me; I was then deputy minister of foreign affairs. They explained that they had important information regarding a future peace agreement between Israel and Jordan. When I received them, I was surprised to hear their story and their request.

They told me that during the years after the signing of the Armistice Agreement between Israel and Jordan in 1949, Israeli farmers in villages and kibbutzim had moved the border signs between the two states. They had been cultivating land tracts and fields beyond the armistice line, and the Jordanians had not stopped them. The farmers said that if the peace agreement perpetuated the armistice line, they would lose their main source of income. They demanded that we make sure that the new border include the sections that they, the Israelis, had cultivated.

I was taken aback by the story, and also by the demand. I told them that I could understand a situation of differences of opinion regarding a border line, when each side argues that a specific section belongs to it; in that case the problem would be solved by dividing the section under disagreement or by international arbitration. But here there was no argument at all: The farmers admitted that Israelis had taken what did not belong to them, and now they were asking that Israel not sign the peace agreement with Jordan until Jordan gave ex post facto consent to the deception!

I told them that perhaps the problem could be solved through territorial exchange. I transferred their message to the prime minister, who was personally in charge of the Jordanian issue, and tracts of land were, indeed, exchanged. I assume that Yitzhak Rabin received similar, additional demands from farmers in the region; clearly this was taken into account during the negotiations.

And so it was: 10.4 square miles of Jordanian sovereign land were annexed to Israel in exchange for Israeli sovereign territory of the same size. In addition, 7.7 square miles of cultivated land from the Tzofar region in the Arava Regional Council would be leased to Israel for 25 years with the option of extension. A smaller area of 3.2 square miles in the Naharayim region (in Israels north) would also be leased under the same conditions; this tract had also been cultivated by the farmers of two kibbutzim in the area.

According to the peace agreement, should one side want to cancel the leasing arrangement, it would have to announce as such a year before the end of the leasing period, so that the sides could consult with one another regarding the fate of these plots.

This arrangement was of great importance, not only with regard to Israels relations with Jordan but also regarding the agreements possible influence on future deals. For example, a land-exchange option based on the 1967 borders became a realistic option in a possible agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The leasing principle could also serve as a precedent for a possible arrangement with Syria regarding the Golan Heights or part of it.

Ultimately, though, the leasing agreement served as a weapon in the hands of the Jordanian opposition against the king. As the final date neared for Jordan to make an announcement (in the case that it did not intend to extend the lease), demonstrations filled Jordanian streets and people called on the parliament not to gives presents to Israel. King Abdullah evidently felt that he had better accede to the angry voices and crowds. Thus, he announced the revocation of the leasing arrangement Oct. 21.

The State of Israel was taken by surprise and angered, while the Israeli farmers are arguing that such a change will rob them of their livelihoods. Yet it is hard to understand the sudden shock: It is a very clear clause in the addendum to the agreement, and under the circumstances one would have expected the farmers to search for alternative livelihoods. The king did not violate any agreement when he chose to execute the clause allowing him to stop leasing Jordanian land after a quarter of a century. Evidently, those who did not even consider entering into negotiations in time (namely the Israeli government), will now have to try to wrangle a deal in which Israeli farmers would till the same land, but under Jordan sovereignty.

It is a well-known fact that when a contract for renting an apartment is due to expire after a few years, the owner is allowed to ask for higher rent for the future, or any other demand connected to the apartment itself. But it is hard to imagine that raising the price in the Jordanian case would solve the problem. Since Abdullah has already heeded the voice of the crowds, he would have to come up with a very good reason for changing his mind. And this reason just may be connected to the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic process.

In one of the conversations I held with the king, he told me the following: You Israelis, you dont understand that when a single Palestinian is killed by Israeli hands, a mourning tent pops up to the east of the Jordan river. If Israel engages this year in diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians for a solution based on the 1967 borders, then the king of Jordan could change his mind on the lease. Such negotiations would offer him a valid argument for prolonging it. But at this point in time, it is hard to believe that such an option still exists  especially since we are talking about an election year in Israel.

Now comes the next question: how important is it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help those Israeli farmers who will suffer from termination of the Jordanian lease? Certainly, he will try to persuade the king to extend the lease, this time for a shorter time period, and perhaps for a higher price. But that may not be enough. Netanyahu will not want to initiate a confrontation with Jordan, the country that distanced the security border for Israel tremendously.

For the Jordanian lease to be renewed next year, Israel would need a new government. If elections are held early, or Netanyahu resigns due to criminal charges against him; and if a new government is formed, and this new government really and sincerely pursues talks with President Mahmoud Abbas, then the Jordanians could change their mind on the lease. And then the Tzofar and Naharayim farmers would be able to continue cultivating the fields. Otherwise, they will have to start looking for other work.
CAIRO  Middle Eastern countries from Egypt to Lebanon have lined up their candidates for the Academy Awards for best foreign language film, hoping that their young directors and cast of first-timers can bring home the coveted prize.

The young cineastes of the region have courage and innovation that makes them come up with unique ideas for successful movies, Ismail Sonaa, the founder of Egypts Ismail Sonaa blog on movies, told Al-Monitor. If the young directors pull off a few international awards in 2019, it may mark the beginning of a youth revolution in Middle Eastern cinema, he said.

Egypt and Lebanon have particularly high hopes for this years Academy Awards. Both countries' official nominations for best foreign film have already been tested before international audiences: Capernaum by Lebanese director and writer Nadine Labaki and Yomeddine (Judgement Day) by Egyptian director and writer Abu Bakr Shawky were screened at the Cannes Festival in May, getting positive reviews and, in the case of Yomeddine, the Francois Chalais Prize.

Labaki, who has directed and written four films including "Caramel," is part of a new generation of young directors in Lebanon. She collaborated with young writers Jihad Hojeily and Michelle Keserwany on the film, which tells the story of 12-year-old Zein, who takes his parents to court for giving him life in a world of pain and suffering. The film stars a number of new actors such as Kawthar al-Haddad and Fadi Yousef, who make their first appearances in the world of cinema.

Likewise, 33-year-old award-winner Shawky also used amateur actors for his tragicomedy on discrimination and friendship. "Yomeddine" portrays the relationship between a recovered leper and a Nubian child as both travel across Egypt. Both lead roles are played by first-timers: Rady Gamal and Ahmed Abdelhafiz.

Young filmmakers are behind many other regional nominees. Algerias nominee, Until the End of Time, was directed and written by 36-year-old Yasmine Chouikh. It tells the story of Johar, a woman grieving the death of her husband, and becomes a romance when she meets Ali the gravedigger.

Tunisia nominated the dark and daring Beauty and the Dogs, directed and written by 41-year-old Kaouther Ben Hania. Based on a real story, the film casts a critical eye on rape and sexual harassment in Tunisia.

Israel nominated "The Cakemaker," written and directed by 37-year-old Ofir Raul Graizer. The film, which was honored at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival earlier this year, narrates the love affair between Thomas, a young German baker, and a married Israeli man who frequently visits Berlin on business. When the man dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking answers about his death.

Turkey chose award-winning director Nur Bilge Ceylans "The Wild Pear Tree" as its entry. The movie tells the story of a young university graduate and would-be writer who comes back to his rural village with a diploma but no job and tries to decide what to do with his life. Nostalgic, emotional and pessimistic, the film depicts the lost hopes of Turkey's young people, as well as their youthful insolence.

Meanwhile, Iran selected Vahid Jalilvands No Date, No Signature, a story about the complex death of an 8-year-old boy and the guilt of the adults who might have caused it. The movie is co-written by director Jalilwand and Ali Zarnegar, who is in his 20s. The movie is the second by Jalilvand, following his famous first movie Wednesday, May 9.

Most of the submissions are not only by young directors, but also focus on adults people and children. The nominees of Lebanon, Iran and Egypt center on the poverty, marginalization and suffering of children in the region, while Israel, Tunisia and Turkeys submissions deal with sexuality, rebellion and the thwarted dreams of young people.

Given the subjects, it is not surprising that the cast of the films make up a long list of new actors, such as Mariam Al Ferjani and Ghanem Zrelli from Tunisia, Hazar Erguclu and Dogu Demirkol from Turkey and Amir Aghaee and Zakieh Behbahani from Iran.

But jury is still out on whether the regions bright young directors can take credit for revolutionizing the Middle East cinema scene.

[Young directors] have a modern vision and a fresh outlook compared to the old and more established directors and actors, Egyptian cinema critic Nadel Adly told Al-Monitor, explaining that the young directors are both ambitious and in sync with the times. Using social media and the internet, they are more capable of staying up to date with and benefitting from the artistic vibes flowing across the world. There is a desire to defy and prove wrong all those who did not believe in them as amateurs. This desire prompts them to prove themselves and make influential movies.

Sonaa, the Egyptian cinema blogger, pointed out that the Arab Spring and national revolutions have helped increase freedoms in the Arab world and the Middle East in general, saying that many of these directors have focused on controversial subjects  such as marginalization, poverty, freedoms, sexual harassment, homosexuality  that were rarely taken up before the Arab Spring.

Jaber al-Ghoul, a Syrian film critic who writes for the Film Magazine blog, told Al-Monitor that it is still too early to tell whether the young generation is set to take over the cinema world in the Middle East. The current season may have been an exception, he said, explaining that it would not be fair to assume that only youngsters have modern visions. He warned not to overlook the achievements of many veteran directors such as Youssef Chahine, Abbas Kiarostami, Omar Amiralay, Mohammed Lakhdar Hamina and Hany Abu-Assaad, all of whom had been innovative in the industry.

But just how many of these nominations will make it to the Academy Awards' shortlist for foreign language films in early January? Eylem Atakav, a Turkish lecturer in film and television studies at the University of East Anglia in the United Arab Emirates and founder of the Eylem Atakav blog, told Al-Monitor that it's too early to declare victory. "The Academy Awards are not international like the Cannes Film Festival Awards. It is an American award and the movies nominated for best foreign film will be assessed from an American perspective, she said.

Most of the Arab or Middle Eastern films rely on a classical narrative that includes an exposition, a rising action, a climax and a resolution. US films tend to be modern and may start with the climax. The closer the movie is to the American style, the better chances it has, she added.

Paraskevi Nizoud, the Iranian founder of the Iranian Film Empire blog, told Al-Monitor that he does not expect any of the films representing the Middle East to win. The award, he said, is a political one that tends to prefer Middle Eastern films whose social and political point of view is close to the United States' own.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The Qatar Fund for Development announced Oct. 11 its intent to offer financial aid and relief projects worth $150 million to the Gaza Strip, upon orders from Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Meanwhile, many Qatari associations launched a relief campaign called Gaza Deserves a Better Life on Oct. 7, under the auspices of the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities. The effort seeks to collect millions of dollars in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. The Qatar Red Crescent, the Qatar Charity, Education Above All and Silatech participated in the campaign.

The two-week campaign seeks to address the following urgent needs in the Gaza Strip: health, education, water and economic empowerment. The campaign ended Oct. 21. Donations reached 5 million Qatari riyals (about $1.3 million) by Oct. 16. The donors are anonymous and can make deposits at Qatari banks.

Before this latest campaign, Qatar had offered $60 million to buy the necessary fuel to operate Gaza's only power station, in cooperation with Israel and the special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov. A total of 11 fuel trucks entered Gaza between Oct. 9 and 12. However, on Oct. 13, no more trucks were allowed to enter upon an order from Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman, in response to the Palestinian protests on the Israeli border Oct. 12.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) complained to the UN secretary-general about Mladenovs meddling in internal Palestinian affairs.

The PA also expressed anger regarding official Qatari aid, part of which reached the Gaza Strip directly and not through Palestinian governmental organizations. The PA warned that this support is an attempt to barter Palestinian political rights for humanitarian aid, ultimately separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank.

Many Qatari development projects have been implemented in the Gaza Strip in coordination with the Palestinian government in Ramallah. Most recently, Qatari Ambassador to Palestine Mohammed al-Emadi inaugurated the Palace of Justice in Gaza Sept. 16 in the presence of Moufid al-Hasayneh, the minister of works and public housing in the consensus government. The ambassador also inaugurated a project to pave a main road in the Gaza Strip to connect its north and south.

Akram Nassar, director of the Qatar Red Crescent in the Gaza Strip, told Al-Monitor that the Gaza Deserves a Better Life campaign seeks to support 12 humanitarian projects in Gaza in the fields of health, water, environmental reform and social development. The total value of the projects is estimated at 53 million Qatari riyals ($15 million).

Nassar said the Qatari organizations were compelled to launch the campaign in Gaza due to the deterioration of its humanitarian situation, the decline of basic services, the exacerbating poverty and unemployment. He noted that funding would start as soon as the campaign ends and the sums of money for the project implementation become available.

According to Nassar, the Qatar Red Crescent has implemented 80 relief and development projects in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its work there in 2008. The projects have cost a total of $110 million and benefited more than a million Gaza residents.

Qatar Charity, an organization participating in the campaign, announced Oct. 14 that its projects annually benefit 800,000 Palestinians or 40% of the population of the Gaza Strip.

By supporting Palestinians, Qatar wants to cement its political position in the Middle East. Qatar has good relations with Hamas, and in July 2018, Qatar indirectly brokered the truce between Hamas and Israel amid rising Palestinian protests on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Strip's tough economic and humanitarian situation stems from the 12-year Israeli blockade. The PA slashed government employees salaries in the Gaza Strip in March 2017, and the United States halted more than $500 million in humanitarian aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) and to development projects in Palestinian territories.

Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee, told Al-Monitor, We will not stand idly while the parties implicated in this dirty game that overstepped the Palestinian government and leadership offer aid to the Gaza Strip. Mladenov is one of them, and we no longer accept any dealings with him. We have asked the UN secretary-general to stop Mladenov from continuing to overstep.

In response, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Oct. 12 that he fully supports Mladenovs efforts.

Majdalani said help is being given to Hamas under the pretext of humanitarian aid while in reality it aims to cement Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, give it legitimacy and prepare it to be a future partner in the US plan to separate the West Bank from the Gaza Strip.

Different social classes in the Gaza Strip  from the poor and unemployed, to those whose homes have been destroyed by Israel  benefit from Qatari projects implemented in coordination with the Palestinian government, especially in terms of reconstruction. Qatari Ambassador Emadi told Reuters Feb. 22 that the funds that Qatar transfers for Palestinian relief are given with Washingtons blessings. This coordination shows that Qatar does not support Hamas, but is helping Israel avoid a new war in Gaza, he added.

Majdalani said the PA informed Emadi, during his visit to Ramallah Sept. 13, that any aid or projects must first go through the Palestinian government, and there should be no overstepping.

Head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh asserted Oct. 13 that they would not accept any solutions that do not completely lift the blockade off the Gaza Strip. Speaking at the funeral procession of seven Palestinians shot and killed by the Israeli army during protests along the border, he added, We will not barter the Great March of Return protests for diesel and money although we appreciate the Arab and international efforts to help Gazas citizens.

A report issued Sept. 24 by the World Bank showed that the Gaza Strip's economy is rapidly collapsing and that the aid offered to Palestinians lately is unable to stimulate economic growth. Unemployment in Gaza has reached 54% (70% of whom are youth).

Talal Okal, a political analyst and journalist at al-Ayam newspaper, told Al-Monitor that the United States and Israel are expediting the implementation of the deal of the century under the slogan of rehabilitating the Gaza Strip, and are sending humanitarian and economic aid through countries like Qatar.

He noted that the PA is well aware of the plans of the United States and Israel, unlike Hamas, which believes this aid is the result of the Great March of Return that began in March.

Journalist and political activist Houssam al-Dujani told Al-Monitor that the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip expresses a changing international and regional atmosphere with the escalation of the Great March of Return. Some parties have taken advantage of offering aid to play a political role in the Palestinian cause.

The Qatari support for the Gaza Strip has gained momentum since the end of the second Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in 2012. And since then, it has contributed to rehabilitating many sectors in the Gaza Strip.
As Iraq was going through the complicated process of forming a new government, Russia was watching closely. Now that the election cycles in both countries have finished, Moscow hopes the two countries can consolidate their relationship. The main elements of Russian foreign policy remain unchanged for the most part under the new Iraqi government, though some positive shifts can already be seen.

A new political reality was shaped during the four-year term of outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and the peaceful transition of power through elections has basically strengthened the trend toward stabilization in the Middle Eastern country. Under these conditions, Moscow and Baghdad have serious potential to develop further cooperation.

On Oct. 4, military officers from Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria marked the third anniversary of the launch of the Baghdad Coordination and Information Center, which was created to exchange information and solve specific problems of coordination in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and special envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, has already alluded to the possibility of creating a comprehensive security system in Iraq and training military contingents.

In a late September ceremony at the Iraqi Embassy in Moscow, he didnt rule out the possibility of Russia deploying its troops in Iraq should Baghdad approve.

The Russian Defense Ministry and Rosoboronexport company closely interact with the Iraqi government. A special intergovernmental commission was created," Bogdanov said, adding, "We are helping Iraq to train military and security professionals. Moreover, Russia supplies weapons to this nation, making it the second-largest importer of Russian military equipment in the world, just after India. However, considering the deployment of regular troops, such as in Syria, it fully depends on the political will of Iraqs leaders. Russia will provide military help only if Iraqi leaders request this."

Can the military-technical aspect of cooperation with Baghdad become a priority for Moscow? This question can be partly answered if we look closely into the personality of the new Russian co-chair of the intergovernmental commission, Yury Borisov. Unlike Dmitry Rogozin before him, Borisov is a lesser-known politician. As an ex-deputy defense minister with a technocrat background in both his education and career, Borisov is the most fitting person to promote scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and Iraq. If the Arab country also chooses a person able to push through necessary decisions as a commission co-chair, Baghdad will benefit greatly from the partnership with Moscow. Thus, many factors depend on the internal politics of Iraq as well as the will of Iraqis themselves.

As Al-Monitor previously reported, Moscow has been bracing itself for a turn of events in post-election Iraq. Even though Barham Salih, considered a pro-American politician, was elected president, Moscow continues to maintain and develop contacts in Iraq. For instance, Mohammed al-Halbousi, Iraq's new pro-Iran parliament speaker, has already met Russian Ambassador Maxim Maximov and has been invited by Vyacheslav Volodin, his Russian counterpart, to visit Moscow soon  which is supposed to strengthen ties between the nations' parliaments.

Iraqi leaders realize that to maintain stability, they need to show Americans and Iranians that Baghdad may always appeal to Moscow as a backup partner. Although Russias capabilities are limited compared with those of the United States or Iran, it can show up when necessary as an experienced player with specific skills in the sectors Iraq needs at the time. These sectors aren't restricted only to energy and security cooperation, though the potential in these spheres is indeed great and Moscow is on par with other leading nations. Russia is able to offer its support in electricity and water supplies  a weak spot in Iraq's economy. Russian companies can find new opportunities related to Iraq opening its border crossing with Syria and in ensuring the safety of the Baghdad-Damascus highway. Strengthening relations between Iraq and Syria will help stabilize the Middle East in general, and Moscow views this process as a positive regional trend.

In this context, it will be especially interesting to see who Iraq selects as co-chair of the intergovernmental commission. The current one, Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, is working diligently to develop relations between Moscow and Baghdad. Moreover, it's safe to say that Russia and Iraq have similar visions regarding the Syria problem. It was Jaafari who visited Damascus Oct. 14 to meet with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem, as well as with President Bashar al-Assad himself. Traditionally, either Jaafari or Faleh al-Fayadh, chairman of Popular Mobilization Units, represent Iraq on official visits to Syria. During his visit, Jaafari pointed out that Iraq promotes establishing close coordination and [a] strategic partnership with Syria in the name of achieving a better future for the two countries." However, it's not clear whether Jaafari will retain his position under the government of Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdul Mahdi.

In August, Abadi had removed Fayadh from all of his positions, but recently he was fully reinstituted by the Constitutional Court. His prompt return to power means that he and his allies have significant influence on the decision-making process in Iraq. Fayadh seems to be one of the most pragmatic individuals in Iraqi politics. Damascus accepts him, and he has established contacts at influential government institutions in Russia such as the Russian Security Council.

Finally, the Coordination and Information Center in Baghdad continues to function successfully. Future modes of interaction between the nations participating in it should be developed soon. It may be reasonable to use this organization to promote confidence-building measures and encourage the creation of a regional security structure. In conjunction with the Syrian peace talks led by Russia, Turkey and Iran, these steps may benefit all parties, both regional and external.

Nevertheless, in spite of the positive shifts in relations between Moscow and Baghdad, many factors still depend on the political processes inside Iraq as well as the policies carried out by players such as the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
WASHINGTON  US President Donald Trump heaped scorn on ally Saudi Arabia today, calling the Oct. 2 plot that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul very bad and attempts for weeks afterward to dissemble about it the worst cover-up ever.

They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly and the cover-up was the worst in the history of cover-ups, an exasperated Trump told the White House press pool in the Oval Office today. They had the worst cover-up ever.

Whoever thought of that idea I think is in big trouble and they should be in big trouble, Trump said.

Trumps considerably tougher tone on Riyadh came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that as a first step, the United States would be revoking the visas of those Saudis it has identified as being part of the operation, and would explore the possibility of imposing Global Magnitsky Act sanctions.

We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible in Khashoggis killing, including from Saudi Arabias intelligence services, royal court and other government ministries, Pompeo told journalists at the State Department late this afternoon. The administration is moving to revoke their visas and put them on visa watch lists, while it continues to seek all relevant facts.

These penalties will not be the last word, Pompeo stressed. Neither the president or I are happy with this situation.

Twenty-one Saudi suspects in Khashoggi's death will have their visas revoked or be ineligible for a US visa, a State Department spokesperson later said.

Pompeo declined to say if he believed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was ultimately responsible for authorizing the plot to abduct or kill Khashoggi, who had written columns for the Washington Post critical of Salmans war in Yemen and of intolerance for dissent and free expression at home.

Trump, who sent CIA Director Gina Haspel to Turkey this week to learn what evidence the Turks have uncovered, said he expected to have more information soon. But already, he seemed increasingly exasperated with Riyadh.

"We have people over in Saudi Arabia now. We have top intelligence people in Turkey, and we're going to see what we have, Trump said. I'll know a lot tomorrow.

In terms of what we ultimately do, Im going to leave it very much  in conjunction with me  Im going to leave it up to Congress, Trump said.

I think Ill know everything in a short period of time, Trump said. I want to see the facts first.
Turkeys relationship with Saudi Arabia may be a loveless one because of the rivalry between the two regional powers for influence in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the relationship has been a cordial one for pragmatic reasons, in which the sides have always sought to contain any crisis between them.

This is undoubtedly why Ankara is treading relatively cautiously in its approach to the now confirmed murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

It is generally believed that the Turkish side has been holding back officially to give Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud time to work out a credible formula for sorting out this problem. Ankara is seeking a formula that does not harm bilateral ties but that also assuages Turkish anger over the selection of Turkey for carrying out this crime.

More than three weeks have elapsed since the murder of Khashoggi. Nevertheless, Ankara has taken its time to officially reveal what facts it has already established.

Still, Ankara chose to leak information to domestic and foreign media about the case to indicate that it will not let this affair be swept under the carpet. These leaks were undoubtedly also aimed at forcing Riyadh to come clean over the murder.

At any rate, the killing of Khashoggi has become too much of an international affair for Ankara to engage in a blatant cover-up. The handling of this case has also become a matter of personal prestige for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has characterized Khashoggi as a close friend of long standing.

Khashoggi was also known to have close friends within Erdogans inner circle and the ruling Justice and Development Party. Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Erdogan, was the whistleblower on Khashoggis disappearance.

The detailed information that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan provided on Oct. 23 during an address to his parliamentary group in Ankara was the first time that Turkey has officially revealed what it knows about the case so far. It also shows that the investigation is being coordinated by the presidency.

Erdogans revelations did not contain much that was unknown, of course. Most of what he said is public knowledge because of the large number of leaks by official sources, which began immediately after Khashoggis disappearance.

Nevertheless, Ankara expects the information Erdogan made public to result in international action against Riyadh to force it to investigate this affair in a credible manner and to bring those responsible to justice.

King Salmans call to Erdogan Oct. 14 to discuss the affair, on the other hand, pointed to a desire on Riyadhs part not to destabilize ties with Ankara at this point in time.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Salman thanked Erdogan for welcoming the kingdom's proposal to form a joint working group to discuss the disappearance of Khashoggi.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques stressed the keenness of the kingdom on its relations with Turkey, as much as the brotherly Republic of Turkey is keen on that, and that no one will undermine the strength of this relationship, the SPA reported.

Many in Ankara took Salman's remarks with a pinch of salt.

This is probably the warmest statement the kingdom has made on Turkish-Saudi relations in recent years, retired Ambassador Ali Tuygan wrote in an article for his Diplomatic Opinion blog. The truth is [that] Saudi Arabia has traditionally looked at Turkey as a regional rival, he added.

Despite the warm statement on the Salman-Erdogan phone call, the Saudis will have a long-lasting grudge against the Turkish government for its handling of Jamal Khashoggis murder, Tuygan argued.

This latest statements only objective is to secure Turkeys cooperation in getting Riyadh out of the corner it has put itself into, he wrote.

Erdogans special adviser Ilnur Cevik stirred the cauldron when he argued that Turkey was providing space for Salman to act. By not scratching the surface of this matter too much, [Turkey] is showing its goodwill and helping King Salman, Cevik argued in his column in the pro-government news portal Yeni Birlik.

Contrary to Ceviks view, Turkey is, in fact, doing more than just scratching the surface of this matter. Aware of the wide coverage this case is receiving internationally, Ankara is conducting a thorough investigation using advanced forensic methods to gather evidence.

Meanwhile, no government denials or rebuttals have been issued about the information leaked so far to the media by unnamed official sources regarding this case. The facts revealed by Erdogan also confirm that much of what was leaked was factual to a great extent.

The problem for Ankara is that Riyadhs shifting narrative regarding Khashoggi's killing does fully tally with the information provided by Erdogan.

There is the risk for Ankara, therefore, that if the present Saudi narrative  which contradicts the Turkish account on crucial points  gains traction, this will leave Turkey in a bad light. This possibility is also forcing Ankaras hand to solve the Khashoggi murder case based on concrete evidence.

Notwithstanding that, some analysts believe Ankara will go along with the Saudi narrative regarding rogue officials who went beyond their brief and killed Khashoggi, which is not what the government had intended.

Nevertheless, Erdogan has made it clear that Ankara is not willing to let this affair be covered up with unconvincing narratives from Riyadh that are not based on any evidence.

Ankara also wants the ranking Saudi officials implicated in the killing of Khashoggi to account for their actions and not be simply punished by losing their jobs.

Letting some security officials take the blame will not satisfy us or the international community, Erdogan said in his address to his parliamentary group.

Erdogan also called on Salman and the Saudi administration to allow the 18 people reportedly arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with this case to be tried in Istanbul where the crime was committed.

According to daily Hurriyet, Ankara wants these persons to be tried in Turkey because it does not believe that any Saudi investigation into the murder of Khashoggi will be credible.

Meanwhile, press reports are indicating that Turkey is preparing to apply to Interpol for red notices to be issued for the arrest of those suspected of involvement in this case, regardless of their rank and position.

It is not surprising that many in Ankara should be hoping that the killing of Khashoggi will force Salman to replace Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Turkish officials believe is ultimately responsible for this murder.

Erdogan and his Islamist support base have little love lost for Prince Mohammed, anyway because of issues like his enmity toward the Muslim Brotherhood and his statements in support of moderate Islam.

Turkish Islamists believe the term moderate Islam is a concept invented by the West to deprive Muslims of their religious rights and keep them in check.

Whether Prince Mohammed stays or goes, the bottom line is that a serious crisis between Turkey and Saudi Arabia seems to have been averted for the time being after the kings intervention.

In order for this to be lasting, Riyadh still has to come up with answers on Khashoggis murder and show that it is serious about punishing those who have been implicated in this crime.
Lelectricite est devenue, de nos jours, un besoin dune importance majeure, et cela, dans tous les domaines dactivite. Que ce soit dans les maisons ou []
The Donald Trump administration caught Palestinians off guard by deciding to merge its consulate in Jerusalem with the newly established Jerusalem embassy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an Oct. 18 statement that the merger, to be led by US Ambassador David Friedman, would "achieve significant efficiencies and increase our effectiveness."

Washington 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 US Embassy Jerusalem, Pompeo said, noting that the new Palestinian Affairs Unit will operate out of the US unit on Agron Street in Jerusalem.

In addition to regular consular affairs, the consulate in Jerusalem serves as the US conduit with the Palestinian people and government and is a direct connection to the US State Department.

Palestinian officials quickly denounced the decision, saying the Trump administration was colluding with Israel to impose Greater Israel with no Palestinian sovereignty, as PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat described it.

The move shows that the US cannot play any role in peacemaking. The Trump administration is part of the problem, not part of the solution, Erekat added in an Oct. 18 statement.

Hanan Jarrar, head of the Americas desk at the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, told Al-Monitor that this grave decision requires a strong response. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in touch with our allies throughout the world and we plan to follow up with them on the best path forward, Jarrar said.

Hanna Issa, a Jerusalem-based lawyer specializing in international affairs, told Al-Monitor that the US decision violates numerous UN Security Council resolutions. This is a clear violation of UNSC resolutions 242 and 338, as well as 478 of 1980, which called on all nations of the world not to recognize Israeli sovereignty over both East and West Jerusalem, Issa said.

Issa added that the US decision, in all its political implications, signals US opposition to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Palestinian position received a public boost by Daniel Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel and Egypt, who attacked the decision in an Oct. 18 op-ed in the New York Daily News. The decision is yet another step that accelerates the burial of an already moribund peace process, Kurtzer wrote.

Kurtzer, now a professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, told Al-Monitor that the United States has had a continuous consular presence in Jerusalem since 1844. We have always been tied to the idea that Jerusalem required a different kind of representation because of the sensitivity of the city and the fact that since the 19th century, diplomats in Jerusalem were responsible to protect religious, political and economic interests of their countries, he said.

Kurtzer said that while the United States didn't accept the 1947 UN demarcation of Jerusalem as a corpus separatum, or separate entity, Washington was careful not to recognize anybody's sovereignty regarding the city. We didn't recognize Jordanian sovereignty after the city and the West Bank were annexed to Jordan, didn't recognize Israeli sovereignty after 1967 and didn't recognize Palestinian recognition after 1988, when Jordan withdrew its role in favor of the Palestinians, Kurtzer added.

It has nothing to do with efficiency and everything to do with permanently changing certain realities which would make it impossible for a future administration to change it back, Miller said.

In the op-ed, Kurtzer questioned whether the creation a Palestinian Affairs Unit within the US Embassy would produce serious engagement. Under this new arrangement, whereby a Palestinian Affairs Unit will presumably try to interact with Palestinians, is there any possibility of fair and honest reporting and commentary? I doubt it," he wrote. "David Friedman, the current US ambassador to Israel, has argued against referring to the occupation of territories that Israel has administered since 1967, notwithstanding both longstanding US policy but also universally held positions.

US State Department officials insist, however, that the decision to merge the consulate with the embassy has no political implications and is instead aimed at making the work of the US diplomatic effort more efficient.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Monitor that the aim of the move is not political; it is just intended to avoid duplicate work. Whether it is something as simple as buying printing supplies, we believe that a single diplomatic mission will be easier to manage and will be able to make better deals that will save money, the official said.

The source admitted that the change is a work in progress but was adamant that consular processes involving all Palestinians will continue in the same building under the heading of Palestinian Affairs Unit.

The source said that individuals born in Jerusalem, whether Jewish or Arab, are still listed in their US passports as being born in Jerusalem, not Israel. Israeli Americans born in Jerusalem have been asking for some time to have their birth country registered as Israel, but Washington has refused to change its policy of listing their place of birth as Jerusalem. In June 2015 and in a 6-3 ruling, the US Supreme Court struck down a law by Congress that would have forced the State Department to change its longstanding policy.

Karen Sasahara, who has been serving as US consul general in Jerusalem since August 2018, will not stay in Jerusalem once the change is complete. While there is no set deadline for the consummation of this change, it will take place expeditiously, the source said, noting that Sasahara will oversee the change in Jerusalem until the end of the current year, or possibly early into 2019, before moving to a new posting.

Erekat rejected the US attempt to cast the move as a bureaucratic measure aimed at efficiency. The US decision to end the existence of the US Consulate  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 [the] international system, and of US foreign policy, in order to reward Israeli violations and crimes, Erekat said in his statement on the PLO's website.

Aaron David Miller, a senior member of the US peace team, told Al-Monitor that the Trump administration's intention is purely political. It has nothing to do with efficiency and everything to do with permanently changing certain realities which would make it impossible for a future administration to change it back, Miller said.

Philip Wilcox, consul general in Jerusalem from 1988-91, told Al-Monitor that the Trump administration has acted against the interest of Americans. "The decisions of this administration have been taken for personal reasons to please donors such as the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. This decision goes directly against decades-long US history, directives and policy."

While Kurtzer concedes that the US decision will hurt peace efforts, he stopped short of saying that whatever is done can't be corrected. It has now become extraordinarily difficult to turn this around, but I would not say it is irreversible, he told Al-Monitor.

Miller, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations and is now vice president for new initiatives at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, listed the various anti-Palestinian decisions made by the current administration and concluded that the message to Palestinians coming from Washington these days is very simple: You lost, get over it.
Developers of Bellefonte Nuclear Plant got their strongest public indication Tuesday that its much-needed potential customer in Memphis isnt interested.

And that rebuke appears to make it more likely that the mothballed plant in northeast Alabama will continue to sit unfinished while again facing a bleak and uncertain future.

Memphis Gas, Light & Water signed a non-binding letter of intent in January to purchase power when Nuclear Development LLC completes the plant in about 2024. But now under new leadership, Memphis Light is pushing away from Bellefonte.

Since (Memphis Light) has not completed its due diligence with respect to the Bellefonte proposal and has not yet received independent feedback on a multitude of concerns, management believes that it is premature to negotiate and commit to the terms of a (power purchase agreement), the document said.

Without a customer, Nuclear Development has said it throws an $8.6 billion loan application with the U.S. Department of Energy into jeopardy. And given that jeopardy, Nuclear Development may decline to complete the purchase from TVA of the plant in Jackson County  which is scheduled to close by Nov. 14.

In short, the deal to purchase and complete Bellefonte appears to hinge on the agreement with Memphis. Nuclear Development said in July it had a customer but declined to identify the client.

Nuclear Development has not responded to a request for comment from AL.com concerning its talks with Memphis.

At the Memphis city council meeting Monday, Memphis Light released a four-page document outlining its concerns for going into business with an unfinished plant as its power source and made its case for why it should walk away from the proposed deal.

The proposal made by NDLLC to MLGW is uncertain because the plant is not yet constructed, the document stated. That means we cannot be certain that the plant will be constructed, when it will be constructed, or how much it will cost.

Bill McCollum, CEO of Nuclear Development, wrote a guest column last week in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. In the column, he underscored the urgency of having Memphis Light signed up as a customer. And that deal must be in place to receive the DOE loan.

"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.

In addressing the Memphis city council earlier this month, McCollum pitched annual savings of $487 million by buying power from Nuclear Development rather than TVA.

In its document, Memphis Light said it was skeptical of those numbers.

It is not possible at this time to confirm any claims of savings for the Bellefonte transaction, the document said. However, MLGW customers would not receive a savings on their power costs until the Bellefonte plant is completed and becomes operational. The amount of that savings will depend on a number of factors including NDLLCs actual costs in completing the plant and the additional capital, administrative and operational costs that MLGW will incur in order to access power from NDLLC and acquire the remainder of the power needed to meet our customers needs.

The document also said Nuclear Developments estimates for annual cost increases from TVA were more than twice what Memphis Light has seen over the past seven or eight years.

Other issues raised by Memphis Light:

 Even if all goes according to Nuclear Developments plan, Bellefonte would not produce enough electricity to meet demand in Memphis.

 Memphis Light would have to make backup arrangements to purchase electricity elsewhere in case the Bellefonte plan falters.

 The fact that Bellefonte would be about 50 years old by completion is cause for concern.

 Finally, the document simply stated among its concerns: The process by which (Nuclear Development) is promoting its proposal.

With the deal appearing to be all but dead, so appears the rejuvenation of the plants rural surroundings via the expected 1,000 jobs that would be created by bringing the plant online.

Its all about economic development, state Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, told AL.com in August. This area has been depressed here for a number of years, dating back to the late 80s and early 90s when we lost most of our sewing and textile industry and heavy industry that was here. Were looking for economic development. This is an opportunity to create jobs - a good number of permanent jobs and a huge number of construction jobs. Thats the simple gist of the matter.
A Huntsville-based credit union on Tuesday released photos from security cameras of two suspects in a possible case of fraud, according to the Madison County sheriffs department.

Redstone Federal Credit Union is seeking the publics assistance in identifying the suspects.

The investigation also involves other north Alabama banks, the sheriffs department said, and the instances of fraud involve ATMs.

The full statement from the sheriffs department:

The Madison County Sheriffs Office has been working with the fraud team at Redstone Federal Credit Union, as well as other financial institutions in North Alabama, in response to the significant increase in ATM fraud throughout the area. Redstone Federal Credit Union has shared several photos of suspects involved in victimizing residents of North Alabama and Redstone Federal Credit Union continues to work with law enforcement in an effort to apprehend these individuals. If anyone has information that will help identify the individuals in these photographs, please contact Investigator Locke at 256-533-8827 or clocke@madisoncounty.gov

The sheriffs department said it has completed 10 case reports since Friday for victims that are customers of three different institutions with ATM cards that were compromised.

Shaw has provided tips on how to protect your account.
Renowned visual artist and musician Lonnie Holley is coming home to Birmingham.

On Thursday, Oct. 25, the citys native son will perform at the Birmingham Museum of Art for the final episode of Chapters, the six-part series of artist talks, conversations, and performances that accompany Third Space, the museums first large exhibit of contemporary art, curated from its own collection.

Holley has two pieces on display in Third Space  his 2013 album, Keeping a Record of It, and his 1997 mixed media sculpture The Pointer Pointing the Way of Life on Earth. His 2004 wire sculpture The Cause of Communication in Construction, hangs in the museums Bohorfoush Gallery as part of the Ways of Seeing: An Exploration of Line exhibition.

Lonnie Holley's record "Keeping a Record of It" and the book "Just Before Music" in the Third Space exhibit at the Birmingham Museum of Art

The artist, whose work has been displayed at The Metropolitan Museum ot Art and is currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is no stranger to commanding an audiences attention as crowds view and discuss his art.

This performance comes nearly two weeks after Holley opened up his studio at 787 Windsor in Atlanta for AFROPUNKs 2018 Carnival of Consciousness. For the third consecutive year, festival attendees could speak with Holley as they watched him paint and tend to his sculptures, all in the center of live punk and hip-hop performances and panel discussions.

Lonnie Holley greets AFROPUNK attendee Tai Rotan. Rotan has long known about Holley's work. His mother has a collection of Holley's art

Seated on a couch in his studio during the festival, Holley said his upcoming performance at the art museum would pay homage to Birmingham, the citys struggles, and those who have achieved success in the face of opposition.

Im going to sing about appreciation for events that are occurring, and I may come back and do a little history, Holley said. Because thats what it all takes.

Despite being a long-time Atlanta resident, Holley, who was born in Birmingham in 1950, has kept a watchful eye on his native city, including the citys highest office.

It looks like there has been just one black mayor after the other. And that's been great to see that you've just kept moving on through your black mayors, said Holley, referencing the legacy of acting and elected Birmingham mayors from Richard Arrington Jr. through Randall Woodfin.

His third album MITH, released in September, is social commentary. And the video for the single I Woke Up in a F--cked Up America, confronts the state of American politics while honoring his artistic contemporaries.

Lonnie Holley holds his record MITH and a photo of one of his wire sculptures at AFROPUNK

Directed by Matt Arnett, the stunning visuals feature Holley in a traveling bed, awakening suddenly in his Atlanta studio, Birminghams Grace Hill Cemetery, and the studio of late Alabama artist Thornton Dial.

In September, Lonnie Holley penned a column for ARTNews, singing the praises of the artists who have inspired him  artists who are also his dear friends.

And its many of those friends  Joe Minter and his wife Hilda Minter of African Village, the Quilters of Gees Bend, Richard and Dan Dial, sons of Thornton Dial, and art collector and curator Bill Arnett  who appear alongside him in the video, all artists whose work graces the countrys most distinguished museums.

Chapter 06: A Musical Performance by Lonnie Holley is at the Birmingham Museum of Art on Thursday, October 25 from 8:00 to 9:00 pm.

Admission is free. For more info, visit https://artsbma.org/event/chapter-06/

The THIRD SPACE exhibit is open until early January.
Theres sharp disagreement about the merits of Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 on the Alabama ballot for Nov. 6 but at least some consensus that the proposals could draw more voters to the polls.

Supporters say the amendments give the state a chance to take meaningful stands against abortion and in favor of government displays of the Ten Commandments.

Critics say the Republican-controlled Legislature put the amendments on the ballot to pander and draw more GOP voters to the polls.

Turnout is generally much lower in general elections with no presidential race on the ballot. Only 40 percent of registered voters participated in Alabamas 2014 general election, far short of the 67 percent that took part in the 2016 general.

I think when Alabamians start focusing as we get closer to November 6th and look at the amendments, they will highly motivate so many conservatives in our state to not only go vote but to vote all the way up and down the ballot, flip their ballots over and find the amendments, state Republican Party Chairwoman Terry Lathan said.

Steve Flowers, a political commentator, author and former state legislator, said abortion and the Ten Commandments are topics that likely to energize some conservative voters, especially church-going folks in rural areas, but not in huge numbers.

I believe that they will drive the votes some, not a significant amount, but will drive some of the evangelical right-wing voters to the polls, Flowers said. And I really think thats the reason those amendments were put on the ballot.

Lawmakers who sponsored the amendments have said boosting Republican turnout was not their purpose.

Amendment 1, the Ten Commandments amendment, says:

Providing for certain religious rights and liberties; authorizing the display of the Ten Commandments on state property and property owned or administrated by a public school or public body; and prohibiting the expenditure of public funds in defense of the constitutionality of this amendment.

Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, sponsored the amendment for more than a decade before it finally passed both Houses this year. Dial said the purpose is to allow school administrators and other officials who want to post the Ten Commandments to be able to fall back on the state Constitution as a ready defense. Dial noted that he saw the Ten Commandments posted at the U.S. Supreme Court when he was there for arguments on a redistricting case.

Why cant we place them at Clay Central High School without worrying about being sued when theyre on the doors of the Supreme Court and theyre also above the justices heads? Dial said. So thats where were coming from. It wasnt designed to get voters to the polls. People in my district wondered why we had gotten so far away from the foundation on which this country was built.

According to the Alabama Fair Ballot Commission, a panel created by the Legislature to write plain-language statements to explain constitutional amendments, there is nothing in the state Constitution that addresses the Ten Commandments.

Amendment 1 makes clear that the Ten Commandments may be displayed on public property so long as the display meets constitutional requirements, such as being displayed along with historical or educational items, the commissions statement says.

Critics of Amendment 1 say that doesnt change anything since such displays are already legal.

Amendment 2, the anti-abortion amendment, says:

To declare and otherwise affirm that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, most importantly the right to life in all manners and measures appropriate and lawful; and to provide that the constitution of this state does not protect the right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.

Rep. Matt Fridy, R-Montevallo, said he sponsored the legislation to ensure that Alabamas constitution can never be ruled as the source of abortion rights. Fridy said that was in response to a Tennessee case. The Roe v. Wade case protects abortion rights nationally as long as the 1973 decision stays in place.

There is disagreement over how the Alabama amendment would come into play if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Both amendments passed the Legislature with the required three-fifths approval in the House and Senate thanks to strong Republican support and with few Democratic votes. Every vote cast against the two bills was by a Democrat.

State Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley said the amendments amount to empty posturing because they are superseded by federal law.

Since both of the amendments are showcasing and were passed by the Republican legislators just to appease a faction of their party, I think people are hopefully going to see through what they were doing, Worley said.

University of Alabama political science Professor Richard Fording said its likely the amendments will lead to a small increase in turnout.

Certainly, I would expect that the boost would largely come from evangelical Republicans, but it is also possible that this will also help mobilize some Democrats as well, Fording said in an email.

Fording said the amendments represent a strategy that will likely fade in effectiveness for the GOP. He noted that they concern issues closely identified in Alabama with Roy Moore, who lost what was considered a rock-solid Republican seat in the U.S. Senate last year. Allegations of inappropriate relations with teenage girls, which Moore staunchly denied, helped sink his candidacy. But Fording said Moores brand of Republican politics is in decline.

Lets be clear  these Amendments are entirely symbolic and will have absolutely no real policy impact, Fording said. Their only purpose on the ballot is to help mobilize evangelical Christian voters to show up and vote for Republicans on election day. In many districts, this will be effective. But the constituency for this kind of politics is getting older and smaller by the minute.

Even before the allegations against Roy Moore went viral, he was already in trouble due to the fact that many independents and moderate Republicans were uncomfortable with his extreme views on issues like the display of the Ten Commandments and abortion. In my view, this is a strategic misstep for the Alabama Republican Party as it essentially sends the message that this is Roy Moores party. And I fully expect the Democrats to benefit from this in the long run.

Republican Party leader Lathan says the amendments are substantive because they would enshrine in the constitution Alabamas official stance on two important issues.

We go on record as a people that we support a simple public display of the Ten Commandments. And we support life of the unborn, Lathan said.

Lathan said she believes a significant number of Alabama Democrats will welcome a chance to vote for the amendments.

This is an Alabama moment, not a Republican-only moment, Lathan said. There are a lot of Democrats that are in favor of posting the Ten Commandments in public areas as well as are also pro-life. Many good Democrats that go to church every Sunday believe in these things as much as the Republicans do on those issues.

Disagreement over the two amendments starts at the top of the ticket in Alabama. Gov. Kay Ivey supports the proposals. Her Democratic challenger, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, says they are a distraction from issues such as health care access and funding for education, infrastructure and other needs.

State Democratic Chairwoman Worley said she expects stronger turnout in her party than four years ago because it has more candidates on the ballot. Worley believes the divisive hearings that led to Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court could motivate more women to vote with the Democrats. But she acknowledges that hopes that women voters would carry Hillary Clinton to the White House in 2016 did not materialize.

Im feeling good overall because I think our candidates are out there working so hard this time and theyre out there every single day fighting for votes and fighting for whats helpful to working people in Alabama, Worley said. So Im real excited about the energy level.

I think the only drawback is that many of our candidates are brand new, unfamiliar with the process and the money required in a campaign. And of course, Democrats are always underfunded in comparison to the rich Republicans. But I think some of them have found that to be quite shocking, that of all the monetary requirements in a campaign.

Political commentator Flowers said he believes factors like Republican opposition to abortion rights are sparking a trend that is driving more college educated, upper income women to the Democratic Party in suburban areas, although he is not convinced that the trend has fully arrived in Alabama.

Thats a driving issue, Flowers said. They do not like the Republicans position on that. And theyre sophisticated and educated enough to know that these Republican legislators are pandering to a certain voter base. And it may conversely make them vote Democratic.

In the short term, however, Flowers said the fallout from the Kavanaugh hearings will produce a net gain for Republicans. He said hes seen polling data that indicates that.

I dont think its an overwhelming bump, but there is a bump for Republicans on the Kavanaugh hearing in Alabama, Flowers said.

Republican Party Chairwoman Lathan said shes confident that the Kavanaugh hearings, President Trumps popularity and concerns about illegal immigration bode well for Republican turnout. Lathan said her only concern is complacency.

I think the Kavanaugh hearings have put a hard lens on some of the obstruction that we saw from the Democrats throwing due process out the window except when it suits their needs, Lathan said. I think when you combine that with this caravan that is demanding to crash into our country without following our laws it is highly motivating the conservatives in Alabama to go have their voices heard on November 6th.

Alabama is not a purple state. Were not a blue state. Were a red state.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill estimates that turnout will be in the 35 percent to 40 percent range, roughly what it was four years ago.

UA political science Professor Fording said hes expecting an uptick from 2014.

I expect we will see higher turnout compared to our last midterm election for two reasons, Fording said. "First, national forces have both polarized and energized voters from both parties and I expect voters on both sides will see the midterm election as a way to express their support for their side. Second, there are fewer uncontested races in this election compared to 2014. This is especially the case for Democrats, who are contesting every House seat and many more state legislative seats compared to 2014. "
An advocate for passing the Ten Commandments amendment on Alabama ballots on Nov. 6 said Gov. Kay Ivey has committed to trying to put Ten Commandments displays in all public schools and on all state property.

Dean Young, a former Congressional candidate and longtime ally of Roy Moore, held a press conference at the State Capitol today and distributed a questionnaire apparently returned and signed by Ivey.

As Governor, will you use all of your available power, authority and influence to have the Ten Commandments posted conspicuously in/on all Property belonging to the state including public schools within 3 months of the people of Alabama passing Amendment #1 on the ballot on November 6, 2018? Young asked on the letter.

Ivey marked the Yes box.

Asked about the questionnaire, the Ivey campaign did not acknowledge making the commitment to Young but issued this statement from the governor:

"I support posting the Ten Commandments in public places because goodness knows we need to keep the good Lord and our God almighty in the forefront of our lives.

A questionnaire Dean Young, advocate for passing the Ten Commandments amendment on the Alabama ballot, said was returned and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey committing to trying to put Ten Commandments displays in all public schools and public buildings.

Young said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, the Democratic nominee for governor, did not return his questionnaire. At the press conference, Young showed a certified mail receipt he said indicated Maddox did not respond.

Maddox campaign spokesman Chip Hill said the campaign completed and returned every questionnaire received.

Hill also released a statement from Maddox.

As a Christian, I work to honor Jesuss Great Commandment. My faith calls for works which is why I want to address Alabamas health care and mental health crisis," Maddox said. It is why I want to improve public education and rebuild our bridges and repave our roads.

Maddox said he believes the amendment will be struck down in court and taxpayers will be stuck with legal fees, even though the amendment says no public funds will be used in its defense.

It is wrong to mislead and in my opinion, it is even worse to manipulate our faith for political gain, he said. "My faith gives me hope for future which is why I want to place my faith into works and not spend time on divisive cultural issues that are doomed to fail.

The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature approved the amendment by Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, earlier this year. That placed it on the ballot for voters, who will decide whether it becomes part of the state Constitution. The amendment says:

"Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, providing for certain religious rights and liberties; authorizing the display of the Ten Commandments on state property and property owned or administrated by a public school or public body; and prohibiting the expenditure of public funds in defense of the constitutionality of this amendment.

A statement from the Alabama Fair Ballot Commission, which the Legislature created to write plain-language statements to clarify the meaning of proposed constitutional amendments, says there is nothing currently in Alabamas Constitution about Ten Commandments displays. The statement says that if the amendment passes it would provide that the Ten Commandments can be displayed on public property so long as the display meets constitutional requirements, such as being displayed along with historical or educational items.

A second question on Youngs questionnaire refers to other historical documents that the governor would authorize to be displayed with the Ten Commandments.

It asks if the governor would limit those documents to the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Magna Carta and several others that are displayed with the Ten Commandments on the main floor of the State Capitol. Young said the display in the Capitol has never been challenged as unconstitutional.

Ivey answered yes to the second question, according to the questionnaire Young distributed.

Young said he expects Alabama voters to overwhelmingly approve the Ten Commandments amendment. He said he wrote a Ten Commandments amendment 17 years ago and asked Dial to sponsor it.

This has taken on a huge life of its own, Young said. "Not only are Alabamians waiting with everything theyve got to get to the polls on November the 6th to vote for Amendment No. 1, the Ten Commandments amendment, but the nation is watching and the world will be watching.

Randall Marshall, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, says the amendment will not change the law.

The amendment itself is meaningless because what it calls for is the display of the Ten Commandments so long as its done in a constitutional manner," Marshall said. "If government displays the Ten Commandments today in a constitutional manner, then theres no problem.

So the amendment does nothing. It doesnt create any new rights. It doesnt add anything to the law. It certainly cant overcome the federal constitution.

Marshall said he believes the amendment could have negative consequences, though.

A Ten Commandments plaque in the Alabama State Capitol. It is part of a display with historical documents including the U.S. Constitution, Magna Carta and Mayflower Compact.

Its going to cause probably a school district to, without thinking about it, post the Ten Commandments as a stand-alone document, Marshall said. Theyll get sued. Theyll be found to be in violation to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and not only will they have to pay their own attorneys, theyre going to have to pay the challengers attorneys fees, which could well turn into hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money.

Marshall said the idea that no public funds will be used to defend the amendment wont hold up.

That provision isnt going to help because a challenge wont be against the amendment. A challenge will be against the unconstitutional display of the Ten Commandments, Marshall said.

Young said voters should not pay attention to the ACLU and other critics of the amendment that he dismissed as misguided liberals.

I want to make this perfectly clear, Young said. On November the 6th, the people of Alabama will show not only the state, but the nation and the world that were tired of the way our country is headed. That were watching the end of a western Christian empire. And if we dont do something that were going to see the end of our way of life.

And I have all the faith in the world in the people of Alabama that on November the 6th red-blooded Alabamians will go to the polls and show the state and show the nation and show the world that we do want to get back to God, the basics. And when I say God, let me make this very clear, since I wrote the amendment, the Christian God that this nation was founded on.
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Georgia election officials to stop summarily tossing absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures, delivering a crucial win to voting-rights advocates - and to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams - less than two weeks before Election Day.

The ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed by the ACLU last week after election officials in a single Atlanta suburb, Gwinnett County, rejected hundreds of absentee ballots with signature discrepancies, missing addresses or incorrect birth years.

The ACLU argued that allowing nonexpert election officials to judge the validity of signatures without giving voters the chance to contest the decisions amounted to unconstitutional voter suppression.

U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May agreed, and she ordered Secretary of State Brian Kemp to instruct all local election officials to stop rejecting absentee ballots over the mismatched signatures. Instead, such ballots will be marked "provisional," and the voter will be given the right to appeal the decision or confirm his or her identity. Kemp and the Gwinnett County election board were named as defendants in the suit.

The issue had prompted a fiery outcry from Abrams, who accused Kemp, also her Republican opponent, of trying to suppress the minority vote. Gwinnett County, the state's second-largest county, has undergone a demographic transformation in recent years, moving from 67 percent white in 2000 to 62 percent nonwhite last year. Democrats have sought to mobilize the new residents in support of their efforts to turn the state blue.

Voting rights advocates noted with suspicion that Gwinnett accounted for more than a third of all rejected absentee ballots across Georgia.

"This ruling protects the people of Georgia from those who seek to undermine their right to vote," said Sophia Lakin, a staff attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. "It's a huge victory, especially with the midterms just days away."

A spokeswoman for Kemp did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. A spokesman for Gwinnett County said only that officials there were reviewing the decision.

The ACLU suit, filed on behalf of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, is one of at least four legal actions pending in Georgia, where Kemp and Abrams have traded accusations of encouraging voter fraud and voter suppression, respectively. Abrams, a former state lawmaker who is black, founded the New Georgia Project with the goal of boosting voter registration among African Americans.

Kemp, who is white, has promoted some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation, including one new law known as "exact match" that requires the information provided on voter registration applications to exactly match existing driver and Social Security records. He also accused the New Georgia Project of improper registration practices, but his investigation found no wrongdoing.

Kemp has also accused Abrams of encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote, which she has denied. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Georgia or elsewhere.

The "exact match" law has been blamed for the suspension of more than 53,000 registration applications in Georgia this year.

Kemp has also been accused of purging hundreds of thousands of active voters from the state's rolls.

He has argued that his office has properly maintained the states voting rolls and that the exact match law is an appropriate safeguard against voter fraud.
It started with a call from the Associated Press and a question: Whats a good recipe for a vegetable side dish that features common pantry products?

In 1955, the AP, like other newspapers and magazines of the time, was running a feature of an easy-to-make Campbell's Soup side. The question came with a caveat: the recipe had to be built around green beans and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, two items most Americans regularly had in their homes in the '50s.

The request fell to the Campbell's Soup Co. test kitchen in Camden, New Jersey, an arm of the company that focused on coming up with recipes for its products. Dorcas Reilly, a supervisor for Campbell's home economics department, was tasked with leading her team to figure out what could be done. The group would test and grade recipes repeatedly. Only a perfect score would qualify it as ready to go. In November of that year, Reilly and her team settled on what would be first known as "the Green Bean Bake," an easily adaptable six-ingredient recipe of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper and French fried onions that takes 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake.

"We worked in the kitchen with things that were most likely to be in most homes," she told NPR in 2015. "It's so easy. And it's not an expensive thing to make, too."

When Campbell's started to put Reilly's recipe on the cans of its cream of mushroom soup in 1960, the popularity of the dish hit new heights. More than 60 years since the dish was invented, green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving staple, with an estimated 20 million-plus American households expected to serve it this year, according to Campbell's.

Throughout her life, Reilly, a culinary trail blazer during a time when women were often on the sidelines in corporate America, remained astonished at the success of a dish based on green beans and cream of mushroom soup, one referred to by Campbell's as "the mother of all comfort foods."

"We all thought this is very nice, etc., and then when we got the feelings of the consumer, we were really kinda pleasantly shocked," she said in a Campbell's promotional video for the dish. "I'm very proud of this, and I was shocked when I realized how popular it had become."

Reilly, an influential innovator of beloved comfort food in the U.S., died on Oct. 15 of Alzheimer's disease in Camden. She was 92. A visitation and celebration of her life will be held on Saturday in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dorcas Reilly, the creator of one of the most beloved American recipes, the Green Bean Casserole," Campbell's said in a statement, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Dorcas was an incredible woman whose legacy will live on for years to come. She will be missed by her Campbell colleagues and all those who were impacted by her creativity and generous spirit."

Campbell Soup Co tweeted "Today we remember Dorcas Reilly, storied Campbell employee & creator of the iconic Green Bean Casserole, who passed away earlier this week at age 92. Her incredible legacy will live on in more than 20 million American households this Thanksgiving."

Born on July 22, 1926, Reilly was raised in Camden. She would become one of the first members of her family to attend college, earning her bachelor's degree in home economics from the Drexel Institute of Technology, now known as Drexel University, in 1947. She headed to Campbell's in 1949, where she was one of two full-time employees developing recipes for the company's home economics department.

With the economy flourishing in the '50s, there was an appetite for meals that were easy to make, delicious and cheap. Reilly found success with a tuna noodle casserole, a tomato soup cake and a Sloppy Joe made from tomato soup.

"It was about the team working together," Reilly said in her college alumni biography. "I didn't do it; we did it."

But things were different when it came to her most notable side dish. Campbell's has estimated that 40 percent of its cream of mushroom soup sold in the U.S. goes toward making Reilly's green bean casserole. And millions of Americans have adopted it as part of their Thanksgiving celebrations.

"Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl for green bean casserole," Jane Freiman, director of Campbell's Consumer Test Kitchen, told NBC's "Today" in 2015.

Reilly's cuisine hit new heights in 2002, when Campbell's donated the original recipe card written by Reilly to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The yellow recipe card resides in the same place as Thomas Edison's lightbulb and phonograph and Enrico Fermi's first controlled nuclear reactor.

Her son, Thomas B. Reilly, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his mom was humble about her career and never spoke about the achievement when he was growing up. It only started to come up more when she was recognized as the inventor of the dish.

"I think she was surprised," her son said to the Inquirer. "I think she was even more surprised at how much of a big deal it became. She was not a flashy person. She didn't bask in the limelight. She just went in and did her job every day, like most blue-collar people."

Though she was known for her work, Reilly had said how "food should be fun and food should be happy." It was a mantra she carried with her in bringing green bean casserole to the Thanksgiving table. And millions would follow.

I loved to go to work every day, she said at Drexel in 2009. It was just another days work. She added: I hope you enjoy green bean casserole forever.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in a tweet posted Tuesday criticized alleged efforts by the Trump administration to define the legal definition of sex under Title IX as the gender a person is born with.

Transgender people are not a political stance, agenda, or conspiracy. They are human beings and they deserve equal protection under the law. #WontBeErased #TransRightsAreHumanRights, Woodfin said in the tweet.

Transgender people are not a political stance, agenda, or conspiracy. They are human beings and they deserve equal protection under the law. #WontBeErased #TransRightsAreHumanRights  Randall Woodfin (@randallwoodfin) October 23, 2018

Woodfin posted the tweet just before noon Tuesday in response to a story from The New York Times, that said the Department of Health and Human Services is working to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable.

The agencys proposed definition would define sex as either male or female determined by the genitals that a person is born with, according to a draft reviewed by The Times. Any dispute about ones sex would have to be clarified using genetic testing, The Times reported.

David Dinielli, deputy legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center issued a statement in response to Woodfins tweet late Tuesday afternoon.

Mayor Woodfin is absolutely correct in his sentiments. All people in Birmingham, the state of Alabama, and the country deserve a guarantee to live their lives free from discrimination. The Trump administration  based on news reports over the weekend in The New York Times  seems to think it can write transgender people out of existence by issuing new federal regulations. The existence of transgender people is not up for debate.

Last year, the Birmingham City Council passed a Non-Discrimination Order to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in Birmingham.

The ordinance made it a criminal offense for any entity operating in the city to discriminate against a person based on his or her race, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity or disability.

The city-wide non-discrimination ordinance covers housing, public accommodations and employment. The ordinance will be enforced through Birmingham Municipal Court.
Vestavia Hills Elementary Central fifth-grade teacher Heather Hurt became Alabamas latest winner of the Milken Educator Award, dubbed the Oscar of the teaching profession.

The award winner is kept secret until the live announcement, and that element of surprise adds to the excitement.

On Wednesday morning, the schools 800 fourth- and fifth-grade students gathered in the gym, but no one was told why the assembly was being held.

After introductory remarks by school Principal Marian Humphries, Vestavia Hills Superintendent Todd Freeman and Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey, Milken Foundation Co-Founder Lowell Milken announced the real reason for the gathering.

Teachers and principals have the most important job in our country, Milken said. His foundation created the award, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize, to reward teachers for the important work they do.

At that point, Milken called Hurts name and the gym erupted into applause. Hurts reaction was typical for that of a Milken award winner, and she was clearly surprised as she walked to the front of the gym, accepting congratulations and blowing kisses to her students along the way.

This is crazy, Hurt said. I cant quit shaking.

Teaching is a second career for Hurt. She said she always wanted to be a teacher but while in college, she said, It didnt feel right. She spent 10 years as a realtor but all along the way, she said, her sister-in-law, a 3rd-grade teacher in Jefferson County Schools, kept asking her when she was going to become a teacher.

With a 3-year-old and 6-month old, Hurt said, I went to graduate school, and here we are. Hurt earned a masters in education from Samford University in 2016.

Because it was a closely-held secret, neither Hurts husband nor her parents were notified. She took a moment to call her father and her husband. Milken told them each about Hurt winning the award. Her father, when asked his reaction to her winning the award, asked, What took you so long?

When asked why she chose teaching, Hurt said, I teach because I love the passion kids can have behind learning. I teach because I love making kids excited about math and science and social studies, and I dont want to do anything else.

Vestavia Hills teacher Heather Hurt with her fifth-grade students after winning the 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award on Oct. 24, 2018.

What are her plans for spending that $25,000 cash award? Hurt said she is seeking national board certification and the cash award will help pay her application fee. Other things on the list are possibly paying off a car, savings for her two sons college expenses, and maybe taking a trip to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary next year.

Hurt, whose older son attends her school, is the only teacher in Alabama to win the award this year and only the second winner in the Vestavia City school system. Vestavia Hills Elementary Easts Gwen Childs won the award in 2002.

This was a really special day, Alabama Superintendent Mackey said. Planning for the event while keeping it is a secret is part of the fun, he said, but, What we are doing is honoring a teacher. And when we honor a teacher, we are honoring the entire faculty.

Vestavia Hills teacher Heather Hurt with her fifth-grade students after winning the 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award on Oct. 24, 2018.

This award is special not only because of the surprise, Mackey said, but because of the Milken Foundation itself. Its really nice that you have a private foundation outside of the education world that is reaching into the education world and saying, we want to honor and recognize these teachers.

Principal Marian Humphries said Hurt is an example of the faculty and staff here at Central. Teachers collaborate and share ideas to help each other, she said, and Hurt certainly contributes to that. In her classroom, Humphries said, She brings what were learning into the real world.

It is an amazing accomplishment to be recognized, Vestavia Superintendent Freeman said about Hurt winning the award. Its also a tribute to the quality of the school itself," he added. "Heather really is an ambassador for a lot of great teachers that are part of this school system.

Educators cannot apply for the award and do not even know they are being considered. The organizations website states the award is given early to mid-career to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals, and other education professionals.

Only 40 teachers across the country will be awarded the Milken Educator Award during the 2018-2019 season.

Hurt joins 35 past winners from Alabama since 1998. Past winners in Alabama include Hoover City Schools middle school teacher Vinny Chiarmonte who won in 2017. For a complete list of winners, click here.

Many of those past winners were in attendance and gathered for a reception at the school after the event.

Vestavia Hills teacher and 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award winner Heather Hurt (center, in blue) with Milken Foundation Co-Founder Lowell Milken (to her right), Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey (to her left), and previous Alabama Milken Educator Award winners at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central school on Oct. 24, 2018.

Jeremy Raper won the Milken award in 2011. He is still teaching physics and engineering to juniors and seniors at Bob Jones High School, where he was when he won the award.

It was very validating, Raper said of winning educations Oscar. It was a life-changing event, he said. His was a single-income family at the time, he said, and they were at a crossroads financially. His car actually broke down on the way to school the day he was given the award, he said. With his winnings, he was able to fix the car and buy furniture for his house, he said.

What his family remembers most about the award, Raper said, is taking a trip to Disneyworld. We had such a great time.

City Councilwoman Kimberly Cook serves as education liaison to the Vestavia Board of Education and said she attended the event because, The schools are the most important thing in our city, from many perspectives. The school systems success not only affects property values and city tax revenue, she said. It also affects the future.

The Milken Educator Awards were created by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987 and recognize teaching excellence publicly to show communities the importance of the teaching profession.

The criteria for the selection of elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and other education professionals include all of the following:

Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;

Exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession;

Individuals whose contributions to education are largely unheralded yet worthy of the spotlight;

Early- to mid-career educators who offer strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and

Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.

In addition to becoming a member of the Milken Educator Network, Hurt will attend a forum for winners in New Orleans in March where she can network with other winners and hear from state and federal officials about maximizing their leadership roles to advance educator effectiveness.

More than $138 million in funding, including $68 million in individual $25,000 awards for more than 2,700 educators, has been awarded through the initiative, which includes providing professional learning opportunities throughout award winners careers.
A young woman has been charged by federal authorities in Birmingham with attempting to provide support and resources to terrorist organization al Qaeda.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges Tuesday against 22-year-old Alaa Mohd Abusaad. The joint announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Northern District of Alabama U.S Attorney Jay E. Town and Birmingham FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr.

Abusaad, who had been living in Tuscaloosa, was taken into custody Tuesday in Ohio. According to authorities, Abusaad instructed a female undercover FBI informant how to send money to the mujahedeen  fighters engaged in jihad - saying money was always needed. You cant have a war without weapons, Abusaad told the informant. You cant prepare a soldier without equipment.

Federal records said the investigation began in February when Abusaad was introduced to the informant by another person. At that point, according to the criminal complaint, Abusaad and the informant began communicating through a mobile messaging app.

The communication between the two continued through at least April, during which time authorities say Abusaad advised the informant on how to send money in a manner that would avoid detection by law enforcement, including by using fake names and addresses when conducting electronic money transfers. Subsequently, Abusaad introduced the informant to a financial facilitator who could route the informants money to brothers that work with aq (meaning al Qaeda) the complaint stated.

In April, the informant wired $50 through Western Union to Mustafa Yelatan in Turkey. After the transaction, records state, Abusaad told the informant, And remember they cant do anything to you. You were completely covered. May Allah protect you. And plus its a fakeJust be confident and dont stress.

The investigation was carried out by FBI agents in Birmingham as well as Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Cornelius and Manu Balachandran, and trial attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section.

If convicted, Abusaad faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release.

Federal agents and prosecutors are constantly working tirelessly and using every available lawful tool to disrupt the evil schemes of those who would materially support foreign terrorist organizations to do harm to our troops, our allies, or our homeland, Town said. The FBI did an excellent job investigating this matter, effectively engaging with other districts, and worked tirelessly to investigate this terrorist behavior. I would like to extend my personal gratitude to our local FBI field office, FBI-Cleveland, FBI-Counterterrorism Division, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman, and the entirety of the Department of Justices National Security Division for their diligent and enormous efforts in developing this case. Our collective vigilance as law enforcement and in our community must resolve to continue to say something if you see something.
Recreational marijuana use became legal in Canada last week. Eight U.S. states plus the District of Columbia have also legalized it.

But dont expect legalized marijuana in Alabama anytime soon, based on what candidates are saying, or not saying, leading up to the Nov. 6 election.

When AL.com readers recently voted on which election issues are important to them, marijuana usage ranked 11th among 18 issues. The poll garnered more than 9,500 total votes.

AL.com directly asked Gov. Kay Ivey her stance on marijuana legalization. She declined to answer.

Her Democratic opponent, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, was asked about the issue at the Reckon by AL.com debate on April 24. He said Alabama should take a wait-and-see approach.

"There's going to be a lot of data over the next few years that's going to be collected so that if and when we can potentially move forward with this, we do so in a thoughtful, strategic way," Maddox said.

Last year, Maddox asked state legislators to consider offering law enforcement alternatives such as giving tickets instead of arresting people caught with small amounts of marijuana.

"We need to deal with this in a different pattern besides throwing somebody in jail," Maddox said.

Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Will Boyd said legalization needs to be considered. I support the legalization of marijuana for medical use, and we should strongly consider moving toward legalization for recreational use, Boyd said in an interview with AL.com. So many people of color are behind bars for use and possession. There are plenty of others who have committed greater crimes.

He also said taxation on legalized marijuana could be an important source of state revenue. We run structural deficits every year, he said.

The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Will Ainsworth, said lenience towards marijuana has contributed to Americas drug problem.

In my opinion, it is no coincidence that the current drug epidemic plaguing our country has paralleled the so-called legalization of marijuana in the more liberal states across our nation, Ainsworth said. Marijuana remains a Schedule I narcotic that is illegal under federal law, so public officials who support its open trade for recreational purposes on the state level are violating the very laws they took an oath to uphold.

Danny Carr, Democratic candidate for Jefferson County district attorney, sent out a tweet on Oct. 5 that questioned the use of resources on marijuana prosecution.

If elected District Attorney, it will absolutely be my obligation to look at every case and consider all the facts. But its hard to imagine that our limited resources should be devoted to jailing individuals for marijuana possession instead of focusing on serious violent crimes.

His Republican opponent, Mike Anderton, responded to Carr with an Oct. 9 post on Facebook:

We already have Drug Court to deal with these minor offenses, but these crimes are still misdemeanor convictions whether the punishment is jail and/or a fine. The law as written says this is a crime, and we will enforce the laws on the books. I wouldn't want to see someone in power usurping the law based on their own opinion or outside influence. How can we treat everyone the same if we pick and choose how we enforce the law?

A new report on Alabamas War on Marijuana, released last week by the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice and the Southern Poverty Law Center, calls prosecution of marijuana possession a wasteful use of state law enforcement that discriminates against blacks.

This story is one in a series of in-depth reports exploring key issues on Alabama voters' minds as they approach the Nov. 6 general election. The topics were determined using polling from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama and informal polls of AL.com readers. For more coverage of issues facing the next governor, go to al.com/election.
A midday shootout on busy Oporto-Madrid Boulevard left one man dead.

The shooting happened before 1 p.m. East Precinct officers said their initial information was that there was an exchange of gunfire between a car and an SUV traveling southbound on Oporto-Madrid. A man driving a white sedan was shot, crashed into another SUV and then came to a stop directly in front of the Interstate 20 exit and entrance ramps.

A Birmingham police officer directing traffic for a nearby water-main break was just yards away when the gunfire erupted. She was not injured and quickly rushed to the shooting victim, calling for medics to step it up.

The male shooting victim was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The suspect fled the scene. The woman whose vehicle was struck by the shooting victim was taken to the hospital to be checked out.

The large crime scene shut down a portion of Oporto-Madrid. Motorists exiting I-20 were being routed back on to the interstate.

Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said they believe the victim was injured near the intersection of East Ridge Drive and Oporto-Madrid. We are trying to determine what happened, Williams said. We dont know how long this had been going on.

The mans death is Birminghams 91st homicide of this year. Of those, five have been rule justifiable and therefore will not be included by the Birmingham Police Department in its year-end tally. In all of Jefferson County there have been 134 homicides, including the 91 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A suspect has been arrested in last weeks shooting of a man in broad daylight in Birminghams Pratt City community.

Birmingham police have charged 26-year-old Dominic Montgomery with murder in the killing of Christopher Rice. Investigators have not released a motive in the slaying, nor said how they identified Montgomery as the suspect.

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, 29, laying 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 the following day.

Sgt. Johnny Williams said at the scene that day 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."

Williams on Tuesday said though an arrest has been made in Rices slaying, investigators are still trying to piece together the details behind the shooting.

Court records show Montgomery was arrested Saturday, and is being held on $150,000 bond.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A University of Alabama student was awarded $10,000 after a Tuscaloosa County jury found she was cyberbullied on social media following the death of a young man she had been dating.

Her attorney called the jurys verdict a watershed case concerning whether someone can be sued for false statements made on social media.

I hope this is a lesson to folks out there that they cant post anything they want on social media and think they are protected by the First Amendment. They are not, said attorney Shane Sears. You cannot call someone a murderer, a drug dealer and a sex trafficker without being able to prove its true.

Victoria Love, now 21, filed the civil lawsuit in December 2017 against Tim Bailey, the young mans father, and Laurie Beth Kesterson, a social justice advocate, claiming the pair on social media called her a murderer and alleged she was involved in a sex-trafficking ring. The six-day trial ended Tuesday after jurors heard testimony from multiple witnesses and reviewed 2,000 pieces of evidence.

The case centered on the Aug. 14, 2016 death of UA student Adam Bailey, 24. Love had been dating Bailey for several weeks and the two had agreed to a dinner date. According to the lawsuit, Love arrived at the house that Bailey and others were leasing on Aug. 7. Soon after they left, Bailey began acting strangely.

Love became concerned and took Bailey back home just minutes after they had left. She returned to her parents Tuscaloosa home and learned the next day that Bailey was in a coma at the hospital. She and her father went to the hospital to be with Bailey. He was removed from life support seven days later.

Baileys death was investigated by the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, and later the Alabama Attorney Generals Office, and his death was ruled accidental. His family, however, continued to believe he had been drugged and assaulted.

Love was not involved whatsoever in the death of Adam and does not have any knowledge of the circumstances of his death except from information provided by Adams family and friends, the lawsuit states. No criminal charges are pending against Love or have ever been pending against Love as a result of Adams unfortunate death.

A Facebook page called Justice for Adam Bailey was later created by Baileys family and friends who believed Love and others covered up circumstances surround Adams death. On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, according to the lawsuit, Tim Bailey, Kesterson and others referred to Love and others as murderers. Also, the suit stated, they threatened to do physical harm to love.

The suit said the defendants on social media encouraged others to threaten, harass, intimidate and physically do harm to Love. They posted photographs of Love so she could be readily identified, the suit read. Morevoer, these individuals posted maps to Loves parents residence.

Tim Bailey, according to the suit, said he was make Loves life a living HELL on earth.

The suit and Sears said Love was followed and even approached at work. I dont think people understand people will latch on to those allegations and run with them, Sears said. In this case, we tracked down about 20 of them and put an end to their conduct. We were able to locate them, report them to authorities and in some cases their employers and stop that behavior.

Tim Bailey, who lives in Pickens County, was previously charged by Tuscaloosa police with harassment but was found not guilty.

Bailey's attorney Leroy Maxwell says the posts were justified because Bailey believes Love and others covered up circumstances surrounding Adam's death.

Maxwell and Kestersons attorney, Stuart Albea, say the damages show theres validity to their clients' defense as Love sought $1 million in damages.

The jury ordered Tim Bailey to pay Love $5,999 and Kesterson to pay $4,001.

Sears said Love feared for her safety during the ordeal and suffered mental distress. Shes had a lot of setbacks. There has been a lot of trauma to her, he said. We hope she gets closure with the jury verdict and can move forward.

The suit is believed to be the first in the state tried solely on the issue of cyberbullying. While some states have cyberbullying laws, Alabama does not. Sears said its imperative that state legislatures create laws against it.

No parent should have to bury their child, however what they did to Miss Love is despicable, he said. I hope this does set a precedent. I also hope and pray we can get a legislator to sponsor a cyberbullying bill.

Sears said hes already received multiple calls from other lawyers with potential cyberbullying cases. I think this is the tip of the cyberbullying iceberg, he said. I hope it does scare a lot of people and they realize there are consequences to this type of behavior and there are people who arent going to stand for it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Mobile Police Department is asking the public for information about four unsolved homicide cases.

Police say no arrests have been made in four of the citys 23s homicides that have happened so far this year. A $2,500 cash reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the death of the following victims:

Corey Robinson, 28

Robinsons remains were found in the front passenger seat of a car that was found burning on Crenshaw Street during the early morning hours of March 31. Police were called to the scene on a report of a vehicle fire.

Richard Berryhill, 46

Berryhill died after he was shot in the abdomen May 25. Around 10:10 p.m., police responded to the 1800 block of Jones Avenue on a report of a person down in the driveway. They found Berryhill suffering from the gunshot to the abdomen. He told police he did not know who shot him. He died from his injuries on June 5.

Tevin Gamble, 27

On Sept. 6, Gamble died from multiple gunshot wounds. Around 11:10 a.m., police responded to the area of Stanton Road and Brandon Avenue and found Gamble suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene. An area elementary school was briefly on lockdown as police searched for a shooter.

Joel Baker, 49

Around 11:51 p.m. Sept. 16, police responded to the 600 block of Wilson Avenue in reference to a person shot. They found Baker suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

To report a tip to police, call 251-208-7000 or 251-208-7211.
In Galeshewe township, a group of men and women patrol the streets, dishing out blessings to suspected criminals.

In March 2015, amid spiralling violent crime in an under-served South African township called Galeshewe, a group of frustrated local residents formed a vigilante crime-fighting group called Operation Wanya Tsotsi.

The group is led by Pantsi Obusitse, an intelligent, charismatic and perpetually well-dressed 38-year-old who was born and raised in Galeshewe and works as a labour relations officer at the local Department of Education.

We were dealing with a situation that was abnormal, therefore we had to take an approach that was abnormal, Obusitse says of his groups DIY approach to justice.

As Operation Wanya Tsotsi strives for legitimacy in the void left by South Africas floundering formal criminal justice system, Al Jazeera spent a night documenting this controversial vigilante group.

5pm

At the end of his working day, Obusitse returns to the whitewashed bungalow that he shares with his younger brother and changes out of a black pinstripe suit and crisp white shirt into his navy blue Operation Wanya Tsotsi overalls and combat boots.

He takes a moment to gather himself on the dark green sofa in his living room, checking through reams of WhatsApp messages and voicemails to familiarise himself with Operation Wanya Tsotsis outstanding cases.

When a crime is committed, people always call us before they call the police, Obusitse says. Sometimes, even police officers will call us before calling their counterparts.

When a crime is committed, people always call us before they call the police. Sometimes, even police officers will call us before calling their counterparts. Pantsi Obusitse, chairperson, Operation Wanya Tsotsi

6pm

Beneath a rusty metal effigy of Nelson Mandela on an open patch of scrubland beside Galeshewes main shopping centre, approximately 20 members of Operation Wanya Tsotsi have gathered to prepare for the evenings patrols.

Just before the meeting, a few members apprehended three young men suspected of breaking into a house and stealing a flat screen TV. They have brought the suspects along with them in the back of a silver Toyota Corolla.

In parts of Galeshewe where the roads are particularly bad, members of resident vigilante group Operation Wanya Tsotsi conduct foot patrols [Shaun Swingler/Al Jazeera]

The owner of the car leans over the front seat and alternates between slapping the suspects across the face and jabbing at them with a stun gun in a bid to extract a confession. The young men shriek and writhe in pain with each crackling burst of electricity. One of them starts to cry.

Spencer Plaatje, Operation Wanya Tsotsis operations manager, says that the group caught the same suspects with a stolen hard drive and mobile phone the previous night.

Today, he says, all three suspects were carrying knives, which have been confiscated and added to the eclectic collection stowed in the boot of the Corolla. Every few months, Operation Wanya Tsotsi hands over a substantial haul of confiscated weapons and contraband to local police.

You see now what we are dealing with, Plaatje says in his deep, booming voice. What we are doing, its a necessary evil. If the police did their job, we wouldnt need to exist.

The boys finally admit to stealing the TV and selling it to a local Nigerian bar owner. They are pulled out of the car and told to lie face down in the dirt, where they are lashed over the buttocks with sjamboks, stiff whips traditionally used on cattle.

This ritual is referred to as a blessing and is an integral part of Operation Wanya Tsotsis modus operandi. We are blessing you so that you change to an acceptable behaviour in society, Obusitse tells them.

What we are doing, it's a necessary evil. If the police did their job, we wouldn't need to exist. Spencer Plaatje, Operation Wanya Tsotsi's operation manager









7pm

A convoy of six Operation Wanya Tsotsi vehicles pulls up outside New Jack City Tavern, a popular hangout for Galeshewes small but burgeoning Nigerian population. A thorough search of the premises ensues.

While there is no sign of the stolen TV that the bar owner is alleged to have bought, Operation Wanya Tsotsi finds a bucket full of small quantities of cannabis wrapped in sheets of newspaper in a kitchen cupboard and a large machete hidden beneath an old mattress.

Social media shaming is a powerful punishment in a close-knit community like Galeshewe [Shaun Swingler/Al Jazeera]

The bar owner is forced to pose awkwardly for mobile phone photos holding the machete and contraband.

These images will be uploaded to the Operation Wanya Tsotsi Facebook page, which has almost 15,000 followers and is filled with countless similar images.

Social media shaming is a powerful punishment in a close-knit community like Galeshewe.

The bar owner and the suspected thieves are then driven to Galeshewes central police station along with the complainant in the case, an elderly woman who is picked up from her home en route.

Operation Wanya Tsotsi shepherds everyone into the stations reception area, then return to the car park outside to share a few soft drinks and cigarettes.

Weve given the cops everything  the complainant, the thieves, the buyer, Plaatje says. Those thugs will likely be out again tomorrow, but at least theyll spend tonight in a cell.

8pm





As Operation Wanya Tsotsi awaits further intel on a number of other open cases, the groups convoy falls into its usual stop and search routine.

Members intermittently jump out of vehicles in twos or threes to frisk anyone they deem suspicious-looking. Obusitse says members are trained to identify specific characteristics: a particular gait, certain attire or handshakes, for example.

The main aim of these stop and searches is to keep knives off Galeshewes streets, he adds.

We live in a knife-infested community, Obusitse explains as he drives past a tightly-packed row of corrugated zinc shacks. Most of the crime that is committed in Galeshewe is committed at knifepoint.

10pm

Just as patrols are beginning to wind down, Obusitse receives a call asking him to come to a house where a 10-year-old boy has been badly assaulted by his inebriated father.

Operation Wanya Tsotsi was originally formed to combat gangs and the associated violent crime in Galeshewe, but having long since disbanded the two main gangs in the township, the groups work has diversified.

As well as the routine stop and searches, drug busts and theft and robbery cases, Operation Wanya Tsotsi also regularly deals with rape and sexual abuse, domestic violence and even financial disputes in an area where policing problems are mirrored by a dearth of social services.

When they arrive at the house, the boy is being consoled by an aunt in the kitchen. One side of his face is bloodied, bruised and swollen. The father, who is found asleep in his room, is dragged outside into the courtyard, where members of Operation Wanya Tsotsi force him to the ground and pull his legs over his head.





Three of the women in the group repeatedly hit the fathers backside and genitals with sjamboks until their arms grow tired. Then they make their way back to the cars in a sombre silence.

Imagine you have your own young children at home in a place where there is so little justice. What would you do if you were us in a situation like that? Tshepisho Sekgoro, one of the women, asks as she watches the father lift himself off the dirt and stagger back inside.

According to Dr Mary Nel, a senior lecturer in the Department of Public Law at the University of Stellenbosch, who wrote her thesis on vigilantism in South Africa, it is precisely this kind of visible, instant justice that inculcates widespread support for vigilantism in poor communities that are routinely failed by the formal criminal justice system.

However, Nel insists that violence remains a last resort for non-state-sanctioned anti-crime groups like Operation Wanya Tsotsi. Its a form of desperation, Nel says. People would be happy to do away with the violence if they saw a viable alternative.

12am

The labyrinthine streets of Galeshewe are growing quieter and the number of vehicles in Operation Wanya Tsotsis convoy gradually wanes as members pull off the main thoroughfare whenever theyre in the vicinity of their respective homes, tooting their car horns to bid farewell to those remaining.

Eventually, its just Obusitse left. He looks tired, and admits that between his job, his family (he has two young children) and his commitments to Operation Wanya Tsotsi, he often feels stretched.

But if I give up, this operation will not survive, he says. We are not here because we want to be heroes. The main objective is to see that our communities are safe, thats all. Then we can go home and sleep.
While political parties squabble over power and oil in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, local residents suffer.

Kirkuk, Iraq  On the way from Erbil to Kirkuk, it starts smelling of oil even before one gets near the oil-rich Iraqi city. Smoke can be seen rising from the white chimneys of small oil refineries on each side of the highway, while heavy oil trucks line up at checkpoints separating Kirkuk province from the Kurdish semi-autonomous region.

Petrol stations and small shops selling petrol in plastic containers dot the road, alternating with small vegetable stands.

Kirkuks complicated politics become clear at the entrance to the city, where a large statue of a Peshmerga fighter in traditional Kurdish dress waves an Iraqi flag.

When it was unveiled in early 2017, the statue held the KRG flag: red, white, green and a sun in the middle. Two and a half years earlier the KRG  which claims the ethnically mixed Kirkuk as historically Kurdish territory  took control of the city after dispatching its Peshmerga forces to prevent Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) from capturing it.

In October 2017, after Erbil held an independence referendum that angered Baghdad and its foreign allies, Iraqi counterterrorism forces and Shia Popular Mobilisation Units (PMUs) took over the city and replaced the statues flag with an Iraqi one.

Today, Kirkuk and its oil continue to be at the centre of a major dispute between Baghdad, the KRG, and local political forces, which has paralysed the provincial administration, shaken the local economy, and angered residents.

The statue of a Peshmerga fighter was erected in 2017 at the entrance of Kirkuk [Mariya Petkova/Al Jazeera]

No power in oil-rich Kirkuk

A year after the takeover of Kirkuk, ordinary people seem to have borne the brunt of the punitive measures Baghdad undertook in response to the Kurdish independence referendum. They have worsened pre-existing grievances of resource mismanagement.

Although Kirkuk sits on Iraqs third-biggest oil reserves estimated at 13.5 billion barrels, its residents complain they have not seen much of that oil wealth spent on improving city infrastructure, services and the local economy.

We havent had electricity since the morning, says 73-year-old Fahima Abu Bakir on an October afternoon, sitting in her small grocery shop in Kirkuk. The city has always had a problem with electricity, but recently its gotten more frequent.

I also havent been able to stock my shop with goods to sell. Prices went up so much because of the checkpoints, she says.

After Baghdads takeover of the city, its forces established checkpoints on the highways to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, the KRGs second biggest city, collecting arbitrary dues on goods entering Kirkuk province. The two highways have been the lifeline of Kirkuk and its main transport arteries for imported goods.

Down the road from Abu Bakirs shop, Alan Nejmeddin Abdulla, 27, also complains of the same troubles.

We had to spend the hot summer with less than 10 hours of electricity per day, he says, adding other basic services such as rubbish collection have deteriorated.

Fahima Abu Bakir says power cuts happen regularly in her neighbourhood in Kirkuk [Mariya Petkova/Al Jazeera]

But Abdulla, who is an ethnic Kurd, was not happy about the situation in the city even when it was governed by the KRG. Former Kurdish governor and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) member Najmiddin Karim was replaced by an Arab, Rakan al-Jabouri, appointed by Baghdad.

High positions in the administration were filled by people who were not from the city. The previous Kurdish governor is from Kirkuk but he hadnt lived in the city for a long time when he took the post. He was living in the US, he says. I want a governor who lives here, knows the suffering of the people, and would serve all groups  Kurds, Turkoman and Arabs.

Kurdish journalist Zaniyar Jumaa also says Kurdish parties  which held the majority of seats in the provincial council and key positions of council head and governor until October 2017  didnt do much to improve the lot of Kirkuks residents.

The political parties here are all running after their own interests and trying to steal the money and oil of the city, says Jumaa.

Yet he also rejects what he sees as military rule in the city. Although the appointed governor of the province is a civilian, Jumaa says the counterterrorism forces still deployed in the city are very much in charge. His brother Adham, an independent activist, was arrested earlier in October for calling a protest against military interference in civilian affairs.

They came to arrest him at 1:30am from our house. There were problems during Karims time too. I also was summoned to the police station, but it was always done according to Iraqi law. Now the military has all the power and they do whatever they want in public, Jumaa explains.

Zaniyar Jumaa says the two main Kurdish parties are competing for power in Kirkuk [Mariya Petkova/Al Jazeera]

When Kurds, Turkoman and Arabs cant agree

A year after the takeover of Kirkuk, relations between Baghdad and the KRG continue to be strained. The Iraqi government has so far resisted calls to withdraw its forces from the province and allow for a local security arrangement to be established.

Negotiations for the resumption of oil production and export through the Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish regions pipeline have also stalled, despite continuous efforts by Kurdish officials to conclude a deal. Baghdad stopped oil extraction in Kirkuks fields almost completely in October last year, accusing the KRG of illegally exporting oil through its pipeline to Turkey. Earlier this year, the Iraqi parliament also launched an investigation into Kurdish exports of Kirkuk oil. For its part, the KRG has said this has cost the Iraqi state some $5bn in lost revenue.

The political chaos in Kirkuk has also been fed by the continuing inability of the main political players in the city to agree on how to proceed with its administration.

Turkoman and Arab parties in the province have rejected full Kurdish control over the city, while the two major Kurdish parties  PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)  have been engaged in a squabble for power.

The PUK sees Kirkuk as its territory but it stands accused by the KDP of giving up the city to Baghdad by unilaterally withdrawing the Peshmerga in October last year.

This is an empty accusation. There were a lot of warnings by international players against the referendum, but the KDP proceeded with it. This is what caused the Iraqi forces to take over the city, said Ahmed al-Askari, a PUK member of the Kirkuk provincial council.

According to Askari, the provincial council has been unable to convene and deliberate on the appointment of a new governor to replace Jabouri  who won a seat in the Iraqi parliament in Mays national elections  because the KDP has prevented its members from returning to the city.

Responding to that accusation, Ahmed Mayi, a KDP press secretary, said the city is occupied and for that reason KDP council members cannot go back.

But even if the local council convenes, it might not be able to elect a new governor. The other two forces  the Turkoman and Arabs  do not agree with the current political set-up.

Ali Mahdy, a council member from the Iraqi Turkmen Front, told Al Jazeera the Turkoman insist on sharing administrative positions equally between the three main ethnic groups in the city. Currently, the provincial council has 26 seats held by the Kurds  divided equally between PUK and KDP  nine by the Turkoman, and six by the Arabs.

Peshmarga forces are seen near Altun Kupri between Kirkuk and Erbil [Azad Lashkari/Reuters]

The Arabs, on the other hand, are asking for new council elections  a move the rest are reluctant to undertake. Unlike other provinces that hold provincial elections every four years, Kirkuk has not had one since 2005. This is because key provisions of the 2004 Iraqi constitution covering disputed areas, such as Kirkuk, have not been implemented.

Kurdish parties still insist on holding a referendum, but the Turkoman and Arabs reject the idea.

Iraqi Kurds have claimed Kirkuk as historically Kurdish and so have the Turkoman. Each side has accused the other of trying to engineer demographic change in the region.

The only hope for a resolution to the political deadlock seems to be the upcoming formation of governments in Baghdad and Erbil. Inter-party negotiations at the national and regional levels are likely to include Kirkuk.

Mayi told Al Jazeera he expects some kind of a resolution after the announcement of both cabinets.

Until then, Kirkuks residents will continue to suffer the consequences of the political and administrative chaos in the oil-rich province.
Barring an unprecedented upset, the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro will be elected president of Brazil this Sunday with a comfortable margin over his runoff opponent, the Workers Partys (PT) Fernando Haddad. This will crown a stunning run by the first-time candidate that saw his party, the formerly minuscule Social Liberal Party (PSL), jump from one to 52 federal representatives, propel a number of unknowns to success in the gubernatorial elections and place allies and relatives of Bolsonaro among the most voted across the country.

So how did a candidate with a well-documented history of openly anti-democratic, racist, misogynistic, homophobic remarks, with very little by way of specified policies other than the promise of being a law-and-order hardman who will banish the reds and stop the countrys moral degradation, come to sweep the board like that?

These were always going to be the most anti-systemic elections in Brazilian history. Since 2013, the countrys political system has been haemorrhaging legitimacy owing to widely perceived lack of accountability, a crippling economic crisis and an endlessly ramifying corruption scandal involving all major parties. A series of desperate attempts have been made to protect the establishment and steady the boat, not least throwing former president Dilma Rousseff overboard in a highly dubious impeachment. They have only managed to create more instability and fragilise institutions even further  not least the judiciary, whose erratic interventions have made it look partisan and weak at once.

It is ironic that Bolsonaro, a member of parliament for 27 years, who has been named in corruption investigations and is supported by some of the shiftiest sectors of Brazilian politics, could successfully present himself as the anti-systemic candidate. In order to understand his rise, we need to look beyond PTs undeniable mistakes to how the centre right, in its reckless efforts to create instability and exploit institutional meltdown, has endangered the countrys democracy and paved the way for the far right.

In 1994, the Brazilian party system hit upon a formula. While the bulk of it remained an amorphous mass of less than public interests, low on ideological commitment but with very expensive habits, two parties had the cadre, ideas and prestige to marshal this gelatinous blob into opposing blocs: the Workers Party on the centre left and the Social Democrats (PSDB) on the centre right. Elections were fought between the armies regimented by the two; whoever won took most of the others side as spoil.

The seeds of the far rights rise started to be sown in the early 2000s, when PT rode the global commodity boom to promote an economic bonanza that raised the standards of living for the poorest while also benefiting the rich. Lulas success made it impossible for opponents to claim that PT wasnt working; the country was unequivocally better off than it had been under PSDB. The only available route of attack lay in exploiting moral concerns around elements of PTs agenda, like womens and LGBT rights, and reheated Cold War red scares. In this, the centre right had support from major media groups and political leaders from the growing Brazilian Pentecostal community, whose electoral profile is essentially tied to moral issues. The more immoderate elements of this tacit alliance were increasingly brought into an echo chamber in which paranoid claims and bogus accusations would be dignified with comments by opposition politicians and media pundits, and thus fed back into a few news cycles until everyone moved on to the next fabricated outrage. An editorial market for anachronistic anti-communist propaganda boomed. Inevitably, this opened the door of mainstream debate, and of centre right parties themselves, to the far right.

PT, in turn, invariably chose negotiation over conflict, trusting that its popular support would always allow it to buy adversaries off and prevent PSDB from reconstituting its bloc. This meant avoiding direct confrontation with the media, a highly unregulated sector that PT had always vowed to democratise, and building an alliance with the Pentecostal right, which included watering down its own progressive agenda. This, of course, only furthered the far rights mainstream penetration.

Things changed in 2005, when a scheme of parliamentary bribes opened a new line of attack: the message now was that PT was the most corrupt party of all times  a tough bar to clear in Brazilian politics. Centre-right leaders believed that letting the scandal run its course would return them to office in 2006, but they were wrong. Lula recovered, won re-election and elected his successor, Rousseff, twice.

After the Petrobras scandal broke in 2014, however, with the economy already in a tailspin and dissatisfaction with the political class as a whole on the rise, PT was against the ropes like never before. This is why, in 2016, PSDB decided not to run the risk of allowing another comeback. Rather than wait for the elections, they joined a rising hard right and PTs coalition partner, MDB, in a parliamentary manoeuvre to oust president Rousseff. Among those in the political, business and media establishment who supported the move, the calculation was obvious: having led the opposition for 13 years, and having come close to winning in 2014, PSDB was a shoo-in for the 2018 race.

Except they were wrong again. First, they mistook the rising anti-systemic sentiment for a rejection of PT only. Secondly, they failed to consider how much that sentiment would be compounded by the sorry spectacle of the impeachment itself, and the nature of the government it put in place  which passed a number of draconian austerity measures and had a cabinet like a corruption all-star team. So unpopular was it, in fact, that it ended up being a boost to PT, which recovered some of its support in the comparison. This was, in fact, the reason why Lulas trial was fast-tracked  the establishments assumption again being that, with the former president out of the race, the PSDB candidate would have an easy ride. Fatefully, it was also what triggered PTs decision to field a candidate rather than support one from a less rejected centre-left party.

What the centre right did not realise was that they were no longer driving in the right lane on their own: they were now competing with a force much better positioned to not only ride the anti-systemic tide, but to reap a number of seeds that they had sown.

The anti-corruption campaign that led to Rousseffs downfall had turned against key MDB and PSDB figures; both parties have lost almost half their seats in parliament. The style of agitation fostered in the early 2000s, based on moral panics and red scares, had developed a life on its own on the internet and on WhatsApp groups. Whereas the procedure in the past was for media pundits and politicians to lend these stories a measure of respectability, these figures of authority themselves had now become targets. It is not uncommon to see people justify their vote for Bolsonaro with the fear of a communist dictatorship or that public schools are turning children gay, and to accuse the whole establishment of being in on the plot. Meanwhile, the Pentecostal right has rallied behind Bolsonaro, and Record, a media conglomerate owned by one of the countrys biggest evangelical churches, is angling to be to him what Fox is to Donald Trump. Ironic, no doubt, when one remembers how much Globo, the countrys biggest media corporation since the 1960s, actively supported Rousseffs impeachment and minimised the anti-Bolsonaro protests that swept the country before the first round of the elections.

In the end, no amount of judicial interventions and open support from financial markets could do the trick: PSDBs Geraldo Alckmin took less than five percent of the vote. The party, whose founders came out of the struggle against the military dictatorship, has declared neutrality in the runoff, as have most others, despite the many worrying antidemocratic signs coming from Bolsonaro and his camp.

A Bolsonaro government will be a recomposition of the countrys elite, bringing formerly bit-part players centre stage, but certainly not the clean break his voters imagine. It will continue the socially regressive policies of the outgoing Temer government, hitting the poor hard and stifling social mobility for a generation. The realities of building a parliamentary majority will no doubt contradict his anti-corruption discourse. It is unclear how long Bolsonaro will manage to be all things to all people, which raises fears that he might amplify the more belligerent and autocratic elements of his persona as compensation. There have been several cases of violence against journalists, LGBT people and left-wing supporters since the elections first round, and Bolsonaros discourse continues to court political violence explicitly.

As for the political and economic establishment, which until now had in PSDB their natural representatives, it has largely signalled that it is prepared to roll with the new times. Markets have been elated since Bolsonaro took the lead; industrialists have started flocking to him. When a case of electoral fraud with the potential to annul the elections emerged  businessmen had been paying for bulk fake news messages supporting Bolsonaro on WhatsApp  most of the media and the electoral court dealt with the case in cool, muted terms. This only strengthened the impression that the same forces that moved to impeach Rousseff have made already made their choice.

The assumption is clearly that Bolsonaro will be willing to outsource key areas of policy to them and that his antidemocratic tendencies can be controlled; that trying to tame his disruption is better than risking another centre-left comeback. A dangerous gamble, no doubt, considering both who the candidate is and the fact that it was exactly that kind of logic that brought them, and the country, to this situation.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Following Iraqs inconclusive national election on May 12, the United States tried hard to guarantee a second term for former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Washingtons special envoy Brett McGurk spent months talking Iraqi politicians into following the American blueprint aimed at isolating Tehran and keeping anyone friendly to Iran out of power. But it was all in vain. The US failed to place its desired candidates in the important positions of prime minister, president and speaker of the parliament. Instead, Irans Iraqi allies got their way. All three positions were filled with new faces who would not allow Iraq to turn its back to Iran.

Iran needed to make sure that Iraqs new government would not tilt towards Washington, and support the renewed US sanctions  the way Abadi did. Abadi had adopted the new set of US sanctions against Iran in August, in an attempt to countervail the electoral setback he faced in May and ensure a second term. And in doing so, he broke the Tehran-Washington compromise that brought him to power in 2014. Ironically, his anti-Iran posture received the strongest pushback from Iraqs political elite, and not Iran. He failed to control even MPs of his own coalition, and finally McGurk had to let him go. The Basra upheaval was the last nail in his premierships coffin.

Importantly, a less US-inclined independent politician Adel Abdul Mahdi replaced Abadi. In a clear message to Iran, Abdul Mahdi opposed his predecessors abidance by renewed US sanctions with an article in a Persian outlet, which he had been publishing in for years. Additionally, he was designated as PM by Barham Salih, the new Iraqi president whose election beyond Kurdish consensus was seen in Tehran as another blow to the special envoy McGurk and in extension to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)s Masoud Barzani. The latters nomination of Fouad Hussain was widely perceived as an effort to belittle Iraqi national politics.

How we got here

The May 12 election came amid political and social turmoil in Iraq, caused by the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), the Kurdish referendum and the re-taking of Kirkuk by Baghdad. Moreover, it was the first election after Baghdads re-establishment of political ties with Riyadh  an actor keen to push back against Irans elevated position in post-ISIL Iraq. Moreover, US was following a policy of maximum pressure on Iran, which had direct consequences for Iraq. Barzani was ready to jump on Washingtons bandwagon because of his ire with Tehrans support for the re-taking of Kirkuk.

Against this backdrop, the Islah (Reform) coalition including Muqtada al-Sadr, Haider al-Abadi, Ammar Hakim and Iyad Allawi was announced in Baghdads Babel Hotel on August 19. The alliance, with the support of Washington, had hoped to attract minor parties and secure majority in the Parliament. Three unexpected developments, however, made such an outcome impossible. First, the Fatah  State of Law Bina (Construction) coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, announced its formation and declared that it holds the majority in the parliament. Second, smaller Sunni parties such as National Movement for Development and Reform refused to join the US-backed Islah coalition. And third, Abadi failed to control his own Nasr coalition, especially after the Basra upheaval in southern Iraq. Following these three developments, McGurk was forced to abandon his dream of keeping Abadi in office.

The race for the presidency was another story. Traditionally, the post is determined through a consensus within the Kurdistan Regional Government, however, the inability of the Kurds to unite behind a candidate moved their rivalry into Iraqs national politics  where Salih was elected decisively. Salihs election sets a new precedent in which the process of electing presidents is no longer a solely Kurdish matter, but rather a national one. Two hours into his presidency, Salih named Abdul Mahdi as the new prime minister.

Why did Iran win

Irans recent victory against the US and Saudi Arabia in the Iraqi political landscape is first and foremost a result of the trust it has built in the country over decades. The US is not a trusted actor in Iraq due to its inconsistent policies. While the Shia believe Americans allowed Saddams regime to crush them in 1991 and did nothing to stop ISILs advances in 2014, the Sunnis consider the 2003 occupation as an American betrayal. The Kurds, on the other hand, are angry over the US inaction in the face of ISIL advances in 2014 and their loss of Kirkuk in 2017. Most Iraqis however, view Iran as a consistent force. They may not support all of Tehrans policies, but they all trust its consistency. It took Tehran decades to build this trust, just as it took the US decades to lose it.

This trust played a significant role in the lead up to the election of a new prime minister. Despite their nationalist tendencies, both the Saairun (Marching) and Hikma (Wisdom) movements refused to support Abadis decision to implement the new US sanctions on Iran. After months of intense negotiations, Saairun agreed to support Abdul Mahdis candidacy alongside the Fatah coalition  knowing that Abdul Mahdi was Irans favoured candidate. On Iraqs Sunni scene, despite US and Saudi efforts, many Sunni parties and figures chose to go against their post-2003 tradition and eventually also sided with the Iran-backed coalition. As a result, Mohammed al-Halbousi the favoured candidate of the Iran-backed coalition, was elected as speaker.

President Salihs election was also very much linked to Iranian support, with reports that McGurk tried to talk him out of candidacy. Turning the presidency into a national issue, on the other hand, was a strategic gain for Iran against the secessionist KRG.

In short, Iran managed to secure a supportive prime minister, a friendly president and, for the first time, helped elect a very supportive speaker of parliament. Above all, it managed to showcase that it remains a trusted ally for Iraq, even as the country carves its way into more diverse and less sectarian politics. Recent developments demonstrated that a cross-sectarian Iraq is not going to be an anti-Iran one. Therefore, Washingtons plan to minimise Irans influence in Iraq by forming a strong Iraqi government on national basis and a cross-sectarian coalition did not work. In other words, the break down of Iraqs sectarian loyalties is not happening at the expense of Iranian influence. This is a huge achievement for Tehran and and a bigg loss for Washington.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Compared with the United States and Saudi Arabia, against the odds, Turkey appears to have gained the most out of the crisis over the assassination of Saudi Commentator Jamal Khashoggi. The fact that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has had the most to lose is obvious, and the Trump Administration at best looks like it is caught between the Scylla of trusting an ally too much and the Charybdis of being an accessory by failing to heed bi-partisan pressure for accountability and mete out repercussions for the act.

Whereas Turkey has skillfully managed the incident to its advantage, partly by putting pressure on Saudi Arabia and partly by using the crisis as a means to recast its relations with the US and the West. It is not in Turkeys interest to have an ugly open diplomatic battle with Saudi Arabia, but Turkey does compete with it for influence in the Arab world. In addition, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan resents the foreign policy acts of Saudi Arabia as directed by the kingdoms de-facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS). While Turkey probably wont cross the ultimate red line of lambasting MBS directly, by adeptly leaking damning details of the investigation to the international press it has put considerable pressure on Saudi Arabia and even appears to have knocked it down a few pegs in the international order.

In his first major speech on the topic this week, Erdogan described Khashoggi as the victim of a vicious murder and called for an independent international investigation into the incident. But while he used words of respect for King Salman, he did not refer directly to MBS by name. He called for the suspects to be tried in Turkey, as opposed to being protected by diplomatic immunity. He went on to ask a series of questions, such as where the body is and who the local collaborator is that Saudi Arabia says the body was handed over to. Moreover, he demanded to know who had ordered the operation, indicating Ankara is likely to keep the pressure on Riyadh.





Less expected, however, had been how adroitly Turkey  which has demonstrated a lack of skilled diplomacy in recent years  is showing the utility of crises by manoeuvring to put its relationship with the West, primarily with the US, back on an even keel. The release of the arrested American pastor Andrew Brunson was not the only indication of this diplomatic pivot, but certainly the most visible one. Turkey had arrested him on terror charges and refused to release him, even though it had unsuccessfully negotiated with the US in recent months over terms of releasing him in exchange for Washington agreeing to drop its sanctions-busting investigation into Turkeys state-owned Halkbank.

Turkish relations with the West have deteriorated in recent years as Erdogan has grown more authoritarian domestically and more contrarian in dealing with fellow NATO allies. The Turkish president has long been frustrated by the EUs insistence on deeper democratic and rule of law reforms, and more recently angered by the US unwillingness to hand over Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish Muslim leader Ankara believes to be behind the July 2016 failed coup attempt, to Turkish authorities and its support for Kurdish forces in Syria. Particularly after the unsuccessful coup attempt, Erdogan has moved closer to Russia, despite a Russian warplane being shot down by a Turkish fighter jet in 2015, and the Russian ambassador to Turkey being assassinated by a Turkish citizen a year later.

Other ways Turkey has been acting more in the interests of the West include how it is cooperating with the US in northern Syria in the town of Manbij, where it is coordinating patrols with the US in an effort to keep the Kurdish Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) out of the town  despite recent threats not to do so. In addition, Erdogan had a make-up meeting with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin. And most significantly Turkey pulled off a fairly miraculous forestalling of what appeared to be an impending Syrian-Russian-Iranian attack on Idlib that could have displaced and/or injured several million refugees living in the last major stronghold of the Syrian opposition. The most recent move has involved helping the West seek justice over the Khashoggi killing, with the Brunson release occurring in the first week of these efforts.

These unexpected pro-Western gambits certainly amount to something, at least an apparent about-face for Erdogan. Only recently he was railing against the US for its sanctions over Brunson, and the economic fallout for Turkey that has been so damaging. However, they prompt the question: does this represent a new pattern of cooperating with the US and the West, or is this merely a temporary means of giving Turkey its day in the sun ahead of a coming return to recent form of antagonizing the West whenever Erdogan finds it convenient?

Certainly, the US and its allies hope it is the former. For it was not long ago when Turkey had emerged as a regional superpower, the only democratic and capitalist Middle Eastern country and a willing bridge between the Muslim and Western world. This was early in Erdogans run as Turkeys long-standing leader, first as prime minister and later as president. Turkey, during this period late in the Bush Administration and early in the Obama administration, was a net benefit to the global community, providing sturdy leadership and engaging in creative diplomacy such as helping bring a more lasting peace to Cyprus.

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But as a US diplomat once memorably stated it, dealing with Turkey is like peeling an onion  meaning dealing with Turkish diplomats have always been difficult, as even if one matter got sorted out there would always be another one about which it would be difficult to find a communal way forward on. For years this was only the case in diplomatic discussions, such as in Brussels, but in the end Turkey could be counted on in strategic terms as a key member of NATO in a crucial region of the world. However, as President Erdogan began evincing autocratic tendencies, western relations with Turkey have grown more strained up through the recent era of Turkey repositioning itself as more an ally of Russia than its formal NATO allies.

Relations with Turkey have never been easy, but in the past even if Turkish officials proved difficult in diplomatic discussions, they often acted pragmatically in practice by, for instance, joining EU foreign and security operations on the ground with Turkish personnel and funding. In the age-old EU-NATO disputes involving Greece being in the EU and Turkey being in NATO, Turkey was often the more pragmatic of the two. But it may prove too much for the West to begin trusting its formal Turkish ally again, primarily because it is difficult to imagine President Erdogan resisting the next temptation to thunder against anyone at home or abroad who does something to annoy him.

Nonetheless, even just for economic reasons, it is in Turkeys interests to maintain better relations with the West. And certainly, on some level, it must continue to appeal to the Turks, even to Erdogan himself, that Turkey  with some concerted efforts of the President and Turkeys diplomats  could again take up the mantle of being a benign regional hegemon and once again a trusted bridge between the Middle East and the West.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Number represents a 31 percent increase from the previous month, and comes as Trump ramps up anti-immigrant rhetoric.

US border agents arrested nearly 17,000 members of family units attempting to cross the US border with Mexico in September, a 31 percent increase over the previous month, according to official statistics released on Tuesday.

In a news briefing with reporters on Tuesday, Trump administration officials pointed to the increase in migrant families as evidence of a border crisis because those groups are more difficult for immigration enforcement officials to detain and deport because of protections granted by US law to migrant children. Rights groups, however, dispute Trumps claim, saying that while there was an increase in apprehensions in 2018, overall, irregular immigration has been at a historic low over the last few years.

The Trump administration expressed alarm at the change in the makeup of migrants attempting to cross into the United States from mostly single adults to children and families travelling together.

About 40 percent of those apprehended in the fiscal years 2017 and 2018 were unaccompanied children or families with children, compared with 10 percent in 2012, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think-tank.

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According to numbers released on Tuesday, US border officials arrested nearly 397,000 people in total at the southern border in the 2018 fiscal year that ended September 30, an increase over the 304,000 apprehended in 2017 but largely in line with arrest trends of migrants at the US southern border over the past decade.

Border arrests dropped in the months after Trump took office in January 2017 but have rebounded over the past year.

Zero tolerance

Trump has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America over a caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants and refugees fleeing violence and poverty at home.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration tried to deter families from travelling to the border by instituting a zero tolerance policy, which included separating thousands of children from their parents as the adults were prosecuted.

About 2,500 children and parents were separated before Trump abandoned the practice in June after a public outcry. A federal judge ordered the families reunited, a process that is still incomplete, with hundreds of children still separated from their families.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that the White House was considering plans that may result in family separations. Citing officials briefed on the issues, the Post said the Trump administration was looking at potentially asking detained asylum seekers to choose between staying in detention with their children for an indefinite period of time or allowing their children to be sent to government shelters where family members could seek custody.

Hogan Gifly, White House deputy press secretary, told the newspaper in a statement at the time that career law enforcement professionals in the US government are working to analyse and evaluate options that would protect the American people, prevent the horrific actions of child smuggling, and stop drug cartels from pouring into our communities.

Texass Rio Grande Valley

In Texass Rio Grande Valley (RGV), where more migrants are arrested crossing between official ports of entry than in any other section of the 2,000-mile-long (3,200-km) border with Mexico, apprehensions continued to rise in October, said the Border Patrol sectors Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla.

There were over 12,700 arrests in the RGV during the first three weeks of October, marking a 112 percent increase over the same period in 2017, Padilla said in a phone interview.

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Sixty-four percent of those detentions were of family members or unaccompanied children from countries other than Mexico, up from a rate of 51 percent in all of the fiscal year 2018, Padilla said.

More than 5,400 family units were detained in the first half of October, up 300 percent from the same period in 2017.

Right now were at maximum capacity when it comes to detention, and so is ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Our detention capacity is just breaking at the seams, said Padilla, predicting border-wide family apprehensions would rise again in October. This is not sustainable.
Australia under pressure to release held child refugees

Recent election results show growing momentum against government policy to keep refugees in detention centres on Nauru.
City council files case with police after white man was filmed racially abusing a 77-year-old black woman last week.

Barcelona is pursuing a case against a man filmed subjecting a 77-year-old black woman to racist abuse on a Ryanair flight, according to a report in the Guardian.

Flight FR015 was departing Barcelona for the United Kingdom on October 19 when the man launched his tirade, calling the elderly woman an ugly black b***ard and demanding that she change her seat.

I dont care whether shes f****** disabled or not, if I tell her to get out she gets out, said the man, who has been identified by British police but not publicly named.

British police have forwarded the details to their Spanish counterparts, who are leading the investigation.

The woman, later named as Delsia Gayle, asked to be reseated next to her daughter, who was also travelling.

She told ITV News that she felt very low after the accident.

He pays his fare, I pay mine. So why did he abuse me for that? Because of the colour of my skin, she told the news outlet, adding: If I had done that to him, Im sure they would have called the police.

When are you going to apologise to Delsie Gayle and her daughter? What a horrible level of customer care you deliver.  Jasmine Dotiwala (@jasminedotiwala) October 22, 2018

Staff are heard asking the racist man to calm down but he was not asked to leave the aircraft, prompting outrage and calls to boycott Ryanair.

Barcelonas deputy mayor Jaume Asens called Ryanairs response unacceptable, in a tweet calling for witnesses on Monday.

Ryanair has acknowledged the video but has not yet yielded to calls for an apology.

We are aware of this video and have reported this matter to Essex Police, it said in a short statement published on Twitter on Sunday.
Brazil election: What is behind the rise of Jair Bolsonaro?

Right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro holds a lead in polls and is expected to win second round of voting.
Hong Kong-based airline claims malicious, criminal attack on its website hit over 9 million passengers.

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific has said it suffered a major data leak affecting up to 9.4 million passengers.

The airline admitted on Wednesday that data including passport numbers, identity card numbers, email addresses and credit card details had been accessed.

We are in the process of contacting affected passengers, using multiple communications channels, and providing them with information on steps they can take to protect themselves, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said in a statement on the airlines website.

We have no evidence that any personal data has been misused, the statement said.

Cathay said it had launched an investigation and alerted the police after an ongoing IT operation revealed unauthorised access of systems containing the passenger data of over nine million people.

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Hogg added: The following personal data was accessed: passenger name, nationality, date of birth, phone number, email, address, passport number, identity card number, frequent flyer programme membership number, customer service remarks, and historical travel information.

The CEO also revealed that 403 expired credit card numbers and 27 credit card numbers with no CVV were accessed.

The combination of data accessed varies for each affected passenger, he said.

Major losses

The leak comes as the troubled airline battles to stem major losses as it comes under pressure from lower-cost Chinese carriers and Middle East rivals.

It booked its first back-to-back annual loss in its seven-decade history in March and had previously pledged to cut 600 staff, including a quarter of its management, as part of its biggest overhaul in years.

Hogg did not mention financial compensation for passengers affected by the data leak.

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Last month, British Airways pledged to compensate customers when the UK flag carrier suffered a data hack.

The British airline revealed in September that personal and financial details of about 380,000 customers who booked flights on the groups website and mobile phone app over several weeks had been stolen.

The revelation came just a few months after the European Union tightened data protection laws with the so-called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

CEO Alex Cruz said the firm had been the victim of a malicious, criminal attack on our website.

The airline took out full-page adverts in UK newspapers to apologise to customers, while the share price of parent group IAG was hit.
Chinas appetite for coal is rising again despite a surge of investment in alternative energies, limits on coal use, and the establishment of no-coal zones throughout the country designed to help it meet climate pledges.

China embarked on an energy transformation in terms of cutting coal and developing renewables, but we are now facing difficulties on both fronts, Li Shuo, senior climate adviser with Greenpeace, told the Reuters news agency.

Though some studies have suggested Chinas total climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions peaked at 9.53 gigatonnes in 2013, well ahead of its official target of around 2030, the environmental group said they could reach a new high this year or next.

Coal production has risen 5.1 percent in the first three-quarters of this year to 2.59 billion tonnes.





When US President Donald Trump said he was pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accord last year, China reaffirmed its commitments to tackle its use of coal, by far its biggest source of carbon emissions.

The country has made progress in cutting the share of coal in total energy use, with the figure expected to drop to 58 percent by 2020, down more than 10 percentage points in a decade.

It has also met a 2020 target to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) it emits per unit of growth. But the absolute volumes of both coal and CO2 remain by far the worlds highest, and are still set to rise.

Pressure on coal

Big coal-producing regions such as Inner Mongolia and Shanxi have been under pressure to cap capacity, with the state promising to shut 500 million tonnes of annual production between 2016 and 2020, and banning the import and use of lower-quality coal.

But despite closing uneconomical pits, official annual production capability was 3.49 billion tonnes at the end of June, up from 3.41 billion tonnes a year earlier, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said this month. Another 976 million tonnes were under construction.

Beijings decarbonisation plans have been hit by grid bottlenecks and subsidy backlogs that have hindered efforts to maximise solar and wind generation.

Solar capacity grew by a record 53 gigawatts (GW) in 2017, but additions are capped at 30GW this year.

They have also been hurt by a slowdown in the construction of nuclear reactors, one of the few alternative power sources able to take on the baseload generation role currently played by traditional coal-fired plants.

Illusion of decarbonisation

No new commercial reactors have been approved in nearly three years and local authorities have had little choice but to turn to coal to provide the baseload.





Chinas mainly coal-fired thermal power capacity rose 58GW from the end of 2016 to the end of August this year, more than half of all new domestic capacity over the period and almost enough to power Australia, NEA data showed.

With renewables ramping up so quickly, it has given the illusion of decarbonisation, but China is falling into the same trap that Germany has fallen into  deploying lots of renewables that have to be backed up with lots of coal-fired power plants, said Li Ning, nuclear scientist and dean of the College of Energy at Xiamen University.

China pledged to launch another six to eight reactor projects this year, but Li said it was unlikely it would get around to making the required approvals until next year.

If nuclear cant keep up, then it is coal, he said.
Duch, 76, was given a life sentence for crimes against humanity after first trial at UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

A Khmer Rouge-era prison chief who was the first person to be convicted in an ongoing Cambodian war crimes tribunal has been admitted to hospital in Phnom Penh with respiratory problems.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, was sentenced to life in jail in 2012 for his role in running the S-21 detention centre where thousands were incarcerated, tortured, and sent to their deaths in the nearby killing fields.

Chat Sineang, director of the Kandal prison where Duch has been serving his sentence, told the AFP news agency the 76-year-old has been undergoing treatment for respiratory problems since October 20 and was moved from a provincial clinic to the capital.

He is still at the Russian Friendship hospital, Sineang said, describing Duchs condition as quite serious because he is 76 now.





S-21 was at the heart of the security apparatus of the Khmer Rouge, an ultra-Maoist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975 until 1979 when an estimated 1.7 million people were killed or died from starvation, exhaustion or disease.

The UN-backed tribunal was set up in 2006, but has been hampered by a lack of funds and allegations of political interference.

Duch, a former mathematics teacher turned torturer, was arrested in 1999 after being discovered working for a Christian aid agency under a false name.

His eventual trial was followed closely and the conviction seen as a milestone for victims seeking justice.

Judges at the tribunal are set to announce their verdict in the courts second case next month.

Former leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are on trial for crimes against humanity in what may be the last case the court hears. Both men are already serving life sentences after being found guilty in an earlier trial.

Age has also played a role in thwarting the tribunals work.

Ieng Sary  a former Khmer Rouge foreign affairs minister who had been charged with crimes against humanity  died in 2013 before the court could reach a verdict in his case.

His wife and co-defendant Ieng Thirith, a former social affairs minister, was released because of dementia and died in 2015.
Locals and medical workers say at least 10 were killed in attack on a group of farmers.

At least 10 people were killed in an air raid that struck a group of farmers in a vegetable market in Yemens Hodeidah province, medical workers and residents said.

The Saudi-UAE alliance, which has carried out hundreds of air attacks in the country, said it was investigating the incident.

At least nine others were killed in the attack in Bayt al-Faqih, around 70km south of the city of Hodeidah, according to medical sources, while Houthi sources put the number of dead at 19 with 10 others wounded.

Al Jazeera could not immediately verify the number of casualties, which were reported by Reuters.

In June, forces loyal to Yemens government, alongside Saudi and Emirati forces, launched an offensive to take the city of Hodeidah from Houthi rebels, but have struggled to make significant gains.

The port of Hodeidah is the main gateway for commercial imports and relief supplies into the country, and also carries strategic importance. Saudi and Emirati officials say it is the main entry point for Iranian arms shipments to the Houthis.

In the four months since the battle began, civilians have frequently been killed in air attacks. At least 15 people were killed in air raids that hit a strategic highway linking the city of Hodeidah with Sanaa in September.

Stalemate

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Houthi rebels, traditionally confined to the north of the country, swept south taking over much of the country, including the southern port of Aden, forcing Yemens President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee.

Conflict escalated in March 2015, when a Saudi-UAE led alliance began a campaign to roll back Houthi gains.

The aerial campaign and ground offensive succeeded in pushing the Houthis out of Aden and surrounding southern areas, but has stalled since, with little territorial change since.

According to the UN, at least 10,000 people have been killed since the coalition intervened in Yemen. The death toll has not been updated in years and is likely to be far higher.
Ecuadors foreign minister says the Wikileaks founder should sort out his issues with Britain.

Ecuadors foreign minister says his country does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of Julian Assange in talks over his legal situation as an asylee in the South American countrys London embassy.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told Reuters on Tuesday that Ecuadors only responsibility was looking after the Wikileaks founders wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps, Valencia said. We are not Mr Assanges lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain.

The lawsuit filed earlier this week, accused Ecuador of violating his fundamental right and freedoms.

In a statement, Wikileaks said Ecuador had threatened to remove his protection and summarily cut off his access to the outside world.

It also said that the embassy has refused journalists and human rights organisations to see him well as installing three signal jammers in the embassy to prevent his phone calls and internet access.

Assanges decision to start legal proceedings came days after Ecuador issued him with a list of rules to obey if he wanted to continue living in the embassy.

They included household rules, such as cleaning the toilet, looking after his cat, and paying his own expenses like food, medical and laundry, to more politically motivated ones, such as not to partake in any activity deemed to be interfering in the internal affairs of states.

The Ecuadorian foreign minister expressed frutation by the legal suit.

There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr Assanges laundry, he said.

Greg Barns, an Australian lawyer advising Assange, said in an email that developments in the case in recent times showed the need for Australias government to intervene to assist one of its citizens who faces real danger.

This action marks a departure from Ecuadors previous practice of maintaining dialogue with British authorities over Assanges situation since granting him asylum in 2012, when he took refuge in Ecuadors London Embassy after British courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case.

That case has since been dropped, but friends and supporters have said that Assange now fears he could be arrested and eventually extradited to the United States if he leaves the embassy.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has said that asylum is not meant to be eternal, but he has also expressed concern about the possibility that Assange might be extradited to the US.
Thousands of migrants and refugees headed to the US find temporary shelter and help as they pass through Guatemala.

Esquipulas, Guatemala  A small laundry basket full of shoes sits outside Ana Ruth Alvarados eatery in Esquipulas, located 10km away from Guatemalas border with Honduras.

A sign is taped to the basket, letting passing migrants and refugees, who are part of a caravan headed towards the US, know they are welcome to take a pair. Bags of water and bread sit on a table above the shoes, and a note encouraging people to donate sweaters is nearby.

An initial wave of Honduran migrants and refugees came through here on October 15, and most of them are now travelling up through southern Mexico. But hundreds of Hondurans have been making their way through Esquipulas every day since.

We do what we can, Alvarado tells Al Jazeera of the ad hoc support centre in front of her business, along one of the main streets of Esquipulas.

Originally from El Salvador, Alvarado makes and sells simple meals, including pupusas, the most iconic Salvadoran food. But she also runs a small migrant support group called Corazones Bondadosos, which translates as Generous Hearts.

In the eaterys kitchen, Reina Madrid is busy making corn dough and preparing meals for customers. Al Jazeera first interviewed the mother-of-four over the weekend, when she had just arrived after an arduous journey across the border, where police were blocking hundreds of Hondurans from leaving.

Volunteers cook in the Esquipulas shelters kitchen [Sandra Cuffe/Al Jazeera]

Madrid, a cook who left Honduras due to unemployment, is now cheerfully working away in the kitchen. She slept, ate, and has clean and dry clothes. She also has some temporary work for now, helping out Alvarado.

Its all thanks to her, Madrid tells Al Jazeera, referring to the job that will help her send money to her children for food, bills, and school supplies.

Madrid is one of thousands of Hondurans who left their country en masse over the past 10 days, fleeing violence and unemployment. Dubbed a migrant caravan, there are now groups ranging between a few people and several thousand at different points in Guatemala and Mexico.

Undeterred by threats, increased security

US President Donald Trump has been tweeting against the exodus since it began, threatening to cut aid to Central American governments, deride regional government responses, shut down the border, and call in the military to stop the caravans advance.

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The Mexican, Guatemalan and Honduran government have also responded to the mass exodus with similar rhetoric, as well as concrete measures, including beefing up the presence of security forces at their borders.

Hundreds of Hondurans are still managing to get out, though, often hiking around the border and police checkpoints. They walk into Esquipulas, and just a block away from Alvarados corner eatery, they go to the local Casa del Migrante Jose shelter.

The shelter, which is affiliated with the Catholic Church, is entirely volunteer-run.

Hondurans rest outside Esquipulas shelter kitchen [Sandra Cuffe/Al Jazeera]

According to volunteer Griselda Garcia the shelter celebrated its one-year anniversary last month, but a group of volunteers have been supporting migrants and refugees for much longer.

They started organising to provide relief and support for the wave of African migrants and refugees heading north through Central America over the past few years, she says, taking a brief break from her cooking duties.

At first we started just giving coffee and bread. The truth is we saw people were in need, and when one sees kids, one is even more moved, Garcia tells Al Jazeera.

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The shelter provides food for migrants and refugees, and a place to stay when possible. But lately there have been so many people they have had to borrow two large halls belonging to the Catholic Church to provide somewhere for everyone to sleep.

Every day, 400 or 500 people arrive to us here, Garcia says, referring to the current exodus from Honduras.

There are many families, many single mothers, and many youth passing through, she says.

A pastor gives money to Honduran migrants outside a migrant shelter in Guatemala City [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]

The situation in shelters all around Guatemala is similar to that of Esquipulas, where Guatemalans are providing a place to rest, as well as rides, food, water and clothing to help out their Honduran neighbours.

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Back in Esquipulas, a young man interrupts Garcia to ask if there are plastic bags left over from the water that can be used as rubbish bags for people wanting to help clean up. Theyre out of the bags, it turns out, but will improvise.

Garcia and the other volunteers come in shifts and help out whenever possible, but they also all have jobs and families, she says. Regardless, theyre committed to providing food, shelter and support to the waves of Honduran migrants and refugees that continue to cross the border into Guatemala on a daily basis.

We will continue as long as we can, says Garcia.
Hurricane Willa has made landfall in Mexico after hurtling towards the countrys north-western coastline at up to 195 kilometres per hour, the local weather service reported.

The eye of the Category-3 storm hit the coast at 7:30pm on Tuesday (0130 GMT Wednesday), passing near the city of Escuinapa in the state of Sinaloa and moving at 17 kph.

It is expected to dump 15 to 30 centimetres of rain on parts of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco states, with some areas getting up to 45 centimetres.

The three states had already declared an alert and cancelled school.

In the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval on Monday ordered the evacuation of hotels and coastal areas, warning the storm could have very destructive consequences.

We do not have any reports of damages there so far, the head of Mexicos emergency services, Luis Felipe Puente, told a press conference.

More than 4,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas, including tourists, he said. They are being housed in 58 temporary shelters, according to AFP news agency.

Empty hotels

At a shelter in Escuinapa, a town of 30,000 people that sits in the middle of the storms likely path, residents fretted over their houses as they waited out the storm.

Lets just hope this is over soon so we can go home, said Epigmenio Cardenas, 44, a farmer who was among the 2,500 people huddled there.

The Mexican army deployed troops to roll out a disaster response operation in the area.

In Mazatlan, a tranquil resort town with turquoise waters, the hotels that line the coast were largely empty as workers nailed plywood over the windows and built sandbag barriers to keep out the flood waters earlier in the day.

As the storm moved over the town, drenching it in a light but steady rain, some hardy residents even went for walks or bike rides on the oceanfront avenue, the Malecon.

Adding to the weather chaos, the remnants of Tropical Storm Vicente were moving over Michoacan on Tuesday, bringing more heavy rainfall.

Mexicos Pacific coast has already been hit by deadly storms and rains this hurricane season.

In September, at least 15 people were killed when flash floods hit the states of Sinaloa and Michoacan. Last week, 11 more people died in Oaxaca, including seven children.
Photo of shirtless Gaza protester goes viral, is compared to iconic Liberty French Revolution painting.

An image of a shirtless young protester in Gaza gripping a Palestinian flag with one hand and swinging a slingshot over his head with the other has drawn comparisons with the iconic French Revolution painting, Liberty Leading the People.

Captured on October 22 by Mustafa Hassouna of Turkeys Anadolu Agency, the photo shows 20-year-old Palestinian Aed Abu Amro seeming to rise out of the thick of a protest against the Israeli blockade.

He appears in sharp contrast to fellow demonstrators and reporters in protective jackets behind him, all set against a background of black smoke from burning tyres. The image has been tweeted over 5,000 times.

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Abu Amro lives in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza City.

He protests every Friday and Monday with friends.

I was surprised this picture of me went viral, he told Al Jazeera. I participate in protests on a weekly basis, sometimes more. I didnt even know there was a photographer near me.

Amro said that his friends sent him the image  taken in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza  the next day, having spotted it being shared on social media.

When a Michelangelo with a camera captures David fighting Goliath in action. Getty image by Mustafa Hassouna pic.twitter.com/MgJAbr7JwQ  (((YousefMunayyer))) (@YousefMunayyer) October 24, 2018

I dont go to protests to get pictures of me taken, but this has encouraged me to continue demonstrating, he said.

The flag I was carrying is the same one I always hold in all the other protests Ive attended. My friends make fun of me, saying it is easier to throw rocks without holding a flag in the other hand, but I got used to it.

If I get killed, I want to be wrapped in the same flag. We are demanding our right of return, and protesting for our dignity and the dignity of our future generation.

For nearly seven months, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have protested along the fence with Israel demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago.

The protesters are also demanding an end to the crippling 11-year Israeli blockade of the enclave.

Since the Great March of Return demonstrations began on March 30, Israeli forces have killed at least 205 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave, including journalists and paramedics, and have injured more than 18,000.

Iconic     (@SultanAlQassemi) October 23, 2018

Laleh Khalili, a SOAS University professor, shared the photo on Twitter on Tuesday, writing: Holy sh** what an image. 13th attempt to break the Gaza blockade by sea.

She followed it up with a second tweet containing an image of Liberty Leading the People, painted by Eugene Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France.

In that iconic painting, a woman symbolising Liberty leads people over a barricade and dead bodies of the fallen, holding the Tricolore  the flag of the French Revolution, which became Frances flag.

Several users agreed with the comparison.

Malian football star Frederic Kanoute tweeted: Does it look familiar, especially to the French?

"13th attempt to break the Gaza blockade by sea". (Photo by Mustafa Hassouna, Andalou Agency for Getty). Does it look familiar, especially to the French?#FreePalestine #EndTheBlockade pic.twitter.com/hswvIWmfF9  Fred Oumar KANOUTE (@FredericKanoute) October 24, 2018

Snapped on the way to storming the bastille, joked Yousef Munayyer, of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.

snapped on the way to storming the bastille  (((YousefMunayyer))) (@YousefMunayyer) October 23, 2018

Ca me rappelle la Liberte guidant le peuple dEugene Delacroix.

Une image tres puissante!!! pic.twitter.com/4zXNyoZWv4    (@ATMology) October 24, 2018

Others noted similarities with different paintings depicting the French Revolution, David vs Goliath and Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea who supports the Greeks against the Trojans in the Trojan War.

https://twitter.com/revenant410/status/1054927015353204736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/UmmAlDunya/status/1055017715763724288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Government move to force out two leading officers and transfer others draws sharp reaction from the opposition.

Indias government removed the head of the countrys top investigating agency and his deputy in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday  a move opposition parties and constitutional experts said amounted to misuse of power.

Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Alok Verma, and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were asked to go on leave after the agency filed a corruption case against Asthana.

A feud between the two men has been simmering since before Asthana, who is allegedly close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was promoted to the agencys second-highest post last year.

Verma has challenged the government move in the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on Friday.

The CBI is armed with a mandate to investigate corruption and all major crimes in the country.

Opposition politicians have questioned the government on the removal of Verma.

What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act ? What is Modi govt trying to hide ?  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 24, 2018

CBI has now become so called BBI ( BJP Bureau of Investigation )  very unfortunate!  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 24, 2018

Since Wednesday morning, the overthrown chiefs offices at CBI headquarters in New Delhi have been searched and sealed. A dozen officers probing Deputy Chief Asthana have been shunted out to different departments away from the capital.

On Monday, the CBI arrested an investigating officer and conducted searches at its own headquarters as part of their probe against Asthana in a bribery case related to Hyderabad-based meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Critics say Prime Minister Modi is trying to save an allegedly corrupt officer, Asthana, who worked under him when the current Indian prime minister headed the government in Gujarat state.

The government wants the independent investigative agency to dance to their tunes. We will not let this happen Former Congress Minister and Member of Parliament Veerappa Moily

Asthana had headed a probe into the 2002 Gujarat train fire and wrote a report exonerating Modi of all charges of wrongdoing in the religious violence that ensued.

The government appointed an interim officer as chief of the CBI on Wednesday.

They dont have any authority to do this. If you leave the powers to sack the top officer of the CBI to the government, its a mockery of the whole institution. This is being done to protect the graft-accused officer Asthana, a blue-eyed boy of the prime minister, Prashant Bhushan, Supreme Court lawyer, told Al Jazeera.

The government is apprehensive of the complaint that lies before the CBI chief to investigate the Rafale deal signed by the government, he added.

Upheld the integrity

The opposition has accused the Modi government of corruption in a multibillion-dollar deal to buy Rafale warplanes from Frances Dassault Aviation. The government has denied any wrongdoing.

The government has defended the CBI move, saying they have acted to uphold the integrity of the premier institution.

The maintenance of the CBIs institutional integrity is a pre-condition for fair probes. A strange and disappointing situation has arisen here which is that the chief and the deputy chief have levelled allegations against each other. Who will probe this? Indias Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in a press conference in New Delhi.

The requirements of fair play have to be there. The government can not probe this. The Central Vigilance Commission had recommended that as an interim measure both the top officers will go on leave. An independent SIT [special investigation team] will investigate. If they are innocent, they will come back, he added.

The new crisis has brought back the spotlight on the role of the CBI and its relationship with the government of the day in the worlds largest democracy.

This move by the government is clearly mala fide. The government is trying to take shelter under the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission [top anti-corruption body]. But only an appointing authority can remove the top officer, Dushyant Dave, legal expert and senior Supreme Court lawyer told Al Jazeera.

What the government has done is a dark chapter for Indian bureaucracy and its police forces. I have no doubt that on Friday the Supreme Court will examine the ousted officers plea objectively, he said.

Analysts say the Modi government is destroying the independence and credibility of the countrys major institutions like the CBI, the Election Commission and even the judiciary.

They have destroyed the CBI. Earlier they said the CBI is a caged parrot, now this government has made it a hound  to harass political opponents. Similar scenes unfolding at other leading institutions that are the foundation of this country, lawyer Bhushan said.

In January this year, four senior judges of the Supreme Court held an extraordinary press conference lashing out at the then-chief justice. They said democracy may not survive because of the way the court was being run.

The tenure of the CBI chief is protected by law to avoid political sacking during high-profile probes and it remains to be seen how the top court will respond to the governments move.

The opposition has laid the blame for the crisis at the doors of the government. The BJPs main rival Congress party called it a can of worms and a sordid state of affairs constitutionally and legally.

This is a direct assault by the government on the integrity of the CBI. The chief of this body was appointed by a collegium consisting of the chief justice, prime minister and leader of the opposition. Only they have the power to act here, former Congress Minister and Member of Parliament Veerappa Moily told Al Jazeera.

They are flouting all rules brazenly, clearly misusing their power. The government wants the independent investigative agency to dance to their tunes. We will not let this happen, he added.

However, the crisis around the integrity of the premier federal body is not new.

The previous Congress-led government was also castigated by the top court in 2013 for allegedly interfering in a corruption case probe.

Former Supreme Court judge RM Lodha had earlier denounced the CBI as a caged parrot and its masters voice.

For years, Indias opposition has alleged that the party in power uses the top investigating agency to cover up wrongdoing and target political opponents.

Anti-corruption campaigners have long argued that political interference in the CBI reinforces the importance of an independent anti-corruption body.

Modi, who won on an anti-corruption platform in 2014, has yet to appoint a Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman.
Iraq: Basra water pollution risks triggering disease outbreaks

The Norwegian Refugee Council warns that nearly 280,000 children could be affected by diarrhoea and rashes.
Several monks injured as police end protest against the renovation of Deir as-Sultan monastery in Jerusalem.

Israeli police broke up a sit-in by Coptic monks at a major Christian holy site in Jerusalem as they were protesting against restoration work at a nearby monastery claimed by their sect.

Scuffles broke out on Wednesday between police and priests in the forecourt of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The police attacked us and forced us to leave the area, Coptic Orthodox Church spokesman Father Markos Al Orshalimy told AFP news agency, following the protest in front of the holy site.

Al Orshalimy said several monks had been lightly injured, while one was arrested and later released after the Egyptian embassy intervened.

Images on social media showed police officers holding a monk down on the ground, then carrying him away in handcuffs.

https://twitter.com/walsaliby/status/1055108576568623105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Other police officers could be seen unceremoniously pushing monks out through a door on the side of the square.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed the arrest, saying the monks had been blocking workers from accessing the building site and that officers had first tried to talk them into leaving the area.

Egypts Foreign Ministry expressed a total rejection of Israeli police violence and said it was closely monitoring the situation.





Since Tuesday, about 30 Orthodox Coptic monks have been holding a sit-in to block renovators from reaching Deir as-Sultan, a monastery on the roof of the church.

The Coptic Church claims ownership of the building, which Israel granted to the Ethiopian Orthodox church in 1970.

Al Orshalimy on Wednesday cited an Israeli court ruling from the following year, saying the site should be given back to the Coptic Church, which was never implemented.

Earlier this month, the Israeli government informed the Coptic Orthodox Church that it would carry out restoration work in the building and that Orthodox monks would not be allowed to oversee the work.

Al Orshalimy said the church would continue to protest through local and international channels.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is divided into multiple sections controlled by different Christian authorities and has long been the site of disputes between sects.
Experts say those responsible for the murder are unlikely to see inside of a Turkish court, despite calls by Erdogan.

Istanbul, Turkey  Despite calls by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extradite and try those involved in murdering Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, experts say chances of the Saudi suspects facing trial in Turkey are slim.

Breaking his silence on the case on Tuesday, Erdogan laid out several details about the October 2 murder of the Washington Post contributor, which took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Erdogan said a group of Saudi nationals pre-planned the brutal murder and called on the kingdom to extradite the 18 suspects to Turkey to face justice.

On Wednesday, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said: If Turkish prosecutors find evidence or strong suspicion of involvement of the Saudi consul in the Khashoggi murder, [they] can open an invitation and demand the extradition of the Saudi consul to Turkey by a court order.

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However, legal experts told Al Jazeera that the chances of extradition were slim.

According to international laws, a state shall not extradite its own citizen, said Guclu Akyurek, associate professor of criminal law at Mef University in Istanbul.

Akyurek said since the two countries do not have an extradition treaty between them, their only option is to sign an ad hoc agreement, valid only in the Khashoggi case.

William Schabas, professor of international law at Middlesex University, said such a deal was unlikely. If [the suspected killers] are in Saudi Arabia, there is no legal obligation to extradite, Schabas said.

Interpol an option

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called the killing a heinous crime that cannot be justified.

In his first public comments in the weeks since Khashoggis murder, the crown prince, known as MBS, said on Wednesday that the perpetrators would be brought to justice with the help of Turkey.

However, the crown prince is under increasing pressure as critics believe he had knowledge of and possibly ordered the killing.

University of Parma professor Stefano Maffei, an expert on extradition, said Turkey could go to Interpol if Saudi Arabia did not cooperate in the investigation.

Interpol would then issue what is called a red notice, an international request for arrest and extradition, he said. It would prevent the suspects from travelling abroad, where they may be arrested.

They would have to remain in Saudi Arabia for the rest of their lives, he said.

If the evidence of the murder is inside the consulate, the investigation would require Saudi Arabia's cooperation Stefano Maffei, University of Parma

Because the murder involves diplomatic missions, the case is even more challenging to pursue.

Embassy and consulate premises are inviolable, Schabas said, adding it was the reason why the killing allegedly took place there.

This inviolability led to Turkish investigators not being able to enter the Saudi consulate for several days after the murder.

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However, Maffei said, immunity is only valid for the consulate building, not the people who work there.

Being a diplomat does not allow you to kill anybody. If a diplomat is responsible for killing somebody, the country where the murder happened will have full jurisdiction to try that person, he said.

But there is an additional problem. If the evidence of the murder is inside the consulate, the investigation would require Saudi Arabias cooperation, Maffei added.

Referring to the 1963 Vienna Convention, Mef Universitys Akyurek said: Consular officers can be arrested or detained pending trial in the case of a grave crime and pursuant to a decision by the competent judicial authority.

Call for independent probe

All 18 suspects in Khashoggis killing are in Saudi Arabia, where they were arrested by Saudi authorities for their alleged involvement, indicating Riyadhs attempt to try them itself.

Five high-ranking members of the Saudi government have also been fired for their alleged ties to Khashoggis murder.

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Following these arrests and dismissals, several organisations, including the United Nations and European Parliament, called for an independent investigation.

But Maffei told Al Jazeera there is little chance of the case reaching an international body such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC jurisdiction is limited in situations where countries are unable or unwilling to prosecute, he said.

For Schabas, the killing of a journalist inside a consulate does not constitute an international crime. Its just a murder, he said.
Saudi Arabias crown prince is expected to address an investment forum that has been overshadowed by the uproar over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to speak in a panel at the Future Investment Initiative conference in the late afternoon on Wednesday.

The crown princes scheduled appearance comes a day after US President Donald Trump for the first time implied that bin Salman may have had a role in the killing of the journalist.

Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him, the president said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

In separate comments on Tuesday, Trump said Saudi authorities had staged the worst cover-up ever in Khashoggis death as the US vowed to revoke the visas of some of the Saudi suspects.

Saudi Arabia has come under increasing pressure over the killing, which has also strained ties with other key Western allies.

Forum boycott

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Dozens of Western politicians, top world bankers and company executives boycotted this years Future Investment Initiative conference that opened in Riyadh on Tuesday, but the worlds largest oil exporter showed it could still do business by signing deals worth $50bn on the first day.

The forum is hosted at the Ritz-Carlton hotel where in 2017 bin Salman locked up dozens of Saudi Arabias most senior figures, accusing them of corruption. The New York Times reported that some of those held at the hotel were subjected to physical abuse during interrogation.

Bin Salman, the kingdoms de facto ruler, had briefly appeared at the venue on Tuesday, declaring the event as great  more people, more money, but did not address the conference.

The prince arrived after attending a meeting at which he and his father King Salman received members of Khashoggis family, including his son Salah.

The meeting prompted furore on social media, with pundits on Twitter reacting sharply to a photo released by the Saudi government showing Salah Khashoggi with a pained expression as he shook the hand of bin Salman.

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The prince told Bloomberg earlier this month that Riyadh would announce an amazing deal at FII this year, where the mood has been subdued compared with the 2017 inaugural event.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, vanished after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. After Riyadh first denied any involvement in his disappearance, it eventually admitted its officials killed the journalist, attributing the death to a chokehold.

Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggis death on rogue operatives, calling the operation a planned, savage killing, and demanded Riyadh punish those responsible, no matter how highly placed.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggis murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking US visas.

Corporate values

Despite the boycott by big hitters, including in Wall Street, of the investment conference, some senior international bankers were in Riyadh in a sign that global banks were reluctant to walk away from lucrative Saudi deals.

Saudi finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, met the chief executive of HSBCs global banking and markets unit and the deputy chairman of Japans biggest lender MUFG to discuss investment opportunities, the ministry said in Twitter posts.

Russia sent a large delegation to the economic forum led by Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev.

He said on Tuesday that while Khashoggis killing needed to be investigated and the culprits punished, the Saudi drive for economic and social reforms could not be ignored.
Officials intercept packages sent to top Democrats as police respond to device found where CNN New York office is based.

At least five suspicious packages were sent to top Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and CNNs New York offices, authorities said on Wednesday.

All the packages were intercepted, and there were no reports of injuries.

US Secret Service said it recovered a single package addressed to Clinton in Westchester, a suburb north of Manhattan late on Tuesday.

A second package, addressed to Obama, was found early on Wednesday in Washington, DC.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the Secret Service said in a statement.

The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them, it said.

Secret Service launched an investigation to find the source of the packages.

Hillary Clinton was not at her New York home when Tuesdays package was sent, but her husband, former President Bill Clinton was present, officials told the Associated Press. While at a Florida fundraiser, she said we are fine and thanked US Secret Service for intercepting the package long before it made its way to our home.

CNN evacuated

The New York Police Department (NYPD) also responded to a suspicious device, believed to be a pipe bomb, found at the Time Warner Center, where CNNs New York newsroom is based.

Suspicious packages found in last week: George Soros: Explosive device found in the mailbox outside the philanthropists New York home on Monday. Hillary Clinton: Authorities intercepted suspicious device sent to Clintons New York suburban home late on Tuesday. Barack Obama: Authorities intercepted suspicious device sent to Obamas Washington, DC home early on Wednesday. CNN New York office: Suspicious package, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, found in mailroom of the Time Warner Center, home to CNNs New York office on Wednesday. Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Suspicious package found on Wednesday in the building where Florida Congresswoman Schultzs office is located. CNN reported that the package was meant for former US Attorney General Eric Holder. Maxine Waters: The US representative said in a statement that Capitol Police informed her that her Washington, DC office was a target of a suspicious package on Monday.

The New York City police commissioner said the package contained what appeared to be a live explosive and envelope containing white powder.

The package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, CNN reported, citing city and local law enforcement officials. Brennan appears on other cable and broadcast networks.

According to the NYPDs chief of counterterrorism, the explosive appeared to be sent by the same person who mailed suspicious packages to the Clinton and Obama homes, as well as the device found on Monday at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

FBI officials said at a news conference that the devices all appeared to be crude pipe bombs.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the attempted attacks were clearly an act of terrorism.

CNN anchors were on the air from New York discussing the explosive devices addressed to Obama and Clinton when they were interrupted by a fire alarm and cut to a commercial.

Here's the moment CNN had to handoff to DC and evacuate Time Warner Center in New York pic.twitter.com/TUtnWrss9z  Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) October 24, 2018

The news organisations New York staff evacuated the building as a precaution.

CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker said there is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of the administrations attacks on the media.

The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that, he said.

CNN has been a repeated targeted of Trumps attack on the media, with the US president often labelling the network as fake news.

Police are also investigating a suspicious package sent to a building where the office of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is located. The building was evacuated, but it remains unclear what the package contains, according to 7 News Miami. CNN reported that the package was addressed to former US Attorney General Eric Holder, but was sent to the wrong address and returned to Wasserman Schultzs office due to the return address on the package.

Democratic Representative Maxine Waters said in a statement on Wednesday that US Capitol Police said that her Washington, DC, office was the target of a suspicious package that was referred to the FBI. Its unclear whether the package was related to those sent to Clinton, Obama and the CNN New York office.

These terrorising acts are despicable

The White House condemned the attempted attacks, saying terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders added in a statement that the United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

US President Donald Trump said that acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States, adding that a major federal investigation is under way.

With the country deeply polarised under Trump, the packages brought a new level of tension to the upcoming midterm elections on November 6.

Democratic leaders said that Trumps call for unity after the packages were found rings hollow because of his past statements that condone acts of violence.

Time and time again, the president has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and his actions, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives top Democrat Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

They cited Trumps support for the congressman who body-slammed a reporter, the neo-Nazis who killed a young woman in Charlottesville, his supporters at rallies who get violent with protesters, dictators around the world who murder their own citizens, and referring to the free press as the enemy of the people.

House Republican leaders said the person or people who sent explosives to the Clinton and Obama homes should be brought to justice. House Speaker Paul Ryan said they were reprehensible acts and we cannot tolerate any attempt to terrorise public figures.
Mohammed Bisharat, 21, succumbed to his wounds after being shot in the chest in the occupied West Bank, PA says.

Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry identified the man as 21-year-old Mohammed Bisharat and said he succumbed to his wounds after being shot in the chest in the West Bank village of Taamun, northeast of the city of Nablus.

It said three others were wounded but did not specify the severity of their injuries.

Eyes witnesses said Israeli soldiers used live bullets and tear gas against Palestinian protesters during the overnight raids across the occupied territory.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military confirmed that an operation had taken place and that the army resorted to live ammunition but did not mention the death.

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A series of deadly incidents have increased tensions in the occupied West Bank this month.

On Monday, Israeli forces killed Moammar Arif Refaey al-Atrash, a 42-year-old man from Hebron after he allegedly tried to stab an Israeli soldier.

On October 15, a Palestinian was shot dead after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier in the northern West Bank, while a few days earlier, Aisha Al-Rawbi, a 47-year-old Palestinian mother of eight was killed after Israeli settlers threw stones at the car she was travelling in.

The West Bank was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War in a move never recognised by the international community. Palestinians want the territory as part of their future state but the continued expansion of Israeli settlements has complicated that task.

Palestinian figures put the number of settlers living on occupied land at more than 650,000  scattered throughout some 200 settler outposts across the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
Russian leader vows to respond in kind if US quits INF treaty and deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will respond in kind if the US withdraws from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Putins warning followed US President Donald Trumps weekend announcement that he intends to opt out of the landmark 1987 nuclear arms control pact  which rid Europe of land-based nuclear missiles  over alleged Russian violations.

If the United States does withdraw from the INF treaty, the main question is what they will do with these newly available missiles. If they will deliver them to Europe, naturally our response will have to mirror this, Putin told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday.

Trump said the treaty was ineffective because it does not include China, which has intermediate-range missile capability.

Negotiated by then US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ratified by the US Senate, the INF treaty eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the worlds two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.

American Cruise and Pershing missiles deployed in Britain and West Germany were removed as a result while the Soviet Union pulled back its SS-20s out of European range.





But since 2014, the US has accused Russia of breaching the INF by developing the SSC-8, a land-based, intermediate-range Cruise missile which also has the name of Novator 9M729.

On Wednesday, Putin again rejected Trumps claim that Russia breached the INF, saying a collapse of the pact would lead to a new arms race, a situation which he described as extremely dangerous.

He alleged it was the US that violated the agreement.

Target Europe

If the US were to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Putin said Russia would have to respond by targeting the countries where the missiles are based.

The European nations that would agree to that should understand that they would expose their territory to the threat of a possible retaliatory strike. These are obvious things.

He continued: I dont understand why we should put Europe in such a grave danger.

I see no reason for that  I would like to repeat that its not our choice. We dont want it.

The Russian leader said he hopes to discuss the issue with Trump in Paris on the sidelines of a November 11 event marking 100 years since Armistice Day.

European countries see the INF treaty as a pillar of arms control and, while accepting that Moscow is violating it by developing new weapons, are concerned its collapse could lead to a new arms race with possibly a new generation of US nuclear missiles stationed on the continent.

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Meanwhile, NATO allies are due to meet on Thursday to hear Washington explain the thinking behind Trumps move to quit INF.

Earlier on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Western military alliances members blame Russia for developing a new missile in violation of the INF Treaty, but doesnt expect them to beef up nuclear arsenals in Europe in response.

I dont foresee that allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile, Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Stoltenberg also blamed Russia for alleged breaches of the treaty.

All allies agree that the United States is in full compliance  the problem, the threat, the challenge is Russian behaviour, Stoltenberg said.

NATO is in favour of arms control but to be effective, arms control agreements have to be respected by all parties, he added.

He spoke a day after senior US official John Bolton informed Putin of Washingtons plans in Moscow.

Bolton said Washington hasnt served a formal withdrawal notice, but he voiced scepticism the treaty could be salvaged.
Mohammed bin Salman offers rare praise of neighbour, which has been under Saudi-led blockade since 2017.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has praised Qatars economy, a rare conciliatory remark about the Gulf state that his country has been blockading since June 2017.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, the de-facto Saudi leader said: Qatar, despite the differences we have, has a great economy and they will be doing a lot in the next five years.

The comments were made during a segment about economic potential in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Middle Eastern countries.

He also claimed the new Europe would be here in the Middle East, alluding to the regions economic promise.





Bin Salman is one of the key figures behind a land, sea, and air blockade of Qatar, along with the leaders of the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.

The bloc accuses Qatar of supporting groups they have banned, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as supporting terrorism.

Qatar rejects any accusation that it supports terrorism as baseless.

As a result of the blockade, Qatars only land border with Saudi Arabia was closed off, and the blockading countries shut off airspace to traffic entering and leaving the country.

The Gulf state has largely weathered the embargo and established new trade relationships as a result, helped by vast foreign currency reserves and healthy demand for its liquified natural gas.

The Saudi crown prince has been under considerable pressure recently in light of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul by an 18-man Saudi hit squad on October 2.

Saudi Arabia claims the killing was a kidnap operation gone wrong but suspicions linger around bin Salmans possible role in the murder and whether the Washington Post columnists death was intentional.

At Wednesdays forum, the crown prince said the Khashoggi case was painful and justice will prevail.

Calling Khashoggis murder a heinous crime that cannot be justified, he said all culprits will be punished, and promised Saudi Arabia and Turkey will work together to reach results.

He said the killing of the journalist will not drive a wedge between the kingdom and Turkey.

We will cooperate with Turkey to discover the truth behind Khashoggis killing, the Saudi crown prince said.
Perpetrators involved in journalists killing will be brought to justice with Turkeys help, says Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul a heinous crime that cannot be justified.

In his first public comments in the weeks since Khashoggis murder, the crown prince, known as MBS, said on Wednesday that the perpetrators would be brought to justice with the help of Turkey.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, he said that some people are trying to seize this painful moment to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

He continued: I want to send them a message: You will not be able to do that as long as we have a king called Salman bin Abdulaziz and a crown prince called Mohammed bin Salman and a Turkish president named Erdogan.

The rift will never be created. We will prove to the entire world that the both countries are cooperating to punish all perpetrators and justice will be above everything.

MBS said in his first public remarks that Saudi Arabia is working to bring justice to Khashoggis killers [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]

Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Ankara, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with the royal over the phone just before his speech at the conference.

It was the first time the pair had spoken since Khashoggi disappeared on October 2.

A couple of hours before that, President Erdogan had a phone call with Jordans King Abdulla. When you look at this diplomatic phone traffic, you see that there are mediators who are trying to build up [ties] between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Koseoglu said.

Trump implies MBS may be involved

MBS remarks on Wednesday came a day after US President Donald Trump for the first time implied that the crown prince may have had a role in the killing.

Saudi Arabia has come under increasing pressure over the killing, which has also strained ties with other key Western allies.

Jamal Khashoggi case: All the latest updates

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, vanished after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

After Riyadh first denied any involvement in his disappearance, it eventually admitted its officials killed the journalist, attributing the death to a chokehold.

Erdogan on Tuesday dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggis death on rogue operatives, calling the operation a planned, savage killing, and demanded Riyadh punish those responsible, no matter how highly placed.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggis murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking US visas.
Pundits on Twitter reacted swiftly and sharply to a photo released by the Saudi government showing Jamal Khashoggis son with a pained expression as he shook the hand of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

King Salman and the crown prince received Khashoggis son, Salah, and his brother, Sahel, at the Yamama Palace in Riyadh on Tuesday, where the two royals expressed their condolences, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, which ran the handshake photo.

A friend of the Khashoggi family told The Associated Press that Salah has been under a travel ban since his father began writing critically about the prince in columns for The Washington Post. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal.

Crown Prince bin Salman has come under mounting international pressure with critics suspecting he ordered the high-profile assassination, or at least knew about it.

They brought him to the royal court to accept condolences. The look on his face. This photo makes me want to scream and throw up, wrote Manal al-Sharif, author of Daring to Drive: a Saudi Womans Awakening.

https://twitter.com/manal_alsharif/status/1054737221507522560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Fadi Al-Qadi, a Middle East human rights advocate and commentator, also denounced the photo-op as ruthless.

And here is the video. Salah (#JamalKhashoggi son, banned from travel) had to shake hands with who is believed to be his dad's killer. Ruthless. Ruthless. Ruthless#Khashoggi pic.twitter.com/EKS9UZQ8Jc  Fadi Al-Qadi (@fqadi) October 23, 2018

Chris Doyle, from the Council of Arab-British Understanding, told Al Jazeera the meeting between Khashoggis family members and the Saudi leadership was designed to help its reputation, but the reaction on social media indicates it was yet another communications failure surrounding the murder.

They were seen being generous towards the family, but we see an image here that speaks 1,000 words. Really it tells such a story of the pain of Salah, Jamal Khashoggis son, in meeting King Salman  and particularly the crown prince, said Doyle.

I think many people online looking at this on social media are saying, you know, this is the face of a son who thinks hes shaking the hand of the man who killed his father. Its another example in this situation where some of the Saudi attempts to win the public relations war is failing.

Nobody can explain it

Saudi authorities say they have arrested 18 suspects and dismissed senior officials, but the crown prince has so far escaped blame. He has repeatedly denied any involvement in the murder.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih on Tuesday described Khashoggis killing as abhorrent, saying these are difficult days for us in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Nobody in the kingdom can justify it or explain it. From the leadership on down, were very upset at what has happened, said Falih.

REPULSIVE.

Saudi tyrant 'MBS'  aka Mohammed Bone Saw  forces Jamal Khashoggi's son to do a PR photo-op handshake, days after ordering his father's torture, dismemberment & murder.

A new low, even by the medieval standards of this barbaric crown prince. pic.twitter.com/mduNqfcSxe  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 23, 2018

The murderer summons the son of the murdered. Just to falsely give the image of accountability. Imagine the pain  and fear  of #JamalKhashoggi's son, being forced to partake in this sham to protect the murderer of his father?  https://t.co/Vvq3ZASFoN  Trita Parsi (@tparsi) October 23, 2018

Today, #JamalKhashoggis son Salah was forced to give the Crown Prince a photo op at the Royal Court. Look at his face. Its important to note that Salah has been banned for over a year from leaving the Kingdom, he has not been able to mourn with his siblings who are US citizens. pic.twitter.com/lxKxaLHo7e  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) October 23, 2018
Undersecretary for humanitarian affairs says clashes around Yemens Hodeidah have worsened the countrys food crisis.

The United Nations humanitarian chief warns that Yemen is on the verge of widespread famine, with about half of the population completely relying on humanitarian aid for survival.

Addressing the Security Council on Tuesday, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said, there is a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen.

Lowcock told the UNs most powerful body that this famine would be much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives.

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He said that the situation is now much graver than when the world governing body last warned of a risk of famine at the beginning of 2017 and again last November, because of the sheer number of people at risk.

According to Lowcock, last months estimate that 11 million people could soon face pre-famine conditions actually stood closer to 14 million  about half of Yemens population.

Lifeline for millions

Lowcock said last month that the worsening food crisis was in large part the result of an intensification of fighting around the key port city of Hodeidah.

Fierce clashes continue in Hodeidah, including intense fighting, shelling and air raids in Hodeidah City over the last several days, Lowcock said.

Lowcock said about half of Yemens population could soon face pre-famine conditions [Salvatore di Nolfi/EPA]

Yemen is almost entirely reliant on imports for food, fuel and medicines, Lowcock added. And the available foreign exchange  from what little remains of oil exports, from money sent home by Yemenis out of the country, and from international assistance  has been simply inadequate to finance adequate levels of imports to support the population.

Fighting near Hodeidah has escalated since June 13 after the Saudi-UAE alliance launched a wide-ranging operation to retake the strategic seaport.

Hodeidah has been under the control of Houthi rebels since 2014, along with other coastal cities and much of northern Yemen.





The citys seaport was responsible for delivering 70 percent of Yemens imports  mostly humanitarian aid, food and fuel  pre-2015. The Saudis have accused the Houthis, who reportedly generate $30m to $40m a month in revenue from the port, of using the port to smuggle in weapons from Iran.

Acute malnutrition

At the beginning of 2017, the United Nations and its partners were able to provide aid to three million hungry Yemenis.

Since then, assistance has been scaled up, reaching eight million people in September because of generous funding from donors, Lowcock said, but far below the 14 million people who may need it.

Lowcock said three conditions are required for famine to be declared: At least one in five households faces an extreme lack of food, more than 30 percent of children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition, and at least two out of every 10,000 people are dying every day.

An assessment is now under way across Yemen to measure the risk of famine and initial results are expected in mid-November, he said.

The conflict in Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi rebels, who toppled the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

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A Saudi-UAE coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, which has killed over 10,000 people and sparked the worlds worst humanitarian crisis and a cholera epidemic.
The air cargo market is sizzling. Carriers need more planes and investments are pouring in for new and converted freighters.
There's a bus full of Catholic nuns tootling around the country  final destination: Mar-a-Lago and a "Fiesta for the Common Good"  spreading the social justice gospel that individualism is "an unpatriotic lie." Detroit News columnist Bankole Thompson reports that "NETWORK, the Catholic social justice group in Washington, D.C., led by Sister Simone Campbell, has long been answering the call of prophet Amos" about the widening gap between rich and poor. Sister Simone's Nuns on the Bus tour is now making its way through 21 states, calling attention "to policies that are hurting the poor including tax cuts that end up benefiting the wealthiest, not the neediest in our nation." In other words, it's a Democrat publicity stunt.

Sister Simone had this to say to Thompson about Nuns on the Bus's stop in Detroit on Saturday: "At a time when partisanship and anger are running rampant in our nation, Nuns on the Bus is taking to the road to challenge the unpatriotic lie that our nation is based on individualism and to lift up the truth that we are best as a nation when we act on the Constitutional obligation to be 'We the People.'"

Sister Simone's anguish over "partisanship and anger" rings awfully hollow, the way she limits all her criticisms to Republicans, and can she really be unaware of how Democrats (the party she's clearly rooting for with extreme partisanship) have been the living embodiment of the word "anger" ever since November 2016? Not much "We the People" togetherness being offered by congressional Democrats or leftist flash mobs. Nor do her comments on taxes and the economy suggest she's bothered to update her opinions since she first acquired them during LBJ's Great Society. As she sees things, Republicans "do not see the connection between the tax law and the issues of poverty ... our families need federal programs to survive." (My emphasis.)

True, Republicans don't see the connection between high taxes and reducing poverty, because there is none. Republicans see different connections, like the one between lower taxes and a healthy economy, which increases the number of families sustained by employment rather than federal programs. But like those Japanese soldiers marooned on remote Pacific islands, the ones still fighting World War II decades after V-J Day, Sister Simone's still fighting the War on Poverty, invincibly ignorant of how that war was long ago catastrophically lost. In Sister Simone's childlike eyes, there's no reason high taxes can't still be redistributed through federal programs to "cure" poverty.

Even the current crop of Democrats can't be bothered with that worn out agenda; they never talk about ending poverty anymore, not since they figured out that it's better to just keep poverty going with subsidies in exchange for votes. Democrats today prefer to promise the middle class free everything through socialism, and then to race-bait the poor and threaten them with annihilation and death if Republicans get elected.

So you might wonder why someone with Sister Simone's Flying Nun-era viewpoint rates any attention at all. There's hardly a shortage of younger, more tuned in social justice warriors who can spread the earthly gospel of therapeutic collectivism and intersectional victimhood a lot better than she can. When you've got Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showing up everywhere, why would liberals care about 35 nuns on a bus rambling toward Donald Trump's Florida mansion?

Because they're nuns. Because they're useful idiots meant to convince the Democrats' vast Catholic constituency that God, the pope, and the Church are all on board with the Democrat platform. People like Sister Simone provide the Democrats the double value of assuaging the consciences of Catholics who know better but want to support the abortion party anyway and fooling the Catholics who don't know any better that she speaks for God.

Now, if you happen to be Catholic, or any other kind of Christian, it's hard not to be aware that the left reserves its most venomous hatred for Christians. Obama insulted Christians as bitter clingers; Hillary was surrounded by anti-Catholics and said publicly that once she took power, deeply held Christian beliefs were going to "have to be changed"; and Obama's HHS secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, a pro-abortion Catholic who protected the infant-slaughtering George Tiller in Kansas, went out of her way to needlessly persecute the Little Sisters of the Poor, with the Obamacare mandate forcing them to offer contraception coverage.

There are still millions of Catholics, most of whom have little idea what their Church teaches after more than 50 years of progressive drivel from bishops, priests, and religious sisters like Sister Simone, who are willfully blind about what's behind the Democrats' shameless posturing as advocates for the poor.

No one who supports on-demand killing of the unborn has any right claiming to be an advocate for the poor.

I can well believe that Sister Simone is a political naif, especially when her talking points are such depthless cliches. When she was prodded at the 2012 Democratic Convention to comment about abortion and Obamacare (again, because she's a nun), she seemed genuinely, if inexcusably, unacquainted with the fact of Obama's absolute commitment to unrestricted abortion to the extreme of infanticide. "What's been going around is he's in favor of abortion," she said. "I have never seen him act in that way." She was even impressed with how Obama had "worked so hard" when passing Obamacare to ensure there was no federal funding for abortion  which, of course, was never true. If she's this blind, let's hope she's not driving the bus.

In 2016, Sister Simone rationalized her pro-abortion views to Amy Goodman this way: "I think the shock of our nation is that we claim to be pro  some claim to be pro-life, but they're really only pro-birth. They don't do what's necessary to support women in carrying a baby to term, in providing paid child  paid family leave, in providing maternity leave or, you know, parental leave, providing reasonable-cost child care. I mean, the litany goes on and on."

Yes, the litany does go on and on: the endless lists of false choices between public policy matters on the one hand, like assistance for expectant mothers (what does Sister think crisis pregnancy centers are doing?), and, on the other, taking a human life. She went on to defend the choice for abortion itself, saying, "The challenge is for women striving to care for their families, the urgent necessity of being able to feed children means that you're going to make tough choices sometimes." If Sister Simone, who is described as a religious sister, lawyer, director, poet, executive director, and public policy advocate, genuinely cannot envision any other alternative for an impoverished mother with children to feed than to make the "tough choice" of killing her children's unborn sibling  who is also her child  then she's really not qualified to be making suggestions that affect human lives.

Sister Simone can't possibly be unaware that her pro-abortion position gravely contradicts unambiguous Church teaching, not to mention the Gospel of Christ she's supposed to be committed to. I don't judge her spiritual state  that's between her and God. But what I can judge  and you can, too  is how far she represents authentic Catholic social teaching, her perceived representation of which is the only reason the Democrats have any use for her. Judging that is easy. She can't be taken seriously.

T.R. Clancy looks at the world from Dearborn, Michigan. You can email him at trclancy@yahoo.com.
Follow the money is an expression popularized in the Watergate movie All the Presidents Men as a means of tracing a path of corruption, often within the upper echelons of politics. This movie from the 1970s represented the heyday for Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they brought down a sitting president, Richard Nixon.

The pair are now regulars on CNN and MSNBC, following their own money trail, criticizing President Trump, penning fake news stories, writing books about deathbed confessions of CIA directors, or writing more books about supposed chaos in the White House.

Following the money is a means of finding motivation behind political actions or movements. Organizations pushing unlimited abortion profit handsomely from payment for such services and the sale of baby parts for stem cell research. Those protesting racial injustice seek contributions to their organizations in exchange for a pass on any accusations of racism.

Global warming alarmism is much the same. Government funding favors research promoting the theme that man-made global warming is real, preventable, and apocalyptic. This is federal funding induced bias, as described by the Cato Institute.

If a scientist publishes research findings contrary to the left-wing climate dogma, their funding dries up. A young climate scientist, eager to climb the academic ladder, earn tenure, and have a successful career, quickly learns how to promote an agenda rather than perform objective scientific research.

There are also carbon credits, for sale to assuage liberal guilt, while making millions for those selling the credits, as former Vice President Al Gore has done with great success.

Another way to follow the money is to look at the free market. This economic system is, based on supply and demand with little or no government control. It represents, Voluntary exchangescharacterized by a spontaneous and decentralized order of arrangements through which individuals make economic decisions.

In other words, the free market allows businesses to follow their money, without government interference, only the laws of economics guiding decisions and behavior.

Driven by return on investment, or profit, individuals and business will analyze myriad factors, making economic decisions based on their analysis. Few business deliberately make decisions that will lose money, with the exception of certain unnamed cable news networks.

Climate science and predictions are one of the factors influencing business decisions. Opening a ski resort in Texas, a state which rarely sees snow or freezing temperatures, is not a wise business decision.

Climate does change, but in the short term, the changes are small as in a snowier winter one year and a dry winter the next year. Opening a ski resort in Colorado is not a climate dependent decision as there will be snow every winter, despite it being more or less any given season.

Longer term climate changes are beyond the realm of most businesses that arent concerned about the next ice age in 10,000 years.

What climate predictions are in the public square, potentially influencing business decisions? Here is one famous prediction.

Some of the most memorable images from Al Gores movie, An Inconvenient Truth, are the graphics that show how rising ocean levels will dramatically alter our planets coastlines. As Greenlands ice sheets collapse, Gore predicts that our shores will be flooded and sea-bordering cities will sink beneath the water leaving millions of people homeless. His narration tells the audience that, due to global warming, melting ice could release enough water to cause at 20-foot rise in sea level in the near future.

The Guardian reports a UN warning based on predictions of a 3 degree Celsius temperature rise over the next century.

One of the biggest resulting threats to cities around the world is sea-level rise, caused by the expansion of water at higher temperatures and melting ice sheets on the north and south poles.

Miami is one of the cities the U.N. claims, will be drowned by global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) weighs in as well, predicting, Global mean sea-level rise scenarios based on thermal expansion and ice melt; the best estimate shows an acceleration of up to 2.4 times compared to the 20th century.

This is scary stuff, if it is true. These prognostications are all based on computer models, which have so far failed to predict the climate apocalypse events as previously predicted.

What does the free market say about all of this?

In Miami: A gargantuan new shopping mall and theme park  the largest in North America  will be built in South Florida. This $4 billion project will comprise 2000 hotel rooms, 2,000 apartments, 2 million square feet of retail and office space, and an indoor ski hill.

What property developers and investors would risk $4 billion on a project soon to be under water? Miami is only 6 feet above sea level, far less than the sea level rise Al Gore predicted.

NPR doesnt follow the money either. They sign on to climate alarmism.

For coastal communities from Florida to Texas, this year's hurricane season may be a preview of what's to come. Scientists say with climate change, in the future we're likely to see more severe hurricanes and heavier rain events. In addition, as ice sheets melt, sea levels are rising faster, flooding low-lying coastal areas such as Miami.

Yet free market economics tells a different story. From the NPR article.

But in South Florida, the dire predictions have done little to dampen enthusiasm for development. In Miami's urban core, there are some 20,000 condominium units in various stages of completion.

That seems pretty foolish, building in a city soon to be under water. Unless the builders know or believe otherwise, not buying into climate doomsday prophesies.

Here is a website showcasing beachfront home and condo communities along the Atlantic coast, with homes prices from the mid 6-figures to the high 7-figures. Again, a seemingly poor business decision to build luxury communities in regions soon to be underwater or destroyed by ever increasing in frequency and severity hurricanes.

One can also look at the Hollywood elites, leftists who sign on to the global warming hysteria. How many of them live on the beaches of Malibu, soon to be under water if the seas rise by 20 feet? Names like Leo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Hanks, and others. Why arent they worried about Al Gores predictions?

Al Gore recently purchased his own oceanfront property, not on the beach, but in tony Montecito, California, quite close to the ocean. I thought he would be worried about rising seas?

One can listen to politicians, most of whom have never held a real-world, non-political job in their lives. Or follow the money, not listening but watching actual business men and women, researching, analyzing, and concluding that climate hysteria is just that. A feel-good, virtue-signaling cause designed for personal enrichment, whether financial or political, without regard to scientific reality.

Dont watch what they say, watch what they do. Those who do, putting their own money at risk, sing a different song about global warming compared to the chicken littles. When in doubt, follow the money.

Brian C. Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Image credit: Tom Raftery, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten the little hand of Muslim prevaricators, murderers, and terrorists, and their fabricated and changing narratives of events and history. Irrespective of the odor, those responsible for crimes must be brought to justice and need to account for their deceptions.

First, there is absurdity. On a broadcast on October 3, 2018, the official Palestinian Authority TV informed all gourmets that Israel has stolen falafel and hummus. This larceny is said to be part of the "brutal attack" against the entire Palestinian heritage by Israel, which fabricated falafel, as it has other matters. Fortuitously or not, this latest addition to the Palestinian Narrative of Victimhood was proclaimed at a moment when a particularly brutal attack in Istanbul by citizens of Saudi Arabia and reminders of many terrorist attacks in London by Muslims occurred. Not surprisingly, P.A. chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in the fourteenth year of his four-year term, on October 14, 2018 expressed full, "absolute" confidence in Saudi Arabia, praising its leaders for their support of the Palestinians.

Chairman Abbas expressed no similar praise for the surprising generosity by British authorities toward a convicted Islamist terrorist. In London, the 51-year-old Islamic hate-preacher Anjem Choudary was released on October19, 2018 from prison after having served half of his sentence. He had been sentenced in 2016 to five and a half years for inviting support for ISIS, to which he had taken an oath of allegiance. Considered the most dangerous extremist in the U.K. and the center of a web of Islamist extremists operating in London, the security costs for guiding him were $2 million a year.

Choudary is allowed to spend the first part of his release in a probation hostel in north London, where he will reside in a separate room with a single bed, a refrigerator, and a mobile phone, though no computer. There are a communal TV room and kitchen available. He can have meals either in a communal area or in his own room. The location of his wife and five children remains a tightly guarded secret.

What is not secret is that Israel, in addition to its other thefts, stole the comportment of "chutzpah." The jihadist Choudary reclaimed it to express his non-apologetic behavior and lack of appreciation for his freedom. Immediately on release, he declared he would launch a court action against the "strict" conditions of his release that he says breach his human rights.

Those conditions, 25 in number, include not speaking to the media, not preaching, an electric tag on his right ankle, a ban on travelling outside the London metropolitan area, no passport, a nighttime curfew, and the ability to attend only one particular mosque in the London area approved by the minister of justice. Other Islamic leaders have said Choudary would not be welcomed at other mosques.

Yet he remains a danger, as is the Islamic web of which he was at the center. He continues to support jihadism and ISIS. He declares that it is the duty of all Muslims to give allegiance to the caliph of the Islamic State. He took an oath agreeing to the legitimacy of the Islamic State. He wants to convert Buckingham Palace into a mosque.

Born in London to Pakistani immigrant parents, Choudary was a failed medical student, took up law and became a solicitor, and increasingly became an extreme Muslim and sharia believer. His record of hatred and support for terrorist activity is intimidating. Choudary called the 9/11 hijackers "magnificent martyrs" and headed the extreme groups al-Muhajiroun and Islam 5UK.

Choudary has been linked, directly or indirectly through al-Muhajiroun, to a considerable number of terrorist activities. Probably the best known is the murder of a young fusilier, Lee Rigby, in Woolwich Barracks in 2013. Among other links to him are the following:

- The shoe-bomber Richard Reid, December 22, 2001, prepared to detonate explosives in his shoes on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.

- Siddhartha Dhar, executioner for ISIS of five shackled men in January 2016. - Support for dirty bomb plot, 2004, to blow up finance institutions in the U.S.

- Support on 7/7, July 7, 2005, for Mohammad Sidique Khan and suicide attacks on the underground and buses in London that killed 52 and injured 700.

- Support for Omar Khan Sharif, who attacked people in a bar in Tel Aviv, killing three and injuring 65.

- A truck attack on Oxford Street

- Mail bombings to the London Stock Exchange in December 2010.

- Khalid Masood, who plowed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing five, in March 2017.

Choudary is alive, but the 59-year-old Jamal Khashoggi, the well known journalist critical of policies of Saudi Arabia, is not, having disappeared and been killed or murdered on October 2, 2018 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, whose family was of Turkish origin, was born in and went to school in Saudi Arabia, then got an MBA at Indiana State University. He supported the fight of Saudi and CIA mujahedeen against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan in 1988; was a defender of the Saudi regime; and became a media adviser to Prince Turki al Faisal, head of Saudi general intelligence and ambassador to the U.K. and the U.S., 2005-6. He was a prominent journalist and a member of a respected family; his grandfather had been doctor to Ibn Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi took positions unacceptable to many. He expressed sympathy for some Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government classified as a terrorist organization. He became critical of the rising star, 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS, and his ruling elite because of his authoritarian rule. Khashoggi regarded him as a brash young innovator, becoming increasingly despotic, calling him an old-fashioned tribal leader, though MBS had proposed himself as an exponent of a moderate Islam, a reformer, a man who could minimize the religious establishment. Khashoggi was also critical of the Saudi intervention in Yemen.

He fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017 and lived in Virginia, though not a U.S. citizen, and wrote articles for the Washington Post. In his last article, he wrote, "Arab governments have given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate."

That outspokenness cost him his life. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for personal reasons and has not been seen since. Explanations have been contradictory and lacking in forthrightness. Possibly, a 15-man team of security agents sent by private jet tried to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia. He had the temerity to resist and fight the 15, and was killed or murdered or hacked to pieces with a bone saw that happened to be lying around. Some questions can be raised. Could this event have been masterminded by the deputy chief of Saudi intelligence? Did Khashoggi die in a brawl, or because of a botched interrogation, or was he beaten, drugged, and murdered? Was an actor brought in to exit the consulate wearing Khashoggi's clothes, a fake beard, and glasses?

The cover-up draws attention. Meanwhile, for the U.S. and Europeans, the dilemma remains. On the one hand, are there any guarantees that similar appalling Islamic behavior cannot and will not be repeated? On the other hand, what are the strategic interests of the U.S. and the West in the relationship with the Saudis? Is there a divorce between U.S. political and strategic policy and business interests? This remains uncertain.
Despite 98% of the media foaming at the mouth against President Trump since he was inaugurated, the left, meaning the legacy media, academia, all elected Democrats and the radical progressives, has convinced itself that Americans hate the man. They believe that those who voted for him regret their vote. They believe they are going to win back the House in November and are not shy about what they plan to do with their restored majority. They vow to begin investigations into every aspect of Trump's past, to impeach him, to impeach Judge Kavanaugh. Some Democrats even want to impeach Clarence Thomas! They want to pack the Supreme Court, add justices in order to water down the opinions of the five constitutionalists now on the bench. They imagine all of this despite the wildly successful rallies Trump holds that betray their dream.

They promise to repeal the Trump tax cuts. Kamala Harris wants to hand out money, $5000, to poor people. Cory Booker has suggested giving a "nest egg" to poor kids -- $50,000 handed to kids so they can buy a house or car! Sure. That will work since kids are so responsible with money. Pelosi plans to use "subpoena power," apparently to destroy anyone she deems worthy of destruction. They all seem to believe that we normal Americans are unaware of the booming economy and the spectacularly low unemployment rate. We are, they assume, so gullible we will believe their anti-capitalist rants and the sheer moonbattery of so many of their candidates, especially those self-proclaimed "social democrats" who want to turn us into Venezuela. If Ocasio-Cortez, wins a seat in the House, we can only pity her constituents. She is very likely the most ignorant person ever to run for high office.

"Beto" O'Rourk, that Irish guy pretending to be Hispanic, is proud of his "F" rating from the NRA -- in Texas! That is only one strike against this man; there are many more. Krysten Simena regularly insults her state and its residents. She has called Arizona the "meth laboratory of democracy." She believes "stay-at-home Moms are leeches." That only Joe Manchin voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh is proof that all-but-one Democrat in the Senate no longer believe in due process or the doctrine of innocent until proven guilty. Each of them embraces the politics of personal destruction writ large. No lie is too outrageous if it might work to ruin an opponent.

Why do they believe their unscrupulous tactics will work? Because they believe we are all mind-numbed, uninformed imbeciles who can be cajoled by their nonsense. Obviously, there are radicals among us who do buy the left's blather, those who show up at women's marches wearing pussy hats sporting signs on which only the profanity is spelled correctly. Those people are not a majority anywhere; they are the disordered among us. The left has psychologized politics; their party has become a refuge for the deranged persons who seem to think they live in the worst nation on earth when, in fact, they live in the greatest country ever created. Everyone should read Arthur Chrenkoff's column.

Piling hysteria on top of moonbattery, then, we have the media and the left's crazed reaction to the murder of Jamal Khoshoggi, the sometime opinion columnist for the Washington Post. He was not actually a journalist, he was an advocate for the Muslim Brotherhood. Had he changed? Who knows? The mainstream media is convinced that he was some kind of hero and that Trump is somehow responsible for his murder at the hands of a Saudi kill squad. And who expects to get any truth from the Turks? It is in their interest to pit the US against Saudi Arabia. It is in the media's interest to use the murder to indict Trump's very necessary alliance with Saudi Arabia.

CNN is nearly all-Khashoggi, all the time. Why? China has allegedly dispatched with their man who headed up Interpol. No one seems to care. They couldn't care less about the men killed in Benghazi. When that horrific event occurred, the MSM did everything they could to protect Obama and Hillary from their obvious complicity in the crime that took those lives. The left is so delusional, they think we did not notice and that we don't remember Benghazi and their gross inhumanity in addressing what happened there.

Does the left care about the many hundreds of people killed in Chicago each year? No. Not one bit. Do they care at all about the American citizens who are routinely murdered, sometimes mutilated, by the MS13 gang-members they so value as "human"? Did they vote for Kate's Law, named for Kate Steinle who was killed by a seven-time deported illegal alien? No.

They care more about importing as many immigrants as they can, any way they can, than they care about what illegal immigration has done to this country. They only pretend to care about America and Americans. They are perfectly willing to destroy the United States to preserve their own personal power and the access to wealth that comes with it. Nancy Pelosi builds walls around her own properties, like all of them do, but is indignant that the rest of us want a wall at our southern border. And the left thinks we should allow them to represent us.

Worst of all was the left' s self-revelation of exactly who they are; vicious to the point of evil. What they did to Judge Kavanaugh was so beyond the pale, so egregious a breach of decency, that it awakened millions of non-political citizens to who and what the Democrats party really is, self-serving and without a hint of ethical standards. As for all those crazed protesters, most of them paid hires, they must be counted among the disordered; ignorant of the Constitution, indoctrinated by their teachers and professors not to think, just to obey.

This is the tragedy of the left's takeover of academia. Triggered, micro-aggressed snowflakes who are unable to hear a word that may depart from the dogma with which they've been inculcated without sticking their fingers in their ears are victims, of their parents and their colleges and universities. When young people are not taught to think critically for themselves at an early age, they are prime candidates for the insidious indoctrination that now passes for education but is actually a form of brainwashing. From this purposeful plan to market Marxism we get those who buy into the man-made global warming hoax and the victimology that is the by-product of the left's obsession with race, class and gender in ever-evolving forms.

The left sees all individuals as members of a group, not as individuals; we are either victims or perpetrators/oppressors, thus the move to indict "white privilege" no matter how nonsensical. As for the basic tenet on which this country was founded, individual liberty, the left has contempt. To quote Mark Levin in Ameritopia,

"...equality in misery -- that is, equality of result of conformity -- is advanced as a just, fair, and virtuous undertaking. Liberty, therefore, is inherently immoral, except where it avails equality."

The left hates Hillary's deplorables, non-elite Americans, just as much as Hillary hates them. Even though they are the people who make the country function in every tangible way, their independence is an impediment to the left's grasp of total power and control. Those who promote violence against conservatives -- Maxine Waters, Cory Booker, Eric Holder, et. al., -- think their rhetoric will win supporters, but they are driving sentient Democrats and independents away. Their delusional belief that the rest of us are easily proselytized is a dream too far. The Democratic Party is dying by its own dishonorable hand.
High-profile Republicans in restaurants. County Republican HQs. Participants at rallies and protests. And now innocent individuals in their cars.

This incident recorded on a phone, took place on October 18th getting off the interstate in Pompano Beach, Florida. The victim? One single, female in her car. The perp? One male with a limited vocabulary. The incident? The male cut off the female as she was exiting the interstate. The cause? Two Trump bumper stickers on the females car.

As you can see from the video, the perp is limited to the F word, the B word, and drawing attention to the fact that this Trump supporter is a woman. He doesnt make much of a case, relying instead on invective, insult, and intolerance.

In fact, I think this is a fairly damning video of the lefts true hatred towards women in general and Caucasian women in particular, whom the perp repeatedly referred to as a female dog. Nice.

Any lone female in her car who was followed off the freeway, cut off, and then attacked in such a way certainly has a justification for feeling metood by this jerk. This was an assault, clear as day. And this is not funny business. This is serious. We are dealing with benzene-laden hunks of metal careening off the freeway at 40 to 60 mph. Cutting someone off in a car at such speeds is a dangerous dance that can result in multi-car pile-ups and death and injury to anyone involved.

Its all just more hypocrisy of the left -- their concern for women (unless they have Trump bumper stickers on their car); their concern for our collective safety (unless you are road-raging a car off the freeway).

Democrats talk all the time about Republicans calling for support among the masses with their dog whistles. Ive always found this hysterical because I have never seen that happen. Not once. Lord knows, Id love it if we had some kind of secret code or handshake that could instantly mobilize the troops. Id give my right arm just to have a centralized website to coordinate action! But conservatives just arent that organized and we certainly arent easily herded into political behavior like our Dem counterparts are. The dog whistle claim is merely an act of projection by the paranoid left, attributing to conservatives some kind of behavior that is admittedly (and regrettably) alien to us, but commonplace for radical Democrats.

Any rational person looking objectively at the events as they have unfolded can see that Holder, Clinton, Waters, Obama and their brethren in the Senate and House have blown that dog whistle pretty darn hard and unabashedly, setting off their pooches to rabidly attack conservatives, Republicans, and supporters of Trump of all varieties. They express their ire and frustration with the Trump administration by yelling, screaming, clawing, lying, gesticulating, foaming at the mouth, spitting, pounding tables, raising fists, and flipping off innocent recipients who are dining, driving, and socializing.

I get it -- I once had a great deal of rage towards the Pelosi, Reid, Obama triumvirate. But I channeled that frustration into action, electoral participation, and mobilization; not violence.

During my Tea Party days, we had many opportunities to Maxine-like harass people and get in their faces, block them from attending high-priced fundraisers at the personal residences of Americas glitterati. We could have made the lives of the individuals who resided there most unpleasant as they entered/exited their homes. But we never did that. We believed family and privacy were to be respected and that is how we operated. We saved the protests for further down the road. They were always polite and fun, there were never any threats, no recipient of our protests was ever left feeling vulnerable or at risk of an assault of any type, including verbal.

But the left doesnt operate the same way and, for those of us who were seasoned living in the Bay Area where leftwing radical protests are a way of life, we knew this going into the rally/protest biz. And so we made a conscious choice to conduct ourselves in such a way that we could maintain our integrity and dignity as we embarked onto the protest scene.

Not so, the Democrats.

The dog whistles have indeed been activated by the Democrats. If the Republicans succeed at the polls in a few weeks, it will only get worse for anyone who supports Trump.

This lies with the Democrats. It is up to Pelosi, Waters, Booker, Harris, Warren, the Obamas and the Clintons, and all of the ridiculous pundits who twist their logic to somehow justify this behavior, to call off their attack dogs and condemn this behavior.

It is up to us, to let them know Were not gonna take it. Never did and never will. Do not lose your resolve. Do not let these animals back you into a corner. Punch Back.
You can't make this up. A candidate for president is stabbed and nearly bleeds to death waiting for the ambulance. He recovers and almost wins in the first round from a hospital bed. His campaign is about killing criminals, putting troops on the border, and privatizing state enterprises.

We are talking about Jair Bolsonaro, who looks more and more like the next president of Brazil.

His latest remarks are rather amazing, but it's the Bolsonaro we've grown accustomed to:

The frontrunner in Brazil's presidential election  far-right former army captain Jair Bolsonaro  gave a fiery and confrontational speech to supporters on Sunday in which he said he would purge the country of left-wing "criminals". "We are the majority. We are the real Brazil. Together, we will build a new nation," he said. "These red criminals will be banished from our homeland." The speech pleased supporters but sent a chilling message to political rivals and raised further concerns about how Bolsonaro would rule in Brazil. "Bolsonaro is doubling down on his campaign strategy," said Matias Spektor, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo. "This is an election about change and anger." How is this man winning? The election is about change and anger.

I have spoken to several Brazilians in our area. One of them said this is the Brazilian Trump, the man who is going to shake things up. Another admits that Bolsonaro often speaks too sharply, but this Brazilian is voting to save the country from corruption and crony capitalism. Another told me about the out-of-control violence. She told me Brazilian mothers are scared to send their kids to school, especially the young men who are being recruited for gangs.

I asked another about Bolsonaro's disparaging remarks about women, LGBT values, homosexuals, and others. His response was remarkable: "Brazil is a very conservative country. Bolsonaro is taking about moral decay."

So here we are. It looks as though a former military man who wants to put the army in the streets to stop criminals will be the next president of Brazil.

Based on the polls, Brazil is ready to make him president. He leads 57-43%  what we could call a landslide in the U.S.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Are there more people trying to cross the border or are efforts to stop them improving? The answer is probably a little of both.

Whatever the reason, the Department of Homeland Security is reporting a significant increase in the number of people trying to cross our borders illegally.

Daily Caller:

More than a half million people tried to cross the southwest border without authorization in fiscal year 2018, an increase of about 100,000 over the previous years total that was spurred by a surge in family migration from Central America. A total of 521,090 people were either arrested or deemed inadmissible at U.S. ports of entry along the border, according to Customs and Border Protection figures released Tuesday. That compares to 415,517 in fiscal year 2017, a year that saw historically low levels of illegal immigration in the months after President Donald Trump assumed office. Since then, however, illegal immigration has risen to levels seen during the second Obama administration. The rebound is due in large part to a stunning spike in attempted crossings by so-called family units, nearly all of which are from three Central American countries  Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Another factor that may be at work in the increased attempts to cross the border is the red-hot American economy. Job growth such as we are experiencing must seem like an invitation to the poor in Central America and Mexico.

The Trump administration has attributed the surge to loopholes in immigration law that prevent the government from holding adults and their children in detention together while their cases are heard in immigration court. Administration officials say the restrictions encourage parents to bring children across the border because they know they will be released for the duration of their immigration proceedings, which can take years.

The reason these "family units" are on their way is because for 8 years, the Obama administration encouraged their migration by not doing anything to hold them and send them back. To their minds, it's better to be an illegal alien in America than live in a Central American hellhole.

No one denies that there is violence and grinding poverty in these countries. There is war, poverty, and pestilence in dozens and dozens of countries around the world. Does their proximity to the US grant them special privileges with regards to refugee status or asylum? If so, why? What makes a Central American refugee any worthier of our benificence than a refugee from Africa, or Venezuela, or somewhere else?

We are not the world's policeman and when we try to be, we invariably end up in trouble. But neither are we the world's nanny or Daddy Warbucks. We should take in refugees, but not all of them and not without some way to vet them to make sure we know exactly who wants to come here. This would seem to be the minimum requirement for us to exercise our sovereign right to control our borders.
NBC News is reporting that another illegal alien caravan is forming in El Salvador and will begin its trek to the U.S. border soon.

As the Trump administration makes preparations to combat the 6,500-member Honduran migrant caravan making its way toward the United States, the Department of Homeland Security is also tracking a new caravan taking shape  this time from El Salvador, according to two U.S. officials, a local source on the ground in Central America and an internal U.S. government report obtained by NBC News. The El Salvadoran caravan is still forming, but its members have plans to begin their journey northward toward the U.S. next week, according to the sources. The internal report indicates that DHS is tracking the communications of caravan members, including a 230-member WhatsApp group that intends to leave on Oct. 31.

With the DHS "tracking the communications of caravan members," you have to believe it has a pretty good idea of who is organizing these invasions.

Some international do-gooder organizations are saying it's not they.

It's unclear exactly how the caravan started in Honduras, but it appears to have no formal leadership. "No one is capable of organizing this many people. Nobody," said Irineo Mujica of Pueblo Sin Fronteras (People Without Borders), which is providing support to the group. "It's an exodus." Many Mexicans have turned out to help the migrants, handing out food and sometimes clothes in each town where they stop.

That woman is either naive or disingenuous. There are many groups capable of organizing such a caravan. All it takes is a little money and a few people who know what they're doing.

I doubt that the Democrats are behind the caravans for the simple reason that the invasions are playing right into the hands of Trump and the Republicans. If the GOP keeps the House after the midterms, these caravans will be a big reason why. Democrats know this and probably wish the caravans would turn back.

As for Soros money being behind the "exodus," that may be closer to the truth. Many of these international aid organizations are at least partially funded by Soros's Open Society Foundation. It's hard to make a case that Soros himself has ordered up the caravans, but the aid organizations that are helping the caravans have the same "one world, no borders" ideas that he does.

At this point, it hardly matters who is organizing these mass caravans, only that they are coming.

The caravan's movement is likely to trigger fierce backlash from President Donald Trump who has stoked fear about El Salvadoran migrants, particularly because nationals from the Central American country began the dangerous MS-13 gang.

A word about "stoking fear," which is liberal code for "racism": Presenting facts to the American people about the ultra-violent MS-13 gang is not "stoking fear." But liberals believe that even mentioning MS-13 in any context is racist and that Trump is doing it to terrify people into voting Republican.

What terrifies people are Democrats who surreptitiously promote open borders policies, which the caravans are exposing, despite the Dems' best efforts to hide their pro-illegal alien agenda.

It is unclear what has stoked this particular caravan to begin forming, but immigration advocates and experts believe its members may have been inspired by the Honduran caravan and hope to find safety in numbers. Immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, many of whom travel as families and claim asylum, have presented a challenge for border agents as their numbers have surged under the past two presidential administrations. The Trump administration would like to see Central Americans be stripped of the right to remain in the United States while they pursue asylum claims, a senior administration official told reporters on a call on Tuesday. Under current law, only nationals from contiguous countries, such as Mexico, are sent back across the border without appearing before an immigration judge.

Are we a sovereign nation or not? Do we have the absolute right to determine who comes into the U.S. and who doesn't? Every other nation on Planet Earth is granted the right to deny entry to illegal aliens  except the U.S. It is a mystery why enforcing our immigration and border laws would be controversial at all.
In a 2012 article titled "Of Elephants and Men," Wade Horn, president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, described disturbing events on an elephant preserve in Africa, when young males were separated from the older, male bull elephants. Once they were free from mature male influence, the junior males wreaked havoc on their new environment, particularly the endangered white rhinos. The entire article seems to be well researched and is striking in its revelations: the natural order of things is for ill disciplined males to confront and attack.

The details supporting the article most certainly offer the concept of a male destructive bent absent older male authority. In modern jargon, it is what it is.

Like the elephants, Antifa is composed mostly of fatherless young men who become uncivil and violent while they remain in their home "caves" with their mommas. What and whom these young men oppose matters little. They have no real ideological focus. They simply are pushed to confrontation.

Young human males influenced not by mothers and fathers living together, but by mothers alone are like nitroglycerine prior to Alfred Nobel and his inventive dynamite  that is, an unstable, dangerous, and powerful compound before its natural composition was stabilized for a powerful and useful explosive. To complete the analogy, Nobel would stand for the father.

According to any number of statistical surveys, approximately a third of young men grow up in fatherless homes. Additionally, even more are in homes without their biological fathers, or the father figure in attendance might just as well not be there.

When a mature adult male is not present in the home, there is no anchor, nothing to provide clear direction, clear thinking, and the clear teaching of discipline. Females forced into these roles as male substitutes abbreviate their natural full-time nurturing. Young males brought up without such guidance can be drawn into gangs that are no more than mobs. They have heard the call of the wild.

According to the Daily Wire, Antifa 90% comprises single males, most of whom are still living in their mother's basements.

These Antifa members claim to oppose white supremacists, but the fact is, they rampage through any meeting, assembly, or faction when the mood strikes them. Like the junior elephants who kill white rhinos, Antifa appears to have a bloodlust. Its members aren't fighting an opposing point of view. They are fighting a natural result of a spiritual failing.

How much worse will it get? As old males die off and disdain increases for manhood throughout society via politics, the media, Hollywood, and even the modern military and its enlisted "members," the acceptance of men as fathers and an anchor of strength will lessen.

The elephant reserve in Africa had had its younger bull elephants separated from the older males as a matter of expediency. It was a solution resolved not by nature, but by the government. It was cheaper and easier to separate by size and weight as opposed to proportionate family reduction and dispersion.

Modern politics probably will continue along the lines of protesting street groups manned by boys, with chaos breaking out at many demonstrations. The politicians have created these monsters with the many-varied solutions of many-varied social problems. They did in fact sow the wind. Now they are reaping the whirlwind.
For the rationale of this newfound nation, order of some kind was present despite the diversity of backgrounds. Old-country habits had to adjust to new-world conditions.

For most of American history, a consensus was established that allowed for flexibility, despite highs and lows in orderliness. As I see it, the Brett Kavanaugh deliberations converted America to a new stance. Out of the Burkean world that sought stability and civility, there emerged a wholesale business in tearing the state, or, in this case, the nation, apart.

From relative calm, an UnState erupted. The space between rage and order disappeared, leaving in its wake a breakdown of constitutional principle. For many, American rage is the answer with Hillary Clinton's comment about her inability to get along with Republicans and Michelle Obama's belief that when they go low, we go high. This is reminiscent of Sartre's yearning for and commitment to some vague and unattainable goal. This is the era beyond partisanship; it is all-out war. The stage is set for civil war. The innocent girl in denims is to become a recruit in all-out UnState battle, where Joan of Arc knows no limits. When rationality has retreated before commitment, it is conceivable for blood to flood the streets even for the new Robespierres. This is surely not the America I embrace, but she is here. Perhaps there is no way at this stage to avoid her, but we have to hope the principles for which this nation stands can be restored.

It would seem the UnState supports the radicals, whether they know it or not. For what has led to a country divided with many that believing the ends  namely, the defeat of Trump  justifies the means? We are a different land today, but not a better land. The remarkable founders of America are turning over in their graves, all wondering whether this nation can recover.

Twenty twenty is over the horizon, and Trump looms as the party who must be defeated. These harridans are out to get Donald.

The UnState has new challenges. Some will argue that the ground is set, and a rocky road awaits us. Should the volcano explode, the U.S. will be tested. Hoofbeats can be heard, and screams crowd the vaporous roads. Perhaps the UnState is almost here  but let's hope it is not.

Herbert London is president of the London Center for Policy Research.
Like measles, or smoking, or homelessness, or Nigerian credit card scammers, President Trump's White House has issued a 72-page Surgeon General-style report warning of yet another scourge plaguing the country:

Socialism.

And it's about time. According to CNBC:

The Trump administration released a 72-page manifesto articulating the ills of socialism on Tuesday on the heels of President Donald Trump's recent claims that his political opponents will turn the U.S. into "the next Venezuela" if they succeed in the upcoming midterm elections. The report published by the Council of Economic Advisers warns that "socialism is making a comeback in American political discourse," and zeroes in on proposals to enact "Medicare for all" championed by progressive lawmakers.

The press and its commentators, as you can imagine, were aghast:

"It is not unusual for the White House to issue statements that reinforce the political themes the president's party is campaigning on before an election," said veteran election attorney Brett Kappel, a partner at Akerman. "But it is very unusual for the Council of Economic Advisers  a supposedly nonpartisan body of experts  to be used for this purpose," he said.

Economist Kevin Hassett, author of the report, denied that, saying it wasn't political, it was simply analysis.

And well, he's right. Socialism fails every time you try it, and that's not politics, that's just reality, and the Trump administration, going much further than the Reagan administration or the Bush administrations, is finally laying that out as a fact.

Yet incredibly, socialism's adherents persist, quite possibly because they have been coddled for so long and told their views weren't poison on the body politic, but just a slightly different worldview, valid as any other.

Now that some of them have managed to infiltrate the universities, where they've enforced political correctness, and others, such as Bernie Sanders, have managed to run for office, it's worth a paper.

Trump's move is an important move to change the narrative and challenge socialism to its foundation. Ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world has been awaiting a reckoning for the odious 19th century ideology, in the same way Naziism was rubbed out by World War II's conclusion.

Maybe this will be the reckoning.
If an enemy were plotting to destroy the most powerful country in the world, what strategy would he use? Knowing he can't beat the country economically or militarily; what other options are open to him?

Here's an idea! Suppose the enemy were able to mobilize millions of people from the most poverty-stricken countries in the world and have them invade our country, using children as their shields. Suppose further that those massive numbers of people just started walking toward our borders in open defiance of our immigration policies. What would you, running the United States, be willing to do to stop the invasion? President Trump says, if necessary, he'll use the U.S. military to shut down the border.

That will work if the military is prepared to take confrontational action against those who defy our laws and try to force their way in. If the invaders employ their usual tactic, children will be in the front lines of the invasion. Will the American public be willing to accept video clips of our soldiers pushing children backward to keep them from entering our land? If the invasion becomes violent, will we see children being trampled and killed as layers of humanity move forward over the bodies of the fallen? What our enemies are counting on is that Americans will be appalled by such scenes and call Trump a monster.

Let's look at what would happen if these invasions aren't stopped. If a few thousand people were able to walk from Central America through Mexico and into our country, what's to stop millions more from doing the same? China, India, Pakistan, and other countries with large populations could find ways to fracture our borders and flood our country with wall-to-wall humanity. The poverty rates in those countries, when compared to ours, make us the most prosperous and envied country in the history of the world. But we can't continue being prosperous if massive numbers of low-skilled and under-educated people are dumped into a social welfare system that is already bursting at the seams.

From the perspective of the invaders, the United States is the answer to their plight. Nevertheless, their plight, if transferred to our country in the form of millions of needy people, will ultimately destroy our economy and turn us into a third-world country. Since they're fleeing countries that have lost their ability to provide jobs, security, and safety for their people, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by coming here. They're not concerned about our future; it's all about theirs. That's why we have to come to grips with the most serious threat to our survival. We must ask ourselves if we have the will to use force against an army of invaders who will play upon the sympathy of teary-eyed Americans, hoping it will erupt into a plethora of bleeding-heart opposition to Trump.

Therefore, we must arrive at a time in which we, as Americans, decide that if we don't protect our borders, we're no longer a sovereign nation. Moreover, we must decide if we're going to have the backbone to stop the invading hordes from capsizing this ship of state. We must not fall victim to the false accusation that we're a greedy country unwilling to share our bounty with the "less fortunate" of the world. On the contrary, our generosity has propped up nations, fed tens of millions, and provided medical care to the most disadvantaged on the planet. We have been able to do that only because of our prosperity, which, if we don't take steps to preserve it, will go the way of Venezuela.

All of the foregoing leads me to ask the question: what are we willing to do to stop the invasion?
The US Commerce Department has granted imports of 161 aluminium and 36 steel products from South Africa exemptions to the Section 232 tariffs, South Africas Department of Trade and Industry (DIT) said on October 24.

Imports of 161 aluminium and 36 steel products from South Africa have been granted exemptions to the United States' Section 232 tariffs by the Commerce Department, South Africas Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Wednesday October 24.



For aluminium, the products exempted include aluminium foil and plate, and sheet and strip. For steel, they include the hot-rolled bar, hot-rolled sheet, cold-rolled sheet, cut plate and plate in coil, the DTI noted.



But South Africa is a fairly insignificant supplier of steel and aluminium products to the US.



Imports of steel mill products from South Africa totaled 330,742 tonnes in 2017, representing less than 1% of all steel mill product shipments to the US, US Census Bureau data show.



For aluminium, the US imported 110,487 tonnes of unwrought aluminium from South Africa in 2017, or 2.3% of overall imports and 4.6% of inflows when excluding Canada, International Trade Commission data show.



South Africa was one of a handful of countries thought to be vulnerable to higher Section 232 duties, following comments by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in February.



Commerce, in a final determination in January, levied anti-dumping duties of 142.26% against imports of South African steel wire rod, identifying ArcelorMittal South Africa as a mandatory respondent. That decision was met with confusion, given that the US imports an insignificant volume of this steel product from the country.



The Section 232 tariffs - 25% for steel imports and 10% for aluminium imports - that were announced by US President Donald Trump in March injected volatility into some domestic steel and aluminium markets.



Fastmarkets AMMs assessment for the P1020 duty-paid aluminium premium was at 19-19.75 cents per lb on October 23, down from the more than three-year high of 22-23 cents per lb on April 10 but more than double the 9.4-9.5 cents recorded at the start of this year.



Similarly, Fastmarkets AMM's hot-rolled coil index was at $41.69 per hundredweight on October 18, down by 9.1% from the nearly 10-year high of $45.84 per cwt on July 5 but still up 27.8% from $32.63 per cwt in early January.



South African trade minister Rob Davies had put in a formal request for a country-wide exemption from the US Section 232 tariffs in March, and met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Ross in Washington in July.



South Africa continues to lobby for a country-wide exemption from the tariffs.



While South Africa welcomes this important relief to our exports, [the] government remains engaged with the US government and continues to request a country exemption, the DTI said.




The worlds longest sea crossing connecting Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai opened this week in China. The unusual bridge cum tunnel system consist of a series of three cable-stayed bridges and one undersea tunnel, as well as two artificial islands for a total length of 55 km.

The largest part of the crossing is the 30-km-long Main Bridge, which is actually a bridge and a 6.7 km undersea tunnel that dips beneath the Pearl River Estuary and emerges at the other end just before the Hong Kong border. The undersea tunnel was built to avoid disrupting shipping lanes. The route then continues over a 9.4-km-long viaduct and ends at Chek Lap Kok, the island where Hong Kong International Airport is located.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge lit up in Hong Kong.

The $20 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge has been hailed as a key part of the Greater Bay Area plan to connect Hong Kong and Macau to 11 Chinese cities to form a high-tech region to rival Silicon Valley. However, critics say that the multi-billion dollar bridge is just another attempt by the Chinese government to integrate Hong Kong into China. Both Hong Kong and Macau are part of China, but are special administrative regions enjoying certain levels of autonomy with their own governments, legal systems, and policies.

Despite the billions spent in tax payers money, the bridge will not be opened for public transport. Only private shuttle buses and freight vehicles will be allowed to use the link. Private cars will only be able to use it after applying for a special permit. There are rumors that only those people who pay significant taxes in China, and donate large amounts of money to charities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, and of course, those with political connections will be allowed to drive over the bridge. This has led to strong resentment among the public.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will also be one of the first roadways where drivers would be required to wear heart rate and blood pressure monitoring devices when they cross the bridge. The information will be sent to the bridges control center. There will also be security cameras to detect yawning. According to the Guardian, If a driver yawns more than three times in 20 seconds, the yawn cam will raise an alert.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, seen from Lantau island in Hong Kong.

An aerial view of the Hong Kong section of the bridge.

One of the artificial islands.
In south-west England, there runs a great earthwork from the mouth of River Dee near Chester, to the estuary of River Severn near Chepstow, traversing through more than 150 miles, although the earthwork is not continuous. This is Offas Dyke, and for centuries it has marked the boundary between England and Wales.

Offa was the king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia during the second half of the 8th century. He controlled large swathes of land in the lowlands of Britain to the east and south-east of what was to become England, but the land to the west was divided into a number of kingdoms free from Anglo-Saxon rule. These kingdoms, ruled by the Romano-Britonsa culture that evolved after the fall of the Roman Empireeventually become Wales.

Photo credit: Andrew/Flickr

The dyke consist of a ditch and a rampart, with the ditch on the Welsh side and the displaced soil piled into a bank on the Mercian side. Throughout its entire length, the dyke constantly provided a commanding view from Mercia into Wales. Wherever possible, natural barriers were utilized and where the earthwork encountered hills or high ground, it passed to the west of them. The dyke was over 20 meters wide and 8 meters high when built, although natural erosion, farming and land development have reduced the height to a mere meter or two.

The construction of the dyke is largely credited to Offa, who sought to define the boundary between his kingdom and the lands of the Welsh. The monumental earthworktoday considered to be Britain's longest ancient monumentwas built as a demonstration of the might of the Mercian kingdom, the same way the Hadrians Wall and Antonine Wall served to bolster the Romans stronghold on the island of Great Britain. The difference is that Hadrians Wall and Antonine Wall were built with stone and not earth, and were garrisoned unlike Offas dyke that served more as a deterrent rather than fortification.

The 19th century English novelist, George Borrow, in his classic Wild Tales, notes that it was customary for the English to cut off the ears of every Welshman who was found to the east of the dyke, and for the Welsh to hang every Englishman whom they found to the west of it.

Borrow had evidently drawn that story from folklore, and tales such as this were invented to signify the Welsh-English enmity and cultural difference that has existed since the creation of the dyke. Offa's Dyke continues to be the frontier between the Welsh and English. The modern EnglandWales border still mostly passes within a few miles of the course of Offa's Dyke through the Welsh Marches.

Photo credit: Offa's Dyke Collaboratory
A number of South Australian defence companies are celebrating the forging of new partnerships with key international companies to collaborate on major shipbuilding projects at Euronaval 2018, 23-26 October.

A number of South Australian defence companies are celebrating the forging of new partnerships with key international companies to collaborate on major shipbuilding projects at Euronaval 2018, 23-26 October.

Four recent agreements between South Australian defence businesses and European companies to work together on upcoming naval shipbuilding projects are being officially recognised on the Defence SA stand, under the Team Defence Australia umbrella, during the event.

On Tuesday, South Australian advanced manufacturing company Redarc Electronics and local manufacturer Rowlands Metalworks celebrated a Memorandum of Understanding that was previously signed with German naval C2 and navigation system integrator Raytheon Anschutz to partner for future Australian naval projects, including the Hunter class Future Frigates.

On the same day, ASC officially signed a collaboration agreement with French company Endel Engine  a long-term partner of Naval Group France  to create joint business opportunities on the Future Submarine program. ASC also signed a collaboration agreement with Frances Groupe FIVA  a global engineering consultancy which has established a presence in South Australia  to facilitate the effective delivery and support to current and future naval programs of work in both Australia and France.

On Wednesday, South Australian-based company SAGE Automation and Spanish company Detegasa celebrated a major commercial and industrial partnership agreement together. The contract  signed just weeks ago  will see SAGE expand its through-life-support capabilities for the Royal Australian Navy surface ship by providing in-country support for Detegasa equipment on-board LHD, DDG and future AOR vessels and opens opportunities to manufacture equipment in Australia for future programs, including the Hunter class Future Frigates.

We see this agreement and partnership with Detegasa as a game changer for our TLS delivery. We very much look forward to working with Detegasa to bring value to the Defence support managing contractors and Navy assets SAGE general manager for Defence Paul Johnson said.

Groupe FIVA formally announced its acquisition of Cadgile, the largest independent CAD drafting specialist in South Australia. Together FIVA and Cadgile will develop state-of-the-art engineering services for the defence, energy and environment sectors in Australia. Defence SA chief executive Richard Price said it was encouraging to see South Australian businesses collaborating with international companies, which will ensure local companies benefit from major shipbuilding projects.

Congratulations to all the South Australian companies that have recently entered into collaboration agreements with international defence partners to work together on major defence and naval shipbuilding projects, he said.

Its great to see South Australian defence companies taking a proactive approach to forming strategic partnerships with international defence companies.

Many of these relationships were first forged during previous business missions and trade shows, strengthened over time, and will likely result in years of supply chain work for our local companies.

We look forward to welcoming many more collaborations of this nature in the coming years.
The Anglican Communions Representative to the United Nations, Jack Palmer-White, calls for senior and prophetic leadership to speak into the major international issues of the day.

In late September, leaders from most of the 193 member states of the United Nations gathered in New York for the opening of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly (UNGA). The centrepiece of the UN calendar, full of pageantry and the formality of high-level debates, it is a reminder that the UN is led and directed by states.

But, running alongside the high-level events were hundreds of side- and parallel-events, drawing diverse groups and organisations together. The global Anglican Communion has been recognised by the United Nations for over 30 years. It participates in a wide range of conferences, meetings and events held under the auspices of the United Nations, including events around the UN General Assembly.

But this year, the Anglican Communions presence at UNGA felt different. Two reasons for this difference stand out  both of which say much about the role of the Anglican Communion around the world.

This years UNGA came just a few weeks after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, became the first holder of his office to address the UN Security Council. A year earlier he had been appointed as the sole religious leader on the UN Secretary-Generals High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation. Twelve months on, he spoke during a debate on the role of mediation in the peaceful resolution of conflict, explaining how churches and religious leaders are playing an increasingly important role in this, particularly in intra-state conflicts.

The Archbishop also challenged the assembled member states to look beyond current ways of working, invest in reconciliation as a framework for conflict resolution and make its peace-building efforts more joined up, both within the UN structures and with other actors, including faith-based ones. Because the church is often on the forefront of conflicts the voices of church leaders are becoming increasingly credible and respected when it comes to conflict resolution and peacemaking.

The Archbishops presence at the United Nations was complemented by the presence of a number of senior local Anglican leaders, drawn from across the African continent, who used the opportunity of the assembled leaders, ministers, UN staff and other non-governmental organisations to share their experience and their expertise on a range of issues.

One bishop from a part of central Africa facing conflict, corruption, exploitation of resources and serious health issues told of the profound impact that church-led reconciliation initiatives had had on the local community. Using sport to bring the community together and running workshops on peace and reconciliation, the church can be a convenor in communities where government, NGOs and the UN have limited reach or influence.

Another group of bishops, working collaboratively on a project to prevent cross-border malaria infections, were able to demonstrate the very active ways that churches meet the immediate needs of local communities, share information and develop long-term strategies to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. These testimonies are a powerful example of why partnership with faith actors is absolutely crucial if states and international organisations are to achieve their aims.

These examples demonstrate how religious institutions like the Anglican Communion can have an impact on the work of the United Nations. This presence at the global and the local level is not unique to faith actors, but the reach that they often have at the local level very often goes beyond that of other actors, including states themselves.

Across all of the policy areas in which the Anglican Communion Office at the UN engages, there is both a role for senior and prophetic leadership to speak into the major international issues of the day, and a vital voice that expresses local expertise and experience to these issues on the micro level. When churches operate in this way  walking the walk at the local level whilst recognising and responding to the geopolitical forces at work in forum like the Security Council  their impact can be profound.
Posted on: October 24, 2018 2:14 PM

The Anglican Church of Kenya has become the third Anglican province to become home to the Green Anglicans movement. Spearheaded by the Anglican Students Fellowship, Green Anglicans in Kenya will encourage members to take up their roles in being good stewards of Gods creations and ensure that future generations will have a better place to live in, ASF coordinator Dennis Nthenge said.

The Green Anglicans movement in Kenya took place at All Souls Cathedral in Machakos on Saturday. Youth representatives from all over Kenya were in attendance, as were environment specialists and representatives from Anglican institutions.

The Bishop of Machakos, Joseph Mutungi, said that the Green Anglicans movement would help communities across Kenya realise that the environment is Gods creation and should be preserved for the sake of future generations. And he praised the young people for embracing the concept.

The Director of Mission for the Anglican Church of Kenya, John Mark Oduor, also praised the initiative, saying: the earth belongs to God and today we gather here to surrender our service to him by way of taking good care of the environment.

The launch of the Green Anglicans movement in Kenya chimes with the Wholesome Environment Pillar in the 10-ear provincial strategy which runs from 2018-2027. The pillar focuses on environmental stewardship, awareness, advocacy, clean-ups and adoption of renewable sources of energy.

The Green Anglican movement began in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, before spreading to the Church of the Province of Central Africa and now the Anglican Church of Kenya.
Why doesnt the U.S. bury its power lines?

UFs director of energy studies, observing that hurricanes Michael and Florence knocked power out for millions of people, points out that one solution  burying power lines  comes with a high price tag.

It is nearing the end of a highly destructive hurricane season in the United States. The devastation of Hurricane Florence in North and South Carolina caused more than 1.4 million customers to lose power and Hurricane Michael has cut service to an estimated 900,000 customers in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Soon, winter storms will bring wind and snow to much of the country

Anxious people everywhere worry about the impact these storms might have on their safety, comfort and convenience. Will they disrupt my commute to work? My childrens ride to school? My electricity service?

When it comes to electricity, people turn their attention to the power lines overhead and wonder if their electricity service might be more secure if those lines were buried underground. But having studied this question for utilities and regulators, I can say the answer is not that straightforward. Burying power lines, also called undergrounding, is expensive, requires the involvement of many stakeholders and might not solve the problem at all.

Where should ratepayer money go?

Electric utilities do not provide service for free, as everyone who opens their utility bill every month can attest. All of the costs of providing service are ultimately paid by the utilitys customers, so it is critical that every dollar spent on that service provides good value for those customers. Utility regulators in every state have the responsibility to ensure that utilities provide safe and reliable service at just and reasonable rates.

But what are customers willing to pay for ensuring reliability and mitigating risk? Thats complicated. Consider consumer choices in automobile insurance. Some consumers choose maximum insurance coverage through a zero deductible. Others blanch at the higher premiums zero deductibles bring and choose a higher deductible at lower premium cost.

AP Photo/David Goldman

To provide insurance for electricity service, regulators and utilities must aggregate the preferences of individual customers into a single standard for the grid. Its a difficult task that requires a collaborative effort.

The state of Floridas reaction in the wake of the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons provides a model for this type of cooperative effort. Utilities, regulators and government officials meet every year to address the efficacy of Floridas storm hardening efforts and discuss how these efforts should evolve, including the selective undergrounding of power lines. This collaborative effort has resulted in the refinement of utility vegetation management practices  selective pruning of trees and bushes to avoid contact with power lines and transformers  in the state as well as a simulation model to assess the economic costs and benefits of undergrounding power lines.

Nationally, roughly 25 percent of new distribution and transmission lines are built underground, according to a 2012 industry study. Some European countries, including the Netherlands and Germany, have made significant commitments to undergrounding.

Burying power lines costs roughly US$1 million per mile, but the geography or population density of the service area can halve this cost or triple it. In the wake of a statewide ice storm in December 2002, the North Carolina Utilities Commission and the electric utilities explored the feasibility of burying the states distribution lines underground and concluded that the project would take 25 years to complete and increase electricity rates by 125 percent. The project was never begun, as the price increase was not seen as reasonable for consumers.

A 2010 engineering study for the Public Service Commission on undergrounding a portion of the electricity system in the District of Columbia found that costs increased rapidly as utilities try to underground more of their service territory. The study concluded that a strategic $1.1 billion (in 2006 dollars) investment would improve the reliability for 65 percent of the customers in the utilitys service territory, but an additional $4.7 billion would be required to improve service for the remaining 35 percent of customers in outlying areas. So, over 80 percent of the costs for the project would be required to benefit a little more than one third of the customers. The Mayors Power Line Undergrounding Task Force ultimately recommended a $1 billion hardening project that would increase customer bills by 3.23 percent on average after seven years.

Shifting risk

In addition to the capital cost, undergrounding may make routine maintenance of the system more difficult, and thus more expensive, because of reduced accessibility to power lines. This may also make it more difficult to repair the system when outages do occur, prolonging the duration of each outage. Utility regulators and distribution utilities must weigh this cost against the costs of repairing and maintaining the electricity system in its overhead state.

Electricity service is valuable. A 2009 study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated an economic cost of $10.60 for an eight-hour interruption in electricity service to the average residential customer. For an average small commercial or industrial customer the cost grew to $5,195, and to almost $70,000 for an average medium to large commercial or industrial customer. The economic benefits of storm hardening, therefore, are significant.

Beyond the economic value of undergrounding, one could consider other benefits, such as aesthetic ones, which may be more difficult to quantify. The safety of the electricity grid is also a concern. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection recently concluded that high winds and above-ground power lines were the cause of the Cascade Fire of October 2017. But all costs and benefits must be considered to ensure value for the customers investment.

In terms of reliability, it is not correct to say that burying power lines protects them from storm damage. It simply shifts the risk of damage from one type of storm effect to another.

For example, it is true that undergrounding can mitigate damage from wind events such as flying debris, falling trees and limbs, and collected ice and snow. But alternatives, such as proper vegetation management practices, replacing wood poles with steel, concrete or composite ones, or reinforcing utility poles with guy wires, may be nearly as effective in mitigating storm damage and may cost less.

Also, undergrounding power lines may make them more susceptible to damage from corrosive storm surge and flooding from rainfall or melting ice and snow. Areas with greater vulnerability to storm surge and flooding will confront systems that are less reliable (and at greater cost) as a result of undergrounding.

So, the relocation of some power lines underground may provide a cost-effective strategy to mitigate the risk of damage to elements of a utilitys infrastructure. But these cases should be evaluated individually by the local distribution utility and its regulator. Otherwise consumers will end up spending more for their electricity service, and getting less.

This is an update to an article originally published September 12, 2017.

Theodore J. Kury, Director of Energy Studies, University of Florida

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ten Japanese traditional rituals featuring people in costumes will be put on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs says an advisory body to UNESCO recommended listing Raiho-shin on Wednesday. The rituals portray visits of deities in masks and costumes.

The events are held in different parts of Japan, especially in Tohoku, Hokuriku, Kyushu, and Okinawa, but all feature people wearing masks and costumes and paying visits to homes.

All ten festivals are registered in Japan as an important national intangible asset.

Such rituals stem from folk beliefs that deities from the outer world, the Raiho-shin, visit communities to usher in the New Year or new season by bringing happiness and good luck.

But even the Namahage ritual in the Oga district of Akita Prefecture, in which young men dressed as scary deities try to frighten children on New Year's Eve, ends with prayers for protection and warnings against laziness.

The Japanese agency says registration on the Heritage list will be officially decided at an intergovernmental committee meeting that will open in Mauritius in late November.

This will be the 21st inscription on the list from Japan.
On board the flight was a delegation led by Jeyhun Efendi,senior vice president, commercial operations and E-commerce at Flydubai and was joined by Thierry Aucoc, senior vice president, commercial (Europe & Russian Federation) at Emirates, Riitta Swan, Finnish Ambassador to the UAE together with representatives from regional media outlets. On arrival in Helsinki, the delegation was welcomed by senior officials from the airport.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the occasion, Jeyhun Efendi, senior vice president, commercial operations and E-commerce at Flydubai said: As the first carrier to operate a year-round direct flight from the UAE to Finland, we expect this route to be very popular for travellers from Dubai and the region as we make the market more accessible for adventure seekers, those who want to see the Northern Lights, Lapland and those visiting family and friends alike. Passengers travelling on this route will be able to enjoy the added comfort offered by our latest innovations in cabin design as well as an exceptional travel experience on board our new Boeing MAX 8 aircraft.

Finland attracts more than 6 million tourists a year, but most flights to the market so far have been seasonal. The new scheduled direct flights from Dubai will give passengers easier access into Finland and help stimulate trade and tourism around the year.

We have seen healthy demand especially for our Business Class since the route was announced in April this year. We expect this trend to continue from Dubai as well as see growing numbers of connecting passengers from both the Emirates and the Flydubai networks. Passengers from Finland now have easier access to popular destinations on the Flydubai network including Sri Lanka and Tanzania as well as further afield on the Emirates network to Far East destinations including Australia, Indonesia and Thailand, said Efendi.
On 22 October, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence announced that the special forces of the nine member states participating in the Bucharest 9 Initiative (B9) started the multinational military drill Thracian Sword  2018 at the Novo Selo Training Area. This year, Bulgarian special forces are hosting the annual B9 exercise from 22 to 26 October.



B-9 CJSE Thracian Sword 2018 is held with the participation of up to 200 servicemen of the special operations forces from the Southeastern Europe B9 members (Picture source: Sg17.armf.bg)

-9 CJSE Thracian Sword 18 is held with the participation of up to 200 servicemen of the special operations forces from the Southeast Europe B9 members, which are the Republic of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, the Republic of Albania. This years multinational joint training is conducted with the support of the U.S. Army Aviation.

On 1 October 1975, the 68th and 86th Training Parachute-Reconnaissance Bases were merged in the newly created 68th Independent Parachute-Reconnaissance Regiment "Spetsnaz". On 30 July 1993, the 68th Independent Parachute-Reconnaissance Regiment "Spetsnaz" was restructured into 68th Parachute-Reconnaissance Brigade "Spetsnaz" and once again put under the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff.

With the increased threat of international terrorist organisations in the 2000s and 2010s the 68th Special Operations Forces Brigade, renamed to 68th Brigade of Special Forces underwent a moderate renaissance in its special capabilities. The Brigade has deep training ties with similar foreign formations, especially the US Army's 10th Special Operations Group, but also the Portuguese Special Forces Brigade in Lamego, the Greek and Romanian special forces, the Serbian Special Operations Brigade etc. The Brigade has renewed its stocks of weapons (of mostly Heckler & Koch and Barrett manufacture, but also relying heavily on Bulgarian manufactured weapons), special equipment and mobility inventory (Mercedes-Benz Zetros, Actros, Unimog and G-Wagen, HMMWV etc.). It is fully compatible with NATO operational standards and procedures and its Alpha Task Force Detachment is attached to the NATO Quick Reaction Forces. The exact structure is not publicly known, but its around 1 500 service members.

The 68th Special Operations Forces is an independent branch, directly subordinated to the Chief of Defence since 1 February 2017. Before that, the brigade was within the force structure of the Land Forces. It is one of two Bulgarian military special operations units. The other is the much smaller Naval Special Reconnaissance Detachment (), which is a combat frogmen unit placed within the structure of the Bulgarian Navy.
The Ministry of Defense for Slovakia is hoping to receive government clearance for an armored infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV) procurement. The Defense Ministry intends to request cabinet approval for the purchase of Vydra ('Otter') 8x8 AIFVs. Ultimately, the Defense Ministry plans to procure 81 such vehicles at the cost of roughly 400 million ($460 million), though an initial batch procurement may be limited to 17 units.



The Slovakian government voted in favor of the Finnish 8x8 Patria Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) chassis as the basis for a prototype of the new wheeled IFV on November 15, 2017 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The 8x8 Vydra vehicles are part of a larger replacement plan for the Slovak Army's inventory of Soviet-legacy BMP-1 and BMP-2 models that average 50 years in service. The other element in the long-term replacement plan involves the procurement of 404 smaller 4x4 AIFV models. The aim is to procure both models by 2029.

Gaining clearance for the procurement should be relatively easy as the government previously voted in favor of the Finnish 8x8 Patria Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) chassis as the basis for a prototype of the new wheeled IFV on November 15, 2017. State-owned defense company Konstrukta Defence then unveiled its prototype Vydra 8x8 model on December 6, 2017, which featured an indigenously-designed EVPU Turra unmanned turret equipped with a Russian 2A42 30mm automatic cannon.

Altogether a contract for the Vydra would involve up to 16 Slovak firms and one Czech defense company through the series-production cycle, thus providing a boost to Slovakia's struggling local defense sector which has continued a long decline since the collapse of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact and the dissolution of the former Czechoslovakia under the "Velvet Divorce" of January 1, 1993, with the Czech Republic.

A full 81-unit order for the 8x8 Vydra will include the standard IFV variant, as well as armored command-and-control, communications, engineering, armored recovery and armored ambulance variants. The Slovak Defense Ministry hopes to secure delivery of the entire lot of these vehicles between 2019 and 2024.

After years and years of thorough neglect of its armed forces, Slovakia is on a slow, but sustained reversal of course. Decades of budgetary neglect left the Slovak Armed Forces little more than a constabulary force charged with some out-of-theater missions. Following Russia's takeover of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 the Slovak government sought to reverse the armed forces' slide into disrepair and wean it off dependence upon Russian-sourced equipment by taking a fresh effort at modernization. The AIFV procurement forms one part of this larger recapitalization effort.
The tide has turned on the tech revolution. Over the past year the breathless articles that used to accompany new tech innovations have dried up, replaced with dystopian concerns about the Dark Web, privacy, hacking, fake news, and the deadening and manipulative effects of social media addiction.

Tech was going to disrupt everything:

Even after the word lost its meaning from overuse, it still suffused our understanding of why the ground beneath our feet felt so shaky. They tried to freak us out and we believed them. Why wouldnt we? Their products were dazzling, sci-fi magic come to life. They transformed our days, our hours, our interior life. Fear of being stranded on the wrong side, in turn, primed us to look to these world-beating companies to understand what comes next. It is only now, a decade after the financial crisis, that the American public seems to appreciate that what we thought was disruption worked more like extractionof our data, our attention, our time, our creativity, our content, our DNA, our homes, our cities, our relationships. The tech visionaries predictions did not usher us into the future, but rather a future where they are kings.

You could see it coming. Lonely voices in the beginning  Evgeny Morozov, Jaron Lanier, then Nicholas Carr, Franklin Foer and others. Now its become an industry.

Teens are not getting on Facebook, for the first time social media use is flattening or declining, and 42 percent of Facebook users said they took a break from the platform at least for a while in the past year. Pew reports that a growing number of those surveyed say they wouldnt find it hard to give up social media.

We all got addicted to free services on the web, not realizing that there wasnt anything free about them, that our behavior, the data we generated while using the services, was actually the ultimate product. Its not actually as diabolical as it seems. Weve watched free TV and subsidized newspapers for years. But tech just found a more sophisticated way of being able to take advantage of it. DNA testing services and genealogy sites that are cheap to use arent actually making a living off your purchases of their services; theyre collecting your data and selling databases to their true clients.

Tech business models fooled us into thinking we were the client, when in fact we were the product.

So what to do about it? Look at the products you use and decide whether you care or not. Social media has changed how we think about privacy, and you might not care. On the other hand, if youve just had your credit cards exposed in a hack or youre the victim of identity theft or youre depressed because social media distraction has dulled your senses, you might.

And meanwhile, on a bigger scale, the everything-wants-to-be-free ethos has ruined a lot of business models that support culture. WIth a new skepticism about tech disruption, were starting to see some industries  like music and publishing and newspapers  start to figure out how to get past this. But its going to take a while.

Image: Pixabay
Do it yourself if you can We accept  in principle  that private equity can deliver (somewhat) excess returns over most other asset classes. But there are a lot of qualifications attached to that, and most of them are very relevant to whether and how pension funds should invest in private equity.
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University of Utah senior Lauren McCluskey had discovered the man she was dating was a registered sex offender.

She broke off their relationship on Oct. 9, her mother said, and when the man, Melvin S. Rowland, began harassing her days later, McCluskey told university police.

Monday night, Rowland went to campus and shot and killed McCluskey, a 21-year-old heptathlete on the U.'s track team. Rowland fled and fatally shot himself early Tuesday at a Salt Lake City church, police said.

The university's police chief said Tuesday that his officers couldn't find Rowland in the days before the shooting. But Rowland was on parole - and a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections said officials knew where he was living.

Parole officials also say that university police did not tell them that McCluskey alleged Rowland was harassing her. When parolees are accused of new crimes, they often can be arrested for violating parole and sent back to prison; Rowland had repeatedly been returned to prison for violations.

The university's police chief, Dale Brophy, said at a Tuesday news conference his officers couldn't locate Rowland because "we don't have a correct address for him." Brophy said Rowland had walked away from a halfway house.

But Kaitlin Felsted, a spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Corrections, said no one told its parole agents that there had been a complaint about Rowland, 37.

"We had no notification of any of that," Felsted said.

And Rowland was living, Felsted said, at the Salt Lake City address listed on the sex offender registry. An agent had done an inspection there in August and had been in contact with Rowland more recently than that, Felsted said.

As a felon, Rowland was prohibited from having a gun. Brophy did not comment on investigations into how Rowland obtained the weapon.

Asked at the news conference if his department had done enough to protect McCluskey, Brophy replied, "I want the answer to that question as well. And when we have it, I'll share it with you."

Felsted on Tuesday said Rowland was "not fully compliant" with his latest parole. He had technical violations but not the kind that would automatically return him to prison. Felsted didn't specify what those were.

"He was working with his agent to get through those" violations, Felsted said.

Through a campus spokesman, Brophy declined to answer follow-up questions later Tuesday. The spokesman, Chris Nelson, said the chief would hold another news conference in the next 48 to 72 hours.

'I heard her yell'

On Monday night, McCluskey had left a night class and was on her way home to her apartment on campus as she spoke to her mother, Jill, an economics professor at Washington State University.

Jill McCluskey said in a statement Tuesday, "Suddenly, I heard her yell, 'No, no, no!' I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her."

McCluskey's father, Matthew, a WSU physics professor, called 911, the statement said, as Jill McCluskey stayed on the line with McCluskey's phone.

"In a few minutes, a young woman picked up the phone and said all of Lauren's things were on the ground," the statement said.

University police responded to a report of a possible abduction about 820 p.m., and after reports of gunshots, they discovered McCluskey's body in a car parked outside the south tower of the Medical Plaza.

Rowland ran from the scene; Brophy said police believe he left campus "within a half hour of the initial call." A person who picked up Rowland and drove him away from campus was interviewed but was not taken into custody, Brophy said.

About 1150 p.m., police said Rowland had left the university and "is no longer a threat to campus."

Police later spotted Rowland and pursued him to Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church, at 239 E. 600 South. He broke down the back door of the church and shot himself in the pastor's study, according to the Rev. Nurjhan Govan, a retired pastor at the church.

Rowland's body was discovered around 130 a.m., police said. University officials issued an all clear at 1:47 a.m.

"To the best of our knowledge," Govan said, Rowland never attended Trinity AME Church. "He is a stranger to us. We don't know why he chose Trinity as a place of refuge."

Brophy said McCluskey did not have a protective order against Rowland. He repeatedly declined to discuss specifics of the reports McCluskey made to his department and its investigation.

According to McCluskey's parents, she had dated Rowland for about a month when a friend discovered his identity and his past. Their statement said he had lied about his name, his age and his criminal history.

In 2003, Rowland was charged in state court with offenses that records say happened within two days of each other.

According to an audio recording of Rowland's 2010 parole hearing, he was in an online chat room in September 2003 and agreed to meet for sex with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl. He was actually communicating with an investigator from the Utah attorney general's office.

During the investigation, detectives learned Rowland, then age 21, had two days earlier chatted with a 17-year-old girl and met her at her parent's house. According to what Rowland admitted to in the parole hearing, he and the girl engaged in some sexual contact, but she did not want to have sex and told him to leave. Rowland refused to leave and forced her to have intercourse, he acknowledged.

In that case, he was accused of a felony count of attempted forcible sexual abuse. In the second case, he was charged with a felony count of enticing a minor over the internet.

He pleaded guilty the following year in both cases. For the sexual abuse charge, he was sentenced to up to five years in prison, with a concurrent term of one to 15 years in the enticement case.

'Manipulative cycle'

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole provided audio recordings of Rowland's parole hearings Tuesday. According to discussions in those hearings, Rowland was born and largely raised in New York.

He was adopted by what one parole hearing officer described as an older couple who died when Rowland was still young. The state of New York placed Rowland in a group home. He later was sent to a school in Boulder, Colo., and earned a high school diploma or certificate.

Rowland spent time at a Buddhist institute in Berkeley, Calif., according to one parole hearing, and then enrolled in JobCorps in Clearfield, Utah. He later studied for a year at Salt Lake County Community College and for two semesters at the University of Utah.

Rowland spent his youth, he admitted in one parole hearing, as a "womanizer" who would lie to women to get them to have sex. During sex-offender treatment, he admitted to having an attraction to underage girls and vulnerable women and said he would seek them out.

"I'd say every woman I met or that I came across I used my manipulation tactics to get what I wanted," Rowland said in a 2012 hearing.

"How many people did you out and out rape like the one young lady?" the hearing officer asked.

"I'd say," Rowland replied, "similar to [the 17-year-old], I'd say two."

According to the hearings, when the prison sent him to the San Juan County jail for sex-offender treatment, he manipulated an employee there to gain internet access.

He was later discharged from treatment for lying to its staff and failing to be forthcoming about his crimes. His failure to finish the program was a factor in why he was not granted parole in 2010. He completed treatment in April 2012 and was paroled the following July.

He returned to prison that September. The recordings show Rowland initially wouldn't allow his parole agent to search his phone, and when the phone was searched, it showed he had started a Facebook account and viewed pornography. The parole board had said he couldn't engage in either activity.

The parole board released Rowland again in September 2013. He was returned to prison Feb. 17, 2016, after his agent discovered Rowland had been using social media to meet women for sex. When he returned to prison, according to an episode relayed during the hearing, Rowland said he didn't want to be paroled again.

A lawyer representing Rowland read a report during the hearing that said "if an agent were to come conduct a field visit, he might become violent."

The hearing officer, Pegeen Stewart, noted a pattern of Rowland lying and breaking rules for sex.

"I think you have, like, a manipulative cycle," Stewart said.

Rowland said he was done pursuing vulnerable women for sex. As for the threat of hurting a parole agent, he said he was frustrated and didn't mean it. Rowland was paroled again on April 17 of this year.

Rowland's sentence was set to expire in May 2019.

Peggy Fletcher Stack and Kurt Kragthorpe contributed to this report.

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The firm alleged that Australian Executor Trustees Ltd, the trustees of Provident, failed to ensure that the company would have enough property available to repay debenture holders. The suit alleged that if the trustees acted sooner, substantial losses could have been avoided for some investors and minimised for others.

This was a unique case and there has only ever been one other similar in terms of precedent. The length and complexity of this case was compounded by numerous cross claims and third-party claims, as well as a complex opt-out process ordered by the court halfway through, said Ben Hardwick, Slater and Gordon head of class actions.

Compensation from this settlement is in addition to that already provided by receivers.

We will now ensure that this compensation gets into the hands of investors as soon as possible, Hardwick said. We have a strong record of getting compensation into the hands of claimants swiftly. Indeed, the recent Manus Island distribution was one of the fastest and most efficient settlement distribution processes ever.

Last year, the firm won $70m in a conditional settlement for Manus Island detainees.
In fact, the soundtrack of the 992 GT3 prototype we have here is the most revealing. To be more precise, the test car comes to confirm our expectations, namely that the naturally aspirated engine will soldier on.The German carmaker introduced a new 4.0-liter flat-six for the 991.2, with this delivering 500 horsepower in GT3 trim and 520 ponies on the GT3 RS incarnation of the rear-engined animal.It also seems that we can hear manual gearshifts and it seems that the stick shift, which returned for the 991.2 model, is here to stay.This test car also allows us to notice the aero changes, with the newcomer set to pack a more aggressive setup. And despite the prototype still being covered with bits that come in the same color as the body, we can notice the massive rear wing.The aero element adorning the tail of the future GT3 will either be manually adjustable, a treat that used to be reserved for RS models, or come with active aerodynamics.We're extremely curious about the cabin changes of the new 911 GT3. For instance, the 992 Carrera will maintain the analog center tacho, but this will be flanked by a pair of screens and it remains to be seen how the setup is adapted for the GT Division animal.The 992-gen Porsche 911 GT3 is expected to land in the second half of next year, coming to the US market as a 2020 model.
Spearheading it is, of course, a watch designed specifically for the carmaker, and at the same one the most expensive timepiece in the series, coming in at a whopping $8,500.Officially and intricately called Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Racing Green, the watch uses the Caliber 01 in-house mechanical movement, visible through the transparent caseback with a metalized Bentley logo.With a power reserve of 70 hours, the B01 features an engraved plate with a Bentley inscription, inspired by the dashboard of the 1929 Blower Bentley.The British Racing Green color is visible on the dial or the leather strap, but an optional stainless steel bracelet is also on offer. Contrasting subdials are positioned at 3 and 9 oclock, and a date window is located at 6 oclock.At the same time Breitling was unveiling the watch, Bentley announced the renewal of the partnership with the watchmaker, a collaboration that started back in 2003, with the launch of the onboard clock for the Continental GT As part of this renewed partnership, Breitling said that next year, when the carmaker will be celebrating its 100th anniversary, a limited edition timepiece will be unveiled to the world.As we approach our centenary year, we will, of course, be celebrating our past, but, more importantly, we will be looking toward the future with a passion for innovation, said in a statement Adrian Hallmark, Bentley Motors CEO.It gives me great confidence to move forward with partners like Breitling who share our commitment to technological excellence, expert craftsmanship, and a pioneering spirit.You can have a look at the entire Breitling Premier series at the following link . More details about the watch can be found in the document attached below.
The rapper, a former professional skier who had retired because of a broken back injury, had been rehearsing for the stunt for months. It involved him walking on the wing of a small Cessna plane while rapping, before jumping off.He had been documenting rehearsals for the stunt on his social media , and he was clearly enthusiastic about it. McMurray was an adrenaline junkie, but he was very careful in all stages of planning and didnt cut corners when it came to his and his crews safety.As his team says in a statement to CNN , it wasnt that which killed him, but an inevitable accident. During the stunt, he may have walked too far off on the wing plane, which made the aircraft spin out of control. Or the pilot lost control of it for some other reason. The bottom line is that it went spiraling downwards and McMurray held onto the wing for too long, which means that, when he did let go, he didnt have enough time to deploy his parachute.He impacted and died instantly, his team says in the statement. The pilot eventually managed to get the plane flying straight again and no one else was injured.The rappers body was recovered from a field nearby, with the farmer telling the media she had heard the plane flying low over houses some moments before.McMurray was only 34 years old and he was married. His team tells the media that he knew the risks when he agreed to include this stunt in his next video, and that he shone bright during his short time with us.
According to an affidavit by the FBI agent investigating the case, this happened on board a Southwest Airlines plane on October 21. Flight attendants on duty told the investigators they didnt notice any inappropriate touching, but they did respond to a womans request to be reseated after what seemed like an altercation with the man in the row behind her.The man, identified as Bruce Michael Alexander, was arrested upon arrival in New Mexico. He asked the cops to tell him what the punishment was for what hed done (though he denied he had groped the woman in front of him), and told them that the president of the United States says its OK to grab women by their private parts.Thats a reference to a controversial comment made by Donald Trump in 2005, when he bragged to Access Hollywoods Billy Bush about being able to grab women by the p***y and not getting into trouble for it.According to the womans statement to the FBI, Alexander started groping her when she fell asleep. She felt his hand ride up on her side, towards her breast, and linger there long enough for her to wake up and notice that it had thick fingers, were hairy and dirty fingernails. He did it again 2 more times before she eventually got up and confronted him, asking him why he thought it was ok for him to touch her without her consent.She then got up and asked a flight attendant that she be reseated. Her request was granted immediately, but she also filed a complaint against Alexander, who was arrested when the plane landed.The Huffington Post notes that he faces up to 2 years in jail and a $250,000 fine if hes found guilty of abusive sexual contact. At the same time, the flight operator says that, in light of what happened, theyre continuously reviewing and updating the training of staff as necessary.
Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) say November 16 is the date when the module will be shown on American soil, as media has been invited on that date to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to mark the arrival of the component.The European Service Module is the assembly that contains, among other crucial components, the engines that will be powering the Orion.Measuring four meters long, it includes the main engine of the ship, a repurposed shuttle powerhouse named Orbital Maneuvering System, as well as tanks for gas and propellant. The tanks of the module are there to house oxygen, nitrogen, and water, as well as fuel.ESA says that after its integration into the Service Module, the engine will be capable of generating 25.7 kN of force and is backed by eight thrusters developing 490 N each. These are used for orbit corrections and as a backup.An additional 24 smaller engines grouped into six pods that can be fired individually to provide attitude control.The joint project between NASA and ESA will see the American agency use a European-built system as a critical element in one of their spacecraft for the first time in history.The European Service module is the result of a collaboration between several large companies from ten European states, including ESAs longtime partner and contractor Airbus.The actual integration with the Orion spacecraft will be in the hands of Lockheed Martin. The first test of the capsule and the Space Launch System rocket (SLS will be conducted when the Exploration Mission-1 takes off sometime in 2020 for an unmanned trip around the Moon.
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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.

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For quite a while now, Honda has built the City in Santa Rosa, Laguna but by next month, another model will be assembled here as well. Come November, the Honda BR-V will now be built in the Philippines, expanding the locally-made car range to two.

About a year ago, we reported that HCPI was indeed considering making the BR-V in the Philippines. Today's announcement has confirmed the local production of HCPI's second best-selling model. Given that the BR-V is now Honda's second best-selling model after the City, it seems it only makes sense to build the popular seven seat crossover locally.
Isuzu Philippines, after recently discontinuing the long-running Crosswind, is looking into the possibility of bringing in another vehicle to fill in the gap left by the ubiquitous L300 from Mitsubishi, and possibly even compete against the Canter.

The recent implementation of the Euro-4 emissions requirement for all new vehicles has forced some of the most popular choices for families and businesses (Isuzu Crosswind, Mitsubishi Adventure, Mitsubishi L300) into retirement.

While still technically a concept vehicle and not a production model, the VT02 is based on the Isuzu Traga from Indonesia. Isuzu envisions the VT02 as the future of business mobility as a lightweight truck concept.

The Traga is one of Isuzu Indonesia's smallest truck cab and chassis platforms. It's much smaller than the QKR platform. In fact, dimensions and specifications-wise, it's very close to the Mitsubishi L300. The VT02 shown by Isuzu Philippines is manufactured in Indonesia, as evidenced by the right-hand drive configuration of the model at PIMS.

Isuzu Philippines is very interested in the model and sees a wide range of applications for it in our market. First of all, it will slot right below the QKR and serve as an ideal business vehicle for small and medium enterprises. It can also serve as a viable platform for a Class 1 modern PUV. No official standards have been released for PUVMP Class 1 yet, however, judging by the consensus that it must be able to carry 12-13 passengers, the Traga with a passenger cabin could fit the bill.

There are a few obstacles, however, that must be overcome. First of all, the Traga is only manufactured in Indonesia in a right hand drive configuration. How it can be converted into a left-hand drive, and the accompanying factory retooling and training have yet to be determined. Second, its current engine, currently only Euro-2 compliant, must be modified to comply with Euro-4 emissions standards, or an alternative compliant engine must be found.

If these issues are solved, the Traga could potentially be a very popular choice in the country, further widening Isuzu's lead in the commercial segment over its competitors.
A host of challenges lie ahead for the Washington D.C. area as an Amazon HQ2 finalist, as housing production has fallen behind and home prices and rents have been climbing in surrounding areas, per an analysis from the nonprofit Urban Institute.

Why it matters: Amazon CEO and owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, has clear ties to D.C. as the e-commerce giant continues to expand into new and highly regulated business areas. But if D.C. is chosen, Amazon's arrival with tens of thousands of new jobs could further clam up a slow housing trajectory.

The big picture

Washington D.C. is offering four areas to Amazon: Anacostia Riverfront, NOMA- Union Station, Capitol Hill East and Shaw-Howard University.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimates there needs to be 235,000 more housing units by 2025 to keep pace with expected job growth, but is expecting about 170,000 new units by 2025.

Amazon is promising an additional 50,000 new jobs that could push a production target above 267,000, requiring a substantially higher pace of housing production above current levels, the Urban Institute said.

Housing prices have been climbing steadily since 2010, especially in Arlington County and the District of Columbia, where median sales prices now surpass $500,000, per CoreLogic Market Trends.

High-income renter households have sky-rocketed in Loudoun County and D.C. Between 2011 and 2017, rent prices in Loudoun shot up 11% and climbed 8% in D.C., according to Zillow Rent Index.

The bottom line: Similar to D.C., the housing crunch is likely to happen in many other finalist cities. Without more housing production with wider price points, "rising affordability pressures and lengthening commutes will intensify, and more households will experience hardship," the report said.

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This story has been updated to reflect corrected housing data provided by the Urban Institute.
Academic thieves using phishing websites eye American universities the most with the University of Washington as their most frequent target, according to Kaspersky Lab.

The big picture: Stealing academic research and intellectual property via hacking is a very real problem as nine Iranians were indicted for such a scheme in March. Kaspersky tracked attacks using lookalike webmail portals to steal email credentials for 131 universities in 18 countries. 11.6% of the attacks were targeted at UW  almost as much as the next two universities, Cornell (6.8%) and the University of Iowa (5.1%), combined.
More than 60 million Americans continue to exist on the fringes of the financial system, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced this week. They either have no bank account or are underbanked, meaning they do have an account, but also have used payday loans, pawn shop loans or money orders in the past year.

Why it matters: Because insurance, savings and other protections often require ownership of a bank account, those who are excluded from the system are highly vulnerable to unexpected financial hardship. Not having a bank account also means being almost completely locked out of the benefits of a growing stock market.

By the numbers: Even as more than two-thirds of Americans are now fully banked, 63 million adults and 21.8 million children remain excluded from the financial system, or are only partially included. Underbanked households skew younger, and disproportionally comprise people of color.

At 17% and 14%, black and Hispanic families are about five times more likely to be unbanked than Asian or white households.

Most (67%) of those that are unbanked save their money at home, or keep it with family and friends.

of those that are unbanked save their money at home, or keep it with family and friends. The most-cited reason for being unbanked (53% of respondents) is not having enough money to keep an account. Lack of trust (30%) also scores high.

Yes, but: The good news is that the percentage of Americans who are financially excluded has been marginally declining over the past decade. From 2009, the first year surveyed, the percentage of Americans without a bank account declined from 7.6% to 6.5% in 2017. Among those considered underbanked, the percentage fell from 20% in 2013 to 18.7% in 2017.

In some developing countries, such as Kenya, mobile-money technology is integrating millions of previously unbanked people into the financial system. 82% of Kenyans now have a financial account of some sort, up from 40% just a few years ago, and a full quarter of Kenyans have only a mobile account.

What to watch: As the percentage of unbanked and underbanked households in the U.S. remains stubbornly high, it's possible that policymakers and do-good fintech providers might try to increase financial access with mobile-only technology like that used in Kenya. Alternatively, the Postal Service could provide a public-sector solution by offering low-fee bank accounts, as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand proposed earlier this year.

Peter Vanham is a lead writer at the World Economic Forum.
The conservative Austrian leader warned that if Italy's budget goes through, then other countries could follow the Italian lead and cause further market instability, Il Giornale reports. The tangle contributed to a selloff in global equities.

The Italian government has repeatedly stated this month that it won't be changing the controversial 'people's budget'.

"The Italian Government is openly and consciously going against the commitments it made".

"We won't subtract one single euro form the budget", Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters while in Bucharest.

"Today for the first time the Commission is obliged to request a euro area country to revise its draft budgetary plan", said EU Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, adding that the bloc's executive arm saw "no alternative" to the rebuke. Italy's government has said it will increase public spending despite having the second-highest national debt in the eurozone.

The populist Italian government will have three weeks to respond with revisions of their proposal.

If Italy fails to comply, the European Union could impose fines of up to 0.2 percent of GDP, or 3.4 bn euros ($3.9bn), based on 2017 figures.

The unprecedented decision to ask for a rewrite was taken by the 28 commissioners during a meeting in Strasbourg, France, AFP's source said. "Under the Stability and Growth Pact, addressing excessive debt requires a 1/20th per annum reduction in the difference between the debt-to-GDP ratio (132% of GDP) and the 60% Maastricht ceiling".

Italian yields surge on the European Commission's rejection of Rome's budget plan, as Italy faces disciplinary action if it does not comply.

"Experience has shown time and again that higher fiscal deficits and debt do not bring lasting growth. And excessive debt makes your economy more vulnerable to future crisis", said Dombrovskis.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani weighed in Wednesday on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, saying he doesn't "think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America," reports Reuters, citing Iranian state media.

The big picture: Saudi Arabia is key to the U.S. pressure campaign against Iran, a regional enemy of the Saudis and a target of some of the Trump administration's most hawkish rhetoric. As one well-wired Republican told Axios' Mike Allen, "Constraining Iran is the priority and Saudi is a critical ally in that effort. That 'trumps' the horrible human rights violation."
New Yorks attorney general filed a lawsuit Wednesday against ExxonMobil, claiming the company defrauded shareholders by downplaying the expected risk of climate change to its business.

Why it matters: This lawsuit amps up the pressure significantly on Exxon as part of a broader fight over the degree to which oil companies should be held responsible in the climate change debate. Even the mere existence of a lawsuit is bad news for Exxon and the rest of the industry, and a successful lawsuit would be game-changing.

The details: The filing claims that Exxon used two sets of proxy costs  formulas that serve as a stand-in for expected future events  of carbon to simulate the impact of future climate change regulations.

One of the proxy costs , which was used "in its investment decisions, corporate planning, estimations of company oil and gas reserves, evaluations of whether its long-term assets remain viable, and estimations of future demand for oil and gas," was higher than the one they used internally, according to a press release from the New York AG's office.

, which was used "in its investment decisions, corporate planning, estimations of company oil and gas reserves, evaluations of whether its long-term assets remain viable, and estimations of future demand for oil and gas," was higher than the one they used internally, according to a press release from the New York AG's office. Rex Tillerson, who was the chairman and CEO of Exxon before becoming President Trump's Secretary of State, allegedly "knew the company was using lower, undisclosed proxy cost figures in its internal guidance, rather than the higher, publicly disclosed proxy cost figures in its public representations.

who was the chairman and CEO of Exxon before becoming President Trump's Secretary of State, allegedly "knew the company was using lower, undisclosed proxy cost figures in its internal guidance, rather than the higher, publicly disclosed proxy cost figures in its public representations. The investigation began in November 2015

The other side: "These baseless allegations are a product of closed-door lobbying by special interests, political opportunism and the attorney generals inability to admit that a three-year investigation has uncovered no wrongdoing," Exxon said in a statement.

One level deeper: A federal carbon tax plan, which Exxon recently funded, would give immunity to oil companies from certain types of lawsuits. However, lawsuits like this one dealing with fraud are not included, according to Ted Halstead, a top official involved in the effort told Axios before the lawsuit was filed.

As the plan stands now, companies would get immunity only from lawsuits dealing with past responsibility and actions related to climate change, which is a subtle but significant distinction.

Go deeper:
Nikol Pashinians efforts to force fresh general elections in December cleared another legal hurdle on Wednesday when Armenias parliament agreed not to reappoint him as prime minister one week after his tactical resignation.

Pashinian stepped down on October 16 to pave the way for the dissolution of the current National Assembly in which he controls only a handful of seats. Under the Armenian constitution, snap elections can be called only if the assembly fails to elect a prime minister within the next two weeks.

Some legal experts believe that the constitution also requires lawmakers to vote on at least one candidate for prime minister during the two-week period. In what was a mere formality designed to prevent any questioning of the legality of the parliaments dissolution, Pashinians Yelk alliance on Tuesday nominated him for the post of prime minister on the assumption that the parliament will reject his candidacy.

This is done so that we fully adhere to procedures set by Armenias constitution in order to avoid differing interpretations of legal definitions and meaningless legal debates, Yelks Lena Nazarian told the parliament.

I was nominated not for getting elected prime minister but for not getting elected prime minister, Pashinian said, for his part. Therefore, the National Assembly must not vote for me.

Pashinian, who is continuing to perform his prime-ministerial duties in the interim, made the same appeal just before the parliament vote. I want to thank those who will not for me or will not vote at all, he said after answering questions from several deputies.

Only 12 deputies took part in the vote and none of them backed Pashinian against his wishes. Eleven of them abstained.

The 105-member parliaments largest factions representing the former ruling Republican Party (BHK) and Gagik Tsarukians Prosperous Armenia (BHK) announced beforehand that they will boycott the vote. The seven deputies representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) also did not vote.

The parliament will again vote on the prime minister next week. Another failure to elect a premier would mean its automatic dissolution.

The HHK as well as the BHK and Dashnaktsutyun have only reluctantly agreed to the holding of the elections in December. Early this month they tried unsuccessfully to delay the vote until next May or June.

Pashinian and his allies are tipped to win the upcoming polls by a landslide. The popular premier said on Wednesday that they will complete the victory of last springs velvet revolution that brought him to power.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian claimed on Wednesday that criminal local elites were responsible for his Civil Contract partys defeat in a weekend mayoral election in Kapan, the capital of Armenias southeastern Syunik province.

According to the official results, a 33-year-old local businessman, Gevorg Parsian, won the election with 54 percent of the vote. His main rival, Civil Contracts Narek Babayan, got 44 percent.

The election outcome came as a surprise given Pashinians popularity in the country. The premier personally campaigned for his partys mayoral candidate when he travelled to Kapan two days before the ballot.

Pashinian put a brave face on the defeat when he first publicly reacted to it on Monday. He portrayed it as a triumph of democracy, arguing that the local election was not marred by reports of serious fraud or abuse of government levers.

Pashinian struck a different note when he spoke about the mayoral race at length in the Armenian parliament two days later.

The vote in Kapan and its results are legal, he said in a speech. The official vote results reflect the choice of people.

But my political position is that the criminal and economic elite had an unhealthy influence on the election results only because [last springs] revolution has not yet reached everyone and because not everyone feels and appreciates their freedom, he added.

A revolution will not occur in Syunik as long as there are economic and criminal forces in the region who think that they are more powerful and potent than the peoples state authority, Pashinian declared.

The premier did not name any names. But he did say that former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) hopes to use the Kapan model in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Pashinian also dismissed suggestions that his controversial decision to appoint a retired police general as Syunik governor on the eve of the Kapan election contributed to the setback. He insisted that Hunan Poghosian, who was the first deputy chief of the Armenian police under Sarkisian, is the kind of individual who can ensure the rule of law in the remote region.

Syuniks provincial administration as well as the HHKs regional branch were headed until this summer by Vahe Hakobian. The latter is reportedly linked to the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) located in Kajaran, a smaller town about 10 kilometers west of Kapan.

ZCMC employs 3,600 people, making it one of the countrys leading corporate taxpayers and employers. A German metals group, Cronimet, gained a 75 percent stake in the mining giant in 2004.

The rest of ZCMC is controlled by two obscure Armenian firms. Ownership of those firms has long been a subject of speculation in Armenia, with some local commentators linking them to former President Sarkisian or his predecessor Robert Kocharian.

Parsian, the newly elected Kapan mayor, is a lawyer by education who has managed a local construction firm until now. He is not affiliated with any party.

In an October 10 interview with a provincial newspaper, Syuniats Yerkir, Parsian admitted having many friends in ZCMC. But he insisted that he did not represent the Kajaran elite in the mayoral race.

Parsian hailed the Pashinian-led velvet revolution that toppled the Sarkisian administration in June. He said that dramatic regime change inspired him to run for mayor of his hometown.

Parsian further confirmed media reports that in the early 2000s he was sentenced to one year in prison for stabbing and seriously wounding another man. He was unrepentant about that incident, saying that he defended my and my girlfriends honor and dignity.

I am not sorry for what happened, he added.
Armenian law-enforcement authorities are poised to arrest and prosecute a parliament deputy on corruption charges, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Wednesday.

Pashinian refused to name that deputy, saying only that the criminal case relates to the largest ever bribe paid in Armenia.

There is a case pending against a member of the National Assembly, which is a 100 percent proven case, he said on the parliament floor. We have been waiting for two months for an official response [from abroad] to a document which is at our disposal. As soon as it arrives there will be a motion to arrest that deputy.

Our embassy has not quite done a good job and maybe there are certain connections with that country  and they are dragging out things, he said. Well, we can wait for another month. But there is no other option, the deputy will be arrested.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Pashinian clarified that investigators possess a copy of an international cash transfer and are now trying to get hold of its original. He again refused to identify the suspect.

The investigation is most probably conducted by Armenias Special Investigative Service. The law-enforcement agency declined to comment on Pashinians statements.

Another source told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that the suspect is a member of the parliamentary faction of the former ruling Republican Party (HHK).

Representatives of two other parliamentary forces, Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun, ruled out the possibility of corruption charges against any of their lawmakers.

We would never tolerate anyone like that, said Dashnaktsutyuns Armen Rustamian.

Rustamian at the same time questioned Pashinians statements, saying that the prime minister left the impression that he is meddling in a criminal investigation.

One HHK deputy, retired General Manvel Grigorian, was already arrested in June immediately after security forces raided his properties in and around the town of Echmiadzin. They found many weapons, ammunition, medication and field rations for soldiers provided by the Armenian Defense Ministry. They also discovered canned food and several vehicles donated by Armenians at one of Grigorians mansions.

The parliament was quick to allow investigators to prosecute and keep him in pre-trial detention on charges of illegal arms possession and embezzlement. The once powerful general denies the accusations.
By Trend

Azerbaijans state budget expenditure is projected at 840.8 million manats for 2019, which is 116.9 million manats, or 16.1 percent more compared to 2018, reads the draft state budget for 2019.

The main reason for the increase in expenditures for 2019 is this years increase in salaries of employees of companies and organizations financed by the state budget, and the increase in the amount of certain social benefits and pensions, the increase in expenses for the purchase of food in preschool institutions, and the increase in expenses in travel, defense expenditures, payment to translators, specialists and experts.

Thus, 238.4 million manats of local expenditures or 28.4 percent will be directed to expenditures in education (expenditures for financing preschool institutions), 231.5 million manats or 27.5 percent will be directed to expenditures in healthcare, 230.9 million manats or 27.5 percent will be directed for housing and utility expenses.

This is while 110 million manats or 13.1 percent will be allocated for the maintenance of executive bodies, 8.6 million manats or one percent will be allocated for expenses in the fields of culture, art, information, physical culture and for expenses not related to other categories, while 21.4 million manats or 2.5 percent will be directed to other expenses.

The upper limit of the state budget deficit in 2019 is provided in the amount of 1,862.6 million manats. Its financing will be carried out at the expense of the balance on the single treasury account, foreign loans and privatization receipts.

(1.7 manats = 1 USD on Oct. 23)

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By Narmina Mammadova

There is a great potential for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Estonia, Vice-President of the Estonian Parliament Kalle Laanet said during a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on October 23.

Mammadyarov welcomed the Vice-Speaker and said that relations between Azerbaijan and Estonia were successfully developing.

The minister noted that there was successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and Estonia in the areas of information and communication technologies and e-government.

Mammadyarov also spoke about the participation of Azerbaijan in the Eastern Partnership.

Negotiations on a new strategic agreement that would form the legal basis for relations between Azerbaijan and the EU were discussed as well.

Laanet, in turn, noted that Estonia has always shown interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan, and there was also a wide potential for cooperation between the two countries in the field of ICT, as well as the transport sector.

Satisfaction with the current level of relations between the two countries was expressed during the meeting. It was also emphasized that constant political dialogue between the parties and the implementation of mutual visits and high-level meetings were important for both countries.

Both countries have always been interested in expanding cooperation. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Tallinn, and Estonia is represented in Azerbaijan through its embassy in Ankara (Turkey). Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and the OSCE. Azerbaijan is an ally of Estonia in the South Caucasus. Approximately 2,500 Azerbaijanis live in Estonia.

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By Sara Israfilbayova

Russian sugar producers are interested in increasing the supply of their products to Azerbaijan.

Board Chairman of the Union of Sugar Producers of Russia (Soyuzrossakhar) Andrey Bodin told Trend that to date, friendly contacts between Russian and Azerbaijani manufacturers have been established at a high level.

Russia and Azerbaijan have established professional business ties, including friendly relations between sugar producers in Russia and Azerbaijan. We are actively cooperating with Azerbaijans largest sugar producer Azersun, said Bodin.

Further, he noted that the common goal of Azerbaijani and Russian producers is to meet the needs of the domestic market, as well as expand exports to foreign markets.

The Board Chairman went on to say that the export potential of Russian sugar in the coming years is estimated at 900,000 tons.

Bodin emphasized that he considers it expedient to create joint ventures in the field of agro-industrial complex between the two countries, and that the exchange of experience in the field of sugar production can also have a positive effect on cooperation between the two countries in the agrarian sphere.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations.

At present, enterprises of more than 70 regions of Russia cooperate directly with Azerbaijan. Fifteen regions of Russia have relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.

Russia has been included in the list of Azerbaijans five largest trade partners in January-June 2018 with the volume of trade turnover of $ 1.14 billion (8.54 percent of the total volume of trade turnover).

Azerbaijan invested more than $1 billion in the Russian economy, and Russia invested about $4 billion in the economy of Azerbaijan.

The trade turnover between the states amounted to $1.3 billion in January-July 2018, according to State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. Russia accounts for 7.89 percent of the total foreign trade turnover of Azerbaijan.
By Trend

Chairman of Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, Lieutenant-General of the Customs Service Safar Mehdiyev met with Ambassador of Mexico to Azerbaijan Juan Rodrigo Labardini Flores, Azerbaijans State Customs Committee said in a message.

During the meeting, it was noted that Baku will host a conference and exhibition of the World Customs Organization.

Mehdiyev spoke about the relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico in both political and economic spheres. He noted that the wide economic potential of both countries makes it possible to further develop relations in this direction, and expressed hope for more successful results.

It was also emphasized that as part of various international events, conferences and seminars, meetings of the heads and employees of the customs authorities of both countries are held periodically, and after an agreement is signed between the governments of Azerbaijan and Mexico on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters and information exchange, these ties will develop more effectively.

Mehdiyev also touched upon effective working relations with international organizations and customs structures and regarded holding of the conference on information technologies and the exhibition of the World Customs Organization in Azerbaijan in June 2019 as contribution of the Azerbaijani customs service to global customs services.

The Mexican ambassador spoke about the relations between the two countries and noted that they are rapidly developing.

It was noted that the signing in the near future of an agreement between the government of Azerbaijan and the government of Mexico on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters and information exchange will create conditions for the further strengthening of ties between the two countries and the growth of trade turnover.

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By Trend

In the framework of GUAM, discussions are underway on the joint introduction of the process of electronic tax declaration, Elmir Velizade, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, said Oct. 24 at the international conference dedicated to the presentation of the mobile residence program.

Velizade noted that these discussions will continue in Baku in the near future.

"We believe that the successful experience of Azerbaijan can be applied and developed not only at the level of the GUAM secretariat, ISESCO, but also in other international organizations. The only thing that matters is that this work would be carried out in accordance with our legislation, since it is based on European directives, that, in turn, simplifies our work in terms of mutual recognition of e-signatures," Velizade said.

The deputy minister noted that the new eIDAS (electronic identification and trust services) legislation (2014/910 / EU) has been applied in the EU since 2016, replacing the EU Directive on electronic signature dated December 13, 1999.

"Currently, we have developed a new bill together with the European Union. The work is at the final stage of completion and, after the work in this direction is completed, the document will be submitted to state authorities for approval according to the internal procedures of the country. I note that the countrys activities in this direction fully meet the growing needs and trends of global development," Velizade said.

The project of mutual recognition of e-signatures between countries is of interest in the countries of the region, Velizade said.

"The creation of such an opportunity not only allows for expanding the list of e-services in the country, but also makes them accessible to foreign citizens," Velizade said.

The introduction in the country of new generation of identity cards, which also integrate e-signature certificates, will play a special role in expanding the use of e-signatures in Azerbaijan, Velizade said.

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Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Khalid bin Salman, a brother of the crown prince, wrote october 8 that Khashoggi had left, and that claims the kingdom "have detained him or killed him are absolutely false, and baseless". Shortly after Khashoggi entered the building, al-Madani exited through the rear of the consulate wearing Khashoggi's clothes and a fake beard. But some of his comments appeared to contradict previous statements from Riyadh, marking yet another shift in the official story.

"We are determined to find out all the facts and we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder", he said.

Some Turkish employees reportedly said they were instructed not to go to work around the time Khashoggi disappeared.

Speaking to USA broadcaster Fox, Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, extended condolences to Khashoggi's family.

One of Erdogan s advisors, Yasin Aktay, wrote in the Yeni Safak daily that the Saudi version given so far "feels like our intelligence is being mocked".

Erdogan has remained largely silent on the case, although Turkey's pro-government newspapers have released information about events at the consulate.

But after a Turkish media report claiming Khashoggi's Apple Watch may have captured gruesome audio of him being tortured, drugged, killed and later dismembered, the Saudi government finally admitted the journalist was dead. Foreigners are still net buyers for the year after they accelerated purchases in the first half, when FTSE Russell and MSCI Inc. announced they will upgrade Saudi Arabia to an emerging market starting in 2019.

"This was an operation that was a rogue operation".

While talking to Fox News about the incident, al-Jubeir said, "The individuals who did this, did this outside the scope of their authority".

Jubeir extended condolences to Khashoggi's family. Mr Erdogan said he would discuss an ongoing investigation into the killing with members of the cabinet at a meeting on Monday.

Turkish state media have reported that another suspect, Meshal Saad M. Albostani, a lieutenant and a member of the Saudi royal guard, died in a "suspicious" auto accident. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold. Khashoggi, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for the past year, vanished last week while on a visit to the consulate. CNN described the images as law enforcement surveillance footage.

Kushner told a CNN-sponsored forum that he advised the crown prince, popularly known by his initials MBS, to take the allegations and Khashoggi's disappearance and death "very seriously". "Do I think he did it?"

"Obviously, if [the crown prince] has gone forth and murdered this journalist, he's now crossed the line, and there has to be a punishment and a price paid for that", said Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Kushner said it was too early to say whether Prince Mohammed, with whom he's cultivated a close relationship, had taken his advice to remain transparent in the investigation into Khashoggi's death.

The controversy has put the kingdom - for decades a key ally in Western efforts to contain Iran - under unprecedented pressure.

President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in Washington.

But Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said on Monday "there is no intention" to impose an oil embargo.
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

An international symposium on "New horizons in economic cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan" was held in Baku on October 24.

The symposium was organized by the Turkish Economic Research Foundation and the Azerbaijan Confederation of Entrepreneurs.

The symposium also featured B2B meetings with the participation of Turkish companies.

Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozaral, as well as MPs and businessmen from both countries attended the symposium.

Addressing the event, Azerbiajani Deputy Minister of Economy Niyazi Safarov informed that Azerbaijans total investment in the Turkish economy is estimated at $ 14.5 billion.

He noted that most of the investment went to the oil and gas and refining sector.

"Every year, trade and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey diversifies and covers new areas. Bilateral investments in this regard are an important indicator. Azerbaijani investments in Turkey are estimated at $14.5 billion, about $13 billion of which falls on the oil and gas sector, which includes projects such as TANAP and Petkim. In turn, Turkey has invested $11.8 billion in Azerbaijan, of which $9.1 billion account for the oil sector. Turkey has invested $2.7 billion in the non-oil sector of the Azerbaijani economy, being the leading investor in this sector," Safarov said.

The deputy minister went on to say that these indicators are the result of vigorous activity and serious work, adding that there is great potential in this regard.

"Turkey is a partner in all strategic projects of Azerbaijan and this is a very important fact. We are interested in the maximum expansion of relations with Turkey. There is great potential in various areas, in particular, in industry. There are 3,400 companies with Turkish capital in Azerbaijan, and 2,400 Azerbaijani companies in Turkey," he concluded.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are active participants in the process of regional cooperation. Both countries effectively use their economic and energy capabilities, as well as the geopolitical position to expand bilateral and regional cooperation.

Also, two countries have gained good experience in the implementation of large-scale projects of international importance, which are well known in the region and the world. These are Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, TANAP, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

All projects initiated by Azerbaijan and Turkey are implemented successfully and serve further development and well-being of two nations.

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By Laman Ismayilova

YARAT Contemporary Art Space invites you to take part in discussion with the Russian art critic, specialist in contemporary art of the second half of the 20th  early 21st century, Leonid Bazhanov.

The meeting with the Russian expert will be held at the 20th-21st Century Azerbaijani Painting Museum on November 1.

The Russian expert will talk about the formation of the Russian underground culture of the 60s-80s, new influences and moving away from social realism. Another feature that distinguishes Soviet art of the 60s and 80s is the flourishing of national painting schools, each of which has its own distinctive foundation.

The event will be held as part of the "Art Chronic  a series of meetings with leading international art critics, timed to the exhibition "Labour, Leisure and Dreams: 1960-1980s through the eyes of Azerbaijani masters'".

Leonid Bazhanov studied painting in the studio of Boris Birger. He graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1973, with a degree in history of art. Bazhanov is the author of numerous articles, curator of many art exhibitions in Russia and abroad. He also curated Russian national projects at international biennials and triennials in Venice, Sao Paulo, Istanbul, Cairo and New Delhi.

Bazhanov is an author and director of short films. Founder and creative director of creative association "The Hermitage" (Moscow, 1986), Centre of contemporary art (Moscow, 1990), National centre for contemporary art (Russia, 1992), New art charity foundation (Moscow, 2002).

Since 2017, Leonid Bazhanov is the academic director of "Contemporary Art" program and professor of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

The event will be held in Russian. Admission is free

The meeting starts at 19:00.

The Museum of 20th-21st Century Azerbaijani Painting was founded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

It presents works by both prominent and lesser-known Azerbaijani painters from State Collections, such as the National Picture Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art. From 2018 onwards YARAT was commissioned to present a series of exhibitions with the works from the collection and to organize a public programme of events running throughout the year.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Laman Ismayilova

Baku International Jazz Festival continues to attract music fans drawn to excellent lineup.

Every day Rotunda Jazz Club delights the audience with spectacular concerts with participation of jazz musicians from around the world.

Famous Turkish jazzmen Can Canakkaya and Kagan Yildiz,as well as Hungarian "Kodaly Spicy Jazz" band performed on the club's stage on October 23.

During the concert, the spectators enjoyed fascinating sounds of Turkish and Hungarian music. The performances of the musicians were met with great interest.

The Baku Jazz Festival is a forum and musical festival including education (seminars, master classes), competition ("Best Jazz Performer"), a "Kids jazz day", art and photo exhibitions, jam sessions and jazz concerts with the participation of best performers of the world of jazz. It has become a member of the Europe Jazz Network, which brings together 115 members from 34 countries.

Each year the festival prepares programs of great interest and diversity. The festival features extensive and diverse program.

Martin Salemi Trio (Belgium) will perform at the Rotunda Jazz Club on October 24.

Helge Lien Trio (Norway) will delight you with their fascinating music at the Rotunda Jazz Club on October 25.

A concert of Michael Pipoquinha (Brazil) await jazz lovers at the Rotunda Jazz Club on October 26.

Belgian Ruben Hein trio will perform at Rotunda Jazz Club on October 27.

The final concert will be held at the International Mugham Center. Famous U.S. musicians Gregoire Maret and Christie Dashiell will perform at International Mugham Center on October 28.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Narmina Mammadova

The Museum Center of the Ministry of Culture will host an event dedicated to the 85th anniversary of national artist Rafig Mehdiyev on October 30.

The event is organized by the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery and will take place within the framework of the "Iz" project. It will tell about the artist's life and creativity and his art activity.

A number of works by Rafig Mehdiyev is planned to be presented at the event.

Rafig Mehdiyev was born on June 10, 1933, in the Shahbuz region. In 1948-1953, he studied at the Azim Azimzade Painting School, in 1953-1958 - at the Surikov Moscow State Art Institute, Faculty of Graphics.

The Russian school of painting had a great influence on his creativity. The artist worked in the field of book graphics for a long time. He painted illustrations for the works Mailbox, The Bearded Child, History of the Danabash Village and Gurbanalibey by famous Azerbaijani writer and satirist Jalil Mammadguluzade.

Machine graphics play an important role in the artist's creative work. The lyrical rural landscapes are reflected in such etchings as Evening and Morning (1970s). The works created by his linear technique are interesting.

Rafig Mehdiyev created a number of monotypic methods too. These are Village, Children, Women with Children, At the market, One Line, Last Day, Shot, After the Rain. Along with machine graphics, the artist created such beautiful and interesting paintings as Collectors of grapes, A fresh news, Rest and Still Life, which were successfully presented at the republican art exhibition To love work. Mehdiyev became an honored artist of Azerbaijan in 1992.

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By Laman Ismayilova

The 3rd International Symposium of Common Languages of Turkic World  Patterns under the topic Intersections in Felt will be held in Baku on October 25-27.

The event is co-organized by, the Ministry of Culture and the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum with the support of Azerbaijan National Commission for UNESCO, the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States (MFGS) and Baku Yunus Emre Institute, Trend Life reported.

The program of the three-day symposium includes a conference, thematic exhibitions, master classes, fashion shows and fairs. The event will bring together 83 participants from 22 countries. The conference will be held in Azerbaijani, English, Russian and Turkish.

Two exhibitions entitled "Traditional Art of Felt" and "Felt in Contemporary Art" will be held within the framework of the project. The event will bring together artists from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, Sweden, Hungary and the United States.

Master classes by world-famous Turkish and Kyrgyz masters will also be organized.

The Four Seasons Baku Hotel will host a fashion show reflecting the use of felted art in modern fashion.

The fashion show will feature collections of talented designers from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The guests will be present collections of clothes inspired by the art of felt.

Moreover, a three-day fair of felt products will be held at on the territory of Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az,Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Central Scientific Library of ANAS, Felt Fashion magazine (Russia), Carpet Collector magazine (Germany), FiltzFun magazine (Germany).

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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EE Real Estate Forum

26 November 2018, URE Club business association, in cooperation with Europaproperty.com publishing house, is holding the annual EE Real Estate Forum for companies dealing in real estate. The key theme of this years event is Residential real estate as a driving force for regional economic growth. InterContinental Hotel will be hosting the forum for the fourth time in a row.

This years event will bring together real estate experts from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, and Poland.

The forum will provide a platform for dialogue between businesses, the government, and the general public.

Why visit Flatfy Residential Day?

From year to year, the event calls together acknowledged international experts in real estate, architecture and design, consulting and project management.

The annual forum brings together professionals with years of experience, who share their insights into the legal and economic aspects of real estate market development; problems and drivers of urbanization; social angle of property development and potential dividends for businesses; effective marketing strategies.

The event provides a perfect opportunity for you to cultivate business contacts, find out what is going on in foreign real estate markets, learn about the latest trends, and figure out how to deal with the challenges arising in real estate.

Developers agree that from a strategic perspective, the future belongs to co-living and co-working spaces. The new generation is dictating trends to developers: millennials prefer freedom to crowded offices, they no longer want their homes to be their castles, so they opt for shared spaces. In Poland, property developers have already started to implement such projects, and they are well on the way to the Ukrainian market. When will they actually hit our local market and what do we need to do to make it happen? Our experts will answer these questions during the forum. In addition, they will talk about the centres of attraction, the new form of real estate in Europe, also referred to as the smart format.

This years programme includes the following topics:

 Legal aspects and cooperation with public authorities when working with investors.

 Urbanization and urban development.

 Investment discussion panel, where we will talk about the major opportunities for investors and tools for attracting foreign investment.

 As part of the discussion panel, IT start-up Flatfy will make a comparative review of residential real estate in the countries of the region.

The programme of the forum has been developed by the experts from Europaproperty.com, in cooperation with URE Club, which are the successful companies dealing in real estate for over a decade. The programme is focused on providing the guests and participants with reliable information on each region, with a view to help to determine their investment attractiveness.

Location: InterContinental Hotel, 2a Velyka Zhytomyrska, Kyiv, Ukraine

Contact person: Tsisnami Vasadze, [email protected], +380 67 508 80 81
By Trend

The French Ambassador to Azerbaijan has been summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, the Ministry said in a message Oct. 23.

An official protest was expressed to the ambassador in connection with the actions of a number of French representatives affecting the interests of Azerbaijan, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including regarding the recent illegal visits to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan by the mayor of French city of Saint-Etienne and the head of Arnouville municipality.

Legal and political assessments were given to such steps of representatives of France, the government of which urged to hold effective measures to curb the activity of individuals and legal entities of that country directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The ambassador was handed an official note of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry.

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 Narmina Mammadova

Two residents of the Lankaran region were detained because of illegal fishing in the Caspian Sea in the waters of Lankaran city, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reported on October 23.

Caught fish of various types, fishing tackle and boat were seized from them. Poachers were charged in the amount of 440 manats. Due to the fact that the amount of damage indicates the presence of a crime, collected documents were sent to the Police Department on water transport.

In the fresh waters of the republic and in the Caspian Sea, fishing of 30 species of fish is allowed. Many of them are trapped in Kura, lakes and stagnant water around Kura, as well as in the Mingachevir reservoir. Most of the fish caught are transiting and semi-transiting. Among the carry fish the most valuable are salmon, sturgeon, beluga and asp. Shamay and lamprey also apply to them. Sturgeon meat and black caviar are considered very valuable. In addition to them, semi-transient fish such as bream, carp and others are found in the waters of Azerbaijan. As a result of the construction of various hydraulic structures on Kura since 1959, the regulation of the flow of the Kura, the pollution of the waters of the Caspian Sea and other causes, the number of commercial fish species has drastically decreased.

At present, there is no limit for fishing in Azerbaijan, with the exception of pikeperch, white-eyed carp, silver carp, trout, Caspian trout, swordfish, roach and others. These species are listed in the "Red Book" and their capture is prohibited by law.

Amateur anglers do not need any licenses - fishing with fishing rods is allowed. It is forbidden to use synthetic networks, electrical equipment, chemical and silencing means.

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By Trend

First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has attended the inauguration of a new building of a special school No. 11, constructed on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Narimanov District, Baku.

School principal Shahzade Isgandarova informed First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva of the conditions created here.

The old building of school was constructed in 1897.

First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the school and viewed conditions created here.

The three-story school occupies an area of more than 4,000 square meters. The school has 21 classrooms, a doctors room, a gym, a conference hall, a canteen and a library.

The 250-seat school enrolls 788 students who are served by 289 teachers.

Children in need of special care study at this school.

Extensive landscaping and reconstruction work was carried out, and a green area was created in the yard of the school.

First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva wished the school staff success in their activities.

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By Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing funding for the construction of Gobustan-Poladli road in Gobustan.

Under the presidential order, the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency is allocated 6.4 million manats for the construction of the road connecting six residential areas with a total population of 5,000 people.

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The Saudis have said Khashoggi was killed in a "fistfight" at its consulate in Istanbul, having previously insisted that he had left the building.

In the Saturday admission, Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb also announced a series of moves including against people linked to the crown prince, who Khashoggi had criticised in his writings.

Speaking to US broadcaster Fox, Foreign Minister Jubeir on Sunday extended condolences to members of the journalist's family.

"We thus stress that more efforts are needed and expected towards establishing the truth in a comprehensive, transparent and credible manner", the statement said. "Unfortunately, a huge and grave mistake was made and I assure them that those responsible will be held accountable for this".

U.S. President Donald Trump hailed as a "great first step" Friday Saudi Arabia's explanation for the fate of a missing Saudi journalist.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, went missing after entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.

Offering condolences to Khashoggi's family, fiancee and friends, the foreign ministers said they "take note of the Saudi statement which gives their preliminary findings". We don't know in terms of details how.

She also reiterated the federal government's call for a thorough investigation in collaboration with Turkish officials. "Now, a fight breaks out and he's killed in the consulate, all without knowledge of Crown Prince".

"I will make my statements about this issue on Tuesday at the party group meeting", Erdogan said.

"Why did these 15 people come here?" Forensic expert Salah Tubaigy tried to remove any trace of the incident, the official said.

"There were no orders for them to kill him or even specifically kidnap him", said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "So, what we would rather do is support the investigation, find out what happened". But it was a big first step, it was a good first step.

His disappearance and presumed death has caused an global outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the West.

The disappearance of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider turned critic, has snowballed into a massive crisis for the kingdom, forcing the 82-year-old monarch, King Salman, to personally get involved. He sought to shield the 33-year-old crown prince from responsibility, as lawmakers in the US and leaders around the world pin blame on the country's heir apparent.

A former head of MI6 has said Khashoggi's murder is likely to have been ordered by allies of the prince but Saudi Arabia has denied he knew about the killing.

The Scottish government has abandoned plans to appoint an energy specialist to boost exports to Saudi Arabia. The existence of such evidence has been reported in Turkish media in a series of leaks, though Turkish officials have yet to confirm they have recordings.

The events "still haven't been cleared up and of course we demand that they be cleared up", she said Saturday. He went to the Saudi consulate to obtain paperwork for his forthcoming marriage.

Airbus said on Friday its defence chief Dirk Hoke would no longer attend either. According to him, Moscow is satisfied about cooperation between Turkish investigators and Saudi diplomats.

Corker said he was still hoping for Turkey to turn over purported tapes of what happened, but that after a conversation with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, he did not believe the USA had received the tapes as of early Saturday afternoon.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Trend

First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Najmeddin Sadikhov met with Minister of Defense of Israel Avigdor Lieberman in Tel Aviv.

The sides discussed regional security, military, military-technical cooperation between the two countries, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Natural honey is a healthy delicacy loved by everyone. It has a bactericidal effect, helps to maintain health, normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, accelerates tissue regeneration, tones the body and stimulates the function of internal organs.

A large number of trade fairs and exhibitions of honey take place in the country, many options are presented in stores and bazars, however finding natural honey is not such an easy task.

The Baku Honey Fair is close to its end. Till now, as many as 120 tons of honey brought by the country's beekeepers from various regions have already been sold. Only 13 tons remained in the warehouses, but it is expected that this amount will easily be sold by the end of the fair.

Almost the entire stock of products exhibited at the honey fair in Baku has already been sold out, Deputy Head of Public Relations and Information Support at the Ministry of Agriculture Vugar Huseynov said on October 23.

Speaking about the prices for honey products, he noted that since the opening of the fair, the price has decreased, and if in the first days a kilogram of honey cost an average of 25 manats, now it is possible to purchase honey for 15-20 manats.

Huseynov also noticed that the ministry does not participate in setting prices for any agricultural products.

Price reduction does not depend on the quality of products, but only on the willingness of farmers to sell goods early, he said.

This year, it was possible to stop attempts to sell low-quality products during the honey fair outside the fairgrounds, as it hapenned before.

"This problem has been solved. The Ministry of Internal Affairs played a big role in preventing citizens from selling poor-quality honey," Huseynov concluded.

The fair has opened on October 8 and will last till October 28. The venue is the Tofig Bahramov Stadium.

The Traditional Baku Honey Fair, first held in 2008, is one of the largest fairs organized in the capital city, with hundreds of beekeepers offering their honey to guests of the event. Last year, 256 beekeepers participated in the fair.

The fair guests are able to taste and purchase many honey flavors, including lime, meadow, acacia, crown of thorns, chestnut, sunflower, licorice flower, sweet clover, etc.

Widespread in the mountainous regions and adored for the nutritional and therapeutic qualities of honey, beekeeping is a rapidly developing sector of the Azerbaijani economy. Domestically produced honey is famous for its high quality and unique taste.

The apiculture has become one of the leading fields of the economy in numerous regions of Azerbaijan, in particular, Astara, Gadabay, Dashkesan and Zagatala. The country is home to one the most famous bee species in the world  the Mountain Grey Caucasian Bee  which can fly at 6 degrees below zero C and has the longest proboscis for sucking up the nectar.

Currently, the state does all its best to further develop beekeeping by creating favorable conditions for beekeepers.

It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani government freed farmers engaged in apiculture from taxes until 2019, besides the land tax. Moreover, the government gives subsidies, preferential loans to the farmers to facilitate growth in this sector.

Today, a number of Azerbaijani beekeepers export their products abroad.

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By Trend

The military personnel of the motorized rifle units of Azerbaijan conducted shooting exercises, according to the combat training plan for 2018, approved by the Minister of Defense.

"The servicemen fulfilled the task of firing at targets set at various distances using assault rifles, mortars and grenade launchers," the Ministry of Defense said in a message on Oct. 24.

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By Trend

Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the delegation headed by Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs John Bolton, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry said in a message.

Underlining that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the relations with the US, Mammadyarov stressed that Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the US in several fields, particularly as part of the fight against terrorism.

Mammadyarov also thanked the US Government for its support to the projects implemented by the initiative of Azerbaijan.

Highlighting the necessity of further developing cooperation relations in different spheres between the two countries Bolton said that the US-Azerbaijani relations are of the strategic importance.

Bolton also reiterated that the contribution of Azerbaijan to the operations in Afghanistan as part of the fight against terrorism is highly appreciated.

Informing Bolton about the negotiation process on the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadyarov underlined that the current status-quo is unacceptable and unsustainable.

Mammadyarov emphasized the illegal existence of the armed forces of Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and stressed that in order to achieve sustainable and peaceful solution to the conflict, first of all the Armenian troops should be withdrawn from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the people who were forced to flee these territories should return to their homeland.

At the meeting the sides discussed the energy, transit and transport projects implemented by the initiative of Azerbaijan, especially Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Southern Gas Corridor.

Furthermore the sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.

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By Trend

The UN will continue to support Azerbaijans commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP and UNFPA Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Ghulam M. Isaczai said in his video message on the UN Day.

Today is the United Nations Day which marks the foundation of the organization 73 years ago.

Today is also an opportunity to celebrate 26 years of UN partnership with the government and people of Azerbaijan and to recognize its work for the development and prosperity of the country, he said.

Isaczai noted that Azerbaijan has been a valuable and active member of the United Nations since its independence and we count on its continuing support for a better and stronger UN.

The UN will continue to support Azerbaijans commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDG Forum that will take place tomorrow is a solid proof of our partnership and joint work in advancing the sustainable development agenda in the country, he added.

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By Trend

The gas transportation agreements on the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project, which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria, are expected to be signed by the end of the first quarter of 2019, Teodora Georgieva, Executive Officer of ICGB AD (project company) on the Bulgarian side, told Trend.

"The company is aiming to finalize the approval of the IGB Network Code by the end of February 2019, as the procedure involves as well public consultations. Therefore, the conclusion of the Gas Transportation Agreements (GTAs) is expected by the end of Q1 2019," she said.

Georgieva pointed out that today, most of the processes are already completed or about to be finalized in the coming months.

"First, we are glad to share that on 8th of August 2018 the National Regulators of Bulgaria and Greece issued a Joint Decision on the exemption of IGB from the requirements under article 36 of the European Gas Directive 2009/73/EC," said the executive officer.

Georgieva noted that the decision taken confirms the measures requested by the project company in the application filed, in particular:

Exemption from the rules for third-party access for the capacity booked under the Market test completed;

Exemption from regulated tariff for all the gas pipeline capacity for a period of 25 years.

Exemption from ownership unbundling for a period of 25 years.

"The award of the exemption decision establishes the regulatory framework of the pipeline and allows the project company to start the preparation of the IGB Network Code. The adoption of the Network Code and its approval by the national regulatory authorities (NRAs) in line with the awarded third-party access (TPA) and regulated tariff exemption gives a green light to the project company to proceed with the conclusion of the Gas Transportation Agreements with the shippers that has reserved capacity during the market test," she added.

IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.

The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas.

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By Trend

The European Union has shown great interest in the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline and the supply of Turkmen natural gas to the European market, the state news agency Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary reported Oct. 23.

This issue was raised during the recent negotiations in Brussels. The sides discussed the issues of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU in the energy sector, modernization of the legal framework of the partnership, implementation of the project of construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, the message says.

The delegation of Turkmenistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who held a series of meetings, in particular with the Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, as well as a working meeting with representatives of the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission and others.

The topics of further improvement of the principles of activity of the Caspian Development Corporation (CDC), the continuation of the negotiations of the working group on the implementation of this energy project, including economic, environmental and commercial issues were touched upon.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was briefed on the results of the trip the day before during the telephone conference. The participants in the negotiations from the European Union expressed their readiness to help attract investment in the implementation of this important energy project, which, as the head of state noted, meets not only national objectives, but also aims to strengthen the energy security of the continent.

Thanks to the adoption of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, the necessary legal framework has been created for laying a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea.

Now, only the consent of the project parties and an environmental impact assessment that meets the strict requirements of international standards are needed for the realization of this project, said the article.

The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project provides for the supply of Turkmen energy resources to the European market in the amount of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually for at least 30 years with its transfer at the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan has all the opportunities to implement major energy projects, both in this direction and in other vectors, the message said..

The necessary infrastructure including the East-West domestic gas pipeline, which provides for reverse gas transfers from eastern Turkmenistan to the western regions and back, have been created in the country for this purpose.

The negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been conducted since 2011. The Southern Gas Corridor, which includes the Trans-Caspian project, remains a priority for the EU.

In May 2015, the Ashgabat Declaration on Energy was signed by the Ministers of Energy of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Maros Sefcovic. The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian sea to the shores of Azerbaijan, as noted earlier by the parties concerned, is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market.

Further, the Turkmen fuel can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries. The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline could become part of several large-scale projects, including AGRI and TANAP, in which Azerbaijan and Turkey are participating.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Uzbekistan and the U.S. in the framework of the business forum in Tashkent signed agreements worth $ 2.5 billion on October 23, Chairman of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce Carolyn Lamm told Uzbek media.

Among the largest documents is a joint venture agreement with the American John Deere, which intends to collect agricultural equipment at the Tashkent Tractor Plant, as well as the transfer of the Dori-Darmon pharmacy network to United Investment Healthcare Group.

In the framework of the same forum, Carolyn Lamm stated that the U.S is ready to compete with the Russians for Uzbekistan.

We learned a very important fact that the Russians signed more agreements (than the Americans). We decided that we could make more agreements to increase the level of investment and trade. Our memorandums with Uzbekistan are only the beginning, we are only moving forward" she said.

American companies are ready to invest in projects in Uzbekistan over $ 9 billion, added Lamm.

In addition, U.S. companies are planning to set up a joint venture for the production of jewelry in Uzbekistan, to organize a textile cluster, to launch production of medical diagnostic systems, as well as a number of other projects.

For the first nine months of 2018, Uzbekistan and the U.S. have almost doubled their bilateral trade and brought it to $ 332 million. Currently, 210 enterprises with the participation of U.S. companies are successfully operating in Uzbekistan; since the beginning of current year, 25 enterprises have been created with the participation of American capital.

The total amount of American investments and loans attracted to the economy of Uzbekistan for the period from 1998-2017 exceeded $ 1 billion.

The Uzbek president, during his visit to New York on May 15-17, held a series of meetings with representatives of American companies and took part in a bilateral business forum. During the visit, over 20 major business deals between Uzbekistan and U.S. companies were signed, which, if fully implemented, will be worth more than $4.8 billion and could sustain more than 10,000 US jobs and open opportunities for billions of dollars in future contracts.

The United States also ranked first among the countries investing in Uzbekistan's economy in the first quarter of 2018, according to the Central Bank.

In 2017, the volume of trade turnover between Uzbekistan and the United States amounted to $ 210.2 million. In the structure of Uzbek exports, the main share falls for services - 71.4 percent, mechanical equipment - 15.7 percent, dried pepper - 3.3 percent and fruit and vegetable products - 3.1 percent. In turn, pharmaceutical products, mechanical and electrical equipment, plastic products, optical instruments and devices, rubber, rubber products, vehicles, artificial fibers are imported from the U.S.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

As many as 2,454,000 people visited Azerbaijan last year, and as a result, the country earned over $3 billion, according to the data of U.S. rating agency Howmuch, Day.az reported.

In the post-Soviet space, Azerbaijan ranked second in terms of income from tourism. Russia took the first place and Georgia was second. At the same time, the number of tourists who came to Georgia was higher, but Azerbaijan earned more.

The head of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association, Nahid Bagirov, in an interview with Dalma News noted that in 2017 quality was ahead of quantity.

So called "high-quality" tourists from Arab countries came to Azerbaijan. This influenced the result and budget revenues have increased," he said.

"Not only should the tourist segment, travel companies, hoteliers, but also other sectors of the economy should earn money. And this is the precise difference between Arab tourists and others. And that's why we wanted to attract them," Bagirov added.

The head consider that unlike Georgia, where the bet is on mass tourism, Azerbaijan concentrates its strength on a VIP-tourist.

Moreover, considering that most Arabs are Muslim, it is not surprising that when choosing to go to Christian Georgia or Muslim Azerbaijan, the choice will be made in favor of Azerbaijan.

"Arab tourists are important to the whole world, as they spend more money. In Azerbaijan, the Arab tourists constitute about 20-30 percent," Bagirov concluded.

In January-September this year, 2,208,600 foreigners and stateless persons from 193 countries arrived in Azerbaijan, which is 6.4 percent more compared to the same period last year.

Some 31.2 percent of those who arrived in Azerbaijan are citizens of Russia, 19.8 percent - Georgia, 10 percent - Turkey, 9.2 percent - Iran, 3.3 percent - the United Arab Emirates, 3 percent - Saudi Arabia, 2.7 percent - Iraq, 2 percent - Ukraine, 1.5 percent - Israel, 17.2 percent - other countries, 0.1 percent - stateless persons.

In total, 467,800 people arrived from the countries of the Persian Gulf, that is, almost every fifth tourist was a citizen of these countries.

During the period, the number of tourists from EU countries increased by 8.9 percent, reaching 88,900 people, from CIS countries - by 4.7 percent, reaching 813,700 people.

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Front-month Brent crude oil futures were at $79.62 a barrel at 0427 GMT, down 21 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close.

"For decades, we have used our oil (production) policy as a responsible economic tool and we have kept it apart from politics", Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih was quoted as telling TASS in an interview in Riyadh.

"The severity of the drop is pretty striking, but in today's trading world, we have these kind of days a little more often".

Despite this, the U.S. bank said "we still see Brent reaching $85 per barrel by year-end" as Iran sanctions are expected to tighten markets towards the end of the year.

"Tariff concerns, renewed weakening in Chinese equities, emerging market worries and the ongoing investigations of the Saudi participation in the Khashoggi murder are combining to force major liquidation out of the equity space that is easily flowing into the oil complex", said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in a note.

Oil stocks were caught up in Tuesday's broad equities sell-off. On Tuesday, he said Saudi Arabia still intends to increase production to meet demand as US sanctions shrink Iran's crude exports.

There are limits to the kingdom's ability to respond, Al-Falih said.

"But if you have other countries to decline in addition to the full application of Iran sanctions, then we will be pulling all spare capacities", Falih said.

Oil edged above US$80 a barrel on Monday, lifted by nervousness over a worsening diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and the West, just two weeks before U.S. sanctions potentially choke off Iranian crude supplies.

The Saudi minister expected demand for oil, which now stands at around 100 million bpd, to rise to 120 million bpd over the next three decades.

Higher prices for oil is a tax on the middle/lower class in the US.

South Korea's crude imports from Iran fell to zero in September, data from state-run Korea National Oil Corp showed.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration report on crude oil inventories is due to be released on Wednesday at 10:30a.m. EDT.

USA crude inventories were expected to have risen for the fifth straight week last week, according to a Reuters poll ahead of weekly data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) report on Wednesday morning. In the USA, the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute is said to have reported a 9.88 million barrel rise in crude inventories last week.
The question of whether or not to celebrate Columbus Day or have Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated along with or in place of it is a topic of public discourse. While others may disagree, it is this authors assertion that Columbus Day should be the sole celebration for that day. This is beca
Oil traded at the lowest level in more than a month after Saudi Arabia reiterated its plan to lift oil output and as tumbling equities weakened sentiment.

Futures in New York fell as much as 1.8 percent. Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said the worlds biggest oil exporter will meet any shortfall in supply as a result of Iranian crude sanctions. Stock markets in Europe and Asia declined alongside U.S. futures as investors flocked to haven assets.

Oil has dropped after reaching a four-year high earlier this month as fears over demand persist. Al-Falihs promise of adequate supply comes even as crude inventories in the U.S. are forecast to have increased for a fifth week, the longest streak since March 2017. Concerns about the health of the world economy, leading to the equities selloff, are seeping into the oil market.

AT HOME: Gasoline prices continue to slide in Houston area

Equities are weighing on oil prices, said UBS Group AG analyst Giovanni Staunovo. We likely will have more equity volatility going forward with higher rates.

West Texas Intermediate for December delivery fell as much as $1.27 to $68.09 a barrel, and traded at $68.32 on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11:38 a.m. London time. The November contract expired on Monday after nudging up less than 0.1 percent. Total volume traded Tuesday was about 10 percent above the 100-day average.

Brent for December settlement was $1.38 lower at $78.45 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It earlier fell below its 50-day moving average for the first time since August. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of $10.11 to WTI.

STRONG DEMAND: Brent oil could hit $100 by end of 2019, report says

Saudi Arabia may boost its oil output by between 1 and 2 million barrels a day in the future, Al-Falih said at a conference in Riyadh. He said earlier this week that OPECs largest producer would continue to separate oil and politics. The comments come as the oil market remains on edge following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

In the U.S., crude stockpiles probably increased 3 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey before a government report due Wednesday. Inventories have risen more than 22 million barrels over the past four weeks as domestic drillers raised output, while refineries halted some operations for seasonal maintenance.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
When Olympic medal-winning gymnasts Simone Biles and Ashton Locklear walked into Flower Vault earlier this month, owner Robbie Forrest didnt recognize either one of them. It was opening day at his floral-themed, temporary pop-up in Montrose, and he was busy training staff.

Later, when Robbies wife and co-founder, Sarah Forrest, waved her phone to show him the Flower Vault pictures both athletes had posted on Instagram, Robbie sheepishly admitted he thought they had looked familiar, then got distracted and forgot to tell her.

WAY BACK WHEN: What life was like along Montrose Boulevard in Houston 30-50 years ago

Sarah assumes Biles and Locklear discovered Flower Vault on Instagram, the same way most of her customers have found out about this temporary space with five, faux flower-covered rooms designed as backdrops for social media posts. Customers buy a one-hour, timed-entry ticket to have their run of the interactive concept.

Flower Vault on Facebook

Many customers are families, said Forrest who, before opening Flower Vault, was a stay-at-home mom. In its first weeks in business, Flower Vault has hosted bridal portraits, childrens birthday parties, corporate events and, so far, one surprise marriage proposal.

Forrest had the idea when she forced Robbie to stop on the feeder road of a freeway in San Antonio, where they live, so she could take pictures of their kids in front of a colorful mural. What if you could create a space for families to snap vibrant photos, she wondered, without the elements of cars whizzing by or weather?

TRY THE TATER TOTS: The bar called the 'living room of Montrose' celebrates 40 years

After a five-month run in San Antonio, the Forrests began looking for a short term lease in Houston for Flower Vaults second iteration.

They were drawn to a space in Montrose  formerly a furniture store  because of the large windows that allow in the natural light . They installed temporary walls and got to work ordering hundreds of flowers for the rooms, which each having a distinct design.

Flower Vault is open only through mid January, and the Forrests have worked around the limitations of the space. For example, the temporary walls do not reach the ceilings so that skylights allow sunlight in each room.

NEW NIGHTLIFE HOTSPOT: See inside Present Company in Montrose

At the entrance, a wall covered in faux pink peonies is the most popular spot for photos, Forrest said. She calls the adjacent room, which is painted orange, Merry Marigold.

Garlands of the golden blooms hang from the ceiling in loops. Kids can stick their heads through the layered garlands to wear them like an oversized necklace or stand beneath them, creating a marigold head and human legs.

Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

In the Fall Rainbow room, blooms are affixed to the wall in an ombre effect, with enough room under the colorful arcs for a toddler to pose.

Flower Vault When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays Where: 1735 Westheimer Details: $20, $10 for pets, free for kids age 10 and younger; tickets must be purchased online in advance at flowervault.com See More Collapse

Wheres Wallflower is an oft-posted room by adult visitors  Forrest said mom bloggers and social media influencers who have helped drive business  who drape themselves in floral fabric that matches the fabric bolted to the wall. The effect is a dark, moody, floral camouflage. Hardback books, a chair and ottoman are also covered with the fabric, allowing a person to melt into their surroundings for an artsy portrait.

In the same room, there are floral jumpsuits you can put on over your clothing for a photo.

DRINK UP!: Houston's top happy hour deals in Montrose, Midtown and the Heights

The final room makes use of white space with a single floral pattern along the walls. Several dogs, who have posted outtakes from their very own Instagram accounts, have sprawled out in this large space. (Pets are allowed for a separate entry price.)

Julianna Longoria, who lives in Palacios, doesnt remember whether she discovered Flower Vault by way of a humans or an animals post on Instagram, but she made plans soon after for a visit with her daughter Addison , 6, and son Michael , 2. Addison was instantly drawn to the rainbow room, borrowing her moms phone to make a video of her surroundings.

She had never seen anything like it, Longoria said. Because Addison has shown an interest in her first-grade art class this year, Longoria hoped the visit to Flower Vault would spark her creativity. She has this passion and now she can see how you can be creative in a small space, Longoria said.

As the holidays approach, there will be more. The Forrests will add a playground-inspired flower-covered spinner you step on for a whirl.

Allison Bagley is a writer in Houston.
A Lumberton man whose body was found Sunday may have drowned, preliminary autopsy results show.

A report obtained by The Enterprise says the cause of death is "pending toxicology and police investigation." But it cites initial findings of "drowning with watery fluid within the sinuses."

Kolby William Kulhanek, 25, was found in the 9400 block of Cook's Lake Road Sunday afternoon, the Hardin County Sheriff's Office reported. He had gone missing about a week prior.

EARLIER: Missing Lumberton man's car found, family fears the worst

A Jefferson County Sheriff's Department helicopter spotted his body during a search of the area about 2 p.m. It was near a dirt pit, officials said in an initial news release.

On Tuesday, Hardin County sheriff's Maj. Dennis Allen said he could not elaborate.

"We are investigating this as a questionable death situation," Allen said. "We still have a lot to do and the investigation is ongoing. We are letting the facts lead us."

Kulhanek was last seen Oct. 12. His blue Audi, along with his keys and sunglasses, were found Friday.

"Losing this beautiful young man with his beautiful smile is one of the most gut-wrenching things I've ever experienced," relative Molly Gore Lindsey said in a social media post.

Services for Kulhanek will be Saturday at Broussard's Mortuary in Silsbee with burial at Old Hardin Cemetery in Kountze. His obituary lists a daughter among his surviving family.

erica.apodaca@beaumontenterprise.com

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WASHINGTON - Republican leaders rushed Wednesday to decry the suspected explosive devices sent to three Democrats and a cable network that President Donald Trump has demonized repeatedly, saying that such acts cannot be tolerated despite the corrosive tone on the campaign.

Packages containing devices addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were intercepted by the Secret Service, while an explosive device was found at the home of liberal philanthropist George Soros and a suspicious package was found at CNN's New York headquarters. All four are regular targets of sharp criticism and name-calling from Trump and his conservative allies.

With just 13 days until the midterm elections, the explosive packages appeared to prompt some politicians to pause to reflect on the nation's poisonous political atmosphere in a final campaign notable for apocalyptic imagery, violent confrontations and Trump's mantra that the GOP is "the party of jobs and the Democrats are the party of mobs."

The White House characterized the mailing of explosive devices as "terrorizing acts," while prominent elected Republicans condemned it as a cowardly attack aimed at terrorizing public figures. There were universal calls to bring anyone behind the acts to justice quickly.

Clinton, speaking at a fundraiser for congressional candidate Donna Shalala in Coral Gables, Florida, thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the package sent to her home and called it "a troubling time."

"It is a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together," Clinton said. "We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same, who will set goals that will lift up every Floridian and American."

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who survived a 2017 assassination attempt, wrote in the first in a series of tweets: "These attempted attacks that have been made are beyond criminal, they are acts of pure terror. Violence and terror have no place in our politics or anywhere else in our society.

"Those responsible for these evil acts of terror must be hunted down and brought to justice, and I have great confidence that our law enforcement officers will succeed in that mission. As a nation, we must agree that this is a dangerous path and it cannot become the new normal," Scalise continued.

At the White House, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: "We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice."

Trump retweeted Pence's statement, adding, "I agree wholeheartedly!"

Asked Wednesday whether some of Trump's rhetoric might have contributed to the mailings, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, defended the president's remarks.

"A lot of things could have contributed to that, Hatch said. "Our society has become fairly complex. We think people ought to moderate on both sides."

He added, "I don't see anything really wrong with the president. I think that, you know, he's in a tough position, he's attacked on all sides and he ought to be able to express himself."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an earlier statement: "We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards."

Trump's highest-profile adult children echoed the statements emanating from the White House. Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son and campaign-trail surrogate for Republican candidates, tweeted: "As someone whose family has directly been the victim of these mail threats I condemn whoever did this regardless of party or ideology. This crap has to stop and I hope they end up in jail for a long time."

His sister, Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser in the White House, tweeted a condemnation of her own: "I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others. There is no excuse - America is better than this. Gratitude to the @SecretService and law enforcement for all they do to keep this nation safe."

Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted: "An attack on an American who happens to be a Democrat, Republican or Independent is an attack on America. The terrorist behind this will soon find out that while a free people have politics that are conflictive, if you try to kill any of us you will have to face all of us."

Democratic leaders issued similar denunciations. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a possible 2020 presidential candidate and a regular target of Trump's attacks, tweeted: "Violence against private citizens, public officials and media organizations has no place in our democracy. I am thankful for the bold and swift action of law enforcement to ensure no one was hurt."

Law enforcement investigators have not yet disclosed information about the origin of the packages or the motivations of their sender or senders. No evidence has surfaced connecting the acts to any political campaign.

Trump has long assailed the targets of the packages. He regularly excoriates Obama's presidency and was a leading proponent of the false conspiracy theory that the nation's first black president was not born in the United States. Despite defeating Clinton in the 2016 election, Trump still goes after his former foe in his speeches, inspiring chants from his rally crowds to "Lock her up!"

Trump also routinely attacks CNN as "fake news," while his rally crowds regularly chant "CNN sucks!" Soros has long been a target of far-right groups and the subject of conspiracy theories with anti-Semitic overtones.

In recent weeks, Trump and other Republicans have tried to cast Democrats as the party of the "mob" and attempted to link specific candidates to radical figures on the left.

In Minnesota's rural 1st District, the National Republican Congressional Committee repeatedly has tied Dan Feehan, an Army veteran who received the Bronze Star, to leftist Antifa activists who've clashed with right-wing protesters and police.

"Feehan works at a liberal organization bankrolled by George Soros, chief financier of the global left and anti-American causes," a narrator says in one spot as the sound of smashing glass plays over images of anarchist protesters.

An NRCC ad in Michigan's eighth district begins with a clip of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asking why there "aren't uprisings" happening across the country, then cuts to footage of violent protesters smashing windows and peaceful protesters chanting outside the Supreme Court.

"It's gone on too long: Liberal extremists tearing America apart," says a narrator, warning that electing Democratic nominee Elissa Slotkin, a veteran of Obama's State Department, would put radicals in power.

Pelosi's reference to "uprisings" came from a June news conference on Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. She suggested that voters should be outraged by images of children of undocumented immigrants being separated from their parents.

Footage of protests during the confirmation battle of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which led to hundreds of arrests but no violence, has appeared less frequently in Republican ads than footage of anarchists smashing windows or burning cars. While Republicans have said the treatment of Kavanaugh fired up their base at the start of the October, some say the electorate has begun moving on.

"The Kavanaugh thing caused a little flutter, but that frankly appears to have dissipated in the polls," said Rep. Stevan Pearce, R-N.M., who's running for governor in New Mexico, where the president remains unpopular.

The protests and the accusations against Kavanaugh do play prominently in a national ad from Future45, which is being seen less frequently in swing seats than the NRCC spots.

"The screaming. The violence. The smears," a narrator says. "Voting for any Democrat gets you all of that."

- The Post's John Wagner and Erica Werner contributed to this report.
Facebook and Twitter haven't detected Chinese meddling in the 2018 elections, company officials said, casting doubt on claims by President Donald Trump that the Asian nation is trying to interfere.

The social media giants have reported online disinformation campaigns ahead of the Nov. 6 elections that appear to originate from Russia and Iran. But press representatives for both companies, who spoke on condition they not be identified by name, said they haven't found evidence so far of such activity from China.

Facebook and Twitter are the latest in a string of tech companies that have made findings undercutting Trump's claim. Last week, top cybersecurity firms -- FireEye, Symantec and Crowdstrike -- said that, in working to help safeguard the November elections, they haven't seen evidence of digital interference by China.

In the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Facebook and Twitter have stepped up efforts to detect and stop foreign-government disinformation campaigns on their platforms. The companies use automated algorithms and human reviews of suspicious activity to search for coordinated campaigns.

Facebook and Twitter have both suspended or removed accounts that appeared to emanate from Russia and Iran and seemed to be intended to influence U.S. opinion as this year's elections approach. It's possible that Chinese activity could be undetected or surface closer to the election.

The Trump administration's claims about Chinese interference have mounted since last month, when the president told the United Nations Security Council that "China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election, coming up in November, against my administration."

Vice President Mike Pence followed up with a speech this month, saying: "There can be no doubt: China is meddling in America's democracy." Pence characterized Beijing's behavior as "an unprecedented effort to influence American public opinion, the 2018 elections, and the environment leading into the 2020 presidential elections."

Trump and Pence have both cited a paid advertising supplement the Chinese government placed in the Des Moines Register, Iowa's largest newspaper, criticizing the administration's trade policies.

Beijing and Washington are currently locked in an escalating trade conflict, and late last month, U.S. and Chinese warships nearly collided in the South China Sea, where both nations are seeking to assert their regional dominance.

The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Office of Director of National Intelligence warned last Friday that nations including China were engaged in "ongoing campaigns" to "undermine confidence" and influence policy and opinion in the U.S.

The administration hasn't provided evidence to back up the allegations.
The great election-eve middle-class tax cut began not as a factual proposal, but as a false promise.

When President Donald Trump abruptly told reporters over the weekend that middle-income Americans would receive a 10 percent tax cut before the midterm elections, neither officials on Capitol Hill nor in his administration knew anything about such a tax cut. The White House released no substantive information. And although cutting taxes requires legislation, Congress is not scheduled to be back in session until after the Nov. 6 elections.

Yet Washington's bureaucratic machinery whirred into action nonetheless - working to produce a policy that could be seen as supporting Trump's whim.

One such option now under discussion by administration officials is a symbolic nonbinding "resolution" designed to signal to voters ahead of the elections that if Republicans hold their congressional majorities they might pass a future 10 percent tax cut for the middle class. And House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said Tuesday he would work with the White House and the Treasury Department to develop a plan "over the coming weeks."

The mystery tax cut is only the latest instance of the federal government scrambling to reverse-engineer policies to meet Trump's sudden public promises - or to search for evidence buttressing his conspiracy theories and falsehoods.

The Pentagon leaped into action to both hold a military parade and launch a "Space Force" on the president's whims. The Commerce Department moved to create a plan for auto tariffs after Trump angrily threatened to impose them. And just this week, Vice President Mike Pence, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House all rushed to try to back up Trump's unsupported claim that "unknown Middle Easterners" were part of a migrant caravan in Central America - only to have the president admit late Tuesday that there was no proof at all.

"Virtually no one on the planet has the kind of power that a president of the United States has to scramble bureaucracies in the service of whim," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. "Whatever Donald Trump wakes up and thinks about, or whatever comes to mind in the middle of a speech, actually has the reality in that it is actionable in some odd sense."

Consider Trump's ongoing commentary this week about the caravan of Central American migrants traveling toward the U.S. border with Mexico.

The president tweeted an unsubstantiated warning Monday morning that "criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in," and later repeated it. His claim received extensive news coverage, but administration agencies did not immediately provide information supporting it.

By the day's end, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump "absolutely" has evidence that there are Middle Easterners in the caravan - but she cited only a statistic that each day 10 suspected or known terrorists try to enter the United States illegally.

Though Trump's claim was not about suspected terrorists specifically, he and his administration seemed to imply - again with no evidence - that his hypothetical "Middle Easterners" may have intentions to commit terrorism.

Pence sought to back up his boss' claim, saying Tuesday morning in a Washington Post Live interview that it is "inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern decent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border."

But just hours later, Trump admitted to reporters during an Oval Office event that he has no evidence to support the claim about the caravan.

"There's no proof of anything," Trump said, "but there could very well be."

Daniel Effron, a professor of organizational behavior at London Business School who studies the psychology of lies, said political leaders such as Trump can make falsehoods seem true through imagination and repetition.

"When falsehoods feel familiar, one concern is you don't actually know what's true and what's false," Effron said. "There's a lot of information to keep track of, and you use familiarity as a cue to what's true. The other concern is when you're invited to imagine how something could be true, you actually know that it's false, but you don't necessarily think it's unethical to say."

Simon Blackwell, a retired philosophy professor at the University of Cambridge and author of the book "Truth," said, "If you control the agenda efficiently, then there's no possibility of independent inquiry, and I think that's what Trump is a genius at."

Trump has a pattern of catching his aides off guard with random policy announcements that are rooted more in his imagination and desires than any organized administration initiative.

Trump has sometimes issued directives publicly if he believes his subordinates are not executing his agenda forcefully enough or taking his wishes seriously. "He thinks, 'Hey, if I say it on Twitter, then these guys will have to follow,'" said one former White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly share the president's process.

In July 2017, Trump revealed in a tweet his decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. His social media missive preempted a policy review with several options that he was set to receive from administration officials. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his underlings scrambled to react and reconcile the president's sudden demand with the military's practices and protocols.

The Pentagon was also forced to develop a "Space Force" after Trump announced last spring that he wanted to create a sixth branch of the military. The president initially said it was conceived as a joke, but "Space Force" has become a frequent chant at his campaign rallies, and he has tasked Pence with overseeing the initiative.

Trump also sent military leaders reeling in January when he said in a meeting with Pentagon brass that he wanted a grand military parade like the one he had gleefully witnessed in Paris on Bastille Day - complete with soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the boulevards of Washington.

Pentagon officials took his desire as a presidential directive and worked reluctantly to stage a parade for this fall, but Trump backed off plans in August, citing cost concerns and blaming local officials in Washington.

After winning the electoral college in 2016, Trump falsely claimed he only lost the popular vote against Hillary Clinton because of widespread voter fraud - leading to a formal commission on the issue chaired by Pence. The panel was eventually disbanded after it became mired in lawsuits and only managed to hold two meetings.

Trump has set off similar surprises in trade, one of his signature political crusades. Incensed that his initial tariffs were not bending Canadians, Japanese and Europeans to his demands, Trump in June threatened to impose import duties on all foreign auto imports before a government plan was ever put together.

The threat, which he had repeated numerous times and once referred to as the "mother lode," prompted the Commerce Department to move forward with a review and spooked U.S. allies.

Trump's pledge to cut taxes, which he first floated Saturday, followed a familiar pattern.

The president has been boasting for days about an imminent tax cut, despite the lack of legislation so far - as well as any concrete details of the plan shared by any of the people who would need to be involved.

At a rally Monday night in Houston, Trump said, "We're going to be putting in a 10 percent tax cut for middle-income families. It's going to be put in next week." He added, "We've been working on it for a few months," and singled out Brady, who was seated in the audience and responded with a sign of affirmation.

Trump went on: "This is for middle-income people, all middle-income people, a big tax, 10 percent. We'll be putting it in next week."

Meanwhile, racing to respond, administration officials began discussing a far more modest step of asking Congress to eventually vote on a nonbinding resolution for a 10 percent tax cut in the future.

But no decision has been made, and for the most part, lawmakers and senior administration officials are trying to temper expectations and deflect questions over a tax plan that, as of now, exists only in the president's telling.

Though the president has a tremendous capacity to create his own reality, Jamieson said, the challenge lies in the execution.

"It is infeasible to say we're going to have a middle-class tax cut before the November elections unless Congress agrees to come back into session," she said. "But there is a sense of reality about it when someone describes it in the terms that Trump described it. That is, the Republicans don't stand up and say, 'No, we haven't,' 'No, we aren't,' and 'No, we won't.' "

By virtue of his position, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett probably would be involved in crafting administration policy on taxes. Yet he told reporters Tuesday that he could not answer questions on the matter.

"Right now, the person who's discussing the 10 percent tax cut for the White House is the president," Hassett said, "and so you should go to the press office and to the president if you want more information on that."

- - -

The Washington Post's Damian Paletta and Erica Werner contributed to this report.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles emphasis on fostering undergraduate research opportunities and its facultys commitment to living the teacher-scholar model were on full display during the Illinois Pharmacists Associations (IPhA) September meeting.

SIUE School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor Ronald Worthington, PhD, and two student researchers, Brentsen Wolf, of Belleville, and Gregory Takacs, of Trenton, received statewide acclaim at the IPhA meeting, earning first place for scientific merit for their research entitled, Association of Synonymous Mutation Codon Frequency Changes with Levels of Protein Expression in Breast Cancer Cells.

Wolf is a second-year pharmacy student and Takacs is a senior biological sciences major with an emphasis on genetics and cell biology. Takacs is participating in the project through SIUEs unique Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) program. Wolf was previously an URCA Assistant.

I am thrilled that my students received such acclaim from a professional organization that is normally focused on important clinical research, but in this case honored a basic science research effort, Worthington said. They have been eager participants and have contributed many brilliant insights that were completely original to my thinking on the project.

Both Wolf and Takacs have been involved in this research for two years or more, gaining insights into scientific practice, literature and application.

The majority of my involvement in this research entailed collecting data, creating figures and spreadsheets, and most importantly, utilizing bioinformatics as a tool to predict synonymous mutation effects in respect to breast cancer, Takacs explained. This research has kindled my desire for science.

It is a fantastic feeling to be involved in scientific collaboration, Wolf added. I was highly involved in the biological application of the data and, in particular, helping create bridges between the data and pharmacologic applications.

Worthington underscores the growth students experience when being wholly invested in a research project.

Our students at SIUE are remarkably talented and driven by their interest in science and larger societal goals of improving medicine and human lives, Worthington explained. Through valuable research opportunities, they become challenged to think in creative ways that move them beyond the dogmatic concepts we professors tend to teach.

It is Worthingtons teaching and mentorship that Wolf and Takacs say has prepared them for successful futures.

Perhaps the most valuable trait Dr. Worthington brings to the team is that of taking student input seriously and stepping up at all teachable moments, Wolf said. He regards our comments, suggestions and questions highly, and never fails to further our understanding in response to each. We are grateful for this, as we have a much deeper understanding of our research thanks to his behavior.

Both Brentsen and I strive to be well-rounded scientists like Dr. Worthington, Takacs added. The major takeaways from this research project are that hard work pays off, research is important for the understanding and growth of complex issues, and research allows you to grow into a more resilient scientist.

I hope the students will want to pursue this line of study to develop their careers, or at least teach this to their colleagues and students going forward, so that others will appreciate the importance of our lessons, Worthington concluded.

The team was strongly encouraged by IPhA officials to present their research at the annual meeting of the American Pharmacists Association in March 2019 in Seattle, and they have submitted an abstract for presentation.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi Rivers rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000.
RUTH FREMSON/NYT

WASHINGTON (AP)  A U.S. official says a "functional explosive device" was found at Hillary and Bill Clinton's suburban New York home.

The official says investigators believe the explosive is linked to one found Monday at the compound of liberal billionaire George Soros.
Washington

The Trump administration has not settled on a plan for what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the southern border, despite threats by President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency or rescind aid from the countries whose people are journeying north.

Top immigration officials and close Trump advisers are still evaluating the options in closed-door meetings that have gotten increasingly heated in the past week, as the caravan of about 7,000 people pushes north, according to administration officials and others with knowledge of the issue. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The caravan comes on the heels of a surge in apprehensions of families at the border, which has rankled Trump but has also given him a fresh talking point to rally his base ahead of the midterm elections.

But the president's inner circle on immigration is grappling with the same problems that have plagued them for months, absent any law change by Congress.

Some in Trump's administration, like Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, advocate for a diplomatic approach using relationships with Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador and the United Nations to stop the migrants arriving to the U.S.

"We fully support the efforts of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as they seek to address this critical situation and ensure a safer and more secure region," Nielsen said earlier this week that noted her department was closely monitoring the possibility of gangs or other criminals that prey on those in "irregular migration."

But others are agitating for more immediate options, including declaring a state of emergency, which would give the administration broader authority over how to manage people at the border; rescinding aid; or giving parents who arrive to the U.S. a choice between being detained months or years with their children while pursuing asylum, or releasing their children to a government shelter while a relative or guardian seeks custody.

Tensions boiled over last week, when Nielsen suggested going to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights in a meeting with White House chief of staff John Kelly. National security adviser John Bolton, a critic of the U.N., exploded over the idea, the officials said. Nielsen responded that Bolton, not a frequent attendant of the immigration meetings, was no expert on the topic, they said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said: "While we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration, we are not angry at one another. However, we are furious at the failure of Congressional Democrats to help us address this growing crisis."

Meanwhile, administration officials sounded off Tuesday on an increase in families coming across the border, mostly from Central America. Nearly a third of all people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border during the budget year 2018 were families and children  about 157,248 out of 395,579 total apprehensions.
Spain has returned to Morocco dozen migrants who forced their way on Sunday to the Spanish occupied enclave of Melilla in the Northern African kingdom.

A total of 208 migrants entered Melilla on Sunday after climbing over two barbed wire fences which separate the tiny territory from northern Morocco. One migrant died in the crossing.

Morocco said it will deport 141 migrants who were arrested after attempting the crossing.

Spain returned 55 migrants, mostly Sub-Saharans, to Morocco under a 1992 agreement between the two countries.

Madrid has readmitted 55 people who entered Melilla to Morocco, the Spanish central governments representative in the territory said in a statement.

Another 140 migrants have requested asylum, 10 are recovering from their injuries and three are minors, it said.

The EU pledged to grant Morocco 140 million in aid to help avert illegal crossing to Spain which became the main gate for migrants to Europe surpassing Italy and Greece.
Public funding alone is not enough to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) said participants in the Global Forum organized Tuesday in Marrakech by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD), FAO and EU.

They also called on international financial institutions to leverage private investments to tackle global challenges in food and agriculture.

The Forum has brought together over 200 investors, business leaders, representatives from multilateral development institutions, policymakers and government officials from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Investing in high-value chains and quality improvement will further strengthen the competitiveness of Moroccan agribusiness in global markets, said Claudia Wiedey, EU Ambassador to Morocco.

Todays event is an example of the EUs support to the Moroccan private sector, notably through investment facilities such as those implemented by the EBRD. It equally provides opportunities for additional social and environmental benefits in the agribusiness ecosystem, stressed the EU diplomat.

With the 2030 deadline approaching fast, development and international financial institutions must work together with the private sector to find durable solutions to major development challenges such as poverty, climate change and migration, said EBRDs President Suma Chakrabarti.

Food and agriculture systems face daunting challenges  from having to produce more with less to feed a growing planet, to shrinking the sectors carbon footprint and creating decent employment opportunities, especially for youth in developing countries.

FAO is custodian of 21 of the SDGs indicators and can play a key role in helping the private sector to shape and monitor their contributions to these sustainability goals, said FAOs Deputy Director-General Daniel Gustafson.

We are also committed to promoting more enabling environments for private investment in sustainable agrifood systems while also making sure those funds reach where they are needed most, added Gustafson.

The Forum also made a strong case for greater investment in innovation. Digital technologies are transforming every sector of the global economy, including agriculture. New technologies are improving agricultural productivity, lowering carbon emissions and making better use of the earths natural resources. They are also making information more accessible to small-scale producers across the globe.

While the private sector is largely driving the development of such technologies, the public sector can help facilitate their adoption and keep an eye on technologies that have the power to bring positive outcomes, especially to small-scale farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Discussions at the Forum focused on the private sectors views on investing in emerging markets and managing risks in value chain financing, and on the importance of making agrifood systems greener as well as more inclusive, especially for women and youth.
With outpatient surgery volume poised to grow about 11 percent over the next four years, practices must focus on showing payers and surgeons they can achieve superior long-term clinical outcomes, according to Surgical Directions CEO Jeff Peters.

At Becker's ASC 25th Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, Oct. 18-20 in Chicago, Mr. Peters discussed growth opportunities for ASCs and how to manage them.

Here are three growth areas he identified:

1. Vascular procedures are moving into the ASC setting, Mr. Peters said. The problem is that because many vascular procedures are for Medicare patients with comorbidities, they're typically high-risk procedures with low margins. But if ASCs do diagnostics for those types of procedures, the area becomes a high-margin, high-volume opportunity with good outcomes.

2. Neurosurgery is another opportunity for ASCs. Payers have noticed two-year outcomes of major neurosurgery procedures have a high failure rate with little to no decline in pain, often leading to addiction. However, by performing these procedures minimally invasively, ASCs could get the same results at a lower cost while paying careful attention to opioid risks.

3. Urology is also a promising new frontier. Mr. Peters recently visited a center that performed 10 prostatectomies a week with all commercial payers and "incredible" margins.

In every one of these areas, he said, the focus has to be an obsession with value. Practices that use data to prove they're in the 90th percentile or higher for outcomes and patient satisfaction will receive higher reimbursement from payers  and payers will funnel patients to those centers.

Creating high satisfaction requires providers to begin managing the episode of care immediately, and to continue engaging with patients postoperatively to immediately address any issues. Every person in an ASC must also convey a high level of caring the moment a patient walks in the door, Mr. Peters said. When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago and visited Buffalo, N.Y.-based Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for treatment, he experienced this firsthand.

"There was a level of caring that extended through that entire experience that I'll never forget. I actually wrote letter to the president of the hospital telling him how good a job it is," Mr. Peters said. "[If] the patient can sense they're going through a checklist, as opposed to having an experience, that's going to come out in the patient satisfaction score  and you're not going to hit that 90th percentile and you're not going to have the payers steering people to you."
Changes in healthcare payment models and industry consolidation have far-reaching consequences  and Alaska is no exception. Anchorage-based Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute Administrator Cassy Kincaid told Becker's ASC Review how her practice operates in a changing industry:

Question: The healthcare industry has seen an increased number of mergers and acquisitions in the past couple years. How has this activity impacted the way your practice operates?

Cassy Kincaid: This has impacted our ability to get the supplies that we need more than anything else.

Q: Compared to hospitals or other facilities, what advantages and disadvantages do ASCs face in an increasingly consolidated market?

CK: The advantage is we are more cost effective and our processes are focused allowing us to streamline our services. The outcome is more patient contact and better quality and experience.

Q: With the industry moving toward value-based care, how can ASCs adjust supply chain strategies to improve efficiency?

CK: We belong to group purchasing organizations that allow us to buy at bulk pricing.

Q: What are strategies ASCs can implement to improve billing/collections?

CK: Our billing is in house and over the years we have realized this is the most efficient and patient centric process for us. We have tried outsourcing several times and found that we lost revenue opportunities and had more errors.

Q: What's one major challenge ASCs must overcome to thrive in a value-based care environment?

CK: The community and patients need to understand the value of ASCs for patient quality and affordability and push payers, including government payers, to use them more.

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Here are six updates on gastroenterology companies from the past few weeks:

Enterome entered into an agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical to cover Enterome's lead investigational drug candidate EB8018 for patients with Crohn's disease.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission approved Takeda's $62 billion acquisition of Shire, inching the drugmaker closer to complete regulatory approval.

The Drummond Group awarded Modernizing Medicine's EMA and EMA Mobile EHR systems Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology 2015 Edition Health IT Module Certification.

Pentax Canada will begin selling CapsoVision's CapsoCam Plus system in Canada.

Gemelli Biotech's ibs-smart blood test for IBS patients is now commercially available.

Motus GI presented research demonstrating the effectiveness of its Pure-Vu System at the ACG 2018 Annual Meeting, held Oct. 5 through Oct. 10 in Philadelphia.
Maia Hightower, MD, chief medical information officer at Iowa City-based University of Iowa Health Care, shares how she keeps the health system's clinical informatics accountable and transparent as well as healthcare's biggest need for innovation.

Responses are lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question: What do you consider your No. 1 priority as CMIO? How do you ensure you're successful?

Dr. Maia Hightower: My No. 1 priority is obtaining value from our healthcare IT systems to enable our care teams to do what they do best, which is to provide outstanding, high-value care for our patients and community. Caregiver engagement with the EHR and our IT tools is vital to ensure that the system is designed and used effectively and efficiently. Therefore, I focus my priorities on creating a social network of informatics specialists and super users of physicians, nurses, advance practice providers, pharmacists and other care team members.

Recently, I've implemented a digital adoption score to measure adoption of priority functionality that supports institutional strategies in patient engagement, clinical quality and transitions of care.

Q: How did you become a CMIO? What is your background and what advice do you have for aspiring CMIOs?

MH: My early leadership experience was in quality, initially as a committee member on my local [independent physician association]'s quality, utilization and peer review subcommittees. I later became an associate medical director, responsible for quality and clinical transformation, including partnering with our IT teams in implementing the EHR.

My expertise was far more firmly rooted in a traditional physician leadership role. Because of my background and basic implementation experience, I was asked to consider a CMIO role. My first year as CMIO was dedicated to learning all the technical and informatics skills. Arguably, the leadership skills and servant leadership are still my go-to skill set to engage our care teams in change and technology.

Q: What is the vision for your team in 2019? How will you approach your role and meeting your goals?

MH: My vision aligns with the University of Iowa Health Care CMIO Division Vision Statement, which is: 'The CMIO division will be accessible to all those we serve delivering best practices and reducing variation with compassion and integrity, focusing on safety and quality; bringing forth innovative efforts as a result of our collaboration with all members of the [University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics] community.'

Our values include:

Service. Our purpose is to support all members of our UIHC community to adapt to change in healthcare, technology and medicine.

Compassion. We understand that change and digital transformation can be challenging. We treat all those we serve with compassion and kindness.

Collaboration. Epic and our IT systems are foundational and interdependent to what we do. We work together always with everyone.

Best Practice. We use research and insight to make better decisions, reduce variation and increase efficiency, while preserving work and life balance and building solutions that promote all team members work to the top of his or her license and training.

Innovation. We find practical solutions to complex problems, enhancing clinical workflows with information technology.

I share our vision and values frequently, including in recruiting efforts. I find that we can attract a broader, more diverse group of applicants to clinical informatics. Being transparent helps to keep us accountable.

Q: Where do you see the biggest need for innovation to improve the healthcare system in the future?

MH: The biggest need for innovation continues to be in the challenging area of usability. We need systems that aggregate and meaningfully present disparate data and information at the right time in workflow, separating the signal from the noise, for care providers and patients to enable effective pro-health behaviors.

To learn more about clinical informatics and health IT, register for the Becker's Hospital Review 2nd Annual Health IT + Clinical Leadership Conference May 2-4, 2019 in Chicago. Click here to learn more and register.

To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Jackie Drees at jdrees@beckershealthcare.com.
Ken Cowan, MD, PhD, director of Omaha-based Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, plans to step down at the end of June 2019. The Buffett Cancer Center and Eppley Institute are part of Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine.

Dr. Cowan will continue to see patients and serve as a full-time faculty member. He joined University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in 1999. He helped establish the $323 million Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, which opened in 2017. The Eppley Institute was founded in 1961, and Dr. Cowan was its sixth director.

Prior to joining UNMC/Nebraska Medicine, Dr. Cowan was worked for 21 years in the public health service at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. While there, he served as chief of the Medical Breast Cancer Section, Medicine Branch for 11 years.
The medical license of George Tyndall, MD, a former University of Southern California gynecologist, is in jeopardy after formal state allegations of negligence and sexual misconduct, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Medical Board of California has officially accused Dr. Tyndall of sexually abusing patients, the report states. The accusations are the latest against Dr. Tyndall and Los Angeles-based USC. Numerous women have alleged the physician sexually abused and harassed them and that USC knowingly covered up the conduct for decades.

On Oct. 19, USC reached a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit against the university and Dr. Tyndall. Various other lawsuits have been filed related to the scandal.

In the medical board's charges, Dr. Tyndall is accused of making lewd remarks to patients, performing "nonclinical" breast and pelvic exams, among other allegations, according to the report.

Dr. Tyndall has denied any wrongdoing during his time at the university, and he defended his exams discussions with patients in interviews with the Los Angeles Times.

Peter Osinoff, the attorney representing Dr. Tyndall before the medical board, declined to comment to the publication.

According to the report, the physician voluntarily surrendered his license in August.

Access the full Los Angeles Times report here.

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Too many medical directors?
Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp are in a struggle between Georgias past and future. Photo: John Bazemore/AP/REX/Shutterstock/John Bazemore/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Anyone who tuned into tonights debate expecting something new from Georgia gubernatorial hopefuls, Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp  Libertarian Ted Metz was there too for comic relief  was probably disappointed. I dont simply mean that both major-party candidates repeated points theyve made throughout the campaign. The whole debate was an ancient argument between those who believe a Deep South state like Georgia needs a government committed to equality and full voting rights for the previously excluded, and those who believe the status quo  or even a leaner, meaner version of the status quo  is just fine.

Kemp has promised a tax cut, a teacher pay raise (financed by some sort of spending cap), and anti-gang measures, but spent most of the debate as hes spent most of the campaign  attacking Abrams as an extremist who wants to raise taxes and let undocumented immigrants vote and receive government benefits. Like his supporter and role model, Donald Trump, Kemp built his attack lines around a carefully constructed set of mischaracterizations (to use the charitable term) of Abramss actual agenda, mostly based on dubious cost estimates of a single-payer system that shes embraced as an ultimate goal, but not as anything shed try to enact as governor.

Abrams hammered away at the many fiscal, social, and economic advantages that Georgia would derive from the Medicaid expansion that the states Republicans have prevented (noting repeatedly that Vice President Mike Pence accepted an expansion as governor of Indiana). She sharply distinguished herself from Kemp on criminal justice reform and, in a sadly brief section on education policy, the Republicans support for private school vouchers.

But much of the debate was an extended slugfest over Kemps record as election supervisor during his last eight years as Georgias Secretary of State  and Abramss challenges to his phony war against voter fraud in her capacity as the states most prominent voting rights champion. Sometimes their arguments got into the weeds, particularly over the significance of the many lawsuits filed (and some settled in the plaintiffs favor) against Kemp for voter suppression. But in general, Kemp kept attributing any loss of voting opportunities to the ineptitude of those being effectively disenfranchised (or of their advocates, like Abrams), asserting that its easier to vote in Georgia than its ever been. That this might not be the ideal standard to apply in a state with Georgias history did not seem to occur to him. Abrams on more than one occasion accused Kemp of introducing a climate of fear towards those trying to exercise basic rights, and Kemp all but laughed, citing rising voter rolls (hard to avoid in a state with recent population growth like Georgias) as the only rebuttal he needed.

The two candidates also exchanged blows over their mutual history of shaky personal finances, though Abramss argument about placing her parents livelihood and health above any personal debts (even to the IRS) seemed more passionate than Kemps evasion of questions about business debts. That all seemed a wash.

Abrams was asked in the very first question from a panel of reporters about the story that surfaced just today about her involvement in a 1992 protest at the State Capitol that included the burning of the state flag, which at that time prominently featured Confederate insignia (placed on the flag in 1956 as an act of defiance to civil rights efforts). She answered by noting the peacefulness of this authorized protest, and its consistency with then-Governor Zell Millers position on the flag. Kemp did not comment on her answer, and it did not come up for the remainder of the debate.

To my not entirely impartial eye, Abrams was the better debater on style points, speaking quickly but clearly, and remaining reasonably responsive to questions, while Kemp radiated smugness, and repeated his extremist mantra about Abrams as often as he could. Her closing statement was entirely about her own agenda. His was mostly about her radical intentions.

The debate probably wont change many minds. As the Libertarian Metz taunted (in a rare departure from his own mantra about the wonder-working power of legalizing industrial hemp), hes likely to get enough votes to force a post-November runoff, since Georgia requires a majority vote, even in general elections. And they will debate again on November 2.

Most of all this encounter was a reminder of the long struggle for social and economic change in Georgia, which Abrams is continuing and Kemp is resisting. Perhaps Kemp can win just by calling his opponent an extremist for supporting basic access to health care and full voting rights, even as he proudly calls himself a politically incorrect conservative who blows every dog whistle about non-white people he can find. But if Abrams manages to pull this race out, it will change Georgia politically forever, and show that the old ways were the true extremist agenda. Kemp said one thing in his closing statement that both sides can agree on: This is a fight for our future.
Nurses at Indiana (Pa.) Regional Medical Center have voted to authorize union leaders to call a strike, The Indiana Gazette reported.

The vote, which took place Oct. 23, covers nurses represented by the Indiana Registered Nurses Association, an affiliate of HealthCare-PSEA, the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

The vote gives union leaders the ability to call a strike without further member input. Union leaders would have to give the hospital at least 10 days' notice before walking off the job.

"Our approach for bargaining is to enter with open minds and an eagerness to reach an agreement that helps our nurses and our hospital to continue to move forward," IRNA President Kathy Wolfe told The Indiana Gazette. "We hope that the hospital shares our willingness to settle, but they've unfortunately had a 'take it or leave it' approach. That kind of attitude shows they're not ready to seriously bargain with us."

Mark Richards, the medical center's growth officer, told the publication hospital officials are disappointed in the strike authorization vote, "but it is not uncommon for this to occur."

He said the hospital has been bargaining in good faith, and more bargaining sessions are scheduled before the current contract expires Oct. 31. He indicated that changes in fringe benefits is a key issue in negotiations.

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Thousands of University of California hospital workers began a three-day strike at UC medical centers Oct. 23 amid contract negotiations, The Mercury News reported.

Striking employees include members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 and University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America. Thousands of patient care workers, such as nurse aides and respiratory therapists, are reportedly involved in the walkout. They were joined in solidarity by UC service workers represented by AFSCME, as well as professional healthcare, research and technical workers represented by UPTE-CWA .

Workers struck at campuses including UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, UC Berkeley, UCSF Medical Center Parnassus campus in San Francisco, UC Irvine, UCLA in Los Angeles and UC San Diego.

AFSCME members, who also went on strike in May, said they are protesting job outsourcing and what they see as increasing income, racial and gender disparities within UC's workforce. They also claim the university circumvented the negotiating process and imposed employment terms on patient care workers.

UC spokesperson Claire Doan disputed the assertions, telling Becker's union leaders "are spreading false information," as the number of AFCSCME patient care employees has climbed 18.9 percent and the number of AFSCME service employees has increased by 14.4 percent.

Emergency rooms at UCSF's Parnassus and Mission Bay facilities remain open as employees strike, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report, although some outpatient clinics at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion won't operate at full capacity.

The university told the San Francisco Chronicle temporary replacement workers were brought in during the strike, and about 4,200 nonurgent appointments, 241 surgeries and 172 chemotherapy and other infusion treatments were rescheduled at several UCSF medical centers.

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A federal judge denied Sunrise, Fla.-based Mednax's motion to dismiss Aetna's lawsuit alleging the medical group inflated bills for neonatal care.

Aetna commenced legal action in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in November 2017 by filing a praecipe to issue a writ of summons on Mednax and dozens of its affiliates. In a lawsuit filed in April, Aetna accused Mednax of exaggerating the severity of newborns' clinical conditions and ordering unnecessary tests to inflate bills, ultimately overbilling the insurer $50 million. The "upcoding" scheme allegedly began in 2009 and continued through at least September 2016.

Mednax filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that Aetna's claims fell outside of the two-year statute of limitations. Aetna argued its claims are timely under the continuing violations doctrine and the discovery rule, according to The Legal Intelligencer.

On Oct. 23, U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied Mednax's motion to dismiss.

"This suit was initiated in November 2017  accordingly, any wrongful acts that took place in 2016 fall within the two-year limitations period," Ms. Beetlestone said. "Nevertheless, because Aetna has alleged an ongoing scheme that persisted into the limitations period, it is not appropriate to resolve at the pleadings stage whether the continuing violations doctrine allows Aetna to maintain suit for actions that occurred prior to the limitations period. Further, because Mednax allegedly concealed the falsity of its claims, it is possible that the discovery rule applies as well."

Ms. Beetlestone also held that Aetna presented issues of fact in its complaint that need to be explored further.

"It may be shown, as Mednax asserts, that Aetna had access to certain documents regarding Mednax's claims, and that Aetna often investigates claims or denies coverage in such a way as to render its reliance on Mednax's forms unjustifiable," Ms. Beetlestone said. "But that question turns on issues of fact such as Aetna's access to documentation underlying each claim  and is not appropriately resolved on a motion to dismiss."

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Washington, D.C.-based law firms are readying corporate clients for congressional investigations if Democrats take back the majority in the House of Representatives after the midterm election, according to a report from Politico.

Law firms have been tracking Democrats' criticism of corporations and issuing memos to clients listing the inquiries they may face and the lawmakers who are likely to be leading the charge. Some firms are even soliciting new clients with warnings of investigations, according to the report.

Lawyers told Politico pharmaceutical companies and tech companies "are obvious targets," in addition to oil and gas corporations. Specific targets named in the report include private intelligence agency Black Cube, Amgen, Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer. Tech companies responsible for spreading misinformation and firms seeking to influence the Department of Veterans Affairs could also be at risk, according to the report.

Other sources said companies face risk of congressional investigation no matter which party takes the House in November, especially as President Donald Trump continues to be a vocal critic of pharma and tech.

Read the full report here.

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Children's Mercy Kansas City (Mo.) uses an app called EASE to update patient's families on the progress of a procedure or surgery, according to KSHB41 Action News.

The app allows nurses in the operating room to send parents or families updates on the status of their loved ones via a messaging system. KSHB41 Action News referred to the app as the "medical version of Snapchat."

"It's been called that by some," Stacey Gibson, RN, MSN, a nurse practitioner in Children's Mercy Heart Center, told the publication. "Essentially the provider in the room is able to send updates to the parents own phone and those updates disappear within approximately 60 seconds."

Children's Mercy is using the app as part of a pilot program to help parents feel more involved in their child's surgery. "We have learned it's an additional way [of] enhancing that experience for the family while they are waiting during the procedure," Ms. Gibson told KSHB41 Action News.

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Ridgewood, N.J.-based Valley Hospital settled with Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey the day before a trial was set to begin on allegations that the insurer pushed smaller community hospitals out of the market, according to NJ.com.

Valley Hospital was the last of seven hospitals that sued Horizon to settle with the insurer. The hospitals accused Horizon of putting them in a less desirable tier of their OMNIA plans.

Valley Hospital officials didn't disclose the settlement's financial terms, but said the hospital had not yet been reclassified as tier one.

The tier one designation was supposed to be reserved for high quality facilities, though Horizon selected only the largest hospitals, even when smaller community facilities may have had better quality measures or prices.

The other hospitals included in the lawsuit were Pennington-based Capital Health Hospitals; Freehold-based CentraState medical Center; Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck; JFK Medical Center in Edison; St. Luke's Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg and Elizabeth-based Trinitas Regional Medical Center, all in New Jersey.
An executive of the new hospital-owned drug company Civica Rx said he and his partners are pleased with the response they've received from Capitol Hill regulators since announcing the formation of their nonprofit this fall, but they're fine navigating things on their own.

"Basically, the responses were, 'What can we do to help you?'" Dan Liljenquist, senior vice president and chief strategy officer of Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare told STAT.

The collaboration of seven major health system will begin by manufacturing 14 hospital-administered generic drugs that have been in short supply.

Interest from those regulators mirrors the Trump administration's focus on bringing down drug prices and improving drug shortages.

But after meeting with the regulators, Mr. Liljenquist said the company doesn't have much to ask for from the FDA or Capitol Hill.

"We said, look: Just apply the same rules you apply to everybody else to us, and thats all we need," Mr. Liljenquist told STAT. "We are not looking to Washington to solve this issue."

Read the full report here.
CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, on Oct. 23 said he pushed for American experts to stay in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak zone, but was overruled by federal officials due to safety concerns, according to STAT.

The CDC withdrew Ebola experts from the outbreak zone, currently centered in the city of Beni, a few weeks ago due to security concerns over increased violence in the area.

"Those decisions are security decisions that really are outside the realm of my public health expertise," Dr. Redfield told STAT.

It's unclear whether HHS wanted the experts to stay in the outbreak zone. In early October, sources told STAT the U.S. Department of State prohibited the experts and other federal employees from traveling to the Congo to participate in on-the-ground aid.

"I do think they're at an enormous disadvantage by not having the expertise the CDC has on the ground," Dr. Redfield told STAT during the Milken Institute's Future of Health Summit in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 23-24.

Health officials reported 238 confirmed and probable Ebola cases linked to the outbreak, along with 155 deaths, as of Oct. 22.

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Here are 20 key notes from orthopedic and spine device companies in the past week.

Medacta International named Daniel Abromowitz as general manager of its U.S. spine division.

Stryker finalized its acquisition of Invuity.

Intuitive Surgical released its third quarter 2018 financial results.

Stryker filed to extend its anti-trust deadline on the $1.4 billion K2M acquisition.

OrthoPediatrics received FDA 510(k) clearance for its new Response 4.5/5.0mm small stature scoliosis system.

Simplify Medical appointed Cindy Lynch as vice president of general counsel.

NuVasive named J. Christopher Barry as its new CEO, effective Nov. 5.

New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery orthopedic surgeon David Mayman, MD, performed the first cases using OrthAlign's KneeAlign CFS system.

Viseon received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Voyant System for minimally invasive spine surgery.

UZ Brussel University Hospital in Belgium implemented Implanet's spine posterior fixation platform, Jazz. Belgium is the first country to perform spine surgery with the system.

The Orthopaedic Implant Company launched its OIC Semi-Extended Instrumentation at the Orthopaedic Trauma Association 2018 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Oct. 17-20.

MRI Interventions entered into an agreement with Clinical Laserthermia Systems to develop global navigation and laser ablation platforms for spine and neurosurgery.

Orthopedic device company Additive Orthopaedics received funding through New Jersey Economic Development Authority's N.J. CoVest Fund.

Medacta International launched a patient-matched posterior lumbar fusion solution at the North American Spine Society 2018 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, Sept. 26-29.

Synoste raised $5.8 million to launch its smart skeletal deformation correction technology for orthopedic and spine applications.

SpineEx earned FDA 510(k) clearance for its Sagittae lateral lumbar interbody fusion device.

Ortho Development Corp. signed an exclusive agreement with DePuy Synthes, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies, to promote its KASM Knee Articulating Spacer Mold in the U.S.

BoneSupport launched its own U.S. distributor network.

Kuros Biosciences' Dutch subsidiary Kuros Biosciences BV received a U.S. patent.

Kuros Biosciences submitted an FDA 510(k) clearance regulatory package for its Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113).
Tampa, Fla.-based Physician Partners of America welcomed Anthony Clavo, MD, to its Arlington, Texas, location.

Here are four insights:

1. Licensed in pain management and anesthesiology, Dr. Clavo specializes in complex pain and orthopedic cases as well as stem cell and regenerative medicine.

2. After earning his medical degree from Nashville, Tenn.-based Meharry Medical College, Dr. Clavo completed his residency at Dallas-based Methodist Medical Center. He underwent fellowship training at Seattle-based University of Washington.

3. Dr. Clavo founded Peachtree City, Ga.-based Southern Spine and Pain Institute. Previously, he worked at Ortho Spine and Surgery of Atlanta.

4. He is a member of the American Medical Association and American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.
Cook. Photo: Aris Oikonomou/AFP/Getty Images

At a privacy conference in Brussels this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook came out in favor of government regulation. More specifically, he came out in support of privacy legislation. Platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies, he told the crowd, citing deepening political polarization and attempts to undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false.

He then praised the E.U.s GDPR regulations and added that, We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States. Cool! Me too. There is a lot of civic good that would come from privacy regulations that give users greater control over their personal data and more information about how it is used.

Also, coincidentally, privacy regulations would weaken Apples competitors. Sure, I dont need to tell you that Apple, the most valuable company on the planet, is a company that is very focused on making money. The margins on Apple phones and computers are significant. Apples accountants use, uh, creative practices to help the company avoid paying its fair share of taxes. We know this.

But Apples business is not built on social networking, and its not built on ads. Privacy regulations wouldnt really affect Apple as heavily as they would companies like Facebook or Google because the company is not constantly crunching your personal data in order to serve up targeted ads with precision. As much as possible, Apple has stated, it tries to process data locally on devices, rather than sending it to the cloud (a remote server) for processing. Thats good operations security. Another example: iMessage is encrypted by default, unlike similar messaging services from Facebook or Google, which prefer unencrypted text so that it can be analyzed for better ad targeting. Apple can do all this because it makes most of its money from hardware and subscription services. Android, the only real competitor to iOS, is a more open system than Apples  the trade-off of this is that it is also more likely to encounter cybersecurity problems.

What a comprehensive federal privacy law would do is increase the overhead of data-hungry companies like Google and Facebook, forcing them to devote resources to security and compliance instead of other pursuits, like R&D. It might even make current methods of targeting users with ads more difficult or unfeasible.

The current crisis in tech  reckoning with the power that megaplatforms hold over our lives  has presented plenty of opportunities for Apple to take the high road. Their actions against Alex Jones, for instance, finally forced places like Facebook and YouTube to stop tip-toeing around the conspiracy theorists actions on their platforms.

Cook and his leadership team are able to make decisions like this, or endorse privacy regulation, because they pose no real threat to Apples bottom line. Apple makes most of its money when you purchase your phone, not because you keep using it. For all of Cooks talk about how privacy regulations are good for society, he probably also knows that theyd be a significant burden for Apples competitors. I wonder how Tim Cook feels about anti-trust.
The Bank of England is urging the public in Northern Ireland to have their say on how the economy is working for them.

Chief economist Andy Haldane will join the first meeting of its new Citizens' Panel for Northern Ireland in Londonderry next month.

The panel will give people the chance to discuss all aspects of the economy including jobs, pay, the cost of living, the housing market and people's attitudes to saving and spending.

Mr Haldane urged people from across Northern Ireland to get involved.

He said: "This is a landmark event for the Bank of England as we seek to deepen our understanding of the economic issues that are affecting communities and citizens across the whole of the UK. I am delighted it is taking place in Northern Ireland.

"Our view of the economy, and our setting of economic policy, will be greatly enhanced by listening to people in Northern Ireland's views on the issues that really matter to their lives."

Applications to join the panel are now open. The Bank hopes to attract a wide range of participants from a variety of backgrounds from across the province, and anyone over the age of 18 is able to apply.

The Bank is working with the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland to assist with recruitment of panel members.

The first meeting of the panel will take place from 6-9pm on Tuesday, November 27.

It will be chaired by Frances Hill the Bank of England's agent in Northern Ireland. Her deputy Gillian Anderson will facilitate part of the session.

Ms Hill said: "I hope that we can attract a wide range of applications to join the panel from people across the province so that we can hear from as many diverse voices as possible.

"You don't need to be an expert on the economy to come along - we want to talk about the things that matter to us all such as jobs and pay and the cost of living.

"Although we can't guarantee a place for everyone at this first event, the initiative is ongoing so there will be more opportunities for members of the public to engage with the Bank.

"We will also set up an online community for members of the panels to take part in discussions and share views outside of the meetings."

To apply to join the Bank of England Citizens' Panel for Northern Ireland, or for information, visit www.bankofengland.co.uk/outreach/citizens-panels . The closing date for applications is November 2
Northern Ireland companies have been urged to prepare now for Brexit, despite the uncertainty surrounding negotiations.

Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody urged Northern Ireland businesses to start their preparations now instead of waiting until March 2019 - the month when the UK's exit from the EU is due to take place.

The firm urged businesses to start with an internal review covering departments such as sales, HR, IT, logistics and procurement.

A&L Goodbody held a breakfast event on Brexit in partnership with the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mark Thompson, partner at A&L Goodbody, said: "It is critical that companies act now to start preparing for Brexit - they mustn't be stalled by the ongoing uncertainty and volatility.

"Waiting until March 2019 will simply be too late."

While the focus has been on whether there will be a deal or 'no-deal' scenario, Mr Thompson said that a grey area for companies was the most likely outcome.

"In reality, it will sit across a spectrum and is unlikely to have binary outcomes," he said.

He called on business to focus on where they might fit on a spectrum. "Regardless of what deal is or isn't negotiated, the post-Brexit trading environment will definitely be different and that's what Northern Ireland companies need to focus on for now, while we await clarification on the degree and nature of the differences.

"Businesses can assess now their exposure in order to put in place an appropriate route map to deal with whatever changes flow from the final Brexit deal."
The Democrat Mayor of Philadelphia has said US cities need to build their own overseas relationships independent of the Trump administration as he visited Belfast yesterday.

Jim Kenney, who has been an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, said it was down to the cities to put "a good American face" on foreign relations.

Mr Kenney was part of a business delegation from the City of Brotherly Love paying a visit to Ireland and Britain.

"The face of the Trump administration in Europe is not a good one and we need to make sure we explain to our friends in Europe and other places in the world that New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, DC, Austin, don't agree with this administration on many things," he said.

On the implications for US foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland in the face of Trump's increasingly protectionist approach to trade, Mr Kenney said: "Cities need to operate and act independent from the Trump administration.

"It would be easier if the President of the United States was making comments and saying things that were encouraging the process to conclude in a positive way. I don't see that leadership. If it were Obama, even George W Bush, you would have a different tone.

"We need to continue to maintain those friendships, despite what nonsense he's up to."

He said Brexit was now firmly on the radar for many US businesses, but dismissed the notion that a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the United States could be hatched easily.

"It's not going to be easy," he insisted.

"That's why it's important that cities continue to show a face of goodwill and co-operation despite what happens in Washington. We're concerned about Brexit."

Part of a five-day tour, the visit to Belfast was brought about through the work of entrepreneurs Stephen Rice of Upskill Enterprise and John Matthews from The Talent Spot.

The pair helped convince the delegation from Philadelphia and wider Pennsylvania to include Belfast in its itinerary.

The tour yesterday took in the Catalyst Inc complex in the Titanic Quarter, Danske Bank's new fintech hub in Donegall Square and the Ulster Bank accelerator programme.

Discussions also took place with economic development agency Invest NI at Belfast City Hall.

Part of the delegation also visited the north west.

Mr Kenney said while he was keen to encourage US firms to invest here, yesterday's visit was equally about convincing businesses here on the merits of Philadelphia. Craigavon-based pharma firm Almac already has extensive operations in the state of Pennsylvania.

"Because we're between Washington DC and New York, we're often overlooked," he said.

"The biggest advantage is that it's very inexpensive to do business in Philadelphia. It's twice as expensive in New York, it's a third more expensive in Boston and DC.

"I think that the opportunities are there. We have 100 universities, medical centres, an economy that's getting better and a willingness to be open to other folks from other countries."
Two weeks ago I highlighted the amazing live kidney transplant story of rock star Tina Turner and this week I'm getting a little closer to Cher as we prepare to 'turn back time' this weekend.

The clocks go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday, which should mean that we all get an extra hour in bed. I always remember which way the clocks turn by thinking of 'spring forward and fall back'.

Speaking of rock legends, there will be plenty of dance moves this Saturday night as Carol Myatt McHugh turns back time to the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties as she holds a fancy dress night at the Ivy Bar in Newtownards.

Carol is the amazing mum to two sons, Mark and Colin. Earlier this year Colin donated a kidney to Mark at Belfast City Hospital and mum and I met Carol and Mark many times as we made our regular trips to the renal unit to get checked out after our surgery.

I've always talked about the amazing care which the team in Belfast provide to patients and how our journeys criss-cross as we meet with the nurses and consultants. We share a unique bond of camaraderie, a shared experience of what it's like to rely on the selfless generosity of others to help us live as normal a life as possible and it was always lovely to see Carol and Mark at the clinic.

It's amazing that Carol is encouraging people to don their fancy dress costumes and take part in a spot of karaoke to support the needs of kidney patients through Kidney Care UK.

I can't promise that Tina Turner or Cher will put in an appearance in Newtownards - but you never know. If you are nearby on Saturday night please call in to see Carol and take part in a few games. She's truly inspirational to get people to dress up and support a cause so dear to her heart.

As anyone who visits the Belfast City Hospital renal unit will tell you this is a very special year for nephrology in Northern Ireland as we celebrate 50 years of renal services.

A big shout out goes to all the amazing health professionals who are working so hard to hold events to commemorate a milestone of love, of generosity and of advancing science which our wee country can be so rightly proud of.

Across the decades we have been blessed with trailblazing heroes who have always ensured that the renal services in Belfast have been world-leading as well as making sure that in Northern Ireland we have world-beating levels of care for our patients.

A 50th birthday for our service is certainly cause for celebration and as we look to the future of renal services in Northern Ireland it is always important to honour those who have gone before and to remember the wonderful sacrifices which were made to ensure that we have the service which we know and love today.

This Sunday, the Northern Ireland Kidney Patients Association are holding a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate this wonderful milestone at the Chapel of Unity, Methodist College Belfast at 3pm.

Remember that's 3pm after turning your clock back by an hour on Saturday night before going to bed because if you show up at 4pm you'll have missed it.

Finally, a wee update from the farm. We are currently finishing off the preparations for our winter housing to bring the cattle into the sheds across the winter months. Dad has been working hard to clean and prepare all their five star accommodation in readiness for their arrival in the next few days.

Thanks again for all your messages and encouragement. The support for kidney patients and the organ donation message has been truly overwhelming - it just goes to show that we all have it within us to be a lifesaver.
TV and bike racing folk hero Guy Martin vividly recalls his Road to Damascus moment that persuaded him it was time to step away from his high speed, daredevil career, dicing with death on the world's fastest road racing circuits.

He was lying in a Royal Victoria hospital bed, his body battered and broken after a 130mph crash at the Dundrod 150 race during Ulster Grand Prix week in 2015.

His injuries included a broken back, ribs and hand.

It wasn't the first time he had woken in a hospital bed, seriously injured after a racing spill.

His dramatic brush with death in a 170mph fireball crash at the 2010 Isle of Man TT ironically and painfully shot him to cinematic fame as the central figure in the iconic racing documentary, TT: Closer To The Edge.

Prior to that, he had begun endearing himself to Sunday night TV audiences with quirky, folksy series like The Boat That Guy Built, leading on to hits like Building Britain and Speed, based around his fascination with engineering and restoration projects, finding out how things work, and, of course, going fast.

It had always been felt he would eventually choose the safer, more lucrative TV career path over the danger-filled and financially unrewarding sport of motorcycle road racing.

But free spirit Guy was always the most unlikely celebrity, as unchanged today from when he first arrived on the Northern Ireland road racing scene in 2004 as a complete unknown from his native Lincolnshire where he still holds down his day job as a lorry mechanic.

For him, it was always racing first and the rest in his slipstream. Until that fateful day at Dundrod.

"I'd landed in hospital before but this time was different," Guy, 37 next month, relates in his distinctive machine-gun patter. "The Isle of Man crash was the more spectacular with the bike exploding in flames. I suffered bruising to both lungs and broke a vertebrae.

"But Dundrod was the worst. I don't remember anything about the crash after headbutting the ground at 130mph, then skidding into a dirt field and catapulting off a few things.

"I might have come around at the trackside, because the marshals told people I was spouting the usual gibberish. I properly woke up in hospital. Then it was all the usual questions - where are you sore? Does this hurt?

"I was in the Royal Victoria in Belfast and I've never been more impressed by a hospital than I was by that place, all the staff were great. I broke five vertebrae. They had to rod my spine because I broke my sternum, too. I had five broken ribs and two metacarpals in my right hand which had to be plated.

"I remember thinking 'what's happened... where have the last 12 years of my life gone?' I'd given everything to racing and put off other things I wanted to do."

So he walked, albeit with the aid of crutches, and remarkably was back at work on his lorries within weeks. "There's no better physio than working on trucks," Guy (right) reasons.

And then, surprisingly, for a man addicted to life in the fast lane, he confides: "I should have packed it in sooner, maybe two or three years earlier, but I was with a great Northern Ireland team, wonderful people and riding good bikes."

But he overstayed and it ended badly as he parted company with the highly successful Moneymore-based racing team, run by renowned father and son Hector and Philip Neill. Patriarch Hector and the rider he regarded as an adopted son fell out, still a source of regret to Guy as he relates: "I accepted an offer from another team when Hector thought I was staying with them.

"He wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't even look at me, he took it so badly. It was upsetting for me, too. I loved Hector. He is a wonderful man and I still have a lot of respect for him. I had the best times with his team and they were the reason I carried on longer than I should."

We are catching up to supposedly discuss his latest book, We Need To Weaken The Mixture, a typical Guy Martin rip-roaring Boys Own adventure in which he:

n Restores a 1983 Williams F1 car and then races Jenson Button in it

n Helps build a First World War tank

n Rides with Vladimir Putin's favourite biker gang, the Night Wolves

n Stands on top of one of Chernobyl's nuclear reactors

n Helps save his local pub from closure

n Oh, and became a dad.

But a mutual love of road racing and a rider/reporter relationship, stretching back to his debut here, takes us down a different track entirely.

He tells how he was writing the final chapter of his book when he heard the tragic news of the loss in a July racing accident at Skerries of William Dunlop, a former team-mate with the Neills.

"A smashing lad," he recalls, fondly. "He loved riding bikes and on his day, when everything clicked, he was brilliant.

"I did feel there was a lot of external pressure on him to keep racing because he was a Dunlop. I always thought he had a similar attitude to me; he wasn't that bothered about the results, he just loved his riding. I was a team-mate with him for a year, and he could be a lazy so and so, but there was more to him than motorbikes.

"It's such a shame because he'd not that long had a kid and had another on the way that's now been born. Perhaps he was a victim of his surname. He was a Dunlop and Dunlops keep racing."

Guy speaks with a sadness he admits would have been undetectable at his racing peak in the typical rider's permanent state of denial of the unthinkable, quite literally because they never think it will happen to them, otherwise they wouldn't do it.

In that film, Closer To The Edge, Guy famously answers for every racer who ever went to the line when challenged on why they blaze on, even as the body count mounts up. "No-one forces us to do it," he shrugs.

He admits now his attitude to news of fatalities has shifted. "I used to think, matter of factly, 'that's another one gone' and got on with things. After a while you became immune. I was so immersed in my racing, that kind of stuff was like water off a duck's back. Now I think a lot more deeply about it."

Is that because he, like William, became a dad in the last year? Baby daughter Dot, a year old next month, and partner Sharon are now his focus in the way racing once was.

"Priorities change, yes," he admits, although he stresses: "I didn't quit racing because of the fatalities or even the injuries I received. I just got fed up and wanted to do other things that had been on hold. I'd never be disrespectful to road racing. The sport was good to me. I just felt I had to move on."

Extreme cycle racing now provides his sporting kicks while his latest TV project is building a supercharged Ford Transit van to try to break the lap record for a commercial vehicle at Germany's famous Nurburgring. But he still keeps a watching brief on his old friends and rivals, wondering during the course of our conversation if William's brother Michael will mount a racing machine again? Or indeed, if road racing in Northern Ireland will survive in its present form. His hunch is that it will, though maybe with fewer meetings due to rising insurance costs.

He tells how he watched Michael Dunlop on TV, racing at this year's Isle of Man TT in June and noted a change from the rider he first knew.

"I like Michael Dunlop," he says. "A much more forceful personality than William, we had our run-ins in our early racing days. Some people may have felt he was reckless but watching him at the TT, he showed a maturity that those people didn't think he had in him. He is a committed rider and I have nothing but respect for him.

"I sent him a text when William died saying if he ever wanted a chat over a cup of tea, I'd be there, and I meant it."

In most of the rest of the UK and Ireland, Guy is regarded as a TV personality who used to race bikes. Here, he is remembered by legions of road racing fans as the rider who ended up on telly.

He will be missed for his quirky character and racing skills at places like the North West, Dundrod, Armoy and Cookstown although he still intends riding his Classic BSA at a future Tandragee 100.

He has fond memories of our circuits and racing people, even the North West, where he famously and publicly clashed on live TV with race chief Mervyn Whyte, the most inoffensive man in the sport.

It happened at his last North West two years ago when Guy famously kicked off at Mervyn in front of a rolling BBC camera with a rant about his dislike of chicanes, the safety feature designed to slow down riders at danger spots.

"I understand why they are there but I don't like chicanes. They are not what road racing is about. Other riders might feel the same way but keep quiet as they don't want to put their start money at risk. I wasn't being paid to turn up so I said what I thought," he says.

"I was being honest and Mervyn understood that. We made up in no time and he is another guy I have a lot of time for. He runs a tight ship at the North West, he more than anyone has made the event the huge success it is."

And, finally, on the last lap, we get round to the book, his fourth.

What does the title mean? "I can't stop biting off more than I can chew," he explains. "Maybe I am wearing everything out, but I believe the body is a fantastic thing and it will repair itself and I will go again. If it's running too rich, I don't stop what I am doing, just weaken the mixture and carry on."

With so many plates spinning in the air, TV, cycle racing, fixing lorries, writing books, being a dad, how does he find the time? "You just have to make time," he insists. "I fit a lot into my days. I get home from work at six or seven. When I'm busy I set my alarm for three, get out of bed at quarter past three. I have a cup of tea and read a magazine and take the dogs for a walk up the lane. Go through my text messages and reply to anything that needs it, then get my biking gear on ready to cycle to work.

"If I have to be at the truck yard to start at five I need to be on my bike at 23 minutes past four. That gives me time to change into my boots and overalls and have a cup of tea before I start. The pedal to work is the best chewing gum for the brain.

"I tell myself, right, this is what's happening - you're doing this at work, so we need to do this, this and this..."

The need for speed, being paramount.

We Need To Weaken The Mixture, by Guy Martin. Published by Virgin Books, priced 20
The Cave Hill is popular with walkers and mountain bikers.

Police in Northern Ireland have issued a warning to the public after reports of a wire trap planted on Belfast's Cave Hill Country Park.

Belfast council said it would be continuing to carry out checks of cycle tracks in the area.

Park wardens received the report of a wire strung across part of a trail in a "potentially dangerous position" on Tuesday morning.

Police said on Tuesday evening nothing had been found after a search.

"We are asking that any cyclists or walkers who are out on the trails be mindful of their own safety," said police.

"Obviously, if you're in the park and you see any wire or anything else untoward, please contact Belfast city council direct on 028 90 32 0202 (office hours) or 028 90 27 0275 (outside office hours).

"You can also contact Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency situation - the reference number you need is 908 23/10/2018."

A council spokesman added: "Our wardens will continue to check the cycle tracks on a regular basis and will investigate any reports of suspicious activity. We would urge cyclists and walkers to be vigilant and report anything suspicious to the Councils Parks section on 9032 0202 or the PSNI on 101.

Two years ago there were fears of attempts to sabotage popular biking trails on the mountain which could cause death, it was warned.

Fishing wire had been found strung across two trees at around head height on one of the routes around Belfast Castle.

At the time there were fears of a concerted attempt to target mountain bikers users the trails.
An Antrim company selling counterfeit children's dressing up costumes was fined 10,400 on Wednesday at Antrim Crown Court.

Trader Quan Gan (55) was sentenced to 140 hours community service after pleading guilty to 15 charges.

In the case brought by the Department for Economy's Trading Standards Service, company Gat Fashion Ltd pleaded guilty to 15 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994.

A Forfeiture Order was granted in respect of costumes acquired by Trading Standards Service.

In November 2016, following a complaint, Trading Standards Officers raided premises at Springfarm Industrial Estate, Antrim, where they found large quantities of counterfeit childrens dressing up costumes. The items were being sold online from the premises.

The costumes bore trademarks such as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Mickey Mouse and Cinderella without the consent of the brand owner.

Some 4,400 suspected items were seized and another 2,400 items were later voluntarily surrendered. Subsequent investigations revealed that the business had arranged for the items to be manufactured on its behalf in China.

Nicholas Lane, of the Trading Standards Service, said: Genuine licensed distributors were having to compete unfairly against this trader. Consumers would have had no reason to believe that they were buying anything other than genuine items.

"Counterfeiting harms legitimate businesses and threatens jobs. The Trading Standards Service will continue to investigate sellers of counterfeit goods and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any trader found to be selling fakes.

Anyone who believes they have been sold counterfeit goods should contact Consumerline on 0300 123 6262.
Patrick Burns, who was attacked by a gang, with his mother Donna McBride

The mother of a teenage boy who suffered head injuries when he was attacked with a knuckleduster and a hammer on a north Belfast street says he could have been killed.

Patrick Burns was walking home from his grandmother's house with a friend on Deerpark Road at around 8pm on Friday when he was pushed into a hedge and attacked by four youths.

He curled up to protect himself, but sustained two gashes on the left side of his head from the hammer and two wounds to the right side from knuckleduster blows.

The attackers stopped kicking him for a few seconds which gave him the chance to escape with the help of a passing motorist who had been flagged down by his friend.

Patrick's mother Donna McBride said: "He was just in complete shock, he couldn't even cry.

"That hammer could have left him brain damaged or even killed him." She added: "These kids don't understand what they're doing. They're going to wreck somebody's life."

Patrick was taken to hospital where he underwent an MRI scan on his head and a CT scan on hand injuries.

The violence came during four days of organised fights which began on Thursday and plagued the Ardoyne area over the weekend.

The hostilities have reignited after smaller incidents took place in the summer holidays.

SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said up to 80 youths aged between 12 and 17 had arranged the fights through social media around the Crumlin Road and Alliance Avenue areas.

The Oldpark councillor, who was on the street on Friday night, said: "It certainly was a very vicious attack on Patrick who was walking home and got caught up in the arranged fights."

"We had four nights of arranged fights in north Belfast and the concerning thing was that there are now weapons being used," he continued. "This was a frightening experience for him (Patrick) and I hope he makes a speedy recovery."

Extra police were deployed to the area on Saturday night in a bid to prevent further trouble between the youths, and a knife was seized from one.

Mr McCusker added: "I cannot emphasise enough to all young people the dangers and consequences in this behaviour and would urge you to stop." The PSNI said: "A 14-year-old male was taken to hospital for treatment after he was assaulted in north Belfast. It's understood he was set upon by four youths at the junction of Alliance Avenue and Deerpark Road shortly after 8pm. A number of reports about youths gathering in the area were also received at around the same time and local police, who were on patrol nearby, attended within minutes."
The legislation aims to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland while there continues to be no Executive at Stormont (PA)

Brexit is the elephant in the room which is prolonging the political vacuum in Northern Ireland, an SNP MP has said.

Northern Ireland spokesman Gavin Newlands argued the broader instability caused by Brexit is a central reason why it has proven so difficult to restore the devolved institutions.

Theresa Mays Government, he said, has become totally distracted by Brexit and internal party infighting.

Speaking during the second reading of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North said such legislation had sadly become necessary, but added a political vacuum must not become the new normal in Northern Ireland.

He said Northern Ireland is the central conversation in the Brexit talks and therefore it is vital that its voice is heard.

If the UK Government ploughs on with a no-deal hard Brexit, it will wreak further havoc on the businesses, public services and entire economies of all within the UK, and that is nothing short of economic vandalism of the highest order.Gavin Newlands

As the shambolic Brexit process is a central reason for the ongoing crisis, this Government has a responsibility to ensure talks progress swiftly, he said.

Brexit, he warned, is wreaking havoc on every aspect of politics in these islands, adding: The broader instability caused by Brexit is a central reason why its proven so difficult to restore the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland.

There are many reasons why the Executive and Assembly collapsed, but it is the elephant in the room  Brexit  which is prolonging the concerning political vacuum.

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He went on: March is quickly approaching and we still have no confirmation of plans to extend the period for withdrawal, the threat of a new border becomes closer by the minute.

Northern Ireland is the central conversation in the Brexit talks, therefore it is vital that its voice is heard.

Mr Newlands said Northern Ireland voted by 56% to remain in the EU, just as 62% of Scots did, and he urged the Government to pursue a policy of staying within the single market and customs union.

He said: The Government continues trying to ignore Scotland, well they also ignore the people of Northern Ireland, and if the UK Government ploughs on with a no-deal hard Brexit, it will wreak further havoc on the businesses, public services and entire economies of all within the UK, and that is nothing short of economic vandalism of the highest order.

Fine speech by @theSNP Northern Ireland Spokesperson @GavNewlandsSNP reminding UK Govt to listen to the people of the north the majority of whom voted #Remain but whose voice is not heard in @HouseofCommons #NorthernIrelandBill #Brexit  Joanna Cherry QC (@joannaccherry) October 24, 2018

Referring to the European Research Group (ERG), he said, its entirely regressive aims are not the public interest.

Leading Tory Brexiteer Steve Baker earlier announced he was withdrawing amendments to the Northern Ireland Bill intended to prevent the backstop being implemented.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley intervened, saying: He (Mr Baker) withdrew those amendments because he recognised the necessity of this Bill for the people of Northern Ireland, and I do want to thank him for having done so.

Withdrawing those amendments because it has meant that the people of Northern Ireland who need their public services to continue to be delivered will be able to have that, because this Bill will not have been affected by amendments that would have served to wreck the Bill.
Abigail Fisher in front of the United States Supreme Court. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Affirmative action is dying a slow death, and its goals are far from realized. Parity between black and white Americans is still a fantasy, hiring discrimination against black applicants was the same in 2015 as in 1989, the blackwhite wealth gap has not narrowed meaningfully in more than half a century, and black students still attend college at lower rates than any non-indigenous ethnic group.

It is dying in large part because a vocal cohort of white Americans wants it to. Years of legal challenges  from Allan Bakke in 1978 to Abigail Fisher in 2015  have rendered toothless many of affirmative actions most promising impulses. Where it was once justified as compensation for past racial harms, such rhetoric has been largely reduced to feel-good platitudes about future diversity. Its very name has become a slur connoting unearned advantage. As with many initiatives seen as helping nonwhites, it is viewed as an entitlement rather than an investment.

Today, affirmative action faces a unique existential threat. A federal lawsuit filed by Asian-American students against Harvard College claims the schools race-conscious admissions policies disadvantage them. They allege Harvard curates its incoming classes by race and restricts the number of Asian-American admits by rating them lower on metrics like personality and likability. Perhaps surprisingly, trial testimony suggests the school gives a special leg up to whites in sparsely populated states at the expense of Asian-American applicants  which is ironic, because the suit was bankrolled by Edward Blum, the white conservative activist behind Abigail Fishers Supreme Court case. I feel that the Asian-American student population and community is being used as a pawn in a chess game, Prudence Carter, a sociologist at Berkeley, told The New Yorker.

Blums goal is to eliminate race altogether as a factor in deciding college admissions. Should his case reach the Supreme Court  where it would face a friendly conservative majority  it could reveal promising legal avenues for accomplishing just that. It would also be one of the great racial cons of our time. Affirmative action has been analogized as bringing people of color up to speed in a race where whites have long kept them behind the starting line. But that frame misrepresents the field. A more accurate assessment would be that white people are not winning by their own foot speed but because the U.S. government has taken proactive measures to make sure they win. They are affirmative actions first and greatest beneficiaries. And now, many of them are trying to destroy it before others can reap the benefits.

History demonstrates just how much many white Americans owe to government largesse. Imagine two countries, one the richest in the world, and the other amongst its most destitute, writes historian Ira Katznelson in When Affirmative Action Was White. Then suppose that a global program of foreign aid transferred well over $100 billion, but to the rich nation, not the poor. That is exactly what happened in the United States as a result of the cumulative impact of the most important domestic policies of the 1930s and 1940s.

The New Deal was an unprecedented government investment in social welfare. It created unemployment benefits and Social Security and gave military veterans resources to attend college, find work, and buy homes, to name some of its banner accomplishments. It was also deeply racist  usually in intent, but almost always in practice. To get it through Congress, northern Democrats ceded significant ground to their southern counterparts, the nations staunchest segregationists. Southern Democrats felt that improving the lives of black people would upend the racial order in their region. We will never know if they were right. They decided not to risk it.

Instead, they insisted black people be excluded from the laws bounties. They made sure there were no anti-discrimination measures in much of the legislation, then added qualifiers designed to render blacks ineligible for many of its benefits. In the 1930s, 60 percent of the black workforce nationally and 75 percent in the South were either maids or farmworkers. Under the Southern Democrats provisions, neither group could unionize, regulate its work hours, secure a minimum wage, or  until the 1950s  receive Social Security benefits under the New Deal.

Northern Democrats accepted these terms willingly. The New Deals widest-reaching reforms targeted the nations 16 million veterans. A staggering 50 percent of black men in their 20s and 30s served in the military during the Second World War, despite being disproportionately rejected due to their race when they tried to enlist. Benefits promised under the G.I. Bill of Rights included money for college and government-insured home and business loans.

But because southern Democrats feared the G.I. Bill could harm segregation by uplifting black veterans, as detailed in Kathleen J. Frydls book The G.I. Bill, they insisted many of these benefits be distributed at the discretion of local clerks. As a result, black veterans  especially in the South, where 77 percent of black people still lived in the early 1940s  were routinely denied them. Government-insured mortgages paid for nearly 5 million new homes for veterans nationwide, but just 100 of the 67,000 in New York and the northern New Jersey suburbs went to black borrowers. Black veterans across 13 Mississippi cities received just two of the 3,229 local home, business, and farm loans made in 1947.

The fallout from this discrimination was devastating. As the war ended, the New Deal was setting up an entire generation of white Americans for the future in a way no other government program had or would. Black people were not just frozen out. They were stomped into the ground with Jim Crow segregation and northern redlining and poverty. During the 1930s, black Southerners lived in such degraded conditions that poor white people could afford to hire them as housekeepers. New Deal policies could have dramatically improved their lot. Instead, they widened the racial gap while millions of white families cemented their place in an exploding middle class. By 1984, when most of the G.I. Bill mortgages had matured, the median white household had a net worth of more than $39,000. The median black household was worth slightly less than $3,400  a gaping chasm attributable primarily to the absence of black homeownership, according to Katznelson.

In theory, these are the kinds of injustices affirmative action was meant to redress, in addition to issues like hiring discrimination, segregated schooling, and denial of a minimum wage. The equivalent of a blank check was written to white Americans by the same government that told black Americans to dig through their couch for loose change. The negative outcomes are specific and measurable. Without similar precision guiding how America compensates for them  like tailoring repayment to individuals based on specific claims of wrongdoing suffered by them or their forebears, whether through tax credits, subsidized loans, or educational grants  the same blunt tool is being used to solve a disparate array of problems, and lawsuits like Blums are a logical conclusion. Casting too wide a net and promoting ephemeral notions of diversity rather than concrete reparations hamstrings affirmative actions case. Asian-Americans have valid grievances, and Harvard admissions may be one of them. Black Americans are vastly different.

But neither changes that almost an entire generation of whites received the most significant government handout in American history, only for many to turn around and insist they had triumphed on their own merits. In effect, Blum is advancing a white grievance crusade they already won 75 years ago, that their great-grandchildren are still winning today, and that will enrich their descendants for years to come. Many people see affirmative action as a slur undermining their hard work. But perhaps the notion that hard work explains their success is part of the problem. How liberating it might be to admit we are actually the sum of others investments in us  and that Americas single greatest investment went to people relentlessly committed to hoarding its spoils.
Westminster yesterday voted in favour of legalising abortion in Northern Ireland as the first reading of the Abortion Bill was passed by 208 to 123 - a majority of 85.

Seven DUP MPs - Gregory Campbell, Jeffrey Donaldson, Gavin Robinson, Jim Shannon, David Simpson, Sammy Wilson and Paul Girvan - voted against the first reading of the bill, which is seeking to scrap 157-year-old laws that make the practice illegal.

The DUP's Emma Little Pengelly was a teller for the vote, meaning she counted the votes but could not take part.

The bill was listed for a second reading on November 23 but is unlikely to become law in its current form without Government support or sufficient parliamentary time.

The private member's bill was tabled by Labour MP Diana Johnson and aims to remove sections of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act that make abortion a criminal offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales provided for exemptions to the 1861 Act, enabling legal abortions there.

The vote was welcomed by Green Party MLA Clare Bailey. "I thank Diane Johnson MP for her continuing commitment to human rights and to the women of Northern Ireland.

"The Ten Minute Rule Bill is notoriously difficult to progress but these MPs recognise that the criminalisation of abortion represents an abuse of the rights of women across Northern Ireland.

"Today, we have moved a step closer to ending this cruel and degrading denial of the rights of women and their reproductive health care," she said.

But Northern Ireland's leading pro-life group Precious Life called the vote "a direct attack on Northern Ireland's unborn babies, democracy, and the peace process".

Director Bernadette Smyth said: "Pro-abortion MPs in Westminster have no regard for unborn children. Those who voted in favour of this bill have also shown utter contempt and disregard for devolution and democracy.

"Northern Ireland's legislation on abortion is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly to legislate on.

"In 2016 the Assembly voted against any change in the laws. This must be acknowledged and respected.

"This bill is a death threat to our unborn children. If passed, it would also damage the Good Friday Agreement which was all about bringing peace through devolution, and respecting the rights of all people in Northern Ireland - and the most fundamental right of all is the right to life itself."

Abortions in Northern Ireland are currently illegal in all but exceptional medical and mental health circumstances and the Government has so far resisted pressure to legislate for reform in the wake of a recent Supreme Court judgment that found the current legal framework incompatible with human rights laws.

In June, a majority of Supreme Court judges said the ban on terminations in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality needed "radical reconsideration".

Amendments proposed by Labour MPs Stella Creasy and Conor McGinn to compel the Government to push through changes to abortion and same sex marriage laws in Northern Ireland will be debated at Westminster today.
A man who complained of getting no respect after spitting on a police officer must complete 80 hours community service, a judge ordered today.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard Mohammad Taberbouebt also tried to head-butt the constable during his arrest.

Prosecutors said the outburst occurred while police were in the Agincourt Avenue area of the city dealing with a parade on July 1.

Officers then observed an altercation between Taberbouebt and a woman in the middle of the road.

The defendant, a 40-year-old Algerian national with an address at Collingwood Avenue, Belfast, became aggressive and had to be restrained.

According to a Crown layer the policeman managed to deflect his attempted head-butt.

"The defendant then spat twice on the constable, hitting him on the body armour and overalls," the prosecutor said.

Taberbouebt was arrested for assault on police and disorderly behaviour.

The court was told he replied: "What is this judgment? I don't get respect."

Defence barrister Luke Curran disclosed that Taberbouebt has been in Northern Ireland for 18 years.

He has been unable to work due to issues with the Home Office, counsel added.

Based on the convictions for disorderly behaviour and assault on police, District Judge Fiona Bagnall imposed a total of 80 hours community service.
The DUP deliberately leaked emails about the botched Renewable Heat Incentive to take pressure off the party, it emerged yesterday.

Former Economy Minister Simon Hamilton admitted it wasn't his "proudest moment" as he gave evidence to the public inquiry into the failed green energy scheme.

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The emails from the summer of 2015 detailed contact between officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti) and those in the energy industry.

They showed Deti officials publicised that the high cash subsidies for RHI were to be cut in the autumn.

This led to a huge spike in applications before the deadline, which burst the scheme's budget.

In January 2017 the political fallout from the RHI scandal reached crisis point.

With Mr Hamilton's knowledge, his special adviser John Robinson leaked these "explosive" emails to the Press and a top civil servant.

This was done to back up a claim by DUP special adviser Andrew Crawford that he wasn't responsible for the 2015 spike.

Mr Hamilton admitted it was not his "proudest moment", but told Mr Robinson he believed they would be "useful" in the public domain.

This sharply contrasted to his earlier evidence in which he said he was "raging" after he believed Sinn Fein leaked a plan to cut RHI cost controls.

The plan, set out in December 2016 by the senior civil servant Dr Andrew McCormick, was to buy out claimants, helping them recoup some of their costs and still giving them a 12% rate of return.

At a cost of around 50m, Mr Hamilton thought it was a good short-term measure, acting as a "tourniquet" to stop a haemorrhaging of public money.

Mr Hamilton said he was then "raging" after the plan was leaked to the media.

He said at the time he blamed Sinn Fein.

"They said they wanted to work with us to find a solution but things were falling apart.

"There was a fear and suspicion on my part they did it. There were examples of briefings to the media that gave an (incorrect) flavour of meetings. Sinn Fein wanted to be seen as the saviour of the whole situation, but if not the DUP were to blame.

"They were blaming the Department for the Economy (which succeeded Deti) including myself."

Mr Hamilton said it wouldn't have been in his own or his officials' interests to have leaked the plans to the media.

He said the mutual belief that the other party was to blame led to the deterioration of relations.

The drama had followed frantic efforts in 2016 to bring RHI under control.

Mr Hamilton told the inquiry panel he was shocked on his first day as Economy Minister in May that year when civil servants told him RHI was "very successful".

In his written evidence he said this showed a "startling lack of awareness" from his officials, who he instructed never to refer to RHI as successful again.

He added that they were "bogged down" with matters like answering questions from the Audit Office.

"People were doing lots of work, there's ample evidence of that, but it wasn't at the heart of the matter to the overspend," he said.

That overspend was threatening to run into hundreds of millions of pounds in public money.

Part of the work to address the scheme's shortcomings was an inspection of biomass boilers used by applicants.

Mr Hamilton said there wasn't enough being done to press ahead with this.

By October 2016 he said he was disappointed by the "shoddy" solutions being presented to him. He said the plans lacked any options about how to reduce costs.

A "significantly wrong-headed and also dangerous" proposal to consult on changes with interested parties, such as the Ulster Farmers' Union and poultry giant Moy Park, was a major worry, Mr Hamilton said.

He said their input would have hindered any attempt to reduce spending, and told officials they had to start again.

Panel member Dame Una O'Brien told Mr Hamilton he should have pressed officials further. He said he accepted he could have "laid down my authority" more than he did.

Dame Una added later: "When things go wrong at that level I would expect someone to take a grip".

Another panel member, Dr Keith MacLean, asked if it was wise to expect solutions from civil servants who failed to spot the problems first time around.

Mr Hamilton admitted his "heart sank a little" in October 2016 when he saw the solutions he was presented with were coming from the same officials who had "gone off the rails" a year before. He said the situation would have been helped if there was co-operation from the Stormont Executive as a whole.

"If there was a big, big lesson about this, that's something we ought to have done," he said.

As a result, he said his department didn't get a "kick in the backside" from Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness, First and Deputy First Minister at the time.

Turning his attention back to Sinn Fein, Mr Hamilton accused it of playing a political game in January 2017. Plans to cut RHI spending were put to Mairtin O Muilleoir, who was Finance Minister. Mr O Muilleoir refused to sign off on the plans, which he called "piecemeal" and characterised by "at least incompetence and possibly corruption".

Mr Hamilton then accused Sinn Fein of holding out for political advantage, instead of fairly considering the plan.
A bomb has been discovered at the New York home of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

"Suspected explosive devices" have been sent to the homes of Bill and Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, the Secret Service have confirmed.

A package was discovered on Wednesday morning at the Clinton's home in Chappaqua, New York.

Police in New Castle, New York - who cover Chappaqua - say they assisted the FBI, Secret Service and Westchester County authorities in "the investigation of a suspicious package".

A suspicious package was also reportedly sent to the residence of ex-President Barack Obama.

The devices were discovered by technicians who screen mail sent to former US officials.

CNN also had to evacuate its New York officers after receiving a suspicious package.

In a statement the Secret Service said that the first package was addressed to Mrs Clinton on October 23.

"Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to the residence of Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC," the statement said.

"Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

Both Clintons are known for their affinity for Northern Ireland.

While US President Bill played a key role in establishing the Northern Ireland peace process.

Hilary visited Belfast earlier this month to accept an honorary degree from Queen's University.

The officials say investigators believe the explosive is linked to one found on Monday at the compound of billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

A bomb was discovered inside a package delivered to his home on Monday.
Firefighters battle a blaze at Flame restaurant on Howard Street in Belfast on October 23rd 2018 (Photo by Caoimhe McKeown / Scott Media)

Firefighters battle a blaze at Flame restaurant on Howard Street in Belfast on October 23rd 2018 (Photo by Caoimhe McKeown / Scott Media)

Firefighters battle a blaze at Flame restaurant on Howard Street in Belfast on October 23rd 2018 (Photo by Caoimhe McKeown / Scott Media)

Firefighters battle a blaze at Flame restaurant on Howard Street in Belfast on October 23rd 2018 (Photo by Caoimhe McKeown / Scott Media)

Firefighters battle a blaze at Flame restaurant on Howard Street in Belfast on October 23rd 2018 (Photo by Caoimhe McKeown / Scott Media)

Firefighters in Belfast have dealt with an incident at city centre restaurant Flame.

A total of five appliances from Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended the restaurant on Tuesday evening, which is located on Howard Street, roughly halfway between City Hall and the Grand Opera House.

Fire Service Duty Area Commander Paddy Gallagher said it was responding to a small fire in the ground floor extract system, and had been called out shortly after 8pm.

Four pumping appliances and one aerial appliance originally attended the scene, reduced down to two pumping appliances a short time later.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, a representative from the restaurant said it had only been a "small fire" and staff had been able to return on Tuesday evening.

Staff were back in the restaurant a short time after 9pm, although dinner service was not resumed.

The Flint Hotel, which has rooms above the restaurant, was also evacuated.

A staff member from the hotel said there had been between 30 and 40 guests had to leave their rooms, gathering in the lobby, but were able to return after around 20 minutes.
Four men have been charged with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm over a paramilitary-style attack in west Belfast.

Four men have been charged with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm over a paramilitary-style attack in west Belfast.

The men, aged 42, 35, 33, and 30, are due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the PPS.

It relates to a paramilitary-style shooting in the Turf Lodge area on Friday, September 28.
The funeral of murderer Fred McClenaghan (57) will take place today in his home town of Magherafelt.

The service will take place at Magherafelt Independent Methodist Church at 2pm, with his son, daughter, parents and five siblings likely to attend.

The cold-blooded killer was serving a life sentence for gunning down Marion Millican (51), his former partner, in a Portstewart laundrette in 2011.

McClenaghan fell ill over a week ago in his cell at Magilligan Prison.

He was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where he died on Sunday.

McClenaghan had served just one year of a minimum 13-year sentence after finally admitting in September 2017 to the murder of Ms Millican.

McClenaghan was tried three times over the killing of Ms Millican.

He had claimed the shotgun killing at her place of work was a suicide attempt that had gone wrong.

He successfully appealed his conviction twice, before admitting his guilt

Folloiwng the third trial, the police officer who led the investigation described McClenaghan as "very callous and dangerous".

The news of McClenaghan's death was met with a sense of relief by his victim's husband and four children.

This was shared by her long time friend Pamela Henry, who was present in the laundrette with Ms Millican when McClenaghan burst through the door brandishing the weapon.

She said: "I was so afraid that I would bump into him when he was out walking the streets after he had served his sentence - this is a great relief. I still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and I have nightmares due to what happened.

"I hope he burns in hell, that's the place for him, and give us all peace."
The funeral of notorious murderer Fred McClenaghan has taken place in Co Londonderry.

Self-confessed killer McClenaghan died on Sunday in Royal Victoria Hospital where he was being treated in the intensive care unit.

His burial took place on Wednesday at Polepatrick Cemetery, after a funeral service at Magherafelt Independent Methodist Church.

The death of the 57-year-old was confirmed by the Prison Service on Sunday night, and it is understood he died from natural causes.

McClenaghan was serving a life sentence for shooting his former girlfriend Marion Millican in a Portstewart laundrette in 2011.

The mother-of-four was blasted in the chest at point-blank range by McClenaghan when he went to the Portstewart laundrette where she worked on March 11, 2011.

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He consistently claimed he had intended to kill himself in front of Mrs Millican.

However, the court was told that their relationship had earlier broken down when he became violent towards her.

Mrs Millican had begun a relationship with McClenaghan after splitting from her husband in September 2009.
Behold the No. 1 threat to American national security. Photo: PEDRO PARDO/AFP/Getty Images

Less than two weeks before Election Day, the Republican Party is broadcasting a variety of closing messages. But all boil down to this: We know that we cannot win elections unless voters are wildly misinformed about our intentions for future policy, and Americas present challenges.

That might sound like Democratic invective. But it is a plain description of the premise that unifies the GOPs 2018 rhetoric.

Republican candidates throughout the country are campaigning on their support for preserving the Affordable Care Acts protections for people with preexisting conditions. And yet, most of those candidates have used the power of their public offices to eliminate those protections, through either legislation or litigation (in fact, some are using their power to that end right now, at the very same moment that theyre assuring voters of their deep commitment to guaranteeing affordable insulin to diabetics). The dissonance here isnt a product of an evolution or a flip-flop. The GOP has not changed its actual position on the issue in question. In recent weeks, Senate Republicans have sought to burnish their candidates claims to moderation on health care by publicizing a bill that would require insurers to offer coverage to everyone  but that would also abolish restrictions on how much companies can charge people with preexisting conditions for their coverage. Which is to say, the bill guarantees affordable coverage for rich people with serious medical problems, while abandoning the rest to their fates.

If Republicans believed that they could win elections by giving voters an accurate picture of their position on health care, they wouldnt be eliding this point in every campaign advertisement theyve aired on the subject. But they dont, so they are.

Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions, Democrats will not! Vote Republican.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2018

Over the past week, the Republican president has begun campaigning on a pure 10 percent tax cut targeted exclusively at middle-income Americans  one that the White House has been working on for a few months and is set to pass before the midterm elections.

Which is to say: The president is campaigning on a tax plan that does not exist.

If Republicans believed that they could win elections by giving voters an accurate picture of their position on tax policy, then they would be campaigning on the tax cuts that they actually passed  which is to say, on their success at providing wealthy shareholders with a large, permanent tax cut, and middle-class people with a modest, temporary one. But they know that they cant, so they arent.

Finally, in recent days, the president and his party have sought to direct the nations attention to a caravan of Honduran asylum seekers, who are thousands of miles from the U.S. southern border. Trump warned his supporters that many criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in to that caravan; and thus, that this group of desperate, impoverished people (who may never actually reach the U.S. border) poses a clear and immediate danger to Americas national security.

This has had its intended effect on the Republican base.

If Republicans believed that they could win elections by giving voters an accurate sense of the threat that Central American migrants pose to their personal safety  and a clear understanding of the fact that violent crime in the United States is near historic lows  then they would not be terrorizing Carol Shields with the thought of MS-13 occupying her lakehouse. But they dont, so they are.

But dont take my word for it  take that of a senior Trump administration official:

Donald Trump and his political allies have embarked on an aggressive, end-of-the-campaign effort to drum up fear among voters about a caravan of poor migrants several thousand miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Much of it is mistruths and embellishments, but Trumpland could care less.

It doesnt matter if its 100 percent accurate, a senior Trump administration official told The Daily Beast. This is the play.

 For Republicans, the sharp turn toward immigration fears, and those related to the caravan in particular, has been viewed a clear political winner, even as some acknowledge that the rhetoric from the president and othersincluding the accusation that philanthropist and Democratic financier George Soros was funding the caravanhas been overblown.

Soros is probably not masterminding these people coming to the border, conceded one GOP operative in an interview on Tuesday. When it comes to allowing segments of the base to believe what they want to believe, it happens on both sides. Republicans are no more guilty of it than Democrats.



That last claim is manifestly untrue. Republicans are not allowing segments of the base believe what they want to believe  they are doing everything in their power to deny their voters the opportunity to make a well-informed decision about how they will be governed. Democrats have not kept every campaign promise that theyve made to the public over the past decade. In ways large and small, the party has betrayed many of its constituencies while in power. But Barack Obama did not campaign for the presidency in 2008 on a promise to cut federal health-care spending; congressional Democrats did not run a pledge to give tax breaks to the wealthy in 2012; and no senior administration official proudly told reporters in 2016 that lying to voters about a nonexistent terror threat was Hillary Clintons play. In other words: Democrats have been honest about the general direction that their top legislative priorities would move public policy in, and have sought to keep their more demagogic messaging in the general vicinity of empirical facts.

The Republican Partys refusal to abide by this standard is an expression of contempt for its own voters, and for the ideal of democratically accountable government, more broadly. A Fourth Estate worthy of that title would work to ensure that its audience gets the message.
Police are investigating a murder after a man died in hospital over a week after he was assaulted in Portaferry, in Co Down.

He was 32-year-old Ryan Macrae. It's thought he was from Killyleagh.

He was attacked in the Church Street area just before 1am on Sunday, October 14.

On Wednesday, October 24 police confirmed the man had died in hospital on Tuesday evening and a murder investigation opened.

Speaking about the arrest, Detective Inspector Deborah Eakin said: We are investigating the murder of Ryan Mcrae following an incident in the area of Church Street, Portaferry, shortly before 1am on Sunday, 14 October 2018.

Following the incident the victim was admitted to hospital and unfortunately he subsequently passed away last night.

I would appeal to anyone who was present at the scene or who attempted to assist the victim after the attack in Church Street at 1am on Sunday 14th October 2018 to contact Detectives in Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 84 14/10/2018. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A 19-year-old has been taken to Musgrave police station in Belfast for questioning on suspicion of murder.
Tens of thousands of illegally imported and unauthorised medicine packages have been seized in the province as part of a week-long international operation

Tens of thousands of illegally imported and unauthorised medicine packages have been seized in the province as part of a week-long international operation.

During Operation Pangea XI, multiple packages containing some 60,000 tablets destined for addresses throughout Northern Ireland were intercepted.

The haul included diazepam, pregabalin and zopiclone.

The co-ordinated operation took place between October 9 and 16 and involved 116 countries, with the aim of disrupting the illicit online supply and raising awareness of the significant health risks associated with buying medicines from illegal websites and social media platforms.

Anthony Harbinson, Director of Safer Communities at the Department of Justice, and Chair of the Organised Crime Taskforce (OCTF) Strategy Group, said he was delighted with the outcome: "Working together we can help safeguard public health and bring to justice the criminals preying on vulnerabilities and ill-health."

Peter Moore, Senior Medicines Enforcement Officer with the Department of Health's Medicines Regulatory Group, added: "The illicit medicines recovered were destined for addresses throughout Northern Ireland leaving none of our communities immune from the dangers presented by drugs like these.

"Medication sold from disreputable websites can be poor quality at best and dangerous at worst. We urge the public not to be tempted by what look like cut prices or fooled by professional looking websites offering medicines without prescription."
Sinn Fein has hit back at comments from UUP MLA Doug Beattie after the republican party called for pressure to be put on the Government to release documents connected to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.

Branding the criticism "distraction politics", Sinn Fein called on Mr Beattie to support the implementation of legacy mechanisms.

In a statement on Wednesday, UUP justice spokesperson Mr Beattie said Sinn Fein showed an "absolute lack of self awareness" after it called on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to "bring something more to the calls" for the Government to release all relevant documents about the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Sinn Fein addressed the issue of unreleased documents during a meeting of the Dail's Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality in Dublin, which Drew Harris was appearing in front of.

The attack - carried out by the UVF - was one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles, resulting in the loss of 33 lives.

There has been a long-running campaign from the Justice for the Forgotten lobby group for an inquiry to opened into allegations of collusion between British security agents and the perpetrators of the attack.

In his preliminary remarks to the committee, Mr Harris touched on a number of areas requiring reform in An Garda Siochana but did not specifically make a mention of legacy issues in Northern Ireland.

"It is right that all information about all Troubles related incidents should be made known if it does not endanger life," said Mr Beattie, going on to criticise Sinn Fein for asking for "that which they are not prepared to give themselves".

Given the terrorist pasts of many of their members, plus their links to the IRA as part of the republican movement Sinn Fein have access to a treasure trove of knowledge of murders, maimings, bombings and shootings," said Mr Beattie.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson said the comments from Doug Beattie were "more of the distraction politics Doug Beattie likes to engage in when the spotlight is shone on the activities of British state forces".

"If Doug Beattie is really serious about dealing with the legacy of the past then he should support the implementation of the legacy mechanisms agreed by the two governments and the political parties at Stormont House to give victims and survivors of the conflict the widest range of options to get justice and truth."
The price of beef could rise in Northern Ireland as a result of a no-deal Brexit.

Northern Ireland business leaders have warned that the price of cheese and beef could be set to rise as a result of a no-deal Brexit.

The business leaders were appearing before the House of Commons Exiting the European Union Committee in London to discuss the effect of Brexit on local businesses.

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They warned that the price of cheese and beef could rise sharply in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The UK is set to leave the European Union on March 29 2019 and a withdrawal agreement has yet to be reached between the EU and the UK government.

Earlier this week Prime Minister Theresa May said that a Brexit deal was "95% done" but issues remain over the Irish border and backstop issues.

Declan Billington of the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association said that the "viability of the dairy section is being brought into question" because 30% of milk from Northern Ireland is processed in the Republic of Ireland.

He said that Northern Ireland lacked the infrastructure to process the milk.

"Over the distance the UK is a great opportunity for us to expand into but we don't have five months to build the factories to make the butter and cheese," Mr Billington said.

"There is a real fear that unless the government intervene in a hard Brexit to support the industries while they transition there could be serious casualties."

Asked about those who say a no-deal would not pose a problem Mr Billington said that giving five months to get ready for Brexit would be "devastating" for local industry.

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He said that Northern Ireland businesses were facing a "cliff edge" due to the lack of preparation and clear guidelines ahead of Brexit.

Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium Aodhan Connolly said that a no-deal Brexit was "not an option" for Northern Ireland businesses.

Mr Connolly said that if Northern Ireland received "favoured nations status" with the World Trade Organisation then consumers would see the cost of beef rise by 37% and cheese by 43%.

"We're already at the lowest baseline economically of any of the regions and countries throughout the UK, quite simply the Northern Ireland consumer does not have the ability to absorb these cost rises that could come from a no-deal scenario," he said.

Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope said talk of price increases around cheese was "scaremongering".

"Why are people in Northern Ireland going to have to pay more for their cheese when they can get it either from the surplus milk that there's going to be or from buying good old English cheddar," he said.

Mr Billington said that the Northern Ireland dairy industry relied on factories in the Republic of Ireland.

"The UK is running a 30% deficit on cheese, alot of that is made up from countries like Ireland, the milk from Northern Ireland goes to the South to be made into cheese. Years ago we are argued that we needed a level playing field to be able to build the factories in Northern Ireland to service the UK market," he said.

"The food deficit is twice the size of our output so over the distance there was always a big opportunity. The all-island market evolved and the factories are on the other side of the border and the milk will not be able to move south to service those factories. We do not have the factories in the North to make butter or cheese."

Sir Christopher said that the cheese market would produce a "great post-Brexit opportunity" for Northern Ireland.

"If you gave us a five-year transition period before we hit the brick wall we would break your arm to take the opportunities for Northern Ireland in the UK market. We're not being given five years, we're being given five months," Mr Billington said.

Sir Christopher said businesses had been aware that the UK was leaving the EU for more than two years and questioned the lack of preparation.

"Nobody has ever given any guarantee that there would be a deal, why is it that none of you seem to have been making any contingency plans?," he asked.

His fellow Conservative MP Stephen Bone echoed Sir Christopher's comments.

"You've known we've been coming out of the EU since June 2016 and now you're just waking up with five minutes to go that there might not be a deal. You've not done a pretty good job have you?," he said.
War hero Tim Collins has branded plans to investigate military veterans accused of Troubles crimes as a farce that threatens Northern Ireland's peace process.

The Belfast-born former Royal Irish Regiment commander added that the proposed formation of an Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) was a "purely political" decision that had nothing to do with the pursuit of justice.

Colonel Collins, who fought in the Iraq War in 2003, said he agreed with 150 Conservative MPs and peers who have written to Theresa May urging her to shelve the potential investigation of past crimes by military personnel here.

It follows the launch in May of a Government consultation paper - Addressing The Legacy of Northern Ireland's Past - which dealt with how historic inquiries could be carried out.

Mr Collins warned that the Government "has rolled over to Sinn Fein and the republican movement" by giving the proposals any serious thought.

"What it's doing is equating murder with protecting the public and those aren't compatible," said the decorated veteran.

"This is a political issue that needs political resolve and it's up to the Prime Minister to say it's now off the table because of the acts of bad faith constantly from Sinn Fein, who've failed to hold up their end of the bargain."

Mr Collins (58) also opposes a statute of limitations "because that in itself suggests there was wrongdoing by the security forces, which is simply not true".

"This proposal has never been viable. It's only ever been political, it's never been about justice, it's always been about politics.

"It's about time the Prime Minister said that Northern Ireland - which is a very backward place - needs to be dragged into the future and so the money should go towards jobs, children and health and there should be an end to inquiries."

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said the "real danger in all of this" lies in creating "an equivalence between a soldier killing and a terrorist killing".

"A lot of the Tories who signed this letter are fearful that no distinction is made between a terrorist murder and a soldier doing their job," Mr Wilson said.

"Anybody a terrorist kills is murder in the eyes of the State and the eyes of the law and there was never any justification for it.

"However, some people want to build up a picture that the security forces, soldiers and police, were the real culprits and the terrorists were the people who had to react to State violence."

Another Army hero, Doug Beattie, said the premise upon which the HIU is based makes "absolutely no sense". "Nobody is above the law. If you deliberately break the law, be you a policeman, a soldier, a member of the public or a politician, you must face the law," said the UUP MLA.

"But the problem is that this process is naturally skewed towards the investigation of the state.

"We had 47,000 victims and they are only going to investigate 1,700.

"Of those 1,700 they're going to investigate every single soldier again while at the same time terrorists are walking about with royal pardons and on-the-run letters, and we now have convicted terrorists in every aspect of government and yet for some reason this HIU is going to focus its investigations on the State.

"It's absolutely farcical. The Ulster Unionist Party believes the HIU does not work. It is not good for victims."

Reacting to the letter, Sinn Fein victims' spokeswoman Linda Dillon said there can be "no attempt to introduce an amnesty for British forces".

"The mechanisms agreed at Stormont House must be implemented and the subsequent legislation must deliver if it is to meet the needs of families and deliver on the promise of the Stormont House Agreement," she said.

"Sinn Fein will continue to support the families in their pursuit of truth and justice."

SDLP policing and justice spokeswoman Dolores Kelly said all perpetrators of violent atrocities during the Troubles must be held accountable.

"The British Government cannot legislate for any amnesty for British armed forces or any other violent perpetrators," she said.

"Victims and survivors of the Troubles deserve truth and justice. The British State and others must deliver that justice."
Sinn Fein's former Finance Minister Mairtin O Muilleoir has said he was left unaware of failings in the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.

He also told the public inquiry into the botched green energy project that his party and the DUP were drawing "metaphorical daggers" by the time RHI brought Stormont crashing down in early 2017.

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A year before, in February 2016, DUP minister Jonathan Bell had announced the RHI scheme would close. At this time Mr O Muilleoir said "the phones lit up" with a number of businesses telling him this was a "big mistake".

As a member of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti) committee, he said he was "kept in the dark" about abuse of the scheme.

"I asked Dr Andrew McCormick (Deti's top-ranking civil servant) in the committee meeting if there was a problem of fraud, he told me there was 'no evidence of abuse' of RHI," he said.

"We were getting one side of the picture."

Sinn Fein called for the scheme to be closed in February 2016, but then backed a two-week grace period. The delay has an estimated cost of 91.5m over 20 years.

Mr O Muilleoir said he felt the shutdown was unfair to genuine applicants.

"We thought the immediate closure would cause loss of jobs and loss of business," he said.

"It was a runaway train, we needed an emergency stop, but even an emergency stop requires skill."

Mr O Muilleoir said Martin McGuinness had appointed him Finance Minister in May 2016 because of his reputation for being able to work with unionists.

But he said he was unaware Economy Minister Simon Hamilton had told his officials not to work with his party.

As Finance Minister, Mr O Muilleoir said his officials told him to "go to war" with the Department for the Economy (successor of Deti) to reduce spending on RHI, and that he did not waste time raising the matter with Mr Hamilton.

Mr Hamilton said Mr O Muilleoir only raised the matter three times.

In December 2016 both had a private meeting in Belfast City Hall. A proposed 'buyout' plan from the DUP to bring the scheme under control was leaked to the media.

Mr Hamilton blamed Sinn Fein for this, which Mr O Muilleoir denied.

He said he had been genuinely committed to finding a solution at the time, but the plan was "untenable".

The estimated cost of the buyout was 50m, something he didn't believe the Treasury would pay for.

"My officials blew this out of the water, this wasn't going to work," he said.

Inquiry chair Sir Patrick Coghlin likened the two former ministers to alley cats fighting at a time when public money was at stake.

Mr O Muilleoir then referenced late DUP leader Ian Paisley to explain how relations between the two parties went downhill. He recalled greeting Mr Paisley at Belfast City Hall when he was Lord Mayor.

Asked by a journalist how it felt to be greeted by a Sinn Fein mayor, Mr Paisley was said to have replied: "We meet, we don't draw daggers."

Mr O Muilleoir told the panel: "The reality was that after a BBC Spotlight programme (in December 2016) we metaphorically drew daggers."

Sir Patrick questioned whether it was good enough that the "daggers" prevented the two biggest parties from solving a crisis of public spending.

In January 2017 Mr McGuinness resigned as Deputy First Minister, which forced a collapse of the Stormont Executive.

Mr O Muilleoir said this was because "the DUP was dragging the institutions into absolute disrepute".

He said an interview Arlene Foster gave to the media without informing Sinn Fein "about how she was going to be the saviour of RHI" was a betrayal.

The last plan to address RHI was presented to the Department of Finance in mid-January 2017.

Mr O Muilleoir originally said he was happy to approve it, but this was delayed after concerns he would have to stand over a "shoddy or botched solution".

He denied Mr Hamilton's claim he was only doing this to gain a political advantage over the DUP.

At the start of his evidence, Mr O Muilleoir was told Sinn Fein breached the rules on appointing special advisers.

The panel focused on Aiden McAteer, someone Mr O Muilleoir said members of Sinn Fein listened to, as he spoke with the authority of Mr McGuinness.

In 2013 a Bill from TUV leader Jim Allister was passed that banned anyone with a serious criminal conviction from becoming a special adviser.

As a former prisoner, Mr McAteer was then barred from working as a civil servant. Sinn Fein kept him on, but as a direct party employee instead of being paid out of public money.

Mr O Muilleoir said Sinn Fein viewed the 2013 Act as an "attack on the peace process" and said that "it was not our intention to discriminate against former political prisoners".

Mr McAteer was no longer subject to the normal regulations of special advisers, but Mr O Muilleoir said he kept to the "exemplary" standard of public life expected at all times by Mr McGuinness.

However, Sir Patrick said this was a "deliberate breach" of policy, which states that people paid by political parties are not allowed to direct civil servants.

He said it was not a satisfactory answer that Sinn Fein was refusing to discriminate against its top choice of candidate.
Medicare for All, miniature American flags for others. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On Tuesday, yet another poll found that a supermajority of the American people  and a slim majority of Republican voters  want big government to get its hands on their health care.

Specifically, 70 percent of voters  and 52 percent of self-proclaimed Republicans  told a team of pollsters from Hill.TV and HarrisX that they would support providing Medicare to every American. In late August, a Reuters/Ipsos poll produced nearly identical numbers, when it asked voters whether they supported Medicare for All  a term that the survey declined to define.

There is little question, then, that voters like the general idea of letting everyone in on Grandmas government health care  which is no small thing, considering that Republicans have been arguing for years that we can barely afford to preserve Medicare for the elderly, and that any attempt to expand eligibility would result in Medicare for none.

But there is some ambiguity about whether this means that voters are prepared to support the abolition of the private health insurance industry, and a significant increase in middle-class taxes (in exchange for the elimination of their monthly premiums, and free health care at the point of service), which is what Medicare for Alls most ardent supporters mean when they use that phrase.

In its polling of the issue, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has found that about 53 percent of Americans approve of a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan  but, oddly, that a significant portion of that 55 percent believes that they would be able to keep their private health coverage under such a policy. Further, KFF has found that voters views on single-payer and Medicare for All are highly malleable. In a June 2017 survey, the pollster presented respondents who had initially expressed support for single-payer with right-wing counterarguments  and 20 percent of switched to opposing it. On the other hand, when Kaiser exposed respondents who initially opposed single-payer to left-wing talking points, 17 percent came around to Bernie Sanderss point of view.

This uncertainty about what voters mean when they say they support Medicare for All  and how firm that support really is  has led to some hand-wringing on the left side of the aisle. As Elisabeth Rosenthal and Shefali Luthra recently wrote for the New York Times Sunday Review:

[S]ome worry the terms Medicare for all and single-payer are at risk of becoming empty campaign slogans  For every candidate with a clear proposal in mind, another uses the phrases as a proxy for voter frustration. The risk, some critics say, is that Medicare for all could become a Democratic version of the Republican repeal and replace slogan  a vote-getter that does not translate to political action because there is neither agreement about what it means nor a viable plan.

But this analogy is preposterous  and the immense popularity of Medicare for All is great news for Democrats, even if voters dont know exactly what it means.

Republicans didnt struggle to translate repeal and replace into legislation because they had neglected to unanimously campaign on a single, detailed health-care plan. Rather, they struggled to do so because theyd campaigned on bald-faced lies about their general intentions for health-care policy, out of recognition that their actual goals were deeply unpopular.

Donald Trump ran for president on promises to replace Obamacare with a health-care plan that would take care of everybody, and to oppose any and all cuts to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans routinely suggested that their problem with Obamacare was that it had done too little to deliver universal access to affordable health insurance. There are 25 million Americans who arent covered now, Mitch McConnell told Meet the Press in January 2017. And many Americans who actually did get insurance when they did not have it before have really bad insurance that they have to pay for, and the deductibles are so high that its really not worth much to them.

So its hardly surprising that when Americans learned that repeal and replace did not mean everybody gets better coverage and lower deductibles, but rather, 24 million people lose insurance, Medicaid gets cut by $800 billion, and people with preexisting conditions get abandoned to their fate, they soured on the idea.

By contrast, there is no confusion about the direction in which Democrats want to move health-care policy. Voters (and Democratic officeholders) might have different definitions of Medicare for All  but nobody thinks that it means reducing the federal spending on health care, restricting access to publicly-funded health insurance, and giving Medicare to fewer Americans.

Now, its true that some details of a genuine single-payer health plan would almost certainly prove controversial. When single-payer champions began trying to put taxpayer money where their mouths were in Colorado and Vermont, they proved unable to retain the publics support in the face of a well-funded opposition. And beyond taxes, any attempt to kill off the insurance industry  and impose (badly needed) cost controls on hospitals and physician pay  will provoke a furious counter-mobilization among those constituencies.

But in all probability, none of this will actually matter if Democrats take power in 2021. Put simply: Either single-payer supporters will assemble a social movement so massive and militant, it fundamentally transforms political reality in the U.S.  or else, moderate Democrats will kill a single-payer bill the moment it arrives in Congress (even if president Bernie Sanders is the one who sends it there).

Its possible that a blue wave election this November  and another strong showing in 2020  will allow Democrats to win control of both chambers of Congress. But because the Senates malapportionment gives disproportionate power to voters in more conservative parts of the country, Team Blues legislative majorities will live and die on the whims of right-leaning Democratic senators like Joe Manchin, Jon Tester, and Joe Donnelly  who, in his latest campaign ad, pledges that if socialists want to turn health care over to the government theyll have to do so over my dead body.

Which is to say that by the time a (genuine) single-payer health care plan becomes remotely viable in the Senate, the policy will, necessarily, have become overwhelmingly popular with voters. Unless the American public becomes unmistakably, enthusiastically on board with higher taxes, and the elimination of private health insurance, Joe Donnelly will not defy the entire health insurance industry, the hospital lobby, the American Medical Association, the conservative media apparatus  and his own campaign promises  in order to vote for single-payer health care.

Assuming, for the moment, that the Democratic Socialists of America do not transform our politics between now and 2021, then the endgame of a legislative fight over single-payer will be some kind of public option plan, possibly one that would automatically cover children, the poor, and the uninsured; in other words, less Medicare for All then a relatively low-cost public health insurance plan for anyone who wants or needs it. And Democrats have put forward a variety of highly detailed proposals for programs like that.

Some minority of single-payer activists might prefer Congress to pass no health-care legislation, than to see it enact a public option. But no progressive Democrats in Congress feel that way. Bernie Sanders voted for the Affordable Care Act in 2009, and has praised various public option proposals that his colleagues have put forward over the past year and a half. There is little reason to doubt that a Democratic Congress would be able to reach some kind of consensus on health-care policy; after all, unlike congressional Republicans, they agree with each other  and with the American public  about what direction policy should move in.

The only question is how progressive that consensus will be. Even a public option would be sure to attract massive industry opposition, and some grumbling from the Joe Manchins of the world. Thus, a militant single-payer movement  thats powerful enough to make a strong public option (i.e., one that threatens the long-term viability of the private insurance industry) look like milquetoast moderation  would probably make it easier for Democrats to pass a progressive health-care compromise, not more difficult.

And if Democrats did end up settling on public option, all available survey data suggests it would be wildly popular: When the Kaiser Family Foundation defined Medicare for All as a government health-insurance plan that is open to anyone who wants it but people who currently have other coverage could keep what they have, 75 percent of respondents endorsed the proposal  including 64 percent of Republican voters.
The Prime Minister has said the process of investigating the past in Northern Ireland is "flawed" and "disproportionately focused" on the armed forces.

She made the comments in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions.

Sir Henry Bellingham asked if military veterans - who had already been investigated - should "never be hounded or pursued" unless there was "overwhelming new evidence".

He said it was "against natural justice, damaging to recruitment and against the military covenant". He was one of the MPs to sign a letter to Mrs May calling for the end to investigations of soldiers who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

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Responding Mrs May said: "We do owe a vast debt of gratitude to the heroism and bravery of soldiers and police officers who upheld the rule of law and were themselves accountable to it.

"Something which will always set them apart from and above the terrorists who during the Troubles in Northern Ireland were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of members of the security forces.

"The current system in Northern Ireland is flawed. It isn't working, it isn't working for soldiers, it isn't working for police officers, it isn't working for victims.

"And that victims group includes many soldiers and police officers as well.

"While a number of terrorist murders from the Troubles are actively under investigation by PSNI and other police forces I am clear under current mechanisms for investigating the past there is a disproportionate focus on former members of the armed forces and the police.

"We are committed to ensure all outstanding deaths in Northern Ireland should be investigated in a way which is fair, balanced and proportionate."

Sinn Fein said the Prime Minister should "stop peddling the fallacy that the Legacy process is skewed" saying the comments had caused great hurt.

Rather than making spurious claims from the green benches of Westminster, Theresa May would be better served speaking to families here who were directly affected by state killings and tell them why she believes state forces are above the law, said MLA Linda Dillon.

Earlier this year Mrs May said the system for investigating soldiers and police in Northern Ireland is patently unfair.

She claimed terrorists were not being investigated.

PSNI figures previously obtained by the BBC suggested investigations into killings by the Army account for about 30% of the PSNIs legacy workload, with the remainder concerning republicans or loyalists.
Countryside near Castlederg, Co Tyrone, part of a former smuggling route covering both sides of the Irish border (Michael McHugh/PA)

Washing powder smuggling across the Irish border is becoming an issue, Westminster's Brexit committee has heard.

The revelation came as a number of high-ranking Northern Ireland business representatives met with the House of Common's Exiting the European Union Committee in London.

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Business representatives warned that changes to customs rules and regulations between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could lead to greater fraud and smuggling following Brexit.

There is a lack of certainty around the customs arrangements for Northern Ireland following Brexit on March 29 2019.

In the event that Northern Ireland exists the EU customs union and single market there are likely to be greater trade differences between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

It has been speculated that this could require further security and customs checks at the Irish border, although both the European Union and UK government have said they want to avoid this.

Former head of the Northern Ireland branch of the Confederation of British Industry Declan Billington explained that there was already a large fraud issue on the Irish border and warned that Brexit would only make it worse.

"If we have a border with tariff differentials then you can see for example, cheap meat coming in from Brazil would be packaged, remember horsegate, to come off as Irish. I don't think those people will be too concerned about food hygiene standards," he told the committee.

"Honest businesses will work the systems that are tabled, dishonest businesses will take advantage of any loophole. At the moment only three (tariff) differentials exist, food, tobacco and alcohol.

"If we bring a larger portfolio of things in due course then without strong enforcement we are at serious risk of having a serious fraud issue."

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Asked by Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope if there were insufficient border checks in place at the moment, Seamus Leheney Policy Manager at the Freight Transport Association said that fuel duty had "decimated the transport industry in Northern Ireland".

Mr Billington said that more police and security on the border may reduce the fraud but that you then look at "going back to the bad old times" and that former paramilitaries would "play" on the division that would create.

Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI Stephen Kelly said there had been reports of washing powder "now making its way into the smugglers interest".

"When you begin to widen out the tariff differentials and the price differentials from one customs territory to another then there becomes an attraction for one group of people to try and mess that system up and start to input goods illegally. Because there's a huge price differential there's money to be made," he said.

"Right now we have a limited set because we share a set of common rules across a common market, once we begin to remove ourselves from that then we present much more opportunities to have many more items come in to the sights of those criminal elements.

"The likelihood is you would end up with the need for more security, more checks, more difficulties on the Irish border as a result of that.

Sir Christopher Chope said that the current situation was "licensed anarchy" and questioned why it was allowed to happen and suggested that it was a "double-standard" to say that post-Brexit there would be additional border issues given the ones at the moment.

Mr Billington said that there was ongoing cross-border work to minimize the existing issues and that "if you expand the range of opportunities, you expand the criminal element despite your best endeavours."
Police have appealed for information after a woman was attacked by a stranger while out walking in south Belfast.

An assault was reported in the Belvoir Forest Park, Belvoir Drive area on Sunday, October 21.

At around 2pm, it was reported that a woman was walking in the area when she was approached by an unknown male. He struck the woman on the face with a stick. The woman received minor injuries as a result of the incident.

The man made off towards the Belvoir Estate area following the assault. He is described as having short, shaved hair and wearing a dark tracksuit with a blue scarf.

A 52 year old man was arrested in relation to the incident and has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Enquiries are continuing and we would ask anyone who witnessed the incident or who saw anything suspicious to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 821 21/10/18," Constable Pinkerton said.

"Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime."
The owner of a pedigree cat left blinded after being shot in the face is seeking compensation for the emotional and financial impact of the brutal attack.

In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, Maureen Newman - whose pet Leo miraculously survived the shooting last September - attended a Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel hearing in Belfast yesterday.

The panel considers the payment of compensation in cases of criminal injury under a scheme established nearly a decade ago.

Ms Newman, from Maghera, said her beloved Maine Coon cat, whose full name is Leo Aston Martin Teca Newman, had sustained multiple injuries in the incident, which had also left her traumatised.

"It had an awful impact. I've had to have private counselling. My nerves were wrecked," she said.

"After it happened I took a bad downer. I was treated for shock. I attended a 12-week counselling session. I still do occasionally.

"Still to this day I'm still upset. Every day I look at him and see he's missing an eye. Leo's my baby."

Just over 13 months ago Leo was shot at the rear of Ms Newman's property. At the time her partner, Sam Connolly, was in the back yard with their dog.

"Leo was on a brick wall and wandered behind it. The next thing we heard was a merciful bang," she recalled.

"I saw Leo and the shot to his eye. I held him but he jumped out of my arms and ran into the garage.

"He hid in the garage for six hours. In the meantime I rang the vet and police who came out the next day. The vet told me to close the garage door and wait. Eventually he came out to me."

Leo subsequently underwent a lengthy operation to repair the damage. Despite the best efforts of the vet, however, his right eye could not be saved.

He lost part of his paw too, and his left ear was also injured. Shotgun pellet remnants had to be removed from his body. "It was horrendous. The blood, the tears. The vet didn't know if he'd make it or not. It was touch and go.

"He was in the vets for quite a few days. The vet brought in an eye specialist.

"It was a long road nursing him back to health. He had to wear a collar, and he was back to the vet every couple of days. At home he had to be nursed upstairs. It was three months before he came down."

She continued: "Leo would be a very playful cat, very attached. He's become very nervous since it happened."

She estimated the financial impact of the attack as having run into thousands of pounds.

"I'd say that between 3k-4k has been spent with the vet fees, nursing fees. Even now his eye sometimes weeps."

Ms Newman added that an enclosure which had been built for Leo was also extended following the attack.

"I can't let him out beyond the enclosure. I'm in fear of letting him out. If I let him out it could be a death sentence for him," she said.

"No one was ever prosecuted for what they did to Leo.

"He's coming three in December. He's a beaut. I've had him since he was 12 weeks old.

"At least he's here to tell the story."

She stressed the compensation case, which she said she had brought on advice from Victim Support NI, was about taking a stand in solidarity with fellow pet owners who have gone through similar experiences.

"At least I'm being heard. It's about getting justice for Leo. No animal should be made to suffer like that. If someone can do that to an animal then they can do it to a child," she said.

"If I let it go, it could happen again. This lets people know that they have this option as well."

A spokesperson for Victim Support NI said that while its policy is not to comment on individual cases, it does offer a "free and confidential service to assist victims of violent crime" who wish to apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme.

"Our advice workers can advise and advocate for our clients, but it is always up to the victim how they proceed with their case," they explained.

"If an award is granted, the victim will receive this in full as we do not charge any fees for this service."
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris leaving Leinster House, Dublin, following his appearance before the Justice and Equality committee to discuss the future of the Garda.

Irelands top police officer has described findings from an investigation into corruption in the force as a clarion call for action.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said he felt the stark remarks made in the final pages of the Disclosures Tribunal report were almost written directly to him.

In his first appearance before the Justice Oireachtas Committee since taking up his role as commissioner two months ago, Mr Harris said whisteblowers will be treated with the utmost seriousness.

The Disclosures Tribunal found former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan was part of a campaign of calumny against Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

The report said he was actively aided by his former press officer, Superintendent David Taylor.

Mr Harris said he spoke to Sgt McCabe by phone on the day the report was published and will meet him later on Wednesday.

The former deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland addressed some of the concerns raised in Mr Justice Peter Charletons report.

Cultural change comes from behavioural change and my behaviour and that of the leadership team have a dramatic impact on the organisationCommissioner Drew Harris

I have read it and in particular I read the last few pages which I feel were almost written directly towards me and they are a clarion call for action, he said.

Cultural change comes from behavioural change and my behaviour and that of the leadership team have a dramatic impact on the organisation.

We wish to follow through in completely overhauling our discipline code, which creates an atmosphere of people fearing that discipline, as opposed to proper management intervention and a learning organisation, to an organisation which is punitive towards its staff.

There is structural systemic changes we need to make about how the organisation is run but I also emphasise if any individual wishes to come forward and wishes to whistle blow or to make a disclosure then that will be treated with utmost seriousness and I am open to individuals should they wish to speak to me.

He said everyone in the force is undergoing code of ethics training to be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Harris told the Justice Committee that while An Garda Siochana is a disciplined force, it is not helped by its current procedures, which he said was not fit for purpose.

Instead of discipline where we are intervening around poor performance, (we must ensure) that we are intervening appropriately in either support, supervision, training or management intervention, he said.

But in cases of serious misconduct where your trust in an individual is entirely broken then they have no place in the organisation.

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In addressing concerns around the forces preparations for Brexit, Mr Harris said the border region is appropriately staffed, adding 180 staff members are due to graduate from Templemore College next month.

He said people living in border communities are concerned about local policing and there were also fears of travelling criminals crossing the borer.

There is also the reality of the nightlife in Derry where there are a lot of young people who travel across the border and engage in nightlife, he said.

There is also the concern that they (terrorists and dissident republicans) might use this (hard border) as an emotional driver for their particular campaigns and we want to avoid it being used as a rallying call.

We are still not sure what the nature of Brexit is going to be so there is an unknown element of this and we have prepared as best we can for that.

Donnchadh O Laoghaire, Sinn Fein TD, said following Mr Harris appointment as Garda Commissioner a number of Northern Ireland victim groups raised concerns.

They viewed you as someone who blocked their access to truth and justice when you were the key person within the PSNI responsible for legacy issues, Mr O Laoghaire said.

Mr Harris told the committee he is willing to meet victims and he has a number of pending invitations.

I will work with the various coroners inquests and other avenues which are ongoing at the moment in Northern Ireland around inquiring into matters during the Troubles, he added.

I am here to serve and protect the people of IrelandCommissioner Drew Harris

Mr Harris was further pressed by Mr O Laoghaire on his previous roles within the PSNI, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the MI5 British security service after a number of people questioned his suitability to be head of the Irish police force.

Mr Harris said he was subjected to a very high level vetting process for two decades that was under constant renewal.

There is no issue about the level to which I have been vetted, he added.

Jack Chambers, Fianna Fail TD, asked Mr Harris if he felt that some of the questions posed by Mr O Laoghaire were of sectarian prejudice.

Have you felt that certain elements are trying to undermine your position? he added.

Mr Harris said he has addressed questions that have been subject to much commentary.

Some of that commentary has been ill-founded, Mr Harris added.

I swore an oath and that oath is important to me. I am here to serve and protect the people of Ireland.
Irish presidential candidate Peter Casey has accused incumbent Michael D Higgins of lying about his use of the Irish government's private jet.

The Londonderry-born businessman claimed Mr Higgins was not telling the truth and that he had used to the government jet four times this year.

Mr Higgins denied the claim, stating he had used the jet twice in the past 12 months.

Mr Casey said: "That's a lie. He used it four times. It's documented, he used it four times."

Mr Casey made the accusation during a live TV presidential debate on RTE last night, the final televised debate involving all six candidates ahead of Friday's poll.

The president has come under increasing pressure about his use of the private jet to fly to Belfast in May. He claimed that security concerns meant he had to use the plane and a State car.

Mr Higgins said he was not going to comment on people who are suggesting "that I am incapable of telling the truth".

The 77-year old added: "Frankly I prefer to go by road all of the time."
Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Kingdom Council

The grisly revelation of Jamal Khashoggis detention and death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has upended the longtime elite foreign-policy consensus around the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia. But its not just wonks and think tankers who suddenly find themselves unable to countenance their ties with the Saudis. Silicon Valley has long looked to the vast riches of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for investment capital, and following outcry over Khashoggis death, Wall Street titans, tech executives, and their media cheerleaders said they would no longer attend the ongoing Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh. Twitter announced that it was banning accounts linked to Saudi propaganda efforts, and British mogul Richard Branson declared that if confirmed, Khashoggis murder would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi Government.

But for all the hasty cancellations from the so-called Davos in the Desert, Silicon Valley is unlikely to totally cut the cord with Saudi Arabia. Despite the bold public statements, a number of firms reportedly sent junior-level staffers to the conference anyway  and no one has said outright that they would no longer be working with the Saudi Arabian government. Though theres never been anything like the outrage over Khashoggis apparent murder, theres too much at stake for the tech industry to forswear the Kingdoms money piles altogether.

The relationship between the tech industry and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always made clear business sense for both parties. In the decade after the Great Recession, San Francisco Bay Area tech companies like Uber and Slack began to skyrocket in value amid exploding user growth and successive rounds of American venture capital. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias billionaire rulers, cognizant that Aramco dollars wouldnt be flowing forever, began staking out an investment portfolio to reflect a new ambition of a greener, high-tech future for the Kingdom.

Prior to Khashoggis killing, the leaders of Google, Amazon, and other companies proudly palled around with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Many even signed on to the Saudi $500 billion megacity project/boondoggle Neom, and some, like the powerful venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, have yet to even address the Khashoggi affair. All this, even after MBS rounded up his family members and imprisoned them at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton a year ago; apparently kidnapped the prime minister of Lebanon in a bungled scheme to cast suspicion on Iran; and pursued (with U.S. support) a proxy war against Iran in Yemen that has yielded what the United Nations deems the worlds largest humanitarian crisis.

To particularly hardened capitalists, or particularly cynical critics, Silicon Valleys indifference to the human-rights record of its bankroll is unsurprising. As many have pointed out, the American business and political Establishments highly public revulsion to the Khashoggi murder rings hollow, given the widespread public knowledge of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias awful human-rights record. Silicon Valley, with its paeans to changing the world, comes under particularly harsh criticism: As the world fills up car tanks with gas and climate change worsens, Saudi Arabia reaps enormous profits  and some of that money shows up in the bank accounts of fast-growing companies that love to talk about making the world a better place, wrote critic Anand Giridharadas in the New York Times earlier this month.

But the basis of this indifference stems from a particularly domestic problem. Kara Swisher, the influential technology journalist, noted on her own podcast that Silicon Valley is so dependent on Saudi funding at this point that if you remove the Saudis from the worldwide global network, everything collapses.

Twenty years ago, the way that tech companies raised money worked something like this: A start-up raises relatively small rounds of funding, and when it was prepared to accept larger amounts of investment and pay out its early investors and employees, it would file to go public. But over the last decade, as Silicon Valley firms have seemingly swelled with cash, raising multimillion- and multibillion-dollar rounds of financing, a curiously small number of so-called unicorn companies (valued at $1 billion or more) have actually gone public. According to the National Venture Capital Association, 59 tech companies went public in 2017 compared to an estimated 300 IPOs at the height of the dot-com bubble in 1999.

Although the dot-com bubbles burst correctly reflected the fact that many of those tech companies that had gone public were barely generating any revenue (if they were making money at all), the current trickle of IPOs is still disproportionately low; there are currently about 282 such unicorns, according to analysts at CB Insights. Instead, these firms have been able to find their funding elsewhere.

In the United States, traditionally conservative investment giants like T. Rowe Price and Fidelity began acquiring large stakes in late-stage tech start-ups, most notably Uber. Across the Pacific Ocean, well-capitalized sovereign funds in countries like Singapore and Saudi Arabia, alongside individual billionaires, such as friends of Vladimir Putin who emerged from the rubble of the Soviet Union, like Yuri Milner, arrived with open arms to fill Silicon Valley coffers.

Uber is an instructive example. Privately valued at around $60 billion, the ride-hailing company has bled cash for the entirety of its existence. Even though it aims to bring in $10 billion in revenue this year and plans to go public sometime in 2019, the company reportedly lost $891 million on $2.8 billion in revenue in the second quarter alone.

Though losing money hand over fist for several years on end might strike some as folly, early stage venture capital investors tend to encourage this kind of spending (colloquially known as a burn rate) if it produces a growth in users. But Uber  and many other start-ups like it  isnt prepared to go public, open up its books (which would surely reveal substantial losses), and stake its value on the stock market. Unlike the dot-com bubble, where hundreds of companies were quickly midwifed through the IPO process while making the banks that underwrote those deals quite fat on fees, nowadays older start-ups that have already absorbed billions of dollars in funding have found easy money in the hands of other private investors, like, say, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In the last decade, according to data gathered by Quartz, Saudi Arabia has invested more than $6.2 billion in American tech companies. These investments span substantial holdings in Uber, Snap, Lyft, Magic Leap, in addition to backing a fund (more on that in a second) which has stakes in Slack, Wag, WeWork, and many more. These dollars have a habit of trickling down even further: WeWork, for example, has invested in office and realty companies, including The Wing, which makes Saudi Arabia (where women are still required to have male guardians) an indirect backer of the feminist-branded office space.

Saudi Arabias most significant tech investment, however, is the $90 billion it has committed to two separate Vision Funds created by the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank. The first Vision fund, led by SoftBanks venerated leader Masayoshi Son, aims to deploy $100 billion of capital in tech companies across the world. Its a tidal wave of money designed to give Vision investors chunks of the largest and seemingly indomitable late-stage tech start-ups; for Saudi Arabia, its one prong of the strategy to get ahead of the decline of its oil riches.

Of course, its not just Saudi Arabia. Limited or outright nondemocratic governments with spotty human-rights records like Qatar (also an Uber investor), Singapore, and Kuwait have all set up shop in Silicon Valley. Talk to American venture capitalists or start-up founders and its easy to understand why theres such an appetite for these foreign dollars: The investors disbursing them tend to be pretty passive (Saudi Arabia didnt lead the Uber boardroom coup against Travis Kalanick), and theyre willing to provide cash for equity at prices that would make bigger-name American investors balk.

To imagine that Silicon Valley would walk away from Saudi Arabian money at this point would be to assume that the industry is willing to sacrifice easy investment dollars that grant privately owned tech companies privileges that the wider world does not. Silicon Valleys fixation with keeping founders in near total control of their companies, and siloing them from the stock market, is so deeply rooted to the point that it is now uncontroversially received as the only way the industry can achieve the disruptive innovation required to churn out billion-dollar company after billion-dollar company.

Given American businesses soft exit from Davos in the Desert and from the boards of transparently silly Saudi endeavors like Neom, its hard to think that something like the murder of Jamal Khashoggi could change the status quo, despite the nervous hand-wringing in the press. Besides, its not like Silicon Valley was persuaded by everything much worse that it knew much earlier.
Theresa May has delivered an emotional address to backbench Tory MPs following talk of attempts to oust her as Prime Minister.

Mrs May won the room and secured her position with a heartfelt speech to the backbench 1922 committee, former home secretary Amber Rudd said.

Leave-backing MP Michael Fabricant called the gathering a love-in for Mrs May.

The PMs address came after a torrid week in which an anonymous MP was quoted as saying Mrs May should bring her own noose to the meeting.

The Brexit talks are not about my interests. They are about the national interest  and the interests of the whole of our United Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/V7wkOiyu47  Theresa May (@theresa_may) October 23, 2018

Ms Rudd praised the PM, saying: She got a warm welcome, she talked quite emotionally about why she was doing this for the good of the country and how it was important that the public and our party members realise that we are behind her and that we all wanted the same thing  which is to lead in the best interests of the country.

Asked if the PM looked emotional, Ms Rudd said: Well she looked like she really minded  it wasnt reading from a script.

She was talking frankly and honestly from the heart about why she was doing this and why it mattered.

Ms Rudd said a lot of MPs condemned the really nasty language that had been used in the run-up to the meeting.

Amid claims that the number of letters to the chairman of the 1922 committee from MPs calling for a vote of no confidence in the PM was close to the 48 level needed to trigger a ballot, Ms Rudd insisted Mrs Mays position was now safe.

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Ms Rudd said: She was able to win the room and deliver something quite personal and emotional about why she was committed to doing it, despite being quite frank about the difficulties that were still there.

People spoke very freely about their concerns but they came back to the fact that they backed her in delivering for the country and the Government.

Mr Fabricant said: It wasnt Daniella in the lions den  it was a petting zoo.

However, pro-Europe ex-Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan said the Tories would have a new leader within a year.

Asked if the PM had her backing, she told ITVs Peston: She has, absolutely, for now. But, I think, well probably, in the course of the next 12 months, well be looking for a new leader.

The meeting came after fresh revelations about the Governments plans for a no-deal Brexit, with alternative measures to secure supplies of food and medicines from the continent being investigated in case of chaos on the English Channel crossing.

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire defended the move.

He told ITVs Peston: I think thats what governments should be doing in preparation in terms of dealing with the issues that could arise.

It is not a situation that we want to get into.

The Prime Minister remains focused on negotiating that right outcome which is the deal.

But, ultimately, yes, of course, we dont want to end up in a situation, but we must be ready. We need to be prepared.

In developments that will cause further unease among Tory Brexiteers, leaked Cabinet papers obtained by The Times indicated the transition period during which the UK will remain tied to Brussels could turn into a long-running arrangement lasting years.

But Mrs May firmly rejected reports the Government was willing to agree that the European Court of Justice should be the final arbiter in most disputes arising from Brexit.

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European Council president Donald Tusk told MEPs in Strasbourg that Mrs May had raised the prospect of an extension at last weeks Brussels summit.

He added If the UK decided that such an extension would be helpful to reach a deal, Im sure that the leaders would be ready to consider it positively.

Mr Tusk also said he was ready to convene a special Brexit summit if negotiator Michel Barnier reported decisive progress had been made in talks  but made clear this was not yet the case.
Leading Brexiteer Nigel Farage denounced the UKs negotiation team as the enemy within as he warned Britain faces humiliation unless Theresa May is removed as Prime Minister.

His comments to the European Parliament came as Mrs May prepares to face Conservative MPs amid growing unrest over her Brexit plans.

The number of Tory MPs publicly committed to oppose her Chequers blueprint for leaving the European Union has now reached 50.

The Prime Minister will meet critics at the backbench 1922 Committee in Parliament just days after one anonymous opponent suggested she should bring her own noose to the gathering.

The meeting follows fresh revelations about the Governments plans for a no-deal Brexit, with alternative measures to secure supplies of food and medicines from the continent being investigated in case of chaos on the English Channel crossing.

In developments that will cause further unease among Tory Brexiteers, leaked Cabinet papers obtained by The Times indicated the transition period during which the UK will remain tied to Brussels could turn into a long-running arrangement lasting years.

But Mrs May firmly rejected reports the Government was willing to agree the European Court of Justice should be the final arbiter in most disputes arising from Brexit.

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Challenged in the House of Commons by arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mrs May said: I havent seen those particular reports  but if they are as he has suggested then they are wrong.

We have been very clear in the work that we have been doing about ensuring that in the future the European Court of Justice does not have jurisdiction in the UK.

The option of extending the transition period has been put forward as a way of resolving the impasse over the Irish border by giving extra time to find a mechanism to avoid a hard border.

European Council president Donald Tusk told MEPs in Strasbourg that Mrs May had raised the prospect of an extension at last weeks Brussels summit.

He added If the UK decided that such an extension would be helpful to reach a deal, Im sure that the leaders would be ready to consider it positively.

Mr Tusk also said he was ready to convene a special Brexit summit if negotiator Michel Barnier reported decisive progress had been made in talks  but made clear this was not yet the case.

Olly Robbins and the British Civil Service are the enemy within, they signed up to the European dream many years ago and want to sabotage Brexit. pic.twitter.com/sIW7NMoYpQ  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) October 24, 2018

Mr Farage said agreement was being delayed by a rogue element in these negotiations, a group of people who dont wish to see a solution, who put up a brick wall to stop us breaking free.

He added: It is not your chief negotiator Michel Barnier, it is actually the British civil service, Olly Robbins team.

They signed up years ago to the European dream. They have been happy to take their orders from Brussels, they are now out to sabotage Brexit. They are indeed the enemy within.

Unless the Conservative Party comes to its senses and gets rid of a leader who clearly is being led by the nose, we will head to the December summit, we will head to a humiliating sell-out and we will head to the UK being trapped in EU rules for many, many years to come.

Very pleased to announce that @EdwardLeighMP for #Gainsborough & #Horncastle, has pledged to #StandUp4Brexit, taking our pledged number of MPs to 50



Thanks so much Edward!



If your MP hasnt pledged yet please email them an ask them to #ChuckChequers: https://t.co/B6iqjMkeEU pic.twitter.com/OzRafsySDS  #StandUp4Brexit (@StandUp4Brexit) October 23, 2018

Confirmation of Mrs Mays attendance at the 1922 Committee comes amid speculation the number of Conservative MPs submitting letters calling for her removal is approaching the 48 needed to trigger a no-confidence vote in her leadership.

The scale of opposition her Brexit plans face was made clear as the Stand Up 4 Brexit campaign, which has received high-profile support from former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, said Sir Edward Leigh had become its 50th backer.

Meanwhile, the Governments contingency preparations for a no-deal Brexit were mocked following reports ships may have to be chartered by Whitehall to ensure vital supplies reach the UK.

The Financial Times said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had discussed the possibility of hiring entire vessels, or securing space in ships, to bring food, medicines and other supplies in through alternative ports.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: We remain confident of reaching an agreement with the EU, but it is only sensible for government and industry to prepare for a range of scenarios.

We are continuing to work closely with partners on contingency plans to ensure that trade can continue to move as freely as possible between the UK and Europe.

European Parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt meanwhile urged EU negotiators to offer a right to unhindered onward movement for UK nationals living in the EU, allowing them to move home and work between the 27 states in return for a right of lifelong return for EU citizens currently in Britain who move away from the country in future.

I was in Downing Street and they are ready to go for such a trade-off, Mr Verhofstadt told the Parliament.

If the council were to push for such a solution, it is a trade-off that is possible.
The King and Queen of the Netherlands watched a dramatic anti-terrorism display inches from their vantage point on a warship on the final day of their state visit.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima saw a suspect apprehended by service personnel in front of them as they stood on the deck of the vessel.

They were joined by the Earl and Countess of Wessex during the exercise carried out in the shadow of HMS Belfast.

During the mock terrorist incident staged by the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines, inflatable ribs sped across the water as shots could be heard.

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Then the forces stormed a passenger vessel that had apparently been taken over by the terrorists before detaining the man in front of the royals.

The foreign head of state and his wife later visited Pop Brixton, a temporary project that has turned disused land into a creative space for local, independent businesses.
The Duke of Sussex makes a speech at the Colo-i-Suva forest (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Harry followed in the footsteps of his grandmother for the second day in a row as he planted a tree using the same shovel the Queen had used for the task in 1953.

The Duke of Sussex, sporting a blue Bula shirt, visited the Colo-I-Suva Forest Reserve to recognise its dedication to the Queens Commonwealth Canopy project.

The QCC is a project which sees countries of the Commonwealth designate areas of indigenous forest to be preserved in perpetuity, with 42 of the 53 member countries already taking part.

The Sussexes have already replicated part of the Queen and Duke of Edinburghs visit to the islands on the Coronation tour  having attended a traditional welcome ceremony at the capitals Albert Park and waved from the balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel.

Harry unveiled a plaque and planted an indigenous Dakua tree, which is a threatened species in Fiji.

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He was led to a shiny metal shovel, engraved with the words Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lautoka, Fiji, December 18th 1953 and picked it up, saying: This is the second time its been used since 1953, right?

In a speech, he said: This country is highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, and it is having a profound effect on peoples lives.

Just six years ago, Fijis Vunitogaloa became the first village in the world to begin relocating to higher ground due to sea level rise. Since then, five more villages have been moved.

In the next 18 months, I have been told 10 more will be relocated, and within the next couple of years, it is expected that over 40 villages will be displaced.

We cannot ignore the reality of what is happening around us.

But thankfully, good work is also being done.

The duke also met a woman who had served the Queen tea during her visit some 65 years ago.

Litiana Vulaca, 87, was just 21 when she was chosen for the task by her employer Frances Lilian Charlton, who was the principal of Adi Cakobau Secondary School, a girls boarding school visited by the monarch.

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Speaking afterwards, an emotional Ms Vulaca said: I am so happy today because he talked to me first and he knew all about my story.

While at the forest, comprising 369 hectares, Harry watched demonstrations of mat weaving using dried Pandanus leaves and spotted two men making kava.

Thats what I drank last night, Harry said.

He sniffed a bowl of the earthy drink, prepared by pounding the roots of the Yagona tree into powder and adding water and said it was strong.

How much of this do you drink at the weekend?, the duke asked local men Joeli Nasaqa, 18, and Eparama Uluiviti, 28.

Around a kilo, said Mr Nasaqa.

It would be easier to just drink a beer, joked Harry.

The duke then went on to meet members of the Matagali and Naulukarowa and Matagali Matanikorovatu clans  the traditional owners of the forest, who leased it to be legally protected by the Fijian Government in 1949.

Bernadette Welch, Permanent Secretary for Civil Service and acting Permanent Secretary for Forests at the British High Commission in Fiji, said: The people here are very emotional about the royal visit  they really cherish it. They will be talking about it for generations.
The Duke of Sussex laid a wreath at the Suva War Memorial in Fiji (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The Duke of Sussex laid a wreath of poppies in honour of Fijian war veterans in a solemn ceremony in the countrys capital.

Harry, without Meghan for the first engagement of the day, wore the tropical dress of his Blues and Royals regiment and his medals.

He stepped out under cloudy skies in Suva before taking the salute at the National War Memorial Grounds.

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The duke laid the wreath on a hook on the memorial stone with a note reading: In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.

Loloma kei na masu (Love and prayers).

He then went to talk to Fijian war veterans, including a number who had served with the British Armed Forces.

Meeting Maleli Naigulevu, from Koro Island, Harry asked: Hello, how old are you?

When Mr Naigulevu, a former pathologist in the medical corps told him, the duke said: 84! Still looking very young!

Afterwards, Mr Naigulevu said: It was very nice to meet Prince Harry today.

He is a very good role model for us all.

The British Royal family are very popular here as Fiji was ceded to Great Britain and they taught us good things.

Taniela Vakalaca, 12, was in the line wearing medals belonging to his father who died in Kenya two years ago.

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Harry said: Whose are these medals? Your fathers?

Are you going to join the army? You dont have to, only if you want to!

Harry then spotted a familiar face in the crowd  Derek Detenalagi, whom he met at the first Invictus Games in London in 2014.

He and his wife Ana, whose family are from Fiji, flew over for the royal visit and were invited to Tuesday nights state dinner.

Harry said: Late night last night? Look after yourselves!

Afterwards, Mrs Detenalagi said: We werent on the list this morning for this wreath-laying but his PA Clara told us to be here this morning.

We were at the reception last night which was fun.

We were very honoured as he gave us each a hug.

The duke spoke of his admiration for the Fijian service personnel at the black tie dinner hosted by the president on Tuesday night.

In his speech, he said: Your soldiers fought with the British Armed Forces during the First and Second World Wars and continue to serve alongside our soldiers to this day, with more than 1,250 Fijians currently serving.

I must emphasise my respect, admiration and camaraderie with the Fijian soldiers that I served with in Afghanistan.

We trained together, we fought together, and most importantly we laughed together.
The Duchess of Sussex has made her first speech of the royal tour (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The Duchess of Sussex said the education of women and girls in developing countries was vital in her first speech of the royal tour.

Meghan addressed students at the University of the South Pacific on Wednesday and spoke of her struggle to finance her higher education and her personal feeling of pride and excitement when she studied for her degree.

She said: I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world  myself included.

It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition, that I was able to attend university.

Calling higher educations impact incredible, impactful and pivotal, she added: Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive.

And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development.

Because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them.

Harry and Meghan arrive at the University of the South Pacific. She's wearing a Figue dress, he's got a Bula shirt on #RoyalVisitFiji  @scobie pic.twitter.com/zHFmHAmBQD  Alexander Britton (@adbritton) October 23, 2018

The duchess announced two grants for the Fiji National University and the University of the South Pacific, allowing each of them to run workshops to empower their female staff.

She said: This means that female faculty members are able to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and enter higher education, and that more women become part of the decision-making process in academic institutions.

Grants like this ensure that women are provided with the training and skills to operate effectively in their roles, and those with leadership potential are given the opportunity to be heard and recognised at the most senior level.
A consultation on the future of the hospital has closed (Danny Lawson/PA)

NHS chiefs have still to make a final decision on the preferred option for replacing a highly valued hospital, MSPs have been told.

Bosses at NHS Lanarkshire are looking to either replace or refurbish Monklands Hospital in Airdrie  which is more than 40 years old  with a new facility at Gartcosh having emerged as the leading option.

But more than 5,000 people have signed a petition calling for any new hospital to be built on the existing site, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said, as he demanded ministers must now make this happen.

He called on the Scottish Government to step in to stop this closure before it is too late, before a great injustice is committed before a grave error is made.

Mr Leonard argued: If we can build the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow on the existing site of the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, then why on earth cant we build the new Monklands Hospital on the site of the old Monklands Hospital?

The Health Board accepts that this is possible. The people now want them to make it happen.

Today well force a vote in the Scottish Parliament to keep the Monklands in the Monklands.



Read more here https://t.co/swcVCpM02V pic.twitter.com/EB2lNmUciH  Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) October 24, 2018

Speaking for the government, mental health minister Clare Haughey, said this was one of the options being examined by NHS Lanarkshire, along with a new building at Gartcosh, or refurbishing the current hospital building.

She told MSPs: I recognise there is a strength of feeling in the Airdrie community about the future access to and provision of hospital service.

And I want to make one point absolutely clear to members and to local people who use the highly valued services at Monklands Hospital  no final decision has been taken by the NHS board on the preferred option for a new or refurbished Monklands Hospital.

She said there had been significant investment in Monklands over the years  with the SNP government having retained A&E facilities there after these were earmarked for closure by the previous Labour led Scottish Executive.

But Ms Haughey, said the current facilities dont have the right lay out to ensure an ideal model of care in line with best modern clinical practice.

She stated: That is why the government has been clear we support NHS Lanarkshire in bringing forward proposals to replace or refurbish Monklands Hospital for the benefit of local people.

Access to a new University Hospital Monklands is crucial part of current public consultation on hospital's future. Bus services, community transport, drive times to the alternative locations - check out info in our travel & transport report https://t.co/CKgIUwHAqR #newmonklands  NHS Lanarkshire (@NHSLanarkshire) October 13, 2018

She also insisted NHS Lanarkshire had assured ministers they will carefully consider all the responses to the consultation and rigorously evaluate all the options before making a final decision.

Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said it was vital local people back the decision on where a replacement facility should be built.

He stressed: We need to get the location of the new Monklands right and above all, we need to make sure that the needs and interests of all the people of Lanarkshire are put at the heart of this decision.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone said a total rebuild of the hospital was needed to provide the high quality facilities people deserve.

She added: It would be unthinkable for people to lose such quality of service.
The disappearance of mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen is being treated as a potential murder, according to police.

The 46-year-old was last seen in the Bazes Shaw area of New Ash Green, Kent, where she lives, on October 9 and she has not been in contact her family since.

Her car was at her home address and there have been no transactions on her bank or credit cards, Kent Police said.

A man in his 30s was arrested on October 16 and was released on bail pending further inquiries until November 16.

Our officers in the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate are investigating the disappearance of 46-year-old Sarah Wellgreen as a potential murder enquiry. Please visit our website for more information >> https://t.co/cd73Gen0TG pic.twitter.com/ebgtlTyHBi  Kent Police (UK) (@kent_police) October 24, 2018

Detective Superintendent Paul Fotheringham said: We are investigating the disappearance of Sarah.

It is entirely out of character for her to go missing and, having conducted extensive inquiries and searches, this case is now being treated as a potential murder.

Sarah has disappeared without a trace, the only item missing from the home is her black iPhone 4.

Officers have conducted extensive searches in New Ash Green and surrounding rural areas.

While we continue our investigation and inquiries, I would urge anybody who saw anything suspicious in the New Ash Green area at around the time Sarah went missing, that is overnight from the evening of Tuesday 9 October into the morning of Wednesday 10 October, to contact us.

In Bazes Shaw an area of woodland was cordoned off and police helicopters could be seen overhead.

Residents said Ms Wellgreen was seen regularly around the Bazes Shaw area with her young children but commuted to Portsmouth where she is believed to work in a beauty salon.

One resident said there had been a large police presence in the area and estimated there had been at least 100 officers around the village alongside local search parties.

About 200 people volunteered to help police carry out searches in the area near Ms Wellgreens home over the weekend.

Mr Fotheringham said: We have experts with specialist technology and forensic scientists working with us to try and find Sarah.

Residents, businesses and landowners in the rural areas around New Ash Green are asked to check their outhouses, and areas surrounding their properties.

We are particularly interested to hear from anyone with fixed CCTV cameras within a five-mile radius of New Ash Green, whether this is residential or commercial CCTV, to come forward.

Likewise, anyone who was out on the evening of 9 October to the morning of 10 October in that five-mile area who has dashcam in their vehicle, please contact us.

We are also appealing to those living and working in the area bordered by the A2, M25, Meopham, Cobham, Horton Kirby and Darenth to check their sheds, outbuildings and areas of rough ground or woodland for any sign of Sarah.

Dog walkers and anyone out in rural areas should also call us if they see anything that seems suspicious.

If you think you may have seen Sarah or something suspicious but are not sure, please do not hesitate to call and let us know.

Id like to take this opportunity to thank those who have already called us, assisted with searches or sent messages of support to family who have been badly affected by Sarahs disappearance.

She is white, around 5ft 7in tall, of medium build, with green eyes and straight brown shoulder-length hair.

Information should be provided to Kent Police on 0207 158 0011, freephone 0800 056 0154 quoting 11-0423, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

CCTV or dashcam footage should be uploaded to https://mipp.police.uk/
Nicola Sturgeon has intervened in the Spanish investigation into the death of Kirsty Maxwell after meeting with her family (Police Scotland/PA)

Nicola Sturgeon has contacted the Spanish prime minister in a bid to ensure police and prosecutors are being given the necessary resources to investigate the death of Scottish holidaymaker Kirsty Maxwell.

The Scottish First Minister met Mrs Maxwells family in August, and wrote to Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez at their request.

Her intervention was revealed by Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf after the case was raised in Holyrood on Wednesday.

Mrs Maxwell, 27, from Livingston in West Lothian, died during a hen trip to the popular tourist resort of Benidorm in April last year after falling from the 10th floor of the Apartmentos Payma hotel.

Since then her husband Adam Maxwell and her parents Brian and Denise Curry have been on an arduous and anguished quest for justice, local MSP Angela Constance said.

Good luck to all family's and everyone else participating and attending this debate in Scottish Parliament.#KirstyMaxwell 

Support For Victims & Families Of Loved Ones #KilledAbroad  Justice  (@Justicebefound) October 24, 2018

Mr Yousaf paid tribute to her family for their tenacity and what they are doing on behalf of Kirstys legacy.

He added: It is important that a light is shone on these issues, which ask questions which need answers to.

The Maxwell family, who were in the Scottish Parliament for the debate, have not been satisfied with their experience of dealing with the Spanish authorities, Mr Yousaf added.

He said: I recognise the very strong view of the family that mistakes have been made from the earliest point in this process.

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He told MSPs that Ms Sturgeon had met with Kirstys family in August and she heard their concerns first-hand, and since then has taken forward a number of actions.

As part of this, he said: The Scottish Government has pressed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to fully support the family in its efforts to secure justice through the Spanish legal systems.

At the familys request, the First Minister also wrote to the Spanish prime minister seeking reassurance that the necessary resources have been deployed to allow the Spanish police and prosecutors to carry out a full and thorough investigation into Kirstys death.
A serious threat to America, at least, according to the Council of Economic Advisers. Photo: Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Just in time for Halloween (and of course, the midterms) the White House Council of Economic Advisers is stirring up a red scare. At least, thats the clearest takeaway from a report on the opportunity costs of socialism released Tuesday. The most charitable reading of the report suggests the CEA doesnt know much about socialism, and knows even less about the high costs of working-class life in America. Less charitably, the report deliberately misrepresents socialist ideas, and builds a glowing, if fatally flawed, case for American capitalist superiority.

First, the definitional problem. Socialism, in the CEAs view, invariably favors top-down, totalitarian government. But the CEAs definition doesnt bear much resemblance to Marxist thought, at least as it influences the democratic socialism of politicians like Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Socialism doesnt just demand the redistribution of resources, but of power, so socialist goals arent limited to the expansion of welfare. But power is a topic the CEAs report diligently avoids. Socialism offers a political solution to economic inequality, but America, as the CEA constructs it, doesnt have a problem with inequality at all. Many Americans would disagree. According to one Gallup poll released in March, only 32 percent of Americans say theyre satisfied with the nations distribution of income and wealth.

Historically, hyperbole and disinformation have been key to fearmongering about socialism. For socialism to be malicious, American capitalism must deserve salvation from it. As apologia is wont to do, the report promotes a second fantasy in order to counter its first. The CEAs version of America is a seductive one: U.S. incomes are higher than those in Nordic countries; our cancer survivors live longer; more Americans receive tertiary education. The CEAs America is so broadly prosperous that socialism threatens everyone, not just millionaires and billionaires.

This America sounds wonderful, but like many myths, it doesnt survive scrutiny. This is particularly apparent in the CEAs section on health care, which takes aim at Medicare for All and, more broadly, the notion of universal health care itself. On page 45, the report cites a 2010 study to assert that the U.S. outperforms many European countries in the longevity of individuals age 75 and higher. That claim is technically true, but it elides the fact that same study also says that between ages 40 and 75, US all-cause mortality rates are among the poorest in the set of comparison countries.

To further develop the argument that universal health care actually contributes to negative outcomes, the report cites another study to claim that U.S. cancer patients live longer than cancer patients in 10 countries that belong to the European Union, after the same diagnosis, due to the additional spending on higher-quality cancer care in the U.S. Death rates from cancer have certainly dropped in the U.S. But that doesnt necessarily mean that Americans feel those gains equally across racial and socioeconomic divides. In fact, we dont. In one of the most recent papers on socioeconomic and racial disparities in cancer mortality, published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health in 2017, researchers found that areas of the US that are more affluent, along with groups with higher levels of education and income, have lower cancer mortality than their poorer, less educated counterparts, Julia Belluz reported for Vox. The CEA focuses solely on the quality of American health care, which is clearly important, but socialists are also concerned about access.

Data collected by researchers from Princeton University, the University of Zurich, and Pantheon-Sorbonne University reveals that though both France and the U.S. made gains in reducing mortality across income percentiles from 1990 to 2010, the U.S. retained a steeper gap between rich and poor. The difference was most evident in rates of infant mortality. In France, the rate stayed relatively flat across percentiles; in the U.S., the poorer a baby was, the more likely it was to die before its first birthday. The U.S. infant mortality rate has dropped since 2010, but the sharpest drops are concentrated in states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare  more evidence in favor of redistribution.

But the report tries to dodge the reality of American inequality. American incomes, on average, are high, as the CEA report says. In 2017, a Pew Research Center analysis found that while the American middle class is smaller than the middle classes of most Western European countries, its income tends to be higher. But as Pew is careful to note, standard of living and quality of life are different measures. To the extent that governments in Western Europe are more likely to provide services to households that may not be captured in household income, such as the National Health Service in the UK, it is possible that differences in the quality of life between the U.S. and Western Europe are narrower, Pew stated. The comparatively small size of the American middle class provides another clue. In the U.S., wealth is extremely concentrated. A World Economic Forum report released in 2017 rated the U.S. 23rd out of 30 developed nations on its Inclusive Development Index, making the U.S. one of three advanced economies with the highest levels of poverty and income inequality.

Which country topped the index? Norway, one of the Nordic countries that the CEA report repeatedly targets for having comparatively lower income rates. Here, the report becomes particularly confused. In an attempt to explain why the authors believe that an output gap between Nordic countries and the U.S. is even greater than has been reported, the report credits American nonmarket household production to comparatively higher rates of homeschooling and in-home child care. Families homeschool for different reasons  religion being a popular justification  so setting that aside, Americas higher rate of in-home child care should have provoked the reports authors to ask one obvious question. How much does American child care cost? CNN reported in 2018 that the average American family spends about 25.7 percent of its income on child care; single American parents spend about 52.7 percent of their incomes on the same need. Danish couples spend about 10.7 percent, single Danish parents spend 2.9 percent, and couples in 30 wealthy nations measured by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development spend 15 percent on average. CEA never mentions that disparity, focusing instead on incomes and tax rates.

A reader can only conclude that relatively expansive welfare states are the real target of CEAs ire. But elsewhere in the report, CEA decries Medicare for All on the basis that it will inevitably result in cuts to entitlement programs. So which is it? Is welfare bad, or is it good? The CEA doesnt provide an answer. Perhaps it isnt even interested in the answer. The report is more a defense of the American status quo than it is anything else. Even as a purely ideological exercise, it lacks substance. Score one for the reds.
A no-deal Brexit may be the most likely outcome of the UKs negotiations with the EU, Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told MSPs.

The Prime Minister said that while the terms of Britains withdrawal from the bloc are 95% agreed, there remains an impasse over the issue of the Irish border.

Ms Sturgeon said she was increasingly concerned about the prospect of leaving without an agreement, adding that the UK Government was shutting down negotiating space with EU leaders.

Speaking to Holyroods committee conveners, she said: Almost with every day that passes right now, instead of the UK Government opening up negotiating space that increases the possibility of reaching a deal that then can attract political support, they seem to be closing down that negotiating space and digging themselves deeper into the hole theyve got themselves in.

I am increasingly concerned, literally with every day that passes right now, that the prospect of a no deal is becoming ever greater.

As things stand just now I think no deal may actually be the most likely outcome, and that is deeply concerning.

Given that we are two years on from the vote, five months away from exit, it is staggering incompetence that the Government has allowed the situation to get to this stage.

I think Brexit is frankly shaping up to be the biggest failure of government policy and handling of a situation that any of us have ever seen perhaps in our entire lifetimes.

As things stand just now I think no deal may actually be the most likely outcomeFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Ms Sturgeon said the UK was getting into territory where the extension of Article 50 couldnt and shouldnt be ruled out.

The UK is due to leave the EU in March, with Theresa May under increasing pressure to find a breakthrough in time after a lack of progress at last weeks summit with European leaders.

The two sides have been unable to agree on the so-called Northern Ireland backstop, intended to guarantee there is no return to a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.

Meanwhile there have been new revelations about the Governments plans for a no-deal Brexit, with alternative measures to secure supplies of food and medicines from the continent being investigated in case of chaos on the English Channel crossing.

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said: Nicola Sturgeons interventions on Brexit are entirely predictable.

She doesnt want it to happen or be a success, and will do everything she can to be an obstacle.

It wouldnt matter how much Scotland stood to benefit from the UK leaving the EU, the First Minister would still stand in the way.
UK detectives are investigating an allegedly racially aggravated incident after a man was filmed verbally abusing an elderly woman on a Ryanair flight.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show plane passenger David Mesher calling Delsie Gayle an ugly black bastard and telling her: Dont speak to me in a foreign language, you stupid ugly cow.

The incident is believed to have taken place on Ryanair flight FR015 at Barcelona Airport on October 19, before it left for London Stansted.

Essex Police said on Wednesday: Essex Police was contacted on Sunday October 21, about a racially aggravated incident happening on a Ryanair plane while on the tarmac at Barcelona Airport.

This incident took place on Friday October 19, a video of which has been widely circulated on social media and covered by media both here and abroad.

Since the report was made to us our officers have identified both parties involved and are progressing a number of inquiries.

There are agreed national protocols to follow when incidents are reported to have happened in another country. As such, we will be conducting an investigation to submit to the Spanish authorities in due course.

I haven't done anything to attack him, it's because of the colour of my skin I was abused like thatDelsie Gayle

The Press Association understands Spanish police are not investigating, as when an incident happens on a plane, it is investigated by authorities at the flights destination.

Mr Mesher, who lives in a sheltered retirement housing block in a leafy area of Yardley Wood, Birmingham, has declined to comment to reporters outside his home.

Only a small number of residents left or entered the building, which is run by housing provider Optivo, on Wednesday morning.

A spokeswoman for Optivo said: We do not condone abusive behaviour in any form.

As this matter is now being handled by the police we are unable to make any further comment at this stage.

Ms Gayle said she felt very low about the incident and it had discouraged her from flying with the low-cost airline in future.

She told ITV News: I feel really depressed about it. I go to bed and say, What have I done?.

I havent done anything to attack him, its because of the colour of my skin I was abused like that.

Two officers from West Midlands Police entered the building on Wednesday afternoon after the entrance had been guarded by a security guard.

Police spent just under an hour at the property before leaving without Mr Mesher.

When questioned on why their officers had attended the premises, a spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: West Midlands Police officers are assisting Essex Police who have the primary investigation.
The raid at the remote site was highly-planned and lasted for less than three minutes (David Cheskin/PA)

Two men have been jailed for their roles in a 500,000 armed robbery at the prestigious Gleneagles Hotel.

Richard Fleming and Liam Richardson carried hammers, a machete and a pistol when they raided the famous hotel in Auchterarder, Perthshire, on June 27 last year.

The masked men made off with dozens of high-value Rolex watches worth more than half a million pounds, which have not yet been recovered.

Fleming, 42, from London, who denied being involved, was given an 18-year sentence  with an extended period of licence of three years  at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Richardson, 30, also of London, was given 11 years and four months.

Sentencing, judge Lady Carmichael said: You took hammers, a machete, and a self-loading pistol, or an item that resembled one, to Gleneagles hotel in order to commit a robbery.

In the course of about two minutes in the hotel, you had taken Rolex watches worth in excess of half a million pounds from the Mappin & Webb jewellers there.

There was CCTV footage which illustrated very clearly how staff and guests fled in fear as you entered the hotel masked, armed and dressed in dark clothing.

They clearly had no way of knowing whether or not the firearm was a genuine one.

The robbery was an act of serious, premeditated criminality which involved significant advance planning.

While being led out of the court room, Fleming made a rude hand gesture to Lady Carmichael and called her a rat.

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The nature of the assault and the level of violence led staff and visitors to the complex to think they were witnessing a terror attack, police previously said.

The raid at the remote site  which staged the 2014 Ryder Cup  was highly-planned and lasted for less than three minutes.

Armed with the weapons, Fleming and Richardson ran into the hotel and smashed up the display cabinets at the Mappin & Webb boutique within the complex.

A painstaking investigation into the raid was launched by detectives, which ultimately involved more than 200 officers around the UK.

Police work included scrutinising hours of CCTV footage and identifying the two vehicles used in the raid.

A couple of housebreakings earlier in the month in St Andrews, Fife, also led police towards identifying the suspects, who were arrested in London a few weeks after the Gleneagles attack.

Flemings lawyer said the father of a young child  who has a number of previous convictions  had a difficult upbringing and has had a drug problem for much of his life.

The court heard he took part in the crime to gain money for his drug habit.

Richardsons lawyer said his client  who also has a number of previous convictions  had been employed as an apprentice plumber at the time of the offence and was taking part to help out a family member who had got into debt.

He added: Mr Fleming is not an unintelligent man. He has expressed genuine remorse for his involvement in this matter.

The High Court jury returned majority guilty verdicts against Fleming in September on a charge of armed robbery and two of assault after two and half hours of deliberations.

Fleming earlier admitted breaking into houses in St Andrews on June 12, 2017, around two weeks before the Gleneagles raid.

His extended period of licence was imposed because Lady Carmichael considers he would still present a danger to the public.

Richardson earlier pleaded guilty to the armed robbery charge.
The stock photo of a man looking at another woman while stood with his girlfriend (AntonioGuillem/Getty Images)

If ever there was proof that dogs can improve anything, this canine recreation of one of the most popular memes of all time is it.

If youve spent any time on the internet in the past two years theres every chance youre aware of the distracted boyfriend meme, a stock image showing one man, walking with his girlfriend, noticing another woman.

The image became an instant meme, and so when one dog owner was going through some photos of her day at the dog park, she couldnt help but notice the resemblance.

Mina, 24, is from Malaysia and works as a makeup artist, as well as being a beauty and lifestyle blogger on Instagram  and she has her eight-month-old Husky/German Shepherd mix Kaya to thank for the picture.

The Chihuahua is her friend called Cupcake who also frequents the dog park that we go to, and Cupcake is one of the few small dogs that isnt terrified of bigger dogs so they always play together, Mina told the Press Association.

When the picture was taken, Kaya was no longer interested in the Husky beside her and was about to run off to Cupcake.

As I was editing the picture to post on my dogs Instagram, it made me laugh out loud since she looked so evil with her tongue lolling out like that, and it dawned on me that it looked so similar to the meme.

Unsurprisingly the combination of dogs and one of the most successful memes of all time prompted thousands upon thousands of upvotes on Reddit, with social media users stunned by the likeness.

I wasnt expecting it to blow up like it did! said Mina.

I think the picture got so popular because people love dogs and memes, so put those two together and the internet will go wild.

If someone could only get a golden retriever to sing Chocolate Rain we could all be millionaires.
Police outside the Time Warner Centre in New York (Kevin Hagen/AP)

Crude pipe bombs targeting former US president Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and CNN have been intercepted amid a spate of attacks aimed at prominent Democrats and a cable news network often criticised by political conservatives.

The FBI also said it was responding to a report of a suspicious package at a Florida office of Representative Deborah Wasserman Schultz.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said his office received a similar package but police officials said the office was cleared and no device was found.

A similar device was found on Monday at the New York compound of liberal billionaire George Soros, a major contributor to Democratic causes.

There were no explosions and no reports of injuries.

The bombs were intercepted two weeks before nationwide elections that could reshape Congress and serve as a referendum on the first two years of Donald Trumps presidency.

The events quickly overtook other campaign news in an already tense political season which has included pitched fights over immigration, the Supreme Court and sexual violence against women.

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The White House quickly condemned the attacks aimed at Democrats and perceived foes of the administration.

Acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States, Mr Trump said. This egregious conduct is abhorrent.

Thats a very bipartisan statement, he said.

All the confirmed bombs appeared to come from the same person or persons, said John Miller, the New York Police Departments head of intelligence and counter-terrorism.

The US Secret Service intercepted a bomb that was addressed to Mrs Clinton at the home in Chappaqua, New York, she shares with former president Bill Clinton, and another that was sent to Mr Obama at his home with Michelle Obama in Washington.

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A police bomb squad removed another one from CNNs New York headquarters, which was evacuated.

Overhead TV shots showed a truck carrying that device, which law enforcement officials said was linked to the other explosives, being driven away.

The package sent to CNN contained a live explosive and envelope with white powder, and officials said the substance was being tested to see if it was dangerous.

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Mr Cuomo said at a briefing that we will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives.

A US official told the Associated Press that investigators believe the explosive that was discovered near the Clintons home was linked to one found on Monday at the Soros compound.

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The official noted that one of the packages had the return address of Mrs Schultz, an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee who was accused by Clinton rivals of secretly helping the partys eventual presidential nominee.

Neither Mrs Clinton nor Mr Obama received the packages and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement: These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Two law enforcement officials said the pipe bomb at CNN was crude but operational and was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, who regularly appears as a television contributor and who has publicly clashed with Mr Trump.

They said it was similar to other explosives discovered in the past few days.

We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.  Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) October 24, 2018

Mrs Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the familys New York residence at the time.

She said we are fine and thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the package long before it made its way to our home.

The former secretary of state said her family was grateful for the Secret Services service and commitment and obviously never more than today.

Mr Clinton was at the familys Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted on Tuesday night at a Westchester County facility, said a person familiar with his schedule.

They said the device was screened at the facility  not in proximity to their residence  and never reached the Clintons home.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Mr Soross home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a postbox outside the gates of the compound.

A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates, the official said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the US, not Russia, violated the treaty (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles in Europe would force Russia to target the nations hosting them.

Mr Putins stern warning followed US President Donald Trumps weekend announcement that he intends to opt out of a landmark nuclear arms control pact over alleged Russian violations.

Mr Putin rejected Mr Trumps claim that Russia breached the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. He alleged it was the United States that violated the agreement.

Mr Putin says he hopes to discuss the issue with Mr Trump in Paris on the sideline of November 11 events marking 100 years since Armistice Day.

He added that if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Russia would have to respond by targeting the countries where the missiles are based.
I was getting a gift for my mother for Christmas last year, and I literally went on Amazon and searched last-minute gifts. I was looking at the melatonin mist, and the Gravity weighted blanket came up as the thing other people looking at this item bought. I ended up getting it for myself and forgetting about my mother. I tell you, you are going to love it. Its like youre being swaddled. There is nothing like it. I spritz the melatonin mist on either side of my neck, and then its lights out. I have a big Velcro sleep mask I use called the Sleep Master. When I travel, I bring duct tape so that anything with a light  a blinking alarm clock or what have you  gets covered. I put a towel under the crack of the door. Im all about the sleep, but the Gravity Blanket is the thing. My husband said it felt like sleeping with a toddler on his back, and I was like, Youre welcome.
Donald Trump said the killing was followed by one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Donald Trump has described the killing of a Saudi journalist as a botched operation and a bad original concept as the US took its first, careful steps toward punishing the Saudis by moving to revoke the visas of the suspects.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said the entire operation was a fiasco.

They had a very bad original concept, Mr Trump said. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up, and they had the worst cover-up ever.

Even in the face of ugly details of Jamal Khashoggis slaying, Mr Trump has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to the gulf kingdom and has been reluctant to antagonise the Saudi rulers.

Mr Trump considers the Saudis to be vital allies in his Mideast agenda.

Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Mr Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the US and wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The writer, who was a contributor to The Washington Post, vanished October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey, where he went to pick up documents for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

The process was no good. The execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good.Donald Trump

Turkish officials say that a Saudi team of 15 men tortured, killed and dismembered the writer and that Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

On Tuesday the Turkish president said Saudi Arabia must identify those who ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and turn over the suspects for trial.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabias widely-criticised account that the writer for The Washington Post died accidentally in a brawl.

Saudi officials  after weeks of denials  now concede that he died, but they say it happened accidentally in a fight at the consulate.

Addressing ruling party lawmakers in parliament, Mr Erdogan used the word murder 15 times to describe Mr Khashoggis death.

It was a total fiasco, Mr Trump said. The process was no good. The execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a move to revoke visas was just a first step.

Visa records are confidential and Mr Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 Saudi suspects would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the US.

These penalties will not be the last word on this matter, Mr Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.

The administration will continue to hold those responsible accountable. Were making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence, he said. Neither the president or I am happy with this situation.

Still, Mr Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship.

We continue to view as achievable the twin imperative of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, Mr Pompeo said.
Turkeys president has kept up pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The kingdoms Prince Mohammed bin Salman will address the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh later, which has been overshadowed by Mr Khashoggis killing and the international outrage over it.

International business leaders, officials and others have pulled out of the summit, and the events first day saw several speakers acknowledge the killing of the Saudi writer whose columns criticised the princes campaign of arrests and governance.

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Whatsapp Jamal Khashoggi was critical of Prince Mohammed bin Salman (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)

Turkish officials say Mr Khashoggi was killed on October 2 by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage on overseas trips.

Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue. However, no major decision in the kingdom is made without the approval of the ruling Al Saud family.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kept up his pressure on Wednesday.

We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible  from the person who gave the order to those who executed it  not to escape justice, he said in the capital, Ankara.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, continued to criticise the kingdom over Mr Khashoggis killing.

The cover-up was horrible. The execution was horrible, Mr Trump told journalists on Tuesday night at the White House. But there should have never been an execution or a cover-up because it should have never happened.

Mr Trump was later asked about Prince Mohammed in an Oval Office interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him, Mr Trump told the newspaper.

Shortly after Mr Trumps remarks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States was revoking the visas of some Saudi officials implicated in Mr Khashoggis death.

The visa revocations are the Trump administrations first punitive measures against the Saudis, who are seen as key allies in US efforts to isolate Iran, since Mr Khashoggi disappeared.

Mr Trump meanwhile has been criticising Saudi Arabia and OPEC over high oil prices, calling for a production increase to drop gasoline prices ahead of Americas midterm elections.

The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations said Saudi Arabia should conduct a credible investigation, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities.
It haunted me. Photo: Alessio Botticelli/GC Images

I first noticed Emma Stones perfect trench coat from the Netflix series Maniac many months before the show launched. Working in media and spending a lot of time looking at celebrity outfits on Getty Images (at that time it was mostly male celebs), I was privy to a lot of paparazzi photos.

But that day, a few photos of Stone on set caught my eye. In them, shes dressed as her character Annie in a worn-out black hooded sweatshirt and painter jeans. Over this very normal outfit, shes wearing a marvel of a mustard coat that I immediately wanted. It looked like a 2018 version of a Columbo or Dick Tracy detective coat  I am a big fan of detective shows. Months later, after the show aired, I was reminded of the coat again. So, I launched my own search for the trench, which took all of ten minutes, since the shows costume designer had posted it on Instagram and tagged designer Jesse Kamm.

I remembered having seen a still from maybe eight months before, but the series wasnt anywhere near coming out, Kamm said when I called her on the phone. Jonah is an old friend of mine, and I got really excited when I saw the billboard, but I didnt remember that this was the thing that I had sent clothes out for. Then I sat down and was watching it, and I was like, Oh my God, theres the trench. Sometimes you see your pieces out in the world, and youre like, Oh, whoa, I do not need to take credit for that, but not in this case.

The coat is officially called the Trench Mostazo (mustard in Spanish because Kamm designed it while in Panama). I planned to buy it for myself, but Kamm confirmed that they have all sold out, except for the two she keeps at home [editors note: the Mostazo trench has finally been restocked!]. I have one of every single thing Ive ever made. That particular piece is one I love so much that I have one in the archive and one in my closet. Though Kamm has made this trench for eight years, most of them were made in silk and linen  Stones version, part of Kamms spring/summer 17 collection, was actually the first to be made in a weatherproof material. This seasons trench is navy blue and also water-resistant.

If you really fell for the mustard, as I did, you can rejoice in the fact that it has just been reissued. But if youre looking to replicate the vibe on a budget you can also try one of the following mustard and brown trench coats on for size.

More mustard and brown trench coats

Lyocell Trenchcoat $60 This saturated mustard coat may not protect you from the rain, but its unstructured shape is perfect for throwing over a T-shirt and jeans. $60 at H&M Buy

Double-Breasted Trench Coat $60 If youre not ready for a full-on yellow coat, this mustardy brown trench from Forever 21 is a great place to start. $60 at Forever21 Buy

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Indonesia may review China-backed infrastructure projects if opposition leader Prabowo Subianto is elected president next year, officials with his campaign team said Wednesday.

Incumbent President Joko Jokowi Widodo, who is seeking re-election, has embraced Chinas ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative and has made upgrading the countrys dilapidated infrastructure a priority during his first term in office. Jokowi will face Prabowo, a former Army special forces commander with a checkered human rights record, in the presidential election scheduled for April 17 next year.

Some projects may be evaluated for necessity, but not necessarily be cancelled, said Andre Rosiade, a spokesman for Prabowos Gerindra Party, responding to questions from BenarNews about whether Prabowo would review Chinese-backed projects if he won the presidency.

Mr. Prabowo isnt anti-foreigner and is ready to work with foreign countries, but the welfare of Indonesians is his priority.

Andre did not say which project would be reviewed.

We will not review a project just because it is funded by a certain country. Projects that will be reviewed are those that cause losses to the state and undermine the nation, said Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Prabowos campaign spokesman.

Mr Prabowo is against corruption and manipulative practices, but he can work with investors from any country, he said.

Indonesia is building a 140-kilometer (87-mile) high-speed railway and several power plants on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands with funding from China.

The railway, which links the city of Bandung in West Java and Jakarta, costs U.S. $5.9 billion and is being built by a consortium led by China Railway International, according to information from the Indonesian governments National Investment Coordination Board.

Jokowi launched the project in early 2016 to much fanfare but construction was delayed for about two years due to problems in freeing land, among other issues.

China is also funding the development of economic development corridors, which involve the construction of industrial estates, power plants, roads and sea ports worth U.S. $51 billion in North Sumatra, North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi and Bali, according to the National Investment Coordinating Agency.

Indonesia and China have a good relationship, but I think there are certain projects that we want to look at, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is Prabowos brother and campaign manager, told the South China Post on Monday, referring to One Belt, One Road.

Im sure there are some projects that are very good, and Im sure some projects are not necessary.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping walk to their meeting at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, as China was touting its new One Belt, One Road endeavor as a project of the century, May 14, 2017. [AFP]

Beijings geopolitical plan

Last year, Jokowi attended a two-day One Belt, One Road forum, during which Beijing laid out its plans to invest more than U.S. $1 trillion in its grand strategy of building a network of ports, roads, railways and other logistics-related projects stretching through Southeast Asia, South Asia and beyond.

A so-called Maritime Silk Road is part of Chinas multi-pronged strategy to boost its global trading links by developing overland and maritime routes connecting the worlds most populous nation and economic powerhouse to markets in Europe.

China and Indonesia established diplomatic relations on April 13, 1950. In 2003, bilateral trade reached U.S. $3.8 billion, but that figure multiplied almost 10 times to U.S. $36.1 billion in 2010, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a Canada-based independent think-tank.



But Jakarta booked a trade deficit of U.S. $ 14 billion in 2016, with the trade imbalance favoring Beijing. Trade between the two nations peaked at U.S. $58.8 billion last year, with Indonesia importing about U.S. $35.7 billion of goods from China, mostly electronics, including phones and computers, according to official figures. Indonesia exported mostly coal briquettes, steel and palm oil.

Indonesia ranks fourth among Chinas largest trading partners in Southeast Asia, after Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Jokowi said in 2017 that he believed the One Belt, One Road initiative would strengthen economic relationships between China and Indonesia, and his government was focusing on its infrastructure development.

Chinese regional rival India has expressed misgivings about Chinas geo-political strategy, saying initiatives must be based on universally recognized international norms, transparency and equality.

Tread carefully, analyst says

Ari Kuncoro, an economist at the University of Indonesia, warned that abandoning a project after construction had started would be costly.

Any decision to review should be made carefully, Ari said. A project should only be postponed when import content is so high that it hurts the local currency.

Cancelling a projects that are already underway means that cost that has already been incurred cant be recovered, he said.

The Indonesian government has already decided to postpone some infrastructure projects that use heavily imported materials for up to six years as part of attempts to shore up the rupiah, which has tumbled almost 10 percent this year and weakened past 15,000 per U.S. dollar for the first time in 20 years.

Agung Pribadi, a spokesman for the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said several power plant projects had been postponed but he did not give details.

Officials at the state electricity company PLN could not be reached for comment.

With the United States isolating itself, I think the new Silk Road makes sense, Ari said.

Indonesia has a population of 260 million people and its close to Singapore, so when the ports in Singapore are overwhelmed, we can take some of the excess traffic, he said.

But Indonesia should avoid being just a market for Chinese exports.

We should not accept such a situation, he said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (left) and his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, appear at a joint news conference in Jakarta, Oct. 23, 2018.

Indonesia and Saudi Arabia agreed to increase joint efforts against radicalism and terrorism, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Tuesday while calling on the Middle Eastern oil power to investigate the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi thoroughly and transparently.

Retno met with her Saudi counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, for bilateral talks as he wrapped up a two-day visit to Jakarta. She said the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) was drafting a memorandum of understanding with the Presidency of State Security, Saudis anti-terrorism agency.

We agreed to increase cooperation in combating radicalism and terrorism in view of the increasing threat of radicalism and terrorism, Retno said after a meeting with al-Jubeir before he was to leave Jakarta.

Neither side released details of the MOU and an Indonesian official said it was being drafted. The officials did not reveal when the document would be completed and signed.

Meanwhile, Retno expressed concern about the killing of Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

We call for an investigation to be carried out transparently and thoroughly, Retno said, echoing remarks made by Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his meeting with the Saudi foreign minister on Monday.

Saudi officials initially denied any knowledge of what had happened to the dissident journalist, saying Khashoggi left the consulate after picking up papers for his forthcoming marriage.

Al-Jubeir referred to Khashoggis death as murder for the first time on Sunday. Two days earlier, Saudi officials admitted that the Washington Post columnist had died at the consulate, but blamed his killing on a fistfight.

I emphasized to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia that he had promised two days ago that he was determined to reveal all the facts, Retno said.

Al-Jubeir said King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Salman were committed to ensuring that the investigation is thorough and complete and that the truth is revealed.

Those responsible will be held to account and that procedures and mechanisms are in place to ensure that something like this can never happen again, he said during a press conference in Jakarta.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that 15 people in three groups had arrived at the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2.

The information and evidences uncovered so far show that Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered, Erdogan said, according to news reports. Covering up such a brutal act would wound the conscience of all mankind.

Trade and investment talks

In Jakarta, Al-Jubeir said his country was committed to enhancing its relationship with Indonesia.

We believe the size of trade and investment between our two countries is not commensurate with the size of our respective economies, so we are rolling up our sleeves to try to move toward more investment and more trade, he said.

Retno recognized those efforts, but said she had concerns.

Although, there is an increase in cooperation in the investment sector, we also realize that there are some aspects that have not achieved significant progress, she said, citing a delay in a project involving Saudi oil giant Aramco upgrading the Cilacap refinery in Central Java.

Government officials last year announced that the project, expected to be completed in 2021, was delayed until 2023, according to the Jakarta Post.

In addition, Retno thanked the Saudi government for improving the welfare of about 600,000 Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia.

We welcome efforts to improve the protection of Indonesian citizens by Saudi Arabia, among others regarding the rules on working hours, minimum wages and respect for workers rights, she said.

Al-Jubeir said he and Retno discussed ways to resolve conflicts in the Islamic world including conflicts tied to Israel.

We believe in sovereignty of nations and in the rule of law, in the international legal system and we believe in solving conflicts through peaceful means, he said.

Saudi King Salman met with Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo during a March 2017 visit to Jakarta and signed 11 MOUs, including some focused on countering world-wide terrorism.

Intelligence sharing

University of Indonesia terrorism analyst Ridlwan Habib said intelligence sharing is a step in the right direction.

There needs to be an understanding of terrorism networks in both countries, he said.

Saudi Arabia could learn about a more humane approach in fighting terrorism from Indonesia, Ridlwan said while noting there are ideological differences between terrorists in the two countries.

The terrorist ideology in Saudi Arabia is more hardline and militant than Indonesia, so maybe to some extent a soft approach wont be effective, he said.

Indonesian House member Bobby Rizaldi said the government should be wary of Saudi-funded educational institutions. He pointed out that Aman Abdurrachman, who was sentenced to death in June for masterminding a series of attacks in recent years, was a graduate of the Saudi-funded Islamic and Arabic College of Indonesia in Jakarta.

Many schools established by Saudi Arabia are influenced by Wahhabism. It is necessary to anticipate creeping radicalization, he said.

Popular in Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism stresses the literal interpretation of the Quran and its followers see other religions, including other strains of Islam, as infidels.
Malaysia Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu (right), is joined by Wu Yongjie, president of China Shipbuilding Industrial Corp. Ltd at the Wuhan shipyard in China, Oct. 23, 2018.

Updated at 9:42 ET on 2018-10-24

Malaysia is going ahead with a joint ship-building venture with China even as it reviews other China-backed projects launched by the previous government.

Under a defense deal signed by former Prime Minister Najib Razak in April 2017, Malaysia is purchasing four littoral mission ships (LMS) from China at a reported cost of 300 million ringgit (U.S. $72 million) per ship.

Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu visited a shipyard in Wuhan, China, on Tuesday to monitor construction of the first two ships which began in late July. The other ships are to be built in a joint venture with Malaysian shipbuilder Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd.

Sabu said the shipbuilding phase in Malaysia would involve technology transfers between the two countries, according to a text of his speech.

I sincerely hope that the efforts to complete the construction of the ships on time will gain its momentum until the physical handover of the ships, he said.

The deal has survived amid project cancellations and reviews announced by the new Pakatan Harapan government after its May 9 general election win. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad previously said he was issuing stop-work orders for China-backed projects to deal with the countrys mounting debt.

This doesnt signal any change of Malaysias stance toward China, Shahriman Lockman, a senior analyst at the Kuala Lumpur-based Institute of Strategic and International Studies, said of the ship deal.

Coastal stealth

The move is part of an ongoing effort to modernize the Royal Malaysian Navy that includes reducing its 15 ship classes to five. By having fewer types of ships, it will eventually reduce the operating expenditure of the navy, Shahriman told BenarNews.

In an interview with Defense IQ in April 2017, Royal Malaysian Navy chief Adm. Ahmad Badaruddin Kamarulzaman said Malaysia would eventually have a total of 18 LMS in its fleet.

Littoral mission ships are relatively small, thin vessels, designed for stealthy combat near coastlines and sometimes to take on bigger enemies. With a coastline stretching from the Sulu Sea westward to the Indian Ocean, we need these four littoral platforms to be made in China. They will be delivered to RMN in 2019-2020, he said at the time.

After his Pakatan Harapan alliance defeated former Prime Minister Najib Razaks Barisan Nasional coalition, Mahathir said his government had inherited a 1 trillion ringgit ($240 billion) debt necessitating cancelation of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, among others.

With that debt, if we are not careful we can become bankrupt, he said in a video interview at the time. This is the work of Najib.

However, four days later, national news agency Bernama reported Mahathir said the government was seeking to renegotiate the terms of the deal.

We have to bear in mind that the renegotiation of major projects like the ECRL was due to apparent irregularities and high costs, Shahriman said, adding the ship deal represents a savings.

If anything, the project appears to be ahead of schedule while delivering a relatively affordable alternative to anything we can get from European producers of combat ships, he said.

A Defense Ministry spokesman contacted by BenarNews said he had no information about the cost of the LMS deal.

In August, Asia Times quoted a senior fellow at Malaysia research institute REFSA saying the project would cost the government 300 million ringgit ($72 million) per ship.

Hamzah Ahmad, an analyst at the National Defense University of Malaysia, said the nations demand for the ships is based on current needs.

The LMS is a more versatile and faster combat patrol boat. Its much more agile and maneuverable than the other types of combat patrol vessels, he told BenarNews.

Almost all countries have or are acquiring the LMS and in our region, Singapore already has a few. Strategically speaking, the LMS will be a welcomed addition to the Malaysian navys fleet.

Malaysia and its neighbors have been grappling with piracy and kidnapping along their coasts along with a flow of foreign militants across the Sulu Sea to the southern Philippines.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the reported price of the deal as 300 million ringgit ($72 million) total.
Protesters bang on the gates of Camp Aguinaldo, the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Quezon during a rally to protest the weekend killings of nine farmers in central Negros Occidental province, Oct. 23, 2018.

Nine sugarcane farmers who were slain by gunmen at a plantation in the central Philippines over the weekend belonged to a communist front and they may have been victims of factional infighting, the countrys military chief said Wednesday.

But authorities also were not discounting two other angles  that the violence allegedly carried out by about 40 unidentified men in Sagay city, Negros Occidental province, may have been perpetrated by a local landowners private army or by members of another group of land claimants.

The victims were all recent recruits of the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW), armed forces chief Gen. Carlito Galvez said. He alleged it was a front organization for the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA).

According to the families, residents, and local authorities in the area, the victims are not workers in the farm or claimants to the land. The Department of Agrarian Reform has also claimed that the victims are not entitled beneficiaries, Galvez said in a statement.

They were brought there by their recruiters from the NFSW who left just before the shooting happened, he said, adding I am convinced that when the conclusive findings of the investigation have been released, the CPP-NPA and its puppet organization NFSW will have blood on their hands.

At least three people survived Saturdays attack at the Hacienda Nene  also known as the Hacienda Barbara  including a man whose 17-year-old son was killed by the gunmen.

Bobstil Sumicad, 52, said he escaped from the shooting alive because he had stepped away from the workers camp to relieve himself in a sugarcane field when there was a commotion followed by shots.

Suddenly, I heard continuous bursts of gunfire that lasted for several minutes and, after a while, individual shots. I heard someone say, You think you can escape? followed by a shot. I do not know if he was talking to my son, the grieving father told BenarNews.

Sumicad said his first impulse was to rush to his son but realized that he may also be killed.

So I hid among the cane and prayed my son would survive, he recalled, his voice choking with emotion.

After the gunmen had left, he said he saw his son lying still, his hands over his face.

He had been shot through the neck, abdomen and hand, he said.

Before leaving the camp to go into the field, he said he told a companion to be on the alert for anything untoward because there had been motorcycle-riding men seen nearby earlier in the day.

Breakaway faction

The killings at the hacienda cast a spotlight on the Philippine governments failure to implement a genuine and long-lasting agrarian reform program, which has been in place since the late 1980s but has repeatedly been countered by land owners.

The nine slain farmers were NSFW members who had taken over a portion of the hacienda that had been identified for land redistribution.

The gunmen who killed them may have been members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA), a discredited faction that splintered from the CPP-NPA in the 1990s and whose members were known to work as guns-for-hire for hacienda owners, police had said earlier, citing an initial investigation.

Galvez, the military chief, accused the CPP-NPA of manipulating, deceiving and exploiting the farmers by pitting them against landowners and other land claimants in the area to cause a semblance of unrest.

But the New Peoples Army, in a statement, denied that it had anything to do with the farmers, even while emphasizing that it supported their land claims. The hacienda was part of vast landholdings controlled by families who were politically entrenched in the area.

It said the families worked with the military and hired RPA members to drive farmer claimants from the area.

They have used the RPA and SCAA to terrorize and murder defenseless farmers who stand against their despotic reign, the NPA said, referring to a pro-government militia unit called the Special Civilian Active Auxiliary.

Attack not isolated

John Milton Lozande, a leader of the farmers union, blamed the government of President Rodrigo Duterte for the violence.

He said the local army commander had been saying since early this year that land cultivation areas they had been maintaining were under the control of communist insurgents.

Lozande denied this and argued the group had occupied unused areas in the farms to plant crops other than sugarcane.

The goal of setting up land cultivation areas is to ward off the inevitable hunger brought by the dead season in the sugar industry on properties covered by agrarian reform, he said.

Survivors of the attack denied the militarys claim and accused local police of planting evidence to suggest that the farmers were also armed.

Two of the survivors, Rene Manlangit and Rogelio Arquillo, said they had left workers camp to charge their mobile phones at a house near the highway when the shooting occurred.

Arquillo said he called a daughter who lived near the Sagay police station to seek help.

We waited until the police arrived because we were not sure if the killers had left, he said.

Saturdays attack was not isolated, Lozande said. In December 2017, a female union member was stabbed to death by farm security men. Two months earlier, another member was shot in the head.

Froilan Gallardo and Jeoffrey Maitem contributed to this report from Cagayan de Oro City and Cotabato City, Philippines.
Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation to contain an insurgency along their shared border after changing peace negotiators, and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad promised Wednesday to help solve the conflict as he started a visit to Bangkok.

The 93-year-old Mahathir met with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha as he began his first state visit to Thailand since taking office again as premier five months ago.

Now, you have the problem in the south and we are pledged to help in whatever way possible to end this violence, Malaysian Prime Mahathir Mohamad told a joint press conference at Government House.

Since 2013, Malaysia has facilitated different sets of peace talks between Thailand and insurgents waging a separatist war in the Thai Deep South.

In recent weeks, Thailand and Malaysia have replaced their chief representatives at the talks and MARA Patani, an umbrella group negotiating on behalf of various rebel groups and factions said it had added groups on its side and rebranded itself as MARA Patani Plus. However, a spokesman for MARA declined to name the new groups.

We have no problems between Thailand and Malaysia. In fact, we have the history of strong cooperation when Malaysia was facing the problem of terrorism before, said Mahathir, whose Pakatan Harapan alliance defeated the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in a general election on May 9.

Thailand helped in many ways to put an end to the kind of activity and we are very grateful to the Thai government and Thai people, he said, referring to a communist insurgency that raged along Malaysias border with Thailand decades ago.

Prayuth, 64, reaffirmed that talks aimed at settling the separatist conflict would go on with Malaysia in a role as peace broker.

I share the view that it is in Thailands and Malaysias best interest, and it is indeed, of the region that the situation in the southern border provinces must be resolved, Prayuth said. It shall be carried out, however, within the framework of Thailands Constitution.

The talks between the junta and MARA started in mid-2015. They followed another set of talks between the rebel group known as the National Revolutionary Front (BRN) and the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Those previous talks stalled in December 2013 and Yinglucks government was toppled in a military coup led by Prayuth, the then-army chief, in May 2014.

At Wednesdays press conference, Prayuth said the neighboring countries would expand their scope of cooperation including on economic development and efforts to counter cross-border terrorism, extremism and transnational crime.

As we are about to begin a new chapter of Thailand-Malaysia relations, I propose that both sides elevate our economic cooperation to the level of an Enhanced Strategic Economic Partnership.

In this regard, both countries will jointly push forward cooperation projects that have been pending, quite a number of them, placing particular emphasis on border area development, connectivity, trade, investment and tourism between both sides, Prayuth said without detailing any of the projects.

More violence in the south

On the eve of Mahathirs visit, police said suspected insurgents launched a grenade attack at a tire shop in Yala, a province in Deep South. No one was injured.

Reacting to that attack, Zachary Abuza, a BenarNews columnist and expert on the Thai Deep South noted in a tweet that it was the first bombing carried out in the region since Sept. 9.

On the eve of the Malaysia-Thai summit, its almost as if the BRN wants to send a signal, Abuza said Wednesday in a message on Twitter.

And on Wednesday, a 58-year-old chief of Talubo, a village cluster in Pattani province, was shot in the chest and leg and was in serious but safe condition, police said, adding that a 52-year-old woman, who was struck in the leg by a stray bullet, was in safe condition.

Members of an activist group, Deep South Peaceful Thais, hold signs outside the Malaysian Consular office in southern Thailands Songkhla province, urging Malaysia to stop supporting insurgents, Oct. 24, 2018. (Mariyam Ahmad/BenarNews)

Thais protest

Meanwhile in Songkhla province on Wednesday, about 30 activists with a group calling itself Deep South Peaceful Thais rallied at the Malaysian consular office to lodge a letter of complaint with the consulate-general, urging the nation to stop supporting insurgents in exile.

Many insurgents from the Deep South are believed to be sheltering just across the border in northern Malaysia.

The group was calling on the Malaysian government to arrest criminals, all militants, the leaders or the supporters, who committed crimes in Thailand, said a leader of the group who requested anonymity.

After finishing attacks, they fled to and hid in Malaysia  the base for terrorizing Thai people, he said.

He stood with a group holding signs in Thai and English stating Malaysia, please dont offer the shelter to Thai criminals.

Meanwhile, Deep South analysts cautioned that officials needed to take positive steps to achieve peace.

To make the peace process meaningful to people in Thailands Deep South, Malaysia should send a clear message to BRN separatist insurgents that they must immediately stop attacking civilians in their armed struggle against the Thai state, Sunai Phasuk, a senior Thai researcher told BenarNews. In this light, Malaysia should no longer harbor insurgents responsible serious human rights abuses.

The BRN, the largest and most heavily armed of rebel groups in the south, controls virtually all of the combatants in the region and has criticized the peace process between MARA Patani and Thailands military government, saying it wants to negotiate directly with Bangkok.

On the other hand, Malaysia should be candid with Bangkok that a peace process requires trust and confidence from the ethnic Malay Muslim population, which will never take place as long as Thai security forces use extrajudicial tactics and operate with impunity, Sunai said.

The decades-old insurgency in the predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking Deep South  which encompasses Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces, as well as four districts of Songkhla  has resulted in nearly 7,000 deaths since it re-ignited in 2004.

Mariyam Ahmad in Pattani, Thailand, contributed to this report.
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For Immediate Release, October 24, 2018 Contact: Kristen Monsell, (510) 844-7137, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org Trump Administration Approves Offshore Oil Drilling Project in Arctic Liberty Project OK'd as Officials Seek to Expand Offshore Leasing, Relax Drilling Safety Rules ANCHORAGE The Trump administration today approved the first Arctic offshore oil drilling development in federal waters. Hilcorp Alaska received approval to build the controversial Liberty project, an artificial drilling island and underwater pipeline that risks oil spills in the sensitive Beaufort Sea and threatens polar bears and Arctic communities. The Trump administration is also in the process of drastically expanding offshore oil leasing in the Arctic and other U.S. oceans and relaxing offshore drilling safety regulations adopted in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, including special Arctic drilling rules President Obama adopted for these remote and treacherous waters. Opening the Arctic to offshore oil drilling is a disaster waiting to happen, said Kristen Monsell, ocean legal director with the Center for Biological Diversity. This project sets us down a dangerous path of destroying the Arctic. An oil spill in the Arctic would be impossible to clean up and the region is already stressed by climate change. The Liberty project involves construction of a nine-acre artificial island with a 24-acre footprint in about 20 feet of water and a 5.6-mile pipeline under Arctic waters to send the oil into onshore pipelines. Concerns about Hilcorps ability to build and manage the project were heightened last year when its underwater gas pipeline in Alaskas Cook Inlet leaked for nearly four months because the company said the presence of sea ice prevented its repair. Hilcorp has been aggressively expanding its Alaska fossil fuel holdings, spending more than $3 million to lease 14 new Cook Inlet tracts in federal waters in June 2017. Hilcorp has been the most heavily fined oil company in Alaska in recent years, with state regulators writing disregard for regulatory compliance is endemic to Hilcorp's approach to its Alaska operations. Hilcorp has applied for federal permits to harm whales, seals and other imperiled Arctic marine mammals during the projects construction and operation. Noise from the project will disrupt essential behaviors such as feeding and breeding. It can also mask the communications of bowhead, gray and beluga whales. Construction of the ice roads that would be used to support activities offshore has the potential to kill ringed seals. Well keep fighting this project and any new ones that follow, Monsell said. We wont passively watch the oil industry and this inept administration harm Arctic wildlife and leave a legacy of climate chaos.
The Commission has observed that information asymmetry in the pharmaceutical/healthcare sector significantly restricts consumer choice.

Over the nine years of enforcement of the Competition Act, 2002 (the Act), the Competition Commission of India (the Commission) has received 52 cases pertaining to the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. The Commission, while deciding on the cases, has observed that information asymmetry in the pharmaceutical/healthcare sector significantly restricts consumer choice. In the absence of consumer sovereignty, various industry practices flourish which have the effect of choking competition and are detrimental to consumer interest. Such practices may not always violate the provisions of the Act, but they create conditions that do not allow markets to work effectively and healthy competition to drive the market outcomes. The response to these issues can, in many instances, take the form of appropriate regulations that can pre-empt market-distorting practices and help create pro-competition conditions.

As the competition authority of the country, the Commission felt the need for close examination and focused deliberations on these issues, which have implications for markets and competition in this sector of critical importance. In pursuance of the same, a series of initiatives has been taken up by the Commission over the years in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, which culminated in a Technical Workshop on Competition Issues in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Sector in India organised on August 28-29, 2018 in New Delhi with representatives of all stakeholder groups, including pharmaceutical industry, healthcare service providers, civil society organisations, regulators, healthcare think tanks.

The issues identified and recommendations suggested by the stakeholders have been documented in a Policy Note by the Commission titled Making Markets Work for Affordable Healthcare. The key issues and recommendations are as under:

Role of intermediaries in drug price build-up

One major factor that contributes to high drug prices in India is the unreasonably high trade margins. The high margins are a form of incentive and an indirect marketing tool employed by drug companies. Further, self-regulation by trade associations also contributes towards high margins as these associations control the entire drug distribution system in a manner that reduces competition.

Efficient and wider public procurement and distribution of essential drugs can circumvent the challenges arising from the distribution chain, supplant sub-optimal regulatory instruments such as price control and allow for access to essential medicines at lower prices.

Electronic trading of drugs, with appropriate regulatory safeguards, could be another potent instrument for bringing in transparency and spurring price competition among platforms and among retailers, as has been witnessed in other product segments.

Quality perception behind proliferation of branded generics

Worldwide, generic drugs are seen as a key competitive force against the patent-expired brand name drugs marketed at monopoly prices. In India, the pharmaceutical market is dominated by branded generics which limit generic-induced price competition. The branded generic drugs enjoy a price premium owing to perceived quality assurance that comes with the brand name. Quality consideration may be a reason behind the prescription of branded generics by doctors. However, it is also equally possible that the brand proliferation is to introduce artificial product differentiation in the market, offering no therapeutic difference but allowing firms to extract rents.

The regulatory apparatus must address the issue of quality perception by ensuring consistent application of statutory quality control measures and better regulatory compliance. Unless the quality of drugs sold in markets can be taken to be in conformance of the statutory standards regardless of their brand names, generic competition in the true sense of the term cannot take off.

The practice of creating artificial product differentiation for exploitation of consumers may be addressed through a one-company-one drug-one brand name-one price policy.

Vertical arrangements in healthcare services

In view of the incentive-based referral system that pervades the healthcare landscape, issuing of periodic validated data by hospitals relating to mortality rate, infection rate, number of procedures etc. could help patients make informed choice.

The in-house pharmacies of super specialty hospitals are completely insulated from competition as inpatients are typically not allowed to purchase any product from outside pharmacies. This calls for regulation that mandates hospitals to allow consumers to buy standardised consumables from the open market.

All accredited diagnostic labs should meet the same quality standards in terms of infrastructure, equipment, skilled manpower etc. for getting accreditation. This will ensure the same degree of reliability and accuracy of test results across labs.

There is no regulatory framework that ensures and governs portability of patient data, treatment record, diagnostic reports between hospitals. This acts as a constraint for patients in switching from one hospital to another and creates a lock-in effect. Portability of patient data can help ensure that a patient is no longer locked into the data silos and do not bear additional cost for switching medical services and that doctors/hospitals can have timely access to patient data.

Regulation and competition

Owing to the multiplicity of regulators governing the pharmaceutical sector at the centre and state level, implementation of regulations is not uniform across the country. This has resulted in multiple standards of same products and also different levels of regulatory compliance requirements.

A mechanism may be devised under the aegis of the CDSCO to harmonise the criteria/processes followed by the state licensing authorities to ensure uniformity in interpretation and implementation.

It is also imperative to make the approval of new drugs time-bound along with publication of detailed guidelines governing each stage of new drug approval process.

Finally, two other major issues that affect the healthcare sector and thus warrant policy response are: (i) shortage of healthcare professionals in the country owing inter alia to high cost of medical education and (ii) inadequacy in health insurance. Public health delivery is a complicated policy matter. The focus of the Policy Note does not lose sight of legitimate public policy objectives, but endeavours to determine the extent to which choice and competition can improve outcomes consistent with those objectives. Accordingly, the Policy Note is being shared with Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Pharmaceuticals and NITI Aayog. The Commission will continue to enforce antitrust rules in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector to ensure that effective competition is not undermined in these markets. However, since enforcement cannot address all competition issues in the sector, the instrument of competition advocacy is employed with more vigour to facilitate discussions and make policy changes that are necessary to address the conditions triggering non-competitive market outcomes.
The meeting was organized by the Program Management Unit of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council. Government of India and was held on the sidelines of the Annual Grand Challenges Meeting 2018.

A roundtable meeting was held entitled "Innovate in India" in Berlin. Development partners, donors and representatives of multilateral organizations explored collaborations to innovate in India.

According to a statement, the meeting was organized by the Program Management Unit of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council. Government of India and was held on the sidelines of the Annual Grand Challenges Meeting 2018.

The meeting saw participation from agencies/organizations such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), United State Agency for International Development (USAID), Wellcome Trust and Grand Challenges Canada among others.

Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology said "In the past two decades, we have made major advances in Science and Technology which have transformed the lives of millions in the country.

As India aspires to become a global leader in research and development, it will be important to continue to foster collaborations between countries and interested donor agencies to achieve common goals, " reported UNI.
PR Newswire

HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 23, 2018

Over 900 Global Industry Leaders Join to Capture More Cross-border Investment Opportunities Arise from Market Challenges

HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- China Everbright Limited ("Everbright", stock code: 165.HK), the flagship overseas investment platform of China Everbright Group, successfully hosted its 7th Everbright Investment Conference at Midtown Shangri-La in Hangzhou, China between 22 and 23 October. The summit attracted more than 900 investment professionals, enterprise leaders and business partners from all over the world. Elite attendees gathered with Everbright's management and the managers of over 50 Everbright funds to share their insights on and discuss about the theme "Opportunities in Disruption, New Perspective on Cross-border Investment" across various areas and at multiple levels.

Held in Hangzhou, one of the six ancient capitals of China, the summit has strong support from the Zhejiang provincial government and Hangzhou City. On 21 October, Everbright Executive Director & CEO Mr. CHEN Shuang and the company executives visited and met with Mr. ZHU Congjiu, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, and Mr. XU Liyi, Mayor of Hangzhou City with the mission to deepen Everbright's cooperation with both Zhejiang Province and Hangzhou City. Mr. Chen noted Everbright's willingness to work with local governments to form fund of funds together and to support the development of regional economy by leveraging on the Group's proven sector experiences including aircraft leasing, medical care for the elderly, development of commercial real estate and smart city, and other fields. Enterprises within Zhejiang Province will have the first view and opportunity to connect with these outstanding brands.

On 23 October, the summit, moderated by Chin I TSENG, the famous Phoenix Satellite Television financial program presenter, was kicked off with a video that showcased the highlights of the previous six investment conferences. Mr. CHEN Shuang, Executive Director and CEO of Everbright, delivered an opening keynote speech titled "Opportunities in Disruption: Investment Strategy in Change & Disruption", elaborating on China's evolving inbound and outbound investment environment and challenges facing the PE industry. Against a backdrop of rising uncertainty brought by the US-China trade war and increased difficulty in fundraising within the PE industries, Mr. Chen introduced strategies for Everbright and its global LPs to capture opportunities arose from industry structural adjustments and consumption upgrades in China. Moreover, within advanced manufacturing, new economy and in multiple sectors, there are promising investment opportunities. By refining management and risk control measures as well as with diversifications, Everbright strives to maintain the balance among fundraising, investing, managing, and divesting.

Mr. WANG Yiming, Deputy Director of the Development Research Centre of the State Council, presented "Macro Views of the Economy and Financial Trends". Against a backdrop of continuous and increasing uncertainty, the government must adopt a prudent and proactive fiscal policy mix with tax deductions and complimentary measures to increase its support for private enterprises and SMEs, ultimately creating stable market expectation and confidence in businesses in general.

Mr. XU Xiaonian, renowned economist and professor of Economics and Finance at CEIB School, gave a talk titled "China's Dual-adjustments in the Trade War", in which he pointed out China's paramount need to deleverage during one of its most important and challenging economic transitions. He believes that the best way to overcome the challenges is to improve the protection of rights including that of intellectual and private property, which will increase confidence in investors and private entrepreneurs, and ultimately spur innovations that will lead to improve productivity and efficiency.

Speaking of global asset allocation, Mr. Robert SHAFIR, CEO of Oz Management, a leading global alternative asset manager, shared his insights on how today's rising macroeconomic and market uncertainty calls for an actively-managed, multi-strategy hedge fund approach to investing. Mr. Shafir believes that even with increased volatility recently witnessed globally from beta, investors can still capture attractive, uncorrelated sources of return by casting a wide net across asset classes and geographies and deploying capital nimbly and opportunistically.

In his talk "Changing the Way the World Works", David DEBOER, President & CEO of Burke Porter Group, listed three megatrends in the advanced manufacturing sector and subsequent opportunities. In face of wage-leveling, rapid technological changes and changing customer preferences, Burke Porter Group was able to transform itself to become the industry leader by expanding and consolidating its products and services value chain upstream as well as downstream through its "Niche at Scale" investment strategy which started in 2015 when China Everbright Limited became its majority owner.

During the panel discussion sessions, Ms. FAN Shengyan, Head of Mergers and Acquisition Department and Managing Director at Everbright, Mr. Brett Rosenthal, Chief Technical Officer at Precision Surfacing Solutions, Mr. Peleg AMIR, CEO of Lamina Technologies, Mr. Kjetil FORSVOLL, CEO of Boreal Holding AS, and Ms. Winnie LIU, Executive Director, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer at China Aircraft Leasing Group, discussed on the theme "Global Investment under the Reshaping of the World's Economy".

With the development of artificial intelligence in full swing, the Chinese market has become increasingly important to the sector. To showcase opportunity and potential created by the latest technology, Mr. Victor AI, Head of Super Project Acquisition Fund Department I and Managing Director at Everbright, Mr. Lex XIE, Strategic General Manager at Terminus, Mr. XU Zheng, Founder and CEO of Missfresh, and Mr. CHEN Tao, Rotating President of iFlytek, shared their insights on the topic of "Industrialisation of Artificial Intelligence in China".

How to achieve the most optimal real estate asset allocation has always been a popular topic for the Chinese market. Eric CHEN, CEO of EBA Investments, together with Todd MINNIS, CEO of EBA US, Fei YE, Vice President of Huazhu Hotels Group, Tianpeng SU, General Manager of the Direct Investment, PingAn Asset Management, and Hong LI, Senior Vice President of GLP Capital, participated in an expert forum on the theme of "Real Estate Asset Allocation in the New Era".

The emergence of healthy living as a megatrend and the introduction of many related policies have made the medical industry lucrative for capital. At the expert forum on "Innovation and the Internationalization of China's Medical Industry", Michael FU, Head & Managing Director of Everbright's Medical & Healthcare Fund, Tony YANG, CEO of Fussen Technology, Yuehui XIE, Chairman and CEO of Life Tech Scientific, Lana HU, Founder and CEO of Amcare, as well as Huaihu DONG, Chairman of Wuxi Enjoy Twilight Years, shared their insights on the medical and pension industries with the attendees.

In addition to the above-mentioned forums, Everbright's numerous global industrial investment teams shared their insights on several hot topics during other sessions, covering topics such as AI+, semiconductors, artificial intelligence trends, environmentally-friendly new energy, opportunities and challenges in the education and food industries, innovation and breakthroughs in Israeli technology, high-end industries and communications technologies, overseas infrastructure asset investments, the opportunities and challenges of Fund of Funds, as well as secondary market investment, among others.

Devotion can be rewarding. The Everbright Investment Conference has developed into an influential, high-level forum and exchange platform, having previously held six successful conferences and is now regarded as a key annual event in the PE industry calendar. As a pioneer in China's cross-border asset management industry, Everbright continues to use the summit as a platform, showcasing its motto of "The Power to Transform", leading the Chinese investment industry to explore new grounds in a market environment full of variables and disruptions.

For more information on the 7th Everbright Investment Conference, please visit the conference website: http://everbright-conference2018.com/

-- End --

About China Everbright Limited

China Everbright Limited (Everbright, stock code: 165.HK) was established in Hong Kong in 1997 and is China's leading cross-border investment and asset management company. Its parent company is China Everbright Group. Everbright manages private equity funds, venture capital funds, industry funds, mezzanine funds, parent funds, fixed income and equity funds. Everbright utilises its strong private capital and cultivates a number of high-growth-potential enterprises together with its investors. While closely following the development requirements of Chinese companies, it also seamlessly merges the best in overseas technologies with the Chinese market, providing multi-faceted service to Chinese clients involved in overseas investment.

As at the end of June 2018, Everbright managed 55 funds and completed fundraising efforts in the amount of HK$138.9 billion. Through both proprietary funds and the funds it manages, Everbright has invested in companies both in China and globally, including China UMS, GDS, Goldwind, CECEP Wind-power Corporation, Nanjing Gaosu Chuandong, HC SemiTek, Beijing Genomics Institute, Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Beingmate, Focus Media, iQiYi, Miaopai, Albania Capital Airport, Wish and BEP. It has invested in a total of over 300 companies, covering fields including real estate, pharmaceuticals, new energy, infrastructure, advanced technology, high-level manufacturing, financial technology and cultural consumption. Of these, more than 150 companies have been listed in China or overseas, or were listed but have since withdrawn due to mergers and acquisitions.

Everbright is the second-largest shareholder of Everbright Securities (stock code: 601788.SH, 6178.HK) and a strategic shareholder of China Everbright Bank (stock code: 601818.SH, 6818.HK). It is also the largest shareholder of Everbright Jiabao Co Ltd (stock code: 600622.SH). On the Hong Kong listing, it is the largest shareholder of China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (stock code: 1848.HK) and a controlling shareholder of Kinergy Corporation Ltd. (stock code: 3302.HK). On the Singapore listing, it is the second-largest shareholder of Ying Li International Real Estate Limited (stock code: 5DM. SGX). Everbright and its subsidiary companies currently have offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Singapore and Dublin.

Everbright became one of the first Hong Kong stocks to be traded following the launches of the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programmes in April 2014 and December 2016.

Everbright adheres to the motto "The Power to Transform". With a firm footing in Hong Kong  a true bridge between east and west  the Group is well positioned to take advantage of the long-term opportunities presented by changes in the Chinese market, respond flexibly, and become a leader in Chinese cross-border investment and asset management.

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SOURCE China Everbright Limited
PR Newswire

HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 24, 2018

Over 900 Global Industry Leaders Join to Capture More Cross-border Investment Opportunities Arise from Market Challenges

HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- China Everbright Limited ("Everbright", stock code: 165.HK), the flagship overseas investment platform of China Everbright Group, successfully hosted its 7th Everbright Investment Conference at Midtown Shangri-La in Hangzhou, China between 22 and 23 October. The summit attracted more than 900 investment professionals, enterprise leaders and business partners from all over the world. Elite attendees gathered with Everbright's management and the managers of over 50 Everbright funds to share their insights on and discuss about the theme "Opportunities in Disruption, New Perspective on Cross-border Investment" across various areas and at multiple levels.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773839/2018_Everbright_Investment_Conference.jpg

Held in Hangzhou, one of the six ancient capitals of China, the summit has strong support from the Zhejiang provincial government and Hangzhou City. On 21 October, Everbright Executive Director & CEO Mr. CHEN Shuang and the company executives visited and met with Mr. ZHU Congjiu, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, and Mr. XU Liyi, Mayor of Hangzhou City with the mission to deepen Everbright's cooperation with both Zhejiang Province and Hangzhou City. Mr. Chen noted Everbright's willingness to work with local governments to form fund of funds together and to support the development of regional economy by leveraging on the Group's proven sector experiences including aircraft leasing, medical care for the elderly, development of commercial real estate and smart city, and other fields. Enterprises within Zhejiang Province will have the first view and opportunity to connect with these outstanding brands.

On 23 October, the summit, moderated by Chin I TSENG, the famous Phoenix Satellite Television financial program presenter, was kicked off with a video that showcased the highlights of the previous six investment conferences. Mr. CHEN Shuang, Executive Director and CEO of Everbright, delivered an opening keynote speech titled "Opportunities in Disruption: Investment Strategy in Change & Disruption", elaborating on China's evolving inbound and outbound investment environment and challenges facing the PE industry. Against a backdrop of rising uncertainty brought by the US-China trade war and increased difficulty in fundraising within the PE industries, Mr. Chen introduced strategies for Everbright and its global LPs to capture opportunities arose from industry structural adjustments and consumption upgrades in China. Moreover, within advanced manufacturing, new economy and in multiple sectors, there are promising investment opportunities. By refining management and risk control measures as well as with diversifications, Everbright strives to maintain the balance among fundraising, investing, managing, and divesting.

Mr. WANG Yiming, Deputy Director of the Development Research Centre of the State Council, presented "Macro Views of the Economy and Financial Trends". Against a backdrop of continuous and increasing uncertainty, the government must adopt a prudent and proactive fiscal policy mix with tax deductions and complimentary measures to increase its support for private enterprises and SMEs, ultimately creating stable market expectation and confidence in businesses in general.

Mr. XU Xiaonian, renowned economist and professor of Economics and Finance at CEIB School, gave a talk titled "China's Dual-adjustments in the Trade War", in which he pointed out China's paramount need to deleverage during one of its most important and challenging economic transitions. He believes that the best way to overcome the challenges is to improve the protection of rights including that of intellectual and private property, which will increase confidence in investors and private entrepreneurs, and ultimately spur innovations that will lead to improve productivity and efficiency.

Speaking of global asset allocation, Mr. Robert SHAFIR, CEO of Oz Management, a leading global alternative asset manager, shared his insights on how today's rising macroeconomic and market uncertainty calls for an actively-managed, multi-strategy hedge fund approach to investing. Mr. Shafir believes that even with increased volatility recently witnessed globally from beta, investors can still capture attractive, uncorrelated sources of return by casting a wide net across asset classes and geographies and deploying capital nimbly and opportunistically.

In his talk "Changing the Way the World Works", David DEBOER, President & CEO of Burke Porter Group, listed three megatrends in the advanced manufacturing sector and subsequent opportunities. In face of wage-leveling, rapid technological changes and changing customer preferences, Burke Porter Group was able to transform itself to become the industry leader by expanding and consolidating its products and services value chain upstream as well as downstream through its "Niche at Scale" investment strategy which started in 2015 when China Everbright Limited became its majority owner.

During the panel discussion sessions, Ms. FAN Shengyan, Head of Mergers and Acquisition Department and Managing Director at Everbright, Mr. Brett Rosenthal, Chief Technical Officer at Precision Surfacing Solutions, Mr. Peleg AMIR, CEO of Lamina Technologies, Mr. Kjetil FORSVOLL, CEO of Boreal Holding AS, and Ms. Winnie LIU, Executive Director, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer at China Aircraft Leasing Group, discussed on the theme "Global Investment under the Reshaping of the World's Economy".

With the development of artificial intelligence in full swing, the Chinese market has become increasingly important to the sector. To showcase opportunity and potential created by the latest technology, Mr. Victor AI, Head of Super Project Acquisition Fund Department I and Managing Director at Everbright, Mr. Lex XIE, Strategic General Manager at Terminus, Mr. XU Zheng, Founder and CEO of Missfresh, and Mr. CHEN Tao, Rotating President of iFlytek, shared their insights on the topic of "Industrialisation of Artificial Intelligence in China".

How to achieve the most optimal real estate asset allocation has always been a popular topic for the Chinese market. Eric CHEN, CEO of EBA Investments, together with Todd MINNIS, CEO of EBA US, Fei YE, Vice President of Huazhu Hotels Group, Tianpeng SU, General Manager of the Direct Investment, PingAn Asset Management, and Hong LI, Senior Vice President of GLP Capital, participated in an expert forum on the theme of "Real Estate Asset Allocation in the New Era".

The emergence of healthy living as a megatrend and the introduction of many related policies have made the medical industry lucrative for capital. At the expert forum on "Innovation and the Internationalization of China's Medical Industry", Michael FU, Head & Managing Director of Everbright's Medical & Healthcare Fund, Tony YANG, CEO of Fussen Technology, Yuehui XIE, Chairman and CEO of Life Tech Scientific, Lana HU, Founder and CEO of Amcare, as well as Huaihu DONG, Chairman of Wuxi Enjoy Twilight Years, shared their insights on the medical and pension industries with the attendees.

In addition to the above-mentioned forums, Everbright's numerous global industrial investment teams shared their insights on several hot topics during other sessions, covering topics such as AI+, semiconductors, artificial intelligence trends, environmentally-friendly new energy, opportunities and challenges in the education and food industries, innovation and breakthroughs in Israeli technology, high-end industries and communications technologies, overseas infrastructure asset investments, the opportunities and challenges of Fund of Funds, as well as secondary market investment, among others.

Devotion can be rewarding. The Everbright Investment Conference has developed into an influential, high-level forum and exchange platform, having previously held six successful conferences and is now regarded as a key annual event in the PE industry calendar. As a pioneer in China's cross-border asset management industry, Everbright continues to use the summit as a platform, showcasing its motto of "The Power to Transform", leading the Chinese investment industry to explore new grounds in a market environment full of variables and disruptions.

For more information on the 7th Everbright Investment Conference, please visit the conference website: http://everbright-conference2018.com/

-- End --

About China Everbright Limited

China Everbright Limited (Everbright, stock code: 165.HK) was established in Hong Kong in 1997 and is China's leading cross-border investment and asset management company. Its parent company is China Everbright Group. Everbright manages private equity funds, venture capital funds, industry funds, mezzanine funds, parent funds, fixed income and equity funds. Everbright utilises its strong private capital and cultivates a number of high-growth-potential enterprises together with its investors. While closely following the development requirements of Chinese companies, it also seamlessly merges the best in overseas technologies with the Chinese market, providing multi-faceted service to Chinese clients involved in overseas investment.

As at the end of June 2018, Everbright managed 55 funds and completed fundraising efforts in the amount of HK$138.9 billion. Through both proprietary funds and the funds it manages, Everbright has invested in companies both in China and globally, including China UMS, GDS, Goldwind, CECEP Wind-power Corporation, Nanjing Gaosu Chuandong, HC SemiTek, Beijing Genomics Institute, Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Beingmate, Focus Media, iQiYi, Miaopai, Albania Capital Airport, Wish and BEP. It has invested in a total of over 300 companies, covering fields including real estate, pharmaceuticals, new energy, infrastructure, advanced technology, high-level manufacturing, financial technology and cultural consumption. Of these, more than 150 companies have been listed in China or overseas, or were listed but have since withdrawn due to mergers and acquisitions.

Everbright is the second-largest shareholder of Everbright Securities (stock code: 601788.SH, 6178.HK) and a strategic shareholder of China Everbright Bank (stock code: 601818.SH, 6818.HK). It is also the largest shareholder of Everbright Jiabao Co Ltd (stock code: 600622.SH). On the Hong Kong listing, it is the largest shareholder of China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (stock code: 1848.HK) and a controlling shareholder of Kinergy Corporation Ltd. (stock code: 3302.HK). On the Singapore listing, it is the second-largest shareholder of Ying Li International Real Estate Limited (stock code: 5DM. SGX). Everbright and its subsidiary companies currently have offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Singapore and Dublin.

Everbright became one of the first Hong Kong stocks to be traded following the launches of the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programmes in April 2014 and December 2016.

Everbright adheres to the motto "The Power to Transform". With a firm footing in Hong Kong  a true bridge between east and west  the Group is well positioned to take advantage of the long-term opportunities presented by changes in the Chinese market, respond flexibly, and become a leader in Chinese cross-border investment and asset management.
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SUZHOU, China, Oct. 23, 2018

SUZHOU, China, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CStone Pharmaceuticals ("CStone") today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently granted approval to the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the independently developed recombinant humanized anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody (mAb) CS1003. This represents CStone's second drug candidate to receive IND approval from the FDA less than one month after US clinical trial approval for CS1001 (PD-L1), and demonstrates CStone's global clinical development capability.

"Since May this year, CS1003 has now quickly received clinical trial approvals in Australia, China, and the United States, indicating that there are high expectations behind the product itself," said Dr. Frank Jiang, Chairman and CEO of CStone. "I hope that in the future CS1003 can play a key role within combination cancer drug therapies."

CS1003 is a full-length, humanized immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody that has shown a good tolerability and efficacy profile in preclinical in vivo studies. The forthcoming clinical trial in the United States extends the Phase I study that began in Australia in May this year to US research centers, and will determine the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) for CS1003 in solid tumor patients.

Dr. Jason Yang, CStone's Chief Medical Officer commented: "PD-1 and PD-L1 immunotherapy have been shown to produce strong therapeutic effects in various cancers both as single agents or in combination with multiple cancer therapeutics. CS1003 is a key pipeline candidate for CStone and is currently progressing smoothly through Phase I trial in Australia. We will continue to push forward CS1003's development in China and around the world to provide patients with a new treatment option at the earliest opportunity."

About CS1003 and the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway

PD-1, or programmed death-1, is an inhibitory checkpoint receptor expressed on T cells. Under normal circumstances, it binds with its ligands, programmed death ligand-1 or ligand 2 (PD-L1/PD-L2), inhibiting T cell and cytokine activation, serving to dampen the immune response in order to prevent damage to healthy tissues. However, studies have shown that PD-L1 can be abundantly expressed on the surface of many solid tumors as well as hematological malignancies. Cancer cells can therefore make use of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway to successfully avoid immune system recognition. Targeting of the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint by anti-tumor drugs can block the "tumor immune evasion mechanism" and restore anti-cancer immune ability in patients.

Unlike other anti-PD-1 mAbs, CS1003 recognizes both human and murine PD-1, providing a unique competitive advantage during efficacy testing in syngeneic mouse tumor models particularly for development of effective combination therapies.

About CSTONE

CStone Pharmaceuticals is a China-based innovative biopharmaceutical company devoted to meeting patient needs, focused on development of innovative tumor drugs and immunotherapies. Established at the end of 2015, CStone has built a world-class management team with experience ranging across the drug development life cycle from clinical development to commercialization. Our international-standard clinical research and development team gained experience developing some of the world's best-selling anti-tumor drugs. In terms of business model, CStone's approach combines independent research, clinical development capabilities, and commercial partnering. The company has built one of the largest anti-cancer drug pipelines in China, with 14 anti-tumor drugs under research including independently developed and internationally partnered products. Exclusive cooperation and licensing agreements have been reached with Blueprint Medicine and Agios. CStone's business model have been recognized by partners and investors in Series A and B financing rounds that were record-breaking within the biopharmaceutical field at that time, raising a combined total of USD 410 million. CStone aims to become a leading Chinese biopharmaceutical company with international prestige and serve as the cornerstone for the future health of patients.

For more information about CStone Pharmaceuticals, please visit: www.cstonepharma.com.

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SOURCE CStone Pharmaceuticals
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SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- George Zhao, President of Honor, delivered his first TEDx talk at Caohejing Park, Shanghai today where he shared his vision for perfection and technological innovation. Zhao also revealed how Honor received global success by becoming the top smartphone e-brand in China for four consecutive years.

At TEDx CaohejingParkSalon Zhao explained to a young audience of budding entrepreneurs that "in 2015, I travelled back to my homeland to lead Honor. Although I only had B2B experience back then, I knew that I only had one option -- to make Honor succeed. Over the past few years, in a 'Fearless Technology, Infinite Innovations' environment, Honor never ceases to enhance its technology or product quality and raise its core competitiveness. Innovation, quality and service have always been and always will be our top priorities. By continuously exploring these three areas, our upcoming 'Honor Magic 2', will be officially unveiled next week in Beijing and is bound to take smartphones to a whole new level. We believe that a company can only rise above the rest and stay relevant by delivering the best product with ultimate user experience."

"As the fastest-growing mobile phone brand, Honor never adopts an opportunistic approach in devising strategies. In 2015, Honor insisted on pooling their resources to deliver the best product and service quality, instead of relying on the 'spur-of-the-moment'. In 2016, when the global smartphone market suffered a steep decline, Honor persevered and was resolute in its vision. In 2017, when the industry was skeptical about their prospects, Honor insisted that its enterprises keep their vision focused on the future and boost momentum. In 2018, despite the smartphone market in China hitting a severe slump, Honor sailed through the storm. Not only did they record positive sales growth, they also remained China's top smartphone e-brand for the year," he added.

As a leading smartphone e-brand, Honor encourages young people to achieve their life dreams every day and always stay true to themselves, with a commitment to innovation that changes people's lives. The aim of today's TEDx talk was to share this passion and confidence with young people directly, helping them to fulfill their aspirations and change the world.

By empowering human beings to foresee the future, AI has always been a core strategic technology for Honor. Long before the industry came to realize the importance of AI, Honor had already invested heavily in AI R&D and built an AI ecosystem.

Zhao started his career with Huawei in 1998, working with them for 20 years in China and around the world. This experience gave him a great insight into how we use technology in our everyday lives and how it can change our lives for the better. As the President of Honor, he is responsible for the overall business management and growth of the Honor brand.

TEDx is a programme offering local and self-organized events that bring people together to share TED-like experiences in the spirit of spreading worthwhile ideas. Every year, TEDx CaohejingParkSalon in Shanghai invites diverse and experienced leaders to speak and exchange ideas with young entrepreneurs.

# # #

About Honor

Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers.

For more information, please visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com or follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/ https://twitter.com/Honorglobal https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/ https://www.youtube.com/honorglobal

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SOURCE Honor
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SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HUMAN HORIZONS, one of a number of fast growing Electric Vehicle (EV) startups in China, made its debut on October 22nd, in Shanghai, the most vigorous economic center of China.

Ding Lei, Founder and CEO of HUMAN HORIZONS, unveiled the company's development strategy in front of 600+ China and international media. "By re-examining the human-vehicle-road-city relationship and using smart vehicles as the information terminal, HUMAN HORIZONS aims to equip roads with sensors to facilitate smart transportation. Leveraging its digital service operation platform - the Digital House, HUMAN HORIZONS will create an information system for the smart city," Lei said.

To realize the goal of the "3-Smart" Strategy, HUMAN HORIZONS claims that they will focus on 5 core business fields, including (1) all-new smart vehicle development and manufacturing, (2) vehicle, charging network and energy resource sharing, (3) Internet of Vehicles (IOV) and advanced open-platform autonomous driving, (4) smart transportation applications and (5) smart city development. The digital service operation platform - Digital House - will support all the business areas of HUMAN HORIZONS in the development of the smart city.

Established just over one year ago, HUMAN HORIZONS has already developed innovative advanced technologies, such as Human Oriented Architecture (HOA), Human Oriented Design (HOD), and Human Oriented Vehicle (HOV).

Human Oriented Architecture (HOA) is a new digital information platform, which will enable smart cars to act as mobile sensors and data sources, not only serving the vehicle users but also contributing to improving efficiency of transportation management and city operation.

By adopting a usage scenario based approach, the Human Oriented Design (HOD) philosophy will begin from the user's inner world. HUMAN HORIZONS hopes their users will be deeply touched by using their products and services, which will elevate the customer experience from aesthetic enjoyment to emotional engagement.

The Human Oriented Vehicle (HOV) is a smart information structure based on which the smart vehicles will become mobile sensors and sources of information. This architecture will enable improved services for drivers and allow vehicles to provide real time information to transportation and other city services.

Based on such creative ideas, HUMAN HORIZONS has developed 2 concept cars, Concept H Hypervelocity and Concept A Active-agility, which were also revealed on October 22nd. The two concept cars demonstrate and embody HUMAN HURIZONS' creativity and intelligent transportation solutions.

The Concept H Hypervelocity is created around an innovative, adrenaline stimulating 3-seater layout that enhances its aerodynamic efficiency, on road performance and range. One of its amazing features is the "RE.C.E.S.S." ("Re-Configurable Cockpit Electric Steering System), which uses drive-by-wire technology, to enable its steering wheel to be moved to any of the three seating positions, allowing any one of the three occupants to drive.

The Concept A Active-agility presents a concept based upon a passenger capsule that can be connected to different sub-systems at the top or the bottom to provide different modes of transportation. Its POD (Personification-On-Demand) system provides an intelligent and efficient solution for people to move around and keep connected.

On Oct 22nd, HUMAN HORIZONS also presented a demo car driven by in-wheel hub motors. This demo astonished the media with its 14 different drive-modes. The hub motor technology enables very large angle four-wheel steering, leading to easy to control highly flexible handling, which contributes greatly to its enjoyable driving experience. Its pivot steering mode realizes a reverse turn within a very narrow space.

HUMAN HORIZONS is also developing in China its own intelligent autonomous driving system with integrated vehicle-road applications. The demonstration car is equipped with multiple sensors; millimeter-wave radar, supersonic radar and lidar and has been tested for more than 100,000 km in closed areas.

HUMAN HORIZONS has started the world's first "Open Road Test Project for Sensory Integration Computational Coordination" - the "Smart Road" Project in Yancheng China. In this project, HUMAN HORIZONS has commenced setup of the related traffic testing and demonstration environment. The roads on the map and cars on these roads will become the first open-type experimental environment for HOA in China. As an initial trial of computational coordination, HUMAN HORIZONS will proceed with the practical application of multidimensional sensory integration and wide area distributed smart computing.

HUMAN HORIZONS is also planning China's first demonstration project for "Vehicle-Road-City Heterogeneous Data AI Restructure", which is to be operated at Lin'gang Intelligent Future Park in Shanghai. HUMAN HORIZONS has already begun the construction of this smart city demo project, for which they will be implementing high-speed heterogeneous data sharing together with multidimensional sensory integration, thus moving from stand-alone intelligence towards fully integrated system-wide intelligence.

Unlike many other startups in China who are rushing to launch their first EV model, HUMAN HORIZONS is getting on track with its strategy to redefine the future of mobility.

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SOURCE HUMAN HORIZONS
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2018

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public today announced that Georgia Hutchinson, 13, Woodside, California, won the coveted $25,000 Samueli Foundation Prize, the top award in the Broadcom MASTERS, the nation's premier science and engineering competition for middle school students.

Georgia's more efficient and cost-effective solar power system relies on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine where the sun will be at any date and time. She built a computer model to illustrate how electricity from solar panels pointed at those spots would compare to electricity produced by fixed-position panels and created a computer program to control her tracker's motor and the position of the solar panels.

The Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars), a program of the Society for Science & the Public, inspires middle school students to follow their personal passions to exciting college and career pathways in STEM. Thirty finalists, including Georgia, took home more than $100,000 in awards. They were honored during an awards ceremony for their achievements in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) together with their demonstration of 21st Century skills including critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaborative skills and team work.

The finalists are judged on projects that they presented at their state or regional science fair; their knowledge of STEM subjects and their demonstration of 21st Century skills in a series of hands-on challenges. These challenges include designing a new type of shark tag; designing, coding and building a functional program using Raspberry Pi and Sense Hat; and determining how long it would take for a zombie pathogen to infect the world's population.

"I am thrilled to congratulate Georgia, whose project focused on creating a lower cost solar panel system," said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News. "Middle school is a critical time of transition for young people, where they are figuring out their path forward. I'm proud that through the Broadcom MASTERS, the Society and the Broadcom Foundation are able to support and cultivate an interest in STEM for thousands of middle schoolers around the country."

"The Broadcom MASTERS taps ten percent of young people participating in state and regional science fairs throughout the STEM Ecosystem to participate in this national competition. These kids are exemplars of the quality work being done by middles schoolers with their teachers, mentors and families throughout the US. The Top 300 and 30 finalists are representative of special young people who are preparing themselves to solve the Grand Challenges we face through the world," said Paula Golden, President of the Broadcom Foundation. "The Broadcom Foundation is honored to champion young scientists, engineers and innovators and spur them on to greatness."

Georgia Hutchinson, 13, Woodside, California, won the $25,000 Prize, for her project creating more cost-effective solar panels. The prize is a gift of Dr. Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom Corporation and Chair of the Broadcom Foundation and his wife, Dr. Susan Samueli, President of the Samueli Foundation.

Jack Albright, 14, Hillsborough, California, won the $20,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields. Albright developed a machine learning tool to predict the onset of mild and severe impacts from Alzheimer's on cognitive abilities.

Jacqueline Prawira, 13, Mountain House, California, won the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, an honor made possible by Samueli's generous donation of his 2012 Marconi Society Prize Award. Prawira's project explored how fibers from common plant-based materials found in garbage could improve the formation and strength of plastic, enabling people to make better use of materials that would otherwise be thrown away.

John Madland 14, Salem, Oregon, won the $7,500 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. Madland's project involved creating a model showing that a magnetic shield set above the surface of Mars might, in the future, protect people on the planet's surface.

Broadcom MASTERS winners were chosen from the 30 finalists (14 girls and 16 boys) selected from 2,537 applicants in 35 states. Winners were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators. Each finalist's school will receive $1,000 from the Broadcom MASTERS to benefit their science program.

In addition to the top prizes, the Broadcom Foundation and the Society also announced first and second place winners in each of the STEM categories of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, the Team Award and two Rising Stars who will be the U.S. delegates at the Broadcom MASTERS International and official observers to Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Winners Include:

The Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000Georgia Hutchinson, Woodside Elementary School: Woodside, CaliforniaDesigning a Data-Driven Dual Axis Solar Tracker

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement: $20,000Jack Albright, The Nueva School: Hillsborough, CaliforniaPredicting the Future: Using Machine Learning to Forecast the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000 Jacqueline Prawira, Altamont Elementary School: Mountain House, CaliforniaBio.fiber.plastic: The Effect of Lignocellulosic Fiber in Enhancing the Formation and Tensile Strength of Rice Bioplastic

Lemelson Award for Invention: $7,500John Madland, Leslie Middle School: Salem, OregonTerrella Aurora Model: A Demonstration of Charged Particle Shielding for Space Exploration

STEM Award Winners:First and second place winners of STEM Awards demonstrated acumen and promise in science, technology, engineering and math. First place winners were awarded $3,500 and second place winners receive $2,500 to support his or her choice of a STEM summer camp experience in the U.S. Each STEM Award winner also received an iPad. Top awards in math were sponsored by Robert John Floe, President, Floe Financial Partners.

Science Award:

Technology Award:

Engineering Award:

Mathematics Award:

Rising Stars Award:In recognition of their promise as the youngest competitors, two Rising Stars win a trip to Phoenix, Arizona in May 2019 as the United States delegate to Broadcom MASTERS International and Official Observer at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest international high school science fair competition.

Team Award:Each member of the team that best demonstrates their ability to work together and solve problems through shared decision making, communication and scientific and engineering collaboration will receive an iPod Touch.

Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award:Finalists select one student from the group based on their leadership abilities to represent their class as a speaker at the awards ceremony.

Resources:For more information on the Broadcom MASTERS, visit the Broadcom Foundation and Society websites. To keep up with the Broadcom MASTERS, use the hashtag #brcmMASTERS or follow Broadcom Foundation and the Society on Twitter or the Society on Instagram. And to stay connected, visit the Broadcom MASTERS and Society Facebook pages. You can also follow the Society on Snapchat (Society4Science).

About Broadcom FoundationFounded in April 2009, the Broadcom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation the mission of advancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education by funding research, recognizing scholarship and increasing opportunity.

The foundation inspires young people to pursue careers in STEM and to develop 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. It is a founding member of the National STEM Funders Network and plays a leadership role in the STEM Education Ecosystem Initiative in the US and Israel.

The foundation's signature programs, the Broadcom MASTERS and the Broadcom MASTERS International, are the premier science and engineering competitions for middle school students around the United States and the world.

Learn more at http://broadcomfoundation.org/ and follow us on Twitter (@BroadcomSTEM).

About Society for Science & the PublicSociety for Science & the Public is dedicated to the achievement of young scientists in independent research and to public engagement in science. Established in 1921, the Society is a nonprofit whose vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Through its world-class competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Broadcom MASTERS, and its award-winning magazine, Science News and Science News for Students, Society for Science & the Public is committed to inform, educate, and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Society4Science).

Society for Science & the Public Press Contact: Gayle [email protected]

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SOURCE Society for Science & the Public
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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2018

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- 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, kindergarten teacher Nicole Lopez, of P.S. 282 in Brooklyn, was recognized today 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.

During today's event, Lopez was surprised with a $10,000 cash award after being recognized as representing the key characteristics of inspiring teaching that are central to the Award. Surprise celebrations were previously held in honor of the other four inaugural award recipients in Los Angeles, Dallas, San Diego, and Clark County, Nevada. As an inaugural Sanford Teacher Award recipient, Lopez was chosen for her commitment to bringing together students of diverse backgrounds through social emotional learning approaches developed by the Sanford Harmony program. Today's recognition was held by the National University System in partnership with Long Island University.

The five inaugural Sanford Teacher Award recipients 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 the national expansion effort led by the San Diego-based National University System. The effort involves the collaboration of universities nationwide, such as Long Island University's expansion of the programs in the Northeast part of the United States, that share a similar 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 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 is part of the National University System, is also a leader among a growing number of universities that have integrated Inspire principles into their teacher education curriculum. 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 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 children's 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."

The criteria for selecting 50 winners 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.

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, such as Long Island University, 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 University's 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

SOURCE National University System
PR Newswire

WHIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 24, 2018

WHIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Phase III ARAMIS (Androgen Receptor inhibiting Agent for MetastatIc-free Survival) trial that investigated darolutamide in men with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC), met its primary endpoint. Darolutamide significantly extended metastasis-free survival (MFS) compared to placebo. The safety profile and the tolerability of darolutamide observed in the ARAMIS trial were consistent with previously published data on darolutamide. ARAMIS is a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with nmCRPC. Darolutamide is an investigational, oral androgen receptor (AR) antagonist developed jointly by Bayer and Orion Corporation, a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company.

"Despite recent advances in nmCRPC, there remains a high unmet need for additional treatment options that delay the time to metastases," said Scott Fields, MD, senior vice president and head of Oncology Development at Bayer's Pharmaceutical Division. "We are encouraged by the results of the ARAMIS trial and look forward to presenting the full data at an upcoming scientific meeting."

Bayer plans to discuss the data from the ARAMIS trial with health authorities regarding the submission of a new drug application. Bayer has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for darolutamide in men with nmCRPC.

About the ARAMIS TrialThe ARAMIS trial is a randomized, Phase III, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of oral darolutamide in patients with nmCRPC who are currently being treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and are at risk for developing metastatic disease. More than 1,500 patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive 600 mg of darolutamide twice a day or matching placebo.

The primary endpoint of this trial is metastasis-free survival (MFS), defined as time between randomization and evidence of metastasis or death from any cause. The secondary objectives of this trial are overall survival (OS), time to first symptomatic skeletal event (SSE), time to initiation of first cytotoxic chemotherapy, time to pain progression and characterization of the safety and tolerability of darolutamide.

About Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men worldwide. In 2018, an estimated 1.2 million men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and about 358,000 will die from the disease worldwide. Prostate cancer is the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men.

Prostate cancer results from the abnormal proliferation of cells within the prostate gland, which is part of a man's reproductive system. It mainly affects men over the age of 50, and the risk increases with age.

Treatment options range from surgery to radiation treatment to therapy using hormone-receptor antagonists, i.e. substances that stop the formation of testosterone or prevent its effect at the target location. However, in nearly all cases, the cancer will become resistant to conventional hormone therapy1.

CRPC is an advanced form of the disease where the cancer keeps progressing even when the amount of testosterone is reduced to very low levels in the body. The field of treatment options for castration-resistant patients is evolving rapidly, but until recently, there have been no approved treatment options for CRPC patients who have rising Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels during ADT and no detectable metastases. In men with progressive nmCRPC, a short PSA doubling time has been consistently associated with reduced time to first metastasis and death2.

About DarolutamideDarolutamide is an investigational, non-steroidal androgen receptor antagonist with a chemical structure that binds to the receptor and exhibits antagonistic activity, thereby inhibiting the receptor function and the growth of prostate cancer cells. Darolutamide has also completed Phase 1/2 studies in patients with mCRPC. A Phase 3 study in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (ARASENS) is ongoing. Information about these trials can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Darolutamide is not approved by the U.S. FDA, the European Medicines Agency or any other health authority.

About Oncology at Bayer Bayer is committed to delivering science for a better life by advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments. The oncology franchise at Bayer includes four marketed products and several other compounds in various stages of clinical development. Together, these products reflect the company's approach to research, which prioritizes targets and pathways with the potential to impact the way that cancer is treated.

About BayerBayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2017, the Group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of EUR 35.0 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.5 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

 2018 Bayer BAYER and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Media Contact: Rose Talarico, Tel. +1 862.404.5302E-Mail: [email protected]

Forward-Looking StatementThis news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

References1 Nakazawa, Mary; Paller, Channing; Kyprianou, Natasha. Mechanisms of Therapeutic Resistance in Prostate Cancer. Curr Oncol Rep (2017) 19:13.2 Howard, Lauren; Moreira, Daniel M; DeHoedt, Amanda; Aronson, William J., et al. Thresholds for PSA doubling time in men with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. BJU Int 2017; 120: E80-E86.

COR-DAR-US-0001-1 10/2018

Intended for U.S. Media

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SOURCE Bayer
PR Newswire

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- XTransfer, a cross-border financial technology company dedicated to serving foreign trade B2B enterprises today announces it has secured a $10 million series A round of financing led by China Merchants Group with participation from 01VC, Yunqi Partners and Gaorong Capital. It is reported that the financing will be used for expansion by XTransfer of its international financial network, application for financial license and market promotion.

Founded in May 2017 and headquartered in Shanghai, XTransfer has offices in Hong Kong, U.K., Canada, Japan and the U.S. The company provides offshore financing solutions for China's small and medium importers and exporters through its global capital network, offering services such as global collection, payments, foreign exchange and wealth management.

China is currently the world's largest exporting nation, and the second largest importing nation. According to XTransfer founder Bill Deng, the Chinese government plans to additionally import USD 500 million to USD 1 billion of goods within the next five to ten years, the majority of which will be for local consumption to meet "people's desire for a happy life", a move which is in keeping with the businesses of small and medium enterprises. Thus, small and medium enterprises will in the future become a main force in cross-border import and export trade.

Nevertheless, enterprises in cross-border trades often face problems with respect to global collections, payment and foreign exchange. Large enterprises are capable of setting out dedicated teams to handle global funding by developing a complex system to link with banks. Small and medium enterprises in contrast, are beginning to find it difficult to open offshore bank accounts, not least because of anti-money laundering measures. Several banks in China with offshore account capabilities have begun to tighten their policies since the second half of 2014. For example, Hong Kong-based banks such as HSBC and Hang Seng Bank have since 2015 raised their bar for offshore account-opening, which has resulted in opening of accounts difficult for many people involved in foreign trade. Then in the second half of 2016, banks began to urge Chinese enterprises to close their offshore bank accounts. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority even explicitly stated in a special report on its website dated February 8, 2018 about the difficulty of opening offshore bank accounts in Hong Kong. An individual/entity who fails to open an account would have to wait for half a year or longer for a second attempt. This problem is compounded by the fact that large local and foreign banks refuse, out of consideration on return and risk, to serve small and medium enterprises which often yield low returns but present a high risk to the bank.

To tackle this problem, XTransfer partners with DBS Hong Kong and launches virtual sub-accounts with functions that are almost identical with those of traditional offshore bank accounts - it is akin to rendering the bank's counter work on-line. Enterprises in Mainland China and Hong Kong may open such an account by submitting their basic information to XTransfer's risk control team for verification. Furthermore, there are no charges for account-opening. Such offshore bank accounts are multi-currency accounts - they support up to 14 major currencies, with more currencies being added.

Unlike accounts in traditional banks, offshore accounts with XTransfer are free of maintenance fees, annual fees or even account-entry fee. They can also be opened quickly - many within 24 hours of submitting a completed application to open an offshore account with XTransfer.

XTransfer also faces money laundering risk. To counter this risk, Bill Deng reveals that it uses technology to verify the identity of persons having actual control over the enterprise, as well as identify the enterprise's structural data and logistics information.

Cross-border businesses often involve currency exchange. As 85% of China's foreign trades are with non-U.S. regions, such trades would require exchanging currencies on couple of occasions. For this XTransfer has launched a product called "XForward", allowing the buyer to give price quotation in his home currency. This has allowed emerging markets to be accessible. Buyers from non-US Dollar regions would not have to worry about exchange rate fluctuations as they only need to quote their prices in local currencies. This not only accelerates the negotiation process but also eliminates foreign exchange cost of buyers. XForward could also help buyers to lock in an exchange rate to avoid significant exchange rate fluctuations.

"First of all, we acquire users through providing free, rapid establishment of offshore accounts for foreign trade B2B enterprises. We are then able to offer a series of global wealth management activities and services including collection, payments and foreign currency exchange. Our aim is to enable small and medium foreign trade enterprises to enjoy, through standardized, electronic and data-enabled products, cross-border financial services that previously only large global enterprises would enjoy," said Bill Deng to iHeima.

It is understood that XTransfer is currently building an open platform for financial data related to international trade. Using end-to-end trade data, it aims to provide grass-root level financial infrastructure such as microfinance for financial institutions.

When asked about competitive barrier, Bill Deng took the view that in today's business environment, for someone to gain customers' trust, one must let customers feel that every aspect of a product has been meticulously crafted. It is just like entering a "bank's lobby" which is impeccably furnished to give customers increased confidence. As long as one continues to increase value-added services and supplies products according to customers' needs while also providing professional services, one will ultimately gain customers' trust. Customers will tell them how to expand customer base by meeting their needs before developing new products. All they need is to then use their technology and products to accomplish this objective. This is a virtuous cycle.

At present XTransfer serves more than 10,000 customers. Early in October the company also obtained a payment license in the U.K. on which it would conduct a round of promotion and advertisements at Canton Fair and in subways.

As for the future Bill Deng said that once XTransfer is able to penetrate the Chinese market, the same set of financial services solutions can also be used to serve small and medium enterprises in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan region which require offshore financial services.

In terms of the company's management team, all five of XTransfer's founders are from Ant Financial and Alibaba. They have seen within the Alibaba system the enormous success of One Touch which provides payment and financial services to small and medium foreign trade enterprises, despite the fact that it serves customers that make up less than 1% of the market. They also saw how innovative European fintech companies like TransferMate which focused on B2B cross-border financial services were expanding rapidly and attempting to open up the Chinese market. They therefore decided to leave Ant Financial to found XTransfer.

XTransfer CEO Bill Deng graduated from Fudan University before working for three years in the Beijing, Singapore and Shanghai offices of VISA. In 2010 he joined Alipay (he was in Alipay's International Operations Department in 2014, responsible for retail sales collections of Chinese vendors; in 2016 he was responsible for Alipay's cross-border remittance operations). He resigned from Alipay in April 2017 to become an entrepreneur.

The company's CRO Alice Yao graduated from Zhejiang University and has worked in American consulting firm Opera as well as PayPal under its Global Risk Management Department (covering payment risk, compliance and money laundering risk). In 2014 she joined Ant Financial, and was in charge of its Commercial Intelligence Department in 2016.

CMO Leon Deng was among the first batch of business development staff for PayPal. From 2011 to 2016 he served at Ant Financial's International Business Department where he was in charge of development of e-commerce exporters' retail collections and local e-commerce importers. In 2016 he worked in Aliyun where he was responsible for business development of solutions for the medical industry.

CPO/CSO K2 Deng joined Alibaba in 2004 and held a number of positions. He was regional manager for B2B China vendors. In 2014 he was at Alipay's International Business Department where he was responsible for external vendors. In 2016 he was responsible for Aliyun's international operations for corporate application. CTO Liu Yanfang worked in Alibaba's B2B operations where he was in charge of payment and financial technology; he set up Alibaba's payment and financial platform from scratch.

This article is originally written by IHeima. XTransfer is authorized to translate and reprint it in the release.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xtransfer-closes-a-10-million-series-a-round-of-financing-led-by-china-merchants-group-with-participation-from-01vc-yunqi-partners-and-gaorong-capital-300736704.html

SOURCE XTransfer


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The recent Supreme Court order talks about restricting the window of time available for bursting fire crackers. It says, "On Diwali days or on any other festivals like Gurpurab etc., when such fireworks generally take place, it would strictly be from 8:00 p.m. till 10:00 p.m. only. On Christmas and New Year eve, when such fireworks start around midnight, i.e. 12:00 a.m., it would be from 11:55 p.m. till 12:30 a.m. only."

However, there are concerns being expressed about the order and there are talks of seeking a review of the court order in this matter. This is largely on the grounds that different regions follow different cultural practises and at different times.

K Marriappan, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers' Association, says, "In Tamil Nadu, we celebrate Deepavali (Diwali) in early morning. This time it falls on November 6th morning whereas in North India, it is November 7th night."

He says, "Traditionally, there is lot of difference between Deepavali in Tamil Nadu and North India. In Tamil Nadu it is to celebrate the killing of demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna where as Diwali in North India is celebrated to commemorate the return of Lord Rama." Similarly, he says, "In Kolkata, it is more about Kali Puja with a different timing and same is the case in Karnataka, where Dushera is important."

Therefore, Mariappan says, there is a case to seek review of the court order as ours is a federal country with different regions, different dates, time and religious significance for the festival.

In the light of this, he feels, it would be difficult to implement one particular time for whole of India. He says, his association would look into the possibility of placing these facts before the court and seeking a review petition. They also plan to request the Tamil Nadu Government to consider filing a review petition as the state has a different time and context for the festival and thereby seek a review to enable the people in the state to celebrate the festival at the different time and day.

He, however, is happy that the uncertainty over the firecracker industry in the form of impending ban is lifted and this could be a sign of relief for the number of people directly and indirectly connected with this industry. In and around Sivakasi, the hub of firecrackers in Tamil Nadu, there are some 1070 units coupled with ancillary units impacting lakhs of people, with many employed on a contractual basis. These units alone produce firecrackers worth Rs 6,000 crore, which in the market is around Rs 10,000 crore. Though because of the uncertainty, since the matter was before the court and there were fears of a ban, there was reluctance from buyers and the industry was producing at 60 per cent its capacity.
The Bajaj Auto stock on Wednesday fell nearly 5 per cent after the company's September quarter earnings failed to cheer investors. The stock closed 4.30 per cent or 111.10 points lower to end at Rs 2,475.30 on BSE. The stock slumped 4.88 per cent to Rs 2,460 intra day-- its 52-week low.

On NSE, shares of the company declined 4.54 per cent to close at Rs 2,469.

The company's market valuation also fell by Rs 3,213.98 crore to Rs 71,627.02 crore on BSE.

The Q2 earnings fell below expectations on margins front.

Its operating profit margin fell 2.95% to 16.81% for the quarter ending September 2018 compared with 19.76% during the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal.

"Despite 25% volume growth, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 3.5% YoY at Rs 1,343 crore at a disappointing 16.8% margin (compared to estimated 17.3%)," said Abhishek Jain, analyst at HDFC Securities.

Consolidated net profit rose 5.27 per cent to Rs 1,257 crore for September quarter, aided by robust sales across domestic and international markets. The firm posted a net profit of Rs 1,194 crore in the year-ago period, Bajaj Auto said in a BSE filing.

Total revenue from operations stood at Rs 7,987 crore for the second quarter as compared to Rs 6,566 crore in the same period previous fiscal, Bajaj Auto said.

The large cap stock has lost 23% during the last one year and fallen 25.51% since the beginning of this year.

The stock has fallen after two days of consecutive gain.

21 of the 51 analysts covering the stock have a "buy" or higher rating, 18 have "hold" while 12 rate it at "sell" or lower, according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters.

Bajaj Auto Limited is an India-based manufacturer of motorcycles, three-wheelers and parts. The company's business segments include automotive, investments and others. The company's vehicles include two-wheelers and commercial vehicles

It's geographic segments include India and rest of the world. The company's plants include Waluj plant, Chakan plant and Pantnagar plant. The company's subsidiaries include Bajaj Auto Indonesia and Bajaj Auto International Holdings.
Eight wards are up for grabs in this years election for Brandon City Council.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/10/2018 (1121 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Eight wards are up for grabs in this years election for Brandon City Council.

They include Wards 1 (Assiniboine), 2 (Rosser), 3 (Victoria), 4 (University), 5 (Meadows-Waverly), 6 (South Centre), 8 (Richmond) and 9 (Riverview).

The positions of mayor, and councillor for Wards 7 (Linden Lanes) and 10 (Green Acres) have already been filled by acclamation.

Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with multiple locations available in each of the citys 10 wards.

The Dome Building, located on the east side of the Keystone Centre Grounds, will be open to eligible voters from any ward.

The location will also be equipped with an audio-tactile interface system.

The Knowles Douglas Building Mingling Area at Brandon University, located at 270 18th St., will also be open to voters from any ward between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., as well as BU students who consider Brandon as their ordinary place of residence and who meet the eligibility requirements.

Voters can also cast ballots for each of the eight open spots for the Brandon School Division board of trustees.

Eligible voters must provide appropriate identification, which may include an official government-issued document that contains the voters name, address and photograph, or at least two documents providing enough evidence that is satisfactory to the election official.

A total of 36,675 Brandonites are eligible to vote this year, compared to 33,349 in 2014.

Overall turnout four years ago for both council and school board elections was 42 per cent.

Live election results will be posted to results.brandonvotes.ca.

 The Brandon Sun
A man who allegedly took part in stealing drugs and medical equipment while seeking treatment at the Virden Health Centre was granted bail on Monday, but with a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week curfew.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/10/2018 (1122 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A man who allegedly took part in stealing drugs and medical equipment while seeking treatment at the Virden Health Centre was granted bail on Monday, but with a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week curfew.

Dominic Mark James Dowan, 38, is facing various charges in Brandon provincial court, including theft under $5,000 stemming from an incident last Thursday.

Dowan has a history of theft, said Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup, and was supposed to be on his best behaviour following a guilty plea for stealing a bottle of liquor from the Restn Inn & Reston Bar.

The Crown was willing to work with Dowan to possibly impose a more lenient sentence, Lonstrup said, which makes his alleged reoffending more concerning.

"He cannot be taken seriously when he says he knows how to follow court orders," Lonstrup said.

The following accusations, however, have not been proven in court and Dowan is presumed innocent.

On Oct. 18, Dowan attended the Virden Health Centre with another man and a woman receiving care for a broken ankle, Lonstrup said. He was also asking staff to treat a laceration on his hand.

Dowan was allegedly intoxicated and agitated, Lonstrup said, pacing around the hospital and being difficult with staff.

When the three left the hospital, staff reported the trauma room had been rummaged through and various medications, needles and hospital machines had been taken, Lonstrup said.

Drawers were opened, cupboards were rifled through and the doors of a crash cart were on the floor and medicine was missing from it, Lonstrup said.

A glucometer machine had also been taken off the counter and a wheelchair was also missing.

Later when the doctor was driving home from the hospital, she saw Dowan pushing the woman in the wheelchair that was taken from the hospital, Lonstrup said.

Police arrested Dowan the next day when he returned to the hospital with the wheelchair.

Defence lawyer Bob Harrison said Dowan denies having anything to do with the missing drugs or medical items.

Dowan held up his injured thumb to the court as Harrison explained the only reason he was at the hospital was for treatment of his injury, which he received while working at a tire shop.

Judge Donovan Dvorak granted Dowan bail, under the condition he abide by a 24-7 curfew with the exception of when he is at work.

His next court appearance is expected to be in November.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
Azerbaijans Chief of State Border met COAS

Azerbaijans Chief of State Border Service Colonel General Elchin Guliyev called on Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General headquarters, said an Inter-Services Public Relations statement on Tuesday.



According to the militarys media wing, matters pertaining to mutual interest and regional stability were discussed. The ISPR said that Azerbaijans general appreciated professionalism of the armed forces and its victories against terrorists. Earlier, Colonel General Elchin Guliyev laid a wreath at the Martyrs Monument upon arriving at the GHQ. A smartly turned out contingent of the Pakistan Army presented a guard of honour to the visiting dignitary, added the ISPR.
Update 4.20pm: Heather Humphreys and Richard Bruton have issued a joint statement to say Bord na Mona "is taking the steps it needs to take now, to continue to contribute to providing good and sustainable jobs in the Midlands for many years to come."

The statement from the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment comes as Bord na Mona has announced major job losses in the Midlands.

The two TDs have said that "all relevant State supports are available to the workers impacted by todays announcement. Bord na Mona will provide additional supports to workers who opt for redundancy, including reskilling opportunities.

heather Humphreys

"The Government welcomes the extensive consultation which will now take place with workers in the coming weeks."

The statement also points to job growth in the Midlands in recent years..

"The Midlands has had strong employment growth in recent years, with 15,300 extra people at work since 2015.

Richard Bruton

"There have been a series of very positive job creation announcements in the Midlands in recent years and we have every reason to be optimistic that these trends will continue."

- Digital Desk

Update 3pm: Bord na Mona has announced major job losses, with 150 expected to be lost before Easter next year.

The power and fuel company announced on Wednesday that it is to open a voluntary redundancy scheme.

The statement said the organisation has commenced engagement with employees flagging possible reduction of 380-430 managerial, administrative and peat operations roles.

The group has also announced its strategy to decarbonise and move away from its traditional peat business into renewable energy.

Chief executive Tom Donnellan said: Decarbonisation is the biggest challenge facing this planet.

By accelerating the move away from peat into renewable energy, resource recovery and new businesses we are supporting national policy and seizing the opportunity presented by decarbonisation.

In the past few months we have put in place a new structure to safeguard the maximum number of jobs, facilitate the decarbonisation strategy and reposition the company.

Standing still is not an option for Bord na Mona.

The job losses are expected to occur in counties Kildare and Offaly.

The cuts follow a decision by the company to close 17 of its 62 active peat bogs immediately, with harvesting at the remaining 45 expected to stop by 2025.

A consultation process with unions is under way.

Union officials have forecast that 850 workers in the peat sector could lose their positions.

Trade union Unite accused the Government of sleepwalking into a crisis which will devastate Midlands communities.

Regional officer Colm Quinlan said: Unite is calling on minister Richard Bruton to convene an urgent meeting of all stakeholders to progress the agreement between Bord na Mona and the ESB.

While Unite and the Bord na Mona group of unions will be fully engaged in the consultation process, if we do not receive progress reports and assurances in the short term, a major industrial dispute early next year would become inevitable.

Sinn Fein jobs spokesman Maurice Quinlivan TD said: The reality is that these are jobs that will very likely be hard to replace due to the industry and the fact that most of the jobs are in rural Ireland.

These are very worrying times for the workers affected by this news and their families.

It is important that the Government and the enterprise agencies direct the necessary resources into the areas affected by these job losses and make serious efforts to introduce new jobs to these areas.

- Press Association

Update 12.45pm: Bord na Mona has announced that up to 430 workers are to be made redundant.

Up to 150 workers are expected to go before Easter 2019.

The job losses follow a decision by the company to close 17 of its 62 active bogs immediately.

The company says the decision was made necessary because of the need for decarbonisation - which it says is the biggest challenge facing this planet.

A voluntary redundancy programme will be opened shortly.

The Unite trade union has warned the government that the job losses could devastate Midlands communities.

The union says progress needs to be made on a proposed deal that would see Bord na Mona supplying peat to two ESB peat-fired power stations in Offaly and Longford.

It has warned that industrial action early next year was a real possibility if progress is not made.

Earlier: Fears for 1,000 Bord Na Mona jobs amid decarbonising plan

There are fears for up to a thousand jobs in the midlands.

Bord Na Mona is expected to announce the job losses this morning to coincide with their plans to decarbonise by 2030.

150 positions are due to go by Easter 2019 and a further 850 over the next decade.

The news is not a surprise for workers who have been aware of the impending cuts for some time.

Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen says structures need to be put in place to provide for the employees who could find it difficult to find replacement work in rural areas.

"It's imperative on Government now to focus its effort on using a portion of the carbon tax revenue, on using a specific fund from Europe which is available.

"Similar funds were made available to the coal mining district in the UK when up to 500 jobs or more was lost and that's what we want to see put in place now."

Siptu Energy Sector Organiser Willie Noone says the job losses will affect whole communities and measures need to be put in place to protect workers' livelihoods.

"There's a lot of families that worked in Bord na Mona," he said.

"There's brothers and fathers and sons from the same households in the company. It's going to have a detrimental effect.

"It's very hard to see those jobs being replaced in a timeframe that's going to be adequate.

"We have concerns regarding the quality of those jobs that may become available. There's no point in having jobs for jobs' sake, we have to have good quality jobs."

Digital Desk
Ann O'Loughlin

A provisional liquidator has been appointed by the High Court to an Irish company that makes, sells and distributes a premium Russian Vodka.

Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds today appointed insolvency practitioner Shane McCarthy of KPMG as provisional liquidator to Taiga Shtof Ltd, which has a registered address at Laburnum House, Fairgreen Road, Ballymote, Co Sligo after she was satisfied the company is insolvent and unable to pay its debts.

The vodka is made in Russia, marketed in exclusive handmade bottles and shipped to its main markets in the USA via Latvia.

The court made the appointment after being told the company got into difficulties arising out of a dispute between two of the firm's shareholders with a third shareholder Mr Islam Magkometov.

The dispute was due to production deadlines not being met, lack of funding, unpaid production and supplier expenses that resulted in delays in the business.

The product was meant to be launched in September 2016, but was not released until last December.

Kelley Smith Bl for two of the shareholders and promoters of the company, Raman Gazine of Bouscat, France and Francisco Xavier Fermin De Eizaguirre with an address in the French overseas territory of St. Martin said her clients were petitioning the court for the appointment of a liquidator.

Counsel said this was to preserve the value of the company's main asset, its brand name and intellectual property rights, for the firm's creditors.

Her clients who had advanced loans to the company are also creditors counsel said.

Her clients had reached an impasse with Mr Magkometov, counsel said.

Counsel said that the appointment of a liquidator was also needed to secure an exclusive distribution agreement for the US, which needs to be executed before November 7.

The deal had not been executed due to the uncertainty with the company, counsel said.

Counsel said her clients are willing to buy the company's assets, but would only do so if the distribution contract could be executed, otherwise, the assets would have no value.

The Judge, after confirming Mr McCarthy, as provisional liquidator adjourned the matter to a date next month.
By Ann O'Loughlin

A woman who claimed she suffered first degree burns during laser treatment on her face has been awarded 30,000 by the High Court.

Jolanta Skaudvilaite was 10 days off work after she went to a beauty salon to have laser treatment on her cheeks.

Ms Skaudvilaite (37), Pine Grove, Athlumney Wood, Navan, Co Meath had sued Alchemy Beauty Ltd with offices at Trimgate Street, Navan, Co Meath as a result of the injuries she said she suffered during laser treatment at the Alchemy Beauty Clinic, Navan on July 21, 2011.

She claimed she was allegedly exposed to laser treatment that was liable to cause burns and there was an alleged failure to ensure proper laser equipment was provided in her treatment.

She further claimed the standard of laser and or beauty treatment was allegedly allowed to fall below common acceptable practice.

The claims were denied but Mr Justice Cross was told the solicitor for Alchemy Beauty had come off record in the case.

In evidence, the 37-year old woman said after the treatment her cheeks hurt and she rang the beauty salon which was very surprised.

She said she could see something was wrong with her cheeks and she went to a doctor and had to go on antibiotics.

She said the cheeks slowly healed with the right one taking longer.

Answering her barrister Anthony Lowry BL Ms Skaudvilaite said she also had to take tranquilisers for a time because of the upset involved and in the first week had been to see a doctor about three times.

She said that while her cheeks have cleared up they can be sensitive at times.

A report from a plastic surgeon handed into court said there had been subtle changes to the pigmentation in the woman's right cheek and she has been advised to use sunblock when outdoors.

Making the award Mr Justice Kevin Cross said the report of the woman's GP said Ms Skaudvilaite was upset and conscious of the burns and they healed within two weeks without scars but there is a higher pigmentation in the right cheeks.

The woman who is a retail assistant was also out of work for ten days.

The judge who also read a report by a plastic surgeon on the matter said he accepted the injury should not have happened.

The injuries, he said were nasty for Ms Skaudvilaite but she had now made a good recovery.

Mr Justice Cross said Ms Skaudvilaite had not exaggerated her complaints.
By Ann O'Loughlin

A cash and carry business has secured freezing orders against an employee who it claims may have allegedly misappropriated hundreds of thousands of euro from it for her own use over the last nine years.

McCarrick Brothers (Longford) Ltd have secured a temporary High Court order, known as a Mareva order, against Mrs Una Bratten, preventing her from dissipating or reducing her assets below a value of 750,000.

Seeking the order Eugene Hill Bl for the company said his client discovered that Mrs Bratten, of Kiltyreher, Carriglass, Co Longford, who has worked as a financial controller for the company from 1983 to last May had taken money from the company.

Counsel said that last April she was seen on the company's CCTV camera taking quantities of cash from the company's premises at Athlone Road, Longford.

The CCTV also showed Items, including cases of wine, beer, tinfoil, tea, cola, toilet rolls and a bottle of gin being placed into her 2018 Mercedes car.

After she was questioned about what was seen on the CCTV, she made admissions of having stolen 50,000 over a period of six to eight years.

Counsel said that from its initial investigations it believes that she has taken approximately 326,000 from the company over a period of nine years and converted the monies for her own use.

It is claimed that the defendant who earned 30,000 a year for a 30 hour week, would delete invoices on the company's system demanding payments from the businesses' customers which gave the appearance the firms books had been balanced.

It is claimed she would then take quantities of cash, or lodge cheques paid by customers to the company account and take cash for the same amount for which the cheque was payable.

Counsel said the defendant had been co-operating with the company.

However, she was asked to give undertakings not to dispose of assets she had a joint interest in, but has failed to do so.

Counsel said the company has discovered from its investigations that Ms Bratten has a joint interest in at least eight properties located in the Midlands, and the West.

The company believes that the properties may have been purchased with funds misappropriated from it.

A solicitor acting for Mrs Bratten had offered an undertaking in regards to assets in her name only but said she was not in a position to give an undertaking where she is a joint owner, counsel said.

The only asset where she was willing to give an undertaking not to dissipate was land she owns in Co Roscommon which the company said was entirely inadequate.

The lack of co-operation from Mrs Bratten counsel said has resulted in a fear that assets may be dissipated before the investigation into the full amount of monies allegedly misappropriated is known.

Mr Hill also told the court that the matter has been referred to the Gardai.

As well as the the freezing orders the company also wants Mrs Bratten to provide it with a sworn statement listing all of her assets, and any assert she has an indirect legal or beneficial interest in.

These include lands, properties and bank accounts she has a sole or joint interest in.

The interim injunction was granted, on an ex parte basis, by Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds today.

The case will come back before the court next week.
By Ann O'Loughlin

A High Court judge has dismissed a Dublin couple's application for legal aid in defence of their challenge to a claim by the Criminal Asset Bureau that property and 72,000 in cash found at their home are the proceeds of crime.

In November 2016 CAB secured freezing orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act against Jason Boyle and his parents Laurence and Rosaleen Boyle in respect of a three bedroom house located at Casement Drive, Finglas Dublin which is worth about 250,000, an apartment at Royal Dreams, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria and the cash.

The cash was found in plastic wrapping during a search conducted by gardai of the home of Mr Laurence Boyle and his wife at Coolebrook Cottages, Finglas West, Dublin.

The Boyles all deny CAB's claim that the properties and cash are the proceeds of crime.

In an application to the High Court, Mr Laurence Boyle and Mrs Rosaleen Boyle sought admission to the ad-hoc legal aid scheme which if successful would mean that their costs to opposing CAB's claims in respect of the property would be paid for by the State.

The couple claimed they cannot afford to retain lawyers to contest the action.

In a sworn statement to the court, Mr Boyle (58) said in relation to the cash seized that it is his property and represents savings from his business over a ten year period.

He said that he and his wife jointly own the properties at Casement Drive, where the couple's son Jason resides, and the apartment in Bulgaria.

He said that the money was concealed in the manner due to his mistrust of banks and because he did not want one of his sons, Laurence Jnr, who he said has a drug problem, to get it.

He said he had a wheelie bin cleaning business which he wound down in 2010.

He had been working as a casual trader for two days a week and earns 150 a week.

He said that he owes Revenue 6,000 and has a credit union debt of 3,000.

He said the apartment was acquired from an associate in exchange for 7,000 plus a jeep.

He also said that renovations on their current home and the house, the subject of the CAB application, were paid for from the proceeds of sale from their former home and from their savings

The works he claimed were carried out by a friend and the materials were obtained from websites such as donedeal.

Mrs Boyle (56) said in her sworn statement she is not working.

She said that the couple sold their previous home and purchased the current home and the property at Casement Drive with proceeds of their old home and monies loaned to them by family members.

The application was opposed by CAB represented by Michael Binchy BL.

Counsel told the court that CAB's view was that "no proper detailed explanation of how the funds were generated had been given to the court by the couple."

Counsel said Mr Boyle claimed ownership of 72,500 but did not see it fit to put any of that to the Revenue debt.

Counsel said in addition to the properties they own, which are all unencumbered, it was claimed that 40,000 has been spent by the couple on renovations to their properties.

Counsel said the renovations included the building of an extension on one of the properties, as well as the installation of "a jacuzzi, and a surround sound system."

In her ruling, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart dismissed the couple's application. There was "a lot of anomalies and a lack of explanations" in regards to the assets, the Judge said.

From the evidence put before the court the Judge, she was not satisfied to admit the couple to the legal aid scheme.

The matter was adjourned to a date in November.
By Jessica Magee and Sonya McLean

A Circuit Court judge has said the need for deterrence has never been greater when it comes to dealing with cases of child pornography.

Judge Melanie Greally today jailed Peter McDonagh (29) for two and half years after he was caught in possession of almost 1,000 images of child pornography depicting children as young as two years old.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard at a sentence hearing last June that out of the 980 images found on McDonagh's mobile phones, more than half contained extreme images of children engaged in or witnessing explicit sexual activity.

Garda Des McNally told Maddy Grant BL, prosecuting, at that hearing, that gardai were initially alerted to the crime by Canadian authorities.

The National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre in Canada had identified images of three girls aged under 10 involved in a sex act with an adult.

An IP address and subscriber details were traced to McDonagh who had obtained the child pornography using his Samsung mobile phone.

McDonagh, of of St Lawrence's Road, Clontarf, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing the images at his home on January 18, 2017.

Judge Greally said that the production of these images necessitates the abuse of children and that images were becoming more extreme and the sharing of them more prevalent given how easily they can be accessed.

The need for deterrence could never be greater, the judge said before she acknowledged that although the maximum jail term available for the offence was five years, any post release supervision order must also come within that five year term.

She noted that a report from The Probation Service put McDonagh at high risk of offending and described the man as having shown remorse but having limited insight into the affect his crime had on children.

She jailed McDonagh for two and half years and imposed a two and half year post release supervision.

The judge ordered that McDonagh remain under the supervision of The Probation Service for those two and half years and complete all programmes as directed by them, including a sex offenders and victim awareness programmes.

Judge Greally also ordered that McDonagh abide by all The Probation Service's directions in relation to his use of social media platforms after asking Ms Grant if there were any other conditions that could be imposed to reduce McDonagh's risk of re-offending.

If you fail to comply with the post release supervision order, that in itself is an additional crime which can result in a 12 month jail term, the judge told McDonagh.

Judge Greally told Anne Marie Lawlor SC, defending, that she significantly considered McDonagh's psychiatric history when considering the appropriate sentence.

She made reference to a report which indicated that he had many emotionally damaging incidents in his childhood and was diagnosed with both recurrent depressive and adult personality disorder.
Great-more people more money: Saudi Conference

RIYADH: Prince Mohammed, known as MbS, arrived at the conference late in the day after attending a meeting at which the king received members of Khashoggis family, including his son Salah.



Many in the audience of over 2,000 clapped or cheered as the prince, the kingdoms de facto ruler and architect of its reform drive, entered the main hall, smiling as he sat down.



The crown prince will participate in a panel on Wednesday.



The event is being held at the Ritz-Carlton, where scores of princes, businessmen and officials were detained in a crackdown on corruption soon after last years conference ended, unnerving investors and raising concern about transparency.



Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was among those detained, appeared at the forum beside MbS, who led the anti-corruption drive.



Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih assured the conference that the worlds top crude exporter was passing through a crisis of a sort but would power ahead with economic reforms.



The chief executive of Saudi Aramco said the government remained committed to a partial flotation of the oil giant but that the timing would depend on market conditions and other factors.



Hundreds of bankers and company executives joined officials for the Future Investment Initiative. But while last years inaugural conference drew the global business elite, this years event has been marred by the withdrawal of more than two dozen high-level speakers.



Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday dismissed attempts by Riyadh to blame Khashoggis savage killing on rogue operatives, saying the person who ordered the death must be brought to account.



Many foreign investors see a risk that the Khashoggi case could damage Riyadhs ties with Western governments. Saudi Arabias stock index was down 1.3 per cent in late trading on persistent investor concern.



US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior ministers from Britain and France pulled out of the event along with chief executives or chairmen of about a dozen big financial firms such as JP Morgan Chase and HSBC, and International Monetary Fund Chief Christine Lagarde.



Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who also withdrew from the event, said the firm was awaiting the full facts on Khashoggis case before deciding whether that would affect Saudi involvement in the ride-hailing service. Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund has invested in Uber and its managing director sits on the apps board.



Russia sent a large delegation led by Direct Investment Fund Head Kirill Dmitriev. He said Khashoggis killing needed to be investigated and the culprits punished, but that the Saudi drive for economic and social reform could not be ignored.



Saudi Arabias reforms are important and they are worth supporting, he told Reuters.



Saudi Arabia signed 25 deals in the oil and gas industries and infrastructure sectors with firms such as Trafigura, Total, Hyundai, Norinco, Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.



Saudi Aramco said it signed 15 memoranda of understanding worth $34bn.



Total Chief Executive Patrick Pouyann, a panelist on Tuesday, said the French oil and gas producer would announce a retail network in the kingdom with Saudi Aramco.



The managing director of the kingdoms sovereign wealth fund, the main backer of the event, said the country was becoming more transparent and that the Saudi Public Investment Fund continued to develop new industries under economic reforms launched by the crown prince.



Yasir al-Rumayyan said the fund has invested in 50 or 60 firms via SoftBank Groups Vision Fund and would bring most of those businesses to the kingdom. PIF has committed to invest $45bn in Vision Fund.



Many Western banks and other companies, fearful of losing business such as fees from arranging deals for Saudi Arabias $250bn wealth fund, sent lower-level executives even as their top people stayed away.



Top executives of Asian firms have been hesitant to pull out, so the participation of Chinese and Japanese institutions may help Riyadh claim the three-day conference as a success.
By Ruaidhri Giblin and Natasha Reid

A jury has been unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a woman accused of trying to murder a civil servant by slicing her throat as she walked home from work.

Laura Kenna (35), of no fixed abode, was charged with the attempted murder of Fionnuala Bourke on Lower Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9 on January 3, 2017 and of assault intending to cause serious harm on the same occasion.

She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both counts.

The jury were told from the outset that the the central issue in the case was Ms Kennas state of mind at the time. They heard from two consultant psychiatrists from the Central Mental Hospital, who gave conflicting opinions.

After approximately four hours and forty minutes of deliberations, the jury returned today/yesterday(WEDNESDAY) unable to reach a verdict. Mr Justice Robert Eagar, who had earlier given the seven men and five women the option of returning a majority 10-2 verdict, discharged the jury after a disagreement was recorded. The case was put back to November for a possible retrial.

Ms Kenna made no reaction when the disagreement was announced.

The jury were told that Ms Bourke, a civil servant who was present in court for all seven days of the case, was walking home from work around 5pm on the day in question when she was attacked by Ms Kenna with a knife. Prosecuting counsel, Anthony Sammon SC, said Ms Bourkes throat was slit and she suffered severe facial scarring.

Dr Stephen Monks, for the defence, told the jury that Ms Kenna was suffering from psychotic delusions at the time she attacked Ms Bourke and did not know what she was doing and couldnt stop. As such, Ms Kenna was entitled to the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, in Dr Monks opinion.

He said Ms Kenna, who was diagnosed with schizophrenic affective disorder, had been labouring under delusions about killing people for a long time before the attack on Ms Bourke and was allegedly killing someone for a purpose that wasnt related to stealing a handbag.

Dr Monks 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 - for which a jury returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Shortly after being released from garda custody for the LUAS incident, she stated that she was being talked into killing somebody by the voices in her head.

Professor Harry Kennedy, for the prosecution, told the jury that he and Dr Monks were in agreement on many matters including Ms Kennas diagnosis.

However, Prof Kennedy said Ms Kenna did know the nature and quality of what she was doing when she attacked Ms Bourke and it had nothing to do with delusions. He referred to Ms Bourkes statement in which she recalled Ms Kenna telling her if you give me your bag, Ill let you go in a normal tone.

By Ms Kennas own account, Prof Kennedy said the accused had gotten a sharp knife to rob somebody because she needed money and selected an appropriate victim. He referred to Ms Kennas comments that she had let another woman go prior to the attack and selected Ms Bourke because she was only little.

Prof Kennedy said Ms Kenna knew what she was doing was wrong - she took the bag and ran away - and there was no evidence that she was unable to refrain from what she was doing on account of her condition. She had an ability to cease and desist which she exercised once she had achieved her primary goal which, Prof Kennedy said, was to rob Ms Bourkes handbag because she had no money.

In contrast, Prof Kennedy said he believed Ms Kenna was entitled to a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity for the LUAS stop attack two weeks earlier. Prof Kennedy said the victim of the LUAS stop incident gave an account of what Ms Kenna was saying at the time of that assault. It was independent evidence that Ms Kenna was responding to hallucinations at the time. Furthermore, she waited very near to the scene of that assault until the gardai arrived, Prof Kennedy said.

Detective Sergeant Ken Hoare, from Mountjoy Garda Station, told Mr Sammon, for the prosecution, that Ms Bourke was walking home from work along Drumcondra Road when she noticed a woman, Ms Kenna, sitting on the wall of a house near the Bishops Palace.

As Ms Bourke approached, Det Sgt Hoare said Ms Kenna sprung up and pushed Ms Bourke backwards onto the grassy area between the footpath and traffic. He said Ms Kenna was on top of Ms Bourke and that Ms Kenna started to stab her.

Det Sgt Hoare said Ms Bourke could feel short, sharp stabs going into her upper body and a dramatic slash across the front of her neck. She thought she was going to be killed.

The detective said Ms Kenna didnt ask or demand anything from her immediately prior to the attack but later said words similar to: If you give me your bag, Ill let you go.

Ms Bourke managed to free herself and tried to stop traffic screaming that she had been mugged, that her bag had been taken and that she had been cut. An ambulance arrived at the scene and Ms Bourke was observed as having a large, deep cut across the front of her neck. It was 8cm in diameter and had penetrated through the muscle. It had cut through to the thyroid gland and there was a suspicion of damage to the oesophagus. Following a medical procedure, she spent time in the Intensive Care Unit, Det Sgt Hoare told the jury.

He said Ms Kenna was identified from CCTV footage in Drumcondra and was arrested the following day in Tallaght. She was found to have blood on her clothing, a knife and items of property belonging to Ms Bourke.

Upon her arrest and caution, Ms Kenna told gardai:

Im guilty. Yeah, I fucking did it. Is she still alive? Yeah I did it, I sliced her like you would a goat. You couldnt have stitched that up, I cut through her like butter."

Cautioned again, Ms Kenna said: She took my house away from me, thats why I killed her. Fuck her, from the Department of Social Welfare (sic), shes meant to look after people.

During garda interviews two days after the attack, Ms Kenna told gardai that she hadnt known Ms Bourke beforehand, she just happened to work for that lot referring to the Department of Social Protection.

She told gardai that she had left her accommodation on the day in question and had to get some money because she would never go out without money. "There she (Ms Bourke) was, so I just attacked her. She said Ms Bourkes money would have "done me for days, the jury heard.

I'm just an opportunist, she told gardai, and Ms Bourke just happened to be walking by at the wrong place, wrong time. She said she decided to kill Ms Bourke and did not know how she survived. She told gardai that she wanted to see her die and had a fascination with seeing "the life drain out of people". It was something she was "starting to practice," she told gardai, and she didn't want to "let them live.

She told gardai that she had followed another woman along the Drumcondra Road shortly before the attack but let her (the first woman) go, the jury heard.

When shown CCTV footage from Drumcondra Road on the day in question, Ms Kenna located the point at which she followed the first woman. When asked what she was doing at another location on Drumcondra Road, Ms Kenna said she was picking a victim, the jury heard.

When asked if she understood Ms Bourke was severely injured, Ms Kenna said she didn't care. When asked if she had any sympathy for Ms Bourke, Ms Kenna said she only had sympathy for herself, Ms Kenna.

Dr Monks told the jury that Ms Kenna had left school after the Junior Cert and was heroin dependent from the age of 17 to 22. She lived a transient existence characterised by homelessness, substance abuse and repeated contact with the criminal justice system without any mental health intervention.

He said the onset of mental illness occurred around 2007 and the onset of serious aggression commenced from 2015 onwards. In the year before the alleged attempted murder, she spent time with the Welcome Organisation in Belfast where she perpetrated three violent incidents, two of which were attempted eye gouges.

Dr Monks said she had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital in January 2017 and, following treatment, her aggressive behaviour reduced. She had stated that she no longer experienced delusional beliefs and was beginning to develop some insight into her previous mental health problems.

The jury had the option of returning three verdicts: guilty, not guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity.

In the prosecutions closing speech to the jury, Mr Sammon said Ms Kennas actions were committed by a knowing mind and that had been proven by what Ms Kenna said.

He told jurors that, depending on their decision, this becomes either a penal matter or a medical matter.

Counsel for Ms Kenna, Barry White SC, told the jury they had to decide which of the two psychiatrists was more likely to be correct. He explained how the threshold for finding Ms Kenna legally insane was on the balance of probabilities - a lower threshold than beyond reasonable doubt.

If satisfied that the doctor called by the defence was correct, that Ms Kenna did not know the nature or quality of her act or didnt know it was wrong or couldnt refrain herself, then she was entitled to a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, Mr White explained.

He noted that some of the jurors might have concerns for their own safety if Ms Kenna was to be walking the streets of Dublin tomorrow were they to return the special verdict.

That would not be the case, he said. Ms Kenna will not be released from the care of the Central Mental Hospital until they are satisfied to recommend her release and thats something that will be considered by a board presided over by a High Court judge.
Joe Leogue

Friends of the man shot dead on a farm outside Macroom Co Cork last night have expressed their shock at the killing of the father-of-one.

The man has been named locally as Derry Coakley, who was in his fifties, and lived in Castle Street in the centre of Macroom with his elderly mother.

Gardai were called to a farm at Raleigh, to the southwest of Macroom, at approximately 11:40pm last night following reports of a shooting.

It is understood that Mr Coakley telephoned a friend for help after he suffered the injury, and while he received treatment at the scene, he died there shortly thereafter.

A man in his sixties has today been arrested and is being detained at Bandon Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007.

It is believed that a local dispute over waste disposal may be a line of enquiry being followed by gardai.

Both approaches to the farm along a country boreen were closed off by garda cordon today.

Mr Coakleys body remains at the scene which is currently preserved and the State Pathologist is expected on-site this afternoon.

The deceased was an agricultural contractor who also carried out work on behalf of the County Council around Macroom.

Local man Martin Coughlan, a former councillor, said he was friends with Mr Coakley for over 30 years, and described him as the go-to man in Macroom if work needed to be done.

I dont know what you say to you, Im certainly in a state of shock myself and when I talk about it I get fairly emotional, he said.

I dont know how to describe it, its a huge shock. Derry was known by everybody in town and anybody Ive met have been in the same state of mind as me, theyre totally and utterly shocked.

Cork County Councillor Ted Lucey said he knew Mr Coakley for years, and that he was deeply shocked with the news.

Its devastating, I knew Derry very well and his family his mother, his sister Siobhan, his daughter Deirdre, her mother Siobhan as well. Derry lived in Castle Street. I was on the other side of the bridge as you cross over New Street .

Derry used to work in the council here, and his father before him worked in the council with diggers and tractors, and you couldn't meet a better man to do a job. Its so sad.

"The town of Macroom would have been knocked down several times only for Derry, he used to go out in snow and frost and spread salt in all the estates and hills up to the schools.

The more its getting on today, the more people really getting more shocked and more numbed by whole thing, and we say our sympathies to the family and it just hope they will be able to rally out of this, but it is an awful shock to the town and to his own family, and the people in the community, Cllr Lucey said.

Gardai are appealing for anyone who has any information or who were in the Raleigh North area of Macroom between 10.30pm and 12 midnight last night, 23rd October 2018 to contact Macroom Garda Station on 026-20590, the Garda Confidential line in 1800-666-111 or any Garda Station.
Over 100 secondary school students are protesting outside the Dail this lunchtime.

They are demanding a new building for St Joseph's secondary school in Rush, Co Dublin.

The surge in population in the Fingal area over the last number of years means that there are not enough school places to accommodate everyone.

There are 120 places for first years next September, but there have been over 224 applicants.

Transition year student Rachel Dillon says St Joseph's doesn't feel like a community.

"The corridors are always crammed, classrooms are quite tight a lot of the time. Sometimes there aren't enough supervising teachers to cope with us all," said Ms Dillon.

"And that's not our fault, not the teachers' fault, it's nothing to do with that.

"It's just the building we happen to have. There's prefabs outside - it always feels like it's separated from the school. It just doesn't feel like a big community."

- Digital Desk
Women have lost more income than men over the past decade.

The gender difference was mostly affected by changes to benefits and welfare during the recession.

An ESRI study found women's income is more sensitive to these cuts as they are more likely to be out of work or work part-time if they have children.

Report author Karina Doorley says the last ten years of budgets have hit women harder than men.

"Although tax and welfare policies do not typically differentiate based on gender, they can affect men and women differently.

"Men tend to have higher earnings than women, resulting in different income tax liabilities and benefit entitlement.

"The gender budgeting tool developed in this project will allow an assessment of the gender impact of any future budgetary changes, an important step in promoting gender equality in Ireland."

Digital Desk
Hold on to your stensons, folks - he's back!

Nathan Carter has announced that he be returning to Dublin and Belfast in 2019.

The country music will play two dates at The Helix on Thursday, January 31 and Friday, February 1 and a date at Belfasts Waterfront on Friday, March 29.

Nathan is currently getting ready for his second North American tour which kicks off in November and will see him play nine cities including Chicago, Boston, Sacramento and Philadelphia.

His new album, Born for the Road, which will feature 16 new recordings including the hit singles including `There You Are` Give It To Me and Winnie ONeill, is available for pre-order now from nathancartermusic.com

Tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 1 at 9 am.
Danny Cipriani has been banned for three weeks following his sending off in Gloucester's Heineken Champions Cup game against Munster.

The Gloucester and England international fly-half appeared before an independent disciplinary committee in Paris on Wednesday after being dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Munster centre Rory Scannell last weekend.

Tournament organisers European Professional Club Rugby said that Cipriani can play again on November 12.

It will rule him out of Gloucester's games in the new Premiership Cup competition against his former club Wasps on Saturday, then appointments with Bristol and Northampton.

But he will be available when the Gallagher Premiership resumes, with Gloucester hosting Leicester on November 16.

In a statement, EPCR said: "An independent disciplinary committee consisting of Philippe Cavaleiros (France), Chair, Martyn Wood (England) and Frank Hadden (Scotland), heard evidence and submissions from Cipriani, who accepted the red card decision, from the Gloucester director of rugby, David Humphreys, and from the EPCR disciplinary officer Liam McTiernan.

The committee upheld the red card decision and found that the act of foul play was at the mid-range of World Rugby's sanctions and selected six weeks as the appropriate entry point.

"There were no aggravating factors, and due to the player's clear disciplinary record and his timely expression of remorse, the committee decided to reduce the sanction by the maximum allowable of 50 per cent before imposing a three-week suspension.

"Cipriani is free to play on Monday, 12 November 2018. Both he and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision."

EPCR continued: "The committee upheld the red card decision and found that the act of foul play was at the mid-range of World Rugby's sanctions and selected six weeks as the appropriate entry point.

"There were no aggravating factors, and due to the player's clear disciplinary record and his timely expression of remorse, the committee decided to reduce the sanction by the maximum allowable of 50 per cent before imposing a three-week suspension.

"Cipriani is free to play on Monday, 12 November 2018. Both he and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision."

-Press Association
ABOUT THE PAINTINGS:

Each watercolor is painted on 300lb Cold Press watercolor paper. I use transparent watercolors occasionally adding ink to the wash. I paint in a series of washes to build color, creating shadows and a strong use of light.

The PAINTING A DAY paintings started January 1, 2007.



Variations in monitor settings plus my camera skills may not exactly duplicate the actual colors in the painting. I do my best!



I plan to work in two sizes.

An image of 5"x5" with a 1/2" border or

an image of 4"x6" with a 1/2" border.



You will need to take your new painting to a frame shop to be framed. For shipping, each miniature original watercolor will be placed in a protective sleeve with a foamcore back.



Paintings that do not sell are then placed on my show stand at a price commensurate to my other work.
Saudi Arabia agreed to provide Pakistan amount of $3 billion 24 October, 2018



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Ways that Players Used to Take Advantage of Slot Sites RIYADH/ISLAMABAD: In a major relief for the cash-strapped Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday agreed to provide Pakistan an amount of $3 billion to tackle its balance of payment crisis, besides agreeing to one-year deferred payment facility for import of oil worth up to $3 billion from the kingdom.



An MoU was signed between Finance Minister Asad Umar and Saudi Finance Minister Muhammad Abdullah Al-Jadaan. It was agreed that Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of USD 3 billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support, a statement issued by the PM Office said. It was also agreed that a one-year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to USD 3 billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia. This arrangement will be in place for three years and will be reviewed thereafter, it added.



The earlier visit of a Saudi delegation had evaluated the possibility of investing in a petroleum refinery in Pakistan. Saudi Arabia confirmed its interest in this project and an MoU will be signed after obtaining cabinet approval, the statement said. Saudi Arabia expressed interest in development of mineral resources in Pakistan. For this purpose, the federal government and the government of Balochistan will hold consultations, following which a delegation from the Kingdom will be invited to visit Pakistan, it added.



Prime Minister Imran Khan and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz discussed bilateral relations and regional and international situation at a meeting in Riyadh. Both the leaders expressed their desire to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation. They also discussed issues of mutual interest, trade, investment and economic ties, the PM Office said in a separate statement.



Issues of Pakistani workforce and labourers were also discussed and the Saudi king directed the ministry concerned to immediately resolve those issues.



The prime minister also had a detailed discussion with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The crown prince agreed to the prime ministers suggestion to reduce visa fee for Pakistani workers, a significant step towards enhancing Pakistani workforce in Saudi Arabia as well as facilitating travel of people from both the countries.



Saudi Minister for Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan, Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr Majed Al-Qasabi and Minister for Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Engineer Khalid Al Falih also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.



During the meeting, the prime minister highlighted the investment opportunities in energy and different sectors of Pakistan. Saudi Development Fund Chairman Ahmad Al-Khateeb and head of Public Investment Fund Yasir Al-Rumayyan were also present during the meeting.



The prime minister informed the Saudi ministers about the functioning of one-window operation in Pakistan for the enhancement of foreign and local investment and facilitation of the business community. A special cell to extend facilities to the business community had also been established, he added.



The Saudi ministers expressed their interest in the economy of Pakistan and discussed projects under the bilateral investment. During the meeting, the progress on matters discussed during Saudi delegations visit to Pakistan was also reviewed. The Saudi energy minister would soon visit Pakistan to give final shape to the agreed projects.



Earlier in his address to a session on Pakistan at the Future Investment Initiative Conference, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan was creating an enabling environment, undertaking tax reforms and setting up a one-window operation to attract foreign investors in diverse areas. This is the best time to invest in Pakistan, he said, adding that his 60-day old government has undertaken a gigantic task of structural reforms to address the issues of mismanagement and corruption with the sole objective to significantly move the country up on the index of ease of doing business.



The prime minister mentioned the restructuring and re-evaluation of changes in customs duties on different items and provision of better tax incentives so as to make Pakistan a more attractive place for investment. With its excellent geo-strategic location, Pakistan lies at the confluence of the Middle East, the Gulf and the Central Asian Republics, he said.



He mentioned the large 100 million population under the age of 35 who could serve as a strong workforce for investors in any area. He attributed the little foreign investment in the past 10 to 15 years to mismanagement of the previous governments, corruption and also to countrys involvement in the war against terror. He said the government was ensuring that things improve and all facilities are available to the foreign investors.



Imran Khan said Gwadar was the second deepest port in the region and offered easy access to China and, with improvement in peace situation in Afghanistan, to the Central Asian Republics. He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would serve as a huge incentive for foreign investors who could invest in many areas and benefit from the access to several regional markets from Pakistan. He mentioned energy, minerals, infrastructure, housing and tourism sectors which offered great incentives for investment. He said his initiative of building five million houses in the next five years would generate a lot of economic activity, create employment opportunities and help the country provide shelter to the poorest of its poor.



Imran said Pakistan also had rich reserves of oil and gas, gold and copper that needed to be exploited and could help turn around the countrys economy. A strong proponent of tourism, the prime minister said with 12 climatic zones and a range of geographical wonders like the highest peaks in the world to the deep blue waters in Gwadar, there was a great scope for investment in the tourism sector.



Imran Khan said in his talks with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, he was informed that a large delegation of Saudi investors would soon visit Pakistan, adding that the delegation would be comprehensively briefed about the incentives and opportunities available. He also acknowledged the high-level talks between the two countries for setting up an oil refinery in the country and said Pakistan currently requires two large refineries to cope with its growing oil requirements.



The prime minister said owing to the great sacrifices by the security forces, Pakistan was today a safe and secure country. He said the incidents of terrorism happening now in the country were negligible, and said the few terror incidents had links to Afghanistan. He hoped that with success in ongoing peace talks with the Taliban and the Afghan government and the United States, the situation would improve further.



The prime minister said Pakistan currently faced two serious problems: the current account deficit and the fiscal deficit, adding that Islamabad was currently in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package. He said his government was also in contact with friendly countries to get funds to help it repay the huge loans borrowed by the previous governments. We have a tough period ahead, but with our structural reforms in place and the funding, we will be able to improve the situation in three to six months, he said.



When asked about his forthcoming visit to China, Imran said he looked forward to learning from their experience as how they tackled the poverty as well as measures they took to end corruption. Imran Khan said peace between Pakistan and India was important to ensure that resources of the two countries be diverted towards human development rather than wasted in non-productive arms race. Peace with India is not just important for Pakistan, but for India as well.
SC constituted bench to hear appeal against Nawaz Sharif and family

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday constituted a bench to hear an appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Safdars release in the Avenfield reference.



The bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, will hear the petitions from Wednesday.



It is to be mentioned here that NAB had approached the top court to reinstate imprisonment sentences of Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar in the Avenfield reference. The anti-graft watchdog in its petition held that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) hadnt reviewed the technicalities of the case before suspending the sentences of Sharifs.



Last month, Justice Minallah of the IHC had suspended the sentences handed to former premier Nawaz, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar by Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir on July 6.



Ordering their release, the two-judge bench directed the former premier, his daughter and son-in-law to submit bail bonds worth Rs 0.5 million each.



Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar were convicted and sentenced to prison in absentia for 10 years, seven years and one year respectively, in the Avenfield reference. Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar were also disqualified from contesting elections for 10 years each.
Your company tries to secure project work from a corporate. The tender requires an explanation of your firms cyber security strategy and key staff involved in this area.

You narrowly lose the tender because a rival has better cyber security resources. Cyber security has suddenly become a bigger factor in whether your firm wins or loses jobs.

Cyber security is now a key metric for securing business. Credit:Bloomberg

Welcome to the world of cyber security and its impact on supply networks. Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) that do not adjust to rising expectations in industry and government risk being left behind.

Much has been written about cyber security from the perspective of big business and government. Less considered is what cyber security means for SMEs.
Its time to make venture capital firms blind to gender, say a cohort of Aussie entrepreneurs.

A new model for anonymising pitch information in the hope of boosting investment in female-led businesses is being championed by a range of business minds.

CityMiner founder Andrew Asfaganov, University of Sydney masters graduate Mariam Mohammad and Walshe Group head Jacqui Walshe. Credit:Andrew Mamo

A team of entrepreneurs including managing director of $300 million travel business Walshe Group, Jacqui Walshe, unveiled the blind pitch idea at a Dell Policy Hack event in Sydney on Tuesday.

The mechanism would see Australian venture capital firms commit to wiping the gender information of founders from pitch decks.
A prominent senator says the Foreign Investment Review Board is trying to avoid a repeat of the contriversial Port of Darwin sale to the Chinese in its investigation of Hong Kong-based firm CKI's takeover of gas pipeline company APA.

The Port of Darwin sale in 2015- key infrastructure in Australia and the US's military alliance in the South Pacific - to a Chinese firm sparked a crisis which damaged Australian and US relations.

Independent senator Rex Patrick says FIRB appears to be trying to avoid a repeat of the sale of critical infrastructure to Chinese companies. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

National security concerns over foreign control were again raised in June when Hong Kong-listed infrastructure firm CKI made a $13 billion takeover bid for Australian gas pipeline company APA.

South Australian Senator Rex Patrick said it appeared FIRB had learnt from its lessons in how it is handling the CKI bid.
Good morning, Canberra.

Who's been enjoying the warm weather this week? The good news is there's more on the way.

We're in for a partly cloudy day and a top of 25 degrees today. I don't want to get anyone too excited, but the forecast into next week shows we may hit 30 degrees. It's practically summer already.

Make yourself a cuppa while you get up to speed with this morning's local headlines.

Bill to close discrimination loophole
It's a case of mistaken identity.

A native frog has caused confusion in Canberra and locals are mistaking it to be a cane toad.

There have been 17 reports of possible cane toad sightings, a week after the ACT government called for Canberrans to be on the lookout for the pests.

Mistaken identity: Cane toad look-alike causes confusion in Canberra. Left: The cane toad. Right: The native frog the eastern banjo frog. Credit:Deborah Metters and Nick Volpe

Last week, the government announced two cane toads were found in the capital. The two female toads were spotted by a Campbell resident in her backyard in September. The homeowner caught the animals and froze them.
A NSW private school will employ House Mothers to watch over male boarders after a dormitory mistress was convicted of having sex with five boys.

The former Armidale School staff member, 25, was last month sentenced to a two-year suspended jail term for having sex with students as young as 15 over several months.

The scandal sparked an outcry from the parents of the boys, who claimed the school breached its duty of care towards their sons and allowed a toxic culture to develop in its boarding houses.

In a recent letter, headmaster Murray Guest acknowledged some of the school's shortcomings and revealed new measures against future abuse, including the introduction of ''House Mothers'' in the four boys' boarding houses.

"The role of House Mother is to work in a supportive pastoral role for students, rather than a supervisory or disciplinary one, and provides an additional regular presence that offers students a different opportunity to voice concerns," Mr Guest said.
A Brisbane start-up company has increased its capacity by almost 60 per cent as it works to keep up with the demand of Queenslands start-up community.

Fishburners opened in Brisbanes first CBD start-up space The Capital in 2016 and the hub is where some of the citys leading entrepreneurs develop their ideas.

Fishburners at The Capital. Credit:Ruth McCosker

Fishburners Queensland general manager Isaac Holmyard said there was currently 160 members using the space daily and 104 tech founders and tech startups in the space.

Were growing. We are punching above our weight, we arent just ticking the boxes, we are exceeding the challenges that were given to us to support start-up community here in Queensland, he said.
A man, believed to be the mastermind behind a massage parlour used as a front for unlawful prostitution on the Sunshine Coast, has been charged following a police raid at the Maroochydore business.

Police executed a search warrant at a property on Sugar Road on Tuesday, as part of Operation Quebec Dame.

A man and two women were charged after allegedly running an illegal prostitution business on the Sunshine Coast. Credit:James Davies

As a result, a 51-year-old man and two women, aged 23 and 29, were arrested.

It will be alleged the premises was operating falsely under the guise of a massage parlour and that police identified a number of women as having recently worked there unlawfully.
Zardari has notes (money), but no votes: Fawad Chaudhry

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday hit back at Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari after the former president suggested uniting opposition parties against the government.



Chaudhry, who is accompanying Prime Minister Imran Khan in Saudi Arabia, tweeted that Zardari should prefer to meet lawyers instead of politicians. He will realise the true worth of my advice in not even weeks, but days, the information minister remarked.



Governments are not removed via resolutions, but through votes, he further said. Zardari has notes (money), but no votes. He has lost the votes in pursuit of money, the minister added.



It may be noted that Zardari had said on Monday that he was up for uniting the opposition parties against the government because the governments actions were undemocratic.



Separately, Chaudhry said that the incumbent government would extend all possible support for further strengthening Sino-Pak media cooperative partnership. The government attaches importance to President Xi Jinpings initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and wishes to get them implemented through medias cooperation, he said in a message on signing of an agreement between Independent News Pakistan (INP) and China Radio International (CRI). The visiting ten-member delegation was led by Wen Ge , Deputy Director General of State Council Information office of China and representative of major media house, Xinhua news agency, China Radio International (CRI), Peoples Daily and China Daily.
Self-styled preference whisperer Glenn Druery faces allegations of interference in the Victorian state election with the Reason Party formally complaining about his lucrative cash-for-votes operation.

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten, who changed the name of her party from the Sex Party, has lodged a complaint with the Victorian Electoral Commission against Mr Druery, who also works as a staffer to Justice Party founder Senator Derryn Hinch.

Ms Patten has raised questions about the blurring of Mr Druerys role as a businessman dealing in votes and also as a taxpayer-funded adviser to Senator Hinch.

Derryn Hinchs Justice Party is intending to run candidates in all upper house seats in the November state poll.
The state opposition has vowed to provide Victorian public schools with access to solar power if it wins the November election.

In a bid to combat sky rocketing electricity costs, the Coalition has promised all public schools without solar will be eligible for panels and battery systems, as well as grants of $10,000 to assist with implementation costs.

The state opposition has vowed to provide all Victorian public schools with access to solar power if it wins the November election. Credit:Justin McManus

While the Liberal Party is yet to reveal how much the bold energy-saving plan would cost, it has said that the program would provide more than 700 Victorian public schools with solar photovoltaic systems by 2025.

At the moment, about half of Victorias government schools are without solar power.
We waited at PCH for five and a half hours, he only saw a GP and he walked out that hospital door and turned around and told that doctor Im going home to kill myself, she said. They let him walk out without him even seeing a specialist or a psych team and just said to me go to your GP for a referral. I raced to my GP the next morning to get a referral and she was told that he needed to present to the ED which is what wed done the night before. In a letter to PCH dated September 19, Dr Zdenka Papak-Gutovic from Rockingham Medical Centre said Biancas son was high-risk and that he was hearing voices telling him to self-harm and kill others. My opinion is that he is not safe to stay with his family and go to school, Dr Papak-Gutovic said.

He needs an urgent admission to the paediatric hospital for further management. In response, a PCH clinical nurse responded in a letter dated September 26, saying the hospitals Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service didnt support general outpatient support for people who werent a patient of the hospital. Bianca recently secured an urgent appointment at CAMHS Armadale and her son was accepted to access its services but was told they would need to wait until November. He could be dead by then. I have an 11-year-old child who is either going to kill myself and my family or himself and we have nowhere to go, she said. Its massively frustrating, especially when I see him smash his head against the brick wall and split open his lip or break a tooth out of his mouth.

He broke a tooth out of his mouth one night because I said no to a chocolate bar. Its just horrendous ... and he wants help, hes begging for help. Biancas son has been on dexamphetamine medication since he was four and was most recently prescribed lithium, a psychiatric medication designed to reduce the risk of suicide. Its not working and medication is not the answer but theres no services that will help, she said. I have spent thousands on private psychiatrists but all they want to do is give him more medication, and yes the medication is helping him enough for him to go to school but its not solving the issue. Ive paid everything Ive got for private psychologists and I just cant do it anymore, I dont know what to do.

Bianca said she now feared the worst, and with the recent family and domestic violence cases in Perth that have ended in death, she believed they would be next. CAHS chief executive Aresh Anwar said providing high levels of quality care and patient safety remained the highest priority at Perth Childrens Hospital. We are very sorry to hear about the experience this family has described, Dr Anwar said. Families are encouraged to please raise any concerns they have about their experience at PCH through the formal process so that they may be investigated and resolved with the family." Dr Anwar said patients were assessed, managed and treated according to their clinical need and severity at the PCH emergency department, taking into account other children in the department at the time.

He said all children and adolescents presenting with mental health issues or suicidal tendencies had a risk assessment and risk management plan formulated in the emergency department. Our ED staff team includes a psychiatric liaison nurse based in the ED to manage children presenting to PCH who need a review of their mental health, he said. This provides immediate management of their condition, referral to other support services and programs in the community and admission to the PCH mental health inpatient unit where needed, in a small number of cases. Dr Anwar said CAHS Mental Health ran 10 community clinics across the Perth metropolitan area, which children and families could be referred to. He said a 24-hour urgent mental health support line was available on 1800 048 636 and was run in collaboration with the Mental Health Emergency Response Line.
UPDATE: Police have charged a man over the incidents, as well as several more allegedly revealed when he was interviewed by detectives.

Police are hunting for a man who has committed two indecent acts in Perth's western suburbs in recent weeks.

A man has been charged over a string of indecent acts allegedly committed in several Perth cafes. Credit:WA Police

Perth detectives say in both cases the man sat down at a cafe and performed an indecent act after

attracting the attention of a woman seated nearby.

The first incident occurred in Nedlands about 3.50pm on September 28.
Wearing a floral pink and blue print with a garland of glorious tropical flowers, the Duchess of Sussex delivered an impassioned plea in Fiji about the importance of educating girls, her first speech this royal tour.

Greeting the local Fijian crowd with "Bula Vinaka" in her still distinctive American accent, the woman once known as Meghan Markle spoke of her own struggles as a college student at Illinois' Northwestern University.

"It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition - that I was able to attend university. And without question it was worth every effort," she said at Suva's University of the South Pacific.

"Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital.
He spoke of a Canberra teacher called Fred, who taught at a conservative Christian school for a number of years. Mr Barr said the teacher had excellent references, was very well qualified and got on well with students and staff at the school. "He left for 18 months and in that time his marriage ended and he started a new relationship as a gay man. On his return, his interview for reappointment went very well, but Fred was not offered casual teaching or a casual contract or part-time work. Other teachers less qualified than Fred were offered positions. Fred felt devastated. Fred is a well-qualified teacher with solid references. He was not given a reason," Mr Barr said. "This discrimination should not, must not, be acceptable anywhere, especially not in our schools. And especially not in Canberra, the most LGBTIQ inclusive and welcoming city in Australia." Hugo Walker also used to be a teacher at a Canberra religious school. When he came out six years ago, he felt he had no choice but to quit.

Hugo Walker resigned from his former school as a teacher when he came out as gay. He said he felt compelled to due to the school community's attitude towards gay people. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos "I felt like it was the honourable thing to do, to resign from the school. If someone had outed me the school would have felt compelled to sack me. Some families from very conservative churches would have demanded I was sacked," Mr Walker said. Mr Walker had worked at the school for 14 years and was a highly regarded member of staff. Despite this - and even if the exemption didn't exist - Mr Walker said he would have resigned once he came out. "Had it come out that a gay man was teaching at the school, that information would have been destructive in the parent community and certain people would have wanted me to be immediately removed from staff," Mr Walker said.

"The same people who used to say I was such a good role model, such a good teacher are the same ones who scurry away when I see them in the Canberra Centre." ACT Opposition leader Alistair Coe said the example Mr Barr described was concerning. "I think most people would not support a school that fired a teacher on the basis of their sexuality especially if that teacher was a good teacher, that should be the basis for whether they are hired and whether they are retained at the school," Mr Coe said. However, Mr Coe said there was a non-government sector for a reason. "Weve got to make sure we do allow the diversity in the system, be it an Islamic school a Catholic school or a Christian school. Theres got to be some leeway but I think the vast majority of Canberrans and the vast majority of Australians would think it unreasonable that a student was suspended or expelled on the basis of their sexuality," Mr Coe said.

"We want to see what legislation the government is proposing, we want to make sure it doesn't put unreasonable restrictions on schools and to allow faith schools to still be faith-based schools. It is a matter of getting the balance right but I think we can get a reasonable approach." Christian Schools Australias executive officer of policy, governance and staff relations Mark Spencer said the religious exemptions were not a loophole, but rather a legislative tool to balance different, but equal, human rights in the Discrimination Act. Mr Spencer noted the ACT's human rights laws included a right to freedom of religion. "For a Christian school seeking to be a genuinely Christian school to not be able to employ staff who share and model their beliefs it fundamentally changes the nature of the whole school," Mr Spencer said. "Our schools are tightly woven communities where all staff play an important role and all staff need to share the values. Students and parents will very quickly pick up if a teacher is saying one thing in class but living out something different and it completely undermines what they are teaching."
A stoush is brewing in the Coalition over plans to strip religious schools of the right to discriminate against LGBTI students, with conservative MPs angry about being kept in the dark on the changes.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is considering a special party room meeting on the issue today after he promised urgent action, following a backlash to leaked recommendations of Philip Ruddock's religious freedom review.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The bill was slated for debate this parliamentary sitting fortnight, but as of Thursday morning, Attorney-General Christian Porter was still negotiating details with the Labor opposition.

That has angered conservative Liberal MPs, who argue they should have been consulted first and fear they will be expected to rubber-stamp legislation agreed with Labor - without knowing the full contents of Mr Ruddock's review.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has denied attempting to discourage workers from attending ACTU rallies this week, rejecting allegations of bias in favour of employers in her new role.

Sandra Parker said top union boss Sally McManus had declined her offer to meet and discuss the issue.

About 160,000 workers rallied in Melbourne on Tuesday, as part of the ACTU's national Change the Rules campaign, which aims to have the Morrison government thrown out at the next election and secure a rewriting of workplace laws by Labor Party leader Bill Shorten.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus rallied with thousands of workers in Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus

The Ombudsman wrote to Australia's largest employer bodies on October 10, warning that workers joining the rallies could be breaking the law by withdrawing their labour or failing to attend work and indicating that the agency would investigate any alleged breaches of the Fair Work Act.
Queensland MP Coralee O'Rourke has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ms O'Rourke, the Labor member for the Townsville seat of Mundingburra, said she would take time off over the next few weeks to spend time with her family and work with her medical team to undergo treatment and recover from surgery.

Member for Mundingburra Coralee O'Rourke has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Credit:Darren England/AAP

"After that, I plan to face this challenge like most other Queensland women with breast cancer do - by continuing to get on with my work, which I love," she said.

"I know I am incredibly fortunate to do this with the unwavering support of my colleagues, particularly the Premier and Deputy Premier, who I thank for their kindness over the past week."
With the Echo Show, you'll need to upload your images to Amazon Photos via the mobile or desktop app. Like Google, the mobile app can automatically back your photos up to the cloud; dragging you further into the Amazon ecosystem unless you're happy to fragment your digital life in the cloud. Stream to me The Echo Show can tap into the same streaming music services as any Echo speaker, recently adding music to Prime subscriptions, but it falls short when it comes to streaming video. You can watch shows on Amazon Prime Video such as Man in the High Castle, but you can forget about Netflix. Ask for YouTube and you're shown Dailymotion clips. Nor can you stream third-party video services from your handheld gadgets, such as ABC iView. In some cases you might be able to beat these restrictions using the Echo Show's built-in Silk and Firefox web browsers. We got into YouTube and SBS on Demand and had mixed results with Plex running on a network drive, but no luck with Netflix or iView because it views the Echo Show as a mobile device so directs you to the app.

When it comes to video, the Echo Show is much more useful if you live in the US  or at least if it thinks you live in the US  a problem that Australians regularly encounter in the Amazon ecosystem. Of course the Alexa smart assistant can do much more than keep you entertained, you can also ask her questions, set timers, add things to your shopping list, see travel times, check your calendar and tap into a wealth of third-party services. You might find Google Assistant smarter, but the gap is closing. Alexa can also control smart home devices  both Wi-Fi gear like LifX bulbs and Zigbee gear like Philips Hue bulbs  as well as tap into cameras like the Ring video doorbell. Along with voice, you can also silently control smart home gear from the touchscreen. When it comes to shopping online, you can make purchases directly from Amazon.com.au, which is especially handy if you have a Prime membership.

Talk the talk While Google Assistant might be a bit smarter, sometimes Alexa is easier to talk to. "Alexa" rolls off the tongue more naturally than "Hey Google" and she's much better at listening for follow up responses. They'll both talk you through recipes and show you each step, but the need to say "Hey Google" every time you want to move forward soon becomes tedious. Echo Show can display step-by-step recipes. Also in Amazon's favour; the Echo Show features a front camera for making voice and video calls to other Echo devices or the Alexa mobile apps (but not standard phone numbers, as in the US).

Video calls from the Echo Show offer a great picture with excellent colours and contrast, a wide viewing angle and impressive noise cancelling to ensure voices are clear. Meanwhile, Home Hub users are stuck with Google Duo voice calls. Once again, the video call feature becomes more useful the further that you and your kin dive into the Amazon ecosystem, which doesn't have the same kind of local take up that it does in the US. If you're looking at investing in an Echo Show for video calls then it might be worth handing out Echo gear to your relatives as Christmas presents. Alexa shouldn't be too proud of her listening skills, as Australians are still waiting for her to gain the ability to recognise different voices in your home, as she can in the US. Until then, she'll keep treating all requests as coming from the primary account holder, rather than giving personalised answers to "what's on my calendar?". This might be an instant deal-breaker if you're thinking of defecting from Google. Video calls work great, as long as your friends and family are also using Amazon gear.

Keep an eye on the time While it makes a decent photo frame, the Echo Show also shows weather forecast, news reports, upcoming calendar appointments and other details when it's idle. It automatically disables the screen to save power when you kill the lights at night, but the option of an ambient onscreen clock means you could use it as a bedside alarm. Of course this is where the Echo Show's bulk works against it. It's about 50 per cent wider, taller and deeper than the Google Home Hub; making it much harder to squeeze it into a small corner. At this point you might look to the smaller $199 Echo Spot, but you're make a big sacrifice in terms of sound and picture quality. If you're still baulking at the price tag, keep in mind that Alexa is just as smart on a cheap Echo speaker, she just can't show you things.
It is my sincere desire that we set the tone for Ghana and Sierra Leone to search continually for ways to co-operate, irrespective of who is at the helm of affairs of our respective countries. I have no doubt, however, that, together, the two of us can forge a new, strong partnership for cooperation between our two nations for the mutual benefit of our two peoples.



These were the words of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, when he held an official lunch in honour of the President of the Republic of Sierra, His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, at Jubilee House, on Monday, 22nd October, 2018.



Proposing a toast his Sierra Leonean counterpart, President Akufo-Addo noted that the historical and cultural ties between Ghana and Sierra Leone are borne largely out of trade and education, dating back two centuries.



Mr. President, your presence in Ghana should spur our two nations on to develop stronger ties and explore several areas of co-operation to the mutual benefit of our two peoples, he said.



Having followed, with keen interest, the structural programme being embarked upon by President Maada Bios administration, President Akufo-Addo stated that he was, particularly, happy about his Free Quality Education initiative.



I urge you to stand firm and see it through, regardless of the opposition you will face. For us in Ghana, our Free Senior High School education policy, within the first two years of its implementation, has ensured that 270,000 more students, whose education would otherwise have been truncated for financial reasons, have access to secondary education, the President said.



Additionally, President Akufo-Addo also lauded the Sierra Leonean Presidents initiatives in the area of agriculture, aimed at enhancing food security for the people of that country.



It was also good to see Your Excellency sign the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, during the 31st African Union Summit, in Nouakchott, Mauritania. I will, respectfully, urge your Government to see to the expeditious ratification of the Agreement, so that we can quickly reach the minimum threshold of ratification by twenty-two-member states, that will enable the CFTA to come into effect, and permit our continent to take advantage of its huge market, President Akufo-Addo said.



He continued, This will present great opportunities to increase intra-African trade, create jobs, enhance incomes, and put the continent onto the path of progress and prosperity. In so doing, it is equally important for us to take the necessary measures that will make our regional market of ECOWAS effective, as a sound building block for the success of the CFTA. If our regional markets work well, our continental market will work well.



President Akufo-Addo also assured President Maada Bio that, in the spirit of the excellent relations between the two countries, such assistance, as within Ghanas modest means, to support the education, health, sanitation and other initiatives of his government, will be forthcoming.



The details and modalities will be worked out shortly, and the commitments will be upheld, the President assured.



With West Africa confronted with significant security challenges, particularly the terrorist menace that is engulfing the Sahel sector, President Akufo-Addo noted that we are required to be resolute and find, together in the region, the necessary economic, political and military means to reverse this pernicious development, and bring peace and stability to the lives of all our people in our region.



He also urged President Maada Bio to work hand-in-hand with Ghana on the process of UN Reform, especially of the UN Security Council, as set out in Africas Common Position on UN Reform, based on the Ezulwini Consensus.



Let us work to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN Security Council represent for the nations of Africa, President Akufo-Addo added.









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Perth's first 5G-enabled mobile phone base station was switched on by Telstra on Wednesday morning, but not one customer can access it yet.

The base station was installed on an existing phone tower at the Narrows Bridge in the Perth CBD.

Telstra chief executive Andy Penn in Canberra on Wednesday after Telstra announced Ericsson as its 5G partner. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The network is the next generation in telecommunications technology and can theoretically provide download speeds of up to 1Gbps with less latency and to more people at any one time.

For context, the average download connection speed for 4G customers in 2017 was 34Mbps, but connection speeds vary wildly depending on how many people are connected to a tower and how far a customer is from it.
Brussels: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that allies blame Russia for violating an important Cold War-era missile treaty but he does not expect them to deploy more nuclear warheads in Europe in response.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin followed up on US President Donald Trump's declared intention to pull out of the 1987 arms control pact by warning that if the US deploys the now-banned missiles in Europe, Russia would target the nations hosting them.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Credit:AP

The European Union has described the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty as a cornerstone of European security and urged Russia and the United States to uphold it. But Stoltenberg did not encourage the US, the biggest and most influential member of NATO, to stay in the treaty.

"I don't foresee that allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile," Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. However, he noted that the 29 allies were assessing "the implications of the new Russian missile for our security."
The tunnel has been built quietly, with comparatively little noise, congestion - or public communication. Milestones have mostly popped up through Musk's Twitter feed, sparking excitement from traffic-weary Angelenos and scepticism from locals about the project's feasibility. Transportation planners and officials say they worry about the system's effect on traffic and whether Musk can deliver on his ambitious visions. As one example, critics say, the tunnel is shorter than the three-kilometre route that city officials approved last year. The route was truncated because a property "became available" where the company could extricate a piece of digging equipment known as a cutter head that would otherwise have been abandoned underground, company representative Jane Labanowski said at City Hall last month. An artist's rendering shows passengers boarding a pod on a skate, with drivers pulling onto other skates in the background. Credit:The Boring Company The company will haul the cutter head, a massive disk that functions like a drill bit, through a shaft in an industrial building on 120th Street near Prairie Avenue. The company bought the property for nearly $US2 million ($2.8 million) this year, state records show.

"We decided to shorten the tunnel because we wanted to reuse the cutter head," Labanowski said. "We think it's a much better move to shorten the tunnel." The blue-and-grey house on West 119th Place, where the elevator shaft would be built, sold for $US485,000 in January to Irma's House, a company owned by the Boring Company, according to local and state records. Documents filed with the city of Hawthorne call for a bigger, sturdier garage along the house's property line, near the tunnel's path along 120th Street. A small spur would connect the tunnel to the elevator shaft in the garage, the plans said. A map of Hawthorne showing West 119th Place and its proximity to Hawthorne Municipal Airport and SpaceX headquarters. Credit:Google Maps Hawthorne officials have said that there will be no signs on the well-kept street that one home's garage conceals an entrance to a subterranean test track. The Boring Company said the elevator would be quiet enough that the house could be rented to tenants.

The garage would be surrounded by security gates and surveillance cameras to prevent intruders and the elevator platform would seal off the tunnel shaft when it was not in use, the company said. To keep the street from becoming a de facto loading zone, no vehicles would be allowed to enter or leave the garage, city officials said. Instead, all vehicles inside the test tunnel must enter and exit through the SpaceX construction site 1.5 kilometres east. After the sale, the house was quiet for months. But security cameras were recently installed on the roof, and residents have received letters saying construction would start soon, said Carmen Ayala, 48, who lives across the street. Some residents have been concerned about potential damage to their homes, Ayala said, but added that she was more optimistic. "I actually feel proud," she said. "We're the first to have that tunnel."

At a city meeting last month, Ayala's neighbour Sammy Andrade told local officials that he and other residents "really, really want to know" how the company will prevent damage to their properties, "because it's our families, and it's our homes". Loading Company officials have assured residents that tunnelling is safe, and that they continually monitor the soil for signs of settling. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Musk wrote this year that the public would be able to take free rides through the Hawthorne tunnel in a few months, "pending final regulatory approvals". Exactly how those regulatory approvals would work is not clear. The Boring Company did not return a request for comment.

A spokeswoman for Cal/OSHA, the workplace safety agency that oversees tunnelling, mining and amusement park rides, said her department had "nothing to do" with regulating the Hawthorne tunnel. Loading A spokesman for the Federal Railroad Authority said officials in Washington were providing "informal technical assistance", but had not approved any new technology. Musk's progress in Hawthorne has gone more smoothly than his efforts to tunnel across the border in the city of Los Angeles. His pitch to dig a 4.3-kilometre test tunnel beneath Sepulveda Boulevard stalled when two homeowners groups sued Los Angeles over the City Council public works committee's decision to exempt the tunnel from environmental review. The move still needs a full council vote.
Jeffersontown, Kentucky: Police say multiple people have been shot inside a grocery store on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky.

A dispatcher with the Jeffersontown Police Department said a suspect was detained following the shooting on Wednesday afternoon at a Kroger store.

The store is located on the eastern outskirts of Louisville.

The dispatcher says officers remain at the scene. The extent of injuries isn't immediately known.

More to come.
Quito: Ecuador does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in talks over his situation as an asylee in the South American country's London embassy.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister, Jose Valencia, said on Tuesday that the country's only responsibility was looking after Assange's wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps, Valencia said. We are not Mr Assange's lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain.

Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Latest News Effi launches solution that can get brokers paid their commission on the day of settlement New product can reduce the time it takes for commissions to get paid from 45-60 days to just one

NAB throws weight behind e-lodgement disruptor Sympli Major mortgage lender signs deal with conveyancing start-up

Two years after merging their businesses, Homeloans and RESIMAC Limited will soon be unified under one brand, it has been announced today.

From 3 December the non-bank lender will begin marketing under the refreshed Resimac brand and will start migrating customers.

The Homeloans Ltd parent company will also be renamed as Resimac Group Limited subject to shareholder approval.

Joint chief executive officer Scott McWilliam said the move will have no impact on its mortgage book of more than $12billion and over 50,000 customers.

In an interview with Australian Broker, McWilliam said it was a natural evolution after the groups merged in 2016.

He said he was excited that the new brand would better represent their business strategy as they work to diversify, adding that the brand Homeloans really only suggests one thing.

McWilliam said this did in no way mean the Homeloans brand was being killed off.

He added, Im excited because were simplifying the process for brokers and for customers.

I'm excited that were operating under one brand going forward [and] that under this brand we can best represent our position going forward down the third-party channel.

I'm also excited that were not actually killing the Homeloans brand, where well be using the brand to help us with other parts of our distribution.

For brokers worried about what this might mean for pending applications or customers with either brand currently, McWilliam was quick to reassure them.

He said, It truly is just a change of product and company name. The company is no different tomorrow than it is today. When you talk about brand your brand is more than just a word, its your service, its staff.

In terms of the existing book, we will over time change the branding on our back book as well, but that takes longer.

Our processes have been consolidated. This is a change to brand, so the impact from a processing perspective does not change, product pricing does not change.

Joint chief executive officer Mary Ploughman described Resimac as an enhanced version of the legacy RESIMAC brand.

She said, It retains the respect this established brand has among investors and the broader market, but also reflects our history as a challenger and innovator and our desire to provide an exceptional customer experience. It really is taking the best of both worlds and we are confident it will help take our business to the next level.

An AGM, at which Homeloans shareholders will vote on Homeloans Ltd changing its name to Resimac Group Limited, will be held on 26 November, 2018.
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Halloween is about candy, costumes, and trick or treating! Adults may have hijacked the holiday with sexy nurse costumes and boozy parties, but there are still plenty of tricks and treats available for tykes and tots. Families who want to take the kids out for All Hallows Eve in Brooklyn can consult this list of family-friendly events happening this weekend and on Oct. 31:

Going batty

Prospect Park Zoo celebrates the winged mammals favored by vampires with a special spooky science project about urban bats! This years Boo at the Zoo, happening on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am4 pm, will also feature a haunted barn, a Costumed Character Scavenger Hunt, and other Halloween games and crafts.

Boo at the Zoo at Prospect Park Zoo [450 Flatbush Ave. at Ocean Avenue in Prospect Park, (718) 3997339, www.prosp ectpa rkzoo.com ]. Oct. 2728; 11 am4 pm. $10 ($7 kids).

Into the woods

Who needs a haunted house when you can wander a whole haunted forest? At the annual Halloween Haunted Walk and Fair from Prospect Park Alliance, kids can encounter werewolves, witches, and other Halloween spirits along the path through the parks wooded Lookout Hill, which ends at Halloween Fair on the Nethermead with face-painting, games, and food trucks. The event will happen rain or shine!

Halloween Haunted Walk and Fair on Prospect Park Lookout Hill (150 West Dr., enter at Prospect Park and Vanderbilt Street in Windsor Terrace, www.prosp ectpa rk.org/ Hallo ween ). Oct. 27. Noon3 pm. Free.

Boo-gie down!

Join the official after-party for the Halloween Haunted Walk, Bklyn Boo! The indoor event at City Point will have spooky tunes, a pumpkin patch, balloon artists, and more ghoulish activities for kids.

Bklyn Boo at City Point (445 Albee Sq. at Dekalb Avenue Downtown, www.cityp ointb rookl yn.com/ bklyn -boo ). Oct. 27; 25 pm. Free.

Walking dead

The Boroughs of the Dead walking tour hosts a special kid-friendly edition of its Brooklyn Heights ramble, with more of a focus on ghosts and ghouls, and less on the grisly murders that created them. The 90-minute tour is appropriate for kids aged 8 and up.

Family-friendly Haunted Brooklyn Heights (meet at Court Street and Pacific Street in Brooklyn Heights, www.borou ghsof thede ad.com/ brook lyn. Oct. 27 at 4:30 pm. $30 ($25 in advance, $15 kids 812).

Witch way

Bring the kids to Industry City for a Halloween edition of the Sunset Park Cinema Club, featuring a 12:15 pm screening of Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as wild witches out on Halloween. The afternoon will also feature spooky storytelling, pumpkin carving, and a Halloween puppet show!

Hocus Pocus at Industry City (233 37th St. between Second and Third avenues in Sunset Park, www.rooft opfil ms.com ). Oct. 28; 11 am4 pm. Free with RSVP.

Pumpkins on parade!

Park Slope Parents host an early Halloween party, with pizza cooked in an outdoor oven, pumpkin-painting from noon to 1:30 pm, and a mini costume contest for kids and parents, parading around Washington Park at 3 pm, with awards for best family costume, most creative outfit, and most ferocious monster!

Old Stone House [336 Third St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 7683195, www.theol dston ehous e.org ]. Oct. 28; noon3 pm. Free.

Monster march

Kids can show off their outfits early at Sundays Greenpoint Childrens Halloween Parade, which will terrify pedestrians on Manhattan Avenue during the noon journey from Java Street to Norman Avenue and back. The free parade will be followed by a Spooktacular Party for younger kids (under 10) at 1 pm and a Zombie Nerf War at 4 pm for tweens (goggles and blasters provided).

Greenpoint YMCA (176 Java St. between Manhattan Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, www.towns quare inc.com ). Oct. 28 at noon. Parade free. Party or Nerf War $20 ($15 in advance, $25 for both). Parents $10 ($5 in advance).

Dance of the dead

Kids in costume can boogie outside at Trick or Beat, a special spooky edition of dance fitness company At Your Beats dance class! The monstrous movement will be followed by a Day of the Dead party, complete with sugar skulls, multi-colored paper marigolds, and a music performance from Mariachi Real de Mexico.

Trick or Beat at Albee Square (Fulton Street at Bond Street Downtown, www.atyou rbeat.com/ new-y ork ). Oct. 31; 35 pm. Free.

Thriller, chiller!

Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand! But do not worry if you are found, cause youve got the soul for getting down! Join the Thriller Dance Party on Myrtle Avenue Plaza, where kids and adults will groove from 45 pm, and then the AbunDance company will teach some moves inspired by Michael Jacksons Thriller video to prep everyone for a group dance at 5:45 pm.

Thriller Dance Party at Myrtle Avenue Plaza [Myrtle Avenue at Emerson Place in Clinton Hill, (718) 230-1689 ext. 3, www.myrtl eaven ue.org ). Oct. 31; 46 pm. Free.

On the big scream

The brand-new Greenpoint theater Stuart Cinema and Cafe will host a free Halloween Community Night, passing out treats for kids and screening two family-friendly films: Lego Scooby Doo Haunted Hollywood at 4 pm, and for older kids The Corpse Bride at 6 pm. (The 8 pm showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show is adults-only).

Stuart Cinema & Cafe (79 West St. between Milton and Noble streets in Greenpoint, www.stuar tcine ma.com ). Oct. 31 at 4 pm and 6 pm. Free with RSVP.

Boo-tiful!

Start your trick-or-treating at BAMBoo, an outdoor block party in front of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The party will feature stilt-walkers, candy giveaways, live music from RadioDead, carnival games, and a costume contest with the first-place winner getting four tickets to a BAMKids event!

Outside the BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building (30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, www.bam.org). Oct. 31, 47 pm. Free.

Arch enemies

Costumed, candy-crazed kids can head down under the Manhattan Bridge for Dumboween! The family-friendly event kicks off with a spooky story at the Brooklyn Roasting Company, then costumed characters will march to the Archway Under the Manhattan Bridge for a Halloween party, featuring plenty of candy, arts and crafts, a costume contest, and music from Funkrust Brass Band from 57 pm.

Dumboween at Brooklyn Roasting Company (25 Jay St. at John Street in Dumbo) and at theArchway Under the Manhattan Bridge (Water Street between Anchorage Place and Adams Street in Dumbo, www.dumbo.is). Oct. 31; 4:307 pm. Free.

Spook Slope

Dress up for Brooklyns biggest Halloween Parade, which will kick off from 14th Street and Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, travel north on Seventh Avenue, turn left on Third Street and end with a party at JJ Byrne Playground at the Old Stone House.

Park Slope Halloween Parade (14th Street at Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, www.parks lopec ivicc ounci l.org ). Oct. 31 at 6:30 pm. Free.

Reach arts editor Bill Roundy at broun dy@cn gloca l.com or by calling (718) 2604507.
A majority member on Parliaments Finance Committee, Daniel Okyem Aboagye has denied claims by former president John Mahama that the Akufo-Addo-led administration has already borrowed 50 billion in less than two years since it took power.



Challenging government to provide evidence of what the money was used for, Mr Mahama told party supporters during his campaign tour of the Techiman South district of the Brong Ahafo region that government is not putting the monies borrowed to good use.



During my tenure, they said I borrowed 40 billion within four years but within two years this government has borrowed up to 50 billion. Where is the evidence of how the money was used? he queried.



Denying the claims, Mr Aboagye who is also the Bantama MP said the former president is having trouble with the numbers.





We have not borrowed the amount of money he is talking about in two years, he said, explaining further that most of them are the interest component [of previous loans] that needs to be financed that is what is making the debt stock grow



Any money that is borrowed in Ghana goes through Parliament. Have you heard that Parliament has approved even 10 billion in loans? he queried on Joy FMsNewsnight programme.



The MP believes Mr Mahama should not be the one complaining about loans when his administration has the worst record with loans.





It seems to me that he doesnt understand that whatever level the NDC government left us in terms of borrowingin eight years, they took it from 9.5 billion [during president Kufuors administration] and sent it to 122 billion.



He said the Akufo-Addo-led administration is doing for better with the countrys finances than Mr Mahama and other NDC governments did.





source: tradingeconomics.com: Ghanas debt to GDP ratio from 1990 until 2017







When NPP government under President Akufo-Addo just came back to power, we have been upgraded by Standard and Poors. And this is an independent body and that tells you that the government is doing much better when it comes to the management of the countrys finances.



When asked to provide the accurate figure on how much has been borrowed, the MP said government has only borrowed some 26 billion.



He said the current debt stock which is around 154 billion is as a result of debts government servicing of previous loans and the unstable foreign exchange rates.



So the number he is throwing out there is incorrect, he stressed.





Source: myjoyonline.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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Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Wednesday that data of about 9.4 million passengers of Cathay and its unit Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited had been accessed without authorisation. Cathay said 860,000 passport numbers, about 245,000 Hong Kong identity card numbers, 403 expired credit card numbers and 27 credit card numbers with no card verification value (CVV) were accessed in the breach. "We are very sorry for any concern this data security event may cause our passengers," Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Rupert Hogg said in a statement. "We acted ...
Ghana-based Gambian actress/model Princess Shyngle has released new hot pictures on social media showing off her curves and her gracile waist.



Princess Shyngle who stated publicly that she has stopped exposing her body few weeks ago, and even went ahead to delete all her bikini pictures from her Instagram page, couldnt abide by her own rules and she has explained the reason for her sudden volte-face.



In an exclusive interview with Peacefmonline.com, the screen goddess who is currently in Gambia said her new pictures is to celebrate black skin and to campaign against skin bleaching.



I am celebrating my beautiful, dark, chocolate, black skin and encouraging black queens all over the world to be proud of their skin color and stop bleaching. So my new photo shoot is for my Say No To Bleaching campaign.



According to Princess Shyngle, she will do everything she can with her body just for the world to know that black skin must be cherished.



Black is beautiful and black queens should be celebrated more and be proud of their skin color. I wanted to show every inch of my black skin to showcase how gorgeous being black is, and because Im comfortable in my skin and my body I saw nothing wrong in posing with a bikini to get my message out there. I cant wear kaba and cover my gorgeous skin to do a shoot about celebrating the black skin.



Asked why she declared publicly a few weeks ago that she has stopped exposing herself and her sudden u-turn, she replied;



I said that at a point in my life when I was trolled a lot on the internet, the blogs, on the press and TV for showing too much skin and always revealing my body, I thought it would be a good idea to stop taking bikini pictures just to please people and make them happy. But then I realized that I can never please people, no matter what you do theyre going to troll you and talk about you as long as you are in the public eye so I just said to myself f*ck it , Im going to do me, live my life to the fullest and do whatever the heck I want as long as Im happy thats all that matters, because at the end of the day Im living my life for me and no one else. My happiness comes first.



She added that she is still single but she is not searching. However, if any man wants to be with her, that person must be willing to accept her for who she is.



Any man that wants to be with me has to accept me for who I am same way Im going to accept him for who he is. Im still single but Im not searching, Im single because I choose to. Im not psychologically ready to start dating yet, Im still working on myself and trying to learn how to love with all my heart. Ive hurt and disappointed a lot of guys in my past and I dont want to keep doing that.



Princess Shyngle said she is currently in Gambia preparing for her next self-produced movie.



Im busy writing my next film that I plan on shooting next month in Lagos, Nigeria.



See her new photos below:

Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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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Indian software services exporter Wipro Ltd on Wednesday called out its healthcare services business in the United States as a challenge as uncertainties over Obamacare meant insurers are holding off on big technology expenditure. The healthcare market accounts for nearly 13 per cent of Wipro's IT sales and reform of the sector in the United States, its biggest market, remains in prospect given the hostility of President Donald Trump and many Republicans to the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, despite a failed 2017 push to repeal it. Senate Republican Leader ...
The Centre Wednesday gave its ex-post facto approval to a pact signed among nations on environmental cooperation, a move which is expected to bring in latest technologies and best practices for better

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval to the MoU signed during the 10th Summit in July in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The MoU identifies various areas of cooperation, including air quality, water, biodiversity, climate change and waste management.

It also stresses cooperation on implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and (SDG) and in other areas as mutually agreed upon by the participants.

"The MoU will enable establishment and promotion of closer and long-term cooperation between the countries in the field of and management of natural resources on the basis of equity, reciprocity and mutual benefits..." an official statement said.

It said that concerns of rising environmental issues are not limited to any country but pose a serious challenge to the entire globe.

The pact acknowledges the responsibility of the BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - comprising more than 40 per cent of the world's population, towards the protection, preservation and sustainability of the environment.

"The MoU is expected to bring in the latest technologies and best practices suited for bringing about better environment protection, better conservation, and better management of climate change and wildlife protection/conservation.

"The MoU shall facilitate exchange of experiences, best practices and technical know-how through both public and private sectors among the participating BRICS nations and shall contribute to sustainable development, protection and preservation of environment," the statement read.
The first trilateral meeting between India, and of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement took place on October 22 in

The Indian delegation was led by TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations), while the Afghan and delegations were led by respective Deputy Ministers of Transport.

"Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar Port," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

"All sides shared the view that full operationalisation of trilateral Chabahar initiative will promote connectivity and economic development of and the region," it added.

The MEA also said that the three nations have decided to constitute a follow-up committee that would hold its first meeting within two months in Chabahar Port,

"It would, inter alia, discuss and aim to finalise protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs, consular matters that was shared by the Indian side at the meeting for making the route attractive, decrease logistic costs and pave way for smooth implementation of the Trilateral Chabahar Agreement," the statement said.

The next meeting of the Coordination Council will be held in the first half of 2019 in

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Hasta cuando?



Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



Sin palabras



La UE le apunta a la paz



Cada vez mas solo



Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript.

LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



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Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


Companies will suffer and criminals could benefit from the inevitable border disruption that will ensue if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, the country's public spending watchdog said on Wednesday. With just five months to go to Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May has yet to reach a deal with Brussels and both sides have stepped up preparations for the possibility there will not be one. In its report, "The UK border: preparedness for EU exit", the National Audit Office (NAO) said there was not enough time to put fully effective border operations in ...
There is a "good chance" that the will formally launch its space force next year, has said.

The National Space Council has also voted to send six strategic recommendations to the president's desk, laying out the administration's vision and a roadmap to establish the force.

"I think we have a good chance next year of officially doing our Space Force," Trump told reporters in a brief interaction during a meeting with military officials on Tuesday.

"Everybody in this room feels strong about Space Force," he said, adding that "I'm talking about defense and offense", and not just rockets going to the Moon or Mars.

Defense Secretary said that "right now what we're going to do is set up a combatant command", and the military would be working with the on it.

Earlier in the day, Vice said the space force was essential to protect the US' assets, particularly satellites. There is an increasing threat to these from countries such as and China, he said.

The purpose of the space force will be to secure our vital national interests in space, Pence said at an event hosted by The Washington Post.

Pence asserted that the US was going to protect its interests in space and said that to understand American defence today, is to understand the interrelationship between satellite technology and aircraft, ships at sea and submarines under the sea.

Our warfighters on the ground regularly rely on information that is obtained, images that are captured, by satellite technology, he said.

"So, the first order of business is ensuring that the infrastructure of our satellite technology is protected. And the reality is, the more we look at our competitors in space -- chiefly among them are and -- we see the deployment of technologies by both of those countries -- anti-satellite technologies, Pence said.

China, not long ago, actually tested a missile that took out one of their own satellites, he said, referring to the deployment of additional and new anti-satellite technology into orbit, which are able to move in proximity to existing satellites.

Pence said all of this informs the fact that "we have to have the capacity to protect our existing infrastructure in space.

Trump's vision, he said is that the builds a space force like the airforce was launched after World War II and then evolve it into ensuring that remains as dominant in outer space militarily as it is here on Earth.

That will be the project of the space force going forward. And there are a number of steps that will be launched in the very short term but that will ultimately lead to the launch of a Department of the Space Force in the next national Defense Authorization Act, Pence said.

In in 2015, essentially stood up its own space force, he said.

Russia, in the very same year, assigned a part of its aerospace division to a space force, the vice said.

First, we'll create a new unified combatant command, the United States Space Command, that will establish a dedicated chain of command for Space Force operations, ensure integration across the military and develop the doctrine, tactics and procedures of space warfighting in the 21st century, Pence said.

Secondly, the secretary of defense will create a new joint organisation, the Space Development Agency, that will break free from ineffective bureaucratic structures and provide the men and women of the space force, the cutting-edge warfighting capabilities that they need, faster and more effectively, he said.

With the help of the Congress, the United States Space Force will be created as the sixth branch of the armed forces.

The time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of the armed forces of the United States, to turn the page to an evolution of our armed forces, to meet the challenges and opportunities on that limitless frontier, Pence said.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince Wednesday denounced the murder of critic as a "heinous crime", insisting the kingdom was cooperating with Turkish authorities and "justice will prevail".

"The crime was very painful to all Saudis. And it is painful, heinous to every human being in the world," Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in his first comments since the murder of the journalist.

"Those behind this crime will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail," said during an address to the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh.

Saudi leaders have denied involvement in Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on October 2, pushing responsibility down the chain of command.

But the kingdom is under mounting pressure over the killing amid US accusations of a monumental cover-up by the kingdom.

Prince Mohammed, widely known as MBS, said was working with the Turkish authorities to investigate the case.

"Many are trying to exploit the affair to drive a wedge between and Turkey," he said.

"But they will not succeed as long as there is a king named Salman and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman.
US has said Saudi authorities have staged the "worst ever cover up" in the death of

has admitted that Khashoggi, 59, a contributor for The Washington Post, was killed in its Istanbul consulate.

"They (the Saudis) had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.

"Very simple. Bad deal. Should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.

Khashoggi, a former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, disappeared after he entered the consulate on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage.

The incident has severely dented the reputation of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Responding to a question on the probe into the death of Khashoggi, the US said, And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, what they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea, I think, is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."



Turkish has said the "savage murder" of the was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

He, however, acknowledged was still searching for answers to key questions, including who gave the order.

Trump told reporters that Erdogan was pretty tough on

He was pretty rough on Saudi Arabia, I would say. I haven't gotten a full recap, as you know. I have people in and I have people in and other places, and they're all coming back as we speak, they're heading back, he said.

CIA Director is currently in and is expected to be back soon in the US.

I'll know, I think, everything in a very short period of time. It's a bad situation. But certainly, president Erdogan was not complimentary of what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened, he said.

Trump reiterating that he does not want to scrap the USD 110 billion mega arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the total investment of USD450 billion from that country, but did not rule out not taking any action against the Saudis.

I want to see the facts first. Look, Saudi Arabia's been a really great ally. They've been one of the biggest investors, maybe the biggest investor, in our country.

"They are doing hundreds of billions of dollar's worth of investments. And, you know, so many jobs. So many jobs. Thousands and thousands of jobs, he said.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017, Trump signed an agreement with the Saudis for them to purchase USD 110 billion of US weapons, although so far only USD 43 billion of that has been detailed.

The ultimate number is around USD450 billion. I think that's over a million jobs. A million to over a million jobs. So we do that, we're just hurting ourselves. We're just hurting ourselves, Trump said.
will be held responsible if they do not make sincere efforts to curb terrorism on their western border with Afghanistan, US Secretary of State has said.

Talking to reporters Tuesday at the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters, Pompeo said this was the message he had delivered to the Pakistani leadership when he travelled to Islamabad in September, after became prime minister.

We had made clear that the US policy with respect to south-central Asia has not changed, that our expectation is that will not provide safe harbor to terrorists on their western border, he said in response to a question on AfPak.

On September 5, Pompeo met Khan and pressed him "to do more" to rein in the terror groups operating from Pakistan's soil.

"We couldn't make that message any more clear and that will be held accountable if they don't see about it... If they're not sincere in that effort."

"We don't believe we can get to the place that everyone wants. Everyone wants reconciliation in Afghanistan, and to achieve that you can't have a safe harbour for - for Haqqani, and for others inside of Pakistan, Pompeo said.

The knows that "that's our review and this administration has already made significant efforts to hold them accountable and we hope that they'll achieve the goal that we have out for them, said the Secretary of State.

He indicated that there has been no change in the Trump administration's policy with regard to suspension of security aid to Pakistan unless it takes satisfactory measures to eliminate safe terrorist safe havens.

Early this year, US had suspended $300 million in security aid to Pakistan. India, too, had asked Pakistan to stop supporting and glorifying terrorists and terror activities against and its other neighbours.
Federal authorities believe that an explosive device found Monday in a mailbox at the home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who has been a focus of right-wing vitriol and conspiracy theorists, was left there by someone and was not delivered by the Postal Service, several law enforcement officials said Tuesday. Soross home is in a suburb of New York City. The device was constructed from a length of pipe about six inches long filled with explosive powder, and it was proactively detonated by bomb squad technicians, according to one of the officials, ...
Our company sells fuel pellets to export (delivery included). Our product is certified and has results of laboratory tests. The price is not stable. Contact for details.
The has announced that it was revoking visas of Saudi officials involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, in the toughest action to date against its longtime ally.

Secretary of State said Tuesday the has "identified at least some of the individuals" behind the death of the Washington Post opinion writer in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate.

"We are taking appropriate action which includes revoking visas, entering visa lookouts and other measures," Pompeo told reporters. Visa "lookouts" mean that suspects would be marked as inadmissible when trying to enter the

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable," Pompeo said.

"We are making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he said.

The top US diplomat declined to specify the number of Saudis affected but said they came from "the intelligence services, the royal court, the foreign ministry and other Saudi ministries."



Pompeo said the United States was also looking into whether to take action under a law named after Sergei Magnitsky, the anti-corruption accountant who died in Russian custody, that would impose financial sanctions on individuals behind Khashoggi's death.

US lawmakers have been pressing Donald Trump's administration to take tough action, with several mentioning the Magnitsky Act.

Pompeo reiterated that the United States still considered an ally, saying he and Trump were "not happy" to move against the kingdom.
will have to pay millions in damages as part of a settlement in the 2013 and 2014 mega case.

As per the settlement filed earlier this week, has been slapped a of $50 million. In addition to that, the company will also have to provide a minimum of two years of credit monitoring services for the 200 million people impacted by the breach, Cnet reported.

suffered global reputational damage when a security breach in 2013 affected three billion accounts. Another breach, a year later, affected 500 million accounts. The hack put to risk even encrypted passwords of users.

The now parent company, Verizon, will pay half the settlement cost while Altaba, the remaining part of Yahoo after the sale to will pay the other half.
The benchmark indices snapped their four-session losing streak, ending over 0.5 per cent higher on Wednesday led by a rise in financial and OMC stocks ahead of the expiry of October-series futures and options (F&O) contracts. The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 34,034, up 187 points, while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,225, up 78 points. Among the sectoral indices, Nifty Financial Service index settled 1.4 per cent higher led by Bajaj Finance and IIFL. Among key stocks, Bharti Airtel surged over 10 per cent to end at Rs 317 on the BSE after the ...

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Operation IceBridge, NASA's aerial survey of polar ice, captured two tabular icebergs while flying over the northern Antarctic Peninsula.

IceBridge's senior support scientist Jeremy Harbeck spotted the iceberg floating just off the Larsen C ice shelf. "I thought it was pretty interesting; I often see icebergs with relatively straight edges, but I've not really seen one before with two corners at such right angles like this one had," NASA quoted the scientist, as saying.

NASA also observed that the iceberg's sharp angles and the flat surface were an indication of the fact that it was probably "calved from the ice shelf."

NASA's statement also mentioned that it is the same ice sheet from which an ice chunk, the size of Delaware, had separated in July 2017.

The flight onboard which Harbeck captured the stunning images took off from Punta Arenas in Chile on October 10. The exploration is a part of a five-week long deployment which is scheduled to be concluded on November 18.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed protest on Wednesday over plans of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to send warships to the disputable South China Sea and urged the UK to refrain from provocations in the region.

Earlier in the week, Royal Navy's chief Philip Jones told the Financial Times newspaper that the United Kingdom should "showcase" support for its allies in the Asia Pacific region and send warships to sail through the disputable waters in the South China Sea.

"The Chinese side expresses its utmost concern and strong protest over the statements of the UK side made in this article ... We urge the UK side to pay serious attention to the concerns of China and stop such provocative actions," Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing.

The passage of the UK warship near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea in September has already damaged the relations between China and the United Kingdom, the spokeswoman noted.

The Asia-Pacific region is the stage for several territorial disputes in South China and East China seas that involve China, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the central government's decision to send him on leave.

The apex court has accepted Verma's petition and the matter is likely be heard on October 26.

Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the lawyer appearing for Verma, told the apex court that the Centre on Wednesday morning asked his client and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to go on leave, hence compromising the investigation into many sensitive cases.

Earlier today, M Nageshwar Rao was appointed as the interim Director of the CBI with immediate effect. Rao, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Odisha cadre, was working as the Joint Director in the investigating agency.

He will now look after the duties and functions of Director, CBI, and will take over the duties and functions with immediate effect, read an order from the central government.

The central government's decision came a day after Asthana moved the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the premier investigating agency of India. The court later ordered that no action would be taken against Asthana until next hearing, which is scheduled for October 29.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Asthana for allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was related to Moin Akhtar Qureshi case. Asthana was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing Qureshi's case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Wednesday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government had asked Central Bureau of Invesigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma to go on leave fearing he would expose the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal.

Speaking to media, the Congress leader said, "An illegal, unconstitutional and illegitimate coup d'etat in the CBI by the Modi-Shah duo has shamed India and all its Indian institutions. It is very clear that Prime Minister Modi is experiencing Rafale-o phobia. This terror of the Rafale scam has led to the demolition of the pillars of Indian investigating agency by the Prime Minister in order to save his own skin."

Singhvi added, "It is the de-facto removal, de-facto suspension of the CBI director and we charge the Prime Minister and the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party and its president for doing this, so as to control the premier investigative agency to get its dirty jobs done."

Speaking further about the ongoing rift between the CBI officials, Singhvi said, "By making such a move, the Centre has nullified Supreme Court's order which mandates independent completely unbiased autonomous CBI. The amendments to the CBI Act Sections 4(A) and 4 (B) have been nullified by the camouflage and the simple expedient with over cleverness but the disingenuous method of calling it forced leave or de-facto suspension."

"The prosecution agency, the prosecutor, the prosecuting officers have been paralysed by this the government only to support an accused charged for an extortion? No Indian government has done this from the past 70 years to any institution, leave alone CBI," he added.

In his concluding remark, Singhvi questioned Prime Minister Modi: "If all propriety, legality, constitutionality, good sense been sold or forgotten in the mad pursuit of power" and added that "the CVC is being misused by the Government of India".

These statements from the Congress came just a few hours after the Centre asked Verma to go on leave. The government has appointed M Nageshwar Rao as interim chief of the investigating agency.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following the Centre's decision to divest Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana of their duties, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is answerable to the nation on the developments witnessed pertaining to the case.

"The Centre is destroying all the institutions of the government and does not want them to function independently. It's a big threat to democracy and the Constitution. The Prime Minister is responsible for the developments in the CBI, and he should give a proper answer to the nation," Naidu said.

The Chief Minister further opined that Alok Verma was removed to cover up investigation being done in the Rafale scam. "This development clearly establishes the Modi government's link to the Rafale scam," he added.

Earlier, Naidu had claimed that institutions meant for protecting the citizens had been made powerless.

"An unfortunate scenario in the country where a deemed premier agency like CBI's integrity & sanctity is in question. Institutions meant for protecting the citizens have been made powerless. How will people trust their govt if one after the other such incidents keep coming forth?" he had tweeted.

On Wednesday, the Centre appointed M Nageshwar Rao as the interim director of the CBI with immediate effect. Rao, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Odisha cadre, was working as the Joint Director in the investigating agency.

"Rao will now look after the duties and functions of Director, CBI, and will take over the duties and functions with immediate effect," read an order from the central government.

The Centre's decision came a day after Asthana moved the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the premier investigating agency of India. The court later ordered that no action would be taken against Asthana until next hearing, which is scheduled for October 29.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Asthana for allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was linked to Moin Akhtar Qureshi case. Asthana was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing Qureshi's case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Tuesday detained a passenger with foreign currency worth Rs 12.87 lakh at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The passenger named Harpreet Singh was supposed to travel to Dubai by Jet Airways flight No.9W-588 on Tuesday evening at 4.55 pm when during the pre-embarkation security check (frisking) at Security Hold Area (SHA) of Terminal-3, IGI Airport, Sub-Inspector Md Hussain noticed presence of some item concealed under the clothes that the passenger was wearing which appeared to be suspicious.

According to CISF, the passenger was taken to a separate place in SHA for a pat-down search. During the pat-down search, high volume of foreign currency in different denominations allegedly concealed in his clothes (inner wear) was recovered.

He was allegedly carrying 4000 Swiss Francs, 11100 Euros- 11100 and 3155 Dirhams. The approximate value of these in Indian currency was Rs.12,87,510.

CISF said that Harpreet Singh along with the recovered foreign currency was handed over to Customs Officials for further legal action.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Wednesday released names of candidates for 40 seats for the upcoming Mizoram Assembly Elections.

Mizoram's incumbent Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla will contest from Champhai South seat and Assembly Speaker Hiphei will fight from Palak seat.

Mizoram is the only state in the entire North-East where the Congress is in power presently. The BJP has been reiterating that they would make all efforts to remove the Congress from power.

Single-phase Assembly polls in Mizoram will be held on November 28. Counting of votes will be done on December 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Justifying the Central Government's decision to send Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on leave, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that the move was taken to maintain the investigative agency's "institutional integrity and credibility."

Jaitley said that since both the senior officers of the investigative agency have accused each other, this move is a pre-condition and is essential for a fair investigation into the matter.

"CBI is a premier investigative agency. For maintenance of its institutional integrity, it is a pre-condition and absolutely essential for a fair investigation. Director has been accused by Special Director. A Special Director has been accused by CBI. Two top most officers of CBI have been accused. Now who will investigate it? Requirements of fairness and fair play have to be there. Government can't investigate it," Jaitley told media here.

"To maintain the institutional integrity of CBI and in the interest of fairness, purely as an interim measure, they will sit out by going on leave. An SIT not functioning under either of these officers will investigate. This is in accordance with highest standards of fairness. The CVCs recommendation and the government's action are intended to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of the CBI," he added.

Soon after the government's decision to send him on leave, Alok Verma moved the Supreme Court to challenge it. The apex court has accepted Verma's petition and the matter is likely be heard on October 26.

The Centre's move has been criticised by several Opposition parties. However, Jaitley termed their charge "rubbish".

"The fact that the three opposition parties are saying, that we know what the agency was going to do next, itself casts a serious doubt on the fairness process," Jaitley said.

M Nageshwar Rao was appointed as the interim Director of the CBI with immediate effect. Rao, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Odisha cadre, was working as the Joint Director in the investigating agency.

He will now look after the duties and functions of Director, CBI, and will take over the duties and functions with immediate effect, read an order from the central government.

The Central Government's decision came a day after Asthana moved the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the premier investigating agency of India. The court later ordered that no action would be taken against Asthana until next hearing, which is scheduled for October 29.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Asthana for allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was related to Moin Akhtar Qureshi case. Asthana was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing Qureshi's case.

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The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested three people after a manual scavenger drowned in a sewer in Jahangirpuri area in the capital on October 21.

The police have apprehended the project manager, the site supervisor and the nodal officer.

The Delhi Jal Board had given the contract to a private company to repair the sewage system of the area.

The police informed that the deceased Dooman Ray (32) was brought dead from Delhi Jal Board Pump House to a hospital in Shalimar Bagh.

The police have registered a case under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Manual scavenging is a crime under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

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Disney studios, who met up with a team of writers from the 'Deadpool' franchise, are looking at options to produce a sixth instalment of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise.

However, Disney is yet to announce any concrete plans on the same.

According to Variety, there is a possibility of Disney taking a decision in the affirmative because of the worldwide revenue earned by other the five films stands at USD 3.07 billion. The franchise earned in billion as the second movie 'Dead Man's Chest' and the fourth movie 'On Stranger Tides' earned more than a billion dollars worldwide.

The fifth movie of the franchise 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' was about Johnny Depp's character Jack Sparrow battling ghost sailors. Javier Bardem's character Captain Salazar was Sparrow's comrade.

In the movie, Orlando Bloom returned as Will Turner and Geoffrey Rush essayed the role of Captain Hector Barbossa.

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who are currently discussing the possibility of a sixth movie along with Disney, have also written scripts for 'Life', sci-fi movie 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' and the 'Zombieland' series.

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Turkey will not allow those responsible for the killing of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the building of Saudi consulate in Istanbul to escape justice, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"We are conducting a thorough investigation with the utmost seriousness. We are sharing the evidence collected by the police, intelligence and court with the international community. Some are unhappy with it. But we will not allow this murder to be covered up. Those guilty should be punished and we are making efforts in this regard," Erdogan said. He added that Turkey was extremely sensitive with regard to the case.

"We act in accordance with the found evidence and our legal approach is being assessed not only by the family (of the journalist), but also by the entire The case now has international repercussions. But the work has not been completed so far. As soon as we find new evidence, we will share it with our partners," the Turkish President indicated.

Kezban Nilvana Darama, the Turkish ambassador to Belarus, echoed Erdogan, saying that the probe into the journalist's murder was being carried out at the highest level. "I can tell you with confidence that this necessary investigation is being held by the Turkish bodies at the highest level. And we are continuing work, in which the Saudi Arabian structures are involved as well. (The) probe is conducted with maximum transparency and envisages close contacts with the Saudi bodies," the ambassador said.

She added that the readiness of the Saudi organisations to cooperate on the issue played a key role in the progress of the current work.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of the kingdom's policies, had been working as a columnist for The Washington Post. The journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on Friday via state television that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate. Riyadh has arrested 18 people over their involvement in the incident, while at least five Saudi officials, including Saudi Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmed Asiri, have been dismissed as the Khashoggi affair was gaining momentum.

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Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founder and leader Altaf Hussain said that it's now widely known that all forms of terrorism and religious extremism are born in Pakistan. He stated that all ethnic linguistic groups and religious minorities, for decades, have been facing gross human rights violations in the whole country, much like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Speaking at a conference organised by the Jammu Kashmir International People's Alliance (JKIPA) in Brussels, Hussain urged the European Parliament to raise voice against this situation.

Different political leaders, writers and civil society activists of human rights defenders attended the conference, which was organised in honour of Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, human rights activists and journalists to deal with the grave situation of terrorism, extremism, human rights violations and hatred in the South Asian country.

Hussain said that these issues not only affect the people in South Asia but its implications spread across the globe. He said that we live in a where we fear terrorism linked to religious extremism.

Hussain said that in Pakistan, whoever speaks against terrorism, state policies or religious fanaticism, they are silenced.

"I have a following of over 70 million Mohajirs, who live in Pakistan. When I exposed the deep state of Pakistan's ideology of causing havoc worldwide, I was not allowed to speak to my millions of followers," he stated.

Hussain said that during the military operation against the MQM, 22000 of its workers and Mohajirs have been killed, hundreds are still missing and thousands languishing are in prisons.

He added, "My followers have suffered. They have broken my party into pieces but were not able to break me. I stand firm with my people until my last breath."

Hussain went on to add that the people of Kashmir have been facing injustices since the inception of Pakistan despite United Nations passing resolution after resolution.

Hussain said that Baloch and Pashtun people have also suffered tremendously. "A peace-loving nation was shaken when their very own military officers tried to silence the people when they asked about their due rights, resulting in the same brutalities we all have been facing. Likewise, the minorities, Christians, Ahmadis, and Hindus all suffer at the hands of the same brute forces," he said.

He shared that the European Union members have afforded Pakistan with many facilities, but questioned them, saying, "were you aware that they are all afforded to them to adhere to strict measures, one of them being not to violate the human rights of its citizens?"

He said the Pakistani government denies wrongdoing, hence the oppressed need to unite and raise the voice, so that Pakistan is held accountable for its gross human rights violations.

Hussain further urged the EU members of Parliament and participants at the conference to "stand united for our fundamental democratic rights, for freedom of expression, for freedom of thought belief, for freedom of association and religion."

"But it is imperative that we unite. We unite to take concrete measures to expose this deep state, once we apply this pressure collectively across the I am sure that we will defeat this enemy, and our due rights will be given to us. We should not beg for what is ours, but we should speak one voice across the globe," he said.

Hussain ended his remarks stating that he will "never remain silent."

"I will raise my voice for all the oppressed minorities and nations in Pakistan and outside of Pakistan," he said.

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An Indonesian woman on Wednesday morning delivered a baby on-board a Jakarta-bound Etihad Airways flight.

As a result of the baby's birth, the Etihad flight EY 474 travelling from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta was diverted to Mumbai to attend to the woman passenger.

Etihad Airways' spokesperson said, "Today's Etihad Airways flight EY474 from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Jakarta (CGK) diverted to Mumbai (BOM) in India due to a medical emergency on board. As a result of the diversion, the flight will be two hours delayed arriving into Jakarta. We regret any inconvenience caused."

Authorities from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said that following the medical emergency, the flight was diverted to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the woman was immediately taken to Seven Hills Hospital for further medical examination.

"The passenger delivered a female child about 40 minutes before landing at CSMIA. As soon as CSMIA staff was informed about the situation, a medical team was kept on standby which attended the passenger immediately post the aircraft landing. MIAL doctors provided necessary medical assistance to stabilise the situation. An ambulance was arranged and the passenger was shifted to Seven Hills for further medical intervention. The flight departed at 0942 hours," an MIAL spokesperson said.

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Exiled political activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) gathered outside the European Parliament in Brussels to protest against alleged Pakistan-sponsored atrocities and plundering of resources in the region.

Disgruntled PoK activists shouted slogans against Islamabad, blaming it for the construction of the Neelum- Jhelum hydropower project and Diamer Bhasha dam that have not only severely affected the flora and fauna of the region but have left the common people reeling under abject poverty.

Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Chairman of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) said, "Today, we are here in Brussels in front of European Parliament demonstrating against the plundering of the natural resources of Kashmiri people. We are here to protest against the state brutality and for the people who are suffering because of the policies of the government of Pakistan. We are actually protesting against their policies, their nefarious designs and we are protesting in favour of rule of law, in favour of democracy and safety of the human rights".

Jamil Maqsood, a UKPNP activist, claimed: "The fundamental purpose of this demonstration was to highlight the human rights violations in the Pakistan administered Kashmir and occupied Gilgit Baltistan because Pakistan is constructing Neelum Jhelum hydropower project and Diamer Bhasha dam in Gilgit Baltistan and both these areas people have been asked to leave their properties and leave their land without paying them any alternative land and without paying them any compensation".

"In Muzaffarabad, they have diverted River Neelum which is at the brink of extinction. It is completely destroyed and approximately hundreds of thousands of people in Neelum, Muzaffarabad and other lower riparian areas have been (are) deprived of basic necessity of water," he added.

Another political activist from PoK, Nasir Aziz Khan, urged the international community to come forward and help people in the region. "We have no media in our area and unfortunately international community has no sufficient information about our sufferings and miseries. Pakistan must respect human rights, rule of law and she must stop plundering our natural resources," he said.

Activists from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Mohajirs also joined the protest to raise human rights violations stating that Islamabad has employed similar repressive patterns in their provinces.

Natives and activists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh province have, time and again, blamed Pakistan of according second class citizen treatment to the people of these regions.

This diabolic pattern of suppressing its own people, the activists claim, has witnessed a significant escalation since the advent of the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

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The foreign ministers of the G7 countries and the High Representative of the European Union have condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Terming the confirmation of Khashoggi's death the "first step toward full transparency and accountability", the foreign ministers, in a joint statement released on Tuesday, asserted that the explanation from Riyadh has left several "questions unanswered".

The ministers also said that people involved in the killing must be held accountable, adding that Saudi should ensure no such incidents happen in the future.

"We reiterate our expectation for a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation by Saudi Arabia, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities, and a full and rigorous accounting of the circumstances surrounding Khashoggi's death," the statement read.

"The circumstances of Khashoggi's death reaffirm the need to protect journalists and freedom of expression around the world," it added.

The foreign ministers also extended their condolences to the family, fiancee and friends of the journalist.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman went missing on October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

While Turkey claimed that Khashoggi was murdered in the consulate, Saudi officials said that the journalist died after a brawl inside the consular premises.

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In an effort to settle more than a dozen civil suits, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's legal representatives are currently in negotiation with several women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

Two days of mediation sessions will be held in November in regards to this, reported Page Six. The aim of the sessions will be to try and create a fund for the victims.

The women who have accused him in this regard want more than USD 100 million in damages. The suits have been lodged from almost every major city in the US and UK.

The Attorney General's office in a statement confirmed that the investigations on the basis of the suits are still on.

The statement further revealed that apart from the active investigations, they will make sure that the victims are "sufficiently compensated" and "are protected moving forward, and perpetrators and enablers of the misconduct are not unjustly enriched".

Meanwhile, Weinstein's defence lawyer claimed that the cases of sexual misconducts levelled against him are false and meritless, adding that the former would continue to defend himself "vigorously".

More than 80 women, including actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGowan, have revealed similar stories about Weinstein.

Some accused him of using physical force to compel them to have sex, while others said he offered roles in movies to actors in exchange for sexual favours and threatened to ruin their careers if they did not fulfill his demands.

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Two were gunned down in an exchange of fire with security forces in Wanbal area of Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday.

The two neutralised are yet to be identified.

Earlier this morning, security forces had launched a cordon and search operation on the basis of reliable input about the presence of the in the area.

During the search operation, terrorists opened fire on the security forces who retaliated, leading to an encounter.

The police have informed that no collateral damage took place during the encounter. The security forces also recovered incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, from the site of the encounter.

The police have registered a case in the matter and the investigation in this regard is underway.
Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who was abducted in Syria three years ago, is believed to have been released and is likely to return Tokyo.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday confirmed that a person living in an immigrant facility in Antakya, Turkey is might be the captured journalist, reported CNN.

Qatar informed the Japanese government about the man and his stay at the facility.

At a press conference in Tokyo, Suga stated, "We are still working to identify this person, but putting together various information, the person is highly likely to be Yasuda himself and we have informed that to his wife."

Yasuda, who was working as a freelance war reporter, has been missing since June 2015.

Suga, however, reiterated that the government will need some time to confirm the identity of the person to ensure that he is, in fact, the kidnapped journalist.

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The Justice (retired) A. Arumughaswamy Commission, which has been probing the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, got an extension for another four months from the Edappadi K.Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government had extended the Commission's tenure twice before, in December 2017 and June 2017. In September last year, Justice Arumughaswamy was appointed to head the probe into the death of former AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa.

Jayalalithaa, popularly known as 'Amma', was taken to Chennai's Apollo hospital on September 22 last year and treated in the hospital for 75 days before she breathed her last on December 5.

Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and state Forest Minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had lied to the people about hospitalisation and death of the former AIADMK general secretary.

Subsequently, a one-man panel was set up to probe into the matter.

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Convicted American comedian Bill Cosby will have to stay behind bars as his first attempt at an appeal for a new trial was denied by a trial court judge on Tuesday.

According to Page Six, Montgomery County Court Judge Steven O'Neill in his verdict pronounced that the 81-year-old comedian will now have to present his request for an appeal at a higher court. Furthermore, he will now have a 30 day period to file a direct appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

During the hearing, Cosby's lawyers had argued that O'Neill overlooked the former's age and blindness when his prison term was announced on September 25.

On October 19, Prosecutors termed the appeal filed by Cosby's team of defence lawyers as 'timeworn' and 'meritless'.

Earlier in the month, Cosby's defence team tried to argue that the comedian should get a new trial as his sentence was harsh in nature, and claimed that they had unearthed new evidence. The prosecutors said that the newly discovered piece of audio evidence had been doctored and that they were aware of its existence for 13 years.

Cosby's sentence came after a lengthy trial where he faced accusations from former Temple University employee Andrea Constand and was eventually found guilty. He was found to have drugged and raped her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Since then, multiple women came forward against "The Cosby Show" star. The first part of the hearings focused on the prosecution's efforts to label Cosby as a sexually violent predator.

Cosby's trial was heralded as the first major celebrity trial of the #MeToo movement, and the first to result in a conviction.

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History repeated itself when the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton wore the Lover's Knot tiara, which was previously worn by Princess Diana.

On Tuesday, Middleton wore the famous Tiara while attending the state dinner at Buckingham Palace, reported The Hollywood Reporter. She also wore an icy blue Alexander McQueen gown.

Alongside the Tiara and the gown, Middleton wore Queen Alexandra of Denmark's wedding necklace and the royal family order.

The Duchess wore the tiara for the first time back in 2015, during a Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.

The Tiara was said to be Princess Diana's favourite piece of jewelry. Notably, it was the fourth time in a row when Middleton wore the Tiara which features teardrop-shaped pearls and diamonds throughout its entirety.

The jewelry which is also known as the Cambridge Lover's Knot was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, Queen Mary in 1914.

The Duchess who was accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, which was hosted by the Queen.

The day also marked the maiden official state visit for King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom.

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Two First Information Reports (FIRs) have been lodged against former Moradabad district magistrate Zuhair Bin Saghir and seven others under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The cases have been registered in connection with the transfer of a piece of land without obtaining permission from concerned authorities and releasing government-acquired land in Moradabad.

Saghir was the District Magistrate of Moradabad in 2016-17.

Besides him, other accused in the FIRs are former additional district magistrate of Moradabad Arun Kumar Srivastava (now retired), tehsildar Sanjay Kumar, among others.

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As part of a research revelation like the origin of zero or Fibonacci series from India, Oxford scholar Ashish Jaiswal in his book 'fluid', has proposed that the celebrated drawing 'The Vitruvian Man' by Leonardo Da Vinci may actually have its roots in India.

Da Vinci's celebrated work on the dimensions of the human form, 'The Vitruvian Man' created around 1490, is a beautiful convergence of artistic, scientific and mathematical knowledge.

Since 1822, the Vitruvian Man has been a part of the permanent collection of the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, Italy. It is considered 'priceless'.

Da Vinci himself credits 1st century BC Roman architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, as the first exponent of this idea, in his 13-30 BC book, Des Architectura- in the chapter Temples and the Human Body. Interestingly, out of roughly 22 measurements noted by Vitruvius, Da Vinci uses less than half, interpreting the remaining measurements himself.

According to author Ashish Jaiswal, Vishudharmottaram Puranam, the not so well known ancient Indian text contains, the first ever, extensive measurements of the perfectly proportionate human body. And despite the fact that western writers have known it, they have never given it due credit.

"I find it astonishing that no one has previously established the connection between the perfectly proportioned human form in Vishudharmottaram Puranamand Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. In fact, celebrated art historian Stella Kramrisch, who translated the Vishnudharmottaram in 1928 and who must be aware of The Vitruvian Man doesn't acknowledge the depth in which the proportions of the human body have been explained in the ancient text," said Ashish Jaiswal.

In Vishudharmottaram Puranam, the writer's voice is that of Rishi Markandeya who is explaining to King Vajra how to create perfect representation of god and goddesses. The mathematical precisions with which the proportions of human body are explained by Rishi Markandeya in Vishudharmottaram are much sophisticated than those by Vitruvius in Des Architectura.

It is true that there is hardly any awareness of this encyclopedic like Puran in the public domain.

Rishi Markandeya uses the width of a single finger as a standard measuring unit to measure human body; as opposed to Vitruvius, who largely uses the length of the head. The significance of this is that Rishi Markandeya is able to give measurements of smaller body parts (for example, Rishi Markandeya notes that the length of front tooth of a perfectly proportionate human is half a finger wide). 'This is a long lost discovery that must be brought out,' adds author Ashish Jaiswal.

The final salvo could perhaps be the gender issue, especially relevant in the time of #MeToo. While the Vitruvian Man is only about a male body, the Vishudharmottaram Puranam, describes five types of perfect men, and five types of perfect women; of varying heights and proportions.

Ashish outlines further that the act of dismissing or ignoring India's achievements has been observed before as well, citing how the architect of Delhi, Edwin Lutyens considered the "Taj Mahal to be wonderful but not architecture."

Ashish Jaiswal has a doctorate from Oxford University and incidentally was a few years junior to the historian writer Yuval Noah Harari.

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Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked Saudi Arabia for easing the pressure on Pakistan by extending financial help to the cash-strapped nation.

"My Pakistanis, today I am here with a good news for all of you. We were facing really hard times. We were highly pressurised into paying heavy debts. But thanks to Saudi Arab's extension of assistance, we are out of the pressure," he said during a public address on Wednesday.

Mentioning that the nation was "at the brink of becoming defaulters" due to limited resources, Khan continued, "We had two options; either go to International Monetary Fund (IMF) or seek help from friendly countries. If we had gone to IMF directly, we'd have had to borrow more money and that would have meant stricter conditions which would crush our poor strata of society. But now we are in a better position."

He further indicated that "more good news" is in store, as Pakistan is in talk with two more "friendly nations".

Khan also stated that Pakistan will be acting as a mediator in the on-going crisis of Yemen so as to "unite the Muslim World".

Launching a scathing attack at the preceding Pakistan governments, Khan claimed that the governments had "accumulated Pakistan's debts from Rs. 6,000 billion to Rs. 30,000 billion" in addition to the circular debt of Rs 1,200 billion left behind by the previous government.

He went ahead to outline all the cases of corruption which are emerging and are connected to the former ruling parties during the speech.

Promising "good times ahead", the Prime Minister further said, "Nations do face hard times but these adversities are not there to be intimidated of. I have said this before and I will say this today again; do not worry, have confidence, good times are about to come."

He ended the note by saying, "Let me be very clear, hard times are about dissipated, good times are ahead. There will be a time soon when we will be giving loans to other countries instead of taking one."

Khan's speech comes after Pakistan announced that they secured loans to the tune of USD 6 billion in talks held with Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.

Saudi's financial bailout to Pakistan comes in the midst of the Islamic nation's current account deficit of USD 18 billion, which had triggered Pakistan to seek assistance from the IMF earlier this month.

A delegation from IMF is scheduled to visit the nation on November 7 to discuss the loan amount that is required by Pakistan, according to the Dawn.

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The pontiff celebrated Mass in Tallinn. The country is home to more than five thousand Catholics. "Jesus called the disciples, and today too he calls each of us, dear brothers and sisters, to continue sowing seeds of his Kingdom, he said. You did not gain your freedom in order to end up as slaves of consumerism, individualism or the thirst for power or domination.

Tallinn (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis ended his apostolic visit (22-25 September) to the Baltic states with an evening Mass celebrated in Freedom Square in the Estonian capital of Tallinn before flying home to Rome.

In his address, the pontiff said that Estonians, who know about fighting for freedom, can identify with the Jews who came out of Egypt and can understand what God said to Moses so as "to discern what he is saying to us as a people.

A few thousand people gathered in the square. Catholics in Estonia number just over 5,000. Among them some certainly came to see  and perhaps understand  the Catholic faith, so much so that a loudspeaker had to inform those present that only Catholics could take the communion. The celebration thus had a missionary aspect t, like helping those in need.

Before the Mass, Francis referred to this when he visited the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul to meet people helped by the Church's charitable works. About a hundred people were there, including some nuns.

A faith, he said, that is missionary goes, like these sisters, through the streets of our cities, our neighbourhoods and our communities, telling people with very concrete actions: You are part of our family, of Gods big family in which all of us have a place. Dont stay outside.

So I would invite you to continue creating bonds. To continue going out into the neighbourhoods and saying to all sorts of people: You, and you and you, are part of our family! Jesus called the disciples, and today too he calls each of us, dear brothers and sisters, to continue sowing seeds of his Kingdom, passing it on. He's counting on your histories, your lives and your hands, to go through the city and to share the same experience you have had.

Some people think they are free when they live without God or keep him at arms length. They do not realize that, in doing so, they pass through this life as orphans, without a home to return to. They cease being pilgrims and become drifters, flitting around themselves and never getting anywhere (Evangelii Gaudium, 170).

Like the people who came forth from Egypt, we have to listen and seek. These days, we may think that the strength of a people is measured by other means. Some people speak in a loud voice, full of self-assurance  with no doubts or hesitation. Others shout and hurl threats about using weapons, deploying troops and implementing strategies... That way they appear to be stronger. But this is not about seeking the will of God, but about gaining power so as to prevail over others. Underlying this attitude is a rejection of ethics and, as such, a rejection of God. For ethics leads us to a God who calls for a free and committed response to others and to the world around us, a response outside the categories of the marketplace (cf. ibid., 57). You did not gain your freedom in order to end up as slaves of consumerism, individualism or the thirst for power or domination.

In the desert, the people of Israel were tempted to seek other gods, to worship the golden calf, to trust in their own strength. But God always called them back to him, and they remembered what they heard and saw on the mountain. Like that people, we know we are a chosen people, a priestly people, a holy people (cf. Ex 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9). It is the Spirit who reminds us of all these things (cf. Jn 14:26).

Being chosen does not mean being exclusive or sectarian. We are the small portion of yeast that must make the dough rise; we do not hide or withdraw, or consider ourselves better or purer.' God wants his people to go forth. [. . .] We have to leave our fears behind and go forth from our safe places, because today most Estonians do not identify themselves as believers.

So go out as priests, for that is what we are by baptism. Go out to build relationships with God, to facilitate them, to encourage a loving encounter with the one who cries out: Come to me! (Mt 11:28). We need to be seen as close to others, capable of contemplation, compassion and willingness to spend time with others, as often as necessary. This is the art of accompaniment. It is carried out with the healing rhythm of closeness, with a respectful and compassionate gaze capable of healing, liberating and encouraging growth in the Christian life (Evangelii Gaudium, 169).

Bear witness as a holy people. We may be tempted to think that holiness is only for a few. However, we are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves (Gaudete et Exsultate, 14).

Today we choose to be saints by shoring up the outskirts and fringes of our society, wherever our brothers and sisters lie prostrate and experience rejection. We cant think somebody else will be the one to stop and help, nor that these are problems to be resolved by institutions. It is up to us to fix our gaze on those brother and sister and to offer a helping hand, because they bear the image of God, they are our brothers and sisters, redeemed by Jesus Christ. This is what it is to be a Christian; this is holiness lived on a day-to-day basis (cf. ibid., 98).

In your history you have shown your pride in being Estonians. You sing it saying: I am Estonian, I will always be Estonian, it is good to be Estonian, we are Estonians. How good it is to feel part of a people; how good it is to be independent and free. May we go to the holy mountain, to the mountain of Moses, to the mountain of Jesus. May we ask him - as the motto of this Visit says - to awaken our hearts and to grant us the gift of the Spirit. In this way, at every moment of history, may we discern how to be free, how to embrace goodness and feel chosen, and how to let God increase, here in Estonia and in the whole world, his holy nation, his priestly people.
More than 4,250 people were evacuated from high-risk areas.

Although Willa weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale Tuesday morning, the US National Hurricane Center still warned residents that the hurricane will bring a unsafe storm surge, wind and rain to western Mexico.

MAZATLAN, Mexico-The center of Hurricane Willa moved over Mexico's Pacific coastline on the evening of October 23 with winds of more than 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour), buffeting buildings and dumping rain on tourist resorts where thousands of people had moved to safety.

The interior ministry did not respond to questions on whether it had evacuated the 1,000 inmates housed there or what other emergency measures were in place for the penal colony.

Remnants from the storm will most likely "spread northeastward over northern Mexico and portions of Texas, where a swath of heavy rainfall is expected midweek", the Hurricane Center also reported.

Thousands were evacuated from coastal areas before the hurricane arrived.

They are being housed in 58 temporary shelters.

"Let's just hope this is over soon so we can go home", said Epigmenio Cardenas, 44, a farmer who was among the 2,500 people huddled there.

"They told us it was going to hit hard, and that we had to come here" to the shelter, said Maria Virginia Cardenas, 59, a cook.

Trump Accuses Saudis Of 'Lies' As Europe Condemns Khashoggi Killing

President Donald Trump tried to play down the crisis, saying "hopefully that will sort itself out". Six days after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, U.S.

Queen Elizabeth II hosts Dutch king and queen at palace

I understand how hard this is for them and I trust that this uncertainty will be resolved, ' Willem-Alexander said. It is the third time the queen has hosted the Dutch royal family for a state visit.

Waitress splitting $10K tip from YouTube star with coworkers

Brett Oliverio says the server then found $10,000 in cash and a note saying, "Thanks for the delicious water". The video has not been posted to his channel as of early Sunday afternoon.

The Mexican army deployed troops to roll out a disaster response operation in the area.

Alberto Hernandez, a hotel worker in the town of Teacapan, close to where the storm made landfall, expressed confidence before it hit that the building would hold up.

It is now moving north-eastwards across Mexico where it is expected to lose strength rapidly, and is likely to become a tropical storm or depression on Wednesday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the unsafe Category 3 storm hit near Isla del Bosque in Sinaloa state, and federal officials said there were early reports of power blackouts in some places and damage to flimsy structures with tin roofs.

The Hurricane Center also warned that Willa could cover parts of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states with 6 to 18 inches of rain.

Those in low-lying areas near the coast where Willa is forecast to push inland should seek higher ground due to the threat of life-threatening storm surge flooding.

On Monday, Nayarit Governor Antonio Echevarria warned locals to take the storm seriously. "This would bring significant amounts of rain and wind Saturday and Sunday in cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston".

Hurricane force winds extended 45 kilometres from the storm's centre and tropical storm force winds were up to 150 kilometres out.

Mexico's Pacific coast has already been hit by deadly storms and rains this hurricane season. Last week, 11 more people died in Oaxaca, including seven children.
Pakistan secured loans up to USD 6 billion from Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the ongoing Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.

A statement released by Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) stated that Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan held bilateral talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

The release also mentioned that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between both the sides. "A MoU was signed between the Finance Minister Asad Umar and the Saudi Finance Minister, Muhammad Abdullah Al-Jadaan. It was agreed Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of USD 3 Billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support."

"It was also agreed that a one year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to USD 3 Billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia. This arrangement will be in place for three years, which will be reviewed thereafter," mentioned the statement which was released on October 23.

Saudi Arabia further "confirmed" their interest in setting up a petroleum refinery near Gwadar in Pakistan, reports the Dawn. The statement mentioned that a MoU in this regard will be signed between the two sides after "obtaining cabinet approval".

The kingdom further showed interest in the "development of mineral resources in Pakistan". The release said, "Saudi Arabia expressed interest in development of mineral resources in Pakistan. For this purpose, the Federal Government and the Government of Balochistan will consult, following which a delegation of the Kingdom will be invited to visit Pakistan," stated the release.

Saudi's financial bailout to Pakistan comes in the midst of the Islamic nation's current account deficit of USD 18 billion, which had triggered Pakistan to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier this month. A delegation from IMF is scheduled to visit the nation on November 7 to discuss the loan amount that is required by Pakistan, according to the Dawn.

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Prime Minister will be honoured with this year's Seoul Peace Prize for his contribution to world peace through his economic vision.

Prime Minister Modi will become the 14th recipient of this coveted award.

"The Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in recognition of his dedication to improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the Human Development of the people of India by fostering economic growth in the world's fastest growing large economy and furthering the development of democracy through anti-corruption and social integration efforts," read a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Award Committee recognised Prime Minister Modi's contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor.

"The Committee lauded the Prime Minister's initiatives to make the government cleaner through anti-corruption measures and demonetisation. The Committee also credited the Prime Minister for his contribution towards regional and global peace through a proactive foreign policy with countries around the world under the 'Modi Doctrine' and the 'Act East Policy'," the statement added.

Expressing his gratitude for the prestigious honour and in light of India's deepening partnership with the Republic of Korea, Prime Minister Modi has accepted the award.

The award will be presented by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually convenient time.

The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul. Former chairman of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch was its first recipient. Other winners include former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former United States Secretary of State George Pratt Shultz.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the investigation on the Rafale fighter jets scam could be the reason behind the central government's decision to send Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) director Alok Kumar Verma on leave.

Speaking to ANI, the Chief Minister said, "Media has reported that the CBI Director wanted to investigate Rafale Deal. I think that could be the only reason that the Director was transferred at 3 a.m."

Furthermore, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at the ruling government, claiming that all democratic institutions are being undermined.

"I have faith that the SC would give relief to the CBI director as its violation of section 4 of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. I want to know which section Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) will use to remove him. Why is the Prime Minister protecting a corrupt officer? All democratic institutions are being undermined," he noted.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said he would discuss Verma's leave order with Prime Minister Modi to bring the CBI top brass back.

"Alok Verma is an honest person. I know he has done an excellent work as a Commissioner of Police in Delhi. Chidambaram has never prosecuted him the way he has been confabulating with. When Chidambaram was Home Minister I have to go to court to save the Enforcement Directorate (ED) joint director Rajeshwar Singh to continue the investigation, on the person who has been attacked by the Chidambaram government. The Government had a right to remove any officer at any time. We can't know the officers work until they get into the ground. I know Alok Verma today also I will give a certificate to Prime Minister Modi to bring back him."

M Nageshwar Rao was appointed as the interim director of the CBI with immediate effect. Rao, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Odisha cadre, was working as the Joint Director in the investigating agency.

He will now look after the duties and functions of Director, CBI, and will take over the duties and functions with immediate effect, read an order from the central government.

The Centre's decision came a day after CBI special director Rakesh Asthana moved the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the premier investigating agency of India. The court later ordered that no action would be taken against Asthana until next hearing, which is scheduled for October 29.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Asthana for allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was linked to Moin Akhtar Qureshi case. Asthana was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing Qureshi's case.

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Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammad bin Salman publicly condemned journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death in an address on Wednesday at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.

"The crime was really painful to all Saudis. And it is painful to every human in the world, heinous to every human in the world," the crown prince said while addressing a special plenary session of the "Davos in the Desert" conference.

He further mentioned, "Today, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is carrying out all due legal processes to find out the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice."

This is the first time that the crown prince has broken his silence to speak on a public platform post the confirmation of Khashoggi's death.

Highlighting that "no obstacle is too great for Saudi Arabia," he further said, "We live among a great people. Once they have set a goal, the Saudi people will achieve it - no obstacle is too great. All giga projects are ongoing. Our war on religious extremism is ongoing. Our war on terror is ongoing."

The crown prince spoke as part of a panel that also consisted of Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the crown prince of Bahrain and Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri.

The crown prince's comments come amidst US President Donald Trump terming Saudi Arabia's attempt to hide Khashoggi's killing as the "worst cover-up ever".

International calls for a fair and transparent investigation into the Saudi scribe's death are being led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who completely rejected the Saudi explanation behind Khashoggi's death at the Turkish parliament on October 23.

Saudi Arabia previously confirmed Khashoggi's death inside its consular premises in Istanbul on October 2 due to a brawl, a claim that was strongly rejected by Erdogan who called it a "planned" killing. He further confirmed that 15 Saudi nationals had touched down in Istanbul before the incident.

Khashoggi had gone to the Saudi consulate to collect papers which would allow him to get married to his fiancee on the fated day, after which he was reported missing by his fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate for him to reemerge.

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Saudi Arabia has signed trade deals worth 50 billion USD with global companies at the investment conference 'Davos in Desert' amid the international furore over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Firms from eight countries including the United States signed 15 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) worth $34 billion with State oil company, Aramco at the Future Investment Initiative, reported CNN.

Companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, India and China have also signed a deal with Aramco.

CNN Business quoted Aramco CEO Amir Nasser as saying that 16 billion USD worth of deals had been done in other sectors of the Saudi economy.

Aramco is also partnering with US oilfield service firms Halliburton (HAL), Schlumberger (SLB) and Baker Hughes (BHGE). US conglomerate Air Products (APD) will also be working on a gas power project.

In a statement, Aramco said, "These collaborations reflect the range and ambition of Saudi Aramco's business interests, reinforcing its position as the world's preeminent energy and chemicals company.

The Future Investment Initiative or Davos in Desert that kicked off on Tuesday highlighted Saudi's initiatives of investment into domestic tourism projects and global tech companies as part of an effort to diversify the economy as well as to reflect the country's modernisation efforts.

Several countries are still investing in Saudi despite the global uproar over Khashoggi's killing since they have decades-long relations and partnership with the Gulf country.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman went missing on October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

While Turkey claimed that Khashoggi was murdered in the consulate, Saudi officials said that the journalist died there after a brawl.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed gratitude towards the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation for conferring him with the Seoul Peace Prize, adding that the award recognises "New India's contribution to the prosperity and peace of the humankind."

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Prime Minister Modi said, "Sincerely thank the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation for the great honour. I most humbly accept the Award on behalf of all my Indian brothers & sisters. This is a recognition of New India's contribution to the well-being, progress, prosperity & peace of the whole humankind."

The Prime Minister was the 14th recipient of the coveted award, with the award committee recognising his contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing the social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor.

Meanwhile, South Korean Ambassador to India, Shin Bong-Kil, told ANI, "I'm very happy to hear that Prime Minister Modi was chosen as a prestigious awardee. This prize was earlier given to international big names and celebrities like Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General, present Germany Prime Minister (Angela) Merkel and also others important international NGOs like Oxfam."

When asked about India's contribution to the global economy, Bong-Kil said, "I think India itself is a global economy. It is such a big economy, the growth of the Indian economy means growth of the global economy. India's high growth rate has contributed a lot not only to the Indian people's welfare but the whole world."

The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul. Former chairman of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch was its first recipient.

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Queen Elizabeth II said in her first ever public comment on the United Kingdom looming withdrawal from the European Union that the UK and the European Union would maintain their cooperation, based on mutual commitment and common values, after Brexit.

In her speech at a state banquet held in the Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night for the Dutch royal family, the queen voiced the importance of "close understanding" for the sake of future cooperation.

"As we look toward a new partnership with Europe, it is our shared values and commitment to each other, that are our greatest asset, and demonstrate that even through change, our enduring alliance remains strong, and as innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future," the queen said, as quoted on the official website of the UK royal family.

The queen added that the United Kingdom and the European Union were cooperating for the sake of peace, prosperity and security.

"I am confident that this friendship between The United Kingdom and The Netherlands, which we greatly treasure, will continue to deepen, and to prosper," the queen told the Dutch royal family.

While the United Kingdom will leave the European Union on March 29, 2019, London and Brussels still have not reached an agreement on a number of issues, such as the Irish border and the post-Brexit economic relations.

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On a consolidated basis, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (APSEZ)'s net profit fell 38.10% to Rs 614.23 crore on 3.63% decline in net sales to Rs 2,608.01 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q2 September 2017. The company said its profit was hit by forex losses that stood at Rs 570 crore in Q2 September 2018 compared with a loss of Rs 78 crore in Q2 September 2017. The result was announced after trading hours yesterday, 23 October 2018.

There was nil SEZ port led development revenue in H1FY2019, as the company has sold CT4 Terminal to CMA CGM Joint Venture, the company said in a filing. The company had reported Rs 504 crore revenue from the segment in the year-ago quarter.

Karan Adani, chief executive officer and whole time director of APSEZ said amidst fears of trade war and its impact on Indian cargo, the company has been able to achieve record cargo throughput of 100 MMT in H1FY2019. APSEZ does not foresee any impact on Indian imports and exports. APSEZ is on course of achieving 200 MMT cargo volume in FY2019. Port EBITDA margins are set to increase from 70% to 71%. Automation and using technology to handle cargo, sweating of enhanced capacity and better cargo mix will drive this margin expansion.

On a consolidated basis, HCL Technologies' net income rose 5.7% to Rs 2540 crore on 7.1% increase in revenue to Rs 14861 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q1 June 2018. Earnings before interest & tax (EBIT) rose 8.7% to Rs 2,966 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q1 June 2018. The result was announced after trading hours yesterday, 23 October 2018.

The company sees FY2019 revenues growth between 9.5% to 11.5% in constant currency. FY2019 operating margin (EBIT) is expected in range from 19.5% to 20.5%.

C.Vijayakumar, President & CEO, HCL Technologies said that the company continues to deliver strong and consistent QoQ revenue and margin growth performance. This quarter the company posted 3% revenue growth in constant currency fueled by global infrastructure services, engineering and R&D and Mode 2 next-gen services. Additionally, the company's Mode 3 revenue continues to accelerate and achieved the billion dollar annual run-rate milestone. The company remains confident of retaining this growth trajectory going forward.

Prateek Aggarwal, CFO, HCL Technologies said that the company delivered a robust performance of 10.5% YoY revenue growth in constant currency and EBIT margin at 19.9%, near the mid-point of its guided range. Net Profit has crossed a milestone of Rs 10,000 crore on run-rate basis. At Rs 2,540 crore for the quarter, the net Profit was up 5.7% QoQ and 16.1% YoY. Further, the firm successfully concluded the Buyback programme of Rs 4,000 crore on Oct 11th and have posted robust Return on Equity at 25.8% on LTM basis.

The board of directors has appointed Roshni Nadar Malhotra as the vice chairman of the board of directors of the company with effect from 22 October 2018. She continues to be the non-executive director of the company.

On a consolidated basis, Ambuja Cements' net profit rose 12.73% to Rs 396.01 crore on 11.87% decline in net sales to Rs 6,017.58 crore in Q3 September 2018 over Q3 September 2017. The result was announced after trading hours yesterday, 23 October 2018.

In its outlook, Ambuja Cements said that GDP growth in the last quarter was encouraging backed by good monsoon. Continued focus on GDP growth and infrastructure projects by the Government and a strong push on Housing for All and affordable housing led to good demand growth in the cement sector. Going forward the company expects this to continue and accelerate further. The company is well placed to benefit from the above initiatives taken by the Government.

Bharti Airtel will be watched. Airtel Africa, a UK incorporated subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, announced that six leading global investors comprising Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel, SoftBank Group International and others have agreed to invest $1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in the company at a post money equity value of ~ $4.4 billion. The announcement was made before trading hours today, 24 October 2018.

Airtel Africa has seen a turnaround of its business in recent years. This investment demonstrates the confidence of leading global investors in the company's ongoing robust growth and profitability. The investment also reinforces the increased growth potential of the Africa telecommunications sector. The proceeds will be used to reduce Airtel Africa's existing debt of approximately $5 billion and for growth of its African operations. Airtel Africa subsequently intends an Initial Public Offering and use the proceeds primarily for further reduction of debt.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries announced that moderate-to-severe psoriasis treatment Ilumya (tildrakizumab-asmn) 100 mg/mL is now available in the United States. Ilumya is an injectable interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Ilumya injections are administered by a healthcare provider every 12 weeks, following starter doses at Week 0 and Week 4. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 23 October 2018.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa, regarding Cooperation in the Social and Labour Sphere. The MoU was signed on 3rd August, 2018 during BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers (LEM) Meeting.

In the MoU, the parties including India have agreed to cooperate and hold mutual events in the prominent areas viz. labour legislation and enforcement, protection of workers' rights with focus on vulnerable groups, Employment and labour market policies, Professional education, skills and training and Social protection. The member countries may utilize the BRICS Network of Labour Research Institutes and BRICS Social Security Cooperation Framework for cooperation on Social Security and other labour issues. The Memorandum is not an International Treaty and does not create rights and obligations for the parties governed by international law.

The MoU provides a mechanism for cooperation, collaboration and maximum synergy amongst BRICS member countries with the common objective of inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the new industrial revolution. This would facilitate member countries to share knowledge and also implement joint programmes on .matter of Labour and Employment, Social Security and Social dialogue.

This would also ensure networking of international Training Centre of International Labour Organisation (ILO) with the BRICS Network of Labour Institutes which includes V. V. Giri National Labour Institute of India. This network would specifically focus on the theme of youth employment and research on new forms of employment. This network will also explore new learning technologies, including virtual network to deepen cooperation, exchange of information and capacity building. The BRICS Social Security cooperation framework will deepen social security cooperation among BRICS nations and would facilitate cooperation for improvement of social security systems and social security agreements among member countries.

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A state-of-the-art Training Ship 'ICGS Varuna' of 3,000 tonnes displacement was launched on 24 October 2018 at the shipyard of Reliance Naval & Engineering, located at the Port of Pipavav, Gujarat.

The Training Ship has the primary role to impart sea training to cadets, including an all-round exposure to the lives of Coast Guard officers. The vessel is 105 meters long, with a capacity of accommodating 242 personnel. The vessel is powered by twin diesel engines of 10,400 KW and can move at a speed of 20 knots.

The vessel is also equipped with weapons systems and is capable of policing maritime zones of the country as well as for search and rescue missions. The vessel's capability also includes operating a twin-engine helicopter for undertaking maritime reconnaissance.

The vessel is a first-of-its-kind NextGeneration Training Ship for Trainee Officers, and has been entirely designed by the Design Bureau of Reliance Naval & Engineering. Confirmatory model tests for the design were performed at Vienna Test Basin, Austria and vetted by internationally acclaimed experts. The vessel will join the Coast Guard fleet in May 2019 after extensive tests and trials.

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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
Stocks hovered in a small range with positive bias in early afternoon trade. At 12:29 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 144.67 points or 0.43% at 33,995.10. The Nifty 50 index was up 47.55 points or 0.47% at 10,194.35. Oil and gas stocks saw mixed trend. Telecom stocks gained.

The Sensex was currently trading below the psychological 34,000 level after moving above and below that level in intraday trade. Domestic bourses opened on firm note on bargain hunting after a prior four-day slide. Stocks trimmed gains in morning trade. Indices pared further gains in mid-morning trade as stocks came off day's high.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.4%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.35%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1234 shares rose and 1056 shares fell. A total of 128 shares were unchanged.

Oil and gas stocks saw mixed trend. Among shares of oil exploration and production (E&P) companies, Reliance Industries (down 0.15%) and Oil India (down 0.67%) edged lower. ONGC (up 0.61%) rose.

Among PSU OMCs, HPCL (up 3.39%), BPCL (up 4.2%) and Indian Oil Corporation (up 2.81%) gained.

Shares of state-run gas transmission and distribution firm GAIL (India) shed 0.88%.

Telecom stocks gained. Vodafone Idea (up 0.14%), MTNL (up 0.69%) and Reliance Communications (up 0.09%) rose. Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) (down 0.72%) fell.

Shares of Bharti Infratel fell 0.73%. Bharti Infratel is a provider of tower and related infrastructure and is a unit of Bharti Airtel.

Bharti Airtel rose 1.85%. Airtel Africa, a UK incorporated subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, announced that six leading global investors comprising Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel, SoftBank Group International and others have agreed to invest $1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in the company at a post money equity value of ~$4.4 billion. The announcement was made before trading hours today, 24 October 2018.

The proceeds will be used to reduce Airtel Africa's existing debt of approximately $5 billion and for growth of its African operations. Airtel Africa subsequently intends an Initial Public Offering and use the proceeds primarily for further reduction of debt.

Overseas, Asian stocks were trading higher as Chinese shares reversed losses, helping offset concerns about the corporate earnings outlook in an environment of tightening financial conditions.

US stocks fell yesterday, 23 October 2018 as a big drop in the Chinese market revived fresh questions about the global economy. Sentiment remained fragile after Caterpillar repeated a warning from earlier this year about rising costs due to higher steel prices and US tariffs.

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Two youths were on Wednesday arrested for the gang rape of a teenage girl in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, police said.

A 15-year-old girl from Haroa was gang raped three days back on an open field adjacent to her house, a police officer said.

"Sabir Mollah, 19, and Laltu Mollah, 22, both from that village were arrested on Wednesday. They knew the victim. The accused have been in the hiding since the incident on Sunday night," the Haroa police station officer added.

The condition of the rape survivor was stable, he said. She was taken to the hospital on Monday morning. Later send home.

Whether there were any previous relations between the attackers and the victim would also be probed, the officer said.

--IANS

mgr/in

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Three days after a sanitation worker died due to drowning in a sewer here, the police on Wednesday said they have arrested three men including the supervisor of the site.

"Project Manager Ashwini Kumar Jha, Site Supervisor Subodh and Safety Officer Shubham Notiyal have been arrested," Deputy Commissioner of Police Aslam Khan said.

The 32-year-old labourer, Dooman Ray died while cleaning a Delhi Jal Board sewer in Jahangirpuri area on Sunday.

Hailing from Bihar, Ray was rushed to Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, where he was declared brought dead.

In September, five men died after inhaling toxic fumes while working in a sewage treatment plant in Moti Nagar area.

--IANS

mg/in

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BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday arrived on a day-long visit to Lucknow, as he seeks to assuage cadre discontent and improve coordination between the party and the state government ahead of the General Election in 2019.

Shah was received at the airport by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many of his ministerial colleagues. He is scheduled to take part in a coordination meeting between the organisation, the state government and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) at a private resort.

Workers of the cadre based party have been complaining that Ministers and officials do not listen to their problems and this may cost them dearly in the Lok Sabha elections.

There is also speculation that Shah and the CM may discuss rejigging the state cabinet, and bringing in new faces.

Party sources said that the BJP leadership is also worried about the strident position taken by Hindutva leaders like Pravin Togadia and ally Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who are taunting the BJP and the central government for the delay in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Togadia, who announced on Tuesday that he was forming a political party for Hindus, charged the BJP with betraying the sentiments of millions of Hindus on the Ram temple issue. Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP, has also upped the ante and its chief is visiting Ayodhya on Thursday.

The BJP has lost successive bypolls for the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly to candidates jointly put up by arch rivals Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Wednesday's deliberations will also seek to gauge the challenge posed by the two regional parties.

--IANS

md/shs/bg

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An Italian anti-trust authority on Wednesday fined tech giants Apple and Samsung in an unprecedented ruling on planned obsolescence, stating the companies had both engaged in dishonest commercial practices.

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) fined Apple and Samsung 10 million and 5 million euros respectively ($11.41 million and $5.7 million), stating the companies had forced consumers to purchase new phones by prompting users to install software updates that resulted in the phones malfunctioning, leading many consumers to upgrade their handsets, Efe news reported.

The AGCM investigation suggested that Apple had failed to alert customers how long the lithium batteries in iPhones would last and had failed to offer useful information on how to care for them in order to boost their performance and shelf life.

Since September 2016, Apple repeatedly prompted iPhone6 customers to update the software on their phones to an operating system that had been designed for the next generation model, iPhone7, without alerting consumers that the update could lead the handsets to malfunction, the report said.

On the other hand, Samsung told owners of its Galaxy Note 4 phone to install a new version of Google's Android operating system intended for the more recent Galaxy Note 7, but which rendered the old model sluggish.

The ACGM said both companies had been fined the highest possible amount reflecting the severity of their dishonest practices.

Apple acknowledged in December that it had intentionally slowed iPhones with degraded batteries through software updates to avoid sudden shutdown problems, but denied it had ever done anything to intentionally shorten the life of a product.

This is the first ruling ever on planned obsolescence.

--IANS

soni/sed

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The West Bengal government on Wednesday accused the Modi government of demeaning contribution of national leaders "by dragging them into politics" in the wake of a UGC directive for celebrating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31.

"To create a new political structure, BJP is tarnishing the contribution of national leaders by dragging them into politics," state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said about the University Grants Commission (UGC)notification issued on October 22.

Criticising the Central government's move of not holding prior discussions with the state, Chatterjee said: "Centre has not approached us. The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) or UGC is taking most of the decisions by keeping the state government in the dark. Hence, we will not abide by their directives".

The UGC has recommended the universities and affiliated colleges to organise competitions, quizzes and debates on relevant topics to celebrate the birth anniversary of independent India's first deputy prime minister and home minister.

A 'Run for Unity' can be organised to spread the message of unity, the UGC said. Also, institutes where National Cadet Corps (NCC) exists, have been requested to invite Army officers or ex-army officers to deliver a motivational lecture.

Chatterjee said he would would have given a thought and held discussions regarding the directives with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had UGC informed the state government in advance.

Defending the Centre's move, BJP state President Dilip Ghosh said: "Government thinks it to be its duty to uphold the contribution of all the leaders before the students. If people think we are doing by celebrating someone's birth anniversary, they need to change their thought."

--IANS

bnd/ssp/prs

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Benyamin, the author of 'Jasmine Days', translated from Malayalam into English by Shahnaz Habib, is the winner of the first edition of the Rs 25 lakh JCB Prize for Literature, India's richest literary prize.

The award was announced at a specially curated dinner event on late Wednesday evening here. 'Jasmine Days' is published by Juggernaut Books.

The book was first published in Malayalam in 2014 as Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal and then translated into English by Shahnaz Habib.

The winning author congratulated all the other shortlisted authors and described each of them as equally deserving. "It is one of ten most wonderful evenings of my life," Benyamin said, pointing out that authors are often at the receiving end of troubles.

"It was fantastic. We were high on books for six months and the books enriched us," said Vivek Shanbhag, the chair of the jury.

Literary Director of the Prize Rana Dasgupta thanked all shortlisted authors and publishers and said that it was a great experience for the organisers.

The other shortlisted authors for the first edition of the prize were Perumal Murugan for 'Poonachi or The Story of a Black Goat,' Shubhangi Swarup for 'Latitudes of Longing,' Amitabha Bagchi for 'Half The Night Is Gone' and Anuradha Roy for 'All The Lives We Never Lived.'

--IANS

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The literary space has emerged as one of the major playfields in the run-up to the 2019 general elections as several books vehemently critical of the dispensation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been published, or are slated for release in the coming months.

In many ways, Shashi Tharoor's "Why I Am A Hindu", and the ferocity with which senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted to it, terming the author as a "mental" and a "bad Hindu", encouraged opposition leaders to carve a niche in the culture space. What emerged as a result seems like a well-planned strategy of the opposition to counter Modi's popularity through books and appeal to what many call the "EVs" -- enlightened voters.

And then came Kapil Sibal's "Shades of Truth", in which the Harvard law school graduate examined the many actions of the Modi government since 2014, concluding that it "revels in the past without seeking to grapple with the problems of the present and prepare for future challenges".

Publishing insiders say that, apart from exposing the truth behind the government's rhetoric, such "book bombs" also provide opportunities to "speak out loud" against the ruling regime. It was seen at Sibal's launch when former Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and senior opposition leaders P. Chidambaram, Sitaram Yechury, Chandan Mitra and Sharad Yadav together took a dig at the Modi dispensation, claiming that the 2019 general elections will be a "Modi vs India" affair.

These were followed by "The Sarkari Mussalman", by Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd), who led the Army in quelling the 2002 Gujarat riots. In the memoir, he claimed that there was a delay in deployment of the Army because of which "crucial hours", and "at least 300 lives" were lost.

When looked at in their entirety, these books may have contributed to the changing narrative in the country, as pointed out by surveys like the "Lokniti-CSDS-ABP Mood of the Nation", which found the BJP and Modi losing popularity at an alarming rate.

Even if the past is to be left behind, the Modi government has quite a few salvos coming its way as new books by Shashi Tharoor, Salman Khurshid, Omar Abdullah, Manmohan Singh, former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, along with some major surprises, are all set to release, one after the other, before April 2019.

Tharoor will go personal, for the first time, in "The Paradoxical Prime Minister", divided into five sections and comprising 50 chapters on Modi. "Economics for Political Change: The Collected Works of Manmohan Singh" documents the evolution of his thought over more than half-a-century as an academic, policymaker and politician.

Manish Tewari's "My Ministerial Years" will tell the story of the struggle to string together a narrative "as the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government in its second term faced a barrage of both unwarranted and, more often than not, motivated criticism from an extremely belligerent media driven by corporate imperatives".

Omar Abdullah's upcoming book, his first, is billed as "one of the most important books" about the beautiful and troubled state "that was born in fire and blood".

"The Idea of India" by Salman Khurshid, is a compendium of what constitutes India's past, present and future, "an exhaustive account of what India truly stands for". Another book by Khurshid, "The Indian Muslims", will also release before the elections.

In "Of Counsel: The Challenges of the Modi-Jaitley Economy", Subramanian will open up about his tenure, which saw the controversial demonetisation of high-value currency notes and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). And then there is Subramanian Swamy, who never fails to surprise, and those in the know of business say that he will do so again in "India's Economic Performance And Future Projections". Rajan will pen another book after "I Do What I Do", also slated to release before the elections.

Tharoor, with his massive fan following on social media, will also star in a Web Series releasing in 2019 and based on his "Why I Am A Hindu", urging the viewers to reclaim Hinduism from the "Hindutva Wadis".

Along with these are some major upcoming surprise releases, the "book bombs" in the true sense. Everything about them, including the authors' names and the "explosive subjects" of their books, leading publishers said, will be revealed just prior to their publication.

Notably, PEN International released a report last month titled "India: Pursuing Truth in the Face of Intolerance" that outlines how dissenting voices -- of journalists, writers, academics or students -- "face intimidation, harassment, prosecution, online abuse, and physical violence". The 15-page report is highly critical of the Modi government and opens with a poster of the firebrand journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.

It said that India has witnessed "a rising tide of violence, impunity, extended pre-trial detentions, and surveillance" and called upon the Indian authorities to safeguard freedom of expression in the country.

PEN International President Jennifer Clement told IANS that it is going to be vigilant about any instance of coercion that writers and journalists may face. The international writers' body elected two dissenting voices from India, Tamil writer Perumal Murugan and multiple award winning Nayantara Sahgal, among its three new Vice Presidents.

(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a MoU signed between India and Singapore to establish a joint working group to strengthen bilateral cooperation in financial technologies.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between India's Department of Economic Affairs and the Monetary Authority of Singapore during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore in June this year.

"Collaboration of India with Singapore will benefit both India and Singapore to excel in the fields of development of Application Programming Interfaces (APls), regulatory sandbox, security in payment and digital cash flow, integration of RuPay-Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), UPI-FAST payment link, Aadhaar Stack and e-KYC in the ASEAN region and cooperation on regulations, solutions for financial markets, insurance sector and sandbox models," the government said in a statement.

Singapore payment system operator NETS has partnered with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to establish a cross-border payment linkage between Singapore's PayNow and India's Immediate Payment Service (IMPS).

This partnership is aimed at boosting trade, tourism and remittances through real-time fund transfers between bank accounts in the respective countries.

The terms of references of the JWG include exchange of best practices to improve regulatory connect, promote experience sharing on fintech policies and regulations, encourage creation of standards on use of data by fintech firms and promote cooperation between the financial technology industry in India and Singapore.

--IANS

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The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the appointment of an Adjudicating Authority and the setting up of an Appellate Tribunal for speedy disposal of cases related to benami transactions, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said following the Cabinet meeting.

Benami refers to transactions made in a fictitious name.

A Finance Ministry release said the Adjudicating Authority and Appellate Tribunal will be based in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Benches of Adjudicating Authority may sit in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, and the notification in this regard would be issued after consultations with the Chairperson of the proposed Adjudicating Authority, it said.

"The approval will result in effective and better administration of cases referred to the Adjudicating Authority and speedy disposal of appeals filed against the order of the Adjudicating Authority before the Appellate Tribunal," the statement said.

The appointment of the Adjudicating Authority would provide first-stage review of administrative action under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions (PBPT) Act, it said.

The proposed Appellate Tribunal would provide an appellate mechanism for the order passed by the Adjudicating Authority under the PBPT Act which came into force in November 2016, the statement added.

--IANS

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The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a bilateral investment agreement between India and Taiwan that is expected top help project India as a preferred foreign direct investment destination to the East Asia.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) between India Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in India," an official statement said.

"The BIA is likely to increase investment flows between the parties," it stated.

"It will provide appropriate protection to investments on a reciprocal basis between ITA and TECC.

"BIA is likely to increase the comfort level and boost the confidence of investors by assuring a level playing field and non-discrimination in matters related to investments, thus providing conducive investment climate to investors."

India and Taiwan do not maintain formal diplomatic relations as Beijing claims Taiwan, officially called Republic of China, as a part of China.

Bilateral trade volume between Taiwan and India increased 27 per cent year-on-year to $6.4 billion in 2017, according to TECC Representative Tien Chung-Kwang.

Under Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's New Southbound Policy (NSP) that looks to deepen the East Asian nation's relationships with South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Taiwan boosted its external trade with these NSP countries by 15.61 per cent to $110.9 billion last year.

--IANS

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Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat on Wednesday justified deletion of lakhs of voters in Telangana saying the Election Commission used the latest technology to purify the electoral rolls during special revision.

The number of voters in Telangana have come down from 2.82 crore in 2014 to 2.73 crore as per the final rolls published this month. The net deletions were about 22 lakh as 12 lakh new voters were added.

The poll panel attributed this to voters with multiple entries, those who migrated and those who were dead.

The CEC, however, assured the political parties that the election authorities will look into their specific complaints through verification by Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) concerned in the presence of representatives of all political parties.

Even after publication of final rolls, the state election machinery continues to receive applications for updating the rolls. He said second supplement will be published on November 19 and all those included in it will be eligible to vote in December 7 elections to Telangana assembly.

Rawat was addressing a news conference at the end of three-day visit to Telangana along with other election commissioners and top officials to assess the state's poll preparedness.

Congress had last month approached the Supreme Court over deletion of large number of voters. The apex court referred the petition to Hyderabad High Court.

Congress and other parties also flagged their concern during meeting with the Election Commission team headed by CEC on Monday.

The CEC explained that the voters' list was brought on digital platform and they used de-duplication software and latest technology to find the deficiencies and correct them.

"This is a transition phase. Once EROnet becomes operational throughout the country and linked to registrar of births and deaths, all these problems will evaporate," he said.

"The Election Commission is committed to maintaining purity of elections and to deliver free, fair and transparent elections. It has directed the state and district level election machinery to be fearless, unbiased, neutral and independent from any influence whatsoever," he said.

According to the final electoral rolls published on October 12, Telangana has 2.73 crore voters including 1.38 male, 1.35 crore female and 2,663 third gender voters.

The state has 119 assembly constituencies including 19 reserved for Scheduled Castes and 12 for Scheduled Tribes. EVMs with VVPATs will be used in all 32,574 polling stations.

VVPAT enables a voter to see the name of the candidate and the symbol of the candidate he has voted for, on printed paper slip.

Rawat said the political parties voiced their apprehension over large scale of abuse of money, distribution freebies and liquor and misuse of social media and fake media.

He said the Election Commission was interacting with heads of social media platforms and would organize workshops with them to strengthen arrangements to prevent any adverse impact on elections.

The CEC said some parties raised concern about alleged presence of intelligence officers of a neighbouring state and the likely impact of advertisements by political parties in that state on the election process in Telangana.

The EC team took note of concerns and suggestions of the parties and assured that it will put in place an effective mechanism to ensure smooth conduct of entire poll process in free, fair and inclusive manner.

--IANS

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The Centre on Wednesday raised the supervisory visiting charges for ASHA facilitators from Rs 250 to Rs 300, a move that will lead to a cumulative increase of Rs 1,000 per month.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the increase in supervisory visit charges for 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 from this month.

Announcing the decision, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) will now be getting Rs 6,000 for 20 visits, against Rs 5,000 earlier.

"The proposal entails an estimated additional expenditure of Rs 46.95 crore, comprising Rs 15.65 crore during 2018-19 (for six months) and Rs 31.30 crore during 2019-20 as central share," the government said.

--IANS

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The proceeds from an ongoing exhibition-cum-sale of 2,000 hand-blown glass pieces will go to animal welfare organisation People for Animals as well as artisans from Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district.

The exhibition will conclude on October 26, PFA Chairperson Maneka Gandhi, who is also the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, said here on Wednesday.

"We trained bangle- and pipette-makers, who create instruments for laboratories, to blow glass. Designer Momin Latif has designed these glasses," Gandhi told IANS, adding that PFA has combined art and animal welfare since its inception almost three decades ago.

Firozabad is known for its glass bangles.

The proceeds will be equally divided between the artisans and PFA, Gandhi added.

Her sister and prominent animal rights activist Ambika Shukla said the money will go to the 36 hospitals PFA runs across the country.

Typified as water, wine and whiskey glasses, they are priced upwards of Rs 1,000 for each piece.

--IANS

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will face additional charges related to mismanagement of government funds when he was in office, the country's anti-corruption body said on Wednesday.

Najib was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Wednesday and was expected to face additional charges along with two of his former senior aides.

In a statement, the MACC said it had received permission to charge Najib, who was also the Finance Minister when in office, and former Treasury Secretary-General Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two were summoned to the MACC headquarters to complete the final processes of investigation and charges and will be facing charges over breach of trust involving funds belonging to the Malaysian government, the commission added.

Najib is already facing 32 charges including money laundering, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust related to the investigation into state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), where hundreds of millions of dollars were allegedly went missing.

It was unknown how many further charges will be added when he is to be summoned to a Kuala Lumpur court on Thursday.

Separately, the MACC said the former Malaysian External Intelligence Organization (MEIO) Director-General Hasanah Ab Hamid, another former senior aide to Najib, will be charged on Thursday for breach of trust involving Malaysian government money.

MEIO was an intelligence unit under the Prime Minister's Department during the Najib administration and Hasanah was reported to have misappropriated millions of funds.

She was also involved in controversies for writing a letter to the US' Central Intelligence Agency before the general election in May to seek its for Najib.

--IANS

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Many Central American migrants making their way to the United States border are attempting to escape an array the multitude of ills scourging their home countries, including discrimination against LGBT people

"I'm escaping poverty, crime, discrimination and everything," Cesar, a 23-year-old gay man, told EFE. "There is no work or anything. No food. I think I've eaten more on this journey than back home."

A native of San Pedro Sula, Honduras' second city, Mejia was a volunteer at a local NGO that aims to prevent sexually transmitted diseases by handing out condoms and providing information to young people.

"That was my last job, although I was volunteering," he said in Huixtla, where the group of more than 7,000 people will continue their journey toward the United States border, still some 2,000km away.

Back home, Cesar struggled to make ends meet, struggling to support his mother - who found herself out of a job at 62 when the factory where she worked closed - on his low salary.

He also said that he had been the victim of discrimination ever since he came out of the closet, particularly among his neighbourhood's young gang members, who hurled insults at him as he walked past them on the street.

One time he was even beaten and he went to the police, but no action was taken, and three of his gay friends were murdered recently in Puerto Cortes.

To Cesar, the caravan means escaping poverty and violence, but he is not the only one who thinks that way.

Sitting on a sidewalk in Huixtla are four travel partners from El Salvador, two gay men and two transgender women.

Cesar fears that, now that his story has been covered by several media outlets, things could take a turn for the worse should he be deported and thrown back to his country.

His goal is to make it to the US, but he is afraid of being locked up or extradited to Honduras, where he decisively said he "cannot go back."

Against all odds, the migrant caravan has traversed more than 700km across Central America and Southern Mexico in hopes of ultimately reaching the US border to have a shot at the American dream.

--IANS

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Noted agronomist M.S. Swaminathan on Wednesday said that Indian farmers must be given access to global markets so that exchange of technology could take place.

Speaking at Global Agriculture Leadership Summit, organised by Indian Council of food and Agriculture (ICFA), he said that farming was not just a machine to produce food but a basis of livelihood.

He asked for leadership in the farm policies making and involvement of women and youth in agriculture for improvement of the sector.

Swaminathan, who is renowned for his leading role in India's green revolution, said 'gene editing' technique could be important to overcome the problems being faced by the agriculture sector.

In the same event, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal said inter -ministerial committee was examining the recommendations on doubling farmers' income by 2022.

--IANS

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An Indonesia woman delivered a baby girl on board an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, early on Wednesday morning, officials said here.

According to an official, the expectant mother went into labour mid-air in the flight and soon delivered a female baby with the help of the crew and some women passengers.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) authorities were informed of the developments on board and the flight was diverted to Mumbai to tackle the medical emergency.

A waiting team of medicos attended to the woman and her infant immediately after landing and provided medical assistance to stabilize the situation.

Later, the passenger was shifted in an ambulance to Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri east for further treatment and she is now recuperating with her newborn baby in the women's ward.

Owing to the medical emergency the flight EY-474 was delayed by at least two hours before departing for its destination at 9.42 am, said an official spokesperson.

--IANS

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US President said on Wednesday a major federal investigation was underway to probe the suspicious packages sent to former President Barack Obama, the Clintons, CNN offices and

Trump, speaking at an opioids event at the White House, first addressed the series of suspicious packages that have been discovered today, CNN reported.

The President did not mention any of the recipients of the packages by name in the remarks but called upon the nation to come together, saying "in these times, we have to unify."

"I just want to tell you that in these times we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America," he said.

Trump said "the full weight of our government" is investigating the packages and will "bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice."

He added: "The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority," he said.

"Acts and threats of political violence have no place in the US," he added. "We're extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning and we will get to the bottom of it."
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday cast doubt on Saudi Arabia's explanation on the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey and said her country would revoke or block visas for the suspects behind the alleged premeditated slaying.

May's comments came while she addressed lawmakers in the House of Commons, a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also discredited Riyadh's claim that Khashoggi died in a brawl in the consulate on October 2, instead of saying it appeared to be a planned murder.

"We condemn the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest possible terms," said May, who leads a minority government.

"The claim that has been made that Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation so there does remain an urgent need to establish what has happened in relation to this," she was cited as saying by Efe news.

She said any of the individuals suspected of carrying out the killing of the former Washington Post journalist currently in possession of UK visas would immediately be stripped of their privileges.

May told lawmakers she was scheduled to speak with King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia later on Wednesday.

Riyadh has vowed to cooperate in an investigation into Khashoggi's death and has allegedly arrested 18 people in connection with the killing.

The kingdom first denied any involvement in the disappearance, but amid mounting international pressure acknowledged that he had been killed at the consulate in a rogue operation.

--IANS

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Households and community marquees across West Bengal celebrated Lakshmi Puja on Wednesday, decorating their premises with colourful floor art, offering delicious vegetarian platters to the goddess and fasting with prayers for prosperity.

Popularly known as Kojagori Lakshmi puja in this part of India, the ritual to invoke Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is observed on a full moon night (Kojagori Purnima or Sharad Purnima), just a few days after the Durga puja revelry ends.

The word Kojagori literally means a night of awakening, in keeping with the belief that Goddess Lakshmi visits every household at night to ascertain who is awake. Devotees believe she blesses those who are awake, with affluence and fortune.

To guide the Goddess into their homes, women and children drew colourful patterns (known as Alpona) and footprints of the Goddess herself, using rice flour, on the floor, across doorways and inside temples.

Families offered grains, flattened rice, gold, clothes, fruits, vegetables as well as fish in obeisance to the deity who is worshipped in the form of clay idols, photographs and earthen disks or 'Patas' with paintings of Lakshmi.

Sounds of conch shells reverberated across the eastern metropolis in the evening as the rituals started in full swing, ahead of late night vigils to welcome the Goddess.

Youngsters burnt firecrackers and decorated the puja premises with colourful lighting installations to mark the occasion.

The puja also coincides with the harvest festival (Nabanna).

Family gatherings with generous servings of luchis (fried flour chapatis) with an array of sugary chutneys and desserts helped drive away the sadness that prevails after the conclusion of the Durga Puja.

--IANS

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The Centre, which on Wednesday virtually sacked CBI Director Alok Verma by asking him to go on leave, also transferred as many as 13 officers of the agency, shunting out almost all those in Vermas team which was probing bribery charges against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

According to sources, 13 CBI officers, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar Bassi, who was investigating the charges against Asthana were transferred.

Bassi has been transferred to Port Blair with immediate effect in "public interest".

S.S. Gurm, Supervisory Superintendent of Police of AC-3 unit of CBI in probe against Asthana, has also been transferred to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, with immediate effect.

Additional Director Arun Kumar Sharma's charges as head of Anti-corruption and Joint Director (Policy) have been taken away and has been posted elsewhere.

Manoj Sinha, Deputy Inspector General heading probe against Asthana, has been transferred to Nagpur.

Superintendent of Police Satish Dagar, Deputy Inspector General Tarun Gauba and Joint Director V. Murugesan would handle the probe into FIR against Asthana, sources said.

--IANS

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Military contractors on Wednesday threatened to stall all defence construction work if their dues totalling Rs 1,600 crore were not cleared.

They said they would stage a protest on October 29 and October 30, if the Ministry of Defence did not clear the dues by October 28.

Military Engineer Services Builders Association of India (MESBAI) said that the dues have been pending for the last one-and-a-half years.

"Our association members are facing a lot of problems as they failed to get the payment. The issue has been raised with the Officer Engineer-in-Chief, Minister of State for Defence, Defence Minister, and the PMO," President of the MES Builders Association of India Praveen Mahana said in a statement.

"However, the government has not given us any relief till date. The members of the association also staged a protest on February 1, 2018 in this regard. The workers aren't being paid and it has been very tough to continue with the construction work," he said.

MESBAI has 73 branches across India and is the only association which is recognised by the Ministry of Defence.

MESBAI looks after the basic constructional requirements of all the three wings of the Defence Services and takes care of their maintenance and renovation, it said.

"The festive season has begun but the contractors have not been paid. If the funds are not released by October 28 and the contractors' payments not made, the builders will have no choice but to stop all work," the statement said.

--IANS

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday that the matter relating to reported objectionable message of a minister to a woman officer had been "taken very seriously" and, to the best of his knowledge, resolved to the officer's satisfaction.

"The matter was brought to my notice some weeks ago and I had asked the minister to apologise and sort it out with the officer. I understand he had done so to the satisfaction of the officer and thus the matter was resolved," the Chief Minister, who is currently visiting Israel, said in a statement following media reports about the incident.

Punjab's opposition parties, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Wednesday asked the Chief Minister to 'unmask' his cabinet colleague who had allegedly sent indecent messages to a woman Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

Demanding dismissal of the minister, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the Chief Minister why he, as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhi, were dragging their feet in taking action against the minister.

In a statement, the SAD president said as per media reports, no action had been taken against the cabinet minister who had sent indecent messages to the woman IAS officer more than one-and-a-half months back.

"This, the media reports said, was despite the fact that the IAS officer had brought the matter to the notice of her superior officers and even the Chief Minister," Badal alleged.

"The Chief Minister must tell the people why he is trying to cover it up," Badal said.

He said it was shocking that even Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been apprised about the incident, has kept silent on the issue.

"The Congress and Rahul Gandhi demanded M.J. Akbar's resignation from the Union cabinet following allegations of sexual harassment when he was the Editor," Badal said. "But the Congress chief has been actively sheltering someone for similar transgressions."

The AAP's woman wing also demanded dismissal of the cabinet minister for harassing a senior woman officer. AAP woman wing president Raj Lali Gill and co-president Jiwanjot Kaur in a statement on Wednesday asked the Chief Minister to take immediate action against the cabinet minister who is continuously harassing the woman officer.

While demanding to sack the minister, the AAP women leaders said that an immoral act by a minister cant be tolerated. The AAP leaders said the Congress was adopting double-standards on the issue of moral values.

--IANS

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shunting out the CBI Director because he was "pointing fingers" at the controversial Rafale deal.

"Do you know what the 'Chowkidar' did last night? He (Modi) removed the CBI Director because he had called for the files of Rafale deal," Rahul said in Jhalawar, the home turf of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

In a post-midnight drama, the Centre on Wednesday virtually sacked CBI Director Alok Verma in the midst of a war at the agency's top, a decision that drew condemnation from the opposition. Verma moved the Supreme Court, which will hear his plea on Friday.

Gandhi's taunts on Modi and his accusations on the Rafale fighter planes deal drew applause from the audience.

Seizing the moment, Gandhi exhorted, "Taali Bajane Se Kuchh Nahin Hoga, Batan Dabane Se Hoga (clapping will not help, voting will)."

Modiji is known for his long speeches. He is always seen with dignitaries draped in 'suit-boot'. However, neither he nor the Rajasthan Chief Minister is seen anywhere with farmers, he added.

Attacking Raje, he said that although Lalit Modi is sitting in London, he has given crores of rupees to the son of the Chief Minister.

He charged that Raje has closed 25,000 schools in the state, snatching the Right To Education of thousands of children.

The government refuses to waive off farmers' loans. Farmers who fail to pay their loans are called defaulters, but when industrialists fail to pay their loans, the government gives them a red carpet welcome.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan's State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore said that Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders were spreading lies.

He said that Rahul was unaware of the fact that Rajasthan was ranked second in the NCERT report in the education stream. A total of 78,000 teachers were appointed during the BJP government.

--IANS

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Apart from putting together a "robust programme" for the Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star and hosting filmmakers like Lucrecia Martel, Darren Aronofsky and Sean Baker, Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) will show solidarity with the #MeToo movement through a special programme on the global movement which is against sexual harassment and assault.

"The 20th edition this year, has some exceptional talent like Darren Aronofsky and Sean Baker. We have been able to put together a robust programme that has films from almost every genre possible that people would want to watch at MAMI," Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star, told IANS.

"We have over 200 films in the programme being showcased at 10 venues and over 20 screens at the theatres during the festival. There are many movies that will be premiering with us."

Amidst the #MeToo storm, various films have also been dropped from the line-up of the fest, which will conclude on November 1. Rajat Kapoor's "Kadhakh" and All India Backchod (AIB)-produced "Chintu Ka Birthday" are among those discarded. Rajat and members of AIB were accused of sexual harassment.

Among the main offerings, "Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota" will get its Asia premiere at the festival, which will begin here on Thursday.

Gujarati language short film "Rammat-Gammat" will have its India premiere at the gala, Steve McQueen's directorial "Widows", which will close the festival next month, will have its Asia premiere there.

Actress Rasika Dugal's series "Mirzapur" and film "Hamid" are also set to have their world premiere at the festival.

"My part in 'Hamid' as Ishrat is dramatically different from Beena in 'Mirzapur'. I am thrilled that they are both premiering at MAMI," said Rasika.

The festival organisers have created a "special programme where there are going to be two discussions dealing with different aspects about #MeToo and one workshop to explain the law related to it".

"Especially, since a lot of people are unaware of the sexual harassment laws," shared Kiran.

Apart from films dropped, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has stepped down as one of the board members of the festival's organising committee amidst a "shadow of doubt" that he remained silent when a woman complained to him of being sexually harassed by his business partner Vikas Bahl.

Kiran also said that this year, a phenomenal list of people will be hosting masterclasses and conversations with leading personalities like Martel, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, Aronofsky and Baker.

Like every year, the fest will put the spotlight on Indian regional cinema as well. There will be a Marathi cinema section again.

Kiran added: "There are a bunch of films in regional languages like Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Telugu and Gujarati."

What more?

"We will be screening 'ChaalBaaz', 'Lamhe' and 'Mom' to pay a tribute to Sridevi," said Kiran when asked about tribute to the actress, who died aged 54 in February by accidentally drowning in a bath tub in a Dubai hotel.

(The writer's trip to Mumbai is at the invitation of the festival organisers. Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)

--IANS

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Pakistan on Wednesday denied that an attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, which killed top security officials earlier this month, was planned on its territory.

Islamabad's response came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the attack on a global terrorist network that he alleged was operating out of Pakistan.

He had urged Pakistan to accept an international investigation into the attack on October 18 on the Governor's residence in Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, that killed two top provincial security officials and gravely injured the Governor.

"Pakistan rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"No hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims," it added.

The ministry also accused the Afghan authorities of resorting to a "media blame game" instead of addressing the issue through diplomatic channels.

Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq and intelligence chief Mumin Hussainkhil were killed in the attack, in which a Taliban militant, who worked as a bodyguard of the Governor, had opened fire on a high-level security meeting at the Governor's mansion.

Another six people were wounded while Lt. Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller, commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, had escaped unhurt.

Ghani made the statement after Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, said the attack was planned on the other side of the border.

--IANS

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Clashes broke out in Anantnag on Wednesday after reports of a Ph.D scholar being killed in a shootout even as the authorities continued to face separatist protests against Sunday's civilian deaths in Kulgam for the second consecutive day.

Sabzar Sofi, the Ph.D scholar, was killed along with his associate Asif Ahmed in Nowgam earlier in the day.

Skirmishes broke out immediately in the city outskirts as stone pelting youths attacked the security forces forcing schools and colleges to shut down in the Srinagar district.

In New Delhi, Jamia Milia Islamia refuted news reports that Sabzar Sofi had ever registered as a student with the university. It also said that there was no Botany department in the university as was reported by the media.

Clashes also broke out in Sangam area of Anantnag district where Sofi is from. People were outraged at the killing of the militant who was seen preparing for the civil service exams before joining militancy in October 2016.

People in Kulgam town saw heavy deployment of security personnel as the authorities continued restrictions in the Jammu and Kashmir town to prevent separatist-called protest march against seven civilian deaths in an explosion on Sunday.

All roads leading to Kulgam town were sealed. The march was called by the Joint Resistance Leadership on Tuesday in solidarity with the families of the seven killed in an explosion at the gunfight site in Laroo village.

Senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq have been under house arrest since Monday while Yasin Malik was taken into preventive custody.

--IANS

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BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday joined several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was named the recipient of the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize.

"The world is taking note of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership on key issues that face humanity and are appreciating his leadership skills. Through 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', Modi is at the forefront of building a better tomorrow for the world," Shah said.

Modi was awarded the Seoul Peace Prize in recognition of his dedication to improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the human development of the people of India by fostering economic growth in the world's fastest-growing large economy and furthering the development of democracy through anti-corruption and social integration efforts, the award committee noted.

Shah said that he was glad that the award committee took note of 'Modinomics', which aims to further a spirit of equality and empowerment for all sections of society.

Several Ministers including Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, Textile Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge) Rajyarvardhan Rathore took to Twitter to congratulate Modi.

"Congratulations to Prime Minister Modi for being conferred the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize, affirming the effectiveness of Modinomics in creating high economic growth and his dedication to improving human development and furthering democracy in India," Goyal said.

"Congratulations to Modi ji on being conferred the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize. The Award Committee recognised his contributions to the growth of the Indian & global economies, crediting Modinomics for reducing social & economic disparity between the rich and the poor," Javadekar said.

Rathore said: "Congratulations to India! Our PM Modi ji has been awarded 2018 Seoul Peace Prize. Modinomics has been credited with enhancing growth while reducing gap between haves and have nots. A wonderful accolade for Hon'ble PM and all of us!."

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the award was a recognition of Modi's all-inclusive growth model, visionary approach and tireless efforts towards regional and global peace.

"On behalf of 37 lakh people of Tripura, I congratulate Modiji on being awarded the prize," Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb said.

--IANS

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The US Secret Service said on Wednesday that it intercepted two packages containing "potential explosive devices" addressed to US former First Lady Hillary Clinton in New York and former President Barack Obama in Washington.

Neither Obama nor Clinton received the packages or were at risk of receiving them, the agency said, adding that they were discovered during "routine mail screening procedures."

The Time Warner building in New York was also evacuated due to a package. CNN, which is located in the Time Warner building, reported that it evacuated its newsroom over a suspicious package.

According to the Secret Service, the package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington on Wednesday morning while the one for Clinton was addressed to her in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the package intended for Clinton was found in the vicinity of her residence in Chappaqua, New York.

Earlier this week, a suspicious package targeting billionaire investor and major Democratic donor George Soros was discovered and rendered safe.

The package sent to the home of Hillary and former President Bill Clinton was suspected to be the work of the same person who sent a similar device to Soros, the Washington Post reported citing two law enforcement officials as saying.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders condemned the "attempted violent attacks" against the public figures.

"These terrorising acts are despicable and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

"The US Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards," she said.

--IANS

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Real Madrid broke a string of poor results with a 2-1 win against Viktoria Plzen in a Champions League Group G match here.

Real, who lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, did enough here on Tuesday night to prevail and remain in the hunt for what would be a fourth straight Champions League title.

But the performance did not reassure supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu and may not be sufficient to preserve the job of beleaguered manager Julen Lopetegui.

Real Madrid and AS Roma are tied on points with 6 from three matches, 2 points ahead of CSKA Moscow and 5 better than Plzen.

Real Madrid began strongly and took a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes in with a Karim Benzema header that made the French international the fourth-leading scorer in Champions League history with 57 goals.

The hosts dominated throughout the first half, though without getting any more goals.

Things didn't improve after the break and Lopetegui turned to his bench in the 54th minute, sending in newcomer Fede Valverde for Isco.

The move paid off within seconds, as the Uruguayan assisted on Marcelo's goal to make it 2-0 for the Spanish club. Lucas Vazquez had a golden opportunity to get a third, but inexplicably missed an open net.

In the 78th minute, Plzen's Patrik Hrosovsky scored to cut Real's lead in half and the final minutes were uncomfortable for the home side and their supporters.

--IANS

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Health and consumer rights groups on Wednesday urged the Punjab government to lift a ban on e-cigarettes in the state while pointing out that the use of tobacco was on the rise in Punjab.

Two organizations -- one seeking to reduce tobacco's harmful effects and the other representing consumer rights group -- sought lifting of the government's recent ban on e-cigarettes.

The Council for Harm-Reduced Alternatives (CHRA), which works towards reducing the tobacco health burden through safer alternatives, said the ban deprives smokers of a less harmful alternative and causes havoc with public health.

The Association of Vapers India (AVI), a consumer rights group that represents e-cigarette users across the country, sought lifting of the ban on similar lines.

E-cigarettes are an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), and their use is also known as vaping. Punjab has banned e-cigarettes following an advisory issued by the central government, experts linked to these organizations told media here on Wednesday.

Dr Rohan Sequeira, a cardio-metabolic physician at Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital, termed the Centre's advisory as "a knee-jerk reaction".

"When there is an alternative that is up to 95 per cent safer than tobacco cigarettes, there is no reason why the government should ban it," Sequeira said.

Noting that tobacco use in Punjab has risen from 11.7 per cent in 2010 to 13.4 per cent in 2017, the CHRA contended that the measures adopted by the state government to check the tobacco-use menace are not working and more effective ones are urgently needed.

"The e-cigarette ban came at a time when tobacco use and smoking in the state is on the rise. Instead of increasing the quit pathways, the Punjab government is limiting them further by banning safer alternatives which have shown great potential across the world in helping smokers quit," CHRA director Samrat Chowdhery said.

Demanding that Punjab withdraw the ban in the interest of public health, the AVI should instead regulate sale and use of e-cigarettes to keep them out of the hands of minors.

Chowdhery said that as per the findings of studies undertaken by the world's leading medical agencies, including American Cancer Society, Public Health England and the US FDA, use of e-cigarettes is 95 per cent less harmful compared to tobacco cigarettes.

--IANS

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Jamia Milia Islamia on Wednesday dismissed news reports which claimed Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, who was killed by security forces in a shootout in Kashmir earlier in the day, was its student, saying that Sofi never studied at the university.

"The media reports about Sabzar Ahmad Sofi,who has been reported by media as a former research student of JMI is factually incorrect, false and mischievous. No such student by the name of Sabzar Ahmad Sofi has ever been on the rolls of the university or registered as research student.

"Moreover, we do not have any Botany department in the University," the central university said in a statement.

"This news has been published without due verification from the university authorities. No due care has been exercised before publishing the name of the university. The university demands an immediate corrective action by publishing a suitable corrigendum refuting the frivolous claims," it added.

Sofi, said to be a Ph.D. scholar from Jamia in several news reports, was killed earlier in the day along with his associate Asif Ahmed in Nowgam in the outskirts of Srinagar city.

-- IANS

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Punjab's opposition parties, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Wednesday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to 'unmask' his cabinet colleague who had allegedly sent indecent messages to a woman Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

Demanding dismissal of the minister, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the Chief Minister why he, as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhi, were dragging their feet in taking action against the minister.

In a statement, the SAD president said as per media reports, no action had been taken against the cabinet minister who had sent indecent messages to the woman IAS officer more than one-and-a-half months back.

"This, the media reports said, was despite the fact that the IAS officer had brought the matter to the notice of her superior officers and even the Chief Minister," Badal alleged.

"The Chief Minister must tell the people why he is trying to cover it up," Badal said.

He said it was shocking that even Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been apprised about the incident, has kept silent on the issue.

"The Congress and Rahul Gandhi demanded M.J. Akbar's resignation from the Union cabinet following allegations of sexual harassment when he was the Editor," Badal said. "But the Congress chief has been actively sheltering someone for similar transgressions."

The AAP's woman wing also demanded dismissal of the cabinet minister for harassing a senior woman officer. AAP woman wing president Raj Lali Gill and co-president Jiwanjot Kaur in a statement on Wednesday asked the Chief Minister to take immediate action against the cabinet minister who is continuously harassing the woman officer.

While demanding to sack the minister, the AAP women leaders said that an immoral act by a minister cant be tolerated. The AAP leaders said the Congress was adopting double-standards on the issue of moral values.

--IANS

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Samsung Electronics has tied up with Tokyo-headquartered global IT infrastructure provider NEC Corp. to explore new 5G business opportunities in the global market.

"5G development based on standardisation will help to accelerate business transformation throughout global markets," Atsuo Kawamura, Executive Vice President and President of the Network Services Business Unit at NEC, said in a statement.

"As 5G commercialisation is just around the corner, we are confident that the partnership with Samsung will continue to solidify our stance as a 5G leader," Kawamura said.

The partnership between Samsung and NEC could mobile carriers with flexible 5G solutions that are localised for each region with customised services to meet mobile carriers' demands.

Since 5G will enable unprecedented services and business models, it is inevitable for mobile carriers to demand customiaed solutions and flexible network architecture.

"5G will unlock the potentials, create new values and push the limits of today's technology," said Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.

NEC, a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, has worldwide operations, including in India.

--IANS

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Indian designers are putting their creativity to use not just to promote textiles and handlooms, but to also push sustainable fashion. This, in many ways, has become a new "marketing term" in the fashion industry, the young talent of the industry says.

Some of the young designers are not only taking Indian fashion global, but are also presenting them in a contemporary avatar to suit the modern sensibilities of consumers across the world.

Designers Shaila Khubchandani, Sreejith Jeevan, Sayatan Sarkar and Swati Vijaivargie are four such names who have worked closely with women from Usha Silai Schools in Gujarat, Puducherry, West Bengal and Rajasthan.

The association was a part of second edition of the Usha Silai label (#UshaSilai) collection that has been conceptualised by rural women artisans in four clusters under the mentorship of the most sought-after Indian sustainable fashion designers.

After the launch of the Usha Silai sustainable fashion label earlier this year, Usha International Limited has re-united with Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019 to launch the second edition of the line.

Having spent countless hours working closely with women artisans from each cluster, the designers understood each regions' ethos, and have given the collection a unique interpretation retaining local sensitivities.

Shaila Khubchandani, an Ahmedabad-based designer who runs her Crow by Shaila label that offers luxury organic wear which is fluid in nature for the women of today, feels that as an Indian, "sustainability is in our blood".

"My mother-in-law never throws away anything from the kitchen -- be it empty honey bottles or the take-away boxes. We re-use it as tiffins in my house. Sustainability is the new marketing term for designers because of which they have become sensitive towards the amount of fabric they are using for making one garment and the scrap is being re-used in one or the other way," Khubchandani told IANS.

Pointing out how the use of Khadi has evolved from just being used to make basic kurtas for men, she said: "Times have changed. We see a lot of designers taking initiatives to combine modern sensibilities and silhouettes in Khadi and handloom fabrics so that the modern generation has a variety of garments to choose from."

Sreejith Jeevan, whose brand Rouka means "bodice" in Malayalam and "corridor" in Japanese, says that sustainability is not just about the fabric.

"It has a lot to do with the entire way a product is made," Jeevan told IANS, adding: "The younger generations has realised that we cannot take our tradition or craft for granted.

"One of the main reasons as to how the craft could survive is when it becomes aspirational or when it becomes something that earns enough for the people who make the garments using the craft. Therefore, fashion is one platform which can make crafts aspirational and generate the kind of income that the craftsman would like as it can be upscale and put at a certain price.

"That is what puts a lot of responsibility on us in terms of why we should be working with craft and why we should look at it in a modern context."

He also feels that the fact that crafts and skills are very far away from fashion is what makes it considerable as something of a bygone era or makes it something that is primitive.

"Therefore, it must be brought into the modern context and it must be functional to a new age customer. This is where designers must step in and see what can and cannot change, to ensure the sensibility of the craft remains intact," Jeevan explained.

Jaipur-based Swati Vijaivargie, who has worked with designers like Raghavendra Rathore and Kavita Bhartia before venturing into the home textiles and rugs business and launching her own Rang by Swati Vijaivargie clothing line, feels it is important to appreciate and value handloom and craft before it becomes extinct.

"It's good to create an interesting product but we have to sell the products too. So, I feel that it's important that we also tweak the product according to the modern generation's likes and adaptability.

"We all love Indian textiles, but it's not possible to wear them in the traditional form always. So, if we can contemporise the silhouettes, the way they are presented, I'm sure everyone from our generation would love to wear them. Because anyway, everybody whether old or young, appreciate and love the Indian heritage, crafts and textiles," Vijaivargie added.

(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump has condemned Saudi Arabia's account of the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi as "the worst cover up ever" as his administration took its first concrete step to penalize Saudi Arabia, revoking visas for its agents suspected in the killing.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump skewered the Saudis, saying: "They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly and the cover up was the worst in the history of cover ups."

"In terms of what we ultimately do, I'm going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - I'm going to leave it up to Congress."

His comments came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the journalist was the victim of a carefully planned "political murder" by Saudi intelligence officers and other officials.

Later, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would "punish those responsible" and had revoked the visas of 21 identified suspects, CNN reported.

"We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Foreign Ministry, and other Saudi ministries who we suspect to have a hand in the killing," Pompeo told the on Tuesday.

The top US diplomat said that the State Department was also working with the Treasury Department to apply human rights-related sanctions that included the freezing of assets and a travel ban.

The Saudi government has provided conflicting accounts of what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's policies.

He disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 for paperwork needed for his planned wedding.

After weeks of maintaining he was still alive, senior officials later said that the 59-year-old was murdered in a rogue operation after visiting the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Sunday that Khashoggi's death was a "tremendous mistake" and added that his government would punish those responsible for his "murder".

Trump, however, seemed less willing to accept that official explanation, calling it a "lousy attempt at concealing a crime".

"Somebody really messed up... Because whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."

He said he was expecting to hear more from US intelligence officials during a meeting on Wednesday.

Trump, however, reiterated that he was not inclined to restrict arms sales to Saudi Arabia because "Russia, China and France" will quickly take advantage of the opportunity to sell their own weapons to Riyadh if the US refuses to do so.

"We're making very clear that the US does not tolerate this ruthless action to silence Khashoggi... through violence," he said, adding -- however -- that Washington will continue pursuing its strategic objectives with Saudi Arabia.

The New York Times reported that the journalist was killed within minutes after his entering the Saudi office. Sky News, a UK-based broadcaster, said that his dismembered body parts were recovered from the Saudi consul general's home.

--IANS

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized Saudi Arabia, saying that they orchestrated a "cover-up" of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but declaring that he will leave to Congress the possible US response in the matter.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," said Trump in the Oval Office in response to a reporter's question about how the killing could have occurred, Efe reporte.

"Whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble," the president said, referring to the presumed plan to murder Khashoggi.

Trump also said that there must be some kind of sanction imposed on those responsible for what occurred, although he would leave it to Congress to decide exactly what that should entail.

The president reiterated, however, that he is not inclined to restrict arms sales to Riyadh because "Russia, China and France" will quickly take advantage of the opportunity to sell their own weapons to Riyadh if the US refuses to do so.

The president did not say if he shared the conclusion of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Tuesday called Khashoggi's killing "premeditated."

Khashoggi, a journalist who had gone into self-exile in Washington and recently had been a critic of Riyadh, disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to pick up some documents for his planned wedding.

After a series of contradictory explanations, last Friday the Saudi government admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a "fistfight" inside the consulate and ordered the arrests of 18 suspects.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the US will review the visas of the agents and officials implicated in Khashoggi's death and will evaluate the possibility of imposing individual sanctions on those responsible.

Pompeo said that his department is working with the US Treasury to study the possibility of sanctioning the people allegedly responsible for the death within the framework of the 2016 Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the US government to punish those implicated in human rights violations anywhere in the world.

However, Pompeo said that the US will continue maintaining a close association with Saudi Arabia, although he emphasized that he and Trump were "not happy with this situation."

"We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this ruthless action to silence Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he said, adding - however - that Washington will continue pursuing its strategic objectives with Saudi Arabia.

--IANS

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Two men who were convicted earlier this year of fatally stabbing an Indian-origin man in west London's Southall suburb have been sentenced to a total of 40 years in jail.

Balbir Johal, 48, was attacked in March and admitted to hospital with stab injuries. He died a short time later.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a murder investigation and established that Johal was involved in an altercation with the two men -- Hassan Mohamed and Yassin Yussuf -- on Marlborough Road, Southall, on March 19.

According to a Daily Mail report on Tuesday, Mohamed and Yussuf were drug dealers and they killed their rival Johal after catching him selling crack cocaine and heroin on their patch.

The two men were charged with the murder. During a trial at an Old Bailey court on Tuesday, Mohamed was found guilty of Johal's murder. He was jailed for 26 years and was told that he must serve the full term before being considered for release.

Yussuf was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years and an additional three years on license on release. He was told he must serve nine-and-a-half years in prison before being considered for release, the Metropolitan Police said in a release.

A CCTV footage of the incident showed the two men in a white Mercedes pulling up alongside Johal before getting out and speaking to him.

One then returned to the vehicle and armed himself with a knife from inside the car before chasing after Johal and fatally stabbing him.

He was driven to hospital by a family member and treated for his injuries but could not be saved.

The following day, Mohamed and Yussuf were stopped by the police in the car that had been captured on CCTV and were detained and subsequently charged.

According to Duncan Penny, prosecution, Johal was killed "because he was dealing drugs in the wrong place at the wrong time".

--IANS

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A British member of the European Parliament met backlash in the chamber on Wednesday when he claimed that Nazism was a branch of left-wing ideology that shared the same goals as contemporary socialists.

Syed Kamall, a Conservative Party MEP for London and leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists, was responding to criticism from German Social Democrat MEP Udo Bullmann when he compared Germany's centre-left to the 1930s-era Nazi regime that plunged the whole continent into World War II.

"Mr Bullman, I would remind you when you talk about right-wing extremists, that Nazis were national socialists. It's a strain of socialism, it's a left-wing ideology, they want the same things as you, let's be quite clear," Kamall said to groans and jeers in the chamber, according to Efe news.

Outspoken eurosceptic Nigel Farage, an MEP for the United Kingdom Independence Party, who sat to Kamall's left, nodded in agreement.

It prompted a heated response from Dutch Labour Party member and Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans who shouted: "The first ones who were killed were socialists, you idiot!"

Kamall later tweeted an apology to Bullman.

His comparison between leftists and Nazis was refuted by virtually all mainstream historians and political scientists, as the regime led by Adolf Hitler was consistently classified as indisputably belonging to the extreme right of the conventional spectrum.

Socialists and communists were among the first political prisoners sent to concentration camps once Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party rose to power in 1933 and immediately outlawed the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party.

--IANS

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The United Nations, evaluating information on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said on Tuesday that it has asked Turkey and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in order "to get to the bottom of what happened".

The world organization stands by statements made over the weekend including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for "a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi's death and full accountability for those responsible," Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesman, told a regular briefing, Xinhua reported.

"We are evaluating information as it comes up," Haq said in response to questions about why the United Nations has not started an official investigation. "If there are any changes, special requests one way or the other, we'll have to consider them in due course."

"For a UN investigation to be successful we would need cooperation from the various parties who would be involved and normally we expect to have some form of mandate from a block of member states and we'll have to see if that can be achieved," he said. "We've already asked for cooperation among the Turkish and Saudi authorities to get to the bottom of what happened to Khashoggi."

"Ultimately we want to make sure there is agreement on a strong investigation, one way or another," he said. "Of course if we have a role to play in that we will consider it."

Asked if the world organization isn't already at the point of empowering a panel to investigate, considering the information at hand, he said, "We are not at that stage yet. You are hearing different parties talking about a UN role. I am just talking about ways that can be achieved."

Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. His fiancee waited in vain for him to come out of the building. Saudi authorities first said they didn't know anything, that he had left their office but later admitted he was killed during a fight following an argument in the consulate.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that Saudi Arabia wouldn't have dared to kill dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi without the support of the US, a close Riyadh ally.

Rouhani's comments came after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Saudi Arabia's account of Khashoggi's killing in Turkey as "the worst cover up ever" and revoked visas for Saudi agents suspected in the killing.

"No one would imagine that in today's world and in this century, we would witness such an organized murder, with an apparatus organizing such a heinous killing," Rouhani told a Cabinet meeting.

"I don't think any country dares to commit such a crime without a green light from the US," he was cited as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the journalist was the victim of a carefully planned "political murder" by Saudi intelligence officers and other officials.

Khashoggi, a supporter-turned-critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The kingdom first denied any involvement in the disappearance, but amid mounting international pressure, acknowledged that he had been killed at the consulate in a rogue operation.

The Iranian President described the case as a "big test" for the so-called advocates of human rights, particularly the US and Europe, Press TV reported.

"Undoubtedly, the positions which the US, Europe and other world countries adopt on the issue will reveal the degree of their sensitivity to (protecting) human rights and to preserving human dignity," he said.

"It seems that a clan that is governing a country and enjoying immunity is not afraid of committing such crimes, since it is depending on a super power's support, in such a way that even the courts of human rights are not allowed to probe it.

"How come that a big nation like Yemen has been the target of intense bombing and the world remains silent? Would Yemeni people be bombarded in such a barbaric way if the US did not support it?" Rouhani asked.

He called on Turkey to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder. Erdogan said that Ankara would not allow those responsible for the killing to avoid justice.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In its first, careful steps toward punishing the Saudis involved in the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US administration has revoked 21 visas of Riyadh men linked to the murder, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

It was the first concrete step by the Donald Trump administration after the disclosure of Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul, Time reported.

Pompeo did not reveal the exact number but the State Department told the that 21 Saudis were under the visa penalties, Xinhua news agency said.

"We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Foreign Ministry, and other Saudi ministries who we suspect to have a hand in the killing," Pompeo told the on Tuesday.

Pompeo added that the US would "continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable" for the heinous murder and cover-up later of the Washington Post columnist.

Top US diplomat revealed that the State Department was also reviewing the applicability of Global Magnitsky sanctions -- a penalty punishing those responsible for severe human rights violations.

Pompeo, however, also repeated that the "US still considers Saudi Arabia as a 'strong' ally".

Khashoggi was missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The Saudi authorities said last week that Khashoggi died in a "brawl" in its consulate.

The New York Times reported that the journalist was killed within minutes after his entering the Saudi office. His dismembered body parts have been recovered from the Saudi consul general home, a UK-based broadcaster said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Gujarat chief minister and expelled Congress rebel Shankersinh Vaghela on Wednesday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to honour the heirs of all princely states, which were annexed into India by the efforts of Sardar Patel whose statue he would unveil on October 31.

In a letter, Vaghela reminded Modi that it was the effort of Sardar Patel to create a united India that bore fruits.

"Although, it may be too late now, I request you to honour all the heirs later some time in Delhi publicly and also ask them to share their recollections of their ancestors' sacrifices," Vaghela said in the letter.

"Not only that, but I demand that all the names of such princely states with their logos in a chronological order of their merger in the Union be permanently etched in stone and placed just at the nearest place to the Statue of Unity so that the visitors may know of the sacrifices by these small kingdoms," writes Vaghela.

Out of the 562 princely states that Sardar annexed into India, 222 were from Gujarat, Vaghela reminded Modi.

--IANS

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Vietnam's National Assembly on Wednesday elected Lieutenant General Nguyen Manh Hung as the new Minister of Information and Communications at a time the government is silencing dissent.

Hung, 56, has been acting as interim minister since July when an official commission opened an investigation into former minister Truong Minh Tuan for alleged corruption, according to the official

The majority of the unicameral National Assembly on Tuesday approved the removal of Tuan before proceeding with the election of Hung, Efe news reported.

The appointment of Hung, who in the last four years served as General Director of the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group, came the day after the unicameral legislature session opened under new conservative President Nguyen Phu Trong.

Trong, 74, is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, a position he has held since 2011.

The Vietnam Constitution considers freedom of expression and press as basic rights, with more than 850 and 67 radio and television companies operating in the country and an Internet development pace that is among the strongest in the world.

However, the Vietnamese regime currently has 60 prisoners of conscience, including bloggers, and in June passed a cybersecurity law that, according to Amnesty International, will allow the government to control the last safe space of freedom of expression in the country.

Vietnam is among the five worst countries in the world as far as freedom of the press is concerned, according to the 2017 World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unfazed by double-digit decline in annual and quarterly net profit and posting lower growth than rival HCL Technologies in revenue, software major Wipro on Wednesday sounded upbeat on demand environment being strong in global markets for its IT services.

"Demand environment and traction in global markets continues to be strong, especially for digital transformation and enterprise scale modernisation services," Wipro Chief Executive Abidali Neemuchwala told reporters here.

Noting that the pickup in growth across industry segments continued in the US, where about 60 per cent of the IT majoras revenue is generated, Neemuchwala said the momentum was also better in Asia Pacific and emerging markets, which grew 7.9 per cent sequentially in the second quarter.

"We are seeing good momentum in our global business led by steady performance in the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) and consumer business and revival in the ENU (energy, natural resources and utilities) segment," asserted Neemuchwala on the occasion.

Unlike peers TCS, Infosys and HCL, city-based Wipro reported 14 per cent and 10 per cent annual and quarterly decline in net profit for the second quarter of this fiscal (2018-19).

Wipro's annual and quarterly revenue growth in single digit was lower than the peers for the quarter (Q2) under review, resulting in the Noida-based HCL overtaking it for the third slot after TCS and Infosys in performance.

"Other companies focus on market segments which determines their strategy. We feel confident about the path we have taken in the long-term interest of our customers. In the areas we operate, our goal is leadership," said the CEO on HCL upstaging Wipro in top line and bottom line growth.

The company is also seeing an uptick in its communications business driven by core enterprise spends and next-gen technologies like 5G.

"Though our technology business has been doing well, we expect the third quarter (October-December) to be impacted by furloughs," Neemuchwala said.

Furloughs refers to long year-end holidays due to Christmas and New Year.

"In the health vertical, we continue to see a challenge, driven by the uncertainty around ACA (Affordable Care Act) as it persists in the US," he pointed out.

The outsourcing firm also clinched its largest deal valued at $1.5 billion from the US-based Alight Solutions LLC during the quarter under review.

The net utilisation, excluding trainees was 85.5 per cent in Q2.

Digital business grew 13 per cent sequentially, contributing 31 per cent of the company's quarterly revenue. Our focus on client mining is paying off well, as evident from 3.6 per cent sequential growth by its top 10 clients.

On the company's non-operating income not benefitting from a weak rupee despite hedging against a strong dollar, company Chief Financial Officer Jatin Dalal told IANS that the bottom line (net income) was impacted by one-time settlement with an unspecified key customer.

The company's operating margin for the quarter was impacted by a loss of Rs 514 crore from the settlement with one of its unspecified key customers.

"Our earnings per share declined 7.5 per cent due to the settlement," admitted Dalal./Eom/510 words.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While the RSS officially denied that his visit had anything to do with next months elections in the state, Bhagwat's frequent treks to Rajasthan is being seen by many as an effort to mobilise RSS leaders and cadres on the ground amid reports that state Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is battling a wave of anti-incumbency. There are also informal discussions that the unprecedented resource ...

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A 102-year-old man in Australia has been booked after he allegedly indecently assaulted a 94-year-old woman in an old age home, media reports said Wednesday, in a rare incident involving a person above 100 years of age.

The elderly man and the woman are the residents of the Bupa Aged Care Facility Queens Park situated in the Waverley suburb of Sydney, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Police said that the assault took place around 12.30 PM on Tuesday, when officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command were called to the facility.

The man was charged with aggravated indecent assault, the report said.

A spokesman for the facility said that Bupa was "deeply sorry that this alleged assault occurred in our care home".

"We sympathise with the resident and her family for what they are going through. The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our utmost priority and we contacted the NSW Police and Department of Health as soon as we became aware of the matter," he said.

The man was granted conditional bail to appear at Waverley Local Court on November 20.

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A special investigative team (SIT) caught two persons with about one kilo of charas in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district Wednesday, a police official said.

Acting on a tip-off, the SIT caught Indu Devi of Obri Mohalla and her accomplice Dharam Singh of Malog village, said Chamba Superintendent of Police Monica Bhutunguru.

The SP said 968 gram of charas had been recovered from their possession. The two were arrested and a case was registered against them under relevant sections of NDPS Act at Chamba Sadar Police Station, she said, adding that further investigation was on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two men convicted of the fatal stabbing of an Indian-origin man earlier this year have been sentenced to a total of 40 years in jail by a London court.

Balbir Johal, 48, was attacked in the Southall suburb of west London in March and rushed to hospital with stab wounds but died a short time later. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Command launched a murder investigation and charged Hassan Mohammed, 24, and Yassin Yussuf, 21, with the murder of the logistics planner a day later.

At an Old Bailey court hearing in London on Tuesday, Mohamed was sentenced to 26 years' imprisonment and told he must serve the full term before being considered for release.

Yussuf was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment and an additional three years on licence, or release under strict conditions. He was told he must serve nine-and-a-half years behind bars before being considered for release.

"This fateful encounter, despite the best efforts of medical staff, cost Balbir his life. Those who carry and use knives must face the consequences of their actions and we hope these sentences serve as a deterrent to anyone else thinking of carrying dangerous weapons on our streets," said Detective Chief Inspector Nicky Wall, of the Met's Homicide and Major Command.

On March 19, police were notified by Ealing Hospital staff that Balbir Johal had been admitted to hospital suffering stab injuries. He died a short time later. A post-mortem examination, which took place on March 22, found the cause of death to be a haemorrhage from a stab wound to the right femoral vein, the Met Police said.

Detectives established through their enquiries that Johal was involved in an altercation with two men on Marlborough Road in Southall. CCTV captured the incident and showed two men in a white Mercedes pulling up alongside Johal before getting out and speaking to him.

One then returned to the vehicle and armed himself with a knife from inside the car before chasing after the victim and fatally stabbing him. He was driven to the hospital by a family member and treated for his injuries but could not be saved.

On March 20, Mohamed and Yussuf were stopped by police in the car that had been captured on CCTV and were arrested on suspicion of murder and subsequently charged.
Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including an M.Phil degree holder, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowgam area of the city on Wednesday, police said.

The slain militants have been identified as Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, a PhD scholar who had joined the militant ranks, and Asif Ahmad, the official said.

Sofi, who was pursuing PhD in Botany from Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi, had joined the militant ranks in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July 2016.

He is third highly educated person to have been killed this year after joining militancy.

The 33-year old Sofi also held MSC and B.Ed degrees.

Earlier this month, AMU scholar turned militant Manaan Bashir Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir Kupwara district while an assistant professor from Kashmir University Mohammad Rafi Bhat was killed in a gunfight in Shopian district two days after joining the militant ranks in May this year.

There has been an increasing trend of well educated youth joining militancy in recent years.

Esa Fazli, a engineering graduate from Ghulam Shah Badshah University, was killed in a gun battle earlier this year as well.

After Fazli's joining, an MBA student Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, son of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, also disappeared to join the militant groups.

"The standard operating procedures were followed during the operation and there was no collateral damage during the encounter," the official added.

Acting on a tip off about presence of militants in Suthu Kothair locality of Nowgam, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the early hours, a police official said.

He said the militants opened fire on security forces during the search operation, triggering a gunbattle in which two ultras were killed.

Incriminating material besides arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, he added.

Clashes broke out between protestors and security forces soon after the encounter ended, he said, adding the law enforcing agencies were engaged in pitched battles with the stone pelters for most part of the day.

Authorities snapped mobile Internet services in the city and shut educational institutions as a precautionary measure.

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At least four children were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a school in Pakistan's Quetta city in the restive Balochistan province.

The gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on the gate of Danish Kadah School - a private school located in the city suburbs, the Dawn reported.

Four students received bullet injuries on their legs in the firing. The injured students -- three boys and a girl - are aged 9 to 12 years.

The injured children were taken to the Civil Hospital, and are now in stable condition.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Saleem Ahmed Khosa condemned the firing incident and said those involved in the attack will be apprehended soon.

In 2014, Taliban militants stormed an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 149 people, mostly children.

The Human Rights Watch in a report last year said that attacks by the Taliban and other militant groups disrupted the of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls, in Pakistan.

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A surveillance team of the state government and police seized 61 kg of silver at Chhapara town during vehicle-checking in Seoni district of the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh Wednesday.

Chhapara tehsildar Jyoti Dhoke said the silver was recovered from a car driven by Phulchand Jain, a resident of Jabalpur.

The case was handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation, Dhoke said.

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Over 900 students of the National Institute of Technology, Uttarakhand have left en massefor theirhomes to press for their demand that the institute be shifted from its present "unsafe" location along National Highway 58 to a permanent campus, officials said.

The NITUK's temporary campus comprises two clusters. The hostels and classes are located on the government polytechnic campus while the administrative buildings and laboratories are located at the government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) located 400 metres away.

Students have been agitating since October 4 demanding that the institute be shiftedfrom its present location along NH 58 in the town which, according to them, was "unsafe".

Three B.Tech students had met with accidents while commuting from one cluster of the institute's temporary campus to another along the highway.

Two girl students of the institute were badlyinjured after being hitby a vehicle earlier this month while going from one cluster of the campusto the other sparking an agitation by the students.

The agitating students have threatened tocontinue their boycott of the lectures till the campus is shifted from its present location.

The NITUK students had held a six-day protest last year also demanding a permanent campus.

The agitating students have written to the President, the Prime Minister, the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the Minister for Human Resource Development seeking their intervention to resolve their problems.

NITUK Registrar Colonel Sukhpal Singh said the HRD ministry has been apprised of the development.

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The rebel faction of the AAP's Punjab unit Wednesday criticised the party's announcement of new office bearers and threatened to set up its own organisational structure if the appointments are not scrapped by November 1.

The development comes a day after the warring factions held talks here to iron out differences ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The members of the two groups had described the meeting as "positive" and "fruitful".

"On one hand they hold unity talks and then they issue a press release making announcements of new district presidents. We are hurt and saddened by this decision. It should not have happened," rebel faction leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira told reporters here.

"With these appointments it is clear they want to appoint their own men," he claimed.

"This decision raises a question about their intention (to patch up). They should scarp these appointments if they want to have an honest dialogue with us," he said.

Following a meeting of its core committee Tuesday, the the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) announced appointments of three district and eight constituency presidents, besides giving the charge of its Punjab kisan and transports cells to two MLAs.

Khaira said his faction had earlier decided to announce the names of 26 district presidents.

"But our political affairs committee has now decided not to announce the names of the new district presidents despite the fact that the list is ready," he said.

"We will wait till November 1. After that we will we forced to form our own organisational structure, up to the booth-level," he said.

The rebel faction had blamed the AAP's defunct organisational structure for the party's humiliating defeat in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-election, Shahkot Assembly by-election and zila parishad polls.

"In our meeting (on Monday), which was detailed one, we had sought scrapping of the current organisational structure and resignation of the leader of opposition (in Punjab Assembly)," said Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu, a member of the dissident group.

"We had also said the basis of talks would be the six resolutions passed at a volunteers' convention at Bathinda on August 2. If they agree to it then talks can be held," he said.

Sandhu said as a matter of principle, the AAP leadership should not have made the new appointments when the unity talks are underway.

The rebel group had already set up an ad hoc political affairs committee to monitor and supervise the reconstitution of the entire political structure of the state in August this year.

The AAP's Punjab unit plunged into a crisis when the party leadership appointed Harpal Singh Cheema as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly on July 26, replacing Khaira. Eight of the party's MLAs revolted against the decision.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tamil Nadu government Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that an act, enacted over two decades ago to regulate private clinics, came into force from June 1 this year.

The submission was made by Special Government pleader M Pappiah before Justice N Kirubakaran, who had raised several questions on non-enforcement of the Act following the death of a medical student after a hair transplant at a clinic in 2016.

Pappiah submitted that the state government has notified the 'Tamil Nadu Private Clinic Establishments (Regulation) Act, 1997', which was notified in April 2018 and came into force from June 1.

The court appreciated the government for giving effect to the act "at least after two decades" and posted the matter to November 8 for further hearing.

ARHT Global Hair Services Pvt. Ltd had moved the court, seeking to de-seal their premises, locked by the authorities after the death of a final year MBBS student on May 17, 2016 following a hair transplant.

The court had directed the government to file a reply with regard to implementation of the Act.

The medical student, Santhosh Kumar, had undergone a hair transplant at ARHT Global Hair Services on May 15 2016 and he died two days later.

Christian Medical College, Vellore, analysed the causes of his death and concluded that it could be due to toxic shock syndrome/septic shock/anaphylactic syndrome.

Following a social outcry, the centre's premises was raided and sealed on June 1.

Taking a serious view of the matter, Justice Kirubakaran had pointed out that Tamil Nadu does not have a regulatory mechanism as it had not framed rules for its own special law enacted in 1997.

The state government had also not adopted the central law enacted in 2010, the judge said.

Justice Kirubakaran had raised 10 queries, including why the government had not notified the Act, though it was passed by the Assembly on February 14, 1997 itself, when it would come into force and appropriate rules would be framed.

When the matter came up for hearing Wednesday, the SPP made the submission.

The court then posted the matter to November 8.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said that he would decide on taking action after receiving the report of a probe into the tragic Amritsar train accident in which 59 Dussehra revellers were killed after being mowed down by a train.

Singh, who is on a five-day visit to Israel since Monday, said that the probe he has ordered into the Amritsar accident is underway and its report to ascertain where the responsibility lies is awaited.

Asked if he considered cutting short his visit to Israel, the chief minister told PTI that his trip was planned a long time ago, "I definitely considered calling it off in the wake of the train accident".

"I did postpone my departure by a couple of days and spent the whole of Saturday in Amritsar. Even before leaving on Sunday, I spent all my time reviewing the situation and discussing it with my Cabinet colleagues and officials, and left only after being satisfied with the way things were being handled on the ground.

"Even after coming here, I am in constant touch with my cabinet colleagues and other officials on the ground and I am reviewing the situation every day. If at all I feel the situation warrants, I will naturally leave and get back home without a second thought," Singh said.

His Israel visit was criticised by the Opposition parties with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), BJP and AAP lashing out at the Chief Minister for his "indifference" and "insensitivity", less than 48 hours after the train mishap.

Singh has claimed that at the moment, the situation is very much in control and relief/rehabilitation work is totally on track.

"The probe I had ordered into the tragic incident is also underway and I am waiting for its report to ascertain where the responsibility lies and what action to take.

"A committee of three ministers, headed by Brahm Mohindra, is supervising the relief operations and I'm in touch with them on a regular basis," Singh said.

He is heading a high-level delegation to Israel to strengthen Punjab's cooperation with it in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, dairy farming and waste water management, besides trying to attract investments in the state.

Fifty-nine people were killed last week after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilt onto railway tracks while watching the burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train in Amritsar. At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A group of 25 activists Wednesday staged a dharna here demanding a ban on construction and holding of commercial programmes in ecologically sensitive zones of the city.

The protest comes ahead of the three-day 'Meet at Agra' trade fair being organised on a five acre plot near the Keetham Bird Sanctuary. The fair from October 26 will have 240 stalls for national and international shoe machinery and component suppliers.

Environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya said shoe manufacturers are holding the trade fair at a complex just 250 yards away from the Keetham Bird Sanctuary.

"Without permission from statutory government bodies, shoe manufacturers of the Taj city are holding a trade fair at a complex that they have built just 250 yards away from the sensitive eco zone of the bird sanctuary," he said.

The event could have been held at the leather park at Achnera but they have chosen to disturb birds and pollute the green lung of the city, Bhattacharya said.

According to organisers, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and union minister Suresh Prabhu will be attending the opening ceremony.

The organisers said there was no violation of existing laws or threat to the wildlife in the area from the trade fair.

Activists said they had complained and brought to the notice of all concerned that the shoe complex should not have been allowed in a forest area but for reasons beyond comprehension, no action followed.

The Keetham bird sanctuary, a vast stretch of wilderness along the Yamuna, is a crucial buffer between the oil refinery at Mathura and the Taj Mahal, already facing heat from increasing air pollution.

The British built the Keetham reservoir for emergency water supply to Agra, particularly during the lean months.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The agriculture ministry is examining the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee on doubling farmers' income by 2022, a senior official said Wednesday.

The panel headed by National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) CEO Ashok Dalwai has submitted a report with a detailed strategy to increase farmers' income to Rs 1.92 lakh per annum by 2022 based on the 2015-16 wholesale prices, from the current income of Rs 96,000.

"The inter-ministerial committee has submitted the recommendations on doubling farmers' income by 2022. The agriculture minister is holding a meeting with officials to decide the way forward," agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal said an event here.

Agarwal said the panel has pitched for higher investment by both public and private sectors in the farm sector besides shifting the focus on post production and marketing of agri-produce.

While speaking at the event organised by Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), he said some of the views of the panel are being implemented like linking 585 wholesale 'mandis' to the electronic platform and establishing soil testing labs across the country.

According to the report, economic indicators do not show equitable and egalitarian growth in income of farmers despite increase in agriculture and horticulture output over last few years.

"The human factor behind agriculture, the farmers, remain in frequent distress, despite higher productivity and production. The demand for income growth from farming activity, has also translated into demand for government to procure and provide suitable returns," the report said.

In a reorientation of the approach, the committee suggested "self-sustainable models" empowered with improved market linkage as the basis for income growth of farmers.

Highlighting the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, renowned agri-scientist M S Swaminathan emphasised on market access and anticipatory research work in view of the likely impact of climate change on the sector.

He also stressed on the use of new technologies like gene editing with agriculture entering a new phase.

Corteva Agriscience South Asia leader K V Subbarao talked about sustainable agriculture to meet the food demand in 2050.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Amnesty India Wednesday said there should



be an "independent and impartial" investigation into the death recently of seven civilians in a blast at Kulgam district in South Kashmir and those responsible for it should be brought to justice.

Seven civilians were killed on October 21 when explosives left unused by three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants, gunned down in an encounter, went off in Kulgam district of South Kashmir.

"In case of any direct or indirect violence between security forces and armed groups, extra caution should be exercised to ensure that civilians in the area do not become collateral damage.

"Safety of the civilian population should be of paramount importance," said Aakar Patel, Executive Director, Amnesty India.

Authorities should conduct "effective, independent and impartial" investigations into the killings and bring those responsible to justice, he said.

The incident took place at Laroo village in Kulgam district, one of the worst hit by militancy in South Kashmir, when security forces launched a search-and-cordon operation following intelligence report about the presence of militants.

"What transpired in the aftermath of the Kulgam encounter is unfortunate and could have been avoided.

"While we acknowledge that a case has been registered, we urge the authorities to ensure all those responsible for the incident are brought to justice for their failure to protect the human rights of the population of Jammu and Kashmir," said Patel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister Ramdas Athawale expressed the hope Wednesday that the BJP and the Shiv Sena would contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together and claimed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would win more than 300 seats in the general election.

The Republican Party of India (RPI) chief, who is in talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over fighting the upcoming Telangana Assembly polls and next year's Lok Sabha election, also expressed willingness to contest the parliamentary polls from the Mumbai South Central seat.

The RPI had submitted to the BJP a list of 40 seats it wished to contest in the December 7 Telangana Assembly election, Athawale said.

Claiming that the Dalit-Muslim "alliance" in Maharashtra will benefit the BJP and RPI, he said not all Dalit and Muslim voters supported Prakash Ambedkar and Asaduddin Owaisi, whose outfits had joined hands.

Athawale claimed that the Shiv Sena would suffer "massive" defeats if it chose to go alone in the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls.

"Irrespective of their fights and the Sena attacking the BJP, they will contest the elections together in Maharasthra. They can devise a formula to share the post of chief minister for half a term each," he told reporters.

The Union minister said his party was in talks with the BJP for contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai South Central, Satara and some other seats in Maharashtra.

"If the Shiv Sena remains in the NDA, they can leave the Mumbai South Central seat that I have decided to contest. If, however, they severe the ties with us, the RPI will stake claims over three-four seats in Maharashtra," he said.

The BJP should also consider allowing the RPI to contest from Uttar Pradesh, Athawale said, adding that his party could help tackle the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which had an influence among the Dalit voters of the state.

However, the RPI was planning to independently contest on some seats in the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and support the BJP on the remaining seats, he said.

Athawale voiced support to the Centre's move to send two top Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, including its director, on leave following a spat between them.

"Had they not fought (with each other), they would not have been removed. (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi's allegation that their removal was linked to the Rafale deal is baseless," he said.

The Union minister said both Hindus and Muslims should honour the Supreme Court verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, adding that the two sides should arrive at a "compromise formula" and allow the construction of a Ram temple and a mosque on the disputed land.

Voicing support to the demand for carving out a separate Vidarbha state from Maharashtra, Athawale said he would raise the issue at the next meeting of the NDA before the Winter Session of Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australia's leading aboriginal and torres strait islander dance company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, will embark on a multi-city tour of India this month as part of Australia Fest.

Internationally acclaimed for combining more than 65,000 years of aboriginal and torres strait islander culture with contemporary dance, the company, in India, will stage 'Spirit 2018' - a powerful collection of dance stories.

The production has been created by artistic director Stephen Page, drawn from the company's 29-year history.

"Bangarra's visit to India is a great opportunity to share our indigenous culture and history with Indian audiences.

"The dancers are dynamic artists, each of whom has a proud aboriginal and/or torres strait islander background," Harinder Sidhu, Australia's High Commissioner to India, said.

The company's India tour will take off with a dance performance set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Qutb Minar here on October 25, presented in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India.

Bangarra will then head off to captivate audiences in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Complementing Bangarra's multi-city tour will be a series of community engagement workshops with indigenous groups across the country, during which it will travel to Purulia, Bhopal and Aizawl, to learn and experience a variety of traditional dances in a series of artistic collaborations with these communities.

"Cultural exchange enables us to share, learn and grow as a company, and we are deliberately increasing the number of community engagement activities we undertake to set a new benchmark for the future," said Bangarra's Executive Director Philippe Magid.

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Telecom tower firm Bharti Infratel Wednesday reported a 6 per cent decline in profit after tax to Rs 600 crore for the quarter ended September on account of reduction in tenancy.

The company had registered a profit after tax of Rs 638 crore in the same period a year ago.

"The quarter witnessed much anticipated major exits of nearly 55,000 co-locations at Infratel and Indus due to consolidation and merger of operators, particularly merger of Vodafone & Idea. With these, the uncertainties in this respect are broadly addressed," Bharti Infratel Chairman Akhil Gupta said in a statement.

Consolidated revenue increased to Rs 3,668 crore from Rs 3,648 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2017-18.

Gupta said the telecom industry is now embarking on the next phase of rollouts and the company remains confident of India's long-term growth potential for the sector, driven by rising data demand, introduction of new technologies, availability of cheaper handsets and rich content availability.

On account of consolidation in the sector, Bharti Infratel saw reduction of 45,576 co-located sites, resulting in reduction of total number of co-located sites to 1,74,512 (including 42 per cent share of Bharti Infratel in Indus Towers).

The merger of Vodafone with Idea Cellular led to 27,769 exits from co-located towers during the quarter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an ally of the ruling BJP in Goa, demanded Wednesday that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar hand over his charge to "any of the senior ministers" till he recovered from illness.

A statement issued by the MGP in this regard comes even as Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Vinay Tendulkar has maintained that there will be no change in leadership in the coastal state.

Parrikar, 62, is not keeping well for the last few months. He is currently recuperating at his home here since he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar said the people of Goa were complaining that the state administration had collapsed due to the long absence of the chief minister from office.

"Since he (Parrikar) is recuperating at home, he should hand over the charge to any of the senior ministers till he recovers," Dhavalikar said here.

He added that the patience of the people was running out and they wanted a solution to the current "crisis".

"Every day, we have to pacify people who come to our doorstep complaining that the state administration has collapsed. What shall we tell them?" Dhavalikar asked.

He said his party would have to take "further decisions" if Parrikar did not hand over the charge to a senior minister within a month.

"The MGP's central committee will meet and discuss the situation, before taking any further decision. We will wait for a month for the chief minister to hand over the charge," Dhavalikar said.

The MGP is Goa's oldest regional party.

Dhavalikar had last month said it was high time Parrikar handed over charge to the seniormost minister in his cabinet during his absence from office.

Another ally of the BJP in the state, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), had also claimed last week that Parrikar's ailment was affecting his work and that of the state administration.

Meanwhile, Dhavalikar said the MGP was mulling to move the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court against frequent mid-term switchovers by MLAs from one party to another.

"We will plead that a law should be enacted to make it illegal for an MLA to switch over to any other party mid-term. The frequent bypolls are straining government resources, which is the taxpayers' money," he said.

Notably, two Congress MLAs had last week resigned as members of the state Assembly and from the party, reducing its strength from 16 to 14 in the 40-member House.

The Parrikar-led government has the support of 23 MLAs in the Assembly -- 14 of the BJP, three each from the GFP and the MGP and three Independent legislators.

The Congress had emerged as the single-largest party in the fractured verdict thrown up after the Assembly election in March last year.

However, it had failed to form the government as it could not muster the majority. Since then, the Congress is repeatedly claiming to form the government in the coastal state, arguing that it is the single-largest party.

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: With the BJP aiming to increase its strength in the December 7 Telangana assembly elections, the party's youth wing BJYM would organise its two day national conference here from October 27.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) chief and MP Poonam Mahajan performed the 'Bhumi Puja' for the event, along with party MP Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao and MLC N Ramachander Rao at Parade Grounds here, the venue, Wednesday.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh would inaugurate the event, to be attended by delegates from different parts of the country, on October 27.

BJP Chief Amit Shah will address a massive public meeting on October 28, the concluding day of the event, Ramachander Rao told PTI.

About two lakh people are expected to participate in the public meeting.

"The meeting will definitely have its impact on Telangana elections," Ramachander Rao claimed.

Several national leaders, including Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, are also expected to attend the convention, Dattatreya told reporters after the 'Bhumi Puja'.

About events and programmes planned for the summit, Mahajan had said Tuesday that the exercise was aimed to prepare party's youth workers for the 2019 general elections and a political resolution would be passed during the event.

BJP, which is positioning itself as the alternative to the ruling TRS in Telangana, is going it alone in the polls.

Shah had kicked off the party's election campaign at Mahabubnagar last month and addressed another campaign meeting at Karimnagar earlier this month.

BJP has also been organising assembly constituency-level booth workers meetings in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister has given its ex-post facto approval for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) among Brazil, Russia, India, and regarding cooperation in the social and labour sphere, an official release said. The on Wednesday approved a cooperation agreement signed among nations in the social and labour sector.

The MoU was signed on August 3, 2018, during Labour and Employment Ministers (LEM) meeting held under the South African Presidency in Durban,

"The MoU provides a mechanism for cooperation, collaboration and maximum synergy amongst member countries with the common objective of inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the new industrial revolution," the release said.

This would facilitate member countries to share knowledge and also implement joint programmes on matter of labour and employment, social security and social dialogue, it said.

The Cabinet also approved signing of Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) between Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in

"The BIA is likely to increase investment flows between the parties. It will provide appropriate protection to investments on a reciprocal basis between ITA and TECC," it said.

It would help project as a preferred foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, a release said.
The government Wednesday approved the pact between chartered accountant body, ICAI and Afghanistan's Certified Professional Accountants.

The initiative will establish mutual cooperation in the areas of capacity building of Afghanistan Accountancy Board, a regulator for accounting firms practising in Afghanistan.

Besides, it will enable Afghanistan to help India and ICAI in facilitating indirect employment generation for the Indian CAs through recognition and acceptability by Afghanistan employers.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Certified Professional Accountants Afghanistan, an official release said.

The pact will also help in strengthening the IT capacity and quality assurance in Afghanistan through facilitating knowledge transfer, students and members exchange programs, conduct of seminars, conferences and joint activities mutually beneficial to both the parties.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government Wednesday approved the signing and ratification of an extradition treaty between India and Malawi.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing and ratification of the treaty, an official statement said.

The treaty would provide a legal framework for seeking extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals from and to Malawi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of interfering in the working of the CBI and alleged that its Director Alok Verma was "sacked" to stop him from probing corruption in the Rafale 'scam'.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the prime minister "broke the law" and "bypassed" the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition, who were part of the panel that selected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief.

There was no immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the allegations.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, dismissed as "rubbish" the allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal and said the decision was based on the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) recommendations.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Modi government has put the "last nail" in the independence of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by removing Verma.

"Systematic dismantling and denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI's integrity, credibility and reliability is 'buried and dead'," he wrote on Twitter.

"Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isn't the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer," he said in another tweet.

Another party leader Abhishek Singhvi, during a press conference, said the CVC has no power to interfere in removal, appointment or reappointment, and is a supervisory body.

The Modi government and senior BJP leaders, scared over the Rafale issue, have implemented the 'Gujarat model' at the Centre and in the CBI, he said, adding that the CBI was made "lame duck and paralysed" by this government only to support and an accused of extortion charge.

"We charge the Prime Minister and the ruling BJP and its president for doing so to control the premier investigating agency, to get its dirty jobs done and in particular to avoid the day of reckoning arising from Rafale-o-phobia," he said.

Singhvi also alleged that the government violated the CBI Act in removing Verma. He said CVC has no power to appoint or disappoint and has no power to interfere in removal, appointment, and re-appointment too.

This 'direct interference' in an ongoing criminal investigation, "is a direct violation of the law of the land", which is clear that even the President of India cannot call an investigating officer and say anything about an investigation, he said.

"An illegal, unconstitutional and illegitimate coup d'tat in the CBI by the Modi-Shah duo has shamed India, has shamed all Indian institutions. It is very clear that the Prime Minister is experiencing 'Rafale-o-phobia'," he alleged.

Former law minister M Veerappa Moily said the removal of the CBI director was "illegal, unethical and unconstitutional" and against the set norms and practices.

Attacking the prime minister, Gandhi tweeted, "PM removed the CBI Director to stop him from investigating Rafale. Mr 56 broke the law when he bypassed CJI and LOP.

"Mr Modi, Rafale is a deadly aircraft with a superb radar. You can run, but you can't hide from It."



In an earlier tweet, he said, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave."



"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," Gandhi charged, claiming that the country and the Constitution were in danger.

Addressing a poll rally at Jhalawar in Rajasthan, Gandhi alleged that Verma was removed because the agency was raising questions over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

The Congress party on its official Twitter handle asked, "Why has the government removed CBI Director Alok Verma of his charge and sealed his offices? Who are they protecting and what are they hiding?"



Surjewala alleged in a tweet: "Scared of the Rafale Scam probe, Modi ji is killing India's premier investigation agency."



"Officers are being removed in hordes and fascism prevails. Can't save the sinking 'Sultanate' by it. Modiji, why are you so scared of the Rafale probe? he said.

He also alleged that Modi feared the top officer might take steps that could "hurt" him in the Rafale "scam" and has pushed the CBI into complete "disintegration".

He said the government "panicked" because Verma was likely to file an FIR in the Rafale issue based on complaints received by the investigating agency.

He also sought an "explanation" from the prime minister over the overnight removal of the CBI director.

Surjewala also hit out at Finance Minister Jaitley and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for putting out a "weak defence of cleaning the system to justify the prime minister's panic reaction on the Rafale scam".

"In order to save the prime minister, the finance minister and the law minister are taking ra refuge behind a bogus apology by giving explanation of a fraud equivalence.

The Congress leader also termed the transfer of the agency's Deputy SP Ajay Bassi to Port Blair as "Saja-E-Kala paani by an autocratic Modi ji".

"Illegality, interference and unconstitutionality of Modi government has hit a 'new low'. Speaking truth to power has become a crime under this dictatorial regime," Surjewala tweeted.

The prime minister has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous 'Modi Made Gujarat Model' by "this cloak-and-dagger mugging" of the CBI, he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government's decision to remove feuding CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the CVC's recommendations, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Wednesday, asserting that it is absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.

A Special Investigation Team will look into the charges and both officers will "sit out" the duration of the probe, he said, adding that they have been sent on leave as an interim measure.

It is up to the probe agency or the Central Vigilance Commission, which has superintendence over it in cases of corruption, to constitute the probe team, the minister told reporters.

The CVC, which received details of the charges both officers had levelled against each other, made its recommendations last evening as an "accused or potential accused" cannot be allowed to be in charge of investigation against them, Jaitley said.

The government has no role in it, he added.

Taking questions from the media during the Cabinet briefing, Jaitley said allegations by the top two officers of the country's premier investigation agency led to a "bizarre and unfortunate" situation.

He said he would not get into the merits of the charges against the two officers.

"To maintain the institutional integrity of the CBI and in the interest of fairness, they will sit out and go on leave as an interim measure so that the SIT does not function under the officers under investigation. It is in accordance with the highest standards," Jaitley asserted.

He also dismissed as "rubbish" allegations by opposition parties, including the Congress, that Verma was removed because he was to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"I regard this charge as rubbish. The fact that opposition parties are saying we know what agency was going to do next itself casts a doubt on the fairness process. I don't believe what they are saying is true, but if they did have access to what was going on in the mind a person that itself demolishes the integrity of the person they are trying to support," he said.

The government's order sending the two officers on leave and giving the director's charge to a joint director, he said, is only to give effect to the recommendation of the CVC.

"There are allegations against the two topmost officers. Who will probe them? The requirements of fairness and fair play have to be there. It does not fall under the government's domain. The government cannot probe it and will not do it," he said.

It is important for every person - not only the government, citizens but also the opposition -- that the fairness of the country's principal investigation agencies is maintained, Jaitley said.

It is not only to ensure that the CBI's probe into matters confined to the country is fair. The government can also not afford for fugitives and the "worst forms of fraudsters" living outside the country and facing charges in India to raise fingers at the agency, he said.

"The CBI is our premier investigative agency. And the maintenance of its institutional integrity is absolutely essential," he said.

Hitting back at opposition parties, he asked if they wanted either of the two officers facing allegations to be supervising probes against them. Nothing can be more unfair in the world, he said.

The government is committed to ensure that the CBI does not become a "mockery" as some officers have attempted to do, he asserted.

Responding to a question that the government wanted to defend Asthana as he is a "blue-eyed boy" of the Prime Minister's Office, Jaitley said what matters is the quality of evidence, not who is "blue-eyed or red-eyed".

As an interim measure, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given charge of the CBI to Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, an Odisha-cadre officer, with immediate effect, a government order said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Feuding Director and Special Director have been divested of their powers and sent on leave, capping overnight discussions that led to the agency's reins being handed to a joint director as an interim measure early Wednesday.

It is the first such case in the history of the investigating agency, sources said as Finance Minister told reporters that the government's decision to remove the CBI's two top officers was based on the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) recommendations.

Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, was appointed to look after the "duties and functions" of the director with "immediate effect" as an "interim measure".

A late night order Tuesday from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister sent Verma and Asthana on leave.

On Tuesday evening, the CVC recommended after a meeting that Verma and Asthana be sent to leave and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be formed to probe the allegations against them.

An SIT will look into the charges and both officers will "sit out" the duration of the probe, Jaitley told reporters after a cabinet briefing, adding that they have been sent on leave as an interim measure.

He said it is absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.

The allegations by the top two officers of the country's premier investigation agency had led to a "bizarre and unfortunate" situation, he said.

In a lengthy statement issued later in the day, the government claimed that Verma was not cooperating with the CVC.

It defended its decision to send him on leave, saying an "extraordinary and unprecedented" situation had arisen due to "grave allegations of corruption" against senior functionaries of the agency.

Immediately after taking charge, Rao effected the transfers of officers known to be close to the two officers.

He constituted a fresh team to probe an FIR against Asthana, registered by the agency on October 15 on the basis of a statement of a Sathish Sana alleging that he paid a bribe through middlemen to get clean chit in the case probed by the

The fresh team will have Superintendent of Police Satish Dagar and his senior DIG Tarun Gauba who will report to Joint Director V Murugesan, a order said.

A K Bassi, who was probing the case against Asthana, was dispatched to Port Blair in public interest with immediate effect.

His reporting officer Additional SP S S Gurm was transferred to Jabalpur while surpervisor DIG M K Sinha was moved to Nagpur, the order said.

The crucial position of joint director (policy) held by Asthana's bete noire A K Sharma has been given to DIG Amit Kumar as additional charge. Sharma has been transferred to the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), probing former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case.

Asthana has levelled serious allegations against Sharma and Bassi, claiming they were sent to Gujarat by Verma to Gujarat to gather material against him.

The additional charge of the Special Unit responsible for phone intercepts, in-house vigilance and surveillance has been given to K G Chaurasia, DIG, while incumbent Anish Prasad has been posted as deputy director (admin and personnel).

Joint Director A Sai Manohar, who was in Asthana's team, has been transferred to Chandigarh.

The rapid overnight changes in the CBI attracted criticism from the Congress and other opposition parties.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale fighter jet 'scam'.

"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he alleged on Twitter.

The country and the Constitution are in danger, Gandhi claimed.

The government has removed Verma to control the premier agency and avoid the day of reckoning arising from "Rafale-o-phobia", added Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

Jaitley, however, dismissed the allegations as "rubbish".

Other opposition parties, including the Left parties, AAP and Trinamool Congress, also spoke out.

"To ensure that the CBI is not a 'caged parrot', Supreme Court had granted protection to the Chief from govt's whims and fancies by giving him a two-year tenure. What is Modi govt trying to hide by its panic move?" CPI(M) general secretary asked in a tweet.

Former officers of the agency on condition of anonymity said the situation is "unfortunate" and may affect cases related to the extradition of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

In the wake of corruption allegations against the top officials of the agency,the accused may also plead that charges against them could be motivated, they said.

Gujarat cadre IPS officer Asthana was in charge of the SIT handling sensitive cases, including those related to Vijay Mallya loan default case, Agusta Westland helicopter deal bribery case and alleged corruption in land acquisition in Haryana.

Verma told the commission that Asthana's role was under probe in at least six cases, including one related to the loan default by Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBI row, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that its Director Alok Verma was removed because the agency was raising questions over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Addressing a public rally in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, the home turf of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Gandhi also alleged that Mehul Choksi deposited money in the bank account of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's daughter.

The CBI director was removed last night because the agency was raising questions over Rafale, Gandhi alleged, adding that Verma had asked for documents of the fighter jet deal.

At a press conference in Delhi, Jaitley, however, dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations.

Gandhi said that the prime minister sought votes saying he wanted to become the 'chowkidar' of the country but "the 'chowkidar' committed theft".

The prime minister did not waive a single rupee of farmers, but he wrote off bad debt worth Rs. 3.5 lakh crore of top 15 businessmen of the country, he alleged.

A farmer is called a defaulter (if he is unable to repay the loan) but big businessmen with bad debt are given a red-carpet welcome and banks ask them how they can be helped, Gandhi claimed.

Lalit Modi is sitting in London but he gives crores of rupees to the son of your chief minister, Gandhi alleged while addressing the gathering.

Vijay Mallya left the country after meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament and Choksi deposited money in the ICICI bank account of Jaitley's daughter, Gandhi alleged.

The Congress chief had earlier accused Jaitley of helping the fugitive diamond merchant escape the country and had alleged that the minister's daughter and son-in-law received retainership fees from the businessman.

Jaitley's son-in-law had later issued a statement, saying his law firm had returned the retainership the moment they came to know that the company was involved in a scam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CBI director Alok Verma was removed overnight without the approval of the selection committee because Prime Minister Narendra Modi feared that the top officer might take steps that could "hurt" him in the Rafale "scam", the Congress alleged Wednesday.

Talking to reporters here, Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the prime minister's "desperate bid" to cover up the Rafale "scam" had pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into complete "disintegration".

He claimed that the government "panicked" because Verma was likely to file an FIR in connection with the Rafale issue, based on complaints received by the probe agency.

Surjewala also sought an "explanation" from the prime minister over the overnight removal of the CBI director.

There was no immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the allegations.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has, however, dismissed as "rubbish" the allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

In an unprecedented fallout of a raging feud between Verma and CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who is facing bribery and extortion charges, both the top officers were stripped of their powers and sent on leave.

Surjewala said, "The removal of CBI director Alok Verma was illegal and unconstitutional. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was petrified that the number one in the CBI (Verma) was about to take steps that might have hurt him in the Rafale scam. The government panicked because Verma was likely to file an FIR in the Rafale issue, based on complaints received by the investigating agency."



He also hit out at Jaitley and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for putting out a "weak defence of cleaning the system to justify the prime minister's panic reaction on the Rafale scam".

"In order to save the prime minister, the finance minister and the law minister are taking refuge behind a bogus apology by giving an explanation of a fraud equivalence," the Congress leader said.

He asked the government to clarify if the new interim chief of the CBI, Nageshwar Rao, was "under a cloud", adding, "Doesn't this fact demolish the government's argument of cleaning the system?"



"Prime Minister Modi must explain why the CBI director was removed past midnight and what was the tearing hurry to do so without an approval of the selection committee. The government wants to denigrate and disintegrate the CBI, in a desperate attempt to cover up the Rafale issue.

"Doesn't it tantamount to complete trashing and slithering of Constitutional norms, laws and all semblance of political morality and accountability?" he asked.

Surjewala also attacked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has supervisory powers over the CBI.

"The CVC acted as a stooge and a captive puppet of the Modi government by abdicating its statutory responsibilities to play partisan for protecting the Modi government and its favourite government officer," he alleged.

The Congress leader accused the Centre of "trampling the Constitution and laws and making a mockery of the CBI and institutions".

"As per the orders of the government, the CBI director was divested of his duties. Only a selection committee comprising the chief justice of India, the prime minister and the leader of opposition can effect such a removal," he said.

Surjewala added that the CBI now stood for "complete burial of investigation".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In an unprecedented shake-up in CBI's 55-year-history, both the CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were stripped of their powers and sent on leave in dramatic overnight action by the government after their worsening feud sparked a serious crisis in the country's premier probe agency.

As the government went into damage control mode, Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, was appointed to look after the "duties and functions" of the director with "immediate effect" as an "interim measure".

Immediately after taking charge around midnight, Rao ordered transfers of a dozen officers with one of them being sent to Port Blair and also constituted a fresh team to probe bribery and extortion charges against Asthana. Most of the officers shifted were part of the probe teams against Asthana, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer.

A late night order Tuesday from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Verma and Asthana on leave.

But Verma knocked the doors of the Supreme Court Wednesday challenging the government's decision after which it agreed to hear his plea on Friday.

Targeting the Centre, Verma contended that divesting him of his powers "overnight" amounts to interference in the independence of the agency.

He said as the CBI is expected to function completely independently and autonomously, there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

Verma also contended that the Centre and the CVC's move was "patently illegal" and such interference "erodes" the independence and autonomy of the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI).

The government's move came hours after the Central Vigilance Commission(CVC) recommended that Verma and Asthana be sent on leave and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be formed to probe corruption allegations against them. The CVC, which is headed by K V Chowdary, has superintendence over the CBI in cases of corruption.

As the rapid overnight changes in the CBI sparked criticism from the Congress and other opposition parties, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley put up a spirited defence of the government action.

Jaitley said the government's decision to remove the CBI's top officers is based on the CVC's recommendations, asserting it is absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.

A Special Investigation Team(SIT) will look into the charges and both officers will "sit out" the duration of the probe, he said, adding they have been sent on leave as an interim measure.

The CVC, which received details of the charges both officers had levelled against each other, made its recommendations last evening as an "accused or potential accused" cannot be allowed to be in charge of investigation against them, Jaitley told reporters.

The government also came out with a detailed statement saying that wilful obstructions caused by Verma in the functioning of the CVC, which was looking into complaints of corruption against him, and a "faction feud" with Asthana that "vitiated" the environment in the agency resulted in the powers of both the officers being divested.

"The grave allegations of corruption by senior functionaries of CBI one against another, which has been widely reported in media, has vitiated the official eco-system of the organization," the statement said.

It added that the environment of "faction feud" had reached its peak in the CBI, leading to a potential loss of credibility and reputation of the agency.

But the opposition parties led by the Congress cried foul over the action against Verma. The Congress also dubbed the action as "last nail" in the independence of CBI.

Leading the charge, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave."



But Jaitley dismissed as "rubbish" the allegation of a Rafale link.

Gandhi also repeated the charge against the government over Verma's removal at a poll rally in Rajasthan.

The government has removed Verma to control the premier agency and avoid the day of reckoning arising from "Rafale-o-phobia", Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi claimed at a press conference



The interim CBI chief constituted a fresh team to probe an FIR against Asthana, registered by the agency on October 15 on the basis of a statement of a Sathish Sana alleging that he paid a bribe through middlemen to get clean chit in the case probed by the CBI.

The fresh team will have Superintendent of Police Satish Dagar and his senior DIG Tarun Gauba who will report to Joint Director V Murugesan, a CBI order said.

A CBI spokesman later said the SIT will carry out an impartial and fair inquiry expeditiously.

A K Bassi, who was probing the case against Asthana, was dispatched to Port Blair in public interest with immediate effect.

His reporting officer Additional SP S S Gurm was transferred to Jabalpur while surpervisor DIG M K Sinha was moved to Nagpur, the order said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them, sources said, calling it the first such case in the history of the agency.

As an interim measure, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given charge of the CBI to Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, an Odisha-cadre officer, with immediate effect, a government order said.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved that during the period of the subsistence of the aforesaid interim measure...M Nageshwar (sic) Rao, IPS, presently working as Joint Director, CBI, shall look after duties and functions of Director, CBI, and shall take over duties and functions with immediate effect," it read.

After taking over last night, Rao overhauled the team probing allegations of corruption against Asthana, bringing in completely new faces, officials said.

There have been changes from the investigation officer to supervisory levels, they said.

Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, who took over the duties and functions of CBI director late last night, appointed Satish Dagar as Superintendent of Police to probe the case, they said.

The previous investigating officer, Deputy SP A K Bassi, has been shunted to Port Blair in "public interest" with "immediate effect".

Rao, was also holding the charge of Additional Director along with A K Sharma and Praveen Sinha, who are Gujarat-cadre officers.

In an unprecedented move, the CBI on October 15 registered an FIR against Special Director Rakesh Asthana for allegedly taking a bribe from an accused probed by him in lieu of ensuring relief and a clean chit in the case.

The case was registered on a statement of the alleged bribe giver, Sathish Sana, who was facing probe in a separate case of bribery involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Asthana in his complaint against the director two months ago had alleged that it was Sana who paid Verma Rs 2 crore to get relief.

The CBI also arrested Devender Kumar, a deputy SP in Asthana's team.

The agency told a Delhi court Tuesday that an "extortion racket" was being run in the CBI in the garb of high-profile cases.

The spat between the two top officer is the first of its kind in the history of the agency.

It became public when Verma objected to the elevation of the then Additional Director Rakesh Asthana as Special Director before the Central Vigilance Commission.

The objections were noted, but the commission in a unanimous decision cleared Asthana as Special Director, making him the second-in- command in the agency.

A PIL filed by NGO Common Cause against the decision was also rejected by the Supreme Court.

Asthana, who was in-charge of the Special Investigation Team handling sensitive cases, including those related to Vijay Mallya, Agusta Westland and land acquisition in Haryana, filed an explosive complaint against Verma on August 24, alleging that he took a bribe of Rs 2 crore from an accused probed by him.

Asthana had also complained about 10 more cases of alleged corruption and irregularities against the director. He had alleged that Verma had tried to stop raids on Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The matter was referred by the government to the Central Vigilance Commission which then sought files of cases mentioned in Asthana's complaint.

In his response, Verma told the commission that Asthana's role was under probe in at-least six cases, including one related to the loan default by Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech.

He also told the commission that in his absence, his second-in -command Asthana cannot represent in panel meetings.

Asthana urged the government to intervene, seeking an independent probe into the allegations levelled by Verma and the cases in which his role was being alleged.

While communications were being exchanged, they were being leaked to the media which duly reported the developments bringing the first-of-its kind spat in the top brass of the agency in public glare.

Former officers of the agency on condition of anonymity have said the situation is "unfortunate" and may affect cases related to the extradition of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

In the wake of corruption allegations against the top officials of the agency,the accused may also plead that charges against them could be motivated, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: DMK President M K Stalin Wednesday lashed out at the Centre over the rumblings in the CBI, saying they have come at a time when the agency was likely to take up cases like the Rafale deal and the one against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

Sending CBI Director Alok Verma on leave amidst his spat with the agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana was not just "autocratic", but also showed the BJP government's "administrative anarchy," Stalin charged in a statement.

Both Verma and Asthana have been divested of their powers and sent on leave, as a fallout of a first-of-its kind spat between the top bosses of India's premier investigating agency.

Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been appointed to look after the "duties and functions" of the director with "immediate effect" as an "interim measure".

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had also alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale fighter jet 'scam'.

Stalin said the action against Verma comes at a time when he had reportedly initiated a probe into the Rafale deal, where the Opposition, led by the Congress, has alleged a scam in the purchase of the French made fighter aircraft.

"Reports suggest he had ordered a preliminary enquiry into the Rafale deal. The Prime Minister, who was angered by this, has used the opportunity to appoint IG level official Rao as director and this is misuse of authority," Stalin said.

Stalin, the leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly, also referred to the Madras High Court directing a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities against Palaniswami in awarding of road contracts by him.

He said there was a public perception that the Centre's actions were seen more to 'conceal' the Rafale issue rather than protecting Asthana.

Verma was always opposed to the "forceful imposition of Asthana into the CBI by Prime Minister Modi," he said, and condemned the action against Verma.

The actions of the Prime Minister created an impression of an "undeclared emergency," he added.

Stalin said Rao had earlier courted controversy when he had met then Chief Minister O Panneerselvam in his office during his stint here.

The CBI was presently handling sensitive cases and therefore required a director with "impeccable integrity", he said.

"But by appointing a junior officer, the BJP government has made the CBI its caged parrot," he said.

Stalin alleged that the central agency may be used against the Opposition during elections and help the government on the Rafale issue.

"It is unacceptable to see a war being declared against CBI's independence, credibility and autonomy," he said and called for revoking of the action against Verma.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma Wednesday told the Supreme Court that divesting him of his powers "overnight" by the Centre amounts to interference in the independence of the agency whose probes against "high functionaries" may not take the line desirable to the government.

He said the Centre and the CVC's move was "patently illegal" and such interference "erodes" the independence and autonomy of the premier investigating institution.

The apex court agreed to hear on October 26 the petition by Verma challenging the government's decision.

He has said in the petition that the CBI should be kept independent of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which has jurisdiction over the probe agency, since it seriously hinders the CBI's independent functioning.

He said that as the CBI is expected to function completely independently and autonomously, there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph by Verma's advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan. He assailed the decision divesting the CBI chief of his powers and sending him on leave in view of the internal feud between Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

He also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency.

"Over the recent past, although all functionaries within the CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view," the plea said.

It alleged that "hurdles posed" by Asthana have now been compounded by his complicity in "concocting evidence" to impugn the reputation of Verma, leading to a separate FIR being registered by CBI which has been challenged by the special director in the Delhi High Court.

"As matters stood thus, the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) and the Central Government have overnight taken the impugned decisions to divest the petitioner of his complete role as Director CBI and to appoint another individual in his stead. These actions are patently illegal for the reasons...," it said.

The petition also said that as the apex court has repeatedly stated that CBI ought to be insulated from the government, the present actions give serious credence to the requirement that the agency be given independence from the DoPT.

Verma has said he has complete confidence of his officers within the organisation and any illegal interference of this nature not only erodes the independence of the institution but also the morale of its officers.

He urged the court to stay the government's decision to divest him of powers and send him on leave so that such external interference does not occur again.

"The details of many of the cases which have led to the present circumstances are extremely sensitive and cannot with full responsibility be divulged in the present pleadings. The petitioner shall, however, furnish the same to this court," he said.

Verma said that not all influence that is exerted by the political government would be found explicitly or in writing.

"More often than not, it is tacit and requires considerable courage to withstand," the plea said.

It referred to Section 4B of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, saying it statutorily secures the two-year period of the director's tenure notwithstanding anything to the contrary.

This is precisely to secure the independence of the CBI, but the same has been violated by these orders, it said.

"In any event, Section 4A of the Act constitutes a high powered committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India for the purpose of appointing the Director of the CBI as also under Section 4B(2) to grant previous consent for his transfer. The exercise of power by the impugned orders has been to bypass the mandate of the committee," it said.

He sought quashing of three orders of October 23, one by CVC and two by the DoPT, as being without jurisdiction and in violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

He added that the orders were manifestly arbitrary, sans natural justice and without due process.

The petition has said whenever investigations were carried on, decisions regarding the direction of the probe were taken by an investigating officer and then approved at all levels right up to the Director CBI.

After the appointment of Asthana in CBI, despite the pendency of cases against him and the reservations in this regard expressed by Verma, decisions that were crucial to the progress of certain probe were stymied by Asthana alone, it alleged, adding many of these concerned very sensitive cases including those monitored by the top court.

It said that yesterday, three "rapid fire" decisions were taken by the CVC and DoPT.

The CVC passed an order under the DSPE Act divesting Verma of all functions regarding any cases registered or to be registered, after which the procedures of natural justice would follow, the plea said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chimpanzees can sniff out strangers from family members by discriminating between the smell of group members and others.

Researchers, including those from Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, conducted one of the first studies investigating the signalling function of social odours in non-human great apes.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the study presented two groups of chimpanzees with urine from group members, strangers and an unscented control in aerated plexiglass boxes and videotaped their behaviour.

Chimpanzees sniffed longer at urine than at the control, suggesting they perceive the odour of other chimpanzees.

More importantly, they discriminated between the smell of group members and strangers, sniffing outgroup odours longer than ingroup odours.

"Chimpanzees are highly territorial, and encounters between groups are mostly hostile -- in fact, they sometimes kill individuals from other communities -- so olfactory cues might help them to locate other animals and determine whether they are group members or strangers, enhancing their survival and leading to fitness benefits," said Stefanie Henkel of the University of Leipzig.

"Odour might be especially important because most chimpanzees live in dense forests where visibility is low, and because in chimpanzee societies, group members split up into subgroups that may not see each other for days," Henkel said.

The researchers found that chimpanzees sniffed longer at the odour the more closely related they were to the odour donor, providing the first evidence for odour-mediated kin recognition in non-human great apes.

"The ability to recognise kin is crucial, because it allows animals to choose appropriate partners for coalitions, avoid mating with close relatives, and avoid killing their own offspring," said Jo Setchell from Durham University in the UK.

"There is evidence that humans can also recognise the smell of their relatives, even as newborns. We apparently retained good olfactory capabilities, although we -- like our closest relatives, the chimpanzees -- don't usually scent-mark, and lack the specialised olfactory system found in many other animals," said Setchell.

"Our results help us to understand the evolution of primate chemical communication and suggest that we should pay more attention to olfaction in apes," said Setchell.

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China has launched a new rail and road cargo service linking Lanzhou, capital of its northwestern Gansu province, with Islamabad in Pakistan, state-run media reported Wednesday.

The first train carrying 30 carriages of mechanical equipment, auto parts and daily necessities left a logistics centre Tuesday morning in Lanzhou, bound for Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, state-run China Daily reported.

The goods will then be transported to Islamabad by a highway, it said.

Luo Zhe, deputy director with the management committee of the International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou), said that the 4,500-km trip will take 13 days, around 15 days less than the traditional sea route.

This was the second freight train service launched by Gansu to south Asia.

In 2016, a rail and road cargo service opened between Lanzhou and Kathmandu, Nepal.

"I hope the new rail and road cargo service can set a good example for cooperation between China and Pakistan and encourage more countries and regions to join the Belt and Road Initiative," Luo said.

China is constructing a multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship venture of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing Beijing's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects.

The CPEC is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.

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China has lifted the ban on import of Indian rapeseed meal, a protein source used in animal feed, amid growing acceptance of the product in Beijing, an official said Wednesday.

"Export Inspection Council of India and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India are spearheading the marketing efforts in China and expected to commercially resume the exports of rapeseed meal very shortly," the official said.

The product was banned in China in 2012 due to detection of contamination.

India had been pursuing with China to remove the ban. The issue was repeatedly taken up by the commerce ministry officials in their bilateral meetings with Chinese authorities.

Indian exporters see a major opportunity arising out of China's latest efforts to reduce its dependence on other countries including the US.

The move would also help India to boost its exports to China, with which New Delhi has huge trade deficit.

Before 2012, India exported 4 lakh tonnes of oilmeals (1 lakh tonnes soymeal and 3 lakh tonnes rapeseed meal) to China worth about Rs 600-700 crore.

The trade gap with China has widened to USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18 as against USD 51.11 billion in the previous fiscal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A class 5 student died after he was hit by a tanker-trolley while returning home here, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday, they said.

Sahil, 11, was hit by a tanker-trolley while he was returning home from school,



Station House Officer at Khanpur police station Balwan Singh said, adding he died on the spot.

The SHO added the body was sent for post-mortem, while the tanker was seized.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: The Congress-led opposition UDF Wednesday hit out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for criticising the head priest of Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, saying it was an "onslaught" on devotees across the world.

The 'tantri' (the head priest) is the final authority in deciding the rituals and traditions of the Lord Ayyappa temple and any remarks against him is "unbecoming" of the position of a chief minister, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here.

He also alleged the chief minister was threatening the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the shrine, because it was not acting as per his orders.

The anger over the non-implementation of his order to bring women to the hill shrine anyhow, was reflected in his words against the head priest and the TDB, Chennithala said.

"Police had tried to bring activist women to Sabarimala by giving them their uniform but failed. The Chief Minister is showing that anger towards the tantri," he said.

"His attack against the head priest was an onslaught on devotees of Lord Ayyappa across the world," he added.

Vijayan is trying to create fear and anxiety among devotees through his statements, the Congress leader alleged.

Referring to several judgements of the Supreme Court regarding the custody of temples, Chennithala said "in Sabarimala, tantri holds a paternal position in relation to the principal deity Lord Ayyappa."



Showing the hereditary tantri family in bad light was unbecoming of a chief minister, he alleged.

At a public meeting held at Pathanamthitta district Tuesday, Vijayan had criticised Sabarimala head priest, Kandararu Rajeevaru for his stand that he would close the temple and go if young women were allowed inside the temple complex.

He had also said that it was improper for the tantri and the 'parikarmies', temple employees assisting priests in pujas, to oppose the government decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the hill shrine.

The Sabarimala tantri had extended support to the series of agitation staged by Ayyappa devotees across the state against the government's decision to implement the top court order.

Besides Rajeevaru, other members of the tantri family had also participated in some of the prayer meetings, organised in protest against the implementation of the verdict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore Wednesday accused Congress leaders of "making false statements" and "misleading the people".

Speaking at a press conference here, Rathore said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was trying to deceive the people with statements which were not backed by facts during his address in Jhalawar today.

Rathore said Congress leaders do not understand basic and can go to any extent to come to power.

The Congress chief's public meetings were only for "show" as most of the people present there were ticket-seekers for the upcoming assembly election, he claimed.

He said it seemed the Congress chief was unaware of the NCERT report where Rajasthan stood second in education.

During BJP rule, 78,000 teachers were appointed, he said, adding that the Congress on the other hand was trying to stall the appointment of 26,000 grade-3 teachers.

He said the selection process was complete, but the Congress wrote to the Election Commission to not allow the appointment letters to be issued.

Rathore said crime registered under sections of IPC and against women had reduced during BJP rule in the state. He said the Congress should know the state government had recently waived loans of farmers upto Rs 50,000.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The college in Crimea where a teenage gunman killed 20 people last week reopened Wednesday with tearful students attending classes in different buildings as some parents chose to withdraw their children.

The Kerch technical college, which admits children from the age of 14, lost 20 students and staff last Wednesday when student Vladislav Roslyakov went on a shooting rampage.

The 18-year-old also set off explosives in one of the school's buildings. That section, which was seriously damaged in the explosion, has now been closed off and classes rescheduled in other buildings nearby.

Police were overseeing security on the grounds, an AFP correspondent observed.

About one hundred final-year students have been sent away on internships to allow the college to function on limited premises, Crimea governor Sergei Aksyonov told local media.

Nearly 50 people are still hospitalised with injuries sustained in the attack, he said.

Twenty-two families have said they want their children to go to other schools, he added.

Aksyonov said the Russian national guard would now provide security in Crimean schools to "help convey the feeling of security and safety to people."



At the college, people were seen adding flowers to an informal memorial with photos of the victims. Some students were crying and comforting one another outside the buildings.

The perpetrator of last week's attack, who was found dead with a gunshot wound on site, was shown in camera footage wearing a similar t-shirt to Eric Harris, one of the killers in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in the US, which left 13 people dead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the attack on "globalisation" and online communities dedicated to American school shootings which promoted "fake heroes.

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The 1986 batch Odisha cadre IPS officer M Nageswar Rao, who has been made interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is known for his acumen in handling disasters in the state as well as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The selection of Rao to head CBI was lauded by many as the country's premier investigation agency is, for the first time in its history, hit by a situation akin to a disaster.

Describing Rao as a competent officer, former Odisha DGP Gopal Nanda said the former's experience will help in proper functioning of the agency.

Rao is considered a "crisis manager" in the Odisha Police circle and has often engaged in difficult situations, he said.

He is the second Odisha cadre officer to head the CBI.

Earlier, Uma Shankar Mishra of the Odisha cadre had worked as the director of the CBI.

Rao, as the Additional Director General of Fire Service and Home Guards of Odisha, had displayed excellent performance in disaster management during cyclone Philin in 2013 and Hudhud in 2014, recalled a senior officer.

Rao's team in 2014 bagged the first Chief Ministers award for Excellence in Governance and Innovation in Public Service for outstanding work during cyclone Phailin and Hudhud. The IPS officer was also awarded Rs 5 lakh prize.

As cyclone Hudhud hit Visakhapatnam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had asked Rao to lead a team of more than 500 Fire Service personnel for rescue operations, an officer said.

The Andhra Pradesh government and people of Visakhapatanam highly appreciated the commendable work of the Odisha Fire Service under Rao's leadership.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu had felicitated Rao in a public function in Visakhapatanam.

A recipient of President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service, President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service, Special Duty Medal and Odisha Governor's Medal, Rao demonstrated his acumen in the police from day one of his posting as Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Talcher in 1989-90.

In the 80s and 90s, Talcher was known as the 'second Dhanbad' for coal smuggling and criminal activities. Rao, then a young IPS officer, effectively controlled the situation and earned appreciation from one and all.

Rao has also worked as SP of Mayurbhanj, Nabarangapur, Bargarh and Jagatsinghpur districts. He was also SP, Railways at Rourkela and Cuttack as well as SP of Crime Branch.

In Mayurbhanj, Rao took special interest in launching a programme targeting Lodha tribes members, who had adopted crime as their profession for generations. With assistance and guidance from then Mayurbhanj district collector Hawa Singh Cahar, Rao brought reform in the community and effectively persuaded the tribe to refrain from crime.

Rao has also earned the distinction of being the first police officer in Odisha to use DNA finger printing technique in crime investigation and detected an unknown rape case when he was SP of Jagatsinghpur district in 1996. The rape case ended in conviction of the accused for seven years.

A post-graduate in Chemistry from Osmania University, Rao used his ability to use science in crime detection and solved the rape case. He had also undertaken research work at IIT-Madras before joining the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1986.

Hailing from Mangapet village of Warangal district in Telangana, Rao also contributed as an SP Crime Branch in successful prosecution and getting the main accused Belu Das convicted in the 1991 Hooch tragedy that killed more than 200 people in Cuttack.

He was known for detecting Urea diversion scam in Nabarangpur district and Sulphur scam in the Paradeep Phosphates Limited in Paradip.

His anti-insurgency works in Manipur as DIG (Operations) of CRPF also earned him a lot of praise. As IGP, CRPF, Eastern Sector, Kolkata, he personally led Lalgarh operations against the Naxals in 2008.

Rao was instrumental in establishing CoBRA Battalion of CRPF and sanctioning of 2nd Group Centre of CRPF at Sambalpur. As IG CRPF, Rao also played a key role in defusing tension in riot-hit Kandhamal in 2008.

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Delhi's air quality Wednesday dipped to 'very poor' barely two days after staying in the 'poor' category, even as firefighting operations continued at the Bhalswa landfill site.

The (CPCB) recorded the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of at 312 at 11 am.

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'.

The air quality in the capital had shown signs of improvement Monday as it moved from 'very poor' to 'poor' category, but experts said it could deteriorate in the coming days due to toxic air coming out of the blazing fire at Bhalaswa landfill site.

A Fire Service official said firefighting was still on at the garbage dump site.

"Due to continuous discharge of methane gas from the landfill, fire erupts randomly. Two fire tenders are currently working on containing the fire at the site," he said.

Fire has been raging at the massive dump site since October 20.

However, by Tuesday evening, the flames were somewhat brought under control and parts of the landfill smouldered, DFS officials had said.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) also reported an AQI in the 'very poor' category.

On Sunday, the AQI had oscillated between 'poor' and 'very poor' categories.

On Saturday, a haze had engulfed the capital and the worst air quality of this season was recorded at 324.

North Mayor Adesh Gupta and Commissioner Madhup Vyas had visited the landfill site on Tuesday and the civic body had announced a slew of measures, both long-term and short-term for remediation of the site.

Anumita Roychowdhury of CSE Monday said, toxic air emanating out of such landfill fires is likely to affect the air quality.

"If the wind speed is lower and the temperature dips, the polluted air coming out of the landfill fires will get trapped, which would severely affect the air quality," she said.

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Protection Control Authority (EPCA) Friday had held a meeting with officials of Punjab, and the Delhi governments to discuss the pollution situation in the capital.
DowDuPont Inc will conduct final field trial of genetically modified (GM) variety of corn in India once the regulatory system is ready to permit commercial cultivation of such food crops, the company's senior official said Wednesday.

Recently, the company's Indian arm had deferred field trials of its herbicides and insecticide resistant GM corn in the country.

India has so far permitted commercial cultivation of BT cotton and imposed the moratorium on Bt brinjal. The regulator has sought more tests on

"We are waiting for the trigger for the regulatory approval (for food crops) and readiness of the system," DowDuPont Inc's agri-division Corteva Agriscience Managing Director (South Asia) K V Subbarao told reporters.

As per the norm, four years field trials are required to get the final approval of the regulator to sell the GM corn. So far, the company has done three years of on-farm field trials, he said.

"We are at the last stage of trials. Till the regulatory system is ready for the approval and adoption, we have deferred the trials," he noted.

Subbarao said that the trials were withdrawn not due to concerns related to intellectual property even as he emphasised its importance in the seed sector.

"The final trial will have to conducted in broad agro-climatic conditions on a large scale. The approvals we had was from selective one or two states," he said.

Corteva Agriscience sells both hybrid seeds and crop protection solutions in India. It has manufacturing units one each in Telangana, Maharasthra and Gujarat.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Police has given a clean chit to former state Home minister Ravi Naik and his son in a case of alleged nexus between politicians, police and drug traffickers.

A senior police official said Wednesday that 15 people, including Naik and his son, were questioned but "no evidence was found against them".

The SIT has prepared a 50-page report of its probe and it would be submitted to the state government this week, he said.

"A detailed interrogation was conducted in the matter. We even called two persons who were not named in the House Committee report during the investigation," the official said.

Naik, who is currently a Congress MLA from Ponda constituency in North district, was the state Home minister during Digambar Kamat's tenure as the chief minister.

A Assembly Committee's report had in 2013 indicted Naik, his son and some police officers for allegedly having links with the drug mafia.

An eight-member SIT, headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Edwin Colaco, was constituted in January this year to investigate the House Committee's report.

The alleged nexus had come to light in 2010 after a Swedish model, during her stay in Goa, posted her boyfriend and an alleged drug peddler's video clips in which the latter purportedly admitted to his links with some police personnel.

Five policemen, including then head of Goa Police's Anti-Narcotic Cell Ashish Shirodkar, were arrested for their alleged links with the drug mafia.

The model had alleged that a big politician's son was also part of the drug mafia.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Daimler Mobility Services GmbH and Geely Group Company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's new business subsidiary, announced on October 24 that they will build a joint venture (the JV) in China to provide premium ride-hailing services, according to Geely's official WeChat account.

The 50-50 JV will be headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The JV will work on providing ride-hailing services in some Chinese cities using premium cars, including but not limited to Mercedes-Benz branded vehicles. At the initial stage, the fleet will include the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, E-Class and V-Class and Maybach vehicles and could deploy premium electric vehicles from the Geely Group later.

The financial terms and investment plans of the JV have not been exposed yet. The establishment and operation of the JV should be approved by the merger control authorities.

Geely Group Company and Daimler Mobility Services will be equally represented on the board of the new JV. In the future, both parties will jointly develop the software infrastructure required for extending businesses in China.

The JV will help Geely Group Company and Daimler AG expand their new mobility services in China.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has launched its mobility service platform dubbed Caocao Zhuanche that currently has deployed over 29,000 all-electric vehicles in 28 cities across China with over 360,000 trips completed per day. Besides, the Chinese ride-hailing service platform has by far attracted more than 170 million registered users with over 1 million regular active users on the app on a daily basis.
An alleged drug peddler was arrested with 3,312 intoxicant tablets in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Wednesday, police said.

A police party intercepted a man, identified as Makhan Singh, in Lakhanpur area and seized 3,312 intoxicant tablets from his possession, they said.

He was arrested and a case has been registered against him, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi University Wednesday recommended to remove Dalit writer-activist Kancha Ilaiah's books from its political science syllabus over their "controversial content", while also suggesting to discontinue the use of the word 'Dalit' in academic discourse.

In a meeting held by the varsity's Standing Committee on Academic Matters, Professor Hansraj Suman said there was a discussion on the syllabus of nine Masters courses.

"A decision was taken for the removal of Kancha Ilaiah's books from the political science syllabus due to their controversial content. These books are 'Why I am not a Hindu' and 'Post-Hindu India'," Suman, who is a member of the Academic Council and the Standing Committee, said.

The professor also objected to the use of the word 'Dalit' in a paper titled "Dalit Bahujan Political Thought" under the political science course.

He said the word 'Dalit' has been banned at many places and recommended for the usage of 'Scheduled Caste' instead, an idea accepted by the Standing Committee.

The Standing Committee of the varsity also passed a decision to include the writings of B R Ambedkar in the syllabus.

Suman added that the recommendations have been forwarded to the university's Academic Council.

Reacting to the suggestion of banning his books from the political science syllabus of Delhi University, Ilaiah said the decision was "unfortunate", adding the "right-wing does not want plural ideas in academic discourse".

He said three of his books-- 'Why I am not a Hindu', 'God as Political Philosopher: Buddha's Challenge to Brahminism' and 'Post-Hindu India'-- have been a part of the syllabus for decades.

"These books are a part of the syllabus of foreign universities like the Cambridge and even other universities across India. They are used in Delhi University as reference books as well as course material. It is a very unfortunate move. Under the BJP government, academic autonomy is getting destroyed. They do not want plural ideas in academic discourse," the writer told PTI.

Ilaiah said the Supreme Court had last year refused to ban his book 'Samajika Smugglurlu Komatollu' (Vysyas are social smugglers), ruling that every author has a fundamental right to voice ideas freely.

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Emerald Fennell is joining the royal family of "The Crown" as a young Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in the third season of the hit Netflix series.

The streaming giant made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter, saying the 33-year-old actor will play Camilla Shand (later, Parker Bowles) in the upcoming installment of the show.

Fennell said she was looking forward to be a part of the royal drama.

"I'm absolutely over the moon, and completely terrified, to be joining so many hugely talented people on 'The Crown'.

"I absolutely love Camilla, and am very grateful that my teenage years have well prepared me for playing a chain-smoking serial snogger with a pudding bowl haircut," she said in a statement.

Her previous credits include "Call the Midwife" and "The Danish Girl".

Josh O'Connor will take over as Prince Charles from Julian Baring.

When the drama returns to Netflix, Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies will star as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.

Helena Bonham Carter plays Princess Margaret and Ben Daniels essays the role of Lord Snowden in the show's third run.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke on the phone with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a presidential source said.

The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.

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Telecom gear maker Ericsson Wednesday said it will work with telecom operator BSNL for developing new use cases around 5G technology in areas like agriculture and education, especially for rural areas.

As part of the agreement, the two parties will also collaborate for knowledge sharing on 5G technology concepts and industry trends.

The partnership will leverage Ericsson's 5G Centre of Excellence at IIT Delhi to engage in evaluating benefits of 5G technology in areas like rural connectivity, connected healthcare and agriculture among others, Nitin Bansal, MD India and Head of Network Solutions (South East Asia, Oceania and India) at Ericsson, told reporters here.

BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said 5G will play an important role in delivery of 'Digital India' initiatives.

According to a report by Ericsson, 5G-enabled digitisation revenue potential in India is estimated to be over USD 27 billion by 2026.

Also, the Indian operators can generate additional revenue of USD 13 billion if they take up roles beyond connectivity and become service enablers, it added.

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The United States has announced to revoke visas of Saudi officials allegedly involved in the "killing" of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid an international outrage over the scribe's death.

Saudi Arabia has admitted that Khashoggi, 59, a contributor for The Washington Post, was killed in its Istanbul consulate.

The US will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult the Congress, and work with other nations, to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.

Given the information, currently, available with the United States, the administration is taking appropriate actions, he said.

The US has identified at least some of the individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death. These include those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Saudi foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries, Pompeo said.

Khashoggi, a former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, disappeared after he entered the consulate on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage.

The incident has severely dented the international reputation of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

We are taking appropriate actions, which include revoking visas, entering visa lookouts, and other measures. We are also working with the Treasury Department to review the applicability of Global Magnitsky sanctions to those individuals, Pompeo said.

The Saudis, so far, have said that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight during an interrogation that went wrong, while Turkey has alleged that he was brutally killed and it was pre-planned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the "savage murder" of the journalist was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

On the outrage against Saudi Arabia in the US, Pompeo said these penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States.

We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence, he said.

The US, however, continues to maintain a strong partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

President Donald Trump has said Saudi authorities have staged the "worst ever cover up" in the death of Khashoggi, but reiterated he does not want to scrap the USD 110 billion mega arms deal with Riyadh over the issue.

"Neither the President nor I am happy with this situation. Our shared strategic interests with Saudi Arabia remain.

"We continue to view as achievable the twin imperatives of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, Pompeo said.

He said the US is working with its allies around the world on this issue and wants to make sure that everyone understands that the United States does not believe that the killing of Khashoggi was anything other than a horrific act.

"We hope that we can work together, both with Congress and our allies, to hold those responsible accountable, the Secretary of State said.

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Five school boys who were missing from Jharkhand's Ramgarh district since Monday were found in West Bengal's Howrah station, the police said Wednesday.

The boys in the age group of 12-14 years left their homes after returning from school on Monday and were missing since then, they said.

They hail from New Colony, Bagicha under Ramgarh town police station of the district, the police said, adding the parents of the boys lodged separate missing reports with the police.

In their reports, the parents said the boys returned from school, kept their school bags and went out on Monday. The parents searched to find them at all possible places but did not find them.

Superintendent of Police, Ramgarh, Nidhi Diwedi, who spoke to the parents of the missing boys, said that all five missing boys were seen walking together on streets in CCTV installed nearby and is not a case of abduction as suspected earlier.

"We alerted railway stations and bus stops of Ramgarh and neighbouring districts including Ramgarh, Barkakana junction, Ranchi Road, Ranchi and Hazaribagh about the missing boys," the she said.

The SP said all the five boys were found at the Howrah Station near Kolkata.

The boys have been handed over to Child Welfare Commission, the SP said, adding a police team from Ramgarh district have left for Howrah and will get in touch with the Commission Thursday.

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: Five people including a 16-year old boy were arrested for sexually assaulting and branding a minor girl near Thiruvaiyaru in the district, police said Wednesday.

The 14-year old girl, a school dropout was sexually assaulted by the boy from Kudithangi last week, police added.

Meanwhile, M Kannan (29) and his brother M Mahendran (35) from a nearby village, accused the girl of stealing their mobile phone and tied her up to a tree and assaulted her, police said.

Kannan also sexually harassed her, they added.

The brothers along with S Sivakumar and Vidhya, a woman from the area, branded the girl with an iron rod, police said.

The girl managed to escape and hid herself in a plantain grove.

Later, she informed her father, who admitted the girl to Thiruvaiyaru government hospital.

The girl's father filed a complaint with the all-women police station in Thiruvaiyaru on Monday following which the five were arrested.

Police registered cases under various sections of Indian Penal Code and under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act.

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Footwear industry in the country has a huge job potential but it remains untapped as not many were willing to consider it as a career option in view of the 'false mindset' that it was meant for people belonging to 'lower caste.'



Calling it a burgeoning industry, Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI) Director K Murali said in the next three to six months, over 35,000 vacancies would be thrown open to trained professionals.

"In our place working in footwear industry is considered as a profession meant only for lower castes. It is a false mindset. Big players are coming in, brands like Adidas already has a factory in Tada, Nike is putting up its second unit at Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri," he told PTI.

Noting that the industry exported products worth Rs 40,000 crore on an average annually, Murali said Tamil Nadu contributed for nearly 60 per cent of the exports.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of a six-month-long course 'Condensed Course in Footwear Design and Production' exclusively for SC/ST students.

CFTI has a track record of offering 100 per cent placements with salaries ranging between Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 at the entry-level, the director said.

"Companies are approaching us for want of people. Every month we are mobilising 700 to 1,000 people and placing them in different companies according to their skills," he said.

The programme is jointly offered by National SC/ST Hub and National Small Industries Corporation free of cost, which includes boarding and lodging.

CFTI is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

It offers seven long-term courses and eight short-term courses.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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October 20-21, Bangalore played host to the Global Investment Immigration Summit which brought together over 500 Bollywood industry professionals, lawyers, direct investors, immigration and investment agents, students and their families seeking greater global mobility. The two-day conference was organised by London-based BLS Media and saw experts in the investor immigration industry share the latest developments in residence and citizenship by investment.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773386/CS_Global_Partners.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773387/CS_Global_Partners.jpg )Leading international advisory CS Global Partners were headline sponsors of the event, supporting the governments of St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and St Lucia as the official marketing promoters of their citizenship by investment programmes. One very special guest - famous Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon - delivered the opening speech and attended the displays of the Caribbean countries that are said to offer the best second citizenship for investors and their families.

"We appreciate Miss Tandon's kind gesture of helping promote the citizenship by investment programmes of Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia, as these countries are known for giving back to the community, whether local or global," says Paul Singh, Director of CS Global Partners.

He further adds that this could be a result of the three countries upholding the highest industry standards: "Dominica has seen incredible solidarity lately as it makes impressive strides in promoting climate resilience and using citizenship by investment funds to do this. Namely, their Economic Diversification Fund is made up of applicants' contributions worth at least US$100,000 each, which have helped build stronger homes in Dominica, better infrastructure, sponsor bright students and even save the lives of several critically-ill children."



In return, investors that succeed in passing the due diligence checks are offered greater visa-free travel, new avenues for wealth diversification, such as investing in the tourism sector of these Caribbean islands, and a legacy for their families and future generations to benefit from. As the inventors of the concept of citizenship by investment, St Kitts and Nevis is a constant attraction for businesspersons at all conferences, and the Global Investment Immigration Summit was no exception. This twin-island nation recently introduced a new investment option - the Sustainable Growth Fund - which requires for a US$150,000 contribution per main applicant in exchange for its valuable citizenship that can offer visa-free/visa-on-arrival travel to over 155 countries.

Fellow Caribbean island of St Lucia continues to appeal to globally minded individuals by offering a wider choice of investments, amongst which are world-class real estate brands that, besides being eligible for the St Lucian citizenship by investment programme, also double as a luxury second homes or an income-generating investment.

As the Bollywood star discovers the stars of the citizenship by investment programmes, CS Global Partners advises clients on finding the most suitable solution for their global lifestyle.

CS Global Partners is an international, award-winning, industry-leading, legal consultancy firm specialising in citizenship and residence solutions. Headquartered in the heart of London with ten offices worldwide, CS Global Partners offers tailored, strategic advice to both the clients and the countries it represents. Driving economic prosperity and transforming lives in the process, CS Global Partners transcends the traditional investment immigration industry framework, supporting the governments of Dominica, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis to promote their CBI programmes. In doing so, CS Global Partners leads by example, providing investors and governments alike with unparalleled, intelligent citizenship solutions.

Visit the official website - http://www.csglobalpartners.com - for more information.

Contact information: pr@csglobalpartners.

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Need of the hour to espouse the message of oneness, peace and harmony embodied by Guru Nanak Dev Ji: Vijay Inder Singla
The BJP in Goa Wednesday said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, whose extended absence from office due to ill health has sparked demands of temporary replacement, is likely to resume duty next month.

The state unit Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) president Vinay Tendulkar, however, conceded the pace of administration in the coastal state has "slowed down" in absence of the chief minister.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) president Dipak Dhavlikar demanded that Parrikar hand over his charge to "any of the senior ministers" till he recovered from illness. He also said the people of Goa were complaining about the "collapse" of administration in absence of Parrikar.

The MGP is one of the two regional constituents of the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government--the other being the Goa Forward Party (GFP).

Notably, GFP chief and Cabinet minister Vijai Sardesai had last week said that the CM's ailment was affecting his work and that of the state administration.

According to BJP, Parrikar, 62, is currently recuperating at his private residence at Dona Paula near Panaji since he was shifted there from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

"Parrikar is recovering well and we expect him to resume office in the next month, that is November," Tendulkar told reporters.

BJP president Amit Shah had earlier clarified that Parrikar would continue to helm the coalition government.

Tendulkar also informed that no discussion was being held at the state level about the change of guard.

"We don't have the right to discuss issues like the leadership change. Senior leaders of the party in Delhi will take a call on it," said the BJP leader.

When asked about Dhavalikar's statement, Tendulkar said, "the administration has become slow due to Parrikar's absence from office".

He also said BJP would speak to MGP to enlist their support in the Lok Sabha elections due next year.

The Parrikar-led government has the support of 23 MLAs in the Assembly -- 14 of the BJP, three each from the GFP and the MGP and three Independent legislators.

The Congress had emerged as the single-largest party in the fractured verdict thrown up after the Assembly elections held in March last year.

However, it had failed to form the government as it could not muster the majority. Since then, the Congress is repeatedly claiming to form the government in the coastal state, arguing that it is the single-largest party.

The Congress now ceases to be the single-largest party after two MLAs of its 16 MLAs resigned and joined the BJP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Wednesday claimed that the government's move to remove the CBI Chief and his deputy was wrong as the CBI director has a fixed tenure in office.

"According to Section 4 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act, you cannot remove the director. He has a fixed tenure. A high-power committee has nominated him. If CVC says it has recommended and (government) removed him, we would like to know what section (of law) it is," he told reporters here.

The action taken by the government is completely illegal and wrong, he claimed.

With the move, a message goes out in the country that the government is not standing by the fight against corruption, "but is standing by a corrupt officer", he said.

The government's decision to remove feuding CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the CVC's recommendations, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Wednesday, asserting that it is absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.

Both Verma and Asthana have been divested of their powers and sent on leave, as a fallout of a first-of-its kind spat between the top bosses of India's premier investigating agency.

Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been appointed to look after the "duties and functions" of the director with "immediate effect" as an "interim measure".

Owaisi, Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad, also alleged that all democratic institutions are being undermined, with their credibility being destroyed under the NDA government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


Opposition parties Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the government over the removal of the CBI director with the Congress describing the decision as the "last nail" in the independence of the agency but the Centre defended its move as "absolutely essential" to maintain CBI's institutional integrity.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also asserted that the government's decision to send Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana was based on the recommendations of the Central Vigilance Commissioner.

A late night order on Tuesday from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Verma and Asthana, who were at loggerheads, on leave.

Leading the attack against the government on the issue, Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale 'scam', adding the country and its Constitution were in danger under the ruling dispensation.

"Modi govt buries the 'last nail' into the independence of CBI. Systematic dismantling and denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI's integrity, credibility and reliability is buried and dead," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

Jaitley dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he was collecting documents on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"I regard this charge as rubbish. The fact that opposition parties are saying we know what agency was going to do next itself casts a doubt on the fairness process. I don't believe what they are saying is true, but if they did have access to what was going on in the mind of a person that itself demolishes the integrity of the person they are trying to support," he said.

Besides sending Verma and Asthana on leave, the government also transferred several CBI officials and appointed M Nageswar Rao as the interim chief of the agency.

In a tweet, Gandhi said, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave".

"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he charged.

A number of opposition leaders including TMC's Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, BSP's Mayawati, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and CPI's D Raja were among those who attacked the government over removal of Verma.

"CBI has now become so called BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) - very unfortunate!" Banerjee tweeted.

Mayawati also attacked the government on the issue, alleging that the Centre's "vindictive, casteist and communal policies" have put not only the CBI, but other agencies as well under similar problem.

DMK president M K Stalin too slammed the government for removing Verma, alleging that institutional freedom was facing serious threat under the Modi government.

"Director Alok Verma being sent on leave at a crucial time appears motivated with #RafaleScam under the scanner. The appointment of a corrupt officer as interim head of #CBI is equally questionable," he tweeted.

In his reaction, Yechury alleged that the government removed Verma to protect its 'handpicked' officer Asthana.

"The illegal removal of CBI chief by Modi government to protect their own handpicked officer, against whom serious charges of corruption are being investigated, points to attempts at a serious cover-up to protect his direct links to the BJP's top political leadership", tweeted Yechury.

"To ensure that the CBI is not a 'caged parrot', the Supreme Court had granted protection to its chief from govt's whims and fancies by giving him a two-year tenure. What is Modi govt trying to hide by its panic move?" he asked.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Kejriwal echoed him.

"What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is Modi govt trying to hide?" he asked on Twitter.

CPI leader Raja described the situation in the CBI as one akin to a "coup" that has shocked the nation and demanded that Modi, as head of the government, explain the truth to the people.

"What is happening in the CBI is like a coup that has shocked the entire nation. The CBI has been plunged into such a crisis. Its credibility stands completely destroyed. It is happening under the nose of the prime minister.

"There is speculation that it has something to do with the Rafale scam. People want to know the truth. The prime minister being the head of the government should explain to the people and the nation," Raja said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A government school principal was caught taking bribe of Rs 15,000 in Rajasthan's Udaipur district Wednesday, an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) official said.

The accused Dilip Jain (53) posted at a senior secondary school in Kanuwada of Udaipur had demanded Rs 15,000 to release security deposit of Rs 4 lakh for construction works, ACB DSP Rajiv Joshi said.

The accused was arrested and booked under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, the official said, adding that further investigation is on.

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A prominent Greek socialist ex-minister was jailed for graft in a 2003 case linked to a navy frigate upgrade, a court source said.

Former defence minister Yannos Papantoniou and his wife were placed in pre-trial detention late Tuesday for allegedly stashing some 2.8 million Swiss francs (2.45 million euros) from contract bribes in dozens of Swiss accounts. Both deny the charges.

A 69-year-old economist, Papantoniou, was a key minister in successive socialist administrations between 1994 and 2004, previously serving as finance minister as Greece prepared to join the euro.

Papantoniou had been under investigation for the past 15 years. In 2006, he won a defamation case against France's Liberation daily, over an article claiming that French defence contractor Thales had set aside a "commission fee" for him to secure a major security contract for the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Thales eventually lost the contract to American contractor SAIC. Papantoniou is the second member of the powerful Pasok party to be jailed for graft, following founding party member Akis Tsochatzopoulos, who had preceded Papantoniou at the defence ministry.

Tsochatzopoulos was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2013 for contract kickbacks but was released in July on grounds of ill health.

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The Gujarat government has written a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), urging it to initiate a process to bring back a state fisherman's body from Pakistan, where he died in a jail last month.

Gujarat Fisheries Commissioner K R Patni said the state government wrote the letter to the MHA on Tuesday.

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 last week. Vaja wrote that Solanki had died in a jail in Karachi on September 15.

Jethiben Solanki (42), the deceased fisherman's wife, has earlier said that neither the jail authorities in Pakistan nor anyone from India's Ministry of External Affairs had contacted her in connection with her husband's death.

Talking to PTI on Wednesday, Patni said, "In the letter, the state government has requested the MHA to take up the issue of Solanki's death with Pakistan and initiate the process to bring back his body.

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Unreasonably high trade margins contributes towards and electronic trading of drugs could be an option to spur competitive pricing ways, according to a policy note issued by fair trade watchdog CCI.

In a policy note titled 'Making Markets Work for Affordable Healthcare', the regulator also said that in-house pharmacies of super specialty hospitals are "completely insulated from competition" as in-patients are not allowed to buy any product from outside pharmacies.

"This calls for regulation that mandates hospitals to allow consumers to buy standardised consumables from the open market," it noted.

The (CCI) has been clamping down on unfair business practices in the healthcare space. The government has also been taking measures to ensure good practices in the sector.

The watchdog's policy note said that one major factor that contributes to in India is the unreasonably high trade margins.

"The high margins are a form of incentive and an indirect marketing tool employed by drug companies," an official release quoting the policy note said.

Further, the policy note said that self regulation by trade associations contributes towards high margins as they control the entire drug distribution system in a manner that reduces competition.

"Electronic trading of drugs, with appropriate regulatory safeguards, could be another potent instrument for bringing in transparency and spurring price competition among platforms and among retailers, as has been witnessed in other product segments," it added.

Touching upon generic drugs, the CCI's policy note said there are branded generic drugs that enjoy a price premium owing to perceived quality assurance that comes with the brand name.

"Quality consideration may be a reason behind the prescription of branded generics by doctors. However, it is also equally possible that the brand proliferation is to introduce artificial product differentiation in the market, offering no therapeutic difference but allowing firms to extract rents," it said.

Suggesting ways to address the issues in the healthcare sector, the policy note said the regulatory apparatus must address the issue of quality perception by ensuring consistent application of statutory quality control measures and better compliance.

"The practice of creating artificial product differentiation for exploitation of consumers may be addressed through a one-company-one drug-one brand name-one price policy," it added.

Another suggestion is to have portability in terms of patient data. Currently, there is no regulatory framework for portability of patient data, treatment record and diagnostic reports between hospitals.

"It is also imperative to make the approval of new drugs time-bound along with publication of detailed guidelines governing each stage of new drug approval process," as per the policy note.

Besides, the regulator has flagged about multiplicity of regulators governing the at the centre and state levels.

The policy note has been shared with the Ministries of Corporate Affairs, Health and Family Welfare as well as Department of Pharmaceuticals and NITI Aayog.

The policy note documents the issues identified and recommendations suggested by stakeholders, the release said.
A Haryana BJP leader has been getting extortion calls, with the caller using internet telephony to make it appear that he was dialling from the Chief Minister's Office, an official said.

The probe into the case has revealed that the internet telephony call to Karnal-based leader Chander Prakash Kathuria had originated outside India and had come via a New Zealand gateway, Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria told PTI.

No calls were made from any landline number of the CMO, he said.

Haryana State Federation of Co-operative Sugar Mills Ltd (Sugarfed) chief Kathuria had got the spurious calls on October 16 evening.

Identifying himself alternatively as a cousin of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's and then CMO officials, the caller had demanded 60,000 Dhirams (about Rs 12 lakh) to be deposited in a Dubai bank account.

On October 16 between 5.30 pm and 6 pm, I received four calls on my mobile from a landline. The caller ID on my phone displayed the incoming call as that of Haryana CMO's landline number," said Kathuria.

The same caller made two more WhatsApp calls to him from another number in changed voice and repeated his demand, he said, adding he was also sent a Dubai account number over his WhatsApp number.

In one call, the caller identified himself as the chief minister's cousin, in another, he said he was the CM's media advisor and in yet another call he claimed himself to be a former OSD of the CM, he added.

"He made the last call using abusive language, speaking in Hindi. I tried to call back on the number of Haryana CMO, but as the office must have been closed by then, the call went unanswered, Kathuria said.

He added he subsequently lodged a complaint with the Karnal SP and also informed the chief minister about the incident.

On Kathuria's complaint, the police lodged a case at Karnal Civil Lines police station on October 17, against unidentified persons on charges of extortion, criminal intimidation and under various sections of the Information Technology Act.

Elaborating upon the ongoing probe, Karnal SP Bhoria said, "It is clear from our investigations that no calls were made from any landline number of the Haryana Chief Minister's Office at Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. These scam phone calls were made from an international gateway via New Zealand."



"We have written to the relevant central authorities as the matter pertains to the use of a gateway via New Zealand. We have provided them the IP address from where the calls were generated, he said.

Bhoria added the Haryana police, meanwhile, is continuing with the part of the probe that pertains to it.

Meanwhile, Kathurtia said after he informed the chief minister, he personally monitored the probe into the case.

The police investigations can throw more light on the matter, but I suspect the purported landline number of the Haryana CMO was used under a conspiracy to tarnish the image of senior BJP leaders, he alleged.

Kathuria, meanwhile, has been provided additional police security after the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Meghalaya police seized a huge cache of arms belonging to the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) on Wednesday from a remote village in East Garo Hills district, a senior police official said.

Acting on a tip off by villagers, police teams reached the spot and seized the arms, he said.

The arms recovered include an AK 47 with broken trigger assembly, one single barrel muzzle loading gun, two single barrel breach loading rifles, seven pistols, two AK magazines and one .303 LMG magazine and five self loading rifle magazines, the official said.

The ammunitions seized included two INSAS magazines, seven pistol magazines, three mortar shells, one 36 HE hand grenade, 2823 ammunition of various calibers, two remote controls for improvised explosive devices, 11 time bomb circuits, 12 RC bomb circuits, 10 time bomb batteries, besides three walkie-talkie sets, 34 WT battery chargers, 20 WT set adapters, six WT set battery covers.

Also seized were 46 WT set headphones, four tactical pistol holster, one IED without detonator, besides GNLA writing materials.

Police are trying to ascertain if more arms have been hidden in the area, the official said.

Similar recoveries of hidden arms allegedly stashed by the dead GNLA 'commander-in-chief' Sohan D Shira, were made earlier this year, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has written to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar expressing disappointment over not figuring in the list of Institutes of Eminence (IoE) despite a recommendation from the UGC-mandated selection panel.

According to sources, the premier institution has argued that it matched the calibre of the selected institutions on various parameters and it being ignored in the IoE race had impacted the morale of students and teachers.

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry had in July granted 'Institutions of Eminence' status to three public and private institutes each, enabling them to get full autonomy and special incentives to project them as "world class universities".

While the ministry will grant Rs 1,000 crore funds to the three public institutions in the next five years, the private institutes will not be eligible for government funding.

The government granted IoE status to IIT-Delhi,



IIT-Bombay and Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the public sector; and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, BITS Pilani and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation in the private sector.

The selection of yet-to-be established Jio institute had invited criticism from various quarters which alleged that the government was favouring certain corporates. The ministry later clarified that the IoE tag to the Jio institute was conditional.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian court refuses to release former vice-governor of Chelyabinsk Region

 flickr.com/Joe Gratz

10:59 24/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 24 (RAPSI)  The Chelyabinsk Regional Court has upheld a lower courts detention order against the former vice-governor of the region Nikolay Sandakov sentenced to 5.5 years in a penal colony for taking 2 million rubles ($30,500) in bribes, the press-service of the court has told RAPSI.

On October 4, the Sovetsky District Court of Chelyabinsk issued the ruling changing a restraint measure against Sandakov from 10-million-ruble ($152,600) bail to detention.

The Chelyabinsk City Court is yet to receive appeals against the sentence itself delivered by the same court on October 5. Back then the former official was not only received a prison term but also was fined 7 million rubles ($106,800).

Earlier, Sandakovs attorneys said that they seek to have the ruling overturned and their client to be pardoned, while prosecutors believe that the sentence was too soft.

According to the courts ruling, from 2013 to 2014, the defendant facilitated the conclusion of a government contract on the guardianship of one of the regions officials on conditions beneficial for the private security firm Python.

Sandakov received a bribe worth about 2 million rubles from the companys CEO, the court ruling reads.
India cannot afford to fall back further even by a day in introducing the BS-VI emission norms as its pollution levels are "alarming" and it urgently needs to move to a cleaner fuel.

The top court, which said that no Bharat Stage-IV vehicle would be sold or registered in India from April 1, 2020, noted that Europe had introduced Euro-VI norms way back in 2015.

Bharat Stage standards are instituted by the government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles and BS-IV norms had been enforced across the country from April 2017.

"Europe introduced Euro IV fuel in the year 2009 and Euro VI standards in 2015. We are already many years behind them. We cannot afford to fall back further even by a single day," said a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta.

The apex court's order came while deciding whether grace period should be given to the automobile manufacturers for the sale of BS-VI non-compliant vehicles after April 1, 2020.

Referring to the situation of pollution in the country, the bench said: "The pollution in Gwalior, Raipur and Allahabad is worse than Delhi. The situation is alarming and critical. It brooks no delay."



The bench termed as "heartening" that the Centre, being concerned with the health of citizens and also taking note of the urgent need for a clean environment, has taken steps to manufacture cleaner fuel.

In noted that the Centre has spent about Rs 30,000 crore to manufacture BS-IV compliant fuel and another Rs 30,000 crore have been expended to ensure that the fuel available in the country was BS-VI compliant.

The bench also dealt with the arguments advanced by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) which had contended that there were multiple sources of pollution and vehicles only contribute up to only 2 per cent of that.

"We are not in agreement with this submission because the report of the committee to which we have adverted hereinabove states that contribution of vehicles to ambient PM 2.5 concentration during winter season is 25 per cent and in the summer season it contributes 9 per cent," the bench noted.

It said: "Even if we were to accept the figures submitted by SIAM, we are of the view that no step is too small when it comes to fighting pollution. Small steps to reduce pollution when taken together will lead to large scale reduction in pollution which will result in much cleaner air, which eventually will result in a cleaner and better environment, healthier citizens and most importantly a healthier generation to come."



The bench also noted that though the SIAM was canvassing before it that shift to BS-VI compliant vehicles was a long drawn out process requiring huge changes in technology, the very same automobile manufacturers were selling and exporting BS-VI compliant vehicles to Europe and other countries.

Referring to media reports, the bench said it was apparent that Eicher was already manufacturing trucks and buses which are not only BS-VI compliant but BS-VI CNG compliant.

"Another manufacturer of heavy vehicles i.e Ashok Leyland had, in August, 2018 through its subsidiary Optare obtained an order to manufacture the world's first electric double decker buses. The technology needed to manufacture such electric buses is much more advanced and difficult as compared to the technological changes required to manufacture petrol and diesel vehicles which are BSVI compliant," it noted.

It also said that TVS Motors had in August issued a press note that it would be manufacturing BS-VI compliant vehicles much ahead of the deadline of 2020.

The bench said that BS-VI fuel has already been made available in the national capital territory (NCT) of Delhi from April 1, 2018 and barring a few places, it would be available in the entire national capital region from April 1 next year.

"It will probably be available in many parts of the country prior to April 1, 2020 and the entire country will shift to BS-VI fuel from April 1, 2020," it said.

"Obviously, the manufacture of clean fuel is being done in a phased manner because all the refineries cannot simultaneously start manufacturing clean fuel," it said, adding, "It is not as if on April 1, 2020 just by waving a magic wand the entire country will change to BS-VI compliant norms".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian national arrested for possible links to an alleged plot to assassinate Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has told a court that he is innocent saying the police are trying to frame him in the case.

Marceli Thomas appeared in court before the Colombo Fort magistrate on Tuesday.

Thomas said in a written statement that he is innocent but the Sri Lankan police's criminal investigation department was trying to implicate him in the plot. He said he had been under detention for 34 days and as a result his health had deteriorated.

Thomas was arrested late last month following a complaint by Namal Kumara, who claimed he was representing the Anti-Corruption Force, and who had alleged a plot to assassinate Sirisena and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the former top defence ministry bureaucrat and brother of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Kumara also claimed that the senior police officer in charge of the police's counter terrorism division Nalaka Silva had masterminded the plot. Silva has since been interdicted and questioned extensively by the police CID.

The court was also told that voice tapes provided by Kumara and Silva connected to the alleged plot have been verified by the government as carrying their voices.

Last week, it was reported that Sirisena had accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

A Sri Lankan minister, who declined to be named, had claimed that the president had said India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was behind the plot.

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry later termed the reports as "baseless and false".

Sirisena also called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and categorically rejected the media reports that he had accused the RAW of plotting his assassination as "utterly baseless and false".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Jakarta-bound Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Mumbai after an Indonesian woman delivered a baby on board the Airbus A330 aircraft, the spokesperson of the Mumbai airport said Wednesday.

The woman delivered the baby girl when the aircraft was around 40 minutes away from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Wednesday morning, the spokesperson said.

"An Etihad flight EY 474 flying on Abu Dhabi-Jakarta route was diverted to Mumbai Airport on October 24 due to an expectant female passenger of Indonesian origin going into labour on board," the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson said in a statement.

Airport officials had kept a medical team on stand-by, and it attended the woman immediately after the aircraft landed, it said.

"The MIAL doctors provided necessary medical assistance...the passenger was shifted to Seven Hills (hospital) for further medical intervention," it said.

The flight departed from Mumbai for its destination Jakarta at 9:42 am, it added.

Etihad Airways, in its statement, said that the flight was diverted to Mumbai due to a "medical emergency" and as a result, it will be "two hours delayed arriving into Jakarta".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

"I don't think that any country would dare to do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.

Rouhani said that before Khashoggi's murder "it would have been unthinkable that in this day and age we would witness such an organised felony.

"It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder.

"The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them."



Khashoggi, a government critic who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he organised the paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

The case has triggered an international outcry against Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ridiculed Riyadh's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

The Sunni kingdom and Shiite Iran are fierce rivals which have long been engaged in a struggle for influence in the Middle East.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A spokesperson for Irrfan Khan Wednesday dismissed the reports that the actor will soon start shooting for "Hindi Medium 2".

The 51-year-old actor is currently abroad undergoing treatment for neuroendocrine tumour.

The spokesperson, however, said that Irrfan may return to the country after Diwali.

"The story floating about Irrfan starting 'Hindi Medium 2' shoot in December are all based on speculations. However, there is a possibility of him returning to India after Diwali," the spokesperson said in a statement.

A report in an online portal had claimed the actor will be flying to India to shoot for the sequel of his 2017 hit.

Irrfan first spoke of his health on March 5, when he revealed that he was suffering from a 'rare disease'. He later revealed that he has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare disease that can target various parts of the body.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jammu and Kashmir government Wednesday approved setting up of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for tackling corruption in the state in an effective manner, an official spokesperson said.

The decision to set up the ACB was taken at a meeting of the State Administrative Council, which met under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik here.

"To tackle and eradicate corruption in the state in a more effective and meaningful manner, the StateAdministrative Council (SAC) gave nod for setting up the first-ever Anti-Corruption Bureau in the state," the spokesperson said.

Briefing about the significant decision, state Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said the establishment of a full-fledged ACB would do away with the shortcomings and multiplicity of roles in the existing anti-corruption mechanism operational in the state.

He said ever since the placement of the state under the governor's rule, the administration has been single-mindedly pursuing the agenda for improving delivery of development and governance in a transparent and result-oriented manner.

Keeping this objective in view, the chief secretary said the governor's administration has worked out a mission which shifts the focus from outlays to outcomes and improving governance through various initiatives which include establishment of cells for public grievance redressal, monitoring identified mega projects and flagship programmes and setting up of an ACB based on the best models in the country.

The chief secretary said with a view to providing clean, transparent and people-centric governance to the people, the governor's administration recognised the need to tackle the menace of corruption as critical to good governance in the state.

To achieve this, strengthening of the anti-corruption laws and the vigilance organisation based on the best models in the country has been accorded top priority, he added.PTI MIJ



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/ --



PeopleStrong, a leading HR technology and solutions company from India, announced that Josh Bersin, global HR tech thought leader has joined PeopleStrong's board of directors, as an independent director.

Josh is the founder of Bersin by Deloitte, leading provider of research-based membership programs in human resources (HR), talent and learning, and is a globally renowned research analyst, public speaker, and writer on the topics of corporate human resources, talent management, recruiting, leadership, technology, and the intersection between work and life. While he advises a variety of HR and learning companies to help them align their products and services toward the needs of corporate buyers, PeopleStrong would be the first HR technology company from India to have him in the capacity of a board member.

Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Bansal, Founder and CEO, PeopleStrong said, "We are delighted to have Josh on our board. The HR tech market is going through exciting times and PeopleStrong more so. We have recently started on our journey to write the New Code of Work globally and having a thought leader like Josh with us definitely help us reach there faster."



Sumit Sinha, Board Member, PeopleStrong and Principal, Multiples Alternate Asset Management shared, "We are excited to have Josh as part of PeopleStrong. He brings tremendous industry experience and we look forward to his valuable insights as we work towards building the largest HR tech brand from India."Speaking on the occasion Josh Bersin shared, "India has always been a very interesting market and equally impressive is the way PeopleStrong has created the HR tech story for this market by creating a world-class enterprise tech product. I am sure their global journey would be as exciting and am thrilled to be part of it."Josh would join Rajul Garg (a renowned early stage investor in technology companies) in the board as the independent board member. Other board members include Investor directors: Renuka Ramnath, Founder and CEO, Multiples; Sumit Sinha, Principal, Multiples Alternate Asset Management; Praveen Kumar Bhalla - Head Human Resource, HDFC LTD and Executive directors: Shelly Singh - Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, PeopleStrong and Pankaj Bansal Co-founder & CEO, PeopleStrong.

About PeopleStrong



PeopleStrong is a leading HR technology company from India, that is enriching experience at work for over 200+ customers and over 600,000 users. On its journey to writing the #NewCodeofWork, PeopleStrong delivers its technology and services in one offering, using its on-demand technology product PeopleStrong Alt, which has distilled tens of thousands of hours of natural research and development (R&D) - a decade long experience of servicing the HR functions of top Indian companies. Known for its penchant to innovate, PeopleStrong has many firsts to its name, the recent one being the application of Machine Learning in Recruitment (through Match Making) and Employee Experience (through India's first HR Chatbot Jinie). PeopleStrong is the first company in the space to be successfully assessed on SSAE18.

For more information, please visit: https://www.peoplestrong.com/



Source: PeopleStrong HR Services Pvt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here Wednesday refused to grant bail to Yug Tuli, co-owner of Mojo's Bistro restaurant and an accused in the December 2017 Kamala Mills Compound blaze in Mumbai that claimed 14 lives.

This is the second time that Tuli's bail plea has been turned down by a sessions court here.

A massive fire swept through two roof-top pubs- Mojo's Bistro and 1 Above- located in Kamala Mills Compound in central Mumbai, on December 29 last year, resulting in the death of 14 people.

Additional Sessions Judge U M Padwad observed that the offence was "extremely serious" and occurred due to the "sheer carelessness" of the accused.

"It is clear that the accused, despite having clear knowledge of the probable consequences, continued the business at the same place in utter defiance of rules and regulations," the judge said.

Even the action taken by the corporation (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) did not deter him from running the business, the judge said.

Tuli, who was arrested in mid-January, had approached the Supreme Court after his bail plea was rejected by both the sessions court as well as the Bombay High Court.

In his plea, Tuli had claimed that none of the guests at Mojo's Bistro were among the dead. He had also said that the tragedy had occurred due to the "mistake" of the staff at '1 Above'.

The apex court had refused to grant bail to Tuli in May. However, it had granted liberty to the 28-year-old businessman to file a fresh bail petition before the trial court after three months. Accordingly, he had moved a fresh plea in the sessions court in September.

A total of 14 persons were arrested in the case and booked under various sections of the IPC, including those related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence.

The accused include the owners of the Kamala Mills compound, Mojo Bistro and '1 Above', besides two BMC officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday sought to corner the prime minister over CBI's internal feud, retweeting Narendra Modi's 2013 tweet in which he had slammed the then UPA government for allegedly undermining the intelligence system of the country.

The government Wednesday sent CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on leave as the two officers were involved in a running feud.

In a series of tweets, Kejriwal also questioned the Modi government's authority to send the CBI director on leave and wondered if the move was related with the Rafale deal.

Kejriwal retweeted Modi's June 5, 2013 tweet in which he had said it was "Unfortunate that in its quest to target political opponents, Centre is undermining intelligence systems with CBI questioning IB officials."



The Congress-led UPA was in power in 2013.

The prime minister-led Appointments Committee Tuesday night gave charge of the director to Joint Director M Nageshwara Rao with immediate effect, a government order said.

Kejriwal sought to know from the government reasons behind Verma's removal and questioned if it was trying to "hide" anything.

"What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is Modi govt trying to hide?" he said in one of his tweets.

In another tweet, he insinuated that the move may be "co-related" the to Rafale deal that has been questioned by the Opposition parties as a "scam".

"Is there a co-relation betn (sic) Rafale deal and removal of Alok Verma? Was Alok Verma about to start investigations into Rafale, which cud become problem for Modi ji? (sic)" he tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian DIA seeks to recover $1.2 million from Creditimpex Banks ex-managers

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

11:59 24/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 24 (RAPSI)  Temporary manager of Creditimpex Bank, Russias Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA), has filed an appeal against the Moscow Commercial Courts refusal to recover 79.5 million rubles ($1.2 million) of losses from six former managers of the bank, the court ruling reads.

The appeal has been lodged with the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals.

On September 14, the Moscow Commercial Court found that DIA came to wrong conclusions suggesting that ex-managers were acting illegitimately since no connection was established between their actions and accrued debt. The court also ruled that the term limitation for the lawsuit has already expired.

DIA stated that ex-managers of the bank exchanged assets of the bank for knowingly bad debts.

Creditimpex Bank was declared bankrupt in September 2014.
The Tehri Hydro Development Corporation said Wednesday its Khurja thermal plant would supply power at competitive rates and is equipped with a technology to reduce emissions which would be 50 per cent less than permissible levels.

Rejecting a report that claimed the proposed Khurja coal power plant in Uttar Pradesh will push up the electricity cost and increase air pollution levels in Delhi, THDC India Limited (THDCIL), formerly known as Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd, said, "this is totally baseless and appears to be motivated."



The report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) evaluating THDC's proposed Khurja coal power plant has recommended re-evaluation of the proposal against severe air pollution levels in Delhi.

THDCIL is a joint venture of the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government with equity sharing in the ratio of 3:1 (75:25 per cent).

The state-run firm said that the Khurja Super Thermal Power Project is being implemented by THDCIL and power purchase agreements (PPA) for the entire off take of power have been signed with various beneficiary states of northern region including Uttar Pradesh.

UP has has signed PPA for 60 per cent power allocation from the project.

"The first year tariff is estimated at 390 paise per unit while levellised tariff is 361 paise per unit considering the coal supply form Amelia Coal Mine and is duly vetted by Central Electricity Authority. It is the price which is quite competitive and reasonable," THDCIL said in a statement.

Amelia Coal Mine in Singraulli (MP) has been allotted by Ministry of Coal to THDCIL for meeting fuel requirement of Khurja STPP.

As per the IEEFA report, the estimated tariff is about Rs. 5.67 per unit which seems to be based on very low grade Coal of gross calorific value (GCV) around 2800 Kcal per kilogram whereas the average coal grade of Amelia mine is with GCV of about 4750 Kcal per Kg, the statement said.

THDCIL said that there would be a coal price difference of about Rs 2 per unit which stipulates that IEEFA report has not considered realistic figures while speculating the tariff of Khurja STPP and "Thus, their estimate is bogus and unrealistic."



Rejecting the allegations around rise to pollution level by the plant, THDCIL said that the proposed Khurja project is based on latest supercritical technology, equipped with Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD), etc to meet out even stringent norms which are less than about 50 per cent of that prescribed under Central Pollution Control Board norms.

"Khurja Supercritical Plant will be having pollution levels below 50 per cent of even the permissible limits prescribed," the statement said.

THDCIL said Khurja is situated in South East direction of Delhi and prominent winds flow from Delhi towards Khurja rather than Khurja to Delhi and therefore, Khurja Thermal Power Plant "will not contribute to any air pollution in Delhi", the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday set aside a Pune court that had granted more time to the police for filing a charge sheet against lawyer Surendra Gadling and some other activists arrested in connection with the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in the state.

A single-judge bench of Justice Mridula Bhatkar held that the Pune court order granting the police an additional 90 days to file the charge sheet and consequently extending the custody of Gadling and others was "illegal".

While Justice Bhatkar's verdict paves the way for Gadling and other activists to be released on bail, the judge stayed her own order from becoming operational till November 1, following a request from the Maharashtra government, thus giving time to the state to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

The Pune Police had arrested Gadling along with Nagpur University's English department head Shoma Sen, Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, activist Mahesh Raut and Kerala native Rona Wilson in June this year.

The police had booked them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), alleging they had "links" with Maoists.

They were arrested following raids at their homes and offices in connection with an event to commemorate the Battle of Koregaon Bhima (a village in Pune district) on December 31 last year.

Gadling had approached the high court earlier this month with a plea that keeping him under extended custody and refusing to release him on bail was illegal.

He had said his custody was illegal as the prosecution had failed to follow the due procedure while seeking extension of time for filing the charge sheet against him and others in the case.

The UAPA mandates that the prosecuting agency in a case must file its charge sheet within 90 days from the arrest of a person.

But, if there is a delay on a valid ground, the public prosecutor in the case is permitted to file a report before the trial court explaining the reasons for the delay, and seek more time.

The Act mandates that if the trial court is satisfied with the report, it can extend the time for filing the charge sheet up to 180 days.

In the present case, it was alleged that the 'reports' that were considered by the lower court in Pune for grant of extension included an application and a written submission made by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), and the Investigating Officer (IO) concerned in the case, respectively.

The arguments seeking the extension were also made by the IO and the ACP before the lower court.

Gadling had argued before the high court that these reports cannot be considered same as the public prosecutor's report.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, however, argued that the 'report' mentioned under the Act must not be taken too "literally" by the high court.

He further argued that police reports in the present case also bore the signature of the public prosecutor concerned and therefore, must be considered a valid document for granting the extension.

On the previous hearing on Tuesday, Justice Bhatkar had questioned why the lower court had permitted the IO and the ACP to argue independently when the prosecutor was present in court.

She noted that the law mandated that the prosecutor assist the courts in all cases, unless something specific was required of the IOs, or other parties in any case.

"The lower court committed an illegality in permitting the IO and the ACP to argue independently," she had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The much-anticipated direct flight between Vijayawada and Singapore may not take off this week as announced by the Andhra Pradesh government.

The state government has recently said the Indigo A320 service will begin on October 25.

When contacted, Media advisor to the state Energy, Infrastructure and Investment Department A Chandrasekhar Reddy said "bookings will start" but the actual flight service might commence only in the first week of December.

Indigo, which has been chosen by the state government to operate the twice-a-week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) direct flight, said it has not yet finalised the schedule.

We are yet to finalise the dates. We would keep you informed as and when we start these flight services, a spokesperson of Indigo told PTI through an email.

A top official of the AP Airports Development Corporation Limited said the winter schedule would kick-in after October 25 and many more time-consuming formalities may be required to be completed prior to the flight, indicating that the service might be delayed.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been very keen on launching a direct flight to Singapore from the state capital Amaravati.

The state government came forward to extend viability gap funding (VGF) to launch international flights from Vijayawada airport that falls under the state capital territory.

Airlines participating in the Centre's regional air connectivity scheme UDAN are extended VGF -- which is shared by the respective state government and the Centre -- as well as certain other incentives.

The AP Airports Development Corporation Limited had invited bids from airline operators and Indigo, the sole bidder, was given approval on September 10 to operate the service with a VGF of Rs 18.35 crore for six months.

The government set Rs 18,881 as indicative price (return fare) per seat and the VGF was accordingly worked out.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The capsizing of a boat in Arabian sea off the Mumbai coast Wednesday could have turned into a major tragedy had the Indian Navy and Coast Guard not acted quickly, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said while ordering a probe into the mishap that claimed one life.

Fadnavis also announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a man who drowned in the afternoon incident that occurred when officials were on their way to the site of the proposed sea memorial of Maratha king Chhatrapti Shivaji, where work was to begin Wednesday.

"The boat accident was unfortunate. Due to the timely help and assistance provided by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard, a major accident was averted. The state government will conduct an inquiry into the incident," Fadnavis told reporters here.

Expressing deep grief and condolences to the family of the deceased, identified as Siddhesh Pawar, Fadnavis said, "The Maharashtra government declares an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased in this unfortunate accident".

Pawar was an activist of Shiv Sangram Paksha headed by Vinayak Mete, the chairman of a Supervisory Committee monitoring the construction of the Shivaji statue.

The state government had claimed that the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, coming up on an island in the Arabian sea, would be the tallest in the world.

The incident occurred when the boat, carrying some officials of the state government and supporters of Mete, apart from others, was on its way to the site of the proposed memorial.

Two helicopters and rescue boats were deployed for rescue operations.

A survivor has claimed that the incident occurred after the boat hit a rocky patch in the Prongs Reef Lighthouse area in sea, which is the southernmost tip of Mumbai.

He also said the error of judgement by the skipper of the ill-fated twin-engine boat could have caused the incident.

Meanwhile, the Congress too has termed the incident as "extremely unfortunate and suspicious".

"It seems that Shivaji Maharaj doesn't want the present government to build his memorial," said Leader of Opposition in state Legislative Assembly Radhakrisha Vikhe Patil.

He said the BJP-led government has been misusing the name of the 17th Century Maratha king to make false promises to the people.

State unit Congress chief Ashok Chavan demanded a probe into the mishap which he said seems "suspicious".

"Yesterday, Vinayak Mete, who heads the committee to set up the statue, had alleged irregularities in the tender process. And today the accident occurred which led to cancellation of the work ceremony. This is suspicious," he said and wondered that if the accident was "meant to silence Mete".

Senior NCP leader Dhananjay Munde also demanded a probe to fix responsibility.

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The Congress in Maharashtra Wednesday alleged that the BJP-led state government was delaying the declaration of drought due to lack of funds which was a result of a "fiscal mismanagement".

State unit Congress president Ashok Chavan also demanded that the government declare drought without any delay and stop using terms such as "drought-like".

"There is no legal definition of 'drought-like'. The government can either declare a drought or declare water scarcity," the former chief minister said while addressing a rally under "Jan Sangahrsh" Yatra of the Congress at Ausa in Latur district, around 485 kms from the state capital.

"The government has delayed the announcement of drought due to lack of funds which was a fallout of financial mismanagement by the BJP-led government," he alleged.

The third phase of the Yatra was kicked off from the temple town of Tuljapur in Osmanabd district.

A Congress leader said the campaign was aimed at "exposing the false promises made by the state government" to the people, which will mainly focus on the Marathwada region.

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Union home minister Shivraj Patil, ex-chief ministers Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan participated in the yatra.

Chavan alleged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was playing into hands of a coterie of selct advisors and administrators.

"Latur district is suffering from severe drought. Despite this, the Chief Minister has chosen to use misleading words such as 'drought-like' situation to deceive the people," he alleged.

He said the government should declare drought in the north Maharashtra and Marathwada, as these regions are reeling under severe water scarcity.

Chavan and other leaders of Congress interacted with farmers in Chalburga village.

The state Congress president also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his claim that the BJP-led NDA government has constructed more number of affordable houses that the previous Congress regime.

"The prime minister claimed that the previous UPA government had built only 25 lakh houses in the ten years of its rule whereas the NDA government built 2.5 crore houses in just four years.

"However, the reality is that the UPA government had built almost 25 lakh houses every year, whereas the NDA government has failed to build even a few lakh houses during the last four years," he claimed.

Chavan claimed that the BJP and its alliance partner Shiv Sena have raked up the issue of the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya with an eye on future polls.

On a controversy over the removal of two top officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chavan said the public feud in the agency has damaged its credibility and reputation.

"The ongoing unprecedented tussle within the CBI is an indication of how this government has politicised the prestigious investigating agency and misused the state machinery for a political vendetta," claimed Chavan.

The Jan Sangharsh Yatra will travel across 27 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Marathwada region.

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An emerald and seed-pearl necklace owned by Maharani Jindan Kaur, the wife of Sikh emperor Maharaja Ranjit Singh, has sold for 187,000 pounds at a London auction after triggering a fierce bidding war, an official has said.

The necklace worn by Kaur, the final and the only one of Maharaja's wives not to commit Sati on his death, surpassed its estimated price between 80,000 and 120,000 pounds.

It was among a number of treasures from the Lahore Treasury auctioned as part of the 'Bonhams Islamic and Indian Art Sale' in London on Tuesday.

The entire sale, which had a number of items dating back to the Raj era, made an overall total of 1,818,500 pounds, the auction house said.

"In a highly successful sale, the Sikh treasures stood out with pride of place going to the magnificent necklace from the fabled Lahore Treasury that once belonged to the formidable and courageous Jindan Kaur," said Oliver White, Bonhams Head of Indian and Islamic Art.

"The high price reflected fierce and competitive bidding in the room, on the phones and over the internet," White said.

As Regent to her five-year-old son Duleep Singh, who was proclaimed Maharaja of Punjab in 1843, Kaur organised armed resistance to the British invasion but was captured and imprisoned.

Escaping to Kathmandu, she was kept under house arrest by the King of Nepal, before eventually moving to England where she was reunited with her son and her jewellery, including the necklace up for auction this week.

Among the other Sikh treasures on the sale included a gold-thread-embroidered, velvet-clad leather bow and arrow holder made for Maharaja Ranjit Singh, known as the Lion of Punjab, which sold for 100,000 pounds.

"The quiver was made purely for ceremonial purposes, and appears to have been rarely worn. As a result, it is in excellent condition," said White.

It is believed that the Maharaja commissioned a quiver in 1838 to wear at the wedding of his eldest son and heir Kharak, and he appears to be wearing the one in the sale in a painting of the same year by French artist Alfred de Dreaux, now in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

A Mughal emerald seal made for, and bearing the name of, Marian Hastings, went under the hammer for 181,250 pounds.

Hastings was the second wife of Warren Hastings, the first Governor General of India (1773-1785).

A 'Lockwood Kipling Album' by artist, curator and school administrator Lockwood Kipling father of English poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling sold for 125,000 pounds.

The collection of 120 photographs was offered as a fascinating insight into Punjab in the last quarter of the 19th century.

Among the auction lots also included the Samsara Collection of Indian Paintings comprising 44 miniatures covering two main schools of art Pahari and Rajasthani from the 17th to the mid-19th centuries, as well as some Mughal works which sold for 553,750 pounds.

A work, possibly illustrating the story of Madhavanala and Kamakandala, dated circa 1780 sold for 81,250 pounds, and an illustration from the Sundar Shringar, also dated 1780, made 68,750 pounds.

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Lt Col Prasad Shirkant Purohit, accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast, has moved the Bombay High Court challenging a special court's order rejecting his plea against the sanction for his prosecution under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A special NIA court had last week rejected the pleas filed by Purohit and other accused - Pragya Singh Thakur, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi - challenging the validity of the anti-terror law in the case.

The court had said that on October 26, it would frame charges against the accused under the UAPA and relevant sections of the IPC.

Purohit Tuesday moved the high court against the lower court's order and said it was "wrong" and "bad in law".

His petition is likely to be taken up for hearing on Thursday by a division bench of the high court.

According to Purohit, the sanction to apply the UAPA provisions in the case was not granted in accordance with Section 45 of the Act, which says the sanctioning authority has to take into consideration the report and recommendation of an appropriate authority appointed by the government.

However, no such authority was appointed in January 2009 when the Maharashtra home department's additional chief secretary had accorded sanction to apply the UAPA in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

"The sanction is, therefore, vitiated and thus, there is no question of framing charges under provisions of the UAPA and there can be no trial for violation of these provisions," Purohit's lawyer Shrikant Shivade had argued in the lower court.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque at Malegaon, a town in Maharashtra's Nashik district, on September 29, 2008.

On December 27, 2017, the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court had dismissed the pleas filed by Purohit, his co-accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and six others seeking discharge from the case.

The court, however, gave them partial relief by dropping all charges against them under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

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A man was arrested here for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl in a slum area in the city, police said Wednesday.

The minor girl's family lodged a complaint of rape on Tuesday against Amit Gupta (27), resident of Colony number 4 here, they said.

According to the family members, they came to know about the incident when the minor girl complained of abdominal pain and was taken to a hospital, where tests showed she was pregnant, police officials said.

The victim told police that the accused had repeatedly raped her over a couple of months, they said.

Gupta, an employee at a private firm in the Industrial area of the city, has been arrested, police said, adding he has been booked for rape and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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A 33-year-old bus driver was arrested Wednesday in connection with an accident in Shahdara two days ago in which two Delhi Transport Corporation employees were killed, police said.

The accused, Nooruddin, a resident of UP's Aligarh, was arrested around 12.30 pm in Khoda village near the Delhi-UP border, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Meghna Yadav said the incident took place on Monday when a speeding private bus driven by the accused hit a school bus stationed at a red light, which, due to the impact, collided with a UP Roadways bus. The Roadways bus then hit a cluster bus.

A motorcycle and two auto-rickshaws had got trapped in between vehicles as a result of the accident. DTC employees Satish Kumar (50) and Rupender Kumar (38) were on the motorcycle and were killed in the accident. Four others sustained injuries, police said.

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A man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly misbehaving with a woman employee of a private airline at Kolkata airport, police said.

Amitabh Ganguly was held from the NSC Bose International Airport, following a written complaint lodged by the carrier, they said.

The man, in an inebriated condition, misbehaved with the employee when she asked for documentation before the flight to Delhi was to take off, a police officer said.

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Ten individuals convicted of $9 million cash withdrawal to China

 RIA Novosti

14:56 24/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 24 (RAPSI)  A court in Russias Yekaterinburg has sentenced ten people to prison terms ranging from 5 to 6.5 years for siphoning of 595 million rubles ($9 million) to China, the Investigative Committees press service reports.

Moreover, eight Russian citizens and two Chinese nationals have received fines from 200,000 to 500,000 rubles ($3,000  7,600).

From April to December 2014, members of a criminal group got the money out to accounts of Chinese companies under the guise of sham IT service contracts, according to investigation. The defendants created seven firms to commit the crime, the Investigative Committees statement reads.
A 39-year-old man was arrested from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai Wednesday for allegedly possessing banned Ephedrine worth Rs 70 lakh, the police said.

The accused, identified as Abil Prakash Robert Monteiro, told the police that he sourced the 4 kg contraband from Chennai, said DCP (Crime) Thane Deepk Deoraj.

The drug was meant to be supplied for rave parties, he said.

"The total value of the seized drug is Rs 70 lakh in the Indian market," said the DCP.

Monteiro has been booked under various sections of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotopic Substances) Act and remanded in police custody till October 30, he said.

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An Indian man has been apprehended by the CISF at the IGI airport for allegedly illegally carrying foreign currency worth nearly Rs 13 lakh, officials said Wednesday.

They said H Singh, scheduled to take a flight to Dubai, was intercepted by a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) after some suspicious layers beneath his clothes were detected.

The man had concealed 4,000 Swiss Francs, Euro 11,100 and 3,155 Dirhams under his clothes and he was subsequently handed over to the Customs authorities for further probe, they alleged.

The total value of the currency seized from the man, who holds an Indian passport, is nearly Rs 13 lakh, they said.

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Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday charged the BJP with trying to divide the people of the country and whip up communal passions by changing names of towns in states ruled by the party.

Manjhi said the Grand Alliance in Bihar, which comprises his Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Lalu Prasad's RJD and the Congress, was committed to defeating the BJP in the state and prevent it from returning to power at the Centre.

"People have been cheated by the BJP government at the Centre in the name of its so-called welfare schemes. People were given free gas cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme only to get refills at exorbitant rates later on", Manjhi said here while inaugurating his party's district office.

"To divert public attention from its failures, the BJP has embarked on a divisive agenda as part of which communal passions are being whipped up for electoral gains. The change in names of towns etc. can be seen in this backdrop", the HAM president said.

"The Mahagathbandhan will foil the BJP's evil designs as it will defeat the party and its allies in the crucial state of Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls next year. This would put hurdles in the BJP's attempts to retain power", he said.

Manjhi's comments come in the backdrop of the famous city of Allahabad being renamed as "Prayagraj" by the Yogi Adityanath government in neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh.

Moreover, the Mughalsarai railway junction has also been named after RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay after the Narendra Modi government at the Centre approved a proposal to this effect moved by the Yogi government.

Incidentally, Nawada happens to be the Lok Sabha seat of senior BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh who had earlier this week demanded that the name of Bakhtiyarpur town, situated on the outskirts of Patna, be renamed.

Singh had lauded the Yogi Adityanath government and favoured renaming of all towns and localities across the country which have been named after muslim rulers.

Manjhi became the Chief Minister in 2014 after Nitish Kumar stepped down taking moral responsibility for the JD(U)'s humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. However, Manjhi quit the party and floated his own outfit the following year when he was made to resign and make way for the return of Kumar to the post.

Manjhi joined the BJP-led NDA and fought the 2015 assembly polls with HAM as one of its constituents, but ended up as the sole member to bag a seat in the Vidhan Sabha. Kumar, who returned to power with a thumping majority and as a candidate of the Grand Alliance, walked out of the coalition last year.

Manjhi switched over to the Grand Alliance earlier this year and secured a seat in the state legislative council for his son Santosh Manjhi with the help of the RJD.

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The Bombay High Court Wednesday junked a lower court's order, which had granted the police more time to file the chargesheet against lawyer Surendra Gadling and others, who were arrested in June for alleged Maoist links in the aftermath of violence at Bhima Koregaon near Pune.

While the ruling can pave the way for Gadling and the other accused to seek bail, Justice Mridula Bhatkar stayed her own order from becoming effective till November 1 so that the government could file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

In the ruling, Justice Bhatkar questioned how the police officers were allowed to make arguments independently before the Pune court, seeking additional time.

"This shows the investigating officer has navigated (argued on) the application for extension of the period by further 90 days, which is not contemplated under the law," the high court said.

"The investigating officer is always interested in the success of or conviction in the case. However, it is the duty of the public prosecutor to assist the court in the process of administration of justice by upholding the law," the judge said.

Gadling challenged the Pune court's order extending the time given to the police to file the chargesheet and the consequent refusal of bail to him. He argued that the prosecution had failed to follow the due procedure while seeking the extension.

The Pune police arrested Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, activist Mahesh Raut and Kerala native Rona Wilson in June for their alleged links with Maoists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The arrests had followed raids at their residences and offices in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 last year, which, the police had claimed, had led to violence at Bhima Koregaon the next day.

The police had also alleged that the conclave had the support of Maoists.

Under the UAPA, a chargesheet must be filed within 90 days of arrest. However, the prosecutor can file a report before the trial court, explaining the reasons for a delay, and seek more time. If satisfied, the court can extend the time by 90 days.

In the present case, the Pune sessions court had granted the police the additional 90 days, following an application from the investigating officer (IO) and written submissions by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP).

Gadling challenged this, saying the report and the submissions came from the police, not the prosecutor. Under the Act, the report should be filed by the prosecutor, he said.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, who appeared for the Maharashtra government, argued that the emphasis must be on "satisfaction of the court" and not "the format of the report".

The word "report" in the Act must not be taken too literally and the police reports in the present case bore the signature of the public prosecutor, he said.

Justice Bhatkar dismissed the argument, saying it was apparent from the IO's report and the ACP's submissions that the prosecutor did not play any role in preparing them.

By allowing the IO to argue independently, the Pune court had committed an "illegality", the high court said.

On the state government's request, the judge stayed the operation of her order till November 1.

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The Duchess of Sussex was rushed through her visit to an indoor market in Fiji's capital Wednesday due to concerns about the large crowd that came to greet her in the relatively confined space.

Meghan chatted with one vendor and briefly greeted others at Suva Market, where throngs of people spilled into surrounding streets. She spent only about half of her allocated 15 minutes there as she was whisked through by security personnel in the enclosed and relatively dark market.

Meghan had visited Suva Market to meet some of the female vendors who have been involved in the U.N. Women's project "Markets for Change." Vendors were selling watermelons, pineapples and other fruit at the market, as well as handicrafts and fans.

A Kensington Palace spokeswoman told The Associated Press that her visit was cut short due to crowd management issues.

Meghan, who is four months pregnant, and husband Prince Harry are on the 9th day of their 16-day tour of the South Pacific. Harry was not scheduled to visit the market, and was instead unveiling a plaque at a forest site home to species such as the Fiji tree frog.

Earlier on Wednesday, Meghan gave a speech at the University of the South Pacific where she talked about the excitement of attending university and the importance of education for women and girls in developing countries.

She said she was only able to attend university thanks to scholarships, financial aid programs and paid work on campus, but that it was, without question, worth the effort.

On Tuesday, the couple attended a state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel and Harry said Fiji and Britain shared a love of rugby and a sense of humor.

"This visit is particularly nostalgic for us as a young married couple," Harry said. "My grandparents stayed in this very hotel, the Grand Pacific, a number of times over the years. But this visit is also an opportunity to learn more about the future of Fiji, your economic growth, sustainable tourism development and social enterprises." The couple is scheduled to visit Tonga on Thursday before returning to Sydney on Friday night for the final days of the Invictus Games, Harry's brainchild and the focus of their tour. The couple will then finish their trip with a four-day visit to New Zealand.

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The billionaire brothers Cyrus and Shapoor Mistry have announced formation of Mistry Ventures LLP to incubate and fund the startup ecosystem.

The announcement on Wednesday comes on the second anniversary of Cyrus' unceremonious salving by the Tatas as the group chairman.

The new firm is jointly promoted by Cyrus and his elder brother Shapoor, both promoters of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which owns 18.4 per cent stake in Tata Sons.

Promoted by the fourth richest Indians (collectively), the new venture is flushed with cash.

According to Forbes 2018 ranking, the Mistry family is the fourth richest in the country with a wealth over USD 18.7 billion, most of which is the notional value of their stake in the Tata group.

The new venture aims at providing strategic insights and advice to businesses, incubate new ventures and provide seed, early stage and growth capital to startups in the country as well and globally, a statement from the office of Cyrus Mistry said.

It is learnt that the Mistrys are ready to pump in hundreds of crores into the new venture, which will personally be handled by Cyrus himself.

The new company also announced appointment of Ashish Iyer, senior partner and previously global leader for strategy practice at the Boston Consulting Group, to lead the firm as the chief executive, the statement said.

"Iyer has worked with companies across sectors globally and brings deep expertise across domains and capabilities such as strategy, go-to-market, digital, innovation amongst others and I am very excited to have him on board," Cyrus was quoted as saying in the statement.

Outlining his vision for Mistry Ventures, he said, "The intent is to deliver profit with positive social impact, which will be embedded in each of the ventures we promote or partner with."



Mistry Ventures will do more than just invest in companies. By interpreting some of the major global and local trends and understanding their impacts on industries and companies, we will incubate new businesses, forge partnerships and make investments across sectors, he added without outlining the areas of interest.

Cyrus further said the company will focus on providing mentorship and infusing unique capability sets to help startups craft appropriate business experiments needed to validate, scale and bring products and services faster to market.

It can be noted that in a surprise move, the board of Tata Sons had on October 24, 2016 sacked Mistry as its chairman, barely two years into office.

He was selected as the chairman a few years back but was under mentoring by Ratan Tata, the group patriarch.

He took over the reins in December 2012 and was the second non-Tata chairman of the 150-year-old group after Nowroji Saklatwala who was the chairman during 1934-38.

Both Mistry and the Tatas have dragged each other to the courts and the cases related his sacking from chairmanship and also from the board of Tata companies are pending at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in New Delhi, after the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) dismissed Mistrys petition. The NCLAT is likely to deliver its verdict on October 31.

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After failing to sew up a pre-poll alliance with the BSP in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is now holding talks with Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS), a fledgling tribal political outfit, to take on the ruling BJP in the next month's Assembly polls.

JAYS convenor, Dr Hiralal Alawa, told PTI that his outfit has sought 40 seats from the Congress as part of the pre-poll alliance in the state, which has 230 assembly constituencies.

"The Congress is in talks with us for a pre-poll alliance. Our focus is 28 seats in Malwa-Nimar region of western MP that has 66 assembly constituencies. Of these 28 seats, 22 are reserved for tribals," he said.

Out of these 22 seats, the Congress currently has MLAs in five assembly constituencies, he added.

Dr Alawa, who is a former assistant professor of AIIMS Delhi, says the JAYS eyes to field candidates in Alirajpur, Ratlam, Jhabua, Dhar, Khargone, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Dewas and Barwani districts as these places have sizeable tribal population.

"We have already showed our strength by holding Kisan Panchayat in Kukshi of Dhar district on October 2. Over one lakh tribal youths took part in it," he claimed.

When contacted, a state Congress leader confirmed that the party was in talks with JAYS for a pre-poll alliance.

The opposition party, which has been out of power in MP since the last 15 years, had earlier tried to stitch an alliance with the BSP, although it failed to work out.

MP Congress chief Kamal Nath had even met BSP supremo Mayawati over the pre-poll alliance in July in New Delhi.

However, earlier this month, Mayawati announced that her party will not forge an alliance with the Congress "at any cost" for the upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Blaming the Congress for what she called its "arrogance" and "stubborn attitude", the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister had also said that although Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi appeared in favour of an alliance, there were other "senior leaders" who worked to foil any possibility of an understanding.

Madhya Pradesh is going to polls on November 28.

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Amid the BJP's charge that he is playing the "soft Hindutva card" by visiting temples in poll-bound states, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will perform a 'puja' at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain on October 29 before hitting the hustings in the BJP-dominated Malwa-Nimar region.

In Madhya Pradesh, where elections are scheduled to be held on November 28, the Congress has been struggling to oust the ruling BJP from power for the last 15 years.

Gandhi will begin his two-day tour of the Malwa-Nimar region after worshipping the famous Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva in Ujjain on October 29, a party leader said here Wednesday.

"Rahul Gandhi will begin his visit to the Malwa-Nimar region after offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain. He would address a public meeting in Ujjain after worshipping (the Jyotirlinga)," said Madhya Pradesh Congress Secretary Sanjay Kapoor.

The Congress chief would also hold a road show in Indore the same day.

"On October 30, Gandhi will visit B R Ambedkar's birthplace Mhow, about 23 kms from Indore, and pay his tribute at the memorial of the Dalit icon. Gandhi would address a public meeting there," he said.

On the same day, Gandhi would address public meetings in tribal-dominated Khargone and Jhabua districts.

According to sources in the Congress, Gandhi is likely to visit Janapav near Mhow, which is the birthplace of Lord Parshuram.

Malwa-Nimar region is spread across Indore and Ujjain divisions of western Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP had nearly swept the region in the assembly elections held in 2013 by winning 56 out of total 66 seats while the Congress was restricted to 9 seats.

The BJP has been ridiculing Gandhi for his visits to temples in states where elections are scheduled, by dubbing them as a "Temple Run"--an allusion to a popular running video game.

The Congress had proclaimed Gandhi as a "Shiv-bhakt" (a devotee of Lord Shiva) ahead of the assembly elections held in Gujarat last year.

Gandhi began canvassing in Madhya Pradesh last month by offering prayers at the famous Kamta Nath temple in Satna district's Chitrakoot town.

Battling anti-incumbency headwinds, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been projecting himself as the champion of development while the Congress is raising issues like "corruption", "bad governance" and "rise in crime against girls and women" at the hustings.

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Scientists have developed a new kind of camera that could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of ash plumes during a volcanic eruption.

Ash can have a major impact on human lives and infrastructure, such as the 2010 eruption of the Icelandic volcano, which brought international aviation across Europe to a standstill, said researchers at The University of Manchester in the UK.

This research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, uses a new kind of camera to measure the flow and speed of ash falling out of a volcanic plume.

The researchers measure how ash particles interact with sunlight and, specifically, how they change the polarisation of sunlight, in a similar way to how polarised sunglasses work.

This wouldn't have been possible without the development of the new "AshCam" which is the first camera of its kind in the world, researchers said.

During a volcanic eruption heavy ash fall can lead to building collapse, potentially injuring or killing those inside.

Exposure to ash can cause irritation to the nose, throat and eyes, as well as aggravating pre-existing health conditions such as asthma.

However, ash is also a major danger to other critical human infrastructure, including electrical, water and transportation networks, especially air travel -- such as the Icelandic eruption.

"Volcanic ash is a primary product of an explosive volcanic eruption which generally poses a threat to human health and infrastructure," said Professor Mike Burton from The University of Manchester.

"The Icelandic eruption in 2010 highlighted to the whole world that ash-rich volcanic eruptions can have a major impact on the global economy through air space closures designed to minimise the risk of jet engine failure due to ash clogging," said Burton.

The team visited Santiaguito Lava Dome, part of Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala, and measured a series of explosions with the camera.

Santiaguito produces a number of these explosions every day, about one every two hours, making it the ideal place to test out new equipment, techniques and research models.

"Models of ash dispersion are key to forecasting the concentrations of ash during an eruption, which ultimately determine which air space is closed," Burton said.

"Our research helps to measure the dynamics of ash fallout during an eruption. This gives us new insights into volcanic ash dynamics, providing an important step towards improved models of ash dispersion," he said.

Previous studies have used ground-based ultraviolet (UV) cameras for the observation of volcanic ash or measured black carbon particles in ship emissions.

However, these methods were unable to distinguish ash from other particles in the plume, making it difficult to measure the flow of the ash.

This is where "AshCam" is different. It is made up of commercial cameras already available on the market that have been adapted with special filters that can identify ash more easily using sunlight.

"AshCam is small, lightweight and relatively cheap, making it ideal for use in volcanic environments where larger, more expensive equipment is unable to be deployed," said Benjamin Esse, from Manchester's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Green Tribunal has cleared the decks for re-development of the exhibition complex here and junked a plea challenging the decision to turn it into a world-class convention centre.

A bench headed by Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel dismissed the plea, which also sought quashing of environmental clearance granted to the India Trade Promotion Organisation, which manages the exhibition complex.

The green panel said doubts have been expressed by the applicant on the reliability of the studies undertaken and the credibility of the Environment Impact Assessment Report, but they are not supported by better materials and the plea deserves to be rejected.

It said the examination and scrutiny of the process does not reveal any substantial deficiency so as to vitiate the environmental clearance.

"The tribunal as the appellate authority against the grant of Environmental Clearance has examined not only the EIA Report but also the entire stages in the EIA process. The examination and scrutiny of the process does not reveal any substantial deficiency so as to vitiate the Environmental Clearance," said the bench.

"The object of undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is founded on the principal of Sustainable Development and the Precautionary Principle. As already discussed, the principle concerns raised by the Appellant in respect of Environmental Clearance do not appear to be justified," it added.

The tribunal, however, said that it was necessary for the Union Environment Ministry and other regulatory authorities to ensure that each of the conditions of the environmental clearance are meticulously complied with by monitoring the project closely.

It directed that physical inspections of the project site be held periodically to ensure that the conditions of the environmental clearance are complied with both during the construction and the operational phases.

The was hearing a plea filed by environment activist Verhaen Khanna and others seeking inquiry against officers of the ministry and others who "completely failed in discharging their statutory duties" by granting the EC.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests had earlier told the tribunal that the environmental clearance was issued after due consideration of the EIA Report dated June 26, 2018 by the EAC apprising of various experts.

The plea filed in the tribunal has sought quashing of the environmental clearance granted to the India Trade Promotion Organisation for re-development of complex into a world-class convention centre.

"The EC was obtained by concealing material information and the appraisal of the project has been conducted in complete violation of the provisions of the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006," the plea had alleged.

The redevelopment plan is to develop a total of 3,26,065 sq m of built-up area, including 1,19,445 sq m of exhibition space, a convention centre with seating capacity of 7,000 people with a number of different-sized meeting rooms, space for public circulation in phase-I.
The National Green Tribunal has rapped the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) for failing to notify areas here on the basis of groundwater availability.

Taking strong exception to non-compliance of its order, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources to personally appear before it on November 12 and show cause why action should not be taken for defiance and non-compliance.

The tribunal noted there was total apathy on the part of the CGWA in not preforming its statutory duties and in failing to notify the areas which are over exploited, critical and semi-critical; and also in not regulating such areas.

"The authorities are comfortably sleeping over the matter in spite of pendency of more than six weeks. In spite of our direction on the last date, no steps are shown to have been taken. We had directed that the order be complied with within one month in view of the grave emergency. But this direction appears to have been ignored. Beyond seeking adjournment no progress has been made. We deprecate such irresponsible behaviour of the concerned officers," the bench said.

The tribunal had earlier directed CGWA to inform the Delhi Jal Board about the latest groundwater data in the national capital.

It had also rapped the city government and the DJB over illegal borewells in Narela and Bawana industrial areas which had led to serious depletion of water levels in the area.

The NGT had taken exception to the "abuse" of its interim order by the Delhi government to allow borewells in these industrial areas.

The tribunal was hearing petitions filed by the NGT Bar Association and Raj Hans Bansal opposing the illegal use of groundwater in Delhi.

The green panel had in 2014 set up committees comprising officials of the DJB, the CGWA, the city government and other bodies to seal the illegal borewells in these industrial areas and file a report.

It had also ordered the committees to prepare a comprehensive report on how many borewells were operating in the industrial pockets, including Bawana and Narela, and whether they had permission from the competent authority or were registered with the Delhi administration.

Taking serious note of the "water scarcity" in Delhi, the tribunal had pulled up the authorities for failing to perform their statutory administrative obligation in ensuring adequate water supply.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The NIA Wednesday said it has filed a charge sheet against a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist who was nabbed by security forces earlier this year, a fortnight after his group infiltrated into India from across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged Zabiullah alias Hamza (20) under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Arms Act and few others.

The agency said Zabiullah hailed from Multan in Pakistan and his group was intercepted by security forces on the intervening night of March 20-12 in the forests of Chak Fatah Khan in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

While five terrorists of this LeT terrorists' group were killed in the encounter, Zabiullah managed to escape.

He was injured during the encounter, but managed to escape and was apprehended a fortnight later from the same district, it said.

Three army personnel and two policemen were killed, while four other troops were injured during this encounter.

During investigation, the NIA said it was found that in the first week of March this year, a group of six LeT terrorists infiltrated into India through the LoC along Kupwara.

"This group of terrorists was heading towards Lolab area of Kupwara for establishing their bases for carrying out subversive activities in furtherance of waging war against India.

"While this terrorist group was passing through the forests of Chak Fatah Khan, Halmatpora in Kupwara they were intercepted by security forces and a gun battle took place," the agency said.

The NIA, in the charge sheet, said the Pakistani terrorist infiltrated into India from across the border in J-K.

"?Investigation carried out by the NIA has proved that Zabiullah is a Pakistani national and belonged to the LeT. Evidence collected from the scene of crime clearly linked the AK 47 recovered from Zabiullah's possession with the empty cartridges recovered from the site of encounter.

"Zabiullah also pointed out his place of residence in Pakistan, the training camps of LeT, the launching pads and the route taken by him to enter into the Indian territory during his questioning," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Only 29 per cent of Indian districts have confirmed that local committees exist to address sexual harassment at workplace, as per an RTI study by Martha Farrell Foundation.

The study points to lax implementation of the 2013 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, Redressal) Act across India.

As per the Act, every District Officer shall constitute in the district concerned a committee to be known as the local committee to receive complaints of sexual harassment from women.

Out of 655 districts in India, 56 per cent chose not to reply to an RTI query on status of local committees, while only 29 per cent districts confirmed that a local committee had been constituted.

"It is apparent that the Central Government needs to come up with a better monitoring system for the Act. The Act provides protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints," said Nandita Bhatt, Director, Martha Farrell Foundation, an institution working towards ending sexual harassment of women at workplace.

Local committees are the only recourse for women workers working in the informal sector.

"With 94 per cent of Indian female labour force in the informal sector, the meaningful implementation of this Act is a crucial step towards their dignity and safety at the workplace," Bhatt added.

Under RTI, districts are mandated to share the requested information, and failure to do so within the specified period is deemed to be refusal to give the information that has been requested.

The study was conducted between 2016 and 2018.

In 2016-17, the Foundation first filed for information on local committees with the district administrations across the country.

Given the non-receipt of replies from many district administrations, subsequent RTI queries were filed in state departments of Women and Child Development (barring the state of Jammu and Kashmir, union territories of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, and Daman and Diu).

First appeals were also filed in 30 per cent of the districts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As opposition parties demanded the sacking of a Punjab minister for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a woman officer, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday said he believed the matter has been resolved to the victim's satisfaction.

In a statement, Singh said he had taken up the matter very seriously and asked the minister to apologise.

According to a media report, a Cabinet minister sent the text messages to the official and stopped for a while when she warned him against it.

She reportedly complained against him after he messaged her again over a month ago.

The matter was brought to my notice some weeks ago and I had asked the minister to apologise and sort it out with the lady officer, Singh, who is on an official trip to Israel, said.

I understand he had done so to the satisfaction of the officer and thus the matter was resolved, his statement added.

Singh reaction came after opposition parties attacked the Congress-led government, seeking action against the minister, who remains unnamed.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that the minister be sacked.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the chief minister to "unmask" his cabinet colleague.

He said it is shocking that Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has reportedly been apprised of the complaint, is silent on the matter.

"Rahul Gandhi should explain whether he is complicit in this cover-up exercise by the Punjab chief minister? There is no way a minister accused of such abhorrent behaviour can sit in the Cabinet, where decisions regarding safety of women have to be taken," Badal said.

"If he is not removed immediately, it will be perceived as the Congress leadership's lack of seriousness about protecting the honour of women," he said in a statement.

The SAD leader said the woman official should be encouraged to lodge a formal complaint.

The AAP also sought action against the minister.

"A proper probe should be initiated into this incident and the minister should resign from the cabinet," said AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu, who belongs to the party's rebel faction led by Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

AAP's women's wing chief Raj Lali Gill also asked Amarinder Singh to take action against the minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan will be held responsible if it did not make sincere efforts to curb terrorism and their safe harbour on its western border with Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned.

He made the comment as he welcomed the holding of long-delayed election in war-torn Afghanistan in which around four million people exercised their franchise.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday at the State Department, Pompeo said this was the message he delivered to the Pakistani leadership when he travelled to Islamabad last month after Imran Khan became prime minister.

"We had made (it) clear that the US policy with respect to south-central Asia has not changed, that our expectation is that Pakistan will not provide safe harbour to terrorists on their western border," he said in response to a question.

The relations between Pakistan and the US nose-dived this January after President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to Washington but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

On September 5, Pompeo met Khan and pressed him "to do more" to rein in the terror groups operating from the Pakistani soil.

"We couldn't make that message any more clear and that Pakistan will be held account if they don't see about it... If they're not sincere in that effort.

"We don't believe we can get to the place that everyone wants. Everyone wants reconciliation in Afghanistan, and to achieve that you can't have a safe harbour for the Taliban - for the Haqqani (terror network), and for others inside of Pakistan," Pompeo said.

The Pakistani government knows "that's our view and this (Trump) administration has already made significant efforts to hold them accountable and we hope that they'll achieve the goal that we have out for them," said the Secretary of State.

He indicated that there has been no change in the Trump administration's policy with regard to suspension of security aid to Pakistan unless it takes satisfactory measures to eliminate terrorists safe havens.

Early this year, US President Donald Trump suspended USD 300 million in security aid to Pakistan. India, too, had asked Pakistan to stop supporting and glorifying terrorists and terror activities against India and its other neighbours.

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Pakistan on Wednesday rejected as "baseless" and "unfounded allegations" by Afghanistan that the Kandahar attack, in which three top Afghan officials were killed, was planned in the neighbouring country.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Tuesday alleged that the attack on slain Kandahar police commander Gen Abdul Raziq was planned in Pakistan.

"I want to say that this conspiracy was plotted in Pakistan. So Pakistan should give us the criminals so that we can bring them to justice," Ghani claimed.

Commenting on Ghani's remarks, Pakistan's Foreign Office said no hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims.

"Pakistan rejects baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks," it said in a statement.

It also said that in there was elaborate mechanisms under Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) to mutually and effectively address and investigate any such unfortunate incidents.

"It would have been more appropriate to invoke the relevant arrangement instead of resorting to media blame game which is contrary to the seven principles of cooperation agreed between the two sides, earlier this year," it added.

Kandahar's powerful provincial police chief Gen Abdul Razik and the province's intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, were killed killed in the Taliban attack on Thursday last, while provincial governor Zalmay Wesa died later of his injuries at a hospital.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condoled the death of the senior Afghan officials.

In a phone call to his Afghan counterpart Friday, Qureshi assured him Islamabad's full support to the democratic process in the war-torn country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Stock Exchange gained nearly 1,500 points Wednesday after weeks of negative trend and points shedding, a day after Saudi Arabia pledged USD 6 billion bailout package to Islamabad.

In the deal announced Tuesday after Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh said it will give Pakistan USD 3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to USD 3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports.

The Karachi Stock Exchange-100 index gained 1500 points on Wednesday moving the benchmark to 1,556 points to reach 39,271 points at the close of trading.

Financial analysts said that Saudi Arabia bailout package had very positive outlook on the trading.

"The Saudi package has triggered the bullish trend," senior analyst Ahsan Mehnati said.

He noted that the market since the last few months had been driven by negative sentiments based on concerns regarding the imbalance of external payments.

Pakistan has also asked International Monetary Fund for a USD 12 billion bailout package.

Another analyst said the Saudi package had allowed the market to heave a sigh of relief after weeks of concern and unrest since the general elections in July.

"Now we see investors rushing to the market to buy shares mostly in the power generation. And distribution sector," he said.

"The good thing is that with the prime minister also due to visit China, Malaysia and other countries they are plenty of positive feeling in the market," said Nabeel Khursheed, another analyst currently associated with Topline Securities.

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Sixteen Indian fishermen have been arrested by Pakistani authorities for allegedly straying into the country's territorial waters, a security official said Wednesday.

They were arrested on Monday by personnel of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) during an operation.

A security official told PTI that three boats of the fishermen were also confiscated.

A case has been registered against them at the Dock Police Station in Karachi.

Pakistan and India regularly arrest each other's fishermen who inadvertently enter into their waters due to absence of any proper technology to confirm the coastline border between Pakistan and India near Sir Creek in the Arabian Sea. They languish in jails until they are set free on certain occasions.

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A 34-Year-old pilgrim died of cardiac arrest on his way to the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir, police said Wednesday.

Surender Gole, a resident of North-West Delhi, collapsed near the shrine Tuesday, they said.

He was rushed to a nearby dispensary where the doctor declared him brought dead, police said.

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A petition was filed in the Madras High Court Wednesday seeking to stall the release of Vijay-starrer "Sarkar" for allegedly infringing copyrights.

Writer and assistant director Varun Rajendran has claimed ownership of



the film's story. He claimed that Sarkar's story was a replica of his work titled 'Sengol', which he had registered with the writer's union in 2007.

He sought to restrain the movie's release unless he was given due credit for the story. He also asked the makers of the film to pay Rs 30 lakh as compensation for the alleged infringement.

The petitioner's counsel made a mention before Justice M Sundar and requested the court to hear his plea on an urgent basis.

The judge said the petition would be taken up on Thursday after the court was informed that a caveat had already been filed by the producers, barring the court from hearing the case without putting them on notice.

He then instructed the petitioner's counsel to put the producer on notice. He submitted that he had filed a complaint in this regard with the South Indian Film Writers Association, which conducted a probe and concluded that the story of Sarkar and Sengol were identical.

Tamil star Vijay's "Sarkar" directed by A R Murugadoss, is slated to hit theatres on Diwali.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Wednesday that Modi expressed his gratitude for the prestigious honour and in the light of India' deepening partnership with the Republic of Korea, he has accepted the award.

"The world acknowledges. PM Narendra Modi awarded prestigious Seoul Peace Prize 2018 for contribution to high economic growth in India and world through 'Modinomics', contribution to world peace, improving human development & furthering democracy in India," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

The ministry said the award will be presented to Modi by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually convenient time.

The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul. The award was established to crystalise Korean people's yearning for peace on the Korean peninsula and in the rest of the world.

While conferring the award on Modi, the award committee recognised his contribution to the growth of Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor, the MEA said.

The committee lauded Modi's initiatives to make the government cleaner through anti-corruption measures and demonetisation, it said.

The committee also credited him for his contribution toward reginal and global peace through a proactive policy with countries around the world under the 'Modi doctrine' and the act east policy, it said.

He is the 14th recepient of the award and the past laureates included former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and renowned international relief organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.

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Two "potential explosive devices" sent to the homes of former US president Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton were intercepted and proactively detonated Wednesday, in an incident police termed an attempted terrorist attack.

Explosives were also found in package sent to the US network CNN, after which Time Warner building in New York City, where the CNN bureau is located, was evacuated.

CNN's anchors left their studios to broadcast from the streets outside their building.

The US Secret Service said it had intercepted two "suspicious packages" addressed to Obama and Clinton.

New York Police told reporters that these devises were an intent to strike fear and described it as an attempted terrorist attack.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them,"



the agency in a statement.

"Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location," it said.

Officials "proactively detonated" the device, and determined that it contained explosive powder and "had the components of a bomb," it said.

The package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington, DC, on Wednesday morning, and the one intended for Clinton was addressed to her in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday.

Following the interception of suspicious packages, the Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation.

A senior White House officials told NBC that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.

Vice President Mike Pence condemned the attempted attack and described these as cowardly.

"We condemn the attempted attacks against Obama, the Clintons, CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of Secret Service, FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice," Pence tweeted.

"I agree wholeheartedly!" President Trump said as he re-tweeted Pence's message.

The Secret Service refuted reports of a suspicious package being addressed to the White House.

"At this time the Secret Service has intercepted TWO suspicious packages - one in NY and one in DC Reports of a third intercepted package addressed to the WH are incorrect," it said.

The FBI said the package intended for the former first lady and secretary of state Clinton was found in the vicinity of her residence in Chappaqua, New York, but offered no additional comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Clintons have lived in Chappaqua, about 48 km north of New York City, since former President Clinton left office in 2001.

Responding to the development, Hillary Clinton said it's a sign of a "troubling time" in America.

"It is a troubling time, isn't it? It's a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together," she said at a campaign event in Florida.

CNN said the package sent to it was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan.

It said that the package has been removed from its New York building and another security sweep is going on.

The device sent to Time Warner Centre was constructed with a pipe and wires, CNN quoted an NYPD source as saying. Law enforcement authorities are treating the device as a real explosive, it said. The device was discovered in the mailroom.

CNN president Jeff Zucker said that all offices of the network around the world are now being searched "out of a complete abundance of caution".

"We are working with authorities to determine the severity of the situation," Zucker said in a memo to staff.

Meanwhile, suspicious package was also found in a building that contains offices used by Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The building was evacuated.

San Diego Union-Tribune in California said that its building was evacuated after a stack of suspicious looking packages were spotted in front of the building that houses the newspaper. The boxes, which were situated on top of a trash can, about 8:15 a.m., police said.

Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump strongly condemned the attempted acts of violence.

"I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others. There is no excuse-America is better than this," Ivanka tweeted.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the targeting of Clinton and Obama with potential explosives as acts of "domestic terrorism."



The White House condemned the "attempted violent attacks.""We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

"These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards," she said.

Sanders said that this is an ongoing situation that President Trump and his admin are monitoring closely.

"Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated," Sanders said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump Wednesday termed "abhorrent" the sending of "suspicious packages" to former US President Barack Obama, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the CNN, asserting that threats of political violence have no place in America.

Trump's remarks came after two "potential explosive devices" sent to the homes of Obama and Clinton were intercepted and proactively detonated in an incident New York police termed an attempted terrorist attack.

Explosives were also found in package sent to the US network CNN, after which Time Warner building in New York City, where the CNN bureau is located, was evacuated, the US Secret Service said.

"In these times we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America," Trump said.

"This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans," he said.

He said his administration will spare "no resources or expense in this effort" to investigate who sent the packages.

"A major federal investigation is under way. This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred. We're extremely angry, upset, unhappy about what we witnessed this morning and we will get to the bottom of it," he said.

Without takes names of the top democrats - Obama and Clinton - and the network CNN, Trump referred to explosives devices as "suspicious packages".

"The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority," Trump said.

"The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice," he said.

First Lady Melania Trump also condemned the "cowardly attacks".

"We can not tolerate those cowardly attacks and I strongly condemn all who choose violence," she said.

"I'm grateful to the Secret Service as well as to the local and federal law enforcement for all they do on a daily basis to keep us safe and encourage people across the country to choose kindness over hatred," she added.

The comments were Trump's most extensive since the threats were reported Wednesday morning.

He previously offered a tweet saying he "wholeheartedly" agreed with Vice President Pence's condemnation of the threats.

US Capitol Police are investigating a suspicious package addressed to Democratic Congressman Maxine Waters, multiple outlets said.

Trump has singled out each individual for criticism since taking office, and he regularly derides CNN as "fake news.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Punjab government has signed four MoUs with Israeli institutions to address issues of farmers and depleting groundwater level in the state.

The memorandums of understandings (MoUs) were signed here in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday, the second day of his five-day visit to the Jewish nation. He had arrived on Sunday evening.

The MoUs will help boost cooperation between Punjab and Israel in areas such as water conservation as well as agricultural research and education.

The agreements will "help Punjab secure much needed technical expertise and know-how for strengthening its water management systems and improving its agricultural research and learning", Chief Minister Singh said.

To formulate a water conservation and management plan in Punjab, an MoU was signed between the Punjab Water Resources Management and Israel's Mekorot Development and Enterprise Ltd.

Three MoUs related to agricultural research were signed by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) with Israel's ARAVA Institute, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Galilee International Management Institute.

The agreement for water conservation and management acknowledges that Punjab has a limited availability of surface water because of which groundwater has become a major source of irrigation in the state.

Currently, nearly 73 per cent of water requirements for irrigation are being met through groundwater, the MoU noted.

"Due to multiple cropping and large-scale cultivation of paddy there has been intensive groundwater extraction in the last five decades.

"This has created a situation in which large parts of Punjab have already become water stressed due to over exploitation of ground water resources," it said.

The water quality is also being affected by untreated or inadequately treated industrial effluent and sewage flowing into natural streams and rivers, the MoU said.

"In some of the areas of the state, particularly in southwest Punjab, ground water is saline and is above the root zone and has made the area unfit for agriculture or for any other use", it added.

The MoU has assigned Mekorot to formulate a comprehensive, viable, cost effective and efficient water conservation and management plan.This was done as part of an ongoing process of cooperation between India and Israel in the field of water resource management, it said.

Israeli experts with experience in conservation and management of water resources will be helping in formulating the plan.

Singh had met officials on Mekorot Monday after visiting waste water treatment plant (Shafdan) in the country's Dan region.

The two sides will be holding mutual discussions to decide on the details and scope of the water conservation and management plan, and other deliverables, including recommendations regarding use of appropriate technology and detailed project reports.

The MoU said a detailed agreement for preparation of the plan evolved within two months.

The activities to fulfil the MoU will be monitored by a joint working group, comprising an equal number of members from each side. It will be formed within three weeks, it said.

In the MoUs related to the agriculture sector, the PAU has agreed with all the three leading Israeli institutions to collaborate on cooperative research and to hold joint academic seminars in agricultural sciences, pursue faculty and student exchange programmes and cooperate in exchange of scholarship plans of mutual interest.

Details of the arrangements are to be discussed in future deliberations.

The Galilee International Management Institute also agreed with PAU on training of 200 scientists and extension workers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world's leading producer and innovator of great tasting, zero-calorie stevia sweeteners, will be presenting the latest in stevia research, and updates on local stevia initiatives underway in India at The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST ) 2018 being held October 23-27, 2018 at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

PureCircle will be hosting a joint scientific session with Coca-Cola India on October 26th which will include presentations by PureCircle's Group Vice President of Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Dr. Siddhartha Purkayastha and the Company's Head of the South East Asia Region Navneet Singh. The presentations will cover stevia sustainability and recent agricultural development in India; advances in stevia science, technology and safety; and recent stevia innovations for the formulation of great tasting reduced/zero sugar foods and beverages.

Commenting on stevia's sustainability and PureCircle's vision for India, PureCircle Head of the South East Asia Region Navneet Singh stated:



"Stevia is a sustainable crop, which is in high demand by the global food and beverage industry. PureCircle is test-farming several locations in India with its Starleaf stevia variety, which contains more of the best-tasting stevia sweeteners than other stevia plant variants. India has the land, climatic condition, farming expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to contribute significantly to global demand of naturally-sourced, non-GMO stevia sweeteners."Inline with the Indian Prime Minister's vision to double farmers' income, PureCircle is exploring new farming partnerships in multiple locations across India. Establishing a local Indian stevia agronomy program exemplifies the Company's commitment to traceability, and helping food and beverage companies launch new low to zero sugar added products with plant-based from farm to finished product.

PureCircle has announced plans to increase plantings of its Starleaf stevia variety to supply significantly more Reb M to global beverage and food companies. PureCircle sells a broad line of great-tasting, plant-based, zero-calorie stevia sweeteners and other stevia ingredients. PureCircle is playing a key supply role for beverage and food companies, as they seek to offer their consumers more low and zero-calorie products.

As the result of ongoing innovation, research and development work with stevia, to date PureCircle has been granted more than 100 stevia-related patents. These patents, plus more than 250 patents pending and other strong intellectual property -- are directed to a wide range of stevia-related products and processes.

IUFoST will feature the latest advances in food safety, food security, regulations, innovations in food processing, food, science & technology and consumer preferences among other topics by food scientists and technologists from academia, government and industry.

For more information on PureCircle, please see: www.purecircle.com



About PureCircle



PureCircle combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality, great-tasting innovative stevia sweeteners. The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants. PureCircle will continue to: lead in research, development and innovation; produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners with sugar-like taste, using all necessary and appropriate methods of production; and be a resource and innovation partner for food and beverage companies. PureCircle stevia flavor modifiers work in synergy with sweeteners to improve the taste, mouthfeel and calorie profile, and enhance the cost effectiveness, of beverage and food products. Founded in 2002, PureCircle is continually investing in breakthrough research and development and it currently has more than 100 stevia-related granted patents and more than 250 patents pending globally. PureCircle has offices around the world with the global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. To meet growing demand for stevia sweeteners, PureCircle is rapidly ramping up its supply capability. It completed expansion of its Malaysian stevia extract facility in March 2017, increasing its capacity to rapidly supply the newer and great-tasting stevia sweeteners and helping provide ever-increasing value to its customers. PureCircle's shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit: www.purecircle.com About stevia



Given the growing global concerns about obesity and diabetes, beverage and food companies are working responsibly to reduce sugar and calories in their products, responding to both consumers and health and wellness advocates. Sweeteners from the stevia plant offer sugar-like taste and are becoming an increasingly important tool for these companies. Like sugar, stevia sweeteners are from plants. But unlike sugar, they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of beverages and foods. Stevia leaf extract is a natural, zero calorie, high-intensity sweetener, used by global food and beverage companies as a great-tasting zero-calorie alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to South America; today, it is grown around the world, notably in Kenya, China and the US. The sweet-tasting parts of the stevia leaf are up to 400 times sweeter than sugar: stevia's high-intensity sweetness means it requires far less water and land than sugar. Research has shown that the molecules of the stevia leaf are present and unchanged in the dried stevia leaf, through the commercial extraction and purification process, and in the final stevia leaf extract product. Many major global regulatory organisations, across 65 countries, have approved the use of high-purity stevia leaf extracts in food and beverages. For more information on the science of stevia, please visit https://www.purecirclesteviainstitute.

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Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Wednesday urged the UN Human Rights Council to constitute a commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir.

He made the remarks while addressing a ceremony to mark the 73rd anniversary of the United Nations which was jointly organised by the Foreign Office and the UN country team at the Foreign Office.

During his speech, Qureshi outlined Pakistan's priorities with a particular focus on social and economic development, poverty alleviation, job creation and institutional reforms.

Acknowledging the role and contribution of the United Nations in these endeavours, the Foreign Minister expressed Pakistan's willingness to further build on this partnership.

Qureshi appreciated Pakistani troops and police personnel for their contribution to the UN peacekeeping and paid tribute to the 156 peacekeepers who died for the world peace.

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The family of Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, found dead in a room on the premises of at Dasuya near here, Wednesday alleged that the senior Catholic priest was being consistently harassed at the behest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is facing allegations of raping a nun.

In a complaint to the police, Kattuthara's brother Jose Kurian said his brother had often told him and other family members that he was being threatened by the bishop and his people.

Father Kuriakose was a witness in the nun rape case and was found dead in a room at St Paul Convent School, Dasuya on October 22.

In his complaint, Kurian also claimed his brother's salary was slashed and being released irregularly.

His brother's Bhogpur residence too was attacked the day he gave a statement against the Bishop to a police team from Kerala, he said.

The deceased priest's autopsy was conducted at Dasuya Civil Hospital Tuesday evening.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal is facing allegations of raping a nun.

In her complaint to the Kottayam police in June, the nun had alleged that Bishop Mulakkal had raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and later sexually exploited her on several occasions.

Mulakkal, however, has denied the charges as "baseless and concocted", insisting she levelled the allegations because the Catholic order had rejected her demands for favours.

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The 650-crore Ro-Pax ferry service project to connect Saurashtra and Dahej in Gujarat is set start this week after a successful trial run, the government said Wednesday.

The Gogha- Dahej Ro-Pax Ferry service project with a capacity to carry 500 passengers along with 100 vehicles would reduce the travel distance to just 31 km via sea route from 294 km through road between the two places.

A ro-ro ferry service for passengers is already operational between Gogha in Saurashtra and Dahej.

The project to connect Saurashtra and South Gujarat, under Sagarmala, is first of its kind in India as it is being executed in the area of world's second highest tidal range, the government said.

"The Prime Minister's dream project of Gogha- Dahej Ro-Pax Ferry service is all ready to start under the Sagarmala programme of the Ministry of Shipping. In a successful trial run conducted recently, 12 loaded trucks were transported by the Ro- Pax ferry from Dahej to Gogha across the Gulf of Cambay, via the sea route," the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.

The land route between the two places involves a 294 km or 8 hour drive, it said adding the Ro-Pax service reduces this distance to just 31 km through the sea route by crossing the Gulf in Cambay in 17 Nautical Miles.

"The travel time gets reduced to just 1.5 hours. This is an important development for diamond and textiles traders and workers in Surat to travel via coastal shipping and save the travel time by almost half," the statement said.

The fully operational Ro Pax service with carrying capacity of 100 vehicles and 500 passengers will be opened on October 27, 2018.

Speaking after the trail run, Shipping and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "The Sagarmala programme is touching the lives of people. Gogha-Dahej Ro-Pax Ferry service is all set to connect Saurashtra and South Gujarat."



The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 615 Crore of which Rs 117 Crore has been funded by Central Government under the Sagarmala programme with the main objective of promoting coastal shipping and reducing logistics costs, the statement said.

The initiative would not only reduce the travel time but also result in savings in fuel, reduction in CO2 emission and reduction in road congestion, it said.

The project would open up new avenues in coastal shipping & tourism and help in socio-economic development of proximate areas, it added.

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Hardening its stand against the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine, the erstwhile Pandalam royal family Wednesday said it was not prepared for any compromise as regards the ancient rituals and traditions of the Ayyappa temple.

Speaking to reporters at Pandalam, royal family representative Sasikumar Varma rejected the Kerala governments' contention that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) was the custodian of the temple and said it was "wrong".

"The temple is of the devotees," he said, adding, "If there is any violation of the customs and traditions, they have the right to question the same."



"We have never asked to close down the temple. We are not prepared for any compromise on customs and traditions. The family is not eyeing the wealth of the Ayyappa temple," Varma said.

On the issue of entry of women into the shrine, he said there was an attempt to "divide" the Hindu faithful on the basis of "avarnas" (lower) and "savarnas" (upper) castes.

But the Ayyappa devotees saw through it and did not fall into the trap, Varma added.

What had happened at over the last six days, when the temple was opened for the monthly pooja from October 17-22, was "painful", he said.

At a time when the government had failed to ensure basic facilities like accommodation, toilets and drinking water to the devotees, six young women trekked the hills with police protection, Varma alleged.

No real woman devotee in the 10-50 age group attempted to offer prayers at the shrine on the strength of the verdict, he claimed.

The six women, who attempted to offer prayers at the temple and were given police protection and escorted, were part of a script and a hidden agenda, Varma alleged.

Taking a dig at the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala, he said the attachment of the royal family to the temple did not change every five years.

However, they had time and again sought a hike in the allowances for the people who escorted the "Thiruvabharanam" (sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa) from Pandalam to during the Mandala Makaravillaku festival.

Chief Minister had criticised the Pandalam royal family and the "tantri" (head priest of the temple) Tuesday, saying the board was the legal custodian of the hill temple.

The famous Sabarimala temple, which opened for the monthly pooja on October 17 after the order, had witnessed a stand-off over the issue with angry devotees preventing at least a dozen women in the "barred" age group from entering the shrine.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.
Shiromani Akali Dal Wednesday demanded immediate withdrawal of two newly-inducted chapters of class 12 history books of the Punjab School Education Board, terming their contents as historically distorted and defamatory" to Sikh gurus and religion.

In a statement here, former Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said the new chapters, which were released online, had numerous mistakes and factual errors.

Even more serious is the sinister attempt to distort the historical facts related to the Sikh gurus and objectionable observations about Sikh's scripture," he said, while also demanding sacking of Education Minister O P Soni.

Demanding action against the Board officials, responsible for online release of the chapters with distortions, Cheema said the Sikh 'panth' (community) would never allow the Congress government to play with the history of Sikhism as well as that of the Punjab state.

He said the chapters should be withdrawn immediately or else the SAD would launch an agitation on the issue.

Cheema claimed there were a number of wrong facts and misinformation" about the Sikh gurus in the third and the fifth chapters of the modified history book.

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Prime Minister Imran Khan said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia's USD 6 billion assistance package has eased pressure on Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves and exuded confidence that the country will emerge stronger and more prosperous in the coming years.

In the deal announced Tuesday after Prime Minister Khan called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh said it will give Pakistan USD 3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to USD 3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports.

Khan addressed the nation to share the details of his efforts to bring cash-strapped Pakistan out of financial difficulties.

"My Pakistanis, today I am here with a good for all of you. We were facing really hard times. We were under high pressure to pay heavy debts. But thanks to Saudi Arab's extension of assistance, we are out of the pressure," he said.

The Prime Minister also said that the government was in contact with two other friendly countries for more financial assistance.

He said people should not worry as the difficult time would pass and Pakistan will emerge as a much stronger and prosperous country in the coming years.

He did not name the countries but official sources said that the two countries were the UAE and China.

They said that a high-level UAE delegation will arrive in Pakistan on October 26 to discuss investment opportunities, while Khan will visit China in the first week of November to seek business and investment as well as explore financial assistance.

Khan said the Saudi financial package will strengthen Pakistan's bargaining position in case the government approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.

He said even if the government was forced to seek IMF assistance, it would not need as much money as it would have needed in absence of the Saudi assistance.

Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar recently said the country may need more than USD 12 billion to plug its finances as the current-account deficit widens and foreign-currency reserves plummet.

Khan also said Pakistan would try to play the role of a mediator in the Yemen war.

"I also want to share with you... we were trying to play a role in ending the Yemen war," he said.

The Prime Minister criticised the previous governments and held them responsible for the current economic crisis.

He said the country's debt was Rs 6,000 billion in 2008 which ballooned to Rs 30,000 billion in 2018.

Khan said the government was doing audit of the massive debt and threatened that the corrupt element would face merciless accountability.

He also said that his mega project of constructing 5 million houses in five years would revive 40 industries and create job opportunities for the youth.

Pakistan is in search of USD 12 billion foreign loans and aid to avoid default on international debt obligations, as the country is required to return USD 11.7 billion loans to foreign countries.

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Delegates swooned as a band belted out "Hotel California" on the sidelines of a Saudi investment forum, with organisers projecting it as business as usual despite mass cancellations from global CEOs over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

Multi-billion dollar "mega deals" were declared and sumptuous buffet spreads laid out at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, while delegates rushed to take selfies with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who received a standing ovation.

But the flagship three-day conference that seeks to project the oil-rich desert kingdom as a lucrative business destination appeared to largely be a subdued affair after the Khashoggi murder pushed the world's top oil exporter into one of its worst crises.

It especially paled in comparison to last year's inaugural FII, where Prince Mohammed dazzled investors with plans for the USD 500-billion mega city NEOM billed as a regional Silicon Valley, and a talking robot named Sophia was declared a Saudi citizen.

The forum was billed as an economic coming-out party after the prince, a self-styled reformer, won global plaudits for ending a decades-long ban on women drivers and his ambitious plans to modernise the ultraconservative kingdom.

But the star attractions of last year were missing as the event opened on Tuesday with British billionaire Richard Branson, SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son and Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser among dozens of global business titans who shunned the event.

The brightly lit booths of Western media outlets were gone, with star television anchors such as Fox News's Maria Bartiromo -- who moderated a panel with Prince Mohammed last year -- notably absent.

Organisers frequently changed the agenda of the event in a sign speakers were dropping out.

They scrambled on Wednesday to replace the political no-shows with figures from regional allies, with Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and the presidents of Senegal and Gabon listed as headliners.

Saudi officials were still eager to project the kingdom's economic ambitions, with a Lucid electric car displayed outside the lunch venue and each delegate receiving a bulky hardcover book titled "A blueprint for the 22nd century".

At a gala dinner reception on Tuesday, Chico Bouchikhi, one of the founders of the Gipsy Kings, regaled participants with hit songs such as "Hotel California".

The conference was largely filled with delegates from Arab nations, many from Saudi Arabia itself, and most of the Westerners present sought to maintain a low profile and some appeared unwilling to even share their business cards with journalists.

But Saudi officials heaped praise on Western business heads such as the CEO of French energy giant Total, Patrick Pouyanne, for standing by Saudi Arabia in this difficult period.

Khashoggi's murder has plunged the kingdom into what observers call an acute public relations crisis.

The companies doing business with Saudi Arabia would have to "find a balance between maintaining a good PR image and their business considerations", said Tony Chan, president of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, who attended the forum.

As delegates walked into the vast conference venue at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, bedecked with frescoed ceilings and glittering chandeliers, many feverishly checked their phones for new developments about Khashoggi's murder.

Prince Mohammed, who has faced a torrent of global criticism over the murder, is due to address the forum later Wednesday, his first public speech since Khashoggi's death on October 2.

Saudi officials at FII sought to defuse what they acknowledged as a "crisis". Prominent Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan described the murder a terrible act "alien to our culture and DNA".

"For a long time I introduce my country to outsiders by saying: 'I come from country that doesn't allow women to drive'," said another Saudi businesswoman. "I thought we were moving forward, but this (crisis) has taken us far behind.

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Saudi Arabia's USD 6 billion assistance package of loans and deferred payments to Pakistan will immediately relieve pressure on the cash-strapped government and improve its negotiating position during the tough bailout negotiations with the IMF, media reports said Wednesday.

In the deal announced Tuesday after Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh said it will give Pakistan USD 3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to USD 3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports.

Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar recently said the country may need more than USD 12 billion to plug its finances as the current-account deficit widens and foreign-currency reserves plummet.

The Saudi assistance will immediately push the official foreign currency reserves back to double digit in addition to lessening the stress on the external sector.

Saudi Arabia will place USD 3 billion cash deposits with the State Bank of Pakistan, in addition to providing a one-year deferred payment facility for the import of oil, worth up to USD 3 billion, according to the Pakistan Foreign Office.

The cash injection will immediately relieve pressure on the government and improve its negotiating position during the upcoming programme loan talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), starting from November 7, the Express Tribune said.

The cash assistance will lower the requirements to devalue the rupee, as the one-off assistance will for the time being improve the macroeconomic projections, the report quoted some independent economists as saying.

The Saudi package may provide breathing space to the government for dealing with economic challenges, but would not be enough to avoid the IMF facility, the Dawn newspaper reported.

It is believed that improved foreign exchange reserves would strengthen Pakistan's negotiating position in talks with the IMF, it added.

The situation could further improve if China also makes some commitments to rescue its 'all-weather friend', it said, noting that Khan is scheduled to travel to China on November 3 for his first visit.

Saudi Arabia agreed to bail out Pakistan during the second visit of the prime minister, as the agreement could not be reached during his September visit to the kingdom, it said.

Prime minister Khan is keen to avoid the IMF bailout package and had requested Saudi Arabia, China and the United Arab Emirates for placement of deposits in the central bank to artificially inflate the foreign currency reserves, it said.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia gave USD 1.5 billion grant in 2014 when Pakistan's economy was facing similar pressures.

Saudi Arabia had also given oil on deferred payments in the 1990s, but Pakistan never repaid the amount, according to the officials of the finance ministry.

Pakistan is in search of USD 12 billion foreign loans and aid to avoid default on international debt obligations, as the country is required to return USD 11.7 billion loans to foreign countries.

After the USD 3 billion cash assistance from Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani central bank SBP's reserves will increase to USD 11 billion. The USD 3 billion oil on deferred payments will lower the overall financing needs by the same amount, which had been earlier estimated at USD 31 billion, the report said.

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Senior diplomat Saurabh Kumar has been appointed India's ambassador to Myanmar, the Ministry of External Affairs said Wednesday.

Kumar, a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as the Indian envoy in Iran.

"He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the ministry said.

Kumar will succeed Vikram Misri who has been serving as Indian envoy in Myanmar since August 31, 2016.

Last month, Misri was appointed Indian Ambassador to China.

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The unprecedented internal feud between CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana reached the Supreme Court Wednesday which agreed to hear on October 26 the former's plea assailing the Centre's decision to divest him of duties and sending him on leave.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who has set tough standards for cases being listed for urgent hearing, considered the submissions of advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan, appearing for Verma, that the plea needed urgent hearing as besides sending the agency's chief and the Special Director on leave, several officers probing sensitive cases have been changed.

"Friday," the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, told the lawyer who also referred to the fact that the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) took the decision at 6 AM today to divest Verma of his duties.

The CBI chief, who later in the day filed the plea in the apex court registry, said there was a need for an independent probe agency as there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

Verma has assailed the decision of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986 batch Odisha-cadre IPS officer, has been given the charge as head of the probe agency.

The feud between Verma and Asthana escalated in recently leading to registration of an FIR against Asthana and others including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is presently in CBI's custody, in an alleged bribery case.

The FIR was lodged on a written complaint of Satish Babu Sana on October 15. It alleged that Kumar, the IO in a case, was repeatedly calling him to the CBI office to harass and compel him to pay bribe of Rs 5 crore for giving him clean chit.

Asthana and Kumar both challenged the FIR in the Delhi High Court, which on Tuesday ordered CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings against Asthana.

The Centre, the CVC and the DoPT intervened and decided to send the CBI Director and the Special Director on leave.

The CBI Director took the fight to the apex court today by filing the plea challenging the government's decison.

The plea said the decision taken "overnight" by the Centre and the CVC to divest him of his role as the head of the probe agency was "patently illegal" and such interference "erodes" the independence and autonomy of the institution.

"Over the recent past, although all functionaries within the CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view," the plea said.

It alleged that "hurdles posed" by Asthana have now been compounded by his complicity in "concocting evidence" to impugn the reputation of Verma, leading to a separate FIR being registered by CBI which has been challenged by the special director in the Delhi High Court.

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Three men have been arrested for alleged negligence in connection with the death of a 32-year-old man in a Delhi Jal Board sewer in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri, police said Wednesday.

Dooman Ray died on Sunday after he drowned in a sewer. On Tuesday, his family took his body to his native place in Bihar after the post-mortem, police said.

The three men arrested are project manager Ashwini Kumar Jha, site supervisor Subodh and safety officer Subham Notiyal, said Aslam Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest).

Police will also be questioning senior officers of the company that was awarded the contract for maintenance of the sewer by the Delhi Jal Board, said another officer.

The officer said Ray was accompanied by two men, who were supposed to pull him out when he opened a valve and water came gushing out but they could not do so in time leading to Ray's death.

Police said there should have been more manpower present at the spot for Ray's assistance.

Police will also be contacting DJB to study the terms and conditions of the contract between them and the company tasked with sewer maintenance.

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Apparently with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP president Amit Shah was on a day-long visit here Wednesday and held a meeting with party workers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior RSS office bearers Krishna Gopal and Dattatreya Hosabole also took part in the meeting.

"Senior RSS office-bearers praised UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the presence of the BJP chief (Amit Shah). At the meeting, emphasis was laid on disseminating information pertaining to various welfare schemes and achievements of the Centre and state government among the masses, especially in view of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," an Uttar Pradesh BJP leader said.

Another senior leader of the party's state unit said that the UP government briefed the party president and senior office-bearers of the RSS about achievements of the state government, which it had accomplished in one-and-half years.

"The government also informed the meeting about renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj and a host of welfare measures taken by it," he said.

Both the deputy chief ministers, UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and senior party office bearers took part in the meeting.

RSS joint general secretary (sah-sarkaryavah) Gopal, who was also present in the meeting told reporters, "In this meeting we deliberated over topical issues. The feedback which our workers gather, they convey it when we meet after almost six months. Today, our swayamsevaks working in 40 organisations in Uttar Pradesh gathered here for a regular and routine meeting, which is held from time-to-time. Different programmes and future plans are discussed. People from the BJP also come."



When asked whether any discussion was held on the Ram Temple (in Ayodhya), he said, "No discussions were held on Ram Temple."



On being asked if any discussion was held on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gopal said, "No discussions were held in this regard."When contacted, UP BJP spokesperson Chandramohan said, "The BJP holds regular meetings on the issue of development. This was not a political meeting, and was held in the context of larger interest of the nation. Issues of national importance were deliberated upon.

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Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha Wednesday held discussions with Western Australia Tourism Minister Paul Papalia on starting direct flights to Perth.

Air India Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola was also present at the meeting.

India is already a fast growing market for Western Australia with the number of visitors increasing by 38 per cent from the year ending December 2015 to the same period in 2017, an official release said.

"Air India has agreed to explore the business case for the route," it added.

Noting that India and Australia share strong trade, investment, sporting and education ties, Sinha said direct connectivity between the two countries has the potential to deepen these relationships.

"India has a very open air service agreement with Australia. It encourages both Indian and Australian airlines to consider making use of the liberal arrangements to mount more flights between the two countries," the minister said.

According to the release, Papalia said the meeting was extremely productive and significantly progressed efforts towards establishing direct flights between India and Perth.

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Security and Intelligence Services (SIS) Wednesday reported a 26 per cent decline in its net profit to Rs 43.7 crore for the second quarter ended September 30.

The cash logistics services and security firm's consolidated net profit in the corresponding July-September quarter of 2017-18 stood at Rs 58.9 crore, the company said in a BSE filing.

However, total income during the quarter increased by 14.2 per cent to Rs 1,695 crore as against Rs 1,484 crore in the same period a year ago, the company said.

During the second quarter of the previous fiscal, there was one-off tax benefit of Rs 6.7 crore and sale of 10 per cent stake in SXP for Rs 21 crore.

So, on normalised profit after tax basis, there was 68.7 per cent jump in profit to Rs 46.96 crore as against Rs 27.84 crore in the same quarter a year ago, it said.

SIS Managing Director Rituraj Sinha said "the company has shown strong revenue growth this quarter across all its segments and this coupled with our acquisitions takes us closer to our vision to become the No 1 company in Security, Cash Logistics and Facility Management."



Acquisition of SLV enhances visibility in the NCR region while acquisition of Rare Hospitality gives greater penetration in the valuable healthcare domain, he said.

The company added some prestigious customers this quarter and this gives strong visibility for the rest of the year, he added.

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Six global investors, including Warburg Pincus, Temasek, and International, have agreed to invest $1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in Africa, the company said Wednesday.

The investment will be used to reduce Africa's existing debt of approximately $5 billion and help the growth of its African operations, the unit listed in the UK said.

"...Six leading global investors comprising Warburg Pincus,Temasek, Singtel, International and others have agreed to invest USD 1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in the company at a post money equity value of approximately USD 4.4 billion," said in a statement.

has seen a turnaround of its business in recent years. The business unit in the last few quarters mitigated the impact of turbulent tariff war going on in on the consolidated financial performance of

"This primary equity issuance clearly underlines the confidence of leading global investors in Airtel Africa's successful business strategy and its potential to sustain growth and profitability," Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Africa, Bharti Airtel, said.

subsequently intends an initial public offering and use the proceeds primarily for further reduction of debt, the statement said.

"The transaction will help us further deleverage our balance sheet and boost our capacity to upgrade networks, expand coverage in different markets and achieve rapid growth of Airtel Money across our operations," Mandava said.

The present transaction will not involve any sale of shares by existing shareholders, the company said.
Six people were killed in a clash in Gujarat's Kutch district following a dispute over village panchayat elections, police said Wednesday.

An argument erupted between members of two communities late Tuesday night over the sarpanch's (village head) election held sometime ago in Chhasra village in which a woman had won, Kutch (West) Superintendent of Police M S Bharada said.

"Some members of a community held a grudge against the other after facing defeat in the election.The argument over the issue escalated and people from both the sides attacked each other with sharp weapons," he said.

Six people were killed on the spot in the clash.

The deceased were identified as Magan Ahir (27), Bharat Ahir (28), Bhargav Ahir (26) and Chetan Ahir (38), all from the same family, Abid Sabbar Bhulia (25), son of the woman sarpanch, and Amad Abdul Bhulia (70), he said.

Two persons were injured in the incident. One of them was admitted to a local hospital, while the other, who received serious head injuries, was shifted to a hospital in Ahmedabad, the SP said.

A team of police officials was camping at the village to bring the situation under control, he said.

An FIR was lodged against members of both the communities under relevant sections pertaining to rioting, murder and other offences, he added.

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Four members of an inter-state gang were arrested by Raigad Police in Maharashtra for allegedly smuggling snake venom worth Rs 1.7 crore in illicit markets, an official said Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Rajaram Jaiswar (46) and Udaynath Jaiswar (37) at Mandva Jetty in Raigad and recovered snake venom kept in a water bottle, he said.

The accused, hailing from Malvani in Mumbai, allegedly told police that two persons from Gujarat had handed over the venom to them.

Police then arrested Devilal Joshi (36) and Santoshkumar Singh (35) from Vapi district of Gujarat, the official said.

Joshi hails from Bikaner in Rajasthan while Singh is from Uttar Pradesh, he said.

All four were sent in police custody till October 29 by a local court, he said.

Police are investigating from where the accused procured the venom and for what purpose they were going to use it, he said.

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Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Wednesday received a booster shot with six global investors, including SoftBank Group, Singtel, Warburg Pincus and Temasek, agreeing to pump in USD 1.25 billion into its Africa unit.

This is the first direct investment by the six investors in Airtel Africa against issuance of equity which the company will use to reduce debt and upgrade its network.

The transaction will not involve any sale of shares by existing shareholders, according to a statement by the company.

"...Six leading global investors comprising Warburg Pincus,Temasek, Singtel, SoftBank Group International and others have agreed to invest USD 1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in the company at a post money equity value of approximately USD 4.4 billion," Airtel Africa said in a statement.

The valuation of USD 4.4 billion also sets the floor for the initial public offer of the company.

"Airtel Africa subsequently intends an Initial Public Offering and use the proceeds primarily for further reduction of debt," the statement said.

Airtel Africa, incorporated in the UK, has existing debt of approximately USD 5 billion, while Bharti Airtel had consolidated debt of around USD 15 billion at the end of the first quarter ended June 30, 2018.

The India business accounts for over 80 per cent of total business which is facing the double whammy of a turbulent tariff war and rising finance cost.

"This primary equity issuance clearly underlines the confidence of leading global investors in Airtel Africa's successful business strategy and its potential to sustain growth and profitability," said Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Africa, Bharti Airtel.

The Africa business helped Bharti Airtel post positive income at the end of first quarter of 2018-19.

Bharti Airtel's Africa operations recorded net income of Rs 393.9 crore before exceptional item, while India and South Asia business pulled it down by a loss of Rs 982.5 crore in the quarter ended June 30, 2018.

"The transaction will help us further deleverage our balance sheet and boost our capacity to upgrade networks, expand coverage in different markets and achieve rapid growth of Airtel Money across our operations," Mandava said.

According to Deutsche Bank Research, the deal is positive for both Bharti Airtel and a significant shareholder in the company -- Singtel -- as it would help the company reduce its debt ratio.

Bharti Airtel was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack Wednesday, surging 10.79 per cent, with its share closing at Rs 316.75.

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Clashes between rival clans have killed more than 40 people in two days in a disputed region of northern Somalia, one of the worst such confrontations seen in the area, local officials and elders said.

The clashes began early Tuesday and continued on Wednesday around remote villages in the Sool region between militias from rival Darod sub-clans.

"We are calling for a ceasefire from the brotherly clans, this is a serious situation we have more than 40 people killed since yesterday and nearly 100 others are wounded," Ismail Yasin, a traditional elder from the region, said Wednesday.

Mohamed Abdulahi, a security official in the regional capital Galkayo said the "death toll is nearly 50, this is the deadliest conflict in the area".

Most of the casualties were reported in the village of Dhumay.

Local elders said the fighting between Dhulbahante militias in the Sool region was still ongoing, with the use of heavy weaponry.

The region has long been disputed between the breakaway state of Somaliland and the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland, whose rival forces last clashed in May, leaving dozens dead.

Somalia's myriad clans -- made up of sub-clans and extended networks -- are a defining feature of society and identity.

Observers attribute much of the violence in the country since it collapsed into civil war in 1991 to clan rivalries over resources. The central government in Mogadishu called on both sides to halt hostilities.

"The president of the federal government of Somalia and the prime minister are appealing for the local religious and traditional elders to intervene in the situation and help cease the bloodshed," the statement said.

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A Lahore High Court bench hearing treason case against former military dictator Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday was once again dissolved after the retirement of Chief Justice Yawar Ali, media report said.

Justice Ali was heading the three-member bench that also included Justice Mazhar Akbar and Justice Tahira Safdar.

General (retd) Musharraf, 75, who has been living in Dubai since March 2016, is facing the treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007, a punishable offence for which he was indicted in 2014.

A conviction for high treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The former army chief left for Dubai for medical treatment and has not returned since, citing security and health reasons.

The court last week ordered the formation of a high-level judicial commission to record Musharraf's statement in Dubai in the treason case after the former president declined to appear before the court through video conferencing.

On March 30, 2018, the previous bench was dissolved after Justice Yahya Afridi rescued himself from hearing the case over the objections of Musharraf's lawyer.

Early this month, the Supreme Court Chief told Musharraf that "there are good doctors in Pakistan" and directed him to appear before the apex court to record his statement.

Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, has been declared a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case and the Red Mosque cleric killing case.

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The first chief minister of Sri Lanka's Northern Province, C V Wigneswaran on Wednesday resigned from the country's main Tamil party and formed a new political alliance, as he slammed the Sirisena government and the party for failing to address the issues of war-affected Tamils.

Wigneswaran, who completed his five-year term as the northern council's first chief minister on Tuesday, said the new alliance will be named the Tamil People's Alliance (Tamil Makkal Kootani) and will consist of a group of Tamil political parties.

The new party will uphold the fundamentals of Tamil nationalism," said the 79-year-old former judge of the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, In his final speech at the last sitting of the Northern Provincial Council, which was elected to power in 2013 after the post-war polls, Wigneswaran slammed the TNA members in the Constitutional Assembly, the body to form a new constitution, and accused them of acting arbitrarily without consulting the council on the issues of Tamils.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is the main party representing northern Tamils.

He also attacked the Sirisena government for its "failure" to deliver Tamils what they had been promised in 2015 including a new constitution to address Tamil's demand for political independence.

"The good governance government (of Sirisena) which came to power in 2015 was no different to the previous governments except some symbolic steps were taken to appease the international community," he said, adding that some 60,000 acres of Tamil civilian lands were still under military and government control.

"I sticked to the core Tamil demands - a Tamil nation of merged north and east for a federal administration for which I received an overwhelming mandate," Wigneswaran said.

The five-year term of the Northern Provincial Council ended on Tuesday. The first ever Northern Provincial Council was elected to office in 2013 and Wigneswaran became its chief minister.

Previously, the North and the East had a merged council with the East in terms of the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord of 1987. The Accord as a result of the Indian intervention then saw Sri Lanka's nine provinces having elected provincial councils.

The TNA had swept the first ever election to NPC with Wigneswaran becoming the chief minister with over 80 per cent of the vote.

Since 2015, Wigneswaran's differences with the TNA hierarchy was surfacing in public when he began towing a hard nationalist line as opposed to the TNA's policy of consensus for reconciliation.

The TNA supported President Maithripala Sirisena against Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election mainly to win political rights of Tamils in a new constitution.

The Tamil public discontent against Sirisena government's slowness in delivery of its promises strengthened Wigneswaran's hardline.

The Tamil nationalists were rallying behind Wigneswaran as opposed to the moderate TNA.

Wigneswaran's Tamil People's Alliance is the second political party to be formed by the Tamil nationalists in recent weeks.

Ananthy Saseetharan, a Wigneswaran follower in the NPC last week said she had formed The Eelam Tamil Self Rule Organisation. She said her party's aim was to win self-determination of Tamil through a federal set up for the north.

She accused the government of duping the Tamils after having pledged so much in 2015 leading to the election.

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Steve Carrell has landed the male lead in Apple's untitled morning show drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carell will play Mitch Kessler, a morning show anchor who is struggling to maintain relevance in a changing media landscape.

The role marks the actor's first TV regular appearance since he wrapped up the NBC comedy, "The Office" in 2011.

Aniston and Witherspoon will co-executive produce the show which is based on an original concept by Michael Ellenberg and draw inspiration from Brian Stelter's book "Top Of The Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV".

The show has received a two-season, 20-episode order.

Kerry Ehrin is attached as showrunner on the series and will also exec produce. Stelter serves as a consultant.

Production is set to begin next week here.

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A man from Tajikistan was apprehended at the airport here for allegedly using a fake ticket to enter the terminal area, a senior official said Wednesday.

K Solikh was intercepted by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel as he was about to leave the Terminal-3 building of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Tuesday, the official said.

The man, who holds a passport of Tajikistan, was stopped and questioned while exiting the terminal area, the official said.

He told the security personnel that he used a "cancelled" ticket to enter the terminal area to see off his friend, who was travelling to the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, the official said.

The man was subsequently handed over to the police as his ticket was a fake travel document. He was charged with alleged trespass, he said.

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Tata Chemicals (TCL) Wednesday signed an agreement with CSIRCECRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute), Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, to explore collaborative technology scaling up of manufacturing cathode materials for Lithium-ion cells.

Under this memorandum of understanding (MoU), TCL and CSIR-CECRI envisages building a partnership which would leverage the latter's intellectual property, capabilities and infrastructure, to eventually manufacture Lithium-ion batteries for various applications, a release said here.

This partnership is intended to build a strong foundation on commercially scalable cathode chemistries and is in line with the direction for increased electrification in transportation and the thrust on cleaner forms of energy in India.

"At our Innovation Centre in Pune, we continue to explore newer frontiers in chemistry, with a view to applying science to solve the challenges of tomorrow. Together with CECRI's strengths in electrochemistry, we will build capabilities in new age energy materials for Lithium-ion cells," Tata Chemicals managing director R Mukundan said.

With a transformation agenda built on innovation and sustainability, this move is in line with the company's strategy to grow its specialty business.

The Tata Chemicals Innovation Centre has been the company's technology and innovation hub providing sustainable differentiators to its businesses, with the advantage of multi-disciplinary expertise for customer-centric solutions.

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on Wednesday said its subsidiary will acquire the steel business of Ltd (UML) for Rs 43-47 billion.

With the acquisition, Limited (TSIL) will enter the steel business.

Meanwhile, TSIL in a regulatory filing said it has been evaluating various strategic options beyond the manufacturing of sponge iron, to enhance its product portfolio and "has identified an entry into steel manufacturing in long products as a route to ensure sustainable long-term value creation for all its stakeholders".

Last month, the company had announced the execution of definitive agreements for the acquisition of the steel business of UML through a slump sale on a going concern basis.

On the cost of acquisition, TSIL said: "It is proposed that the steel business of UML will be acquired subject to transaction closing, for a cash consideration of between Rs 43-47 billion (subject to various transaction adjustments)".

Earlier in May, Bamnipal Steel Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, had acquired a controlling stake of 72.65 per cent in Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL). had won the bid to acquire debt-laden BSL in an insolvency auction.

"...we hereby inform you that, ..will now carry out the Acquisition. Consequently, definitive agreements signed between and UML in relation to the Acquisition shall be adapted accordingly," Tata Steel said in a regulatory filing.

The closing of the acquisition remains subject to execution of definitive agreements between Tata Sponge and UML and fulfilment of various conditions, including regulatory approvals required for the transfer of the steel business.

Earlier, UML had said the sale of steel business to Tata Steel will help the company in "significant reduction" of its debt. The deal is expected to be completed in 6-9 months, it added.

UML's steel business comprises the specialised 1 mtpa alloy based manufacturing capacity in long products segment based in Jamshedpur, a producing iron-ore mine, a coal mine under development and captive power plants.

Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2018.

is amongst the largest wire rope manufacturers in the world and a leading speciality steel producer in India.

Tata Steel further said that long products comprise an important part of the overall market for steel and demand for them in India, is expected to grow significantly in the future, especially in value-added customer segments like construction, automotive and engineering.

Tata Sponge has a debt-free capital structure and free cash reserves of around Rs 6.7 billion and it is therefore ideally placed to enter steel manufacturing with a focus on the attractive speciality long products portfolio, the company said.

"Considering the alignment in the views of Tata Steel and Tata Sponge with regard to the latter's strategy of focusing on long products, Tata Steel as the promoter shareholder of Tata Sponge, has agreed to support Tata Sponge's strategy and has identified it as the strategic vehicle to undertake the acquisition of the steel business of UML," said Tata Steel.

The Board of TSIL has adopted a financing plan for the acquisition where along with its internal cash and cash equivalent resources it would raise financing by way of a combination or part of rights issuance (up to Rs 18 billion), external borrowings (up to Rs 25 billion), and issuance of non-convertible redeemable preference shares (up to Rs 10 billion)



Tata Steel further said it has noted the financing plan and confirmed its support, in-principle to the overall financing structure.

Once Tata Sponge finalises the specifics of the above plan and approaches Tata Steel for investment support as may be necessary, the same will be considered by the Board of Tata Steel at the appropriate time, the release added.
The TDB, which administers the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, Wednesday decided against filing a review petition against the Supreme Court order lifting the ban on women of menstruating age from entering the shrine, saying it has "no relevance now".

Meanwhile, four youngwomen devotees approached the Kerala High Court seeking a direction to the state government to provide them security so they could offer prayers at the temple.

A division bench comprising justices P R Ramachandra Menon and Devan Ramachandran heard their petition and sought the state government's response to it.

The TDB's decision not to file a review petition came a day after the Supreme Court listed for hearing 19 such pleas for hearing on November 13.

The Travancore Devaswom Board also resolved not to file a report in the Supreme Court on the situation that prevailed at the shrine and the surrounding areas in the aftermath of its order.

The Special Commissioner for Sabarimala M Manoj had yesterday filed a report in the Kerala High Court voicing apprehension that there could be "frenzied protests and turbulence" during the three-month-long annual pilgrim season beginning November 17 over the Supreme Court's order allowing girls and women of all age groups to enter the temple.

"During the festival season there will be large crowds in places connected with Sabarimala pilgrimage and these type of protests by frenzied devotees and protestors may lead to crowd turbulence and stampede which may lead to injuries to pilgrims, police and others and loss of life," Manoj said.

TDB member K P Sankara Das said the board would file a report only if the apex court asked for it.

Das told journalists the board would submit its response if the Supreme Court sought its views while considering the review petitions filed already.

"There is no relevance of a review petition by the TDB now," he said.

The TDB had last week decided to approach the Supreme Court with a report on the situation following large-scale protests by Ayyappa devotees over the LDF government's decision to implement the apex court order.

The board's decision came a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government disfavoured filing a review plea and wanted the Supreme Court verdict enforced.

Vijayan had also criticised the temple head priest and the Pandalam royal family, associated with the Sabarimala temple for ages, on Tuesday.

He slammed head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru over his reported remark that he would lock the temple doors and go away if women of "barred" age group entered the premises, and asserted the TDB and not the erstwhile Pandalam royalty was the custodian of the shrine.

The Pandalam royal family that once owned the temple criticised Vijayan on Wednesday with its representative Sasikumar Varma saying the temple belonged to devotees who had the right to question any violation of its customs and traditions.

"We have never asked to close down the temple. We are not prepared for any compromise on customs and traditions. The family is not eyeing the wealth of Ayyappa temple," he told reporters.

Varma asserted the royal family still had rights over the temple.

The Congress, meanwhile, threw its weight behind the 'Tantri', the head priest of Sabarimala, calling his criticism by the chief minister an "onslaught" on Ayyappa devotees the world over.

Ramesh Chennithala, the leader of the opposition, said the Tantri was the "final authority" on deciding about the rituals to be performed at the temple and the traditions to be followed.

"His (Vijayan's) attack against the head priest is an onslaught on the devotees of Lord Ayyappa across the world," he said.

Later addressing an LDF convention at Kollam, Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, reaffirmed that his government would not go for a review of the Supreme Court verdict.

Vijayan said the LDF government's stand of enforcing the SC order was unchanged.

"The LDF is of the view that there should not be any gender inequality and discrimination. The state government's endeavour is to only implement the Supreme Court verdict."



Attacking the BJP-RSS combine, Vijayan said while secularism was enshrined in the Constitution, it was trying to destroy the secular fabric of the state on Sabarimala issue. He, however, insisted the number of such elements was "minuscule", and asked secular people to isolate them.

Meanwhile, Kerala police chief Loknath Behera held a meeting with his top officers to review the security arrangements to be put in place at the hill shrine for the upcoming Mandala-Makaravillaku season beginning November 17.

According to sources, suggestions were made to restrict the crowd at 'Sannidhanam' (temple complex) during the festival period.

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday exhorted teachers and parents to contribute towards building scientific temperament among children from an early age.

Sonowal, inaugurating the 26th state-level conference of National Children's Science Congress 2018 here, said evil forces in the society can only be eliminated by good citizens, who can take the nation forward.

"Teachers and parents must play their roles in building scientific temperament among the children from an early age," he said.

"Society cannot grow without getting rid of the superstitions and false notions," the CM said.

Altogether 284 child scientists from 33 districts of the state are participating in the four-day event.

Informing that the 'Mukhyamantrir Bigyan Darshan' (Chief Minister's Science Tour) programme will start from November 15 to give scientific exposure to students and village heads, he asserted that the state government is committed to protect the rights of indigenous people and enable them to live a life of dignity.

Science and Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta said a centre of the Indian Space ResearcXh Organisation (ISRO) would be set up in the state near Gauhati University, construction of which is likely to start from December.

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Thousands of Indian-Americans gathered for a spectacular annual Dusshera-Diwali festival event in the city of Houston.

The event, a regular feature here for the last seven years, was held at the sprawling Skeeters Stadium on Saturday and also saw the participation of Texas Governor Greg Abbot, which is a first in itself as never before has any high ranking public official joined the Indian-American community to celebrate an Indian festival.

Representatives of the consulates of India, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico also joined the celebrations.

The Diwali-Dusshera festival event was organised by the Shri Sita Ram Foundation, a non profit engaged in promoting Vedic culture - the ancient culture and heritage of India.

The entire stadium was decorated with a million multi-coloured lights, floral garlands and a large figure of Ganesha adorned the entrance.

It featured a 'mini-India Bazaar' with beautifully decorated red satin-draped shops glittering with lights adorning the entire concourse, selling traditional jewellery, clothing and sundry items and a food court offering various Indian street food.

Congressman Pete Olson was the parade marshal for the Dusshera Parade, the highlight of the evening.

Priests from different temples in Houston together performed the 'Maha Aarti' - final prayers to conclude the event.

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Scientists have developed an implantable nanodevice to deliver immunotherapy without side effects to treat triple-negative breast cancer.

Inserted straight into a tumour, this nanofluidic seed makes it possible to deliver a one-time, sustained-release dose that would eliminate the need for patients to undergo several treatments over time, according to the study published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

Invented by Alessandro Grattoni from the Houston Methodist Research Institute in the US, this tiny device is smaller than a grain of rice and, once inserted inside a tumour, can deliver the medication little by little, gradually releasing the drug from its reservoir.

"With this research we are trying to establish a novel strategy to deliver immunotherapy straight into a tumour instead of delivering it to the whole body of a patient," Grattoni said.

"And we're trying to understand whether delivering it this way would actually be more effective and have less side effects as compared to conventional immunotherapy, which today is given to the entire body of the patient," he said.

What distinguishes the approach from others is the use of the implantable nanodevice that can be placed inside the tumour very accurately, with just one, simple procedure and with the ability to sustain the delivery of the immunotherapy over a prolonged period of time.

"Timing of the release may be extremely important," said E Brian Butler from Houston Methodist.

"These immunotherapy payloads come in a little metal device with nanochannels that release the medication at a constant rate in a controlled way," said Butler.

Grattoni said that by providing sustained doses, their implant maintains an active level of the drug for extended periods of time.

This would reduce the need for continual clinic visits, which are usually required for immunotherapy and other cancer treatments.

By contrast, most other methods currently under preclinical and clinical trials require multiple injections into the tumour and, in many instances, necessitate repeated invasive procedures to access it.

Injecting drugs straight into a tumour as a single dose may not be very effective, as only a part of it will stay, with the rest being rapidly eliminated due to the high-pressure nature of a tumour's microenvironment.

Grattoni's intratumoral sustained-delivery method prevents this from happening.

"We are in the middle of an exciting time in medicine, because if we can get it to work, you decrease the toxicities to the patient," Butler said.

"This offers the opportunity of treating locally and getting the systemic response without all the side effects," he said.

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To combat piracy, Tamil cinema producers and theatre owners have resolved to install CCTV cameras in movie halls, saying no films would be provided for screening to those exhibitors not complying with the decision.

The move comes in the wake of the Tamil Film Producers' Council (TFPC) coming across instances of movies being pirated in certain cinema halls in the state.

TFPC has since blacklisted such theatres against future releases.

A joint statement from TFPC and the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners' Association Wednesday said it has been decided that CCTV cameras would be installed inside and outside all theatres.

A meeting of the office-bearers of two bodies attended by TFPC President, actor Vishal Krishna, among others on Tuesday, adopted resolutions in this regard, it said.

Theatres should install CCTV by November 6, on the day of Deepavali, when a number of new films hit the screens, it said.

"It has been decided that films will not be given to theatres which don't install CCTV cameras by November 15," it added.

Tamil star Vijay's 'Sarkar,' directed by AR Murugadoss, is among the films slated for Deepavali release.

While movie-goers would be 'compulsorily' checked for video cameras in their possession while entering a cinema hall, it has been decided to screen an awareness video about legal action against possible piracy, it said.

Further, two people would be appointed for monitoring during a show, while a panel comprising members from the two associations would be formed to look into any related issues, it added.

The multi-million rupees Tamil cinema industry has been grappling with the issue of piracy, with newly released films instantly being illegally released online, besides their CDs and DVDs being easily available in the open market.

Incidentally, a few years back, popular actor R Sarathkumar's 'Jaggubhai' had been uploaded on the internet even before the film's theatrical release, shocking the Tamil cinema industry.

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Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump has said as the US announced its first punitive action in the case by revoking the visas of some of the senior Saudi officials involved.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, disappeared after he entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

The Saudi government initially said he left the consulate through the back door.

Following a global outrage, Riyadh on Friday in a statement acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight inside the consulate after an interrogation went wrong.

Trump offered his most stinging indictment yet of a Saudi effort to silence a dissident journalist, calling the series of events that led to Khashoggi's death "the worst cover up ever."



"They (the Saudis) had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal. Should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.

Khashoggi's death has severely dented the international reputation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the US had "identified at least some" of the Saudi officials involved in the killing of Khashoggi and was revoking their visas.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable," Pompeo said. "We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence."



The US will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult the Congress, and work with other nations, to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of Khashoggi, Pompeo told reporters.

Given the information, currently, available with the United States, the administration is taking appropriate actions, he said.

The visa revocation is the first punitive action the US has taken against Saudi Arabia since the death of Khashoggi, 60.

Responding to a question on the probe into the death of Khashoggi, Trump said, "And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, what they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea, I think, is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the "savage murder" of the journalist was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

He, however, acknowledged Turkey was still searching for answers to key questions, including who gave the order.

Trump told reporters that Erdogan was pretty tough on Saudi Arabia.

He was pretty rough on Saudi Arabia, I would say. I haven't gotten a full recap, as you know. I have people in Turkey and I have people in Saudi Arabia and other places, and they're all coming back as we speak, they're heading back, he said.

The Trump administration has sent CIA Director Gina Haspel to Turkey and she is expected to be back soon in the US with details of the ongoing probe.

"I'll know, I think, everything in a very short period of time. It's a bad situation. But certainly, president Erdogan was not complimentary of what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened," Trump said.

Trump reiterated that he does not want to scrap the USD 110 billion mega arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the total investment of USD450 billion from that country, but did not rule out not taking any action against the Saudis.

I want to see the facts first. Look, Saudi Arabia's been a really great ally. They've been one of the biggest investors, maybe the biggest investor, in our country.

"They are doing hundreds of billions of dollar's worth of investments. And, you know, so many jobs. So many jobs. Thousands and thousands of jobs," he said.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017, Trump signed an agreement with the Saudis for them to purchase USD 110 billion of US weapons, although so far only USD 43 billion of that has been detailed.

The ultimate number is around USD450 billion. I think that's over a million jobs. A million to over a million jobs. So we do that, we're just hurting ourselves. We're just hurting ourselves," Trump said.

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US President Donald Trump has defended his nationalist comment, saying he loves his country and this has nothing to do with racism.

Trump, at an election rally in Houston on Monday, described himself as a nationalist and said: "You know, they have a word, it sort of became old-fashioned. It's called a nationalist. And I say Really? We're not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I'm a nationalist".

The President told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday: "I'm somebody that loves our country".

"When I say a nationalist, I don't like it when Germany is paying one per cent of the GDP for NATO and we're paying 4.3 per cent. I don't like that. That's not fair. I don't like it when, as an example, we're protecting Europe and we're paying for almost the entire cost of NATO," he said.

During the same fiery speech in Houston, he explained globalist.

"A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly not caring about our country so much. And, you know what? We can't have that," Trump said.

When reporters asked what he meant as many people were saying was he sending a signal to some Americans that he is a white nationalist, Trump replied negatively.

"I've never even heard that. I cannot imagine -- you mean I say -- I'm a nationalist. No, I never heard that theory about being a nationalist. I've heard them all. But I'm somebody that loves our country," he said.

Trump said he is very proud of his country.

"We cannot continue to allow what's happened to our country. We can't let it happen. So I'm proud of our country and I am a nationalist," he said adding that the word should be used more often.

"It's a word that hasn't been used too much. People use it but I'm very proud. I think it should be brought back. I'm somebody that wants to help other countries of the world but we have to take care of our country.

"We cannot continue to allow ourselves to be duped on military and also duped on trade. With the European Union, as an example, last year on trade we lost USD 151 billion. On top of that we lost hundreds of billions of dollars on protection," the president said.

Trump said that all he wants for the country is to be treated well, to be treated with respect.

"So we protect and we get killed. We do the trading and they get killed. Can't do it. I want it to be fair. So I want them to open their borders. I want them to make if fair for our farmers, our companies. Our medical companies, they sell medical equipment. They just put restrictions on, a year and a half ago, where the medical equipment can't get into Europe even though it's better than what they have.

"For many years, other countries that are allies of ours, have not treated our country fairly. So in that sense, I am absolutely a nationalist and I'm proud of it," Trump added.

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The Khoda Police has arrested two alleged drug peddlers here and seized cocaine worth Rs 2 crore from their possession, officials said Wednesday.

The arrested were identified as Shahnawaz Qurushi (27) and Waseem alias Sonu (28), both hailing from Delhi.

As part of its special drive against wanted criminals, Khoda Police was checking suspected vehicles at Sunday Market near the embankment area here on Tuesday night, Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said.

The police apprehended two persons based on suspicion. After going through their belongings, the police found 200 gram of a fine white powder, officials said. The substance was confirmed to be cocaine after analysis by experts.

During interrogation, the duo confessed to drug peddling in National Capital Region and some metropolitan cities of the country.

The two were employed at a furniture factory in Delhi, however they secretly peddled cocaine, police said.

The cost of the seized drug is around Rs 2 crore in the international market, said Krishna. The two were arrested and booked under NDPS Act, he said. The sample of cocaine would be sent to forensic science laboratory for testing, the SSP.

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Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a top commander, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowgam area of the city on Wednesday, police said.

Acting on a tip off about presence of militants in Suthu Kothair locality of Nowgam, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the early hours, a police official said.

He said the militants opened fire on security forces during the search operation, triggering a gunbattle in which two ultras were killed.

The slain militants have been identified as Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, a PhD scholar who had joined the militant ranks, and Asif Ahmad, the official said.

"The standard operating procedures were followed during the operation and there was no collateral damage during the encounter," he added.

The official said incriminating material besides arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site.

Clashes broke out between protestors and security forces soon after the encounter ended, he said, adding the law enforcing agencies were engaged in pitched battles with the stone pelters for most part of the day.

Authorities snapped mobile Internet services in the city and shut educational institutions as a precautionary measure.

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After actor Arjun Sarja, two more Kannada film personalities, including director Ravi Srivatsa, have been accused of sexual harassment by two women.

ActressSanjjanaa Galrani alleged she was harassed by Srivatsa during the shoot of a Kannada movie 13 years ago, while activist Ekta M shared an account of her close friend accusing screenwriter of a popular contemporary movie of seeking sexual favours.

Srivatsa rejected the charge and accused Galrani of making baseless allegations.

The latest charges come days after multi-lingual actress Sruthi Hariharan, in a Facebook post praising #MeToo movement, alleged Arjun behaved with her in "lewd and complete unprofessional" manner.

Arjun, a multi-lingual actor, has said he is pained by the allegation and would file a case.

Galrani claimed Srivatsa forced her to perform in certain intimate scenes for the film 'Ganda Hendathi' (husband and wife), a remake of Bollywood movie'Murder'.

In an interview to a newspaper in Hyderabad, Galrani said despite her willingness she was forced to do a kissing scene repeatedly for many days.

When she objected to it, thedirector scolded her for teaching him how to shoot a scene.

She also alleged cameras were fixed at places about which she had no idea.

Srivatsa questioned Galrani's silence all these years.

"My 25 years of career in the film industry is ruined due to the allegation. Why she was silent for all these years?" he said.

Ekta, working with 'Maraa'- a media and arts collective - said she was sharing her close friend's account, though she did not reveal her identity.

She said her friend wanted to build a career in contemporary movies after watching the film in which the screenwriter had worked.

Ekta claimed her friend saw a mentor in the screenwriter but he turned out to be a predator seeking sexual favours from her.

In her account, the anonymous friend had claimed: "On a certain occasion, he expressed that he felt sexually attracted to me. I came up with a few excuses and went back home... I decided to talk this out with him. We met. told him clearly that I am looking for a mentor. I am not interested in any romantic ventures in my life at the moment.

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A "leading businessman" in the UK accused of sexual harassment by several women employees cannot be named by the media due to a court order, in what is dubbed as the latest British #Metoo scandal.

The prominent company chief won a UK Court of Appeal case on Tuesday preventing 'The Daily Telegraph' newspaper revealing "alleged sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff" following an eight-month investigation.

The newspaper said accusations against the businessman, who cannot be identified due to the court injunction, would have reignited the #MeToo movement against the mistreatment of women by powerful employers in Britain.

However, the three Appeal Court judges concluded that the five staff making the claims had been "compromised by settlement agreements" and had received "substantial" payouts to stay silent.

The issue was also raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday and while Prime Minister Theresa May refused to comment on the case directly, she told Parliament that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) should not be used to silence whistleblowers.

"Non-disclosure agreements cannot stop people from whistle blowing, but it is clear that some employers are using them unethically," she said.

She assured the House that the government would consult on whether the regulation around NDAs could be improved, so employers and employees were aware when an NDA did not apply or could not be enforced.

The senior business executive in question, alongside another senior executive as well as managers at two companies in the wider group, had taken legal action in a bid to stop the UK-based newspaper from publishing the story.

In August, a high court judge had refused to rule in favour of the executives named as "ABC and others". But they challenged this in the Court of Appeal, which overturned the high court ruling this week.

The court of appeal granted an interim injunction on publication of the details, pending a full trial in the case. It has ordered that the matter should proceed to a "speedy trial".

The #MeToo movement has become a worldwide social media campaign since last year after revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's harassment of several actresses hit the headlines.

Since then, there has been a wave of revelations over the mistreatment of women by powerful employers in various industries around the world, including in India.

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Britain will revoke the visas of Saudi Arabian suspects involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

"The Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK. If these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today," May told a session of parliament.

Britain's actions follow a similar move made on Tuesday by the United States. Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 has piled more pressure on May's government to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which has been waging a three-year bombing campaign in Yemen.

Asked whether she will join German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to suspend arms sales to Riyadh, May insisted that Britain's defence export controls were "among the strictest in the world".

She said the Saudi arms sales policy was "under review", echoing comments made by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in parliament on Monday.

May added that she will continue to pile diplomatic pressure on Saudi leaders to complete a swift and transparent investigation, and would be speaking to Saudi King Salman later Wednesday.

"The foreign secretary and the foreign ministers and our ambassador have been making our position very clear to the Saudi Arabians," she said.

"I myself expect to speak to King Salman later today." British media have reported that Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the man named by Turkish media as the leader of the operation against Khashoggi, used to work at the Saudi embassy in London.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday "strongly urged" Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation into the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a phone call with Saudi King Salman, according to her office.

"The prime minister said the current explanation lacks credibility so there remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened," a Downing Street spokeswoman said in a statement following the telephone conversation.

"She strongly urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation and to be transparent about the results.

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The UK will find a "willing partner" to increase trade and cooperation as it leaves the European Union, India's High Commissioner to the UK Y K Sinha has said.

Speaking at a farewell reception hosted in his honour by the Indian Journalists' Association (IJA) on Tuesday, Sinha described his 23-month tenure here as "really exciting stint".

"The year of Culture (of India) held here was fantastic," he said.

"As the future is uncertain, the UK will find a willing partner as it leaves the European Union," he said.

Britain is set to formally leave the EU on March 29 next year after a 2016 referendum in favour of

At the bilateral level, he noted there are a host of issues including visa issue to be tackled and "we are constantly in dialogue to resolve these issues."



Valerie Vaz, Labour MP in her brief speech described as an incredible country and "India has a special place in our hearts."



Keith Vaz, Labour MP wanted the British government to restore the post-study visa scheme to attract more Indian students. He said at present has more Indian students than the UK.

IJA Ashis Ray said "High Commissioner Sinha has done extremely well during his brief tenure." He said the High Commission should be credited for the success of hosting the "Year of Culture" during this period.
The United Nations Wednesday dedicated its iconic campus here to India's cultural heritage as its office in New Delhi marked the UN Day with a dazzling display of the country's tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator in India, hailed India's cultural diversity and said, "I personally have a love affair with India, its rich taste, colours, sounds, smells and food."



The UN House has been revived as the site for the safeguarding of the history of the seven-decade long India-UN partnership and of India's great contributions to the UN, he said.

"We are equally proud to dedicate this compound to India's cultural heritage, and the vibrant plural developmental traditions of the country that will provide the right environment for thinking about the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)," Afanasiev said.

UN House is an iconic building, one of the structures designed by noted American architect Joseph Allen Stein in Lodhi Estate area. The others being India International Centre and India Habitat Centre.

A senior official of the UN Office here said, as part of this initiative, exhibits from Crafts Museum would be brought and displayed at the premises on a rotational basis.

"Welcome to the UN House and thank you for joining us to commemorate UN Day - the 73rd anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter. As one of our founding members, it is also the 73rd year of India's membership of the UN, a country which has been one of the UN's strongest allies," Afanasiev said.

The entire campus was beautifully decked up with a theme on India's cultural heritage, ranging from 'Chhau' dance of the eastern region, to Therukoothu folk theater of Tamil Nadu.

Earthen lamps, metallic bells hanging from trees created magical experience at the even that was attended by a host of personalities, including Union minister for Housing and Urban Affair Hardeep Singh Puri, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, and other dignitaries.

"India is today poised at the convergence of massive economic growth and rising aspirations. This country is one of history's biggest contributors to international peace and security, the incubator of some of the world's largest and most ambitious development programmes, and a powerful advocate of sustainable development.

"During his visit to India earlier this month, the United Nations Secretary-General said the success of India is a success for us all. I firmly believe the rise of India will be the defining story of the 21st century," Afanasiev said.

Puri said he was "impressed" to see India's cultural heritage being displayed at the UN Day.

Srishti Kaur, 20, a winner of a national beauty pageant in teen category in 2017 was among the invitees.

She said, she runs a clothing line in Noida that promotes Khadi and cotton. "We as youth must take pride in our cultural heritage and promote it," Kaur said.

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Genocide is still taking place against Rohingya Muslims remaining in Myanmar and the government is increasingly demonstrating it has no interest in establishing a fully functioning democracy, UN investigators said Wednesday.

Marzuki Darusman, chair of the UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar, said thousands of Rohingya are still fleeing to Bangladesh, and the estimated 250,000 to 400,000 who have remained following last year's brutal military campaign in the Buddhist-majority country "continue to suffer the most severe" restrictions and repression.

"It is an ongoing genocide that is taking place at the moment," he told a conference Wednesday.

Yanghee Lee, the UN special investigator on human rights in Myanmar, said she and many others in the international community hoped the situation under Aung San Suu Kyi "would be vastly different from the past but it is really not that much different from the past."



She added later that she thinks Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former political prisoner who now leads Myanmar's civilian government, "is in total denial" about accusations that the military in Buddhist-majority Myanmar raped, murdered and tortured Rohingya and burned their villages, sending about 700,000 fleeing to Bangladesh since August last year.

"The government is increasingly demonstrating that it has no interest and capacity in establishing a fully functioning democracy where all its people equally enjoy all their rights and freedoms," Lee said.

"It is not upholding justice and rule of law" which Suu Kyi "repeatedly says is the standard to which all in Myanmar are held." If this were the case, she said, fair laws would be applied impartially to all people, impunity would not rein, "and the law would not be wielded as a weapon of oppression."



Suu Kyi's government has rejected independent international investigations into the alleged abuses and has commissioned its own probe. The government has also rejected the report by the mission led by Darusman which said some top military leaders should be prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Rohingya during the crackdown.

"The Myanmar government's hardened positions are by far the greatest obstacle," Darusman told reporters.

"Its continued denials, its attempts to shield itself under the cover of national sovereignty and its dismissal of 444 pages of details about the facts and circumstances of recent human rights violations that point to the most serious crimes under international law" strengthens the need for international action because "accountability cannot be expected from the national processes," he said.

The Security Council voted to allow Darusman to brief members, with the minimum nine "yes" votes. China, which is Myanmar's neighbor and ally, Russia and Bolivia voted "no" and Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan abstained.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused supporters of the briefing of "torpedoing consensus" in the council, duplicating work in the General Assembly and Human Rights Council and forcing council members "to engage in loud-speaker diplomacy." He said the fact-finding mission's report doesn't have information of what's happening to the Rohingya, called its report "too biased," and said the international community should help Myanmar and Bangladesh resolve the Rohingya refugee problem.

Lee stressed that their "repatriation is not possible now." "I will not encourage any repatriation," the UN envoy said.

"Conducive conditions means they should not go back to the existing laws, policies and practices ... the oppressive laws, the discrimination. The minimum they need is freedom of movement, access to basic health services."



Lee said "there's been a lot of progress in terms of economic development and infrastructure, but in the area of 'democratic space' and people's right to claim back their land ... there is no progress."



"Right now, it's like an apartheid situation where Rohingyas still living in Myanmar ... have no freedom of movement," Lee said.

"The camps, the shelters, the model villages that are being built, it's more of a cementing of total segregation or separation from the Rakhine ethnic community."



Darusman said he will urge the council to take action to hold those responsible for atrocities against the Rohingya accountable, either by referring Myanmar to the International Criminal Court or setting up an international tribunal.

But any action appears highly unlikely because of almost certain opposition from China, a veto-wielding council member.

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Some of Bollywood's popular names, such as Nana Patekar and Sajid Khan, are facing fire in the #MeToo movement and Jackie Shroff says it is unfortunate that his colleagues have been named.

The actor says while no woman should be harassed, people should also not enjoy watching others fall.

"It's so unfortunate that all my colleagues are fighting. They are my co-actors... Washing their dirty linen in public and people are watching and enjoying it, trying to be (holy). Look into your own eyes. Look what you have been through.

"Why are people having this immense interest in watching what others are doing? It's an unfortunate thing happening at the moment," Shroff told PTI.

The actor said it is important to ensure a safe working space for women and they should take immediate and strict action against the perpetrators when something like this happens.

"If they (perpetrators) are given a tight slap, a good beating right there and then. No one should tolerate indecent behaviour, it's an absolute no. Women shouldn't go through this.

"Maybe there are girls who are shy, who wouldn't be comfortable taking this step. I know because I have a daughter and a wife but it's time one has to be a little strong."



Shroff was speaking at the launch of Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films' "The Playboy Mr Sawhney", directed by Tariq Naved Siddiqui.

At the event, when he was asked to comment on Patekar and Khan, Shroff said, "I don't want to fan it. If they take (these men) in their films or don't, it's their call.

"If they don't remove them, there might be an agitation. People will say 'why not remove them'. So let it rest.

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The US Secret Service said Wednesday it had intercepted suspect packages, identified as potential explosive devices, sent to the homes of former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

The Secret Service said it recovered a single package addressed to Clinton in Westchester, a suburb north of Manhattan on Tuesday, and a second package addressed to the Obama residence in Washington on Wednesday.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the Secret Service said in a statement.

"The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has renewed calls on Pakistan to curb extremists fighting in Afghanistan, saying Washington was holding its uneasy war partner accountable.

Pompeo made the comment Tuesday as he welcomed long-delayed legislative elections in Afghanistan, saying the United States was "encouraged" by voter turnout, despite reports of widespread problems including poll centers that failed to open or lacked voter rolls.

"Our expectation is that Pakistan will not provide safe harbor to terrorists on their western border," Pompeo told reporters when asked about Islamabad's role.

"We couldn't have made that message any more clear," he said, adding: "Pakistan will be held to account if they don't achieve that, if they're not sincere in that effort."



"Everyone wants a reconciliation in Afghanistan and to achieve that, you can't have a safe harbor for Taliban, for Haqqani and for others inside of Pakistan," he said, listing extremist movements fighting in Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump's administration last month cut $300 million in military aid to Pakistan after years of US complaints that Islamabad has kept nurturing ties with militants that target both Afghanistan and rival India.

Pakistan has countered that it has paid a heavy price internally for fighting militants and that it can help bring the Taliban to the table.

A Taliban delegation earlier this month met in Qatar with a US envoy. Pakistan's new Prime Minister Imran Khan is a longstanding supporter of negotiations to end the war in Afghanistan, where the United States has been deployed since 2001.

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Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of removing CBI Director Alok Verma in a bid to stop him from investigating the Rafale "scam".

He also alleged that the prime minister "broke the law" and "bypassed" the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition, who were part of the panel that selected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief.

There was no immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the allegations.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has, however, dismissed as "rubbish" the allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the government's decision to remove Verma and CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana was based on the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) recommendations.

Gandhi also alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale "scam".

Verma and Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them.

"PM removed the CBI Director to stop him from investigating Rafale. Mr 56 broke the law when he bypassed CJI and LOP.

"Mr Modi, Rafale is a deadly aircraft with a superb radar. You can run, but you can't hide from It," Gandhi said in a tweet.

Earlier, he tweeted, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave."



"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," the Congress chief charged.

The country and the Constitution were in danger, he claimed.

Addressing a poll rally at Jhalawar in Rajasthan, Gandhi targeted the prime minister on the CBI row, alleging that Verma was removed because the agency was raising questions over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"The CBI director was removed last night because the agency was raising questions over Rafale," Gandhi alleged.

The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal.

The government has vehemently rejected all allegations.

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Director Verma and Special Director have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them.

In a tweet, Gandhi said, " Chief was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave".

"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he charged.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, has dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations.

The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal.

The government has vehemently rejected all allegations.
President Donald Trump Wednesday said that he will never accept people coming into the US illegally as he warned that America could end in a "total mess" like Europe if it doesn't reinforce its border with Mexico to keep out illegal migrants.

"We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!" Trump tweeted.

"For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again," Trump said in another tweet.

A caravan of some 5,000-7,000 mostly people from three Latin American countries - El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala - moving across with the intention to enter the US illegally.

Trump has claimed that there are criminals and people of Middle Eastern descent among the migrants.

"We cannot allow our country to be violated like this. It's very unfair. People are waiting on line that went through a legal system of immigration and they've been going through it for many years," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

"They've worked hard, they've done everything they're supposed to do, and then people just come running across the border. It's really unfair to the millions of people that are waiting on line to come in legally into our country. It's very unfair," he said.

Trump said that he is willing to deploy military to stop people from coming to the US illegally.

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Congress on Wednesday said it would rejuvenate the entire system within 100 days of coming to power in Telangana, if elected after the December 7 assembly polls, by strengthening government institutions and extending all support to management of private institutions.

Alleging that the TRS government had ruined the careers of lakhs of students by not clearing fee reimbursement dues, he promised that the next Congress government (if voted to power), would pay fee reimbursement amount every year in two installments.

There would be 100 per cent fee reimbursement for students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and minority communities, a party release quoted Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President N Uttam Kumar Reddy as saying.

He said 20,000 teachers would be recruited within 100 days.

Accusing the TRS government of doing nothing to control the 'exorbitant' fee structure of corporate institutions, Reddy also assured that steps would be taken to regulate corporate schools and colleges.

He assured management of private educational institutions and their association that the Grand Alliance of Congress, TDP and other parties would include their issue in the Common Agenda and resolve them on a priority basis after coming to power in the next assembly elections.

Addressing a meeting organised by the 'KG to PG Educational Institutions Joint Action Committee' here, Reddy accused caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of cheating the people of Telangana on the promise of free from Kindergarten to Postgraduate level.

There are nearly 85 lakh students across Telangana in various classes from KG to PG who expected that KCR's (as Rao is popularly known as) scheme would benefit them, he said.

"However, by setting up a few residential schools which cater to not more than one lakh students, KCR thinks he fulfilled the promise of KG to PG free education," he said.

Reddy said over 12,000 schools, about 2,000 junior colleges, nearly 1,000 degree colleges, 200 PG colleges, 600 professional colleges and 500 B.Ed. and D.Ed. colleges with a combined strength of 4.6 million students were being run by private managements.

They also provide employment to nearly five lakh people, including teaching and non-teaching staff.

He said they had also played a major role, not only in the formation of Telangana, but in formation of the TRS government in the state.

However, KCR 'humiliated' them on multiple occasions and denied appointment even to discuss their problems, he alleged.

Reddy said TRS leaders have been getting 'nightmares' of a humiliating defeat ever since Congress decided to form a Grand Alliance with the TDP, CPI and TJS.
: Noted religious guru Swami Paripoornananda, who recently joined BJP, Wednesday asserted that he would work for the party's victory in the December 7 assembly polls in Telangana and that the state would become the saffron's party's 'gateway to the south.'



"When I go to the people, there are lakhs who admire me, like me. So I am sincerely saying once again that I have not come for any posts, responsibilities or any show-off.

As a person clad in saffron, I would like to do my work with focus," he told reporters on his maiden visit to the BJP Telangana unit's headquarters here after joining the party.

Swami Paripoornananda, a prominent figure in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, had joined BJP on October 19 in Delhi in the presence of the party Chief Amit Shah.

He is expected to campaign for the party in the December 7 assembly elections in the state.

Swami Paripoornananda, who heads the Sri Peetham at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, was in the in July after being externed from Hyderabad for six months for allegedly making provocative statements.

He, however, got relief from the court.

Recalling his service to fishermen and others in remote areas, he explained that he eventually took the political plunge as he felt that a political platform was needed, along with spiritual power, to bring about a positive change in the lives of the poor.

He said he would strive hard for BJPs thumping win in Telangana.

"The election in Telangana would change into a lofty election with the whole world turning and seeing it and Laxman (BJP Telangana unit president) being asked even from foreign countries.

The 'Kurukshetra' (battle) has begun from today,"he said.

"Telangana is going to change into saffron Telangana. BJP is going to open this into gateway to the southern states," Paripoornananda said.

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Former Union ministers and Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France alleging "criminal misconduct" by high public functionaries.

They have sought a direction to the CBI to investigate the offences disclosed in their complaint in a "time-bound" manner and submit periodic status reports to the apex court.

The complaint was filed on October 4 with the CBI after their meeting with CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, who was late Tuesday day directed by the Centre to proceed on leave in the wake of feud with second in command in agency Rakesh Asthana.
Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France alleging "criminal misconduct" by high public functionaries.

They have sought a direction to the CBI to investigate the offences mentioned in their complaint in a "time-bound" manner and submit periodic status reports to the apex court.

The complaint was filed on October 4 with the CBI after their meeting with CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, who was late Tuesday night directed by the Centre to proceed on leave in the wake of feud with the second-in-command in the agency Rakesh Asthana.

The petition by the trio came two weeks after the apex court had on October 10 asked the Centre to provide details of the decision- making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29.

It had clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars. The court's order had come on two PILs filed by advocates M L Sharma and Vineet Dhanda.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment. The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process.

The fresh plea by Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan claimed that in 2007 tenders were issued by the Ministry of Defence for the purchase of 126 fighter aircraft and it was specified in the Request for Proposal that 18 of these aircraft would be purchased from abroad in a 'fly-away' condition and the remaining 108 would be manufactured in India in the factory of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with transfer of technology from the foreign vendor.

The plea said that Dassault Company manufacturing the Rafale aircraft was declared the lowest tenderer and thereafter price negotiations began which were at a very advanced stage by March 25, 2015.

"However within 15 days of this, the Prime Minister of India and the President of France announced a totally new deal jettisoning the virtually complete 126 aircraft deal and the Prime Minister on behalf of India agreed to purchase only 36 Rafale aircraft in a 'fly-away' condition without any transfer of technology and make in India.

"It later turned out that the new deal involved 50 per cent of the value of the contract to be given as 'offset contracts' to Indian companies and that the government informally told Dassault and the French government that the bulk of the offset contracts would have to be given to a company of Anil Ambani which had just been set up," it claimed.

The plea alleged that new deal gives undue benefit to Reliance Aerospace Limited (RAL) and the escalation of price of airplanes is to account for collateral considerations.

It stated that "public servants presiding over the government got the critical persons involved and Contract Negotiation Committee to increase the contract price of the 36 Rafale aircraft from Rs 715 crore per aircraft as disclosed by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Rs 1660 crore per aircraft. This resulted in a pecuniary advantage to both, Dassault Aviation and also Ambani's RAL. This amounts to Criminal Misconduct under section 13(1)(d)(iii) of the applicable Prevention of Corruption Act."



They said that when the final contract was signed after price negotiations, the price of the aircraft had been increased to more than double to what was under consideration in the old deal of 126 aircraft.

"It is clear therefore that the following acts were committed by various public servants which amount to offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act...

"However, it is clear that there is enormous pressure on the CBI because of the nature of the persons involved not to undertake this investigation. Till date not even an FIR has been registered in the matter and hence the petitioners are approaching the court for getting specially designated officers in the CBI to investigate this case and for this court to monitor the investigation," the plea said.

It said that the petitioners were aggrieved by the non-registration of FIR by the CBI on their 32-page complaint with 46 annexure detailed prima facie evidence of commission of cognisable offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act by public servants occupying the highest of public offices in the country.

"The highest ranking public officials, unilaterally, in violation of all mandatory procedures, without obtaining any Services Qualitative Requirement (SQR) from the Indian Air Force, or any decision of the Categorisation Committee or any Acceptance of Necessity from the Defence Acquisition Council, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the French regarding purchase of just 36 Rafale aircrafts, all in a 'fly away' condition with no Transfer of Technology and no Make in India," it alleged.

The plea has also sought direction to the Centre to cease and desist from influencing or intimidating in any way the officials that would investigate the offences mentioned in the complaint and not transfer the CBI officials tasked with investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury will visit Nepal Thursday to hold discussions with the leadership of the ruling Nepal Communist Party.

Yechury along with party's central committee member Jogendra Sharma will visit the Himalayan nation between October 25 and October 30 to hold wide-ranging talks with NCP leaders as well as the country's Prime Minister K P Oli and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, a party statement said.

The visit comes at the invitation of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- Zaloni, the leader in enterprise-grade self-service data management, today announced that it will take part in the Hon'ble Prime Minister's Townhall Meeting with IT professionals that will take place on 24 Oct 2018 at 4 PM in Delhi and across the country through video conferencing. The Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address over 1 lakh IT professionals encouraging IT professionals to volunteer for social causes.

Zaloni Technologies India Pvt. Ltd., was one among the twelve organizations chosen to present in this event and will represent the State of Assam. The interaction will focus mainly around industry-wide volunteering for social empowerment and social causes. Other participating companies across India are TCS, Infosys, Cisco Systems, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Persistent Systems.

Mr. Sanjiv Kumar Varma, Site (Country) Leader and Kuwali Sarma, Senior Software Engineer will highlight the key company initiatives, volunteering and Zaloni's position on the idea of coordinating volunteering across the industry.

Zaloni has deep experience making big data "work" at many of the world's leading companies, delivering business value at the enterprise level, creating shared data services to support the enterprise, and enabling collaborative experiences for business and technical users. The Zaloni Data Platform (ZDP) simplifies and speeds governed data lake implementation, operationalizes data management, and ensures success, particularly in hybrid environments.

About Zaloni



Zaloni simplifies data management for transformative business insights. We work with pioneering enterprises to modernize their data architecture and operationalize their data lakes to incorporate data into everyday business practices. The Zaloni Data Platform (ZDP) provides total control throughout the data pipeline from ingestion to analytics, with comprehensive data management, governance and self-service data preparation capabilities for IT and business users. A leader in big data for more than a decade, Zaloni's expertise is deep, spans multiple industries, and has proven invaluable to customers at many of the world's top companies. To learn more, visit www.zaloni.com.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MONTREAL (Reuters) - Airbus planemaking chief Guillaume Faury confirmed on Wednesday that new variants of the A321neo passenger jet had contributed to delivery delays at a plant in Hamburg, Germany, but said engineers were in the midst of resolving the problem.Reuters reported on Tuesday that Airbus faced fresh snags related to the A321neo, on top of recent engine delays which had disrupted the switchover from models with current generation of engines known as 'ceo' and re-engined 'neo' models.Asked about problems at Hamburg, Faury said: "We had, at the beginning of this year, difficulties ...
The Hai Phong Peoples Committee recently licensed a 500 million USD increase in FDI into an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display production and outsourcing project by the Republic of Koreas (RoK) LG Display Co. Ltd.



The project, which was initially worth $1.59 billion, received approval to be built on a 54ha site at the Trang Due Industrial Zone in Hai Phong in April, 2016. It included the construction of a factory producing OLED panels for TVs, mobile phones, smart watches, and tablets; as well as 13 residential buildings that can accommodate up to 12,000 workers at the industrial park.

Put into operation last year, the project is LG Displays first OLED display production site situated outside the RoK territory. Most of its products are targeted towards the world market, with around 20 percent of output serving domestic consumption.

Similarly, $312 million was also added to the production of robotics, automatic parts, and controlling devices by Japans Rorze Robotech Co., Ltd. at the Nomura Industrial Park in the northern port city. The extra funding brought the total FDI injection into the project to $738 million. The factory has a designed capacity of 210,000 robotic parts and 30,500 controlling devices per year.

So far, a total of more than $800 million in FDI landed in Hai Phong this October. During the first nine months of 2018, the citys FDI attraction exceeded $1.45 billion, almost doubling the figure year-on-year.

The injected FDI was not only used towards developing projects, but also as a huge boom to domestic investment, fostering the expansion of investment in infrastructure, services, support industries, and logistics; as well as the effective use of local resources like land, factories, and machines, said Pham Van Moi, head of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority (HEZA).

According to Moi, Hai Phong has attracted a number of big international corporations such as Bridgestone, LG, Kyocera, Fuji Xerox, Nippon Pharma, and GE.

The remaining FDI has gone into projects in manufacturing, infrastructure, real estate, trade, and services. General Director of Dinh Vu Indistrial Zone JSC in Hai Phong Frank Wouters said that improved infrastructure  what with the expansion of Cat Bi International Airport and the launch of the Lach Huyen International Gateway Port, the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway, and the Tan Vu-Lach Huyen Highway and Bridge  has been a major magnet to woo more foreign investors and bigger projects to the port city.

Previously, annual FDI injection into Hai Phong stood below $500 million. However, in recent years, the city has seen stronger FDI inflows, hitting approximately $3 billion in 2016, said Moi. The city expects to welcome over $2 billion in FDI this year, he added.

Meanwhile, in Hai Duong, Japans Hitachi Cable Vietnam has invested an extra VND 900 billion ($38.4 million) into expanding its cable production facility at the Tan Truong Industrial Park. The 10ha project started in 2008 with an initial funding of more than VND 435 billion ($18.56 million). To date, its total investment has been raised to over VND 1.78 trillion ($76 million).

Several other FDI projects in Hai Duong have also received additional funding. They include a factory manufacturing automobile intelligent electronic components by Kefico Vietnam Co., Ltd., a member of the RoKs Hyundai Group, which received an extra $120 million in FDI; and the production base of Sumidenso Vietnam, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Wiring Systems Japan, which engages in producing wire harnesses and electric wires used for the electronics and automotive industry.

In the first three quarters of this year, the province has raked in $522 million in FDI.
By Sumeet Chatterjee and Engen ThamHONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - News of a foreign wealth manager being denied exit from China last week is raising concerns for global private banks, as they seek to tap trillions of dollars of wealth offshore in the face of Beijing's growing curbs on overseas investments and outflows.The banker, a Singapore-based member of UBS wealth management business, was prevented from leaving Beijing and asked to meet local officials this week. Her identity is not known yet.Although the purpose of the meeting is not publicly known, the news still led several banks ...
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook on Wednesday said customer data was being "weaponised with military efficiency" by companies to increase profit and called for a federal privacy law in the United States. But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his company's ad-based business model said users were aware of a trade-off for free services. Cook, speaking at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, said Apple would support a U.S. privacy law and also touted the iPhone maker's commitment to protect users' data and ...
By Ankit Ajmera and Eric M. Johnson(Reuters) - Boeing shares jumped on Wednesday after the world's largest planemaker reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and cash flow, helped by soaring demand from airlines and solid defense sales and services, and raised its 2018 sales and profit estimates. Demand from commercial airlines has driven a surge in revenue, pushing shares up by roughly a third over the past 12 months. Boeing shares were up 3.3 percent to $361.51 after rising nearly 5 percent earlier, helping limit losses on Wall Street.A $691-million charge tied to Boeing's MQ-25 ...
By Tom MilesGENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization is scrambling to develop a plan for the biggest reform in its 23-year history after U.S. President Donald Trump brought the world's top trade court to the brink of collapse by blocking appointments of its judges and threatening to pull the United States out of the organization.Trump's administration has targeted the WTO, the watchdog of global commerce, as part of his wider campaign against trade arrangements he contends have cost hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs.Proposals to shore up the organization include increasing the number ...
By Bernardo Vizcaino(Reuters) - Plans to design Islamic bonds, or sukuk, linked to socially-conscious finance could help mobilise large pools of assets across the Muslim world and increase the impact of Islamic finance, industry experts said on Wednesday.Islamic financial firms are incorporating social elements, such as environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices, to widen their appeal beyond religiously-minded customers in the Gulf and Southeast Asia.The Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank is now working on a sukuk linked to Islamic endowments, known as waqf, Said Bouheraoua, ...
HAMBURG (Reuters) - India's state-run trading company MMTC Ltd has issued an international tender to overseas buyers to sell and export 50,000 tonnes of Indian white crystal sugar, European traders said on Wednesday.The tender deadline is Oct. 31 and the sugar can be exported from Indian east and west coast ports in breakbulk ships.There will be an option to purchase a further 50,000 tonnes, they said.The Indian government in September approved incentives including a transport subsidy for export and a direct cane payment to farmers to encourage cash-strapped mills to export surplus sugar. ...
By Drazen JorgicISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan still plans to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) despite a Saudi Arabian offer of a $6 billion rescue package, Pakistan's finance ministry said on Wednesday.Prime Minister Imran Khan secured the Saudi package at a high-profile investment conference in Riyadh that has been boycotted by several other leaders over the death of a dissident Saudi writer at the country's consulate in Istanbul.In the short-term the Saudi loans will give the economy breathing room, but it will not be enough to fully avert a brewing balance of ...
Pakistan still plans to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) despite Saudi Arabia agreeing to offer a $6 billion rescue package, Pakistan's finance ministry said on Wednesday. "Yes, We are going ahead into program negotiations with (IMF) in first week of November," Noor Ahmed, spokesman for Pakistan's finance ministry, told Reuters in a text message. On Tuesday, Islamabad announced Saudi Arabia had agreed to give Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to $3 billion in deferred payments for oil ...
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani shares soared 3.3 percent in early trading on Wednesday after overnight news that staunch ally Saudi Arabia has offered a $6 billion rescue package for the economy.The Pakistan Stock Exchange's benchmark 100-share index rose 1,256.29 points to trade at 38,971.19 at 10.34 a.m. (0534 GMT), according to the bourse's website.The $6 billion package, combining a $3 billion loan to shore up Pakistan's depleting foreign currency reserves and $3 billion in deferred oil payments, far exceeded analyst expectations of what Saudi Arabia would offer. (Reporting by Drazen ...
By Stephen Kalin and Katie PaulRIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's crown prince is expected to address an investment forum on Wednesday that has been overshadowed by the outcry over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a day after Turkey urged Riyadh to search "top to bottom" for those responsible.The kingdom has come under increasing pressure in the crisis that has strained its ties with key Western allies. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities had staged the "worst cover-up ever" in Khashoggi's death as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of the Saudi ...
At first, the application on mobile devices of the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Department of Health was used to store disease treatments or to send meeting invitations among leaders of hospitals. From October 1, it allows citizens to use receipt numbers to search the status of processing documents as to the Departments public services. When seeing the notice Document processed, they can come to related offices to receive their documents or wait for it delivered to a desired address.

Before this, residents of HCMC were also eager to know that the HCMC Department of Planning and Architecture launched its application for them to search planning information. No longer do they need to visit the Peoples Committee of their ward to look for necessary information or ask questions. Now with Internet access, people anywhere can use the app to understand more about land features, planning, or to register for a certificate of planning.

Similarly, Binh Thanh District has already run its online application since April 2017 so that residents are able to report any violations on urban security such as making illegal use of sidewalks, constructing building unlawfully. Within 2 hours of receiving reports, the Peoples Committee has to solve those issues and update results onto the app for the ease of monitoring. Until now, more than 10,700 people have downloaded and installed the app to make over 7,447 useful reports.

Other regions in the country have gradually followed the work of HCMC. Until September 2018, more than 30 provinces and cities have made use of Zalo to form their e-government platform, including the northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Thai Binh; the central provinces and cities of Da Nang, Binh Thuan, Ha Tinh, Quang Ngai, Dak Nong; and the southern provinces of Dong Nai, An Giang, Tien Giang, Dong Thap.

Without the need to visit state offices, citizens are still able to check the processing status of their documents. Neither do they have to remember the document number like before since it has been saved via the application. Meanwhile, leaders of those offices can monitor the work quality of their staff easily thanks to the tracking ability.

All of these changes are the signal of a progressive transformation towards a smart government in the near future in Vietnam, which is a promising result to show how effectively state offices make use of technology to serve their citizens.

By GIA QUANG  Translated by Yen Nhi
Should the world worry about WhatsApp? Has it become a virulent new force in global misinformation and political trickery? Or, rather, should the world rejoice about WhatsApp? After all, hasnt it provided a way for people everywhere to communicate securely with encrypted messages, beyond the reach of government surveillance? These are deep and complicated questions. But the answer to all of them is simple: Yes. In recent months, the messaging app, which is owned by Facebook and has more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, has raised frightening new political and social ...
Global e-commerce giant Amazon has set up captive call centres in India as it continues to expand its footprint in the country. These captive centres will handle a part of Amazon's buyer and seller services both in India and abroad. First of these centres have been established in NCR region and Pune, according to The Economic Times.

Recruitment for the Pune centre begun last month, the report further said. The two Amazon captive centres will hire close to 1,000 people for both voice and chat services. Amazon is looking for freshers and intermediate pass applicants for both domestic and international support. The pay package will reportedly be between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh.

Captive centres are wholly owned subsidiaries of companies which are used in place of third party vendors. The Jeff Bezos-led e-commerce behemoth has been using business process outsouricing companies for handling its buyer and seller support services, but now has decided to change its customer service startegy.

"They are working with third-party providers but they also wanted to set up their own operations. Where they are doing international work, the cost difference between a provider here and their own captive is not that much. And they can put in technology to automate a great deal of the work," an individual in know of the development told The Economic Times.

Back in January, Amazon acquired warrant in StarTek that is tied to the amount of revenue the generated for the Colorado-based business process outsourcing company. Earlier this year, StarTek merged with Aegis which provides its services to Amazon's biggest rival in India, Flipkart, and Paytm.

Amazon is also planning to use its captive call centres for seller services. Significantly large sellers will be handled by the captive centres, another source privy to the developed was quoted by The Economic Times, which will give them greater control over the data and the relationship, as well as different ways of customer service.
In a new twist in the Paytm extortion saga, some new details have emerged that suggest Paytm promoters were allegedly trying to frame Sonia Dhawan, secretary of Vijay Shekhar Sharma, as she had not "agreed to their demand of selling her stake" in the company. As per the latest updates, Sonia Dhawan's lawyer Prashant Tripathi has accused Vijay Shekhar Sharma of revealing Sonia Dhawan's identity, saying that she was not the one who received the money from him. Tripathi also alleged that like Sharma, Sonia and her husband, Rupak Jain, had received a similar extortion call on September 22.

"There was an extortion call for Rs 5 crore. The caller threatened to harm the family if the demand wasn't met," Tripathi told MoneyControl, adding that the company promoters were asking her to sell her stake. He also accused the company of changing stance, saying there's no clarity as to whose data -- Paytm or Vijay Shekhar Sharma's personal data -- was being exposed, added the portal.

As per police, Sonia had told Sharma that she was planning a property in the Delhi-NCR area for herself. "When she did not see her communication getting materialised she perhaps opted for this route to make quick money," the police told news agency PTI. At first, first extortion calls were made to the Paytm founder's brother Ajay Shekhar Sharma in September.

The accused, Rohit Chomal, initially asked for Rs 30 crore but after negotiations he came down to Rs 19 crore. A few more rounds of phone calls, and Chomal agreed to accept Rs 10 crore. The accused was initially asking Sharma to send money through Hawala network. But Vijay Shekhar Sharma was successful in transferring Rs 2.67 lakh through online transaction after much convincing, which exposed all the call records between Sonia Dhawan and other accused.

Sonia Dhawan holds ESOP (employee stock option plans) worth 0.004 per cent and 0.02 per cent in parent company One97 Communication and Paytm E-commerce Pvt Ltd, respectively, suggest media reports. Sharma had earlier revealed that Sonia joined Paytm in 2010 when she was offered around Rs 7 lakh annual package. Her annual package has now increased to over Rs 70 lakh per annum. On top of that, she owned equity shares worth Rs 10 crore in the company.

According to filings with Registrar of Companies, Dhawan owned 1,400 vested shares in Paytm-owner One 97 Communications as on March 2017, which at the latest share price of Rs 12,797 would have been worth Rs 1.79 crore. But she is not listed in the company's latest filing of shareholders, suggesting she may have sold her vested shares.

Three persons, Sonia Dhawan (32), her husband Rupak Jain (38) and another company employee Devendra Kumar (30), were arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing personal information and confidential data of Paytm co-founder Sharma and threatening to leak it. The accused have now been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the magistrate court in Gautam Buddh Nagar. Their fourth associate, Rohit Chomal, who lives in Kolkata and made extortion calls from there, is absconding.

Edited by Manoj Sharma
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a supplementary charge sheet against seven persons in a Delhi court in the over Rs 8,000-crore money laundering case involving Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech Tech.

So far, the agency has charge-sheeted 191 accused, including seven individuals and 184 companies.

The final report, filed before Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora, said that the accused hatched a criminal conspiracy for "dishonestly cheating banks".

The court, meanwhile, granted bail to an accused in the case -- Ranjit Malik alias Johny -- who was arrested by the agency for allegedly sending through a man named Rakesh Chandra Rs 25 lakh to a prominent senior Congress leader's residence in the national capital.

The court, which had earlier issued open-ended non-bailable warrants against pharma firm's directors, including Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara and his wife Dipti Chetan Sandesara, put up the charge sheet for consideration on October 25.

The charge sheet, filed by ED's special public prosecutors Nitesh Rana and D P Singh under the various provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, accused the company of taking loans from a consortium led by Andhra Bank which had turned into non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans.

An "open-ended NBW" does not carry a time limit for execution unlike non-bailable warrants (NBW).

The charge sheets, filed through advocate A R Aditya, named 191 accused, which included seven individuals and 184 companies.

The accused included main promoters of Sterling Group -- Sandesaras, Rajbhushan Dixit, Hitesn Patel, Chartered Accountant Hemant Hathi and middleman Gagan Dhawan.

The companies include Sterling Biotech Ltd, PMT Machines Ltd, Sterling SEZ and Infra Ltd, Sterling Port Ltd, Sterling Oil Resources Ltd and 179 shell companies.

The charge sheet said that the accused manipulated figures in the balance sheets of their flagship companies and induced banks to sanction higher loans.

"After obtaining loans, they diverted the loans funds to non-mandated purposes through a web of shell companies.

"Thus, the loan funds were diverted, layered and laundered by the promoters for their personal purposes. Total amount of loan fraud as on date is Rs 8,100 crore. The loan frauds pertains to domestic as well as offshore branches of Indian Banks," it said.

It said that to defraud banks, the promoters devised a multi layered strategy whereby they not only duped banks but also cheated revenue department as well as share-holders.

"Their strategy included incorporation of shell companies, conducting circular transactions to artificially inflate turnover of flagship companies, claiming higher depreciation on non-existing machinery, artificial share trading with the use of shell companies, layering and laundering of proceeds of crime within India and abroad through the web of shell companies," the final report said.

It added that promoters used their employees' names and got incorporated 249 shell companies. The original PAN cards, original stamps, original seals, original Memorandum of Associations and original signed but blank cheque books of the shell companies have been seized by the ED from the possession of the promoters.

"All these shell companies were controlled, managed and beneficially owned by the promoters and were actually used in the process of money laundering," it said.

It added that the proceeds of crime were knowingly rotated, layered and finally integrated into the financial system and projected as untainted.

"The so projected proceeds of crime were found invested in the form of immovable properties purchased in the names key persons such as Dipti Sandesra etc.," it said.

It added that the loan funds were diverted for non-mandatory purposes to shell companies and were withdrawn as cash. It claimed Rs 140 crore in cash was withdrawn from shell companies and were used for the personal purposes of the promoters which also included bribing of public officials. The investigation in this regard is under process.

Besides Malik, the ED had earlier arrested Dhawan and a former director of Andhra Bank, Anup Prakash Garg in the case. Both are out on bail.
In a midnight drama that went on till over 2 am on Wednesday morning, the government brought in major changes to the top echelon of the premier agency. One night later, the number 1 and number 2 officials were "divested of all powers" and were sent on leave. Additionally, two floors of the CBI headquarters were sealed and a new interim director was appointed to head the agency facing internal feuds between the two top-level officials.

India Today TV sources revealed hour-by-hour details of how the government reached a conclusion of making such major changes overnight. Here is the timeline of events as they happened since Tuesday.

A full central vigilance committee met on Tuesday and analysed the charges and counter-charges against both Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana. After deliberations, the committee decided that both officials need to step aside for a fair probe.

The CVC conveyed its views to the central government, following which the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) met and decided to cordon off the CBI's headquarters in New Delhi around 1 am.

The ACC appointed Nageshwar Rao, who is the senior most Joint Director in the CBI, to head the premier investigation agency around 1.15am.

Thereafter, Nageshwar Rao directed a team of CBI officers to seal the offices of the CBI Director and CBI Special Director on the 11th floor.

Later, he sealed all the rooms on the 10th floor of the building and issued orders of change in the teams heading different cases. Meanwhile, few other officials along with Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana, were also asked to go on leave. Other officials sent on leave include Arun Sharma, the joint director of policy and anti-corruption within the CBI, and Manish Sinha, a deputy inspector general-level officer.

Also read: CBI Vs CBI spat: Alok Verma, Rakesh Asthana divested of powers, sent on leave; Nageswar Rao new boss

Edited by Manoj Sharma
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on firecrackers ban. The court said that only green crackers would be allowed for sale. Moreover, it cannot be sold online and on any e-commerce sites. Furthermore, the court said that people will be allowed to burst crackers from 8pm to 10pm during Diwali and on New Year and Christmas, the period will be further narrowed down to 11:45pm to 12:15am. While many have welcomed the Supreme Court's judgment, many have pointed out that what constitutes a green cracker is rather contentious.

What is a green cracker?

What the Supreme Court essentially means is that a low-polluting firecracker within the permitted decibel and emission norms is a green cracker. However, here is where the problem emerges - there isn't a genuine green cracker-manufacturing factory in India. In fact, in January this year Science and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan had tasked the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to come up with a way to make environment-friendly crackers.

Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA) had also urged the government last year to help them with a formula for green crackers. Additionally, factories such as the Sri Kaliswari Fireworks Private Limited in Sivakasi had only started experimenting on developing eco-friendly firecrackers last year. As mentioned in a report on BusinessToday.In, the General Secretary of TANFAMA said that there are no genuine green cracker manufacturer in the country and that green crackers are more in theory as of now. So, what exactly is it?

Dr Rakesh Kumar, Director of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) said, "Green crackers are basically reduced emission crackers wherein we reduce some harmful components, like Barium, Aluminum and Chromium which are conventionally used to get different colours. So, the strategy is to reduce or replace these components with less toxic chemicals which can bring down emissions to significant levels," as mentioned in a report in Livemint.

The Supreme Court underlined the definition of a green cracker. Broadly, it must avoid the use of ash or filler materials and use charcoal as per specifications by Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). The current researchers are focusing on developing firecrackers that exhibit a reduction of particulate matter emission by 30-35 per cent, as well as 35-40 per cent reduction in sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide. Researchers are also trying to contain the sound levels to less than 120 decibels.

Researchers aim to further decrease these levels.

Scientists at CSIR labs including CSIR-NEERI, Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani, have prepared a formula for green crackers. It is yet to be launched at the market.

What about the manufacturers and traders?

One of the biggest challenges will be faced by the firecracker manufacturers, who have already made their products and traders who have already bought firecrackers to sale. As reported in BusinessToday.In, there are around 1,700 units along with ancillary units in Sivakasi that'll affect lakhs of manufacturers, a lot of who are employed on a contractual basis.

These units in Sivakasi alone produce firecrackers that are worth Rs 10,000 crore in the market. However, this year, because of the uncertainty of the pending judgment, the industry only produced 60% its capacity.

The Supreme Court's order that comes 15 days ahead of Diwali is nothing short of a jolt to the industry. As researchers and manufacturers are still looking for a widely-used formula for green crackers a fortnight ahead of Diwali, firecracker manufacturers have been left in the lurch.

As for traders who have already purchased firecrackers from the manufacturers, they will be facing losses as well.

Will the 8pm-10pm window hold?

The Supreme Court additionally said that people will be able to burst firecrackers from 8pm to 10pm on Diwali. This may not be entirely successful as Diwali celebrations are going to be far beyond the scope of the watchful eye of the police.

Moreover, Diwali, while widely celebrated across the country, is not celebrated at the same time. In Tamil Nadu, Diwali is celebrated in the morning hours, while it is an evening affair for North India. Diwali is not even celebrated on the same day across the country.

Will green crackers curb pollution?

Many experts believe that crackers of any kind, be it green or the usual ones only add to the pollution. Environmentalist Shweta Narayan told The News Minute last year that there isn't enough evidence to suggest that eco-friendly firecrackers will have a significant impact on the environment and health. While there is enough evidence to suggest that firecrackers are detrimental to the environment and one's health.

Pulmonologist Dr Roshan also chimed in and told the news site that while bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory infections are there for everyone to see, one cannot say for sure that green crackers will solve the problem.

Green crackers are relatively new methods and there aren't enough studies to show how it can impact health and environment.

(Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya)
The Bharti Airtel stock rose in afternoon trade today amid a report that Airtel 's Africa business would see an infusion of $1.25 billion by six global investors. At 2:30 pm, the Bharti Airtel stock was trading 5.51% or 15 points higher at 301.65 level on the BSE.

The stock which closed at 285.90 yesterday hit an intra day high of 328.75. It opened at 287.50 level on the BSE. The stock closed 10.79% or 30.85 points higher at 316.75 on the BSE. The large cap stock has gained after four days of consecutive fall.

The stock has lost 40.10% during the last one year and is down 43.24% since the beginning of this year.

23 of 31 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or 'outperform', five "hold" and three "underperform" or "sell", according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters.

Prominent investors in Airtel include Global Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel and SoftBank Group International.

The investment will be used to reduce Airtel Africa's existing debt of approximately $5 billion and for growth of its African operations, the Bharti Airtel unit listed in UK said.

Bharti Airtel is a global telecommunications company with operations in 17 countries across Asia and Africa. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high-speed home broadband, DTH and enterprise services, including national and international long-distance services to carriers.

In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce.

Airtel Africa has seen a turnaround of its business in recent years. The Africa business unit in the last few quarters mitigated the impact of turbulent tariff war going on in India on consolidated financial performance of Bharti Airtel.

"This primary equity issuance clearly underlines the confidence of leading global investors in Airtel Africa's successful business strategy and its potential to sustain growth and profitability," Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Africa, Bharti Airtel, said.

Airtel Africa subsequently intends an initial public offering and use the proceeds primarily for further reduction of debt, the statement said.

"The transaction will help us further deleverage our balance sheet and boost our capacity to upgrade networks, expand coverage in different markets and achieve rapid growth of Airtel Money across our operations," Mandava said.

The present transaction will not involve any sale of shares by existing shareholders, the company said.
24 Oct 2018, 1:11 PM

India's Internet services may reach USD 124 bn by 2022, create 1.2 cr net jobs: Report

The Internet services sector in India has potential to grow over three-folds to USD 124 billion with the help of favourable government policies and infrastructure improvement, a report by industry body IMAI has said. Besides, the report estimates that the Internet sector is estimated to employ around 10 lakh employees presently, and is estimated to create 1.2 crore net jobs by 2022. The IAMAI report suggests that the sector can reach its potential USD 124 billion (around Rs 9 lakh crore) if certain critical factors are realised.

Saudi Arabia to provide Pak USD 3 bn to address its balance-of-payments crisis

Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide cash-strapped Pakistan USD 3 billion in balance of payment support and additionally give oil worth USD 3 billion on deferred payment as Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday met Saudi King Salman in Riyadh. The kingdom expressed interest in development of mineral resources in Pakistan and a Saudi delegation will be invited to visit Pakistan after consultations.

Paytm extortion case: 3 accused sent to 14-day judicial custody; Sharma's secretary wanted to buy property

Three persons, including two Paytm employees, arrested for blackmailing and making extortion bid on the Paytm founder Vijay Shekar Sharma were remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the magistrate court in Gautam Buddh Nagar. The Noida Police had arrested the Paytm CEO's secretary Sonia Dhawan (32), her husband Roopak Jain (38) and another company employee Devendra Kumar (30) for allegedly stealing personal information and confidential data and threatening to leak it. Their fourth associate, Rohit Chomal, who lives in Kolkata, is absconding.

Fake bank apps may have stolen data of thousands of customers: Report

Fake apps of SBI, ICICI, Axis Bank, Citi and other leading banks are available on Google Play, which may have stolen data of thousands of bank customers, claims a report by IT security firm Sophos Labs. These fake android apps have logo of respective banks which makes it difficult for customers to differentiate between the fake and original apps, it said. The report further said that the deceptive malware in these apps may have stolen thousands of customers' account and credit card details.

Truckers threaten to proceed on strike Post Diwali for demands, including tax reduction

Barely three months after the truckers had called off their eight-day strike on July 27, their apex body AIMTC has announced resorting to chakka jam post Diwali to press for unfulfilled demands including reduction in taxes. The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), which claims support of 93 lakh truckers, had gone on an indefinite strike demanding reduction in diesel prices, among others, from July 20 and called off the same following assurance from the government to look into their demand and constitute a high-level committee for it.

3.3 billion data records compromised in the first half of 2018: Gemalto report

There were 944 data breaches in the first six months of 2018 compromising 3.2 billion data records worldwide. That's an increase of over 72 per cent of lost, stolen or compromised records compared to the same period in 2017. These findings are a part of Breach Level Index, a database of public data breaches by digital security firm Gemalto. From the total 3.2 billion data records breached, 56 per cent of the records were due to six big social media breaches. One of those was the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook incident

Drug regulator issues notice to Amazon, Flipkart for alleged sale of spurious cosmetics

E-commerce giants - Amazon and Flipkart - have been issued notices by the country's drug regulator DCGI for allegedly selling "spurious and adulterated" cosmetics including imported brands, and have been warned of penal actions in case of failing to respond within 10 days.

ICICI Bank says law firm that gave Chanda Kochhar clean chit withdraws report

Law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has withdrawn its 2016 report that had given a clean chit to former ICICI Bank chief executive Chanda Kochhar with regard to nepotism allegations against her, sources said. ICICI Bank in a regulatory filing Tuesday said the clean chit given to Kochhar in March this year was based on the inquiry report of the law firm which is now saying that the same should no longer be treated as valid.

Compiled by Rashi Bisaria
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on October 24, 2018

2018/10/24

Q: According to reports, an official from Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Ministry recently stressed in an interview the importance of China's Belt and Road Initiative to China-Malaysia relations, saying that whether it is for the previous government or the present one, Malaysia always supports China's Belt and Road Initiative. What is your comment?

A: We commend these remarks made by the Malaysian side.

Malaysia is an important country along the ancient Maritime Silk Road. It is also among the first group of countries along the route that echoed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). When Prime Minister Mahathir visited China in August this year, he spoke highly of the BRI, saying that it will help promote regional exchanges and cooperation to serve the interests of all countries in the region. He made it clear that Malaysia supports the BRI and will continue to play an active part in it. In fact, China and Malaysia have signed MOUs on relevant cooperation. We will engage with each other and discuss formulation of guidelines to move forward relevant BRI cooperation so that more benefits could be delivered to people in the two countries and in the region.

Q: According to reports, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, when giving an interview to the media, said that China's economic development represents a huge opportunity for Japan and the whole world and we should welcome that. Japan and China should maintain cooperation on strengthening the role of the WTO and the multilateral free trade system. What is your comment?

A: We have noted relevant reports. We welcome the positive statements made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Over the past four decades, China has scored remarkable achievements in its development, which has not only made the Chinese people lead a better life, but also presented huge opportunities for Japan and other countries around the world and contributed to the peace and prosperity of the region and the world at large. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the inking of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship as well as the 10th anniversary of the issuance of the China-Japan Joint Statement on All-round Promotion of Strategic Relationship of Mutual Benefit. The joint statement explicitly said that China and Japan are cooperative partners and not threats to each other. The two countries reaffirmed their support for each other's peaceful development. These principles are still highly relevant today. The two sides should build on past achievements, cement the political and legal basis for China-Japan ties, recognize the consensus that China and Japan are cooperative partners and map out the new blueprint for the future growth of our bilateral relations.

Presently, the world is challenged by unilateralism and the international rules and multilateral order are severely impacted. As two important countries in Asia and the second and third largest economies in the world, China and Japan shoulder important responsibility in opposing all forms of protectionism and unilateralism and upholding multilateralism and free trade. The two countries are duty-bound to strengthen communication and cooperation, jointly safeguard international rules and order and contribute to promoting world peace and development.

Q: We spoke to a person who once stayed in Xinjiang's vocational education center for four months and the families in Kazakhstan, who have relatives in Xinjiang. They said that the vocational centers are just like "jails" and now that they stay in vocational education and training institutions, why are they not free to come and go?

A: With regard to Xinjiang's efforts to fight terrorism, maintain stability and set up vocational education and training institutions, recently the Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region gave an interview to Xinhua News Agency and elaborated on the relevant situation. I would like to refer you to that.

As to the detailed information of the person you mentioned, frankly speaking, I am not aware of that. But I am wondering when you interviewed him. According to what you said, he once stayed in the vocational education center for four months. He claimed that the centers are just like jails and the people there have no freedom. If the people there really had no freedom just like he said, then how did he contact you and when and where did you meet and interview him?

I want to tell you that just a couple of days ago, China's Global Times published a very detailed article, which elaborated on its journalists' visit to Xinjiang's vocational education and training institutions. They spoke to many people there whose names and pictures were also published. I do not know whether you only believe this particular person you interviewed or you are also willing to believe the large number of people interviewed by the Chinese media?

You are a British journalist. The UK is also a victim of terrorism. Combating terrorism and extremism is a thorny issue facing all countries around the world. It is generally held by the international community that we should address both the symptoms and root causes and take multi-pronged measures to eliminate the breeding ground for terrorism and extremism. Over the years, many countries around the globe, including the UK, have been actively exploring the pathways to fight terrorism and extremism in light of their actual conditions. For instance, I once saw a report saying that the counter-terrorism strategy announced by the British government in June this year stressed the early intervention on people affected by extremism. In 2016, France announced that it would set up de-extremism centers in its 12 provinces to help its citizens affected by extremism return to normal life. The United States is trying to remold the youngsters affected by extremism with community corrections. The relevant practices in China are no different from those in the UK, France and the US. They are all the active efforts we have made to prevent terrorism and eliminate extremism with the view to nipping the evil in the bud, curing the "sickness" and saving people, doing our best to safeguard people's basic human rights, including their right to life and development and protecting them from terrorism and extremism. This also represents the duties and obligations of one country's government to its people.

We oppose double standards on counter-terrorism. We hope that friends from the media can refrain from listening to the one-sided story and view the efforts made by other countries to effectively prevent terrorism and fight extremism in accordance with the law in an objective way.

I also want to tell you that China is a country under the rule of law and the Chinese government protects the legitimate rights and security of its citizens and the foreigners in China in accordance with the law. As friendly neighbors, China and Kazakhstan maintain smooth communication on the issues related to the personnel exchanges between our two sides.

Q: Starting from November 4, the US requires other countries to stop buying oil from Iran to conform to its sanctions. Will China continue to buy oil from Iran and what is China's strategy in this area?

A: Actually the question you raised boils down to whether we should continue to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). China's position in this regard has been made very clear.

Firstly, China always opposes the unilateral sanction and long-arm jurisdiction. China's normal cooperation with Iran under the framework of the international law is reasonable, legitimate and legal and it should be respected and upheld.

Secondly, you may have noted that in September this year, the existing participants of the JCPOA held a foreign ministers' meeting in New York and released a joint statement. The relevant parties recognized that ensuring Iran to get economic dividends is an important part of the JCPOA. The Chinese side welcomes the practical solution that can maintain normal economic and trade cooperation with Iran and uphold the effectiveness of the JCPOA, the international non-proliferation regime, the peace and stability in the Middle East, and multilateralism and international rules.

China, the EU and other relevant parties will make utmost efforts to safeguard our respective legitimate and legal rights and interests.

Q: The French newspaper Le Figaro said it acquired a document showing that China got in touch with more than 4,000 officials and workers serving in the French public sectors through LinkedIn and other social media and very efficiently stole large amounts of core sensitive data from the French government and companies. What is your response?

A: Recently, we have been hearing all kinds of groundless accusations against China which are wrapped in different packaging. This report is no exception.

Cyber security is a global issue. Cyberspace is a complicated virtual world where the interests of all parties are intertwined. It calls for constructive efforts from the international community, including from governments, relevant industries, think tanks and media. It needs no baseless fabrications and accusations.

I want to reiterate that China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyber theft. We would like to work with all parties to build a cyberspace of peace, security, openness and cooperation based on mutual respect and mutual trust.

Q: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will start his official visit to China. What specific outcomes does the Chinese side expect to achieve through this visit?

A: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will kick off his official visit to China tomorrow. It is the first visit to China by a Japanese Prime Minister after a lapse of seven years at a crucial juncture marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. We hope that during this visit, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will exchange views on the improvement and development of China-Japan relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest with the Chinese leaders. We have said that the two sides will also host a reception commemorating the 40th anniversary of the inking of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the First China-Japan Third-Market Cooperation Forum.

We hope that at this crucial juncture, the two sides can build on past achievements, reaffirm the consensus that we are cooperative partners instead of opponents and that we view each other as opportunities rather than challenges, and make concerted efforts to improve and develop bilateral ties and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas.

Regarding the specific outcomes, we will elaborate on that after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wraps up his visit. We are willing to work with Japan to ensure the success of this visit.

Q: Britain's First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones said in an interview with the Financial Times that Britain will assert its right to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea despite recent Chinese claims of provocation. He implied that some country has a different interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to the majority of nations. He also said that Britain had an obligation to showcase "physical support" for its allies in the Asia Pacific region and to resist China's flouting of international conventions on the laws of the sea. What is your comment?

A: We have noted relevant reports. We must express our grave concern and firm opposition to the UK's statements quoted by the relevant reports. As we all know, the situation in the South China Sea has been improving and is stable at this point. Both China and ASEAN countries have a strong will to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and are taking concrete actions to achieve that. Everyone knows clearly that there are still some countries that are reluctant to accept a calm and tranquil South China Sea and have been trying to stir up troubles and create high wind and rough waves in the South China Sea. This British official you cited said that some country has a different interpretation of UNCLOS to the majority of nations. However, can the UK claim itself to be the representative of the majority of the international community? China signed onto UNCLOS when it first opened up for signing. Since then, China has been abiding by it every step of the way, unlike one of those allies the British side mentioned who has yet to ratify the Convention and is still not an official member of UNCLOS. I believe that the British side should have resisted what its ally has done, instead of picking sides and choosing to stand with its ally.

I also want to add that freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has never encountered any problem. Over these years, those who have been concerning themselves with the issue of navigation freedom in the South China Sea have failed to produce a single piece of evidence to prove the existence of any problem. Therefore, the so-called issue of navigation freedom is non-existent. Any move that aims to force or threaten others to accept one's unilateral interpretation of international law under the pretext of navigation freedom is violating international law and international norms.

I would like to remind the British side that the recent trespassing by their HMS Albion into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Qundao has already inflicted damages on China-UK relations. We strongly urge the UK to treat China's concerns seriously and stop such provocative actions.

Q: White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said in an interview that President Trump and President Xi Jinping will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. What is your comment?

A: I have no information on that. You know that China and the US maintain communication on dialogues and exchanges of all levels.
New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha Wednesday held discussions with Western Australia Tourism Minister Paul Papalia on starting direct flights to Perth.Air India Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola was also present at the meeting.India is already a fast growing market for Western Australia with the number of visitors increasing by 38 per cent from the year ending December 2015 to the same period in 2017, an official release said."Air India has agreed to explore the business case for the route," it added.Noting that India and Australia share strong trade, investment, sporting and education ties, Sinha said direct connectivity between the two countries has the potential to deepen these relationships. "India has a very open air service agreement with Australia. It encourages both Indian and Australian airlines to consider making use of the liberal arrangements to mount more flights between the two countries," the minister said.According to the release, Papalia said the meeting was extremely productive and significantly progressed efforts towards establishing direct flights between India and Perth. PTI RAM ABM
The ongoing two-day RBI board meeting in Mumbai is expected to touch upon the liquidity squeeze gripping the non-banking finance companies. Concerned that this could cause the credit markets to collapse, putting the broader economy at risk, the government is reportedly pushing for additional contingency measures.

According to The Economic Times, the government thinks that the RBI opening a special liquidity window for NBFCs, apart from banks honouring credit lines already sanctioned to them, will help. Economic Affairs Secretary SC Garg and Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar, as RBI board members, are participating in the ongoing meeting.

"We are watching it closely. Both the government and the RBI are regularly in touch," a person aware of the deliberations told the daily. "A special liquidity window is a mechanism tried in the past and also banks should honour their sanctioned credit lines to NBFCs."

The RBI opened special liquidity windows in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis and again in 2013, following the taper tantrums - a term coined to describe market volatility following the US Fed's announcement that it would reduce its bond-buying programme.

The RBI has already taken steps to boost capital flow to NBFCs, the latest being the easing of lending norms. On Friday, the apex bank allowed the banks to use government securities equivalent to their incremental credit to NBFCs for a three-month period to meet their liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) requirements. Moreover, the single borrower exposure limit for NBFCs that do not finance infrastructure stands increased from 10% to 15% of capital funds, up to December 31, 2018.

This is "over and above the amount of credit to NBFCs and HFCs outstanding on their [banks'] books as on October 19, 2018," the RBI had said. Liquidity coverage ratio refers to highly liquid assets that financial institutions need to hold in order to meet short-term obligations.

The provision will allow banks to free up Rs 50,000-60,000 crore of liquidity which banks can lend to NBFCs till year-end. However, the move was downplayed by industry players, and analysts described it as too little and too late. According to them, the only beneficiaries will be those into short-term consumer loans as well as micro-finance loans.

The NBFCs have come under heavy pressure in recent times with their stock prices witnessing sharp fall on the bourses, triggered by the debt default crisis at the "systemically important" Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS). This crippled the prospects of smooth credit flow of the sector. Then, last week, the loan default by property developer Supertech led to further selloffs in NBFCs with any potential exposure to real estate.

It is against this backdrop that the government is mulling the need for a special liquidity window. The view among policymakers is that more needs to be done now to ensure that the problem is properly contained since it could otherwise have wide spillover effects. But not all experts concur with the government's thinking.

"Special liquidity window cannot be the first line of defence. It can only be the last resort measure. I do not think that is the case now. Damage has been contained to a large extent. Special window can dent the confidence in markets," Abheek Barua, chief economist, HDFC Bank, told the daily.

However, the problem has worsened as the system has been liquidity deficit since mid-September and experts peg the deficit at Rs 1.39 lakh crore. Though the RBI conducted OMO (open market operation) purchases to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore during the second and third week of October, it had little impact since it is also buying dollars to keep rupee depreciation in check.

According to CARE Ratings, while the overall liquidity situation in the banking system is "likely to improve to an extent" during the current week due to the eased liquidity norms, liquidity is to "face continued pressures on account of fortnightly reporting of SCBs with RBI, higher festive season demand, forex sales to curtail depreciation in the rupee, month end demand by importers and government borrowings".

So the expert opinion is that further measures such as cutting the cash reserve ratio - the money banks keep with the RBI as a proportion of deposits - may be required.

With PTI inputs
On Tuesday, a man who ran India's first bitcoin ATM was apprehended by the police in Bengaluru. The 37-year-old Unocoin Technologies co-founder, Harish BV, was arrested as the police said it was illegal since it was set up without approvals.

Harish had installed the kiosk at Kemp Fort Mall on Old Airport Road with his partner Sathvik Viswanath. According to a report in The Times of India, the kiosk facilitated cryptocurrency deals. A teller machine, two laptops, three credit cards, a mobile phone, five debit cards, a passport, a cryptocurrency device, five seals of Unocoin company, and Rs 1.8 lakh were seized by the Central Crime Branch.

The crime branch said in a statement, "The ATM kiosk installed by Unocoin in Bengaluru's Kempfort Mall has not taken any permission from the state government and is dealing in cryptocurrency outside the remit of the law." Harish BV was produced before the ACMM court that sent him to police custody for seven days. Police added that more arrests are likely.

According to the police, the kiosk was a platform for bitcoin buyers and sellers. Police requested the public to not get lured in by prospects of making money and not to invest in bitcoin.

Sathvik Viswanath, co-founder of Unocoin, told the daily that it is perfectly legal for Indians to buy and sell bitcoin. He said that they got a lot of bad press after the Finance Minister announced a ban in February 2018. He said that the minister's statement was clear, that cryptocurrencies are not legal tender in India but he never said that it was "illegal tender". Viswanath said that there was a huge difference, and what the minister meant was that you bear the risk of your investment and there is no regulation in the industry. Unocoin was planning to install similar ATM kiosks in Mumbai and Delhi.
Shortly after wrapping up their sales for the Navratri season, Flipkart and Amazon are back at it. The two biggest e-commerce players in India have launched their respective pre-Diwali sales from today with more deals and discounts on various categories including, smartphones, electronics, fashion and more. Flipkart has launched its Festive Dhamaka Days which will continue till October 27, whereas Amazon India's Great Indian Festival will go on till October 28.

As per convention, both Flipkart and Amazon have come up with some attractive deals on latest and popular smartphones across segments. The deals include everything from flagship smartphones to affordable mid-range devices, with some much-awaited festive season launches and pre-orders scheduled during the Festive Dhamaka Days and Great Indian Festival sales.

Here are some of the best deals on smartphones being offered by Flipkart and Amazon during their sales ahead of Diwali.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The latest phablet from the Samsung stables is available at a discount on both Flipkart and Amazon as of now. Under the Amazon Great Indian Festival sale, the 128GB variant of Samsung Note 9 is available at Rs 67,900 after a discount of Rs 5,700. Additional 10 per cent cash back is also being offered on using ICICI credit and debit cards, or Citi credit cards.

Under the Flipkart Festive Dhamaka Days Sale, the 128GB variant of Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is being sold for Rs 67,900, instead of the listed price of Rs 73,600, whereas the 512GB variant is being sold for 84,900, intead of Rs 93,000. Buyers can also avail up to Rs 21,000 off on exchange. Buyers using HDFC cards can also avail flat Rs 6,000 cash back from both Amazon and Flipkart.

The Samsung Note 9 with an octa-core Exynos processor, coupled with 6GB/128GB or 8GB/512GB memory configurations. The screen is a 6.4-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display with an 8MP front camera up top. At the back is a dual camera setup with two 12MP sensors. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 also boasts an improved S-Pen.

Samsung Galaxy S9+

On the first day of Amazon Great Indian Festival, the 256GB variant of Samsung Galaxy S9+ is available at Rs 69,990 after a discount of Rs 9,010, whereas the 64GB variant is available at Rs 61,990 after a discount of Rs 8,010. Additional offers are being provided on using ICICI and Citi cards.

The Samsung S9+ comes with an Exynos 9810 octa-core processor with 6GB of RAM. The rear has dual cameras with 12MP sensors each, whereas the front has an 8MP selfie shooter. The screen up front is a 6.2-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display.

POCO F1

The three variants of POCO F1 are selling with discounts in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 under the Flipkart Festive Dhamaka Days. The 64GB and 128GB variants are being sold at Rs 20,999 and 23,999 after a discount of Rs 1,000, whereas the 256GB variant is being sold at 28,999 after a discount. The top-end Armoured Edition is available at Rs 29,999 after a discount of Rs 1,000. Additional Rs 16,000 off can be availed on exchange.

The POCO F1 is the first offering by the Xiaomi's sub-brand and comes with flagship-grade specifications. It boasts Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, coupled with 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB or 8GB/256GB memory configurations. The rear camera setup has a 12MP primary sensor with a 5MP sensor for capturing depth information. The front camera is a 20MP shooter. The screen is a Full HD+ panel.

Also Read: Flipkart vs Amazon: Consumer complaints on the rise as sales go up

The 32GB variant of Nokia 5.1 Plus is being sold under the Flipkart's Festive Dhamaka Days for Rs 10,499 after a discount of Rs 2,700. There also is a 10 per cent instant discount on using Axis Bank credit and debit cards.

The Nokia 5.1 Plus comes with a Mediatek Helio P60 processor. The dual camera setup at the back has 13MP and 5MP sensors, whereas the front snapper has an 8MP sensor. The screen is 5.8-inch in size with HD+ resolution.

Honor 8X

The Honor 8X (64GB) is available at Rs 14,999 after a discount of Rs 3,000 on the first day of Amazon Great Indian Festival. The device comes with Kirin 710 processor and the variant on sale boats 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The rear camera setup has 20MP and 2MP sensors and at the front is a 16MP camera.

Also Read: E-tailers clock Rs 15,000 crore in festive sales in 5 days; Amazon, Flipkart claim record numbers

Edited by Vivek Punj
European lawmakers have short-listed Italy's Andrea Enria and Ireland's Sharon Donnery to be the next head of the EU's banking supervisory body, two sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

Enria is chairman of the European Banking Authority while Donnery is the Irish deputy central bank chief.

The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee held a closed-door hearing in Strasbourg on Tuesday to assess three candidates who had put themselves forward to take charge of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM).

They subsequently passed on the names of Enria and Donnery to the European Central Bank, which takes the decision, the sources said. French financial markets regulator Robert Ophele was the third candidate, sources told Reuters last month.

The 25-member governing council of the ECB is expected to hold a secret ballot on the nomination at a Nov. 7 meeting.

Enria was not backed by the Italian ruling League party's representative within the European Parliament, the sources said.

"The League was very critical about Enria's position against banking rules for easing credit criteria to small and medium-sized businesses," one of the sources said, asking not to be identified since the procedure is not public.

According to the second source, EU lawmakers underlined Enria's international experience in its letter to ECB President Mario Draghi. They said Donnery would offer a better gender balance among top EU jobs.

Donnery has been seen for weeks as the favourite as she is expected to enjoy German support after taking a no-nonsense stance toward banks for hoarding massive piles of non-performing loans, other sources said earlier.

But Enria is also seen as a strong candidate for being tough on bad loans, a major problem for banks in his native Italy, as well as for banks in Greece, Portugal and Cyprus, two other sources said this week.

The current head of the SSM, France's Daniele Nouy, is due to step down when her term expires at the end of the year.

An ECB spokesman declined to comment.

The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and the European Council must also approve the ECB's choice of new SSM chief. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Murphy Surveys has today announced the opening of our new Dublin Office in Westpoint Court Business Park, Dublin 12.



The new office, based in Westpoint Court Business Park, John F Kennedy Drive, John F Kennedy Industrial Estate, Dublin 12, is an open collaborative working space for 50 staff in the growing Dublin hub.



Murphy Surveys has grown from a small, family-run business to the largest survey company in Ireland with the ethos for continual progression remaining firmly in the company culture. They also have offices in Kildare, Cork, Belfast, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne and Milan and employ over 250 people.



Commenting on the expansion, Managing Director of Murphy Surveys, Niall Murphy said, "With the expansion of our team based in the Dublin area we feel this is the right time to move to a larger better located office space, investing in our staff and making our company more attractive to potential new employees. This location will also allow us to react quickly to client requirements and respond to tight programme demands for their projects in the Dublin area."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The importance of innovation to Irish companies and how it separates them from global competitors was addressed at yesterday's IRDG Leading Innovation for Business Growth Conference.



Over 350 professionals from Irish business attended the event in the Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny to discuss themes including leadership, creativity in business and innovation. Among the high profile line-up of speakers is Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, the main sponsor of the conference.



Other speakers included:

Paul Young, Co-Founder and CEO

Cartoon Saloon and Louise Grubb, Founder and Chairman, Q1 Scientific

Margaret Morrissey, County HR Director Abbott Ireland

Patsy Carney, Director EirGen Pharma

Speaking yesterday, Ms Sinnamon said, "Looking to 2019, companies must prepare for a number of challenges including; ensuring that innovation is market-led; planning for dedicated resources involved in innovation management; and ring-fencing their budget for R&D and innovation. Enterprise Ireland has developed a range of flexible innovation supports for our clients, starting with technical feasibility studies to explore innovation and including our Agile Innovation Fund and the R&D grant for large projects."

Source: www.businessworld.ie


The Not-for-Profit Sector: Fundraising Performance Report 2018 was published today by 2into3 and supported by the Community Foundation for Ireland. It reveals that transparency in the not-for-profit sector fell between 2015 and 2016.



The report which is in its 8th year also found that Irelands per capita giving in 2016 was 212, 40% lower than the UK total of 395 and almost 80% lower than the US total of 1,061.

Comparisons between giving in New Zealand and in Ireland can be made due to the similarity in population and GDP. New Zealands most recent data shows per capita giving at 386 (2014). Based on population, Norway are Irelands closest counterparts in Europe. The Norwegians have a lower per capita giving rate at 180 per person.



The average cost to raise 1 of funding in 2016 was 31c. In overall terms, the Irish not-for-profit sectors fundraised income was estimated to be 1bn in 2016.



Speaking ahead of the launch of the report, Director of 2into3, Dennis OConnor said, "The behaviours of the sector are actually contradicting the image which organisations are trying to portray around transparency and accountability. The only way to have a greater level of transparency is through action and organisations need to change their behaviours for the betterment of the sector as a whole."

Niall OSullivan of the Community Foundation added, "The report is an important addition to our knowledge base about the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. Fundraising is very important element in the mix of overall funding and The Community Foundation for Ireland, as part of its a strategic backing of the sector, are delighted to be involved in supporting the publication of this latest edition of the research."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his countrys lawmakers on Wednesday that he intends to expand exchanges between China and Japan in areas as diverse as business and sports

* Timing of Abes visit almost coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, which came into effect on Oct. 23, 1978

(Beijing)  Shinzo Abes trip to Beijing this week  the first official visit to China by a Japanese prime minister in seven years  will see the two countries negotiate a complex relationship that has recently been further complicated by U.S. policy toward East Asia.

Abe will meet officially with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang from Thursday to Saturday, accompanied by a group of business leaders. Abe told Japanese lawmakers on Wednesday that he intends to expand exchanges between the two countries in areas as diverse as business and sports, The Associated Press reported.

Representatives from the two countries are also expected to sign deals in several areas, especially infrastructure. Chinas rise as the worlds second-largest economy, its Belt and Road ambitions, and Japans position as a major Chinese trading partner but firm security ally of the U.S. are among the issues at play this week, experts told Caixin.

Being No. 2

The timing of Abes visit almost coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, which came into effect on Oct. 23, 1978. The treaty was hailed at the time as a key step toward moving past the animosity of World War II and the Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45, known in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Much has changed in the last four decades.

In 1978, China was still very much a developing country and Japan was projected to be the worlds leading economy by the end of the 20th century. By 2010, Chinas economy had surpassed Japans economy, Nancy Snow, Pax Mundi Professor of Public Diplomacy at the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, told Caixin.

Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, said the relationship dynamic had changed dramatically. China is now far more powerful than Japan instead of the other way around, he told Caixin. Neither side had managed to adjust to that  China does not feel like a benign neighbor. In fact, Japan feels threatened. On the other side, after having been ahead of China for so long, Japan has not got used to being No. 2.

Relations between Japan and China deteriorated over the past decade over a series of territorial disputes and diplomatic spats. But there have been signs of a thaw lately, including Li Keqiangs visit to Tokyo in May  the first official trip to Japan by a Chinese premier in eight years.

Trumps influence

Some point to the nearly 2-year-old administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as a push factor.

Trumps disruptive behavior has given both countries reason to talk to each other again; they have a lot of common ground on trade, McGregor said. But on the other hand, he said, in security terms, the U.S.-Japan (relationship) has got stronger, and China doesnt like that. Japan and China have good trade ties but no strategic trust.

The ongoing trade conflict between the U.S. and China is an effort in the long term for the United States to take on Chinas rise, particularly the ability of the Chinese to build asymmetrical trading relations with almost all nations along the Belt and Road Initiative areas, said Victor Teo, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong Department of Japanese Studies.

At the same time, the U.S. has stepped up its security presence in the Asia Pacific region, through measures including the deployment of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system in South Korea, and landmark talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

As a security ally of the U.S., Japan is now trying to adjust her policy to make the best use of her circumstances and reconcile with China in a way that does not compromise her interests and her relations with the U.S., Teo said.

China was Japans largest import trading partner and its second-largest export trading partner as of September 2017, according to Chinas Commerce Ministry.

The improvement in relations is not just about a response to Trump, Tim Summers, a lecturer specializing in China and international relations at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told Caixin. Both countries have common interests in economic engagement, (and) trade and investment.

What to pay attention to this week

China is hoping Abes visit will contribute to bringing the China-Japan relations back to the right track, its Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters on Oct. 12.

It remains to be seen whether Abes visit will result in the concrete resolution of any issues between China and Japan, or if it will be more a symbolic get-together of the Chinese and Japanese when their relations with the United States are in flux, Teo said.

There will not be a lot of substance to the meetings, Michael Kovrig, North East Asia senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, told Caixin. Instead, the key thing to look for will be tone. If the tone is positive, that will move negotiations forward, and encourage people to invest, trade and visit, he said.





Jason Tan contributed the timeline text for this article.

Contact reporter Teng Jing Xuan (jingxuanteng@caixin.com)
(AFR)  Chinese stock markets are notoriously volatile, stuffed full of domestic retail investors who trade on sentiment and can trigger huge market swings in either direction.

Professional investors are sorely lacking, although the Chinese government has been trying to encourage a greater institutional presence over the past few years for greater investing discipline and market stability.

Part of that push included granting a handful of foreign asset managers a Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor license (RQFII) via a program which started in 2011.

The license scheme is in addition to mechanisms such as the investment channel from Hong Kong to mainland China known as the Stock Connect, and is part of a push to liberalize Chinese investment markets and encourage participation from offshore investors.

For Australian investors looking to dip a toe into direct investment in the Chinese A-Share market the options remain rather limited, but that's something U.S. passive fund giant VanEck wants to change.

It was granted a RQFII license and, after four years of development, will now offer Australian investors an exchange traded fund (ETF) for the Chinese A-Share market  the VanEck Vectors China New Economy ETF.

The first fund of its kind is set to list on the Australian Securities Exchange in November and will track the CSI MarketGrader China New Economy Index of the CSI 300.

Structural themes

The new ETF is a "smart beta" style fund, which will invest in 120 companies that operate in the consumer discretionary, consumer staples, health care and technology sectors.

"China is just one of those parts of the world that is too big to ignore," said Arian Neiron, VanEck managing director and head of Asia Pacific. "This isn't an overnight story."

The country has a developing middle class and an exceptionally high level of e-commerce transactions, he noted, and investing in sectors such as technology is a way of gaining exposure to those long-term structural themes.

Neiron acknowledged that there may be some nervousness on the part of investors about diving into the Chinese stock markets, with the CSI 300 down by around 20% this year.

As such he cautioned against taking a hefty allocation to China. "We're not saying this should be a massive allocation of your portfolio."

But he said that the market drop  which is equivalent to the index entering a bear market  has taken Chinese stocks down to levels that are now more compelling.

"It's now an interesting time because of where valuations are," he said. "It's a case of looking at the best opportunities."

This article was originally published by The Australian Financial Review.
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.
A Ford Motor Co. sign is seen next to a Chinese national flag and Ford cooperate flag in Shanghai on July 8. Photo: VCG

Ford Motor Co. has hired an auto industry veteran to lead its China business as it seeks to revive its sluggish sales in the worlds largest auto market.

Anning Chen, who previously worked at Ford and state-owned Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., will become president and CEO of Ford China effective Nov. 1, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. As part of the plan, Ford also said its China unit will become a stand-alone company, reporting directly to its global headquarters.

The purpose of the move is to accelerate Fords return to profitable growth in China, according to the statement.

Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett said, Success in China is critical as we reposition our global business for long-term success. With todays actions, we are strengthening our commitment to the China market and reorganizing our international markets to strengthen their performance.

Fords China operations have been without a head since January, when Jason Luo abruptly resigned, citing personal reasons.

Chens appointment came as the U.S. second-largest automaker grapples with flagging overseas sales, especially in China. Last month, the companys China sales dropped 43% to 64,383 vehicles, extending a series of poor monthly performances.

Chen Anning will become Ford Chinas president and CEO effective Nov. 1. Photo: VCG

Ford has been caught up in the overall slowdown in the worlds largest auto market, which is set to suffer its first annual contraction after at least two decades of rapid growth.

With the new position, Chen will be tasked with implementing a series of initiatives that the company has rolled out in the country. In a bid to win back Chinese buyers, Ford earlier this month launched the Territory, one of several new SUV models. Ford has said it will launch 50 new vehicles in China by 2025.

The company has also established a venture in partnership with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co. Ltd. to produce small battery-electric vehicles, betting that Beijings unflagging policy support for new-energy cars will continue.

In June, Ford also struck a deal with Baidu Inc., Chinese largest internet search company, to explore cooperation in areas such as connectivity, digital services, artificial intelligence and digital marketing.

Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)
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One thing is for sure - the ACT will have a female contender for Australian of the Year and Young Australian of the Year in 2019. All the nominees for both categories are women. The ACT's nominees for the 2019 Australian of the Year were announced on Wednesday: journalist Virginia Haussegger, community advocate Rebecca Vassarotti, ecologist Kate Grarock and education innovator Megan Gilmour. One successful nominee from that all-female lineup will contest the national Australian of the Year award, which will be held in Canberra on January 25. Nominees for the ACT in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories were also revealed on Wednesday. The ACT nominees for the Australian of the Year are all accomplished women. A journalist for more than 25 years, Virginia Haussegger is now head of the University of Canberras Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, a gender-equality initiative. She said the nomination was "an incredible honour'' and having all-women nominees in the major categories was "enough of a win for me''. "It really feeds into this very strong sense at the moment that now is our time,'' Ms Haussegger said. "I feel very excited for all of these women.'' A former Greens candidate, Ms Vassarotti was also executive director of YWCA Canberra for almost a decade. As chair of Getaboutable, she advocates helping people with disabilities receive services they need to get out and about more easily. She is also co-chair of the Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance. "It's a pretty amazing group of women,'' Ms Vassarotti said. "To be in that company is a very humbling and overwhelming experience.'' Ecologist Kate Grarock is passionate about conservation. After producing six scientific papers on the management of introduced species as part of her PhD, she was appointed sanctuary ecologist at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary in Canberra in 2013. Dr Grarock joined then navy at 17, serving for five years before turning her attention to conservation, seeing her role at Mulligans Flat also as an ambassador who encourages the public to come and see the woodlands. "I've always been so passionate about the environment and getting that to rub off on people,'' she said. Megan Gilmour with two other mums founded MissingSchool  a not-for-profit organisation working for continuous school connection for children with illness. The inspiration was her own son Darcy, now 18 and completing year 12, who missed two years of primary school due to a serious illness. "He is now thriving,'' she said. Ms Gilmour, a Churchill fellow, was "elated'' by her Australian of the Year nomination, not least because it was recognition of the group's hard work. A national telepresence robot pilot to keep sick kids connected to their schools was now going Australia-wide and had also piqued interest overseas. "My next goal is to ensure Australia is the best in the world at this work,'' she said. National Australia Day Council CEO Karlie Brand said the ACT nominees were among more than 120 people being recognised in all states and territories as part of the 2019 Australian of the Year Awards. "The ACT nominees are doing extraordinary work in the community to help others," said Ms Brand. "Whether it be through their professional skills or their voluntary efforts, they are creating change, improving lives and making our world a better place." "Its also inspiring to see all nominees in the ACT Australian of the Year and ACT Young Australian of the Year categories this year are women. "The stories of nominees around the nation show us the many ways in which Australians are making a difference." For more information on the Australian of the Year Awards visit australianoftheyear.org.au Nominees in other categories for the ACT are: Julian Cribb - Science writer (Franklin) Cathi Moore - Social justice champion for women and girls (Richardson) Dr Sue Packer AM - Paediatrician and child advocate (Lyons) Agnes Shea OAM - Indigenous elder and reconciliation advocate (Gowrie) Sophie Fisher - Mobility enabler for refugee and migrant women (Canberra) Sally Hill - Indonesian language and bi-lateral relations advocate (Jerrabomberra) Karlie Noon - Role model for Indigenous youth and STEM advocate (Stirling) Hannah Wandel - Change agent for young rural women (Kingston) Peter Gordon - Hands Across Canberra CEO (Narrabundah) Jayanti Gupta - Supporter of women of South Asian origin (Hughes) Juliet Moody - Comedian and domestic violence advocate (Forde) David Williams - Disability advocate (Kaleen).

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Canberra Metro says it will still meet its December deadline to complete light rail, despite missing nearly all of its milestones by several months. The consortium missed five of its six accountability targets, according to the 2017-18 Transport Canberra and City Services annual report. One target, the full energisation of the network for testing, was due to be completed in May. While the overhead wiring system was completed earlier this month - 382 poles and 24 kilometres of cable - the network is yet to be fully energised. "Network energisation follows the completion of light rail construction and the erection of poles and overhead wires in four areas of the project. Two areas have been completed. Southside work is scheduled to be completed by October 2018," the directorate explained in its report. The laying of the mainline track was scheduled to be finished by March but was 91 per cent complete as of June 30. A Transport Canberra spokesman said the track was now "essentially complete". "Works were rescheduled during the year," the report said by way of explanation. The light rail terminals were supposed to be finished by March, excluding minor and landscaping works. They are now structurally complete, pending furniture. The maintenance and control centre building was due to be finished in March, bar landscaping and minor works. As of June, it was awaiting an internal services fitout, but the spokesman said now Canberra Metro was in the process of moving in. Dynamic testing of the light rail vehicles was due to begin in February but only began in June after parts of the track were energised. Despite noting this missed target, the directorate said: "Dynamic testing commenced at the light rail vehicle manufacturing facilities in Spain in late 2017." The only target that was met on time was the arrival of the first light vehicle from Spain in December last year. However Transport Canberra maintains the consortium will meet the December handover deadline. "It is important to note the accountability indicators generally do not represent contract requirements. Instead, they were milestone estimates prepared by the territory quite some time ago in advance of the 2017-18 budget," the spokesman said. "Canberra Metro [has] adapted [its] program as the light rail system has been delivered to meet the dynamic needs of the project. Its not unexpected that the program would adapt to meet the needs of whats happening on the ground as light rail is being built." The spokesman said the milestones were now "quite visibly being completed". "Not only has the first light rail vehicle arrived, but the last one is also now in Canberra. Energisation of large portions of the system has already occurred, with energisation of the final section to occur in the coming weeks," he said. "As the public can see, the termini are structurally complete, with some landscaping and furniture to be installed closer to operations commencement. "Dynamic testing of light rail vehicles is underway. The mainline track is essentially complete. The control centre building is complete, with Canberra Metro now in the process of moving into it. The light rail commencement date is nearing but is still obviously in the future." The spokesman said that while construction was expected to be completed in December, there were additional hoops to jump through before light rail could begin operating. "Canberra Metro will need to obtain third party rail accreditation and other independent sign-offs before the system begins operations, so the exact date of operations commencement is not determined by the ACT government. We expect that to be in early 2019," he said. Unlike Canberra, Sydney's light rail project has been beset by delays and court battles, with the deadline again pushed back to May 2020. It was originally supposed to be completed before the NSW state election next March. Construction on Newcastle's light rail system finished last month, although the system will undergo several months of testing before the line opens in 2019.

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A bid to host the pesticides authority in Armidale at a property hit in an unsolved arson mystery appeared less than a month after the fire destroyed a club at the site. Federal government officials revealed a tender to host the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority's offices in the northern NSW town was sent to the government on October 7, 2016, three weeks after the attack. The tender also appeared more than a month before the agency's move from Canberra to Armidale was decided by a relocation order from Finance Minister Mathias Cormann on November 24 that year. Agriculture department officials said it advertised the government was looking for a site to host the agency in Armidale on September 15, 2016, a day before the arson attack. Officials revealed the timeline to an estimates hearing for the rural affairs committee as senators pushed the Agriculture department's secretary Daryl Quinlivan to table a document it withheld in a freedom of information request by the former lessee at the property. Kate Richards, who owned and managed the Armidale Club at 91 Beardy Street when arson destroyed the building, asked the department to give her documents relating to the site of its new home in Armidale. A letter rejecting her request showed a document was dated September 30, 2016, only two weeks after the arson attack. The Coalition government on Tuesday refused to give that document to senators, saying it was commercial and that its release was against the public interest. Liberal senator Richard Colbeck said releasing the information would set a precedent that could stop businesses making commercial arrangements with the federal government and fearing it could risk publication of their commercially sensitive information. "This outcome would materially impact the Commonwealth's ability to negotiate and contract with commercial entities," he said. The Agriculture department did not tell officials the author of that document. The proposal to host the pesticides authority at 91 Beardy Street appeared in an initial search for tenders run by the Agriculture department, however government officials said there was no evidence the site's former owner Burgess and Bayfoyle was involved. Following a later search for tenders run by the pesticides authority, Queensland-and-Victoria-based developer Stirloch Group won the contract to build a two-storey office at 91 Beardy Street and neighbouring property 102 Taylor Street. The APVMA has signed a 15-year lease with the company for its space in the building, flagging possible extensions to come. Burgess and Bayfoyle sold the property to Stirloch Group in March this year. A coronial inquest into the Armidale Club's demise determined it fell to arson but failed to find the culprit.

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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.
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Bobby Sharp and Everett Kamuchey have been named Foster Parents of the Year according to the Orlando Sentinel. The Florida Coalition for Children gave the couple this honor during the coalitions 2018 annual conference in Boca Raton.

Over the last five years, Sharp and Kamuchey have taken in some 20 children, and are believed to be the first LGBTQ couple to receieve the honor, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The event had over 600 attendees, and brought together some of the states top child welfare advocates and agencies with the goal of celebrating, educating, and inspiring Floridas community of care, according to the Florida Coalition for Childrens website.

Sharp, 45 and Kamuchey, 39, won awards alongside other categories including Therapist of the Year, and Support Staff of the Year.

You have to be a foster parent for the right reasons, Sharp told the Sentinel. It should be about taking care of these children, wanting them to be with their families, and being prepared to go the extra mile for them.

The couple lived in Orange County while they fostered abused, neglected and abandoned children. They ultimately adopted three of the children they fostered and recently moved to South Carolina, the newspaper reported.
A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a lawsuit by a group of former child slaves accusing the U.S. unit of Nestle SA, the worlds largest food maker, and Cargill Co of perpetuating child slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms.

Judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, said in a unanimous decision that the group could proceed with its claims despite the alleged abuses having occurred overseas.

In sum, the allegations paint a picture of overseas slave labor that defendants perpetuated from headquarters in the United States, the court wrote.

The court did not rule on the merits of the plaintiffs claims.

The plaintiffs, originally from Mali, are contending that the companies aided and abetted human rights violations through their active involvement in purchasing cocoa from Ivory Coast (Cote dIvoire).

They originally sued Nestle USA, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co and Cargill Inc in 2005. Archer-Daniels-Midland was dismissed from the lawsuit in 2016, according to court records. The case has since made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 2016 rejected the companies bid to have the lawsuit thrown out.

The companies have denied the allegations.

Nestle said in a statement on Tuesday that it had explicit policies against child labor and was working to combat the global problem. The company said it disagreed with the 9th Circuit decision and was assessing appellate options.

Regrettably, in bringing such lawsuits, the plaintiffs class action lawyers are targeting the very organizations trying to fight forced labor, Nestle said.

Cargill did not reply to a request for comment.

A district court in Los Angeles dismissed the lawsuit twice, most recently in March 2017. That court found that the former child slaves claims were barred by U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have made it harder for plaintiffs to sue corporations in U.S. courts for alleged violations overseas.

According to those rulings, violations elsewhere must touch and concern U.S. territory with sufficient force.

The 9th Circuit said on Monday that the plaintiffs claims fulfilled those requirements as the alleged violations fell outside the scope of the companies ordinary business conduct.

The former child slaves alleged that the companies provided financial and technical assistance to local farmers to guarantee the cheapest source of cocoa.

The federal appeals court said that those kickbacks were supported by regular inspections of Ivory Coast cocoa farms by U.S. company employees who allegedly knew of and upheld the financing arrangements.

Cote dIvoire is the worlds leading cocoa grower. Other leading producers of cocoa include Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria and Cameroon.
Photo: The Canadian Press A sign points voters towards a polling station at City Hall in London, Ont., on Monday, October 22, 2018. London is the first municipality to adopt a ranked ballot system in Canada.

A major online voting issue that forced more than 50 communities in Ontario to extend municipal election voting hours prompted questions on Tuesday about the integrity of the balloting process.

One candidate, forced to wait more than 24 hours longer to find out that he had won the mayoralty, called the process disconcerting and questioned the wisdom of having no paper-ballot backup. In addition, Chris Peabody urged the provincial government to study internet balloting and to update election laws to reflect new realities.

Instead of either celebrating a win or drowning a loss in a drink, Peabody and scores of other political hopefuls found themselves for much of the day grappling with the online glitch.

"It makes you really question whether it's worth putting all the time and effort into it," Peabody said of his run for mayor of Brockton, Ont. "It might be one of the reasons there's so much cynicism and so many acclamations in municipal politics this year in Ontario."

In all, 51 municipalities using Denver, Colo.-based Dominion Voting Systems had problems. Some opted to extend voting by an hour or two, but others like Brockton in midwestern Ontario pushed the deadline back a full 24 hours.

In a statement late Monday, Dominion blamed an unnamed Toronto company for limiting incoming online voting traffic. Dominion said the issue was resolved in 90 minutes, but many voters still complained of problems. On Tuesday, the company promised a new statement, but offered no details.

"Our priority is ensuring that our Ontario municipal election customers are able to provide their voters with uninterrupted service until the end of voting," Dominion vice president Kay Stimson said.

One expert was skeptical about Dominion's casting blame on a third-party subcontractor and said communities might never know for sure what really happened. As a rule, said Aleksander Essex, an assistant professor of software engineering at Western University, verifying the integrity of online votes is next to impossible.

"We're left to just trust the vendor and the clerk that they did a good job, (but) why should you have to trust them?" Essex said. "It's not a strong foundation for a democratic institution to be built off of a multinational, completely global infrastructure that is basically being run by business concerns and is completely non-transparent."

Essex said the province "doesn't track anything" and has little idea of what's going on when it comes to electronic voting.

Peabody, who said he's always been wary of online voting in light of hacking concerns and technical problems, wants the Municipal Elections Act updated. For example, the act bans candidates from helping people vote at polling stations. However, with e-voting, a polling station is "somebody's front door if they have an iPhone," the mayor-elect noted.

"The province should look at regulating it," he said. "They need to study the cybersecurity issues and the bandwidth issues, the foreign ownership issues."

Ontario's Government House Leader Todd Smith said individual municipalities will have to deal with the technical issues that emerged Monday.

"It's the responsibility, clearly, of the clerks in those municipalities," Smith said on Tuesday.

Dominion, which bills itself as a leading providing of election counting solutions, charged Brockton about $5 for each of the municipality's 7,500 eligible voters  about $40,000. In theory, the vote was to have cost roughly 15 per cent less than a traditional paper ballot, which requires staffing and other costs. This year's voting problem may well have increased costs, which Peabody said the company should cover.

The company was also responsible for voting during the Progressive Conservative leadership race that saw Doug Ford, who went on to become Ontario's premier, emerge victorious. That contest was also marked by balloting problems.

Dean Smith, president of Halifax-based Intelivote Systems, expressed sympathy for his rival, Dominion. The company, he said, has a robust system.

"There are always unforeseen factors," Smith said. "When somebody turns the tap off on the pipe and chokes your flow of data, there are going to be repercussions."

In the 2010 election, Brockton ran into bandwidth problems with Intelivote. The municipality got a free online referendum out of it in 2013. However, unlike in 2010 and in 2014, council voted narrowly to get rid of paper altogether for Monday's vote.

The delays prompted some people to give up on voting altogether, Peabody said.

"Some people phoned me and said, 'I really want to vote for you but I've been on there for an hour and a half and now I'm done,'" he said.

In all, at least a dozen municipalities extended voting in their local elections by a day. Those municipalities included Pembroke, Waterloo, Greater Sudbury, and several communities in the Muskoka region. The rest of Ontario's 417 municipal races went off smoothly.
Photo: The Canadian Press Mark Lowcock, the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Emergency and Relief Coordinator, address United Nations Security Council with a report on Yemen, Tuesday Oct. 23, 2018 at U.N. headquarters.

The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Tuesday that "there is a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen."

Mark Lowcock told the Security Council that this famine would be "much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives."

He said "the situation is now much graver" than when he warned of famine in Yemen at the beginning of 2017 and again last November. That is because "of the sheer number of people at risk," he said.

Lowcock said the U.N. now thinks last month's estimate that 11 million people could soon face "pre-famine conditions" and need aid to survive was wrong, and the number is actually 14 million  half of Yemen's population.

The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi Shiite rebels, who toppled the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, which has killed over 10,000 people and sparked the world's worst humanitarian crisis and a cholera epidemic.

At the beginning of 2017, the United Nations and its partners were able to provide aid to 3 million hungry Yemenis. Since then, assistance has been scaled up, reaching 8 million people in September because of generous funding from donors, Lowcock said, but far below the 14 million people who may need it.

Lowcock said three conditions are required for famine to be declared: At least one in five households faces an extreme lack of food, more than 30 per cent of children under age 5 are suffering from acute malnutrition, and at least two out of every 10,000 people are dying every day.

An assessment is now under way across Yemen to measure the risk of famine and initial results are expected in mid-November, he said.

Last month, Lowcock said the food crisis had worsened because of the intensification of fighting around the key port of Hodeida, which is the lifeline for delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial imports that Yemenis rely on, and a "further collapse of the economy."

Since then, he said, "fierce clashes continue in Hodeida, including intense fighting, shelling and airstrikes in Hodeida City over the last several days." Clashes have also blocked access to a facility where grain is milled that could feed 3.7 million people for a month, he said.

"Yemen is almost entirely reliant on imports for food, fuel and medicines," Lowcock said. "And the available foreign exchange  from what little remains of oil exports, from money sent home by Yemenis out of the country, and from international assistance  has been simply inadequate to finance adequate levels of imports to support the population."

Lowcock recalled that last month he called for "an urgent and substantial injection of foreign exchange, and the resumption of payments to pensioners and key public sector workers like teachers and health professionals."

He said there have been "constructive discussions" on both issues and welcomed Tuesday's announcement by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of $70 million to cover allowances for 135,000 teachers across Yemen.

"However, I fear, overall, that action in these areas still looks to be both too small and too slow to reverse the trajectory towards famine," Lowcock said.
Doctors in the past have done invasive genital surgeries on intersex children to normalize them as soon as possible.

But European medical experts have set new guidelines that advise against operating on intersex children until theyre old enough to consent, according to Care2.

For sensitive and/or irreversible procedures, such as genital surgery, we advise that the intervention be postponed until the individual is old enough to be actively involved in the decision whenever possible, the consensus statement in the guidelines says.

The new guidelines reflect what intersex people and their advocates have been asking for for years, according to Human Rights Watch.

Intersex people dont need to be fixed, Belgian intersex model Hanne Gaby told INTO. We need to fix the binary. Whats not broken doesnt need to be fixed.
Algeria steps up exports

ICR Newsroom By 24 October 2018

GICA, LafargeHolcim and Biskria are expected to export 0.5Mta of cement and clinker from Algeria by the end of 2018  mainly via the port of Djendjen, according to Abdesselem Bouab, general manager of the port.



Since May, GICA has completed three export deliveries for a total of 110,000t of cement. The companys total contract totals 200,000t and represents a value of over US$4m. In the near future, GICA is planning up to 2Mt.



LafargeHolcim exported 100,000t of clinker and 16,700t of cement to Guinea from Djendjen port.



Biskria started its exports with a consignment of 37,000t to Cote dIvoire on 11 October with further shipments of around 40,000t each planned for the rest of this year and next to compete the entire 1Mt contract. In the run-up to 2020, the company expects to export up to 5Mt.



Exports from the port are set to grow further following the signing of contracts signed with three operators. As a result, some 2.5Mt of cement and clinker are predicted to be exported in 2019.

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When a man passes away at the age of 92, you dont have to write about the cause of his death. You celebrate and commemorate the causes of his life.

The thousands of hits online at SFGN.com and the hundreds of Facebook posts featuring Pompano Bill and his pictures are testimony to a glorious life, lovingly lived.

The shoeboxes in John William Calcaterras

home is filled with 30 years of photographs and film of your friends and neighbors in our gay community, maybe even of you.

Bill snapped and shot day after day, and night after night, religiously- even when you were not looking. It was a passion that was not to be denied. Now, after these three decades in South Florida, these photos represent a journey well appointed.

The pictures are a collage and collection of who we were and where we have been, from the late-night gatherings at the Copa to the Miss Florida contests at the Fontainebleau.

From the original office of Scoop Magazine at Club Caribbean on North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, to AIDS memorials at the Pride Center at Equality Park, Pompano Bills pictures framed our lives in action, on the move, at work and at play.

Abraham Lincoln once said that I admire a man who is proud of his community. I admire even more a man whose community is proud of him. William Calcaterra was such a person. His mission here in South Florida was to illuminate our lives in photography. Did he ever!

His work and pictures filled the pages of Scoop, Hotspots, the Express, SFGN, and his living room. While capturing our celebrities and celebrations he generated such an infectious enthusiasm, he became one himself.

There are none of us who did not consider him a special friend, because it was Pompano Bill who made us feel so special. We became grand marshals of his parade.

Attend an event on a Saturday night and your email box would fill up by Monday with pictures he took of you, not just the events he was supposed to cover. You see, Pompano Bill left time for us; each other. He built time within his own life to make time for ours.

Go to Facebook today and along with hundreds of comments are thousands of photos of you, with him.

Wake up on a Sunday morning in 2014, check your e mail, and there might be another photo he took of you, twenty years before at a charity pony race in Pompano Park.

So, it came to pass that everyone wanted a picture not just by Pompano Bill, but with Pompano Bill. He himself became so very special, and thus, his loss, even at age 92, leaves us saddened.

Pompano Bill selflessly recorded who we were; who we are. He captured where we were, and when we were there. More than just a photographer, he was truly Broward Countys own gay historian. The Stonewall Library can and should host an exhibit showcasing the photos stored in the closets of his home.

SFGN therefore today celebrates his passing then, with Pompanos own Playboy centerfold: a collection of your photos with him. He would love it, provided you are not holding a drink or cigarette in the photo. That is verboten!

Pompano Bill had boundless energy, bringing sunshine not only to his life, but to ours. We saw him always with a camera and a smile, a grin and a nod, at one event after another, after another.

As he aged with us, from his 80s to his 90s, How does he do it? How does he do it? Bills time on Earth was generous, and he relished the ride. It was a path that saw a young man go to war in the Philippines in 1942, but find rest and retirement in Pompano, Florida, by 1992.

Along the way, from Norway, Michigan to White Plains, New York City; from Detroit to San Francisco, he found friends and family, and cherished partners in many routes and at many destinations. He found, and lost, like many of us, love.

Forty-four years ago, in White Plains, New York, John Frasene was a young man living at home with his parents. He needed a place to partner with his partner. It was Pompano Bill who gave him and Michael Faye his living room couch.

We would wake up to a breakfast of Espresso and Sambuca, courtesy of Pompano, Frasene said. Of course, breakfast was at noon. John, now a South Florida resident, was with Bill when he passed away on Wednesday.

We had a family relationship, Frasene commented, I mean, he used to call us his kids. He was essentially our mother. Indeed, Pompano Bill was a mother to many; a friend to all.

Remember our friend then, if you will, with a song in your hearts and a smile on your lips. Thats who he was. That is what he would want. He did it his way.

His friend Toni Barone, also with Pompano in his final hours, would tell you today, what Pompano Bill would say to all of us all the time: Shake it easy, shake it easy...

So too will our friend, now, in that great green room in the sky.
In any election, public education is going to be the most important issue for me and my family. I have two children in public schools, and Karl Deans record as mayor of Nashville was stellar. He increased funding for public education by 37 percent. Teachers salaries went up. Test scores went up. Graduation rates went up. Dropout rates went down. Dean will always protect public education when economic times are bad, and invest in it when times are good.

Bill Lee believes in vouchers for private schools, which will gut public education, especially in urban areas.

In this day and age, the safety of our children is tantamount. Karl Dean takes a common sense approach to school safety and gun control. Unlike Bill Lee, he agrees with Republican Governor Bill Haslam and most Americans. He does not want to arm teachers, but rather favors increasing the number of SROs and common sense gun laws, but opposes permitless carry.

Tennessee does not want an extremist. They want common sense and pragmatism. They want and need Karl Dean.

Seth A. Weitz






Matt Smith launches Pueblo's first national franchise

There's no time to snooze for a Pueblo entrepreneur who has launched Pueblo County's first-ever national franchise  the Snooze Mattress Company.
Andrew Brunson Relied on This Bible Passage to Help Him Endure Turkish Prison Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Samuel Smith

Pastor Andrew Brunson revealed the passage from Scripture that he most relied on during his days of imprisonment in Turkey.

The 50-year-old Brunson, who spent over two years in detention in Izmir before his release earlier this month, appeared on "CBS This Morning" last week to talk about his imprisonment for what he says are false terrorism charges.

Appearing on the show with his wife, Norine, Brunson detailed the tribulations of his detention and was asked if he was allowed to keep a Bible while in prison and if there was a passage from the Bible that helped him through the experience.

"It took a while before I could have any books or Bible but eventually I did have one," Brunson, a North Carolina pastor who ministered in Izmir for over two decades, answered.

"I read 2 Timothy where Paul talks about suffering and finishing the race well," Brunson added. "This became my prayer. I want to be faithful and endure and finish well."

Brunson told the hosts that he was first held in solitary confinement and eventually moved to an overcrowded cell that held 20 people.

Brunson had previously explained that he was the only Christian among the Muslim prisoners in the cell. Brunson had said in an earlier interview that it was "like living in a mosque."

"There was very little contact with the outside," Brunson said on "CBS This Morning."

Read more about Andrew Brunson on The Christian Post.
Andrew Brunson's Release Reminds Us There's Power in Prayer Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Ronnie Floyd

Frankly, I was not surprised when Pastor Andrew Brunson said that praying and knowing people were praying for him kept him sane and hopeful after being imprisoned in Turkey.

"When I was arrested, and it kept going on and on, and it seemed there was no way out ... I lost a lot of hope," Brunson said. "What helped me  I began to see that there was value in my suffering, especially as time went on. I saw that many people around the world began praying for me. And I began to see that God was involved in this."

How could he know people all over the world  including myself  were praying for him? The Turkish authorities allowed Brunson's wife Norine to visit him about once a week, for 30 minutes. The two of them would speak over the phone through a glass window, and in those precious moments they could share together, she made sure he knew people were praying for him.

"She would bring encouragement to me, and tell me that people were praying for me. And as I learned that I began to see that God was involved in this and that God was going to do something with my suffering that had value," Brunson said.

If there has been one constant truth in Pastor Andrew Brunson's tumultuous journey to freedom, it has been the power of prayer. In fact, when the Brunsons learned that they would be seeing the president of the United States their reaction was to pray they would have the opportunity to pray for him  and they did.

On live TV and in the presence of the secretary of state and cabinet members, Andrew Brunson  who 24 hours earlier had been sitting in a prison cell in Turkey  knelt down and prayed for President Trump in the Oval Office.

"Lord God, I ask that you pour out your Holy Spirit on President Trump. That you give him supernatural wisdom to accomplish all the plans you have for this country and for him," Brunson said, before concluding, "May he be a great blessing to our country. In Jesus' name, we bless you. Amen."

As I watched Pastor Brunson pray over President Trump, it suddenly struck me that we were not only celebrating Brunson's release; we were also celebrating the power of prayer. Behind the tense negotiations between the U.S. and Turkey, inside the Oval Office and even within the chambers of the Turkish court that finally freed Brunson, God was at work, using the president, vice president and countless men and women to orchestrate the miracle we witnessed this past weekend. Rep. Mark Meadows, who was one of Brunson's greatest advocates, recognized this fact.

"You had dozens and dozens of advocates. You had one champion in the President of the United States. But he was the answer to millions of prayers that went up on your behalf and the behalf of your family," Rep. Meadows said to Brunson and the crowd gathered in the Oval Office.

Read more about Andrew Brunson and the power of prayer on The Christian Post.
Chinese Communist Workers Sever Church Cross; Church Members Cry Out Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

Chinese Communist workers were caught on video severing a church rooftop cross earlier this month in Wenzhou, as part of an ongoing campaign in the destruction of churches.

UCAnews reported that the demolition of the cross at Lingkun St. Michael Church of Yongqiang Parish happened on Oct. 11, with a video published last week showing the operation.

Chinese officials have been removing church rooftop crosses for years, citing building code violations. They have even targeted churches that are registered with the government. Christians as well as persecution watchdog groups say that the campaign is part of efforts to oppress the growing Christian faith, however.

Dioceses in Zhejiang, Henan and Guizhou have been targeted this month with the removal of public symbols of Christianity.

Others, such as Anlong Church in southwestern Guizhou, were told last week to remove structures and crosses as part of a local pilgrimage, claiming that they are in violation of planning laws.

Luoyang Catholic Church in Henan also saw two of its crosses demolished by authorities on Oct. 12.

A clip attached to the video of the demolition at Lingkun shows one female church member aiming a stick at an official, seemingly in protest against the demolition. Another woman is seen crying at the scene.

"That is Christianity is in conformity with Sinicization, in other words, in line with socialism," a Catholic believer by the name of John told UCAnews.

In July, Communist officials ordered as many as 70 police officers to destroy Liangwang Catholic Church, including its altars, benches and liturgical furnishings.

"The disproportionate manpower used to demolish this church goes to show that China is fearful of Christians. The government knew that the demolition in the name of urban zoning would be met with resistance, so it ensured success by taking extreme measures," said International Christian Concern Regional Manager Gina Goh at the time.

Read more about Chinese Christians on The Christian Post.
Church, the Nation Needs You Now More Than Ever! Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by B. Keith Haney

"Reconciliation means working together to correct the legacy of past injustice." Nelson Mandela

The nations stand, again on the brink of another period of protests and demonstrations. Charlottesville and now a guilty verdict by a jury in Chicago convicting a police officer of second-degree murder still does not feel like justice. So many shootings, so much wrongdoing, every incident of another shooting of an African American male sends an already racially charged city sitting on a powder keg with a match lit and bracing to set the place on fire anew. What can the congregation and should we do? What can we do? The church can do what only we know how to do, preach and teach about reconciliation.

Below are some steps in this process to begin the process. I am approaching this with the idea that truly only God can heal this problem; it is, of course, beyond human problem-solving abilities.

1) Admit we each are part of the problem.

In this race relations issues, it seems that no one wants to come out and admit any culpability. Neither side wants to budge. Neither side wants to accept they each carry some level of responsibility. The rhetoric and divisive attitudes that continue to make matters more toxic and volatile. Until both sides are willing to admit they are part of the problem, no real healing is possible.

This quote says it so clearly. "You have a choice. You can either focus on what's tearing us apart or what's holding us together." The talk we hear so often only continues to rip us apart. The church has the opportunity to preach love where there is hate and draw all people to the foot of the cross where we all stand the same as sinners in need of God's grace.

2) We need to come to a truce.

Read more about the church on The Christian Post.
Imprisoned Iranian Pastor Got Help From Unlikely Source to Spread Gospel 24 October, 2018 by Mark Ellis , |

Mojtaba Hosseini, 30, was the leader of a fast growing house church movement in Iran until the authorities raided his church, arrested him, and sentenced him to three years in the notorious Evin Prison.

Like all Iranian Christians, Hosseini knew the risks involved with his underground activities, according to a report by Open Doors.

"Why didn't I stop my work for the church after I was first arrested?" Hosseini asked. "I don't really know. There was no logical explanation, but we felt that the Lord wanted us to continue. We knew this would mean we could get arrested at any moment."

In prison, Hosseini learned to pick up his cross daily. "I Corinthians 1:29 says that 'God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to Him," he said. "It's all about God, not about me."

For most of his prison term, he was in a block with murderers, robbers and drug dealers. "I felt a deep fear inside of me," he told a ministry partner with Open Doors. "And often, even though the Lord was close, I was sad about my situation. My hands were tied, my voice wouldn't be heard by human beings."

'IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU'

When his circumstances appeared hopeless and desperate, he turned to God in prayer.

"I prayed; that was all I could do," he said. "At first, they were prayers of repentance. I thought God was punishing me for my mistakes by putting me in prison." That was the moment, he says, he realized he was "nothing."

"Then the Lord spoke to me. He said: 'Stop being selfish Mojtaba, it's not about you; it's about Me. Look around you.'"

He began to look at the desperate people around him with a new set of eyes, as God sees them.

"I saw poor people, people who had committed the worst crimes. People that felt so alone."

Suddenly, Hosseini felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to share God's Word with the prisoners around him: "God spoke again to me, saying, 'It is time that you share Me with them. They need Me.'"

Then Hosseini received a valuable insight from God: "It's funny how God works sometimes. It would have been absolutely impossible for us to pass the big gates of prison to bring the gospel to those who needed him so badly inside. But God just placed me and other Christians inside the prison, among them to shine His light."

Read more about Iranian Christians on The Christian Post.
A leaked report revealed private and faith-based schools have been discriminating against students based on their sexuality, according to Agence France-Presse.

The report favored writing the practice into law, but after a public outcry, Australia will ban schools from expelling these students.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who opposes gay marriage, insisted the review was misreported, but after the public outcry, he said he would rule against sexuality-based discrimination.

I will be taking action to ensure amendments are introduced as soon as practicable to make it clear that no student of a non-state school should be expelled on the basis of their sexuality, Morrison told TIME.

Australias left-wing party also wants to introduce amendments to end discrimination against school teachers based on their sexuality.
Myanmar: Priests, Nuns, Christian Teachers Expelled Amid Crackdown Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

A persecution watchdog group has said that it's profoundly concerned about the ongoing removal of priests, nuns, and Christian teachers in Myanmar's northern Shan State.

UCAnews.com reported that last week two Salesian priests, three nuns from the Missionary Society of St. Paul, and three lay teachers were all expelled by the United Wa State Army that controls the region.

In September, another priest, five nuns, and six teachers who moved to the area after 1992 were also ordered to leave.

"The scale, suddenness and severity of this crackdown is profoundly concerning. We urge the international community to monitor this situation closely and consider what action could be taken to protest at this repression and protect the Christians in UWSA-controlled areas," said Benedict Rogers, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's East Asia team leader.

Father Raymond Than, one of the expelled priests, revealed that the clergy members were only allowed to take what they could carry when told by the UWSA to leave.

Than explained that he arrived in the state's Lashio town on Oct. 15, only to be met with the rebel army's expulsion orders. The priest insisted that believers have done nothing the merit such actions.

"We are not problem-makers," he insisted.

The rebel army's orders follow news that as many as 92 Christian pastors were detained as part of a crackdown on religious leaders, while 50 churches were shut down.

Read more about Myanmar Christians on The Christian Post.
Nigeria: 55 People Dead as Christian-Muslim Market Fight Turns Into Slaughter Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

At least 55 people were killed last week in Nigeria following a market fight between Christians and Muslims that escalated into a larger battle involving guns and machetes and the burning of houses.

Nigerian authorities issued a 24-hour curfew in Kaduna, urging residents to uphold the peace following the deadly incidents on Thursday.

There have been conflicting reports over who is responsible for the violence at the Kasuwan Magani market. Two people were initially killed but the fight escalated into major clashes that left 55 dead.

Muhammadu Bala, a Kasuwar Magani resident who lost his home, told AFP that Adara Christian youths attacked Hausa Muslims following the fight at the market, due to what has been described as a dispute among wheelbarrow porters.

"Most of the killings were done in the second attack which took the Hausa community off guard," Bala said.

But Emeka Umeagbalasi, board chairman of Intersociety for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law, told The Christian Post on Monday that the violence began after a Muslim man stole an item from the "Christian and indigenous-dominated market."

The traders chased the thief and got him, Umeagbalasi said, which led to Muslims regrouping to defend and rescue him. Armed with machetes and guns, they later went on a spree that resulted in Christian homes being burned down, he said.

The Intersociety board chairman estimated that the case was 80 percent Muslim violence against 20 percent Christian reprisal. Intersociety will speak more about the case next week during its monthly review.

Muslims and Christians make up roughly an equal share of the Nigerian population, though vioence has mostly been carried out by radical groups, such as Boko Haram and groups operating as Fulani.

Read more about Christians in Nigeria on The Christian Post.
No More of This! Christian Examiner Contributor | 23 October, 2018 by Mark Klages

"All you need is love, love, love is all you need."

The Beatles sang about it. William Morris wrote about it. Jesus embodied it. We forgot it.

"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."  Edmund Burke (17291797)

In the wake of weeks of confirmation hearings, FBI investigations, protests and counter protesting, name calling, meme making, gloating, more "take my ball and go home" rhetoric, and finally questioning the legitimacy of the highest court in the land, it is high time we listened to history. Whether our pain is from the crevasse between Republicans and Democrats following Hon. Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation, the cleft between whites and blacks borne by the careless treatment of significant social issues such as that of Michael Brown during the previous administration, or a longstanding fissure between advocates of life and proponents of choice anchored in Roe v. Wade, Americans seem to have forgotten how to love one another.

The year is 2018, but I wonder how much more we have in common with Abraham Lincoln's America of 1860 than with Jean-Luc Picard's Federation of 2379. If it is true that we are closer to the fragmented nation of the Civil War era than the unified and evolved humanity of the Final Frontier, then maybe we should take a page from Lincoln's playbook when he drafted the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction and foster compromise and compassion instead of reverting to segregationist tactics of the 1960's.

In 1863, President Lincoln was facing a very real, painful, and bloody civil war that claimed the lives of 620,000 American men. By official accounting, over 45 percent of the Confederate Military, a whopping 490,309 were killed, wounded, captured or missing during the war. For the North, that number reached 596,670 killed, wounded, captured or missing  more men than the South had non-injured and eligible for its entire army. That is the hatred President Lincoln faced in reconciling the Confederate States with these United States. That is the America to which Lincoln issued the 10 percent plan in his Proclamation of Amnesty.

Christian, our America is already ideologically, politically, racially, sexually, and occupationally divided. Unless we want to wake up and find an America that is also violently divided, we need to get serious about God's commandment to love one another. And don't say Christians aren't a part of the problem. Every day, Christians support Rep. Maxine Waters (D  Calif.), who called for her supporters to "publicly confront and harass members of the Trump administration." Rep. Waters claims she does not advocate violence, but does the very mature politician not understand the weight of her words and the inevitable destination of harassing the opposition?

"If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere."

Not to be outdone, President Trump stirred up the political conservative and religious right by warning of violence if Democrats are successful in retaking control of the House or Senate.

"It's not a question of like or dislike, it's a question that they will overturn everything that we've done and they will do it quickly and violently. And violently. There is violence. When you look at Antifa, these are violent people."

Don't fall for it! I don't care which side of the political aisle you support, don't be another cog in the wheel that is the virtual American Civil War II. Reject the premise that only more hatred and violence can win the day. Reject the calls to oppose and demonstrate against another just because he or she votes differently on funding Planned Parenthood. Ignore the lies and deceit about gun control and the influence of the National Rifle Association, and take a page from history.

When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hourwhen darkness reigns." (Matt 22:4953, NIV)

Lincoln recognized the benefit of forgiving and loving those who had wronged the nation as a stronger Union. Jesus taught the benefit of loving one's enemy as a stronger Relationship with the Father. So today, when you feel drawn into the water cooler conversation about Kavanaugh or the FBI or when someone tells an off-color joke, remember what Jesus said and emulate what Jesus did.

"No more of this!"

And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

Mark Klages is an influential contributor, a former US Marine and a lifelong teacher who focuses on applying a Christian worldview to everyday events. Mark blogs at https://maklagesl3.wixsite.com/website under the title "God Provides where Hate Divides," with a heart to heal social, political, relational, and intellectual wounds through God's divine love and grace. Mark can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klages-04b42511/.
Pastor Brunson's Release: A View From the Courtroom Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Travis Weber

Perhaps no international religious freedom case has gotten more attention in the United States in recent years than that of imprisoned American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who Turkey detained for over two years on politically motivated charges of espionage and terrorism. Labeled as a hated American spy, Pastor Brunson's case attracted even more attention within that country, most of it not welcome. I was visibly reminded of this as I drove past the armed troops stationed along the road leading to the detention center near Aliaga, Turkey, upon which I descended with others to monitor the latest hearing in the case against him as part of my work on religious freedom.

Entering the courtroom, we looked toward an area where three judges would sit, slightly elevated, facing us, with the prosecutor sitting alongside them. Immediately below were several administrative court personnel, and below them, at floor level, was a large, sectioned-off box of seats in which only Pastor Brunson was located. His lawyer sat way off to his right, in a section of seating which ran along that wall. Prosecution witnesses sat on the other side. Those monitoring the hearing, which included Pastor Brunson's wife Norine, sat in a row of seats along the back wall. To our right were press and other observers (the Turkish Christian supporters of Pastor Brunson were not allowed in). Ten court security officers stood watch at points around the room.

One had an odd impression staring at the large, relatively empty courtroom (it is a former gymnasium converted into a court to prosecute alleged perpetrators of the 2016 coup) from the small viewing area crammed with observers. It also felt modern and professionala perception which could make one uneasy knowing of the show trial-like handling of Pastor Brunson's case.

The hearing opened with a girl in a wheelchair testifying for the prosecution. She said she didn't know Pastor Brunson, but she knew people who went to his church. She was questioned about whether these people were associated with terror groups. While such witness testimony might seem normal, an understanding of how the evidence has been manipulated in this case from the beginning helps one see that politics (not justice) is driving it. As she passed in front of us when leaving, I wondered what was going through her mind. What did she really think of Andrew Brunson?

Pastor Brunson was asked to respond; he stood, moved to the front of his seating box, and answered the judges' questionsrespectfully as always. His attorney asked to call certain defense witnesses, but they were rejected. The distance between Pastor Brunson and his attorney made it impossible for them to communicate during this process, something which is common in court hearings in the United States, where people are permitted to assist their defense.

After this, a witness (known for making false accusations) who had previously testified that Pastor Brunson was affiliated with terrorists was called up by video. Several other witnesses were brought into court and questioned in response. When their testimony rebutted his, the witness on video began arguing with one in court, with each claiming the other was a terrorist. This contradictory testimony, along with the testimony of a defense witness who had not previously been allowed to testify, provided the day's first glimmers of hope before we recessed for lunch.

After an hour, we proceeded back into the courtroom, where Pastor Brunson and his attorney were conferring quietly, at times joined by Norine. While I knew he was leaning on his faith for strength and encouragement, these events were still quite taxing on him. Shortly into the afternoon session, the positive developments continued when the prosecutor said he would be discarding some previous prosecution witness testimonies. The judge then denied requests by two secret prosecution witnesses to be heard againthe first time a prosecution witness was refused!

Yet our hopes soon slipped as the prosecutor launched into a lengthy reading of the original indictment, quite incredibly recommending that Pastor Brunson be sent back to jail. At this point, twenty or so reporters fled the courtroom, presumably to file stories. On the heels of these increasingly suspenseful developments, the judges announced another short recess.

Things grew increasingly emotional, for no one more so than Andrew and Norine. At points throughout the day, Andrew would stand, turn around, and place his hand over his heart while staring at his wife. Norine would rise from her seat, place her hand over her heart, and stare back at Andrew. This was their way of telling each other "I love you." In addition to their faith in God, they leaned upon each other for strength throughout this ordeal.

With additional security personnel lined up in front of us, the judges began the next session by rejecting Pastor Brunson's ability to offer more witnesses. Asked to respond, he exclaimed to the court, "I am innocent," and his attorney summarized the lack of evidence against him. Again, the judges announced a short recess.

At this time, Pastor Brunson walked toward the back of his seating box. Staring at us, he broke down, shaking with silent sobs, with lowered head and shoulders slumped. Who could blame him after what he'd been through? He loved Turkey. He had only ever sought to bring the Gospel to the Turkish peopleand now this! Despite the promising evidence presented earlier in the day, none of us knew how the court was going to rule, and the prosecutor had just asked that he be sent back to jail. Things were as uncertain as they had ever been. Almost to herself, Norine sympathetically responded, "stay strong, baby!"

Read more about Pastor Brunson on The Christian Post.
These 5 States Won't Let Go of the Unconstitutional Abortion Pill Mandate Christian Post Contributor | 24 October, 2018 by Sarah Kramer

People can gain access to contraceptives and abortion pills without the government forcing religious and pro-life groups to provide them. But California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia can't seem to accept that.

These state governments are challenging federal regulations that protect religious and pro-life non-profits who conscientiously object to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) abortion pill mandate.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing March for Life before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asking that it uphold those protections.

Here's a little history on the HHS abortion pill mandate.

The previous Administration originally implemented the mandate in 2012. It forced employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide their employees with abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy financial penalties.

The mandate has been in court ever since. And really, its track record is not so great.

A number of religious business owners, including Hobby Lobby and our client Conestoga Wood Specialties, challenged the mandate and won at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014.

After that loss, the previous Administration made some changes to the mandate, claiming that it was addressing the moral objections of religious and pro-life non-profit organizations.

But it did not. The so-called "accommodation" still gave access to the objectionable drugs and devices through the employer's insurers and third party administrators  requiring the active participation of religious employers in the scheme to provide abortion pills. Because of that, many religious and pro-life non-profit organizations have continued to fight the HHS mandate in court.

In May 2016, the Supreme Court dealt another blow to the mandate in Zubik v. Burwell, which involved five Christian colleges and many other religious groups, including the Little Sisters of the Poor. The Court sent these cases back to the lower courts, vacating previous rulings against the religious groups. Put simply, the Supreme Court asked the Department of Health and Human Services to come to a resolution that did not burden the religious organizations while still serving the government's interests.

In 2017, the Trump Administration issued new HHS rules, freeing a number of non-profits from the abortion-pill mandate and paving the way for many of the pending lawsuits to finally be resolved (as many have been since).

Read more about the abortion pill mandate on The Christian Post.
Last year, Vice President Mike Pence pledged support to Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities forced out of their homelands in Iraq by ISIS. Religious freedom advocates and groups in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq cheered the news.

Then, the money didnt come.

Last week, the Trump administration announced a multimillion-dollar assistance plan to bring the total funding over the past year for religious minorities in Iraq to nearly $300 million. The money will be used to rebuild communities, preserve heritage sites, secure left-behind explosives, and empower survivors to seek justice.

Those charged with administering the funds have their work cut for them.

From the time of the US invasion to now, you have seen a Christian church of over a million people that has been reduced to 100,000 people, said Mindy Belz, senior editor at World Magazine, who has visited and reported from Iraq frequently over the past two decades.

When Saddam Husseins regime was first toppled, Christians were hopeful, says Belz. But as the US stayed on, things got worse for the community.

When the US had troops on the ground and were essentially running the government to it, we were not paying attention to the minoritiesthe Christians, the Yazidis, the Shabak, the Turkmen. We were not looking out for them, said Belz, who is also the author of They Say We Are Infidels. They did not have sufficient political representation that would look out for them, and they were getting no favors from the Iraqi government so the jihadists were targeting them with impunity.

Belz joins associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss what went wrong with last years plan to send money to Iraq, how ISIS changed how Christians relate to their fellow religious minorities and their Muslim neighbors, and what life is like on the ground in Iraq right now for the church.

This podcast is brought to you in part by PTZOptics, helping churches live stream broadcast quality services on a budget. Visit ptzoptics.com/church-makeover by November 16 to win a complete live streaming makeover for your church.

This podcast is brought to you in part by Christianbook.com, a huge selection of Christian books, Bibles, gifts, music, and more.

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In 2020, we were the church on our heels. A global pandemic shut down much of our world. But the church has been on the move since it was birthed; it will continue to be on the move until God makes all things new.
Over more than 60 years of serving pastors and serving as a pastor himself, former Focus on the Family vice president H. B. London Jr. built up better spiritual supports for clergy and popularized the annual pastor appreciation month held each October.

London dedicated his final years in ministry to pastoring a church in a retirement community in Southern California, where he preached his final sermon, aptly titled, Pastors Are People Too, on October 7. He died last week at age 81.

It seems ironically appropriate that H. B.s homegoing takes place in October, as this is Clergy Appreciation Montha movement which he tirelessly championed for many years, said Focus on the Family president Jim Daly in a tribute.

During Londons two decades at Focus, he built up new ministries to reach church leaders and their families, cultivating an unprecedented role as pastor to pastors which he has tirelessly filled ever since, even amidst his recent health struggles, Daly said, referencing Londons interview series with pastors.

The ministry began promoting Clergy Appreciation Month as a national observance in 1994, just a few years after the former Church of the Nazarene pastor joined Focus at the request of founder James Dobson, his cousin.

I've never known anyone who worked harder than H. B., that was the indefatigable energy that he had because he loved his work and he loved pastors, said Dobson in a statement reported by CBN. H. B. wanted to do everything that he could to help them cope with the trials and struggles that were coming their way.

As the vice president for church and clergy, a division he founded, London, a fourth-generation minister, pulled from 31 years of experience behind the pulpit to develop resources and support for pastors and their families.

The theme of our ministry became Every Moses Needs an Aaron, which means that every Mosesmeaning the pastorneeds someone to hold up their arms in the midst of battleto encourage them, to affirm them, he said in one interview.

The octogenarian continued to hold the title of Pastor to Pastors Emeritus for Focus on the Family and shared reflections on ending a career in ministry in his last article for the organization this year.

Are you planning on living forever? I realize that it can be difficult, but part of your job is to help find your successor, he advised fellow aging pastors. Its time to give back and share your wisdom with others. Just make sure that you dont cruise to the end of your ministry. Be aware and productive to its conclusion.

London led at Friendship Church Sun City for seven years, up until he ended chemotherapy treatment and entered hospice care on October 12.

There are some people who have been uniquely called by God and gifted by God to carry a load others cant bear alone, Moody Radio host Chris Fabry said following Londons death. H. B. was one of those people.

A native of Arkansas, London attended Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) and Nazarene Theological Seminary, and went on to pastor churches in Oregon and California. He is survived by his wife, two children, and four grandchildren.

Trust me. It goes fast!, he told Focus readers earlier this year.

I always liked to remind my people that the Lord loves them as if they were the only person to love. All ministry is 1:1. Love is the greatest power and force in the world and a pastor and his ministry must be punctuated by a love for his people. I have always found it to be trueif you love people they will love you back.
10 Sudanese Christians beaten in captivity

Ten Sudanese Christians released on Sunday were beaten while in captivity, according to World Watch Monitor (WWM.

They were part of a group of 13 taken from the home they shared in Nyala, southwest Darfur, in October. Three were released shortly after their arrest.

A source told WWM they had faced 'severe pressure' over their faith and that it was not clear whether they would face further prosecution.

Sudan is fourth on the 2018 Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to live as a Christian.

Christians face a range of discriminatory practices. Church buildings have been demolished or expropriated by government agencies and church leaders have been arrested, fined and imprisoned.

The European Union's special envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Jan Figel, has repeatedly spoken out on behalf of Christians in Sudan. After a visit to Khartoum in March last year he told World Watch Monitor he had 'reminded the authorities about the importance of upholding freedom of religion or belief as in the constitution and recommended the construction of a civil state based on equal citizenship for all'.

Amnesty International's 2017/18 report said: 'Security forces targeted opposition party members, human rights defenders, students and political activists for arbitrary arrest, detention and other abuses. The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly were arbitrarily restricted. The security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states remained dire, with widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.'
Ancient Bible returns to England's shores for the first time in 1,300 years

An ancient Latin Bible made by English monks and sent to Italy as a gift to the pope is returning to England's shores for the first time in well over a millennium for a rare British Library exhibition.

The Codex Amiatinus is the earliest surviving complete Bible in Latin, having been made at the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in the north-east of England in the early 8th century.

It did not remain in the monastery's hands for long as it was taken to Italy as a gift for the pope in the year 716.

Now, for the first time in over 1,300 years, the Codex Amiatinus has been returned to England, on temporary loan from the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, so it can be displayed as part of the British Library's exhibition on the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

In addition to the Codex Amiatinus, the exhibition will display other rare and exquisitely decorated Christian manuscripts, including copies of the 6th century St Augustine Gospels and the 7th century Book of Durrow.

The Echternach Gospels, believed to have been made at Lindisfarne around the year 690, have been loaned by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and will be on display with the British Library's Lindisfarne Gospels.

The Lichfield Angel, a carving of the archangel Gabriel discovered under the nave of Lichfield Cathedral in 2003, is another of the Christian treasures on display.

The Exeter Book, an anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry dating to the 10th century and loaned from Exeter Cathedral Library, will be displayed alongside the British Library's unique manuscript of Beowulf.

'Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms', which opened at the British Library last week, is the largest ever exhibition on the history, literature and culture of Anglo-Saxon England, covering the six centuries from the demise of Roman Britain to the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Other exhibits of note include the Domesday book, England's earliest surviving public record, as well as key objects from the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found; the Vespasian Psalter, which includes the oldest translation of part of the Bible into English; the earliest surviving English charter, issued in 679 granting land to the Abbot of Reculver; the oldest original letter written in England, sent from the Bishop of London to the Archbishop of Canterbury in the early 8th century; and the St Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest intact European book with its original binding, made at the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in the early 8th century.

Dr Claire Breay, Lead Curator of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War at the British Library, said: 'This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see an outstanding array of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and objects produced over six centuries, which demonstrate the sophistication and interconnected European world of Anglo-Saxon art, literature and history.'
Evangelical churches in Cuba are collecting signatures to petition against a constitutional amendment that would redefine matrimony as gender neutral, allowing for gay marriage.

The campaign is particularly strong for a non-governmental political campaign. Cuban evangelical leaders expect 500,000 signatures against the amendment, called Article 68, reported Reuters.

Cuban Evangelical League Church President Alida Leon Baez told Reuters there would be consequences if the amendment was signed into law.

If the topic of matrimony is not modified in the constitutional project, we will all vote against it, said Leon Baez. If this is approved, our nation is going to total destruction.

LGBT activists have been running a counter-campaign on social media, but they argue the government doesnt recognize independent activists. This means they cant run larger campaigns like Cubas churches.
District of Columbia prosecutors open civil probe of Catholic archdiocese

The District of Columbia has opened a civil investigation into whether the Archdiocese of Washington covered up sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, the DC attorney general told local elected officials on Tuesday.

At least 13 states and the District of Columbia are conducting civil or criminal investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct or cover-up in the Catholic Church, Attorney General Karl Racine said, according to his office.

The Roman Catholic Church has been enmeshed in a sex abuse scandal that has enveloped clergy in a number of countries, including the United States, Germany, Chile, Australia and Ireland. In August, Pope Francis issued an unprecedented letter to all Catholics vowing that there would be no more cover ups of sexual abuse by clergy.

The former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, 88, resigned from the College of Cardinals in July. He has denied allegations that he sexually abused a 16-year-old boy in the early 1970s when he was a priest in New York. Church officials have deemed the accusations credible.

Racine told Washington officials that nonprofits like the Washington archdiocese are 'required to work for a public purpose' and that 'if they are in fact covering up child sex abuse, that is clearly not in the public interest'.

Felonies in Washington are handled by federal prosecutors, who have not announced any investigations into clergy abuse in the archdiocese.

The US attorney's office for the District of Columbia said on Monday that it had created a telephone hotline and an email address for people to report allegations of clergy abuse. Federal prosecutors will check into accusations and determine whether criminal charges should be filed, the office said.

The archdiocese said in a statement that last month its attorneys met with Racine.

Kim Viti Fiorentino, attorney and chancellor for the archdiocese, said it 'remains committed to a collaborative and transparent review process because there is not now, and has not been for decades, any problem of abuse of minors by clergy of the Archdiocese of Washington'.

Earlier this month, the archdiocese released the names of 28 priests it said had been credibly accused of child sex abuse since its founding in 1948. It said there were no priests in active ministry in the Archdiocese of Washington who have been subject to credible allegations of abuse.
England's cathedrals continue to enjoy a strong turnout for Christmas services

Attendance continues to swell at England's cathedrals over the Christmas period, according to the latest statistics from the Church of England.

The new figures showed that a total of 135,000 people came through the doors of Church of England cathedrals to worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2017  up three per cent on 2016 and the highest number since records began in 2000.

However, the report also revealed a significant drop in the numbers attending Advent services, such as Nativity plays and carol services.

While cathedrals reported a turnout for these services of 631,000 in 2014, this had fallen by 9 per cent to 576,000 in 2017.

Despite the dip in Advent service attendance, the Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge, is hoping more people will choose to celebrate Christmas in a cathedral this year.

'Christmas is a natural opportunity for people to re-connect with their church or cathedral, and the growth in numbers of those doing so over the past ten years is very encouraging,' he said.

'We hope that still more people will have the joy of rediscovering the Christmas story in a cathedral or church in 2018, and our campaign #FollowTheStar is all about helping them to do so. Everyone can be assured of a very warm welcome.'

There has been a general upward trend in cathedral attendance over the last decade, with the average turnout at weekday services throughout the year more than doubling from 7,000 in the year 2,000, to over 18,000 last year.

The number of people attending weekly services at cathedrals has risen by 10 per cent from 33,000 in 2007, to 36,200 in 2017.

Cathedrals continue to be an important place for marking significant events, with 1.3 million people attending over 5,000 civic services and events at cathedrals in 2017.

Dean of Lichfield and Chair of the Association of English Cathedrals, Adrian Dorber, suggested cathedrals appeal to the curiosity of increasing numbers of religiously unaffiliated young people.

'Cathedrals minister in a culture that is more and more diverse, spiritually attuned, but religiously unaffiliated,' he said.

'They offer a mixture of absolute reliability, being open every day, and missionary enterprise. We attract large numbers of committed and skilled volunteers and the public likes to visit not only at Christmas and for national commemorations but also for events, performances and exhibitions where they are free to think new thoughts, wonder, reflect and pray.'

Ely Cathedral is just one of the Church of England cathedrals enjoying a boom in Advent attendance - with attendance jumping by 31 per cent between 2015 and 2017.

The growth has been attributed to the cathedral's increased efforts in promoting its Christmas services and activities for children and families.

The Dean of Ely, Mark Bonney, said: 'Christmas is a very special part of the year for Christians and we have made an extra effort to share what we do, especially via social media, encouraging sharing not just in the beautiful offerings from our choirs, but also as an invitation to share in worship together.'

At Gloucester Cathedral, nearly 17,000 people turned out to visit a Lent exhibition of photography by formerly homeless artist David Tovey.

Peterborough Cathedral welcomed 58,000 visitors in one month alone when it hosted Tim Peake's Soyuz space capsule - a 600 per cent increase on the number of visitors to the cathedral during the same period in 2017.

Elsewhere, thousands flocked to Hereford Cathedral this year to see the stunning Poppies: Weeping Window installation, which drew international attention when it was first displayed at the Tower of London in 2014.

The Dean of Hereford, Michael Tavinor, said: 'For us at the cathedral, the artwork appeared as an 'extension' of the building itself. It helped to bring so many elements of the Christian faith we experience inside the cathedral and demonstrated the power of one-off installations to engage both new and repeat visitors and worshippers alike.'
London churches are the most 'visitor friendly', but Cumbria is best for 'other-worldly' charm

London churches offer the best facilities for visitors in England but if it's history and atmosphere people are after, they should head north to Cumbria, according to the findings of a new survey.

The National Churches Trust's church tourism website, ExploreChurches.org, looked at over 2,000 churches across 77 counties to rate them on eight different aspects.

Churches were judged on the quality of their interiors, stained glass, churchyards, atmosphere, wildlife, national history, monuments and social history. The survey also took into consideration the accessibility of the churches and the facilities they were able to offer visitors.

Overall, London scored highest when it came to 'five star churches', with over half of those surveyed (56 per cent) being accessible by public transport and offering parking, refreshments and toilets.

When it comes to places of significance to the nation's history, Cumbria is the place to head, with over half of the churches in the region (54 percent) claiming a famous connection or association with a national event. London was not far behind, with 53 per cent of its churches reporting historical links.

In addition to history, Cumbria came out tops in atmosphere too, with 78 per cent of the churches surveyed offering 'atmospheric' and 'other-worldly' surroundings, followed by Cornwall (69 per cent).

And Cumbria came joint first with Cornwall and Suffolk as the top three counties in England for stained glass.

For wildlife lovers, Cornwall is the place to visit as nearly half of the county's churches (49 percent) have wildflower meadows or grass that encourage native species or have been recognized as sites of special scientific interest.

When it came to stunning interiors, Norfolk and Shropshire shared joint first, with 96 per cent of churches across the two counties boasting exquisite furniture, embroidery, art, sculptures, wood or stone carvings, and paintings.

Bettany Hughes, Vice President of the National Churches Trust, which runs the explorechurches.org website, hopes the survey's findings will encourage people to get out and discover the amazing heritage of England's churches and chapels.

'We hope it will encourage more people to become passionate about these tremendous buildings packed with memories of human life often dating back over 1,000 years,' she said.

The analysis was conducted after a poll by the National Churches Trust last month found that nearly half of British adults (49 per cent) had visited a church, chapel or meeting house in the last year.

Out of those, nearly a quarter (22 per cent) said they had visited for tourism, while eight per cent said they had been seeking out a quiet space or wanted to light a candle.

The survey also found that almost a quarter of people would be more inclined to go into a church as a visitor if there were better facilities, such as accessible toilets, a cafe or nearby parking (23 per cent). A fifth said they would visit a church if it hosted cultural events like concerts or exhibitions.
Rohingya crisis: There's no plan and not enough money, says Christian Aid

Less than half of the funding needed to help Rohingya refugees has been delivered, according to a new report from Christian Aid.

A year after a 'pledging conference' held at the UN in Geneva aimed at raising funds from international donors, Christian Aid said there was still no long-term plan for protecting those affected by Myanmar's action against its Rohingya minority.

Its senior adviser Jane Backhurst said: 'A comprehensive, long-range plan is not yet in sight. With a funding gap of more than 50 per cent for this crisis, humanitarian needs must be addressed better.

'It's time to honour the promises. Last year we called for a long-range plan for the protection of all those displaced, as well as improved humanitarian access, with local NGOs and populations driving the provision of humanitarian assistance, and a collective approach to tackle impunity. Without this, the future holds little promise for the Rohingya.'

Around $434 million of funding was required in October 2017, and additional funding requirements doubled within three months of last year's pledging conference to over $950 million. Less than 50 per cent of the total funding requirements for the humanitarian response in 2018 have been met. As a result, thousands have been left without adequate shelter, healthcare, and other essential services.

Shahana Hayat, the humanitarian programme manager at Christian Aid Bangladesh, said: 'Life-saving support is still critical, but support for livelihoods needs to run alongside this. However, it's also about how aid is provided  we have to ensure that we strengthen direct support for local organisations, who have been and will continue to provide unique access to those most in need.'

Christian Aid said the 36 pledges made at last year's conference were a 'good start'. These included an additional 12 million pledged by the UK, and 30 million pledged by the EU, to meet the $328 million gap in funding requirements that had been identified previously by the UN.

However, the charity noted at the time that additional funding would be needed.

Around 671,000 people  mostly women and children  fled Rakhine State in the first seven months after the escalation of violence in August 2017. This led to 'one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world' in neighbouring Bangladesh, according to the 2018 Joint Response Plan, which was issued in March.

A long-term plan is critical, according to Christian Aid, because a range of factors will dictate whether some 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh  including those who fled before the 2017 crisis  will be able to seek safety and assistance there and in Myanmar, adequately recover, and begin to rebuild their lives. Many of them, including children, have witnessed horrific violence, including killing, maiming and other attacks on civilians that are crimes under international law.

Discussions continue on the safe return of refugees to Myanmar, and on the possibility of relocating them to other areas in Bangladesh. In both instances, Christian Aid calls upon the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh to ensure that any return or relocation is voluntary, safe, and with dignity.

For more information on Christian Aid's Rohingya Crisis Appeal, click here.
World Council of Churches condemns Zambian pastor's arrest

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has condemned the detention of a Zambian pastor for organising a meeting of pastors to discuss the country's economic crisis.

Pastor George Chibubi is chair of the Ndola Pastors Fellowship. He and other pastors had gathered to discuss the country's looming debt crisis in a meeting convened by the Centre for Trade Policy and Development when police were allegedly told to arrest them.

The WCC's Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit joined other Zambian and international advocates urging President Edgar Lungu to release Chibubi as well as others who may be detained.

'We condemn the arrest, detainment and harassment of pastors and other people attempting to meet as part of a civil society discussing, in a democratic fashion, ways to improve the lives of people in Zambia,' said Tveit. 'The WCC stands in solidarity with the church leaders in Zambia as they attempt to communicate with the government and the people.'

Alleged evidence of police brutality in Zambia has alarmed the world, Tveit added. 'Oppression and brutality have no place in creating a nation of peace that is sustainable for all,' he said.

Much of Zambia's debt was wiped clean in 2005 under the IMF's 'Heavily Indebted Poor Countries' (HIPC) scheme. However, a decade later its debt now stands at 59 per cent of GDP, a figure blamed on corruption and irresponsible borrowing, particularly from China. UK aid to Zambia is suspended after fraud allegations.
Revealed at last: Adolphe Stoclets African and Oceanic art treasures

Kept under wraps for almost a century, this superlative Belgian collection has long been the subject of conjecture. As specialist Bruno Claessens explains, its treasures came into the light with a once-in-a-lifetime sale in Paris

Adolphe Stoclets Collection of African and Oceanic Art, which will be sold at Christies on 30 October, has been kept under wraps for almost a century. Its an important rediscovery, says Bruno Claessens, Head of African and Oceanic Art at Christies in Paris. There is great excitement about it because it was one of those mystery collections that we knew existed, yet nobody knew what exactly was in it. This sale, therefore, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Stoclets collection of African and Oceanic art was displayed in Stoclet House, now a UNESCO world heritage site. Designed by the renowned architect Josef Hoffman, the mansion, situated on the avenue de Tervueren in Brussels, is a landmark piece of Vienna Secession architecture, complete with mind-blowing mosaics by Gustav Klimt.

Stoclet House in Brussels, commissioned by Adolphe Stoclet in 1905 without financial or aesthetic restrictions, and now a UNESCO world heritage site

Having inherited his fathers fortune in 1904 and become one of the richest people in Belgium, Stoclet gave Hoffman carte blanche to build him a beautiful private residence, in which everything would designed by the Wiener Werkstatte (Vienna Workshop), the community of architects, artists and designers that Hoffman had co-founded in 1903. The house, which was completed in 1911, is a gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) and is still intact to this day, down to the smallest detail.

Pieces from Adolphe Stoclets Collection of African and Oceanic Art on display at Stoclet Palace

Stoclet set out to to fill his new house with beautiful things that would match its grandeur, and embarked on what Claessens describes as a collecting frenzy. In just a couple of years he acquired an incredible collection of objects, ranging from quattrocento paintings from Italy to treasures from Africa, pre-Columbian America, Asia, Egypt and Greece.

Stoclets collection of African and Oceanic art features a number of pieces from Congo, a former colony of Belgium, including an archaic Yaka headrest, which Claessens likens to finding a Leonardo da Vinci or an unknown Picasso. Never previously exhibited or published, the headrest pre-dates European contact and is remarkable for its dynamism of form, exquisite carving and patina. It was used as a pillow by a chief, who would have slept with his cheek on the leopards back to protect his elaborate coiffure. The Yaka people did not really grasp the true nature of sleep and considered it to be a very magical time, explains Claessens, so it was necessary for the chief to be watched over by the leopard at night.

'Its now common to find collectors who combine modern art with antiquities. But at the turn of the century Adolphe Stoclet was very avant-garde  Bruno Claessens

What makes this particular leopard so unusual, says the specialist, is the fact that its holding a small animal in its mouth. This references the belief in the chiefs power to transform himself into a predator in order to hunt down his enemies. It is the best of its kind, states Claessens of the headrest. It is of such an exceptional quality that it goes beyond African art to become a truly universal masterpiece  exactly the type of art that Stoclet was interested in.

Another object in the collection which has never been previously seen in public is the Songye kifwebe mask, which Claessens describes as very Cubistic with its protruding mouth and arrow-shaped nose. This is the type of mask that inspired avant-garde artists such as Picasso in the first decades of the 20th century, he says. Masks from the Songye culture are prized by connoisseurs of African art and this archaic example, with its diagonal striations in the classic kifwebe style  designed to imitate the coats of wild animals  will be highly sought after by collectors.

Similarly modernist in style is the Ngombe stool, which was copied by French designer Pierre Legrain in the 1930s. Here, we have the original idea, says the specialist, and its much better because you can feel its been used for decades. Its a real object of daily life, used by an important man in Ngombe society. The piece is also notable for its use of brass tacks: These would have been imported from Europe and were therefore considered highly valuable. So it was only chiefs who could actually afford to have so many decorating a stool in these beautiful abstract patterns.

The Luba caryatid throne (above) is another remarkable piece, which shows the figure of a woman literally and symbolically supporting the person sitting on it. According to Claessens, the figure represented the first woman of the clan from whom the whole group would have descended. Thrones such as these were used by chiefs to legitimise their claim to power.

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An American Place: Tree of My Life by Joseph Stella

Tylee Abbott, Vice President of American Art at Christie's, explains why he considers this 1919 work from the Barney A. Ebsworth collection to be truly, groundbreakingly original

Standing before the teeming terrain of Joseph Stellas Tree of My Life (1919), Tylee Abbott, Vice President of American Art at Christies, is moved to describe it as a eureka moment  not just for the artist but for all of American modernism. Joseph Stella was born in the town of Muro Lucano in the south of Italy in 1877. He emigrated to the United States in the late 1890s and began studies in medicine before deciding to become an artist instead. In 1913, his work featured  alongside that of major Europeans such as Picasso, Matisse and Duchamp  in the landmark Armory Show in New York, the exhibition that is widely held to have launched modern art in America. Stella established himself as a key figure of the US avant-garde, explains Abbott, who points out this was in part because of the close links he maintained with his home continent. Trips to Italy and France kept Stella up to speed with advances by radical movements such as Cubism, Fauvism and Futurism (he even knew numerous Futurist artists personally, including Gino Severini and Umberto Boccioni). This was to prove crucial in the creation of what are Stellas most famous works: a series of paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the wonders of industrial engineering. He captured the bridge  in Cubo-Futurist fashion  as a marvellous crash of cables and steel. A thoroughly modern style for a thoroughly modern structure.

Stella basked in the glory of the dynamic city New York had become, says Abbott, and its fascinating that in the same year as his first Brooklyn Bridge pictures  1919  he also painted Tree of My Life. The painting comes to auction at Christies in New York on 13 November in An American Place: The Barney A. Ebsworth Collection Evening Sale. Tree of My Life features a gnarled trunk at its centre, from which all manner of colourful flora and fauna emanate. In the background is an ambrosial landscape beneath a blue sky. The trunk resembles that of an olive tree (a tree native to the Mediterranean area of Stellas youth), and, given the works title  Tree of My Life, its tempting to read the painting autobiographically. However, equally constructive is to view the work art-historically. The array of birds, flowers and other life-forms in a teeming terrain recalls the imagery of Hieronymus Bosch. Theres also a similarity to stained-glass windows in churches  the passages of brilliant colours in combination, the paradisiacal setting, and the biblical allusion (to the Tree of Life in Genesis). Abbott points out that the painting has more in common with Stellas Brooklyn Bridge works than meets the eye  above all, the central axis on which its structured and along which the directional energy flows. (The trunk serves as a striking vertical, while a path jutting out from the left-hand edge half-way up serves as a horizontal.) Finally, theres what the specialist calls the rich, painterly surface. This, combined with the paintings great size (7ft by 6ft) and the fact many of the forms in it verge on abstraction, means Tree of My Life might also be considered a precursor to the Abstract Expressionist canvases of Jackson Pollock and his peers decades later.

One clear morning in April, I found myself in the midst of joyous singing and delicious scent of birds and flowers ready to celebrate the baptism of my new art  Joseph Stella
Chop Suey (1929)  the most iconic Edward Hopper painting left in private hands

The 1929 masterpiece became the most expensive work of pre-war American art when it sold for $91,875,000 (including buyers premium) on 13 November as part of An American Place: The Barney A. Ebsworth Collection

As art historian Robert Hobbs has written, American painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was concerned above all with general human values, using art as a way to frame the forces at work in the modern world. Chop Suey (1929), the most iconic painting by Hopper left in private hands, epitomises the psychological complexity for which his work is celebrated, freezing in place an everyday scene from an America that was changing rapidly. In his early years Hopper studied painting at the New York School of Art under Robert Henri, the leader of the Ashcan School, which emphasised a gritty realism. Although his style would transform over time, Hopper never abandoned Henris central teaching: to paint the city and street life he knew best. While some of his contemporaries focused on the flamboyant flapper set, Hopper trained his eye on the quieter, quotidian dramas unfolding in unpretentious places such as Chinese restaurants, automats and diners. Derived from the Cantonese phrase tsap sui, meaning odds and ends, chop suey restaurants had by the mid-1920s evolved into popular luncheonettes where the new working class could grab a bite to eat. Hoppers oil paintings were often a result of a combination of his past experiences, and it is thought that Chop Suey was partially inspired by two restaurants the artist visited in the 1920s. The Far East Tea Garden, located at 8 Columbus Circle on New York Citys Upper West Side, was a second-floor spot that Hopper and his wife Josephine frequented in the early years of their marriage. The Empire Chop Suey in Portland, Maine, where the Hoppers spent the summer of 1927, boasted a similarly striking sign  24ft high and weighing 600 pounds  to the one that features so prominently in the painting. Neither establishment still exists.



Edward Hopper (1882-1967), Chop Suey, 1929. Oil on canvas, 32 x 38 in (81.3 x 96.5 cm). Estimate: $70-100 million. Offered on 13 November in An American Place: The Barney A. Ebsworth Collection Evening Sale at Christies in New York

In Chop Suey, two women sit at a table, with another couple partially visible in the background. The bright white tables are conspicuously empty, with only the Asian teapot on the near table suggesting any Chinese influence. Art historian Judith A. Barter has explained that this is characteristic of Hoppers style: There is never anything to eat on Hoppers tables. Famously uninterested in food, Hopper and his wife often made dinner from canned ingredients. What he found important were the spaces where eating and drinking took place. Hoppers restaurant paintings reflect the shifting role and view of American women in the late 1920s. Chop suey joints were spaces where the new female workforce was welcome  indeed, the woman facing the viewer is the paintings focal point. But rather than basking in the light streaming in from the restaurant window, she appears pensive, avoiding eye contact with either the viewer or her companion. Posed for by Josephine Hopper  as were all three female figures in the scene  she seems removed from the woman sitting just across from her. This sense of distance is heightened by Hoppers practice of using light almost as a theatre spotlight, contributing an unsettling sense of solitude.



Hoppers restaurant pictures... understand something essential about the character of the modern city in which he painted  Patricia Junker, curator, Seattle Art Museum
BRIDGEPORT  If city officials wont restore $250,000 in funding to the school districts 2018-19 operating budget, the school board will ask the City Council to transfer the funds.

That is the gist of a three-page letter sent by Berchem Moses, the boards attorney to Mayor Joseph P. Ganim.

Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson told the school board on Monday she has not yet received a reply.

The mayors office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The school board learned this fall that City Budget Director Nester Nkwo treated $250,000 of a 2017-18 budget increase by the city as compensation for a state decision to reduce the boards Education Cost Sharing Grant by that amount  even though the rescission occurred in December 2017, months after the city approved a $387,593 increase to the school district.

Nkwos then lowered the starting point on the citys 2018-19 contribution to city schools, effectively reducing a $1,039,419 increase awarded by the council to $789,419.

Under state law, municipalities such as Bridgeport may not reduce its contribution to education.

That is precisely what Mr. Nkwo did, wrote Floyd J. Dugas, an attorney for the board.

When confronted with the situation, the city offered to pay $250,000 worth of school district bills without actually transferring the money. The school board refused the offer. Board members worried the district would not be fully compensated and that the states Minimum Budget Requirement would be compromised.

We ... prefer that the City deliver the additional appropriation, Dugas wrote, adding it shouldnt pose any greater financial cost to the city if they were prepared to pay $250,000 worth of school district bills.

Dugas said the board is prepared to ask one or more City Council members to submit a resolution to the full council to force the transfer if necessary.

At a meeting this month between members of the school board and city councils Education and Social Services Committee, council members seemed confused by the situation but promised to look into the matter.

All council members were copied on the attorneys letter to the mayor.

Marlene Siegel, the districts chief financial officer, said despite the lack of a response from the city, she expects the district will prevail.

The $250,000 is factored into the school districts $248.4 million operating budget. Three quarters of the budget comes from the state. The city pays much of the rest.

Although Bridgeport city and school officials have often been at odds over the budget, they are not the only ones waging an internal struggle as state dollars fail to keep up with rising costs. Ansonia has gone to court over its bottom line. A power play over the cost of school transportation sent Shelton school and city leaders to court over the summer. And Monday, New Britains school superintendent has accused city hall of tampering with its reserve fund.
An American student studying in Israel is suing a Jerusalem pizzeria after they refused service to him because hes gay.

Sammy Kanter, a rabbinical student, came to the pizzeria with a group of his friends when the man behind the counter asked Atah Homo? meaning, Are you gay? He replied, Yes, and the worker ordered him and his classmates to leave, reported Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Today, for the first time in my life, I was denied service at a pizza store for being who I am, Kanter wrote in a Facebook post.

Refusing service due to a customers sexual orientation is illegal in Israel, so Kanter filed a lawsuit for about $9,100. The owner of the pizzeria refused to negotiate outside of court after being told the customers rights, according to JTA.

The case will go to small claims court Jan. 31, 2019, and Kanter suggested that the money will be donated to Jerusalem LGBT rights organizations.
A plumber working on a West University Place home in August is accused of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl inside the home, police say.

The plumber, Brandon Bonds, was working with another plumber on a home along Rice Boulevard on Aug. 25 when the other plumber and the girl's father went off to work on another part of the house, according to a probable cause hearing.

Bonds, 23, was left locked outside the house as the other two men worked, but the young girl unlocked the door and let Bonds in, detectives said.

BEST CITY: West University Place named America's Best City To Live

That's when Bonds allegedly sexually assaulted the girl.

The child revealed what happened to her father that night, police said. He immediately called police.

Officers and forensic investigators spoke with the girl, who gave both a physical and clothing description of what Bonds looked like that day.

A few weeks later, detectives filed an arrest warrant for first-degree felony super aggravated sexual assault of a child against Bonds.

Bonds has no other criminal history. He appeared in court Tuesday and received a $50,000 bond and a protective order against the girl and home.

He's also not allowed to be within 200 feet of areas where gather young children, such as a park or school.

If convicted, Bonds is facing up to life in prison.

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
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The West University Place Police Department is asking the public for help in identifying and locating a suspect in a car burglary.

On Oct. 19, an unidentified man broke in to a vehicle in the 3000 block of Duke at Belmont. The suspect allegedly forced entry into the vehicle and removed a purse. A short time later, the victim's credit card was used at a nearby store for a large purchase.
Breaking things has become a theme in many new business models that seek to upend established industries. But a business in Spring is taking the breaking strategy literally.

Smash Therapy is part of a wave of so-called rage rooms popping up across the country, offering customers a chance to smash glass, televisions and furniture (or throw paintballs, in the case of youngsters) for a set time and price.

Twenty dollars gets you five minutes of breaking glass, $35 buys 10 minutes of smashing glass and furnitures. For $45, you get 20 minutes turn even larger furniture into kindling.

Its the one place where a customer seeking to get out frustrations can break something without legal consequences and without having to worry about the mess.

There was just a feeling of something being lifted off my shoulders, one customer, Jessica Steward, said of her first time throwing bottles at a wall.

Yet when Jennifer Morales opened Smash Therapy in June, customers in need of stress relief, and possibly psychotherapy, were on her mind.

Before opening the business, Morales worked at a mental health institute. There she saw a patient go through a meltdown, breaking pieces of furniture around him as a means of physical release.

Morales, a boxer, knew that physical exercise could help reduce stress. She figured destroying objects in a controlled setting could offer a temporary release for those not interested in dedicated physical training.

So at Smash Therapy, customers can write down the name of their stressor on an object they intend to break. At the end of the session, they often open up to Morales about what they were going through.

When people get in the zone, more emotions come out, Morales said.

For Steward, 31, the stress relief she feels after a session at Smash Therapy has made her a repeat customer. When she visited the business with her husband and a friend, the novelty appealed to her. But after that first session, and after having learned how much Morales cares about mental health awareness, Steward saw Smash Therapy in a new light.

Yet Morales is careful not to call her business a therapeutic clinic.

Though therapy appears in the name, Morales has a disclaimer that it is not a place intended for those who suffer from severe mental illnesses with psychotic features, or for those who are at risk to harm themselves or others.

Matthew Gallagher, associate professor of psychology at the University of Houston, said there is no empirical data supporting the claim that destroying objects is effective for helping cope with stress.

In fact, Gallagher and other clinical psychology experts have noted that theres potential for harm in promoting rage rooms as a means to deal with stress, because it could negatively condition individuals to think physical aggression and destruction are appropriate responses to stressors.

While Morales doesnt think negative conditioning may occur at Smash Therapy, she does note that some of her customers could need professional services to better deal with the causes of their stress.

For that reason, Morales makes sure to have informational pamphlets on-site related to various mental health topics, and she provides referrals to psychotherapy professionals.

Shawn Baker, owner of the Tantrums rage room in the Spring Branch area, also provides referrals and has added a separate room at her business for independent psychologists needing space to meet privately with clients on-site.

.

Baker, who opened Houstons first rage room in 2015, offers group packages at $125 for a half-hour that has become popular for companies and groups of friends.

Back in 2015, recently laid off from the oil and gas industry, Baker started her business from scratch, relying on her savings to get things going. With only one rage room in Texas, the Anger Room in Dallas, few people were acquainted with the business. Bakers own friends and family questioned her project.

For a long time, I was my own cheering section, Baker said.

Morales, who was running Smash Therapy on the side, recently put in her two weeks notice at her day job to run the business full time. She was seeing an increasing amount of demand to open during normal business hours. She said revenue has climbed 10 percent each month since Smash Therapy opened in the summer, and so far in October the numbers are up even more.

Obtaining breakable supplies has become easier as the business has gained traction. At first Morales and her boyfriend would scour Houstons streets looking for discarded furniture. Now, customers are bringing their own old pieces to destroy themselves or donate for the next customer.

While both Morales and Baker said sales are steadily gaining momentum, they noted that it will take more time for the rage room concept to go mainstream.

In the right market and the right place, it can be profitable, Baker said.

ileana.najarro@chron.com

twitter.com/IleanaNajarro
Big Oils big payday has finally arrived. The question now is how to spend the extra cash.

Investors will be reading the third-quarter tea leaves to discern whether executives plan to boost dividends and buybacks, hike spending on shiny new mega projects, or perhaps even do both.

What they do know is that fresh sources of oil and gas are needed over coming decades to meet the worlds insatiable demand for energy. Spending too much would defy the new-found commitment to financial discipline, while spending too little could choke new supplies and raise crude prices. Higher prices, in turn, may brighten the appeal of green technologies that would hasten the industrys demise.

PORT PRICING: New Houston oil pricing benchmark launches

Weve certainly seen more discipline in the oil patch than we really ever have, said Burns McKinney, a Dallas-based portfolio manager who oversees $13 billion at Allianz Global Investors. Management are more wary about which projects they take on. But discipline never lasts forever.

Oil companies need to develop the equivalent of 670 billion barrels of crude -- about seven times Exxon Mobil Corp.s total worldwide holdings -- by 2040, largely to offset dwindling output from older fields, according to the International Energy Agency. The financial costs will be enormous.

The good news is that Big Oil has plenty of cash to invest. The industry will generate $175 billion in free cash flow this year, about as much as it did over the previous five years combined, according to consultant Rystad Energy AS. Third-quarter earnings will be about 45 percent higher than a year earlier and the most since 2014, according to Morgan Stanley.

Price Surge

That mimics the 45 percent year-on-year rise in international oil prices to a third-quarter average of $75.84 a barrel.

PUMP IT: Saudi oil chief says OPECs in Produce as much as you can mode

The bad news is oil companies have a history of over-spending on ambitious projects and acquisitions during boom times only to see returns crushed when the commodity cycle turns. For examples, look no further than Exxons $16 billion investment in Canadian oil sands over the past decade and Chevron Corp.s Gorgon liquefied natural gas operation in Australia, where costs swelled by almost half to $54 billion.

There are signs it may be different this time. Both U.S. supermajors replaced long-time CEOs since the 2014-2016 downturn, appointing former refining chiefs who oversaw penny-pinching business units. Spending on oil production is down 37 percent globally over the past four years, according to Wood Mackenzie Ltd.

Below Norms

For now, the sector is out of favor. The weighting of energy stocks in the S&P 500 Index is below 6 percent, less than half what it was a decade ago.

Valuations remain well below previous historic norms, Gordon Gray, a London-based analyst at HSBC Holdings Plc, wrote in an Oct. 17 note. Consistency of improved cash generation and of capital discipline is needed to win over investors.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
WASHINGTON - The New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Wednesday, claiming the Texas-based oil giant had misled investors about its readiness to tackle the financial challenges climate change posed to their business.

The lawsuit claims while Exxon was telling investors it was factoring in the future cost of greenhouse gas regulations in its decision making, the company's executives either did not do so or applied a significantly lower cost than they indicated to investors.

"Exxon built a facade to deceive investors into believing that the company was managing the risks of climate change regulation to its business when, in fact, it was intentionally and systematically underestimating or ignoring them, contrary to its public representations," New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement.

EARLIER: Exxon Mobil cant dodge state climate change probes, judge says

The suit continues what has already been a three-year legal fight. Exxon Mobil spokesman Scott Silvestri said the New York AG's office has yet to find any evidence against the company.

"These baseless allegations are a product of closed-door lobbying by special interests, political opportunism and the attorney general's inability to admit that a three-year investigation has uncovered no wrongdoing," Silvestri said in a prepared statement. "The company looks forward to refuting these claims as soon as possible and getting this meritless civil lawsuit dismissed."

The New York and Massachusetts Attorneys General Offices have been investigating Exxon since at least 2015, looking at whether the company violated investor protection laws in its public statements on climate change.

In the past, Exxon Mobil has called the investigations politically motivated and unfair and sought to have the state investigations blocked in court, so far unsuccessfully.

RELATED: Inside Exxon Mobil's fight to stop climate change litigation in its tracks

In August, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it would not pursue any enforcement actions against Exxon, dropping a two-year investigation into how the energy giant factors climate change into the value of its assets.

The New York investigation appeared to be centered on how Exxon calculated the regulatory costs for carbon-intensive oil sands projects in Western Canada.

In the suit, the AG claimed Exxon had under counted the greenhouse gas emission cost on its Kearl project in Alberta by $11 billion, 94 percent below what it should have been. In total, Exxon undercounted carbon costs in that region by $25 billion, the suit says.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke on Wednesday announced that his department has issued conditional approval to Hilcorp Alaska LLC, a unit of Houston-based Hilcorp Energy Co., for what could be the first oil and gas production facility in federal waters off the coast of Alaska.

The privately held company is working to develop an artificial gravel island in the Beaufort Sea about 20 miles east of Prudhoe Bay in the shallow water about five miles off the coast. Four artificial islands built to producer oil and gas currently operate nearby in Alaska state waters.
There are so many good movies in theaters right now  thoughtful, artistic, well-acted and well-told movies that studios preciously save for this time of year with the distant hope of Oscar gold in their future. The Gerard Butler submarine movie Hunter Killer  is not one of those movies.

It is bombastic and garish, ridden with cliches, preposterous politics and diplomacy, and frenetic, video-game energy. And it so often is so unintentionally silly that its actually kind of a fun watch. Das Boot this is not, nor is it The Hunt for Red October, but you probably already knew that from the name at the top of the marquee. In Gerard Butler parlance, Hunter Killer is the London Has Fallen of submarine movies, genetically engineered in a lab to entrance the nations dads in basic cable reruns for the next 25 years.

The film starts out confusingly. An American submarine is torpedoed by a Russian sub in Russian waters, but back in the U.S., all they know is that it has disappeared and theyve got to go find it. The man for the job, Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) concludes, is Captain Joe Glass (Butler), who were told is not like the other guys. He never went to Annapolis. Why that makes him especially qualified for this mission will basically remain a mystery, other than the fact that hell readily disobey orders and go rogue at any opportunity. Hes seen stuff, guys, and not in a Naval Academy classroom.

We meet him in the middle of nowhere, in snowy terrain about to shoot a CGI buck across a glassy lake with a bow and arrow. But then he looks to the right of the buck and sees its CGI family close by and decides to lower his weapon. This moment lets the audience know a few things: a) That Joe Glass has empathy and b) that this movie has no subtlety. The next thing we know, a military helicopter is swooping down to pick him up and take him to his sub.

Their mission gets even more puzzling, as a Russian sub hidden in the crevasse of an iceberg starts firing on them. Back in the U.S., NSA worker Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardellini, one of three women in this film), decides Fisk needs to send a ground team (Toby Stephens, Michael Trucco, Ryan McPartlin and Zane Holt) to Russia, which ends up feeling like a Peter Berg short film accidentally cut into a submarine movie. It all eventually comes together when they realize that theres been a coup on the Russian president, but why anyone makes any of these decisions prior to this is just baffling to say the least. Also, no one seems to be able to communicate with anyone else, like when Captain Glass decides to save a Russian captain (played by the late Michael Nyqvist) in an extremely pivotal moment, which makes you wonder why no one did this earlier.

Diplomacy conversations really go out the window when the Americans decide  against the protest of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman, for some reason)  that their best option is to rescue the Russian president from his own soldiers and not tell anyone about it. The plot and the international politics leave a lot to be desired, although they do end up manufacturing a silly but effective standoff by the end.

Based on the book Firing Point, this is the first Hollywood film from South African director Donovan Marsh, and he does cook up some captivating action set pieces, like navigating a submarine through a fjord of mines, or even just an old fashioned, ridiculously over the top shootout, which may have you laughing, rolling your eyes or even cheering (as a fair amount of people were in my screening), but its never boring.
A man died early Wednesday after he was hit by a car while walking on the Eastex Freeway, Humble police said.

The man was walking in the right lane of traffic on Interstate 59 near Townsen around 1:30 a.m. A Mustang that had just entered the freeway didnt see the man and hit him from behind, said Sgt. Jack Burt of the Humble Police Department.
In the trunks, there were chunks of sweetness  courtesy of Starburst, Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Roll, Nerds and more.

On Tuesday night, a dedicated section of the Chick-fil-A on Wilson Road near Fall Creeks parking lot became the venue for Community Trunk-or-Treat! It was the first time an event of this kind was hosted on the grounds, said Duane Johnston, who owns this branch of the poultry-centric eatery.

He also co-coordinated the occasion with his wife Erica.

Trunk-or-treat is just always something weve enjoyed going to as a family, she said. There are a lot of fall festivals in the area and a lot of people that already do that well.

A spin on the Halloween custom, trunk-or-treat lets costumed attendees  primarily children  approach a cars back door instead of a houses front entrance to receive sugary delicacies. The Johnstons didnt know of the activitys origins, but Duane deduced that, comparing to the usual alternative, this has a better atmosphere, more convenience and safety.

The Halloween tailgating event also gives local business owners a chance to promote themselves, Erica added. Nine heard the Johnstons call, among them the Holy Trinity Episcopal School, PostNet and Mathnasium of Humble, and upon arrival wasted little time festooning their vehicles trunks with ghosts, spider webs, stickers, banners, games and jack-o-lanterns bursting with candy.

Some of them dont have businesses that they would be able to host something like this at, she said. [We thought] we can all come together, help each other out and throw a fun event for our community.

Life imitating art

As night rolled in, superheroes, royalties, critters, beasts, robots and cinematic figures  plus their giggles and pleas for treats  inundated the parking lot.

Nearby, Cassidy Clark, sales manager of ShowBiz Cinemas, could be heard asking trunk-or-treaters who they were dressed as. If he gave a correct answer and got confirmation, the attendee got to pick what candy to get.

I like pop culture, Clark said, explaining the inception behind his system. And my kids are young, so I watch all kinds of shows with them.

Thus far, Mario, Kylo Ren, Spider-Man, a unicorn and Superman had visited his trunk. BB-8, the ball-shaped astromech debuted in the seventh Star Wars film, also came by, Clark said.

At one point, the line for the inflatable obstacle course was not as lengthy as the one heading toward David and Caroline Delgados black Nissan minivan. The reason? The couples trunks theme, inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas, framed itself as an unmissable photography hotspot.

Caroline dressed up as Sally. Her Jack Skellington was none other than her husband David, the owner of Clockwork Crossfit.

Our kids absolutely love the film, Caroline said, the film playing on the cars TV behind her. They request that we dress up as Sally and Jack at home during dress-up playtimes. This is our familys theme right here, all-year long.

Alexander Chen, a therapeutic optometrist and optometric glaucoma specialist of Texas State Optical Fall Creek, was also present to bring happiness to the kids, not unlike the character he embodied  Gru from the Despicable Me film series.

His office assistants were the Minions.

Were having a lot of fun, Chen, a University of Houston alumnus, said. This is our first time doing it. Its always interesting to try to be part of the community as best we can.

Prior to the event, the Johnstons said one of the nine trunks will be chosen as the best one of the night. It was TSO Fall Creeks, Duane said, and a catered meal awaits them.

More to come

Ancernetta Williams, there with her daughters Ava and Alyssa, saw much fun and time businesses she had been to at the event.

I enjoyed seeing ShowBiz out here, Ancernetta said. TSO, too.

As Cleopatra, Alyssas costume had heads turning. Ava collected candies while donning the suit of The Wasp, also known as Ant-Mans partner.

My favorite one is the Hershey chocolate, Alyssa said while detailing the candies in her basket.

With the warm reception, Duane said there will definitely more trunk-or-treating events at this spot down the line.

nguyen.le@chron.com
All I wanted was a bowl of cereal.

So I did what anybody would do: I walked to the closest cafe, bought an iced coffee, chugged it and filled the empty cup with milk.

This is how much I hate grocery shopping. I will do anything, including pilfer, to avoid the task. As a result, my kitchen is so barren and spotless that you could eat off the floor  if I ever had food to serve on it, that is. Were it not for my roommate, Id probably unplug my fridge to save the energy.

Being a food writer, Ive always kept this dirty little secret to myself, afraid that colleagues and readers would label me a fraud because I didnt have one of those pristine, photo-ready pantries stocked with Maldon salt and $18 pickles.

But just because I despise the chore and (gasp!) actually hate to cook doesnt compromise my taste or make me unqualified to judge the quality of a meal. In fact, who better to critique a chef-prepared dish than someone who eats 600 of them a year?

I should acknowledge that its a luxury to be in a position where I can dislike grocery shopping and afford to eat out. I dont live in a food desert. Im a single woman with no family to feed, and I have disposable income to spend on dining out. I recognize that these things grant me a level of privilege not everybody experiences.

We have to appreciate how lucky we are to go grocery shopping every day, says Michael Ruhlman, author of Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America. This is a chore you should say, I know I dont like it, but Im very lucky to be able to do it.

Lucky as I may be, Im not budging on this.

I thought for sure that I could change my feelings about food shopping and cooking by linking them to things that I actually enjoyed: Ive volunteered with a number of food-related organizations, including one where I helped children learn how to cook. Ive also regularly delivered produce to the elderly who could no longer make it to the store. Alas, Im a grocery Grinch to the end.

My reasons are as varied as your supermarkets tomato-sauce selection: The lack of clocks and mazelike layout lead me to believe whoever designed the store is tricking me. Putting the milk all the way in the back? Nice try. Why make the trek when the coffee shop on my street keeps it right by the door? (In reporting for this story, Ive learned that grocery stores keep dairy in the back so they can more easily keep it cold off the delivery trucks, but Im still annoyed.)

Furthermore, stepping foot in a supermarket stokes nearly all of my anxieties: The number of options is crippling for someone who has a hard time making decisions; my internal Peter Pan is appalled that Im doing something so adult; and as a commitment-phobe, that little bag of baby carrots seems huge when I consider that Ill be stuck with them until I eat them all (or, more likely, let them rot).

If I dig deeper into my disdain, my upbringing probably has something to do with it. As the child of divorce with a dizzying joint-custody arrangement (Monday I was with Mom, Tuesday I was with Dad, Wednesday I was with Mom ), trips to the store were inconsistent and frenzied. My parents went to great lengths to make sure food was on the table every night, but proper meal planning was difficult when they were constantly making sure my bags were packed.

Its no surprise that this idiosyncrasy has affected my dating life. I tend to gravitate toward men who love to cook for me. Once I stayed too long with a man partly because his pasta e fagioli tasted exactly like my Italian grandfathers. (Who, by the way, if he were alive, would be mortified to learn that his granddaughter once paid $42 at a restaurant for a plate of spaghetti with clam sauce.)

In discussing my attitude with friends, Ive learned that Im not alone. I also learned that a number of them find joy in grocery shopping. My response: Tell me your secret.

Ever helpful, people in both camps have suggested I try alternatives to the typical bricks-and-mortar shop. And believe me, I have.

Take the farmers market. The addition of dogs and free apple samples makes shopping for food slightly more enjoyable, but for me the fun stops there. I cant get over the fact that a head of lettuce costs $7, or that at 9:30 a.m. the bagel stand is already sold out. Ive found it impossible to source a weeks worth of food there, partly because the prices are so exorbitant and partly because my abysmal cooking skills are not worthy of such beautiful produce.

Ive tried same-day grocery-delivery services, and though its relaxing to shop from home, Ive had mixed results. Once a store was out of mini gold potatoes, so my proxy purchased two 5-pound bags of russet potatoes. (In case youve ever wondered, mashed potatoes topped with hash browns eaten with a french fry instead of a fork make for a very filling meal.) Also, because Im not physically in the store to cruise the aisles, I tend to overlook crucial items, like that time I forgot to request hummus and spent a week dipping vegetables in ketchup (from a packet, naturally).

The closest Ive ever come to actually enjoying food shopping was at the secret (and very illegal) co-op in my neighborhood. In the basement of someones townhouse, its much smaller than the typical store, which helps quell a lot of my typical issues. The last time I visited the space  in operation for more than 40 years  one of the workers was sharing photos of her recent trip to Mexico with a customer. The vibe is beyond welcoming; I feel as if Im among friends.

Whats more, prices are jaw-droppingly low. Because theres less overhead and the owners work with local growers, organic avocados go for 79 cents and a jar of tahini is $2.13. Who cares that the olive oil is sold in an old peanut butter jar? The Department of Health, I suppose, but well keep this one our little secret.

Grocery stores know that such alternatives are bad for business. In response, operators are coming up with novel ways to make the experience more enjoyable. Last year, a Whole Foods in New York began offering shoppers a produce butcher who chops your fruits and vegetables for you. To cultivate a stress-free environment, another supermarket in Richmond, Va., introduced free meditation classes. And an increasing number of shops are building bars into their design to encourage lingering.

Grocery operators are asking themselves, How can we make it easier for you? says Rich Majors, chief operating officer at BRR Architecture, which specializes in grocery-store retail design. Theyre looking for intriguing ways to turn what was previously a chore into an enjoyable experience.

Well, Im not buying it. For me, nothing could be more enjoyable than letting someone else do the shopping  and, while theyre at it, the cooking, too.
Right-wing protestors were blocking the first ever pride parade in Lublin, Poland. They threw flaming bottles and stones at the guests.

Less than an hour into the march, the police used tear gas, concussion grenades, and water cannons to shut down the 300 protestors, according to the New York Times.

The 1,500 LGBT activists attending the march over the weekend proceeded without interruption, and they praised the police for their action against the protestors.

The Mayor tried to ban the parade from happening, citing security concerns, but it was overruled by Lublins Court of Appeals.

It is deeply depressing that we keep having ... the same conversations about Poland, Kristine Garina, president of the European Pride Organizers Association, told TeleSur. Right-wing and homophobic city officials like Mayor Zuk must realize they cannot stand in the way of LGBTI peoples human rights.
The Memorial Villages Police Department is taking part in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 27.

The Village PD will join the Coalition of Substance Abuse Prevention to sponsor a collection site for any expired, unused and unwanted prescriptions. They will then dispose of the medications in a safe, legal and environmentally friendly way.
It started in Pasha Morshedis living room when he began serving friends the kinds of drinks he likes to make  flavorful cocktails made with quality liquor and executed with traditional mixing techniques.

Two years ago, his love for drinking cocktails and enjoying recipes with friends resulted in Rosewater Clear Lake, an upscale cocktail bar at 1606 Clear Lake City Blvd. that he opened with business partner Deedee Killen.

What were trying to do is elevate what a local, neighborhood bar could be, Morshedi said. We serve a lot of things that could be fancy or pretentious, but we try to do it without being pretentious. If youre spending money, it ought to be good and thoughtful.

The 1996 Clear Lake High School graduate said he wanted Rosewater to put Clear Lake on the map of Houstons craft-cocktail scene.

'OFF THE BEATEN PATH': Where is old school cool? This League City bar

I dont think the people in Clear Lake realized how well they needed to be treated by bar owners. I felt as a local boy, I wanted to do something I felt was recognizing the community deserved something good. People have been really receptive.

Morshedi, 40, runs the front of the house, while Killen (co-owner of Killens Steakhouse in Pearland, although the two businesses are not connected) takes care of the business side, he said.

He also mixes craft beverages in the evenings and on weekends at the bar, which has earned a loyal local following and high marks on social media. But Morshedi has held on to his day job at Johnson Space Center in the human research program. There, Morshedis team helps astronauts plan and perform medical experiments to study the effects of space travel on the human body.

Morshedi who graduated from University of Houston Clear Lake with a degree in biology, finds his NASA job rewarding but added, Its something that I fell into and I enjoy it, but Ive never been a space geek. I really like science; its fun, but I enjoy hospitality a little bit more. I genuinely love working behind the bar.

The dual roles can be draining, he said, but the bar is a labor of love. Income from the NASA career allows him to focus more on buying high-caliber spirits and less on squeezing every dollar out of his inventory.

One aspect is precision; we measure everything as precisely as possible, Morshedi said. The reason we do it is because flavors necessarily need to balanced.

His vision is for patrons to be mindful about what theyre tasting.

Youre really focused on what youre consuming, he said. If, fundamentally, youve only got one shot on this planet, why not spend it doing something you really enjoy? I want something delicious.

HOUSTON STAPLES: Bars that have have been around for at least 20 years

He stocks the bar with 100-proof whiskey and similar liquors found at Inner Loop craft cocktail bars like Anvil or Bad News Bar. Their signature and namesake beverage is the Rosewater Sour, a pink frothy, gin and rose liqueur concoction.

Its a delicate, pretty beautiful thing we thought reflected our relaxed approach to drinking, Morshedi said of the name, which is a nod to Morshedis father who is from Iran. Rosewater is the byproduct of passing water through rose petals and is a popular ingredient in desserts in the Middle East, he said.

The menu offers seasonal mixes as well as vintage classics and modern twists.

One of Rosewater's regular customers, Clear Lake native and resident Aaron Corsi, has high praise for the bar. Corsi, who is brewmaster and co-founder of 8th Wonder Brewery in Houston's east downtown, said Rosewater is showing people throughout the city that they can find an outstanding level of service and quality spirits in the Bay Area suburb.

"I think (Morshedi) is elevating the suburbs," said Corsi, who is an instructor at University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, where he teaches beverage production among other classes. "It rivals any cocktail bar in Houston."

Drink like a spicy pickle

The Gherkin for Weekend which features Hendricks Gin and cost $10 is described as a Collins-style drink, that kinda tastes like spicy pickles. The Bluegrass Romance is one of their first house cocktails described as a bourbon fave, with Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

For the purists, theres a three-bourbon-and-rye Old Fashioned Cocktail, which costs $9, and the Aviation, made with gin that dates to 1917, according to the menu. On a recent drizzly day, their Facebook page enticed guests with a boozy hot chocolate offered for a limited time spiked with mezcal, tequila, scotch, Chartreuse or rum.

Food trucks are also on-site on weekends.

Morshedi cautioned that Rosewaters beverages can be stiff. Because of that, he said, its not a place for those who want to down shots and become intoxicated. His staff does not encourage late-night, irresponsible drinking, he said. Thats one reason the bar closes at 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, 9 p.m. on Sundays and midnight Tuesday and Wednesday. It is closed on Mondays.

DRINK UP: Houston bars where you can drink like an adult

People underestimate how strong our our drinks are. If I sell one less drink to somebody, its cool.

Morshedi said his place is the kind of establishment hes always wanted in his own neighborhood which is only a few miles from Rosewater.

People should remember this type of drinking, the mindful drinking, shouldnt be reserved for special occasions, Morshedi said. You as a human being, living on this earth, deserve something good. Just because it comes in a fancy glass, doesnt mean its too good for everyday.

For more on the bar, visit www.rosewaterclearlake.com.

jaimy.jones@chron.com
Students and teachers within the fine arts department in the Katy Independent School District Saturday for the first time ever were given the opportunity to paint en plein air  the practice of painting outside surrounded by nature.

Trained by experts from the Outdoor Painters Society, teachers selected 25 student painters from Katy high school to take part in the weekend event and compete at Willow Fork Park located at the corner of the Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Boulevard.

We trained the 16 Katy teachers on August 8, said Jeanne Reavis, expert and plein air artist and member of the Outdoor Painter Society. She and two other artists, including Chuck Rawle, worked with the Katy ISD on plein air techniques. We taught the teachers how to plein air paint, and I would say that out of the 16 teachers, maybe two of them had painted outside previously.

Its a bold step, Reavis added, noting that she believes Katy ISD might be one of the only schools districts in the state whose teachers now know how to paint en plein air.

I would tell you that they might be one of the only school districts in Texas, for sure and maybe in the country that are doing this, she said.

Mitzi Jones, Assistant Director of Fine Arts for the Katy ISD, said the idea for the competition on Saturday began after Friends of Willow For Park President Neil Stillman suggested having a family-friendly event at the park where students could paint outdoors while others looked on, much like plein air painters do elsewhere.

The Katy ISD has 119 visual art educators in the fine arts department at its 64 campuses and well over 370 fine arts educators in art, music, theatre and dance.

We met and I sent out the interest to our lead art teachers and they thought it would make a fantastic new event, Jones said via email. As I thought about how to start a brand-new unit of study and event such as this, I wanted to consult and bring in the best outdoor painters in our area to teach us this process.

Plein Air Painting at Willow Fork Park Saturday, Oct. 27 What: Katy ISD art students to participate in "plein air" painting, the practice of painting outdoors surrounded by nature that was first applied by 19th-century impressionist painters, while offering Willow Fork Park visitors an opportunity to view live painting. Who: Willow Fork Drainage District (WFDD) board and Friends of Willow Fork Park will be available to discuss the park and district activities, and student painters and Mitzi Jones, Assistant Director of Fine Arts for Katy ISD, will share about participating in the Katy area's first plein air art event. When: Saturday, October 27 - 8 a.m. set-up, 9-11 a.m. painting, 11-12 p.m. exhibition and awards Where: Willow Fork Park, located at the northwest corner of TX-99/Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Blvd., north of Cinco Ranch High School. Source: WFDD See More Collapse

Thats how the Outdoor Painters Society, a national organization dedicated to outdoor painting , became involved with the Willow Fork Drainage District and the Katy ISD event, said Wendy Duncan, director of the WFDD.

When the board at the time envisioned the park, they wanted to engage with the Katy ISD, Duncan said. We are actually renting the land from the Katy ISD; we have a lease with them for the next 50 years. We envisioned a cooperation between Katy ISD and WFDD to provide opportunities for Katy ISD students to engage in outdoor learning activities.

More than a million people are plein air painting across the country, including many right here in Houston, said Reavis.

The phrase plein air comes from the French term for in the open air, according to outdoorpainter.com. But plein air painting is more than just painting outside, Reavis said.

People go outside to paint to learn about natural light. Thats why we go outside, Reavis said. The way the light is at different times of the day and at night. The light stays consistent -if youre lucky -for about 45 minutes. So when youre outside, youre just getting a snapshot of the scene.

Plein air painting dates back to the 19th century impressionists with artists such as Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Thomas Gainsborough, Claude Monet and then later in the United States with Thomas Moran, Reavis said.

With the advent in of the railroad there were artists  mainly illustrators to start out with  were documenting our country, Reavis said. As the railroad went west, all these artists would follow along and started plein air painting; these famous artists started painting the Rockies and the middle of our country. People saw these pictures and saw (how) vast and beautiful our country is.

At Saturdays competition, the art students were given two hours to finish their paintings. Winners were selected by artists from the OPS.

Jones said the department will conduct a debriefing with all the advanced painting instructors to receive input on the future painting units of study.

I feel that we have had a great deal of support from each campus this year and there seems to be a strong desire to keep this in our advanced painting curriculum, Jones said.
Montgomery County commissioners went with the recommendations from Budget Officer Amanda Carter and approved $1.058 million in carry over fund requests from several departments during its regular meeting Tuesday.

Department heads of seven county departments requested a total of $1,216,169.66.

Carter said her recommendations were based on not carrying over insurance funds from vacant positions. According to County Auditor Phyllis Martin, when an employee is paid, a set amount of money is paid into the county self-funded insurance plan. Carter told the court it was more important to continue to pay that earmarked money, even if the position is vacant, into the insurance plan.

Commissioners approved Carters recommendations in a 4-0 vote. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark was not present for the vote.

Commissioners approved the following:

County clerk - The office is requested and was approved for $3,759.72 to purchase security cameras.

Court collections - The office is requested and was approved for $4,000 to purchase security cameras.

Animal shelter - The shelter is requested $200,000 to cover overtime and cost of living raises, but approved for $107,762.68.

District attorney - The office is requested $65,169.73 to cover a shortage in operations for the Internet Crimes Against Children division, but was approved for 11,871.52.

Tax office - The office is requested and was approved for $59,754.03 for security upgrades.

Sheriffs office - The sheriffs office is requested and was approved for $861,059.47 for radio operations, final phase of the fuel station and for the replacement of vehicles.

Justice of the Peace - The Precinct 4 office is requested 22,426.71 for the replacement of furniture, but was approved for $10,000.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
A Stafford resident was tied up and pistol whipped during a violent home invasion earlier this month after four armed men broke into the home and raided it for money and jewelry.

According to a press release from the Stafford Police Department, two of four suspects involved in the robbery tied up the residents before raiding the home for money and jewelry. Now police are asking for the public's help in identifying one of the four armed men involved in the violent robbery.
The teen who says he was torn from his car then beaten and choked by an off-duty Baytown cop

apparently angry over the 19-year-old's tryst with his step-daughter has now filed a lawsuit against the officer and his wife, who allegedly helped orchestrate the attack earlier this month.

The beat-down, in an abandoned Whataburger parking lot, left community college student Jefte Sprecher with bruises and a missing tooth, according to documents filed Wednesday in Harris County court.

The officer, identified in court records as Christopher Felder, is currently on paid leave pending two investigations - one criminal, and one administrative. It's not clear if he has an attorney and neither he nor his wife could be reached for comment.

WHAT HAPPENED? Teen allegedly beaten by off-duty Baytown police officer

"In any other case the police would have arrested the attacker at the scene," said Sean Buckley, one of the attorneys representing the teen, who was "terrified" the entire time. "He thought he was going to die and that his death would go unpunished because his attacker was a member of law enforcement."

It all started on Oct. 15, when Sprecher drove a 17-year-old co-worker home after a shift at Texas Roadhouse. The two had been seeing each other, and that night they decided to stop on the way back from work, pulling off into the parking lot outside a shut-down fast food joint.

They'd been hanging out in the car for about half an hour when suddenly another vehicle pulled up and blocked them in.

The girl's mother, Tammy Felder, jumped out and started shouting at her daughter, who quickly climbed into her mother's vehicle. But Felder - a Goose Creek ISD employee, according to the suit - turned and began yelling at Sprecher. She threatened to call her husband and warned that he was "a cop," according to the lawsuit.

The teen was still sitting in his car when Christopher Felder showed up. Sprecher immediately locked the doors.

But, according to the lawsuit, Felder ripped the handle off the door then broke the driver's side window and tried pulling the unarmed teen out through the shattered glass. When he couldn't manage to yank Sprecher from the car, Felder allegedly reached in and opened the door from the inside and pulled him out.

In the assault that followed, Sprecher alleges the older man smashed his head into the concrete, twisted his arm, punched his head and face, broke a tooth and threw him to the ground.

The attack finally stopped when a uniformed police officer showed up. But at first, the Felders allegedly misled the lawman into believing Sprecher was a suspect in a crime. So police cuffed him and put him in the back of the patrol car before finally releasing him, Buckley said.

Afterward, Sprecher's family took to social media to air their complaints. In response, Tammy Felder allegedly ordered her daughter to call Sprecher and threaten to falsely accuse him of a sex crime to ruin his life if he kept talking about the beating, according to the lawsuit.

The suit filed Wednesday targets Felder for false imprisonment, assault, emotional distress and property damage. But it also names his wife, accusing her of "instigating the attack" and calling in her husband even though she knew he was "dangerous, volatile, unable to control his anger, and had brutalized others in the past."

The complaint doesn't offer any details about what those past incidents might include, and it's not clear how the woman tracked down the couple in the first place.

On Friday, Baytown police put out a statement saying they take "very seriously" allegations of officer misconduct.

"The trust and confidence of our community is paramount and as such we hold our officers to the highest levels of integrity as well as moral, ethical and professional standards," the department wrote.

"Failure to adhere to those standards will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in accordance with our departmental policies and the law. As such, an investigation into this incident has been initiated and the Officer in question has been placed on Administrative Leave with Pay pending the outcome of the investigation."

Once the administrative investigation is done, the findings will be forwarded to the police chief; once the criminal probe concludes, the results will be turned over to the district attorney's office.
CenterPoint Energy is investigating hundreds of calls about a gas-like odor that has been reported throughout the Houston area, a company spokeswoman said.

The natural gas distribution company began receiving the calls this morning and hasn't found any actual gas leaks so far, spokeswoman Alicia Dixon said. The company is investigating every single call about the odor.

The Houston Fire Department tweeted about the odor around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, saying many of the reports were coming from northeast Houston.

But the odor then began moving south and southeast throughout the city, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management.

JUST WEEKS BEFORE: Large gas leak capped off in northwest Harris County

The Municipal Courts Building near downtown Houston was temporarily evacuated Wednesday morning because of the odor.

The building on 1400 Lubbock was evacuated at 9:30 a.m. and later given the all-clear, the department said on Twitter. Regular court operations have resumed.

The fire department is working with CenterPoint Energy to locate a source of the smell. There is no shelter-in-place at this time, the fire department posted on Twitter.

Calls about the odor have gone down drastically but are still filtering in, Dixon said. Reports of a "gas cloud" moving through the area technically aren't possible, since gas dissipates into the atmosphere, she said.

The emergency management office has urged residents who smell the odor to remain indoors, close their windows and turn off air conditioning and heating systems.
Storms encased the $163,000 second leg of the Massachusetts Sire Stakes (MASS) for three-year-old on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Plainridge Park. A total of five MASS divisions, two for sophomore colt pacers and one for the rest, were contested during the program.

Ithinkthatsmine remained the one to beat in the $40,400 three-year-old filly trot and won in convincing style once again. Leading at every post, Ithinkthatsmine and driver Shawn Gray dictated by open lengths and clocked splits in :28.4, :58.1 and 1:27.3 before turning for home and cruising to a five-length win in 1:58.1.

Now with 10 wins on the year, Ithinkthatsmine, by RC Royalty and trained by George Ducharme for owner Ray Campbell Jr., has gone over the century mark in earnings; now boasting $112,280 in purses.

Heavy 1-9 post-time favourite Im a Clown, driven by Mitchell Cushing, left quickly for the lead in the $20,175 first division of the three-year-old colt pace but had early opposition on the point from Twelve. Twelve rode shotgun outside the leader to the five-eighths marker and, at that station, Cushing urged Im A Clown and the pacer opened up a two-length advantage.

As the race went around the last turn, Im A Clown, an Im Gorgeous colt trained by Kevin Switzer for owner Nelson Malin III, continued to extend his lead and ended up six-lengths in front at the wire under no urging whatsoever in 1:56.3. He paid $2.20 to win.

Latent Print, driven by trainer Scott Renz, got away third while Shiplap hustled to the front in the $20,175 second division of the three-year-old colt pace. With the race in single-file order through three-quarters of the mile behind the leader, Shiplap got everything his own way. But Renz rolled Latent Print off the pylons heading into the last turn and drew even with the leader at the head of the stretch.

The top two battled when Beantown Elijah joined the fray and all three were within a length of each other for the drive. However Latent Print, a Camluck colt owned by Renz and Holly Guastalli, got the advantage at the wire and won by a neck in 1:55.4, a lifetime mark. He paid $14.00 to win.

Gonna Hear Me Rohr, driven by Drew Campbell, took the lead in the $40,100 three-year-old filly pace and went to the quarter in :29 flat. Deco Dusty soon pulled from third and claimed the front before they hit the second turn.

Positions remained unchanged until the three-quarter pole when Rock Me Threetimes came storming up on the outside to get within a length of the leader as they hit the stretch. But, when her bid failed, Delco Dusty faded off the pylons and left Gonna Hear Me Rohr a clear path down the lane. Gonna Hear Me Rohr, a Western Maverick filly trained by James Dunn for owner Bradford Veilleux, then flew through under heavy urging by Campbell and won in 1:56. She paid $9.00 to win.

Longshot Paging Doctor Teo fired for the front in the $42,150 three-year-old colt trot while favourite Kinda Lucky Lindy (Greg Merton) sat second and Hashtagmadeyalook ducked in third. After the leader got to the quarter in :28.4, Hashtagmadeyalook quickly pulled and tried to take command but parked to the five-eighths before he actually cleared.

Kinda Lucky Lindy tracked the leader into the final turn. Driver Greg Merton then pulled the Lucky Chucky colt and came right at Hashtagmadeyalookh, with the two trotting side by side around the turn and into the stretch. When they straightened out, Kinda Lucky Lindy, trained by Domenico Cecere for owner Lindy Farms of Connecticut, proved best and pulled away to a two-length win in 1:58.2. He paid $5.00 to win.

The $800,000 finals of the 2018 Massachusetts Sire Stakes will be held at Plainridge Park on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Eight $100,000 divisions will go postward starting at 2 p.m. and state-bred champions will all be crowned by the end of the day.

(With files from Plainridge Park)
WASHINGTON - CIA Director Gina Haspel listened to audio purportedly capturing the interrogation and killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, giving a key member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet access to the evidence used by Turkey to accuse Saudi Arabia of premeditated murder.

Haspel, who departed for a secret trip to Turkey on Monday, heard the audio during her visit, according to people familiar with her meetings.

President Trump, who has made Saudi Arabia a central pillar of his Middle East strategy, has grown increasingly skeptical of the kingdom's claim that Khashoggi's death was a "rogue operation" that occurred after a fistfight broke out in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

On Tuesday, Trump said Saudi officials had engaged in the "worst coverup ever" and that those behind the killing "should be in big trouble."

A person familiar with the audio said it was "compelling" and could put more pressure on the United States to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the death of Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post.

"This puts the ball firmly in Washington's court," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and scholar at the Brookings Institution. "Not only will there be more pressure now from the media but Congress will say, 'Gina, we would love to have you come visit and you can tell us exactly what you heard.' "

The Trump administration took its first concrete steps to penalize Saudi Arabia on Tuesday by revoking visas for agents implicated in the killing, a modest move considering 18 of the 21 Saudi suspects were already under arrest.

In announcing the measures, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is working with the Treasury Department on whether to impose sanctions on those responsible for the journalist's death.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States," Pompeo said. "We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable."

Trump has reiterated that he views Saudi Arabia as a great ally and an important purchaser of U.S. tanks, bombs and planes.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, has denied having knowledge of the mission and on Wednesday promised to bring those responsible to justice. He called the killing of Khashoggi a "heinous crime."

Turkish officials have voiced their doubts about his intention to support a full investigation.

"How should a real investigation in Saudi Arabia work when one of the main suspects is the crown prince MBS?" said a Turkish senior official, referring to the crown prince by his initials.

"He is one of the suspects. Members of his royal guard were part of the killing squad. The U.S. nor the rest of the world should really accept this," said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.

Riedel said it will be difficult for Haspel to resist requests by Congress for a briefing. "It will be pretty hard for her to say no because at a minimum the intelligence committees can ask her to come in secret, but even if it's a secret session, it will leak fast," he said.

U.S. lawmakers have increased their pressure on the Trump administration, accusing the crown prince of ordering the killing.

"Do I think he did it? Yes, I think he did it," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview with CNN.

Sen. Thom Tillis, another Republican, told NBC that "in Saudi Arabia, you do not do something of this magnitude without having clearance from the top."
The first Georgia governor's debate in Atlanta on Tuesday night captured the tension between the Old South and the New South.

In February, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp called executives at Delta Air Lines "corporate cowards" when they cut business ties with the National Rifle Association after a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The Republican championed a push by the legislature to retaliate by eliminating a tax break on jet fuel that saves the state's largest private employer $40 million a year.

During the debate Tuesday night, however, Kemp announced that he's changed his mind. Now he's in favor of restoring the tax break because he doesn't want to put Georgia at a competitive disadvantage to other states.

When he came out against Delta, Kemp was locked in a competitive GOP primary. At the time, he was airing commercials that depicted him pointing a gun at a young man who wanted to date his daughter and threatening to round up undocumented immigrants in his truck and deport them himself. This approach won him President Trump's endorsement and allowed Kemp to topple the early favorite for the nomination, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, in a July runoff.

Now Kemp is facing a neck-and-neck general election with Stacey Abrams, who could become the nation's first black female governor. She's an outspoken liberal on a host of issues, but she's consistently supported the tax break for Delta and has positioned herself as the more pro-business candidate in the race. So Kemp is sandpapering his rough edges, increasingly highlighting his own background in business and trying to appeal to white-collar Republicans who remain uneasy with the way he won the primary.

-- The opening question during the debate, though, was to Abrams: Does she regret burning the Georgia state flag during a protest in 1992? Her answer was no. "As a college freshman, I along with many other Georgians . . . were deeply disturbed by the racial divisiveness that were embedded in the state flag with that Confederate symbol," she said, noting that Kemp voted a decade later to change the state flag. "I took an action of peaceful protest."

And most of the media coverage of last night's matchup focuses on the clash between Abrams and Kemp over voter registration and whether he's trying to make it harder for African-Americans to participate in politics. "This farce about voter suppression . . . is absolutely not true," he said. "Voter suppression isn't only about blocking people," she responded, "it's also about creating an atmosphere of fear."

-- But if you watched the full hour, both candidates appeared more eager to talk about economic issues than social ones. And each has good reasons to do so:

Abrams needs historic African-American turnout for a non-presidential election, and she's on track to get it, but that's just not enough. She cannot win in this red state without Republican-leaning voters around Atlanta crossing over to vote for her. The smartest strategists on both sides think that, if both sides can drive their bases to the polls, a close race will come down to college-educated white women who are uneasy with Trump and live in the suburban counties of Gwinnett and Cobb.

The business community strongly favored Cagle over Kemp in the GOP primary. Atlanta is a hub of Fortune 500 companies, from Coca-Cola and Home Depot to UPS and SunTrust Banks. Outgoing Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, who is popular, also supported Cagle, though he endorsed Kemp after the primaries.

Notably, both candidates praised Deal during Tuesday night's debate.

-- The defining moment of Deal's eight-year tenure was when he vetoed a "religious liberty" bill in 2016. The state's corporate leaders mobilized hard against the measure, which they feared would sanction discrimination against the LGBT community, hurt the state's business-friendly reputation and scare respectable groups from holding conferences in Atlanta. The bill was the top priority for social conservatives, however, who used churches to mobilize evangelical activists and were aghast at Deal's veto.

Kemp has said that he could support a version of a "religious liberty" bill if he wins. Abrams hammers him for this in front of white-collar audiences. In August, both Kemp and Abrams pitched the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for their endorsement during back-to-back speeches at a conference in Macon. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported from the event that "she drew her biggest applause . . . when she highlighted her opposition to religious liberty measures."

The Georgia Chamber, which typically endorses Republicans, has not supported either candidate in the governor's race, even as it's weighed in on a host of down-ballot contests. This was a tacit win for Abrams.

The Atlanta area's bid for Amazon's HQ2 has also been top of mind for a lot of other civic leaders. Some have expressed concern publicly that the GOP's divisive rhetoric on social issues could hurt their chances to land the project - and thus miss out on tens of thousands of new jobs.

After the Kemp-supported effort to kill Delta's tax break succeeded in the legislature, Deal responded by issuing an executive order that suspended the collection of sales tax on jet fuel. But under the law in Georgia, the legislature is now required to review the order during an impending special session. That's why it's a live issue in the governor's race.

-- Deal follows a recent tradition of Republican governors in the South who have prioritized pragmatic business interests over ideological conservative activists when the two constituencies come into conflict. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, for instance, demanded changes to a "religious liberty" bill before agreeing to sign it - and he's now coasting to reelection. Outgoing Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a former corporate executive, clashed with his own party in the legislature to try expanding Medicaid. Before she became U.N. ambassador, as South Carolina's governor, Nikki Haley ordered the Confederate battle flag removed from the state capitol, citing the state's business climate as one of her reasons for doing so in the wake of a white supremacist's massacre at a black church in Charleston.

-- Even though the pool of undecided voters is small - less than 10 percent - many voters still feel like Abrams is too far left and Kemp is too rigid for their tastes. That helps explain why the Republican candidate promised to raise wages for teachers, and the Democrat pledged to raise salaries for cops.

-- Abrams has made Medicaid expansion the centerpiece of her campaign, and she sells it more as a smart economic move that will create jobs than a moral imperative. Kemp, who called Abrams "radical" and "extreme," said she's advocating for "a government takeover of health care" that will raise taxes and jeopardize existing benefits when the federal money dries up. Abrams responded that Mike Pence, when he was governor of Indiana, expanded Medicaid.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll this year found that 3 in 4 Georgians favor expansion, including 51 percent of Republicans and 79 percent of independents. The same poll found only 57 percent supported Medicaid expansion during the 2014 governor's race, when Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason tried unsuccessfully to challenge Deal by running on it. (Abrams hopes Medicaid can help her make inroads with poor rural whites, who have seen hospitals close, even if they still say they don't like "Obamacare.")

-- In talking about Medicaid, Abrams has tried to follow the playbook that Democrat Terry McAuliffe used successfully in the 2013 Virginia governor's race to win the critical Fairfax Chamber of Commerce endorsement over Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who like Kemp positioned himself as a conservative ideologue to lock up the GOP nomination over a more moderate lieutenant governor. The Macker couldn't expand Medicaid because Republicans controlled the legislature, and they were determined to deny him a political victory.

But Ralph Northam, his lieutenant governor, was finally able to expand Medicaid this spring after winning last year's election to replace him. Partly that's because Democrats made huge gains in the legislature. Partly it's because GOP lawmakers from rural areas realized their constituents were being harmed by their obstinacy, so they came around. And partly it's because they don't loathe Ralph - who almost switched parties a decade ago after voting twice for George W. Bush - the way they did Terry, a former DNC chair and Bill Clinton's best friend.

During Tuesday night's debate, Abrams was pressed on her promise to expand Medicaid on Day One. The moderator noted that the GOP will almost certainly continue to control the legislature even if she wins and wondered how she could deliver. Abrams responded, much like Northam did during his debates last summer with Ed Gillespie, by noting her ability to work across the aisle and the good relationships she forged with Republican legislators during her years as minority leader in the state house. "I'm the only candidate with a plan," she said.

-- Trump tweeted his support this morning for Kemp by saying Abrams will "destroy the state" if she wins: "Brian Kemp will be a GREAT Governor of Georgia. Stacey Abrams will destroy the State. Sooooo important, get out and VOTE for Brian!"
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Gathered under grand domes and crystal chandeliers for a glitzy investment forum nicknamed "Davos in the Desert," business leaders on Tuesday called the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi terrible and sad but said it shouldn't derail their dealmaking or U.S.-Saudi relations.

They knew that Saudi agents killed Khashoggi three weeks ago at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. And they knew that their host, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was widely suspected of being involved, despite vehement official denials.

Marquee-name sponsors and chief executives, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone and AOL founder Steve Case, had pulled out in protest. The conference website was crippled Monday by hackers angry about Khashoggi's killing.

But thousands still came, in a wave of black Mercedes-Benzes and Chevrolet Suburbans, through the conference center's enormous stone archways and past elegant fountains, with security agents manning a machine gun mounted atop a Dodge Ram pickup.

And when Mohammed arrived, they gave him a standing ovation.

American executives interviewed at the conference said they were jolted by Khashoggi's gruesome killing. But they also said business ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia are far too valuable to be disrupted by it.

A U.S. executive who advises sovereign wealth funds said that although the Khashoggi case was "shocking," ultimately it would be only a "hiccup" in the business world.

"You support your friends in good times and bad," the executive said. "The trajectory [in Saudi Arabia] is toward more openness and transparency, but there are going to be bumps in the road." He, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Todd Albert Nims, a Texan who lives in Riyadh and runs a filmmaking company, said he was born in Saudi Arabia, the son of an oil company executive, and has spent "half my life" in the country.

Nims said the killing of Khashoggi, who contributed opinion columns to The Washington Post, was "horrifying" but should not damage U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia.

"It's not who these people are," he said. "Saudi Arabia has been a friend. They have been a huge stabilizer in this region. We shouldn't trash it all over one thing. It's like a marriage. This is one day in the life of a marriage."

President Donald Trump has said Khashoggi's killing must be investigated, but he has stopped short of criticizing Mohammed, who has close ties to Jared Kushner, Trump's adviser and son-in-law. Trump has said he does not want the incident to interfere with billions of dollars in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Reflecting Trump's ambivalence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin canceled his scheduled appearance at the conference but came to Riyadh anyway and met with Mohammed on Monday.

On Tuesday, Mohammed posed for selfies with delegates, and he sat with Jordan's King Abdullah during a panel discussion.

Chief executives attending the conference include Patrick Pouyanne of the French oil company Total and Paal Kibsgaard of Texas-based Schlumberger, the world's largest oil-field-services company.

The event, officially called the Future Investment Initiative, an annual gathering that started last year, was a feast of gaudy Saudi excess.

It was held under the sandstone domes of the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center, in a vast main hall where waiting on every seat was a large hardcover book titled, "A Blue Print for the Twenty Second Century."

As the lights went down in the packed hall, an actor on stage danced with a lighted drone flying above him. A voice boomed from massive speakers, mentioning Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and Mark Zuckerberg: "dreamers."

"The next generation of game changers is here, in this room," the voice said to the vast crowd.

The opening was filled with loud music, laser lights and video on big screens.

But, for a moment, the great hall was also filled with Jamal Khashoggi.

Lubna Olayan, an influential Saudi business leader, stepped to the stage to moderate the first panel discussion. But first, she told the audience that she had known the journalist and said, "May he rest in peace."

"I want to tell all our foreign guests, for whose presence with us this morning we are very grateful, that the terrible acts reported in recent weeks are alien to our culture and our DNA," she said.

"And I'm confident that with the support of the government, concerned authorities and leadership, the truth will emerge. I am sure that we will grow and emerge stronger as a result of the crisis of the last few weeks."

When she finished, a tentative round of applause rippled through the crowd, as though people weren't sure whether it was OK to clap about a murder investigation. But then it was down to business, and she began moderating a panel discussion about sovereign wealth funds.

Many people seemed just as happy to mingle in the cavernous halls outside, amid long tables filled with fresh juices, coffee and hillocks of pastries.

"Last year, there was a real air of intensity and emotion, and the excitement was wall to wall. But this year has been a little suppressed," said Tarik Solomon, an official with the American Business Group of Riyadh.

Still, he said, there were "lots of executives here, and deals are still being cut."

Many people said that although some chief executives had dropped out, most had sent lower-ranking executives.

In the crowded hall, nametags identified people from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, Britain, Canada and China.

The Americans were more scarce.

"You're the first American I've seen!" a U.S. executive said when approached by a Post reporter.

The Khashoggi case "is a Saudi matter at the end of the day," said a different American, a financial services executive from the East Coast.

"It's unfortunate, obviously, and we hope the regime will listen and change," he said. "But they do things their own way here."

He also said he thought the Khashoggi matter was small compared with the huge amounts of investment and trade between the two nations. He said it would not be a long-term problem.

"Knowing how the news works, by next Wednesday, it will be something else," he said.

Nims, the film producer, also said he worried that Russia and China would be the beneficiaries of any American reluctance to do business in Saudi Arabia.

"As an American, it concerns me that I see Russia and China jumping on this opportunity as Americans back out," he said.

Mark Garber, the Russian chairman of GHP Group, a Moscow-based investment firm, smiled when asked whether Russia and China were ready to fill the void in Saudi Arabia if American firms leave.

"I think there are real opportunities here. A lot of Americans have pulled away," he said.

However, later on the first day of the three-day conference, organizers announced that Saudi Aramco, a state-owned oil giant, had signed 15 memorandums of understanding worth $34 billion - six of them with U.S. companies. They were Schlumberger; Halliburton; oil-field-service companies Baker Hughes and National Oilwell Varco (NOV); Flexsteel, a pipeline company; and Air Products and Chemicals Inc., which sells gases and chemicals.
On this weeks episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles premiere radio show that discusses ideas and events on WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound, co-host Greg Budzban, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences dean, interviews Fred Gray, nationally recognized civil rights attorney for Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The duos conversation will air at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Grays speech, Bus Ride to Justice - the Montgomery Bus Boycott, will be presented by SIUEs Arts & Issues and is based, in part, on his autobiography, Bus Ride to Justice: The Life and Works of Fred Gray.

The Arts & Issues event will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5 in the Morris University Centers Meridian Ballroom.

I love to start our interviews by talking about our guests early life and how you came to be involved in the law and the civil rights movement, Budzban asks. What was your early life like and what was your educational experience?

My father was a carpenter and my mother was a domestic worker with little formal education, Gray answers. I was the youngest of five children, and my mother told us that we could be anything that we wanted to be if we kept Christ first in our lives, stay in school and got a good education, and stay out of trouble.

As a teenager, he attended the Nashville Christian Institute (NCI) with aspirations to become a preacher. He assisted noted preacher and NCI president Marshall Keeble recruit students throughout the South. Upon his graduation from the school, he enrolled in Alabama State College for Negros (now Alabama State University).

While I was traveling on the buses back and forth from the west to the east side of Montgomery to get to class each day, I saw the blatant mistreatment taking place, Gray recalls. Even though the bus was 70 percent black, we had to sit there and take the verbal and physical abuse. One black man even died as a result of one incident.

While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he met E.D. Nixon, president of the local chapter of the NAACP. This new friendship changed the course of Grays life forever.

Mr. Nixon was always looking for lawyers, and he told me that lawyers wanted to help people, Gray says. As a result of the problems people experienced on the buses, I made a personal commitment that I was going to finish at Alabama State, get enrolled in a different law school, pass the bar exam, and destroy everything segregated I could find.

In 1955 as a young attorney, Gray defended Claudette Clovin, and nine months later, Rosa Parks. Each woman was charged with disorderly conduct for refusing to give up their seats on a bus to white passengers. After Parks arrest, the local chapter of the NAACP and the Montgomery Improvement Association worked quickly to organize a protest of the bus system to renounce its segregation policies.

We didnt have a spokesman to speak our message, Gray says. If I stood out, I wouldve been disbarred. Normally, E.D. Nixon would have been that voice, and Rufus Lewis was in town, but he was only interested in getting people out to vote. That is great task, but not what we needed.

He said My pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would make a great spokesman!

And the rest is history! Budzban exclaims.

While Parks act of defiance became a symbol of the nearly year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott, King Jr. became the voice behind the civil rights movement for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.

Gray, determined to systemically take down segregation, approached three women who had been discriminated by drivers enforcing the segregation policy in Montgomery. The trio agreed to become plaintiffs in a federal civil action lawsuit, bypassing the Alabama court system, and took the case, Browder vs. Gayle, directly to the U.S. District Court on February 1, 1956.

In June of that year, the court ruled that the enforced segregation in the City of Montgomery was unconstitutional, because the conditions deprived people of equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The city of Montgomery appealed the decision, causing the case not to be completed until the U.S. Supreme Court heard it November 13, 1956, when the Supreme Court upheld the U.S. District Courts decision.

On December 20, 1956, over one year after Clovin and Parks brave moments of resistance, the Montgomery buses were officially desegregated.

Tickets for Grays speech, which range from $15-$20, can be purchased at artsandissues.com, by phone at 1-866-698-4253 or at the Morris University Center (MUC) Welcome Desk.

The Madison County Regional Office of Education, SIUE Office of the Provost and SIUE Department of Political Science sponsor the show. This program is also partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Arts & Issues is tied to the academic mission of the University. For more than 34 years, the series has presented some of the worlds finest performing artists and showcased speakers from across the spectrum in areas such as science, history, literature and politics. The program also offers unique opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community to engage with these performers and speakers through master classes and special sessions.

This episode of Segue will air at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, on WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound.

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By Madelaine Deardeuff,SIUE Marketing & Communications
Cybersecurity researchers have linked a Russian-government lab to a potentially deadly cyberattack last year at a Saudi petrochemical plant, part of a global operation to target computers that operate critical industrial systems.

In a blog post published Tuesday, the firm FireEye said it has "high confidence" that a government-owned research facility in Moscow built some of the malware used in the attack, which temporarily halted operations at the plant.

During the attack, the malware triggered a safety system that shut down operations. Had that not happened, the attackers could have set off a potentially deadly chain of events, FireEye researchers said.

"They could have had free rein to create dangerous conditions," said John Hultquist, FireEye director of intelligence analysis. And they got close, he said.

The firm did not identify the plant's owner, which had hired FireEye to do a forensic investigation.

FireEye said it linked the attack to the Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics through clues such as IP addresses and malware that revealedthe online nickname of a hacker who worked for the lab.

The researchers also found computer codewritten in Cyrillic and noted that the attackers kept Moscow working hours - all potential signs the hackers were Russian.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

What made the attack potentially deadly was its use of a potent malware variant that FireEye has dubbed Triton. Though the firm has linked the institute to other malware strains used in the Saudi attack, "we do not have specific evidence to prove" that the lab built Triton.

Nonetheless, Hultquist said, the link to the lab is highly suggestive of Russian government involvement.

"Russia has been extremely aggressive recently in U.S. and other global industrial control networks," Hultquist said. "Shutting down a plant could lead to other unforeseen consequences. Anyone manipulating those safety systems could be endangering lives."

In March, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued a joint report alerting the public to Russian government targeting of energy, nuclear and other critical systems.

Security professionals are worried that the Triton malware could mark a dangerous escalation in global cyberwarfare, because it appears specifically made to sabotage a safety system whose sole purpose is to save lives by averting fatal incidents.

"FireEye's attribution is certainly a strong possibility," said Sergio Caltagirone, the director of threat intelligence for Dragos, a cyber firm that also has studied the malware. But, he noted, complex attacks such as this one could have required the efforts of more than one country.

Some security researchers, for instance, say it is possible that the Saudi operation was a joint effort by Russia and Iran.

The Kremlin has many reasons for targeting Saudi infrastructure, said Michael Carpenter, a former senior White House and Pentagon official who handled Russia policy. Among them, he said, Moscow sides with Tehran in the proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and it believes Riyadh is closely aligned with U.S. interests in the region. Moreover,he said, Moscow has an interest in driving global oil prices as high as possible to maximize Russian budget revenue and weaken Western economies.

"Probing for vulnerabilities within this one petrochemical plant is likely part of a broader effort to target Saudi oil production facilities," Carpenter said.
Governments can't ignore judgments from the European Union's highest court, the tribunal's president warned, pouring cold water on the reaction by Poland's nationalist ruling party to an order for it to stop a controversial judicial overhaul.

The Law & Justice party is at the forefront of a push by populists who are challenging the EU's liberal values and has drawn criticism from the bloc after changing courts in a way the EU says undermines judicial independence. The clash played a role in local elections on Sunday, when the party won a smaller-than-expected victory.

A factor in the result was an injunction issued by the European Court of Justice two days before the elections ordering Poland to stop implementing rules aimed at forcing out two fifths of the Supreme Court's justices by lowering the retirement age. Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski vowed to fight the order, with his government saying Wednesday it will react after Nov. 4 runoff races for several large cities where the is contending for mayorships.

According to EU Court of Justice President Koen Lenaerts, no EU member can contest the tribunal's judgments without putting itself outside of the "backbone of the legal system of the European Union."

"Definitive judgments, have to be complied with, because if you don't comply with that you put yourself outside the legal order," Lenaerts told journalists in Luxembourg on Tuesday in response to questions on the Polish situation. "That's also the case in Germany or in Belgium or in any other member states. If the authorities do no longer comply with the orders given by courts settling litigation, then you are outside the constitutional legal order of that state."

It's not the first time Poland has tried to skirt an EU court judgment after being sued by the bloc. Last year, it said that it wouldn't face fines of 100,000 euros ($114,000) a day for ignoring an order for it to stop logging in Bialowieza, one of Europe's most ancient forests. The EU won the case, and the government stopped the logging.

"Polish authorities have now no choice but immediately and fully comply with the ECJ order," said Laurent Pech, a professor of European law at Middlesex University in London.

Poland's Supreme Court seized on Friday's injunction and called on 23 judges who had been forced into retirement to return to work. The court has resisted the government's attempts to change its leadership and replace its judges en-masse with party loyalists.

While Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said a change to legislation on Supreme Court was necessary, Presidential Minister Pawel Mucha said he wouldn't "exclude or determine" if such a move was necessary. Kaczynski himself suggested that the government pass new media laws "so that in the last moments before the election, we wouldn't be hit by different sides, so that there's so much less fake news."

Law & Justice says it must revamp the courts so that other changes, ranging from the "re-Polonization" of foreign-owned companies back into state hands to a drive to return the country of 38 million to its traditional Catholic roots, can start working.

Allied with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in his pursuit of creating "illiberal democracies" in Europe, it has denounced the current judiciary as a cadre of elites tied to past governments that denies justice to ordinary Poles.
WASHINGTON - California has suffered through years of drought that has browned front lawns and burdened farmers in the state. But President Donald Trump's scorching rhetoric about the state's management of its water since he took office has been just as unrelenting.

In a meandering speech Tuesday, Trump dismissed the idea that water is scarce in California and issued a threat to withhold disaster money from the state unless it better managed its forests.

"California, get on the ball," Trump told a crowd of local officials from California and other states visiting Washington. "Because we're not going to hand you any more money. It's ridiculous, okay?"

The comment marks another escalation of tensions between the president and officials in the nation's most populous state, which voted against Trump in favor of Hillary Clinton by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Trump re-upped criticism of California's forest fire prevention policy following a historic wildfire season. And he also took aim at its management of the water flowing through the Central Valley, the state's farming hub and a rare Republican stronghold in the otherwise blue state.

As he has in the past, Trump criticized the state for letting water flow into the Pacific instead of allowing Central Valley farmers near the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to use it to grow crops.

Californians have long debated how to best allocate California's finite freshwater in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river system between upstream farms and downstream fisheries that include both commercially raised salmon and endangered delta smelt.

"They send it out into the Pacific Ocean," Trump said, even though that is how rivers naturally flow - from highlands into the ocean. He added that "nobody knows what a smelt is." (The smelt is a tiny fish that wildlife experts say is nearing extinction.)

Tuesday's comments are just the latest in a long pattern of jabs at California - and a week after he signed a memorandum asking federal agencies to consider removing water regulations on federal water projects in the state and others in the Western states.

In the courts and the state legislature, California has pushed back against the Trump administration's climate, immigration and labor policies. But no issue may define California more than water. Though California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, declared an end to its historic drought emergency in 2017, 48 percent of the state is still experiencing drought conditions as of last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Trump, however, suggested that same day that California has "so much water they don't know what to do with it."

More dubiously, Trump on Tuesday tried to tie the state's water management to the historic wildfires that raged through the state this year. His administration and Republicans in Congress have called for granting forestry officials more discretion to thin dried trees that fuel wildfires. Many conservationists counter that the policy is a pretext to allow for more logging.

"We're tired of giving California hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars all the time for their forest fires when you wouldn't have them if they manage their forests properly," Trump said.

But the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has repeatedly said it had enough water to fight the blazes.

"We're having no issues with water supplies," Scott McLean, a deputy chief with the agency, told The Washington Post in August when about a series of tweets from Trump that also tried to make that connection.

"I don't understand it," McLean added then.
DETROIT, Oct. 24, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Elreta Dodds' latest Christian apologetic book, "The Right to Be Christian in a Gay Rights America" (paperback) provides a biblical and constitutional defense against the persecution of Christians who do not support homosexuality and explains why their non-endorsement is a question of faith and religion, not of homophobia and bigotry. Dodds' intent is not to castigate gays or inflame emotions, but to present a convincing argument as to why many Christians believe they cannot support the gay lifestyle.There are Christians in America who have been persecuted for not supporting, approving of, or participating in the affirmation of homosexuality. Dodds emphasizes that there is a difference between tolerance and support, but that the line between the two is blurred causing many Christians to be unjustly accused of intolerance and discrimination.Dodds not only presents arguments that defend the Christian faith surrounding this issue, but also discusses recent cases in which Christians have been fired, sued, and/or jailed for not compromising their biblical/religious beliefs regarding homosexuality. Cases cited include those involving cake shop business owner Jack Phillips, previous cake shop business owners Aaron and Melissa Klein, previous Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, and Rowan County Kentucky court clerk Kim Davis, among others.While the main focus of most books on either side of this issue is whether or not homosexuality is right or wrong from a biblical standpoint, this book focuses primarily on the injustice of persecuting Christians who believe that the Bible says homosexuality is morally wrong and thus don't condone it. The book supports the position that says it is reasonable, when taking into account the Scriptures that address homosexuality, for Christians to believe that homosexuality is immoral and that it is therefore a violation of their constitutional rights of freedom of religion and freedom of speech if forced to go against their belief or if persecuted for upholding it."The Right to Be Christian in a Gay Rights America" is distributed nationally and internationally and is available (in-store and/or by order) at Barnes and Noble stores, wherever books are sold, and at online stores including Amazon. To schedule speaking engagements or interviews see the contact information above. Review copies of the book are available upon request.For more information about the book and the author, click onto www.thebibleandgayrights.blogspot.com
ISTANBUL - President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Saudi officials had engaged in the "worst coverup ever" after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi earlier this month, as the administration took its first concrete step to penalize Saudi Arabia, revoking visas for its agents implicated in the killing.

That initial penalty was modest, since 18 of the 21 Saudi suspects were already under arrest, and Trump said he would "leave it up to Congress" to determine how best to punish the kingdom for the killing inside its Istanbul consulate.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday labeled the killing "planned" and "brutal" and called on Saudi Arabia to extradite the detained suspects to Turkey to face justice. Erdogan's highly anticipated comments, during a speech to his ruling party in the capital Ankara, contradicted Saudi accounts that Khashoggi was killed when an argument inside the consulate escalated into a fistfight.

The Turkish leader did not directly accuse the Saudi leadership of involvement in the killing but strongly indicated that the Saudi investigation had not reached high enough into the kingdom's ruling circles.

"It will not satisfy the public by just pinning this kind of matter on a few security and intelligence officers," he said. "Covering up this kind of savagery will hurt the conscience of all humanity."

Providing several new details, Erdogan described an operation in which Saudi agents removed the hard disk on a consulate camera and one team visited wooded areas in and around Istanbul "for reconnaissance" before the killing. These were areas that Turkish police later focused on as they searched for Khashoggi's body.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump skewered the Saudis, saying, "They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly, and the coverup was the worst in the history of coverups." He added, "In terms of what we ultimately do, I'm going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - I'm going to leave it up to Congress."

The State Department said the visa penalties would affect 21 Saudis. Most already have visas, and their documents are being revoked. Some who do not have visas are now ineligible for them, officials said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who announced the action, said he is also working with the Treasury Department on whether to impose sanctions on those responsible for the journalist's death.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States," Pompeo said during a briefing at the State Department. "We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable."

The killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, has provoked international outrage over Saudi Arabia's conduct and raised urgent questions about whether the kingdom's crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, was involved in the plot.

Mohammed on Tuesday received a standing ovation when he appeared at a major investment conference in Riyadh - which some Western executives and leaders have withdrawn from because of the controversy - but the crown prince did not address the crowd.

Separately on Tuesday, the official Saudi Press Agency published photos of the Saudi monarch, King Salman, and the crown prince meeting two members of Khashoggi's family, including his son.

One photo showed the son, Salah, looking ashen-faced and shaking hands with Mohammed as a video cameraman stood in the background. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter that the leaders shared "their deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of Jamal Khashoggi, may God rest his soul."

For more than two weeks after Khashoggi disappeared while visiting the consulate, Saudi officials repeatedly said he had left the mission alive and that they had no information about his whereabouts. Early Saturday, the Saudi officials did an abrupt reversal, acknowledging he had been killed inside the consulate but blaming the matter on a "rogue" operation that ended in a deadly brawl.

"Saudi Arabia took an important step by accepting the murder," Erdogan said in his speech. "After this, we expect them to reveal those responsible for this matter. We have information that the murder is not instant, but planned," he said.

Erdogan directly addressed King Salman, noticeably making no mention of the 33-year-old crown prince. Erdogan requested that the 18 Saudi suspects arrested so far be put on trial in Istanbul and said it was important that any Saudi investigation be carried out "by an impartial and fair delegation" with no connections to the killing.

The Turkish president did not address some of the most explosive allegations that have surfaced during the investigation - notably that Khashoggi was dismembered after he was killed. And he did not present any of the evidence that Turkey had gathered so far, including audio recordings that investigators are said to possess that captured the moments when Khashoggi was killed.

But the president provided the most detailed timeline yet of the days and hours leading up the killing three weeks ago.

In the timeline that Erdogan laid out, the team of Saudi agents dispatched to Istanbul had carefully prepared for Khashoggi's death.

The team was first alerted, Erdogan said, after Khashoggi visited the consulate on Sept. 28.

"Planning and the work of a road map starts here," the president said. Beginning three days later, on Oct. 1, teams of Saudi agents begin arriving in Istanbul, he said, with one team performing reconnaissance in nearby wooded areas. The Saudi team consisted of "intelligence, security and forensic workers," Erdogan said.

Khashoggi entered the mission at 1:14 p.m. Oct. 2. When he had not emerged a few hours later, his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting for him outside, alerted authorities, and an investigation began, Erdogan said. Camera footage showed that Khashoggi never left, he added.

Erdogan highlighted attempts by the Saudis to obstruct or cover up the killing, including a ruse involving a Saudi agent who was dressed like Khashoggi and captured on camera exiting the consulate.

"Why did 15 people gather in Istanbul the day of the murder? Who did these people receive orders from?" he asked. "Why was the consulate opened not immediately, but days later, for investigation? When the murder was obvious, why were inconsistent explanations given?"

"Why is the body still not found?"

During Erdogan's address Tuesday, lawmakers from his party sat mostly silent. But when he shifted to his demands of the Saudi royals, the audience cheered enthusiastically at the mention of Turkey's sovereignty and authority to prosecute the suspects.

In a phone call to Khashoggi's family on Tuesday, Erdogan expressed his condolences for the journalist's death and promised to continue pursuing the investigation, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

The Khashoggi case has embarrassed the Trump administration, which regards the crown prince as one of its closest Arab allies and Saudi Arabia as a cornerstone of the U.S. strategy to counter Iran. On Monday, CIA Director Gina Haspel headed to Turkey, where she is expected to assess the strength of the evidence that Turkish officials have collected.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday that the kingdom was committed to a "comprehensive investigation" into the journalist's death and had dispatched a team to Turkey.

Speaking in Indonesia on Tuesday, Jubeir said the Saudi investigators had "uncovered evidence of a murder." He also vowed to put mechanisms in place that would prevent similar incidents in the future, without expanding upon what those would be.

Khashoggi's death has tarnished the global reputation of the crown prince, who has eased social restrictions at home while pursuing an unrelenting crackdown on rivals and critics, imprisoning hundreds. Mohammed has also tried to lure exiled dissidents such as Khashoggi, who lived in Virginia, back to Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi's friends and other exiles have said.

As Saudi Arabia on Tuesday opened its landmark business conference - part of the crown prince's plan to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil revenue - the country's foreign ministry released video of him inside a crowd of attendees, posing for a selfie.

Despite the pullout of several high-profile participants, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, the event was packed with people from across the Middle East, as well as from China, India and the United States.

Khashoggi's death was acknowledged at the beginning of the conference by a panel moderator, Lubna Olayan, a prominent Saudi business leader who said she had known the journalist.

"I want to tell all our foreign guests, for whose presence with us this morning we are very grateful, that the terrible acts reported in recent weeks are alien to our culture and our DNA," she said.

- - -

El-Ghobashy reported from Ankara and Hudson from Washington. The Washington Post's Louisa Loveluck in Beirut, Zeynep Karatas in Istanbul, and John Wagner and Josh Dawsey in Washington contributed to this report.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced Wednesday his office is running an "ongoing investigation" into the state's two Catholic dioceses and whether there has been any sexual abuse and coverup. The announcement comes a day after the District of Columbia's top prosecutor made a similar announcement.

In a late morning news conference, Herring said the probe was launched in response to a massive Pennsylvania grand jury report released this summer and not with specific knowledge of unreported abuse or a coverup in Virginia. However, he told reporters, after reading the report: "Like so many Americans . . . I felt sick."

The Pennsylvania report described hundreds of Catholic priests across the state abusing children over seven decades, protected by a hierarchy of church leaders who covered it up. It identified more than 1,000 child victims.

Herring also announced a new hotline for clergy abuse reports: 1-833-454-9064.

In a statement earlier Wednesday, Herring's office said "we shouldn't assume the behavior and the problems are limited just to Pennsylvania or to one diocese. If there has been abuse or coverup in Virginia like there was in Pennsylvania, I want to know about it, I want to root it out, and I want to help survivors get justice and get on a path to healing."

Virginia is the 13th U.S. state this year - plus the District - to start an investigation of the Catholic Church, a historic high. Kentucky's attorney general has announced his intention to begin one. The Justice Department last week announced it will look into the church in Pennsylvania. While other countries have had nationwide civil investigations into Catholic clergy abuse, 2018 has seen by far the most extensive involvement by national or statewide law enforcement looking into the U.S. Catholic Church.

Many Catholics see the civil investigations as welcome and long overdue after learning of coverups, but others - including some leaders, such as Washington's Cardinal Donald Wuerl - have in recent weeks described the attention on the church as generally unfair and biased, and they emphasize that most abuse reports were decades ago. Wuerl's resignation was announced earlier this month amid criticism of his handling of abuse cases, though he remains in place until Pope Francis names his replacement.

Virginia has two Catholic dioceses - one in Richmond and one in Arlington.

Efforts to reach the dioceses were not immediately successful Wednesday. Herring said church leaders have been cooperative.

"It's fair to say the dioceses are cooperating at this point, and we hope that cooperation will continue," he said.

Herring began the news conference by framing the probe as anything but anti-religious. He said he is a churchgoer and noted his grandfather was a Presbyterian minister "in the Bible belt," he said.

"Few people in our lives are more trusted and, therefore, more powerful than our faith leaders, especially as we're growing up. We look to them for strength in difficult times, spiritual growth and maturity, understanding. I know this is true in my own life," he said. "Sadly we have learned that trust and power can be abused and exploited, even in communities of faith, even against children."

Leading advocates for clergy abuse survivors in Virginia had recently been pressing Herring to meet and hear their argument for an investigation like the one in Pennsylvania. Thus far they had not been able to secure a meeting, said Becky Ianni, regional director for SNAP.

On Wednesday, Ianni said she was enthused by Herring's announcement because the priest who abused her was from Virginia. He is now dead, but she said her requests to church leaders in the past to get more information about what church officials knew, how they handled her abuser and how many other people he had abused have so far been largely rebuffed.

Asked whether the probe would look at abuse allegations by non-Catholic clergy, Herring said the Catholic Church was his focus for now but he would welcome reports of abuse from any denomination.

"We want to listen to their story," he said.

The Virginia State Police hotline number is (833) 454-9064, and the website is virginiaclergyhotline.com.
An Idaho-based white supremacist group is making a new round of racist robocalls targeting Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum that appear to be directed at black Democratic Party leaders in the state.

Two county Democratic Party chairs told The Washington Post that they received the new robocall Tuesday morning. It features a man impersonating Gillum in a minstrel dialect, while jungle sounds and chimpanzee noises can be heard in the background.

"Well, hello there! I is the negro, Andrew Gillum, and I be askin' you to make me governor of this here state of Florida," the minute-long call begins, according to a recording obtained by The Post.

The speaker compares "the white man's medicine, which is very expensive, 'cause it uses science and whatnot," with "the medicine of my African race," which involves "puttin' de chicken feets under your pillows during the full moon" and "don't hardly cost nothin' at all."

"So I's promise, if you make me, Andrew Gillum, the governor, every peoples that be ailin' will get all the chicken feets they need," the voice on the call says.

The ad then takes an anti-Semitic turn, with the speaker claiming that "it was the Jews who owned the slave trade" and that Jews will be "puttin' Negros in charge over the white folks."

"All the Jews gon' vote me, Andrew Gillum, governor of this here state of Florida," the ad concludes. The sound of a chimp can be heard after the speaker says Gillum's name.

A man states at the end of the call that it was "paid for by TheRoadToPower.com." The group also was behind another racist robocall targeting Gillum in August.

Polls show Gillum locked in a tight race against Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. If elected, Gillum would become the state's first black governor.

The two Florida Democratic Party county chairs who received the robocall Tuesday morning said they believe it is targeting black Democratic leaders in the state and is aimed at keeping Gillum's supporters away from the polls.

"I was highly insulted," said Cynthia Moore Chestnut, chair of the Alachua County Democratic Party, who posted about the robocall on her Facebook page.

Chestnut, who is black, said she believes the call was "specifically designed to intimidate me and any other African-Americans that hold a leadership role."

"But I have encouraged everyone that we have to vote, vote, vote and not be intimidated by this," she said.

Shawn Kinsey, chairman of the Polk County Democratic Party, said the robocall, which was left on his voicemail, was "disgusting" and "took me aback."

"It's just very disturbing in this political climate," he said. "I never thought that I would receive something like that."

Both Chestnut and Kinsey said that they received the call on their cellphones and that it came from a Tallahassee area code.

At a campaign event in Orlando, DeSantis called the robocalls "disgusting" and urged the media to investigate their source.

"I want to know who's doing that," DeSantis said. "I can tell you we are not doing it, and I think the people doing it are doing it because they are trying to create division."

Gillum, meanwhile, suggested that extremist groups are "taking their cues" from DeSantis.

In an appearance Tuesday evening on MSNBC, Gillum seized on DeSantis' previous warning to voters not to "monkey this up" by electing him - a phrase that, Gillum maintained, is "not commonly used, as far as I know."

"It's not hard to understand why neo-Nazis would take an extension of that and then take it to the next level of extremity," he said, blasting the robocalls and other ads that he said are intended "to further a stereotype about black men - illegal, unethical, take things for free."

DeSantis has said that the phrase was not intended as a "dog whistle."

- - -

Craig reported from Orlando.
Peninsula will look to win its third consecutive CIF-SS Open Division title Friday when it takes on Westlake, which beat the Panthers twice during the regular season.
Reagan Hughes' second-grade class at Lamar Elementary School on Monday received STEM equipment through Chevron's Fuel Your School program. The equipment included Bee-Bot Programmable Robots, Magna-Tiles and K'nex building blocks, according to a press release.

The funds for Fuel Your School are made available by Chevron donating $1 for every fill-up of eight gallons or more at participating Chevron and Texaco locations, such as Kent Kwik convenience stores.
Harris County voters continued to smash early voting turnout records Tuesday, despite polling hours that prevent many residents from voting after they leave work.

More than 64,700 voters went to the polls to cast ballots, while at least another 1,500 returned mail-in ballots, voting at a rate on par with presidential-year elections. Through two days of early voting, more than 181,900 Harris County voters have cast ballots in person or by mail, a record for a midterm election at this point.

For the first five days of early voting, Harris Countys 46 polling locations open at 8 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m., the earliest closing time among the 15 Texas counties with the most registered voters.

Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, the countys chief election official, sets the early voting schedule and the number of locations with approval from Harris County Commissioners Court. The county has closed its early voting locations at 4:30 p.m. for years, well before Stanarts tenure.

Nonetheless, some have worried the hours hinder the countys ability to meet voter demand and possibly discourage people from casting ballots.

Harris Countys polling schedule coincides with the regular business hours of the clerks office, which Stanart said was standard procedure. He said he would need to receive a waiver from the Texas secretary of state to extend the hours because the state Election Code says early voting shall be conducted during the hours in which the clerks main business office is regularly open for business.

However, Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the secretary of states office, said those hours represent a minimum requirement, not an upper limit. Three Texas-based attorneys with expertise in elections also said they were unaware of a waiver requirement.

Ive never heard of a waiver, said Buck Wood, an Austin-based election-law attorney. Ive never had anybody complain to me about it, and Ive been doing this for almost 50 years.

The section Stanart referenced applies only to counties in which the county clerk acts as the early voting clerk. In some cases, that duty falls to an appointed elections administrator, who follows a different set of guidelines for setting early voting hours.

Several other large Texas counties, including Travis, assign election duties to the county clerk and had early voting hours that extend beyond the clerks regular business hours, with some going from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For his part, Stanart said he would have kept polls open later  like he did in 2016  had he known turnout would reach such high levels. Midterm elections typically yield much lower turnout than those held in presidential years; the last time that more than half of registered voters cast a ballot in a Texas midterm election was 1994.

Nobody out there was ever predicting that wed have this big turnout, Stanart said.

Harris County Democratic Party chair Lillie Schechter did not buy Stanarts argument that he was abiding by the election code, saying it was the first time she had heard that explanation. She said the early poll closures were absolutely a very intentional effort to keep people from voting.

Stanart, a Republican, faces a re-election challenge this year from Democrat Diane Trautman, a Harris County Department of Education trustee.

The county clerk could not be reached for comment to respond to Schechters claim or clarify his statement about the waiver.

Harris County Republican Party chair Paul Simpson was not immediately available for comment.

In future elections, Stanart said he would look to expand early voting hours to account for this years heightened turnout.

Its very probable we have a new normal here, he said. We do our planning and everything off historical numbers.

Harris County residents have not taken issue with the early poll closures during recent cycles, said Joe Stinebaker, spokesman for County Judge Ed Emmett.

Theres never been a time Im aware of that anybody has ever come to the judge or complained they be extended or changed in any way, Stinebaker said. Emmett took office in March 2007.

Though Stanart theoretically could change the early voting hours, he would have to post a public notice for 72 continuous hours before making the change, said Austin-based attorney Eric Opiela. Voting already goes until 7 p.m. on Saturday, the first day that could take effect.

Theres not much that can be done at this point, Opiela said. I think we need to look at that next (legislative) session, why youd want to have the 72-hour notice.

Beyond the first week, the code sets stricter requirements for early voting hours among counties with populations of 100,000 or more. Those counties must conduct early voting for at least 12 hours on the last Saturday of early voting, at least five hours on the last Sunday of early voting and at least 12 hours every weekday during the last week of early voting.

Harris County polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 through Nov. 2.

Texas as a whole has seen massive early voting turnout: On Monday, more than 570,000 people in the 15 counties with the most registered voters cast ballots in person or through the mail  more than the three previous midterm years combined.

Eight of those counties  including Dallas, Travis, Collin and El Paso  posted first-day early voting turnouts that surpassed that of 2016.

Harris Countys two-day total of 181,916 approached the total of all 12 days of early voting in 2006, when 191,533 people cast ballots.

Fort Bend County surged past its 2016 presidential election record for early voting on Monday, with roughly 18,362 people heading to the polls.

Its just really surprising to us, said John Oldham, the countys elections administrator. Its just kind of unheard of to have a gubernatorial year to exceed the turnout in the presidential year. Well see if it holds up.

During the 2016 election, roughly 18,180 people in Fort Bend County cast ballots on the first day of early voting. In the 2014 midterm election, only 4,837 people showed up to vote on the first day.

Lines continued to stretch on Tuesday as residents braved the rainy and cold weather across the county. At Sugar Land Branch library, a line to vote expanded past several bookshelves as other people crowded in to check out books or study. At Four Corners Community Center, a line also went to the door.

At Missouri City Community Center, the parking lot was packed and a line reached the door during lunch hour on the first day of early voting. The cars had thinned out on Tuesday, but senior early voting clerk James Scott said he still had seen a steady stream of over 500 voters.

Scott, who has served at the polling place for a decade, said he has noticed more millennial voters than usual heading to the community center to cast ballots.

People are concerned about different things and its affecting them in different ways, said Scott. Hopefully, this is a trend that it will be heavy for the whole time. This doesnt mean that next year they will turn out. It doesnt mean if we have a run-off in the election there will be a lot of people. It could. I hope it does.

By Tuesday, the number continued to grow in the county with a total of over 29,000 people voting since Monday, according to Oldham.

We really thought we would have 10,000 or 11,000 yesterday, said Oldham. That number is really kind of overwhelming for everybody. 

Staff writers Brooke Lewis and Allie Morris contributed to this report.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

twitter.com/jaspscherer
A Houston man who bragged about making $30,000 a week with a high-dollar prostitution operation has been arrested after taking more than a dozen women to The Post Oak Hotel near The Galleria for what he thought would be a raucous bachelor party, according to court records and local law enforcement.

Mark Anthony Cole, 43, is accused of working out a deal for prostitutes and an array of illegal drugs for $1,500 each after bumping into an out-of-uniform law enforcement officer working off-duty security at the hotel  a $350 million development opened by billionaire businessman Tilman Fertitta earlier this year.

Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, whose office worked with Houston police in the undercover operation that led to the arrest, said Tuesday that 13 women were found in one hotel room along with cocaine, ecstasy and OxyContin.

COUNTY TAKES ACTION: New SOB rules aim to preempt 'robot brothels'

Rosen said some of the women said they had been victims of sex trafficking, and he urged anyone with information about other victims to step forward.

If Cole has attempted to traffic you or force you into prostitution or force you into committing criminal acts, we want to hear from you...so that we can fully and finally not only protect victims but also put somebody behind bars that very seriously needs to be there, Rosen said.

Landrys  a company founded by Fertitta that owns The Post Oak Hotel  said late Tuesday that the investigation originated from information provided by the hotels security team, which asked for help from Rosens office.

Affluent properties in the City of Houston seem to experience issues/problems with prostitution, as their clientele is a target for those involved in prostitution activities, according to the statement from Landrys general counsel Steve Scheinthal.

Landrys Inc. has a zero tolerance policy with regard to all criminal activity, and will continue to take an extremely aggressive approach in dealing with prostitution activity and all other criminal activity at all of their locations and venues, the statement said.

In a statement late Tuesday, Rosen commended the hotel and Landry's staff "for taking a proactive approach to a very serious issue plaguing Houston, and providing the facilities for the sting operation. Without their efforts, law enforcement may not have been able to put Cole behind bars."

Fertittas vast business empire includes hotels, amusement parks, casinos and restaurants, including the Golden Nugget Casino and Landrys Seafood restaurant. He also owns the Houston Rockets.

Cole was arrested Oct. 17 after a six-week undercover operation. He has been charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

Cole, who has a string of prior arrests in Harris County, is being held in the Harris County Jail without bond. He has two prior felony convictions and had received deferred adjudication, a form of probation, on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison, police said.

His court-appointed attorney, Patrick Ruzzo, could not be reached late Tuesday for comment.

The investigation began by chance after Cole struck up a conversation with the plainclothes officer in The Post Oak Hotel lobby. He bragged about his weekly income selling drugs and sex, according to court records.

Cole offered to bring prostitutes, cocaine, ecstasy and OxyContin to a party at the hotel for what the officer told him would be a bachelor party. The 13 women were high-end sex workers from Houston between the ages of 20 and 30, Rosen said.

Vice officers said it was the most women theyd seen together in one hotel room, Rosen said.

Many of these women were trafficked in a way that they feared Mark, and they were too scared to come forward, Rosen said.

The operation was a collaborative effort involving the Precinct 1 Constables Office, the Houston Police Departments vice division, the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance and the Harris County District Attorney Offices Human Trafficking Division.

A lot of families have been destroyed by this; a lot of lives have been destroyed by this, Rosen said. Were committed to doing something about it, and we are.

Anyone with information about Cole or other possible victims are asked to contact the Human Trafficking Hotline at 832-927-1650.

ana.goni-lessan@chron.com
A committee of the states higher education regulatory board is recommending approval of a University of Houston College of Medicine, a hopeful sign for the public institutions bid to open the citys first new school awarding degrees for doctors in nearly half a century.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is scheduled to take up the recommendation at its quarterly meeting Thursday and Friday. The recommendation includes the condition that UH pursue scholarships and loan repayment programs to achieve its goal of having 50 percent of students come from minority populations.

Were pretty confident that Coordinating Board approval will happen, said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the proposed UH college. Such approval will be a major milestone in our progress.

The Coordinating Board review of the proposal comes nearly one year after UH regents approved the pursuit of a medical school, a longtime dream of the 91-year-old university. The plan calls for the school to produce primary-care doctors to serve in underserved areas, a huge need in Houston and other parts of Texas.

Thursdays review also comes two months after the Coordinating Board signed off an osteopathic medical school at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. It also aims to produce primary-care doctors for underserved areas, though its focus is to be rural parts of east Texas.

Spann said Coordinating Board approval is an absolute hurdle, a prerequisite for other steps. He noted that UH cant offer degrees without Coordinating Board approval and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education wont accredit a new school not approved by its state higher education regulatory body. Also, such approval is expected to influence the Texas Legislature, from which UH plans to request $40 million over 10 years.

Spann said he hopes to submit application materials for LCME accreditation in December. Such accreditation could be granted no earlier than October 2019, said Spann, in time for UHs hope to start enrolling students in fall 2020.

UH Tuesday released a video, to be promoted on social media and sent to legislators and Coordinating Board members, making the case for the proposed school. Featuring Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale and the heads of the Texas Medical Center and the Greater Houston Partnership, along with Spann and UH President Renu Khator, it notes that Texas ranks 47 out of 50 states in terms of the ratio of primary-care doctors per person and describes health problems in some parts of Houston as similar to those of Third World countries.

That UH make scholarships and loan repayment programs part of its plan to help lure minority students was one of two recommendations adopted by the Coordinating Boards committee on academic and workforce success at its September meeting. The other was that the university provide documentation of its hiring of 20 core faculty prior to the enrollment of the first class.

Spann, who has appointed three associate deans and three department chairs, said the plan already calls for the hiring of more than 20 faculty before August 2020. He said the Coordinating Boards condition that UH pursue minority scholarships and loan repayment grants is consistent with its stated goals and efforts.

Earlier this year, UH announced it has received an anonymous $3 million donation that will pay for tuition and fees for all four years for 30 students that comprise the schools first class. In addition, Spann said Tuesday, the school has received a donation from the OQuinn Foundation that will cover tuition and fees for 10 students for its second class.

todd.ackerman@chron.com

twitter.com/chronmed
Gov. Greg Abbott offered a curt remark to a professor from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi who said he would offer extra credit to students that vote in the upcoming elections, and suggested that Texans back Beto O'Rourke.

"People like this don't belong on the state payroll," wrote Abbott of the Del Mar Political Science professor, Adrian Clark.

Sometime this week, a screenshot of the professor's Facebook comment was shared with KRIS 6 News, reading: "I am offering extra credit for my students for voting beginning tomorrow! We must show up for Beto to paint Texas blue!"

On Wednesday, a Del Mar spokesperson issued the following statement:

"The College is aware of a post made by an employee on a non-College, social media site offering extra class credit for voting in the upcoming election. The message was not posted on behalf of the College. The College has clarified that no extra credit should be offered or granted for voting in any election."

"The College takes seriously institutional policy and State law regarding requirements to remain neutral in all partisan political activities, issues, speeches and campaigns. The College and its employees will abide by all state, local, and federal laws regarding public speech, campaigning, and other political activities. Additionally, the College does not comment on internal personnel matters"

LATEST: Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn speak out against bomb threats

In addition, the college said it was aware of Abbott's comments and said the school's administration was taking it seriously and "attempting to factor that in when considering how best to respond."

Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor with the Universty of Houston, said there's little room for interpretation when it comes to the incident.

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"It's wildly inappropriate for faculty to be using their platform to endorse a particular candidate. Period," Rottinghaus said.

He said a "criminal side" could also be interpreted regarding the Facebook post.

"You cannot pay people to go vote, using extra credit as leverage could be potentially illegal, depending on how its framed," he said. "I don't want to go too far, I don't know the language, but you can't go pay people to vote, whether this constitutes as bribery or in this case academic."

Fernando Ramirez is a digital reporter for Chron.com and Houstonchronicle.com. Read him on our breaking news site and on our subscriber site. Follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email him at Fernando.ramirez@chron.com.
NASA still has not rescheduled to spacewalks that were canceled after American astronaut Nick Hague's launch to the International Space Station was aborted earlier this month -- but Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer said he is confident everything will sort itself out.

"These things happen," Geyer told reporters Wednesday at the Houston center. "I think it's important to remember they're flying several vehicles a year ... with that flight rate, I don't think its unusual that you're going to have these issues."

Earlier this month, Hague, 43, and his crew mate, Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, were aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft rocketing to the space station when the launch was aborted, forcing an emergency landing. It was the first aborted launch of a Soyuz spacecraft in 35 years. Both Hague and Ovchinin were safe and in good condition after the landing.

Hague's spacewalks, initially scheduled for Oct. 19 and Thursday, were to upgrade the station's power systems: a job that Geyer on Wednesday called "a biggie for us." Hague was supposed to conduct the spacewalks with European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, who arrived at the station in June.

The batteries to upgrade the power systems arrived at the space station on the Japanese cargo ship, HTV, in late September. If all had gone well, Hague and Gerst would have removed the batteries from HTV prior to the launch of Northrop Grumman resupply spacecraft, Cygnus, on Nov. 15.

Geyer said it would be OK if the astronauts could not retrieve the batteries by then. Engineers simply would reconfigure the systems so HTV and Cygnus could be docked on the station at the same time.

"We have time," Geyer told reporters Wednesday. "There's no rush, we can come up with a calm, laid-out plan."

Russia's final report on what caused a rocket booster to fail on the Soyuz reportedly will be "approved" Oct. 30, less than three weeks after the incident. Geyer said he expects next step recommendations by early November.

"We have experts participating [in the investigation] with them," Geyer said. "We have to take a look at [the recommendations] in detail so we can get comfortable with the plan and we need to do that before we set new dates for launch."

Russia has not yet canceled the next flight to the space station, scheduled for Dec. 20, but it has discussed potentially moving the launch sooner.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Tuesday the next flight should happen in December as planned.

Russian officials still are investigating another Soyuz-related problem that occurred in August, when astronauts discovered an air leak-causing hole in a different Soyuz attached to the station. The hole was plugged, but Russia continues to investigate how it happened.

Geyer said he anticipates that investigation to conclude in December.

Since NASA's space shuttle program was shuttered in 2011, the NASA has relied on Russia to ferry American astronauts to the station. NASA has spent billions of dollars on the space station in its 20-year lifetime, but the agency has no other way to reach it and, therefore, is grounded until Russia sorts out what caused the aborted launch.

The United States funnels a significant amount of money into the space station each year  $1.45 billion in fiscal year 2017 alone, plus the $82 million it pays Russia for each seat on the Soyuz.

NASA officials repeatedly have refused to respond when asked if the United States already paid for Hague's seat. If shifting timetables are to be believed, Boeing and SpaceX's commercial crew vehicles, will have their first test flights in summer 2019.

The vehicles, which would eliminate American dependence on Russia for trips to the station, were supposed to be ready this year. And the launch dates could easily slip again.

Geyer said Wednesday he expects both companies will be flying crews in the next 12 months.

"That won't help in the near term with the Soyuz and that's OK," he said, adding that once they are up and running there will be three ways to get to station.

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.
George Zhao, President of Honor, delivered his first TEDx talk at Caohejing Park, Shanghai today where he shared his vision for perfection and technological innovation. Zhao also revealed how Honor received global success by becoming the top smartphone e-brand in China for four consecutive years.

At TEDx CaohejingParkSalon Zhao explained to a young audience of budding entrepreneurs that in 2015, I travelled back to my homeland to lead Honor. Although I only had B2B experience back then, I knew that I only had one option  to make Honor succeed. Over the past few years, in a Fearless Technology, Infinite Innovations environment, Honor never ceases to enhance its technology or product quality and raise its core competitiveness. Innovation, quality and service have always been and always will be our top priorities. By continuously exploring these three areas, our upcoming Honor Magic 2, will be officially unveiled next week in Beijing and is bound to take smartphones to a whole new level. We believe that a company can only rise above the rest and stay relevant by delivering the best product with ultimate user experience.

As a fastest-growing mobile phone brand, Honor never adopts an opportunistic approach in devising strategies. In 2015, Honor insisted on pooling their resources to deliver the best product and service quality, instead of relying on the spur-of-the-moment. In 2016, when the global smartphone market suffered a steep decline, Honor persevered and was resolute in its vision. In 2017, when the industry was skeptical about their prospects, Honor insisted that its enterprises keep their vision focused on the future and boost momentum. In 2018, despite the smartphone market in China hitting a severe slump, Honor sailed through the storm. Not only did they record positive sales growth, they also remained Chinas top smartphone e-brand for the year, he added.

As a leading smartphone e-brand, Honor encourages young people to achieve their life dreams every day and always stay true to themselves, with a commitment to innovation that changes peoples lives. The aim of todays TEDx talk was to share this passion and confidence with young people directly, helping them to fulfill their aspirations and change the world.

By empowering human beings to foresee the future, AI has always been a core strategic technology for Honor. Long before the industry came to realize the importance of AI, Honor had already invested heavily in AI R&D and built an AI ecosystem.

Zhao started his career with Huawei in 1998, working with them for 20 years in China and around the world. This experience gave him a great insight into how we use technology in our everyday lives and how it can change our lives for the better. As the President of Honor, he is responsible for the overall business management and growth of the Honor brand.

TEDx is a programme offering local and self-organized events that bring people together to share TED-like experiences in the spirit of spreading worthwhile ideas. Every year, TEDx CaohejingParkSalon in Shanghai invites diverse and experienced leaders to speak and exchange ideas with young entrepreneurs.

Technuter.com News Service
AUSTIN  Republican Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller sent out a plea to his Facebook followers Tuesday to donate money to his campaign so he can buy ads, cash that will probably come in too late to make much of difference in the race.

But it could help him pay down his debt, according to a political analyst.

Miller had $53,000 on hand heading into the final weeks of the election, although the campaign owes $195,000, according to records with the Texas Ethics Commission.

Millers is known for his huge Facebook audience, with 751,000 followers.

Todd Smith, Millers spokesman, declined to say how the money will be spent.

We do not wish to telegraph our campaign plans to our opponents so I will not reveal how we will spend any money raised except to say that it will be used to communicate Commissioner Millers outstanding record of leadership at the Texas Department of Agriculture on behalf of farmers, ranchers and consumers, he said in a statement.

Three major groups that deal with the Department of Agriculture, including groups of farmers and ranchers, have so far refused to endorse Miller in the general election.

His challenger, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Kim Olson, is betting on a blue wave of voters this election cycle. She had nearly $162,000 in the bank as of late September. She raised five times as much as Miller in her quest to run the consumer protection agency that oversees the school lunch program, pesticide use and gas quality, along with promoting Texas products.

Republicans have won every statewide election in Texas since 1994, making Miller a favorite for this years contest.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Heres why Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is missing three key endorsements in his re-election bid

University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said candidates who need money to pay down loans for their campaign have better luck sending out fundraising pleas in the final weeks of an election than asking after the contest is over.

It would be nearly impossible to make a strategic campaign move with that money two weeks before the election to make a meaningful impact on the results, Rottinghaus added.

If he were worried, he would have been worried at least a month ago, he said.
Sen. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are condemning what appears to be the attempted bombing of major U.S political figures, including former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

"Violence is never OK," wrote Cruz on Twitter. "Reports of bombs sent to the homes of Obama, Clinton, and Soros are deeply, deeply disturbing."

"America is better than this," he continued. "Political disagreements are fine, even healthy, but we should always be civil and respect each other's humanity."

On Wednesday, the U.S. Secret Service announced that it had intercepted a bomb sent to Clinton and another possible explosive sent to Obama.

The Secret Service announcement made national headlines around the same time a police bomb squad investigated a suspicious package sent to CNN's New York City bureau.

Authorities also confirmed Wednesday that they were investigating a suspicious package sent to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, and another suspicious package sent to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).

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The series of bomb threats come two days after an explosive device was mailed to George Soros, a well-known billionaire and political donor.

In a statement to reporters in Dallas, Sen. John Cornyn said the attempted bombings were "very dangerous."

"Anybody who is in the public eye, and certainly political figures, are under threat, but this is not the way we resolve our differences in America," Cornyn said. "I think it's frightening a lot of people and understandably so, but I know that law enforcement is doing everything they can to prevent one of these devices from exploding. But it is very serious."

"I would encourage people generally to be vigilant, and if you see something that looks out of order, say something," Cornyn said. "Call law enforcement. Better to be safe than sorry."

Fernando Ramirez is a digital reporter for Chron.com and Houstonchronicle.com. Read him on our breaking news site and on our subscriber site. Follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email him at Fernando.ramirez@chron.com.
CEWF greets Principal Abul Hasan

Chattogram Bureau :

Principal Dr Abdul Karim, Chairman of Chattogram Education Welfare Foundation felicitated Prof Md.Abul Hasan of being appointed as Principal of Chattogram Govt University College through presenting bouquet at a function held in the port city .Principal Md Abul Hasan is also the Director of CEWF .

Among others in the felicitation programme , CEWF Secretary Prof.Dr.Abul Kalam Azad, Prof. Subal Achariya, Adv Dr.Md. Samiuddin, Principal Jaharlal, Prof. Sarwar Alam, MA Fazal of Parents Care school were present .

The officials of CEWF prayed for his long life with good health and future success.

Weddling expo at Radison Blue begins : A grand exposition of honey moon, decoration of newly married bed room, event management, photography, video-graphy, makeup and dress making of bride and bridegroom to begin held from today at Hotel Radison Blue in the port city.

City Mayor AJM Nasiruddin will formally inaugurate the Expo on Thursday as chiefs guest. The entry fee in the Expo fixed at Tk.50 each.


Canada's booming tech sector may be part of the reason for rise in job searches from India

Highly skilled job seekers from India turning to Canada over U.S., study shows

Highly skilled job seekers from India turning to Canada over U.S., study shows Canada's booming tech sector may be part of the reason for rise in job searches from India

Highly skilled job seekers from India turning to Canada over U.S., study shows Canada's booming tech sector may be part of the reason for rise in job searches from India

Highly skilled job seekers from India turning to Canada over U.S., study shows Canada's booming tech sector may be part of the reason for rise in job searches from India Stephen Smith Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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A rising number of job seekers from India are looking for work opportunities in Canada over the United States, with searches for tech jobs leading the way, a recent study says.

Canadas share of job searches conducted from India rose from six to 13 per cent between August 2016 and July 2018, says the study by the popular job site, Indeed.

This same period saw the share of searches from India for employment opportunities in the United States drop from 60 to 50 per cent, with Canada picking up most of the displaced interest.

This net 17 percentage point narrowing in relative search popularity was easily the largest swing among the countries we analyzed, Indeed reports.

The study looked at cross-border job searches from 58 countries over the two-year period, with a particular focus on searches targeting Canada and the U.S.

With business analyst, software developer, web developer, data scientist, Java developer, software engineer and data analyst figuring among the top 10 job searches from India, the report said the rising interest in Canada could prove a boon to the Canadian tech industry.

Discover your Canadian immigration options by completing a free assessment.

Most Searched Jobs

Rank Job Title 1 Business Analyst 2 Mechanical Engineer 3 Software Developer 4 Project Manager 5 Web developer 6 Data Scientist 7 Java Developer 8 Civil Engineer 9 Software Engineer 10 Data Analyst

The study said the rise in searches may be partly due to both Canadas booming tech scene and uncertainty about the U.S. H-1B visa program, which the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has tightened.

Indian citizens are by the far the main beneficiaries of the specialty occupations visas, which many workers in tech and other STEM-related fields rely on to work in the U.S.

Canada, meanwhile, has improved access to temporary work visas for eligible skilled workers through the Global Skills Strategy and its Global Talent Stream program.

Overall, the Indeed study showed Canadas share of searches rose in 41 of the 58 countries analyzed, and dropped in the other 17.

By and large, Canada wasnt benefiting at the expense of the United States  searches for U.S. jobs also rose in 25 of the 41 countries where Indeed found an increase in Canadian searches.

In the remaining 16 countries, however, Canadas share grew while searches to the U.S. declined, with the most dramatic shift occurring in India.

To find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration program, fill out a free assessment.

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As is the case with most tech shows today, digital transformation was front and center at last week's GITEX technology show in Dubai -- the largest such conference in the Middle East. Not only did vendors demonstrate their enabling technologies, but govenment agencies showcased the technology they are using.

For most organizations, the top area of focus for digital technologies is improving customer experience. In fact, countless studies indicate that how businesses deal with customers will determine whether they are the market leader or laggard, as digital technologies create new experiences that drive loyalties, cut costs and enable things previously impossible.

To help organizational leaders put together a strategy on how to improve service, unified communications (UC) and contact center (CC) vendor Avaya, commissioned Davies Hickman Partners to complete a global study of 8,000 global consumers. As part of its show activities, Avaya analyzed the data and highlighted eight key findings for SuperServe (companies that want to excel in customer service) organizations:

Consumers want differentiated services, underscoring the need to prioritize customer experience in digital transformation. New voice technology has grown in popularity, requiring organizations to build strategies around voice assistants. Omni-channel accelerates customer experience transformation. Organizations need to integrate interactions across all channels, including voice, video, chat, and messaging. Predictive services are in high demand. Such services enable companies to anticipate customer and employee need using technologies such as artificial intelligence. Personal data needs to be protected, meaning digital services cant be at the expense of privacy Faster and smarter voice interactions are vital. Superior customer contact centers will need to be able to quickly resolve complex or empathy-based interactions. Video drives a human touch. Greater understanding is achieved when video is used for human or customer interactions. Employees want the latest technology. This will enable them to interact with customers and co-workers better.

The summarized data was certainly interesting and provides a strong, high-level look at customer experience today. What specificially are organizations doing to implement those strategies into their digital plans? Several of the region's leading organizations shared their initiatives with me, includng the Dubai Police Department and Dubai's Road and Transport Authority.

Dubai Police Department's digital strategy

The Dubai Police was represented by Brigadier Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, director and general manager of AI for the Dubai Police. He told me that one of the stated directives from the government is for the Dubai police to provide excellent customer service. Dubai has exploded in growth, and safety is obviously critical to its continued attractiveness as a tourist hotspot, but it cant be at the expense of great customer service. To meet this goal, the Dubai police has several initiatives underway, including the following:

Mobile application. The Dubai Police Department has a rich mobile app for citizens to use. If a resident requires assistance, the police can be contacted via voice, messaging, or video. For example, if an accident occurs, the app can be used to alert the police and a message sent back saying an officer is on their way. The app shows location information, as well, so the officer knows exactly where the person is and the person needing help knows when the officer will arrive.

The Dubai Police Department has a rich mobile app for citizens to use. If a resident requires assistance, the police can be contacted via voice, messaging, or video. For example, if an accident occurs, the app can be used to alert the police and a message sent back saying an officer is on their way. The app shows location information, as well, so the officer knows exactly where the person is and the person needing help knows when the officer will arrive. Voice-enabled smart agent. Self-service has become a more important strategy for companies of all sizes, as it saves on people resources. The Dubai police built a voice-activated AI called Amna that is built on a combination of Avaya and Nuance technology. There are over 200 nationalities in Dubai, and one of the key roles is for Amna to be able to converse with people in up to six different languages. Citizens can call Amna to open cases, pay fines, or make inquiries.

Self-service has become a more important strategy for companies of all sizes, as it saves on people resources. The Dubai police built a voice-activated AI called Amna that is built on a combination of Avaya and Nuance technology. There are over 200 nationalities in Dubai, and one of the key roles is for Amna to be able to converse with people in up to six different languages. Citizens can call Amna to open cases, pay fines, or make inquiries. A robot has been built, complete with a touchscreen, a camera for facial recognition, and Amna voice AI. The robot is meant to be deployed into crowded areas, and its mere presence makes people feel safer. Dubai has a very low crime rate. Keeping it that way requires more eyes and ears in more locations, and it would be very expensive to hire officers to be on every corner, so the department will use robots when it can't use officers.

Zeus Kerravala Dubai Police Department robots will be deployed to areas officers are unable to go.

Autonomous police station . This is an office on wheels where a resident of Dubai can call and have the completely unmanned police station come to them. Once it arrived, the individual can then enter the station, file a report, talk to Amna, or interact with an officer via video. The app could be, used but in many cases, paper needs to be printed and documents signed; the mobile station can accommodate those use cases.

. This is an office on wheels where a resident of Dubai can call and have the completely unmanned police station come to them. Once it arrived, the individual can then enter the station, file a report, talk to Amna, or interact with an officer via video. The app could be, used but in many cases, paper needs to be printed and documents signed; the mobile station can accommodate those use cases. Smart glasses . The police force is experimenting with smart glasses that can help quickly identify people and if there are any outstanding issues. I tried them on and looked through a number of people. When the glasses spotted a suspect, the image projected on the smart glasses with a notification of why the person was suspected.

. The police force is experimenting with smart glasses that can help quickly identify people and if there are any outstanding issues. I tried them on and looked through a number of people. When the glasses spotted a suspect, the image projected on the smart glasses with a notification of why the person was suspected. Video-based crime prevention. This is not a recreation of the pre-crime division from Minority Report, but the Dubai crime prediction process is just as sophisticated. There are over 65,000 cameras in Dubai, and the police monitor the feeds and analyze the data to predict if a crime will occur. If they think theres a high probability, officers are dispatched. Tourism is Dubais #1 industry, and its critical to ensure everyone feels safe all the time. Knowing where to send officers has reduced the already-low crime rate.

Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) digital initiatives

Like the Dubai Police, the city's Road and Transit Authority (RTA) has a strong focus on providing excellent customer service by enabling people to use city services easier. Ahmed Mahboub, executive director of customer service for the RTA, said Dubai is expecting 25 million visitors for the World Expo in 2020, so automation and self-service needs to play a key role because they cant hire enough people to meet that big a spike in people. To help with that, they have developed these top initiatives:

Fully omnichannel contact center with self-service . The RTA has implemented Avayas contact center solution that enables callers to perform many tasks via an interactive voice response system (IVR) designed to handle most simple queries. For those that cant be answered by the automated system, the caller can opt to speak to a live agent. One of the challenges with Dubai is that the majority of residents are from other countries, making language servicing difficult. The RTA is experimenting with real-time translation capabilities, so a caller can speak in one language and the agent in another but both will hear responses in their native language. Also, the RTA is experimenting with bots to answer queries that come in through messaging services.

. The RTA has implemented Avayas contact center solution that enables callers to perform many tasks via an interactive voice response system (IVR) designed to handle most simple queries. For those that cant be answered by the automated system, the caller can opt to speak to a live agent. One of the challenges with Dubai is that the majority of residents are from other countries, making language servicing difficult. The RTA is experimenting with real-time translation capabilities, so a caller can speak in one language and the agent in another but both will hear responses in their native language. Also, the RTA is experimenting with bots to answer queries that come in through messaging services. Video kiosks. These are similar to the Robocops used by the Dubai Police, but they are used to answer questions regarding city services. This could be things like bus routes or other transportation options.

Zeus Kerravala Dubai's RTA smart parking reservation service
Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protection: Iran

Iran\'s President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.

Reuters, Geneva :

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not have murdered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.

"No one would imagine that in today's world and a new century that we would witness such an organized murder and a system would plan out such a heinous murder," Rouhani said, according to IRNA.

"I don't think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America."

Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.

U.S. protection has allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out bombings against civilians in Yemen's war, Rouhani said, according to IRNA.

"If there was no American protection, would the people of Yemen still have faced the same brutal bombing?" Rouhani said.

Rouhani also called on Turkey's government to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder.

Meanwhile, Turkish intelligence has shared "all the evidence" over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with the CIA chief during a visit, pro-government media reported on Wednesday.

CIA Director Gina Haspel visited the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday for talks with officials about the killing of Washington Post contributor Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate.

Video images and audio tapes as well as evidence gathered from the consulate and the consul's residence were shared with Haspel during the briefing at the Turkish Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Sabah newspaper reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stopped short of pointing the blame at the Saudi leadership for the death of the Saudi insider-turned-critic.

But he said in a keynote speech on Tuesday that the murder was meticulously planned, demanding that all those involved brought to justice.

The whereabouts of Khashoggi's corpse still remain unknown.

The 59-year-old vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi mission to obtain documents for his wedding.
Berlin-based managedhosting.de has earned a reputation as an innovative partner for service providers, software developers, e-commerce companies, portal operators, and enterprise customers across Europe. With a broad range of services based on VMware vSphere, the hosting company was quick to partner with VMware to become Cloud Verified. The Cloud Verified badge indicates to customers that a partner bearing the badge can deliver a service compatible and interoperable with their own environment enabling a more seamless transition to the cloud, saving the customer time and money.

We spoke to Andreas Wolske, managedhosting.des founder and Managing Director about their VMware partnership and unique capabilities.

He recalled his companys early beginnings: We had to sign our first service provider contract by hand on the back of our enterprise license agreement since there werent any service provider agreements back in the day.

Today, managedhosting.de is one of the largest VMware service providers in Germany, relying on VMware to power its entire infrastructure offering. Thats why the Cloud Verified program was an ideal fit. This was an obvious step for us, having now been a VMware partner for over 11 years, Wolske said.

managedhosting.de focuses on e-commerce and SaaS-centric companies that dont fit into any one vertical market, but who are looking for specialized services or have complex deployment needs.

We do a lot more than IaaS, and in most cases, customers have networking distributed system issues, Wolske explained. We advise customers how to architect software and middleware to meet their requirements, often designing infrastructure, network layer, storage concepts and backups  all the things they need to run their applications in a safe and successful way without worrying about the administrative headaches.

Wolske sees the adoption of cloud-native apps as a factor driving many companies to migrate their VMware workloads into the public cloud. managedhosting.de is often called on to help migrate legacy Java stacks, helping clients transform to horizontal scaling container technologies as well. Were helping our customers learn these new technologies, especially when they realize its harder than it looks, Wolske said.

managedhosting.des three datacenters are in Berlin, Leipzig, and Dresden, and those three make up an infrastructure footprint that support fully fail-tolerant clustering. Customers across all of Europe, especially e-commerce companies, are security and compliance focused, Wolske said. Germanys regulations are some of the strongest in Europe, and having data residing here gives our customers a higher level of comfort.

Wolske is proud of the simplicity of working with managedhosting.de. It can be very difficult to get a grasp on all the services AWS or Azure offer. You have to read tons of pages of fine print, and there are hard-to-understand billing models or QoS offerings that just arent very transparent to the customers, he said. Also, if you need integrated APIs or dont know what your VLAN is, you can have a hard time with Amazon or Microsoft hosting. We do workshops and we consult with our customers to re-architect their solution for the public cloud before we roll it out, to help ensure success from the start.

Ultimately, it comes down to service, and managedhosting.de delivers exactly what each client needs. Just tell us what you want, and we will get it into the cloud for you. Since we rely on VMware, we can deliver transparent SLAs, and even provide SLAs for storage throughput in IOPS, where the big providers will only quote you a per-gigabyte price, Wolske said.

Click here to learn more about managedhosting.des VMware partnership.
Saudi crown prince to address investment forum amid Khashoggi furore

Reuters, Riyadh :

Saudi Arabia's crown prince is expected to address an investment forum on Wednesday that has been overshadowed by the outcry over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a day after Turkey urged Riyadh to search "top to bottom" for those responsible.

The kingdom has come under increasing pressure in the crisis that has strained its ties with key Western allies. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities had staged the "worst cover-up ever" in Khashoggi's death as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of the Saudi suspects.

Dozens of Western politicians, top world bankers and company executives boycotted this year's Future Investment Initiative conference that opened in Riyadh on Tuesday, but the world's largest oil exporter showed it could still do business by signing deals worth US$50 billion on the first day.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler and architect of its reform drive, had briefly appeared at the venue, declaring the event as "great - more people more money", but did not address the conference. Saudi Arabia's Crown

Prince Mohammed bin Salman poses for a selfie during the Future Investment Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. - Reuters

The prince, known as MbS, arrived after attending a meeting at which his father and strongest supporter King Salman received members of Khashoggi's family, including his son Salah. State news agency SPA published pictures of the meeting, including one of the crown prince shaking hands with Salah, who seemed ill at ease.

MbS is scheduled to speak in a panel in the late afternoon on Wednesday. The prince told Bloomberg earlier this month that Riyadh would announce an "amazing deal" at FII this year, where the mood has been subdued compared to the 2017 inaugural event.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, vanished after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2. After Riyadh first denied any involvement in his disappearance, a Saudi official eventually attributed the death to a chokehold. Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggi's death on rogue operatives, calling the operation a planned, "savage killing", and demanded Riyadh punish those responsible, no matter how highly placed.

The diplomatic car of Saudi consulate which was being search by forensic police officers leaves as part of investigations in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. - AFP

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggi's murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking U.S. visas. Despite the boycott by big hitters, including in Wall Street, of the investment conference, some senior international bankers were in Riyadh in a sign that global banks were reluctant to walk away from lucrative Saudi deals. US President Donald J. Trump (centre) speaks to the media before meeting with senior military advisors in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA. EPA

Saudi finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, met the chief executive of HSBC's global banking and markets' unit and the deputy chairman of Japan's biggest lender MUFG to discuss investment opportunities, the ministry said in Twitter posts. Russia sent a large delegation to FII led by Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev. He said on Tuesday that while Khashoggi's killing needed to be investigated and the culprits punished, the Saudi drive for economic and social reforms could not be ignored.


Reports of abuse and harassment at Oxfam GB almost doubled in its most recent financial year, with a surge recorded after the Haiti scandal was revealed.

According to Oxfams recently published annual report and accounts, the charitys safeguarding team received 155 reports in the year to March 2018, compared with 87 during the previous year.

Some 66 of these reports related to Oxfam GBs international programmes, while 69 related to its trading division and 20 to other Oxfam GB divisions or partner organisations in the UK.

The charity has opened internal investigations into 111 of the 155 reports. It decided not to fully investigate 23, and it provided support or counselling to the others.

Of the 111 investigations, 40 have been completed, with 23 of the allegations upheld or partially upheld, resulting in disciplinary action ranging from written warning to termination.

A number of the reports were the subject of investigation by the police. The remaining investigations are ongoing.

The charity received 73 reports between 10 February and 31 March 2018 after it appealed for those who have experienced abuse and harassment to contact its safeguarding team.

These reports included historic cases dating as far back as 1992.

Mark Goldring, Oxfams outgoing chief executive, said in his foreword to the accounts: The publicity we received in February led to an increase in the number of people reporting abuse.

I am grateful to all of those who have come forward and it is important that they feel able to do so.

We will investigate their allegations carefully and thoroughly, and wherever misconduct is found we will take decisive and appropriate action.

Income

Oxfam GBs income grew to its highest ever level of 427.2m in 2017/18, a five per cent increase on the previous year.

This increase was despite a 14.7m drop, 11 per cent, in donations and legacies, which included 8.4m that the charity received from the Department for International Development in 2016/17 but not in 2017/18.

The overall rise is driven by an increase of 27.1m in income from Oxfam GBs affiliates, includes big increases in money from Oxfam Novib (The Netherlands) and Oxfam Germany.

As revelations about the 2011 Haiti safeguarding case emerged in the final weeks of the financial year, the charity said the full impact upon Oxfam GBs income is not yet clear.

Goldring said: From February, we felt the impact of some supporters cancelling their contributions, while many institutional donors froze existing or new funding.

Although most of these institutions have now resumed funding after conducting their own audits, there has been an inevitable and continuing effect on our capacity to carry out vital work.

Wherever possible, we have sought to limit the impact on frontline programmes  the recent redundancies, beyond the timeframe of this annual report, have been a painful but important part of that effort.

Meanwhile, the charitys expenditure also increased by 9 per cent to 438.7m from 402.6m the previous year, also due to an increase in spend on charitable activities.

These charitable activities includes an increase in grants made to Oxfam GBs affiliates by 11.5m, including a large increase in funding to Oxfam Novib.

Overall, the charity made a 11.9m net deficit, compared to a 6.4m surplus in the previous year.

Staff

Oxfam GBs average full-time equivalent headcount during 2017/18 was 4,747, compared to 4,986 the previous year. It spent 1.2m on redundancies, down from 2.6m the previous year.

However, the charity says it actually grew its headcount by 3.8 per cent during the year, with 5,274 employed staff as at 31 March 2018.

The charity says its increase in staff numbers during 2017/18 was primarily due to its recruitment of a significant number of new deputy shop managers and to organisational changes relating to the new Oxfam 2020 structure.

It is likely that the charity's staff numbers will decline in next year's accounts as Goldring announced in May that 100 UK staff members would be made redundant following the Haiti scandal.

Fraud

In 2017/18, Oxfam recorded a loss of 1,044,000 through fraud  0.24 per cent of its total income  compared to 547,000 the previous year, or 0.13 per cent of total income.

The charity attributes this rise to improvements in the nature and reach of anti-fraud awareness as well as the fact the charity is responding to so many emergencies across the world.

Recorded suspicions of fraud and corruption rose by 18 per cent on the previous year, from 296 cases to 348 this year.

Not all of these cases were proven, but all were responded to by Oxfam or passed to the relevant authorities.

Civil Society Media's first State of the Sector event takes place next month and will focus on safeguarding. For more information and to book click here.
Oxfam has won the large charity category at this years Charities Against Fraud Awards, for the work of its anti-corruption team in tackling fraud and corruption in the UK and across its global operations.

Speaking at the awards event on Monday night, Karen Thompson, partner at accountancy firm Moore Stephens, which helped to organise and judge the awards as part of Charity Fraud Awareness Week, said: In what has been a challenging year for Oxfam GB, its anti-corruption team have continued to work tirelessly in their efforts to tackle theft, fraud, bribery, nepotism, money laundering and terror financing in the UK and across its global operations.

Comprising eight staff split across four country bases, the team led the delivery of the four strands of Oxfams anti-corruption strategy; deterrence, prevention, detection and response.

Thompson said Oxfams entry demonstrated the breadth of their international engagement and application of a core strategy, driven by a very small number of UK staff. The volume of workshops and staff reached and trained over the last year is fantastic and its commendable that the counter-fraud function has been embedded in the investigations teams as part of their holistic, international strategy.

It was also notable, she said, that the team ran a major cyber-awareness campaign on the back of Fraud Awareness Week 2017 and have worked hard to tackle individual elements of fraud risk  particularly conflict of interest and nepotism - via a global training package, with support from the HR function.

Using capacity-building visits, facilitating close working with peer organisations, undertaking a fraud survey and engaging a network of 45 counter-fraud champions, Oxfam has demonstrated its commitment, skill and professionalism in corruption deterrence and prevention, with many initiatives that can be taken forward by other charities.

Oxfam's Raoul Seth, fraud prevention & analysis lead, said that the charity's investigations team had continued to do great work this year, despite the pressures the organisation has been under, and counter-fraud and corruption training had taken place in many overseas territories.

Daniel Kowalczuk, fraud and loss prevention advisor, added that at a domestic level, the training division had worked hard to reach the charity's 635 stores around the country.

Small charity category winner

The small charity category was won by Colchester Foodbank, for the way it reviewed and improved its financial controls after suffering a number of unauthorised withdrawals from its bank account.

Under the guidance of its new chief officer Michael Beckett, who joined in September 2017, the charity reviewed its policies, procedures and practices and undertook a volunteer survey to identify risks. Since then, cash-handling has been improved and donors are encouraged to make financial contributions by Direct Debit or BACS whenever possible.

The Foodbank now operates within an agreed budget and any departures from budget are authorised by the trustees. Financial transactions are overseen by the treasurer, chair and chief officer and performance is monitored monthly by the trustees by means of a detailed financial statement.

The charity has also adopted a do it all but do it better strategy which includes a twice-weekly review of all transactions. This process allows any unexpected withdrawals to be immediately investigated and funds reinstated by the bank. Funds surplus to immediate operational needs are transferred to a deposit account, for which access is extremely limited and tightly controlled.

This means the charity can continue to publicise its bank details on publicity materials and receive donations direct, without incurring fees  an important element of its fundraising processes.

Caroline Beckett, trustee at Colchester Foodbank, said a key part of the success of the review was the training of volunteers to know what good practice looks like. Rather than focusing on what can actually go wrong and panicking everybody, if we just get people to recognise what good practice looks like, then they can spot when there are deviations from that, she said.

Charity Fraud Awareness Week is a global event, involving more than 40 charities, regulators and professional bodies. This year's week focuses on cyber security. The Charity Commission and Fraud Advisory Panel have created a number of resources and are holding various events during the week. Find out more at fraudadvisorypanel.org.

NGO Insight takes place on 27 November. Mark Goldring, outgoing chief executive of Oxfam will be giving the keynote For more information, and to book, click here
The technology that powers cryptocurrency, called blockchain, has captured the attention of newsrooms in dire need of better business models, even as societies debate the value of currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Last week, a group of technologists, journalists, legal experts, and academics gathered at the Brown Institute and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism for a series of discussions about what blockchains uses in journalism have taught us about this trendy new technology, and what it may hold for the media industry of the future.

Many in the industry see blockchains unusual propertiesdecentralization, instant verification and resistance to modification of data as a set of potential solutions to the medias woes, and some have even launched blockchain-based journalistic endeavors to put theories to test. Such early experimentsothers beyond Civil include AdChain and Po.ethave been met with varying degrees of success; they also revealed new problems and concerns.

READ: Pressure increases on Bloomberg to verify its China hack story

The panelists included Vivian Schiller, CEO of the Civil Foundation, a blockchain-based media start-up, and Manoush Zomorodi, host of the ZigZag podcast. (Disclosure: Emily Bell, the Tow Centers founding director, sits on the Civil Foundations governing council.) Civil functions as a platform supporting many news publications, ZigZag among them, financed by its own token the CVL, and was a major topic of discussion as well as a panelist.

Other practitioners on the days panels were Salah Zalatimo, head of Product & Tech team at Forbes Media, which recently started to publish on Civil, Mike Goldin, founder of AdChain, a register where users vote entries up or down with digital tokens, and Jarrod Dicker, CEO of Po.et, a token-based publishing platform. Also in the discussion were industry observers, critics and academic researchers such as Nellie Bowles of The New York Times, Eran Tromer of Columbia University, Paul Ford of Postlight, and media and IP law expert Alexia Bedat of Klaris Law.

The news industry faces two buckets of crises todaydeclining public trust and financial sustainability, and blockchain can help address both of them, said Vivian Schiller. Many of blockchains propertiesopenness, decentralization, and the difficulty of modifying existing dataare foundational to a healthy media environment.

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In theory, a network of public, cryptographically signed, identical blocks of data would allow journalists to authenticate content, to promote premium content, to give users ownership of data that might be used to show them advertising, and to responsibly publish and unpublish. This enticing prospect attracts both young journalists and seasoned media practitioners to various blockchain-based media initiatives. In practice, three main challenges have emerged, the panelists agreed:

ICYMI: The clause freelance writers should fight to remove from their contracts

First, blockchain technology carries a stigma for being closely associated with the volatile value and reputation of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. People hear blockchain, they think get-rich-quick schemes, said Schiller. The fact that tokens may become targets of speculation exacerbates this problem.

Second, it remains difficult to communicate the basic facts about this abstract technology to a wider audience and convince them that it is germane to their daily lives. Panelist Manoush Zomorodi, host of the podcast ZigZag (one of the newsrooms that run on Civil), created the podcast to contribute to this effort. Zomorodi said all blockchain-based journalists must think like entrepreneurs. As a journalist, you cant work and go home anymore, she said.

(one of the newsrooms that run on Civil), created the podcast to contribute to this effort. Zomorodi said all blockchain-based journalists must think like entrepreneurs. As a journalist, you cant work and go home anymore, she said. The last challenge is that many products and product launches are flawed due to poor product design. Unnecessary complications in any system can lead to low participation rate: Civil failed to meet its pre-set target of $8 million earlier that week. Nieman Labs John Keefe calculated that it takes 44 steps to purchase CVC, the token that powers Civil. Mike Goldin, founder of AdChain, a blockchain-based advertising protocol, said that early experiments have taught him that early buyers of cryptographic tokens often prove to be speculators. He suggested an alternative to an initial coin offering or ICO: Its better to identify who are the valuable members of the community and give them tokens for free, said Goldin.

While the panelists were generally optimistic about blockchains potential to improve public trust in journalism, they also wondered whether the journalism industry had too hopeful a view of the blockchain-based future. Paul Ford, CEO of media software developer Postlight, who has written extensively on blockchain, compared it to the early days of the internet: The whole thing is a giant under-construction GIF, he said.

Panelists and audience members also raised concerns specific to blockchain, such as security threats enabled by even more advanced tools including quantum computing, though Ford suggested that something else will get us before quantum computing does. There are also new inequalities that may arise as result of uneven distribution of tokensa problem exacerbated by speculation, and one that Civil has tried to address in its distribution scheme. Ultimately, the panel said, the fate of blockchain journalism may hang on on whether the community of journalists keeps asking the hard questions about how to ensure that blockchain-based journalism serves and informs the publicand that control of the technology doesnt fall into hands of the few.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mia Shuang Li is formerly a Beijing-based Chinese reporter and a researcher for the Beijing Bureau of the New York Times from 2011 to 2016. She is currently pursuing a masters degree at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Gage Countys insurance policies from a risk-sharing pool of companies dont cover $28.1 million that a jury awarded to six people who were wrongfully convicted in the 1985 rape and killing of a woman, a judge ruled.

Judge Jodi Nelson, of Lancaster County District Court, dismissed the countys claim earlier this month, saying Gage County officials acted wrongly before the policies went into effect, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

The 2016 verdict was awarded to the so-called Beatrice Six for their wrongful convictions in the 1985 rape and killing of a 68-year-old Beatrice resident, Helen Wilson. They spent more than 75 years, combined, in prison before DNA evidence cleared them in 2008. Wilsons death has since been linked to a former Beatrice resident who died in 1992.

The six alleged in a lawsuit that law enforcement officials recklessly pushed to close the case despite contradictory evidence and coerced false confessions.

After the 2016 verdict, attorneys for the county sued the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, a risk-sharing pool that offers insurance to most counties in the state. It began covering Gage County in 1997. Employers Mutual Casualty carried the countys insurance from Feb. 2, 1989, until Feb. 2, 1990.

The county argued that the triggering incidents by county officials occurred after the March and April 1989 arrests of the six and after the Aug. 2, 1989, date the policies took effect.

Last week, the judge ruled that Westport Insurance, American Alternative Insurance, United National Insurance and Travelers Indemnity  companies that contracted with Gage County through the risk management association  werent responsible for paying the judgment.

The Beatrice Six were injured when Gage Countys employees charged and arrested them, Nelson wrote. This occurrence  an event resulting in damage  involved acts, errors, or omissions of Gage Countys employees.

In July a federal appeals court upheld the jury award. County officials still hope the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn it, but the county board approved a plan last month to raise taxes to help pay the award.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Arkansas highest court on Thursday ordered election officials to not count votes for a proposal to limit damages awarded in civil lawsuits and rejected an effort to block an initiative to raise the states minimum wage.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on the two ballot measures days before early voting begins for the Nov. 6 midterm election. Justices upheld a state judges ruling that the ballot measure limiting civil lawsuit damages unconstitutionally combined separate proposals. The measure also would have given the Legislature control over court rules in the state.

The actual text of (the ballot measure) itself, even by a generous reading, institutes at least seven individual numerated changes or additions to the constitution that would significantly alter the status quo, Justice Jo Hart wrote in the courts 6-1 ruling .

Justices unanimously rejected a separate lawsuit trying to disqualify the proposal to gradually raise Arkansas minimum wage from $8.50 an hour to $11 by 2021. Opponents of the proposal, which had included the state Chamber of Commerce, had challenged some of the signatures submitted for the initiative as invalid.

The ballot measure blocked by the court would have capped civil damages at $500,000 for noneconomic losses, such as pain and psychological distress. It would cap punitive damages at $500,000 or three times the amount of compensatory damages awarded, whichever is higher. It also would cap attorneys contingency fees at one-third of the net amount recovered.

We see this as a win for the people of the state of Arkansas, that the constitution has meaning and it supports peoples rights, said Jeff Priebe, an attorney for the retired judge challenging the measure.

Arkansas majority-Republican Legislature last year voted to send voters the measure, an effort backed by business groups to reinstate legal caps that have been chipped away over the years by court rulings.

This very ruling demonstrates the need for the reforms contained in Issue 1 that seek to restore the balance among our branches of government, Carl Vogelpohl, campaign manager for Arkansans for Jobs and Justice, the group behind the measure.

Supporters and opponents of the measure had spent more than $4.6 million combined on the campaign, with a flood of TV ads running throughout Arkansas. The proposal had faced surprising opposition from some Christian conservatives, including a group that rallied churches and abortion opponents against the measure.

Supporters of the wage hike said they planned to ramp up their advertising campaign now that the proposal cleared the legal challenge.

Weve been holding back and being very conservative up until this point in time because you dont want to spend a lot money and be taken off the ballot, said David Couch, the attorney for the wage hike campaign.

Arkansas minimum wage is higher than its surrounding states, though a wage increase is also on Missouris ballot next month.

If it passes, this measure will be detrimental to our states economy, costing Arkansas jobs, increasing prices for Arkansas consumers, and ultimately hurting many Arkansas workers, Randy Zook, president of the state Chamber of Commerce, said.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on a lawsuit challenging another ballot measure that would impose the strictest term limits in the country on Arkansas legislators. The court last week rejected a challenge to a casino legalization measure.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A survey of Big Island farmers has found that they suffered nearly $28 million in damages because of the months-long eruption earlier this year of the Kilauea volcano, the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported.

The survey of 46 farmers by University of Hawaiis College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources found they collectively lost an estimated $27.9 million in destroyed property, the newspaper reported.

Of the total damages reported, nearly two thirds  $17 million  was damage to crops, while destroyed land, buildings and inventory accounted for $4.1 million, $3.3 million and $3 million in losses, respectively, the Herald Tribune reported.

The survey found that $13.3 million of the reported damages were from the floriculture industry, with another $6.5 from the papaya industry and $2.5 from the macadamia nut industry.

The Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association, which requested the University conduct the survey, advised that the data from the survey is not all-inclusive but provides a snapshot of how devastating the eruption was for the islands agricultural industries.

Eric Tanouye, president of the Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association, told the newspaper that the Kapoho region, now mostly buried in lava, had ideal conditions for orchid growers. After the eruption, Tanouye estimated that 10 percent of the Associations roughly 300 statewide members had been affected.

Even though Tanouye said some new nurseries are beginning to see new growth, it can take up to two years to grow an orchid from seed into a plant that can be sold under ideal conditions. The farmers starting out fresh will have no cash flow during that period.

Its a big decision for anyone to choose to go back into debt, Tanouye said. Every farmer is going to have to make that ultimate decision themselves.

The loss of equipment, land viability and inventory for the affected industries has left their future in doubt.

Its hard to put into dollars and cents, said Eric Wienert, president of the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Southern California Gas Co. on Monday agreed to pay $46 million to settle a lawsuit by a motorcyclist who was struck and badly injured by a company driver who suffered an epileptic seizure.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Jason Lo was stopped at a red light in suburban Hawthorne on Feb. 13, 2017, when a SoCal Gas pickup truck struck him from behind. Lo and his motorcycle were wedged under the truck and dragged for more than 430 feet (131 meters), police said.

Other drivers stopped and surrounded the pickup to get the driver to stop as he headed toward a freeway onramp.

Dominick Consolazio, 50, of Hawthorne, later pleaded guilty to hit-and-run driving.

Lo, who was 30 at the time, worked at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo and had been married for about six months.

He nearly lost his right leg, did lose about 40 percent of his blood, underwent several surgeries and faces more operations in the future, his lawyers said.

Amputation of his right leg remains a threat that must be monitored for life, according to a statement from the legal firm that represented Lo and his wife, who are expecting their first child.

The winner in this case is the civil justice system, which again proved that disputes can be resolved by 12 members of the community. The Lo family will live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives, attorney Brian Panish said in the statement.

Consolazio had suffered previous epileptic seizures and despite taking medication, he could get them without warning at any time, Panish said.

His doctor had warned him not to drive, according to the lawsuit.

Consolazios drivers license was suspended in 2012. He eventually returned to his job, but he continued to have seizures, including one that occurred at work, Panish said.

SoCal Gas certainly knew about Consolazios condition but failed to take action, Panish said.

SoCalGas took responsibility very early in the litigation process and admitted liability for our drivers actions because they occurred during the course and scope of his employment, the utility said in a statement. We respect the jurys role in deciding the verdict and extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Lo and his family for the injuries and hardship they have endured.

During the 27-day trial, the defense argued for a smaller award of about $9 million. But on Friday, a Los Angeles County jury awarded Lo and his wife nearly $41.9 million in compensatory damages. The panel also considered punitive damages, which typically are much higher than compensatory damages.

However, the $46 million settlement ends the case before a verdict on a punitive damages award was announced.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio - The financial outlook for Akron Public Schools for the next five years is stable, according to a forecast released this week. But the district is forecasting a $1.8 million shortfall in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

District-wide consolidation of schools has saved about $5 million in operating expenses over the past three to four years, Ryan Pendleton, the district's chief financial officer, told cleveland.com on Tuesday.

The recent consolidation of the district's administrative offices has contributed to those savings, as well, said Superintendent David W. James in a news release.

The district expects to save as much as $1.3 million a year by moving its administrative team from two sites into the former SummaCare building, Ten North Main, at West Market and North Main streets.

"Had we not actively managed the district's footprint as well as we have, we would have depleted our reserves much sooner," James stated. "Our approach has given us many more years and extended the life, if you will, of those funds that came to us from the levy passed in 2012."

A supplemental health insurance plan launched in January is expected to save money as well, Pendleton said

The district pays about $50 million per year for health care, with rate increases averaging 10 percent or $5 million per year. The district hopes offering high-quality care, in which physicians spend longer with patients and are more accessible, will offset rate increases as patients require fewer visits to the ER and with specialists, he said.

"It's cutting out some of the immediate high-cost care that is often the only option for people today," Pendleton said.

Contrary to what some people think, initiatives such as the LeBron James Family Foundation's I Promise School, the move to College & Career Academies and the 1:World project, which provides laptops to students, have not cost the district more money, Pendleton said.

The district can pay for such initiatives through savings from elsewhere in the budget, he said. For the past three to four years, despite projecting a slight deficit, the district has operated with a balanced budget, he said.

"Even through our new initiatives, we haven't budged on our budget," Pendleton said.

As for challenges, weak property values across the district remain a worry, because they make the district more dependent on state funding, Pendleton said.

But charter school enrollment in Ohio is beginning to decline. In the past, the district has had to pay the state as much as $33 million for students educated outside the public school system, Pendleton said.

Today, the Akron school district sees about 2,500 students going to charter schools as opposed to the 3,000 students that once attended them.

Overall enrollment in Akron schools has leveled off after years of decline, he said.

Conversions about other cost-cutting measures and possible levies will begin prior to the 2019-2020 fiscal year, he said.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The nation's electrical grid worked well for 80 years without the Internet, but today it is as vulnerable to cyber-based missteps and attacks as it was during the Great Blackout of 2003, says a national engineering security expert.

This vulnerability cannot be protected by software engineers, Joseph Weiss, an electrical engineer and managing partner of California-based Applied Control Solutions, told a conference of security experts gathered at the IX Center on Tuesday.

Weiss, a 40-year veteran mechanical and computer systems engineer including 15 years with the Electric Power Research Institute, has assisted congressional committees in trying to figure out how to harden the national gird and is currently helping the Nuclear Regulatory Commission develop new rules for power plant security.

Joseph Weiss

He blames Information Technology, or IT, engineers for the failure to develop engineering to protect the grid as well as pipelines, power plants, water systems and chemical plants.Jose

"Before 9/11 cyber was a business problem. Following 9/11 cyber was given to IT," Weiss told his audience of engineers attending EnergyTech18. On the other side of the building, another audience listened to IT experts at the 16th Information Security Summit, a split that Weiss later said exemplified his point.

"People who operate pumps, valves, and similar equipment are not responsible for cyber," he told his audience. "It's network people who have never seen a pump, a valve or a turbine," he said. "There is no security in any sensor. How can you be safe if you cannot trust your sensors?"

In other words, trying to solve the problem of grid and pipeline vulnerability from a network point of view cannot work. A solution has to start with the valves, switches and sensors themselves, hundreds of millions of them, many manufactured years before cyber was even a concept.

"If you are monitoring something, it's KISS -- 'keep it simple, stupid,' [a cherished engineering principle]. Cyber security makes control systems more complex, and less reliable," he said.

Weiss counted off a number of incidents, including the San Bruno pipeline explosion in 2010, the San Bernardino, California, gasoline pipeline explosion of 1989, the Columbia Gas pipeline explosions in Massachusetts in September, the Homeland Security disclosures of Russian cyber agents that had invaded power plant control rooms, and the GPS hacking of Navy warships -- as examples of the network vulnerability.

The U.S./Israeli attack on Iranian centrifuges used to make bomb-grade uranium is another example of something that IT system sensors never caught he said, but that sensor technology in the centrifuges would have detected.

Weiss said technologies that monitor actual sensors in electrical or pipeline systems are now only at the "proof of concept" stage, having been tested at power plants, a gas turbine power plant, a water treatment plant and a waste water treatment plant among other systems.

In an interview Weiss explained his dramatic approach this way:

"I am saying I can bring down the grid for nine to 18 months [by damaging critical equipment]. I am saying the utilities have chosen not to put in mitigation equipment.

"This vulnerability is especially a concern because much of the grid equipment supports ... legacy communications protocols that were designed without security in mind," he said, "which means any attacker that can communicate with the device can control it and use its vulnerability to destroy it."
Prince, Erdogan escalate battle over Khashoggi killing

Middle East Eye, Istanbul :

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey swept into Ankara's wood-paneled Parliament on Tuesday to level his most direct attack yet against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, accusing his government of planning the "savage murder" and mutilation of the dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Hours later, Prince Mohammed bounded into the gilded conference hall of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh to a standing ovation from scores of oil executives, bankers and other businessmen who had risked association with scandal over the killing of Mr. Khashoggi for a chance to profit from the kingdom's vast wealth.

"More people, more money," the crown prince told reporters, pronouncing the event a success despite the withdrawal of dozens of speakers and the pleas of many businessmen for him to spare them embarrassment by calling it off. Their competing stage shows on Tuesday were the latest salvos in an increasingly high-stakes battle that no longer appears to leave either one room for retreat, pitting against each other two American allies who have each aspired to be the leader of their region.

In Washington, President Trump made his strongest criticism yet of his Saudi ally. He pronounced the latest official Saudi account of Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance - that he was strangled to death by accident during an attempt to persuade him to come home - "the worst cover-up ever."


CLEVELAND, Ohio  Attorneys representing Cleveland, Akron and their respective counties said Wednesday that they had no intention of proving at trial next year that any specific opioid prescription was wrongly put in the hands of patients who became addicted.

Rather, they intend to prove that the marketing practices and suspicious shipments of opioids by certain drug companies led to the public-health crisis as a whole, known as the legal theory of aggregate proof, the attorneys said.

The declaration was made in response to a request by drug companies to the cities of Cleveland and Akron and Cuyahoga and Summit counties to identify opioid prescriptions by doctors that they believe shouldnt have been prescribed, why the doctors wrote them and who was harmed as a result. The companies say the governments refused to provide the requested information.

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster ordered attorneys for the governments to respond to the inquiries, made by companies like Purdue Pharma and CVS. He wrote in an Oct. 16 order that the governments must provide information in response to the requests or declare they will not argue at trial that any specific prescriptions were unauthorized, medically unnecessary, ineffective, or harmful.

The lawyers for the governments chose the latter, relying on broader arguments. Their filing says all prescriptions in the two counties were influenced by deceptive marketing practices.

Katie Gommel, a spokeswoman for the lead committee for the governments' lawyers, said identifying specific prescriptions could cause issues with patient privacy. Those concerns factored into the attorneys decision to make broader arguments at trial, which is scheduled for September 2019.

Each incident of addiction, overdose, and death represents a loss that is tragic and personal, that cannot be conveyed in a spreadsheet of any length, and that is entitled to privacy, the governments filing states.

The lawsuits, which now total more than 1,000, say drug manufacturers overstated the benefits and downplayed the risks of addiction when treating pain with opioids, and that distributors failed to properly monitor suspicious orders of painkillers. Among the companies being sued are Ohio-based Cardinal Health.

Drug companies have argued against multiple lawsuits by saying prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin have legitimate medical uses approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They have also said they are committed to ensuring prescription painkillers are used properly.

The Ohio cases are set to be the first in a series of "bellwether trials," or test cases that give attorneys an idea of how future cases may play out, be it through a judge's decision, a jury verdict or a settlement. The cases are generally chosen because they are similar and representative of other lawsuits filed in what is known as multi-district litigation.

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster was appointed by a federal panel last year to preside over the cases, which are mostly filed by local and state governments.

A federal judge since 1998, Polster has shown a proclivity to settle all manners of litigation without a trial. He made his intentions known at the first hearing for the opioid litigation in January, saying his goal was to craft a global resolution to resolve the suits in front of him and ones being heard in state courts.

Settlement talks have continued, including some held Wednesday in the federal courthouse in Cleveland. However, attorneys on both sides are preparing for trial.

Attorneys for drugmakers said in a court filing this month that they had produced more than 68 million pages of documents in response to the governments discovery requests.

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Ruiz recommended earlier this month that Polster let the majority of the claims made by the local governments be litigated. Polster has not yet decided whether to accept the recommendation.

Click here to read the filing on a mobile device.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  The Ohio Supreme Court will decide the fate of two men who want to back out of their 2016 guilty pleas where they stood accused of setting a house fire in Parma that injured two men.

The court announced Wednesday that it had accepted an appeal by Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office of an lower courts ruling in favor Shawn Miller and William Looby.

Both men pleaded guilty in November 2016 to aggravated arson and felonious assault charges that accused them of using gasoline and road flares to light the fire that engulfed an occupied State Road home.

The men were sentenced to eight years in prison.

Lawyers representing Miller and Looby on appeal argued that Common Pleas Court Judge Burnside did not explicitly advise them that they were waiving their Constitutional right to trial and to confront witnesses against them when they pleaded guilty.

A transcript from Miller and Loobys plea hearings showed that Burnside told them they had those rights, but did not come out and say that they were giving them up by admitting guilt.

A three-judge panel at the 8th District Court of Appeals sided 2-1 with Miller and Looby. They wrote in their opinion that judges are required to explicitly tell defendants they are giving up their rights when pleading guilty.

The judges wiped away the guilty pleas and sentences of both Miller and Looby and sent the case back to Burnside.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalleys office appealed that ruling to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing that the pleas should stand because the judge laid out the mens rights and both said they understood they had them before they pleaded guilty.

To comment on this story, please visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Supreme Court will not consider reinstating a $22 million verdict a jury awarded to a man who was beaten and locked for days in a closet at the East Cleveland Police Department.

The court announced on Wednesday that it does not have jurisdiction to take up Arnold Blacks challenge to an Eighth District Court of Appeals' ruling that tossed the verdict and sent the case back to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for a new trial.

Blacks case was featured in the sixth episode of Serials third season.

Black sued the department after his 2012 arrest after a traffic stop. He claimed that Sgt. Randy Hicks, then a detective, punched him in the face and locked him in a storage room that the department used as a holding cell

Black said he spent several days locked in the room with no toilet, forcing him to urinate in a locker.

On his second day in the closet, an officer allowed Black to use his cellphone to call his girlfriend, Black said. But when the girlfriend came to the police department and asked to see him, she was told Black was under investigation and you cant see people that are under investigation," the lawsuit said.

He wasnt booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail until five days later.

Prosecutors dropped the drug charges against Black a month later.

In the run up to the civil trial, East Clevelands law department did not respond to any requests from Blacks lawyers for evidence it planned to present to jurors in the citys defense, court records show. A judge ruled that the move violated the rules of discovery and barred East Cleveland from presenting any evidence at trial.

Hicks, who resigned from the department after the incident came to light, was the only person from East Cleveland to testify, and he testified on behalf of Black. He said that he was following standard practice in the department and corroborated much of the lawsuits claims.

The portion of the police dashboard camera video showing Hicks punching Black was missing when the department handed it over to Black in the run-up to trial. The lawsuit claimed that the officers deliberately edited that portion out.

The jury awarded Black $10 million in compensatory damages and $12 million in punitive damages.

To comment on this story, please visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  An age-progression photograph released Wednesday depicts a man with ties to Cleveland who escaped from an Ohio prison more than 30 years ago.

George Lambert, who would now be 63 years old, has been missing since he escaped Aug. 28, 1987 from the Orient Correctional Institution in Pickaway County, the Ohio Attorney Generals Office said in a news release.

Lambert was in prison after a Cuyahoga County judge sentenced him to six to 25 years for aggravated robbery and felonious assault on a police officer.

The Attorney Generals Office did not release any more details about those crimes or Lamberts escape from prison.

An Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation forensic artist created the age-progression photograph, which authorities released in hopes of obtaining new leads on Lamberts whereabouts.

Lambert is 5-feet 9-inches tall and has blue eyes. He had brown hair when he escaped from prison, but it might be gray now, the news release says.

Lambert has ties to Cleveland and Florida, and might be using a different name now, the Attorney Generals Office said.

Reward money is available to anyone with information leading to Lamberts arrest. Tipsters can call the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 866-4WANTED, the news release says.

This is the third time the BCI has created an age-progression photograph. The first depicted a Parma woman who has been missing since 1990. The second depicted a Zanesville woman missing since 1985.

To comment on this story, visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio-- In an effort to prevent stillbirths, Ohio is encouraging pregnant women to track fetal movement in the third trimester of pregnancy by counting and tracking kicks and other in utero activity using a free app.

With $50,000 and materials from Iowa-Based Count the Kicks, a non-profit started by mothers who lost babies to stillbirth, the Ohio Department of Health has started sending letters and emails about the program to more than 3,000 healthcare providers. (You can read the provider letter in the window below). It also will offer web-based and in-person training to up to 1,350 maternal-child healthcare workers across the state.

Ohio is the sixth state to provide free access to Count The Kicks promotional materials, joining Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The "Count the Kicks" program was created by five Iowa women who suffered stillbirth and infant loss. The program encourages women in the third trimester of pregnancy to measure how long it takes them to feel 10 kicks and to call a provider if there is a significant change. The program offers a free app, which can be downloaded to smartphones, to help mothers keep track of their results.

In Cuyahoga County, infant mortality initiative First Year Cleveland expressed its support for the program in August, introducing the free app at a meeting on effective strategies to reduce infant death.

Stillbirths, which happen when a baby dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy, are not counted in infant mortality statistics, which only record deaths of live-born babies in the first year of life. Still, First Year Cleveland hopes that increasing education about stillbirth will save lives.

"Count the Kicks is a safe and simple way to help monitor the well-being of a baby," said FYC Executive Director Bernadette Kerrigan. "Using their app every day during the third trimester of a pregnancy to track a baby's movement patterns helps to monitor fetal well-being and is therefore another tool that helps to ensure all our babies celebrate their first birthday."

Stillbirth is surprisingly common: About 24,000 pregnancies end in stillbirth each year in the United States, or about 1 percent of all pregnancies, according to the March of Dimes. That's about as many deaths as babies who are lost to infant mortality. It's also 10 times as many deaths as the number that occur from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kari Davis, the Ohio ambassador for Count The Kicks, lost her daughter Harper at 39 weeks of pregnancy in 2013 to stillbirth. She said she knew little about stillbirth at the time and assumed she was "safe" after her pregnancy progressed past the first trimester, when most miscarriages occur.

"Count The Kicks teaches moms... to speak up if they notice a change in what's normal for their babies," she said. "I know for me, it was my first pregnancy with my daughter and I was afraid to speak up.

"It's devastating," she said. "You go through a birth and you go through a death all at once."

Evidence unclear

There is evidence that stillbirth is often preceded by a period of reduced fetal movement such as kicks, rolls or jabs. Yet it's unclear if counting kicks, or otherwise tracking fetal movement, reduces the rate of stillbirth.

In Iowa, where Count The Kicks was first launched statewide in 2009, stillbirths have since decreased by 26 percent in the state, from 5.74 per 1,000 births in 2008 to 4.3 in 2015.

It's impossible to tell if the reduction is due to use of the kick-counting method or other factors, though.

It's unknown what causes all stillbirths, though common causes include infections, birth defects and pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure during pregnancy. Most stillbirths occur before labor and delivery begins.

Studies of the use of education about fetal movement and movement tracking have shown mixed results.

A 2009 quality improvement project in Norway found that stillbirth rates fell about 2 percent after participating hospitals provided written information to pregnant women about fetal movements and changes or reductions in movement as well as formalized guidelines for doctors on how to respond to reduced fetal movements. Healthcare providers at participating hospitals invited pregnant women to track fetal movements, but it was not a requirement. Stillbirth fell significantly, by nearly half, among women who experienced reduced fetal movements.

A subsequent similar program involving 37 hospitals in the United Kingdom and Ireland showed no significant effect on stillbirth from such an intervention, however. And during the study there was an increase in both the risk of birth by Cesarean section and in the risk of induced labor, or the use of medications to artificially begin contractions. Both are associated with potential risks to pregnant women and their babies.

A 2015 Cochrane review examined five studies comprising more than 71,000 women, and found that rates of stillbirth were similar between those who employed kick counts and those who did not.

"The data is extremely conflicting on whether it's beneficial or not," said Dr. Ellie Ragsdale, director of fetal intervention at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. "I think the thing to take away from it is that it's not harmful to the mom. It's a very inexpensive, non-invasive way to give a snapshot into fetal well-being in the uterus."

One problem with kick counting, Ragsdale said, is that it can sometimes cause undue anxiety. Most women who detect a period of decreased fetal movement and undergo follow-up tests in a doctor's office find there is no problem.

Ragsdale tells her patients to pay attention to the movement of the baby but does not prescribe a certain number of kicks or movements to expect because all women and their pregnancies are different. The only evidence-based way to reduce stillbirth today is with good, regular prenatal care visits, Ragsdale said.

Count The Kicks doesn't provide a "normal" number of kicks over time, either, but instead instructs women to record the amount of time it takes, on a daily basis and at the same time of day, to reach 10 kicks or other movements. Women are encouraged to contact their doctors if the time changes significantly.

Ragsdale agrees that women should feel empowered to speak up if they think there is something amiss during pregnancy: "We're always happy to see and assess a mom when she feels like the baby is not moving as much as she's used to."
EUCLID, Ohio -- More than two-dozen protesters gathered outside Euclid City Hall on Tuesday to denounce the reinstatement of a police officer seen on video hitting a man during a traffic stop, and to call for the firing of another officer named in a civil lawsuit.

The protest came one day after the city of Euclid announced that an arbitrator had reversed the firing of Patrolman Michael Amiott, who was caught on video punching Richard Hubbard III during an Aug. 12, 2017 traffic stop. An arbitrator ruled Monday that Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail did not have cause to fire Amiott.

But protestors at the rally blamed the city of Euclid, rather than the arbitrator, for Amiott's return to duty.

"We are tired of hearing that it is the arbitrator's fault that someone gets hired back, when in reality the city council and the mayor have the authority and the power to implement charges against a rogue police officer," said Cassandra McDonald, the president of the Euclid NAACP branch.

McDonald, activists from Peace In The Hood and Black on Black Crime, and other protestors called on Euclid officials to again fire Amiott, and charge him with a crime in connection with the violent arrest.

Ryan Midday, a spokesman for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley, told cleveland.com last month that a criminal investigation is ongoing.

The independent arbitrator's ruling calls for Amiott to be reinstated within two weeks. Gail said Monday that she disagreed with the arbitrator, but that she will follow through with his decision.

The Euclid NAACP responded by issuing a travel advisory, warning African-Americans not to travel through Euclid.

McDonald said during Tuesday's rally that complaints and concerns against officers should be taken seriously.

"What I would hope to see is that somewhere along the line the chief of police and officers say 'we did mess up along the line and there is room for us to improve,'" she said. "When they can reach that point, it'll be better. Right now, it's a push-and-pull of power. It's not about power."

Protestors also advocated for the firing of another Euclid police officer, James Aoki, named last week in a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who accuses Aoki of assaulting her.

Shajuan Gray's suit accuses Aoki of forcing his way into her apartment and assaulting her. The suit says Aoki pushed Gray against a freezer and exposed her breasts to the officer and neighbors.

Gray, who filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, is seeking an unknown amount of damages.

One of the protesters at Tuesday's rally, Troy Harris, said he feels it's dismaying to see officers escape punishment in use-of-force incidents.

"We're not against police," he said. "We're not against the justice system, but what we are against are these thugs that's hiding behind police badges. That's a problem. That's an issue. ... Michael Amiott is a stain in this community. A stain that can't be removed unless he's out of here."

Harris also brought up a Euclid police officer's fatal shooting of Luke Stewart. A Cuyahoga County grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Matthew Rhodes, the officer who fatally shot Stewart on March 13, 2017.

Amiott had been disciplined before for losing his temper, losing evidence and hitting a suspect with his gun, according to records in his personnel file. The Mentor Police Department allowed Amiott to resign in 2014 after he conducted a traffic stop without probable cause and lied about it, records show.

Watch the full protest below.

At NAACP rally after reinstatement of Euclid Police Officer Michael Amiott, who initially was terminated for excessive force last year. Share your thoughts with Hannah Drown in the comments. Posted by cleveland.com on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

To comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A former police sergeant who has been indicted on four felony counts for reportedly downloading child porn has officially retired, reports say.

Still, former Sgt. Dean Worthington, 51, likely will be able to collect his pension even if he is convicted, 10tv.com reports.

Worthington's pension would be about $55,000 per year. The money could be used to pay restitution toward victims, 10tv.com reports.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Worthington was indicted in July after he was accused of posting and downloading child pornography on the social-networking site Tumblr between January and July.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien says Worthington was downloading child pornography to his personal phone, WCMH Channel 4 reports.

Tumblr reportedly notified authorities about the images.

Worthington had worked with the Columbus Police Department for 22 years before his indictment. He is scheduled to go on trial today, the Dispatch reports.

To comment on this story, visit the crime and courts comments page.
PARMA, Ohio -- A priest was placed on leave by church leaders in Parma after an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor and a false report of an attack.

Fr. Basil Hutsko was placed on administrative leave after a "credible accusation of sexual misconduct involving a minor that allegedly occurred 35 years ago," the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma said in a statement.

Hutsko denies the allegations.

Church leaders and a review board found the accusation to be credible and placed him on administrative leave, rendering him "unable to function in any capacity as a priest anywhere," the statement says.

The Eparchy of Parma also addressed Hutsko's claim that he was attacked, knocked unconscious and beaten Aug. 20 inside a Merrillville, Indiana church.

Hutsko told police the assailant yelled out, "This is for all the little kids," prompting law enforcement to investigate the assault as a hate crime, and investigators to look into Hutsko's own background.

Church leaders say they "recently verified with a member of Father Basil Hutsko's immediate family that the incident Father Basil Hutsko reported on Aug. 20, 2018, did not occur."

After the alleged attack, Bishop Milan Lach learned of a woman who came forward in 2004 saying Hutsko abused her as a child between 1979 and 1983. Lach told the Merrillville parishioners in late August the eparchy's independent review board concluded those allegations were not substantiated due to insufficient evidence.

The eparchy has not elaborated on the nature of the accusations for which Hutsko was put on leave.

In addition to St. Michael in Merrillville, Indiana, Hutsko also previously served at St. Mary in Cleveland, St. Barbara in Dayton, St. Mary in Marblehead and St. Basil in Sterling Heights, Michigan, according to the eparchy's statement.

"The Eparchy of Parma is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse," the statement said. "We are deeply sorry for the pain suffered by survivors of abuse due to actions of some members of the clergy."

Anyone with information, or just those seeking help, can call the Eparchy's Victim Assistance Coordinator at 330-958-9630.

To comment on this story, visit Wednesday's crime and courts comment section.
WAKESHMA TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- A man convicted seven years ago for the murder of his estranged wife finally led authorities to her buried remains, agreeing to show them if they provided Xbox video game systems in prison.

The remains of Venus Stewart were found Monday in a 5-foot-deep hole in a wooded area in Wakeshma Township after Doug Stewart led investigators to the location, mlive.com reports.

Medical anthropologists at Western Michigan University confirmed the identity of the remains.

"He really showed no emotion -- he was pretty matter-of-fact," St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough tells the Detroit Free Press. "He walked the detectives right to where it was and there it was."

The burial site was about 15 minutes from where the home of Venus Stewart's parents, where police believe the murder occurred.

According to mlive, Doug Stewart had denied killing his wife until Oct. 12, when he admitted guilt to authorities.

As part of the deal to lead officials to the body, Michigan Department of Corrections is adding three Xbox consoles to the veterans unit at the Saginaw Correctional Facility, mlive.com reports. Inmates must get permission to use the systems, which will not be connected to the internet, for 30 minutes per day.

Stewart will be allowed to train dogs while in prison and also will teach a class.

"The truth is, without his cooperation and pointing out the location to us, we wouldn't have found it any other way," Michigan State Police Detective First Lt. Chuck Christensen tells mlive.com.

Police Det. Sgt. Todd Petersen tells the Free Press that Stewart can lose his new privileges.

"The minute Doug Stewart doesn't do what he's supposed to as a prisoner ... those things can be taken away by the prison instantly," Petersen said.

To comment on this story, visit the crime and courts comments page.
NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- After recently completing the first phase of the city's new comprehensive sidewalk plan, Mayor Kevin Kennedy said North Olmsted is looking ahead to next year's initiative.

"We had a follow-up meeting on it where we felt it went really well in the first year," Kennedy said. "We learned a lot, and we're going to continue moving forward at a quicker pace."

North Olmsted Director of Planning and Development Kimberly Lieber said that this year, just over 1,500 properties in the city's northwest corner -- north of Lorain Road and west -- were inspected.

"There were 325 properties found to have defects, which was less than we expected," Lieber said. "We had 145 homeowners fix the issue on their own, which left the city taking care of 180 properties."

After a bidding process earlier this year, Precision Paving was awarded the contract. The Milan-based company charged residents roughly $250 per slab, with costs fluctuating depending on tree root or casting issues.

Lieber said the project will annually be bid out.

"The city recently sent out the first round of invoices to residents," Lieber said. "We're going to send out a second round of invoices at the beginning of November. Then those who remain unpaid after that, next year there will be an ordinance introduced to City Council that will put that amount of cost on the property owner's taxes for the following tax bill.

"State law does not mandate that we invoice residents, but we thought we should give residents and property owners voluntary payment options first before we assess their taxes. We've had probably a third so far of the 180 remit payment already," she said.

Regarding next year's second phase of the comprehensive sidewalk plan, Lieber said there are a few tweaks to the project, with inspectors currently surveying more than 2,300 properties across the northern half of North Olmsted, heading east. Residents with violations can expect to receive a letter from the city around the first of the year.

"Anytime you do something for the first time, there are always lessons to be learned," Lieber said. "We noted that probably a lot of sidewalks could have been repaired by residents with leveling or grinding rather than replacement. So we're going to do a better job of getting residents information about contractors that perform that kind of work.

"That way, they can maybe tackle that themselves rather than incur a larger cost of concrete replacement. We also expanded the area we had planned on doing next year to be about 1.5 times the size. The more participants we have in the program, the lower our unit price is when we go out to bid," she said.

Originally estimated to be an eight-year process surveying the city's roughly 11,000 homes, as well as commercial properties, Lieber estimated a year or two could be shaved off that estimate by increasing the number of annual inspections.

As far as resident response, Lieber and Kennedy said it's been generally positive, with homeowners understanding the importance of maintaining and increasing property values.

"If you can fix all of the sidewalks in your neighborhood, that raises the stock of your house," Kennedy said. "So rather than just one person doing it, it takes a whole area of town to do it and really solve the problem."
Rupali Bank wants to issue right shares

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

State-owned Rupali Bank plans to raise its capital base through issuing right shares to comply with the Basel -III guidelines.

The cash-strapped state lender on Sunday made a proposal in this regard in a letter to Md. Ashadul Islam, Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, signed by its Managing Director Md. Ataur Rahman Prodhan

"Rupali Bank wants to raise its capital to Tk 2,500 crore from Tk 700 crore through issuing right shares which is necessary to comply with the Basel-III guidelines," read the letter.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has given directions to all banks to implement Basel-III from January 01, 2015 in phases and fully by January 01, 2019.

As per the guidelines, banks maintained 10 per cent of risk-weighted asset in 2015, and this would gradually go up to 18.88 per cent by 2018 and finally they will maintain 12.50 per in 2019 when full implementation of capital ratios will be executed.

"All the correspondent banks in the country have already moved to raise their capital base in light with the Basel-III guidelines. But Rupali Bank is lagging behind with them due to fresh capital injection," according to the letter.

The letter also says that being a public bank, Rupali is supposed to open letter of credits (LCs) for Petroleum Corporation of Bangladesh, Power Development Board, Food Department, BCIC and many more state firms and the task will be very difficult if the capital base of the bank does not go up in line with BASEL-III guidelines. The bank may not be able to implement the BASEL-III guidelines if the core capital is not raised.

"So, it has intended to raise the core capital through issuing of right shares."

As the bank is listed on capital market, it has to follow the rules of the Bangladesh Security of Exchange Commission to issue the rights shares.

"Rupali bank is now maintaining the lowest authorized capital among all the state-owned commercial banks which could affect its business expansion and foreign trade in future. Besides, a low capital base has led to a low-level single borrower exposure limit forcing the bank out of competition with other corresponding banks in the country," according to the letter.

The authorized capital of Sonali is Tk 6,000 crore, Janata Tk 3,000 crore and Agrani Tk 2,500 crore.

Md. Ataur Rahman Prodhan, Managing Director of Rupali Bank Limited, could not be reached for comments.

Rupali Bank was listed on Dhaka Stock Exchange in 1985 and Chattogram Stock Exchange in 1995. It disbursed 24 per cent stock dividends to its shareholders in 2017.
Rotunda Rumblings



'3 Cs' getting more clout? Rich Exner of cleveland.com found the counties for Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, and adjacent counties, are up 181,000 voting-age residents since the last competitive gubernatorial race in 2010. Meanwhile, the other 70 counties are down a combined 7,000.



Early voting still brisk: Ohio absentee ballot requests are up by nearly a quarter million over 2014 so far, according to the Ohio Secretary of State's office. As of Friday, 1.05 million voters had requested ballots, and 332,663 had cast them, either by mail or in person. At the same time in the 2014 midterm season, almost 810,000 ballots had been requested and about 272,000 had been cast, the office reported.



Diamond Joe Biden is back: Vice President Joe Biden is coming back to Ohio Monday to stump for Democratic governor hopeful Richard Cordray. Biden will appear at Youngstown State's Kilcawley Center. Doors open at 3 p.m. with the event starting at 4 p.m.



Showdown in the 7th: Ohio's 7th Congressional District isn't supposed to be competitive, but as cleveland.com's Olivia Shackleton points out, Democrat Ken Harbaugh is making the usually safe GOP seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs a race.



Point for Harbaugh: Harbaugh also picked up the Canton Repository's endorsement in the race. "Of all the candidates in all the races affecting the Stark County area, we've found no candidate who matches Harbaugh's drive, passion and ability to connect with voters the way Harbaugh does," the editorial board wrote.



Kasich sighting: Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in a speech in Columbus on Tuesday, predicted Ohioans will be forced from their jobs due to automation, writes Laura Bischoff for the Dayton Daily News. Kasich said workers won't be jobless though, if they are re-trained for future jobs. The discussion surrounding automation and the disruption it will bring is a common topic for Kasich, who on Tuesday called himself "a big change guy."



Second Kasich sighting: In a rare comment on Ohio Republican politics, Kasich in a fundraising email on Tuesday encouraged a vote for his fellow Republican, Mike DeWine, as his successor. Kasich touted DeWine's jobs plan, and called him an "honorable person" and "great family man." DeWine, of course, is running against Democrat Richard Cordray, who occasionally has courted the so-called "Kasich vote" -- that is, Ohio's center-right, but politically moderate, voters.



Oops: The Ohio Republican Party's statewide candidate slate card instructed voters to turn in their absentee ballots immediately, or to "bring it to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6." Unfortunately, Ohio voters can't turn in their absentee ballots at their polling place, cleveland.com's Andrew Tobias reports. Cuyahoga County elections officials are concerned the mix-up will lead to voter confusion. State party officials point out that there are ways for people who hang on to their absentee ballots for that long to vote on Election Day.



Jordan and Garrett square off: GOP Rep. Jim Jordan faced his Democratic challenger, Janet Garrettt, in Huron County on Tuesday in the lone debate in the race for Ohio's 4th Congressional District, writes Liz Skalka for the Toledo Blade. The two debated at a rural high school in front of 400 students.



Yost roasted: Republican attorney general nominee Dave Yost is the target of a new $1.2 million attack ad campaign by DAGA PLP, a group linked to the Democratic Attorneys General Association. The 30-second spot, airing through Election Day on broadcast stations in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown, claims that as Delaware County prosecutor, "Yost offered plea deals for child predators."



Fun run: Democrat Cory Hoffman, running against Republican Kris Jordan in House District 67, might not have the most competitive legislative campaign in Ohio, but it's probably the most entertaining one. The Delaware attorney recently posted a campaign video online parodying the commercial from "Ghostbusters," complete with the candidate himself dancing in costume. In addition, many of Hoffman's campaign signs look like superhero Captain America's shield. Hoffman explained to cleveland.com: "It's a tough race [that] doesn't attract bigger donors because they don't think it's a swing district. So, we just decided we'd have some fun with it."

1st man out? After some stumbles in the race the past couple of weeks, Roll Call asked whether Democrats had given up on Aftab Pureval in the 1st Congressional District. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's last ad expired Monday. No other liberal outside groups were active in the area and, per the Cincinnati Enquirer, GOP incumbent Steve Chabot and the Republicans just took a lead in outside money help.



But wait, there's more: That narrative died pretty quickly Tuesday afternoon when the DCCC announced it was continuing its ad buy. "Ohio's 1st Congressional District is a highly competitive race and remains a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats," said DCCC spokeswoman Amanda Sherman.



And more: The liberal House Majority PAC is also getting involved in the race with a $253,000 initial ad buy, per a tweet from Advertising Analytics.

On The Move



President Donald Trump on Monday night nominated Cleveland-area businessman Ed Crawford to be ambassador to Ireland, writes cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton. Crawford, 80, serves as Chairman and CEO of The Edward Crawford Group and Park-Ohio Industries, Inc. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he was Trump's Ohio finance chairman. The U.S. Senate must sign off for Crawford to get the job.



Full Disclosure



Five things we learned from the April 27, 2018 financial disclosure of Cory Hoffman. As we previously mentioned, Hoffman, a Democrat from Delaware, is running for Ohio House District 67 against Republican State Sen. Kris Jordan.

1. Hoffman is a consultant and legal counsel for CPA Advisory Group, Inc. As a candidate, he does not have to disclose his income.

2. Hoffman officiated two weddings -- Scott & Margaret Roko and Will & Alex Brown. He was paid in exchange for his services but again, didn't have to disclose the specific amount.

3. At some time in 2017, Hoffman owed over $1,000 each to Chase Bank, Capitol One, the National Student Loan Trust, the United States Department of Education, the Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation and Navient, the student-loan servicer.

4. Hoffman owns common stock in the MHD Corporation, an S-Corp.

5. He didn't report receiving any gifts from lobbyists valued at over $75.



Straight From The Source



"They provide substandard care to our veterans who deserve the best care. If you're a real doctor, you're probably not working at the VA." -- John Boehner, the former Republican Southwest Ohio congressman and ex-speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, as reported by The Plain Dealer's Ginger Christ. Boehner was the Monday night keynote speaker at a conference on medical innovation hosted by the Cleveland Clinic.

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.
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- City Council opted for first reading only Monday on a new deer management contract that would be handled by a recently retired police officer.

Rather than proceed with emergency legislation that would allow the permitting process for deer culling to begin, council heeded the requests of several residents to hold off at least until a special meeting on Nov. 12 to provide time for further public review.



Marksman and former Shaker Heights police Lt. James Mariano was one of the two officers assigned to the city's culling program when it was instituted two years ago on public lands.

This caused hardship within the department when both lieutenants were reassigned for three months to thin the herd, after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources allowed up to 40 deer to be culled annually, Police Chief Jeffrey DeMuth told council.

Since his retirement last winter, Mariano has started Precision Wildlife Management LLC. He has submitted an "all-inclusive" proposal of $55,000, after being talked down from an initial $65,000 offer.

This compares to a roughly $48,000 bid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services branch that does not include the cost of processing the nearly 3,000 pounds of venison harvested over the past two years and donated to the Cleveland/Akron Food Bank.

The feds' proposal also caps the hunting to 15 days, while there would be no limit on a contract with Precision.

While police have focused efforts along the Shaker Boulevard median trail, staff at the Nature Center of Shaker Lakes report that foliage in the city's park lands, especially native shrubs and saplings, continue to be eaten up by deer as well, according to an Oct. 16 memo.

Noting the "somewhat expensive" price tag of $55,000, Councilman Sean Malone asked about the possibility of driving down costs in future years.

DeMuth pointed out that it also cost the city more to handle the program in-house -- with operating expenses, overtime and lieutenants' salaries -- than either proposal it received this year.

At Monday's meeting, opponents of deer culling, including James Quincy, asked council to wait, since some of the links had not been posted to the city's website and he wanted more time to review the material.

Elizabeth Ricketts asked if there was an opportunity to reconsider other alternatives for controlling the deer population.

Cori Knol also requested a postponement of the final vote, contending that the number of deer in Shaker does not constitute a problem. She also wanted a chance to look at company practices for Precision.

Sara Schiavoni pointed out that resident survey results had not yet been made public, although she also questioned the methodology used on them.

"It's not really a survey -- it's more like a 'deer complaint' form," Schiavoni said, adding that she feels the city's Deer Task Force should be more accessible for residents.

Councilman Rob Zimmerman asked DeMuth if there would be any problems going forward if contract approval were delayed.

DeMuth said it shouldn't be an issue, although Mariano would like to get started as soon as possible on state permits and local logistics.

As chairman of council's Finance Committee, Zimmerman said the discussion should focus on the contract at hand, rather than "re-litigating the issue of whether or not we should be culling" the deer.

Mayor David Weiss, who served on the Planning Commission during the most recent debate, said he is still working through some reservations that he has with the program.

Weiss cited a number of factors, including further consideration of non-lethal methods, as well as overall effectiveness if neighboring communities are not participating with any programs of their own.

"And it's not an inexpensive program, although I am in favor of outsourcing, rather than doing it through the Police Department," Weiss said.

Councilwoman Nancy Moore, who chairs the Safety and Public Works Committee, said that earlier discussions focused on the proposed contract as well, and the idea of no police staff was well-received there also.

Moore added that "safety concerns outweighed any possible conflicts" posed, such as hiring a recently retired police officer.

DeMuth had pointed out earlier that "the most important aspect -- if the city's going to undertake this -- is that you have to be able to trust the people behind the rifles."

With that in mind, DeMuth cited Mariano's familiarity with the city, including the densely populated urban areas surrounding the public lands.
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- A Broadview Heights developer is preparing to sue the city for not allowing a Circle K gas station and convenience store at the southwest corner of Royalton Road and West 130th Street.

The developer is Petros Development Corp. Last week, City Council voted 6-0 against a rezoning that would have made the Circle K possible.

"That's probably the likely outcome," Petros representative Greg Modic told cleveland.com, when asked if Petros is planning legal action against the city. "When you have a case as strong as this one is, that's probably the action we will take. We are working through those steps now."

The existing "local business" zoning at Royalton and West 130th doesn't permit gas stations. Petros wanted council to rezone the corner into a "motorist service" district, where gas stations are allowed.

Council members Jim Carbone, Joe DeMio, Kelly Kosek, Ann Roff, Matt Schonhut and Gordon Short did not explain their positions or discuss the proposed rezoning before voting, according to unapproved minutes of the Oct. 15 council meeting. Councilman Michael Daymut was absent.

DeMio, who is council president, did say that council received letters from residents both for and against the rezoning.

"We have taken all the mental notes that we have heard," DeMio said, according to the unapproved minutes.

None of the six council members who voted against the rezoning returned calls to cleveland.com.

Modic said the rezoning was justified because Petros Family LP has owned and paid taxes on the 1.5-acre corner lot for 20 years. During that time, only gas stations and-or convenience stores have expressed interest in building there.

"We put together one of the most complete packages for rezoning, with valid reasons based on city code and the city's history of rezoning these corners," Modic told cleveland.com. "This is a primary example of where a motorist-service use can be located."

Modic said he was frustrated because the Strongsville Planning Commission, and city administration officials with planning and zoning expertise, had recommended approval of the rezoning, yet council chose to ignore their advice.

Meanwhile, council members never expressed their thoughts, concerns or opinions about the rezoning before voting, nor did they answer residents' questions about the proposed Circle K during the Oct. 15 council meeting, Modic said.

At that meeting, and during a Sept. 4 public hearing on the Circle K project, families living near the Royalton-West 130th intersection pushed back against the rezoning. They were concerned about the traffic, pollution and noise they said Circle K would bring.

"As a 30-year Strongsville resident, it frustrates me quite a bit that council can't give their own residents the time of day -- those residents who took time to write a letter or attend the public hearing," Modic said. "Council should have done a better job. You couldn't tell what they were thinking."

Circle is broken

The parcel Petros wanted rezoned is just north of the Cleveland Metroparks. In its rezoning application to the city, Petros said the existing local-business zoning is "overly restrictive."

Petros said the proposed Circle K would adhere to a deed restriction placed on the property in 1932. Under the restriction, no buildings or structure used for commercial, mechanical or manufacturing purposes are permitted on the parcel within 200 feet of the Metroparks.

Also, the deed restriction prohibits any billboard, sign "or other advertising device" within 200 feet of the Metroparks to the south.

Petros said the proposed Circle K "fits harmoniously" with other businesses at the Royalton-West 130th intersection. Mike's Automotive Repair and U-Haul is on the northwest corner and an automobile-service business is on the southeast corner.

"The rezoning is proper and is supported by Ohio law," John Slagter, an attorney for Petros, told council in an Aug. 29 letter.

Slagter said Ohio case law recognizes that zoning is discriminatory if it's different than zoning around it. Property on the northwest corner of Royalton-West 130th, where Mike's Automotive stands, is zoned motorist service.

But at the Sept. 4 pubic hearing, residents opposing the rezoning said Strongsville already has enough gas stations. They said didn't want to smell gasoline fumes or see litter and bright lights from the Circle K.

One resident said that exposure to benzene, an ingredient of gasoline, causes cancer and other diseases, and that gasoline from pumps can leak and contaminate soil and groundwater.

No dialogue

At the Oct. 15 council meeting, Modic said Petros had done its due diligence regarding the 1.5-acre property and proposed Circle K. He said the developer sought input from the Strongsville Architectural Review Board and the Cleveland Metroparks.

Also, after residents expressed worry about a possible natural gas well on the lot, Petros contacted Columbia Gas of Ohio. Modic said the so-called well is actually a Columbia Gas "regulator station." He said the proposed Circle K would not conflict with any natural gas lines.

"Should this (project) move forward, we would continue to work diligently with the city and all agencies to ensure that all codes are met or exceeded in all circumstances, just as I always have," Modic told council.

Dan Ponstingle, of Royalton Road, said Petros in its application promised "any necessary screening" to block the proposed Circle K from neighboring properties. He asked someone to define "any necessary screening."

Law Director Neal Jamison told Ponstingle that the council meeting was not the time to "have a dialogue" with council or Modic.

"This is a chance for you to address council and tell us what you're feeling," Jamison said.

Ponstingle said he would like to see "substantial screening," such as concrete or wood, not plastic fencing.

Joe Nicholson, a Grafton resident whose family lives near the Petros lot in Strongsville, said his mother's house near Royalton and West 130th was built in the mid-20th century. At the time, the city's population was about 3,500, meaning fewer than 1,000 homesteads existed.

"I just think it would be a travesty for you guys to vote to have a gas station next to one of those original homesteads that helped build this great city (to) what it is today," Nicholson said.

Joe Stronsick, also of Royalton Road, expressed concern about how the Circle K might increase flooding in the area.

"We've had some pretty nasty storms this year with a lot of water," Stronsick said.

Theresa Gollini of Royalton said Circle K, which would stand just outside of North Royalton, is not a good gateway into Strongsville.

"Can we protect just a little bit of our town so my mother doesn't call and say, 'You're turning into Euclid?'" Gollini said. "Can we pause it for a second?"

Going underground

Modic said he had already addressed many if not all of the concerns raised by residents in a Sept. 11 letter to the city and in discussions with residents.

For example, Modic said an underground detention basin would store excessive storm water and prevent flooding of neighboring properties. He said the city's Engineering Department would have to approve any plan to control rainwater.

As for litter, light and noise pollution, Modic said such conditions can exist even if the property were developed under its existing zoning classification, which allows retail stores. He said the Circle K owner would have workers pick up litter, and the city would ensure that light and noise coming from the store are screened.

Modic said the argument that Strongsville already contains too many gas stations is not compelling because it doesn't address this specific Circle K proposal.

"There is no question that the intersection of 82 and West 130th is a proper location for a gas station evidenced by the fact that three of the four corners of this intersection allow for such use," Modic said in the Sept. 11 letter.

"It is not unusual to have multiple gas stations on the corners of busy intersections, and the fact that this intersection does not have such convenience actually supports the need," Modic said.
Signs in the window of the Smoke Depot advertise electronic cigarettes and pods by Juul, the nation's largest maker of e-cigarette products, on September 13, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.

Leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul spent half a million dollars on lobbying last quarter  up 167 percent from the previous quarter  as regulators weigh restrictions on the industry to stem a surge in teens using the devices.

In the third quarter, Juul spent $560,000, according to a lobbying disclosure form. That compares with the $210,000 it spent in the previous quarter, according to a filing. The company focused its efforts on e-cigarette and vaping regulation, as well as tariffs on products manufactured in China, it said in the disclosure.

However, the $560,000 is half of the amount the company initially reported spending Tuesday. The company filed an amendment correcting the figure, Juul spokeswoman Victoria Davis told CNBC.

Juul has beefed up its Washington operations amid growing scrutiny that could threaten its business. It has hired Tevi Troy, deputy Health and Human Services secretary in the George W. Bush administration; Jim Esquea, an assistant HHS secretary in the Obama administration; and Ted McCann, a senior policy advisor to House Speaker Paul Ryan, among others.

Lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have urged the Food and Drug Administration to ban sweet nicotine flavors they say entice young people to use e-cigarettes. In September, FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb announced the agency would crack down against teen use that he said has reached "epidemic levels."

Preliminary federal data show high school students' use of e-cigarettes has surged 77 percent over the past year and use of conventional cigarettes has also ticked up, though the increase is not statistically significant. Those figures have Gottlieb and the FDA considering a slew of options, including restricting e-cigarette manufacturers from selling flavored nicotine liquids.

Any changes could weigh on Juul's revenue. The company represents 75 percent of the e-cigarette market, according to the most recent Nielsen data compiled by Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog. Its sales over the past year have reached $1.5 billion, according to Nielsen.

"We are focused on engaging with FDA, lawmakers, regulators, public health officials and advocates to drive awareness of our mission to improve the lives of the world's one billion smokers and to combat underage use so we keep JUUL out of the hands of young people," said Victoria Davis, a Juul spokeswoman, in an email to CNBC.

Note: This story has been updated to reflect an amendment Juul filed with regulators Tuesday correcting the amount it spent on lobbying in the third quarter. The correct amount is $560,000. This amendment was filed after CNBC reported on the company's initial filing.
AT&T tanked 8 percent Wednesday after reporting its third quarter earnings and revealing its DirecTV division is bleeding subscribers.

Here's how the company did compared with what Wall Street expected:

Earnings: 90 cents per share vs. 94 cents expected, according to Refinitiv

90 cents per share vs. 94 cents expected, according to Refinitiv Revenue: $45.74 billion vs. $45.65 expected, according to Refinitiv

$45.74 billion vs. $45.65 expected, according to Refinitiv Postpaid phone net adds: 69,000 vs a net loss of 22,000 expected, according to FactSet

The company's satellite TV division DirecTV reported a net loss of 359,000 subscribers for the quarter. Analysts had expected AT&T to shed 245,000 satellite subscribers, according to FactSet. It lost 251,000 in the same period last year.

The division's direct-to-consumer streaming play, DirecTV Now, added just 49,000 subscribers during the period. That's significantly lower than the 296,000 subscribers DirecTV Now added last year and the well below the 287,000 net customers analysts were predicting, according to FactSet.

The second-largest U.S. wireless carrier has been reducing its dependency on the phone business in favor of a growing media business, stamped by a $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner earlier this year. AT&T spent $50 billion in 2015 to acquire DirecTV.

But viewers continue to abandon pricey TV packages in favor of cheaper streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu.

The new WarnerMedia segment, which includes Turner and premium TV channel HBO, reported revenue of $8.2 billion during the quarter, up from $7.7 billion during the year-ago period.

AT&T closed its purchase of Time Warner on June 14, though it still faces a court battle against the U.S. Department of Justice, which is arguing that AT&T-owned DirecTV would use Time Warner content to raise costs for pay TV rivals. A U.S. appeals court said last week it will hear oral arguments on Dec. 6 for the Justice Department's appeal against the merger.

AT&T said earlier this month it plans to launch a streaming service to rival Netflix next year.
Shares of Dow component Boeing rose Wednesday after the company reported strong third-quarter earnings on the back of a robust defense business and more efficient commercial aircraft production. The company also raised its 2018 earnings forecast, in what looks to be a record year for revenue.

The aerospace giant reported adjusted earnings of $3.58 a share, topping expectations of 11 cents by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. Third-quarter revenue came in a $25.15 billion, which was over $1 billion more than analysts forecast.

The stock ended the day up 1.3 percent at $354.65 a share, after rising as high as $364.60 a share in early trading, as Boeing followed the rest of the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower.

Boeing raised its full year 2018 earnings forecast to a range of $14.90 to $15.10, up from its previous guidance of $14.30 to $14.50. Boeing may see its full year revenue top $100 billion for the first time, as well.

CEO Dennis Muilenberg noted that Boeing landed billions in military contracts this summer, which he termed "important new defense business." The Navy selected Boeing to develop the MQ-25 unmanned aircraft system and the Air Force awarded Boeing $9.2 billion to build the T-X trainer aircraft and $2.4 billion for the MH-139.

The delayed KC-46 tanker aircraft cost Boeing $176 million in additional charges in the third quarter  $112 million to its commercial airplane business and $64 million to its defense business. The KC-46 program has now cost Boeing $3.6 billion in total charges for the Air Force contract.
A flurry of comments from Chinese officials over the last few days have been aimed at pledging support for private businesses with financing problems, as Beijing seeks to ease fears of a sell-off in stocks.

The worry is that a drop in stock prices would force the selling of shares used as collateral, and lead to further market declines in China.

In one of Beijing's latest interventions, the Securities Association of China announced Monday night that 11 securities firms will form a $100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) asset management plan to take some pressure off "share pledges" for companies with good development prospects.

In share pledge financing, companies use a percentage of their equities as collateral to obtain loans. If the stock price falls far below a level that was agreed upon, the lender will sell the shares to obtain funds, leading to the destabilization of equity markets.

Despite Beijing's latest move and other recent measures to support local businesses, stocks closed sharply lower Tuesday, giving back some gains from the rally in the previous two sessions.

The Shanghai composite has fallen more than 20 percent this year amid worries about economic slowdown and rising tensions with the United States, China's largest trading partner. It is one of the world's worst performing stock markets in 2018.

Most analysts say that stock pledges don't pose a systemic risk right now. But the issue points to the challenges facing China's private enterprises, which state media says contribute to 80 percent of jobs.

The prevalence of share pledges is partly the result of Beijing's own actions. Chinese banks prefer to lend to state-owned enterprises, while the government continues to crack down on shadow banking  the primary alternative for private businesses. As a result, many Chinese companies, especially small and mid-sized businesses, have turned to share pledges.

Of the total market capitalization for the mainland-traded A shares, about 10 percent  or 4 trillion yuan  is pledged as collateral, according to several financial analysts.

Goldman Sachs' China strategist Kinger Lau said in a note on Saturday that based on data at that time, about 1 trillion yuan of stock-pledged loans could face the risk of a margin call to pay up. That figure increases by about 100 billion yuan if the stock market falls 5 percent, the report said.

Lau pointed out that governments in Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou announced last week that funds will be established to help local firms with share pledge difficulties.

"Against the backdrop of high leverage and weak sentiment in both the real economy and financial market, it is critical for the government to restore confidence among the people," J.P. Morgan Asset Management global market strategists, Marcella Chow and Chaoping Zhu, said in a Monday report.

They said the monetary easing and re-leveraging measures Beijing used in the wake of 2015's market crash and economic softness may no longer be effective, and foresee more tax reforms.

The announcement of a 100 billion-yuan funding plan came on Monday, a day after the State Council's Financial Stability and Development Committee convened for a meeting.

Also in the past week, key financial entities announced plans for bond financing and new funding channels, the government released a draft for temporary reduction in personal income tax and top financial regulators published remarks in support of the economy and markets.
A US-made S-70C helicopter files over a French-made Lafayette frigate during a drill at sea near the naval port in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on January 27, 2016.

A state-controlled newspaper in China has lashed out against a recent passage of U.S. Navy ships near Taiwan, accusing Washington of playing "a high stakes game."

On Monday, two warships from the U.S. Navy  a guided missile cruiser and a guided missile destroyer  sailed through the Taiwan Strait. It was the second such operation since July and comes after Reuters reported that Washington was considering a new operation for warships to pass through the strategic area.

In a sharply-worded editorial published Tuesday, the state-run China Daily newspaper accused President Donald Trump's administration of sending a "message of assurance" to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and "playing a high stakes game backing Taipei."

The presence of U.S. vessels in the Taiwan Strait  part of Washington's freedom of navigation operations in Asia  was intended as a "warning" to Beijing, the media outlet added.

The Taiwan Strait separates the self-ruled island of Taiwan from China. Like the South China Sea, it is a hot-button area for Chinese President Xi Jinping's government, which claims Taipei under a policy known as "One China" and opposes countries pursuing relations with the East Asian state.
After waiting in line for 1.5 hours, Blake Ashe holds her daughter, Julia, 3, as she casts her ballot on election day November 8, 2016 at Grady High School in Atlanta, Georgia.

However civic-minded, the effort comes ahead of a hotly contested midterm election in which Democrats have a solid chance of retaking control of the House and possibly the Senate.

"This campaign is nonpartisan, and it's not political," Corley Kenna, director of global communications and public relations at Patagonia, told CNBC. "This is about supporting democracy, not supporting candidates or issues."

Cava's paid leave comes at a time when companies across the U.S. are encouraging employees to vote. Participating companies say the effort, called Time to Vote , is nonpartisan. Walmart , Tyson Foods and PayPal are among those supporting the initiative in an effort to increase voter turnout, which was recently as low as 36 percent.

"Between work, school, and family responsibilities, it can be challenging to find time to vote," the letter, penned by CEO Brett Schulman and founders Ik Grigoropoulas, Dimitri Moshovitis and Theodore Xenohristos, said. "This is one of the reasons the United States has one of the lowest voter participation rates in the world ... we believe it is not only our right but also our duty to vote in all elections, from local to midterms to presidential."

Mediterranean restaurant Cava is one of them, joining more than 300 companies that are encouraging workers to get involved. The chain, which recently acquired Zoes Kitchen , will be offering two-hour paid leave to team members who want to participate in the midterm election, the company said in a letter to employees Monday.

Celebrities, athletes and politicians are not the only ones encouraging Americans to vote on Nov. 6. Employers, too, are making a big push to drive voter turnout.

In past elections, employers have hosted get-out-the-vote drives and even made Election Day a corporate holiday to encourage workers to vote. This year, voter enthusiasm for the midterms is on the rise. More American voters are likely to turn out in November than they were four years ago, when voter turnout hit its lowest point in the past 50 years, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.

There are no federal laws requiring employers to give workers time off to vote. But companies are set on harnessing the uptick in enthusiasm this year, whether it be closing stores or offices, giving paid time off or providing transportation to the polls.

Levi Strauss is offering paid time off, and Uber and Lyft are offering free rides to the polls. Other companies in the coalition include Sweetgreen and La Colombe.

"Voting is a hard-won right, a weighty responsibility and an incredible privilege that we too often take for granted here in the U.S.," Chip Bergh, president and CEO of Levi, wrote in an op-ed in September. "In the 2016 presidential election, 40 percent of the people eligible to vote stayed home instead. That's 102 million people who 'voted' for apathy, more votes than any other candidate got."

Midterm elections, in particular, are notorious for low voter turnout. Less than half of eligible voters went to the polls for the 2014 midterm elections.

Americans cite one of two reasons for not casting a ballot: They are either too busy or not interested. Some say that scheduling conflicts, such as work or school, kept them from the polls, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center study.

Cava's Xenohristos told CNBC that as a first-generation American, he feels a responsibility to exercise his right to vote, but as a member of the restaurant industry, he's aware of how difficult it can be to get the time to do so.

He noted that there are more than 16 million restaurant workers, some working two to three jobs and providing for a family. So, getting time off work to go to the polling stations can be hard.

"We just want to urge them to be active members of their communities," Xenohristos said. "We hope that they take advantage of it."

New hires at Cava make $13 an hour, the company said. The restaurant provided its 1,800 workers with information about where and when to register to vote, when early voting starts, polling hours and locations and how to use absentee ballots.

The paid leave is now part of Cava's other benefits for part-time and full-time team members, including 401(k) retirement plans, health care and paid sick and parental leave.

For Patagonia, shuttering its stores, headquarters and distribution centers on Election Day is "a signal to the community that voting is more important than shopping," Patagonia's Kenna said.

The company first did this in 2016 at the behest of its CEO, Rose Marcario.

Kenna said offering workers the chance to vote, either by paid leave or a day off, is an important part of employee benefits. There has been a massive uptick in companies offering better paternity leave, college tuition reimbursement and other benefits to entice employees to come work for the company and to keep them employed longer.

"It's the right thing to do," Kenna said, noting that many of Patagonia's employees wouldn't have been able to vote if they didn't have the day off.

Here is the full list of companies encouraging employees to participate on Election Day through the Time to Vote coalition.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett once said, "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who is swimming naked." To CNBC's Jim Cramer, that statement "is the perfect tagline for this ... awful earnings season."

"We're seeing lots of 'naked' CEOs along with plenty of good ones in swimming trunks, and often, they're in the exact same sector," the "Mad Money" host said Wednesday as the earnings wave continued. "So who's swimming naked, something we need to know before we start buying into this horrendous tape?"

Cramer started with telecommunications rivals Verizon and AT&T, both of which recently issued their third-quarter earnings reports. While Verizon's subscriber numbers beat estimates, AT&T's report showed points of weakness.

"Verizon's firing on all cylinders. It's a buy if it ever comes down again. ATT, on the other hand? It missed badly," Cramer said, noting that AT&T's 6.6 percent dividend yield was too high for his taste.

"The cash flow, though, is very strong," he acknowledged. "But I do think there's become a lack of predictability and some real paltry subscriber gains that need to be addressed if ATT's ever going to regain its status as a blue-chip stock."

Scotch tape maker 3M delivered a "stunningly bad" quarter, said the "Mad Money" host, who owns shares of the global manufacturer in his charitable trust.

"Just an unacceptable number from a great American company," Cramer said, doubling down on prior criticism. "We had had a big position in 3M for my charitable trust. ... Fortunately, we sold a big chunk of it because we didn't like what we had heard about the company's auto exposure. What we didn't expect was a sudden decline in 3M's health-care and consumer businesses, and we didn't expect management to slash its forecast."

In the meantime, fellow industrials Honeywell and United Technologies posted strong results and raised their earnings forecasts. Cramer worried that if 3M's new CEO, Michael Roman, didn't start delivering comparable gains, he "may be yanked like John Flannery was after a very short period at GE."

The pharmaceutical sector could see added pain when Bristol-Myers Squibb reports Thursday morning, Cramer said, because it "has fallen behind the rest of the group, in part because the company's major anti-cancer franchise seems to be eroding."

But business at competitor Merck seems to be getting stronger, he said. Merck's flagship cancer immunotherapy drug, Keytruda, has driven much of the company's recent gains.

All this solidified Cramer's theory that "the world is slowing," an idea he has addressed repeatedly in his criticism of the Federal Reserve's plans to hike rates amid what he sees as nascent economic weakness.

"That's been my thesis despite all the happy talk from the president and the Fed. But some companies are managing the tide better than others," the "Mad Money" host said. "When the tide [of selling] stops, and I believe it might ... when October finally and mercifully ends, the swimmers with trunks [will] get bought. But the ones that are naked? All I can say is hide your eyes."
Voters cast ballots during the early voting period at C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center on October 18, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.

In its race for governor, Georgia is now conducting a state-of-the-art experiment illuminating the partisan debate on whether voting restrictions tilt American elections.

As it happens, laboratory conditions are ideal.

The Democratic candidate is Stacey Abrams, an African-American former legislator who opposes recent restrictions as impediments to minority voting. She faces Brian Kemp, the white Republican who oversees those restrictions as Georgia's Secretary of State.

Kemp rejects her call to resign in the name of election impartiality, vowing to remain on the job even if the race ends up close enough for a recount. A new NBC News/Marist poll today suggests that could happen: among registered voters, Abrams and Kemp stand deadlocked, 47 percent to 47 percent.

The race plays out against a national backdrop of disquiet about democracy itself. As America grows more diverse and polarized, President Donald Trump and Republican officials have increasingly embraced steps to prevent what they call "voter fraud."

In reality, there's so little evidence voter fraud exists at all that Trump's appointed voter-fraud commission collapsed. Backed by independent experts, Democrats say the GOP's principal goal is limiting ballots cast by Democratic-leaning black, Latino, young and low-income voters.

"These laws have been pushed in recent years by Republicans, and the hardest hit have been people of color and young people and poor people," says Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School. "Restricting the vote appears to be strategic."

The restrictions range from requiring government-issued photo identification to vote, to delaying voter registration if application information differs from government databases, to limiting voting times and locations. What remains unclear is how much they actually deter voting.

Two political scientists found that Wisconsin's voter ID law deterred thousands of voters, disproportionately poor and African-Americans from casting ballots in a state Trump narrowly carried in 2016. Another study found similar effects nationally, especially among Hispanics.

"Our research shows that these laws lower minority turnout and benefit the Republican Party," a team of political scientists from Bucknell, Michigan State and University of California-San Diego wrote in the Washington Post.

But other researchers don't find the evidence persuasive. And strategists note that restrictions can enhance motivation to vote among those who feel targeted, and bolster efforts by others to help them.

In 2012, for example, after Georgia narrowed its pre-election early voting window, election officials in majority-black DeKalb County added more early-voting locations. The proportion of votes cast early did not fall.

This year, amid a tight race for Kansas governor, election officials in majority-Hispanic Dodge City moved the only polling place outside city limits, more than a mile from the nearest bus stop. The advocacy group Voto Latino promptly announced a partnership with ride-share company Lyft to transport local residents to vote.

In Georgia, voting-rights advocates have accused Kemp for overly aggressive "purges" of voting rolls, including more than 100,000 people who hadn't voted in earlier elections. They've also challenged the delay of voter registrations for 53,000 more people, most of them black, under an "exact match" law requiring applications to mirror driver's license or Social Security data information.

As proof of Kemp's intentions, Democrats cite leaked audio of a recent closed-door talk with donors. Kemp told them that a pro-Abrams absentee ballot program "continues to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote."

The subject dominated their televised debate this week. Abrams accused Kemp of using "an atmosphere of fear" to deter voting, he responded that "it's never been easier to register to vote."

Nationally, Kemp is right. The long-term trend in American elections is toward making it easier for time-stressed American voters to cast ballots.

Through the rise of early voting and no-excuse-required absentees balloting, roughly one-third of votes were cast before Election Day in 2014. This year, the Brennan Center reports a trend in states toward automatic voter registration when people interact with government agencies such as driver's license offices.

Next door to the Georgia clash, Floridians are considering a major expansion of voting rights. A Nov. 6 ballot measure restoring the right to vote for 1.5-million felons who completed their sentences enjoys bipartisan support in the polls.

"In the long run there's a lot of progress being made,' said the Brennan Center's Waldman. "The question is whether the bipartisan forces for reform are faster than the partisan forces of disenfranchisement."
The embattled German lender is hopeful that its works towards improving the balance sheet will revamp its market credibility and boost the stock price, Deutsche Bank's chief financial officer told CNBC on Wednesday.

Over the last few years, Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest lender, has struggled to convince investors amid litigation charges, higher competition; lower market share in investment and commercial banking, and a number of management reshuffles. The stock price is down about 41 percent since the start of the year.

"We have to work with building long-term value for the shareholders over time. We think as we regain credibility in the market place, we execute our plans, that will begin to show itself in the stock price," James von Moltke, CFO of Deutsche Bank told CNBC's Annette Weisbach.

"We are working towards that turnaround," he added.

Deutsche Bank's latest management change happened in April this year, bringing Christian Sewing from the commercial arm to chief executive. He has promised to deliver with further cost-cutting and make the bank profitable again.

The bank reported third-quarter results on Wednesday, which came in below what the lender had reported in the same quarter a year ago. Net income stood at 229 million euros ($262.71 million), which was 65 percent below what the bank reported in the third quarter of 2017.

There have been several media reports that Deutsche Bank could merge with its domestic rival, Commerzbank, to boost its domestic presence at home. However, last month Sewing told a banking conference in Frankfurt that he put boosting Deutsche Bank's profitability first.

Von Moltke told CNBC that Deutsche Bank is focused on its own home work and delivering the promises it made in April.

"What the finance minister has said was that Germany needs a strong bank that's able to accompany our exporters internationally and we feel that Deutsche Bank is already that bank," he said, in reference to previous remarks from Olaf Sholz, the German finance minister, saying that Germany needs strong banks.

At the time, some analysts interpreted Sholz's remarks as a change in sentiment among German policymakers towards having one big lender.
Deutsche Bank's latest set of earnings indicates the lender continues to struggle to boost its balance sheet. The German bank has reported a net income of 229 million euros ($262.71 million) on Wednesday, above the 149 million euros expected in a Reuters poll of analysts. However, the performance that corresponds to the third quarter of 2018 was 65 percent below what the bank reported a year ago. Here are some of the key highlights: Net income: 229 million euros in the third quarter of 2018 vs 649 million euros in the third quarter of 2017

Profit before tax: 506 million euros in the third quarter vs 933 million euros in the third quarter of 2017

Common Equity Tier 1 capital ration: 14 percent in the third quarter vs 13.8 percent in the third quarter of 2017 Christian Sewing, chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank said in a statement on Wednesday: "With profit before tax of 506 million euros, this result is another milestone on our way to becoming a sustainably profitable bank. We have our costs under control and sufficient capital to grow. We are on track to be profitable in 2018, for the first time since 2014."

A general meeting of Deutsche Bank Arne Dedert | picture alliance | Getty Images

Deutsche Bank has struggled since the global financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent debt crisis in the euro zone. The German lender has faced billion-dollar fines, higher competition, decreased market share in both commercial and investment banking, as well as different management reshuffles. Investors were closely monitoring the level of costs that the bank reports Wednesday. The management team, which was appointed last April, has promised to deliver further cost-cutting to revamp the balance sheet. In the third quarter of 2018, the bank said that adjusted costs dropped 1 percent from a year ago to 5.5 billion euros. The aim for the year is to bring adjusted costs down to 23 billion euros and 22 billion euros in 2019. As part of the new team's restructuring plans, the number of workers is set to come down to 93,000 by the end of 2018. There's been a net reduction of 700 employees in the quarter to 94,717.

Investment vs. commercial banking
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The Chinese yuan is expected to weaken further in the next six months, a Goldman Sachs analyst said on Wednesday.

Timothy Moe, co-head of Asia macro research, said the bank expects China's currency to "pop over" the psychological barrier of 7 per dollar, to reach 7.1 in the next six months. The currency pair is trading at around 6.94 as the yuan has declined by 6 percent against the greenback year-to-date.

"It's probably unlikely to happen before the end of the year because ... 7 seems to be the short-term line in the sand ... The U.S. is looking at that figure  and probably a bit above  as evidence that might support allegations of currency manipulation," Moe told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

China will want to avoid opening itself to such allegations, particularly ahead of President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's meeting at the G-20 summit next month, Moe added.

Trump often accuses China of keeping its currency weak so that its exports will be cheaper and therefore more competitive.

China has been criticized for letting its currency fall, but strategists say the country actually has worked to prop the currency up since it got close to that key level of 7. The leadership in Beijing has tried to stem capital outflows, which typically accelerate when its currency weakens.
European stocks closed lower Wednesday afternoon, dragged down in late trade by another slump in U.S. markets.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 finished down 0.22 percent, recording an even split of sector gainers and losers. Of the major European indexes, only the FTSE 100 in London increased in value over the session.

Europe's retail stocks led the gains Wednesday, up 1.14 percent amid earnings news. France's Kering was the top sectoral performer, with shares rising 4.79 percent after stronger-than-anticipated sales figures in the third quarter.

France's Societe BIC also surged towards the top of the benchmark during afternoon deals. The Paris-listed stock reported a bounce in third-quarter sales figures on Wednesday, prompting shares to jump 6.14 percent.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank shares fell 4.76 percent on Wednesday. It came after the German flagship lender said it was on track to swing to profit this year, despite reporting a steep decline in third-quarter profit. Europe's banking index  the worst-performing sector in Europe so far this year  edged 1.35 percent lower on the news.

Travel and leisure stocks also moved higher, helped by airline stocks. Deutsche Bank upgraded airlines to overweight, citing the likelihood that oil prices will not rise too much from current levels.
Markets have been on the edge regarding Italy's future spending, but there are other countries challenging European fiscal rules.

France, the second-largest economy in Europe, received a letter from Brussels last week, warning that its planned debt reduction in 2019 does not respect the proposals that Paris had agreed previously with the EU. Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Slovenia were also effectively told off by the EU.

In the case of France, the 2019 budget plan sees its structural deficit (the difference between spending and revenues, excluding one-off items) falling 0.1 percent this year and 0.3 percent in 2019. Paris had agreed in April to an annual reduction of 0.6 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) for its structural deficit.

Though the tone of the warning from Brussels to Paris was softer than the tone towards Rome, the two countries have perhaps more similarities than differences.

The French 2019 budget "shows that the government relies heavily on very optimistic revenues to achieve fiscal consolidation and that spending is out of control again," Daniel Lacalle, chief economist and investment officer at Tressis Gestion, told CNBC via email.

Italy has also been criticized for having very upbeat economic forecasts in its 2019 budget plan.

"In the case of France, it is a very difficult budget to accept by the European Commission because France has not had a balanced budget since 1974 and has missed its own deficit targets more than eleven times," Lacalle added.

Data from the European statistics agency, Eurostat, shows that since it started collecting French data in 1978, France has never registered a budget surplus. Italy, which has provided data since 1995, has also never presented a budget surplus.
Georgia gubernatorial candidates (L-R) Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp shake hands before a debate that also included Libertarian Ted Metz at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Midtown October 23, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images)

Abrams, 44, has an eye on history. If she wins, she would become the first black woman governor in the country and the first Democratic head of her state in 15 years. Abrams could also reshape the state through policies such as her support for expansion of Medicaid, the federal and state insurance program for low-income people that Georgia has not expanded under the Affordable Care Act.

When Libertarian Ted Metz is included, Kemp's lead among likely voters drops to 1 percentage point  46 percent to 45 percent. Metz gets 4 percent of support, according to the survey. If no candidate reaches the 50 percent threshold, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff in early December.

Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp holds a 2 percentage point edge over Democratic former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams among likely voters  within the NBC News/Marist poll 's 4.8 percentage point margin of error. He garners support from 49 percent of likely voters in a two-way contest, versus 47 percent for Abrams, the poll found. Among a larger poll of registered voters, a head to head race is tied at 47 percent of support.

The closely watched Georgia gubernatorial race appears deadlocked fewer than two weeks before voters cast their ballots, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

Kemp, 55, has supported conservative policies and embraced President Donald Trump, particularly on immigration. He favors rolling back regulations and reforming the tax system, while he argues against Medicaid expansion. Most notably, he has faced accusations of using his current position as the state's top election official to suppress voters and help him win the governor's office  a charge Kemp has denied.

Abrams overwhelmingly leads among black voters, while she has smaller advantages among college graduates and women. Kemp has en edge among men and non-college graduates.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted in support of Kemp, claiming Abrams "will destroy the State." The Democrat responded by saying "someone watched Kemp lose last night's debate" referring to Trump and directing her Twitter followers to volunteer for her campaign.

Trump tweet

Abrams tweet

Trump's approval remains slightly above water in a state he carried by about 5 percentage points in 2016. Forty-nine percent of likely Georgia voters approve of the job he is doing, while 45 percent disapprove, according to the poll. Almost equal numbers  38 percent to 36 percent  strongly approve and disapprove, respectively.

The president's approval rating closely reflected voters' preferences for control of Congress. Forty-eight percent of likely voters said they wanted a legislative branch controlled by the GOP, while 45 percent responded that they prefer a Democratic majority in Congress.

But when voters are asked which party's candidate they would choose in their districts, Republicans have a more narrow 1 percentage point edge in the battle for Congress.

The fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation appears not to give either major party a boost. Thirty-nine percent say they are more likely to back a candidate who supported Kavanaugh, while 36 percent responded that they are less likely.

The Senate confirmed the justice earlier this month as he faced sexual misconduct accusations, which Kavanaugh vehemently denied.

The NBC News/Marist poll was conducted October 14-18, 2018. The margin of error among likely voters is +/- 4.8 percentage points.
Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) greets a supporter before a town hall meeting at the Quail Point Lodge on August 16, 2018 in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Chris Covatta | Getty Images

With less than two weeks to go until the midterm elections, employees from tech companies are pouring money into the most contentious races across the country, focusing heavily on one long-shot Democratic Senate candidate in Texas: Beto O'Rourke. Alphabet accounts for the second-highest level of contributions to O'Rourke's campaign, behind only University of Texas affiliates, according to the latest data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Dell are also among the candidate's top 14 contributors, when totaling money from individual employees. Representatives of those companies have donated more than $425,000. O'Rourke, a congressman who's running to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, is the top recipient of employee donations from Alphabet, Apple, Dell and IBM, and a close second for Facebook, Cisco, Amazon and Microsoft. In total, the 46-year-old Democrat's campaign reeled in $38 million in the third quarter, compared with $12 million for Cruz.

While the tech industry has long bent to the left on the political spectrum, it's veered further in that direction in the two years since the election of President Donald Trump, whose positions on immigration, trade and civil rights are staunchly opposed across Silicon Valley. In an effort to put a check on the Trump presidency, tech workers are funding competitive contests that could potentially flip the House of Representatives in favor of the Democrats and take out at-risk Republicans in the Senate. When it comes to the Senate, left-leaning techies are motivated to spend money outside of their home states, as California and Washington are both solidly blue.

Start-up investor Chris Sacca, an early backer of Twitter and Uber and an ex-Google employee, said that O'Rourke's message of inclusion has resonated with people looking for an antidote to Trumpism. Some of O'Rourke's key proposals involve protecting people with disabilities, increasing public funding for low-income schools and ending the sale of military-style weapons in the U.S. O'Rourke reportedly appeared at a fundraising event in Silicon Valley last October hosted by venture capitalist Irwin Federman, investor Lara Druyan and Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning. Meanwhile, Cruz has been a vociferous critic of what he views as the tech industry's purported bias against conservatives. "Beto is emblematic of a bigger movement and has done the best job of formulating a cohesive message about what Democrats stand for," said Sacca, who donated $2,500 to O'Rourke and, along with his wife, Crystal, has raised millions of dollars for Democratic candidates and organizations as well as political start-up groups. "He is uniquely inspiring."

No more 'lyin' Ted'

Sacca is joined in his support by some big names in the industry. Jeff Dean, head of Google's artificial intelligence division, and David Fischer, a Facebook ad executive, both recently contributed the maximum $2,700 to O'Rourke, according to the CRP. Alex Stamos, Facebook's chief security officer until August, and Peter Vosshall, a vice president and distinguished engineer at Amazon, are also donors. Still, the Texas Senate seat presents a tougher challenge to Democrats than many of the Republican-held House seats that are considered toss-ups or are even leaning left. Trump won Texas by 9 points in 2016 over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1993. Despite the bitter rivalry between Trump and Cruz during the 2016 Republican primary, the president visited Houston for a rally on Monday night. He has shed the "lyin' Ted" nickname in favor of "beautiful Ted," and has referred to O'Rourke as a "total lightweight" in a tweet and "totally overrated" in front of the White House on Monday. O'Rourke did not respond to Trump's criticism. tweet Every polled tracked by RealClearPolitics has Cruz leading by at least 5 percentage points ahead of the election on Nov. 6. The tighter-than-expected race has kicked off a fundraising frenzy with both candidates raising tens of millions of dollars from out-of-state donors. Cruz, however, may see it as a "badge of honor" that he's not very popular in Silicon Valley, said Tim Miller, former communications director for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign who now consults for tech companies in the Bay Area. At a campaign event in Texas in early September, Cruz accused liberals of wanting Texas "to be just like California, right down to tofu and silicon and dyed hair."
The U.S. consumer is in good shape, Michele Buck, chief executive officer at The Hershey Company, said on Wednesday, becoming the second CEO in as many days to tell CNBC that Americans remain confident in the economy.

"We feel good about where the consumer is in the U.S.," she said.

Buck's appraisal echoes that of CEO Brian Cornell who told CNBC he stands by his August comments that the consumer environment may be the "strongest I've seen in my career."

Cornell told CNBC's Courtney Reagan on Tuesday that people are feeling good because "they're seeing wages rise."

Unlike retail, Buck said on "Squawk Box" that food companies, like Hershey, "don't see as quite as many peaks and valleys because people need to consume food."

Buck didn't want to talk much about business at Hershey ahead of Thursday's third-quarter earnings release.

She did say, "I am so thrilled about the progress we are making at Hershey on our strategic agenda."

"In the past several months and through the year, we've seen sequential improvement in our retail takeaway behind a very strong Halloween season," he added.

In regards to selling to younger buyers, Buck said Hershey's legacy brands are "outpacing the category growth by double in the past three years."

Further investment in digital commerce has also helped drive business, Buck said, adding that recent acquisitions should continue to boost growth.

"We feel really good about our acquisition to meet additional consumer snacking occasions with Skinny Pop, which is growing very strongly this year, and the addition of Pirate's Booty to our portfolio," she said.
The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday that reports of a suspicious package addressed to the White House are "incorrect."

"CLARIFICATION: At this time the Secret Service has intercepted TWO suspicious packages - one in NY and one in D.C. Reports of a third intercepted package addressed to the WH are incorrect," the agency wrote in a post on Twitter.



Earlier in the day, CNN reported that a package apparently containing a pipe bomb that was addressed to the White House was intercepted Wednesday, citing a law enforcement official.

SS tweet

The report came after the Secret Service said Wednesday that "potential explosive devices" were addressed to former President Barack Obama in Washington and ex-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in New York.

The Time Warner Center building in New York City on Wednesday was evacuated following a report of a suspicious package addressed to CNN, which has its New York bureau based in the building. In a briefing Wednesday afternoon, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the sending of a live explosive package to CNN an "act of terror."
GDPR, which went into effect in May across the EU, aims to give users more control over their personal data and imposes strict fines on companies that can't meet privacy standards.

"What the EU says with GDPR is if you wish to provide services to people within the European Union, here is the rulebook by which you must play, so I think that's quite fair," Sunderland said.

The European Union's sweeping new set of data protection laws, called the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR, is the "quid pro quo" for companies that want to take advantage of the European market, Dale Sunderland, deputy commissioner of Ireland's Data Protection Commission, told CNBC Tuesday in Brussels.

Ireland's deputy data commissioner has a clear message for companies that want to do business in the Europe: play by our data privacy rules.

As many big tech companies have European headquarters in Ireland, the country has become ground zero for some of GDPR's first big cases. The Irish Data Protection Commission is currently investigating Facebook over a security breach in September that exposed the data of 29 million users, including 3 million in Europe.

"Over the coming months we will conclude our investigation into that matter and we will provide a very fair and thorough assessment of the facts," Sunderland said.

Companies that fail to comply with GDPR face fines of up to 4 percent of global annual revenues or 20 million euros, whichever is bigger. For Facebook, this could mean as much as $1.63 billion.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission is also investigating Twitter over claims the company failed to provide a user with requested personal data. The "right to access" is a key pillar of GDPR that allows consumers to see how companies are using and processing their data.

"It's a very important issue for our office that we will thoroughly and fairly assess and investigate," Sunderland said.

GDPR has put Europe at the forefront of tech regulation as companies face increasing scrutiny over their use of personal data. At the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Brussels Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Europe's new rules and called for comprehensive federal data privacy regulation in the U.S.

Sunderland said GDPR has emerged as a leading framework for other data protection authorities around the world. He added regulators, companies and governments need to consider emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, in the conversation about data protection.

"To be an effective regulator we must keep at the cutting edge of our understanding of technology and technological advancements," he said.
Crude prices inched higher on Monday, after suffering two straight weeks of declines.

Saudi Arabia pledged to boost output to 11 million barrels per day, a record high.

In the wake of geopolitical tensions between the United States and Saudi Arabia, Saudi's energy minister says the move is simply to compensate for supply losses elsewhere in the world.

But U.S. lawmakers have been floating sanctions as a possible punishment for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On Wednesday, October 17th, WTI Crude dropped 3 percent on higher than expected inventory numbers, sending the commodity's price below its 50-day moving average.

History says the drop below that mark could spark a rebound in the commodity and its related stocks.

Since the end of the Financial Crisis in March 2009, both WTI Crude and the S&P Energy sector tend to trade higher a month later - the S&P Energy gains an average of 2.4 percent, trading positively 77 percent of the time.

WTI crude edges up 1.7 percent, a positive trade 64 percent of the time.
Saudi Arabia is trying to drown out the noise surrounding journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death by hailing multibillion-dollar business deals for its energy and infrastructure sectors at an investment forum in Riyadh this week. Major deals worth over $55 billion in the energy, transportation and petrochemical sectors were announced on Tuesday, the first day of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), a forum that's designed to attract business to the country  not an easy task when high-profile business leaders are boycotting the event this year. Many of the deals announced involve Saudi Arabia's state oil company Saudi Aramco. On Tuesday, the company said it had signed 15 memorandums of understanding (or MOUs, an agreement to engage in a commercial partnership, in principle) and commercial collaborations worth $34 billion. The deals involved international partners and entities including Total, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, and Chinese firm Norinco. "The MOUs reflect both Saudi Aramco's and the Kingdom's international partnership strategies and the determination to diversify the economy, enhance the domestic investment environment and boost employment opportunities," Saudi Aramco said in a statement Tuesday.

Khashoggi 'fiasco'

Despite the agreements, all eyes are on Saudi Arabia, and its investment conference, for a very different reason  the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in unexplained circumstances. The fallout from the death of the Saudi critic continues to impact diplomatic relations and business sentiment towards the Middle Eastern oil-rich powerhouse. Saudi Arabia's stock index, the Tadawul, has seen a turbulent few weeks following the death of Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Saudi Arabia first denied any knowledge of his death but last weekend claimed that Khashoggi had died in a fight within the consulate. Turkish investigators allege a 15-man hit squad traveled to Istanbul to carry out the killing. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the killing was premeditated. U.S. President Donald Trump at first said Saudi Arabi's explanation of a fight in the consulate was credible but as a tide of incredulity toward that explanation has grown, he has changed his tune. On Tuesday, Trump said the Saudi authorities had staged the "worst cover-up ever" and that the killing had been a "fiasco."

A man counts Saudi riyal banknotes at his jewelry shop in Tiba market in the capital Riyadh on October 3, 2016. Fayez Nureldine | AFP | Getty Images

Saudi transformation

A number of high-profile business and political leaders pulled out of attending the FII, including J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga, as well as media sponsors like The New York Times, CNBC, and CNN. The FII was dealt another blow on Tuesday when the CEO of technology investment firm SoftBank also pulled out of a speech at the conference, according to The Wall Street Journal. Problematically, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is the largest investor in SoftBank's $100 billion "Vision Fund" having committed $45 billion the fund. Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser decided to pull out of attending the conference too, delaying the signing of a power-plant contract that could be worth up to $20 billion, Bloomberg reported Tuesday citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Last year's FII was a very different affair with a high level of prominent business leaders and heads of state. It was so well attended, in fact, that it was called the "Davos in the Desert." Davos is the alpine town where the World Economic Forum (WEF) is held every January. Needless to say, with the bad press Saudi Arabia is receiving at the moment, WEF objected this week to the FII being associated (albeit in nickname only) with its Davos "brand." Not everyone has abandoned Saudi Arabia as a business destination with delegates from Russia and China in attendance, as well as Saudi Arabia's neighbors including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. "For us, it's important to recognize that Saudi Arabia has made a great transformation over the last three, four years under the leadership of the King (Salman) and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, RDIF, told CNBC on Tuesday, adding that Khashoggi's death should be viewed as "separate" from the Saudi leadership.
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The top Senate tax writer cast doubts Wednesday on the prospect of Congress passing the vague, new tax cuts that President Donald Trump floated this week.

The Republican-controlled legislative branch is "highly unlikely" to approve the proposed 10 percent tax cut for the middle class this year, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch told reporters, according to Politico. While the retiring Utah Republican said it would "take a real monumental effort" to push a tax bill through, he added that "you can't count out the Congress."

As Republicans try to juice voter enthusiasm and hold control of Congress, Trump proposed a tax cut that appeared to catch congressional leaders and even some White House officials off guard. On Monday, he said "we're putting in a resolution some time in the next week and a half to two weeks" to give middle-income people a 10 percent tax cut "on top of" the decreases the GOP passed last year. The Republican tax plan has sparked criticism for benefiting corporations and the wealthy more than middle-income people.

Hatch's House counterpart, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, said Tuesday that he will work with the Trump administration "to develop an additional 10 percent tax cut focused specifically on middle-class families and workers, to be advanced as Republicans retain the House and Senate." Still, passing such a bill before the end of the year appears unlikely.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks with reporters following the weekly policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol June 26, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Leading Republicans on Wednesday condemned a series of suspected mail bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former CIA chief John Brennan and other critics of President Donald Trump.

"I stand with all Americans in condemning today's attempted acts of domestic terrorism," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

Vice President Mike Pence, during an event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said, "These cowardly acts are despicable and have no place in American society."

"I want to assure you we've deployed the full resources of the FBI, the United States Secret Service and they're working very closely with law enforcement officials," Pence said.

Trump tweeted his support for Pence's sentiments.

Tweet

Authorities on Wednesday said that suspicious packages had been found addressed to Obama, Clinton, and to Brennan in care of CNN in New York City. Brennan is actually a contributor to CNBC's sister network MSNBC.

Later Wednesday, officials said such packages had also been sent to Eric Holder, who had served as attorney general under Obama, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. A report that such a package was sent to Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris' office in San Diego was later found to be incorrect, according to Harris' office and local police. The boxes police found outside the building that houses her office were not addressed to her and were found to not contain a device of any kind, they said.

All of the intended recipients of the packages have been critical of the Republican Trump.

Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in a tweet, called the suspected bombs "terrorizing acts."

Tweet

First lady Melania Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said, "Mrs. Trump condemns all forms of threats and violence, and thanks law enforcement for their heroic efforts."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., in his own tweet denounced the "attempt to terrorize public figures."

Tweet

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., cited the fact that he survived a politically motivated shooting last year as he called the suspected mail bombs "pure terror."

Tweet

Tweet

Tweet

Both of Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, whose respective wives have each opened mail that turned out to contain white powder, tweeted condemnations of the new packages being sent.

Tweet

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Tesla shares soared by more than 12 percent in premarket trading after the company reported a surprise profit for the third quarter as CEO Elon Musk made good on his promise to start turning regular profits in the last half of the year. The company's earnings report, released after the markets closed Wednesday, also showed better-than expected car sales and a faster timeline on its Model 3 production. The electric car maker said its midsize Model 3 sedan, which it hopes to produce on mass scale, was the best-selling car in the U.S. when measured by revenue and the fifth best-selling car in terms of volume. Musk told analysts on a call it was an "incredibly historic quarter" for the young car company. It was welcome news for investors following an otherwise a tumultuous few months. The company's shares settled after the markets opened but were still up by about 6 percent in morning trading. Here's how the company did compared with what Wall Street expected, based on average estimates of analysts polled by Refinitiv: Adjusted earnings: $2.90 a share vs. an expected loss of 19 cents per share

Revenue: $6.82 billion vs. an expected $6.33 billion Tesla posted net income of $311.5 million, or $1.75 per share, compared with a loss of $619.4 million, or $3.70 per share, a year ago. Revenue surged 70.5 percent from $4 billion from June and more than doubled from a year ago. After one-time adjustments, Tesla earned $516 million during the quarter. It was Tesla's third profitable quarter and compares with an adjusted loss of $520 million during the same period last year. Musk previously said the company would become sustainably profitable by now, having had just two profitable quarters prior to Wednesday's report since it went public in 2010. The company confirmed that it also expects to generate a profit during the fourth quarter.

Production rates improve

Tesla gave investors hope that its production rates will improve, saying that the number of labor hours to build the Model 3 fell by more than 30 percent from the second to the third quarter, and it took less time to build than the Model S sedan and Model X sport utility vehicle  another first for the company. The electric car maker has been struggling to ramp up production of its Model 3 sedan, telling investors Oct. 2 that it made 53,239 of the vehicles during the quarter. That fell just shy of its goal of producing an average of 5,000 a week, but the company said it built more than 5,300 during the last week of the quarter.

"We will focus even further on cost improvements while continuing to increase our production rate" during the fourth quarter, the company said. Strong demand for the Model 3 also bolstered the results. Musk told analysts on a call that demand for Model 3s was "probably on the order of anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million cars a year." The company said customers were trading in cheaper vehicles to buy a Model 3, "even though there is not yet a leasing option." "This leads us to believe that the total market potential for Model 3 is larger than just the premium sedan," the company said. Musk announced on Twitter Tuesday that the company is limiting certain options on its higher-end Model S sedans and Model X SUVs to streamline production. The company also recently announced plans to start selling a $45,000 version of the Model 3; the price was raised this week to $46,000. It has yet to produce the base Model 3, which it has promised for a price of $35,000 before incentives. The company said it was "working hard" to bring down the price on its Model 3 to $35,000. "Better than expected Model 3 cost reduction is allowing us to bring more affordable options to the market sooner," the company said, noting its slight price cut over the last week. CEO Elon Musk gave guidance that Tesla was probably less than six months from rolling out that lowest priced version of the Model 3.

China accelerates
Honduras immigrants stand in front of Honduran police officers blocking the access to the Agua Caliente border with Guatemala as they try to join a migrant caravan heading to the U.S., in the municipality of Ocotepeque, Honduras October 19, 2018. Jorge Cabrera | Reuters

The Trump administration has not settled on a plan for what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the southern border, despite threats by President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency or rescind aid from the countries whose people are journeying north. Top immigration officials and close Trump advisers are still evaluating the options in closed-door meetings that have gotten increasingly heated in the past week, including one that turned into a shouting match as the caravan of about 7,000 people pushes north, according to administration officials and others with knowledge of the issue. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the topic. The caravan, at least 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) away, comes on the heels of a surge in apprehensions of families at the border, which has rankled Trump but has also given him a fresh talking point to rally his base ahead of the midterm elections just two weeks away.

But the president's inner circle on immigration is grappling with the same problems that have plagued them for months, absent any law change by Congress. Some in Trump's administration, like Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, advocate for a diplomatic approach using relationships with Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador and the United Nations to stop the flow of migrants arriving to the U.S. "We fully support the efforts of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as they seek to address this critical situation and ensure a safer and more secure region," Nielsen said in statement earlier this week that noted her department was closely monitoring the possibility of gangs or other criminals that prey on those in "irregular migration." But others are agitating for more immediate options, including declaring a state of emergency, which would give the administration broader authority over how to manage people at the border; rescinding aid; or giving parents who arrive to the U.S. a choice between being detained months or years with their children while pursuing asylum, or releasing their children to a government shelter while a relative or guardian seeks custody. Tensions boiled over last week, when Nielsen suggested going to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights in a meeting with White House chief of staff John Kelly. National security adviser John Bolton, a longtime critic of the U.N., exploded over the idea, the officials and people said. Nielsen responded that Bolton, not a frequent attendant of the immigration meetings, was no expert on the topic, they said. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said in a statement: "While we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration, we are not angry at one another. However, we are furious at the failure of Congressional Democrats to help us address this growing crisis." Meanwhile, administration officials sounded off Tuesday on an increase in families coming across the border, mostly from Central America. Nearly a third of all people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border during the budget year 2018 were families and children  about 157,248 out of 395,579 total apprehensions.
Charles Harder, who has represented President Trump and Hulk Hogan in legal disputes, now wants to take Yelp to the U.S. Supreme Court over a pair of negative reviews.

The country's highest court would have to agree to hear the case and rule to overturn a lower court's decision, but the outcome could have widely felt implications on websites that host user-generated content like Facebook, Google and Twitter.

The case calls into question a legal provision called Section 230, which protects publishers of user material from liability related to those posts. Under Section 230, Facebook can't be held responsible for threats a single user makes against another on its platform, for example.

But the case Harder is petitioning to the Supreme Court  centering on a Yelp review that Harder claims to be defamatory  could muddy those publisher protections.

Harder's client, attorney Dawn Hassell, sued a former client for leaving negative and false reviews of her law firm on Yelp. Hassell wanted Yelp to take the reviews down, but the company refused, claiming First Amendment rights and the right to due process, saying it had not been properly named as a defendant in initial court proceedings.

The case was heard before several more courts, and in July, the Supreme Court of California ruled in Yelp's favor and determined the company did not have to remove the reviews.

Harder claims the refusal to remove falsely negative reviews threatens small business owners, and Yelp claims the insistence to remove the posts threatens free speech and public forums.

Yelp declined to comment, and pointed to a July blog post that claims the case "threaten[s] the rights of online platforms that allow people to freely share their thoughts and the billions of people that do so."

Harder is best-known for representing former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan in a defamation lawsuit against Gawker Media. The lawsuit, which was bankrolled by tech magnate and Trump supporter Peter Thiel, resulted in $140 million verdict for Hogan and drove Gawker into bankruptcy; the case was later settled for $31 million. President Trump hired Harder earlier this year to represent him in an arbitration battle with former aide Omarosa Newman.
President Donald Trump answers questions during a meeting with military leaders in the Cabinet Room on October 23, 2018 in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump promised again Wednesday to protect coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions. His repeated pledges ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections mask the fact that his administration has backed efforts to undermine the popular Affordable Care Act provision.

On Wednesday morning, the president claimed that Republicans will "totally protect people" with pre-existing conditions, while "Democrats will not!" Trump's tweet was his second this month promising to fight for the protections. Democrats have hammered the GOP over the issue as they try to take a House majority in November's elections.

Trump tweet: Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions, Democrats will not! Vote Republican.

The ACA bars insurance companies from charging customers more or denying them coverage if they have a health problem before their coverage begins. Even as Trump has publicly backed pre-existing condition coverage, his administration has helped to put the provision in jeopardy. The Justice Department decided not to defend Obamacare in court against a Republican-led lawsuit from 20 states challenging the health-care law's constitutionality.

They argue the full Affordable Care Act does not hold up legally after Republicans scrapped its core individual mandate provision as part of their tax law last year. By declining to defend Obamacare, the Trump administration tacitly supported the litigation, which could lead to the end of the pre-existing condition provision if the states win their lawsuit.

On Monday, his administration also moved to expand access to short-term health plans that may not necessarily cover pre-existing conditions. Health-care advocates also raised concerns that the House's Obamacare repeal plan  which all Democrats opposed as it narrowly passed the chamber last year with GOP support  could weaken the protections. Republicans never managed to repeal the law as the Senate failed to pass its own version of the bill.

Democrats have made health care their top messaging priority as they try to flip the House and numerous governor's offices around the country. Attacks over pre-existing conditions have put Republicans on the defensive. Now, numerous politicians who backed efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare are pledging their support for the provision, which about three-quarters of Americans support, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey.

Walker tweet

Even a U.S. Senate candidate who signed on to the lawsuit challenging Obamacare  Missouri's Republican attorney general, Josh Hawley  has promised to protect pre-existing condition coverage as he pushes to repeal the law.

It is unclear how Republicans would protect people with pre-existing conditions if they got rid of Obamacare. As Democrats hammer them over health care, GOP lawmakers have proposed bills to shield those patients.

But the proposals have possible loopholes that could jeopardize coverage, according to Politifact.

WATCH: This is what Medicare does and doesn't cover
U.S. government debt prices ticked higher Wednesday following the release of weaker-than-expected housing data.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.117 percent, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was lower at 3.336 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

The Commerce Department said earlier in the day that new home sales dropped 5.5 percent last month and reached their lowest level in nearly two years. This comes as mortgage rates have risen recently. According to Bankrate.com, the most recent average rate is at 4.87 percent.

The bid in Treasurys comes amid a general risk-off move in global stock markets. The major U.S. stock indexes are all down sharply this month. European and Asian equities have also dropped sharply in October.

Treasury auctions continued on Wednesday, as the department sold $39 billion worth of five-year notes at a high yield of 2.977 percent. The bid-to-cover ratio, an indicator of demand, hit 2.3.

Elsewhere, the Federal Reserve said in its latest economic report that tariffs have forced U.S. factories to raise prices.

"Manufacturers reported raising prices of finished goods out of necessity," the central bank said in the latest edition of the Beige Book, a summary of economic conditions. The Fed added: "Prices continued to rise, growing at a modest-to-moderate pace in all districts."
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President Donald Trump addresses a series of suspicious packages addressed to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others Wednesday, at a bill signing event for legislation intended to combat the opioid crisis.

The Secret Service said that "potential explosive devices" addressed to former President Obama and former Secretary of State Clinton had been intercepted. Hours later, New York police evacuated the Time Warner Center to investigate another suspicious package reportedly addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan.

Media reports also said the office of Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, was evacuated after a suspicious package was found.

Vice President Mike Pence condemned the "attempted attacks," to which Trump tweeted, "I agree wholeheartedly!"

Trump tweet

The bipartisan opioid legislation will dedicate more resources to fight the ongoing drug crisis.
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Singaporean societys streak of caring and giving come to the fore at the PVPA 2018 awards

The inexplicable feel and inherent joy and warmth of giving was palpable as the President of Singapore Halimah Yacob honoured eight distinguished winners of the Presidents Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) 2018 today at Capella Singapore.

Awardees hailing from different walks of life working to bring smiles to the faces of people and fostering social inclusion and religious harmony in Singapore; a society, which often makes news for its philanthropy and "giving". Slightly over a week back, the Presidents Star Charity raised a record total of SGD8.3 million.

Winners of the PVPA awards 2018 (from left to right) including Associate Professor Peter Pang Yu Hin, Dean of Students Office of Student Affairs, National University of Singapore, Juliet Ng, Head, Communications & Community Engagement Assisi Hospice, Adam Abdur Rahman, Managing Director Head of Corporate Affairs, Citi Singapore, Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Director, TSMP Law Corporation Mergers, Emily Teng, Founder, Blessings in a Bag, Abbas Ali Mohamed Irshad, Founder and Director Roses of Peace, Dr Rupesh Agrawal, Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinician Scientist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Anna Tham, Girl Guides Singapore Commissioner for Special Projects. Melissa Kwee, CEO of National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre is standing in the fifth position. Photo: Connected to India

PVPA awards honoured individuals, companies, ground-up movements, non-profit organisations and educational institutions that have achieved excellence in giving. Their stories and contributions act as a platform to connect communities and serve causes that are often overlooked.

Addressing the gathering, President Halimah Yacob said, Im heartened that this year's winners include firms that made giving an integral part of their corporate culture, as well as individuals who are passionate in helping those around them.

Through their selfless acts, they have shown that volunteerism can be a part of all our lives. When all of us pitch in to help those around us, we can make a greater and longer lasting impact on society, she added.

The winner in the Large Enterprise-Corporate category was Citibank Singapore. The bank has trained youth with financial literacy skills because they believe that youths are the driver of the economy. Receiving the award on behalf of Citibank Singapore, Adam Abdur Rahman, Managing Director, Head of Corporate Affairs, said, There are two main things we focus on in the areas on philanthropy and volunteerism. Both are connected. From a philanthropic perspective, it is not about giving but also includes togetherness with the participation of all bankers.

Adam Abdur Rahman, Citi Singapore Managing Director, Head of Corporate Affairs. Photo: Connected to India

Since 2002 to now, we have given USD17 million to work with NGO partners to enhance the objective we have set regarding financial inclusion and economic opportunities, he said.

From volunteerism perspective, we have 4,500 volunteers and colleagues from CitiClub. They organise events in which the staff volunteer. With philanthropy and volunteerism, we certainly hope to make difference in the community, said the banker.

Citibank Singapore has reached 5,000 students and 6,000 women from the low-income group in this year.

The realisation of the huge contribution people like helpers at home bring to our lives made Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Director, TSMP Law Corporation, awaken to the cause she supports dearly. Stefanie said, I was in the shower after a long day work and I was grateful that my maid had looked after the whole day my sick grandmother and my son who was then a baby. I remembered thinking about my success, my ability to fulfill my career dream is at the expense of so many of the families.

We hear so many stories that their family back home has broken down and I realise that we have a duty to give back, to look after these people. They are looking after us-our roads, our bridges, our buildings and our families and keeping them all together. Thats why we started working with foreign maids, she added.

Her firm TSMP Law Corporation was declared the winner under the Corporate: SME category.

Abbas Ali Mohamed Irshad, Nominated MP and Founder of Roses of Peace. Photo: Connected to India

Winner of the individual award in the youth category for Interfaith harmony, Abbas Ali Mohamed Irshad, the 29-year-old Nominated MP has been inspired by his own personal experiences that became starting Irshad set up Roses of Peace (ROP), a youth-led ground-up interfaith initiative, created in response to the Charlie Hebdo incident in Paris. To date, the organisation has engaged more than 2,000 volunteers, and distributed over 40,000 roses as a means of spreading messages of peace, building bridges, and fostering interfaith harmony since 2012. He is also the nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore.

Speaking about the initiative, he said, When we give roses to the public, the smiles it brings on the faces of the people receiving the rose is invaluable. People are heartened by this small gesture.

Dr Rupesh Agarwal passionately works outside office hours to help the underprivileged in the society and perform eye-operation of the needy persons. Photo: Connected to India

Indian-origin doctor Rupesh Agarwal was declared the winner in the Individual: Adult category. He is a Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinician Scientist at National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Despite his busy schedule, he went the extra mile by providing support to the less fortunate not only in Singapore but also in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

He is now a citizen of Singapore and passionately works outside office hours to help the underprivileged in the society with a team of like-minded professionals from different parts of the world through Rotary Club of Singapore or a non-profit organisation  Viraj Healthcare Foundation established by him and his brother, Dr Rohit in December 2016.

Emily Teng, Founder, Blessings in a Bag (right) along with Melissa Kwee, CEO of National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. Photo: Connected to India

Emily Teng (winner of Kampong Spirit Category) and founder of Blessings in a Bag, turned the challenges she faced growing up into a force for good, providing disadvantaged youth in Singapore with opportunities to discover their passions and interests through mentorship programmes, after-school care, field trips, and classroom activities.

In the Non-Profit Organisation category, the winners are the Assisi Hospice and volunteers from their No One Dies Alone (NODA) programme. Since the groups formation in 2014, the teams pioneering efforts have helped 53 patients and provided 735 hours of care. This includes 33 end-of-life vigils, making Assisi Hospice the first in Singapore to be able to support this programme on a sustained basis, powered by volunteers from all walks of life.

Through their efforts, these PVPA 2018 winners have the potential to create a multiplier effect for doing good, and their contributions encourage others to bridge divides and build communities. Their actions exemplify how giving can take many forms, from philanthropy, skills-based volunteering to advocacy, each moving Singapore towards a City of Good in their own unique way.

As we come together as a community to celebrate Singapores Giving Heroes, we reaffirm the values that hold us together as a society in the midst of many forces that always threaten to divide us. Giving unites people and reminds us that we share a great deal in our common humanity, said Melissa Kwee, CEO, NVPC.

The winners remind us that each of us can choose to use our power and influence in private and public arenas to uplift, comfort, create and expand our imagination of what it means to do good and do well. Together they represent a microcosm of what is best and beautiful about our society. May we start to put our hands to the plough to give towards the future we collectively envision," she added.

Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Director, TSMP Law Corporation Mergers along with Melissa Kwee and Emily Teng. Photo: Connected to India

This years PVPA winners were selected from close to 100 nominations, undergoing a stringent selection process based on volunteerism and/or philanthropy best practices; innovativeness of ideas; inspirational value; and the impact their efforts have created.

The awards ceremony was hosted by Special Olympics athlete leader, Florence Hui and Mediacorp personality Yasminne Cheng. PVPA 2018 winners received hand-crafted trophies that were co-designed by Tru-Marine and students from Yio Chu Kang Secondary School. Singaporean artist Aaron Gan mentored the students on the design of the trophy.

The evenings performances showcased a diverse and socially inclusive range of artistes including OnWheels Dance Group, Cactus Rose Band and rapper Danial Bawthan, known as Wheel Smith.
Brexit 1) May will face down critics at 1922 Committee

Its not too late to save Brexit, if only the PM would abandon her bunker and start listening, Stewart Jackson, Daily Telegraph

Theresa May will try to face down her fiercest critics at a meeting in Parliament on Wednesday after a heated debate at her weekly Cabinet meeting about Brexit. A senior Tory source said Mrs May was taking the opportunity to talk to colleagues at the 1922 Committee meeting after Tuesdays Cabinet was dominated by no-deal preparations and fears among Eurosceptic ministers that Britain will get tied into the customs union indefinitely. Mrs May was challenged at the meeting by more than half a dozen impassioned ministers to set an end-date so Britain does not remain in a customs union indefinitely after a 21-month transition period is over.  Daily Telegraph

>Today: Lee Reynolds on Comment: What the Belfast Agreement does and doesnt say about the UK-Ireland land border  and much else

Brexit 2) Transition could last for years, Cabinet told yesterday

Theresa Mays Brexit plan could leave Britain in a long-running multi-year transition period despite her promise that it would last only a few months, according to leaked cabinet papers seen by The Times. Cabinet ministers have been warned by officials that there is no guarantee Britain will be able to extricate itself from the transition arrangements in her preferred Brexit option. The leaked documents concede that the plan could, in theory, lead to a long-running IP (implementation period). They make clear that the arrangement could last for many years on a rolling basis with an annual decision point where any transition extension is reviewed.  The Times

Brexit 3) as Lidington and Cox disagree on policy

Cox compares Customs Union trap to Dantes first circle of Hell  Daily Express

Brexit 4) Alternative routes planned to safeguard drug supplies if there is no deal

Britain could face another Black Wednesday meltdown if Brexit goes wrong, the Cabinet was yesterday warned during an almighty row. Theresa Mays top table endured a heated exchange of views during a Brexit discussion yesterday as tensions boiled over.Revelation of the fresh dust up came as the PM prepares to confront all Tory backbenchers in a showdown meeting tonight. Ministers yesterday divided into two camps over how to unlock a deal with Brussels during an update from the PM on last weeks failed EU summit. Pro-EU Cabinet Office minister David Lidington called for more compromises to avoid the sort of economic meltdown that hit the UK when it span out of the ERM in September 1992. The 62 year-old Tory veteran insisted that as the only member of the Cabinet who was an MP them, they couldnt have that level of chaos again.  The Sun

Ferry and freight firms will be urged to plan alternative routes for drugs and other vital supplies if a no-deal Brexit blocks cross-Channel traffic. The suppliers will be told to use Belgian and Dutch ports if blockages at Calais threaten to delay shipments. The news emerged after a passionate cabinet meeting in which ministers were told about contingencies for no deal. Meanwhile, a government watchdog is warning new UK border controls may not be ready in a no-deal situation. Cabinet ministers are receiving weekly updates about preparations for Brexit until the UK leaves the EU next March.  BBC

Charter ships could beat the chaos  The Times

We look toward a new partnership, says The Queen  Daily Express

Fighting crime would be significantly harder without a deal claims National Crime Agency chief  Daily Mail

Dyson to build electric cars in Singapore  The Times

Leaving the EU gives a chance for radical devolution to the regions  The Guardian

>Today: Lee Reynolds on Comment: What the Belfast Agreement does and doesnt say about the UK-Ireland land border  and much else

Brexit 5) France threatens to block Calais port to the UK  if we refuse to pay 39 billion

Napoleon tribute act Emmanuel Macron threatens a trade war, we call his bluff  Leader, The Sun

Brexit 6) Pierce: Saboteurs are in retreat

France could wreak massive damage on Britains economy by closing down Calais under a no deal Brexit, the Cabinet was warned. If negotiations fail and Theresa May refuses to pay the UKs 39bn divorce bill, it is feared Paris could immediately retaliate by creating chaos with cross-channel trade.As the nations only major roll-on roll-off ferry hub, the Dover-Calais crossing has been identified by DexEU officials as Britain major strategic weak point. France has the power to spark huge delays for UK-bound lorries importing factory parts for just in time supply chains such as car factories.  The Sun

During an unusually sheepish performance on Radio 4s Today programme, Andrew Bridgen, one of Theresa Mays fiercest Tory critics, gave the first clear sign the saboteurs were in retreat. Bridgen, who in July was one of the first Tory MPs to reveal he had sent a letter to the 1922 Committee demanding a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister, repeatedly refused to say she should go. Presenter Nick Robinson brandished yesterdays Daily Mail front page with the headline about those out to knife Mrs May and asked: Are you one of the saboteurs?The usually forthright Bridgen, who is a regular fixture in radio and television studios, crumpled, saying: Toppling the Prime Minister is not the only solution.   Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail

A very public shift  Leader, The Guardian

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Brexiteer MPs no longer have a champion in Fleet Street

Budget 1) 31 billion spending boost would be needed to end austerity

Luddite levy on online shopping wont help the high street  City AM

New tax would mean lower investment warn tech firms  The Times

UK chancellor Philip Hammond will need to boost annual spending by 31bn by 2022-23 if he is to meet the prime ministers promise of an end to austerity, according to an analysis published by the Resolution Foundation ahead of next weeks Budget. Even if the Office for Budget Responsibility hands the chancellor a record upgrade in its forecasts of government borrowing, meeting this promise will be incompatible with the commitment to continue lowering debt as a proportion of gross domestic product, unless Mr Hammond also raises taxes, the think-tank said.  Financial Times

>Today: Columnist Robert Halfon: Heres the Workers Budget we need next week

>Yesterday: Andy Street: A message to the Chancellor. Tax Amazon more and small businesses less.

Budget 2) Retailers urge boost to tax-free shopping

Hundreds of Britains leading retailers have written a furious letter to Philip Hammond demanding he delivers on a promise to digitalise tax-free shopping in next weeks Budget. Tourists who come to the UK from outside the EU to shop still have to apply for VAT refunds using paper forms. Most other EU countries allow shoppers to apply for the refunds online. But Britain has yet to implement a digital process five years after first outlining plans to modernise the tax-free shopping system  and has pushed back the delivery date to 2020.  The Sun

Four ministers back legalising abortion in Northern Ireland

Call to cease investigation of Northern Ireland veterans

Four Government ministers have backed a Bill to legalise abortion in a move which risks tensions with DUP MPs who support Theresa May. Women and Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt, Womens Minister Victoria Atkins and Health Minister Caroline Dinenage voted in favour of the draft legislation. The measure  also supported by education minister Jo Johnson  would decriminalise abortion in the UK, including Northern Ireland. Terminating a pregnancy in Northern Ireland is currently illegal without an exceptional medical or mental health reason but campaigners claim pressure is growing for the ban to be lifted.  Daily Telegraph

Theresa May is facing demands from 150 Tory MPs and peers to drop plans to investigate past crimes in Northern Ireland and other military conflicts. In a letter to the PM, they say a new Historical Investigations Unit would put service and security personnel at an exceptional disadvantage. And they accuse the government of breaking the Armed Forces Covenant  its manifesto commitment to personnel. The Northern Ireland Office declined a request for comment. Proposals for a Historical Investigations Unit were part of the 2014 Stormont House agreement and designed to deal with killings where there had been no prosecutions.  BBC

Defy republicans seeking to rewrite history says Wilson  Belfast Telegraph

Gove agrees to introduce Natashas law

Tory peers challenged over Russian links

Michael Gove has promised to rush in tough new food labelling rules after meeting the parents of a teenage girl who died from an extreme allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich. Legislation requiring restaurants and takeaways to provide more detailed information on food products is set to be in place by next summer, the Environment Secretary said. His move has been prompted by the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who collapsed on a flight to Nice in 2016 after eating a baguette containing sesame seeds she bought at Heathrow airport. The 15-year-old, from Fulham in west London, died hours later in hospital despite receiving two EpiPen injections from her father.  The i

The security minister has turned down a meeting with a Tory peer who has financial links to Moscow amid fears about Russian influence and lobbying in parliament, The Times can reveal. Ben Wallace said in a letter to the Commons foreign affairs committee that he had been contacted by two Conservative peers requesting government assistance for Russian associates since he took up his post in 2016. He said he did not take up the offer to meet and discuss sanctions with Lord Barker of Battle. Lord Barker, 52, is chairman of En+, the Russian energy giant majority-owned by the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of President Putin. En+ and Mr Deripaska have been subject to sanctions since the Salisbury nerve agent attack in March. A ministerial meeting did go ahead with the Conservative peer Lord Fairfax of Cameron.  The Times

Access to MPs allows for mischief  The Times

New pressure on Bercow to resign

A conflicted Commission  Chris Cook, BBC

Troubled John Bercow faced fresh pressure to resign after three members of Government quit his pet project to make Parliament more inclusive  pointing to bullying allegations against him. The walkout out came as both the Tories and Labour backed calls to review historic Westminster abuse claims in a body blow to the embattled Commons Speaker  who denies the suggestions he abused his staff. His office said Tory Parliamentary aide Will Quince, Whip Mims Davies and Minister Anne Milton had resigned from the Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion, which is chaired by Mr Bercow.  The Sun

>Today: ToryDiary: Bercow, the anti-Lenthall. I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, in this place, but as Labour MPs are pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here

Labour members punished for dissenting view in transgender discussion

Labour supporters have criticised a sinister decision to freeze them out of a Facebook group for sharing an article by the former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Rebecca Lush was among the women who tried to share the article by Trevor Phillips on The Labour Party Forum, an unofficial account with almost 40,000 followers. In the article for The Times, Mr Phillips, a long-time Labour member, urged ministers not to give in to trans zealots over proposals to allow people to self-declare their legal gender.  The Times

>Today: Interview: James Kirkup on trans. And how campaigners have exploited MPs fear of being accused of transphobia.

Scottish Government to miss hospital waiting time targets

Markets positive about likely victory of Bolsonaro in Brazil

NHS patients will have to wait three years before delays to legally binding waiting time guarantees are brought to an end, Jeane Freeman has admitted. The health secretary unveiled an 850 million improvement package to tackle waiting times as she told MSPs at Holyrood yesterday: Some people are waiting too long to receive the care they need. Of this, 355m is new cash and will be initially focussed on patients whose treatment is urgent and have been waiting the longest. The Scottish Government has come under repeated fire for its failure to meet NHS waiting times standards Ministers introduced the Treatment Time Guarantee, which gave patients a legal right to treatment within 12 weeks for conditions such as knee and eye operations.  The Scotsman

Markets have high hopes for the new president. Unlike the PT, which is blamed for destroying the economy under Mr Lula da Silvas successor, Dilma Rousseff, Mr Bolsonaro is seeking to form an economic team made up of technocrats under his adviser, University of Chicago-trained financier Paulo Guedes. If he can get the reforms right, Brazil could be poised for another virtuous cycle, says UBS economist Tony Volpon. The recession that started in 2014 and wiped more than 7 percentage points off Brazils economy ended in 2016, but the rebound since has been modest. The country grew only 1 per cent in 2017 and a survey conducted by the central bank forecasts growth of only 1.3 per cent this year.  Financial Times

Trump accuses of worst cover-up ever after Khashoggi killing

Miller: We need to tackle sexual harassment on public transport

President Trump last night accused Saudi Arabia of a cover-up over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, piling pressure on its beleaguered leaders. They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was . . . the worst ever, Mr Trump told reporters at the White House. Bad deal, should have never been thought of. He described the operation as a total fiasco. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, announced that the Saudi agents accused of killing the dissident journalist at the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul on October 2 would be banned from the US.  The Times

We would like to see the work done by TfL and the British Transport Police supported across the National Rail Network. The Department for Transport should require train operators to have a robust policy on sexual misconduct  including prevention. It should also issue guidance to local authorities to ensure that bus operators and others do the same. Meanwhile, as well as the fear, inconvenience, and all other depressing consequences of gross behaviour, women are still constantly reminded that they are female in public spaces  taking away their sense of ownership. Its time to take it back.  Maria Miller, Daily Telegraph

Parris: Disraeli was just as abusive as our current batch of MPs

News in brief

The real Brexit lesson from Dysons decision to build his cars in Singapore  John Ashmore, CapX

From Dantes first circle of hell to Black Wednesday, this weeks Cabinet meeting  James Forsyth, The Spectator

Italys budget crisis is a bigger threat to the EU than Brexit  Sean OGrady, Independent

Having the referendum losers dictate the Governments Brexit policy spells trouble  Patrick OFlynn MEP, Brexit Central

At least four Tory MPs have submitted letters of no confidence in Theresa May since Friday  Alex Wickham, Buzzfeed

Perspective, for heavens sake! This wet-eyed nonsense about the cruelty of MPs invective lacks all sense of history. Parliament has always been famous for the ferocity of its members language and if this prime minister cant take it (and she assuredly can) she shouldnt be in the job. Margaret Thatcher was variously described by fellow MPs as behaving with all the sensitivity of a sex-starved boa constrictor, that f***ing stupid petit-bourgeois woman, a cow, the great she-elephant, Attila the hen and the immaculate misconception. Denis Healey told John Prescott he had the face of a man who clubs baby seals and Disraeli said that a foreign traveller apprised of Lord John Russell might understand how the ancient Egyptians worshipped an insect. Asked to distinguish between a misfortune and a calamity, Disraeli said that if Gladstone fell into the Thames, that would be a misfortune. If anyone pulled him out, that would be a calamity.  Matthew Parris, The Times
Interview: James Kirkup on trans. And how campaigners have exploited MPs fear of being accused of transphobia.

When James Kirkup became interested in transgender politics, people warned him that writing about it was too dangerous. He notes that the fear the subject inspires in many MPs of being attacked as transphobic has created a vacuum into which transgender campaigning groups have been able to move, and to push for the right of trans people to self-identify their gender, without the arguments for and against the reform being tested in rigorous debate.

In this interview, Kirkup says nobody has really pointed out that Professor Stephen Whittle  specialist adviser to the Women and Equalities Committee, chaired by Maria Miller, when it drew up its agenda-setting report on Transgender Equality  is also the founder of a group called Press for Change, which was the first trans rights campaigning group in the UK.

With the support of Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator, Kirkup has produced since February a large volume of studiously even-handed work on this topic, and has gained for that magazine a number of left-wing feminist subscribers.

The Governments consultation on reform of the Gender Recognition Act [GRA], which ended this week, was launched by Penny Mordaunt, the Minister for Women and Equalities, with the declaration: Trans women are women, that is the starting point for this consultation. But the implications of that dictum for all-women shortlists, and for such facilities as women-only swimming pools and prisons, are only just starting to be appreciated.

Kirkup worked as a political journalist for The Daily Telegraph, Bloomberg News and The Scotsman, and is now Director of the Social Market Foundation.

ConHome: Why did you get interested in this? So many other people have avoided the subject.

Kirkup: Well, that is part of the reason. Last Christmas, I was talking to a Labour Party friend. She was quite animated about the question of Labour and all-women shortlists, and whether Labour should allow self-defining women to stand on all-women shortlists.

And I thought that might make an interesting off-beat piece. And she said, Yes, but you cant write about that  youll get killed. Which frankly piqued my interest. So over a period of weeks I did some reading and spoke to various friends around Westminster about it, and quite a few of them essentially said, Youre right, theres something in that, but you cant write about it, youll get killed.

Obviously metaphor is banned now in political conversation. We should bow our heads and say it is not appropriate to make jokes about killing.

I was arriving late on in terms of the government process. Last summer, summer 17, when everybody was a bit busy with some other stuff, it was decided in Downing Street that there would be a new push to reform the Gender Recognition Act.

ConHome: So that was after the general election, when they were thinking weve got to show were a buzzy, modernising administration.

Kirkup: My impression is that someone was persuaded that this was the new, social-liberal, modern issue.

ConHome: The new Gay Marriage Act.

Kirkup: Yes. I think thats what sent Theresa May to the Pink News Awards in October 17, where she said we will streamline and demedicalise the process, we will be the party that reaches out. And Justine Greening got the job of announcing there would be a consultation on the reform of the GRA.

Anyhow, I spoke to some people who said, Yes, there are some issues there, but it is not a subject that any sensible person would venture into.

But as I dont really have to worry about being popular, and I dont have to get elected, I thought if Im not going to write about this stuff, then nobody is.

So I wrote one piece in February [Can we have an honest debate about gender?], and I think it was about 2,500 words long.

ConHome: You were clearly trying to anticipate every possible objection.

Kirkup: I write very, very quickly. Its just a necessity in the jobs Ive had. Ive never had much time to write. That piece I spent a number of days labouring on to try to make sure that every word, every term

ConHome: And there were no unnecessary provocations, and an evident desire to have a calm and rational discussion.

Kirkup: So eventually it went online, and the response was not wholly positive, but the response was very positive and there was much more of a response than I expected. And because there were very few journalists talking about this stuff, quite a lot of people then got in touch to say, There are questions here, have you seen this bit, have you seen that?

Because it is a huge and complicated subject. It touches on the philosophy, but my interest is still in the political process, which was failing and still to some extent is. Ive been around this place [Westminster] for nearly 27 years, my first job here was as a junior bag-carrier for an MP in 1994

ConHome: Which MP?

Kirkup: Alan Beith, my local MP in Northumberland [a Liberal Democrat]. So I am essentially a Westminster lifer, to my shame. And Ive never come across a subject where theres such a reluctance to engage. It seemed to me there were some perfectly reasonable questions being asked by people who could not get a hearing.

As a result of that first Spectator piece I ended up in contact with Womens Place UK  they wrote a piece for the Spectator about what it is like trying to organise a meeting when you have people ringing the venue and telling the organisers you are transphobic  they get threats, they get pickets.

Womens Place UK is run by a couple of life-long trade unionists and various volunteers. They are left-of-centre, traditional left women involved in trade union politics and community politics, who try to organise these meetings which are in essence very mundane, community meetings for 100 or 150 women to talk about the interaction of the Gender Recognition Act and the single-sex exemptions of the Equalities Act 2010.

This is not rabble-rousing stuff. And yet they were genuinely struggling to organise these meetings because every time they did the venue would be picketed and threatened and harassed.

ConHome: Incidentally, just in brackets, in case I forget to ask you, whats the worst youve had yourself?

Kirkup: Very, very little. This is the very interesting thing. I dont think Ive said anything original, in the many words Ive written on the subject this year.

ConHome: A bold claim.

Kirkup: Im not sure Ive said anything that has not already been said by one or all of the following: Janice Turner, Helen Lewis, Julie Bindel, Sarah Ditum. Im walking in the wake of a great many journalists who have already explored this subject.

It just so happens that all those journalists are women, and the odd thing that strikes me is I know, from talking to some of them and looking at the social media conversation round their output, that some of the things which are said to them, which are despicable and horrible and threatening and violent, are not said to me. A lot of the people who are very keen to go and tell those women to die in a fire just leave me alone.

ConHome: Bullies like to go for the weakest person, often suppose that women are weak, and dont think youre weak. At least thats one reason. There may also be a profound misogyny. Also youre not going out there and putting your fists up and saying lets have a fight. Youre not a professional controversialist.

Kirkup: The weary reasonableness of the writing is probably one factor. In terms of what is the worst, nothing leaps to mind. I dont pay very much attention to it.

ConHome: So if someone does a really obscene or horrible tweet, you just ignore it.

Kirkup: Yes. I had nastier emails and tweets from junior doctors a couple of years ago, when I took a fairly sceptical view of the BMAs position on the junior doctor conflict  the nastiest online abuse Ive ever had, and that includes dealing with Ukippers, CyberNats

Anyhow, the Womens Place UK meeting, it struck me this is not how politics is supposed to be. Public meetings are the basic building blocks of how politics is done. You get together in a room and you talk about stuff. Here were a bunch of people who couldnt even get together in a room to talk about things.

They were trying, and are still trying, to reach out to the politicians to say Whats going on here?'

ConHome: When is the end of the consultation?

Kirkup: Today [Monday], in about an hours time. It was due to end at 11 p.m. on Friday night and then they extended it until noon today because they had so many responses the survey kept crashing.

ConHome: I imagine you havent made a submission?

Kirkup: No, no. I dont really have a view on what the correct legal regime is, because I dont think Ive seen enough evidence.

ConHome: At the moment, if a man who self-identifies as a woman turns up at a women-only bathing establishment such as the Ladies Pond on Hampstead Heath, what is the legal position?

Kirkup: Does that person have a Gender Recognition Certificate or not? Lets assume they dont, because there are only about 5,000 Gender Recognition Certificates issued. So the law that covers the service provider, the swimming pool say, is the 2010 Equality Act, which broadly says everyone should be treated the same, and if you are providing a service you should provide the same service to everybody, except of course, for perfectly understandable reasons, that law has exemptions.

That law says there are exceptions that can be made, and one of the grounds is on grounds of sex. The sex/gender distinction is very, very important, and not properly understood by a lot of politicians who talk about this stuff, a lot of journalists who write about this stuff, and a lot of the official and public bodies who deal with this.

The conflation by public bodies of sex and gender is quite worrying, if you think that public bodies should actually understand the law and apply it properly. And theres a core question about whether some of the lobbying organisations that have been involved in this have been encouraging a misunderstanding of sex and gender. The law itself is quite messy on the subject.

ConHome: And is that the fault of the politicians, by the way, whove left it up to the judiciary?

Kirkup: The judiciary hasnt really been involved, to be honest. It is ultimately the fault of politicians, who havent paid enough attention to the subject. Parliament has not been clear enough on the issue and provided clear enough guidance, and has basically left a lot of public bodies to get on with it.

ConHome: There might be a certain wisdom in that  in seeing how the subject evolves.

Kirkup: Yes, but it leaves a vacuum that can be filled by groups which are well-organised and competent and have an agenda.

Under the Equality Act 2010 the swimming pool can say this space is reserved only for females  that is, people who are of the female sex.

The question is how that organisation chooses to apply the exemptions and whether or not it chooses to do so, because there are a lot of organisations that are very keen to tell public bodies and service providers that these exemptions can only be invoked under the most dire and exceptional of circumstances, and if you invoke them unduly you will be breaking the law and you will be doing a bad thing and you will be transphobic, and you will be unduly and unfairly and unreasonably excluding a minority who have suffered terrible persecution  which is entirely true, theres no question at all that everybody should be nicer to transgender people.

But thats separate to the question of what the law actually says and how the law is being applied. This is actually something separate to the GRA consultation  the degree to which the 2010 Equality Act is not being fully or properly applied.

Maria Millers committee is soon to start an inquiry into the Equality Act 2010.

ConHome: Youve said their report on the transgender question was very bad.

Kirkup: It was very bad. I dont say this with any malice towards anyone on the committee, but that committee report, which was very, very influential, it set the agenda really

ConHome: When did it come out?

Kirkup: The work was done in 2015 and the report was actually published in early 2016. The problem with that report was if you actually read it, as I have for my sins, every transcript and every bit of written evidence submitted, the problem with the committee was that it gave too much priority to the lobbying organisations and not enough to the objective authorities.

Its very interesting, and nobody has really pointed this out, the specialist adviser on the committee  you often hire an outside adviser to guide the clerks, guide the committee, help select evidence, and sometimes draft the report  the specialist adviser on that report was Professor Stephen Whittle of Manchester Metropolitan University, who was described in the report as Professor Stephen Whittle of Manchester Metropolitan University.

The report nowhere mentions that Professor Whittle was also the founder of a group called Press for Change, which was the first trans rights campaigning group in the UK.

ConHome: What has he said about that subsequently? What has Maria Miller said about it?

Kirkup: Nothing, because no ones ever made the observation or asked the question.

ConHome: Even you havent yet written this?

Kirkup: No. Ive discussed it with Commons staff who were involved and know about it. Partly because were now three years after the fact.

ConHome: Its a pretty extraordinary fact. An electronic search of the committees report shows only one reference to Whittle, in paragraph 18 of the Introduction: We are very grateful to our Specialist Advisor, Stephen Whittle OBE, Professor of Equalities Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, for his help and guidance throughout the inquiry.

Kirkup: Its an interesting fact, but going after a three-year-old select committee report, even though it was a very important one, hasnt been a priority.

At one point they had an evidence session where there was Susie Green from Mermaids, the campaign group set up by the parents of transgender children, and a couple of other transgender campaigning organisations, on a panel giving evidence, alongside Dr Bernadette Wren of the Tavistock and Portman Trust, whos one of the countrys leading clinical experts on the subject.

If you look at all the literature and all the work done by the Tavistock Clinic, they will say, on the subject of children and why the number of children transitioning, or presenting at gender clinics, is rising: Were not really sure. We dont have enough evidence yet. Wed like to do some more research. We certainly think we should go relatively slowly before we get to the point of physical intervention, medicine and the rest.

One of the striking things about that inquiry is you have the countrys leading clinical experts saying we dont know whats going on here, can we slow down, and the committee more or less ignored that, and if you look at their recommendations, they adopted almost in full the recommendations made by the advocacy groups like Mermaids, which is still something that I find slightly troubling.

The experts, and Im not one, the people whove actually done the peer-reviewed scientific medical endocrinology research in this subject, in the context of children particularly say were not sure, we need more time.

On the other side of the fence, there is the suicide narrative which is now being put on air by ITV, saying if you dont intervene quickly your child will kill themselves. That is the argument being promoted in some cases by a group of parents who have themselves had really horrible traumatic experiences.

And this is where it gets really difficult, because if you listen to someone like Susie Green, who as a matter of public record is the mother of a daughter who was born a boy, she has a daughter who was born male, she took her child out of the country at the age of 16 for sexual reassignment surgery, and that child is now in her early twenties and says she is now very happy, this is the best thing that ever happened to her, her life is great and before this happened she was suicidal and self-harming.

Imagine going through that as a parent. That is extraordinarily difficult. So Susie Green has made choices and done the best for her family, quite rightly. But the question is how much weight and importance you give to personal experience.

In the same report there were a couple of criminal psychologists who submitted quite long, detailed evidence saying be in no doubt, there are a group of violent and abusive men who will attempt to exploit any set of rules you put in place, particularly these ones, to get access to vulnerable women in prison.

That was not even mentioned in the final report of the committee, and fast-forward to 2018 and the Karen White case comes up. The Karen White case is essentially a perfect illustration of the sort of thing that the experts were trying to warn about three years ago.

The politicians in many cases havent really been doing their job properly, which is to weigh all the evidence.

When Penny Mordaunt announced the consultation in July she said Trans women are women, that is the starting point for this consultation. A lot of people who follow this stuff find that statement very troubling. We could spend the day here discussing the epistemological implications of that statement.

Trans women are women  thats the mantra, those are the words you have to say, and if you dont say those words you are at risk of being accused of transphobia. No one who says the words has yet provided a satisfactory definition of trans women or women.

Either you have self-identification, in which case anybody who says theyre a trans woman is a trans woman, or you have a set of objective criteria which you have to meet before you are considered to be a trans woman, and thats what this is all about. This is about trying to remove objective criteria and move to subjective ones.

And if you remove the objective criteria of entry, to join the category that is women  sorry, Im going back to my undergraduate philosophy here, its all about categories  then ultimately you end up rendering that category meaningless. This is about rendering that word woman meaningless.

ConHome: Who has written best against what youve been saying?

Kirkup: Im going to talk to Fraser Nelson about this. This is something I did at The Telegraph. When I was fighting tooth and nail against the junior doctors, I got a couple of junior doctors to write, essentially, why I am wrong about everything.

Im very keen to hear the contra argument. This bothers me, I try and read a lot of the contra arguments, and I have yet to read someone who actually engages on the substance. Essentially the arguments just boil down to youre just being intolerant, you people are being really horrible.
Ben Roback is Head of Trade and International Policy at Cicero Group.

The November midterm elections are just weeks away. Fundraising and campaigning are entering a new frenetic high point, as candidates and campaigns prepare to make their final pitches to an American electorate that has become inundated with politics in the last two years under the Trump presidency.

The entire US House of Representatives (435 seats) is up for re-election and a third of the US Senate is running again. Further down the ballot, gubernatorial races will take place for governors houses in 36 states and three territories. Americans go to the polls on November 6th to cast their ballots, with Democrats cautiously optimistic of a blue wave, and Republicans relying on a Brett bounce following the protracted confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

The tone has been set for these elections for some months now. Confidence has ebbed and flowed between both parties. Donald Trump has already lowered expectations in the event of a major Republican setback in November, announcing at a rally last week that he would not be to blame if Republicans lose the House.

As the midterm election campaigns enter fever pitch, Trump is posting some of the best approval ratings of his presidency. The Republican Party has been firmly reset as the party of Trump, so the key question is whether confidence in the president will push Republicans to turn out and vote? According to Real Clear Politics, the presidents approval rating is currently hovering around 44 per cent. That is the highest it has been since March 2017, but 52 per cent of Americans still disapprove of the job he is doing, and so the upward trend does not represent a cause for Republican overconfidence.

Illustrating that contrast, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Democrats carry a nine point lead in the generic ballot, but Republicans with their largest lead on the economy yet.

In terms of fundraising, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced record-breaking September fundraising totalling nearly $22.2 million. The DCCC has raised nearly $63 million more this cycle than at the same point in 2016. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee (RNC) raised a record $26.2 million in September, bringing the third quarter total to $56.8 million. Collectively, this years midterm election is on track to becoming the costliest congressional election cycle in history.

Candidates across the board are awash with cash, as Republican groups seek to protect the unified Republican majority in Washington and Democrats try to impose a new check on the power of the president.

Four key states to watch

Nevada  Senator Dean Heller (Republican) is the only Republican incumbent running for re-election in a state that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016. Democrats are targeting Heller with an all star cast of campaigners that include Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Trump has campaigned in the state, which Democrats will almost certainly need to win if they have any hope of winning the Senate or at least stopping Republicans from increasing their current majority. Nevada voted Democrat in the last three presidential elections, but the state has proven harder at Senate level.

West Virginia: Senator Joe Manchin (Democrat) is politically intriguing. He knows he must strike a delicate balance between the Democratic Party he caucuses with and the reliably red state of West Virginia as a whole. Therefore, his decision to declare support for Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court nomination was almost entirely fuelled by his approaching midterm race. He has faced a backlash from progressives, meaning enthusiasm could suffer amongst Democrats in an election whose outcome is widely considered to be dependent on voter turnout.

North Dakota: Senator Heidi Heitkamp (Democrat) is defending a seat that has increasingly become a target for a Republican gain, with little to split her and challenger Kevin Cramer (Republican). In a recent poll, Kevin Cramer led Heitkamp by 16 points. Despite electing a Democrat, North Dakota is in fact one of the most Republican states in the country, and Trump won the state with 63 per cent of the vote in 2016.

Texas: Senator Ted Cruz (Republican) is a figure Democrats love to hate. His bitter feud with Trump has gone full circle, with Lyin Ted becoming Beautiful Ted. Democrats are throwing the full weight of the party machine behind challenger Beto ORourke, who might be considered a candidate for the 2020 election, irrespective of whether he defeats Senator Cruz. Picking up a Senate seat in Texas is not beyond the realms of possibility, but a win for ORourke would signal less of a blue wave and more of a blue tsunami in November. ORourke currently trails Cruz by seven points in the Real Clear Politics average.

Three house districts that could go either way

The Cook Political Report rates 72 Republican seats, and only five for Democrats, as at-risk. These three could be critical indicators of the outcome on November 6th.

Minnesota 8: For decades Minnesotas 8th district was Democratic, but it has trended Republican in recent elections. In 2016, Trump carried the district by 15 points, giving Republican challenger Pete Stauber cause for optimism. Incumbent Rick Nolan (D) is retiring and the Cook Political Report rates it as leaning Republican.

New Mexico 2: New Mexicos 2nd district has been declared a toss-up by FiveThirtyEight, with Yvette Herrell (Republican) ahead of Xochitl Torres Small (Democrat) by just a few percentage points. Clinton won New Mexico by eight points in 2016.

Florida 27: In their latest analysis, the Cook Political Report shifted Floridas 27th district from toss-up to lean Democrat. Incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Democrat) is retiring leaving the seat open. The district voted for Hillary by a majority of 20 per cent, and so the chances of a Republican gain should be smaller than they have started to appear.

The two top governors races to watch

The national focus at midterm elections is almost always dominated by the House and Senate races, but governors mansions should not be ignored. There are 55 in total  one for each state, four for US territories and the Mayor of Washington DC. This year they matter more than ever, as Governors will oversee redistricting in two years time. Republicans currently control 33 out of the 50 state governorships. There are 36 states holding gubernatorial elections in 2018, of which 26 are currently held by Republicans, nine by Democrats, and one Independent.

New Mexico  Incumbent Governor Susana Martinez (Republican) cannot seek re-election owing to term limits, and so the race in New Mexico is being fought between Steve Pearce (R) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D). Nationally the state has trended blue, having voted Democratic in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Like the national trend, polling in this race appears to favour the Democrat.

Connecticut  In Connecticut, incumbent Governor Dan Malloys (Democrat) approval rating is below 30 per cent and he has declined to seek re-election. The race will therefore be fought between Ned Lamont (Democrat) and Bob Stefanowski (Republican). Governor Malloy leaves office as the most unpopular governor in the nation, meaning the Democratic campaign will need to work hard to create clear distance between their new candidate and the departing incumbent.

What could November 6th mean for President Trump?

Democrats are confident of seizing back control of the House of Representatives. Record numbers of Republicans in the House are retiring, and the Democrats only need 23 more seats to take back the majority.

It is, to an extent, already priced in  and so attention is largely turning to the Senate and gubernatorial races. In the Senate, 26 of the 35 seats up for election are held by Democrats, and so it would take an almighty sweep to alter the balance of the current majority, with the victory path having to run through historically Republican states like Texas.

The outcome of the House, Senate and gubernatorial races will all have an important impact on President Trump. With a Democratic majority in the House, the president will face a check on his authority beyond just the factions that exist in his own party. Republican divisions derailed his attempts to overturn Obamacare, but a Democratic majority would represent an ever-bigger, more permanent barrier to his legislative agenda. In the background, the threat of impeachment will loom, as the process is initiated through a vote in the House.
Lee Reynolds: What the Belfast Agreement does and doesnt say about the UK-Ireland land border  and much else

Councillor Lee Reynolds is Director of Policy for the Democratic Unionist Party.

I have a close relative whose political views are liberal and feminist. When the Belfast Agreement and the 1998 referendum is discussed, people are genuinely surprised when she tells them she voted No. When asked for an explanation her reply is simple: she read it. She is genuinely surprised by the number of Yes voters who hadnt read it.

It would be helpful for the political discussion if many more were to carry out this simple act. They would come to appreciate that much that is proclaimed or tweeted about the agreement is not actually in it.

First, they will appreciate that the Belfast Agreement was not a full and complete agreement. There were a series of issues to be dealt with later  for example, police reform (given to an independent commission), and the number and focus of cross border bodies. Others were dealt with in obscurantist language that led to significant problems as the process developed: primarily decommissioning. Others were not addressed  namely justice for victims. The agreement also had within it the recognition that it would have to change with review mechanisms for each strand of the agreement.

In textual terms it was Book One  The Fellowship of the Ring  with the main characters and a broad framework established, but there were many trials and unforeseen challenges ahead on the journey before it would become the full Lord of the Rings.

Second, if the reader researched political events in Northern Ireland, he or she would appreciate that the agreement has been added to  initiallty by the Cross Border Bodies agreement, Trimbles mini-deals to restore devolution. It has also been changed and further added since, by the St Andrews Agreement, the Hillsborough Castle Agreement and then the Stormont House Agreement. It is hard to claim something as complete and inviolate that in the subsequent 20 years has seen so much addition and change.

Guess who else has changed the terms of the Belfast Agreement? The Irish Government. They amended the rights to Irish citizenship. The broad terms meant that the agreement had become a very easy path to Irish citizenship and chain migration, so they changed it. The agreement required them to establish and maintain two equality and human rights institutions, but they amalgamated them in 2014.

For those who want to research deeper, they will discover the Belfast Agreement was no barrier to the Irish introducing a hard border enforced by police and troops in 2001 during a foot and mouth outbreak nor from running regular immigration operations. Neither did it prevent the Irish introducing a sea border. Longstanding access to Irish coastal waters for Northern Ireland fishermen was ended, and the Irish government has refused to bring forward the necessary legislation for the past two years. In typical unreciprocated generosity, Irish fishing boats continue to have access to coastal waters around Northern Ireland.

The UK leaving the EU was not envisaged in 1998, so the document does not deal directly with that scenario. The past precedent is to deal with a new scenario with a new agreement, as was required when the difficulties with welfare reform arose. Furthermore, there is a pre-existing cross border body dealing with EU matters  the Special EU Body (SEUPB). A new agreement could consider re-purposing that body.

A reader will discover that rather than being an impediment to the situation, the agreement has structures that can help manage the issues around the UK leaving. The Agreement established the Assembly, the North-South Ministerial Council (made up of Northern Ireland Executive ministers and Irish Government ministers) and the British-Irish Council (made up of the national governments, devolved bodies and Isle of Man and Channel Islands) and British Irish Inter-governmental Conference (made up of the two national governments).

In the text, it identifies three specific relationships and bodies on EU issues: the Assembly and our national government (Strand One, Paragraph 31); the North-South Ministerial Council, or NSMC (Strand 2, Paragraph 3 (iii) and 17); and the British-Irish Council, (Strand 3, Paragraph 5). The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference works on non-devolved matters with a commitment to work on the totality of relationships and promote bi-lateral co-operation at all levels (BIGC, Paragraph 1 and 2).

Therefore, the institutional framework for managing future relationships already exists in the new context of the UK not being an EU member, and nationalists boycotting the Assembly is preventing two of them from operating properly. Crucially, both the Assembly and NSMC have vetoes and safeguards in their operation

This means the EU proposals on a sea border would breach the Belfast Agreement, as they would effectively end the first mechanism  the Assembly and national government relationship. The EU placing itself in the position of the UK Government would fundamentally shift the relationships in the North-South Ministerial Council, and would not accept any vetoes or safeguards.

A reader will also discover that the Belfast Agreement provides for someone born in Northern Ireland to enjoy British Citizenship, Irish citizenship or both (Agreement between Governments, Article 1 (v)). Therefore, no one born in Northern Ireland loses access to EU citizenship if they wish to have it, through their right to an Irish passport.

A reader will also discover the constitutional position of Northern Ireland as an integral part of the UK. This can only be changed by a majority in Northern Ireland and a majority in the Republic of Ireland voting for it  with Northern Ireland voting to leave the UK, and the Republic of Ireland voting to take Northern Ireland (Annex between the Governments, Constitutional Issues, Paragraph 1 (i-iv)). Did this create an opt-out for Northern Ireland from a UK constitutional decision? No. This argument was taken to the Supreme Court and rejected.

So why the outrage and claims to the contrary?

First, the Belfast Agreement as a document contained more Irish nationalist worldview than Unionist, which is why Irish nationalist enthusiasm for it was almost total, while it split Unionism down the middle. In the referendum, the pro-Agreement Unionist arguments and pro-Agreement nationalist arguments were different. In its implementation, the nationalist interpretation predominated, and the predictions of anti-Agreement Unionists were validated.

This is why the mantle of Unionist leadership transferred from the Ulster Unionist Party to the Democratic Unionist Party. Their winning slogan of Its time for a fair deal resonated with disillusioned Unionists, and ultimately resulted in the 2007 St Andrews Agreement. This and subsequent agreements maintained an operating Executive and Assembly for ten years, unlike the first ten years of the political process.

As the Agreement had this early skew of both text and implementation, Irish nationalism is especially defensive of it. The claims of something breaching the Belfast Agreement, and its misrepresentation as a complete agreement, are not new to Unionist ears. Weve listened to it for 20 years and still made progress.

Second, the biggest lies you tell are the ones you tell yourself. Irish nationalism was able to imagine that the new relationships, and a direction of travel, meant something more and different that it did. Brexit, a UK-wide decision that approximately 85 per cent of Irish nationalist referendum voters opposed (though with a poor nationalist turnout) was a clear shock to that worldview.

Third, nationalism had its worst Assembly election in 2016 (driven by a nationalist view that the Unionism was driving the agenda), Sinn Fein mishandled their ministerial choices, ended up floundering and hadnt expected the rise of a hard left party, People Before Profit, that took seats in their heartlands  nor the main nationalist party, the SDLP, going into opposition.

Sinn Feins counter-strategy to these developments was a plan to bring the Executive down within two years on a platform which would rally nationalists to them. Thus, hurting PBP and preventing the SDLP from bedding in as an opposition. Subsequent talks and a list of demands would enable them to show they were driving the agenda. They did not use Brexit as the basis: Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness had agreed a common approach to this in September 2016. Instead, the basis used was the fallout from the handling of a Renewable Heat Scheme.

Fourth, the Irish government is seeking to use Northern-Ireland specific EU harmonisation to create ever increasing differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. This goes against the Belfast Agreements requirements that any cross-border harmonisation was to be on a mutually agreed basis only. This is why the EUs interpretation of a Northern Ireland-specific backstop is a breach of the agreement and clear and ever-growing danger to the Union.

Fifth, and most importantly, what is taking place isnt about the Belfast Agreement at all. Its about stopping Brexit by portraying Leavers as anti-peace, reckless and uncaring. However, it is Remainers who are invoking the threat of violence. Disgracefully, it is Remainers who seem to be willing a return to violence to validate their view, despite no increase in terrorist violence since the 2016 referendum. It is a further example of their anti-democratic tendencies. The response of any democrat to threats and actual terrorism should be to reject it and oppose it.

Unionism has had to stand against both for decades. We arent going to change that  and it is shameful that some are trying to instruct us to.
Bercow, the anti-Lenthall. I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, in this place, but as Labour MPs are pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.

The point about conventions, as opposed to rules, is that they are unwritten, and rely on the character of those charged with honouring them to so do. In some senses that matter, John Bercow has not been a bad speaker. It cant be claimed that he is the creature of ministers and it can be, with some justice, that he is an ally of backbenchers, or at least those that he hasnt taken against.

But in others that matter more, he must be the worst-ever occupant of the Speakers chair. The convention is that the person who sits in it isnt a creation of party. Even the mice in the Commons tea room know that Bercow was put in place by Labour MPs and is kept there by Labour MPs. Whatever the truth may be of accusations of bullying in private made against him personally  which he denies  it is indisputably true that he is a bully in public. Swathed in the giant cloak of the Speakers office, he is empowered to mimic, humiliate, belittle and discriminate against those he doesnt like, secure in the knowledge that Labour MPs will protect him  and that the garment wont be pulled away to reveal the smaller person beneath it.

Even more to the present point, Laura Cox, the retired judge appointed to investigate claims of a culture of bullying and harrassment, concluded as follows in her report: I find it difficult to envisage how the necessary changes can be successfully delivered, and the confidence of the staff restored, under the current senior House administration. That is the kind of masterly understatement that could only have been pronounced by a member of the British judiciary. In plain terms, it is a call for Bercow to quit. Kevin Barron, the former Chairman of the Standards Committee, has said that new leadership is needed. So at least one Labour MP can see and speak plainly. So has Maria Miller, the chair of the Culture Select Committee.

A letter calling for the implementation of the Cox reports recommendations has been signed by 80 current and former staff members. As one of them, Hannah White, pointed out: its deeply counter-cultural for House staff to speak out in this way  it demonstrates the depth of their frustration with MPs response to the Cox Report. And today, three Conservative MPs have resigned from a committee that the Speaker set up on making Parliament more representative. They are Anne Milton, Mims Davies and Will Quince. Jess Phillips, the independent-minded Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, a member of the committee, has already joined Miller, another member, in saying that Bercow should quit.

The Speakers response to the Cox report has been to play for time  or, to put it more elaborately, call for a new investigation now that her investigation has reported. Friends of Bercow have reportedly briefed that he is prepared to stand down next year. These briefings have not been confirmed. Not that it would count much if they were. The Speaker is already in breach of his promise to stand down after nine years. That would have meant him leaving his post on June 22. The date today is October 24. And today, the House of Commons Commission will meet to consider its response to the Cox Report. Bercow has recused himself from chairing the meeting  but will, please note, be present.

Andrea Leadsom wants an independent probe of how the Commons is governed, which would look at the accountability of senior management, including the Speaker. And Labour has joined her in saying that the recent grievance procedure set up this year should be open to historical complaintsas quickly as possible.

But what counts most is not the future grinding of these Parliamentary mills, but the present position of Bercow. Margaret Beckett let the rat out of the bag when she said that the Brexit debate trumps bad behaviour. As has been pointed out, if we managed to change Prime Minister during a world war, we can surely cope with changing the Speaker during the Brexit talks.

Becketts words should be hung like a placard round the neck of every Labour MP who has ever condemned the bullying and harrassment of women, and is not part of the movement to find a new and better Speaker. Jeremy Corbyns formal distancing of the party from Bercow is not enough. What counts now is what Labour MPs do informally, amidst the maze of Commons precedents and procedures.

The most famous words uttered by an occupant of the chair are Speaker Lenthalls: I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, in this place, but as this House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here. Substitute Labour MPs for  this House, and you have Bercows situation in a sentence. This anti-Lenthall should be shoved off to the Lords, where he will be free to join the party that put him in charge of the Commons.
Matt Kilcoyne is Head of Communications at the Adam Smith Institute.

Why did Margaret Thatcher win three crushing electoral victories? An important part of the answer has to be her Right to Buy policy, which gave council tenants a legal right to buy their home with a discount on the market value. It tapped into peoples desire to own a home of our own, because if offered the prospect of financial security and recognised the aspiration to become more prosperous, taking into account the seemingly remorseless rise in property prices.

The policy hadnt previously been successful in political terms. Labour lost the 1959 election with a right to buy in their manifesto, and the Conservatives lost in 1974, when the pledge appeared in theirs. But they won in 1979 and again in 1983, 1987 and 1992, and many activists can recount stories about former tenants who switched their votes to the Conservatives due to the policy. Control over the details of domestic life, as well as a feeling of ownership of ones circumstances, is enhanced with owner-occupancy and is frustrated by rented tenure. Extending that control to voters who havent previously enjoyed it is handsomely rewarded at the ballot box.

The Right to Buy magic, however, has lost much of its electoral power for the Conservatives. Many of those who wanted to buy their own home and were in a position to do so have done so through a policy that is now nearly 40 years old. But as house prices have spiralled in London and other cities with plenty of jobs, fewer council tenants are finding themselves in a position to be able to take advantage of the policy, and the idea of buying their council home has become fanciful. No wonder the UK is such an outlier in having so many council homes, with a rate higher than all other countries in the EU except Slovenia.

The underlying problem is the high cost of housing, caused by a shortage in places like London where demand is high. That shortage is caused by planning restrictions such as the green belt, and by anti-density rules such as building height limits. But the Government shows little sign of wanting to address this problem head-on  so dealing with its consequences, such as Right to Buy drifting out of tenants reach, becomes all the more pressing.

This is why the Adam Smith Institute has proposed extending to council tenants who are eligible for the existing right a new Flexible Right to Buy, which would mean instead of only being able to buy the home they live in, they would also be able to instead transfer the value of their Right to Buy discount and use it towards buying a different, cheaper property which they could afford. The transferred discount would be funded by selling their council home, once theyd moved out and into the home they bought using the scheme. The transferred discount would be funded by selling their council home, once theyd moved out and into the home they bought using the scheme.

London has over 200,000 council homes in boroughs where the average residential property price exceeds 500,000. In England and Wales, 700,000 council homes are in boroughs where the average homes costs over 250,000. That suggests that a potentially very large number of tenants might be excluded from taking advantage of Right to Buy because of its inflexibility. We estimated that as many as 197,000 might take up the Flexible Right to Buy, releasing 83 billion worth of council housing with net receipts for government of 62 billion, after discounts under the scheme. Thats a lot of voters and a lot of money.

As well as bolstering the public finances and satisfying the desires of a great many council tenants, a Flexible Right to Buy could also go some way to cool over-heated local housing markets and improve labour markets. High housing costs tend to be in the areas where the best jobs are. Some tenants might work in sectors where wages do not vary as much from one region to another, while others might have retired or have health problems, meaning that local job markets are not relevant to their circumstances. This explains how the policy could free up homes near where the jobs are available, thus allowing more workers to move and take advantage of them and deepening labour markets while also rebalancing property markets.

Thatcher won over Labour voters with an unashamedly aspirational platform of policies which put choice and power back in the hands of individuals  such as the Right to Buy. If the Conservatives want to learn the lesson from their most successful leader, they should do the same ,and start by introducing a Flexible Right to Buy. If they dont, they might find voters have had enough of sky-high house prices, and that a canny Labour Party could rediscover its own history  and take the credit instead.
Come 2021, fliers will have a new, low-cost, tech-oriented airline pioneered by JetBlues founder David Neeleman.

His angle?

Flying hundreds of routes that the airline will likely have all to itself, according to a recent interview Neeleman did with Skift.

Most, if not all, of those routes will be U.S.to Europe and South America, concentrating on origination cities that are competition-free and leisure destinations, or where theres an abundance of flier friends or family.

As examples, he used Scranton, Pennsylvania -- a market with a metro population of 570,000 and flights that are mostly connectors to Chicago, Washington D.C., Charlotte, Chicago, and Philadelphia -- and Florida, where theres an abundance of potential fliers who have friends or family in Brazil.

Using the 130- to 160-seat Airbus A220-300, Neelemans brainchild will have the ability to take off from really short runways, and can fly for 11 hours (and) well get you there twice as fast and for half the price, he told Skift.

The Airbus plays right into Neelemans plans as a differentiator. Compared to how most of the low-cost carriers are configured, the A220 has large, rotating overhead storage bins, a wider aisle that allows for faster passenger boarding and disembarking, and the ability to have first class, lie-flat business class, and extra legroom seats if thats something Neeleman wants to make happen.

Ill just do stuff they cant do, Neeleman said, throwing down the gauntlet to the other carriers.

You dont have to speak to us

Neelemans current plans have Salt Lake City, Utah as the technical and customer service hub for the airline, but if youre a flier who depends on the human touch, you should call someone else.

You dont have to speak to us. You wont be able to speak to us, Neeleman said. You wont be able to call us because everything will be functional.

His reasoning? Neeleman makes a good point that, in todays world, a lot of consumer-to-company connecting is done via an app or a computer. He figures consumers are content with that setup since relatively few people ever call, say, Amazon or Uber.

If a customer has an issue they cant work out on their own, theyll have to use the online chat, but agents can always call the customer in a pinch. However, fliers should expect everything else -- from booking, changing, and cancelling flights to check-in to ordering meals -- to be done through the airlines app.

I dont think people want to stand in line to talk to someone, said Neeleman when asked if he feared the human element of customer service would be weakened by technology.

Are you sure you can pull this off, David?

While theres no substantiation that Neeleman can pull off all of his promises, his track record shows he has the ability to make it happen.

In 1984, he co-founded Morris Air, a low-fare charter airline, then sold it to Southwest Airlines for $130 million. He then turned Open Skies, a touch screen airline reservation and check-in systems company, into a winner acquired by Hewlett-Packard.

Next on his checklist was WestJet, now Canadas second largest airline; then he moved on to JetBlue, where he scored major customer-sensitive kudos. Most recently, Neelemans domestic carrier Azul (Portuguese for "blue") became the fourth largest airline in South America.
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.
The Consulate General in Jerusalem will be merged with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, the United States Secretary of State announced this week.

The change will end diplomatic representation to the Palestinian Authority, according to the L.A. Times.

Mike Pompeo said combining the two would create a single diplomatic mission and improve the effectiveness of our operations.

"The Administration is strongly committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future to Israel and the Palestinians," Pompeo said. "We look forward to continued partnership and dialogue with the Palestinian people and, we hope in the future, with the Palestinian leadership."

Palestinian officials, however, said the merger is a move that supports Israels goals only.

"The Trump Administration is making clear that it is working together with the Israeli Government to impose Greater Israel rather than the two-state solution on the 1967 border," PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said in a statement, adding, "The US administration has fully endorsed the Israeli narrative, including on Jerusalem, Refugees and Settlements."

Said Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel: It is very unlikely that the Palestinian Authority will engage the U.S. government through the Embassy to Israel.

The Israeli government has not commented on the change.

In May, the American Embassy was officially moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a change that Palestinians also criticized. Following the move, protests started at the Gaza-Israeli border where some 60 Palestinians have died.

Photo courtesy: Rob Bye/Unsplash
When I was a kid, I used to read National Geographic magazines. They were 25 cents each at the local library. The August 1974 issue had an article in it titled Rare Look at North Korea, by H. Edward Kim, who visited North Korea (DPRK) and provided a detailed report. In that article, he spoke of how North Koreans figured out how to build their own tractors by reverse engineering one. They spoke about the tractor running backwards at first, but they eventually were able to build running tractors better than the presumably Soviet ones they took apart to learn how to build them. They have since applied their ingenuity to technology.

They are guided by the Juche ideology authored by their first leader, Kim Il Sung, which is based on the tenets of independence, self-reliance, and self-defense. Under their second leader, Kim Jong Il, the Songun, or military first policy was added. Kim Jong Un, the third and current leader, has extended these with a focus on nuclear weapons development, empowering companies, and providing incentives for economic development called the Socialist Corporate Responsible Management System. Their system is focused on enriching their military, the DPRK and then their people, in that order. They have become an extremely adept force in technology, as Sony Pictures unfortunately learned, and have utilized their skills learned from reverse engineering our technology to bolster their economy. The recent thefts of $571 million in cryptocurrencies, according to CCN, done on behalf of a country with a $28.5 billion GDP in 2016, shows that a significant portion of their income now comes from their technology skills.

North Korea is one of five countries and one region, which are Cuba, Iran, Syria, Sudan and the Crimea region of Ukraine that the U.S. Government explicitly prohibits exports to without permission. This means that they cant get the latest versions of Windows or other American software legitimately. They have developed their own version of Linux, Red Star Linux, which has all the surveillance tools you would expect from a platform developed by a totalitarian state.

Russia and China

In 1983, an unnamed intelligence agency had given DEC the wording VAX: For When you Care to Steal the Very Best, which was taken from a VAX-11/780 running in the Soviet Union. DEC decided to put that on their CVAX chip, released in 1987, for the Soviet engineers who were tasked with reverse engineering American technologies.

The Soviets tried every approach, including using Romania, who inexplicably had Most Favored Nation status with the U.S. despite having one of the most brutal despots in world history, Nicolae Ceausescu, in charge, to import restricted technologies. They also reverse-engineered the Sinclair Spectrum and made their own versions of it to sell behind the Iron Curtain, among many other examples. This is nothing new and is something they have been doing for years.

In the South China Morning Post International Edition article, China Never Really Stopped Being a Copycat, and Thats Why its Tech Companies Arent Changing the World, Peter Guy makes the statement that Chinese companies consider it OK to rip off foreign corporations. A visit to the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice shows that a number of Chinese nationals have been successfully prosecuted for trying to exfiltrate data from the United States to China.

The biggest threats

The three nations that are the largest cyber threats to the United States are, in no particular order, North Korea, Russia and China. They have been reverse-engineering our technology for a number of years, dating back to the beginning of the Cold War. The originators of some of the most devastating cyber-attacks have been based in these three countries, such as WannaCry and mass cryptocurrency theft (North Korea), Petya/NotPetya (Russia), and multiple data breaches (China). Their governments actively sponsor attempts to reverse engineer our technology and learn from it.

What has happened since the Cold War?

When Aaron Greggs article in the Washington Post, Defense Industry Grapples with Cybersecurity Flays in new Weapons Systems, was published on October 14, it caused an uproar. It should not have. The truth is that we have been under active attack from multiple countries, starting with these three, for a number of years. They have it as part of their nationalistic ideology to take from others, reverse engineer it, make it better, and use it against others to improve their standing. Letting our guard down and letting vulnerabilities persist in our hardware and software that can be taken advantage of by hostile parties such as Iran (unencrypted drones anyone?) has let down our national defense and the Warfighters we need to support.

Ever since Glasnost occurred and Billy Joel performed in the USSR, weve been more relaxed in how we handle security. We havent thought as defensively or critically as we collectively once did. Even large data breaches such as Equifax, Anthem, OPM or Yahoo are greeted outside the Infosec or security communities with nary more than a shrug. We are no longer as wary as we were in the 1960s or 1970s.

Cybersecurity isnt about just buying a product to fix a security issue and stop malware from getting in. The root cause of us having much of this malware in the first place is that we have enemy parties that are reverse-engineering everything we are developing to find holes and vulnerabilities and using them against us. This is not just with chips and operating systems. It has extended to media platforms and social media, starting with Facebook and Twitter and their repeated usage by Russia and other entities to manipulate millions into following fake supporters of politicians straight to the ballot box. We are being hacked in multiple ways by countries and cultures that are using our weaknesses to build their own nations strengths. We need to keep in mind that these are countries that want to make their own nations great again, not America.

This is not just an attack on our technology. Its an attack on all of us. It divides us. It is meant to keep us distracted, angry at each other, and fighting each other over wedge issues while our strengths are appropriated and used by others for their benefit. It has been astonishingly successful. While we are distracted by social media, were getting attacked by nation-states. Unlike many of the commercials we see on television or YouTube, this isnt something we can buy or get prescribed a fix for.

What can we do about this?

Recognize the dangers presented by these countries at all levels of government. This is one of the times where party affiliation or stances on issues do not matter. We need to take the agencies and people weve empowered with H.R. 1616 - Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017, and Executive Order 13800, Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure, both of which have been signed by President Trump, and make actual protection the national priority. The latter bill is very comprehensive and provides an excellent start as to what companies should be doing.

We need to plan to protect what we deploy as part of how we implement technology and plan to keep the technology as current as possible and most importantly well-protected with an engaged team. We make it easy for Moscow, Beijing or Pyongyang when we dont protect ourselves. Many of these successful attacks take advantage of long-standing security holes to devastating effect. They dont have to be very good. The long-standing mantra of were too small or not important is no longer the case, with a large number of smaller businesses and state/local government agencies falling victim to ransomware originating from foreign countries. The Mirai botnet showed how a number of small businesses with the same type of vulnerability could overwhelm network protections of even the largest companies, and showed an existential threat to the Internet itself.

Where do we start?

This starts with leadership at the top. We need top leaders to admit that we need to improve, and to do so, we need to not worry about looking good to those above us. One of the major failings of American corporate culture has been hubris, and the need to look good in front of the C-suite. We need to ignore that and focus on assessing and addressing risks in our environments using the people, processes, and technologies we have. If we do not have those people in-house, we need to find partners invested on our futures who want to collaborate with us, not just vendors trying to sell the latest magic box. We need to put protecting ourselves and our environments ahead of meeting expectations for earnings per share while still conducting business. If we dont protect ourselves and our businesses, the effects will negatively affect them more than the cost of protection.

The most critical item is that the C-suite and boards need to follow up on this. This is no longer a discretionary issue. This is survival of companies and the millions of people whose livelihoods depend upon them. This affects all of us, where we live, and who we associate with. Malware and cyberattacks do not discriminate. We need to be as relentless in assessing and addressing risk as our adversaries are in finding our weaknesses, and partnering with others, including our competitors. To do so means that we dont focus on looking good, but where the risks really are, and empowering and educating people to be able to assess and address weaknesses without fear of retaliation. The cultures that begat this behavior will not change unless these new sets of rules start at the top and are continually facilitated, encouraged and enforced.

We have a culture where at many companies issues get hidden or buried because they will make someone look bad. These hidden issues are now capable of irreparably damaging companies with cyberattacks and wont stay hidden. This needs to stop, and we need to have accountability and transparency. The example leaders should follow is that of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who ensured it at all levels after several embarrassing incidents. He is someone who has delivered this message successfully at the CIA, Department of Defense, Boy Scouts of America, Texas A&M, and to both Democratic and Republican Presidents.

What about social media?

When it comes to social media, we also need to be similarly vigilant. Many very well-meaning people who love America have been swayed by propaganda originating from Moscow. We have been very trusting when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, and we have had a great many people who love and serve this country and its people who have inadvertently spread messages of division, anger and hatred toward others. This has contributed to some incredibly toxic dialogue. We all need to commit to stopping this and focusing on the greater good of protecting each other. You can only be angry for so long, and it doesnt help address the root causes of issues.

I applaud the fact that thousands of people get together at rallies, Pledge Allegiance to our Flag, and salute Law Enforcement and the Veterans and Warfighters who have sacrificed to preserve this country and its ideals. However, we need to take out the divisive rhetoric and anger and focus on what we can do as a people to address the numerous threats that have negatively affected us in many ways.

We need to focus

We need to focus that energy on protecting all of us. We need to not protect a subset. One great thing about America is that people of all races, ethnicities, genders, preferences and their supporters are citizens, and have served and sacrificed for this country. The more we focus on excluding people, the less we focus on the objective of protecting ourselves. The more we are angry, the less effective we are at making good decisions. An eye for an eye really does make everyone blind. Excluding people leaves us vulnerable because we need to be working together to address issues and building dialogue.

We need not to be focused on our individual goals of winning or certitude. This isnt about winning an argument on Facebook or attacking someones credibility because they quoted Stephen King as a source. This is about working together to address a threat that uses many channels to infiltrate. Unlike the shock that was Pearl Harbor that jolted America into action, this has been more gradual and invasive. We need to focus on what we can do to stop these threats and mitigate risks, not where we differ in thoughts or opinions. We need a cultural shift starting with our leaders to focus on accountability, transparency, risk identification, risk reduction plans, and to continually follow up and look for open issues. We need a culture of vigilance. We cant just look to one leader all the time to set the tone. We need to look toward many and stay focused on our goals without letting anger blind us.
Koeberle Bull had never met the man who contacted her on Facebook - calling her a "wanna be" black woman and telling her that he hoped her "black children gets hung for you being so stupid."

Worried for her biracial children, the 40-year-old mother of three said she contacted local authorities in Lumberton Township, New Jersey, telling them about the chilling Facebook message she received from a stranger three states away, in Kentucky.

Then, she said, she reached out to Kentucky State Police.

In the process, authorities said, Bull may have helped police prevent a school shooting.

Kentucky State Police officials said the man, 20-year-old Dylan Jarrell, was found last week with a firearm and more than 200 rounds of ammunition, posing a "credible and imminent" threat to two school districts in western Kentucky. He was arrested on two counts of second-degree "terroristic threatening" and one count of harassing communications, according to police.

"He was caught backing out of his driveway with the tools he needed to commit this heinous act," Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders said at a news conference.

Sanders added that "this young man had it in his mind to go to schools and create havoc. He had the tools necessary, the intent necessary, and the only thing that stood between him and doing evil was law enforcement."

Bull, who is white, told The Washington Post that her Facebook profile picture shows her with her three children, ages 8, 11 and 16; but she does not know how or why Jarrell looked at her page or sent her a private message. She said she has no connections to Kentucky - no family members and no friends. It's unclear whether Jarrell knows anyone in her state.

She told CBS affiliate WKYT that after Jarrell sent her the Facebook message, he blocked her account, so she was not able to view his personal information. But she asked friends to tell her where the man lived so that she could contact the authorities there.

"Something in the back of my head was like, this isn't right - like, something's not sitting well," she told the station.

According to an image of the message that Bull provided to The Post, it read: "There's no such thing as white privileged . . . I hope your black children gets hung for you being so stupid. They have all the same rights we have now a days so please you and your monkey children go die."

Bull said her husband, who died in 2012, was black.

She reported the message to police, she said, because she was concerned for her family. "I was protecting my own children and standing up for what's right," she said Tuesday.

She was "shocked" to hear what police learned.

After receiving the complaint last week, Kentucky State Police investigators discovered that Jarrell, who is white, had been previously questioned by the FBI about threats against a school in Tennessee.

When Kentucky troopers went to question him Thursday, he was leaving his home in Anderson County, Kentucky, with a firearm and ammunition, a Kevlar vest and a "detailed plan of attack," according to state police.

Authorities contacted the school districts in Anderson and Shelby counties "and worked with administrators to determine a plan of action." Schools in Anderson County were closed Friday; the Shelby County school district, which is currently on fall break, suspended all activities at Shelby County High School.

Police have not said why Jarrell might have targeted the districts.

Michael Clark, director of student services for Shelby County Public Schools, said Jarrell was last enrolled in Shelby County High School in 2013 but said he could not share further details due to the ongoing investigation.

Anderson County Schools Superintendent Sheila Mitchell said Jarrell had not been enrolled in the school district except for a General Educational Development (GED) test class in 2016. Jarrell completed his GED last year, Mitchell said, adding that there had been no reports about concerning behavior when he was in the program.

Since the Columbine High massacre in 1999, more than 215,000 students in the United States have been exposed to gun violence on their school campuses, according to a Washington Post database.

So far this year, there have been at least 17 school shootings.

Officials in both school districts in Kentucky said they were "grateful" to the state police - as well as the New Jersey mother who brought a potentially horrific situation to their attention.

"It was a horrible situation, but it could have ended much worse," Mitchell told The Post. "We're very grateful to her. I believe that she, with her efforts to protect her children, protected a lot of other children in Kentucky."

Bull, the mother, said the experience has been "humbling."

"I just hope more people speak out," Bull said. "We've got to give our kids a fighting shot, or our kids are going to die, and our future will die with them."
The Washington Post and The New York Times both wrote Monday night about President Donald Trump's increasingly overt attempts to divide the American electorate by stoking racial fears. That same night, Trump used a very telling word that both confirms that narrative and threatens to divide our country even more.

Trump decided to call himself a "nationalist."

"A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much. And you know what? We can't have that," Trump said at a rally in Texas. "You know, they have a word - it's sort of became old-fashioned - it's called a 'nationalist.' And I say, really, we're not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I'm a nationalist, OK? I'm a nationalist. Nationalist. Nothing wrong. Use that word. Use that word."

And so we shall. This isn't the first time Trump has acknowledged his own readily apparent nationalism - in February 2017 he agreed that the label described him "in a true sense." But the context in which he said it and his embrace of it after conspicuously eschewing it for so many months suggest he's decided to inject it into American politics for a reason.

The practical implications of that should not be understated.

As The Post's Robert Costa noted Monday night, Trump has generally avoided the term because he didn't want to associate himself too closely with some more troublesome elements of the hard right, including his own former strategist Stephen Bannon.

Bannon was understandably pleased that Trump used the word on Monday night.

The term is clearly a fraught one, as Trump himself somewhat gleefully seemed to note. A racially overt version of it - white nationalism - has been publicly ascendant since Trump launched his 2016 campaign began by attacking undocumented Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "criminals" and later proposing a ban on Muslim immigration. Trump at one point denounced white nationalism, but he also suggested that some of the white nationalists who rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year, where a counterprotester was killed, were "very fine people."

In Europe, nationalism is on the rise, seizing upon growing suspicion of and distaste for refugees and immigrants. The groups' leaders regularly confirm suspicions that their movements are really about thinly veiled racism.

Even as similar anti-immigrant and anti-refugee feelings have taken hold in the United States, the movement to this point hasn't generally identified itself as being a nationalist one. The term "nationalist" has been so out of circulation in American politics that pollsters haven't even tested it, outside the context of white nationalism, for decades.

But in 1993, an Times Mirror Center poll showed "nationalism and ethnic hatred" topped a list of the world's biggest dangers. The 27 percent who cited it was slightly higher even than the 24 percent who cited nuclear weapons.

The poll question linked nationalism to "ethnic hatred," and the latter phrase undoubtedly increased the number of Americans who cited it as the world's biggest danger. But that's also kind of the point. Over the years, nationalism has inextricably been tied to race and ethnicity - the very idea of a defined, national identity in which certain people don't qualify. Trump will likely argue that his version of nationalism is more about doing what's best for "America first," or just simply about patriotism.

But as George Orwell wrote in 1945, there is an important distinction:

Mostly, Trump's invocation of nationalism is yet another invitation for Americans to divide themselves over its true meaning and his use of it. Trump, as he often does, is goading his opponents to read the worst into his words, while knowing that his own supporters will rally around the term and believe those opponents are simply anti-Trump or even anti-American. Trump is also increasingly giving license to those with racial or nationalistic gripes to believe they have common cause with the president. It's the most constant thread of Trump's base strategy: Trump keeps employing coded language that carries with it plausible deniability, but he also paints a clear picture of dividing and singling out those he perceives as "the other."

In some ways, Trump's use of the word was long overdue. It very much fits with his political strategy and his entire political ethos. His decision to inject it into a midterm election with two weeks to go is impossible to dismiss as a coincidence. And assuming he keeps using it and it leads to an American renaissance of the word - which tends to be the case with Trump - it will only further divide an already riven country.
Newspaper endorsements are not about telling people how to vote.

But how can we encourage people to vote if we dont take a stand?

Endorsements can be informative or polarizing. Clarifying or divisive. They can tilt the see-saw, or force a voter to become entrenched in a position.

Our role is that of a facilitator. Editorial boards have something in common with elected officials: We cant please everyone, and anger many. Such are the moods of Democracy.

We maintain a fair measure of respect for candidates who graciously accept our annual invitations to discuss their qualities for office. Some return every few years even though their political rival won our support in the previous round.

We rarely encounter a candidate who rejects an invitation to meet. The only person who has declined an invitation from the Hearst Connecticut Editorial Board this autumn is Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski.

Stefanowski did sit with us in advance of the August primary, for which we did not endorse candidates. As a rookie candidate dealing with the process for the first time, he repeatedly joked that he found the exchange therapeutic.

His spokesman cited an email exchange between Hearst Connecticut columnist Dan Haar and a reader as evidence that we are a deeply biased editorial board. Haar drew ire for referring to Stefanowskis supporters as low information voters. Stefanowskis camp emailed their decision and Haars exchange, to supporters Monday night.

Haar is not a member of the editorial board, but he is a news columnist. Offering opinion is high on his list of job duties.

Part of our role is to remain independent from the news operation, who have no voice in our endorsement process. We research the candidates and seek to provide clarity for voters facing skewed messages from campaigns that become nothing more than static and graffiti.

Even Stefanowskis decline is informative. Our primary criticism of him on the editorial page has been a repetition of vague statements and resistance to respond to requests for specifics.

At least a no is an answer.

We wont endorse in every race this fall, instead focusing our resources on the most competitive ones.

Newspaper endorsements have fallen out of favor in some quarters in recent years. They have also served as a reminder of the role of editorial pages as the public square, a place where all voices are welcome.

The Wall Street Journal got out of the endorsement game 90 years ago and didnt blink two years ago when USA Today shifted a mirror policy to back Hillary Clinton for president. The conservative Arizona Republic reported a record number of web hits when it backed a Democrat for president for the first time in its 126-year history.

A handful of newspapers backed Trump two years ago. Dont expect them to change stances based on outcomes. Our votes dont count.

But yours do. Research the races, here and elsewhere, and make a decision.

We hope Bob Stefanowski changes his decision. Hes still welcome here.
By now most of the residents of the 132nd district in Fairfield are familiar with their state representative, Brenda Kupchick.

Many of us have been on the receiving end of her assistance in matters, be they small or large, related to something that is specifically impacting Fairfield or affecting Connecticut as a whole.

Brenda is always accessible, whether by email or phone  her home number is on her website and literature  and works hard to solve problems. She communicates what is going on in Hartford to her constituents on a regular basis through her email newsletters, town hall meetings, and social media.

Brenda is always reaching out to her constituents to get their input on issues that are coming before the legislature.

Brenda has always put Fairfields best interests first and has earned a reputation for her passion and straight-talk in Hartford.

She is well respected on both sides of the aisle in both the House and Senate. We cant afford to lose Brenda; Fairfield needs her to continue to be our representative for the 132nd district.

Pamela Iacono

Fairfield

The writer is Fairfield RTM minority leader.
President Donald Trump declared at a rally in Houston, "You know, they have a word, it sort of became old-fashioned, it's called a nationalist, and I say, really, we're not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I'm a nationalist." No sooner had he uttered the words than the scramble to analyze Trump's motives began.

As a preliminary matter, the media should pause before jumping to the TV-perfect confrontations. If the media actually wants to enlighten readers and viewers, the media's first task should be to explain what "nationalist" means and why it is anti-American and anti-democratic. "White nationalism," to which Trump's critics believed he was referring, is only one form of nationalism, albeit a heinous variety to which Trump has often winked and encouraged. ("Some fine people" he said were among the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville.)

Nationalism has a larger meaning than simply the anti-Semitic and racist chants of khaki-clad, Tiki-torch-toting Nazi-wannabes. George Orwell wrote the seminal explanation:

"By 'nationalism' I mean first of all the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of people can be confidently labelled 'good' or 'bad'. But secondly - and this is much more important - I mean the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests. Nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved. By 'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality."

We now see illiberal regimes - in Poland, Hungary and Russia, to name three - evoke the mantra "blood and soil," or rather, "blood, soil and Christianity" as their defining national characteristics; outsiders, the regimes claim, threaten to dilute the "real" nation. They are in a civilization struggle, nationalist leaders will tell you, against foreign influences. (The right-wing government in Poland, for example, espouses "a combination of Polish nationalism, religious conservatism, anti-elitism and attacks on those supposedly seeking to dictate to Poland about values and migrant quotas.") This is precisely the ideology Stephen Bannon attempts to promote, and for which his former boss seemed the ideal vessel.

Nationalism is antithetical to America's founding creed ("All men are. . .") and contrary to the principles of a multiethnic, multiracial democracy. As with all radical, racially based dogmas, it countenances, indeed promotes, ends-justify-the-means politics, seeks to discredit the free press, and traffics in lies both big and small.

So back to Trump. Three theories emerged to explain Trump's nationalist utterance.

One has us believe that Trump is an empty-headed dolt who has no idea what he is saying. He either ignored Bannon or forgot what he said. Like a child who doesn't know what a "bad word" really means, he says it simply because it is socially forbidden ("we're not supposed to use that word"). The explanation is appealing in many ways, both because it recognizes Trump's appalling ignorance, and because his followers can disclaim the accusation that they, too, are racists ("deplorables"). Somehow, following an ignoramus and inadvertent racist seems less objectionable than following an out-and-out racist.

Another explanation is the cynical one, advanced most clearly by the former (briefly) communications director Anthony Scaramucci. He insisted on CNN on Wednesday morning, "No, I'm not a nationalist. He's not a nationalist. He's saying he's a nationalist because he wants you to be upset about it, but he's really not a nationalist." In other words, Trump supposedly is smart enough to know what "nationalist" means, but he is falsely associating himself with the term. Scaramucci continued, directing his advice to Trump, "I understand that he wants to put American working-class families first and he wants to put middle-class families first and so he's conflating the word 'nationalism' for that and for those principles and policies, but if you really understand the historical context of what it means to call yourself a nationalist, you're actually not a nationalist, so stop saying it." Why anyone would want to lie about his association with a horrible ideology ("Yeah, that's the ticket - I'm a misogynist!") is a bit confusing, but it's a way of mocking a term of derision (e.g. "Yes, I'm a deplorable!"), I suppose.

The third take on Trump's nationalist lingo is the simplest: He knows exactly what it means, his base knows exactly what he means and he knows the strongest bond with followers is xenophobia. Immigration and bogus issues such as the caravan are his go-to topics when he needs to juice up his followers.

I tend to think that the last explanation is the right one, but it hardly matters. What does matter is that Trump is normalizing a hateful political philosophy that is contrary to our deepest-held beliefs. He fuels divisions and anger, and in doing so, fails in his most sacred obligation - to defend the most diverse democracy the planet has ever known and to protect the institutions that secure our freedoms.
Surrounded by medical providers and state legislators, Democrat Ned Lamont on Wednesday attacked Republican Bob Stefanowski for comments he made about childhood vaccinations during a campaign event this summer.

NBC Connecticut obtained the video of Stefanowski from a source working for Democratic campaigns in Connecticut. The video is two minutes long, and does not include what is said before or after the two-minute portion on immunization policy, according to the NBC Connecticut report.

In the grainy video, Stefanowski was asked whether he thinks the state or local boards of education should dictate vaccinations.

Stefanowski responded by saying, I think it depends on the vaccination  I mean, you know, we shouldnt be dumping a lot of drugs into kids for no reason.

He also says in the video, I dont think we should be forcing people to inject a ton of chemicals into their kids but I would want to see more about it.

Lamont, at a press conference in Hartford on Wednesday, blasted Stefanowski for those comments.

One of your jobs as a governor is to think about the public health and make sure that your kids are safe when they go to school, he said. Its just grossly irresponsible to dismiss that.

Connecticut state law requires children to receive vaccinations before they can enroll in public school. Requirements also exist for children attending day care and youth camps, and college students.

Stefanowski spokesman Kendall Marr told NBC Connecticut in a statement earlier this week: Bobs position here is in line with the law. While he believes that the best practice is to vaccinate your children, he does not believe that the government should be able to legally force you to do so.

On Wednesday, Marr said in a statement that Stefanowskis comments were taken out of context and that the GOP nominee for governor fully supports current policy on vaccines. He is not seeking any changes to those requirements.

Marr said Stefanowskis comments came after an attendee claimed children were being required to undergo around 50 vaccines to attend school, which Marr said is much higher than what is required by the state and what is recommended by federal agencies and medical organizations.

At no point did he say we shouldnt be giving the necessary vaccinations required by state law and recommended by the experts, Marr said. In fact, he refused to commit to a bill loosening vaccination requirements in the video. Bob believes that immunizations are an important part of protecting public health.

According to NBC Connecticut, Stefanowski also said on the video that his three daughters were vaccinated.

The NBC story caught the attention of national media outlets on Tuesday, resulting in what was probably unwelcome attention for the Stefanowski campaign.

At the Wednesday press conference, Lamonts running mate, Susan Bysiewicz, said Stefanowskis remarks are disqualifying.

They make it very clear that he and Joe Markley are not prepared to lead and govern, she said. If youre not willing to listen to the medical community, to scientific evidence and you only pander to an extremist radical few people in our state, it means youre not ready to lead.
Lost in the campaigns for governor, the top-of-the-ticket and the General Assembly, are two proposed changes to the state Constitution aimed at preventing lawmakers from raiding the transportation-infrastructure program; and disposing of state land without public scrutiny.

Thats if you turn over the ballot and actually find the Questions 1 and 2, on Nov. 6.

Four years ago, 147,548 people who cast ballots for governor did not vote for or against a proposed constitutional amendment to expand voting opportunities. Proponents of the legislation said the question, which was defeated in 131 towns and statewide wasnt understood.

There was no organized effort to support it, said Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. I had people come up to me afterwards who said they voted against that terrible thing that was going to take away our rights.

This year, while the so-called transportation lockbox was the result of years of legislative debate, but the land-coveyance legislation is much lesser-known.

Advocates worked for four years in attempt to put an end to late-night shenanigans in the General Assembly when senators and state representatives worked with insiders to give away or trade valuable state property with little transparency and oversight.

Half of the process is in sunlight and half is in the dark, said Eric Hammerling, executive director of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, one of 135 groups that supported the bill.

If approved for inclusion in the Constitution, the measure would require public hearings in the General Assembly on any land swaps and transfers involving the state and private parties; and two-thirds votes of the House and Senate for any transactions involving property owned by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Department of Agriculture.

This is the first environmental issue to be on a statewide ballot, Hammerling said. Its significant and important to protect the public.

Hammerling is the volunteer treasurer of the non-profit Connecticut Public Lands Coalition, Inc., which is trying to raise public awareness on the question, mostly through social media and some paid advertising. Maine, Massachusetts and New York have similar transparency.

Weve done some polling, Hammerling said. We feel very positive that once people understand what it means, they are very supportive.

The most-recent land conveyance was approved on the last night of the legislative session, transferring the 34-acre Hartford Regional Market on land owned by the Department of Agriculture, to the Capital Region Development Authority.

Its the largest fresh-food distribution center between New York and Boston and its the site of a farmers market, Hammerling recalled. They did it through a legislative amendment on the last day of the session with no public hearing. If it was such a good idea, why did they do it in the middle of the night?

Leaky safeguards

But while the lockbox  whose purpose is to safeguard transportation infrastructure funding  won bipartisan support, even among the candidates for governor, it may be leaky. The way the constitutional amendment is written, revenue supposedly collected for the Special Transportation Fund, mostly gasoline taxes and sales of petroleum products, could be diverted before it even gets there.

Since 2005, about $500 million was diverted from the Special Transportation Fund by lawmakers siphoning the funding for general government spending.

State Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the legislative Transportation Committee, said the Special Transportation Fund is declining and is on a collision course with insolvency. Any money must stay in the fund, he said. The constitutional amendment is a good thing because over time, as the monies accumulate in the fund, if the legislature is barred from taking the funds, it can eventually grow so we can address infrastructure needs.

Veteran state Rep. Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury, a longtime opponent of highway tolls who helped kill the original incarnation of the lockbox in December 2015, said that while he knows there are potential flaws in this version that will come before state voters on Nov. 6, he supports the constitutional amendment.

In my mind this is a referendum on tolls, Godfrey said Wednesday. There is not enough money invested in transportation, not just roads and 300 less-than-safe bridges, but trains and ports have been withering.

He said that revenue has been shrinking in the Special Transportation Fund, while the needs are increasing. Wheres the money going to come from? he asked.

Godfrey said that the problem with the 2015 bill was there was no actual definition of a transportation expense.

With this bill, he cautioned, there is no requirement to actually put anything in the transportation fund.

Its not a guarantee, Godfrey said.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
While en route to facilitate a member engagement training this month, I spent some time in the Syracuse airport. The airport has been under construction for the last several months and can be a little confusing, especially for a traveler late at night.

While trying to navigate my way to the parking garage, a kind young woman sweeping the terminal took the time to ask me if I needed directions. She asked in a warm, friendly manner that really gave the feeling she was empathetic to my plight. I gratefully accepted her help and was soon on my way to the parking garage.

When it comes to your credit union or banks brand, everyone must own your brand like this airport employee did.

According to Gallup, only 30 percent of U.S. employees are engaged at work. An actively disengaged employeesomeone working against your brand and missioncosts the organization $3,400 for every $10,000 in salary. It pays to have employees own your brand.
For Subscribers County to make 'generational investments' with $14M from federal gov't

The county's $14 million allocation of federal funds is to be distributed in two yearly installments of $7 million each.
PITTSBURGH  Coatesville Area Intermediate High School students set off with their Coatesville Area School District biology instructors on a trip to the University of Pittsburgh.

The trip, though technically considered a field trip by school standards, was anything but a typical field trip. The students and their instructors went to meet and discuss the current research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with the leading researchers from the Live Like Lou Center at the Brain Institute at the University of Pittsburgh in preparation for the students insertion and participation in this important research.

ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrigs disease, is a neurological disorder characterized by selective upper and lower somatic, but not autonomic, motor neuron degeneration, leading to paralysis and eventually death.

Students who attended the overnight medical research meet and discuss were able to tour the Live Like Lou Center for ALS Research and met leading researchers who are currently working to discover a cure for ALS. During the course of the 2018-19 school year, Coatesville Area School District students will begin researching ALS and will share their research with the leading researchers in the field through Skype sessions with researchers in the Live Like Lou Center and through continued visits to the University of Pittsburgh.

The students who visited the University of Pittsburgh are currently enrolled in the ALS Research class in the Coatesville Area Intermediate High School.

I thought the whole day was absolutely amazing, sophomore Hailey Morgan said. We sat through presentations from real-life doctors who work every day to find the cure for ALS.

The students were able to visit the Live Like Lou Center and watch actual medical physicians and researchers at work. Morgan added that the most interesting part of the day was talking with leading researchers and how they were using ALS on insects such as worms and flies. Morgan explained how on-site researchers were testing ALS disease-impacted worms and what cures could be discovered in the worms before moving onto human beings.

Sophomore Virginia Kelly echoed Morgans comments.

Watching the doctors at work in their own labs was truly inspiring, Kelly said. Right now, there is no cure for ALS. However, these doctors will soon find one.

Sophomore Tyson Smith agreed with his peers.

The whole day was remarkable, Smith said. From sitting and listening to the presentations to watching doctors attempt to find a cure for ALS, the whole day was a wonderful learning experience.

The ALS Research class offered at the Coatesville Area Intermediate High School is designed to allow CASD teachers and students to partner with University of Pittsburghs Live Like Lou ALS Research Team to work towards discovering the cure for ALS. This class involves a laboratory-driven curriculum and the chance to be a part of cutting-edge scientific research.

By visiting the University of Pittsburgh and being enrolled, students reflected on how the experience helped with their own ambitious future goals. Morgan wants to be a microbiologist and work on treating cancer. Kelly wants to be a neuroscientist, and Tyson expressed the desire to be a biologist.

The Coatesville Area School District administration and staff are convinced that the next cure for ALS sits in the minds of students. This course and many others may be the inspiration for the cure.
If the mantra 'you are what you eat' is true, Carla Oates must be munching on the elixir of youth for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Sydney-based businesswoman is the founder of globally renowned holistic skincare brand The Beauty Chef, and swears by a balance of simple, nourishing products and probiotics to glow from the inside out.

Ms Oates, 45, shared her skincare routine with Byrdie, and revealed her go-to night time ritual that leaves her waking up with a radiant complexion every morning.

Sydney-based businesswoman Carla Oates (pictured) is the brains behind cult ingestible skincare brand The Beauty Chef

The wellness entrepreneur said her approach to personal care has always focused on simplicity, and ingestible rather than topical products.

'My philosophy has always been that beauty begins in the belly, so I prefer to nourish my skin from the inside  [it] really creates a radiance that no amount of products can replicate,' she said.

Ms Oates explained she exclusively buys naturally derived products free from synthetics, chemicals and fragrance, because the 'skin is our largest organ and first line of defence' against external toxins.

The natural beauty expert advised steering clear of creams and serums filled with significant amounts of parabens, silicones and phthalates.

She stressed the importance of good gut health and the link between a healthy microbiome and glowing skin.

Ms Oates swears by Organic Coconut Oil (left, $13) for glowing skin and shiny hair, and Rejuvenating Serum from Sodashi (right, $125) for skin firming and cellular regeneration

For tired, dull looking skin, Ms Oates recommended a DIY fresh food mask of papaya, turmeric, white clay and yoghurt, which acts to brighten and rejuvenate.

Every morning, Ms Oates starts her day with a run along Bondi Beach, followed by a glass of water with Glow Inner Beauty Powder ($60) and Collagen Inner Beauty Boost ($40).

She tops off her day each evening with a gentle cleanse using coconut oil on a muslin cloth.



She seals her skin with a dab of Probiotic Skin Refiner ($60) all over the face and a slick of Beauty Fix Balm ($25) under the eyes and on the lips.

'Before heading to bed, I also enjoy a teaspoon of Sleep Inner Beauty Powder ($50) stirred through warm coconut milk  it's so delicious and soothing and rich in beneficial bacteria, so while I sleep I am nourishing my gut.'

For tired, dull looking skin, Ms Oates recommended a DIY fresh food mask of papaya, turmeric, white clay and yoghurt, which acts to brighten and rejuvenate

Since launching out of Ms Oates bedroom in 2009, The Beauty Chef has grown to become one of Australia's largest beauty companies, stocked worldwide at Selfridges, Net-A-Porter, Goop and Anthropologie.

It is also one of the leading brands in the beauty drinks industry, worth an estimated $400 million worldwide and swiftly growing.

Ms Oates previously told Daily Mail Australia that the inspiration for her brand came from her daughters struggle with the skin condition eczema.

'I started making lacto-fermented foods at home and I noticed a big difference in her skin and well-being.

'I also noticed a big difference in my skin when I was eating them. Friends and family started asking what I was using - and then became addicted to my fermented vegetables.'

The Beauty Chef spawned from there - a business which comprises not only serums, balms and lotions, but also powders you mix with water or put into smoothies.

The powders are packed with superfood ingredients like macqui berries, zinc and antioxidant-rich grape skins, which all help with inner and outer health.
Most parents discipline their children when they misbehave and often a stern talking to or time out is all that's required for them to fall back in line.

But what happens when it's someone else's child who is behaving badly and their mum and dad is not there to take charge?

Australian parenting expert and father-of-six Dr Justin Coulson was asked by a mum if she was right to intervene in a disagreement between her son and another child.

'The short answer is "Heck Yes!" Dr Coulson wrote on his blog.

'We have a responsibility to discipline other peoples kids  particularly when they're not doing it themselves.'

Most parents understand it's their duty to discipline their kids when they misbehave (stock image)

While the expert and author notes there are a raft of opinions and views surrounding the discussion, he believes discipline was more about instruction than punishment.

'It [discipline] derives from the word Latin word, disciplina, which means instruction or knowledge,' he explained.

'This puts an alternative spin on things! Disciplining is not about punishing, it is about teaching, whether its our child or somebody elses child.

'And if done correctly, with gentleness and kindness, most parents would welcome another parent teaching their child about the right way to behave.'

Dr Coulson argued for a responsible approach to discipline saying people should intervene 'teach, guide and instruct' when children need it.

Dr Justin Coulson (pictured) said kids need discipline but it should always be focused on guidance, instruction, and helping

'Kids need discipline. But it should always be focused on guidance, instruction, and helping.

'When it is, we can be safe in saying that it's everyones responsibility to be involved in raising and disciplining kids.'

He stressed any disciplinary action taken toward's another's child should be done so in a calm and non-judgmental manner.

Dr Coulson said if a child was young, distraction and separation would 'typically be enough' to defuse a situation.

Then, he advised offering the child a simple explanation that what they did was not OK.

'Being polite and calm helps everybody involved (the children and the other parent) recognise that we arent there to hurt or punish anyone,' he said.

Dr Coulson said any disciplinary action taken toward's another's child should be done so in a calm and non-judgmental manner (stock image)

Dr Coulson also said that if it were necessary to discipline another's child, to do so in a spirit of kindness.

'We dont know what is going on in the lives of other people,' he wrote.

'There might be a mental condition or a physical ailment that is affecting the child, or there could be something going on in his home life.'
Travelling during the festive season can be expensive - but it doesn't have to be.

There are multiple ways you can earn at least 20,000 frequent flyer points before Christmas, with Point Hacks revealing the nine high-earning non credit card hacks that Australian airline reward enthusiasts swear by.

'You can really think of this as bonus money to spend on flights, because our hacks prove that you don't need to spend more to earn points,' Daniel Sciberras, Point Hacks' spokesperson and frequent flyer expert, said.

Travelling can be expensive but it doesn't have to be as there are multiple ways people can earn at least 20,000 frequent flyer points just by using their debit card

Earn up to 2,000 points when booking an Uber

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn 2,000 Qantas Points when they link or set up an Uber account via the Qantas app, then take a trip using Uber.

Alternatively people can earn one to three Qantas Points when booking an Uber to or from eligible Australian airports using the Qantas app.

Earn up to 20,000 points on your mobile phone plan

Signing up or upgrading to a Vodafone Plus Plan, selected Red Plan or selected 12-month SIM Only Plan online can earn people up to 20,000 Qantas Points.

Customers can earn two points per $1 spent on eligible Vodafone Postpaid Mobile Phone, Mobile SIM or Mobile Broadband plans until 31 October 2019.

Signing up or upgrading to a Vodafone Plus Plan, selected Red Plan or selected 12-month SIM Only Plan online can earn people up to 20,000 Qantas Points

What are frequent flyer points? A frequent-flyer program is a loyalty program offered by an airline. Many airlines have frequent-flyer programs designed to encourage airline customers enrolled in the program to accumulate points which may then be redeemed for air travel or other rewards. In recent years, more points have been earned by using co-branded credit and debit cards than by air travel. Another way to earn points is spending money at associated retail outlets, car hire companies, hotels, or other associated businesses. Source: Wikipedia Advertisement

Earn 1,200 points for eating out once a fortnight

Qantas has a restaurant booking portal that allows customers to choose from 4,000 restaurants across Australia.

Each time people book at Qantas Restaurants they will earn 100 points per diner.

If someone chooses to eat out with their partner once a fortnight in three months they'll earn 1,200 points.

Triple rewards at supermarkets

If people hold a Coles personal insurance policy they can earn one extra flybuys point for every $1 they spend at Coles.

For instance, if they hold two Coles insurance policies they'll earn three flybuys points for every $1 spent.

If someone spends $500 a month on their grocery shopping they'll earn 4,500 flybuys points, which is worth almost 2,000 Velocity Points.

Earn 500 points filling up your car

If customers become a velocity member they can earn two Velocity Points per litre bought or $1 spent in-store at participating BP service stations.

Spending $80 a month on petrol will earn people 480 points.

Earn at least 450 points for movies or music

Becoming a HOYTS Rewards Bronze member means people are able to earn one Qantas Point for every $2 spent on tickets or snacks.

If they purchase tickets for concerts and major events with a red 'P+' icon through the Ticketek website they can earn 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent.

People can also earn two Qantas Points per $1 spent on iTunes through the Qantas Mall website.

Becoming a HOYTS Rewards Bronze member means people are able to earn one Qantas Point for every $2 spent on tickets or snacks

Take a domestic trip before Christmas and earn 2,000 points

It's important that travellers input their airline rewards membership number when booking flights as a Sydney to Melbourne return flight can earn people 1,600 Qantas Points.

For every $1 spent on a Virgin Australia flight they can earn five Velocity Points  that's 2,000 points for a $400 return flight.

People can also earn four Qantas Points for every $1 spent on Avis and Budget car rentals when booking through the Qantas website and a Velocity Global Wallet can earn people two Velocity points per $1 spent if they're overseas before Christmas.

Earn up to 10,000 points when you switch your home energy plan

If people sign up for a Qantas Red Plus energy plan and link their Frequent Flyer number their electricity and gas can earn 10,000 and 5,000 points respectively.

Plus they can earn up to seven points per $1 spent on their bills.

Customers can earn 10,000 flybuys points if they switch to AGL Energy and link their flybuys membership, plus one flybuys point for every $1 spent on their bill.

The flybuys bonus alone will translate to 4350 Velocity Points.

Refinance your home loan and earn 3,000-150,000-plus points

Velocity members will earn 1,000 points per loan account per month when they sign up to the Virgin Money Reward Me Home Loan through the Velocity website.

If someone is a Qantas Frequent Flyer member and they apply for a home loan with Macquarie Bank they can earn 80,000 bonus points upon application.

It doesn't stop there as they can earn 10,000 points for every $100,000 drawn down at settlement and 1,000 points each month.
Meghan has mastered the art of a wardrobe staple so far on her royal tour - subtly re-wearing key items on multiple occasions.

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, has worn her 566 Tabitha Simmons 'Millie' heels with three different outfits so far in Australia and Fiji, including both formal and more casual looks.

She has also worn her 1,287 trench coat by Australian designer Martin Grant on two occasions while in Sydney and Melbourne, paying tribute to the country with her choice of outerwear.

Meghan - who is expecting her first child in the Spring - also re-wore her Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles, priced at 80, in Fiji today, after wearing them during a visit to Bondi beach in Sydney last Friday.

Meghan has mastered the art of a wardrobe staple, re-wearing her 566 Tabitha Simmons 'Millie' heels with three different outfits so far in Australia and Fiji. She wore the pumps with a Zimmerman dress while arriving in Fiji today

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, previously wore her Tabitha Simmons heels while at the Invictus Games Driving Challenge in Sydney on Saturday, with a more casual look

Earlier that day, Meghan wore the Tabitha Simmons heels for the first time at the opening of the ANZAC memorial in Sydney

Meanwhile, the Duchess has stepped out in her Outland Denim jeans on three occasions, after they sold out when she first wore them in Dubbo, New South Wales, last week.

She has worn a number of her staple items in the past, prior to the royal tour - proving how she has been mixing items from her own wardrobe with new pieces.

Celebrity stylist Lucas Armitage, who is creative director of Posied London, told FEMAIL: 'Whilst the demands on Meghan's wardrobe are immense she isnt afraid to be economical and reuse staple pieces.

'This presumably is for practical and logistical reasons whilst travelling.

Meghan has worn her 1,287 trench coat by Australian designer Martin Grant on two occasions so far this tour, including in Melbourne last week (above)

The Duchess of Sussex first wore the trench coat by Australian designer Martin Grant on the first day of her royal tour in Sydney (above), in tribute to the country

Meghan has worn her Outland Denim Harriet jeans on three occasions so far this tour. Pictured from left to right: the Duchess of Sussex leaving for Fiji on Monday, attending the Prime Minister's lunch in Sydney on Sunday, and in Dubbo last week

Meghan re-wore her Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles, priced at 80, in Fiji today (left), after wearing them during a visit to Bondi beach in Sydney last Friday (right)

'Meghan demonstrates that a good pair of shoes has many uses - take her Tabitha Simmons black sling back courts. With her Martin Grant Trench she shows how a stylish item never goes out of fashion.'

He added that Meghan's royal tour wardrobe could prove inspiration for others when travelling.

'I have personally seen so many women over pack whilst travelling so its great to see Meghan taking a concise and versatile capsule wardrobe on her first royal tour,' he said.

Meghan first wore her slingback heels by British brand Tabitha Simmons with a black high-neck dress by Emilia Wickstead for the opening of Anzac Memorial in Sydney on Saturday.

She kept on the same shoes after changing into a more casual blazer and jeans ensemble for the Invictus Games Driving Challenge, before re-wearing them on Tuesday on arriving to Fiji.

Meghan re-wore a pair of 360 Stuart Weitzman Legend High Heel Pumps at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony in Sydney on Monday, along with a Stella McCartney dress she has previously worn

The Duchess of Sussex wore the nude heels by Stuart Weitzman on the first day of the royal tour in Sydney last Tuesday

Meghan has also worn her Sarah Flint 'Grear' sandals, priced at 277, with two different outfits, including a Reformation dress in Fraser Island on Monday

The Duchess of Sussex also wore the sandals, which she previously wore at a polo match earlier this year, with a dress from & Other Stories on arriving in Fraser Island on Monday

The Duchess appears keen to rotate her footwear, also wearing her 360 Stuart Weitzman Legend High Heel Pumps on two occasions: the first day of the royal tour in Sydney, and again at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony on Saturday night.

She first wore the nude heels during a day of engagements in Sussex with Harry earlier this month.

Meghan has also worn her Sarah Flint 'Grear' sandals, priced at 277, with two different outfits while in Fraser Island, after previously wearing them at a polo match earlier this year.

Besides her Martin Grant trench coat, Meghan has also worn her 140 Outland Denim Harriet jeans on three occasions - in Dubbo, at the Prime Minister's lunch reception in Sydney, and while travelling to Fiji.

The Duchess has re-worn a number of items she's been spotted in the past, including her J. Crew linen shirt, Misha Nonoo skirt, Aquazzura Deneuve Bow Pumps and her Orton 'Avalon' zip top crossbody bag.

She also recycled her Stella McCartney cape-back dress, having previously worn it at the Queen's 92nd birthday celebrations in April.
Beauty fans have gone wild over a new British skincare brand, where are the products cost under 10.

The Inkey List - which set up by former Boots employees Colette Newberry and Mark Curry - officially launched at the end of August, and aims to make skincare more accessible.

Its current offering includes a Vitamin C Serum, priced at 7.99, a Hyaluronic Acid Serum, priced at 4.99, while its Retinol Serum, priced at 9.99, is already sold out.

Social media users have been heaping praise over The Inkey List, which has been described as 'the new The Ordinary' - in reference to the cult brand that specialises in single-ingredient products.

Beauty fans have been going wild over a new beauty brand called The Inkey List. Pictured clockwise from top left: Retinol Serum, Caffeine Serum, Squalane Oil, Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Kaolin Clay, Glycolic Acid and Q10 Serum

Dozens have customers have been leaving five-star reviews since the brand, which focuses on single-ingredient products, launched last month

One Twitter user wrote: 'So excited to try my new Inkey list skincare!'

Another added: 'found the alternative of TO[The Ordinary; the inkey list. the packaging though 100'

Meanwhile, a host of customers have left 5-star reviews since the launch of the brand in August.

Commenting on the Vitamin C Serum, one wrote: 'Obsessed. This is amazing. Leaves your skin so soft and glowy. What a bargain!'

Other products on offer at the Inkey List include (pictured clockwise, from top left): Hemp Oil, Rosehip Oil, Zinc, Collagen, Tumeric Cream Moisturiser, Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Social media users have been sharing their excitement over the launch of the new brand, which has been described as 'the new The Ordinary'

Another reviewed the Retinol Serum, posting: 'Omg, this retinol is brilliant, such a pleasure to use, so light and sinks in straight away... highly recommend this product'.

Speaking about why they launched the brand, co-founder Colette Newberry previously told Vogue: 'There is a growing wave of consumers that are realising you dont have to spend a fortune to get incredible skincare but our thinking was, how do we go on to democratise this even further?

'Yes, we wanted to make sure the price point was accessible but what we felt was missing in the industry was accessibility to information and understanding.'

It comes after problems facing cult brand The Ordinary (above)

The launch of The Inkey List coincides with the problems facing cult brand The Ordinary, after its controversial founder declared it was closing down in a bizarre Instagram post.

Brandon Truaxe, who founded Deciem - parent company of The Ordinary and other brands - in Toronto in 2013, declared earlier this month the brand, would be shutting down until further notice due to 'criminal activity'.

However, Estee Lauder - who owns a stake in the company - has since won a suit to remove Truaxe as CEO.
If you've ever dreamed of getting a coveted table at Annabel's you may be in luck, as the exclusive members club is putting some of its best-loved furniture up for sale.

Christie's is offering up the chance for the public to buy a piece of history as Annabel's owners begin auctioning off dining sets, mirrors from the bar, and even its iconic red velvet corner sofa.

The Mayfair celebrity haunt, which commands an annual subscription of up to 2,750, is one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the world and has played host to the likes of Frank Sinatra and The Beatles, and even royalty such as the late Princess Diana.

The auction comprises over 250 pieces, from Old Master paintings to furniture, glassware, silver and lighting and crystal champagne coupes.

Annabel's iconic red velvet corner sofa, which has been graced by the likes of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, is set to go under the hammer at auction house Christie's next month

Supermodel Naomi Campbell reclining on the famous red velvet sofa in 2015. The piece of furniture will go under the hammer next month in a landmark auction at Christie's

Annabel's is the nation's most famous private members club, and has since 1963 welcomed a host of aristocratic and flamboyant revellers (pictured at its new home in Berkeley Square)

Annabel's, which once stood at 44 Berkeley Square from 1963, moved two doors down into a Grade I-listed Georgia House earlier this year.

The club was completely refurbished and its new outpost has become something of a pilgrimage for Instagrammers, thanks in part to the pink onyx oyster shell-shaped sinks in the powder room, complete with gold swan taps.

The lot, which goes under the hammer on 20 November, also includes antique crockery and tableware that has graced the hands of some of the world's most rich and famous partygoers.

And those wanting to get their hands on a piece of history can snap up the famous red velvet sofa that patrons including Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss have reclined on over the years.

The famous Bodhisattva from the Buddha Room at Annabel's nightclub is also going up for sale in a landmark auction at Christie's next month, expected to fetch thousands

A set of champagne coupes that will have been used by the likes of Frank Sinatra and The Beatles, and even royalty such as the late Princess Diana at Annabel's over the years

Another highlight includes a table for eight comprising eight dining chairs with the quintessential red and green upholstery, a circular restaurant table, a table lamp and eight place settings.

These include wine glasses, plates, cutlery, table cloth, napkins, salt and pepper and a toast rack for the full Annabel's experience.

Mementos of legendary evenings in the club's private dining room include a George III silver soup tureen, which was presented by the Ambassadors to the Court of St. James to Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942).

From champagne glasses to Limoges tableware and multiple sets of bar stools, to the mirrors from Annabels infamous bar, Christie's claim the sale offers 'endless tantalising and storied delights'.
All eyes are on Fiji this week as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex frolic around the tropical nation on their official tour, meeting locals and attending royal engagements.

But for some of social media's savviest stars the attention is on Fuji island - a private, luxury escape created by photography company Fujifilm.

The long-standing business is allowing up to eight guests at a time to descend on the white sand beaches until December 7 and have a personal photographer snap their relaxing adventures for Instagram.

For some of social media's savviest social media stars the attention is on Fuji island - a private, luxury escape created by photography company Fujifilm (Keira Rumble pictured)

The long-standing business is allowing up to eight guests at a time to descend on the white sand beaches until December 7

A five-star resort and meals prepared by your own personal chef could be in the backdrop of your next shot, sending your friends back home into a fit of jealousy.

The 8,000-square-metre retreat with its own helipad is home to three villas set at the island's high point. All have wrap-around decks and there's an infinity pool.

For those who know their way around a DSLR camera, Fujifilm have left a large number of the X-T3 mirrorless cameras on the island for use, too.

A five-star resort and meals prepared by your own personal chef could be in the backdrop of your next shot, sending your friends back home into a fit of jealousy

The 8000-square-metre retreat with its own helipad is home to three villas set at the island's high point

Already a number of photogenic patrons have called the island home, posing in the bathtub or against the outdoor pool.

And you'll want to get the most out of your trip because the price to stay in such an eccentric abode is eye-watering.

Visiting Fuji Island will cost around $3,110 for two people on a two-night minimum stay.

Described as the perfect treat for honeymooners (particularly given all wine and cocktails are included in the price) it might also be an option for those eloping or keeping their wedding party very small

Marketing manager for Fujifilm Australia, Alex Zitser, said the reasoning behind creating such a space was simple

Described as the perfect treat for honeymooners (particularly given all wine and cocktails are included in the price) it might also be an option for those eloping or keeping their wedding party very small.

Marketing manager for Fujifilm Australia, Alex Zitser, said the reasoning behind creating such a space was simple.

'Aussies are now booking holidays based on how their travel pics will look on Instagram,' he told Traveller.

The glamorous island is located about an hour's boat ride or a quick helicopter flight from Nadi airport and will only be available for the next fortnight.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked radiant on Wednesday as they donned tropical ensembles to visit the University of the South Pacific as part of the Fijian leg of their royal tour.

But six years earlier the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wore near identical outfits in the Solomon Islands as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour.

Amazingly, even Prince Charles wore a blue shirt on his tour of West Africa in 1977, with photos showing him biting into a pineapple at the time.

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Looking very similar! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wore a near identical colour scheme to Meghan and Harry during their Golden Jubilee tour in 2012 (right)

The two Duchesses were even wearing matching wedge espadrilles despite the tours being six years apart (pictured)

Now on the ninth day of their first major international excursion, Meghan Markle sparked joy in the crowd of royal watchers when she appeared in a $2,110 AUD (1,151) Frida Kahlo-inspired silk dress by Parisian brand Figue.

Her husband also opted for a brighter colour palette when he donned a light blue Hawaiian T-shirt with black trousers and brown brogues.

And while the look was given a big thumbs-up by fans of the parents-to-be, it seems they've been getting tips from the Duke's older brother and sister-in-law.

During the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Golden Jubilee tour in 2012 the pair wore almost identical clothing: Prince William in a patterned light blue shirt and Kate in a strapless pink and burnt orange dress.

The two Duchesses were even wearing matching wedge espadrilles despite the tours being six years apart.

During the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Golden Jubilee tour in 2012 the pair wore almost identical clothing to Harry and Meghan: Prince William in a patterned light blue shirt and Kate in a pink dress

Meghan's debut of the posy-pink gown on Wednesday, which is still available on the Figue website, was met with cheers from the crowd

The royals visited the Solomon Islands on that particular jaunt and were welcomed inside the Governor General Frank Kabui's house wearing traditional island clothing.

At the time they were representing the Queen and stayed in Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Meghan's debut of the posy-pink gown on Wednesday was met with cheers from the crowd.

Amazingly, even Prince Charles wore a similar blue shirt on his tour of West Africa in 1977, with photos showing him eating a pineapple at the time

Can you tell they're brothers? Prince Harry (right) and Prince William (left) seen wearing very similar wardrobe pieces on their respective royal tours

The dress featured a v neckline, long sleeves and asymmetrical ruffle hem with pom poms and seashell detail.

She paired the pop of colour with the same $147 Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles she wore to Sydney's Bondi Beach last Friday, giving the entire look a bohemian flair.

Her hair was arranged by the Duchess' personal hairdresser George Northwood and pinned back with some elegant frangipani flowers.

In contrast the Duchess of Cambridge wore her luscious locks loose and slightly curled in the humid conditions of the Solomon Islands over half a decade ago.

In contrast the Duchess of Cambridge wore her luscious locks loose and slightly curled in the humid conditions of the Solomon Islands over half a decade ago

Meghan paired the pop of colour with the same $147 Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles she wore to Bondi Beach last Friday, giving the entire look some bohemian flair

Following the morning's university visit, the couple parted ways to fulfill their solo duties.

The Duke travelled to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park while the Duchess went to the British High Commissioner's Residence for tea.

On Thursday, they will reunite and travel to the city of Nadi in Western Fiji, where they will attend a special event at Nadi Airport.

The Duke travelled to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park while the Duchess went to the British High Commissioner's Residence for tea

On Thursday, they will reunite and travel to the city of Nadi in Western Fiji, where they will attend a special event at Nadi Airport

After an official welcome ceremony, The Duke and Duchess will unveil a new statue commemorating Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba.

He was 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.

From Nadi Airport, Their Royal Highnesses will take a chartered flight to Tonga.

The visit to Fiji and Tonga is part of a mammoth 16-day tour, which also includes Australia and New Zealand.
She's been making her return to the limelight in recent weeks and last night the Duchess of Cambridge made her most dazzling appearance since her maternity leave at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

The royal, 36, wowed in a ruched ice blue gown by Alexander McQueen, resplendent in the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara previously owned by Princess Diana and looking impeccably slim just months after giving birth to her third child.

Meanwhile, 10,000 miles away in Fiji her sister-in-law was visiting a sweltering market in Fiji during the early stages of her first pregnancy, making a rare fashion misstep in a fussy floral kaftan.

It's quite a role reversal for the two Duchesses, just six months on from when Meghan was centre of attention as a glowing royal bride-to-be.

Back in April 2018 as Kate was negotiating the final stages of her third pregnancy and winding down her public engagements, all eyes were on the intriguing newcomer Meghan.

However, last night's glamorous appearance by Kate proved the Duchess is back on form as she resumes her high profile engagements.

The Duchess Of Cambridge, 36, dazzled at a state banquet for the Dutch royals at Buckingham Palace last night, wearing a ruched blue dress by Alexander McQueen and jewels loaned to her by the Queen

Meghan ditched her usual monchrome look for a visit to the Suva market in Fiji today, wearing a red and blue floral kaftan adorned with pom poms

Designed with a ruched bodycon fit before flaring out to floor length in a fishtail style, the Duchess showed how to do evening glamour effortlessly in her pale blue custom-made Alexander McQueen gown.

She added extra wow factor with the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara belonging to her late mother-in-law, as well as Dianas Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings.

The Duchess also sported the diamond and pearl Queen Alexandra Wedding Necklace, on loan from the Queen.

It was a favourite piece of the Queen Mother's but hasn't been seen publicly since the monarch inherited it.

Six months ago, the Duchess (pictured at Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel, Windsor in April 2018) was negotiating the final stages of her third pregnancy while winding down royal duties. Meanwhile, all eyes were on Prince Harry's bride-to-be Meghan, pictured during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting during the same month

She was also wearing the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II for the first time, an honour bestowed by Her Majesty to female members of the royal family.

Meanwhile, her sister-in-law Meghan was channeling boho vibes as she visited a busy marketplace in Suva, the Fijian capital.

Abandoning her usual clean lines and monochrome colour palette, the Duchess opted for a ruffled red and blue floral kaftan with a tie-waist adorned with colourful pom-poms.

The Duchess of Sussex was mobbed by young fans as she toured around Suva, the capital of Fiji, on Wednesday morning

The planned 20-minute tour was cut short, with the Duchess spending just six minutes in the market before she was moved along

The Duchess of Sussex has been rushed out of a market following a security scare, in a move which disappointed crowds of well wishers gathered to meet her

Never far from from Meghan's side, her new head of protection appears discreet as the mother-to-be carried out dozens of engagements throughout the 16-day tour

As she was ushered through the marketplace, the Duchess wore a dress by Figue and carrying a woven bag made by women at Suva market.

The planned 20-minute tour, to meet female stall holders involved with the UN Women's project 'Markets for Change' was cut short, with the Duchess spending just six minutes in the market before she was hurriedly moved along.

The swift change in schedule was put down to a 'security risk' with Kensington Palace blaming massive crowds as one royal aide said it was 'hot, humid and uncomfortably busy.'

As with her two previous state banquet appearances, Kate opted for the diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara owned by Princess Diana for the occasion, pictured. The glittering piece was crafted by royal jewellers in 1914. The duchess also wore the Elizabeth II Family Order - a jewel encased image of the Queen on a chartreuse yellow ribbon
Meghan delivered a passionate speech on the importance of girls' education in Fiji today - explaining how scholarships helped her attend university.

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, gave her second speech as a member of the royal family while visiting the University of the South Pacific in Suva.

Addressing students, she explained how earnings from a job she had on campus at Northwestern University went 'directly towards my tuition'.

It comes after her father Thomas Markle has previously claimed in interviews that he paid for his daughter's education.

Meghan delivered a passionate speech on the importance of girls' education at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji today - explaining how scholarships helped her attend university

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, used notes as she gave her second speech as a member of the royal family while visiting the University of the South Pacific

Speaking in Fiji today, Meghan said: 'As a university graduate, I know the personal feeling of pride and excitement that comes with attending university.

'From the moment you receive your acceptance letter, to the exams you spend countless late nights studying for, the lifelong friendships you make with your fellow alumni, and the moment you receive your diploma.'

She continued: 'I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world  myself included.

'It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition - that I was able to attend university. And, without question, it was worth every effort.'

During her speech, Meghan explained how earnings from a job she had on campus at Northwestern University went 'directly towards my tuition'

The Duchess of Sussex said she was 'fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world'

Thomas Markle have previously spoken about how he paid for Meghan's $30,000 (23,000)-a-year tuition at Northwestern University, Illinois, with $750,000 winnings from a lottery.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: 'When Meghan was 11, she moved back in with me up until she was 17 and went to college.

'I was having my good years then, making good money, and could afford to give her the best, with a good school, good education, good home. She became the woman that she is today thanks to everything I did for her.'

Royal fans quickly took to Twitter to question whether Meghan's remarks were a reference to her father's claims that he paid for her education.

One wrote: 'Did Meghan just clap back to her Liar sister and disgraceful father in that speech without even mention their names?'

Meghan's father Thomas Markle (pictured with Meghan in her younger years) has previously claimed in interviews that he paid for his daughter's education

Social media users were quick to question whether Meghan's remarks were a reference to her father's claims that he paid for her education

Another added: 'She did just that. With such a talent and grace, too.'

Meghan went on to speak about the importance for girls to be able to access education around the world, explaining: 'Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive.

'And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development.

'Because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them.'

This is the second speech that Meghan has given in public as a member of the royal family, after addressing guests at the launch of her charity cookbook at Kensington Palace last month.

Meghan was joined by Prince Harry during the visit of the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, today

The Duchess of Sussex, who wore a printed dress by Figue today, spoke to students as she was given a tour of the university

Harry, who wore a tropical shirt for the day of engagements in Fiji, also delivered a speech while at the university

This time, the Duchess used notes as she took to the stage at the University of the South Pacific - beginning with the Fiji greeting 'Bula!'

The speech proved just how confident Meghan is as a public speaker, as well as how keen she is to highlight issues that are important to her.

The former actress previously spoke about gender equality at a UN Conference in 2015, before her relationship with Prince Harry.

Meghan's first public speeches have come just months after her wedding, and suggests she may adopt a similar public role to former First Lady Michelle Obama - who, along with husband Barack, enjoys a close friendship with Harry.

The Duchess of Cambridge's first public speech came nearly a year after she married Prince William, during a visit to East Anglia Children's Hospices (EACH) in 2012.
Dressing for the pomp and splendour of a state banquet is tough challenge, and according to royal fans the Duchess of Cambridge got it wrong as she attended a glittering event to welcome the Dutch royals last night.

Kate, 36, chose a ruched Alexander McQueen gown with a drop waist and fishtail skirt for the occasion, but according to some commentators the gown looked a lot like an '80s bridesmaid or prom dress.

'This dress is maybe the worst Kate ever wore. It's shocking, actually, she really needs a fashion makeover,' one wrote.

Another said they would not have been surprised if she'd borrowed it from the current exhibition of Princess Diana's vintage dresses at Kensington Palace.

The Duchess of Cambridge's blue ruched Alexander McQueen dress at last night's state banquet for the King and Queen of The Netherlands left fans divided, with some claiming it was the 'worst' gown she's ever worn

As with her two previous state banquet appearances, Kate opted for the diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara owned by Princess Diana for the occasion, pictured. The glittering piece was crafted by royal jewellers in 1914. The duchess also wore the Elizabeth II Family Order - a jewel encased image of the Queen on a chartreuse yellow ribbon

'Normally I'm a fan of what Kate wears, but this is truly awful,' another said. 'What was she thinking.'

Another royal watcher claimed that Princess Charlotte might have asked her mother to dress up like Elsa from Frozen, while one said her childhood Barbie used to wear a dress just like it.

The last time Kate's dresses caused such controversy was she stepped out in 'frumpy' floral dresses by Erdem two nights running during the royal tour of Sweden in January 2018.

Last night Kate joined husband Prince William, 36, and other senior royals for the lavish dinner hosted in honour of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

As per protocol, female members of both the Dutch and British royal families donned ballgowns and tiaras for the event.

Making her third appearance at a state banquet, the Duchess of Cambridge chose a dusty blue gown by favourite designer Alexander McQueen.

The dress - made in a thick vintage-inspired fabric - featured a ruched bodycon fit on the torso and flared out in a fishtale style.

Kate, 37, joined husband Prince William, 36, and other senior royals for the lavish dinner which is being held to mark the State Visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

The duchess finished the look with the diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara owned by Princess Diana, which she also wore to the Chinese state banquet in 2015 and the Spanish state banquet last year.

She added extra wow factor with Dianas Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings and the diamond and pearl Queen Alexandra Wedding Necklace, on loan from the Queen.

It was a favourite piece of the Queen Mother's but hasn't been seen publicly since the monarch inherited it.
A journalist has hit out at cleaning bloggers, claiming they are glamourising oppression and widening the pay gap between men and women.

Essex-based vlogger Sophie Hinchcliffe, known as Ms Hinch, has amassed over a million followers by creating tutorials on how she gets her home sparkling clean.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, writer Rebecca Reid said the growing popularity of cleaning bloggers is 'putting a pretty bow' on oppression - because women have long fought for careers and to be seen as more than just housewives.

Her comments were criticised by GMB viewers, who said 'this is what's wrong with feminism' and 'what's wrong with wanting a clean house?'

Journalist Rebecca Reid hit out at the soaring popularity of cleaning bloggers on social media because she believes they encourage the oppression of women. Pictured: Ms Reid on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday

28-year-old Vlogger Sophie Hinchcliffe, known as Ms Hinch (pictured), has amassed over a million followers by creating tutorials on how she gets her Essex home sparkling clean

Ms Reid highlighted the statistic that women do on average 26 hours of cleaning and domestic labour a week unpaid, while men do on average 10 hours unpaid.

Ms Hinch's followers are so dedicated that they calling themselves the Hinch Army, and share their own videos of themselves cleaning their homes.

Ms Reid was debating the issue with 'Queen of Clean' Lynsey Crombie, who has over 85,000 Instagram followers and shares her own cleaning tips.

The vlogger said people find her 'inspiring' because she has been able to build her own business with her videos and now earns more money than her husband.

She said: 'I've got three children, I run a successful business, my husband works abroad and my house is pristine. I love cleaning; it's a genuine passion for cleaning.'

'If someone enjoys it, that's valuable. If a woman enjoys walking around the house on the phone, doing a business deal while holding a duster, what's wrong with that?'

'Queen of Clean' Lynsey Crombie (pictured) said she is inspiring because she has launched her own career as a cleaning blogger and earns more money than her husband

Ms Reid said this is encouraging women to spend more time doing unpaid household work, which is widening the pay gap because they are spending less time working and building careers.

She said: 'To be putting a pretty bow on something that's oppressing women really stresses me out, I think that's what this is doing.'

Her comments were criticised by viewers, who said that she is taking away a woman's right to do what she wants with her life, which they argued is what feminism purports to be about.

Her comments were criticised by GMB viewers on Twitter (pictured), who said 'this is what's wrong with feminism' and trying to take away women's choices to do what they enjoy

Ms Crombie (pictured) has over 85,000 Instagram followers and shares her own cleaning tips through videos

She claimed men message her asking what hoovers they should buy their wives for Christmas, which Ms Reid said was 'offensive'. Pictured left to right: Ms Crombie and Ms Reid on Good Morning Britain

One tweeted: 'Good grief, for a feminist that lady is very anti when it comes to women's choices of what they want to do! Could she be more patronising!'

'What's wrong with wanting to live in a clean house?' another wrote.

A third posted: 'She is what is wrong with feminism! Cleaning your house is a everyday task that both men and women do but if you're the one with the most time at home you rightly do more than the other and if u enjoy doing it then it's a bonus.'

She claimed that she has lots of male fans, and many message her asking what hoovers they should buy their wives for Christmas.

Her comment infuriated Ms Reid, who said: 'That's one of the most offensive things I've heard in a long time. A hoover is a family necessity, to suggest that a woman should be getting a cleaning product for Christmas.'
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is currently wowing the UK with her sunny personality and flamboyant personal style on a two-day state visit with her husband King Willem-Alexander.

But behind the sunny facade is a woman boasting very impressive career credentials, who has also faced the difficult of overcoming personal tragedy while in the public eye.

Argentina-born Maxima gave up her high flying career in finance to take on royal duties when they married in 2002, but her former job has secured her a role as UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

Maxima, 47, who shares three daughters Catharina-Amalia, 14, Alexia, 12, and Ariane, 10, with the King, has also had to overcome personal tragedy while in the public eye.

Last year her younger sister Ines died from an apparent suicide in Buenos Aires, less than 12 months after their father passed away from cancer, but the Queen put duty first and was back at work just 10 days after her sister's tragic death.

With steely determination and fierce intelligence, the bubbly royal from South America is certainly a force to be reckoned with among the royal women of Europe.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, 47, is known for her sunny personality and flamboyant fashions, but behind the cheerful facade is a woman of fierce intelligence who has also had to contend with personal tragedy. Pictured: Visiting Tower Bridge today on her two-day state visit with husband King Willem Alexander

Queen Maxima of Netherlands has been making her mark in the fashion world during her two-day state visit to Britain. Maxima seen with Queen Elizabeth II, and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and during the state banquet in Buckingham palace on Tuesday evening

Before meeting her husband King Willem Alexander of The Netherlands, Maxima was pursuing a high-flying career in finance.

While studying for her degree in economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, she worked for for Mercado Abierto Electronico S.A, an electronic securities and foreign-currency trading market.

She also balanced her studies with working in the sales department of Boston Securities SA in Buenos Aires, conducting research on software for financial markets.

After graduating, she took up a job with HSBC in New York where she rose to vice president of institutional sales for Latin America.

Queen Maxima, pictured with her younger sister Ines who died from an apparent suicide in Buenos Aires in June last year, after battling depression and mental health issues

Maxima pictured in Argentina in 1994, when she was building a high flying career in finance prior to meeting Prince Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands

Her next move was to Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York where she worked as vice president of the emerging markets division, before moving to Deutsche Bank in Brussels.

The financier first met Prince Willem Alexander at a party in Seville in 1999, but reportedly had no idea he was royal to begin with.

He came to visit her in New York where she was working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, and the couple dated for three years before marrying in 2002.

However, the happy day was somewhat overshadowed by the absence of the bride's father Jorge Zorreguieta, a former politician served as Minister of Agriculture in the regime of General Jorge Rafael Videla.

The King and Queen, pictured in July 2018 for their annual summer portrait with their three daughters, (left to right) Princesses Catharina-Amalia, 14, Alexia, 12, and Ariane, 10

Maxima's parents Maria Del Carmen Cerruti and Jorge Zorreguieta attending a conference in Buenos Aires in 2016. Her father died from cancer last year

Zorreguieta stayed away from his daughter's 2002 wedding to the now king because of the Dutch government's concern over his participation in Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship.

Known as a technocrat while heading the Agriculture Ministry, he was one of the longest-serving civilian Cabinet ministers during the regime.

He denied knowing anything about human rights abuses committed under the junta.

Despite not being able to attend the wedding, he was present for the christening of Maxima's three daughters princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane.

Willem-Alexander became King of The Netherlands, and Mazima his Queen, after his mother, Beatrix, abdicated in April 2013 after 33 years as reigning monarch.

Maxima and King Willem Alexander on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on their wedding day in February 2002

In August 2017, Maxima's father died from cancer and less than a year later, tragedy struck again when her sister Ines Zorreguieta, 33, was found dead at her apartment in Buenos Aires in early June 2018.

The psychologist who worked for an office on social policies at the president's office suffered from depression and mental health issues.

At her first engagement following her sister's death, a tearful Maxima paid tribute to her, saying: 'My sweet and talented younger sister Ines was also ill. She was unable to find happiness and sadly couldn't get better.

She added: 'Our only consolation is to think that she has finally found peace.'

The wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, usually known for her flamboyant wardrobe, kicked off her tour on Tuesday morning wearing a pale pink dress coat - believed to be from Claes Iversen, and matching headband

Maxima is fluent in Spanish, her first language, English and Dutch and can speak conversational French.

Thanks to her past career, Maxima has been appointed as a UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development by Ban Ki Moon.

She's also an honorary patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) since June 2011.

The Dutch Queen famous for her flamboyant style, kicked off her tour on Tuesday morning wearing a pale pink dress coat - believed to be from Claes Iversen, and matching headband.

Maxima saved one of her most glamorous looks to date for the evening, when she joined the Queen for a lavish state banquet held in honour of their visit, charming Charles as she made a head-turning appearance in ballgown by Claes Iversen and dazzling Stuart tiara for state banquet on Tuesday evening

Later that evening the Argentine-born royal consort, 47, stunned onlookers in a teal blue ballgown with mesh overlay, stealing the spotlight in the Stuart tiara- which features one of the rarest 9.75-carat diamonds in the world.

Queen Elizabeth, the Duchess of Cornwall, and - of course - the Duchess of Cambridge were all resplendent in jewels at the Buckingham Palace banquet, but Maxima ensured all eyes were on her with a dazzling display.

On Wednesday morning Maxima was back to her signature flamboyant style, donning a fuchsia pink A-line dress by an unknown designer, as she attended a breakfast with the Earl and Countess of Wessex hosted by Charles Bowman, Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Earlier in the day she was pictured laughing with Queen Elizabeth II as they viewed Dutch items from the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace in London

Perhaps taking a tip out of pink-loving Meghan's style book, Maxima opted for a blush-coloured textured fabric coat dress with fringe detailing as she arrived on the red carpet on Tuesday. The high neck frock featured a wide waist-cinching belt, and she coordinated the piece with a matching Alice band and miniature glitzy clutch bag.

However Maxima's breathtaking tiara, named the Stuart tiara was certainly the piece de resistance. Queen Maxima's tiara features one of the most important stones belonging to the Dutch royal family- a 39.75 carat pale blue diamond.
Meghan has provoked a new influx of baby mania but elsewhere another couple have welcomed a new royal addition.

Charlotte Casiraghi, granddaughter of Grace Kelly, has reportedly given birth to her second child.

According to People magazine, she and fiance Dimitri Rassam welcomed the baby boy weighing 7 lbs 2 oz on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old mother is reported to have given birth at her grandmother's namesake hospital the Princess Grace Hospital.

Grace Kelly's granddaughter Charlotte Casiraghi and fiance Dimitri Rassam (pictured together in March) have reportedly welcomed their second child

MailOnline has contacted Palais Princier De Monaco for a comment.

The new arrival makes Charlotte's mother Princess Caroline a grandmother for the seventh time.

The baby boy is the third new arrival for the Monaco royals with Charlotte's brother Andrea and Tatiana Santo welcoming their third child Max Rainier in April.

And just a month later Beatrice Borromeo and her partner Pierre Casiraghi welcomed their second child Francesco Carlo Albert in May.

According to reports the couple welcomed the baby boy weighing 7 lbs 2 oz on Tuesday. Pictured: Charlotte in June

This is the third new arrival for the Monaco royals this year with Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo (left) welcoming their third child Max Rainier in April and a month later Beatrice Borromeo and her partner Pierre Casiraghi (right) welcomed their second

This is Charlotte's second child as she already has a four-year-old son, Raphael, with her ex-boyfriend, Gad Elmaleh. The couple separated in 2016.

Charlotte reportedly met Dimitri, a 36-year-old film producer, in Paris shortly after the breakdown of her relationship with the Italian filmmaker Lamberto Sanfelice.

Dimitri has a six-year-old daughter with his ex-wife, Russian model Masha Novoselova, whom he divorced in 2016.

Hola! reported the couple were engaged in early March before they confirmed the speculation with their glittering appearance at the Rose Ball.

As the couple is not yet married the baby will not join the line of succession until they do wed despite his mother being seventh inline to the throne.
Pregnant Meghan has opted to wear long sleeves while out and about in Fiji - in an apparent attempt to protect herself against the Zika virus.

The Duchess of Sussex, 37 - who is expecting her first child in the Spring - appears to have selected more covered-up ensembles to prevent mosquito bites.

She has also chosen lighter-coloured clothes in Fiji compared to when in Australia, which experts say can also help as mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing.

It comes after Meghan has decided to visit Fiji and Tonga during their royal tour, despite travel advice for pregnant women to not travel to the countries due to the 'moderate risk' of catching the tropical disease, which can endanger unborn babies.

Kensington Palace said the couple had sought medical advice and decided to continue with their plans.

The Duchess of Sussex, 37 - who is expecting her first child in the Spring - has worn long sleeves in Fiji in an apparent bid to protect herself from the Zika virus. She wore a printed wrap dress by Parisian brand Figue featuring balloon sleeves in Suva today

Meghan wore a custom-made white Zimmermann dress, again featuring long sleeves, on arriving in Fiji on Tuesday (above). Experts say long sleeves will help prevent mosquito bites

It appears the Duchess has chosen more covered-up choices in Fiji so far to prevent mosquito bites.

Professor James G. Logan, Head of the Department of Disease Control at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told People magazine: 'Wearing long sleeves and baggy clothes will help,'

'Mosquitoes can even bite through jeans so if the clothing is loose it's much harder for the mosquito to bite.

'Wearing light-colored clothing can help as these mosquitos are often attracted to dark clothing. It also helps you spot them, if you see a dark mosquito on a light piece of clothing.'

The Duchess of Sussex bared her arms in strappy dresses while in Australia, wearing a striped frock by Martin Grant while visiting Bondi beach in Sydney last week

Meghan also wore darker colours while in Australia, including a navy sleeveless dress by Australian designer Dion Lee

Meghan wore a 1,150 ($2,110 AUD) printed wrap dress by Parisian brand Figure during her second day in Fiji today, which featured long balloon sleeves.

The previous day, she wore a custom-made white Zimmermann dress, again featuring long sleeves, on arriving in Fiji.

The Duchess wore a stunning blue cape dress by SAFiYAA, which featured cap sleeves, for a state dinner on Tuesday night, although this was an indoor event at the Grand Pacific Hotel, where the risk of mosquitoes was likely to be lower.

Her outfit choices in Fiji so far, particularly in the day-time, have been in contrast to her Australia wardrobe, where she bared her arms in sleeveless and strappy dresses.

Meghan also wore a lot of dark colours during her stay in Australia, including several navy dresses.

Meghan did show her arms in a stunning blue cape dress by SAFiYAA for a state dinner in Fiji on Tuesday night, although this was an indoor event at the Grand Pacific Hotel, where the risk of mosquitoes was likely to be lower

After announcing that Meghan and Harry are expecting their first child together last week, Palace officials confirmed that no changes to the tour schedule would be made in light of the Zika threat.

Zika can endanger unborn babies, with pregnant women being advised to avoid all travel to areas where cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been reported.

The virus - which had an outbreak in Brazil in 2016 - can cause microcephaly for children in the womb, causing babies to be born with abnormally small skulls.

The London-based National Travel Health Network and Centre advises pregnant women looking at visiting either Fiji or Tonga to 'consider postponing non-essential travel until after the pregnancy'.

Official advice from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office also tells couples visiting Zika areas to use condoms for sex to prevent transmission of the virus.
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Queen Maxima brought a burst of colour to proceedings as she stepped out in a vibrant pink dress for a busy day of engagements in London.

The Dutch queen, 47, showcased her signature flamboyant style as she joined Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex for a breakfast hosted by the Lord Mayor of London and a visit to the Thames to watch a Royal Marines demonstration.

They put on an animated display together and were seen laughing and chatting like old friends.

Maxima and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 52, are on a two-day State Visit to the UK - the first by a sitting Dutch monarch in 40 years.

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Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (second from left) poses by the Thames with Prince Edward (far right), Sophie Wessex (second from right), her husband King Willem-Alexander (left) then visited the Thames to watch an on-the-water capability demonstration between the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Sophie Countess of Wessex were then seen meeting children in Brixton and admiring their art work during a visit to south London community project which helps support the local community

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander then stopped by Downing Street on a busy day of engagements on Wednesday, meeting Prime Minister Theresa May, dressed in a blue skirt suit and matching heels, as part of their State Visit to the UK

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander completed their two day state visit by bidding farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, also donning a blue skirt suit, on the red carpet, completing their whirlwind trip to the capital on Wednesday

Following a relatively demure display yesterday, Maxima opted for a vibrant frock adorned with floral black sequins, cinched in at the waist to showcase her figure.

The Oscar De La Renta piece fell just below her knees, and the royal consort teamed the frock with a fascinator hat, coordinating drop earrings and a pair of classic court pumps.

Wearing her blonde hair swept back into a low chignon, she later added a pair of black gloves to ward off the British chill.

Meanwhile Sophie Wessex mirrored her hairstyle, wearing her own locks in a low-swept side parting, underneath a navy hat.

Sophie matched it with a lace-sleeved blazer and coordinating dress, completing the ensemble with suede navy pumps and an overcoat.

Joined by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the five royals were seen putting on a very chatty display, with King Willem and Queen Maxima appearing best of friends with Sophie countess of Wessex, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

A kiss goodbye! Queen Maxima, Queen Elizabeth II and King Willem-Alexander during a Formal Farewell at Buckingham Palace State Visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands

Queen Maxima and Queen Elizabeth II during a Formal Farewell at Buckingham Palace State Visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands as they complete their packed schedule on the second day of her state visit

Wednesday morning's breakfast was followed by a UK-Netherlands Innovation Showcase, also at Mansion House, and hosted by the Department for International Trade Minister for Investment and Her Majestys Trade Commissioner for Europe.

The royals then travelled to museum ship HMS Belfast on the Thames, where the Dutch vessel HNLMS ZEELAND, currently in the UK for training purposes, was moored alongside.

The five royals met with representatives and veterans from both the UK and Netherlands Armed Forces, before watching an on-the-water capability demonstration.

Joined by the Duke of Kent, the couples posed for pictures in front of Tower Bridge, talking animatedly before watching the display.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex is seen admiring children's work during a visit to a community project in Brixton. Pop Brixton has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Sophie Countess of Wessex during a visit to south London community project Pop Brixton. It has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Sophie Countess of Wessex during a visit to south London community project Pop Brixton State. The project has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is seen during a visit to south London community project. Pop Brixton has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises

Sophie Wessex, Queen Maxima visit south London community project Pop Brixton. Housed in shipping containers, Pop Brixton has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises

ng Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima visit south London community project Pop Brixton. Housed in shipping containers, Pop Brixton has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises

The King and Queen then travelled to south London community project Pop Brixton.

Housed in shipping containers, Pop Brixton has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises.

The royals heard about the vision behind the project from its founders, before touring the space and seeing the on-site community farm and fridge.

They then met with the organisations currently benefiting from facilities offered by Pop Brixton, among them 'Bounce Back', a charity and social enterprise focussed on the training and employment of ex-offenders.

Posing outside 10 Downing Street, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands joined Theresa May, who was dressed in a bright blue suit and matching embellished court shoes

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands were seen arriving at 10 Downing Street, London, ahead of their meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May welcomes King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to Downing Street. The trio then posed for further pictures inside, sitting in front of the Union Jack flags

Following this, The King and Queen were picturedl visit No. 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister Theresa May.

Posing outside 10 Downing Street, the royal couple joined Theresa May, who was dressed in a bright blue suit and matching embellished court shoes.

The trio then posed for further pictures inside, sitting in front of the Union Jack flags.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands will then formally bid farewell to The Queen at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon.

On Wednesday morning Queen Maxima of Netherlands was back to her signature flamboyant style as she enjoyed the second day of her state visit to Britain, dressed in a vibrant frock with black accessories and gloves to ward off the British chill

Donning a fuchsia pink A-line dress, Queen Maxima of Netherlands was seen putting on an animated display with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who was clad in an all-navy ensemble and wore her blonde hair swept back like the Dutch Queen

The two couples put on an animated display together, and were seen laughing and chatting like old friends: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (L) and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (C,L) accompanied by Sophie countess of Wessex (C,R) and Prince Edward (far left), Earl of Wessex (R)

Accompanied by Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the royal four later made their way to the River Thames to watch an on-water capability demonstration by Royal Marines. The couples appeared to get on like a house on fire

L-R: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands , Sophie countess of Wessex, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Maxima and Sophie Wessex were seen getting on famously

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent attend the Dutch ship HNLMS Zeeland, anchored on the Thames next to HMS Belfast, to watch an on-water capability demonstration by Royal Marine

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands on HMS Belfast in London during an on-the-water capability. Maxima was back to her more flamboyant style, dressed in a bright pink dress and coordinating black hat

Marines take part in an on-water capability demonstration by Royal Marines in front of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands during their packed schedule on the second day of her state visit

The King and Queen of The Netherlands visit HMS Belfast and the Dutch vessel HNLMS ZEELAND to watch a Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and Royal Marines on-the-water capability demonstration

A pretend terrorist is apprehended in front of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands during their packed schedule on the second day of her state visit

The Countess of Wessex (centre) during a visit by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to HMS Belfast for an on-the-water capability demonstration between the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines

Marines take part in an on-water capability demonstration by Royal Marines and HNLMS ZeelandAs Marines company watched by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

Tuesday was an action-packed first day for Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander, who kicked off their engagements with a ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade.

After arriving in the capital on Monday night, Willem-Alexander, 51 and his Argentine-born consort were met by a spectacular gun salute to formally kick off the two-day visit which so far has taken them everywhere from Buckingham Palace to Brixton and the House of Commons.

Later, the traditional exchange of gifts saw the Queen present her guests with a bound album celebrating ties between the Netherlands and the UK, and the royal houses of each country.

It featured facsimiles of documents and portraits from the royal archives of 12 members of the House of Orange, past and present, who have been Knights or Ladies of the Order of the Garter  from Maurice, Count of Nassau to Queen Beatrix, who abdicated in favour of her son King Willem-Alexander in 2013.

In return, Hollands King and his wife gave their host a bronze statue of a horse by the artist Marja Smits.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands reacts as she interacts with school children as they work on the Ohbot, an educational robotics system during her packed schedule on the second day of her state visit with King Willem

On the second day of the Dutch royals state visit to Britain, glamorous Queen Maxima and her husband King Willem-Alexander were treated to the ultimate tour of London. After enjoying a breakfast hosted by the Lord Mayor Of London Charles Bowman, Maxima was seen chatting with schoolchildren at an educational demonstration at Mansion House

Maxima and Willem were joined by Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex having breakfast and UK-Netherlands Innovation Showcase at Mansion House, on the second of the two-day state visit by the Dutch Royal Pair

Charles Bowman,Lord Mayor of the City of London seen with a laughing King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands,Queen Maxima of the Netherlands,Prince Edward,The Earl of Wessex,Sophie,Countess of Wessex

Maxima and King Willem Alexander of Netherlands attended a breakfast at Mansion House, hosted by Charles Bowman, Lord Mayor of the City of London on the second day of their visit

On Wednesday morning Maxima was back to her signature flamboyant style, donning a fuchsia pink A-line dress embroidered with floral detail. Pictured: Charles Bowman,Lord Mayor of the City of London with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands,Queen Maxima of the Netherlands,Prince Edward,The Earl of Wessex,Sophie,Countess of Wessex

Maxima was seen putting on an elegant display with her blonde hair swept back as she chatted during the breakfast hosted by Charles Bowman, Lord Mayor of the City at the beginning of Wednesday's packed schedule

The royal consort teamed the frock with a fascinator hat, coordinating drop earrings and a pair of classic court pumps as she was seen putting on an animated display as she chatted with Charles Bowman, Lord Mayor of the City

After a private lunch, the Queen joined her guests as they viewed items from the Royal Collection that celebrated links between the Dutch and British royal families.

Then the VIP visitors enjoyed a traditional military welcome on Horse Guards Parade at the start of their two-day state visit to Britain, before being treated to a glittering state banquet tonight in a full display of pomp and pageantry.

More than 1,000 troops and hundreds of horses will take part in the visit this week, a spokesperson for the Army said, with Major General Ben Bathurst, Major General Commanding the Household Division, commanding all troops on parade.

State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between sovereign states and are regarded as high points in the ceremonial season, requiring extensive preparations and rehearsals.
A pair of newlyweds managed to bring one of Britains busiest shopping streets to a standstill as they enjoyed their first dance to music played by a busker.

Cameron Bengert and wife Karen MacKenzie, both 34, had just tied the knot on October 21 when their attention was drawn by a man playing a guitar on Buchanan Street, Glasgow.

Despite the drizzle, Karen, dressed in a white satin bridal gown, danced with Cameron, who was wearing a kilt with hundreds of onlookers witnessing the moment.

Cameron, originally from Vancouver, Canada, said: 'I saw in my wifes eyes she wanted to dance, so we just went for it.

A newly wedded couple bought one of Britain's busiest shopping streets to a standstill when they danced their first dance to a busker's performance in Buchanan Street, Glasgow

'There was a pretty big crowd when the busker was there, then more people stopped when we walked by.

'The busker was funny. Im not sure what song he was playing but it was really nice - we gave him 20 before we left.'

The couple noticed the musician as they were making their way to George Square following their reception in Sloans at the nearby Argyll Arcade.

The bride held onto her bouquet with pink and deep red roses as the pair enjoyed the tune the busker sang, the song 'Bella' by Angus and Julia Stone.

Cameron Bengert and wife Karen MacKenzie heard the music while making their way to George Square following their reception in Sloans at the nearby Argyll Arcade and decided to enjoy a waltz

As soon as they began to dance they were surrounded by hundreds of onlookers who applauded and cheered

Despite the rain, the pair gazed into each other's eyes as they enjoyed the special moment with hundreds there to witness it.

As the couple finished their dance the gathered crowd broke into applause, cheering for the newlyweds.

Cameron had embraced his bride's Scottish roots after the couple returned from his native country.

He explained: 'Weve lived in Glasgow for the last four years, after spending two years in Canada.

The husband and wife danced to 'Bella' by Angus and Julia Stone which was performed by the unknown busker

They were later joined by Leo the Silent Raver (seen left), who is said to be a Glasgow legend

'Karen is from the Isle of Lewis but studied in Glasgow and my mother was born in the city, so all roads led to Glasgow - it was the perfect place.'

The couple were then treated to another unusual addition to their first dance.

Karen and Cameron were joined by Leo the Silent Raver, who is said to be a Glasgow legend.

The newlyweds were happy to be joined by Leo, who is often spotted in the city centre.

Travel agency worker Cameron added: 'Leos amazing, hes always having a great time. I suppose there was three of us dancing.'

The couple is now enjoying their honeymoon in Glencoe, in the Scottish Highlands.
Parents everywhere need time away from their children, and Peru Two drug mule Michaella McCollum is no exception.

The new mother left five-month-old twins Rio and Raphael at home as she headed out to the gym in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday



Dressed down in grey workout gear, McCollum, 24, slung a yoga mat over her shoulder, suggesting she was on her way to unwind with a class.

Michaella McCollum left five-month-old twins Rio and Raphael at home as she popped to gym near her home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday, pictured

Dressed down in grey workout gear, McCollum, 24, parked her black 4x4 on the street and slung her yoga mat over her shoulder before making her way inside

McCollum, who shot to notoriety in 2013 when she and her friend Melissa Reid were arrested in Lima for smuggling drugs, welcomed her twin sons in May (pictured)

Wrapping up against the autumn chill, McCollum wore a stylish leather jacket over her short-sleeved exercise top.

She packed light for the gym trip, carrying just her yoga mat and car keys.

McCollum, who shot to notoriety in 2013 when she and her friend Melissa Reid were arrested in Lima for smuggling drugs and dubbed the Peru Two in the press, welcomed her sons in May. She has never revealed the name of their father.

But she has posted snaps on Instagram with a mystery man - thought to be her boyfriend - omitting his face from the pictures.

Michaella McCollum arrived for the gym in grey and black leggings and a matching top

The fitness fan grabbed a leather jacket from the boot of her car for the short walk to the gym

The gym-goer packed light, carrying nothing more than her yoga mat and her car keys

McCollum's bright blue trainers brought a splash of colour to the otherwise monochrome look

The mother-of-two, who has twin five-month-old sons, looked svelte in her workout gear

Reid and McCollum met in Ibiza in 2013 where they were employed by a drug-dealing gang.

They were sentenced to spend six years and eight months inside a grim jail in Lima, after they were caught at the airport trying to smuggle 1.5M worth of cocaine.

However, they were released after serving three years, with Michaella returning to Northern Ireland in June 2016.

Since her release from prison, Michaella has become something of a public figure, attending events and escaping the chilly British weather on a string of sun-kissed holidays last summer.

The mother-of-two looked trim and toned in her grey workout top and matching leggings

The former jail bird put her black yoga mat over her shoulder as she headed into the gym

By contrast her former accomplice Melissa Reid, landed a charity job at Citizens Advice after she was released from jail in South America in June 2016.

Michaella was also reportedly offered 250,000 for a tell-all book deal detailing her criminal exploits and time behind bars in Lima, although no details of the publication have been released.

On confirming her pregnancy earlier this year, her agent said: Michaella is looking forward to her journey into motherhood.

'Couple this with the excitement of her book release and 2018 is set to be an amazing year for Michaella.'

Despite the rainy weather, the mother-of-two arrived for the gym with her sunglasses on

She removed her long blonde locks scraped back into a high ponytail for her workout

Michaella, who welcomed twin sons in May, looked fresh faced with a hint of make-up

The mother-of-two arrived at the gym in her black 4x4 and parked down the street nearby

The mother-of-two, recently announced on Instagram that she was hiring employees for an unspecified 'global' social media business.

She advertised the job opportunity through an Instagram story that outlined the benefits of 'being your own boss'.

McCollum explained: 'Starting my own business working with social media and award winning products on a global level was the best decision for me and my circumstances.'

The exact nature of the business is not clear but it is thought it might be linked to cosmetics. McCollum has also previously promoted self-tanning products on Instagram.
The Duchess of Cambridge customised her new royal brooch in a sweet tribute to Prince William - as it is made out of glass instead of ivory.

Kate, 36, wore the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, an honour given by Her Majesty to female royals, at the glitzy dinner at Buckingham Palace, held in honour of Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander.

However, her miniature differs from others as it is made from glass, instead of ivory, to reflect her husband's work on animal conservation.

Meanwhile, the Duchess wore a dazzling pearl and diamond necklace at the state banquet, which originally belonged to Queen Alexandra, and was a favourite of the Queen Mother.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 36, customised her new royal brooch in a sweet tribute to Prince William - as it was made out of glass instead of ivory

Kate, 36, wore the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II (above), an honour given by Her Majesty to female royals, at the glitzy dinner at Buckingham Palace

It is the second time that Kate has worn the family order, which she was awarded last year, after its first outing at the Diplomatic Corps reception in December.

The order, which is also worn by the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex, features a jewel encased image of the Queen pinned on a chartreuse yellow ribbon and worn on the left shoulder.

The miniature portrait, painted on glass, depicts the Queen as a young woman in evening dress wearing the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter.

According to Majesty magazine, Kate's family order is different to previous examples, because it is not made of ivory.

The brooch worn by Kate was made by glass, instead of ivory, to reflect Prince William's work on animal conservation. He arrived with the Duchess at the Buckingham Palace banquet last night (above)

Other senior members of the royal family also wear the Royal Family Order, including the Duchess of Cornwall (above, at the Dutch state banquet)

Her decision to have a glass miniature is likely to be a reflection of William's passion for conservation work, which includes campaigning to end the ivory trade.

William, who is the patron of Tusk, previously warned: When I was born, there were one million elephants roaming Africa.

'By the time my daughter Charlotte was born, the numbers had crashed to just 350,000.

'And at the current pace of illegal poaching, when Charlotte turns 25, the African elephant will be gone from the wild.

Kate also wore Queen Alexandra's dazzling pearl and diamond wedding necklace for the first time at last night's state banquet

The necklace, which was worn by Alexandra on her wedding day (left) was one of the Queen Mother's favourite pieces. Right, the Queen mother wearing the piece during the mid-80s

Meanwhile, Kate also wore Queen Alexandra's necklace for the first time at last night's state banquet.

The necklace, which was made by Garrard and given to Alexandra as a wedding gift by her husband Edward VII, and features eight pearls surrounded by diamonds.

It was one of the Queen Mother's favourite pieces, with the royal photographed wearing it on numerous occasions.

The Queen inherited the necklace following her mother's death in 2002, but has not been photographed wearing it.
Ivanka Trump was seen looking calm and collected while stepping out of her home on Wednesday morning, just as it was revealed that a pipe bomb had been sent to the home of former president Barack Obama, which is located just two blocks from the house she shares with husband Jared and their children.

The 36-year-old was seen stepping out of her house at 7:40am, not long before the news broke that Secret Service had intercepted a pipe bomb that was sent to the Obamas' home in Washington, D.C.'s Kalorama neighborhood  where Ivanka, Jared and their three children have lived for the past two years.

However it looks as though the news might not yet have reached Ivanka  or if it had, she wasn't going to let any stress or strain show, and appeared at-ease as she exited her house and made her way to work.

Wednesday blues: Ivanka Trump, 36, headed to work in Washington, D.C. wearing a fitted blue sweater and $1,110 Calvin Klein skirt

Matching: The colors from the sweater paired well with the printed skirt as Ivanka was seen carrying a stack of newspapers

Stunning: The outfit was paired with a navy blue heel for the 40-degree morning in D.C.

Simple: Ivanka kept her hair down in a straight hairstyle and modeled her go-to makeup of a brown smokey eye as she walked past the various Halloween decorations outside her home

Hours later however, the mother-of-three, who left for her morning commute wearing a tight ice-blue sweater and printed $1,100 Calvin Klein skirt, took to Twitter to make a statement about the attacks, 'strongly condemning the acts of violence'.

'I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others,' she wrote.

'There is no excuse  America is better than this. Gratitude to the @SecretService and law enforcement for all they do to keep this nation safe.'

She posted the message after meeting with a group of students at the White House who are passionate about careers in STEM.

This comes just hours after the Secret Service confirmed on Wednesday morning that two packages containing a 'functional explosive device' had been intercepted  one addressed to the Obamas' private home in D.C. and one for the Clintons' home in New York.

The packages were intercepted during routine mail screenings, and the Secret Service confirmed neither were delivered to the two residences.

'(Obama and Clinton) did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them,' a Secret Service statement said.

Later in the morning, the Time Warner Center in New York City, which houses CNN's newsroom, was evacuated because of a suspicious package received in the mail room.

Authorities have launched a multi-agency investigation to identify those responsible for the packages.

Simple: For her lips, Ivanka wore a nude gloss for the Wednesday morning commute

Prepared: Although it's unclear which newspapers Ivanka felt necessary to drag into the office, they would definitely keep her busy with reading material

Priorities: Ivanka went on with her daily tasks, such as meeting with students at the White House, amid bomb scares in D.C. and New York City

Focused: After meeting with the students, Ivanka tweeted to condemn the person or persons involved in the multiple bombs sent this week

On Monday morning, prior to the multiple bomb scares, Ivanka switched up her morning routine and made a swift exit straight from her garage to work instead of walking to the SUV outside her home.

The senior White House adviser had prepared for the 39-degree weather that greeted her on Monday, bundling up in a cozy white turtleneck sweater.

She wore her long hair down in a casual do and kept her make-up on the minimal side.

Ivanka, who shared her support for her brother-in-law Joshua and her new sister-in-law Karlie on social media, was smiling as she spoke on the phone at the back of her vehicle.

She took to Instagram over the weekend to share a photo of Karlie and Joshua's wedding, writing next to the snap: 'So much love for you both as you begin forever together.'

Joshua, 33, is the brother of Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, 37  who didn't appear to be home on Monday morning.

Karlie and Joshua tied the knot on Thursday in a surprise ceremony after getting engaged in July.

While they hadn't publicly announced that they were set to tie the knot after a three-month engagement, there were hints that the wedding might be happening in the near future when Ivanka and Jared landed in New York City on Tuesday evening.

Ivanka was seen heading out of her Manhattan apartment on Thursday morning, ahead of the wedding, in a bright red blazer  a Dolce & Gabbana creation that originally retailed for $2,664.52. She paired her scarlet jacket with simple slim black pants and a matching purse.

Jared, meanwhile, was seen that day heading out of their Upper East Side building looking very casual in a pair of brightly-colored Nike sneakers, which he paired with gray jeans and a short black puff jacket.

Back to the capital: Ivanka Trump was spotted on Monday morning heading back to work in Washington, D.C. after returning from an escapade in New York

Big day: Ivanka was seen heading out of her Manhattan apartment on Thursday morning ahead of Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss' wedding, which she attended

Ivanka was also seen in New York City on Wednesday  the first full day of her stay in her hometown  wearing two different outfits.

She cut a casual figure as she left her apartment in the morning, wearing a $450 black and green stretch-knit sweater by Isabel Marant, which she paired with simple slim black pants.

The first daughter was wearing black flat loafers from her now-defunct namesake brand, which feature the label's logo in golden metal at the back of the heel.

Later on Wednesday, Ivanka was seen heading out after an outfit change, cutting an elegant figure in a black pantsuit, which she paired with matching heels.

The White House adviser, who took a call as she left her building, shielded her eyes behind aviator sunglasses and finished off her outfit with hoop earrings as well as the same black purse she carried throughout her trip.

Ivanka and Jared were first spotted back in their old stomping grounds on Tuesday evening.

They were seen arriving at their home in Manhattan, stepping off the same vehicle and walking in the direction of their building.

Ivanka was wearing an all-black outfit featuring long sleeves, which she completed with matching patent leather slingback pumps. She kept her hair down in a casual 'do and finished off her look with simple hoop earrings.
Pippa Middleton kept up her exercise routine while expecting her first child, and she appears just as determined to stay active in the early days of motherhood.

The 35-year-old was spotted strolling with her newborn son in west London on Wednesday - the third time she has been seen out with her baby in the last week.

The stylish new mother cut a casual figure in black wide-leg cropped trousers and a simple black top, which she wore under a trendy grey leather jacket.

Pippa Middleton was joined by a female friend as she took her newborn son out for a walk on Wednesday, pictured. The 35-year-old welcomed her first child last Monday

The stylish new mother cut a casual figure in black wide-leg cropped trousers and a simple black top for the outing, which she wore under a trendy grey leather jacket

She finished the laid back look with a pair of oversized shades and her favourite 350 white Jimmy Choo trainers.

Once again, the newborn baby, whose name has not yet been revealed, was pushed in a 1,100 pram from celebrity-backed brand Bugaboo.

Pippa was joined by the same female friend she was seen with yesterday and the pair chatted happily as they strolled through the leafy streets.

Yesterday the women headed out for an early morning stroll through Kensington accompanied by Pippa's two dogs, a Labrador and a Cocker Spaniel named Rafa.

Pippa was joined by the same female friend she was seen with yesterday and the pair chatted happily as they strolled through the leafy streets, pictured, on Wednesday

Pippa has been seen out walking with her son three times in the last week as she keeps active in the early days of motherhood. Pictured, the mother-of-one in London on Wednesday

Pippa finished her laid back look with a pair of oversized shades, pictured, and her favourite 350 white Jimmy Choo trainers

The proud mother was first seen with her son when she and husband James Matthews, 42, stepped out for a family stroll on Sunday.

The couple, who married in May last year, were the picture of domestic bliss as they made their first outing as parents just two days ago.

Pippa and James welcomed a baby boy weighing 8lb and 9oz at the private Lindo Wing, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, on October 15, but his name has not yet been revealed.

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.

New mother Pippa was seen pushing a 1,100 pram from celebrity-backed brand Bugaboo. The luxury accessory features hand-stitched handle covers and eco-friendly fabrics

The female friend, who has not been identified, kept Pippa company as she took her newborn son out for some fresh air

He was born on the same day the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they are expecting their first child together in Spring 2019.

James Middleton, 31, Pippa's younger brother, was the only member of the family seen visiting the new arrival in hospital.

Pippa and James are believed to have left the hospital through a side door on Tuesday night and quietly returned to their newly-renovated family home.

Proud grandmother Carole Middleton, 63, was seen visiting the lavish mansion on Friday, armed with a lavish hamper and a box from baby gifts company My 1st Years.

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.
Prince Harry appears to have developed a penchant for bespoke Givenchy - just like his wife Meghan.

The Duke of Sussex, 34, wore a three-piece suit by the French fashion house at Princess Eugenie's wedding earlier this month, it has emerged.

It comes as it was announced that Givenchy's artistic designer Clare Waight Keller - who was behind Meghan's stunning 200,000 wedding gown - has been nominated for The Fashion Awards 2018.

The designer is up for gongs in the British Designer of the Year, Womenswear, and Designer of the Year categories.

Prince Harry appears to have developed a penchant for bespoke Givenchy - just like his wife Meghan, after wearing a custom suit by the fashion house at Princess Eugenie's wedding (pictured above)

Givenchy's artistic designer Clare Waight Keller - who was behind Meghan's stunning 200,000 wedding gown - has been nominated for The Fashion Awards 2018

Others who have been nominated this year include Richard Quinn, who became the first designer to have the Queen on the front row at his fashion show earlier this year, and Gucci designer Alessandro Michele.

Harry wore a custom-made black wool and mohair morning coat by Givenchy at Eugenie's wedding earlier this month, along with a navy waistcoat and striped grey trousers.

His wife Meghan, 37, also wore a bespoke navy coat by Givenchy, which covered up her baby bump - ahead of the couple's pregnancy announcement four days later.

The Duchess of Sussex wore her button-up coat with a matching dress underneath, as well as a fascinator by milliner Noel Stewart.

Waight Keller (pictured at Kensington Palace) has previously said she is 'super proud' of being part of history, after being tasked with the responsibility of creating Meghan's wedding gown

Meghan has yet to wear her go-to designer on the royal tour so far, but has worn bespoke Givenchy designs a number of times since her wedding in May.

Prior to Eugenie's wedding, she wore a black evening gown by the fashion house for her first solo engagement at the Royal Academy of the Arts last month.

The Duchess also wore a cream cape dress by Givenchy for her first joint engagement with the Queen, as well as a couple of tailored suits by the fashion house.

Givenchy designer Waight Keller previously said she is 'super proud' of being part of history, after being tasked with the responsibility of creating Meghan's wedding gown.

She revealed that she didn't even tell her husband that she was creating the dress, explaining it is 'much easier when no-one knows'.

Meghan also wore a bespoke navy coat by Givenchy, which covered up her baby bump, at Princess Eugenie's wedding (above) - ahead of her pregnancy announcement four days later

Givenchy has become one of Meghan's go-to designers, with the Duchess wearing a black evening gown by the designer for her first solo engagement at the Royal Academy of the Arts last month (left). She also wore a custom cape dress by Givenchy for her first joint engagement with the Queen in Chester in June (right)
Prince Harrys Oura titanium sleep and activity tracker ring (from 275, Oura Health, ouraring.com) caused a stir last week, and there are plenty more where that came from.

The ring, by Finnish company Oura Health, measures activity, heart rate and sleep, feeding information back to an app.

And with fitness accessories fast becoming as much of a status symbol as a designer handbag, smart jewellery is the latest must-have. Few of us want to be wearing an ugly fitness band 24/7.

Here we round up some of the best and most stylish fitness trackers to be seen with...

Fashionably fit jewellery

Fitbit Flex 2 Gold necklace or bangle, from 69.99 each for the steel version (Fitbit not included). Fitbit.com

Following the stir surrounding Prince Harry's activity tracker ring, Anabel Cutler rounded up a selection of the most stylish smart jewellery. The swim-friendly Fitbit Flex 2 is available as either a Gold necklace or bangle (pictured)

The best-selling Fitbit Flex 2 modular tracking module has received a fashion-forward makeover in the form of a pretty item of jewellery to hide it in.

Choose either a steel, 22ct gold-plated or rose-gold-plated bangle, or a steel or 22ct gold-plated necklace.

The Fitbit Flex is still one of the best fitness trackers on the market and the Fitbit Flex 2 is their first swim-friendly version, safe at 50 metres.

Unlike the Flex 1 this also has smartphone notifications and vibrates to notify you of calls and texts.

Tap the Flex to check how far you are from your daily fitness goals and daily activity progress including steps taken, distance walked, calorie output, inactive time, active time and sleep time. Rechargeable battery, up to five days charge.

As this is technically a Fitbit housed in a metal casing, you get all the positives of Fitbit technology as well as a pretty item of jewellery to hide it in.

With the urban woman in mind

Bellabeat Leaf Urban, from 129.99 at Amazon.co.uk

Bellabeat Leaf Urban (pictured) is designed with a holistic lifestyle in mind. Anabel revealed it can be used to track menstrual cycles as well as pregnancy

This eco-friendly tracker is ingeniously disguised to look like a leaf-shaped pendant. Designed specifically with women in mind, it takes a more holistic approach than other fitness accessories  so you can follow mindfulness meditation sequences and breathing exercises on the app as well as tracking menstrual cycles and pregnancy.

Plus itll do all the other stuff like record your active minutes, calories burned, distance travelled, sleep duration and sleep quality automatically.

Simply tap twice on this little wearable device to sync with a companion app.

Water resistant and eco-friendly. No charging, simply replace the batteries every six months. You can wear the Leaf Urban as a bracelet, necklace, or brooch (a necklace and leather bracelet are included in the box). There are four models to choose from, each with a different design, mount and colour.

Super-chic for swimmers

Misfit Ray Leather Activity Tracker, 39.99, amazon.co.uk

Misfit Ray Leather Activity Tracker (pictured) is ideal for swimmers as it is waterproof for up to 50 metres. Anabel claims the gadget can also trigger playing Spotify and taking a selfie

A super-chic, functional tracker that monitors specific activities such as steps taken, calories burned and distance travelled, along with your sleep patterns. Its also waterproof up to 50 metres. The Ray sends notifications and alerts for calls and texts via LED, and can trigger actions including play Spotify, take a selfie, and operate home smart gadgets. No charging required, just replace batteries every four months.

This is a good-looking slim metal cylinder that is slightly curved to make it comfy to wear.

It comes in a neutral colour palette that is discreet and will easily blend in with other jewellery. Choose from a silicon or leather band and you can also buy a lariat necklace or a number of different coloured bands to accessorise outfits.

Timely, smart and stylish

Michael Kors Access Runway, from 269, michaelkors.co.uk

Michael Kors Access Runway (pictured) can be customised by uploading a pictured from social media onto the face. Anabel revealed it can be used for navigation and playing music

This is the newest designer smartwatch from fashion designer Michael Kors in collaboration with Fossil.

Built-in GPS tracking, Google Pay and an optical heart rate sensor are all additions to this model, which is water resistant up to 30 metres. And how smart is this  you can upload pictures from your social media feeds onto the watch and customise the face.

Plus it has all the features youd expect from Googles wearable OS such as Google Fit, apps, navigation, notifications and music playback controls. The battery life is around 24 hours then you can recharge.

Less chunky and more stylish than most other smartwatches out there, it comes in gold, rose gold, silver and two-tone stainless steel with a range of watch strap styles, including a silicone one thats best for the gym.
The Danish royals brought glitz and glamour to proceedings as they enjoyed a lavish reception at Copenhagen's Christiansborg Palace on Wednesday night.

Crown Princess Mary, 46, and Princess Marie, 42, donned strikingly similar sparkling gowns to join Queen Margrethe, 78, at the gala, which was held to mark the opening of parliament.

Australian-born Mary dazzled in a heavily beaded midnight blue off-the-shoulder gown and matching navy satin heels as she arrived at the palace without her husband Crown Prince Frederik, 50, who is heir to the Danish throne.

Crown Princess Mary, 46, dazzled in a heavily embellished midnight blue evening gown as she enjoyed a lavish reception at Copenhagen's Christiansborg Palace on Wednesday night

Prince Joachim, 49, and his wife Princess Marie, 42, were among the senior royals to attend the gala, which was held to mark the opening of parliament

Princess Mary and Princess Marie looked strikingly similar in their sparkling gowns

Adding even more glitz to her look, she wore the embellished dress with a glittering tiara and impressive diamond earrings.

As per royal protocol, she finished the look with a pale blue sash worn over her right shoulder.

Her sister-in-law Marie, who arrived with her husband Prince Joachim, 49, opted for a strikingly similar look, although her beaded gown was in black, not navy.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark added a touch of flamboyance to the proceedings, wearing a salmon pink floral applique gown and a fur stole along with several pieces of jewellery

Queen Margeret's sister Princess Benedikte was also in attendance donning a navy dress with sheer glitter sleeves along with an understated tiara and purse

Princess Mary arrived without her husband Crown Prince Frederik, 50, who is heir to the Danish throne

The long-sleeved number featured an unusual cut, with a peplum-style bodice and a split up the back that revealed her simple black patent leather pumps as she walked.

Not to be outdone, she wore her own jewelled tiara and a pair of drop diamond earrings that twinkled in the soft lighting of the palace.

Both princesses wore their brunette hair in matching chic updo styles, highlighting their similarities.

The Australian-born princess was without her husband Frederick at the event which was attended by the rest of the royal family in Copenhagen on Wednesday evening

The Danish royals were welcomed by the government at the palace in Copenhagen. Pictured, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie make their way into the dining room

Queen Margerete was on hand to add a touch of flamboyance to the evening proceedings, as she was welcomed by the royal guard in a bold salmon pink floral applique gown adorned with a fur stole.

Not one to hold back on accessories the Danish monarch added a few flourishes with brooches, a heavy necklace, tiara, earrings and rings.

It was definitely a family affair, as the Queen's sister Princess Benedikte also attended in a navy dress that featured sparkling sections at the waist and sleeves.

The gown fit right in with Princess Mary and Princess Marie's midnight-hued gowns.
A vegan couple have revealed how they ate for free for a month by dining on food that would have been thrown away.

Sophie and Paul Collins, from Cambridge, explained how they decided to embark on the challenge to raise awareness of just how much food is wasted by Brits.

The pair asked friends and family for food they would be throwing out and ate supermarket produce that had past their sell-by dates, as well as using food sharing apps and picking fruit off trees.

The couple, who run the blog Vegan On Board, managed to save around 200 in four weeks through their new way of living.

Sophie and Paul Collins, from Cambridge, (pictured with pickles and pears they got for free) have revealed how they ate for free for a month by dining on food that would have otherwise been thrown away

Paul, 28, (pictured with a selection of produce he got for free) by asking family and friends for food they were going to throw out, as well as getting food that was past its sell-by date

Explaining their decision to try out the challenge Paul, 28, said: 'There is so much food going to waste everyday, yet so many people have to suffer from hunger.

'We asked families to look in their cupboards for what they won't have used for years. We ended up with this big hall of food and we lived off it.

'I would really like to see a change for the better. It is amazing how much you can find.'

He added: 'We did a lot of foraging like collecting apples as some people have boxes outside their houses - that was mostly fruit because most people have fruit trees. The biggest collection we done was 12 kilograms of marrow.

Paul explained how he and Sophie visited the Cambridge Community Fridge - a charity which collects food supermarkets throwaways (above, with boxes of food that had been collected)

Paul and Sophie (pictured apple picking) also picked fruit off trees in their mission to eat for free for an entire month

Sophie, 28 - who is self-employed - added: 'For the first week, we struggled getting enough to eat and it was hard to put a proper meal together.

'But then we started to find ways to access more of the food that is being wasted locally.'

The couple started their challenge last month to raise awareness for the amount of food that is wasted every year.

According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption gets wasted every year - approximately 1.3 billion tons.

To challenge this, Paul and Sophie used food sharing apps including Olio - which allows you to share free food with your neighbours - as well as visiting the Cambridge Community Fridge - a charity which collects food supermarkets throwaways.

Paul explained how he and Sophie visited the Cambridge Community Fridge, which collects food that's gone past its sell-by date

Sophie explained how they would also pick fresh produce they had picked themselves, including apples (above)

Paul said: 'I guess the thing that really started us off is that we are big fans of sustainability.

'The Olio app is really good, if you have bought something for a party and there is left overs you can put it on the app rather than throwing it away and it can go to good use.

'And we eventually ended up with super market food because of the different charities with the help from FoodCycle.

'They go around collecting supermarket food and hold the Cambridge Community Fridge.'

Sophie continued: : 'Most of our fruit has come from windfalls and surplus from trees around the city.'

Sophie and Paul (pictured with a marrow) began to look for food that they could get hold of naturally as part of the challenge

Sophie (pictured) and Paul also used food-sharing apps to make the most of food that would otherwise have been thrown away

Sophie and Paul made an apple tart (above) from ingredients they collected from neighbours, friends and foraging

The couple are now planning on trying to hit their target of raising 1,000 by hosting a fundraising feast for friends and supporters.

'It would be nice to reach the target and we have plenty of food left over,' Sophie explained.

Paul added: 'The challenge has made us more creative with the food we eat.

'We now know so many great ways to use stale bread - French toast, breaded mushrooms, garlic croutons, that we will never throw away again.'

The couple hope their Food Waste Challenge, will inspire others to reduce their own food waste at home and hold supermarkets and suppliers accountable for the waste they produce.
Bedaquiline (above) was used in the new treatment for drug-resistant TB with 'promising' results.

Doctors have hailed a new treatment for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis after it totally cured 93 per cent of patients in a breakthrough trial.

Currently, around half of people with MDR tuberculosis are successfully treated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The new treatment, which uses the drug bedaquiline alongside a cocktail of other antibiotics, has been branded a 'game changer'.

Doctors in Belarus tested the method on 168 patients battling the infection over a few months.

The country, situated in the eastern bloc of Europe, has one of the highest rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world.

Tuberculosis - which can be spread by person to person - killed at least 1.7 million people in 2017, according to the WHO.

MDR tuberculosis is immune to two of the most common and powerful antibiotics used to treat the disease - isoniazid and rifampicin.

Experts believe it is spreading worldwide due to poor handling of tuberculosis cases.

Variants of MDR tuberculosis have been reported in at least 117 countries around the world, according to the WHO.

The findings of the Republican Research and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and TB in Minsk trial, were seen exclusively by AFP.

Paula Fujiwara, scientific director of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, welcomed the results.

She said: 'The results from this study confirm... newer drugs like bedaquiline can cure and are game changers for people living with MDR tuberculosis.'

The Belarus trial's success rate was largely replicated in bedaquiline trials in other countries in eastern Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection spread between people by coughing and sneezing and is the world's deadliest infectious disease (stock)

Lead researcher Dr Alena Skrahina said: 'Generally, our study confirms the effectiveness of bedaquiline in previous clinical trials.'

Bedaquiline - branded as Sirturo - was approved as TB drug five years ago, but has the potential to affect the heart's electric cycle.

The WHO advises caution when administering this medication and recommends that strict monitoring procedures be put in place.

Dr Skrahini added the trial did not 'confirm the concerns about safety problems with the drug'.

Unlike many antibiotics, bedaquiline doesn't attack the bacteria directly and instead targets the enzymes that the disease relies on for its energy.

All of the patients in the study experienced side effects but these were less severe than previously thought.

Despite the huge death toll, tuberculosis receives roughly a tenth of the global research funding that goes to HIV/AIDS.

Unlike other global killers such as HIV, tuberculosis is curable - but currently only under a strict six-month supervised regimen involving multiple daily drug doses.

Last month, UN member states agreed a global plan to fight tuberculosis and to facilitate cheaper access to vital drugs.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, world leaders pledged $13billion annually to end the tuberculosis epidemic - up from $700million currently.

Unlike the battle against HIV, which has received high-profile celebrity backing, tuberculosis is often seen as a historic affliction effecting only remote and undeveloped parts of the world.

Scientists and policymakers gather this week in The Hague for a global conference on lung health.

They are expected to warn TB could spread through richer nations currently struggling with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
Millions of women are putting themselves at risk of cervical cancer by missing smear tests, figures suggest.

Around three million women across England have not had a smear test for at least three-and-a-half years, according to data from Public Health England.

Cervical cancer screening rates are therefore the lowest they have been for two decades.

Smear tests help to prevent cervical cancer by checking the health of the entrance of the womb and detecting any abnormal cells.

They are thought to prevent 2,000 cervical cancer deaths a year in the UK.

Millions of women are putting themselves at risk of cervical cancer by missing smears (stock)

The number of women having smears initially increased after the Big Brother star Jade Goody died from the disease at just 27 in 2009, however, uptake has since fallen.

Women aged between 25 and 49 who are registered with a GP are invited for a cervical screening every three years.

But in some areas of the country, half of women under 50 do not have a smear test in this time frame, PHE data suggest.

Overall in England, just 72 per cent of women under 50 have a smear test within the recommended three years, according to March 2017 figures.

This is down for 75.4 per cent in 2012.

And a million women aged 50 to 64 have not had a smear test for at least five-and-a-half years. Women of this age are invited to be screened every five years.

London has some of the lowest screening rates, with just over half of 25-to-49 year olds having a smear in the past three-and-a-half years in certain boroughs, PHE data shows.

In the boroughs of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Hammersmith, and Fulham, only around half of women aged 25 to 49 have a screening in the recommended time frame.

While Cambridge and Oxford have screening rates of 54 and 55 per cent, respectively.

In Leicester, 60 per cent of women under 50 have smear tests as recommended, compared to 61 per cent in Luton, and 62 per cent in Manchester, Slough, Haringey and Birmingham.

Rushcliffe in Nottingham is among the best, with 80 per cent of women being screened as they should.

Jade Goody died from cervical cancer at just 27 in 2009. She is pictured on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007 with Bollywood actress and the show's winner Shilpa Shetty, who she was accused of racist bullying. Goody's death saw smear tests rates initially rise but then fall

WHERE ARE THE AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST SCREENING RATES? WOMEN AGED 25 TO 49 Rushcliffe: 80.4% Nottingham North and East: 77.9% Nottingham West: 77.5% North Derbyshire: 77.1% Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby: 76.7% WOMEN AGED 50 TO 64 Rushcliffe: 83.6% Greater Huddersfield: 81.1% South Lincolnshire: 80.5% Nottingham North and East: 80.5% Nottingham West: 80.5% Advertisement

WHERE ARE THE AREAS WITH THE LOWEST SCREENING RATES? WOMEN AGED 25 TO 49 Harrow: 56.6% Hammersmith and Fulham: 52.6% West London: 51.0% Camden: 50.3% Central London (Westminster): 48.8% WOMEN AGED 50 TO 64 Liverpool: 70.1% Camden: 69.3% Hammersmith and Fulham: 67.1% West London: 63.4% Central London (Westminster): 62.4% Advertisement

'Cervical screening is not a mandated requirement for local authority commissioning,' Dr Asha Kasliwal, president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, explained to the BBC.

'Local authorities under severe budgetary pressure are not including this essential aspect of women's healthcare in their service specifications.

'Screening rates are now at their lowest in two decades and the minimum 80 per cent national target is far from being achieved.'

A survey of more than 2,000 women by the charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust suggested that many are simply too embarrassed to attend smear tests.

Of those who decline screening, 35 per cent are self conscious of their figures, 34 per cent are embarrassed by their vulvas' appearance and 38 per cent worry their genitals smell.

And a third would not have a smear if they have not waxed or shaved their bikini line beforehand.

Fifteen per cent even admitted they would miss a screening for a gym class or a waxing appointment.

Research by University College London suggested women from minority ethnicity groups are less likely to be aware cervical screening is even available.

GPs in north west London also face language barriers and religious concerns, according to a spokesperson from the area's clinical commissioning group.

Women in this part of the capital are therefore being offered evening and weekend screening appointments to make them more convenient.

Robert Music from Jo's Cancer Trust said there is 'no one magic solution' to improve smear uptake, but the charity is working with GPs to provide drop in surgeries, phone clinics and 'engagement with community or faith groups'.
Millennials are more likely to be sceptical about the importance of vaccines than their parents or grandparents, research suggests.

Those aged between 18 and 24 are a quarter less likely than the over-65s to believe vaccines are safe, according to a report.

Scientists warned this could be because they have not been exposed to 'the reality of a number of diseases'.

Disgraced gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield sparked fears of vaccines with his 1995 theory that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is linked to bowel disease and autism.

His controversial views have since been widely discredited and Wakefield has been struck off.

Disgraced gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield, who is believed to be dating the supermodel Elle Macpherson (both pictured), sparked fears of vaccines with his discredited 1995 theory that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is linked to bowel disease and autism

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine report also found those aged 25-to-34 are 39 per cent less convinced by jabs' safety.

Professor Heidi Larson, lead author, believes older people see vaccinations as the norm.

'You did it because it was what you did for the health of your child  everybody else did it, it was felt to be important for the family and community,' she said.

'People at a younger age have been less exposed to the reality of a number of diseases.

'Personally, I think that experience of seeing how serious some of them can be does influence your decision.'

The over-65s are also less influenced by social-media forums that shun jabs, Professor Larson added.

Views posted on social media can appear to be more widely held than they actually are, no matter how extreme they may be, she believes.

'In a number of EU countries, anti-vaccine groups, aided by social and mainstream media, are gaining traction and have started influencing politics and political election,' the researchers wrote.

The scientists developed a survey that asked 28,782 respondents from all 28 EU states to what extent they agree that vaccines are important for children, safe and effective.

A thousand GPs from 10 EU states were also asked if they would recommend the MMR or flu vaccine to patients, specifically those that are pregnant.

The report, backed by the European Commission, also found many EU countries are shunning vaccinations despite the greatest measles outbreak for seven years spreading across the continent.

People who live in Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and particularly Poland are less likely to think of jabs as safe than they did in 2015, the report found.

Eastern Europe has been badly hit by a measles outbreak, with 41,000 cases in the first six months of 2018 and at least 37 deaths, according to The Times.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK OF MEASLES? Everyone has a slight risk of developing measles because being vaccinated does not guarantee full immunity. However, unvaccinated young children are particularly at risk, as well as pregnant women who have not had the jab. Measles is common in many developing countries, particularly parts of Africa and Asia. More than 95 percent of measles deaths occur in countries with low average incomes. Outbreaks can be particularly life-threatening in countries experiencing or recovering from natural disasters or conflict. Damage to health services disrupts routine immunization, while overcrowding greatly increases the risk of infection. Source: World Health Organization Advertisement

There were just 23,927 incidences in 2017.

But 36 per cent of GPs surveyed in the Czech Republic and 25 per cent in Slovakia do not think the MMR vaccine is safe.

And 29 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, don't believe the jab is important.

Just 25.2 per cent of doctors in the Czech Republic and 30.5 per cent in Slovakia would recommend the flu jab to pregnant women, the report found.

This is despite pregnant women being less able to fight off the virus, which can then develop into bronchitis or even pneumonia.

Although the report found those who live in the UK generally have higher confidence in vaccines than elsewhere in Europe, the number of British children getting the MMR has fallen for the fourth consecutive year.

Some 828 measles cases were confirmed in England up to August 13, compared to 274 throughout 2017.

To prevent a measles outbreak, it is recommended that 95 per cent of the population is immunised against the infection.

Only 91.9 per cent of children were vaccinated against measles between 2015 and 2016 compared to 94.2 per cent in 2014/2015 and 94.3 per cent in 2013/2014, according to NHS immunisation statistics.

'Vaccine confidence is dynamic and volatile and must be watched closely, especially given the public health risks of vaccine hesitancy and refusal,' Professor Larson said.

'Interestingly, across the EU, there is less confidence in the flu vaccine than in the MMR vaccine, perhaps in part due to the efficacy of the flu vaccine changing year to year, but also because there is a low perception of the various serious risks of influenza.

'Another trend of note is that while there is an overall confidence among GPs to recommend the influenza vaccine, there is considerably more hesitancy around recommending the vaccine to pregnant women.

'This is worrying as the group is considered very high risk for serious complications when it comes to flu.

'Hopefully this report will be a catalyst for countries to pay attention to and monitor their own levels of vaccine confidence  change won't happen overnight but it is possible.'

Those aged 18-to-24 are 24 per cent less likely to believe vaccines are safe (stock)

This comes after Wakefield published a study more than 20 years ago in The Lancet, suggesting children who had been vaccinated against MMR were more likely to have bowel disease and autism.

He speculated that being injected with a 'dead' form of the measles virus causes disruption to intestinal tissue, leading to both of the disorders.

After a 1998 paper further 'confirmed' this finding, Wakefield said: 'The risk of this particular syndrome [which he termed autistic enterocolitis] developing is related to the combined vaccine, the MMR, rather than the single vaccines.'

At the time, Wakefield had a patent for single MMR vaccines and was therefore accused of having a conflict of interest.

Nonetheless, MMR vaccination rates in the US and UK plummeted.

But in 2004 the then-editor of The Lancet Dr Richard Horton described Wakefield's research as 'fundamentally flawed', adding he was paid by attorneys seeking lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers.

The Lancet formally retracted Wakefield's research paper in 2010.

Three months later, the General Medical Council banned Wakefield from practicing medicine in Britain, stating his research had shown a 'callous disregard' for children's health.

On January 6 2011, The British Medical Journal published a report showing that of the 12 children included in Wakefield's 1995 study, at most two had autistic symptoms post vaccination, rather than the eight he claimed.

At least two of the children also had developmental delays before they were vaccinated, yet Wakefield's paper claimed they were all 'previously normal'.

Further findings revealed none of the children had autism, non-specific colitis or symptoms within days of receiving the MMR vaccine, yet the study claimed six of the participants suffered all three.
More than 2million worth of illegal and 'potentially harmful' medicines have been seized by officials during a UK sting.

Medications including diazepam  known as Valium  and stimulant drug modafinil were found stashed inside clothes and video game cases.

One person was arrested after Government agents raided a semi-detached house and a lock-up unit in Manchester, as well as finding packages at airports and mail delivery centres.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) found more than one million doses of medications as part of a co-ordinated international operation.

Interpol's Operation Pangea took place in 116 countries and uncovered around 10.9million worth of medicines and led to 859 arrests.

More than 2million worth of counterfeit or unlicensed drugs were found in the UK as part of Operation Pangea, which uncovered a total of 10.9million worth of the medicines in 116 countries worldwide

The MHRA carried out its raids between October 9 and 17, and have warned people against buying medicines online and self-medicating.

'Criminals who sell medicines over the internet have absolutely no regard for your health,' said Alastair Jeffrey, MHRA's head of enforcement.

'And taking medicine which is ether falsified or unlicensed puts you at risk of serious harm.

'Our intelligence-led enforcement operations have seized millions of counterfeit and unlicensed medicines and devices in the UK.

'This is just the tip of the iceberg, and we will continue to take action against known criminals  working with our international partners to stop illegal medicines from entering the UK.

'To protect your health, visit your GP, get a correct diagnosis and buy medicines from a legitimate high street or registered pharmacy which can trade online with a distance selling logo.'

Cancer medications, counterfeit pain medications, dermal fillers and illegal medical syringes were all among the contraband seized around the world.

Government agents and police in Manchester raided a semi-detached house and a lock-up unit, and packages travelling through airports and mail delivery centres to find the illegally sold medications

Some of the medicines were hidden inside everyday items such as clothing (pictured, a folded t-shirt with medications stashed inside it) and video game cases

As part of the global operation, hundreds of websites and online adverts were also taken down in a move to crack down on the illegal online drug trade

Operation Pangea, led by world police organisation Interpol, also shut down 123 websites offering fake or unlicensed medical products, and removed 535 online adverts.

Interpol said the illegal online drug trade  and in particular on a secret part of the internet known as the Dark Web  has been growing in recent years.

This is despite authorities shutting down major market sites, as crime gangs have diversified and looked for new ways to make money online.

Earlier this month the MHRA also met with Indian authorities to crack down on the flow of unlicensed medicines into the UK.

India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had recently stopped 350,000 pills of medicines like diazepam, tramadol and sleeping pill zopiclone from leaving the country.

MHRA's advice for avoiding harmful or counterfeit medicine is to be extra careful when buying medicines online because scammers can steal card details.

People should not self-diagnose and get their own medication  if they are unwell they should see a doctor and be properly prescribed and go to a pharmacy.

Anyone who knows of a website illegally selling medication should report the website online.
A woman who got leukaemia twice as a teenager has returned to work in the same hospital which treated her  but she now has cancer for a third time.

Catherine Pointer, now 26, is a cancer researcher at Southampton General Hospital, where she was twice treated for leukaemia at the ages of 14 and 17.

Miss Pointer, from Fareham, was so inspired by doctors treating her for the disease it sparked her into embarking on a career saving other cancer patients' lives.

She is now on the cusp of becoming a doctor as she works on her PhD at the Cancer Research UK Centre, based at the hospital in Hampshire.

But she is now both an employee and a patient as she has been diagnosed with cancer yet again, this time on her skin as a direct result of her treatment years ago.

Catherine Pointer, now 26, had leukaemia twice as a teenager but has now returned to the hospital where she was treated to work as a researcher at the Cancer Research UK Centre

Miss Pointer said: 'Cancer had already dominated my life so much but it came to be the thing that interested me most and the only thing I wanted to choose as a career.

'I don't want the next 14-year-old girl to go through what I've had.

'Being back in Southampton but now as a cancer researcher rather than a cancer patient feels like the exact right place for me to be, like it's gone full circle.

'Once, when my parents dropped me off at the hospital, they said how much they hated being back at the place where I was ill.

'But I don't see Southampton General as the place where I was ill  it's the place that made me better.'

After receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy to fight off her two bouts of leukaemia, Miss Pointer spent years free of the disease.

During that time she has trained as a biomedical researcher and completed most her PhD, which she will soon finish.

WHAT IS BASAL CELL CARCINOMA? Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer. Non-melanoma means it does not involve skin pigment cells. BCC often appears as scabs that bleed BCC makes up more than 80 per cent of all forms of skin cancer in the UK, with over 100,000 new cases being diagnosed every year. It is mainly caused by overexposure to UV light from the sun or tanning beds. BCC can occur anywhere on the body but is most common on areas exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck and ears. BCC is usually painless. Early symptoms often only include a scab that bleeds occasionally and does not heal. Some appear as flat, red, scaly marks or have a pearl-like rim. The latter can then erode into a ulcer. Others are lumpy with shiny nodules crossed by blood vessels. Most BCCs can be cured, however, treatment is complex if they are left for a long time. Treatment usually involves removing the cancerous tumour and some of the surrounding skin. Source: British Skin Foundation and NHS Choices Advertisement

But the 26-year-old was told in February she has skin cancer, and says it is a direct result of her earlier treatments.

She has basal cell carcinoma  a slow growing cancer which does not spread  on her head, and has had four of the tumours removed from other places on her body.

Bone marrow transplants carry a small risk of causing secondary cancer, Cancer Research UK says  which is what Miss Pointer says triggered her new skin cancer  but the benefit of treating the leukaemia outweighs that risk.

Miss Pointer said: 'It's a really mild type of cancer that doesn't spread so these are five individual separate tumours which have occurred.

'They are being removed surgically one by one and there's a couple of other spots we are going to keep an eye on in the future.

'Medically speaking I knew this was completely different to the leukaemia - no threat to my life or anything severe to worry about.

'Essentially I was told to carry on as normal. But as a patient I really struggled mentally with hearing the news.

'I paused my PhD and had a few counselling sessions at the Macmillan centre in Southampton General to deal with all the emotions of the new diagnosis, which made a really big difference to my mind-set.

'I've accepted I probably can't stop myself getting cancer again, but through my work I can help push medicine to a place where being diagnosed isn't such a scary prospect anymore.

'All I want is to grow old with my soon-to-be husband and be able to raise a family.'

Miss Pointer will next year marry her fiance Ash Dale, a 26-year-old army captain.

Miss Pointer (pictured during her leukaemia treatment) had cancer twice as a teenager and says she was inspired to help others overcome the disease  she successfully got a degree in biomedical science and will soon complete her PhD

Miss Pointer is engaged to be married to army captain Ash Dale, 26, and wedding guests have been asked to contribute to the cost of IVF instead of giving presents, because Miss Pointer's cancer treatment means she may not be able to conceive

And instead of gifts, their wedding guests have been asked to help fund IVF treatment as Miss Pointer will struggle to have children of her own as a result of her cancer treatment.

Her illness began when she was 14 years old and was on a summer holiday with her family when she became very unwell, losing a significant amount of blood.

WHAT IS ACUTE MYELOID LEUKAEMIA? Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a type of blood cancer that starts in young white blood cells in the bone marrow. AML affects around one in 200 men and one in 255 women in the UK at some point in their lives. Approximately 19,500 new cases occur every year in the US. It is most often diagnosed in older people. Symptoms can include: Fatigue

Fever

Frequent infections

Bruising or bleeding easily, including nosebleeds or heavy periods

Weight loss

Bone and joint pain

Breathlessness

Swollen abdomen

Pale skin AML's exact cause is unclear, however, risks include: Smoking

Being overweight

Radiation exposure

Previous chemotherapy

Certain blood disorders, such as myelodysplastic syndrome

Some immune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis AML is usually treated via chemotherapy. A bone marrow or stem cell transplant may be required. Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement

Within two weeks she had lost a lot of weight and could barely stand without passing out.

Urgent blood tests confirmed she had acute myeloid leukaemia and needed to begin six months of intensive chemotherapy.

After four cycles of the treatment she went into remission, but at 17 was diagnosed with the disease again as she began her A-levels.

She underwent gruelling total body irradiation  a form of radiotherapy aimed at the whole body to try and kill off leukaemia cells before a bone marrow transplant.

Miss Pointer said: 'I was scared  I knew that if it failed I was accepting the fact I would die very young.

'I remember lying on my hospital bed and telling my mum I just couldn't do it anymore.

'I was exhausted but couldn't sleep, it took everything I had just to open my eyes.

'I could feel everything shutting down inside me. I looked in the mirror and didn't recognise the person I saw.'

Miss Pointer made a full recovery and went on to complete a biomedical science degree at Sussex University.

She now works among an elite group of scientists improving treatments and survival rates for head and neck cancer patients.

And the now-retired consultant who first treated her and inspired her to become an expert is even invited to her wedding.

Miss Pointer said: 'Even before I became ill I liked the idea of being a scientist but, without doubt, my own experience convinced me.

'I may have been young when I was diagnosed but I still had so many questions.

'I remember my consultant taking me into the labs and showing me my cells and bone marrow to try and help me understand what was wrong with me and how they were trying to make me better.

Miss Pointer feared she would die when she was being treated for leukaemia as a teenager and said: 'I could feel everything shutting down inside me'

Miss Pointer says she now feels like her work could make a difference to the lives of other people, adding: 'I'm no longer the sick young girl on a ward. I know that what we do every day is going to help people with cancer in generations to come'

'I now know I can't stop myself getting cancer again, but by working at CRUK Southampton I can make sure I'll be ready for it next time.

'That'll help a lot of other people along the way too.'

Miss Pointer now hopes her work will one day help people to avoid going through the same difficult treatment she suffered in her teenage years.

She added: 'I did work experience at Southampton and really liked what they are doing there  it feels like it is really going to make a difference.

'I'm no longer the sick young girl on a ward. Now I walk around with a Cancer Research UK lanyard around my neck knowing that what we do every day is going to help people with cancer in generations to come.

'I want to see the day that people going through cancer can come through the other side and be able to live, not just survive with a lifetime of side effects from the treatment they had.

'People shouldn't have to choose survival at the expense of being able to live - there has to be a better outcome than that.'
A couple who'd given up hope of ever conceiving naturally have spoken of their joy after a 100 fertility kit gave them the 'miracle' baby they'd been longing for.

Sarah Capps, 33, and her husband Rob, 36, from Bishop's Itchington, Warwickshire, had spent almost three years trying, with no success.

The couple were told their best hope of having a child was through IVF after tests eventually revealed Mrs Capps had a blocked fallopian tube.

While they were eligible for treatment on the NHS, Mrs Capps was concerned about the invasiveness of the treatment and the side-effects of fertility drugs, which can include hot flushes, nausea and weight gain.

But in the end, there was no need for IVF.

After Mrs Capps read online about the fertility kit, called The Stork Home Conception Device, she applied to enter a trial of the product.

The couple used the device on the most fertile day of her cycle for three months  and on the third time, to their amazement, she became pregnant.

Their son Edward, affectionately known as Teddy, was born in July this year, weighing 6lb 6oz.

Sarah Capps, 33, and her husband Rob, 36, from Bishop's Itchington, Warwickshire, gave birth to their son Teddy after using The Stork Home Conception Device

'We still can't believe we've got him,' Mrs Capps told MailOnline. 'It's crazy to think he's here because of a device that came out of a box.

'Rob and I are very grateful that we were eligible for IVF on the NHS, but are also really relieved we didn't have to go through the emotional rollercoaster that it brings.

'We would definitely use the device Stork again in the future to help us give Teddy a brother or sister.'

Mrs Capps, an events worker, and her IT worker husband started trying for a baby nearly four years ago, after they'd been married for a year.

'As the months went by, I was getting more and more upset about the fact I couldn't conceive  especially as I'd started trying the same time as a good friend and she'd become pregnant within the first month of trying,' Mrs Capps said.

'I would get really upset looking at Facebook as it had pictures of people's children and baby scans. I thought "when will it be our turn?"

'And every time I got my period it was just another month that we'd failed to get pregnant.

'I would get upset and ask Rob why he was still with me, given that I couldn't have a baby. He was very positive and kept saying "it'll happen". We are both fit and healthy and don't smoke, so I tried to stay positive, too.'

The couple used the device on the most fertile day of her cycle for three months  and on the third time, to their amazement, she became pregnant

Mrs Capps enjoyed a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness and baby Teddy was born by planned Caesarean section on July 24th this year

HOW DOES THE STORK WORK? The stork is a two-part device. The part on the right is called the Conceptacle. At the start of the process, the couple have sex using a condom (made of silicon) that has a cervical cap at the end of it. This cap collects the sperm when the man ejaculates. Afterwards the condom is pulled off as a normal condom would be and the cap is removed. The woman then uses the applicator device (pictured left) to inset the cap of semen into her vagina and up to the cervix - to give her the higher chance of conception possible. She puts the cap into the holder at the top. Plunger button one clips everything into place, so the cap is held firmly in the applicator. Now, the cap can be tilted to 45 degrees without any semen falling out. The woman then puts the applicator inside her vagina and when she feels a bit of pressure, she has reached the entrance to the cervix. Pressing button two opens up the device so the cap can be deposited. Button three releases the cap, leaving a tampon-like string behind so the woman can pull it out later after the 4-6 hour recommended time window. The applicator is removed once button 3 has been pressed. Advertisement

After six months, Mrs Capps began using a fertility tracker to ascertain the days of the month she was most fertile.

But by July last year, after two-and-a-half years of trying, she insisted the couple go to the doctor.

Tests revealed Mrs Capps' hormones were functioning as they should and Mr Capps' sperm quality was fine.

But a further test revealed Mrs Capps' right fallopian tube appeared to be blocked  which was the most likely reason she was struggling to conceive.

The fallopian tubes play an important role in conception because they are where most eggs are fertilized.

If any part of the fallopian tube is damaged, for example by surgery or an infection, they can become blocked by scar tissue.

Indeed, it was previous surgery Mrs Capps had undergone that doctors suspected was the most likely cause of scar tissue.

Diagnosed in 1999 aged 14, with severe Crohn's disease - inflammation of the digestive tract  she had previously undergone three operations on her abdomen to remove all of her large bowel, and all but 75cm of her small bowel.

But the news this had most likely caused the blocked fallopian tube was even more devastating.

'I was really upset because I felt the reason we weren't getting pregnant was all my fault,' she said. 'If I didn't have Crohn's, we would have had a baby by now.'

Mrs Capps, an events worker, and her IT worker husband started trying for a baby nearly four years ago, after they'd been married for a year

The couple were sent three Stork devices - one to use on the most fertile day of Mrs Capps' cycle each month - for three months (pictured on their wedding day)

Thankfully, the couple were accepted for IVF on the NHS and attended Coventry Hospital in August last year to have the process explained to them and collect fertility drugs.

'To be honest, it was all a bit overwhelming  there was so much information to take in,' said Mrs Capps.

'In the end, we decided to delay treatment until the New Year as we were going on holiday in the autumn and I was concerned about the drugs making me feel unwell.

'Then it would be nearly Christmas, so we decided we'd enjoy that and start the IVF in the January.'

But one evening in September, Mrs Capps spotted an online competition to try The Stork device.

'It was targeting couples who were struggling to conceive, which we obviously were, so I filled in the form and hoped for the best,' she said.

'When we got accepted, Rob and I thought "well, what have we got to lose", and decided to give it a go over the autumn months.'

The couple were sent three devices - one to use on the most fertile day of Mrs Capps' cycle each month - for three months.

'When we opened the box, the device did look quite bizarre,' said Mrs Capps. 'But the great thing is the Stork basically gives the sperm a 'leg up' to get it into the right place.

'It was a bit fiddly to use the first time, but we got the hang of it.'

For the first two months, nothing happened. But after using the device for a third time  'by which time we were totally clear on how to use it'  there was good news.

'I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when the test read 'pregnant',' said Mrs Capps.

The Stork helps women get sperm as near as possible to their cervix after sex  and could spare many couples the financial and emotional misery of IVF

Mrs Capps said: 'At the end of the day, The Stork worked for us, and I believe it's worth other couples giving it a go'

'Every other time, I'd done the test with Rob there, but this time I hadn't expected it to be positive and just did it on my own.

'It must have been the 30th pregnancy test I'd done over the years and I was so stunned, I didn't really know what to do.'

Mrs Capps enjoyed a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness and baby Teddy was born by planned Caesarean section on July 24th this year.

'Teddy will never understand just how much he was wanted,' she said.

'At the end of the day, The Stork worked for us, and I believe it's worth other couples giving it a go.

'It's not going to add to the romance  you do really need to have a sense of humour when using it  but it's something you can use in the privacy of your own home, rather than having to go to an IVF clinic.

'Also, while 100 a go isn't cheap, it's a lot cheaper than paying for fertility treatment.'

She added: 'The medical staff we told at the hospital about the device said it was a clever idea, as it gives the sperm a helping hand to get to the right place.'
A seventh child has died following a 'severe outbreak' of a potentially life-threatening virus at a New Jersey pediatric care facility.

The news comes a day after the New Jersey Department of Health announced that six children had died and 12 had fallen ill after contracting adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell.

On Wednesday, health officials revealed that a seventh child, who had been hospitalized, died on Tuesday night while 11 others remain sickened.

On Sunday, health inspectors found 'minor handwashing deficiencies' and 'infection control issues' at the facility, which houses elderly people and children.

Adenoviruses usually cause mild illnesses, but health officials say that outbreak is 'severe' because all of the infected children have compromised immune systems.

Seven children with compromised immune systems are now confirmed dead and another 11 are ill after contracting adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, New Jersey (pictured)

According to a statement from the Department of Health, the Wanaque Center 'has been instructed not to admit any new patients until the outbreak ends and they are in full compliance.'

The facility has been cited for numerous health code violations in the past.

According to NBC News, citations were issued in 2016 and 2017 for handwashing deficiencies, not storing syringes properly, improperly disinfecting surfaces and syringes, and unsanitary storage of oxygen tank tubing.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on Tuesday that 'the Department of Health has recommended vital measures to enhance protections against the further spread of infection and will continue its active on-site surveillance.

'I am confident that the steps being taken by state and local officials will minimize the impact to all those who remain at the facility, including patients and employees.'

Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that infect the linings of the eyes, lungs, intestines, urinary tract, and nervous system.

They are the cause of several infections including the common cold, respiratory tract infections, pink eye, diarrhea, bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

Adenoviruses are responsible for about 10 percent of fever-related infections among US children, and most children will have at least one type of infection by age 10.

Once exposed, there is an incubation period of two to 14 days before symptoms appear.

Because they are highly contagious, adenoviruses are common among places with large groups of kids including hospitals, schools, camps and daycare centers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adenoviruses can be spread by an infected person coughing or sneezing. Droplets fly through the air and land on surfaces.

A child can catch the virus by touching an infected person, or if they touch the toy or an object of someone with the virus and then touch their face without washing their hands.

In some cases, adenoviruses can be spread through the stool of an infected person, such as while changing a diaper.

Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that infect the linings of the eyes, lungs, intestines, urinary tract, and nervous system. Pictured: Colorized transmission electron micrograph of adenovirus

It's also possible to get sick by eating food prepared by somebody who did not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom.

Those who have weakened immune systems are at an increased risk of developing a severe illness or neurological diseases from an adenovirus infection.

The origin of the outbreak at the Wanaque Center remains unclear, but officials say the facility notified them of some respiratory illnesses on October 9.

Nicole Kirgan, a spokeswoman for the health department, told Daily Mail Online in a statement that the outbreak was caused by adenovirus type 7.

According to the CDC, type 7 is most commonly associated with acute respiratory disease.

A vaccine has been approved for types 4 and 7 by the US Food and Drug Administration, but only for US military personnel at risk for infection.

Kirgan added: 'The combination of a worse strain of adenovirus together with a fragile population has led to a more severe outbreak.'

On Sunday, health inspectors found 'minor handwashing deficiencies' and 'infection control issues' at the facility, which houses elderly people and children. Pictured: Street view of the Wanaque Center

The origin of the outbreak at the Wanaque Center remains unclear, but officials say the facility notified them of some respiratory illnesses on October 9. Pictured: Map showing the location of the outbreak

The Wanaque Center says on its website that it is a for-profit facility that works with 'with medically fragile children' from newborn to 22 years old.

It also offers an adult nursing home and rehabilitation center for either short-term or long-term care.

In 2016, 23 children were infected with adenovirus after receiving eye exams at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, resulting in the death of an infant.

Staff attributed the outbreak to medical personnel not wearing gloves and not cleaning equipment properly.

Philly.com reported in August that the parents of the infant who died, Melanie Sanders, are suing the hospital for negligence.
Dozens of cereals, oatmeals and snack bars contain trace amounts of a weed killer that has been linked to cancer, a new report says.

Released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the report found 26 of 28 oat-based cereal products that were tested had 'harmful' levels of glyphosate, the main ingredient of Roundup.

Products included variations of Cheerios and Quaker Oats, including Honey Nut Cheerios, Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut, and Quaker Overnight Oats.

The weed killer was recently at the center of a trial in which a California jury found Roundup was responsible for giving groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, 46, terminal cancer.

None of the products in the new report had levels above what is allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but the EWG argues that customers should be concerned that any levels are being detected in products consumed by children everyday.

Dozens of cereals, oatmeals and snack bars, including Honey Nut Cheerios (left) and Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut (right), contain trace amounts of a weed killer linked to cancer

The report from the Environmental Working Group found 26 of 28 oat-based cereal products that were tested had levels of glyphosate, the main ingredient of Roundup (pictured)

In August, the EWG conducted its first study, which found the presence of glyphosate in 45 samples of breakfast cereals from producers Quakers, Kellogg's, and General Mills.

On the heels of this study, the group wanted to dive further and test specifically Quaker Oats and Cheerios products, because high levels of glyphoste were found in the first study and they are two of the most popular cereal brands.

For the new study, the EWG purchased the products at grocery stores in San Francisco and Washington, DC, and had them tested at Anresco Laboratories in San Francisco.

Results of the samples showed glyphosate was detectable in all 28 products, and levels considered unsafe were found in 26.

The EPA caps glyphosate tolerance at 5.0 parts per million (ppm).

But the EWG's health benchmark is much more conservative and says any level greater than 160 parts per billion (ppb) is not safe.

In the report, the highest level was found Quaker Oatmeal Squares Cereal Honey Nut, registering at 2,837 ppb.

That number is nearly 18 times greater than EWG's benchmark.

However, government agencies, manufacturers and advocacy groups seem to be conflicted about what is - and is not - considered safe.

Following the results of the EWG's report, both General Mills and Quaker released statements insisting their products are safe.

'[The] EWG report artificially creates a "safe level" for glyphosate that is detached from those that have been established by responsible regulatory bodies in an effort to grab headlines,' a statement from Quaker, sent to Daily Mail Online, read in part.

'We believe EWG's approach is invalid, and we stand behind our statement that the Quaker products tested by EWG are safe.'

General Mills, the makers of Cheerios, also cited the group's benchmark, telling CNN: 'The extremely low levels of pesticide residue cited in recent news reports is a tiny fraction of the amount the government allows.'

The EPA itself released a statement saying the report should not leave consumers concerned.

But Dr Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at the EWG who worked on the report, says the results are disconcerting.

'Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's safe or that it provides that extra level of protection for children,' she told Daily Mail Online.

She mentioned that the EPA increased the amounts of glyphosate residue allowed on oats from 20 ppm in 1997 to 30 ppm in 2008.

'The EPA likely saw it was increasingly being used as a pre-harvest dessicant (the application of a herbicide crops shortly before harvest) and increased the limit to allow it to be legal,' Dr Temkin said.

In August, a California jury ordered Monsanto to pay $289million to groundsman Dewayne Johnson, 46 (pictured), who claimed the weed killer is responsible for giving him cancer

None of the products tested had levels above what is allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Pictured: Johnson's hand covered in lesions

Glyphosate-based products are sold in more than 160 countries, and farmers use it on 250 types of crops in California alone, which is the leading farming state in the US.

In March 2015, the World Health Organization found that that the herbicide is 'probably carcinogenic to humans'.

Then, in 2017, California named glyphosate an ingredient that causes cancer under the state's Proposition 65, which requires Roundup to carry a warning label if sold in California.

Roundup's maker, Monsanto, says glyphosate is safe and that its product has undergone stringent testing.

However, in August, a California jury ordered the company to pay $289 million to a groundsman who claimed the weed killer is responsible for giving him cancer.

A judge upheld the verdict on Monday but reduced Monsanto's payout to Dewayne Johnson to $78million.

'The report shows that breakfast cereals are not a place for pesticides linked to cancer,' said Dr Temkin.

'What we show here is that there are detectable levels in common foods that children exposed to every day. Over a long period of time, that can be dangerous.'
Salmonella from ground beef has sickened another 63 Americans, bringing the total illnesses linked to the bacteria to 120, the CDC revealed last night.

About 6.5 million pounds of the meat have been recalled as a result of the outbreak, which is now affecting people in 22 states.

The latest illnesses come as the CDC issues parallel warnings about salmonella in raw chicken as well as people's pet chickens.

And listeria infections have been traced to deli meat in the US, meaning that Americans must be on high alert when buying just about any protein.

Another 63 people have been sickened by salmonella linked to ground beef sold in stores like Walmart in 22 US states, bringing the total number of illnesses to 120, the CDC has announced

The ongoing salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef first came to light in early September.

People were falling sick with salmonella in 16 states across the US throughout August.

This week, six states were added to the list of affected areas. There are new cases of salmonella in Texas, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Washington.

Us health officials have found a link between the disparate cases: eight patients in distinct hospitals had receipts showing they'd all bought beef produced by JBS Tolleson, Inc, produced and packaged in Arizona.

Now, illnesses have been reported in 22 states.

This is one of the ground beef labels to look out for, health officials said

The meat was sold under various generic brand names: Walmart, Cedar River Farms Natural Beef, Showcase, Showcase/Walmart and JBS Generic.

All of the packages featured the USDA inspection number EST. 267.

The CDC warns the recall has not been finalized and customers should still watch out for symptoms of infection, and get rid of any beef with that number on it.

Salmonella is a common infection from contaminated food. People who consume it can be left with diarrhea, fever, and cramps.

If the diarrhea is particularly severe or persists for days, the diner may need hospital care.

So far, infections have landed 33 of the 120 sick people in the hospital.

No deaths have been reported, but the CDC continues to closely monitor the outbreak.
US health regulators have approved the first new type of flu drug in 20 years.

Xofluza is a one-dose pill for patients aged 12 and older ahead of the brunt of the winter flu season that can reduce severity and shorten the duration of flu symptoms

However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said patients must be experiencing symptoms for no more than 48 hours.

Studies showed it cut the amount of time people were sick from 3.3 days to 2.5 days and reduced the length of a fever from 42 hours to one day.

Additionally, it reduced viral shedding - the process by which a virus spreads from one person to another - from four days to one day.

The FDA says that despite the new drug's approval, it is not a substitute for the vaccine and that getting a shot is the best chance of protection against the virus.

On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Xofluza, a one dose pill for patients aged 12 and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 48 hours

Each year, the flu typically kills about 12,000 to 56,000 Americans and up to 650,000 people worldwide.

Health officials have said an estimated 80,000 Americans died of the flu and its complications last winter, the disease's highest death toll in at least four decades.

Across the US, 179 children died and thousands were hospitalized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 80 percent of the children who died were not vaccinated.

The severe flu season increased demand for Tamiflu, a treatment from the same company that developed Xofluza, and led to shortages in individual offices.

'With thousands of people getting the flu every year, and many people becoming seriously ill, having safe and effective treatment alternatives is critical,' said FDA Commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb in a statement.

'This novel drug provides an important, additional treatment option.'

According to a statement from the FDA, Xofluza's safety and efficacy were tested in two clinical trials involving a total of 1,832 patients.

In both trials, patients received either Xofluza, a placebo, or Tamiflu, which is taken twice daily for five days.

Researchers found that Xofluza alleviated symptoms in a shorter of amount time compared the placebo.

However, people taking Xofluza had symptoms that either ended or were greatly reduced symptoms in just two days on average, similar to Tamiflu.

While Xofluza didn't work faster than Tamiflu, it did reduce the level of the virus in patients' nose and throat quicker.

The FDA statement said that Xofluza side effects were mild - diarrhea, nausea, headaches and bronchitis - and occurred at about the same rate as study participants given Tamiflu or placebo pills.

Further testing is planned to determine whether Xofluza is better than Tamiflu for preventing spread of the flu to others and for treating patients at high risk for hospitalization and pneumonia, such as people with diabetes or lung disease, pregnant women, young children, and the elderly.

Andrew Villani, senior manager of corporate relations at Genentech, the US-based distributor of the new drug, told CNN that customers who buy the drug without insurance will pay about $150, the same price a Tamiflu.

But he added that patients with commercial insurance that will cover the cost and who use a company coupon could pay as little as $30.

However, the best thing is to not need the drug at all and protect yourself ahead of the brunt of the flu season.

Health officials are encouraging the public to make sure they receive their flu shots, preferably by the end of October.

The CDC recommends getting the vaccine either in the form of a shot or a nasal spray. For those who choose to go with the injectable, there are two options.

The first is a trivalent vaccine, which protects against two influenza A strains, H1N1 and H3N2, and one influenza B strain.

The second option, the quadrivalent flu vaccine, protects against the same strains as the trivalent vaccine, as well as an extra influenza B virus

For the first time in two years, the CDC updated its recommendations to include the nasal spray, known as FluMist.

The nasal spray uses live, weakened viruses which are meant to teach the body to recognize and ward off flu strains if you become infected.

The shot works similarly but uses dead strains of the virus.
Dozens of US states are reporting a spike in cases of West Nile virus.

Cases have been reported in every state except Hawaii, with deaths confirmed in 29 states including California, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.

Several states, such as Maryland and Texas, are reporting an unusually large number of illnesses in 2018.

And in some states, like Massachusetts and Virginia, the number of cases is record-breaking.

The virus can potentially be deadly, triggering a fever that kills one in 150 people due to compilations.

Health experts say both warming temperatures and flooding due to climate change are increasing the risk of the virus becoming even more prevalent.

Cases of West Nile virus been reported in every single state aside from Hawaii with a record-breaking number of cases in Massachusetts and Virginia (file image)

Several states have seen an upswing in cases, such as Maryland, where 38 people have been infected with West Nile. This is a seven-fold increase from five cases in 2017.

The state has seen one of its rainiest summers ever, leading to more pools of standing water and, therefore, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Thirty-eight people have also been infected in Virginia, and officials say it's the highest number of cases every recorded in the state.

Virginia has also experienced a wetter summer than normal, with temperatures an average of 10 degrees hotter as well.

A record-breaking number of illnesses have also been reported in Massachusetts, where 44 residents have been infected this year - a drastic increase from the state's six cases in 2017.

'The hot, humid weather in Massachusetts combined with frequent heavy rainfall has provided perfect conditions for mosquito species carrying West Nile virus to breed,' said the state's public health commissioner Monica Bharel.

West Nile virus is a disease that people contract when the are bitten by mosquitoes, which were themselves infected after feeding on birds carrying the virus.

Cases generally tend to spike during the summer and fall months, between June and September, when mosquito activity is the most common.

Although most people don't develop symptoms, approximately 20 percent of those infected will develop an infection known as West Nile Fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Symptoms include severe headaches, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, and the CDC recommends to seek immediate medical attention.

Although there is no vaccine to protect against West Nile virus, over-the-counter pain medication, such as Advil or Tylenol, can help treat symptoms such as fever.

The illness can sometimes be fatal. About one out of 150 infected people die from complications of the virus.

It is unknown what exactly is driving the increase in cases, but some experts say that it could be due to climate change.

Mosquitoes that carry the virus tend to multiply when there is standing water and warm temperatures, both of which are a result of climate change.

Kristy Murray, a vice-chair of research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told The Guardian that Hurricane Harvey, which dumped more than 20 trillion gallons of water in Houston last year, is a prime example.

'We have this worrisome trend where we are seeing bigger and bigger increases in this virus,' she told the newspaper.

'We are seeing a lot of activity in Houston and the longer trend is making me nervous.'

However, a spokeswoman for the CDC told The Guardian, 'it remains unclear exactly how climate change may affect the distribution and timing of existing infectious disease'.

Last year, there were 146 deaths out of the 2,097 cases that were reported across the US, according to the Centers

In the CDC's most recent update on October 16, the agency stated 1,976 people had been infected with the virus this year and that 86 people had died.

To protect yourself from the disease, experts recommend wearing insect repellent, avoid going outside between dawn and dusk - which are peak mosquito feeding times - and to wear loose clothing.

Health departments have also encouraged residents to remove items from the outside of their home that contain water - such as buckets or pet dishes - because it can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The financial watchdog is under pressure to launch an investigation into the parent company of Patisserie Valerie as the scandal engulfing the cafe chain deepens.

Stock market filings have revealed two directors received twice as many share options as expected, based on a bonus scheme in its annual accounts.

Shareholders and MPs have now urged the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to launch a full probe.

Crisis: Patisserie Valerie's Luke Johnson, left, and Paul May

According to the filings, suspended finance director Chris Marsh (pictured below) cashed in 2 million this year from the award and sale of shares.

Marsh was arrested on suspicion of fraud and released on bail earlier this month after a surprise 40 million black hole was discovered in the firm's accounts. Meanwhile, Patisserie Valerie's chief executive Paul May made a 2.6 million profit.

The company is to investigate why the grant of share options to the two directors was not disclosed in its financial statements.

But MPs and shareholder groups called for an independent inquiry. Liberal Democrat leader and former business secretary Sir Vince Cable said: 'The whole affair smells to high heaven. It's important for the integrity of British business that the FCA investigates carefully to establish whether there has been serious misconduct.'

Mark Bentley, director of shareholder action group Sharesoc, said: 'It's very concerning indeed and this definitely needs an investigation by the FCA to find out whether they were in possession of inside information at the time they made those option exercises and sold.

According to the filings, suspended finance director Chris Marsh (pictured right) cashed in 2m this year from the award and sale of shares

'If they were, that's potentially a criminal offence.'

Chris Boxall, co-founder of Fundamental Asset Management, which invests in Patisserie Holdings, added: 'It's pretty staggering that it was missed. It's got to be the subject of some sort of investigation by the FCA.

'How many more issues are they going to uncover?'

Patisserie Holdings' chairman Luke Johnson, 56, who owns more than a third of the business, stepped in with a rescue deal after the scandal pushed the firm to the brink of collapse.

A 20 million investment secured the future of 2,800 staff and 206 cafes. But the entrepreneur, who is listed as having 40 director roles, has come under fire for seemingly taking his eye off the ball.

Boxall added: 'It now seems clear that Mr Johnson needs to have more focus in his business interests and extract himself from a number of executive and non-executive roles for his own financial wellbeing and that of his fellow shareholders.

'We are absolutely staggered how a profitable business of this nature could have collapsed so dramatically and suddenly.'

Last night the group escaped a court order by HMRC to shut the business down over an unpaid tax bill of more than 1 million when the claim was thrown out by the High Court.

The FCA and Patisserie Valerie declined to comment.
Property baron Nick Candy was wreathed in smiles as he squired his wife, former Neighbours star Holly Valance, at Princess Eugenie's wedding.

At the side of his elegant blonde spouse, he was in his element in the company of Kate Moss, Tracey Emin, Robbie Williams and James Blunt.

Nick, 45, is the more flamboyant half of the Candy Brothers, a duo synonymous with the rise of London's oligarchs, sheikhs and other members of the global gazillionaire set.

High life: Nick Candy and his wife Holly Valance seen attending the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

But behind the enviable facade, life in Candy-land has been turbulent.

Nick and younger brother Christian, 44, are still nursing their bruises from a lurid High Court battle that continues to cast a shadow. The siblings, who are routinely spoken of in the City as if they were joined at the hip, are now going their separate ways in business. Nick is no longer even concentrating on property but focusing instead on start-ups, tech and music companies.

Just days before his and Holly's appearance at the royal wedding, it emerged that Nick had taken out an 80 million loan from Credit Suisse  thought to be Britain's biggest-ever mortgage  against his swanky penthouse at One Hyde Park in London.

The apartment sits atop one of the blocks that he developed with his brother in the oligarchs' playground that is Knightsbridge.

This led to feverish speculation about the state of his finances, though sources say he in fact borrowed the 80 million several years ago. The latest deal is understood to be the transfer of the mortgage, and ownership of the penthouse, from his personal name to two companies based in Guernsey.

He plans to rent out the 160 million apartment, which sprawls over 18,000 square feet on the top two floors of one block. 'He feels 150,000 a week is the right level,' says a source.

Nick and younger brother Christian, 44, (pictured above with his wife Emily) are still nursing their bruises from a lurid High Court battle that continues to cast a shadow

Nick and Holly, at 35 a decade his junior, lived in the flat for five years before recently moving to Providence House, a 75 million mega-mansion in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. There may indeed be less to the 80 million mortgage than meets the eye, but like many other aspects of the Candy Brothers' business affairs, the loan is both startling and intriguing.

The duo, known as the Brothers Bling for their love of glitz, forged one of the most controversial partnerships ever to hit the British property world. One Hyde Park itself came to be seen as an emblem for their remarkable rise.

The nature of the brothers' relationship has also given rise to a great deal of gossip on the London scene. The pair have always been rather less close in commercial terms than the routine pairing of their names might suggest.

In the summer, the fact one of their main companies was re-christened from Candy & Candy to Candy Property, and put into Nick's sole name, was interpreted as a breach  at least in business terms  between the two. In reality, it was a formal acknowledgment that they have run quite distinct operations for several years.

Just days before his and Holly's appearance at the royal wedding, it emerged that Nick had taken out an 80 million loan from Credit Suisse  thought to be Britain's biggest-ever mortgage  against his swanky penthouse at One Hyde Park in London (pictured)

Christian's main business is a Guernsey-based company called CPC Group (that pays tax in the UK), which looks after the lucrative property development side. Nick's is Candy Property, which concentrates on interior decor.

In court last year it was claimed this division was a fiction aimed at avoiding tax  an accusation the brothers vehemently deny.

Nick is spending a lot of time on his investment business, Candy Ventures, which takes stakes in tech companies such as augmented reality business Blippar and music firm Audioboom.

'They each have their own interests and are not working on anything together at the moment,' said one source. 'There has been no rift or sudden decision  their directions have evolved as they have grown older and found their own individual interests.'

At last year's High Court case, brought by Mark Holyoake, a room-mate of Nick's at Reading University, the relationship between the brothers was at times portrayed as extremely strained.

Holyoake is a highly controversial character with a chequered business record, including the collapse of a company with 250 million debts and a Serious Fraud Office probe, albeit the investigation was eventually dropped.

The wrangle was about a 12 million loan Holyoake had taken through the Candys that had rapidly gone bad. Holyoake alleged all manner of misconduct on their part, from heavy-duty intimidation to tax dodging, and was claiming 132 million in damages, which he alleged to be his losses at their hands.

The Candys won the case and have so far received around 5.7 million from Holyoake, but it was not an unalloyed triumph. Their names were dragged through the mud by their accuser, and the judge, Mr Justice Nugee, branded all three men as liars.

As Nick himself admitted: 'For the rest of our lives there is going to be a slight smell.'

In truth, few were interested in the rights or wrongs. What was truly riveting was the insight it gave into the lifestyle of the Candys. This was skilfully portrayed by Holyoake's lawyers as a combination of lavish luxury and showbiz connections, laced with menace and familial dysfunction.

The picture painted of the brothers by Holyoake's wife, Emma, was particularly dark. She claimed that, despite being the younger by a year, Christian was the dominant one who bullied Nick and despised his wife, Holly. Emma said Holly told her, at a 2012 party in Ibiza, Nick had been distraught about Christian's behaviour and had 'lain down in a foetal position on the floor of a hotel room and wept inconsolably'.

Often described as billionaires, it is impossible to say how rich the Candys really are because their affairs are conducted through a web of businesses. A chart supplied to the court showed they have 140 companies, many of them in tax havens.

The case has left its mark. The brothers went ahead rather than reaching a discreet settlement because they did not want to give in to what they saw as an attempted shakedown by a discredited businessman. But a year on, they are left to ponder whether that victory in court was really worth it.
Former New Jersey school superintendent Thomas Tramaglini, 42, has pleaded guilty to pooping under a high school's bleachers next to a running track

A former New Jersey school superintendent admitted that he defecated under a high school's bleachers because he suffered from a medical condition that caused him to have bowel issues while running.

Thomas Tramaglini, 42, pleaded guilty in a Holmdel municipal court for defecating in public.

He'll have to pay a $500 fine and court fees.

Authorities had accused Thomas Tramaglini of repeatedly defecating on the Holmdel High School track.

But at a municipal court hearing Wednesday, he only admitted to defecating under the high school's bleachers.

His attorney, Matthew Adams, told NJ Advance Media his client suffers from a medical condition that affects his bowel movements when he runs called 'Runners Diarrhea.' He added that the bowel movements are brought on from acute blood flow during exercise.

Adams also disputed police accounts that Tramaglini had defecated at the track on a daily basis.

He added: 'There's no evidence he was ever a serial offender. We were ready to go to trial on some of the allegations about certain dates with GPS evidence from his Garmin running watch.

Authorities had accused Thomas Tramaglini of repeatedly defecating on the Holmdel High School track

'That story needs to be told. So much went on today (in court) that flies in the face of everything, unfortunately, he's been through. He's been through hell and back. He deserves a story that tells the accurate picture.'

But at a municipal court hearing Wednesday, he only admitted to defecating under the high school's bleachers

There were three portable toilets that were 80 steps away from where the bleachers are. It is unknown whether those were unlocked at the time of the incident.

Adams asserted that his client didn't know that the toilets were there and added that he 'was not certain he would have made it even if he did (know they existed).'

The former educator lives three miles from the high school. He was caught while running to his complex, according to police.

Tramaglini was the superintendent of the Kenilworth school district before he was charged in April. He took a paid leave absence from the job that paid $147,504. He eventually resigned after reaching a separation agreement with the district.

The Aberdeen resident plans on suing the Holmdel Police Department for releasing his mugshot.
A woman in Muslim-majority Indonesia was sentenced to 18 months in jail for complaining about the volume of a mosque's call to prayer - the latest conviction under a controversial blasphemy law.

Meiliana, 44, an ethnic Chinese Buddhist, was found guilty of insulting Islam on Tuesday for asking her neighbourhood mosque to lower its sound system because it was too loud and 'hurt' her ears.

There are some 800,000 mosques across the archipelago, with the five-times-a-day call to prayer heard everywhere in the biggest cities and smallest towns.

Loudspeakers used to call the faithful to prayer are pictured atop a tower at a Jakarta mosque: a woman in Medan has landed in jail for complaining about the noise

Tuesday's verdict will likely fuel fears that Indonesia's moderate brand of Islam is coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

The court in the city of Medan on Sumatra island said the woman's comments two years ago triggered riots that saw angry Muslim mobs ransack Buddhist temples.

Some ethnic Chinese in the area fled in fear.

The defendant's lawyer said his client would appeal the decision.

Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population, is officially pluralist with six major religions recognised, including Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism. Freedom of expression is supposed to be guaranteed by law.

But criticising religion - particularly Islam, which is followed by nearly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 260 million citizens - can land offenders in jail.

Rights groups have long campaigned against the nation's blasphemy laws, which they say are frequently misused to target minorities.

Last year Jakarta's former governor - the city's first Christian leader of Chinese descent - was sentenced to two years in jail for blasphemy.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla made a plea in 2015 for places of worship to turn down the volume slightly to placate nearby residents.
Five men with connections to the Comanchero bikie gang have been found guilty of kidnapping and assaulting a meth dealer, a court heard today.

Denis Brown was kidnapped from his Perth home, assaulted with a metal pole, soaked in petrol and forced to watch five men ransack his home in a 20-hour attack over a $55,000 drug deal in August last year.

Darryl Peter Haddrill, Joshua David Joseph Bolton, Dejan Kalezic, Malcolm Theodore Ward and Kim Roy Hansen have this week been found guilty of detaining another with intent to gain a benefit and assault occasioning bodily harm.

Malcolm Theodore Ward (pictured), Darryl Peter Haddrill, Dejan Kalezic and Bolton were also found guilty of aggravated burglary

Kim Roy Hansen (pictured) and Ward allegedly played 'supporting roles' but all five men were equally responsible, prosecutors said

Haddrill, Kalezic, Ward and Bolton - who is believed to be a member of the Comancheros - were also found guilty of aggravated burglary.



Mr Brown testified that Haddrill had approached him in March 2017, requesting $55,000 worth of meth, Perth Now reports.

When Haddrill failed to pay up, the court heard that Mr Brown requested a valuable item as collateral, with Haddrill agreeing the meth dealer could take his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Prosecutors claimed that there was an agreement in place whereby Haddrill would get the drugs and his motorcycle when the $55,000 payment had been made.

However, Mr Brown never received payment and said he was awoken five months later at his Ellenbrook home by Bolton - who was wielding a crowbar - as well as another man, and thrown into the boot of a car.

Mr Brown then alleged that he was taken to a bush location where Bolton repeatedly punched him, holding a handgun behind his kneecap and demanding to know the location of the motorcycle.

The court heard that Mr Brown then directed his kidnappers to the home of his supplier in Rockingham, but when they saw he had company, they drove back to Mr Browns home in Ellenbrook.

Joshua David Joseph Bolton (pictured) was one of five men found guilty of detaining another with intent to gain a benefit and assault occasioning bodily harm - he is also believed to be a member of the Comacheros bikie gang

Having ransacked his home, the kidnappers allegedly then took Mr Brown to Bassendean where he was assaulted with a metal pole and had his leg doused in kerosene

It is understood that Mr Brown then watched as the assailants ransacked his home, before taking him to Bassendean where he was further assaulted, this time with a metal pole, and had his leg doused in kerosene.

The motorcycle was reportedly recovered later that day.

It is alleged that Haddrill also tried to get Brown's family to pay him $70,000 as punishment for messing with the wrong people and to cover damages to his motorbike.

While Bolton and Kalezic were the muscle in the attack, with Ward and Hansen playing supporting roles, prosecutors told the court that all five men were equally responsible.

The offenders will be sentenced on 13 December.
A San Francisco judge on Monday upheld a jury verdict that found Monsanto liable for not warning a groundskeeper that its weed killer product Roundup might cause cancer, but slashed the damages award.

Judge Suzanne Bolanos denied Monsanto's request for a new trial but cut the $289million damages award to $78million to comply with the law regarding how punitive damages awards must be calculated.

Jurors in August unanimously found that Monsanto acted with 'malice' and that its weed killers Roundup and the professional grade version RangerPro contributed 'substantially' to Dewayne Johnson's terminal illness.

The jury ordered Monsanto to pay $250million in punitive damages along with compensatory damages and other costs, bringing the total figure to nearly $290million.

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Jurors in August unanimously found that Monsanto acted with 'malice' and that its weed killers Roundup and the professional grade version RangerPro contributed 'substantially' to Dewayne Johnson's terminal illness. Johnson is seen above in August

The jury ordered Monsanto to pay $250million in punitive damages along with compensatory damages and other costs, bringing the total figure to nearly $290million. Johnson is seen above hugging one of his lawyers after hearing the verdict on August 10 in San Francisco

Johnson, a California groundskeeper diagnosed in 2014 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - a cancer that affects white blood cells - says he repeatedly used a professional form of Roundup while working at a school in Benicia, California

Judge Suzanne Bolanos denied Monsanto's request for a new trial but cut the $289million damages award to $78million to comply with the law regarding how punitive damages awards must be calculated

Johnson, a California groundskeeper diagnosed in 2014 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - a cancer that affects white blood cells - says he repeatedly used a professional form of Roundup while working at a school in Benicia, California.

'Although we believe a reduction in punitive damages was unwarranted and we are weighing the options, we are pleased the court did not disturb the verdict,' Johnson's lawyers said in a released statement.

'The evidence presented to this jury was, quite frankly, overwhelming.'

In her ruling, Bolanos gave Johnson the choice of accepting the lessened damages award or triggering a new trial focused on what Monsanto should pay in the case.

Johnson's lawyers told AFP they are considering which option to pursue.

'That said, today is a triumph for our legal system,' Johnson's lawyers contended, calling the judge's ruling 'an important win.'

Monsanto-parent Bayer vowed on Monday to appeal the case.

'The court's decision to reduce the punitive damage award by more than $200million is a step in the right direction,' Bayer said in response to an AFP inquiry.

Monsanto has defended the weed killer, arguing that it has a history of safe use that dates back more than 40 years

'But we continue to believe that the liability verdict and damage awards are not supported by the evidence at trial or the law and plan to file an appeal with the California Court of Appeal.'

Monsanto attorney George Lombardi argued in court earlier this month that the evidence presented at trial did not sufficiently back the verdict, and that an attorney for Johnson was wrong to urge jurors to teach the company a lesson.

In motions filed after the August verdict, Monsanto urged the judge to strip away the entire $250million punitive portion of the damages, arguing that a new trial was justified.

Johnson's lawsuit built on 2015 findings by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the UN World Health Organization, which classified Roundup's main ingredient glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, causing the state of California to follow suit.

Monsanto vice president Scott Partridge told reporters outside the courthouse the day of the verdict that 'the jury got it wrong.'

Roundup is Monsanto's leading product. Despite its denials of any links between its products and ill health effects, Monsanto has already suffered hits to its reputation in light of the controversy

Monsanto has defended the weed killer, arguing that it has a history of safe use that dates back more than 40 years.

At the time of the verdict, Johnson's attorney Brent Wisner called the ruling the 'tip of the spear' of litigation likely to come.

The lawsuit is the first to accuse the product of causing cancer, but observers say a Monsanto defeat likely opens the door to thousands of other claims against the company, which was recently acquired by Germany's Bayer.

Roundup is Monsanto's leading product.

Despite its denials of any links between its products and ill health effects, Monsanto has already suffered hits to its reputation in light of the controversy.

Records unsealed earlier this year by a federal court lent credence to Johnson's claims - internal company emails with regulators suggested Monsanto had ghostwritten research later attributed to academics.

Founded in 1901 in St Louis, Missouri, Monsanto began producing agrochemicals in the 1940s.

It was acquired by Bayer for more than $62billion in June.

Monsanto launched Roundup in 1976 and soon thereafter began genetically modifying plants, making some resistant to Roundup.
Russian President Vladimir Putin poked fun at the official seal of the United States while hosting U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser Tuesday, saying he wondered if the American eagle had plucked all the olives from the branch in its talon.

While sitting down with John Bolton at the Kremlin, Putin mentioned Trump's stated intent to pull the U.S. out of a pivotal arms control treaty.

He said Moscow also was aware of Washington's doubts about extending another landmark nuclear treaty and its plans to deploy elements of missile defense in space.

The Russian leader then referred to the Great Seal of the United States, which includes a bald eagle holding a bundle of 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch with 13 olives in another.

'I have a question: Has your eagle picked all the olives and only has arrows left?' Putin asked with a laugh.

But while underlining the differences between Russia and the U.S., Putin also emphasized the need to maintain a dialogue, saying he would be ready to meet with Trump in Paris during centenary commemorations next month marking the end of World War I.

Putin said his last meeting with Trump in Helsinki in July was useful despite their tough discussion, adding that he would be open to meet with Trump in France 'if the U.S. side is interested in such contacts.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. National security adviser John Bolton shake hands during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

Putin, left, and Bolton are seen talking during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

Putin poked fun at the official seal of the United States while hosting Trump's national security adviser Tuesday, saying he wondered if the American eagle had plucked all the olives from the branch in its talon

Bolton responded that Trump would look forward to seeing Putin in Paris on the sideline of events marking 100 years since Armistice Day, which is Nov. 11.

'Despite our differences which exist because of our different national interests, it's still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation,' Bolton said.

Bolton's Kremlin meeting with Putin followed two days of talks with top Russian foreign policy and security officials.

'Hopefully, I will have some answers for you,' he said. 'But I didn't bring any more olives.'

'That's what I thought,' Putin quipped.

The Russian leader further demonstrated his knowledge of U.S. symbols, citing the motto written on the scroll the eagle holds in its beak - 'Out of Many, One' - as reflecting the need to find common ground despite various viewpoints.

Putin and Bolton laughed as they exchanged the quips at the start of the meeting, setting an easy tone ahead of what was expected to be a tense discussion given Trump's weekend statement about abandoning the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

Speaking at a news conference after the talks with Putin, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. has been confident that Russia has violated the treaty by testing and deploying a ground-based cruise missile.

He said that the U.S. hasn't yet filed a formal notice of withdrawal from the pact and emphasized that the threat isn't the prospective U.S. pullout from the pact but 'the threat is the Russian missiles already deployed.'

He also pointed at China's massive intermediate-range capability as another key concern.

'The treaty was outmoded, being violated and being ignored by other countries,' Bolton said. 'Under that view, exactly one country was constrained by the INF Treaty - the United States.'

He scoffed at critics' claims that the U.S. pullout would be destabilizing, pointing at the U.S. pullback from another Cold War-era arms control pact - the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that was described as a cornerstone of strategic stability.

Bolton, left, gestures while speaking to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, back to a camera, during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

Bolton struck a conciliatory note Tuesday in talks in Moscow, just days after Trump vowed to pull out of a key arms control treaty with Russia

Bolton, second left, and Shoigu, right, attend the talks in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday

Bolton, left, and Russian Defense Minister Shoigu shake hands during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. U.S

'It wasn't true then, and it will not be true now with the withdrawal from this treaty,' he said.

He voiced skepticism that the treaty could be salvaged by forcing Russia to comply, pointing at Moscow's denials.

'One has to ask how you convince the Russians to come back into compliance with obligations they don't think they are violating,' he said.

Earlier Tuesday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump took 'a dangerous position' by deciding to abandon an existing nuclear weapons treaty with Russia without offering anything to replace it.

'Right now, we don't have any prospects whatsoever for a new deal,' Peskov said. 'It's important to figure out if it's possible or not.'

The treaty was signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It prohibited the U.S. and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched nuclear cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles).

China was not a party to the original agreement, and Trump argued that it should be included in the treaty.

Bolton arrives for his meeting with Russian President Putin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

Bolton, right, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday

Bolton, left, and Shoigu, attend the talks in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday. Shoigu lauded Bolton for making a two-day visit and said that 'even small steps will benefit our relations and help restore trust' between the two countries

Putin, right, speaks with Bolton during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday

Other Russian officials also emphasized the need for dialogue in their meetings with Bolton.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu lauded Bolton for making a two-day visit and said that 'even small steps will benefit our relations and help restore trust' between the two countries.

He added that Russia and the U.S. should build up their cooperation in Syria that helped to prevent major incidents in the sky or on the ground.

Bolton told Shoigu he was in Moscow to work on Trump's commitment to improve security cooperation with Russia.

'We certainly share your view that the U.S.-Russian discussions with respect to Syria have been useful, productive and professional, and we hope we can extend those conversations through a number of other ways that you mentioned, and even more,' he said.

When signed in 1987, the INF treaty was lauded as a major safeguard for global security since they eliminated shorter-range missiles that take just a few minutes to reach their targets.

The removal of such destabilizing weapons would in theory allow more time for decision-making in case of a warning of a missile attack.

The European Union warned Trump of a potential impact on European security if he decided to go ahead and leave the INF treaty.

An EU statement on Monday described the pact as an essential cornerstone of Europe's security structure, adding, 'the world doesn't need a new arms race that would benefit no one and on the contrary, would bring even more instability.'
Tesla shares jumped more than 12 per cent on Tuesday after long-time critic and short-seller Citron Research, which is led by Andrew Left, said it had a change of heart and is now betting the electric automaker's stock will rise.

The firm said in a research note that Tesla's Model 3 sedan is a 'proven hit' and serious competition from other automakers for the plug-in car market has not materialized, marking a sharp reversal from its previous stance.

Left said: 'I would not short this again. I understand that industry better and I think the company just turned the corner.'

The reversal does not necessarily signal a broader capitulation by Tesla's other short-sellers.

Tesla shares jumped more than 12 per cent on Tuesday after Citron Research short-seller, Andrew Left (left) said he had a change of heart and is now betting the Elon Musk's electric Model 3 stocks will rise

Tesla will release third-quarter earnings after the market close on Wednesday, a week earlier than it has typically reported. Pictured is the spike in Tesla shares on Tuesday

Tesla will release third-quarter earnings after the market close on Wednesday, a week earlier than it has typically reported.

Chief Executive Elon Musk has promised a Model 3 ramp-up will help make Tesla profitable in the quarter, and has said the automaker should not have to sell more shares to raise cash.

But a number of Wall Street analysts say the ramp-up, added to other production promises and debt obligations, make some sort of capital raise likely.

Citron's change of opinion came just a month after the firm sued Tesla and Musk, saying Musk fraudulently engineered his abandoned plan to take the carmaker private to 'burn' short-sellers.

The firm said it will not be withdrawing its lawsuit against Musk and Tesla.

Tesla short-sellers had been adding positions over the last week, according to Ihor Dusaniwsky of financial analytics firm S3 Partners, and the company has the second-biggest short interest behind Apple Inc.

Musk has promised a Model 3 (file image) ramp-up will help make Tesla profitable in the quarter, and has said the automaker should not have to sell more shares to raise cash

Tesla announced record quarterly car production earlier this month but warned of major problems with selling cars in China due to new tariffs.

'The numbers coming out of the company are too compelling,' Left said.

Tesla shares got another boost during mid-day trading following a tweet by Richard Pearson's Mox Reports, saying 'numbers will be blowout.'

Investors have been rattled by Musk's abrupt turnaround on his go-private plan and increasingly erratic behavior on social media.

Musk's August tweet sent shock waves through investors and shareholders when he tweeted his consideration of taking the company private once shares reached $420, causing share prices to spike before backtracking.

In September, under an agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk agreed to pay a $20million fine and step aside as Tesla's chairman for three years to settle charges that could have forced his exit from Tesla.

The company will also pay a $20million fine, despite not being charged with fraud.

On August 7 he announced he made the announcement to his 22million followers, saying he had 'funding secured'

Musk appeared to smoke marijuana live on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in September

The US Securities and Exchange Commission called Musk's August 7 tweets about financing for a deal 'false and misleading' and accused him of fraud last month.

In July, Musk called Vern Unsworth, a British diver who helped rescue the Thai soccer team after they became trapped in a cave, a 'pedo guy'.

The remark came after Unsworth said Musk's rescue plan 'had absolutely no chance of working'.

Musk and SpaceX engineers had built a small submarine and shipped it to Thailand to help with the rescue. The device wasn't used, and Unsworth called it a 'PR stunt' during a television interview.

Unsworth later filed a lawsuit against Musk, alleging that the billionaire falsely accused him on Twitter of being a pedophile.

Musk also appeared to smoke marijuana live on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in September, and his Twitter account was recently frozen amid fears he' been hacked over bizarre tweets about anime and boasting he had a pet wolverine.

'While the media has been focused on Elon Musk's eccentric, outlandish and at times offensive behavior, it has failed to notice the legitimate disruption of the auto industry that is currently being dominated by Tesla,' Citron said.
A newborn boy has been saved in south-west China after being abandoned in the bush still attached to his umbilical cord and placenta.

The naked baby was crying and shivering in the cold rain when he was spotted by a passing resident last Friday morning in the city of Nanchong, Sichuan Province, according to local reports.

Paramedics were quickly called to the site and took the child to the hospital. His condition is said to be stable and he remains hospitalised.

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Residents of Nanchong, China, wrap up the baby and hand him to paramedics (right) after finding it abandoned in the bush still attached to his umbilical cord and placenta (left)

Police have detained the suspects and are investigating the case further.

The boy was abandoned in the county of Xichong in Nanchong. According to Chengdu Business Daily, a resident discovered him after he thought he had heard a cat miaowing in the bush.

The resident went into the bush to look for the cat, but was surprised to see a baby crying instead.

An ambulance was soon called to the scene. Paramedics later told the newspaper that the baby's whole body was cold and shaking, and that his umbilical cord and placenta were still attached to him.

After the baby was taken to the Xichong People's Hospital, his blood pressure and pulse were found to be 'extremely low' and he was in a state of shock briefly, the report said.

However, the doctors did not detect any congenital disorders on the baby who was 47 centimetres (18.5 inches) long and weighed 2.68 kilograms (5.9 pounds).

A picture released by Xichong People's Hospital shows a nurse looking after the baby who has been put into an incubator. The hospital said the baby was recovering well and started to eat

Well-wishers have sent in food, clothes and nappies for the baby after hearing about the news

The medical team put the the baby into an incubator and provided him with around-the-clock care.

A police officer from the Xichong County Public Security Bureau was quoted saying that the police had identified and detained the suspects after an investigation. The officer said the suspect would be punished by law.

The Xichong People's Hospital said in a statement that the county's residents as well as the hospital's staff had sent in food, winter clothes and nappies for the baby after hearing about the news.

The hospital's staff even wrote an emotional letter to the baby expressing their care for him.

Part of the letter read: 'You have doctor daddies and nurse mummies who love you and so many uncles and aunties who care about you. So please dear, please get better soon and grow up healthily.'

The baby was recovering well and started to eat regularly, said the hospital.

According to latest statistics, around 100,000 babies are abandoned in China every year - an equivalent to more than 270 a day.

Under the Chinese criminal law, any parents who desert their children can be imprisoned for up to five years.

However in reality few of them are given punishment by the police due to a lack of law enforcement.
Despite low unemployment levels and a booming economy, 62 percent of Americans say they are no better off financially than they were two years ago, and poor people are faring the worst, according to a new survey.

More than three-quarters (78 percent) of Americans who make less than $30,000 a year say that their financial situation - including salary, savings and retirement - hasn't improved. In addition, 27 percent said it's actually worsened since President Trump took office, according to the survey of 1,001 Americans by Bankrate.

'We've seen some improvement for Americans and their finances, but there's more work to do,' Bankrate economic analyst Mark Hamrick told DailyMail.com. 'There's an incredible variation on the experience of individuals in our society and our nation.'

The more money Americans make, the more likely they were to report an improvement in their finances since Trump was elected president in 2016. This chart illustrates how people in different income brackets experienced the economic shifts in the past two years

At the same time, 54 percent of Americans earning $75,000 or more per year said they have seen their financial outlook improve since 2016, and 26 percent said their circumstances became 'much better' during that period.

'We know that the (Republican) income tax cut favored wealthier individuals so they've been reaping those dividends,' Hamrick said. 'Less so for low-wage earners. We know income inequality has been a problem for our country for some time and that has been exacerbated recently.'

That is despite unemployment reaching 3.7 percent - the lowest it's been since 1969, when just 3.5 percent of the country was jobless. In addition, Gross Domestic Product - the value of all goods and services produced in the country - increased at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, a sign of economic strength.

The problem is that income inequality remains on the rise: nationwide, the average difference between the top 1 percent of earners and everyone else is $1,047,435 - a factor of 21.4 times, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Experts at EPI point to wage stagnation, the decline of unions and the erosion of the minimum wage - coupled with higher executive compensation and tax cuts for the rich - as factors contributing to the dramatic difference between the wealthy and poor in America.

'We should be seeing workers across the board experiencing meaningful wage growth, said Heidi Shierholz, EPIs senior economist, in an interview with DailyMail.com.

'The fact that we aren't speaks to the extent to which their bargaining power has been decimated  and how rigged our economy is in favor of people at the top,' she added.

Generationally, Americans age 64 and older were most likely to say their finances have been stagnant, with 75 percent saying they've seen no improvement since 2016.

Millennials saw the biggest improvements, with 47 percent saying their finances were better off. In addition, 54 percent of older Millennials (age 28-37) said they were in a better position financially.

In addition, men were more likely to experience financial gains in the past two years, with 44 percent saying they were better off, compared to 32 percent of women.

Overall, among those Americans who have seen their finances stagnate, nearly one in three blames Trump and/or Republicans in Congress, while 42 percent of those who say they have experienced an improvement give credit to both the president and Congress.

Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to report that their financial circumstances have improved under President Trump

A majority (60 percent) of Republicans say they are better off since Trump took office, while 40 percent said they doing the same or worse - and 26 percent blame the president or Congress.

Meanwhile, 71 percent of Democrats saw no improvement in their financial circumstances, and 23 percent say things have gotten worse.

Hamrick said it could take time for more Americans to feel the effects of economic improvements of the past two years, including the decrease in unemployment and a strong stock market.

However, some Americans will ultimately be left behind.

'There inevitably will be some people who do not achieve financial success,' he said. 'There's going to be some magnitude of a permanent underclass.'

He suggested that Americans focus on boosting their retirement contributions and making responsible financial decisions while the economy is strong.

'We don't know when the economic expansion will end but we do know it will end,' he said. 'No matter what the volatility of the political environment or financial markets, our advice to Americans is that now is the time to focus on  making savings a priority for both retirement and emergencies.'
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When a wide-eyed Duke and Duchess of Sussex greeted cheering crowds from the palatial balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel in Fiji's capital on Tuesday night, it seemed like a moment of historic proportions.

But for long-time Royal watchers the scene was eerily familiar, a throwback even, to a similar sight 65 years ago when the prince's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, completed the very same act.

Though much has changed for the Royals in the intervening years, the Grand Pacific Hotel has retained much of its Fijian charm - and Royal ties - which now run deeper than ever.

Today, guests are treated to the 'best of old world charms, South Pacific hospitality and contemporary service' at the five-star ocean-side accommodation, which first opened in 1914.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are staying at the historic Grand Pacific Hotel in Fiji's capital, Suva, for the duration of their visit to the South Pacific nation

Today, guests are treated to the 'best of old world charms, South Pacific hospitality and contemporary service' at the five-star ocean-side accommodation, which first opened in 1914

Lauded on its website as an 'icon of the South Pacific', the hotel's design appears to have drawn complete inspiration from its colonial glory days while providing guests with modern luxuries and personable service

Inside guests are spoiled for choice with six dining venues, a full-service spa, fitness club, oversize outdoor pool and a range of private lounges and old-world spaces to unwind in after a long day on the island paradise

Lauded on its website as an 'icon of the South Pacific', the hotel's design appears to have drawn complete inspiration from its colonial glory days while providing guests with modern luxuries and personable service.

Hallmarked by a wraparound verandah and perfectly manicured lawns, the hotel is positioned near the heart of Suva, the Fiji's largest city, and is just a short stroll to the area's beaches.

Inside guests are spoiled for choice with six dining venues, a full-service spa, fitness club, oversize outdoor pool and a range of private lounges and old-world spaces to unwind in after a long day on the island paradise.

In total, it houses 103 guest rooms and a further ten rooms and suites in the National Trust listed Heritage building.

Hallmarked by a wraparound verandah and perfectly manicured lawns, the hotel is positioned near the heart of Suva, the Fiji's largest city, and is just a short stroll to the area's beaches

In total, it houses 103 guest rooms and a further ten rooms and suites in the National Trust listed Heritage building

'This visit is particularly nostalgic for us as a young married couplemy grandparents stayed in this very hotel, the Grand Pacific, a number of times over the years,' Prince Harry said of his visit to the hotel

It is believed the Duke and Duchess will stay at the appropriately named Royal Suite which has hosted members of the British Royal family and global society's elite since soon after the turn of the 20th Century.

The room overlooks the hotel's grounds and across to Suva Harbour and is the Grand Pacific's most decadent - and expensive - room, setting punters back $1376 (AUD) or 751 per night.

However it is complete with a private verandah, a spacious living and dining area, and a bathroom fitted with a Jacuzzi  the regal suite is ideally designed for relaxing after a busy day of engagements.

For those not willing to part with as much cash as the Royal pair, other five-star options are available including the Queen Elizabeth room, aptly named after the prince's grandmother.

It is believed the Duke and Duchess will stay at the appropriately named Royal Suite which has hosted members of the British Royal family and global society's elite since soon after the turn of the 20th Century

Recalling his grandparents' famous visit almost 65 years ago, Prince Harry expressed excitement at having the chance of his own stay at the Grand Pacific as a newlywed

This choice would set Harry and Meghan back nearly $1000 (AUD) or 542 for each night of their stay, but overlooks Albert Park and has been redecorated to feature photographs and memorabilia from the Queen and Prince Philip's first visit in 1953.

Recalling his grandparents' famous visit almost 65 years ago, Prince Harry expressed excitement at having the chance of his own stay at the Grand Pacific as a newlywed.

'This visit is particularly nostalgic for us as a young married couplemy grandparents stayed in this very hotel, the Grand Pacific, a number of times over the years,' he said.

When a wide-eyed Duke and Duchess of Sussex greeted cheering crowds from the palatial balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel it seemed like a moment of historic proportions, but it was eerily similar to his grandparents' visit in 1953

The newlyweds are currently on a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific which will see them crisscross between 76 engagements throughout the region

Prince Harry is the fourth generation of his family to stay at the Grand Pacific, beginning with his great-grandfather King George VI who enjoyed a stay with the future Queen Mother in 1927 (pictured)

'As you know, Fiji has a long tradition of welcoming royal visitors over the years and our two countries have enjoyed a close relationship and friendship.

'We share Commonwealth values and common goals  a love of rugby and a sense of humor! Our ties run deep.'

In fact, Prince Harry is the fourth generation of his family to stay at the Grand Pacific, beginning with his great-grandfather King George VI who enjoyed a stay with the future Queen Mother in 1927.

The Royal couple were the guests of honour at a state reception hosted by the President of Fiji at the Grand Pacific Hotel on Tuesday night

However, the most famous Royal moment came just months after her coronation, when a young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip took to the Grand Pacific's balcony to greet crowds of excited Fijians during a ball held in her honour.

The greeting marked a landmark moment in the then-new monarch's relationship with the people of the far flung island nation, which has been part of the British Empire in 1874 - and became later a member of the Commonwealth in 1970.

Since then, the Grand Pacific Hotel has played host to the Monarch twice more, in 1977 and 1982, Prince Charles for a state dinner in 1970, Prince Andrew in 1998 and had Princess Anne as its most recent royal visitor in 2006.
Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for the Florida governorship, holds a continued lead in state polling  but now faces the twin perils of racist robo-calling and revelations he accepted 'Hamilton' tickets from an undercover agent.

Gillum opened up a 6-point lead over Republican Trump backer Rep. Ron DeSantis in the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

He leads DeSantis by 52 to 46 per cent, and has led in every pre-election poll in the state  although he held a 9-point margin in the same poll in late September, and his negative ratings have been rising.

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis (L), shakes hands with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum after a CNN debate in Tampa, Florida, U.S., October 21, 2018. Photo taken October 21, 2018. DeSantis, a Donald Trump ally, brought up the issue of 'Hamilton' tickets in a televised debate

He holds about a 5 point lead in a RealClearPolitics polling average.

But now Gillum faces a new challenge with documents that reveal he accepted 'Hamilton' tickets from an undercover FBI agent conducting a sting operation.

He took the tickets after an offer from lobbyist and friend Adam Corey, who in an email mentioned another man, Mike Miller, who is believed to be the agent.

'Just checking in with you. Mike Miller and the crew have tickets for us for Hamilton tonight at 8 p.m.,' Corey texted Gillum in August, Politico reported.

DeSantis used the issue and reports he took a trip with the lobbyist to bash Gillum in a televised debate, and the Tallahassee mayor slapped back.

'The question is, did you pay for the 'Hamilton' ticket, or did the undercover FBI agent pay for the 'Hamilton' ticket?' DeSantis asked him.

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum leads by 6 points in a new Florida Governor poll

Gillum would be the first black governor in a state that has seen racial tensions

Documents show Gillum accepted tickets to see Hamilton from an under cover FBI agent after a friend and lobbyist said they were available

'I didn't take free trips from anybody,' Gillum hit back, without answering directly. 'I'm a hardworking person. I know that may not fit your description of what you think people like me do. But I've worked hard for everything that I've gotten in my life, and I don't need anybody handing me anything for free.'

Gillum told NBC's 'Meet the Press Daily' on Tuesday: 'Todays news was no news for us at all. I always knew that if we were able to connect in New York, we would go and see Hamilton. When I got to the theatre, my brother handed me the ticket.'

He continued: 'The idea that I accepted a gift never came to me. What Ive tried to do throughout this whole process is be as open and transparent as I possibly can be. I understand that my opponent is attempting as best he can to muddy the waters here.'

Gillum, who would be the first black governor of Florida if elected, also has been the subject of racist robocalls.

On the calls, someone pretends to be Gillum and uses a minstrel dialect, calling himself a 'negro.'

'Well hello there. I is the negro Andrew Gillum and I'll be askin' you to make me governor of this here state of Florida,' the voice says on the call.

'My state opponent, who done call me monkey, is doin' a lot of hollerin' about how 'spensive my plans for health care be,' it continues.

'These disgusting, abhorrent robocalls represent a continuation of the ugliest, most divisive campaign in Florida's history,' a Gillum spokesman said in a statement, NBC reported. 'We would hope that these calls, and the dangerous people who are behind them, are not given any more attention than they already have been.'

The call says it was paid for by a white supremacist website out of Idaho.
The founder of far-right conservative men's activist group 'Proud Boys' is set to tour Australia next month.

Comedian and co-founder of VICE magazine turned right wing commentator Gavin McInnes, 48, will tour the nation from November 2 to 11.

Mr McInnes, who describes himself as a 'western chauvinist libertarian' has been labelled by critics as sexist, racist and as a white supremacist.

Comedian and co-founder of VICE magazine turned right wing commentator and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, 48 (pictured), will tour the nation from November 2 to 11

Mr McInnes (centre), who describes himself as a 'libertarian' but prefers the term 'New Right' to 'alt-right' has been labelled by critics as sexist, racist and white supremacist

He is the latest far-righter to be promoted by pornographer Damien Costas and will travel to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide for speaking events.

Mr Costas was responsible for the tours of US right-winger Milo Yiannopoulos last year and former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage earlier this year.

According to the promoters, Mr McInnes is 'known for his raucous and irreverent take on the world and controversial, no-holds-barred opinions'.

The 48-year-old shot to fame in the early nineties as a co-founder of VICE, but after leaving the magazine, he became more well-known for his political commentary.

He frequently appeared on Fox News and TheBlaze - an American conservative news network - and is a former contributor to Canadian right-wing channel Rebel Media.

'Funny as he is controversial, he's famous for his use of humour and satire to lampoon the excesses of political correctness,' the promoter's website states.

Mr McInnes (pictured), who describes himself as a 'libertarian' but prefers the term 'New Right' to 'alt-right' has been labelled by critics as sexist, racist and white supremacist

Mr McInnes (centre) shot to fame in the early nineties as a co-founder of VICE, but after leaving the magazine, he became more well-known for his political commentary

Mr McInnes has referred to himself as a 'western chauvinist' and started the men's club 'Proud Boys' who swear their allegiance to this cause, news.com.au reported.

According to their website, The Proud Boys' values centre on minimal government, maximum freedom, anti-political correctness, anti-drug war, closed borders, ant-racial guilt, anti-racism, pro-free speech, and pro-gun rights to name a few.

The Proud Boys' passionate views have even seen some of its members get caught up in street violent brawls with left-wing Antifa activists, news.com.au reported.

In August, Mr McInnes and his club were banned from Twitter for being 'violent extremists' ahead of the 'Unite the Right' neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville in the US.

Damien Costas was responsible for the tours of US right-winger Milo Yiannopoulos last year and former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage earlier this year

Mr Costas, who organised Nigel Farage's (pictured) tour, is currently dealing with the financial fallout from his previous tours with Sydney publicist Max Markson

While McInnes has denied support of the rally and its organiser Jason Kessler, he previously said Mr Kessler was thrown out of the Proud Boys for his 'racist views'.

Mr Costas said any allegations that Mr Mcinnes was a 'white supremacist' were 'nonsense', news.com.au previously reported.

'These people are not white supremacists, they're western supremacists, they believe in the great values that built the western world,' Mr Costas said.

'Free speech is the cornerstone of western civilisation.'

Mr Costas said words such as 'Nazi' and 'fascist' were often misappropriated and reappropriated by some members of the public to shut down debate.

He said while it's far easier to shut down debate than argue it out, free speech is a minority group's 'greatest ally' against oppression.

'Handing over free speech to the state to determine what's offensive and what's not, or to the left in general, is the biggest slippery slope we could ever hope to go down,' Mr Costas said.

Mr Costas is currently dealing with the financial fallout from his previous tours with Sydney publicist Max Markson, The Australian Reported.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has refused to comment on whether he would block the entry of Mr McInnes into Australia,
Thieves have stolen a memorial plaque for a 17-year-old surfer mauled to death by a great white shark.

Laeticia Brouwer was surfing while on holiday with her family in Esperance, Western Australia in 2017 when she was killed.

A memorial plaque was displayed at a look-out point on Singleton Beach just south of Perth, but all that is now left are a couple of screws that held it in place.

A memorial plaque for a 17-year-old surfer girl who was mauled to death by a great white shark has been stolen by heartless thugs

The plaque was fashioned out of wood and read: 'Welcome to Teeshs Circle'.

The area was one of the teens favourite spots. Her family, friends and local community built a 360 degree seated viewing platform in her memory.

The plaque is understood to have been either stolen or torn from the fence and discarded, Perth Now reports.

Laeticia Brouwer (pictured) suffered fatal injuries when a shark bit into her leg while surfing on holiday with her family in Esperance in 2017

Her memorial plaque was was displayed at a look-out point on Singleton Beach just south of Perth, but all that is now left are a couple of screws that held it in place

Laeticias family have described the senseless act of vandalism as disappointing.

The teenager and her father Leon took to the waves at the popular Wylie Bay in April last year.

A great white shark attacked Laeticia just 200 metres offshore, and although her father managed to carry her ashore on his own surfboard, she could not be saved.

'It wasn't the 100 mile an hour attack that people think you may witness; this was quite slow and when it actually, yeah, when it went into gear after that, it was a totally different story,' Mr Brouwer said at the time.

Laeticias family have described the senseless act of vandalism as disappointing

There have been 11 shark encounters in Western Australia, seven of which resulted in injury, as of April this year according to authorities.

The Brouwer family has been campaigning for better shark safety since their daughter's death.

'There's no way I would have let Leon and Laeticia get in the water if there was a sign at the front saying there's been a shark sighting today,' Mrs Brouwer said afterwards.

The parents have been visiting local schools to launch the Laeticia Scholarship with Surfing WA, which will be rolled out every summer, to teach young children how to be water smart.
A woman who was impregnated by a church preacher after he raped her in a park has been consumed with suicidal thoughts since the horrific incident.

Lensard Tambanemoto, 39, was a student, father and an active member of a church who took part in 'preaching' when he raped a young woman in a Western Sydney park after they studied together at a library.

The victim revealed in an impact statement, which was read out in court on her behalf, that she still suffers from flashbacks and debilitating anxiety from the 2014 incident, The Daily Telegraph reported.

In August Tambanemoto was found guilty by a jury of sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault following a trial at Downing Centre District Court (pictured)

The victim had been waiting at the Bankstown train station (pictured) when Tambanemoto started a conversation with her

She had suicidal thoughts in the lead-up to the trial, the court was told during the sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

Those thoughts still consume her, according to the statement.

'I self-harmed, engaged in extremely reckless behaviour and constantly thought of committing suicide. I still do.

'Even now I feel depressed, especially when I have flashbacks or can't be intimate without feeling uncomfortable or afraid.'

She was just 20 when she was waiting at Bankstown train station and Tambanemoto started a conversation with her.

They talked through Facebook Messenger for four days before they decided to meet at a library.

As they walked home they stopped at a park, where she was raped.

Crown Prosecutor Tarik Abdulhak said the victim said no many times.

The victim still suffers from flashbacks and destabilising anxiety after she was raped in a Western Sydney park in 2014 (stock image)

The victim fell pregnant from the rape and decided to have an abortion, which she felt guilty over.

'The pain of having an abortion has affected me tremendously, I still get very depressed on the anniversary of the abortion and on Mother's Day because I developed a strong bond with the child despite going through with the abortion,' she said.

In August Tambanemoto was found guilty by a jury of sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault following a trial at Downing Centre District Court.

He will be sentenced next month and faces up to 14 years behind bars.

His legal team intends to appeal the jury decision.
More than 3,300 asylum seekers travelling on 33 boats have been stopped from landing on Australia's shores in the past five years.

The asylum seekers were discovered by Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB), which has stopped about 80 people-smuggling attempts since September 2013.

The 'threat of people-smuggling has certainly not gone away,' Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told parliament.

Australian authorities have turned back over 3,300 asylum seekers in 33 boats within the last five years (pictured are asylum seekers arriving at Christmas Island)

Mr Dutton said the government has been alerted to several people-smuggling attempts from countries in Asia and the Middle East.

More than 600 people-smuggling arrests made overseas in the past five years have involved Australian authorities with about 500 occurring in Sri Lanka.

Additional arrests were made in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand.

Mr Dutton informed parliament on Tuesday of mounting government pressure to place a lifetime ban on refugees (pictures are detainees on Manus Island)

Mr Dutton told parliament on Tuesday of mounting government pressure to place a lifetime ban on refugees.

The proposed ban would stop any asylum seekers on Nauru or Manus Island, who arrived after July 2013, from ever being granted a visa to come to Australia.

The ban, referred to as the 'lifetime visa ban', would also stop refugees from entering on a business or tourist visa.

Operation Sovereign Borders have prevented nearly 80 people-smuggling attempts into Australia

The Labor party said it would support the move if the government agreed to resettle asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus in New Zealand.

The Opposition sent a proposal to Immigration Minister David Coleman on Monday night with amendments to the lifetime ban.

The amendments would limit the ban only to those refugees resettled in New Zealand who attempted to move to enter Australia as a permanent resident.

This means resettled refugees could still enter Australia on a tourist or business visa.

But the government wants to ensure refugees in Australia who are resettled in New Zealand aren't given a 'back door' entry to enter back into the country.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Labor's deal would undermine the United State's offer to take up to 1250 refugees.

'You don't horse-trade on border protection. You don't do it,' he said.
Aussies at a major university will get paid while undergoing gender reassignment surgery in an Australian first initiative.

The staff of Deakin University will be given just as many days of paid leave to change their gender as they would if their partner has a baby.

Up to ten days of paid leave has been announced by the university just a day after plans for the entire removal of gender from birth certificates.

Aspiring to be the leading LGBTIQ+ inclusive educator and employer, Deakin is allowing the leave to be used at the staff members discretion.

Deakin University will provide up to ten days of paid leave to any of its employees undertaking a gender reassignment in an Australian first initiative

Deakin University adopts the best practices for diversity and inclusion strategies for LGBTIQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer plus) students and staff.

The 4,700 employees of the Victorian university will learn of the new entitlements on Tuesday.

Chief operating officer Kean Selway told the Geelong Advertiser: 'Under Deakin's existing leave provisions, all staff experiencing exceptionally difficult personal circumstances can, with the support of management, apply for 'special leave' directly to the Vice-Chancellor.'

Deakin launched its LGBTIQ+ 2017-2020 Plan in 2017 and has already started rolling out initiatives to support the inclusion and well being of it's LGBTIQ+ community members.

Deakin launched its LGBTIQ+ 2017-2020 Plan in 2017 and has already started rolling out initiatives to support the inclusion and well being of it's LGBTIQ+ community members

'The paid leave is backed by a new gender transition policy which provides security and clarity around the process for Deakin staff who are undergoing a gender transition,' Mr Selway said.

'Fostering a genuinely inclusive environment affords all our staff and students a sense of belonging and an equal chance of success whether it be through study or work.'

According to the institute's gender transition procedure, effective from October 19 2018, Deakin will also offer students wishing to undergo sex transition surgery a gender transition plan.

According to the institute's gender transition procedure, effective from October 19 2018, Deakin will also offer students wishing to undergo sex transition surgery a gender transition plan

Transitioning students will be given communication assistance, alternative assessment arrangements, longer library loan periods and off-campus library services.

While the university offers assistance for name changes and other related needs, Tasmania is on the verge of abolishing gender from birth certificates all together.

The vote is expected in Tasmania's lower house next month as both Labor and the Greens seek to completely remove gender from birth certificates.

While the university offers assistance for name changes and other related needs, Tasmania is on the verge of abolishing gender from birth certificates all together

In further amendments, trans people will no longer need to have transition surgery before switching gender on official documents.

The Australian Christian Lobby told The Australian the bill was 'essentially abolishing gender, and 'homogenising humanity'.

'If you are legally a transgender woman, even if you have a penis you can go wherever you want in terms of women's safe spaces,' a spokesman said.
A fuel trucker has died after crashing into a cow while driving in Oregon on Monday night.

Charles Stephens, 59, was driving westbound on Hwy 38 at approximately 9.45pm on Monday when he hit a black cow.

The Eugene man had been driving a 2012 Kenworth truck and was towing fuel tanks at the time, according to KCBY.

Charles Stephens, 59, was driving westbound on Hwy 38 at approximately 9.45pm on Monday, when he hit a black cow

Stephens lost control of his vehicle and struck a power pole. He sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The cow also died.

At the time of the crash, the tanker was carrying 7,500 gallons of gasoline and 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel. It is unknown how leaked.

Clean-up crews reported to the scene and were assisted by Hazmat crews in identifying the environmental impact.

The highway was closed throughout Tuesday morning as the spill was contained.

A single lane was opened at Burchard Creek and was assisted by flaggers.

Power was also knocked out for more than 400 Douglas Electric Cooperative consumers.

The electric company said that power was restored by Tuesday afternoon.
The First Lady and Secretary of Education spent Tuesday winding down in the White House theater for a movie with sixth graders and their teachers.

The movie screening was part of Melania Trump's 'Be Best' initiative and held for Bullying Prevention Month.

Melania invited students and teachers from Washington DC's Digital Pioneers Academy to join her and Betsy DeVos for a screening of the film Wonder.

Photos from the event show the two women sitting front and center in the theater, while rows of eager students watch the screen.

Melania Trump hosted sixth graders at the White House family theater Tuesday

They screened the anti-bullying movie 'Wonder' as part of her 'Be Best' initiative

Melania Trump (right), with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (left), welcomed a group of 6th graders to the White House theater for a screening of 'Wonder'

The 2017 film Wonder, starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, is a movie about a young boy with a facial deformity who is bullied at school.

The film was chosen because of its message of kindness and anti-bullying

Melania tweeted her thanks after the screening.

'Thank you to the students & teachers from @DPApcs who joined me $ @BetsyDeVosED to watch the movie #Wonder in the @WhiteHouse theater today,' she wrote.

'What a wonderful message! #BeBest #BullyingPreventionMonth #ChooseKind.'

The film was chosen because of its message of kindness and screened as part of her anti-bullying campaign - even as her office pushed back against one of the first lady's own critics on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, Andy Lassner, the executive producer for Ellen DeGeneres' television show, tweeted that he was more afraid of 'another Melania' entering the United States than any of the thousands of Central Americans walking in a caravan toward the U.S. border.

The First Lady tweeted her thanks after the event

She invited students and teachers from Washington DC's Digital Pioneers Academy to join her and Betsy DeVos for a screening of the film

First lady Melania Trump, followed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos enter the White House Family Theater

The first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, replied online, saying Mrs. Trump was hosting children at the White House to talk about kindness. 'Should I save you a seat?' Grisham asked Lassner in a tweet.

Kindness indeed was the message the first lady imparted to the students who joined her for a screening of the movie.

Kindness is a core belief of her Be Best campaign, which focuses on social media and online behavior.

'As you know October is National Bullying Prevention Month,' she told the students from the Digital Pioneers Academy, a new computer science charter school in southeast Washington, D.C.

'I encourage everybody to be kind to each other - treat each other with respect in everyday life and on social media,' she said.

The Ellen Show producer tweeted earlier in the day about the first lady and the caravan of migrants

The first lady's communication's director Stephanie Grisham tweeted an invite to Andy Lassner, a producer with the 'Ellen Show,' to attend the screening
A Florida man has died during his own bachelor party after he fell on a cruise ship that was headed to the Bahamas.

Christopher McGrory, 29, was celebrating his upcoming December 1 wedding when he tragically fell to his death aboard a Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line ship.

McGrory was a passenger on the cruise liner's 1,680-passenger Grand Classica ship, which set off from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport in the Bahamas on Friday.

The boat was 13 miles east of the port when the US Coast Guard received a call for help around 8pm and arrived with a crew from the Riviera Beach Fire-Rescue.

Christopher McGrory, 29, (pictured with fiancee Jessica Arnett) was celebrating at his bachelor party when he fell to his death aboard a Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line ship in Florida

McGrory was a passenger on the cruise liner's 1,680-passenger Grand Classica ship, which set off from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport in the Bahamas on Friday

McGrory was brought to shore and taken to St Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was pronounced dead.

Marcia Lehmann, a passenger on the ship, said she thought someone had a heart attack when she first heard the 'code blue' alert over the intercom.

Then, as a crowd of people gathered around a stairway, she looked down to a horrifying sight.

'All we could see was pools and pools of blood and a white sheet,' she told The Palm Beach Post.

'He fell above us, so it had to have been either the 10th or 11th deck.'

The boat (pictured in file photo) was 13 miles east of the port when the US Coast Guard received a call for help around 8pm and arrived with a crew from the Riviera Beach Fire-Rescue

McGrory was brought to shore and taken to St Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was pronounced dead

McGrory - who worked as an analyst for Wells Fargo - was engaged to be married to Jessica Arnett, who he met four years ago in Tallahassee

Arnett wrote a heartbreaking tribute to her fiance on Monday, calling him her 'true love'

McGrory - who worked as an analyst for Wells Fargo - was engaged to be married to Jessica Arnett, who he met four years ago in Tallahassee.

Arnett wrote a heartbreaking tribute to her fiance on Monday.

The Coast Guard said it will not release any information about what happened on the ship while the investigation is ongoing

'With a heavy, heavy broken heart, it kills me to write this as it all seems surreal,' she wrote on Facebook.

'But I should tell you all my sweet sweet Chris was in a tragic accident and has passed away.'

'I'm at a loss for words. That man was my true love and my best friend. Please keep us all in your prayers.'

Arnett's grandmother Jean said McGrory was 'the love of her life'.

The couple had planned to marry in Yulee, where Arnett was raised, she told the Palm Beach Post.

Jean does not know what happened at the bachelor party.

She said one member in attendance was McGrory's brother.

The Coast Guard said it will not release any information about what happened on the ship while the investigation is ongoing.

Arnett's grandmother Jean said McGrory was 'the love of her life' and that she was absolutely devastated by his death

A spokesman for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line would only say that the Coast Guard evacuated a passenger 'due to a medical emergency'.

The boat continued to Grand Bahama Island following the tragic accident.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to the guest's family at this time,' the cruise line's statement read.

'We commend the crew and US Coast Guard for their swift response.'
The owner of a luxury car has found a way to taunt police - by registering his vehicle in another state.

The brand new Mercedes Benz AMG E63 sedan with FK RPTR number plates was spotted in southwest Sydney this week.

The plate appears to be a dig at the NSW Police anti-bikie unit Strike Force Raptor, and police were looking into whether it was linked to a Comancheros member.

But because number plates taunting police are banned in NSW, the car has been registered in Queensland.

The brand new Mercedes Benz AMG E63 sedan with FK RPTR number plates was spotted in southwest Sydney this week

Police cannot seize plates mocking them, but can ask NSW Roads and Maritime Services to declare them 'unsuitable'.

The plates would then be cancelled and the owners given three to 14 days to return them, or face having the vehicle's registration suspended.

RMS has the power to cancel any plates it considers 'offensive or provocative'.

Dozens of plates have been seized since police started cracking down in 2013, including two which included 'MEOCS' - which was in reference to the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad.

The cars came to police attention when they were seen parked near where a man linked to the Brothers 4 Life gang was shot dead.

Daily Mail Australia contacted NSW and Queensland police to ask if they were aware of the plates and planned to do anything about them.
A six-year-old girl with Down syndrome was subjected to a disgusting verbal tirade on board a Qantas flight on Friday, bringing another disabled passenger to tears.

The flight from Sydney to Port Macquarie was delayed for three hours after a man in his 60s began abusing the child after complaining about having to sit next to her.

The vile outburst prompted horrified reactions from passengers, including Jackie, 52, who also has Down syndrome.

She said the incident left her 'reduced to tears'.

Infuriated 2GB radio host Ray Hadley has since called for the passenger be banned from flying for life.

'What sort of bloke, what sort of adult, targets a child with Down Syndrome or another lady with Down syndrome, and uses this sort of language?' Mr Hadley said.

'What a grubby person he must be.'

Sitting nearby during a vile outburst on a flight from Sydney to Port Macquarie was Jackie (pictured), 52, who also has Down syndrome

The flight was delayed for three hours on Friday after a man in his 60s began abusing the child because she was sitting next to him (stock image)

After the flight was delayed, the man was removed from the aircraft.

Jackie, who was travelling to Port Macquarie to meet her sister-in-law Jenny, called Mr Hadley this week to thank him for his support.

'I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being so passionate,' Jenny said.

Mr Hadley said he was going to send a text message to Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce and request the man be banned from flying for life.

2GB radio host Ray Hadley (pictured) has demanded the passenger be banned from flying for life

'You can't have creatures like this insulting six-year-old children with Down syndrome and beautiful people like Jackie... inconsiderate b*****d that he is,' Mr Hadley said.

A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the incident had taken place.

'We do not tolerate anti-social behaviour onboard and the gentleman was removed from the flight,' the spokesperson told 2GB.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.
In the closing stretch of the 2018 campaign, the question is no longer the size of the Democratic wave. It's whether there will be a wave at all.

Top operatives in both political parties concede that Democrats' narrow path to the Senate majority has essentially disappeared, a casualty of surging Republican enthusiasm across GOP strongholds. At the same time, leading Democrats now fear the battle for the House majority will be decided by just a handful of seats.

'It's always been an inside straight, and it still is,' Democratic pollster Paul Maslin said of Democrats' outlook in the Senate, where they need to pick up two seats while holding on to several others in Republican-leaning states to seize the majority. 'If it had been a different year, with a different map, we might have had a terrific sweep. That would be a long shot.'

While the trend may be troubling for Democrats, the evolving political landscape remains unsettled two weeks before Election Day, even with millions of votes already cast across 20 states.

Personal bump: Republican candidates locked in tight races from New York to Nevada find themselves in stronger-than-expected positions because of a bump in President Donald Trump's popularity, the aftermath of a divisive Supreme Court fight and the sudden focus on a caravan of Latin American migrants making an arduous trek toward the U.S. border

October surprise: The sudden appearance of the immigrant caravan in Honduras, which has now made its way to Mexico, has boosted Republicans

Early voting: Ballots are being cast across the country, including in Charlotte, N.C.

There are signs that the Democrats' position in the expanding House battlefield may actually be improving.

Yet Republican candidates locked in tight races from New York to Nevada find themselves in stronger-than-expected positions because of a bump in President Donald Trump's popularity, the aftermath of a divisive Supreme Court fight and the sudden focus on a caravan of Latin American migrants making an arduous trek toward the U.S. border.

Democrats say they never assumed it would be easy.

'It's still much closer than people think, with a surprise or two in the wings,' New York's Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, told The Associated Press.

The midterm elections will decide whether Republicans maintain control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's first term.

Even if Democrats lose the Senate and win the House, they could block much of Trump's agenda and use subpoena power to investigate his many scandals.

Some in the party's far-left wing have also vowed to impeach the president, while others promise to roll back the Republican tax overhaul and expand health care coverage for all Americans.

Democrats have enjoyed an overwhelming enthusiasm advantage for much of the Trump era. They hope an explosion of early voting across states like Florida, Texas and Nevada is further proof of their enthusiasm gap.

It took voters in the Houston area less than six hours Monday to set a new opening day record for early voting during a midterm election.

And in some Florida counties, two and three times as many voters cast ballots on the first day of early voting Monday compared to four years ago.

Public and private polling, however, suggests the GOP is getting more excited as Nov. 6 approaches.

'Republican enthusiasm doesn't quite equal the white-hot enthusiasm of Democratic voters, but the Kavanaugh hearings got it pretty close,' said GOP consultant Whit Ayres.

He also attributes the party's strong position on an unusual Senate map. Democrats are defending 26 seats of the 35 seats in play, including 10 in states that Trump carried in 2016. Ayres calls it 'maybe the most Republican-leaning map of our lifetimes.'

He expects the GOP to maintain the Senate majority, perhaps adding a seat or two to its current 51-49 edge. Others have begun to envision the GOP picking up as many as four or five new seats.

Democrats, meanwhile, have effectively protected their Senate candidates in states across the Midwest - Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin - that helped give Trump the presidency in 2016. They are increasingly pessimistic about picking up any seats, however.

On the edge: Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota's Democratic senator, is the most vulnerable of the party's members of the upper chamber

The Tennessee Senate contest, in particular, has shifted sharply in Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn's direction in recent weeks, while Democratic pickup opportunities in Arizona and Nevada are now considered toss-ups. In a measure of the deep uncertainty that has defined the Trump era, only one Democratic incumbent - North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp - is seen as most in danger of losing.

After Heitkamp, Democrats facing the greatest risk of defeat are Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, and perhaps Bill Nelson of Florida.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke has shattered fundraising records and developed a national following, but polls have consistently given Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a significant lead against him.

In the race for the House, both sides acknowledge the prospect of a wipeout-style wave is shrinking.

It's not that Democrats won't be able to wrestle the House majority. But Republican lawmakers are increasingly optimistic, in part because of Trump's recent performance as the GOP's campaigner in chief.

Republicans say the often-volatile president has been surprisingly on-message during his campaign events, touting the strong economy and doubling down on the Kavanaugh fight to promote his efforts to fill courts with conservative jurists.

And while Trump has been criticized by members of his own party for his handling of the case of the death of a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, operatives say the matter appears to be having little impact on voters.

On a conference call last week, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., urged rank-and-file lawmakers to pony up extra cash and help for tough races. They see hopeful signs in Iowa, Florida and Kansas.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., emerged from the call saying it's going to be a 'dogfight' to the finish.

There are signs, however, that Democrats are expanding the House battlefield as Election Day approaches.

Republicans in recent days have pumped new money into House districts held by Republicans in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and New York, suggesting they're on the defensive. Already, Democrats invested in nearly 80 races, including more than a dozen legitimate pickup opportunities in districts Trump carried by at least 9 points.

Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to claim the House majority.

The massive battlefield remains a problem for Republicans, who have struggled to match Democratic fundraising and face several first-time candidates not yet tainted by Washington.

Still, Dan Sena, the executive director of the House Democrats campaign arm, recently predicted Democrats would win the majority by only two seats.

The Republican shift is not playing out as planned.

The GOP hoped its tax cuts would fuel their midterm message. After they proved unpopular, Republicans largely abandoned their most significant policy achievement in the Trump era in favor of a more familiar message of anger and fear.

The super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, which is expected to spend $100 million before Election Day - most of it on attack ads - highlighted the shifting landscape in a memo to donors.

'The polling momentum that began with the Supreme Court confirmation hearings has continued, and the environment has continued to improve,' wrote Corry Bliss, executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund. Still, he wrote, '20 races that will decide the majority remain a coin-flip.'
A man arrested after being pulled from the wreckage of a house explosion 'blew up the home he shared with his ex-wife' after losing a messy divorce battle, it was claimed today.

Neighbours were horrified when the semi-detached house in Poole, Dorset blew up just before 2pm on Monday.

Firefighters and paramedics rushed to the property, which had been divided into two flats, to find a 66-year-old man seriously injured on the top floor and a woman in her sixties with minor injuries in the apartment below.

Neighbours were horrified when the semi-detached house in Poole, Dorset blew up just before 2pm yesterday

Police investigating the incident later arrested the 66-year-old who lives in the top floor flat. Neighbours today claimed Ian Clowes may have blown up the house after he lost a messy divorce battle with his wife, who lived in the flat below

The man, named locally as Ian Clowes, was taken to hospital where he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life.

Today his neighbours speculated that he may have blown the house up with him and his wife Elaine inside because she had won a legal battle over the ownership of the whole house, according toThe Sun.

People who lived nearby say they separated two years ago and Mr Clowes lived in the floor flat while his wife stayed in the one below.

Neighbour Steve Purton claimed Mr Clowes was due to be evicted from his apartment on the day of the explosion after losing his legal fight.

Pictured: Ian Clowes's wife Elaine (pictured) sustained minor injuries in the blast in Poole, Dorset

He told the newspaper: 'It seems like a bit of a coincidence but the day he was due to be evicted the top of his house was blown up.

'I saw Elaine when she came back to look at the damage. She came up and said 'Sorry!' I said 'Don't worry, it's not your fault.

Locals claim the explosion came from a gas cannister, which they say Mr Clowes exploded to destroy the property.

Mr Clowes ran a house clearance company and remains under arrest at a hospital specialising in burns.

The top floor of the house collapsed, with the ground floor left covered in rubble.

Police said yesterday their investigation focused on gas cylinders found inside the property.

Mrs Clowes is pictured after the explosion at her home in Poole, believed to have been the work of her estranged husband Ian

Detective Inspector Jamie Halford said: 'We are continuing to liaise with the fire service to establish the cause and have launched a detailed investigation into the incident.

'I am appealing for anyone with information that can assist our investigation to contact us.'

He thanked affected residents and motorists for their co-operation with road closures and the evacuation.

One witness, who didn't want to be named, said yesterday: 'There was an explosion which took the roof off the house and has done a lot of damage. It has completely collapsed.

'They took someone out of there and were working on them for a long time. It didn't look good. If someone was in there at the time I fear the worst. It's horrific.'

The man, named locally as Ian Clowes, was taken to hospital after being pulled from the wreckage where he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life

Another neighbour described hearing a 'loud bang' that shook the houses in the road.

Vanessa Joshua, a 53-year-old carer, said: 'We were pulling into the road and could see a cloud of black smoke.

'There was debris strewn across the road and we couldn't get past. All the brickwork was missing and you could see into the house. It was completely destroyed.

'I just thank my lucky stars we didn't drive past it a couple of minutes earlier.'

One neighbour told MailOnline: 'My son was in the room right next door when it happened. He said there was this loud wallop and everything shook, the whole building and then bits were flying off the wall coming at him.

'I didn't really know her, she never spoke to us, but I spoke to Ian. He's a nice guy.

Pictured: Ian Clowes's wife Elaine sustained minor injuries in the blast in Poole, Dorset

'Ian worked in furniture and house clearance, he made good money but he hadn't been working for about the last year. I think something happened, a stroke or something like that.

'He spent about 40,000 on doing up the downstairs flat and he was going to do the same with the upstairs and then sell them for a profit but I don't think she would co-operate.

'He was going to let the council foreclose on him, let the place go to rack and ruin and then when he gets kicked out she gets nothing, that was his theory anyway, I heard. But I guess it backfired, literally.

'He hadn't restored upstairs. He was hoping she would be compatible and they would go off amicably but she remained awkward, according to him.

'And therefore he was going to try and get out by some other means, but not like this, I think it's very unlikely he intended this.

People who lived nearby say they separated two years ago and Mr Clowes lived in the floor flat with his wife staying in the one below.

'He has been here about 11 or 12 years and on his income he would have cleared that years ago.

'He inherited his brother's estate in Australia so he wasn't poor.

'I think he had given up the idea of doing up the top flat because of the trouble he was getting with her. He said she wouldn't agree on anything.'

Another neighbour added: 'I heard a loud bang and there were certainly some vibrations but I didn't know what it was at the time.

'It was only once the police and emergency services started to arrive that I realised what had happened.'
Kanye West is involved in politics again - though this time he is supporting a politician who is a far cry from his friend President Donald Trump.

Kanye and fellow artist Chance the Rapper appeared at a Chicago rally on Tuesday in support of Amara Enyia, who is running for the job being vacated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Receiving an endorsement from high-profile celebrities like Kanye and Chance has given Enyia national exposure.

Enyia spoke in front of a crowd that gathered in the Woodlawn section of Chicago on Tuesday.

Scroll down for video

Kanye West (far right) looks on alongside Chance the Rapper (center) as Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia speaks to supporters in Chicago on Tuesday

Receiving an endorsement from high-profile celebrities like Kanye and Chance has given Enyia national exposure. Chance the Rapper is seen above speaking on Tuesday

Enyia is a virtually unknown community organizer from Chicagos West Side

Kanye's public appearance alongside Enyia came one day after he wrote her campaign a check for $73,540. Kanye wrote the check for that specific amount in order to cover a fine that was levied against Enyias campaign

Kanye and Chance were seen right behind her. Kanye's public appearance alongside Enyia came one day after he wrote her campaign a check for $73,540.

Kanye wrote the check for that specific amount in order to cover a fine that was levied against Enyias campaign,Chicago Tribune reported.

Illinois state election officials imposed the fine because they said Enyias campaign did not file years worth of quarterly campaign finance reports as they relate to her failed 2015 run for mayor.

Enyia is a virtually unknown community organizer from Chicagos West Side.

She advocates progressive positions including reforming the criminal justice system and collective ownership, the creation of a public bank and other cooperative enterprises, and community-centered policing.

Thats why some may be startled to see her getting support from Kanye, who most famously angered many in his own community and the country with his public embrace of Trump.

Enyia is a progressive candidate, which is why some may be startled to see her getting support from Kanye, who most famously angered many in his own community and the country with his public embrace of Trump. Trump and Kanye are seen in the Oval Office on October 11

Enyia said she and Kanye spoke by phone last month about a number of topics, including their shared goal of ending stop-and-frisk policing practices and opening more mental health clinics.

She said there was alignment on the policy platform and issues Ive advocated for.

When we talk about what Chicago needs and what it will take to get us there, he sees this campaign as a vital part of that and that is what prompted him to support us and get over this financial barrier we have had, Enyia said of Kanye.

Enyia said that her conversation with Kanye last month was out of the blue and that it was the rapper who initiated the chat.

Kanye then sent her text messages after she received the endorsement of Chance, who was born Chancelor Bennett.

Enyia said Kanye sent the text while he was traveling in Uganda. He then sent her campaign a check after he returned home to Chicago.

She said Kanye knows about her opposition to Trumps policies.

We approach it first by being very transparent and unequivocal on where I stand on issues, Enyia said.

She defended Kanye, saying that even though he has spoken in favor of Trump, he hasnt praised specific policies of his administration.

Last week, Chance the Rapper appeared in Chicagos City Hall alongside Enyia to announce his support for her candidacy

Enyias candidacy has received a boost thanks to the high-profile endorsements. She is one of 15 candidates vying to succeed Emanuel

We talked about the Trump factor, and he made it very clear that he doesnt necessarily support Trumps policies, some of the more controversial policies, but what he was interested in is for the ability for people to disagree and have dialogue about it, Enyia said of Kanye.

Now, I have some very strong feelings about Trump and some specific policies coming out of the administration.

He believes there always has to be room for dialogue and people should be able to have a conversation and at least be aware of other points of view.

Thats fine.

Enyia said she is not worried about her opponent attacking her by trying to link her with Trump because of Kanyes endorsement.

Last week, Chance the Rapper appeared in Chicagos City Hall alongside Enyia to announce his support for her candidacy.

Enyias candidacy has received a boost thanks to the high-profile endorsements.

She is one of 15 candidates vying to succeed Emanuel.

I want to work with somebody who is about change, somebody who is about our community, somebody who is about equity, somebody who is about fairness, Chance told reporters at a City Hall news conference last week.

And the one person in my research of this wide-open race thats views align with me would obviously be candidate Amara Enyia.

Chance has been among the most vocal and politically active celebrities.

He recently donated $2million to Chicagos public school system as well as its mental health services.
A mother and her son have been airlifted to hospital after a jetty collapsed while they were fishing at a popular tourist island.

Police and ambulance crews were alerted to the collapse of a jetty at Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, about 6.20 on Wednesday morning.

The woman, aged in her 30s, and her 11-year-old son have been rushed to hospital after they were injured in the collapse.

A woman in her 50s also suffered leg fractures - and was trapped in the water for more than an hour before she was rescued, the West Australian reported.

A mother and her son have been airlifted to hospital after a jetty collapsed while they were fishing at a popular tourist island

Police and ambulance crews were alerted to the collapse of a jetty at Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, about 6.20 on Wednesday morning

All three people were rushed to hospitals in Perth for treatment.

Emergency services including a rescue helicopter were at the scene, a Western Australia Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

Three people were fishing off the jetty at Thomson Bay when it collapsed.

Two managed to swim to shore, however one person had their foot trapped after the collapse.

People nearby were able to rescue the person, a police spokesman said.

There had been earlier reports that several people were trapped following the collapse, prompting an urgent emergency services response.

Emergency services including a rescue helicopter were at the scene
This is the shocking moment the Insta-famous girlfriend of an ex-bikie brutally attacked a woman during a road rage incident.

Dashcam footage shows the moment Allaina Jones, also known online as Allaina Vader, savagely beat another driver on a Gold Coast traffic island on May 16 this year.

The footage shows the women arguing by their cars before Jones grabs the victim around the neck and throws her to the ground.

Dashcam footage shows the moment Allaina Jones (pictured), also known online as Allaina Vader, savagely beat another driver on a Robina traffic island on May 16 this year

She pins the woman to the ground before she begins punching her. She then knees her before stomping on her.

Jones' BMW had swerved around a Honda CRV and crossed into the bike lane on Robina Parkway.

The female motorist got out of her Honda and approached Jones' vehicle when they stopped at traffic lights, and the fight erupted.

Jones pleaded guilty to six charges including common assault, drug possession and traffic offences when she appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Jones, 28 - the girlfriend of former Hells Angels bikie Ben Geppert - was sentenced to three months in prison, which was suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay $1000 compensation to the female victim, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Allaina Jones (right) is the girlfriend of former Hells Angels enforcer Ben Geppert (left)

Allaina Jones, also known as Allaina Vader (right), pleaded guilty to six charges when she faced court, where she was sentenced to three months jail which was suspended for 12 months

The court also heard Vader was found with cannabis and a glass pipe during a raid on her Robina home eight days after the road rage attack.

Magistrate Pamela Dowse told the court she would have sentenced Jones to prison if she had not shown remorse.

She described the incident as 'unacceptable in the extreme'.

'I don't think that women should be doing this kind of thing,' Ms Dowse said.

Jones refused to comment on the verdict as she left court.

Jones is known for her large following on Instagram.

Jones and Geppert were involved in a social media feud earlier this year with former Bandidos bikie Brett Pechey and his girlfriend Rikki Sutton, who is Ms Jones' cousin.

The court heard that Allaina Jones (left) now regrets stomping on another female motorist during a shocking road rage rage attack on the Gold Coast in May
Motorists are planning to boycott the bowser on Friday in protest of skyrocketing fuel prices.

More than 160,000 people have indicated they will take part in the National Fuel Strike on October 26.

The day of action was organised by retired music teacher Sabrina Lamont who gave up a job she loved when she could no longer afford to buy fuel to drive 500km a week to teach isolated children.

The National Fuel Strike on October 26 was organised by retired music teacher Sabrina Lamont (pictured), who decided to boycott buying fuel as a national day of action

More than 160,000 people are set to take a stand against the surge in fuel prices when they take part in a national fuel strike on Friday

The fed-up motorist from Bundaberg in Queensland decided she wasn't going to put up with costly pump prices and created the Facebook page National Fuel Strike.

More than 160,000 people have said they are interested in the day of action.

Ms Lamont said she created the day to reduce the burden of excise and taxes, which according to the publication, adds up to more than 30 per cent of the bowser price.

'It's time to rise up against the petroleum industry and make a stand', she wrote on the Facebook page.

'On the 26th of October let's join together in an Australian wide fuel strike.'

Retired music teacher Sabrina Lamont decided she wasn't going to put up with costly pump prices any more when she created the Facebook page 'National fuel strike' (pictured)

The post garnered plenty of interest with many people taking to social media to share their comments.

'Lets get on board about time,' one woman wrote.

'The people, united, will never be defeated,' another person said.

A third person added: 'Complete gouging especially shell and Caltex will never buy from them again.'

Ms Lamont believes the effect of boycotting servos - even for just one day - will be enough to shock the industry into keeping prices to a minimum.

'The loss of the fuel plus the added sales of drinks, chocolates etc should be enough to send a shock to the industry,' she wrote.

'Following on from this strike we will be arranging targeted strikes until our voices are heard and a change is made!!'

While not purchasing fuel one day a month will undeniably have an impact, RACQ spokeswoman Lucinda Ross believes it won't be effective in the long-term.

'We see many motorists continuing to buy from the most convenient site, often just because it's on the way home from work - but these servos could be the ones charging the highest prices,' Ms Ross said.

According to Ms Ross, the most effective way to keep petrol prices at their lowest is to do your research and always purchase fuel at the cheapest servo.

Regardless, Ms Lamont is hopeful the government will listen to her call to action and bring down taxes for 'basic living necessities - like fuel'.
Two inmates tried to make a break for freedom as they appeared in court in Washington State.

Inmates Kodey Howard and Tanner Jacobonson bolted from the courtroom and ran through the halls whilst still in handcuffs at the Lewis County Courthouse.

They then jumped down several flights of stairs before kicking open a fire exit that led outside.

Two inmates tried to run from a Lewis County, Washington State courtroom

Judge R.W. Buzzard removed his robes and chased the pair through the courtroom into the hall

Inmates Kodey Howard and Tanner Jacobonson bolted from the courtroom for the exit

Judge R.W. Buzzard was close behind after taking off his robes and giving chase

But their Judge, R.W. Buzzard shedding his black robe and decide to give chase running down the halls after them both.

Courthouse security footage shows the judge grabbing Howard at the exit door while deputies grabbed Jacobson a few blocks away.

Jacobson, 22, of Onalaska and Howard, 28, of Winlock were each hit with a felony charge of second-degree escape.

It is not clear what charges the duo were in court for initially.

Cameras around the building capture the drama of the attempted escape.

Stairwell surveillance footage show Jacobson took the lead, rapidly descending down the four flights of stairs to the bottom floor sometimes jumping down several steps at a time.

Howard and Jacobson were still wearing handcuffs causing them to trip as they ran

But the judge wasn't far behind as he ran for the fire escape through which the pair went

Jacobson led the way bounding down the staircase - sometimes several at a time

Howard is grabbed just as he is about too run through an open emergency exit door on the ground floor.

'These things don't happen very often,' said Sheriff Rob Snaza. 'They're few and far between.'

Snaza told the Daily Chronicle said this represents the second such incident within the last couple of years, that he's aware of.

Snaza said, security measures and quick communication made deputies aware of the incident quickly. The only deputy in the room did not give chase because he had two other inmates in his care, said Snaza.

Howard was right behind Jacobson but his age showed and he was slower after losing a shoe

Jacobson neared his goal and after running down four flights he reached the exit

'We're very aware of what's going on at a moment's notice,' he said.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer told The Chronicle in a previous interview that one idea to curb courthouse incidents was to allow for additional armed guards to be monitoring the courthouse at all times.

'Because quite frankly, I don't like it when judges are jumping over the bench to chase people down  because that's not what they're trained to do,' said Meyer.

So far the idea is just a concept and in the preliminary stages of planning.

Howard was simply too slow for the judge who grabbed him from behind just as he was about to escape out into the parking lot
Struggling high streets could be thrown a 300million business rates lifeline in next week's Budget.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is considering a special fund to support ailing shopping areas in a bid to end the crisis.

It is thought that he could unveil a 300million tax cut designed to help town centres badly hit by closures and the loss of more than 50,000 retail jobs so far this year.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is considering a special fund to support ailing shopping areas in a bid to end the crisis

The plan is likely to be part of a package of measures to save the high street, following a Daily Mail campaign.

It would see firms in hard-hit areas offered an immediate cut to their rates that would last for two years.

Other schemes being considered include a tax on huge foreign tech firms such as Amazon that are luring customers away from bricks and mortar stores.

Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'Despite efforts to reduce the business rates burden for small firms, far too many are still having their futures threatened by this ridiculous tax.

'This Budget is the Chancellor's opportunity to turn kind words about supporting small businesses into action. If he's serious about supporting firms on our high streets, he needs to reform business rates.'

The Chancellor has come under heavy pressure to take action in the Budget and there have been growing signs that ministers plan to take action.

Earlier this month, Treasury minister Robert Jenrick said the issue was under consideration. And Business Secretary Greg Clark also called for action on the tax.

The Mail is campaigning for reforms that will give high street stores a level playing field with massive rivals such as Amazon.

As well as the tax cut for hard-hit areas, Mr Hammond is also thought to have considered axing a quirk that means thousands of shops are paying more in rates than they should do.

Every seven years, properties that pay business rates are revalued by a quango. If their value is estimated to have fallen, then the company occupying them is charged less rates. But this cut is introduced gradually over several years rather than in one go  meaning that in the meantime companies find themselves paying an artificially large amount of tax.

The Chancellor could axe this downward transitional relief and pass on any rates cuts all in one go, easing the pressure on struggling firms.

A Treasury spokesman said it did not comment on speculation on the Budget.
Theres been increasing confusing over the legality of delta-8, a cannabis derivative that can be found in vape cartridges, tinctures and candy at smoke shops and CBD stores in Texas. While the Texas health department maintains that delta-8 is a controlled substance and is on the states list of unlawful drugs, the 2018 federal Farm Bill legalized the production of hemp, which naturally contains delta-8 and has less than 0.3% THC. In 2019, Texas also legalized hemp growing. Delta-8 retailers believed the substance was as legal to sell as hemp. Delta-8 is legal in Texas for now after a Travis County judge blocked the state from criminalizing it. Should delta-8 continue to be legal in Texas?

You voted:
A teenage student has been detained after three students at a North Carolina high school got sick from eating a cereal bar laced with cannabis.

Three students at the Perquimans County High School in Hertford reported that they were nauseous and needed to be taken to the hospital on Monday.

'All the parents of those involved were contacted and the students were checked out at the hospital for nausea and were released,' said the Perquimans County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post.

Three students at the Perquimans County High School in Hertford reported that they were nauseous and needed to be taken to the hospital on Monday

The 14-year-old student was charged with one count of possession of marijuana and three counts of selling and delivering the drugs, according to the Virginian-Pilot.

The teen, said to be in the ninth grade, gave the edible to her three classmates.

'They was just acting weird, acting crazy, laughing, giggling, being disruptive,' Alanah Murphy, a senior, explained to WTKR.

The 14-year-old student was charged with one count of possession of marijuana and three counts of selling and delivering the drugs (stock)

The teen had given the three classmates a Rice Krispie treat that was laced with weed, according to the Perquimans County Sheriff's Office

One of the student's mothers said that her daughter texted her about feeling sick before the school called and said that the teen was very sick.

She said the student was given a Rice Krispies treat from her childhood friend. The mom plans on pressing charges.

The Perquimans County Sheriff's Office released another statement stating that it does routine K9 runs in the school and on the nearby grounds.

The statement added that the there would have needed to be multiple K9 units to cover the vast school.
Three Tory members of a Commons committee quit yesterday because it is chaired by John Bercow.

Tory ministers Anne Milton and Mims Davies and ministerial aide Will Quince resigned following a damning report into bullying and sexual harassment in Westminster.

Their resignations from the Commons Representation and Inclusion Committee increased the pressure on Commons speaker Mr Bercow to step down.

In May, Mr Bercow allegedly called Mrs Leadsom (pictured) a stupid woman in a muttered aside in the Commons

The inquiry, by Dame Laura Cox, called for a change in Parliaments leadership, which includes Mr Bercow, blaming a culture of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence which allowed abuse to thrive.

In a further blow to Mr Bercow, who is the subject of bullying complaints which he denies, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom is expected to recommend that Parliament investigate historical allegations.

It is understood she will also demand a review of the Standards Committee, which controversially ruled against investigating bullying allegations against Mr Bercow on the grounds that claims dated back more than seven years.

Mrs Leadsom will today call for an independent review of the membership and role of the House of Commons Commission. It is also chaired by the Speaker, but todays meeting will be overseen by an independent member.

In May Mr Bercow allegedly called Mrs Leadsom a stupid woman in a muttered aside in the Commons. He later admitted calling her stupid but refused to apologise.

Yesterday Mrs Milton, Mrs Davies and Mr Quince quit the Commons committee which was set up to make Parliament more inclusive.

John Bercow has been subject to bullying complaints, which he strongly denies

The sole remaining Conservative on the committee, Maria Miller  who has called for Mr Bercow to quit  said last night that she would consider her position if Dame Lauras recommendations are not adopted in full.

Yesterday, Mr Quince tweeted: I cannot in good conscience remain as a member of the group while John Bercow is chair.

As much as I personally like John I have reluctantly reached the conclusion that he is not the right person to resolve the numerous and serious issues raised.

In a statement Mrs Davies said: I felt that remaining on this currently did not sit right following Dame Laura Coxs report, and as this committee is chaired by the Speaker, I sadly felt in a difficult position. I did not take this decision lightly.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Bercow said he would consider the future of the group following a meeting about Dame Lauras report, which will take place today.

In the spirit of an independent approach, the Speaker feels it is right to reflect on the best means of tackling these cultural issues via the Houses response to the Cox report, his spokesman said.

During a debate on Dame Lauras report in Parliament, Mr Bercow also faced an onslaught from Tory MPs who called for him to step down. The Speakers former private secretary, Angus Sinclair, has alleged that Mr Bercow shouted and swore at him, and attempted to physically intimidate him  claims he strongly denied.
A leading British businessman has been granted an injunction preventing the revelation of alleged sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff.

It is claimed the executive, who cannot be named, used controversial non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to pay off his alleged victims with 'substantial sums'.

But yesterday, The Daily Telegraph was prevented from revealing details by senior judge Sir Terence Etherton, and two other appeal judges.

A leading British businessman has been granted an injunction preventing the revelation of alleged sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff, it was revealed today

The judgment was the latest chapter in a legal saga which began in July this year. The decision overturns a previous High Court ruling which found the allegations to be in the public interest.

NDAs, also known as gagging orders, are typically used in business to protect confidential business matters such as proposed takeovers.

But there are widespread concerns they are now being misused to cover up wrongdoing and stop potential crimes being probed by police.

Last night Labour MP Jess Phillips hinted she could use Parliamentary privilege to name the businessman in the House of Commons today.

She took to social network Twitter asking victims to confide in her, stating 'I'm done with these rich men using our laws to hide you away'.

Ominously, she said: 'Funnily enough I have a PMQ [Prime Minister's question] tomorrow.'

Theresa May has signalled she plans to narrow the focus of NDAs to prevent misuse but Parliament is yet to consider any changes.

Maria Miller, chair of the Commons Women and Equality committee, said it was 'shocking' that NDAs were still used to gag victims.

Zelda Perkins, former personal assistant to Harvey Weinstein, said non-disclosure agreements were being 'weaponised' and used to give wrongdoers impunity

She told The Daily Telegraph they should not be used 'where there are accusations of sexual misconduct and wider bullying'.

If named, accusations against the businessman could breathe new life into the Me Too movement which highlighted the mistreatment of women by powerful employers.

The campaign shook the world last year after disclosures about Harvey Weinstein, the American film producer, brought a cavalcade of allegations against public figures.

Zelda Perkins, Weinstein's former aide, broke an NDA from the 1990s to allege sexual harassment. She told The Telegraph it was 'ridiculous' they had been prevented by reporting the allegations.

She said: 'NDAs have become weaponised. They were originally very useful things to protect commercial property and company secrets which, of course, is fair enough.

'But, in terms of them being used for anything else, there has to be legislation to stop that.

'There is no place for NDAs at all around any of these types of misdemeanours. If that protection is available then it perpetuates that sort of behaviour'.

She added fewer people 'would be putting their hands up someone's skirt if they knew that they didn't have a get out'.

The campaign shook the world last year after disclosures about Harvey Weinstein, the American film producer, brought a cavalcade of allegations against public figures.

The intervention by Sir Terence, the second most senior judge in England and Wales, makes it illegal for The Telegraph to divulge the businessman's identity.

Neither can it be revealed what he is accused of doing or how much he paid his alleged victims as part of the gagging order.

The businessman in question has hired a team of at least seven lawyers and spent close to 500,000 in legal fees in the Court.

He is represented by Schillings, the legal firm which has worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lance Armstrong and Ryan Giggs. Each of these stars also has a history of using NDAs to mute claims of wrongdoing.

What are non-disclosure agreements and why are they controversial? Non-Disclosure Agreements is a catch-all term for agreements that include confidentiality clauses  sometimes referred to as gagging clauses. They are meant to be used to stop confidential information like trade secrets leaking out when someone leaves a company or organisation. But they have sparked a storm of criticism as employers have often used them to cover up improper conduct and gag their former employees. They have often been used by employed to gag those who make allegations of sexual harassment. They have also been used to cover up improper, discriminatory or even illegal behaviour. Parliament's women and equalities committee, headed by Tory MP Maria Miller, is investigating how they work and whether they are being misused. Advertisement

In a 32-page ruling published yesterday, the Court of Appeal simply refers to the businessman as 'ABC'.

The claims are classified as 'discreditable conduct' and the interim injunction order states five cases received 'substantial payments' as part of NDAs.

However, The Telegraph told the Court of Appeal there is a clear public interest in publishing the allegations to warn prospective employees. But the Court has ruled against the newspaper.

The earlier High Court ruling, which allowed the businessman to be named, found that publication of the allegations would contribute to debate in a democratic society.

Justice Haddon-Cave, a top terror judge, concluded 'in all the circumstances, the public interest in publication outweighs any confidentiality attaching to the information'.

But the Appeal Court judges Sir Terence Etherton, Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Henderson disagreed with the earlier decision.

The judgment said: 'We entirely endorse the [High Court] Judge's statements as to the importance of freedom of political debate, the right of freedom of expression, the essential role played by the press in a democratic society...and the important public concern about misbehaviour in the workplace as well as the legitimacy of non-disclosure agreements and other legal devices for 'gagging' disclosure by victims.

'The Judge has, however, left entirely out of account the important and legitimate role played by non-disclosure agreements in the consensual settlement of disputes, both generally but in particular in the employment field.'
The boyfriend of a woman who was murdered on a quiet beach in north Queensland is being comforted by friends as police hunt her killer.

Marco Heidenreich, who had been in a relationship with Toyah Cordingley for nearly three years, was pictured alongside a close friend, sitting in the sun on what appeared to be the balcony of a pub.

Ms Cordingley's body was found on Wangetti Beach, near Cairns, on Monday morning. She was last seen taking her dog for a walk the day before.

The photo of Mr Heidenreich, shared by a friend to social media, was 'reacted' to with likes and hearts, and one man commented: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'.

It is the first time he has been pictured since the devastating news of his girlfriend's murder.

A picture taken last week of Marco Heidenreich (left) was shared to social media on Tuesday, as friends rallied around the grieving man just days after his girlfriend, 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley, was brutally murdered on Wangetti Beach on Sunday. The image received multiple 'love' reactions, and one friend said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'

Friends said Ms Cordingley had been walking her boyfriend's dog, Jersey, when she died.

The Port Douglas man, a fellow animal lover who appears to own multiple dogs and multiple snakes, has not commented on his girlfriend's death.

The post coincided with revelations Ms Cordingley had suffered 'visible and violent' injuries when she was killed in the sand dunes at Wangetti Beach on Sunday.

Police divers were called in from Brisbane on Tuesday to help specialist detectives, Cairns police officers and SES volunteers scour the area for the pharmacy worker's personal possessions.

Mr Heidenreich (right) is believed to have been dating Ms Cordingley (left) for nearly three years. The pair share a deep love of animals, and Ms Cordingley is believed to have been walking one of Mr Heidenreich's dogs when she was killed

Police divers from Brisbane have been called in to the far north beach to help search for Ms Cordingley's personal possessions (pictured is police searching on the beach, which is now a crime scene)

The extensive search is expected to continue on throughout the day, though no update was available from police on Wednesday morning.

Ms Cordingley disappeared after going to walk her dog at Wangetti Beach on Sunday about 2pm.

She was reported missing at 11pm that night, and her body was found in sand dunes at the beach on Monday morning, with 'visible and violent' injuries inflicted on it.

Residents told The Courier Mail the dunes were often the scene of 'sexually deviant' behaviour by 'odd bods' and vagrants.

One witness told the paper he and a group of 15 friends were at the northern end of the beach with other families that afternoon.

They were driving back to Cairns near the southern car park, where Ms Cordingley's car was found, when they were waved down by two scruffily dressed men 'in a highly agitated state' on the side of the highway in a white 4WD ute with a flat tyre.

The witness has given a statement to police.

'We stopped to help, and they were in a really stressed state,' he told the publication.

'It might be nothing, but they were really strange, and in a real panic to get out of there.'

A full-scale homicide investigation has been launched as police hunt Ms Cordingley's killer, but police are yet to announce a person of interest. On Tuesday, officers urged anyone with dashcam footage or other information to come forward

A full-scale homicide investigation was launched after Ms Cordingley's body was found, with police urging anyone who knew anything or had been at the beach that day to come forward.

As of Tuesday, police were not commenting on whether a person of interest had been located, but Detective Inspector Sonia Smith said officers were 'keeping an open mind' to what could have happened.

'All lines of inquiry will be followed, and all relevant examinations will be conducted,' she said.

Police have appealed for anyone who was on the beach that afternoon and who has dashcam footage of the area or either carpark to come forward.

Officers are also looking to speak with anyone who was at Rusty's Markets in central Cairns between 12pm or 1pm, where Ms Cordingley is believed to have been before she headed to the beach.

With Ms Cordingley's killer on the loose, and no publicised leads as to who is responsible for the death, Det Insp Smith said people should take precautions.

'Everybody should be aware of their surroundings, and have a safety plan wherever they are,' she said.

Ms Cordingley was an animal lover, who was remembered for her kind nature and deep compassion for all creatures great and small.

Paws and Claws Refuge and Boarding Centre in Port Douglas, where she once worked, said in a statement the woman's 'heart was pure and innocent, and her dedication and love for animals was unmatched'.

Ms Cordingley was found at Wangetti Beach on Monday morning in sand dunes between the foreshore and the start of bushland, and police are still hunting her killer

Ms Cordingley's best friend, Megan Amour, shared a heartbreaking letter about how she was grieving and could not believe the 24-year-old was gone

'She could calm the most distressed dog with grace and handle the large and boisterous ones with ease. Her calmness and special ways were inspiring,' the statement read.

Grieving friends turned to social media to share the devastating news of her death and pay tribute to the 'amazing' woman.

Ms Cordingley's best friend, Megan Amour, broke her silence on Tuesday with a devastating open letter about her broken heart.

Shared under a five minute video of pictures of the pair together, Ms Amour said she was still not able to believe what had happened, and kept catching herself imagining a better outcome.

'I can't believe this, I refuse to believe this,' she wrote.

'I drove to find you, I thought we were going to find you being the environment lover you are, I was so sure of it.

'I'm so angry, I'm so frustrated and I've been walking around the house grieving and then thinking: 'It's not real, it's not my Toyah, it's someone else'.

'I'm not familiar with this process, I've never in my life have lost anyone as close as you are to me and this is the worst time I've ever encounter.'

Locals have said the sand dune area of the quiet beach is a hot spot for 'sexually deviant' 'oddbods' and vagrants

She told followers Ms Cordingley was a 'gypsy soul' who lived her life to the fullest and was beloved wherever she went.

'I wanted to be like you, I wanted to be the gypsy soul you were,' she wrote.

'I wanted to be flawless and not just the beauty you had on the outside but the beauty you had on the inside.

'You were different to everyone, you followed what you believed in, you had nobody hating you, you lived life to the fullest and you respected everyone else's decisions. You had such a big heart and a beautiful loving family you adored.'

Earlier this month, Ms Amour said she'd asked Ms Cordingley to stand behind her as she married the man of her dreams. 'It took you less than a minute to start planning everything with me,' she recalled.

'I started to feel like I can't get married anymore, because you wont be there, you won't be there standing with me and witnessing this milestone of my life,' she said.

Friends remembered the 'amazing' young woman for her kind nature and friendly dog (pictured: Ms Cordingley after she accepted Ms Amour's invitation to be a bridesmaid

'You will be there somehow, I will make sure of it, your memory will be shared every day for as long as I live.

'I will be sharing the funny, loving, crazy memories about 'Aunty ToyToy' to [my daughter] Rose when she's older and tell her that she would have loved you the way I did.

'I'm betting you're going to be the prettiest angel up there with the prettiest wings, and over a thousand of puppy angels surrounding you.

'Look over us, and shine bright my honey, there will not be a day where I don't think of you because believe me every single day is going to hurt. I love you.'

In a separate Facebook post, friend Hayden Chalkin wrote: 'No words could describe how amazing of a person you were.'

'I can't believe you're gone. I can't believe I'm never going to see your smile again. I can't believe I'm never going to hear your voice again. I can't believe I'm writing this post.

'I don't know what to think, I don't know what to say. I'm going to miss you so much.

'You didn't deserve this and you will never be forgotten.'

Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for further comment.
Mankind's love affair with plastic bottles filled with water represents the pinnacle of human irrationality.

Despite rising awareness of the global environmental plastics disaster we have created, the trend for consuming vast amounts of an expensive product we don't need (what's wrong with tap water?) and then discarding the container, is growing rapidly.

Last year in the UK we spent more than 3.1 billion buying nearly 4,000 million litres of the stuff. That's 100 times more than we did in 1980.

And new research has confirmed for the first time that our bodies are becoming 'polluted' with plastic. Picture shows a plastic bottle which has been dumped in the sea

It seems we can no longer venture out without clutching a bottle to protect ourselves against imminent dehydration. And experts predict we will be buying nearly 10 per cent more bottled water next year, and every year, for the foreseeable future.

Craze

All of this is despite a welter of warnings about the impact on the planet  and now on our health.

As the Mail revealed yesterday, new research has confirmed for the first time that our bodies are becoming 'polluted' with plastic.

We are eating, drinking and inhaling microplastic particles, some of which are derived from plastic bottles.

So how and where did the madness begin  and why does it persist?

This modern plague had beguilingly innocent beginnings at a time when sources of clean drinking water were limited. The first documented example of a bottled non-alcoholic drink being sold was in Boston in the United States in the 1760s, when a company called Jackson's Spa started selling mineral water for 'therapeutic' uses.

Other companies followed suit and a market was born.

But the glass bottles used shared a problem: the metal caps imparted a foul taste to the content. In 1917, American inventor Webster Byron Baker made the first plastic bottle cap, by heating Celluloid and crimping it around the mouth of a bottle.

It was the start of the plastics revolution that really took off in 1941 when British chemists at the Calico Printers' Association who were researching a new textile product, developed a form of plastic called polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Within 25 years, scientists working for the American chemical giant Du Pont had found a way of making PET strong enough to contain carbonated (fizzy) drinks without bursting. It was cheap, lighter than glass and virtually unbreakable.

In 1978, Coca-Cola introduced the two-litre PET plastic bottle, which rapidly became the standard bottle material for fizzy drinks in all sizes.

But there was a product that was far cheaper to make than sugary pop, and thus infinitely more profitable  fizzy water.

The French spotted the potential and first perfected the trick of selling H20 at hugely marked-up prices  by marketing it as a 'natural' miracle  initially in a green glass bottle.

In 1977, a 4 million advertising campaign across America used Orson Welles to trumpet how 'Deep below the plains of southern France, in a mysterious process begun millions of years ago, Nature herself adds life to the icy waters of a single spring: Perrier'.

Suddenly, Perrier was the only drink to be seen sipping. Sales in the U.S. increased from 2.5 million bottles to more than 75 million bottles by the end of the following year  helped by the burgeoning craze for aerobics and healthy living  followed by rising sales in Europe.

In 1985, Time magazine declared that 'water snobbery has replaced wine snobbery as the latest noon-hour recreation. People order their eau by brand name, as they once did Scotch'.

Within five years these two agents of the environmental apocalypse  water and plastic bottles  were being combined, and the big brands jumped aboard. PepsiCo launched Aquafina in 1994, Coca-Cola's Dasani emerged in 1999, and Nestle's Pure Life in 2002.

No matter that nearly a quarter of the bottled water being sold in America was actually filtered tapwater, the marketing departments were in hyperdrive, creating a liquid gold-rush.

Dumped

Any environmental worries were squashed underfoot. For example in 2008, in a masterpiece of 'greenwashing', Nestle declared that: 'Bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world.'

It added: 'Most water bottles avoid landfill sites and are recycled.'

Such claims were vigorously challenged by environmental groups, but to no effect.

Over the past two decades, bottled water has become the fastest-growing drinks market in the world. The global market was valued at 120 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach 215 billion by 2020.

Here in the UK we use about 38.5 million plastic bottles every day, driven largely by the bottled water craze, although other fizzy drinks and juice in plastic containers are a factor, too.

And rather than being recycled, more than 15 million of these bottles are, each day, either incinerated, dumped in landfill or discarded on the land or seas where we know they can enter the human food chain via contamination of marine life.

Last year more than 3.1 billion was spent on buying 4,000 million litres of bottled water. Stock picture of Willow bottled water

It is ironic that a product initially marketed as a boost to health has, through its association with plastic, become a threat to health. Even before the new findings by scientists at the Medical University of Vienna were published this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water.

This followed an analysis of some of the world's most popular bottled water brands which concluded that more than 90 per cent contained potentially harmful microplastic particles.

Yet still we buy the stuff, proof that the power of marketing can trump the concerns of world-renowned scientists. According to Stephanie Cote, an environmental scientist at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, bottled water is positioned as the 'elixir of youth', with which we can salve our instinctive fear of ageing and death.

It might sound far-fetched but in her study, published earlier this year, she cites a 2013 Evian marketing campaign in which people are seen walking past a window and seeing themselves as babies in the reflection. Nestle, meanwhile, used the phrase 'Drink Better. Live Better' in its Pure Life campaigns.

The peddlers of bottled-water are also shameless in their use of pristine shots of snowy mountains and glacial lakes, implying a lack of pollution and ignoring the evidence of the harm that their products wreak on people and the environment.

Other research has shown young people are influenced by advertising that associate bottled water with ultimate convenience  so convenient that they ignore the alarming reality, such as the fact that research shows 90 per cent of teenagers have gender-bending chemicals from plastic in their bodies.

If ever there was a time to take stock, then it's now. But be in no doubt, there is a long way to go before we kick this expensive, pointless and lethal habit.
A convicted murderer whose identical twin brother confessed to the killing 11 years later has been denied a retrial.

A judge denied Kevin Dugar, 40, a retrial Tuesday after Dugar was found guilty of gunning down a rival gang in Chicago in 2003.

But his identical brother Karl Smith took to the stand at the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2016, admitting he 'didn't have the strength to come forward' when his brother was first accused of first-degree murder.

'We was acting as one. Where I was, he was, acting like each other. He pretended to be me, and I pretended to be him,' Smith said at the time.

A judge Tuesday found the twin's testimony to be 'completely uncredible'.

Karl Smith, 40, (left) confessed to killing a rival gang member 11 years after his identical twin brother Kevin Dugar (right) had been found guilty of the crime. A retrial was denied Tuesday

Dugar was arrested in 2003 and convicted two years later even though his lawyer said the evidence against him was 'razor-thin'.

In 2005, Dugar was sentenced to 54 years in prison for shooting at a group of rival gang members and killing one person.

His twin is serving a 99-year prison sentence for a 2008 home invasion and armed robbery that left a six-year-old boy shot in the head.

During the 2016 trial, his brother told the court: 'I'm here to confess to a crime I committed that he was wrongly accused of.'

Judge Vincent Gaughan said Tuesday that Smith had nothing else to lose from coming forward for his brother.

'I find (Smith's) testimony completely uncredible. No weight whatsoever should be given to his testimony,' Gaughan said.

Dugar's attorney, Karen Daniel, said that her client deserved a new trial because of his brother's on-the-record admission, according to the Chicago Tribune.

'If we had a retrial, we'd have a huge piece of evidence in favor of Karl having committed the crime: a confession that frankly could be used to convict him if the state was so inclined,' she said.

However, the judge sided with prosecutors who pointed out the the twins would often impersonate each other.

Gaughan said it shows 'a pattern of misdirection and deceit.'

Judge Vincent Gaughan said Tuesday that Smith had nothing else to lose from coming forward for his brother at Leighton Criminal Courthouse (pictured)

One eyewitnesses recanted her testimony, and the other picked out Dugar from a line-up that didn't include Smith, according to his petition for a post-conviction hearing

Their mother cried in the stands as Smith told the court he was hosting a party in March 2003, when he left to buy marijuana.

Smith said he ran into members from the rival gang Black P Stone and opened fire with two guns.

But prosecutors doubted the truth of his confession, since it came after he lost an appeal for an unrelated attempted murder conviction from a 2008 robbery.

Assistant State Attorney Carol Rogala also said Smith had 'nothing to lose' by taking the hit for his brother.

Their mother Judy Dugar defended her son's actions, saying Smith wouldn't lie about the confession.

Despite their close bond, Smith said he never told anyone about the killing, and denied his twin's questions if he had been the gunman.

In 2013, Smith said he wanted to make up for his wrongs after finding God, and wrote his brother to say: 'I have to get it off my chest before it kills me.'
The wife of Mexican drug lord El Chapo is currently running an Instagram account under his name, joaquinguzman, and it has already reeled in a whopping 25.3k followers.

Former beauty queen Emma Coronel has been sharing photos of her man on the page that she set up in August. Over the weekend, she posted a snapshot of her husband wearing a suit at what appears to be a formal ceremony.

In the caption, she said in Spanish: 'It is not the height, nor the weight, nor the muscles, nor the beauty that make you a great person. It is the heart and the humility. #elchapo'

Last week, the mother-of-two shared a photo of El Chapo posing with loved ones above the caption: 'Life is just a while and you have to live it as best you can. #elchapo'

El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel, created an Instagram page for her man. She wrote in this photo of him: It is not the height, nor the weight, nor the muscles, nor the beauty that make you a great person. It is the heart and the humility. #elchapo'

The former beauty queen shared a photo with El Chapo posing with loved ones above the caption: 'Life is just a while and you have to live it as best you can. #elchapo'

The 29-year-old also posted a photo Monday that showed herself and their two twin daughters strolling the streets of Brooklyn.

She captioned in the photo, with the twins' eyes covered in heart emojis: 'Everything's going to be fine, maybe not today, but eventually.'

Emma donned a navy and green floral top with white pants, and the girls wore matching navy dresses.

Emma has been living the life of luxury as her husband sits in a New York prison awaiting trial.

The brunette beauty regularly showcases her glamorous life in photos posted on her social media account.

In recent months, she has shared snaps of herself beach-side in a bikini, soaking up the sun in Los Cabos and showing off her Prada purses.

Emma, a former Mexican beauty queen, regularly showcases her glamorous life in photos posted on her social media account

In one photo on Instagram, Emma also posed alongside her daughters who were each brandishing designer handbags.

Emma made headlines just last month for the elaborate Barbie-themed birthday party she threw for their seven-year-old daughters, Emaly and Maria.

The party featured huge arches made of pink balloons and an abundance of Barbie paraphernalia.

A ballroom with a chandelier was redesigned to be a giant pink Barbie Dreamhouse, complete with pink cakes, candy and a large Barbie neon sign.

Some Mexicans reacted with fury after news of the lavish birthday party emerged as they accused the former beauty queen of using 'blood money' from her 61-year-old husband's drug empire.

In one photo on Instagram, Emma also posed alongside her twin daughters who were each brandishing designer handbags

The former Mexican beauty queen regularly showcases her glamorous life in photos posted on her social media account as her husband remains in prison

Mexican drug lord El Chapo's twin daughters have just celebrated their 7th birthday with an elaborate Barbie-themed party

The party featured an abundance of Barbie paraphernalia, including personalized water bottles

'The whole story with her is so surreal,' a retired DEA agent told the New York Post. 'She goes around and flaunts her wealth and lifestyle in front of everyone's face.'

The drug lord is currently locked up in a high security prison in New York following his extradition from Mexico in January last year.

He has been charged with 17 crimes, among them that of leading the extremely dangerous Sinaloa drug cartel and of transporting at least 200,000 kilos of cocaine to the US from Mexico.

Emma, who El Chapo married in 2007, has US nationality. Their daughters Maria and Emaly were born in the US but live in their father's home state of Sinaloa.

His wife and their two daughters have been spotted at El Chapo's various court appearances in New York in the past year.

Jury selection for his trial is set for November 5 even though his attorneys insist that they cannot be ready to represent him due to the huge number of documents in the case. The trial is expected to take four months.

His wife and their two daughters have been spotted at El Chapo's various court appearances in New York in the past year
A judge was so shaken by footage of a paedophile raping a two-year-old girl she adjourned the case for three days.

Convicted child rapist Jason Daron Mizner was supposed to be sentenced in the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday but it was put off until Friday.

Justice Leanne Clare said she viewed a portion of one of the dozens of rape tapes and found it 'very confronting', and needed a break to ensure a fair sentence.

Vile paedophile Jason Daron Mizner (pictured), who raped his Thai girlfriend's daughter should have his sentence reduced because he suffered 'torture' the last time he was in prison, his lawyers argue

'I think it would be best to put some distance between the viewing of that tape and the delivery of the judgment so that it does not overwhelm the sentence,' she said.

The prosecution wants the 44-year-old jailed for life over the more than 60 child sex crimes towards the toddler he has pleaded guilty to.

His vile acts dating back to the early 2000s included more than 30 counts of rape and videotaping the assaults.

Mizner's lawyers argued his sentence should be reduced because he suffered 'torture' the last time he was in prison for a different crime.

The paedophile spent years in a Thai jail for a separate sexual assault of another young child and they claimed the abuse there should be taken into account.

'He received beatings and other torture, partly in relation to [the Australian] offending,' Mizner's lawyer said.

'The Australian Federal Police gave evidence at the [Thai] hearing about the Australian offending, so it's not much of a stretch that inmates in Thailand would have known.'

Justice Clare disputed that just because Mizner had a difficult time in a Thai jail that he should have his potential sentence reduced.

Sentencing for the Queensland child rapist has been delayed because the judge was so shaken by video of the assaults she needed a break to ensure a fair sentence

'The report outlines deprivations and abuses that your client has described, but to say he's been tortured for 11 years is an overstatement of the material, frankly,' Justice Clare said.

The court was told Mizner, who was 31 at the time of the assaults, formed a relationship with the Australian girl's mother, before committing the offences over a number of months.

Mizner (pictured) allegedly committed the offences on a two-year-old in the Gold Coast between 2003 and 2005

While he was on a holiday in Thailand, the girl's mother found videos he had made and a range of other unrelated child exploitation material.

Mizner stayed in Thailand, where he formed a relationship with a local woman before assaulting her young daughter and being arrested by Thai authorities.

He served 11 years of a 35-year sentence and was deported when released on bail last year, with Australian authorities arresting him when he returned to Brisbane.

It's the second time sentencing has been delayed, after a delay in September, when a doctor preparing a psychological report for the court suffered a heart attack.

That report, the defence argued, showed that a motorcycle accident when Mizner was 21 left him with a brain injury, which 'uninhibited' him.

Justice Clare said it also showed he had a 'predilection for babies' and had a medium-to-high chance of re-offending if not incarcerated.

'Even a low risk of re-offending when it comes to raping babies is a substantial risk to deal with. When it's a medium-to-high risk... it's alarming,' she said.
Nicholas Ortiz could audition for the next Spiderman movie.

The 25-year-old proved it with his descent from the top floor of a four-story parking garage in Denver, Colorado?

As another courageous friend was hanging on the side of the building - presumably to record video on a cell phone - Ortiz jumped down from each level.

He managed to skip down each level using his hands to hold onto the side of the building.

Nicholas Ortiz, 25, was filmed climbing down a four-story parking garage in Denver, Colorado

Another person is seen hanging on the building to the right - presumably to record on camera

He managed to skip down each level using his hands to hold onto the side of the building

Most people think Im chasing adrenaline, but it doesnt feel that way,' Ortiz said

Ortiz used his feet to break his fall on the way down and then quickly grab onto the ledge.

The entire ordeal was over in a few seconds.

'Most people think Im chasing adrenaline, but it doesnt feel that way,' Ortiz told StoryTrender.

He said he wasn't nervous as he let go of the wall.

'I do feel some fear when Im feeling out everything and preparing,' he said.

'Its a pretty slow process.

'Ive done a lot of similar descents, I spent a ton of time figuring out the technique closer to ground level, then kept building toward bigger and scarier ones.

'I would say Im used to the feeling generally, but each descent is slightly different so its still a little bit of a puzzle when I find a new one, typically I can test the technique on the bottom levels before going up high.

'Theyre the exact same thing, they just require more concentration.'

Ortiz said these stunts are watched by his friends who find it highly entertaining.

'I just felt really happy about being able to stay calm in that situation and beat the mental challenge is almost meditative to me,' he said.
British terrorist Sally Jones could still be alive and fighting with ISIS extremists in Syria, it has been claimed.

Jones, 50, became known as the 'White Widow' after calling for attacks on UK soil and moving to Syria with her jihadi husband.

The mother-of-one, originally from Chatham, Kent, was believed to have been killed in a US drone strike near the Syria-Iraq border in October 2017.

But now an extremist expert claims a Canadian ISIS fighter captured by Kurdish forces in Syria told him she escaped the strike.

Canadian research fellow at the University of Waterloo Amarnath Amarasingam claims Muhammed Ali, also known as Turab, confirmed she is still at large.

British terrorist Sally Jones (pictured) could still be alive and fighting with ISIS extremists in Syria, it has been claimed today

He told the Mirror: 'Turab claimed she was still alive and probably in final ISIS holdouts of Hajin or As-Shafah. If true, we may find her captured soon.'

The former punk rocker was reportedly killed alongside her 12-year-old son JoJo, known as Hamza Hussain.

Jones, 50 (pictured) became known as the 'White Widow' after calling for attacks on UK soil and moving to Syria with her jihadi husband

Jones helped ISIS lure would-be jihadis and called for attacks on RAF bases and the Queen on VJ day. She travelled to Syria to marry terrorist Junaid Hussain back in 2013.

Hussain was killed in a drone strike in 2015 although Jones kept producing propaganda for Daesh.

Jones has never formally been wiped off the US target list as her DNA was not recovered from the ground.

Jones was a high priority on the Pentagon's 'kill list' because she was believed to have masterminded dozens of terror plots.

She was believed to be the leader of the secret Anwar al-Awlaki battalion's female wing and was said to be responsible for training European female terror recruits.

Jones had used her Twitter account to spread propaganda for the group, and tweeted of her wish to behead a Western prisoner in Syria and behead Christians with a 'blunt knife'.

The US State Department said the top 40 list was 'part of a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS' by 'denying its ability to recruit foreign terrorist fighters, stifling its financial resources and negating their false propaganda'.

Jones's inclusion on the list raises the possibility of her still being alive which would lead to the assets outside of the UK to be frozen.
Prince Harry honoured Fiji's proud military heritage this morning at the national war memorial.

Harry, in his Blues & Royals tropical dress uniform, medals and sword, laid a wreath with the handwritten message: 'In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.'

He saluted as the last post was sounded and the Fijian flag lowered.

Prince Harry wrote: 'In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Loloma kei na masu. Harry'

Prince Harry is pictured at a wreath laying ceremony at a war memorial in Fiji on Wednesday morning

The poppy wreath held by the Duke of Sussex carried a personal handwritten message, in both English and Fijian

The wreath laying ceremony was Prince Harry's first official duty on Wednesday morning

The prince, who served in the British Army for ten years, then met Fijian war veterans, some of whom served with the British military.

There are more than 1250 Fijians currently serving in the British army and Harry's Fijian orderly is also ex British forces.

After Harry had laid the wreath - including the Fijian 'loloma kei na masu' which roughly translates as 'love and blessings' - he was introduced to a line-up of veterans.

Harry shook each man by the hand as he walked along the line and had a joke with one senior veteran.

Meeting Maleli Naigulevu, from Koro Island, Harry asked: 'Hello, how old are you' When Maleli told him, the prince exclaimed: '84! Still looking very young!'

Afterwards Maleli said: 'I served for 40 years in the medical corps, I was a pathologist. 'It was very nice to meet Prince Harry today.

'He is a very good role model for us all. The British royals family are very popular here as Fiji was ceded to Great Britain and they taught us good things.'

As Harry progressed down the line of veterans, he sounded very like his father Charles and grandfather Philip. 'Very nice to see you today' he told each man.

'Did you enjoy your service? How are you today?' Then he came to 12-year-old Taniela Vakalaca who was wearing all his father's medals as his dad died in Kenya two years ago.

Harry asked him: 'Who's are these medals... your father's...? Ah... Are you going to join the army? You don't have to! Only if you want to!'

Harry pulled his mum out of the crowd to shake her hand and told her how nice it was to meet her.

Afterwards a rather shy Taniela said: 'It was very nice to meet him [Harry]. 'My medals are my dads. 'He passed away in 2016 in Kenya, in Africa. I miss him very much and I want to follow my dad.'

Prince Harry was notably dressed for the occasion as he took the salute at the wreath laying ceremony

Prince Harry attended the ceremony solo while his wife Meghan Markle stayed behind at the couple's hotel

Harry then spotted a friend. Brit Derek Detenalagi knew the prince from the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014. He and his wife Ana, whose family are from Fiji, flew over specially for the royal visit and were invited to last night's state dinner.

When Harry spotted the couple he teased them: 'Late night last night? Look after yourselves!' Ana said: 'We weren't on the list this morning for this wreath-laying but his PA Clara told us to be here this morning.

'We were at the reception last night which was fun 'We were very honoured as he gave us each a hug.

'We did have quite a late night but Harry didn't. He and Meghan left with the president.'

Later, Harry and Meghan got into the island spirit in brightly-coloured outfits as they embarked on a morning of engagements in Fiji.

The couple arrived at the University of the South Pacific campus in Suva, to mark the university's 50th anniversary.

Meghan, 37, was wearing a bright blue and pink tiered dress by Figue and Harry in a blue tropical print shirt

The couple were greeted by pipe playing musicians and cheering crowds as they walked up the red carpet before Meghan said a few words.

The Duke of Sussex salutes during the wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial in Suva, Fiji
Landlords who have been ruled unfit to let their properties are exploiting loopholes to carry on renting to tenants, it has been revealed.

Homeowners have continued to collect rents despite being convicted of housing offences and failing fit and proper person tests.

Housing legislation in England and Wales requires prospective landlords to pass the test in order to ensure they are trustworthy.

Housing legislation in England and Wales requires prospective landlords to pass the test in order to ensure they are trustworthy (stock image)

But an investigation by The Guardian and ITV News has found it is easy to circumvent this law because of the way it is written.

Rogue landlords database lies empty for six months A flagship rogue landlords database designed to target those banned from renting out their properties has not had a single name added to it six months after its launch, it emerged yesterday. The list allows councils to enter the details of landlords who receive one of the Governments new banning orders. Even when names are added, they will be visible only to local and central government officials and not the public. David Cox, chief executive of the Association of Residential Letting Agents, said: This is a truly ridiculous piece of legislation. How on earth is a tenant supposed to know if a landlord has been banned? Advertisement

Even if a landlord fails the fit and proper person test in one London borough they can continue renting out properties in others.

They can even continue to let homes in the borough they failed the test if it is managed by an approved third party.

Heather Wheeler MP, the minister for housing and homelessness, said: Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live, and we are reforming the private rented sector to make it fairer for all.

Through fines, banning orders and the new rogue landlord database - warmly welcomed by councils - we have provided authorities with new enforcement tools to help them crack down on the minority of landlords who exploit tenants.

It also emerged the governments new rogue landlord list sits empty six months after it was introduced.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) Request found that, even when landlords are added, they will not be made visible to the public.

David Cox, chief executive of the Association of Residential Letting Agents, said: This is a truly ridiculous piece of legislation.

There are no legal reasons for this database being kept secret. How on earth is a tenant supposed to know if a landlord has been banned? The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was exploring further options for making information contained with the database available to prospective and existing tenants.
Babies with spina bifida have had their spinal cords repaired in the womb in the first operations of their kind in the UK.

The two surgeries were performed by a team at London's University College Hospital this summer.

Spina bifida is usually treated after birth but research shows repairing the baby's spine earlier can stop the loss of spinal fluid and lead to better long-term health and mobility outcomes.

Babies with spina bifida have had their spinal cords repaired in the womb in the first operations of their kind in the UK (file photo)

A 30-strong team carried out the two operations, co-ordinated by Professor Anne David, who has been working for three years to bring the procedure to patients in the UK.

She said mothers previously had to travel to the US, Belgium or Switzerland for the procedure.

'It's fantastic. Women now don't have to travel out of the UK,' she said.

The surgery team from UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital travelled to Belgium to train at a facility in Leuven, where more than 40 such operations have been carried out.

Spina bifida is a condition that develops during pregnancy when the bones of the spine do not form properly

The surgery team from UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital travelled to Belgium to train at a facility in Leuven, where more than 40 such operations have been carried out

Spina bifida is a condition that develops during pregnancy when the bones of the spine do not form properly, creating a gap that leaves the spinal cord unprotected.

It can cause the spinal fluid to leak and put brain development at risk, potentially leading to long-term health and mobility problems.

What is spina bifida? Spina bifida is a condition that develops during pregnancy when the bones of the spine do not form properly, creating a gap that leaves the spinal cord unprotected. It is a type of neural tube defect - the neural tube is the structure that eventually develops into the baby's brain and spinal cord. It starts to form in early pregnancy and closes about four weeks after conception. In spina bifida, part of the neural tube doesn't develop or close properly, leading to defects in the spinal cord and bones of the spine. Source: NHS Advertisement

More than 200 children are born with spina bifida every year in the UK, according to charity Shine.

Professor David said: 'There were some children who had grown up following foetal surgery who were walking and you wouldn't expect them to be walking if they hadn't had it.

'So it's important to be able to offer the surgery to patients here in the UK.'

During the 90-minute procedure, an incision is made in the womb in a precise location to access the baby's spine and stitch the gap caused by spina bifida.

It came as ministers said they would consult on adding folic acid to flour and bread in a move that is said will help save generations of babies from devastating conditions such as spina bifida.

Twelve years after official food watchdogs recommended the measure, the Government says it will finally consult on adding the vitamin to all white flour.

The proposal is controversial, with some critics opposed to what they describe as mass medication through food.
A record number of girls and young women took their own lives last year, figures suggest.

They showed that 65 females aged between five and 19 died from confirmed suicides or by injuries or poisoning for unknown reasons.

Some 13.3 per cent of deaths of those in the age group are considered to have been suicide  an increase of more than a third on 2016 and the highest level since figures were first compiled in 2001. Suicide is also thought to have been the most common cause of deaths in the same age group among boys, responsible for 10.4 per cent of deaths in 2017.

Suicide is also thought to have been the most common cause of deaths in the same age group among boys, responsible for 10.4 per cent of deaths in 2017 (stock image)

Dr Jon Goldin, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: These are deeply concerning figures which once again highlight the pressures facing young women in our society today. Girls are perhaps more susceptible than boys to the kind of pressures society increasingly places on them to look good, lead a glamorous lifestyle and so on.

These pressures are transmitted in various ways, including via social media, and can be detrimental to young peoples self- esteem. Academic pressures, socio-economic pressures, family difficulties and pessimism about the future all also play a part.

These are really tragic figures, which should act as a wake-up call that many young people in our society are in great distress and need significantly more support.

Young girls are said by some analysts to face unprecedented pressures to conform to idealised images of beauty on social platforms, as well as dealing with cyber bullying, sexual exploitation and grooming, all of which damage their mental health.

Alana Ryan, of the NSPCC, said: Any death by suicide is a tragedy and as a society we must ensure support is readily available for young people suffering with mental health problems. Our own research showed that almost a third of children referred by schools for specialist mental health support over the last four years were denied treatment.

In England and Wales, a conclusion of suicide cannot be returned for children under the age of ten (stock image)

The Office for National Statistics, which released the figures, said that for boys and girls aged five to 19 years, suicide and injury or poisoning of undetermined intent remained the leading cause of death in 2017, accounting for an increased proportion of deaths at this age, compared with the previous year.

The second major cause of death in the most youthful age group was listed as brain tumours for girls and young women and transport accidents for boys and young men.

In England and Wales, a conclusion of suicide cannot be returned for children under the age of ten.

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see samaritans.org for details.
Another Christmas lights display in a Melbourne suburb has been cancelled due to pressure from an unhelpful local council.

Despite raising thousands of dollars for charity since 1999, the lights display in St Helena will not be staged this year.

It comes just weeks after the popular Xmas lights display in Narre Warren was also cancelled by council due to astronomical costs associated with traffic issues.

The popular Christmas lights display in the Melbourne suburb of St Helena (pictured) won't go ahead this year

In previous years the Christmas lights display in St Helena (pictured) was a massive hit for the community

Signs advertising the St Helena Christmas lights display in 2017 - it won't be staged this year due to a lack of co-operation from council

Frustrated organisers of the Allumba Drive event in St Helena, a suburb in north-east Melbourne, say relentless pressure from Banyule City Council over the past few years resulted in the outcome, leaving the local community seething.

On the event's Facebook page, it is described as one of Melbourne's 'biggest and brightest' light displays which has been running for just under two decades.

The event draws huge crowds each December and has collected almost $20,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation.

An organiser of the light display in St Helena explained why the difficult decision was taken.

'Putting up the Christmas lights is the easy part  dealing with the council and compliance is the difficult part and we just don't have the time or the money to do it any longer,' he told 3AW.

A Facebook user described the cancelling of the light display in St Helena as 'heartbreaking'

Another questioned where she will now take her kids to see Christmas lights in Melbourne

A third stated ' Grinch really does exist' - despite the complaints, council are standing firm

'On the back of the lack of co-operation from Banyule City Council, we decided we would not submit an application for the Christmas period of 2018.

'We are tired of the drama the (light) display causes and our decision to not go ahead this year is final.'

The organiser did encourage people to continue to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children diagnosed with critical illnesses.
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The Duchess of Sussex was today rushed out of a sweltering market in Fiji following a security scare and 'crowd control' issues.

Pregnant Meghan, 37, was seen whispering to her aides moments before she was whisked away by her bodyguards from the busy marketplace in Suva, the Fijian capital.

The planned 20-minute tour, to meet female stall holders involved with the UN Women's project 'Markets for Change' was cut short, with the Duchess spending just six minutes in the market before she was hurriedly moved along.

The swift change in schedule was put down to a 'security risk' with Kensington Palace blaming massive crowds as one royal aide said it was 'hot, humid and uncomfortably busy.'

Dramatic footage shows the moment her chief bodyguard and other protection officers realised something was amiss and swiftly escorted her through the crowds.

The engagement marked day nine of Prince Harry and Meghan's 16 day Commonwealth tour, and was the first full day in the country's capital.

The Duke and Duchess earlier visited the University of South Pacific campus, and Harry unveiled The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy Project and laid a wreath at the Fiji War Memorial.

The Duchess of Sussex has been rushed out of a market following a security scare, in a move which disappointed crowds of well wishers gathered to meet her

Meghan, 37, was at the marketplace in Suva, the Fijian capital, to to meet female stall holders involved with the UN Women's project 'Markets for Change' before she was promptly whisked away by security

Dramatic footage shows the moment her chief bodyguard and other aides realised something was amiss and swiftly escorted her through the crowds

Meghan was seen holding her hand to her forehead as she was led away from the market by royal protection officers

The Duchess' swift change in schedule was put down to a 'security risk', with Kensington Palace blaming massive crowds

Throughout the day, Meghan wore a 1,150 ($2,110 AUD, $1,495USD) vibrant red silk dress by Figue with a blue foral print and a playful pom pom detail, while her husband Prince Harry chose a tropical print shirt.

Her dress featured a wrap silhouette with a v-neckline, long sleeves and asymmetrical ruffle hem and seashell detail. Meghan, 37, paired the gown with the 80 ($147 AUD, $104USD) Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles she wore on Sydney's Bondi Beach last week. She completed her look with a tropical flower headpiece fitted in an up-do created by her personal hairdresser, George Northwood, who joined the Royals on tour in Fiji.

During Meghan's visit to the market many of the gathered people in the crowd were disappointed and surprised at the mother-to-be's exit, as onlookers described the meeting as well behaved and friendly.

They pointed out that the crowds were being kept well back from the Duchess by police and royal security and she was not being mobbed.

A royal aide said: It was hot, humid and uncomfortably busy and there were far larger crowds than expected.

'She met everyone she was meant to meet and left. There would have been a lot of people who would have been keen to meet her but she did met those who had hoped to.

On advice she was taken out due to crowd management issue.

One stall holder who had been positioned to expect a visit from the Duchess, said: 'It is such a shame as we were all very excited to meet her.

'We started preparing for the visit three weeks ago and had been meant to meet her but she left without even saying hello.'

MEGHAN'S NEW FEMALE BODYGUARD The bodyguard cut an unusually glamorous figure for a police officer during the Melbourne leg of the tour, pictured here in black culottes and beige heels The Duchess of Sussex has a new female head of protection  and she's 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 on their 16-day tour of Australia and the South Pacific, overseeing the massive police operation that surrounds the couple. The officer replaced the prince's long-standing head of security, Sergeant Bill Renshaw, who retired after more than 30 years in the force. While it took some time to find a woman for the job with Harry and Meghan the new senior female police officer has the rank of Inspector and comes from a background in policing. Last week, 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'. Never from from Meghan's side, the woman appears discreet as the mother-to-be carried out dozens of engagements. 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. However, due to her new high-profile role, the woman's identity can not be disclosed as she carries out duties for the Duchess. Advertisement

Flanked by her female head of protection and a Fijian security official, Meghan's safety was kept paramount as she was quickly moved on from the scheduled engagement.

The officer, who the Mail is not naming for security reasons, has been working with the couple for several months and is currently with them on tour, overseeing the massive police operation that surrounds the pair.

As she was ushered through the marketplace, the Duchess wore a dress by Figue and carrying a woven bag made by women at Suva market.

The decision to cut short the engagement came as a surprise and disappointment to many in the market, with some pointing out that the crowds were being kept well back from the duchess by police and royal security

Never far from from Meghan's side, her new head of protection appears discreet as the mother-to-be carried out dozens of engagements throughout the 16-day tour

The decision to cut short the engagement came as a surprise and disappointment to many in the market

She was welcomed at the engagement by Dr Josefa Koroivueta, the permanent secretary for women, children and poverty alleviation, Bijay Chand, the CEO of Suva City Council, Maira Noelle Vaeza, the UN Women's director of programmes, Shobna Verma, the legal adviser to Suva Market Vendor's Association who presented Meghan with a bouquet of flowers, and Sofia Talei, president of the Vendor's Association.

Tres jolie! Meghan dons a colourful wrap-around dress by on-trend Parisian designer to wow the Fiji crowds Meghan Markle stunned in a $2,110 Frida Kahlo-inspired dress by Parisian brand Figue as she visited a university campus in Suva, capital of Fiji during the royal couple's 16-day Southern Hemisphere tour The Duchess of Sussex dazzled in a vibrant red gown today as she strolled hand-in-hand with Prince Harry at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. Meghan looked glowing and relaxed in the $2,110 AUD (1,151) Frida Kahlo-inspired wraparound dress by Parisian label Figue as she greeted students and crowds of royal fans. Meghan's dress by Figue (pronounced 'Fig') is the brainchild of creative director Stephanie von Watzdorf who draws inspiration from her 'artistic and global heritage', according to the designer's website. Ms von Watzdorf was born on the outskirts of Paris and spent summers on the Mediterranean in Italy, lending her designs a distinctive look with ruffles and bell sleeves. Personal hairdresser George Northwood pinned back the Duchess' hair, adding a pretty spray of frangipani flowers. And the wedges were back, right, with Meghan, 37, pairing the gown with $147 AUD (80) Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles she wore on Sydney's Bondi Beach last week Cut from crepe de chine, the floral design featured a summery v neckline, billowing sleeves and asymmetrical ruffle hem with pom poms and seashell detail, subtly drawing attention to her growing baby bump. Meghan, 37, paired the gown with the $147 AUD (80) Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles she wore on Sydney's Bondi Beach last week. Her hair was styled by her personal hairdresser George Northwood and pinned back with a spray of pretty frangipani flowers. Meghan made a sartorial nod to her surroundings, with a document folder styled as a clutch bag, made from Fijian masi (also known as tapa) cloth. The elegant gold serpent bracelet Meghan wore on her left wrist is thought to be the handiwork of top jeweller Shaun Leane The Duchess of Sussex looked radiant in a red gown on Wednesday morning as she walked with Prince Harry to the University of the South Pacific in Suva (pictured). And Prince Harry had clearly thought about his own style choices too, teaming a Hawaiian-style shirt with brown suede boots and navy casual trousers The unusual serpent bracelet Meghan wore on her left wrist is believed to be by Shaun Leane, while the gold earrings she has matched it with are Karen Walker's 'Temptation' studs. The mother-to-be also carried a document folder styled as a clutch bag, made from Fijian masi (also known as tapa) cloth. And it wasn't just Meghan cutting a stylish figure; Harry, 34, took a leaf out of his wife's fashion playbook and shone in a light blue patterned t-shirt and black trousers, keeping his look distinctly tropical to celebrate the university's 50th anniversary. Advertisement

Mrs Verma, 58, who sells eggs at the market, said: 'The Duchess asked me if the programme really is making a difference and I told her there have been a lot of positive changes, but we are still waiting for more.'

Asenaca Salusalu was the first vendor to meet the Duchess inside the market. Mrs Salusalu, 50, a farmer from the village of Nukulau, more than 100 kilometres from Suva, has been a stallholder at Suva Market for nine years, selling root crops, vegetables and fruits.

Before meeting the Duchess, she said: 'It can be very a difficult life sometimes, it's heavy work cutting the crops and vegetables inside the market. Prices go up and down every day depending on the weather, during the rainy season the farmers put the prices up so I make less profit.

The planned 20-minute tour was cut short, with the Duchess spending just six minutes in the market before she was moved along

'The markets for change programme has been so good in helping us all in training, literacy, finance management and customer service. We have learned how to prepare budgets and how to be a leader. Before I started on the programme two years ago I was lost with all of this.

'It is so important for me to be able to share my experiences with the Duchess, to tell her how I used to be a sewing machinist, and how this programme has helped me develop so much. I want to ask her all about the baby too, and her visit to Fiji.'

Meghan, who looked slightly flustered during the hurried walk-through the market, shook Mrs Salusalu's hand, and said 'It's very good to meet you,' before moving on.

Mrs Salusalu said: 'She didn't really speak at all, like she was a bit afraid. She just said 'Bula' and 'Nice to meet you. But I'm happy to have met her.'

Sofia Talei, 33, from Suva, was another vendor who briefly met the Duchess. Miss Talei, the president of the Market's Vendor's Association, sells root crops, honey and coconut oil at her stall. She said: 'The Duchess told us it is lovely to see how beautiful the market is.

'The programme has helped us with the challenges facing the market stall holders. Even things like the toilets here, we have to share with the public, so that is one of our current concerns and we would also like more space for each vendor.

'We have been educated with the programme and now we feel we can stand up for ourselves and raise our concerns, even with government officials. It is important for the Duchess to come here because she is all about empowering and helping women.'

Meghan has previously campaigned for women's rights and gender equality. In her former life as an actress, she was an UN 'women's advocate for political participation and leadership' and once declared in a speech: 'I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex look lovingly into each other's eyes after they were each presented with tropical leis in Fiji

The Duchess of Sussex was mobbed by young fans as she toured around Suva, the capital of Fiji, on Wednesday morning

The pregnant Meghan once again proved to be a natural with the local children, with some even giving her a hug

Mother-to-be Meghan met with a little girl who was holding a Fijian flag as she undertook her royal duties at the university campus

Shortly before her marriage, Meghan reinforced her feminist principles, declaring 'women don't need to find a voice, they have a voice, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be urged to listen'.

The Markets for Change program is delivered by the Fiji Multi-Country Office and funded largely by the Australian and Canadian governments. It works with 20 market sites across Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to help ensure they are safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory work environments for female stall holders.

Between 75 and 90 per cent of market vendors in the Pacific region are women, but the hours are long, profits often low and working conditions are difficult. Women often come from rural areas and sleep in the market for days, exposing them to higher risks of violence and theft.

The program has helped provide roofing, secure accommodation, sanitation and clean drinking water for rural vendors. It also holds workshops focusing on women's leadership and participation, marketing, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, resulting in women increasing sales and having a voice on market committees.

While Meghan was ushered from the market, the Duke of Sussex went back to his roots as he planted a tree with the same shovel his grandmother the Queen used for the task in 1953.

Harry, who wore a blue Bula shirt for the visit to Colo-I-Suva Forest Reserve, also met a woman who had served her tea when she visited Fiji during her epic Coronation tour.

Litiana Vulaca, 87, was just 21 when she was chosen for the task by her employer Frances Lilian Charlton, who was the principal of Adi Cakobau Secondary School, a girls' boarding school visited by the monarch.

Local clan chiefs were gathered around her as the Duke arrived, but he immediately crouched down to speak to her and had clearly been well briefed on her story.

While Meghan was ushered from the market, the Duke of Sussex went back to his roots as he planted a tree with the same shovel his grandmother the Queen used for the task in 1953, along with making kava with locals

Harry, who wore a blue Bula shirt for the visit to Colo-I-Suva Forest Reserve, also met a woman who had served her tea when she visited Fiji during her epic Coronation tour

Sniffing a bowl of the earthy drink, prepared by pounding the roots of the Yagona tree into powder and adding water, he said it was 'strong'

Speaking afterwards an emotional Litiana said: 'I am so happy today because he talked to me first and he knew all about my story.

Describing her previous royal encounter, she said: 'I was 21 years old in 1953 and I was working for a lady as a housemaid. She taught me a lot about how to do things, so when the Queen came, they chose me to serve her and the Duke.

'I was so frightened the first time, but I was very very lucky. She was so beautiful, with beautiful skin and clothes.'

Litiana, who had been well trained in etiquette by her boss, also recalled an apparent breach of protocol by Prince Philip, saying: 'I remember that the Duke didn't use a teaspoon to put sugar in his tea, he picked up the sugar lump with his fingers. I was shocked.'

Harry was in the forest to formally recognise its dedication to the Queen's Commmonwealth Canopy Project and to mark the occasion he unveiled a plaque and planted an indigenous Dakua tree, which is a threatened species in Fiji.

He was led to a shiny metal shovel, engraved with the words Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lautoka, Fiji, December 18th 1953 and picked it up, saying; 'This is the second time it's been used since 1953, right?'

He filled in the earth with the help of two schoolchildren after giving a speech.

Earlier, the Duke had a crash course in Fijian traditions as he watched demonstrations of mat weaving using dried Pandanus leaves and hair dyeing, using Makita fruits, limestone and clay inside an open-sided Bure, or hat.

Spotting two men demonstrating the stages of Kava production, he said: 'That's what I drank last night.'

Sniffing a bowl of the earthy drink, prepared by pounding the roots of the Yagona tree into powder and adding water, he said it was 'strong'.

'How much of this do you drink at the weekend?' the Duke asked local men Joeli Nasaqa, 18, and Eparama Uluiviti, 28.

Earlier, the Duke had a crash course in Fijian traditions as he watched demonstrations of mat weaving using dried Pandanus leaves and hair dyeing, using Makita fruits, limestone and clay inside an open-sided Bure, or hat

Spotting two men demonstrating the stages of Kava production, Prince Harry revealed: 'That's what I drank last night'

'Around a kilo,' said Joeli.

'It would be easier to just drink a beer,' joked Harry.

Harry then met members of the Matagali and Naulukarowa and Matagali Matanikorovatu clans  the traditional owners of the forest, who leased it to be legally protected by the Fijian Government in 1949.

They included Litiana's nephew Saula Bilivanua,

The Duke also spoke to children from Tamavua and Taciura Primary Schools, who had prepared displays about climate change.

He told them: 'You are the younger generation and you are much better educated about climate change than your parents.

'Do you think there is enough action to stop it in the rest of the world? Not enough?

'We need more, but what you guys are doing here is fantastic.'

Bernadette Welch Permanent Secretary for Civil Service and acting Permanent Secretary for Forests at the British High Commission in Fiji, said: 'The people here are very emotional about the royal visit  they really cherish it. They will be talking about it for generations.'

The Colo i Suva Forest Reserve, comprising 369 hectares, is home to several endangered species, including the Fijian tree frog and the Balaka Microcarpa fern, of which only 200 remain in the country.

Before separating for different afternoon engagements, the Duchess of Sussex was seen gazing adoringly at her husband as the royal couple got into the island spirit in brightly-coloured outfits as they embarked on a morning of engagements in Fiji's capital.

Prince Harry and Meghan arrived at the University of the South Pacific campus in Suva on Wednesday morning to mark the university's 50th anniversary.

Hundreds of youngsters patiently lined-up to meet the mother-to-be, with some handing the Duchess drawings and hand-made necklaces

The children, who held hand-made signs of the royal couple, were in awe of Meghan as she greeted them one-by-one

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex smiled as they were each presented with extravagant floral leis at a university campus in Fiji

The pair gazed at each other as they received the leis from the bare-footed attendants

The royal couple later emerged from inside the university but only Meghan was still wearing the tropical lei

Meghan was also seen carrying an oversized locally-made clutch which featured a printed Fijian design

A glowing Duchess of Sussex gave a royal wave to the crowd of adoring fans which greeted her and her husband in Suva

Meghan spoke at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji - the first time she has given a speech during the 16-day royal tour

Harry also made a speech at the university in his capacity as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador

Meghan spoke of how the 'journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one'

Meghan chatted to university students after giving her inspiring speech, where she had also spoke of her own personal university experience

The royals were greeted by pipe playing musicians and cheering crowds as they walked down the red carpet which had been rolled-out for their arrival, with Meghan mobbed by young fans.

The Duchess later gave a speech to university students, the first words she has spoken during their 16-day Commonwealth tour, which is more than half-way through.

Meghan spoke of how the 'journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one'.

'I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world  myself included. It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition - that I was able to attend university,' she said.

'And, without question, it was worth every effort. Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital.

'Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development. Because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them.'

Inside the university, the couple observed a cultural performance on the effects of climate change in the Pacific from the university's Oceania Dance Troupe, before meeting students studying subjects from agriculture to women's development.

Their Royal Highnesses were hosted by Queen's Young Leader Elisha Azeemah Bano and Commonwealth Youth Award winner Elvis Kumar, both of whom are USP students.

The event was live streamed to a number of the university's campuses throughout the Pacific region.

Harry also made a speech in his capacity as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

In between the university and the market, Meghan dropped by the British High Commissioner's Residence, where she attended a morning tea reception

Meghan completed her look with a tropical flower headpiece. The Duchess has her personal hairdresser, George Northwood, with her in Fiji

Prince Harry and wife Meghan arrived at the University of the South Pacific campus in Suva, Fiji, on their second full day in the Pacific Island nation

Meghan, 37, was wearing a bright blue and pink tiered dress by Figue, while Prince Harry was in a blue tropical print shirt

The royal couple were seen holding hands as they walked through the university campus, as a huge crowd turned out to catch a glimpse of the pair

Meghan's dress featured a wrap silhouette with a v-neckline, long sleeves and asymmetrical ruffle hem with pom poms and seashell detail

The royal couple waved to students who had turned out to welcome them to the university campus on Wednesday morning

The couple were greeted by pipe playing musicians and cheering crowds as they walked up the red carpet

MEGHAN'S SPEECH TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Bula! It is a great privilege to be with all of you today. As a university graduate, I know the personal feeling of pride and excitement that comes with attending university. From the moment you receive your acceptance letter, to the exams you spend countless late nights studying for, the lifelong friendships you make with your fellow alumni, and the moment you receive your diploma. The journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one. I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world  myself included. It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition - that I was able to attend university. And, without question, it was worth every effort. Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development. Because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them. While progress has been made in many areas across the Commonwealth, there is always scope to offer more opportunities to the next generation of young adults, and specifically to young women. The Association of Commonwealth Universities, which has Her Majesty The Queen is Patron of, supports universities to promote equality in their own institutions. I am pleased to announce today that two new grants will be awarded to Fiji National University and the University of the South Pacific, allowing each of them to run workshops which empower their female staff. This means that female faculty members are able to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and enter higher-education, and that more womenbecome part of the decision-making process in academic institutions. Grants like this ensure that women are provided with the training and skills to operate effectively in their roles, and those with leadership potential are given the opportunity to be heard and recognised at the most senior level. It is wonderful to join you here today and we look forward to learning more about your academic endeavours, and the work you plan to do as future leaders and as change-makers! My husband Harry and I, wish you all the very best of luck as you continue your studies and work. Your efforts now will help to make a positive future for each of you and your communities at large - congratulations to you all! Advertisement

Meghan gave a wave to the crowd as she arrived at the university. before the pair strode along the red carpet hand-in-hand

Meghan touches her hair during a visit to Suva market

The duchess confidently gave a speech about the importance of women's education

The couple then went in separate directions.

The Duke travelled to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park and The Duchess to the British High Commissioner's Residence, before heading to Suva Market.

Prince Harry had earlier left a touching handwritten note in Fijian at a wreath laying ceremony at the national war memorial in the Pacific Island nation.

He was up early to lay a poppy wreath on Wednesday, which carried the personal message 'In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Loloma kei na masu. Harry'.

The wording in Fijian means love and prayers.

He also meet with a number of Fijian war veterans, some of whom served with the British Armed Forces, on his second day in the country.

Pregnant Meghan stayed behind at their luxury Suva hotel as her husband attended to his early morning official duties.

The couple is staying at the Grand Pacific Hotel, where the Queen also stayed in 1953.

Since then Fiji has hosted a number of royal visits, including five from the Queen and three from Prince Charles.

The huge crowds which had gathered for the royal couple's visit were held back by authorities

Adoring onlookers held up signs for the royal couple, with one jokingly saying 'We're suppose to be studying'

The Duke of Sussex had earlier honoured Fiji's proud military heritage at a wreath laying ceremony

Prince Harry is pictured at a wreath laying ceremony at the national war memorial in Suva, Fiji on Wednesday morning

The poppy wreath held by the Duke of Sussex carried a personal handwritten message, in both English and Fijian

Prince Harry wrote: 'In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Loloma kei na masu. Harry'

The wreath laying ceremony was Prince Harry's first official duty in Fiji on Wednesday morning, which he attended without his pregnant wife

Prince Harry, who served in the British Army for ten years, honoured Fiji's proud military heritage at the wreath laying ceremony.

The Duke, dressed in uniform accompanied by his medals and holding a sword, saluted as the last post was sounded and the Fijian flag lowered.

There are more than 1250 Fijians currently serving in the British army and Prince Harry's Fijian orderly is also ex-British forces.

After Prince Harry had laid the wreath, he was introduced to a line-up of veterans.

The royal shook each man by the hand as he walked along the line and had a joke with one senior veteran. Meeting Maleli Naigulevu, from Koro Island, Prince Harry asked: 'Hello, how old are you?'

When Maleli told him his age, the prince exclaimed: '84! Still looking very young!' Afterwards Maleli said: 'I served for 40 years in the medical corps, I was a pathologist. 'It was very nice to meet Prince Harry today. He is a very good role model for us all.

The Duke of Sussex salutes during the wreath laying ceremony at the national war memorial in Suva, Fiji

Prince Harry was notably dressed for the occasion as he took the salute at the wreath laying ceremony in Suva

'The British royals family are very popular here as Fiji was ceded to Great Britain and they taught us good things.'

As Prince Harry progressed down the line of veterans, he sounded very like his father Charles and grandfather Philip. 'Very nice to see you today' he told each man. 'Did you enjoy your service? How are you today?'

Then he came to 12-year-old Taniela Vakalaca who was wearing all his father's medals as his dad died in Kenya two years ago. Harry asked him: 'Who's are these medals... your father's...? Ah... Are you going to join the army? You don't have to! Only if you want to!'

Prince Harry pulled his mum out of the crowd to shake her hand and told her how nice it was to meet her. Afterwards a rather shy Taniela said: 'It was very nice to meet him [Harry]. My medals are my dads. He passed away in 2016 in Kenya, in Africa. I miss him very much and I want to follow my dad'.

The Duke then spotted a friend. Brit Derek Detenalagi knew the prince from the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014. He and his wife Ana, whose family are from Fiji, flew over specially for the royal visit and were invited to Tuesday night's state dinner.

When Prince Harry spotted the couple he teased them: 'Late night last night? Look after yourselves!' Ana said: 'We weren't on the list this morning for this wreath-laying but his PA Clara told us to be here this morning. We were at the reception last night which was fun. We were very honoured as he gave us each a hug. We did have quite a late night but Harry didn't. He and Meghan left with the president'.

Prince Harry attended the ceremony solo while his wife Meghan Markle stayed behind at the couple's hotel

Prince Harry is meeting with a number of Fijian war veterans following the wreath laying ceremony

Fiji created a special 'HRH' number for the vehicle which had driven Prince Harry to the wreath laying ceremony

After Prince Harry had laid the wreath, the Duke of Sussex was introduced to a line-up of veterans

At the state dinner on Tuesday night, Prince Harry had also spoke of how he had served alongside Fijian servicemen in Afghanistan.

'Your soldiers fought with the British Armed Forces during the First and Second World Wars and continue to serve alongside our soldiers to this day, with more than 1,250 Fijians currently serving,' he said.

'I must emphasise my respect, admiration and camaraderie with the Fijian soldiers that I served with in Afghanistan.

'We trained together, we fought together, and most importantly we laughed together.'

On Thursday, the royal couple will travel to the city of Nadi in Western Fiji, where they will attend a special event at Nadi Airport.

After an official welcome ceremony, The Duke and Duchess will unveil a new statue commemorating Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba.

From Nadi Airport, Their Royal Highnesses will take a chartered flight to Tonga.

The visit to Fiji and Tonga is part of a mammoth 16-day tour, which also includes Australia and New Zealand.
A woman whose 16-year-old son was tasered while trying to evade police officers has lashed out at cops - but she agreed he 'needed to be arrested'.

The woman claims the boy was unnecessarily tasered by police, who were called to her home on Fourth Street in Weston, north of Sydney, about 12.45am on Tuesday.

According to police, the officers were left with no other choice but to restrain the boy, who has outstanding warrants and tried to flee the scene on their arrival.

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A woman whose 16-year-old son was tasered while trying to evade police officers has lashed out at cops - but she agreed he 'needed to be arrested'

Police from the Hunter Valley Police District in New South Wales attended a home in Weston after reports a teenager wanted on an outstanding warrant was at the property

Shocking video footage captured the moment the boy was brutally tasered by police in what his mother says was an act of 'extreme force'.

In the video, the officers are shown wrestling with the boy before pointing a taser in the direction of onlookers and asking them to back off while they restrain him.

The teenager's mother told 7News while she agrees the boy needed to be arrested, she claims police officers used unnecessary force.

'I understand fully that he needed to be arrested but the extreme force that they used, there was just no need for it,' the woman said.

Police allege the officers only tasered the 16-year-old after they tried to stop him and a struggle ensued, resulting in both of the officers being assaulted.

'Neighbouring residents intervened, and it's alleged both officers were assaulted - one was struck several times in the head and body,' a police spokeswoman said.

'As police attempted to restrain the teenager, he was tasered and OC spray was deployed.'

The boy's mother has since denied the attack on the officers ever took place and has lodged a formal complaint about the NSW Police officers involved.

The boy was taken to Cessnock Police Station and charged with the outstanding warrant as well as resisting an officer in execution of duty, assaulting a police officer in execution of duty cause aggravated bodily harm, possession of a prohibited drug, and possession of equipment for administering prohibited drugs.

He was refused bail to appear at a children's court on Tuesday 23 October where he was refused bail again.

He is now set to reappear in court on Tuesday 13 November 2018.

Tasers deliver approximately 50,000 volts of electricity into a person, inflicting excruciating pain.

There have been nine fatalities in Australia from tasering in the past 10 years.

It's alleged two senior constables stopped him and as they attempted to arrest him, a struggle ensued

When police arrived the teen's home in Weston, on Tuesday, in the Hunter Valley of NSW, a struggle ensued.

Neighbouring residents intervened and it's alleged both officers were assaulted  one was struck several times in the head and body.

As police attempted to restrain the teenager, he was tasered and OC spray was deployed.

The incident was caught on camera with a number of people heard swearing and shouting at police.

'You're a f****** dog! Get the f*** off him now!' one person is heard shouting.

The officers are also heard telling people to stay away.

'Get back! Get back now!', one officer is heard saying.

Being tasered leaves the suspect feeling dazed, unsteady on their feet and along with a temporary tingling sensation but has also been known to cause excessive harm.
A 12-year-old boy was allegedly beaten with a wooden spoon and dog leash by a man and woman in his own home.

A heroic stranger rushed the child to a local Blacktown Police Station at 6pm Tuesday.

He had injuries to his hands and back and was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital for treatment.

He is now in the care of the Department of Family and Community Services.

A heroic stranger has rushed a 12-year-old boy to hospital after he was beaten with a wooden spoon and dog leash by a man and woman in his home

Detectives from the State Crime Commands Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation immediately after the boy was found.

Mt Druitt Police arrested a man and woman at the property, said to be in the Glendenning area, according to reports.

They were taken to Blacktown Police Station at about 2am Wednesday.

The pair, both in their 40s and from western Sydney, has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

A male and female were arrested by Mt Druitt Police at the property said to be in the Glendenning area and charged at the Blacktown Police Station

The pair was also served a provisional apprehended violence order and an investigation has commenced.

They were granted strict conditional bail to appear at Blacktown Local Court on Wednesday 31 October 2018.

The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.

Anyone with concerns should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Sexual abuse of children is so normalised in a remote town that a 13-year-old girl had no qualms about being raped by five older teens, a sentencing hearing heard.

The girl was lured to a lookout and passed around while male teens waiting their turn photographed the abuse, and shared it with their friends.

The images were so widely circulated that they were seen by her high school classmates. She also contracted chlamydia and four other STDs.

Sexual abuse of children is so normalised in the remote Western Australian town of Roebourne (pictured) that a 13-year-old girl had no qualms about being gang raped by five older teens

The troubled teenager was just one of dozens of victims found in a probe of child sex abuse in Roebourne, a tiny town near Karratha in northwest WA.

Courts that convicted six teenagers in the horrific case were told 'this conduct had been normalised' among young people in the area, according to PerthNow.

'She simply didn't have any of the protective mechanisms you might expect a normal 13-year-old to have,' prosecutor Katrin Robinson said.

'To put it bluntly, saying yes to sex was not out of the ordinary for her because that's what she was used to.'

The ringleader, aged just 16, messaged the girl as the group drove 40km from Roebourne to Karratha in March 2017 to pick her up in a van.

The girl was even easier to lure because she suffered from Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and witnessed alcoholism, drug abuse, and domestic violence at home.

The wide-ranging investigation charged 36 men with more than 300 crimes against 184 children, and identified three times that many suspects.

A wide-ranging investigation charged 36 men with more than 300 crimes against 184 children, and identified three times that many suspects in and around Roebourne

West Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the scale of arrests was 'staggering' and the problem was 'a cancer'.

'It's a war zone out there and the victims are little kids,' he told the ABC earlier this year.

The ringleader in the girl's gang rape was sent to juvenile detention for 13 months by the Perth Children's Court earlier this year.

An 18-year-old got the longest sentence, two years, in March at the Perth District Court and two 15-year-old boys received 10 months detention and an eight-month intensive youth supervision order respectively.

Another 18-year-old man was only convicted of aiding the rapes and given a 12-month suspended sentence, and a 17-year-old who took the photos got nine months.
A pair of Michigan brothers may be required to pay a hefty $450,000 in penalties after they haphazardly chopped down about 1,500 trees without a required permit.

Gary and Matt Percy, who own 16 acres of adjacent land in Canton Township, cut the trees down with the intent of growing their family business.

Their attorney, Michael J. Pattwell, said the brothers planned to create a Christmas tree farm with the empty lot, according to M Live.

However the township ordinance regarding landmark tree replacement requires land owners to have a permit as well as a plan.

Gary (right) and Matt Percy (left) face $450,000 in fines after they cut down about 1,500 trees on their Canton Township property without a permit

The brothers reportedly planned to create a Christmas tree lot with the space

'Whenever a tree removal permit is issued for the removal of any landmark tree with a (diameter at breast height) of six inches or greater, such trees shall be relocated or replaced by the permit grantee.

'Every landmark/historic tree that is removed shall be replaced by three trees with a minimum caliper of four inches. Such trees will be of the species from section,' the ordinance states.

'Whenever a tree removal permit is issued for the removal of trees, other than landmark/historic trees, with a (diameter at breast height) of six inches or greater (excluding boxelder (acer negundo), ash (fraxinus spp) and cottonwood (populus spp), such trees shall be relocated or replaced by the permit grantee if more than 25 percent of the total inventory of regulated trees is removed.'

The township ordinance requires that land owners have a permit as well as a plan

The Percys are also accused of causing damage to a a natural drain and violating wetland regulations

Canton Township said the hefty price the Percys may be required to pay is based solely on its tree removal ordinance

Canton Township Community planner Jeff Goulet said in a statement seen on WXYZ that the Percys were informed numerous times before they cut the trees down that they would need a permit prior.

He added that the men are also currently accused of causing damage to a natural drain and violating wetland regulations.

The brother's attorney, Michael J. Pattwell, told M Live the Percys 'believed they were exercising a state and local exemption for farming when they cleared the land, but city officials arrived on-site and signaled immediately their intention to levy big fines.'

Canton Township said the hefty price the brothers could be required to pay is based solely on its tree removal ordinance.
On October 17, Rev. Timothy Keller delivered a keynote speech to a sold-out audience at the Acton Institutes 2018 Annual Dinner. In his address, Keller explains the concepts of traditional identity and modern identity and their prevalence in present-day culture. Modern identity, claims Keller, presents serious problems for the contemporary business world. Keller presents the Gospel as the answer to modern issues of identity.

From engaging work by scholars such as Charles Taylor to reciting lyrics from Disneys Frozen, Kellers speech communicates important ideas about identity in an engaging, intelligent manner.

Watch the full video below.
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Ecuador will not intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over his situation in the South American country's London embassy, an official has said.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said Ecuador's only responsibility was looking after Assange's wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

'Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps,' Valencia told Reuters. 'We are not Mr. Assange's lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain.'

Valencia said he was 'frustrated' by Assange's decision to file suit in an Ecuadorean court last week over new terms of his asylum, which required him to pay for medical bills and telephone calls and to clean up after his pet cat.

Ecuador will not intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (pictured in May last year) over his situation in the South American country's London embassy, an official said

'There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr. Assange's laundry,' he said.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment after normal business hours.

Greg Barns, an Australian lawyer advising Assange, said in an email that 'developments in the case in recent times' showed the need for Australia's government to intervene to assist 'one of its citizens who faces real danger.'

This position marks a departure from Ecuador's previous practice of maintaining dialogue with British authorities over Assange's situation since granting him asylum in 2012, when he took refuge in Ecuador's London Embassy after British courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case.

Assange filed a suit in an Ecuadorean court last week over new terms of his asylum, which required him to pay for medical bills and telephone calls and to clean up after his pet cat

That case has since been dropped, but friends and supporters have said that Assange now fears he could be arrested and eventually extradited to the United States if he leaves the embassy.

WikiLeaks, which published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets when Assange ran the operation, faces a U.S. grand jury investigation.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has said that asylum is not meant to be eternal, but he has expressed concern about the possibility that Assange may be extradited to the United States. Valencia said on Tuesday that he has not discussed Assange's situation with the United States' government.

Last December, Ecuador granted Assange Ecuadorean citizenship and sought to name him as a member of the country's diplomatic mission in Britain and Russia, which could have assured him safe passage to leave the embassy. Britain denied the request.
A Texas man has been arrested for allegedly writing a post on the dark web seeking to commit necrophilia and cannibalism on a young girl.

Alexander Nathan Barter, 21, was booked in Shelby County, according to an affidavit which was obtained on Monday.

Barter allegedly made his intentions known to an undercover officer who was investigating him online, KTRE-TV reports.

The post written by Barter invites anyone willing to let him eat a young girl and then have sex with the corpse, according to authorities.

Alexander Nathan Barter, 21, was booked in Shelby County, according to an affidavit which was obtained on Monday

Barter also wrote two encrypted email addresses so as to allow others to contact him.

The post was discovered by an undercover agent working for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The agent reportedly responded to the post by offering up his young daughter.

Nice! Im in East Texas. How old is your daughter? Can we kill her? Barter is alleged to have written.

Barter then provided graphic details of things he would like to do to the girl before and after she dies.

Barter and the undercover agent exchanged a series of emails in which they planned to meet along with the officers daughter.

Barter allegedly made his intentions known to an undercover officer who was investigating him online

The post written by Barter invites anyone willing to let him eat a young girl and then have sex with the corpse, according to authorities. The girl in the photo above has no known link to Barter's arrest

The plan was to go on a father and daughter hiking trip.

Instead of going on the hike, the daughter would instead be driven to a hotel, where she was to be assaulted, killed, and then cannibalized, according to the plan.

Barter allegedly told the undercover agent to buy a burner phone and new clothes to wear after the murder.

He even told the agent to concoct an alibi by claiming that his daughter ran away from home again.

On October 15, Barter allegedly wrote: Im not going to change my mind about this. I really want to do this.

Investigators said they were able to trace the dark web posting to Barter by subpoenaing subscriber information and IP logs.

Nice! Im in East Texas. How old is your daughter? Can we kill her? Barter is alleged to have written in an email to an undercover agent

They then contacted the internet service provider, which eventually led them to Barter, according to the arrest report.

The undercover agent and Barter set October 19 as the day they were meeting for their trip.

As Barter was on his way to meet the father and daughter, he was instead accosted by a group of law enforcement officials outside his house.

Investigators found a plastic trash bag and a knife - items that he allegedly noted he would bring with him during his interactions with the undercover agent.

Court documents say that Barter admitted to investigators that he is the person who was communicating with the undercover agent.

Barter was placed under arrest and booked in Shelby County Jail.

He faces charges including criminal solicitation, attempted capital murder, conspiracy to commit capital murder, and attempted sexual performance of a child - all felonies.
A man from California has been detained by immigration officials after he appeared in court to seek a restraining order against a relative who allegedly molested his daughter.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Marcos Villanueva in August, just two days after he testified in court to defend his 12-year-old daughter, according to his lawyer.

She had accused her 51-year-old uncle of molesting her, attorney Willard Bakeman told KTLA.

A judge dismissed the case in July due to lack of evidence his family said, according to the O.C. Register.

Marcos Villanueva, 40, has been picked up by ICE after appearing in court to seek a restraining order against his daughter's molester

Villanueva (pictured) alleged that his 12-year-old daughter was being molested by a neighbor

The family believes the relative tipped off ICE in retaliation and the 40-year-old father was detailed two days later.

'I was left without a husband, from one minute to the next, and I didn't even know who took him,' Villanueva's wife, Jenie Villalvir, told KTLA.

'I believed in justice in this country. My husband, he doesn't owe anyone anything. He is not a criminal. He pays his taxes every year. He is a good father. He is a good person,' said Jenie.

'The man who should be in jail is out while my husband is detained,' she added.

He is currently being held at a facility near Irvine, could be deported despite having no no criminal record.

Villanueva could be deported to Honduras, where he would likely be kidnapped and killed.

'This is probably the most unjust and unfair case I've ever seen,' Bakeman told KTLA.

He called Villanueva's situation an example of ICE targeting victims rather than criminals.

Bakeman said the restraining order Villanueva's family had been seeking was not granted, and that the man who allegedly molested Villanueva's daughter lives two doors away from their home.

Willard Bakeman suspects the uncle accused of the molestation tipped off U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Villanuevas illegal immigration status.

However, ICE say they had previously ordered Villanueva's deportation in 2005 but he failed to go to court at the time because the notice didn't indicate a time or location.

The family says Villanueva fled to the U.S. from Honduras 13 years ago under fear for his life after witnessing a friend's murder.

Villanueva's oldest daughter Keyli said the prospect of her father's deportation from the U.S. has been devastating.

'It's hard to live without him. It's frustrating,' she said. 'What my uncle did to my sister  why is he not in jail? Why are we still looking at his face?

ICE says thatanyone who violates immigration laws are subjected to be removed from the U.S.

'I know he's not the only person that goes through this, but he deserves another chance,' Keyli said. 'He deserves to be back with his family.'

ICE remains steadfast in its policies in that who violates immigration laws is subject to removal from the U.S.

'While ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security, the agency does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,' public affairs officer Lauren Mack said in a statement.
An Adelaide man accused of making a fake report about a contaminated strawberry says he was telling the truth.

Paul Benjamin Wright, 34, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday after police said he last month reported his daughter had discovered a needle in a berry.

Wright, who was not represented by a lawyer, said he intends to plead not guilty to making a false report and falsely claiming goods had been contaminated.

Paul Benjamin Wright, 34, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday after police said he last month reported his daughter had discovered a needle in a berry

Wright, who was not represented by a lawyer, said he intends to plead not guilty to making a false report and falsely claiming goods had been contaminated

'I did make the claims but what happened actually happened,' he told reporters outside court.

A police prosecutor said Wright made the report after watching a news story about contaminated strawberries and was charged after a subsequent investigation.

He said police would present a receipt, CCTV footage from the north-eastern suburbs supermarket where Wright claimed to have purchased the berries, and a record of his police interview.

Magistrate David McLeod continued Wright's bail to appear before Elizabeth Magistrates Court next month.
Jetstar is offering free return flights for passengers from a range of top holiday hot spots.

The destinations passengers will be able to fly back for free include cities in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia and Hawaii.

The exclusive deals are available to early access members until October 24 and October 27 for the public.

Australian low-cost airline Jetstar has launched a sale on free return flights

Travellers will need to book a single outbound fare and will get a return fare for free on selected flights.

Jet-setters in Sydney and Melbourne are in luck, being the only cities offered a getaway to Hawaii.

An outbound flight and free return costs just $329.

The free return flight deals include popular holiday hot spots including Honolulu and Queenstown

Sydney travellers are also offered deals to fly to other popular tourist destinations such as Phuket, Auckland, Bali and the Gold Coast.

Jetstar is offering return flights to sought-after tourist destination Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand from the Gold Coast and Melbourne.

Airline deals also include flights to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam from Melbourne and Sydney.

Avid travellers must get in quick for free return flights to Melbourne and Phuket, Thailand

Other hotspot getaways listed include the Whitsunday Coast, Hamilton Island, Cairns and Port Stephens in Newcastle.

The 'return for free' sales are offering outbound starter fares from just $49 up to $329.

But avid travellers must get in quick as the deals are subject to availability.

Terms and conditions apply to Jetstar's sale.
Geoffrey Rush says he might have told a younger co-star she looked 'yummy' when they were working a Sydney theatre production, but denies doing it while licking his lips and sticking his tongue out.

In Sydney's Federal Court on Wednesday, Rush said it was possible he described Eryn Jean Norvill as yummy during rehearsals for the Sydney Theatre Company's 2015-16 production of King Lear.

'I might have, yes,' he said.

Geoffrey Rush (pictured) says he might have told a younger co-star she looked 'yummy' when they were working a Sydney theatre production

In the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday, Geoffrey Rush (pictured centre) said it was possible he described Eryn Jean Norvill as yummy

'Yummy has a spirit to it because we are about to go into - most of our scenes together are going to be very dramatic and harrowing, this is a good start,' Rush said.

The Oscar-winning actor was being cross-examined by barrister Tom Blackburn SC at his defamation trial against The Daily Telegraph's publisher, Nationwide News, and journalist Jonathon Moran.

He's suing the Sydney newspaper and journalist over articles about an allegation he behaved inappropriately toward a co-star - later revealed to be Norvill - during a Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016.

Rush, 67, denies the allegation and argues the paper made him out to be a pervert and a sexual predator.

On Wednesday, Rush (pictured left) was being cross-examined by barrister Tom Blackburn SC at his defamation trial

Nationwide News and Moran are pleading a defence of truth in the trial and Norvill - who didn't speak with Moran for the articles - has agreed to give evidence.

Rush on Wednesday denied a suggestion by Mr Blackburn that he would tell Norvill she looked yummy and scrumptious while licking his lips, sticking out his tongue and making groping gestures before her torso.

He also denied deliberately touching Norvill's breast during a scene where he was carrying her.

The trial continues.
Australia is uniquely positioned for the implementation of nuclear weapons, an expert has said.

Dr Stephan Fruhling, Associate Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, said in a recent essay that the unthinkable option of Australian nuclear weapons is more likely than ever before.

The countrys continuous coastline, he said, would be the ideal position for tactical, short-range nuclear weapons that could be used in defence against air and maritime forces.

Dr Stephan Fruhling, from the ANU, said in a recent essay that the unthinkable option of Australian nuclear weapons is more likely than ever before

Australia could establish a maritime exclusion zone in wartime, to increase the military risk for any country planning a major attack against the continent, he told Late Night Live.

Australia has taken shelter under the US nuclear umbrella since the early 20th century, and has stubbornly stayed out of discussions to forbid the manufacture of nuclear weapons, the ABC reports.

But if Australia continues to ally with the US, threats from China are likely to escalate.

Just last week, the China Daily issued a chilling warning to Australia over its alignment with the US in the South China Sea.

And if Australia launches a nuclear offering, it could risk all-out warfare in the region.

In the 1960s, during John Gortons brief spell as prime minister, Australia began constructing a nuclear power station in Jervis Bay, New South Wales.

The countrys continuous coastline, Dr Fruhling said, would be the ideal position for tactical, short-range nuclear weapons that could be used in defence against air and maritime forces

In the 1960s, during John Gortons brief spell as prime minister, Australia began constructing a nuclear power station in Jervis Bay, New South Wales

The base would have been able to generate plutonium to manufacture nuclear weapons, but when William McMahon took over leadership in 1971, building-work ceased.

However, now that the topic of nuclear activity has come back into the conversation worldwide  most notably from the US which has recently withdrawn from the Nuclear Weapons Treaty with Russia  Australia may be forced to revisit its own discussions.

But Fruhling has issued a stark warning should Australia decide to move forward with a nuclear agenda, saying that it would have to be the result of a genuine existential threat by a great power from Asia.

Dr Stephan Fruhling (pictured) is associate dean of the college of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University

A serious study would be the key to assessing whether nuclear weapons could really be a solution to our prospective security problems rather than a distraction from them, he said.

And there are other concerns to consider with the potential launch of a nuclear agenda in Australia.

Firstly is neighbouring Indonesia which also sits under the US nuclear umbrella.

Fruhling said that if Australia were to launch a nuclear program, Indonesia would likely follow suit.

Australian acquisition of nuclear weapons would strengthen Indonesia's reasons to reciprocate, for status as well as security, he said.

He added that Indonesia has regional leadership ambitions and expects that in a few short years, the country will tower over Australia economically as well as in population terms.

Australia would also have to consider its access to US intelligence, weapons and technology which would likely be compromised if Australia chose a defence strategy less reliant on the US.
Creepy killer clowns are threatening to return to the streets to terrorise unsuspecting families during Halloween next week.

The group Clown Purge Sydney has taken to Facebook to announce their plans to scare Sydney families on October 31.

They recently asked on Facebook: 'Who's going trick or treating?'

Some people encouraged the clowns to visit their suburb, while others weren't as enthusiastic

The group Clown Purge Sydney has taken to Facebook to announce their plans to return to terrorise Sydney streets this Halloween

An earlier post asked for location ideas.

While some people encouraged the clowns to visit their suburb, others weren't as enthusiastic.

'I don't even know why you clowns are doing this, what are you trying to do, scare us? Well, it's stupid. Get a job,' one person said.

'Here we go again, the f*****g loser got bored with j*****g his clown buddies off and wants to see if he can get some attention again. Get a f*****g life you absolute flop,' another person said.

The clown craze originated in America in 2016 and quickly gained traction in Australia, with a number of incidents being reported across the country.

Numerous people called police reporting sighting of clowns, and one woman in Victoria was allegedly threatened by a clown with an axe.
A western Sydney man has pleaded guilty to leading police on a 100-kilometre southbound chase along the New England Highway and causing mass destruction.

Rodney Johnson, 30, has remained behind bars since he was arrested at the scene in Singleton on October 11 last year but appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old's guilty plea consisted of 11 counts after ten less serious accounts were withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutors.

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The horrific incident was caught on dash-cam footage and more than 90 witnesses were prepared to give evidence

The man responsible has remained behind bars since he was arrested at the scene on October 11 last year but appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link on Wednesday

Mr Johnson, from Macquarie Fields in Sydney was seen nodding and clasping his hands as his lawyer, David Malcom, shared the guilty plea with Magistrate Andrew Eckhold.

The 11 counts included stealing a motor vehicle, police pursuit, failing to stop and assist after impact causing injury, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, damaging property, and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Mr Johnson's mental health illnesses have previously been heard in court.

Johnson will receive a sentencing date when he appears again on November 1 in the Newcastle District Court.

The semi-trailer was travelling at 100km/h on George Street in the Hunter Valley region's small town, injuring eight people during the fiery crash

Johnson was miraculously pulled from the stolen truck unharmed and arrested at the scene by police

During the 2017 scenes, police laid road spikes to stop the truck as it approached Singleton where it crashed into cars and the local pub at 7:30am and caught fire in the town's centre.

The semi-trailer, stolen from a BP service station in Murrurundi, was travelling at 100km/h on George Street in the Hunter Valley region's small town, injuring eight people.

Johnson was miraculously pulled from the stolen truck unharmed and arrested at the scene by police.

The horrific incident was caught on dash-cam footage and more than 90 witnesses were prepared to give evidence.
The thorny issue of racial politics continues to dominate the race for Georgia Governor after it emerged the Democratic candidate once burned the state's flag and last night's hustings were dominated by the issue of minority voter suppression.

With the election a mere two weeks away, reports emerged that Democrat Stacey Abrams, who hopes to make history as the first black female governor in America, burned the Georgia flag in 1992 - when it featured the Confederate banner.

Abrams was taking part in an ultimately successful effort to remove the homage to the state's Confederate past from the Georgia state flag.

Georgia was one of the 11 Southern states that formed the Confederacy and seceded from the Union in 186061 in an attempt to protect the institution of slavery.

In this June 1992 photo, from left, Ina Solomon, Jeffery Harris, Stacey Abrams (who is running for Governor of Georgia) and Lawrence Jeffries burn a Georgia state flag during a demonstration at the state Capitol in Atlanta - the flag contained the symbol of the Confederacy at the time, which was formed to protect the institution of slavery

Abrams addressed the issue at last night's debate, saying: 'Twenty-six years ago, as a college freshman, I along with many other Georgians, including the governor of Georgia, were deeply disturbed by the racial divisiveness that was embedded in the state flag with that Confederate symbol. I took an action of peaceful protest'

The Confederate flag was included in the design for Georgia's own state flag in 1956 amid a backlash against racial integration following the Brown v Board of Education ruling, which decreed that separating black and white students was unconstitutional.

Polls show Abrams and her opponent, Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp, currently neck and neck with barely a percentage point between them.

The first debate between the pair, which took place in the Atlanta Press Club studio in the state's capital last night, was dominated by charges of voter suppression and counterclaims of encouraging illegal voting.

The candidates were forced to take an unscheduled break after just five minutes when the fire alarm in the studio abruptly cut off the Libertarian candidate Ted Metz as he answered a question about his plans to save money by slashing 'obsolete inefficient unnecessary and unconstitutional agencies'.

Tensions escalated following a recent report by Associated Press that found 53,000 voter applications - nearly 70 percent of them from black applicants - were on hold with Kemp's office ahead of the election.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia Stacey Abrams, left, speaks as her Republican opponent Secretary of State Brian Kemp looks on during a debate Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Atlanta

Democrat candidate for Georgia Governor Stacey Abrams, left, and Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp greet each other before the debate

The disputes over voting access further highlight the long-simmering politics of race in the Deep South, with Kemp, who is white, forced to deny once again charges that he used his position as Georgia secretary of state to make it harder for minority voters to cast ballots.

Abrams said Kemp's record as secretary of state of Georgia, a position he has held since 2010, 'causes great concern'.

She pointed to the release of voter data under Kemp's watch and the state's 'exact match' voter registration system, which has left tens of thousands of voter registrations 'pending' due to inconsistencies.

The Democrat said she takes voting rights 'very seriously' and said her own father had once been arrested trying to help people get registered.

'Voter suppression isn't only about blocking the vote: It's also about creating an atmosphere of fear, making people worry that their votes won't count,' Abrams said.

Kemp said accusations that he was suppressing the vote were 'totally untrue.'

'I've staked the integrity of my whole career on the duty that I have as secretary of state. I have always fulfilled and followed the laws of our state and I'll continue to do that,' Kemp said.

Kemp said his record included making it 'easy to vote and hard to cheat' in Georgia.

He fired back, citing a recent video clip in which Abrams seems to say that 'undocumented' immigrants were part of her coalition.

'Why are you encouraging people to break the law to vote for you?' Kemp asked.

Abrams denied the allegation, saying Kemp was twisting her words and her record of fighting to make it easier for legal citizens to vote.

Democrats are hoping to make gains in Congress and in important state positions when Americans go to the polls on November 6 in order to counter President Donald Trump's agenda.

Republican gubernatorial candidate for Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, center, speaks as Democrat Stacey Abrams, left, and Libertarian Ted Metz look on

Gubernatorial candidates for Georgia, from left, Democrat Stacey Abrams, Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Libertarian Ted Metz react as a fire alarm interrupts the hustings

In the wake of the finding by Associated Press that 53,000 voter applications, the vast majority from black voters, are pending with Kemp's office, Abrams has accused Kemp of actively suppressing minority votes.

Kemp vehemently denies it and says those on the 'pending' list can still vote with an approved ID that substantially matches registration information. He has hit back hard at Abrams, saying she's 'too extreme for Georgia.'

The reports of voters suppression and flag-burning have ignited tensions, polarizing the debate and playing into the competing narratives.

Abrams addressed the issue at the debate, saying: 'Twenty-six years ago, as a college freshman, I along with many other Georgians, including the governor of Georgia, were deeply disturbed by the racial divisiveness that was embedded in the state flag with that Confederate symbol. I took an action of peaceful protest.'

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams waves to voters in Georgia, where she is trying to make history as the first female black Governor in US history

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is running against Stacy Abrams for the Governorship of the Southern state, appears during a unity rally in Peachtree Corners, Georgia

Rolling Stone magazine released an audio clip in which Kemp appears to say that he is worried about an 'unprecedented' number of absentee ballot applications after Abrams' campaign focused on turning out its base with absentee ballots.

Kemp's campaign did not address the audio recording in a statement, but said it was fighting to stop Abrams and the 'San Francisco socialists and liberal billionaires from New York' that back her.

Abrams' campaign said the recording shows 'Brian Kemp's contempt for democracy is now on full display as he flaunts his fear that his office's blatant efforts at voter suppression won't be sufficient to win this election for him.'

The two also traded barbs over education and health care policy.

Abrams repeatedly emphasized her plan to expand Medicaid in Georgia, calling it a 'bipartisan solution' that Vice President Mike Pence embraced when he was Indiana's Republican governor.

Georgia gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams, left, and Brian Kemp. The final stretch of the hotly contested Georgia governor's race is being consumed by a bitter political battle over access to the polls

Kemp said Abrams wants a 'government takeover of health care' and will raise taxes to pay for it.

Libertarian candidate Ted Metz also participated in Tuesday's debate in the gubernatorial race, which is being watched as a barometer for Democrats' success in the midterm elections, but is polling less than 2 per cent.

Both candidates have attracted national heavyweights in a sign of just how seriously the parties are taking the contest.

Abrams' campaign has enlisted celebrities like recording artist John Legend, as well as politicians like U.S. Senators Corey Booker and Kamala Harris. She's also been endorsed by former president Barack Obama.

Kemp, who earned President Trump's endorsement, saw visits from Donald Trump Jr., Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, among others.
An elite private school in NSW will soon employ 'house mothers' to supervise boarders after a former staff member was convicted of having sex with five male students last month.

The Armidale School, which charges annual fees of up to $20,000, made the decision when a female teacher was handed a two-year suspended jail term for having sex with pupils as young as 15 in 2014 and 2015.

A number of parents were furious at the outcome, claiming the school breached its 'duty of care' towards their sons and also allowed a toxic culture to develop.

In a recent letter addressed to parents, headmaster Murray Guest conceded the elite school has a few shortcomings that need to be addressed.

The Armidale School, where an ex-teacher was convicted of having sex with five students aged between 15 and 17, is now set to employ 'house mothers' to oversee the boarders

A court drawing of the ex-teacher from The Armidale School, who was convicted last month of having sex with five students between 2014 and 2015

He went on to reveal new measures that have been set in place to negate potential future abuse, notably the introduction of house mothers in the four boys' boarding houses.

'The role of a house mother is to work in a supportive pastoral role for students, rather than a supervisory or disciplinary one,' Mr Guest said.

'They will also look to provide an additional regular presence that offers students a different opportunity to voice concerns.'

The decision to introduce the house mothers follows NSW District Court acting judge Christopher Armitage stating it was 'difficult to see' how the female staff member, aged 20 at the time of her offending, was employed to sleep overnight in a boarding house with teenage males.

'The potential for trouble of precisely the kind that occurred was, I think, obvious,' he said.

Students at The Armidale School, where an ex-teacher was convicted of sex with five students last month

The Armidale School will soon hire a number of house mothers for boarding students (stock image)

The woman's mother said in evidence that The Armidale School should not have placed an unqualified member of staff in the boarding house.

In sentencing, Judge Armitage lifted suppression orders on the name and location of the school after parents of the boys wrote to the court, claiming the school needed to be held accountable.

The magistrate also acknowledged the woman's sanction came with additional conditions including continuing psychological treatment.

The suppression order on the identity of the staff member remains.
The founder of controversial bush trance festival Earthcore was obsessed in the days before his death about a Facebook page dedicated to taking the Mickey out of him.

Spiro Boursine (also known as Spiro Boursinos) died in custody after police arrested him following an altercation at the Antique Bar in Elsternwick last Saturday.

His death came amid a mountain of online criticism aimed at Boursine over his failure to pay people from previous events.

Spiro Boursine (left) enjoying himself at an Earthcore event

Spiro Boursine hitting the streets to promote the Earthcore trance festival

Brendan Kelly, whose Pyalong property held the festival from 2013-2016, said Mr Boursine was so obsessed with the page that he not only employed lawyers to have him take it down, but hired goons to intimidate him.

The farmer said he was not even behind the Earthcore Memes page, which was removed from Facebook in the days following Mr Boursine's death.

The site ruthlessly mocked Mr Boursine about everything from his failure to pay acts to his shoddy business practices.

'It was funny as f**k,' Mr Kelly said. 'It was a thorn in his side. It was making him angry. It had been gathering momentum of late ... he just couldn't work out who the f**k was running that Earthcore Memes page and that was driving him wild.'

Mr Boursine was put under further pressure last week when Ararat Shire Council rejected a site application for Earthcore 2018: 25th Anniversary, which was to take place next month.

The event still does not have a site address, stating it will be held in 'regional Victoria.'

A Facebook page titled Earthcore Memes drove Spiro Boursine 'wild' in the days before he died

A meme posted on Facebook page that acted as a 'thorn in the side' of Spiro Boursine

It remains unclear exactly how the 45-year old died, with speculation Mr Boursine was under the influence of illicit drugs.

Police say Mr Boursine was involved in a fight at the inner-city suburb bar at around 2.15am and had to be pinned down by fellow patrons before police arrived.

After losing consciousness, paramedics rushed to the scene but attempts to resuscitate him failed.

The Antique Bar where Spiro Boursine caused a scene that saw him arrested

Inside the Antique Bar in Elsternwick where Spiro Boursin got into a fight

Mr Kelly described Mr Boursine as a 'loose cannon' who didn't have much of a head for business.

'He was pretty erratic, highly strung sort of individual. It just got worse and it was all over money and his lack of ability to handle money,' he said. 'A bit of gear doesn't help either. There was always a drama with him.'

Mr Boursine was widely criticised in the lead-up to last year's festival, with headline acts including the Tel Aviv duo Coming Soon and trance act Phaxe taking to social media to slam the promoter.

Bad news followed Earthcore leading up to Spiro Boursine's untimely death

'We want to let you know that we have cancelled earthcore Festival this year,' Coming Soon wrote at the time.

'The reason for the cancellation is because the owner of this festival didnt pay us until now, and didnt even book a flight[This is] after many threats of cancelling us if we will not be patient.'

'We have to mention that [weve never been] treated like that ever in our 15 years in the industry and we will never work with this promoter ever again.'

Mr Kelly said Mr Boursine died owning him about $40,000 from past events but got annoyed whenever he was asked for payment.

'About 12-months ago he got some heavy to call me up ... he was just a f**kin peanut. He said he had seven containers on my property and if he didn't get access to them by tomorrow lunchtime, thing were gonna get heavy,' Mr Kelly said.

He described Mr Boursine as a 'nasty piece of work' who thought he was pretty well connected in the underworld.

Earthcore patrons enjoy themselves at the trance festival

Earthcore patrons cool themselves down as the party rages on around them

Earthcore was loved by those who attended the festivals, but not everyone involved got paid

Last year's festival in Elmore festival was marred by allegations of sexual assaults, with a 23-year-old Dandenong man charged with two counts of indecent assault and one count of unlawful assault.

Mr Kelly reckons people involved with the Elmore festival were still waiting for payment too.

'In the end I gave up. All the bloke's got is a f**kin' laptop, a mobile phone and half-a-packet of PJ Super Milds,' he said.

It was Mr Boursine's love of cigarettes, and possibly other substances, that may have contributed to his untimely demise.

'He would have been full as a Tokyo state school and whatever else,' Mr Kelly said.

While he never personally saw Mr Boursine take drugs, he claimed the promoter had a party reputation.

'He had trouble with his heart there a few years ago and he didn't change his habits really. He still lived the same lifestyle,' Mr Kelly said.

While administrators of Earthcore's Facebook page have pledged the 'show must go on', Mr Kelly believes the festival should die along with its founder.

'Spiro and the brand are one and the same ... If anyone brings that brand back there's a lot of people out there who have been done wrong by it and ripped off by it' he said.

'It's best that that brand goes in the hole with Spiro.'
Australian prison guards will face hefty fines and two years jail time if they're caught having sex with inmates under tough new laws.

The new criminal law passed the NSW State Parliament upper house on Tuesday night, but some MPs questioned whether the punishment was good enough.

Greens MP David Shoebridge told The Daily Telegraph the new law contains an 'ambiguous' extra clause, which could be used as a 'get out of jail free' card for some.

Married prison officer Amy Mershell Connors (left), 34, allegedly engaged in a 12-month-long sexual relationship with convicted cop killer Sione Penisini (right)

Mr Shoebridge said the ambiguity of the clause meant that it could be interpreted by some courts as acceptable for a guard to have sex with an inmate if no one sees it.

Under the new legislation, a prison guard can only be sent to jail if the intimate relationship poses an actual or potential safety or security risk for the jail.

The Greens MP said prison officers should not be having sex with inmates and there should a 'zero tolerance approach' when it comes to dealing with such behaviour.

'It not only offends community standards, there is also a vast power differential between a prison officer and an inmate which is open to serious abuse,' he said.

The updated criminal laws come after a series of female prison guards were caught having sex with male inmates.

Married prison officer Amy Mershell Connors, 34, allegedly engaged in a 12-month-long sexual relationship with convicted cop killer Sione Penisini.

The former prison officer from Kempsey Correctional Centre in News South Wales, faced court on August 20, where it was revealed Penisini allegedly 'groomed' her to lose weight before engaging in a long-term sexual relationship.

Greens MP David Shoebridge (pictured) said the new law contains an 'ambiguous' extra clause, which could be used a 'get out of jail free' card for some

Convicted cop killer Sione Penisini allegedly 'groomed' Ms Connors (pictured) to lose weight before engaging in a long-term sexual relationship

At the time of the scandal, NSW Corrections Minister David Elliot said the nature of the tryst was an insult to the victims of crime and vowed he would change the law.

Six other former female prison officers accused of having relations with inmates are also currently being investigated by the Corruption and Crime Commission.

Each of the women allegedly engaged with prisoners at Acacia Prison in Western Australia, but have since been sacked or quit their jobs, Perth Now reported.

When the bill passed on Tuesday, Minister Elliot defended the law, saying the very definition of an officer having a relationship with an inmate was a safety risk in itself.

'An intimate relationship which develops between an officer and inmate will always risk the safety, security, or good order and discipline of a prison,' he said.

'This statutory offence is just one way of tackling the issue of inappropriate relationships in prison.'

The bill has since returned to the Lower House before it is officially assented.
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The Duke of Sussex has joked with Fijians making the traditional kava beverage that it 'would be easier to just drink beer'.

Prince Harry spotted two men demonstrating the stages of kava production while on a visit to the Colo-I-Suva Forest Reserve, just outside the Fiji capital Suva.

The royal noted 'that's what I drank last night', in reference to the kava which was handed to him at a ceremony in Suva's Albert Park a day earlier.

Sniffing a bowl of the earthy drink, prepared by pounding the roots of the Yagona tree into powder and adding water, he described the smell as 'strong'.

The Duke of Sussex smells a bowl of kava as he views a demonstration of kava making by Joeli Nasqqa (centre) and Eparama Uluiuiti (right)

Prince Harry is pictured with locals during the kava making ceremony, where he joked 'it would be easier to just drink beer'

The Duke crushes pepper roots during a demonstration of kava making at a dedication of the Colo-i-Suva forest just outside the Fijian capital

'How much of this do you drink at the weekend?' the Duke asked local men Joeli Nasaqa, 18, and Eparama Uluiviti, 28, who were conducting the demonstration.

'Around a kilo,' Joeli said, before Prince Harry joked 'It would be easier to just drink a beer'.

He also tried his hand at crushing pepper roots, which is part of the kava making process.

At the ceremony on Tuesday night, part of his and his wife's 16-day royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, the Duke had been given kava to drink.

He looked on as the kava was made with the root wrung out and a bowl passed to the Duke on the stage, before he accepted the drink and held it to his lips as the crowd cheered.

Both his grandparents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, also drank kava during an official visit to Fiji in October 1982.

But following the ceremony, the royal was seen toasting with water alongside his pregnant wife Meghan, while everyone else was drinking champagne.

It is unclear whether the father-to-be intends to avoid alcohol throughout the entirety of Meghan's pregnancy or just during toasts and other occasions that might leave her feeling left out.

The Duke of Sussex is pictured preparing to drink kava at a state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva on Tuesday night

Harry at one stage on Tuesday night was given the whale's tooth, a sign of wealth, in the vakasobu, before he was given kava to drink

Harry takes a sip of Kava, the national drink of Fiji, which is consumed with great ceremony before the royal was seen toasting with water alongside his pregnant wife Meghan, while everyone else was drinking champagne

During a visit to Suva in 1982 the Duke of Edinburgh also drank kava, just like that given to Prince Harry

The Queen was also pictured drinking the traditional Fijian drink on an official visit to Fiji in October 1982, more than a decade after it joined the Commonwealth

While visiting the forest reserve, the Duke of Sussex also went back to his roots as he planted a tree with the same shovel his grandmother, the Queen, used for the task in 1953.

Harry, who wore a blue Bula shirt for the visit, also met a woman who had served her tea when she visited Fiji during her epic Coronation tour.

Litiana Vulaca, 87, was just 21 when she was chosen for the task by her employer Frances Lilian Charlton, who was the principal of Adi Cakobau Secondary School, a girls' boarding school visited by the monarch.

Local clan chiefs were gathered around her as the Duke arrived but he immediately crouched down to speak to her and had clearly been well briefed on her story.

Speaking afterwards an emotional Litiana said: 'I am so happy today because he talked to me first and he knew all about my story'.

Prince Harry met with Litiana Vulaca on Wednesday, who had served the Queen tea when she visited Fiji during her epic Coronation tour

The Duke had a crash course in Fijian traditions on Wednesday as he watched demonstrations of mat weaving by a local woman

Describing her previous royal encounter, she said: 'I was 21-years-old in 1953 and I was working for a lady as a housemaid. She taught me a lot about how to do things, so when the Queen came, they chose me to serve her and the Duke (of Edinburgh).

'I was so frightened the first time but I was very very lucky. She was so beautiful, with beautiful skin and clothes.'

Litiana, who had been well trained in etiquette by her boss, also recalled an apparent breach of protocol by Prince Philip, saying: 'I remember that the Duke didn't use a teaspoon to put sugar in his tea, he picked up the sugar lump with his fingers. I was shocked'.

Prince Harry was in the forest to formally recognise its dedication to the Queen's Commmonwealth Canopy Project.

To mark the occasion, he unveiled a plaque and planted an indigenous Dakua tree, which is a threatened species in Fiji.

Prince Harry was in the Colo-I-Suva Forest Reserve to formally recognise its dedication to the Queen's Commmonwealth Canopy Project. To mark the occasion he unveiled a plaque

The Duke of Sussex also planted an indigenous Dakua tree, which is a threatened species in Fiji, with only 200 remaining

He planted the tree with the same shovel his grandmother, the Queen, used for the task in 1953 during her epic coronation tour

He was led to a shiny metal shovel, engraved with the words 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lautoka, Fiji, December 18, 1953'.

The Duke picked it up, saying; 'This is the second time it's been used since 1953, right?'

He filled in the earth with the help of two schoolchildren after giving a speech.

Earlier, the Duke had a crash course in Fijian traditions as he watched demonstrations of mat weaving using dried Pandanus leaves and hair dyeing, using Makita fruits, limestone and clay inside an open-sided Bure, or hat.

Harry then met members of the Matagali and Naulukarowa and Matagali Matanikorovatu clans  the traditional owners of the forest, who leased it to be legally protected by the Fijian Government in 1949.

They included Litiana's nephew Saula Bilivanua.

Prince Harry spoke with students at the University of the South Pacific early on Wednesday. He later spoke to school children about climate change

The Duke's visit to the Fijian university was his second official duty in the Pacific Island on Wednesday, during a day of mostly solo engagements

The Duke also spoke to children from Tamavua and Taciura Primary Schools, who had prepared displays about climate change.

He told them: 'You are the younger generation and you are much better educated about climate change than your parents.

'Do you think there is enough action to stop it in the rest of the world? Not enough?

'We need more,but what you guys are doing here is fantastic.'

Bernadette Welch Permanent Secretary for Civil Service and acting Permanent Secretary for Forests at the British High Commission in Fiji, said: 'The people here are very emotional about the royal visit  they really cherish it'.

'They will be talking about it for generations.'

The Colo-i-Suva Forest Reserve, comprising 369 hectares, is home to several endangered species, including the Fijian tree frog and the Balaka Microcarpa fern, of which only 200 remain in Fiji.
President Trump retrieved an old video of Barack Obama speaking in favor of a strict immigration policy and surprisingly tweeted out his support for the statement Tuesday afternoon.

Obama, who was a senator from Illinois at the time, said in the C-SPAN clip: 'We are generous and welcoming people here in the United States, but those who enter the country illegally, and those who employ them disrespect the rule of law and they are showing disregard for those who are following the law.

'We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.'

Trump wrote in response to the remarks: 'I agree with President Obama 100%.'

President Trump retrieved an old video of Barack Obama speaking in favor of a strict immigration policy

Obama, who was a senator from Illinois at the time, was speaking in support of the 'Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act'

He tweeted out his support for the statement and said: 'I agree with President Obama 100%'

The Trump administration has not settled on a plan for what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the southern border. Trump is pictured in the Oval Office of the White House on October 23, 2018 in Washington, DC

His predecessor made the resurfaced statement in support of the 'Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.' The bill was introduced by Sen. John McCain Sen. Ted Kennedy in an effort to improve border security.

The Trump administration has not settled on a plan for what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the southern border.

Trump threatened to declare a national emergency or rescind aid from the countries whose people are journeying north.

Top immigration officials and close Trump advisers are still evaluating the options in closed-door meetings that have gotten increasingly heated in the past week, including one that turned into a shouting match as the caravan of about 7,000 people pushes north, according to administration officials and others with knowledge of the issue.

They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the topic.

The caravan, at least 1,000 miles away, comes on the heels of a surge in apprehensions of families at the border, which has rankled Trump but has also given him a fresh talking point to rally his base ahead of the midterm elections just two weeks away.

A caravan of Honduran migrants are seen crossing Guatemalan territory, in the sector of Zacapa, Guatemala, October 23, 2018
A drug addicted ice queen has dodged jail once again after breaching parole for another trafficking charge.

Tier Louise Wone, 25, from Cairns in Far North Queensland, walked free from Cairns District Court after pleading guilty of supplying dangerous drugs.

This was the third time she had breached her parole with drug offending.

Glamorous ice addict, Tier Louise Won, 25 (pictured) who became a drug mule avoided jail time despite breaching her parole three times for drug offences

Despite crown prosecutions aiming for jail time, or at least, an intensive corrections order, which would see Wone be imprisoned but still allowed to stay in the community, it was ultimately her drug addiction that saved her.

'The bottom line is that she is drug addicted,' defence barrister Josh Trevino said.

He then pleaded with the court, saying her involvement had been 'low level' and that she got involved due to trying to stay loyal to a long-term friend.

'She very much understands she's jeopardised her liberty,' he said.

Wone (pictured) was enlisted by drug traffickers to source an ounce of methylamphetamines and sell it, potentially reaching up to $6000 - but police caught her when they began to track her text messages and phone calls

Mr Trevino said that she acknowledged she needs rehabilitation and that she was fully co-operative with police in the investigation.

Wone again escaped another sentencing, one for which could have earned her a maximum penalty of 20 years jail.

She was enlisted by drug traffickers to source an ounce of methylamphetamines and sell it, potentially reaching up to $6000.

Police began to track her when her texts and phone calls to other drug dealers were flagged to them, just nine months after she was given parole for her involvement in an ice trafficking business.

In 2015, Wone helped a former lover pick up and distribute drugs but was not paid and wasn't involved in the sales.
An inquiry into the serial killer mother who was found guilty of murdering her four children could see her walk free.

Australia's worst female child killer, Kathleen Folbigg, from the New South Wales Hunter Valley, is currently serving a 40-year sentence for her crimes.

However, an inquiry has been scheduled for 25 October to investigate if there is 'doubt or question as to part of the evidence' that led to her conviction, official documents have stated.

The evidence is said to relate directly to the deaths of her four children.

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An inquiry tomorrow into the serial killer mother who was found guilty of murdering four of her own children could see her walk free after 'doubt' surrounding evidence that convicted her

Australia's worst female child killer, Kathleen Folbigg (pictured), from the New South Wales Hunter Valley, is currently serving a 40-year sentence for her crimes

The inquiry will be held at the Industrial Relations Commission building in Sydney by The Hon Reginald Oliver Blanch and will last between six to 12 months.

A further directions hearing is set for 15 November.

New South Wales Attorney-General Mark Speakman first announced the inquiry in August this year.

'I have formed the view that an inquiry into Ms Folbigg's convictions is necessary to ensure public confidence in the administration of justice,' Mr Speakman said.

Mr Speakman said Folbigg's former husband had been notified about the 'immensely difficult decision' which would inevitably cause 'renewed distress and pain' for the family.

'Ultimately, my job as Attorney-General is to ensure public confidence in the administration of justice in NSW,' he said.

The 51-year-old will remain incarcerated throughout the duration of the inquiry.

Folbigg was convicted in May 2003 when a Supreme Court jury concluded she had killed her two sons and two daughters between 1989 and 1999.

Diary entries found by her former husband Craig Folbigg at their Singleton home formed the base of her conviction, and Folbigg was found guilty of the murder of her three young children and the manslaughter of her 19-day son.

Caleb (left) was just 19 days old when he died in February 1989, while Patrick (right), was seven months in February 1991

Sarah (left) died aged 10 months in August 1993 while her sister Laura (right) was 18 months old when she died in February 1999

The jury had rejected her defence the deaths were of natural causes, leading to her being sentenced to 40 years in jail with a 30-year non-parole term.

Ahead of an episode of Australian Story that aired on August 13, Mr Speakman hinted the State Government was open to reviewing her case.

'Ms Folbigg's petition raises complex questions to which I am giving appropriate consideration and have taken extensive advice,' he told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

'I hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the near future.'
A man and woman have appeared in court after a baby meerkat was allegedly stolen from Perth Zoo.

Jesse Ray Hooker, 22, is accused of stealing the meerkat, while Aimee Cummins, 23, is accused of receiving it, 9News reported.

The meerkitten went missing in September and sparked a three-day police search, before being found 100 kilometres away in Beverely.

Jesse Ray Hooker (pictured), 22, is accused of stealing a meerkat from Perth Zoo which sparked a three day police search

Aimee Cummins (pictured, right) , 23, is accused of receiving the meerkat from Mr Hooker

The lawyer for the pair said it is not known how they will plead.

Hooker told reporters outside court he was 'shocked' to find out the meerkat was worth upwards of $20,000.

The animal had only just started venturing out of its nest box at the exhibit when it was stolen, and keepers saw it about 30 minutes prior to its disappearance, ABC News reported.

Western Australia Police conducted a three day search and made the announcement the meerkitten had been found.

The meerkat went missing in September and sparked a three-day police search, before being found 100 kilometres away in Beverely

Staff at Perth Zoo had feared the newborn had been stolen or taken by a predatory bird.

A planned celebration to mark the birth of the baby meerkat, which was born on August 20 as part of a regional breeding program, had to be postponed.

The meerkitten's mother, Bamba, was brought to Perth from Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria and Perth Zoo-born male Runako is the baby's father.

The pair have been released on bail and are expected to face court in November.

Staff at Perth Zoo had fears the newborn had been stolen or taken by a predatory bird
A police manhunt took a hilarious turn after their main suspect was identified  as a dead ringer for 'Ross from Friends'.

Blackpool Police were looking for help to find a suspected thief when thousands of commenters spotted the David Schwimmer doppelganger.

More than 35,000 people commented on the post featuring CCTV from a shop in Blackpool.

Blackpool Police released CCTVof an alleged thief bearing a resemblance to Friends star David Schwimmer

The image features a man with dark bushy hair, holding a pack of beer, staring up at the camera.

The original post read: 'Do you recognise this man? We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant on the 20th September.'

However, Facebook users were quick to point out the similarities with the US actor.

One person quoted the famous theme tune by the Rembrandts: 'So no-one told me life was going to be this wayyyy.'

Another said: 'I heard his getaway driver was stuck in second gear...'

Nick Croston said: 'I don't think it's been this guy's day, his week, his month or even his year....'

Aaron Milburn added: 'Please approach with caution. He is known to have studied Karate and we believe he has mastered the art of Unagi, the state of total awareness.'

Actor David Schwimmer (pictured) plays character Ross in the world famous show 'Friends'

Another user said: 'So noone told you life was gonna be this way Your job's a joke, you're broke Your love life's DOA It's like you're always stuck in second gear And before you know it you're in SPAR stealing some beer.'

Even the police joined in on the joke.

They said: 'Blackpool Police Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses. We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date. We're so sorry it has to be this way.'

Anyone who recognises the man is urged to email 7798@lancashire.pnn.police

.uk quoting log LC-20180920-0670.
When Julia Gillard's official portrait was unveiled it was met with unfettered praise.

Except, that is, from online trolls - who rather uncharitably pointed out that Australia's first female prime minister looked as if she had been 'photoshopped'.

Trolls let loose on social media to slam the portrait as an unrealistic iteration of the former prime minister.

'As an artist of some 50 years I have to say that picture is revolting,' one twitter user said.

'It's not a painting, it's a painted photogrpah [sic], and not a very good one.'

The portrait of the first female prime minister was unveiled at Parliament House today

Trolls let loose on social media to slam the portrait as an unrealistic iteration of the former prime minister

Another social media user tweeted: 'I'm sorry but who gave the person the new version of Photoshop for Ipad and told them to sit on a train while it's moving and paint a portrait of Julia Gillard?'

Another social media user tweeted: 'I'm sorry but who gave the person the new version of Photoshop for Ipad and told them to sit on a train while it's moving and paint a portrait of Julia Gillard?

'OMG it's horrible.'

The portrait of Ms Gillard was unveiled at Parliament House today in front of a packed gallery of Labor and Coalition MPs along the likes of Tony Abbott, Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek.

Six-time Archibald Prize finalist and Doug Moran Portrait Prize winner Vincent Fantauzzo had been taken on to paint the portrait.

He illustrated Ms Gillard close-up and deep in thought.

'I wanted to capture Julia as someone as a game-changer, someone proud, humble, and really passionate about Australians,' Mr Fantauzzo said.

'So hopefully weve done a good job. And you did the hard work. It was an easy job for me.'

Ms Gillard admitted that she carried 'mixed emotions' about the final product as she was more focused on the duties of an MP rather than its bragging rights.

'I was always less attracted to the pomp that goes with being in a place like this and I put in my mind getting my portrait done in that category of pomp and ceremony, and I wasn't particularly interested in doing it.'

'As an artist of some 50 years I have to say that picture is revolting,' one twitter user said

While the official unveiling of a portrait of Julia Bishop drew glowing praise, it has not escaped the clutches of trolls who have claimed the painting looks 'photoshopped'

'(But) finally, there was a day when Nina, who works in my office, came to me with a very serious expression on her face and said, you know, you ought to get that portrait done before you look a hell of a lot older than you did when you were prime minister.'

Ms Gillard said she hoped the portrait played into the historical fact that she was the first woman to serve as prime minister.

'I wanted the portrait to be visibly different to any other portrait that had gone before and I think when you see it you'll see that it is.'

'Its my dearest hope that as those school children visit Parliament House not this year or next year but in the years to come, in the future, where they cast their eye across portraits of prime ministers, when they learn a little bit about Australias history, they do stop at this one and say to themselves thats different and then run their eye back up and think maybe its because its the first woman.'

The portrait will be added to the long line of paintings of former prime ministers at parliament's historic memorials collection.
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

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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

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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.

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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.

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Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

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The housing downturn is hitting some towns harder than others.

And now new data has confirmed Australia's worst suburbs for selling a house at auction once and for all.

Sydney's Kellyville tops the list with more than three quarters of homes failing to sell.

The figures, from property research firm CoreLogic, reveal that pockets of suburbs are hardest hit in Sydney and Melbourne.

Housing downturn is hitting some cities harder than others, Narrabundah in Canberra was one of the best performing suburbs

Almost half of the 20 worst performing boroughs were located in Sydney, with the outer suburbs faring far worse than the city centre.

Clearance rates for Melbourne and Sydney, the percentage of properties sold at auction, have reduced - indicating a buyer's market with less competition for available properties.

Brisbane only has a small number of properties are sold at auction compared to the rest of the country with the city preferring to stick to private sales.

The clearance rate in Adelaide is steady at 60.7 per cent while Perth also has a steady rate although much lower at just under 37 per cent.

Hobart is a much smaller market and even though clearance rates have fallen, house prices at auction have risen.

Wheelers Hill in Melbourne is another suburb that has performed well

Miranda in Sydney was an under performing suburb

Auctioneers are in general much more popular in Sydney and Melbourne with the rest of the country preferring private sales.

The Canberra suburb of Narrabundah, in the inner south close to Parliament and Lake Burley Griffin, is the best performing in the country with 85.7 per cent of homes selling auction.

Bondi was close behind with a clearance rate of 80.6 per cent with lots of people wanting to be close to the beach.

'In Sydney those outer suburban areas that perform well in the boom times don't when things are quiet. Melbourne seems to be more a mixed bag, it depends on the suburb itself,' Mozo housing expert Steve Jovceski told news.com.au

Kellyville in Sydney is another underperforming suburb
Zaharie Ahmad Shah (pictured) was the pilot of the doomed flight

DID THE PILOT HIJACK HIS OWN PLANE?

Pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah planned mass murder because of personal problems, locking his co-pilot out of the cockpit, closing down all communications, depressurising the main cabin and then disabling the aircraft so that it continued flying on auto-pilot until it ran out of fuel.

That was the popular theory in the weeks after the plane's disappearance.

His personal problems, rumours in Kuala Lumpur said, included a split with his wife Fizah Khan, and his fury that a relative, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, had been given a five-year jail sentence for sodomy shortly before he boarded the plane for the flight to Beijing.

But the pilot's wife angrily denied any personal problems and other family members and his friends said he was a devoted family man and loved his job.

This theory was also the conclusion of the first independent study into the disaster by the New Zealand-based air accident investigator, Ewan Wilson.

Wilson, the founder of Kiwi Airlines and a commercial pilot himself, arrived at the shocking conclusion after considering 'every conceivable alternative scenario'.

However, he has not been able to provide any conclusive evidence to support his theory.

The claims are made in the book 'Goodnight Malaysian 370', which Wilson co-wrote with the New Zealand broadsheet journalist, Geoff Taylor.

It's also been rumoured that Zaharie used a flight simulator at his home to plot a path to a remote island.

However, officials in Kuala Lumpur declared that Malaysian police and the FBI's technical experts had found nothing to suggest he was planning to hijack the flight after closely examining his flight simulator.

And there are also theories that t he tragic disappearance may have been a heroic act of sacrifice by the pilot.

Australian aviation enthusiast Michael Gilbert believes the doomed plane caught fire mid-flight, forcing the pilot to plot a course away from heavily populated areas.

IF NOT THE PILOT, WAS THE CO-PILOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MYSTERY?

Co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, again for personal problems, was suspected by rumour-spreaders to have overpowered the pilot and disabled the aircraft, flying it to its doom with crew and passengers unable to get through the locked cockpit door.

Theorists have put forward the suggestion that he was having relationship problems and this was his dramatic way of taking his own life.

But he was engaged to be married to Captain Nadira Ramli, 26, a fellow pilot from another airline, and loved his job. There are no known reasons for him to have taken any fatal action.

There have been a series of outlandish theories about the disappearance of the plane

Others have suggested that because he was known to have occasionally invited young women into the cockpit during a flight, he had done so this time and something had gone wrong.

Young Jonti Roos said in March that she spent an entire flight in 2011 in the cockpit being entertained by Hamid, who was smoking.

Interest in the co-pilot was renewed when it was revealed he was the last person to communicate from the cockpit after the communication system was cut off.

DID THE RUSSIANS STEAL MH370 AND FLY THE JET TO KAZAKHSTAN

An expert has claimed the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was hijacked on the orders of Vladimir Putin and secretly landed in Kazakhstan.

Jeff Wise, a U.S. science writer who spearheaded CNN's coverage of the Boeing 777-200E, has based his outlandish theory on pings that the plane gave off for seven hours after it went missing, that were recorded by British telecommunications company Inmarsat.

Wise believes that hijackers 'spoofed' the plane's navigation data to make it seem like it went in another direction, but flew it to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased from Kazakhstan by Russia.

However, Wise admits in New York Magazine that he does not know why Vladimir Putin would want to steal a plane full of people and that his idea is somewhat 'crazy'.

Wise also noted there were three Russian men onboard the flight, two of them Ukrainian passport holders.

Aviation disaster experts analysed satellite data and discovered - like the data recorded by Inmarsat - that the plane flew on for hours after losing contact.

Careful examination of the evidence has revealed that MH370 made three turns after the last radio call, first a turn to the left, then two more, taking the plane west, then south towards Antarctica.

MH370 WAS USED BY TERRORISTS FOR A SUICIDE ATTACK ON THE CHINESE NAVY

This extraordinary claim came from 41-year-old British yachtsman Katherine Tee, from Liverpool, whose initial account of seeing what she thought was a burning plane in the night sky made headlines around the world.

On arrival in Thailand's Phuket after sailing across the Indian Ocean from Cochin, southern India with her husband, she said: 'I could see the outline of the plane - it looked longer than planes usually do.There was what appeared to be black smoke streaming from behind.'

Ms Tee's general description of the time and place was vague and she lost all credibility when she later stated on her blog that she believed MH370 was a kamikaze plane that was aimed at a flotilla of Chinese ships and it was shot down before it could smash into the vessels.

Without solid proof of the satellite data, she wrote on her blog, Saucy Sailoress, the plane she saw was flying at low altitude towards the military convoy she and her husband had seen on recent nights. She added that internet research showed a Chinese flotilla was in the area at the time.

While the debris proved the plane went down in the Indian Ocean, the location of the main underwater wreckage  and its crucial black box data recorders  remains stubbornly elusive.

THE JET LANDED ON THE WATER AND WAS SEEN FLOATING ON THE ANDAMAN SEA

On a flight from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur that crossed over the Andaman Sea on March 8, Malaysian woman Raja Dalelah, 53, saw what she believed was a plane sitting on the water's surface.

She didn't know about the search that had been started for MH370. She alerted a stewardess who told her to go back to sleep.

'I was shocked to see what looked like the tail and wing of an aircraft on the water,' she said.

It was only when she told her friends on landing in Kuala Lumpur what she had seen that she learned of the missing jet. She had seen the object at about 2.30pm Malaysian time.

She said she had been able to identify several ships and islands before noticing the silver object that she said was a plane.

But her story was laughed off by pilots who said it would have been impossible to have seen part of an aircraft in the water from 35,000ft or seven miles.

Ms Raja filed an official report with police the same day and has kept to her story.

'I know what I saw,' she said.

THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC SYSTEMS FAILURE AND CRASH-LANDED ON THE OCEAN

A catastrophic event such as a fire disabling much of the equipment resulted in the pilots turning the plane back towards the Malaysian peninsula in the hope of landing at the nearest airport.

Satellite data, believable or not, suggests the aircraft did make a turn and theorists say there would be no reason for the pilots to change course unless confronted with an emergency.

A fire in a similar Boeing 777 jet parked at Cairo airport in 2011 was found to have been caused by a problem with the first officer's oxygen mask supply tubing.

Stewarts Law, which has litigated in a series of recent air disasters, believes the plane crashed after a fire - similar to the blaze on the Cairo airport runway - broke out in the cockpit.

After an investigation into the Cairo blaze, Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation Central Directorate (EAAICD) released their final report which revealed that the fire originated near the first officer's oxygen mask supply tubing.

The cause of the fire could not be conclusively determined, but investigators pinpointed a problem with the cockpit hose used to provide oxygen for the crew in the event of decompression.

Following the 2011 fire, US aircraft owners were instructed to replace the system - it was estimated to cost $2,596 (1,573) per aircraft. It was not known whether Malaysia Airlines had carried out the change.

If either pilot wanted to crash the plane, why turn it around? So the turn-around suggests they were trying to land as soon as possible because of an emergency.

THE US SHOT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT FEARING A TERROR ATTACK ON DIEGO GARCIA

The Boeing 777 was shot down by the Americans who feared the aircraft had been hijacked and was about to be used to attack the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia atoll in the Indian Ocean. So conspiracy theorists claim.

And former French airline director Marc Dugain said he had been warned by British intelligence that he was taking risks by investigating this angle.

There is no way of checking whether Dugain received such a warning or why he believes the Americans shot down the plane.

But adding to the theory that the aircraft was flown to Diego Garcia, either by the pilot Zaharie or a hijacker, was the claim that on the pilot's home flight simulator was a 'practice' flight to the island.

Professor Glees said: 'The Americans would have no interest in doing anything of the kind and not telling the world.

'In theory, they might wish to shoot down a plane they thought was attacking them but they wouldn't just fire missiles, they'd investigate it first with fighters and would quickly realise that even if it had to be shot down, the world would need to know.'
This is the remarkable moment a group of hunters discover the wreckage of their car which they claim was written off in a savage bear attack.

Footage taken by the men in the remote Krasnoyarsk region of Russia shows them walking through the woods towards the battered Lada Niva after a five-hour expedition.

A video going viral on the Russian web claims to show their horror at the carnage wrought by the unseen beast.

The men can be seen returning to their smashed up Lada Niva in the remote forests of Krasnoyarsk after a five-hour hunting expedition

The pair inspect the ripped seats, broken windows, scratched roof, and ripped bumper and bonnet.

The avenging bear was said to have left its paw and claw marks as a visiting card.

A 27-stone bear had rampaged its way around the Russian-made vehicle, said hunting patrol officers.

'This is what we came back to.,' said one hunter.

'Just look what the ***** beast did.'

But comments were less than sympathetic to the two men who claimed they were hunting wild boar not bears, the Siberian Times reported.

'What else did you expect?' asked one.

The cameraman walks around the 'written off' car showing the damage they claimed had been inflicted by a bear

Inside the vehicle interior fittings could be seen having been ripped to shreds with the innards of the seats on show

'Be grateful you are alive.

'Next time the bear will find you - and not the car.'

Another commenter Denis Zabrodin told the pair: 'Lucky. You came to kill, and the bear only scratched your car.'

One more comment read: 'Well done bear, good job.

'You didn't call the hunters, did you?

'They came themselves and got what they deserved.'

One of the hunters bleated: 'Look how well it clambered all over the roof, everywhere.

'The car is a write-off.'

All around the car pieces of trim and body panels could be seen lying on the forest floor from the devastation
Algerian authorities has banned banned female public sector employees from wearing full-face veils, or niqabs, at work.

Prime Minister Ahmed Ouayhia publicized the decision in a letter to ministers and regional governors in the Muslim-majority country last Thursday.

Civil servants, he wrote, need to 'observe the rules and requirements of security and communication within their department'.

The Algerian Prime Minister said civil servants needed to 'observe requirements of security and communication' and could therefore not cover their faces in the workplace (file photo)

He said public sector workers needed to be able to be 'physically identifiable' while in the workplace.

The ban has been met with both positive and negative reactions on social media, with some hailing it as progressive while others called it an attempt to control women and what they choose to wear.

According to Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the ban was blasted by an Islamist MP as a 'declared war on Islam'.

However, another MP named Adda Fellahi declared his support for the new law, saying the niqab is 'a social and jurisprudence issue and has nothing to do with decency and chastity,' according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Prime Minister Ahmed Ouayhia publicized the decision in a letter to ministers and regional governors in the Muslim-majority country last Thursday

Algeria has been split between moderate and more radical forms of Islam since it was plunged into years of civil war in 1992, when a military-backed government cancelled elections that an Islamist party was poised to win.

Most Algerian women do not wear the niqab, a custom imported from more traditionally conservative Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, but the decision is likely to be criticized by Algeria's Salafists minority.

The Salafists endorse Saudi's strict Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam and oppose the more mainstream Sufi Islam that dominates Algeria and other North African countries.

Violence has dramatically diminished since the war petered out around the turn of the millennium, but a hardcore of armed jihadist groups continue to launch attacks, mainly in remote areas.
Pope Francis has compared populists to Hitler and said the 'sowing of hate' was to blame for the Second World War.

The 81-year-old pontiff told crowds at a book launch in Rome, Italy that Nazi Germany rose to power through the use of populism.

Increased efforts, he said, were now needed to teach the young about the history of the First and Second World Wars 'so that they do not fall into the same mistake and know how populism spreads.'

Pope Francis was speaking at the launch of a book about the wisdom of the older generation. Film director Martin Scorsese was present at the event.

Pope Francis has warned young people that Hitler and Nazi Germany rose to power through the use of populism

Pope Francis (left) was speaking at the launch of a book about the wisdom of the older generation. Film director Martin Scorsese was present at the event

According to ANSA, the Pope said: 'It is important that young people should know how populism is born.

'I think of Hitler last century, who had promised the development of Germany. That we know how populism starts: by sowing hate. You can't live sowing hate.'

The Pope's comments were made after a woman who teaches Italian to refugees told him at the book launch that she was concerned about a rise in anti-migrant sentiment.

DW reports that Francis cited the Bible as saying refugees should be welcomed.

But he said governments are entitled to set immigration limits, adding that it was 'important for all of Europe to strike a deal on this problem'.

In January last year, Pope Francis warned against a rise in populism and the dangers of allowing political crises to usher in dictators like Hitler.

The 81-year-old pontiff (pictured shaking hands with Martin Scorsese) told crowds at a book launch that populism starts by sowing hate and called for renewed efforts to teach the young about the history of the First and Second World Wars.

He also condemned the use of barbed-wire fences to keep foreigners out.

He said at the time: 'Crises provoke fear, alarm. In my opinion, the most obvious example of European populism is Germany in 1933.

'Germany is broken, it needs to get up, to find its identity, a leader, someone capable of restoring its character, and there is a young man named Adolf Hitler who says: 'I can, I can'.

'And all Germans vote for Hitler. Hitler didn't steal the power, his people voted for him, and then he destroyed his people.'
Residents in a small beachside town are undergoing DNA testing as police investigate the murder of young woman that rocked the community.

Toyah Cordingley, 24, was walking her dog along Wangetti Beach, North Queensland, on Sunday when she was murdered in what police believe was a sexually motivated attack.

Her body was not discovered until Monday morning.

Residents living near the beach have been visited for DNA testing as police continue to search for the killer.

'The police came around door-knocking, they asked a few questions and they popped a thing in my mouth and said it was for DNA,' one local, who did not want named, told the ABC.

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Residents in a small beachside town are undergoing DNA testing as police investigate the murder of Toyah Cordingley

Toyah Cordingley (pictured), 24, was walking her dog along Wangetti Beach, north Queensland, on Sunday when she was murdered in what police believe was a sexually motivated attack

'I'm perfectly fine with that because I've got nothing to hide and if it helps them track down who did this to her, then I'm all for it.'

The resident added there were a number of people in the community who lived 'unofficially' in illegal camps.

According to a police spokesperson, the DNA testing is a 'standard procedure'.

Crime Stoppers have received about 160 calls since information of Ms Cordingley's death was released while many locals have opted to visit the crime scene to speak directly with investigators.

One man, who was walking along the beach at about the same time as Ms Cordingley was in the vicinity, drove 40 minutes from Cairns to speak with police.

The man, who did not wish to be named, told police there were a lot of families at the beach at the time.

Residents living in near the beach been visited for DNA testing as police continue to search for the killer

Mr Heidenreich (right) is believed to have been dating Ms Cordingley (left) for nearly three years. The pair share a deep love of animals, and Ms Cordingley is believed to have been walking one of Mr Heidenreich's dogs when she was killed

Police divers were called in from Brisbane on Tuesday to help specialist detectives, Cairns police officers and SES volunteers scour the area for the pharmacy worker's personal possessions.

Ms Cordingley disappeared after going to walk her dog at Wangetti Beach on Sunday about 2pm.

She was reported missing at 11pm that night, and her body was found in sand dunes at the beach on Monday morning, with 'visible and violent' injuries inflicted on it.

A full-scale homicide investigation was launched after Ms Cordingley's body was found, with police urging anyone who knew anything or had been at the beach that day to come forward.

Police have appealed for anyone who was on the beach that afternoon and who has dashcam footage of the area or either carpark to come forward.

Officers are also looking to speak with anyone who was at Rusty's Markets in central Cairns between 12pm or 1pm, where Ms Cordingley is believed to have been before she headed to the beach.

A full-scale homicide investigation has been launched as police hunt Ms Cordingley's killer, but police are yet to announce a person of interest. On Tuesday, officers urged anyone with dashcam footage or other information to come forward

Police divers from Brisbane have been called in to the far north beach to help search for Ms Cordingley's personal possessions (pictured is police searching on the beach, which is now a crime scene)

With Ms Cordingley's killer on the loose, and no publicised leads as to who is responsible for the death, Det Insp Smith said people should take precautions.

'Everybody should be aware of their surroundings, and have a safety plan wherever they are,' she said.

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend, Marco Heidenreich, was pictured looking sad on what appeared to be the balcony of a pub, with a friend, on Tuesday.

The photo of Mr Heidenreich, shared by a friend to social media, was 'reacted' to with likes and hearts, and one man commented: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'.

It is the first time Mr Heidenreich, who had been in a relationship with Ms Cordingley for nearly three years, has been pictured since the devastating news of his girlfriend's murder.

Marco Heidenreich (left) was pictured looking glassy-eyed on Tuesday, just days after his girlfriend, 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley, was brutally murdered on Wangetti Beach on Sunday. The image received multiple 'love' reactions, and one friend said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'

Ms Cordingley was found at Wangetti Beach on Monday morning in sand dunes between the foreshore and the start of bushland, and police are still hunting her killer

Friends said Ms Cordingley had been walking her boyfriend's dog, Jersey, when she died.

The Port Douglas man, a fellow animal lover who appears to own multiple dogs and multiple snakes, has not commented on his girlfriend's death.

Ms Cordingley was an animal lover, who was remembered for her kind nature and deep compassion for all creatures great and small.

Paws and Claws Refuge and Boarding Centre in Port Douglas, where she once worked, said in a statement the woman's 'heart was pure and innocent, and her dedication and love for animals was unmatched'.

Grieving friends turned to social media to share the devastating news of her death and pay tribute to the 'amazing' woman.

Ms Cordingley's best friend, Megan Amour, shared a heartbreaking letter about how she was grieving and could not believe the 24-year-old was gone

'She could calm the most distressed dog with grace and handle the large and boisterous ones with ease. Her calmness and special ways were inspiring,' the statement read.

Grieving friends turned to social media to share the devastating news of her death and pay tribute to the 'amazing' woman.

Ms Cordingley's best friend, Megan Amour, broke her silence on Tuesday with a devastating open letter about her broken heart.

Shared under a five minute video of pictures of the pair together, Ms Amour said she was still not able to believe what had happened, and kept catching herself imagining a better outcome.

'I can't believe this, I refuse to believe this,' she wrote.

'I drove to find you, I thought we were going to find you being the environment lover you are, I was so sure of it.

'I'm so angry, I'm so frustrated and I've been walking around the house grieving and then thinking: 'It's not real, it's not my Toyah, it's someone else'.

'I'm not familiar with this process, I've never in my life have lost anyone as close as you are to me and this is the worst time I've ever encounter.'

With Ms Cordingley's killer on the loose, and no publicised leads as to who is responsible for the death, Det Insp Smith said people should take precautions

She told followers Ms Cordingley was a 'gypsy soul' who lived her life to the fullest and was beloved wherever she went.

'I wanted to be like you, I wanted to be the gypsy soul you were,' she wrote.

'I wanted to be flawless and not just the beauty you had on the outside but the beauty you had on the inside.

'You were different to everyone, you followed what you believed in, you had nobody hating you, you lived life to the fullest and you respected everyone else's decisions. You had such a big heart and a beautiful loving family you adored.'

Earlier this month, Ms Amour said she'd asked Ms Cordingley to stand behind her as she married the man of her dreams. 'It took you less than a minute to start planning everything with me,' she recalled.

'I started to feel like I can't get married anymore, because you wont be there, you won't be there standing with me and witnessing this milestone of my life,' she said.

Friends remembered the 'amazing' young woman for her kind nature and friendly dog (pictured: Ms Cordingley after she accepted Ms Amour's invitation to be a bridesmaid

'You will be there somehow, I will make sure of it, your memory will be shared every day for as long as I live.

'I will be sharing the funny, loving, crazy memories about 'Aunty ToyToy' to [my daughter] Rose when she's older and tell her that she would have loved you the way I did.

'I'm betting you're going to be the prettiest angel up there with the prettiest wings, and over a thousand of puppy angels surrounding you.

'Look over us, and shine bright my honey, there will not be a day where I don't think of you because believe me every single day is going to hurt. I love you.'

In a separate Facebook post, friend Hayden Chalkin wrote: 'No words could describe how amazing of a person you were.'

'I can't believe you're gone. I can't believe I'm never going to see your smile again. I can't believe I'm never going to hear your voice again. I can't believe I'm writing this post.

'I don't know what to think, I don't know what to say. I'm going to miss you so much.

'You didn't deserve this and you will never be forgotten.'

Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for further comment.
Theresa May was offered 'loyal and genuine' support by her MPs it was claimed tonight after making a 'heartfelt' appeal to her backbenchers.

The PM survived a crunch confrontation with her fractious party at the 1922 Committee meeting tonight where she spoke of her personal drive to get a Brexit deal done in the national interest.

And as the meeting broke up, Brexiteer Michael Fabricant claimed it was a 'love in' and told waiting reporters: 'It's not Daniella in the lion's den, it's petting zoo'.

Mrs May was welcomed by cheers and loud banging of desks as she arrived for a tense meeting of the 1922 Committee in Parliament days after being warned to 'bring her own noose' to a 'show trial'.

Some Brexiteers demanded 'cast iron guarantees' that Britain would leave the EU and pressed their leader on what concessions she had manage to force out of Brussels.

But a string of Tory MPs emerged from the meeting to say that most Tories had rallied behind the PM and that her position as leader is now more secure.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid hailed a 'strong statement' from the PM while Attorney General Geoffrey Cox declared the meeting was 'very good'.

Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd declared Mrs May had 'won the room', after making an earnest and 'emotional' address.

While Mr Fabricant said she will emerge a 'heroine' who could lead the party into the next election if she gets a good Brexit deal.

Brexiteers claimed the 'show trial' of Theresa May was 'rigged' and descending into a 'PR farce' tonight as the Prime Minister prepares to confront her MPs

Before the high stakes meeting even began MP Nadine Dorries claimed (pictured) the whips were planting questions and organising a noisy show of support

Ms Rudd said Mrs May made an 'emotional' and 'heartfelt' plea to her backbenchers  and she believes her position as PM 'is safe'.

She said: She got a warm welcome, she talked quite emotionally about why she was doing this for the good of the country and how it was important that the public and our party members realise that we are behind her and that we all wanted the same thing  which is to lead in the best interests of the country.

Price of cheese could soar by over a third if there is a no deal Brexit The price of cheese could rocket by over a third if there is a no deal Brexit, MPs were today warned. Retail bosses from Northern Ireland said the price of beef may also soar if Britain crashes out of the bloc and starts trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms. And they warned that the smuggling of bootlegged goods over the Irish border may also flourish if there is a no deal Brexit. It comes amid warnings that criminal gangs have branched out from cigarettes, alcohol and petrol to sneaking washing powder across the border to sell at knocked-down prices. But several MPs angrily accused the bosses of 'scaremongering' and said that businesses should have done far more to prepare for Brexit. Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said that ' no deal is not an option' for Northern Ireland because the economic consequences would be dire. He told the Brexit Select Committee today that if the UK goes to WTO trading rules then the price of beef could go up by 37 per cent and cheese by up to 43 per cent. Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope accused the business bosses of 'scaremongering'. He said: 'Why are the people of Northern Ireland going to have to pay more for the cost of cheese when they can get it either from the surplus milk there is going to be, or in buying good old English cheddar?' Declan Billington, vice chairman of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, hit back saying that all the cheese processing factories are in the Irish Republic. He said: 'Two points - the UK is running I think a 30 per cent deficit in cheese. 'A lot of that cheese is made up from countries like Ireland, indeed the milk from Northern Ireland goes to the south to be made into cheese. 'Years ago, we argued that we needed the level playing field to be able to build the factories in Northern Ireland to service the UK market.' He added: 'The all Ireland market evolved and the factories are on the other side of the border, and the milk will not be able to move south to service those factories, and we do not have the factories in the north to make butter or cheese.' Advertisement

Asked if the PM looked emotional Ms Rudd said: Well she looked like she really minded  it wasnt reading from a script.

She was talking frankly and honestly form the heart about why she was doing this.

Ms Rudd said she had only occasionally seen the PM so emotional when speaking.

She added: She was very earnest and it felt, listening to higher, very heartfelt. And a lot of the questions were about different things but a lot referred to the fact that we didnt want the use of that nasty language we saw before.

The former Cabinet minster also said that many Tory MPs had condemned the violent descriptions - briefed out anonymously to the press - that she was going to be 'knifed' at the showdown.

She said: 'There was a lot of uncomfortable feeling about the language that was used apparently in last week's papers, and obviously pointing out that we needed to hold together and deliver based on the fact that the real danger to this country is from a Labour party opposite  the real extremists.'

Ms Rudd said the PM is in a stronger position now and that she is 'safe' in No 10.

She said: 'She was able to win the room and deliver something quite personal and emotional about why she was committed to doing it despite being quite frank about the difficulties that were still there.

'People spoke very freely about their concernsbut they came back to the fact that they backed her in delivering for the country and the government.'

Mr Fabricant said: 'I think she was very, it was encouraging. Everybody was praising her.

'One or two questions were very tangible questions about Europe, which she answered.

'As I said, not Daniella in the lions den, but a petting zoo.

'It was really lovely actually and everybody thinks we should hold together.

'It is particularly crucial at this time. I think we all realise that we need to at this point, in the next month or two we are going to get a deal and we need to hold together.

'Andrew Bridgen asked what concessions were being made, and she gave a whole series of concessions that the EU had made.

'She explained very clearly with several examples, including how the EU were initially saying that EU nationals living in the UK should be allowed to appeal to the ECJ over the UK, and she said that now is not the case. The UK courts will have supremacy.

'She did not have to appeal for unity because everybody else did. Lots of people were saying how the language used over the last weekend was disgusting and misogynistic and the rest of it. I think we all felt that way.

'She lives to fight another day I am quite sure, and possibly the next election. I would not be surprised.

'If she gets a good deal she will be a heroine. It was a love in.'

He said there was no mention of the letters of no confidence in the PM which have reportedly been sent into the Tory party chairman.

Repeated rounds of banging were heard outside the packed committee room in the House of Commons.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Environment Secretary Michael Gove turned out to support the PM at the private meeting.

Before the meeting began Brexiteers claimed the meeting was being 'rigged' and descending into a 'PR farce' before the showdown even began.

Nadine Dorries claimed the whips were planting questions and organising a noisy show of support while Andrew Bridgen accused colleagues of 'hypocrisy' as he predicted private critics of the PM would turn out to applaud her in public.

Former Brexit Minister Steve Baker said despite the organised shows of support he wanted to hear what Mrs May was doing to stop the 'great ship of state of this country' from 'heading towards the rocks'.

The stakes were raised ahead of the meeting after leaked documents revealed Cabinet ministers have been advised Britain could be left in Brexit limbo for years.

Rumours are swirling in Westminster that the chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady holds almost enough letters from Tory MPs to order a vote of no confidence. He must call a vote if 48 letters are sent.

Andrew Bridgen (pictured today on Sky News), an arch-critic of Mrs May, predicted today she would fail to reassure the party and would face a vote within day

Ms Dorries tweeted: 'PM attending '22 meeting. Already rigged by the whips.

Britain draws up plans to buy or lease a flotilla of lorry FERRIES to fight a no deal blockade There are fears that if there is a sudden no deal Brexit traffic through the Channel Tunnel would collapse for months. Britain has drawn up a contingency plan to buy or lease a flotilla of lorry ferries to ensure food and medicine can still get past a no deal blockade of the Channel. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling briefed the Cabinet yesterday on the extraordinary backup plan. There are fears that if there is a sudden no deal Brexit traffic through the Channel Tunnel would collapse for months. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said the normal Dover-Calais route could be at 12 per cent capacity for six months. Mr Grayling told ministers the scheme is called Government Owned or Operated Logistics and would move goods via the Ports of London, Tilbury and Liverpool. The chilling reports, revealed today by ITV's Robert Peston, come amid claims French President Emmaneul Macron would deliberately block imports in no deal. Advertisement

'Loyalist Chequers supporters will be dispersed about the room to desk bang and cheer.

'The whips will communicate via WhatsApp. The first questioner will already have been agreed and the questions planted.

'It's a PR farce.'

Mr Bridgen lashed 'hypocritical' colleagues who would cheer Mrs May tonight before criticising her in private.

Mr Bridgen even claimed Downing Street was behind viscous anonymous briefing against Mrs May at the weekend.

He told Sky News: 'I have thought about it and the only people that suited - it was very unhelpful and bad politics and I have a lot of sympathy with the Prime Minister - is No 10.

'I would not be surprised if No 10 put those words out themselves knowing exactly how the press and the public would react.'

Amid the growing drama in Westminster, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament Brexit was being handled with 'staggering incompetence' that was pushing the country into no deal.

The current fury against Mrs May is fuelled by both her and the EU accepting the concept of an extension to the Brexit transition period at last week's fractious summit in Brussels.

Current transition agreements oblige the UK to keep following all EU rules, including on free movement, without having a say on how they are written.

The Prime Minister has insisted it would only last for a 'few months' and in any event would end 'well before' the next election in 2022.

Chief whip Julian Smith was in Downing Street this afternoon ahead of the crucial meeting between Mrs May and MPs tonigth

Also spotted in Downing Street this afternoon were Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (left) and Environment Secretary Michael Gove (right)

Home Secretary Sajid Javid was also among afternoon arrivals at No 10 Downing Street (pictured)

But a paper to ministers warns the plan 'could, in theory, lead to a long-running IP (implementation period)' with annual extensions on a 'rolling basis', The Times reveals today.

Any such threat will alarm and enrage Eurosceptics who fear Mrs May's plans will park Britain in the Brexit departure lounge indefinitely.

Downing Street insisted the leak was a 'partial reflection' of advice given to ministers and did not reflect either decisions taken or the PM's position.

Cabinet yesterday saw stormy rows between ministers at the state of the negotiation, which now turns on how to resolve the so-called Irish backstop.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox warned Britain risks being left in Dante's 'first circle of hell' - better known as limbo - under the plans.

The Prime Minister shot a look of disgust (pictured) and then ignored the answer after Susan Elan Jones as she quipped she might not be able to answer questions about next week's Budget

Labour MP Susan Elan Jones ridiculed Theresa May during PMQs today by asking if she would survive until Monday's Budget

Rumours are swirling in Westminster that the chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady (file) holds almost enough letters from Tory MPs to order a vote of no confidence

Ministers, including Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt according to reports, are desperate for Mrs May to negotiate a unilateral way for Britain to escape the backstop, which is supposed to govern what happens to the Irish border between the transition period and the start of a full trade deal.

Ministers also heard blood-curdling threats that Britain might have to buy a fleet on lorry ferries to ensure food and medicine can get past a Brexit blockade of Calais.

There are fears that if there is a sudden no deal Brexit traffic through the Channel Tunnel would collapse for months.

There were claims the normal Dover-Calais route could be at 12 per cent capacity for six months.

Mr Grayling told ministers the scheme is called Government Owned or Operated Logistics and would move goods via the Ports of London, Tilbury and Liverpool.

The chilling reports, revealed today by ITV's Robert Peston, come amid claims French President Emmaneul Macron would deliberately block imports in no deal.

Trade Secretary Liam Fox was among ministers in Downing Street today (pictured)

Chancellor Philip Hammond was seen heading to the Commons today (pictured) as Mrs May braces for a bruising 1922 committee

Downing Street aides including chief of staff Gavin Barwell will hope tonight's meeting proves a show of strength for the PM

And Cabinet Office Minster David Lidingtion is said to have warned Cabinet a no deal could trigger a financial crisis as severe as 'Black Wednesday' in 1992, where falling out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) saw Bank of England interests rates spike to 15 per cent.

What is the final issue in the Brexit talks? Theresa May insists the Brexit deal is 95 per cent done - but the final issue of the Irish border backstop may be the hardest part. The backstop sets out what will happen to the Irish border if the Brexit transition ends before a final UK-EU trade deal is in place. Transition is currently due to end in December 2020. The EU is still insisting that in the absence of a full trade deal, Northern Ireland should stay in the EU customs union while the rest of the UK leaves to ensure the Irish border remains open. Mrs May has flatly rejected the idea, saying she would not agree to anything that risked splitting the UK. Instead, the government has mooted a temporary customs union for the whole UK. There would also probably need to be more regulatory checks between mainland UK and Northern Ireland to protect the single market. Some already take place, but they could be dramatically stepped up - potentially creating a huge flashpoint with the DUP. Brussels now appears to be prepared to do a UK-wide backstop in the divorce deal - but insists it must be robust and the UK could not exit it unilaterally. Advertisement

Following the grim warnings, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab was ordered to bring weekly updates on no deal preparations to the Cabinet.

Britain's preferred version of the backstop is for a UK-wide temporary customs union with the EU - but this would block new trade deals and is unacceptable to Brexiteers as a long term settlement.

As well as exit mechanism, the talks are still stalled because the EU wants a Northern Ireland-only backstop, at least in the divorce treaty.

Following the Cabinet leak, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'This is nothing more than a partial reflection of advice to ministers, and not of decisions taken.

'The prime minister made her position absolutely clear in the House of Commons on Monday.

'As the PM said then, we do not believe any extension to the implementation period will be necessary, and in any event we would have to be out of it well before the end of the parliament.

'We would not accept a position in which the UK, having negotiated in good faith an agreement which prevents a hard border in Northern Ireland, finds itself indefinitely locked into an alternative, inferior arrangement against our will.'

In other developments today, a former Labour minister claimed up to 45 Labour MPs could defy Jeremy Corbyn and vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal if it is 'reasonable'.

Up to 45 Labour MPs could defy Jeremy Corbyn and vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal if it is 'reasonable', former minister Caroline Flint (file image) claimed today

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands yesterday) has vowed to vote down any deal which does not meet Labour's six tests

Caroline Flint said the Labour leadership's six tests for a Brexit deal were 'disingenuous' and designed to be failed.

A major rebellion could be a get out of jail card for the Prime Minister who faces a major revolt on her own side.

There are now 50 Tory MPs publicly signed up to the 'Stand Up 4 Brexit' social media campaign vowing to vote down a deal based on Mrs May's Chequers blueprint.

Ms Flint told the Yorkshire Post: 'There are a number of Labour MPs who feel if there's a reasonable deal on the table, if you're going to say no you need some bloody good reasons why if we're going to end up with no deal.

'We had 15 vote against the EEA, the Norway option, I think you could double or triple the number of MPs who have concerns.'

Ukip MEP Nigel Farage denounced the UK negotiating team under Olly Robbins as an 'enemy within' attempting to sabotage Brexit and said Britain was heading for humiliation unless the Conservative Party got rid of Theresa May.

Ukip MEP Nigel Farage (pictured at the European Parliament today) denounced the UK negotiating team under Olly Robbins as an 'enemy within' attempting to sabotage Brexit

Donald Trusk said Brexiteers are '100 per cent responsible' for the Irish border impasse

Speaking to the European Parliament today, Mr Farage thanked Mr Tusk for 'confirming that it was Theresa May that asked for a one-year extension to the transition period'.

Dismissing the threat of a hard border in Ireland as a 'red herring' which would never come to pass, Mr Farage told MEPs: 'The problem is that there is a rogue element in these negotiations, a group of people who don't wish to see a solution, who put up a brick wall to stop us breaking free.

'It is not your chief negotiator Michel Barnier, it is actually the British civil service, Olly Robbins' team.

'They signed up years ago to the European dream. They have been happy to take their orders from Brussels, they are now out to sabotage Brexit. They are indeed the enemy within.'

The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt told MEPs: 'We are now in a battle of the figures. Mrs May says 95% has been agreed, Michel Barnier says 90% has been agreed. I know Britain has always had difficulties with the metric system.

'If it is 90 per cent or 95 per cent or 99 per cent, if there is no solution for the Irish border, for our Parliament it is 0 per cent that is agreed at the moment.

'We need agreement on the Irish border. The Good Friday Agreement must be protected.'

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox (pictured in Downing Street yesterday) is said to have warned Cabinet Britain risks being left in Dante's 'first circle of hell' - better known as limbo

Ministers, including Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt according to reports, are desperate for Mrs May to negotiate a unilateral way for Britain to escape the backstop
A group of armed men were caught in Belgium yesterday after a quick-thinking shop owner came up with a ruse to trap them.

The shop worker told them to come back later last Saturday afternoon, claiming there wasnt enough money in the cash register.

The owner of the e-cigarette shop in Charleroi, who identified himself at Didier, said that six men armed with guns entered his store at 3 p.m. and demanded he hand over all the money.

Shop owner Didier (pictured left) telling the armed men to come back later in the afternoon

In an attempt to distract the assailants, Didier suggested they return in a few hours when there would be more money in the till waiting for them, according to reports in Belgium.

I told them clearly that 3 p.m. is not the best time to hold up a store, Didier said. He told the group that you'll take 1,000 bucks, but if you come back tonight you might be able to take more.

Remarkably, the group left and Didier seized the opportunity to contact the police. They werent the brightest, Didier explained, and the police were not convinced the group would return.

However, the group returned at 5.30 p.m. to collect their cash. Didier criticised the men by arriving before closing time: I berated them saying 'you have to buy a watch.' I said, 'it's 5:30 not 6:30,' and they left.

CCTV footage showing the armed robbers trying to empty the cash register in Belgium

Undercover police officers in Belgium (pictured above) arrest the men later that afternoon

Shop owner Didier examining the CCTV footage of the armed robbers

The group took Didiers advice, and when they returned an hour later, undercover police officers were waiting to arrest them.

Five members of the group were arrested, including one minor, while the sixth offender fled the scene, RTL reported.
Financial planner Trung The Ma confessed to police to bludgeoning his client to death with a hammer because the man threatened to ruin his business.

Ma, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday to serve a life in prison with a minimum parole period of 20 years for the brutal killing of 63-year-old Huegio Bonham at Tallai on the Gold Coast, Queensland in 2014.

In a chilling video of his interview with police, Ma broke down several times and said his client had threatened to ruin him and everything he had worked for.

'He threatened to basically take my business down by spreading the word or basically saying I wasnt competent.'

In a chilling video of his interview with police, Trung The Ma (right) broke down several times and said his client had threatened to ruin him and everything he had worked for

Ma said he begged his client not 'to put any bad press about me or the business, 'cause I didn't think we deserved that.'

'I started to lose my temper  the room started spinning.

'I kept getting more and more angry  he just refused to listen to me anymore.

'I lost my mind  I struck him in the head  with the hammer that was in the room that I saw on the shelf.'

Ma, a former child refugee who'd fled communist Vietnam with his family, claimed at his trial he'd felt pressure for years from the weight of his father's expectations that he succeed in life and provide for their extended family.

That boiled over in February 2014, during a business meeting with Mr Bonham, which was itself the culmination of nearly half a decade of deception, Ma's Brisbane Supreme Court trial was told.

The 35-year-old had stolen $706,000 from Mr Bonham over four years, however it appears the 63-year-old was never aware of the thefts, Supreme Court Justice Sue Brown said in sentencing Ma to life in prison on Wednesday.

Instead, he was generally disappointed in the returns Ma's firm, Brisbane Money Management, had been providing and was planning to take his business elsewhere.

If that happened, Ma's theft would have been exposed, which is why he hurriedly arranged a private meeting with his best client at Mr Bonham's Gold Coast home.

Ma said he felt family pressure to excel in life, which boiled over during a business meeting with Mr Bonham, which was itself the culmination of nearly half a decade of deception, Ma's Brisbane Supreme Court (pictured) trial was told

When his entreaties to keep the spiritual guru's business fell on deaf ears, Ma bludgeoned Mr Bonham to death with a hammer he found on a shelf, an act which he claimed during his trial was an 'out of body experience'.

He cleaned up, put the body in his car boot, bought a large plastic container and rented a storage shed to hold the remains.

However he made a crucial mistake - he dropped Mr Bonham's wallet in a carpark when he bought the container.

Ma called the carpark's management, asking about the wallet, claiming he was Bonham and saying he would send 'his good friend' Ma to pick it up.

'You tried to cover up anything that might have connected you with Mr Bonham on the day in question,' Justice Brown said.

'Your actions taken to retrieve the wallet, however, ultimately led police to you.'

Ma progressively broke down under police inquiries, first claiming not to have met Mr Bonham on the day of the murder, to finally making a full confession.

Ma said he begged his client not 'to put any bad press about me or the business, 'cause I didn't think we deserved that'

Ma, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday to serve a life in prison with a minimum parole period of 20 years for the brutal killing of 63-year-old Huegio Bonham (pictured) at Tallai on the Gold Coast, Queensland in 2014

Throughout the trial his lawyers argued he should be sentenced on a lesser manslaughter charge as he had 'diminished responsibility' because he was mentally unwell and frantic that his fraud would be exposed and he would disappoint his family.

The jury disagreed, finding him guilty last week and on Wednesday Justice Brown said Ma had acted deliberately in the moment, and had not shown he was ashamed of what he had done.

'By your actions, you took the life of an innocent, unsuspecting man in his 60s, and tore the lives apart of two families - Mr Bonham's, and your own,' she said.

A two-year jail sentence handed down for disposing of Mr Bonhams body will be served concurrently.

He will be eligible for parole in 2034.
A woman who smuggled her cat onto a plane was kicked off of the flight by stunned cabin crew.

The passenger from the US told British Airways flight attendants who caught her with the cat she needed it for 'emotional support'.

The cat was in her hand luggage, according to the Daily Record, who was told the cat could have got through security at Glasgow Airport.

An airport insider said: 'BA don't allow animals in the cabin. Security say the scanner would not have picked up the cat as being alive, dead or stuffed.'

The plane was flying from Glasgow to Heathrow but would not take off with the pet onboard.

British Airways staff spotted the cat inside a box in the woman passenger's hand luggage when they asked her to put her bag away

The woman almost got away with it  but when staff approached her to put her bag in the overhead locker because she was sitting in an emergency exit  the moggie in a box was spotted.

According to reports the woman left the airport without booking another flight.

Airlines have had many issues in recent years during the rise of 'support animals'.

In Orlando, just weeks ago, a woman tried to bring a squirrel on a plane with in New York a man wanted to travel with a peacock.

A British Airways passenger was kicked off of a plane for taking her cat onboard and hiding it in her hand luggage

A British Airways spokesperson said: 'Cats cannot travel in the cabin but recognised assistance dogs are always very welcome and travel completely free of charge alongside their owners on board.

'Other animals will need to travel in the hold but will be just as comfortable in a carefully controlled environment.'
By Trend





The European Union has shown great interest in the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline and the supply of Turkmen natural gas to the European market, the state news agency Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary reported Oct. 23.

This issue was raised during the recent negotiations in Brussels. The sides discussed the issues of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU in the energy sector, modernization of the legal framework of the partnership, implementation of the project of construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, the message says.

The delegation of Turkmenistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who held a series of meetings, in particular with the Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, as well as a working meeting with representatives of the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission and others.

The topics of further improvement of the principles of activity of the Caspian Development Corporation (CDC), the continuation of the negotiations of the working group on the implementation of this energy project, including economic, environmental and commercial issues were touched upon.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was briefed on the results of the trip the day before during the telephone conference. The participants in the negotiations from the European Union expressed their readiness to help attract investment in the implementation of this important energy project, which, as the head of state noted, meets not only national objectives, but also aims to strengthen the energy security of the continent.

Thanks to the adoption of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, the necessary legal framework has been created for laying a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea.

Now, only the consent of the project parties and an environmental impact assessment that meets the strict requirements of international standards are needed for the realization of this project, said the article.

The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project provides for the supply of Turkmen energy resources to the European market in the amount of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually for at least 30 years with its transfer at the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan has all the opportunities to implement major energy projects, both in this direction and in other vectors, the message said..

The necessary infrastructure including the East-West domestic gas pipeline, which provides for reverse gas transfers from eastern Turkmenistan to the western regions and back, have been created in the country for this purpose.

The negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been conducted since 2011. The Southern Gas Corridor, which includes the Trans-Caspian project, remains a priority for the EU.

In May 2015, the Ashgabat Declaration on Energy was signed by the Ministers of Energy of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Maros Sefcovic. The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian sea to the shores of Azerbaijan, as noted earlier by the parties concerned, is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market.

Further, the Turkmen fuel can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries. The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline could become part of several large-scale projects, including AGRI and TANAP, in which Azerbaijan and Turkey are participating.




The man behind the migrant caravan currently snaking its way towards the US has been revealed as a former Honduran lawmaker and radio host.

Bartolo Fuentes, who lives in the capital Tegucigalpa, said it all began when he tried to help a few dozen migrants band together so they could go north with safety in numbers and support each other.

But things snowballed when HCH, the most-viewed TV news channel in Honduras, incorrectly reported that Fuentes was willing to pay transportation costs for anyone making the journey, he said.

Bartolo Fuentes, a former Honduran lawmaker turned radio host and migrant worker, has been revealed as the man behind the caravan heading toward the US

Fuentes said he began helping a group of around 200 people gather together to make the journey northward in relative safety, before his efforts snowballed

There are now thought to be around 14,000 Hondurans heading toward the US in at least three distinct groups (pictured, one group in Guatemala)

Hondurans typically had to pay $7,000 to smugglers to take them north, but are now opting to make the journey themselves as part of caravans several thousand strong

Fuentes said it was a news report on Honduran TV which incorrectly said that he would pay passage for migrants which caused the current stampede

Fuentes marched with the first caravan of people (pictured here two days ago, in Mexico) but was detained in Guatemala and sent home

Anchors Eduardo Maldonado and Ariela Caceres also said Fuentes was willing to provide food for the journey, which can cost people upwards of $7,000 if they are forced to use smugglers.

'After that news program I started to get hundreds of calls, then it took on a life of its own,' Fuentes told the Daily Beast.

'In Honduras, the government wants to minimize why people are leaving - they know they are going to leave and they want to say they are doing so because of lies and the opposition, not the conditions that they created.

'And this pro-government news program played into that messaging, trying to say that there is financing when really people just need to get out.'

When Fuentes began trying to help the migrants move north he said there were around 200 of them, but new estimates now put that number at 14,000, in at least three separate groups.

Fuentes accompanied the first group across the border into Guatemala, but told the Beast he was arbitrarily detained there before being sent home.

He now fears for his safety, as the government has tried to paint him as an agitator trying to disturb the peace - particularly since President Trump threatened to withdraw financial aid worth some $180million per year.

The first migrant caravan has now crossed Guatemala and entered Mexico at the weekend, pushing as far as the town of Huixtla, around 40 miles from the border.

Fuentes now says he fears for his safety in Honduras, where the government has labelled him a disturber of the peace for encouraging people to migrant

Most of the Honduran migrants are now resting in the Mexican city of Huixtla, having walked more than 300 miles from their starting point

A Honduran girl sleeps alongside her parents as the young family attempt to reach the US

Donald Trump has threatened to use the military to turn away migrants at the US border, but that has not stopped people from joining the caravans

According to most estimates, this group numbers around 7,000 people.

Mexican newspaper El Universal reports that there are another 3,000 currently stuck at the border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico, at Ciudad Hidalgo.

Another 1,000 are known to have crossed from Honduras into Guatemala as part of a second caravan vowing to make it to the US.

Meanwhile, El Universal says, another 3,000 people are trying to make it from Honduras into Guatemala - though the latter country has now stationed guards and barbed wire at a key crossing point used by the first two groups.

The majority of those fleeing Honduras say they are seeking a better life in America, blaming a lack of jobs, rampant corruption and soaring crime for leaving.

In Honduras, around 80 per cent of workers earn below the minimum wage of a few hundreds dollars per month, with government welfare programs doing little to help since most of the money is siphoned off by corrupt officials.

Further compounding this misery is the fact that more than 90 per cent of crimes go unsolved, including thousands of murders each year.

In 2012, Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world, and while the government claims there have been significant reductions since then, these figures have not been independently verified.
An alleged fugitive who escaped police custody was eventually caught and re-arrested by police as he waited in a McDonald's drive-thru at 1am in the morning.

Melbourne man Caleb Pavlovic, 20, was wanted by police after he allegedly escaped from the Frankston Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The Hastings man had been remanded in custody and was awaiting transfer from court at the time of his escape.

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An alleged fugitive who escaped police custody was eventually caught and re-arrested by police as he waited in a McDonald's drive-thru at 1am in the morning

Dash cam footage revealed the moment Pavlovic was captured by police as he sat in a taxi at a Hastings McDonald's waiting for his order

Dash cam footage revealed the moment Pavlovic was captured by police as he sat in a taxi at a Hastings McDonald's waiting for his order.

The footage shows police approach the car and calmly open the passenger door before escorting Pavlovic to their squad car.

Pavlovic appears to also keep his calm as he goes with police peacefully.

The footage was supplied to 7 News in Melbourne.

In a sign of humility one of the officers returned to the drive-thru window to collect the rest of Pavlovic's meal before taking him back to the station

At one point in the footage an officer returns to the drive-thru window to collect the rest of Pavlovic's meal before taking him back to the station.

Police said Pavlovic was in custody for a number of charges, including criminal damage, aggravated assault of a female and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

Under the Crimes Act 1958 - SECT 479C it is an offence to escape police while in custody of either police officers or the Department of Justice, as in a court house.

It is an indictable offence and anyone found guilty of it faces a maximum five year jail sentence.
Jack Bushell (pictured) beat his then-girlfriend unconscious in the street

These horrific pictures show the injuries inflicted by a brutal domestic abuser who chased his girlfriend while he was naked to beat her in the street.

Jack Bushell's assault on Jade Gallagher left her covered in blood and vomiting as she lost consciousness.

He dragged the mother of one through the street after already beating her at home.

Bushell, from South Shields, held her head with one hand as he pummeled her with the other.

He turned up at her house at 5.15am after they had both attended a party on a Saturday night despite him being subject to a restraining order.

As he punched her, the thug called her a 'f***ing stupid cow' while the 26-year-old tried desperately to get away from him. Then he threw her to the floor and reigned down kicks on her body.

Jade Gallagher (pictured, left, after the horrific attack and, right, before) passed out in the street when her boyfriend chased her down

When she did manage to kick him and flee the house, she screamed at one neighbour 'Julie, he's going to kill me'. One neighbour reported that Ms Gallagher was 'covered in blood and her hair was an absolute mess'.

But a naked Bushell followed her and dragged her through the street as neighbours called Northumbria Police.

Ms Gallagher uploaded this picture to Facebook following the beating which happened while her boyfriend was on a restraining order

The yob - who has a conviction for stalking - refused to speak to officers at the station and was 'aggressive' with officers, prosecutor Paul Anderson told South Tyneside Magistrates' Court. But he admitted the beating a day later.

Bushell (pictured) beat his then-girlfriend after he ran after her naked in the street

Bushell, 22, was subject to the restraining order so Ms Gallagher could have space with a view to making their relationship work.

But she left him after the beating, which followed a history of pestering and violence.

He breached two restraining orders against two former partners, sent Ms Gallagher unwanted texts, turned up at her address twice and caused 200 of damage to her French doors.

His nine previous convictions and was also subject to another order at the time of the beating.

The order aimed to enable him to 'build better relationships'.

He will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on November 19 after pleading guilty to ABH and harassing, pestering or intimidating the victim.

Prosecutor Mr Anderson argued the charges do not present the 'full picture' of their horrific relationship.
This is the moment film Martin Scorsese kissed the Pope's hand as the Goodfellas director joined Francis at a book launch in Italy.

The pontiff greeted the acclaimed US filmmaker at a higher education institute in the capital, Rome.

Scorsese, who has met the Pope before in 2016, stooped down to kiss the hand of the 81-year-old as they met at a book launch called 'Sharing The Wisdom Of Time'.

During the event at Rome's Augustinianum Institute, Scorsese, 75, addressed what he described as the 'painful human failings of the institution of the Church' and asked how the elderly can guide young people in troubled times.

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Martin Scorsese kissed the Pope's hand as the Goodfellas director joined Francis at a book launch in Italy

The pontiff (left) greeted the acclaimed US filmmaker (right) at a higher education institute in the capital, Rome

Scorsese (right), who has met the Pope before in 2016, stooped down to kiss the hand of the 81-year-old (left) as they met at a book launch called 'Sharing The Wisdom Of Time'

Describing the tough neighbourhood where he grew up in New York, he told the Pope: 'I experienced that there was a truth in the street and that there was a truth presented to us in the church and that they weren't or didn't seem to be the same and it was very, very difficult to put the two of them together, to reconcile the two worlds.'

He also made reference to the 'painful human failings of the institution of the Church itself.'

'How can we, elderly people, strengthen and guide the young in what they've got to go through yet in life?' Scorsese asked.

'How, Holy Father, can the faith of a young woman or man survive in this maelstrom, how can we help the church in this endeavour?'

In response, the Pope said people should not be afraid to weep.

'How can we react to the cruelty, the great cruelty... and the little cruelty that we all have; how can we teach young people that cruelty is the wrong path, a path that kills not just individuals, but humanity, the sense of belonging to a community?'

During the event at Rome's Augustinianum Institute, Scorsese, 75, addressed what he described as the 'painful human failings of the institution of the Church' and asked how the elderly can guide young people in troubled times

Film director Martin Scorsese waits to greet Pope Francis at the end of the book presentation 'The Wisdom of Time'

During a question and answer section, Scorsese asked how elderly people can 'strengthen and guide the young in what they've got to go through yet in life'

'Here there is a word that we must speak: the wisdom of weeping. The gift of crying.' he said, according to the Catholic News Service.

'Before this violence, this cruelty, this destruction of human dignity, weeping is human and Christian. Ask for the grace of tears, because crying softens the heart, it opens the heart, it is a source of inspiration. Cry.

In 2016, Pope Francis met Scorsese in the same week that his film, 'Silence,' about Jesuit missionaries in 17th-century Japan, was screened in Rome.

The Vatican said that during the pontiff's 'very cordial' meeting with Scorsese, Francis mentioned he had read the novel on which the film was based. Francis is a Jesuit who joined the order while a young man in Argentina with the idea of becoming a missionary in Japan. But health problems scuttled that dream.

At the time, Francis thanked Scorsese for his gift of two paintings. The work of an 18th-century Japanese artist, the paintings served as a reference for some of the details in the film.

Some 300 Jesuits studying or working in Rome attended the screening Tuesday at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. Scorsese answered the audience's questions afterward.
Up to 45 Labour MPs could defy Jeremy Corbyn and vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal if it is 'reasonable', a former minister claimed today.

Caroline Flint said the Labour leadership's six tests for a Brexit deal were 'disingenuous' and designed to be failed.

A major rebellion could be a get out of jail card for the Prime Minister who faces a major revolt on her own side.

There are now 50 Tory MPs publicly signed up to the 'Stand Up 4 Brexit' social media campaign vowing to vote down a deal based on Mrs May's Chequers blueprint.

Up to 45 Labour MPs could defy Jeremy Corbyn and vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal if it is 'reasonable', former minister Caroline Flint (file image) claimed today

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands yesterday) has vowed to vote down any deal which does not meet Labour's six tests

Ms Flint told the Yorkshire Post: 'There are a number of Labour MPs who feel if there's a reasonable deal on the table, if you're going to say no you need some bloody good reasons why if we're going to end up with no deal.

'We had 15 vote against the EEA, the Norway option, I think you could double or triple the number of MPs who have concerns.'

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned the Prime Minister on Sunday she could not rely on Labour to save her deal from Tory rebels.

He said it was not true to say, as the Prime Minister does, that the choice before Parliament will be her deal or no deal.

Sir Keir told the BBC's Andrew Marr that it would not be enough for Mrs May to return from Brussels with a temporary customs union inside the so-called backstop for Northern Ireland.

He told Marr there is a 'real lack of confidence' that Mrs May can bring back 'anything by way of a good deal'.

A major rebellion could be a get out of jail card for Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured in Parliament's Royal Gallery yesterday) who faces a major revolt on her own side

He said it was not in the national interest to back a bad deal.

'What we're going to see is even if there's a deal, the Tory Party will try to rip it up next year - some of them are already saying they're going to do that - so this idea of an historic moment just before Christmas in the national interest isn't going to happen,' he told Marr.

'They will not stop fighting about this.'

The scale of Mrs May's Brexit rebellion grew again overnight as six more MPs signed up to the 'Stand Up 4 Brexit' campaign.

The new endorsements - including veteran Tories Sir Edward Leigh and Sir Christopher Chope - come after former foreign secretary Boris Johnson signed up this week.

Labour will not bail out Theresa May by voting for her deal just to avoid a crash out without any agreement at all, Sir Keir Starmer (pictured on Sunday on the Marr show) warned

Mr Johnson said Mrs May's plan would mean Britain 'wouldnt control our laws and we certainly wouldnt be able to do proper free trade deals'.

Mr Johnson said: 'It is a cheat and a fraud on those who voted to leave.'

Stand Up 4 Brexit insists it wants to deliver Brexit on the terms described in the Tory manifesto, based on the red lines of ending free movement, leaving the single market and customs union, leaving the European Court and stopping payments to the EU.

It says Mrs May's proposals of creating a UK-EU trade area for goods based on EU rules, while leaving the customs union for new trade deals breaches the lines.

The campaign says this will mean the European Court still gets a say, trade deals will be severely limited and Northern Ireland could be administratively cut off from Great Britain.
US Vice President Mike Pence refused to rule out deploying nuclear weapons in space.

President Donald Trump's right-hand man said last night America may need to to enforce 'peace through strength', even outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

He said the administration has no plans to amend a treaty which bans weapons of mass destruction being used in outer space, but when asked did not rule out nuclear arms being stored or used in space.

Pence said space was a 'war-fighting domain' and that the treaty does not actually ban military activity in space.

His comments come as President Donald Trump has already threatened to pull out one arms treaty with Russia - the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed in 1987.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the fourth meeting of the National Space Council at National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington DC yesterday

President Donald Trump has called for a 'Space Force' to strengthen the US position outside of the Earth's atmosphere

President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with US National security adviser, John Bolton, during their meeting in the Kremlin yesterday, where the pair discussed Trump's threats to pull out of the Cold War nuclear arms treaty

As concerns that Russia may be developing a medium-range ballistic missile grow, Trump said on Saturday that the United States will end the INF Treaty.

The deal required the destruction of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with certain long-distance ranges.

Trump told reporters in Nevada he believed the treaty constrains the US from developing its own weapons and added he thought Russia has already violated the pact.

President Trump has repeatedly called for America to create a 'Space Force' as part of a US Space Command, a $3bn sixth branch of the military that would strengthen the US military foothold in space.

Pence argued a Space Force is critical for US national security as China and Russia expand their presence in space.

He also said Space Force would be needed to provide security for civilian missions to put 'American boots back on the Moon' and eventually 'seeing Americans land on Mars' and 'ensuring that America remains as dominant in space militarily as we are here on Earth'.

Mike Pence (center) a the meeting of the National Space Council at the National War College where he said America may need to to enforce 'peace through strength'

Pence said space was a 'war-fighting domain' and that the treaty does not actually ban military activity in space

An old Soviet-era Russian SAM 6 surface-to-air missile, which is around 19ft long rocket and has a top speed of 1,345mph and a range of 45,000ft

Pence said: 'In 2015, China essentially stood up its own space force. Russia, in the very same year, assigned a part of its aerospace division to a space force.

'What President Trump has initiated here, in a very real sense, while America continues to lead in technology and in innovation and in military strength, in terms of organizational structure, this is what our competitors are already doing.'

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which the United States and dozens of nations including Russia signed during the Cold War says, 'states shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner.'

At the 'Transformers: Space' policy summit, hosted by the Washington Post, the vice president, who also heads the National Space Council advisory board, was asked whether he thinks that nuclear weapons should always be banned from space.

He said the 1967 treaty 'does ban weapons of mass destruction in space, but it doesn't ban military activity. It actually is, it gives nations a fair amount of flexibility in operating for their security interests in space. And at this time, we don't see any need to amend the treaty'.

Mike Pence is greeted by National Defense University President Fritz Roegge ahead of the meeting yesterday

Bolton said Washington is convinced Russia violated the Cold War nuclear arms pact since as far back as 2013

He added: 'Look, I think that what we need to do is make sure that we provide for the common defense of the people of the United States of America, and that's the president's determination here.

'As time goes forward, the hope that we could continue to see outer space as a domain where peace will reign, it will require military presence.

'I think that it's in the interest of every nation to continue to ban the use of nuclear weapons in space. But what we want to do is continue to enhance the principle that peace comes through strength.'

Pence added that he and the president would like to see the next round of defense spending to include 'language that authorizes the establishment of the United States Space Force, and a department as the sixth branch of the service'.

After the Transformers interview, Pence tweeted: 'We're going to protect American interests in space & ensure America remains as dominant in Outer Space militarily as we are here on Earth.'

Yesterday US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that Washington is convinced Russia violated the nuclear arms pact since as far back as 2013, citing it as the main reason for President Trump's decision to dump it.

After a meeting with Vladimir Putin, he said the threat to Europe isn't the prospective US withdrawal from the pact but 'the threat is the Russian missiles already deployed'.
A man accused of punching a surgeon who later died of brain injuries found it hard to control his anger, a court has been told.

Joseph Esmaili, 24, is on trial in the Supreme Court for the manslaughter of Melbourne chest surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, who is alleged to have fronted up to his attacker before being punched.

'When someone pushes him like that it was hard to control his anger,' witness Lucas Rogers said on Wednesday of Esmaili recounting a conversation after the event.

Mr Rogers had met Esmaili a few times as the defendant was friends with his nephew, he told the court.

From up to 30m away, the labourer had witnessed an argument escalate after Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann asked someone in a group to stop smoking in a non-smoking area at Box Hill Hospital, Melbourne's east, in May 2017.

Joseph Esmaili (pictured), 24, is on trial in the Supreme Court for the manslaughter of Melbourne chest surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann

It's alleged that after Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann (pictured) told Esmaili off for smoking in a no-smoking area, a brief altercation ensued, leading Esmaili to punch him in the back of the head from behind.

'It looked like they were arguing, the doctor appeared to escalate the aggression,' Mr Rogers said.

'I think he bumped chests with him. I saw that.'

The witness said Esmaili later told him he 'just wished the bloke would have left him alone'.

Another witness who was at the hospital at the time said she saw the lead-up and aftermath of the punch.

In her statement to police, Holly Poulse said it was 'obvious' the pair were in a heated argument.

'I saw the man fall to the ground like a log and hit the hospital tiles,' she said.

'When someone pushes him like that it was hard to control his anger,' witness Lucas Rogers said on Wednesday of Esmaili (pictured) recounting a conversation after the event

Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann, a 41-year-old father of two, died about four weeks later when his life support was switched off

On Monday, the court heard Esmaili didn't not mean to hit him hard.

'I wasn't trying to hit him hard. I shouldn't have hit him in the first place,' Esmaili told police during an interview recounted by prosecutors in court.

Esmaili said he felt pressured by a dispute over a smoking ban and that the doctor was 'up for' a confrontation.

'I felt he pressured me. I can't handle things like that,' Esmaili said to police.

'I kept saying get the f*** away from me.'

Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann, who suffered head injuries, died in June 2017 when his life support was switched off, about four weeks after the alleged incident.

Esmaili's trial is due to continue on Thursday with witnesses including hospital staff.
This is the shocking moment a policeman is shot and nearly killed with his own gun by a mental patient during a stand-off inside a hospital.

Police Sergeant Luke Warburton relived the horrific ordeal where he was shot with his own gun by mental patient Michael de Guzman after footage was shown in the District Court on Wednesday.

The recording shows de Guzman, 42, wheeling his IV drop across the emergency department at Nepean Hospital, in Sydney's west to talk to Dr Ma Guinto.

Luke Warburton testified on Tuesday he believed he was going to die and has had 14 surgeries on his leg

Dr Ma Guinto was held hostage for 20 minutes and was screaming for her colleagues, who attempted to rescue her from de Guzman

De Guzman threatened Dr Ma Guinto by grabbing her from behind and holding scissors to her throat

The court heard the pair entered emergency bay 12 where de Guzman is accused of asking the doctor for help before threatening her by holding a pair of scissors against her throat.

Dr Ma Guinto was held hostage for 20 minutes and was screaming for her colleagues, who attempted to rescue her from de Guzman, who was a nurse at Westmead Hospital.

Sgt Warburton was the first officer on the scene and footage shows him attempting to negotiate with de Guzman to drop the scissors and let Dr Ma Guinto go.

The officer twice deployed capsicum spray into de Guzman's face and tried to push the scissors away.

The court also heard that de Guzman threatened the police officer if he came any closer.

De Guzman then allegedly 'took hold' of Sgt Warburton's firearm and fired two shots, the first at close range above the officer's pubic bone, severing his left femoral vein, and the second hitting a security officer in the leg.

After the gunshot several people are seen running away with some staff dragging the bleeding Sgt Warburton to safety.

As he is being dragged, the floor is smeared with his blood.

A hospital security guard, Barry Jennings, was also shot in the leg, suffering a shrapnel would from a ricocheting bullet.

Doctors and nurses can be seen dragging the injured police officer to safety. The floor is being smeared with his blood

NSW Police Sergeant Luke Warburton (right) pictured with a fellow police officer gave evidence in court on Tuesday

Senior Constable Tim Duffy grabbed the gun, which remained in de Guzman's clutch, and blocked the slide of the Glock 22 with his finger to prevent further shots, the prosecutor said.

De Guzman then allegedly told one officer: 'Your friend is dead. The policeman is dead. You're all a part of it.'

'It was quite clear he was still well-affected by a drug,' Mr Tedeschi said.

His wife, Lyn de Guzman, told the court on Wednesday that before the rampage in January 2016, he had never showed any sings of violence towards her or anyone else and had been a good father to their two children,Daily Telegraph reported.

De Guzman has pleaded not guilty on the grounds of mental illness to 11 charges including shooting with intent to kill Sgt Warburton.

The judge-alone trial before Judge Christopher Robison continues.
Moving archive footage from the Second World War shows British serviceman posted in the Far East giving touching messages to their loved ones back home.

In newly released footage from Manchester Metropolitan University, young soldiers are seen nervously coming up to the camera one-by-one to send back voice messages to their wives, children, parents and girlfriends.

The collection, named The Calling Blighty, consists of 12-minute clips from more than 800 personnel from Manchester and the North-West of England.

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On a canteen-style backdrop in a Bombay military base, individual men walked up to the camera and stiltedly delivered their messages back home.

One soldier from Oldham said to his wife: Give the kiddies my love and a great big hug. I hope it is not long until Im back at home with you.'

Give the kiddies my love and a great big hug. I hope it is not long until Im back at home with you.

Its great to be able to speak to you like this and let you see and hear me after being away for two years,' another said.

Speaking back to his partner, a serviceman said: Kat darling keep smiling until the blue skies come along and well be together then.'

Cecil Rhodes also gave a touching declaration d'amour to his wife Joy.

'How's this for a war time miracle and a novel way of saying "I love you."'

While he said his looks might have changed during his time abroad, Rhodes said he is still the same at heart.

'However I look I am still the same in heart and mind and longings. And full of appreciation of your own grand affection.

Unearthed footage taken during the Second World War reveal British servicemen posted in the Far East give touching personal messages to their loved ones back home. Cecil Rhodes (pictured) paid a tribute to his wife. He said: 'How's this for a war time miracle and a novel way of saying "I love you?"'

It must be nice to hear my charming voice again after all these years.

From thanking their mothers for letters to voicing their desire to reconnect with their loved ones and hugging their children, the intimate messages offer a glimpse into a distant world.

The films, which were produced by the Directorate for Army Welfare in 1944-46, were screened at local cinemas for those on the home-front.

A spokesman from North West Film Archive Marion Hewitt said the Calling Blighty films were made to improve 'morale' for troops and their families.

She said many of the servicemen didn't see their family and friends for as long as six years.

Ms Hewitt told Mail Online: '[The films] were crucial to keeping their spirits up for everyone to believe that both the men and their families were coping, and keeping their chins up.'

In one film clip, a serviceman told his parents that recording his message was 'the opportunity he'd been waiting for'.

Another man said: I really wish I could see you and I dont mean on the screen either.

A troop identified as Drinkwater dedicated his message to his wife as he stood with two other men fitted in their broad-brim hats under the sweltering Indian sun.

Drinkwater said he couldn't complain about the food but he misses good 'old fish and chips' and cold pints of beer.

Keep the bed warm until I come back home and then well get up them stairs,' he joked.

Joseph Pinnington (pictured) joked that the two children beside him 'weren't his' as he delivered a comical - yet heartfelt - speech to his wife back home

Ms Hewitt said it was a 'tough act' for some men but essentially they wanted to show their families they were coping.

She said: 'I think they would have wanted to put on a confident show for their families, to convince them they were really okay, and they had this one chance so they needed to get it right the first time!

Kat darling keep smiling until the blue skies come along and well be together then.

'Sometimes a nervousness creeps in though, and they betray their feelings and their words falter.

'In looking for the right words, they often use the expressions familiar from letters, and very few speak for very long before they dry up and say goodbye and introduce the next person.'

After the moving testimonies, the camera panned to the men waving and cheering around the piano while listening to one man named Harry play Jungle Swing.'

For ordinary men and women to appear in a film at all was unusual, and this was probably the first time that their authentic, unscripted voices were heard on any film.

Besides letters, the piece-to-camera style films were the closest thing to 'personal contact' between soldiers and their loved ones for more than two years during the Second World War.

According to a statement by North West Film, the collection of personal video messages was like a 'Skype' of their day.

Ms Hewitt said: 'For ordinary men and women to appear in a film at all was unusual, and this was probably the first time that their authentic, unscripted voices were heard on any film.'

In one clip, a troop tells his partner he hopes that the war will be nothing more than a 'memory' in time.

Hello Peta darling. This is a great opportunity of making almost personal contact [...] Im hoping it wont be long until it will all be over and it will be just a memory, he said.

Serviceman Drinkwater (pictured) dedicated his personal message to his wife and said jokingly, Keep the bed warm until I come back home and then well get up them stairs'

In one black and white clip, a serviceman named Gallagher mumbled with a pipe in his mouth as he joked about 'being missed' by his poor parents.

'It must be nice to hear my charming voice again after all these years,' he joked.

While Gallagher said he felt fit and healthy, he admitted 'I won't be sorry to say goodbye to India.'

Short clips of more than 800 service men are currently kept in the database.

So far, more than 133 families have been identified and reconnected through the archival footage.

A spokesman from North West Film Archive, said families who have identified their fathers and grandfathers through the archive have said it is a 'wonderful' initiative.

Marion Hewitt told Mail Online, 'A number of people have said is that it is wonderful to see and hear their father when he was young, to recognise gestures and mannerisms and to appreciate the sincerity of his message.

'Sometimes, a man may have died in action or of disease after the film was shot and before it was screened back in Blighty, and whilst photographs are great, having the moving image brings them back to life so much more vividly.'

If you know any of the men and women in these videos, you can head to The North West Film Archive website to find out more.
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The isolation and loneliness of villages with a population of 10 people or less has been captured in a series of striking photographs.

Incredible images show the few remaining people, most of them elderly, as they go about their simple lives without modern technology such as televisions and mobile phones.

Other black and white pictures show people posing for the camera or gazing longingly outside, perhaps waiting for their relatives to return.

These people still living in the villages of the Portuguese region, Tras os Montes, were captured on camera by Portuguese photographer Ricardo Ramos.

A photo of a man called Mr Marcellin at his mother's house in a small village in the Tras os Montes region. He was said to have spent a lot of time traveling and searching for better jobs before settling down in the rural hamlet, and now spends days by the window with his cigarettes and a glass of wine. Loneliness is his best friend and they get on pretty well. 'Today 5 people visited me. One of them was a beautiful girl. I wish I was 20 years old again,' he said.

Gracinda lost almost all of her family in an accident and only has one daughter left who is currently in prison. Despite all the tragedy and difficulties, she continues to live in a village with 6 inhabitants in total and smile. She says the only thing that helps her to cope with her troubles is faith

Gracinda says the team that visits her is like a family. She calls them doctors but doesn't explain why. Though, when they told Gracinda that they are not doctors, she called them angels. 'These little saints are what keep me alive, if it wasn't for them, I would have committed suicide,' she says.

Teresa, 28, (right) visits her grandmother almost every day. Her grandmother has an Alzheimer's disease and lives in a nursing home but she sometimes recognizes her granddaughter. Teresa says she wants to take care of her grandmother because she took care of her for her entire life

'The people I've met have fantastic stories that I could listen to for hours,' said Ramos.

'The natural light in these houses is very good. Usually they are old houses, with small windows and a fireplace.

'People like my photos, but they are also sad by the reality.

'In the 70s and 80s, these villages had between 100-200 people and today only five or 10 people remain.'

'This region and the personality of the people is very moving. They have little, but they always have something to give you. There is simply no wickedness in their hearts.'

There have been cases of only 1 person living in a whole village. As the young population left a long time ago in search of a 'better life', the small villages are mainly lived in by the elderly.

Serafim Machado, a former farmer, now leads a poor life together with his youngest son and six animals in a house that has nothing but broken windows. After his wife left him and took their two children to live a younger man, he has been left in isolation in one of the region's most sparsely populated villages

Sezerindo is a shepherd who has never seen the sea and lives alone in the company of his sheep and knows each one of them by name. Sezerindo says he works every day but he is happy living between the mountains, and his only concern is old boots that need to be repaired

Alice, 92, lives alone in a remote village with just 10 inhabitants. Because of the cold winter she often finds herself trapped inside the house, which makes her feel more alone. Alice's husband died young, so she raised all of the eight children alone, but now she lives in isolation

Maria, 75, is one and only resident in her village. Maria's husband died recently and now her dogs are the only companions she has with her. They help her in the fight against loneliness and give her someone to talk to. This little puppy is the newest member of the household

Many of the villages are untouched by technology; television and cell phones are a rarity. People mainly survive from agricultural production and sheep farming.

During winter, these elderly people spend days or even weeks without leaving the house because of the cold.

The photographs are in black and white, which Ramos hopes forces the viewer to wrap himself in the mystery and immerse himself in the scene.

Ramos simply walked into people's homes and chatted with them, before asking if he could take their picture.

Ramos believes that loneliness among the elderly is a problem and that it can kill them faster. The current desertification of Tras-os-Montes also doesn't help the situation, as almost all schools are now closed and the villages have been turned into ghost towns - except for the elderly.

A woman visiting her mother at a remote nursing home in one of the region's villages. Many of the residents in the home are said to spend days, months or years without seeing their family members. Despite having Alzheimer's disease, she often recognizes her daughter

Mr Marcellin said he kissed many women until he found the love of his life. But she ran away with all of his fortune leaving him with nothing. Mr Marcellin lives in a village with approximately 30 other residents and says that he is happy alone.
By Trend





Iran and South Korea have issued a joint postage stamp called Shilla and Persia as a symbolic act to mark the year of cultural cooperation between the two countries, IRNA reports.

The joint issue with the circulation of 800,000 stamps was unveiled to commemorate the implementation of the cultural cooperation agreement.



The agreement was signed in 2016 when the former South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited Iran.



The postage stamp shows Shilla that is a Korean stone lion that dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries.



The other image on the postage stamp is the Achaemenid Persian Lion Rhyton.



The year 2017 was designated as the year of cultural cooperation between Iran and South Korea.



The history of Iran-South Korea relations dates back to 1,500 years ago.
A family bakery has caused outrage after renaming their gingerbread men - 'gingerbread persons'.

The classic ginger biscuit has undergone some controversial rebranding in recent years after complaints about products being 'gender neutral' and not given a sex.

Now, a bakery in York has faced a fierce backlash after a customer spotted the 'gingerbread persons' on sale in their store.

Since his invention in the 16th century as a delicacy for Elizabeth I, the biscuit has been known only as a gingerbread man.

The owners of Thomas the Baker said it is not a recent thing - and that the decision was made in 1983.

Regardless, the internet has blasted the bakers for the re-labelling 'takes the biscuit'.

And Britons are keen to keep it that way.

The image of the Ginger Persons offended the internet with Britons asking 'what is the world coming to?'

Personchester? Twitter users took to the internet to express their anger at stores changing their products

Outraged Twitter users had some suggestions over what the sweet treats could be labelled next

Demii-Leigh Heffron from Manchester originally spotted the biscuit, posting an image with the caption 'It's happening. Stop the earth I want to get off'.

The image was shared more than 8,000 times.

One Twitter user said: 'What is going on in the world theyve always been GINGERBREAD MEN now theyre called Gingerbread persons' the world has officially gone NUTS.

Colin McKray wrote: 'Still having sleepless nights about gingerpersons originally being called gingerbread men #Neverforget.'

Bridgette Cody said: 'What on earth is our world coming too? They have always been gingerbread men!!!

Some people called the name change 'ridiculous' as the bakery insisted it is not a new decision

'Its ridiculous that someone would get offended by that. We are becoming to whiny.'

Others blamed 'feminists' and 'snowflakes' for the change.

Some asked 'where does it stop?' with one man joking Manchester would be renamed 'personchester'.

Red headed people also joked about themselves being offended.

Matthew Rose said: 'I'm ginger and I feel it's incredibly offensive. They should just be called persons!'

James McDonald added: 'Need to get rid of the ginger and just have persons, terribly offensive to myself.'

Others pointed out there was a 'deal' above for 50p cakes - or four for 2.

Red heads also complained that they should be the ones who are offended - and not women

Ceire Francis said: 'Surely ginger persons is more offensive than a gingerbread man.

'How do you think the ginges feel being singled out?! I mean I see them walking about everyday.'

The bakers is not the first to change the name.

The owners of High Street bakers JL Bean in the seaside town of Cleveleys near Blackpool decided to make their biscuits gender neutral last year.

Safeway made the decision years before, and introduced male and female clothing for their gingerbread.

Other bakeries have done the same, as well as larger stores including Safeway in a bid to make the biscuits gender neutral

Thomas the Baker said it has been doing it for decades.

They said: 'Sorry to disappoint you all - they have been Ginger Persons since 1983! It was chosen by one of our Managers in York and the name stuck.

'We did get a complaint from trading standards in the 80's that we were discriminating against ginger haired people - seriously!!'
John Bercow said Parliament had taken the 'first step' to end the bullying scandal by adopting in full the recommendations of a damning inquiry.

The Speaker said there would be 'root and branch' reform to ensure in future the Palace of Westminster was a safe place to work.

Historic offences will now be eligible for investigation by a new watchdog - making it likely Mr Bercow himself will come under renewed scrutiny amid bullying allegations.

MPs are now set to create the an independent watchdog in line with the findings of the Dame Laura Cox report.

Mr Bercow has been under acute pressure to resign as Speaker and let a new Commons chair oversee the reforms.

But Tory MP Maria Miller angrily accused the House of Commons Commission of kicking the Dame Laura's damning review into the 'long grass'.

She said: 'They have sidestepped the issue of changing the culture of the place...until that change in management has happened they will not regain theconfidence of the staff of the House of Commons.'

She also quit Parliament's diversity group in protest at what she said was their failure to properly tackle the abuse.

Tonight's decisions come after ex Parliamentary clerk Lisette Whittaker choked back tears today as she told how an MP assaulted and then stalked her for years - while the Commons authorities did nothing.

John Bercow said Parliament had taken the 'first step' to end the bullying scandal byu adopting in full the recommendations of a damning inquiry

Lisette Whittaker (pictured on Sky today) was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and still suffers from sleepless nights because of the abuse, which dates back to the 1990s

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said: 'Further to Dame Laura's recommendations, we are determined to allow for historic allegations to be both investigated and acted upon; for there to be independence in the sanctioning of Members of Parliament; and that the Respect and Valuing Others policies currently used by House of Commons staff are discontinued.

'But, as I also made clear to the Commission, the improvements we need cannot take effect without changes to ensure the management of the House of Commons is more democratic, more accountable and inspires the confidence of its staff, Members and the public.'

A Labour spokeswoman said: 'The Labour Party welcomes the decision by the House of Commons Commission to accept the recommendations of the Dame Laura Cox QC DBE Report.

'The report highlighted a culture and practices that are unacceptable in any workplace. It must be put right as a matter of urgency.

'It is vital that the recommendations be implemented as quickly as possible, working with Trades Unions and other stakeholders.'

Lisette Whittaker was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and still suffers from sleepless nights because of the abuse, which dates back to the 1990s.

She said the MP - who she did not name - would constantly seek her out in Parliament's corridors and she would have to hide in toilets to try to avoid him.

She told the parliamentary authorities but it was 'brushed under the carpet' and he was allowed to carry on persecuting her for years.

In a highly-charged interview with Sky News this morning, she said: 'I struggle. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, I have sleepless nights.'

Choking back tears, she added: 'This is really scary to come and do this is so important because I don't think people appreciate how damaging it is to people.

'And, that's the message I want to get across  this is affecting everyday people. It is affecting their lives, it is affecting their careers.

'I felt there was no choice but for me to leave the House because I couldn't cope with it any longer.'

In a highly-charged interview with Sky News this morning, she said: 'I struggle. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, I have sleepless nights.' The presenter, Sarah-Jane Mee, reached across to comfort her during the emotional interview

Her revelations come ahead of a crunch showdown meeting into the Westminster bullying and sex harassment in Parliament this afternoon.

MPs are under huge pressure to push through a radical overhaul of the bullying procedures after a damning report by Dame Laura Cox exposed a toxic culture which has allowed predatory politicians go unchecked for years.

In an emotional interview aired this morning, Ms Whittaker told how she was sexually harassed and stalked by an MP.

And she said that many female staff who worked in Parliament suffered similar abuse.

She said: 'I was assaulted by an MP and I did report it but nothing was done. It was brushed under the carpet. It was made out that it was a minor incident.

'There was no HR processI told my manager and in fact I also had some issues with him.

'He used to shout at me quite a lot, our officers were next door to each other and rather than ring for me he would just shout my name

'Next time I went in and he said 'oh I just want to tell you that's a really nice dress that you have got on'.

'He was the only person I could report it to. There wasn't anyone else. There wasn't anywhere for you to go.'

More than 80 staff who have worked in Parliament (pictured) signed an 'unprecedented' letter to demand an overhaul in how bullying and sexual harassment is tackled. A crunch meeting will be held later today where MPs will decide how to tackle the abuse

She said that she was left feeling 'vulnerable and exposed' but was made to feel like she just had to 'toughen up' a bit.

She said: 'There was one comment in the paper recently - that you hadn't earned your stripes until you and been assaulted.

'That was exactly how it felt  this was just part and parcel of that culture. This very insular culture.'

What are the claims of bullying and bad behaviour made against John Bercow? John Bercow has been hit by a number of bullying claims, all of which he denies. Here are the allegations: Andrew Sinclair, the former Speaker's Secretary: Said he left his post in 2010 after he was subjected to angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry by John Bercow. He said was 'gagged' and stopped from speaking out about his time in the role as part of an 86,000 early retirement payoff. David Leakey, former Black Rod: Mr Leakey, who retired last year, said staff were terrified of the Speaker. Kate Emms, John Bercow's former private secretary: She took a job as Mr Bercow's private secretary in May 2010 but left her role less than a year later in February 2011 amid claims she was bullied by the Speaker. Her colleagues alleged that this was because of the behaviour of Mr Bercow after she told staff that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Colleagues told Newsnight that she was undermined by Mr Bercow in a range of ways  and he seemed to shout at her a lot. Advertisement

She said that while the parliamentary authorities did nothing, she confided in her friends and work colleagues because the male MP went on to stalk her for many years

She said: 'It was an awful. I used to hide, because he worked in the same building as me  on the same floor actually

'So if I saw him I would make a beeline for the loo or I would hide, but he would find me.

'He would make a beeline for me in staff cafeteria. He would come and sit with me

'He would make a beeline for me, and my fiends knew  oh God here he comes. We would share our experiences of members behaving badly.

'You were just made to feel as if you just had to get on with it  you had to suck it up.'

She said that she has now gone to the police with her allegations.

The House of Commons Commission is today holding a crunch meeting in parliament to decide how to tackle the Westminster bullying and sex harassment scandal.

Commons Speaker John Bercow, who chairs it, is under fresh pressure to quit over the bullying and harassment scandal.

He has been personally accused of bullying - allegations he strongly denies.

And he has been lashed for presiding over a Commons culture which has failed to tackle the abuse.

Three Tory MPs yesterday resigned from a key Commons group in protest in the wake of the bullying row rocking Parliament.

Will Quince, Mims Davies and Anne MIlton all resigned from the Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion group in protest at Mr Bercow's chairmanship.

It comes in the wake of the damning Laura Cox report which exposed a toxic culture of sexual harassment and bullying in the heart of Westminster.

The report lashed the 'institutional failings' in the Commons and warned a culture of 'deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence' exists in Parliament.
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Guatemala has stationed guards and barbed wire barricades at key border crossing with Honduras in an apparent attempt to stop more migrants marching towards US.

Police officers and what appear to be soldiers in combat fatigues were pictured blocking the road and checking trucks at the Aguas Calientes crossing point, which was used by the first two caravans to enter the country.

It comes after President Trump vowed to cut aid money to any nation failing to stop the migrants, which for Guatemala amounted to more than $230million in 2017.

Guatemala has stationed soldiers and police officers behind barbed wire barricades at a key crossing point with Honduras in an attempt to stop migrants entering their country on the way to America

At least two caravans of migrants numbering around 8,500 people have used this crossing point on their long march to the US, but amid reports that thousands more are on their way, Guatemala has attempted to block them

The move comes after Donald Trump threatened to cut aid to countries failing to help stop the migration. Last year Guatemala received more than $230million in US assistance

There are thought to be 14,000 people in total heading from Honduras to the US, at least 8,500 of which have already breached the Guatemalan border - though that still leaves thousands more who must attempt the crossing

Security forces stand to attention at the border between Guatemala and Honduras on Tuesday as they prepare to block any more migrants from crossing

Police officers armed with riot shields inspect a truck as it passes from Honduras into Guatemala. Migrants frequently stow aboard truck on their journey cross-country

A first caravan of 7,000 migrants headed from Honduras and across Guatemala and is now resting in Mexico. A second has entered Guatemala and is currently traveling cross-country. But amid reports that thousands more are about to follow in their footsteps, Guatemala has closed a key border crossing that the first two groups used

The Aguas Calientes route has been used by two caravans of migrants to get into Guatemala - the first one of which has now reached Mexico, and the second of which is still in Guatemala, around 200 miles behind the first.

But according to Mexican newspaper El Universal there could be another 3,000 people heading for the Guatemalan border, which authorities are hoping to block.

El Universal, quoting the Mexican National Migration Institute, reports that around 7,000 migrants have already crossed into their country from Guatemala, despite attempts to block them at the border.

Another 3,000 are stuck at the border crossing in Ciudad Hidalgo, the newspaper reports, while applying for paperwork to enter Mexico legally.

HOW MANY MIGRANTS ARE THERE IN CARAVAN? According to the Mexican government, the most recent statistics are; Main caravan in Mexico: 7,000 2nd caravan in Guatemala: 1,500-2,000 2,000 planning to mobilize in Honduras 500 planning to mobilize in El Salvador Advertisement

Another 3,000-4,000 people are gathered around the border between Honduras and Guatemala, including some who have already crossed and are now heading for Mexico.

The first caravan had been advancing across Mexico at the rate of 20 miles per day, reaching the town of Huixtla on Monday night, before resting on Tuesday in honor of a man who died falling from a truck.

Mexican authorities said they were providing limited food, water and medical supplies to those in the caravan, including children running high temperatures from the long march.

On Wednesday morning the group left Huixtla before the sun rose, intending to march around 40 miles to the town of Mapastepec, where they will rest there for the night.

Meanwhile a second caravan, believed to number around 1,500, spent Monday night in the town of Chiquimula, Guatemala, and were pictured hitching rides on trucks on Tuesday as they continued across the country.

Once in Mexico, both groups face an arduous march of at least 1,000 miles to the nearest border crossing point with the US in McAllen, Texas.

A group of around 1,500 Hondurans made its way into Guatemala on Sunday night and has since reached Zacapa, some 70 miles from the crossing point, after hitching rides on trucks passing along the highway

People travel in what has become known as the second migrant caravan as they hitch rides across Guatemala in an attempt to reach the American border, some 1,300 miles away

A man passes out food among a second wave of migrants hitching rides across Guatemala having made it across the border

Central American migrants, part of a second wave of migrants heading to the US, hitchhike on a truck on Tuesday

The first caravan, which has already walked for more than 300 miles, decided to pause in Huixtla on Tuesday in order to honor one man who died after falling from a truck

Migrants left Huixtla in southern Mexico on Wednesday morning to make their way towards the town of Mapastepec around 40 miles away. These are the migrants who are the furthest ahead and there are 7,000 of them in total, according to officials. They spent the two nights in Huixtla and have now resumed their journey

Migrants walk along the road from Huixtla to Mapastepec on Wednesday morning while some cram into trucks in the next leg of the journey

Despite the death of a man who fell from an overcrowded truck in Tapachula on Monday, many clambered on top of vehicles to try to speed up the journey and give their weary feet a rest on Wednesday morning

It is expected that many will drop out along the route and either return home or apply to reside in Mexico, as happened with another group who made the journey earlier this year.

THIRD CARAVAN PLANNED IN EL SALVADOR A group of around 250 people is planning to set off from El Salvador in what will become a third migrant caravan on October 31. According to NBC, White House officials are monitoring the group which is discussing its plans over WhatsApp. Though the group is significantly smaller than the others already on their way, US officials are particularly concerned that it may include members of MS-13, an El Salvadorian gang notorious for recruiting youngsters and applying unthinkable violence to its rule. Advertisement

Mexico says immigration authorities have now received 1,699 refugee applications. Those people are no longer with the caravan and are being sheltered in the city of Tapachula.

Another 495 Hondurans have voluntarily decided to return to their home country with assistance from Mexico.

As the migrants continued in their journey, President Trump continued complaining about it on Twitter.

'For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess!

'They only wish they had that decision to make over again.

'We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!' he tweeted on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the president was admitted he had 'no proof' for his claim that there were 'people from the Middle East' among the thousands of Central Americans in the group.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, confirmed it for him.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, spokesman Tyler Houlton said that not only were there Middle Easterns among the group, there were criminals from 'Africa and South East Asia' too.

Some of the migrants held Mexican and Honduran flags on Wednesday morning as they set off in the dark to walk 40 miles

The group rose before sunrise on Wednesday to resume their journey after taking Tuesday off to rest in honor of a man who died falling from a truck he had hitched a ride on. Some are in wheelchairs, there are countless babies and the group also includes some elderly

Before the sun rose on Wednesday, the group led the way with candles and lighters. They are battling stifling temperatures which have caused concern among Red Cross doctors and humanitarian groups

The first caravan set off from San Salvador last week and crossed through Honduras and Guatemala with relative ease before arriving at Mexico's border with Guatemala on Friday. After briefly clashing with police, they were let through and are now marching north towards the US. The second caravan is now in Chiqimula, Guatemala, and is being bused to the border to catch up with the others

'DHS can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories.

'Citizens of countries outside Central America, including countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and elsewhere are currently traveling through Mexico toward the U.S,' he said.

He went on: 'Stopping the caravan is not just about national security or preventing crime, it is also about national sovereignty and the rule of law. Those who seek to come to America must do so the right and legal way.'

The majority of those fleeing Honduras say they are seeking a better life in America, blaming a lack of jobs, rampant corruption and soaring crime for leaving.

In Honduras, around 80 per cent of workers earn below the minimum wage of a few hundreds dollars per month, with government welfare programs doing little to help since most of the money is siphoned off by corrupt officials.

Further compounding this misery is the fact that more than 90 per cent of crimes go unsolved, including thousands of murders each year.

In 2012, Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world, and while the government claims there have been significant reductions since then, these figures have not been independently verified.
Tony Abbott has been ridiculed on social media after television crews captured an awkward encounter with fellow former prime minister Julia Gillard.

It's been five years since the once fierce political rivals last traded a war of words across federal parliament, but the unspoken tension between them was evident at an unveiling in Canberra on Wednesday.

The pair were at federal parliament to celebrate the unveiling of a portrait of Ms Gillard, where Mr Abbott attracted attention and took awkward to another level.

A blank stare from former prime minister Tony Abbott while waiting to greet former arch nemesis Julia Gillard took awkward to a new level

In front of a packed gallery of politicians from both sides of the chamber, the backbencher stared blankly as he was awkwardly left waiting in the background to greet his former arch nemesis while Ms Gillard happily chatted to parliament cleaners.

Social media went into the meltdown following the strange encounter.

'He takes awkward to Olympic gold medal level,' one person tweeted.

Another added: 'Awkward. Kind like the dinosaurs must have felt when they looked up and saw a huge meteor about to crash into the earth plunging them into extinction.'

Another asked whether it was a joke by the robotics department at Australian National University.

There were also comparisons to Mr Abbott's blank stare at a Channel Seven reporter in 2011 when confronted about his 's**t happens' comment delivered with a shrug of the shoulders when discussing the circumstances surrounding the death of an Australian soldier in Afghanistan.

The awkward encounter between the pair (pictured) occurred at the unveiling of a portrait of Ms Gillard in Canberra on Wednesday

It's been five years since the former political rivals (pictured) last traded a war of words across federal parliament

Mr Abbott and Ms Gillard eventually came face to face, where they momentarily put their bitterness aside to shake hands and smile for the cameras.

Ms Gillard even gave Mr Abbott a shout out in her speech.

'There are too many here to acknowledge by name but I would like to acknowledge former prime minister Tony Abbott for joining us and future prime minister Bill Shorten,' she said.
An entire town celebrated Christmas two months early to honour a terminally-ill 12-year-old who may not live to see the big day.

Keith Burkett has a rare form of childhood cancer in his skull, shoulder, spine and liver which doctors fear will claim his life before the end of the year.

So the people of Stow, Ohio pulled together to give him a Christmas he will never forget by decorating their homes, singing carols and dressing up as Santa.

The people of Stow, Ohio celebrated Christmas two months early for terminally-ill 12-year-old Keith Burkett who may not live until 25 December

The town gave Keith a Christmas he will never forget by decorating their homes, singing carols and dressing up as Santa

Keith has a rare form of childhood cancer in his skull, shoulder, spine and liver which doctors fear will claim his life before the end of the year.

The special day included a ride in a fire truck, a procession of more than 100 cars decorated for Christmas and even a medal for bravery from the town's mayor.

Keith said: "It was awesome. The fire truck was my favourite part because I've never been in one before. I got to beep the horn."

His mum Taylore Woodard, a hair stylist, said: "Doctors had told me that they didn't know if Keith would make it to Christmas.

"He loves Christmas. His life has been taken up with cancer and medicines and I wanted my son to enjoy one last Christmas.

"So at the end of September, we made our house into a winter wonderland.

"We put lights up, candy canes, polar bears and Santas. We had a North Pole sign and put up a banner that said, 'Merry Christmas Kourageous Keith'."

Neighbours soon caught the Christmas spirit and began hanging their own decorations.

She said: "We noticed our next door neighbours put up some icicle lights and garlands and soon everyone was doing it.

The special day included a ride in a fire truck, a procession of more than 100 cars decorated for Christmas and even a medal for bravery from the town's mayor.

Neighbours soon caught the Christmas spirit and began hanging their own decorations after Keith's mom decorated their own house early

Keith said: "It was awesome. The fire truck was my favourite part because I've never been in one before. I got to beep the horn."

Brandy Spreizer, who runs a local lemonade stand, arranged for more than 50 drivers to decorate their cars in honour of poorly Keith on Sunday.

The special day included a ride in a fire truck, a procession of more than 100 cars decorated for Christmas and even a medal for bravery from the town's mayor.

Keith said: "It was awesome. The fire truck was my favourite part because I've never been in one before. I got to beep the horn."

His mum Taylore Woodard, a hair stylist, said: "Doctors had told me that they didn't know if Keith would make it to Christmas.

"He loves Christmas. His life has been taken up with cancer and medicines and I wanted my son to enjoy one last Christmas.

"So at the end of September, we made our house into a winter wonderland.

"We put lights up, candy canes, polar bears and Santas. We had a North Pole sign and put up a banner that said, 'Merry Christmas Kourageous Keith'."

Neighbours soon caught the Christmas spirit and began hanging their own decorations.

She said: "We noticed our next door neighbours put up some icicle lights and garlands and soon everyone was doing it."

Brandy Spreizer, who runs a local lemonade stand, arranged for more than 50 drivers to decorate their cars in honour of poorly Keith on Sunday.

Hundreds of people then gathered at Stow-Munroe Falls High School as Christmas music played and the crowds waited for Keith to arrive.

Brandy Spreizer, who runs a local lemonade stand, arranged for more than 50 drivers to decorate their cars

As Keith rode home, the high school choir sang Christmas carols including Silent Night, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

Hundreds of people then gathered at Stow-Munroe Falls High School as Christmas music played and the crowds waited for Keith to arrive.

He was greeted at his home by friends dressed as Santa and elves from the North Pole.

He rode in a fire truck to the high school where he saw all the vehicles decorated in his honour.

Stow Councilman John Pribonic read a proclamation in Keith's honour and declared that October 21 was Keith Burkett Day. He was also given a medal from the mayor.

As Keith rode home, the high school choir sang Christmas carols including Silent Night, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

Taylore, 32, said: "Everyone was dressed up and embraced the Christmas theme. Both Santa Claus and the Grinch were there.

"Keith was smiling ear to ear. I haven't seen him smile like that in such a long time."

Taylore, married to Adam, 34, a painter decorator, first knew Keith was seriously ill when she took him to hospital on Christmas Eve in 2010.

He was five years old.

She said: "He was pale and he didn't want to eat or open presents.

"Doctors took X-Rays and found that there was fluid pushing on his heart and his heart rate was down.

Mom Taylore first knew Keith was seriously ill when she took him to hospital on Christmas Eve in 2010.

Two months ago, he was transferred to a hospice and Taylore gave up her job to spend as much time as she could with her dying son.

"On Christmas Day, he had surgery to get the fluid out and they also removed the left lower lobe of his lung because it looked like hamburger meat."

Despite continual visits to hospital, it wasn't until March 2012 that Keith was diagnosed with undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma and doctors removed cancer-ridden parts of his body in gruelling surgery.

He also went through four courses of radiation and chemo but the cancer returned each time.

In May this year, doctors found it had spread to the skull, left shoulder, lower part of his spine, his pelvis and his liver.

Taylore, who is also mum to Adriana, seven, and Jax, six, said: "Doctors told me that he wouldn't make it past Christmas."

Two months ago, he was transferred to a hospice and Taylore gave up her job to spend as much time as she could with her dying son.

She took Keith to Disney World Florida twice and often spends her days playing video games or going for walks with her eldest child.

She said: "He was my first born. It's hard to watch your son die and know that you're not going to have another Christmas with him. No mother should outlive her child.

"He's scared of dying. He doesn't know what is going to happen when he dies. He said to me: 'Mum, what if I don't know how to go to the light?'.

"It's one of the hardest things anyone can watch.

"He's such a kind boy. It doesn't seem fair. I'm so glad that we were able to give him a proper Christmas."
A high school teacher posed for semi-naked photos with a former pupil he nicknamed his 'wife'.

Science teacher Norman Dean struck up a sexual relationship with the youngster as she left Thamesview high school in Gravesend, Kent, for college.

The 50-year-old was today banned from classrooms for life after being found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and sexually motivated behaviour.

A disciplinary hearing was told the couple called each other 'hubby' and 'wife' and took semi-nude photos.

Science teacher Norman Dean struck up a sexual relationship with the youngster as she left Thamesview high school (pictured) in Gravesend, Kent, for college

The Teacher Regulation Agency, sitting in Coventry, heard that Dean had been given a safeguarding warning over his relationship with the girl - known as Pupil A - but ignored it.

Panel chair Steven Oliver said: 'This relationship started in the summer of 2016 and continued into 2017 whilst Pupil A studied at North Kent College.

'It is alleged that the relationship in question was inappropriate in as far as it took place in close proximity in time to the period when a direct pupil-teacher relationship existed, and undermined the professional standing of Mr Dean as a teacher.'

The hearing was told how Dean contacted the girl through text, social media and Skype and the pair referred to one another as 'hubby' and 'wife'.

The relationship started in the summer of 2016 and continued into 2017 whilst the pupil studied at North Kent College (pictured)

Dean, from Gravesend, was quizzed by police, who saw the semi-naked photos of the pair, but no charges were brought.

The panel said Dean engaged in sexual activity with the girl 'on one or more occasions'.

Mr Oliver added: 'Given Mr Dean's position as a teacher who had developed a relationship with Pupil A as a result of his very recent professional duties as her teacher, such actions were inappropriate.

'The panel is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Dean amounts to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

Dean was handed a warning by the school in September 2016 when the relationship came to light.

But he continued to contact the pupil, the panel heard.

Banning Dean from the classroom indefinitely, civil servant Alan Meyrick, on behalf of the education secretary, ruled: 'Mr Dean has not expressed any concern for the welfare of Pupil A, or the impact that this relationship would have on her.

'Mr Dean has failed to demonstrate any insight into his behaviour.'
The man who is accused of mowing down pedestrians in Melbourne's Bourke Street had told his brother to fake mental health problems in order to get a lighter sentence.

It is alleged that James Gargasoulas killed six people in the horrific tragedy last year.

But before there can be a trial, a Supreme Court jury must decide if Gargasoulas is mentally fit to enter a plea.

On Wednesday a recording played to the court revealed that he had previously told brother Angelo to'fake symptoms' to get a lighter sentence.

'Play on mental health issues or something. F***, be smart,' he is heard telling his brother.

'Tell them you're mentally ill': James Gargasoulas, 26, (pictured) who's accused of the Bourke Street rampage 'told his brother to fake symptoms to get a shorter sentence'

Mr Gargasoulas' case is currently before the court to determine if he is fit to stand trial on six counts of murder and 28 counts of attempted murder in last year's rampage in Melbourne's CBD.

Prosecutors say this tape proves Mr Gargasoulas had contemplated arguing his fitness to stand trial.

'Get a case worker. Tell them you're mentally ill, which you are, cos you're on drugs' he continues to tell his brother from jail.

He is then heard telling his brother to get a medical certificate and then present it to the court.

James Gargasoulas' (pictured) recording of him telling his brother to 'fake symptoms' was played to the jury at Melbourne's Supreme Court on Wednesday

Despite what the tapes reveal, consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Carroll believes Mr Gargasoulas wanted to be fit to stand trial so people would take him seriously.

The court had previously heard that the accused is delusional, who believes he is a king that can save the world from an impending comet that will destroy the earth.

Dr Carroll stated that Mr Gargasoulas had told him he expected to be imprisoned for no longer than another two years.

Concerns were also expressed with letters he had sent his two children, in which he told them they were Tongan royalty.

Mr Gargasoulas' case is currently before the court to determine if he is fit to stand trial on six counts of murder and 28 counts of attempted murder in last year's rampage in Melbourne's CBD (pictured)

The attack shocked Australia when Mr Gargasoulas allegedly drove his vehicle (pictured) through the busy shopping precinct of Bourke St Mall in Melbourne on January 20 last year

When asked about the the January 20 attack and his motive, Mr Gargasoulas had stated to Dr Carroll that there was no logical reason for it happening but said the only reason he could come up with is that he had opened up the community to 'God's law'.

Mr Gargasoulas appeared to sleep through the majority of his hearing, as Justice Mark Weinberg raised concerns about his slumped over demeanor.

However he claimed he was exhausted due to the medication he'd been taking and was just resting his eyes.

The jury has been told the accused is being treated by a life-threatening anti-psychotic medication.

Mr Gargasoulas' fitness trial will enter its fourth day tomorrow.
Savitsky (pictured above), 55, is accused of stabbing Beloguzov, 52, in the chest

A Russian man has been charged with attempted murder after stabbing his colleague in the chest during an altercation in Antarctica.

Engineer Sergey Savitsky, 55, admitted attacking Oleg Beloguzov, 52, in the canteen of a Russian Antarctic station on October 9 after becoming enraged about the outpost's tiny living space.

The alleged incident happened at Bellingshausen station on King George Island, part of the South Shetland Islands on the worlds remotest continent.

The wounded man was evacuated to Chile for medical treatment.

He suffered a knife wound to the chest and was admitted to the intensive care unit with damage to his heart, it is reported.

The head of the Bellingshausen then detained Savitsky, and he was deported to St Petersburg in Russia on the same day where he was immediately arrested.

Sergey Savitsky (left) and Oleg Beloguzov (right) at the Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica

Sergey Savitsky (left) and Oleg Beloguzov (right) allegedly had an altercation in the canteen

Victim Beloguzov, 52, pictured above in Antarctica, suffered a knife injury to the chest

A criminal probe was launched and Savitsky admitted to stabbing his colleague but claimed he did not intend to kill him, reported Nevskie Novosti citing law enforcement sources.

The press service of Arctic and Antarctic Scientific Research Institute confirmed that the reports were true but has not elaborated.

It remains unclear what caused the alleged dispute between the two men at the remote scientific station.

Witness statements have been taken and are currently being examined by the Russian Investigative Committee in St Petersburg.

The entrance to Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica where both men lived and worked

An inside view of the common area at Bellingshausen Station where both men would have spent time together before Savitsky was accused of stabbing Beloguzov in the chest

Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica, where Savitsky is accused of stabbing Beloguzov

Bellingshausen station is based in one of the few locations with a tundra climate, which makes the weather conditions relatively mild compared to the ice caps.

The station was set up in 1968 by a Soviet Antarctic expedition, and is named after 19th century Russian explorer Fabian von Bellingshausen.

It is also home to a permanently staffed Orthodox church.
The boyfriend of a mother of five feared to have been murdered after she went missing two weeks ago has told of their final telephone conversation.

Sarah Wellgreen, 46, vanished from the home where she lived with three of her children in Kent on October 10.

Her boyfriend Neil James, who lived apart from Ms Wellgreen, said he spoke to her the evening before she went missing, after she had texted him to say she was getting an early night.

The telephone call is one of the last contacts anybody is thought to have had with the mother and Mr James said he couldn't get hold of her the following morning.

Sarah Wellgreen with boyfriend Neil James, who she texted the night before she went missing

She moved back with ex-partner Ben Lacomba (pictured) in recent months, neighbours said

Friends said Ms Wellgreen (right) lived with her former partner Mr Lacomba (left), but the pair were not in a relationship

Mr James told MailOnline: 'On the Tuesday night I spoke to Sarah on the phone at 9.24pm, the conversation went on for about 15 minutes.

'She said she was at home and she was in bed. Every night Sarah and I would speak and every morning either she or I would say 'morning honey' and text and that would normally be before 8am.

'On Wednesday morning I texted her about 7.50am 'morning honey, how's you?', that sort of thing, and it didn't deliver.

'I didn't think anything of it at first, I thought she just hadn't charged her phone or whatever. It got to lunchtime and then I tried texting her again, I tried calling her, emailing her, Whatsapp, messenger.'

Panicking, Mr James then messaged Miss Wellgreen's older sons, Lewis, 22, and Jack, 21, from her previous marriage to Dave Burdett.

He also texted the eldest of Sarah's children with her ex-partner, Ben Lacomba, who also hadn't seen her.

Mr James later called Mr Lacomba, with whom she lived, who then reported her missing to police.

Mr James and Ms Wellgreen had split up briefly in the summer, during which time she began internet dating, he said.

Mr James added: 'She met a couple of guys - nothing I could do as we weren't together but she was talking to me at that time and I think it was one of those things where it was trying to be a trophy thing.'

Asked how he would describe Ms Wellgreen, he said: 'She was a very motherly person, absolutely wonderful.

'She wanted the best for her children which is why she was trying to buy that house.'

Mr James spoke after detectives announced they were now treating the case as a possible murder.

It came as Miss Wellgreen's first husband Peter Symons revealed she was 'madly in love' with a man in Portsmouth, who she may have been living with.

'I know that she had a new boyfriend in Portsmouth who she was madly in love with and wanted to get married to,' he told Sun Online.

'I haven't got a clue who he is  all I know is that she had connections in Portsmouth.'

Sarah Wellgreen, 46 pictured with her boyfriend Neil James 43. She has been missing for 15 days

Mr James raised the alarm after Ms Wellgreen (pictured) failed to reply to his texts

Her uncle Ronald said there is a chance she has gone abroad, but cannot understand why she would not have taken her children

This evening, police had closed off a remote country lane leading to an area of woodland.

Forensic teams were searching land off Scratchers Lane in Fawkham - around four miles from Mr Wellgreen's home, following information received from an appeal.

Two search and rescue vans and a forensics van were parked there earlier this afternoon. The area, which is close to the M20 motorway, was also seen being combed by sniffer dog teams before the search was scaled back this evening.

A Kent Police spokesman said this morning: 'The disappearance of Sarah is being treated as suspicious and a potential murder.'

Ms Wellgreen was earlier reported to be living with her ex-partner, Mr Lacomba, with whom she had children.

Her car was left at her home address and there have been no new transactions on her bank or credit cards since she went missing.

Detective Superintendent Paul Fotheringham said: 'She had just got a job. She was offered it the day before she went missing.

'She was happy and positive about the future. Since she has gone missing she has missed one of her children's birthday. Her disappearance is totally out of character.'

He added: 'Sarah has disappeared without a trace, the only item missing from the home is her black iPhone 4.'

Police tonight closed of a new road in the area, a mile and a half from her home

Police vans are blocking the road along with three uniformed officers. Traffic is being diverted

Ms Wellgreen was in a relationship with Mr Lacomba for five years, relatives have said, but, despite living together, their relationship is said to have ended.

Her uncle Ronald, 61, said she had an apartment in Spain and could possibly have gone there.

He told The Sun: 'I've got no reason to think she was killed by someone - why would she be?

'I have no idea why she would have left - no matter what happened on that Tuesday she would have wanted to take her children with her.'

Ms Wellgreen had previously moved out of the family home, but, despite moving back in a few months ago, had not rekindled the romance, friends said.

Neighbours told The Sun that Mr Lacomba is 'great bloke' who 'adores his children'.

The local resident said: 'He's the local taxi driver and gives lifts to people to help them out. He's really into his Nerf gun wars, and he would play shooting games with his children.'

Mr Lacomba was previously questioned by police and released on bail pending further enquiries.

Mrs Wellgreen appeared 'happy and smiley' before she mysteriously disappeared, friends said

Police are scouring countryside near her home in Kent for clues over her disappearance

Mrs Wellgreen, who is believed to have married three times, had recently been on dating websites and her son Lewis Burdett, 22, said he had given police details of all the accounts he knew of.

The manager of the beauty salon where she worked said two different men picked her up from work in as many months.

Martin Prus, manager of Puresun Health and Beauty Centre, said Neil James, from Farnborough, Hants, and another younger man had been to the salon to see the 46-year-old.

Mr Prus, 43, said: 'I remember Neil James. He came to the salon about three months ago to pick Sarah up after she finished work.

'He introduced himself and seemed like a nice man - I remember him telling me he was taking her out to a nice restaurant after she finished work.

'I'm not sure how long exactly they were in a relationship, but I remember they were together for a while from what she had told me.'

Mr Prus remembered how, a month later, around August time, a younger man came to the salon and dropped Ms Wellgreen at work because he needed to use her car.

'He looked Italian or Spanish, and was probably in his thirties,' he said. 'Sarah asked me if the man could borrow my drill because he was doing some work to her house in Portsmouth.

'I don't remember his name, he was much quieter than Neil, but spoke very nicely and was polite.

'He then returned a few hours later to take Sarah home after work. 'I'm not entirely sure if they were officially a couple or not or if they had just started dating, but there was definitely something there between them.'

Mr Prus said he was 'shocked' Kent Police are treating Sarah's disappearance as a potential murder.

'We are all very worried and sad. She was always so loving to everyone and made sure everyone in her life was okay,' he added.

Officer searching woodland near a village not far from Ms Wellgreen's home this morning

Following Ms Wellgreen's disappearance on October 9, her son desperately appealed for information and said her vanishing was completely out of character.

He told how she had interviewed for a job the day before and only just found out she had got it so 'everything was great'.

Lewis raised the alarm on Facebook three days after his mother's disappearance.

He wrote: 'MISSING!!! My Mum, Sarah jane wellgreen hasn't been seen or heard from since Tuesday night on the 9th of October, police have got involved now please share this as much as you can we are all worried about her and miss her.'

'Last seen in New Ash Green, Kent, car was left at home please contact me or 101 the slightest bit of information could help so much , thank you.'

About 200 people volunteered to help police carry out searches in the area near Ms Wellgreen's home over the weekend.

Detective Superintendent Fotheringham said: 'We have experts with specialist technology and forensic scientists working with us to try and find Sarah.

'Residents, businesses and landowners in the rural areas around New Ash Green are asked to check their outhouses, and areas surrounding their properties.

'We are particularly interested to hear from anyone with fixed CCTV cameras within a five-mile radius of New Ash Green, whether this is residential or commercial CCTV, to come forward.

'Likewise, anyone who was out on the evening of 9 October to the morning of 10 October in that five-mile area who has dashcam in their vehicle, please contact us.

'We are also appealing to those living and working in the area bordered by the A2, M25, Meopham, Cobham, Horton Kirby and Darenth to check their sheds, outbuildings and areas of rough ground or woodland for any sign of Sarah.'

Police have cordened off an area of woodland not far from her home in north-west Kent

Earlier this week, Ms Wellgreen's father issued an emotional appeal for his daughter to 'just come home', but admitted her family were losing hope she might still be alive.

Anthony Wellgreen, 67, said: 'I just don't understand it at all. It's not her character to disappear like this, nothing like this has ever happened before. We are all just so worried about her.

'Two weeks is a long time to be away so we are just really concerned. She loves her kids and I'm sure they are really upset that she's been gone for so long.'

He said the family had heard no new information and were still waiting for an update My brothers and I haven't heard any new information from family and there haven't been any updates from Kent Police.

'If I could say anything to her I would say just 'come home, no matter what has happened just get in contact if you can. It doesn't matter who you contact - just get in touch with someone and let them know you are okay'.'
This is the shocking moment a crazed cyclist used his bike to smash up a 56,000 Mercedes limousine after a road rage bust-up.

Dashcam footage shows the bearded cyclist angrily remonstrating with the chauffeur at the side of the road and aggressively jabbing his finger in his face.

As the chauffeur returns to his Mercedes V-Class MPV, the cyclist lifts up his bike and smashes the pedals across the bonnet of the people carrier.

The driver then runs back to his car to alert police saying: 'That's criminal damage'.

But the cyclist rides away, leaving three deep scratches to the bodywork which the chauffeur claims cost 1,500 to repair.

Dashcam footage shows the bearded cyclist (left) angrily remonstrating with the chauffeur at the side of the road and aggressively jabbing his finger in his face (right)

This is the shocking moment the crazed cyclist used his bike to smash up a 56,000 Mercedes limousine after a road rage bust-up

Pictured is the damage caused to the car's bodywork after the cyclist smashed into the bonnet with his pedals

The incident happened in busy rush hour traffic on September 27 near Borough tube station in Southwark, London.

The footage has been released by vehicle CCTV firm SmartWitness following calls for bicycles to be fitted with number plates.

The chauffeur immediately reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating.

He is hoping that going public with the footage will identify the culprit so he can be prosecuted.

The chauffeur, who declined to be named for fear of further reprisals from cyclists, said: 'It is crazy that cyclists can vandalise a vehicle in this way and then cycle away scot-free.

'He needs to be named and shamed to send a clear message to cyclists that this behaviour is completely unacceptable.

'Cycle rage is an epidemic in London at the moment - I am subject to threats virtually every day.

'All taxis and limousines needs to fitted with vehicle cameras to protect them from this menace.'

Shown is the damage caused to the bonnet. The row started after the cyclist accused the Mercedes driver of impeding him as they crossed a busy intersection

The incident happened in busy rush hour traffic on September 27 near Borough tube station in Southwark, London

The cyclist rides away, leaving three deep scratches to the bodywork which the chauffeur claims cost 1,500 to repair

The row started after the cyclist accused the Mercedes driver of impeding him as they crossed a busy intersection next to Borough Tube Station.

The chauffeur works for a premium limousine service that insists that its drivers' vehicles are in perfect condition and he had no choice but get immediate repairs.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers were investigating the incident and they had been provided with the dashcam footage by the chauffeur. S.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has said cyclists should have the same identification as drivers so they can be prosecuted for offences.

The Department for Transport is currently conducting a review into whether to update road safety laws which could include new penalties for dangerous cyclists.
A new bill being drafted will expand the golden visa program of residence permits granted to property purchases in Greece

The expansion of the "golden visa" foreign investors incentive program and the privatizations of shipyards are among the priorities of the Economy and Development Ministry, Alternate Ministry for Industry Stergios Pitsiorlas said on Wednesday, according to ANA.

A new bill being drafted will expand the golden visa program of residence permits granted to property purchases in Greece. It will be offered to investors spending 400,000 euros in the bonds or shares of real estate investment firms, or in deposits at the country's banks. The visa will also be offered to foreign investors placing 800,000 euros in Greek government bonds.

The privatizations process of the Eleusis and Skaramangas Shipyards will start with negotiations with interested investors in October and November, respectively, Pitsiorlas said. Three consortia have expressing their interest for Eleusis in writing, while the process to return Eleusis Shipyards to fiscal health under a preferred investor will begin shortly.

In medical cannabis, the government is reviewing seven investment proposals, with the first permits expected to be granted shortly.

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
More than 100 MPs have backed an attempt to force abortion reform into emergency laws needed to keep Northern Ireland running during the current breakdown in powersharing.

Labour MP Stella Creasy has 107 signatures, including senior Conservatives, on her amendment to the new laws, which are being rushed through Parliament this afternoon.

The re-write would allow Westminster to direct civil servants in Northern Ireland to address human rights violations of abortion being totally banned in the province.

If the amendment is called for a vote and passes it will enrage the DUP, the socially conservative Northern Ireland party propping up Theresa May in Downing Street.

Labour MP Stella Creasy (file) now has 107 signatures on her amendment to the new laws, which are being rushed through Parliament this afternoon

If the vote passes it will enrage the DUP, the socially conservative Northern Ireland party propping up Theresa May (pictured in Parliament's Royal Gallery yesterday) in Downing Street

Northern Ireland is set to be the only part of the British Isles where abortion is banned after the Republic backed reform in a referendum in the spring.

Mrs May has refused to bow to calls to make the reform herself but is set to allow the usual free vote on abortion as an issue of conscience in the Commons, if the amendment is called to a vote.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has insisted the Irish abortion referendum must be addressed in the Northern Ireland Assembly - despite the fact it has been on ice for almost two years.

Four ministers, including Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt, were among 208 MPs to vote in favour of a separate draft law on abortion in Northern Ireland yesterday.

The 10 minute rule motion tabled by Labour MP Diana Johnson was passed yesterday but will not have parliamentary time itself to become law.

Following that vote, Mrs May's official spokesman said: 'It is a Private Member's Bill and which will proceed in the usual Private Member's Bill way.'

He added: 'The Prime Minister has consistently said that abortion has always been a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the best way forward is that this issue should be decided by locally accountable politicians in the Northern Ireland Assembly.'

DUP leader Arlene Foster has insisted the Irish abortion referendum must be addressed in the Northern Ireland Assembly - despite the fact it has been on ice for almost two years

Ms Creasy told Huff Po she hoped her amendment would be selected today.

She said: 'The absence of an Assembly cannot be used an excuse to ignore the human rights of the people of Northern Ireland- whether their right to marry who they want and have it recognised, or to choose to have an abortion if they wish.

'Theresa May keeps saying she agrees change is needed but then tries to reject her responsibilities in this matter and puts it back to the Assembly to act knowing it is incapable of doing so.'
Bernard McGowan (pictured) claims to make millions on his portfolio despite being fined more than 100,000 in one year alone

Landlords continue to make millions on property portfolios even after failing landlord licence tests.

Across 349 local authorities in England and Wales, 502 landlords committed 752 offences last year.

And 123 of those were found to have committed multiple offences in the same year, Freedom of Information requests by ITV News and the Guardian revealed in a joint investigation.

They were fined a total of 2.7 million - just under 3,600 per offence.

Bernard McGowan is a landlord who claims his portfolio is worth 30million - despite him being convicted of Housing Act breaches six times since 2014 and Brent Council deeming him not 'fit and proper' to hold a licence.

Last year alone he was fined more than 100,000 for property offences. He claimed any wrong doing was 'historic' when ITV News confronted him and locked himself in a nearby Caffe Nero toilet.

His former tenant, Daud Hussein, says McGowan tried to evict him in 2015 by removing his electricity meter, which is a criminal offence. He then changed the locks of the property that Mr Hussein rented from him.

Hussein even returned from a 10-day stay at Paddington's St Mary's hospital to find his belongings removed and himself locked out.

Disrepair such as this might stop a landlord from getting a licence - but they can still get away with renting out properties through an approved agent

Mr Hussein showed reporters around the property. McGowan tried to evict him by removing his electricity meter

Daud Hussein (pictured speaking to a reporter) says that he returned from a hospital stay to find himself homeless

'I called Mr McGowan. I said I'm outside my property, I'm homeless', he said. 'He laughed at me.'

Mr Hussein won damages from McGowan but the council decided not to prosecute. The former tenant says McGowan views the fines he pays for bad behaviour as a cost of doing business.

'It's like a parking fine for him,' he said. 'It doesn't matter.'

Erskine Clarke was sleeping rough before the local authority housed him with Bernard McGowan.

Just under 200 a week in housing benefit secured Clarke a room in a shared house in Harlesden with mould, a faulty boiler and a leaky toilet. Clarke said requests for repairs to be carried out were ignored.

Properties can fall into disrepair but their owners are still able to rent them out through agencies that have been approved

Landlords who fail fit and proper tests are continuing to make money off their tenants by exploiting a loophole in the legislation

McGowan is just one of the landlords who is making money on properties despite tests finding them not fit to hold a licence

'There was a coldness in the house,' he said. '[The problem with the boiler] was going on for two years. It kept cutting out. No hot water, no central heating. I suffer with arthritis as well.'

Clarke still lives at the property but has a new landlord.

'He doesn't care. I think all he cares about is what money he makes. As long as he gets paid, he's fine,' he insisted. 'Why does the government just let people do this?'

Legislation loophole Government licensing laws introduced in 2006 aimed to protect tenants by ensuring safety in properties. Landlords must be found to be 'fit and proper' to hold a licence. However, those that fail can still rent out properties through approved agent. And licences are only mandatory for Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), which is a house rented by at least three people. It only counts as an HMO if the three of more tenants are not from the same household (or family). Other properties exempt from licensing include: Holiday lets, businesses, student premises managed or owned by the university and premises where the tenant is a family member. Advertisement

ITV and the Guardian invited Bernard McGowan to contribute to the report several times but he refused.

The government introduced the licensing of landlords to improve the safety and management of properties in 2006.

But licensing is only mandatory for larger 'Houses of Multiple Occupancy' (HMO) although councils can apply to cover all rented property in their borough.

If a landlord is found renting out a property that requires a licence without one, they can be prosecuted.

Landlords must be deemed 'fit and proper' to hold a licence under the legislation and licenses can be revoked.

However, McGowan has been able to continue legally renting out his property by letting it though an approved agent.

Jacky Peacock runs Advice4Renters and argues that the rollout of the licensing scheme has failed to eradicate exploitation.

'We see licences being issued, even when a landlord has had previous convictions, so cannot reasonably be deemed to be a 'fit and proper' person as the law requires - and even if he is prevented from holding a licence in one area, there's a good chance he will be operating somewhere else,' she said.

About 1.5million people in the UK rent out property to tenants. The government calculates there are 10,500 'rogue landlords' in England alone but Peacock believes that 'amateur' landlords are as big a problem.

The 2006 legislation was brought in to improve conditions but landlords can fail them and still get away with renting homes out

Erskine Clarke (pictured) was sleeping rough before the local authority housed him with Bernard McGowan

'I would say 20 per cent of private landlords don't know what they are doing and don't want to know because they can make a bigger profit,' she said. 'There is a much larger percentage of amateur landlords who may not be going out of their way to screw the tenant for every last penny...but [by not understanding] what their responsibilities are can still be very damaging for tenants.

'Tenant have rights but, in our experience, often don't know what they are and, even if they do, are reluctant to complain too loudly. They fear eviction and the loss of their deposits.'

Landlords have the right to evict a tenant for no reason by issuing a Section 21 order.

In a statement, Brent council said: 'We are appalled by the way [Brendan] McGowan consistently failed to meet standards, which resulted in our two convictions against him...Brent is one of the leading Councils in the country for its crackdown on rogue landlords.'
Geoffrey Rush's wife has told the court that the tabloid slurs about her husband made him retreat from the world and made him want to stop acting.

Jane Menelaus, Rush's wife, gave evidence as part of the actors defamation case against The Daily Telegraph, who alleged he behaved inappropriately during the production.

He's suing the Sydney tabloid and a journalist over articles about an allegation he behaved inappropriately toward a co-star - later revealed to be Norvill - during a Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016.

Australian actor Geoffrey Rush and his wife Jane Menelaus leave the Federal Court in Sydney, Australia, 24 October 2018

Rush's wife, gave evidence as part of the actors defamation case against The Daily Telegraph

Rush, 67, denies the allegation and argues the paper made him out to be a pervert and a sexual predator

Rush, 67, denies the allegation and argues the paper made him out to be a pervert and a sexual predator.

On Wednesday, Mrs Menelaus told the court that her husband cried over the impact the tabloid's allegations had with his relationship with his kids and how he didn't want to act anymore.

'He cried. He said, ''they've just destroyed everything I've tried to do'' [then] he put his arm around me and wept,' she said.

'I saw a man so altered and changed, his eyes sunk into his head, he retreated very much from, well, from the world.

'It's very painful to relive something we've actually [been] trying terribly hard to forget for 11 months. We've gone round and round in circles asking why someone would hate him so much.

She told the court that Rush feels responsible for his children's mental health who he claims didn't know how to speak to him about the issues being raised.

'...they were believe these articles themselves and they didn't love him as much,' Mrs Menelaus said.

Mrs Menelaus said Rush told her: 'I think they're pulling away from me'.

On Wednesday, Rush (pictured left) was being cross-examined by barrister Tom Blackburn SC at his defamation trial

Rush was questioned in Sydney's Federal Court on Tuesday about a message he sent Eryn Jean Norvill (right) in June 2016 that included the comment followed by an emoji with its tongue hanging out

Earlier that day in the Federal Court, Rush said it was possible he described Eryn Jean Norvill as yummy during rehearsals for the Sydney Theatre Company's 2015-16 production of King Lear.

'I might have, yes,' he said.

'Yummy has a spirit to it because we are about to go into - most of our scenes together are going to be very dramatic and harrowing, this is a good start,' Rush said.

The Oscar-winning actor was being cross-examined by barrister Tom Blackburn SC at his defamation trial against The Daily Telegraph's publisher, Nationwide News, and journalist Jonathon Moran.

Nationwide News and Moran are pleading a defence of truth in the trial and Norvill - who didn't speak with Moran for the articles - has agreed to give evidence.

Rush on Wednesday denied a suggestion by Mr Blackburn that he would tell Norvill she looked yummy and scrumptious while licking his lips, sticking out his tongue and making groping gestures before her torso.

He also denied deliberately touching Norvill's breast during a scene where he was carrying her.

The trial continues.
The head of Apple on Wednesday endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant's commitment to protecting personal data, which he warned was being 'weaponized' against users.

Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook applauded European Union authorities for bringing in a strict new data privacy law this year and said the iPhone maker fully supports a U.S. federal privacy law.

Cook's remarks, along with comments due later from Google and Facebook top bosses, in the European Union's home base in Brussels, underscore how the U.S. tech giants are jostling to curry favor in the region as regulators tighten their scrutiny.

'We shouldn't sugarcoat the consequences. This is surveillance,' Cook said. 'And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them.'

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday

Data protection has become a major political issue worldwide, and European regulators have led the charge in setting new rules for the big internet companies. The EU's new laws on data privacy require companies to change the way they do business in the region, and a number of headline-grabbing data breaches have raised public awareness of the issue.

Unlike internet giants Facebook and Google, Apple's business model does not rely on the collection and commercial use of its users' personal data, so they will not be as badly affected by the EU's new data protection laws.

'In many jurisdictions, regulators are asking tough questions. It is time for rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead,' Cook said.

'We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States,' he said, to applause from hundreds of privacy officials from more than 70 countries.

In the U.S., California is moving to put in regulations similar to the EU's strict rules by 2020 and other states are mulling more aggressive laws. That's rattled the big tech companies, which are pushing for a federal law that would treat them more leniently.

Cook warned that technology's promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information. He said the trade in personal information 'has exploded into a data industrial complex.'

Cook warned that 'deeply personal information' was being 'weaponized against us' by data breaches

Creator of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee was also present and spoke at the data privacy conference on Wednesday

'Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency,' he said.

Cook's appearance seems set to one-up his tech rivals and show off his company's credentials in data privacy, which has become a weak point for both Facebook and Google.

'With the spotlight shining as directly as it is, Apple have the opportunity to show that they are the leading player and they are taking up the mantle,' said Ben Robson, a lawyer at Oury Clark specializing in data privacy. Cook's appearance 'is going to have good currency,' with officials, he added.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google head Sundar Pichai were scheduled to address by video the annual meeting of global data privacy chiefs. Only Cook, who has been outspoken on protecting user privacy, attended in person.

He has repeatedly said that privacy is a 'fundamental human right' and vowed his company wouldn't sell ads based on customer data the way companies like Facebook do.

His speech comes a week after the iPhone maker unveiled expanded privacy protection measures for people in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, including allowing them to download all personal data held by Apple through a new website and letting users make corrections. European users already had access to this feature after the continent's General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, took effect in May. Apple plans to expand it worldwide.

Cook has previously said privacy is a 'fundamental human right' and vowed his company wouldn't sell ads based on customer data

European Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli (right) speaks during the data privacy conference

The International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, held in a different city every year, normally attracts little attention but its Brussels venue this year takes on symbolic meaning as EU officials ratchet up their tech regulation efforts.

The 28-nation EU took on global leadership of the issue when it beefed up data privacy regulations by launching GDPR. The new rules require companies to justify the collection and use of personal data gleaned from phones, apps and visited websites. They must also give EU users the ability to access and delete data, and to object to data use.

GDPR also allows for big fines benchmarked to revenue, which for big tech companies could amount to billions of dollars.

In the first big test of the new rules, Ireland's data protection commission, which is a lead authority for Europe as many big tech firms are based in the country, is investigating Facebook after a data breach let hackers access nearly 30 million accounts, including 3 million for EU users. Separately, the bloc's consumer protection chief has warned Facebook it could face sanctions for being slow to clarify the fine print in its terms of service concerning what happens to user data. And the EU competition chief has opened a preliminary investigation of Amazon over how it uses data from merchants.

Google, meanwhile, shut down its Plus social network this month after revealing it had a flaw that could have exposed personal information of up to half a million people. It's also fighting a European order that it extend 'right to be forgotten' rules to its search engines globally, in a battle pitting privacy concerns against the public's right to know.
A girl in south-west China was saved from drowning after three quick-thinking men pulled her out of a raging river using their fishing poles.

The 11-year-old girl had been washing her feet by the river but lost her balance and fell into the water in Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou province.

Three anglers nearby immediately dived in to rescue her and luckily no one was hurt in the incident, Chinese media reported.

he 11-year-old girl had been washing her feet by the river in Guizhou, China before falling in

The girl was seen struggling as one of the rescuers try to reach her with his fishing pole

The girl was finally pulled back to safety and no one was hurt in the dramatic incident

Dramatic footage emerged of the June 16 incident, showing the girl struggling to keep her head above water after falling in.

The girl is seen being swept further away from the shore by the strong currents near the dam.

One of the man immediately jumped into the water but couldn't reach her right away, prompting him to call for help from his friends.

Carrying their fishing poles, two other men then carefully waded into the river.

Signalling to the girl to grab onto the fishing pole, the men were able to reach her feet and pull her back to shore within a minute.

Carrying their fishing poles, two other men then carefully waded into the river

The heroic men were later identified as doctors at the Songtao County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They were enjoying their day off near the river when the accident happened

The men were able to reach the girl's feet and pull her back to shore within a minute

They also alerted emergency services and the girl was taken to hospital for a checkup, according to Guizhou Metropolis Daily.

The heroic men were later identified as doctors at the Songtao County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They were fishing near the shore on their day off when the accident occurred.

'It was a really dangerous situation and I didn't think twice about jumping in,' one of the rescuers, Du Ning, told Songtao Television. 'I just knew that I needed to save the child.'

'At first I couldn't find her because the current was so strong and the girl was completely submerged,' another rescuer Wu Congsong told reporters. 'Then I dived in and was finally able to grab her feet.'
A bus driver has been sacked after he took to social media to brag about running over two pedestrians.

Charles Whelan, 38, from Grays, Essex, also claimed that he had put the pedestrians in hospital and been cleared in court afterwards.

The bus driver was sacked for gross misconduct after a disciplinary hearing.

His bosses investigated him after Whelan shared CCTV footage of another accident which saw a pedestrian being hit by a double decker bus.

Bus driver Charles Whelan (pictured), 38, from Grays, Essex has been sacked after he took to Facebook to brag about running people over

Whelan's Facebook post suggested he had no remorse for the people he'd hit.

According to the Sun, the bus driver of more than ten years wrote: 'That's what they get for running in front of buses, LOL.'

Whelan had drawn the attention of his bosses because of the CCTV footage he had shared of the other pedestrian being hit.

A cousin of the female victim contacted Whelan and asked him to remove the CCTV footage - which he refused to do.

The cousin then complained about the bus driver to Transport for London.

After an investigation and disciplinary hearing it was discovered that Whelan had laughed about hitting pedestrians on Facebook.

Whelan drew attention from his bosses after he posted CCTV footage of another pedestrian being hit by a double decker bus

He had reportedly posted: 'I put 'em in hospital. In both cases, cleared by the old bill.'

He also posted a series of tweets about running over a fox and laughing when a cyclist was hit by a taxi.

After the hearing, Blue Triangle Buses in Rainham, Essex, fired Whelan for gross misconduct and breaching the company's social media policy.

He launched a claim for unfair dismissal but it was refused at an employment tribunal.

Employment Judge Manjit Hallen said at East London Tribunal Hearing Centre: 'The complaint by the cousin was that the Claimant had bragged about previously hitting two people with a bus and used the term LOL (laugh out loud).'
Tommy Robinson enjoyed a three course lunch with Ukip bosses at the House of Lords after he walked free from court yesterday.

The EDL founder was welcomed by Ukip's Lord Pearson when he was released on bail over his contempt of court case because it was 'too complex.'

He tucked in to a silver service meal, and is said to have drank expensive white wine over two and a half hours in the Barry Room under the Lords Chamber.

Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon dined with Lord Pearson, Ukip leader Gerard Batten and Canadian shock jock Ezra Levant.

Today Robinson denied reports the lunch was 'boozy' insisting he was drinking water.

Mr Batten also denied claims of a 'boozy lunch', saying instead that the 'booze flowed at the Red Lion in Whitehall' afterwards.

Robinson (centre) and his hosts (Lord Pearson, left, and Gerard Batten, right) later posed for photographs underneath a statue of 12th century Crusader King Richard the Lionheart that sits outside the House of Lords

Former Tory Chief Whip Mark Harper, who was lunching in the same restaurant, told The Sun: 'The founder of an organisation such as the EDL has no place in a building which is the home of parliamentary democracy.'

Robinson and his hosts later posed for photographs underneath a statue of 12th century Crusader King Richard the Lionheart that sits outside the House of Lords.

He tagged the post to his 50,000 Instagram followers with 'thank you to you all. The future belongs to us.'

Earlier at the Old Bailey Recorder of London Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC referred his case to the Attorney General, saying 'proper cross examination' was needed.

Tommy Robinson posted this selfie on Instagram yesterday after his contempt of court hearing was adjourned. He now faces another wait to find out if he will be jailed over allegedly breaching reporting restrictions in an Asian sex gang case

Robinson's case at the Old Bailey was adjourned after the judge said it was 'too complex' and must be passed to the Attorney General. Pictured is Robinson arriving at court

He was at the court in central London charged with contempt of court for allegedly putting an Asian sex gang trial in Leeds in jeopardy by filming people involved in videos on social media.

He was freed from prison in August after three leading judges quashed an initial contempt of court finding made at Leeds Crown Court in May.

Yesterday's development means his wait goes on to learn whether he will be jailed again over the incident.

Today John Bercow labelled Robinson a 'loathsome, obnoxious, repellent individual' after the photos emerged of him dining in Parliament.

The Commons Speaker was asked to take up the matter with his counterpart in the upper chamber by the SNP's Stewart McDonald (Glasgow South) in a point of order after PMQs.

Hordes of people gathered at the court, pictured, causing roads to be closed and police guards to be put in place

Mr McDonald described Robinson as a 'violent, racist thug and fraudster' who he said should not be 'invited to walk amongst us on the parliamentary estate'.

Mr Bercow replied: 'First, I share his assessment of the individual concerned: a loathsome, obnoxious, repellent individual and I make no bones about my view being the same as his on that front.

'Secondly, however, and this is the procedurally significant point, the question of who might be invited to dine in the other place is outside of my remit.

'I always appreciate the enthusiasm of (Mr McDonald) for extending my reach and scope; however, this is a matter for the other place.'

Before his hearing yesterday the 35-year-old activist told a huge crowd of supporters who had gathered to demonstrate outside court that he had 'won no matter what happened to him.'

Robinson, pictured, spoke to his supporters before his appearance, where Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC said there must be a chance for cross examination

Robinson, 35, told the crowd, pictured, 'no matter what happens I've won' even though he could face jail for allegedly putting an Asian sex gang trial in jeopardy

Speaking after the hearing, Robinson claimed he was the victim of a 'political witch-hunt.'

To shouts of 'Oh Tommy Robinson', the 35-year-old protested his innocence, saying: 'This political witch-hunt must end now.'

Timeline of Tommy Robinson in prison May 25: Robinson is jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after Facebook Live protest outside a trial in Leeds May 27: Sentence sparks protests in London including outside Downing Street June 9: Free Tommy Robinson march in Whitehall turns violent with 21 police officers hurt when bottles are hurled July 18: Robinson launches appeal against his sentence August 1: Judges order his release and say he must face new hearing September 27: A new contempt of court case at the Old Bailey is adjourned after Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC asks for written submissions from all parties October 23: After considering submissions, judge says case is 'too complex' and evidence must be considered by Attorney General The Attorney General's office confirms it will look at the case and decide whether to stage a High Court hearing Advertisement

He also read a statement he had provided on Monday which persuaded the judge to refer the case to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC rather than decide it himself.

During the hearing the judge said the letter had made clearer the 'nature and extent of the controversies'.

Afterwards, Robinson told his fans: 'I believe that with this support that's been shown the Attorney General will kick this into the long grass.'

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said Robinson could now face a contempt hearing in the High Court.

The spokesman said: 'This matter has been referred to the Attorney General's Office. A Law Officer will consider all material afresh, and make a decision whether or not to refer Stephen Yaxley Lennon to the High Court for contempt.'

Robinson, wearing a grey suit, pink tie and red poppy, sat behind his lawyer in court and spoke quietly to confirm his identity.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC began the hearing by stressing 'for the avoidance of doubt' that there should be no photography or recording within the court building.

However, he told an assembled gathering of journalists that live tweeting from court would be okay.

He said the allegations against Robinson were that he breached an order under Section 4(2) of the 1981 Contempt of Court Act and that he made a broadcast that 'gave rise to a substantial risk that serious prejudice would be caused to a trial taking place at Leeds Crown Court'.

Judge Hilliard said the case should go to the Attorney General for his consideration after receiving a statement from Robinson on Monday.

The court heard that in the current setting, lawyers would not be able to perform an appropriate cross-examination of the evidence.

'I think it necessary to look at quite a lot of the detail of what Mr Yaxley-Lennon said in the broadcast as to come to the overall picture as to what happened,' the judge said.

What happens next? The Attorney General's office will now consider the evidence in the case and decide whether to take it forward. Tommy Robinson has denied the charges and asked to give evidence in person, while also being given an advocate. Should the office decide there is a case, a new hearing will take place at the High Court. It will take place before a judge, with the prosecution and defence presenting their arguments. Advertisement

'I'm satisfied in the light of the issues as they now appear as they emerged from the statement of yesterday, that cross-examination of Mr Yaxley-Lennon is necessary for a proper and thorough examination and resolution of the case that is in the public interest.'

Robinson's submission to the court said: 'It is invited the Attorney General to nominate an advocate to appear the fresh hearing.

'The court noted 'it is important that the cases are presented by someone other than a judge, having taken proper steps to set out the offending conduct, by reference to the video in question'.'

It concluded: 'Mr Yaxley Lennon does not admit any of the allegations of contempt as presently drafted.

'In particular, he will deny an intention to create state of affairs which objectively construed amount to an interference with the administration of justice and he will further assert that his report was fair and accurate, contemporaneous and in good faith.

Others waved Union Jacks with the slogan #FreeTommy on as they protested the court case

'His clear instructions are that he wishes to give evidence in person.'

Speaking ahead of the hearing, Robinson said: 'No matter what happens today, I've already won,' he said.

'Their attempts to silence and stop people having the knowledge of the Muslim rape gangs that are terrorising our nation.

'The entire world is now watching.'

He blamed the Government, police and social services for 'sacrificing a generation of our daughters at the hands of the multiculturalism altar'.

Tommy Robinson posed for a picture on Instagram on his way to court yesterday, wearing a suit and tie and smiling broadly

He also called the media 'the enemy of the people' with the crowd responding by shouting 'shame on you'.

Ahead of the court appearance he posted a picture of himself on Instagram smiling broadly and wearing a suit on a train.

In the Instragram post, Robinson also made a tongue in cheek comment referring to cousin and English Defence League founder Kevin Carroll, and said: 'I reckon @thekevincarroll will get found guilty today. It's his turn for some bird.'

Robinson says he expects to be sent back to prison - having sacked his legal team ahead of his contempt hearing this week - as it was revealed that he benefited from a 'massive payday' of public attention and 2million in donations after his stint in jail earlier this year.

The Sunday Times reported that Robinson, in an interview with German political blog, PI News, said: 'I sacked my solicitors because they tried to broker a deal where I apologise and I admit guilt, and then if I do that then I go home.

'And I said, I'm never going to do that.

How sex gang trial led to Tommy Robinson's jailing A judge found that the Huddersfield grooming trials were put at risk by the antics of English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson (pictured when he was arrested). He flouted reporting restrictions designed to ensure the proceedings were fair. Reporting of the case was postponed because the defendants were being dealt with in separate trials. In such cases, reporting is sometimes postponed until the final case so jurors cannot be prejudiced by reading accounts of previous trials. Video footage showed him approaching defendants outside Leeds Crown Court. The video was viewed on social media 250,000 times within hours. Robinson 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 ban on reporting has now been lifted and the 20 cases are no longer active. However, Robinson 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. Advertisement

'I'd rather go to jail for the next 25 years than accept guilt for telling the truth.'

At his last appearance, Robinson was ushered into court amid a large police presence as supporters, holding Union and St George's flags, chanted his name, while photographers and camera operators jostled for position.

And during the brief hearing, a new video appearing to show Robinson at a window within the court building was posted on the Twitter account.

In the footage Robinson says 'that's such a good feeling' before promising to go and greet the crowd of hundreds of supporters cheering and chanting outside.

The video, believed to have been made in the canteen on the second floor of the Old Bailey, was viewed more than 160,000 times by the afternoon.

Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925 makes it an offence to photograph people within court precincts.

At the time of jailing him, Judge Marson told Robinson his actions could have caused the trial to be re-run, costing 'hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds'.

Last month, Robinson was ushered into court amid similar scenes outside.
The wife of white nationalist leader, Richard Spencer, has accused him of physically, verbally and emotionally abusing her throughout their eight-year marriage.

Nina Kouprianova said Spencer once left her with bruises after pinning her to the floor, then dragging her out of bed and down the stairs in 2011.

She also said he 'attacked' and bruised her again in 2014, when she was four months pregnant with their first child.

In court documents filed as part of their divorce, Kouprianova accused the far-right figurehead, who she married in 2010, of being 'physically, emotionally, verbally and financially abusive'.

Spencer was one of the organizers of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year where a woman protesting against white supremacy was killed when a car ran her over and he claims to have invented the term 'alt-right'.

Alt-right figurehead, Richard Spencer, was accused of physically and verbally abusing his wife during their eight-year marriage

Nina Kouprianova claims her husband dragged her down the stairs and left her with bruises after an 'attack' in 2011 and 2014

In court filings for the couple's divorce proceedings in Flathead County District Court in Montana Kouprianova referenced, 'being hit, being grabbed, being dragged around by her hair, being held down in a manner causing bruising, and being prevented from calling for help'.

The allegation also state: 'One of [Spencer's] favorite statements to me [Kouprianova] is, 'the only language women understand is violence', I'm famous and you are not. I'm important and you are not.'

Russian-born Kouprianova also says she is often called 'genetically defective' and a 'parasite' while being verbally abused in front of their young daughter, BuzzFeed reports.

Her lawyers said in papers which were lodged in June that Kouprianova,'has been reluctant to call police or seek an order of protection for fear of further reprisal by Spencer'.

Russian-born Kouprianova also said Spencer kept a loaded gun in their house which was in reach of their children

Kouprianova also states in court documents filed in Montana that Spencer's controversial high-profile as a white supremacist made her and their children targets of abuse

The document also allege that, 'much of the abuse has occurred in the presence of the parties' children', and that Spencer kept a loaded weapon in his bedroom that was 'accessible by children' after he was 'assaulted in public' on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Spencer is a figurehead for US far-right groups and popularized the term 'alternative right', to describe a fringe movement mixing white nationalism, anti-Semitism and other far-right extremist views.

He is also the president of white supremacist think tank the National Policy Institute.

The 40-year-old says he rejects the label of white supremacist and considers himself a white nationalist or 'white identitarian'.

During the Charlottesville violence in 2017, Spencer was said to have boasted 'we own these streets' during a conspiracy to commit racially motivated violence, which led to a women being killed when a car drove into crowds, a civil separate lawsuit in May alleged.

She accused him of calling her 'genetically defective' and a 'parasite' while verbally abusing her in front of their young daughter

Spencer's 'controversial public life' was cited as a reason for the divorce proceedings as it had led 'his entire family to be targets of violence'.

Kouprianova added in the affidavit that, 'despite the risk to his family, [Spencer] continues to engage in extremely polarizing public speech advocating 'peaceful ethnic cleansing' and a white-only 'ethno-state' which tends to invite passions and violence.

'Most, if not all, of [Spencer's] public speaking events result in violence.'

Political views of Richard Spencer who said he coined the term 'alt-right' and calls for white 'ethno-state' Richard Spencer was an organizer of last summer's deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the city's plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a park that was also named after the Confederate general. Spencer calls his views 'alt-right' and advocates a white 'ethno-state' as well as the cleansing of non-whites from America and espouses anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant beliefs. He claims to have first coined the term 'alternative right' to describe the fringe movement that mixes white nationalism, anti-Semitism and other far-right extremist views. Spencer is also the president of white supremacist think tank the National Policy Institute and the Washington Summit Publishers, a Montana-based supremicist publisher. The 40-year-old says he rejects the label of white supremacist and considers himself a white nationalist or 'white identitarian'. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Spencer has been described as a neo-Nazi and has publicly engaged in Nazi rhetoric on multiple occasions, callinh for a return of the Roman Empoire as part of a 'pan-European white race'. In early 2016, Spencer was filmed giving the Nazi salute to fellow alt-right activist, Milo Yiannopoulos, in a karaoke bar and was quoted spouting Nazi propaganda denouncing Jews in the weeks following Donald Trump's election to the White House in 2016. In an interview with CNN when asked to condemn Adolf HItler and the Ku Klux Klan, he said: 'I'm not going to play this game', while stating that Hitler had 'done things that I think are despicable'. During the Charlottesville violence in 2017, Spencer was said to have boasted 'we own these streets'. Antifa protesters clashed with supporters of white supremacist Spencer at the East Lansing campus of Michigan State University in March. In April a federal lawsuit was filed over the nationalist's bid to speak at the University of Cincinnati. Advertisement

Spencer told the Associated Press yesterday that he is 'not an abusive person' and said his wife was 'never in a dangerous situation'.

Kouprianova describes herself as a Russian analyst who 'busts myths about Russia', where she was born before emigrating to Canada.

In a letter to her local newspaper, the Flathead Beacon, she described the abuse she suffered due to her husband's controversial political views and rallies.

She describes her political views as being 'not a member of any movement', with left-wing and conservative beliefs.

In 2016 Spencer told the Washington Post the couple had separated.
A British family has been accused of 'conning' the Swedish state out of more than 50million kronor - 4.25million - by selling 'overpriced or mislabelled' cleaning products to local councils.

Peter Gold, a wealthy British businessman now reportedly living in the U.S., set up no less than five companies selling everything from wet-wipes and bin-bags to printer ink and 'ice-melting chemicals', in Sweden in 2003.

Gold's wife Janice and two sons, Daniel and Nicholas - who is married to the model daughter of celebrity chef Aldo Zilli - are all listed as former directors for several of them.

Nicholas, known as Nick, wed reality TV star Laura in a lavish beachside ceremony in his parents' new hometown Miami, Florida, earlier this year, and Mrs Zilli Gold's Instagram is littered with luxurious family holiday snaps.

Allegations: An investigation by Swedish journalists claimed that companies owned by Peter Gold, pictured with wife Janice who was a company director, sold 'ice-melting chemicals' to councils which turned out to be 96 per cent road salt - at 165 times the price of road salt

Nick Gold pictured at his wedding to Aldo Zillis daughter Laura

Renowned investigative TV-show Uppdrag Granskning has now alkeged that until they went into liquidation last year, the Golds' companies had been paid 55million kronor (4.68m) in Swedish taxpayers' monies - for goods the investigation claims were worth just five million (430,000)

They allege that the companies were able to get local councils to sign orders for their goods by using 'pushy and misleading telesales in combinations with bribes, gifts and threats'.

One council in Kil, Varmland, ended up with enough 'ice-melting chemicals' to last them 30 years, after a former council-worker signed up for deliveries from the company at a rate of 165 kronor (14) per kilo.

In total, the council reportedly bought 6,440kgs (14,197lbs) of 'ice-melting chemicals' from Universal Solutions, a Stockholm-based company where all four members of the Gold family are listed as former directors.

Analysis by SVT found that the chemicals was in fact 96 per cent normal road salt, retailing for around one krona per kg - around 8.5p.

The companies which had Nick Gold listed as a director have been accused getting Swedish councils and state-owned companies sign orders for their goods by using 'pushy and misleading telesales in combinations with bribes, gifts and threats'

Luxury lifestyle: Laura Zilli Gold, pictured with husband Nick Gold, often shares images from their family's lavish holidays on her Instagram, including visits on yachts, and private yet travel

'If this [the 'ice-melting chemicals'] costs 165 kronor per kilo it is definitely a con,' head of research at Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute Bjorn Kalman told Uppdrag Granskning.

Having tested the ice melting capacity of the chemicals sold by the Golds' companies against normal road salt, he added: ' I would say the effect is the same. If anything, normal salt is more effective.'

All five of the Golds' companies - Royal Chemical Industries, Millennium Computer Systems, Genlite Search, Universal Solution and Interpoly Chemicals - were placed on a list of 'untrustworthy corporations' in Sweden, aimed at warning others from using their services, in 2011.

The companies, which according to Uppdrag Granskning had sold products to 216 councils and 140 state-run companies, were placed in liquidation in 2017.

Expats: Peter Gold's five companies named in the investigation were founded in 2003, ended up on a warning list of 'non-serious corporations' in 2011, and entered liquidation in 2017

The Swedish TV team were able to track down Nick Gold at his multi-million pound home in north London, where he denied being involved in his parents' businesses.

'I am not involved in the company, I don't own any stocks, I am not a director, I have not profited from this,' he told reporter Staffan Floren Sandberg.

However, Companies House has him registered as a former director in Millennium Computer Systems, Universal Solutions and Interpoly Chemicals.

Nick Gold has informed Mail Online that he was a non-executive director of Royal Chemical Industries AB, Millennium Computer Systems AB, Genlite Search AB, Universal Solutions Sweden AB and Interpoly Chemicals AB, and that during his time as a non-executive director he was not involved in the business of any of those companies either as an employee, shareholder or board member. By 10th October 2011 his non-executive directorship in all these companies had ceased.

He is also listed as a director of the company running scandalous nightclub and celebrity hotspot The Box in London's Soho.

MailOnline has contacted The Box as well as representatives for Laura Zilli Gold and Aldo Zilli for comment. Efforts have been made to reach Nick Gold and his family.
A rescued donkey has amazed handlers after instantly recognising a sanctuary worker after they were reunited on a farm for the first time in more than a decade.

The former worker, named as Isaac, called out 'Chi, Chi, Chi, Chico' just as he used to when he looked after the donkey 12 years ago at a sanctuary in northern Israel.

Moments later, Chico emerged from a herd of 190 of the animals and started nuzzling Isaac's face and resting his head gently on his one-time handler's shoulder.

A rescued donkey called Chico has amazed handlers after instantly recognising a sanctuary worker after they were reunited on a farm for the first time in more than a decade. The former handler, Isaac, is pictured with Chico after their reunion

At one point, he pulled his lips back over his teeth to reveal a huge 'grin'.

The remarkable scene unfolded at a sanctuary run by British charity Safe Haven, caring for about 200 unwanted and abused donkeys of all ages.

As the reunion was happening, Isaac explained that he had reared Chico after the animal arrived at the sanctuary as a foal. As Isaac put it: 'I spoiled him every day'.

It was more than twelve years since the donkey and the handler had last seen each other and while they may both have changed over the years, Chico's memories appeared to be fresh.

It's Chico time: The former worker, named as Isaac, called out 'Chi, Chi, Chi, Chico' just as he used to when he looked after the donkey 12 years ago at a sanctuary in northern Israel. Isaac and Chico are pictured together in 2006 - the year they last saw each other

The charity's Chief Executive, Tim Wass MBE, who witnessed the reunion, described it as spine-tingling and heart-melting.

'Witnessing the moment when a donkey remembers a beloved human handler is just incredible,' he said.

Mr Wass invited Isaac back the following day and filmed him with Chico. Exactly the same thing happened.

He has now offered Isaac a part-time job at the sanctuary and, to everyone's delight  not least Chico's  Isaac has agreed to come back.
Qatar-based Al Khalij Commercial Bank (al khaliji) has reported a net profit of QR469 million ($127.4 million) for the third quarter (Q3) of the year, marking a 3.5 per cent growth year-on-year.



This improved net profit was a result of effectively managing margins, controlling costs and a reduction in impairments, a bank statement said.



Sheikh Hamad Bin Faisal Bin Thani Al Thani, chairman and managing director stated: al khaliji has delivered consistent growth in profitability, by maintaining focus on delivering our Qatar-centric medium term strategy. These results reflect our commitment to our strategy, which is being delivered on the foundations of a strong capital base and excellent liquidity. We are proud of Qatars progress during this year, and are well positioned to capitalize on its growth during the future



Fahad Al Khalifa, al khalijis Group chief executive officer said: We are pleased to report positive results for Q3, 2018 delivering an increase in net profit of 3.5 per cent year on year. These results embody selective growth, continued focus on our domestic market in Qatar and at the same time managing our cost base effectively.



The bank continues to focus on maintaining an efficient cost base, and consistent with earlier quarters, our costs are 3.4 per cent lower year on year. We remain focused on credit quality across the Group, and we continue to remain prudent in our provisioning. That said, we have reduced overall impairment charges by 28 per cent year on year.



Qatars economy continues to grow including in the non-hydrocarbon sector. We are well positioned to benefit from increased business with our clients in both our Wholesale Banking and Private Banking franchises, as our clients tap into the commercial opportunities that the economy continues to present, he added.- TradeArabia News Service
A 30-year-old man has been arrested after a lion cub was discovered in a child's bed at a Paris apartment.

Police were called after the owner of the big cat attempted to sell the six-week-old female lioness for 10,000 (8,835), according to French newspaper Le Parisien.

The cat's owner was reportedly discovered hiding in a cupboard at a neighbour's home in Valenton, in Val-de-Marne yesterday, after the shock discovery.

The animal was described as in good health and has now been handed to wildlife authorities.

The six-week-old lioness was discovered in a flat in Valenton, Val-de-Marne yesterday after a police operation [file photo]

The French newspaper reported that the suspect has previous convictions for theft, and ran to the flat with the cub to avoid capture.

Villeneuve-Saint-Georges reportedly said: 'The case came from Montgeron in Essonne where it was learned a few days ago that an individual was trying to sell the animal.'

An undercover investigator posed as a buyer, Le Parisien said, and 'found a 30-year-old man well known to police for multiple crimes including burglary'.

The man reportedly told police he had obtained the animal 'out of kindness'. Police believe he intended to sell the animal.

Earlier this month another lion cub (pictured) was discovered in a cage by a jogger in rural Holland

Earlier this month a jogger stumbled across a lion cub in the middle of a field in Holland.

The cub, believed to be four months old, was found in a small cage outside Utrecht.

It was taken to the Lion Foundation in the northern Netherlands after being examined by a vet, according to public broadcaster NOS.

Local police have made a public appeal for information on its owner.

Police said they wanted to hear from 'anybody who had recently bought a lion' or anyone who could help with information about this particular cub.
Bed firm boss Craig Williams (pictured) from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, admitted failing to discharge his duty and fraud but was not guilty of gross negligent manslaughter over the death of baby Oscar Abbey

The designer of a cot in which a seven-month-old baby 'choked to death' has admitted fraud and failing to discharge his duty as an employer.

Craig Williams, 37, was behind the bed in which seven-month-old Oscar Abbey died and pleaded guilty to the charges at Leeds Crown Court today.

Oscar tragically choked to death on November 3, 2016, after sleeping in a bed designed and constructed by Playtime Beds Limited, run by Williams.

Williams, 37, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, had been on trial for gross negligence manslaughter but the jury was asked to return a not-guilty verdict to this today.

During the two-week trial, jurors were told how the toddler's parents, Charlie and Shannon Abbey, had purchased the bed from Williams's Sheffield-based Playtime Beds Ltd company.

John Elvidge, prosecuting, told how the toddler had 'choked to death' after trying to crawl through a hole in the front of the bed in November 2016.

Williams also pleaded guilty to fraud and will be sentenced on Friday.

The fraud charge stated that between November 14 and 22, 2016 - after Oscar's death - he continued to trade, falsely claiming his beds complied with British Standards and that he had 'no knowledge what had happened to a company called Playtime Beds.'

The court previously heard that by British standards, the bed should have had an age restriction label on its structure.

Oscar was found face-down and 'cold' at his York home on November 3, 2016, just days after parents Charlie and Shannon Abbey splashed out on the bespoke bed.

His head had become stuck between bars and the gap between them was 'unsafe', the court had been told by experts.

The trial previously heard Williams reassured Oscar's mother Shannon Abbey that the beds were safe for children of 'any age'.

Even after Oscar's death, Williams continued to falsely claim that his beds met British Standards so that he could continue to sell them, the court was told.

Oscar, was the youngest of Charlie and Shannon Abbey's children. Their elder son Maxwell was aged two and a half when the tragedy occurred.

The parents of the baby boy found him dead with his head through the bars of this 665 cot

The couple had moved into a two bedroom local authority house in York and needed a bed that both their children could use because Oscar had grown too big for his Moses basket.

Mrs Abbey, a McDonald's shift worker, saw an advert for Playtime Beds online and saw they produced a bed with a cot underneath it for 655 with a 45 charge to deliver and assemble it.

She paid a 100 deposit but before she bought the bed she made inquiries in an email exchange with Williams about the age of the children who could sleep in it.

Playtime Beds opened in two industrial units in Sheffield in 2011 and became a limited company in 2015 selling 'bespoke children's beds'.

Sheffield Trading Standards later issued a 'withdrawal notice' preventing Playtime Beds from trading.

During the trial, John Elvidge QC, prosecuting, said the defendant had been the 'controlling mind' behind the Sheffield-based firm.

The company made bespoke, MDF beds in a range of shapes, the jury heard.

Williams (pictured), will be sentenced on Friday alongside employee Joseph Bruce

Speaking about the night of Oscar's death, Mr Elvidge said: 'During the course of the night, he wriggled his body through the holes at the front of his cot bed.

'His head was too big to fit through.

'In effect, he choked to death. He was starved of oxygen.'

In a statement read to the court, Mr Abbey, 24, described finding his son trapped face-down in the front of the cot.

'I instantly realised he'd gone,' he said.

'It looked like he'd tried to crawl out backwards but his head was stuck.'

In her statement, Mrs Abbey, 23, said she woke up and 'I heard Charlie shouting and screaming 'He's not breathing'.

'I ran to the landing and Charlie was holding Oscar in both arms.'

Williams was granted bail until Friday, when he will be sentenced alongside employee Joseph Bruce, 30, of Rotherham, who also admitted fraud.
Daria Blazejak, 34, (pictured) told her family how 'alone' she felt and even falsely claimed she was pregnant on up to three occasions

A woman took a fatal overdose of prescription tablets after she suffered bouts of depression because she could not have children, an inquest heard.

Daria Blazejak, 34, told her family how 'alone' she felt and even falsely claimed she was pregnant on up to three occasions.

Last April 28, after texting her boyfriend saying she was 'bad', Miss Blazejak, was found dead at home in Middleton, Greater Manchester, by her lodger.

Tests showed she had taken more than three times the fatal dosage of codeine which had been prescribed by her doctor for her bad back.

The tragedy occurred a month after Polish-born Miss Blazejak, a warehouse data management operative, had been admitted to hospital following a previous overdose.

Speaking at the Heywood hearing through a Polish interpreter, Miss Blazejak's sister, Marietta Zajac, said: 'Daria and I would speak from time to time, sometimes more than others. She had anxiety as well as severe back pain.

'Sometimes she felt bad and sometimes she felt good, but many times she said that she wanted to die.

'About half a year before she died, her flatmate called me to tell me she had collapsed, and she needed to go to hospital. In January she rang me crying saying that she felt alone, that she didn't have any children and she didn't want to live anymore.

Miss Blazejak, pictured, was found dead at home in Middleton, Greater Manchester, by her lodger

'In March, she rang my mum telling her that she wanted to hang herself. But afterwards, she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She would usually ring me after she had drunk alcohol. On two occasions, she rang me to tell me that she was pregnant, but she wasn't really.'

Miss Blazejak's ex-partner, Dominic Bradley, said they met ten years ago, and worked together.

They started a relationship in January this year, telling the inquest there were a 'lot of highs and lows.'

He said: 'I knew she was taking quite strong painkillers and on March 29 this year, she contacted me in the morning at 3am.

The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion, saying he was 'satisfied' Miss Blazajak did not intend to take her own life

'I asked if she was OK and she said 'no' and that she was a 'bad person' and that she wanted to die.

'I asked her if she had taken something and she said 'yes', so I picked her up and took her to A and E. She had a mental health assessment at the hospital, but she said she didn't want to have one. She left hospital without taking the assessment.

'I found out and went around to her flat. I tried to encourage her to go back to hospital, but she refused. We had a disagreement after that and she blocked my number.'

Mr Bradley said that on April 22, she sent him a text message saying she was pregnant and she lost the baby and that it was his fault.

On April 27 he said he messaged her, and told him she was 'bad.' Two days later he text her again, but heard nothing back.

In a statement, Miss Blazejak's GP, Dr Ritwik Raychaudhuri said: 'Daria was diagnosed with depression in 2015 and was on medication in relation to that.

I am aware that she was in casualty in for over-consumption of a prescription drug in March 2018 and I was aware of previous overdosing. But she didn't mention any intention to take her own life.'

Det Con Linda Senior said: 'There were no suspicious circumstances and no third-party involvement. I did some background checks and there was a lot of history between her and previous partners of turbulent relationships. But there was nothing suggesting any problems with Dominic.'

Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Peter Sigee said: 'There was an incident where she appeared to take too much of her medication and her partner took her to the hospital where she had treatment. But she didn't say that she took that medication with the intention of taking her own life. Therefore I am satisfied that she did not intend to take her own life.'
Thousands of commuters in Melbourne have been left stranded on packed platforms at peak hour after multiple track faults at Flinders Street Station brought the city to a halt.

Commuters were warned of major delays as the track faults brought the Alamein, Belgrave, Lilydale, Glen Waverley lines to a standstill on Wednesday afternoon.

The train chaos started at about 4pm and seeped onto tram stops as commuters desperately tried to get home.

Thousands of commuters in Melbourne have been left stranded on packed platforms at peak hour after multiple track faults at Flinders Street Station brought the city to a halt

Commuters were warned of major delays as the track faults brought the Alamein, Belgrave, Lilydale, Glen Waverley lines to a standstill on Wednesday afternoon

The train chaos started at about 4pm and seeped onto tram stops as commuters desperately tried to get home

Buses replaced trains from Parliament to Clifton Hill until about 5.30pm when trains resumed.

Commuters on the Hurstbridge and Mernda services continued to experience delays of up to 30 minutes.

Metro Trains urged commuters to allow for extra travel time while they worked to clear the delays.

'There are Major Delays while we recover from the earlier track faults at Flinders Street,' Metro Trains said on Twitter.

Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein and Glen Waverley lines were also affected and commuters were forced to face delays of up to 15 minutes.

'Please listen for announcements and check platform displays as services will depart alternative platforms at Flinders Street,' Metro Trains said.

Metro Trains urged commuters to allow for extra travel time while they worked to clear the delays

'There are Major Delays while we recover from the earlier track faults at Flinders Street,' Metro Trains said on Twitter

Frustrated commuters took to social media to share their disappointment on Wednesday afternoon

They also suggested commuters consider alternative transportation.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the delays were disappointing, the Herald Sun reported.

'It is very disappointing that an infrastructure fault has caused such chaos on the train network in the middle of peak hour,' he said.

'You'd hope Metro would consider refunds.

'Metro needs to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, investigate how and why it happened and make sure this doesn't happen again.

Hurstbridge commuter Moshidi Manaka told the Herald Sun her travel time was tripled to 90 minutes.

Ms Manaka said people should be compensated and argued trains should run for free on Thursday.

Frustrated commuters took to social media to share their disappointment on Wednesday afternoon.

One commuter said they got on a train before being notified the train was 'suspended from the city to the eastern suburbs'.

'World's Second Most Liveable City *as long as you don't expect public transport to work,' tweeted another.

One commuter said they got on a train before being notified the train was 'suspended from the city to the eastern suburbs'
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has today declared the murder of Jamal Khashoggi a 'heinous crime that cannot be justified'.

In a defiant speech at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh, the kingdom's de facto ruler insisted Saudi Arabia was cooperating 'to bring the perpetrators to justice'.

But in his first such remarks since the killing of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, he also accused unnamed forces of using the case to drive a wedge between his country and Turkey.

'Undoubtedly the cooperation between the Saudi and Turkish government is unique and we know that many are trying to use this painful thing to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey,' he said.

'I want to send them a message - they will not be able to do that as long as there is a king called Salman bin Abdulaziz.'

After cheers from the audience, he added: 'And a Crown Prince called Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and a president in Turkey called Erdogan.... This wedge will not happen and we will prove to the world that we are cooperating to bring the perpetrators to justice.'

Prince Mohammed also gave an optimistic prediction of his country's future development, vowing it would be 'totally different' in five years as it diversified away from oil. 'I believe the new Europe is in the Middle East', he added.

The speech came hours after US President Donald Trump said the Crown Prince may be behind Jamal Khashoggi's death.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has spoken publicly for the first time since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, calling the killing a ' heinous crime that cannot be justified'

In a defiant speech at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh, the kingdom's de facto ruler (pictured) insisted Saudi Arabia was cooperating 'to bring the perpetrators to justice'

US President Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be behind Jamal Khashoggi's death

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured in Ankara today) has vowed to bring Jamal Khashoggi's killers to justice

Erdogan (pictured today) said he was 'determined not to allow' the murder of the Saudi journalist to be 'covered up' and promised to share any new evidence Turkey acquires in a 'transparent manner'

Khashoggi (pictured) went missing after entering the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul on October 2

The economic summit, which debuted last year with global business titans in attendance, has been overshadowed by Khashoggi's slaying and the international outrage over it.

Prince Mohammed immediately addressed the killing after taking the stage.

'The crime was really painful to all Saudis. I believe it is painful for every human in the world.'

Prince Salman was keen to keep the main focus on economic issues, telling the conference that his country would be 'totally different' in five years, vowing to pursue sweeping reforms to diversify its economy away from oil.

'I believe the new Europe is the Middle East,' he said. 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in five years will be completely different.

'If we succeed in the coming five years, other countries will join us,' he said.

In separate comments, Prince Salman made a joke about Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri getting 'kidnapped,' after his bizarre resignation last year on a trip to the kingdom.

The prince said that Hariri 'will be here for two days, so no ideas (please that) he's been kidnapped.'

The audience at the Future Investment Initiative laughed and applauded.

Hariri resigned last year as prime minister during a trip to Riyadh, something many believe he was forced to do by Prince Mohammed. Hariri later left the kingdom and rescinded his resignation. He's been on other trips back since.

The royal's appearance came after Trump said the Crown Prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to the journalist's killing, piling pressure on his ally.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he wanted to believe the 33-year-old prince when he said that lower level officials were to blame for the killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

But he suggested responsibility lay higher up: 'Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. He's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him.'

Earlier, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to bring Jamal Khashoggi's killers to justice.

Erdogan said he was 'determined not to allow' the murder of the Saudi journalist to be 'covered up' and promised to share any new evidence Turkey acquires in a 'transparent manner'.

Footage shows a diplomatic car belonging to the Saudi Consulate entering Istanbul's Belgrad Forest the day before Khashoggi's murder

The Crown Prince is set to address the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured: summit participants arrive at the event in Riyadh

A tough critic of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Khashoggi, disappeared after he entered the Saudi consulate (pictured) in Istanbul to collect a document for his upcoming marriage

Erdogan today spoke on the phone with the Saudi Crown Prince for first time since Khashoggi's murder. The two discussed 'the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects,' a source said.

It comes a day after the Turkish leader said 59-year-old Khashoggi was the victim of a pre-planned 'savage murder'.

Erdogan said today: 'We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible - from the person who gave the order to those who executed it - not to escape justice.'

As the de facto ruler of the kingdom, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has been widely blamed for the death, which was carried out by a hit squad of senior Saudi intelligence officials. Critics suspect he ordered the high-profile operation or at least knew about it.

Turkish officials say Khashoggi was killed by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on overseas trips.

A day before Khashoggi's death, agents arrived from overseas and began to scout locations, including the Belgrad Forest near Istanbul and the city of Yalova to its south, Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Police have searched both areas for evidence of Khashoggi's remains, Reuters has reported.

On Wednesday, Turkish media released images of what they said was a consulate vehicle with diplomatic licence plates used in carrying out exploratory searches in the Belgrad forest ahead of the killing.

Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue and that Khashoggi was killed in a 'fistfight' with officials sent to encourage him to return to the kingdom.

Saudi suspects in Khashoggi killing to be BANNED from UK, says May as she reveals plan to call King Salman about 'not credible' explanation The suspected murderers of Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from travelling to Britain, Theresa May said today. The Prime Minister revealed she would speak to King Salman of Saudi Arabia later today to tell him Britain does not find the explanation of the killing 'credible'. Home Secretary Sajid Javid will cancel any outstanding visas held by the suspected murderers, Mrs May told the Commons. The suspected murderers of Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from travelling to Britain, Theresa May said today Mrs May told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: 'We condemn the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest possible terms and after his disappearance we made clear that Saudi Arabia must co-operate with Turkey and conduct a full and credible investigation. 'The claim that has been made that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation so there does remain an urgent need to establish what has happened in relation to this.' She added that she would speak to King Salman on Wednesday and Home Secretary Sajid Javid is 'taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK'. 'If these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today,' she told MPs. Mrs May confirmed no minister or official was in Saudi Arabia today for a major trade conference. Trade Secretary Liam Fox cancelled plans to attend last week. Advertisement

Yesterday, Khashoggi's son Salah glared at the Crown Prince and shared a stern handshake with him during a meeting in Riyadh.

King Salman was also present as the royals 'offered their condolences' to grieving family members, who included Salah's brother Sahel. A friend of the Khashoggi family said the government banned them from leaving the country last year in a bid to pressure the journalist to return home.

The crown prince has appeared a panel alongside Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, whose resignation in a televised address from the Saudi capital in mysterious circumstances last year sparked rumours he was being held against his will.

The summit is the prince's brainchild, an effort to draw much-needed foreign direct investment into the kingdom to create jobs for its young population.

However, many international business leaders have pulled out of attending the summit over Khashoggi's slaying.

Trump, meanwhile, continued to criticise the kingdom over Mr Khashoggi's killing.

'The cover-up was horrible. The execution was horrible,' Mr Trump told journalists on Tuesday night at the White House. 'But there should have never been an execution or a cover-up because it should have never happened.'

Jamal Khashoggi's son glared at the Saudi royal blamed for the death of his father yesterday. Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi was pictured shaking hands with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful heir to Saudi Arabia's throne, in Riyadh during a meeting also attended by King Salman

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, has announced that the United States is revoking the visas of some Saudi officials implicated in Mr Khashoggi's death.

The visa revocations are the Trump administration's first punitive measures against the Saudis, who are seen as key allies in US efforts to isolate Iran, since Mr Khashoggi disappeared.

Mr Trump meanwhile has been criticising Saudi Arabia and OPEC over high oil prices, calling for a production increase to drop gasoline prices ahead of America's midterm elections.

The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations said Saudi Arabia should conduct a credible investigation, 'in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities'.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said this afternoon, that Khashoggi's 'heinous murder' would have been unthinkable 'without US backing.'

'I don't think that any country would dare do such a thing without US backing,' Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.

Rouhani said that before Khashoggi's murder 'it would have been unthinkable that in this day and age we would witness such an organised felony.

'It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder.

'The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them.'
Sir Jeremy Heywood (file image) today retired as Britain's most senior civil servant as he fights cancer

Sir Jeremy Heywood today retired as Britain's most senior civil servant as he fights cancer.

His interim replacement Sir Mark Sedwill will now take the job full time, the Government announced today.

Theresa May paid a warm tribute to Sir Jeremy's three decade civil service career at Prime Minister's Questions today.

The Cabinet Secretary is the post powerful post in the Civil Service and crucial adviser at the right hand of the Prime Minister. Sir Jeremy was made Cabinet Secretary in 2012 and made head of the Civil Service in 2014.

Sir Jeremy played a crucial role in the formation of Britain's first coalition government in decades after the 2010 election, overseeing talks between David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

He will join the House of Lords following his retirement, No 10 said.

Sir Jeremy said: '35 years ago I joined the Civil Service as an enthusiastic young economist in the Health and Safety Executive, full of ideas and keen to make change happen.

'Today, I still have all that desire to serve my country and to make a positive difference. It is with great sadness therefore that, on medical advice, I must now retire.

'Since joining the Civil Service, I have had the privilege of supporting, at close quarters, four Prime Ministers, two Conservative and two Labour, and the first Coalition government for decades, with its first full-time Deputy Prime Minister.'

Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'Jeremy has given exemplary service to the public in his civil service career

'He has worked constantly to improve our country's future and to deliver for the public, serving Prime Ministers and Ministers of all parties with distinction in the finest traditions of the Civil Service.

'I am personally grateful to him for the support he has given me as Prime Minister. He has made an enormous contribution to public life in our country and will be sorely missed.'

Cabinet Secretary's are personal advisers to the Prime Minister. He is pictured at Theresa May's right hand during a Cabinet meeting in 2016

Theresa May said she was 'personally grateful' to Sir Jeremy for his work as Cabinet Secretary as the veteran civil servant announced his retirement

Sir Mark, who will continue as National Security Adviser as well as Cabinet Secretary, said: 'The whole public service will want to thank Jeremy for his tireless and outstanding service to our nation, and for the values he exemplifies.

'He has had a profound, positive and lasting impact and will be greatly missed.'

Sir Jeremy took a leave of absence in June and had been due to return to work in September following treatment for an infection linked to his cancer.

He continued work through the first phase of his cancer treatment. His illness was first diagnosed last summer.

He was one of Britain's highest paid public servants, earning almost 200,000 - more than the Prime Minster herself.

Sir Jeremy has been a controversial figure during his tenure and branded 'Sir Cover Up' by critics furious at his handling of Parliamentary inquires.

He has been unpopular with Brexiteers suspicious the Civil Service is not committed to delivering on the EU referendum result.
A Campbell's vice president claimed George Soros' foundation is helping a caravan of migrants get into the United States.

Campbell Soup has distanced itself from claims made by Kelly Johnston, who is the company's vice president of government affairs, after he got into a Twitter row over the 14,000 migrants making their way through Central America towards the US.

The soup lobbyist wrote that the Open Society Foundations had arranged for 'troop carriers' and 'rail cars' to support the caravan, which formed in Honduras around a week ago.

Yesterday a pipe bomb was found in the mailbox of investor and Democrat supporter George Soros' home in Manhattan.

The 88-year-old billionaire was not at home at the time and a quick-thinking employee took the improvised device, whihc was found not to be a hoax, into woodland.

Kelly Johnston, Campbell's vice president of government affairs, accused financier George Soros of funding the migrant caravan

The 14,000-strong caravan formed in Honduras a week ago and is heading through Central America towards the US

Johnston said the caravan was 'planned and executed' by the Open Society, which was set up by Democrat supporter Soros

When criticized for HIS conspiracy theories, Johnston said he would not be intimidated by threats to inform his employers about the posts

Johnston, who is a former Secretary of the US Senate under Republican, Bob Dole, also said the conspiracy planned 'where they defecate'.

In a tweet sent on Monday he said: 'See those vans on the right? What you don't see are the troop carriers and the rail cars taking them north. @OpenSociety planned and is executing this, including where they defecate. And they have an army of American immigration lawyers waiting at the border.'

He appeared to write the tweet in response to a post asking 'where do they go to the bathroom?' alongside a picture of the migrants of their journey.

A mile-long caravan of more than 14,000 migrants formed in Honduras more than a week ago.

The migrants, who say they are fleeing poverty and violence, are making their way through Mexico to the US border.

When challenged about his claims Johnston replied: 'Hey, everyone meet a miscreant from The Left who thinks he can intimidate me by trying to use my employer to silence me on @Twitter. It will not work. Feel free to tell him what you think of him and either report of block him.'

A pipe bomb was put in the letterbox of George Soros' Manhattan home yesterday. He has often been the target of right-wing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories

Soros was not at home when the explosive device, which was not a hoax, was found and an employee rushed it to a wooded area

Johnston's Twitter account has since been deleted and the tweet is no longer online but screen grabs of the tweet were posted by other social media users.

A company spokesman said in a statement New York Times reporter, Kenneth Vogel: 'The opinions Mr Johnston expresses on Twitter are his individual views and do not represent the position of Campbell Soup Company.'

The Open Society Foundations, which seeks to promote democracy around the globe, dismissed the allegations.

A tweet posted yesterday from the foundation's official account, said: 'Neither Mr Soros nor Open Society is funding this effort. We are surprised to see a Campbell Soup executive spreading false stories.

'We do support the historic US commitment to welcoming people fleeing oppression and violence in their homelands.'

The caravan has been seized upon as a political issue ahead of the November mid-terms, with President Trump threatening to declare a 'national emergency' and that he would use 'as many troops as necessary' to stop them from entering the US.

Vice President Mike Pence yesterday claimed terrorists could be using the caravan to sneak into the United States.

Trump threatening to declare a 'national emergency' and that he would use 'as many troops as necessary' to stop the migrants from entering the US

The migrants, who say they are fleeing poverty and violence, are making their way through Mexico to the US border

Kelly, who once worked for Republican Bob Dole, initially retaliated to Twitter users who challenged his Soros post

He said: 'It's inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border.'

Billionaire Soros, who is Jewish, has often been targeted of far-right conspiracy theories and racist abuse.

The Hungarian-born investor, who is thought to be worth around $8bn, has been accused of turning other Jews over to the Nazis and stealing their riches, despite only being 14 years old at the time.

His family were also forced to hide from the Hungarian government during the German occupation.

Due to his opposition to Brexit, he was also accused of bankrolling a 'secret plot' to reverse the June 2016 referendum in articles quoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Before becoming a lobbyist, Johnston spent 25 years in Washington DC, in a variety of leadership positions in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government as Secretary of the US Senate, the Senates Chief Legislative, Financial, and Administrative Officer and Staff Director of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.
Head teacher Beatrix Bernhardt, 38, director Nacerdine Talbi, 47, and the Al-Istiqamah Learning Centre have now been convicted of conducting an unregistered independent educational institution

The director and head teacher of a Muslim 'learning centre' for home-educated children have been fined for running an illegal, unregistered school in a landmark case.

Al-Istiqamah Learning Centre in Southall, west London, was not registered as a school but taught about 60 children for five mornings a week and set homework every night.

Head teacher Beatrix Bernhardt, 38, director Nacerdine Talbi, 47, and the Al-Istiqamah Learning Centre have now been convicted of conducting an unregistered independent educational institution after a three day trial.

Ofsted inspectors twice visited the centre based inside a three-storey office block on Uxbridge Road on 12 October and 14 November last year.

They found more than 50 children between five and 11 years old being taught there, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

It separately emerged that a pupil's drawing was pinned to the wall at the 'school' which claims only 'Muslims and animals' were saved in the Ark. It received a tick from the teacher

The centre was set up to provide support and tuition for home-educated children, charging parents up to 250 a month.

At the time of Ofsted's inspections last year it had 58 pupils, the court heard.

Talbi told the court the teaching of children never exceeded 18 hours at the centre's doors which were open between 9am and 2pm.

He said he felt 'intimidated' by the Ofsted visits, adding: 'They didn't give me a chance to explain how the centre is run.'

Pictured: It separately emerged that a pupil's drawing was pinned to the wall at the 'school' which claims only 'Muslims and animals' were saved in the Ark. It received a tick from the teacher

Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: 'The three defendants are charged that between 3rd September and 15th November 2017 they conducted an unregistered independent educational institution.

'It is accepted by the defence that the centre is a school in that it provides primary education and/or secondary education to five or more pupils of compulsory school age.

'It is clear too that the centre is not maintained by the local authority.

'The issues for the court are can it be sure that the centre is being operated as an unregistered independent educational institution providing full-time education and if so whether the defendants controlled its operation.

Unregistered schools An independent school is defined as a school not maintained by a local authority at which more than 18 hours of education is offered each week for five or more pupils of compulsory school age. Exceptions are non-maintained special schools. Beatrix Bernhardt and Nacerdine Talbi were found to be running a school offering full-time education without registering with the Secretary of State as required. This is contrary to section 96 (1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. Advertisement

'Based on the defendant's own schedule, I find 27 children were being educated for 25 hours a week in September, October and November 2017.

'There would appear to have been a number of other children too who were being educated for more than 18 hours a week. I accept however that other pupils only came in for three days a week and others still did a couple of sessions a day.

'The hours of attendance at the centre for the 27 listed in Mr Talbi's schedule was 9am to 2pm.

'I have no doubt from the documents exhibited that the academic year at the centre is a ten month year. The fees being charged were 230 per month for primary school age pupils and 250 for secondary school age and envisaged a ten month year.

'I find that Fridays were a special religious day but according to the many examples of the timetable there were Arabic lessons taking place.

'Teachers were present and that Arabic was taught although I accept there may have been more informality on the Friday and parents may well have been present. Whether parents were present or not education was still being provided.

'I find that the children were given homework over and above their hours at school.

'In terms of Ms Bernhardt's role in the centre, Ms Bernhardt and Mr Talbi have done their dishonest best to mislead and persuade this court that she was not the head teacher of the school at the relevant time.

'I am sure she was the headteacher. She said as much to the inspectors; she did all the talking at the October 2017 inspection; I noted that when Ms Assefa needed to speak to someone about the second inspection she rang Ms Bernhard and not her husband.

'Having seen her give evidence I have no doubt that she was in joint control of the school'

The Al-Istiqamah Learning Centre was fined 100.

Nacerdine Talbi was orded to pay costs of 385 and Beatrix Bernhardt must pay costs of 485.

Both Talbi and Bernhardt were put on a three month curfew between 9pm and 6am.

Lynette Woodrow, from the CPS, said: 'This is the first prosecution of its kind against an unregistered school in England and Wales.

'The centre claimed it simply provided tuition to home-schooled children but using witness statements and photographic evidence collected by Ofsted inspectors, the CPS was able to prove this was not the case.

'It is a criminal offence to run an unregistered school and we will take steps to prosecute those responsible where there is the evidence to do so.'
Brand new Range Rovers and a Jaguar worth hundreds of thousands of pounds had their roofs torn off after a lorry driver smashed into a rail bridge.

The blunder occurred at 8.30am when the lorry towing the brand new luxury 4x4s, some still in their plastic wrapping, ploughed into a railway bridge in Perthshire.

Shocking pictures from the scene, near Perth railway station, showed the four Range Rovers including the latest Velar worth 44,250 with their roofs ripped off.

Shocking pictures from the scene, near Perth railway station, showed the four Range Rovers including the latest Velar worth 44,250 with their roofs ripped off. The blunder occurred at 8.30am when the lorry towing the brand new 4x4s ploughed into a railway bridge in Perthshire

Gareth Ruddock, 40, saw the accident and said he believed two of the cars were a 'write-off'.

He said: 'I was just there dropping my wife off at the station and I did a double take.

'There are some open-topped cars now. Some of them still had their plastic on, they must have been getting delivered. I just saw the aftermath.

'The police were there brushing up the bits and pieces which had broken off. The driver was there looking a bit unhappy.'

The father-of-two, who works for social enterprise Giraffe, added: 'Nobody was hurt but it wasn't a good day for that fella.

The driver was there looking a bit unhappy

'I think pretty much all the cars on the top were damaged, but as they got further back the damage was lesser.

'The first couple of cars must have been written off, or you would have to rebuild the entire car.'

Police Scotland said they attended the crash in Marshall Place, Perth shortly after 8am.

They confirmed no-one is injured and said the road was cleared by 9am.
The price of cheese could rocket by over a third if there is a no deal Brexit, MPs were today warned.

Retail bosses from Northern Ireland said the price of beef may also soar if Britain crashes out of the bloc and starts trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms.

And they warned that the smuggling of bootlegged goods over the Irish border may also flourish if there is a no deal Brexit.

It comes amid warnings that criminal gangs have branched out from cigarettes, alcohol and petrol to sneaking washing powder across the border to sell at knocked-down prices.

But several MPs angrily accused the bosses of 'scaremongering' and said that businesses should have done far more to prepare for Brexit.

Declan Billington, vice chairman of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (pictured, left, in the select committee hearing today) said that the price of cheese could soar if there is a no deal Brexit. But Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope (pictured right) accused him of scaremongering

The price of cheese (pictured) could rocket because the factories which turn milk into cheese are based in the Republic of Ireland, the Brexit select committee was told

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said that ' no deal is not an option' for Northern Ireland because the economic consequences would be dire.

He told the Brexit Select Committee today that if the UK goes to WTO trading rules then the price of beef could go up by 37 per cent and cheese by up to 43 per cent.

Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope accused the business bosses of 'scaremongering'.

He said: 'Why are the people of Northern Ireland going to have to pay more for the cost of cheese when they can get it either from the surplus milk there is going to be, or in buying good old English cheddar?'

Declan Billington, vice chairman of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, hit back saying that all the cheese processing factories are in the Irish Republic.

He said: 'Two points - the UK is running I think a 30 per cent deficit in cheese.

'A lot of that cheese is made up from countries like Ireland, indeed the milk from Northern Ireland goes to the south to be made into cheese.

'Years ago, we argued that we needed the level playing field to be able to build the factories in Northern Ireland to service the UK market.'

He added: 'The all Ireland market evolved and the factories are on the other side of the border, and the milk will not be able to move south to service those factories, and we do not have the factories in the north to make butter or cheese.'

He said in the long run Northern Ireland businesses could get a boost by building the factories and seizing full control of the cheese market.

But he said that in the short term there will be a shock to the cheese market and a hike in prices.

Retail bosses from Northern Ireland (pictured today being grilled by the Brexit select committee) said the price of beef may also soar if Britain crashes out of the bloc and starts trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms

He said: 'If you gave us a five year transition period before we hit the brick wall, we would break your arm to take the opportunities for northern Ireland and the UK market.

'We are not been given five years, we are being given five months.'

But Tory MP Peter Bone angrily accused the businesses of not properly planning for Brexit.

A spokesman for the anti Brexit group Best for Britain said: 'The alarming tales of fraud and smuggling in Northern Ireland should worry everyone.

'As smuggling rises, standards drop and we could see a spike of red diesel usage or even another horse-meat scandal.'
Paris auction house Artcurial held its breath Wednesday ahead of the sale of four works by Banksy, unsure what to expect following the enigmatic artist's shredding of his Girl With Balloon painting just moments after it went under the hammer.

Artcurial said security would be tight for Wednesday evening's sale and that this time, no hidden shredding devices appeared to be concealed in the frames - but with Banksy, you just never know.

'We are going to be particularly vigilant. We've put security measures in place but we'll be looking to keep it discreet and as light as possible,' Arnaud Oliveux, the contemporary art specialist in charge of the sale, told AFP.

'There won't be 10 heavies in every room,' he added.

Banksy, a British street artist whose true identity is known to only a handful of friends, caused a sensation this month when one of his paintings began shredding itself, just after selling for $1.4 million (1.2 million euros).

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Almost as soon as the hammer falls, the canvas passed through a secret shredder hidden in the bottom of the large Victorian-style frame (pictured right)

Pictured left is the canvas half-shredded during the auction at Sotheby's, however Banksy's video reveals that in rehearsals for the stunt the shredder worked properly (right)

Experts say 'Girl with Balloon' is now probably worth even more because the stunt created such a massive media stir.

Oliveux predicted that if anything out of the ordinary happens in Paris, 'it won't be a repeat' of the stunt that flabbergasted a room of champagne-sipping auction-goers at Sotheby's in London.

For one thing, the frames around the three paintings up for grabs are on the slender side, meaning it would be difficult to hide a shredding device of the kind used in London, which Banksy concealed under a thick wooden frame.

Artcurial has nonetheless done background checks on attendees - not least after speculation that it may have been Banksy himself who triggered the shredding device inside the room at Sotheby's.

'We've asked them to identify themselves, we've made a few enquiries,' Oliveux said.

The sale, which also features other celebrated street artists such as France's JR and US duo FAILE, includes three silkscreens by Banksy as well as a plastic statuette of a rat holding a paintbrush.

Auction staff were quick to remove the partially-shredded painting after it was left in tatters by the hidden device

An earlier clip posted by Banksy on Instagram, which he deleted shortly after, showed how he fitted a shredder that was controlled by a remote device

Oliveux acknowledged there was more interest in this sale than there would have been pre-shredding.

The Banksy works have been on show at Artcurial's elegant auction house on the Champs-Elysees roundabout, and many visitors have been pausing to take a look.

Girl With Balloon: Banksy's iconic artwork Girl With Balloon is one of graffiti artist Banksy's most famous murals. The imagery was first spotted on the wall of a shop in 2002, in Great Eastern Street, east London. It features just two simple shapes, with the statement: 'There is always hope'. The girl depicts a Syrian refugee, an imagery which Banksy uses many times in his murals. The iconic mural was last year voted the nation's favourite artwork. In March 2015, the third anniversary of the Syria conflict, Banksy reworked the painting to depict a Syrian refugee and added #WithSyria. The image was later projected on the Eiffel Tower and Nelson's column in Paris. Justin Bieber got the image tattooed on his arm, which was blasted by Banksy himself. Advertisement

As for the shredding of 'Girl With Balloon' - now renamed 'Love Is In The Bin' - Banksy has admitted things didn't go according to plan.

He posted a video on YouTube showing it was supposed to have been fully shredded, and that during test-runs it worked perfectly each time.

But when the prank was finally carried out, only the bottom half of the painting shredded - because, he revealed, it got stuck.

The woman who had just bought the work for 1,042,000 - a female European collector whose identity has not been revealed - said she was stunned when the device began whirring into motion.

'I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realise that I would end up with my own piece of art history,' Sotheby's quoted her as saying.

Alex Branczik, head of Sotheby's Contemporary Art in Europe, has meanwhile hailed the self-destructing painting as 'the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction'.

'Banksy didn't destroy an artwork in the auction, he created one,' Branczik added.
A Mowgli girl who became famous for surviving almost a fortnight alone except for her loyal puppy in the Siberian wild is being hailed as a young ballet star.

Karina Chikitova - then aged four - touched the hearts of people around the world after her astonishing survival in forests infested with brown bears and wolves.

She lived eating berries and drinking water from rivers, clinging to her mongrel puppy Naida for warmth on shivering nights after wandering into the primeval taiga in Yakutia region, and getting hopelessly lost.

Her ordeal was seen as so remarkable that a statue was erected to her and her dog in regional capital Yakutsk.

She was even the subject of a children's book in Russia.

More than four years after her ordeal Karina Chikitova, 8, is at a special ballet boarding school in the city of Yakutsk

Her teachers are predicting she may now have a future as a professional dancer if she keeps up the hard work

Her teacher Dariya Ivanova, 66, praised Karina as 'very strong physically' and 'extremely flexible, with strong legs'

Now more than four years after her ordeal the girl is revealed as a second year student at a special ballet boarding school in the city - some 350 miles from her home in the village where she went missing  as her teacher forecast she may have a future as a professional dancer.

New video and pictures show her in her ballet class and studying in class.

'I like to study, even though sometimes it's hard,' said Karina, now eight.

'I've already performed on stage.

'I want to become a ballerina and dance Swan Lake.

'I have also learned how to play the jaw harp and piano.'

Her teacher Dariya Ivanova, 66, praised Karina as 'very strong physically' and 'extremely flexible, with strong legs'.

She is 'very expressive, passionate about dancing, hardworking and diligent', and has a 'chance for the future' in Russia's highly competitive ballet world.

By the age of ten the teacher expected to know whether Karina can expect a career as a professional ballerina.

The youngster said she managed to survive by eating berries and drinking water from rivers during the ordeal

Karina being brought to safety by emergency services personnel after her dramatic rescue in August 2014

Karina when she was found by rescuers days after wandering into the primeval taiga in Russia's Yakutia region

She is also learning English, and is a talented young artist.

Ekaterina Ammosova, in charge of boarding at the ballet academy, said: 'When she just started her classes, Karina was very reserved, she tried to stay away and looked around with her big scared eyes.

'She has changed so much and became a lot more open, sociable, friendly and independent.

'She made many friends who love her lots.'

Karina lives apart from her mother for much of the year but returns home for the long summer vacation.

In Yakutsk, she has a loving guardian Albina Cherepanova, 59, who helped her enter the ballet school and is keen to raise funds for her future education.

Karina had followed her father into the dangerous forest - but he did not realise she had trailed him.

The mongrel finally left her in her makeshift bed of long grass after nine nights to go and summon help.

When she was found her rescuer Artyom Borisov said: 'She was sitting deep in deergrass, completely silent.

'I didn't actually notice her.

Karina also credited her survival to her mongrel puppy Naida who she clinged to for warmth on cold nights

Karina had followed her father into the dangerous forest - but he did not realise she had trailed him

A statue was erected of her and Naida in the town of Yakutsk to mark her remarkable survival story

'She saw me and stretched her arms forward.

'I picked her up, she was so tiny, so light, like fluff.

'She didn't have shoes on.

'Her face, legs and arms were bitten to blood.

'She was dead scared.

'Straight away she asked to for water and food, and burst into tears.

'To be honest I could hardly hold back tears, too.'

Later Karina said: 'It was Naida who rescued me.

'I was really, really scared.

'But when we were going to sleep I hugged her, and together we were warm.'

Of her statue she said: 'We look very much alike, specially Naida.'

When Karina was reunited with the dog, Karina's first words to her pet were: 'Why did you leave me?'

Yet the dog's action almost certainly saved the child's life by giving rescuers confidence she was still alive.

Naida was said to have saved Karina's life by leaving her after six days to go and get help from rescuers

Karina Chikitova, who is now eight, says she really enjoys studying 'even though sometimes it's hard'
A miracle baby who was delivered at 25 weeks and weighed just 1lb when she was born has finally been discharged from hospital.

Hannah Bella Rodriguez was allowed to leave Nassau Medical University Center in East Meadow, Long Island, for the first time on Tuesday.

The baby, now 5lbs 5oz , was born via an emergency C-section on July 11.

Her mother, Jennifer Pena de Mena, was hospitalized in June with unknown pregnancy complications.

Hannah Bella Rodriguez was born via emergency C-section on July 11, 13 weeks early, weighing just 1.1lbs. She was only 25 weeks gestated when doctors were forced to deliver her because her heart rate was declining rapidly in the womb. She is pictured not long afterwards

Hannah, pictured in her incubator not long after being born, was about the size of an adult hand when she was delivered

Video courtesy PIX 11

When the baby's heart rate began declining at a worrying pace, doctors decided to deliver her despite there being another 25 weeks in her mother's pregnancy.

Ever since, she has been clinging on to life in an incubator.

She was finally allowed to go home on Tuesday, around two weeks, after her mother's due date, after gaining weight and strength.

At a ceremony to mark the occasion, the baby's mother told tearfully recalled having to deliver her months early.

'I was crying in the surgery room, but they held my hands and they told me everything is for your baby,' she told ABC.

Hannah's odds of survival were slim.

The tiny baby's ribs were visible through her skin and her face was barely formed when she was born

Hannah has spent the last three-and-a-half months in an incubator at Nassau Medical Center in East Meadow, Long Island. She is the youngest and smallest baby ever delivered there

According to recent statistics, babies born at 24 weeks have a 40 percent chance of survival. Any that are born at 22 weeks or younger are not likely to survive.

Hannah's mother remained hopeful that she would live, however.

'I never lost my faith. She was always going to be my beautiful baby, and I love her.

'I am in love with her,' she said tearfully on Tuesday.

She was the youngest and smallest baby to ever be born at the Long Island hospital.

Hannah, pictured with her mother Jennifer Pena de Mena, now weighs 5lbs and 5oz. She is pictured leaving the Nassau Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, on Tuesday

Hannah is pictured on Tuesday, around two weeks after she was due to be born. She slept through most of the excitement

'There's many patients around the gestational age that don't make it.

'They don't survive or have some serious problems,' Dr. John Riggs said.

The most premature baby to survive ever is the daughter of Courtney Stensurd and her husband who was born in Canada in 2017 at 21 weeks gestated.

The couple chose not to share their daughter's name to protect her privacy. She weighed less than a pound when she was delivered.

Hannah's mother (holding her) said she never doubted that her little girl would survive. She is pictured with Nassau County Executive Laura Curran leaving the hospital on Tuesday
Michelle Vanburskirk, pictured yesterday outside Uxbridge Magistrates Court has been sent forward for trial having been charged with being drunk on an aircraft, assaulting two cabin crew and a public disorder offence

An American woman accused of being so drunk during a transatlantic flight that the pilot had to return to Heathrow has appeared in court.

Michelle Vanbuskirk, 43, is charged with assaulting two female flight attendants on board United Airlines flight UA919 from Heathrow to Washington DC on Sunday September 23rd this year.

The defendant of Camden, north London, appeared on bail at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court wearing a black blazer, trousers and heeled boots.

Vanbuskirk is charged with being drunk on an aircraft, two counts of assaulting cabin crew Porsha Chaplian and Emily Menninger by beating and a public disorder offence.

A fifth charge of intentionally interfering with the performance of a member of air crew was withdrawn at the request of the prosecution.

Vanbuskirk did not enter any pleas and the case was sent to Crown Court at her request.

Lauren Smith, prosecuting, said: 'The flight had to be diverted back to London Heathrow, causing 4,000 worth of fuel to be discarded for the flight to land back at Heathrow.'

Vanbuskirk was arrested at Heathrow after the flight was turned back as it passed over the southern part of the Irish Republic about an hour into the journey.

She was released on conditional bail to appear at Isleworth Crown Court next month. She was also ordered to surrender her passport to police and not apply for any travel documents.
A second group of workers on London Underground are to strike next month over a breakdown in industrial relations, threatening travel chaos in the capital.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on the Central Line will walk out on November 7, it was announced today.

It is the same day as a strike by the union on the Piccadilly Line in a similar dispute.

A previous Central Line strike causes chaos at Liverpool Street train station on October 5

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: 'Industrial relations on the Central Line have been at breaking point for some time now and the failure of the management to address the issues, and a conscious decision to up the ante by attempting to single out and pick off individual members of staff, has tipped the situation over the edge and has led to the announcement of strike action today.

'There is a growing culture on London Underground that revolves around refusing to employ enough drivers, bullying staff and expecting our members to pick up the pieces when the service breaks down.

'RMT members on the Central Line have made it clear that they have had enough and are prepared to stand up and fight for workplace respect and justice.

'Tube bosses are well aware of the level of anger on the job and it's down to them to take the situation seriously and engage in genuine talks around reaching a solution to the current disputes.'

Nick Dent, director of line operations for London Underground, told MailOnline: 'The strike action called by both RMT and Aslef on November 7 is totally unjustified.

'Our commitment to the safety of our customers and staff is absolute and something we will never compromise on.

Members of the RMT union on the Central Line (file picture) will walk out on November 7

'I urge the unions to call off this entirely unnecessary strike action which will only cause disruption to our customers.'

It comes as rail passengers on South Western Railway routes hit by a guards strike were advised not to travel today because of a signal failure.

SWR services into London Waterloo, Britain's biggest station, were already being disrupted by the second day of a five-day walkout by members of the RMT union.

SWR sent another message to passengers saying all lines in the Woking area and part of Basingstoke station will be closed all day on Sunday for track maintenance.

The signal failure today caused travel chaos for tens of thousands of passengers, and many vented their anger and frustration on social media today.

The disruption followed days of delays on trains into London Paddington last week after a test train brought down overhead lines.

A previous Central line strike on October 5 and 6 caused commuter chaos with many passengers forced to walk or take alternative routes to get to work.
The suspected murderers of Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from travelling to Britain, Theresa May said today.

The Prime Minister revealed she would speak to King Salman of Saudi Arabia later today to tell him Britain does not find the explanation of the killing 'credible'.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid will cancel any outstanding visas held by the suspected murderers, Mrs May told the Commons.

The suspected murderers of Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from travelling to Britain, Theresa May said today

Mrs May told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: 'We condemn the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest possible terms and after his disappearance we made clear that Saudi Arabia must co-operate with Turkey and conduct a full and credible investigation.

'The claim that has been made that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation so there does remain an urgent need to establish what has happened in relation to this.'

She added that she would speak to King Salman on Wednesday and Home Secretary Sajid Javid is 'taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK'.

'If these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today,' she told MPs.

Mrs May confirmed no minister or official was in Saudi Arabia today for a major trade conference. Trade Secretary Liam Fox cancelled plans to attend last week.

The announcement on the visas follows similar measures taken by the United States.

Mrs May told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: 'We condemn the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest possible terms'

Mrs May intervention comes after it emerged former defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon has taken a 75,000 a year job advising a major investor in Saudi Arabia.

Sir Michael is earning a staggering 788 an hour working eight hours a month for Investcorp's advisory board.

The company describes itself as 'one of the largest managers of private equity investments in Saudi Arabia'.

The job, which started on September 24, will raise further questions about the closeness of British politicians to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

The details were revealed today by BuzzFeed News after they were published on Sir Michael's House of Commons register of interests.

Investcorp is based in Bahrain and Sir Michael will bring it 'new perspectives' the firm said.

Sir Michael Fallon (file image) is earning a staggering 788 an hour working eight hours a month for Investcorp's advisory board

The details of Sir Michael's lucrative new job were published on Sir Michael's House of Commons register of interests

Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp, said: 'Our International Advisory Board consists of some of the best minds around the world providing us with guidance on emerging business and policy issues globally.

'We are delighted to add Sir Michael to our International Advisory Board. His business expertise and experience in both the private and public sector will be invaluable to continuing our growth trajectory.'

Sir Michael, said: 'I am pleased to be joining the International Advisory Board at Investcorp.

'Investcorp has established itself as a leader in the global alternative investment sector, and I believe that its commitment to expanding its global footprint and broadening its product offering will catalyze future growth.

'I look forward to contributing to the business as it continues to evolve into a bigger, more diversified alternative investment firm.'

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine told BuzzFeed News, which uncovered Sir Michael's job, that the former minister should consider his position.

She said: 'Following the murky nature of the Khashoggi murder, Michael Fallon should question his deeply uncomfortable connection to Saudi Arabia.

'Saudi Arabia's appalling disregard for human rights must be called out.

'As a former defence secretary, Mr Fallon must be aware of how important it is that we now unite as a country and make it clear to the Saudi regime that its murderous actions will not be tolerated.'
A mother managed to hold her unconscious son's head above the water after a jetty collapsed, trapping them both.

Another woman, 63, was trapped in the water for an hour with her ankle stuck between broken halves of the collapsed concrete slab.

Five relatives were fishing on the Army Jetty at Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island in Western Australia when part of it gave way just before 6.30am on Wednesday.

Sergeant Phil Cartledge said the 11-year-old boy was initially unconscious, when his 48-year-old mother managed to hold his head above the water.

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Five relatives were fishing on the Army Jetty at Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island in Western Australia when part of it gave way just before 6.30am on Wednesday

Sergeant Phil Cartledge said the 11-year-old boy was initially unconscious, when his 48-year-old mother managed to hold his head above the water

A yacht took the boy to shore and the mother managed to swim to shore.

David Hawks told Perth Now he heard the crack of concrete and screams before he jumped into his dinghy to assist in the rescue.

'I found the mum with her arm holding up a boy whose face was just above the waterline,' he said

'He was not responsive, he wasn't saying anything, he was moaning and the mother was being held, as I now realised, by the father some how or other through the jetty.'

Meanwhile, another woman was trapped in the water for an hour after her ankle caught between the broken halves of the collapsed concrete slab.

Emergency services had to rescue the 63-year-old.

'We had to jam the slab up to free the woman, then swim her (100 metres) to shore,' Sgt Cartledge said.

Both women were flown to Royal Perth Hospital to be treated for lower leg injuries.

They remain in a stable condition.

The boy was left with head injuries and a fractured ankle. He was flown to Perth Children's Hospital in a stable condition.

The two men who were also on the jetty managed to avoid falling into the water.

Opposition leader Mike Nahan said the former government had planned to demolish the jetty and replace it with a marina.

Opposition leader Mike Nahan said the former government had planned to demolish the jetty and replace it with a marina

A 2014 report estimated the replacement cost of the jetty at Rottnest Island (pictured) to be around $3 million

A 2014 report estimated the replacement cost to be around $3 million. It flagged 'maintenance issues, which need to be addressed to ensure their ongoing structural integrity, requiring substantial investment.'

Though, Labor put the plans on ice to focus on tourism marketing spending.

'It spent the money trying to attract people to the island rather than making sure the island's infrastructure was safe for them to come - serious mismanagement,' he told reporters.

Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly said the Department of Transport was likely to carry out an investigation.

A Rottnest Island Authority spokesperson noted the area had been closed off to the public.

They will also jump-start a structural assessment once the area is considered safe.
A father whose wife died hours after giving birth to their child has been awarded 1million in compensation.

The unnamed man has been raising two daughters under the age of two after a series of 'appalling' blunders by staff at a hospital run by The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

The man's wife, known only in documents as Mrs V, died after a catalogue of failures from not testing for sepsis to allocating her to the team's most junior doctor.

Despite showing early signs of illness, hours after her caesarean section, the mother-of-two died at Barnet Hospital from sepsis.

When staff should have been testing her for the condition, she was instead given painkillers and peppermint water for wind.

The woman was failed at Barnet Hospital where she died from sepsis hours after giving birth to her second daughter

There were more blunders when she was finally rushed seriously ill to intensive care.

The dad's lawyer Olive Lewin said: 'Nothing can bring back my client's wife, who suffered appalling care at the hands of Barnet Hospital.

'Numerous opportunities were missed to diagnose sepsis, which would have saved her life and allowed her the chance to see her daughters grow up.

'Lessons must be learned and procedures improved to ensure this never happens again.'

NHS chiefs have admitted they failed the woman after her successful caesarean section, one day after she arrived in hospital.

Back on the ward the woman - who is not being named - was recorded as having a very high heart rate and a low blood pressure.

These observations should have resulted in calling an experienced doctor but no one was called. There were no recorded observations for five hours

The mother developed abdominal pains which staff said were wind or post-surgery pain.

When she was examined by a doctor she was sweaty and dizzy and had a low blood pressure.

He should have suspected that the mother may have had an internal haemorrhage or sepsis.

No blood tests were taken, which would have alerted the medical staff that the woman had sepsis. Instead the woman was given pain killers and peppermint water.

Nine hours after concerns were first raised the new mother was extremely unwell.

She was described as clammy, unresponsive and her blood pressure was extremely low.

Ms Lewin said: 'There were multiple delays, failure to establish a secure line into the vein so that drugs could be administered, failure to call in consultant support, failure to effectively treat severe sepsis and failure to rapidly transfer her to intensive care.'

The woman was not transferred to intensive care until around two hours later, just before midnight.

Doctors and nurses at Barnet Hospital failed the woman who should have been tested for sepsis, it was found

At the time of transfer she still had no vascular access and following arrival on intensive care the insertion of a central venous line was delegated to the most junior member of the team who could not obtain any access.

When the anaesthetist arrived on intensive care about an hour after she arrived he found the woman still had a low blood pressure, but there was still no vascular access.

In the early hours of the following morning her condition worsened yet she had received no additional 'intensive' care.

She then suffered a further deterioration in her condition followed by cardiac arrest.

Despite attempts to resuscitate her, she died of sepsis leaving her new born baby and a one-year-old daughter without a mother.

NHS bosses made an early admission of liability and the case was settled out of court.

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust accepted that if there hadn't been a delayed diagnosis of sepsis, collapse would have been prevented and the woman would have made a full recovery with a normal life expectancy
Theresa May has promised to crack down on non-disclosure agreements after a top British businessman gagged the press from revealing how he allegedly racially abused and sexually harassed staff in a new MeToo scandal.

The Prime Minister said she would bring forward consultation measures to improve regulation and make it 'absolutely explicit' when the contracts cannot be enforced.

'Non-disclosure agreements cannot stop people from whistleblowing, but it is clear some employers are using them unethically,' she told the Commons on Wednesday.

It is claimed the executive, who cannot be named, used controversial non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to pay off his alleged victims with 'substantial sums'.

But yesterday, The Daily Telegraph was prevented from revealing details by senior judge Sir Terence Etherton and two other appeal judges.

Mrs May told the House it was clear that some companies were using NDAs 'unethically'

After being asked about NDAs in the House of Commons today, Theresa May said some employers were using non-disclosure agreements 'unethically' and hit out at 'abhorrent' sexual harassment in the workplace.

Labour MP Jess Phillips told the Prime Minister: 'It seems that our laws allow rich and powerful men to pretty much do whatever they want as long as they can pay to keep it quiet.'

She asked whether Theresa May agreed with the court's decision.

Mrs May said she could not comment on the ongoing case, but insisted the government is working to tighten regulation of NDAs.

The Prime Minister said: 'Sexual harassment in the workplace is against the law. Such abhorrent behaviour should not be tolerated and an employer that allows that harassment to go un-dealt-with is sending a message about how welcome they [women] are.

MP Jess Phillips brought up the issue in Parliament today, saying 'rich men' can 'pretty much do whatever they want'

'Non-disclosure agreements cannot stop people from whistleblowing but it is clear that some employers are using them unethically.'

It had been thought that Ms Phillips would use parliamentary privilege rules, which mean MPs cannot be prosecuted for statements made in Parliament, to name the man at the centre of the case.

But today the Birmingham MP shied away from revealing the name.

She then tweeted later that she did not know the name of the person.

The decision to prevent publication was slammed by those campaigning against the use of NDAs to cover up wrongdoing.

Zelda Perkins, Harvey Weinstein's former aide, broke an NDA from the 1990s to allege sexual harassment. She told The Telegraph it was 'ridiculous' they had been prevented by reporting the allegations.

She said: 'NDAs have become weaponised. They were originally very useful things to protect commercial property and company secrets which, of course, is fair enough.

'But, in terms of them being used for anything else, there has to be legislation to stop that.

'There is no place for NDAs at all around any of these types of misdemeanours. If that protection is available then it perpetuates that sort of behaviour'.

A leading British businessman has been granted an injunction preventing the revelation of alleged sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff, it was revealed today

How Weinstein's PA was silenced by order Harvey Weinstein's former assistant Zelda Perkins (pictured) signed a non-disclosure agreement after trying to stop the disgraced film mogul's sex abuse 20 years ago. Ms Perkins took action in 1998 after a colleague at his film company Miramax said Weinstein had tried to rape her. She said she thought that reporting his alleged abuse to the firm's family-friendly parent company Disney would result in his dismissal. Instead, she was warned against speaking out  and both women quit their jobs at Weinstein's London office after signing agreements forbidding them to discuss the incident. 'I was made to feel like I was in the wrong for trying to expose his behaviour,' she said earlier this year. Advertisement

Ms Perkins added fewer people 'would be putting their hands up someone's skirt if they knew that they didn't have a get out'.

The Court of Appeal judgment was the latest chapter in a legal saga which began in July this year. The decision overturns a previous High Court ruling which found the allegations to be in the public interest.

NDAs, also known as gagging orders, are typically used in business to protect confidential business matters such as proposed takeovers.

But there are widespread concerns they are now being misused to cover up wrongdoing and stop potential crimes being probed by police.

Maria Miller, chair of the Commons Women and Equality committee, said it was 'shocking' that NDAs were still used to gag victims.

She told The Daily Telegraph they should not be used 'where there are accusations of sexual misconduct and wider bullying'.

If named, accusations against the businessman could breathe new life into the Me Too movement which highlighted the mistreatment of women by powerful employers.

The campaign shook the world last year after disclosures about Harvey Weinstein, the American film producer, brought a cavalcade of allegations against public figures.

Zelda Perkins, former personal assistant to Harvey Weinstein, said non-disclosure agreements were being 'weaponised' and used to give wrongdoers impunity

Previous injunctions hit by publication abroad Court injunctions gagging publication of certain details have previously been undermined by foreign magazines and newspapers making the cases public. Last year, The Sunday Times was prevented from publishing hacked emails between David Beckham and his PR. However, publications in Germany, France and other European countries were not affected and went ahead with the publication. The order was later varied to allow The Times to report matters which were already in the public domain. The outcome was different however in 2016, when British publications were barred from reporting a celebrity couple's involvement in a three-way sexual encounter. Despite the full details being published in the US and Canada, the UK Supreme Court maintained the privacy injunction, ruling that publication in the UK would constitute further breaches of the rights of the couple's children. Advertisement

The judgement by Sir Terence, the second most senior judge in England and Wales, makes it illegal for The Daily Telegraph to divulge the businessman's identity.

Neither can it be revealed what he is accused of doing or how much he paid his alleged victims as part of the gagging order.

The businessman in question has hired a team of at least seven lawyers and spent close to 500,000 in legal fees in the Court.

He is represented by Schillings, the legal firm which has worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lance Armstrong and Ryan Giggs. Each of these stars also has a history of using NDAs to mute claims of wrongdoing.

In a 32-page ruling published yesterday, the Court of Appeal simply refers to the businessman as 'ABC'.

The claims are classified as 'discreditable conduct' and the interim injunction order states five cases received 'substantial payments' as part of NDAs.

However, The Telegraph told the Court of Appeal there is a clear public interest in publishing the allegations to warn prospective employees. But the Court has ruled against the newspaper.

The campaign shook the world last year after disclosures about Harvey Weinstein, the American film producer, brought a cavalcade of allegations against public figures.

What are non-disclosure agreements and why are they controversial? Non-Disclosure Agreements is a catch-all term for agreements that include confidentiality clauses  sometimes referred to as gagging clauses. They are meant to be used to stop confidential information like trade secrets leaking out when someone leaves a company or organisation. But they have sparked a storm of criticism as employers have often used them to cover up improper conduct and gag their former employees. They have often been used by employed to gag those who make allegations of sexual harassment. They have also been used to cover up improper, discriminatory or even illegal behaviour. Parliament's women and equalities committee, headed by Tory MP Maria Miller, is investigating how they work and whether they are being misused. Advertisement

The earlier High Court ruling, which allowed the businessman to be named, found that publication of the allegations would contribute to debate in a democratic society.

Justice Haddon-Cave, a top terror judge, concluded 'in all the circumstances, the public interest in publication outweighs any confidentiality attaching to the information'.

But the Appeal Court judges Sir Terence Etherton, Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Henderson disagreed with the earlier decision.

The judgment said: 'We entirely endorse the [High Court] Judge's statements as to the importance of freedom of political debate, the right of freedom of expression, the essential role played by the press in a democratic society...and the important public concern about misbehaviour in the workplace as well as the legitimacy of non-disclosure agreements and other legal devices for 'gagging' disclosure by victims.

'The Judge has, however, left entirely out of account the important and legitimate role played by non-disclosure agreements in the consensual settlement of disputes, both generally but in particular in the employment field.'

The allegations would reignite the #MeToo movement in the UK, but a gagging order prevents the press from reporting on them
Darwin law student Sabrina Di Lembo, 19 took her own life in August last year

The heartbroken parents of a bright young university law student who took her own life have raised questions about the gaps in mental health services.

Sabrina Di Lembo had won two scholarships and was achieving high marks at university but began suffering depression and anxiety including regular daily panic attacks ahead of her exams in May 2017.

She saw three practitioners in one day and told different stories to each just weeks before she took her own life the night in August last year.

Ms Di Lembo was due to go to the Darwin Cup with friends the next day.

On the second day of her inquest on Wednesday, questions were raised about why she was not referred by two GPs to a psychiatrist when she did not improve and began having 'suicidal ideation'.

Her parents Lidia and Michael said her tragic death was avoidable and hope to draw attention to the gaps in mental health services in the Northern Territory.

An inquest has heard that Sabrina Di Lembo (pictured) saw three practitioners in one day and told different stories to each just weeks before she took her own life

'Sabrina was just a normal 19-year-old girl just striving to do well in life,' Mrs Di Lembo said.'

'She was very happy to be such a high achiever, we were so proud of her ... what happened to her was out of the blue, it really just rocked her world and turned our world upside down as well with what happened in the end.'

There were issues about whether the medical care and treatment of Sabrina by her medical providers was appropriate and the coordination between GPs and psychologists, counsel assisting the coroner Kelvin Currie said.

A Medicare mental health care plan was not written for her, despite her emotional issues, which entitles patients to rebates for expensive psychological treatment.

Communication between a psychologist she saw and her doctors was limited and only via email.

Dr Kara Britz from the Tristar Clinic in Darwin did not take any notes or get Ms Di Lembo to fill out a health department psychological assessment, telling the inquest she preferred a more 'informal approach' with patients than 'ticking boxes'.

Sabrina's parents Lidia and Michael (pictured) said her tragic death was avoidable and hope to draw attention to the gaps in mental health services in the Northern Territory

She prescribed 37.5mg of the antidepressant efexor, which was half the standard amount.

The inquest also heard Dr Britz is in her ninth year as a trainee GP, having failed several exams due to a learning disorder.

'Unfortunately I have not been successful in passing these exams on multiple occasions,' Dr Britz told the inquest.

Tristar's medical director Bernard Westley also gave evidence after being threatened with arrest when he failed to turn up at the inquest.

He discouraged Ms Di Lembo from seeing a specialist, telling her parents that 'if you have got $700 an hour I can give you the name of a psychiatrist in Palmerston'.

Dr Westley told the inquest it was not possible to refer all patients with 'suicidal ideation' to a psychiatrist.

'She was very happy to be such a high achiever, we were so proud of her ... what happened to her was out of the blue, it really just rocked her world and turned our world upside down as well with what happened in the end,' Lidia Di Lembo said. Pictured is her daughter Sabrina

'We'd overwhelm the system,' he said.

'In urban Melbourne, that would be excellent advice. I would disagree with that advice in Darwin.'

He agreed with counsel assisting the coroner Kelvin Currie, who suggested using that language to a young woman suffering from mental health issues was wrong.

When Ms Di Lembo took herself off her medication, Dr Westley did not tell her to start taking it again despite it being recommended that patients wean themselves off antidepressants.

The coronial inquest into the death of Sabrina Di Lembo (pictured) continues on Thursday

'She was engaging resources, appeared stable, had protective, supportive mechanisms in place and a clear treatment plan,' Dr Westley said, when asked why he deemed her case not urgent.

The inquest also heard that Ms Di Lembo made contact with the Top End Mental Health Service, where psychiatrist Dr David Chapman made recommendations for the teen's care without speaking to her on the phone or in person.

Her file with the Top End Mental Health Service was closed several weeks before her death because she seemed happy and bright during a phone call with a clinician.

Ms Di Lembo visited clinicians at a number of health services, including Top End Mental Health Service (pictured)

Dr Chapman apologised to the Di Lembo family at the inquest, ABC reported.

'I should have made the time. I apologise to Sabrina's family for not doing so,' Dr Chapman said.

Final inquest submissions will be heard on Thursday.

'We want to learn from all we've heard, rather than engage in a blame game,' Coroner Greg Cavanagh said.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.
Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of commercial and community ports within the emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as Fujairah Terminals and Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), kicked off Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Week 2018, its annual CSR event which launched last year under the theme of sustainability.



The three-day event which kicked off yesterday (October 23) will run until October 25, at Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal in Zayed Port.



The event is being held in collaboration with Capital Health Screening Centre, a Mubadala Company (CHSC) and National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC).



In line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 to create a sustainable economy, the stakeholder event aims to raise local community awareness, encourage partner and customer engagement and promote knowledge sharing and a strong health, safety, and environment (HSE) culture amongst corporations in Abu Dhabi, said a statement.



Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, chief executive officer, Abu Dhabi Ports, said: The HSE week launched to great acclaim last year, and having a second edition of this annual event is a testament to its early success.



We recognise that to be a truly world-class organisation we must work hard to continually improve our health, safety and environmental performance, in collaboration with strong local advocates. We believe this initiative supports the efforts of the countrys leadership and helps move forward the dynamic HSE dialogue in Abu Dhabi in the right direction, he added.



This year, under the theme Occupational Health & Hygiene, together for a bright future, the event is dedicated to employee wellbeing and productivity to help further enhance the working environment in the emirate for members of all communities. The activities planned for the three days are wide-ranging and involve 2,000 participants; from research competition, innovation projects, medical screening, blood donation, flu vaccination, dental check-up, awareness lectures and presentations (Nutrition, Lifestyle, Ergonomics, Chronic Disorders), and demonstration of simulators in health fields, to exhibitions by HSE suppliers showcasing audiogram, spirometry, and other innovative mobile trucks for air quality monitoring, and health screening.



Haitham Al Subaihi, acting chief executive officer at Capital Health Screening Centre, said: We are excited to partner with Abu Dhabi Ports on its flagship CSR initiative, which this year is aimed at promoting employee health and wellbeing in Abu Dhabi.



We are offering complementary medical screenings to as many as 2,000 participants at the event. As a part of one of the six Mubadala Healthcare assets that is committed to deliver sustainable healthcare solutions, and we are proud to partner with Abu Dhabi Ports to help raise awareness of occupational illnesses within the industrial sector, to ensure that Abu Dhabi is and will continue to remain a healthy city in which to live and work for all its residents, he added.



Yasser Zaghloul, chief executive officer, Abu Dhabi National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC), said: We are excited to partner with Abu Dhabi Ports on its flagship CSR initiative, which this year is aimed at promoting employee health and wellbeing in Abu Dhabi.



We are a responsible corporate citizen with demonstrated excellence in quality, health, safety and environment (QHSE) which is the cornerstone of a pervasive corporate culture within the organisation, he said.



Safety and health of our employees, visitors and guests are the embedded values in the organisation. We constantly strive to minimize environmental impact from our activities and our HSE policy aims at ensuring safety of public, employees, plant, equipment and third parties, he added.



The event also welcomes representatives and exhibitors from local academic institutes such as Abu Dhabi University, Zayed University, Fatima Medical Science College, Khalifa University, NYUAD, Abu Dhabi Vocational and Training Institute (ADVETI), and Rawafed Private International School, with the aim to drive collaboration on sustainable thinking and innovation between academia and businesses.



Other exhibitors include LLH Hospital a unit of VPS Healthcare; Abu Dhabi ladies Club; Fitness First; Pink Caravan  Breast Cancer Awareness; Low Calories Nutrition; Al Rahma Association; Bynuna Gate  HSE supplier; Midas Safety; and 3M.



To encourage further engagement, Abu Dhabi Ports is hosting a competition for the university students; inviting them to showcase projects, research papers and innovations related to sustainability and socio-economic development.



The best academic research paper submission is set to receive a valuable award. The competition winner will be announced during the closing ceremony on 25th October at 1 pm.



The event features other attendees from government entities, business partners and port customers including, Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHAD), Abu Dhabi City Municipality, Abu Dhabi Department of Health, SEHA, Abu Dhabi Police, ADNOC. Invitation has also been extended to the broader community, including Abu Dhabi government employees and customers, universities and schools students as well as KIZAD investors.



The event sponsors are Al Nasr Contracting Company and Emirates Stevedoring Company, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
President Donald Trump invoked Europe in his latest defense of his hardline immigration tactics that he claimed this week are keeping criminals and Middle Easterners from entering the country illegally as part of a caravan.

'For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again,' he said.

Trump has long claimed that terrorism on the continent is directly related to the European Union's free flow of people and and furthered by policies in Germany and other nations where migrants are welcomed with open arms.

'We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!' he declared on Wednesday, refusing to back down.

President Trump invoked Europe in his latest defense of his hardline immigration tactics

Trump claimed this week that he's keeping criminals and Middle Easterners from entering the country illegally as part of a caravan

Trump has made immigration his No. 1 campaign issue and deployed new rhetoric this week that there are 'tough criminal elements' in a caravan of Honduran migrants headed to the United States by way of Mexico

He also claimed there 'could very well could be' Middle Easterners mixed in with the masses in a not-so-subtle suggestion that the group seeking refuge in the United States could be a Trojan Horse

Trump has made immigration his No. 1 campaign issue and deployed new rhetoric this week that there are 'tough criminal elements' in a caravan of Honduran migrants headed to the United States by way of Mexico.

He also claimed there 'could very well could be' Middle Easterners mixed in with the masses in a not-so-subtle suggestion that the group seeking refuge in the United States could be a Trojan Horse.

'There's no proof of anything, there's no proof of anything but they very well could be,' Trump said of his claim that Middle Easterners could have be hiding among the migrants at a bill signing on Tuesday in the Oval Office.

He also called forward Vice President Mike Pence to talk about the caravan of over 7,000 migrants making their way from Central America, through Mexico and to the United States border.

Pence made the unverified allegation the migrants were formed by leftist groups and paid for by the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, saying Honduran President Juan Hernandez told him so.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday admitted he has no proof there are Middle Easterners in the caravan of migrants headed to the Unites States but said there 'could very well could be.'

Vice President Mike Pence made the unverified allegation the migrants were formed by leftist groups and paid for by the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro

'At the president's direction, I spoke to President Hernandez of Honduras. He told me that the caravan that is now making its way through Mexico, headed for the southern border was organized by leftist organizations and financed by Venezuela,' Pence said.

Trump interrupted him to add the Democrats were also to blame, an allegation he first made at his rally in Houston on Monday night.

'And the Democrats maybe? And the Democrats,' Trump said as some of the aides, staff, and lawmakers with him in the Oval Office for the bill signing laughed.

'Well,' Pence began but before he could finish a reporter asked Trump what proof he had Democrats were behind the mass migration.

'You know what?,' Trump responded, 'You're going to find out. And we're going to see. Maybe they made a bad mistake, too. We're going to find out about that.'

Trump also argued that based on the size of the crowd of migrants, there was a 'very good chance' some Middle Easterner people were in it.

'I think there's a very good chance, honestly, that you have people in there. I also think there is a very good chance that over a course of a period of time you have, or they don't necessarily have to be in that group. But certainly you have people coming up through the southern border, from the Middle East and other places that are not appropriate for our country. And I'm not letting them in. They're not coming in. All right? They're not coming in. We're going to do whatever we have to,' he said.

Trump was signing Americas Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.

Trump has made the migrant caravan an election issue in the midterms

Vice President Mike Pence defended President Donald Trump's claim there are Middle Easterners in the caravan of migrants headed to the United States from Central America, saying it's 'inconceivable' there wouldn't be

Lawmakers at the bill signing included Republican Sens. John Boozman and John Barrasso to the president's right and Democrat Sens. Tom Carper and Ben Cardin to his left.

Further to his right were Republican Reps. Gregg Harper, Jeff Denham, Greg Walden, and on his left were also Rep. Garret Graves, representatives from the Army and the chief of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Trump turned the conversation back over to Pence, who earlier in the day had defended Trump's claim there are Middle Easterners in the caravan of migrants headed to the United States from Central America, saying it's 'inconceivable' there wouldn't be.

Pence repeated his inconceivable line in the Oval Office.

'The United States of America intervenes and prevents ten terrorists or suspected terrorists from coming into our country every day. So it is inconceivable that there would not be individuals from the Middle East as a part of this growing caravan,' the vice president said.

He made a similar remark at an event held by the Washington Post earlier in the day: 'It's inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border.'

Pence also cited a number at The Washington Post event that got some attention.

'There's statistics on this: in the last fiscal year we apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day in our Southern border from countries that are referred to in the lexicon as 'other than Mexico' - that means from the Middle East region,' he added.

The group of migrants, which started in Honduras and has grown on its journey though Central America and into Mexico, is continuing their march with the United Nations estimating there are some 7,200 people in the crowd

I dare you: President Donald Trump challenged a TV reporter on Monday to take his camera crew into the migrant caravan in southern Mexico and declared that they would find drug cartel gangsters and Middle Easterners mixed in with asylum-seekers from Central America

Trump on Monday dared a TV reporter to go with his camera crew to southern Mexico, promising that they would find drug cartel gangsters and out-of-place Middle Easterners embedded in a massive column of migrants aiming to cross the border into the U.S.

'I have reports that they've got a lot of everybody in that group. It's a horrible thing,' Trump told journalists on the South Lawn of the White House as he left for a Texas campaign rally.

Pence defended the claim, adding unverified allegations the migrants were formed by leftist groups and paid for by the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

'The idea they would not be in this large throng that the president of Honduras told me was organized by leftist groups in Honduras, financed by Venezuela, and sent North to challenge our sovereignty and challenge our border. And now it's grown,' Pence said.

'We're going to do everything in our power to prevent this caravan from coming north and violating our border,' he said.

But the statistic the vice president used - claiming 10 suspects terrorists are apprehended per day - has come under doubt, with fact checkers and government reports saying that number applies to incidents at all U.S. points of entry and not just the border with Mexico.

Pence made a similar claim in February about how many suspected terrorists were being nabbed at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he claimed was seven per day.

The fact-checking website Politifact researched his assertion and rated it a 'Pants on Fire' - their worst rating.

'Nationally in 2017, the federal government says, Homeland Security stopped 2,554 individuals on its terrorist watch list from entering the country, which breaks out to seven people a day. Most of those individuals tried to enter by air, the government says,' the website noted.

In June, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defined the 10 number even further, saying they were people blocked from entering the United States, indicating it included individuals on the no-fly list and not merely those suspected of being a terrorist.

'The result is that we are identifying and stopping terror suspects who would otherwise have gone undetected. In fact, on average, my Department now blocks 10 known or suspected terrorists a day from traveling to or attempting to enter the United States,' she said.

In a statement to The Post, Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah noted the number the vice president cited applies to all U.S. points of entry.

'In 2017 alone the U.S. apprehended on average between 10 suspected terrorists a day attempting to enter the country illegally. And those are just the ones that we catch. It's inconceivable that this caravan - which is being broadcast around the globe - hasn't already been infiltrated by individuals with ties to extremism,' she said.

And The Washington Post's fact checker found that Trump's own State Department released a report in July 2017 that said there was 'no credible information that any member of a terrorist group has traveled through Mexico to gain access to the United States.'

The 10 terrorists a day stat has been used before by the White House to back up the president's claim.

On Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was asked if President Trump had 'credible evidence' there were Middle Easterners in the caravan.

Honduran migrants taking part in a new caravan heading to the US, arrive to Chiquimula, Guatemala, on October 22

Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the U.S., rest at the main square in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico, on October 21, 2018

She used the 10-terrorists a day number but seemed to apply it to all points of entry in the U.S.

'Absolutely and we know this is a continual problem. It's not just in this. We have 10 individuals suspected or known to be terrorists trying to enter our country every day. This is a problem the president has been talking about a long time,' she said to reporters outside the White House.

The group of migrants, which started in Honduras and has grown on its journey though Central America and into Mexico, is continuing their march with the United Nations estimating there are some 7,200 people in the crowd.

However, they are still at least 1,140 miles from the nearest border crossing at McAllen, Texas, the Associated Press notes, and the length of their journey could more than double if they go to Tijuana-San Diego instead.

A team of AP journalists traveling with the caravan for more than a week has spoken with Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans, but has not met any Middle Easterners, who Trump suggested were 'mixed in' with the Central American migrants, the wire service noted.

However it also pointed out that more and more people join the march by the day.

Most migrants leave Central American counties to flee poverty and persecution.
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Migrants marching en masse towards the US have ridiculed Donald Trump's suggestion that their sprawling caravan had been infiltrated by terrorists - telling DailyMail.com: 'We are workers not ISIS.'

President Trump continues to maintain the 7,000-plus human convoy trudging north through Mexico likely contains 'criminals and unknown Middle Easterners'.

But his comments were met with scorn here in the dusty, tumbledown tent camp that has sprung up across the southern city of Huixtla, where the caravan paused briefly for migrants to rest and seek medical care.

'It's a complete invention,' scoffed Honduran Augustine Bonilla, 27.

'Donald Trump just doesn't like immigrants. In my country there is violence and no work. We are fleeing from the same criminals he is complaining about.'

Honduran immigrants marching towards the US border have hit back at Trump's comments after he suggested there were 'criminals and unknown middle easterners' in the caravan. Pictured above is Denis Arjijo, 40, Wendy Gonzalez, 28, and their four kids, twins Jordi and Jonni 17, Keneth, 10, and four-year-old April, who have trekked more than 500 miles on foot

Thousands of Hondurans, fleeing poverty and violence, took a day of rest and sought medical care in Huixtla, Chiapas, Mexico on Tuesday while making their way north. Their temporary home was Huixtla's parque central, where more than a migrants bedded down on flattened cardboard boxes, sheltering beneath makeshift canopies built from ropes and plastic tarps

Migrants were seen relaxing and playing cards on the streets of Huixtla. The caravan still has another 1,100 miles to go before they get to the closest stretch of US border in McAllen, Texas

Hondurans Inez Rodriguez (left) 61, and Augustine Bonilla (right) 27, both slammed Trump's recent comments. 'Trump thinks we are the same as Arabs because of our skin color,' Rodriguez said. 'There was never an organization behind this - it's the poor standing up for themselves'

President Trump and Vice President Pence also alleged Tuesday that the migrant caravan was being financed by leftist groups allied to despised Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro and 'the Democrats'

His defiance was echoed by fellow Honduran Inez Rodriguez, 61, who told DailyMail.com: 'Trump thinks we are the same as Arabs because of our skin color.

'But there is no conspiracy. There is no bearded guy in a cave calling the shots. The caravan started when 50 of the poorest people got together and said enough is enough.

'There was never an organization behind this - it's the poor standing up for themselves.'

Vice President Mike Pence also alleged Tuesday that the migrant caravan was being financed by leftist groups allied to despised Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro.

Trump chimed in as Pence made the claims during a bill signing at the Oval Office, the president adding: 'And the Democrats maybe? And the Democrats.'

Neither have offered any evidence or names of alleged conspirators.

A previous caravan that marched across Mexico to the US border in April was organized by activists from Pueblas Sin Fronteras who have staged similar events since 2010.

But while the group's operatives are once more on the front line they claim they are merely supporting the thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, not coordinating them.

'We joined at the very beginning. I saw on the news that people were gathering. I read about it on Facebook,' said Wendy Gonzalez, 28, who one week ago abandoned her home in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, in search of a new life.

Since then she, her husband Denis Arjijo, 40, and their four kids, twins Jordi and Jonni, 17, Keneth, 10, and four-year-old April, have trekked more than 500 miles on foot, first through gang-plagued Guatemala then across the border to Mexico.

Thousands more were camped on sidewalks and squares across the small rural town of 32,000 inhabitants, 40 miles north of the Mexico-Guatemala border

Pictured above, Honduran migrants are seen lining up to receive sustenance handed out by Mexican volunteers. Some have been working 72 hours straight handing out food and water, with church groups and local volunteers joining in the relief effort

Ignacio Arrazola, 38, a licensed psychologist and representative from the Sistema Municipal de Protection Civil said there had been reports of migrants drinking and taking drugs but no widespread disorder, and said 'It's not surprising that some of these people have problems'

Caravan: As many as 7,000 people are now traveling in the caravan which was seen from the air in Tapachula, in southern Mexico - still 1,600 miles from the US border

Their temporary home Tuesday night was Huixtla's parque central, where more than a thousand migrants bedded down on flattened cardboard boxes, sheltering beneath makeshift canopies built from ropes and plastic tarps.

Thousands more were camped on sidewalks and squares across the small rural town of 32,000 inhabitants, 40 miles north of the Mexico-Guatemala border.

They have another 1,100 miles to go before they get to the closest stretch of US border in McAllen, Texas.

'I feel safe here. We are workers, not terrorists. Just people trying to better our lives,' said Wendy, who says she will only go as far as Mexico City, where she has family.

'I've never met anybody from the Middle East in my whole life. Trump's suggestion is just stupid. It's really poor people he doesn't like and people with dark skin.'

The caravan is said to have begun 'spontaneously' in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on October 12 when local TV reported a group of 150 migrants getting ready to leave.

By the time they crossed into Mexico one week later - largely unhindered - the column had swollen to 7,200 participants, sparking a flurry of angry Tweets from President Trump and igniting political debate ahead of the US midterm elections.

Supporters say the migrants are fleeing persecution and banding together so they are not preyed upon by gangs but Trump plans to 'send as many troops as necessary' to the US border to repel what he describes as an 'assault'.

The president has been equally scathing of the apparent inaction of the Mexican government, whose latest estimates suggest the caravan's numbers have fallen to 4,500 as people either go home or apply for asylum locally.

Medical workers from the city's municipal clinic treated 538 migrants Monday for a variety of ailments from welts, blisters, coughs and fevers

Dr Gloria Olvera Hernandez, who helped provide medical supports to the migrants said, 'Our big fear is that the people could bring an epidemic of dengue, zika or cholera'

Supporters say the migrants are fleeing persecution and banding together so they are not preyed upon by gangs. Above they are seen camping out on the sidewalk in the Mexican city

A clown entertains children and families as Central American migrants. The Municipality of Huixtla organized various activities and health facilities for the migrants as they took a rest in their city for 24 hours

However, city officials in Huixtla told DailyMail.com that as many as 5,000 migrants had traipsed into town over the past three days, many relying on handouts and aid agencies for survival.

Ignacio Arrazola, a licensed psychologist and representative from the Sistema Municipal de Protection Civil, said there had been reports of migrants drinking and taking drugs but no widespread disorder.

'It's not surprising that some of these people have problems,' he told DailyMail.com. 'Many of them have emotionally collapsed because they have had to leave families and terrible situations.'

A colleague, Elizabeth Marroquin, said she had been working 72 hours straight handing out food and water, with church groups and local volunteers joining in the relief effort.

'I don't have time to read what the President of the US has been saying on Twitter,' she said. 'They are thirsty and tired. It's a travesty they have had to leave their countries and do this.'

Medical workers from the city's municipal clinic treated 538 migrants Monday for a variety of ailments from welts, blisters, coughs and fevers.

They treated more than a thousand Tuesday handing out antibiotics, painkillers, electrolytes and other essential medicines.

'Our big fear is that the people could bring an epidemic of dengue, zika or cholera,' said Dr Gloria Olvera Hernandez. 'Right now we have all these diseases controlled in Mexico. But if it exists elsewhere it could come here.'

Medical workers treated more than a thousand Tuesday handing out antibiotics, painkillers, electrolytes and other essential medicines

Many have walked more than 500 miles so far and have been traveling for nearly two weeks. Trump has said he plans to 'send as many troops as necessary' to the US border to repel what he describes as an 'assault'

Local civil protection workers and migrants clean the streets as Central American migrants make their way north

Melvin Alvarez, 24, a male traveling alone, denies ever being in a gang and said the suggestion he posed a threat was risible

Best friends Maria Sanchez (left) and Mariela Rodriguez (right) are only 16 years old and left their home country with the blessing of their families

Despite the searing 92F heat and inhospitable conditions, many of the migrants quizzed about their plans by DailyMail.com vowed to press on rather than return to a bleak future in their homeland.

Melvin Alvarez, 24, a male traveling alone, denied ever being in a gang and said the suggestion he posed a threat was risible.

He joined the caravan in Guatemala City, crossed the Suchiate River into Mexico by using a plank of wood as a makeshift raft and says he'll seek asylum in Mexico if he can't make it all the way to the US.

'I was actually making the journey alone when I heard about the group and joined. There's strength in numbers, we are protected from the gangs and the bandits,' he said.

Sitting quietly on the sun-cracked steps of the parque central, best friends Maria Sanchez and Mariela Rodriguez, epitomize the mix of despair and determination running through the camp.

The pair are only 16 and yet have travelled alone with the caravan with the blessing of their families back in Colon, Honduras.

'I've been walking for nine days. I have not had any problems, the men treat us with respect. I'm not worried because I'm accompanied by the hand of God,' said Mariela.

'My mom cried when I told her I was leaving. Since I crossed the border into Mexico I haven't had a phone. She doesn't know if I am dead or alive.'

Wiping tears from her eyes, Maria added: 'I keep walking because there is no future for me in Honduras. I'm going to walk all the way to the United States.

'I hope the people there will have good in their hearts and welcome me. I have faith they will accept us.'
A pregnant Minnesota woman has been hailed as a hero for saving her husband's life when he suffered a cardiac arrest at their home, just hours before she was scheduled to go into labor.

Ashley and Andrew Goette, both 28 from West St Paul, were getting ready to welcome their first child together after two years of marriage and several unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant when on the morning of October 16, the wife awakened to find her husband gasping for air.

Ashley, who was 39 weeks pregnant, called 911 and had the dispatcher walk her through CPR.

Ashley and Andrew Goette (left), both 28 from Minnesota, were getting ready to welcome their first child together when the husband went into cardiac arrest on October 16

Ashley performed CPR on her husband and called 911 right away, but by the time paramedics arrived, Andrew had been without oxygen for a long time (pictured in the hospital)

By the time paramedics responded to their home, Andrew was in full cardiac arrest and had been deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time, raising the specter of severe brain damage, if he were to survive at all.

First responders restarted the man's heart with a defibrillator and rushed him to United Hospital, where initial CT and MRI scans pointed to catastrophic brain injury.

When I left the house, part of me had to come to terms that he wouldnt be coming home to me, Ashley told Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Doctors treating Andrew prepared his wife and the rest of his family for the very likely outcome that he would not wake up.

They told Ashley to start thinking about hospice care for Andrew and prepare herself for the possibility of having to make the devastating decision to end his life.

But Ashley was not ready to give up on the man whom she has known and loved from the time she was 15, and whose baby was now stirring in her womb.

Ashley was told by doctors to prepare for the worst. Instead, she stayed by Andrew's side while he was in a coma (left) and promised to delay the induction so he could meet his son

A couple of days after his medical emergency, Andrew woke up and showed no signs of a major brain injury. He eventually joined Ashley in the delivery room (pictured)

I dont remember my life before him, and I didnt want to think about what my life was going to be like without him, she later said.

Over the next 24 hours, the medical team put Andrew into a medically induced coma and lowered his body temperature to give his brain a chance to heal.

Throughout this harrowing ordeal, Ashley was by his side. Instead of undergoing induction as planned, she promised her unconscious husband that she would wait to deliver their son until he could meet him.

The following day, the medics re-warmed Andrew's body and took him off of life support. During that process, the father-to-be began to twitch.

A nurse then gave him a verbal command to open his eyes, which to everyones surprise, he did.

Responding to the nurse's prompts, Andrew squeezed his wife's hand, wiggled his toes and raised his thumbs.

Andrew watched on FaceTime his son's birth via emergency C-section. He then got to cuddle with baby Lennon, born on October 20 (right)

Against overwhelming odds, Andrew is expected to make a full recovery, and all three Goettes will soon be going home

As Andrew continued his improbable recovery over the next 36 hours, his wife was taken to the maternity ward on the floor below her husband's hospital room.

Determined to make sure that Andrew is there to welcome his son, hospital staff arranged for him to be moved into his wife's delivery room.

But the Goettes still had to face one more major hurdle: the labor induction stalled and doctors were forced to perform an emergency Cesarean section on Ashley.

While Andrew could not be present in the operating room because of space limitations, he got to witness the birth of his son via FaceTime.

At 5.16am on October 20, Andrew and Ashley welcomed baby Lennon, who was born at 6lbs, 14 ounces.

Just minutes after emerging into the world, doctors brought the newborn to cuddle with his dad, who still had electrodes hooked up to his chest.

On Monday, Andrew underwent surgery on his heart to correct his arrhythmia likely caused by a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which nearly killed him a week prior.

The procedure was a success and the Goettes are expected be discharged home by weeks end.

Andrew and Ashley first met when they were 15. They got married in 2016 and spent more than a year struggling to conceive

Dr Alex Teeters, who treated Andrew at the hospital, credited Ashley with saving her husbands life by recognizing that something was wrong and immediately calling for help.

I don't think Andrew would be here today if it wasn't for the actions of Ashley, he told MPR News.

The family have launched a GoFundMe page to help with Andrew's mounting medical costs.

The campaign description says that while the newly minted dad has medical insurance, it will not cover all of his expenses and lost wages.

Andrew earns a living as a plumber and his wife works as a teachers aide for elementary school-aged children with disabilities.
Susan Zirinsky (above) is reportedly the front-runner to take over at 60 Minutes

Some 60 Minutes correspondents are in open revolt over the prospect of the woman portrayed in the 1987 film Broadcast News leading their insular show, according to a new report.

Several top correspondents called up members of the CBS board over the weekend to gripe about the prospect of Susan Zirinsky taking over as 60 Minutes executive producer, sources told the New York Post.

Some even threatened to resign over reports that Zirinsky had become the front-runner to replace Jeff Fager, who was fired last month for threatening a CBS News reporter attempting to report on sexual misconduct allegations against him.

At issue is said to be Zirinsky's pedigree as longtime executive producer of 48 Hours, the lurid true-crime series focused on serial killers and murder mysteries - a program that some of the august correspondents at 60 Minutes reportedly view with disdain.

Zirinsky, 66, is vying for the top job with 60 Minutes insider Bill Owens (above). Owens was right-hand man to Jeff Fager, who was fired last month for threatening a reporter

Zirinsky, 66, is vying for the top job with 60 Minutes insider Bill Owens, Fager's longtime right-hand-man, sources told the Post.

A spokesman for 60 Minutes did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

For 60 Minutes, which has only had two executive producers in its 51-year run, a fresh face at the top could signal a major change in direction. Whoever gets the job will exert great influence in the world of journalism.

But insiders tell the Post that 51-year-old Owens is favored by some longtime staffers mainly because they 'dont like change'.

Following a report on Friday that Zirinsky had become the front-runner at 60 Minutes over Owens, she sent an email to her worried staff calling for calm, according to Variety.

'Dont believe anything you read,' the subject line of the email read, insiders said.

Holly Hunter (left) portrayed a character based on Zirinsky in the 1987 film Broadcast News. She is seen with her costars William Hurt (center) and Albert Brooks

On the 60 Minutes set, a significant portion of the staff favor Owens for the job, two insiders told Variety.

The insiders note that the show has an 'insular' culture that would be difficult for outsiders to navigate.

Zirinsky is no TV news novice, however. A CBS News veteran since 1972, took over the reins at 48 Hours in 1996.

She was even the inspiration for Broadcast News character Jane Craig, a neurotic producer who is obsessed with her work.

Yet none of her extensive experience has been with 60 Minutes, an hour-long program that features CBS News correspondents contributing segments on a variety of topics.

60 Minutes is the oldest and most-watched newsmagazine on television.

Since debuting in 1968, the show has show has won 138 Emmy Awards, a record unsurpassed by any other primetime program on U.S. television.
A retrial is underway for Terry Thompson, who is accused of strangling a man during a confrontation outside of a Houston-area Denny's in May 2017

A retrial is underway for the husband of a former sheriff's deputy accused of strangling a man he and his wife confronted outside of a Denny's in Houston last year.

Terry Thompson is facing murder charges in the death of 24-year-old Johnny Hernandez during an altercation on May 28, 2017 in Sheldon, Texas.

The case gained national attention after the victim's family released harrowing cellphone footage that shows Thompson lying on top of Hernandez, who is kicking and squirming as he tries to free himself from the chokehold.

In Terry Thompson's first trial, the defense argued the 49-year-old was acting in self defense after Hernandez, who was allegedly drunk and urinating on a building, threw the first punch.

That first trial ended with a hung jury in June of this year, and the retrial kicked off on Tuesday.

During her opening statements in the new trial, prosecutor Sarah Seely said: 'Do you want me to hit you again? Those are the words of that grown man as he took the life of John Hernandez.'

The jury was then shown video of the altercation as well as recordings of the 911 calls.

Later this week jurors will hear from witnesses who begged Terry Thompson to get off of Hernandez when it became apparent he was struggling to breathe, Seely said.

A shocking video shows the moment Terry Thompson pinned Johnny Hernandez to the ground

Hernandez is seen kicking and squirming as he tries to break free from Thompson's chokehold

Hernandez (pictured with his daughter) died from lack of oxygen days after the altercation

Defense attorney Scot Courtney declined to give an opening statement on Tuesday, but in the initial trial Terry Thompson's defense argued that prosecutors were painting a limited picture of the fight.

A spokesperson for the Hernandez family says regardless of the defense's story, the 24-year-old should not have been killed.

'The level of frustration for the family was because of many factors, but more importantly, because of the fact they are not going to get their loved one back,' Cesar Espinosa said.

Terry Thompson's wife Chauna Thompson was also charged in Hernandez's murder as prosecutors say she can be seen in the video holding the man down while her husband chokes him.

Her murder trial was scheduled to begin this month but has now been moved to April 2019.

The deputy was fired from the Harris County Sheriff's Department after Hernandez's death.

Terry Thompson and Chauna Thompson were both charged with murder in Hernandez's death

Hernandez is pictured in the hospital on life support. His death was later ruled a homicide

According to witnesses, Hernandez was drunk when he went outside the Denny's to urinate, just as Terry Thompson was pulling into the parking lost with his children.

Chauna Thompson, who was off duty at the time, had arrived to the restaurant in a separate vehicle to meet her family.

Witnesses say Terry Thompson confronted Hernandez, who threw the first punch but was quickly brought to the ground by Terry Thompson and held there.

Hernandez's wife says Terry Thompson punched her husband in the head 'endlessly' while a Denny's worker who was on shift said he saw him choking him.

Chauna Thompson was not initially present but arrived to find her husband restraining him. Investigators say she called for backup and helped her husband restrain the man.

When she realized Hernandez wasn't breathing, she began CPR and called for an ambulance.

Hernandez was taken to the hospital and was put on life support. He was pronounced dead days later.

The Harris County Medical Examiner ruled that the death was a homicide after concluding he died from lack of oxygen to the brain caused by strangulation and chest compression.

The incident happened on May 28 outside this Denny's restaurant in Sheldon, Texas
Donald Tusk accused Brexiteers of being '100 per cent responsible' for creating the Irish border dispute that has deadlocked the negotiations with Brussels.

In comments that will enrage Eurosceptics the EU Council President said the issue delaying a deal was nothing to do with Brussels.

Mr Tusk has repeatedly said if Britain was prepared to stay in the EU single market and customs union the Irish border could function as it does today.

Donald Tusk (pictured in the European Parliament today) accused Brexiteers of being '100 per cent responsible' for creating the Irish border dispute that has deadlocked the negotiations with Brussels

In comments that will enrage Eurosceptics the EU Council President said on Twitter (pictured) the issue delaying a deal was nothing to do with Brussels

But Brexiteers insist this would be Brexit in name only, leaving the UK unable to strike free trade deals around the world.

Instead the talks have been bogged down for months on creating a 'backstop' for how the Irish border will stay open between the Brexit transition period and a full UK-EU trade deal.

Failure to break the impasse could leave Britain crashing out of the EU without any deal at all in March.

Following a Brexit debate in the European Parliament today, Mr Tusk tweeted at Nigel Farage: 'I don't know what the result of the Brexit talks is going to be.

What is the final issue in the Brexit talks? Theresa May insists the Brexit deal is 95 per cent done - but the final issue of the Irish border backstop may be the hardest part. The backstop sets out what will happen to the Irish border if the Brexit transition ends before a final UK-EU trade deal is in place. Transition is currently due to end in December 2020. The EU is still insisting that in the absence of a full trade deal, Northern Ireland should stay in the EU customs union while the rest of the UK leaves to ensure the Irish border remains open. Mrs May has flatly rejected the idea, saying she would not agree to anything that risked splitting the UK. Instead, the government has mooted a temporary customs union for the whole UK. There would also probably need to be more regulatory checks between mainland UK and Northern Ireland to protect the single market. Some already take place, but they could be dramatically stepped up - potentially creating a huge flashpoint with the DUP. Brussels now appears to be prepared to do a UK-wide backstop in the divorce deal - but insists it must be robust and the UK could not exit it unilaterally. Advertisement

'But I know that it is the Brexiteers, who are 100 per cent responsible for bringing back the problem of the Irish border.'

Brexiteer ringleader Jacob Rees-Mogg told MailOnline: 'The backstop is 100 per cent unnecessary and only wanted by the EU.

'No one is going to impose a hard border with or without an agreement.'

Mr Rees-Mogg's European Research Group published a policy paper in September setting out how to make the Irish border work.

It promoted using technology to track cross border movements of goods, standard employment checks for monitoring people and intelligence-led policing to pursue smugglers.

ERG member Mark Francois added: 'The ERG published a paper last month explaining, in great detail, how the Irish border problem could be overcome, using advanced customs techniques and trusted trader schemes etc.

'Only recently President Tusk repeated his desire for a comprehensive free trade agreement with the UK, which is exactly what our Super Canada proposals would represent.'

Mr Farage used today's debate to denounce the UK negotiating team under Olly Robbins as an 'enemy within' attempting to sabotage Brexit.

He said Britain was heading for humiliation unless the Conservative Party got rid of Theresa May.

Mr Farage used today's debate (pictured) to denounce the UK negotiating team under Olly Robbins as an 'enemy within' attempting to sabotage Brexit

Speaking to the European Parliament, Mr Farage thanked Mr Tusk for 'confirming that it was Theresa May that asked for a one-year extension to the transition period'.

Dismissing the threat of a hard border in Ireland as a 'red herring' which would never come to pass, Mr Farage told MEPs: 'The problem is that there is a rogue element in these negotiations, a group of people who don't wish to see a solution, who put up a brick wall to stop us breaking free.

'It is not your chief negotiator Michel Barnier, it is actually the British civil service, Olly Robbins' team.

'They signed up years ago to the European dream. They have been happy to take their orders from Brussels, they are now out to sabotage Brexit. They are indeed the enemy within.

'Unless the Conservative Party comes to its senses and gets rid of a leader who clearly is being led by the nose, we will head to the December summit, we will head to a humiliating sell-out and we will head to the UK being trapped in EU rules for many, many years to come.'
A Colorado middle school has apologized for not warning parents that a drag queen would be among the invited guests to speak to students as part of a career day.

The drag queen named Jessica L'Whor was among those who spoke to 12-year-olds at a career and literacy event at Rocky Top Middle School in Denver last Friday.

Introducing herself as Ms Jessica, the dancer and performer spoke to the students about her career and bullying.

She read part of a children's book called 'Horrible Harry', which is focused on bullying, and then spoke about the damage it can do to people.

The drag queen named Jessica L'Whor was among those who spoke to 12-year-olds at a career and literacy event at Rocky Top Middle School in Denver last Friday

Ms Jessica said she believed the message resonated with students.

'I had a couple kids that were like, 'I'm gay in school and I get bullied every week and I don't know what to do and just talking to you helped me realize that I can still be me and still be happy,'' she told local news outlet KDVR.

'I got messages being like, 'Thank you so much for coming to my class. I was having a really horrible week and you made my day'.'

Ms Jessica was invited to speak at the career event by a student who is one of her relatives.

Following the outrage from some parents, the school said it was not apologizing for allowing Ms Jessica to speak.

They did, however, apologize for not warning parents that Ms Jessica would be speaking to the children.

Ms Jessica was invited to speak at the career event by a student who is one of her relatives. She is pictured above in the middle school hallway during the event

Introducing herself only as Ms Jessica, the dancer and performer spoke to the students about her career and the impacts of bullying

Principal Chelsea Behanna sent a letter home to parents saying a handful of parents had expressed concern over Ms Jessica's presence at the event.

'Jessica, the drag queen, began her guest session with an explanation of her career -as did all other guests. She explained that she is a performer who, though a man, portrays a woman for her performances,' Behanna said.

'Jessica then read a great chapter from Horrible Harry in Room 2B by Suzy Kline. She used the text to illustrate the damage bullies can do, the need to always put kindness and acceptance at the forefront, and the shortsightedness of judging a book by its cover.

'Students were completely engaged and asked lots of great questions.'

Behanna said she took responsibility for not notifying families ahead of time and apologized for any stress it had caused.

'Moving forward, a prominent step in planning for next year will be to share the guest list for all families prior to the event.

'Should you feel like any of the sessions are not appropriate for your child, you'll be welcome to notify us and we'll make alternate arrangements for your child during that time.'

Ms Jessica (pictured left and right) read part of a children's book called 'Horrible Harry', which is focused on bullying, and then spoke about the damage it can do to people
Jurors at James Rackovers murder trial were shown the blood-stained clothes and bed sheets from the night he allegedly stabbed a man to death during a party at his luxury New York City apartment.

The disturbing photos show a blood-splattered pair of pants, a strained dark brown pair of dress shoes and a once-white bedsheet, which had been dumped in the trash near the Manhattan party boy's home.

Joey Comunale, 26, of Connecticut, was brutally killed at the alcohol and cocaine-fueled bash in an argument over cigarettes, authorities say.

Rackover, 27, and former friend, Lawrence Dilione, 30, were arrested and charged with the murder.

Rackover's trial began on Thursday and since then, jurors have been shown evidence discovered dumped in trash bags at the Grand Sutton on E. 59th Street in Manhattan, within two days of the murder.

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A once white bedsheet splattered with blood was also shown to the jurors on Tuesday. A gold chain necklace was caught inside the sheet. Joey's friend said he was wearing the chain the night he was killed

Jurors at James Rackovers murder trial were shown the blood-stained clothes and shoes from the from the night he allegedly stabbed to death Joey Comunale. This photo shows pants recovered from the trash that had blood stains all over them

This brown dress shoe is seen with blood smeared on the side

Rackover (pictured in court in October 2017), 27, and former friend, Lawrence Dilione, 30, are accused of fatally stabbing Joey at an alcohol and cocaine-fueled party inside Rackover's luxury New York City apartment in November 2016

On Tuesday, Michelle Gangi, a detective with the New York Police Department, showed jurors a gold chain necklace found inside the bloody bed sheet recovered from the garbage, according to the New York Daily News.

Joey's best friend previously said the victim was wearing the chain the night he died.

The jury also saw the victims bleach-stained clothes, including a gray sweatshirt that smelled strongly of bleach, his drivers license and college ID.

Blood-stained towels and empty bottles of household cleaners were also seen in court.

The victim's body was found three days after the gruesome murder.

His body had been mutilated, burned and buried in a shallow grave in Oceanport, New Jersey, where Dilione lived.

The evidence was found in the garbage (pictured) near Rackover's home in Manhattan

Michelle Gangi, a detective with the New York Police Department, showed jurors a gray sweatshirt that smelled strongly of bleach. The sweatshirt had blood stains on the sleeves (bottom right)

Empty bottles of household cleaners (pictured) were also seen by the jurors on Tuesday

Last week, Joey's father, Patsy, was seen crying as he relived his last few interactions with his son.

'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 horrific 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.

Comunale's (pictured) body was found three days after the gruesome murder. His body had been mutilated, burned and buried in a shallow grave in Oceanport, New Jersey, where Dilione lived

Last Thursday, Patsy Comunale (pictured), Joey's father, was seen crying as he recounted his last interactions with his slain son during the first day of Rackover's murder trial

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 Comunale 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.

Sercarz, however, did take the opportunity to point the finger away from his client and towards Dilione, whom he suggested was the person who actually killed Comunale.

Rackover's attorney noted that his client's part was just that he 'succumbed to the need to get that body out of the apartment and assisted in that endeavor,' according to theNew York Post.

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.

Rackover's former friend, Lawrence Dilione, 30 (center), is also accused in Joey's death

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 be the '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.

The victim's family claimed that 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.

Rackover's trial is set to resume on Thursday.
Queenslanders ravaged by Cyclone Debbie are still fighting to fix their homes because stubborn insurers are refusing to approve claims 18 months later.

The Category 4 storm was the country's second worst cyclone according to the Insurance Council of Australia.

There have been 75,000 claims valued at more than $1.5 billion lodged since the wild weather system made landfall in Bowen in March 2017.

Five people died as a result of the tropical storm, hundreds of homes were destroyed and swathes of vegetation wiped out between Innisfail and Mackay.

While many have rebuilt, Ray Beetz, whose house was soaked by the cyclone, claims he is in a struggle with CommInsure over financing the repairs to his property, A Current Affair reported.

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More than 18 months after Cyclone Debbie ripped through Queensland, some victims claim they haven't been able to fix their homes because insurance companies won't pay out the money (pictured: aftermath of Cyclone Debbie)

Resident Ray Beetz, whose house was soaked by the cyclone, claims he is in a struggle with CommInsure over financing the repairs to his property

Mr Beetz said he suffered a chest infection after his house became covered in mould and was forced to abandon the property 10 months ago, claiming his illness cleared up after he moved out.

'These insurance companies are a law on their own. They don't give a stuff,' Mr Beetz told A Current Affair.

A spokesperson from CommInsure said the company paid the amount determined by the financial obudsman service.

The spokesperson said they waived the insurance excess due to the time taken to resolve Mr Beetz's claim.

Belinda Faust, another victim from the cyclone who said her whole house had shifted, claims she was in a battle with Westpac Insurance (pictured: windy conditions from Cyclone Debbie)

Belinda Faust, another victim from the cyclone who said her whole house had shifted, claims she battled with Westpac Insurance.

'The windows wouldn't shut, the movement down the side of the boys' room, and I couldn't use my front door,' she said.

Ms Faust said she still can't use her front door, but claims the insurance company told her it was simply 'wear and tear'.

A Westpac spokesperson said the company carefully considered all aspects of a claim, including pre-existing damage.

Dave Keane, who runs Solve My Claims, a service which helps people navigate the complex world of insurance, has turned his attention to Cyclone Debbie victims.

Dave Keane (pictured) has been assisting cyclone-affected claimants in a bid to force the insurance companies to pay out

Mr Keane, who is assisting Mr Bates and Ms Faust among other victims, claims he has helped about 200 people get a total additional $20 million from insurance companies

Mr Keane, who is assisting Mr Bates, Ms Faust and other victims, claims he has helped about 200 people get an additional $20 million from insurance companies.

He has spent 23 in the insurance assessment industry and said he knows the 'tricks and the tactics' to help claimants receive their payout.

Mr Keane said insurance companies will argue 'lack of property maintenance' to deny a claim.

Insurance Council of Australia general manager of communication Campbell Fuller adamantly disagreed.

He said the industry paid 97 per cent of claims in any given year.

He also told A Current Affair that Mr Keane did not provide proof companies had tried to withhold $20 million to claimants hit by Cyclone Debbie.

'The industry accepts that a handful of claims could have been handled a little bit better, but by and large the industry response has been very good,' he said.
Pope Francis has removed from office Bishop Martin Holley of Memphis, Tennessee, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

A Vatican spokesman said the decision had been taken over 'an issue of management and had nothing to do with sexual abuse'.

The Vatican's statement was unusually tough, saying the 63-year-old had been 'relieved of the governance' of the diocese.

Such announcements usually say the pope has accepted a resignation.

Bishop Martin Holley (left) was removed from his post by Pope Francis after an investigation into reported mismanagement of the diocese in Memphis, Tennessee

The widely-read National Catholic Reporter newspaper said Holley had been the subject of a Vatican investigation in June following complaints among priests about his leadership.

The newspaper said Holley had transferred about 75 percent of the diocese's priests shortly after his appointment in 2016.

One of Holley's deputies resigned suddenly in June.

Holley was not immediately available for comment and The Catholic Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee did not respond to a request for comment early on Wednesday.

The Vatican said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville had been appointed to administer the diocese until further notice.
GAC Dubai, a leading provider of shipping, logistics and marine services, said it was recognised with two awards at the recent inaugural Logistics & Transport Awards.



GAC Dubai won the FMCG Logistics Provider of the Year accolade; and the companys general manager for contract logistics, Neil McMaster, was recognised with the Supply Chain Manager of the Year award, said a statement from the company.



The company award recognises GACs excellence and innovation in keeping up with growing demand for the fast moving consumer goods sector covering food & beverages, retail, e-commerce and more, it said.



The recognition came just months after GAC Dubai clinched the FMCG Supply Chain of the Year Award for the second year running in the Logistics Middle East Awards, and a day after the GAC Group won the Transportation & Logistics accolade in The Maritime Standard Awards, it added.



Neils strong organisational and problem-solving skills in managing the complex multi-streamed contract logistics and 3PL operations earned him the Supply Chain Manager of the Year title.



Not only has he been the driving force behind the expansion of GACs services for the business and daily running of GAC Dubais contract logistics operations, he also played a leading role in the planning, construction and opening of the companys newest facility - a purpose-built, 45,900 pallet position two-chamber temperature and humidity-controlled contract logistics facility at Dubai South.



In accepting the awards, Neil McMaster said neither would have been possible without the dedication of his incredible team, the support of the GAC Board and the trust from longstanding customers and partners.



Ronald Lichtenecker, managing director of GAC Dubai, said: It is particularly fitting that we should celebrate this double success in the year that we celebrate the 25th anniversary of GACs opening of the first Distribution Centre in Dubai.



That same pioneering spirit and commitment to operational excellence has marked the continuous growth and development in the field recognised by these latest awards, he added.



GAC has been a leader in FMCG supply chain management in the Middle East for a quarter of a century.



Its flagship Distribution Centre has over 50,000-sq-m of warehousing space dedicated to food and beverage and other FMCG cargo and 1,800-sq-m of purpose-built food grade and general Value-Added Services (VAS) facilities.



Its newest contract logistics facility, at Dubai South, is now operational and brings the companys total capacity in the Emirate to more than 170,000 pallet positions serving local and regional customers, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution in seas, fields and waterways.

Under the new rules, some single-use plastic products with readily available alternatives such as straws, would be banned by 2021.

EU states would be obliged to recycle 90 percent of plastic bottles by 2025, while producers to help cover costs of waste management.

Plastic ban: Under the new rules approved by the European Parliament, some single-use plastic products with readily available alternatives, would be banned by 2021

EU lawmakers added polystyrene fast-food containers and products made of oxo-degradable plastics, which critics say do not fully break down, to the list proposed by the EU executive earlier this year.

Under the plan, fishing nets, which are now a key pollutant in the EU's Mediterranean sea and Atlantic ocean, will have to be produced differently, too.

The parliament backed the proposals with a 571-53 majority at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

With the vote, the parliament, the EU Commission and the member states will now enter negotiations in the weeks to come to make it binding legislation.

Approved: Members of Parliament vote on a new law to ban the sale of single-use plastic products and the EU Budget 2019 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France

The vote came a day after scientists in Austria revealed they have detected tiny bits of plastic in peoples stool - proof population are effectively 'eating plastic'.

Presenting their findings at UEG Week in Vienna, researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and the Environment Agency Austria said their pilot study detected so-called microplastics in all samples taken from eight volunteers in Europe, Russia and Japan.

But experts have warned the study is too small and premature to draw any credible conclusion.

Microplastics  defined as pieces smaller than 5 millimetres  have previously been found in water, animals and food, but so far studies have not proved they pose a risk to human health.
A long-time Campbell Soup employee who created a beloved Thanksgiving staple - the green bean casserole - enjoyed by millions of Americans each year has died at age 92.

Dorcas Reilly succumbed to Alzheimer's disease on October 15, said Ken Tomlinson of the Hinski-Tomlinson Funeral Home in her hometown of Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Campbell Soup officials said the New Jersey resident was the driving force behind the popular dish, made with green beans and cream of mushroom soup topped with crispy fried onions.

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Evergreen dish: Dorcas Reilly, the inventor of the iconic green bean casserole, is pictured in 2005 at the Campbell Soup Co corporate kitchen in New Jersey in 2005. Reilly died on October 15 at age 92

Reilly said in an interview a decade ago she did not remember creating the celebrated comfort food because it was just one of hundreds of dishes whipped up in the company's kitchen

Describing the casserole as 'the mother of all comfort foods,' the company said it is the most popular recipe ever to come out of its corporate kitchen, enjoyed by some 20 million Americans every year.

Campbell's donated the original recipe card to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002, thus securing the dish's - and Reilly's - place in culinary history.

'Dorcas was an incredible woman, whose legacy will live on for years to come. She will be missed by her Campbell colleagues and all those who were impacted by her creativity and generous spirit,' the company said in a statement.

Reilly was a Campbell Soup kitchen supervisor in 1955 when she combined the ingredients of the now-legendary green bean casserole for an Associated Press feature.

In a 2005 AP interview marking the recipe's 50th anniversary, Reilly said she didn't remember having a hand in it because the dish was among hundreds that were created during her time at Campbell's.

Piece of history: Campbell's donated the original recipe card to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002

This document gives a more detailed description of the dishes and the cooking instructions

Her tasty legacy: A green bean casserole made by Dorcas Reilly sits on a counter on November 15, 2005 at the Campbell Soup Co corporate kitchen in Camden

She also helped create a tomato soup meatloaf, a tuna noodle casserole and Sloppy Joe-like 'souperburgers.'

The recipe is still a fixture on soup-can labels and television commercials. And Reilly said she always kept the ingredients for the casserole on hand in her home - just in case someone asked her to whip one up.

CAMPBELL'S GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE RECIPE: Ingredients: 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbells Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 dash black pepper 4 cups cooked cut green beans 1 1/3 cups Frenchs French Fried Onions Directions: 1 Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. 2 Bake at 350F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. 3 Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown. Advertisement

Reilly also noted whenever the company held recipe contests, she would typically see 'homemade' variations of the soup-can recipe for the casserole.

'It would be Aunt Suzy's or Grandma's,' she said.

Campbell's officials have said consumers often tell them practically anyone - even novices or bad cooks - can make a green bean casserole because it requires just five ingredients and takes 10 minutes to prepare.

A graduate of Drexler University with a Bachelor's degree in home economics, Reilly worked for Campbell's on and off between 1947 and 1988, when she retired as manager of the Campbell's kitchen.

'For those who had the privilege of knowing Dorcas, we greatly admired her humble and unassuming nature,' the statement from Campbell's read. 'Dorcas would often share that the first time she made her famous recipe, it did not receive the highest rating in Campbells internal testing.

'Yet, it was her persistence and creativity that led to an enduring recipe that will live on for decades to come.'

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Thomas, their son and daughter, four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Reilly's granddaughter Dorcas Frangos on Sunday shared a touching tribute to her grandmother on her Facebook page.

'My grandmother was truly a wonderful woman, and even more amazing than her recipe creation was the love she and my grandfather shared,' she wrote. 'Every love story is beautiful - but theirs is my favorite.'

A memorial service for Reilly will be held on Saturday morning in the Sanctuary of the Haddonfield First Presbyterian Church in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
The move comes after the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse (pictured), who ate a Pret A Manger sandwich containing sesame seeds, to which she was allergic

Deliveroo is to overhaul the way it displays food allergy content on its menus as the restaurant industry braces for tougher laws following the death of a teenage girl.

From December, the online food delivery firm will introduce a new system that allows restaurants on its platform to highlight allergen content on its app.

The company says the move will make it the first of its kind to provide dish by dish information.

In addition, Deliveroo will immediately make existing allergen warnings more prominent and make it easier for customers to contact restaurants with concerns.

It comes after the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who ate a Pret A Manger sandwich containing sesame seeds, to which she was allergic.

This week, her parents met Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who told them that 'Natasha's Law' - aimed at enforcing stricter food labelling rules - could be introduced next year.

Dan Warne, managing director of Deliveroo UK and Ireland, said: 'This is great news for consumers who want more information about the food they are ordering online.

'Overhauling our menus is not a simple task, but customers with allergies need this extra transparency before they order, which is why we are working with our restaurant partners to make it happen.'

Chains such as Tortilla, Tommi's Burger Joint, Mildreds, Chipotle, YO! Sushi, PizzaExpress, Pho and Byron have all committed to adding allergen content to their Deliveroo menus via the new tool.

Today, Natasha's mother Tanya said that she and the family, from southwest London, would look to raise awareness of issues surrounding allergy displays.

The 51-year-old told The Times: 'Weve been put into a position where we can fly the banner for people with allergies.

'I think its very difficult for people who arent in our position and havent had the opportunities to do what were doing. Its very humbling.'
There has been a collapse in confidence in Theresa May's ability to negotiate a good Brexit deal, a poll out today suggests.

The survey found that nearly half (43 per cent) think they will be personally worse off after Brexit.

While less than a fifth (19 per cent) of people are now confident that the PM will be able to thrash out a good agreement.

And nearly half (49 per cent) think the crunch negotiations with Brussels are going more badly than they expected.

The findings of the Ipsos Mori poll, published in today's Evening Standard, pile yet more pressure on the PM as she struggles to thrash out a Brexit deal.

She is facing a mutiny from her own Tory backbenchers over proposals to extend the Brexit transition period amid warnings it would leave the UK having to swallow EU rules while having no say in them.

Mrs May is bracing for a dangerous meeting of the Tory 1922 Committee in Parliament tonight.

The survey found that less than a fifth (19 per cent) of people are now confident that the PM will be able to thrash out an agreement

Today's poll shows that confidence in Mrs May's ability to get a good Brexit deal has more than halves from 44 per cent in March 2017, to just 19 per cent in October 2018.

And the country is feeling gloomier about its economic prospects than it has at any time since 2011.

Britain draws up plans to buy or lease a flotilla of lorry FERRIES to fight a no deal blockade There are fears that if there is a sudden no deal Brexit traffic through the Channel Tunnel would collapse for months. Britain has drawn up a contingency plan to buy or lease a flotilla of lorry ferries to ensure food and medicine can still get past a no deal blockade of the Channel. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling briefed the Cabinet yesterday on the extraordinary backup plan. There are fears that if there is a sudden no deal Brexit traffic through the Channel Tunnel would collapse for months. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said the normal Dover-Calais route could be at 12 per cent capacity for six months. Mr Grayling told ministers the scheme is called Government Owned or Operated Logistics and would move goods via the Ports of London, Tilbury and Liverpool. The chilling reports, revealed today by ITV's Robert Peston, come amid claims French President Emmaneul Macron would deliberately block imports in no deal. Advertisement

Some 61 per cent of Britons now believing that the economy will get worse in the year ahead, and just 14 per cent thinking things will improve.

The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt today also poured scorn on the hopes a deal in an intervention today.

He told MEPs: 'We are now in a battle of the figures. Mrs May says 95% has been agreed, Michel Barnier says 90 per cent has been agreed. I know Britain has always had difficulties with the metric system.

'If it is 90 per cent or 95 per cent or 99 per cent, if there is no solution for the Irish border, for our Parliament it is 0% that is agreed at the moment.

'We need agreement on the Irish border. The Good Friday Agreement must be protected.'

The stakes were raised ahead of tonight's meeting after leaked documents revealed Cabinet ministers have been advised Britain could be left in Brexit limbo for years.

The documents say there could be a 'long running' transition period that is renewed annually - potentially leaving Britain in the Brexit departure lounge for years.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox warned reportedly warned Cabinet extension risked Britain being stuck in 'Dante's first circle of hell', better known as limbo.

The leak dramatically raises the stakes for the Prime Minister as she braces for the crunch meeting.

Mrs May was warned to 'bring her own noose' to the 'show trial' meeting of the 1922 Committee - but Tory sources insist she is attending voluntarily and hope it will turn out to be a show of strength.

Rumours are swirling in Westminster that the chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady holds almost enough letters from Tory MPs to order a vote of no confidence. He must call a vote if 48 letters are sent.

Theresa May (pictured today in Downing Street) is bracing for a 'show trial' with her rebellious MPs today after leaked Cabinet papers suggest Britain could be left in Brexit limbo for years

The Prime Minister (pictured today in PMQs) is facing her Tory backbenchers for a showdown meeting tonight amid anger at her Brexit plans

Andrew Bridgen, an arch-critic of Mrs May, predicted today she would fail to reassure the party and would face a vote later this week.

Mr Bridgen told Sky News: 'It is clear that the Prime Minister is determined to push through Chequers in the face of huge opposition from the backbenches.

'I have put a letter (into the 1922) some time ago. I think we are close to the 48 letters.

'We have heard stories that Theresa May would welcome a vote of no confidence and she would survive it... I don't think No 10 want that but I think it is where we are heading this week.'
Teacher Jorge Cruceno, suspected of sexually abusing his 15-year-old student

A father in Argentina has attacked a school teacher accused of repeatedly sexually abusing his 15-year-old daughter.

The teacher, named in local media as Jorge Cruceno, 30, is employed by Commercial Female School Santa Marta in central Argentina.

The teenager's family allegedly found inappropriate messages from the teacher on her phone.

The father had visited the school for a meeting with the school authorities after reporting the suspected abuse to the police.

In the CCTV footage, the father can be seen walking with his daughter in the school before crossing paths with the teacher who she had reported for sexually abusing her.

Cruceno, pictured left, before the attack. Right, he waits to be treated by paramedics after being accused of repeated sexual assault by a student's father

The father flies into a rage, throwing punches at the teacher who covers his head for protection from the blows.

The enraged dad throws some 22 punches at the teacher in just 15 seconds before walking away with his daughter.

Cruceno suffered cuts to his face and forearm in the incident. He was treated by paramedics before going to the police station to file a complaint against the father.

The investigations into both cases are ongoing.

The father confronts Curceno at his daughter's school before launching at him in the corridor

The girl's father repeatedly punches the teacher in the face during the confrontation
A former Hells Angel bikie has faced court just one day after his glamorous girlfriend pleaded guilty to a savage road rage brawl.

Benjamin Geppert faced Southport Magistrates Court in Queensland, on Wednesday, for breaching his parole on August 9 when he failed a drug screen, Courier Mail reported.

On August 11, police arrived at the 26-year-old's home at 9.30am with a return to prison warrant for his parole breach.

Benjamin Geppert faced Southport Magistrates Court in Queensland, on Wednesday, for breaching his parole on August 9 when he failed a drug screen

On August 11, police arrived at the 26-year-old's home at 9.30am with a return to prison warrant for his parole breach

Geppert, who was already on bail, fled the home after seeing his partner Allaina Vader speaking with police at their front door, the court heard

Geppert, who was already on bail, fled the home after seeing his partner Allaina Vader speaking with police at their front door, the court heard.

He then jumped over a balcony, ran through parklands, scaled a 2m fence, ran through a KFC carpark and into the Robina Town Centre where he hid under a car inside a car park.

Earlier that year, Geppert was banned from the shopping centre for five years.

Despite his desperate attempt at avoiding the police, Geppert was arrested but was taken to hospital due to the injuries he sustained.

He spent 75 days behind bars and served a month in solitary confinement.

On Wednesday, Magistrate Andrew Sinclair said police achieved their goal with the arrest of Geppert.

He was sentenced to six months behind bars, wholly suspended for four years.

Geppert was sentenced to six months behind bars, wholly suspended for four years

His partner Allaina Jones, also known online as Allaina Vader, savagely beat another driver on a Gold Coast traffic island on May 16 this yea

His partner Allaina Jones, also known online as Allaina Vader, savagely beat another driver on a Gold Coast traffic island on May 16 this year.

Shocking dashcam footage shows the women arguing by their cars before Jones grabs the victim around the neck and throws her to the ground.

She pins the woman to the ground before she begins punching her. She then knees her before stomping on her.

Jones' BMW had swerved around a Honda CRV and crossed into the bike lane on Robina Parkway.

The female motorist got out of her Honda and approached Jones' vehicle when they stopped at traffic lights, and the fight erupted.

Dashcam footage shows the moment Allaina Jones (pictured), also known online as Allaina Vader, savagely beat another driver on a Robina traffic island on May 16 this year

The court heard that Allaina Jones (left) now regrets stomping on another female motorist during a shocking road rage rage attack on the Gold Coast in May

Jones pleaded guilty to six charges including common assault, drug possession and traffic offences when she appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Jones, 28 - the girlfriend of former Hells Angels bikie Ben Geppert - was sentenced to three months in prison, which was suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay $1000 compensation to the female victim, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

The court also heard Vader was found with cannabis and a glass pipe during a raid on her Robina home eight days after the road rage attack.

Magistrate Pamela Dowse told the court she would have sentenced Jones to prison if she had not shown remorse.

She described the incident as 'unacceptable in the extreme'.

'I don't think that women should be doing this kind of thing,' Ms Dowse said.

Jones refused to comment on the verdict as she left court.

Jones is known for her large following on Instagram.

Jones and Geppert were involved in a social media feud earlier this year with former Bandidos bikie Brett Pechey and his girlfriend Rikki Sutton, who is Ms Jones' cousin.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday the GOP would 'totally protect' people with preexisting conditions  despite his Justice Department's court actions to allow the law to get torn down after a series of Democratic centered their campaigns around the issue.

Trump issued the claim after failing with fellow Republicans to repeal the entire law, although with the help of the Republican-controlled Congress he was able to take down the 'individual mandate' that required Americans to buy insurance or pay a fine.

'Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions, Democrats will not! Vote Republican,' Trump wrote on Twitter.

'Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions, Democrats will not! Vote Republican,' Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday

Trump issued the claim, which a fact check group previously labeled as 'misleading,' as a number of Democrats have made preexisting conditions a centerpiece of their Senate campaigns.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer has stressed healthcare as a central issue, even as Trump has tried to force immigration and other cultural issues to the forefront. Among those candidates hammering the issue are endangered Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota has run ads stressing preexisting conditions in attacks on her opponent, Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer, over his numerous votes to repeal Obamacare.

President Trump tweeted that Republicans will 'totally protect people'

Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions the Trump Administration is not defending Obamacare as it faces a multi-state lawsuit

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is among numerous Democrats campaigning on the issue of preexisting conditions

Missouri's Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley signed onto a lawsuit in a Texas district court that Obamacare is 'unlawful'

United States Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) has said her opponent would eliminate Obamacare protections for preexisting conditions due to his numerous votes to repeal the law

Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray speaks has stressed preexisting conditions and Obamacare's Medicaid matching funds

Illinois Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush teed off on the tweet

The issuing is also playing in tight governor's races, where Ohio Democratic candidate Richard Cordray and Wisconsin candidate for governor Tony Evers are each stressing preexisting conditions and acceptance of government Medicaid matching funds that are part of Obamacare.

Trump's Justice Department, under Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions, joined a case arguing the entire law must fall, in a rare case of arguing against the federal government's position.

The suit claimed the elimination of the individual mandate 'renders legally impossible the Supreme Court's prior savings construction of the Affordable Care Act's core provision.' Therefore, 'the Court should hold that the ACA is unlawful.'

Sessions justified the position in a June letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan 'after careful consideration, and with the approval of the President of the United States,' noted factcheck.org.
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The migrant caravan resumed its march through Mexico on Wednesday as the country's officials warned that the total number of people now heading towards the US is close to 14,000.

On Wednesday morning, the main group of around 7,000 mostly Honduran migrants left Huixtla before the sun rose after spending a day there recuperating and honoring a man who died on Monday by falling from the back of a truck.

Today they will march 40 miles to the town of Mapastepec then they will rest there for the night. They are still 1,100 miles from the US-Mexico border.

At this rate of around 40 miles a day, it will take them another 25 days at least to get to the point on the Texan border which they are likely to attempt to cross.

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Migrants left Huixtla in southern Mexico on Wednesday morning to make their way towards the town of Mapastepec around 40 miles away. These are the migrants who are the furthest ahead and there are 7,000 of them in total, according to officials. They spent the two nights in Huixtla and have now resumed their journey

Migrants walk along the road from Huixtla to Mapastepec on Wednesday morning while some cram into trucks in the next leg of the journey

Despite the death of a man who fell from an overcrowded truck in Tapachula on Monday, many clambered on top of vehicles to try to speed up the journey and give their weary feet a rest on Wednesday morning

The line of thousands of migrants is more than a mile long and is slowly snaking along Mexico's highways from town to town, working its way gradually north

The first caravan set off from San Salvador last week and crossed through Honduras and Guatemala with relative ease before arriving at Mexico's border with Guatemala on Friday. After briefly clashing with police, they were let through and are now marching north towards the US. The second caravan is now in Chiqimula, Guatemala, and is being bused to the border to catch up with the others

Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning that the US is a 'great Sovereign Nation' which will not allow people to enter illegally

The group has been gradually increasing their pace since crossing over into Mexico. On their first day of walking, they covered 19 miles. On Monday, they walked 25 miles to Huixtla. They have almost double the ground to cover to get to Mapastepec.

Behind them are an additional 7,000, according to Mexican officials cited by local newspaper El Universal.

That includes around 3,000 who entered Mexico on Monday after being delayed on its border bridge with Guatemala, 2,000 in a second caravan now in Chiquimula, Guatemala, and an additional 2,000 who are planning to mobilize in Honduras in the next few days.

As the migrants continued in their journey, President Trump continued complaining about it on Twitter.

WHO ARE THE 14,000? According to the Mexican government, the most recent statistics are; Main caravan in Mexico: up to 10,000 2nd caravan in Guatemala: 1,500-2,000 2,000 planning to mobilize in Honduras 500 planning to mobilize in El Salvador Advertisement

'For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess!

'They only wish they had that decision to make over again.

'We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!' he tweeted on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the president was admitted he had 'no proof' for his claim that there were 'people from the Middle East' among the thousands of Central Americans in the group.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, confirmed it for him.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, spokesman Tyler Houlton said that not only were there Middle Easterns among the group, there were criminals from 'Africa and South East Asia' too.

Migrants hitch a ride on a truck to take them from Huixtla to Mapastepec on Wednesday, a journey of 40 miles

A father pushes two young children past others as they rest on the roadside on the way to Mapastepec on Wednesday

Migrants sit on top of a packed truck and some cling on to the sides as they make their way to Mapastepec, their next stop in Mexico

The migrants climbed into smaller vehicles on Wednesday to be taken part of the 40 mile journey from Huixtla

Others braved the journey on foot, setting off early, before the sun rose, to try to beat the temperatures

Among those in the caravan are small children who were packed on to pick up trucks

Before the sun rose on Wednesday, the group led the way with candles and lighters. They are battling stifling temperatures which have caused concern among Red Cross doctors and humanitarian groups

Some of the migrants held Mexican and Honduran flags on Wednesday morning as they set off in the dark to walk 40 miles

The group rose before sunrise on Wednesday to resume their journey after taking Tuesday off to rest in honor of a man who died falling from a truck he had hitched a ride on. Some are in wheelchairs, there are countless babies and the group also includes some elderly

There are still thousands of migrants waiting to cross the border bridge between Mexico and Guatemala, according to Mexican officials. Above, some are pictured resting and shielding themselves from the sun on Wednesday

'DHS can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories.

'Citizens of countries outside Central America, including countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and elsewhere are currently traveling through Mexico toward the U.S,' he said.

He went on: 'Stopping the caravan is not just about national security or preventing crime, it is also about national sovereignty and the rule of law. Those who seek to come to America must do so the right and legal way.'

On the Guatemalan border with Honduras, which has seen abnormal levels of traffic in the past week, there was an increased police presence on Tuesday after President Trump threatened to cut aid to the region.

On the Honduran border with Guatemala, local troops put barbed wire around the border gate amid news thousands more migrants were planning to set off in new caravans

On Monday, a man died falling from a truck as he was driven from Tapachula, a border town, to Huixtla, 40 miles away. Police are warning residents there, who have rushed to help by giving the migrants water and supplies, not to let too many onto their vehicles because it is so dangerous

THIRD CARAVAN PLANNED IN EL SALVADOR A group of around 250 people is planning to set off from El Salvador in what will become a third migrant caravan on October 31. According to NBC, White House officials are monitoring the group which is discussing its plans over WhatsApp. Though the group is significantly smaller than the others already on their way, US officials are particularly concerned that it may include members of MS-13, an El Salvadorian gang notorious for recruiting youngsters and applying unthinkable violence to its rule. Advertisement

On Wednesday morning, police had covered the fence there with barbed wire in an attempt to stop any new migrants who might try to climb over it.

In 2017, Guatemala said it received more than $230million in aid from the US.

It remains unclear when those in Honduras who are yet to set off are planning to.

The true picture of the size of the crowds is difficult to determine because the groups are moving sporadically and chaotically all the time.

All are determined to flee Honduras or Guatemala in search of a better life in the US.

Some have already lived in America and have been deported but they believe this is their chance to get back in and resume their old lives.

Their hopeful plans have consistently infuriated President Trump who has repeatedly labeled their effort an 'assault on the country'.

Not all of the migrants, however, appear to be planning on making America their home. The Mexican government has already received more than 1,500 asylum claims since the caravan set off.

The UN has warned that many of those making the journey are at risk of being kidnapped or trafficked as they gradually walk through Mexico.

Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Tuesday in Geneva the agency is concerned about 'the developing humanitarian situation and the known kidnapping and security risks in areas the caravan may venture into.'

The largest group has spent the last two nights in Huixtla (above), sleeping in its town squares and in the streets. They have were given handouts and were seen by volunteer doctors

The main group, which has around 7,000 people in it, spent Tuesday resting in Huixtla (above) out of respect for the man who died getting from Tapachula to Huixtla on the back of a truck

Caravan 2.0: In addition to the 7,200 migrants who are in the first group, a second caravan has formed in Guatemala and is preparing to cross the border into Mexico. They are pictured on Monday night as they arrive in Chiquimula, 280 miles from Mexico's border. Another 2,000 people at least are behind them in Honduras, according to local media

'In any situation like this it is essential that people have the chance to request asylum and have their international protection needs properly assessed, before any decision on return (or) deportation is made,' he added.

President Trump is however confident that the migrants pose the biggest threat.

In a flurry of comments outside the White House on Monday afternoon, he said: 'I have reports that they've got a lot of everybody in that group. It's a horrible thing.'

He insisted during one exchange that a mid-morning tweet about '[c]riminals and unknown Middle Easterners' would be proven true  that they're really there  if reporters would only look in the right places.

'You know what you should do?' Trump asked. 'Go into the middle of the caravan. Take your cameras and search, okay?'

'Go into the middle and search,' the president said. 'You're going to find MS-13. You're going to find Middle Eastern[ers].

'You're going to find everything. And guess what? We're not allowing them in our country. We want safety. We want safety.'


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A deeply disturbing hashtag that suggests the Trump administration holds responsibility for the pipe bombs anonymously mailed to the addresses of prominent Democrats across the United States became a hit on Twitter Wednesday.

Liberal conspiracy theorists took to the social media platform to share countless viral tweets under the hashtag #MAGAbomber, while President Trump in the meantime condemned the attempted act of terror against his greatest foes and called for unity across the nation.

One user wrote in a tweet using the trending hashtag: 'I promise you it will not be long until a crowd of people cheer at a Trump rally for the #MAGABomber.'

Another user said: 'No one could have predicted the #MAGABomber except for literally everyone,' while someone else wrote: '@realDonaldTrump you and your hateful rhetoric are responsible for the #MAGAbomber.'

Someone else suggested: '#MAGAbomber the hashtag fits @realDonaldTrump you must admit.'

Trump spoke about pipe bomb incidents Wednesday at a White House event, where signed an opioid epidemic law that will make medical treatment more readily available to drug abusers and crack down on the mailing of illegal substances.

Trump said in the statement: 'I just want to tell you that in these times, we have to unify... we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the Untied States of America.

'The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority. I've just concluded a briefing with the FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service.

'As we speak, the packages are being inspected by top explosive experts and a major federal investigation is now underway.

'The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice.'

Officials suspect a serial bomber is behind the rash of homemade explosives sent in the mail. Secret Service agents revealed earlier in the day they had intercepted two explosives en route to former President Obama's Washington D.C. home and Hillary and Bill Clinton's property in Chappaqua, New York.

A short time later, a police bomb squad was sent to CNN's offices in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a pipe bomb found in an envelope addressed to former CIA director John Brennan.

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The disturbing hashtag #MAGAbomber became a top trending hashtag on Twitter Wednesday

One user wrote in a tweet using the trending hashtag: 'I promise you it will not be long until a crowd of people cheer at a Trump rally for the #MAGABomber' Trump, meanwhile, called for unity across the nation following the pipe bomb incidents

US President Donald Trump condemned the act of terror against his greatest foes and called for unity across the nation while speaking at a White House event on October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC

Trump speaks about crude pipe bombs targeting Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, CNN and others, during an event on the opioid crisis, in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday in Washington

The crude devices were made of PVC tubing attached to a digital clock available for purchase on Amazon. They included sulfur as explosives and shards of glass as shrapnel, law enforcement officials said.

Investigations are also underway following reports of intercepted mailed devices targeting former Attorney General Eric Holder and California congresswoman Maxine Waters.

The three devices targeting Obama, the Clintons and CNN were similar to the small pipe bomb found at liberal billionaire donor George Soros' New York home on Monday and appear to have been sent by the same person, NYPD's chief of counterterrorism said.

The FBI said the packages were mailed in manilla envelopes with bubble wrap interior. The packages were affixed with computer-printed address labels and six stamps bearing the Stars and Stripes. All packages had the return address of former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida.

The explosive device intended for Holder was returned to her Florida office - also sparking an evacuation there on Wednesday afternoon.

All of those targeted are among Trump's biggest political enemies and have been subjected to his ire on Twitter.

The White House also called the attacks as 'despicable', while officials described the events as a coordinated 'effort to terrorize' just days before polarizing US elections.

Multiple suspected explosive devices were found in the mail addressed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and CNN's New York newsroom on Wednesday. Pictured above is the pipe bomb sent to CNN's newsroom

A police bomb squad was sent to CNN's offices in New York on Wednesday and the newsroom was evacuated because of a pipe bomb found in an envelope addressed to former CIA director John Brennan

The FBI said the packages were mailed in manilla envelopes and were affixed with computer-printed address labels with six stamps bearing the Stars and Stripes. The packages had the return address of former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida

Two bombs have been found in the mail addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service

'This clearly is an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence,' New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference.

The FBI has warned that other packages could also have been mailed and said they were working with multiple agencies to track down the person responsible.

The packages sent to the Clintons and Obama were discovered during routine mail screenings and were intercepted prior to being delivered to Clinton and Obama.

Bill Clinton was at the family's home at the time the package was intercepted, while Hillary was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida.

CNN evacuated its New York bureau Wednesday after the pipe bomb together with an envelope containing white powder was found in the mail room of the Time Warner Center where their bureau is located,

The packaging was addressed care of CNN to former CIA director John Brennan, who doesn't work for the network but is an MSNBC contributor. An evacuation alarm went off as CNN anchors were live on air reporting on the packages sent to Obama and Clinton.

The bomb was constructed with a metal pipe, wires and black tape, according to police. The device found at CNN was removed by the NYPD bomb squad and taken away for investigation.

A suspicious package addressed to Democratic California congresswoman Maxine Waters was intercepted by Capitol Police on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier, a law enforcement source told Reuters and CNN that they believed a pipe bomb had also been sent to the White House but was intercepted at an off-site facility in D.C. The Secret Service later denied this, saying there was no suspicious package addressed to the White House.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said his office received a similar package, but New York police officials said the office was cleared and no device was found. The San Diego office of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris was evacuated early Wednesday following reports of a suspicious package, but police found nothing.

The package sent to Hillary and Bill Clinton's property in Chappaqua, New York was found by an employee who screens their mail. Police guarded the property early Wednesday

A device addressed to former President Obama's home in Washington D.C. was intercepted by Secret Service. Law enforcement were spotted outside the home early Wednesday morning

A short time later, a police bomb squad was sent to CNN's offices (above) in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a suspicious package

A robotic device and members of the bomb squad were deployed outside the building in Sunrise, Florida where Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has an office following reports of a suspicious device

TIMELINE: Packages target prominent Democrats and Trump's foes Monday: George Soros Small pipe bomb is found at George Soros' home in the New York City suburb of Katonah on Monday. Package was located in a mailbox outside the gates of the billionaire liberal donor's compound. A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates and not near the billionaire's quarters. Tuesday night: Hillary Clinton Suspicious package is discovered at Hillary and Bill Clinton's home in Chappaqua, New York late Tuesday night. The device, which was addressed to Hillary, was found during a routine mail screening by an employee within the vicinity of their home. Bill was at the home at the time, while Hillary was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida. Wednesday: Barack Obama Secret Service intercept a package en route to Obama's Washington D.C. early Wednesday. It was also discovered during routine mail screenings. Package containing the device was found before being delivered to Obama. Wednesday: CNN/John Brennan Suspicious package addressed to former CIA director John Brennan is found in the mail room of CNN's New York Bureau on Wednesday. CNN evacuated after a pipe bomb and an envelope of white powder was discovered. Brennan is not employee by CNN but he has worked as a television analyst. Wednesday: Debbie Wasserman Schultz/Eric Holder Bomb squad is called to the Florida office of the Democratic Congresswoman on Wednesday after a suspicious package is found. Packages that were intercepted all had Schultz's office listed as a return address. Package that showed up at her office had actually been sent to former Attorney General Eric Holder but was mailed to the wrong address, so was returned to her instead. Wednesday: Maxine Waters A suspicious package addressed to Democratic California congresswoman Maxine Waters was intercepted Wednesday afternoon by Capitol Police. Authorities are still investigating. Advertisement

The White House issued a statement regarding the devices, condemning the 'violent attacks'.

'We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures,' a statement from press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

'These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.'

Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump also issued statements condemning the attacks on Obama, the Clintons and CNN.

'These cowardly actions are despicable and have no place in this country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice,' Pence tweeted.

Ivanka tweeted: 'I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN and others. There is no excuse - America is better than this. Gratitude to the @SecretService and law enforcement for all they do to keep this nation safe.'

President Trump initially just retweeted Pence's tweet, saying: 'I agree wholeheartedly!' but expanded during a White House press conference later on Wednesday.

'I just want to tell you that in these times we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America,' Trump said.

Trump did not mention any of the recipients of the packages in his remarks.

'The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority,' he said.

His wife Melania also spoke, saying: 'We cannot tolerate those cowardly attacks and I strongly condemn all who choose violence.

'I'm grateful to the secret service as well as the federal and local law enforcement for all they do on a daily basis to keep us safe and encourage people across the country to choose kindness over hatred.'

Hillary Clinton said at a Florida fundraiser on Wednesday that 'we are fine' as she thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the device 'long before it made its way to our home'.

Clinton, who was speaking at a fundraiser for Democratic congressional candidate Donna Shalala, said her family was grateful for the Secret Service's 'service and commitment and obviously never more than today'.

The pipe bomb found at CNN was safely taken away in an NYPD emergency vehicle on Wednesday to be examined by the FBI

A member of the New York Police Department bomb squad is pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manahattan after a suspicious package was sent to CNN

An evacuation alarm went off as CNN anchors were live on air reporting on the packages sent to Obama and Clinton

New York police block off a street after they were called to a suspicious package sent to the Time Warner building where CNN's newsroom is located

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference that it was an 'act of terror'. He is pictured above with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (right) and New York Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill (left)

With the country deeply polarized under President Trump, the packages brought a new level of tension to the November 6 political contests that will decide whether Democrats can challenge the majorities now held by Trump's Republicans in Congress.

The targets are all Democrats frequently attacked by Trump online and in speeches as he defends his 2016 election victory and policies he has implemented since coming to office in January 2017.

The term #MAGAbomber was trending as the investigation unfolded.

Obama preceded him in the White House and Clinton was his 2016 election rival. Holder was attorney general in the last years of the Obama administration.

Trump has labelled CNN the leading purveyor of 'fake news' against him, and Brennan is perhaps his most damaging critic from the national security community. Brennan called the president's performance during a July joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki 'nothing short of treasonous'.

Trump often ridicules Waters, a senior Democrat, as 'low IQ' and has regularly attacked Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, and Cuomo.

Alexander Soros, the son of George Soros, said in an opinion piece published by the New York Times that his father had long faced verbal criticism and threats over his involvement in politics, 'but something changed in 2016' when Trump was elected.

'Before that, the vitriol he faced was largely confined to the extremist fringes, among white supremacists and nationalists who sought to undermine the very foundations of democracy. But with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, things got worse,' Alexander Soros wrote.

He placed direct responsibility with those who sent the devices, but added: 'I cannot see it divorced from the new normal of political demonization that plagues us today.'

Hillary Clinton said at a Florida fundraiser on Wednesday that 'we are fine' as she thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the device 'long before it made its way to our home'

Melania Trump strongly condemned the attempted violence to President Trump's political rivals on Wednesday at a White House press conference

At a press conference on Wednesday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the 'effort to terrorize' as he and fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo appealed to all elected officials, including a veiled reference to Trump, to tone down rhetoric.

'Don't encourage violence, don't encourage hatred, don't encourage attacks on media,' de Blasio said. 'Unfortunately this atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making.

'The way to stop that is turn back the other way, to bring down the temperature, to end any messages of violence against people we disagree with and this has to start at the top.'

Meanwhile, during Fox News' coverage of the events, former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told the outlet that the Democrats might be to blame for the bombs.

'We're already seeing a little bit of a pattern,' Swecker said. 'They're going to be looking at this as a potential terrorist motive, whether it's on one side or the other.

'This doesn't necessarily mean someone is espousing some sort of conservative ideology and targeting Democrats. It could be someone who is trying to get the Democratic vote out and incur sympathy.'
The young woman who was murdered while walking her dog would not have been able to call police because she was in a mobile black spot, locals have claimed.

Toyah Cordingley, 24, disappeared after going to walk her dog at Wangetti Beach, an isolated strip north of Cairns in Queensland on Sunday about 2pm.

She was reported missing at 11pm that night, and her body was found in sand dunes at the beach on Monday morning, with 'visible and violent' injuries inflicted on it.

Detectives are now seeking to find out if Ms Cordingley had her mobile phone on her at the time and if she tried to contact the emergency hotline.

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Toyah Cordingley disappeared after going to walk her dog at Wangetti Beach, south of Port Douglas in Queensland on Sunday about 2pm

She was reported missing at 11pm that night, and her body was found in sand dunes at the beach on Monday morning, with 'visible and violent' injuries inflicted on it

Hartley's Crocodile Adventures owner Angela Freeman told The Courier Mail it wouldn't have mattered if she had her phone on her.

'Even if Toyah had her phone, and was in fear of her life, there is no signal, and she would not have been able to make an emergency call for help.

Police are also continuing to comb the area for clues and 'missing personal items', and have taken DNA swabs from residents and illegal campers.

'DNA testing and swabbing of people by consent in the local area was routine in serious investigations,' a police spokesperson told the publication.

'If youve got nothing to hide, most people are fine,' he said.

'The police came around door-knocking, they asked a few questions and they popped a thing in my mouth and said it was for DNA,' one local, who did not want named, told the ABC.

'I'm perfectly fine with that because I've got nothing to hide and if it helps them track down who did this to her, then I'm all for it.'

The resident added there were a number of people in the community who lived 'unofficially' in illegal camps.

Police have not confirmed whether Ms Cordingley was walking alone at the time, among other pressing details.

Since putting the callout for public assistance, police have taken in more than 160 calls to CrimeStoppers.

Police are also continuing to comb the area for clues and 'missing personal items', and have taken DNA swabs from residents and illegal campers

Police have not confirmed whether Ms Cordingley was walking alone at the time, among other pressing details

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu labelled it a 'disgusting, horrific and fatal act of violence'.

She added it was disturbing to think a murderer was still on the loose.

Boyfriend Marco Heidenrich survives his partner and was comforted by friends earlier in the week.

Mr Heidenreich, who had been in a relationship with Toyah Cordingley for nearly three years, was pictured looking sad alongside a close friend, sitting in the sun on what appeared to be the balcony of a pub on Tuesday.

The photo of Mr Heidenreich, shared by a friend to social media, was 'reacted' to with likes and hearts, and one man commented: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'.

It is the first time he has been pictured since the devastating news of his girlfriend's murder

Marco Heidenreich (left) was pictured looking glassy-eyed on Tuesday, just days after his girlfriend, 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley, was brutally murdered on Wangetti Beach on Sunday. The image received multiple 'love' reactions, and one friend said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'

Friends said Ms Cordingley had been walking her boyfriend's dog, Jersey, when she died.

The Port Douglas man, a fellow animal lover who appears to own multiple dogs and multiple snakes, has not commented on his girlfriend's death.

The post coincided with revelations Ms Cordingley had suffered 'visible and violent' injuries when she was killed in the sand dunes at Wangetti Beach on Sunday.

Police divers were called in from Brisbane on Tuesday to help specialist detectives, Cairns police officers and SES volunteers scour the area for the pharmacy worker's personal possessions.

Mr Heidenreich (right) is believed to have been dating Ms Cordingley (left) for nearly three years. The pair share a deep love of animals, and Ms Cordingley is believed to have been walking one of Mr Heidenreich's dogs when she was killed

Police divers from Brisbane have been called in to the far north beach to help search for Ms Cordingley's personal possessions (pictured is police searching on the beach, which is now a crime scene)

Residents told The Courier Mail the dunes were often the scene of 'sexually deviant' behaviour by 'odd bods' and vagrants.

One witness told the paper he and a group of 15 friends were at the northern end of the beach with other families that afternoon.

They were driving back to Cairns near the southern car park, where Ms Cordingley's car was found, when they were waved down by two scruffily dressed men 'in a highly agitated state' on the side of the highway in a white 4WD ute with a flat tyre.

The witness has given a statement to police.

'We stopped to help, and they were in a really stressed state,' he told the publication.

'It might be nothing, but they were really strange, and in a real panic to get out of there.'

A full-scale homicide investigation has been launched as police hunt Ms Cordingley's killer, but police are yet to announce a person of interest. On Tuesday, officers urged anyone with dashcam footage or other information to come forward

Ms Cordingley was found at Wangetti Beach on Monday morning in sand dunes between the foreshore and the start of bushland, and police are still hunting her killer

A full-scale homicide investigation was launched after Ms Cordingley's body was found, with police urging anyone who knew anything or had been at the beach that day to come forward.

As of Thursday, police were not commenting on whether a person of interest had been located, but Detective Inspector Sonia Smith said officers were 'keeping an open mind' to what could have happened.

'All lines of inquiry will be followed, and all relevant examinations will be conducted,' she said.

Police have appealed for anyone who was on the beach that afternoon and who has dashcam footage of the area or either carpark to come forward.

Officers are also looking to speak with anyone who was at Rusty's Markets in central Cairns between 12pm or 1pm, where Ms Cordingley is believed to have been before she headed to the beach.

With Ms Cordingley's killer on the loose, and no publicised leads as to who is responsible for the death, Det Insp Smith said people should take precautions.

'Everybody should be aware of their surroundings, and have a safety plan wherever they are,' she said.

Locals have said the sand dune area of the quiet beach is a hot spot for 'sexually deviant' 'oddbods' and vagrants
If you plan on eating green bean casserole this Thanksgiving, the memory of Dorcas Reilly will live on. The inventor of the iconic, easy-to-make recipe died earlier this month at the age of 92.

The day before Thanksgiving last year, Dorcas, slowed by dementia but still glued to the side of her husband and high school sweetheart Tom, spoke about her creation.

"How many ingredients are in the green bean casserole?" Tom quizzed her, sitting in the sunroom of their Haddonfield home.

"About seven," she responded with a smile.

"It's very tasty if it's made the right way," Tom said. "It's a very simple meal. It's comfort food. We've heard many people recognize it as the original comfort food."

Dorcas, who Tom called Dotte, graduated from Drexel University's home economics program in Philadelphia in 1947. She joined the Campbell Soup company in her native Camden shortly afterward. She was working in a test kitchen for Campbell's in 1955 when she came up with the recipe. The goal was to create a wholesome meal out of ingredients many families already had in their kitchen.

The recipe includes a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, four cups of green beans, milk, spices and a can French's fried onions. Prep time is 10 minutes and baking time is 30.

"For those who had the privilege of knowing Dorcas, we greatly admired her humble and unassuming nature," Beth Jolly, a Campbell executive said. "Dorcas would often share that the first time she made her famous recipe, it did not receive the highest rating in Campbell's internal testing. Yet, it was her persistence and creativity that led to an enduring recipe that will live on for decades to come."

Campbell started putting Reilly's recipe on cans of cream of mushroom soup in the 1960s.

Dorcas Reilly in the Campbell Soup test kitchen in the 1950s.

"One of my fondest memories was attending her induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame," said Jane Freiman, director of Campbell's consumer test kitchen. "Dorcas's recipes have been shared by millions of American families for over 60 years, and I have no doubt her legacy will live on."

A celebration of life will be held for Reilly on Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Haddonfield.
UAEs Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) has signed an agreement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) to share knowledge and resources.



Under the terms of the agreement, the FCSA will partner with SDSN  a body that operates under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General to mobilise global scientific and technological expertise for sustainable development.



The specifics of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) relate to SDSNs research network on data and statistics TReNDS and the organisations mutual objective of providing better-quality data to monitor sustainable development.



The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the UN World Data Forum 2018, which was hosted by the FCSA at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai from October 22-24.



The second edition of the global summit aimed at exploring ways of improving the collection and analysis of statistics to meet the UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under Agenda 2030. The signatories to the agreement were Abdullah Nasser Lootah, director general of the FCSA and chairman of the Organising Committee of the UN World Data Forum 2018, and Jessica Espey, senior adviser at SDSN.



Our new partnership with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will see the UAE run SDG pilot initiatives when needed to support the networks research, while the network will reciprocate by supporting the FCSA with capacity building when possible, participating in SDG-related events where feasible, and contributing to the UAEs annual report on SDGs, said Lootah.



We see our relationship, which will last until at least 2020, as an important step in helping the UAE meet its obligations towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.



The UN World Data Forum 2018 attracted more than 1,500 data experts, government officials and policy makers from around the world. Following the inaugural event in Cape Town, South Africa in 2017, the successful second edition of the Forum has established the event as the preeminent global activity to discuss the role of data and statistics in achieving the UN SDGs in the areas of food security, health and learning.  TradeArabia News Service
A lifestyle journalist allegedly left a cyclist with serious facial and leg injuries after hitting him with a $350,000 supercar, a court has heard.

Amelia Hungerford, who works for Signature Luxury Travel & Lifestyle magazine, had been invited to test drive a yellow McLaren Sport Series Coupe as part of a media event, the Manly Daily reported.

She was driving through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, north Sydney, on the morning of May 5, when she allegedly collided with cyclist James Tan.

Lifestyle journalist Amelia Hungerford (pictured) is accused of hitting a cyclist while test-driving a $350,000 McLaren car

The 28-year-old had been asked to drive McLaren Sport Series Coupe (stock image pictured) for a media event in May

She (pictured) works for Signature Luxury Travel & Lifestyle magazine

Mr Tan, who is in his 50s, was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital with serious injuries.

Ms Hungerford was taken for mandatory blood and urine tests.

She was later charged with dangerous driving, occasioning grievous bodily harm  drive manner dangerous, negligent driving (occasions grievous bodily harm), cause bodily harm by misconduct in charge of motor vehicle, and negligent driving (no death or grievous bodily harm).

Ms Hungerford is yet to enter a plea.

The case was adjourned to Manly Local Court on November 14.

Ms Hungerford (pictured) was taken for mandatory blood and urine tests
Kate Middleton joined Prince William and the rest of the Royal family  sans Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  at a state banquet honoring visiting Dutch royals on Tuesday.

During the event, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles and Dutch monarchs Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander wore traditional sashes known as orders. Kate, however, was not wearing one.

According to People Magazine, theres a good reason the Duchess of Cambridge wasnt donning a blue sash over her Alexander McQueen gown. The sash represents the Royal Victorian Order of Queen Elizabeth II, which Kate doesnt have.

Kate Middleton wore a blue-grey Alexander McQueen gown to the state dinner at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening

She was seen wearing the Royal Family Order, which depicts Queen Elizabeth II in her youth upon a yellow ribbon while the rest of the family wore the Royal Victorian Order

An order is given by the Queen to members of the Royal family as an acknowledgement of their service.

While Kate, 36, hasnt had that honor bestowed upon her, she has been given another special recognition which she was proudly wearing pinned to her chest. The mother-of-three was spotted wearing a yellow badge known as the Royal Family Order.

Majesty Magazine reported that its the second time Kates worn the special honor. She also wore it at the Diplomatic Corps reception in December.

As for why Kate hasnt been given her blue sash, theres some speculation that its because shes not as close with the Queen as other Royal women. It may also be because shes not yet completed as many Royal engagements as others in the family.

Want to know more about Kate Middletons state banquet look and the Royal Family Order? Heres what you need to know.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands, Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are pictured together in the Music Room ahead of this evenings State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. #NetherlandsStateVisit pic.twitter.com/geClEPKlF1  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 23, 2018

State banquet Buckingham Palace 2018

The Royal family hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace to honor King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, who were visiting from the Netherlands.

The women were expected to wear ball gowns and tiaras, per Royal protocol, and all members of the family were expected to wear either the Royal Victorian Order of Queen Elizabeth II or the Royal Family Order. Men wore tailcoats and full military honors.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were not invited to the upscale event. The elder of Prince William and Kate Middleton's three children stayed at Anmer Hall with their nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borralo, while the youngest is thought to have been with his grandmother Carole Middleton, according to Hello Magazine.

Prior to the dinner, the Queen delivered remarks about the United Kingdoms partnership with the Netherlands.

I recalled the state visit of your grandmother Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard in 1972, when I spoke of how our nations close understanding and relationship would become increasingly important as new configuration of Europe was emerging, she said.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall accompany guests to the Ballroom for the State Banquet.#NetherlandsStateVisit pic.twitter.com/9mIOHlwOZK  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 23, 2018

As we look toward a new partnership with Europe, it is our shared values and commitment to each other, that are our greatest asset, and demonstrate that even through change, our enduring alliance remains strong, and as innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future.

For his part, King Willem-Alexander said: At present, a lot of attention is focused on the technical side of Brexit.

Thats understandable and necessary. But in the midst of all the complexity we should not lose sight of the greater narrative that continues to bind us.

The greater narrative of freedom, openness and cooperation. Of growth and a prosperity whose fruits are enjoyed by all.

The Queen was joined at the state banquet by Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince William and Kate.

The Royal familys official Twitter account revealed that 280 slides of chocolate orange torte and several other types of Royal-themed pastries were served during the banquet.

Kate Middleton state dinner dress

Kate Middleton wore a light blue Alexander McQueen gown to Tuesday evenings state dinner at Buckingham Palace. The taffeta gown showed off her shape with a mermaid silhouette.

Her dress was a bespoke item from the fashion house.

The Duchess paired the look with pearl earrings and a matching necklace. On her head she wore the Cambridge Lovers Knot tiara, which was a favorite of Princess Dianas.

While her accessories were beloved by fans, Kate received some harsh criticism over her gown. Some fans thought she looked unkempt in the dress, which had a wrinkly appearance to it, while others thought it was ugly and said it looked like an '8os prom dress'.

So glad to see Kate wearing the Royal Family Order of the Queen for the first time but sorry really not liking the dress at all  Mystique (@MystiqueNFT) October 23, 2018

I dont think Im digging the fabric on this dress  Who let my girl out like this?! But honestly, as long as Kate is comfortable and happy in it then  https://t.co/epD71bV8Wu  RoyallyKate- (@RoyallyKate) October 23, 2018

This dress is maybe the worst dress kate ever wore its shocking actually she really need a fashion makeover  pic.twitter.com/RVxskzZ2OL  angelbeaumont (@angelbeaumont1) October 23, 2018

I farking love Kate and 90% of her wardrobe but this is a firm no from me. I swear I had a party dress that looked like this in 1989  #DuchessofCambridge #katemiddleton #taffeta #taffetafordays pic.twitter.com/jK14nCge54  Susan Brougham (@susan_brougham) October 23, 2018

Who even needs to iron these days? #statebanquet pic.twitter.com/933Yg3E1cr  William Hanson (@williamhanson) October 23, 2018

What is a Royal Family Order?

A Royal Family Order is an honor bestowed upon female members of the British Royal Family by Queen Elizabeth II. Its worn on formal occasions.

The emblem depicts the Queen in her youth, wearing formal evening attire and the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter.

The Duchess of Cambridge is wearing the family order for the second time. Its first outing was at the Diplomatic Corps reception in December. #NetherlandsStateVisit  Majesty/Joe Little (@MajestyMagazine) October 23, 2018

Kate was first seen wearing the Royal Family Order in December during the Diplomatic Corps reception.

Other members of the Royal family wear the Royal Victorian Order of Queen Elizabeth II. Kate has not had this honor bestowed upon her, which is why you wont see her wearing a blue sash like the rest of the family.

The Royal Victorian Order is a blue sash given to members of the monarchy by the Queen to acknowledge their service.

An earlier version of the family order of Elizabeth II: a miniature of the young Queen surrounded by diamonds, with a diamond-embellished crown. pic.twitter.com/mzj0rLL3OY  Majesty/Joe Little (@MajestyMagazine) October 23, 2018
This is the horrifying moment a hitman casually walked into a restaurant in Peru and shot dead a former gang member.

David Socrates Cortijo Torres, 29, was known by Peruvian law enforcement authorities to have been an ex-ranking member of a local criminal organization called Los Destructores (The Destroyers).

But he appeared to have given up his life of crime and was enjoying a meal out with his girlfriend a Chinese restaurant in San Juan de Lurigancho, a district in Lima, Peru, when he was shot in the back of the head.

Surveillance video footage from Chinese restaurant obtained by Diario Correo shows the moment the gunman slowly walks into the site and covertly pulls out his weapon from the front pocket of his hooded sweatshirt on Sunday just before midnight.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

David Socrates Cortijo Torres was shot dead at point-blank range Sunday night at a Chinese restaurant in Peru

An assassin calmly walks into a Chinese restaurant in San Juan de Lurigancho, a district in Lima, before he takes out his target with a single shot to the head

Jessica Farfan (left wearing black sweatshirt) is comforted by an unidentified person while her boyfriend David Socrates Cortijo Torres lays dead on the floor of a restaurant

The unidentified assailant then shot at Cortijo Torres, also know as 'Pollo Flaco' (Slim Chicken), who was seated just a couple of feet away from another couple dining in the restaurant.

His girlfriend Jessica Farfan, 25, could be seen crying in horror with both of her hands covering her face immediately after Cortijo Socrates slumped to the ground.

Police witnesses said the suspect quickly walked out of the restaurant and sped away on motorcycle.

David Socrates Cortijo Torres (pictured) had a prior brush with the law in 2014 when he was caught in a string of cash register robberies as a member of the Los Destructores [The Destroyers] gang

Former gang member David Socrates Cortijo Torres (top left) is dining with his girlfriend Jessica Farfan before a man walked into the restaurant and shot him dead

Jessica Farfan screams in horror moments after her boyfriend was shot dead in the head

Authorities believe the killing could have been an act of revenge.

No arrests have been made.

According to Diario Correo, police sources revealed that Cortijo Torres had been arrested for his participation in 2014 in a string of robberies that targeted the cash registers of local businesses in the nearby seaside city of El Callao.
England's counter terror chief today warned that he does not have the resources needed to fight the growing threat from extremists.

Neil Basu said the work of counter terror police runs 'red hot' as officers scramble to identify and thwart plots to kill on Britain's streets.

He confirmed that there are a record 700 terror investigations are being carried out across the country, which has seen a 'sustained shift' in the threat posed.

He said that the biggest threat is posed by Daesh-inspired Islamist extremists but that the danger of the far right is growing in a 'disturbing' trend.

And he said that Britain's counter terror police are not yet able to 'match' the threat posed by extremists and hostile states like Russia.

And he said that police forces are struggling and urged ministers to give the police force a long term cash settlement.

In a plea to Chancellor Philip Hammond ahead of next week's Budget, he said: 'I don't have to argue those points with the Home Office, they accept that is what's required.

'Now what's required is a Treasury that is sympathetic.'

Neil Basu (pictured in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee today) said the work of counter terror police runs 'red hot' as officers scramble to identify and thwart plots to kill on Britain's streets

The counter terror chief (pictured in parliament today) confirmed that 700 terror investigations are being carried out across the country, which has seen a 'sustained shift' in the threat posed

He gave the stark warning to MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee who grilled him on the state of play of counter terrorism.

He told MPs: 'My predecessor Mark [Rowley] when he was in front of you a year ago today, quote - "despite our best endeavours we are not yet a well matched to the threat than we were a year ago".

One year on I would like to tell you we are matched to the threat, but the reality is we are not.

He added: Matching that new threat, including now extreme right wing terrorism and hostile state activity requires new ways of working and for us to maintain our resource.

He said that local police forces are struggling with squeezed budgets - and called for the police to be given a long term funding settlement.

What were the terror attacks which hit Britain in 2017? Here is the list of terror attacks which wreaked carnage on Britain's streets in 2017: Westminster, March 22 Khalid Masood struck at the heart of British democracy - the Houses of Parliament He drove a hire car across Westminster Bridge, killing four pedestrians on the pavement and injuring dozens more. He then leapt out of his crashed car and ran into Parliament where he stabbed to death police officer Keith Palmer. Manchester, 22 May Salman Abedi blew himself up outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester killing 22 people - including many children. The youngest victim, Saffie Roussos, was just eight years old. London Bridge, June 3 Three killers ploughed their cars int pedestrians in London Bridge before going on a bloody knife rampage in Borough Market. Rachid Redouane, Khuram Butt and Youssef Zaghba - who were all wearing fake explosive vests - killed eight people before they were shot dead by armed police. Finsbury Park, June 19 Far-right fanatic Darren Osborne drove his van into a Mosque in Finsbury Park, killing father-of-six Makram Ali and injuring several others. Advertisement

He said: 'I depend entirely on well resourced local police forces, from neighbourhood policing through the crisis response.

'But it is extremely difficult for CT (counter terrorism) policing when we are constantly working to short term funding arrangements so a longer term funding settlement would greatly assist.'

Speaking this afternoon, he said the five terror attacks which killed dozens and injured hundreds last year 'were not a temporary escalation of the threat, they are a sustained shift in that threat'.

He added: 'The UK CT (counter terror) machine to this day continues to run red hot.

The attacks demonstrated both the breadth of targets and methodologies employed has increased.

'The weapons used by attackers can now range from home made explosives to a family car or an everyday kitchen knife

'And the greatest concern to me comes from simple attacks on softer targets that are cheap to mount, easy to disguise and therefore harder to see and stop.'

He said that the 'overriding' threat to the UK remains Islamist extremists inspired by Daesh - also known as Islamic State - or al Qaeda.

But he warned that that there has been a 'very disturbing' rise extreme right wing activity.

Last year's Westminster terror attack marked a step change in the threat posed to Britain's streets, the MPs heard.

Five people were murdered and nearly 50 were injured when Khalid Masood, 52, ploughed his car into passers by in Westminster Bridge before leaping out and stabbing to death PC Keith Palmer in the grounds of Parliament.

Since then, 17 terror attacks have been thwarted since Westminster attack  including four extreme right wing terror plots.

Mr Basu warned MPs: I expect those figures to increase.

And he warned that the 'greatest threat' comes from social media, where hate-filled groups post their propaganda.

He said that big tech has 'finally realised' they have to do something about the extremist material being posted on their sites.

He said: 'The truth is 2017 has been a shock and a watershed year for a lot of people, and I think that includes big tech.'

Britain is facing a growing threat from extreme right-wing terrorism which has surged in the wake of last year's attacks on London and Manchester, Britain's counter terror chief warned (pictured, an armed police officer stands guard in Manchester after last year's terror attack)

Labour MP Jo Cox (pictured outside Parliament) was murdered by far right fanatic Thomas Mair (pictured right) shortly before the Brexit referendum in 2016

A police officer looks at flowers left in tribute to those murdered in the Westminster Terror Attack. Neil Basu said the attack sparked a renewed burst of terror activity in the UK

He added: 'I think they have recognised that it is no longer good enough to say we are platforms when they are actually publishers...were they putting enough resource, effort, and people into this problem? Not sure they were.

'I think they are really stepping up.'

But he warned that companies like Twitter and Facebook must employ actual people to look at content, take it down and report it to police. - rather than just relying on automated computer systems.

He urged MPs across the political divides to back the anti-extremist programme Prevent.

The counter terror officer warned that he is very concerned about British jihadis returning from war-torn Syria hardened terrorists - but said few prosecutions have been brought because there is simply not the evidence to take them to court.

And urging ministers to give police more money, he told MPs: 'When I was a borough commander I remember a lot of charities we were supporting at the time would spend nine months out of the 12 months fighting for funding for the next year,

'I find it a bit like that.

'I have been in counter terrorism for four years and i cant think of a time when I didn't have to prove that our budget was required on a yearly basis. I'm not sure that's a great model.'

He said he has 'no doubt' at all that the Home Secretary Sajid Javid understands understands the pressure he is under.

He said that while he got more money last year he needs a commitment to future funds so that his resources do not suddenly collapse next year.
British and Dutch marines showed off their skills on the River Thames today as they recaptured a ship from a 'terrorist' in front of the King and Queen of the Netherlands.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima watched on as soldiers from the UK/Netherlands Amphibious Force stormed their boat in a mock rescue mission.

Today's grand display in the heart of London was part of the Dutch royal family's state visit to Britain this week.

The Dutch warship HNLMS Zeeland has been anchored next to HMS Belfast for the visit, in a sign of the close naval co-operation between the nations.

An on-the-water capability demonstration by the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the British Royal Marines takes place on the River Thames

The king and queen of the Netherlands watched on as the high-speed army boats approached them as they stood on the deck of HNLMS Zeeland

As part of the demonstration, Dutch and British marines boarded the ship carrying the royals and apprehended a terrorist (pictured in a balaclava)

The Dutch king and queen, accompanied by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, seemed impressed as the action unfolded feet away.

British and Dutch marines raced towards the Dutch ship in high-powered speed boats, before boarding and apprehending a fake terrorist on the deck.

The Dutch king and queen, accompanied by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, seemed impressed as the action unfolded feet away.

The four royals then greeted members of the armed forces from both countries, before speaking to soldiers who helped with disaster relief following the hurricane that affected the Caribbean in 2017.

The two-day state visit was kicked off yesterday with a reception at Buckingham Palace in London.

This morning, at a state banquet in honour of the visiting royals, the Queen spoke publicly about Brexit for the first time.

She told the king that 'as we look toward a new partnership with Europe' the values shared by the UK and Holland 'are our greatest assets'.

British and Dutch marines raced towards the Dutch ship in high-powered speed boats, before boarding and apprehending a fake terrorist on the deck

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima watch on as soldiers from the UK/Netherlands Amphibious Force stormed their boat in a mock rescue mission

The Dutch warship HNLMS Zeeland (left) has been anchored next to HMS Belfast (right) for the visit, in a sign of the close naval co-operation between the nations

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands with the Countess and Earl of Wessex (shown left to right) greeted members of the armed forces from both countries

The Queen added that as 'innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future'.

The Queen, who remains impartial in political matters, chose to emphasise the qualities needed by the UK and one of its closet European neighbours going forward as UK politics continued to be deeply divided by the issue of Brexit.

Earlier, in a speech to both Houses of Parliament, King Willem-Alexander urged the UK to lift the 'shadow of uncertainty' hanging over Dutch nationals living in Britain.

And in his address at the Buckingham Palace dinner, with Mrs May seated nearby, the foreign head of state said: 'At present, a lot of attention is focused on the "technical" side of Brexit. That's understandable and necessary.

'But in the midst of all that complexity we should not lose sight of the greater narrative that continues to bind us.

'The greater narrative of freedom, openness and co-operation. Of growth and a prosperity whose fruits are enjoyed by all.'

Today's grand display in the heart of London was part of the Dutch royal family's state visit to Britain this week

Queen breaks her silence on Brexit  telling Dutch royals shared values are what binds Britain to Europe and she is looking to a new partnership during state banquet

The Queen spoke publicly aboutBrexit for the first time, telling the King of the Netherlands that 'shared values' are what binds Britain to Europe as she 'looks to a new partnership'.

Speaking at a state banquet in honour of King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima last night, Her Majesty added that as 'innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future'.

The Queen, who remains impartial in political matters, chose to emphasise the qualities needed by the UK and one of its closet European neighbours going forward as UK politics continued to be deeply divided by the issue of Brexit.

The Queen (pictured delivering her speech next to King Willem-Alexander (on her right) chose to emphasise the shared ties binding Britain and the Netherlands

Earlier, in a speech to both Houses of Parliament, King Willem-Alexander urged the UK Government to lift the 'shadow of uncertainty' hanging over Dutch nationals living in Britain after Brexit.

And in his address at the Buckingham Palace dinner, with Theresa May seated nearby, the foreign head of state said: 'At present, a lot of attention is focused on the 'technical' side of Brexit. That's understandable and necessary.

'But in the midst of all that complexity we should not lose sight of the greater narrative that continues to bind us. The greater narrative of freedom, openness and cooperation. Of growth and a prosperity whose fruits are enjoyed by all.'

In contrast to the speeches, the royal women, who included Queen Maxima, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall, put on a dazzling display of royal tiaras during the white-tie dinner.

The Queen told Holland's head of state during her speech: 'I recall the state visit of your grandmother Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard in 1972, when I spoke of how our nations' close understanding and relationship would become increasingly important as a new configuration of Europe was emerging.

The Queen, 92, walked alongside the Dutch King as they made their way into the dining hall

'As we look toward a new partnership with Europe, it is our shared values and commitment to each other, that are out greatest asset, and demonstrate that even through change, our enduring alliance

remains strong, and as innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future.'

In her speech, the Queen praised the close links between the UK and Holland which 'greatly contributes to the economic and cultural life of Britain'.

She added: 'The Netherlands are one of the United Kingdom's largest European investors. We have a thriving Dutch community, and artistic and sporting exchanges are at an all-time high'.

Willem-Alexander reiterated comments made before about regretting the UK's decision to leave the EU, but he respected the decision of the British people.

He went on to personally praise the Queen, highlighting her now famous appearance in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, describing her as the 'most fearless Bond Girl ever' for her role alongside 007 played by Daniel Craig.

The foreign monarch said: 'In recent decades, you have seen your country, Europe and the world change enormously. The world looks to you as a trusted beacon in the midst of upheaval.

'Your ability to keep in touch with the times is striking. You even have an adventurous streak, as you showed six years ago at the opening of the Olympic Games.'

In tribute to the close links between the British and Dutch royal families, Queen Maxima wore the famous tiara, from the Dutch royal collection, that featured the Stuart Diamond.

Prince Charles appeared deep in conversation with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands as they arrived for the state banquet, while The Duchess of Cambridge walked alongside Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar

The large stone was originally bought in late 17th century by the British monarch William III, also Netherlands's Prince of Orange, for his wife Queen Mary II.

It returned to the Dutch monarchy after the pair died and was later incorporated into the tiara which was last worn, with the stone, in 1972 by King Willem-Alexander's grandmother Queen Juliana when she travelled to the UK for a state visit.

2018 marks the 330th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution, which saw William depose James II to become King alongside his English wife Mary.

Among the royal guests were the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, senior members of the Cabinet and leading figures from British and Dutch life.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had met the Dutch king earlier in the day, was represented by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry as he was believed to be attending a family event.
Fracking firm Cuadrilla has vowed to carry on after halting drilling on Tuesday following another tremor which broke out on their site in Lancashire.

The seismic event, which measured 0.4 on the Richter Scale, was detected yesterday on the actual grounds of their operation in Little Plumpton while drilling was carried out, and is the sixth quake in the past six days in the area.

Cuadrilla, which only resumed fracking on Monday last week, adheres to the 'traffic light system' regulations which measure tremors and registered this one on the amber level, which means 'proceed with caution'.

It halted drilling for the rest of the day but confirmed operations were back to normal today.

Cuadrilla's fracking site near Blackpool, pictured, has registered its sixth earthquake in six days, just 10 days after drilling resumed

The firm said: 'This is an extremely low level of seismicity, far below what could possibly be felt at the surface.

'But it was classed as an amber event as part of the Traffic Light System (TLS) in place for monitoring operational activity.

'As such we are required to reduce the rate we are pumping fracturing fluid once it has been detected.

'In fact we have adopted extra caution and have stopped pumping for the day.'

'Seismicity will, as always, continue to be monitored closely around the clock by ourselves and others and we plan to continue hydraulic fracturing again in the morning.

'Local residents should be reassured that the monitoring systems in place are working as they should.

'These are tiny seismic events being detected by our monitors as we fracture the shale rock and are not capable of being felt much less cause damage or harm.'

Although the tremor measured very low on the Richter Scale, drilling was halted yesterday, although the firm has said it has resumed today. Pictured are protesters at the controversial site

In 2011 fracking was halted for seven years after experts said two Lancashire tremors - one registering a 2.3 magnitude - were caused by shale gas test drilling.

Pro-fracking lobby group 'Lancashire For Shale' said: 'A 0.4 magnitude event like this is so small it is only possible to detect it using very sensitive instruments like those deployed locally by Cuadrilla and the British Geological Survey.

'The very open manner in which this event has been reported, and Cuadrilla's reaction to it, demonstrates just how robust the new controls are and that the Traffic Light System is working effectively.'

Cuadrilla began fracking only days ago at its site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton.

Test drilling was suspended in 2011 after two tremors, one of 2.3 magnitude and the other of 1.5 in April and May of that year respectively.

A government-appointed panel said there could be more tremors as a result of fracking, but they would be too small to do structural damage above ground.

It recommended greater monitoring with a 'traffic light' regime, with tremors of 0.5 or above triggering a 'red light' and an immediate halt.

Protesters have put up signs calling the site an 'earthquake zone'. Drilling was previously halted for seven years after two earthquakes in the region in 2011

Caudrilla said earlier this month it would spend at least three months fracking two horizontal wells, and then it would test to see if the gas flow was commercially viable.

Opponents of fracking claim it can cause earth tremors and water pollution - and at least five tremors have already been reported in the area.

The Traffic Light System ensures that work has to be scaled back or stopped depending on the scale of seismic activity.

A spokesman for Frack Free Lancashire said: 'Frack Free Lancashire is greatly concerned about these seismic events.

'It is most alarming for residents. Considering this is only the exploratory phase and only one frack a day imagine how much worse it could be.

'Who knows what is happening under our feet?

'This is the earth giving out a warning, as predicted by geologists following the previous failures of fracking in Lancashire.

'The increased risk of larger magnitude quakes is serious. Cuadrilla must stop now, for all our sakes.'

Earlier this month the green-light was given to resume fracking after seven years by Mr Justice Supperstone at the High Court in London.

HOW DOES FRACKING TRIGGER EARTHQUAKES? Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake, and in extreme cases can even split the Earth's crust up to its surface. Fracking works by injecting huge volumes of water into the rocks surrounding a natural gas deposit or hydrothermal well. The water fractures the rocks, creating dozens of cracks through which gas and heat can escape to the surface. Fracking causes Earthquakes by introducing water to faultlines, lubricating the rocks and making them more likely to slip. When two blocks of rock or two plates rub together, they catch on one another. The rocks are still pushing against each other, but not moving, building pressure that is only released when the rocks break. During the earthquake and afterward, the plates or blocks of rock start moving, and they continue to move until they get stuck again. There are questions over whether a magnitude 5.6 temblor that hit Oklahoma - the biggest earthquake ever recorded in the state - was caused by the controversial process. Advertisement

It followed environmental campaigner Bob Dennett failing in a bid for an injunction preventing Cuadrilla from shale gas exploration.

Mr Dennett claimed Lancashire County Council's emergency response planning and procedures at the site were inadequate.

But the senior judge ruled there was not a 'serious issue' to be tried which would justify an interim order.

He also refused permission for a judicial review of Lancashire County Council's emergency planning procedures regarding the site, saying he was 'entirely satisfied.'

The judge said the site's safety had been assessed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and there was 'no evidence' to support Mr Dennett's argument.

Mr Dennett said: 'There are two clear errors in this judge's determination that leave the way open for us to take this to the Court of Appeal.

'We remain defiant. This started in Lancashire and we are going to finish this in Lancashire.

'We didn't get the result we were looking for, but we will fight on.'

Afterwards Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, called the judge's ruling 'bitterly disappointing'.
A young 10-year-old boy was kicked out of a Nando's restaurant while trying to impress his 'wee girlfriend' after being told they were too young to eat there alone.

The primary school pupil was told he and his female friend were not allowed to eat alone at the restaurant in Edinburgh.

He was made to eat his spicy chicken wings and peri-peri fries outside on a bench after being told they were not allowed to eat inside the shop.

A was kicked out of a branch of Nando's while trying to impress his 'wee girlfriend' with some spicy chicken wings and peri-peri fries

Why weren't the 10-year-old's allowed to eat at Nandos? It is unclear what type of licence Nando's in Edinburgh holds but it is known to have an alcoholic beverage licence which would restrict under 14s from being in the premises unaccompanied. Pubs were allowed to introduce special 'children's certificates' that would allow 14-year-old's and younger to be accompanied by an adult in licensed premises. A children's certificate permits a person under the age of 14, if accompanied by a person of not less than 18 years of age, to be present in a bar of licensed premises at any time between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. for the purpose of the consumption of a meal sold or supplied on the premises. Advertisement

His plight was revealed on Twitter, when his older sister took to the social networking site to shame Nando's for hindering his romantic overture.

She wrote: 'OMG I can't!!!!!!!! My wee brother is 10 years old and he took his wee 'gf' on a date to Nando's and they didn't let them sit in cause they had to be 13 so they made them eat a takeaway out side on a bench!!!!!!! and he paid I cannnnntttttt.

'Shame on Nando's.'

She also revealed that the youngster even insisted paying for their date.

Nando's has now apologised for 'cramping the little guy's style' but confirmed it was a legal requirement with alcohol licence laws in place.

A spokesman said: 'We know that nobody wants to go on a date with their parents in tow but unfortunately it's a legal requirement of our alcohol license in Scotland that all under-13's must be accompanied by an adult.'
A Texas man accused of shooting dead his father after his dad pulled a gun on him at their shared home, told his neighbor moments later he had no regrets and asked her for a hug.

Jesse David Vasquez III's neighbor, Maria Torres, testified Tuesday that she'd heard multiple 'pops' from the Vasquez home on April 17, 2016, according to San Antonio Express.

When she went to investigate what happened she saw Ann Vasquez, the defendant's stepmother, performing CPR on her husband Jesse David Vasquez Jr., 44, in the entrance of the house in Saunders Avenue, San Antonio.

She said the 24-year-old suspect had appeared 'high, kinda nervous and frightened' and 'asked for a hug.'

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Prosecutors say Jesse David Vasquez Jr., 44 (left) and his son Jesse David Vasquez III, now 24, had a volatile relationship that grew worse in the weeks leading up to the shooting

When the neighbor asked the defendant what happened, he seemed confused about the question.

'He said he didn't regret it, he wasn't sorry,' Torres told the jury. 'I felt like I was in a movie. It didn't feel real.'

Torres says Vasquez was pacing outside and looked nervous.

The victim, who was shot in torso, died at the scene.

Prosecutors said conceded that Vasquez Jr. had pointed a weapon on his son, but said that didn't mean the defendant wasn't guilty.

During testimony in court Tuesday, it was revealed that both the father and son openly carried weapons inside the home (pictured). The father carried a gun and the son carried a machete

Maria Torres, who lived across from the Vasquez home, testified Tuesday that she'd heard multiple 'pops' from her neighbor's house on April 17, 2016

'Our victim made the mistake in the afternoon of pulling a gun on the defendant, and he put it toward his face and that wasn't right,' prosecutor Josh Sandoval said. 'But that didn't give him the right to kill him.'

During opening statements, the prosecution said that the father and son had a volatile relationship that only became worse after the younger Vasquez moved into the home with his father, step-mother and two half-sisters, in the weeks prior to the shooting.

He had been staying with his father for several weeks but had begun to wear out his welcome and had been asked to leave, the victim's widow Ann Vasquez said in court.

'In the days leading up to the shooting, the defendant started making weird and creepy comments,' Sandoval said according toKSAT 12. 'He started saying stuff like, 'I'm gonna kill my dad.'

On Tuesday, the defendant did not speak but smiled as he was lead into court for opening statements

Ann Vasquez testified that tensions had been high on the day of the shooting, and that her husband had hit her, and one of their daughters, earlier that day

Prosecutor Josh Sandoval said the father and son would often use drugs together and carry weapons round the home; the elder Vasquez typically carried a gun, while his son walked around with a machete.

He said the pair would argue frequently.

Ann Vasquez testified that tensions had been high on the day of the shooting, and that her husband had hit her, and one of their daughters, earlier that day.

The defense, who did not provide opening statements, will argue that the son acted in self defense after his father pulled a gun on him.

On Tuesday, the defendant did not speak but smiled as he was lead into court for opening statements.

If convicted, Vasquez faces up to life in prison.
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In the era of the red state/blue state division, its easy to paint Pennsylvania and its 'Rust Belt' areas one color. But photographer Niko J. Kallianiotis decided to add different shades in his portrait of his adopted home state, which was one of the keys to President Donald Trumps victory in 2016.

His new photography book, America in a Trance, crackles with yellows, greens, blues and reds after Kallianiotis spent over two years crisscrossing the state - driving thousands of miles from Scranton, in the eastern part of the state, to Pittsburgh, in the western part, and everywhere in between - to chronicle its towns, some of which have been economically hard hit. People are often solitary in the photos - at times a sense of loneliness is palpable - amid the faded factories, boarded-up businesses and streets in a slump. The American symbol of status and freedom, the car, such as a cherry red convertible and a souped-up teal truck, is also depicted in the collection.

Kallianiotis, who grew up in Greece but immigrated to the United States in 1998, said that while there are political, social and economic references in the photos, when he started shooting in fall 2015, the aim behind the project was me assimilating with a place.

It was really intended for me to go out and experience Pennsylvania and experience the small towns and villages and cities as a way to acclimate myself with the environment. I didnt really have an agenda. I didnt really have a plan. I didnt approach it from a historical perspective. I just wanted to go out there and experience the place and talk to the people, Kallianiotis, 44, told DailyMail.com.

But as the presidential campaign heated up - and Trump would hold rallies in the state in 2016  Kallianiotis saw the way the state was being portrayed through images and news stories, and while the description was something that existed, he said the approach was a little bit contrived. Just as in metro areas, people in the region are diverse, Kallianiotis added later in an email.

In fall 2015, photographer Niko J. Kallianiotis set out to explore and experience his adopted home state of Pennsylvania by documenting its towns, some of which have been economically hard hit. Sections of the state are part of what is termed the Rust Belt' - areas where industries, such as steel and iron, have declined or are declining in the northern US. Above, is an image of former coal processing plant in Mahanoy City - in what is known as the state's coal region - that he took in 2016. Kallianiotis said it was recently demolished

Kallianiotis said he drove thousands of miles - crisscrossing the state for over two years from Scranton, in the eastern part of the state, to Pittsburgh, in the western part, and everywhere in between - for his photography project, which would become his recently released book, America in a Trance. He took the image above in Scranton in 2017 and said that he has seen the woman (pictured) several times walking in town. His father moved to Scranton in 1991, and Kallianiotis, who grew up in Greece, would follow suit, moving to the state in 1998

The vermilion El Camino in the background, above, grabs the eyes attention, although it does compete with a building covered in an American flag - a bar that is out of business - and an arrow sign in the foreground pointing to a body shop. The photo was taken in Duryea, a borough near Scranton, in 2017. Its about the color, its about the flag, its about the body shop  its all things America in there, Kallianiotis, 44, told DailyMail.com, adding that the pristine vehicle points to the dream of someday having that car and how it was possible back in the day to have that car

Kallianiotis said his project was the blending of a personal journey and almost like anthropological research about where these towns were going, many of which are experiencing an economic downturn and mom and pop stores have shuttered. Above, a former shop - perhaps a hair salon - now abandoned, that still has a cutout of a blonde woman in one of its large windows. Wood covers part of the door, while the green paint with orange accents has flaked off or is gone. Kallianiotis said it was taken in Millvale, a borough outside of Pittsburgh, in 2017

When the politics kick in, the project changed a little bit because I was looking at how these areas - and especially Pennsylvania, which became a key state and still is, were represented, he recalled. This was really disheartening.

There was so much more to explore and to say and to investigate about this region and to understand it.

It would be a misnomer to label everyone in the towns and areas he photographed as a Trump supporter simply because that is not the case and possibly that is one of the problems, that people from the outside think that everyone in the region is a Trump supporter and that pretty much everyone looks the same, he said in an email.

Kallianiotis said he intentionally went to see who attended Trumps rallies and the social and economic sphere was pretty broad, not what the mainstream media focused on, and while his project is Pennsylvania based, the misrepresentation by the mainstream media affects many other states and regions.

I began this project in 2015, long before areas were identified as Trump Country so it was never meant to be political, and it still isnt, he said in an email. However, I did become concerned as I noticed how my region was, and still is, being politically labeled and generalized based on affiliations and values.

Kallianiotis pointed out that he is both an outsider, as an immigrant, and an insider, as a US citizen  giving him a different perspective as he photographed the region. His father came to New York City in 1979 to work on his doctorate. After Kallianiotis spent about a year in Astoria, Queens around the mid-1980s to attend high school, he said, I refused to come back, I never really wanted to stay here.

But after his father moved to Scranton for a job in 1991, he reconsidered to be close to his dad and came to Pennsylvania in 1998, getting a bachelors degree and then working as an editorial photographer for newspapers in Ohio and upstate New York, he said.

I never really assimilated with the country. Even to this day, its a struggle because its almost a curse because I love the United States, I love Greece, when I here Im always thinking about Greece, when I go back to Greece, Im thinking about the United States, he said.

When Kallianiotis moved to upstate New York, he said he was exposed to different small communities and their culture.

I started to see the other side of the coin of the United States that is far from the metropolis, Kallianiotis noted.

Some of the towns and areas he photographed are considered part of the Rust Belt  a term that connotes industries, such as steel and iron, which declined or are declining in the northern US and that encompasses parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states.

Kallianiotis caught the moment, above, when a man with a briefcase walks into the light  almost like a natural spotlight. He said he had waited on that corner - in Harrisburg, the states capital - for about an hour while people passed by the predominantly clay-colored building with a band of burnt orange on the bottom. Taken in 2016, he said the man (pictured) could become a possible reference for politicians, bankers, and 'possibly a social class that is a lot higher than the culture and the social class of those areas that I photographed

For the above photo, the landscape and the white house on the right grabbed Kallianiotis interest, he said, noting how it seemed as if the home is not fully painted. Color was important to the photographer and there are several images where the eye is drawn to the bright hues of one object, such as a car, as above, clothing, and buildings. The crimson car, which is parked in front of three houses, contrasts with the lushness of plants and trees in the foreground. Kallianiotis took the photo in 2016 near Braddock, a borough near Pittsburgh

Kallianiotis explained that there was a color flow to the pictures in his book, America in a Trance,' with a viewer first going through yellows, then greens and blues, and, finally, reds. The above photograph, taken in Scranton in 2017, shows an industrial beige building with the red word Supply and faded letters, and the majority of windows are boarded up and broken. Two people  one with a walker and another in a red jacket  walk in opposite directions

Kallianiotis said he was intrigued by the woman's (pictured) clothing and seemingly 'high-class appearance.' He said he was pretty close to her when he took the above photograph in Scranton in 2015. I didnt exchange a word with her. She knew I was taking the photo. I was like maybe five feet away from her. It was almost that she was asking me to make a photograph and I think it worked out  its one of my favorite pictures, he said

His project was the blending of a personal journey and almost like anthropological research about where these towns were going, many of which are experiencing an economic downturn, he said, and mom and pop stores have shuttered  albeit he doesnt have the answer. In one photo, a former shop - perhaps a hair salon - now abandoned, still has a cutout of a blonde woman in one of the large windows. Wood covers part of the door, while some of the green paint with orange accents is flaking or is gone. Kallianiotis said it was taken in Millvale, a borough outside of Pittsburgh, in 2017.

Another 2017 shot shows an industrial beige building in Scranton with the red word Supply and faint letters, and the majority of windows are boarded up and broken. Two people  one with a walker and another in a red jacket  walk in opposite directions.

In another image, two payphones with their handsets hanging off their hooks are seen through the windows of the ramshackle store of a former gas station. Kallianiotis said he was interested in the phones and how they were dangling like they were waiting for something to happen. He took the photo in 2016 when the spot  in Wilkes-Barre, a town near Scranton  was going through a transition, and it is a gas station once again.

In several of the book's photos, the eye is drawn to the bright hues of cars, clothing, buildings and an awning.

Theres a color flow to the pictures: youre going through like yellows, and then youre going to greens and then youre going to blues and youre going to red, Kallianiotis explained, noting that the colors in the pictures are about a sense of hope.

In two photos, a red car is the focal point for the image. In one, a vermilion El Camino in the background grabs the eyes attention, although it does compete with a building covered in an American flag - a bar that is out of business - and an arrow sign in the foreground pointing to a body shop. Kallianiotis said it was taken in Duryea, a borough near Scranton, in 2017.

Its about the color, its about the flag, its about the body shop  its all things America in there, he said, adding that the pristine vehicle points to the dream of someday having that car and how it was possible back in the day to have that car.

In the other image, a crimson car, which is parked in front of three houses, contrasts with the lushness of plants and trees in the foreground. Paints peels off the house to the cars right, which is what caught Kallianiotis interest.

I was interested in the landscape, and it was interesting how the houses, the paint of the houses that, like, they were not fully painted and how it was almost like they started building on something and that progress stopped, he said, adding he took the photo in 2016 near Braddock, a borough near Pittsburgh.

When Kallianiotis began exploring his adopted home state of Pennsylvania, it was fall 2015, and the presidential campaign was starting to heat up. Then-candidate Donald Trump's rallies in 2016 would shine a different light on the state, and he said he found some of the news stories and images depicting the region disheartening. Kallianiotis said he intentionally went to see who attended Trumps rallies and the social and economic sphere was pretty broad, not what the mainstream media focused on.' The above photo - the two women (pictured) in the fuchsia dresses flanked by the two officers in front of a truck with the candidate's photo and campaign's slogans - was taken in Scranton in 2016

Kallianiotis drove thousands of miles for his photography project and said he took the image above somewhere between Shenandoah and Mahanoy City - in the middle of the state on its eastern side - in 2016. He noted it is near Centralia, a borough that at one time had coal mining until a fire in the early 1960s ultimately turned it into an almost ghost town. Color, as well as light, was a way to sequence his book, with Kallianiotis saying he wanted the viewer to go on a journey with him - 'youre taking a drive early in the morning and you ended up at night or in the evening

I was photographing something else and I saw the car... and I started moving toward that direction,' Kallianiotis recalled about taking the above image in 2017 in Wilkes-Barre, a town near Scranton. The American symbol of status and freedom - the car - such as teal-colored one in the photo, is also depicted in the collection. Kallianiotis said that some of the photographs in his book would be impossible to do again, and, for this image, it just so happened that it lined up the way it did

The two payphones with their handsets hanging off their hooks - seen in the above image - through the windows of the ramshackle store of a former gas station intrigued Kallianiotis, who said they were dangling like they were waiting for something to happen. He took the photo in 2016 when the spot  in Wilkes-Barre, a town near Scranton  was going through a transition, and it is a gas station once again

Light was also an important component for Kallianiotis, who said that it can be seen through the sequence of images in the book, which is published by Damiani.

Youre starting with an early light and then going into the morning and youre going to dusk with the last photo with the flag, he said.

I want the viewer when (he or she) looks at the pictures to kind of go on a journey with me that youre going through these towns...  youre taking a drive early in the morning and you ended up at night or in the evening.

In an image that showcases the use of light, Kallianiotis caught the moment when a man with a briefcase walks into the light  almost like a natural spotlight. He had waited on that corner for about an hour while people passed by the predominantly clay-colored building with a band of burnt orange on the bottom, he said.

I had taken other pictures but nothing was really (clicking) and then this man holding a briefcase...  I saw him coming down the street from the other side of the road and I said, okay, it would be really interesting if hes going to make a right and goes and walks into that light, Kallianiotis explained, adding that he took the photo in Harrisburg, the states capital, in 2016.

Photographer Niko J. Kallianiotis spent over two years and drove thousands of miles for his new book, 'America in a Trance,' published by Damiani

When I saw him coming down wearing the suit and the briefcase not the specific person but he became a reference for politicians, he became a reference of possibly bankers, he became a reference of possibly a social class that is a lot higher than the culture and the social class of those areas that I photographed.

Kallianiotis said he doesnt stage his photos or take or add anything to them.

Some of the locations I spent hours in like minus 20 (degrees) waiting for something for happen, he recalled.

In his monograph, Kallianiotis said there are no captions because its about the experience of being there, its about the chemistry you have with the place that I had with a place, and you might have with a place. These pictures are first and foremost about me, but could also be about you.
Up to 500 school teachers are expected to join a mass walkout in Melbourne next month in protest against the detention of asylum seekers on Nauru.

The Teachers for Refugees group has announced that contingents of teachers from schools across the city will walk off the job for the afternoon of November 20 for a mass protest outside the State Library.

The planned protest will coincide with Universal Children's Day.

Among the 652 people that remain on the island are 107 families and 52 children.

Teachers for Refugees group (pictured) will walk off the job on November for a mass protest outside Melbourne's State Library

'We demand the government bring all the kids and adults Australia has sent to Nauru and Manus Island to Australia for permanent resettlement,' the group posted on Facebook this week.

'The mental health crisis is catastrophic- children are in catatonic states, and adults are suicidal.'

The group urged its members to discuss the attendance of a contingent from their school with their principal.

It has also called for endorsement from the Australian Education Union and for the union to use members' fees to fund casual relief teachers during the protest to minimalise disruptions to lessons.

The endorsement is likely after the AEU issued a media release on Thursday calling on the Morrison Government to 'stop playing politics' and bring refugee children on Nauru to Australia 'as quickly as possible'.

'The kids on Nauru aren't getting any education at all,' Teachers for Refugees founder and school teacher Lucy Honan (pictured) said

'These children are innocent victims who deserve the chance at an education and a safe future,' it stated.

'It reflects poorly on the Morrison Government that it cannot look past politics when it comes to these refugee children, who have already suffered immensely. It can bring them to safety in Australia immediately, yet has failed to do so.'

Teachers for Refugees founder Lucy Honan, a teacher at St Albans Secondary College believes it should be a big issue for all Australians.

Among the 652 people that remain on Nauru are 107 families and 52 children

The Australian Education Union has called on the Morrison Government to bring families on Nauru to Australia

'The kids on Nauru aren't getting any education at all. Parents everywhere should be concerned about that,' she told The Herald Sun.

Some parents have welcomed the protest.

'I would be thrilled to see my children's teachers attend this protest,' one parent posted on Facebook.

'What a wonderful example... that is what I want my children to learn most! Compassion, empathy, standing up for others, that they have a voice and need to use it!! Maths and English can wait until tomorrow.'

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan (pictured) is opposed to the mass teacher protest

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan warned state school teachers against joining the mass walkout.

'What people do in their spare time is their own business, but parents and hardworking taxpayers expect that when teachers are being paid to teach, that they actually teach,' Mr Tehan told the Herald Sun.

'Partisan politics should be played outside of school time.'

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has previously described the group as 'green activists parading as teachers' who 'should keep their politics out of the classroom'.
Saudi Aramco has signed 15 strategic and commercial collaborations valued at more than $34 billion with 15 partner companies from eight countries at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.



The memoranda of understanding (MoUs) reflect both Saudi Aramcos and the Kingdoms international partnership strategies and the determination to diversify the economy, enhance the domestic investment environment and boost employment opportunities.



The MoUs support Saudi Aramcos forward-looking strategy across business units, including downstream, offshore, and engineering. It engages with companies representing eight countries including major businesses in France, China, the US, Japan, the UAE, the UK, South Korea and India.



A number of these MoUs will enhance the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) program, Saudi Aramcos flagships initiative to improve the domestic supply chain, its operations and its employment potential, through greater commercial engagement with Saudi businesses. Iktvas localization objective is to achieve 70 per cent of locally supplied goods and services by 2021.



In the area of job creation, Saudi Aramco has proactively pursued opportunities to pilot the high value job creation in the Kingdom, increasing opportunities for Saudi citizens over the next 10-15 years with anchor projects, including the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Service in Ras Al Khair which will generate in the region of 30,000 direct and 50,000 indirect jobs.



The MoUs and commercial collaborations signed are:



 MoU with Total to launch engineering studies to build petrochemical complex in Jubail, KSA

 MoU with Total regarding the potential establishment of a retail service station network

 MoU with Hyundai Heavy Industries regarding potential HHI investments in King Salman International Maritime Complex for Industries and Services at Ras Al Khair

 MoU with Baker Hughes GE

 MoU with Schlumberger

 MoU with Halliburton

 MoU with Oilfield Supply Center

 MoU with Flex-Steel to invest in RTP reinforced thermoplastic pipe facility

 MoU with NPCC (National Petroleum Construction Company, UAE) to invest in a fully integrated fabrication yard and marine base

 MoU with SeAH Changwon Integrated Specialty Steel Co. Limited to invest in localization of engineering steel

 MoU with GumPro (India) to invest in drilling chemicals facility

 MoU with Acwa Power (KSA) and Air Product (USA) regarding the Jazan Refinery gasification power project

 MoU with Sumitomo (Japan) regarding potential investments to upgrading PetroRabigh Refinery

 MoU with Norinco (China) regarding potential investments in refining and chemicals projects

 MoU with NOV (USA) to invest in manufacturing and repair of onshore rigs and equipment



The Future Investment Initiative is an ideal platform to attract international investments and to capitalize on emerging new opportunities that are fast emerging with Vision 2030.



Saudi Aramco is playing a pivotal role, alongside many national stakeholders, in enabling new industrial and business partnerships in the Kingdom thanks to its position as a global energy powerhouse, and as reflected in our major investments and partnerships globally, not only in core oil and gas and downstream, but also in pursuing advanced technologies and energy-related value adding activities.



Saudi Arabias infrastructure, both physical and digital, has witnessed an extraordinary advancement. This is integral to todays advanced industrial activities. It attracts investors and enhances the fundamental competitiveness of the Saudi economy.  TradeArabia News Service
A top Russian stuntman was killed after getting run down by a Nazi tank during filming of a World War Two movie.

Oleg Shilkin, 31, was 'minced' when the tank failed to stop during a battle scene, according to reports.

He was taking part in filing for Russian film 'Ilyinskye Frontier' at a location 120 miles from Moscow.

Oleg Shilkin, 31, has been killed after he was run over by a Nazi tank during the filming of a Second World War movie around 120 miles from Moscow

The tank was supposed to stop around 10ft away from Shilkin (left and right), a stuntman, but it carried on going and accidentally ran him over

He died before an ambulance could arrive.

Footage released by the Russian Investigative Committee showed detectives at the scene soon after his death.

Varvara Nikitina, vice president of Russian Stunt Guild, said there was deep shock at the accident.

'Everyone on the film set is in a state of disbelief, including those responsible for the stunts,' she said.

A spokesman for Voenfilm studios said there was a 'terrible, irreparable' incident during filming.

The film crew were recording a battle scene depicting the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941 when the accident happened

Shilkin died before an ambulance could reach him and Russian police have now opened an investigation into his death

'As a result of an accident during the shoot of a complex battle scene with a large number of actors, crowd scenes and military equipment, stuntman Oleg Shilkin tragically died.

'Law enforcement officers are working on the set.'

The tank had been supposed to halt 10ft from Shilkin but did not stop and ran him down, it was reported.

The filmmakers declined to give further details.

The movie depicts a battle in October 1941 between the Red Army and Hitler's invading forces.

The stuntman's sister Ellina, 36, said her family were 'too shocked' to speak.

But she said he was in 'good shape' and had been 'hopeful' that this major Russian film would further his career.

He had been on the film set for seven days when the tragedy occurred.
Drivers have ploughed into a 19th century railway bridge at least 15 times this year alone.

The 7ft-high structure in Stonea is the most battered bridge in the country since January.

Rail bosses have made an urgent appeal for motorists to check the height of their vehicle and plan their route before they scrape under the Cambridgeshire structure.

Drivers regularly plough into the Stonea bridge (pictured) much to the fury of Network Rail and local business owners

Network rail hit out at 'irresponsible drivers' who are causing travel chaos after a transit van wedged itself underneath on October 3.

Andrew Swinden, who runs the nearby Golden Lion pub, said there had 'been far more than 15 strikes' on the wrought iron and brick 1895 bridge.

'Often they go underneath and they hit it but dont actually get stuck,' he said. 'It does get quite frustrating,' he said. 'Were constantly going out to try and sort people out.

'Its not ideal for us in terms of business but, more importantly, somebody is going to get killed.'

The structure is the most bashed bridge since the year began and earlier this month a transit van wedged itself underneath

The structure sits on the line between March and Manea over the B1098 Sixteen Foot Bank Road.

Vans, high trailers and caravans and bashed into it over the past 10 months, with some vehicle getting stuck underneath.

On September 8, a car carrying bicycles on top struck the bridge, which was hit by caravans at least twice in July.

On July 9, a trailer carrying machinery became stuck while being pulled by a pick-up truck.

With a height restriction of only 7ft - or 2.1m - any vehicle larger than a standard car is at risk.

An alternative route, using the level crossing next to the bridge, is available for drivers in large vehicles.

A local pub owner said the amount of crashes frustrate local residents because of the time they spend helping people

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rails route managing director for Anglia, said: 'Despite being clearly marked, this bridge is being driven into by irresponsible drivers causing unnecessary disruption to railway and road-users.

'This can be avoided if drivers take the time to size up their vehicle and anything they may be towing before they set out on their journey.

'Dont just chance it - anyone who is unsure should pull over to check the height or use the alternative route.'

Britains most bashed bridge overall is thought to be a railway bridge in nearby Ely. The bridge has been hit almost 120 times since 2009.
This is the horrific moment a teenage girl was savagely beaten be a fellow high school student, leaving her with gruesome injuries.

Maddy was punched repeatedly and shoved to the ground during a violent brawl at Broadford Secondary College, north of Melbourne, last week.

The incident left the 16-year-old with a broken nose and an injured neck.

Maddy (pictured) had to be rushed to hospital for the extent of her injuries which left her in a neck brace

'It was a like a pain I've never felt before,' Maddy told Seven News.

'She was just standing over me telling me to get up and fight and I just laid there,' she said.

Footage of the incident shows the two girls throwing punches at one another before rolling on the ground.

Maddy was later rushed to hospital.

The alleged offender has been suspended from school for five days, and has also been questioned by police.

The girl's mother claimed her daughter had been bullied by Maddy for the last three years, indicating that her daughter had eventually just snapped.

Maddy denies provoking the alleged attacker.
The White House condemned the attempted violence to President Trump's political rivals on Wednesday as suspicious packages were intercepted by the Secret Service en route to the residences of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Both packages and a third one that was sent to CNN contained pipe bombs, law enforcement officials said.

A fourth one that was intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder but was sent to the wrong address was confiscated by the Secret Service as it was returned to the listed sender, the office of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump censured the bomb scares. Sarah Sanders also sent out a formal statement of condemnation on behalf of the White House.

The president, who had nothing on his schedule on Wednesday morning, said he agrees 'wholeheartedly' after Pence said in tweet that 'these cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country.'

Trump's daughter, a senior White House adviser, said, 'I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others. There is no excuseAmerica is better than this.'

The White House condemned the attempted violence to President Trump's political rivals on Wednesday as suspicious packages were intercepted by the Secret Service

Both packages and a third one that was sent to CNN contained pipe bombs, law enforcement officials said

The president, who had nothing on his schedule on Wednesday morning, said he agrees 'wholeheartedly' after Pence said in tweet that 'these cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country'

A formal statement on behalf of the White House that was released before CNN identified itself as a target also called the acts 'despicable' and promised to hold the would-be attackers to account

A formal statement on behalf of the White House that was released before CNN identified itself as a target also called the acts 'despicable' and promised to hold the would-be attackers to account.

'We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,' Sanders said.

'The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.'

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a blanket statement that public officials should not be encouraging violence against the media or anyone else

CNN, a news network the president regularly harangues, says the 'suspicious device' it was sent on Wednesday morning was sent to an off-site screening facility.

Several news outlets reported that the White House was also a target of the bomb threats amid the confusion but later retracted their reporting. The FBI confirmed to DailyMail.com that the White House was never a target, and the Secret Service also sent out a statement to that effect.

Liberal billionaire George Soros received a pipe bomb at his home on Tuesday. The attempted attacks on other government officials are believed by law enforcement to have been carried out by the same suspect.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a news conference that his office also received a package containing a bomb. ABC News reported later in the day that Capitol Police intercepted a suspicious package addressed to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.

Clinton in remarks on Wednesday alluded to Trump's assault on her as she addressed the bomb threat, saying, 'It is a troubling time, isn't it? and it's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together

A package that was sent to CNN was addressed to John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, even though he doesn't work there

An officer with the Uniform Division of the United States Secret Service uses his dog to search a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama in Washington

The Broward Sheriff's Office bomb squad deploys a robotic vehicle to investigate a suspicious package in the building where Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has an office

Sanders said in a second statement said the president is monitoring the situation.

'This is an ongoing situation that President Trump and his admin are monitoring closely. Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated,' she tweeted.

She said in a third update on Wednesday afternoon that Trump had been briefed on the investigation into the suspicious packages.

As the conversation turned from the attempted violence to the events that incited it, the president's commentary at his rallies became a prime target.

Trump routinely harasses the 'fake news media' and 'Crooked Hillary' as part of his stump speech, encouraging the audience to boo at assembled journalists and chant 'Lock her up!'

Ivanka Trump and Mike Pence beat the president to the punch on Wednesday on Twitter

Clinton in remarks on Wednesday alluded to Trump's assault on her as she addressed the bomb threat, saying, 'It is a troubling time, isn't it? and it's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.

'We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same, who will set goals that will lift up every single Floridian and American,' she during a speech in Coral Gables Florida.

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a blanket statement that public officials should not be encouraging violence against the media or anyone else after he was asked about Trump's rally remarks, including his derogatory statements about CNN, during a news conference on the bomb threats.

'I'm just going to say something broad because at a time when there's a lot of hatred and division, it does not make sense to exacerbate it. Let's just say this to all public officials of all partisan affiliations: Don't encourage violence, don't encourage hatred, don't encourage attacks on media.

'You can disagree, but you have to show respect for people and air your disagreements peacefully. So unfortunately this atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making to turn to violence, there's no question about it,' he said.

He advised political operatives using fiery rhetoric to gin up the base to 'bring down the temperature, to end any messages about the use of violence against people we disagree with.'

'And that has to start at the top,' he said in a pointed statement.

The president's middle son, Eric Trump, noted afterward that he has also been the target of threatening mail.

'As someone who has been on the receiving end of threading packages, I can tell you how disgusting these acts are! America is better than this. These acts should be condemned by all and I hope they throw any individual caught in jail, for a very long time.

Sarah Sanders says the president is monitoring the situation and those found responsible will be held accountable

Erroneous reporting said the White House was also a target of suspicious package

WHITE HOUSE BOMB SCARE RESPONSE We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards." Advertisement

Two of the devices that were found in the mail were addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Secret Service discovered the package containing the device that was addressed to Clinton late Tuesday, while another package addressed to Obama was found early Wednesday.

The explosive device addressed to Clinton was discovered within the vicinity of the home she shares with husband Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, New York.

A device meant for Obama's home was intercepted in Washington D.C, according to the Secret Service.

Both the packages were discovered during routine mail screenings for the Clintons and Obama.

'The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,' a Secret Service statement said. 'Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.'

Two bombs have been found in the mail addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service

The package sent to Hillary and Bill's home (above) was found by an employee who screens mail for the former president and first lady

A device addressed to former President Obama's home in Washington D.C. (pictured above) was intercepted by Secret Service early Wednesday morning

The Secret Service said the packages were immediately identified as potential explosive devices and were handled as such.

It aid the packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to Clinton and Obama.

'(Obama and Clinton) did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them,' a Secret Service statement said.

A law enforcement official said investigators believe the explosive devices are linked to one found Monday at the compound of Soros, a major Democratic donor.

Authorities have launched a multi-agency investigation to identify those responsible.
Officer Schonton Harris allegedly received $17,000 in bribes including $1,500 to provide a police uniform to a purpoted hit man

Three Miami police officers are facing federal charges after allegedly taking cash to provide armed escorts for drug traffickers who turned out to be undercover FBI officers.

Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that the three City of Miami officers received thousands of dollars in payments to protect purported shipments of illegal drugs and drug proceeds.

Investigators identified the officers as Schonton Harris, Kelvin Harris and James Archibald. The two Harrises are not related.

Schonton Harris allegedly received $17,000 in bribe payments, Kelvin Harris received $10,000 and James Archibald $6,500.

They were snared in a months-long undercover operation which started after a citizen tip-off, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Ariana Fajardo Orshan said.

The FBI says the officers at times transported purported cocaine and other drugs themselves, and all three are now charged with conspiring and attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute, as well as carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

The agency added that people the officers thought were drug dealers were actually undercover agents or cooperating witnesses.

In one instance, investigators say Schonton Harris was paid $1,500 for providing an undercover FBI agent a Miami police uniform and badge that she believed would be used by a hit man.

Orshan said the officers have been charged 'with committing the very crimes they had the duty to investigate, report and help prosecute.

Video courtesy of Local10.

City of Miami Police Officers James Archibald (L) and Kelvin Harris (R) are charged with federal crimes relating to drug trafficking

'Instead of ridding the streets of drugs that are ravaging our communities, these officers were willing to profit from money laundering and drug trafficking enterprises,' she said.

She also praised Miami police chief Jorge Colina for his quick response to the tip-off from the citizen who was concerned about corrupt officers and enlisting the FBI.

Colina himself thanked the citizen for coming forward and told officers 'who would break their oath, shame the ranks and dishonor the badge  there is no refuge for you here.

'If you are corrupt, we will find you, and you will answer for your crimes.'

One cooperating witness who was under investigation for involvement in drug trafficking agreed to record conversations with Schonton Harris, CBS reported.

Harris allegedly told the witness in April she would accept cash payments for protecting the activities of those purported drug traffickers.

In the following months, the FBI used this witness, undercover officers and other law enforcement personnel to create a sting which involved the transportation of sham drugs which were given armed protection by Harris.

The complaint describes an incident from earlier this month when Schonton Harris and James Archibald personally transferred sham cocaine to Miami hotels while Kelvin Harris provided protection by driving a marked police car to escort the drugs

Harris later allegedly recruited colleagues Kelvin Harris and James Archibald to the corrupt scheme.

Earlier this month, the complaint says, Schonton Harris and James Archibald personally transferred sham cocaine to Miami hotels while Kelvin Harris provided protection by driving a marked police car to escort the drugs.

The complaint also describes a conversation taking place in June between Schonton Harris and a witness in which Harris said she would protect drug couriers with her life and would use her weapon if necessary.

In one August conversation Harris also allegedly told the witness she did not care what she was protecting, and would not object 'if it's a dead body cut up in pieces.'

The defendants are expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate on Wednesday.
Extraordinary footage shows a man apparently so absorbed with his phone that he doesn't realise the bar he is standing in is being raided.

The man, wearing a green T-shirt, is filmed furiously texting at a bar which is believed to be in Brazil.

A gunman in a motorcycle helmet then enters and walks towards the bar demanding money.

Video footage apparently shows a young man in a green T-shirt who is so hooked on his phone that he is oblivious to an armed robbery happening just metres away in the bar in Brazil

While the armed robbery unfolds and the other revellers put their hands up and lie down on the floor, the man on his phone continues texting.

The video, which was uploaded by Live Leak and has had more than 5,000 views, and amazed some social media users.

One woman said: 'Impressive what this man does not see.'

'Situational awareness, not a talent with this one,' another said.

But others suggest the drama was staged.

'Looked fake,' one man claimed.

Another agreed and said it was 'unreal.'

People in the bar lay on the ground with their arms down as a gunman walks in
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo threw veiled jabs at President Donald Trump on Wednesday, suggesting that he's responsible for inspiring a series of attempted mail-bombings by creating a toxic political atmosphere.

Police intercepted suspected explosive devices sent to former U.S. President Barack Obama, former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and other Democratic officials, and the CNN bureau in New York  apparent attempts to target figures Trump regularly disparages in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 6 congressional elections.

'This is clearly an act of terrorism,' de Blasio told reporters, before throwing an unmistabakle jab at Trump by saying a shift away from 'a lot of hatred and division' in American politics 'has to start at the top.'

'Let's just say this to all public officials of all partisan affiliations: Don't encourage violence, don't encourage hatred, don't encourage attacks on media,' he said.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio threw unmistakable jabs at President Donald Trump on Wednesday after suspicious packages were sent to CNN and to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Demcoratic officials

Trump promised a thorough federal investigation but resisted the temptation to fire back against liberal Democrats who blame him for a coarsening U.S. political culture

Multiple suspected explosive devices were found in the mail; pictured above is the pipe bomb sent to CNN's newsroom

Trump hasn't urged physical attacks on reporters. But he does regularly criticize outlets as 'fake news' if he sees their coverage as unfair. 'CNN sucks!' is a frequent crowd chant at his rallies.

'This atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making to turn to violence,' de Blasio claimed. 'There's no question about it.'

During his turn at the microphone, Cuomo brushed off a journalist's request to tie the day's events directly to Trump.

But he pinned the suspicious packages on 'overheated rhetoric' and 'extremism that pushes people to violence,' leaving the presidential allusions hanging in midair.

'Keeping the debate and the dialogue civil is very, very important. And for elected leaders who in many ways set the tone, it is especially important,' Cuomo said.

Wednesday's packages brought a new level of tension to political contests that will decide whether Democrats can challenge the majorities now held by Trump's Republicans in Congress.

'Keeping the debate and the dialogue civil is very, very important. And for elected leaders who in many ways set the tone, it is especially important,' Cuomo said, with an eye toward Trump

The president is fond of blasting CNN at his rallies, and also verbally beating up on some of the same politicians who were targeted on Wednesday

The pipe bomb found at CNN was safely taken away in an NYPD emergency vehicle on Wednesday to be examined by the FBI

The package to Clinton was found late Tuesday while the one addressed to Obama was recovered early Wednesday, both during routine off-site mail screenings, the Secret Service acknowledged. Obama and Clinton were not at risk, they said.

Police intercepted a live explosive device and an envelope containing white powder at the Time Warner Center, where the CNN newsroom in New York is based, Police Commissioner James O'Neill told the news conference. Experts were analyzing whether the powder was a dangerous substance, he said.

In the weeks following the attacks of September 11, 2001, anthrax spores were mailed to news media offices and two U.S. senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others.

The Time Warner Center was evacuated 'out of an abundance of caution,' CNN President Jeff Zucker said in a note to employees. He said CNN was checking its bureaus worldwide.

New York police briefly issued an emergency alert urging people around the building, which is near the southern edge of Central Park, to 'shelter in place.'

CNN is a frequent target of Trump, who routinely calls the news outlets he doesn't like the 'enemy of the people' and gleefully spars with CNN's correspondents on a regular basis.

Two bombs were found in the mail addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service

CNN reported the package it received was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, a periodic guest commentator on the cable network.

Brennan has been an outspoken Trump critic, calling the president's performance during a July joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki 'nothing short of treasonous.'

Trump in August revoked Brennan's security clearance in retaliation for the criticism.

The president said Wednesday at the White House that threats of political violence have no place in the United States, promising a thorough investigation.

'The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. We will spare no resources or expense in this effort,' he said during an event on opioid abuse.

'In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together, and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.'

Trump was briefed on the suspicious packages 'and we're taking it very seriously,' said a senior White House official.

Reports of other intercepted mailed devices were also emerging.

In Florida, the building that houses the office of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former Democratic Party national chairwoman, was evacuated after a suspicious package arrived in the mail, WFOR-TV in Miami reported, citing Sunrise police.

A bomb was delivered earlier this week to the suburban New York home of George Soros, a major donor to the Democratic Party and liberal causes.
A military air crew are being investigated after they used a 70-year-old propeller plane to scrawl the outline of a penis using their flight paths.

The Marine Corps T-34C crew flew over a remote area of Southern California marking out a phallic shaped pattern with their GPS positions.

It comes a year the Navy was forced to apologize for a similar incident when a fighter pilot used his contrails to draw a penis in the sky over Washington with his contrails - that one was visible for miles around and the crew were punished in the wake of outrage.

But experts say it is extremely unlikely the phallic flight path would have been visible from the ground - because the propeller-driven T-34C would not have left white air trails in the prevailing atmospheric conditions .

The Marine Corps crew flew over the Salton Sea in Southern California marking out a phallic shaped pattern with their GPS positions

An investigation has been launched after the craft from the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 was spotted marking out the obscene course

Condensed air trails can be created by propellers and engine of craft, but it is thought the plane would have been travelling at to low height to leave a noticeable trail visible from the ground.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was spotted by military air movement trackers using the T-34C aircraft to outline the naughty images over the Salton Sea in Southern California.

Aircraft Spots, where users can view live flight paths and which says on its Twitter bio monitors military air movements, picked up the risque flight paths.

Users saw the craft from the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 move in two phallic-shaped patterns around the salt lake near Salton City yesterday.

The @AircraftSpots account Tweeted, alongside screenshots of the flight tracker: 'Somebody needs to have a word with the crew of US Navy T-34C 160937 SHUTR91 out of MCAS Miramar.'

A second tweet clarified that the pranksters were actually from the Marine Corp.

Alongside a another screenshot was written: '160937 belongs to the US Marine Corps VMFAT-101 at MCAS Miramar.'

The T-34C aircraft was confirmed as a US Marine Corps plane by a spokesman who spoke with military publication Task and Purpose.

Major Josef Patterson, a spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said: 'We've opened an investigation that is under way as we speak. More to follow soon.'

A statement added: 'A T-34C aircraft assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flew an irregular flight pattern over the Salton Sea that resembled a phallic image.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was spotted by military air movement trackers using the T-34C propeller aircraft to outline a penis

Military movement trackers Aircraft Spots caught the marine crew on their rude trajectory

'An investigation to uncover the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.

'The aircrew's chain of command are committed to maintaining an environment of professionalism, dignity and respect.

'The Marines and Sailors of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing will perform at the highest levels expected of professional war fighters, and uphold our core values of honor, courage and commitment.'

The Beechcraft T-34C is an American propeller-driven, single-engine, military trainer aircraft, dating from the 1940s and 50s.

The craft which drew the phallic outline over California was a T-34C (below) and an investigation has been launched

Last year a similar incident involving a navy pilot saw a penis drawn in the sky above Okanogan in Washington

In November last year the navy was forced to apologize for a similar incident, when a pilot from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island used a plane to do 'penis drawings' in air trails which appeared in the sky above Okanogan, Washington.

The pilots were reprimanded and a letter issued to the state's young people read: 'The US Navy owes you, your parents, and your students an apology for the unacceptable obscene contrails that were created by one of my aircraft on Nov. 16.

'I impressed upon them that this immature act was counter to our culture which values treating everyone with dignity and respect.'
Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke has spent more on Facebook ads than any other candidate in the midterms, dropping $5.3 million on his social media campaign in the last four months and popping up in the news feeds of users.

O'Rourke is a frequent user of Facebook in his attempt to connect with voters, hosting a live feed of his campaign events and other activities on the trail.

He is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in an uphill battle for his seat. His opponent has only spent $400,000 on Facebook ads from May to October 20, new data released from the company revealed.

Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke has spent more on Facebook ads than any other candidate in the midterms

O'Rourke is a frequent user of Facebook Live videos, here broadcasting his stop at Whataburger after his first debate with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz

Beto O'Rourke has harnessed social media to raise millions for his campaign

And, in just one week, between October 14 and October 20, O'Rourke spent more than $500,000 on his Facebook campaign, according to CNN, which first reported the data.

But the second overall biggest spender behind O'Rourke was President Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign dropped $4.7 million on Facebook ads in that four month period.

That money was divided between a couple different campaign entities: $3.1 million paid for by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee and $1.6 million paid for by Donald J. Trump for President Inc.

Since May, more than a quarter of a billion dollars has been spent on ads relating to 'politics and issues of national importance' on Facebook, the company said.

O'Rourke has harnessed an online army in his effort to unseat Cruz. No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas in 24 years - since 1994.

And it has paid off in some ways - particularly fundraising.

O'Rourke's campaign announced earlier this month a titanic third quarter fundraising haul of $38.1 million. It's the most ever raised in a quarter by a U.S. Senate campaign.

He has not accepted PAC money and said the impressive haul came was 'powered by 802,836 individual contributions.'

He does Facebook live videos in the most random settings: in line at the drive through at Whataburger after a debate with Cruz, waiting to get a haircut, and when he goes for a job - often talking to supporters who have joined him for the run.

Cruz has run a more traditional campaign; President Trump was in Houston on Monday to hold a rally for Cruz and the two former rivals hugged it out

O'Rourke - with his deputy campaign manager Cynthia Cano - will often host Facebook Live videos from his car while driving to campaign events

Cruz is running a more traditional campaign, making stops in GOP strongholds and bringing in President Trump, who held a rally for Cruz in Houston on Monday evening.

The two former rivals for the GOP presidential nomination hugged it out at the rally with Trump saying they are now friends.

Trump told the cheering crowd Cruz has 'become a really good friend' after a rivalry that he admits 'got nasty' at the height of the 2016 primary.

'And then it ended. And I'll tell you, nobody has helped me more...then Sen Ted Cruz. Nobody,' he stated.

The president has also had harsh words for O'Rourke.

'I think Beto ORourke is highly overrated. From what I heard about him I thought hed be special. Hes not,' Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for Texas on Monday.

Cruz leads O'Rourke in their contest by 7 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Immigrants looking to establish roots in the U.S. through home ownership tend to flock to coastal cities where costs are often high, according to a new analysis.

Eight of the top 10 cities with the highest concentration of foreign-born homebuyers are on either coast  and Miami ranks number one, according to a report by personal finance website LendingTree based on U.S. Census data.

'It's a symbiotic relationship where immigrants are attracted to the most dynamic cities and then they contribute to the economic strand of those cities,' LendingTree Economist Tendayi Kapfidze told DailyMail.com.

More than a quarter (25.7 percent) of homeowners in Miami are immigrants. Overall, 59.5 percent of the city's residents own homes, which have a median price of $278,700.

This map illustrates the top ten metro areas in the U.S., based on density of immigrant home ownership, based on U.S. Census data

Nearly 14 percent of the U.S. population was foreign born in 2017, and the nation now has the highest proportion of immigrants living here since 1910, according to U.S. Census data.

The Census count includes long-term and new immigrants, as well as those who are foreign-born but have become U.S. citizens.

California was home to five of the top 10 cities, including San Jose, which ranked second, with foreign-born people accounting for 24.8 percent of homeowners. The city has a median home price of $957,700.

Los Angeles came in third for the highest density of immigrant homeowners (18.3 percent), followed by San Francisco (17.9) and Riverside, California (17.3). Those cities have median home prices of $617,100, $849,500 and $342,300, respectively.

Immigrants are attracted to the most dynamic cities and then they contribute to the economic strand of those cities. -Tendayi Kapfidze, LendingTree

Houston ranked sixth, with immigrants accounting for 16.6 percent of homeowners, followed by Las Vegas (14.6 percent), New York (14.4 percent) and Washington D.C. (14.3 percent).

San Diego rounded out the top 10 with 12.9 percent of homeowners coming from other countries.

Overall, researchers found that cities with higher concentrations of immigrant homeowners tended to have higher home prices.

Tendayi said that doesn't mean immigrants are solely responsible for driving up home prices  though they do contribute to market demand.

Rather, immigrants seek out cities that tend to have high home prices because they tend to offer the most opportunities for high- and low-skilled workers newly entering the local workforce.

'Some of the cities where we've seen the fastest home price increases are places like Seattle and San Francisco, the tech hubs that have been leading the economic recovery,' Tendayi said. 'That's where the employment opportunities are.'

'Homeowners in cities with high foreign-born populations benefit from faster home price appreciation, creating opportunities for them to access this wealth via refinancing or home equity extraction,' he added. 'This added spending can in turn boost the economy or provide capital to fund new businesses.'

At the other end of the spectrum, each of the ten cities with the lowest concentration of immigrant homeowners had median home prices below $200,000.

For example, Pittsburgh had the lowest proportion (2.1 percent) of immigrant homebuyers, and had a comparably low median home price of $153,300.

Louisville, Kentucky ranked second-lowest, with 2.7 percent of homebuyers coming from other countries and a $168,600 median home price, followed by Cincinnati (2.7 percent), St. Louis, Missouri (2.8 percent) and Memphis, Tennessee (2.9 percent).

New Orleans ranked sixth (3.5 percent), followed by Columbus, Ohio (3.6 percent), Kansas City, Missouri (3.6 percent), Buffalo, New York (3.7 percent), Indianapolis (3.8 percent) and Cleveland (4 percent).

The top 50 metros ranked by density of immigrant home ownership:
Global technology giant GE has signed a Principles of Cooperation (POC) agreement with the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity to develop the countrys power sector.



The plan is expected to generate up to 14 gigawatts (GW) of electricity besides creating up to 65,000 direct and indirect jobs and supporting the government to realise savings and recoverable losses of up to $3 billion per year, said a statement from GE.



The POC will also pave the way for the establishment of a local technology centre and support water and healthcare access. It will also house a repairs centre, a monitoring and diagnostics facility and a training unit, said Iraqs Minister of Electricity Qasim Al Fahdawi after signing the deal with Joseph Anis, GE president and CEO (Power Services) for Middle East, Africa and South Asia.



Under this pact, GE will also assist the Iraqi Government to unlock financing for these projects through its extensive relationships with global export credit agencies and financial institutions, he added.



The comprehensive plan builds on GEs legacy of continuous presence and commitment to bring progress to the people of Iraq over the past 50 years, and comprises the following key tenets:



*Supporting the path to energy security with 14 GW. As an immediate priority, GE will deploy proven fast power technologies and undertake upgrades at existing power plant sites to bring approximately 1.5 GW of additional power online by 2019  the equivalent electricity needed to supply up to 1.5 million Iraqi homes, as well as undertake maintenance and rehabilitation services to secure the availability of another 7 GW that are currently operating.



*In addition, the agreement includes upgrades and services for existing power plants; the conversion of simple cycle power plants to combined cycle, which can help bring new power online without consuming additional fuel or releasing further emissions; as well as the establishment of new power plants with efficient, reliable power generation technology.



*Furthermore, GE will develop substations and overhead lines across the country, and a centralised energy management system covering generation, transmission and distribution. These initiatives will add up to 14 GW of power and strengthen grid connectivity.



On the savings front, GE said its activities will help the government reaalise savings and recover losses of up to $3 billion per year. Repairs, maintenance, upgrades and other services will also help to reduce the operating costs of existing power plants, it added.



According to Anis, GE will undertake comprehensive decongestion network studies, as well as advisory services to reduce collection recoverable losses and further improve the transmission and distribution of power.



In addition, the company will be offering its unique solution for integrating the capture of flared gas and power generation using GEs advanced gas to power technologies. In July, Baker Hughes, a GE company signed a contract with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil for a modular natural gas plant solution for flared gas recovery in the Nassiriya and Al Gharraf oilfields, he added.



Mussab Almudaris, the official spokesperson of the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, said: "Our focus is on rebuilding Iraq to provide stable, sustainable development for our people, and developing the electricity sector is a critical component of these efforts."



"GEs action plan is an ideal fit for our needs, offering a holistic package that brings industry-leading technologies, financing and social services to meet our most critical immediate and long-term needs," he noted.



GE Power (president and CEO) Russell Stokes said: "Our presence in Iraq is based on a history of trust, partnership and success that spans over 50 years. We are honoured to support the governments focus on rebuilding Iraq, and we are proud of our legacy of delivering power where needed in the country."



"We understand how important it is to deliver power immediately and our holistic action plan brings together advanced solutions, financing, local investments, trainings and social services that are expected to benefit families, businesses and industries across Iraq," he added.



GE presently employs up to 300 people in Iraq and has three offices in the country  in Baghdad, Basra and Erbil.

Today, GE and its partner CFMI power more than 90 per cent of the aircrafts operated by Iraqi Airways, the companys technologies contribute up to 55 per cent of the current electricity production in Iraq and nearly 4,000 GE Healthcare products are deployed in hospitals and clinics across the country, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Francisca Lopez Perez holds her baby boy

A 13-year-old girl in Guatemala has given birth to triplets after being raped by a man who was selling sweets in the street.

Francisca Lopez Perez, from the town of Momostenango, did not even realise she was pregnant until her stomach began to swell.

The triplets each weighed only about 2.2 lbs (1 kg) and the two oldest were rushed to the emergency ward of a local hospital where they later died.

Miss Lopez Perez said she had become pregnant after she had been raped by a 'candy seller' who she was not able to identify.

The young mum is struggling to care for her surviving baby in extreme poverty, living with her mother and seven brothers in a house made of boards.

Lopez Perez talks to local media about the circumstances surrounding the birth of her triplets

Pictured, Lopez Perez's newborn triplets before two of her babies died in hospital

She has to constantly take the baby boy to hospital as he is so small that he regularly needs oxygen.

The case of Lopez Perez was highlighted by the Observatory on Sexual and Reproductive Health of Guatemala (Osar).

Oscar said it was only one of 2,102 pregnancies involving girls, aged between 10 and 14, between January and July this year in the country.

And another 59,584 teenage girls, aged 15 to 19, became pregnant over the same period.
Two oil barons who stole 13m from their FTSE-listed company after becoming dissatisfied with their vast salaries are facing jail.

Osman Shahenshah, 56, the former CEO of Afren Plc, used the proceeds of the scam to buy a 6.9m ($9m) mansion on Mustique.

The Queens sister Princess Margaret was famous for throwing wild parties on the Caribbean island where she owned a villa.

Osman Shahenshah, former CEO of Afren Plc and his former head of operations Shahid Ullah have been found guilty of defrauding the company of more than 13 million

Shahid Ullah, 59, the former head of operations at Afren, blew 5.4m ($7m) on his Caribbean villa in the British Virgin Islands.

Shahenshah was earning 6.6m a year as CEO while Ullah was on 3.8m, Southwark Crown Court heard.

But shareholders forced the pair to slash their bonuses so they hatched a plot to defraud Afren, jurors heard.

Shahenshah and Ullah recommended to the companys board that Afren pay 233m ($300m) to their African oil partners, Oriental Energy Resources Ltd, from which they would directly benefit.

The board did not realise the pair had agreed to take a 15 per cent out of payments with Oriental.

Shahenshah and Ullah then pocketed some 35m ($45m- before passing some of it on to favored employees dubbed the A Team.

Afren collapsed when the fraud came to light in July that year, prompting a two year investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.

The pair will be sentenced for their fraud on October 29 at Southwark Crown Court, pictured

It was once part of the FTSE 250 listed on the London Stock Exchange, a list of the largest and most successful companies operating in the country.

The company made most of its revenue from two of its Nigerian oil projects, Ebok and Okoro, which it had built alongside local African partners.

Shahenshah, of Earls Court Square, London and Ullah, of Woodlands, Texas, denied two counts of fraud and two of money laundering.

But they were convicted after a seven week trial.

Lisa Osofsky, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said: Greed motivated this crime. Osman Shahenshah and Shahid Ullah failed in their duties as company directors, abused their positions and lied to their board.

Instead of acting in their companys best interests, they used Afren like a personal bank account to fund an illicit deal, with no regard for the consequences.

Fraud corrodes confidence, undermines trust and damages the reputation of the UK at home and abroad. It is our mission to bring those committing this crime to justice.

The pair will be sentenced on October 29.
Britain is ready to hand EU nationals living here a lifelong right to return to Britain even if they go to their home country for years, a senior MEP claimed today.

Guy Verhofstadt said it would be in exchange for UK citizens already living in Europe a right live and work anywhere in the bloc after Brexit.

He claimed his discussions with Downing Street suggested Theresa May was open to the idea. Mr Verhofstadt was last in No 10 last month.

Mrs May's spokesman said bilateral agreements on citizens' rights were already in place as part of the divorce deal and did not cover Mr Verhofstadt's claims.

Guy Verhofstadt (pictured in Downing Street in September) said it would be in exchange for UK citizens already living in Europe a right live and work anywhere in the bloc after Brexit

Mr Verhofstadt is the European Parliament's representative in the Brexit talks. MEPs must vote to ratify any agreed divorce deal before exit day on March 29, 2019.

Speaking during a debate in the Parliament today, Mr Verhofstadt urged EU negotiators to offer a right to 'unhindered onward movement' for UK nationals living in the EU.

He said it would allow them to move home and work between the 27 states.

This would be done in return for a 'right of lifelong return' for EU citizens currently in Britain who move away from the country in future.

He said: 'I was in Downing Street and they are ready to go for such a trade-off.

'If the Council were to push for such a solution, it is a trade-off that is possible.'

Mrs May's official spokesman said: 'The position in relation to citizens already in the UK was set out in the draft withdrawal agreement.'

Speaking during a debate in the Parliament today (pictured), Mr Verhofstadt urged EU negotiators to offer a right to 'unhindered onward movement' for UK nationals living in the EU

In other remarks, Mr Verhofstadt played down Mrs May's claims the Brexit deal was 95 per cent done.

He said: 'We are now in a battle of the figures. Mrs May says 95 per cent has been agreed, Michel Barnier says 90 per cent has been agreed. I know Britain has always had difficulties with the metric system.

'If it is 90 per cent or 95 per cent or 99 per cent, if there is no solution for the Irish border, for our Parliament it is 0 per cent that is agreed at the moment.

'We need agreement on the Irish border. The Good Friday Agreement must be protected.'

Mr Verhofstadt said he was 'optimistic' that a deal can be reached 'in the coming weeks in the interests of the Union and in the interests of the UK'.
Just days before the 2018 midterm elections, the thousands-strong migrant caravan currently heading northward from Central America into Mexico has suddenly become a hot-button campaign issue.

The caravan, currently in southern Mexico, is growing by the day despite efforts to halt it and has attracted the attention of US President Donald Trump, whos threatened to cut off aid to the Central American countries the migrants hail from.

Heres everything you need to know about the migrant caravan currently heading northwards to the US-Mexico border.

The migrant caravan has grown from less than 200 people to several thousand in mere days

What is the migrant caravan?

The migrant caravan is a group composed of migrants from Central America, primarily El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, whose goal is to reach the United States and seek asylum as refugees.

It started on October 12, 2018 in the city of San Pedro Sula in Honduras with a gathering of about 160 migrants and started its trek northward the next day, growing rapidly as more migrants joined.

The caravan, currently heading northward into Mexico, is reportedly composed of at least three distinct groups comprising approximately 14,000 people in total, with the first group being the largest, composed of about 7,000 people.

The first caravan group is currently resting in southern Mexico in the town of Huixtla and is growing despite attempts by Mexican and Central American authorities to prevent people from joining it, with Guatemala in particular blocking key border crossing points with barbed wire and armed guards.

The caravan is mainly composed of impoverished migrants fleeing political repression and corruption, violence, poverty and unemployment.

The migrant caravan provoked a strong political reaction, starting just days before the 2018 midterm elections in the United States, with US President Donald Trump taking to Twitter to threaten to cut off foreign aid to the countries the migrants hail from, accusing them of doing nothing to stop them.

The caravan follows in the footsteps of another caravan from earlier in 2018, which reached the US- Mexico border on April 29 in Tijuana, Mexico.

How big is the migrant caravan?

Recent reports peg the caravan at approximately 14,000 people in three separate groups and growing. Notably, the caravan has continued to grow despite efforts from Mexican and Central American authorities to crack down on it.

About 14,000 people are now thought to be in the migrant caravan in three separate groups

How did the migrant caravan start?

The caravan was organized on October 12 in the Honduran city of Pedro San Sula reportedly by Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, an immigrant rights group formed in the early 2000s that also builds migrant shelters on heavily-traveled routes between Central America and the United States and offers legal counseling to migrants.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras, believed to be led by Irineo Mujica, has organized Central American migrant caravans since 2017 and is thought to have organized the smaller migrant caravan that reached the US-Mexico border in April.

According to reports, no single individual has specifically organized the caravan. Instead, its thought to have formed organically as word of it spread throughout Central America and thousands have rushed to join.

Theres no one in charge of this thing. Its a mass exodus, said Pueblo Sin Fronteras organizer Alex Mensing to USA Today.

Why is the migrant caravan so big?

The migrant caravan has reportedly grown to include thousands of people over a matter of days largely through word of mouth, having snowballed from roughly 160 people to about 14,000 as more people have heard of or seen it and opted to join the trek northward.

Ana Luisa Espana, a laundry worker from the city of Chiquimula in Guatemala, joined the growing caravan as she witnessed it pass through her country.

We only want to work and if a job turns up in Mexico, I would do it. We would do anything, except bad things, she said.

The cooler autumn weather is also thought to have helped the caravan grow quickly as it treks across Central America and turns northward towards the United States.

Many social ills plaguing Central America have prompted thousands to join the migrant caravan as it treks northward in an attempt to reach the US border to seek refuge there

Why is the migrant caravan growing?

The caravan is continuing to grow as more people in Central America hear of it and decide to make the arduous trek northward to escape the many problems plaguing the region.

Many parts of Central America are wracked by social ills such as high poverty and unemployment rates, limited educational opportunities, political corruption and repression, high crime rates and ceaseless violence stemming from drug cartels and street gangs like MS-13 who battle to control the lucrative cocaine transit routes out of South America.

Notably, the toxic combination of numerous drug cartels and street gangs, high crime rates and a region that lies at the crux of drug trafficking routes between South America and North America has produced a region home to some of the worlds highest murder rates, with El Salvador having the highest murder rate in the world as of 2016 at 82.84 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Honduras with a murder rate of 56.52 people per 100,000 inhabitants as of 2016, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The migrant caravan has continued to grow despite the recent deployment of police in Mexico and a swift crackdown by authorities in several Central American countries thats seen barbed wire and police checkpoints deployed at several key crossing points.

What will happen if the migrant caravan reaches the US border?

The Trump Administration is still reportedly undecided on how to respond if the caravan members cross over the US border.

Some members of the Presidents inner circle, like US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, are thought to be pushing for a more diplomatic approach with Central America to halt the flow of migrants while others are reportedly advocating for more drastic and immediate courses of action such as declaring a state of emergency and cutting off foreign aid, something the President himself has threatened to do repeatedly.

US President Donald Trump is now weighing several options to address the migrant caravan

Migrant caravan route

The migrant caravan started in northwestern Honduras in the city of San Pedro Sula and has trekked west across Guatemala and into southern Mexico in the town of Huixtla, about 50 miles away from the Mexico-Guatemala border.

The caravan, which has covered roughly 20 miles per day by foot, would likely take months to reach Tijuana, Mexico on the western edge of the US-Mexico border just south of California and several weeks to reach Matamoros, Mexico on the eastern end of the US-Mexico border just south of Texas.

Caravan organizers have reportedly told CNN that its still too early to know which route theyll ultimately take to reach the 1,954 mile long US-Mexico border, noting it mostly depends on the actions of the Mexican government, what routes the caravan is allowed to take, whether buses or vehicles can be acquired to increase the speed of the journey and whether its members are detained in certain areas.

Migrant caravan funding

The caravan is believed to be self-funded by the Central American migrants currently in it. Experts have dismissed accusations its being funded by political organizations like the Democratic Party or wealthy and politically-active investors like George Soros.
Arthur Collins Senior, 55, and his wife Jackie, 53, were arrested after 30 cannabis plants were found growing in an outbuilding at their home by the police searching for their son

Arthur Collins' father, accused of using his 1million mansion as a cannabis factory after police found a 25,000 stash while searching for his fugitive son, today admitted his guilt - having previously denied the charges.

Arthur Collins Snr, 55, and his wife Jackie, 53, were arrested by police hunting for their son, the father of TOWIE star Ferne McCann's baby, after he threw acid in a London nightclub.

Detectives raided their grand home in Broxbourne looking for the fugitive and allegedly discovered around 30 cannabis plants growing in an outbuilding at the family home.

The estimated value of the drugs was between 9,000 and 25,000, it was said, and they claim the plants were put there by someone else, their lawyer Peter Fallen said.

Arthur Collins Junior, 26, is the former boyfriend of Ferne McCann and is the father of her daughter Sunday.

He was celebrating the news of her pregnancy when he threw the acid. He was sentenced to 20 years after being convicted of the acid attack at the Mangle E8 nightclub in East London.

Sixteen people suffered chemical burns and three were temporarily blinded.

Collins was celebrating the news of her pregnancy when he threw the acid. He was sentenced to 20 years after being convicted of the acid attack at the Mangle E8 nightclub in East London

He went on the run following the attack before being arrested at Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire.

In January he was jailed for a further 8 months for using a smuggled mobile phone to call Ferne McCann from his cell.

Arthur and Thomas' parents faced charges that they had been involved in the production of cannabis at their home in Hertfordshire on 17 April last year by knowingly permitting or allowing the production of the Class B drug to take place.

At St Albans crown court today, Arthur Collins Senior changed his plea to guilty.

Prosecutor Laura Blackband offered no evidence against his wife and Judge Michael Kay QC entered a not guilty verdict agains her.

At an earlier hearing the couple's younger son Thomas, 22, pleaded guilty to possessing a CS gas canister and an electric stun gun.

He was celebrating the news of her pregnancy when he threw the acid. He was sentenced to 20 years after being convicted of the acid attack at the Mangle E8 nightclub in East London

He also admitted possessing cannabis. Arthur Collins senior and Thomas Collins will be sentenced on October 31.

In a basis of plea read to the court Arthur Collins snr's barrister Graeme Wilson said his client had "turned a blind eye" to the cannabis that was being grown by his son-in-law and son in a buidling to which he did not have access.

He said there were 30 cannabis plants - 27 mature and 3 saplings. At an earlier hearing the prosecution said the plants, with a yield of between 9,000 and 25,000, were found in an outbuilding.

Collins was in a relationship with Ferne McCann (pictured posing in a Rolls Royce) and he is the father of TOWIE star's baby

Daryl Charritt defending Thomas said the CS spray and Taser did not work.

Arthur Collins was jailed for 20 years for carrying out the acid attack at the Mangle E8 nightclub in Hackney, east London.

He was then handed an extra eight months in prison for having a phone in his cell, hidden in his crutch, along with a charger and SIM cards, which he used to call his ex Ferne, 27, while she was carrying his baby daughter, Sunday.

Collins jnr used the crutch after breaking his ankle trying to escape from police.
More than half of Americans believe President Donald Trump has been 'not tough enough on Saudi Arabia' in the wake of last week's secret plot to kill a Washington Post columnist in the Gulf kingdom's Istanbul, Turkey consulate.

Axios released polling numbers in conjunction with SurveyMonkey, an online opinion research company that uses a 'self-selected' pool of Americans who choose to participate.

Fifty-six per cent of them, however, said Trump's response to Jamal Khashoggi's murder has been too soft. That includes more than one-third of Republicans.

Just 5 per cent overall said the president has been too tough on Saudi Arabia; 32 per cent said his reaction has been 'about right,' including 11 per cent of Democrats and less than one-third of independents.

President Donald Trump talked to reporters on Tuesday about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, but Americans think he's been too easy on the Saudis behind the murder

More than half of Americans wish Trump took a firmer hand with the Saudis, a number that includes 37 per cent of Republicans

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said Wednesday that Khashoggi's killing was a 'heinous crime that cannot be justified' and a 'crime painful to all Saudis.'

Trump policy adviser Jared Kushner described Saudi Arabia as a 'strong ally' this week, but on Tuesday the president blasted the nation for orchestrating the 'worst cover-up ever.'

Khashoggi, a vocal dissident, was killed October 2 in what conflicting reports describe alternately as a premeditated dismemberment-slaughter and a fistfight that spiraled out of control.

Trump suggested in the Oval Office that he doesn't believe the latter explanation, which has become the Saudis' preferred narrative.

'They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups,' he said.

'It should have never happened. I would say it was a total fiasco from day one,' the president added.

Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who wrote opinion pieces for The Washington Post, was killed this month inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is feeling international heat as allies suspect he gave the order to kill Khashoggi and cover it up

So far his administration has avoided saying if there will be any practical consequences for the Saudi nation.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that his agency has identified some of the men responsible for Khashoggi's murder and is 'taking appropriate actions.'

That, he said, might include revoking individual visas and sanctioning specific people, some of whom work for government ministries and the royal court.

'These penalties will not be the last word on the matter,' Pompeo said.

Ultimately, Trump said, he is 'going to leave it up to Congress.'

The White House is unlikely to do anything that might jeopardize a $110 billion deal he cut last year for U.S.-made military equipment.

SurveyMonkey's unconventional method uses a broader than usual sample of Americans, but it is limited only to people who have already 'opted in' online.

While the company says it has access to a pool of more than 2 million Americans, it may not be a representative sample of U.S. voters since only about six-tenths of 1 per cent of the nation's population has any chance at all of being surveyed.

Wednesday's Axios survey is based on SurveyMonkey data from 3,919 adults in the U.S., and has an 'error estimate' of 2.5 percentage points.
Police today questioned Ryanair passenger David Mesher at his home after an alleged racial abuse incident aboard a plane but have not yet arrested him.

Two uniformed officers turned up at the 70-year-old pensioner's sheltered accommodation flat in Birmingham after he was unmasked by MailOnline.

They spent nearly an hour quizzing him after a report by alleged victim, 77, fellow passenger Delsie Gayle.

The officers from the West Midlands force later left alone in a marked police car.

A spokesperson for the force said: 'We are assisting Essex Police over an alleged incident on a Ryanair flight but they are the primary investigators.'

The spokesperson declined to say if the man would be arrested for formal questioning, saying: 'We cannot comment on that but our inquiries are ongoing.'

Police today questioned Ryanair passenger David Mesher at his home after an alleged racial abuse incident aboard a plane but have not yet arrested him

Two uniformed officers turned up at the 70-year-old pensioner Mesher's sheltered accommodation flat in Birmingham after he was unmasked by MailOnline

Mesher unleashed a torrent of abuse at grandma Mrs Gayle, 77, calling her an 'ugly black b*****d' after they boarded a flight in Barcelona on Friday

An Essex Police spokesperson added: 'We have asked the local force in the west Midlands to assist us directly on this matter.'

Former railway worker Mesher stayed behind closed doors at his first flat in Yardley Wood, declining to talk to the large media pack gathered outside.

Mesher was identified by his neighbours and a former work colleague as the man at the centre of the shocking video.

He unleashed a torrent of abuse at grandma Mrs Gayle, 77, calling her an 'ugly black b*****d' after they boarded a flight in Barcelona on Friday.

He was also filmed allegedly shouting 'don't speak to me in a f****** foreign language' while on board the London bound jet.

Ryanair has been criticised for its handling of the incident as Mesher was not kicked off the flight nor were the authorities in Spain informed about it. Instead, Mrs Gayle was moved to another aisle while Mesher continued to sit in his own seat.

When confronted by MailOnline yesterday he refused to apologise for his reported vile rant towards the stunned woman, insisting: 'Go away, there's nothing I want to say.'

Delsie Gayle, 77, Mesher's victim, spoke on This Morning with her daughter where they said their family deserves a public apology

Mesher was identified by his neighbours and a former work colleague as the man at the centre of the shocking video

Neighbours at the block of flats described him as a 'weirdo' and a 'bully'.

Until his retirement Mr Mesher worked as a train announcer for London Midland Railways.

He had previously worked at London Waterloo train station in the main ticket office as an employee of British Rail.

A former colleague told MailOnline he was stunned to recognise 70-year-old Mesher on the video that has been seen worldwide and condemned by MPs and Downing Street.

The colleague said: 'It is 30 years since I last worked with David and he was not like the person you see on the video.

'He was in the ticket office at Waterloo station and was always so polite. He would not be rude to anyone, otherwise he would not have been dealing with the public.

'It was a real shock to see him and the vile language that the used. He should be condemned for that. It was awful. That isn't the David Mesher I remember when we worked together.'

Mr Mesher also worked in Essex and lived with his elderly mother until her death. He has never married.

The former colleague said Mesher would often attend musical concerts in London and was an avid collector of classical music.

He said they lost contact when Mr Mesher moved to Birmingham from Barking in East London where he lived with his mother.

Neighbours at his sheltered accommodation told MailOnline they were appalled by his abuse towards another passenger.

One man said: 'He is a racist pig and bully and everyone here recognises his face from the TV news and papers.

'What he did was totally out order and he should be punished. I can't imagine he would have behaved that way to that lady if a man had been present with her.

'But he won't get arrested because it happened on Spanish soil.'

His next door neighbour told how Mr Mesher, who lives alone in the self-contained flat, was 'a weirdo and a real nuisance'.

'No one really likes him. He keeps himself to himself and we don't know much about him but we all knew he was going off to Spain on holiday.'

The resident revealed that Mr Mesher often showed 'no respect for other people.'

He told how a few months ago how his neigbour was 'driving me mad by playing music loudly and continuously on a loop.'

He explained: 'I banged on his door to ask him to turn it down and he wasn't even in. How inconsiderate is that?

'It was no annoying hearing the same old tune over and again that I pulled the emergency cord to alert staff to his flat and they managed to go in and sort it out in his absence.'

Barcelona City Hall has joined the fight to make sure Mr Mesher is brought to justice.

Officials vowed to report the sickening incident - which took place on a Ryanair plane leaving the Catalan capital for London Stansted - to Spanish prosecutors.

The pledge came as Barcelona mayoress Ada Colau attacked Ryanair over their response to the racist attack and branded Mr Mesher as a 'swine'.

The city's deputy mayor also appealed on Twitter for witnesses to come forward.

Ada Colau wrote: 'Thank you, by the way, to the person who made the video, because it brought to public attention an event that can't go unpunished.

'As the mayor of a feminist city that fights against all forms of discrimination, the images in the video are unbearable to me.

'So I can't even imagine how the victim of this aggression felt. The flight was leaving Barcelona, and Barcelona isn't going to take something like this lying down.'
A prominent family lawyer has been suspended from practicing law for wishing death on his wife's divorce attorney.

Paul Green, previously one-half of Parker & Green, in Pennsylvania, began his 60-day suspension over the weekend.

The Florida Supreme Court suspended Green for his campaign of harassment against his former law firm after they fired him, and for sending an abusive text message to his wife's attorney.

The message, sent in January 2017, read: 'Tell Dana Price I hope she dies of dirty Jew AIDS'', according to court documents.

Prominent family lawyer, Paul Green (left, with his wife), wished death on his wife's divorce attorney, Dana Price (right)

According to the Miami Herald, he was fired by Patricia Parker, the other half of Parker & Green, a few months later in September 2017.

Parker said Green's behavior had become increasingly erratic; he had missed client appointments, went on vacations without notice and missed several work days, according to a Florida Bar complaint.

The complaint also said Green withdrew money from the firm's operating account and used $40,000 on the firm's business credit card. Parker also said Green put his parents phones and an iPad on the office phone plan, which she turned off.

After issuing a warning, Parker fired Green and changed the locks on the office door.

But the Supreme Court heard that Green then began a campaign of harassment, changing the passwords to his firm's email accounts, and only agreeing to restore access if they would switch his phones back on.

Green also posted on the Parker & Green's Facebook page that Parker had been 'Baker Acted' - meaning she had been involuntarily committed over fears for her mental health, ABA Journal reported.

The post also told clients not to believe letters from the firm informing them they had been hacked.

Green, who had diverted the office emails to himself, added: 'Don't worry, my email still works, and I am working with the Florida Bar to make sure [the firm owner] gets the help she needs. If you are a client, do not pay a bill until the Florida Bar decides what they will be doing.'

Green is pictured with Patricia Parker. Together they made up Parker & Green law firm in Pennsylvania, until he was fired last year

WHAT IS THE BAKER ACT? The Baker Act allows families to provide mental health services and temporary detention for people who are impaired because of their mental illness. It's a Florida law that was named after Maxine Baker, a former Miami State representative who sponsored the Act in 1972. People who require the use of the Baker Act have often lost the power of self-control, and they are likely to inflict harm to themselves or others. Source: University of Florida Health Advertisement

Parker was never subject to the Baker Act and the Florida Bar were never contacted about her.

Green also told a client he ran into at a football stadium in Jacksonville that his former business partner had been committed and that he would handle her case for free if she would make a statement about Parker.

He also invited her for drinks to discuss the case.

The client later filed an ethics complaint against Green.

When he saw her working at a bar, he allegedly slammed his hand on the bar and told her: 'Good luck with that complaint.'

Green entered a conditional guilty plea that conceded that Parker had already warned him about his behavior and dressing unprofessionally before he was fired.



In addition to his suspension, he must also contact the Florida Lawyers Assistance for evaluation. Florida Lawyers Assistance helps attorneys who are dealing with substance abuse or mental health problems.
A British man has been found murdered inside a blood-spattered apartment in Cape Town, South African police say.

The body of the 50-year-old, who is thought to have family in Hertfordshire, was discovered around 3.30pm on Monday, News 24 reported.

Shocked neighbours in the upmarket Green Point area said the man was seen alive on Friday last week before being reported missing.

A British man, 50, has been founded murdered inside his apartment building in the Green Point neighbourhood of Cape Town (pictured) after being reported missing

Police and fire crews searching for the man raided his flat, before finding his body surrounded by blood.

Medics are now carrying out a post-mortem to establish how he died. His identity is being withheld until his relatives have been informed.

Those living in the man's apartment block said he had a guest staying with him shortly before he died, though police gave no confirmation of this.

Officers are also believed to have gathered CCTV which shows the man shortly before he died, but would not give any more information.
Iain Macmaster took advantage of Claire Gordon who died from a brain tumour

A former solicitor who was jailed after 'fabricating' the 900,000 will of an actress as she lay dying deserved every day of his eight-year sentence, judges have ruled.

Iain Macmaster, 71, took advantage of Claire Gordon who starred in a series of raunchy comedies and alongside British comedy legends including Bob Monkhouse and Some Mothers Do Ave Em star Michael Crawford in West End plays during the 1960s.

Ms Gordon died from a brain tumour aged 74 in April 2015.

Macmaster had been a friend of unmarried Ms Gordon, who had no children and previously planned to leave her estate to her cousins.

In the new will, 60 per cent of her fortune would have gone to Macmaster, of, Westminster, London.

But he was found out and convicted at Southwark Crown Court in May of fraud.

Today, he appealed against his eight-year sentence, but was told by three senior judges that he deserved what he got.

'This was despicable conduct,' Lord Justice Gross told the Court of Appeal.

'In colloquial terms, he fabricated the will of a dying woman.

'There were aggravating factors, notably the deliberate targeting of a victim who was terminally ill, coupled with a grave breach of trust because she couldn't manage her own affairs.

'Notwithstanding his age and health, the sentence was one the judge was amply entitled to pass.'

The court heard Ms Gordon - who is thought to be the first actress to appear naked on a British stage in a 1966 musical version of The Three Musketeers - split her time between England and Egypt.

Claire Gordon appeared on stage and screen from the 1950s to the 1980s

Ms Gordon's assets, which included a cottage near the giraffe enclosure at the safari park in Wiltshire and a property in Hurghada, a beach resort in Egypt, were valued at 905,836.

Five months before she died, MacMaster became the executor and sole beneficiary of her will - and he got a mentally ill man to witness the document.

MacMaster is a former trustee of the People's Opportunity to Work Trust which campaigned to free Tony Martin, who was jailed after killing a burglar.

He was the charity's legal consultant and was jailed in 1998 for laundering drug money and trafficking cannabis.

Ms Gordon, who appeared on stage and screen from the 1950s to the 1980s, fell ill while in Egypt in December 2014 and, because Macmaster had previously been listed as her next of kin in medical records, he was contacted.

He arranged for her to be brought to the UK for treatment for a brain tumour, but it failed and she died in a care home in April 2015.

Ms Gordon had no children and had previously written a will in 2014 naming her cousins and their children as her beneficiaries, but this has never been traced.

Claire Gordon was a rival to Diana Dors and starred in a series of saucy 1960s comedies

But the first any of them even knew of Ms Gordon's illness was when her death notice appeared in a newspaper.

MacMaster did not tell her surviving cousins that she was ill with a brain tumour, depriving them of the chance to patch up rocky relationships and say goodbye, the court heard.

Peter Corrigan, for MacMaster, told the Court of Appeal today (weds) the conman did his utmost for Ms Gordon while her health deteriorated and was unable to contact her relatives because he did not know who they were.

'This was a lady who kept her life in separate compartments,' said Mr Corrigan.

The judge, Lord Justice Gross told him: 'Let's get real Mr Corrigan - he's not going to call up the cousins and say I'm busy cutting you out of her will.'

MacMaster received 60 per cent of the estate, and Morris Benhamu, 41, who had an intimate 'kissing and hugging' relationship with the actress 30 years his senior, received the other 40 per cent.

MacMaster was convicted of conspiracy to defraud and fraud at Southwark Crown Court while Benhamu was acquitted.

MacMaster did not tell her surviving cousins that she was ill with a brain tumour, depriving them of the chance to patch up rocky relationships and say goodbye, the court heard.

Sentencing Macmaster at the crown court earlier this year, Judge Stephen Robbins said it was a 'determined attempt to defraud...by forging a will'.

Macmaster's barrister, Peter Corrigan, argued today that eight years was 'manifestly excessive', given his age and poor health.

But Lord Justice Gross, sitting with Mr Justice Spencer and Judge Philip Katz QC, dismissed the appeal and upheld the sentence.

'There is nothing whatever in this application,' he said.
World leaders must join hands to face the challenges caused by climate change and global warming through initiatives and solutions based on clean energy, said a senior official at the ongoing World Green Economy Summit (WGES 2018) in Dubai.



The summit, being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, concludes on Thursday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday attended the opening of the WGES 2018. This year's theme is Driving Innovation, Leading Change.



Leading experts from across the globe are at the event to discuss ways to promote green capital amid the global commitments to build a green and sustainable world economy at the summit.

The opening ceremony was attended by prominent figures including Francois Hollande, former President of France; Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE; Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Environment and Energy, Maldives; Nezha El Ouafi, Secretary of State to the Minister of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development, in charge of Sustainable Development, Morocco and Christiana Figueres, former Secretary General, UNFCCC.



Delivering the welcome address, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy in Dubai, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Electricity And Water Authority, and Chairman of WGES 2018 Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said: "From this summit, we strongly urge leaders, experts, governments and all stakeholders to work hand in hand to face this challenge before it is too late and implement the global commitments that have been made at Paris Agreement for climate change."

"These commitments were pronounced through integrated initiatives and projects that depend on clean energy as well as through efficiently moving towards green systems, whilst using latest technologies that adapt to digital and innovative solutions, he stated.

Al Tayer said: In the UAE, we have initiated key initiatives that accelerate the pace of a green economy through the launch of UAE Green Agenda 2030 and Clean Energy Strategy 2050, as well as directives from our wise leadership. We have translated this into policies and projects that rely on innovation."

The Dewa chief highlighted a number of clean energy projects launched in the UAE including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and Masdar, in addition to various projects undertaken through public-private partnerships that aim to enhance environmental sustainability.

The UAE has made strong strides in clean energy projects and strategies such as MBR Solar Park - the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030. This park will contribute to achieving 75 per cent of Dubais energy from clean energy sources by 2050, in addition to other clean energy projects as Masdar in Abu Dhabi, he explained.

"Our efforts also focus on enhancing collaboration to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, he added.

Al Tayer announced that apart from the UAE, both Korea and Italy have expressed their interest to join the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO), adding that more than 60 country representatives will attend the preparatory conference on the establishment of the WGEO.

He also said that in November, Dubai will organise an international competition for universities to design buildings based on solar energy. A second edition of the event will take place during Expo 2020.



According to him, the inaugural edition of the summit saw the launch of the first green finance fund worth Dh2.4 billion ($653 million) that forms part of the Dh100 billion ($27.2 billion) Dubai Green Fund initiative.



The fund aims to finance investments in the clean energy sector through partnerships with financial institutions in order to promote innovative solutions to support green projects locally and internationally.



In his keynote speech, Hollande spoke about international efforts being made so far to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how France was combating climate change in light of its adoption to the most effective initiatives.

He also spoke about the role developing countries can play to address climate change compared to the role played by developed countries.

In his address, Dr Al Zeyoudi highlighted the UAEs transformation progress into green economy, while Figueres reviewed the key efforts being made by the United Nations and Member States to tackle climate change in all areas.

She also shared her own insights based on her experience on creating a more flexible and effective ways in this regard.

Also during the inaugural event, the UAEs achievements made in the green economy transformation were reviewed through a video presentation.

The first day of the summit witnessed various discussions on the role of green economy in national strategies during a plenary session titled Driving the green economy in the national agenda.

The session tackled various challenges facing ministries of environment all around the world as well as green economy policies, legislation and regulations, and development of interaction between tourism and sustainability. It was attended by Thoriq Ibrahim and El Ouafi, said the organisers.

In addition, a parallel session titled the World Expos  Inspiring through Collaboration was also held in the first day of the summit in the presence of Anoosha Almarzouqi, Head of Partnerships and Co-Creation, Opportunity Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai, Dr Matt Kennedy, Head of Strategy and Business, International Energy Research Centre, UK and Jennifer Colville Innovation Team Lead, UNDP, Jordan, they added.-TradeArabia News Service
2006

Assange creates Wikileaks with a group of like-minded activists and IT experts to provide a secure way for whistleblowers to leak information. He quickly becomes its figurehead and a lightning rod for criticism.

2010

March: U.S. authorities allege Assange engaged in a conspiracy to hack a classified U.S. government computer with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

July: Wikileaks starts releasing tens of thousands of top secrets documents, including a video of U.S. helicopter pilots gunning down 12 civilians in Baghdad in 2007. What followed was the release of more than 90,000 classified US military files from the Afghan war and 400,000 from Iraq that included the names of informants.

August: Two Swedish women claim that they each had consensual sex with Assange in separate instances when he was on a 10-day trip to Stockholm. They allege the sex became non-consensual when Assange refused to wear a condom.

First woman claims Assange was staying at her apartment in Stockholm when he ripped off her clothes. She told police that when she realized Assange was trying to have unprotected sex with her, she demanded he use a condom. She claims he ripped the condom before having sex.

Second Swedish woman claims she had sex with Assange at her apartment in Stockholm and she made him wear a condom. She alleges that she later woke up to find Assange having unprotected sex with her.

He was questioned by police in Stockholm and denied the allegations. Assange was granted permission by Swedish authorities to fly back to the U.K.

November: A Swedish court ruled that the investigation should be reopened and Assange should be detained for questioning on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. An international arrest warrant is issued by Swedish police through Interpol.

Wikileaks releases its cache of more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables.

December: Assange presents himself to London police and appears at an extradition hearing where he is remanded in custody. Assange is granted conditional bail at the High Court in London after his supporters pay 240,000 in cash and sureties.

2011

February: A British judge rules Assange should be extradited to Sweden but Wikileaks found vows to fight the decision.

April: A cache of classified U.S. military documents is released by Wikileaks, including intelligence assessments on nearly all of the 779 people who are detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

November: Assange loses High Court appeal against the decision to extradite him.

2012

June: Assange enters the Ecuadorian embassy in London requesting political asylum.

August: Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador.

2013

June: Assange tells a group of journalists he will not leave the embassy even if sex charges against him are dropped out of fear he will be extradited to the U.S.

2015

August: Swedish prosecutors drop investigation into some of the sex allegations against Assange due to time restrictions. The investigation into suspected rape remains active.

2016

July: Wikileaks begins leaking emails U.S. Democratic Party officials favoring Hillary Clinton.

November: Assange is questioned over the sex allegation at the Ecuadorian Embassy in the presence of Sweden's assistant prosecutor Ingrid Isgren and police inspector Cecilia Redell. The interview spans two days.

2017

January: Barack Obama agrees to free whistleblower Chelsea Manning from prison. Her pending release prompts speculation Assange will end his self-imposed exile after Wikileaks tweeted he would agree to U.S. extradition.

April: Lenin Moreno becomes the new president of Ecuador who was known to want to improve diplomatic relations between his country and the U.S.

May: An investigation into a sex allegation against Assange is suddenly dropped by Swedish prosecutors.

2018

January: Ecuador confirms it has granted citizenship to Assange following his request.

February: Assange is visited by Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel.

March: The Ecuadorian Embassy suspends Assange's internet access because he wasn't complying with a promise he made the previous year to 'not send messages which entailed interference in relation to other states'.



August: U.S. Senate committee asks to interview Assange as part of their investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

September: Assange steps down as editor of WikiLeaks.

October: Assange reveals he will launch legal action against the government of Ecuador, accusing it of violating his 'fundamental rights and freedoms'.

November: U.S. Justice Department inadvertently names Assange in a court document that says he has been charged in secret.

2019

January: Assange's lawyers say they are taking action to make President Trump's administration reveal charges 'secretly filed' against him.

April 6: WikiLeaks tweets that a high level Ecuadorian source has told them Assange will be expelled from the embassy within 'hours or days'. But a senior Ecuadorian official says no decision has been made to remove him from the London building.

April 11: Assange has his diplomatic asylum revoked by Ecuador and he is arrested by the Metropolitan Police; he is remanded in custody by a judge at Westminster Magistrates Court.

April 12: He is found guilty of breaching his bail terms.

May 1: Sentenced to 11 months in jail.

May 2: Court hearing takes place over Assange's proposed extradition to the U.S. He tells a court he does not consent to the extradition and the case is adjourned until May 30.

May 13: Swedish prosecutors reopen rape case saying they still want to question Assange.

June 3: Swedish court rules against detaining him in absentia, setting back the extradition case.

June 12 Home Secretary Sajid Javid signs an extradition request from the US.

June 13 A hearing sets out the date for Assange's full extradition hearing - February next year.

November Swedish prosecutors stop investigation into an allegation of rape against Mr Assange

November 25 - Medics say without correct medical care Assange 'could die' in Belmarsh

December 13 - Hearing in London hears he is being blocked from seeing key evidence in case

December 19 - Appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court via video-link where his lawyer claims US bid to extradite him is 'political'.

2020

June: Assange failed to appear via video link for his most recent court matter in London's Westminster Magistrates' Court
The top official at the Treasury warned there could be no Brexit dividend to spend tonight despite promises to plough it into the NHS.

Sir Tom Scholar, the permanent secretary at the Treasury, said all of the gains from not sending subscriptions to the EU could be wiped out by a slower economy.

He told MPs on the Treasury committee 'nobody knows' what the dividend will be until the terms of the final deal and its impact on the economy are clear.

Downing Street insisted there 'will be a Brexit dividend when we stop sending huge sums of money to the EU'.

The top official at the Treasury Sir Tom Scholar warned there could be no Brexit dividend to spend tonight despite promises to plough it into the NHS

Sir Tom was answering questions from Labour MP Catherine McKinnell about whether there would be a 'Brexit dividend' to boost the public finances after the UK left the EU.

Sir Tom told the committee: 'It is certainly the case as a matter of arithmetic that once the UK is no longer making net contributions to the EU, that is a call on the public purse that will be available for other purposes.

'It is also true that depending on what the future relationship is and how different that is from the current relationship and what the economic impact is, there will be an impact on the economy and fiscal receipts that is potentially greater than that.'

He added: 'The answer is nobody knows and nobody can know until we know what future relationship is.'

The senior civil servant continued: 'The overwhelmingly important thing here is the nature of the UK's economic relationship with the EU.

'If it's a close one that supports continued economic growth then we can certainly afford to establish a few new agencies and that is why it is absolutely essential that is what is agreed.'

Vote Leave plastered a Brexit divided of 350million a week on the side of a red campaign bus and suggested the money be pumped into the NHS

In the referendum, Brexiteers including Boris Johnson said the windfall would equate to 350million a week.

Vote Leave plastered the number on the side of a red campaign bus and suggested the money be pumped into the NHS. The PM is saying she is making good on that pledge.

But the whole notion of a Brexit dividend is controversial and has been rubbished as 'tosh' by its critics - including Mrs May's own MPs.

Economist Paul Johnson, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said any dividend will be wiped out by slower growth and lower tax revenues.

And he also pointed out that when Britain leaves the EU the country will go on paying vast amounts of money to Brussels as part of the Brexit divorce bill.

So while the UK will stop paying the annual 9billion, the country will still have a 39billion to pay over the coming years.
Hillary Clinton became the first senior U.S. political figure to address the spree of bomb threats to a host of U.S. political figures, calling it a time of 'deep divisions.'

She spoke Secret Service agents revealed on Wednesday they had intercepted two suspicious packages en route to Hillary and Bill Clinton's property in Chappaqua, New York.

'It is a troubling time, isn't it?,' Clinton said, speaking at a campaign rally in Florida, where she is seeking to boost former Clinton cabinet secretary Donna Shalala at a fundraiser.

'Clinton continued: 'And it's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.'

'We have to do everything we can to bring our country together,' said former secretary of state Hillary Clinton

Scroll down for video

Then Clinton, who battled President Trump during a brutal campaign contest in 2016, shifted to politics. 'We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same, who will set goals that will lift up every single Floridian and American,' she said.

Clinton continued: 'Usually when people ask me how am I doing .. I say as a person Im doing great, as an American Im worried.'

She added: 'I worry about the direction of our country.'

She spoke days after former aide Phillipe Reines said the chance of Clinton running again in 2020 is 'not zero.'

She spoke after reports that yet another suspicious package was identified addressed to a Florida office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Law enforcement revealed agents also intercepted packages en route to former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's Washington D.C. home. Others getting packages include former CIA chief and fierce Trump critic John Brennan and former Obama attorney general Eric Holder.

The Secret Service said packages sent to Clinton and Obama were immediately identified as potential explosive devices and were handled as such. They said the packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to Clinton and Obama.

Other politicians picked up on a similar line in the hours that followed.

Clinton spoke after pipe bombs were discovered mailed to a slew of Democrats and leading critics of President Trump

The package sent to Hillary and Bill Clinton's property in Chappaqua, New York was found by an employee who screens their mail. Police guarded the property early Wednesday

Two bombs have been found in the mail addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service

Multiple suspected explosive devices have been found in the mail addressed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and CNN's New York newsroom. Pictured above is the device sent to CNN's newsroom, which was constructed of a metal pipe and wires

'We've been through many political seasons and we have political differences,' said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a press conference in New York following the evacuation of CNN's headquarters following a bomb threat.

'And that's actually good for democracy. what is not good is overheated rhetoric, extremism that pushes people to violence,' Cuomo said, responding to a question about President Trump's statement approving of a congressman who assaulted a reporters.

'There's a pattern apparently to the number of devices,' said Cuomo. 'A device has been sent to my office in Manhattan,' he said.

Cuomo called them 'an attempt to strike fear  terrorism.'
Vladimir Putin today warned that if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, he will target the countries that host them.

He made the comments in response the Donald Trump's announcement at the weekend that he wants to pull the US out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, under which both countries got rid of medium range missiles.

Trump said he wanted to pull out because he believes Russia broke the agreement by developing the Novator 9M792 missile which is capable of striking Europe at short notice.

Putin said Russia has not broken the treaty and accused the US of violating the agreement.

The Russian President said he hopes to discuss the issue with Trump in Paris on the sideline of November 11 events marking 100 years since Armistice Day.

America accuses Russia of violating the treaty by developing the Novator 9M792 missile (pictured center, rear), which is capable of striking Europe at short notice

Vladimir Putin (pictured in Italy on Wednesday) warned that if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, he will target the countries that host them

On Monday Russia said it will be forced to 'respond in kind' if America pulls out of a key nuclear weapons treaty and begins developing new missiles.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke out after Donald Trump threatened to quit the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty on Saturday, accusing Russia of violating it.

If the US and Russia make good on their threats, it would mark the first nuclear arms race between world superpowers since the end of the Cold War.

Peskov's comments came as National Security Adviser John Bolton - reportedly a key voice in calling for the deal to be torn up - met with Russian security chiefs in Moscow on Monday ahead of talks with Putin on Tuesday.

National Security adviser John Bolton met with Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev (right) in Moscow on Monday, as Russia raised the prospect of a new nuclear arms race

Bolton's visit comes after Donald Trump threatened to withdraw the US from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, saying that Russia had already violated it

Peskov accused America of making the world a more dangerous place and said Russia would be forced to act 'to restore the balance of military power'.

'This is a question of strategic security. Such measures can make the world more dangerous,' he said.

'It means that the United States is not disguising, but is openly starting to develop these systems in the future.

'If these systems are being developed, then actions are necessary from other countries, in this case Russia, to restore balance in this sphere.

'President Putin had repeatedly said that the demise of the treaty would force Russia to take specific steps to protect its own security.'

President Trump said on Saturday that Washington would withdraw from the treaty, which was signed by President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.

The pact bans either country from developing short or medium range missiles and was instrumental in bringing about the end of the Cold War.

Trump said that the US should be able to develop short and medium range missiles to respond to threats from Russia and China

America has accused Russia of breaching the treaty by creating the Novator 9M792, which has an estimated range of 3,000 miles.

But Peskov noted that Washington has not given official notice of leaving the treaty, and even once that has happened, there will be a six-month cooling off period.

That means the question of Russia developing its own new intermediate-range missiles was not 'for today or tomorrow,' he said.

Trump's national security adviser John Bolton is due to hold talks with senior officials in Moscow later on Monday and to meet Putin on Tuesday.

Peskov said Trump's decision to quit the pact would obviously be a subject for discussion and that Moscow was looking for a detailed explanation for why Washington had decided to turn its back on the treaty.

Russia denied US accusations it had breached the treaty, said Peskov, alleging that the United States had been steadily undermining it.

'Putin has said many times said the United States de facto is taking measures that are eroding the conditions of this treaty,' said Peskov, referring to strike drones and anti-missile systems capable of destroying short- and intermediate-range rockets.
Gary Morris, who has since been sacked by British Airways, invited a 14-year-old called 'Tom' back to the house in Sunderland after chatting to him on the gay dating app Grindr

A married, former British Airways pilot who tried to coax an underage boy to his elderly parents' home for sex was caught by vigilante paedophile hunters.

Gary Morris, who has since been sacked by the firm, invited a 14-year-old called 'Tom' back to the house in Sunderland after chatting to him on the gay dating app Grindr.

The 46-year-old had plotted to sneak the 'teenager' into his house while his elderly parents were asleep.

However the messages being sent by 'Tom' were in fact paedophile hunters known as Guardians of the North. They had set up fake internet profile to expose adults looking for illegal contact with children.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 46-year-old from Brighton had travelled to his parents home on December 28, 2016.

He had gone to a pub in the city centre and drunk around eight pints between 3pm and 11pm before getting a lift home from his father.

He downloaded Grindr and began talking to other males online when he began talking to 'Tom'. He told jurors to would download and delete the app as he did not want his husband finding out.

The commercial pilot, who had 20 years flying experience, had expected to open the door to 'Tom' but was greeted by officers from Northumbria Police after they were tipped off the paedophile hunters.

Morris denied trying to meet the child following a sexual grooming trial and said he had been 'distracted' after being told he was a schoolboy.

He claims to have 'missed' the message of the boy's age.

Morris denied trying to meet the child following a sexual grooming trial and said he had been 'distracted' after being told he was a schoolboy

Prosecutor Michael Bunch said: 'He wasn't after a fantasy. He was after actual sexual contact with Tom.'

His barrister John Dye told jurors the pilot would not risk his 'career, relationship and reputation' by doing anything illegal.

He added: 'What Mr Morris is adamant about is he is not a paedophile, he had no interest in children.'

Despite his pleas, Morris was found guilty and ordered to sign the sex offenders register until sentencing next month.

The judge added: 'The interim sex offenders notification requirements notice will be given to you, explaining what you have to do and what you can't do.'

A spokesperson for British Airways said: 'He no longer works for the airline and has not flown since his arrest in 2016.'
A man who gave a teenage girl the rope she used to hang herself and filmed her for ten minutes as she took her life has taken a plea deal in exchange for a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment.

Tyerell Przybycien, 19, pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide in Spanish Fork, Utah, on Tuesday as part of a deal with prosecutors in Spanish Fork.

In May 2017, he helped Jchandra Brown, 16, kill herself by buying her the rope she used to hang herself, driving her to the remote location where she did it, tying the noose for her and filming her as placed it around her neck and killed herself.

After she took her last breath, he continued filming and then placed the cell phone which contained the footage at her feet, saying: 'I guess I'll leave this here'.

She was found the next day by a turkey hunter.

Tyerell Przybycien, 19, (seen left in a court appearance last year) helped 16-year-old Jchandra Brown kill herself last May by giving her the rope she used to hang herself and filming it on a cell phone afterwards. On Tuesday, he took a plea deal for child abuse homicide and now faces between five years and life in prison

Przybycien, who had told friends helping her commit suicide would be 'like getting away with murder', had been facing charges of murder, witness tampering and failing to report a dead body which would have required to him to spend at least 15 years in prison if convicted.

Now, he faces a minimum of five years imprisonment and a maximum of life. Prosecutors have not yet indicated how long a sentence they will seek.

He will be sentenced on December 7.

A month before JChandra's death, Przybycien sent a different friend a message asking what they would do if someone told them they wanted to kill themselves.

That friend said that they would try to talk the person out of it to which Przybycien replied: 'The thing is ... I wanna help kill them.

'It will be awesome. Seriously I'm going to help her. It's like getting away with murder! I'm seriously not joking.'

It is not known how long he and Jchandra had been friends.

She moved to Spanish Fork in September 2016, less than a year before she died, after growing up in Idaho.

In a message to a different friend a month before the girl's death, Przybycien said he wanted to help her take her own life and that it would be 'awesome'

After Jchandra took her last breath, Przybycien put the phone he'd been filming it with at her feet and ran away. She was found the next day by a turkey hunter

On May 3, he drove her out to the canyon where she died after buying the rope and looping it on to a tree.

As she hanged, he sickeningly asked her for a 'thumbs up' and later remarked as she stopped moving that her it was 'when the brain stops getting oxygen.'

He continued filming until she had died and then left the phone at her feet and drove off.

After his arrest, he told police that he was 'scared'.

He admitted feeling like he had killed her personally, saying: 'I feel like I did murder her.

'I helped her so much,' he said.

Jchandra's family have said nothing of the proceedings against him. They met no mention of her suicide in her obituary but described her lovingly, using her nickname 'Jelly'.

Przybycien will return to court on December 7.

If you or anyone you know needs support, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website here
Single mother Thuto Mali, from London, addressing MPs at the Work and Pensions Committee

Universal Credit has been branded a 'women's human rights issue' by a former BBC journalist.

Single mother Thuto Mali, from London, told MPs that viewing the benefits system as simply financial overlooked the 'human cost' to people on low incomes.

She revealed that she turned down a 32,000 job because it would leave her with just 60 a month to cover bills because she pays 1,800 a month for a full-time nursery spot for her son.

Ms Mali was one of four single mothers who told the Work and Pensions Committee on Wednesday of their childcare problems under the new system.

They told how Universal Credit and high upfront nursery costs meant working often meant they were only marginally better off than simply staying at home.

Ms Mali said the system needs to change to examine 'individual cases'.

She told MPs: 'Everyone talks about money and all you will be losing is benefits. But they don't talk about the human cost.

'They don't talk about the time I am now going to be out of the workplace and how I'm going to re-enter with a massive gap in my 40s.

'We already know about the inequality in pay and everything else so it is almost like a women's human rights issue as well as ... it being a benefit thing.

'It's just very shortsighted.'

Speaking before Wednesday's hearing, she revealed she will move on to Universal Credit within months.

And she expects to be 'significantly worse off' once she starts working after paying out for rent, council tax and childcare.

Charity Save The Children has said that under Universal Credit families have to pay the costs of childcare upfront.

This means that on returning to work they may have to pay up to 1,000 to get a childcare place.

They suggest families are put at risk of debt by having to wait as long as six weeks to get support for these costs reimbursed under Universal Credit, by which time they will have had to pay for their next month's childcare.

The charity says once fully rolled out, half a million families will be getting childcare support through the new benefit.

Gaynor Rowles, Vikki Waterman, Lucy Collins and Ms Mali said upfront childcare costs were leaving them with high fees to pay

The other mothers highlighted how upfront childcare costs were leaving them with high fees to pay and gaps of weeks before they were repaid under the new system.

Vikki Waterman, 34, who has two young daughters, said she had to pay 1,300 upfront for childcare before she returned to work, which the UC system took five weeks to repay.

She was also fined 50 by the nursery because a late benefit payment resulted in her being two days behind in paying for childcare.

She told MPs: 'We don't want to sit at home when we didn't plan to be single parents.

'We shouldn't be penalised for that. That is not what we are here for.

'We want to be able to go to work and to provide for our own families, and at the minute it seems as if there is a roadblock everywhere we turn.'

A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: 'We are doing more than ever before to support parents with the cost of childcare and by 2019-20 we will be spending around a record 6 billion on childcare support.

'Under Universal Credit, working parents can claim back up to 85% of eligible childcare costs, compared to 70% of costs covered under the previous legacy system.

'This is the highest level of support ever. And if someone has accepted an offer of paid work, they are eligible to be paid these costs for the month prior to starting work.

'This generous provision has been widely welcomed by stakeholders and is available in addition to an entitlement of up to 30 hours of free childcare.'
A man whose lifeless body sat undiscovered in the driver's seat of a car for an entire week in New York City has been identified as a software engineer notorious for throwing food at a pregnant McDonald's worker.

Geoffrey Weglarz took his own life by swallowing poison on August 24, according his family, who reported him missing after receiving multiple suicidal messages.

It wasn't until one week later - during which time the family was pleading with the NYPD to perform an investigation - that his body sitting upright in his car parked in the East Village.

Initial police reports identified the deceased as Geoffrey Corbin and indicated that he had died of natural causes - likely stemming from the August heat.

However, police later learned the 61-year-old's real name - which when searched on Google reveals a deluge of negative press coverage stemming from an outburst at a McDonald's in 2013, after which he was arrested for throwing food at a pregnant manager.

Weglarz's family has now spoken out about their lost loved one in a GoFundMe page requesting money to help cover his funeral costs.

Geoffrey Weglarz, 61, took his own life by ingesting poison in his car in New York City on August 24. His body sat upright in the driver's seat undiscovered for an entire week

Weglarz was born into a Florida family of nine in 1957 and grew up with a passion for the theater, which he pursued into early adulthood.

In the late 1970s he became obsessed with re-enacting the Apollo space missions with his best friend Sal Biagini - and ultimately Weglarz found himself diving into the tech world.

After moving to New York City to pursue a career in computer programming, Welglarz ended up leading a software company called Hyperion.

Biagini told the New York Times that everything seemed to be falling into place for Weglarz through the early 2000s as he got married, had a son and settled down in Fairfield, Connecticut.

However, that would all soon change.

Hyperion was acquired by Oracle in 2007, and while Weglarz was offered a place in the new company, he opted to go work as an executive at Dell.

Welglarz soon found himself hating his new job, and that negativity apparently seeped into his personal life as he divorced from his wife and found himself isolated.

He left Dell in 2011 and entered the job market, only to find that a new opportunity would be a lot harder to find than he anticipated.

In 2013 he was featured in a PBS NewsHour program focused on unemployment among the older generation, revealing in an interview that he had applied for hundreds of jobs and his bank account was fading fast.

Weglarz hit rock bottom that same year when he became the subject of media scrutiny for a much less flattering reason.

On March 26, 2013, the still-unemployed father of a teenager stopped by a McDonald's drive thru to grab a sandwich.

Moments after grabbing his food Weglarz returned and threw a tantrum, accusing the restaurant of giving him the wrong order and throwing the sandwich in the face of the woman working the window - who turned out to be pregnant.

Weglarz was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, but the charges were later dropped.

Still, though, extensive news coverage ensured that the name Geoffrey Weglarz would forever be connected with the outburst - so he took a new name: Geoffrey Corbis.

Weglarz changed his last name to Corbin in 2013 after he was slammed in the news media for throwing a tantrum at a Connecticut McDonald's and throwing food at a pregnant manager. He is pictured above in his mugshot after the incident

The McDonald's in Fairfield, Connecticut, where Weglarz attacked the employee (above) sits not far from where he'd lived with his wife and son before getting a divorce in 2007

Weglarz did his best to restart his life under the new name by engaging in Connecticut community theater productions, but he was simultaneously fighting a silent battle.

Weglarz's sister Pamela Lindemann wrote on the fundraising page: 'The last two years became increasingly hard for Geoff, as he suffered from Executive Functioning Disorder, which is a degenerative disease of the brains ability to process information.

'Geoff also was on the autism spectrum, diagnosed at an earlier age with Aspergers, which escalates as one ages.

'The increased inability to organize and function normally made it difficult to obtain and maintain gainful employment. Financially, he began to spiral, which caused him to become depressed.

The last two years became increasingly hard for Geoff, as he suffered from Executive Functioning Disorder, which is a degenerative disease of the brains ability to process information. -The GoFundMe page set up to cover for Geoffrey Weglarz's funeral costs

'The more he suffered from financial decline, the more depressed he became. He sought medical and psychiatric help with his condition, but there is no cure. Geoff began to isolate and spiral into depression, which lead to his suicide.'

Lindemann said Weglarz told her he had bought a vial of poison used for euthanasia in July or August of this year.

She told the Times he had said: 'That way, when Im ready, I can go painlessly and fast.'

While the news was shocking, Lindemann said her brother was prone to that kind of morbid talk.

'To me, its like: "Well, at least he didnt get a gun,"' Lindemann told the Times. 'I didnt know really what to say to him. I was surprised.'

When asked what he planned to do with it, Weglarz reportedly told his sister: 'Im just going to carry it around with me.'

Lindemann said: 'He was very rational. Very resolved.'

Weglarz is pictured second from left with family, including sister Pamela Lindemann (center)

The day of his suicide, police say Weglarz stopped by an electronics store in Manhattan, B & H Photo Video, to sell a camera tripod and then went to a Wells Fargo Bank to cash the check.

The bank teller called the B & H to confirm that the check was legitimate. No one answered, and a distraught Weglarz was unable to cash the check.

Hours later Biagini texted Weglarz to check in after not having heard from him in several months.

'Hey Geoffrey, checkin in with you. How goes it?' the old friend wrote.

Weglarz replied: 'Actually down in Lower Manhattan right now. Finishing things up.'

'Sounds ominous,' Biagini wrote.

The conversation ended as Weglarz wrote: 'I am honored to have been your friend. Take care.'

He sent an even more ominous message to his sister at 5.42 that evening, telling her: 'Stuff does taste as bad as I thought it would.'

In that moment Lindemann was immediately reminded of the poison.

The photo above was included on the Missing Person poster created by Weglarz's family

Biagini called 911 after receiving the strange texts from his friend, urging police to check on him.

Responding officers tracked Weglarz's phone to an address in East Village, but upon arriving they saw no sign of him.

Unbeknownst to them, Weglarz was sitting in his car about 50 feet from them.

The next day Biagini contacted police again and was reportedly told: 'We can't help you.'

Both Lindemann and brother Larry Weglarz were also in contact with the police, who said they could not assist because Weglarz was a city resident.

Larry Weglarz told the Times: 'I begged and explained since he was likely dead at this point, we would be relieved if he was found before he started to decompose. I explained he was likely in his car, dying or dead.'

Family and friends continued to plead with police for the next several days, as multiple neighbors claimed they smelled something in the area.

Late one night that week a local resident Anthony Greenheck was out walking his dog late Friday night and noticed a silhouette of a man behind the wheel of the car Weglarz was in.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I couldnt depend on a police department for help. -Pamela Lindemann, Weglarz's sister

Greenheck initially didn't think much of it, assuming it was an Uber driver taking a break between rides.

Two days later, however, he noticed that the man was still there and called 911.

At that point it had been a week since Weglarz had consumed the poison and been reported missing by loved ones.

According to witnesses, a powerful odor filled the city block for hours after emergency responders opened the door to the vehicle.

Many residents have since expressed shock that no one noticed Weglarz sitting there for so long - as has his family.

'Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I couldnt depend on a police department for help,' Lindemann said.

Assistant Commissioner J Peter Donald insisted that officers did everything they could to locate the missing man.

Weglarz's body was ultimately returned to his family and cremated in September.

With the more than $3,000 that's been raised on the GoFundMe page, Lindemann hopes to scatter her brother's ashes in Manhattan, the island where he lived and died.

Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide is urged to call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
A travel photographer and his now-wife have been slammed for staging their wedding photos at the top of a volcano in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.

John Milton and his wife traveled from America to the Congo in 2017 to get married and take photos at gunpoint.

One photo shows the couple on their knees while two armed men are pointing guns directly in their faces.

Another photo showed Milton's wife on her knees by herself as she posed with a gun in her face.

Travel photographer, John Milton, and his now-wife (both pictured) have been slammed for staging their wedding photos at the top of a volcano in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo

Another photo showed Milton's wife on her knees by herself as she posed with a gun in her face

Facebook user, Cecilia Christin, a 28-year-old ESL teacher, shared the photos online with the caption: 'What in the fresh yt hell is this mayo encrusted bullsh*t? There are literally too many things wrong, here...the audacity of the caucasity'

'Saying our vows on top of an active Congolese volcano with a local tribe while a civil war is brewing below is surrealism at its best,' Milton wrote in the caption.

Facebook user, Cecilia Christin, a 28-year-old ESL teacher, shared the photos online with the caption: 'What in the fresh yt hell is this mayo encrusted bullsh*t? There are literally too many things wrong, here...the audacity of the caucasity.'

The audacity of the couple continues with a another photo showing Milton's wife wearing her short wedding dress with black boots as she posed in a local village and called it a 'ghetto'.

And a fourth photo shows a wedding ring on an AK47 in the hands of a Congolese person and captioning it: 'Blood diamonds.'

As soon as Christin shared the photos on Facebook, it went viral.

When one Instagram user asked about how they came up with the 'out of the box' poses, Milton said they 'just wanted to make sure we didn't have the typical goofy wedding shots :-)'.

The audacity of the couple continues with a another photo showing Milton's wife wearing her short wedding dress with black boots as she posed in a local village and called it a 'ghetto' (pictured)

And a fourth photo shows a wedding ring on an AK47 in the hands of a Congolese person and captioning it: 'Blood diamonds'

This photo shows the couple climbing to the top of the volcano to get married and take photos

Several outraged Americans called the couple 'racist' and 'despicable' in the comments.

'I'm seething - this is perhaps the most cringe thing I've seen. Taking wedding pictures in the Congo with all the tired, racist stereotypes you can possibly muster. Despicable,' one user tweeted.

Another wrote: 'This has to be some kind of satire on Westerners using poverty & war as a backdrop to their adventurous lifestyles, doesnt it? I mean, they cant actually be serious, can they?'

Several outraged Americans called the couple 'racist' and 'despicable' in the comments

'Poverty porn? War porn? I don't even know what the f**k you'd call these absolute deadsh*ts,' a user tweeted.

Christin told Insider that she found the post on her Instagram Discover page because she runs a travel-themed Instagram.

'I decided to share these pictures in order to foster discussion within my friends and following, specifically about the accessorization [sic] of black bodies for this couple's photo shoot,' Christin told the publication.

The photos were originally uploaded to Milton's now-deleted Instagram account in February 2017.

Not only was this a bad idea, it was pretty dangerous.
Melania Trump strongly condemned the attempted violence to President Trump's political rivals on Wednesday as suspicious packages were intercepted by the Secret Service en route to the residences of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The first lady thanked the Secret Service for stopping the attacks and encouraged 'people across the country to choose kindness over hatred.'

'I want to take a moment to talk about today's news and the attempted attacks on President Clinton, President Obama, their families, public officials, individual and organizations. We cannot tolerate those cowardly attacks and I strongly condemn all who choose violence. I'm grateful to the Secret Service as well as the federal and local law enforcement for all they do on a daily basis to keep us safe and encourage people across the country to choose kindness over hatred,' she said.

First Lady Melania Trump condemned the attacks on the Obamas and Clintons

She spoke at an opioid awareness event at the White House where she introduced President Trump

She spoke at an event at the White House to combat opioid addiction and addressed the day's news before turning to the topic at hand and introducing President Donald Trump.

Trump was signing H.R. 6, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to fight the opioid crisis.

'The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority,' the president said before the signing.

He said he had been briefed by law enforcement officials and promised 'the full weight of our government is being deployed to' investigate.

'We will spare no resources and expense,' he added.

Both packages - the one to Barack and Michelle Obama's Washington D.C. home and Bill and Hillary Clinton's New York home - and a third one that was sent to CNN contained pipe bombs, law enforcement officials said.

A fourth one that was intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder but was sent to the wrong address was confiscated by the Secret Service as it was returned to the listed sender, the office of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump censured the bomb scares. Sarah Sanders also sent out a formal statement of condemnation on behalf of the White House.

Trump's daughter, a senior White House adviser, said, 'I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others. There is no excuseAmerica is better than this.'

The president said both he and the first lady were concerned by the events

The White House condemned the attempted violence to President Trump's political rivals on Wednesday as suspicious packages were intercepted by the Secret Service

Both packages and a third one that was sent to CNN contained pipe bombs, law enforcement officials said

The president said he agrees 'wholeheartedly' after Pence said in tweet that 'these cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country'

A formal statement on behalf of the White House that was released before CNN identified itself as a target also called the acts 'despicable' and promised to hold the would-be attackers to account

A formal statement on behalf of the White House that was released before CNN identified itself as a target also called the acts 'despicable' and promised to hold the would-be attackers to account.

'We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,' Sanders said.

'The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.'

CNN, a news network the president regularly harangues, says the 'suspicious device' it was sent on Wednesday morning was sent to an off-site screening facility.

Several news outlets reported that the White House was also a target of the bomb threats amid the confusion but later retracted their reporting. The FBI confirmed to DailyMail.com that the White House was never a target, and the Secret Service also sent out a statement to that effect.

Liberal billionaire George Soros received a pipe bomb at his home on Tuesday. The attempted attacks on other government officials are believed by law enforcement to have been carried out by the same suspect.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a news conference that his office also received a package containing a bomb. ABC News reported later in the day that Capitol Police intercepted a suspicious package addressed to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.

Ivanka Trump and Mike Pence beat the president to the punch on Wednesday on Twitter

A package was stopped before it reached Bill and Hillary's home in New York

Another package was stopped before it reached Barack and Michelle Obama's home in D.C.

Sanders said in a second statement said the president is monitoring the situation.

'This is an ongoing situation that President Trump and his admin are monitoring closely. Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated,' she tweeted.

As the conversation turned from the attempted violence to the events that incited it, the president's commentary at his rallies became a prime target.

Trump routinely harasses the 'fake news media' and 'Crooked Hillary' as part of his stump speech, encouraging the audience to boo at assembled journalists and chant 'Lock her up!'

Clinton in remarks on Wednesday alluded to Trump's assault on her as she addressed the bomb threat, saying, 'It is a troubling time, isn't it? and it's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.

'We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same, who will set goals that will lift up every single Floridian and American,' she during a speech in Coral Gables Florida.

The president's middle son, Eric Trump, noted afterward that he has also been the target of threatening mail.

'As someone who has been on the receiving end of threading packages, I can tell you how disgusting these acts are! America is better than this. These acts should be condemned by all and I hope they throw any individual caught in jail, for a very long time.

Sarah Sanders says the president is monitoring the situation and those found responsible will be held accountable

Erroneous reporting said the White House was also a target of suspicious package

WHITE HOUSE BOMB SCARE RESPONSE 'We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.' Advertisement

Two of the devices believed to be bombs were found in the mail and addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Secret Service discovered the package containing the device that was addressed to Clinton was found late Tuesday, while another package addressed to Obama was found early Wednesday.

The explosive device addressed to Clinton was discovered within the vicinity of the home she shares with husband Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, New York.

Meanwhile, the device addressed for Obama's home was intercepted in Washington D.C, according to the Secret Service.

Both the packages were discovered during routine mail screenings for the Clintons and Obama.

'The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,' a Secret Service statement said. 'Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.'

Two bombs have been found in the mail addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service

The Secret Service said the packages were immediately identified as potential explosive devices and were handled as such.

They said the packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to Clinton and Obama.

'(Obama and Clinton) did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them,' a Secret Service statement said.

A law enforcement official says investigators believe the explosive devices are linked to one found Monday at the compound of liberal billionaire George Soros.

Authorities have launched a multi-agency investigation to identify those responsible.

Meanwhile, CNN's office in New York City was also evacuated on Wednesday following reports of a suspicious package.

The package sent to Hillary and Bill's home (above) was found by an employee who screens mail for the former President and Secretary of State
Adult consumers keen to relive their early years are driving a new nostalgic buying trend known as kidulting, which is making inroads into the global confectionery industry, said a report.



The emerging confectionery trend will be on display at yummex Middle East, the regions dedicated event for sweets and snacks professionals, organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in partnership with Koelnmesse GmbH.



The show, which runs at DWTC from October 30 to November 1, will be jogging memories while opening up future wholesaler and retail opportunities as retro sweets take centre stage and remind people of days gone by.



The upmarket Anglo-German brand Cavendish & Harvey is highlighting its range of high-quality sweets at yummex Middle East, to establish itself as the preferred confectionery brand for adult connoisseurs, said managing director Frank Gemmrig. With our premium confectionery we target adult consumers who are seeking something special.



For more than 40 years, Cavendish & Harvey has been dedicated to the creation of mouth-watering confectionery delicacies. We are renowned for hard-boiled fruit candies in golden tins and in nostalgic glass jars. Due to its British heritage and long tradition, the distinctive golden tin still arouses childhood memories of special moments in the minds of many consumers.



A little drop of pleasure



The heritage-rich group has struck gold with consumers down the years, the iconic Cavendish & Harvey golden tin containing fruit drops in various flavours still proving a hit after almost half a century, revealed Gemmrig.



Our iconic golden tin with fruit drops and icing sugar is the most successful product. Within the range of more than 20 different fruit flavours, fruit combinations such as Mixed Fruit Drops, Tropical Fruit Drops and Wild Berry Drops are the strongest ones, the Cavendish & Harvey boss added.



We provide customers in over 90 countries around the world with an unrivalled confectionery experience and at yummex Middle East we will be presenting our new Caramel Collection, offering tantalising and unexpected flavour combinations: creamy Caramel Drops filled with finest Caramel, dark Belgian Chocolate or aromatic Arabica Coffee.



Industry analysts say kidulting is evolving with consumers seeking out trusted brands and could trigger a resurgence of traditional producers, with the new take on old favourites also spreading to a younger audience.



Euromonitor International, yummex Middle Easts knowledge partner, said demand for the nostalgia of childhood experiences could also throw up new ways to market and position traditional brands.



Consumer emphasis is shifting from possession to experience and kidulting is all about adults looking to relive their childhood by consuming foods that trigger childhood memories. Sugar confectionery lends itself very well to this kind of engagement and is expected to see more 2535yearold buying retro sweets, stated a Euromonitor International industry report.



More than 300 exhibitors from upwards of 40 countries are lined up for yummex Middle East, which is part of a quartet of specialized food-related events presenting an incisive market overview of the regions retail trade and foodservice industry.



The show is co-located with: The Speciality Food Festival, the gourmet and artisan food event for the Middle East, Africa and Asia which features the Global Date Market; Seafex, the regions dedicated professional seafood event and GulfHost the specialty food and equipment trade show. All four are powered by the expansive Gulfood trade show series.  TradeArabia News Service
President Trump condemned the bomb threats against liberals in the strongest possible terms on Wednesday afternoon, declaring himself 'extremely angry' about the attempted violence against his political opponents and a news organization.

The person responsible for the 'despicable acts' will be brought to justice, he promised. 'We will spare no resources or expense in this effort.'

'In these times, We have to unify. We have to come together and send one very clear, strong unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence or any kind have no place in the United States of America,' he asserted. 'This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans.'

Speaking immediately before him, first lady Melania Trump told attendees of the White House event, 'We cannot tolerate those cowardly attacks, and I strongly condemn all who choose violence.'

President Trump says that he is 'angry,' 'upset,' and 'unhappy' about the bombs that were sent to his political opponents

The White House immediately condemned the attempted violence against Trump's political rivals on Wednesday as suspicious packages were intercepted by the Secret Service en route to the residences of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Both packages and a third one that was sent to CNN contained pipe bombs, law enforcement officials said.

A fourth one that was intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder but was sent to the wrong address was confiscated by the Secret Service as it was returned to the listed sender, the office of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump censured the bomb scares. Sarah Sanders also sent out a formal statement of condemnation on behalf of the White House.

The president said he agrees 'wholeheartedly' after Pence said in tweet that 'these cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country.'

Trump's daughter, a senior White House adviser, said, 'I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others. There is no excuseAmerica is better than this.'

The president's campaign also sent out a statement on Wednesday after it failed to prevent a fundraising email from the president's daughter-in-law, Lara, complaining about CNN from being distributed.

Campaign Manager Brad Parscale said in a statement that was shared first with CNN: 'The email that went out today unfortunately was a pre-programmed, automated message that was not caught before the news broke.

'We apologize for this. We in no way condone violence against anyone who works for CNN, or anyone else.'

The White House condemned the attempted violence to President Trump's political rivals on Wednesday as suspicious packages were intercepted by the Secret Service

Both packages and a third one that was sent to CNN contained pipe bombs, law enforcement officials said

The president, who had nothing on his schedule on Wednesday morning, said he agrees 'wholeheartedly' after Pence said in tweet that 'these cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country'

A formal statement on behalf of the White House that was released before CNN identified itself as a target also called the acts 'despicable' and promised to hold the would-be attackers to account

A formal statement on behalf of the White House that was released before CNN identified itself as a target also called the acts 'despicable' and promised to hold the would-be attackers to account.

'We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,' Sanders said.

'The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.'

At an opioids event at the White House later, the president preached a message of unity as he designated the 'safety and security' of Americans his 'highest and absolute priority.'

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a blanket statement that public officials should not be encouraging violence against the media or anyone else

CNN, a news network the president regularly harangues, says the 'suspicious device' it was sent on Wednesday morning was sent to an off-site screening facility.

The package was addressed to Obama-era CIA Director John Brennan  a national security analyst for a competing news network.

Several news outlets reported that the White House was also a target of the bomb threats amid the confusion but later retracted their reporting. The FBI confirmed to DailyMail.com that the White House was never a target, and the Secret Service also sent out a statement to that effect.

Liberal billionaire George Soros received a pipe bomb at his home on Tuesday. The attempted attacks on other government officials are believed by law enforcement to have been carried out by the same suspect.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a news conference that his office also received a package containing a bomb. His office later retracted the claim. ABC News reported later in the day that Capitol Police had also intercepted a suspicious package addressed to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.

Trump has repeatedly called her a 'low-IQ person' at rallies as he expounds of the dangers of electing Democrats to Congress.

In June, after the California representative advised her followers to chase down Trump administration officials and 'tell them theyre not welcome anymore, anywhere' the president warned her to be 'careful what you wish for' in a message that claimed she was promoting violence.

'She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!' he said.

Clinton in remarks on Wednesday alluded to Trump's assault on her as she addressed the bomb threat, saying, 'It is a troubling time, isn't it? and it's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together

A package that was sent to CNN was addressed to John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, even though he doesn't work there

An officer with the Uniform Division of the United States Secret Service uses his dog to search a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama in Washington

The Broward Sheriff's Office bomb squad deploys a robotic vehicle to investigate a suspicious package in the building where Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has an office

Sanders said in a second statement said the president is monitoring the situation.

'This is an ongoing situation that President Trump and his admin are monitoring closely. Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated,' she tweeted.

She said in a third update on Wednesday afternoon that Trump had been briefed on the investigation into the suspicious packages.

As the conversation turned from the attempted violence to the events that incited it, the president's commentary at his rallies became a prime target.

Trump castigated Soros in a tweet last month amid the fight to get Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. He said that activists protesting his nomination were being funded by Soros.

'Dont fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love!' he said in the message that called them 'Troublemakers.'

The president routinely harasses the 'fake news media' and 'Crooked Hillary' as part of his stump speech, encouraging the audience to boo at assembled journalists and chant 'Lock her up!'

Ivanka Trump and Mike Pence beat the president to the punch on Wednesday on Twitter

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters was also targeted with a bomb. Trump has repeatedly called her a 'low-IQ person' at rallies as he expounds of the dangers of electing Democrats to Congress

Clinton in remarks on Wednesday alluded to Trump's assault on her as she addressed the bomb threat, saying, 'It is a troubling time, isn't it? and it's a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.

'We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same, who will set goals that will lift up every single Floridian and American,' she during a speech in Coral Gables Florida.

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a blanket statement that public officials should not be encouraging violence against the media or anyone else after he was asked about Trump's rally remarks, including his derogatory statements about CNN, during a news conference on the bomb threats.

'I'm just going to say something broad because at a time when there's a lot of hatred and division, it does not make sense to exacerbate it. Let's just say this to all public officials of all partisan affiliations: Don't encourage violence, don't encourage hatred, don't encourage attacks on media.

'You can disagree, but you have to show respect for people and air your disagreements peacefully. So unfortunately this atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making to turn to violence, there's no question about it,' he said.

He advised political operatives using fiery rhetoric to gin up the base to 'bring down the temperature, to end any messages about the use of violence against people we disagree with.'

'And that has to start at the top,' he said in a pointed statement.

The president's middle son, Eric Trump, noted afterward that he has also been the target of threatening mail.

'As someone who has been on the receiving end of threading packages, I can tell you how disgusting these acts are! America is better than this. These acts should be condemned by all and I hope they throw any individual caught in jail, for a very long time.

Sarah Sanders says the president is monitoring the situation and those found responsible will be held accountable

Erroneous reporting said the White House was also a target of suspicious package

WHITE HOUSE BOMB SCARE RESPONSE We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards." Advertisement

Two of the devices that were found in the mail were addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Secret Service discovered the package containing the device that was addressed to Clinton late Tuesday, while another package addressed to Obama was found early Wednesday.

The explosive device addressed to Clinton was discovered within the vicinity of the home she shares with husband Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, New York.

A device meant for Obama's home was intercepted in Washington D.C, according to the Secret Service.

Both the packages were discovered during routine mail screenings for the Clintons and Obama.

'The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,' a Secret Service statement said. 'Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.'

Two bombs have been found in the mail addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the Secret Service

The package sent to Hillary and Bill's home (above) was found by an employee who screens mail for the former president and first lady

A device addressed to former President Obama's home in Washington D.C. (pictured above) was intercepted by Secret Service early Wednesday morning

The Secret Service said the packages were immediately identified as potential explosive devices and were handled as such.

It aid the packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to Clinton and Obama.

'(Obama and Clinton) did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them,' a Secret Service statement said.

A law enforcement official said investigators believe the explosive devices are linked to one found Monday at the compound of Soros, a major Democratic donor.

Authorities have launched a multi-agency investigation to identify the responsible party.
This is the shocking moment a commuter cheated death by lying down underneath a moving train to avoid being hit.

The man, named locally as Amit Agarwal, was waiting for a train when crossed the tracks to see friend on the opposite platform in India.

But instead of using the footbridge, he walked over the tracks without noticing an express train approaching.

A commuter cheated death by lying down underneath a moving train to avoid being hit in India

The man, named locally as Amit Agarwal, crossed the tracks to see friend on the opposite platform

When it came hurtling towards him he instinctively dropped to the ground and ducked underneath.

He could be seen holding his face, almost as if he was praying, as the carriages passed over his body.

When the train sped away, Agarwal, who was discombobulated and in complete shock, was helped onto the platform by onlookers.

He was forced to drop to the floor and cover up as the carriages drove over the top of him

Onlookers offered the man a hand onto the platform after he collected himself and processed what had happened

The video was shot at Dholapur railway station at Rajasthan on October 18

The video was shot at Dholapur railway station at Rajasthan on October 18.

A source said: 'To escape getting crushed, Amit instinctively lay down between the tracks.'

A local railway police official said: 'He got slightly injured in the head when he hit the ground.

'We took him to a hospital for first aid, summoned his family members and then sent him home with them.'
Is anyone surprised?

Appalled, yes.

Horrified, yes.

Sickened, yes.

But surprised? I doubt anyone was genuinely surprised by the breaking news this morning that some lunatic - or lunatics - had sent pipe bombs to a series of US political targets.

My first reaction was one of dismayed, weary resignation to the appalling inevitability of this kind of (presumably) domestic terror attack.

I doubt anyone was genuinely surprised by the breaking news this morning that some lunatic - or lunatics - had sent pipe bombs to a series of US political targets, including CNN. My first reaction was one of dismayed, weary resignation

Why?

Because Ive never known America to feel so horribly divided, so toxic in its division.

From the moment Donald Trump became President, it seems like everyones been constantly screaming at each other, and the violence of the rhetoric  on all sides - has steadily ratcheted up to the point that deranged people have now started acting on it.

As I write this, I dont know who sent the bombs and frankly, I dont care so long as they are quickly caught and brought to justice.

All I do know is that shockingly, Im not shocked.

This has been coming; the only question was which lunatic supporting which side would do something like this first?

It appears to have been a Republican-supporting lunatic targeting high profile Democrats including Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton (their Chappaqua home is here), financier George Soros, Eric Holder, Rep. Maxine Waters and former CIA director John Brennan

It appears to have been a Republican-supporting lunatic, someone intent on causing death or injury to high profile Democrats including Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, financier George Soros, former attorney general Eric Holder, Rep. Maxine Waters and to former CIA director John Brennan via CNNs HQ in New York  a building where I used to work.

All of the recipients, as CNN itself was quick to note, have been openly critical of President Trump, and been regularly verbally attacked by Trump.

Was that the reason they were sent functional explosive devices?

Was that the terrorists primary motivation?

Possibly.

Well have to wait for the police and FBI to work that out.

But lets not pretend this couldnt just as easily have been a left wing home grown nutcase targeting right-wing political figures.

As I have regularly said, many liberals have been sent completely bonkers by Trump winning the White House and their behaviour has grown increasingly erratic and threatening.

Only last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was attacked in a restaurant as he ate dinner with his wife. His shrieking assailant grabbed McConnells to-go box from the table and dumped it outside on the sidewalk as other diners cheered.

It was a very ugly, intimidating incident, and followed similar ones involving right-wing public figures.

This morning, as it was being debated on Fox News, a pundit said: My fear is that intimidation turns to violence.

Literally as he finished saying those words, one of the anchors announced the breaking news of the pipe bombs.

You couldnt have scripted a more ironic, or pertinent segway.

And thats what I mean when I say Im not surprised by these pipe bombs.

We could all sense during the recent frenzied and disturbing Kavanaugh Supreme Court nominee fiasco that partisan politics in America has got completely out of control.

Theres no longer any attempt or pretence at fairness, nor any desire to come together for the greater good of the country.

Instead, theres just a constant seething rage on all sides that permeates every pore of political debate, fuelled by social media where everyone competes to shout loudest in their indignant, superior self-righteousness.

This kind of rage inevitably leads to real violence, as weve seen today.

Of course, because these pipe bombs were sent to Trump critics, many in the media are racing to pin all the blame squarely at the feet of the President.

Ill come to him in a moment, because hes most definitely not blameless when it comes to whipping up violent thoughts.

But there are others who should take a long hard look at themselves today too  starting with the accusing media.

Because these pipe bombs were sent to Trump critics, many in the media are racing to pin all the blame on the President. Hes most definitely not blameless, but there are others who should take a long hard look at themselves today too  starting with the accusing media

Ive been in LA for the past few days and watched a lot of cable news.

Its been wall-to-wall Trump, and in the cases of CNN and MSNBC, wall-to-wall sneering, mockery and open derision of the President.

Theres a specific currency to perpetual Trump-bashing: it sells. Those who trade in it, from cable news networks to newspapers and late night shows, are making vast sums of money from spewing hateful negativity about the President.

Now, let me be very clear: as a journalist, I dont have an issue with Trump being criticised  he is a uniquely divisive and polarising figure who flies loose with the truth and loves picking fights and saying or tweeting inflammatory things.

As Americas leader, and the worlds most powerful man, Trump must be held to account for everything he says and does.

But there has to be some balance too, doesnt there?

Ive never seen any US president treated as badly as Trump is treated, and that cannot do anything but pour salt on the wounds of a bitterly divided country.

Having said that, nor have I ever seen any US president use violent rhetoric as regularly as Trump does.

From the moment he first ran as a presidential candidate in 2015, hes used overtly inflammatory and threatening language.

On the day of the Iowa caucuses, he told the crowd hed pay their legal fees if they decided to knock the crap out of protestors.

At a Las Vegas rally a few weeks later, he berated security guards for being so soft on a heckler, saying: I wanted to punch him in the face!

Last week, at a rally, he applauded Rep. Greg Gianfortes physical attack on a journalist by saying: Any guy who can do a body slam is my type!

This would be a bad enough presidential comment at any time, but for Trump to say it hours after it emerged that Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been murdered for criticising the Saudi regime, it was outrageous.

Trump would argue that many media, Democrats and liberal celebrities constantly abuse and threaten him, and of course hes right.

Robert De Niro screamed F*CK TRUMP from an awards show podium and has repeatedly said he wants to beat him up.

Comedian Kathy Griffin posed with a severed Trump head for a pathetic photo stunt.

Madonna, on the first Womens March after Trumps inauguration, said she dreamed of blowing up the White House.

All of this nonsense (and we saw similarly unacceptable violent talk from the likes of Ted Nugent about Obama) has conspired to create an atmosphere of raw hatred and toxicity that is deeply damaging to America and I strongly suspect, to the psyche of American people.

When someone feels so enraged by political discourse that they send deadly bombs to kill some of the most famous political figures in the country, something is horrifically wrong.

When were not even surprised its happened, then its even more worrying.

The violent rhetoric has got to stop before it drives more lunatics to do stuff like this.

The violent rhetoric has got to stop before it drives more lunatics to do stuff like this - and it needs to start at the top - with Trump

And for that process to begin, it has to start at the top  with Trump.

So stop the violent trash-talk, Mr President.

Words have meaning, and consequences.

Youre not presiding over some fake WWE prime-time extravaganza.

Youre President of the United States of America, a great country full of hundreds of millions of very real people living very real lives and relying on you to improve the quality of those lives.

But its never seemed less United and you have it in your power to do something about that.

I urge you to do so.

You will never Make America Great Again if you cant unite it.
The chilling predatory history of the man who murdered a University of Utah college student after she broke up with him has been revealed.

According to his jail records, Melvin Rowland, 37, had a long history of manipulating and deceiving young and underage women into having sex.

On Monday he fatally shot student athlete 21-year-old Lauren McCluskey, of Pullman, Washington as she was walking home from night class and fled. He turned the gun on himself just a few hours later on Tuesday morning, after being cornered by police.

The pair met at a downtown Salt Lake City bar and dated for about a month, but she dumped him after learning Rowland had been lying about his name, age, and his criminal past, including being jailed for sexually abusing a minor.

But she wasn't the first vulnerable, young woman he pursued.

Melvin Rowland, 37, (left in a 2004 mugshot) who killed student athlete Lauren McCluskey, 21 (right) on Monday, has a long history of manipulating young and vulnerable women into sex

On Monday he fatally shot senior Lauren McCluskey, 21, who he met and a bar and dated for a month until she broke up with him when she realized he lied about his name, age, and criminal history

In 2003 he was caught agreeing to meet for sex with a undercover investigator posing as a 13-year-old girl in an online chat room when he was 21.

Also that month he was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl who he met at her parent's house.

He admitted during his parole hearing in 2010 that he engaged in sexual contact with the girl and refused to leave when she asked him to and forced her to have sex.

He was convicted in 2004 of a felony count of attempted forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor over the internet and released from jail in 2013.

For the sexual abuse charge he was sentenced to up to five years in prison along with a concurrent term of one to 15 years in the enticement case.

According to jail records Rowland (pictured in an undated mugshot) was ordered to complete a sex offender program and was once booted out of the program for 'failing to make progress' and show remorse for raping a 17-year-old girl

He was ordered to complete a sex offender program but later removed for 'failing to make progress' in 2010, according to audio from a June 2012 parole hearing released by the The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole on Tuesday.

'You'd manipulate and lie in treatment and maintain an aggressive stance. You seemed of lose sight of the fact that you raped a 17-year-old girl in her own home,' the hearing officer said in the audio obtained by Deseret News around the four minute mark.

'You admitted to having a sexual attraction to teenage girls and adult women you find vulnerable,' the hearing officer added.

When asked how many victims he had he said 'Every female I came across dating or met on the internet. I'd say every woman I've met...or came across...I used my manipulation tactics to get what I wanted.'

When asked how many he outright raped besides the 17-year-old he said 'not like that, but being a womanizer I used other tactics to get what I wanted with them. Besides [the victim] I'd say two others'.

He admitted he manipulated an estimated 50 women to have sex with him in the 2012 hearing.

According to his jail records he was convicted on July 19, 2004 of attempted forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor. He was released from jail in 2013 and has repeatedly violated parole and returned to prison

McCluskey from Pullman, Washington and was a senior studying communications, 'an accomplished student athlete', and a star on the school's track and field team

McCluskey dated Rowland for a month but broke up with him after she learned he lied about his name, age, and sex offender history and reported him to campus police for harassment

He eventually completed in the program in April 2012 and was paroled in July.

But he ended up back in jail in September for viewing pornography, which he was banned from by his parole board.

He was released on parole again in September 2013 and returned to jail February 17, 2016 after his agent discovered Rowland was using social media to link up with women for sex.

Upon his return he said he didn't want to be paroled again.

During his following parole hearing, hearing officer Pegeen Stewart said: 'I think you have, like, a manipulative cycle.'

Rowland was allowed on parole again on April 17, 2018 saying he was done going after vulnerable women for sex. His sentence was due to expire on May 2019.

The horrific murder of Lauren McCluskey shook the nation on Monday.

Police gathered outside the South Medical Tower on the campus to search for Rowland after McCluskey's body was found dead in a car in the dorm parking lot Monday at 9pm

University of Utah Police Lt. Brian Wahlin announced the search for Rowland saying he and the student had 'a previous relationship' on Monday night. He was found hours later

Students at the University of Utah looked in the direction of the parking lot where McCluskey's body was found shot dead in a car Monday evening

People gathered outside of the Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church on Tuesday where Melvin Rowland took his own life after killing McCluskey

She had no idea she was dating the con artist until a friend flagged his true identity, leading her to break up with him on October 9. She reported him to campus police twice afterwards, on October 12 and 13.

She was working with a detective to build a case against him but university police said Tuesday they couldn't track Rowland down in the days before the shooting. He was living at a halfway house near the campus.

He could have been jailed for violating his parole in the harassment, but university police never flagged him to parole officials.

'We had no notification of any of that,' Kaitlin Felsted, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Corrections, said to The Salt Lake Tribune.

She added that as of August Rowland was living at the Salt Lake City address listed on the sex offender registry and an agent found him there in August, and had been in contact with him more recently than that.

Rowland was born in New York and adopted by an older couple then placed into a group home when they died.

He went to Boulder, Colorado for high school then Utah for college, studying at Salt Lake County Community College for a year then at the University of Utah for two semesters.

Although cops refused to discuss the details of McCluskey's harassment reports, University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy said that she did not have a protective order against him.
A young girl has been airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a deer in a country park.

She was taken to hospital with thigh injuries after she was attacked in Kingston upon Thames.

The incident took place at Bushy Park late this afternoon before paramedics and an air ambulance attended the scene.

A witness said the park was full at the time of the incident. Members of the public can be seen observing the incident as the girl is airlifted to hospital

The girl is thought to be around seven-years-old and was later transferred to the nearest hospital.

Robert Piper, 61, a photographer that was in the area said: 'I saw the ambulance arriving.

'They were circling for a few minutes and then landed.

The girl was attended to by the Air Ambulance Paramedics in the park

'There were some members of the public and moments later some police cars arrived as well.

'The paramedics went over and started attending the girl and she was then transferred to an ambulance and then to the nearest hospital.

'The helicopter left after 16.20.

The young girl sustained injuries to her thigh by the antlers of a deer in Bushy Park

'It all happened very quickly, it was very unexpected, especially in a sunny day in the middle of the park.

'The park was full at the time.

'Normally there are signs that say not to get close to the deers.

Regular visitors to the park have become concerned at the amount of people approaching the animals

'There are two kinds of deers in the park, I think this one was a red deer that they are a bit different and can be very aggressive.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 3.18pm today (24 October) to Bushy Park, Hampton Court Road.

'We sent an ambulance crew and incident response officer and dispatched London's Air Ambulance to the scene.

'We treated a child for a leg injury and took her to hospital by ambulance as a priority.'

Just last week a visitor to the park had tweeted his concerns as other people in the park were approaching the animals to feed them.

Stephen Darlington said: 'The madness of Sunday in #bushypark 21/10. People far too near the deer. And this is less than ten minutes worth. @royalparks @Teddington_Town @metpoliceuk.'

The air ambulance was said to have left the park at around 4.20pm October 24

Another user, Wendy Poper, replied that it amazed her how parents let their children close to the deer.

She said: 'Always amazes me how parents let their kids feed the deer when there are warning notices everywhere saying not to?'

Bill Swan, Assistant Park Manager, Bushy Park, said: 'We are very sorry to hear that a girl has been gored in the thigh by a stag. We sincerely hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.

'This is a very frightening incident.

'Eye witnesses reporting to us that the family was standing very close to the stag and taking photos, even though there are prominent signs up in the Park telling people not to get too close to the deer.

'This incident is an distressingly unfortunate but powerful warning to everyone why it is dangerous to approach stags during the autumn rutting season, and at any time in fact.

'Stags are wild animals and they are especially unpredictable at this time of year and can act defensively if they are aggravated or feel cornered; they are immensely strong and can move very fast to defend themselves even from laying down when resting.

'We have warning signs at key locations across Bushy Park asking people to stay at least 50 m away from the deer, people must keep their distance to prevent such incidences occuring.'
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The heartbroken family of a woman whose naked body was found dumped at a park with a dog collar around her neck have paid tribute to her 'kind, sweet and bold' personality.

Nicole Cartwright's body was discovered at Buffalo Creek Reserve in the affluent Sydney suburb of Hunters Hill on October 3.

Her family broke their silence saying Ms Cartwright, 32, was 'very much loved as a sister and daughter' and will be 'dearly missed'.

'She was kind and sweet, but also bold and fun. Her smile was infectious, and her laughter was contagious,' her family said.

'Nicole brightened our lives, not just with the colours in her hair or the things she wore; it was a radiance that made you happy just being near her.'

Nicole Cartwright's body was discovered at Buffalo Creek Reserve in the affluent Sydney suburb of Hunters Hill on October 3

Ms Cartwright's funeral was held in Gledswood Hills on Wednesday

Her family broke their silence saying Ms Cartwright, 32, was 'very much loved as a sister and daughter' and will be 'dearly missed'

'It's lovely to know people do care about each other, even if they don't know them, and acknowledge the loss of a beautiful life,' her family said in a statement

Ms Cartwright's family said they were deeply touched by an emotional vigil held at the park after her death.

'It's lovely to know people do care about each other, even if they don't know them, and acknowledge the loss of a beautiful life,' her family said.

'While we are still struggling to comprehend how and why this happened, our family is finding comfort in focusing on what made Nicole special and treasuring her in our memories.

'It's hard to express in words how grateful we are for the love and support we've received from her friends and members of the community over the past few weeks.'

Ms Cartwright's funeral was held in Gledswood Hills on Wednesday.

An autopsy revealed Ms Cartwright had been badly bashed, but did not die from those injuries

An autopsy revealed Ms Cartwright had been badly bashed, but did not die from those injuries.

'(Ms Cartwright) had injuries consistent with an assault but those injuries did not kill her,' a police source said, adding that her cause of death was still unknown.

Detectives found the 32-year-old's belongings at the park - but her mobile phone was notably missing.

Police have sifted through her phone records and data, but have so far refused to reveal what they have found.

Detective Superintendent Scott Cook said police were 'working through the vast amounts of information received' after appealing for public information.

'It is very clear that Nicole was a great friend and well-liked, and members of the community are providing whatever information they can to help us provide answers about her death to her family,' he told the publication.

'That said, we are still piecing her final movements together - and anyone who spoke with or saw Nicole over the long weekend is urged to get in touch with us as soon as possible.'

Ms Cartwright stopped using social media for months before she died, deleting her Facebook account and not posting on Instagram since April 17.

Police have sifted through her phone records and data, but have so far refused to reveal what they have found

Her friend Lisa said it was out of character for Ms Cartwright not to contact her on social media.

'We were in contact a fair bit.... if she ever had a problem she would message me and I would try and give the best advice I possibly could,' Lisa told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'But the last couple of months of her life... I don't know, because she disappeared off Facebook. She just disappeared.'

It took a week from when Ms Cartwright's body was found until she was formally identified by police.

Lisa said she contacted police after seeing Ms Cartwright's photo - revealing she had information which may lead to her killer being uncovered.

'Yes I have suspicions... someone she had spoken to me about. That's why I went to Crime Stoppers. Every bit of information helps.'

When Nicole Cartwright wasn't out visiting friends, she was doing what she loved most - caring for her parents.

The 'bubbly' woman still lived at home with her mum Brenda and dad Terry.

In the aftermath of her shocking death, friends have recounted how Ms Cartwright proudly cared for her parents and relished that role.

Her older brother Ben lived nearby with his wife Jackie, but Ms Cartwright still lived at the family's Lansvale home, in Sydney's south west.

'Her parents are older, she was always at home looking after them,' a friend said.

'She was in love with animals... she loved dogs especially. She was a really kind hearted person.'

Detective Superintendent Scott Cook said police were 'working through the vast amounts of information received' after appealing for public information

Now police fear that kind-heartedness might have been what her killer preyed upon.

Ms Cartwright was last seen alive on September 30 at 9.14pm, when she CCTV captured her at Museum train station in the city.

They are now piecing together who she met with and what happened in the three days before she was found dead.

Friends said they noticed Ms Cartwright's demeanour change over the past six months, when she began to discover online sexual fetish websites.

'She was posting pictures of herself in corsets and skimpy dresses and saying that she was ''nasty''... I asked her, are you OK?' the friend said.

'We also both had depression and mental health issues, so we often talked about that. She was into some kind of BDSM and alternate sex.'

Her social media posts used to be filled with plush toys, her beloved black Labrador Bella and food pictures.

More recently, Ms Cartwright began posting photos of herself in dark makeup. She wore collars and chokers and dyed her hair different colours.

It's understood she broke up with a boyfriend a few months ago, but police are still working to establish her more recent dating habits.

Her friend Lisa said it was out of character for Ms Cartwright not to contact her on social media

A high school boyfriend, who met Ms Cartwright when they were both students at Canley Vale High told Daily Mail Australia she was a 'bubbly' girl.

'Nicole was a fun loving girl who would help anyone out and just loved life,' he said.

'She was always joking, smiling and laughing. She had a really bubbly personality.'

A local council worker made the grim discovery of Ms Cartwright's boy at 7.30am on October 3 at Buffalo Creek Reserve in Hunter's Hill, on Sydney's lower north shore.

She had gruesome head injuries, had her hands tied behind her back and was covered in a blanket.

Drag marks up to 30 metres long were spotted nearby, indicating she may have been killed elsewhere before being dumped at the park.

Some 30 kilometres away at their family home in Lansvale, in Sydney's west, Mr and Mrs Cartwright were unaware their daughter was in trouble.

'She wasn't really missing  she lived here but it wasn't unusual for her to leave for a week or so,' her father Terry Cartwright told The Australian.

'We heard the description report (on the news) and thought something was off.'

A close friend told Daily Mail Australia that she used to chat regularly with Ms Cartwright until she suddenly removed her accounts.

Ms Cartwright's family said they were deeply touched by an emotional vigil held at the park after her death

'We used to chat on Snapchat or Skype and all of a sudden everything was gone,' the friend said.

'She did begin to reach out sexually, as a lot of people do when they are struggling.

'We fear she's got involved with the wrong person.'

It is understood the websites used by Ms Cartwright included Fetlife - a 'BDSM, fetish and kinky' network - and Vanilla Umbrella - a dating app for 'open minded singles'.

A community vigil for Ms Cartwright was held at Buffalo Creek Reserve, with dozens of locals turning out to remember the young woman.

Police said the hunt for her killer has reached advanced stages and they are 'confident' of soon making an arrest.

'We are confident we can get to a result and find those responsible for this but that unfortunately will take time,' Inspector Anthony Boyd said.

Police previously appealed for the public's help in an effort to catch her killer, releasing an array of CCTV footage from her last moments alive.

On September 28, she caught the bus from Town Hall station to Ashfield, with CCTV capturing her stepping onto the bus at 4.35am.

A few hours later she sent a selfie taken at Maroubra Beach to her family.

Two days later on Sunday, September 30, she was spotted tapping her Opal card at a gate at Ashfield train station at 8.42pm.

She got off the train 30 minutes later at Museum train station - the last time she was seen alive.

Three days later on October 3 her body was discovered by a council worker about 7.30am.

Ms Cartwright's shattered family paid tribute to her, with brother Ben sharing an emotional message after his sister's death was confirmed.

'Rest in peace my little sister. I love you with my all,' he wrote on Facebook.

'It is with very sad and heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved daughter, sister and friend Nicole Cartwright has sadly passed away.

'Thank you for all the love and support we have received from family and friends over the last few days.'
Six of Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar's siblings took aim at him in a political ad calling for residents to 'go to vote Paul out'

Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt's own family called him a phony just weeks before he faces off for the states governor spot in the mid-term elections.

He is just the latest politician to see their family members viciously turn on them as they gun for office in November, in a political climate that has seen families torn asunder by differing views.

A dozen of Laxalt's family members, including cousins, second cousins and aunts wrote an op-ed for the Reno Gazette-Journal attacking their own to 'protect [their] family name.'

'[W]e feel compelled to speak publicly about why we believe that Adam Laxalt is the wrong choice for Nevada's governorship,' they wrote, and said the piece was penned to 'protect our family name from being leveraged and exploited by Adam Laxalt.'

'The simple fact is that while he may have been born in Reno, he left as an infant and was raised on the East Coast, 3,000 miles away, in Washington, D.C., and moved here only in 2013, only one year later launching his political career. Aside from the occasional short visit, Adam never knew the state or its people,' the family members alleged.

Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt who is running for the state's gubernatorial spot was slammed by a dozen of his own family members in a scathing op-ed denouncing his candicacy

Kevin Nomura (left) and Janet Laxalt (right) were among a dozen of the Laxalt family who denounced Adam's run for governor of Nevada

Steve Sisolak and Monique Laxalt, as well as Amy Nomura Solaro (right) slammed Adam's run for Nevada governor

The op-ed goes on to blast the 'phoniness' of his annual Basque Fry fundraiser which is a Republican event where national political figures speak.

Laxalt says the event 'continues both a Laxalt tradition, and a Nevada tradition,' that was first started by his grandfather, former Nevada governor and Senator Paul Laxalt.

His family calls the event ironic 'in the face of Nevada's history as a state made of newcomers, including our own immigrant forebears, he has advocated against immigrants as well as against businesses and individuals who have moved here from other states.'

Within hours of the op-ed's publication a rebuttal was released from 22 other relatives who said the column was a 'vicious and entirely baseless attack.'

'Not only do the authors get basic facts wrong about Adam's history in Nevada, they also completely misrepresent his service to our state and our country,' they wrote.

Senator Paul Laxalt, Adam's grandfather, is pictured with President Ronald Reagan at a dinner in his honor. Paul was Reagan's friend and confidant

'The truth is that Adam moved back to Nevada in 2011 after his military service had concluded, and in 2014, having never run for public office before, he decided to enter the attorney general's race.  The fact is that this was a purely political hit piece by partisan Democrats, many of whom aren't even registered to vote in Nevada.'

Laxalt isn't the only candidate getting the public cold shoulder from his family in the increasingly divided political climate leading up to the midterms.

Six of Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar's siblings took aim at him in a political ad calling for residents to'go to vote Paul out.'

'I think my brother has traded a lot of the values we had at our kitchen table,' one sibling said.

The siblings then did the unthinkable, publicly endorsing his opponent Democrat David Brill.

Gosar tried to make light of the devastating sibling snub, tweeting:'You can't pick your family. We all have crazy aunts and relatives etc and my family is no different. I hope they find peace in their hearts and let go all the hate. To the six angry Democrat Gosarssee you at Mom and Dad's house!'

The siblings endorsed Democrat David Brill for Congress and appeared in other videos uploaded to the rival's YouTube page.

Gosar, responding on Twitter, chalked up their attack to their hatred of President Trump.

'You can't pick your family. We all have crazy aunts and relatives etc and my family is no different. I hope they find peace in their hearts and let go all the hate. To the six angry Democrat Gosarssee you at Mom and Dad's house!' he tweeted.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin, where retiring Paul Ryan's congressional seat is up for grabs, Democratic candidate Randy Bryce was attacked by his brother James Bryce in a Republican group attack ad.

James, who is a police officer, brings up his brother's criminal record and past comments about police officers.

James called out what he says is Randy's 'cop-hating rhetoric. 'When people refer to police officers as terrorists  that hits a little close to home.'

'I don't think people want to be represented by someone who's shown contempt for those in law enforcement. That's one of the many reasons why I'm voting for [Republican] Bryan Steil for Congress,' he said.
The BBC has discriminated against scores of women because of an invidious and opaque culture at the top of the organisation, say MPs.

In a scathing report, the Commons culture committee found that management had failed female workers over pay and plunged the organisation into a crisis of trust.

It said women at the broadcaster feared challenging their employer  despite knowing they are being paid tens of thousands less than men who sit beside them.

Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman (left), and Question Time presenter David Dimbleby (right), are covered by a loophole which means their salaries go undisclosed

And MPs said it was disgraceful that the BBC had forced employees to set up personal service companies (PSCs), which has left many with hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt following tax changes.

The digital, culture, media and sport committee began an inquiry into pay discrimination at the BBC several months ago following the resignation of its China editor Carrie Gracie and her criticism of its secretive and illegal pay culture.

Its report, which praised Miss Gracie for shining a light on the gender pay crisis at the organisation, came after scores of BBC women gave evidence in front of MPs detailing the gender discrimination they had suffered.

One female presenter was branded aggressive when she complained after discovering her male colleague as being paid 50 per cent more than her.

MPs said pay inequality had left women feeling worthless or diminished.

The committee also condemned a loophole that means the salaries of some of those earning more than 150,000 go undisclosed because they are employed by BBC Studios.

Former China editor Carrie Gracie (right) has criticised the BBC's secretive and illegal pay culture. Former BBC Look North presenter Christa Ackroyd (left) was in dispute with HMRC over the nature of her BBC contract

As a commercial arm it is not technically covered by transparency rules.

MPs said the loophole covers stars such as Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, as well as Question Time presenter David Dimbleby.

The report revealed that BBC bosses had rushed to increase womens salaries just as pay lists were to be published.

A TV presenter quoted in the report said: Just before the BBC published pay over 150,000, I was offered an immediate pay rise. It became apparent that for nearly three years I had been sitting next to a man doing an identical job who was being paid tens of thousands of pounds more.

However, even a year after the crisis was blown open, the BBCs top 10 earners are still men.

MPs branded the finding shocking.

Although many women have filed pay grievances, complaints are often subject to long delays and bureaucratic confusion, the report said.

Just seven of the 78 formal grievances submitted by workers had been resolved, MPs said.

Many had not received a response within the 90-day deadline promised by the BBC.

These rates are unacceptable, said the report. Staff are spending unnecessarily long periods enduring anxiety about outcomes.

It added that staff now had a lack of faith in management, who were accused of attempting to avoid the problem.

The BBCs reluctance to tackle this issue has resulted in a loss of trust between staff and management, the report read.

Womans Hour presenter Jane Garvey said BBC employees are frustrated by the grievance process, which she said was complicated, stressful and time-consuming.

Committee chairman Damian Collins described the gender pay revelations as disturbing.

He said: Theres a sense of anger and frustration at how difficult its been to raise these concerns  a sense that the BBC has dragged out peoples complaints as long as possible, that people have felt very uneasy about making the complaints in the first place and dont feel theyve been supported.

Criticising the lack of action from BBC bosses, he added: Enough is enough, theyve got to give a commitment that this will all be resolved within six months.

A BBC spokesman admitted the corporation still has more to do but said much of the report was already out of date and that it had made real progress.
Police forces are struggling to cope and risk becoming irrelevant, MPs warn today.

In a damning expose of the state of policing in England and Wales, MPs said forces were under 'considerable stress', with officer numbers slashed and vast numbers of crimes unsolved.

The home affairs select committee said many crimes were never even investigated, meaning 'policing is at risk of becoming irrelevant to most people'.

The report will fuel fears that police are losing control of the streets following a surge in crime, the rise of 'county lines' drugs gangs and widespread concern over 'Wild West Britain'.

In the three years to March, crime reported to the police soared 32 per cent to 5.5 million incidents, but the number of charges or summons plunged 26 per cent  meaning 153,000 fewer suspects were hauled to court.

Police forces are struggling to cope and risk becoming irrelevant, MP warns in a damning report this week. File image of police making drug offence arrests in London

The committee's report found that:

Only one in 200 online fraud cases is ever investigated;

Despite 22,253 cases of perverts watching child sex abuse online, there were only 385 convictions  less than 2 per cent;

MPs are 'deeply concerned' about the failure to protect youngsters from online paedophiles as forces were 'woefully under-resourced';

Forces needed to pool resources to tackle the epidemic of ruthless 'county lines' drug gangs who lure children as young as 12 into their brutal operations;

Adoption of new technology to help fight crime was a 'complete and utter mess';

Ministers were blasted for a 'complete failure of leadership'  a thinly veiled attack on Theresa May, who was home secretary between 2010 and 2016.

The report will further undermine public faith in the police. A survey for the Daily Mail in July found that 57 per cent of people believed officers had surrendered our neighbourhoods and criminals had no fear of being caught.

Official figures revealed violent crime has almost doubled from 778,000 offences to 1.4 million since 2015  the highest since records began in April 2002. Overall, a crime is committed every six seconds.

Ministers were blasted for a 'complete failure of leadership'  a thinly veiled attack on Theresa May (pictured) who was home secretary between 2010 and 2016

Police chiefs have warned ministers that forces are struggling to cope following cuts to funding. Since 2009, the number of police and PCSOs has plummeted from 160,000 to 132,000.

But critics have raised concerns that police have got their priorities wrong, after it was revealed that forces investigated 94,000 hate crimes in 2017-18, even though many were little more than grievances.

The committee said more than 5,000 traditional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs had been lost in the past eight years. Senior officers have insisted that are vital in protecting communities and gathering intelligence, and play a crucial role in solving terrorism and gang crime.

In their 106-page report today, MPs said: 'It is absolutely vital that this cornerstone of British policing is reaffirmed throughout the country, to ensure that trust and legitimacy is maintained.

The committee of MPs have called on Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured) to give more cash to the police budget

'This is particularly important in communities in which distrust of the police  and in public authorities more widely  is rife, and in which those local links are all the more important.

'Nevertheless, in all neighbourhoods, without local engagement, policing is at risk of becoming irrelevant to most people.' Last month the National Audit Office said that since 2010-11, police funding had fallen 19 per cent in real terms to 12.3 billion this year.

Calling on Chancellor Philip Hammond to give policing a cash boost in Monday's Budget, the committee said: 'Without additional funding for policing, we have no doubt that there will be dire consequences for public safety, criminal justice, community cohesion and public confidence. It is time to stop kicking the problem into the long grass.'

Che Donald, of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: 'As the report rightly recognises, there is no substitute for embedding officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood teams.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are now working closely with the police to gather the evidence to ensure they continue to receive the resources they need.'

The MPs also warned that internet giants are giving police 'inadequate co-operation' to crack down on paedophiles.

US tech companies  thought to include Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google, which owns YouTube  were not doing enough to tackle the problem, they said, adding that there was 'no excuse for complacency' in the battle to stop youngsters being groomed, exploited and blackmailed by sexual predators on websites.

Last night, a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a police officer was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver in Barnet, north London.

The head of counter-terrorism policing revealed that a record 700 investigations are under way into suspected terror cells in Britain.

Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said police and the security services were running 'red hot' as Islamist fanatics and far-Right extremists 'feed each other'.
The Northern Ireland veteran who handed back his service medal to his MP has said probes into the Troubles are reneging on the promise to look after former troops.

Former Major Tom Lynch, 81, served in the Army during the conflict and has been asked to co-operate with investigations into decades-old killings.

He told yesterday how he gave his service medal to his MP Rosie Duffield and asked her to slam it on the despatch box in front of the Prime Minister.

Tom Lynch, an ex-soldier from Canterbury in Kent who Returned his Medals back to the War office

Mr Lynch said he is fed up of receiving letters asking him about his actions during the conflict more than 40 years ago.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has sparked anger by re-examining every Army killing between 1968 and 1998, and the Mail has led calls to end the witch-hunt against former soldiers.

Many have been taken to court over Troubles deaths and face lengthy jail terms if convicted.

There have been warnings that Britains fighting spirit could be undermined by vexatious claims over the historic deaths of IRA suspects at the hands of soldiers during the conflict.

This week Labour MP Miss Duffield held up the medal belonging to Mr Lynch, one of her Canterbury constituents, during defence questions in the Commons and said he wanted to give it back.

Tom Lynch, left, on parade outside Buckingham Palace when he was a Paratrooper Canterbury army veteran

Mr Lynch said: I drew a line in the sand when I turned 80 and just thought enough is enough.

I gave the medal to Rosie and told her to give it back to the Prime Minister.

I went out, along with many others, put our lives on the line, did our bit, and now theyre reneging on their promise to look after us veterans. Its really very sad.

He said some veterans would be placed under undue strain if investigations into historic acts continued.

I can look after myself. But I worry about the private soldiers, the juniors, the Toms who, like me, are in their late 70s or early 80s. Some of whom have died, some have wounds, and they are receiving the same letters as me but no answers.

He has been asked to provide information about his conduct and whereabouts during an IRA incident in the 1970s.

Theresa May has this week come under pressure from more than 150 Tory MPs and prominent peers to end the witch-hunt of Army veterans. In an open letter delivered to the Prime Minister on Tuesday, the group said the current investigation of former soldiers for historic allegations simply cannot be allowed to continue as it is.

The letter accused Mrs May of going against a 2017 manifesto pledge to protect veterans from persistent legal claims.

Labour MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield, holds up a medal from Tom Lynch during a hearing in the House of Commons

More than a third of all Tory MPs have signed the letter, along with 50 members of the House of Lords, including four former chiefs of defence staff.

Yesterday the Prime Minister was asked if she agrees that the hounding of Northern Ireland veterans is against natural justice, damaging to recruitment and contrary to the military covenant. Mrs May said: The current system in Northern Ireland is flawed. It is not working. It is not working for soldiers, for police officers or for victims  and of course that group of victims also includes many soldiers and police officers.

We owe a vast debt of gratitude to the heroism and bravery of the soldiers and police officers who upheld the rule of law and were themselves accountable to it  something that will always set them apart from and above the terrorists who, during the troubles in Northern Ireland, were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of members of the security forces.

We are committed to ensuring that all outstanding deaths in Northern Ireland should be investigated in a way that is fair, balanced and proportionate.

The Northern Ireland Office recently closed a consultation on legacy cases like this and will report soon.
As top retailers launch their Fall/Winter 2018 fashion collections in stores in Dubai, UAE, this month, the citys retail scene continues to thrive due to its position as a world-class shopping destination.



With a robust and extensive retail calendar managed by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), retailers in Dubai are given several opportunities to market their collections.



Many international brands have chosen Dubai to have a presence in the Middle East, with top names such as American Rag, Off-White and Charlotte Tilbury recently launching stores in the city, said a statement from DFRE.



In addition to the strong retail sector, Dubais ongoing tourism efforts continue to draw visitors from across the globe who are keen on experiencing everything the city has to offer.



For the fourth year running, Dubai has ranked fourth among the world's most popular destinations for international travellers according to MasterCards Global Destination Cities Index 2018. With the city welcoming 15.79 million overnight visitors last year and ranking a projected growth rate of 5.5 per cent, Dubai is expected to witness another year of steady expansion in 2018, it said.



Key seasons such as Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter enable retailers to showcase their latest collections from famous global brands to Dubais shoppers, it added.



Ahmed Al Khaja, chief executive officer, DFRE, said: Dubai has a strong reputation internationally as an exciting shopping destination, and this is evidenced by the increased number of visitors weve witnessed over the years.



With its unique retail concepts, interesting local designers and world-class malls, its no surprise that the global retailers are turning their attention to Dubai to showcase their brands, he said.



Together with our strategic partners, we have a full calendar of events and festivals to help support Dubais retail industry and ensure the emirate remains the fashion capital in the region, he added.



Greig Fowler, chief executive officer, AW Rostamani Lifestyle, the distributor of American Eagle, said: American Rags launch in Dubai was a natural choice as the first store whilst planning our GCC roll out over the next five years. We have taken the very successful concept from Los Angeles, US, merged it with technology in a way never done before to set a new benchmark for omni-channel retailing in the GCC.



Given Dubais multicultural mix of nationalities, diverse businesses, futuristic landscape, it gives the brand both global and local exposure through international and GCC tourists as well as UAE residents. The thirst for individuality and unique fashion here is huge and American Rag is the ideal thirst quencher for those looking to find those hottest trends, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
King Salman of Saudi Arabia (pictured in Riyadh on October 16) received two phone calls from Theresa May and Emanuel Macron on Wednesday night

Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron tonight phoned King Salman of Saudi Arabia to urge his secretive regime to disclose information about Jamal Khashoggi's murder and threaten sanctions against those involved.

Mrs May told the Saudi head of state that his country's claim the journalist died in a fistfight 'lacked credibility', before urging him to cooperate with the Turkish investigation into what happened.

Mr Macron also demanded the Saudis be open with investigators, and warned that anyone found responsible for the murder would face sanctions from France and its allies.

Downing Street provided a summary of the call with King Salman, who is aged 82 and plays a less visible role on the world stage than his powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Describing the call, a Downing Street spokesman said Mrs May had urged King Salman to 'reiterate the UK's grave concerns' about the murder.

'The Prime Minister said the current explanation lacks credibility so there remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened,' the spokesman said.

'She strongly urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation and to be transparent about the results. It is important that the full facts are established.'

'The Prime Minister also reiterated that all individuals bearing responsibility for the killing of Mr Khashoggi must be properly held to account.

'She said the Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects in the murder of Mr Khashoggi to prevent them entering the UK. If these individuals have visas, they are being revoked.'

Mrs May (pictured today) told the Saudi head of state that his country's claim the journalist died in a fistfight 'lacked credibility'

The French reaction has been relatively guarded to date, as Paris tried to retain its influence with Riyadh and protect commercial relations spanning energy, finance and arms.

But President Emmanuel Macron told King Salman that France, in coordination with partners, could take action against those held responsible for the murder, the presidency said in a statement.

Macron expressed profound outrage during a phone conversation with Salman, it said, adding that the president had asked the king that the circumstances around Khashoggi's death be fully disclosed.

'As long as the facts have not been clearly established, and corroborated by our information services, we will not take any decision,' government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said earlier on Wednesday.

'On the other hand, once light has been shed on the matter and has been corroborated by our services, based on the hypothesis that Saudi Arabia's responsibility has been proved, then we would draw the necessary conclusions and impose appropriate sanctions,' he said.

The calls came at the end of a day that saw increasing pressure heaped on the Saudis, with an adviser to Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan accusing Crown Prince Bin Salman of having 'blood on his hands'.

Mr Macron (pictured yesterday) also demanded the Saudis be open with investigators, and warned that anyone found responsible for the murder would face sanctions from France and its allies

In a newspaper column Ilnur Cevik described the Khashoggi case as a 'disgrace that reaches all the way to Crown Prince (Mohammed bin) Salman'.

They are the bluntest comments yet from someone linked to Erdogan about Riyadh's de facto ruler in connection with the journalist's death on October 2 in Istanbul.

The Crown Prince addressed the murder in public for the first time today, telling the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh that it was a 'heinous crime that cannot be justified'.

'The crime was really painful to all Saudis. I believe it is painful for every human in the world,' he added.

He was keen to keep the focus onto economic issues, telling the conference that his country would be 'totally different' in five years, vowing to pursue sweeping reforms to diversify its economy away from oil.

'I believe the new Europe is the Middle East,' he said. 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in five years will be completely different.'

Prince Mohammed has been the driving force behind Riyadh's Vision 2030 plan for economic and social reforms, including ambitious projects such as futuristic mega-cities, as Riyadh prepares for a post-oil era.

'If we succeed in the coming five years, other countries will join us,' he said.

International business leaders have pulled out from attending the summit over the killing.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly spoke by phone with Prince Mohammed just before he arrived with other Arab leaders at the summit.

Mr Erdogan focused in again on Wednesday on Mr Khashoggi's death.

'We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible - from the person who gave the order to those who executed it - not to escape justice,' he said in the capital, Ankara.

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (left, at today's finance conference) has been accused of having 'blood on his hands' over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi (right, in 2010)

Turkish officials say the 15 men comprised a Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on overseas trips. Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue.

With the crown prince's standing marred, his ability to draw needed investment to the kingdom could be affected.

Economists say Saudi Arabia will need trillions of dollars in investments to create millions of new jobs for young Saudis entering the workforce in coming years. The investment forum is aimed at attracting investors to help underwrite that effort.

The event's first day saw several speakers acknowledge the killing of the Saudi writer whose columns criticized the crown prince's crackdown on dissent. Dozens of Saudi activists, writers, clerics and even women who were behind calls for the right to drive have been detained.

At one summit session, Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih described Mr Khashoggi's slaying as 'abhorrent'.
At least two people have been killed and multiple more have been injured after a gunman opened fire at a Kroger grocery store Wednesday.

The suspect shot and killed the man and then a woman who was trying to call 911 during the attack at the store on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky.

Police took him into custody a short time later. He has not been identified.

Two people died Wednesday afternoon in a shooting at the Kroger in Jeffersontown, Kentucky

Bullet casings are seen in the parking lot of the store in which many were shot and two died

One suspect has been detained so far, police said.

Eric Deacon, an emergency medical technician who was shopping at the store when gunfire broke out, said he heard a 'loud bang.'

'It almost sounded like a pallet hitting the floor,' he told WDRB-TV in Louisville.

Deacon said he saw two men run out of the store into the parking lot, shooting at each other.

He said he saw a woman in her mid-50s or early 60s get hit as he was calling 911, and he ran to help her.

'I looked at her and she was, she was gone,' he said. 'I knew there was nothing I could do.'

As police officers swarmed the scene and blocked off the area with yellow crime tape, a man identified by the Louisville Courier Journal as Tim King stood in the parking lot waiting for his wife to come out.

He said he drove to the store after she called him sobbing to tell him what had happened.

'I said, 'What's wrong?'' King said in a video posted on the newspaper's website. 'And she said, 'There's someone shooting up here.''

A gun lies on the ground inside a police barricade following the shooting

Police say two people have died in a shooting at a Kroger grocery store on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky

Jeffersontown Police Chief Sam Rogers confirmed the deaths at the store

A Kroger employee wipes away tears following a shooting that left two people dead, and the subject in custody

Employees wait outside the entrance of a Kroger grocery following the shooting

A police officer with the Louisville Metro Police Department interviews customers

The company is cooperating with the police investigation, and that the store will be closed until the investigation is over

Two people have died - one inside the store and another outside

King said his wife said she heard popping noises, then someone ran around a corner and said, 'Oh my God, he's killed her.'

Customers were moved to the back of the store, she said.

'It's just a very, very scary situation,' King said.

'We are shocked and saddened by the shooting incident that occurred around 2:30 pm today,' a statement from Kroger said.

'Thanks to the quick response of the local police department, the suspect was apprehended and our store is secure.'

Kroger employees hug each other in the aftermath of shooting that left two people dead
The devastated family of a 24-year-old pharmacy worker murdered on a quiet beach in far north Queensland have begged the public for help to catch her killer.

Rachelle Foss, the cousin of Toyah Cordingley, shared a photograph of the young woman surrounded by sunflowers, alongside a post remembering her 'pure, free spirited and kind' family member.

'This photo is how I will always remember you. You radiated sunshine wherever you went and lit up every room,' Ms Foss wrote.

'If I could just hold you one last time and tell you how much I love you. My heart is broken into a million pieces. How could anyone ever want to hurt you.

'You were the purest soul, free spirited and kind.'

Toyah Cordingley, 24, was found murdered on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, on Monday morning after she disappeared while walking her boyfriend's dog in the area on Sunday afternoon

Police have spent days combing the far north Queensland beach (pictured) and surrounding areas for any clues as to who took Ms Cordingley's life

The 24-year-old was found in a sand dune area, between the foreshore and the point where bushland began

Ms Foss said she and Ms Cordingley, who was found dead on Wangetti Beach, about 40km north of Cairns, had grown up together and the pair shared a bond like sisterhood.

'We spent most of our childhood exploring, building forts and performing crazy dances for our families. We spent so much time together, pretty much living at each others houses and Ive always thought of you as my sister,' she wrote.

'Im so sorry that someone took you from this world, so young and having so much to give. You were always an inspiration to me with how selfless you were and the amazing volunteer work you did.

'Im so glad the last time I saw you we were dancing the night away and sitting on your kitchen floor eating vegan sausage rolls and reminiscing about when we were kids and how much your dad scared [a friend] pretending to be Voldemort in your cubby house.'

Ms Cordingley was a fierce animal lover and beloved member of her beachside community.

She disappeared on Sunday afternoon, after driving to Wangetti Beach to walk her boyfriend's dog, Jersey, and was reported missing that night.

On Monday morning, her body was found, with 'violent and visible' injuries, and police told reporters on Monday they believed the crime was 'sexually motivated'.

The dog was found nearby, unharmed.

Ms Cordingley's killer is still on the run, and residents are being DNA tested as police widen their search

Police and search workers have flown in from across the state to help, with SES volunteers helping to comb the sand area and the bush (pictured)

Another cousin, Neika Sparkes, said Ms Cordingley's sudden and brutal death had left her 'shocked and horrified'.

'I will always remember you as a bright, bubbly smiley girl with the heart of gold,' she wrote, alongside a picture of the cousins as children.

'I will keep our childhood memories close, as each Christmas we would reunite was filled with so much joy.

'To your mum, dad, brother and sister.. I am so so sorry. Rest in peace beautiful soul.'

Cairns is about 40km north of Cairns, and is considered to be a fairly quiet area. Locals revealed her body had been found in a reception black spot, which is frequented by 'odd bods' and vagrants

Despite the huge police response, no person of interest has been named and it is not believed any arrests have been made

Locals told the Courier Mail the sand dune area where she was found, about 800m from the southern entrance of the beach, where she had parked her car, was a hot spot for 'odd bods' and vagrants.

The area is also known as a reception black spot, and police have spent days combing the beach looking for Ms Cordingley's personal items, especially her phone, to try and piece together what had happened.

Police have also combed the area for suspects, and have taken DNA swabs from residents and illegal campers.

'DNA testing and swabbing of people by consent in the local area was routine in serious investigations,' a police spokesperson told the paper.

'If youve got nothing to hide, most people are fine,' he said.

Police are continuing to comb the area for clues and 'missing personal items', including her phone, and have taken DNA swabs from residents and illegal campers

Ms Cordingley was remembered as 'the purest soul', whose happy personality 'lit up every room'

Authorities have also brought in technical equipment to help with the search

The search is part of a full-scale homicide investigation that has seen police from all over the state come in to help comb the sand, the water, and speak with residents.

One man told the Courier Mail he and a group of 15 friends had been at the northern end of the beach with other families the afternoon Ms Cordingley disappeared.

They were driving back to Cairns near the southern car park, where Ms Cordingley's car was found, when they were waved down by two scruffily dressed men 'in a highly agitated state' on the side of the highway in a white 4WD ute with a flat tyre.

'We stopped to help, and they were in a really stressed state,' he told the publication.

'It might be nothing, but they were really strange, and in a real panic to get out of there.'

The man has given a statement to police.

And as police hunt her killer, Ms Cordingley's friends have been sharing their devastation and shock to social media, with many sharing tributes to a 'kind', 'loving' 'gypsy soul', who was adored by all - especially her close-knit family.

Her boyfriend, Marco Heidenrich, was comforted by friends earlier in the week.

Mr Heidenreich, who had been in a relationship with the 24-year-old for nearly three years, was pictured looking sad alongside a close friend, sitting in the sun on what appeared to be the balcony of a pub on Tuesday.

The photo of Mr Heidenreich, shared by a friend to social media, was 'reacted' to with likes and hearts, and one man commented: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'.

It is the first time he has been pictured since the devastating news of his girlfriend's murder.

Her boyfriend, Marco Heidenreich (left), was pictured looking glassy-eyed on Tuesday. The image received multiple 'love' reactions, and one friend said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with you Marco'

As of Wednesday, the quiet beach remained a crime scene (pictured)

Ms Cordingley, 24, had been walking Mr Heidenreich's dog when she disappeared on Sunday afternoon

Mr Heidenreich (right) is believed to have been dating Ms Cordingley (left) for nearly three years. The pair share a deep love of animals

Friends of Ms Cordingley are sharing fond memories of the animal advocate to social media.

'I'll never forget all the great times we spent together. My heart is broken beyond words,' friend Mark Righton said.

'You brought me out of my shell and taught me that quirky and different was not a bad thing.'

Flowers have been laid by grieving friends and family at the beach (pictured)

Police are urging anyone who knew anything or had been at the beach that day to come forward.

As of Thursday, police had not commented on whether a person of interest had been located, but Detective Inspector Sonia Smith said officers were 'keeping an open mind' to what could have happened.

'All lines of inquiry will be followed, and all relevant examinations will be conducted,' she said.

Police have appealed for anyone who was on the beach that afternoon and who has dashcam footage of the area or either car park to come forward.

Officers are also looking to speak with anyone who was at Rusty's Markets in central Cairns between 12pm or 1pm, where Ms Cordingley is believed to have been before she headed to the beach.

With Ms Cordingley's killer on the loose, and no publicised leads as to who is responsible for the death, Det Insp Smith said people should take precautions.

'Everybody should be aware of their surroundings, and have a safety plan wherever they are,' she said.
Former Donald Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos plans to push back against federal investigators in congressional testimony Thursday  and plans to argue the FBI and British intelligence tried to 'infiltrate' the campaign.

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as part of the Robert Mueller investigation, and was sentenced to two weeks in prison.

He is using his Twitter account to launch increasingly aggressive attacks on investigators and former U.S. intelligence officials, and will tell Congress behind closed doors about what he calls a 'political scandal' of trying to 'sabotage' the campaign.

Former Donald Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos is set to testify Thursday about what he calls a plot to 'infiltrate' the Trump campaign

He has appeared on conservative pundit Sean Hannity's Fox News show and retweeted influential conservative voices like Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina.

'I didn't want to have to expose the biggest political scandal in modern history,' Papadopoulos tweeted last week. 'I was happy living on the Greek islands. But, guess life works in mysterious ways and I am happy I was called.'

In another tweet this week, he wrote: 'Americans are not morons. You couldn't expect a guy (me) who was linked into western diplomatic circles,and never knowingly met a Russian official, to all of a sudden be a patsy for a 'Russia' conspiracy. My set up was carefully orchestrated.'

He called for top U.S. news outlets to 'take on what should be the story of the century. The Trump campaign was infiltrated by western intelligence and sabotaged.'

According to a letter from his lawyer Caroline Polisi reviewed by the Atlantic, Papadopoulos will testify about nine individuals, several of whom are among the most enigmatic of the Russia probe.

Among them is the Maltest professor Joseph Mifsud identified as the person who claimed the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. Mifsud has disappeared, although his lawyer sent the Associated Press a photo indicated he was in Zurich as recently as May.

George Papadopoulos joins the Hot Topics table on The View. He has taken on investigators in public appearances

Foreign policy advisor to US President Donald Trump's election campaign, George Papadopoulos and his wife Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos arrive at US District Court for his sentencing in Washington, DC on September 7, 2018

He will also discuss Belarus businessman Sergei Millian and Cambridge University professor Stefan Halper, an FBI source who made contact with Trump officials including Papadopoulos during the campaign.

He told the publication he thinks he came under scrutiny because he had 'energy business ties to Cyprus and Israel that threatened British interests.'

'Do you really think someone like me who had no connection at all to Russia would just randomly run into the one guy on the planet who apparently had the keys to the kingdom regarding a massive conspiracy?' he asked.

Papadopoulos, who Team Trump derided as a mere 'coffee boy' after his indictment and arrest, appeared at a gathering of Trump's foreign policy team where the idea of a visit to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin was discussed.

He plans to discuss his contacts with Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud, who has disappeared

His Italian wife Simona Mangiante has said Papadopoulos was the victim of a 'setup'

He has launched a GoFundMe campaign for legal costs, with about $9,000 contributed so far.

It says Papadopoulos, a 'young man who has devoted his bright career to serve his country and help Donald Trump to become our President, has been the victim of the biggest plot in American political history.'

'While honestly working for the Trump campaign, he became the target of many shady forces to sabotage the President,' according to his site. 'He had a brilliant career that was violently interrupted.'

Papadopoulos also used twitter to go after former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. He wrote: 'James Clapper is currently in Australia colluding with their government to cover both his and [former diplomat] Alexander Downer's involvement in the most profound, and illegal, spying operation against an American and the presidential campaign he worked for in history. Bad look Australia.'

Downer reported to the U.S. information he learned from a May 2016 meeting with Papadopoulos at a London bar where the aide said the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton, helping start a counterintelligence investigation.
Watchdogs are failing to carry out vital food sampling and hygiene sampling in restaurants, takeaways and other outlets, putting the public in danger.

Research found that 33 councils had done no food standards sampling tests over the past year, which means businesses could be getting away with selling meat and other products that are not what they appear.

It also means that the restaurants and other outlets might be selling foods with potentially deadly allergens, such as nuts, without declaring it.

33 councils had done no food standards sampling tests over the past year

In addition, six of the councils did no food hygiene sampling, which means dirty, rat-infested businesses could be selling risky meals with little chance of being caught.

Six councils where all restaurants missed hygiene sampling for a year Blackpool Council Liverpool City Council St Helens Council, Merseyside Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Richmond Upon Thames Council, London Waltham Forest Council, London Advertisement

The alarming revelations come in an investigation by ITVs Tonight programme, which suggests that much of Britain no longer has an effective regime for policing food standards and hygiene.

The six councils which did no sampling in the past year were the tourist hotspot of Blackpool, which has 1,500 food outlets, the city of Liverpool, St Helens, Windsor and Maidenhead, Richmond upon Thames, and Waltham Forest.

The national watchdog, the Food Standards Agency, which is responsible for preventing a repeat of the horsemeat scandal of 2013, gave councils no money to fund food sampling in 2017-18.

Yet in 2013-14 the agency gave councils 2.2million for testing in response to revelations that horsemeat was being sold as beef in supermarket burgers and ready meals.

Professor Chris Elliott, who led the official inquiry into the horsemeat scandal, warned that councils do not have the staff to carry out the food inspections needed to protect the public.

In 2013-2014 the Food Standards Agency gave councils 2.2million for testing

Professor Elliott, from Queens University, Belfast, said: The lack of funding for environmental health inspectors and trading standards officers is extremely worrying.

Simon Blackburn, the Local Government Associations spokesman on food, told the programme: Local authority budgets have essentially been halved since 2010.

'The number of trading standards officers we employ across the UK is around half of what it was in 2010.

Mr Blackburn is also council leader in Blackpool, which has more takeaways per head of population than anywhere else in the UK yet failed to carry out any food sampling and hygiene tests last year.

Asked about this, he said the council takes a risk-based approach to food safety and targets outlets it believes may be misleading the public or putting people in danger.

Michael Jackson, of the Food Standards Agency, told the programme that food safety is a top priority for the watchdog.

Were confident that were doing a good job, but were not complacent, and were looking to further improve the system, he said.

ITV Tonight, Whats In Our Meat?, is being shown at 7.30pm today on ITV1.

Ham pizzas that don't contain pork Nine out of ten ham and pineapple pizzas bought from independent takeaways in Manchester contained no pork. Instead the outlets used thinly sliced processed turkey, according to tests by public analyst Dr Duncan Campbell in a survey for ITVs Tonight programme. A large number of independent takeaways and pizza shops are run by Muslim businessmen who choose not to serve meat from pigs for religious reasons, but many fail to declare that they use turkey instead. Dr Campbell said: Does it matter that its turkey on your pizza when you asked for ham? Does it matter if there is some horse in your beef lasagne? I think that it matters. Manchester City Council, which polices food businesses, said: It is never acceptable for food to be mislabelled and we will take action in cases where this is detected. Advertisement




Nine out of ten ham and pineapple pizzas bought from independent takeaways in Manchester contained no pork.

Instead the outlets used thinly sliced processed turkey, according to tests by public analyst Dr Duncan Campbell in a survey for ITVs Tonight programme.

A large number of independent takeaways and pizza shops are run by Muslim businessmen who choose not to serve meat from pigs for religious reasons, but many fail to declare that they use turkey instead.

Food outlets used thinly slice processed turkey instead of ham according to new tests

Dr Campbell said: Does it matter that its turkey on your pizza when you asked for ham? Does it matter if there is some horse in your beef lasagne? I think that it matters.

Manchester City Council, which polices food businesses, said: It is never acceptable for food to be mislabelled and we will take action in cases where this is detected.
A student who stabbed a classmate on a school bus over an argument about pizza has walked free from court after one of his own referees described him as an 'idiot'.

The 18-year-old stabbed his then 13-year-old schoolmate on a bus in Townsville in September, 2017.

The younger boy had bought the pizza after school and even shared a slice with the older student while waiting at the bus stop.

When the pair, who were Kirwan State High School students at the time, boarded the bus they sat across each other but the trip home took a nasty turn according to Crown prosecutor Will Slack.

An older student has pleaded guilty to stabbing his younger classmate because he thought he was trying to steal his pizza

The victim told police he thought his attacker was trying to steal his pizza when he began swinging his arms with a knife.

The teenage said he was intending to pierce the pizza box but struck the boy on the arm accidentally .

He suffered minor injuries including a small wound to his wrist, which did not require any stitches.

Judge Greg Lynham described the incident as 'horseplay' and 'blatant stupidity' when rejecting the prosecution's request for a short term prison sentence.

'When the complainant saw your arm move he baulked and as a consequence of that you made contact with the complainant's forearm,' he said.

The attacker was armed with a knife which wounded the victim's wrist

'I accept for purpose of sentencing that your offending might be more properly described as foolish ... in fact one of your referees describes you as an indiot,' he said.

The accused was placed on 12-month probation after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding.

He was expelled from school and suffered the loss of friends after the incident occurred.
An Australian Army medic has revealed how she tried to take her own life after she was allegedly bullied and wrongly accused of having an affair.

Dani Martin uploaded a video to YouTube last week, where she told how she attempted suicide while serving in Afghanistan in March last year.

'Whilst in Afghanistan deployed there as part of Operation Highroad as a medic, I attempted to take my own life,' she said in the video.

Ms Martin alleged it was 'as a result of continuous bullying by a member of my own health care team'.

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Australian Army medic Dani Martin (pictured) said she tried to take her own life after alleged bullying while on deployment in Afghanistan last year

The Army medic had been deployed to Afghanistan for six months but after three months 'I just couldn't take it anymore'.

Ms Martin said while she was an experienced medic and had served in the Army for seven years, she was the only junior female in her team at the time 'and I was the one who was picked to be the victim of bullying'.

She claimed she was 'spoken down to all the time' and at one point her ID was stolen, adding she was given 'humiliating punishments' when it was handed back.

'It got to the point where I was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with my best friend from the deployment. I was really close with one of the doctors,' she said.

'It was basically I was accused of sleeping with them and that was my breaking point.'

She said was reliant on her friendships because of the high-stress war environment and being directly accused by her hierarchy of the inappropriate relationship pushed her to breaking point.

'After that, I could see no option other than ending my life. Now, of course, I see so many other options,' she said.

She had posted a suicide note on Facebook, before taking an overdose, with medical staff who found her evacuating her to Germany.

Queensland-born Ms Martin underwent psychiatric treatment when she returned to Australia.

Ms Martin says she was left with post-traumatic stress disorder to the point where she cannot stand to be touched after claiming she was traumatised during her recovery.

She alleged medical staff had threatened to use a urinary catheter so she would reveal what she had taken.

Ms Martin also took to Facebook last week, where she spoke of her suicide attempt, The Australian reported.

Ms Martin was serving in Afghanistan as part of Operation Highroad, the Australian Defence Force's commitment to Afghanistan (pictured, stock image of Australian forces in Afghanistan)

'I tried to end my life due to bullying and harassment. There, I said it, there should be no shame in it. The shame should be in the system that was in place around me that I felt I had no other way out of the situation I was in,' she reportedly wrote.

She added it was 'a timely reminder to the Australian Army that they need to make changes'.

On a caption accompanying her YouTube clip, Ms Martin said 'In this video I explain why, the thinking traps that you get caught up in and why you shouldn't take your own life.'

Ms Martin is reportedly still serving.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Defence for comment.

Lifeline 13 11 14
A twisted paedophile who used Facebook to groom and then rape girls as young as 13 has been jailed.

Jack Carpenter met his victims on Facebook before grooming them with alcohol and body piercings.

Western Australia's District Court heard Carpenter, 20, targeted young girls after he struggled to strike up relationships with women his own age.

He was jailed for five years on Wednesday after he was found guilty of raping one of the girls and sexually assaulting another.

Jack Carpenter (pictured) was convicted of paedophilia after grooming girls on Facebook

His first victim brought herself to Carpenter's attention in July 2016, when the then 13-year-old messaged him in hopes of getting alcohol.

Carpenter took advantage of the naive girl, convincing her to send him racy pictures and meet him in person, despite being fully aware of her age, The West reports.

He eventually convinced her to meet up with him. After leading her to an abandoned construction site, he kissed her, groped her, and raped her.

Only seven months later, Carpenter struck again.

This time, he drove a 14-year-old girl into the bush and raped her.

A month later, Carpenter offered another 14-year-old a nipple piercing, saying he would pay for it.

Western Australia District Court (pictured) Judge Simon Stone said Carpenter showed no remorse for his actions, saying his behaviour was 'deliberate, persistent and opportunistic'

He then took a photo of the teenager's breast, claiming he would only use it to show the piercer.

He was also present when the piercing took place. But when it began bleeding, Carpenter grabbed the girl against her will and groped her.

Carpenter was only 18 years old at the time of the first offence.

He was found guilt of five charges of four counts of sexual penetration of a child and one charge of indecently dealing with a child in relation to the third girl.

Despite damning evidence being presented in court, Carpenter adamantly claimed his victims were all willing.

Jailing him for four years and eight months, judge Simon Stone said: 'You were deliberate and persistent and opportunistic  and you were proud of your manipulative behaviour,' Judge Stone said.

'You harboured hopes of sex ... and completely disregarded your victim's rights.'

Carpenter was aged 18 at the time of the offending, while the girls were as young as 13 (stock image)

Outside of court, the father of one of Carpenter's teenage victims urged fellow parents to be vigilant of monitoring their children's social media accounts.

'Check, double-check and if they think you are being invasive, be more invasive ... monitor your children and look after them, because you don't want to go through what our three families have been through,' he said.

Carpenter must serve a minimum of two years and eight months of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.
American intelligence officials claim that Chinese and Russian spies are listening in on President Donald Trumps personal phone calls.

Current and former members of the intelligence community say that the president has been repeatedly warned about the use of his personal cellular device, The New York Times has reported.

Despite the warnings, however, Trump refuses to give up his iPhones.

Now Beijing and Moscow have taken advantage of his 'casual' stance on electronic security and are eavesdropping, the report states.

Spies in China have purportedly drawn up a list of friends and associates the president often speaks to in a bid to try and get them to influence White House policies.

They also want to get a better understanding of how Trump thinks.

China wants to then use this information to persuade Trump to adopt policies that are more in line with its interests, according to the Times.

American intelligence officials claim that Chinese and Russian spies are listening in on President Donald Trumps personal phone calls. Trump is seen leaving the White House on Wednesday

Trump has two iPhones that have been altered by the National Security Agency in order to make it more secure as well as a third iPhone that he keeps for personal use.

The president likes to use the third phone because, unlike the other two, he can store his personal contacts there, officials told the Times.

White House officials say they are hoping that Trump doesnt divulge any sensitive secrets to the friends with whom he speaks.

The Times quotes a number of current and former senior intelligence officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The officials said they were frustrated with Trumps apparent carelessness when it comes to electronic security - though they stressed that they were not going public with their claims in order to personally undermine the president.

The officials said they learned from sources inside foreign governments as well as through intercepted communications between foreign officials that Trumps cell phone was being tapped.

Among those whom Trump speaks with regularly include private equity executive Stephen A. Schwarzman (right) and ex-casino magnate Steve Wynn (left)

The Chinese are also looking to bring influence to bear on Trump through the friends with whom he speaks.

Two such people are Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of the private equity giant Blackstone Group; and former casino mogul Steve Wynn.

Schwarzman has endowed a masters program at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Wynns ties to China include a property he once owned in Macau.

A spokesperson for Wynn declined comment.

A representative for Schwarzman said that the Blackstone CEO 'has been happy to serve as an intermediary on certain critical matters between the two countries at the request of both heads of state.'

For decades, China has tried to influence the American president by nurturing contacts with business people and academics who had known ties to the White House.

Listening in on Trump's calls allows the Chinese to go directly to the president's closest associates while also bearing in mind which arguments tend to have the greatest impact on his thinking.

China has focused particularly attention on Schwarzman, according to the Times, because he is known to hold views that are sympathetic toward trade with Beijing.

The Chinese have reportedly been keen on getting members of Trump's inner circle to persuade the president to sit down more often with Premier Xi Jinping.

The Chinese have reportedly been keen on getting members of Trump's inner circle to persuade the president to sit down more often with Premier Xi Jinping (seen right with the U.S. president in Beijing in November 2017)

Officials in Beijing believe that Trump can be more easily swayed in a face-to-face setting, where interpersonal relationships are a bigger factor in diplomacy.

Trump is less likely to make decisions friendlier to China if the issue was left up to other negotiators, Chinese government officials are said to believe.

Trump has spoken warmly of Xi, though this has not stopped him from escalating his trade dispute with the Asian power.

The Trump administration slapped tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods last month and is threatening to impose duties on virtually all of the goods China exports to the United States.

Trump has said signs of economic weakness in China and its slumping stock markets are proof of the effect U.S. tariffs are having on the Chinese economy.

Still, Beijing has remained defiant, vowing to stimulate domestic demand to cushion the blow from any trade shocks.

While China has been actively engaged in electronic espionage against Trump, the Russians are not believed to be as keen on getting the president's ear.

That's because of Trump's past statements in which he has expressed admiration for President Vladimir Putin.

Trump's 'casual' approach toward his phone's security is ironic given that he and his supporters demanded that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton be prosecuted for maintaining a private email server which she used to conduct official government business.
Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping mall, communities and leisure pioneer across the region, has announced an investment in Wadi Group which operates Wadi Grocery, a top online grocery delivery platform in Saudi Arabia.



The investment in Wadi is part of a $30-million funding round that will help fuel Wadi Grocerys growth.



As part of the agreement, Carrefour will become Wadi Grocerys long term strategic partner for supplying food and non-food groceries. This partnership will provide customers access to over 12,000 high quality products at the same great value prices found in Carrefour stores, delivered within a two-hour window on the platform, making the quick delivery of such a wide product offering the first service of its kind in the Middle East.



Wadi Grocery is currently operational in the three major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, will gradually extend to customers in all cities throughout the Kingdom where Carrefour operates.



Hani Weiss, chief executive officer at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail, said: Saudi Arabia is a strategically important market for Majid Al Futtaim, and we are constantly looking for ways to expand in the Kingdom and serve our growing client base beyond our existing stores.



Wadi Grocery provides a full ecosystem of enabling services including an in-house last mile delivery network, and our investment in the platform will bring us closer to customers where we dont have physical presence and fulfil their demand more efficiently.



This agreement is the latest investment from Majid Al Futtaim, as part of its digital transformation aimed at extending its leadership beyond traditional retail and into an omni-channel proposition.



Ankit Wadhwa co-founder and managing director of Wadi, said: We believe that the two key drivers for success in the e-grocery market are a wide, price-competitive assortment and fast, reliable delivery. With Carrefour we have the best partner to bring e-grocery to every household in the Kingdom and beyond."  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote critically of the kingdom's policies and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials say a 15-men team tortured, killed and dismembered the writer, while Saudi Arabia says he died in a 'fistfight.'

Here are some key moments in the slaying of the Washington Post columnist:

BEFORE HIS DISAPPEARANCE

September 2017: The Post publishes the first column by Khashoggi in its newspaper, in which the former royal court insider and longtime journalist writes about going into a self-imposed exile in the U.S. over the rise of Prince Mohammed. His following columns criticize the prince and the kingdom's direction.

September 28, 2018: Over a year after the Post published his first column, Khashoggi visits the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, seeking documents in order to get married. He's later told to return October 2, his fiancee Hatice Cengiz says. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says a plan or a 'road map' to kill Khashoggi was devised in Saudi Arabia during this time.

September 29: Khashoggi travels to London and speaks at a conference.

October 1: Khashoggi returns to Istanbul. At around 4.30pm, a three-person Saudi team arrives in Istanbul on a scheduled flight, checks in to their hotels then visits the consulate, according to Erdogan. The Turkish president says another group of officials from the consulate travel to a forest in Istanbul's outskirts and to the nearby city of Yalova on a 'reconnaissance' trip.

Jamal Khashoggi (right) arriving at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2

THE DAY OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE

3.28am, October 2: A private jet arrives at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport carrying some members of what Turkish media will refer to as a 15-member Saudi 'assassination squad.' Other members of the team arrive by two commercial flights in the afternoon. Erdogan says the team includes Saudi security and intelligence officials and a forensics expert. They meet at the Saudi Consulate. One of the first things they do is to dismantle a hard disk connected to the consulate's camera system, the president says.

11.50am: Khashoggi is called to confirm his appointment at the consulate later that day, Erdogan says.

1.14pm: Surveillance footage later leaked to Turkish media shows Khashoggi walking into the main entrance of the Saudi Consulate. No footage made public ever shows him leaving. His fiancee waits outside, pacing for hours.

3.07pm: Surveillance footage shows vehicles with diplomatic license plates leaving the Saudi Consulate for the consul general's home some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away.

5.50pm: Khashoggi's fiancee alerts authorities, saying he may have been forcibly detained inside the consulate or that something bad may have happened to him, according to Erdogan.

7pm: A private plane from Saudi Arabia carries six members of the alleged Saudi squad from Istanbul to Cairo, the next day returning to Riyadh.

11pm: Seven members of the alleged Saudi squad leave on another private jet to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which the next day returns to Riyadh. Two others leave by commercial flights.

Erdogan confirms reports that a 'body double' - a man wearing Khashoggi's clothes, glasses and a beard - leaves the consulate building for Riyadh with another person on a scheduled flight later that day.

CCTV images showed a a private jet alleged to have been used by a group of Saudi men suspected of being involved in Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death

INITIAL REACTION

October 3: Khashoggi's fiancee and the Post go public with his disappearance. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi visited the consulate and exited shortly thereafter. Turkish officials suggest Khashoggi might still be in the consulate. Prince Mohammed tells Bloomberg: 'We have nothing to hide.'

October 4: Saudi Arabia says on its state-run news agency that the consulate is carrying out 'follow-up procedures and coordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building.'

October 5: The Post prints a blank column in its newspaper in solidarity with Khashoggi, headlined: 'A missing voice.'

October 6: The Post, citing anonymous Turkish officials, reports Khashoggi may have been killed in the consulate in a 'preplanned murder' by a Saudi team.

October 7: A friend of Khashoggi tells the AP that officials told him the writer was killed at the consulate. The consulate rejects what it calls 'baseless allegations.'

October 8: Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Turkey is summoned over Khashoggi's disappearance and alleged killing.

LEAKED FOOTAGE

October 9: Turkey says it will search the Saudi Consulate as a picture of Khashoggi walking into the diplomatic post surfaces.

October 10: Surveillance footage is leaked of Khashoggi and the alleged Saudi squad that killed him. Khashoggi's fiancee asks President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for help.

October 11: Turkish media describes Saudi squad as including royal guards, intelligence officers, soldiers and an autopsy expert. Trump calls Khashoggi's disappearance a 'bad situation' and promises to get to the bottom of it.

October 12: Trump again pledges to find out what happened to Khashoggi.

October 13: A pro-government newspaper reports that Turkish officials have an audio recording of Khashoggi's alleged killing from his Apple Watch, but details in the report come into question.

INTERNATIONAL UPROAR

October 14: Trump says that 'we're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment' if Saudi Arabia is involved. The kingdom responds with a blistering attack against those who threaten it, as the manager of a Saudi-owned satellite news channel suggests the country could retaliate through its oil exports. The Saudi stock exchange plunges as much as 7 percent at one point.

Khashoggi (pictured), went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul

October 15: A Turkish forensics team enters and searches the Saudi Consulate, an extraordinary development as such diplomatic posts are considered sovereign soil. Trump suggests after a call with Saudi King Salman that 'rogue killers' could be responsible for Khashoggi's alleged slaying. Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to the Mideast over the case. Meanwhile, business leaders say they won't attend an economic summit in the kingdom that's the brainchild of Prince Mohammed.

October 16: A high-level Turkish official tells the AP that 'certain evidence' was found in the Saudi Consulate proving Khashoggi was killed there. Pompeo arrives for meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and Prince Mohammed. Meanwhile, Trump compares the case to the appointment of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing, saying: 'Here we go again with you're guilty until proven innocent.'

October 17: Pompeo meets with Turkey's president and foreign minister in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Turkish police search the official residence of Saudi Arabia's consul general in Istanbul and conduct a second sweep of the consulate.

October 18: A leaked surveillance photograph shows a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage walked into the consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there.

October 20: Saudi Arabia for the first time acknowledges Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, claiming he was slain in a 'fistfight.' The claim draws immediate skepticism from the kingdom's Western allies, particularly in the U.S. Congress.

October 22: A report says a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage made four calls to the royal's office around the time Khashoggi was killed. Police search a vehicle belonging to the Saudi consulate parked at an underground garage in Istanbul.

CCTV emerges showing a Saudi intelligence officer dressed in a fake beard and Jamal Khashoggi's clothes and glasses on the day he went missing.

October 23: Erdogan says Saudi officials murdered Khashoggi after plotting his death for days, demanding that Saudi Arabia reveal the identities of all involved.

October 25: Changing their story again, Saudi prosecutors say Khashoggi's killing was a premeditated crime.

November 2: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government. Earlier the same day, Yasin Aktay, a ruling party adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he believed the body had to have been dissolved in acid.

November 4: Khashoggi's sons Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi issue appeal for his remains to be returned so that he may be buried in Saudi Arabia.

November 10: President Erdogan says Turkey gave the audio recordings linked to the murder to 'Saudi Arabia, to Washington, to the Germans, to the French, to the British'.

November 13: Turkish media reports that the luggage carried by the Saudi 'hit squad' included scissors, defibrillators and syringes that may have been used against Khashoggi.

November 15: Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor announces that he is seeking the death penalty for five out of 11 suspects charged in the murder. Shalaan al-Shalaan said the person who had ordered the killing was the head of the negotiating team sent to repatriate him, and exonerated Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. On the same day, the U.S. Treasury announces sanctions against 17 Saudi officials, including the Consul General in Turkey, Mohammed Alotaibi.

November 16: A CIA assessment reported in the Washington Post finds that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination.

November 18: Germany bans 18 Saudi nationals believed to be connected to the murder from entering Europe's border-free Schengen zone. Berlin also announces it has as halted previously approved arms exports to Saudi Arabia amid the fallout.
Here is the list of terror attacks which wreaked carnage on Britain's streets in 2017:

Westminster, March 22

Khalid Masood struck at the heart of British democracy - the Houses of Parliament

He drove a hire car across Westminster Bridge, killing four pedestrians on the pavement and injuring dozens more.

He then leapt out of his crashed car and ran into Parliament where he stabbed to death police officer Keith Palmer.

Manchester, 22 May

Salman Abedi blew himself up outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester killing 22 people - including many children.

The youngest victim, Saffie Roussos, was just eight years old.

London Bridge, June 3

Three killers ploughed their cars int pedestrians in London Bridge before going on a bloody knife rampage in Borough Market.

Rachid Redouane, Khuram Butt and Youssef Zaghba - who were all wearing fake explosive vests - killed eight people before they were shot dead by armed police.

Finsbury Park, June 19

Far-right fanatic Darren Osborne drove his van into a Mosque in Finsbury Park, killing father-of-six Makram Ali and injuring several others.
Vincent Van Gogh spent several crucial years in London between 1873 and 1876 and wrote to his brother Theo, 'I love London'.

He set foot in the city as a young trainee art dealer, and the metropolis 'prompted him to explore new avenues of life, art and love'.

The artist's years in London  living in Brixton  inspired him 'right to the end of his career', according to Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson.

He was aged 20 when he arrived and had not yet decided to be an artist, but he was inspired by the art he saw and wrote about it in letters to Theo.

The Dutch painter, who famously cut off his own ear and died penniless in 1890, after shooting himself, was inspired by British art, literature and culture and collected around 2,000 engravings, most from English magazines such as the Illustrated London News, despite his poverty.

In his time in London Van Gogh responded to art by John Constable and John Everett Millais and found a love for British writers such as William Shakespeare and Christina Rossetti.

Charles Dickens also influenced the painter's style and subject matter throughout his career.
A 6-inch pipe bomb wrapped in black electrical tape, hidden in a simple envelope with the return address of former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz - this is the 'rudimentary but functional' design behind at least five explosive devices sent out to America's liberal elite in the last three days.

The devices sent to George Soros, The Clintons, The Obamas, CNN and Former Attorney General Eric Holder have all been described as pipe bombs and are believed to be the handiwork of the same serial bomber based on their design, according to law enforcement officials speaking to multiple outlets.

Their intention was not just to create fear but to explode and maim and kill, law enforcement sources told ABC

An envelope intended for Congresswoman Maxine Waters is also being investigated but hasn't been confirmed as an explosive

All of the bombs were delivered in manilla envelopes with the return address of former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz

They all had bubble wrap interiors and printed labels alongside six Stars and Stripes stamps

The first pipe bomb found inside the mailbox of George Soros' Westchester mansion on Monday afternoon was a six-inches-long piece of pipe packed with explosive powder

Images of the CNN pipe bomb, showed the explosive device wrapped in black electrical tape and linked up to a cell phone detonator

It was hand-delivered but designed to look like it had come through the mail.

The Obama and Clinton packages were intercepted in mail sorting offices but it is unclear how they were delivered.

Some have questioned whether the packages were actually sent through the postal service as that would have raised the alarm much more quickly and they wouldn't have reached their intended targets

Images of the CNN pipe bomb, showed the explosive device wrapped in black electrical tape and wired up to a digital clock counter

It was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan and intercepted in the media giant's mail-room and reportedly delivered by a messenger

Images showed the small makeshift device and its envelope while a NYPD press conference reported it was stuffed with gunpowder

The bomb addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder was somehow sent back to Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office - prompting a police investigation and evacuation of that office

A package is currently being investigated in a Maryland sorting office, reportedly addressed to Congresswoman Maxine Waters

False alarms were called in from the offices of Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senator Kamala Harris. Both suspicious packages were found to be innocent

Mailboxes stand outside the entrance to a house owned by Soros in Katonah, a suburb of New York City, in New York. The package was allegedly hand-delivered here

Pipe bombs are common improvised explosive devices. The pipe is sealed at both ends and packed with gunpowder. The tightly-packed design means even low grade explosives can have potentially devastating consequences and the pipe itself turns into shrapnel.

Often such devices are coated with metal projectiles like nuts and bolts creating an even more vicious impact on explosion. According to CNN, one of the four sent out this week was packed with shards of glass

They are linked up to a fuse and most often, a timer and battery for detonation. It is unclear how the devices in this case were intended to be detonated and what the role of the digital clock taped on the side of the pipe bomb was intended to serve
The winners of this year's Royal Observatory Greenwich Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have been announced.

The overall winner of the prestigious contest, American photographer Brad Goldpaint, will receive a 10,000 ($13,000) cash price.

He has beaten thousands of amateur and professional photographers from around the globe to take the top prize.

The judges were captivated by Mr Goldpaints awe-inspiring image - taken in Moab, Utah - which depicts a majestic composition of immense red rock formations with the glorious Milky Way looming overhead on the right, and the Andromeda galaxy on the left.

Competition judge Will Gater said: For me this superb image is emblematic of everything it means to be an astrophotographer; the balance between light and dark, the contrasting textures and tones of land and sky and the photographer alone under a starry canopy of breathtaking scale and beauty.

His image takes pride of place in the exhibition of winning photographs opening at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich from today.

Winners of all other categories, including the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year, will receive a 1,500 ($1,900) windfall.

Runners-up receive 500 ($650) prizes for and there are 250 ($320) rewards for highly commended entries.
An American 'Space Force' proposed by President Trump will take shape within two years and bring military forces and civilian space security authorities under one roof, the White House has said.

Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration would look to secure funding for the proposed sixth branch of the military by 2020, the year of the next presidential election.

The new force would be designed to 'ensure that our warfighters have the freedom and flexibility they need to deter and defeat any threat to our security in the rapidly evolving battlefield of space,' he said.

The head of the US Air Force said in September that creating a Space Force would cost about $13 billion for a force of 13,000 people in the first five years.

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Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration would look to secure funding for the proposed sixth branch of the military by 2020, the year of the next presidential election

Pence said: 'Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea, and America will be as dominant there as we are here on Earth.'

He named US adversaries as Russia and China, and said potential space threats include anti-satellite weapons, airborne lasers, 'highly threatening on-orbit activities and evasive hypersonic missiles.'

Trump will ask Congress to gather military and civilians working on space security into a unified command, similar to the military's special forces, he said.

A lack of centralized leadership and accountability threatened U.S. ability to 'advance our national security in space,' Pence said.

'The time has come to stop studying the problem and start fixing it,' he said.

According to the Vice President around 60,000 people are currently working on space security in the United States, across various branches of the military and intelligence services.

Donald Trump (pictured yesterday) will ask Congress to gather military and civilians working on space security into a unified command, similar to the military's special forces

He said: 'It will not in the first instance look like other branches of the service that were stood up.

'It will be a consolidation, we believe, and from there future Congresses and future administrations can grow and expand and nurture ... the Space Force as they see fit.'

Congress must approve the proposed plans, which would also create the Bureau of Space Commerce under the U.S. Department of Commerce to liaise with industry representatives and organizations.

Critics, including some Democratic lawmakers, have said the creation of Space Command would be an expensive duplication of work already being done by other services like the Air Force.

The US military is made up of five branches: the Army, Air Force (which currently oversees space operations), the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
A director of a 'smart city' project which will use Google-backed software to monitor citizens, rubbish bins and traffic lights has resigned over surveillance concerns.

Ann Cavoukian has quit her job at Sidewalk Labs, owned by the same company as the search giant, to 'make a strong statement' amid privacy fears for the planned community in Toronto.

The waterfront project - known as Sidewalk Toronto - will house 5,000 people and host another 5,000 workers within three to four years, according to its creators.

But data collected from the city's residents would not be 'de-identified' as Ms Cavoukian said she had been promised, Global News reported.

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The waterfront project known as Sidewalk Toronto, backed by the same company which owns Google, will house 5,000 people and host another 5,000 workers within three to four years, according to its creators

Ann Cavoukian (pictured) has quit her job at Sidewalk Labs, owned by the same company as the search giant, to 'make a strong statement' amid privacy fears for the planned community in Toronto

WHAT SIDEWALK LABS IS PLANNING FOR ITS SMART CITIES One of the priorities for the new smart city is 'urban mobility'. Self-driving technology and digital navigation tools would create a 'point-to-point' transit system to complement buses and trains. New construction methods and flexible building designs will enable 'radical mixed-use, walkable neighbourhoods that reduce the cost of housing and retail space', the firm says. It claims a series of design and infrastructure innovations will dramatically reduce building energy consumption, landfill waste, and carbon emissions. In a written statement, a company spokesman said: 'At the core of a future city is a layer of digital infrastructure that provides ubiquitous connectivity for all, offers new insights on the urban environment, and encourages creation and collaboration to address local challenges.' Advertisement

Ms Cavoukian, a former information and privacy commissioner in Ontario, said: 'I imagined us creating a Smart City of Privacy, as opposed to a Smart City of Surveillance.

'Your personal information, your privacy is critical. It is not just a fundamental human right. It forms the foundation of our freedom.'

The plans, being developed at Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs, will start with the construction of an area called Quayside, located just southeast of Downtown Toronto.

It aims to integrate technology wherever possible to create a more efficient and heavily automated urban environment.

One of its innovations is a sensor-based technology to manage crowds on a nearby street often filled with a potent mix of pedestrians, cyclists and motorised traffic.

Self-driving technology and digital navigation tools are said to allow for a more efficient 'point-to-point' transit system to add to trains and buses.

The firm claims a suite of design and infrastructure innovations will dramatically reduce building energy consumption, landfill waste, and carbon emissions.

Designers also says that 'data-driven management tools' enable cities to make parks and public plazas more comfortable, lively, and safe.

It promises 'data integration' in health and social care which it is claimed will offer a 'comprehensive approach' and reduce costs.

The plans, being developed at Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs, will start with the construction of an area called Quayside, located just southeast of Downtown Toronto. Among its aims are a 'point-to-point' transit system to improve 'urban mobility'

The firm claims a suite of design and infrastructure innovations will dramatically reduce building energy consumption, landfill waste, and carbon emissions

Technology tested in this first stage will then be brought in across the Eastern Waterfront in an area known as Port Lands, one of North Americas largest areas of underdeveloped urban land at more than 325 hectares (800 acres).

The area will be home to Google's Canadian headquarters and some 300 employees once complete.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, who announced the partnership with Google, said he hoped that Quayside would become 'a thriving hub for innovation and a community for tens of thousands of people to live, work and play.'

But the sheer scale of data gathering required to make it a reality are a cause of concern to some industry experts.

Plans being developed at the Alphabet's New York based Sidewalk Labs subsidiary will see with a disused area of Toronto's waterfront turned into the first of its high tech neighbourhoods, as a pilot project for bigger things to come

Privacy expert Andrew Clement said in January: 'Sidewalk Labs proposal to build Quayside as an experimental urban neighbourhood from the internet up should raise red flags for those who care about privacy and democracy.

'These concerns can be allayed only if Sidewalks internet is much more respecting of our rights than the one that its parent, Google/Alphabet, is busily shaping.'

Surveillance professor David Murakami Wood added: 'I think in some ways what we're facing here is a situation where none of this is very much like anything we've seen before.

'I think maybe we're putting too much emphasis on privacy as a defence against this kind of surveillance capitalism.'

Designers also says that 'data-driven management tools' enable cities to make parks and public plazas more comfortable, lively, and safe. It promises 'data integration' in health and social care which it is claimed will offer a 'comprehensive approach' and reduce costs

Constant surveillance could become reality in a 'smart city' district being planned by Google's parent company. If successful, the scheme could lead to entire cities where citizens every move is scrutinised by technology

A new neighbourhood called Quayside, located just southeast of Downtown Toronto, will be a tested for technology to be brought in across the Eastern Waterfront in an area known as Port Lands, one of North Americas largest regions of underdeveloped urban land
Pets can accurately judge the passage of time and know when their owners are late to feed them, a new study reveals.

Newly found brain cells 'turn on like a clock' when your pet is waiting for dinner to work out how much time has passed.

Scientists said the discovery provides fresh hope in the battle against Alzheimer's, a disease that hampers memory and navigation.

It is believed these skills are closely linked with the neurons found by the team, and analysing these cells in Alzheimer's patients could shed new light on the disease.

Newly found brain cells 'turn on like a clock' when your pet is waiting for dinner to work out how much time has passed (stock image)

HOW DO ANIMALS TELL THE TIME? In the experiment researchers focused on the medial entorhinal cortex. The cortex is an area located in the brain's temporal lobe that is associated with memory and navigation. It encodes spatial information in episodic memories and scientists realised it could also retain time. Scientists believe the neuron cells encoded how much time had passed in the experiment. The 'timing cells' allowed the mice to remember how long they needed to wait for the door to open. Advertisement

Scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois found that the medial entorhinal cortex, which is linked to memory and navigation, can also encode periods of time.

Memories are attached to a particular environment but also come with a sense of how much time has elapsed, they said.

In the experiment, mice were trained to run down a hallway towards a door which opened after six seconds.

Researchers made the door invisible in a virtual reality setup, but the mice still knew to wait six seconds before dashing through it.

James Heys, one of the scientists, said: 'The important point here is that the mouse doesn't know when the door is open or closed because it's invisible.'

Researchers were able to remove sensory cues such as the sound of an opening door using virtual reality, meaning animals had to rely on time.

Daniel Dombeck, who led the study, said: 'Does your dog know that it took you twice as long to get its food as it took yesterday? There wasn't a good answer for that before.

'This is one of the most convincing experiments to show that animals really do have an explicit representation of time in their brains when they are challenged to measure a time interval.'

He said: 'As the animals run along the track and get to the invisible door, we see the cells firing that control spatial encoding.

Pets can accurately judge the passage of time and know when their owners have are late to feed them, the study reveals (stock image)

'Then, when the animal stops at the door, we see those cells turned off and a new set of cells turn on. This was a big surprise and a new discovery.'

Experts believe the new research on time and memory could help achieve a medical breakthrough for humans.

Heys said: 'Patients with Alzheimer's disease notably forget when things happened in time.

'Perhaps this is because they are losing some of the basic functions of the entorhinal cortex, which is one of the first brain regions affected by the disease.

'This could lead to new early-detection tests for Alzheimer's.

'We could start asking people to judge how much time has elapsed or ask them to navigate a virtual reality environment - essentially having a human do a 'door stop' task.'

The research was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Scientists have developed a unique camera that can identify and measure volcanic ash plumes.

The new technology, dubbed 'AshCam', could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of the vast clouds of ash.

An eruption in Iceland eight years ago grounded hundreds of flights across Europe as the thick ash made airspace impenetrable.

AshCam is the first piece of equipment designed to tackle this issue and it works by measuring the flow and speed of ash in a volcanic plume.

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The saga surrounding the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, in 2010 forced scientists to investigate the mechanics of ash clouds in a bid to understand and predict them.

Experts at the University of Manchester developed AshCloud which combines data on flow and speed with information on the interaction of these particles with sunlight.

Specific interest was taken into how particles of volcanic dust change the polarisation of sunlight.

Researchers claim this was only made possible by the development of the 'AshCam'.

During a volcanic eruption, ash can wreak havoc with infrastructure and lead to buildings collapsing and cause human injury and even death.

Exposure to ash can cause irritation to the nose, throat and eye and aggravating pre-existing health conditions such as asthma.

An eruption in Iceland eight years ago grounded hundreds of flights across northern Europe as the thick ash made airspace impenetrable (pictured). AshCam is designed to tackle this issue and it works by measuring the flow and speed of ash falling out of a volcanic plume

Experts at the University of Manchester developed AshCloud (pictured) which combines data on flow and speed with information on the interaction of these particles with sunlight.

Ash can have an enormous impact on human life as it disrupts electrical services, utilities and transportation networks, especially air travel.

Professor Mike Burton, Chair in Volcanology at The University of Manchester, said: 'Volcanic ash is a primary product of an explosive volcanic eruption which generally poses a threat to human health and infrastructure.

'The Icelandic eruption in 2010 highlighted to the whole world that ash-rich volcanic eruptions can have a major impact on the global economy through air space closures designed to minimise the risk of jet engine failure due to ash clogging.'

The team visited Santiaguito Lava Dome, part of Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala, and measured a series of explosions with the camera.

The saga surrounding the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull (pictured), has forced scientists to investigate the mechanics of ash clouds in a bid to understand and predict them. Lightning bolts were created by charge-inducing collisions in the volcanic dust

Professor Burton said: 'Models of ash dispersion are key to forecasting the concentrations of ash during an eruption, which ultimately determine which air space is closed.

'Our research helps to measure the dynamics of ash fallout during an eruption. This gives us new insights into volcanic ash dynamics, providing an important step towards improved models of ash dispersion.'

Previous studies have used ground-based UV cameras for the observation of volcanic ash or measured black carbon particles in ship emissions.

These methods are useful to volcanologists but are limited due to the inability to distinguish ash from other particles in the plume, making it difficult to measure the flow of the ash.

HOW CAN RESEARCHERS PREDICT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS? According to Eric Dunham, an associate professor of Stanford University's School of Earth, energy and Environmental Sciences, 'Volcanoes are complicated and there is currently no universally applicable means of predicting eruption. In all likelihood, there never will be.' However, there are indicators of increased volcanic activity, which researchers can use to help predict volcanic eruptions. Researchers can track indicators such as: Volcanic infrasound : When the lava lake rises up in the crater of an open vent volcano, a sign of a potential eruption, the pitch or frequency of the sounds generated by the magma tends to increase.

: When the lava lake rises up in the crater of an open vent volcano, a sign of a potential eruption, the pitch or frequency of the sounds generated by the magma tends to increase. Seismic activity : Ahead of an eruption, seismic activity in the form of small earthquakes and tremors almost always increases as magma moves through the volcano's 'plumbing system'.

: Ahead of an eruption, seismic activity in the form of small earthquakes and tremors almost always increases as magma moves through the volcano's 'plumbing system'. Gas emissions : As magma nears the surface and pressure decreases, gases escape. Sulfur dioxide is one of the main components of volcanic gases, and increasing amounts of it are a sign of increasing amounts of magma near the surface of a volcano.

: As magma nears the surface and pressure decreases, gases escape. Sulfur dioxide is one of the main components of volcanic gases, and increasing amounts of it are a sign of increasing amounts of magma near the surface of a volcano. Ground deformation : Changes to a volcano's ground surface (volcano deformation) appear as swelling, sinking, or cracking, which can be caused by magma, gas, or other fluids (usually water) moving underground or by movements in the Earth's crust due to motion along fault lines. Swelling of a volcano cans signal that magma has accumulated near the surface. Source: United States Geological Survey Advertisement

The team visited Santiaguito Lava Dome (pictured), part of Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala, and measured a series of explosions with the camera

'AshCam' is different as it is comprised of readily available commercial cameras that have been simply adapted with special filters to identify ash using sunlight.

Benjamin Esse, a PhD researcher at Manchester's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: 'AshCam is small, lightweight and relatively cheap, making it ideal for use in volcanic environments where larger, more expensive equipment is unable to be deployed.

'This is an exciting development as it offers volcanologists a tool that allows them to easily measure the dynamics of ash plumes using only sunlight.'

'The results from these measurements can be used to inform ash dispersal models, potentially improving their accuracy and effectiveness in mitigating the risks posed by ash plumes.'

The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
A high-ranking US official has warned the United Nations (UN) that unusual activity in space by Russia may be proof the country is readying a 'combat laser system'.

Yleem Poblete, assistant secretary for arms control, verification, and compliance, told the UN that the United States is concerned by the behaviour of Russia's 'so-called 'space apparatus inspector' and its unusual activity.

The official went on to warn the gathering that Russia has taken delivery of a 'combat laser system' which could be capable of knocking American satellites offline.

Dr Poblete claims this is evidence of the difference between Russia's diplomatic rhetoric and the actions of its military.

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A Russian satellite (not pictured) is raising concerns after a Department of Defense official said the satellite is displaying 'very unusual behaviour' and claims Russia has taken delivery of a 'combat laser system' (stock)

Dr Yleem Poblete was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance on April 30, 2018.

She has previously voiced concern of the odd behaviour of the Russian satellite that was launched in October 2017, saying the behaviour was 'inconsistent with anything seen before'.

Dr Poblete, said this is an indication of Russia's intention to militarise space with offensive weaponry and said the disparity between the Russian's public appearence and their true intentions is growing.

'To the United States, these developments are yet further proof that Russian military actions do not match their diplomatic rhetoric,' Dr Poblete explained.

The US is working on a similar plan to take their military to space in an initiative that involves a US military branch dedicated to the final frontier.

US president Donald Trump has recently revealed his plan to include a Space Force plan in the 2020 budget request.

Dr Yleem Poblete (pictured) was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance on April 30

Despite the intentions of the US, the global superpower is growing increasingly worried with Russia's unusual behaviour.

'The United States is concerned with what appears as very abnormal behaviour by this so-called "space apparatus inspector,"' Dr Poblete said.

'We do not know for certain what it is and there is no way to verify its mission. Moreover, Russian intentions with respect to this satellite are unclear.'

She went on to call this a 'troubling development' and also slammed the comments of Russia's Space Troops Commander revealing plans to gather new prototypes of weapons for a space force.

Dr Poblete also gave the impression that the US is prepared to take any necessary action to maintain peace.

'While the United States would prefer that the space domain remain free of conflict, it will prepare to meet and overcome any challenges that arise,' she said.

'As Vice President Pence recently noted, 'Our adversaries have transformed space into a warfighting domain already.

'And the United States will not shrink from this challenge.'
Hotels in the Middle East reported declines in performance in September, while hotels in Africa posted growth across the three key performance metrics, according to data from STR-a leading market research firm.



Occupancy levels in the Middle East dropped 7.0 per cent to 59.8 per cent and average daily rate (ADR) dipped 18.0 per cent to $124.49, resulting in a 23.7 per cent decline in revenue per available room (RevPAR) to $74.47.



In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, occupancy rates were recorded at 56.3 per cent, an increase of 26.7 per cent compared to the same month in 2017. ADR, however, dropped 8.7 per cent to SR599.84 ($159.8) but RevPAR was up 15.7 per cent to SR337.45 ($89.8).



STR analysts attribute a 33.4 per cent jump in demand (room nights sold) to four events hosted at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. The 56.3 per cent absolute occupancy level was the highest for any September in the market since 2014. The highest occupancy night came on September 25 (78.5 per cent), which was the first day of the SFDA Annual Conference & Exhibition. The decline in monthly ADR was likely due to continued significant supply growth (up 5.8 per cent year-to-date).



In Africa, occupancy rates climbed up 3.9 per cent to 65.0 per cent, with ADR also jumping 6.4 per cent to $107.96. RevPAR was also up 10.6 per cent to $70.21.



In Beirut, Lebanon, occupancy was down 6.7 per cent to 66.6 per cent. ADR also slipped 6.8 per cent to LBP224,065.02 ($148.6), resulting in a 13.0 per cent drop in RevPAR to LBP149,146.78 ($98.9).



Beiruts declines were largely attributable to high-performance levels last September, according to STR analysts. Performance growth was well-pronounced during most of the months of 2017 due to a stabilised political climate and a boost in tourism. Despite the year-over-year performance decrease, Beiruts absolute occupancy level was the second-highest for a September in the market over the last seven years. Only September 2017 (71.3 per cent) was higher during that time. - TradeArabia News Service
Facebook said company moderators during the last quarter removed 8.7 million user images of child nudity with the help of previously undisclosed software that automatically flags such photos.

The machine learning tool rolled out over the last year identifies images that contain both nudity and a child, allowing increased enforcement of Facebook's ban on photos that show minors in a sexualized context.

A similar system also disclosed on Wednesday catches users engaged in 'grooming,' or befriending minors for sexual exploitation.

The AI rolled out over the last year identifies images that contain both nudity and a child, allowing increased enforcement of Facebook's ban on photos that show minors in a sexualized context

FACEBOOK'S ANTI GROOMING AI Facebook said the program, which learned from its collection of nude adult photos and clothed children photos, has led to more removals. 'In addition to photo-matching technology, were using artificial intelligence and machine learning to proactively detect child nudity and previously unknown child exploitative content when its uploaded,' the site said. It makes exceptions for art and history, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked girl fleeing a Vietnam War napalm attack. The child grooming system evaluates factors such as how many people have blocked a particular user and whether that user quickly attempts to contact many children Advertisement

Facebook's global head of safety Antigone Davis told Reuters in an interview that the 'machine helps us prioritize' and 'more efficiently queue' problematic content for the company's trained team of reviewers.

'In the last quarter alone, we removed 8.7 million pieces of content on Facebook that violated our child nudity or sexual exploitation of children policies, 99% of which was removed before anyone reported it,' the firm said in a statement

'We also remove accounts that promote this type of content. We have specially trained teams with backgrounds in law enforcement, online safety, analytics, and forensic investigations, which review content and report findings to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

'In turn, NCMEC works with law enforcement agencies around the world to help victims, and were helping the organization develop new software to help prioritize the reports it shares with law enforcement in order to address the most serious cases first. '

The company is exploring applying the same technology to its Instagram app.

Under pressure from regulators and lawmakers, Facebook has vowed to speed up removal of extremist and illicit material.

Machine learning programs that sift through the billions of pieces of content users post each day are essential to its plan.

Machine learning is imperfect, and news agencies and advertisers are among those that have complained this year about Facebook's automated systems wrongly blocking their posts.

Davis said the child safety systems would make mistakes but users could appeal.

'Wed rather err on the side of caution with children,' she said.

Facebook's rules for years have banned even family photos of lightly clothed children uploaded with 'good intentions,' concerned about how others might abuse such images.

Before the new software, Facebook relied on users or its adult nudity filters to catch child images.

A separate system blocks child pornography that has previously been reported to authorities.

FACEBOOK'S VIETNAM ROW In 2016 Facebook reinstated the iconic photograph of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack during the Vietnam War after outrage from Norway's prime minister and many Norwegian authors and media groups. The Norwegian revolt against Facebook's nude photo restrictions escalated on Friday as the prime minister posted an iconic 1972 image of a naked, screaming girl running from a napalm attack, and the social media network promptly deleted it. On June 8, 1972 a South Vietnamese plane dropped a napalm bomb on forces in Trang Bang after mistaking them for troops from North Vietnam The social media giant erased the iconic photograph from the Vietnam war, showing children running from a bombed village, from the Facebook pages of several Norwegian authors and media outlets, including top-selling newspaper Aftenposten Politicians of all stripes, journalists and regular Norwegians backed Prime Minister Erna Solberg, defiantly sharing the Pulitzer Prize-winning image by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. 'What they do by removing this kind of image is to edit our common history,' Solberg told the AP in a phone interview. Advertisement

Facebook has not previously disclosed data on child nudity removals, though some would have been counted among the 21 million posts and comments it removed in the first quarter for sexual activity and adult nudity.

Facebook said the program, which learned from its collection of nude adult photos and clothed children photos, has led to more removals.

It makes exceptions for art and history, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked girl fleeing a Vietnam War napalm attack.

The child grooming system evaluates factors such as how many people have blocked a particular user and whether that user quickly attempts to contact many children, Davis said.

Michelle DeLaune, chief operating officer at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said the organization expects to receive about 16 million child porn tips worldwide this year from Facebook and other tech companies, up from 10 million last year.

With the increase, NCMEC said it is working with Facebook to develop software to decide which tips to assess first.

Still, DeLaune acknowledged that a crucial blind spot is encrypted chat apps and secretive 'dark web' sites where much of new child pornography originates.

Encryption of messages on Facebook-owned WhatsApp, for example, prevents machine learning from analyzing them.

DeLaune said NCMEC would educate tech companies and 'hope they use creativity' to address the issue.
A woman who tattooed her body during the time of the pharaohs was a highly respected religious leader, experts have revealed.

The body, which was found in Deir el Medina near Egypt's Valley of the Kings, is covered with around 30 ancient tattoos.

Scientists believe the Deir el Medina mummy lived sometime between 1300 and 1070 BC and would have been as young as 25 years old when she died.

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A woman who tattooed her body during the time of the pharaohs was a highly respected religious leader who died in her late 20s, experts have revealed

'Scientific and archaeological studies reveal that it is the mummy of a woman who probably lived between 1300 and 1070 BC and died when her age ranged between 25 and 34 years,' Mustafa el Waziri, secretary general of the supreme council of Antiques, told International News.

The tattoos include depictions of cows on her arm, baboons on her neck and even a lotus flower on her hip.





Experts say these prestigious tattoos show the mummy 'belongs to a woman who enjoyed an important religious status throughout her life'.

She also has wadjet eyes on her neck, shoulders and back which were possibly symbols to project against evil.

'Any angle that you look at this woman, you see a pair of divine eyes looking back at you,' said bioarchaeologist Anne Austin of Stanford University in California in a Nature article.

'Those found so far in other mummies of ancient Egypt present simple squiggles as points or small lines but never scenes or figures like those we find here,' Mr el Waziri said.

The cows are associated with the goddess Hathor, which was a prominent deity in ancient Egypt.

Tattoos on her throat and arm could have given the young woman magical power when she sang or played during rituals.

Her body, which was found four years ago in Deir el Medina near Egypt's Valley of the Kings, is covered around 30 ancient tattoos. They include depictions of cows on her arm, baboons on her neck and even a lotus flower on her hip

Dr Austin uncovered the tattoos on the Deir el-Medina mummy by using infrared lighting and an infrared sensor. Some of the mummy's skin was so darkened by mummification the tattoos were not visible to the human eye

Her body was found four years ago by researchers from the French Institute of Oriental Archeology (IFAO) which is based in Cairo.

Dr Austin uncovered the tattoos on the Deir el Medina mummy by using infrared lighting and an infrared sensor.

Some of the mummy's skin was so darkened by mummification the tattoos were not visible to the human eye.

Dr Austin says creating the tattoos 'would've been very time consuming, and in some areas of the body, extremely painful'.

The fact she had it done so many times despite this shows how important she believed it was.

They include depictions of cows on her arm (pictured), baboons on her neck and even a lotus flower on her hip

Dr Austin says creating the tattoos 'would've been very time consuming, and in some areas of the body, extremely painful'. Pictured are the cows on the mummy's arm

Earlier this year the world's earliest figurative tattoos were discovered on 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies at the British Museum.

The tattoos are of a wild bull and a Barbary sheep on the upper-arm of a male mummy, and S-shaped motifs on the upper-arm and shoulder of a female.

The find dates tattoos containing imagery rather than geometric patterns to 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Researchers say the discovery 'transforms' our understanding of how people lived during this period.

The tattoos were found on male and female 'Gebelein' mummies.

The 5,000-year-old male mummy, which is naturally preserved, has been one of the star displays at the British Museum, visited by millions each year, since its discovery in a cemetery over 100 years ago.

Previous research revealed that the man, known as Gebelein Man A, died a violent death between the ages of around 18 to 21, from a stab wound to his back.

But dark smudges on his arm, which appeared as faint markings under natural light, have now been examined.

The oldest known tattoos in the world were discovered on Otzi the Iceman, dating from around the same time, but they are purely geometric.
The nation needs to ramp up efforts to suck heat-trapping gases out of the air to fight climate change, a new U.S. report said.

The report Wednesday from the National Academy of Sciences says technology to do so has gotten better, and climate change is worsening.

By mid-century, the world needs to be removing about 10 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the air each year.

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This illustration provided by Carbon Engineering in October 2018 shows one of the designs of the company's air contactor assemblies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

That's the equivalent of about twice the yearly emissions of the U.S.

Last year the world put nearly 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air, and emissions have been rising.

Steve Pacala, Princeton University biologist and chair of the panel, said in an interview that having ways to remove heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere would make the job of tackling climate change 'much easier.'

HOW DOES THE RADICAL NEW SYSTEM WORK? Direct air capture technology works almost exactly like it sounds. Giant fans draw ambient air into contact with an aqueous solution that picks out and traps carbon dioxide. Through heating and a handful of familiar chemical reactions, that same carbon dioxide is re-extracted and ready for further use -as a carbon source for making valuable chemicals like fuels, or for storage via a sequestration strategy of choice. Giant fans draw ambient air into contact with an aqueous solution that picks out and traps carbon dioxide. Through heating and a handful of familiar chemical reactions, carbon dioxide is re-extracted and ready for further use The resulting fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, are compatible with existing fuel distribution and transportation infrastructure. Advertisement

'It causes one to think differently about the climate problem when you have a backstop,' he said.

'And the ultimate temperature we have to suffer through is going to be lower.'

Carbon Engineering, a Canadian-based clean energy company backed by Bill Gates, recently outlined the design of a large industrial plant that it said could capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a cost of between $94 and $232 a tonne.

That is well below past estimates of about $600 a tonne by the American Physical Society, said David Keith, a Harvard University physics professor and the founder of Carbon Engineering who led the research.

Climeworks, a Swiss company and Carbon Engineering's main rival, recently said it was hoping to cut its production price to $100 a tonne in the next 5-10 years, from about $600 now.

It sells carbon dioxide to greenhouses as an airborne fertiliser to grow tomatoes or cucumbers.

Carbon Engineering, a Canadian-based clean energy company backed by Bill Gates, recently outlined the design of a large industrial plant that it said could capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a cost of between $94 and $232 a tonne.

The report comes on the heels of a United Nations science report that painted a bleak picture of the world's ability to avoid dangerous warming.

Wednesday's study 'is sort of more optimistic; it gives some operational advice,' said Kate Gordon, a research scholar at the Columbia Center for Global Energy policy who was not part of the report's panel.

The 370-page report called for the nation to invest in technologies and methods that would remove the heat-trapping gasses like carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that are generated from human activities like burning coal and natural gas for electricity, or burning gasoline and diesel for transportation.

WHAT THE REPORT RECOMMENDS The technologies outlined include the simple and the futuristic: Plant more trees and manage forests better, and limit the amount of land used by people. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and use it to grow.

Conserve soils better so they can store more carbon dioxide and produce more food.

Conserve and restore coastal plants, like marshlands and sea grass beds.

A relatively new technology called direct air capture. Pilot projects have started using giant fans that pull in air, use a chemical reaction to suck carbon out, and then inject it underground.

A still-to-be-worked out technology that relies on certain types of rock that can absorb carbon dioxide.

Burning more biofuel - like wood - and capturing the carbon dioxide after combustion and either burying it underground or making it into solids that can be spread on dirt. Advertisement

'These technologies will clearly help since we have screwed up a lot,' said Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist Mario Molina of the University of California San Diego, who wasn't part of the report's panel.

The good news is that technology in this field has advanced more in the past nine months than it had in the previous decade, said study co-author Christopher Jones, an engineering professor of Georgia Tech.

Pacala said the natural methods like tree planting is pretty cheap and available now. But he said they can only do so much because 'there's a limit to available land.'

Jason Furtado, a meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma who wasn't part of the report, called the bioenergy method the most promising, but not necessarily the easiest.

The direct air capture, being used by Climeworks , Carbon Engineering and others, is mostly limited by cost, Pacala said.

Carbon Engineering acting chief scientist David Keith, a Harvard University professor, said removing carbon from the air makes sense only once humans have stopped putting so much in the air.

'The idea that humanity might continue huge fossil (fuel) emissions while simultaneously balancing them with removal is nutty - you plug the leaks before bailing the boat.'

The report addresses concerns that it creates a 'moral hazard' - raising hopes about the promise of these carbon-removal technologies that could give civilization an excuse not to cut emissions from coal, oil and gas now.

Pacala said carbon removal technologies aren't a substitute for massive reductions in carbon emissions.

They are tools to get overall emissions down, he said.

'The fact that we need large-scale negative emissions essentially tells us that we have left it (until) too late to solve the problem,' said Norwegian scientist Glen Peters, who tracks global carbon emissions.
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NASA has spotted a second perfectly rectangular iceberg in the Antarctic.

The second rectangular berg, known as a 'tabular' iceberg, was spotted off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, near the Larsen C ice shelf and close to the first one.

It is part of a large 'field of bergs NASA experts may have recently broken off the shelf, and say the sharp angles and flat surfaces are evidence the break occurred very recently.

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Just past the original rectangular iceberg, which is visible from behind the outboard engine, IceBridge saw another relatively rectangular berg and the A68 iceberg in the distance.

WHAT IS A TABULAR ICEBERG? Tabular icebergs split off the edges of ice shelves in the same way a fingernail that grows too long ends up cracking off. This is why they have sharp edges. Advertisement

The image was taken during an IceBridge flight an airborne survey of the planet's polar ice that gives a 3D view of the ice that makes up the Arctic and Antarctic, providing vital information on how it changes over time.

'I thought it was pretty interesting; I often see icebergs with relatively straight edges, but I've not really seen one before with two corners at such right angles like this one had,' said IceBridge senior support scientist Jeremy Harbeck.

The rectangular iceberg appeared to be freshly calved from Larsen C, which in July 2017 released the massive A68 iceberg, a chunk of ice about the size of the state of Delaware.

In a different photo (above), Harbeck captured both the edge of the now-famous iceberg, and a slightly less rectangular iceberg. That image also captures A68 in the distance.

'I was actually more interested in capturing the A68 iceberg that we were about to fly over, but I thought this rectangular iceberg was visually interesting and fairly photogenic, so on a lark, I just took a couple photos,' Harbeck said.

The flight originated from Punta Arenas, Chile, as part of a five-week-long IceBridge deployment, which began Oct. 10 and is scheduled to conclude Nov. 18.

The scheme is NASA's longest-running aerial survey of polar ice.

During the survey, designed to assess changes in the ice height of several glaciers draining into the Larsen A, B and C embayments, IceBridge senior support scientist Jeremy Harbeck spotted a very sharp-angled, tabular iceberg floating among sea ice just off of the Larsen C ice shelf.

The strange, angular berg is known as a tabular iceberg.

The flight saw a 'field' of large tabular icebergs located between Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf and the A-68 ice island, which calved off of the Larsen C last year, as seen on a NASA Operation IceBridge mission

This panorama of the entire first tabular iceberg was edited together from two images taken while flying past the berg

'A tabular iceberg can be seen on the right, floating among sea ice just off of the Larsen C ice shelf,' the space agency said.

'The iceberg's sharp angles and flat surface indicate that it probably recently calved from the ice shelf.'

Section of a Landsat 8 image of the "square" iceberg area, with an arrow identifying the iceberg in question.

The original 'monolith'rectangular berg was spotted near the Larsen C ice shelf, and NASA experts believe it the sharp edges are evidence it may have recently broken off the shelf

In an interview with LiveScience, NASA scientist Kelly Brunt said 'tabular icebergs are rather like fingernails that crack of, giving them sharp edges.

'What makes this one a bit unusual is that it looks almost like a square,' she said.

She estimated its size to be about a mile wide.

Scientists have been closely tracking Larsen C since a massive iceberg broke free, and began to spin.

The 'pizzaberg': This berg resembles a slice of pizza. The Triangular iceberg surrounded by many different types of sea ice, off the Larsen ice shelf in the Weddell Sea. In the open water, grease ice is forming.

From yesterday's #IceBridge flight: Mountains in the Shackleton Range, bordering Recovery Glacier, East Antarctica.

From Friday's #IceBridge flight: A lead (fracture within the sea ice) that is partially refrozen and also continuing to freeze over. New, very thin grease ice is forming.

Experts had previously said the giant area, estimated to be about the size of Delaware, was locked into place, saying it 'likely got stuck on the sea bed'

'But now A68 has started to swing northwards,' said Polar oceanographer Mark Brandon recently, who spotted the movement using temperature data collected by the Suomi NPP satellite.

'You can see at between 7-12 July 2018 the weather conditions and ocean currents conspire to swing the trillion tonnes of the giant iceberg A68 in an anticlockwise direction,' he said.

'My guess is that A68a will continue rotating as it is now around that western point, until what is currently the northern edge collides with the Larsen C ice front.

'It has a spectacular amount of momentum and it's not going to stopped easily. I should think we will see some interesting collisions with the ice shelf in the next few months.'

It is believed a 'temperature anomaly' on 20 July 2018, when it was almost 20 C warmer than the mean over the Weddell Sea and Larsen Ice shelf, may have triggered the rotation beginning.

Glaciologist and former Project MIDAS collaborator Martin O'Leary told Earther a collision is 'certainly possible' he doubts it would have much of an effect on either the iceberg or shelf given the slow-motion speed at which it would occur.

Eventually, O'Leary says the prevailing ocean currents will push the iceberg northwards and eastwards into the Southern Ocean 'where it will probably break up and melt.'

Left, a 'temperature anomaly' on 20 July 2018, when it was almost 20 C warmer than the mean over the Weddell Sea and Larsen Ice shelf Right: Sentinel-1 SAR satellite imagery from 29 August 2018 shows that to the north of the iceberg the wind is pushing the sea ice northwards faster than the iceberg is rotating. Iceberg A68 captured from with the Sentinel-1 SAR sensor 29 August 2018 23:58 UTC, showing an area of open water where there is intense sea ice generation happening right now.

last year it was revealed dense ice cover had so far prevented it from drifting far out to sea.

An animation showing its movement over the last few months reveals how the trillion-plus ton Iceberg A-68 has shifted as it's battered by ocean currents, tides, and winds in the Weddell Sea.

While the huge chunk of ice, estimated to be about the size of Delaware, has moved around some, the experts say its surroundings have kept it somewhat locked into place.

An animation showing its movement over the last few months reveals how the trillion-plus ton Iceberg A-68 has shifted as it's battered by ocean currents, tides, and winds in the Weddell Sea

Iceberg A-68 is the sixth largest iceberg on record since scientists began keeping track, and its separation from the ice shelf sparked fears about its future impacts on global sea levels.

Despite all the activity in the Weddell Sea, 'its northern end has repeatedly been grounded in shallower water near Bawden Ice Rise,' according to Project Midas researchers, who have been monitoring the iceberg over the last year.

'These groundings led eventually to further pieces of the iceberg being shattered off in May 2018.

'Whilst not quite large enough to be given labels themselves, the total area of icebergs lost from A-68 in May was the size of a small city.'

Scientists tracking a massive iceberg that broke free from Antarctica's Larsen C Ice Shelf last year say dense sea-ice cover has so far prevented it from drifting far out to sea. It is shown above in July, 2018

While the huge chunk of ice, estimated to be about the size of Delaware, has moved around some, the experts say its surroundings have kept it somewhat locked into place. Its position back in November, 2017 is shown

Earlier this year, scientists released the first-ever footage of 'A-68', a trillion-ton iceberg the size of Delaware that has broken off from Antarctica.

Stunning aerial clips capture the huge crack in Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf that led to the third largest iceberg ever recorded breaking off from the continent last July.

When A-68 separated from Larsen C, it revealed an ocean hidden under the ice shelf for 120,000 years, and a team of scientists are now studying the region to uncover some of the hidden ecosystem's mysteries.

Led by the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the group will study tiny animals, microbes and plankton on the seafloor to see how they cope with severe changes to their environment.

As part of preliminary research for the trip, the team have taken aerial footage of the iceberg to monitor how far it has drifted to sea - the very first video captured of the berg since it calved from Larsen C last year.

Marine biologist Dr Katrin Linse, the BAS researcher leading the mission, said: 'The calving of A-68 provides us with a unique opportunity study marine life as it responds to a dramatic environmental change.

'It's important we get there quickly before the undersea environment changes as sunlight enters the water and new species begin to colonise.

'We've put together a team with a wide range of scientific skills so that we can collect as much information as possible in a short time. It's very exciting.'

The scientists are travelling by ship to collect samples from the newly exposed seabed, which covers an area of around 2,250 square miles (5,800 square kilometres).

The team says their mission is urgent because the ecosystem that's likely hidden beneath the ice for thousands of years may change as sunlight starts to alter the surface layers of the sea.

The team will investigate the area previously under the ice shelf by collecting seafloor animals, microbes, plankton, sediments and water samples using a range of equipment including video cameras and a special sledge pulled along the seafloor to collect tiny animals.

They will also record any marine mammals and birds that might have moved into the area. Their findings will provide a picture of what life under the ice shelf was like so changes to the ecosystem can be tracked.

A-68 is 620 feet (190 meters) thick from top to bottom, with just 100 feet (30 meters) of it is visible above the ocean.

The iceberg was formed by a single crack along Larsen C, its parent ice shelf, and makes up a little over 10 per cent of the shelf.

BAS researchers flew around the iceberg to get a better view of it as it drifts into the Weddell sea.

This newly exposed marine area is the first to benefit from an international agreement made in 2016 by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

The edge of A-68, the iceberg the calved from the Larsen C ice shelf. Nasa took this image in November during a flight that was part of its IceBridge program, which will help researchers understand the bedrock under the ice

This agreement designates Special Areas for Scientific Study in newly exposed marine areas following the collapse or retreat of ice shelves across the Antarctic Peninsula region.

The agreement came following a European Union proposal to CCAMLR, led by BAS scientists.

Professor David Vaughan, Science Director at BAS, said: 'The calving of A-68 offers a new and unprecedented opportunity to establish an interdisciplinary scientific research programme in this climate sensitive region.

'Now is the time to address fundamental questions about the sustainability of polar continental shelves under climate change.

'We need to be bold on this one. Larsen C is a long way south and there's lots of sea ice in the area, but this is important science, so we will try our best to get the team where they need to be.'
Kepler has become the third NASA space telescope in as many weeks to hit major problems.

Chandra and Hubble both malfunctioned earlier this month, putting themselves in 'sleep mode'.

Now, NASA has revealed Kepler has done the same.

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NASA's Kepler Space Telescope still has some life left in it. The exoplanet hunter is now awake after a four-week hibernation period and transmitting data back to Earth. Artist's impression

Following a successful return of data from the last observation campaign, the Kepler team commanded the spacecraft into position to begin collecting data for its next campaign.

However, on Friday, 'during a regularly scheduled spacecraft contact using NASAs Deep Space Network, the team learned that the spacecraft had transitioned to its no-fuel-use sleep mode.'

The Kepler team is currently assessing the cause and 'evaluating possible next steps.'

The aging exoplanet hunter is known to be dangerously low on fuel, and could be approaching the end of its useful life.

WHAT IS THE KEPLER TELESCOPE? The Kepler mission has spotted thousands of exoplanets since 2014, with 30 planets less than twice the size of Earth now known to orbit within the habitable zones of their stars. Launched from Cape Canaveral on March 7th 2009, the Kepler telescope has helped in the search for planets outside of the solar system. It captured its last ever image on September 25 2018 and ran out of fuel five days later. When it was launched it weighed 2,320 lbs (1,052 kg) and is 15.4 feet long by 8.9 feet wide (4.7 m  2.7 m). The satellite typically looks for 'Earth-like' planets, meaning they are rocky and orbit within the that orbit within the habitable or 'Goldilocks' zone of a star. In total, Kepler has found around 5,000 unconfirmed 'candidate' exoplanets, with a further 2,500 'confirmed' exoplanets that scientists have since shown to be real. Kepler is currently on the 'K2' mission to discover more exoplanets. K2 is the second mission for the spacecraft and was implemented by necessity over desire as two reaction wheels on the spacecraft failed. These wheels control direction and altitude of the spacecraft and help point it in the right direction. The modified mission looks at exoplanets around dim red dwarf stars. While the planet has found thousands of exoplanets during its eight-year mission, five in particular have stuck out. Kepler-452b, dubbed 'Earth 2.0', shares many characteristics with our planet despite sitting 1,400 light years away. It was found by Nasa's Kepler telescope in 2014 1) 'Earth 2.0' In 2014 the telescope made one of its biggest discoveries when it spotted exoplanet Kepler-452b, dubbed 'Earth 2.0'. The object shares many characteristics with our planet despite sitting 1,400 light years away. It has a similar size orbit to Earth, receives roughly the same amount of sun light and has same length of year. Experts still aren't sure whether the planet hosts life, but say if plants were transferred there, they would likely survive. 2) The first planet found to orbit two stars Kepler found a planet that orbits two stars, known as a binary star system, in 2011. The system, known as Kepler-16b, is roughly 200 light years from Earth. Experts compared the system to the famous 'double-sunset' pictured on Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine in 'Star Wars: A New Hope'. 3) Finding the first habitable planet outside of the solar system Scientists found Kepler-22b in 2011, the first habitable planet found by astronomers outside of the solar system. The habitable super-Earth appears to be a large, rocky planet with a surface temperature of about 72F (22C), similar to a spring day on Earth. 4) Discovering a 'super-Earth' The telescope found its first 'super-Earth' in April 2017, a huge planet called LHS 1140b. It orbits a red dwarf star around 40 million light years away, and scientists think it holds giant oceans of magma. 5) Finding the 'Trappist-1' star system The Trappist-1 star system, which hosts a record seven Earth-like planets, was one of the biggest discoveries of 2017. Each of the planets, which orbit a dwarf star just 39 million light years, likely holds water at its surface. Three of the planets have such good conditions that scientists say life may have already evolved on them. Kepler spotted the system in 2016, but scientists revealed the discovery in a series of papers released in February this year. Kepler is a telescope that has an incredibly sensitive instrument known as a photometer that detects the slightest changes in light emitted from stars How does Kepler discover planets? The telescope has an incredibly sensitive instrument known as a photometer that detects the slightest changes in light emitted from stars. It tracks 100,000 stars simultaneously, looking for telltale drops in light intensity that indicate an orbiting planet passing between the satellite and its distant target. When a planet passes in front of a star as viewed from Earth, the event is called a 'transit'. Tiny dips in the brightness of a star during a transit can help scientists determine the orbit and size of the planet, as well as the size of the star. Based on these calculations, scientists can determine whether the planet sits in the star's 'habitable zone', and therefore whether it might host the conditions for alien life to grow. Kepler was the first spacecraft to survey the planets in our own galaxy, and over the years its observations confirmed the existence of more than 2,600 exoplanets - many of which could be key targets in the search for alien life Advertisement

Kepler has completed 18 missions since it embarked on its K2 phase, or an extension of its original mission, collecting information about many far-flung planets.

NASA says its has taken 'great strides' towards resurrecting the Hubble Space Telescope after a malfunction caused it to shut down.

The telescope switched on a backup gyro after it entered safe mode due to a failed gyro on Friday, Oct. 5.

However, the gyro began to rotate at an alarming rate, so NASA was unable to switch the scope back on.

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

HOW DO HUBBLE'S GRYOSCOPES WORK? A wheel inside the gyro spins at a constant rate of 19,200 revolutions per minute. This wheel is mounted in a sealed cylinder, called a float, which is suspended in a thick fluid. Electricity is carried to the motor by thin wires, approximately the size of a human hair, that are immersed in the fluid. Electronics within the gyro detect very small movements of the axis of the wheel and communicate this information to Hubbles central computer. These gyros have two modes  high and low. High mode is a coarse mode used to measure large rotation rates when the spacecraft turns across the sky from one target to the next. Low mode is a precision mode used to measure finer rotations when the spacecraft locks onto a target and needs to stay very still. Advertisement

To fix it, NASA went with a tried and tested IT support technique - switching it off and on again.

The Hubble operations team turned the gyro off for one second, and then restarted it before the wheel spun down.

They then commanded a series of spacecraft maneuvers, or turns, in opposite directions to attempt to clear any blockage that may have caused the float to be off-center and produce the exceedingly high rates.

During each maneuver, the gyro was switched from high mode to low mode to dislodge any blockage that may have accumulated around the float.

Following the Oct. 18 maneuvers, the team noticed a significant reduction in the high rates, allowing rates to be measured in low mode for brief periods of time

'The rotation rates produced by the backup gyro have since reduced and are now within an expected range,' NASA said.

Additional tests will be performed to ensure Hubble can return to science operations with this gyro.

It comes as 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.

'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.'

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

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.

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.'
An explosive new biography has revealed details of James Packer's former friendship with Tom Cruise and his brief flirtation with the Church of Scientology.

In The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer, journalist Damon Kitney writes that Packer turned to the controversial religion after falling into a deep depression following the 2001 collapse of his telecommunications company One.Tel.

This devastating business failure prompted him to flee to the United States with his then-wife Jodhi Meares, with his friend Jeff Kennett telling the author: 'He was absolutely suicidal at times'.

An explosive new biography has revealed details of James Packer's former friendship with Tom Cruise and his brief flirtation with the Church of Scientology. Pictured: Packer in March 2018

Packer himself acknowledges he was 'in a bad way' around this time, and those closest to him even feared he would take his own life.

While in America, Packer was introduced to Scientology by Hollywood actor and high-profile church advocate Tom Cruise.

He and Jodhi would apparently spend their days researching the religion and studying its central text, Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

Finding religion: In The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer, journalist Damon Kitney writes that Packer turned to Scientology through his friendship with Tom Cruise. Pictured: Tom Cruise at a Church of Scientology event in Madrid in September 2004

Some of the billionaire's friends believe that Scientology ultimately 'saved James' during this difficult chapter of his life.

Jodhi, now 47, agrees with this assessment, even though she is no longer involved with the church herself.

'There are some really insightful ways to view life and handle life and that is really what Scientology is... particularly if you are going through a difficult time,' she said.

However, Packer's interest in Scientology didn't last - and neither did his friendship with Tom Cruise.

'It's his choice that we aren't friends anymore,' the Australian businessman said.

Life-changing: Some of the billionaire's friends believe that Scientology 'saved James' during a difficult period in his life around 2001 and 2002. His wife at the time Jodhi Meares (pictured in 2001) agrees with this assessment, although she is no longer involved with the religion herself

While it's not known why the two men fell out, Packer has since described the Top Gun star as being a loyal friend at his time of need.

'In 2002 he put me back together,' he said.

Despite reports the late Kerry Packer was opposed to his son's dalliance with Scientology, James insisted his father was actually 'very supportive'.

'My dad saw how damaged I was [by the One.Tel collapse]. It took my father longer than perhaps it should have to see that,' he said.

Understanding: Despite reports the late Kerry Packer (centre) was opposed to his son's dalliance with Scientology, James (left) insisted his father was actually 'very supportive'

'I spent a significant amount of time with Tom Cruise and he was incredibly kind and generous to me. And he would actually ring my father and manage my father.

'The biggest movie star in the world  people take their calls  Tom would ring up Dad and say, "James is a good person and he's getting better." So when I came back from America, Dad saw that I was a lot better.

'He accepted that if Scientology was helping me, he wasn't going to say anything. He was grateful to it for what he saw it was doing to me.'

The Price of Fortune, The Untold Story of Being James Packer by Damon Kitney is available from October 22
They're the British electronic band known for their worldwide hits Firestarter and Smack My B***h Up.

And The Prodigy have announced they are bring their No Tourists tour to Australia in January and February 2019.

The group - consisting of Liam Howlett, Keith Flint, and Keith 'Maxim' Palmer - will be performing in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

The Prodigy announce Australian tour: The legendary electronic band will perform Down Under in 2019 following the release of their album No Tourists. Pictured (left to right): Band members Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Keith 'Maxim' Palmer in 2006

The tour is in support of the group's seventh studio album No Tourists, which is set for a November release.

The latest release is a follow-up to The Prodigy's 2015 album The Day Is My Enemy.

Australian DJs Enschway and ShockOne will be supporting the band during the tour.

Get ready! The tour is in support of the group's seventh studio album No Tourists, which is set for a November release. Pictured performing at Wembley Arena in London in April 2009

Speaking to Music Feeds on Wednesday, Liam Howlett said: 'We are looking forward to bringing No Tourists live to Australia in 2019.'

'Once again, time to bring the rukus!' he added.

Liam, who formed the band in Essex in 1990, spoke to Dazed last month about whether he sees himself as the face of UK music culture.

Coming soon: 'We are looking forward to bringing No Tourists live to Australia,' Liam Howlett (left) told Music Feeds on Wednesday. Pictured with Keith Flint (right) in London in 2009

'I'm aware of what we are. We all know the importance of what we've done, musically  but too much thought on that takes the hunger away from where you're going,' he said.

'I am about respect, though. If I'm walking down the street and someone says, "Good tunes!" I like that. That means more to me than any other pats on the backs.'

Tickets will be available for purchase on Thursday 1 November from 10am
Legions of fans tried to copy her hairdo when she began starring as Rachel Green on the smash hit NBC sitcom Friends.

But Jennifer Aniston has confessed that even she found herself unable to get the style right without assistance back in the day.

'The Rachel' was the work of coiffeur Chris McMillan, whom Jennifer, 49, gave the Hairstylist Of The Year prize at the InStyle Awards on Monday.

Helping hand: Jennifer Aniston confessed at Monday's InStyle Awards that even she found herself unable to get her 'The Rachel' hairdo right without assistance

When she first got The Rachel, she 'was like: "Wow, this is amazing,"' she said in her speech, which InStyle posted in part to its Instagram page.

'And then I was totally left with this, like, Greek, frizzy mop on my head, cause I had no idea how to do what he did. Nobody seems to know how to do what Chris does, and I figured out thats called creating job security, so well done, Chris, on that.'

Said she, per People: 'Aside from all of the amazing work that weve done, the jobs, the trends, the hair styles that weve created, the things that always meant the most to me is how much youve always been there for me and Ive been there for you.'

Throwback: Jennifer is seen sporting 'The Rachel' on an early season of the smash hit NBC sitcom Friends, which ran 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004

I'll Be There For You by the Rembrandts was the theme tune for Friends, for which Jennifer reportedly got paid $1 million per episode during the final season.

'We literally saved each other lives and hearts many, many, many times, and I mean that literally and figuratively,' said Jennifer touchingly of Chris onstage.

She dished: 'I sometimes wonder if Chris is more of an undercover healer than a hairdresser. He just makes everyone feel better as much as look better.'

'The Rachel' was the work of coiffeur Chris McMillan, whom Jennifer, 49, gave the Hairstylist Of The Year prize at the InStyle Awards at the Getty Center

He has indeed stuck by her through tumultuous times in her life, including through her two divorces - first in 2005 when Brad Pitt infamously left her for Angelina Jolie, and then this year when her marriage to Justin Theroux fell apart.

Back in 2005, amid the split from Brad, a People source glimpsed her at Ralph Lauren's swank Chicago restaurant RL, 'just chatting away' with Chris and a couple of other pals and giving the impression she was 'so happy about everything.'

Chris and Mandy Ingber, Jennifer's yoga teacher, were also part of Jennifer's social support system during this year's breakup, E! News reported in February.
Jonah Hill says he was never the partying type.

The Maniac actor talked about his relationship with drinking as promoted his directorial debut Mid90s on Howard Stern's radio show Tuesday.

'No I dont drink. I just dont drink. I just dont party,' Hill, 34, revealed, 'I like to be healthier. I like to be in a good mood.'

His discussion came nearly a year after the death of his brother Jordan at only 40-years-old.

Reasoning: Jonah Hill (above October 18) opened up about some of the reasons he doesn't drink or party anymore while talking to Howard Stern on his radio show Tuesday

He continued: 'Being hungover effects your mood  to me at least. I support people who are living their lives and being happy.'

Jonah politely declined to get into the topic of brother Jordan Feldstein's death during his sit-down with Howard telling the talk radio host: 'The only reason I dont want to talk about it, is because its painful... Not out of disrespect. But I miss him and I love him and I wish he was here.'

Brother Jordan died in December 2017 of pulmonary thromboembolism, or more simply a blood clot in the lungs.

He was only 40 at the time and autopsy reports said he had trace amounts of cocaine in his system.

'Painful': Jonah didn't talk about his brother Jordan (above in 2015) during his sit-down with Howard telling the talk radio host: 'The only reason I dont want to talk about it, is because its painful'

Vice: The actor (above September 2017) still smokes cigarettes, telling the radio veteran: 'Im a human being, so Im trying to quit smoking. Thats a really f**ked up one. Its the last thing Im working on'

Though Jonah's chosen a new, healthy lifestyle, he's still dealing with some vices.

The actor still smokes cigarettes, telling the radio veteran: 'Im a human being, so Im trying to quit smoking. Thats a really f**ked up one. Its the last thing Im working on.'

And Jonah admitted though he's the star of several stoner favorites, he's not a marijuana user.

Jonah opened up about body shamers and his struggle coming to terms with his own identity from an early age on an episode on The Ellen Degeneres Show last Friday.

Early days: 'I came up in goofy comedies and this kind of curly haired, overweight kid and everyone had their own opinion on what I should be,' Jonah, above in 2010, told Ellen about coming to fame as a child

'I came up in goofy comedies and this kind of curly haired, overweight kid and everyone had their own opinion on what I should be,' Jonah told the blonde talk show host as he read an excerpt of his free of charge Inner Children magazine.

'I became famous in my late teens and then spent most of my young adult life listening to people say that I was fat and gross and unattractive,' he recalled in front of the studio audience.

'And it's only in the last four years writing and directing my movie, Mid90s, that I've started to understand how much that hurt had got into my head.'

Mid 90s, Hill's directorial debut, came out in the US October 19.
The day when their children finally leave home and head off to university can be emotional for any parent.

But TV chef Gordon Ramsay has found a novel approach to dealing with his empty nest.

The 51-year-old admitted he was so heartbroken by his son Jack, 18, going to Exeter University that he found himself sitting in his sons room and trying on his clothes.

I went upstairs to Jacks bedroom last weekend and I opened the door, he told a US chat show. His socks and pants are there  and five minutes later I am wearing them.

He is the same size. All mine were in the bloody wash so I thought Jack has nicked my bloody pants again. Low and behold upstairs in his drawer. So I put them on and just sat on the bed thinking, damn bud I miss you. Seriously.

Jacks twin sister Holly, who studies in London, has also left to move into university halls, leaving her father feeling lost and heartbroken.

The star, who has four children with his wife of 22 years, Tana, 44, said he is desperately missing the pair and now hopes their youngest daughter Matilda, 16, will stay at home until she is 25. The couples eldest daughter Megan, 20, is studying psychology at Oxford Brookes University.
Blueground, a hospitality-tech company that provides beautifully designed rentals with high-end furnishings for business professionals and individual renters, has completed a new funding of $12 million from a group of renowned global investors, including Dubai-based Jabbar Internet Group, VentureFriends, and Endeavor Catalyst.



The latest investment marks the fourth and largest round of funding for Blueground, bringing the total investment from global investors in Blueground to nearly $20 million.



The Blueground concept is simple: to lease carefully-selected, high-quality properties in the most sought-after locations on a medium- and long-term stay basis to professionals and individual travellers. Blueground in-house interior design team works with individual and corporate property owners  such as Emaar Properties, Meraas Holding, Daman Investments, Orra International and others  to upgrade properties into best-in-class apartments, ensuring a premium experience for renters, and boosting revenue opportunities for owners by offering a guaranteed steady cash-flow to maximise the propertys annual yield with 100 per cent occupancy guaranteed. The funding has helped Blueground gain the trust and confidence of well-known property management companies and individual owners.



Speaking on the investment announcement, Alex Chatzieleftheriou, Blueground CEO and co-founder, said: Over the past five years, the Blueground team has reimagined the professional leasing sector of the real estate market in Dubai and eight other cities in the US and Europe. As demonstrated by the funding, renowned investors who have previously invested in successful start-ups like Souq.com express confidence in our business model and success.



Amine Housni, Blueground regional manager for Middle East, added: Dubai has been one of the strongest Blueground markets and instrumental in our rapid growth. Having launched in Dubai just two years ago, we have built an impressive portfolio of more than 300 properties in some of the Emirates most desired locations, such as Dubai Marina, DIFC, Downtown, and others. We believe Dubai will continue playing a key role in our future growth, and the new funding will help us sustain this rapid growth and move us closer towards the goal of doubling our Dubai presence to 600 properties over the next year.



Blueground has an ambitious vision for growth, with the goal of becoming the largest tenant in Dubai in 2019, as well as expanding to more than 50 cities with 50,000 properties in its worldwide portfolio by 2023. Besides Dubai, the company is currently present in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Istanbul, and Athens. - TradeArabia News Service
She plays Supergirl.

So Melissa Benoist made sure she fueled up for a heroic day of shooting the CW show Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada.

The crimefighter, 30, gobbled down a hot dog before getting costumed up with her red cape and boots to film alongside The Flash's Grant Gustin.

What's up dog? Melissa Benoist rushed to eat a hot dog in between shooting scenes for Supergirl

Though she was in a hurry, Melissa still looked lovely.

Her hair was tossed into bouncy curls and she appeared like she'd already sat for hair and makeup.

Bundling up from the Canadian chill, the Glee actress donned a fur-trimmed puffer jacket with sweater and jeans underneath.

She reviewed some of the day's script pages while cramming in some calories.

Ready in a flash! After a quick bite Melissa costumed up with her red cape and boots to film alongside The Flash's Grant Gustin

Page-turner: She reviewed some of the day's script pages while cramming in some calories

Casual: Grant arrived on set wearing sweatpants, a Chance The Rapper sweatshirt and LA Dodgers hat

Prepared: Her hair was tossed into bouncy curls and she appeared like she'd already sat for hair and makeup

After a rushed breakfast, she suited up in her Supergirl attire.

Melissa ran through some scenes with Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash on CW's DC adaptation.

He looked ready to run in his all-red suit with gold-trimming and electrifying boots.

Fast talker: Melissa ran through some scenes with Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash on CW's DC adaptation

Work and play! Melissa was ready to go in her supersuit

Shining star: The superstar was aglow during the shoot

Later on Melissa was seen out of costume with Superman actor Tyler Hoechlin.

The duo looked like they were having a blast, laughing uncontrollable while they walked around arm-in-arm.

He had his hair slicked back handsomely while hiding his blue and red jumpsuit under a black down jacket.

Later on Melissa was seen out of costume with Superman actor Tyler Hoechlin

Good times: The duo looked like they were having a blast, laughing uncontrollable while they walked around arm-in-arm

Heroic: He had his hair slicked back handsomely while in his blue and red jumpsuit

Elsewhere on set Arrow's Stephen Amell was seen, in addition to Jesse Rath in full makeup as Brainiac.

Production is well under way on The CW's Arrowverse crossover Elseworlds.

The crossover will take place in Gotham City, and air over three nights, starting with The Flash on Sunday, December 9, continuing with Arrow Monday, December 10 and concluding with Supergirl on Tuesday, December 11.

Crossing over! Production is well under way on The CW's Arrowverse crossover Elseworlds. Above Stephen Amell is seen in costume as Arrow

Reading rainbow: Gustin spent time with a huge prop boot with a turtle on the cover

Smarty pants: Actor Jesse Rath was seen in character as Brainiac

The CW's other two DC Comics superhero shows, DCs Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning, will not be part of the crossover.

The crossover's name, Elseworlds, comes from an imprint of DC Comics that tells stories outside of the primary DC Comics canon.

The CW confirmed in August that Ruby Rose is playing Kate Kane, a.k.a. Batwoman, who will make her debut in the crossover before getting her own stand-alone series in 2019.

Three night event: The crossover will take place in Gotham City, and air over three nights, starting with The Flash on Sunday, December 9, continuing with Arrow Monday, December 10 and concluding with Supergirl on Tuesday, December 11

Maybe next time: The CW's other two DC Comics superhero shows, DCs Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning, will not be part of the crossover

Also confirmed for the crossover are John Wesley Shipp, who returns as the Earth-3 Flash, Jay Garrick, along with some new characters.

Elizabeth (a.k.a. Bitsie) Tulloch has come aboard as Lois Lane, with Cassandra Amell (Stephen Amell's wife) cast as Nora Fries.

LaMonica Garrett was also brought on to play Mar Novu, a.k.a. The Monitor, while Jeremy Davies is playing the crossover's villain, John Deegan.
This time last year, Josh Barker and Elyse Knowles were celebrating their victory after being crowned winners of The Block.

And as 2018's grand finale approaches, the house-flipping power couple have offered some helpful advice for this year's teams heading into auction.

In an interview with Domain, Josh and Elyse shared their tips to surviving the stressful and emotionally draining bidding process.

Elyse and Josh's guide to winning The Block: Last year's champions have shared their essential tips on how to survive auction day... as the countdown to Sunday's finale begins

The 2018 teams  consisting of Bianca Chatfield and Carla Dziwoki, Sara and Hayden Vale, Norm Hogan and Jess Eva, Kerrie Charter and Spence Thomson, and Courtney Brown and Hans Baumgartner  will go head to head at auction on Saturday.

The results will then be broadcast on Channel Nine on Sunday night from 7pm.

Josh and Elyse advised the contestants to take the reserves and auction order in their stride and not allow themselves to get too stressed.

'Listen to [executive producer] Julian Cress. He's done the auction order many times before and knows whats best for everyone,' the couple said.

'A lot of thought has gone into the reserve price from the powers above and while it can be scary and challenging, it's best to accept it as graciously as possible. It's out of your control and won't be changed, no matter what.'

Face off! The 2018 teams  consisting of Bianca Chatfield and Carla Dziwoki, Sara and Hayden Vale, Norm Hogan and Jess Eva, Kerrie Charter and Spence Thomson, and Courtney Brown and Hans Baumgartner (all pictured)  will go head to head at auction on Saturday. The results will then be broadcast on Channel Nine on Sunday night from 7pm

Winners are grinners! Josh and Elyse were announced as winners of The Block last year

Josh and Elyse were announced as winners of The Block in October last year.

The pair - who are the youngest couple to ever appear on the show - pocketed a whopping $547,000 for their efforts.

Radio star Dave Hughes purchased their stunning house at auction for $3,067,000.

The buyer: Radio star Dave Hughes purchased their stunning house at auction for $3,067,000

The fan favourites earned $447,000 in profit at the nail-biting auction, after their reserve price was fixed at $2,620,000.

For scoring the highest amount, they were also rewarded with a bonus $100,000.

The lovebirds cheered as the auction swung dramatically in their favour, with Elyse admitting afterwards the victory was 'life-changing'.
She's been tasked with improving viewing figures as EastEnders' new senior executive producer.

And iconic Walford actor Dean Gaffney has admitted that stars on the show fear being axed by new boss Kate Oates.

The 40-year-old, who plays hapless Robbie Jackson, said: 'Of course Kate will make changes, thats inevitable.

It could be all over: Dean Gaffney has admitted that stars on EastEnders fear being axed by new boss Kate Oates

'I think you wouldnt be human if you werent worried when your contract comes up for renewal,' he told the Mirror.

He added that while he is safe for the meantime, with his contact not being up for some time, 'no actor is bigger than the show'.

EastEnders is currently behind both Coronation Street and Emmerdale in ratings, but speaking at the Inside Soap Awards 2018 - where the cobbles dominated with eight wins - Dean said it was great to hear Kates fighting talk.

New leader: Kate has been tasked with improving viewing figures as EastEnders' new senior executive producer

I think if youve run three of the biggest shows in soap history - the accolades speak for themselves. Shes 38 to do that at her age is incredible. Johns been great but were all excited to have a commander in chief, he added.

Dean also hinted at the Awards that an 'iconic' character is returning to the soap just in time for the festive Christmas season.

He revealed he is 'good friends' with the actor making a comeback to the BBC soap - but he was naming no names.

And the mystery person won't just be lazing around eating mince pies, they will well and truly shake things up in a 'very interesting storyline'.

Back on the square: Dean also teased that an 'iconic' character is returning to EastEnders ahead of an explosive Christmas storyline

Iconic: Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer, would definitely shake things up if she returned to EastEnders this Christmas

Gaffney told Digital Spy: 'We've got a returnee coming back, which is exciting! There's certain people that come back to a show, they might not add to it, but this person definitely adds to it!

'It's good to have this person back. Their storyline at Christmas will be very interesting.'

Looking back at characters close to Robbie during his time in Albert Square, a few intriguing names spring to mind.

Robbie's half-sister Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer, and Robbie's mum Carol Jackson, played by Lindsey Coulson, would be great names to have back on the show.

Back for Christmas? If Bianca did return to Albert Square, is there a chance that her long-suffering on-off boyfriend Ricky Butcher, played by Sid Owen, might be right behind her?

Or if Bianca was set to return to Walford, there's a chance that her long-suffering on-off lover Ricky Butcher, played by Sid Owen might not be far behind her.

That might be unlikely however, as when we last saw Bianca on the soap in 2014 she was heading off into the sunset (well, Milton Keynes) with her new man Terry and kids Morgan and Tiffany.

Meanwhile Carol left in 2015 on the back of her dad Jim's motorbike to travel the world having beaten breast cancer.

Ricky was last seen on EastEnders in 2012, leaving Walford after cheating on Bianca. He returned briefly the same year for his sister Janine Butcher's wedding.
U.S. president Donald Trump, 72, is certainly a divisive figure, and this was no more apparent than on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday.

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, 59, had been invited on the Sydney radio program as part of her promotional tour for her new movie Halloween.

But when host Kyle Sandilands, 47, brought up the subject of Trump, Jamie Lee did not mince her words and said bluntly: 'He is not a good person.'

'You and I are going to come to blows': Jamie Lee Curtis (pictured) clashed with Kyle Sandilands during a heated discussion about Donald Trump on Wednesday morning

Kyle, who has expressed support for the controversial US president in the past, said: 'I like the bad-assness [of Trump].'

'Where is the bad-assness?' asked Jamie Lee pointedly, before dismissing Trump's bravado in the White House.

She added: 'You have to have empathy [to be president] you have to care about people. He does not care about anybody but Donald J. Trump.'

Tense interview: Kyle, who has voiced support for the US president in the past, said he 'liked the bad-assness [of Trump]', a remark which left the Halloween star distinctly unimpressed

Later on, Jamie Lee warned Kyle: 'You and I are going to come to blows, I think.'

Elsewhere during the interview, she said of Trump: 'We're talking about about a man that is destroying my country. Destroying it [with] the environmental laws.'

Perhaps in response to Jamie Lee's hostility towards the right-wing politician, Kyle did admit there was 'a lot [he] didn't like' about Trump.

Causing a stir: Jamie Lee is certainly not afraid to speak her mind while in Australia promoting the critically-acclaimed Halloween sequel

Jamie Lee is certainly not afraid to speak her mind while in Australia promoting the critically-acclaimed Halloween sequel.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, she took aim at society's obsession with youthfulness and called for people to grow old gracefully.

'The term "anti-ageing" makes me crazy, the amount of marketing towards anti-ageing and making it a pejorative,' she said.

'[Ageing] cannot be the pejorative because it happens to everybody. It is like everything else, it is an evolution.'
She announced she was expecting her first child yesterday by digitally pasting her face onto an image of Meghan Markle.

And Amy Schumer quipped about the Duchess again as she posted a snap to her Instagram account on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old comedienne shared a pic of herself over a toilet due to morning sickness and captioned it: 'Today Markle is in Fiji #same,'

'Milf alert': Amy Schumer, 37, appeared to be suffering from morning sickness as she posted a topless snap of herself bent over the toilet on Tuesday

Markle - who announced her pregnancy on October 15 - is visiting the South Pacific islands of Fiji.

And the I Feel Pretty actress confirmed her pregnancy by joking about the child's paternity and revealing she sees the Duchess Of Sussex as her rival.

'Chris and I are thrilled and almost positive he's the father,' Amy said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. 'I look forward to competing with Markle every step of the way.'

Big news: In true Amy Schumer fashion, the actress confirmed her pregnancy by joking about the child's paternity and revealing she sees the Duchess Of Sussex as her rival (pictured June 2018 with husband Chris Fischer)

Mom-to-be: Amy announced Monday she and her husband Chris Fishcer are expecting their first child together

Amy announced Monday she and her husband Chris Fishcer are expecting their first child together.

The comic shared a picture of pregnant royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, digitally replacing their faces with those of herself and husband Chris Fishcer.

Her caption told fans to visit the Instagram page of political journalist Jessica Yellin, where the announcement was made, amid campaigning for the midterm elections.

The original: Amy chose this shot of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to share her good news

'I wanted to share some news from our community, maybe it's noise but it's happy noise,' Yellin said.

'So I'm not in the business of making voting recommendations, but these are the recommendations of Amy Schumer, one of the most consistent and earliest supporters of News Not Noise.

'Now read all the way to the bottom, you'll see there's some news down there. Congratulations, Amy.'

Big news: Amid campaigning for the midterms, political journalist Jessica Yellin announced Amy's news, but fans will be wondering if it is another stunt by the actress

Baby scoop: Yellin revealed Schumer's pregnancy on her Instagram page

At the end of Shumer's list of voting recommendations, it states 'I'm pregnant - Amy Schumer.'

However fans will be left wondering if the talented actress' good news is genuine, after a pregnancy 'announcement' earlier this year turned out to be a simple promotional stunt.

Back in July the newlywed I Feel Pretty star posed in a silky red dress with her hands around her stomach area, seemingly in the classic pregnancy pose.

Her caption read: '@leesaevansstyle and i are cookin somethin Up.' Her followers rushed to congratulate her on the good news.

Happy news: Schumer is seen on August 8 in New York

Crying wolf? Back in July Amy's 'pregnancy announcement' turned out to be a promotional stunt for her new clothing range

But later the Snatched star laughed as she claimed the post was simply meant to tease her new clothing line with stylist Leesa Evans, which includes plus sizes.

In a clip she posted online, Amy was sitting in a bar.

'I am not pregnant, I am ... not pregnant, um, I'm sorry - my hands, friends said my hands were near, it looked like I was pointing to a bump or something but I am not.'

The close friend of Jennifer Lawrence added: 'Lisa and I have created a clothing line and for all sizes and shapes and, um, at a chill price point. Um, that's what I was trying to allude to but thank you for thinking of my womb.'
Weekend magazine is 25 and, to celebrate, the Mails TV critic Christopher Stevens has picked his favourite scripts from Britains top comedy shows. Today, we start with this classic 1982 episode of Only Fools And Horses in which brothers Del Boy (David Jason) and Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) are hired to clean a stately homes priceless chandeliers.

The Sketch: a touch of glass

Written by John Sullivan

When Lady Ridgemeres car breaks down the Trotters help out. At Ridgemere Hall, Del convinces her husband that hes qualified to renovate two Louis 14th chandeliers. He also tries to sell them a naff pottery cat. We pick up the scene in the Trotters flat where Del (Jason) is pacing the room. Grandad (Lennard Pearce) is slumped in an armchair and Rodney (Lyndhurst) is on a dining chair.

The episode contained one of the sitcom's most famous scenes, where Del & Rodney drop an expensive chandelier

DEL: Dont be a plonker all your life, Rodney! Ive just done the deal now. Its 350 quid just to take down and clean a couple of chandeliers.

RODNEY: And do you honestly think hes gonna pay us?

GRANDAD: Of course hes gonna pay us! He aint one of your fly-by-the-night merchants. I mean hes a lord of the realm, hes got blue blood and  and mottos!

RODNEY: He didnt even pay us for that cat.

DEL: Oh shut up about that rotten cat.

RODNEY: Del, you need specialised equipment for a job like this  refined glass brushes, advanced soldering gear. What we gonna use, eh? Superglue and a bottle of Windolene, knowing you!

DEL: Look, Ill get the right equipment, Rodney. I know this panel beater and he owes me a favour. Look, once weve done this job our name will spread. All those dukes an earls theyll be crying out for us. Just imagine it, eh? Just think of it, all the hounds, you know, baying with excitement, as our steeds bite on the rein eager for the chase. Hello, tally ho Sir Herbert. Did you ken John Peel? Come on boy

RODNEY: Take a look at him will yer! Hes spent three hours in a stately home and he thinks hes the Earl of Sandwich! He cant wait to get a shotgun and a retriever and go marching across the grouse moors all done up like a ploughmans lunch, can he?

DEL: No, thats right Rodney. I deserve a bit of the good life, worked hard enough for it, I mean Ive always been a trier. Wheres it got me? Nowhere, thats where its got me! We live alf a mile up in the sky in this Lego set built by the council. Run a three-wheel van with a bald tyre. We drink in wine bars where the only things got a vintage is the guvnors wife! Thats why I want to grab this opportunity with both hands, Rodney. You know, he who dares wins. This time next year well be millionaires.

RODNEY: Do you honestly believe that, Del? I mean, do you really think we can make a success of this?

DEL: Of course we can, Rodney. The door will be opened to a new world. Itll be like Alex Through The Looking Glass. You will dine at the finest restaurants on on steak chasseur and saute potatoes. Your shoes will be by Gucci, your jewellery will come from Asprey, your clothes will be made by Man at C&A! What dyou reckon Rodders, eh? What dyou reckon?

RODNEY: Man at C&A. Yeah, all right. Ill give it a whirl.

DEL: Good boy. You know it makes sense, dont you?

RODNEY: Oi, but we do a proper job, right. No bodging.

DEL: Of course not, what do you take me for, eh?

RODNEY: Oi!

DEL: Ill save the best bit for you.

RODNEY: Ill see you in the morning then.

DEL: Yeah, see you in the morning. Night.

GRANDAD: No bodging. I think he lacks faith in you, Del Boy!

DEL: Always been his trouble, innit, eh? Oi, ere, do me a favour, will you, Grandad? Pop out in the kitchen, see if weve got any Windolene and superglue left, will you?

We cut to the main hallway of Ridgemere Hall. Rodney carries a set of aluminium ladders into the hall and lays them against a wall. He exits to get another set. Grandad is carrying a tool bag and large canvas bag. Del is supervising. Wallace the butler watches from a distance with a growing sense of doom.

DEL: Righto, Grandad, you pop upstairs and get the floorboards up! Now, you know what youre doing dont you?

Grandad reaches into his tool bag and removes a hammer, a large screwdriver and a spanner.

GRANDAD: Dont worry, Del, leave it to me.

DEL: (To Wallace) Oh hes a craftsman. (Calls) Oi, Grandad, dyou want a jemmy?

GRANDAD: No, I had one before we left.

WALLACE: Why does he have to remove the floorboards?

DEL: What is this, the International Year of the Wally-Brain or something? Listen, my good man, how do you think that great big heavy chandelier stays up there on that ceiling, eh? It is not by the power of prayer or double-sided sticky tape! There is a long threaded bolt through that chandelier, it goes through a wooden joist and is held in position by a locking nut. Now in order to undo the locking nut you must first lift up the floorboards. Ordre du jour!

WALLACE: We learn something new every day! If you need me I shall be round at the garages.

DEL: Right. Here, while youre there give the van a wash, will you?

Wallace exits as Rodney enters with a ladder.

DEL: Ah, talking of wally-brains. Come on. Here  watch it!

RODNEY: I mean this is terrific, innit! His lordships nowhere to be seen and now even the butlers having a moody. Dyou reckon were gonna get paid?

They begin to place the ladders beneath one of the chandeliers.

DEL: Look, his lordship is away on holiday, hell pay us when he gets back! Now come on, get these ladders up. Yeah, you never know might be in for a bonus.

RODNEY: Oh yeah, perhaps he might bring us back a nice stick of rock each, eh?

DEL: Well, just shut up moaning, will yer! Oi, Grandad, how you doing?

In the upstairs room, Grandad has the carpet rolled back and has one floorboard removed. He is levering another one free.

GRANDAD: (Calls) All right, Del Boy. Ive found it, Del!

Down in the main hallway, Del and Rodney are standing by the two ladders, unrolling the canvas bag.

DEL: Here you are. See, hes found the nut. I told you we could trust him. Right, come on, get this out.

GRANDAD: (Out of view upstairs) Ive started to undo it.

DEL AND RODNEY: No!

DEL: (Calls) Gordon Bennett, we aint even up the ladders yet!

RODNEY: Grandad  dont you touch nuffink till we tell you.

DEL: Come on, wed better get it up there.

Holding the canvas bag between them, Del and Rodney climb the ladders, carefully enveloping the first chandelier with the canvas bag.

DEL: All right, Rodders? Is there anything you want?

RODNEY: Yeah, I wanna go home! This ladders none too safe.

DEL: The ladders all right. Look, this is the chance Ive been waiting for. Now dont let me down Rodney, dont let me down! (Calls) All right, Grandad, were ready! You can start undoing it now!

In the upstairs room, Grandad places the spanner on the nut and begins easing it round.

GRANDAD: Its coming, Del Boy! (He turns it) One more turn, Del!

Back in the main hallway.

DEL: Right. Now brace yourself, Rodney, brace yourself!

Grandad bangs the nut with the hammer and it comes free. In the hall the second chandelier crashes to the floor with an almighty 17th-century crystal type crunch. Del and Rodney stare at each other for a few seconds before turning to survey the damage.

DEL: (In shock) Grandad was undoing the other chandelier!

RODNEY: How can you tell?

They climb down the ladders, lowering the canvas bag gently to the floor. They walk slowly towards the remains of the chandelier, broken French crystal crunching beneath their feet. Grandad comes downstairs, blissfully unaware.

GRANDAD: All right Del Boy?

DEL: All right? What do you mean all right? Look at it!

GRANDAD: Did you drop it, Del?

RODNEY: Drop it? How could we drop it? We wasnt even holding it! We were working on that one!

GRANDAD: Well, I wish youd said something. I was working on this one! Is it very valuable, Del?

DEL: No, not really! It was bleedin priceless when it was hanging up there though!

RODNEY: Whats his lordship gonna say when he finds out?

DEL: Well, I think I can safely say that my invitation to the hunt ball has gone for a Burton!

WALLACE: Its broken!

DEL: Look, what the hell do you know about chandeliers anyway?

RODNEY: I think hes tumbled, Del!

WALLACE: I shall telephone his lordship at his cottage immediately!

DEL: Yeah, well, tell him to phone us at home. Oh, by the way, has his lordship got our home address and telephone number?

WALLACE: No!

DEL: Good! Right, out of it. Go on.

The Trotters run for the door.

Jimmy Perry, co-writer of Dads Army with David Croft, based Britains best-loved sitcom on his own days in the Home Guard as a teenager. They co-created other classics  but never outdid their most memorable characters, the brave defenders of Walmington-on-Sea. Between 1968 and 1977, the show made national treasures of a motley collection of minor actors: among them, Arthur Lowe as irascible Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as urbane Sergeant Wilson, Ian Lavender as Wilsons illegitimate son, Private Pike, and Clive Dunn as excitable Corporal Jones. Hilarious and immortal comedy.

Jimmy Perry, co-writer of Dads Army with David Croft, based Britains best-loved sitcom on his own days in the Home Guard as a teenager. Picture shows the cast of the show

The Sketch: the Deadly Attachment

Captain Mainwaring and his platoon are in the church hall where theyre guarding a captured German U-boat captain and his seven crew members, whove been picked up by a fishing boat.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Get the Tommy gun, Pike.

PIKE: Tommy gun. Tommy gun? Thank you, yes.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Now look, theres an armed escort picking this lot up.

WILSON: Yes.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: And in the meantime, I want maximum security, you understand? Maximum security.

WILSON: All right, sir. Maximum security. Yes, sir.

FRAZER: Here you are, sir. All loaded and ready.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Right, set it up.

FRAZER: Aye, sir.

CORPORAL JONES: Permission to speak, sir.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Yes.

CORPORAL JONES: Why dont we chop off their trouser buttons?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: What?

CORPORAL JONES: If we chop off their trouser buttons and they try to run away, that would show something unusual. And then if there should be some person nonchalantly walking down the street and they see the men with all their trousers round their legs, they will make some inquiries.

GERMAN: You! You dont dare to do anything of the sort. The Geneva Convention states clearly the prisoners of war shall not be put in humiliating positions.

CORPORAL JONES: (Pointing at his bayonet) Youll be in a humiliating position if you get this up you, mate.

GERMAN: Dont! Dont threaten me, you silly old fool.

CORPORAL JONES: You!

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Jones!

CORPORAL JONES: He called me a silly old fool, sir!

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Were not savages. You get back in your place and speak when youre spoken to.

WALKER: Thats right. Get back in the huddle.

GERMAN: Im warning you, Captain. (Blows smoke in Mainwarings face.)

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Just do as youre told. (Coughing) You see the sort of unscrupulous slime were up against, dont you?

WILSON: I quite agree, sir. Yes, sir. I must admit he has rather an abrupt manner, but we must make allowances for him, sir, you see. Hes probably a little bit upset because he sank his submarine.

MR SPONGE AND ONE OTHER: (Bringing in ladder) Where do you want this, Mr Mainwaring?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Here you are. Set it up here.

PIKE: Mr Sponge, Ill give you a hand.

MR SPONGE: Right. Thank you. There we go.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Right, Pike, get on top with your Tommy gun. Where youve got a clear view of the entire hall. Up you go.

PIKE: You know I cant go up ladders. Not with my vertigo.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Come along, come along, boy.

PIKE: It aint half wobbly. You know Ive got a doctors note.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Will you get up there? Godfrey. Wheres Godfrey? Godfrey!

GODFREY: Did someone call? Im terribly sorry, sir. I mustve dozed off.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Dozed off? Were guarding a dangerous bunch of cut-throats and you doze off? Now, I want you to watch them like a hawk, you understand? Like a hawk! Hold this ladder. (Telephone ringing.) Take charge, will you, Wilson?

WILSON: All right, sir.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: (Answering the telephone.) Mainwaring here.

COLONEL: HQ here. Everything all right, Mainwaring?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Yes, yes, all safe and sound. Just waiting for you to pick them up, sir.

COLONEL: Ah. Well, Im afraid the escort wont be able to get over there until tomorrow.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: You mean, you want us to keep them all night?

COLONEL: Sorry, theres nothing I can do about it. Just give them a blanket each and bed them down. Oh, and give them something to eat of course.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Im afraid weve only got our own sandwiches, Colonel.

COLONEL: Well, send out for some fish and chips.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Send out for?

COLONEL: Ill see you get the money back. Ill be over about 8 in the morning. Cheerio.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Bye. Fish and chips. Wilson.

WILSON: Yes, sir?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Come here. Jones.

JONES: Yes, sir?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Come on, Jones. Conference here. Now, listen, the armed escort cant get here before morning. So, weve got to keep these chaps all night.

CORPORAL JONES: Well, in that case, we really better chop their buttons off.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Put that thing away. Now, Im going to have a word with these prisoners, Wilson.

WILSON: You cant speak any German, can you, sir?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Theyll know by the tone of my voice that Im in charge. They recognise authority when they see it. You better come with me.

WILSON: Yes, of course, sir.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Now, pay attention!

WILSON: I say, theyre awfully well disciplined, arent they, sir?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Nothing of the sort. Just slavish, blind obedience. Not like the cheerful discipline of our own jolly Jack Tars. (Mainwaring clearing his throat.) I tell you, Wilson, theyre a nation of automatons led by a lunatic who looks like Charlie Chaplin.

GERMAN: How dare you compare our glorious leader with that non-Aryan clown. I am making notes, Captain. And your name will go on the list. And when we win the war, you will be brought to account.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: You write what you like. Youre not going to win this war.

GERMAN: Oh, yes, we are.

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Oh, no, youre not.

GERMAN: Oh, yes, we are.

PIKE: (Singing) Whistle while you work, Hitler is a twerp. Hes half-barmy, sos his army, whistle while you work.

GERMAN: Your name will also go on the list. What is it?

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Dont tell him, Pike!

GERMAN: Pike, thank you.

PIKE: You rotten thing!

CAPTAIN MAINWARING: Now look here, Ive had about enough of you. You tell your men that theyve got to stay here for the night and they better behave themselves. Now get on with it.

PIKE: Uncle Arthur.

WILSON: Yes. Now, what is it, Frank?

PIKE: Its not fair. My name going on the list. I was only joking.

WILSON: You really must try and be more careful. You must realise by now that the Germans have absolutely no sense of humour.

PIKE: But he said much worse things about Hitler. He said much worse things about...

WILSON: Quiet! Quiet, Frank. Hell hear you.

PIKE: Do you think if you had a nice word with him, hell take my name off?

WILSON: Yes, all right. Ill have a nice word with him.

Forerunner of Monty Python, At Last The 1948 Show (actually broadcast in 1967) starred Graham Chapman and John Cleese, as well as Tim Brooke-Taylor (soon to be a Goodie), Marty Feldman (soon to be a movie star) and Aimi MacDonald... always known as The Lovely Aimi MacDonald. It was she who coined the phrase And now for something completely different, later the Pythons catchphrase. The Four Yorkshiremen sketch became a Python favourite, too.

An ouse, we only hole int ground covered by a couple of foot of torn canvas

From top: John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman and Tim Brooke-Taylor

Four Yorkshiremen in white dinner jackets are at a table, smoking cigars and drinking wine served by a bow-tied waiter and reminiscing about their humble roots.

first YORKSHIREMAN (FELDMAN): Aye, very passable, not bad at all.

third YORKSHIREMAN (CHAPMAN): Nothing like a good glass of Chateau de Chasselas, eh, Josiah?

fourth YORKSHIREMAN (BROOKE-TAYLOR): Aye, youre right there, Obadiah, dead right.

second YORKSHIREMAN (CLEESE): Whod have thought 40 years ago wed all be sitting here drinking Chateau de Chasselas, eh?

FIRST: Aye, wed a been glad of the price of a cup of tea then.

THIRD: Aye, a cup of cold tea.

ALL: Aye.

SECOND: Without milk or sugar.

ALL: Aye.

FOURTH: Or tea.

FIRST: An out of a cracked cup, at that.

SECOND: Oh, we never ad a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled-up newspaper.

THIRD: The best we could manage was to suck on a piece of damp cloth.

FOURTH: Aye, but you know, I often think we were happier then, although we were poor.

FIRST: Because we were poor. My old Dad said to me, he said: Money wont bring you happiness, son.

SECOND: He was right. I was happier then and I had nothing. We used to live in a tiny tumbledown old house with great oles int roof.

THIRD: Ouse! You were lucky to ave a ouse! We used to live in one room, 26 of us, all there, no furniture, half the floor was missing, and we were all huddled in one corner for fear of falling.

FOURTH: Room! You were lucky to ave a room! We used to ave to live in tcorridor!

FIRST: Corridor! Oh, I used to dream of living in a corridor! That would have been a palace to us. We used to live in a water tank on trubbish tip. Aye. Every morning wed be woke up by aving a load of rotting fish dumped on us! ouse? Huh!

SECOND: Well, when I said ouse, I mean it were only hole int ground covered by a couple of foot of torn canvas, but it were a house to us.

THIRD: Oh, well, we were evicted from our hole in the ground; we ad to go and live in the lake.

FOURTH: Eh, you were lucky to have a lake! There were over 150 of us living in a small shoebox int middle o road.

FIRST: Cardboard box?

FOURTH: Aye.

FIRST: Aye, you were lucky! We lived for three months in a rolled-up newspaper in a septic tank. Aye. Every mornin, wed ave to get up at six, clean out rolled-up newspaper, eat a crust of stale bread then wed ave to work 14 hours at mill, day-in, day-out, for sixpence a week. Aye and then when wed come home, Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt.

THIRD: Luxury. We used to get up at three, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, then wed work int mill for 20 hours for tuppence a month, then wed come home and Dad would beat us about the ead and neck with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!

FOURTH: Paradise. We had it tough. I used to ave to get out of shoebox at midnight, lick road clean, eat a couple of bits of coal gravel, work 23 hours a day at mill for a penny every four years and when we got home, Dad used to slice us in alf wi a bread knife.

SECOND: Right! We used to get up int morning at half past ten at night, alf an hour before wed gone to bed, eat a lump o poison, work 29 hours a day at mill for alfpenny a lifetime, come home and each night Dad would strangle us and dance about on our graves.

FIRST: Aye, and you try and tell that to the young people of today . . . will they believe you?

SECOND, THIRD & FOURTH: NO!

The Sketch: Under the influence

Written by Eric Chappel

Cantankerous, greedy, disloyal and randy, the appalling Rigsby epitomised everything a tenant didnt want in a landlord  but in Rising Damp, the character portrayed by Leonard Rossiter somehow became one of the most popular characters of the Seventies. Perhaps it was because whatever he tried to get away with  seducing Miss Jones (Frances de la Tour) or catching medical student Alan (Richard Beckinsale) breaking the rules  he was destined to fail.

Its teatime and, in his room, crafty Ambrose (Peter Jeffrey, far right, with Rigsby) is toasting a crumpet. When he hears Rigsby on the stairs he puts down the toasting fork and closes his eyes. Rigsby enters in an angry mood.

Leonard Rossite and Peter Jeffrey in the scene from Rising Damp

RIGSBY: Now, come on Ambrose, my patience is exhausted. Wheres my rent?!

AMBROSE: Rigsby! You shouldnt barge in like that, you couldve done untold damage. My mind was in complete repose.

RIGSBY: Youre lucky. I wish mine was. Come on, wheres the rent?

AMBROSE: I was about to enter Nirvana  the state of serenity and self-denial.

RIGSBY: Oh yeah? I bet youre the first bloke to arrive toasting a crumpet.

AMBROSE: For the moment, I had forsaken the world of the flesh, but pass me the butter, Rigsby.

RIGSBY: You can save all that rubbish for your customers  not that you get many customers these days. I passed your stall last Saturday  it was deserted.

AMBROSE: My gifts are not for the marketplace, Rigsby. Im not interested in money. I am a mystic!

RIGSBY: (Snorts) A mystic!

AMBROSE: Yes, like the holy men of India, sitting there all day in their simple loin cloths, pushing rusty nails through their hooters. They dont do it for money!

RIGSBY: What are you talking about? Of course they do it for money. You dont push a rusty nail through your hooter just to see it come out the other side. Its a job like any other. You know what your holy man does after a days work? He goes home  has a shower  takes one of his hundred suits from the wardrobe and drives round Calcutta in a pink Rolls-Royce. I wouldnt have any trouble getting the rent out of them.

AMBROSE: Well, youll get your money, Rigsby just as soon as business picks up.

RIGSBY: And whens that going to be? I know why theres no-one round your stall, mate. It was that tonic you sold to that woman. It was supposed to cure her lethargy. My God, it cured her lethargy all right  all her hair fell out.

AMBROSE: Well, that wasnt my fault. She was supposed to swallow it, not rub it on her bonce.

Rigsby takes a bottle from sample case.

RIGSBY: You couldnt swallow this stuff, itd take the stripes off a zebra! You know she had to sit up all night with her head in a bucket?

AMBROSE: Look, if shed followed the instructions she would have been perfectly all right. Thats a sovereign remedy that is. It cures rashes, pimples, flatulence, piles, blushing, stammering and foot odour. (Pause) And its not bad at getting stains out of suede, either.

RIGSBY: Well, whats in it then, apart from liquid dynamite?

AMBROSE: I cant tell you that, Rigsby! Thats a Romany secret.

RIGSBY: Romany?! Youre not a Romany. The only time youve been in a caravan was when you had that week at Cleethorpes and then you came back on the Thursday. You dont even look like a gipsy.

AMBROSE: Just because I dont wear a spotted handkerchief and earrings it doesnt mean Im not a gipsy. Ive got Romany blood, I have.

RIGSBY: Then why dont you get out and sell a few clothes pegs instead of sitting around here all day?

AMBROSE: I could tell your fortune.

RIGSBY: You cant tell fortunes.

AMBROSE: I can. Im the seventh son of a seventh son. We have the gift. We can draw aside the misty veil of time and see the future.

RIGSBY: You cant see the future. Look what happened when that womans hair came off and her husband came round. We all knew what he was going to do with that starting handle, but you just stood there. He was bound to be distressed, wasnt he? He goes to bed with a flaming redhead, and wakes up next to a billiard ball. If youd have been able to read the future, youd have shinned down the drainpipe!

AMBROSE: I dont use the gifts for myself. They are in trust for my fellow man. Go on  let me tell your fortune. Would you like the cards or the tea leaves?

RIGSBY: You dont think I believe in that rubbish, do you? You know, Im amazed at the gullibility of the British public. If theyre not having their palms read, its their bumps, or their handwriting, or their doodles. Theres even a bloke in Brighton reading womens breast prints! He had a very nice pair through the post the other day. He wrote back predicting a glowing future for her, said she was deeply sincere with a sense of humour  she had a sense of humour all right, shed made them with a couple of oranges. Turned out hed advised a couple of jaffas to invest their money in America.
Kerry Washington put on a stunning display in a short orange dress on Tuesday night.

The 41-year-old showed off her gorgeous legs in the silky orange number with pink trim.

She finished the sexy look in caramel heels, bunching her dark curls high to reveal heavy gold hoops in her ears.

Beauty: Kerry Washington put on a stunning display in a short orange dress on Tuesday night

The Scandal star was the keynote speaker at the opening day of the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York.

She joined Editor-in-chief at Fast Company Stephanie Mehta for a talk entitled The Enduring Power of Live Performance.

There she discussed playing Anita Hill in the 2016 movie Confirmation, which told the story of the sexual harassment allegation against US Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas in the early 1990s.

Sexy: The 41-year-old showed off her gorgeous legs in the silky orange number with pink trim

Accessorize: She bunched her dark curls high to reveal heavy gold hoops in her ears

'Anita Hill taught me what fearlessness really is,' Washington said. 'She really taught me what sacrifice looks like, and how to maintain your dignity in the face of absolute absurdity.

'What Anita did was she gave up her anonymity for the sake of our democracy.'

The Emmy nominee also discussed working with Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes.

Draw: The Scandal star was the keynote speaker at the opening day of the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York

Chat: She joined Editor-in-chief at Fast Company Stephanie Mehta for a talk entitled The Enduring Power of Live Performance

Ensemble: Kerry finished the sexy look in caramel heels

'In Shondaland, I learned the magic of what it could be to work at a matriarchy,' she said.

She added: 'When I told my boss I was pregnant, she literally started jumping up and down with joy.

'Her initial response was not, "Oh, whats going to happen with the show?" She was happy for me first.'
On Monday night she shared a sizzling snap of herself while rocking a red bra and latex shorts to her Instagram page.

And one day later, Sofia Richie flashed her toned legs in gray leggings during a shopping outing in Los Angeles with a pal.

The 20-year-old star paired the Kim Kardashian-inspired bottoms with a white T-shirt with her black straps of her bra peeking through.

Casual day out: Sofia Richie flashed her toned legs in gray leggings during a shopping outing in Los Angeles on Tuesday with a pal

Sofia chose thigh-length spandex shorts that highlighted her derriere and her toned legs.

The bottoms were paired with a black bra and a high-neck neutral T-shirt; she added white and gray hued sneakers.

Sofia sported delicate earrings with a coordinating bracelet with her blonde highlighted tresses pulled back into a center parted, low bun.

The five-foot-six model highlighted her features with pink lipstick and a touch of blush on her cheeks.

Vibes: The 20-year-old star paired the Kim Kardashian-inspired bottoms with a white T-shirt with her black straps of her bra peeking through

On Monday night, Sofia shared a sizzling snap of herself to Instagram while flaunting her toned form.

The daughter of Lionel Richie highlighted her chest in a red bra, adding latex shorts in a matching hue.

The shorts featured a touch of sparkle on the belt buckle.

Wow: On Monday night, Sofia shared a sizzling snap of herself while flaunting her form

Sofia rocked a red wig while posing with a cherry in her hand; she captioned the snap: 'Dare to play.'

The star was first linked to Scott Disick in May of last year; four months later they confirmed their romance.

Since then, the lovebirds have taken their romance all over the world.

Scott, 35, is dad to three children with his ex partner Kourtney Kardashian: Mason, eight, Penelope, six, and Reign, three.
She announced she was expecting her first child yesterday by digitally pasting her face onto an image of Meghan Markle.

And Amy Schumer was spotted for the first time out in public in New York City on Tuesday since revealing the good news.

The 37-year-old comedienne looked happy and healthy with a lovely glow as she sported a beanie and matching sweater.

Glowing: Amy Schumer, 37, was spotted for the first time out in public in New York City on Tuesday since revealing she was pregnant

She also shared a pic of herself over a toilet due to morning sickness and captioned it: 'Today Markle is in Fiji #same,'

Markle - who announced her pregnancy on October 15 - is visiting the South Pacific islands of Fiji.

And the I Feel Pretty actress confirmed her pregnancy by joking about the child's paternity and revealing she sees the Duchess Of Sussex as her rival.

'Chris and I are thrilled and almost positive he's the father,' Amy said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. 'I look forward to competing with Markle every step of the way.'

Happy and healthy: The comedienne looked happy and healthy with a lovely glow as she sported a beanie and matching sweater

Casual mom-to-be: Amy rocked black pants and fresh Adidas sneakers

Big news: Amy announced Monday she and her husband Chris Fischer are expecting their first child together

Amy announced Monday she and her husband Chris Fischer are expecting their first child together.

The comic shared a picture of pregnant royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, digitally replacing their faces with those of herself and husband Chris Fishcer.

Her caption told fans to visit the Instagram page of political journalist Jessica Yellin, where the announcement was made, amid campaigning for the midterm elections.

Funny girl: 'Chris and I are thrilled and almost positive he's the father,' Amy said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times

Joking: 'I look forward to competing with Markle every step of the way,' she added

'Milf alert': Amy Schumer, 37, appeared to be suffering from morning sickness as she posted a topless snap of herself bent over the toilet on Tuesday

Comic genious: The comic shared a picture of pregnant royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, digitally replacing their faces with those of herself and husband Chris Fishcer.

The original: Amy chose this shot of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to share her good news

'I wanted to share some news from our community, maybe it's noise but it's happy noise,' Yellin said.

'So I'm not in the business of making voting recommendations, but these are the recommendations of Amy Schumer, one of the most consistent and earliest supporters of News Not Noise.

'Now read all the way to the bottom, you'll see there's some news down there. Congratulations, Amy.'

Big news: Amid campaigning for the midterms, political journalist Jessica Yellin announced Amy's news, but fans will be wondering if it is another stunt by the actress

Baby scoop: Yellin revealed Schumer's pregnancy on her Instagram page

At the end of Shumer's list of voting recommendations, it states 'I'm pregnant - Amy Schumer.'

However fans will be left wondering if the talented actress' good news is genuine, after a pregnancy 'announcement' earlier this year turned out to be a simple promotional stunt.

Back in July the newlywed I Feel Pretty star posed in a silky red dress with her hands around her stomach area, seemingly in the classic pregnancy pose.

Her caption read: '@leesaevansstyle and i are cookin somethin Up.' Her followers rushed to congratulate her on the good news.

Happy news: Schumer is seen on August 8 in New York

Crying wolf? Back in July Amy's 'pregnancy announcement' turned out to be a promotional stunt for her new clothing range

But later the Snatched star laughed as she claimed the post was simply meant to tease her new clothing line with stylist Leesa Evans, which includes plus sizes.

In a clip she posted online, Amy was sitting in a bar.

'I am not pregnant, I am ... not pregnant, um, I'm sorry - my hands, friends said my hands were near, it looked like I was pointing to a bump or something but I am not.'

The close friend of Jennifer Lawrence added: 'Lisa and I have created a clothing line and for all sizes and shapes and, um, at a chill price point. Um, that's what I was trying to allude to but thank you for thinking of my womb.'
A new trailer for Disney's Mary Poppins Returns dropped Tuesday and gave more teases about what's in store in the Christmas release.

Poppins, played by Emily Blunt, is seen returning to the Banks family home on Cherry Tree Lane in London.

The magical nanny is back to help her former charges Michael and Jane raise Michael's three children following the death of their mother.

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A new trailer for Disney's Mary Poppins Returns dropped Tuesday and gave more teases about what's in store in the Christmas release

Poppins, played by Emily Blunt, is seen returning to the Banks family home on Cherry Tree Lane in London to help her former charges Michael and Jane raise Michael's three children following the death of their mother

While the children protest that they are too old for a nanny, they're soon drawn into Poppins's world where dolphins peek out of the bathtub water and they go on magical adventures under the sea, around the skies of London and at an animated fairground.

There's even the first hearing of a new song from the musical movie as Blunt is heard singing Can You Imagine That?

Also seen in the trailer is Lin-Manuel Miranda who plays lamplighter Jack and Dick Van Dyke who starred in the original 1964 film as Bert.

Michael is played by Ben Wishaw and Jane by Emily Mortimer while there are also appearances by Meryl Streep and Colin Firth.

While the children protest that they are too old for a nanny, they're soon drawn into Poppins's magical world where dolphins peek out of the bathtub water....

... and they go on wonderful adventures

As Poppins takes the children on an underwater adventure, she sings one of the movie's new songs, called Can You Imagine That?

The new trailer also gives a glimpse of some of the colorful animation that's incorporated into the live action feature

In an interview published in September, Blunt spoke fondly of seeing Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins when she was a child, and described the experience of bringing the same character back to life on the big screen.

'Its very surreal to me being Mary Poppins,' the actress told the /Film website.

'I think Mary Poppins as a character is so iconic, and I think the film, for me, and I think for most people, is one of those films that is sort of seared into peoples memory, an emblem of their nostalgia in many ways,' she continued.

British actress Blunt stars int he role made famous in the 1964 original by Julie Andrews and Lin-Manuel Miranda is the lamplighter Jack

Original star Dick Van Dyke, now 92, who played Bert, is seen still busting some dance moves in the reboot

In an interview published in September, Blunt said: 'Its very surreal to me being Mary Poppins'

Blunt said she was struck by the way the nanny was 'so capable and so magical, and just sweeping it all up and making it right. I took a lot of comfort in that as a child, so I think we are trying to, obviously, continue that now too with our film.'

Mary Poppins Returns is directed by Rob Marshall who helmed Chicago and Into The Woods.

The film will be released in North America on December 19 and in the UK on December 21.
Cebu Pacific, the Philippines largest carrier, has announced its latest landmark achievement  having flown over one million passengers between Dubai and Manila.



The development coincides with the company's fifth year of operations in the UAE.



Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and distribution of Cebu Pacific, said: "These are truly wonderful times for Cebu Pacific, now celebrating five years of operations in Dubai. This translates to a landmark achievement for us as we have now flown over one million passengers on this route, from the maiden flight in October 2013 to September 2018. This reflects our strong commitment to serving the UAE residents, including the significant and growing Filipino community residing in the country.



The UAE represents an important market for Cebu Pacific. And since we opened the route five years ago, the Dubai-Manila-Dubai route has become one of the strongest performers in the company's entire network, Iyog said.



In terms of seat load factor, or the percentage of seats filled by passengers, the numbers have remained consistently above 85 per cent. The company is also widely recognised for its efficiency in operations, being listed as the sixth most profitable airline in terms of net margin and the tenth most profitable in terms of operating margin for 2017 by the Global Earnings Scoreboard of leading industry publication Airline Weekly.



At the time of its launch, Cebu Pacific was the first Filipino carrier to land in Dubai in 15 years and the emirate was its first long-haul destination.



The success of the Dubai-Manila-Dubai route paved the way for similar success in other long-haul routes, including Melbourne-Manila and Sydney-Manila. The strong response received for this route has given Cebu Pacific the strategic opportunity to offer travellers a value-for-money flight option from a leading Middle East destination to the Asia-Pacific region, while also highlighting the Philippines as a highly preferred and emerging tourist destination in the Southeast Asian region.



In celebration of the anniversary, Cebu Pacific hosted a milestone gala dinner and a homecoming night with popular social media personality Kulas of Becoming Filipino. Present during these events were deputy consul general Renato Duenas, Jr., members of the Philippine Diplomatic Corps, leading UAE-based companies in the travel trade industry, representatives of the Filipino community and media.



With base fare as low as Dh459 ($124.9), flying via Cebu Pacific from Dubai is as much as 65 per cent lower than fares offered by other airlines flying the same route.



In a move to help attract more passengers to the Dubai-Manila-Dubai routes, Cebu Pacific has continued to offer seat sales. It has expanded its value additions to its servicesincluding new inter-island connections, strategic fare bundle options, new halal certified in-flight meals, convenient transfer choices and key payment options. Customers can pay through UAE establishments PayRemit, UAE Exchange, Al Rais Travel and Shipping Agencies and Abu Dhabi Travel Bureau.



We continue to offer the lowest fares for the Dubai-Manila-Dubai route, including products that are deemed relevant to the market. We know the importance and care that our overseas Filipinos have placed in making these trips--flying home to their families after being away for so long. We understand that, which is why we make sure that we offer them the best and safest flights with ease and connectivity, concluded Iyog. - TradeArabia News Service


He's known for dishing out eyebrow-raising catchphrases in pure Australian fashion.

And on Wednesday, former Bachelor Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins recycled a familiar tongue-in-cheek innuendo.

To describe the act of tucking into his afternoon snack, the 31-year-old former Wallaby penned, 'strapping the feedbag on,' while enjoying a prawn with his mates outdoors.

Yummy! Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins 'straps on the feedbag' and tucked into a juicy prawn... after using the same catchphrase to describe the act of giving oral sex

Taking to his Instagram Stories, Nick posted a video of himself holding up the seafood treat up to his mouth.

Later, the curly-haired larrikin filmed what appeared to be many prawns resting on the boot of a jeep.

Sporting wide grins, Nick's travel companions were seen feasting on the delicacy with the addition of a red sauce.

Hungry guys! Sporting wide grins, Nick's travel companions were seen feasting on the delicacy with the addition of a red sauce

The term 'strapping the feedbag on' was first used by Nick to compare the act of giving oral sex to a woman.

During a segment on KIIS FM's Kyle And Jackie O in late August, Nick unabashedly revealed his passion for giving oral sex to women while speaking to radio duo, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson.

'If they come out of the shower in a nice little bloody nightie. I tell you what, strap the feed bag on for sure!' the reality TV star proclaimed.

Infamous phrase: The term 'strapping the feedbag on' was first used by Nick to compare the act of giving oral sex to a woman

Meanwhile, the social media update comes after the finale of The Bachelor aired on Network Ten earlier this month.

Nick became the first Australian Bachelor to end the series single after dumping both finalists, Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman.

Earlier this week, The Sunday Telegraph reported Nick has since been enjoying a romance with chicken heiress Lucy Steggles, who joined him in completing the 60-kilometre Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea.
She walked away from her Victoria's Secret Angel duties after 17 years at the end of 2017.

But that sure hasn't stopped Alessandra Ambrossio from being the angel that she is, seen gracing the Omega red carpet in Shanghai on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old was dazzling in red as she Lui Shishi, Nicole Kidman and Cindy Crawford as the brand's ambassadors.

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Once an angel, always an angel! Alessandra Ambrossio proved she was still an angel when she stepped out for the Omega launch on Tuesday in Shanghai

Alessandra stunned in a Zuhair Murad gown that drew attention to her ample cleavage with its love heart design.

The red dress was cinched in at the waist and showcased the Brazilian beauty's long lean legs with its short in the front and full length back style.

She teamed the grand ensemble with a pair of complimentary red pumps.

Gorgeous: Alessandra stunned in a Zuhair Murad gown that drew attention to her ample cleavage with its love heart design

Simplistic: Alessandra ensured all eyes were on her gorgeous dress by keeping her hair and makeup look simple

Legs eleven! The red dress was cinched in at the waist and showcased the Brazilian beauty's long lean legs with its short in the front and full length back style

Alessandra ensured all eyes were on her gorgeous dress by keeping her hair and makeup look simple.

The Vogue cover girl had her brunette locks styled back into a loose ponytail with a few strands left out to frame her face.

Her makeup was dewy with subtle blushed cheeks and a soft eye and brow.

Beauty: The Vogue cover girl had her brunette locks styled back into a loose ponytail with a few strands left out to frame her face

The gang: Joining Alessandra was fellow Omega ambassadors Lui Shishi, Nicole Kidman and Cindy Crawford

Joining Alessandra was fellow Omega ambassadors Lui Shishi, Nicole Kidman and Cindy Crawford.

The event was to celebrate the launch of Omega's latest Constellation watch collection.

'The Constellation has always been admired by women all around the world. No matter the country, it has appealed to ladies of all backgrounds and styles,' said Omega president and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, according to Forbes.
Their upcoming film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is set in 1969.

And Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio turned back the clock in more ways than one when they were glimpsed shooting the picture in Los Angeles of a Tuesday.

Brad, 54, and Leonardo, 43, were not only dressed in period attire, but also appeared back in the first flush of youth as they worked on the Quentin Tarantino project.

Hello, gorgeous: Brad Pitt (left) and Leonardo DiCaprio (right) turned back the clock in more ways than one when they were filming Once Upon A Time In Hollywood of a Tuesday

Leonardo threw a rust-colored leather jacket over a splashy canary yellow top, rounding off the Swinging Sixties look with walnut brown trousers.

Meanwhile, Brad left his Hawaiian shirt open over a Champion T-shirt, sporting a hairdo redolent of the one he had in the 1991 flick Thelma And Louise.

The co-stars were glimpsed sitting in a throwback Cadillac Coup DeVille for one scene in the movie, which is set against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders.

Leonardo threw a rust-colored leather jacket over a splashy canary yellow top, rounding off the Swinging Sixties look with walnut brown trousers

Meanwhile: Brad left his Hawaiian shirt open over a Champion T-shirt, sporting a hairdo redolent of the one he had in the 1991 flick Thelma And Louise

Brad was at the wheel and Leonardo in the passenger seat, and at one point Quentin - whom both stars have worked for before - was seen kneeling by the car.

On Monday, Leonardo was seen filming a Once Upon A Time In Hollywood scene in which his character wound up at the back of a police car.

Smoke was seen billowing around the vehicle as it stood by the curb in front of a cocktail bar with glowing neon signage.

Leo played the villainous Calvin Candie in Quentin's 2012 film Django Unchained, while Brad chewed the scenery in its 2009 predecessor Inglourious Basterds.

Cigarette in hand: The co-stars were glimpsed sitting in a throwback Cadillac Coup DeVille for one scene in the movie, which is set against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders

Top brass: Brad was at the wheel and Leonardo in the passenger seat, and at one point Quentin - whom both stars have worked for before - was seen kneeling by the car

Leo and Brad respectively play a 'former star of a western TV series, and his longtime stunt double,' Deadline quoted Quentin as having explained to Sony.

'Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they dont recognize anymore. But [Leo's character] Rick has a very famous next-door neighborSharon Tate.'

Manson Family members Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel butchered Sharon at her and her husband Roman Polanski's Los Angeles home in August 1969 - leaving the word 'PIG' scrawled on the front door in Sharon's blood.

In the house with Tate, who was pregnant, were coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Folger's beau Wojciech Frykowski, and Tate's hairstylist friend and ex Jay Sebring.

History: Leo played the villainous Calvin Candie in Quentin's 2012 film Django Unchained, while Brad chewed the scenery in its 2009 predecessor Inglourious Basterds

Who's who: Leo and Brad respectively play a 'former star of a western TV series, and his longtime stunt double,' Deadline quoted Quentin as having explained to Sony

All of them were killed as well - as was Steven Parent, 18, who had swung by the premises that evening to pay a call on its caretaker Bill Garretson, 19. Fortunately for Garretson, the Manson Family never came across him.

The next night, Manson Family members entered the home of grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary LaBianca, and murdered them too.

Charles Manson himself served life in prison and only died this past November, exactly a week after his 83rd birthday.

Tale: 'Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they dont recognize anymore,' Quentin said, adding: 'But [Leo's character] Rick has a very famous next-door neighborSharon Tate'

What happened: Manson Family members Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel butchered Sharon at her and her husband Roman Polanski's Los Angeles home

In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Margot Robbie features as Sharon, Emile Hirsch as Jay and Damian Lewis as iconic movie star Steve McQueen.

While discussing the film last July, Tate's sister Debra told TMZ that she felt Jennifer Lawrence was 'not pretty enough' to play the slaughtered actress, and she floated Robbie as an option instead.

Two days before that interview appeared online, Deadline had reported that Margot and Quentin had indeed taken a meeting about the possibility of her in the role.

Meanwhile, Steve's first ex-wife Neile Adams told the Toronto-based National Post last year that he had been asked to dinner at Sharon's house the night of her murder, but 'ran into a chickie and decided to go off with her instead.'

What a cast: In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Margot Robbie features as Sharon, Emile Hirsch as Jay and Damian Lewis as iconic movie star Steve McQueen

Incredible lineup: The cast is riddled with Quentin alumni like Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen and Zoe Bell, as well as newcomers to his filmography

Though the film was initially at Quentin's frequent home The Weinstein Company, it moved over to Sony after Harvey Weinstein's operatic downfall amid a storm of sexual misconduct allegations that included accusations of rape.

The producer has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has already ignited controversy over the casting of Emile, who was convicted and sentenced to 15 days in jail for assaulting Paramount executive Daniele Bernfeld at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

The cast is riddled with Quentin alumni like Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen and Zoe Bell, as well as newcomers to his filmography like Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Rumer Willis, James Marsden, Timothy Olyphant and Luke Perry. Damon Herriman will play Charles Manson.

Oh, dear: On Monday, Leonardo was seen filming a Once Upon A Time In Hollywood scene in which his character wound up at the back of a police car

Location, location, location: Smoke was seen billowing around the vehicle as it stood by the curb in front of a cocktail bar with glowing neon signage

History: Though the film was initially at Quentin's frequent home The Weinstein Company, it moved over to Sony after Harvey Weinstein's operatic downfall

Pedigree: The Tarantino new faces in the flick include Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Rumer Willis, James Marsden, Timothy Olyphant and Luke Perry
She's one of the most stylish stars in Hollywood.

And Jaime King looked effortlessly chic when she attended the Spell & The Gypsy Collective Pop-Up Opening Party in Venice, California on Tuesday night, rocking a blue silk kimono.

The 39-year-old actress commanded attention in her cool and quirky look, turning heads in a stunning silk slip and matching cover up.

Looking good: Jaime King looked effortlessly chic when she attended the Spell & The Gypsy Collective Pop-Up Opening Party in Venice, California on Tuesday night, rocking a blue silk kimono

Jaime's pretty kimono boasted beautiful floral embroidery on the back of the garment.

The star wore her hair in a glamorous updo, pinning the top sections of her hair up in a retro style.

She completed her look with a pair of pink suede peep toe heels from Stella Luna, that were finished off with pretty bow detailing.

Jaime most recently starred alongside Sylvester Stallone and Dave Bautista in the action movie Escape Plane 2: Hades.

Glamorous: The 39-year-old actress commanded attention in her cool and quirky look, turning heads in a stunning silk slip and matching cover up

Stylish: Jaime's pretty kimono boasted beautiful floral embroidery on the back and on the billowing sleeves

She is currently filming the upcoming Netflix zombie series Black Summer, which is set to premiere in 2019.

Jaime is married to director Kyle Newman. The couple met on the set of Fanboys in January 2005 and tied the knot November 23, 2007, at Greystone Mansion, Los Angeles, where Kyle had proposed. They share sons James, four, and Leo, three.

Jaime previosuly discussed the pitfalls of fame in a candid interview, explaining how she turned to heroin in her modelling heyday.

The beauty began her career in 1993 when she was just 14, moving from her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, to New York, where she landed campaigns for the likes of Calvin Klein.

Perfection: The star wore her hair in a glamorous updo, pinning the top sections of her hair up in a retro style

Stylish from head-to-toe: She completed her look with a pair of pink suede Stella Luna peep toe heels, finished off with pretty bow detailing

Checking out the clothes: Jamie was enjoying a preview of the new clothing collection

I was radically successful, and Im still grateful for it, but it made me feel very unsafe, she said of her modelling career to LOVE magazine.

I didnt know how to process those emotions until I was much older. When I moved to New York I didnt have any friends.'

However, aged 19 she turned her back on drugs and modelling, relocating to Los Angeles and branching out into acting.

Stepping out: Owner Isabella Pennefather and model Ashley Hart attended the event
Corrie bosses have moved to keep two of their most glamorous stars in the soap for another year.

Tina O'Brien and her on-screen daughter Lucy Fallon have been offered new contracts after impressing producers with how they handled their hard-hitting storylines over the past year.

Lucy, 22, has picked up a string of awards for her harrowing portrayal of sexual abuse victim Bethany Platt, with 35-year-old Tina working closely alongside her.

Stars of the show: Coronation Street's most glamorous stars Lucy Fallon and her on-screen mum Tina O'Brien have signed new contract after impressing bosses

A source revealed to MailOnline: 'Lucy has been a great addition to the cast and her performances have been amazing.

'She's been a massive hit with the audience since she joined and has picked up some major accolades for her acting skills throughout the Bethany storylines. Her performances have been top drawer and a new deal is well-deserved.

'Tina's return has also been well-received and the mother and daughter work well together.

Strong bond: A source told MailOnline: 'Tina's return has also been well-received and the mother and daughter work well together'

'The executives are also well-aware that they need some glamour in the show and want to guard against people deciding to leave at the same time when their contracts are up so they were both offered new deals at the earliest opportunity.'

MailOnline has contacted Coronation Street representatives for comment.

Since joining in 2015, Lucy has taken the soap world by a storm and has won a number of prestigious accolades including Best Actress at the British Soap Awards.

Now her hard work will be rewarded with a new 12-month deal.

Controversial: Lucy, 22, has picked up a string of awards for her harrowing portrayal of sexual abuse victim Bethany Platt (pictured on the show with Nathan, played by Christopher Harper)

And 'mum' Tina  who came back into the show at the same time as Lucy  has just put pen-to-paper on another year's contract to play Sarah.

It comes after Jack P Shepherd was said to have signed a 250,000 deal to stay in the soap , reportedly making him one of the highest paid stars.

In the wake of the claims, Kym Marsh, 42, has said she doesn't care about Jack's reported 30,000 salary increase to play loveable rogue David Platt.

Mum Tina  who came back into the show at the same time as Lucy  has just put pen-to-paper on another year's contract to play Sarah

Kym, who has played Michelle Connor since 2006, is believed to earn 150,000 for her role but insists the huge pay gap doesn't affect her.

She told OK! Magazine: 'There were reports last week that stated that Jack P Shepherd was the highest paid actor on Corrie, but we dont talk about how much we earn at work.

'In the past Ive read I earn a different amount to what I actually do. No one knows and, actually, no one cares!'

Jack was crowned the Best Actor for his character of David on the Manchester cobbles at the Inside Soap Awards on Monday night, with the soap's bosses being impressed at how the actor handled the male rape storyline.
Fans will next see her on the big screen in supernatural horror Suspiria opposite Dakota Fanning and Tilda Swinton.

And before she gears up for her next release, Chloe Grace Moretz, 21, cut a low-key figure as she ran errands around Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Brain on Fire actress wore a pair of pinstripe high-waisted trousers for the outing.

Low-key: Chloe Grace Moretz, 21, cut a low-key figure as she ran errands around Los Angeles on Tuesday

She teamed her chic suit trousers with an oversized black denim jacket over a simple printed T-shirt.

Keeping it casual, Chloe donned a pair of navy blue slidders and accessorised her off-duty ensemble with her cat-eye Prada Eyewear.

The Hollywood starlet left her shoulder-length hair in a loose tousled style while she held her phone in her manicured hand.

Keeping casual: The Brain on Fire actress wore a pair of pinstripe high-waisted trousers for the outing

It has been a busy few months for Chloe, who was promoting The Miseducation of Cameron Post over the summer.

The film saw Chloe play a lesbian teenager whose guardians place her into gay conversion therapy during the 1990s.

While promoting her new movie, the actress, who is one of five children and has two gay brothers, opened up about her close bond with her siblings Colin and Trevor.

On the big screen: It has been a busy few months for Chloe, who was promoting The Miseducation of Cameron Post around the world over the summer

Talking to Gay Times, the actress revealed: 'The healthiest relationship that I've ever seen and grew up with was not that of my parents, it was that of my brother and his boyfriend who have been together  still to this day  for 11 years.'

Next up, Chloe will next be seen on the big screen in the horror film Suspiria with Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton.

The movie - about a nightmarish secret hidden within the walls of a famous German dance academy - opens in theatres on November 16.
She clashed with KIIS FM host Kyle Sandilands during a heated discussion about US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

And Jamie Lee Curtis, 59, looked happy and relaxed as she flashed the peace sign on her way to lunch at Sydney's Bondi Icebergs.

The actress, who is Down Under to promote her new movie Halloween, cut a casual figure in an all-black outfit consisting of a jacket, shirt and ankle-length trousers.

No feud here! Jamie Lee Curtis flashes the peace sign in Sydney after her tense exchange with Kyle Sandilands about US President Donald Trump

The Golden Globe winner accessorised her outfit with sunglasses, a bag and heeled boots.

The low-key outing comes after a fierce debate with radio host Kyle about President Trump.

Kyle, 47, brought up the subject of Trump, Jamie Lee did not mince her words and said bluntly: 'He is not a good person.'

Casual: The actress, who is Down Under to promote her new movie Halloween , cut a casual figure in an all-black outfit consisting of a jacket, shirt and ankle-length trousers

Tense: The low-key outing comes after a fierce debate with radio host Kyle about President Trump. Kyle, 47, brought up the subject of Trump, Jamie Lee did not mince her words and said bluntly: 'He is not a good person'

Kyle, who has expressed support for the controversial US president in the past, said: 'I like the bad-a**ness [of Trump].'

'Where is the bad-assness?' asked Jamie Lee pointedly, before dismissing Trump's bravado in the White House.

She added: 'You have to have empathy [to be president] you have to care about people. He does not care about anybody but Donald J. Trump.'

Fierce: 'Where is the bad-assness?' asked Jamie Lee pointedly, before dismissing Trump's bravado in the White House. She added: 'You have to have empathy [to be president] you have to care about people. He does not care about anybody but Donald J. Trump'

Later on, Jamie Lee warned Kyle: 'You and I are going to come to blows, I think.'

Elsewhere during the interview, she said of Trump: 'We're talking about about a man that is destroying my country. Destroying it [with] the environmental laws.'

Perhaps in response to Jamie Lee's hostility towards the right-wing politician, Kyle did admit there was 'a lot [he] didn't like' about Trump.
They've been married for just a week - and supermodel Karlie Kloss and her handsome groom Joshua Kushner were pictured out in New York on Tuesday night.

The 26-year-old held hands with her handsome beau after he picked her up from the office and walked with her to the train station.

Karlie was dressed for the cold, wearing a navy coloured Max Mara teddy coat over a simple plain white T-shirt, with black skinny jeans and two-tone shoes.

Karlie Kloss and husband Joshua Kushner held hands as they stepped out in New York on Tuesday night... a week after their shock wedding

American businessman Joshua, 33, mirrored her style wearing a smart navy jacket over black jeans and trainers.

It's fair to say they surprised fans with their wedding announcement last week when they took to Instagram to share the news.

Karlie shared a picture from their big day, showing her in a white lace Dior wedding dress while holding a bouquet, and her new husband looking dapper in a black suit.

She simply captioned the snap: '10.18.2018'.

What a gentleman: Joshua had picked Karlie up from an office where she was working and walked with her to the train station

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 magazine: '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.

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 that 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.'
In September, fans were delighted to watch Great British Bake Off return to Channel 4, debuting 12 fresh home-bakers.

And Kim-Joy, Rahul Mandal and Ruby Bhogal have been unveiled as the finalists for the series, set to battle it out for the coveted trophy on October 30.

Briony Williams was sent home packing on Tuesday's semi-final, which saw judge Paul Hollywood compare the Bristol native's mirror-glaze cake to incontinence pants.

They're through! Kim-Joy, Rahul Mandal and Ruby Bhogal have been unveiled as the finalists for Great British Bake Off, set to battle it out for the coveted trophy on October 30

Despite her departure, the 33-year-old maintained a positive approach as she said: 'Sad to not be going through to the final, but so happy about how far Ive come. What an experience.

'I still love baking  I love baking more than ever, she added. I dont often say that Im proud of myself. But I am, Im proud of myself.

Project manager Ruby, 29, proved to be on top of the batch as she was awarded as the Star Baker during Patisserie Week on Tuesday.



Booted off: Briony Williams was sent home packing on Tuesday's semi-final, which saw judge Paul Hollywood compare the Bristol native's mirror-glaze cake to incontinence pants

Beaming with delight, chef Paul, 52, congratulated her: Your choux buns are fantastic!

The brunette also earned the Star Baker title during Danish Week for her Smorrebrod and Kagekone.

Ruby grew up in an Indian family and remembers her mother making Indian sweets when she was a child. The Londoner loves to make cakes and pastries and boozy treats for her friends and family.

Triumphant: Project manager Ruby, 29, proved to be on top of the batch as she was awarded as the Star Baker during Patisserie Week on Tuesday

During the semi-finals, Kim-Joy was left in tears over chocolate mousse, declaring she was ready to leave the tent when she couldn't make the dessert, leaving viewers heartbroken.

The mental health specialist, 27, was awarded Star Baker during the series' first ever Spice Week for her mini gingerbread house and festive chandelier, as well as during Vegan Week.

She was born in Belgium to an English father and Malaysian-Chinese mother, grew up in London and now lives in Leeds, and previously revealed her mixed-heritage background is reflected in her open attitude to all styles of baking.

She said: 'None of my family really bake, it's just me that bakes. My friends have always wanted me to apply, but I didn't feel confident enough to apply until this year. I went into the tent mostly for myself to see if I could do it!'

Passion: Mental health specialist Kim-Joy, 27, was awarded Star Baker during the series' first ever Spice Week for her mini gingerbread house and festive chandelier, as well as during Vegan Week

Talented: Receiving many Hollywood handshakes during the series, research scientist Rahul, 30, secured first place during Break and Cake Week

Receiving many Hollywood handshakes during the series, research scientist Rahul, 30, secured first place during Break and Cake Week.

Born in India, he moved to the UK on a university scholarship when he was 23 and now lives in Rotherham. Once in the UK, he discovered new flavours and cuisines that have inspired his East-meets-West style of baking.

Speaking on his love for baking, he said: 'I think pretty much everybody I know will be surprised. They know I bake, but not to the scale that I could enter the tent.'

Judges Paul, Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig will decide who is crowned champion on the highly-anticipated final next week.

Great British Bake Off's final airs on Channel 4 on October 30 at 8PM.

Huge task: Judges Paul, Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig will decide who is crowned champion on the highly-anticipated final next week
Her presenting career is going from strength to strength with stints on I'm A Celebrity spin off Extra Camp.

And Scarlett Moffatt has clearly been making the most of her time off from her hectic schedule as she jetted off for her 11TH holiday of the year on Monday.

The former Gogglebox star, 28, joined her best pals for another sunshine break in an undisclosed location, sharing a selfie of herself with a glass of bubbly, writing: 'As ye olde insta quote goes 'catch flights not feelings' week with my besties'.

Envy-inducing: Scarlett Moffatt has clearly been making the most of her time off from her hectic schedule as she jetted off for her 11TH holiday of the year on Monday

Cheers: The former Gogglebox star, 28, joined her best pals for another sunshine break in an undisclosed location, sharing a selfie of herself with a glass of bubbly, writing: 'As ye olde insta quote goes 'catch flights not feelings' week with my besties'

Scarlett has been racking up the air miles this year, visiting exotic locations including Dubai, Vietnam and Cyprus on her whirlwind travel year.

The travel bug was clearly not sated for the star, who confessed she is set to pack in two more holidays before 2018 comes to a close.

She wrote on social media: 'Love a holiday me babe ha!! Got Australia and Hong Kong left for this year and no more holidays I swear ha xx'

The brunette beauty kicked off her world tour with a New Year's break with her family to the swanky Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.

Here we go: The brunette beauty kicked off her world tour with a New Year's break with her family to the swanky Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai

Fairytale: After a sun-soaked two week break, she briefly returned home before travelling to Disneyland Paris with her family, including sister Ava, 12

It's a tough life: Her Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway commitments kept her in England for three months, but come April there was no stopping the star as she travelled to Florida to film the series finale

Scarlett's 11 holidays in 2018 January - Dubai January - Disneyland Paris April - Florida May - Amsterdam May - Vietnam June - Majorca August - Ibiza August - Las Vegas September - Cyprus October - London October - undisclosed location TO COME: Australia and Hong Kong Advertisement

After a sun-soaked two week break, she briefly returned home before travelling to Disneyland Paris with her family, including sister Ava, 12.

Her Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway commitments kept her in England for three months, but come April there was no stopping the star as she travelled to Florida to film the series finale.

The next month she jetted to Amsterdam, and then Vietnam as part of a sponsorship deal with Malibu.

June saw the star visit Majorca with her gal pals, with a wild break in Ibiza and a Las Vegas trip following in August.

She then enjoyed two weeks in Cyprus in a private villa with her family in September.

Good times: In May she travelled to Amsterdam for a quick break

See ya: The star then visited Vietnam as part of a sponsorship deal with Malibu

Palma vibes: June saw the star visit Majorca with her gal pals

Hen do: She jetted to Ibiza for a hen do in August

The star began her birthday celebrations with a trip to London and a stay at celeb favourite the Park Plaza County Hall Hotel.

She wrote on Instagram: 'Breakfast in bed and a view of the London eyeball what a way to start my 28th birthday. Looking forward to seeing what Chapter 28 brings.'

Scarlett, Joe Swash and Joel Dommett will be joining Holly Willoughby and Declan Donnelly in the presenting line up for this year's I'm A Celeb.

Wild break: The star visited Las Vegas with her pals in August

The presenting trio will once again head up ITV2's I'm A CelebrityExtra Camp this autumn and will chat to evicted stars as they leave the jungle and get all the behind the scenes gossip from the show.

All three are former contestants, with comedian Joel, 33, coming second to Scarlett, in 2016.

Meanwhile, former Eastenders star Joe, 36, was crowned King of the Jungle in 2008.

Family time: She then enjoyed two weeks in Cyprus in a private villa with her family
Raul (above left) is a high school senior succeeding in three college courses. Despite growing up in a small low-income farming community, hes confident in his academic skills because he attends a school where learners progress after demonstrating mastery. (Raul is providing a tour to state legislators above.)

The two schools in the town of Wilder serve 500 elementary and secondary students. Located in the Snake River Valley, 30 miles west of Boise, many parents of Wilder students work in a Simplot plant that supplies French fries to McDonalds, or a big meat processing plant north of town, or support farms of corn and hops.

Nearly all Wilder students live in or near poverty. Many move frequently and are new to English. Despite the challenges, Wilder schools are innovating in a dozen ways that makes them worth visiting.

1. Students have voice and choice in learning; they can choose the best way for them to learn: in class, online, or through projects.

2. Every student develops a personal learning plan with their mentor.

3. Instead of bells and chaotic passing periods, Wilder student go where they need to go when they need to go (which adds a couple of weeks of learning time each year).

4. The schools are mastery-based. Students get the time and attention they need to master important knowledge and skills at a high level.

5. A mental health professional helps students deal with the impacts of trauma.

6. Every K-12 student has an iPad (with mobile connectivity) in part thanks to an Apple ConnectEd grant.

7. Teachers target 1.5 years growth each year for students-- 2 years of growth for learners that enroll well behind their age cohort.

8. Teachers get a half day each Wednesday to work together.

9. High school students can take college credit courses at school or online. Almost all Wilder seniors graduate with college credit.

10. Wilder teachers focus on habits of mind and create positive discipline options that change behaviors.

11. In a well-equipped studio, middle school students create animated films.

12. To welcome and inform all the visitors to Wilder schools, every classroom has a skilled and informed student ambassador.

Jeff Dillon (above) grew up in Wilder. Ten years ago, he returned to his hometown to serve as elementary principal. Six years ago, the board added Superintendent to his title.

Wilder schools joined the Idaho Mastery Education Network two years ago. The goal of the program is to move students away from the current time-based system to a mastery-based system to allow for a more personalized and differentiated learning experience with a focus on explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that will empower students and prepare them for the 21st Century.

Nineteen Idaho districts and incubators have received more than $1 million in funding to support 32 schools. Grants provide professional development, travel, technology, teacher stipends and supplies.

All of the districts/schools were given a seat time waiver, said Kelly Brady, Director of Mastery Education for the Idaho State Department of Education . There is a great amount of work devoted to policy and procedures that are either perceived or real barriers as we make the needed changes for success and equality for all Idaho students.

Technical assistance and professional development continue to be an important aspect of making the need shifts during the planning/design phase and the implementation phase, added Brady.

Dillon said, Were finding success in building student ownership for learning.

There was some staff turnover with the new program said Dillon. Mastery makes clear which teachers are the most effective.

The mastery approach, said Dillon, requires great teachers that can connect with students, and leaders passionate about the progress of individual students.



Synergy in Kuna

Synergy is student-centered academy at Kuna Middle School in a southwestern suburb of Boise. A team of four teachers supports just over 100 students using the Summit Learning platform.

Teachers supplement the personalized learning system with big integrated projects. Students conduct exhibitions of learning three times a year.

Students set academic goals with their mentors every week. Each student has a unique Google calendar schedule tied to their academic goals.

The large classrooms have a variety of seating arrangements including desk, tables, and couches for individual and team activities.

Wendy Johnson is superintendent of the Kuna School District . She has allowed the academy to remain a small open enrollment experiment. Based on early success, a second team at Kuna Middle School and a third team at Fremont Middle School implemented the Summit Learning platform.

Idaho school visits to Wilder and Kuna by state legislators were sponsored by the NCSL Student-Centered Learning Commission . The commission is exploring personalized and competency-based learning that enables students ownership over their learning and takes place anytime, anywhere.

For more, see:

The photos above were taken by Tom Vander Ark
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) has announced the launch of an online chatbot platform Jawab, which has been designed and developed to effectively respond directly and automatically to enquiries from exhibitors, organisers and visitors on all event-related aspects, including the diverse range of services provided by Adnec.



With this launch, Adnec becomes the first venue within the exhibitions and conferences sector in the Mena region to launch a customer interactive machine learning chatbot, and among the top companies globally to adopt this new technology, which contributes to facilitating and accelerating the process of providing information to public and private sector customers.



Adnec will launch the trial stage of Jawab during the Middle East Games Con 2018, which will run from October 25 to 27 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, aimed at testing and developing the program on the companys website.

The services will initially be tested in English and eventually include Arabic, to facilitate continuous communication with the companys customers in a timely manner throughout the year.



Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, group CEO of Adnec, said: It is our constant endeavour to integrate the latest technological advancements seamlessly into our products and service offerings, as part of our mission to foster a culture of innovation and excellence, which effectively contributes to enhancing our competitiveness and capabilities to emphasise Abu Dhabis position as the regional capital for business tourism.



He added: In line with our commitment to innovation, we launched Jawab, a chatbot platform based on Artificial Intelligence, aimed at enhancing customer experience and providing them with accurate and timely information about our centres, services and the events that we organize or host, which falls in line with the UAEs policy to enhance the field of science, technology and innovation.



Al Dhaheri expressed his pride in the companys centres for being the first in the Mena region to implement this latest technology in its trial stage, which will contribute to enhancing customer happiness and satisfaction levels. He added that this initiative reflects Adnecs keenness to adopt the latest technology for strengthening the operational efficiency of all programs, projects and activities that are under its supervision and responsibility.



Jawab operates through three platforms - Adnec website, Al Ain Convention Centre (AACC) website, and soon Facebook Messenger application - offering features such as voice command and textual communication. The interactive chatbot is among the smart applications that are capable of learning with time, by analysing customer queries and updating future information.



The next stage of Jawab is planned to be launched during the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) 2019, and will provide more features, functions and improvements, including bilingual interaction.



Adnec has been at the forefront of fostering a culture of innovation, particularly for its employees, by developing tools, methodologies and best practices that nurture their potential and enhance the companys focus on creativity.



In this context, the company launched its innovation strategy and supported it with the launch of the Innovation Lab last year, enabling its people to adopt innovation related best practices and develop innovative ideas and solutions to help ADNEC achieve its quest of becoming the leading global venue for hosting and organising international events, exhibitions and conferences. - TradeArabia News Service
She recently jetted to Dubai for a 'make or break it' trip with fiance John Noble.

And now Vicky Pattison, 30, showcased her sensational figure in an array of photos on Instagram as she soaked up the sun on an unicorn pool float in Portugal.

The former Geordie Shore star, who is currently enjoying an Algarve based boot camp, appeared in jovial spirits as she hilariously attempted to pose for photos on the inflatable mythical creature.

Having fun: Vicky Pattison, 30, showcased her sensational figure in an array of photos on Instagram as she soaked up the sun on an unicorn pool float in Portugal

Vicky accentuated her svelte figure and ample cleavage in a white swimsuit as she straddled the float in the midst of the crystal clear water.

She worked her brunette locks off her face in a wet style and sported a pair of oversized shades as she giggled towards the camera before eventually falling off the pool accessory.

She captioned the shots: 'Id say Instagram v reality but to be quite frank- I dont know which one is which. Here is the evolution of Susan the Unicorn.. What a day this was man!!

'I almost got the hang of it- then I started showing off! Rookie mistake! btw... and I love her...'

Horsing around: The former Geordie Shore star, who is currently enjoying an Algarve based boot camp, appeared in jovial spirits as she hilariously attempted to pose for photos on the inflatable mythical creature

Water about it: Vicky accentuated her svelte figure and ample cleavage in a white swimsuit as she straddled the float in the midst of the crystal clear water

Her fun-filled snaps come after the star admitted that she is 'fighting a battle' in her relationship after being plagued by rumours of strife following the death of her best friend Paul Burns and two of John's grandparents' passing earlier this year.

Speaking to New Magazine, the I'm A Celeb star was typically candid about her battles as she admitted the couple are struggling.

She said: 'We're going to Dubai, so we're out of the hardest bit. My birthday's coming up, his birthday is coming up, so we're on a nice run of seeing each other a lot. Everyone's fighting a battle to make it work.

Their wedding planning has been a hot topic, as she admitted she has had to put their big day on ice as she has been struggling to focus on the wedding.

Giggling: She worked her brunette locks off her face in a wet style and sported a pair of oversized shades as she giggled towards the camera before eventually falling off the pool accessory

The interview came shortly before, Vicky shared several loved-up snaps with her fiance as the pair enjoyed a luxurious holiday in Dubai.

Their loved-up display comes amid claims the duo - who got engaged in July 2017 - were apparently not on speaking terms until Tuesday and had severed ties on social media, with sources claiming their relationship is 'hanging by a thread'.

'Vicky and John's relationship is hanging by the thinnest of threads, but they both think what they've got is worth fighting for,' an insider told The Sun.

'When they first rekindled their flame two years ago John was exactly the kind of stable man Vicky wanted, but as time's gone on she's found it harder to commit to a quiet life up North when all her mates are still down here in London.

That was then: The star admitted that she is 'fighting a battle' in her relationship after being plagued by rumours of strife following the death of her best friend Paul Burns and two of John's grandparents' passing earlier this year

Struggling through: Speaking to New Magazine, the former Geordie Shore star was typically candid about her battles as she admitted the couple are struggling

'It's been causing massive rows and John has warned her if she doesn't start making him a priority over her pals and work it's over.'

Vicky reportedly asked John to accompany her in Dubai where she's working at the moment so they can 'talk things through'.

John had allegedly felt like he was playing 'second fiddle' to Vicky's busy lifestyle in London. The businessman is also reportedly desperate to start a family while Vicky was said to be less keen.

Vicky appeared to hint at troubles in their romance when she shared a cryptic post about the 'perfect relationship' on Instagram on Wednesday.

Sharing a snap of the couple enjoying a rooftop dinner, she wrote: 'I can't promise you a perfect relationship, but what I can promise you is if you're trying, I'm staying.'
She recently enjoyed a sun-soaked break in the United Arab Emirates with boyfriend Simon Motson.

But Myleene Klass didn't display a hint of the holiday blues as she arrived at work at the Global Radio Studios in London on Wednesday.

The sunkissed 40-year-old presenter looked as glamorous as ever in a pink T-shirt with the slogan 'hot mess', which she teamed with chic camouflage-print trousers.

Looking good: Myleene Klass, 40, nailed casual chic in a 'hot mess' T-shirt and camo-print trousers as she headed to work in London on Wednesday

Myleene, who is mother to daughters Ava, 11, and Hero, seven, warded off the October chill in a grey longline cardigan.

The brunette beauty added height with a pair of nude suede pumps and a Chanel leather tote bag.

Sweeping her glossy dark tresses in a tousled chignon, she shielded her eyes behind mirrored cat-eye shades.

Chic: Myleene, who is mother to daughters Ava, 11, and Hero, seven, warded off the October chill in a grey longline cardigan

Glam: Sweeping her glossy dark tresses in a tousled chignon, she shielded her eyes behind mirrored cat-eye shades

Killer accessories: The brunette beauty added height with a pair of nude suede pumps and a Chanel leather tote bag

Earlier this month, Myleene was sunning herself on holiday with her boyfriend Simon Motson and wasted no time in sharing pictures of the couple chilling in the pool.

Getting away from the UK for a few days, the couple spent time together soaking up the sun in the United Arab Emirates.

One of Myleene's holiday photos of herself enjoying a cocktail suggested that it was a bit of a boozy break, as she added the caption 'Gin-tervention'.

Stunning: Myleene cemented her sartorial credentials as she attended Bohemian Rhapsody's UK premiere on Monday night

Gorgeous: She recently enjoyed a sun-soaked break in the United Arab Emirates with boyfriend Simon Motson

Myleene is feeling happily loved up and recently paid tribute to her fashion PR boyfriend of two years, calling him 'the love of my life'.

'Happy birthday to the love of my life,' she penned across the snaps shared on her Instagram stories.

The couple went public with their relationship in May 2017, and the brunette previously raved of their romance: 'He is so hot. It's lovely. I'm enjoying myself.'
It was claimed she had split from her boyfriend Ryan Maloney on Tuesday, following a make or break holiday to Thailand.

So it must have been a little awkward for Kerry Katona, 38, when hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford brought up a picture of her kissing him.

Kerry maintained a dignified silence as she glanced at the snap, during a debate on whether public displays of affection are appropriate.

Oh dear: Kerry Katona appeared awkward when Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford brought up a picture of her kissing Ryan Maloney during PDA debate... a day after they 'SPLIT'

All over? The couple recently went on a make or break holiday to Thailand where they put on a PDA, but things appear to have turned sour

The topic came up after Prince Harry and Meghan's PDA during their world tour.

Kerry said she was a big fan of their affectionate displays for one another and said: 'I watch them, and I think aww look!

'Millions of us tuned in to watch us them share their first kiss as a married couple. I think it would be something wrong if someone didnt want to hold my hand!'

Something to say: Kerry was on the show to discuss whether or not PDA's are acceptable following Prince Harry and Meghan's affectionate displays during their world tour

When Eamonn and Ruth showed Kerry her own kissing picture, she said: 'I don't do that on purpose. That's in my private time. I love affection.'

Following her words, Eamonn and Ruth had a playful row and in response, Kerry poked fun at her multiple marriages.

She said: 'You need a good divorce lawyer, I know one, I should be a divorce lawyer myself!'

She said to them: 'You need a good divorce lawyer, I know one, I should be a divorce lawyer myself!'

Awkward: When Eamonn and Ruth showed Kerry her own kissing picture, she said: 'I don't do that on purpose. That's in my private time. I love affection'

Kerry continued: 'It's nice to kiss! I look at them, and it gives me hope and a nice warm feeling, its about time we see the Royals show affection'

Kerry continued: 'It's nice to kiss! I look at them, and it gives me hope and a nice warm feeling, its about time we see the Royals show affection.'

It was announced on Wednesday that Kerry and Ryan had split up after four months of dating.

The TV personality first confirmed her romance with hunky personal trainer Ryan, 29, in the summer but their relationship appear to have fizzled out - despite being pictured together just the other night, all over one another.

Posing: Backstage, Kerry showed off her unicorn-coloured locks as she stood for some photos
She's modelled for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Victoria's Secret and Guess, and isn't afraid to push the boundaries of fashion.

And on Wednesday, Australian stunner Jessica Hart sure turned heads when she attended a preview of the Christian Dior Couture Cruise 2019 Collection in Sydney.

The statuesque blonde, 32, wore a flowing white shirt dress with an over-sized black corset, as she lead celebrity arrivals at the event.

Turning heads! Jessica Hart showcases her sartorial savvy in a flowing white shirt dress and a black corset as she leads red carpet arrivals at the Christian Dior fashion event in Sydney

Jessica's frock featured long sleeves and a flowing skirt and she teamed the look with black lace-up shoes and a black handbag.

Jessica - who hails from Sydney but is based in the US - wore her long locks out and over her shoulders in loose waves.

She kept her makeup simple, with the Luma Beauty founder wearing dewy foundation and a soft pink lip and rosy eye shadow.

All in the details! Jessica's frock featured long sleeves and a flowing skirt and she teamed the look with black lace-up shoes and a black handbag

The model appeared in high spirits, as she joined the likes of fellow catwalk queen Jessica Gomes, 34, at the event.

Jessica - who is a budding actress and also has her own beauty brand - looked chic in a white high-neck mini dress and a fluffy cream coat.

She wore Dior sandals and carried a white handbag.

Girls' night! The model appeared in high spirits, as she joined the likes of fellow catwalk queen Jessica Gomes, 34, (pictured) at the event

Living it up! The pair both attended the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne at the weekend

Looking chic! Jessica - who is a budding actress and also has her own beauty brand - looked chic in a white high-neck mini dress and a fluffy cream coat

The pair both attended the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne at the weekend.

Also attending the event were models Erin Holland and Montana Cox.

Former Miss World Australia Erin, 29, looked sleek and stylish in a black blazer which she teamed with a black shirt and a black cut-out skirt.

Former Australia's Next Top Model winner Montana, 25, opted for a maroon outfit, looking chic in a crochet dress which had black detailing.

Fashion darlings! Also attending the event were models Erin Holland (pictured) and Montana Cox

Edgy! Former Miss World Australia Erin, 29, looked sleek and stylish in a black blazer which she teamed with a black shirt and a black cut-out skirt
She recently denied she's dating multimillionaire Justin Hemmes.

And Montana Cox stepped out solo with some of Sydney's fashion elite for the preview of the Christian Dior Couture Cruise Collection, on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old showcased her slender figure in a burgundy knitted dress.

Single and ready to mingle! Montana Cox flaunts her trim pins in a burgundy frock at Christian Dior event... after denying Justin Hemmes romance rumours

Her elegant long-sleeved frock skimmed her knees and showed off her trim pins.

She wore a Dior belt around her waist to accentuate her slender figure.

The stunner added to her luxurious look with a purse and platform clog sandals.

Chic: Her elegant long-sleeved frock skimmed her knees and showed off her trim pins

For makeup she opted for a glowy, orange look with peach shadow on her eyes, flush cheeks and a pink pout.

It comes after she denied she was in a relationship with Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes.

'We are just friends, we have always just been friends, I think people just like to talk about things,' she recently told the The Sun-Herald's The Goss.

'We are just friends, we have always just been friends': Montana's night out at the couture event comes after she denied she was in a relationship with Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes 45, (right)

It's over: Justin announced his split from the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler (left) in July, after nearly five years together

According to the newspaper, Montana joked about being 'a bit devo' that she was still single.

'There's plenty of fish in the sea,' the former David Jones ambassador continued.

The speculation came after Justin announced his split from the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler, 28, in July, after nearly five years together.

'There's plenty of fish in the sea': Montana joked that she's 'a bit devo' about still being single

Upon confirming his split from Kate in July, the prominent Sydney hotelier said they had actually separated six months prior.

In April, Justin was pictured helping Montana disembark from a seaplane during a group outing which included Kate and friends in Sydney.

Justin and Kate share two daughters together - Alexa, two, and 15-month-old Saachi.
She's one of the most talented stars in the industry right now.

And Claire Foy was turning heads at a photocall for The Girl In The Spider's Web during the 13th Rome Film Fest, held at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Italy on Wednesday.

The Crown actress, 34, was dressed to impress in a beautiful white frock with subtle black detailing.

Chic: Claire Foy was turning heads at a photocall for The Girl In The Spider's Web during the 13th Rome Film Fest, held at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Italy on Wednesday

Claire's striking dress was knotted at the bust and featured cut-outs at the waist and a ruffled hem.

She set off the elegant attire with a slick of glossy red lipstick and coral coloured blusher, and donned a simple headband to complement her brunette bob.

Claire is taking over the iconic role of Lisbeth Salander, becoming the third actress to play the fictional hacker on the big screen.

She follows on from Noomi Rapace in the 2009 Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel, and Rooney Mara in Sony's 2011 American adaptation.

Making a statement: The Crown actress, 34, was dressed to impress in a beautiful white frock with subtle black detailing

Glamorous: Claire's striking dress was knotted at the bust and featured cut-outs at the waist and a ruffled hem

Photocall: She was joined by her co-star Sylvia Hoeks to promote the new film in Rome

After 2011's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, most expected Sony to adapt the next two books in the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

Instead, the studio opted to continue the franchise by adapting The Girl in the Spider's Web, the first novel from David Lagercrantz, who took over the book series after Larsson's death.

Lagercrantz's second novel in the series, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, was published last year, with his third as of yet untitled novel slated for release in August 2019.

Film franchise: Claire is taking over the role of Lisbeth Salander, becoming the third actress to play the hacker

Claire recently admitted her disdain for the term 'strong women', often used to describe female characters on screen.

'I have absolutely no interest in portraying what other people think of as strong. It's a way of making women more acceptable in a male world,' the 34 year-old told Sydney Morning Herald.

'I am just not on board with that. I don't think women are crying out to see strong women.'

Putting in an appearnace: Synnove Macody Lund was arriving at the photocall in style

Joining forces: Sverrir Gudnason was also in attendance to help promote the film

The actress continued: 'I think we know we are all strong but we're just crying out to see women on screen at all!'

The admission comes after the British thespian spoke candidly about how she felt utter disdain around being paid less than her male co-star Matt Smith, after they both starred in The Crown.

Speaking to NET-A-PORTERs digital magazine PorterEdit earlier this month, she said; 'I was deeply hurt by [the pay gap], because I'd been working on that show for two years. I loved everybody on it.

Leading actress: She follows on from Noomi Rapace in the 2009 Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel, and Rooney Mara in Sony's 2011 American adaptation

New adaptation: After 2011's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, most expected Sony to adapt the next two books in the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

In conversation: Claire was joined by her co-stars as they discussed the new film

'And then I realised, there's been a big, fat, dirty secret that nobody's ever talked about. Then there was also that thing [of being] an inadvertent spokesperson. Why did it have to be me?'

However, in July she quashed any reports that she was promised back pay from Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix, despite varying reports that she was owed 100,000 by the companies.

Married to actor Stephen Campbell Moore, the mum of one is currently riding a wave of success with starring roles in First Man alongside Ryan Gosling and The Girl in the Spider's Web.

Beaming: Claire put on an animated display as she answered questions about the new film
She was left devastated after her dog went missing on the Cobbles earlier this month.

And now Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman's devious character Evelyn Plummer has enlisted the help of Roy Cropper as she continues her hunt to find her beloved pet pooch.

The feisty character previously realised her pet pooch was missing earlier this month and immediately roped in her grandson Tyrone Dobbs, played by Alan Halsall, 36, to help track down her beloved pup.

On the hunt: Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman's devious character Evelyn Plummer has enlisted the help of Roy Cropper as she continues her hunt to find her beloved pet pooch

Equipped with a scarf and her trusty binoculars, Evelyn is now seen desperately trying to find her canine companion down a country lane away from Weatherfield.

The no-nonsense character, who is clad in her plaid overcoat and blue hat, fears Cerberus has been dognapped and has got Roy onboard for an impromptu stake out.

However not everything goes to plan when they are stopped by police after the window's of his classic Morris Minor steamed up.

Roy is seen carefully exiting his car in his beige-coloured overcoat while he is questioned for their curious behaviour.

Curious: Roy is seen carefully exiting his car in his beige-coloured overcoat while he is questioned for their curious behaviour

Ready and waiting: Equipped with a scarf and her trusty binoculars, Evelyn is now seen desperately trying to find her canine companion down a country lane away from Weatherfield

Stake out: The no-nonsense character, who is clad in her plaid overcoat and blue hat, fears Cerberus has been dognapped and has got Roy onboard for an impromptu stake out

In-between filming the scenes, the actors appeared to be in good spirits, laughing and joking about on set.

The storyline follows on from earlier this month when Evelyn spotted Cerberus being walked on a lead by an unknown man.



As she sprinted towards the unknown man, Tyrone ran ahead of his grandmother and confronted the man walking the adorable dog.

Roy Cropper joined the chase, to offer support to Evelyn and Tyrone in their attempt to retrieve her pup.

Looking out: She put the binoculars up to her face

Beaming: She appeared in jovial spirits in the car

Caught out: However not everything goes to plan when they are stopped by police after the window's of his classic Morris Minor steamed up

After finding what she thought was her dog with another 'owner,' Evelyn got short shrift as the mystery man said possession is 9/10ths off the law.

As the trio challenged the mystery man about stealing Cerberus, they were left dumbfounded as he refused to hand the dog back to Evelyn.

The current storyline comes as actress Maureen revealed she returned to Coronation Street after her late husband gave her a sign from beyond the grave.

Unsure about whether to take the role, Maureen told the Mirror she was convinced it was the right thing to do when a light shone on a photograph of her late other half, former Corrie scriptwriter Jack Rosenthal, who died in 2004 aged 72.

Having fun: In-between filming the scenes, the actors appeared to be in good spirits, laughing and joking about on set

Delight: David Neilson, who plays Roy Cropper, appeared in good spirits

Action! David smiled as he relaxed in between scenes in his car

She said: 'As I was finishing writing the show my agent called and said how would I feel about going into Coronation Street.

'For a while I thought I cant do that Ive got a partner in London, Ive got dogs and grandchildren, do I want to leave London?

'I didnt know what to do but the light over my late husband Jacks picture sometimes comes on for no reason and whilst I was sitting there wondering what to do of course on it came.

Chit chat: Roy is seen carefully exiting his car in his beige-coloured overcoat while he is questioned for their curious behaviour

Following on: The storyline follows on from earlier this month when Evelyn spotted Cerberus being walked on a lead by an unknown man

Back story: As she sprinted towards the unknown man, Tyrone ran ahead of his grandmother and confronted the man walking the adorable dog

'I thought it was a nice way to circle 50 years because I met Jack in 1969 when I came to Manchester to join a theatre group called The Stables and I thought it would be quite a nice way to go back to something that he started his career doing, he started by writing episode 13 of Coronation Street.'

Maureen's Corrie comeback was confirmed in August, and new series producer Iain MacLeod is delighted she is heading back to Weatherfield.

He said: 'I am beyond thrilled that we are introducing such a great new character, played by someone of Maureen's pedigree.

'Evelyn is eye-wateringly withering and will add a fresh dollop of northern humour to the show as she turns Tyrone and Fiz's lives upside down.'
Jamie Lee Curtis is on top of the world after her latest film, Halloween, became a massive blockbuster over the weekend with a $77.5m domestic opening.

But life was not always so sweet for the 59-year-old actress who has two children with husband of 33 years Christopher Guest.

The Hollywood vet - whose parents are Hollywood Golden Age stars Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh - had an opioid addiction for 10 years, she told People. 'I was ahead of the curve of the opiate epidemic,' she said. 'I had a 10-year run, stealing, conniving. No one knew. No one.'

Her struggle: Jamie Lee Curtis revealed in the new issue of People that she was an opioid addict for 10 years and no one knew

But she pulled it off: Here the icon is seen in 1995 at the height of her addiction

The addiction began in 1989 when she was prescribed opiates after minor plastic surgery 'for my hereditary puffy eyes.'

And then she hustled to keep her addiciton going, often stealing pills from friends.

During that time she made blockbusters such as 1994's True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

She was likely high when she made True Lies with Arnold Shwarzenegger in 1994

No one knew until her sister found out in 1998.

The next year Jamie went to a 'recovery meeting' and then she told her husband.

'I'm breaking the cycle that has basically destroyed the lives of generations in my family,' Curtis said.

'Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment bigger than my husband, bigger than both of my children and bigger than any work, success, failure. Anything.'

The beginning: Jamie is seen here in 1989 - the year she started taking opioids - with dad Tony Curtis, and siblings Benjamin, Kelly, Nicholas and Allegra in Beverly Hills

Her dad Tony - best known for co-starring with Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot - had addiction issues as well.

He went on to abuse alcohol, cocaine and heroin, and was very open about his struggle; he passed away in 2010.

And her half-brother Nicholas Curtis died from a heroin overdose in 1994.

Now she has been sober for almost 20 years thanks to consistent meetings.

'In recovery meetings, anyone who brings up opiates, the entire room will turn and look at me, because I'll be like, "Oh here, talk to me. I'm the opiate girl,"' she explained.

Pre addiction: When she starred in her first Halloween movie in 1978 she was sober

New success: Her new Halloween movie is a blockbuster movie and she is loving the attention

She is happily married to Guest and has two kids with his: daughter Annie, 31; and son Tom, 22.

Curtis is also a successful children's book author.

This comes after Jamie locked horns with KIIS FM shock jock Kyle Sandilands on Wednesday morning about Donald Trump.

When Sandilands, 47, brought up the subject of Donald Trump, Jamie Lee did not mince her words and said bluntly: 'He is not a good person.'
She may have been left heartbroken and devastated when she failed to win over Nick Cummins' heart on The Bachelor.

But it seems that Cassandra Wood is putting the heartache behind her.

The 24-year-old blonde beauty admitted on Thursday that she's 'in a good place' after being dumped by the former Wallabies star, 31.

'I finally feel like I'm in a good place': The Bachelor's Cassandra Wood brushes off her heartache after being dumped by Nick Cummins... amid claims she's 'fallen for his brother'

'I finally feel like I'm in a good place,' Cassandra told The Daily Telegraph.

The publication reports that Cassandra was asked if she had spoken to Nick since the finale aired and paused, before saying that she's been 'focusing' on herself.

'I've just been kind of focusing on myself and making sure I'm happy,' Cassandra said.

Former flame: The publication reports that Cassandra was asked if she had spoken to Nick (pictured) since the finale aired and paused, before saying that she's been 'focusing' on herself

Are they dating? Meanwhile, it was reported by Woman's Day this week that the accounting student has set her sights on Nick's younger brother, Jacob, 25 (pictured)

Meanwhile, it was reported by Woman's Day this week that the accounting student has set her sights on Nick's younger brother, Jacob, 25.

The publication claims Cassandra turned to Jacob for support after being rejected by Nick on the show.

'It started off as a friendship and things could well have blossomed,' a source said.

'They're waiting for all the show's hype to die down before they make any announcement on the status of their relationship, but Nick couldn't be happier for them.'

Heartbroken: The publication claims Cassandra turned to Jacob for support after being rejected by Nick on the show

More than friends? During an episode of The Bachelor that aired in late August, Jacob appeared to bond with Cassandra while offering relationship advice

During an episode of The Bachelor that aired in late August, Jacob appeared to bond with Cassandra while offering relationship advice.

In a piece to camera, Jacob explained that he and Nick had previously spent time holidaying with Cassandra on the Gold Coast.

He said at the time: 'I met Cass about a year ago. She was up for the summer, up at the Gold Coast and we went surfing with Nick and we had a few yarns, few beers.

'They have a history outside, so it'll be interesting to see how it works for her.'

Meanwhile, Jacob could have competition from another suitor in the form of newly-evicted Bachelorette star Nathan Favro.

On Friday, Cassandra took to Instagram to share several videos of herself enjoying a beach date with Nathan, 23, in Sydney.
There's been plenty of talk about The Apprentice casting loud characters in favour of candidates who demonstrate savvy business acumen.

And it would seem the most recent casualty of the boardroom agrees in part with this sentiment.

On Wednesday night's edition of the reality series, Lord Sugar fired 21-year-old Alex Finn, who told MailOnline he hadn't been given 'a chance to shine' yet.

Gone boy: On Wednesday night's edition of the reality series, Lord Sugar fired 21-year-old Alex Finn, who told MailOnline he hadn't been given 'a chance to shine' yet

'My tactic was always to be myself,' he reflected. 'I wasnt the loudest and most dramatic - and naturally it's the louder ones that noticed more.

'The quiet ones just seem to be overlooked a bit. But as the tasks progress, a deeper business knowledge is required. It happened to last year's winner James [White].'

Alex found himself up against project manager Sabrina Stocker and Sian Gabbidon, with Alex being fired due to a lack of sales.

Out! Alex found himself up against project manager Sabrina Stocker and Sian Gabbidon, with Alex being fired due to a lack of sales

Cringe: Alex appeared to talk Lord Sugar into firing him, as the awkward boardroom scene played out in the fourth episode of the current season

'I havent been robbed, it's a fair competition, but I definitely have had no chance to shine,' he said.

Alex appeared to talk Lord Sugar into firing him, as the awkward boardroom scene played out in the fourth episode of the current season.

He insisted that he was 'a natural salesman' and that he didn't sell anything because he was 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'.

Lord Sugar argued that being at a bodybuilding depo and selling bodybuilding-related products couldn't have been a better case of the right place at the right time. So he fired him.

Backstabber? Of PM Sabrina, the business hopeful said 'she gives me a headache' and branded her 'a backstabber'. 'It's all 100 tactical,' he said

'I think it was misinterpreted,' Alex explained. 'What I meant was that I was put in the sub-team in the last hour when I should have been out selling in the last hour.

'You can give the best sales pitch five times at the start of the day but if people don't want to buy, they're not going to buy. So it's a case of timings.'

Alex insisted he would have aimed to be PM on the next task, had he gave gotten through. While the task sees the teams designing women's shoes [Alex works with IT, social media and drones], he insisted he would have given it '200 percent'.

'The boys seem to be under-performing; they dont seem to be doing anything,' he said, referring to the fact that only one girl has been fired from the show thus far. 'I'm just gutted that Im not there to get a win for the boys really!'

Of PM Sabrina, the business hopeful said 'she gives me a headache' and branded her 'a backstabber'.

'She plays the innocent person and is actually quite the backstabber. It's all 100 tactical,' he said.

Tease: At the end of the episode, it looked at Lord Sugar would be dismissing two candidates, telling Sian and Sabrina that he had been 'doing the numbers'.

At the end of the episode, it looked at Lord Sugar would be dismissing two candidates, telling Sian and Sabrina that he had been 'doing the numbers'. Yet they both got sent back to the house.

'I do believe he may do a multiple firing over the next couple of weeks,' Alex predicted, despite being in the dark about who goes on to the next round and who eventually wins.

Of his next move, Alex said: 'I am looking for an investment. I want to give someone 50 percent of my successful business to someone who will invest in me.

'And that's just money that Lord Sugar won't get his hands on!'

The Apprentice airs on BBC One, Wednesdays at 9PM.
TCN News

A daylong meeting of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hinds working committee under the presidentship of Maulana Usman Mansoorpuri, JUH National President was hel yesterday at its central office in New Delhi. The members of the apex body i.e. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Working Committee (JUHWC) has decided to launch a nationwide movement for enlisting missing names of Muslims in the voters lists. The members of (JUHWC) also took stock of Uttrakhands High Court decision for banning fatawa and prevailing situation in Islamic world especially in Saudi Arabia.

Jamiat took decision to launch voters list movement in the wake of revelation made by Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy (CRDDP) that names of several lakhs Muslims have been missing from the voters lists that is affecting electoral and social strength of community. In order to rectify the anomaly, The National Working Committee has issued advisory to all its local branches in various states to take up this work on war footing. They have also been advised for creating mass awareness about the same.

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The members of (JUHWC) also expressed their deep concern over the decision of Uttrakhands High Court for banning issuance of fatawa by Islamic institutions. However they expressed satisfaction over stay intervention by the Apex Court.

The members of (JUHWC) also reviewed Jamiats committee report about ongoing reform measures undertaken by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have asked the committee members to submit exclusive resolution in the next meeting of (JUHWC).

The JUHWC has decided to hold its concluding centenary conference in November, 2019 at Deoband which was earlier scheduled to take place in the Month of February 2019.

In the meeting of (JUHWC) a detailed report on Jamiats relief and rehabilitation efforts in Kerala was also presented. The members of (JUHWC) expressed their satisfaction over this report. It is to be noted that till now Jamiat has spent more than five crore rupees on relief and rehabilitation work in Kerala. At present, Jamiat is engaged in construction of 100 houses and repairing 100 damaged houses after flood devastation.

The meeting was attended by nearly 40 members and special invitees representing across the country.
He was last seen arriving in France to start a new life, with his plot to steal the New Years loot foiled by villainous Mel Owen.

And Ben Mitchell will is set to make an explosive comeback on EastEnders, says his on-screen brother Jamie Borthwick.

Jamie, 24, who plays Ben's adoptive brother Jay Brown on the BBC soap, said actor Harry Reid's unexplained exit as the Walford bad boy left many doors open.

Return: Ben Mitchell will make an explosive comeback on EastEnders says his on-screen brother Jamie Borthwick

Speaking to Digital Spy, Jamie said: 'Of course I would like to see Ben back.

'Ben left in a way that was kind of unexplained, I suppose he's got to come back at some point, whether it's now or whether it's in two years or three years, but of course I'd love to have him back.'

MailOnline has contacted EastEnders for comment.

More to tell: Jamie, 24, who plays Ben's adoptive brother Jay Brown on the BBC soap, said actor Harry Reid's unexplained exit as the Walford bad boy left many doors open

Unexplained exit: Jamie said: 'Ben left in a way that was kind of unexplained, I suppose he's got to come back at some point, whether it's now or whether it's in two years or three years'

Earlier this week, Dean Gaffney, who plays Robbie Jackson in the soap, revealed an iconic character would mark their return to Albert Square in an bombshell episode nearing Christmas.

'It's Christmas in Walford. It speaks for itself. We've got a returnee coming back, which is exciting,' the actor told the publication.

'For me, personally, I'm a good friend of this person  whoever they may be. I think they're iconic with EastEnders.'

Harry made his EastEnders debut as the fifth reincarnation of the bad boy Ben back in 2014 before leaving earlier this year.

Causing trouble: Harry made his EastEnders debut as the fifth reincarnation of the bad boy Ben back in 2014 before leaving earlier this year

EastEnders' fans watched Ben Mitchell make a getaway with the stolen loot from Aidan Maguire's New Year jewellery heist.

But Phil's son was unaware he was being stalked by the villainous Mel Owen, before she sternly warned him to hand over the raid to which he refused.

Mel was later calling a mystery person, saying Ben was all theirs in the sinister twist.

After arriving in France, Ben discovered his hefty stolen goods were replaced with newspapers but still had enough money left to start a new life in the country, completely unaware Aidan's ex-wife Ciara Maguire was keeping a close eye on him.

When he arrived in France, Ben was stunned to find that all of his money had been replaced with old newspapers, but found some cash in his pocket.

As Ben headed into the city to start his new life, he was unaware Aidan's former wife, Ciara Maguire, was watching him.

It has never been revealed whether or not Ciara had any further involvement with Ben while in France.
Bradley Cooper is indulging in quality family time after a whirlwind press tour for his movie A Star Is Born.

The 43-year-old actor was spotted with rumored fiancee Irina Shayk, 32, in New York on Wednesday as they pushed daughter Lea De Seine, one, in a stroller.

Despite the mild temperatures the couple wore wintry layers, with Cooper donning a smart jacket and dark woolen scarf.

Family time: Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk are seen out in New York on Wednesday with daughter De Seine

The Russian supermodel wore a stylish black coat, charcoal grey beanie and knee-high leather boots.

During the outing the couple stopped for coffee and also popped into a Halloween store to buy a toy tarantula for baby Lea.

The duo appear to be enjoying the West Village neighborhood following reports that Cooper dropped $13.5 million on a five-story townhouse several months ago.

The doting parents, who have been together since 2015, are putting on a united front despite reports they are having relationship issues.

Wrapped up warm: Despite the mild temperatures the couple wore wintry layers, with Cooper donning a woolen scarf

Proud dad: Cooper, 43, smiled down at his daughter Lea De Seine as he pushed the stroller

Spooky spirit: During the outing the couple bought a spooky Halloween spider

The couple are 'are miserable together' and 'have been for months,' a source recently told Page Six.

Differences between the couple, have allegedly begun to impact their relationship for the worse.

'He doesn't drink and is into spirituality,' the source said. 'She wants to go out.'

In August the 5ft 10in beauty 'went to Ibiza by her herself for a party' the source added.

Supermodel style: Irina, 32, wore a chic black coat with charcoal grey beanie and knee-high boots

Everything's fine: The couple have been spotted out together plenty since rumors emerged that their relationship is in trouble

And Cooper looked 'sulky and uncomfortable' during a dinner at the upscale New York City restaurant Masa, the paper previously reported.

Another source told the newspaper: 'They were not looking happy ... they barely spoke to each other at the start of the meal. Halfway through, she started looking off to the side and he was moody.'

There has been chatter over the celebrity couple's relationship problems 'in that big Russian model community,' an insider told the paper.

Cooper recently made his directorial debut with A Star Is Born, starring alongside Lady Gaga.

The movie debuted with a strong $42.6 million, with its worldwide total now at $201 million from just a $36 million budget.

West Village life: The duo also stopped for coffee before picking up a Halloween prop
A Walk to Remember heartthrob Shane West suited up on Monday to film his role as DC Comics supervillain Eduardo Dorrance/Bane on the Manhattan set of Fox's Gotham.

The 40-year-old actor's face will remain partially obscured by the elaborate mask the Batman baddie wears in order to control the amount of strength-enhancing Venom he injects into himself.

The Salem star - who's dating South African model Jessica Lee Buchanan -was hard at work filming a fight scene where he pretended to crush another actor's skull.

Action! A Walk to Remember heartthrob Shane West suited up on Monday to film his role as DC Comics supervillain Eduardo Dorrance/Bane on the Manhattan set of Fox's Gotham

With and without mask: The 40-year-old actor's face will remain partially obscured by the elaborate mask the Batman baddie wears in order to control the amount of strength-enhancing Venom he injects into himself

Shane (born Shannon Snaith) rocked red eyeliner and bulked up his slim 6ft frame with help from a bicep-padded costume laden with cyberpunk mechanics on the chest.

In the scene, West menacingly squatted over the limp bodies of Bane's former Army buddy, Gotham detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as well as another man in a military uniform.

But when the cameras weren't rolling, 40-year-old Ben shared a relaxed on-set laugh with his new co-star.

On Tuesday night, the Louisiana-born actor - who boasts 749K social media followers - Insta-storied a behind-the-scenes snap of a creepy-looking hospital operating room.

Stunt: The Salem star - who's dating South African model Jessica Lee Buchanan -was hard at work filming a fight scene where he pretended to crush another actor's skull

Shapewear: Shane (born Shannon Snaith) rocked red eyeliner and bulked up his slim 6ft frame with help from a bicep-padded costume laden with cyberpunk mechanics on the chest

Menacing: In the scene, West squatted over the limp bodies of Bane's former Army buddy, Gotham detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as well as another man in a military uniform

Getting to know each other: But when the cameras weren't rolling, 40-year-old Ben shared a relaxed on-set laugh with his new co-star

Bane was first created in 1993 as a highly intelligent 'liberator of pain' revolutionary - who has a photographic memory, is capable of lifting 15 tons, and is fluent in 14 languages.

Bane was memorably played by marble-mouthed Oscar nominee Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan's 2012 three-quel, The Dark Knight Rises.

But when pro-wrestler Robert 'Jeep' Swenson took on the role, he was relegated to Poison Ivy's (Uma Thurman) silent henchman in Joel Schumacher's forgettable 1997 three-quel Batman & Robin.

Elsewhere on the set Monday was black-clad David Mazouz as the 17-year-old orphan Bruce Wayne before he transforms into his caped-crusading alter ego, Batman.

'Hell of a transformation!' On Tuesday night, the Louisiana-born actor Insta-storied a behind-the-scenes snap of a creepy-looking hospital operating room

'Break you!' Bane was created in 1993 as a highly intelligent 'liberator of pain' revolutionary - who has a photographic memory, is capable of lifting 15 tons, and is fluent in 14 languages

Marble mouthed: Bane was memorably played by Oscar nominee Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan's 2012 three-quel, The Dark Knight Rises

Lucha libre? But when pro-wrestler Robert 'Jeep' Swenson took on the role, he was relegated to Poison Ivy's (Uma Thurman) silent henchman in Joel Schumacher's forgettable 1997 three-quel Batman & Robin

The fifth season - which began production on July 23 - is said to center on Bruce's superhero transformation as Gotham City is isolated by the U.S. government from the rest of the country.

On Monday, Cory Michael Smith (who plays Edward Nygma/The Riddler) and Sean Pertwee (who plays Wayne butler Alfred Pennyworth) both shared sneak peeks from the coming season.

Emmy nominee Morena Baccarin is also back as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, and she shared a snap of herself embracing her castmate-turned-husband Ben last Friday.

And Robin Lord Taylor (who plays Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin) shared a group shot of the ensemble doing their 'second to last table read' back on October 15.

Shooting: Elsewhere on the set Monday was black-clad David Mazouz as the 17-year-old orphan Bruce Wayne before he transforms into his caped-crusading alter ego, Batman

Began production on July 23: The fifth season is said to center on Bruce's superhero transformation as Gotham City is isolated by the U.S. government from the rest of the country

'Banged up abroad!' On Monday, Cory Michael Smith (who plays The Riddler) and Sean Pertwee (who plays butler Alfred) both shared sneak peeks from the coming season

'Happy to be back at work!' Emmy nominee Morena Baccarin is also back as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, and she embraced her castmate-turned-husband Ben last Friday
She is a three time Oscar nominee.

And Sigourney Weaver showed off her a-list style as she arrived at the 13th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome, Italy on Wednesday.

Looking absolutely age-defying, the American actress, 69, showed off her sensational physique in a satin two toned wrap dress.

Glamorous: Sigourney Weaver showed off her a-list style as she arrived at the 13th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome, Italy on Wednesday

Sigourney looked like a vision in her eye-catching dress which was half champagne coloured and half red.

Staying true to her quirky sense of style, the Alien Resurrection star toted her belongings in a funky orange handbag.

She enhanced her age-defying features with a simple slick of make-up, which complemented her glossy blow dry.

The star commanded attention as she delightedly posed with a number of Ghostbusters, who undoubtedly paid tribute to the star for her 1984 classic.

Eternal beauty: Looking absolutely age-defying, the American actress, 69, showed off her sensational physique in a satin two toned wrap dress

Sigourney looked like a vision in her eye-catching dress which was half champagne coloured and half red. Iterviewed by Livio Beshir (L)

The iconic A-list star is at the film festival to talk about her long career making movies.

The Stanford and Yale graduate was last seen in James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction on AMC .

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 recently captioned: 'And expect more good news soon!'

Gorgeous: She enhanced her age-defying features with a simple slick of make-up, which complemented her glossy blow dry

Quirky: the star toted her belongings in a funky orange handbag - with Vice President of Fondazione Cinema Per Roma - Laura Delli Colli, Artistic Director of Festival Antonio Monda

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.

Who you gonna call? The star commanded attention as she delightedly posed with a number of Ghostbusters, who undoubtedly paid tribute to the star for her 1984 classic




She turned heads at the photocall earlier on in the day.

And Claire Foy commanded attention yet again, as she arrived to the premiere of The Girl In The Spider's Web during the 13th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome, Italy on Wednesday.

The British actress, 34, put on one of her sauciest display to date in a perilously plunging floral dress which made the most of her sensational physique.

Wow: Claire Foy commanded attention at the premiere of The Girl In The Spider's Web during the 13th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome on Wednesday

Claire absolutely commanded attention in the figure-hugging floral gown which cinched her in at the waist.

The gown boasted subtle semi-sheer detailing down her sleeves and upon her decolletage.

Claire's brunette locks were slicked back while her porcelain features were enhanced with a striking coat of dewy make-up.

And she added some extra sparkle with some earrings by Ara Vartanian.

Striking: The British actress, 34, put on one of her sauciest display to date in a perilously plunging floral dress which made the most of her sensational physique

Gorgeous: Claire absolutely commanded attention in the figure-hugging floral gown which cinched her in at the waist

Sexy: The gown boasted subtle semi-sheer detailing down her sleeves and upon her decolletage

In good condition: Claire's brunette locks were slicked back while her porcelain features were enhanced with a striking coat of dewy make-up

The star looked happy and relaxed as she posed with her co-stars Sverrir Gudnason, Sylvia Hoeks, Fede Alvarez, Synnove Macody Lund and Andreja Pejic.

Sylvia looked striking in a sequinned black dress with a structured neckline and tasselled hem.

Andreja put on a glamorous display in a champagne coloured dress gown which a sensational train.

The model sported a lovely blowdry and added a pop of colour with an orange red lip.

Line-up: The star looked happy and relaxed as she posed with her co-stars Sverrir Gudnason, Sylvia Hoeks, Fede Alvarez, Synnove Macody Lund and Andreja Pejic

Babe: Sylvia looked striking in a sequinned black dress with a structured neckline and tasselled hem

Incredible: Andreja put on a glamorous display in a champagne coloured dress gown which a sensational train

Pretty: The model sported a lovely blowdry and added a pop of colour with an orange red li

Hours earlier Claire was turning heads at a photocall for The Girl In The Spider's Web during the 13th Rome Film Fest, held at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica inItaly on Wednesday.

The Crown actress was dressed to impress in a beautiful white frock with subtle black detailing.

Chic: Hours earlier Claire turned heads at a photocall for The Girl In The Spider's Web during the 13th Rome Film Fest

Claire's striking dress was knotted at the bust and featured cut-outs at the waist and a ruffled hem.

She set off the elegant attire with a slick of glossy red lipstick and coral coloured blusher, and donned a simple headband to complement her brunette bob.

Claire is taking over the iconic role of Lisbeth Salander, becoming the third actress to play the fictional hacker on the big screen.

She follows on from Noomi Rapace in the 2009 Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel, and Rooney Mara in Sony's 2011 American adaptation.

Making a statement: The Crown actress was dressed to impress in a beautiful white frock with subtle black detailing

Glamorous: Claire's striking dress was knotted at the bust and featured cut-outs at the waist and a ruffled hem

Photocall: She was joined by her co-star Sylvia Hoeks to promote the new film in Rome

After 2011's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, most expected Sony to adapt the next two books in the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

Instead, the studio opted to continue the franchise by adapting The Girl in the Spider's Web, the first novel from David Lagercrantz, who took over the book series after Larsson's death.

Lagercrantz's second novel in the series, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, was published last year, with his third as of yet untitled novel slated for release in August 2019.

Film franchise: Claire is taking over the role of Lisbeth Salander, becoming the third actress to play the hacker

Claire recently admitted her disdain for the term 'strong women', often used to describe female characters on screen.

'I have absolutely no interest in portraying what other people think of as strong. It's a way of making women more acceptable in a male world,' the 34 year-old told Sydney Morning Herald.

'I am just not on board with that. I don't think women are crying out to see strong women.'

Putting in an appearnace: Synnove Macody Lund was arriving at the photocall in style

Joining forces: Sverrir Gudnason was also in attendance to help promote the film

The actress continued: 'I think we know we are all strong but we're just crying out to see women on screen at all!'

The admission comes after the British thespian spoke candidly about how she felt utter disdain around being paid less than her male co-star Matt Smith, after they both starred in The Crown.

Speaking to NET-A-PORTERs digital magazine PorterEdit earlier this month, she said; 'I was deeply hurt by [the pay gap], because I'd been working on that show for two years. I loved everybody on it.

Leading actress: She follows on from Noomi Rapace in the 2009 Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel, and Rooney Mara in Sony's 2011 American adaptation

New adaptation: After 2011's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, most expected Sony to adapt the next two books in the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

In conversation: Claire was joined by her co-stars as they discussed the new film

'And then I realised, there's been a big, fat, dirty secret that nobody's ever talked about. Then there was also that thing [of being] an inadvertent spokesperson. Why did it have to be me?'

However, in July she quashed any reports that she was promised back pay from Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix, despite varying reports that she was owed 100,000 by the companies.

Married to actor Stephen Campbell Moore, the mum of one is currently riding a wave of success with starring roles in First Man alongside Ryan Gosling and The Girl in the Spider's Web.

Beaming: Claire put on an animated display as she answered questions about the new film
People close to Blac Chyna are setting the record straight amid rumors she plans to join the cast of Love & Hip Hop on VH1.

While many fans were hopeful shed appear on the show to spill her secrets about the Kardashian family, her inner circle told Hollywood Life its not in the cards. She may, however, make a special appearance on one of the shows in the franchise in the future.

A source said: She will not be joining any cast in the Love & Hip Hop universe.

Blac Chyna is not joining the cast of Love & Hip Hop on VH1, according to sources close to her

But that doesnt mean she wont appear on an episode or appear for a special occasion in the future.

Another source told the outlet: Blac Chyna will not be a part of Love & Hip Hop as a cast member. There has been no offer given.

The news comes amid reports that the 30-year-old would show up on all the [L&HH] shows.

The Kardashian family, Kim Kardashian in particular, were nervous about what it may mean for their reputation if Blac Chyna did sign on to the show.

An insider alleged: Kim is afraid Chyna might embarrass herself, Rob [Kardashian], and everyone else in the family, which really makes her nervous.

The insider referred to Blac Chyna as a loose cannon.

Blac Chynas life is plenty dramatic without cameras.

Her mother, Tokyo Toni, has been pleaing with her daughters ex, Rob Kardashian, on social media to see her granddaughter, Dream.

In an Instagram video reposted by The Shade Room, the 49-year-old said: Hey, Rob. This is me, Tokyo.

Unfortunately, things still havent changed since we last spoke, obviously. And as far as Chyna is concerned, things still havent gotten better since you told social media about it.

She went on to ask if there was any way possible he could help her see Dream, even if it was only through FaceTime ora video to my DM.

I dont even know how the baby sounds. Its absolutely ludicrous, Tokyo continued.

This is the only way I can get through to you. I dont have any numbers for anybody anymore.

Rob did not publicly respond.
Louis C.K. appears to have a new woman in his life.

The controversial comedian, 50, was spotted holding hands with French actress-comedian Blanche Gardin, 41, in New York City on Tuesday.

The outing comes just one day after Sarah Silverman apologized to one of the women Louis had allegedly harassed for revealing she had permitted her longtime friend to masturbate in front of her in the past.

Controversial figure: Louis C.K., 50, was spotted holding hands with French actress-comedian Blanche Gardin, 41, in New York City on Tuesday

Both the Louie star and his female companion appeared upbeat during their stroll.

The American Hustle actor wore a heavy coat over a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers as he held hands with the Roomates Wanted funny lady.

Blanche matched her companion's blue jeans and sneakers, but covered up with a bright red coat.

Her wavy brunette tresses were worn loose for the walk through city streets.

Red-dy for it: Blanche matched her companion's blue jeans and sneakers, but covered up with a bright red coat

Explosive: In a New York Times story last November, five women accused the actor of sexual misconduct

The father-of-two's longtime friend Sarah Silverman apologized to one of Louis CK's victims on Monday after being criticized for saying that she gave him permission to masturbate in front of her and it was 'amazing'.

Unlike Silverman, Rebecca Corry did not grant the comedian permission to masturbate in front of her when they worked together for a TV pilot in 2005.

On Monday, she slammed Silverman's remarks and said her experience with him 'took away a day' she had spent years working towards when he approached her with he request.

She honed in on Silverman's argument that because she and the comedian were 'equals' and he had 'nothing to offer' her, it was not predatory.

Corry tweeted: 'To be clear, CK had nothing to offer me as I too was his equal on the set the day he decided to sexually harrass me.

Standing by her friend: Sarah Silverman [seen here earlier this month] apologized to one of the women Louis had allegedly harassed for revealing she had permitted her longtime friend to masturbate in front of her in the past

Silverman responded: 'Rebecca Im sorry. Ugh this is why I dont like weighing in. I cant seem to do press 4 my show w/out being asked about it.

'But youre right- you were equals and he f***** with you and its not ok. Im sorry, friend. You are so talented and so kind.'

Silverman shocked listeners and viewers on The Howard Stern show on Monday by explaining her experience with CK.

She said: 'I dont know if Im going to regret saying this. Ive known Louis forever, Im not making excuses for him, so please dont take this that way. We are peers. We are equals. When we were kids, and he asked if he could masturbate in front of me, sometimes Id go, "F yeah I want to see that!"

Response: Silverman responded: 'Rebecca Im sorry. Ugh this is why I dont like weighing in. I cant seem to do press 4 my show w/out being asked about it'

'Its not analogous to the other women that are talking about what he did to them. He could offer me nothing.

'We were only just friends. So sometimes, yeah, I wanted to see it, it was amazing.

'Sometimes I would say, "Fing no, gross," and we got pizza.'

In a New York Times story last November, five women accused the actor of sexual misconduct.

Among those who has spoken out against CK is Silverman's own sister, Laura, who tweeted that he had masturbated in front of her 20 times before he was famos.

She said it was 'not criminal' but 'compulsive, rude and gross'.
It appears that Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley's relationship has taken a turn for the worse.

On Wednesday, the 32-year-old Jersey Shore star took to Instagram to share a photo of his black eye, hinting it was at the hand of his baby mama.

Ronnie attempted to tag Jen@jenx in the post, but got her Instagram handle wrong.

Troubled times: It appears that Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley's relationship has taken a turn for the worse. On Wednesday, the 32-year-old Jersey Shore star took to Instagram to share a photo of his black eye, hinting it was at the hand of his baby mama

Ortiz-Magro wrote an apology to his family and friends alongside the photo.

'Sometimes u love people so much you're willing to lie and then hurt the people that love u the most to protect,' he wrote.

Harley's account tt_kittymeow has been set to private.

Pointing the finger: Ronnie attempted to tag Jen@jenx in the post, but got her Instagram handle wrong

Jen has a history of violent behavior.

Back in June, she was taken into custody for domestic battery after she reportedly 'beat up' Ronnie and 'dragged him with a car.'

According to Us Weekly, Ortiz-Magro and Harley got into an argument on the way home from a friend's barbecue.

Social media hiatus: Harley's account tt_kittymeow has been set to private

'Jen hit Ronnie in the face during the argument, and he asked [her to] pull over and let him out of the car,' a source told the media outlet.

'She stopped, and Ronnie tried getting out and got caught in his seatbelt. Jen started driving away, dragging Ronnie. Ronnie's face was bloodied and bruised, and he's got a nasty road rash.'

The domestic violence charges have since been dropped 'due to insufficient evidence.'

Mugshot: Jen has a history of violent behavior. Back in June, she was taken into custody for domestic battery after she reportedly 'beat up' Ronnie and 'dragged him with a car'

In a recent interview with Jenny McCarthy, co-star Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi chimed in about Ronnie and Jen.

'They're both absolutely crazy,' she said. 'Is that a perfect match? I don't know. They have a beautiful baby and that's all I care about.'

The reality star added: 'You never know what's going to happen with Ron. As long as they're both happy and the baby is good, that's all we care about. Couples fight, they're just more vocal and public about it than I'd like to be.'
Kimberley Garner has revealed that she would be open to having her husband in the public eye in an exclusive interview with MailOnline.

The 28-year-old swimsuit entrepreneur spoke openly about her plans for finding love, after teaming up with her mum Geraldine for an incredible self-tan photo shoot.

Kimberley explained that she finds working with her mum easy as they are 'such good friends,' and despite their differing tastes in the fashion and beauty she taught her vital skills in looking her best.

Candid: Kimberley Garner has revealed that she would be open to having her husband in the public eye in an exclusive interview with MailOnline

She explained: 'I am single. We broke up for a year and got back together for a few months and broke up again. He's still lovely and we're really good friends.

'I think that it was really good it was really nice to have a bit of privacy on that, but when I take it to the next step and when I decide to be with someone forever I will more than happy have them be in the public eye, and it would be really cool to have my husband and babies in the public eye.

'It was nice to have a bit of privacy with my ex, but in the future I wouldn't mind.'

Open: The 28-year-old swimsuit entrepreneur revealed that after having a romance with her now-ex privately, she would happily find The One if he were in the public eye

Lovely: It comes as Kimberley teamed up with her glamorous mum Geraldine for a photo shoot with Australian tanning brand Luna Bronze

Kimberley teamed up with her mum for a campaign with Australian tanning brand Luna Bronze, with the duo seeming more like sisters as they posed together under the stunning Aussie sunshine.

The former Made In Chelsea star went onto explain that working on the campaign was made all the easier due to her extremely close relationship with her mum.

She said: 'It's the first time we've done anything like this together, and she's a really cool we get on really well.

'My mum was a supermodel in the 60s and did these things for like 30 or 40 years but obviously hasn't since she had me. They said why don't your mum do it too? It was so sweet to do a photo shoot together, we'll definitely have some of the photos on the mantelpiece!

'We don't really have any photos of us together, so I think it's really sweet we've got some photos together. I really appreciate her as a mum so it's really nice to have this experience together.'

Sweet: Kimberley explained that is was a dream working with her mum on their first ever joint campaign, adding that they're 'like friends'

Close: The duo seem almost like sisters in the campaign, as Geraldine showed off her ageless beauty, after working as a supermodel in the 1960s

She added that despite their close relationship, they differ hugely in how they like to style themselves and stay in shape.

'I think it's really lovely and refreshing doing something with family. Also to use fake tan rather than go in the sun, and mum always taught me that and that's why she's got such good skin now,' the blonde beauty said.

'My mum is a bit more glamorous than me but she's definitely taught me all my beauty hacks, she taught me growing up how to do my makeup, but she's a bit more glamorous and I'm a bit more bohemian.'

Inspiring: Kimberley also revealed that after landing her first Hollywood role last year, she won't rule out another appearance on the big screen

Not done: The star said she wants to focus on her business ventures for now including a swimwear brand, six years after first coming to public attention on Made In Chelsea

Kimberley also revealed that after landing her first Hollywood role last year, she won't rule out another appearance on the big screen.

'Last year I had a breakup and got offered a part in the film, so I took it and went off the LA, and it was the first time I actually did any acting,' she explained.

'I just saw the first cut its really cool. It's going to festivals like Cannes, but I don't know when they're gonna put it out.

'I want to focus really on my company and running the business, that's my passion but if stuff comes up along the way then obviously I'd love to do it.

'I was in Made in Chelsea eight years ago, but since then I've done my company which I loved. I also bought a property and did it up myself, I bought it, developed it, put it back on the market for twice what I bought it for. I'm really interested in business and being a young female entrepreneur.'

Speaking out: Never shy from speaking honestly about her struggles, Kimberley also revealed that when she reads negative comments from fans she's learned to 'skim over' them

Sensational: In a festive surprise Kimberley admitted that she's secretly booked a trip to Miami for her mum, dad and best friend to ring in 2019, keeping her Christmas Day a low-key affair

Kimberley also candidly revealed that she's learned not to bite when it comes to trolls making nasty comments on social media, saying she just 'skims past' them.

And in a festive surprise Kimberley admitted that she secretly booked a trip to Miami for her mum, dad and best friend to ring in 2019, keeping her Christmas Day a low-key affair.

She said: 'We always do a family treasure hunt, and we go around London in teams of two and so we have all this weird dares!

'That's our Christmas tradition, it's a little bit wild but its fun!'
They tied the knot just over a month ago in front of hundreds of guests.

And Love Island newlyweds Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland proved they were still in the honeymoon phase of married life on Wednesday night, as they led the stars attending the Natural History Museum Ice Rink launch bash.

The couple - who have been together since appearing on the ITV2 show in 2016 -were seen sharing a tender kiss or two as they joined a star-studded lineup at the famous museum in West London.

Happy: Love Island newlyweds Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland were packing on the PDA on Wednesday night, as they attended the Natural History Museum Ice Rink launch bash

The couple were all wrapped up in a cosy ensemble as they prepared to hit the ice, barely keeping their hands off each other as they arrived for the launch event.

Olivia, 24, kept things simple and chic in all-black with a Gucci-style bag, while Alex, 26, was all wrapped up in a cream coat.

The couple were rubbing shoulders with numerous Love Island stars at the launch event, after recently returning from an incredible honeymoon to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Mr and Mrs: The couple were the picture of married bliss as they arrived for the star-studded launch (above with Eyal Booker and Nadia Essex)

Gorgeous: The couple were both dressed for the chilly weather as they prepared to hit the ice, with Olivia looking chic in all-black

United: They were putting a playful display as they headed inside, just weeks after returning from a lavish honeymoon to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Funny: Never ones to shy away from sharing their love, Olivia and Alex looked as if they were having a whale of a time as they arrived to take to the ice

Goofy: As Alex leaned in for a kiss Olivia was cheekily sticking out her tongue at the event

Olivia and Alex tied the knot in the first ever Love Island wedding in front of friends, family and reality TV co-stars in Essex last month.

They held the ceremony at Gosfield Hall, which boasts 10 acres of elegant grounds, in the blonde beauty's native Essex on September 15.

The reality TV pair initially jetted off to Sri Lanka just hours after their lavish reception in Essex, before moving onto the second leg of their honeymoon in the Maldives

Dressed to impress: Olivia was looking chic in a black sequinned dress and high suede boots, wrapping up in a matching coat with her blonde tresses in a sleek updo

Beaming: Alex was matching his wife with a similarly simple outfit, wrapping up in a long camel coat

Looking good: Several Love Island stars were in attendance for the bash, with Kendall Raye Knight teaming a classic checked top with skinny leather trousers and boots

Cosy: Alexandra Cane looked sensational in a pink faux fur coat, with her raven tresses in glossy waves

Warmed up: Kaz Crossley went solo for the outing as she flashed a hint of her toned abs in a cosy mustard yellow faux fur coat

Larking about: She even enjoyed a fun ride on a merry-go-round at the lavish launch bash

On their return from their honeymoon, the pair started their family by adopting an adorable puppy.

The couple first met on the 2016 series of Love Island, in which they starred alongside the likes of Cara De La Hoyde, Nathan Massey, Zara Holland, Tina Stinnes, Malin Andersson and the late Sophie Gradon.

Olivia and Alex came in second place behind Cara and her fiance Nathan Massey, and moved in together in Essex in August 2016.

Alex popped the question during a romantic trip to New York that December after just five months of dating.

Playful: Eyal Booker was in good spirits as he made his arrival, striking some sensational poses alongside the star-studded lineup

Back to best: After a recent stint in hospital due to her mental health struggles, Nadia Essex had snapped back to her best as she looked glamorous in a classic skull-printed scarf

Beaming: Strictly Come Dancing pro Neil Jones was also seen taking to the ice at the launch event, standing out in a bright yellow coat

Jovial: In shape thanks to his dancing skills, Neil looked at ease as he sped along the ice during the fun outing

At ease: Neil did received a helping hand from Alexandra Cane as they made their way along the ice together

Pals: Alexandra was all bundled up in a pink sheepskin coat as she tried to maintain her balance

Having fun? Kendall even found the time to check her phone while trying to stay upright on the ice, keeping cosy in a fur-lined leather jacket

Also among the stars in attendance was Strictly Come Dancing pro Neil Jones, who stood out in a bright yellow coat for the outing.

While his wife Katya was not in attendance, the British dancer did received a helping hand along the ice from Love Island beauty Alexandra Cane.

The duo were seen picking up some serious speed as they flew along the ice together with many other stars, on the opening night of the museum's famous ice rink.

Giddy: Tallia Storm looked as if she was having the time of her in loose black PVC trousers teamed with a see-through mesh top

Keep smiling: The pint-sized Scottish songstress flashed her bra in the revealing top with stars on the sleeves as she also climbed aboard the merry-go-round

Family outing: TOWIE star Amber Dowding was joined by a young companion as she headed to the launch

Living it up: Blue bassist Alex James was lapping up the complimentary drinks as he rocked a sparkly grey suit for the evening

Family affair: The star also brought along two of his sons for the evening, as they were both wrapped up for the occasion

Neil went solo as the fallout surrounding wife Katya's kiss with her Strictly celebrity partner Seann Walsh rumbles on, with many fans furious to see the couple survive the dance-off on Sunday.

Viewers demanded the pair finally be eliminated, despite the judges agreeing that Seann and Katya deserved to make it through to next week over Vick Hope and Graziano Di Prima.

Since then Vick has claimed that she saw producers talking to the judging ahead of the dance-off, hinting that perhaps the panel was swayed to send Seann and Katya through to next week.

Busty: Lizzie Cundy showed off her sensational figure in all-black with a cool printed jacket as she arrived for the evening

Pals: The TV presenter rubbed shoulders with domestic goddess Lizzie Cundy, who added a cheeky twist with a pink faux fur scarf

Steady now! Lizzie needed a helping hand to stay upright with a male companion as they sped across the ice

Need some help? Regardless the FUBAR radio star was being driven around the ice in her sexy look

Hilarious: She kept her head warm from the chilly climate in a black bobbled hat as she showed a hint of her cleavage in the cut-out top

Happy pair: Diversity star Perry Kierly was rubbing shoulders with Thundermans star Kira Kosarin

Steady now! Despite skating along, Perry seemed to find to chat on his phone while picking up some speed

Quirky: Kira showed off her trim figure in a floral printed camisole and zipped black combat trousers, with her dark tresses in a 90s-style high ponytail

A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing told MailOnline: 'It is categorically untrue to imply that producers tell the judges how to score or who to save.

'Each judge votes on each dance independently, based on its merits and in their expert opinion alone.

'The Judges use an electronic voting pad to transmit their score or choice of who to save to the production gallery which is then locked in and cannot be changed.

'Only after this does a producer speak to the judges, advising them on how long they have to speak and reminding them to give a reason for their decisions. The process was exactly the same this weekend.'

Smitten: Later on in the evening Olivia and Alex attended the Vodafone launch event of VOXI x Phones, at Studio Spaces in East London and put on another cosy display on the red carpet

Dazzling: Also in attendance was fellow Love Island star Montana Brown who flashed her cleavage in a daring cut away little black dress

Two's company: Islanders Laura Crane and Eyal Booker seemed in high spirits on the night

Cute couple: Made In Chelsea's Lucy Watson and James Dunmore cuddled up to one another on the red carpet at the star-studded bash

Loving life: Charlotte De Carle (left) and Ashley James looked effortlessly chic at the party

Low-key looks: The Saturdays stunner Vanessa White donned a black blazer with cream polo neck whilst Maya Jama turned heads in a vibrant leopard print coat with scarlet collar
Blac Chyna's mother Tokyo Toni took to social media on Tuesday to make a plea.

The Rob & Chyna star, 46, asked Chyna's ex-fiance Rob Kardashian if she could spend time with her grandchild Dream.

'Hey, Rob. This is me, Tokyo,' she said in an Instagram video reposted by The Shade Room. 'Unfortunately, things still haven't changed since we last spoke, obviously. And as far as Chyna is concerned, things still haven't gotten better since you told social media about it.'

Let me see my grandkid! Blac Chyna's mother Tokyo Toni took to social media on Tuesday to make a plea. The Rob & Chyna star, 49, asked Chyna's ex-fiance Rob Kardashian if she could spend time with her grandchild Dream

The child she wants to see: Dream is almost two years old and spends time with both mom and dad in LA

Toni - whose real name is Shalana Hunter - then asked if there was 'any way possible' if she could see Dream, who is now 23 months old.

The mother added she would see Dream 'through FaceTime or  a video to my DM.

'I don't even know how the baby sounds. It's absolutely ludicrous,' she said.

'This is the only way I can get through to you. I don't have any numbers for anybody anymore,' she added.

The way they were: Rob, 31, and Chyna, 30, started seeing each other in 2016 and split in early 2017

Round two? This month she told DailyMailTV that she would 'maybe' consider getting back together with Rob

Rob, 31, and Chyna, 30, started seeing each other in 2016 and split in early 2017.

This month she told DailyMailTV that she would 'maybe' consider getting back together with Rob.

Three months ago she asked Chyna's friend Amber Rose if she could talk to the TV star.

'You are the only person that I know that knows my daughter who does not fear her,' she said.

On the show: Chyna, Tokyo and Rob on their show Rob & Chyna

They used to hang out together: Chyna and her mother in August 2015

'Can you do me a favor if it's anywhere deep in your heart can you please tell her I said let me see those kids!'

Chyna - whose real name is Angela White - also has son King, aged six, who she had with rapper Tyga.

'I'm so very sorry to come at you in this way on social media but there's no other way,' she added.

He's been a great dad: Rob has been spending a lot of time with Dream. He has also lost a reported 40lbs, though he has yet to debut his slimmer frame

It must sting that Toni cannot see Dream when Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kylie and Kendall all get to spend time with the child and share images with her on social media.

The frost between Chyna and Toni has been building for years.

Their tough relationship was explored on Rob & Chyna and for a while it looked as if they had patched things up.

But this year Toni posted a video where she called Chyna a 'mistake.'

Tokyo was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and married Marcellus Hunter. Her only child is Chyna.
On Tuesday, she attended a party in New York City celebrating her collection with Revolve.

And hours later, Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter to congratulate her mom Vilailuck Teigen after she became a US citizen.

The 32-year-old model and TV personality shared a clip of her mom reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at her citizenship ceremony while holding her granddaughter Luna, two.

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Congrats! Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter to congratulate her mom Vilailuck Teigen after she became a US citizen

In the video, Vilailuck, who is Thai, has her hand over her heart while Luna sweetly waves a mini American flag; the adorable toddler also puts her hand over her heart as well.

Chrissy tweeted: 'YES MOM!! Congrats @pepperthai2!!!

John Legend also sent his mother-in-law a congratulatory message: '@pepperthai2 became a US citizen today! 100% on her test!'

Just days earlier, Vilailuck posted a snap of herself with daughter Chrissy at her party to celebrate her second cookbook, Cravings: Hunger For More.

Happy for her: Chrissy tweeted: 'YES MOM!! Congrats @pepperthai2' with a clip of her US citizenship ceremony; pictured on Tuesday in NYC

Proud: In the video, Vilailuck has her hand over her heart while Luna sweetly waves a mini American flag; the adorable toddler also puts her hand over her heart as well

So cute: Luna donned a dress with bows in her hair as she held tight to a mini flag

Vilailuck captioned the image: 'Congratulations @chrissyteigen so proud of you.'

Chrissy and John are parents to Luna, and son Miles, five months.

She attended the launch party of her collection Chrissy Teigen X Revolve, which took place in New York City on Tuesday night.

Time to celebrate: Husband John Legend also sent his mother-in-law a congratulatory message: '@pepperthai2 became a US citizen today! 100% on her test!

'So proud of you': Just days earlier, Vilailuck posted a snap of herself with daughter Chrissy at her party to celebrate her second cookbook, Cravings: Hunger For More

The best selling author rocked one of her pieces from her new collection - the $188 Chrissy Teigen X Revolve Phuket Mini Dress - to the launch party on Tuesday night.

The mother of two added a gold accented belt that highlighted her slim waist; she hit the pavement in strappy black heels.

Chrissy styled her caramel tresses pulled back into a ponytail with pink lipstick on her pout and rose colored blush on her cheeks.

Three generations: Chrissy and John are parents to Luna, and son Miles, five months; Chrissy pictured with her kids and mom Vilailuck

She attended the launch party of her collection Chrissy Teigen X Revolve, which took place in New York City.
Stella Maxwell was spotted out and about in NYC on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old model showed off her ultra toned tummy in a plunging crop top and jeans alongside a male friend who looked to be Marc Eram.

Maxwell is currently dating actress Kristen Stewart who has been filming the new Charlie's Angels movie with Elizabeth Banks for the past few weeks in Amsterdam.

Model figure: Stella Maxwell was spotted out in NYC on Wednesday. The 28-year-old cover girl showed off her ultra toned tummy in a plunging crop top and jeans

Stella paired her skimpy top with a furry coat and chunky, white sneakers.

She carried her belongings in a studded belt bag and accessorized with black wayfarer shades.

The Belgium native wore her hair in a fishtail braid as she strolled through the Big Apple.

So chic: Stella paired her skimpy top with a furry coat and chunky, white sneakers

Quality time: The Belgium native wore her hair in a fishtail braid as she strolled through the Big Apple with a male pal who looked to be her friends Marc Eram

Maxwell, who became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2015, is gearing up for the VS fashion show in NYC on November 8.

In an interview with WhoWhatWear, the blonde bombshell spilled her modeling secrets.

'The secret mantra that you have to repeat to yourself as you walk down a runway, for me, would be "don't fall,'"' she said with a laugh.

Runway star: Maxwell, who became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2015, is gearing up for the VS fashion show in NYC on November 8

It's unclear whether Stella's girlfriend, Kristen, will be in the audience as she's currently filming the Charlie's Angels reboot.

Maxwell recently returned from a trip overseas to visit Stewart on set.

The couple have been romantically linked since 2016.
They posed up a storm with their arms around one another when they arrived at the Specsavers party in London on Wednesday night.

But just hours later, Ryan Thomas, 34, was pictured looking upset when he left the party separately to his long-term love Lucy Mecklenburgh, 27 after joking on stage that she left because they had a 'huge row.'

The CBB star appeared to be in tears as he put his hand to his face while sitting in the back of a black cab alone.

Something up? CBB's Ryan Thomas appeared in TEARS as he and Lucy Mecklenburgh left the Specsavers bash separately on Wednesday... after joking they had a huge row

Down in the dumps: Lucy appeared despondent as she prepared to make her way home, with Ryan claiming she left early because she had a really bad cold

Lucy left before Ryan, with him telling The Mirror that she left due to ill health as she had a really bad cold.

'While picking up their joint award, Ryan joked she'd gone home early because they had a massive row.

'But then he admitted she'd really gone home because she has a bad cold.'

MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Ryan Thomas and Lucy Mecklenburgh for comment.

Earlier in the night, the Corrie star and his TOWIE girlfriend got into the spirit of the annual event by posing on the red carpet in some trendy specs.

Lucy teamed black square frames with a chic monochrome outfit, highlighting her toned and tanned figure in a pretty halterneck top.

Sad? Ryan put his hands to his face as he sat in the back of the cab with his award in his hand

Leaving: Lucy turned her back to the cameras as she climbed into her cab

Dapper: Ryan was suited and booted on the night wearing his smart blue suit

Failing to smile: Lucy seemed rather preoccupied after the night's events

The floral print number matched her wide-legged white trousers perfectly, while open-toed heels and a box clutch bag completed her look.

Ryan was looking dapper in a blue suit accessorised with a pair of bold aviator specs.

It looks set to be an eventful 2019 for the couple, amid rumours Ryan and his twin brothers Scott and Adam, 30, are in talks with a production company over a fly-on-the-wall show featuring the family and the actor's ex TOWIE star girlfriend Lucy.

Date night: Ryan, 34, and Lucy, 27, joined a star-studded crowd at the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards

In the public eye: The Corrie star and his TOWIE girlfriend got into the spirit of the annual event by posing on the red carpet in some trendy specs

Specs appeal: Lucy teamed black square frames with a chic monochrome outfit, highlighting her toned and tanned figure in a pretty halterneck top

It's in the Thomas blood to chase the spotlight, with Ryan appearing on Coronation Street for 16 years followed by stints on Aussie soap Neighbours and Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls followed by winning performance on Celebrity Big Brother this year.

Meanwhile, younger brothers Scott and Adam have both sought fame on reality TV.

Adam starred in Emmerdale and Waterloo Road before placing third on the 2016 Series of I'm A Celeb!.

Likewise, Scott gained celebrity after winning during an explosive appearance on the second series of Love Island where he placed third with now ex-girlfriend with Kady McDermott.

The Manchester-born brothers are thought to be hot stock with TV producers with a source telling the Daily Star Sunday they've been in talks since Ryan left the CBB house.

Eye eye: Ryan was looking dapper in a blue suit accessorised with a pair of bold aviator specs

They added: 'All three are keen and there's a lot of money on the table, so it's looking promising'

'The production company hope to start filming before Christmas to capture the Thomas family fun and drama over the festive season.

'If it goes ahead, the show will follow all three of them, their partners , friends and family.'

MailOnline has contacted representatives for the brothers for comment.

The brothers have endured a whirlwind few months since eldest of the three Ryan emerged victorious after a dramatic season of Celebrity Big Brother.

Ryan's time in the house was marred with controversy after his co-star Roxanne Pallett caused ructions when she accused him of 'repeatedly and deliberately punching' her - however she later quit the show and admitted she was wrong.

Brothers in arms: It looks set to be an eventful 2019 for the couple, amid rumours Ryan and his twin brothers Scott and Adam, 30, are in talks with a production company over a fly-on-the-wall show featuring the family and the actor's ex TOWIE star girlfriend Lucy




Former Neighbours star Madeleine West confirmed her separation from partner-of-13-years Shannon Bennett in September this year.

And Removalists were spotted outside their multi-million dollar home in the exclusive Melbourne suburb of Toorak this month.

However, it appears that couple have since reconciled - and are moving the whole family to Byron Bay in northern NSW.

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Madeleine West (pictured) hinted at a reconciliation with her estranged husband Shannon Bennett on Thursday, referring to the chef as her 'partner'... and confirmed the whole family is moving to Byron Bay

Speaking to Who magazine on Thursday, the Playing For Keeps star, 38, referred to Shannon as her 'partner', saying: 'The way I've explained it to my kids [about being a working mum] is that I am Mummy ... but I'm also Madeleine who is Daddy's partner.'

The blonde TV star shares children Phoenix, 12, Hendrix, 10, Xascha, 8, Xanthe, 6, and twins Xalia and Margaux, 4, with celebrity chef Shannon, 42.

Madeleine also confirmed reports that the whole family, including Shannon, is moving to Byron Bay.

Speaking to Who magazine, Madeleine referred to Shannon as her 'partner', saying: 'The way I've explained it to my kids [about being a working mum] is that I am Mummy ... but I'm also Madeleine who is Daddy's partner.' Pictured: Madeleine with Shannon

'It's the energy that is up here, it suits as all us individuals and as a family,' the actor told Who.

Madeleine plays WAG Kath Rickards in Channel Ten's drama Playing For Keeps.

During one particular episode, her character embarks on an affair with a male escort, which led to a real-life discussion about open relationships on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in September.

Sea change: Madeleine also confirmed reports that the whole family, including Shannon, is moving to Byron Bay: 'It's the energy that is up here, it suits as all us individuals and as a family,' the actor told Who

Madeleine said on the radio show: 'We [the characters] have an agreement. We agree to have an open relationship, because you know what it's like when you've been in a relationship for many, many, many years. Some things get a bit stale.

'It's like having a bit of stale crust on the bread. You just cut that off. You cut that off and you outsource.'

When asked how couples make open relationships work, Madeleine replied: 'As long as there is communication and a bit of autonomy, you're clear with each other - these are the boundaries, this is what we are happy to do. Beyond that, it gets a little bit dicey.'

Footy fever: Madeleine plays WAG Kath Rickards in Channel Ten's drama Playing For Keeps

Madeleine was then asked whether she has been, or would ever consider being, in an open relationship in her own life.

'No, absolutely could not do that!' she responded. 'Look, I think it could work for a period but, at some stage, s**t would hit the fan.'
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky are already parents to three lively children, twin sons Tristan and Sasha, four, and daughter India Rose, six.

But according to OK! Australia on Thursday, the Hollywood couple may be considering having another child.

A 'source' claimed that while Chris, 35, and Elsa, 42, aren't actively trying for a baby, they are nonetheless open to the idea of growing their family.

'If it happens, it happens': Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky have reportedly 'spoken about having a fourth child' after moving their family to Byron Bay, NSW

'Elsa and Chris have spoken about having a fourth child,' said the supposed insider.

'[But] they put it on the backburner and agreed that if it happened, it happened, but they wouldn't be actively trying.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky for comment.

'On the backburner': A 'source' told OK! Australia that while Chris, 35, and Elsa, 42, aren't actively trying for a baby, they are nonetheless open to the idea of growing their family

It comes after a busy few weeks for Chris, who recently finished filming the new Men In Black sequel in Europe.

He has since returned to the family's home in Byron Bay, New South Wales and reunited with his wife and children.

Earlier this month, the Australian actor spoke about how wealth had affected his perspective on life and parenting.

Family man: Chris and Elsa are already parents to three lively children, twin sons Tristan and Sasha, four, and daughter India Rose, six. Pictured: Chris and one of his children in 2015

The Thor star told GQ Australia that he worries his children are being raised in a privileged environment, unlike his own humble beginnings.

'The fact that we have money and their parents are famous, that somehow they're special, that scares me because we grew up with no money,' he said.

Chris explained that he feels compelled to teach his kids the value of money, adding that he once spent an entire year as a teenager saving up for a $600 surfboard.

'It taught me so many lessons about appreciation and working hard for something. When I think about my kids, I don't want them to miss that joy,' he said.

Money changes everything: Earlier this month, the Australian actor spoke about how wealth had affected his perspective on life and parenting

One way that Chris and Elsa have ensured their children grow up grounded is by taking them out of the 'Hollywood bubble'.

Back in 2014, the whole family relocated from Los Angeles to Byron Bay.

For years, Chris had spoken of his desire to move back to his native Australia after establishing himself in the movie industry.
She's made several appearances on The Bachelor franchise.

So there's no doubt Tara Pavlovic would know the ins and outs of the Network Ten shows.

On Thursday, the 28-year-old described how 'real' reality TV is - all but confirming that Ali Oetjen's current season of The Bachlorette is scripted.

It's about as real as two whole avocados being blended whole in a blender': Former Bachelor In Paradise star Tara Pavlovic all but confirms that The Bachelor franchise scripted

Taking to her Instagram, Tara wrote: 'I have been trying to find a way to describe how real reality TV is for about 10 months now.'

'I have struggled, but I have now found the perfect description...' she continued.

Tara likened the authenticity of reality TV to putting whole avocados into a blender.

Mystery solved! Taking to her Instagram, Tara wrote: 'I have been trying to find a way to describe how real reality TV is for about 10 months now'

Taking a swipe: Tara's Instagram post was in response to Wednesday's episode of The Bachelorette, which saw Ivan Krslovic (pictured) attempt to blend whole avocados with the skin and pit

'It's about as real as two whole avocados being blended whole in a blender and nothing at all going wrong,' she wrote.

Tara's Instagram post was in response to Wednesday's episode of The Bachelorette, which saw Ivan Krslovic attempt to blend whole avocados with the skin and pit

In comes after a report that was released byNew Idea last week claiming that Tara is set to appear on another reality show - Network Ten's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! - with her famous mother, Debbie Newsome.

According to an 'insider', 'Tara has been approached by producers'.

Off to the jungle? The post comes after a report that was released by New Idea last week claiming that Tara is set to appear on another reality show - Network Ten's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! - with her famous mother, Debbie Newsome

'They know she is a fan favourite, but they also thought it would be great to get Debbie on board too, to appeal across a whole range of ages,' the 'source' told the publication.

However, the 'insider' added that Tara is worried that her mother, who famously hosted Perfect Match in the 1980's, may steal the spotlight.

'She thinks Deb will overshadow her and Tara really wants a chance to win back the public after her bitter split,' the 'insider' added.
The Gatwick Hotel, a cheap rooming house in St Kilda that for years was a refuge for Melbourne's homeless and drug addicted, has previously been described as a 'fleapit', a 'house of horrors' and a 'festering flophouse'.

But the building has undergone a radical renovation on Channel Nine's The Block and the results are, quite simply, astonishing.

The former 'Hotel Hell' has been transformed into a pristine, modern apartment building, complete with a sleek white exterior and spacious balconies.

PICTURED: How The Block transformed Melbourne's Gatwick Hotel from a 'house of horrors' (left) into a pristine modern apartment building (right)

Before the makeover, The Gatwick was run down and covered in dirt and grime.

The 80-year-old building's exterior also featured graffiti and crumbling paint.

A News.com.au report from May 2017 described the hotel as 'a place where you can be murdered in your room, robbed, bashed or offered a variety of drugs among the cockroaches, addicts and prison parolees'.

Run down: Before the makeover, The Gatwick was run down and covered in dirt and grime

'House of horrors': A News.com.au report from May 2017 described the hotel as 'a place where you can be murdered in your room, robbed, bashed or offered a variety of drugs among the cockroaches, addicts and prison parolees'. Pictured an undated photo of The Gatwick

Thoroughly modern: Fast forward to 2018, and the facade now takes on a sleek white and grey colour palette, complete with hedge windowsills and black steel balconies

Fast forward to 2018, and the facade now takes on a sleek white and grey colour palette, complete with hedge windowsills and black steel balconies.

Gold-plated signage at the front entrance proudly bears the building's new name 'Gatwick' alongside a black steel bar gate.

The Block's executive producer Julian Cress told radio program Hughesy & Kate earlier this week that building renovations cost a mammoth $25million in total.

Far from pristine: The building's exterior previously featured crumbling paint and drab colours

Finishing touches: Gold-plated signage at the front entrance proudly bears the building's name alongside a black steel bar gate

Julian jokingly described himself as 'the stupidest property developer in Australia' because they will apparently be 'lucky [to] get $13million back'.

The newly-renovated Block apartments are set to be auctioned off on Saturday. The results will air Sunday night at 7pm on Channel Nine.

According to Sportsbet, Queensland couple Norm Hogan, 40, and Jess Eva, 33, are the current favourites to win the show.

The countdown begins! The newly-renovated Block apartments are set to be auctioned off on Saturday. The results will air Sunday night at 7pm on Channel Nine
A discovery by Melbourne scientists could transform insulin treatments for diabetes patients worldwide.

An international collaboration, co-led by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, has produced the first 3-D image showing how insulin triggers cells to reduce blood sugar levels.

The work could help design faster-acting and longer-lasting insulin treatments to make the lives of diabetic people easier, the experts said.

It has already been shown that insulin instructs cells to lower blood sugar levels in the body, by binding to a receptor on the cell surface.

However there was uncertainty over exactly what was happening during this interaction.

"Current insulin therapies are sub-optimal because they have been designed without this missing piece of the puzzle," Associate Professor Mike Lawrence told AAP.

The 3-D image, the result of two decades of work, shows "in exquisite detail" how insulin interacts with cell receptors.

Associate Professor Lawrence said the discovery means it is now possible to create a "new generation" of insulin treatments which mimic more closely the body's own insulin.

"The aim is just to make the lives of patients a bit more manageable," he said.

The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Afghan glassblower Ghulam Sakhi at his workshop in Herat province, practising a craft passed down for generations but now at risk of dying out

Hunched and shrivelled, Afghan glassblower Ghulam Sakhi deftly blows and twirls molten glass into delicate blue and green goblets and vases -- a craft passed down for generations but now at risk of dying out.

Sakhi is one of the last makers of Herati glassware in the eponymous western city where the once-thriving industry has been shattered by decades of war, poverty, and cheap imports.

The brick and corrugated iron workshop where Sakhi toils only operates a few days a month owing to the lack of demand for the distinctive coloured glassware that is more expensive than Chinese-made products.

Sultan Ahmad Hamidi sells Herati glassware at his handicraft shop in Herat province

"People don't value art," says Sakhi, who is in his mid-40s but looks much older. He began working with his glassblower father when he was seven.

Sakhi sits on a low stool next to a wood-fired clay oven, occasionally wiping away sweat as the temperature inside the workshop soars above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

His eldest son Habibullah works alongside him, scraping shards of glass -- mixed with copper or iron powder to create a blue or green tint -- into a bubbling pot of molten liquid inside the furnace.

Decades of war have driven away foreign tourists who used to be drawn to Herat, a city steeped in history as a trading hub on the ancient Silk Road and the 15th century capital of the Timurid empire

Sakhi sticks an iron blowpipe into the fiery mixture, gently spinning it like a honey twirler. After extracting the rod, he swings, blows and rolls the molten glass into shape before firing it in a kiln.

The tools and techniques used by Sakhi have barely changed in generations, although instead of making glass from quartz, glassblowers now recycle bottles and broken windows, which are "easier to find".

"It's not going to last another generation," says Sakhi, whose family have been making Herati glass for "200 or 300 years".

- 'Already finished' -

Decades of war have driven away foreign tourists who used to be drawn to Herat, a city steeped in history as a trading hub on the ancient Silk Road and the 15th century capital of the Timurid empire.

Most Afghans also prefer cheaper Chinese-made imports over hand-made glassware that breaks easily, says Sakhi.

The tools and techniques used by Sakhi have barely changed in generations, although instead of making glass from quartz, glassblowers now recycle bottles and broken windows

"They think when they buy imports from China they are going to be better quality," he explains.

The only hints of modernity in the smoky workshop are Sakhi's blue Nokia mobile phone lying next to him and an electric fan whirring furiously in the searing heat.

Sultan Ahmad Hamidi, the white bearded owner of the workshop who spends his days lolling on a sofa in his store selling Herati glassware, trinkets and handicrafts, despairs for the future of his business.

"Thirty to 40 years ago people were lining up to buy glass here -- as many as 100 tourists a day," says Hamidi, 78.

His store, which is across a busy street from the city's main mosque, is crammed with Herati glass goblets, vases and bowls that are gathering dust.

With prices starting around $6, it takes a month to sell 100 pieces, he complains.

As the craft declines, survival becomes a growing challenge for Sahki and his family.

Habibullah supplements their meagre income from glassblowing by ferrying passengers around the city in a three-wheeled motorbike taxi.

But without government support or tourism, Sakhi fears he could be the last of Herat's glassblowers.

"I'm very sad," he says. "If it stays like this it's already finished."
Nepali youth activists in September held a vigil in memory to women who have suffered abuse and violence

The rape and murder of a teenager provoked unprecedented protests in conservative Nepal, but activists say a #MeToo reckoning like that unfolding in neighbouring India remains a distant prospect.

Thousands poured onto the streets after 13-year-old Nirmala Pant's body was discovered in July angered by allegations the police were protecting the perpetrators.

Two hashtags -- #RageAgainstRape and #JusticeForNirmala -- have become the rallying cries for protesters fed up with Nepal's woeful record of prosecuting cases of violence against women.

But #MeToo has been largely absent from the ongoing debate. Those fighting for change say women still struggle to speak out against their abusers in Nepal.

"I would love a society where you can say #MeToo," said women's rights activist Hima Bista.

In recent weeks the #MeToo movement in neighbouring India has gathered pace, a year after the hashtag first went viral.

The public allegations by Bollywood star Tanushree Dutta against a fellow actor emboldened a wave of women in India to tell their own stories.

A government minister, M.J. Akbar, resigned this month after at least 20 women accused him of sexual harassment. A prominent Bollywood director was also sacked over similar allegations.

The shockwaves have not gone unnoticed in Nepal, which shares strong cultural and religious ties with its influential neighbour, as well as a 1,850-kilometre (1,150-mile) open border.

"You see a slight breeze come through," Bista said of the ripple effect from India.

In the last two weeks, a handful of women have gone public with #MeToo stories in Nepal, including two accusing the former mayor of Kathmandu, Keshav Sthapit, of abusing his power.

"Nepal also has serial predators who have been misusing their powers and positions," wrote Rashmila Prajapati, who says she lost her job in Sthapit's office 15 years ago after she rejected his sexual advances.

"(It) is high time to reveal them."

Sthapit has denied the allegations, describing them as "a rape of men's rights" in an recent interview with the Kathmandu Post newspaper.

- 'Fight for justice' -

Nepal has seen an increasing number of protests highlighting violence against women but victims still struggle to speak out

But for most women in Nepal, particularly those in conservative rural communities, speaking out is not an option, says Mohna Ansari of the National Human Rights Commission.

She is supporting two rape victims who brought their cases to court -- a rare achievement in itself.

But the women have been driven from their communities by gossip, a byproduct of speaking out about sexual violence.

"They are now both hiding in a shelter. The stigma and victim blaming is still too strong in our society," said Ansari.

Bista is concerned that Nepal may not be ready for #MeToo, pointing out that so far only professional women in Kathmandu have felt able to speak out.

"And the reaction has been very divided for and against (them)," she added.

A change needs to come from the top, but the government's response to Pant's killing, the botched investigation and the ensuing protests has invoked outrage and derision.

Parliament passed a ban on pornography saying it would curb violence against women, while the home minister blamed rape on capitalism. He also described the #RageAgainstRape protest movement as a conspiracy aimed at toppling Nepal's communist-led government.

There have been small signs of progress: official figures show 479 complaints of rape and attempted rape were made from July to September this year -- more than the total number of cases filed between 2008 and 2009 -- suggesting the protests have encouraged some to speak up.

In 2016 to 2017, 1,131 rapes were reported to the police, but only a tiny fraction ended up in court.

Sexual violence is making news too. An acid attack on two sisters by a jilted suitor in late September, and the gang rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl, dominated headlines for days.

But activists say the sensationalist coverage and gratuitous detail paints women as weak victims with no agency -- undermining their ability to call out their abusers.

"Once we address the culture, then you have space for #MeToo," said Bista.

Pant's killers meanwhile remain at large.

"I don't have any hope of justice, because the investigations have come up with nothing despite public pressure," her father, Yagya Raj Pant, told AFP by phone.

"But we still continue our fight for justice."
Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome is due to step down though no official reason has been given for his resignation

Ethiopian lawmakers on Thursday will meet to appoint a new president, a largely ceremonial post in the Horn of Africa nation, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.

A session involving both houses of parliament is expected to hear and formally accept the resignation of current President Mulatu Teshome who has served in the post for the last five years.

No reason has been given for his expected resignation but observers speculate it was the outcome of continued negotiations between the four parties in the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

In April the EPRDF appointed Abiy Ahmed the first prime minister from the Oromo ethnic group, the country's largest, who has led a programme of reforms, making peace with former enemy Eritrea and reconciling with various opposition groups.

Abiy recently appointed a new cabinet, with half of all posts going to women.

Mulatu is the third president of Ethiopia since it formally adopted multiparty politics and a new constitution in 1995. The two former presidents were Negasso Gidada who served from 1995 to 2001 and Girma Wolde-Giorgis who served from 2001 to 2013.

Under the Ethiopian constitution the president is given a maximum of a two terms of six years each. Mulatu had one more year left in his first term.

Ethiopia follows a parliamentary system that places the majority of powers in the hands of the legislature and prime minister, with the presidency a largely symbolic post.

Abiy's reforms included ending two decades of conflict with neighbouring Eritrea, releasing jailed dissidents, welcoming formerly banned groups back into the country and announcing plans to privatise major state-owned industries.

He took office after anti-government protests began in late 2015 by Ethiopia's two largest ethnic groups against the heavy-handed rule of the EPRDF.
Saudi Arabia has long been a key ally of Saad Hariri (R)

Saudi Arabia's crown prince on Wednesday joked about allegations that Lebanon's premier-designate Saad Hariri was detained in the kingdom last year, saying he hoped his current visit does not spark "abduction" rumours.

Hariri "will be staying in the kingdom for two more days, so I hope there are no rumours of his abduction," Prince Mohammed bin Salman said while addressing the Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh.

The prince burst out laughing and shook hands with a smiling Hariri, who sat next to him on stage, as the audience also erupted in laughter.

Saudi Arabia has long been a key ally of Hariri, while Riyadh's regional foe Iran backs Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

But in November last year, Hariri announced he was stepping down in a televised address from the Saudi capital, causing observers to speculate he was being held against his will.

After French mediation, he rescinded his resignation the following month, and Saudi Arabia has denied intimidating Hariri into quitting his post.

Hariri was named premier for a third term in May after Lebanon's first parliamentary elections in nine years, but has since struggled to form a cabinet.

Hariri, a dual Saudi citizen, has thrown his support behind Prince Mohammedas he faces global outrage over the murder of Saudi journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Federal prosecutors will once again try a U.S. Border Patrol agent who killed a 16-year-old boy in a cross-border shooting. The agent was acquitted earlier this year of murder, but a jury deadlocked on manslaughter charges.

A jury was selected Tuesday and opening arguments are scheduled Wednesday in the second trial of Lonnie Swartz, five years since he fatally shot Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez through a border fence dividing Arizona and Mexico.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has declined to comment on why it decided to pursue manslaughter charges again.

It's extremely rare for a Border Patrol agent to be criminally charged in circumstances involving a use of force case, but the agency was under heavy scrutiny over violent incidents when Swartz was first indicted in 2015, including many involving rock-throwers.

In the meantime, a civil rights lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of Elena Rodriguez's mother has been making its way through the courts but will likely have to be taken up by the Supreme Court before a decision is made.

That's because his attorneys have argued that the American constitution didn't extend to Elena Rodriguez, a Mexican teen who was on Mexican soil when Swartz shot him. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinion conflicting with a different circuit, recently ruled that Swartz can be held accountable.

FILE - In this March 21, 2018, file photo, Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, left, arrives at U.S. District Court in downtown Tucson, Ariz., where opening arguments began in his murder trial in Tucson. Swartz will face a second trial Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in the killing of a 16-year-old Mexican teen across the international border. Swartz was acquitted of second-degree murder in Tucson earlier in the year and now will be tried on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges. (Ron Medvescek/Arizona Daily Star via AP, File)

Swartz has been on leave and living in Nevada since the incident.

Prosecutors this spring focused on what they said was Swartz's frustration with rock-throwers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wallace Heath Kleindienst said during closing arguments that Swartz "was fed up with being rocked" after being targeted in at least six other attacks.

Defense attorney Sean Chapman said there was "not a scintilla of evidence" that Swartz was angry or fed up. Chapman said Swartz opened fire because he was trying to protect himself and his fellow agents during a drug operation.

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, a portrait of 16-year-old Mexican youth Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was shot and killed in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, is displayed on the Nogales street where he was killed that runs parallel with the U.S. border. A U.S. Border Patrol agent will face a second trial Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in the killing of Elena Rodriguez across the international border. Lonnie Swartz was acquitted of second-degree murder in Tucson earlier in 2018 and now will be tried on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges. (AP Photo/Anita Snow, File)

FILE - In this July 29, 2014, file photo, Araceli Rodriguez handles a rosary during a news conference in Nogales, Mexico, that belonged to her son Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, pictured behind her, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in October 2012. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz will face a second trial Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in the killing of 16-year-old Elena Rodriguez across the international border. Swartz was acquitted of second-degree murder in Tucson earlier in 2018 and now will be tried on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP, File)
TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese journalist freed after more than three years of captivity in Syria said Wednesday he is safe in neighboring Turkey.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Japanese Embassy officials met with the freelance journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, at an immigration center in southern Turkey near the border with Syria.

"We are extremely pleased that we have confirmed the safety of Mr. Jumpei Yasuda," Kono told reporters.

Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, after contact with him was lost in June that year. A war monitoring group said he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly consists of Chinese jihadis in Syria.

"My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months," Yasuda said, somewhat haltingly, in English in comments broadcast by Japan's NHK public television. "Now I am in Turkey. Now I am in safe condition. Thank you very much."

NHK said the video was shot inside the immigration center and was released by the local government in Turkey's Hatay province.

In this image released by the Hatay governorate in Turkey, Jumpei Yasuda of Japan, talks in Antakya, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Japan confirmed Wednesday that a man freed from Syria is the Japanese freelance journalist Yusuda, who was kidnapped three years ago by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, and said he appears to be in good health. (Antakya Governorate via AP)

News of Yasuda's release came late Tuesday from Qatar, which helped in obtaining his freedom along with Turkey and other countries in the region, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

Asked if any ransom was involved, Suga said, "There is no fact that ransom money was paid."

Yasuda's wife, a singer who goes by the name Myu, was on a live talk show on Japanese television and shed tears when she heard Kono confirm that her husband was safe. "First I want to tell him welcome back, and then praise him for enduring," she said. "I'm so glad he survived."

Yasuda's parents earlier said they couldn't wait to see their son return home.

"I was just praying for his safe return," his mother Sachiko Yasuda, 75, told Japan's NHK public television as she and her husband stood in front of their home outside Tokyo, holding a "thousand cranes" well-wishing origami ornament that she had added to every day for three years.

Prime Minsiter Shinzo Abe promised the government would help arrange the earliest possible return home for Yasuda. He said Yasuda appeared in good health, an indication he would be fit to travel when his travel documents and other procedures are complete.

Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in the early 2000s. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese, but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release.

His last work in Syria involved reporting on his friend Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist who was taken hostage and killed by the Islamic State group.

Contact was lost with Yasuda after he sent a message to another Japanese freelancer on June 23, 2015. In his last tweet two days earlier, Yasuda said his reporting was often obstructed and that he would stop tweeting his location and activities.

Several videos showing a man believed to be Yasuda have been released in the past year.

In one video released in July, a bearded man thought to be Yasuda said he was in a harsh environment and needed to be rescued immediately.

The governor of Turkey's southern Hatay province, Erdal Ata, said Wednesday that Yasuda was rescued as a result of efforts by Turkish intelligence and security units. Ata said Yasuda had no identification with him when he was brought from Syria, which he had entered illegally, and that he would be handed over to Japanese officials as soon as necessary procedures on the Turkish side are completed.

Syria has been one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the conflict there began in March 2011, with dozens killed or kidnapped.

Yasuda's release came as al-Qaida branches have become so weak that they are nearly unable to operate, giving them less reason to hold hostages to raise ransom for acquiring weapons, Hiroyuki Aoyama, a Tokyo University of Foreign Studies professor and expert on Syria, told NHK.

Several journalists are still missing in Syria and their fates are unknown.

Those missing include Austin Tice of Houston, Texas, who disappeared in August 2012 while covering the conflict, which has killed some 400,000 people. A video released a month later showed him blindfolded and held by armed men, saying "Oh, Jesus." He has not been heard from since.

Tice is a former Marine who has reported for The Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, CBS and other outlets, and disappeared shortly after his 31st birthday.

Another is British photojournalist John Cantlie, who appeared in Islamic State group propaganda videos. Cantlie has worked for several publications, including The Sunday Times, The Sun and The Sunday Telegraph. He was kidnapped with American journalist James Foley in November 2012. The IS beheaded Foley in August 2014.

Lebanese journalist Samir Kassab, who worked for Sky News, was kidnapped on Oct. 14, 2013, along with a colleague from Mauritania, Ishak Moctar, and a Syrian driver while on a trip in northern Syria.

In March 2014, two Spanish journalists - correspondent Javier Espinosa and photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova - were released six months after being kidnapped by an al-Qaida-linked group.

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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Ayse Wieting in Istanbul contributed to this report.

In this image released by the Hatay governorate in Turkey, Jumpei Yasuda of Japan, talks in Antakya, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Japan confirmed Wednesday that a man freed from Syria is the Japanese freelance journalist Yusuda, who was kidnapped three years ago by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, and said he appears to be in good health. (Antakya Governorate via AP)

Mother Sachiko Yasuda cries while speaking to the media with father Hideaki Yasuda of Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda outside their home in Iruma, northwest of Tokyo, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. A man believed to be journalist Yasuda who disappeared three years ago in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey, a Japanese official said. (Kyodo News via AP)

Mother Sachiko Yasuda cries while speaking to the media with father Hideaki Yasuda of Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda outside their home in Iruma, northwest of Tokyo, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. A man believed to be journalist Yasuda who disappeared three years ago in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey, a Japanese official said. (Kyodo News via AP)

In this photo taken on Feb. 18, 2015, Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda speaks during an interview in Tokyo. Japan's government says a man believed to be a Japanese freelance journalist who went missing three years ago while in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference late Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 that Japan was informed by Qatar that the man, believed to be Jumpei Yasuda, has been released. (Kyodo News via AP)

Men walk past a TV screen showing a news program with an image of Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 in Tokyo. A man believed to be Yasuda who disappeared three years ago in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey, a Japanese official said. Japanese characters at top right read: "Jumpei Yasuda was released." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man walks past a TV screen showing a news program with an image of Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 in Tokyo. A man believed to be Yasuda who disappeared three years ago in Syria has been released and is now in Turkey, a Japanese official said. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters on a Japanese freelance journalist freed from Syria, at his official residence in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. A Japanese freelance journalist who was freed after more than three years of captivity in Syria said Wednesday he is safe in neighboring Turkey. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono speaks to reporters at foreign ministry in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Japan confirmed Wednesday that a man freed from Syria is a Japanese freelance journalist who disappeared three years ago and said he appears to be in good health. (Kyodo News via AP)
MAZATLAN, Mexico (AP) - Emergency workers and federal troops struggled to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Hurricane Willa, and the storm continued to force evacuations Wednesday due to fear of flooding even as it dissipated over northern Mexico. Thousands of homes were still without power.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or missing people, but the storm's 120 mph (195 kph) winds damaged a hospital, knocked out power, toppled wood-shack homes and ripped metal roofing off other houses in the Sinaloa state municipality of Escuinapa when it came ashore Tuesday evening.

Nearly 102,000 homes in Sinaloa lost electricity after the storm made landfall, the head of the state electricity company said on Twitter. Service had been restored to about 62 percent of those.

The state civil defense office said the hospital's ceiling and some other areas were damaged in Escuinapa.

The worst damage was expected to be in the handful of coastal communities that were cut off by road and without communications. Workers were trying to remove toppled power poles and trees blocking the roads.

In the farming neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, a half mile (kilometer) from Escuinapa's center, neighbors cried when describing how the wind swept up their tin roofs and wooden house frames while they sheltered under their heaviest furniture.

A family stands near their damaged home and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Emergency workers on Wednesday were struggling to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Willa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Ruben Avila and his wife, Juana, told The Associated Press they were disappointed that government officials had not yet arrived with help, as they sat among their scattered belongings under pouring rain Wednesday. Mattresses and remains of their belongings lay soaked on the ground.

Meanwhile, pictures on social media depicted plastic-wrapped mattresses supposedly donated to Sinaloa residents after the storm in the name of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the jailed leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Mexican drug lord was extradited to New York in 2017 to face trafficking charges.

In neighboring Nayarit state, Gov. Antonio Echevarria asked the federal government to send a helicopter, boats and rescue equipment. He said the state was trying to evacuate people in communities at risk of flooding. A government-run hospital shared pictures of a baby delivered in Acaponeta as the storm passed through.

The Interior Department announced late Wednesday that 12,000 soldiers, 3,800 sailors and 120 federal police officers had been sent to help. It said federal aircraft also were being deployed.

Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque, Willa swept over an offshore penal colony about 60 miles (100 kilometers) out in the Pacific. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of inmates was a priority.

Willa peaked as a Category 5 storm with winds of 155 mph (250 kph) over the Pacific on Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm rapidly lost force and dissipated over northern Mexico Wednesday morning. Rain from Willa continued to fall across 10 Mexican states after the cyclone was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Concern about rains led Durango state to say it was evacuating 200 people threatened by possible spills from the Santa Elena dam. In Nayarit, the fire department urged residents in villages near the Acaponeta river to "evacuate immediately" as the river rose to dangerous levels.

Willa came ashore about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to high-rise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.

Torrential rains began in the afternoon, and emergency officials said they had evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal towns and set up 58 shelters ahead of the storm. Schools were ordered closed.

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Associated Press writer Isabella Cota in Mexico City contributed to this report.

A boy walks near his damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Emergency workers on Wednesday were struggling to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Willa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A family works to put their home back in order in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Emergency workers on Wednesday were struggling to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Willa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A man walks past tree branches brought down by Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Emergency workers on Wednesday were struggling to reach beach towns left incommunicado in the aftermath Willa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Residents work to put their damaged homes back in order in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Emergency workers on Wednesday were struggling to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Willa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Residents work to put their damaged homes back in order in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Emergency workers on Wednesday were struggling to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Willa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A resident works to remove a felled tree in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. There were no immediate reports of deaths, but the storm's 120 mph winds knocked out power and damaged buildings in the Sinaloa state municipality of Escuinapa. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The sun sets, as Hurricane Willa makes landfall, in Mazatlan, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. Emergency officials said they evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal towns and set up 58 shelters ahead of the dangerous Category 3 storm. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - For centuries, Nepal has celebrated its masked dancers, who officially begin monthlong festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalayan nation.

Indra Jatra, an eight-day festival celebrated mostly by the Newar community, the native residents of Kathmandu, is also known as the festival of deities and demons. It especially honors Indra, the Hindu god of rain, to mark the end of the monsoon. The masks and dances can be fearsome, entertaining and awe-inspiring, depending on the performers' movements.

A child revered as the Living Goddess Kumari is pulled around Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, in a wooden chariot, families gather for feasts and at shrines to light incense for the dead, and men and boys in colorful masks and gowns representing Hindu deities dance to the beat of traditional music and devotees' drums, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the city's old streets.

The dancers, who come from varied backgrounds, pull off their performance every year despite minimal funding from the government and other sources, they say.

"It is not only about the dancers, we also need to do many rituals before and after the festivals, but the money and support we are provided by the government cannot be compared to what we spend," said Narendra Maharjan, a member of the Devi Mask dance crew. He added: "I remember many mask dances in my childhood, which have stopped now because of these reasons and we fear that one day our dance will also stop."

Some dancers, feeling they are not adequately supported, are debating whether to continue next year.

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, dancers pose for photographs wearing masks of god Kawancha in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Rajan Maharjan, a former guardian of the Living Goddess Kumari, recalled a September 2008 riot that broke out after Nepal's then-Maoist government cut funding and subsidies for Indra Jatra and other festivals.

"The Nepalese government shows and sells our festivals and cultures to the world for tourism, but us being the preserver, what do we get?" Maharjan said.

Others, though, are determined to keep the tradition alive. Walking barefoot in heavy masks and jewelry in the oldest part of Kathmandu, the dancers say they hope to get financial support so they can pass on an ancient festival to the next generation.

In this Sept. 26, 2018, photo, 10-year-old Salik Suwal, right, and 11-year-old Pujan Machamasi pose for a photograph without their masks of god Kawancha in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, a dancer poses for photographs wearing mask of goddess Mahakali in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 27, 2018, photo, business man Hari Ram Twanabasu, 35, poses for photographs without the mask of goddess Mahakali in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, a dancer poses for photographs wearing goddess Mahalaxmi mask in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 26, 2018, photo, Bibesh Dandakhya, 27, a trainer at Red cross, poses for photographs without the mask of goddess Mahalaxmi in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, a dancer poses for photographs wearing goddess Kumari mask in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 27, 2018, photo, Ramesh Nala, 28, a lawyer poses for photographs without the mask of goddess Kumari in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 16, 2018, photo, masks used for dances in Indra Jatra Festival are hung in a room at Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 11, 2018, photo, mask dancer and web designer Rakesh Twanabasu, 24, works at his office in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 10, 2018, photo, mask dancer Salik Suwal, 10, studies at his residence in Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 10, 2018, photo, Bibek Machamasi, mask dancer and wood carver works at a workshop in Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 16, 2018, photo, masks and drums used for dances in Indra Jatra Festival are hung in a room at Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 22, 2018, photo, mask dancers perform during Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 22, 2018, photo, a mask dancer performs during Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept, 28, 2018, photo, mask dancers perform during the last day of Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 16, 2018, photo, young mask dancers help to divide the meat of a sacrificial buffalo to distribute among the dancers in Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say.(AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 16, 2018, photo, a Nepalese butcher gets ready to sacrifice a buffalo in Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 16, 2018, photo, mask dancers cut the meat of a buffalo which was sacrificed in Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Oct. 16, 2018, photo, young mask dancers help to divide the meat of a sacrificial buffalo to distribute among the dancers in Bhaktapur, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say.(AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, dancers pose for photographs wearing the mask of god Jangali in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 27, 2018, photo, mask dancers and students Yaman Duwal,18, left and Raj Tulsibakhyo,16 pose for photographs without the mask of god Jungali in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, dancers pose for photographs wearing mask of god Khyak in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 25, 2018, photo, Rakesh Twanabasu, 24, web designer, right and Saroj Dhaubanjar, 23, delivery man pose for photographs without the mask of god Khyak in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, dancers pose for photographs wearing mask of god Bhot Bhairabh in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 26, 2018, photo, students Ukesk Chikanbanjar, right, and Rohit Rajchal pose for photographs without the mask of god Bhot Bhairabh in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 23, 2018, photo, dancers pose for photographs wearing the mask of god Betal in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Sept. 25, 2018, photo, dancers from left, Dinesh Dhaubanjar, 23, finance officer, Prem Jung Nala, 31, teacher and Bibek Machamasi, wood carver pose for photographs without the mask of god Betal in Kathmandu, Nepal. For centuries, Nepal has celebrated the Indra Jatra festival of masked dancers, which officially begins the month-long festivities in the Hindu-dominated Himalyan nation. The dancers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, pull off this performance every year despite minimal financial support from the government and other sources, they say. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Government forces killed two rebels during a gunbattle on the outskirts of disputed Kashmir's main city on Wednesday, sparking violent anti-India protests by residents, police said.

Indian troops laid siege to a neighborhood in Srinagar following a tip that militants were hiding there, police said.

The searches by troops triggered an exchange of gunfire resulting in the deaths of two militants and injuries to four soldiers and two counterinsurgency policemen.

Residents said Indian troops burned a civilian home where the rebels took refuge during the fighting.

The fighting sparked protests and clashes as residents tried to march to the site of the battle in solidarity with the militants. Chanting slogans in favor of the militants and demanding an end to Indian rule over Kashmir, the demonstrators threw stones at police and paramilitary soldiers, who fired warning shots, shotgun pellets and tear gas to quell the protests. At least half a dozen people were injured.

Later Wednesday, thousands participated in the funerals of slain militants in the villages in southern Kashmir. Some armed associates turned up at the funeral of one of the slain rebels, Sabzar Sofi, and fired their guns in air to salute their fallen comrade amid loud pro-freedom slogans from the mourners, witnesses said. Sofi was a doctorate student before joining the militants and his death triggered protests and clashes in his home area.

Indian police men use their shields during clashes with Kashmiri protesters in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Police say government forces have killed two rebels during a gunbattle in the outskirts of disputed Kashmir's main city, sparking violent anti-India protests by residents. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Authorities suspended internet service on cellphones and ordered schools shut in Srinagar, a common tactic to discourage further protests and dissemination of protest videos.

Separatist leaders who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir called for a general strike on Thursday to protest the killings. In a statement, the leaders said "India's stubbornness and repressive policies in Kashmir are forcing the educated youth toward the path of armed resistance and martyrdom."

The region witnessed massive anger, anti-India protests and shutdowns amid a security lockdown following the killing Sunday of seven civilians in an explosion after three local rebels died in a gunfight in the southern Kulgam area.

Last week, two local rebels, a civilian and a counterinsurgency police official were killed in fighting in Srinagar.

India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety.

Most Kashmiris support rebel demands that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. In recent years, mainly young Kashmiris have displayed open solidarity with the rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations.

Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

Kashmiri men inspect a damaged house after a gunbattle between suspected militants and Indian security foces in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Indian troops laid a siege around a neighborhood in Srinagar following a tip that militants were hiding there, police said. The searches by troops triggered an exchange of gunfire resulting in the deaths of two militants and injuries to four soldiers and two counterinsurgency policemen. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri man shows bullet shells found after a gunbattle between Indian security forces and suspected militants in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Police say government forces have killed two rebels during a gunbattle in the outskirts of disputed Kashmir's main city, sparking violent anti-India protests by residents. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Indian police men walk past burning tar coal filled drum set as road blockade by Kashmiri protesters near the site of gunbattle in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Anti-India protests and clashes erupted in the main city in disputed Kashmir on Wednesday after a gunbattle between militants and government forces killed at least two suspected rebels and wounded six security forces, residents and police said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

An Indian paramilitary soldier holds stones during clashes with Kashmiri protesters in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Police say government forces have killed two rebels during a gunbattle in the outskirts of disputed Kashmir's main city, sparking violent anti-India protests by residents. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May faced down her Conservative Party critics and got roars of approval Wednesday even as warnings mounted about the disruption that could be unleashed if Britain leaves the European Union without a divorce deal.

May tried to shore up her besieged leadership with a speech to her party's "1922 Committee" of backbench lawmakers. Many of them oppose her attempts to strike a Brexit agreement with the EU, and some Conservatives have called for her to be replaced.

May made a call for unity to the dozens of legislators who packed a wood-paneled room at Parliament in London.

Lawmaker Michael Fabricant said May had urged the party to "hang together" as negotiations with the EU reached their endgame, and many in the room had responded with approval. Journalists in the corridor outside could hear loud table-thumping at regular intervals during May's speech.

Rather than the lion's den that some had predicted, "it was a petting zoo," Fabricant said.

The meeting came as Britain's spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, said smugglers and other organized criminals were likely to exploit gaps in border enforcement in the event of a "no-deal" Brexit.

British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The International Air Transport Association also warned there could be "chaos for travelers" if backup aviation plans weren't put in place quickly.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but London and Brussels have not reached an agreement on their divorce terms and a smooth transition to a new relationship. The stalemate has heightened fears that the U.K. might leave without a deal in place, leading to chaos at ports and economic turmoil.

In its report, the National Audit Office said that political uncertainty and delays in negotiations with the EU have hampered preparations for new border arrangements, and the government is now racing to bolster computer systems, increase staffing and build new infrastructure to track goods.

The office said 11 of 12 major projects may not be delivered on time or at "acceptable quality."

"Organized criminals and others are likely to be quick to exploit any perceived weaknesses or gaps in the enforcement regime," it added.

IATA, the international airline trade body, called for urgent planning by Britain and the EU to ensure "the uninterrupted continuation of air connectivity" - in other words, to keep planes flying - and to maintain safety and manage border controls.

Director General Alexandre de Juniac said failure to put such measures in place "could mean chaos for travelers and interrupted supply chains."

"A backstop contingency plan to keep planes flying after March must be published, and quickly," he said.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling raised at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday the idea of chartering ships to bring in food and medicines through alternative ports if new customs checks led to gridlock on the main shipping route between Dover in England and Calais in France.

"We remain confident of reaching an agreement with the EU, but it is only sensible for government and industry to prepare for a range of scenarios," the Department for Transport said in a statement.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a Brexit opponent, said the government's "staggering incompetence" made Britain leaving the EU without a deal in place "the most likely outcome."

May said this week that a divorce deal was "95 percent" done, but the two sides still have a "considerable" gap over the issue of the border between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Britain and the EU agree there must be no barriers that could disrupt businesses and residents on both sides of the border and undermine Northern Ireland's hard-won peace process. But so far, each side has rejected the other's solution.

May has attempted to break the impasse by suggesting that a post-Brexit transition period, currently due to end in December 2020, could be extended to give more time for new trade and customs arrangements.

The EU has said it is open to the proposal, but the idea has infuriated May's political opponents on both sides of Britain's Brexit divide.

Pro-Brexit politicians see it as an attempt to bind the country to the bloc indefinitely, while pro-EU politicians say it is a sign of May's weak bargaining hand and an attempt to stall for time.

May's rousing performance before the 1922 Committee - which plays a key role in deciding who leads the Conservatives - may have brought a temporary reprieve.

Under Conservative rules, a no-confidence vote in the leader is triggered if 15 percent of party lawmakers write to the 1922 Committee requesting one. The required number currently stands at 48 lawmakers; only committee chief Graham Brady knows how many have been submitted.

Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd said May had addressed the meeting with "passion and emotion," and her job was probably safe for now.

___

David Rising in Berlin contributed to this story.

British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - A former prison chief for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime who has been sentenced to life in prison has been hospitalized with serious respiratory problems.

Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, was the first among the Khmer Rouge leaders to be convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a U.N.-backed tribunal in 2012. He has been serving his sentence in Cambodia's Kandal province.

Duch, 76, was admitted to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship hospital in Phnom Penh on Sunday, said Be Tealeng, deputy director of the prisons department at the Interior Ministry.

The chief of the Kandal prison, Chat Sineang, described his condition as serious.

Duch was the commander of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, where more than 15,000 people were incarcerated and tortured before they were sent for execution. Duch is the only Khmer Rouge leader who has admitted to the charges against him and accepted responsibility for the crimes.

The tribunal is seeking justice for an estimated 1.7 million people who died from torture, starvation, exhaustion or lack of medical care during the Khmer Rouge's 1970s rule.
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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Another young person has died in a viral outbreak at a pediatric rehabilitation center this month, bringing the death toll to seven, officials said Wednesday as they disclosed the first symptoms of the illness showed up a month ago.

Most of those who died in the adenovirus outbreak were under 18, but at least one was a young adult, the state Health Department said. The seventh victim died Tuesday.

There have been 18 cases overall at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of New York, officials said. The 227-bed, for-profit facility has a pediatric unit but also cares for elderly residents.

All the cases occurred in a respiratory, or ventilator unit, New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said at a news conference with Gov. Phil Murphy outside the complex.

"Our attention is squarely focused on making sure that further cases are minimized," Murphy, a Democrat, said.

Health officials said they have staff onsite, and that the outbreak won't be declared over until the center goes four weeks without the diagnosing of a new case.

New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal, left, speaks about the adenovirus outbreak as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy looks on during a press conference at the The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 in Wanaque, N.J. There have been 18 cases overall at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of New York, officials said. The 227-bed, for-profit facility has a pediatric unit but also cares for elderly residents. (Michael Karas/The Record via AP)

The commissioner said the first symptoms showed up Sept. 26, and that the state was notified of an outbreak Oct. 9. Asked about the time lag, he said it's always hard to know when an actual outbreak begins.

"It can be difficult or impossible to know how the virus got to the facility, what its source was, or what its specific mechanisms of spread is from person to person," Elnahal said. "The consequences here have been drastic, and this has been absolutely wrenching for families, community members, our department, myself personally and the governor."

Adenoviruses are common and typically cause mild cold or flu symptoms in otherwise healthy people, including sore throats, fever, coughs and sneezes. Some strains also cause diarrhea and or pinkeye.

But the strain found in the rehab center outbreak, adenovirus 7, is among the more potent types and can sometimes cause more serious respiratory illness, particularly in people with weak immune systems or who have lung conditions.

Many of the children at the facility require ventilators for breathing, and some have spent all or most of their lives there, the commissioner said. He described the patients in an interview as "fragile." It's unlikely that there's a broader threat, he said.

"Unfortunately, we have hundreds of these types of outbreaks per year," the commissioner said in the interview. "Because this one occurred in a place where the patients are so fragile and have underlying immune system problems, you're seeing the severity play out."

Elnahal said a surprise inspection at the facility this past weekend found only a handwashing deficiency.

The president of a nurses union said Wednesday that nurses have complained about staffing shortages at Wanaque, which she said may lead to poor infection control practices that could put patient safety at risk.

"As the staff works to contain the spread of the virus they will also continue to advocate for stronger protocols and implementation of infection control policies," union president Debbie White, said in a statement.

The center referred questions to a spokesman, who said late Wednesday that he was preparing a statement.

In an earlier statement Wednesday the center said its top concern is for the "health and safety" of its patients, their families and staff and took "immediate and comprehensive action to implement all available infection control and prevention measures."

The identities of those who died and the affected patients have not been disclosed.

Health officials had earlier described all those infected as children, which is how the rehab center describes its pediatric patients, even though its website says some are as old as 22.

In the past 10 years, cases of severe illness and death from the type of infection found at Wanaque have been reported in the United States, but it's unclear how many deaths there were.

A 1998 outbreak of type 7 adenovirus at a pediatric chronic-care facility in Chicago killed eight patients, according to a scientific paper cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC is providing technical assistance to the state Health Department.

The Health Department inspected Wanaque in August and found "minor deficiencies" that were later corrected.

"Our goal now," Elnahal said, "is to make sure all the infection protocols are being followed to minimize the impact on affected families and patients."

___

Associated Press writers Lindsey Tanner in Asheville, North Carolina, and Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to correct that not all the outbreak victims were children. Officials had earlier described them all as children but now say that at least one was a young adult, and that the center describes all its pediatric patients as children, regardless of age.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks about the adenovirus outbreak as New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal looks during a press conference at the The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 in Wanaque, N.J. There have been 18 cases overall at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of New York, officials said. The 227-bed, for-profit facility has a pediatric unit but also cares for elderly residents. (Michael Karas/The Record via AP)

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks about the adenovirus outbreak as New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal looks during a press conference at the The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 in Wanaque, N.J. There have been 18 cases overall at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of New York, officials said. The 227-bed, for-profit facility has a pediatric unit but also cares for elderly residents. (Michael Karas/The Record via AP)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Latest on the fatal shooting of a University of Utah student (all times local):

6 p.m.

Hundreds of University of Utah students lined up to leave flowers and candles under a picture of slain student-athlete Lauren McCluskey.

The 21-year-old McCluskey was a member of the school's track team, and many of her teammates wiped away tears during Wednesday evening's vigil on the steps of the Park Building on campus.

School officials announced that a winged foot logo has been created to honor her memory.

The Utes football team will wear the logo as a helmet decal in Friday night's game at UCLA, and the soccer team will wear wristbands with a heart logo that includes McCluskey's initials in Thursday night's home game versus UCLA.

This Aug. 21, 2018 photo, provided by the University of Utah, shows Lauren McCluskey, a member of the University of Utah cross country and track and field team. McCluskey, a University of Utah student was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend Melvin Rowland, who was found dead hours later inside a church Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, authorities said. (Steve C. Wilson/University of Utah via AP)

Utah's cross country team will wear black uniforms and a patch of the heart logo at Friday's Pac-12 Cross Country Championships at Stanford.

Authorities say McCluskey was fatally shot Monday night on campus by a man she briefly dated.

___

12:15 p.m.

A recording of a past parole hearing reveals that a sex offender who killed a University of Utah student he briefly dated said he was a womanizer who manipulated women to get what he wanted.

Melvin Rowland said during the hearing in 2012 that he manipulated every woman he met in person or online. He said he was attracted to teenage girls and vulnerable women.

His comments are contained in a recording of the hearing released Wednesday by Utah authorities.

Rowland fatally shot 21-year-old Lauren McCluskey on Monday night on the university campus and then killed himself in a church as officers closed in.

McCluskey's mother says her daughter broke off the monthlong relationship with the 37-year-old Rowland when she learned Rowland had lied about his name, age and criminal history.

___

3:34 a.m.

Authorities say the man accused of killing a University of Utah student he had dated was a sex offender and his victim reported him to police.

Investigators had been working to build a case against Melvin Rowland after receiving the report from 21-year-old senior Lauren McCluskey, of Pullman, Washington.

Police say Rowland killed McCluskey Monday night. He later killed himself when police tracked him down.

McCluskey's mother said her daughter had dated Rowland for about a month but ended the relationship when she learned he had lied about his age, name and criminal history.

According to court records, Rowland spent nearly a decade in prison after pleading guilty to trying to lure an underage girl online and attempted sex abuse charges, according to court records.

In this undated photo provided by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office shows Melvin Rowland. A University of Utah student and track athlete, Lauren McCluskey, who was shot and killed on campus by her former boyfriend, Rowland, had filed a police complaint against him after she learned he was a sex offender and broke off the relationship, authorities said Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. McCluskey was found shot in a car Monday night near on-campus student housing. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Utah Department of Corrections shows Melvin Rowland. Authorities say that Rowland, suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend, University of Utah student-athlete Lauren McCluskey, was found dead in an off-campus church early Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Utah Department of Corrections via AP)

Police gather near the South Medical Tower on the University of Utah campus during a search for a man they say shot and killed a University of Utah student outside of a dormitory on campus, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Salt Lake City. The female student's body was found in a car near the medical towers, University of Utah Police Lt. Brian Wahlin said. The man they are searching for and the student had "a previous relationship," Wahlin said. (Kristin Murphy//The Deseret News via AP)

Lori McDonald, University of Utah Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, and University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy walk off following a news conference at the University of Utah Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Salt Lake City. A University of Utah student was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend, who was found dead hours later inside a church Tuesday, authorities said. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

A law enforcement officer walks near the South Medical Tower on the University of Utah campus during a search for a man they say shot and killed a University of Utah student outside of a dormitory on campus, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Salt Lake City. The female student's body was found in a car near the medical towers, University of Utah Police Lt. Brian Wahlin said. The man they are searching for and the student had "a previous relationship," Wahlin said. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)

In the Nov. 19, 2014 photo, Pullman High School senior Lauren McCluskey signs a letter of intent in Pullman, Wash., to compete in track for the University of Utah. McCluskey was shot and killed outside of a University of Utah dormitory on campus in Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. (The Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP)

University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy, right, speaks as Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown looks on during a news conference at the University of Utah, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Salt Lake City. A University of Utah student was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend, who was found dead hours later inside a church Tuesday, authorities said. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Lori McDonald, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, addresses the media as University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy looks on during a news conference at the University of Utah Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Salt Lake City. A University of Utah student was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend, who was found dead hours later inside a church Tuesday, authorities said. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Aug. 30, 2017 photo, provided by the University of Utah, shows Lauren McCluskey, a member of the University of Utah cross country and track and field team, runs in Salt Lake City. McCluskey, a University of Utah student was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend Melvin Rowland, who was found dead hours later inside a church Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, authorities said. (Steve C. Wilson/University of Utah via AP)
The UN humanitarian chief has warned there is a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen.

Mark Lowcock told the Security Council that this famine would be much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives.

He said the situation is now much graver than when he warned of famine in Yemen at the beginning of 2017 and again last November. That is because of the sheer number of people at risk, he said.

Lowcock said the UN now thinks last months estimate that 11 million people could soon face pre-famine conditions and need aid to survive was wrong, and the number is actually 14 million  half of Yemens population.

There is now a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing #Yemen: much bigger than anything any professional in this field has encountered during their working lives.  Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) October 23, 2018

The conflict in Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi Shiite rebels, who toppled the internationally recognised government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, which has killed over 10,000 people and sparked the worlds worst humanitarian crisis and a cholera epidemic.

Mark Lowcock, the UN humanitarian affairs emergency and relief co-ordinator (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

At the beginning of 2017, the United Nations and its partners were able to provide aid to 3 million hungry Yemenis. Since then, assistance has been scaled up, reaching 8 million people in September because of generous funding from donors, Mr Lowcock said, but far below the 14 million people who may need it.

Mr Lowcock said three conditions are required for famine to be declared: At least one in five households faces an extreme lack of food, more than 30% of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, and at least two out of every 10,000 people are dying every day.

To prevent famine in #Yemen:



1) Stop attacks on civilian infrastructure

2) Allow imports of food, fuel & meds

3) Provide more foreign exchange & pay civil servants

4) Support humanitarian scale-up

5) End conflict



My statement to the @UN Security Council: https://t.co/Vd11o1DPNJ  Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) October 23, 2018

An assessment is now under way across Yemen to measure the risk of famine and initial results are expected in mid-November, he said.

Last month, Mr Lowcock said the food crisis had worsened because of the intensification of fighting around the key port of Hodeida, which is the lifeline for delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial imports that Yemenis rely on, and a further collapse of the economy.

Since then, he said, fierce clashes continue in Hodeida, including intense fighting, shelling and air strikes in Hodeida City over the last several days. Clashes have also blocked access to a facility where grain is milled that could feed 3.7 million people for a month, he said.

Yemen is almost entirely reliant on imports for food, fuel and medicines, Mr Lowcock said.

And the available foreign exchange  from what little remains of oil exports, from money sent home by Yemenis out of the country, and from international assistance  has been simply inadequate to finance adequate levels of imports to support the population.
The roll-out of Universal Credit across the country is an unfolding disaster which will have a severe impact on the most vulnerable, the Scottish First Minister has said.

The six-in-one benefits payment was introduced as part of the UK Governments overhaul of the welfare system.

However critics say cuts to payments and widespread problems with its implementation have led to many claimants from falling into hardship or dropping out of the benefit system altogether.

Nicola Sturgeon told Holyroods committee conveners: It is an unfolding disaster, that is bringing and will continue to bring misery to an awful lot of families across the country.

Ms Sturgeon also stressed her concerns about UK ministers plans for a transitional protection scheme, aimed at ensure existing benefits claimants do not lose money when they are transferred onto Universal Credit.

She said: Weve got real concerns about the process for migration and transition in particular.

The roll-out of Universal Credit is an `unfolding disaster, Nicola Sturgeon has said (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

I honestly cant stress strongly enough how concerned I am about Universal Credit.

Glasgow is obviously about to go through the full roll-out, and the impact of this on already vulnerable people is going to be severe.

I think the sooner this whole system gets stopped in its tracks, the better.
He had joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1970s, about the same time as had Osama bin Laden, when the Brotherhood was still an underground movement in Saudi Arabia. He later confided to a friend that they were hoping to establish an Islamic state all over the globe. He was close enough to Osama to know that he always carried a bag of salt with him and he would suck at the salt whenever he felt dizzy to prevent his blood pressure from sinking.

The same person, working as a journalist, had covered Osama's activities in Afghanistan earlier, had gone to Khartoum in 1994 to persuade Osama to make a public statement renouncing violence. While Osama was willing to condemn violence inside the Kingdom, he refused to say this on record.

Jamal Khashoggi's close friend: Jamal had joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1970s, as had Osama bin Laden. (Photo: Mazhar Ali Khan/AP)

He was a source of John Brennan, CIA representative in Saudi Arabia, who later became Barrack Obama's CIA Director. He was a US Green Card-holder. It is also said of him that he was a nephew of Adnan Khashoggi, the billionaire arms dealer and a champion wheeler-dealer wherever money was to be made. Adnan was a guarantor in the notorious Iran-Contra scam during the Reagan era.

Yes, Jamal Khashoggi was no ordinary person.

Khashoggi fled the Kingdom in September 2017 fearing reprisals after his differences with Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) grew. He soon began working as a correspondent with Washington Post.

Khashoggi fled the Saudi Kingdom in September 2017, fearing reprisals after his differences with Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) grew. (Photo: Hasan Jamali / AP)

Later, he told The New Yorker columnist, Dexter Filkins, that Mohammed bin Salman was not really arresting hardline clerics, but the reformers because they were popular and this worried MBS. This was part of a wide sweep against all potential enemies of MBS.

Khashoggi's disappearance from the Saudi Consulate that fateful October 2 morning is surely the result of a botched-up intelligence operation. The Saudis were trying to organise an 'extra-ordinary rendition'  but without the clinical finesse of the Americans and without local support. The Turks say the Saudis killed Khashoggi.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration had a three-point agenda for West Asia, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, with no political and diplomatic experience of the region was leading the charge. The agenda was to totally defeat the Islamic Caliphate of ISIS, force the Gulf States to stop funding radical Islam and perhaps, the more important, push back Iran into nothingness. What followed for both the US and the Saudis were pursuits of policies removed from reality  something at which both have excelled in other areas.

The Trump administration had a three-point agenda for West Asia, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was leading the charge. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

As MBS consolidated power, which included his high-profile purge of the Saudi Royals and wealthy Saudis allegedly for corruption, he also tripled the funds allocated for lobbying in the US in 2017 to US $27 million.

Money reportedly poured into organisations like the Middle East Institute, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and the Brookings Institute. Well-known lobbying firms like the McKeon Group and BGR Group with connections to the House Armed Services Forces, founded by some prominent Republicans and the Glover Park Group as well as by Democrat political strategists, were favored. The UAE also began to pitch in with its own lobbying effort.

The US Congress had voted out a resolution aimed at extracting the US from 'the worst humanitarian crisis in the world'  the endless killings in Yemen, where the Shia Houthis refused to stop fighting Saudi-backed forces since 2015.

The massive lobbying had apparently worked  and MBS's visit to the US in March 2018 was a success.

Quite apparently, the US was not going to let down its great friend in the region. Besides, it was also a question of money  and billions of it. The US has promised US $139 billion worth of military contracts to the Saudis while the Saudis promised to buy US $110 billion worth of military hardware that would benefit companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The EU too has substantial investment commitments in Saudi Arabia, with France being one of the leading European investors.

Besides, MBS was seen as the agent of change in his country with his Vision 2030. Oil and money have been strategic and lucrative reasons to diligently woo the Saudi royals, ever since President Roosevelt met King Abdul-Aziz al Saud aboard the USS Quincy in 1945. The King promised access to oil and the President promised US security.

Modern-day strategic goals include regime change in Iran as an increasingly urgent motive in wooing Saudi Arabia  even though this has not succeeded since 1979.

President Roosevelt listens as Saudi King Abdul Aziz speaks with him aboard USS Quincy on Feb 20, 1945. (Photo: AP Photo/File)

Initially, President Trump tried to defend the Saudis  but this became untenable.

Brennan has been particularly scathing in his criticism of the US President for his attempts to describe Khashoggi's disappearance as an act by rogue killers. He described the killing as an atrocity, adding that Crown Prince Muhammed bin Sultan's close ties with the White House "must not stand in the way of a full and forceful US response."

The former British SIS chief Sir John Sawyers has been quoted as having said that the theory that rogue Saudi military officers were responsible for this was not acceptable and this would further undermine respect for America "when it panders to such blatant fiction". 'Rogue agents' do not really exist; they are only described so when a deniable covert operation goes wrong  but no-one believes such fiction, like 'non-state actors' to describe state-supported terrorists.

US intelligence agencies have long been suspicious of the close Kushner-MBS relationship and about actions in West Asia. The Israelis would be concerned that this episode could diminish the Saudi image in Washington DC. The murder of one dissident journalist is unlikely to upset larger interests because of perceived larger strategic interests, Iran, for instance, at stake. Sanctions against MBS for this one act are probably unthinkable when the entire Saudi campaign against Yemen has Congressional approval.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was sent to meet MBS while the Director of the CIA flew in to Turkey to talk to an angry President Erdogan because ultimately, the issue is Iran in West Asia  and not Jamal Khashoggi.

Also read: The mysterious killing of top Saudi journalist and what it means for the Middle-East
The killing of the Saudi Arabian dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, on the premises of the Saudi consulate, has been described by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Oct 23) as the worst in the history of cover-ups, a total fiasco. He added: "They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly... Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up.

This public statement ends the ambiguity that characterised the US position on the Khashoggi affair, wherein the dissident journalist of Saudi origin  but a US citizen and a Washington Post columnist  had "disappeared" after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish officials claimed that the journalist had been tortured and killed within the consulate.

However, Washington chose to remain ambivalent, given the Trump affinity for the Saudi monarchy and for reasons that span from US geopolitical and commercial interests to the Beltway's personal ties with the royal family.

Trump's statement ends the ambiguity that characterised the US position on the Khashoggi case. (Photo: Reuters)

This public castigation by the US President was driven by growing anger and dismay within the US about the killing and the clumsy denials by the Saudi regime. The US censure comes in the wake of the assertion made by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday that Khashoggi was targeted in a meticulously planned operation. It has increased the diplomatic heat on Riyadh by publicly demanding that the 18 suspects detained by Saudi Arabia be extradited to Istanbul to face trial.

Apart from the Saudi-Turkey rivalry, the Khashoggi killing raises a number of complex and disturbing issues.

While dissidents the world over have been ruthlessly targeted by authoritarian regimes (recall the manner in which Russian dissidents have mysteriously disappeared or died in the UK, or the Chinese detention of their dissidents including Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo), the Istanbul killing stands out for its sheer audacity and vileness.

Turkish media reports reveal that the team from Saudi Arabia which "supervised" the killing had among them a specialist equipped with a bone-saw to dismember the body of the slain journalist.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the body parts have been buried or hidden within the residence of the consulate staff and more gory details of this killing are likely to be revealed soon.

The Turkish President has drawn attention to the gross violation of the principle of diplomatic immunity and has argued that while the Saudi consulate does enjoy such privileges, the fact that such a murder of a US Green Card-holder took place on Turkish soil warrants Ankaras intervention.

Turkish media reports reveal that a team from Saudi Arabia "supervised" the killing. (Photo: Reuters)

How a Saudi-Turkey-USA modus vivendi is arrived at amidst the current blood and body-splattered imbroglio will shape the principles underpinning diplomatic immunity internationally in the years ahead.

More than the limited sector of diplomatic principles and protocols is the rather complex domain that governs the conduct of international relations and the engagement between nations. State power has an inherent oppressive element embedded in it and democracies are no exception to this thumb rule. How political dissidence is dealt with varies with national culture, countries and the leader in question. In the Khashoggi case, the journalist, who once had very close ties with the Saudi royal family, had become critical of the young crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)  he paid with his life.

Will moral principles and ethical values shape the global response to this killing of a journalist?

President Erdogan declared, Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership. Cynics can draw attention to the manner in which Erdogan himself and Turkey, in general, have dealt with their own political dissidents, but the Khashoggi case has turned the global spotlight on the Saudi profile in an embarrassing manner.

The Khashoggi affair appears to be the tipping point, even for the US. (Photo: Reuters)

Long accused of supporting radical Islamic ideologies and terror groups (recall the identity of the perpetrators in the 9/11 Twin Tower attack), Saudi Arabia has a dismal human rights record when it comes to journalists and political dissidents. Yet, given its hydro-carbon primacy in the world and individual geopolitical compulsions, most nations defer to Riyadh and prefer to turn a Nelsons eye to many of its transgressions.

The Khashoggi affair appears to be the tipping point to this pattern  even a very empathetic USA (that has long lived with the contradiction of the worlds oldest democracy supporting a regime that, till recently, forbade women from driving a car) is now talking about a firm response. US Vice President Mike Pence claimed that the American decision will be one that reflects the values and national security interests of the nation and will also make sure the world knows the truth.

However outraged global opinion is currently over the Khashoggi death, it is more likely that normative principles and values will be "trumped" by the complex geopolitical and energy considerations that Saudi Arabia represents. It is pertinent to note that India, China and Russia have been muted in their public statements about this sordid issue  there is a sub-text here which is a disquieting reality check about the unalloyed realpolitik contours of international relations.

Also read: The mysterious killing of top Saudi journalist and what it means for the Middle-East
The tragic death of people crushed under a train while celebrating the death of Ravana in Amritsar was indeed painful and avoidable. The entire nation slipped into mourning over the massive loss of lives and suffering.

The cult of burning effigies of Ravana  venerated by Shudras/Dalits/Adivasis  was not a part of the popular culture of Punjab. But with the maelstrom of competitive religious politics gaining more and more momentum, the burning of Ravana effigies has also become commonplace in the land of Sikhs  normally more famous for celebrating the birth anniversaries of the 10 Sikh gurus.

Man breaks down next to the burning pyre of a kin who was killed after a train ran through a crowd on Dussehra in Amritsar. (Credit: Reuters photo)

While Punjab is a Congress-ruled state, Amritsar happens to be senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys election turf (he was the BJP candidate for the Amritsar seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, but lost to the Congress' Amarinder Singh). Naturally, there is a lot to compete over on this turf for the BJP and the Congress.

But strange are the human emotions that want to celebrate somebody's death. That too, a mythical king's death.

In a country like India with 1.32 billion people living with opposing cultural beliefs and practices  where someone's God is someone else's demon  such celebrations and practices will only deepen the social cleavages. A more harmonious way that would unite people is to commemorate the 'birth' of ones own God than celebrating the 'death' of someone else's God. Spiritually speaking, burning, killing or demolishing religious shrines won't help build a culture of tolerance. Such vengeance only breeds a culture of hatred.

United in dividing people? (Credit: India Today)

The BJP/RSS and all those political parties competing with each other are most welcome to celebrate the birthdays of their respective Gods. They are free to choose and celebrate Lord Ramas birthday, if they could agree upon one date. They are most welcome to celebrate Vamanas birthday, if they could fix one date.

But why celebrate Balis crushing and killing?

Why celebrate Parshurama's killing of Ksatriyas of his times?

Why celebrate Ravanas death by burning his effigies every year?

No religious group across the world celebrates somebodys death. Whether it is Buddhism, Christianity, Islam or Judaism, the culture of celebrating death, killing and burning of cultural figures is not acceptable and simply not done.

Why is the RSS/BJP spreading the culture of celebrating death in India?

If their leaders are indeed nationalists, as they claim, they should stop this kind of celebrations. Instead, they are promoting this culture of vengeance and celebrating such killings. How is it going to help the nation anyway?

Even among the Shudras in rural India, celebrations over an enemys death is not appreciated. In fact, there are a number of adages that tell us to empathise with our enemies when they are in bereavement. There is a fine proverb in Telugu: "Do not talk bad about your dead enemy."

From the days of Harappa, the builder of the first city in the Indus Valley, to present-day Shudra culture  life on earth has been full of celebrations  of childbirth, harvesting, crops, nature and flowers.

In Telangana, we have just finished Bhatakamma (the Goddess of life and flowers) celebrations. Interestingly, the BJP/RSS leaders were not particularly enthusiastic about this festival. But they celebrated Dussehra with a lot of fanfare and burning of Ravana effigies. Their leaders make appearances on TV channels and belligerently support such destructive culture.

What kind of seculars enjoy burning effigies of a figure venerated by Dalits/Shudras/Adivasis? (Credit: Twitter)

The Dalit/Bahujans have been opposing this for a long time now. But sadly, this violent culture is only spreading to all parts of India post-2014.

Not that those who ruled before cared enough not to make such mistakes. Congress prime ministers, including Manmohan Singh, used to go and watch the burning of Ravana effigy in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi. There were and are a lot of narrow-minded leaders in the Congress as well. They are openly Brahminic and anti-Dalit.

What kind of secularism and seculars enjoy burning effigies of a figure venerated by Dalits/Shudras/Adivasis?

What is considered good by a Brahmin is certainly not good for a Shudra or Dalit. What is considered tasty by a meat-eater is definitely not edible for a vegetarian.

This is where Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar believed in opposite spiritual and cultural lives. If Gandhi was for vegetarian nationalism, Ambedkar was for universal food and dress culture. The Congress also did not understand such historical oppositions.

What the BJP doesn't realise is the more it spreads the culture of Ravana burning and celebrating Ravana's killing, the more it pushes Dalits/OBCs/Adivasis towards worshipping their cultural icon. The best example is that of Bhim Sena leader Chandrashekhar Azad, who added Ravan to his name.

In his Vijayadashami address, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat demanded a law to be framed to allow the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya by completely destroying whatever remains of the Babri Masjid. Every year on December 6, the BJP-Sangh Parivar celebrates the demolition of Babri Masjid by mobilising communities that have nothing to do with productive labour. This in other words means Shudras/Dalits/Adivasis and Muslims are their enemies.

Hate begets hate. Destruction begets destruction. (Credit: India Today)

The Shudra community of Yadavs (it is community that built the cattle economy of India), for example, celebrates Sri Krishnas birthday. Similarly, Ram bhakts can celebrate Ramas birthday. But why burn somebody's else's God. Yadavs do not burn effigies of Duryodhana or Dronacharya to celebrate the greatness of Krishna. They simply celebrate their Gods birthday.

How is competitive religious politics or burning and destroying of any 'enemy-God' good for a nation or its people?

Burning a mythical god's effigy is not nationalism. But tilling your land is. Nationalists must celebrate production, not destruction  whether that of an effigy or a masjid.

Also read: The real Ravanas of Amritsar are its local authorities, which let the train catastrophe happen
The headlines in newspapers published from Nepal have different characteristics and usually don't shock, largely reflecting on the persistence of values in the country's socio-cultural fabric. While politics has been the major news-maker, now in changed times, the gruesome acts of rape and violence against women are disturbing not only for the pattern of news reporting, but for dismantling Nepal's tolerant, liberal and dignified social structure.

On the evening of August 30, a 13-year-old girl, a student of grade 9, suddenly disappeared.

She had informed her mother that she would return after meeting with her school friends  but she never made it back. Panicked by the disappearance of their daughter, family members approached the nearby police station, seeking help to find her whereabouts.

The police station, however, reportedly requested them to come the next day, saying it was not possible to carry out a search at night. Given the seriousness and sensitivity of the case, it is still not clear why the police was reluctant to carry out a search in the evening. Next day, the girl's dead body was found in a sugarcane field near her home. Her family members say there were chances of finding her alive, if a search was conducted soon after she went missing.

The preliminary investigation conducted by the police has shown that the girl was raped and killed in the sugarcane field. The incident took place in Kanchanpur district, in the far-western region of Nepal, falling in province no. 7, under the newly-formed federal structure, where violence against women has been rampant.

It has been almost three months since the rape and murder took place  but the culprit still remains at large.

The girl's parents met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to demand proper investigation into the rape and murder of their daughter. (Photo: Reuters)

The mysteriously slow progress in the investigation has dismayed the girl's family and rights activists alike, filling them with concern.

This has led to nation-wide protests and indignation, demanding justice for the girl.

A majority of social media users have expressed their solidarity with the campaign of justice. With short notice on social media, hundreds of people gathered in Kathmandu to pressure the government into finding the culprit. The protests kept to a purely apolitical nature and even party cadres from different political parties were allowed to participate, without their party flags.

In August, one person lost his life and dozens were injured when police opened fire on a huge crowd gathered at Kanchanpur, demanding proper and prompt investigation into the rape case. However, this act didn't stop the protests and a weekly protest has been taking place in Kathmandu, the capital, and regular protests in Kanchanpur district, to press the authorities to fairly investigate the case and ensure justice.

During this period, the girl's parents travelled to Kathmandu, met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, and demanded proper investigation into the rape and murder of their daughter. The PM assured them that the guilty will be punished - but optimism is gradually fading due to negligence in investigation.

The government has already suspended more than half a dozen police officials, including the chief of Kanchanpur district, for sheer negligence in the investigation. The government committees, however, are failing to come up with concrete evidence. As police-level investigations did not find any clues, the government formed a high-level committee to look into the case, which has recently submitted its report.

Although the high-level investigation panel has identified several lapses in the police investigation, it also remains clueless about the identity of the culprits. The panel has stated there was negligence while collecting the evidence  and some of it was systematically destroyed, raising serious doubts over the intention of the police officials.

The reportedly systematic attempts to destroy the evidence also indicate that there could be involvement of people who have links with top politicians.

The investigation also shows that the police did not mobilise sufficient personnel and sniffer dogs after the dead body were found.

In August, one person lost his life and dozens were injured when police opened fire on protestors at Kanchanpur, demanding proper investigation into the rape case. (Photo: Reuters)

Similarly, the girl's clothes were destroyed and her private parts were washed in the field where the dead body was recovered, making the DNA test even more complicated. The dead body was cremated by allegedly forcing the family members to sign a consent document. While the police have conducted DNA tests on some suspected people, including police officials, all the tests have failed to established anyone's connection to the crime. Similarly, there are also doubts about the process and methods adopted for the DNA test, including its transparency.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a constitutional body, has directed the government to conduct a fair and effective investigation in the case. The commission has said that the victim's family was 'in despair' and has raised questions over the credibility of the investigation by the Nepal police.

With no progress in the investigation, there is pressure on the Home Minister and the police chief to step down, for their inability to properly investigate the matter. Some time back, the Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, a former Maoist leader, had said that rape cases have increased due to the 'capitalist system,' inviting sharp criticism on social media.

Subsequently, the government announced measures to block porn sites to curb increasing rape cases. The government is of the view that rape cases are increasing due to porn sites. Later, in an interview, Prime Minister Oli said it could take up to 12 years to find the culprits of such serious crimes. Such decisions and moves have also invited a lot of criticism.

Cases of rape and violence against women in Nepal have gone up in recent months. Recently, Samjhana Kumar Das, a teenage girl of Rautahat district, was attacked with acid on September 12, while she was sleeping in her house in Chandrapur Municipality. A spurned neighbour, Ram Babu Paswan, had carried out the attack. With the girl's case in the limelight, the local media is publishing news related to rape on a daily basis, which paints a very grim picture of growing violence against women.

Police records show that the number of rape cases in Nepal has sharply increased in the last 10 years. According to official data of Nepal Police, in 2016-17, 1139 rape cases were reported, while the number of attempt to rape was 536. In 2017-18, 1480 case of rape were filed in various courts.

In the year 2008-2009, the number of reported rape cases was 200, while in 1996-97, the number was 112.

Experts say due to the growing awareness and facilities of legal services, the reporting of rape cases has substantially increased in the recent years.

However, there can be no doubt that the cases of gender violence and rapes have risen exponentially in recent years  and have now reached an alarming level.

The newly implemented Civil and Criminal Code which came into effect from the second week of August 2018 states that the maximum jail term for anyone convicted on rape charges has been increased from previous 15 years to 20 years. However, such acts would prove pointless if criminals continue to enjoy political patronage in Nepal - just like in its neighbour, India. The trend of growing violence against women, acid attacks, rapes and murders are disturbing and appears to be following a pattern where 'revenge' of some sort is at centerstage.

Mostly it is happening when Nepal is passing through a phase when its democracy is experiencing 'federalism' and 'devolution of power' at such a high scale for the first time. With localisation of politics, local issues are now shaping up quite differently and are being dealt with caution by the state agencies which work under the watch of local government.

With the outcomes derived from the new and failed Constitution, Nepal is heading towards a time where the newly formed states would host regional satraps and their wild aspirations  but without entertaining the causes for which the idea of decentralisation was brought in to the discourse.

Going further with the 'federal system' will be just too painful if the 'rule of law' gets caricatured like in the present context.

Nepal is fast losing its progressive social quality, and if its daughters are not safe at home and on the streets, there is no other option but to review its entire security system in place.

Now almost two months have lapsed, the rapist (s) and killer (s) of the girl is (are) still at large.

In this story of defeat and shame, humanity is getting shattered. A country that has been known for giving gender equality hope is now changing, for the worse. While justice has to be ensured at home, the world should also take notice of what's going unusually wrong in Nepal and must do its bit to keep it safe from the polluted winds of ugly power politics.

Also read: Nepal: Getting federalism right
Lucknow-based Hoboken Pvt Ltd has partnered with US-based National Realty Investment Advisors (NRIA) to launch EB-5 immigration process services to Indians. EB 5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program is one of five employment-based (EB) preference programs in the United States, with the aim of encouraging foreign investment and economic growth in rural areas or areas of high unemployment in the US.

As part of the partnership, Indians looking at immigrating can get a green card through investment of $500,000. While the process can take around 5 years, people opting for it can get a 3% annual return for time the investment stays with NRIA EB5. After the investor has received the unconditional green card the money, is returned with 2% annual return. The whole process comes with a processing fee of $50,000.

NRIA is a vertically integrated investment management firm with a proven track record, extensive experience and a history of exceptional performance. With this partnership, we are happy to help in opening the doors to the land of opportunity for Indians looking at building something while getting the returns they deserve, said, Glenn La Mattina.
The large number of Lin Biao incidents taking place all over China smell of political vendetta and render the current regime weaker than it has ever been. Does Xi realise this?

On September 13, 1971, a Chinese Trident 1E airliner crashed in Inner Mongolia; everyone on board was killed. The special flight carried Marshal Lin Biao, Chinas Defence Minister and Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Lin, a great soldier and Mao Zedongs heir apparent, was also one of the architects of the dreaded Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The official narrative says that Lin was fleeing to the Soviet Union after a failed coup against Mao when his airplane ran out of fuel. Observers, however, believe Lin was fleeing an impending purge in the military; some leaders had gained too much power for Maos liking. Was the crash an accident? A year later, when US President Richard Nixon asked Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Premier, about what happened to Lin, Zhou smiled and cryptically said: Lin left on a trip to Moscow and disappeared en route.

This story came back to mind, when on October 21, the news that the head of the Chinese Governments liaison office in Macau died by falling from the building at his residence. According to the well-informed South China Morning Post: Hong Kong officials and politicians expressed shock over the sudden passing of Zheng Xiaosong. He had been suffering from depression, said the official statement issued by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO).

It was last year only that the 59-year-old cadre had taken up the post in Macau. A Press release from Beijing affirmed that leaders of the Central Government have entrusted comrades from the HKMAO to travel to Macau and send condolences to Zhengs family. Zhengs death came just a few days before the opening of the 55km-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, to be inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Interestingly, Zheng belonged to the Fujian gang of officials, who worked in Xis favourite Province: I spent my beautiful youth in Fujian Province. It lasted for 17 and a half years since I started to work there in 1985I experienced the process of Fujians reform and opening up, moving forward with great momentum and changing with each passing day, once wrote Xi.

Soon after Xi Jinping came to power, Zheng was promoted secretary of Fujian Partys provincial committee. In the meantime, officials in Macau were unanimous, it is unfortunate, one should not speculate. Let us not speculate, but strange things seem to be happening again and again in China. In November 2017, The New York Times reported: A senior Chinese general who was under investigation for bribery has killed himself, a development that cast a shadow over President Xi Jinpings expanding crackdown on corruption and dissent.

General Zhang Yang, formerly in-charge of the Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) General Political Department, was found dead in his home in Beijing. He hanged himself. Xinhua said General Zhang was living at home while being questioned in connection with corruption charges. The US newspaper added: Suicides by top officials are almost unheard-of in China, and the ruling Communist Party appeared uncertain how to handle the death. State-run media gave no explanation for the five-day delay in disclosing the news. General Zhang was called a traitor and coward for taking his own life.

The PLA Daily just said: In committing suicide to avoid punishment from the party and the countrys laws, Zhang Yangs action was abominable. General Zhang was called a two-faced general. But that was not the end of Zhangs ordeal. Last week, it was announced that he had been posthumously stripped of his Communist Party membership and military rank for corruption. His colleague Fang Fenghui, a former chief of joint staff, still alive, received the same punishment for seriously violating political discipline and Central Government rules banning extravagance and taking bribes.

In October 2017, The PLA Daily had reported that Xi Jinping had launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign: At least 13,000 military officers found to be involved in corruption have been punished over the past five years. Apparently, Fang and Zhang were linked to former disgraced Central Military Commission vice-chairmen, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou. But were not all the Chinese generals linked to the CMC? There is indeed something strange going on. War on the Rocks, a US publication noted: Fang and Zhang join a growing list of senior PLA officers that have been arrested, expelled from the Party, and imprisoned on corruption chargesAll told, since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, over 100 PLA general officers have reportedly been forcibly retired or placed under investigation.

The article added: This large-scale uprooting, however, is also likely to be driven in part by Chinese internal politics. Many of the senior officers that have been summarily fired and imprisoned are linked to Xi Jinpings predecessorsAs with Xis anti-corruption efforts against various civilian leaders, those targeted appear to be political rivals, although this is not to say they may not also be corrupt. All these incidents (or accidents) create, to say the least, a strange atmosphere in the Middle Kingdom. The oddest has been the arrest of Meng Hongwei, the Interpol chief, when he recently disembarked in Beijing. Let us remember that it was a first time that China held such prestigious post in an international organisation (headquartered in Lyon, France). At the time of Mengs arrest, Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi, presently in India to sign a bilateral agreement, convened a midnight meeting in Beijing to express unanimous support for the probe against Meng and pledged, as usual, absolute political loyalty to President Xi Jinping.

Mengs insistence on doing things in his own way means he has only himself to blame for being placed under investigation, said a communique, which forgot that as the head of an international organisation, he is not supposed to take orders from the Communist Party. Meng was suspected of corruption and violation of laws which gravely jeopardised the Party and the police; the same night, Interpol received Mengs resignation as president. Is it not strange that before vetting his name for the prestigious job in France, the leadership in China would have not checked Mengs antecedents? Nobody can take the sudden accusation of corruption seriously, as it is not while posted in Lyon that Meng could have become rich. All this smells of political vendetta more than anything else. The large number of Lin Biao incidents taking place all-over China, render the regime weaker that it has ever been. Does Xi realise this?

(The writer is an expert on India-China relations and an author)
The Enforcement Directorate is expected to file chargesheet against former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Aircel-Maxis case on Thursday.

According to sources, the term of ED chief Karnal Singh, who is to retire on Friday, may not be extended by the Government despite positive recommendation by the Finance Ministry for a six-month extension.

The new ED chief has to be selected through the CVC Empowered Committee, and since no such process has been initiated it is expected that the Government might give charge to some officers in the organisations.

Meanwhile, the Government is expected to appoint GC Murmu, Special Secretary, Revenue, as the next ED chief.

The ED chargesheeted Chidambarams son Karti on June 13 and attached Rs 55 crore worth properties of Karti and his firms in Delhi, Ooty, London and Spain. The CBI had chargesheeted both father and son on July 19.

In August, the ED had sought two more months from the Supreme Court for the completion of the chargesheet and also requested the trial court to grant permission for interrogation of Karti and Chidambaram.

The father and son managed to get interim protection from the trial court against their custodial interrogation.

The SC had granted ED time till December 12 for completion of the probe and filing of chargesheet against Chidambaram..

Meanwhile in the afternoon petitioner and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said if any attempts to suspend the EDs Investigating Officer Rajeshwar Singh are made he would withdraw all his petitions related to corruption cases.

The players in the CBI massacre are about to suspend EDs Rajeshwar so that he cannot file the chargesheet against the PC. If so I will have no reason to fight the corrupt since my govt is hell bent on protecting them. I shall then withdraw from all the corruption cases I have filed, he tweeted.

Swamys tweet came on a day the Government sent the top two Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers on leave to defuse the crisis triggered in the agency by their feud, with both the director and the special director accusing each other of corruption.
In the first phase of polls in Chhattisgarh, the scrutiny of nomination papers was held in 18 State Assembly Constituencies (ACs) and nomination papers of 231 candidates were found to be valid.

In Rajnandgaon district, Khairagarh AC (19), Dongargarh( 11), Rajnandgaon (40 )nominations, Dongargaon (14), Khujji (18) and Mohala-Manpur AC (10) candidate nomination papers were declared as valid.

Similarly, in Bastar division under Kanker district, Antagarh AC 14 nomination papers, Bhanupratappur (10) and Kanker AC (8 ) nomination papers of candidates were found to be valid.

Kondagaon district having Keshkal AC nine and Kondagaon five nomination papers of candidates were declared as valid. Similarly, in Narayanpur district Narayanpur AC (8) candidates nomination papers were cleared.

Bastar district having Bastar AC six, Jagdalpur (25) and Chitrakote 10 candidates nomination form were found to be legally correct.

Dantewada district having Dantewada AC (10) nomination papers, Bijapur district Bijapur AC (8) and Sukma district Konta AC six candidates nomination papers after scrutiny were found to be legally valid. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers by candidates is October 26.
Eyeing Delhis seven parliamentary seats ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has constituted seven wings in three days including, Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe (SC-ST) wing, minority wing, youth wing, senior citizen wing, Purvanchal wing, Uttarakhand wing and South-Indian wing.

These wings are perceived as special purpose vehicle of AAP established for winning the partys vote-bank. The party had to face a crushing defeat at the hand of its arch rival Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on all the seven Lok-Sabha seats last time as the BJP swept the polls riding on the popular Modi wave.

These new wings are meant to increase the partys outreach among the various communities and sections of society so as to garner their support. Though Delhi is considered a strong-hold of the AAP with the party ruling the State but its LS performance was not up to mark.

Ever since the party leaders, including its top brass have rued, saying the development of Delhi would have been without any hurdle had they won all the LS seats in Delhi. Political pundits said the AAP is trying to secure its vote bank by forming various wings fearing that it might split in case the traditional players like BJP and Congress are up with the caste or community card just ahead of the elections due next year.

According to experts, the good work done by AAP dispensation in Delhi particularly in the field of education and health is likely to pay dividends in the LS polls.

While the wings like youth wing and senior citizen wing are to rope in the support of youth and the elders, wings like Purvanchal and the Uttarakhand wing are its pursuit to woo the large vote bank hailing from the regions of eastern Uttar-Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand respectively.

On the other hand the minority and SC-ST wing will help the party in reaching out to the Muslim and the Dalit community.

Like all other wings the SC-ST and the minority wings will have the teams at State level, Lok-Sabha seat level, district level , Vidhan-Sabha level , Ward level, polling station and even booth level, said Gopal Rai, Delhi convener of AAP while announcing the launch of SC-ST and minority wing on Wednesday.
The Academy of Yoga and Oriental Studies (AYOS) organised an All-India Yoga-Ayurveda Seminar here on October 21.

The topic for Ayurveda was Yoga-Ratnakara: A Study and the topic for yoga was Yoga in Bhagavadgita.

Prof Pramod Chandra Mishra welcomed the guests and the audience. Sudarsan Nayak presided over the meeting and Prof Yajneswar Nath was chief guest of the function.

Sudarsan Nayak said that the statue of Susruta is respectfully installed in a medical university in Australia, but we fail to pay proper respect to our great personalities. Prof Yajneswar Nath highlighted the importance of the book Yoga Ratnakar. AYOS director Dr Indulata Das also spoke on the subjects. Scholars from various parts of Odisha, West Bengal, Tirupati, etc., participated in the discussion and presented their papers.
Teelajamalpura police have booked seven persons for attacking two persons with sharp edged weapons and opening fire at Putlighar area on Monday.

Police said that two persons were rushed to a nearby hospital after they were attacked by seven miscreants at Putlighar. One of the injured is reportedly critical.

The incident took place late in the night when the victim Salman and Faizan were at home when miscreants appeared and attacked with sharp edged weapons and opened fires injuring the two.

The accused were identified as Ajju alias Azhar, Zuhoor, Adil, Haider, Pappan, Azam and Khezu.

A complaint was lodged with the police and based on the complaint after the preliminary investigation the police have registered a case under section 307 of the IPC against Karan and Monu and have started further investigation.

Police said that the accused went absconding and the search for the accused has been started.

The accused opened fire at the victims but the two escaped the shot but failed to escape attack by sharp edged weapons.

During the investigation police found that the attacked was fuelled with old enmity over place of gambling and pressurizing gamblers at their place. For long Ajju and Rizwaan have been engaged in enmity and have clashes over the enmity. The brother of the victims Rizwaan Golden had an enmity with Ajju alias Azhar and on Monday evening when the two were at home. Rizwan had been booked for several crimes. The search for the accused has been intensified.
Delhi Patiala House Court rejected bail plea of Ashish Pandey, son of former BSP MP Rakesh Pandey, who arrested for brandishing gun in Hyatt Regency last week in the national Capital.

Special Judge Sunil Rana dismissed the bail application of Pandey who was sent to 14-day judicial custody by court on Monday, till November 5, after police said he was not required for further custodial interrogation. Pandey had allegedly brandished a pistol at guests of Hyatt Regency threatening them in the foyer, a video of which went viral on the social media resulting in public outrage.

It prompted the police to step in and launch a hunt for the accused who had gone missing after the incident.

An FIR was filed on October 16 at RK Puram Police Station under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act relating to criminal intimidation and misuse of fire arms.
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday by shooting himself in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said.

Constable Kuldeep Singh, from CRPF's 2nd battalion, shot himself with his service rifle early in the morning in the battalion's headquarters in Sukma town, a senior police official said.

When Singh's colleagues heard the gunshot from his barrack, they rushed there and found him lying in a pool of blood. They rushed him to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead, the official said.

Singh was a native of Satnali village in Mahendragarh district of Haryana and his family members have been informed about the incident, he said.

The exact reason that prompted him to take the extreme step was yet to be ascertained, he said, adding a case was registered in this connection.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested a 33-year-old bus driver in connection with an accident in Vivek Vihar two days ago in which two Delhi Transport Corporation died and three were injured. On Monday the bus had lost control and rammed into four buses, two auto-rickshaws, and two motor bikes. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Shahdara, Meghna Yadav, the accused is identified as Nooruddin, a resident of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

He was arrested around 12.30 pm in Khoda village near the Delhi-UP border. The incident took place on Monday when a speeding private bus driven by the accused hit a school bus stationed at a red light, which, due to the impact, collided with a UP Roadways bus. The Roadways bus then hit a cluster bus, said the DCP.

A motorcycle, two auto-rickshaws had got trapped in between vehicles as a result of accident. Two people Satish Kumar (50), Rupender Kumar (38) who were on the motorcycle lost their lives, whereas Poonam (50), Narendra (42) and Vinod (47) were injured, he said.
Ten days after the gunman of Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Krishan Kant Sharma, shot at his wife and son on October 13, the judges son  Dhruv (17)  died on Tuesday. He was declared brain dead on October 15 and was on life support. His heart, liver and kidney were donated by his father.

Judge Krishan Kants wife Ritu (38) had died duringher treatment due to excessive bleeding. The teenager had sustained three bullet injuries  two in his head and one in his neck.

The teen was on life support since he was admitted to hospital. He died around 4 am on Tuesday. The family of the deceased donated his organs, the Medical Officer said.

Ritu and Dhruv were shot and injured by the gunman Mahipal Singh (32) at the busy Arcadia market in Sector 49 on October 13 afternoon. The accused was arrested soon after the incident and later sent to judicial custody.

He had worked as a personal security officer (PSO) to various officials for the last four years. He had been working for the judge for the last two years.

Mahipal was remanded to four-day police custody on October 15. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up to probe the case. Police had sought four days custody to interrogate Mahipal.

Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) Sumit Kuhar and Sulochana Gajraj had then spoken about the entire incident.

According to them, the attack was the result of a sudden provocation when Mahipal lost his temper when the judges wife Ritu and son Dhruv scolded him for being untraceable after they had finished their shopping at the Arcadia Market in Gurugrams Sector 49.

Upset over his absence, Ritu scolded the PSO while Dhruv asked him to hand over the keys of the car. Angry over their behaviour, the guard first started beating Dhruv who was seated on the passenger seat. A few minutes later he shot at him three times, Kuhar said.

The accused also beat up the judges wife before shooting at her, the officer had said earlier. Mahipal, whose services were terminated, is currently in Gurugrams Bhondsi jail.
Expressing happiness over the Uttarakhand hosting the two-day Gyan Kumbh at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar to be inaugurated by the President Ramnath Kovind on November 3, Acharya Balkrishna said that they were feeling honoured. This would be the first such big congregation of the educationists who would come from across the country and would deliberate on the ideal education system for India. We would be the host for the great event. We would welcome them and make all arrangements for them. This is a great honour for us, he said while addressing a media conference on Wednesday.

The Education Ministers of the States and heads of universities, colleges and educational institutions would attend the mega event to be organised jointly by the Higher Education Department, Government of Uttarakhand and the Patanjali Yogpeeth.

We are determined to ensure that the congregation sends a message to the country which would shed new light on the ideal education system for India.

It is a futuristic programme which would benefit the upcoming generations, Balkrishna said.

Speaking to The Pioneer, the State Higher Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that there would be participation of seven to ten thousand people from 800 universities and 252 degrees colleges aside from professors from IITs and IIMs at the Gyan Kumbh.

Besides, many research scholars would also take part in the Kumbh, he said. We thank the Patanjali group for making arrangements for the Gyan Kumbh, he said, adding that there would be discussion on the new education policy and many firsts would be seen during the Kumbh.
The mission director National Health Mission (NHM) Yugal Kishore Pant has said that a system of tracking patients referred to other hospitals should be implemented in the State. He said this while addressing a review meeting of the progress of various schemes under NHM at State Health Directorate on Wednesday. He directed the State nodal officer NHM, Dr Amit Shukla to make Standard Operating Protocols (SOP) for patients sent to other hospitals.  A referral protocol should be constituted for transparent system of tracking patients in which the medical superintendent of the hospital concerned should be made accountable for treatment of such referred patients, he said.

Pant also expressed concern on declining number of institutional deliveries in the Government hospitals and health centres.

He said that just 62 pregnant women had registered themselves in the Government Health Centres during first trimester of pregnancy which is a cause of concern.

Pant said that facilities for delivery in Government hospitals should be improved so that people are not forced to go to private hospitals.

The MD, NHM, termed the Prime Minister Dialysis Scheme as one of the priority schemes and directed that the project should soon start. Under the scheme, seven dialysis centres in six districts would be opened.

Notably, dialysis centres on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode would be set up in the district hospital Haridwar, Joint Hospital Kotdwar and district hospital Udham Singh nagar. Similarly, Government would set up dialysis units in the Base Hospital Almora, district hospitals of Pithoragarh and Rudraprayag and the medical college Srinagar.

In course of the review meeting, MD NHM was informed that three dialysis machines at Base Hospital Almora have been installed while the process is in progress in other hospitals.

During the meeting, Pant expressed concern on the data of family planning which shows that the graph is on a decline. He said that facility of family planning measures should be informed to the people in the camps on the basis of priority. He, further, said that surgeons should be made available for these camps and added that the special male vasectomy fortnight from November 21 should be made successful with public participation.

The meeting was attended by the director NHM Dr Anjali Nautiyal, additional project director (APD) Dr Abhishek Tripathi, additional director National Programmes Dr Saroj Naithani, joint director Dr Bagesh Kala, Dr V S Tolia and Dr Amit Shukla.
With the Odisha Government generously contributing resources, men and materials for help to flood-hit Kerala, the Government of Kerala has recorded its appreciation in this regard.

Kerala Chief Secretary Tom Jose on Tuesday has written to his Odisha counterpart Aditya Prasad Padhi, expressing gratitude and great appreciation for timely contribution made by the State in assisting and sending relief materials to the flood-affected people of Kerala.

Jose has placed it on record saying that Odisha Government support and assistance came at a most critical time and helped save the lives of thousands of people.0

Jose, while appreciating the efforts of the Odisha Government, has said that support and supplies from Odisha and its manpower to helping the people affected by natural calamities, instilled confidence in Kerala that We are not alone in our trials and tribulations.

In fact on hearing the plight of people of Kerala, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 10 crore in two phases, which was sent to the Kerala Chief Ministers Relief Fund.

On the instructions of Patnaik, Chief Secretary Padhi asked Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi to send polythene to Kerala.

500 tonne of polythene was dispatched to Kerala and SRC Sethi was in continuous touch with Kerala Revenue and Disaster Management ACS P H Kurian.

Most importantly Odisha sent 245 fire men to Kerala, who did yeomens service in flood-hit zones of Kerala and saved thousands of lives.
Political blame game has followed the exodus of students from the National Institute Technology (NIT) Srinagar with both Congress and BJP lashing out at each other, holding the rival responsible for the sorry state of things at the institute, the only one in Uttarakhand. While the ruling BJP hit out at the Congress, accusing the opposition party of instigating the students to empty out of the campus, the State Congress leaders dubbed the exodus as a reflection of the States progress under the double engine Government.

The State Congress chief, Pritam Singh, said that the incident shows how the State has been progressing apace under the much-hyped double engine government. Congress set up the reputed institute in a mountainous area. But the BJP Government has done nothing to develop it, he said. Reacting to the Congress attack, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Dhan Singh Rawat, said that the institute had been set up during the UPA regime in haste sans budgetary support and land being provided. It is the BJP Government that has provided land for the institute at Sumari village, he said.

On Tuesday, around 900 students of the prestigious institute left the campus in protest against the Governments callousness regarding their demand of a permanent campus.

An alarmed administration of the college has written to the parents of the students, informing them of the consequences of the step taken by their wards.

Before leaving the campus, the students sent mails to the President, Prime Minister, Union human resource development (HRD) Minister, Governor and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

In these e-mails, the students said that they were leaving the campus under distress and would not return until they were provided with a transit campus at a place which ensures their safety, medical help, corporate exposure and accessibility to technological advances as per the standards.

Earlier, the student had erupted in anger on October 3 when two girl students had been hit by a speeding car on the National Highway. The girls had been on their way to the lab from their hostel when the accident happened on the bustling NH.

One of the girls is still battling for her life at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh. The students have been demanding shifting of the campus to a safer location in the plains till the full-fledged facility is set up in Srinagar.

Set up in 2010 in Srinagar nestled in the Garhwal hills, NIT has been functioning from a temporary campus. The administrative block and the labs are located in the old ITI campus while the students go to the polytechnique college campus for classes. The NIT administration has rented a hotel to house the students.
In the age of fiction series where maximum debutant writers play with some most universal subjects like romance, thriller, relationships to name a few sidelining the issues that has a social relevance on the civilisation and in nation-building as a whole, the debutant novel of a budding writer Gyandeep Kaushal and a civil servant Nitin Madan Kulkarni delves upon one of vital but yet less talked about subject  Why Men Rape.

The novels name inspired from the Greek Mythology character  Pluton, the God of the Underworld, who abducted and raped Peresphone, the Goddess of Spring Growth and was never punished for the crime. Plutons act and more is what Plutons Pyre: Evolution of a Demons protagonist Suraj Deoria from Uttar Pradesh replicates. However, unlike the Greek God, the protagonist who is also a murderer was punished and sent behind the bars. And its within the confines of the four walls of his small cell, he pens down his entire life in a diary.

Conceived and written after much planning and research, Dr. Kulkarni while discussing elaborately about the content of his debut novel said, Before penning down my first fiction, as many as 36 rape convicts of Birsa Munda Jail were interviewed to understand the reasons and circumstances that forces a man to commit such a heinous crime. The book will give the readers an idea about certain psychological aspects especially about those who commit crime against the women.

Dr. Kulkarni further added that to address such issue, a social provocation is required and as a society each one of us need to brainstorm about the root cause of such incident. Crime which is considered to be a complex subject as several psychological factors is associated with the criminals, the Co-Writer of this book published by Bloomsbury Prime, a law student, Gyandeep Kaushal said, The content of the book is linked with each individual. Set Pluton on fire, burn him for what he did but understand the factor as well.

Governor Draupadi Murmu who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and who launched the book said, Through reading and writing, several topics which can have long impact on society are developed. The books which are the prime source of knowledge leave a great impact on readers mind and are a great source in decision making.

Appreciating the efforts of the debutant writers, the Governor said that I hope Plutons Pyre  A tale of a demon will not just be seen as a fiction book but will further aid in curtailing the crime against women. Justice DN Patel, Jharkhand High Court, Gautam Kumar Choudhary, VC  National University for Study and Research in Law were present on the occasion and inspired the debutants novelists with their words of appreciation.
To create awareness among students, the Delhi Police on Tuesday organised Cyber Aware, an interactive session on Cyber Safety at Multi-Purpose Hall, University Ground in Delhi University. Around 3000 students from Delhi University and various schools of North Delhi attended the session. A short film, Be Cyber safe was also screened on this occasion.

Amulya Patnaik, Commissioner of Police was the guest of honour and he empahsised about the need to generate awareness among people. The session was aimed to create awareness and familiarize the students, being potential victims due to their inquisitiveness, curiosity and inadequate awareness, about online threats and danger lurking in Cyber space, besides precautions to be taken to make the user less vulnerable, Nupur Prasad, North DCP said.

Patnaik appreciated North Districts outreach initiative to educate students on some serious hidden threats and highlighted that cyber crimes have tendency to leave long term emotional trauma on the victims and basic information on Cyber awareness is a must for all the visitors of Cyber space, in present age. Delhi Police has set up a strong mechanism at district and police station level, and at centralized Cyber Crime Cell, to combat Cyber crime.

Basic fundamental of security, Be wary of strangers!, as we are vulnerable without coming face to face, is also applicable to Cyber world, said CP. Rahul Tyagi, Co-founder, Lucideus (Digital Security) and Jiten Jain, expert on cyber activities advised people to have secure passwords which should preferably be a kind of shortened statement, avoid downloading of pirated softwares, avoid clicking on dubious links, and avoid using free public wifi, to protect themselves from being held.

CP also released Be Cyber Safe, a booklet on threats in Cyber space; and precautions to avoid vulnerability.
Police on Wednesday continued its raids in connection with the recovery of sim cards and a sim box from two places of the state capital, even though senior officials chose to refrain from divulging details regarding the operations.

The raids follows the searches carried out in a flat in Hasiba Enclave in Kanta Toli and a house in Kanke in which hundreds of sim cards apart from a sim box were recovered.

Police had detained two persons, one each from Kanke and Kanta Toli, during the operations. Police are interrogating them to gather information about the possible usages of the sim cards and sim box.

According to sources a sim box is a device that contains a number of sim cards, which are linked to the gateway but housed and stored separately from it.

Sources said that the mastermind of the racquet is Dubai based Javed Ahmad. He, in connivance with officials of a mobile phone company, had got around 7000 sim cards issued in his name. All the sim cards were issued from Patna based office of the company.

Additional director general of CID Arun Kumar Singh said that they were investigating into the legality of the issuance of so many sim cards in the name of a single person.

We are also investigating the case from various angles including use of sim cards for terrorism, spreading religious fanaticism, cyber crime and also from the point of view of national security, Singh said.

According to reports the special branch had informed the police head quarter that procuring thousands of sim card in one name indicates that they were to be used for illegal activities. It was also suspected that the sim cards were also being used to communicate with people in Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Arabian nations. They could also be used for ATM frauds. Police investigations are going on.
South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has completed installation of Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) system at all 13 toll plazas points covering 73 toll lanes.

The civic body has requested owners of all the commercial vehicles to pre-register their vehicles for entry into Delhi. The selected toll plaza points for pre-registration are Aya Nagar, Tikri, Kapashera, Shahdara (Flyover), Gazipur (Old), DND Flyway, Badarpur-Faridabad (Main), Kundli, Rajokri, Kalindi Kunj, a senior SDMC official said.

The official added the toll plazas which were equipped with the system are Tikri, Aya Nagar, Kapashera, Rajokri, Kundli, Kalindi Kunj, Shahdra Main, Shahdra Flyover, DND Flyway, Badarpur -Faridabad main, Badarpur-Faridabad Flyover, Gazipur ( Main) and Gazipur (Old).

SDMC Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel said that the pre-registration procedure for the RFID has been made quite simple and it takes just five minutes to complete the process.

The vehicle owners will have to take their vehicles and documents such as a copy of vehicle registration certificate, a copy of vehicle insurance, driving license of the driver and mobile number of the owner, he said.

Goel said the fee for pre-registration and issuance of RFID is just Rs 200 plus GST. The owners are free to contact the plaza manager for any assistance at the selected ten toll plaza identified for pre-registration. The minimum amount needed for pre-registration and issuance of RFID tag is one-time entry amount for ECC and MCD toll. The amount can be paid in cash or card, he said.

He added the pre-registration of the vehicles will definitely make entry of vehicles in Delhi from 13 border toll plaza points hassle-free, easy and smooth. On November 23, the vehicles without pre-registration of RFID will have to pay higher rates, he said.

Further, SDMC is also launching a mobile application called ECG Tag for easy recharge and information. This will also help in minimising the time of entry of commercial vehicles in Delhi through 13 border toll plaza points, he added.

It has been made amply clear that as per directions dated 16th December 2015 of the Supreme Court, vehicles registered in the year 2005 or earlier shall not be qualified for entry and so these vehicles will not be pre-registered or issued RFID tag, he added.
Ridiculing All India Congress Committee (AICC) Chief Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Sambit Patra on Wednesday said that the former does not know the basics of farming that is, whether the potato happens to be found above or below the ground and wants to open processing units in Chhattisgarh.

Addressing the media, Patra said that the five states where polls are being held is being fought on development plank.

The Congress party as opponent is nowhere in the political race. Already senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Salman Khursheed have said that the party has lost its relevance, he said.

On Chhattisgarh unit of Congress party, he said the the State Congress Chief is on bail, while the on Chhattisgarh In-charge of the AICC , a sting operation has been conducted, so the fight in state is Seedi (Steps) vs CD, Patra said.

The steps of development in last 15 years carried out by Chief Minister Raman Singh would put the BJP with 65 plus seats, he said.

Patra listed out the achievements and progress made by state under Chief Minister Raman Singh, while he also spoke on the different schemes laying out data of beneficiaries under Central Schemes.

Ayushman Bharat Scheme is one of the biggest in world, he said.

Answering to a query on Ayushman Bharat Scheme, he said some teething problems exist when any scheme is launched and soon it would be overcome.

Patra said that more than one lakh has already taken the benefit of scheme.

On Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Patra said that even at national level he is known as Chaurwale Baba for putting a model PDS system in state considering the poor.

It has been trendsetter achievement for last 15 years with 56% increase in irrigation, drop in MMR and IMR, and health sector, he said.

Naxalism is being supported by state Congress leaders while at national level Congress is supporting the Urban Naxals, Patra said.

He refused speaking on CBI developments stating that Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has already replied on it at national level.
India has awarded an additional USD 777 million deal to a leading Israeli defence firm for supplying Barak 8 LR-SAM Air and Missile Defence Systems to seven ships of the Indian Navy, the company announced Wednesday.

The Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) system is an operational Air and Missile Defence (AMD) system used by Israel's navy as well as by India's navy, air and land forces.

With the latest deal, the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said that the sale of Barak 8 system -- jointly developed by India and Israel -- a sign of strong bilateral partnership in defence, has crossed USD 6 billion over the past few years.

The system provides broad aerial and point defence against a wide range of threats to the marine arena from the air, sea or land.

The system integrates several advanced systems as digital radar, command and control, launchers, interceptors with modern radio frequency seekers, data link and system-wide connectivity.

Designed to defend against a variety of short-to-long-range airborne threats including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones and projectiles, Barak-8 incorporates a state-of-the-art phased array multi-mission radar, two-way data link, and a flexible command and control system, enabling users to simultaneously engage multiple targets day and night and in all weather conditions.

The missile system has been jointly developed by IAI, India's DRDO, Israel's Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and some other Indian defence companies.

The new contract announced by IAI was entered with Indian state-owned company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which serves as the main contractor in the project.

"Congratulations to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the defence establishment on the huge transaction involving the sale of Barak 8 to India," Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman said on twitter.

The deal is "proof that security is an investment, and not expenditure", he said adding that the IAI is a national asset, which must be maintained and strengthened.

Nimrod Sheffer, IAI's CEO and President, said: "IAI's partnership with India dates many years back and has culminated in joint system development and production. India is a major market for IAI and we plan to protect and reinforce our positioning in India, also in view of increasing competition".

"We thank our partners in India and BEL for their choice of IAI in a project that best reflects the close technological cooperation between Israel and India.

"With this deal, the sales of the Barak 8 over the past few years total over USD 6 billion. This is another evidence of the capabilities of this advanced weapon system, which serves as a central growth engine for IAI," Boaz Levi, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Systems, Missiles and Space Group, said.

Barak 8 is an operational system that provides a full response to a range of threats, built to cooperate with other systems, it provides customers with operational flexibility for maximum effectiveness on the battlefield, Levi said.

Earlier in August, Israel Navy's Sa'ar-6 corvettes had announced that it will be using Barak 8 system to protect Israel's exclusive economic zone and strategic facilities which are faced with diversified threats in the marine arena.

Israel won the largest defence contract in its history from India last year to supply Indian Army and Navy with missile defence systems, a deal worth USD 2 billion.

This was followed by another USD 630 million contract a few months later to supply Barak 8 surface to air missile system for four ships of the Indian Navy in collaboration with BEL.
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 following companies are subsidiares of Crown: Adularia Inversiones 2010 S.L., Angleboard Sweden AB, Bates Cargo-Pak ApS, Butimove, CMB Machinery and Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CROWN AP (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Aerosols & Promotional Nederland, CROWN Aerosols Italia Srl, CROWN Aerosols Nederland BV, CROWN Aerosols UK Limited, CROWN Americas LLC, CROWN Arabia Can Company Ltd, CROWN Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd., CROWN Asia Pacific Investments (T) Limited, CROWN Bevcan Espana S.L., CROWN Bevcan France SAS, CROWN Bevcan Slovakia s.r.o., CROWN Bevcan Turkiye Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, CROWN Bevcan and Closures (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Cambodia) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Dong Nai) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Beijing Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Changchun Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Danang Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hangzhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hanoi Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Heshan Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hong Kong Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Huizhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Malaysia Sdn Bhd, CROWN Beverage Cans Nanning Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Putian Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Saigon Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Shanghai Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Sihanoukville Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Singapore Pte. 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Bhd., Signode Packaging Group Australia Pty Ltd, Signode Packaging Group Canada ULC, Signode Packaging Group NZ, Signode Packaging Systems Limited, Signode Pickling Holding LLC, Signode Polska sp. Z.o.o., Signode Singapore Pte. Ltd., Signode Sweden Holdings AB, Signode System GmbH, Signode System Packaging GmbH & Co. KG, Signode Systems (Thailand) Ltd., Signode US IP Holdings LLC, Silice De Veracruz S.A. DE C. V., Silice Del Istmo S.A. DE C.V., Silices De Veracruz, Societe Civile Immobiliere Rousseau-Ivry, Societe Civile Immobiliere des Baquets, Societe de Participations CarnaudMetalbox, Stopak India Pvt. Ltd, Strapex Austria GmbH, Strapex Embalagem L.d.a., Strapex Holdings Limited, Strapex S.A.S., Strapex Srl, Superior Investments Holdings Pte. Ltd., Superior Multi-Packaging Limited, TopFrame LLC, V.A.C. B.V., Vichisa S.A. de C.V., and Warehouse Automation Iberia S.L..
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. engages in the manufacture of thermoplastic corrugated pipe, which provides suite of water management products and drainage solutions for use in the construction and infrastructure marketplace. It operates through the following segments: Pipe, Infiltrator, International, and Allied Products & Other. The Pipe segment manufactures and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipe throughout the United States. The Infiltrator segment provides plastic leachfield chambers and systems, septic tanks and accessories, primarily for use in residential applications. The International segment manufactures and markets pipe and allied products in regions outside of the United States. The Allied Products & Other segment manufactures and markets products throughout the United States. Products include StormTech, Nyloplast, ARC Septic Chambers, Inserta Tee, water quality filters and structures, Fittings, and FleXstorm. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Hilliard, OH.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Allstate: AIMCO Private Fund I Holding LLC, AIMCO Private Fund I LLC, AIMCO Private Fund II LLC, ALIC Reinsurance Company, ALINV Mosaic LLC, ANIHI Newco LLC, AP Real Estate LLC, AP Riverway Plaza LLC, AP Timber LLC, Allstate Assignment Company, Allstate Assurance Company, Allstate County Mutual Insurance Company, Allstate Digital Ventures LLC, Allstate Distributors L.L.C., Allstate Enterprises LLC, Allstate Exchange Services LLC, Allstate Finance Company Agency Loans LLC, Allstate Finance Company LLC, Allstate Financial Advisors LLC, Allstate Financial Corporation, Allstate Financial Insurance Holdings Corporation, Allstate Financial LLC, Allstate Financial Services LLC (1), Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Global Holdings Limited, Allstate Indemnity Company, Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Insurance Holdings LLC, Allstate International Assignments Ltd., Allstate International Holdings Inc., Allstate Investment Management Company, Allstate Investments LLC, Allstate Life Insurance Company (2), Allstate Life Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York, Allstate Motor Club Inc., Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, Allstate New Jersey Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Non-Insurance Holdings Inc., Allstate North American Insurance Company, Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Company, Allstate Northern Ireland Limited, Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Settlement Corporation, Allstate Short Term Pool LLC, Allstate Solutions Private Limited, Allstate Texas Lloyds, Allstate Texas Lloyds Inc., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company, American Heritage Life Insurance Company, American Heritage Service Company, Answer Financial Inc., Answer Marketplace LLC, Arity 875 LLC, Arity International Limited, Arity LLC, Arity Services LLC, CE Care Plan Corp, Castle Key Indemnity Company, Castle Key Insurance Company, Complete Product Care Corp, Current Creek Investments LLC, E.R.J. Insurance Group Inc. (3), Encompass Floridian Indemnity Company, Encompass Floridian Insurance Company, Encompass Home and Auto Insurance Company, Encompass Indemnity Company, Encompass Independent Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company of America, Encompass Insurance Company of Massachusetts, Encompass Insurance Company of New Jersey, Encompass Insurance Holdings LLC, Encompass Property and Casualty Company, Encompass Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Holdings Inc., Esurance Insurance Company, Esurance Insurance Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Insurance Services Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Services Inc. (4), Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company, First Colonial Insurance Company, Identity Protection Strategic Solutions LLC, InfoArmor Aggra Inc., InfoArmor Inc., Insurance Answer Center LLC (5), Intramerica Life Insurance Company, Ivantage Insurance Brokers Inc., Ivantage Select Agency Inc., Kennett Capital Inc., NBInv AF1 LLC, NBInv AF2 LLC, NBInv AF3 LLC, NBInv AF4 LLC, NBInv AF5 LLC, NBInv AF6 LLC, NBInv AP1 LLC, NBInv AP2 LLC, NBInv AP3 LLC, NBInv AP4 LLC, NBInv AP5 LLC, NBInv AP6 LLC, NBInv AP7 LLC, NBInv AP8 LLC, NBInv APAF1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Cars1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Management LLC, North Light Specialty Insurance Company, Northeast Agencies Inc. (6), Pablo Creek Services Inc., Pafco Insurance Company, Pembridge Insurance Company, PlumChoice Business Services Inc., PlumChoice Inc., Protection Plan Group Inc., Right Answer Insurance Agency LLC, Road Bay Investments LLC, ST Product Care Corp, Signature Agency Inc., Signature Motor Club Inc., Signature Motor Club of California Inc., Signature Nationwide Auto Club of California Inc., Signatures Nationwide Auto Club Inc., SquareTrade Australia Pty Ltd, SquareTrade Canada Inc., SquareTrade Europe Limited, SquareTrade Holding Company Inc., SquareTrade Inc. (7), SquareTrade Insurance Services Inc., SquareTrade Limited, SquareTrade Protection Solutions Inc., SquareTradeGo Inc., Tech-Cor LLC, and West Plaza RE Holdings LLC.
The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: 87 Leonard Development LLC, ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Acacia (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Accounting Solutions Holding Company Inc, Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Amber Investments S.a r.l., Ambidexter GmbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BHW Kreditservice GmbH, BNA Nominees Pty Limited, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, BTAS Cayman GP, BTD Nominees Pty Limited, Baincor Nominees Pty Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Barkly Investments Ltd., Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Biomass Holdings S.a r.l., Birch (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Blue Cork Inc, Blue Cork Inc., Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cape Acquisition Corp., CapeSuccess Inc., CapeSuccess LLC, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Career Blazers LLC, Career Blazers Management Company Inc, Career Blazers Management Company Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc, Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services of Washington D.C. Inc. Washington D.C., Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc, Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc., Carpathian Investments Designated Activity Company, Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Centennial River 2 Inc., Centennial River Corporation, Chapel Funding, Charlton (Delaware) Inc, China Recovery Fund LLC, China Recovery Fund LLC, Cinda - DB NPL Securitization Trust 2003-1, City Leasing (Thameside) Limited, City Leasing Limited, Consumo S.p.A., Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, D.B. International Delaware Inc., D.B. International Delaware Inc., DAHOC (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DAHOC Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB (Pacific) Limited, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB Abalone LLC, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Alps Corporation, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (in voluntary liquidation), DB Asset Finance I S.a r.l., DB Asset Finance II S.a r.l., DB Aster II LLC, DB Aster III LLC, DB Aster Inc., DB Aster LLC, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Investments Sarl, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Commodity Services LLC, DB Consorzio S. Cons. a r. l., DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Covered Bond S.r.l., DB Credit Investments S.a r.l., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Commodities Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Enfield Infrastructure Holdings Limited, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance International GmbH, DB Ganymede 2006 L.P., DB Global Markets Multi-Strategy Fund I Ltd., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holding Fundo de Investimento Multimercado Investimento no Exterior Credito Privado, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (South America) Limited, DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Immobilienfonds 1 Wieland KG, DB Immobilienfonds 2 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 4 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG, DB Impact Investment (GP) Limited, DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB Io LP, DB Litigation Fee LLC, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Managers LLC, DB Municipal Holdings LLC, DB Nexus American Investments (UK) Limited (in members'voluntary liquidation), DB Nexus Investments (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios Interactivos Agrupacion de Interes Economico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB PWM, DB Portfolio Southwest Inc., DB Print GmbH, DB Privat- und Firmenkundenbank AG, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB RC Holdings LLC, DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Finance 1 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Finance 2 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Holdings Luxembourg S.a r.l., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a r.l., DB Value S.a r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita S.A., DBAB Wall Street LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBCIBZ2, DBFIC Inc., DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBOI Global Services Private Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management IA Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management US IB L.L.C., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUKH No. 2 Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBX Advisors LLC, DBX ETF Trust, DBX Strategic Advisors LLC, DBO Vermogensverwertung GmbH, DEBEKO Immobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUFRAN Beteiligungs GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK A.S., DG China Clean Tech Partners, DI Deutsche Immobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DIB-Consult Deutsche Immobilien- und BeteiligungsBeratungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DNU Nominees Pty Limited, DSL Portfolio GmbH & Co. KG, DSL Portfolio Verwaltungs GmbH, DTS Nominees Pty Limited, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, De Heng Asset Management Company Limited, De Meng Innovative (Beijing) Consulting Company Limited, DeAM Infrastructure Limited, Deloraine Spain S.L., Delowrezham de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (Mauritius) Limited Port, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (France) SAS, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, Deutsche Asset Management S.A., Deutsche Asset Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (Chile), Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anonima Institucion Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Bauspar-Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance LLC I, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance Trust I, Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency of Delaware, Deutsche Bank International Limited, Deutsche Bank Investments (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Deposits, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Note Programme, Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Los, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Polska Spolka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao Sao, Deutsche Bank SPEARs/LIFERs Series DBE-8011 Trust, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Services (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Societa per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Management Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Colombia S.A.S., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 1 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 2 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 3 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 4 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankterHaftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Deutsche Holdings (Malta) Ltd., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche Immobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Inversiones Dos S.A., Deutsche Inversiones Limitada, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mandatos S.A., Deutsche Master Funding Corporation, Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a r.l., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Public Limited Company, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC I, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC II, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC III, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Deutsche Securities S.A., Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Securities SpA, Deutsche Securities Venezuela S.A., Deutsche Securitisation Australia Pty Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trust Company Limited Japan, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsches Institut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.I., Elba Finance GmbH, Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, Emerald Asset Repackaging Designated Activity Company, Erste Frankfurter Hoist GmbH, European Value Added I (Alternate G.P.) LLP, Exinor SA, FARAMIR Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs GmbH, FRANKFURT CONSULT GmbH, Fiduciaria Sant' Andrea S.r.L., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Franz Urbig- und Oscar Schlitter-Stiftung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-037, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-039, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-040, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-041, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-043, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-044, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-047, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., G.O. IB-US Management L.L.C., G918 Corp., GAC-HEL Inc., GWC-GAC Corp., Galene S.a r.l., Gemini Technology Services Inc., German American Capital, German American Capital Corporation, Gladyr Spain S.L., Global Markets Fundo de Investimento Multimercado, Global Markets III Fundo de Investimento Multimercado - Credito, Greenwood Properties Corp., Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer Landstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Kerpen-Sindorf Vogelrutherfeld GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Leipzig Petersstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Wiesbaden Luisenstrae/Kirchgasse GbR, HTB Spezial GmbH & Co. KG, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, IOS Finance EFC S.A., ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, Immobilienfonds Mietwohnhauser Quadrath-Ichendorf GbR, Immobilienfonds Wohn- und Geschaftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul Inkasso GmbH, Kradavimd UK Lease Holdings Limited, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Latitude Australia Secured Personal Loans Trust, Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo III Initial GP Limited, Lindsell Finance Limited, London Industrial Leasing Limited, MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MHL Reinsurance Ltd., MIT Holdings Inc., MIT Holdings Inc., MPP Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Securities Corp., Motion Picture Productions One GmbH & Co. KG, NCW Holding Inc., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., New 87 Leonard LLC, Nordwestdeutscher Wohnungsbautrager Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentre", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH, OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Holding GmbH, OPB-Nona GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPB-Quinta GmbH, OPB-Septima GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM Flottenfonds V GmbH & Co. KG, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, OPS Nominees Pty Limited, OVT Trust 1 GmbH, OVV Beteiligungs GmbH, Opal Funds (Ireland) Public Limited Company, PADUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, PARTS Funding LLC., PB Factoring GmbH, PB Firmenkunden AG, PB International S.A., PB Spezial-Investmentaktiengesellschaft mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PBC Banking Services GmbH, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, PT. Deutsche Verdhana Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Peruda Leasing Limited, Plantation Bay Inc., Plantation Bay Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Immobilien GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH & Co. Objekt Leipzig KG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank Service GmbH, Postbank Systems AG, QR Tower 2 LLC, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, REO Properties Corporation, RREEF, RREEF America L.L.C., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisors Private Limited, RREEF Management L.L.C., RTS Nominees Pty Limited, Reference Capital Investments Limited, RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables LLC, Route 28 Receivables LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SCUDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SEDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SENA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Kamenz KG, SIFA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SOLIDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SP Mortgage Trust, SPINO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SPV I Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, SPV II Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, STATOR Heizkraftwerk Frankfurt (Oder) Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim Alternative Investments GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. AG & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Komplementar AG, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Service Company Four Limited, Sharps SP I LLC, Singer Island Tower Suite LLC, Somkid Immobiliare S.r.l., Stelvio Immobiliare S.r.l., Structured Finance Americas LLC, Structured Finance Americas LLC, Swabia 1. Vermogensbesitz-GmbH, Suddeutsche Vermogensverwaltung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, TAKIR Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TELO Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, TEMATIS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TERRUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Halle I KG i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Nordhausen I KG i.L., TOSSA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRIPLA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRS Aria LLC, TRS Leda LLC, TRS Maple II LTD, TRS Oak II LTD, TRS SVCO LLC, TRS Scorpio LLC, TRS Tupelo II LTD, TRS Venor LLC, TRS Walnut II LTD, Tagus - Sociedade de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Tasfiye Halinde Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Tianjin Deutsche AM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Limited, UKE Beteiligungs-GmbH, UKE Grundstucksgesellschaft mbH, UKE s.r.o., Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksgesellschaft Kirchnerstrae GbR, Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft Disternich GbR, Ullmann Ullmann Krockow Krockow Esch GbR, VCJ Lease S.a r.l., Vesta Real Estate S.r.l., VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, WEPLABeteiligungsgesellschaftmbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., Whale Holdings S.a r.l., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., World Trading(Delaware)Inc., Zumirez Drive LLC, db PBC, and norisbank GmbH.
Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG provides commercial real estate and public investment finance products. Its commercial real estate financing activities include financing instruments, such as financing investment projects, development finance, cross-border portfolio financing, investment bridge finance facilities, standby/backup facilities, and derivatives. The company primarily finances offices, retail, and logistic real estate companies, as well as residential properties targeting real estate companies, institutional investors, real estate funds, and medium-sized and regionally orientated clients. It is also involved in the public investment financing activities, such as financing for public sector facilities, municipal and residential buildings, utilities, infrastructure, medical and geriatric care facilities, and administration and insurance facilities. In addition, the company operates a digital platform for public sector borrowers and institutional investors under the CAPVERIANT name. Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG has offices in four locations in Eschborn, DAsseldorf, Hamburg, and Berlin in Germany; and five locations in London, Madrid, Paris, Stockholm, and New York City. The company was formerly known as Hypo Real Estate Bank AG and changed its name to Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG in June 2009. Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG is headquartered in Garching, Germany.

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White House offering more aid for winter heat, utility bills

The Biden administration is taking steps to help distribute several billion dollars in aid for winter heating and utility bills, an unprecedented sum that comes largely from its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The package provided an additional $4.5 billion for the government's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which typically has funding of $3 billion to $4 billion annually.

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There is not enough analysis data for Invesco Senior Income Trust.

4.4 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Invesco Senior Income Trust has received 144 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Invesco Senior Income Trust has received 75 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Invesco Senior Income Trust has received 65.75% outperform votes from our community.

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

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Kinder Morgan, Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The firm engages in the operation of pipelines and terminals that transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide (CO2) and other products and stores petroleum products chemicals and handles bulk materials like ethanol, coal, petroleum coke and steel. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, CO2, Terminals, Product Pipelines and Kinder Morgan Canada. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment engages in the ownership and operation of major interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline and storage systems, natural gas and crude oil gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities. The CO2 segment focuses on the production, transportation and marketing of CO2 to oil fields that use CO2 as a flooding medium for recovering crude oil from mature oil fields to increase production. The Terminals segment consists of the ownership and operation of liquids and bulk terminal facilities located throughout the U.S. and portions of Canada that trans load and store refined petroleum products, crude oil, chemicals, ethanol and bulk products, including coal, petroleum coke, fertilizer,

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JMP Group LLC provides investment banking, sales and trading, and equity research services to corporate and institutional clients, and alternative asset management products and services to institutional investors and high net-worth individuals. It operates through three segments: Broker-Dealer, Asset Management, and Investment. The Broker-Dealer segment includes underwriting and acting as a placement agent for public & private capital markets raising transactions, financial advisory services in M&A, restructuring and other strategic transactions. The Asset Management segment involves in the management of pooled investment vehicles, including the company's hedge funds and collateralized loan obligations. The Investment segment includes Company's principal investments in public and private securities and investment funds managed by HCS, as well as any other net interest and income from investing activities, and interest expense related to the Company's bond issuance. The company was founded by Joseph A. Jolson, Gerald L. Tuttle, Jr. and Carter D. Mack in 1999 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

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At Landsec, we strive to connect communities, realise potential and deliver sustainable places. As one of the largest real estate companies in Europe, our A11.8 billion portfolio spans 24 million sq ft (as at 30 September 2020) of well-connected retail, leisure, workspace and residential hubs. From the iconic Piccadilly Lights in the West End and the regeneration of London's Victoria, to the creation of retail destinations at Westgate Oxford and Trinity Leeds, we own and manage some of the most successful and memorable real estate in the UK. We aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues A- from diversity and community employment, to carbon reduction and climate resilience. We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities.

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Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Inc. is a closed ended fixed income fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. The fund invests in fixed income markets of emerging market countries across the globe. It primarily invests in debt securities of government and government-related issuers, of entities organized to restructure outstanding debt of such issuers and debt securities of corporate issuers in or organized under the laws of emerging countries. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Global Index. Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Inc. was formed on May 6, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC.
Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Swiss Re AG is a wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms of risk transfer. The Company operates in four segments: Property&Casualty Reinsurance, Life&Health Reinsurance, Corporate Solutions and Life Capital. Its Reinsurance Unit provides premiums and fee income through Property&Casualty and Life&Health segments. Its Corporate Solutions segment is engaged in serving mid-sized and large corporations, with product offerings ranging from traditional property and casualty insurance to customized solutions. Its Admin Re segment provides risk and capital management solutions by which the Company acquires closed books of in-force life and health insurance business, entire lines of business, or the entire capital stock of life insurance companies. Its open and closed life insurance books, including Admin Re, are managed under a unit called Life Capital.

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With just a few weeks before this years election, Hawaiis supreme court has knocked from the state ballot a measure that would have instituted the first statewide property tax in order to financially shore up Hawaiis statewide school district.

The states teachers union had heavily backed the measure, staging a statewide protest earlier this month in order to make the public aware of what it called desperate conditions caused by years of budget cuts, including a rolling teacher shortage, delapidated schools, and lagging academic outcomes.

The ballot question would have allowed the legislature to enact a statewide property tax strictly for the use of public schools. (Unlike every other state in the country, Hawaiis schools are almost completely dependent on income and sales taxes.).How much money such a measure would have provided schools would be entirely up to the legislature. But the states supreme court last week agreed with several county politicians who have argued for months now that the questions language was too confusing for voters.

Thats sent the states teachers back to the drawing board.

This is the beginning, Corey Rosenlee, the president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said at a press conference Monday, according to local media . This is a problem that we must solve, Rosenlee said. We still have 1,000 classrooms without a qualified teachers. This must be our moral imperative. At the end of the day, this is about one thing. This is about our keiki (children).

Colorado, Missouri, and Utah all have statewide questions on their ballots this year that would lead to a significant school funding increases.

But, similar measures in Arizona, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Utah were taken off the ballot in recent months because of either confusing language or after their supporters negotiated with the state legislature.

Dont miss another State EdWatch post. Sign up here to get news alerts in your email inbox. And make sure to follow @StateEdWatch on Twitter for the latest news from state K-12 policy and politics.
Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 1,400 bank branches and 4,800 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of American Tower: 10 Presidential Way Associates LLC, 3267351 Nova Scotia Company, 3286208 Nova Scotia Company, 3298099 Nova Scotia Company, 52 Eighty LLC, 52 Eighty Partners LLC, 52 Eighty Tower Partners I LLC, ACC Tower Sub LLC, AT Kenya C.V., AT Netherlands C.V., AT Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT Sao Paulo C.V., AT Sher Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT South America C.V., ATC Africa Holding B.V., ATC Africa Shared Services (Pty) Ltd, ATC Antennas Holding LLC, ATC Antennas LLC, ATC Argentina C.V., ATC Argentina Cooperatief U.A., ATC Argentina Holding LLC, ATC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ATC Atlantic C.V., ATC Atlantic II B.V., ATC Atlantic III B.V., ATC Backhaul LLC, ATC Brasil  Servicos de Conectividades Ltda., ATC Brazil Holding LLC, ATC Brazil I LLC, ATC Brazil II LLC, ATC Burkina Faso S.A., ATC CSR Foundation India, ATC Chile Holding LLC, ATC Colombia B.V., ATC Colombia Holding I LLC, ATC Colombia Holding LLC, ATC Colombia I LLC, ATC EH GmbH & Co. KG, ATC Ecuador Holding LLC, ATC Edge LLC, ATC Ethiopia Infrastructure Development Private Limited Company, ATC Europe B.V., ATC Europe LLC, ATC European Holdings Inc., ATC Fibra de Colombia S.A.S., ATC France Cooperatief U.A., ATC France Holding II SAS, ATC France Holding SAS, ATC France Reseaux SAS, ATC France SAS, ATC France Services SAS, ATC GP GmbH, ATC Germany Holdings GmbH, ATC Germany Services GmbH, ATC Ghana ServiceCo Limited, ATC Global Employment B.V., ATC Heston B.V., ATC Holding Fibra Mexico S. de R.L. DE C.V., ATC IP LLC, ATC India Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Indoor DAS Holding LLC, ATC Indoor DAS LLC, ATC International Cooperatief U.A., ATC International Financing B.V., ATC International Financing II B.V., ATC International Financing II Holding LLC, ATC International Holding Corp., ATC Iris I LLC, ATC Kenya Operations Limited, ATC Kenya Services Limited, ATC Latin America S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., ATC MIP III REIT Iron Holdings LLC, ATC Managed Sites Holding LLC, ATC Managed Sites LLC, ATC MexHold LLC, ATC Mexico Holding LLC, ATC Niger Wireless Infrastructure S.A., ATC Nigeria C.V., ATC Nigeria Cooperatief U.A., ATC Nigeria Holding LLC, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited, ATC On Air + LLC, ATC Operations LLC, ATC Outdoor DAS LLC, ATC Paraguay Holding LLC, ATC Paraguay S.R.L., ATC Peru Holding LLC, ATC Polska sp. z o.o., ATC Ponderosa B-I LLC, ATC Ponderosa B-II LLC, ATC Ponderosa K LLC, ATC Ponderosa K-R LLC, ATC Sequoia LLC, ATC Sitios Infraco S.A.S., ATC Sitios de Chile S.A., ATC Sitios de Colombia S.A.S., ATC Sitios del Peru S.R.L., ATC South Africa Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, ATC South Africa Services Pty Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure II (Pty) Ltd, ATC South America Holding LLC, ATC South LLC, ATC Spain LLC, ATC TRS I LLC, ATC TRS II LLC, ATC TRS III LLC, ATC TRS IV LLC, ATC Tanzania Holding LLC, ATC Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Tower (Ghana) Limited, ATC Tower Services LLC, ATC Uganda Limited, ATC Uganda ServiceCo (SMC) Limited, ATC Watertown LLC, ATC WiFi LLC, ATS-Needham LLC, ActiveX Telebroadband Services Private Limited, Adquisiciones y Proyectos Inalambricos S. de R. L. de C.V., Agile Airband Ohio LLC, Agile Connect LLC, Agile IWG Holdings LLC, Agile Network Builders LLC, Agile Networks Indiana LLC, Agile Networks Site Development LLC, Agile Towers LLC, Alternative Networking LLC, American Tower Asset Sub II LLC, American Tower Asset Sub LLC, American Tower Charitable Foundation Inc., American Tower Delaware Corporation, American Tower Depositor Sub LLC, American Tower Guarantor Sub LLC, American Tower Holding Sub II LLC, American Tower Holding Sub LLC, American Tower International Holding I LLC, American Tower International Holding II LLC, American Tower International Inc., American Tower Investments LLC, American Tower LLC, American Tower Management LLC, American Tower Mauritius, American Tower Servicios Fibra S. de R.L. de C.V., American Tower Tanzania Operations Limited, American Tower do Brasil - Cessao de Infraestruturas Ltda., American Tower do Brasil  Communicacao Multimidia Ltda., American Towers LLC, BR Towers, Blue Sky Towers Pty Ltd, Blue Transfer Sociedad Anonima, Broadcast Towers LLC, CNC2 Associates LLC, California Tower Inc., Cell Site NewCo II LLC, Cell Tower Lease Acquisition LLC, Central States Tower Holdings LLC, Colo ATL LLC, Colo Atl, Communications Properties Inc., Comunicaciones y Consumos S.A., Connectivity Infrastructure Services Limited, DCS Tower Sub LLC, Eaton, Eaton Towers (Lilongwe) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana (M) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana Limited, Eaton Towers Holdings Limited, Eaton Towers Kenya Limited, Eaton Towers Limited, Eaton Towers Niger S.A., Eaton Towers Uganda Limited, Essar Telecom Infrastructure, Eure-et-Loir Reseaux Mobiles SAS, GTP Acquisition Partners I LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners II LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners III LLC, GTP Costa Rica Finance LLC, GTP Infrastructure I LLC, GTP Infrastructure II LLC, GTP Infrastructure III LLC, GTP Investments LLC, GTP LATAM Holdings B.V., GTP LatAm Holdings Cooperatieve U.A., GTP Operations CR S.R.L., GTP South Acquisitions II LLC, GTP Structures I LLC, GTP Structures II LLC, GTP TRS I LLC, GTP Torres CR S.R.L., GTP Towers I LLC, GTP Towers II LLC, GTP Towers III LLC, GTP Towers IV LLC, GTP Towers IX LLC, GTP Towers V LLC, GTP Towers VII LLC, GTP Towers VIII LLC, GTPI HoldCo LLC, Ghana Tower InterCo B.V., Global Tower Assets III LLC, Global Tower Assets LLC, Global Tower Holdings LLC, Global Tower LLC, Global Tower Partners, Global Tower Services LLC, Gondola Tower Holdings LLC, Grain HoldCo LLC, Grain HoldCo Parent LLC, GrainComm I LLC, GrainComm II LLC, GrainComm III LLC, GrainComm LLC, GrainComm Marketing LLC, GrainComm V LLC, Haysville Towers LLC, IW Equipment LLC, IWD Equipment LLC, IWG Holdings LLC, IWG II Holdings LLC, IWG II LLC, IWG Miami LLC, IWG Towers Assets I LLC, IWG Towers Assets II LLC, IWG-TLA Australia Pty Ltd., IWG-TLA Canada Corp., IWG-TLA Encanto 1 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 3 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto LLC, IWG-TLA Holdings LLC, IWG-TLA Media 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Media LLC, IWG-TLA Telecom LLC, IWL-TLA Telecom 2 LLC, Idaho Tower Company LLC, InSite (BCEC) LLC, InSite (MBTA) LLC, InSite Borrower LLC, InSite Co-Issuer Corp., InSite Guarantor LLC, InSite Hawaii LLC, InSite Issuer LLC, InSite Licensing LLC, InSite Towers Development 2 LLC, InSite Towers Development LLC, InSite Towers International 2 LLC, InSite Towers International Development LLC, InSite Towers International LLC, InSite Towers LLC, InSite Towers of Puerto Rico LLC, InSite Wireless Development LLC, InSite Wireless Group, InSite Wireless Group LLC, Insite Wireless LLC, Invisible IWG Holdings LLC, Invisible Towers LLC, JT Communications LLC, LAP Inmobiliaria Limitada, LAP Inmobiliaria S.R.L., LL B Sheet 1 LLC, Lap do Brasil Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, Lease Advisors-AU PTY LTD, Loxel SAS, MATC Digital S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Infraestructura S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., MC New Macland Properties LLC, MCSU Properties LLC, MHB Tower Rentals of America LLC, MIP III Iron Holdings LLC, MIP III U.S. Iron LLC, Microwave Inc., Municipal Bay LLC, Municipal-Bay Holdings LLC, New Towers LLC, PCS Structures Towers LLC, R-CAL I LLC, RSA Media Inc., Repeater Communications Group I LLC, Repeater Communications Group II LLC, Repeater Communications Group III LLC, Repeater Communications Group IV LLC, Repeater Communications Group LLC, Repeater Communications Group V LLC, Repeater Communications Group VI LLC, Repeater Communications Group of New York LLC, Repeater IWG Holdings LLC, Richland Towers LLC, Signum/IWG Tower Corp., Southeast Network Access Point LLC, SpectraSite Communications, SpectraSite Communications LLC, SpectraSite LLC, T8 Ulysses Site Management LLC, TLA PR-1 LLC, TLA PR-2 LLC, Telecom Lease Advisors Management 2 LLC, Tower Management Inc., Towers of America L.L.L.P., Transcend Infrastructure Holdings Pte. Ltd., Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines) Inc., Turris Sites Development Corp., Turris Sites IWG Corp, Tysons II DAS LLC, UNIsite, Uganda Tower Interco B.V., Ulysses Asset Sub I LLC, Ulysses Asset Sub II LLC, UniSite LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint FL Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint NE Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint PA Tower Venture LLC, Vangard Wireless LLC, Verus Management One LLC, Viom Networks, and Virdi IWG Holdings LLC.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC.
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 Eaton: ADF Systems SARL, Abeiron III Limited, Aeroquip (UK) Limited, Aeroquip Financial Ltd., Aeroquip Iberica S.L., Aeroquip International Inc., Aeroquip Limited, Aeroquip do Brasil Ltda., Aeroquip-Vickers, Aeroquip-Vickers Canada Inc., Aeroquip-Vickers International S.a.r.L., Aphel Technologies, Argo-Tech, Arrow Hose & Tubing, Arrow-Hart S. de R.L. de C.V., Azonix Corporation, Babco Electric Group, Beijing Internormen-Filter Ltd. Co., Beijing Yoosung Shinhwa Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Blinda Industria e Comercio Ltda., Bussmann International Holdings LLC, Bussmann International Inc., Bussmann S. de R.L. de C.V., Bussmann do Brasil Ltda., CBE Services Inc., CEAG Notlichtsysteme GmbH, CI ESI de Colombia, CTI-VIENNA Gesellschaft zur Prufung elektrotechnischer Industrieprodukte GmbH, Cambridge International Insurance Company Ltd., Cannon Technologies Inc., Centralion Industrial Inc., Chagrin Highlands III Limited, Cobham, Componentes de Iluminacion S. de R.L. de C.V., Cooper (China) Co. Ltd., Cooper (Ningbo) Electric Co. Ltd., Cooper B-Line Inc., Cooper Bermuda Investments Ltd., Cooper Bussmann (U.K.) Limited, Cooper Bussmann Hungaria Kft., Cooper Bussmann LLC, Cooper Capri S.A.S., Cooper Colombia Investments Ltd., Cooper Controls (Watford) Limited, Cooper Controls Limited, Cooper Crouse-Hinds (LLC), Cooper Crouse-Hinds (UK) Ltd., Cooper Crouse-Hinds AS, Cooper Crouse-Hinds B.V., Cooper Crouse-Hinds GmbH, Cooper Crouse-Hinds LLC, Cooper Crouse-Hinds MTL Inc., Cooper Crouse-Hinds Pte. Ltd., Cooper Crouse-Hinds S. de R.L. de C.V., Cooper Crouse-Hinds S.A., Cooper Csa Srl, Cooper Edison (Pingdingshan) Electronic Technologies Co. Ltd., Cooper Electric (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Cooper Electrical Australia Pty. Limited, Cooper Electrical International LLC, Cooper Electronic Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cooper Enterprises LLC, Cooper Finance (Canada) L.P., Cooper Finance Group Ltd., Cooper Finance USA Inc., Cooper Germany Holdings GmbH, Cooper India Private Limited, Cooper Industrials, Cooper Industries (Canada) Inc., Cooper Industries (Electrical) Inc., Cooper Industries Colombia S.A.S., Cooper Industries FZE, Cooper Industries Finance B.V., Cooper Industries Finanzierungs-GbR, Cooper Industries Global B.V., Cooper Industries Holdings (Canada) Inc., Cooper Industries Holdings GmbH, Cooper Industries International LLC, Cooper Industries Japan K.K., Cooper Industries LLC, Cooper Industries Malaysia SDN BHD, Cooper Industries Middle East LLC, Cooper Industries Poland LLC, Cooper Industries Romania SRL, Cooper Industries Russia LLC, Cooper Industries Trading Limited, Cooper Industries UK Subco Limited, Cooper Industries Unlimited Company, Cooper Industries Vietnam LLC, Cooper Interconnect, Cooper International Holdings S.a.r.l., Cooper Investment Group Ltd., Cooper Investment Group S a.r.l., Cooper Investments Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Cooper Korea Ltd., Cooper Lighting LLC, Cooper Lighting de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Cooper Menvier France SARL, Cooper Mexico Distribucion S. de R.L. de C.V., Cooper Netherlands Investments Ltd., Cooper Notification Inc., Cooper Offshore Holdings S.a.r.l., Cooper Power Systems LLC, Cooper Power Systems do Brasil Ltda., Cooper Pretronica Lda., Cooper Safety B.V., Cooper Securite S.A.S., Cooper Security Limited, Cooper Shanghai Power Capacitor Co. Ltd., Cooper Switzerland Investments Ltd., Cooper Technologies Company, Cooper Univel S.A., Cooper Wheelock Inc., Cooper Wiring Devices Inc., Cooper Wiring Devices Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Cooper Wiring Devices de Mexico S.A de C.V., Cooper Xi'an Fusegear Co. Ltd., Cooper Yuhua (Changzhou) Electric Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Copperlogic, Cutler-Hammer Electrical Company, Cutler-Hammer Industries Ltd., Cutler-Hammer SRL, Cyme International T & D Inc., D.P. Eaton Electric, Digital Lighting (Dong Guan) Co. Ltd., Digital Lighting Co. Limited, Digital Lighting Holdings Limited, Dongguan Cooper Electronics Co. Ltd., Dongguan Fu Li An Electronics Co. Ltd., Dongguan Wiring Devices Electronics Co. Ltd., E. Begerow, E.A. Pedersen Co., EIC Holding GP I, EIC Holding GP II, EIC Holding GP III, EIC Holding GP IV, EIC Holding I LLC, EIC Holding II LLC, EIC Holding III LLC, EIC Holding IV LLC, EIC Holding V LLC, EIC Holding VI LLC, ETN Asia International Limited, ETN Holding 1 Limited, ETN Holding 2 Limited, ETN Holding 3 Limited, EX Innovations Limited, Eaton (China) Investments Co. Ltd., Eaton Aeroquip, Eaton Aerospace LLC, Eaton Ann Arbor LLC, Eaton Asia Investments Corporation, Eaton Automation G.m.b.H, Eaton Automation Holding G.m.b.H., Eaton Automotive Components Spolka z.o.o., Eaton Automotive Spolka z.o.o., Eaton Automotive Systems Spolka z.o.o., Eaton B.V., Eaton C.V., Eaton CHB LLC, Eaton Capital Unlimited Co., Eaton Controls (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Eaton Controls (UK) Limited, Eaton Controls S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Corporation, Eaton ETN Offshore Company, Eaton ETN Offshore II Company, Eaton Electric, Eaton Electric & Engineering Services Limited, Eaton Electric (Japan) Ltd., Eaton Electric (South Africa) Pty Ltd., Eaton Electric (Thailand) Ltd., Eaton Electric AS, Eaton Electric ApS, Eaton Electric Company Ltd., Eaton Electric G.m.b.H., Eaton Electric Holdings LLC, Eaton Electric Limited, Eaton Electric Manufacturing Middle East LLC, Eaton Electric S.I.A., Eaton Electric S.a.r.l., Eaton Electric S.r.l., Eaton Electric SPRL, Eaton Electric Sales Ltd., Eaton Electric Spolka z.o.o., Eaton Electric d.o.o., Eaton Electric s.r.o., Eaton Electric s.r.o. (Slovak Republic), Eaton Electrical (Zhongshan) Co. Ltd., Eaton Electrical Equipment Co. Ltd., Eaton Electrical IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton Electrical Ltd., Eaton Electrical Products Limited, Eaton Electrical S.A., Eaton Electrical S.A. (Venezuela), Eaton Electrical Systems Limited, Eaton Electro Productie S.r.l., Eaton Elektrik Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Eaton Elektrotechnika s.r.o., Eaton Energy Solutions Inc., Eaton Enterprises (Hungary) Kft., Eaton Enterprises Limited, Eaton Enterprises S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton FZE, Eaton Filtration, Eaton Filtration (Denmark) ApS, Eaton Filtration (Italy) S.r.l., Eaton Filtration (Poland) Sp. z.o.o., Eaton Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Filtration BVBA, Eaton Finance (Ireland) Limited, Eaton Finance S.a.r.l., Eaton Fluid Power (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Fluid Power Limited, Eaton Fluid Power S.r.l., Eaton France Holding S.A.S., Eaton Germany G.m.b.H., Eaton GmbH & Co. KG, Eaton Holding (Austria) G.m.b.H., Eaton Holding (Netherlands) B.V., Eaton Holding (UK) II Limited, Eaton Holding G.m.b.H., Eaton Holding I B.V., Eaton Holding I Limited, Eaton Holding II LLC, Eaton Holding II Limited, Eaton Holding II S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding III B.V., Eaton Holding III Limited, Eaton Holding III S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding IV S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding IX S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding International LLC, Eaton Holding LLC, Eaton Holding Limited, Eaton Holding S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding SE & Co. KG, Eaton Holding SRL, Eaton Holding V B.V., Eaton Holding V S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding VI B.V., Eaton Holding VI S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding VII B.V., Eaton Holding VIII S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding X S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding XII B.V./S.a.r.l., Eaton Holec AB, Eaton Holec OY, Eaton Hydraulics (Luzhou) Co. Ltd., Eaton Hydraulics (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., Eaton Hydraulics (Proprietary) Limited, Eaton Hydraulics LLC, Eaton Hydraulics Systems (Jining) Co. Ltd., Eaton I Spolka z.o.o., Eaton II LP, Eaton III LP, Eaton IV LP, Eaton India Innovation Center LLP, Eaton Industrial Clutches and Brakes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Industrial Corporation, Eaton Industrial IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton Industrial Systems Private Limited, Eaton Industries (Argentina) S.A., Eaton Industries (Austria) G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries (Belgium) BVBA, Eaton Industries (Canada) Company, Eaton Industries (Chile) S.p.A., Eaton Industries (Colombia) S.A.S., Eaton Industries (Egypt) LLC, Eaton Industries (England) Limited, Eaton Industries (France) S.A.S., Eaton Industries (Ireland) Ltimited, Eaton Industries (Israel) Ltd., Eaton Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Eaton Industries (Japan) Ltd., Eaton Industries (Jining) Co. Ltd, Eaton Industries (Korea) Limited, Eaton Industries (Luxembourg) B.V./S.a.r.l., Eaton Industries (Morocco) LLC, Eaton Industries (Netherlands) B.V., Eaton Industries (Philippines) LLC, Eaton Industries (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Industries (Spain) S.L., Eaton Industries (Thailand) Ltd., Eaton Industries (U.K.) Limited, Eaton Industries (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Eaton Industries Company, Eaton Industries EOOD, Eaton Industries G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries Holding G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries Holdings Ltd., Eaton Industries II G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries KFT, Eaton Industries LP, Eaton Industries Manufacturing G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries Panama S.A., Eaton Industries Pte. Ltd., Eaton Industries Pty. Ltd., Eaton Industries S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Industries SAC, Eaton Industries Sdn. Bhd., Eaton Industries s.r.o., Eaton International B.V., Eaton International Corporation, Eaton International Industries Nigeria Limited, Eaton Japan Co. Ltd., Eaton LLC, Eaton LP, Eaton Leasing Corporation, Eaton Ltda., Eaton MEDC Limited, Eaton Madeira SGPS Lda., Eaton Manufacturing G.m.b.H., Eaton Manufacturing II G.m.b.H., Eaton Manufacturing III G.m.b.H., Eaton Manufacturing LP, Eaton Middle East LLC, Eaton Moeller B.V., Eaton Moeller S.a.r.l., Eaton Phoenixtec MMPL Co. Ltd., Eaton Power Quality (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Power Quality AB, Eaton Power Quality Limited, Eaton Power Quality OY (Finland), Eaton Power Quality Private Limited, Eaton Power Quality S.A.S., Eaton Power Solution Ltda., Eaton Production International G.m.b.H., Eaton Protection Systems IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton S.A.S., Eaton S.r.l., Eaton SAMC (Shanghai) Aircraft Conveyance System, Eaton SE, Eaton Safety IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton Safety Limited, Eaton Senstar Automotive Fluid Connector (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Services S.a.r.l., Eaton Solutions S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Switzerland Holding I GmbH, Eaton Switzerland Holding II GmbH, Eaton Technologies (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Eaton Technologies G.m.b.H., Eaton Technologies IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton Technologies Private Limited, Eaton Technologies S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Technologies S.A., Eaton Trading Company S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Truck Components (Proprietary) Ltd., Eaton Truck Components S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Truck Components Spolka z.o.o., Eaton Truck and Bus Components (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton US Holdings Inc., Eaton Worldwide LLC, Eaton-Powerware, Electromanufacturas S de R.L. de C.V., Electrum Group Ltd., Elpro Technologies Pty. Limited, Ephesus Lighting, Ephesus Lighting Inc., FHF Bergbautechnik GmbH & Co. KG, FHF Funke+Huster Fernsig GmbH, FHF New World GmbH, Fast Eaton (Xi'an) Drivetrain Company Ltd., Fifth Light Technology Ltd., Funke+Huster (Tianjin) Electronics Co. Ltd., Funke+Huster GmbH, GeCma Components electronic GmbH, Georgetown Financial Services Ltd., Gitiesse Asia Pte. Ltd., Gitiesse S.r.l., Green Holding Company, Green Motion, Guangzhou Nittan Valve Co. Ltd., Hein Moeller Stiftung G.m.b.H., Hernis Scan System do Brasil Comercio E Servicos LTDA, Hernis Scan Systems - Asia Pte. Ltd., Hernis Scan Systems A/S, IE Power, Illumination Management Solutions Inc., Iluminacion Cooper de las Californias S de R.L. de C.V., Innovative Switchgear Solutions Inc, Institute for International Product Safety G.m.b.H., Integrated Hydraulics, Integrated Partial Discharge Diagnostics, Intelligent Switchgear Organization LLC, Internormen Filters Private Limited, Internormen Technology, Jeil Hydraulics, Kaicheng Funke+Huster (Tangshan) Mining Electrical Co. Ltd., Lian Zheng Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., MP Group SAS, MTL Instruments (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, MTL Instruments B.V., MTL Instruments GmbH, MTL Instruments LLC, MTL Instruments Private Limited, MTL Instruments SARL, MTL Italia Srl, MTL Partners II Inc., MTL Partners Inc., Marina Power and Lighting, Martek Power F SAS, Martek Power GmbH, Martek Power Limited, Martek Power Limited (UK), Martek Power S.A. de C.V., Martek Power SA, McGraw-Edison Development Corporation, Measurement Technology Limited, Menvier Overseas Holdings Limited, Micro Innovation Holding, Moeller Electric (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Moeller Electric Ltda., Moeller Electrical Equipment (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Moeller Holding Gmbh & Co. KG, Moeller Industria de electro-electronicos do Amazonas Ltda., Morestana, Nittan BVI Co. Ltd., Nittan Euro Tech Spolka z o.o., Nittan Global Tech Co. Ltd., Nittan Valve Co. Ltd., Norex AS, Ocean Technical Systems Limited, Oxalis Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Oxalis Group, Oxalis Group Limited, PKL LLC, PT. Eaton Industries, PT. Fluid Sciences Batam, PerkinElmer - aerospace division, Phoenixtec Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Phoenixtec International Corp., Phoenixtec Power, Pigozzi, Polaron Components Limited, Polimer Hortum Teknolojileri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Polimer Kaucuk Sanayi Ve Pazarlama, Polimer Kaucuk Sanayi ve Pazarlama A.S., Power Distribution, Pringle Electrical Manufacturing, Productos Eaton Livia S.L., Pulizzi Engineering, RTE Far East Corporation, RTK Instruments Limited, Riseson International Limited, Rizhao Yoosung Shinhwa Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Rolec Comercial e Industrial, SOURIAU, Santak Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Santak Electronics Company Limited, Saturn Insurance Company Ltd., Scantronic Benelux B.V., Schreder-Hazemeyer, Scoremax Limited, Sefelec GmbH, Sefelec SAS, Semelec SAS, Senyuan International Holdings Limited, Senyuan International Investments Limited, Shinhwa Precision Co. Ltd., Shinhwa Takahashi Precision Co. Ltd., Silver Light International Limited, Silver Victory Hong Kong Limited, Standard Automation & Control LP, Sure Power Inc., TGM Automotiva, TT (Ireland) Acquisition Limited, Tai Ah Electrical Ltd., Taiwan Nittan Industrial Co. Ltd., Telkom Kenya, The MTL Instruments Group Limited, The Oxalis Protection Technology India Private Limited, Tractech, Tractech (Ireland) Limited, Tractech Industries (Ireland) Limted, Tripp Lite, Turlock B.V., Tuthill Coupling Group, U.S. Engine Valve Company, UPE Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Ultronics, Ultronics Nordic Sales AB, Ulusoy, Vickers International Inc., Vickers Systems Limited, Viking Electronics Inc., WPI-Boston Division Inc., Winner Hydraulics Ltd., Wireless Power and Communications AS, Wright Line, Wright Line Holding Inc., Wright Line LLC, and Zhenjiang Daqo Eaton Electrical Systems Co. Ltd..
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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The following companies are subsidiares of Travelers Companies: 10762962 Canada Inc., 350 Market Street LLC, 8527512 Canada Inc., Aetna Life and Casualty Co, American Equity Insurance Company, American Equity Specialty Insurance Company, Aprilgrange Limited, Arch Street North LLC, Auto Hartford Investments LLC, Bayhill Restaurant II Associates, Camperdown Corporation, Constitution State Services LLC, Discover Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Discover Specialty Insurance Company, F&G UK Underwriters Limited, Farmington Casualty Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Underwriters Inc., First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, Gulf Underwriters Insurance Company, IHP Capital Partners Fund VIII L.P., Northbrook Holdings Inc., Northfield Insurance Company, Northland Casualty Company, Northland Insurance Company, Phoenix UK Investments LLC, SPC Insurance Agency Inc., Select Insurance Company, Simply Business Holdings Inc., Simply Business Inc., St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, St. Paul Guardian Insurance Company, St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company, St. Paul Protective Insurance Company, St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Company, Standard Fire Properties LLC, Standard Fire UK Investments LLC, TCI Global Services Inc., TPC Investments Inc., TPC U.K. Investments LLC, The Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford Connecticut, The Charter Oak Fire Insurance Company, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, The Family Business Institute LLC, The Phoenix Insurance Company, The St. Paul Companies Inc., The Standard Fire Insurance Company, The Travelers Casualty Company, The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company of America, The Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut, The Travelers Lloyds Insurance Company, TravCo Insurance Company, Travelers (Bermuda) Limited, Travelers Brazil Acquisition LLC, Travelers Brazil Holding LLC, Travelers Casualty Company of Connecticut, Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America, Travelers Casualty UK Investments LLC, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of Europe Limited, Travelers Commercial Casualty Company, Travelers Commercial Insurance Company, Travelers Constitution State Insurance Company, Travelers Distribution Alliance Inc., Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company, Travelers Global Inc., Travelers Indemnity U.K. Investments LLC, Travelers Insurance Company Limited, Travelers Insurance Company of Canada, Travelers Insurance Designated Activity Company, Travelers Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Travelers Lloyds of Texas Insurance Company, Travelers London Limited, Travelers MGA Inc., Travelers Management Limited, Travelers Marine LLC, Travelers Participacoes em Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Personal Insurance Company, Travelers Personal Security Insurance Company, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, Travelers Property Casualty Corp., Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company, Travelers Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Syndicate Management Limited, Travelers Texas MGA Inc., Travelers Underwriting Agency Limited, Ultramar Travel Management, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Xbridge Limited, Zensurance Brokers Inc., and Zensurance Inc..
The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Italy S.R.L., Caterpillar Propulsion Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar Propulsion Production AB, Caterpillar Propulsion Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Singapore Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar R&D Center (China) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe LLC, Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe Servicios S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Indiana LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Drivetrain LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd..
DTE Energy Co. operates as a diversified energy company, which engages in the provision of electricity and natural gas sales, distribution and storage services. It operates through the following segments: Electric, Gas, Non-Utility Operations, and Corporate & Other. The Electric segment engages in the generation, purchase, distribution and sale of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers in south-eastern Michigan. The Gas segment engages in the purchase, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout Michigan and the sale of storage and transportation capacity. The Non-Utility Operations segment engages in gas storage and pipelines, power and industrial projects, and energy trading. The Corporate & Other includes various holding company activities, holds certain non-utility debt, and holds energy-related investments. The company was founded in January 1995 and is headquartered in Detroit, MI.

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The following companies are subsidiares of ENI: Adriaplin Podjetje za distribucijo, Agenzia Giornalistica Italia SpA, Agip Caspian Sea BV, Agip Energy and Natural, Agip Karachaganak BV, Agip Petroli, Aldro Energy, Banque Eni SA, Burren Energy (Bermuda) Ltd(1), Burren Energy (Egypt) Ltd, Burren Energy Congo Ltd, Burren Energy India Ltd, Burren Energy Plc, Burren Shakti Ltd, D-Service Media Srl, D-Share SpA, D-Share USA Corp., Dhamma Energy Group, Dunastyr Polisztirolgyarto Zartkoruen, Ecofuel SpA, Eni AEP Ltd, Eni Abu Dhabi BV, Eni Abu Dhabi Refining & Trading BV, Eni Abu Dhabi Refining & Trading Services BV, Eni Albania BV, Eni Algeria Exploration BV, Eni Algeria Ltd Sarl, Eni Algeria Production BV, Eni Ambalat Ltd, Eni America Ltd, Eni Angola Exploration BV, Eni Angola Production BV, Eni Angola SpA, Eni Argentina Exploracion, Eni Arguni I Ltd, Eni Australia BV, Eni Australia Ltd, Eni Austria GmbH, Eni BB Petroleum Inc, Eni BTC Ltd, Eni Bahrain BV, Eni Benelux BV, Eni Bukat Ltd, Eni CBM Ltd, Eni Canada Holding Ltd, Eni China BV, Eni Congo SA, Eni Corporate University SpA, Eni Cyprus Ltd, Eni Cote dIvoire Ltd, Eni Denmark BV, Eni Deutschland GmbH, Eni East Ganal Ltd, Eni East Sepinggan Ltd, Eni Ecuador SA, Eni Elgin/Franklin Ltd, Eni Energy Russia BV, Eni Exploration & Production Holding BV, Eni Finance International SA, Eni Finance USA Inc, Eni France Sarl, Eni Fuel SpA, Eni G&P Trading BV, Eni Gabon SA, Eni Ganal Ltd, Eni Gas & Power France SA, Eni Gas & Power LNG Australia BV, Eni Gas Transport Services Srl, Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd, Eni Hewett Ltd, Eni Hydrocarbons Venezuela Ltd, Eni Iberia SLU, Eni India Ltd, Eni Indonesia Ltd, Eni Indonesia Ots 1 Ltd, Eni Insurance DAC, Eni International BV, Eni International NA NV Sarl, Eni International Resources Ltd, Eni Investments Plc, Eni Iran BV, Eni Iraq BV, Eni Ireland BV, Eni Isatay BV, Eni JPDA 03-13 Ltd, Eni JPDA 06-105 Pty Ltd, Eni JPDA 11-106 BV, Eni Kenya BV, Eni Krueng Mane Ltd, Eni LNS Ltd, Eni Lasmo Plc, Eni Lebanon BV, Eni Liberia BV, Eni Liverpool Bay Operating Co Ltd, Eni Lubricants Trading (Shangai) Co Ltd, Eni Marketing Austria GmbH, Eni Marketing Inc, Eni Maroc BV, Eni Mediterranea Idrocarburi SpA, Eni Middle East Ltd, Eni Mineralolhandel GmbH, Eni Montenegro BV, Eni Mozambico SpA, Eni Mozambique Engineering Ltd, Eni Mozambique LNG Holding BV, Eni Muara Bakau BV, Eni Myanmar BV, Eni Mexico S. de RL de CV, Eni Next Llc, Eni North Africa BV, Eni North Ganal Ltd, Eni Oil & Gas Inc, Eni Oil Algeria Ltd, Eni Oil Holdings BV, Eni Oman BV, Eni Pakistan (M) Ltd Sarl, Eni Pakistan Ltd, Eni Petroleum Co Inc, Eni Petroleum US Llc, Eni Portugal BV, Eni RAK BV, Eni RD Congo SA, Eni Rapak Ltd, Eni Rovuma Basin BV, Eni Schmiertechnik GmbH, Eni Sharjah BV, Eni South Africa BV, Eni South China Sea Ltd Sarl, Eni Suisse SA, Eni TNS Ltd, Eni Timor Leste SpA, Eni Trading & Shipping Inc, Eni Trading & Shipping SpA, Eni Transporte y Suministro Mexico , Eni Tunisia BV, Eni Turkmenistan Ltd, Eni UHL Ltd, Eni UK Holding Plc, Eni UK Ltd, Eni UKCS Ltd, Eni ULT Ltd, Eni ULX Ltd, Eni US Operating Co Inc, Eni USA Gas Marketing Llc, Eni USA Inc, Eni USA R&M Co Inc, Eni Ukraine Holdings BV, Eni Ukraine Llc, Eni Ukraine Shallow Waters BV, Eni Venezuela BV, Eni Venezuela E&P Holding SA, Eni Vietnam BV, Eni West Africa SpA, Eni West Ganal Ltd, Eni West Timor Ltd, Eni Yemen Ltd, Eni do Brasil Investimentos em Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo Ltda, Eni gas e luce SpA, EniPower Mantova SpA, EniProgetti Egypt Ltd, EniProgetti SpA, EniServizi SpA, Esacontrol SA, Esain SA, Eurl Eni Algerie, FRI-EL Group, First Calgary Petroleums LP, First Calgary Petroleums Partner Co ULC, First Calgary Petroliums, Floaters SpA, Gas Supply Company Thessaloniki - Thessalia SA, Gazoduc Transtunisien SA - Scogat SA, Ieoc Exploration BV, Ieoc Production BV, Ieoc SpA, LNG Shipping SpA, Lasmo Sanga Sanga Ltd, Liverpool Bay Ltd, Mizamtec Operating Company, Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Nigerian Agip CPFA Ltd, Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd, Nigerian Agip Oil Co Ltd, OOO Eni Energhia, OOO Eni-Nefto, Oleoduc du Rhone SA, Petroven Srl, Raffineria di Gela SpA, Resources (Nigeria) Ltd, S. de RL de CV, SEA SpA, SeaPad SpA, Serfactoring SpA, Servizi Aerei SpA, Servizi Fondo Bombole Metano SpA, Societa Petrolifera Italiana SpA, Societe de Service du Gazoduc, Societe pour la Construction du, Tecnoesa SA, Trans Tunisian Pipeline Co SpA, Transtunisien SA - Sergaz SA, Versalis Americas Inc, Versalis Congo Sarlu, Versalis Deutschland GmbH, Versalis France SAS, Versalis International SA, Versalis Kimya Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Versalis Mexico S. de R.L. de CV, Versalis Pacific (India) Private Ltd, Versalis Pacific Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, Versalis Singapore Pte Ltd, Versalis SpA, Versalis UK Ltd, Zetah Congo Ltd, Zetah Kouilou Ltd, and zemeljskega plina doo Ljubljana.
Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. engages in the mining of copper, gold and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining; Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining and Corporate, Other and Eliminations. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. The South America Mining segment includes Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The Indonesia Mining segment handles the operations of Grasberg minerals district that produces copper concentrate that contains significant quantities of gold and silver. The Molybdenum Mines segment includes the Henderson underground mine and Climax open-pit mine, both in Colorado. The Rod and Refining segment consists of copper conversion facilities located in North America and includes a refinery, rod mills, and a specialty copper products facility. The Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining segment smelts and refines copper concentrate and markets refined copper and precious metals in slimes. The Corporate, Other and Eliminations segment

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Koninklijke Philips N.V. is the Netherlands-based health technology company. The Company's segments include Personal Health businesses, Diagnosis & Treatment businesses, Connected Care & Health Informatics businesses, HealthTech Other and Legacy Items. The Personal Health businesses segment is engaged in the health continuum, delivering integrated, connected solutions that support healthier lifestyles and those living with chronic disease. The Diagnosis & Treatment businesses segment delivers precision medicine and treatment, and therapy. The Connected Care & Health Informatics businesses segment provides consumers, care givers and clinicians with digital solutions that facilitate care by enabling precision medicine and population health management. The HealthTech Other segment comprises such items, as innovation, emerging businesses, royalties, among others. The Legacy Items segment consists mainly of separation costs, legacy legal items, legacy pension costs, among others.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF's stock was trading at $73.25 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EFG stock has increased by 54.4% and is now trading at $113.13.

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When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing later this week, one of the main agenda items at their summit will be strengthening Japan-China economic cooperation. As The Japan News writes in the article China seeks investment from Japan, Abe will make an official visit to China from Thursday to Saturday, the first official visit to China by a Japanese prime minister in seven years, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty. As for China, this year also marks the 40th year since the introduction of its economic reform and open-door policies.

We want Japanese companies with excellent technologies to invest more [in China]. Requests such as this were made one after another by local businesspeople when the Japan-China Economic Associations delegation visited the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China in early October.

Since this year started, local governments suddenly became active in approaching us, said Masashi Iwanaga, director of the associations Beijing office.

Behind Chinas efforts to expedite improvements in its relationship with Japan is the deterioration of the Chinese economy caused by China-U.S. trade frictions. Chinas gross domestic product growth in July-September stood at 6.5 percent, the lowest level in 9 years.

Under the situation, China is aiming to get Japan involved in its Belt and Road Initiative, a mega economic zone project to nurture the initiative into a new driving force for of its economic growth.

At an economic forum held Saturday in Shanghai, a Chinese expert stressed: Japan and China should cooperate against protectionism. The Belt and Road Initiative can become the opportunity to promote bilateral cooperation.

Japanese companies, in fact, have been deeply involved in Chinas rapid economic development.

In October 1978, Deng Xiaoping, who was Chinas vice premier at the time, made an inspection visit to the Kimitsu Works of Nippon Steel Corp. (now Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp.). During the tour at the factory, which was highly automated, Deng appeared to be surprised at how few workers there were. He asked if the factory was closed that day. It is said that Deng strongly felt the contrast with steelworks in China, which were full of slogans glorifying Chinas founding father Mao Zedong, but had yet to take sufficient safety measures. Deng also visited factories of Nissan Motor Co. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (now Panasonic Corp.). About two months later, he declared the introduction of economic reform and open-door policies.

Since China began these policies, a number of Japanese companies have provided technological cooperation to China. Today, various Chinese products are sweeping the global market.

Regarding the steel industry, China accounts for about half of global production. In terms of the volume of smartphone shipments in the global market, Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. ranked second in April-June for the first time, surpassing Apple Inc.

However, Japanese companies are cautious of political tensions between the countries, which can adversely affect Japan-China business relationships, as seen in such past incidents as anti-Japan protests that occurred across China in 2012 concerning the Senkaku Islands.

Though China is sending signals to invite Japanese companies to join, firms remain highly cautious about the Belt and Road Initiative. One Japanese manufacturer said, We cannot help but take political risks into consideration. Whether the summit meeting will be able to strengthen Japan-China ties and become a turning point to powerfully propel the economy is a matter to be watched.Speech
Navistar International Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells commercial trucks, diesel engines, school and commercial buses, and service parts for trucks and diesel engines worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Truck, Parts, Global Operations, and Financial Services. It manufactures and distributes Class 4 through 8 trucks and buses in the common carrier, private carrier, government, leasing, construction, energy/petroleum, and student and commercial transportation markets under the International and IC brands; and designs, engineers, and produces sheet metal components, including truck cabs and engines. The company also provides customers with proprietary products needed to support the International commercial truck, IC bus, and engine lines, as well as other product lines; and a selection of other standard truck, trailer, and engine aftermarket parts. In addition, it manufactures and distributes mid-range diesel engines, as well as provides customers with additional engine offerings in the agriculture, marine, genset, and light truck markets; sells engines to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for various on-and-off-road applications; and offers contract manufacturing services under the MWM brand to OEMs for the assembly of their engines. Further, the company provides retail, wholesale, and lease financing of products of its trucks and parts, as well as financing for wholesale and retail accounts receivable. Additionally, it exports trucks, buses, and engines. The company markets its commercial products through an independent dealer network, as well as through retail outlets; and its reconditioned used trucks to owner-operators and fleet buyers through its network of used truck dealers. It operates approximately 1,052 outlets in the United States and Canada, and 89 outlets in Mexico. Navistar International Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Lisle, Illinois.

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The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi can trigger the oil prices rally. However, yesterday, oil prices fell nearly 3 percent to more than one-month lows after Saudi Arabia said it could supply more crude quickly if needed, easing concerns ahead of U.S. sanctions on Iran and as U.S. equity markets sold off.

Reuters writes in the article Oil slumps 5 percent as global equities tumble, Saudi supply assurances, that Brent crude futures dropped 2.8 percent, or $2.27, to $77.56 a barrel by 11:21 a.m. EDT (1521 GMT) after plunging to $77.50, the lowest since Sept. 18. U.S. crude fell $1.98, or 2.9 percent, to $67.38 a barrel, after hitting a session low of $67.26, the lowest level since Sept. 7.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told a conference in Riyadh on Tuesday the oil market was in a good place and he hoped oil producers would sign a deal in December to extend cooperation to monitor and stabilise the market. We will decide if there are any disruptions from supply, especially with the Iran sanctions looming, Falih said. Then we will continue with the mindset we have now, which is to meet any demand that materialises to ensure customers are satisfied. Falih said he would not rule out the possibility that Saudi Arabia would produce between 1 and 2 million barrels per day (bpd) more than current levels in future.

U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil begin on Nov. 4 and Washington has said it wants to stop all of Tehrans fuel exports, but other oil producers are pumping more to fill any supply gaps.

Wall Street sank about 2 percent on Tuesday as disappointing forecasts from industrial bellwethers Caterpillar and 3M added to risk-averse sentiment.

Tariff concerns, renewed weakening in Chinese equities, emerging market worries and the ongoing investigations of the Saudi participation in the Khashoggi murder are combining to force major liquidation out of the equity space that is easily flowing into the oil complex, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in a note. The oil market has been concerned that Saudi Arabia might cut crude supply in retaliation for potential sanctions over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Falih said on Monday there was no intention of doing that.

Economist Intelligence Unit energy analyst Peter Kiernan said it would be self-defeating for Saudi Arabia to cut oil supply, as it would risk losing market share to other exporters while losing its reputation as a stable player in the market.

Meanwhile, Russias oil production is currently 150,000 bpd higher than the October 2016 level, the baseline for the global oil production deal, TASS news agency quoted Energy Minister Alexander Novak as saying.

South Koreas crude imports from Iran fell to zero in September, data from state-run Korea National Oil Corp showed.

However, U.S. crude oil production has climbed by almost a third since mid-2016, and the rising output could help to offset the loss of exports from Iran.
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SociAtA GAnArale SociAtA anonyme provides financial services in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and France. The company offers retail banking services, including deposits and loans, vehicles and asset management, corporate finance, insurance, payments, investment, and online brokerage and financial information services; Internet, mobile, telephone, and service platforms; and online banking to individual and professional customers, businesses, non-profit associations and local authorities under the Societe Generale, CrAdit du Nord, and Boursorama Banque brands. It also provides international retail banking and financial services, comprising of deposit and loan products; consumer finance and car finance; mortgage facilities; corporate and investment banking; infrastructure, renewable energies, and agribusiness financing; life, retirement savings, and personal protection insurance products; vehicle leasing and fleet management services; and vendor and equipment finance services to corporate and individual customers. In addition, the company offers capital market services, such as fixed income and currencies, equities, and securities services; mergers and acquisitions, advisory and other corporate finance advisory services, and corporate banking and investment banking, as well as capital raising solutions for debt or equity, financial engineering, and hedging for issuers; transaction and payment services, comprising of cash management, trade finance, cash clearing and correspondent banking, supply chain finance, and foreign exchange services; and export finance, aircraft finance, shipping finance, real estate finance, and structured solutions and leasing. Further, it provides financial engineering and wealth management solutions; structured products, hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity funds and real estate investment solutions; and asset management solutions. SociAtA GAnArale SociAtA anonyme was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

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TC Energy Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. It operates through Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines, U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines, Mexico Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines, and Power and Storage segments. The company builds and operates 93,400 km network of natural gas pipelines, which transports natural gas from supply basins to local distribution companies, power generation plants, industrial facilities, interconnecting pipelines, LNG export terminals, and other businesses. It also has regulated natural gas storage facilities with a total working gas capacity of 535 billion cubic feet. In addition, it has approximately 4,900 km liquids pipeline system that connects Alberta crude oil supplies to refining markets in Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Further, the company owns or has interests in seven power generation facilities with a combined capacity of approximately 4,200 megawatts that are powered by natural gas and nuclear fuel sources located in Alberta, Ontario, QuAbec, and New Brunswick; and owns and operates approximately 118 billion cubic feet of non-regulated natural gas storage capacity in Alberta. The company was formerly known as TransCanada Corporation and changed its name to TC Energy Corporation in May 2019. TC Energy Corporation was incorporated in 1951 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Kazakhstans Turkestan Region last weekend. In the city of Saryagash on the border with Uzbekistan, the heads of two states were met by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was the initiator of an informal meeting, according to informed sources of Vestnik Kavkaza.

Turkestan region appeared on the map of Kazakhstan last summer and earlier it was called the South Kazakhstan region. According to the decree of the President of Kazakhstan, Shymkent was named Turkestan on June 19, 2018 and received the status of the regional center. The term "Turkestan" united Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Xinjiang. Since the end of the 19th century to 1918, there was a Turkestan Governor-General with the center in Tashkent, which included all four Central Asian republics and four regions of Kazakhstan. Then the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of Russia. Later, there was a tacit rivalry between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for this term. "In fact, Kazakhstan called dibs on the term Turkestan," political analyst Daniyar Ashimbayev believes.

The 'Turkestan region' project, according to political scientist Dosym Satpayev, has become not only the center of spiritual and cultural development of Kazakhstan, but the development of the idea of 'Ruhani zhangyru' (Nazarbayev's program article aimed at reviving spiritual values of Kazakh people in the light of all modern risks and challenges of globalization). Dosym Satpayev told Vestnik Kavkaza that the authorities attempted to give impetus to the development of the region by administrative methods.

The meeting place - the Turkestan region, apparently, was not chosen by chance and should symbolize the beginning of the economic development of the three countries' regions. Moreover, the meeting focused on the results of the first forum of interregional cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan. It was held in the same format as Kazakhstan-Russia annual meetings.

The informal conversation between the three leaders took place near vineyards spread out around the southern residence of the Kazakh president. Experts believe that the leaders of Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan needed to compare the notes on their interaction in the Astana-Moscow-Tashkent format. "It is known that Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev achieved excellent results during the Russian leader's visit to Uzbekistan: the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, the creation of 79 joint ventures, and further plans to increase the export of Uzbek products to Russia. Of course, serious changes in Russia -Uzbek relations affect the situation in Central Asia as a whole. They also affect Russian-Kazakh cooperation, opening up new opportunities for it," the Candidate of Historical Sciences, researcher at the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chief analyst of the expert center 'Eurasian Development' Alexander Vorobyov told Vestnik Kavkaza.

According to the expert, Moscow and Tashkent are unlikely to establish full-fledged trade and economic cooperation with each other without the active involvement of Astana in this cooperation. A significant share of cargo traffic between Russia and Uzbekistan inevitably passes through Kazakhstan. This state is a kind of bridge between Russia and Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan and other EEU countries, including Belarus. There are other important issues that can be addressed only jointly by the leadership of the three countries: security, border guard issues. "The fact that after the completion of their historic meeting on October 18-19, Putin and Mirziyoyev were visiting Nazarbayev - in the Uzbek-Kazakh borderland - is indicative. With this gesture, the Russian and Uzbek leaders emphasized that Kazakhstan is also included in this rapprochement of the three countries, that it plays and will play a significant and constructive role in it in the future," Alexander Vorobyev believes.

Director of the Tashkent Center for Research Initiatives 'Ma'no' Bakhtiyor Ergashev believes that the three presidents cannot but be disturbed by the events in Afghanistan: "According to the latest information, there are up to 11,000 ISIS militants (the group banned in Russia), who migrated from Syria, on the Afghan border. As Syrian Idlib was liberated, not only ISIS militants are leaving it, their number wasn't great there, but also al-Qaeda militants (the group banned in Russia), as well as Tawhid wal-Jihad, led by Abu Saleh Al-Uzbeki and Katibat al-Imam al-Bukhari (the groups banned in Russia) - a total of 600 militants. The Uyghurs are also leaving - the Turkistan Islamic Party (the group banned in Russia). Their are leaving for Afghanistan." Answering the question of Vestnik Kavkaza of a threat posed by these militants to Central Asian countries, given the fact that the Taliban movement (the group banned in Russia), operating in most of the territory of Afghanistan, is at war against ISIS, Bakhtiyor Ergashev said that the movement is really at war with ISIS. There are some Taliban troops who buy up ISIS militants, but then either destroy them or force them to obey. The Taliban are at war with ISIS for one simple reason - they did not recognize the power of the self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. According to Taliban, the idea of the caliphate was initially wrong, and they disagree with it. Let me remind you that when militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (the group banned in Russia) pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in February 2015, the next day they were eliminated. Taliban and ISIS have ideologically irreconcilable confrontation," the expert explained.

Another situation, according to Ergashev, was with the Imam al Bukhari and Tawhid wal Jihad battalions - they pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. The expert recalled that the Taliban also pledged allegiance to Sheikh Usama bin Laden. Therefore, the Taliban say: we have killed and will kill ISIS, but will not touch out brothers from al-Qaeda.

What are Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan supposed to do in such a situation? The Taliban agree to fight ISIS, but will not touch Al Qaeda and the Uzbek, Uyghur, Chechen groups affiliated with them. The question is very serious. And the Kabul government has no forces to fight against them. This issue is becoming more acute and dangerous every day," the expert said.

Therefore, Ergashev noted, the presidents discussed regional security issues, heightening the threats of transference, the likelihood of destabilization from the inside by the so-called 'sleeping cells'. "It is clear that they will not go against Uzbekistan directly, but they will create their own structures and cells. This is a threat, and the problem must be solved, Ergashev believes.
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The 3rd International Conference titled 'Russia and Turkey: Forging Multidimensional Partnership' ended in Moscow. The event was organised by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Centre for Strategic Research Republic of Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference was attended by heads of relevant ministries and departments, diplomats, big businessmen and experts of the two countries. The event participants discussed the approaches of Russia and Turkey to the formation of a regional security system in Europe and the Middle East, the economic and energy cooperation, as well as Russian-Turkish projects in the humanitarian sphere.

The conference was opened with welcoming remarks by President of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov: "Our goal, like at previous conferences, meetings, is to make an inventory of the political, economic, humanitarian base of bilateral relations, to determine ways of further development, considering regional and global contexts. Life itself, national interests dictate to our countries the need to maintain an active dialogue at all levels, expand cooperation and strengthen mutual understanding. An example of such an approach to Russian -Turkish relations is demonstrated by our leaders - President Putin and President Erdogan."

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Husseyin Dirioz said: "Our relations have always been considered and developed on the basis of mutual respect. There were ups and downs in our bilateral relations. In the 1990s, economic cooperation played the role of a driving force. In the 2000s, we were concentrating more on political relations between our countries. On September 17, 2018, our presidents met in Sochi, where it was stressed that good neighborly mutual relations and mutual respect were the main elements determining our relations."

Head of Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation Eleonora Mitrofanova drew attention to broad prospects for the development of humanitarian ties between the two countries: "The main thing for us is creating a friendly environment in the neighborhood of our countries. And one of the areas of such cooperation is providing high-quality higher education to foreign students. According to statistics, 749 students from Turkey were receiving education in Russia in 2017. The number of Russian students in Turkey is about 1000. Here we also have quite a large potential for development. Representative offices in Moscow and Ankara play the role of project coordinators on developing and deepening of Russian-Turkish humanitarian ties. The Russian Cultural Center's activities in Ankara successfully contribute to familiarizing the Turkish public with the Russian culture, history, its scientific and spiritual potential."

The Soviet and Russian diplomat, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Veniamin Popov, referring to the geopolitical context, expressed the view that the United States and the West cannot accept the fact that a unipolar world no longer exist, that they no longer define the entire agenda of international relations: "Under these conditions Russian-Turkish cooperation is especially valuable and necessary. Not because we know each other well, we officially had 13 wars, but now our cooperation is crucial for the situation in the Middle East region. There are many things which unite us. Last year we imported 30 million tons of grain, 80% of which - to Muslim countries. Turkey ranks second on this list - 6.75 million tons of grain. By the way, it is followed by Iran. It will push us to act together. Turkey and Russia are key players in the region. It is important to preserve what was achieved with such difficulty - the alliance of Iran, Turkey and Russia."

"In a few weeks, we will celebrate the 90th anniversary of great writer Chingiz Aitmatov. He is very popular in Turkey. We visited Istanbul in March and held a big conference dedicated to Aitmatovs works. By the way, Turkey was a country that nominated Aitmatov for the Nobel Prize. He was not awarded, although he deserved it. In December there will be big festivities both in Moscow and Turkey, a large Turkish delegation will arrive here. We are very close mentally. We have differences, it is natural. But the more we discuss them, the sooner we will overcome differences of opinion. Stability and well-being of the whole region will depend on our interaction. Even all international relations. See what is happening now? The Khashoggi case shocked the entire world; Americans are withdrawing from the INF Treaty ... We are two unique Eurasian powers, there isn't another one like us in Europe and Asia. Therefore, we are fated to cooperate," Veniamin Popov is confident.
Russia and the U.S. agreed to expand the coordination in Syria on all issues, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said, speaking at a news conference following his two-day visit to Moscow.



Commenting on organizing a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib, the adviser said a memorandum between Russia and Turkey is being implemented.



"As for Idlib, we discussed this topic. I repeated what President Trump said about the need to avoid a humanitarian disaster there," Anadolu Agency cited him as saying.



"The agreement between Russia, Syria and Turkey is being implemented, although many unresolved issues remain. Idlib is one of the issues in the Syrian conflict," Bolton added.
A man killed by a train in Royal Oak this week was with a friend who made it across the tracks to safety, police say.

Royal Oak Police Lt. Keith Spencer said Wednesday that the man killed in the train-pedestrian accident was Kyle Lutz, 24, of Flat Rock.

The incident happened about 12:45 a.m. Sunday on the CN Railroad tracks near Sixth and Main streets.

However, Lutz and an unidentified friend disregarded crossing signals and were not at the designated pedestrian crossing at the time, police said.

The victim was between the fenced area to the railroad right-of-way and the train tracks, Spencer said.

Lutz and his friend were north of the Sixth Street crossing and on the CN Railroad property between Sixth and Fifth streets at the time, he added.

He was with some friends, and alcohol was involved, Spencer said.

Lutz was struck by an Amtrak passenger train and a witness called 911. Police and paramedics arrived and Lutz was taken to Beaumont Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Its a tragedy for the victim and his family, Spencer said. The bottom line is that to stay safe people have to use the designated crossings and stay off the railroad right-of-way.

Several years ago, the number of No Trespassing signs was increased on railroad rights-of-way in Royal Oaks downtown.

The blue signs give a coded location number and a phone number for people to call when there are accidents or other incidents near railway crossings.

Michigan ranks in the top 10 states nationwide for highway-rail crossing incidents with motorists and pedestrians, statistics show.

Trespassing on railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of train related deaths in America, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

* Collisions at grade crossings are the second leading cause of rail related fatalities in the United States.

* About every three hours, a trespasser or highway user is hit by a train.

* Just over half of public crossings have active warning devices, including gates, bells, and/or flashing lights, yet account for 66 percent of collisions.

Lutzs death Sunday marked the first time in two years someone died in a train related incident in Royal Oak since 2016.

Two people died and another was injured while trespassing on railroad tracks in Royal Oak that year.
The United States will remain committed to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the U.S. President's National Security Adviser John Bolton said at a press conference in Baku.

"The U.S. is one of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and acting in this direction, the US will continue to demonstrate its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully," he stressed.

The U.S. President's adviser noted that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will affect the establishment of peace in the region, as well as in the world. "That is, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from a strategic point of view is important for the U.S. as well," he explained.

Bolton added that after Azerbaijan he will visit Armenia.He expressed hope that after holding a meeting with Armenian officials, he will also get acquainted with Yerevans views on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has urged Berlin to abandon its participation in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, according to Deutsche Welle.

"This project should not be implemented," Poland's president said during a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

According to Duda, the project will disrupt the energy balance, create a threat to the energy security of a number of central and eastern European countries and strengthen Gazprom's dominant position.

He also expressed surprise about the European Commission's unwillingness to express its negative stance on Nord Stream 2, Sputnik reported.

In this vein, Duda urged Berlin to buy more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US, saying that it should be a political and strategic decision."
Armenias National Assembly did not elect prime minister today, paving way for its dissolution. The only nominated candidate was the acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, nominated by Yelk alliance.

Lawmakers from the Republican Party of Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation/Dashnaktsutyun and the Prosperous Armenia did not take part in the voting. One lawmaker voted against, 11 abstained and no lawmaker voted for, ARKA reported.

Speaking in parliament before the voting , Pashinyan urged lawmakers not to vote for his candidacy, saying his nomination was formal to observe the requirements of the law.

Pashinyan resigned October 16 to clear way for the dissolution of the parliament and holding early parliamentary elections on December 10. On the same day, Armenian President Armen Sarkisyan accepted the resignation of the government.

Under the Armenian Constitution, early elections are held if lawmakers fail twice within 14 days to appoint a prime minister. Now the parliament will have to convene again within one week for another vote.

The director of the Armenian branch of the CIS Institute, Alexander Markarov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza earlier, estimated Pashinyan's risks when he will resign as zero. "After yesterday's statements by 14 members of the Republican faction, and then several more joined them, the RPA does not have enough votes to support its candidate after Pashinyans resignation or block someone else's. Pashinyan's logic is that after his resignation, not a single political force can nominate an alternative candidate, due to which the parliament will be dissolved and new parliamentary election will be held," he said.
ExxonMobil will evaluate the potential of hydrocarbons in western Georgia within the agreement on conducting fieldworks on hydrocarbon resources in Georgia, which was signed by the LEPL State Agency for Oil and Gas of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and ExxonMobil.

The parties agreed that after completing the examination of the geological and geophysical data transmitted by the agency to the company, ExxonMobil is to prepare the report and the integrated database.

According to company representative Jonathan Wilson, they are happy with cooperation with the Georgian side and will be able to use the experience to study Georgian hydrocarbon potential.

The head of the LEPL State Agency for Oil and Gas Giorgi Tatishvili highlighted the importance of cooperation with ExxonMobil.

"Following the Agreement, ExxonMobil will examine the data provided by our agency and then prepare the Evaluation Report on Hydrocarbon Potential in West Georgia. We will use that Report for further planning which should lead us to new sources of oil and gas," The FINANCIAL cited Tatishvili as saying.

In addition, Giorgi Tatishvili said that ExxonMobil will provide training for the Agency's employers to perfect their skills in using the database and stratigraphic analysis.
Iran's Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian said that the U.S. upcoming sanctions against Tehran will not affect the Islamic Republics electricity supply to neighboring countries.

Ardakanian said that Iran is seeking to develop electricity exchanges with neighboring countries.

"Last week, a meeting was held at the level of deputy energy ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran in Moscow to synchronize the electricity systems of the three countries, which had good results," Tasnim cited the minister as saying.

"Electricity exports will remain unchanged, as agreed with neighboring countries, and the issue is not related to possible (the U.S.) sanctions," he said, adding that the next meeting will be held in December in Tehran to decide on details of the work.

Ardakanian noted that Iran plans to export electricity to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq in the future.
Baku will host the 6th Baku International Humanitarian Forum on October 25-26 to be attended by authoritative persons, head of the international relations and innovation development department of Azerbaijans Culture Ministry Vasif Eyvazzade said.

He stressed that as part of the current forum on the theme of Shaping a New World and a New Humanity: Creativity and Human Development, quite interesting plenary and working sessions will be held.

Eyvazzade reminded that authoritative individuals, politicians, scientists, representatives of international organizations, state and government officials participated in humanitarian forums held so far in Azerbaijan.

He noted that as part of the forum, Azerbaijans Economy Ministry will hold an international conference on sustainable development. This conference will be organized as one of the main platforms of the forum, during which discussion of interesting topics is planned," Trend cited him as saying.

Eyvazzade stressed that the 6th Baku International Humanitarian Forum should also be perceived as support of the Azerbaijani state for the development of human capital.

In total, 581 people (including 416 foreign guests) from 86 countries will take part in the forum.

The traditional Baku International Humanitarian Forum, which has been held in Azerbaijan for several years, is among the most representative and authoritative forums and platforms in the world.
With its launch, the competition in this segment has grown fiercer making it even more tough for buyers to zero-in on any one product.

Hyundai has launched the new Santro in India. It rides on a new platform which Hyundai calls K1 and is not an entry-level Hyundai anymore. So, now it doesnt compete with cars like the Alto, Kwid and redi-GO but rivals the likes of the Tata Tiago, Maruti Suzuki WagonR and Celerio and Datsun GO. With its launch, the competition in this segment has grown fiercer making it even more tough for buyers to zero-in on any one product. A spec comparison might not make you zero-in on the variant you should be buying, but it might help you to shortlist the car model that suits your needs. Lets start by comparing the measurements.

Dimensions

Measurements Hyundai Santro Datsun GO Maruti Suzuki Celerio Tata Tiago Maruti Suzuki WagonR / WagonR Vxi+* Length 3610mm 3788mm 3695mm 3746mm 3599mm/ 3636mm Width 1645mm 1636mm 1600mm 1647mm 1495mm/ 1475mm Height 1560mm 1507mm 1560mm 1535mm 1700mm/ 1670mm Wheelbase 2400mm 2450mm 2425mm 2400mm 2400mm Boot space 235 litres 265 litres 235 litres 242 litres 180 litres

*The WagonR Vxi is essentially the Stingray

The updated Datsun GO is the longest of the lot and it has the longest wheelbase as well. That should ideally make it the most spacious too, but weve seen it before that wheelbase length doesnt necessarily mean more space inside. In terms of boot space too, its the GO that takes the top spot.

The new Santro is among the shortest in this comparison as far as overall length is concerned and it doesnt have the longest of the wheelbase as well. It is, however, amongst the widest cars and while that should give it some road presence, it should also ideally make it more comfortable to seat three at the rear bench.

Engine

Car Engine Capacity No. of cylinders Power Torque Transmission Fuel Efficiency (claimed) Datsun GO 1.2-litre 3 68PS 104Nm 5-speed MT 19.83 kmpl Hyundai Santro 1.1-litre 4 69PS 99Nm 5-speed MT/AMT 20.3 kmpl Maruti Suzuki Celerio 1.0-litre 3 68PS 90Nm 5-speed MT/AMT 23.1 kmpl Tata Tiago 1.2-litre 3 85PS 114Nm 5-speed MT/AMT 23.84 kmpl Maruti Suzuki WagonR 1.0-litre 3 68PS 90Nm 5-speed MT/AMT 20.51 kmpl

The Tiago with its 1.2-litre engine is not only the most powerful car here but is the most frugal too. It is followed by the 1.1-litre Hyundai Santro that makes 69PS, which is 1 PS more than the 68PS of the 1.2-litre Datsun GO. The WagonR and the Celerio also match the Datsun with a similar power output of 68PS. When it comes to torque, the Maruti twins remain at the back of the line with 90Nm against the Tiagos 114Nm, GOs 104Nm and Santros 99Nm.

The Santro, WagonR and Celerio also come factory-fitted with CNG kits, trading in boot space for increased fuel efficiency. On the other hand, the Tiago is the only car here with a diesel engine option.

Media and Safety Features

Feature Datsun GO Hyundai Santro Maruti Suzuki Celerio Tata Tiago Maruti Suzuki WagonR Touchscreen Infotainment system 7-inch 7-inch No No No Rear parking sensors Standard Yes (top variant only) No Yes (top variant only) No Reverse parking camera No Yes (top variant only) No No No ABS Standard Standard Not standard Not standard Optional on all variants Driver airbag Standard Standard Standard Not standard Optional on all variants Front passenger airbag Standard Not standard Not standard Not standard Optional on all variants

The Datsun GO is certainly the best-equipped cars in this category, especially in terms of safety. Unlike its rivals, the GO gets dual front airbags, ABS and rear parking sensors as standard. The Santro comes close as it gets driver side airbags and ABS as standard, while the passenger airbag and rear parking sensors are limited to top-spec variant only.

When it comes to comfort and other need-based features, the Santro takes the lead as it gets a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, reverse parking camera and rear AC vents. The Datsun GO is also equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but it misses out on reverse parking camera and rear AC vents. Other cars in this comparison also miss out on these features including a touchscreen infotainment system. Instead, they get a 2-din music system.

Price

Car Hyundai Santro Datsun GO Maruti Suzuki Celerio Tata Tiago Maruti Suzuki WagonR Ex-showroom(Delhi) Rs 3.9 lakh - Rs 5.46 lakh Rs 3.29 lakh -Rs 4.89 lakh Rs 4.21 lakh - Rs 5.40 lakh Rs 3.34 lakh - Rs 5.63 lakh Rs 4.14 lakh - Rs 5.39 lakh

In terms of pricing, the Santro is certainly on the expensive side if you compare it with the Tiago and GO. The Datsun GO is also better equipped than the Santro in the base variant. In the top-spec variant as well, the Santro is considerably more expensive than the fully-loaded GO, while almost being at par with it in terms of features. Well soon come up with variants compared stories for each of the models with the Santro to give you a clearer perspective of which cars offers better value for money at a given price.

The introduction of the new Santro and the facelifted GO has surely turned on the heat in this segment. But competition in this segment will be more fierce than ever once Maruti Suzuki launches the new WagonR in January 2019.

Also Read: 2019 Hyundai Grand i10 Interior Spied

Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho.
The scrip zoomed 10.79 per cent to end at Rs 316.75 on the BSE. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Shares of Bharti Airtel surged nearly 11 per cent on Wednesday, adding Rs 12,332 crore to its market valuation, after global investors, including Warburg Pincus, Temasek and Singtel, agreed to invest USD 1.25 billion in its unit Airtel Africa.

The scrip zoomed 10.79 per cent to end at Rs 316.75 on the BSE. Intra-day, it soared 14.98 per cent to Rs 328.75. The stock was the biggest gainer among the BSE barometer's 30-blue chips during the day. On the NSE, shares of the company jumped 8.97 per cent to close at Rs 311.55.

Led by the sharp gains in the stock, the company's market valuation rose sharply by Rs 12,332.65 crore to Rs 1,26,617.65 crore on the BSE. In terms of the equity volume, 5.19 lakh shares of the company were traded on the BSE and over one crore shares changed hands on the NSE during the day.

Six global investors, including Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel and SoftBank Group International, have agreed to invest USD 1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in Airtel Africa, the company said Wednesday.

The investment will be used to reduce Airtel Africa's existing debt of approximately USD 5 billion and for growth of its African operations, the Bharti Airtel unit listed in UK said.

"This primary equity issuance clearly underlines the confidence of leading global investors in Airtel Africa's successful business strategy and its potential to sustain growth and profitability," Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Africa, Bharti Airtel, said.
Mumbai: Kraft Heinz Co. will sell part of its Indian business, including brands such as malt-based drink Com-plan and energy drink Glucon-D, for Rs 4,595 crore ($627.18 million), at a time when Indian consumers are demanding healthier, sugar-free alternatives.

Indian pharmaceutical and consumer products company Zydus Wellness Ltd and its parent Cadila Healthcare Ltd will jointly buy the assets to expand their portfolio to also include brands such as talcum powder Nycil and clarified butter, Sampriti Ghee, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday.

Complan, along with GlaxoSmithKlines health drinks brands Horlicks, was very popular until about a decade ago, when consumers used these products for supplemental nutrition along with milk.

Their popularity has since waned, with sales growth slipping, as consumers grew wary of the sugar content in these products and the health claims made by these brands.

The sale of this niche business fits into our overall global growth strategy and our focus on investing in and growing brands within our core categories, US-based Kraft Heinz chief executive Bernardo Hees said in a statement.

Glaxos Horlicks is also up for sale and sources said last month that Nestle, Unilever, and Coca-Cola are among the bidders for the business that could fetch more than $4 billion.

Tater Tots-maker Kraft Heinz, which will also sell two manufacturing facilities as part of the deal, said on Wednesday it will continue to grow its Heinz sauces and other Kraft businesses in India.

The deal value includes net working capital of `40 crore and cash of `15 crore, but does not assume any debt, Zydus said here in a statement.

The deal will give Zydus, majority owned by Cadila, a chance to leverage its position in the health-food and nutrition segment. The company, which owns sugar substitute Sugar Free, had bought premium healthy fat spread Nutralite in 2006.

The Kraft Heinz assets that had a network of over 800 distributors in 29 states reported revenue of about `1150 crore for the 12 months ending June, Zydus noted, adding that the deal will push Zydus annual revenue to `1,700 crore.  Reuters
New Delhi: After posing probing questions on demonetisation, bank frauds and swelling NPAs, the parliamentary panel will now summon Reserve Bank governor Urjit Patel to explain the IL&FS troubles that took down the stock market and created a liquidity crisis in the system.

He (Patel) will be summoned in the IL&FS mess as to what was the central banks role in the NBFC crisis and why and how IL&FS evaded so much lapses with 348 subsidiaries for so long, said a highly placed source. This meeting could happen towards the end of the month, he said.

Former minister and senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily has already said that the panel would take up the case of IL&FS for scrutiny. Veerappa Moily heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.

As the banks struggle with frauds and NPAs, Patels visits to be deposed before the committee are frequent. Earlier in June this year, Patel was summoned to explain why the RBI failed to prevent the PNB fraud. The RBI governor had blamed the bank management for lapses. The RBI had reminded PNB and other banks about necessary checking on SWIFT technology, which led to the fraud. In the same deposition, he had also raised the issue of RBI lacking teeth in supervisory role over PSBs.

Parliamentarians had questioned Patel on the issue ATMs running low on cash. They had also asked him exactly how much cash returned to the banking system after demonetisation.

In all his depositions, the governor had insisted that steps taken to bring down non-performing assets were bearing fruits and NPAs were coming down.

Lets hear from him what led to Rs 91,000 crore of debt in IL&FS and what was RBI doing to check while this was happening, said the source. It is a public limited company piling up losses, paying huge salary to the management and faulting on interests, no one is accountable? the source wondered.

The government has replaced the entire IL&FS board with its own set of people in order to find an early resolution to a debt-default driven crisis.
Mumbai: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) arrested 'Bigg Boss' fame actor Ajaz Khan for possessing banned narcotic substance. He has been granted two-day police custody after he was presented in a Mumbai court by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) for possessing a banned narcotic substance.

The former Big Boss contestant was arrested by ANC of the Mumbai police on Monday night with of 8 ecstasy tablets. He is scheduled to be produced before a court later today.

The 38-year-old's past credits in Bollywood include, 'Allah Ke Banday', 'Singham Returns', 'Rakhta Charitra' and 'Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap'.
The makers of the Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Sharma, Kriti Sanon-starrer Arjun Patiala have been struggling to find a suitable release date for their film. Though director Rohit Jugraj has already completed the film, he and the producers cant settle on the right week for it to come out. The film was to have hit silver screens on September 13 this year, but it has kept getting postponed for one reason or another.

A source says, The market is getting tougher. Even regional films are getting a huge number of screens these days, and the number of single-screen theatres is dwindling. Its not just Arjun Patiala, but many films that are suffering because of this. They are releasing with as many screens as they can get.

Rumour has it that the makers are currently looking at a weekend in February, 2019 as a tentative release date, but they will probably face quite a bit of competition even then. February 2019 has films like Sushant Singh Rajputs Son Chiriya, Vidhu Vinod Chopras Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga, Gully Boy and De De Pyaar De among other films. Given the current scenario, it could be the best month for them, but the release wont be as big as a Patiala peg, the source adds.

Incidentally, Diljits last film Soorma also struggled to find a release date after the makers realised that a clash with Sanju would be a foolish move.

 Sanskriti Media

HT17
Kannada thespian, the late Dr Rajkumar called his fans Abhimani Devarugalu  equating his fans to the level of God. The culture of hero worship by fans is an old phenomenon especially in the Indian film industry, and more rampant in the South Indian film industry. There have been numerous incidents where fans have gone to extremes on several occasions, all for the love of their favourite actors and actresses. They do crazy things like constructing a place of worship in some cases, and some even have indulged in heinous crimes! Bizarre as it may sound, for die hard fans, this is nothing compared to lengths they can go to with their unconditional love for their icons. However, a video of a buffalo being sacrificed for the success of a recently-released Kannada film went viral. It has been condemned by many, including the film team. Bengaluru Chronicle reports.

Actress and animal lover Samyukta Hornad, was among the first to react to the inhuman act, urging such fans to stop such cruel practices.

The videos of goats and buffaloes being slaughtered outside theatres is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. I am absolutely horrified! I dont care if its your culture or tradition. I dont care who your God is, only psychopaths enjoy killing living things. Please be compassionate. Theres no excuse for animal cruelty. Stop it now. I beg of you, she pleads crazy fans.

She goes on to say, No animal (including chickens) can be slaughtered in any place other than a slaughterhouse. Sick or pregnant animals shall not be slaughtered. Rule 3, of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, (Slaughterhouse) Rules, 2001 and Chapter 4, Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.

Many fans celebrate the movies of their favourite stars by feeding the hungry, helping the poor and educating the helpless, and she adds that killing innocent helpless animals on the streets like goondas isnt a celebration.

Kiccha Sudeep too followed her cue, urging his fans to stop such cruel acts. Brutality is inhuman. Its my sincere request to stop all this. This isnt the (kind of) love and respect the team of The Villain would want to see. Stop this slaughtering act please, he tweeted.

Director Santhosh feels strongly about such inhuman displays, saying, Apart from constructing temples, and other usual gestures like pouring milk on posters, and so on, fans have gone on to even end their lives. In a recent report in Kolar, a fan of a Telugu star was allegedly killed over a heated argument on who was the top actor in Tollywood. Though stars from time to time urge their fans to stop worshipping them, and many have even stopped celebrating their birthdays, but unfortunately, such crazy incidents continue to occur.
Sensible director Srikanth Addala is all set to make a comeback with a family-oriented script. The director has completed his script and the film will be produced by Allu Aravind of Geetha Arts. To everyones surprise, they have roped in Nani as their lead actor.

This will be the first time that Srikanth Addala directs Nani. Nani is supposed to do a film for Geetha Arts and they want to do it with Srikanth Addala, says a source.

Srikanth had narrated the completed script to Allu Aravind recently and he suggested a couple of changes, but he liked it very much.

Allu Aravind asked the director to prepare for pre-production and wants to start the shoot after Nani completes his present film Jersey, adds the source. While Addalas story revolves around two brothers, there are many other characters involved, and Srikanth has cherry-picked some of the top character artistes for this film.

HT05
U.S. National security adviser John Bolton didn't rule out that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Washington in 2019 and a return visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Moscow.

Bolton said that the leaders' full-fledged meeting will be discussed in Paris, and at first there will be a possibility of a summit in Washington next year, after which Trump's return visit to Moscow is possible.

Trump also has extended an invitation to Putin to visit Washington, which administration officials said could yield a second full summit next year.

Earlier it was reported that both Trump and Putin are planning to be in Paris on November 11 to mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, Interfax recalls.

President of the Minchenko Consulting Communication Group, Yevgeny Minchenko, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the task of this meeting will be an attempt to keep the conflict from growing after the introduction of sanctions.

"Trump is interested in removing the topic of Russian meddling in U.S. elections from public discourse. In the end, I think they may start declaring that they have agreed with Moscow and Moscow has promised not to interfere in the mid-term elections and did not interfere. However, considering the fact that the previous facts of the so-called intervention were not proved, it will be possible to interpret any events as interference. I think that's what the Democrats will do," Yevgeny Minchenko expects.

At the same time, he noted that the topic of Russia has been displaced by the Saudi agenda. "The question is of how long it will remain in the top of the American media, but at the moment the Saudis are in the spotlight."

The deputy dean of the Faculty of Global Economics and International Affairs of the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University, Andrei Suzdaltsev, stressed that meeting immediately after the introduction of "hellish sanctions" does not make any sense. "Western propaganda will present the summit as a public punishment of our president, who will be educated by the West in the person of the US president. Its pointless to expect that the meeting will change the sanctions bias of the U.S. policy towards Russia, because this bias was already fixed in the form of laws adopted by the Congress. The previous two meetings ended with almost nothing, and I think that a third meeting will also be useless in such conditions," he expects.

Regardless of the results of the congressional elections, the Democratic Party will continue to play out the scenario of Russian meddling in American affairs, which also eliminates any agreement between Putin and Trump on November 11. "If the Republicans lose, Russian meddling in the elections will again be pulled out. However, even if the Republicans win, the Democrats will still use the same card. They will accuse us of meddling in the elections in any case. In fact, the United States expects only one thing from us - gradually giving up on our positions and demonstrating our readiness to make concessions," Andrey Suzdaltsev concluded.
The Duchess of Cambridge channelled old school Hollywood glamour in a flattering blue gown by her favourite designer Alexander McQueen. (Photo: Twitter Screengrab/ @KensingtonRoyal )

The Duchess of Cambridge glittered in a diamond tiara that once belonged to Princess Diana for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Kate, 36, joined husband Prince William, 36, and other senior royals for the lavish dinner hosted in honour of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

It was also the first time that the Queen, 92, spoke publicly about Brexit, saying in a speech that 'as we look toward a new partnership with Europe' the values shared by the UK and the Netherlands 'are our greatest assets'.

The Duchess of Cambridge sporting Diana's Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara (Photo: Twitter Screengrab/ @KensingtonRoyal)

As per protocol, female members of both the Dutch and British royal families wore ballgowns and tiaras for the glittering event at Buckingham Palace.

For her third appearance at a state banquet, the Duchess of Cambridge channelled old school Hollywood glamour in a flattering blue gown by her favourite designer Alexander McQueen. The dress - made in a thick vintage-inspired fabric - featured a ruched bodycon fit on the torso and flared out in a fishtale style.

Kate finished the look with the diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara owned by Princess Diana, which she also wore to the Chinese state banquet in 2015 and the Spanish state banquet last year.

Eagle-eyed royal fans also noted the duchess has been given the Elizabeth II Family Order - a jewel-encased image of the Queen on a chartreuse yellow ribbon which royal women wear pinned to their left shoulder.

The Duchess of Cornwall, 71, was the picture of elegance in an embroidered ivory coat dress and the Queen Mother's Greville tiara, which was loaned to her by the monarch for the evening.

The honeycomb-patterned jewellery piece, which was worn by Camilla to the Spanish state banquet last year, was originally made for society maven the Hon. Mrs Greville, who famously left her considerable jewellery collection to Queen Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, on her death in 1942.

Meanwhile the Queen opted for The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, which is believed by many to be the favourite among her sizeable collection.
These immunotherapy payloads come in a little metal device with nanochannels (Photo: AFP)

Houston: Scientists have developed an implantable nanodevice to deliver immunotherapy without side effects to treat triple-negative breast cancer.

Inserted straight into a tumour, this nanofluidic seed makes it possible to deliver a one-time, sustained-release dose that would eliminate the need for patients to undergo several treatments over time, according to the study published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

Invented by Alessandro Grattoni from the Houston Methodist Research Institute in the US, this tiny device is smaller than a grain of rice and, once inserted inside a tumour, can deliver the medication little by little, gradually releasing the drug from its reservoir.

"With this research we are trying to establish a novel strategy to deliver immunotherapy straight into a tumour instead of delivering it to the whole body of a patient," Grattoni said.

"And we're trying to understand whether delivering it this way would actually be more effective and have less side effects as compared to conventional immunotherapy, which today is given to the entire body of the patient," he said.

What distinguishes the approach from others is the use of the implantable nanodevice that can be placed inside the tumour very accurately, with just one, simple procedure and with the ability to sustain the delivery of the immunotherapy over a prolonged period of time.

"Timing of the release may be extremely important," said E Brian Butler from Houston Methodist.

"These immunotherapy payloads come in a little metal device with nanochannels that release the medication at a constant rate in a controlled way," said Butler.

Grattoni said that by providing sustained doses, their implant maintains an active level of the drug for extended periods of time.

This would reduce the need for continual clinic visits, which are usually required for immunotherapy and other cancer treatments.

By contrast, most other methods currently under preclinical and clinical trials require multiple injections into the tumour and, in many instances, necessitate repeated invasive procedures to access it.

Injecting drugs straight into a tumour as a single dose may not be very effective, as only a part of it will stay, with the rest being rapidly eliminated due to the high-pressure nature of a tumour's microenvironment.

Grattoni's intratumoral sustained-delivery method prevents this from happening.

"We are in the middle of an exciting time in medicine, because if we can get it to work, you decrease the toxicities to the patient," Butler said.

"This offers the opportunity of treating locally and getting the systemic response without all the side effects," he said.
Tuberculosis killed at least 1.7 million people in 2017, according to the WHO, making the airborne infection the world's deadliest infectious disease.

Paris: A new treatment for a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis can cure 80 percent of sufferers, according to a trial hailed Monday as a "game changer" in the fight against the global killer.

Doctors in Belarus -- a country with one of the highest rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world -- spent months treating patients with a new drug, bedaquiline, alongside other antibiotics.

The results, seen exclusively by AFP, were startling: Of the 181 patients given the new drug, 168 people completed the course and 144 were totally cured.

The World Health Organization says currently only 55 per cent of people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are successfully treated.

The Belarus trial cure rate -- 80 percent -- was largely replicated in bedaquiline trials in other countries in eastern Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia, according to abstracts seen by AFP, due to be unveiled at a major tuberculosis conference later this week.

"The results from this study confirm... that newer drugs like bedaquiline can cure and are game changers for people living with multidrug-resistant and extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis," Paula Fujiwara, scientific director of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease who was not involved in the research, told AFP.

Lead researcher Alena Skrahina, from the Republican Research and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and TB in Minsk, called the bedaquiline results "promising".

"Generally, our study confirms the effectiveness of bedaquiline in previous clinical trials, and does not confirm the concerns about safety problems," she told AFP.

Tuberculosis killed at least 1.7 million people in 2017, according to the WHO, making the airborne infection the world's deadliest infectious disease.

It kills more than three times as many people as malaria every year and is responsible for the majority of HIV/AIDS deaths.

Despite the huge death toll, tuberculosis receives roughly a tenth of the global research funding that goes to HIV/AIDS.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is immune to two of the most common antibacterial drugs used to treat the disease.

Experts believe it is spreading worldwide due to poor handling of tuberculosis cases.

Unlike other global killers such as HIV, tuberculosis is curable -- but currently only under a strict six-month supervised regimen involving multiple daily drug doses.

In many parts of the world medications are incorrectly stored, or simply run out before the treatment has finished, leading to greater drug resistance, especially in crowded settings such as prison and hospitals.

The WHO says variants of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis have been reported in at least 117 countries around the world.

Unlike many antibiotics, bedaquiline doesn't attack the bacteria directly and instead enzymes that the disease relies on for its energy.

All of the patients in the study experienced side effects but these were less severe than previously thought.

Last month UN member states agreed a global plan to fight tuberculosis and to facilitate cheaper access to vital drugs.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, world leaders pledged $13 billion annually to end the tuberculosis epidemic, with a further $2 billion to fund research -- up from $700 million currently.

Unlike the battle against HIV, which has received high-profile celebrity backing, tuberculosis is often seen as a historic affliction effecting only remote and undeveloped parts of the world.

Scientists and policymakers gather this week in The Hague for a global conference on lung health, where they are expected to warn that tuberculosis could spread through richer nations currently struggling with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

India alone accounts for a quarter of all tuberculosis cases, and there are hopes that new, cheaper drugs could help strangle the spread of the disease if rolled out worldwide.

"We urgently need more affordable drugs like bedaquiline if we are to seriously make a dent in curing the estimated 600,000 people falling sick to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis each year and avoiding nearly a quarter of a million deaths," said Fujiwara.
Washington: People make judgements quite rationally or by the gut. Not only experience and relevant information play an important role, but also our preferences. A new study has shown how the reward system in the brain conveys judgements affected by one's own desires.

"In complex, confusing situations, we run the risk of making a biased judgement as soon as we prefer one conclusion over another," explained Bojana Kuzmanovic, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne.

The study appeared in JNeurosci: The Journal of Neuroscience.

Kuzmanovic investigated how people's judgment is influenced by their wishful thinking. In the study, volunteers were asked to estimate the average and personal risk of different negative events. They then learned the actual average risk and were able to adjust their own risk estimates accordingly. If the actual average risks were desirable (i.e. lower than initially estimated by the respondents), they were considered more than undesirable statistics.

Using an example, Kuzmanovic explained the phenomenon, "By ignoring unpleasant information, we avoid drawing threatening conclusions. For example, we could neglect federal statistics, which indicate a higher risk of heart attack, because we think we have a particularly healthy lifestyle."

During the survey, the scientists recorded their brain activity using magnetic resonance tomography.

They found that preferred judgements activate brain regions that otherwise react particularly strongly to rewards such as food or money. In addition, the scientists were able to show for the first time that the reward system, in turn, influenced other brain regions that are involved in conclusion processes. The stronger this neuronal influence was, the stronger the judgements of the study participants were determined by their wishes.

So, our desires and preferences influence our judgment without us consciously realizing it. The same brain systems that reinforce our efforts to maximize rewards such as food and money would also reinforce specific strategies for constructing judgements.

"The influence of preferences is independent of expertise. We can benefit from this pleasant self-strengthening effect as long as our judgements do not have serious consequences. However, when making important decisions, we should be aware of our tendency to distort judgement and apply strategies to increase objectivity," said study author Marc Tittgemeyer.
The principal warned them about coming to the college drunk and told them not to repeat it again. Embarrassed by the entire episode, one of the students jumped from the second floor corridor. (Representional Image)

Bengaluru: High drama prevailed at a college in Jalahalli after two students studying in first year BCom, who went to the college allegedly drunk, jumped from the corridors of second and third floors of the college after reprimanded by their college principal on Monday.

The two students were taken to M.S. Ramaih Hospital and are out of danger. Their parents did not file a complaint, but the two students gave a statement to the Jalahalli police on Tuesday.

A senior police officer said that the incident occurred around 1.30 pm at St Clarets College. As the two students were attending classes, one of their classmates could smell alcohol on them, and alerted the class teacher.

The teacher reported it to the principal, Father Benny, who called the two students into his chamber and forced them to get their parents to the college. The principal warned them about coming to the college drunk and told them not to repeat it again. Embarrassed by the entire episode, one of the students jumped from the second floor corridor. As the security guards rushed to his help and alerted the college authorities, the other student too jumped from the third floor.

The two students were then taken to M.S. Ramaiah Hospital, where they are said to be danger. The police said that the students, residents of B.K. Nagar in Yeshwanthpura, are from poor families.

College authorities told the police that they were regular students and did not skip classes. They also did not have any negative image among classmates. One of the students told the police that his parents asked him to do chores at home and he did not have enough time to study. That was the reason he took to drinking, he told the police.
State minister Arup Roy said that 17 others were injured in the incident, of whom some were in a serious condition and were being treated at Howrah General Hospital. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Kolkata: Two persons were killed and 17 injured in a stampede on a foot overbridge at the Santragachi railway station in West Bengal's Howrah on Tuesday evening after announcements were made about simultaneous arrival of trains on platforms connected by the overbridge.

The incident occurred at around 6.30 pm between platform numbers two and three at Santragachi station in Howrah when Nagercoil-Shalimar Express and two EMU locals arrived there around the same time and passengers rushed to the platforms to board the trains, South Eastern Railway spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said.

Shalimar-Vishakhapatnam Express and Santragachi-Chennai Express were also scheduled to arrive shortly, Ghosh said.

A large number of passengers had deboarded and many others were trying to reach their trains at the same time, leading to rush on the foot overbridge that connected the platforms.

"Two persons have died in the stampede at Santragachi this evening," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the station after the incident, said.

State minister Arup Roy said that 17 others were injured in the incident, of whom some were in a serious condition and were being treated at Howrah General Hospital.

Railway officials, however, said that 12 persons were injured.

Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured from the state government.

The chief minister alleged that "negligence and callousness" on the part of Railways led to the accident and there should be more internal coordination to prevent such a situation.

The incident comes days after the Amritsar tragedy when a festive crowd that spilled onto the rail tracks during effigy burning on Dussehra was run over by a train, leaving nearly 60 people dead.

"I feel there is a gap in coordination and Railways should look into it, they should have given some time gap between the arrival of two trains when the passengers have to change platforms," Chief Minister Banerjee said.

"Such situations occur due to negligence and callousness. Railways should act in a more responsible way," Banerjee, who is a former Railway minister, said.

"Safety and security cannot be compromised," Banerjee asserted and added that Railways did not seek any help from the state government during the festive season for crowd management.

Banerjee, who went to the station from a Durga Puja immersion carnival in the city, said that the state government will hold an administrative inquiry.

Several express trains stop at the station, apart from numerous local trains.

Thousands of people use the station every day since it is easier to travel to and from south and central Kolkata from Santragachi.
NIA on Tuesday arrested a man from Tamil Nadu as conspirator for his suspected links with Islamic State terrorist group. (Representational Image)

Chennai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested a man from Tamil Nadu as a conspirator for his suspected links with Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Shafeek Ahamed (30), a resident of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, was arrested and produced before a special court, which subsequently gave him seven days remand to the NIA.

During the investigation, it has emerged that Ahamed had facilitated procurement of forged passports.

The arrests had been made after five people from Kannur, who were believed to have joined IS and left the country to undergo training in Syria, were arrested by the police in 2017.

The Valapattanam police registered a case against them on charges of joining a banned terrorist organisation under Sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Earlier in July, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative Shajahan Velluva Kandy, a resident of Kannur in Kerala, was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International airport on his deportation by the Turkish authorities.

Kandy had gone to Turkey and Syria for carrying out terrorist activities after procuring an Indian passport with a fake name.
Bengaluru: Sandalwood actor Duniya Vijay, who recently got bail in an assault case last month, seems to be in trouble again. Vijay's 18-year-old daughter Monica has filed a complaint at the Giri Nagar police station, accusing him of abusing and assaulting her over a domestic issue at his house in Hosakerehalli on Monday.

According to the complaint, Monica, who stays with her mother at Kempegowda Layout, alleged that Vijay, her stepmother and three of her father's associates assaulted her. Monica is undergoing treatment at a private hospital for minor injuries.

She told the police that she lived with her mother Nagarabhavi, Vijay's estranged first wife, at a different place. Around 10.30 am on Monday, she went to Vijay's house n:to collect her clothes, drivers licence and other documents.

As she was entering the house, Vijay, Kirti Gowda, Hemant, Vinod and Vijays driver Mohammed, verbally abused her, assaulted her and banged her head against the wall.

An FIR has been registered against Duniya Vijay and his friends under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 324 (assault with deadly weapon), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

Meanwhile, the actor termed his daughters accusation baseless. He clarified before the media that no one hit Monica or abused her. Vijay said that Monica came to his house and tried to break open a lock. I did not even speak to her, let alone abuse and assault her," Vijay told the media.

This is not the first time that Vijay has been accused of assault. He was arrested by the High Grounds police in September last week for allegedly assaulting a gym trainer, Maruthi Gowda, over a trivial row. He was released on bail on October 1
The CBI building has been sealed and neither the staff nor outsiders are being allowed. (Photo: cbi.gov.in)

New Delhi: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana have been sent on leave amidst an internal rift at the country's top investigating agency.

CBI Joint Director M Nageswara Rao will take over as interim director of the investigating agency.

He will "look after duties and functions of director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect," said a government order put out late on Tuesday.

Government order put out late on Tuesday.

Nageswara Rao, who hails from Warangal district in Telangana, is from the 1986 batch of Odisha cadre.

The order implies that the government has sidelined all the three additional directors number three in the agency's hierarchy, including A K Sharma, whose name had figured in the complaint by Asthana.

In an unprecedented move, the CBI building, including the offices of both Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana, has been sealed and neither the staff nor outsiders are being allowed. Officers working with the CBI director have been sent on leave.

According to reports, raids are being conducted at the 10th and 11th floor of the CBI office in Delhi, which has the rooms of all these officers.

The government's move to change the top leadership of the CBI comes against the backdrop of a bitter, never-seen-before feud within the top investigating agency.

The government's order followed after a recommendation by the country's top vigilance officer, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, that the CBI's warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, stripped of all responsibilities.

The move comes after a week-long standoff that began with CBI boss Alok Verma filing a case against his deputy, Rakesh Asthana, accusing him of bribery in an investigation.

The CBI filed a first information report (FIR) naming Rakesh Asthana as accused no. 1 in a corruption case. The investigating agency accused Asthana of accepting around Rs 3 crore as a bribe from on Satish Sana in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Asthana, on the other hand, has accused Alok Verma of "interfering" in his work and alleged that Verma had hatched a conspiracy to target him. Asthana also alleged that it was Verma who had accepted the bribe from Satish Sana.

The feud has led to the CBI raiding its own headquarters and arresting one of its own officers -- Devender Kumar.

Kumar, the investigating agency claims, fabricated a statement from Satish Sana in order to implicate Alok Verma in a "false" bribery case.

The Opposition has accused the Centre of trying to protect Rakesh Asthana - a Gujarat cadre officer - dubbed the Prime Minister's "blue-eyed boy" by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Alok Verma cannot be removed before his two-year term, said the Opposition.

Rakesh Asthana moved a court on Tuesday, asking for the charges to be cancelled and for protection against arrest.
The Supreme Court has accepted Alok Verma's petition. It has agreed to take up his hearing on Friday, October 26. (Photo: File | PTI)

New Delhi: CBI director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been sent on leave amidst an internal rift at the country's top investigating agency.

M Nageswara Rao, a joint director at the agency, has been appointed its interim director.

Nageshwara Rao, who hails from Warangal district in Telangana, is from the 1986 batch of Odisha cadre and supersedes Rakesh Asthana.

Also Read: CBI boss, deputy sent on leave, interim chief takes over

The move comes after a week-long standoff that began with CBI boss Alok Verma filing a case against his deputy, Rakesh Asthana, accusing him of bribery in an investigation.

The government's order last night followed a recommendation by the country's top vigilance officer, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, that the CBI's warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, stripped of all responsibilities.

Here are LIVE updates on infighting within CBI:

05:20 pm: The image of CBI will not be tarnished as the agency is for the country not for individuals, whatever investigation required is being done: CBI spokesperson.

04:45 pm: A CBI spokesperson said, "The team probing Special Director Rakesh Asthanas case has been reconstituted for a fair, impartial and expeditious probe. We have put available best resources in the reconstituted team. There were searches and reports of sealing any offices are totally untrue. CBI is working normal."

03:50 pm: Asaduddin Owaisi speaking in favour of ousted CBI director Alok Verma said, " I have faith that top court will give relief to CBI director as it is a violation of section 4 of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. I want to know which section did CVC use to remove him. Why is PM protecting a corrupt officer? All democratic institutions are being undermined."

03:12 pm: On Nageshwar Rao's appointment as CBI interim director, DMK chief MK Stalin said, "Several complaints were sent to CBI director against Nageshwar Rao and there are reports that the CBI director Alok Verma wanted to initiate investigations into allegations against him."

03:10 pm: "Is this move initiated to cover up the Rafale scam investigations? This shows an undeclared emergency has been imposed in our country. Appointment of a controversial officer like Nageshwar Rao is nothing but to ensure that CBI remains the caged parrot of the BJP government," added Stalin.

02:48 pm: A petition has been filed in Bombay High Court seeking setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for an investigation into Alok Verma - Rakesh Asthana issue. The petition also demands a retired Supreme Court judge in the SIT.

02:45 pm: "Institutions like CBI, CVC, judiciary, Election Commission are pillars of democracy. It is really sad that the chiefs of the topmost investigation agency are accusing each other of corruption. This is a big issue for the upcoming Parliament Session," Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said.

02:15 pm: All sensitive cases including Vijay Mallya and Agusta Westland cases will be personally supervised by new interim CBI chief Nageswara Rao, reports news agency ANI.

01:55 pm: Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi government, says: "CBI director removed by 'chowkidar' (watchman) because agency was raising questions on Rafale deal."

01:45 pm: "CVC being misused by government, has no power to interfere in appointments," Congress alleged.

12:37 pm: "The CVCs recommendation and the government's action is intended to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of CBI," Union Minister Arun Jaitley said.

12:35 pm: Union Minister Arun Jaitley said, "CVC in its yesterday's meeting said neither these 2 officers (Arun Verma and Rakesh Asthana) nor any agency under their supervision can investigate charges against them. So the officers will sit out by going on leave. It's an interim measure".

#WATCH: Union Min Arun Jaitley says, "CVC in its yesterday's meeting said neither these 2 officers (Arun Verma & Rakesh Asthana) nor any agency under their supervision can investigate charges against them. So the officers will sit out by going on leave. It's an interim measure" pic.twitter.com/NHffr1WLeD  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

12:26 pm: "(CBI) Director has been accused by Special Director. A Special Director has been accused by CBI. Two topmost officers of CBI have been accused. Now who will investigate it? Requirements of fairness and fair play have to be there. Government can't investigate it," Union Minister Arun Jaitley said.

12:25 pm: "CBI is a premier investigatiive agency, for maintenance of its institutional integrity, it is a pre-condition and absolutely essential for fair investigation," Union Minister Aruin Jaitley said.

12:09 pm: CBI DIG Tarun Gauba, SP Satish Dagar and Joint Director V Murugesan will probe charges against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

12:05 pm: "What PM couldn't do directly by removing the CBI director and his collegaues, he has done surreptitiously and in clandestine fashion by taking shelter behind CVC. Has CBI director been transferred because he was about to order a probe into Rafale corruption," Congress Randeep Surjewala asked.

12:04 pm: "PM Modi has buried the last nail in the independence of CBI. The systematic dismantling and disintegration of CBI is complete. PM's systematic attack on credibility and capacity of CBI has now ensured that its credibility is dead and buried," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said.

12:02 pm: "We don't know if CBI was investigating other issues like Rafale scam. If that was the case, it was ordered to protect the government, PM and concerned officers. Why was the DIG investigating the charges against Asthana has been sent to 'Kala Pani' in Andaman?," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

12:01 pm: "The Modi government and the Prime Minister have conducted a political coup against the CBI. They have conducted transfer of all the officers and directors, and main objective appears to be to protect the chosen officers of the Prime Minister posted at CBI," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

11:50 am: "I maintain that the integrity of the institution (CBI) is the most important. In an extraordinary situation, the government has full authority to act. At this time, an open fight between the top two people spells doomsday for the institution," former ASG Vikas Singh told news agency ANI.

11:27 am: CBI's JD (P) Arun Kumar Sharma, A Sai Manohar, HoZ V Murugesan and DIG Amit Kumar have been transferred/posted. They were a part of the team probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana.

CBI transfer order. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

11:10 am: CBI DIG Manish Kumar Sinha, DIG Taurn Gauba, DIG Jasbir Singh, DIG Anish Prasad, DIG KR Chaurasia, HoB Ram Gopal and SP Satish Dagar have been transferred. They were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana.

CBI transfer order. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

11:06 am: Dy SP CBI AK Bassi, officer probing case against Special Director Rakesh Asthana, has been transferred and posted as Dy SP CBI, ACB Port Blair in public interest: CBI order.

Additional SP CBI SS Gum has been transferred and posted as CBI, ACB Jabalpur.

11:05 am: Alok Verma also challenged decision to give interim charge of agency to Joint Director M Nageswara Rao.

11:04 am: M Nageswara Rao takes charge as interim CBI director. No room at CBI headquarters has been sealed, news agency ANI reports CBI spokesperson as saying.

10:53 am: Interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao is currently inside the CBI's headquarters. He is there to attend a meeting of the agency's top officials.

10:49 am: Gopal Sankaranarayanan, lawyer appearing for Alok Verma, told the Supreme Court that the government on Wednesday morning, asked Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to go on leave compromising the investigation into many sensitive cases.

10:40 am: The Supreme Court has accepted Alok Verma's petition. It has agreed to take up his hearing on Friday, October 26.

10:29 am: Lawyer Prashant Bhushan reaches the court of the Chief Justice.

10:24 am: There would be no movement of officials or files at the CBI Director's office and Special Director Rakesh Asthana's office till 2 pm on Wednesday, news agency ANI quoted CBI sources as saying.

10:21 am: Alok Verma, the CBI chief who was sent on leave, will challenge the government order in the Supreme Court today.

10:11 am: Alok Verma to move the Supreme Court at 10:30 am.

09:05 am: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal tweets on CBI tussle: "What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave?"

What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act ? What is Modi govt trying to hide ?  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 24, 2018

08:45 am: Prashant Bhushan in a tweet termed the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as interim director at the CBI "totally illegal".

Breaking! As feared&suspected, the govt has removed the Director CBI from his charge, because he was pursuing corrupt Spl Director Rakesh Asthana who was foisted on CBI by PMO despite his being investigated by the CBI itself in corruption cases.Totally illegal. Will be Challenged pic.twitter.com/KyZgEUBpyF  Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) October 24, 2018

08:40 am: M Nageswara Rao appointed interim CBI director.

08:35 am: CBI building has been sealed. Neither staff nor outsiders are being allowed, according to news agency PTI. The 10th and 11th floor of the CBI office in Delhi, which has the rooms of all these officers, are being raided.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will visit Turkey on October 27, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, adding that he expects to hold talks with Shoigu.

"Most heavy weapons and militants of radical groups have been withdrawn from the demilitarized zone in Idlib. On Saturday, we will have a chance to discuss these issues in detail with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. We expect that thanks to this effort our work [in Syria] will be more successful," the Turkish defense minister said in an interview with the Anadolu Agency.

Akar said that due to cooperation with Russia on Syria "the cases of ceasefire violations reduced by 90%."

The ministers will meet in the framework of the four-way summit between leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France on the Syrian settlement in Istanbul on October 27, TASS recalls.
Verma also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency. (Photo; File)

New Delhi: CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma Wednesday told the Supreme Court that divesting him of his powers "overnight" by the Centre amounts to interference in the independence of the agency whose probes against "high functionaries" may not take the line desirable to the government.

He said the Centre and the CVC's move was "patently illegal" and such interference "erodes" the independence and autonomy of the premier investigating institution. The apex court agreed to hear on October 26 the petition by Verma challenging the government's decision.

He has said in the petition that the CBI should be kept independent of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which has jurisdiction over the probe agency since it seriously hinders the CBI's independent functioning.

Also Read: CBI boss, deputy sent on leave, interim chief takes over

Verma said that as the CBI is expected to function completely independently and autonomously, there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph by Verma's advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan. He assailed the decision divesting the CBI chief of his powers and sending him on leave in view of the internal feud between Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Verma also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency.

"Over the recent past, although all functionaries within the CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view," the plea said.

Also Read: Alok Verma did not cooperate with CVC, failed to produce records: Govt

It alleged that "hurdles posed" by Asthana have now been compounded by his complicity in "concocting evidence" to impugn the reputation of Verma, leading to a separate FIR being registered by CBI which has been challenged by the special director in the Delhi High Court.

"As matters stood thus, the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) and the Central Government have overnight taken the impugned decisions to divest the petitioner of his complete role as Director CBI and to appoint another individual in his stead. These actions are patently illegal for the reasons...," it said.

The petition also said that as the apex court has repeatedly stated that CBI ought to be insulated from the government, the present actions give serious credence to the requirement that the agency be given independence from the DoPT.

Verma has said he has complete confidence of his officers within the organisation and any illegal interference of this nature not only erodes the independence of the institution but also the morale of its officers.

He urged the court to stay the government's decision to divest him of powers and send him on leave so that such external interference does not occur again. "The details of many of the cases which have led to the present circumstances are extremely sensitive and cannot with full responsibility be divulged in the present pleadings. The petitioner shall, however, furnish the same to this court," he said.

Verma said that not all influence that is exerted by the political government would be found explicitly or in writing. "More often than not, it is tacit and requires considerable courage to withstand," the plea said.

It referred to Section 4B of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, saying it statutorily secures the two-year period of the director's tenure notwithstanding anything to the contrary. This is precisely to secure the independence of the CBI, but the same has been violated by these orders, it said.

"In any event, Section 4A of the Act constitutes a high powered committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India for the purpose of appointing the Director of the CBI as also under Section 4B(2) to grant previous consent for his transfer. The exercise of power by the impugned orders has been to bypass the mandate of the committee," it said.

He sought quashing of three orders of October 23, one by CVC and two by the DoPT, as being without jurisdiction and in violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. He added that the orders were manifestly arbitrary, sans natural justice and without due process.

The petition has said whenever investigations were carried on, decisions regarding the direction of the probe were taken by an investigating officer and then approved at all levels right up to the Director CBI.

After the appointment of Asthana in CBI, despite the pendency of cases against him and the reservations in this regard expressed by Verma, decisions that were crucial to the progress of certain probe were stymied by Asthana alone, it alleged, adding many of these concerned very sensitive cases including those monitored by the top court.

It said that yesterday, three "rapid fire" decisions were taken by the CVC and DoPT. The CVC passed an order under the DSPE Act divesting Verma of all functions regarding any cases registered or to be registered, after which the procedures of natural justice would follow, the plea said.
Bengaluru: The latest to face the #MeToo heat is Ere Gowda, writer of National Award winning Kannada film Thithi, who is accused of sexual harassment by an anonymous woman and an aspiring film-maker.

The post has been shared by Gurvinder, also an award-winning filmmaker. It describes the ordeal the young woman faced at the hands of Ere Gowda after she came to Bengaluru in search of a mentor to learn the process of scriptwriting.

The woman said that the incident occurred at the house of Ere Gowdas friend, while she stayed at his home overnight, as he was working on his film Balekempa.

...Ere came back and lay down beside me. He came near me and tried to kiss. I told him that I am not interested and pushed him away. That was the start of it. He would put his hand on my chest. I would push it away, she said.

The hand would come back. When I look back now, I know that if I had texted my friend and asked him to come, he would have come. But at that moment, I was petrified," she writes.

"Ere was tall and much stronger than me. I did not want to piss him off for I knew that I wouldn't be able to fight him. My body had gone into survival mode. I knew that I just want to get through this one night. And so it went on. He would try to remove my bra. I would try to push him off. He kept coming back," she recounts, adding graphic details on how he came on to her.

"I thought that it is over. But he came back .... By now, I was dead inside. Not a word or cry came out," the young woman wrote, explaining how the Harvey Weinstein incidents inspired her to come out with the alleged sexual attack of that one night. Ere Gowda is yet to respond to these allegations.

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Kozhikode: Catholic Laymens Association (CLA) demanded on Tuesday demanded a re-postmortem on the body of Fr Kuriakose Kattuthara who died in Jalandhar mysteriously.

CLA secretary M.L. George in a press release said that since he made a statement against bishop Franco Mulakkal in the nun rape investigation, he was under tremendous pressure from various quarters to change it.

He had also received a death threat over the phone, and his house stoned. We are afraid that the dead priest may not get justice from the Jalandhar police that had earlier proved its obedience to the tainted bishop, it says.

A key witness in the case, he had said that at least two nuns had earlier complained against the bishops sexual overtures that forced them to leave the congregation.

The exposure of Fr Kattuthara had put the diocese in a fix which had to come out dismissing the allegations.

His elder brother Joy Kurien had also made such an allegation.
Devat Joseph, a native of Khanapuram, was found in a pool of blood with multiple injuries. (Representional Image)

Khammam: A ten-year-old boy studying in fourth standard in a government residential school located in NSP Colony in Khammam was found dead in the hostel at 3.30 pm on Tuesday.

The boy identified as Devat Joseph was a native of Khanapuram in Khammam. The body was found in a pool of blood and had multiple injuries. His roommates who came from the school noticed the body and informed it to the warden Prathap Singh who alerted the police. A probe is underway.
Actress Sanjjanaa Galrani alleged she was harassed by Srivatsa during the shoot of a Kannada movie 13 years ago. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: After actor Arjun Sarja, two more Kannada film personalities, including director Ravi Srivatsa, have been accused of sexual harassment by two women.

Actress Sanjjanaa Galrani alleged she was harassed by Srivatsa during the shoot of a Kannada movie 13 years ago, while activist Ekta M shared an account of her close friend accusing screenwriter of a popular contemporary movie of seeking sexual favours.

Srivatsa rejected the charge and accused Galrani of making baseless allegations.

The latest charges come days after multi-lingual actress Sruthi Hariharan, in a Facebook post praising #MeToo movement, alleged Arjun behaved with her in "lewd and complete unprofessional" manner.

Arjun, a multi-lingual actor, has said he is pained by the allegation and would file a case.

Galrani claimed Srivatsa forced her to perform in certain intimate scenes for the film 'Ganda Hendathi' (husband and wife), a remake of Bollywood movie 'Murder'.

In an interview to a newspaper in Hyderabad, Galrani said despite her unwillingness she was forced to do a kissing scene repeatedly for many days.

When she objected to it, the director scolded her for teaching him how to shoot a scene.

She also alleged cameras were fixed at places about which she had no idea.

Srivatsa questioned Galrani's silence all these years.

"My 25 years of career in the film industry is ruined due to the allegation. Why she was silent for all these years?" he said.

Ekta, working with 'Maraa'- a media and arts collective - said she was sharing her close friend's account, though she did not reveal her identity.

She said her friend wanted to build a career in contemporary movies after watching the film in which the screenwriter had worked.

Ekta claimed her friend saw a mentor in the screenwriter but he turned out to be a predator seeking sexual favours from her.

In her account, the anonymous friend had claimed: "On a certain occasion, he expressed that he felt sexually attracted to me. I came up with a few excuses and went back home... I decided to talk this out with him. We met. I told him clearly that I am looking for a mentor. I am not interested in any romantic ventures in my life at the moment."
Representatives from various companies exchange files after signing an MoU with the state government in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu while IT minister Nara Lokesh looks on at the inaugural session of the Vizag Fintech Festival at a hotel in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. (Photo: DC)

Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that Vizag will be developed as an innovation valley and be one among the top three fintech centres in the world.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Vizag Fintech Festival in Vizag city on Tuesday, Mr Naidu said the AP government was going all out to create the best ecosystem for Fintech development in the city and it was giving incentives to entrepreneurs in the field.

Stating that he was a strong believer in technology, Mr Naidu said that currently it was a very inspiring time and the Internet too plays a key role in the fourth industrial revolution. He said Fintech was a part of technology and knowledge and innovation was a continuous process. He said leaders should use technology to achieve good results.

Vizag had hosted the first edition of the Fintech festival around two years ago and many established companies, as well as start-ups, were being drawn to the city as a result of the festival, he added.

The TD government had been taking numerous steps to promote the IT sector, particularly block chain technology, cyber security and a few others to create more employment, he said.

Emphasising that the TD government had been working for good governance by adopting the technology, Mr Naidu said, Visible governance and invisible government was their motto and their ultimate objective was to make all government tran-sactions online and integrate the data to provide the best possible governance. The CM has also mentioned that he had invited IT entrepreneurs from across the globe to assist his government in their endeavour.

Minister for Information Technology Nara Lokesh said that business was a challenge in the modern era and innovations would play a key role in the gro-wth of any sector. Mr Lokesh said that Vizag had attracted some established start-ups due to the TD governments efforts. Fintech is one of our initiatives started in 2016 which has now attracted world-class companies in the last two years. The AP government has been implementing several IT devices. For instance, core data authority was developed to maintain digital records and AP was the first to launch e-Pragati platform and we have been investing in start-ups and children sitting in remote areas can launch their innovative ideas, he said.

CM: AP expecting Rs 500 cr investments

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the AP government is exp-ecting an investment of up to `500 crore in financial technologies (fintech) sector over the next two yea-rs.

The CM added that this should generate around 50,000 employment openings.

The fintech valley has seen about `150 crore investment over the last two years since its establishment. Mr Naidu said they are hoping to get another 75 companies started in the state. The state government would develop Vizag as a hub for Fintech companies and start-ups like developing technologies digital payments, block-chain, cloud, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Chief Minister said.

On Tuesday, US-based Cardylytics, Whub, SOSA, Singex, Wadhwani Foundation, FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Bizforce, HDFC Bank signed the memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with the AP government to set up their operations.

The state government has been adopting total integration of technology to improve the delivery mechanism to increase the satisfaction level of people which stands at 76 per cent now, Mr Naidu added.
Air pollution is an exponential concern and eco-activists are calling upon the state government to ban vehicles that are more than 15 years old. At the moment, fitness certificates are issued to vehicles without a foolproof screening process, which has only added to the trouble. However, others argue that this will have a negative impact on those who depend on their vehicles to make a living. Is a ban on polluting vehicles the answer to the pollution problem? Or is it time vehicle manufacturers brought in more eco-friendly technology, asks Nikhil Gangadhar.

If Bengalurus traffic is a much talked about subject, so is its air pollution, which is increasing by the day. Contributing to the poor air quality over the city are the large number of vehicles on its roads besides its industries.

Being confronted with a similar situation, the capital of the country, Delhi is said to be considering banning vehicles that are more than 15 years- old on its roads by next year. Seeing that Bengaluru is heading the Delhi way in terms of bad air quality, the time may have come to address the issue of taking 15- year- old vehicles off its roads too, say eco activists, regretting that despite the issue being discussed by the previous government, nothing has come of it.

Read | Guest column: Issuing fitness certificate needs rigorous process

They also note with concern that although there was talk about banning two-stroke autorickshaws early this year, the proposal has not made headway with the government failing to increase the subsidy given to auto owners to buy four-stroke vehicles from the present Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000.

It is not a small concern as going by the transport department, of the 74.05 lakh vehicles on the citys roads, 16.30 lakh are over 15-years-old. Surprisingly, most of these vehicles are issued fitness certificates (FC) by the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) despite their wear and tear. Green activists are up in arms against this practice when these vehicles are known to emit toxic pollutants into the air. There is a flaw in the system that needs to be set right, they stress.

But rising to the defence of the RTOs, a senior transport officer claims they are often fooled into issuing the fitness certificates for the old vehicles as their owners make sure to come to them immediately after they are serviced as their emissions are not as foul at this time.  So our readings of these vehicles are good enough to issue them a fitness certificate. The emissions only increase as the vehicles continue to run. So we need to bring in a stronger mechanism to check the old vehicles, he agrees, adding that the transport department should carry out surprise checks to weed out vehicles spouting harmful emissions.

Diesel vehicles have more harmful emissions than those running on petrol. But either way, heavy vehicles are releasing toxic elements into the air, he concedes.

Meanwhile, an official of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), laments that although it has been sending reports to the state government for the past three or four years warning about the decrease in the citys air quality, no action has been taken. We have told the government clearly that the old vehicles are not checked properly and are emitting toxic gases into the air, which will result in poor air quality in coming years, he says, strongly suggesting that the city should learn from Delhis experience with air pollution.

If precautions are not taken now, we will also be in a similar soup in a couple of years. Quick action needs to be taken against the old vehicles, which emit fumes beyond the permissible limit. We will advise the present government too to ban old vehicles and hopefully, it will listen, he says.

Ban will impact drivers of cabs, lorries, trucks

The state has around 1.93 vehicles of which 45 lakh are over 15-years- old. If the Union or Karnataka government brings in a policy to ban old vehicles, they will all have to go off the roads. But the idea is unacceptable to taxi, lorry and truck drivers as it could affect their livelihoods.

Says Mr Radhakrishna Holla, president of thje Bengaluru Tourist Taxi Owners Association, If the government tries to ban old vehicles, it will be difficult for thousands of people whose livelihood depends on them. The owners will have to shell out more money to buy new vehicles with the old hardly fetching them anything. We agree that the air quality is deteriorating, but the government should take other necessary steps to deal with this. For instance, it could ban vehicles with emissions beyond permissible limits. How are RTOs issuing them fitness certificates even now? There are loopholes within the system which needs to be fixed.

In his view, it is wrong to only blame old vehicles for the air pollution as he believes the government too is responsible as it has failed to provide better quality fuel and road infrastructure or maintain proper green cover.  It has compromised on all of this. Only in the last two years have we become Euro 4 efficient where our vehicle emissions are concerned. Before that we were Euro 3, he points out.

Mr Holla suggests that before the government bans old vehicles giving off toxic emissions, it should set up proper scrapping yards with the required machinery and storage space, as otherwise the process of scrapping the vehicles will itself cause pollution. For example, the oil parts in the vehicles need to be scrapped in a different way without spillage. Similarly, the leather and other materials used in the vehicles need to be dismantled and scrapped according to certain procedures, he explains.

Mr Munikrishna Swamy, who owns private buses, believes that before the government bans old vehicles, the RTOs should ban private emission test centres that issue them fitness certificates without proper checking. Also, government vehicles which are guilty of toxic emissions, should be removed immediately. But there is no one to question the officials responsible for all of this and all they want to do is target the livelihood of people who are helpless. We drivers cannot afford new vehicles due to the GST and other issues. We cannot take loans either because we are already in debt, he says, adding, We are aware that air pollution is increasing. But let the government find better solutions and then think about scrapping old vehicles.

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India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France alleging "criminal misconduct" by high public functionaries.

They have sought a direction to the CBI to investigate the offences mentioned in their complaint in a "time-bound" manner and submit periodic status reports to the apex court.

The complaint was filed on October 4 with the CBI after their meeting with CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, who was on late Tuesday night directed by the Centre to proceed on leave in the wake of feud with the second-in-command in the agency Rakesh Asthana.

The petition by the trio came two weeks after the apex court had on October 10 asked the Centre to provide details of the decision- making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29. It had clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars.

The court's order had come on two PILs filed by advocates M L Sharma and Vineet Dhanda.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment. The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process.

The fresh plea by Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan claimed that in 2007 tenders were issued by the Ministry of Defence for the purchase of 126 fighter aircraft and it was specified in the Request for Proposal that 18 of these aircraft would be purchased from abroad in a 'fly-away' condition and the remaining 108 would be manufactured in India in the factory of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with transfer of technology from the foreign vendor.

The plea said that Dassault Company manufacturing the Rafale aircraft was declared the lowest tenderer and thereafter price negotiations began which were at a very advanced stage by March 25, 2015.

"However within 15 days of this, the Prime Minister of India and the President of France announced a totally new deal jettisoning the virtually complete 126 aircraft deal and the Prime Minister on behalf of India agreed to purchase only 36 Rafale aircraft in a 'fly-away' condition without any transfer of technology and make in India.

"It later turned out that the new deal involved 50 per cent of the value of the contract to be given as 'offset contracts' to Indian companies and that the government informally told Dassault and the French government that the bulk of the offset contracts would have to be given to a company of Anil Ambani which had just been set up," it claimed.

The plea alleged that new deal gives undue benefit to Reliance Aerospace Limited (RAL) and the escalation of price of airplanes is to account for collateral considerations.

It stated that "public servants presiding over the government got the critical persons involved and Contract Negotiation Committee to increase the contract price of the 36 Rafale aircraft from Rs 715 crore per aircraft as disclosed by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Rs 1660 crore per aircraft. This resulted in a pecuniary advantage to both, Dassault Aviation and also Ambani's RAL. This amounts to Criminal Misconduct under section 13(1)(d)(iii) of the applicable Prevention of Corruption Act."

They said that when the final contract was signed after price negotiations, the price of the aircraft had been increased to more than double to what was under consideration in the old deal of 126 aircraft.

"It is clear therefore that the following acts were committed by various public servants which amount to offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act..."

"However, it is clear that there is enormous pressure on the CBI because of the nature of the persons involved not to undertake this investigation. Till date not even an FIR has been registered in the matter and hence the petitioners are approaching the court for getting specially designated officers in the CBI to investigate this case and for this court to monitor the investigation," the plea said.

It said that the petitioners were aggrieved by the non-registration of FIR by the CBI on their 32-page complaint with 46 annexure detailed prima facie evidence of commission of cognisable offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act by public servants occupying the highest of public offices in the country.

"The highest ranking public officials, unilaterally, in violation of all mandatory procedures, without obtaining any Services Qualitative Requirement (SQR) from the Indian Air Force, or any decision of the Categorisation Committee or any Acceptance of Necessity from the Defence Acquisition Council, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the French regarding purchase of just 36 Rafale aircrafts, all in a 'fly away' condition with no Transfer of Technology and no Make in India," it alleged.

The plea has also sought direction to the Centre to cease and desist from influencing or intimidating in any way the officials that would investigate the offences mentioned in the complaint and not transfer the CBI officials tasked with investigation.
Chennai: DMK chief M.K. Stalin reacted strongly to the Centres Wednesday appointment of Nageshwar Rao as the interim chief of the CBI, which has been at loggerheads over a bribery scandal, wondering if the move was to cover up the Rafale deal, gutka scam and the case against Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. The move, he claimed would make the CBI remain a caged parrot of the BJP government

Is this move initiated to cover up Rafale scam investigations? This shows an undeclared emergency has been imposed in our country. Appointment of controversial officer like Nageshwar Rao is nothing but to ensure that CBI remains the caged parrot of the BJP government. Nageshwar Rao met OPS (Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam) at the State secretariat. When CBI is investigating gutka scam & MHC (Madras high court) has ordered an investigation against EPS (CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami) for awarding contracts to his relatives, the move to send CBI director Alok Verma has raised suspicions, he said.

Mr Stalin alleged that there were several complaints against interim chief Nageshwar Rao and that there are reports that the CBI director Alok Verma wanted to initiate investigations into allegations against him.

CBI director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana have been divested of all powers amid an ongoing spat between them, sources said, calling it the first such case in the history of Indias premier investigating agency. Following the sequence over the corruption allegations over Alok Vermas deputy and special director Rakesh Asthana, the case has now been dragged to the court. Alok Verma today approached the Supreme Court against the decision to remove him from the post and sending him on leave.

Sending Alok Verma on leave amidst his spat with Rakesh Asthana was not just autocratic, but also showed the BJP governments administrative anarchy, Mr Stalin alleged in a statement here.

Joint director M. Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been appointed to look after the duties and functions of the director with immediate effect as an interim measure.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale fighter jet scam. The action against Verma, Stalin said, comes at a time when he had reportedly initiated a probe into the Rafale deal,

where the Opposition, led by the Congress, alleged a scam in the purchase of the French made fighter aircraft.

Reports suggest he had ordered a preliminary enquiry into the Rafale deal. The Prime Minister, who was angered by this, has used the opportunity to appoint IG level official Rao as director and this is misuse of authority, Mr. Stalin said. He also referred to the Madras high court order directing a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities against Mr. Palaniswami in awarding road contracts.

There was a perception among the public that the Centres actions were seen more to conceal the Rafale issue rather than protecting Asthana. Verma was always opposed to the forceful imposition of Asthana into the CBI by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, and condemned the action against Verma.

The PMs actions created an impression of an undeclared emergency, Stalin said and added that Rao had earlier courted controversy when he had met then Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in his office during his stint here. The CBI was presently handling sensitive cases and hence required a director with impeccable integrity. But by appointing a junior officer, the BJP government has made the CBI its caged parrot, he said.

It is unacceptable to see a war being declared against CBIs independence, credibility and autonomy, he said and called for revoking of the action against Verma.
Hyderabad: After three days of arguments, the Nampally court granted conditional bail to the He era Group founder Dr Nowhera Shaikh on Wednesday. Ms Shaikh was asked to produce a surety of Rs 5 crore to the court and surrender passport to prevent her from leaving the country.

This comes as a setback for the Central Crime Station police which was seeking Ms Shaikhs custody for further questioning in the case registered against her by the Economic Offences Wing. The cases were regarding allegations of cheating investors by promising them huge returns.

To a plea from the police to grant custody, the court asked why the state police wanted to investigate the case when the Serious Fraud Investigation Office was on the job. The persecution submitted a judgement given by the Madras High Court in a similar case in support of its claim.

The prosecution referred to the case of YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in which money laundering allegations were also present. It told the court that the case needed the custody of Ms Shaikh to investigate her income sources due to her promises of unusual returns and claiming unusual profits. The police expressed concern over national security suspecting that the organisation could be funding from anti-national agencies, and wanted to probe her sources of income, said sources close to the police.

The court on Wednesday evening turned down the custody petition and gave the order to release Ms Shaikh on bail with certain conditions.

She was asked to be present before investigating officials from October 27 to October 31, without fail. She has to produce a surety of Rs 5 crore to the court before October 29, surrender her passport and not leave the city without the courts permission, said the sources.

Mild tension prevailed outside the court premises when a few women claiming to be victims of the schemes of the Heera Group tried to stop defence lawyer Vineeth Dhanda.

Those accompanying him pushed them away.

The women lodged a complaint with the Nampally police in connection with the same, and the police arrested three persons while the search is still on for other persons.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Russian violations of the 1987 nuclear treaty with the US meant it was no longer effective.

At a press conference in Brussels, Stoltenberg said the U.S. was complying with the arms control treaty, the problem was Russia. He said that the treaty could not be effective if only one side was respecting it. NATO was still assessing the implications of the US decision.

"All allies agree that the United States in full compliance ... the problem, the threat, the challenge is Russian behaviour," Reuters cited Stoltenberg as saying.
WARANGAL: Mannem Nageswar Rao, who was appointed interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is the second Telangana state native to head the premier investigating agency.

The first was Mr K. Vijaya Rama Rao, appointed CBI director in 1993. The two are neighbours in a sense, Mr Nageswar Rao, also known as MNR, was born in Boru Narsapur in Mangapet mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalapalli district and Mr Vijaya Rama Rao in Ramannagudem in the adjacent Eturnagaram mandal.

Mr Raos nephew Dulipala Poornachandra Rao said he wanted to be a police officer since when he as in school. We are all happy to see him become successful, Mr Poornachandra Rao said.

His maternal uncle Dulipala Sambashiva Rao said Mr Rao last came to the village five years ago when his mother passed away. Being a highly ranked police officer, he visits the village very rarely due to his work commitments but we all feel proud of him, he said. As a youngester, Mr Nageswar Rao used to plough his agriculture field and was known to enthusiastic, sincere and dedicated. His hardworking nature took him in this position today, he said.

Mr Rao had his primary education in Mangapet and did his Intermediate in the AVV Junior College on JPN Road in Warangal. He joined CKM College on Desaipet Road for his graduation and post graduation in chemistry. He later joined IIT-Madras for research and was selected to the IPS in 1986. He is a post-graduate in Chemistry from Osmania University.

Mr Rao was the first officer in Odisha to use DNA fingerprinting in crime investigation while probing a rape case in Jagatsinghpur district in 1996. He is said to have played an active role in releasing Lodhas (a de-notified criminal tribe) in Mayurbhanj district from the vicious cycle of crime-police-courts-jail-crime.

Mr Rao, as additional director general of Fire Service and Home Guards of Odisha, had displayed excellent performance in disaster management during the cyclone Philin in 2013 and Hudhud in 2014.

His bagged the first Odisha Chief Minister's award for excellence in governance and innovation in public service for outstanding work during the two cyclones. Mr Rao wsa awarded a Rs 5 lakh prize.

When Cyclone Hudhud hit Visakhapatnam, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had asked Mr Rao to lead a team of more than 500 Fire Service personnel for rescue operations, an officer said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu felicitated Rao in a public function in Visakhapatanam.
Chennai: The need to fly Jayalalithaa abroad for treatment did not arise as she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, whereas the case with former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran was totally different, said former State Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao.

Mr Rama Mohana Raos clarification on Wednesday comes in the wake of the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry asking Apollo Hospitals, here, and government as well, why Jayalalithaa was not taken abroad for treatment just as MGR was done. The Commission probing the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has earlier this month, asked Apollo Hospitals to provide details and documents relating to the hospitalisation of MG Ramachandran, the iconic All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader, who died in 1987.

That condition was totally different. Till Oct. 21 (2016 following her admission on Sept. 22) madam was recovering and spoke to us. Thereafter, there was some health issues but she recovered and then she had sudden cardiac arrest. Nobody can stop it, Mr Rama Mohana Rao who had served as chief secretary then, told reporters here after deposing before the Commission of Inquiry. He was responding to a question on why she was not taken abroad for treatment.

Asked if the state cabinet discussed about providing her treatment abroad, he replied, I am not authorised to speak about what was discussed at the cabinet. I am not in the government (now). I dont know.

Asked if he along with the health secretary submitted report on her hospitalisation to the government, the former CS shot back, its the hospitals responsibility. No, there were no hurdles in taking her abroad for treatment. The subject was already discussed, he said when persisted if there were any problems in flying her abroad.

Then, when asked if he was satisfied with the commission, Mr Rao replied, I shouldnt speak. The commission is doing its job.
A police vehicle drives past a burning drum that was set up as a road block by protesters in Srinagar. (PTI)

SRINAGAR: One more PhD scholar who had joined the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit sometime ago was killed along with another militant in a fire fight with security forces in Nowgam area of Srinagar on Wednesday.

He has been identified as Sabzar Ahmed Sofi and his accomplice as Asif Ahmed Shirgorji. The house in which the duo had been holed up at Wanbal in Nowgam area suffered extensive damage in mortar fire and use of other arsenal by the security forces in their final assault, the witnesses and police sources said.

The authorities immediately suspended class work at the main campus of the University of Kashmir in Srinagar and closed schools and colleges in and around the summer capital and also snapped internet services except those available on fixed broadband lines.

Massive protests erupted in the native villages of the slain militants and later during the day thousands of people attended the funeral of Sofi at Naina Sangam in southern district of Anantnag. A group of Hizb militants appeared at the scene and offered their slain colleague a gun salute, the witnesses said.

An alliance of key separatist leaders Joint Resistance Leadership has called for a Valley-wide shutdown on Thursday to mourn the killing of Sofi.

A police spokesman said that the security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Wanbal early Wednesday based on credible input about the presence of the terrorists. During search operation, he said, the militants fired upon the search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter.

The police said that Sofi had after abandoning his studies joined militant ranks in 2016 soon after the killing of the Hizbs popular commander Burhan Wani. The police claimed that he was involved in several attacks on security establishments and many other terror incidents and civilian atrocities in district Anantnag.
Bengaluru: Referring to the five byelections due in Karnataka on November 3, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy maintained on Tuesday that their results would be an indicator of things to come on the national political scene.

Participating in a Meet the Press programme organised by the Press Club of Bangalore and Bangalore Reporters' Guild here, he claimed that the Modi wave, which had swept the country in the 2014 general elections, had faded and the change would begin after the bypolls.

"It is not important whether there is unanimity among political leaders or not. Once the polarisation starts, everything will fall into place. Who will lead the team and everything else will be decided later. After the 2014 elections, the opposition have won most of the by-elections. For sure, Karnataka will set the trend for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,'' he asserted, recalling that the late Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi had won byelections from Karnataka and Mr V P Singh too had held a meeting in the city before becoming Prime Minister. "Even the talk of the mahaghatbandan started during the swearing- in ceremony of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state, where leaders of political parties across the country were present," he pointed out.

Responding to the BJP leaders's caustic remarks on JD(S) supremo and his father, H D Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah coming together on the same platform after 12 years of acrimony recently, Mr Kumaraswamy asked them to peek into their own recent past.

What about Mr B S Yeddyurappa (state BJP chief) and Mr B Sriramulu (senior BJP leader)? What did they say about the BJP when they formed the KJP and BSR Congress respectively? Mr Yeddyurappa had said that even his dead body would not go near the BJP office. But where are they now and what are they talking about?'' he asked, adding that in politics, situations often changed and people, who were once enemies, did mend fences.

"This coalition was not formed for any selfish motive or even for Mr Gowda and Mr Siddaramaiah. It is for the good of the people,'' the Chief Minister declared.

All in family: Award from CM son to dad

Former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda has been selected for Valmiki Award- 2018-19 and he will receive the award from none other than chief minister and his son, H.D. Kumaraswamy at a function organised near LH on Wednesday.

Through a statement, social welfare minister, Priyank Kharge announced this on Tuesday.

An expert committee was constituted under the leadership of Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das and the committee scrutinised the names and finalised Mr Gowdas name, Mr Kharge said.

Mr Kharge went to Mr Gowdas residence on Tuesday morning and personally invited him to accept the award. The function is organised in a banquet hall, Vidhana Soudha, near the Valmiki statue. Mr Gowda accepted the invitation, the social welfare department officials said.

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Hyderabad: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that the Centre had been undermining democratic institutions and destroying their image.

While interacting with the media here with regard to the CBI versus CBI episode, he questioned the Central Vigilance Commission and asked under which Section of law it had recommended to the Centre for removal of the CBI Director Mr Alok Verma.

Stating that he had faith that the Supreme Court would give relief to Mr Alok Verma, Mr. Owaisi said that the action of the Centre was in violation of Section 4 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.

He described the CBIs internal civil war as being a reflection of the BJP governments weakness and helplessness.

He pointedly asked why the Prime Minister Narendra Modis government was trying to protect Rakesh Asthana who is known for his corruption.
HYDERABAD: Terming caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao a scourge on the people of Telangana state, BJP leader and Andole candidate Babu Mohan said the time had come for the people to defeat the TRS and erase the ill-effects of four-and-a-half years of centralised rule.

Mr Mohan, a Dalit leader, accused Mr Rao of being anti-Dalit and hoped the people would give a strong verdict on December 7.

Opening a party office at Andole on Wednesday, he said that BJP was the only party which had respect for Dalits and was committed to encouraging Dalit leadership in the state, he said.

He called upon the people not to get carried away by the assurances of Mr Rao, and use their conscience in choosing their representatives in the ensuring polls.
For as long as one may recall, the Central Bureau of Investigation has enjoyed the reputation of serving its political masters, irrespective of the government in office, and in the process sacrificing any sense of professional efficiency and culture.

In 2013, the Supreme Court had called it a caged parrot. This basically meant being its political masters voice. Considering the scale of happenings today, this was mild reproof. Under the present government, the CBI has turned against itself in the course of serving the present political master and has perhaps forfeited any claim to being an anti-corruption body.

The Central Vigilance Commission is meant to be a watchdog looking at what the CBI is doing. The CBI director has a protected two-year term which ends in January 2019. After the earlier upheavals in the investigating agency and the allegation of partisanship routinely flung against it, the country decided that the appointee should be cleared by a collegium comprising the PM, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition.

CBI director Alok Verma has been thus cleared. It became plain, however, that shortly after his appointment, the Narendra Modi government imposed Rakesh Asthana on the CBI, a senior Gujarat cadre police officer in whose impartiality the director had little faith. This was in the face of written submissions of the director before appropriate bodies. Even so, the CVC upheld Mr Asthanas ap-pointment as special director. Why? Following this, the Supreme Court gave the CVC the benefit of the doubt? Again why?

It is evident that the system has shown itself to be deeply compromised. When the CBI director opposed the appointment of Mr Asthana on grounds of investigation being conducted against certain entities relating to Mr Asthana daughters wedding in Vadodra and his association with another probe, on what authority did the Cabinet Appointments Committee clear the latters appointment as special director in the CBI?

Circumstantially, the suggestion seems to be that Mr Asthana had the backing of powerful entities that could only have been political. Since director Verma appeared to enjoy bipartisan support, as his appointment suggests, was someone high up needed in the CBI to do the bidding of the government? If so, open warring between the director and the special director became a foregone conclusion.

But we should be clear that this is not a case of turf war between the director and the special director foisted on him. The fundamental basis of the turmoil in the CBI, from which it may find it difficult to extricate itself in the foreseeable future, is the implanting of the special director for political reasons. In the first instance, the top court should suo motu supervise the conduct of an inquiry into the appointment of Mr Asthana as special director which seems in violation of laid-down procedures.
Militarily, India is arguably the fourth most powerful country after the United States, Russia and China. The executive head of the US military is secretary of defence Jim Mattis, a former four-star Marine Corp general. Sergey Shoygu is the Russian minister of defence of the Russian Federation, and a four-star general of the Russian Army. In the complex Chinese system of the apex body of state councillors, Chang Wanquan is also a career general of the Peoples Liberation Army.

All three countries are vying for global dominance and security assertions that requires a hybrid framework of economic-military-geopolitical-geostrategic imperatives. These levers are carefully deployed in various degrees, permutations and combinations to further the respective sovereign interests. Besides the defence ministries, there are security experts in other ministries in both China and Russia, and even in the US, eight out of the 24 Cabinet-level officials have served in the US military. This affords strategic culture, mlitary logic and sensitivities of the armed forces in the course of national governance.

In the Indian narrative of the 26 ministers of defence till date, only Jaswant Singh could claim any functional and emotional affinity with the military. Perhaps the strictly enforced civilian control over the military in early years, with the appointment of known military baiters like V.K. Menon, the apolitical stance of the serving soldiers and the veterans, ensured that it was sub-optimally represented in the political leadership ever since. The lacunae went unnoticed initially as the national priorities veered around self-sufficiency, defensive posturing and at best, a regional ambition that could be managed in terms of the security wherewithal offered by the well-oiled and regimented set-up of the Indian armed forces inherited from the British. 1962 was a wake-up call of the unpreparedness and it took a relatively more progressive minister of defence, Y.B. Chavan (1962-66), at the helm for the Indian armed forces to recover and gloriously deliver 1965, 1967 and 1971 in quick successions. This was again f

ollowed by an era of either direct control by the Prime Ministers Office or by regional satraps who had neither the understanding, strategic nuance or connect with security matters.

Today India stands at the cusp of immense possibilities, a place on the global map for its wares, soft power and influence, albeit, with more pacifistic undertones as compared to the Chinese. This opportune moment is borne of the economic vibrancy, and the geopolitical churn that has seen India emerge as the pivot for the free world. Oddly the timing also coincides with an equally unfortunate tag as the worlds largest arms importer, with a lopsided development reality that celebrates success with missile technology but cannot develop a perfunctory rifle for its military! Beyond development and inadequacies of materials and weaponry, there have been unresolved issues of force integrations, work conditions, status, personnel nature, etc. all pointing to a consistent relegation of the military issues to the backburner by all political dispensations. The ghosts of Bofors have continued with the coffingate, Westland helicopters, Tatra vehicles, etc. to now Rafale getting mired in political and acquisition

-related controversy, which has little to do with the unformed fraternity themselves. Politico-bureaucrat combine (with some from the institution itself) have failed the forces with a combination of inaction, corruption or simple, disinterest beyond condescending platitudes and selective invocation of the soldier as an electoral prop.

The armed forces necessitate a strict command-and-control culture, with defined hierarchies and inviolable traditions that ensure that it retains its kinetic abilities. Historically, the military shuns political posturing, usurpations and disdains voicing its own opinion publically as that is left to the defence minister to manage the same with the required rectitude, restraint and to-the-point manner without any loaded political import.

There has been an unfortunate change in recent times without any meaningful benefit to the institution. The phenomenon of photo-ops of ministers undertaking the Siachen visits, flying in fighter planes or sitting in the front seat of the official cars are all expressively designed for the constituency beyond the armed forces. The spit and polish of decorum, choona-lined cantonments, physical mannerism and officer-like qualities are not elitist trappings or colonial hangovers, they are euphemisms for discipline, order and the unflappable conduct that behooves a soldier, hence the collective frown when a defence minister takes a guard of honour wearing casual footwear  unfortunately the supposed simplicity does not win battles, only votes beyond the cantonments.

It is the deeply-embedded concept of izzat or pride (not hubris) that stands diminished when a soldier is asked to collect garbage in the hills, even though the same soldier would not blink an eyelid to put himself or herself in harms way to prott the citizenry, be it in a natural, civil or combat operation.

It is this concern of compromise to its security and sanctity of its culture and facilities that rankles the only governmental institution that has retained its professional efficacy by withstanding the larger societal morass by keeping its cantonment doors closed till recently.

Given the avowedly apolitical mandate of the institution, onus is on the defence minister to avoid partaking expansive political debates beyond military matters as such conversations willy-nilly appropriate and reflect on the apolitical soldier. Due to the militarys unique wiring and operational style, the conduct of the defence minister cannot be equated to lateral ministers of agriculture, finance, railways, etc. The domain, stakes and sensitivities of the raksha mantri are not more or less important than other ministries; they are simply different.

It is this heightened and holistic sense of institutional empathy, and not the selective and theatrical outrage on the ostensible morale of the soldier, that begets the ideal construct of the raksha mantri. Noise around controversies like Rafale should be insulated from the soldier, and a genuine concern of the ways of the institution should override all other considerations, with the buck starting with the raksha mantri. Sadly since Independence, Indias tryst with this sensitive post has been increasingly time serving, patronising or political.
Cook was also expected to endorse a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States, the strongest statement by Apple to date. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is expected to praise new European privacy rules and to voice the companys support for strong laws in Europe and the United States to protect the use of data, according to prepared remarks for delivery at a Brussels event.

Cook will describe Europes General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, as an example of how good policy and political will can come together to protect the rights of us all, according to the remarks, seen by Reuters ahead of a gathering of international privacy regulators on Wednesday.

Cook was also expected to endorse a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States, the strongest statement by Apple to date.

Issues over how data is used and how consumers can protect their personal information have come under the spotlight recently following massive breaches of data privacy involving millions of internet and social media users in Europe and the United States.

Cook, scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, will be one of several executives from US tech companies to present their views at the two-day event.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai will share their thoughts via video messages.

But Apple, which designs many of its products so that it cant see users data, was expected to send Cook to speak in person. The iPhone maker has largely avoided the data privacy scandals that have affected its rivals Google and Facebook this year. In particular, Cook has publicly criticized Facebooks business model, arguing it depends on building out detailed profiles of users in order to target advertisements.

Apple views privacy as a fundamental human right, Cook is expected to say at the event.

We will never achieve technologys true potential without the full faith and confidence of the people who use it, he will say.

Other US tech giants such as Amazon, Alphabet Inc, AT&T Inc, Charter Communications Inc and Twitter Inc have said they would back new federal privacy regulations.

Technology companies have been concerned about strict and varying state-level privacy laws in the United States, such as the one signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown earlier this year that goes into effect in 2020.

Such laws could create a patchwork of differing regulations across the United States that could be difficult to comply with. A uniform federal law could supersede state-level rules.

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Presently the only way to resolve the Google News issue is to disable the app or uninstall it till Google manages to roll out a fix.

A new Google bug that is exhausting mobile data seems to be worrying a few too many users around the world. The bug seems to be in the Google News app, which is hogging gigabytes of mobile data in the background. Android users have taken to the Google blog to report the issue, which seems to be still prevailing since June, but does not look resolved as yet.

Google News for Android is reportedly consuming gigabytes of data without the users knowledge. The data is being consumed in the background when the app is not in use. Dozens of posts in the Google News Help forum have shown that there are a lot of users who are facing the same issue. While many may not know why their data is exhausting at such an accelerated rate, but most who investigate about their data usage are able to find out that the particular app is being hogging as much as 6GB+ data overnight.

The issue has been verified and addressed by a Google News community manager last month, but the problem is still prevailing. Google is investigating and working toward a fix.

Several users are also complaining that the issue is worst as they have suffered huge mobile data bills despite having the app download the data through Wi-Fi only. A extreme case stated that the user had to cough up as much as $385 where he saw Google News absorbing almost 25GB of data.

Presently the only way to resolve the issue is to disable the app or uninstall it till Google manages to roll out a fix.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said he "probably" will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris on November 11.

Both Trump and Putin are planning to be in the French capital that day to mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.

"I think we probably will" meet, Trump told reporters in the the Oval Office at the White House. "It hasn't been set up yet. Probably will be."

Trump's comment came hours after his national security advisor, John Bolton, said that Putin told him during a meeting in Moscow that he would like to continue having direct discussions with Trump, and suggested Paris for a sit-down, CNBC reported.
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said Huawei will open the lab on Nov. 16 in Bonn.

Chineses Huawei Technologies Co Ltd will open a new information security lab in Germany next month that will enable source code reviews, in a step aimed at winning regulators confidence before the countrys 5G mobile spectrum auction.

The move follows Australias decision to ban Huawei from supplying 5G equipment over concerns it could facilitate Chinese spying, and its barring from some US government contracts on national security grounds.

Germany, which lacks a telecoms hardware industry of its own, is keener to maintain its traditionally close trade and investment ties with Beijing without compromising on its own cyber-security, say officials.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said Huawei will open the lab on Nov. 16 in Bonn, where the BSI and other key regulators are based.

Also headquartered in the former capital is Deutsche Telekom, the partly state-owned market leader that has close business ties with Huawei.

The lab would facilitate source-code reviews, a BSI official said. This entails examining the programming language used to run network gear, for example screening it for vulnerabilities such as backdoors that might allow spy agencies to gain covert access.

We have to deal with the reality that there are few hardware manufacturers in Germany  they come from abroad, a BSI official told Reuters. Based on this reality, we have to achieve the best level of security possible.

Huawei was among a group of telecoms providers and network equipment suppliers that took part in a workshop hosted by the BSI last week to address security in 5G networks that can enable connected factories, self-driving cars and telemedicine.

The company declined to comment on any cooperation with the German authorities, but said: Information security is absolutely central to all we do.

Long before the issues that have been raised in the US and Australia, and entirely independently, we have responded to the demands of customers by building the highest levels of security into our products and operations, a spokesman said.

We rigorously test the cyber-security of our products against the highest global standards.

In Britain, Huawei is already subject to the scrutiny of an independent oversight board and set up a technology lab in 2010 to facilitate its work.

Huawei says no inspection has ever found any back doors in the networks it has built, but the UK oversight board did recently fault technical and supply-chain shortcomings in its gear.

The opening of Huaweis lab comes just as Germanys federal network regulator (BNetzA), which is also based in Bonn, finalises terms for the 5G licensing round that it plans to hold in the first quarter of 2019.

Total costs of building out Germanys 5G networks could run to 80 billion euros ($92 billion), making the stakes huge for Huawei, the top global supplier with a market share of 28 per cent, and rivals Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE and Samsung.

Huawei has already gained a foothold, partnering with Deutsche Telekom on a 5G pilot project in Berlin. Telekom said its relationship with Huawei was close: We have reached several new technical milestones together in recent years, a spokesman said.

The federal interior ministry, for its part, said in answer to a parliamentary question last week that there was no legal basis to exclude any foreign equipment provider from Germanys 5G buildout - nor was any such measure planned.

The Chinese company is meanwhile courting officials from North-Rhine Westphalia, Germanys most populous state. A 50-strong business delegation, led by the states economy and digital affairs minister Andreas Pinkwart, is currently visiting China.

Pinkwarts office confirmed he would attend the opening of the Huawei lab in mid-November.

Huawei is also the main partner for a smart city project in the regional city of Duisburg, whose commercial port on the Rhine is a main European terminus for Beijings Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, and another in Gelsenkirchen.

The operating environment for us as a Chinese company is ideal in North Rhine-Westphalia, Huawei Vice President Julio Kong said in a statement on Pinkwarts trip to Beijing.

NRW is a centre for innovation and technology, and is for us a gateway to Europe.

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Despite the growth in data breaches, security managers at Indian firms are incredibly confident in their cybersecurity preparedness, according to a new survey conducted by research and consultancy firm Ovum for Silicon Valley analytics firm FICO. Eighty-eight percent of executives from Indian firms said their firm was better prepared than their competitors in their industry. Financial services and utility respondents were least realistic, with 100 per cent rating their firm as above average or as top performers, while retail services had the highest percentage who said their firms were top performers at 60 per cent.

Despite this confidence, almost 1 in 3 organisations are limited to tools that provide only a point-in-time assessment of what their cybersecurity risk is, or do not currently have a robust assessment program.

There is clearly a bit of a disconnect amongst security managers regarding where they sit in relation to the competition, said Vishal Goyal, Country Manager, India, FICO. In India the rapid digitisation of numerous sectors of the economy has presented the country with enormous opportunity as well as risk. Staying abreast of global standards and the rapidly changing landscape of cybersecurity remains a challenge. Complacency creeps in when companies escape data breeches, or simply havent picked them up, so its important to ensure regular robust assessments.

In the coming year, the majority (56%) of Indian firms felt that the level of cyber-threats and data breach activity will go up. However, it was financial services firms that were the most pessimistic with 80 per cent expecting an increase. This was in contrast to Indian utility companies where all respondents thought the threat activity would remain the same.

In the survey, 40 per cent of respondents from the financial sector said that the greatest influence on cybersecurity strategy comes from customers or investors. For retailers and telecommunications it was increases in cyber-attacks and breaches that have them focused. Around 62 per cent of Indian firms say cybersecurity investment will increase in the year ahead. This rose to 67 per cent amongst Indian financial services firms and 80 per cent for utilities.

IT leaders have greater funding than ever to protect organisations from the continuously evolving threat landscape and meet complex compliance demands," said Maxine Holt, research director at Ovum. "These same IT leaders are undoubtedly keen to believe that the money being spent provides their organisation with a better security posture than any other  but the rapid pace of investment, often in point solutions, rarely takes an organisation-wide view of security.

Ovum conducted the survey for FICO through telephone interviews with 500 senior executives, mostly from the IT function, in businesses from the UK, the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, India, Finland, Norway, Sweden and South Africa. Respondents represented firms in financial services, telecommunications, retail and ecommerce, and power and utilities.

FICO, earlier in July, also announced offering free subscriptions to the Portrait portal of their FICO Enterprise Risk Suite, which gives businesses access to their cyber risk score. The score, a machine learning-based cybersecurity rating service, can show organisations how business partners and cyber insurance underwriters see their network security, and can help them benchmark their performance.

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The US Secret Service said it had intercepted suspect packages, identified as potential explosive devices. (Photo: File)

New York: A 'functional explosive device' was sent to Hillary and Bill Clinton's residence in New York as well as to former president Barack Obama on Wednesday, reported Associated Press.

The US Secret Service said it had intercepted suspect packages, identified as potential explosive devices, sent to the homes of former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

US news network CNN also evacuated its New York bureau over a suspicious package similar to those addressed to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The Secret Service said it recovered a single package addressed to Clinton in Westchester, a suburb north of Manhattan on Tuesday, and a second package addressed to the Obama residence in Washington, reported AFP.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the Secret Service said in a statement. "The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Twitter said: "We are aware of a suspicious package found in the vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, NY, and our JTTF has engaged with our federal, state and local partners to investigate. As this is an on-going investigation, we will have no further comment at this time."

We are aware of a suspicious package found in the vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, NY, and our JTTF has engaged with our federal, state and local partners to investigate. As this is an on-going investigation, we will have no further comment at this time  FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) October 24, 2018

A New York Times reported that the item was similar to the bomb found in the post box at the home of billionaire George Soros on Monday.

A senior White House officials told NBC News that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation. The official said the White House is taking the situation "extremely seriously".
'Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever,' Trump said. (Photo: File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump charged Tuesday that a Saudi operation to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul had given rise to "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," Trump declared in the Oval Office.

"Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," he added.

"Because whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble. Okay?"

After more than two weeks of near silence, Saudi Arabia admitted Saturday that Khashoggi, 59, was killed in its Istanbul consulate on October 2, in what it said was an operation gone wrong.

But Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan charged Tuesday that Khashoggi was targeted in a meticulously planned killing -- and demanded that 18 suspects detained by Saudi Arabia be extradited to Istanbul to face trial.

Asked about Erdogan's call for those behind Khashoggi's "savage murder" to face punishment, Trump said the Turkish president had been "pretty rough on Saudi Arabia."

But when questioned about whether he believes the Saudi account of events leading up to Khashoggi's death, Trump replied, "I want to see the facts first" -- while reiterating Riyadh's importance as a US ally in the Middle East.

"Look, Saudi Arabia has been a really great ally. They've been one of the biggest investors, maybe the biggest investor, in our country," he said.

A former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, Khashoggi disappeared after he entered the consulate to collect a document for his upcoming marriage.

The murder of the Washington Post contributor has severely dented the international reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The killing also overshadowed a major investment forum that opened in Riyadh Tuesday.
Pompeo said this was the message he had delivered to the Pakistani leadership when he travelled to Islamabad in September, after Imran Khan became prime minister. (Photo: File)

Washington: Pakistan will be held responsible if they do not make sincere efforts to curb terrorism on their western border with Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

Talking to reporters Tuesday at the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters, Pompeo said this was the message he had delivered to the Pakistani leadership when he travelled to Islamabad in September, after Imran Khan became prime minister.

We had made clear that the US policy with respect to south-central Asia has not changed, that our expectation is that Pakistan will not provide safe harbour to terrorists on their western border, he said in response to a question on Afghan-Pakistan border.

On September 5, Pompeo met Khan and pressed him "to do more" to rein in the terror groups operating from Pakistan's soil.

We couldn't make that message any more clear and that Pakistan will be held account if they don't see about it... If they're not sincere in that effort. "We don't believe we can get to the place that everyone wants. Everyone wants reconciliation in Afghanistan, and to achieve that you can't have a safe harbour for Taliban - for Haqqani, and for others inside of Pakistan, Pompeo said.

The Pakistani government knows that "that's our review and this administration has already made significant efforts to hold them accountable and we hope that they'll achieve the goal that we have out for them, said the Secretary of State.

He indicated that there has been no change in the Trump administration's policy with regard to suspension of security aid to Pakistan unless it takes satisfactory measures to eliminate safe terrorist safe havens.

Early this year, US President Donald Trump had suspended USD 300 million in security aid to Pakistan. India, too, had asked Pakistan to stop supporting and glorifying terrorists and terror activities against India and its other neighbours.
Following a global outrage, the Saudi government on Friday in a statement acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight inside the consulate and noted that an interrogation went wrong. (Photo: File)

Washington: A group of four top Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to condemn the "murder" of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asserting that America's global moral standing is at risk.

Despite mounting evidence that the 60-year-old Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government who spent time living and working in the US, was tortured and killed, the White House has continued to equivocate on the obvious and coddled the leaders of the Saudi regime, the Democratic Senators rued in a statement after sending a letter to President Trump. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

The Saudi government initially said he left the consulate through the back door. Following a global outrage, the Saudi government on Friday in a statement acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight inside the consulate and noted that an interrogation went wrong.

The Democratic Senators who signed on the letter are Dick Durbin, Senate Appropriations Committee's Defence Subcommittee Ranking Member; Patrick Leahy, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman; Dianne Feinstein, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member; and Bernie Sanders, Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member.

"America's strength has always emanated not just from its military capabilities, but from its values and ability to inspire. Presidents of both major political parties recognised this unique gift, using it to shape global affairs and give hope to those seeking a better and more democratic life," the members wrote in the letter.

The Senators wrote that at times like this, the US should speak firmly with a united voice that American values are not for sale and that such actions are intolerable in the civilised world.

"Unfortunately, your troubling abandonment of America's moral standing did not begin with Khashoggi's murder. You similarly embraced Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who has murdered his opponents both in Russia and abroad, including on the soil of key NATO allies," they alleged.

"Putin has interfered in democratic elections and tried to manipulate those in other allied democracies. Yet, you enamoured yourself with Putin, trusting his word over American and allied intelligence and even naively suggesting you would turn over an American diplomat to his henchmen for sham questioning," the Senators wrote.

They said Trump had lavished praise on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, saying that he "fell in love" with the man who threatened the US with nuclear war and has enslaved and murdered untold numbers of his own people.

"You have also supported countless other global autocrats, including those from Egypt, China, Turkey, and the Philippines. In some cases you have copied some of their worst behaviours by threatening journalists or encouraging calls for your political opponents to be jailed," the letter said. Embracing such leaders, many unelected or elected in dubious circumstance, who actively undermine democratic norms, murder or jail their opponents, or who are afraid of a free press or legitimate elections enables such behaviour while undermining America at home and abroad, the Democratic Senator wrote.

"As such, we urge you to end this troubling downward spiral and restore America's moral standing. You and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can start by forcefully, without equivocation, condemning Jamal Khashoggi's murder and indicating there will be severe consequences to those around the world who act in such a barbaric manner," the letter said.

Turkish officials have said they have evidence Khashoggi was tortured, dismembered and murdered inside the consulate. President Trump has said he was "not satisfied" with the response of Riyadh over Khashoggi's death.

The president also said a group of US officials are in Saudi Arabia and another group of investigators in Turkey are trying to gather information on this issue. "I am not satisfied with what I've heard," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for an election rally in Texas Monday.
Karnataka is the only South Indian state whose direct tax collection has topped Rs 1 lakh crore IN 2017-18. It is also among the three states which have accounted for a bulk of direct tax collection, the other two being Maharashtra and Delhi.

While Karnataka contributed a total of Rs 1,01,187.54 crore to the direct tax kitty, the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where the degree of development is more, was way behind with Rs 63,583.63 crore. This was followed by Andhra Pradesh which collected Rs 42,236.97 crore, the recently released data by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has revealed.

Kerala collected Rs 17,139.32 crore, while the newly formed state Telangana accounted for a collection of Rs 7,035.54 crore.

Poll-bound Rajasthan, the most populous Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were among major states which registered a decline in direct tax collections at a time when the country as a whole registered an 18% increase in direct tax collection in 2017-18.

Uttar Pradesh registered the biggest decline of 20% in direct tax collections followed by Bihar and Rajasthan which showed a fall of 3-4%. These states had registered an increase in tax collections immediately after demonetisation but returned to the old pattern within a year.

While UP collected Rs 29,309 crore in direct taxes in 2016-17, it came down to Rs 23,515 crore in 2017-18. Rajasthan, which collected Rs 20,182 crore in 2016-17, could garner only Rs 19,201 crore in 2017-18.

Rajasthan had registered a 50% increase in direct tax collection post demonetisation.

The pan-India direct tax collection has registered a growth of 10.02% in 2017-18, which is 18% higher than the same collected in the year of demonetisation in 2016-17.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday announced that the government was considering writing off education loans borrowed by students from the economically-backward families.

Im getting data...I have asked officials to compile information on student loans that are outstanding, Kumaraswamy told reporters.

The idea of waiving student loans came to him during his janata darshan (public meeting) events, he said. Several aged parents met me seeking my help. Theyd taken loans with great difficulty to ensure their children get education. But then, some of the students may not have landed jobs. Keeping in mind these difficulties, Ive sought information on how much loans students have borrowed, he said.

It was reported that the government was considering waiving loans borrowed by SC/ST students. When it was pointed out that several such welfare schemes launched by the previous Congress government focused on some communities, Kumaraswamy was quick to clarify: This government will not differentiate.

According to an estimate by the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), education loan borrowings for 2018-19 could run up to Rs 4,604 crore across commercial banks, grameen banks, cooperative banks and others. In 2017-18, various banks in the state sanctioned education loans to 3,98,94 beneficiaries.

At present, the state government runs the Rajiv Gandhi Loan Scholarship scheme in which the interest on the principal amount is paid by the government during the moratorium period. Students whose annual family income is below Rs 2.5 lakh are eligible under the scheme.

The proposal of writing off student loans comes even as the government is in the process of implementing a massive crop loan waiver amounting to Rs 45,000 crore, which will benefit 44 lakh farmers. Nationalised banks have agreed to come in line with the governments vision for the loan waiver. Starting November 1, the government will release funds to the banks in lieu of the loans that have been waived, Kumaraswamy said.
In a new twist in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed the order of the Pune court that had granted additional time to the Pune police to file the charge sheet against the five arrested activists.

Justice Mridula Bhatkar held "illegal" the Pune court order granting the police an additional 90 days to file the charge sheet and consequently extending the custody of Gadling and others.

While Justice Bhatkar's verdict paves the way for Gadling and other activists to be released on bail, the state government is likely to file an appeal in the Supreme Court in a day or two challenging the high court order.

The Pune police arrested five activists and civil right defenders - lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, Delhi-based activist Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut, and writer-poet Sudhir Dhawale - on June 6.

The police, in the second round, arrested another five activists - P Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira - on August 28.

The police had booked them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), alleging they had links with Maoists.

While all those arrested on June 6 are in a Pune jail, the five arrested on August 28 are under house arrest till October 26 at the directive of the Supreme Court.

On September 2, Additional Sessions Judge K D Vadane of Shivajinagar court had granted additional time to the Pune police to file the charge sheet against the five activists arrested on June 6.

Being a lawyer, Gadling had challenged the sessions court order in the Bombay High Court.

Gadling had told the Bombay High Court that the custody was illegal as the prosecution had failed to follow the due procedure while seeking extension of time for filing the charge sheet against him and others in the case.

The UAPA mandates that the prosecuting agency in a case must file its charge sheet within 90 days from the arrest of a person. But if there is a delay on a valid ground, the public prosecutor in the case is permitted to file a report before the trial court explaining the reasons for the delay, and seek more time.

In this case, however, the extension was granted based on an application and a written submission made by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), and the Investigating Officer (IO) probing the case, respectively.

Quashing the Pune court order, Justice Bhatkar questioned why the lower court had permitted the IO and the ACP to argue independently when the prosecutor was present in court.
Notwithstanding United States' move to re-impose sanctions on Iran, New Delhi and Kabul have agreed to start fully utilizing the sea-land route through Chabahar Port of the West Asian nation to transport cargo between India and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

Senior officials of India, Afghanistan and Iran met in Tehran and held the first meeting of the trilateral coordination council for implementation of the Chabahar Agreement  a pact signed by the three nations in May 2016 to facilitate transit and transport through the port on the south-eastern coast of the West Asian Islamic Republic.

TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, represented the Government of India in the meeting. Kabul and Tehran were represented by respective Deputy Ministers of Transport of the Afghan and Iranian governments.

A press release issued by the MEA in New Delhi stated that the three sides had held a detailed discussion on full operationalisation of the 2016 trilateral agreement for transit and transport through the Chabahar Port. All sides shared the view that full operationalisation of trilateral Chabahar initiative will promote connectivity and economic development of Afghanistan and the region, the MEA stated.

The Chabahar Port is expected to open up greater opportunities for the promotion of trade and commerce from the ports along the western coast of India to Iran, Afghanistan and beyond, bypassing Pakistan, which has been blocking connectivity initiatives between South and Central Asia.

New Delhi has been involved in the development of Chabahar Port with a commitment to invest $ 500 million. The Port and Maritime Organization of Iran earlier this year leased out to India Ports Global Limited a part of Phase 1 of the port (a.k.a. Shahid Beheshti Port) for 18 months.

The recent move by US President Donald Trump's administration to re-impose sanctions on Iran, however, cast a shadow on India's investments in Iran, including that for developing the Chabahar Port.

The US started the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran after the Trump administration announced in May its decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal Tehran inked with the US, four other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Germany and the European Union.

The Trump administration has since been nudging India to cut down crude oil import from Iran by November 4  the day the US will re-impose sanctions on energy exports from the Islamic Republic.

New Delhi has been in discussion with Washington D.C. to seek a waiver from US sanctions, not only for its crude oil import from Iran but also for its investments in Chabahar Port.

While the US took a hard-line approach on the issue of India's oil import from Iran, senior officials of Trump Administration indicated that Washington D.C. might favourably consider New Delhi's plea for waiver for its investment for development of Chabahar Port, as it would establish a sea-land connectivity between Central Asia and South Asia through Afghanistan.

India in October 2017 started exporting wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port.

Islamabad at present allows trucks from Afghanistan to carry goods through Pakistan only up to Wagah (a check-point on the Pakistani side of Pakistan-India border), and not up to Attari (a check-point on the Indian side of the India-Pakistan border). The goods have to be unloaded from trucks coming from Afghanistan in Wagah and loaded again on other vehicles to be brought to Attari and finally into India. The Afghan trucks then return empty to Afghanistan, as they are not allowed to carry goods from India.

Islamabad has repeatedly rejected calls by New Delhi and Kabul to allow hassle-free two-way trade between Afghanistan and India through Pakistan.
Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs John Bolton arrived to Azerbaijan. In Baku he was welcomed by the republics Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Underlining that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the relations with the U.S., Mammadyarov stressed that Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the U.S. in several fields, particularly as part of the fight against terrorism.

The Azerbaijani diplomat thanked the U.S. Government for its support to the projects implemented by the initiative of Azerbaijan.

Highlighting the necessity of further developing cooperation relations in different spheres between the two countries, Trump's advider said that the U.S.-Azerbaijani relations are of the strategic importance, Trend reported with reference to the republic's foreign ministry.

Bolton also reiterated that the contribution of Azerbaijan to the operations in Afghanistan as part of the fight against terrorism is highly appreciated.
Opposition members in a Parliamentary Committee on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the government on issues related to the controversial citizenship bill and opposed the alleged bid of "hasty" finalisation of the report.

As a result, representatives of the ministries of Home, External Affairs and Law, who appeared before the joint committee on the bill to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, were told to come out with detailed written responses within a week.

Due to differences in the panel on various provisions related to the bill, the committee has not been able to finalise its report even after having taken six extensions so far. The panel has met a dozen times over the bill since it was set up in August 2016.

Members from the Congress and the Left objected the "hasty" manner in which the report was sought to be finalised, while BJP members batted for its quick finalisation, aruging the bill is pending before the committee for two years.

The panel is examining the contentious bill seeking to amend the six-decade-old Citizenship Act, a measure which has raised heckles in Assam and other Northeastern states. As many as 46 organisations called a 12-hour bandh in Assam on Tuesday to protest against the Centre's bid to pass the proposed legislation in the forthcoming Session of Parliament.

The issue of citizenship has been central to the BJP's campaign, and within two years of the Modi government coming to power, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955.

Primarily, the amendment bill seeks to grant citizenship to people from minority communities  Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians  from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12, even if they don't possess any proper document.

Various organisations in the Northeast have opposed the bill saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.

The Meghalaya and Mizoram governments have strongly opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill and adopted resolutions against it.

The Parliamentary panel is striving to table its report in the Winter Session of Parliament in December, which is the second last session of this term of the Lok Sabha.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that whenever the country faces any crisis or any controversy comes up, Rahul leaves for his maternal home in Italy.

Addressing a public rally after the filing of nomination papers by six candidates standing from constituencies in the Rajnandgaon district, Adityanath said Rahul does not remember his country or Chhattisgarh.

"But when we (BJP) face any such crisis, we will go to Chhattisgarh, as it is the maternal home of Lord Ram. It provides spirituality and peace as a massive temple for Ram has come up in Raipur," he said.

Talking about Jawaharlal Nehru, he said, "Once Nehru had said that he is an accidental Hindu, but his fourth generation is going to temple on a regular basis."

Talking about the Ram Temple issue, he said, "The Congress has made all efforts, even approaching the Supreme Court, to ensure the issue is not decided before 2019. The Congress has always stood against it and did not want to find a solution. It had divided the country in name of caste, religion and language, with its appeasement policy. It has only divided the society, resulting in terrorism, anarchy and the other ills the country now faces."

He said the people of Chhattisgarh have a greater responsibility towards Lord Ram as it is his maternal state.

The Congress sat on the National Citizen Register (NCR), but it was the BJP that ensured that it is implemented, Adityanath said, while also criticising the Congress for the crisis on the International Border and said it was the Modi government that made a move with respect to the Dokhlam stand-off.

The BJP, under the leadership of Raman Singh, has been in power for three terms thanks to the support of the people, he said, seeking their blessings for a fourth term.

Adityanath claimed the state became the first in the country to provide food security to all, livelihood guarantee and open schools in tribal areas, among its other projects, which placed the BIMARU state on path of development.

He said after becoming the chief minister, he asked his team to visit Chhattisgarh to study its procurement model, which he said Uttar Pradesh is following now.

Adityanath urged his party workers to not consider the enemy weak and to not stop till the fort is won. Till then, don't stop even for a second, he urged.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy directed officials of the Energy Department not to effect load shedding in the state.

According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Kumaraswamy has asked the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) to ensure that there are no power shutdowns, despite the prevailing coal crisis.

As the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) is hit by acute coal shortage, the chief minister ordered power supply through solar and hydel sources.
If you are a worker and you get sick, you shouldnt have to come to work due to a lack of pay or loss of sick days. This should be an even a higher priority for workers that handle food.

During ongoing contract negotiations between the cafeteria workers of the Wallingford/Swarthmore School District and Nutrition Inc., the outsourced provider for food service operations for the district, Nutrition Inc. has proposed lumping sick time and personal time into Paid Time Off days or PTO. This is a common practice, but whats uncommon is the corporations desire to cut these days from nine days over the course of a 10-month school year to three.

Think about it. Over the course of a 180-day school year, these workers, who have the primary responsibility to handle and prepare the food eaten by hundreds of students each day of the school year, may be forced to come to work when they are sick because of this harsh proposal by Nutrition Inc. As negotiations continue, Nutrition Inc. must seriously consider what they are asking of the workforce.

Working in a school building where kids are routinely sick with a cold or something worse creates an even greater risk for food service workers. It seems like a no brainer to give workers the sick leave they need so that they are healthy when preparing food for kids at school.

If that isnt enough of an issue, Nutrition Inc. has cut the hours of the food service departments cleaner to save a few dollars. This leaves no one to handle cleaning the floors and sanitary spaces in the kitchens. Everyone supports working more efficiently and saving dollars when possible, but cutting a cleaners hours so that no one is there to do basic cleaning work after serving hundreds of kids is simply unacceptable.

The negotiations are ongoing, and Nutrition Inc. has been working with the union in many ways. We are making progress, but when it comes to sending food service staff to work when they are sick, Nutrition Inc. must recognize that whats best for students, staff and these workers is to rest up and come back to work heathy.

If this issue upsets you, then we ask that you come to the Monday, November 12 school board meeting and let local officials know that we need clean and sanitary conditions when preparing lunches for our kids at school. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Strathaven Middle School Library.
To the Times:

My husband and I and our two children were among the many families doing their usual Saturday afternoon shopping at the Target at Springfield Mall this past weekend, and we were among those families, many with small children like ours, fleeing the building for our cars when we were alerted to the possibility of an active shooter on the premises. We narrowly missed walking past the shooting as we entered the building a few moments beforehand.

We were lucky. Not so the roughly 100 Americans who are victims of gun violence on a daily basis.

I am terrified of raising my children in a society where it feels events such as these are becoming normalized. And I am deeply saddened that my kids sense of safety in places like shopping malls and schools is being threatened in this way.

I have to believe, regardless of what it seems the NRA would like us to, that the majority of law-abiding gun owners do not object to commonsense gun regulation. Not to mention the majority of Americans, period. I am determined to hold my legislators accountable to represent and protect my family, not the interests of the NRA.

When I head to the polls in less than two weeks, no politician who is not committed to getting this done will be getting my vote.
Turkey's defense minister Hulusi Akar said that the country stands for preserving Syrias territorial integrity.

Speaking at Anadolu Agencys Editors Desk, Akar noted that the country will not allow any new 'state' to be established near its borders." He stressed that Turkey will never allow a terror corridor to be established in its south.

According to the minister, the parties that support the terrorists have already realized that Turkey wont make concessions in the fight against terrorists.

Akar noted that for Turkey there is no difference between the PYD/YPG militants and other terrorists. "Turkey has repeatedly proved its determination in the fight against terrorism, Turkish media cited him as saying.
DENVER  With the release today of the Denver Opportunity Index by the Department of Public Safety, Mayor Michael B. Hancocks Equity Platform to take an even stronger role in connecting people to opportunity is expanding into addressing the safety needs of residents and neighborhoods in a more progressive, thoughtful and supportive way.

Many of the neighborhoods that will be a focus of this new approach are the very neighborhoods I grew up in and saw first-hand the effects these social factors had on my familys and our communitys feeling of safety. We can change those outcomes for our families living there today, Mayor Hancock said. We create stronger neighborhoods when our residents trust the people serving them, and that trust is enhanced when our public safety officials take an equity-focused approach to public safety.

The Opportunity Index is a data-driven initiative focused on identifying opportunities using collaboration to address social factors that will help improve residents quality of life, thereby enhancing safety for everyone in Denver. Connecting safety interactions with community-based data will allows safety officials to look at the social factors that may be contributing to crime, as well as creating a more robust conversation about what the needs of residents are and how we address them before they escalate. Public Safety executive director Troy Riggs, in a presentation to city and community leaders, outlined the common themes that have been identified in census tract data and broken into three categories: financial security, health and people left behind.

Said Riggs, We know theres a lot of great work going on in Denver and we want to partner with community organizations to make a meaningful connection between the person in crisis and the appropriate level of support, which oftentimes is not public safety.

Several aspects of Mayor Hancocks Equity Platform, announced during his 2018 State of the City address, have moved forward in recent weeks.

Mayor Hancock and the city, in partnership with City Council members Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega, initiated a new demonstration workforce program for one of Denvers forthcoming public projects, the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center. This demonstration workforce program will help increase outreach, pre-apprenticeship training, job opportunities and employment of local residents. It will also address shortages in qualified construction workers by increasing the number of apprentices being trained on the job. This program will leverage the citys participation in the WORKNOW platform, presented by the Colorado Resource (CORE) Partners alliance and seeks to integrate construction industry job training with community resources.

Earlier this month, The Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) hired Colorado State Senator Irene Aguilar, M.D., as the director of Denvers Neighborhood Equity and Stabilization Team (NEST). NEST is an impact team designed to better support residents and businesses facing significant changes to their neighborhoods. The team will deploy resources specifically tailored to neighborhoods at risk of displacement as new public and private investment comes in, as well as work to ensure that residents benefit from Denvers prosperity and success.
Americans can rightly assume religiosity is on the decline in the U.S., but supposing the same trend holds for the rest of the world is a fallacy. Answering the challenges of civic engagement, social cohesion and governance in the 21st century will require a clear perspective on the reality of growing religious affiliation around the world both today and in the years ahead.

Most Americans could point to plenty of people they personally know who have left the faith traditions of their families, and they arent wrong  religious observance is, to an extent, waning in the U.S. The portion of the population that identifies as unaffiliated with religion is growing slowly but steadily, projected to rise from 16 percent in 2010 to 26 percent in 2050, according to the Pew Research Center. The choice to leave the faith is mirrored in other developed countries. A mere 2 percent of young adults in the United Kingdom now identify with the Church of England, reports The Guardian.

But to believe this trend applies to the global population takes a particularly myopic view of the world. It also overstates the demographic significance of Americans around the globe. Countries with the largest unaffiliated population also face low fertility rates and an aging population  meaning that in total, the religiously unaffiliated will become a smaller percentage of the global population in a few decades.

What are the implications? Within 40 years, the share of the global population that is Muslim will grow dramatically, based on high fertility rates for Muslim women. Christianity will grow significantly as well, particularly in the global south. The majority of these people, however, will live in places that place constraints on religious freedom.

More than three-quarters of the worlds population, or roughly 5.5 billion people, live in countries with high or very high restrictions on their freedom of religion or belief, according to Pew. Most of these populations live under illiberal governments, without freedom of religion enshrined in any form of a constitution or primary governing document.

Recently, more than 900,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Burma after facing acute religious discrimination by the Buddhist majority; Russia and Nepal have made evangelism illegal within their borders; Hindu nationalism is on the rise, resulting in social discrimination against minority groups in India, and members of the Bahai faith in Iran are barred from access to higher education.

This is fundamentally counter to basic human rights, and it illuminates the danger in assuming the world is becoming less religious. In reality, the world is becoming both more religious and less free  two things that, when combined, can result in disastrous discrimination and violence.

Liberal democracy makes freedom of religion possible in the first place, making it incumbent on those nations that do enjoy such governance, even if their own religiosity is falling, to engage thoughtfully with these statistics and allow them to shape how they advocate for religious liberty around the world. The world is stronger, richer and safer when religious plurality thrives.
SALT LAKE CITY  A little over a year ago, Chad, Josh, Zach and TJ England, the four brothers who run the Utah trucking company their great-grandfather C.R. England started way back in 1920, got together in a room to brainstorm.

Their topic: giving back better.

For years, like a lot of successful companies, C.R. England  which grew from one truck in 1920 to nearly 5,000 in 2018, becoming the largest refrigerated carrier in the United States in the process  had shared a portion of its success with a variety of causes, writing out checks to this charity and that.

But they felt, as Josh England says, like we were an inch deep and a mile wide.

Instead of a lot of little differences, they wanted to make one big difference.

As the brothers batted around ideas, each one articulated his pet cause.

Come to find out, they all had the same one:

Feeding hungry kids.

  

It dated back to when they were kids themselves, to a time when their father, Dan, and his brothers Dean, Todd and Corey were running the company and they began volunteering alongside other C.R. England employees at the Utah Food Bank, sorting donations, delivering food boxes, seeing firsthand the enormous amount of food that goes into the bank  and goes out  every single day.

Thirteen million children go hungry on a regular basis in America, 1 out of every 6.

The brothers England knew this, and they knew they had their big deal. Now they needed to implement it.

Their game plan was this: Every time one of their trucks delivered a load they would feed a child a meal.

They called it the One Initiative: One load = one meal.

They contacted food banks across the country to ensure that every dollar they sent would be earmarked 100 percent to feed kids.

Then they empowered their truck drivers to designate which of the food banks  20 of them in the United States and one in Mexico  would get the meal after theyd delivered their load.

What are we talking here? Well, C.R. England trucks deliver on average some 3,000 loads a day. That works out to two loads landing on a dock somewhere in North America every minute.

So thats one hungry kid fed every 30 seconds.

  

On Jan. 1, C.R. Englands trucks began to roll out the campaign. Each truck received a One: One Load Feeds One Child logo emblazened on the cab behind the driver's side door and the passenger side door. Two new trucks had the logo painted on the side of the trailer: bright red rolling billboards crisscrossing America.

The goal for 2018: 1 million meals for hungry kids.

They set up a scoreboard on their website: crengland.com. There, a display in the form of a dashboard odometer keeps up-to-the-second track of how many loads and how many meals.

By June theyd passed the half-million threshold.

Then, like a fire feeding on itself, the pace picked up.

On Sunday, they rolled past the 1 million mark, more than two months ahead of schedule.

To celebrate, and to drum up even more support, the company is throwing a "Million to One" party for its employees and guests this Saturday at  where else?  the Utah Food Bank (3150 S. 900 West in Salt Lake City). There will be a 5K fun run, breakfast, crafts, games and food bank volunteer slots available at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Josh, Zach and TJ  the companys fourth generation caretakers  will be on hand, as will their father Dan and his brothers, Dean and Todd England, from generation three. Representing the second generation and leading the parade will be Gene England, who will turn 99 this week and is going strong as ever.

Gene was just two years old when his father, Chester Rodney C.R. England, started hauling produce in his Model T truck from his home in the farming community of Plain City near Ogden. After World War II, Gene and his brother Bill returned from the war to help their dad turn a one-truck operation into the 25th largest trucking firm in North America. In 2018 C.R. Englands 5,000 trucks will deliver some twenty billion pounds of food.

And more than one million kids meals.

Correction: A pervious version stated Saturday's "Million to One" party at the Utah Food Bank is open to the public. It is only open to C.R. England employees and invited guests.
WASHINGTON  The Afghan war  really, the war against terrorists and their allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan  has elements of a Greek tragedy. It was unavoidable, but seemingly unwinnable.

Following the murder of nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida's gracious hosts, the Taliban, could not be allowed to remain in power. But in parts of Afghanistan, every valley is its own kingdom, ruled by tribal leaders who are loyal to the most likely winner. And the winner, it seems, may be determined more by patience than by firepower.

I recall the very start of the war in early October 2001. Sitting at the president's desk in his cabin at Camp David. Trying to focus on writing the announcement of military operations. President George W. Bush near me on the phone, giving military commands and informing congressional leaders of imminent hostilities. At one point, Bush put his hand over the receiver and asked me, "Are you cleared for any of this?" I replied that I didn't think so. "You are now," he said.

The speech Bush delivered from the Treaty Room warned of the long-term nature of our commitment. The war would be won by "the patient accumulation of successes." Bush asked for "patience in all the sacrifices that may come." But at the time, it was unimaginable  at least in my limited, strategic imagination  that the war would continue nearly two decades later.

After a brief, brilliant campaign that toppled the Taliban, there were a series of complications across the terms of three presidents. The diversion of attention and resources to Iraq. The inability to manage President Musharraf's pointless feuds, which undermined military pressure on the Taliban. An Afghan surge at first tried by President Obama on the cheap, then tied to an arbitrary withdrawal timeline. The consistently destructive role of Pakistan.

These are the conditions (among others) that recently led Thomas Joscelyn to conclude in the Weekly Standard, "America has lost the war in Afghanistan."

Yet every president, including Donald Trump, has been presented with the same strategic reality: The return of Afghanistan to the conditions on Sept. 10, 2001  in which the country was a jihadist bed and breakfast  would be a massive defeat for America and directly endanger its people. And a serious attack (say, using chemical or biological weapons) originating from a group protected by the Taliban or others would likely bring American troops back to the region anyway.

As Hal Brands and Peter Feaver have described it, America has tried "a heavy-footprint counterinsurgency strategy meant to decisively defeat terrorist groups while enabling the creation of effective government institutions  in other words, nation-building." It has also tried "a very-light-footprint approach, relying on drone strikes and the occasional special operations raids." But circumstances in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have led America toward "a medium-footprint strategy" in which several thousand U.S. troops help to destroy terrorist safe havens and work to strengthen local partners, without the duties and risks of full-scale occupation.

Brands and Feaver count up the advantages of this approach. It allows the U.S. military to employ capabilities such as special-forces operations and air power, without diverting many resources from opposing great power threats. This strategy is relatively affordable (at least in dollars). And it has been effective against al-Qaida and ISIS.

But these scholars identify a large challenge: "A medium-footprint strategy requires accepting that the war on terror will indeed go on without a clear end in sight."

There is an unavoidable logic to a medium-footprint approach. Terrorist safe havens can't be left in peace for jihadists to prepare and increase their technical sophistication. But striking from afar with drones and planes (as we've seen) is not enough to destroy these havens. American troops are needed on the ground to gather intelligence, provide reconnaissance and embed with local partners. And these troops, in turn, must be adequately protected.

But will Americans accept  will President Trump accept  what amounts to a limited but indefinite, forward military presence in the Middle East to pre-empt emerging threats? Will Americans conclude that the resulting military casualties are worth it to prevent potential terrorist murders of civilians?

This would require people to view commitments like the one in Afghanistan in a different light  not as a war that will eventually end, but as the furthest outposts of homeland defense. And as the terrible price of security in a hostile world.
SALT LAKE CITY  Despite being charged with three misdemeanors, a judge has ordered a man still under investigation in the death of Sandy woman to remain behind bars without bail.

Cody Young, 42, was arrested Oct. 13 after the body of Jan Pearson-Jenkins, 64, was found on a sagebrush hillside about a mile from where the two of them are believed to have gone camping early this month in the Silver City area of Juab County.

He was charged Monday in 4th District Court with possession or use of a controlled substance and unlawful purchase or transfer of a dangerous weapon, class A misdemeanors. He was also charged with use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.

In order to keep Young in jail that long from the time he was arrested to the time charges were filed, prosecutors had to request an extension from the court.

According to the motion for their extension, filed Oct. 16 but only recently made public, an autopsy on Pearson-Jenkins was performed on Oct. 15.

"There are microscopic reviews and toxicology that still need to be conducted which will have bearing on the charges ultimately filed in this matter," the motion states.

Furthermore, "a number of electronic devices" were recovered from a vehicle, presumed to be the van Young was living in when he was arrested, according to court documents. Prosecutors say they are waiting for warrants to be completed to search those devices that "may also have a bearing on the charges ultimately filed in this matter."

Deputies booked Young into the Juab County Jail for investigation of murder. As for whether Young could later be charged with murder, court documents indicate the charge "is highly fact sensitive and dependent upon the evidence from the medical examiner and the warrant searches of electronic devices."

Young's next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 6.
SALT LAKE CITY  Mitt Romney, hot-button citizens initiatives and leftover emotions from the 2016 presidential race are setting up to help haul Utah out of the voter participation basement in the upcoming midterm, according to observers.

And Utah Democrats are adding new voters at a rate outpacing their GOP counterparts by almost 3-1, when measured as a percentage of growth.

Morgan Lyon Cotti, Hinckley Institute of Politics associate director, said current ballot items and lingering emotions that track back to the 2016 election are combining to incentivize Utah voters.

"Not only do we have a very full ballot with competitive races and propositions, there is also a greater civic engagement and excitement about politics happening in Utah," Cotti said. "The 2016 election took a lot of people by surprise and this cycle ... people who opposed President Trump in 2016 are deciding they need to be more engaged and people excited by Trump are anxious to continue to support him."

Cotti noted Romney, the GOP candidate for outgoing Sen. Orrin Hatch's open U.S. Senate seat, has been wooing, and winning, Utah voters going back to his 2008 primary victory in the state, where he captured almost 90 percent of the Republican vote. The Romney factor, combined with ballot items that address medical marijuana, Medicaid expansion and redistricting issues, as well as a very close 4th Congressional District race are all, Cotti said, upping the enthusiasm ante for this midterm.

Congressional elections  when a president isn't on the ballot  typically bring dismal voter turnouts of around 40 percent of registered Utah voters, state figures show. Those historical performance numbers, however, seem set to be turned around in dramatic fashion, if voter registration rates are any indication.

Utah Election Director Justin Lee said a snapshot of voter registration volumes over the past month or so, compared to the same time period in the 2014 midterms, show a jump approaching 1,000 percent.

"We ran some numbers ... and in the last month, or a little over, and have seen almost 24,000 new voters registered," Lee said. "That compares to about 2,700 in the same time frame in 2014."

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said she has been preparing for a vibrant midterm turnout and believes this cycle could see record voter participation in Salt Lake County.

"We're seeing an extraordinary volume of new registrations," Swensen said. "There is clearly a high level of enthusiasm ... and we're staffing and preparing for a 70 percent turnout."

While overall voter registration numbers are up by around 87,000 voters, or approximately 5.7 percent over this time in 2016, Utah Democrats appear to be making greater gains than the state's Republican Party in terms of adding new voters.

A comparison of state voter registration data from this cycle versus the same time in 2016 reflects the Democratic Party has built its affiliated voter rolls by almost 15 percent while state Republicans have added about 5.6 percent. Overall numbers, which include both active and inactive voters, still show wide margins in favor of the Utah GOP with 756,136 party affiliates as of Oct. 22 versus 716,181 voters registered with the party as of Oct. 24, 2016. Dems were sitting at 200,881 party registrants on Oct. 22 compared with 174,710 on Oct. 24, 2016. Unaffiliated voter numbers have dropped since 2016, with 610,041 down to 606,203 as of earlier this week.

According to data compiled by the nonprofit United States Election Project, Utah will have about 2,081,767 eligible voters in 2018, a number compiled using U.S. Census Bureau data that accounts for all Utah residents who are of eligible voting age, then backing out the 6.9 percent of residents who are noncitizens and the 6,628 men and women currently incarcerated in the Utah state prison system.

A 2017 Utah Foundation report on voter issues in the state noted Utah was 39th in the country for voter participation. That rate, according to the report, has been trending downward since the 1970s, when the state was among the nation's leaders in percentage of voters engaging with the election process.
PROVO  A 19-year-old Spanish Fork man admitted Tuesday to filming a teenage girl's suicide in Payson Canyon last year after buying rope, tying the noose and speaking to her as she and passed out and died.

"I feel like I did murder her," Tyerell Przybycien told officers after the death of his former classmate, 16-year-old Jchandra Brown, according to a statement read aloud in court.

"That's what it is. Because I helped her so much. That was my plan."

In accepting a plea deal, Przybycien, who was 18 at the time of his friend's death, evaded a murder conviction.

He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, in the death of Brown, a spunky champion cheerleader who disliked following the rules but loved Batman and her younger nephews.

The guilty plea carries a potential maximum sentence of five years to life in prison. It spares the risk that defense attorneys would poke holes in the state's case at trial and also brings closure to the girl's family sooner, said deputy Utah County attorney Chad Grunander.

"We feel very good about this conclusion," he said.

A murder conviction could have brought a potential sentence of 15 years to life.

Grunander noted that the Utah Legislature added assisted suicide to its manslaughter statute earlier this year, but no such option was available to prosecutors when they charged Przybycien a year earlier.

Sue Bryan, Jchandra's mother, said she trusts the court system and prosecutors, but life without her daughter does not get any easier as time passes.

"It really doesn't make a difference, because nothing's changed," she said, surrounded by other family members and friends of her daughter. "I cannot bring Jchandra back."

Bryan wore a hair clip with a bright blue flower that belonged to her daughter, who had dyed her own hair a similar, vibrant color before her death.

On Tuesday, less than two months before his murder trial was set to begin, Przybycien admitted he did not try to help save the girl's life. A suicide note referenced a recording on a phone in which "he can be heard saying her body should be depleted of oxygen. He was standing just a few feet away while filming her death," according to court documents.

He had picked up the girl from work on May 5, driving her to the spot near Maple Lake where she drew her last breath. He was arrested after a turkey hunter came across Brown's body the following day. Among the items found at her feet was a rope, a receipt for its purchase with Pryzbycien's name, the handwritten note and a can of industrial strength air duster.

A shackled Przybycien sat quietly during the hearing, wearing a blue jail jumpsuit, a mullet and glasses with thick, white frames.

"Yes," he replied, after the judge asked him whether a page-long series of facts in a statement read out loud by Grunander were correct.

The statement referenced letters he sent to friends after the girl's death about getting a tattoo of a noose on his arm and writing, "I have changed the world," after reading an article about a rise in youth suicides.

Przybycien also wrote to his friends that he believed the prosecution's best case against him would be what he called a "child murder theory" based on his interviews and the evidence. "In it, all he has to do is prove I knew what I was doing, or had knowledge of obtaining the desire result," he wrote.

Prosecutors emphasized Tuesday that investigators recovered messages he sent to friends before Brown's death, saying he was going to help a friend kill herself and that it would be "like getting away with murder."

The state has maintained that even though Brown was seeking to take her own life, Przybycien was also responsible because he made sure the rope was taut and tied the noose, drove her to an isolated campground in Payson Canyon and built a pedestal.

Defense attorneys have countered that Brown was knowingly responsible for her own death and that his actions don't add up to murder. Outside the courtroom, his lawyer, Greg Stewart, and members of his family declined comment.

In exchange for the guilty plea, a charge of desecration of a human body, a class B misdemeanor, was dropped. Several counts in two other criminal cases against him also were dismissed.

They include two charges of witness tampering, a third-degree felony, after prosecutors said he wrote a letter to a friend who testified during a hearing last year, urging him and others not to speak with investigators.

Przybycien also admitted that police who served a warrant on his phone in Brown's death found a picture of a nude girl under the age of 18. He pleaded guilty to a reduced count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony. In exchange, four other counts of sexually exploiting a minor, a second-degree felony, were dismissed.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 7.

Anyone experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide can reach a crisis worker 24/7 at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute by calling their hotline at 801-587-3000 or using the SafeUT app.
SALT LAKE CITY  A spate of officer-involved fatal shootings on the Wasatch Front the past two weeks has rekindled discussions about police use of deadly force.

The deadly encounters have occurred even as Utah law enforcement has emphasized de-escalation training and preservation of life and stress management in life-threatening situations. But one former police chief says new officers are well-trained on how to shoot, but sorely lack training on when to shoot.

Police say they're seeing increased violence in the streets, and people less wiling to obey officers' commands and more willing to challenge authority. They say officers encounter more people who struggle with drugs and mental health issues. Unheard of two decades ago, so-called "suicide by cop" attempts have become fairly common.

"My wife's like, 'Man, it feels like there's lot of bad stuff happening in our state right now,'" said Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry, a longtime Utah Highway Patrol lieutenant.

The killing Monday of a man who investigators say was holding a knife to his mother's throat was the sixth police shooting in Utah in two weeks, and the third involving a Unified police officer in five days. West Jordan, Orem and Tooele police were involved in the others. Men were killed in five of the six shootings, Tooele being the exception.

Four of the six incidents involved a family dispute or domestic violence incident to which police were called. A man held a knife, or threatened others or police with a knife in four of the cases. In the Tooele case, the man pointed a gun at police, while police recovered a gun from a car in another case.

An outside agency will review each of the fatal shootings to determine if the officers were justified under state law in using deadly force.

Though at least one veteran police chief couldn't recall a yearlong stretch with more police shootings, he cautions against lumping together what has happened the past two weeks or saying the state's law enforcers are out of control. Each situation has a unique set of circumstances.

"I'm comfortable that this is not a law enforcement-created trend," said Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross, who heads the Utah Chiefs of Police Association.

Police agencies, he said, have focused on diffusing potentially deadly confrontations and have made efforts to connect with and better understand residents in the communities they patrol.

Police would rather talk through a situation for hours than pull their gun, Perry said.

"I dont know any officer that is trigger happy," he said.

A string of officer-involved fatal shootings in Utah and around the country in 2015 prompted Utah lawmakers to study police tactics and training.

Spencer Austin, Utah's chief deputy attorney general who heads the criminal division, wrote an analysis of the use of deadly force for the Utah Legislature at that time. He found better training and greater accountability were two factors authorities consistently cited in reducing police use of force.

The Legislature subsequently empowered the attorney general to create a training center and provide resources for police. Under the law, the attorney general provides statewide training and information on investigating use of force, tactical disengagement, sanctity and preservation of life, and stress management.

The curriculum includes live-action scenarios in a state-of-the-art simulator along with education on how to interact with people, including minorities, refugees and non-English speakers and those with disabilities or mental health challenges.

Attorney General Sean Reyes said last year the hope is that the training would "drastically lessen" the chances of residents or officers being lost to violent interactions.

Perry called the simulator an "incredible" training tool.

"But even with that, you cant control what the public is going to do," he said "When you get in real life, things can change."

Bob Wadman, a former police chief in four U.S. cities including Orem, said the emphasis on de-escalation and community-oriented policing are steps in the right direction but insufficient.

New officers, he said, enter the police force knowing how to shoot a gun but not when to pull the trigger. They also lack life experience among the different cultures and environments on the street, Wadman said.

Beauticians, he said, undergo more training than police officers. New officers are typically assigned to weekend night shifts in the worst neighborhoods with the least experienced supervisors, he said.

"Then we act surprised when things don't go well," said Wadman, a retired Weber State University criminal justice professor.

It takes uniformed, street-level officers three to four years to become skilled in their jobs, he said.

Perry, chairman of the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, is looking at a new Texas law aimed at reducing police killings.

The state now requires high school students to watch a video on how to deal appropriately with police at traffic stops. He said he doesn't want to make it mandatory in Utah, but maybe a video could be available online or be part of the driver education program.

"We've seen a lot of change in demeanor, more so across the nation than in Utah. But even in Utah, we have people who just won't comply. We try and pull them over and they take off," said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera. "They see no point in respecting law enforcement, and it's tough."

Several recent incidents have involved a man holding a knife to a person's neck and refusing to put it down when police ordered them to do so.

"I know people say, 'Well, it was just a knife.' Well, just a knife can kill people," Rivera said, citing a case where a man stabbed his grandmother to death and was threatening his stepgrandfather before police shot and killed him.

It doesn't take many seconds for someone with a knife to get to an officer, she said

Emotionally charged domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous situations police officers face "because it's the unknown. You don't know how far that person has gone, and it happens so quickly."

Rivera said family disputes involving weapons aren't handled differently than other potentially violent confrontation.

"They're all treated the same, really. You have to look at what level of force you're using and are you justified in using that," she said.

Robert Whittle, the father of the man police killed Monday while he held a knife to his mother's throat, questioned why police didn't use a stun gun.

Officers are trained to use the lowest level of force and upgrade it based on the person's actions, Rivera said. Sometimes Tasers or pepper balls fail to subdue a person.

Ross said no officer wants to live with having taken a life.

"I cringe whenever I see these stories (of officer-involved shootings) because I know a family somewhere is now suffering and I know that an officer or officers are suffering, too," he said. "There's no just easy way to revolve that, and it could have a lifelong effect on people."
SALT LAKE CITY  The violent on-campus shooting death of a University of Utah senior Monday night likely has some parents wondering whether their college students are safe on campus. And it has fanned interest in campus safety efforts nationwide.

Lauren McCluskey, 21, died after being shot by a man she had recently dated. He took his own life a few hours later.

The Deseret News asked experts nationwide to talk about how universities and colleges are improving safety, as well as what challenges exist and how parents and students can help. It did not ask the experts to comment directly on McCluskey's death, as that investigation is still unfolding.

Experts say safety is one of the biggest challenges facing colleges  and they've responded for years by ramping up safety efforts, increasing both the scope of services and the way they deliver them.

Campuses have responded to violence and other safety events with everything from technology tools and more staffing to programs that enhance students skills, like self-defense training. Students are often even taught how to safely intervene as bystanders.

"I think it's fair to say colleges and universities, not just their police departments and public safety agencies, are continually looking for ways to prevent crime, especially violent crime against students, faculty and staff," says Jeff Allison, director of government and external relations for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.

Schools learn from each other's bad experiences, he says.

Allison says government statistics and studies all suggest that young adults going to college are generally safer than peers who are not enrolled. And campus-related crime has been decreasing for years overall, though some types of crime have proven more intractable than others.

Sexual assaults have not decreased much, if at all, according to Department of Education data. Alcohol and drug abuse remain major problems  and violence and substance abuse are often related, with substance consumption fueling violence. Alcohol is also the No. 1 way students place themselves at risk, according to Allison.

Dating violence, domestic violence and stalking continue to vex prevention efforts for those crimes.

"We are really just now starting to get a handle on the scope of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in colleges," says S. Daniel Carter, president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, which consults on campus safety issues. "Nationally, we don't have that much comparable data, but we know dating violence is a significant issue for college students across the country."

We are really just now starting to get a handle on the scope of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in colleges.  S. Daniel Carter, president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses

According to federal guidelines, dating violence is violence by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature. Domestic violence involves people who live or have lived together. Those are among the more complex safety problems that colleges try to prevent each year.

"Our No. 1 priority for campus safety is that of human life," says Jeff Graviet, director of Emergency Management Services at the University of Utah. "The question is, how do we arm students with as much capability as we can  knowledge, tools and protection  to be able to deal with that?"

That's a question thousands of higher education institutions ponder every day. So do parents and students.

A look at campus crime

In 2016, burglaries were far and away the biggest crime on college campuses. But the Department of Education had reports of nearly 6,700 forcible rapes on campuses, 4,000 aggravated assaults, 3,600 cases of "fondling," 70 statutory rapes and 41 murders, as well as a handful of negligent manslaughter cases.

Carter says the goal is to prevent any bad situation before it escalates, including with dating or domestic violence and other abuse.

Colleges must offer accommodation when possible if a student feels threatened, even if the other party is not affiliated with the school, he says. For example, if the student lives in campus housing, the college could allow an apartment change, assuming another apartment is available. Classes might be changed, or on-campus work assignments.

Campuses have been explicit in trying to make sure students, faculty and staff know what they're dealing with, according to Abigail Boyer, interim executive director of The Clery Center. The center, a campus safety nonprofit, was founded by family and others after Jeanne Clery, 19, was raped and murdered in her college dormitory in 1986. Congress also named the law mandating crime reporting requirements at U.S. colleges and universities after her.

Among the safety questions schools and individuals consider are "Have you identified what an abusive relationship looks like? And are we prepared to intervene?" Boyer says.

Have you identified what an abusive relationship looks like? And are we prepared to intervene?  Abigail Boyer, interim executive director of The Clery Center

Institutions must have a response and specific policies in place to deal with such situations, she notes.

When it comes to campus crimes, sexual assault numbers have been devastating. Carter says as many as 1 in 4 or 5 students will be a victim of sexual assault in their undergrad years, though the crime may not occur on campus. Those numbers have been relatively intractable, he adds. But it varies greatly from school to school  from half of students at one outlier school to 1 in 8 at another outlier on the other side, he says. "Most were in the middle and due to the confidentiality of the study, we don't know which schools are the outliers."

Sexual assault data is also tricky: Some studies suggest college campuses are seeing a decrease, while others disagree, according to Allison.

On the other hand, parents and students who look at a school's safety and crime reports are cautioned to remember that high numbers may not mean a school has more crime than schools with lower numbers. That school may just be much better at collecting data or may have an environment that makes students feel safe reporting crime, says Boyer.

Murders on campus are definitely more rare than other crimes, Carter says.

Data the Deseret News found was not consistent, putting the numbers between about 20 and 45 a year total in the United States, across 6,000 institutions and their sometimes-multiple campuses.

Prevention is the top goal

Colleges are deploying many tools to boost campus security.

The U. has created an emergency response guidebook that's available in hard copy and a related digital app version. It's not meant to be a resource during the emergency, says Graviet, but before danger arises, so the individual knows what to do. It contains, for instance, guidance on what to do during an active shooter event or a weather emergency or if one encounters a suspicious package.

They also have direct-line emergency phones in parking lots on campus that go straight to campus police. Many American colleges and universities employ similar guides and tools.

Colleges nationwide each have campus alert systems that send texts, phone and email alerts to students, parents, faculty, staff and others. Monday night's alert from the U. warned its 55,000-member community of an active shooter and told recipients on campus to shelter in place. Shortly after, it provided be-on-the-lookout information about the suspect. The alert updated periodically and eventually told recipients when the campus was considered secure so people could again move around.

Campuses, in fact, "are powerful" compared to a city of comparable size in terms of warning its people about danger, Graviet says. "We are extremely powerful in terms of communicating, protecting and training. I believe that some of the safest places in our country are campuses. That doesn't mean it's perfectly safe, because it's an open campus. If someone wants to do harm, it's pretty hard to know that in advance."

I believe that some of the safest places in our country are campuses. That doesn't mean it's perfectly safe, because it's an open campus.  Jeff Graviet, director of Emergency Management Services at the University of Utah

Nevertheless, colleges everywhere are trying, these experts agree. And the federal government, through the Clery Act and other legislation, has set some standards they must meet. Every college that receives public funds must post safety information and provide crime data each year, among other requirements.

Universities have also placed cameras throughout campuses, which are monitored around the clock. Many offer rape aggression and other self-defense training. Orientations routinely include safety information. And colleges are hiring counselors and others in record numbers to help with anxiety and other mental health concerns.

Often, schools even have their own apps that connect students to resources and tell them where to report safety concerns or how to reach victim advocates or public safety help. For example, the U. has the SafeU app. BYU has a similar app called Y-Alert and its SafeWalk feature so students can have BYU police track their location if they're walking alone. They can hit an emergency button if needed, says BYU spokesman Todd Hollingshead.

What parents and students can do

Allison suggests parents and students considering a school look at what kind of crime prevention services and victim services are available through the college. They should consider what kind of training the campus police offer to students and their relationship with outside local law enforcement.

They also need to remember that on campus or in the community, safety is a joint responsibility, he says. Students should always be aware of their surroundings and make good decisions "about where to go, who to go with" and use of alcohol or other substances that can impair judgment and reaction or otherwise create safety problems.

Boyer tells parents to start having safety conversations with their children early and keep having them as the students grow up. Alcohol and drugs, relationships and how to spot danger are just a few of the ongoing conversations parents and children should have.

"Prevention education is not something that should start in higher education. We know unhealthy relationships don't just start when you head to university," she says.

Other things parents and students can do to increase safety include:

 Not wearing ear buds or reading while you walk across campus. Be aware of your surroundings.

 Use a buddy system when you travel at night.

Allison tells his son, who's going to college in Ohio, that it doesn't matter if he's walking with "five big burly buddies." Someone needs to be paying attention to their surroundings and making sure they're safe. Think of it as a "designated" security person, he says.

 If campus security will provide an escort late at night or the campus has a shuttle system, use it.

 Learn where the safety tools like direct-line campus phones are.

 Don't hesitate to dial 911 on your cell if you feel threatened.

 Report areas that are poorly lit or have lights burned out. Avoid them when you're walking alone.

 In selecting schools, look at the tone and quality of the information that's presented on safety. Check out policies. Examine the school's campus safety webpage.

 Report personal safety concerns, like a problem with someone with whom you have/had a relationship, threats, etc. to the appropriate university officials. And when you first get to campus, find out which office or department handles such a report.

Knowing who to contact and what services are available really matters, according to Boyer. "It goes back to the culture on campus," she says, adding that if people are confident in reporting problems and know that something will be done, safety improves.
Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. sleep in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in a public plaza featuring a statue of Mexican national hero Miguel Hidalgo, a priest who launched Mexico's War of Independence in 1810. Keeping together for strength and safety in numbers, some huddled under a metal roof in the city's main plaza Sunday night. Others lay exhausted in the open air, with only thin sheets of plastic to protect them from ground soggy from an intense Sunday evening shower. Moises Castillo, Associated Press

Mexicans from religious organizations hand out small bags containing water, toilet paper, diapers and medicine to Central American migrants who got a free ride from a motorist, in Xochiltepec, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Motorists in pickups and other vehicles have been offering the Central American migrants rides, often in overloaded truck beds, as the group of about 7,000 people heads to the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan bathe using water from a fire hydrant at the main plaza in Tapachula, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants hoping to reach the U.S. were deciding Monday whether to rest in this southern Mexico town or resume their arduous walk through Mexico as President Donald Trump rained more threats on their governments. Moises Castillo, Associated Press

A Honduran migrant shows his blistered feet covered in talcum powder in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance by foot toward the U.S. border early Sunday in southern Mexico. Oliver de Ros, Associated Press

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan wave a Mexican flag as they arrive to Tapachula, Mexico, after a truck driver gave them a free ride, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

A Central American migrant woman cleans out and organizes her bag upon arrival to Huixtla, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants resumed an arduous trek toward the U.S. border Monday, with many bristling at suggestions there could be terrorists among them and saying the caravan is being used for political ends by U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

A Central American migrant making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan carries his son after arriving in Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. The man said a truck driver gave them a free ride to the city. A growing caravan of Honduran migrants streamed through southern Mexico on Sunday heading toward the United States, after making an end-run around Mexican agents who briefly blocked them at the Guatemalan border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants walking to the U.S. start their day departing Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the border, a growing throng of Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border early Sunday in southern Mexico. Their numbers swelled to about 5,000 overnight. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

A pair of shoes hangs from the backpack of a Central American migrant arriving with a caravan of thousands to Xochiltepec, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants resumed an arduous trek toward the U.S. border Monday, with many bristling at suggestions there could be terrorists among them and saying the caravan is being used for political ends by U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

A Central American migrant carrying a child walks with a caravan making its way to the U.S., upon arrival to Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. sleep on a sidewalk in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Keeping together for strength and safety in numbers, some huddled under a metal roof in the city's main plaza Sunday night. Others lay exhausted in the open air, with only thin sheets of plastic to protect them from ground soggy from an intense Sunday evening shower. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Residents hand out water bottles to Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan, at the main plaza in Tapachula, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants hoping to reach the U.S. were deciding Monday whether to rest in this southern Mexico town or resume their arduous walk through Mexico as President Donald Trump rained more threats on their governments. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. arrive by foot to Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

A Central American migrant who fell from the back of a moving vehicle and died, lies on a highway behind police as other migrants from the same caravan walk on the outskirts of Tapachula, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Motorists in pickups and other vehicles have been offering the Central American migrants rides, often in overloaded truck beds, as the group of about 7,000 people heads to the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. rest in a park after arriving to Huixtla, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants resumed an arduous trek toward the U.S. border Monday, with many bristling at suggestions there could be terrorists among them and saying the caravan is being used for political ends by U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. arrive by foot to Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan rest lying at the central park in Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan bathe using water from a fire hydrant at the main plaza in Tapachula, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants hoping to reach the U.S. were deciding Monday whether to rest in this southern Mexico town or resume their arduous walk through Mexico as President Donald Trump rained more threats on their governments. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

A Central American migrant traveling with a caravan to the U.S. rests upon arrival to Huixtla, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Thousands of Central American migrants resumed an arduous trek toward the U.S. border Monday, with many bristling at suggestions there could be terrorists among them and saying the caravan is being used for political ends by U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan stand in line waiting for medical aid in Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan cling to the trucks of drivers who offered them free rides, as they arrive to Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the Guatemala-Mexico border, about 5,000 Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border Sunday in southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. in a large caravan rest under a statue of Mexico's first Indian president Benito Juarez in Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. A growing caravan of Honduran migrants streamed through southern Mexico on Sunday heading toward the United States, after making an end-run around Mexican agents who briefly blocked them at the Guatemalan border. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo

Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S., sleep in a public plaza in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Keeping together for strength and safety in numbers, some huddled under a metal roof in the city's main plaza Sunday night. Others lay exhausted in the open air, with only thin sheets of plastic to protect them from ground soggy from an intense Sunday evening shower. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo
SALT LAKE CITY  The National Cancer Institute is renewing its collaboration with the Huntsman Cancer Institute to continue collecting data on cancer patients treated in Utah.

The data, combined with what's been collected in Utah over the past 40 years, could "foster research that could ultimately help prevent cancer and prolong the lives of those diagnosed with the disease," according to the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah.

The Salt Lake-based, award-winning treatment and research center's continued participation in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program will help to bolster cancer research, combining Utah's rich Population Database with cancer registries across the nation.

The SEER program gathers data and provides statistics from registries covering 34 percent of the United States.

The agency will contribute up to $28 million over 10 years to help with the effort that will fortify the Utah Cancer Registry, which was created in 1966 and utilizes computerized genealogy data housed in the one-of-a-kind Utah Population Database.

Together, the data systems can help to identify high-risk cancer families, said Lisa Cannon-Albright, a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor of internal medicine at the U.

She said the data have been used to study family histories, "directly assisting the identification of several cancer predisposition genes," including those leading to potentially deadly breast, skin, pancreatic and prostate cancers.

"The work that the SEER registry does is particularly valuable because it systematically tracks cancer occurrences and deaths in such a large area of the United States," said Jennifer Doherty, executive director at the Utah Cancer Registry, Huntsman cancer researcher and associate professor of population health sciences at the U.

"The SEER infrastructure provides the backbone for impactful cancer research, particularly for rare cancer types and to understand cancer patterns across the racial and ethnic groups," Doherty said.

Huntsman is continually taking part in the national cancer researcher's large-scale initiative to understand the complexities of cancer, "a stellar example of a broad community effort in cancer research," said Cornelia Ulrich, director of Huntsman's comprehensive cancer center and a U. professor of population health.

"We are proud of the impact the registry has had and continues to expand upon," she said.

The continued collaboration includes plans to expand data collection, such as detailed treatment data, information about cancer recurrence and diagnostic genomic data.
Six companies have pledged investment into Airtel Africa in a funding round which raised $1.25 billion for the operator.

This injection of funding will allow Airtel Africa to pay down its $5 billion debt pile, as well as boost its coverage and expand its mobile money offering. The operator further expects to see its debt reduced after its planned IPO, for which parent firm Bharti Airtel is currently finalising the details.

The six investors include operator groups Singtel and Softbank as well as investment funds Warburg Pincus and Singapores state-owned Temasek Holdings. Bharti Airtel stated that the show of confidence from investors was due to the turnaround that its African unit had undergone in the past few years, as well as the continents status as a high-growth market.

Airtel Africa CEO Raghunath Mandava said: The transaction will help us further deleverage our balance sheet and boost our capacity to upgrade networks, expand coverage in different markets and achieve rapid growth of Airtel Money across our operations.

Prior to the announcement of its planned IPO, industry watchers had speculated that Bharti Airtel could divest some of its less profitable African units. The groups chairman Sunil Mittal dismissed these rumours in December last year while acknowledging that the groups rushed entry into the African market was the greatest regret of his career.
Research and Markets latest reports examine the Indian subcontinent, with India and Pakistans telecom industries in the spotlight.

India continues to be one of the fastest growing major telecom markets in the world, and also one of the largest. Sweeping reforms introduced by successive Indian governments over the last two decades have dramatically changed the nature of telecommunications in the country. The Indian government has been proactive in its efforts to transform India into a global telecommunication hub.

India's telecom industry is expected to see a major expansion of its network infrastructure during the 2018 to 2020 period. Each of the top three mobile operators: Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea are now planning to extend coverage to address a surge in data consumption.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's telecom market has been struggling for a long time with the transition from a regulated state-owned monopoly to a deregulated competitive structure. Foreign investment has been an important factor in Pakistan's telecom sector.

The fixed line market in Pakistan remains underdeveloped due to the dominance of the mobile segment. Further, the number of fixed telephone lines is slowly declining as the mobile segment continues to expand. The market is predicted to decline further over the next five years to 2023 as the mobile segment continues to grow for both voice and data/broadband usage.

The struggling fixed-line market in Pakistan is dominated by Pakistan Telecommunications Company Ltd (PTCL). The only other provider with a significant customer base is NTC.
Angola Cables has entered into a strategic business partnership with Silica Networks in Argentina and Silica Networks in Chile to connect their terrestrial fibre networks to the recently commissioned South Atlantic Cable System (SACS).

SACS will be Silica Networks preferred route in the Southern Hemisphere, providing fibre operators and content providers in Argentina and Chile with a direct routing between South America and Africa with onward connections to markets in Asia.

Angola Cables CEO Antonio Nunes said: The partnership will strengthen the economic links for the large digital content producers in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, setting up a commercial conduit for them to share content with Africa and other markets, thus making it digitally possible to connect East with West.

Now in operation, SACS is a strategic point of connection for the South Atlantic region for South American operators that are interested in reaching markets in the East at latencies five times lower than those that exist in the market today. The SACS cable will enable Africa to become an important bridge and pivot point for the exchange of information and data between East and West.

Horacio Martinez, CEO of Silica Networks, said: This is a milestone for the digital economies of Argentina and Chile as it opens up new fronts for entrepreneurship for operators, fibre optic networks and broadband providers accessing the high-capacity services provided by SACS and Angola Cables to the African and Eastern markets.

Silica Networks provides digital connectivity between Argentina, Brazil and Chile. With a unique network that crosses the Andes in four points and approaching Sao Paulo by two routes - one terrestrial and the other via submarine network. The link to SACS will extend their reach beyond Latin America and Africa, making it possible for the increased sharing of Spanish and Portuguese programming and other content to markets in Asia and vice versa.

The direct Southern Hemisphere neutral routing via SACS has latency of less than 60% compared to current routing options across the Atlantic and offers high quality Internet traffic with high-speed broadband access on both sides of the South Atlantic.

Nunes added: "This connection will certainly boost business development in the Latin American, African, Middle and Far Eastern markets, creating a new information highway that will promote a true digital revolution by contributing the establishment of new data exchanges between companies and users within these different regions.

As part of this strategic initiative, the interconnection of the fibre optic networks of both companies will result in access to the Pacific via Santiago de Chile, via Las Toninas in Buenos Aires, Argentina and SACS through Fortaleza, Brazil and across the Atlantic to Africa.
Amazon Great Indian Festival sale kicks off today and will go on till October 28. Those who missed out the last sale now have an opportunity to grab something at a discount price. The sale is back with TVs, smartphones, and more. Further, Amazon is also offering 10% discount on payments made through ICICI Bank debit/credit card. So, lets get started.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus

Price: Rs 29,990

Sale price: Rs 23,990

The Samsung Galaxy A8+ was launched on Amazon for Rs 29,990, but during this sale, the device can be purchased at Rs 23,990. It has a 6.4-inch FHD+ display that offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The phone comes with a dual 16MP + 8MP front camera along with a 16MP sensor at the back. View deal here.

Xiaomi Mi A2

Price: Rs 17,499

Sale price: Rs 14,999

The Xiaomi Mi A2 is available with a flat Rs 2,500 discount during Amazon Great Indian Festival sale. One can also get an additional 10% discount on this purchase when they will use CITI Bank debit or credit card for payment. View deal here.

Honor 7C

Price: Rs 12,499

Sale price: Rs 8,499

The Honor 7C can be bought at Rs 8,499 at the sale down from its launch price of Rs 12,499. The smartphone comes with a 5.99-inch HD+ LED display that offers a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. It has a dual 13MP + 2MP dual-rear camera setup with an 8MP sensor on the front. View deal here.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Price: Rs 67,900

Sale price: Rs 43,900

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 that was launched last year at a price of Rs 67,900, is now available at the sale for Rs 43,900. The Samsung flagship smartphone features a 6.3-inch QHD+ display that offers a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels. The phone comes with a dual 12MP rear cameras and 8MP unit on the front. View deal here.

OnePlus 6

Price: Rs 39,999

Sale price: Rs 34,999

The One Plus 6 is one of the most popular devices of its segment. The 128GB variant is now available at the Great Indian Festival Sale for Rs 34,999. One can get this device for as low as Rs 32,999 (appx) including CITI Bank 10% discount. This can be the last time you will be able to purchase the OnePlus 6 at this much lower price. With the launch of OnePlus 6T, there are chances that you may not able to find the OnePlus 6 in stock frequently. View deal here.

Samsung 43-inch Full HD LED TV

Price: Rs 44,990

Sale price: Rs 29,990

The Samsung 43-inch Full HD LED TV offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The TV comes with multiple HDMI and USB ports to connect external devices such as a Fire TV stick, camera, laptop and more. You can get this device at this sale for Rs 29,990. View deal here.

Sanyo 49-inch Full HD IPS LED TV

Price: Rs 46,990

Sale price: Rs 23,990

If you have a limited budget and you are looking for a TV with a panel size of more than 43-inches, then the Sanyo 49-inch IPS LED TV might be the right one to purchase. It has two HDMI ports and two USB ports as well to connect external devices. The TV is now on sale can be bought at a price of Rs 23,990. View deal here.

JBL Flip 3

Price: Rs 9,999

Sale price: 5,749

The JBL Flip 3 is a wireless music streaming device that can be connected to up to three smartphones at once. The speaker packs a 3000mAh battery that can last up to ten hours. You can get the JBL Flip 3 at the sale for Rs 5,749 down from its original price of Rs 9,999. View deal here.

HP 15 Laptop

Price: Rs 40,086

Sale price: Rs 34,990

The HP 15 is powered by an Intel Core i3 6th Gen processor, which is paired with 8GB RAM and 1TB hard drive. The laptop is now available on Amazon sale at a discounted price of Rs 34,990. View deal here.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

Price: Rs 5,999

Sale price: Rs 3,000

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 is a stylish handy camera, which instantly takes photos and develops them right away. The camera is available in a variety of colors such as pink, blue, purple, white and more. It is now available at the sale for Rs 3,000. View deal here.
With the 5G launch looming large over the Indian subcontinent, the Indian Mobile Congress organised by COAI will deliberate upon how the world of connected devices will play out. Now in its second edition, the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC 2018) will kick off from October 25 in New Delhi. The digital forum claimed to be South Asias largest will see industry partners, OEMs, service providers, policymakers and the likes, collaborate and debate over how the emerging technologies like 5G and Artificial Intelligence will play out in the Indian context.

5G is clearly the big highlight of the symposium. The theme this year is "New Digital Horizons Connect, Create, Innovate, aimed to build upon forging industry relationships between key partners, and to showcase leading-edge technology. Major companies like Samsung, Erricsson, Nokia, Huawei, Honor, etc. will showcase their road-maps and define how the emerging technology will impact various sectors and markets.

Lets take a look at what the key industry partners would be announcing and showcasing at the Indian Mobile Congress 2018:

Samsung

Samsung is the principal sponsor of the event. The digital forum will see Samsungs President and Head of Samsung Networks, Dr. Youngky Kim give a keynote speech at the inauguration. There will also be booths to showcase the companys progress in enabling 5G technologies, both in the backend and the front-end side. There will be demos of a connected home, stadium, city, farm and more at the event.

Huawei

Huawei, also a key industry partner in forwarding the agenda of a connected world, will showcase its own vision of the 5G era. Huawei will demonstrate its industry leading technologies and innovations to paint a vision of a connected, intelligent world.

Three business groups of the Chinese conglomerate will be present at IMC 2018  Telecom, Enterprises and consumers. Huawei will also showcase technologies in the space of smart cities, IoT, Home broadband and consumer devices with live demos of 5G applications and scenarios.

Ericsson

In a similar note, Ericsson will also showcase how its mobile technologies are poised to transform the way businesses, individuals and industries communicate. The company will showcase some Developed in India 5G use cases which has been a result of the companys collaboration with the countrys telecom providers, industry partners and academia. Preceding the event, the company announced a tie-up with BSNL to bring 5G to India by signing an MoU to work together and create a roadmap for 5G and IoT deployment across the country.

Qualcomm

Qualcomm is also a key participant in the digital forum and will showcase some its innovations across 5G, IoT and mobile. The companys SVP of 4G/5G, Dr. Durga Malladi will be present to deliver a keynote speech along with Rajen Vagadia, Country Manager of Qualcomm India and SAARC, and other top-level executives.

Honor

Huaweis sub-brand Honor will also be present at IMC 2018. The companys Vice President of Sales, Mr. P Sanjeev will participate in a public discourse on Gadgets of Tomorrow  Connected Intelligence along with other industry delegates on Day 1.

MediaTek

Another popular chipset maker, MediaTek will also be present. The companys General Manager of Wireless Communications, TL Lee will be engaging in a session on MediaTeks AI technology. The company will also have a booth to showcase its latest innovations.

There will be over 300 exhibitors and over 190 speakers participating in the event. Registration is open for the forum and can be done via the official website.
Xiaomis Yeelight has made its entry to the Indian market, right on time for Diwali. The Chinese company known for its wide array of smart lighting solutions introduced its smart LED lightstrips and bulbs - Yeelight Aurora and the Yeelight Candela - in India. There is a burgeoning market for smart lights now that both Amazon and Google offer their ecosystem of smart home solutions, and Yeelight wants to take a slice of that market.

So far, smart lights in India have not managed to make a significant mark. Philips Hue lights have been available for quite some time. They also work with an array of smart home ecosystems and are quite rich in terms of the features they offer. However, the Philips Hue lights are priced prohibitively high and you need a separate hub to control the lights. The Yeelights arent that expensive though. The Smart LED bulb (colour) retails for Rs 2,999 with a special price of Rs 2,799 on Amazon India, while the Yeelight Aurora LED lightstrip is priced at Rs 5,999 (Rs 4,999 on Amazon). Thats relatively a lot cheaper, but is the price tag worthy of the products? We have been toying with the Smart LED bulb (colour) and the LED lightstrip for a few days now, and heres what we think:

Bright and vibrant

The Yeelight bulbs and lightstrip both glow with high brightness and look quite vibrant. A single bulb, however, is not really adequate to light up a decently big bedroom. I use a combination of three bulbs to light up my bedroom and they all work in sync.

The light strip however is just less than two meters in length. You can also extend it up to ten meters by connecting more lightstrips, but that means you bear the added cost. The light strip is a bit stiff though and is difficult to match it to the shape of things like a desk, PC, etc. I tried to set it up around the posters on my wall and had to struggle to bend it along the sides. Its perfectly fine to affix on a straight surface though.

Seamless setup

The Yeelight smart bulbs have a screw-shaped design. You will need a compatible socket to house them. Good thing is that they dont need additional hardware for the smart features. Theres a Wi-Fi module integrated in the bulb that can connect to your router. You will have to be on the same Wi-Fi network to connect to the light though. Further, the lights only support 2.5GHz Wi-Fi channel.

In India, Yeelight is offering two types of bulbs  One is tuneable white where you can change the colour temperature, and another offers full 16-million range of colours. Connecting the bulb is also quite seamless. You need to have either the Yeelight or the Mi Home app installed. Youll see an option to add devices. Select the relevant product (the Smart LED Colour or Smart LED white in this case), and let the app scan for it. After a few seconds, youll notice a MAC address which means the bulb is ready to pair. Tap on it, select the Wi-Fi address, type the password and let it connect. It takes a few seconds to finish the setup, and youll be ready to go. The process is the same for the Aurora LED Lightstrip. We did notice that the last step tends to fail sometimes. In that case, you will have to start all over again.

In case you want to pair the lights with some other Wi-Fi connection, you have to reset them. To reset the bulb, flick the bulb switch on/off five times till the bulb starts glowing, and then follow the setup process once again. In case of the Aurora LED Lightstrip, you have to keep the power button of the controller pressed and then switch the light on/off. Hold the power button for five seconds till the strip starts glowing in different colours. Follow the same setup process after that.

App control

Yeelight devices are controlled with both the Yeelight app and the Mi Home app. Both apps are available on both Apples App Store and Google Play Store. The Yeelight app offers a range of controls that make using the lights a fun affair. You have options to set the scene (sunrise, sunset, home, movie, etc.). Further, you can sync the bulb to change colours with the beats of music. Theres a music mode that allows you to do it. You can also group the bulbs together so they work in sync. Then theres the option of Flow. Here, the lights cycle through five different colours and you have the option to increase the speed and brightness.

There are options to set custom scenes which can then be synced with Google Assistant and Alexa commands.

Works with both Alexa and Google Assistant

Both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are supported. You basically get full control of the lights using just your voice. For Alexa, you need to have the Yeelight skill installed. Using the skill, you can ask Alexa to increase the brightness and change the colour. You can also set up custom commands and program the bulb to either glow in a particular colour, turn on/off, or flow with multiple colours. With Alexa, its a bit cumbersome since the voice commands are longer. The commands basically go like Hey Alexa, ask Yeelight to turn on the bedroom lights, where youre asking Alexa to activate the skill first and then control the light.

Google Assistant bypasses that. You can directly ask Google to turn on the lights without having to activate a separate module. Setting up the bulb with the Google Assistant is also quite easy. You need to go to Home Control in Google Assistant Settings and set up the bulb. After that, you can set custom commands as well as use generic commands like increase the brightness, change colour, etc.

Whats the catch?

The Yeelight bulbs and the LED light strip are both useful devices to own. But to make full use of them, you have to ensure certain things. First is a stable broadband connection. It wont work well with a Wi-Fi hotspot. You will need a dedicated router which provides connectivity to your smart speakers, smartphone, etc. The lights also tend to fail a lot. I have been using the LED bulb for quite some time now, and it randomly unpair themselves if it has not been used for some time. The biggest catch, however, is the pricing of the products. I got the LED bulbs from a Mi Home Store in Shanghai where I paid around Rs 1,000 each for the colour bulb. In India, the bulbs are priced almost double that amount. You can order it off Ali Express and youll end up paying around Rs 1,500 per piece, or you can ask someone travelling to China to get it for you. Either way, the Yeelight products are poised to shake up the smart home market. With the onset of smart speakers like Alexa and Google Home, the demand for smart lights are only going to go up...gradually.

via GIPHY
The Poco F1 with its flagship grade hardware took everyone by surprise when it launched for just Rs 20,999. However, reports soon started surfacing about the drawbacks of the smartphone. One of them was the lack of Widevine L1 certification that is required to stream HD videos on OTT services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the likes. It turned out the phone only had Widevine L3 certification causing a major backlash from Xiaomi community and the media. It seems like Poco took the feedback seriously and in a post on Mi forum by a forum admin, Poco is working to update the phone with Widevine L1 support via software update.

The post on Mi Forum is tagged as official and it states that the company is still developing with Google and Qualcomm, and will try to release the Beta within Q4. The update will come as part of a beta update for MIUI 10.

Widevine L1 is Googles digital rights management system that is required if you are streaming from platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or any other OTT services. The Poco F1 has a Widevine L3 that can only stream in standard quality despite have a full HD+ display. Its a major drawback for users who bought the phone and Xiaomi is attempting to fix it. However, the companys promise of certifying the phone with Widevine L1 via a OTA update is questionable.

For L1 certification, the content processing needs to happen within a trusted zone in the smartphones processor. Its to prevent illegally pirating the content. Essentially, all Cortex-A ARM processors have the option to implement the technology and theres no such licensing fee to implement it. The Poco F1 was developed in China where the certification is not required as such since Netflix and other global streaming services are banned by the Great Firewall. Perhaps it could be an oversight from the company thats primarily based out of China. It could also be a result of cost cutting as the implementation requires additional time to test it.

To enable the feature after the phone has been shipped to users, the OEM needs to make a hardware-level change that can only be done physically and not via a software update. The OnePlus 5T also skipped on the certification and when it was called out for it, the Chinese upstart issued a callback of the devices to implement it physically. We have reached out to Poco to understand how the company plans to implement it via a software update. We will update the article if and when the company responds.

However, a forum post on XDA Developers states that the Sony Xperia XZ2 did receive the certification via a OTA update for its Android P Developer Preview 3. However, the XZ2 did have the certification in its stable ROM and was only broken when it updated to the Developer Preview. In case of the Poco F1, its not there in the stable build itself, and it will be interesting to see how Poco implements it.
Samsung has been working on its foldable smartphone for some time now and it just might be ready for a debut. The company is hosting its Samsungs Developer Conference on November 7 - 8 and might unveil its rumoured Galaxy X foldable smartphone at the event. This comes from one of the companys tweets that showcases a video promoting the upcoming event. The video showcases a line that folds out into a shape resembling a foldable device. Additionally, DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung's Mobile Division had previously confirmed that Samsung will be launching its foldable phone by the end of this year and this could be when the company finally unveils it. However, you might want to take this information with a pinch of salt as nothing is confirmed yet.

When we deliver a foldable phone, it has to be really meaningful to our customer. If the user experience is not up to my standard, I don't want to deliver those kind of products. The foldable phone will not be a gimmick product that will disappear after six to nine months after it's delivered, Koh told CNET in an interview at the sidelines of the Samsung Galaxy A9 (First Impressions) launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As per the report, Samsungs foldable phone will not be restricted to specific regions but will be made available globally. An earlier report suggests that the phone could be named the Galaxy X and could be priced at $1,850.

The crossroads between the present and the future  Samsung Developer Conference is where youll meet the knowledge needed to stay on techs cutting edge. #SDC18

Learn more: https://t.co/t66edOWIUi pic.twitter.com/bDZHuZVWee  Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) October 18, 2018

Alongside Samsung, Apple and Huawei are also racing to get their own foldable phones to the market. Both the companies reportedly have dedicated teams working on the respective projects and Apple could launch a foldable iPhone in 2020 that could potentially double up as a tablet. Huawei, on the other hand, has already filed a patent for a foldable phone at WIPO (World Intellectual property Organization) and is said to launch its foldable phone by the end of this year. LG has also confirmed that it is working on a foldable smartphone. The company says that its working on a device that the buyers actually want and is not in a rat race to first launch the smartphone.
How would you feel if you landed on the moon, opened the landers hatch with bated breath, walked out incredulously only to find a big tag sprouting from the lunar surface, reading, Made in China? Well, dont worry; thats not quite the moon the Chinese are going for right now but it is close. According to China Daily, scientists are planning to launch an artificial moon in the orbit above the city of Chengdu in the Sichuan province to replace street lamps and to lower electricity costs in urban areas.

This new satellite will be made of a reflective material so it can work in tandem with the light from the moon. When placed in orbit and operational, it will be eight times brighter than the Earths moon but only one-fifth as bright as street lamps. If everything goes according to plan, up to 50 square kilometres of land will be illuminated by Chinas new artificial moon. With this novel method of illuminating the citys streets, the scientists hope to reduce electricity costs by 1.2 billion yuan (Rs 12.6 billion approx).

The project is being carried out by Tian Fu New Area Science Society. According to its head, Wu Chunfeng, the first of these artificial moons will launch from Sichuan's Xichang Satellite Launch Centre by 2020. Three more will follow in 2022 if the tests on the first moon go well. According to him, this source of light could save lives in disaster zones during blackouts.

External observers, according to V3, dont believe in the Chinese companys plans. For instance, an engineer by the name of Eric Bretschneider recently wrote on LinkedIn about how the moons would not come close to competing with street lamps in terms of brightness and coverage. He also commented on the overall high expense of a project like this. According to him, the company would have to spend trillions of rupees only to save a small portion of that money in electricity costs, making it undoubtedly impractical to undertake a project like this.
PM Narendra Modi awarded Seoul Peace Prize 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize 2018 in recognition of his contribution to the growth of the Indian economy and thereby fostering global economic growth and the initiatives he has taken to reduce social and economic disparities.

The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, headed by Chairman Kwon E-hyock, made the announcement after the final selection meeting in Jung-gu, Seoul. The committee found Modi the perfect candidate.

He explained that PM Modi was chosen for his efforts to improve the lives of Indias 1.35 billion people, for establishing economic cooperation ties with various countries to improve human welfare and promote world peace and for greatly contributing to the stability of the Asia-Pacific region by promoting international cooperation through diplomatic policies.

Modi will be presented with an award, plaque and honorarium of $200,000.

The Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in recognition of his dedication to improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the human development of Indias 1.35 billionpeople by fostering economic growth in the world's fastest growing large economy and furthering the development of democracy through anti-corruption and social integration efforts.

After assessing over a hundred candidates proposed by over 1,300 nominators from around the world, the Award Committee decided to bestow the Prize on Prime Minister Modi, calling him 'the perfect candidate for the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize, a release from the Prime Ministers Office stated.

While awarding the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize, the Award Committee recognized Prime Minister Modi's contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor. The committee lauded PM's initiatives to make the government cleaner through anti-corruption measures and demonetisation. The committee also credited the prime minister for his contribution towards regional and global peace through a proactive foreign policy with countries around the world under the 'Modi Doctrine' and the 'Act East Policy.' Prime Minister Modi is the fourteenth recipient of this award.

Prime Minister Modi has expressed gratitude for the prestigious honour and said it is also a recognition of India's deepening partnership with the Republic of Korea. The award will be presented by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually convenient time.

The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul, Republic of Korea  an event in which 160 nations from across the world took part, creating harmony and friendship and a worldwide atmosphere of peace and reconciliation. The Seoul Peace Prize was established to crystallize the Korean people's yearning for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of the world.

The Seoul Peace Prize has been awarded biennially to those individuals who have made their mark through contributions to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation between nations and to world peace. Past laureates include distinguished global personalities like former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and renowned international relief organisations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.
Thirteen Louth girls were among 137 Girl Guides who received the Trail Blazer National Guide Award  Irish Girl Guides highest award  at a special ceremony in Croke Park recently. The girls are from Louth village, Drogheda, Dundalk, Knockbridge and Monasterboice.

The 137 Girl Guides, aged 14-15, travelled from all corners of the country to receive the award and, with their families, celebrated reaching the pinnacle of Guiding.

Each girl received a Trail Blazer gold pin from Irish Girl Guides (IGG) President Maureen Murphy and a National Guide Award certificate from IGG Assistant Chief Commissioner Aine Divilly.

Congratulating the recipients, IGG President Maureen Murphy said: You have been committed and worked hard to gain the Award and gained valuable life-skills in the process. Everyone has put her own stamp on the challenges, which is inspiring. Everyone here has the skills to make a positive contribution to her community and society going forward.

Carina Egan, Chair of IGG Guide Branch, said that, without the hard work and commitment of the 137 girls, there would be no celebrations: This award is made in recognition of the successful completion of a series of challenges, including teamwork activities, outdoor survival skills, community service, global awareness and working with younger members of Irish Girl Guides to help them develop confidence, independence and essential life-skills.

We are delighted for you all and we all know that you have worked to your fullest potential to receive this award and hope you continue to use many of the life skills you have achieved wherever life takes you in the future.

Award-winning teen entrepreneurs, Kate and Annie Madden of Fenuhealth, who are IGGs current ambassadors, encouraged the girls to pursue their ambitions and never give up. They cited as an example the fact that it took 152 attempts before they devised their winning formula for equine feed that they now export all over the world. Great minds dont think alike, said Kate, They all think differently. We would encourage you to think outside the box and in the future, when youre applying for jobs, to use all the skills you have learned through Guiding on your CVs.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. Previous experience of Guiding is not necessary. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie. Tel: 01 6683898.
A 42 year old man who admitted growing cannabis at a house he rented in the town, told Gardai he was doing so as he didnt have enough money for his wife, Dundalk Circuit Court heard last week.

Simas Zelenkaitis pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis plants at Aran Court, Newry Road, Dundalk on November second 2016.

The property was searched under warrant by Gardai who forced entry and 15 plants which had almost reached maturity were discovered in the garage, part of which had been partitioned off, and a lighting system above the plants, was switched on.

A glass jar containing cannabis herb was found in the kitchen of the defendants home. A medium zip-lock bag of cannabis was seized during the search along with a thermostat, weighting scales, a GPS tracker and a total of 435 in cash.

The accused arrived home while the search was ongoing and admitted ownership of the drugs. At the time he said he had lived at the address for two and a half years and had been growing cannabis for three or four months with a view to selling it, as he didnt have enough money for his wife.

He said hed learned how to cultivate the plants by watch YouTube but didnt accept the value of the drugs when they were put to him.

At the time the drugs seizure had a potential street value of 14,046.

The court heard last Wednesday the defendant  who has been living in Ireland for 12 years and works as a part-time cleaner in local shopping centre, had two previous convictions for two road traffic matters in 2013, and has not come to garda attention since.

Judge Martina Baxter remanded the accused in custody to November 29th for preparation of a Probation report and so a letter from his employer could be produced.
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California has also launched an investigation and on Tuesday Healey and U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Earl Walker confirmed their states have as well. Schneiderman said that additional states were pursuing similar action and that the purpose of the coalition is to work together in this "common interest."

"The scope of the problem we are facing, the size of the corporate entities and alliances and trade associations [working against science and public interest] is massive and it requires a multi-state effort," Schneiderman said.

AG Walker said that Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are already "experiencing the effects of global warming," from coral bleaching and the proliferation of seaweed, to ever-more powerful hurricanes.

"It is troubling that, as the polar caps melt, there are companies that are looking at that as an opportunity to go and drill, to go and get more oil. How selfish can you be?" Walker asked. "Your product is destroying this Earth and you want to do what? Destroy the planet further," he added, saying they have "documents" showing just that.

"We will not stop until we get to bottom of this and make it clear we have to do something transformational," he added. "We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels."

Environmental groups that have spearheaded the call for accountability and investigations into what Exxon knew heralded the announcements and the new AG climate coalition.

"This creates a huge sense of momentum. Exxon may have been able to brush aside a few isolated inquiries, but with more states jumping on board, these investigations are sure to generate some serious waves," said May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, which on Tuesday launched the website ExxonKnew.org to share information about the investigations and petition the U.S. Department of Justice and state Attorneys General to "hold Exxon accountable."

"The Exxon revelations may turn out to be the largest corporate scandal in history," Boeve continued. "Everyone is impacted by climate change, which means everyone has a stake in these investigations. A trial of ExxonMobil and the fossil fuel industry would be even bigger than the cases against Big Tobacco."

As Katherine Sawyer, senior international organizer for watchdog group Corporate Accountability International, explained in an emailed statement following the press conference:

"In the '90s, investigations by attorneys general were the beginning of the end for Big Tobacco as we knew it and ushered in a series of lawsuits that shuttered its front groups, forced the release of internal documents and held it liable to pay the high cost of its impacts on society. Just as a similar coalition did with Big Tobacco, this powerful coalition of state Attorneys General are leading the way in holding Exxon and the rest of the fossil fuel industry accountable for their decades of deception and protecting climate policy from their profit-driven interference."

"Big Polluters have done everything in their power to deny climate change, it is time for our justice system to take back the climate debate," declared Annie Leonard, Greenpeace USA executive director, who said the AGs' announcement was "a clear demonstration of climate leadership."

The coalition includes Attorneys General from California, Connecticut, District Of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington state and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Appearing alongside members of that group, former Vice President Al Gore, whose 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth is credited with spurring public debate about climate change, said, "I really believe that years from now this convening ... may well be looked back upon as a major turning point in the effort to hold to account those commercial interests ... who have been deceiving the American people about the dangers of climate change."

Watch the full press conference here:
When Bill Zimmer got his first school administrator job in 2008, it came with a heavy dose of advice from peers whod made the transition ahead of him: Dont let the job consume you, or youll burn out.

Zimmer, now the principal of the 550-student Highland High School in upstate New York, took their warnings to heart.

In the last decade, hes honed both in-school and out-of-school habits that he says allow him to be effective at his job, while keeping his time free enough to attend family functions with his six brothers and sisters and their children and dinners with friends.

I have seen way too many people get burned out, said Zimmer, 48. I do feel strongly that there needs to be a balance between [our] professional and personal lives, and that we are much more effective in each when its in balance.

While that sounds like common sense, its easy to get caught up in the day-to-day demands of work, he says. Thats why its important for principals to take charge of their schedules.

Still, no system is perfect and many of Zimmers work days stretch well past eight hours.

He arrives at school by 7 a.m., earlier than most professionals. And because life as a high school principal can be unpredictable, Zimmer sometimes finds himself in the building past 4:30 p.m.

Heres how Zimmer strives to strike his work-life balance:

Plan

One of the first things he does at school is check his email, before heading out at 7:20 a.m. to greet students as they arrive. His first building walkthrough is around 7:40 a.m., after which he meets with his assistant principal to review whats coming that day, including upcoming meetings.

Organize

Zimmer keeps his to-do list on Post-it notes inside a manila folder on his desk. Immediate tasks are stuck on the left side of the folder, while longer-term tasks are on the right. Though many organizational experts urge principals to get rid of Post-it notes, Zimmer says they have worked well for him for five years. Post-its allow him to re-arrange priorities as tasks are completed and new ones emerge. Important meetingsappointments with the superintendent, his principal supervisor, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and formal classroom observationsare noted and color-coded in his calendar.

Tame the email beast

When Zimmer is not actively reading email, he shuts off the notifications. He mostly checks his email at three specific points in the workday. Only when hes expecting an important message does he check his inbox after work hours. Reading late-night emails kept him up at night, worrying about how he would tackle the problem the next day. If theres an urgent issue that needs his attention, key people can reach him via text or call.

Finish strong

He meets again with his assistant principal for a review and a discussion of the following day. Zimmer returns calls, reorganizes his Post-it notes as needed, and plans for the next day. He checks his email one last time before heading out, generally around 4:30 p.m.

Exercise

Zimmer tries to do a 45-minute cardio workout at least three days a week. The long days and job stress led him to a neighborhood yoga studio four years ago. He goes to a yoga class once or twice a month, down from twice a week when he first started.

Meditate

Yoga was Zimmers gateway to meditation. He uses the meditation app, Headspace, which guides him through 10 minutes of daily meditation. He meditates at home at the end of the day, but if the school day gets too stressful, Zimmer will step out of the room and spend a few minutes on his breathing exercises. Meditation has improved his ability to focus on tasks and has made him more approachable, he said.

I find that I react to unfavorable news a little better, he said. My reactions, in general, are more measured. I dont overact to anything that happens. I find myself much more grounded, overall, and in touch with whats going on in my mind.

Sleep

Zimmer strives for seven hours of sleep each night. That rest, he said, allows him to be the best version of myself.

Read

The former English teacher includes non-education books in his rotation.

Among the titles on his living room shelves this month: The Ten-Minute In-service: 40 Quick Training Sessions That Build Teacher Effectiveness, by Todd Whitaker and Annette Breaux, Talk Like Ted, by Carmine Gallo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, and Calypso by David Sedaris.

Travel

Zimmer uses long holiday weekends for getaways to indulge his hobbies. He also tries to visit at least one American city hes never been to every year.

I think all these thingsthe meditation, the exercise, the yogathey help me not to juggle things in my life. ... Im handling things well, instead of feeling like its a nonstop race.

Because I take time for myself, as a result, I have more time for myself, he said.

Related Video

Bethany Hill, the principal at Central Elementary School in Cabot, Ark., shuns a formal office in favor of roving around classrooms, hallways, the playground, and the cafeteria, where she can be as close as possible to teachers and students all day:
Americans are increasingly polarized and public distrust in government is at record levels. What if the inability of Americans to agree on our shared historyand the right way to teach itis a cause of our current polarization rather than a symptom?

In September in a room where someone had conspicuously placed a Confederate flag for at least part of the proceedings, the Texas board of education sat through two days of public hearings on a streamlining of its 2010 social studies standards.

Panels of teachers had proposed hundreds of changes, but the most controversial was to delete a line of the standard on the Alamo referencing all the heroic defenders who gave their lives there. Swift condemnation from politicians and the public followed, forcing the panels to restore some of that language even before the hearings concluded.

Much has been written about the Alamos relative historic importance in the story of the United States, but that wasnt even the point of this debate. What was truly at stake were the underlying values proponents felt it signaled: What defines American thought and action? What can students take pride in?

Its easy to lose sight of the connection between what students learn in history and the civic ideals and values those topics communicate, especially since they tend to be treated as different disciplines in K-12 education.

But the Texas debate reminds us that history and civic values are deeply intertwined, and gives rise to this interesting question: What if the inability of Americans to agree on our shared historyand on the right way to teach itis a cause of our current polarization and political dysfunction, rather than a symptom? Its a question that gets right to the issues of what constitutes facts, how to interpret them, and how they inform contemporary debates, all of which are key themes as America experiences a kind of civic crisis.

Public trust in the government is near its historic low. And in 2017, Americans were far more politically polarized on topics like immigration and healthcare than in the early 2000s, according to Gallup. Journalists are now routinely assailed by politicians. The bruising confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court led The Washington Post to speculate that even our least damaged institution might now be viewed with increasing levels of skepticism.

If this polyglot country doesnt have a set of ideals and a broad narrative, we dont have much of a hope, said Sam Wineburg, a professor of education and history at Stanford University, whose recent volume attempts to connect the dots between history education and citizenship. It is not popular to talk about in an era of identity politics, but history teaching in school has a civic purpose, not only a disciplinary purpose.

About This Project: Citizen Z U.S. public education is rooted in the belief by early American leaders that the most important knowledge to impart to young people is what it means to be a citizen. If America is experiencing a civic crisis now, as many say it is, schools may well be failing at that job. To better understand the role of education in the current crisis, Education Week consulted experts, visited classrooms, and conducted surveys. This article and the state-by-state survey that accompanies it mark the official publishing launch of that initiative. Look for more pieces from our Citizen Z project in the weeks and months ahead.

It may seem counterintuitive to argue that schools role in helping remedy this toxic situation for future generations depends at least in part on how they teach about the past.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, though, students encounter U.S. history far more frequently in school, including generally a year in high school compared to just a semester devoted to civics.

Data: Most States Require History, But Not Civics

High school students spend far more time in school learning about Americas history than they do learning about its civic values, according to a 50-state survey by Education Week.

A selection of the survey results are below. For the full state-by-state breakdown, click here .





As the Texas debate situation illuminates, what students learn about U.S. history varies depending on where they attend school, and is frequently filtered through the political and demographic makeup of different communities. The tension over Texass history standards is partly explained by its rapidly changing demographics, where Hispanicssome of whom can trace their roots to the opposing side at the Alamo battleare expected to become a plurality of the population within the next five years.

The 2010 standards in that state, written largely by a conservative-leaning board, make some assertions that have led even right-leaning reviewers like the Thomas B. Fordham Institute to label them a string of politically and religiously motivated historical distortions.

This operates on the left, too. Almost as frequently criticized around the country as the Texas standards, including by historians, is Howard Zinns 1980 volume A Peoples History of the United States. The popular history, told through a Marxist perspective, is favored by teachers because it purports to tell the story of ordinary Americans from the bottom up, rather than merely the lives of its powerful leaders. But it, too, has faced criticism for botching its chronology of events and relying exclusively on secondary sources , skewing its portrait of history.

Now multiply all the varying perspectives by the sheer number of U.S. history materials available to schools. In a survey by the Education Week Research Center, principals named 34 different core texts for high school U.S. History, though most came from just three publishers.

Nearly all history teaching materials and standards are shaped by the civic pressures of their times, said Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history of education at New York University, and that is partially why debates about them continue.

31 states require at least a yearlong history course, but only 8 states require a yearlong civics course.

Take an old controversy from the late 1930s through the 1950s, which occurred when the American Legion, a veterans group, took issue with social studies textbooks written by the education professor Harold Rugg . Ruggs books explicitly embraced the New Deal and critiqued social stratification and income inequality, leading to the Legions charge that they were subversive and un-American.

All textbooks should inculcate in the youth of our nation a genuine love for America and a desire to protect and defend our priceless ideals, institutions, and heritage, one of the Legions 1941 pamphlets protested.

Initially, the books survived many of those criticisms, but fell out of favor as America entered the privation, nationalism, and fear of socialism spurred by the second World War and, later, McCarthyism.

That the current debates in history education often echo these themes tells us some important things: Americans have never been all that united as to what belongs in or out of history classes, or even which specific civic values those classes are supposed to inculcate.

If anything, such tensions seem more on the rise now than ever before.

In Florida, frustrations about history textbooks have helped give way to a new curriculum-challenge process in that state . There, in an echo of the American Legions concerns, petitioners argued that the lack of stories of American exceptionalismthe idea that the nation is unique in its fusion of republican values and personal freedomscould harm schools ability to instill civic values in students.

Many historians feel thats the wrong approach.

Our goal should not be to get anyone to have a certain view of America, but that is in fact what most history tries to do. Look at the names of the textbooks: The Triumph of the American Nation. A physics textbooks is not called the Triumph of the Atom,  said Zimmerman.

The problem is the contradiction between a lot of the democratic rhetoric many of us use in class, and the actual practice, which tends to be flag-waving, he said.

Another concern: the influence of postmodernist thought in much historical debate. In brief, its a notion borrowed from language theorists that no textual interpretation can be privileged above another. That, some historians say, might be fine for literature classes. But its disastrous in historical thinking and even more so in public life, where it presages the idea of alternative facts, to borrow a phrase thats emerged in recent political discourse.

See Also Open image caption Close image caption The four textbooks at the heart of the Charlotte County, Fla., challenge. Curriculum Citizen Activists Push to Revise History Textbooks History-minded residents of Charlotte County, Fla., are among the first to test a state law that permits citizens to challenge the curriculum taught in their schools. Remove Save to favorites

Americans can argue over different interpretations because history and civic issues are complex, and there are different ways to think about them, Wineburg said. But the basis has to be an agreement of what constitutes facts.

Take the original alternative fact in U.S. history: the Lost Cause, and how its mythology led to the ruinous teaching of the Civil War and the Reconstruction for more than a century.

Texas 2010 standards misrepresented the causes of the conflict, listing sectionalism, states rights, and tariffs alongside slaveryeven though the historical evidence is indisputable that slavery was the cause animating all the others. (The state school board has given preliminary approval to revise that language.)

As several historians who testified at the Texas hearing pointed out, the consequences of keeping students ignorant of hard truths arent theoretical: They are civic in nature.

Keffrelyn Brown, a professor of cultural studies in education at the University of Texas, Austin, who helps prepare teachers there, said the incoming candidates she works with often hold simplistic, myopic perspectives on racethe idea, for example, that racism is something that only occurred in the past or is limited only to certain individuals.

That, she told the Texas board, does not help us to see how racism is structural, and it is institutional, and it continues to play a role.

It also inevitably shapes how those prospective teachers approach the job, she said in an interview. Teachers understanding of the legacy of slavery and racism affects the daily choices they makefor example, whether they choose a curriculum thats more representative of the students they teach, or how they discipline students .

And all of those decisions in turn affect how their students will begin to make sense of themselves as citizens in the world.

A quarter of all students, and nearly half of all black students, had 'below basic' knowledge of civics, according to the 2014 Nation's Report Card.

Schools have historically served as a place where kids get socializedwhat it means to be a part of this thing we call the United States, Brown said.

There is probably no easy way to settle what belongs in and out of history class.

But there is a burgeoning movement among some educators to move past textbooks and standards as the best way to connect history to citizenship.

Sociologist James Loewens 1995 book Lies My Teacher Told Me, recently released with a new introduction, is known for punching holes in textbook narratives, most of which he found embraced the idea of a more perfect union while skirting the countrys uneven progress towards its ideals.

But the most provocative argument Loewen made in the book was that the textbook format itself was guilty of instilling a dangerous quietism in students, undermining their preparation as young citizens.

Most textbooks, he noted, contain no footnotes, no way for students to trace the authors historical arguments, analyze them, or contest them. So why, Loewen asked, would students bother to feel invested in interrogating the complexities of American values if they had few opportunities to contest the textbook narrative?

They present history to get students to learn it. They should help students learn how to learn history, he said. We arent just learning about the past to satisfy our curiositywe are learning about the past to do our jobs as Americans.

Different curriculum efforts, including the Evanston, Ill,-based DBQ Project , the UC-Berkeley History Social Sciences Project , the Choices Program at Brown University , and the Reading Like A Historian project, begun by Wineburg and colleagues at Stanford, have all set out to do what Loewen has called for.

They prioritize students doing the work of history, by putting primary sources at the center of the history classroom and having students grapple with those sources, often by using a provocative question as a starting point.

In essence, this approach theorizes that the most effective history education isnt dependent on a textbook with a narrative favoring those on the right or the left. Rather, it is helping students view history as an evolving tissue of stories and interpretations and to draw their own conclusions after weighing the evidence.

Students have to research and evaluate biases within competing accounts, and ultimately to advance a historical argument using the documents.

The questions that shape this sort of teaching are not softballs. They get at both key historical events and the thorny topics that continue to shape contemporary thought: Was the New Deal a success or a failure? Were African Americans truly free under Reconstruction? What was the nature of Lewis and Clarks interactions with Native Americans?

Countless historians have bemoaned that much of what students learn about their country is closer to mythology than to history.

U.S. history teacher Brandy Reed, though, is determined that wont be the case in her classroom.

On an unusually warm October day, the teacher at Galileo School of Math and Science in Colorado Springs School District 11 is beginning a lesson centered on this question: Did Pocahontas save the life of the English explorer and colonial governor John Smith?

All of her 8th grade students have seen the 1995 Disney musical (Didnt she talk to a tree or something? one young man whispers early on in the class). So some of what Reed does in her lesson is make sure her students know how the film diverges from the historical record. Pocahontas didnt marry Smith; she married a tobacco planter. She converted to Christianity, and she died in England, far from her relatives and customs.

But at the heart of Reeds lesson, adapted from the Reading Like a Historian project, students must grapple with two primary sourcestwo different accounts John Smith wrote years apart. The first describes how Smith was briefly held in captivity by the Powhatan Indians, a difficulty that was apparently amicably resolved through an exchange of goods. Pocahontas only shows up years later in his second telling, which depicts the tribes aggressive chief ready to kill him and his salvation by Pocahontas intervention.

In preparation to analyze the texts, Reed asks her students a series of questions about the point of keeping a journal, like the one that Smith used.

Journals, the students discuss, can be used to remember details and record feelings, but theyre stumped about who else the audience for a journal would be. Himself, they say.

But then Reed tells a funny personal anecdote about keeping a diary as a teenager where she wrote unflattering comments about her stepsisteruntil that stepsister read it, at which point Reed started to write much nicer things.

Oh. Maybe Smith thought someone would read his one day, a student pipes up.

Reed beams. So, 17 years later, why would you tell everyone you almost got clubbed to death? Stories change over time, and I want us to think about why, she says.

Ultimately, in reaching their conclusions, Reeds students will have to sort through a variety of threads, including the cultural tropes Europeans held at the time of good and bad Native Americans; the political pressures surrounding interactions with Native Americans; even how Pocahontas later fame in England might have shaped how Smith portrayed her. But it will be up to students to decide where they think the evidence points.

In whats sure to be one of the lessons most eye-opening moments, Reed will also pull out one of the districts former textbooks, from 15 years ago, which presents the Pocahontas-saves-Smith legend as fact. And initially, it is not always easy for students to confront the notion that this storyand indeed, much of what they will learn in U.S. historyis contested, Reed said in an interview.

Their brains explode, and then they get mad at me because Im the one who ruined the fairy tale, she said.

For more than eight years, Colorado Springs School District 11 has prioritized social studies teaching deeply rooted in primary sources.

And educators here do it precisely because of its connections to good citizenship.

As historians, we grapple with questions of significance: Why is this important, and why does it matter today? said Joan Jahelka, the districts social studies facilitator, who since 2011 has helped the district adopt a number of primary-source tools, and provide training for teachers.

A third of all Americans cannot name a single branch of government.

It is possible, she says, to begin this type of teaching early. So even 3rd graders in Becca Daughertys class at Fremont Elementary examine replicas of a ships manifest in a unit on immigration. And in Christine Bedwells class at Freedom Elementary, theyre discussing the Pledge of Allegiance, its author, and whether students who arent religious should be required to say the words under God, which were added to the Pledge in 1954.

Whats more, the districts commitment extends to all students. Grappling with primary sources is an expectation for everyone, not just those selected for gifted classes or Advanced Placement exams, as is typically the case.

At Sabin Middle School, in two 8th grade social studies classes taught by veteran teachers Michael Butler and Scott White, students grapple with a 1756 letter from an English indentured servant, Elizabeth Sprigs, who was sent away by her father to the American colonies for disobedience. Its an affecting account, but its language and syntax challenge the young historians. Their goal: To look for evidence showing that Sprigs was miserable.

So the teachers take time walking through the tough vocabulary. Then, students must break down the letter into different sections, highlighting key clues in the text.

Students say that learning this way is more difficult than answering questions out of textbooks. But they appear to retain it longer, and are skilled at making connections to other key historical periods.

Its sad to hear of the conditions shes in. Its almost unbelievable, said Deja, who draws a parallel between Sprigs travails and the enslavement of Africans in the United States, which she studied a few years earlier. If I did something bad Id be grounded. I wouldnt be sent away.

Her tablemate Kilie said she doesnt mind taking more time to understand the documents than a textbook account. If its harder text, I feel like I understand it for longer, she said.

The connection the teachers make is that this teaching isnt just more interesting and engaging for students. Its that they are also learning the tools that make for good citizenship.

I tell students that this is the most important class theyre going to have all year, White said. Its going to teach you how to think about what people are saying to you.

In reality, students are learning to discern truth, Reed said. Its a gift they take with them the rest of their lives, the gift of questioning.

District 11 is probably unusual in the strength of its commitment to having students do history, rather than passively receive it.

But other teachers who subscribe to the approach make similar arguments.

We want to build social agency, said Kristin Palomares, a teacher in the Whittier school district in Southern California, when asked why she felt a primary-source-focused approach improved upon a textbook-based one. An important factor in that social agency is being able to communicate effectively and engage in civil conversations.

On any given historical or civic topic, students initial reaction tends to be anecdotal and personal, Palomares said. Staying rooted in primary sources, especially when students learn how to draw from competing viewpoints, dispels some of that emotion.

Whether you read a speech or a Tweet from a president or what your aunt put on Facebook, it has a perspective and a context of where it originated. Where is it coming from, and what is it doing? said Patrick Sprinkle, a New York City U.S. history teacher. The work of good citizenship is understanding a texts origins and its purpose. Its also the work of good historians.

More than a third of Americans cannot name a specific right articulated in the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

John Cain, a 20-year veteran teacher in the Copenhagen, N.Y., school district, teaches his students to use the same tools to evaluate internet research as they do when grappling with primary sources.

We go behind the scenes to figure out exactly why that website is operating and what the goal is, and a lot of times leads us to the conclusion of whether its valid or not, he said. Theres going to be a bias and a clear purpose its trying to accomplish. We ask the same questions as we would if we had a photograph of the Dust Bowl in front of us.

A sobering message from Wineburgs more recent research, however, is that the ability to evaluate print sources critically doesnt automatically translate into the online domain.

A history education rooted in facts, evidence, and well-argued positions might be a beginning step toward healthier, more productive, and more engaged citizenry. But it is hardly an inoculation. Rather, it is more like the first in what has to be a sequence of booster shots.

Can Americans reach a shared agreement that facts matter, and that historiography is worthy of reasoned and respectful debate?

For many in history education, that remains an open question.

No one is seriously pushing for national history standards, after a federally financed 1994 attempt fell afoul of that decades culture wars . Texas continuing debate illustrates that state-set benchmarks are not always a guarantee of quality. And local challenges to history curricula seem poised to expand, as in Florida.

More concerning, Zimmerman said, is whether Americans, for all their lip service to informed citizenship, really want to center history education in debaterather than in a whos-who game of names, dates, and places.

Its hardly a norm across the country, nor is there a consensus outside of K-12 education of why or how it matters to citizenship. In the end it comes down to this: Do Texas citizens really want to debate the Alamo? Would they be comfortable if students reached a different conclusion about those events?

I fully support a debate about questions like Were the Alamo defenders heroes?  he said. But if we say [unequivocally] that they are, we preclude that.
Miami, Oct 24 (EFE).- Director and choreographer Yara Travieso's musical re-imagining of Euripides' violent tragedy "Medea" into a dance-theater performance opens Oct. 25 at Miami's Sandrell Rivers Theater.

"It's different every time,"Travieso said, attempting to describe "La Medea," which is directed, performed, filmed, edited and streamed in real time.

As a teenager, the performance artist was captivated by the title character of the Greek tragedy when she first read the play in high school, an experience that cultivated an image of a revolutionary - and even feminist - woman in her mind.

With "La Medea," Travieso confronts the hysterical, dangerous, foreign woman, and the revolutionary figure willing to destroy her own children in the name of justice.

Her free version of the play presents the idea of a Medea with "a thousand faces," who replicates herself in a sort of mirror play created using an array of cameras and screens.

When asked about the Latin disco flair of the play, the director - who was born in Miami to a Cuban father and Venezuelan mother - she responded, "We all have our loves."

Travieso underlined that she is not interested in appealing to the high-brow, snobby fans of "experimental" arts, but to the community.

"La Medea" will run until Oct. 27 as part of the MDC Live Arts arts program and will feature a five-piece band, as well as several dancers and performers filmed live by two dancing camero operators on stage and an assortment of technological techniques used to generate a variety of impressive digital effects.

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Mexico City, Oct 24 (EFE).- Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio "Checo" Perez (Force India) said here Wednesday that he is hoping for rain at the Mexico Grand Prix.

"The weather would be a good opportunity to equalize things and see the differences in the drivers," Perez, who is in eighth place this season, told reporters.

According to the forecast, there is a chance of rain during Sunday's race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, hopes to win his fifth world title.

The Briton needs only a seventh-place finish to claim the 2018 crown.

"I'm happy to be back at home. What I'm hoping for is to maximize the car's potential and get a good classification because not having a good Saturday on a track as complicated as Mexico has affected us in recent years," said Perez, referring to the fact that starting position for the race is determined the day before during the classification trials.

On Wednesday, the 28-year-old Mexican driver said he was optimistic and felt confident he would have a good race in his native country.

"It's amazing to look back. When I started racing for Force India, I had come from McLaren, with one of the most impressive factories," he recalled.

He added that even though he joined a team with fewer resources, he still managed to get to the podium in his third race.

"I came to one of the smallest teams in Formula One and today I'm on one of the most important ones that has a great future," he added.
Jayuya, Puerto Rico, Oct 24 (EFE).- Puerto Rican musician and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the wife of Puerto Rico's governor here Wednesday to announce the a $5-million initiative aimed to revitalize the coffee industry in the Caribbean island.

The program aims to provide economic help over the next five years to some 3,000 coffee farmers affected in September 2017 by Hurricane Maria, which destroyed 80 percent of the crop.

Miranda announced the initiative at Jayuya's Hacienda San Pedro accompanied by his father and Puerto Rico first lady Beatriz Rossello, as well as executives from Starbucks Coffee, Technoserve and Nespresso, along with representatives of the Hispanic Federation, the Rockefeller Foundation and World Coffee Research.

"You don't call the 'Avengers' when the work is easy, but when it is hard," Miranda said, referring to the executives and officials. "Crops were completely destroyed by the hurricane."

Rossello thanked the award-winning author of "In the Heights" and "Hamilton" for his help in bringing together the coalition.

"What can we Puerto Ricans be more proud of if not coffee," Miranda said, adding that he has a tattoo of a coffee cup on one leg. "It is a very important element of the Puerto Rican economy and culture."
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 24, 2018 -- Hydrogen fuel cells offer an attractive source of continuous energy for remote applications, from spacecraft to remote weather stations. Fuel cell efficiency decreases as the Nafion membrane, used to separate the anode and cathode within a fuel cell, swells as it interacts with water.

A Russian and Australian collaboration has now shown that this Nafion separator membrane partially unwinds some of its constituent fibers, which then protrude away from the surface into the bulk water phase for hundreds of microns.

The research team was led by a group in Russia together with Australian professor Barry Ninham from Australian National University in Canberra, a leading specialist in colloid and interface science. Their results were published this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics, from AIP Publishing.

The research team began this project to examine a proposed hypothesis that attributed a new state of water to explain swelling of the Nafion membrane. Instead, they are the first to describe the growth of polymer fibers extending from the membrane surface as it interacts with water. The number of fibers increases as a function of deuterium concentration of the water.

"To increase our understanding of these membranes, we needed to describe the molecular-level interaction of deuterated water with the polymer," Bunkin said. "Now that we know the structure of the 'exclusion zone', we can tailor the Nafion structure and its electrical properties by studying changes induced by ion-specific (Hofmeister) effects on its organization and function."

Nafion is the highest-performance commercially available hydrogen-oxide proton exchange membrane used to date in fuel cells. Its porous nature permits significant concentration of the electrolyte solution while separating the anode from the cathode, which allows the flow of electrons producing energy in the fuel cell.

The researchers found the membrane is specifically sensitive to the deuterium content in the ambient water by unweaving the surface's structure. The polymer fibers extend from the membrane into the water. The effect is most pronounced in water with deuterium content between 100 and 1,000 parts per million.

For this study, the team developed a specialized laser instrumentation (photoluminescent UV spectroscopy) to characterize the polymer fibers along the membrane-water interface. Although the individual fibers were not observed directly due to the spatial limitation of the instrumentation, the team reliably detected their outgrowth into the water.

"The significance of this work may provide an entree into some very fundamental areas of biology and energy production about which we did not have a clue," Bunkin said.

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This work was supported by grants from the Russian Federation for Basic Research, the President of the Russian Federation for Young Scientists and the MEphI Academic Excellence Project.

The article, "Near-surface structure of Nafion in deuterated water," is authored by N.F. Bunkin, A.V. Shkirin, V.A. Kozlov, B.W. Ninham, E.V. Uspenskaya and S.V. Gudkov. It appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 (DOI: 10.1063/1.5042065) and can be accessed at http://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/1.5042065.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Journal of Chemical Physics publishes quantitative and rigorous science of long-lasting value in methods and applications of chemical physics. http://jcp.aip.org
Augmented reality (AR), a technology that superimposes computer-generated information on a user's view of the real world, offers a new platform to help physicians better visualize complex medical data, particularly before and during medical procedures. A new self-contained AR device aims to provide an immersive AR experience in which surgeons can interactively explore data in three dimensions.

Jihye Jang, a PhD Candidate at the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (MR) Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and colleagues assessed AR's potential to help cardiologists visualize myocardial scarring in the heart as they perform ventricular tachycardia ablation or other electrophysiological interventions. Myocardial scarring can occur in people who experience a heart attack and also stems from the surgical repair of congenital heart disease. The team's findings, published in PLOS ONE, demonstrate that the new augmented reality technology confers a number of advantages.

"Augmented reality allows physicians to superimpose images, such as MRI or CT scans, as a guide during therapeutic intervention," said Jang. "Our report shows exciting potential that having this complex 3D scar information through augmented reality during the intervention may help guide treatment and ultimately improve patient care. Physicians can now use AR to view 3D cardiac MR information with a touchless interaction in sterile environment."

By projecting three dimensional imagery onto a glass screen worn like a diving mask on the surgeon's face, AR provides 3D depth perception and allows surgeons to interact with the medical data without physically touching a screen or computer mouse, maintaining a sterile environment and reducing the risk of infection. In Jang and colleague's pilot study, the researchers applied the augmented reality technique as they generated holographic 3D scar in five animal models that underwent controlled infarction and electrophysiological study.

3D holographic visualization of the scar was performed to assist assessment of the complex 3D scar architecture. An operator and mapping specialist viewed the holographic 3D scar during electrophysiological study, and completed the perceived usefulness questionnaire in the six-item usefulness scale and found it useful to have scar information during the intervention. The user could interactively explore 3D myocardial scar in the augmented reality environment that allows for the combination of holographic 3D LGE data interacting with any real-world environments, such as a surgical suite or patient's body.

"Our report is one of the first efforts to test augmented reality in cardiovascular electrophysiological intervention," said Jang. "Our next steps will expand the use of AR into treatments for arrhythmia by merging the scar information with electrophysiology data."

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The senior corresponding author of the paper is Reza Nezafat, PhD, scientific director of the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Center at BIDMC. Other co-authors include colleagues from BIDMC, University of Pennsylvania and Technical University of Munich.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [1R01HL129185, 1R21HL127650]; and the American Heart Association [15EIA22710040]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.

BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www.bidmc.org.
Cincinnati, Ohio - October 22, 2018 - Standard Bariatrics, an innovator of surgical devices, has received a sleeve gastrectomy indication from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the STANDARD CLAMP.1 "Standard Bariatrics is committed to creating superior bariatric surgery outcomes through device innovations. The acceptance of the supplemental data by the FDA to expand the U.S. indications of the STANDARD CLAMP is another significant milestone for the Company," said Jonathan Thompson MD, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Standard Bariatrics. "With the patient's health top priority, we aimed to standardize an anatomy-based approach to sleeve gastrectomy."

Current techniques and device usage for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy are highly variable, and studies show that freehand sleeve gastrectomy techniques can yield inconsistent pouch anatomy. Because of challenges, bariatric surgeons have been able to achieve the ideal sleeve anatomy less than 40% of the time, resulting in inconsistent outcomes for the patient including reduced weight loss and GERD.2

The STANDARD SLEEVE addresses issues of inconsistent surgical anatomy through an anatomy-based approach. Performed with the first-of-its-kind, purpose-built, disposable device, the STANDARD CLAMP allows fixation of the full cut line across the entire stomach, enabling surgeons to plan and hold the staple line prior to dividing the stomach during sleeve gastrectomy.

"The STANDARD CLAMP allows planning, visualization and stabilization of the full staple line before staple firing, enabling bariatric surgeons to confidently achieve ideal surgical sleeve anatomy consistently," said Ronald Galovich, Chief Commercial Officer of Standard Bariatrics. "We are excited about the opportunity to bring the STANDARD CLAMP to every bariatric surgeon performing the sleeve gastrectomy procedure."

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About Standard Bariatrics, Inc.

Standard Bariatrics, Inc., is a Cincinnati-based surgical procedure company focused on the innovative development and commercialization of medical devices. Driven by a passionate group of surgical innovators, the company will continue to release surgical solutions designed to address significant market opportunities. The Standard Bariatrics management team has over 175 combined years of experience in developing and commercializing novel medical device technologies with a record of achieving both clinical and economic excellence for patients and providers.

Standard Bariatrics is supported through early investment from Queen City Angels and CincyTech, and more recently Series A lead investors RiverVest and Hatteras Funds. For more information, visit http://www.standardbariatrics.com or call 513-620-7751.

1 K181608 The Standard Clamp, Disposable is indicated for use in laparoscopic procedures to grasp, clamp, and manipulate soft tissues. The Clamp is indicated for use in bariatric procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy as a guide, to clamp and manipulate flat tissue and organs, such as the stomach.

2 Toro, JP, et al. (2014). Association of radiographic morphology with early gastroesophageal reflux disease and satiety control after sleeve gastrectomy. Journal of American College of Surgeons. Sep; 219(3):430-8.
ITHACA, N.Y. - At a time when more than half of male infertility cannot be explained by current methods, a new test developed by Androvia LifeSciences is able to measure male fertility. The proprietary Cap-Score Male Fertility Assay is based on research patented by the Travis lab at the Baker Institute for Animal Health and Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and was recently the subject of a study that appeared Sept. 24 in the journal Molecular Reproduction and Development.

"Out of all the tests commonly used to measure sperm, the Cap-Score is the only one that prospectively has been shown to indicate the probability of a man to generate a pregnancy," said Dr. Alexander Travis, professor of reproductive biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, director of Cornell's new Master of Public Health program, as well as Androvia's co-founder and chief scientific officer.

This marks a major improvement over semen analysis, the standard diagnostic tool for male infertility for more than five decades. Its descriptive nature fails to explain the causes of infertility or predict whether sperm will actually fertilize an egg.

The Cap-Score, on the other hand, quantifies "capacitation," the changes that take place within a sperm cell that enable it to fertilize.

Travis was the first to identify ganglioside GM1 as a biomarker for a sperm's capacitation status. The first clinical samples were tested by Dr. Gianpiero Palermo, professor of embryology in obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine and a member of Androvia LifeSciences' clinical advisory team. This combination of strong basic science and preliminary human clinical data led to the technology being licensed by Cornell to Androvia LifeSciences for development into a commercially practical diagnostic assay.

In previous studies, the Cap-Score differentiated between cohorts of fertile men and men seeking assistance with their fertility, and retrospectively between men successful at intrauterine insemination (IUI) and those failing.

In the most recent study, 208 semen samples were collected from men having medical evaluations because of questions regarding their fertility. In addition to undergoing traditional semen analysis, Androvia scientists tested the samples and assigned them prospectively into groups predicted to have low versus normal fertility based on their Cap-Scores. Clinical outcomes were later reported for 91 of these men.

Men with normal Cap-Scores had a 2.78-fold higher chance of pregnancy than men with a low score, and a 4.23-fold higher success rate at achieving pregnancy in their first attempt at IUI. In contrast, none of the elements of semen analysis, such as sperm swimming or concentration, had any relationship with male fertility.

Next, researchers collected more Cap-Scores and clinical outcomes from a total of five fertility clinics and urology practices - among them the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Weill Cornell Medicine. Using data from 124 men, scientists generated a curve that translates a Cap-Score into the probability of generating a pregnancy.

"This new ability to diagnose a man's fertility status and ability to generate a pregnancy will let doctors counsel their patients toward a personalized journey to parenthood, using the approaches most appropriate for them," Travis said. He hopes such targeted treatments will save couples time, emotional distress and money. This is especially important for patients who are attempting to get pregnant later in life, when conception rates are reduced.

Cap-Score tests are available to patients and physicians at about a dozen fertility clinics across the country.

Urologists will also use the Cap-Score to evaluate how different treatment regimens, such as nutritional supplements or surgery, will impact male fertility. Other potential applications extend far beyond doctor's offices.

The ability to quantify the process that controls fertility within a sperm cell may point the direction for new approaches to male contraception; help sperm banks improve how they handle and freeze sperm; give new public health insights into overall male health and well-being; and enable pharmaceutical companies to test off-target impacts of new drugs.

"We have even shown previously that the same underlying approach can be used in other species, including cattle," Travis said. "When one considers that well over 90 percent of dairy products are produced from cows that were artificially inseminated, this could be very important."

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Cornell University has dedicated television and audio studios available for media interviews supporting full HD, ISDN and web-based platforms.
Mathematicians have created a new model -- of a variety commonly found in the world of finance - to show how to harvest a species at an optimal rate, while making sure that the animals do not get wiped out by chance.

Mathematicians have created a new model - of a variety commonly found in the world of finance - to show how to harvest a species at an optimal rate, while making sure that the animals do not get wiped out by chance.

According to the theoretical study, hunting thresholds can be calculated for individual populations and species. The key to this is how quickly a population grows naturally, and how much it competes for resources.

The researchers say previous models that explore the impact of extracting wild species - such as whales, bison, rhinos, birds and fish - do not take into account random environmental factors that could threaten animals at the same time.

Published in the Journal of Mathematical Biology, the research was conducted by academics at Tufts University, Wayne State University, City, University of London and University of Hong Kong.

Dr Sergiu Ungureanu, a Lecturer in Behavioural Economics at City, said: "The problem we found was that if numbers of a species become too small, not only does their usefulness to humans decrease, but there is also a chance that the entire species goes extinct.

"This is because random fluctuations in the environment will affect the numbers of the species, on top of what people do.

"In the past, the problem was tackled either without taking into account environmental chance, or by ignoring the possibility of extinction in the distant future.

"We removed these two important limitations and we proved a simple result - there is always a population threshold under which there should be no harvesting."

A 'bang-bang' approach

The researchers conclude that a "bang-bang" approach is the most effective strategy. This is where hunting is done at one of two fixed rates, like an on-off switch.

It is argued that if humans can control animal populations better, harvesting can be more efficient and the risk of the population going extinct is lower.

According to the study, populations that grow faster should be left to grow to a larger size, before hunting starting again at the pre-designated hunting rate.

The researchers say that a faster growth rate means a higher, more efficient and sustainable rate of extraction can be maintained.

When a population becomes endangered and it has a lower growth rate, the study shows, it should be left to grow bigger to avoid the risk that it will go extinct through other environmental threats.

Dr Ungureanu said: "The goal is to help ecologists understand the problem and its parameters, the variables of interest, and to give them tools to find the exact numbers they need for the optimal extraction strategy for any particular application."

The researchers say they conducted the study because many wild species are at risk of being harvested to both local and global extinction, including whales, elephant seals, bison, rhinos, endangered birds, mammals and many species of fish.

They explain this risk of extinction is increased because animal populations fluctuate randomly in time, due to environmental factors that cannot be predicted.

As argued in the paper, the issue of chance is not taken into account in previous studies and it can lead to an overestimation of the ability of species to recover, potentially leading to extinction.

However, the authors say a rate of harvesting that is too low also causes problems for a species as higher numbers will lead to higher competition for limited resources, which could also have a negative effect on their habitat.

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Notes to editors

The article, Asymptotic harvesting of populations in random environments, has been published in the Journal of Mathematical Biology.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00285-018-1275-1

Media contact at City, University of London:

Ed Grover: ed.grover@city.ac.uk; +44 (0)207 040 3062

City, University of London is a global higher education institution committed to academic excellence, with a focus on business and the professions and an enviable central London location.

City's academic range is broadly-based with world-leading strengths in business; law; health sciences; mathematics; computer science; engineering; social sciences; and the arts including journalism and music.

City has around 18,000 students (35% at postgraduate level) from more than 160 countries and staff from over 75 countries.

In the last REF, City doubled the proportion of its total academic staff producing world-leading or internationally excellent research.

More than 130,000 former students from over 180 countries are members of the City Alumni Network.

The University's history dates from 1894, with the foundation of the Northampton Institute on what is now the main part of City's campus. In 1966, City was granted University status by Royal Charter and the Lord Mayor of London became its Chancellor. In September 2016, City joined the University of London and HRH the Princess Royal became City's Chancellor.

Led by President, Professor Sir Paul Curran since 2010, City has made signi?cant investments in its academic staff, its estate and its infrastructure and continues to work towards realising its vision of being a leading global university: it has recently agreed a new Vision & Strategy 2026.
In Greek mythology, a chimera is a figure with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. But the concept is not entirely imaginary.

Human chimeras are people who have cells from more than one person, sometimes as a result of absorbing the genetic code of a twin while still in the womb, or as the result of receiving an organ transplant. Scientists have created dozens of types of human-animal chimeras by putting human cells into lab animals to conduct potentially life-saving research, such as recent attempts to grow human organs in animals for transplant into patients with a serious medical need.

But the ethical implications are profound, including concerns that the transfer of human stem cells into animal hosts would result in an animal possessing at least partially human moral status, especially if the central nervous system is involved. The debate will likely grow in intensity as advances in human stem cell science and genetic engineering techniques enable researchers to more extensively and precisely insert developing human cells (and self-organizing mini-organ structures derived from human stem cells) into any stage of embryonic, fetal, or post-natal development of vertebrate animals.

"These scientific advances are thrilling," said Insoo Hyun, PhD, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "Yet they also reveal conceptual, ethical, and procedural limitations in existing ethics guidance for biomedical research on chimeras."

To address these shortfalls, Hyun, a principal investigator of the project, along with co-investigator Patricia Marshall, PhD, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve, and bioethicists from the Hastings Center in New York will identify ways of improving existing guidelines and ensuring professional accountability and responsibility in human-animal chimera research. The interdisciplinary bioethics project is supported by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

At present there are two sets of influential guidelines for this research - one from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences and the other from the International Society of Stem Cell Research. "These recommendations represent important landmarks in U.S. and international initiatives that offer oversight to the emerging science of human-animal chimera research," said Hyun. "But our review of this guidance, and preliminary exploration with major thought leaders in the field, make clear the need for improvements. The first need is for conceptual clarity and ethical analysis related to defining and measuring 'humanization' and its significance to animal welfare. The second is for improvement of the oversight system, including greater clarity about who should be responsible and accountable for the research and how best to address potential concerns in an efficient review system."

Hyun and Marshall's work will be supported by an advisory group of 20 scientists, philosophers, and bioethics leaders in the field, helping to carry out an extensive review of current guidelines and relevant professional literature, as well as examining philosophical concerns, moral uncertainties, and value conflicts related to chimera research. They will also conduct detailed interviews with scientists and members of stem cell and animal-research oversight committees at a number of institutions, including Harvard University, the Salk Institute, Stanford University, and Weill Cornell Medicine.

"Our goal is to ensure that the lived experiences, goals, and challenges of experts in the field will inform the recommendations that will emerge from this research project," said Marshall.

Hyun and Marshall will publish their recommendations for enhancing the current guidelines in a special issue of the Hastings Center Report, a leading peer-reviewed academic journal of bioethics. They will also develop a set of educational materials, both in print and online, that includes challenging real-world and thought-experiment scenarios with commentaries on how such situations can be managed in light of complex normative concerns.

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For more information about Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, please visit: case.edu/medicine.
HANOVER, N.H. - October 24, 2018 - In search of inspiration for improving computer-based text translators, researchers at Dartmouth College turned to the Bible for guidance. The result is an algorithm trained on various versions of the sacred texts that can convert written works into different styles for different audiences.

Internet tools to translate text between languages like English and Spanish are widely available. Creating style translators--tools that keep text in the same language but transform the style--have been much slower to emerge. In part, efforts to develop the translators have been stymied by the difficulty of acquiring the enormous amount of data required. This is where the research team turned to the Bible.

In addition to being a source of spiritual guidance for many people around the globe, the Dartmouth-led team saw in the Bible "a large, previously untapped dataset of aligned parallel text." Beyond providing infinite inspiration, each version of the Bible contains more than 31,000 verses that the researchers used to produce over 1.5 million unique pairings of source and target verses for machine-learning training sets.

According to the research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, this is not the first parallel dataset created for style translation. But it is the first that uses the Bible. Other texts that have been used in the past, ranging from Shakespeare to Wikipedia entries, provide data sets that are either much smaller or not as well suited for the task of learning style translation.

"The English-language Bible comes in many different written styles, making it the perfect source text to work with for style translation," said Keith Carlson, a PhD student at Dartmouth and lead author of the research paper about the study.

As an added benefit for the research team, the Bible is already thoroughly indexed by the consistent use of book, chapter and verse numbers. The predictable organization of the text across versions eliminates the risk of alignment errors that could be caused by automatic methods of matching different versions of the same text.

"The Bible is a 'divine' data set to work with to study this task," said Daniel Rockmore, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth and contributing author on the study. "Humans have been performing the task of organizing Bible texts for centuries, so we didn't have to put our faith into less reliable alignment algorithms."

To define "style" for the study, the researchers reference sentence length, the use of passive or active voices, and word choice that could result in texts with varying degrees of simplicity or formality. According to the study: "Different wording may convey different levels of politeness or familiarity with the reader, display different cultural information about the writer, be easier to understand for certain populations."

The team used 34 stylistically distinct Bible versions ranging in linguistic complexity from the "King James Version" to the "Bible in Basic English." The texts were fed into two algorithms - a statistical machine translation system called "Moses" and a neural network framework commonly used in machine translation, "Seq2Seq."

While different versions of the Bible were used to train the computer code, systems could ultimately be developed that translate the style of any written text for different audiences. As example, a style translator could take an English-language selection from "Moby Dick" and translate it into different versions suitable for young readers, non-native English speakers, or any one of a variety of audiences.

"Text simplification is only one specific type of style transfer. More broadly, our systems aim to produce text with the same meaning as the original, but do so with different words," said Carlson.

Dartmouth College has a long history of innovation in computer science. The term "artificial intelligence" was coined at Dartmouth during a 1956 conference that created the AI research discipline. Other advancements include the design of BASIC--the first general-purpose and accessible programing language--and the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System that contributed to the modern day operating system.

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Allen Riddell from the University of Indiana also contributed to this research.

A .pdf of the research paper is available upon request.

About Dartmouth

Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League and offers the world's premier liberal arts education, combining its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate and graduate teaching with distinguished research and scholarship in the arts and sciences and its three leading professional schools: the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business.
An international team led by researchers from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), University of Oviedo (Asturias, Spain), CIC nanoGUNE (San Sebastian, Spain), and Soochow University (Suzhou, China) discover squeezed light ('nanolight') in the nanoscale that propagates only in specific directions along thin slabs of molybdenum trioxide - a natural anisotropic 2D material -. Besides its unique directional character, this nanolight lives for an exceptionally long time, and thus could find applications in signal processing, sensing or heat management at the nanoscale.

Future information and communication technologies will rely on the manipulation of not only electrons but also of light at the nanometer-scale. Squeezing (confining) light to such a small size has been a major goal in nanophotonics for many years. A successful strategy is the use of polaritons, which are electromagnetic waves resulting from the coupling of light and matter. Particularly strong light squeezing can be achieved with polaritons at infrared frequencies in 2D materials, such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride. However, although extraordinary polaritonic properties - such as electrical tuning of graphene polaritons - have been recently achieved with these materials, the polaritons have always been found to propagate along all directions of the material surface, thereby losing energy quite fast, which limits their application potential.

Recently, it was predicted that polaritons can propagate "anisotropically" along the surface of 2D materials, in which the electronic or structural properties are different along different directions. In this case, the velocity and wavelength of the polaritons strongly depend on the direction in which they propagate. This property can lead to highly directional polariton propagation in the form of nanoscale confined rays, which could find future applications in the fields of sensing, heat management or maybe even quantum computing.

Now, an international team led by Qiaoliang Bao (Monash Engineering's Associate Professor, Melbourne, Australia), Pablo Alonso-Gonzalez (Distinguished researcher at University of Oviedo, Spain) and Rainer Hillenbrand (Ikerbasque Research Professor at CIC nanoGUNE, San Sebastian, Spain) have discovered ultra-confined infrared polaritons that propagate only in specific directions along thin slabs of the natural 2D material molybdenum trioxide (-MoO3).

"Our findings promise -MoO3 to become a unique platform for infrared nanophotonics", says Qiaoliang Bao. "It was amazing to discover polaritons on our -MoO3 thin flakes travelling only along certain directions", says Weiliang Ma, postgraduate-student and co-first-author. "Until now, the directional propagation of polaritons has been observed experimentally only in artificially structured materials, where the ultimate polariton confinement is much more difficult to achieve than in natural materials", adds co-first author Shaojuan Li.

Apart of directional propagation, the study also revealed that the polaritons on -MoO3 can have an extraordinarily long lifetime. "Light seems to take a nanoscale highway on -MoO3; it travels along certain directions with almost no obstacles", says Pablo Alonso-Gonzalez, co-first author of the paper. He adds: "Our measurements show that polaritons on -MoO3 live up to 20 picoseconds, which is 40 times larger than the best-possible polariton lifetime in high-quality graphene at room temperature".

Because the wavelength of the polaritons is much smaller than that of light, the researchers had to use a special microscope, a so-called near-field optical microscope, to image them. "The establishment of this technique coincided perfectly with the emergence of novel van der Waals materials, enabling the imaging of a variety of unique and even unexpected polaritons during the past years", adds Rainer Hillenbrand.

For a better understanding of the experimental results, the researchers developed a theory that allowed them to extract the relation between the momentum of polaritons in -MoO3 with their energy. "We have realized that light squeezed in -MoO3 can become "hyperbolic" making the energy and wave-fronts to propagate in different directions along the surface, which can lead to interesting exotic effects in optics (such as e.g. negative refraction or "superlensing")", says Alexey Nikitin, Ikerbasque Research Associate at Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), who developed the theory in collaboration with Javier Taboada-Gutierrez, and Javier Martin-Sanchez, PhD and postdoctoral researchers, respectively at Alonso-Gonzalezs group.

The current work is just the beginning of a series of studies focused on directional control and manipulation of light with the help of ultra-low-loss polaritons at the nanoscale, which could benefit the development of more efficient nanophotonic devices for optical sensing and signal processing or heat management.

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Published manuscript:

In-plane anisotropic and ultra-low-loss polaritons in a natural van der Waals crystal Weiliang Ma, Pablo Alonso-Gonzalez, Shaojuan Li, Alexey Y. Nikitin, Jian Yuan, Javier Martin-Sanchez, Javier Taboada-Gutierrez, Iban Amenabar, Peining Li, Saul Velez, Christopher Tollan, Zhigao Dai, Yupeng Zhang, Sharath Sriram, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Shuit-Tong Lee, Rainer Hillenbrand & Qiaoliang Bao, Nature, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0618-9

Collaborative team/participating parts/involved institutions:

Monash University (Australia); https://www.monash.edu/engineering/qiaoliangbao

University of Oviedo Spain; http://www.uniovi.es

CIC nanoGUNE (Spain); https://www.nanogune.eu/nanooptics

Soochow University (China); http://funsom.suda.edu.cn/funsomen/3015/list.htm

Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC, Spain); http://www.dipc.ehu.es

Acknowledgements

Australia: FLEET funding under the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence program. The research was performed in part at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN), an Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF).

China: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Youth 973 program, National Key Research Development Program, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu, Higher Education Institutions (PAPD) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology

Spain: Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, Clarin Programme from the Government of the Principality of Asturias, Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme.

Europe: European Research Council under the Starting grant 715496, "2DNANOPTICA".

ABOUT MONASH UNIVERSITY:

Monash University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. Monash University is one of Australia's leading universities and ranks among the world's top 100. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight, a coalition of Australia's eight leading research Universities, a member of the ASAIHL, and is the only Australian member of the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies. http://www.monash.edu

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF OVIEDO:

The University of Oviedo, located in Oviedo, Asturias, has a teaching and research staff of more than 2000 people in 38 departments, among them are 350 young researchers with expertise ranging from physics, chemistry, life sciences, biology etc., at both a post-graduate and post-doctoral level. http://www.uniovi.es

ABOUT CIC NANOGUNE:

The CIC nanoGUNE Co-operative Research Centre, located in Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country, is a research center set up with the mission to perform world-class nanoscience research for the competitive growth of the Basque Country. NanoGUNE is also recognized by the Spanish Research Agency as a "Maria de Maeztu" Unit of Excellence (2017-2021). http://www.nanogune.eu

ABOUT SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY Soochow University, a Jiangsu provincial key comprehensive university located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The university is part of the national "211 Project" and is a "2011 Plan" university, also one of the top 5% research universities (overall ranking 28 within 704 Chinese universities in 2017) in China. http://www.suda.edu.cn

ABOUT DIPC

The Donostia International Physics Center Foundation (DIPC) (created in 1999) promotes and catalyses the development of basic research in Physics. It presents an international point of reference in the field of the Physics of Materials. http://www.dipc.ehu.es
By finding that the cancer drug also activates a key cellular receptor in the innate immune system, a study at the Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), in Brazil, may lead to new treatment strategies

Researchers in Brazil have discovered a new effect of a drug widely used as a chemotherapeutic agent and offered to patients free of charge by SUS, the national health service.

Paclitaxel is prescribed for the treatment of breast, lung and ovarian cancer, as well as other types of tumors. It is known to act as an antineoplastic agent, inhibiting the growth of abnormal tissue due to cell proliferation. The new study shows that it can also reactivate the patient's immune response, thus combating the tumor on two fronts.

In an article published in the journal Cancer Research, scientists at the Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases - CRID, a Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Center - RIDC, funded by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, and the Federal University of Ceara (UFC) describe how the drug reactivates the innate immune response.

Previous studies reported immunostimulatory effects of paclitaxel in rodents. It is also known that macrophages, important cells of the immune system, are able to adopt two major phenotypes: M1, with proinflammatory and antitumor properties, and M2, with anti-inflammatory and protumor effects. By combining these profiles, the new study shows that paclitaxel can act as a modulator of the immune response and reprogram tumor-associated macrophages into the antitumor M1 profile via the TLR4 receptor.

"We put the two concepts together and discovered this alternative effect of the chemotherapy drug. The finding that paclitaxel modulates immune response opens up new prospects for the use of this drug," said Carlos Wagner Wanderley, first author of the article.

If the discovery is confirmed in clinical trials, paclitaxel can be associated with more modern forms of cancer treatment, such as immunotherapy, a strategy that stimulates the immune system to combat tumors.

"This association could attack tumors on three fronts, with paclitaxel bringing mitosis to a halt in neoplastic cells and activating macrophages, while immunotherapy stimulates the antitumor activity of lymphocytes," Wanderley said.

The discovery was made during Wanderley's PhD research at UFC. He conducted the study in partnership with CRID researchers affiliated with the University of Sao Paulo's Ribeirao Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP).

"The study started from a simple idea, which was the knowledge that neuropathic pain linked to the receptor TLR4 is one of the side effects of paclitaxel, and we now believe that this discovery will also have a major impact on clinical practice," said Thiago Mattar Cunha, a professor at FMRP-USP and a coauthor of the study.

According to Mattar Cunha, the study involved experiments with cultured cells, an animal model, and bioinformatics analysis. In the first stage, to demonstrate the drug's effect on the innate immune response, they converted in vitro macrophages in the inactive or resting state (M0) to the M2 anti-inflammatory and protumor profile. The application of paclitaxel to the M2 macrophages reprogrammed them to the M1 antitumor profile.

After the study of cultured cells, the group performed in vivo experiments in transgenic mice whose macrophages lacked the receptor TLR4.

"In these cases, we found that the chemotherapy drug lost its effect," Mattar Cunha said. "We used a paclitaxel-resistant tumor cell line. Although the drug could not inhibit cell proliferation, it continued to modulate the immune system."

Better response

In addition to the in vitro and in vivo experiments, the researchers also conducted bioinformatics analysis of ovarian tumor samples from patients treated with paclitaxel, using biopsy data from a gene expression database.

"Our analysis of the biopsies identified a gene profile characteristic of M1 antitumor macrophages in tumors treated with the chemotherapy drug. This finding matched our hypothesis," Mattar Cunha said.

The researchers plan to proceed with their studies and perform clinical tests with paclitaxel. "We'll be pursuing two lines, studying other, older chemotherapy drugs to see if they also have antitumor immune activity and conducting clinical tests with paclitaxel. At CRID, we work with international advisors who have expressed an interest in doing clinical research to find out whether the drug acts as an adjuvant in therapies," said CRID coordinator Fernando Queiroz Cunha.

The most interesting association, Queiroz Cunha explained, would be with immune checkpoint therapy, which blocks proteins that stop the immune system from attacking cancer cells.

"This is a form of immunotherapy that sets out to enhance immune response, and that's precisely the effect of paclitaxel. It could perhaps be used as adjuvant therapy for other tumors," he said.

The discovery may also have an important effect on the cost of treatment. "The total cost of treatment with checkpoint inhibitors is estimated at 1 million Brazilian Real per patient. The cost of older drugs like paclitaxel, which came on to the market in the early 1990s, is far lower. On the basis of this discovery, it's possible to propose a combination of drugs in search of something more than the effect expected in the past," said Roberto Lima-Junior, a professor in UFC's Physiology and Pharmacology Department who also took part in the research.

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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. For more information: http://www.fapesp.br/en.
WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 24, 2018)-- Nine to 33 million visits to the emergency room (ER) for asthma worldwide may be triggered by breathing in air polluted by ozone or fine particulate matter--pollutants that can enter the lung's deep airways, according to a study published today.

Scientists have long known that breathing in air sullied by car emissions and other pollutants could trigger asthma attacks. However, the new study is the first to quantify air pollution's impact on asthma cases around the globe.

"Millions of people worldwide have to go to emergency rooms for asthma attacks every year because they are breathing dirty air," said Susan C. Anenberg, PhD, MS, lead author of the study and an Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH). "Our findings suggest that policies aimed at cleaning up the air can reduce the global burden of asthma and improve respiratory health around the world."

Asthma is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide, affecting about 358 million people. The new findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, suggests car emissions and other types of pollution may be a significant source of serious asthma attacks.

Anenberg and her team first looked at emergency room visits for asthma in 54 countries and Hong Kong, and then combined that information with epidemiological exposure-response relationships and global pollution levels derived from satellites orbiting the earth.

The new research suggests that:

Nine to 23 million annual asthma emergency room visits globally (8 to 20 percent of total global asthma ER visits) may be triggered by ozone, a pollutant generated when car, power plant and other types of emissions interact with sunlight.

Five to 10 million asthma emergency room visits every year (4 to 9 percent of total global asthma ER visits) were linked to fine particulate matter, small particles of pollution that can lodge deep in the lung's airway tubes.

About half of the asthma emergency room visits attributed to dirty air were estimated to occur in South and East Asian countries, notably India and China.

Although the air in the United States is relatively clean compared to South and East Asian countries, ozone and particulate matter were estimated to contribute 8 to 21 percent and 3 to 11 percent of asthma ER visits in the United States, respectively.

To estimate the global levels of pollution for this study, the researchers turned to atmospheric models, ground monitors and satellites equipped with remote-sensing devices.

"The value of using satellites is that we were able to obtain a consistent measure of air pollution concentrations throughout the world," said Daven Henze, who is the principal investigator on the project and an associate professor for the University of Colorado Boulder. "This information allowed us to link the asthma burden to air pollution even in parts of the world where ambient air quality measurements have not been available."

Countries like India and China may be harder hit by the asthma burden because they have large populations and tend to have fewer restrictions on factories belching smoke and other sources of pollution, which can then trigger breathing difficulties, the authors said.

Approximately 95 percent of the world's population lives in places with unsafe air. Previously, the Global Burden of Disease Study focused on quantifying the impacts of air pollution on heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, and lower respiratory infections - finding that fine particulate matter and ozone were associated with 4.1 million and 230,000 premature deaths in 2016, respectively.

"We know that air pollution is the leading environmental health risk factor globally," Anenberg said. "Our results show that the range of global public health impacts from breathing dirty air are even more far reaching--and include millions of asthma attacks every year."

To reduce the global burden caused by asthma, Anenberg suggests that policymakers aggressively target known sources of pollution such as ozone, fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. She says policies that result in cleaner air might reduce not just the asthma burden but other health problems as well.

One way to reduce pollutants quickly would be to target emissions from cars, especially in big cities. Such policies would not only help people with asthma and other respiratory diseases but it would help everyone breathe a little easier, she said.

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In addition to Anenberg and Henze, the international, multi-institutional research team also included scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and others.

"Estimates of the Global Burden of Ambient PM2.5, Ozone, and NO2 on Asthma Incidence and Emergency Room Visits," appeared online October 24 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Support for the study was provided by the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Science Team, NASA Aura ACMAP, the Stockholm Environment Institute Low Emissions Development Pathways Initiative, and the Global Environment Research Fund of the Japan Ministry of the Environment.
SALT LAKE CITY- Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and the University of Utah (U of U) will receive up to $28 million over the next 10 years from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to continue its participation in the NCI's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, if all contract options are exercised. The work is conducted through the Utah Cancer Registry (UCR) at the U of U, in collaboration with the Utah Department of Health.

The UCR is one of the original NCI SEER Cancer Registries with data collection efforts that span more than four decades. The goal of the registry is to provide high-quality data on all cancer patients diagnosed or treated in Utah. The SEER program collectively gathers data from 16 population-based cancer registries across the nation, covering over 34% of the U. S. population. There are plans underway to expand data collection to eventually include detailed treatment data, information about cancer recurrence, and diagnostic genomic data. These new initiatives will foster research that could ultimately help prevent cancer and prolong the lives of those diagnosed with the disease.

"The work that the SEER registry does is particularly valuable because it systematically tracks cancer occurrences and deaths in such a large area of the United States," said Jennifer A. Doherty, MS, PhD, UCR executive director, HCI cancer researcher, and associate professor of population health sciences at the U of U. "The SEER infrastructure provides the backbone for impactful cancer research, particularly for rare cancer types and to understand cancer patterns across racial and ethnic groups."

As one of the NCI SEER registries, HCI is part of a large-scale initiative to understand the complexities of cancer. "The collaboration between the UCR and SEER registry is a stellar example of a broad community effort in cancer research. We are proud of the impact the registry has had and continues to expand upon," said Cornelia Ulrich, PhD, director of HCI's comprehensive cancer center and professor of population health sciences at the U of U.

The data the UCR collects through the SEER program is a rich resource for cancer research. The value of Utah's SEER registry is amplified through sophisticated work to combine these data with computerized Utah genealogy data via the Utah Population Database, managed by HCI. Collectively, these data comprise a powerful resource for identifying high-risk cancer families, according to Lisa Cannon-Albright, PhD, HCI investigator and professor of internal medicine at the U of U. "This unique resource has been used for decades to recruit and study pedigrees and has directly assisted the identification of several cancer predisposition genes, including BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, and GOLM1," says said Cannon-Albright.

"This is a very competitive award, and it recognizes the high quality of work our staff is doing. This work is intense, and the staff must be extremely detail oriented," said Carol Sweeney, PhD, HCI cancer researcher, professor of internal medicine at the U of U, and a member of the UCR team.

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The UCR was founded in 1966 by Charles Smart, MD, and benefits from data provided by Intermountain Healthcare and many other Utah hospitals and laboratories. The information contributed by UCR captures people all over the state, including those who live in rural and frontier communities, which reflects Utah's geographical makeup. Thus the data are essential for understanding cancer trends and for evaluating the impact of cancer control programs throughout the state.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the NCI, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN261201800016I.

About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah is the official cancer center of Utah. The cancer campus includes a state-of-the-art cancer specialty hospital as well as two buildings dedicated to cancer research. HCI treats patients with all forms of cancer and is recognized among the best cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report. As the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West, HCI serves the largest geographic region in the country, drawing patients from Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at HCI than at any other cancer center in the world, including genes responsible for hereditary breast, ovarian, colon, head, and neck cancers, along with melanoma. HCI manages the Utah Population Database, the largest genetic database in the world, with information on more than 11 million people linked to genealogies, health records, and vital statistics. HCI was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.
Capitalizing on his vision of societal development based on sharing scientific knowledge, Professor Federico Rosei of INRS has devoted much of his career to providing ongoing support to scientists from developing countries. The American Physical Society (APS) has recognized his exemplary commitment by presenting him with the 2019 John Wheatley Award for his efforts and achievements in education and research in developing countries.

A prolific scholar, Professor Rosei strongly believes in the importance and urgency of bridging the science and education gap between developed and developing nations. To address this challenge, he has organized over twenty conferences in more than a dozen developing countries to foster scientific dialogue and international networking.

Since 2014, Federico Rosei has held the UNESCO Chair in Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage. The program he has built around this Chair reflects his vision of international collaboration: he supervises doctoral students from developing countries and has also initiated joint projects and exchanges involving thirty organizations based in fifteen countries in the global south. He also mentors numerous young researchers who have seen their careers take off in their home countries thanks to his support.

Federico Rosei's global impact, both in terms of research and physics education, is an inspiration to the scientific community. His selection for the John Wheatley Award is a testament to the esteem in which he is held by his peers, and INRS is very proud of his accomplishments. Please join us in extending our congratulations to Professor Rosei.

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ABOUT PROFESSOR FEDERICO ROSEI

Professor Federico Rosei obtained a PhD in physics from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 2001. He began his career at INRS in 2002. Since 2011, he has been director of the INRS Centre Energie Materiaux Telecommunications and, since 2016, he has held the Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured Materials. His research program focuses on studying structure/property relationships in nanoscale materials, on which he has published over 285 scientific papers. The quality and importance of his research, which has been cited more than 10,700 times in the scientific literature, has been repeatedly acknowledged by numerous prominent organizations. He is a member/fellow of 18 national and international societies and academies, including the Royal Society of Canada, the European Academy of Sciences, the Academia Europaea, the World Academy of Art and Science, the African Academy of Sciences, the Mexican Academy of Engineering, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, American Physical Society, Optical Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has also received more than twenty awards and honours in Canada and around the world, including the Herzberg Medal (Canadian Association of Physicists), the Rutherford Memorial Medal (Royal Society of Canada), the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (NSERC), the John C. Polanyi Award (Canadian Society for Chemistry), and the Jose Vasconcelos World Award of Education (World Cultural Council).

ABOUT INRS

INRS (Institut national de la recherche scientifique) is a graduate and post-graduate research and training university. As one of Canada's leading research universities in terms of grants per professor, INRS brings together some 150 professors and close to 800 students and postdoctoral fellows at its four centres in Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, and Varennes. Its basic research is essential to the advancement of science in Quebec and internationally, and its research teams play a key role in the development of concrete solutions to the problems faced by our society.
Spending long periods in space not only leads to muscle atrophy and reductions in bone density, it also has lasting effects on the brain. However, little is known about how different tissues of the brain react to exposure to microgravity, and it remains unclear whether and to what extent the neuroanatomical changes so far observed persist following return to normal gravity. Initiated and guided by a team of neuroscientists (headed by Prof. Floris L. Wuyts) based at the University of Antwerp, and in close cooperation with Russian colleagues, LMU neurologist Professor Peter zu Eulenburg has completed the first long-term study in Russian cosmonauts. In this study, which appears in the New England Journal of Medicine, they show that differential changes in the three main tissue volumes of the brain remain detectable for at least half a year after the end of their last mission.

The study was carried out on ten cosmonauts, each of whom had spent an average of 189 days on board the International Space Station (ISS). The authors used magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) to image the brains of the subjects both before and shortly after the conclusion of their long-term missions. In addition, seven members of the cohort were re-examined seven months after their return from space. "This is actually the first study in which it has been possible to objectively quantify changes in brain structures following a space mission also including an extended follow-up period," zu Eulenburg points out.

The MRT scans performed in the days after the return to Earth revealed that the volume of the grey matter (the part of the cerebral cortex that mainly consists of the cell bodies of the neurons) was reduced compared to the baseline measurement before launch. In the follow-up scans done 7 months later, this effect was partly reversed, but nevertheless still detectable. In contrast, the volume of the cerebrospinal fluid, which fills the inner and outer cavities of the brain, increased within the cortex during long-term exposure to microgravity. Moreover, this process was also observable in the outside spaces that cover the brain after the return to Earth, while the cerebrospinal fluid spaces within returned to near normal size. The white matter tissue volume (those parts of the brain that are primarily made up of nerve fibers) appeared to be unchanged upon investigation immediately after landing. However, the subsequent examination 6 months later showed a widespread reduction in volume relative to both earlier measurements. In this case, the researchers postulate that over the course of a longer stint in space, the volume of the white matter may slowly be replaced by an influx of cerebrospinal fluid. Upon return to Earth, this process is then gradually reversed, which then results in a relative reduction of white matter volume.

"Taken together, our results point to prolonged changes in the pattern of cerebrospinal fluid circulation over a period of at least seven months following the return to Earth," says zu Eulenburg. "However, whether or not the extensive alterations shown in the grey and the white matter lead to any changes in cognition remains unclear at present," he adds. So far the only clinical indication for detrimental effects is a reduction in visual acuity that was demonstrated in several long-term space travelers. These changes may very well be attributable to the increased pressure exerted by the cerebrospinal fluid on the retina and the optic nerve. The governing cause for the widespread structural changes in the brain following long spaceflights might lie in minimal pressure changes within the body's various water columns under conditions of microgravity that have a cumulative effect over time. According to the authors, to minimize the risks associated with long-term missions and to characterize any clinical significance of their structural findings, further studies using a wider range of diagnostic methods are deemed essential.

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The New England Journal of Medicine 2018

Publication:

Brain Tissue-Volume Changes in Cosmonauts

Angelique Van Ombergen, Peter zu Eulenburg, Floris L. Wuyts, et al.

NEJM 2018

Contact:

Prof. Dr. med. Peter zu Eulenburg

Functional Imaging

German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders

Phone: +49 (0)89 / 4400-74822

Fax: +49 (0)89 / 4400-74801

Email: peter.zu.eulenburg@med.uni-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.gsn.uni-muenchen.de/people/faculty/associate/peter-zu-eulenburg/index.html
MADRID, October 24, 2018 - A monthly vaginal ring that slowly releases an antiretroviral (ARV) drug called dapivirine is currently undergoing regulatory review. If approved, the dapivirine ring would be the first biomedical HIV prevention method developed specifically for women. Importantly, it would also provide women with another option besides oral PrEP, which involves daily use of a tablet called Truvada. Oral PrEP is already approved and being rolled out in many countries.

Yet the concern with these and potentially any prevention method containing an ARV is that their use by someone who is unknowingly already infected could allow the virus to become resistant against the ARV and to other drugs in the same class, because while one ARV may be sufficient for preventing HIV, it is not enough to suppress the virus from continuing to replicate in someone who is infected. Moreover, if that individual were to infect others with drug-resistant virus, it would be increasingly more difficult to control HIV with mainstay drugs.

New findings reported today at the biennial HIV Research for Prevention conference (HIVR4P 2018) suggest the risk that drug resistance could develop with use of the dapivirine ring is minimal, though researchers caution that their results represent only one study.

The researchers, from the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), analyzed plasma samples from women who acquired HIV during participation in the ASPIRE Phase III trial using both standard genotyping and a more sensitive next-generation sequencing technique. Both tests identify changes, or mutations, in the genetic makeup of HIV that are known to cause resistance to certain drugs. Next generation sequencing, which is only being used in research settings, can target a specific region of a gene as well as detect mutations rarely seen with standard testing.

Among women who acquired HIV in ASPIRE, relatively few had evidence of resistant virus, particularly virus resistant to drugs in the same class as dapivirine, which are known as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Moreover, the researchers did not find any rare mutations associated with resistance.

The results suggest that the few instances of NNRTI resistance were likely due to those women having been infected with drug-resistant virus and not due to the use of the dapivirine ring at the time of infection.

"We looked pretty hard, using the most sensitive tests that can detect genetic changes in thousands of individual viruses from a single infected person," said Urvi Parikh, Ph.D., associate director of the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) Laboratory Center Virology and Pharmacodynamics Core at the University of Pittsburgh. "In this study, we found that the risk of dapivirine-related resistance in someone using the dapivirine ring was the same as the risk in someone who wasn't using the ring."

ASPIRE, which was conducted by the MTN, enrolled 2,629 HIV-negative women ages 18-45 at 15 trial sites in Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The dapivirine ring, which is intended to be used for a month at a time, was developed by the nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM). IPM also conducted The Ring Study, a sister Phase III study of the monthly ring with similar safety and efficacy results and is seeking regulatory approval of the ring.

Of the 2,629 women who participated in ASPIRE, 168 acquired HIV. Plasma samples from 165 women underwent testing for drug resistant virus using the standard genotyping technique (96 samples from women who had been assigned to use the placebo ring and 68 samples from women in the dapivirine ring group), while 123 samples were also tested using the more sensitive technique (61 from the placebo group and 62 from the dapivirine ring group).

Standard genotyping identified no differences in the frequency and patterns of HIV drug resistance between those assigned to use the monthly dapivirine ring and those assigned to use a placebo ring, with 8 of 69 (11.6 percent) of the dapivirine ring group and 10 of 96 (10.4 percent) of the placebo group having resistant virus.

Dapivirine resistance is most commonly associated with the presence of any of four specific mutations. Both tests yielded the same results, finding only two cases of NNRTI resistance among women in the dapivirine ring group who acquired HIV, each involving the same single mutation (K103N).

Looking at other common NNRTI mutations, the sensitive test uncovered only one case that had not been detected by the standard test. Finally, when researchers narrowed their search to the specific region of the gene where NNRTI mutations are most likely to exist, they found no significant differences in the type or frequency of mutations between the placebo and dapivirine ring groups.

"Dapivirine primarily stays in the vagina where it is needed to protect against HIV infection. Very little drug gets into the blood and goes elsewhere in the body. But should any HIV pass the drug barrier in the vagina and start multiplying in the bloodstream, there probably isn't enough dapivirine circulating to be noticed and to cause resistant virus to emerge," explained Dr. Parikh.

Truvada, which contains the ARVs emtricitabine and tenofovir, is used for both HIV prevention and, in combination with other drugs, also for treating HIV. Dapivirine, on the other hand, has been developed exclusively for HIV prevention, although other drugs in its class of NNRTIs are used for treatment. Women who acquired HIV during ASPIRE immediately stopped using their assigned ring to avoid the possibility that the virus could become resistant to dapivirine or other NNRTIs, such as efavirenz and nevirapine, which are commonly used in treating HIV. Similarly, with PrEP, a person must test negative for HIV before starting the regimen and be tested regularly thereafter.

IPM holds an exclusive worldwide license for dapivirine from Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), which is designed to ensure that women in low-resource settings have affordable access to any dapivirine-based microbicide.

In all, 20 oral and poster presentations will be given by MTN investigators at HIVR4P 2018, which runs Oct. 22-25. Additional presentations include two plenary talks and a number of satellite sessions and conference symposia.

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Staff members from the Higher School of Economics and the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia have proposed a new operative scheme for the short-range complex forecasting of wind and possible gusts, surface air temperature, and humidity. The results, i.e., estimates of average forecast errors at different lead times and their comparison with competitors' results, were published in the journal Russian Meteorology and Hydrology: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373918070026, https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373918080010.

The authors used several global and regional hydrodynamic weather forecasting schemes: UKMO - United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UK), NCEP - National Center for Environmental Prediction (USA), JMA - Japan Meteorological Agency (Japan), PLAV - Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, Cosmo-Ru7 - Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, Cosmo-Ru13 - Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, and WRF-18 - Hydrometeorological Center of Russia. Methods of time series analysis were applied to the forecasts of these schemes for 2,800 synoptic stations. Machine learning helped researchers to develop a comprehensive forecast to improve the quality of existing schemes.

'We assimilate results of several schemes - Russian and foreign - and process them together, using real data from thousands of synoptic stations over the years of observations. These large archives help us to receive a certain combination of data and to improve the results, that is, to reduce the error compared to the best of the analysed data,' says Vladimir Gordin, Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences and one of the study's authors.

Professor Gordin also explained how this scheme can be used in practice: 'A powerful system of meteorological observations was organized in the USSR. It was reduced in size, hardly and slowly modernized, but it still operates somehow. Russian measuring devices have largely been replaced by imported ones. There are a lot of problems in this sphere in Russia, and these devices (even automatic weather stations) are now for sale. Let's imagine that some organization, company or even individual would like to purchase such a weather station. The device has little value to the buyer who feels the weather outside without the station. But if the buyer registers, receives an individual callsign (number) and transmits measurements regularly and efficiently, our scheme will help the person to receive forecasts for several days in response namely for his location. Such forecasts, if they are accurate and timely, can come in handy for a manufacturing plant or a health centre administration, fishermen, transport operators, builders, and power engineers. Our weather forecast scheme helps, for example, to significantly clarify the hourly forecast for energy consumption for the regions of the Russian Federation or the daily number of ambulance visits for certain groups of diagnoses.'

The developed method helps to obtain more accurate weather forecasts for 2,800 points in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the forecasts for 240 Russian cities are posted on the website http://method.meteorf.ru/ansambl/ansambl.html (there are also branches for cities in Belarus and Central Asia).

The authors compared the errors of the minimum and maximum temperature for several popular sites on the archive from January 2016 to June 2017 for Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yakutsk. Forecasts have different lead times. Figure 1 shows mean absolute errors of these forecasts for a year and a half. For comparison, errors of these forecasts under the new scheme (KOMPL-B) with a lead time of up to 4 days - if the calculations were implemented using this option during that time period - are also shown here.

It has been shown that the accuracy of the complex forecast of the minimum temperature up to 4 days and the maximum temperature up to 2 days via KOMPL-B is the highest in this competition, but it then falls to second place following Intellicast.com, which has the more accurate forecast.

The authors also developed a scheme of squall (dangerous gusts of wind) forecasts, and created a system that generates more accurate data on the danger of wind and reduces false alarms. The latter is very important, as each false alarm cause economic loss and lost trust among users of the forecast.

After developing a new complex forecast, the authors compared the predicted speed of gusts in different schemes with the actual speed. They tested the squall forecast separately in cold seasons of 2015-17 (14 months from October to April) and in warm seasons of 2015-16 (10 months from May to September), taking into account the specific characteristics for the European and Asian parts of Russia. At the same time, different forecast lead times were analysed - 12, 24 and 36 hours. It was shown that the scheme of the complex forecast for the squalls also shows more accurate information.

Although the results were obtained a year earlier published, they were published in the summer of 2018, allowing the complex forecasting scheme to work more accurately.

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Thunderstorms are larger, have more lightning, and may produce more hail and flooding than Northern Hemisphere counterparts

Find related stories on NSF's geosciences risk and resilience interest area.

As residents of the U.S. Midwest know, spring in the Great Plains can bring severe weather, including hail, damaging winds, torrential rains and deadly tornadoes with catastrophic impacts.

Similarly, spring in the Pampas, a vast plains region that extends from the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Argentina to the coasts of Brazil and Uruguay, ushers in many of the same types of weather. But thunderstorms in the Southern Hemisphere are larger, have more lightning, and may produce more frequent large hail and flooding than their Northern Hemisphere counterparts.

Residents of the Pampas region know about the dangers of these storms, but the tempests are often difficult to predict.

Now an international team of scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) is heading to Argentina next month (spring in the Southern Hemisphere) as part of a field campaign to discover why these thunderstorms may be the most intense on Earth. The researchers aim to improve the prediction of severe storms.

More than 150 scientists from North and South America, including Brazil and Argentina, as well as Europe are participating. The U.S. researchers are affiliated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I), Colorado State University, University of Washington, University of Utah, Penn State, the University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of Colorado and Center for Severe Weather Research, as well as the Department of Energy and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

"The frequency and intensity of rainfall in South America make the region an ideal natural laboratory to increase our understanding of heavy rain-producing storms around the globe," said Chungu Lu, a program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which funded the project.

Chasing storms and floods in Argentina

The projects designed to observe these deadly storms are collectively called RELAMPAGO (Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations) and CACTI (Clouds, Aerosols and Complex Terrain Interactions).

The projects constitute the largest land-based atmospheric sciences field campaign ever conducted outside the U.S.

According to atmospheric scientist Steve Nesbitt of the of the U of I, lead principal investigator for RELAMPAGO, the region's topography is unique, with Pampas grasslands and mountains in close proximity. The terrain provides the ideal set-up, Nesbitt said, for the formation of severe storms that affect a wide region of South America.

"Argentina turns out to be a very special place," said Nesbitt. "Its storms are similar in some ways to those of the U.S. Great Plains, which also have severe thunderstorms, but the geography is different. That may exert important controls on how thunderstorms behave. Argentina's geography may set the stage for thunderstorms we think are the strongest on Earth."

Researchers will deploy an array of instrumentation, and track storms from formation through maturity.

Networks of fixed and mobile radars, including NSF's Dopplers on Wheels, will profile the storms' heavy rainfall, strong winds and hail.

Environments around these severe storms, thought to be important in dictating how the storms develop, will be observed with weather balloon launches as frequently as every 30 minutes; mobile weather stations; and vehicles with instruments that capture small-scale weather patterns.

Research aircraft will observe conditions aloft in the storms' very early stages. Continuous lightning-observing instruments will improve the understanding of why Argentina's storms produce extreme lightning.

As intense precipitation falls, a flood-chasing team will measure streamflow in rivers. Drones and local citizens' mobile phone apps will help monitor hail.

A last frontier in meteorology

"RELAMPAGO-CACTI will advance our knowledge of thunderstorms' deep convective clouds by deploying observation networks near these storms at important points in their life cycles," said Nesbitt, who is also a co-principal investigator of CACTI. "The results will allow us to discover how Argentina's storms become so intense.

"Given that these convective clouds are dangerous, RELAMPAGO instruments will probe these regions with remote sensing to improve computer models of what's going on inside the storms."

RELAMPAGO researchers will observe the weather in detail over a 48-day period in locations that produce thunderstorms some two-thirds of the time.

By repeatedly observing storms in the same locations with the same observation techniques, RELAMPAGO investigators will test scientific hypotheses about the formation of high-impact weather in ways that can't be done in the U.S. Great Plains.

Unique geography, unique impacts

Preliminary research indicates that, despite their appearance on radar, Argentina's storms spawn tornadoes much less frequently than similar storms in the U.S. "But the incredible amount of hail these storms produce is mind-blowing," U of I atmospheric scientist Deanna Hence said. "It causes an immense amount of damage."

Flooding is the most costly natural disaster in Argentina. Severe storms often go hand-in-hand with heavy rainfall. In addition to characterizing the storms, unique hydrometeorological measurements of land-atmosphere exchanges and river discharges will improve predictions of extreme flooding.

"Over the past five years, the region has experienced devastating floods with dramatic impacts on agriculture," said U of I scientist Francina Dominguez, who's leading the hydrometeorological effort. "The models developed by our team will provide communities with tools to improve flood predictability and water resources management."

Complex terrain, complex project

"The science community in Argentina will have a unique opportunity to access instrumentation we don't usually have in the country," said Paola Salio, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Buenos Aires and the RELAMPAGO Argentina principal investigator. "The data we collect will allow us to improve our knowledge of the initiation and growth of these unique storms. We need to improve our public warnings of these monster storms."

A team of forecasters from Argentina and the U.S. will provide twice-daily weather briefings to the project's investigators. A separate forecast team will help with "now-casting" short-term weather changes.

The project is also funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and South American federal and provincial agencies.

Please visit RELAMPAGO-CACTI for more information.

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BROOKLYN, New York, Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - The National American Italian Foundation (NAIF), in collaboration with the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO), presented its Young Investigator Award to Assistant Professor Giuseppe Loianno, head of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering's new Agile Robotics and Perception Lab.

The award was bestowed at a conference focused on technology to advance human health and the health of the planet; there, Loianno gave a presentation entitled, "Drones for Health: Agricultural and Infrastructure Monitoring."

Loianno, who is developing increasingly smaller and more autonomous drones by employing artificial intelligence and classic robotics, outlined the benefit of drones for inspection and monitoring of critical sites and infrastructure. Autonomous flying robots - otherwise known as drones - are being widely used to inspect disaster sites and areas needing environmental remediation, he told the audience.

Among his current projects is one sponsored by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which employs drones to examine conditions deep in the Fukushima power plant in Japan. He also pointed to their potential in decommissioning nuclear sites.

"By the same token, they are being deployed in the agricultural sector," Loianno said. "Farmers can, for example, efficiently see which crops need irrigation or pest control, and drones can also convey information about which crops are ripe enough to harvest. Many people base their image of farming on old movies or books and think of it in picturesque terms, but in reality, farmers have become savvy users of technology."

Loianno was appointed to NYU Tandon's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in September.

"We are pleased that Giuseppe Loianno has joined our faculty and feel confident that he will contribute to making NYU Tandon a hub of exciting research on autonomous robotics," said Dean Jelena Kovacevi?. "We are proud that the National American Italian Foundation has recognized his work and his enormous potential to address pressing environmental concerns with drone technology."

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NAIF is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and protecting Italian-American heritage and culture and celebrating the accomplishments of those of Italian descent, like Loianno, who was born in Naples and educated at the University of Naples (Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II), the world's oldest public non-sectarian university. NAIF awarded the honor on October 13, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, one of the country's foremost private research universities, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu.
Nurses with bachelor's degrees report being very prepared in more quality and safety measures than do their peers with associate degrees, finds a new study by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

The findings, published in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, demonstrate a growing gap in preparedness between new nurses with associate and bachelor's degrees and support ongoing efforts to increase educational attainment among new nurses.

In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) published "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health." The milestone report provided recommendations for how nurses can best advance the nation's health and meet the increased demand for care. The report calls for an increase in the proportion of nurses with bachelor's degrees to 80 percent by 2020--a recommendation supported by studies showing that nurses with bachelor's degrees have better patient outcomes, including lower mortality rates.

"The evidence linking better outcomes to a higher percentage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses has been growing. However, our data reveal a potential underlying mechanism--the quality and safety education gap--which might be influencing the relationship between more education and better care," said Maja Djukic, PhD, RN, associate professor at NYU Meyers and the study's lead author.

"Understanding the mechanisms influencing the association between educational level of nurses and patient outcomes is important because it provides an opportunity to intervene through changes in accreditation, licensing, and curriculum."

A nursing workforce that is well-prepared in quality and safety competencies is critical for delivering high-quality and safe patient care. However, a previous study led by NYU Meyers' Christine Kovner, PhD, RN, FAAN, identified gaps in quality and safety education between associate- and baccalaureate-prepared nurses who graduated between 2004 and 2005.

In their new study, the researchers--Djukic, Kovner, and NYU Meyers' Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, PhD, RN--examined quality and safety preparedness in two additional cohorts of new nurses who graduated with either associate or bachelor's degrees in 2007-2008 and 2014-2015. They surveyed more than a thousand new nurses (324 graduating 2007-2008 and 803 graduating 2014-2015) from 13 states and the District of Columbia, asking how prepared they felt about different quality improvement and safety topics. They then analyzed the differences in responses between nurses with associate and bachelor's degrees.

The researchers found significant improvements across key quality and safety competencies for new nurses from 2007 to 2015, but the number of preparedness gaps between bachelor's and associate degree nurse graduates more than doubled during this timeframe.

In the 2007-2008 cohort, nurses with bachelor's degrees reported being significantly better prepared than nurses with associate degrees in five of 16 topics: evidence-based practice, data analysis, use of quality improvement data analysis and project monitoring tools, measuring resulting changes from implemented improvements, and repeating four quality improvement steps until the desired outcome is achieved.

For those graduating in 2014-2015, nurses with bachelor's degrees reported being significantly better prepared than associate degree nurses in 12 of 16 topics: the same five topics as the earlier cohort as well as data collection, flowcharting, project implementation, measuring current performance, assessing gaps in current practice, applying tools and methods to improve performance, and monitoring sustainability of changes.

The researchers note that laws and organizational policies encouraging or requiring bachelor's degrees for all nurses could close quality and safety education gaps. For example, New York State recently passed a law--the first in the country--requiring future new nurses to obtain their bachelor's degree within 10 years of initial licensure. Employers can also effect change by preferentially hiring nurses with bachelor's degrees, requiring a percentage of the nurse workforce to have a bachelor's degree, or requiring nurses with associate degrees to obtain a bachelor's within a certain timeframe as a condition of keeping their employment.

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The study was funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Center for Regulatory Excellence.

About the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing

NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a bachelor of science with a major in nursing, a master of science, post-master's certificate programs, a doctor of nursing practice degree, and a doctor of philosophy in research theory and development.
Researchers have developed algorithms that predicted where and when various types of crimes would happen crimes in NYC and Brisbane based on the social media data

In a study published in the EPJ Data Science journal, the team of RMIT researchers show how location and activity data from users of the Foursquare app, when coupled with recommendation algorithms, allows us to predict crimes more accurately than ever before.

Foursquare users share their location and activity when they 'check-in' at various places. The study used data from over 20,000 check-ins by users in Brisbane, and nearly 230,000 check-ins by users in New York City.

RMIT computer scientist Dr Flora Salim says this dynamic, real-time data on people movements around a city is highly valuable in understanding the likelihood of different situations in an area.

But to fill the many gaps in this location-based data, researchers also developed recommendation algorithms, similar to those used to recommend related songs on Spotify.

"Obviously the large majority of people in the city were not always using the app and those committing crimes were likely not posting on the app about it," she says. "So, we used recommender systems to fill in the gaps and predict other activities in any given scenario."

In tests on both cities, the system predicted specific types of crime in specific parts of the city better than existing crime prediction models based on crime trends.

In Brisbane, the system was found to be 16% more accurate at predicting assaults than current models, 6% more accurate for predicting unlawful entry, 4% better for drug offences and theft and 2% better for fraud prediction.

In New York City, it improved prediction accuracy by 4% for theft and drug offences, fraud and unlawful entry, while improving predictions of assault by 2%.

Salim says that given the sparsity of data sets used in the study, these results are significant.

"Based on these positive results, this technology could allow police to design more effective patrol strategies with limited resources by sending officers to the places where crime is more likely," she says.

The system is also able to be easily scaled up to process larger samples from almost any social media platform, app or mobile network that collects location-based data.

"The widespread use of social media such as Twitter and Foursquare - which all gather huge amounts of data on our location, activities and preferences - provides unprecedented opportunities to capture the movement and activity of people across a city," she says.

The study is just one example of how our data can be used to predict our actions for a whole range of applications.

Another project Salim is involved in looks at algorithms to predict, with high levels of accuracy, what we'll do in the second half of our day based on historic patterns and data collected from the first half of our day.

"Research into the pattern of human movement, based on data from our mobile apps, often shows how predictable many of our activities are," Salim says.

Lead author and PhD student Shakila Khan Rumi, who is supervised by Salim and Dr Ke Deng, says the study marks a significant step forward on crime prediction models.

"Current state-of-the-art crime prediction models generally rely on relative static features including long-term historical information, geographical information and demographic information. This information changes slowly over time, meaning these traditional models couldn't capture the short-term variations in crime event occurrences," Rumi says.

"Our test results demonstrate the improvement of prediction performance after adding dynamic features is considerable and statistically significant. That really is revolutionary."

The group is now planning to extend the work by training the algorithms using data from one city and increasing its ability to apply those learnings in a different city where patterns are different.

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Beware, media multitaskers: New research from Rice University researchers has found a link between spending too much time on digital devices and how first impression are formed.

The study, "Media multitasking is associated with altered processing of incidental, irrelevant cues during person perception," will appear in an upcoming edition of BMC Psychology. It examines the relationship between people who use multiple digital devices at once (known as media multitaskers) and how they perceive people they have never previously met.

"As a result of smartphones, tablets and other devices being embedded in our lives, our attention is in high demand as we switch between multiple devices," said Richard Lopez, a postdoctoral research fellow at Rice and the study's lead author. "Because this form of activity is new to us, its impact on how we perceive and interact with the world and those around us is not well known. This is why we were prompted to explore this topic and conduct this study."

Indeed, the researchers found a correlation between the use of digital devices and the quality of first impressions. People who reported frequent media multitasking were more likely to be distracted by irrelevant information when making first impressions about someone they had never met, compared with those who did not engage in frequent media multitasking.

The researchers compared how 96 college students filtered out unimportant information from their physical environments while evaluating a new person. They collected self-reported information on the level of media multitasking for each student. The students were then placed in either an organized or untidy room to see how the different atmospheres might influence their opinions. Finally, the students were asked to rate the conscientiousness of somebody they were seeing for the first time on a video monitor.

The study revealed that frequent media multitaskers sitting in neat rooms were more likely to have higher opinions of people they just encountered -- rating the person shown in the video as 16 percent more conscientious -than students sitting in the same room who were not frequent media multitaskers.

"Our results suggest that media multitasking may be linked to altered person perception in surprising and unintentional ways, with media multitaskers unknowingly taking in otherwise irrelevant information from their surroundings when they observe and make judgments about other people," he said.

Lopez said that this study is a first step in finding links between media multitasking and how individuals perceive other people, and that he hopes future research will explore this topic, particularly among kids and teens.

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The study was co-authored by Julia Salinger of the University of Colorado Boulder, Todd Heatherton of Dartmouth College and Dylan Wagner of Ohio State University. The report is available online at https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-018-0256-x.

This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.

Follow Richard Lopez on Twitter @richlopez41.

Photo link: http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/10/181018_-Lopez_fitlow_020-2nu6l7a.jpg

Photo credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University.

Photo link: http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/10/59091662_l-28qy1zq.jpg

Photo credit: 123rf.com/Rice University.

Richard Lopez bio: http://www.richlopez.science/

Rice Department of Psychological Sciences: https://psychology.rice.edu/

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.
HOUSTON - (Oct. 24, 2018) - How cold did Earth get during the last ice age? The truth may lie deep beneath lakes and could help predict how the planet will warm again. Sediments in lake beds hold chemical records of ages past, among them the concurrent state of the atmosphere above. Scientists led by a Rice University professor and her colleagues have devised a new computational model to interpret what they reveal.

Sylvia Dee, an assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, and her colleagues have created a computational Lake Proxy System Model to translate data from deep beneath lake surface waters in a way that relates more directly to measurable climate model variables.

Their work is part of a public software platform created by Dee called PRYSM, and is described in the American Geophysical Union journal Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. Scientists who study past climate analyze geochemical signals from archives like corals and ice cores, or encoded in the rings of old trees, but not everyone interprets the data in the same way. Dee's quest has been to design simple models that help interpret observations of past climate more uniformly with climate models, and in the process make these invaluable archives more relevant to studies of future climate change.

"We have climate model simulations going back thousands of years," said Dee, who joined Rice this year. "They help us understand the drivers of past temperature and precipitation changes, but we have to use climate data from the past to ground truth the models.

"For example, if a climate model shows strong agreement with the temperature reconstructions we have from lakes, we might conclude this model's physics are robust and that it can do a better job simulating what will happen under future anthropogenic warming."

Lake beds store evidence of climate history in layered sediment that can be analyzed and dated by extracting cores. Dee's study used climate model data to explore and understand the lake archives scientists use to reconstruct atmospheric conditions for a given time.

"Some of the richest temperature and precipitation histories that we have on Earth come from lakes," Dee said. "People have been measuring indicators in sediments for years, but it isn't straightforward to compare that data to climate models.

"That's where I come in," she said. "I'm part of a group of scientists focused on translating between what climate models tell us about past changes in the climate system and what the data are telling us."

Dee and her team simulated lake temperatures and climate archives in two lakes in Africa, Malawi and Tanganyika, stretching back to the last glacial maximum about 21,000 years ago, when global temperatures were estimated to be between 3 to 5 degrees Celsius colder than today.

"That's a clear target for climatologists," she said. "We have clues from the past that tell us how cold the African continent was. It's the last time in Earth's climate history that there was a dramatic shift in mean climate due to carbon dioxide forcing, and we use it as a test bed for climate model performance."

In the test case, PRYSM's simulation revealed that lake temperature proxies underestimated air temperature changes. "People generally assume that lake temperature reconstructions from sediments reflect air temperature changes," Dee said. "We assume they change in tandem. Our model simulations show that the lake is actually damping the temperature signal.

"For example, if modeled air temperatures show a 4 degree Celsius warming since the last glacial maximum in Africa and the lake damps that signal to 3 degrees, we might wrongly conclude that air temperatures were a full degree warmer than they really were. We're essentially able to quantify how much error one might expect in our interpretation of past temperature change.

Those errors are incurred by the lake alone," she said.

"That's important to know," Dee said. "These lake reconstructions are some of the only data available to help us understand how temperatures will evolve on the African continent in a warming world. Our hope is that PRYSM helps pin down these climate changes with higher confidence."

The open-source PRYSM is version 2.0, designed explicitly to model climate archives in lakes. Dee built the first version to model ice cores, corals, cave deposits and tree-ring cellulose.

She and her colleagues plan to add more known paleoclimate proxies over time. Because PRYSM is open source, anyone can access the code (through GitHub) and enhance it.

"I'm trying to get everyone in the modeling and paleoclimate communities to talk to each other," Dee said. "PRYSM is an effort to get both communities to understand we cannot compare apples to oranges. We need to compare paleoclimate data and model simulations in a more formal way, and in doing so, we hope to dramatically improve our interpretations of past climate changes.

"The great thing about being able to get snapshots of temperatures in the past is that we can hopefully build a broader understanding of how the planet is going to react to continued anthropogenic climate change," she said. "We have direct measurements of what's happened in the last 150 years. But if we look further back in time, we have bigger changes in carbon dioxide, bigger changes in volcanism and larger ice sheets on Earth. Those are heavy hammers. They help us understand how the climate reacts to stronger forcing."

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Co-authors of the paper are James Russell, an associate professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, graduate student Ashling Neary and undergraduate Zihan Chen, all at Brown University, and Carrie Morrill, a research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, a partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado Boulder.

The research was supported by the Peter Voss Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, the Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, and the University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics.

Read the abstract at https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2018PA003413.

This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2018/10/24/ice-age-climate-clues-unearthed/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Climate Proxy System Modeling Tools in Python: https://github.com/sylvia-dee/PRYSM

Sylvia Dee: https://sylviadeeclimate.org

Rice Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences: https://earthscience.rice.edu

Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https://naturalsciences.rice.edu

Images for download:

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/10/1028_SEDIMENT-1-WEB-22ydi9w.jpg

Rice University climate scientist Sylvia Dee created PRYSM, a computational modeling system, to improve climate models that use paleoclimate proxies from lake beds or other sources. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/10/1028_SEDIMENT-2-WEB-1sa8fph.jpg

Sediments under Lake Tanganyika in Africa store chemicals that give paleoclimatologists information about atmospheric conditions in ancient times. A Rice University professor has created a computational model that helps translate what they find. (Credit: Courtesy of Sylvia Dee/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.
Groundbreaking new technology could allow 100-times-faster internet by harnessing twisted light beams to carry more data and process it faster.

Groundbreaking new technology could allow 100-times-faster internet by harnessing twisted light beams to carry more data and process it faster.

Broadband fiber-optics carry information on pulses of light, at the speed of light, through optical fibers. But the way the light is encoded at one end and processed at the other affects data speeds.

This world-first nanophotonic device, just unveiled in Nature Communications, encodes more data and processes it much faster than conventional fiber optics by using a special form of 'twisted' light.

Dr Haoran Ren from RMIT's School of Science, who was co-lead author of the paper, said the tiny nanophotonic device they have built for reading twisted light is the missing key required to unlock super-fast, ultra-broadband communications.

"Present-day optical communications are heading towards a 'capacity crunch' as they fail to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of Big Data," Ren said.

"What we've managed to do is accurately transmit data via light at its highest capacity in a way that will allow us to massively increase our bandwidth."

Current state-of-the-art fiber-optic communications, like those used in Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN), use only a fraction of light's actual capacity by carrying data on the colour spectrum.

New broadband technologies under development use the oscillation, or shape, of light waves to encode data, increasing bandwidth by also making use of the light we cannot see.

This latest technology, at the cutting edge of optical communications, carries data on light waves that have been twisted into a spiral to increase their capacity further still. This is known as light in a state of orbital angular momentum, or OAM.

In 2016 the same group from RMIT's Laboratory of Artificial-Intelligence Nanophotonics (LAIN) published a disruptive research paper in Science journal describing how they'd managed to decode a small range of this twisted light on a nanophotonic chip. But technology to detect a wide range of OAM light for optical communications was still not viable, until now.

"Our miniature OAM nano-electronic detector is designed to separate different OAM light states in a continuous order and to decode the information carried by twisted light," Ren said.

"To do this previously would require a machine the size of a table, which is completely impractical for telecommunications. By using ultrathin topological nanosheets measuring a fraction of a millimeter, our invention does this job better and fits on the end of an optical fiber."

LAIN Director and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship at RMIT, Professor Min Gu, said the materials used in the device were compatible with silicon-based materials use in most technology, making it easy to scale up for industry applications.

"Our OAM nano-electronic detector is like an 'eye' that can 'see' information carried by twisted light and decode it to be understood by electronics. This technology's high performance, low cost and tiny size makes it a viable application for the next generation of broadband optical communications," he said.

"It fits the scale of existing fiber technology and could be applied to increase the bandwidth, or potentially the processing speed, of that fiber by over 100 times within the next couple of years. This easy scalability and the massive impact it will have on telecommunications is what's so exciting."

Gu said the detector can also be used to receive quantum information sent via twisting light, meaning it could have applications in a whole range of cutting edge quantum communications and quantum computing research.

"Our nano-electronic device will unlock the full potential of twisted light for future optical and quantum communications," Gu said.

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The paper was co-lead authored with Dr Zengji Yue, Associate Research Fellow at University of Wollongong.

"Angular-momentum nanometrology in an ultrathin plasmonic topological insulator film" is published with DOI number 10.1038/s41467-018-06952-1
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Oct. 22, 2018 -- Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff, Distinguished Professor and Physician-In-Chief of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of the City of Hope, is one of five leading researchers who will receive a Luminary Award in GI Cancers from OncLive and The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers.

"The Luminary Awards serves to acknowledge the lifetime contributions made by truly special, dedicated, visionary individuals. Our current successes in GI cancer would not be possible without the work of these remarkable people," said Dr. John Marshall, M.D., Director of The Ruesch Center, which is part of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center focused on personalized patient care and fighting gastrointestinal cancers.

Robert Goldsmith, Vice President of OncLive, added, "Each of these winners helps propel the field of GI cancer through their dedicated work and passion for improving the lives of those impacted by gastrointestinal cancer."

In making the announcement of the five honorees, OncLive and The Ruesch Center said, "(Dr.) Von Hoff and colleagues' discoveries have led to tremendous improvements in survival for patients with pancreatic cancer. Currently, he and his colleagues are concentrating on the development of molecularly targeted therapies for patients with pancreatic and other advanced cancers."

Dr. Von Hoff and his colleagues have conducted early clinical investigations of many new cancer agents, including: gemcitabine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, topotecan, irinotecan, fludarabine, mitoxantrone, dexrazoxane, nab-paclitaxel, vismodegib, and multiple others. These treatments are helping many patients with breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, leukemia, advanced basal cell and pancreatic cancers.

Dr. Von Hoff, also is Senior Consultant-Clinical Investigator at City of Hope, Chief Scientific Officer at HonorHealth and US Oncology, a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, and a past director of the University of Arizona's Arizona Cancer Center. He received the 2010 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for his outstanding contributions to cancer research leading to significant improvement in patient care. He is a Fellow and past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world's largest cancer research organization; a Fellow of the American College of Physicians; and a Fellow and past board member of ASCO.

"It is an honor to be recognized along with other fine physicians and researchers devoted to improving the lives of GI patients," said Dr. Von Hoff, who currently leads an international Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team, developing new treatments for this disease. It is one of four SU2C Dream Team grants awarded to TGen.

"Dr. Von Hoff is one of the world's most accomplished physician-researchers in pancreatic and other cancers," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and Research Director. " Without question, his contributions and commitment to patient care are extraordinary."

The other four Luminary Awards in GI Cancers awardees are: Dr. John S. Macdonald, senior advisor for Criterium Inc.; Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance; Dr. Richard L. Schilsky, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ASCO; and Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker, Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Malignancies at Medstar Washington Hospital Center.

The Luminary Awards in GI Cancers reception will be held Nov. 29, 2018, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

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About TGen

Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and cancer and diabetes treatment center: http://www.cityofhope.org. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases, through cutting edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: http://www.tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen.

Media Contact:

Steve Yozwiak

TGen Senior Science Writer

602-343-8704

syozwiak@tgen.org
With robotics, computers and advanced genetics, researchers at the University of California, Davis and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are unraveling how plant roots take up and metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth and crop yield. Their latest work is published Oct. 24 in the journal Nature.

"Nitrogen metabolism is incredibly important for growth," said Siobhan Brady, associate professor of plant biology at UC Davis and senior author on the paper. The invention of nitrogen fertilizers over a hundred years ago has enabled a massive expansion in agricultural productivity to feed billions of people. But at the same time, runoff of excess pesticides into soils, waterways and the oceans has many negative impacts.

By understanding the genes that control how plants take up and use nitrogen, scientists like Brady hope to give plant breeders tools to generate crop varieties that need less fertilizer or make better use of it.

"We know the genes that are involved in nitrogen assimilation and transport but we don't understand all the ways that nitrogen metabolism is regulated," Brady said.

What's more, most of these regulatory genes, called transcription factors because they control the transcription (or activity) of other genes, have been identified in stems, shoots and leaves -- but not many in roots, where nitrogen actually gets into a plant from the soil.

Science at the root

Brady's laboratory aims to discover the networks of genes that shape how plant roots live and grow. Because nitrogen is so important to plants, graduate student Allison Gaudinier and Brady took the premise that transcription factors for nitrogen metabolism would also be linked to other important processes.

Gaudinier used robotics to screen transcription factors against hundreds of genes at a time, assembling them into a network. Adjunct Associate Professor Doreen Ware and colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory used computational methods to predict which genes were most important in the network. The UC Davis team could then study the role of those genes in plants.

The results establish a core set of genes that are critical in nitrogen metabolism, Brady said. "If we want to breed nitrogen-efficient plants, we need to look at these genes," she said. "This will open up a lot of research."

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Ware is a scientist with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. Other authors on the paper are: at UC Davis, Joel Rodriguez-Medina, Anne-Maarit Bagman, Jessica Foret, Michelle Tang, Baohua Li, Daniel Runcie and Daniel J. Kliebenstein; Lifang Zhang, Andrew Olson and Christophe Liseron-Monfils at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, New York; Shane Abbitt, Bo Shen and Mary J. Frank, DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, Iowa.

The work was supported by DuPont Pioneer with additional support from the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of California fellowships.
Manchester-based Volcanologists have developed a method and camera that could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of ash plumes during a volcanic eruption.

Ash is sometimes seen as a secondary danger in volcanoes when compared to more visual hazards, such as lava and pyroclastic flows. However, ash can have a major impact on human lives and infrastructure, such as the 2010 eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, which brought international aviation across Europe to a standstill.

This research, which is being published in Scientific Reports, uses a new kind camera, developed at The University of Manchester, to measure the flow and speed of ash falling out of a volcanic plume.

The researchers measure how ash particles interact with sunlight and, specifically, how they change the polarisation of sunlight, in a similar way to how polarised sunglasses work. This wouldn't have been possible without the development of the new "AshCam" which is the first camera of its kind in the world.

During a volcanic eruption heavy ash fall can lead to building collapse, potentially injuring or killing those inside. Plus exposure to ash can cause irritation to the nose, throat and eyes, as well as aggravating pre-existing health conditions such as asthma.

But ash is also a major danger to other critical human infrastructure, including electrical, water and transportation networks, especially air travel - such as the 2010 Icelandic eruption.

Chair in Volcanology at The University of Manchester, Professor Mike Burton, said: "Volcanic ash is a primary product of an explosive volcanic eruption which generally poses a threat to human health and infrastructure.

"The Icelandic eruption in 2010 highlighted to the whole world that ash-rich volcanic eruptions can have a major impact on the global economy through air space closures designed to minimise the risk of jet engine failure due to ash clogging."

The team visited Santiaguito Lava Dome, part of Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala, and measured a series of explosions with the camera. Santiaguito produces a number of these explosions every day, approximately one every two hours, making it the ideal place to test out new equipment, techniques and research models.

Professor Burton added: "Models of ash dispersion are key to forecasting the concentrations of ash during an eruption, which ultimately determine which air space is closed. Our research helps to measure the dynamics of ash fallout during an eruption. This gives us new insights into volcanic ash dynamics, providing an important step towards improved models of ash dispersion."

Previous studies have used ground-based UV cameras for the observation of volcanic ash or measured black carbon particles in ship emissions. However, these methods were unable to distinguish ash from other particles in the plume, making it difficult to measure the flow of the ash.

This is where "AshCam" is different. It is made up of commercial cameras already available on the market that have been adapted with special filters that can identify ash more easily using sunlight.

PhD Researcher, Benjamin Esse, from Manchester's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, explains: "AshCam is small, lightweight and relatively cheap, making it ideal for use in volcanic environments where larger, more expensive equipment is unable to be deployed.

"This is an exciting development as it offers volcanologists a tool that allows them to easily measure the dynamics of ash plumes using only sunlight. The results from these measurements can be used to inform ash dispersal models, potentially improving their accuracy and effectiveness in mitigating the risks posed by ash plumes."

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Notes to Editor

For media enquiries please contact Jordan Kenny on 0161 275 8257 or jordan.kenny@manchester.ac.uk

Reference "Quantification of ash sedimentation dynamics through depolarisation imaging with AshCam" Scientific Reports - DOI is 10.1038/s41598-018-34110-6. Ben Esse, Michael Burton, Matthew Varnam, Ryunosuke Kazahaya, Paul A. Wallace, Felix Von-Aulock, Yan Lavallee, Giuseppe Salerno, Simona Scollo, Hugh Coe

About The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group, is one of the UK's largest single-site universities with more than 40,000 students - including more than 10,000 from overseas.

It is consistently ranked among the world's elite for graduate employability.

The University is also one of the country's major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of 'research power' (REF 2014). World-class research is carried out across a diverse range of fields including cancer, advanced materials, global inequalities, energy and industrial biotechnology.

No fewer than 25 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied here.

It is the only UK university to have social responsibility among its core strategic objectives, with staff and students alike dedicated to making a positive difference in communities around the world.

Manchester is ranked 29th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2018 and 6th in the UK.

Visit http://www.manchester.ac.uk for further information.

Facts and figures:

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/facts-figures/

Research Beacons:

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/beacons/

News and media contacts: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/
AMHERST, Mass. - Using a specially designed eye-tracker for use with spiders, biologists Elizabeth Jakob, Skye Long and Adam Porter at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with colleagues in New York and New Zealand, report in a new paper that their tests in jumping spiders show a secondary set of eyes is crucial to the principal eyes' ability to track moving stimuli.

As Jakob explains, jumping spiders have excellent vision and eight eyes. The forward-facing principal eyes are shaped like long tubes inside the spider's head, with small, boomerang-shaped retinas that can detect color and fine details. Small retinas mean that the principal eyes also have a small field of view, she adds. To compensate, the eye tubes are surrounded by muscles that can direct the eyes to look within the visual field. She says, "I like the analogy of a flashlight beam, shining around the room and picking out only a little bit of the scene at a time."

To see where spiders are looking, the researchers developed an eyetracker. Eyetrackers are used by psychologists to study where humans direct their gaze as they perform tasks like reading, exploring visual scenes and driving. They work by following movements of the eye's surface. But the surface of a spider's eye doesn't move, so the team's spider eyetracker is designed to look down into the eye tubes.

For their experiments, the researchers gently restrain the spider in front of a video screen and illuminate its retinas with infrared light, which the animal cannot see but which does illuminate its retinas. The scientists then record where the spider aims its eye tubes as the video plays.

Their new paper in Current Biology shows that the principal eyes have help from an adjacent set of eyes, the anterior lateral eyes, which bracket the principal eyes. These secondary eyes have a much simpler structure and cannot move, but they are extremely sensitive to motion and have a wide field of view that overlaps with the field of view of the principal eyes, Jakob points out.

By masking the secondary eyes with nontoxic, removeable paint, and tracking the movement of the principal eyes as the spiders watched videos, she and her colleagues found that the secondary eyes direct the principal eyes to quickly locate and very accurately track disks moving at different speeds.

Without the secondary eyes, a stimulus had to appear directly in front of the principal eyes for them to be able to explore it. "It's as if they have their peripheral vision in a completely separate eye," Jakob says. "This level of integration, in which one eye depends on another type of eye that is morphologically very different and physically separated, is extremely unusual."

Further, she adds, "This new tool allows us to ask all kinds of questions about how an animal with this very unusual visual system can do its tasks. For example, male jumping spiders do very elaborate courtship displays to entice females to mate. These displays might include extending the legs overhead and flicking the tips, or raising or lowering the knees, or raising the abdomen."

In collaboration with colleagues from the University of Cincinnati, Jakob and colleagues are using the eyetracker to see exactly which parts of the display attract the attention of females, and how that differs among closely related species. Other collaborators include a Cornell group that records from the brain as the spider examines different stimuli in the eyetracker.

Jakob says, "Our work tells us something about how visual information can be collected and used to such great effect in an animal with such a small brain. It's not a simple task even for brains as large as ours to collect and analyze visual information. With this work, we're trying to understand how this very compact and elegant visual system works so efficiently and effectively."

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For this work supported by the National Science Foundation, the UMass team used a specialized eye tracker first created by Duane Harland and Robert Jackson at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and further developed by Christina Canavesi and Jannick Rolland at the University of Rochester, N.Y. At UMass, Long perfected the instrument for use in these experiments. UMass undergraduates Ashley Carey and Mary Emma Searles also worked on the project.
The University of Texas at Arlington has received a $500,000 grant from the Office of the Governor that fund two projects that aid crime victims and the services that help them.

The governor's Criminal Justice Division awarded $418,000 to UTA's Police Department to fund campus victim services and about $100,000 to the School of Social Work to evaluate the programs that crime victims use.

Glenn Cole, UTAPD assistant chief - support services, said this is the second year of funding from the governor's office grant. He said the program got underway with a $218,000 grant last year.

"This is unusual for a college campus to have," Cole said. "We were able to hire two people in March and in the seven months since then, they've advocated and provided services for many victims."

Jennifer Sterling, UTA crime victim services coordinator, was one of those people the police department hired. Allison Scott is the advocate for the program.

"We're both licensed social workers and are on call 24-7. We can help at 3 a.m. if necessary," Sterling said. "Before, when students were victimized, if it occurred after hours, they'd have to wait until the next work day to talk. We're available all the time."

Sterling noted that she and Scott provide assistance to faculty and staff members when they become crime victims.

"Victim Service units with designated advocates within police departments are typically only found in larger cities," Sterling said. "We're more immediate. We are there on the scene to assist a crime victim. The police department needs to manage the overall scene of a crime. We're there for the victim only. We can explain the situation and set up a safety plan with them.

We'll stay with them if they want accompaniment for medical or legal appointments."

According to Sterling, there have been about 70 victims served since the service starting in March. She said more than half have been sexual assault cases. Sterling said crime victims also have experienced incidents involving burglary, harassment and assault.

Cole and Sterling said the program's other aim is community outreach. They said the program talks to student groups, departments here on campus and faculty.

Rachel Voth Schrag, a UTA assistant professor of social work, is leading the other project, which calls for studying these programs across the state to determine what works and how to evaluate them.

She said UTA will team up with UT Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley to evaluate programs aimed at helping students, faculty and staff.

"We want to ask what works currently and balance that with what victims need," Voth Schrag said. "We also want to be able to measure the outcomes more easily."

She said the evaluators will have to determine how the context of the universities influence the programming.

"Plus, we'll have to take into account differences among the universities," Voth Schrag added. "For instance, we might have more students living on campus here at UTA than at UT Rio Grande Valley but less than at UT Austin."

###
Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics

Bill Sutherland, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Utah, was awarded the 2019 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, which he will share with Professor Michel Gaudin at the Institute for Advanced Study and Francesco Calogero, professor of physics at Sapienza University of Rome. The prize is one of the nation's highest awards for physics -- seven previous winners have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.

Established in 1959 by the Heineman Foundation, the Heineman Prize recognizes outstanding publications in the field of mathematical physics. Jointly administered by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and the American Physical Society, the prize is funded by the Heineman Foundation in honor of Dannie Heineman, an engineer, executive, and philanthropist born in North Carolina but who spent most of his career in Germany, Belgium, and Italy.

"As I remember, Veronica (my wife) and I were sitting outside in the sun having lunch, when my good friend Sriram Shastry called me from the Bangalore airport to tell me I had been awarded the Dannie Heineman prize. I was then grateful that Sriram had done the work needed for me to be considered, and pleased for Sriram's sake that he was right -- I certainly never expected his application to succeed," Sutherland told AIP of his reaction to the news.

The citation for the 2019 prize reads: "For profound contributions to the field of exactly solvable models in statistical mechanics and many body physics, in particular the construction of the widely studied Gaudin magnet and the Calogero-Sutherland, Shastry-Sutherland, and Calogero-Moser models."

Sutherland's research has focused on the connections between statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. He began his Ph.D. working on the two-dimensional 6-vertex model, a statistical mechanics problem. His research showed a strong connection with the one-dimensional quantum Heisenberg-Ising model. Later, Sutherland found an interesting paper written by Professor Francesco Calogero for an exact wave function of a one-dimensional quantum system of N particles interacting by a repulsive inverse-square potential. Calogero's solution was an unbound scattering state, but Sutherland was able to build upon Calogero's work and find a solution at finite density, known as the Calogero-Sutherland model.

Born and raised in Marshall, Missouri, Sutherland was the first to attend college in his family. He received his bachelor's degree from Washington University and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1968. Sutherland joined the University of Utah in 1971 as an assistant professor and became a professor in 1982. He served on the faculty of the U's Physics & Astronomy Department until 2004, when he retired and became emeritus professor.

"Bill Sutherland is a towering figure in mathematical physics," said Peter Trapa, chair of the U's Department of Physics & Astronomy. "His profound ideas have had a deep impact on the subject, and continue to inspire new and important applications in many different fields. He has a great legacy at the U. I'm delighted that he is being recognized by this prestigious prize."

Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize

Distinguished emeritus professor Alexei Efros has received the 2019 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize by the American Physical Society (APS). The award recognizes outstanding theoretical or experimental contributions to condensed matter physics and is named in honor of Oliver Ellsworth Buckley, a former president of Bell Labs. Efros shares the award with colleague Boris Shklovskii, a theoretical physicist at the William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute at the University of Minnesota, and Elihu Abrahams, distinguished adjunct professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA

Born in Leningrad, Russia, now St. Petersburg, Efros obtained a master's degree from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in 1961 and a Ph.D. in physics a year later from the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute. In 1986, he received the Landau Prize in theoretical physics from the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1989 as a visiting professor and distinguished scholar at the University of California, Riverside. He moved to the University of Utah in 1991 and became a distinguished professor in 1994.

The Buckley award citation reads: "For pioneering research in the physics of disordered materials and hopping conductivity." The main achievements of the Efros-Shklovskii collaboration are the theory of the hopping conductivity of semiconductors, based upon the percolation approach and the prediction of the Coulomb Gap in the electronic density of states. The Coulomb Gap is demonstrated in the specific temperature dependence of the hopping conductivity and in the specific voltage dependence of the tunneling current from the semiconductor to metal.

Efros became an APS fellow in 1992 for his work on the theory of transport in disordered systems. In 1997, he received the Humboldt Prize from Germany and the Lady Davis Fellowship from Israel. In 2015, he returned to Russia and taught at the Academic University of St. Petersburg from 2015-2018. He lives in Salt Lake City.

Alexei Efros is a pioneer in the field of disordered systems, said Mikhail Raihk, professor of physics and astronomy at the U, and a friend and colleague to Efros since their days in St. Petersburg. His work on the problem of hopping conductivity and insulator-metal transition was groundbreaking, and his models are still used to today. We are so proud he has received this award.

###
Despite the conventional belief that for women giving birth once a cesarean always a cesarean, the practice of attempting vaginal delivery after cesarean  also known as trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC)  is safe for many second-time mothers with no contraindications. However, hospitals differ widely in how frequently and how well they use TOLAC, say Yale researchers. This study appears online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Today, more than 30% of births in the U.S. are delivered via cesarean section," said Xiao Xu, lead author on the study and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. "This high rate of cesarean delivery not only affects the current birth but also future pregnancies as well since maternal risks for adverse outcomes progressively increase with each additional cesarean. So appropriate use of TOLAC plays an important role for improving long-term reproductive health of American women."

Examining data from the linked Californian hospital discharge records and birth certificates from 2010 to 2012, the researchers found that overall 12.5% of mothers with one prior cesarean delivery were able to give birth vaginally. Across hospitals, however, the rate of TOLAC use and subsequent success varied considerably -- with a median of 30.0% and 30.2%, respectively. The team then uncovered an inverted U-shaped relationship: Both excessively low or high TOLAC use was associated with lower success rates at any given hospital.

Additionally, whether hospitals in the study were more or less likely to have greater TOLAC use and success was linked with certain characteristics. Hospitals in rural locations and with higher local malpractice insurance premiums had lower TOLAC use, and hospitals with for-profit ownership had lower TOLAC success. Meanwhile, hospitals with both higher TOLAC use and success rates were those with teaching status, system affiliation, larger volume, higher neonatal care capacity, greater anesthesia availability, a higher proportion of midwife-attended births, and a lower proportion of Medicaid or uninsured patients.

"Understanding how and why hospitals differ in providing trial of labor for women after a previous cesarean can help us identify opportunities for improvement," said Dr. Jessica Illuzzi, senior author on the study and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale.

"For example, we found that low-volume and rural hospitals tend to have lower TOLAC use, so for those hospitals, exploring ways to safely support labor after cesarean can be beneficial to women in these regions," said Illuzzi. "In addition, some hospitals demonstrated successful vaginal delivery rates above 60% when attempting labor after a previous cesarean, so optimizing labor after cesarean for women at other hospitals can be an important and feasible way to reduce repeat cesarean delivery and associated maternal morbidities."

###

This study was funded by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Other authors include Henry Lee, Haiqun Lin, Lisbet Lundsberg, Katherine Campbell, Heather Lipkind, and Christian Pettker.
BENGALURU, India, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- Platform to Enable Distributed Agile and DevOps transformation with quality, speed and at scale - Releases the Open Source Community version on GitHub enabling rapid co-creation

Infosys [http://www.infosys.com ] , a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, today announced it has unveiled the Infosys DevOps Platform, an enterprise class integrated Open Source DevOps platform, that helps organizations accelerate their Agile and DevOps transformation journey.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg )

Infosys DevOps Platform enables enterprises to:

- Rapidly onboard applications on Agile and DevOps through a self-service model. With 2,000+ prebuilt scripts and 150+ DevOps pipelines, enterprises can quickly scale through continuous integration, testing and delivery, thus reducing application onboarding from months to days. - Accelerate application delivery across enterprise portfolios with a tool agnostic approach, through pre-configured pipelines across 25+ technologies & 70+ tools in all major areas - including COTS, Big Data, Legacy, Mobile, Custom Software and Cloud Technologies. - Drive a script-less automation first culture that enables teams to promote any artifact through its lifecycle, right from development to production, with an assurance to achieve continuous deployment when necessary. - Provide real-time visibility through cognitive insights on processes and code across value streams facilitating effective decision making across stakeholders. This helps business teams quickly relay the end-user feedback on the applications and services. - Ensure governance and data privacy through role based DevOps workflows and encrypted jobs as well as security integrations that help uncover vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle.

U.B. Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said, "Enterprises pursuing digital transformation require Agile and DevOps at scale to rapidly adopt new technologies, transform legacy systems and respond swiftly to new requirements. With Infosys DevOps Platform, our clients have achieved reduction of build and deployment cycle times by up to 50 percent, near zero environment issues, and improved application quality. With this Open Source platform, clients can innovate faster with the open source community and mutually benefit from the shared experiences."

Mike Owen, Future Practices and Technology Leader, Spark Telecom, New Zealand, said, "Spark has embarked on a massive transformation program over the last few years. One area of focus has been how to improve the delivery of code from development to production. We have achieved that with Infosys DevOps Platform, which has reduced the new application onboarding time from months to days, apart from the reduction in number of human error based mistakes due to programmatic deployment."

Hansa Iyengar, Senior Analyst, Ovum, said, "Agile & DevOps are prerequisites for digital transformation. Scaling digital requires being able to scale Agile & DevOps as well, and this is not without challenges. Infosys' Open Source-based DevOps platform democratizes innovation and co-creation across the value chain and provides an integrated, enterprise class solution that effectively addresses the challenges that businesses face as they transform into Digital Enterprises."

For more information on Infosys DevOps platform, please visit: http://www.infosys.com/devops

To download the Open Source Software version of the Infosys DevOps Platform, please visit: https://github.com/Infosys/openIDP

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov [https://www.infosys.com/links/redirectlink.aspx?id=sec-gov.a... ].Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg

CONTACT: Asia Pacific: Sarah Gideon, Infosys, India, +91-80-4156-3998,Sarah_Gideon@infosys.com; Americas: Chiku Somaiya, Infosys, USA,+1-408-375-2722, Chiku.Somaiya@infosys.com
HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, last week announced Alia Bhatt as the face of Nokia. The brands print campaign with Alia Bhatt went live on Friday (October 12) to mark the festive season. Nokia plans to leverage print and television commercials as well as retail outlets as a part of this campaign. A recent TVC released by the brand takes an affectionate and light-hearted look at the unique role played by a young person (and her Nokia smartphone) in making Diwali celebrations with her loved ones truly special.

The brand has posted videos featuring Bhatt and targeting the upcoming festival season in India. The videos showcase camera features of Nokia smartphones with festive messaging and has garnered 15,319,237 views on YouTube (until the time of writing this article).

Talking about the campaign, Ajey Mehta, Vice President and Country Head- India, HMD Global said, The young generation is relied upon by their loved ones for so many things that they do with just a few clicks on their phones  from paying a bill to capturing memories. This insight is at the core of our campaign and helps make Nokia phones relevant for these young consumers.

The brand that once overwhelmingly dominated the Indian market had lost out to players like Samsung and Indian players led by Micromax. However, Nokia broke into the top five feature phone brands in India within a year of re-entering the country and people accepted it like their very own. Since then, the brand has been trying to step up its advertising game.

Last year, during the festive season, the company provided a gift box in which one can place their own phone and give it to someone close or, just set it aside for a day as a gesture of committing their timeand themselvesto them which resonated well with the consumers. Does this years festive ad campaign continue to shine on?

Says Devika Khanna, CEO, Social Frappe, I think that the unique role played by a millennial with her Nokia smartphone in lighting Diwali celebrations has been captured beautifully. The signature Nokia music at the end triggers the nostalgia and could get the brand re-call bit just right.

Soham Bhagnari, Business Head  West opines that Nokia has missed a trick at not highlighting product features. "While Alia Bhatt is a great bet for any brand vying to get through to millennials, in a competitive category such as smartphones, the absence of important information such as pixels or battery life, the phone comes across as any other smartphone in Alia's hands. While Nokia has tried extremely hard to get in the consideration set, it's time they go back to the drawing board and create some noise with innovation; something they were good at in the feature phone era, he says.

Ad-filmmaker Aneesh Shah likes the creative and execution. However, he feels that the ad doesnt push any creative boundaries. The casting is done right. The creative and execution look beautiful and do send across the message just right. While creatively, its not extraordinary, it might still strike a chord with its customer base.





Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
Hyundai Motor India Ltd on Tuesday launched the all new Santro. Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is the corporate brand ambassador, was also present on the occasion.

Announcing the launch, the company, in a statement, said that the all new Santro is a perfect combination of six pillars modern stylish tall boy design, comfortable & premium cabin, new age technology, customer- centric safety, all round performance and complete peace of mind. It is aimed at family buyers who seek utmost comfort with spacious cabin feel without compromising on styling, it said.

Speaking at the occasion YK Koo, MD & CEO, HMIL, said, Today is a historic moment as we announce the world premiere of the all new Santro. Santro is an iconic and legendary brand in India that has won the hearts of millions of customers for last two decades. The magic of Santro continues with the all new Santro receiving overwhelming response in less than two weeks.

With modern stylish tall boy design, comfortable & premium cabin, new age technology, customer-centric safety, all-round performance and complete peace of mind, the all new Santro will set a new benchmark in modern mobility, Koo said.

The all new Santro is a true example of Hyundais made-in-India philosophy and a shining result of our numerous product clinics and rigorous durability test on various terrains in India. Our R&D centre in Namyang (S. Korea), Chennai and Hyderabad have put strong efforts for product supremacy and utmost customer delight, he added.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The Herman Trend Alert

October 24, 2018

Managing Infrastructure Better

Imagine being able to see the entire utility and facility infrastructure on a platform that enables making better design, plan, and build decisions. Fortunately, that vision is no longer a dream, but a reality made possible by a newly enhanced platform (now called UVARRA) from BetterGIS. Formerly known as UndergroundGIS, BetterGIS offers a streamlined Geographic Information System (GIS) that appears to be the easiest and most cost-effective way to design, plan, build, and operate assets currently available. This recently updated technology has many benefits:

Enables better forecasting and budgeting



Seeing the utility and facility infrastructure (below and above ground) enables owners, operators, and third parties to make smarter decisions.

Empowers better design and construction



Planners, designers, and construction managers can properly locate new assets the first time with spatially accurate data about important infrastructure at hand.

Facilitates coordination between construction teams



With a common set of plans, all sub-contractors are able to work from a single source, so construction outcomes are naturally better.

Saves time



All maps, data, and other information are accessible to multiple users on a centralized, secure platform, so there's no wasted time with trips to the plan room; and best of all, there is less worry about losing documents.

Identifies high-risk information gaps



By field checking the information uploaded into UVARA, BetterGIS can fills the holes in the data. When design, construction, and maintenance teams can easily identify missing information, confidence grows.

Continuously refreshes maps and data



As new information from the field becomes available, maps, data, and archives may be instantly updated.

Preserves institutional knowledge



One of the biggest problems facilities have faced is the retirement of their leaders, because institutional knowledge walked out the door. UVARA helps preserve that intellectual capital and enables the next generation of managers to benefit from the insights and experience of the current team---mitigating the pain of long-tenured managers' retirements.

Reduces risk



Finally, by keeping all of the relevant information in one place including insights about installation and life-expectancy, UVARA improves risk management throughout the lifecycle of the asset. It reduces the risks of costly upfront mistakes and empowers master and capital planners to better allocate resources and control costs.

Already discovered by a variety of facilities



To date, UVARA has supported teams managing educational facilities, healthcare facilities, commercial real estate, and municipalities.

Helping facilities managers move into the future



The power of this software platform to support facilities managers with all the information they need in one place is extraordinary. With the current and intensifying skilled workforce shortages, this kind of tool will be critical in helping facilities managers to stay sane and be effective decision-makers and leaders.

For more information, visit BetterGIS.com.

 Copyright 1998-2018 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. 336-210-3548 or http://www.hermangroup.com. To sign up, visit http://www.HermanTrendAlert.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc."

*********
WASHINGTON  Even as companies from around the globe pull away from Saudi Arabia following the kingdoms admission that its agents had killed a dissident journalist in Turkey, the oil sector showed no signs of retreating from one its longest-standing patrons this week.

Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of the French oil giant Total, made a show of standing beside Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih at an investment conference in Riyadh this week, posting on Twitter, We see what partnership means when you have difficult times.

Schlumberger, the oilfield services provider with a principal office in Houston, said its executives were attending the conference as part of our ongoing commitment to Saudi Arabias In Kingdom Total Value Add program, an effort to boost the local economy.

Its hard for me to think any U.S. oil company is going to stop doing business in Saudi Arabia because of this incident in Istanbul. Theres too much at stake, said Bernard Weinstein, associate director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In Houston alone, there must be dozens of companies that do business with the Saudis and Aramco directly or indirectly.

On HoustonChronicle.com: What the crown prince wants, the crown prince gets

The oil industry has historically done business with despots and autocrats who have abused human rights and ruthlessly silenced critics, including the Saudi ruling family, the Shah of Iran, the Iraqi and Libyan dictators Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The worlds largest oil companies continued to deal with Nigerias military government in the 1990s, when soldiers were killing protesters in the the countrys rich oil fields.

The industry has long embraced the ethos of going where the oil is, whatever the political or military situation on the ground, or the extent of human rights abuses.

Jim Krane, an energy fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, quoted former U.S. vice president and Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney on the matter.  The Good Lord didnt see fit to putting oil and gas in countries with democratically elected governments. The first prerequisite is geology, not the government, he said.

Emails requesting comment from companies that operate in Saudi Arabia or have partnerships with the countrys national oil company, Saudi Aramco, including the oil majors Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell, and the Houston oil field services companies Halliburton and Baker Hughes, were not returned. A spokeswoman for the industrys trade group, the American Petroleum Institute, said in an email, We dont have any information on this.

Much of the world has recoiled from the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist and critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has consolidated his power since he was named the successor to his father, King Salman, last year. Saudi officials describe as Khashoggis death as the accidental result of a fight during an interrogation in the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, although Turkish authorities have described a well-planned assassination by a team of Saudis, some with ties to the crown prince, in the embassy.

This week was supposed to be an opportunity for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to showcase his kingdoms move beyond oil to the arenas of technology and finance, hosting business leaders from around the globe at the Future Investment Initiative conference. But as gruesome details have become public, dozens of participants have withdrawn from the conference, including the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, Siemens and Uber, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

In a speech at the conference Wednesday, the crown prince, who has denied knowledge of the killing, called it a heinous crime and promised to bring the killers to justice.

Nowhere on the lists of companies pulling out was the oil and gas sector. Saudi Arabia, one of the worlds top oil producers, remains a big business for U.S. companies even with the advent of the domestic shale drilling boom.

Exxon Mobil, headquartered in Irving, but with a large presence in the Houston area, has operated in Saudi Arabia for 90 years and runs three petrochemical and refining facilities in the kingdom through joint ventures with Aramco and the industrial conglomerate Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp., according to the companys website. Earlier this year, Shell signed a deal with Aramco to explore both inside and outside the kingdom for natural gas, as the kingdom seeks to diversify from oil.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Stakes high for Houston in Saudi power struggle

In May, Saudi Arabia signed a three-year contract with Halliburton to drill shale fields there. Four months later, Baker Hughes won a contract for drilling work in the nations Marjan field.

The service companies live and die by Saudi contracts, said a consultant to Saudi companies, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. The future for big oil in Saudi Arabia is on the downstream side. With a lower carbon world, the Saudi believe they can play a constructive role through petrochemicals and material science, manufacturing new, better plastics for electric vehicles or a better deal on [solar] cells.

The oil sectors decision to stand by Saudi Arabia is drawing criticism internationally. The Committee to Protect Journalists, an activist group, said in a statement Tuesday: It can no longer be business as usual. The private sector, including energy companies, should hold Saudi Arabia accountable.

In past cases of human rights abuses by petro-states, activists have boycotted oil companies doing business with them. But companies like Exxon Mobil and Shell have limited exposure to such forms of protest as they have shifted from running gasoline stations in favor of unbranded products such as oil and chemicals, said Lorne Stockman, research director at Oil Change International, an activist group.

The oil sector has never really put human rights ahead of business. Theyre always the one in countries with difficult issues, he said. The sectors that did shy away (from Saudi Arabia), its the ones with the customer-facing side, like banks and technology companies. Halliburton and Schlumberger dont deal with the public.

And for now, standing by Saudi Arabia is proving lucrative for oil companies.

At the conference in Riyadh on Tuesday, Aramco announced it had signed energy and chemical deals with 15 companies worth $34 billion. Among them was Totals project to build a petrochemical facility and gas station network within the kingdom. Also, Halliburton, Schlumberger and Baker Hughes were among the companies that inked deals.

Bloomberg contributed.

james.osborne@chron.com

twitter.com/osborneja
With five minutes left on the clock, the kitchen at Madison High School was a blur of activity.

Students jostled for burner space on the stovetop, spooned toppings on their dishes and frantically plated their breakfast creations.

Zoe Riddles stirred peppers, onions and tomatoes into scrambled eggs, while Derek Ogburn carefully ladled a strawberry banana smoothie mixture into bowls as their team rushed to finish a hot and cold meal before time ran out.

The culinary arts students were competing in a Chopped-style challenge, loosely based on the popular Food Network show, with each team receiving a box of ingredients and required to use all of them in their breakfast dishes.

The timed competition pushes you to get it done, and get it done right, said student Jade Nuno, as she and her team lined up the dishes for judging.

Winners of the contest received prizes from Amazon, whose employees were on hand to watch and participate in the competition, along with the national No Kid Hungry campaign. The company will give 100 schools across the country, including Madison, grants to help provide breakfast in the classroom.

At Madison, about 46 percent of the schools students are approved for free or reduced price meals. But slightly less than 13 percent get breakfast at the school cafeteria, said Sharon Glosson, North East Independent School Districts executive director of school nutrition services. At lunch, 62 percent of students get a school-produced meal.

Amazons grants are part of an effort to educate students on the importance of eating breakfast, said Vikrant Ahuja, an Amazon general manager in San Antonio.

The campaign with No Kid Hungry targets students who arent able to come to school early or arent likely to go eat breakfast in the cafeteria, he said. At Madison, the grant will help buy carts to bring breakfast to classrooms, hopefully reaching more students.

Eating breakfast improves students ability to focus and concentrate, and is especially vital for high school students who may not eat lunch until after 1 p.m., said Louisa Kates, the district nutrition services director.

The cooking challenge was also a chance for students to test their skills in the kitchen and learn about components of a nutritious breakfast.

Sara Fernandez, whose winning team created a blue smoothie bowl and omelet with French toast, said the challenge also highlighted how the young chefs can improve.

We need to work more as a team, and were not as good at multi-tasking, she said.

LTeitz@express-news.net | @LizTeitz
Two New York City-based Belgian diplomats, Anna Hajdu and Marleen Poels, will be in San Antonio next week for a Flying Consul Mission.

They will be available to help Belgian citizens in Texas, or those with dual U.S. citizenship, renew or get passports, said Robert P. Braubach, a San Antonio attorney who specializes in international real estate law and serves as Belgiums honorary consul here.

He said its the first time the Belgian government has sent consular officials to San Antonio to provide such services. Belgians living in the United States usually must travel to consulates in Washington, D.C., and New York City to conduct such business, Braubach said.

Belgian passport applications require biometric data, interviews and fingerprinting, he said.

READ ALSO: UTSA forum confronts thorny free speech questions

Services will be available at One Alamo Center, 106 S. St. Marys St., on the fourth floor, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 2. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 210-271-0630 or emailing braubach@texas.net.

San Antonio and Texas are major destinations for Belgians, said Braubach, a graduate of the University of Brussels who also serves as honorary consul of Namibia and an economic adviser to the Czech government. The Belgian American Club of Texas in San Antonio is the largest such organization in the United States with 500 to 700 members, he said.

Many Belgians live, work or study in San Antonio and other Texas cities in education, technology, healthcare and scientific sectors.

He said San Antonio is also home to third-generation Flemish farming families.

So far, 50 Belgians have made passports appointments, he said.
An altercation on the West Side between neighborhood menudo vendors and occupants of a known drug house set in motion the events last week that ended in a fatal police shooting, San Antonio police say.

An SAPD report released Wednesday says an officer accidentally killed Charles Roundtree, 18, when a companion tried to pull a handgun on police.

The shooting occurred at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 17 at 217 Roberts St., a residence regularly visited by police investigating drug sales. Police were responding to a claim of assault by one of the menudo cooks.

According to the report, the fatal confrontation occurred as police approached the partially open front door and found two men inside.

RELATED: 18-year-old sitting on couch killed after police shoot, graze suspect

Now Playing: Charles Roundtree was shot and killed by San Antonio Police on Oct. 17, 2018. Friends and family gathered to memorialize him. He was unarmed. Video: San Antonio Express-News

Roundtree, who apparently was unarmed, was killed by a shot to the chest fired by Officer Steve Casanova.

The shot was intended for another man who is identified in the report as SP2, who was armed and disregarded police commands.

Officer Casanova saw a handgun on SP2s waistband and told SP2 to show his hands, the report states. At this point, SP2 ignored Ofc. Casanovas commands and continued to remove his handgun from his waistband.

Casanovas fatal shot went through the buttocks of SP2 man and struck Roundtree, the report says.

A pit bull terrier that attacked police after the shooting was shot and killed by an Officer Panah, who is not further identified.

The report states that police recovered drugs, a rifle and another handgun at the scene.

Family members have disputed the claim that the shooting was accidental.

They killed my son, cold blood, said Roundtrees mother, Patricia Slack, 33, at a vigil held the night after the shooting. They got trigger-happy and killed my son.

RELATED: SAPD releases report on officer-involved shooting that left unarmed 18-year-old dead

According to police, the dwelling was a notorious drug house and has spurred more than 50 police visits this year, and more than 100 in 2017.

It is very well-known to the police who patrol that area, said SAPD Chief William McManus, who said the house was the subject of a Dangerous Assessment Response Team investigation.

Its a very, very unfortunate, tragic accident that happened, he added. Unfortunately, that person who was just sitting there was killed by a bullet fired at someone who was attempting to use deadly force against police.

Police said the unidentified SP2 has an extensive criminal record and was out on bond for other charges when the shooting occurred. He has not yet been charged in the recent incident.

jmaccormack@express-news.net
Mission Presbytery, the San Antonio-based regional governing body of the Presbyterian Church USA, on Wednesday condemned a political endorsement it said was fraudulently return-addressed as coming from one of its congregations.

The unsigned, two-page letter, which lists a swath of Christian conservative issues, was mailed with a flier from the Faith & Freedom Coalition urging support for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruzs re-election, citing the Texas Republicans support for President Donald Trumps agenda to build a border wall, defend the Second Amendment and work to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Making it appear that the First Presbyterian Church in Cuero had sent it was deceptive on its face because its tax-exempt status prohibits such endorsements, church officials said. The church only found out about the letter when four of them, sent to Austin-based churches, were returned as undeliverable.

The letter contained fundamentalist right-wing talking points and a lot of falsehoods, said the Rev. Bill Cotman, pastor of the Cuero congregation.

It angered me and frightened me, he said. Regardless of who you support, to make it appear like it came from our church makes it look like we use our church to speak out on political matters. Churches are not supposed to promote political candidates or political opinions or ways to vote.

Dated Sept. 25 and bearing a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, postmark, the letter laments the loss by religious conservatives of too many battles in spiritual warfare, saying students can no longer pray in school but can choose their gender and the bathrooms they use. It decries same-sex marriage, sanctuary cities and the supposed lack of Bible study groups in the White House until the current presidency.

The Rev. Dr. Sallie Watson, Mission Presbyterys general presbyter, a title equivalent to bishop, on Wednesday said the letter stands to hurt all of us, by putting the churchs tax-exempt status in question, and has nothing to do with the church of Jesus Christ.

In the strongest terms, we do not condone this kind of advertising  no matter the candidate  from any of our congregations or from any of the denominations offices, she wrote in an email to member churches.

Watson said the U.S. Postal Service and her denominations Office of General Assembly had been alerted.

It seems likely that the Presbyterians are not the only ones to be receiving messages from such a campaign, she said in her email. She asked Presbyterians to be vigilant against such correspondence and to report it.

While we encourage everyone to participate in the upcoming election, we neither endorse nor condone any candidate for political office.

Early voting in Texas began Monday, with no statewide race being more watched than the contest between Cruz and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of El Paso.

Cotman said he worries about copies of the letter that might have been successfully delivered, adding, This is a real example of using our Lord's name in vain."

The Faith & Freedom Coalition did not return a call and email seeking comment. Its Twitter feed Wednesday lauded its micro-targeting millions of social conservative voters across 21 states through door-to-door interactions, digital ads, phone calls, and mailers.

We have partnered with 30,000 local churches to distribute voter education guides, another Tweet said.

Elaine Ayala covers religion and minority affairs in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala
A woman testified Tuesday that her neighbors son appeared high, kinda nervous and frightened after he told her he had shot his father.

Taking the witness stand under subpoena in the trial of Jesse David Vasquez III, Maria Torres told jurors that the young man then made a strange request: He asked for a hug.

The younger Vasquez, 24, is charged with murder in the death of his father, Jesse David Vasquez Jr., 44, on April 17, 2016.

Torres told the jury she was on the porch of her house, which is diagonally across from the Vasquez home, when she heard pops. She said she went to the home, looked inside from the porch and saw Ann Vasquez, the victims wife and the defendants stepmother, doing CPR on her husband.

The younger Vasquez was outside, Torres said, and appeared nervous and paced at times. When she asked him why he shot his father, Torres said the young man shrugged and seemed confused by the question.

He said he didnt regret it, he wasnt sorry, Torres told the jury. I felt like I was in a movie. It didnt feel real.

San Antonio police received a call about the shooting around 6:30 p.m. at a home in the 2500 block of Saunders Street near S. Zarzamora on the near West Side. When officers arrived, they found the father shot in the torso. He died at the scene.

Prosecutor Josh Sandoval told the jurors in his opening statement Tuesday that although they would hear the defense say the shooting was an act of self defense, they would also hear that the father and son had a rocky relationship that could get violent.

He told the jury things started heating up once the younger Vasquez went to live with his father, stepmother and two younger half sisters weeks before the shooting.

Vasquezs defense attorneys Jessica Gonzalez and Amy Owen did not give an opening statement.

Testimony on Tuesday established the victim and his son walked around the house openly with weapons: the father with a gun, the son with a machete. Sandoval said in the days leading up to the shooting, the younger Vasquez talked about wanting to kill his father.

Earlier, the victims wife testified that her husband and stepson had a troubled relationship. Under questioning by prosecutors, she admitted her husband hit her, and on the day of the shooting, he had struck one of her daughters.

The case is being heard in the 187th state District Court, Judge Joey Contreras presiding. If convicted, Vasquez faces up to life in prison.

Elizabeth Zavala is a courts and crime reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump and other top administration officials stood by comments he made Monday in Houston that there might be people from the Middle East mixed in with the thousands who have formed an immigrant caravan in Mexico heading for the U.S. border.

The claim, coming two weeks ahead of the midterm elections, has become part of an intensifying administration push to highlight illegal immigration and close "catch and release" loopholes that they say have contributed to a growing crisis on the border.

Pressed for evidence of Middle Eastern infiltrators, Trump told reporters in the Oval office that while he had no solid proof, "there could very well be," adding, "I have very good information."

The claim, derided by immigration activists, was seconded by Vice President Mike Pence in comments made at the Washington Post earlier in the day about the administration's proposed Space Force.

Related: Trump knocks Beto O'Rourke, tries to boost Houston congressional candidates

"It's inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border," Pence said. He added that Honduran officials have told him that the caravan was financed by the regime of leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Pence said he has spoken to the leaders of Honduras and Guatemala. "We've been working very closely with Mexico," he said. "We're going to do everything in our power to prevent this caravan from coming north and violating our border."

Trump, speaking at Monday night's rally for Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who is fending off a challenge from Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, speculated that Democrats have "something to do" with the caravan.

Administration critics and immigration activists accused Trump of stoking fears ahead of the midterm elections that could decide the control of Congress.

"Who would have thought that in the first half of the 21st century of modern America a U.S. president would resort to outright lies and dredge up racist fears in an effort to remain in power?" said Frank Sharry, Executive Director of the activist group America's Voice. "History, meet Donald Trump."

Related: Social media reactions to Trump's rally in Houston

Trump said he spoke with border patrol many times and "they've intercepted many people from the Middle East," including ISIS, and other people including "good ones and bad ones" and "wonderful people" from the Middle East and South America and beyond.

"Among the people they've intercepted, very recently, are people from the Middle East," he said. "It's not even saying bad or good."

"There could very well be," he said again when asked if there's proof.

In an effort to bolster Trump's claims, the White House deployed a pair of senior administration officials to brief reporters on the latest border crossing statistics showing a record-shattering surge in family units  161,000 in the federal fiscal year that ended September 30. That's 42 percent higher than any previous year on record.

They said it is not uncommon for the Border Patrol to come across people crossing the border illegally from countries outside North and Central America. Last year, they said they stopped around 3,000 "special interest aliens" from countries such as Bangladesh and Somalia.

The officials also noted the changing demographics of illegal immigration. Last year, more than half of the people caught by the Border Patrol were from Central America, many of them arriving as families or unaccompanied minors. That's in contrast to the year 2000, when the vast majority of people arrested crossing the southern border were single adults from Mexico.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, argued that the surge has been caused by lax asylum laws and restrictions on family and child detentions that make it difficult to deport the new arrivals, particularly those from Central America.

Of the "family unit aliens" from countries other than Mexico, less than 2 percent of those caught in 2017 had been repatriated as of last June 30, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.

"We are apprehending these aliens," one of the officials said. "If we could return them, there's no border crisis."

Asked if the answer is to improve conditions in the home countries, including through the foreign aid he's threatened to cut, Trump said that aid "hasn't worked for a long time in those countries."

He said he wants to improve the conditions in the United States first.

He said he's watched the caravan on the news and "I think there's a lot of talent in that group," but that other people are waiting in line.

"I want them to come in, I want them to come in through a merit-based system," Trump said. "We have to focus on our country for a change."
The record-breaking early voting continued Tuesday in San Antonio and across the state, as did long lines  and patient voters.

It is astounding to see this turnout in a midterm election, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.

Tuesday saw another Bexar County record crushed, as 35,309 people cast ballots in person, easily beating the previous record of 14,925 for a second day of early voting in a midterm year, set in 2010. But it didnt quite reach the all-time second-day record of 38,603 set in 2016.

Official figures released statewide Tuesday showed Bexar and Harris counties, among others, set records for first-day early voting in midterm elections.

Eight others  including Dallas, Travis, Collin and El Paso  surpassed their turnouts in 2016, a presidential year that typically draws more people to the polls, according to data from the Texas secretary of states office.

El Paso, in particular, has seen startling numbers.

Where to vote Record turnout has led to long lines at some of Bexar County's 43 polling sites. Below is a list of the five sites with the most voters Tuesday and the five with the fewest. Most voters 1. Brook Hollow Library, 530 Heimer: 1,688 2. Wonderland mall, 4522 Fredericksburg: 1,606 3. John Igo Library, 13330 Kyle Seale: 1,561 4. Great Northwest Library, 9050 Wellwood: 1,532 5. Julia Yates Semmes Library, 15060 Judson: 1,403 Fewest voters 1. South San Antonio ISD, 5622 Ray Ellison: 163 2. Southwest ISD, 11914 Dragon: 181 3. Somerset ISD, 7791 E. 6th, Somerset: 186 4. Southside ISD: 1460 Martinez-Losoya: 256 5. Schaefer Library, 6322 U.S. 87 East: 325 Source: Bexar County Elections Department See More Collapse

In the 2014 general election, only 2,817 people voted on the first day of early voting. Monday, there were 17,236 votes cast in person.

The border city is home to Congressman Beto ORourke, the Democrat running against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in one of the hottest races in Texas.

El Paso traditionally has seen some of the lowest voter turnouts in Texas, but Monday led the state with the greatest turnout increase of the largest counties  a more than 500 percent increase in the in-person and mail voting numbers.

Ive been covering politics for 35 years, and this is the wildest thing Ive ever seen, said Bob Moore, retired editor of the El Paso Times.

Turnout on the first day is a fairly strong indicator of turnout overall, according to Rottinghaus analysis of large counties data over the past few election cycles.

Overall, more than 570,000 people in the 15 largest counties cast ballots on the first day of early voting, either in person or through the mail.

Thats just a few thousand votes shy of the tally from 2016, but more than double the first-day turnout of the last midterm in 2014.

Some voters waited in lines for an hour or more Tuesday at polling places in Bexar County, but postings across social media showed most people were willing to wait and were glad to see so many taking the time to vote.

Bexar Countys larger turnout on the second day isnt uncommon. In each of the past four general elections, more Bexar residents voted on the second day of early voting than on the first.

Those who havent yet voted and are looking for the best time to hit the polls should consider waiting until Saturday or Sunday. The least busy days of early voting in the last four general elections were the weekends, with Sundays posting the lowest number of votes in each of those years.

For subscribers: 2018 San Antonio Express-News Voter Guide

The last time more than half of registered voters cast a ballot in a Texas midterm election was 1994. But this cycle, the competitive race for U.S. Senate and a handful of hotly contested congressional seats are driving turnout, Rottinghaus said.

Democrats touted the high turnout numbers, but said they arent taking them for granted.

While its encouraging to see so many records broken on Day 1, Texas Democrats arent taking any days off, stateDemocratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said. We cant afford to let anyone sit this out.

Vlad Davidiuk of the Harris County Republican Party said both sides are turning out with high energy.

We saw this during the primary and had the same conversation as Dems shattered records only to taper off and fizzle at the end, he said. Republicans will continue to turn out in big numbers.

Staff Writer Jeremy Wallace contributed to this report.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, bugles will ring out at ceremonies in the United States and Canada in remembrance of those who served so that we can live free.

This year, we also mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. More than 116,000 Americans (including 5,000 Texans) and 60,000 Canadians died during this conflict. Thirty nine Canadian and British airmen died while training at Camp Taliaferro and 12 of them are buried in Greenwood Cemetery, in Fort Worth.

Canada entered WWI at its start in 1914. Moved by the conflict, more than 40,000 Americans enlisted in the Canadian army. The First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill directed that Americans serve in units in which they could fight together. Thus, Canadas 97th Battalion was the American Legion. As well, other Canadian battalions had a significant American Legion component. The United States subsequently entered the war, decisively tipping the scales towards victory for the Allied Forces.

And so this shared experience has repeated many times since. Canadians and Americans fought and died together in the Second World War and in Korea. Canada joined the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan after the U.S. was attacked on 9/11. We are both founding members of NATO. This year, the United States and Canada celebrated the 60th anniversary of NORAD, our common air defense protecting our continent. Today, Canadian Special Forces are deployed with U.S. Special Forces in Iraq and Syria addressing the challenge of ISIS.

On Armistice Day 1927, the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice was dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery to honor the Americans who served in the Canadian army. In the presence of President Calvin Coolidge, the Secretary of War, Dwight Davis, declared:

So the Canadians who in the past gave their lives in the United States armies and the Americans who in the World War gave their lives while serving in the Canadian forces, have consecrated and hallowed the ties of friendship that have united our countries for more than a century.

Over the last two centuries, Canada and the United States have built the strongest partnership that exists between any two countries in the world. There is no better example of this bond than our commitment to our common defense. Today, on the centenary of the end of WWI, there is no better way to honor this partnership than to remember those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row  .

Vasken Khabayan is the acting consul general of Canada in Dallas.
Cindy Ording / Contributed photo

Some 300 years ago, two rapscallions, Archer and Aimwell, headed out on an adventure in the English countryside. They were on the hunt for some wealthy heiresses to wed, hoping such an affiliation would lead to lives of luxury.

In the process, they come across characters that make their journey a bit more interesting, including highwaymen, saucy servers and aristocratic ladies. Its all in the tale, The Beaux Stratagem, which kicks off the Town Players of New Canaans 72nd season.
DERBY  An internal investigation into the treatment of several teenagers after the July 3 municipal fireworks show is done and punishment meted out, Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski said Wednesday.

But the chief declined to release details, saying the investigation had not yet been closed administratively.

I need to speak to the complainant, Narowski said. I have given her until next Friday to contact me and set up a meeting. If she does not respond by then I will consider it administratively closed.

A phone number for Jessica Matthews, the woman who filed the complaint that led to the police investigation, was out of service on Wednesday. But a source with knowledge of the probe said a Derby police officer was assessed a half-day suspension as a result of the incident.

If thats the case, Im not happy with the outcome, said Greg Johnson, head of the NAACPs Naugatuck Valley chapter. Im going to have a face-to-face (meeting) with the chief of police either Thursday or Friday.

Accounts of the incident surfaced in July, when Matthews complained to Derby police. She provided reporters with several videos that she said document what happened between the teens and police.

More for you Chief: Several Derby cops under investigation

I cannot stand racism, she said at the time. I cannot stand racial profiling. The kids civil rights were violated.

Matthews said her 16-year-old son was walking with a group of primarily African American friends when several officers on duty for the fireworks show told them they could not loiter and began following them.

One of the teens confronted the officers and asked for their badge numbers, Matthews said.

I dont have to tell you that, one officer appears to tell one teen on a cellphone video Matthews said was recorded by one of the teens.

At that point Matthews son and others also started recording, she said.

Dont come near me, Im not going to say it again, an officer appears to say on one video. Get it out of my face; out of my face now.

Another video appears to show that phone being taken away by an officer.

And another video clip appears to show an officer saying, You can film, but you aint gonna put it in peoples faces, all right? If you want to take it, you gotta do it at a reasonable distance.

Johnson said he is not averse to contacting the Connecticut State Police, the Chief States Attorneys Office, the FBI or U.S. Attorneys office to file a complaint if he feels the local internal investigation was insufficient.

He also said there are basic problems between the citys police department and the community it serves.

Something needs to be done about (police) diversity in this city, Johnson said. The police department does not reflect the citys diversity and extensive training is necessary.
Westpac Banking Corp. engages in the provision of banking and financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Bank, Business Bank, BT Financial Group (Australia), Westpac Institutional Bank, Westpac New Zealand and Group Businesses. The Consumer Bank segment covers consumer banking products and services under the Westpac, St. George, BankSA, Bank of Melbourne and RAMS brands. The Business Bank segment involves in sales and customer service of small-to-medium enterprise, commercial and agribusiness customers under the Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA brands. The BT Financial Group (Australia) segment manages wealth and insurance division. The Westpac Institutional Bank segment delivers a range of financial services to commercial, corporate, institutional, and government customers. The Westpac New Zealand segment comprises sales and service of banking, wealth, and insurance products for consumer, business, and institutional customers. The Group Businesses segment treasury which is responsible for the management of the Group's balance sheet, group technology which includes functions for the Australian businesses, and core support which covers

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Legg Mason, Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides investment management and related services to company-sponsored mutual funds and other investment vehicles including pension funds, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, private banks, family offices, individuals, as well as to global, institutional, and retail clients. It launches and manages equity, fixed income, and multi-asset customized portfolios through its subsidiaries. The firm also launches and manages mutual funds and exchange traded funds for its clients through its subsidiaries. It invests in private and public equity, fixed income, and multi asset markets across the globe through its subsidiaries. Through its subsidiaries, the firm also invests in alternative markets. It also employs a combination of fundamental and quantitative research to make its investments through its subsidiaries. Legg Mason, Inc. was founded in 1899 and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Guyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited.

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Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its initial 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 any underwriters involved in the IPO are restricted from issuing any research reports for the company because of SEC regulations. Following the end of the company's quiet period, the brokerages that served as underwriters will likely initiate research coverage on the company.
Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV.

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by Alex Murray | Nuggets Correspondent | Wed, Oct 24th 2:34am EDT

Jamal Murray scored 19 points on 60 percent shooting from the field during the Nuggets' win over the Kings on Tuesday. Murray added four assists, one rebound and one steal in 19 minutes of floor time.
by Mike Maher | Bengals Correspondent | Tue, Oct 23rd 12:37pm EDT

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple is being traded to the New Orleans Saints for a 2019 4th-round pick and a 2020 7th-round pick. (Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

With the Giants sitting at 1-6 through the first seven weeks and looking at a rebuild, this might not be the last trade they make. Apple left Monday's game against the Falcons with an ankle injury, so keep an eye on his physical once he gets to New Orleans. A former first-round pick who is still just 23 years old, Apple never lived up to his draft potential in New York and will now hope to help a contending Saints team fix their secondary woes.
by Mike Maher | Tue, Oct 23rd 1:02pm EDT

Former Eagles running back and 2017 4th-round pick Donnel Pumphrey was returned to the Eagles as a member of their practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday. (Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

Pumphrey injured his hamstring in 2017 without ever taking a snap for the Eagles, and he was released at the end of training camp after also struggling to stay healthy throughout the offseason program. He spent much of September on the practice squad of the Detroit Lions but was released near the end of the month and has been a free agent ever since. While he is familiar with the offense in Philadelphia, he will likely need another injury or a trade to one of the team's current running backs to get a shot at being added to the active roster.
by Brendan Tuma | Dolphins Correspondent | Tue, Oct 23rd 9:27pm EDT

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the Miami Dolphins are likely to place Albert Wilson (hip) on IR. (Adam Schefter on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact:

The Dolphins have already placed two players on IR who at eligible to return, so Wilson would be done for the year if this happens. The 26-year-old doesnt need surgery, but Miami wants him to fully recover. Wilson could be a 2019 sleeper after having a breakout season thus far.
Chancellor Philip Hammond has been urged to use his upcoming Budget to provide a better fiscal framework for farm tenancies.

The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) is urging the Chancellor to consider in his Autumn Budget reforms to the taxation environment within which rural landlords make decisions about letting land to encourage longer term Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs).

The TFA is currently working with Government on measures to help the agricultural industry build resilience, raise productivity, manage risk and secure its long-term profitability.

Within the tenanted sector of agriculture reliant upon FBTs, the TFA says it is "difficult, if not impossible" to achieve these goals when the average FBT length is only 4 years and when 85% of all new tenancies are let for no more than 5 years.

It has been 23 years since the introduction of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 which ushered in FBTs.

TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn said: The legislation represented a major deregulation of the agricultural let sector and at the time there were great hopes that it would increase opportunities both for new entrants and progressing farmers.

However, nearly two and a half decades on and neither of these objectives have been attained. Whilst we saw an increase in the amount of let land through the early years of the new legislation this has, by and large, tailed off.

However, the biggest failing of the legislation has been the perpetuation of short lengths of term leading to inefficiency.

Mr Dunn added: Farming is a long-term endeavour requiring significant capital investment, patience, good soil management and the ability to balance profitable years against the bad.

Short term tenancies are holding back progression, investment and sustainable land use. Farm Business Tenancies have been too short for too long and this must change, he said.

The TFA believes that average term lengths on FBTs should be 10 years or more and that the Government should be using fiscal levers to encourage a more sustainable position.

Tax changes

The group has proposed the following tax changes to improve lengths of term and productivity on tenanted holdings.

 Restricting the generous, 100% Agricultural Property Relief from Inheritance Tax (currently available to all landlords regardless of the length of time for which they are prepared to let land) only to those prepared to let for 10 years or more, or on new tenancies with security of tenure under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986.

 Offering landlords prepared to let land for 10 years or more the ability to declare their income as if it was trading income for taxation purposes.

 Reforming Stamp Duty Land Tax to end the discrimination against longer tenancies.

 Abolition of Capital Gains Tax rollover relief for purchases of land (other than in cases where land has been lost to compulsory purchase) and instead allowing relief for capital gains invested into fixed equipment on let holdings to drive on farm productivity, profitability and resilience.
A farmer has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and banned from keeping livestock after being found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to two pigs.

Michael Agnew, 47, from County Antrim, was sentenced at Londonderry Crown Court on Tuesday (23 October) after previously pleading guilty.

The case arose when serious animal welfare issues were discovered on his Portglenone farm during ongoing monitoring of welfare standards on the defendants premises.

Two sows had to be euthanised by a veterinary surgeon to prevent them suffering any further.

Mr Agnew was the first person in Northern Ireland to be jailed under animal welfare legislation in 2014.

Judge Philip Babington said Mr Agnew "should be kept miles away from every living creature."

"Any animal seeing this man coming over the horizon would have a heart attack," he said.

A Department of Agriculture (DAERA) spokesman said The Department gives high priority to the welfare of animals and operates a vigorous enforcement policy to ensure full compliance of regulatory requirements. Any breaches are investigated thoroughly and offenders prosecuted as necessary.
A judge has upheld a jury's verdict that Monsanto's 'Roundup' weedkiller caused a school caretaker's cancer, but drastically reduced the amount of money to be paid from $289m to $78m.

The agrochemical giant was ordered to pay $289 million (222m) in August after they were found liable in a lawsuit by caretaker Dewayne Johnson, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup on the job.

But in San Francisco Superior Court on Monday (22 October), Judge Suzanne Bolanos cut the jurys punitive damage award from $250 million (192m) to $39 million (30m). She denied Monsanto's request for a new trial.

The judge had earlier said she had strong doubts about the jury's entire punitive damage award.

In August, Californian jurors unanimously found that Monsanto acted with malice and that its products substantially caused Mr Johnsons cancer.

The lawsuit is the first ever to go to trial alleging a glyphosate link to cancer.

Mr Johnson is among more than 5,000 similar plaintiffs across the US who say that Monsanto's products have caused terminal illness.

However, the company that owns Monsanto, German agri-giant Bayer, has said that its products do not cause cancer.

In a statement the company said: "Bayer is confident, based on the strength of the science, the conclusions of regulators around the world and decades of experience, that glyphosate is safe for use and does not cause cancer when used according to the label."

It said it would "continue to vigorously defend this product, which has a 40-year history of safe use".

Monsanto spokesman Daniel Childs said that the company was pleased with the reduced reward but still planned to appeal the verdict
The NFU has written to the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Budget to call for measures that ensure farmers can battle volatility as Brexit nears.

In its submission to the Chancellor Philip Hammond, the NFU highlights the role of farming in producing "safe, traceable and affordable" food for the nation.

The farming union has called for eight specific measures in Mondays (29 October) Budget statement, so farming can remain productive, profitable and progressive.

It comes as the NFU criticises the Government on "hugely damaging" uncertainty the industry is facing as Brexit talks continue in deadlock.

In particular, 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."

The NFU has now listed eight specific measures it wants to see in Monday's Budget.

 Reform of capital allowances with a review of their scope and purpose.

 Tax relief on the depreciation cost of farm infrastructure to ease the impact of replacing farm buildings on a business.

 Expanding and simplifying Enhanced Capital Allowances to allow early adoption of technology on farm.

 Allow SME businesses to surrender the value of their Annual Investment Allowance or Enhanced Capital Allowances claim in return for a payable tax credit.

 Evaluation of a farm management deposit scheme for British farmers to allow pre-tax profits to be set aside for future use in the business and therefore improving cashflow.

 Extend R&D tax relief to all trading businesses regardless of their business structure.

 Ensure the roll out of superfast broadband to all farmers, growers and rural communities, alongside complete mobile phone coverage at a reasonable cost.

 Allow diversified farm businesses to elect to have all income sources treated as a single trade for all tax reporting purposes, including Income Tax, VAT and Making Tax Digital to reduce the administrative burden on the business.

'Harness the potential'

NFU President Minette Batters said Mr Hammond must introduce these measures to help "harness the potential" of British farming.

She said: As our domestic agricultural policy returns to Westminster, there has never been a more important time to ensure British farm businesses are fit for the future.

That is why we are calling on the Chancellor to introduce measures that will help to harness the potential of British farming and gives farm businesses the tools to continue producing safe, traceable and affordable food for the public.

The NFU President added: Farmers are passionate about evolving and driving efficiency in their business. It is our firm belief there are simple measures that can give these businesses the means to increase their productivity and deliver more for the public, who expect high standards of quality British food.

Next week's Budget will be the final government spending plan announcement before the UK officially leaves the EU in March 2019.
Two farming unions have said they have an "unrivalled mandate" to form a basis for a "Welsh way forward" for farmers once the UK leaves the EU.

Wales two farming unions, Farmers Union of Wales and NFU Cymru, have launched a joint paper aimed at placing food and farming on a firm post-Brexit footing.

The paper, entitled A Welsh way forward, was revealed at a briefing session for Assembly Members and Welsh Government staff on Wednesday (October 24).

The publication comes in response to the Welsh Governments current consultation on future rural and land management policies  entitled Brexit and our land.

With the Tuesday 30 October deadline nearing, the consultation - described as the biggest consultation on Welsh farming in a generation - seeks to shape thoughts on the industry post-Brexit.

The consultation seeks views on how Welsh Government proposes to support farmers after Brexit. It proposes a phased withdrawal of the Basic Payment Scheme to be replaced by two new schemes; an economic resilience scheme and a public goods scheme.

But there is some concern within the industry that the proposed scheme unveiled by Welsh Government will make farmers worse off once the UK leaves the EU.

'Unrivalled mandate'

Since the consultation was launched, both farming unions have held meetings throughout Wales, engaging with thousands of farmers.

Based on their respective consultation engagement programmes, the unions have now said they have gained an "unrivalled mandate" to speak on behalf of rural Wales.

NFU Cymru President, John Davies said: We are proud to represent small and large farms, whether they be owned or tenanted, corn or horn, horticulture or poultry, newcomers to the industry or those whose families have farmed the same land for generations.

All of these people share a common goal and a passion, which is to produce safe, high-quality, affordable food, all whilst caring for and enhancing our environment and our treasured landscape, he added.

Addressing Assembly Members, Farmers' Union of Wales President, Glyn Roberts highlighted that farming families are part of a wider family, a family that extends along the entire supply chain.

He said: The Welsh food and farming sector supports over 240,000 jobs, with nearly 52,000 employed on Welsh farms alone

And in our communities, employment figures show that up to 28 percent of people work in the agricultural industry. So of course we are united in our opposition to any proposals that may threaten not only farming families, but also those tens of thousands of individuals and businesses which rely on the sector, said Mr Roberts.

Mr Davies added: It is clear what is at stake if we get future rural policy wrong. Brexit means we are facing significant threats that are outside our control as farmers. But in these uncertain times there are ways to carefully develop Welsh policies in order to secure our nations future prosperity.

Five principles

Assembly Members heard how NFU Cymru and the FUW had joined forces to agree on a set of policy principles which hope to define a way forward that is uniquely Welsh.

Both unions said the priority for Welsh Government must be to provide stability in a "world of uncertainty".

"Significant changes should only be considered once we have a clearer knowledge of our future trading relationships and following a thorough assessment of the impacts of trade and policy changes on every business, sector and regions of Wales," both unions said in a statement.

Other principles highlighted are the need to keep active family farms producing food, direct support from Government to underpin food production, invest in measures to drive sustainable agriculture and reward environmental outcomes.

Mr Davies said: We are firmly of the belief that these five principles form a sound basis for designing and evolving a tailormade Welsh way forward to create a policy framework and mechanisms which genuinely meets Wales seven wellbeing goals without risk.

Both unions will be meeting with the Cabinet Secretary on Thursday (25 October) to develop more detailed plans.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
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This B-town actor whos known best for his par excellence acting skills is said to be unhappy with one of his upcoming projects. Despite getting starred opposite this sexy siren (who got fame with her last release), we hear the talented actor may soon walk out of the film. The much-anticipated project which is being co-produced by another filmmaker is a comedy drama.Its like just when most of us thought that everything is good in the hood and the film will be hitting the floors real soon, its now said that the acclaimed actor is no more happy with the script and feels guilty for bringing his mentor on board as the director. We hear that the actor instantly expressed his displeasure and told the producer that this wasn't the kind of script he was expecting and fact that he wouldnt be able to do the film with this script and demanded changes.A little birdie tells us that the producer cum director has now assured this talented actor to make the required changes in the script. Ah, we hope the project gets back on track soon.
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are all set to tie the knot on November 14 - 15, 2018, at the breathtaking Lake Como in Italy and fans and celebrities alike are super-excited about the news and have sent well wishes on their respective Twitter handles. Also, the wedding excitement has reached as far as Dubai. Yes, the iconic tower Burj Khalifa, which attracts thousands of tourists everyday, had a surprise for one and all, as the owners paid tribute to Deepika and Ranveer's wedding announcement.

Thousands gathered at the Burj Khalifa fountain and just when the show was about to end, they paid tribute to Deepika and Ranveer by playing a song from Deepika's debut movie Om Shanti Om 'Dhoom Tana' and the crowd just went into a frenzy. It's good to see Dubai paying tribute to Indian actors and it makes us realise that the world is indeed a small place. Watch the video from the Burj Khalifa fountain below...

Competition Even During Wedding? Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra Might Have A Wedding Date Clash!

It's so cool, right? Dubai loves Bollywood just as we do, and several movies have been shot there and the country is also loved by many B-town actors, as it's their favourite holiday destination.

Coming back to Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's wedding, the couple will throw a grand reception on December 1, 2018, in Mumbai and the who's who of B-town will be present to make it a time to remember. It is also reported that the couple has planned to cut short their honeymoon, as Ranveer Singh wants to be available during the promotions of his upcoming movie Simmba, which is all set to hit the theatres on December 28, 2018.
It has already been announced that the popular film-maker TK Rajeev Kumar is all set to don the director's hat once again for an upcoming movie, which has been titled as Kolambi. Interestingly, the title launch of the movie was held during the Bigg Boss Malayalam Grand Finale, hosted by Mohanlal. It is after a short break that TK Rajeev Kumar is donning the director's hat. His previous film was Up and Down, which had hit the theatres in the year 2013.

Now, the official Facebook page of this upcoming movie has been launched by Mohanlal, Priyadarshan and Sabu Cyril. Mohanlal took to his official Facebook page to share the stills taken during the launching of the Facebook page of Kolambi.

Take a look at the Facebook post of Mohanlal...

Importantly, Sabu Cyril is also a part of this TK Rajeev Kumar directorial and he is the art director of the movie. Nithya Menen will be seen essaying the lead role in this highly promising movie. The film also has the presence of some of the top names of the film industry. Resul Pookkuutty has been roped in as the sound designer of the movie. Popular cinematographer Ravi Varman will handle the cinematography department of the film. Further details regarding the movie are being awaited.
The co-directors of hit series Sacred Games, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane were accused of inaction, when Vikas Bahl was caught in sexual harassment allegations. Their production house Phaton films was dissolved and future of Sacred Games and its association with the International streaming site Netflix was questioned. However, after 'independent investigation', Netfix has cleared the series for the next season.

The statement by Netflix read, "After an independent investigation, the results helped inform Netflix's decision to continue with Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap on season 2 of Sacred Games. We continue to collaborate with our production partners to ensure and maintain a safe and respectful working environment."

Besides Vikas, the writer of Sacred Games ,Varun Grover too was accused of sexual harassment during his tenure in college. However, he denied any allegation made against him. Netflix has now announced that Varun Grover will continue working in the second season of Sacred Games.

MOST READ : Hina Khan Apologizes To Fans With Folded Hands For Doing This, Blames Ekta Kapoor!

Scared Games is Netflix's first Indian original series, that gained popularity not only in India, but across the globe. It was highly appreciated and criticized, with a rating of over 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus said, "Gorgeous, grim, and unexpected, Sacred Games is saved from its procedural premise by its dense plotting and superb cast."

{document1}
Prince Kisses His Princess

Prince and Yuvika not only had a royal wedding, but even chose to travel royally! They flew down to Maldives in a private jet. In one of the first pictures that Prince shared on his Instagram handle, he is seen planting a kiss on Yuvika's forehead.

Yuvika's A Water Baby

Yuvika was seen enjoying time in the pool in Maldives. A fan commented, "always a water baby.... lots of love from Nagpur..... u both r made for each other congratulations may god bless u and best wishes from all nagpurkars." - (sic)

Fans Congratulate Them

"Happy married life You always be happy You never have to face any trouble always keep a good smile on your face. You will meet people in your life who will always give you happiness." - (sic)

@privika_pakistan

One of Privika's fans said, "Angel on earth so so pretty even words are less .YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL LOVE FROM PAKISTAN  PLEASS DO NOTICE FANGIRL ." - (sic)

@rukshanadaniel & @ monamonika2612

"Have happy honey with us. Maldives  Mr & Mrs nerula" and "Both of u are looking .!!! .. Rab ne bna di jodi.... !!! Love both of u..!!! And enjoy your journey of love....!!" - (sic)
Telugu cinema's youth sensation, Vijay Devarakonda and the recent crush of both Kannada and Telugu cinema, Rashmika Mandanna had woven a surreal experience in the form of Geetha Govindam a few months ago. Nothing arguably went wrong with the movie, as every planned step before the release of the flick managed to hit the bull's eye convincingly.

The teaser/trailer of Geetha Govindam was an instant hit amongst the audience, while the lyrical single audio track, Inkem Inkem Kavali was a runaway chartbuster, making it the most liked lyrical video of Telugu cinema.

The advance booking was humongous in both Telugu states, thanks to the anticipation generated on the movie and Vijay's stardom from the success of Arjun Reddy. One must accredit producer Allu Aravind for marketing his product to the level best.

Not just the Telugu states, but the hype and expectations for the movie were interestingly at a very higher level in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the USA.

Here's the pre-release business and closing collections statistics of the movie and check as to where it stands from the commercial standpoint.

Pre-release Business

Nizam - 4 Cr, Vizag - 1.1 Cr, East - 0.7 Cr, West - 0.6 Cr, Krishna - 0.8 Cr, Guntur - 0.9 Cr, Nellore - 0.4 Cr, Ceded - 2 Cr, Karnataka - 1.3 Cr, ROI - 0.5 Cr & Overseas - 2.7 Cr

Total - 15 Cr

WW Closing Collections

Nizam - 20.5 Cr, Vizag - 6.06 Cr, East - 4.01 Cr, West - 3.19 Cr, Krishna - 3.76 Cr, Guntur - 3.75 Cr, Nellore - 1.76 Cr, Ceded - 7.02 Cr, Karnataka - 6.08 Cr, TN - 2.13 Cr, USA - 9.81 Cr & Rest Estimated - 2.53 Cr

Total - 70.6 Cr

The recovery of Geetha Govindam is a monstrous 470%, which is one of the biggest blockbusters of Telugu cinema. Success like this is not quite often witnessed and movies like Geetha Govindam would not occur frequently.
Regional ride-hailing company Wuhan BMKP Technology BMKP announced on Tuesday that it has raised Rmb300 million $43 million from Beijing Qianjiayuan Capital for business expansion.

BMKP also signed a partnership agreement with Shenzhen-listed Chinese car maker Zotye Auto for alternative energy vehicles and fuel-engine cars.

BMKP chief executive Li Jia has said that proceeds will only be used for company operations, and not for the purchase of cars.

Founded in 2015, BMKP already has 125 municipal licenses in China to operate. It is ranked second to rival platform WscarEcar which boasts operating licenses in 139 cities. Still BMKP has almost double...
SmartStream Technologies, the financial Transaction Lifecycle Management (TLM) solutions provider, today announced that Coronation Fund Managers, one of the largest independent fund managers in South Africa, has gone live with TLM Corporate Actions OnDemand automating the complete corporate actions lifecycle.

Llewellyn Smith, COO at Coronation states: "We continue to make investments in our business, specifically in technology that enhances our clients' service experience, and which allows us to achieve greater operational efficiencies. Through SmartStream's tailored solution, we achieve automation of our corporate actions operational processes. Given that this project ran in parallel with a number of strategic initiatives, its successful implementation was essential. We value SmartStream's corporate actions expertise which guided us through the procedure in less than four months".

Coronation is using the TLM Corporate Actions OnDemand solution to process mandatory and voluntary events, including proxy voting for their domestic and international markets.

Adam Cottingham, Product Manager, states: "Working in partnership with Coronation has made this project a success. The team adopted our Model Client Configuration to accelerate delivery and achieve a rapid return on investment for the business. It's great that Coronation has become the first TLM Corporate Actions client in South Africa".

Ends

About SmartStream Technologies

SmartStream Technologies is a recognised leader in financial transaction management software that enables firms to overcome critical transaction processing issues through increased automation.

SmartStream's industry-leading automated match rates create more proactive, exceptions-based processes that lower the cost per transaction while enabling firms to reduce operational risk, strengthen compliance and controls, and improve customer service.

As a result, more than 1,500 clients, including 75 of the world's top 100 banks, 8 of the top 10 asset managers, and 8 of the top 10 custodians rely on SmartStream Transaction Lifecycle Management (TLM) solutions to deliver greater efficiency to their trading operations.

For more information about SmartStream visit: www.smartstream-stp.com

About Coronation

Coronation was founded in Cape Town, South Africa in 1993 by a group of investment professionals who left an established institution to start a dedicated fund management business. With zero assets and zero clients, their objective was to build a world-class, investment-led and independent fund manager. Today, Coronation is 25 percent employee-owned and a leading brand in the South African investment industry. Coronation is solely focused on asset management and has a track record of delivering superior long-term returns to clients over the past two decades. An active investment manager with a long-term, valuation-driven investment approach, Coronation currently manages R602 billion in client assets (as at end-June 2018).

For more information about SmartStream visit: www.coronation.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023005634/en/

Contacts:

SmartStream Technologies, Inc.

New York (Money 20/20):

Mark Roth

Chief Marketing Officer

Tel: (212) 763-6509

Email: mark.roth@smartstream-stp.com

or

Sydney (SIBOS 2018):

Nathan Gee

Senior Marketing Manager

Tel: +44 (0) 20-7898-0630

Email: nathan.gee@smartstream-stp.com

or

Dina Communications

London

Shamira Alidina

Media Relations Director

Tel +44 (0) 7801-590718

Email: shamira@dinacomms.com
Gemalto is the number 1 provider of eSIM solutions for mobile operators and OEMs

The most recent generation of flagship phones and smartwatches works with the revolutionary remote connectivity management solution enabled by Gemalto. "eSIM around the world" is becoming a reality that will enable millions of consumers to seamlessly provision and activate a mobile subscription and connect their favorite devices anytime, anywhere. With 3.5 billion devices on the market by 2025 cellular connectivity will play a major role in bringing massive IoT to life both on the consumer and M2M markets, exponentially increasing the number of mobile connections. Gemalto has deployed more than 100 eSIM remote subscription management platforms to mobile operators, operator alliances, MVNOs, car manufacturers and OEMs across all continents.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006179/en/

eSIM (Credit: Gemalto)

With Gemalto eSIM solutions, mobile connectivity is enhanced; thanks to digitized subscription activation and mobile ID verification, the user journey is simplified and logistics are easier for operators and OEMs. Innovation in device design and features such as thickness, waterproofness and extended battery are noticeably improved. All Gemalto solutions are fully compliant with the latest GSMA Remote SIM Provisioning specifications.

"We are thrilled to be writing this new chapter in our company history and for the IoT market ahead of us," said Frederic Vasnier, executive vice president, Mobile Services and IoT at Gemalto. "More than 900 million eSIM are expected to be shipped yearly by 2022 and we are committed to continued innovation in security and connectivity to enable the trusted connections of tomorrow."

Source: Ericsson Mobile Report June 2018

Source: Technology market research company Counterpoint March 2018

Some of our customer references:

Gemalto wins Vodafone's supplier award for eSIM project deliveries

Gemalto and Microsoft providing seamless connectivity for Windows 10 devices

Korea Telecom and Gemalto deliver out-of-box connectivity for connected cars

Gemalto partners up for Actiste diabetes monitoring solution

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) 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 114 offices, 40 personalization and data centers, and 35 research and software development centers located in 47 countries.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006179/en/

Contacts:

Gemalto

Media:

Tauri Cox

North America

+1 512 257 3916

tauri.cox@gemalto.com

or

Sophie Dombres

Europe Middle East Africa

+33 4 42 36 57 38

sophie.dombres@gemalto.com

or

Piyush Prakash

Asia Pacific

+91 11 6623 1200

piyush.prakash@gemalto.com

or

Enriqueta Sedano

Latin America

+52 5521221422

enriqueta.sedano@gemalto.com
MONTREAL, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Open to all independent retailers, this universal resource provides a 360 look into their businesses while identifying opportunities for growth

Lightspeed, a powerful cloud point-of-sale system for independent retailers and restaurants, today unveils the Retail Success Index (RSI). This industry-validated five-minute questionnaire is a medium for all independent retailers to determine a score for their business that will reveal new insights and windows for advancement.

"When Lightspeed was founded in 2005, we made a commitment to help independent retailers grow their businesses, and the Retail Success Index is the next stepping stone in guiding them to reach their full potential," says Dax Dasilva, Founder and CEO of Lightspeed. "By understanding the current state of their business, independents will have the right information to pave a path to prosperity."

Lightspeed created the RSI to empower independents to delve deeper into the current state of their business through measuring their stance among competitors, identifying their strengths, and granting them knowledge on areas their company can improve. Whether a retailer has been in business for 10 years or is just opening shop, this five-minute questionnaire provides invaluable information. It can also monitor growth ongoing for retailers who re-submit answers every few months. The RSI can be accessed at any time here: https://www.lightspeedhq.co.uk/pos/retail/success-index/

In reference to the Retail Success Index, global retail media leader Women's Wear Daily had the following to say: "A new five-minute test seeks to create an advantage for smaller retailers. As technology advances in pace with the retail industry, tools become faster, simpler and more cognizant of the overall user experience so business owners can refocus their efforts on improving key categories, which in turn elevate business health."

Methodology

As an industry leader with 13 years of experience, Lightspeed has identified five critical areas that contribute to a strong retail model. These Retail Success Index Categories include:

Inventory Management

Employee Management

Marketing and Customer Relationship Management

Data Intelligence

Sales Sophistication

A retailer's RSI score is calculated using an innovative algorithm that assigns points to questionnaire answers in these categories and averages out points while altering the weight of each based on the information provided. Using the accumulated score, Lightspeed then provides detailed results for each category and actionable tips to help independents grow and ultimately become more successful.

About Lightspeed

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Lightspeed is the most powerful cloud-based point of sale and eCommerce solution for independent businesses. Over 50,000 retailers and restaurateurs, processing over US $15 billion in transactions annually use Lightspeed to grow and manage their business in-store and online. Lightspeed can be found in more than 100 countries, powering favorite local businesses, where the community goes to shop and dine. Founded in 2005, Lightspeed has grown to over 650 employees, with global offices in Canada, USA, Europe, and Australia.

For more information, please visit: http://lightspeedhq.co.uk

Facebook: Facebook.com/LightspeedHQ, Twitter: @LightspeedHQ and Instagram: @LightspeedHQ.

Contact:

Bradley Grill

Director of Public Relations

Lightspeed

Bradley.Grill@lightspeedhq.com

l-514-375-3155 x7980
24 October 2018

Clear Leisure Plc

("Clear Leisure", "the Company")

Update on Mediapolis Appeal

Clear Leisure (AIM: CLP) wishes to notify shareholders that with regard to the second appeal, announced on 18 October 2018, against the result of the Mediapolis Land auction and the decision of the auctioneer to reject the Company's request to have the land assigned to the Company, a first hearing by the Court of Ivrea has been scheduled for 20 November 2018.

The date of the result of the hearing has not yet been set. The Company will issue further updates in due course.

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Clear Leisure Plc +39 335 296573

Francesco Gardin, CEO and Executive Chairman

SP Angel Corporate Finance (Nominated Adviser & Broker) +44 (0)20 3470 0470

Jeff Keating / John Mackay

Leander (Financial PR) +44 (0) 7795 168 157

Christian Taylor-Wilkinson

About Clear Leisure Plc

Clear Leisure plc (AIM: CLP) is an AIM listed investment company with a portfolio of companies primarily encompassing the leisure and real estate sectors mainly in Italy. The focus of management is to pursue the monetisation of all of the Company's existing assets, through selected realisations, court-led recoveries of misappropriated assets and substantial debt-recovery processes. The Company has recently launched a joint venture initiative in the cryptocurrency mining sector. For further information, please visit, www.clearleisure.co.uk
Thomson Reuters Mails Shareholder Meeting Documents for Proposed Return of Capital Transaction

TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2018 -- Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today announced that it has commenced the mailing of a management proxy circular and related documents to its shareholders in connection with an upcoming special meeting at which shareholders will be asked to approve a proposed return of capital transaction. Thomson Reuters is aware of rotating strikes by Canada Post workers which may result in delays for shareholders with Canadian addresses. The management proxy circular and related documents are available online and for pick-up, as set out below.

The return of capital transaction consists of a cash distribution of US$4.45 in cash per common share, or approximately US$2.5 billion in the aggregate, to holders of common shares and a consolidation of outstanding common shares (or "reverse stock split") on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution. The share consolidation ratio will be based on the volume weighed average trading price of the common shares on the New York Stock Exchange for the five trading days immediately prior to the return of capital becoming effective.

The proposed return of capital transaction is intended to distribute cash on a basis that is generally expected to be tax-free for Canadian tax purposes. Certain shareholders who are taxable in a jurisdiction outside of Canada (including taxable U.S. resident shareholders and others) ("Eligible Opt-Out Shareholders") will be able to opt out of the transaction. This right to opt out is being provided to those shareholders because in jurisdictions other than Canada the tax consequences of not participating in the transaction may be preferable to those associated with participating in the transaction. If an Eligible Opt-Out Shareholder chooses to opt out, it will not receive the cash distribution and will continue to hold the same number of shares that it currently holds.

Details of the transaction (including information regarding the opt-out right) are described in the management proxy circular and related materials, which are available on www.thomsonreuters.com in the "Investor relations" section. The documents were filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR and are available at www.sedar.com. The documents were also furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through EDGAR and are available at www.sec.gov. The documents are also available for pick-up, free of charge, at Computershare Trust Company of Canada's offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Please contact Computershare Trust Company of Canada using the phone numbers or e-mail address set out below for the addresses of those offices.

The special meeting of shareholders will be held in Toronto on November 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. (Toronto time). The meeting will be webcast at www.thomsonreuters.com. Holders of Thomson Reuters common shares as of 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on October 18, 2018 are entitled to vote at the meeting.

Registered shareholders who have questions or need assistance voting their shares may contact Computershare Trust Company of Canada, at 1.800.564.6253 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.514.982.7888 (outside Canada and the U.S.) or at the following e-mail address: corporateactions@computershare.com. Non-registered shareholders who hold their shares indirectly through an intermediary (such as an investment dealer, stock broker, bank, trust company or other nominee) should contact their intermediary if they have questions or need assistance. Shareholders who have questions or need assistance may also contact D.F. King & Co., Inc., who is acting as Information Agent for the transaction, at 1.800.330.5897 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.212.269.5550 (outside Canada and the U.S., banks, brokers and collect calls) or at the following email address: tri@dfking.com.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) is the world's leading provider of news and information-based tools to professionals. Our worldwide network of journalists and specialist editors keep customers up to speed on global developments, with a particular focus on legal, regulatory and tax changes. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including statements relating to the return of capital transaction and the anticipated tax treatment for shareholders participating in the transaction and those opting out. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our company's current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including other factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that the return of capital transaction will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS

MEDIA

David Crundwell

Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs

+1 416 649 9904

david.crundwell@tr.com INVESTORS

Frank J. Golden

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

+1 646 223 5288

frank.golden@tr.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/13199/THOMSON_REUTERS_LOGO.jpg
Amsterdam, 24 October 2018 - Heineken N.V. (EURONEXT: HEIA; OTCQX: HEINY) today publishes its trading update for the third quarter of 2018.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Consolidated beer volume +4.6% organically, with growth in all regions.

Heineken volume +9.2% with double digit growth in Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe and the Americas.

CEO STATEMENT

Jean-Francois van Boxmeer, Chairman of the Executive Board & CEO, commented:

"Volume growth continued in the third quarter, benefiting from good weather in Europe and strong growth in Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam and South Africa. The Heineken brand continued to outperform, driven by Brazil, South Africa, France and Russia. In August, we announced the signing of non-binding agreements with China Resources to join forces to win in China. Our expectations for the full year 2018 remain unchanged."

THIRD QUARTER AND NINE MONTHS VOLUME BREAKDOWN

Consolidated beer volume1

(in mhl or %) 3Q18 Total

growth % Organic

growth % YTD 3Q18 Total

growth % Organic

growth % Heineken N.V. 62.6 4.4 4.6 175.3 8.7 4.5 Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe 10.4 2.3 3.1 30.5 3.3 4.7 Americas 21.6 8.1 8.1 61.2 21.5 6.9 Asia Pacific 7.1 3.7 4.8 21.2 9.0 10.1 Europe 23.5 2.2 2.2 62.4 0.7 0.7

Heineken



(in mhl or %) 3Q18 Organic

growth

% YTD 3Q18 Organic

growth

% Heineken 10.3 9.2 28.8 8.1 Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe 1.6 17.1 4.5 26.0 Americas 3.0 14.7 8.5 10.7 Asia Pacific 1.5 -6.4 4.6 -1.5 Europe 4.1 9.0 11.2 4.3

Heineken volume grew by 9.2%. Key markets contributing with double digit growth included Brazil, South Africa, France, Russia, the UK, Poland, Canada and Mexico. Volume in Asia Pacific declined mainly due to Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan.

1 Refer to the Definitions section for an explanation of organic growth.

REGIONAL REVIEW

Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe

Consolidated beer volume grew organically by 3.1%.

In Nigeria beer volume declined high-single digit, driven by increased competitive pressure.

In Russia beer volume was up mid-single digit, driven by the continued strong growth of our economy brands portfolio and Heineken.

In South Africa total volume showed strong double digit growth, driven by Heineken and Strongbow brand momentum and an increase in promotional activity.

Ethiopia delivered high-single digit beer volume growth despite increased competitive pressure and some social unrest in parts of the country.

In Egypt beer volume was up double digit, driven by increased tourism and a more stable economic environment.

In the DRC the decline in beer volume moderated to mid-single digit as the business laps prior year price increases.

Americas

Consolidated beer volume grew organically by 8.1%.

In Mexico beer volume was up high-single digit, driven by increased promotional activity. Heineken and Dos Equis continued to grow double digit.

Brazil sustained its double digit beer volume growth, driven by the premium portfolio led by Heineken, and the mainstream portfolio with both Amstel and Devassa.

Beer volume in the USA was broadly flat, with Heineken and Lagunitas growing low-single digit. Heineken benefited from shipments phasing between June and July.

Asia Pacific

Consolidated beer volume was up organically by 4.8%.

In Vietnam beer volume continued to grow double digit, driven by Tiger and Larue.

In Indonesia beer volume was up high-single digit driven by sustained economic growth.

In Cambodia beer volume declined mid-single digit due to intensified market competition through price promotion.

Europe

Consolidated beer volume grew organically by 2.2%.

In the UK total volumes were up mid-single digit driven by Heineken and our international brands portfolio.

In France and the Netherlands beer volumes were up double digit, benefiting from warmer temperatures.

Performance in Italy continued to be strong with beer volume up high-single digit, led by Heineken and Ichnusa.

In Poland and Spain beer volumes declined low-single digit.

REPORTED NET PROFIT

Reported net profit for the nine months was 1,606 million (2017: 1,486 million).

TRANSLATIONAL CURRENCY UPDATE

Using spot rates as at 16 October 2018 for the remainder of this year, the calculated negative currency translational impact would be approximately 175 million (vs 179m on 24 July) at consolidated operating profit level (beia), and negative 110 million (vs 112m on 24 July) at net profit level (beia).

PROPOSED STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CHINA RESOURCES

On 3 August 2018, HEINEKEN announced that it had signed non-binding agreements with China Resources Enterprise, Limited ('CRE') and China Resources Beer (Holdings) Co. Ltd. ('CR Beer') to create a long-term strategic partnership for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. All parties continue to work towards signing definitive agreements and will share further updates as they develop.

FINANCING UPDATE

On 3 September 2018, HEINEKEN placed 600 million of 8.5-year Notes with a coupon of 1.25% and 650 million of 12.5-year Notes with a coupon of 1.75%. The Notes have been issued under the Company's Euro Medium Term Note Programme and are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

The proceeds from the Notes issuance are to be used for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of debt and/or acquisitions.

DEFINITIONS

Organic growth in volume excludes the effect of consolidation changes. For a full list of definitions see the Heineken N.V. HY2018 results published on 30 July 2018.

ENQUIRIES

Media Investors John-Paul Schuirink Federico Castillo Martinez Director of Global Communication Director of Investor Relations Michael Fuchs Chris MacDonald / Aris Hernandez Corporate & Financial Communication Manager Investor Relations Manager / Senior Analyst E-mail: pressoffice@heineken.com E-mail: investors@heineken.com Tel: +31-20-5239355 Tel: +31-20-5239590

Editorial information:

HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business and delivers value for all stakeholders. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 80,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com and follow us on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp.

Market Abuse Regulation

This press release may contain inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

Disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements with regard to the financial position and results of HEINEKEN's activities. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond HEINEKEN's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market and economic conditions, the behaviour of other market participants, changes in consumer preferences, the ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and achieve anticipated synergies, costs of raw materials, interest-rate and exchange-rate fluctuations, changes in tax rates, changes in law, change in pension costs, the actions of government regulators and weather conditions. These and other risk factors are detailed in HEINEKEN's publicly filed annual reports. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this press release. HEINEKEN does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Market share estimates contained in this press release are based on outside sources, such as specialised research institutes, in combination with management estimates.

Consolidated Metrics: Third Quarter 2018

3Q18 In mhl or million unless otherwise stated & consolidated figures unless otherwise stated 3Q17 Consolidation Impact Organic Growth 3Q18 Organic Growth % Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe Total volume 12.2 -0.1 0.4 12.5 3.5 Beer volume 10.2 -0.1 0.3 10.4 3.1 Licensed & non-beer volume 2.0 - 0.1 2.1 5.4 Third party products volume - - - - 8.2 Group beer volume 10.6 10.7 Americas Total volume 22.5 - 1.7 24.2 7.5 Beer volume 20.0 - 1.6 21.6 8.1 Licensed & non-beer volume 2.3 - 0.2 2.5 6.7 Third party products volume 0.2 - -0.1 0.1 -51.7 Group beer volume 21.0 22.7 Asia Pacific Total volume 7.0 -0.1 0.4 7.3 5.2 Beer volume 6.8 -0.1 0.3 7.1 4.8 Licensed & non-beer volume 0.2 - 0.1 0.2 39.0 Third party products volume - - - - -46.0 Group beer volume 8.4 8.9 Europe Total volume 28.4 0.1 0.8 29.3 2.9 Beer volume 23.0 - 0.5 23.5 2.2 Licensed & non-beer volume 3.1 - 0.3 3.4 9.0 Third party products volume 2.3 0.1 - 2.4 2.0 Group beer volume 23.6 24.7 Heineken N.V. Total volume 70.1 -0.1 3.3 73.3 4.7 Beer volume 60.0 -0.2 2.8 62.6 4.6 Licensed & non-beer volume 7.6 - 0.6 8.2 7.8 Third party products volume 2.5 0.1 -0.1 2.5 -2.4 Group beer volume 63.5 67.0

Note: due to rounding, this table will not always cast

Consolidated Metrics: First nine months 2018

3Q18 In mhl or million unless otherwise stated & consolidated figures unless otherwise stated 3Q17 Consolidation Impact Organic Growth 3Q18 Organic Growth % Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe Total volume 34.7 -0.5 1.9 36.1 5.6 Beer volume 29.5 -0.4 1.4 30.5 4.7 Licensed & non-beer volume 5.1 -0.1 0.5 5.5 10.7 Third party products volume 0.1 - - 0.1 8.2 Group beer volume 30.5 31.4 Americas Total volume 54.3 10.7 3.8 68.9 7.0 Beer volume 50.4 7.3 3.5 61.2 6.9 Licensed & non-beer volume 3.7 3.4 0.1 7.3 5.0 Third party products volume 0.2 - 0.2 0.4 69.1 Group beer volume 53.7 64.7 Asia Pacific Total volume 19.9 -0.1 2.0 21.8 10.3 Beer volume 19.4 -0.2 2.0 21.2 10.1 Licensed & non-beer volume 0.4 0.1 - 0.6 28.6 Third party products volume 0.1 - - - -29.9 Group beer volume 24.4 26.7 Europe Total volume 76.7 0.2 0.6 77.5 0.8 Beer volume 62.0 - 0.4 62.4 0.7 Licensed & non-beer volume 8.5 - 0.4 8.9 4.2 Third party products volume 6.2 0.2 -0.2 6.2 -3.2 Group beer volume 64.0 64.0 Heineken N.V. Total volume 185.5 10.3 8.4 204.3 4.5 Beer volume 161.3 6.7 7.3 175.3 4.5 Licensed & non-beer volume 17.6 3.4 1.2 22.3 6.8 Third party products volume 6.6 0.2 -0.1 6.7 -0.9 Group beer volume 172.6 186.9

Note: due to rounding, this table will not always cast

Please click here for full media release (http://hugin.info/130667/R/2221753/869840.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: HEINEKEN NV via Globenewswire


Amsterdam, 24 October 2018 - Heineken Holding N.V. (EURONEXT: HEIO; OTCQX: HKHHY) today publishes its trading update for the third quarter of 2018.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Consolidated beer volume +4.6% organically, with growth in all regions.

Heineken volume +9.2% with double digit growth in Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe and the Americas.

Expectations for the full year 2018 remain unchanged.

Heineken Holding N.V. engages in no activities other than its participating interest in Heineken N.V. and the management or supervision of and provision of services to that company.

THIRD QUARTER AND NINE MONTHS VOLUME BREAKDOWN

Consolidated beer volume1

(in mhl or %) 3Q18 Total

growth % Organic growth % YTD 3Q18 Total

growth % Organic growth % Consolidated beer volume 62.6 4.4 4.6 175.3 8.7 4.5

Heineken

(in mhl or %) 3Q18 Organic

growth

% YTD 3Q18 Organic

growth

% Heineken 10.3 9.2 28.8 8.1

Heineken volume grew by 9.2%. Key markets contributing with double digit growth included Brazil, South Africa, France, Russia, the UK, Poland, Canada and Mexico. Volume in Asia Pacific declined mainly due to Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan.

1Refer to the Definitions section for an explanation of organic growth.

REPORTED NET PROFIT OF HEINEKEN N.V.

Reported net profit of Heineken N.V. for the nine months was 1,606 million (2017: 1,486 million).

TRANSLATIONAL CURRENCY UPDATE

Using spot rates as at 16 October 2018 for the remainder of this year, the calculated negative currency translational impact would be approximately 175 million (vs 179m on 24 July) at consolidated operating profit level (beia), and negative 110 million (vs 112m on 24 July) at net profit level (beia).

PROPOSED STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CHINA RESOURCES

On 3 August 2018, HEINEKEN announced that it had signed non-binding agreements with China Resources Enterprise, Limited ('CRE') and China Resources Beer (Holdings) Co. Ltd. ('CR Beer') to create a long-term strategic partnership for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. All parties continue to work towards signing definitive agreements and will share further updates as they develop.

FINANCING UPDATE

On 3 September 2018, HEINEKEN placed 600 million of 8.5-year Notes with a coupon of 1.25% and 650 million of 12.5-year Notes with a coupon of 1.75%. The Notes have been issued under the Company's Euro Medium Term Note Programme and are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

The proceeds from the Notes issuance are to be used for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of debt and/or acquisitions.

DEFINITIONS

Organic growth in volume excludes the effect of consolidation changes.

HEINEKEN means Heineken Holding N.V., Heineken N.V., its subsidiaries and interests in joint ventures and associates.

For a full list of definitions see the Heineken Holding N.V. HY2018 results published on 30 July 2018.

ENQUIRIES

Media Heineken Holding N.V. Kees Jongsma tel. +31 6 54 79 82 53 E-mail: cjongsma@spj.nl (mailto:cjongsma@spj.nl) Media Heineken N.V. Investors John-Paul Schuirink Federico Castillo Martinez Director of Global Communication Director of Investor Relations Michael Fuchs Chris MacDonald / Aris Hernandez Corporate & Financial Communication Manager Investor Relations Manager / Senior Analyst E-mail: pressoffice@heineken.com (mailto:pressoffice@heineken.com) E-mail: investors@heineken.com (mailto:investors@heineken.com) Tel: +31-20-5239355 Tel: +31-20-5239590

Editorial information:

HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders. HEINEKEN is committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business and delivers value for all stakeholders. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. HEINEKEN employs over 80,000 employees and operates breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY).Most recent information is available on the website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com (http://www.theHEINEKENcompany.com) and follow HEINEKEN on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp.

Heineken Holding N.V. engages in no activities other than its participating interest in Heineken N.V. and the management or supervision of and provision of services to that company.

Market Abuse Regulation

This press release may contain inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

Disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements with regard to the financial position and results of HEINEKEN's activities. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond HEINEKEN's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market and economic conditions, the behaviour of other market participants, changes in consumer preferences, the ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and achieve anticipated synergies, costs of raw materials, interest-rate and exchange-rate fluctuations, changes in tax rates, changes in law, change in pension costs, the actions of government regulators and weather conditions. These and other risk factors are detailed in HEINEKEN's publicly filed annual reports. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this press release. HEINEKEN does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Market share estimates contained in this press release are based on outside sources, such as specialised research institutes, in combination with management estimates.

Click here to open full media release. (http://hugin.info/136154/R/2221771/869836.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: HEINEKEN Holding NV via Globenewswire


BEIJING, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, food documentary "UMAMI" blew the audience away at its premiere. "UMAMI" is a new generation food documentary jointly produced by China Agriculture Film and Television Center, Z. J. Omnimedia (Beijing Zhongjingwenguang International Advertisement Co., Ltd.), Shanghai Tohkin Group and Shanghai Totole Food Co., Ltd.

The documentary received high recognition and praise at the premiere. The attending guests watched the documentary and then ardently engaged themselves in discussions of it from various perspectives, including narrative and shooting styles, animation, music style, narration, content creation, cultural and scientific connotation, as well as social significance.

The chief director, together with episode directors, cameramen, post-production team and the narrator and composer attended the premiere and talked about the production process and behind-the-scenes stories. Different from other food documentaries, "UMAMI" represents a variety of convention-breaking attempts in both the content and ways of its expression. With scientific elements, Chinese-western style music, and interesting illustrations, this new generation food documentary aims to leave audiences with an intelligent and international impression.

"UMAMI" took nearly 2 years to shoot. It has 6 episodes, each 42 minutes, and debuted on China Central Television at 21:17 every night from Oct. 15th to 20th, 2018.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773345/UMAMI_audience.jpg
Regulatory News:

Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO), the alternative investment and asset management group, announces the acquisition of ACE Management, an asset management company, and, with this, the appointment of Marwan Lahoud to strengthen its Tikehau's private equity business with a strong sector expertise.

Tikehau Capital continues its policy for growth with the 100% acquisition of ACE Management. The acquisition of a specialist in the aerospace, defence and cybersecurity sector, further supports Tikehau Capital's momentum of strengthening its private equity expertise. ACE Management will provide Tikehau Capital with a new range of specialist funds, complementing Tikehau's generalist funds focusing on growth equity, alongside the specialist energy sector and special situations funds already managed by the group.

Marwan Lahoud, who has held several leading roles in the aeronautic sector, is joining Tikehau Capital and will take over as chairman of ACE Management's supervisory board. His international experience and his sector expertise will be key assets to support Tikehau Capital's and ACE Management's ambitions.

ACE Management is an asset investment management company which has specialised in capital investment in the innovation and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. ACE Management's investors are primarily major international groups, operating across the aerospace and defence industries. The company manages three main categories of funds on behalf of its clients, representing close to 440m of assets under management: Aerofund (aerospace), Brienne (defence and security) and Atalaya (maritime).

Further to the acquisition of 100% of ACE Management's capital, Tikehau Capital will participate to the launch of a new generation of funds managed by ACE Management, including cybersecurity focused fund Brienne III, maritime specialist fund Atalaya II and Elara, a fund investing in cutting-edge production units.

Tikehau Capital co-founder Antoine Flamarion said: "With this acquisition, we are pursuing the implementation of our strategy, by accelerating our development in the private equity industry, and establishing our expertise in a buoyant sector. ACE Management's sector-based approach is highly complementary to Tikehau Capital's business know-how."

Marwan Lahoud added: "I am drawn by Tikehau Capital's company spirit, the ambition and creativity of its teams, and I am honoured to be able to contribute to the group's development, particularly the private equity business. ACE Management is a leading manager in its sector and will be able to launch a new expansion phase thanks to the support from Tikehau Capital."

ACE Management Chairman of the management Board Thierry Letailleur declared "We are delighted by the deal with Tikehau Capital which will strengthen our position in the private equity market and enable us to attract new investors into our entrepreneurial adventure which began 20 years ago. Transactions so far this year have once again demonstrated the relevance and robustness of ACE Management's sector-based funds model, which continues to remain focused on both the industry sector and innovation."

ACE Management has been particularly active over the past 6 months, supporting the aerospace surface-treatment chemical products group Socomore in its external growth strategy. The company was also involved in the capital restructuring of the aeronautic equipment supplier Rafaut and the capital restructuring of aeronautic equipment supply company Duqueine.

The price paid for the acquisition of ACE Management will be based on an enterprise value of 6.5m. Up to 30% of the consideration for the acquisition will be paid in the form of newly-issued Tikehau Capital shares in connection with a contribution in kind, with the balance to be paid in cash. The contribution in kind will lead to the issuance of up to 104,231 new Tikehau Capital shares.

The deal is expected to close before the end of 2018 and is subject to approval from the French Autorite des marches financiers (as a result of the change of ownership of the management company) and the relevant competition authorities.

In accordance with applicable regulations, Tikehau Capital will inform the market of the effective completion of the transaction and will provide the terms of the contribution in kind.

About Tikehau Capital:

Tikehau Capital is an asset management and investment group, which manages 14.8 bn of assets (as at 30 June 2018), with shareholders' equity of 2.3 bn (as at 30 June 2018). The Group invests in various asset classes (private debt, real estate, private equity and liquid strategies), including through its asset management subsidiary Tikehau IM, on behalf of institutional and private investors. Controlled by its managers, alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital employs 230 staff (as at 30 June 2018) in its Paris, London, Brussels, Madrid, Milan, New York, Seoul and Singapore offices.

Tikehau Capital is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris, Compartment A (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP)

www.tikehaucapital.com

About ACE Management

ACE Management is a private portfolio investment management company, which has specialised for the past 20 years in private equity investments in tech companies in the aerospace, maritime, defence and security sectors. The company manages 7 funds representing close to 440m of AUM, including Aerofund (I, II III), Financiere de Brienne, Securite and Atalaya. Investors in these funds include European industrial groups (Airbus, Safran, Airbus Group, Airbus Helicopters, Thales, Naval Group, CEA, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Areva), alongside institutional investors (Bpifrance, FTQ, GICAN, CIMR, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole, CIC, AXA and Credit Cooperatif) and also regional authorities (Occitanie Nouvelle Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire, Centre-Val de Loire).

To find out more: www.acemanagement.fr

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006097/en/

Contacts:

Press Contacts:

Tikehau Capital: Julien Sanson, +33 1 40 06 18 40

Image 7: Florence Coupry, +33 1 53 70 74 70

Finsbury: Arnaud Salla Charles O'Brien, +44 207 251 3801

press@tikehaucapital.com

or

Shareholders and Investors Contact:

Tikehau Capital

Louis Igonet, +33 1 40 06 11 11

shareholders@tikehaucapital.com
Design Manufacture of naval equipment with guaranteed performance for critical complex applications onboard

CNIM will be presenting its naval equipment for surface and submarine vessels at Euronaval for the very first time. CNIM designs, manufactures and installs weapon handling containment systems, opening closing systems with complex kinematics seamlessly integrated within their environment, suited to user requirements and with a long life-cycle, high performance sealing systems (waterproof membrane and gaskets), and critical shock absorption systems for acoustic filtering/impact reducing.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006148/en/

Torpedo handling system  CNIM

With a global understanding of the functional and operational issues faced by the naval Defence sector, CNIM is able to meet the strictest performance requirements (life-cycle, resistance to harsh environmental conditions) and cost control.

To respond to these technological challenges, CNIM teams have a high level of technical expertise, combining complex engineering (calculations simulations, mechanical design, instrumentation and control), knowledge of advanced materials (metals, composites, and polyurethane), their interfaces and high-grade industrial tooling

CNIM invests in ambitious R&D programmes to expand its range of equipment: advanced analysis qualification of new generation materials and innovative implementation procedures. CNIM exposes its solutions to operational conditions in order to test them and guarantee the specific functions.

A long-term partner of the Armed Forces, CNIM maintains complete confidentiality with regard to all product lines, also providing the quality of documentation required for Defence equipment. With extensive experience as main contractor, CNIM manages the entire supply chain for its clients, also implementing certification procedures

Active in the Naval Defence sector since it was founded in 1856, CNIM has also played a major part in French deterrent programmes for the Strategic Oceanic Force since the 1960s.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006148/en/

Contacts:

Frederique Vigezzi

Mail: frederique.vigezzi@gootenberg.fr

Tel.: +33 (0)1 43 59 29 84
Increased exports of softwood lumber from Russia to China the past decade have resulted in higher timber harvests in Eastern Russia, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. In 2017, Russia's total harvest reached an estimated 190 million m3, six percent higher than the previous year. Practically all of the increase was in Russia's eastern provinces.

SEATTLE, Washington, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Timber harvests in Russia were close to 190 million m3 in 2017, as estimated by WRI based on forest industry production, log usage and net exports of logs. The derived timber harvest was up approximately 6.2% from 2016 primarily due to higher log consumption by the softwood sawmilling sector and the pellet industry. Domestic log demand in Russia has been on a steady upward trajectory over the past decade, while the exportation of logs has declined. The largest log-consuming sectors in 2017 were softwood sawmills (60% of domestic log usage) and pulp (17%).

The provinces of Siberia and Russia Far East are the only regions in Russia where timber harvests have gone up during the past five years, according to the government agency Rosstat. This has been driven by substantial investments in forest industry production in the region, predominantly in the sawmilling sector. From 2013 to 2017, harvest volumes in Eastern Russia were up 30%, while they remained practically unchanged in Northwestern Russia and fell in the Central provinces of the country.

The expansion of the forest industry in Eastern Russia has been driven by demand for lumber in China. Although the Chinese forest industry has a history of importing logs for its raw-material needs due to a lack of domestic sources, the trend over the last ten years has been towards the importation of softwood lumber rather than logs. Chinese importers have gradually shifted their historical preference for logs away from the Russian Federation towards New Zealand and instead are importing softwood lumber from their forest-rich neighbour in the north, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. The percentage of lumber as a share of total log and lumber volume (in roundwood equivalents) has gone up from 58% in 2014 to almost 80 % in 2018.

In the coming years it is expected that most of the investments in Russia's forest industry will continue to occur in Siberia and the Far East to meet continued rising demand for lumber, plywood and pulp in China.

Global lumber, sawlog and pulpwood market reporting is included in the 56-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, which was established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, lumber and pellet prices, trade and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.woodprices.com

Contact Information

Wood Resources International LLC

Hakan Ekstrom

Seattle, USA

info@woodprices.com

www.WoodPrices.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/investments-in-the-forest-industry-in-eastern-russia--driven-by-forest-products-demand-in-china--hav,c2653036

The following files are available for download:
Slough retains top spot followed closely by newcomer Gloucester

LONDON, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassdoor , one of the world's largest job and recruiting sites, today announced the results of its newest jobs report to identify the 25 Best UK Towns & Cities to Work In for 20181. Slough retains the top spot this year, followed by newcomer Gloucester and tech hub Cambridge.

Now in its third year, the list is compiled by ranking UK towns and cities with the highest Glassdoor score2, determined by weighting three factors equally: how easy it is to get a job (hiring opportunity), how affordable it is to live there (cost of living), and how satisfied employees are working there (overall job satisfaction). As part of this report, Glassdoor includes a comprehensive breakdown of each town and city's median pay for employees, current average home value, overall job satisfaction rating, population and number of current job openings.

Glassdoor's Top 5 Towns & Cities to Work In for 2018 are:

1. Slough

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.3

Job Openings: 22,131

Median Base Salary: 29,500

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: 391,218

Hot Jobs: Project Manager , Customer Service Advisor , Recruitment Consultant

2. Gloucester

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.2

Job Openings: 14,626

Median Base Salary: 24,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

Median Home Value: 239,054

Hot Jobs: Software Engineer , Account Manager , Quantity Surveyor

3. Cambridge

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.1

Job Openings: 17,145

Median Base Salary: 30,464

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6

Median Home Value: 464,852

Hot Jobs: Software Engineer , Electronics Engineer , Maintenance Engineer

4. Reading

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.0

Job Openings: 20,601

Median Base Salary: 30,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

Median Home Value: 432,241

Hot Jobs: Recruitment Consultant , Delivery Driver , Site Manager

5. Guildford

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.0

Job Openings: 21,561

Median Base Salary: 27,500

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: 593,761

Hot Jobs: Sales Executive , Administrator , Chef

Full list will be live here .

Slough tops the rankings once again this year due to its high number of jobs compared to the local population and relatively high average salaries when compared to living costs in the area. Newcomers to the list in 2018 include Gloucester (No. 2), Guildford (No. 5), Chelmsford (No. 10), Blackburn (No. 12), Liverpool (No. 19), Norwich (No. 20), Preston (No. 24) and Falkirk (No. 25).

"Slough is now firmly established as one of the best areas in the UK to work, because of its consistently high employee satisfaction and job opportunities relative to its population. It is also home to a huge range of employers. With plans now agreed for Heathrow's third runway and the new Crossrail in 2019, its growth potential is very positive," said Glassdoor Economic Research Analyst Amanda Stansell. "While several of the towns and cities highlighted in this report may be surprising, many are experiencing growing local economies, complete with a healthy dose of new job prospects and strong home affordability. Plus, employees working in these areas often find themselves quite satisfied in their jobs. In turn, this can benefit local employers as UK studies show a correlation between high employee satisfaction and better business performance."

Last year's runner up, Manchester, drops five places down to No. 7, however, some of the UK's biggest cities did not make the top 25 this year, including Edinburgh, Sheffield, Glasgow, Cardiff and London.

Cambridge and Reading have the highest median salaries in the top 25, at 30,464 and 30,000 respectively. Employees are most satisfied in Bolton and Cambridge, with both cities sharing a Glassdoor Job Satisfaction rating of 3.6. The UK's industrial heartland, Birmingham, leads the way in terms of open jobs with 40,019 available positions, followed by Manchester with 35,369 jobs.

Glassdoor is one of the world's largest job and recruiting sites, featuring all of the latest jobs online paired with more than 42 million reviews and insights from employees on more than 800,000 companies in 190 countries.3 Glassdoor welcomes more than 55 million unique users, on average, to its desktop and mobile platforms each month.4 The top reason people visit Glassdoor is to search and/or apply to jobs.5

(1) This year's list will appear on the 25 Best UK Towns & Cities to Work In landing page from 00:01 Wednesday 24th October, 2018.

(2) Methodology: Glassdoor's Best UK Towns & Cities to Work In report identifies UK locations with the highest overall Glassdoor Town & City Score, based on a comparison of 50 of the most populated UK towns and cities with populations above 100,000. Each region's Glassdoor Town & City Score, based on a 5-point scale (5.0=best city for a job, 1.0=worst city for a job), is determined by weighting three factors equally: hiring opportunity, cost of living and job satisfaction.

Hiring opportunity is determined by the ratio of active job openings to population. (Job openings per town and city represent active job listings on Glassdoor as of 31/08/18. Population data is according to the Mid-2017 ' Estimates of the population for the UK, England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland ' published by the ONS on 28 June 2018 .

Cost of living is determined by the ratio of median annual base salary to average area home value. (Median annual base salary per town and city based on at least 200 salary reports shared by local employees on Glassdoor over the past year ( 16/08/17-15/08/18 ). Average home value is according to the Zoopla House Value Index , as of August 2018 ).

Job satisfaction ratings per location is based on at least 80 company reviews shared by local employees on Glassdoor over the past year ( 16/08/17-15/08/18 ); Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied).

(3) Glassdoor Internal Data, June 2018

(4) Google Analytics, CQ2'18 average

(5) Glassdoor.co.uk Site Survey, August 2017

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like job advertising and employer branding products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for 800,000 companies located in more than 190 countries.

"Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449764/Glassdoor_Logo.jpg
The launch comes just twelve months after Damco established its first block train on the same route, a testimony that the customer demand for rail services to transport their cargo is on the rise.

The Hague, The Netherlands, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Damco's growth in the rail sector further contributes to A.P. Moller - Maersk's goal to expand in the non-ocean segment and connect and simplify supply chains. Damco's block train service offers a fast, cost-effective, flexible and reliable way to transport cargo from China into Europe. Block trains are customer-dedicated rail transport services that transport goods from origin to destination without splitting them up en route. This not only helps simplify customers' supply chains, but together with Damco's "no-rolling" policy where the container is directly loaded from the warehouse onto the train, brings further reliability to the service by providing a faster and more flexible service.



Kasper Krog, Head of Rail at Damco commented, "The continued rail growth is evident in the increased China-to-Europe freight train capacity of 69% the China Railway Corporation recorded for the first half of 2018. However, we also see continued rail growth due to the competitive advantages the service provides for our customers who demand speed, reliability and sustainability." He continued, "We have cleared the clutter, complexity and disruption that add time and costs to our customers' supply chains and created a reliable, weekly end-to-end service that can also be incorporated as part of a multi modal solution where two or more different modes of transport are being used."



The Damco block train solution leverages the experience within the A.P. Moller-Maersk organization to ensure that the customers benefit from a wider range of options to transport their goods whether via ocean, air or rail. "Our target is to continue the expansion of the rail and intermodal footprint, in close corporation with our customers and to play an active role in helping to keep their business on track" says Krog.

Block train benefitsThe block train is able to cover the ca. 11,000 km journey from China to Europe in 18-20 days thanks to the prioritizations that rail operators are able to grant the train throughout its route. By using the latest technologies, customers are also given visibility of their goods during the transportation. This service makes it easy for the customer to place a booking with a dedicated specialist team who handle the cargo all the way to its final destination. Furthermore, with carbon emissions comparatively lower than those for air, the block train service offers a more environmentally conscious option for the transport of goods.Caroline Wu, Area Manager for Greater China at Damco added: "Approximately 4,3% of cargo between China and Northern Europe is moved via rail. So, although it is still a relatively small contributor to global trade, it is a service which is poised for growth." Caroline continues, "Due to the government's support and efforts made in developing the Belt and Road Initiative, we are now seeing great opportunities and strong interest from our customers in using our rail services."For more information on Damco's rail service as well as customer case studies please visit: www.damco.com/DamcoRailAbout DamcoDamco is at the forefront of developing innovative supply chain solutions. We fuse our global network and depth of expertise with pioneering digital innovations to enable our customers to stay ahead. Our vision is to connect and simplify supply chains across the globe.We are experts in the field of complex, rapidly changing markets such as fashion, retail, chemical, FMCG and technology. With a presence in over 100 countries, where we employ more than 10,000 people worldwide, we combine global reach with depth of local understanding. In 2017, we generated turnover of 2.7 billion US dollars, managed 664 thousand TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of ocean freight and 206 thousand tons of air freight.From 1 January 2019, Damco Rail will go to market as Maersk Logistics and Services.
Annual Mobile Event Convenes Industry Experts and Government and Regulatory Officials to Debate Key Issues in Region

The GSMA today announced the first speakers for its Mobile 360 Series MENA (Middle East and North Africa) conference taking place on the 26-27 November 2018 in Dubai. The two-day event, which is now in its sixth year, will take place as a standalone event for the first time at the new location of the Westin Mina Seyahi Hotel. The event brings senior-level delegates together to debate and discuss the latest issues, opportunities and challenges facing the region, through a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions and workshops. This year's event will place a particular focus on the region's investment in transformative technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and 5G.

"The region's significant investment in mobile technologies has fueled a rapid digital transformation, marked by growing subscriber numbers, high levels of mobile broadband adoption, and the development of a plethora of innovative new businesses," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "Of course this is an incredibly diverse region and we will also cover the requirements of emerging markets in addition to the impact of newer disruptive technologies. We look forward to welcoming delegates to this year's show."

The first speakers confirmed for the event include:

Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Officer International, Etisalat

Imen Benzine, CMO, Algerie Telecom

Dr Ling Wu, Chairman, Carrier Blockchain Study Group (CBSG) Consortium

Osman Sultan, CEO, Du

Rafiah Ibrahim, President Middle East and Africa, Ericsson

Mohie Elrafey, CMO, GE Healthcare, Eastern Growth Markets

Jawad Abbassi, Head of MENA, GSMA

John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA

Anthony Butler, Leader and Chief Technology Officer, IBM Blockchain Services, Middle East and Africa

Jaime Galviz, COO and CMO, Microsoft MEA

Thierry Millet, CEO, Orange Tunisia

Navin Gupta, Managing Director, South Asia and MENA, Ripple

Daichi Nozaki, VP Global Business, SoftBank

Nasser bin Suleiman Al-Nasser, CEO, STC

Ahmed El Beheiry, CEO, Telecom Egypt

Aysem Ertopuz, EVP Digital Services and Solutions, Turkcell

Scott Gegenheimer, CEO Operations, Zain Group

Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat International said: "The telecom industry has evolved with digitization taking precedence across our businesses and all government initiatives. Such a global event, brings digital innovations to the forefront and provides a platform for senior executives across the industry to engage and gain insight into industry trends and technologies. This is also in line with our strategy to actively participate and drive digital initiatives that will make a larger impact on the society at large."

Mobile 360 MENA, which attracted senior-level leaders from mobile network operators, network infrastructure vendors, governments and regulatory bodies last year, offers delegates an opportunity to gain critical insight from senior industry leaders. The first day of the show will address the application of new technologies and their impact on different sectors of the economy, including topics such as blockchain, AI in enhancing the customer experience, cybersecurity risk, digital identity and the Internet of Things. The second day will focus on infrastructure, policy and the regulatory approaches necessary to drive further innovation in the 5G era. It will include a keynote on 'Digital Transformation and Strategic Partnerships', highlighting how operators can play a key role in the digital future. There will also be a workshop on the subject of 'Sustaining Innovation and Investment in North Africa'.

Industry leaders supporting the event include Etisalat (Host Sponsor) and Huawei (Headline Sponsor), as well as Ericsson, Facebook, Intelsat and Matrixx Software (Supporting Sponsors). The GSMA recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Etisalat to support with the organisation of the Mobile 360 Series conference in the MENA region for 2018 and 2019.

For further information on Mobile 360 MENA, including sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.mobile360series.com/mena/. Follow developments and updates on Mobile 360 MENA (M360MENA) on Twitter @GSMAEVENTS, on Facebook www.facebook.com/Mobile360Series and LinkedIn on www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-360-series. Download the event app for further information: www.mobile360series.com/app/.

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005128/en/

Contacts:

For GSMA

Asad Abbasi, +971 52 861 4230

AAbbasi@webershandwick.com

or

GSMA Press Office

mobile360pressoffice@gsma.com
VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd - Notice of AGM

VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Limited

(A Guernsey closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 61765)

LEI Number: 2138007UD8FBBVAX9469 Renewal Date- 05/01/2019

(The "Company")

24 october 2018

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the 2018 Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the offices of Aztec Group, East Wing, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey on 10 December 2018 at 11:00am.

The Notice of AGM has been posted to shareholders. A copy of the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2018 is available on the Company's website http://vof-fund.com/report/.

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.3, the Notice of Annual General Meeting, proxy form and accounts have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM



Enquiries:

Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited

The Company Secretary

Trafalgar Court

Les Banques

St Peter Port

Guernsey

GY1 3QL



Tel: 01481 745001

END
HASSELT, Belgium and CHEPSTOW, Wales, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Keith Martin to retire as CEO, continue as Non-Executive Director

Hayley French appointed COO and interim CEO

Apitope, a clinical stage biotech company developing potential first-in-class antigen-specific immunotherapies targeting autoimmune diseases, today announces that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Keith Martin has decided to retire from the CEO role after 12 years at the helm of Apitope. He will remain on the Apitope Board as a non-executive director. Dr Hayley French will move to Chief Operations Officer (COO) and act as interim CEO of Apitope until a permanent replacement is in place. Dr French will join the Board of Directors effective immediately.

Dr French brings over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, most recently as Chief Business Officer & General Counsel of Apitope and prior to this she spent three years at Novartis where she worked on all global deals and collaborations in the respiratory division. She has been with Apitope since November 2010 and has over twenty years' experience of negotiating licences and collaborations and managing alliances in the life sciences sector.

Stephane Verdood, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Apitope, commented: "Keith's contribution to Apitope's growth during his 12-year tenure has been immeasurable. Under his strategic leadership Apitope has grown to be a clinical stage biotech with multiple programmes in developmentfor diseases with high unmet needs. On behalf of the Board we would like to thank Keith for his contribution to Apitope andwe are delightedhe will stay on the Board as a Non-executive Director."

"I am very pleasedthat Hayley has agreed to take on the role of COO and interim CEO to ensure the smooth running of the company. She has played a major role in Apitope's growth and success over the past eight years and the Board is confident in her expertise and experience in progressing Apitope's growth and maximising the potential of its clinical programmes."

Dr Keith Martinsaid: "It has been an honour to have led Apitope and the transformation of the company from a University of Bristol spin-out to a clinical stage company with a strong clinical pipeline. I am proud of our achievements to date and I look forward to supporting the growth and development of Apitope as a Board member."

Dr Hayley French, newly appointedinterim CEO of Apitope,added: "With efficacy demonstrated in two diseases, Apitope has a robust clinical pipeline of first-in-class antigen-specific immunotherapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Apitope'sATX-MS-1467 is a potential game changer in the treatment of multiple sclerosisand ATX-GD-59 appears to be the first disease-modifying treatment for Graves' disease in over 60 years. I look forward to maximising the potential of these important new treatments and lead the Company through its next phase of growth."

Prior to joining Apitope, Dr French spent three years at Novartis and prior to this worked in the Life Sciences Group of Bird & Bird, London, specialising in advising pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Prior to joining Bird & Bird, she was Head of Commercial Legal Affairs at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR) in Salisbury, UK. Dr French started her career at University College London Ventures where she was responsible for the development, management and commercialisation of technologies in the life sciences sector. She is past president of the Licensing Executives Society Britain & Ireland, and Chair of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) life sciences committee.

Dr French teaches on the LESI Intellectual Asset Management courses and is a regular speaker on IP licensing and negotiation. She has a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Liverpool, as well as a PhD in Microbiology and a M.Sc. in intellectual property from the University of London and is a certified licensing professional (CLP).

About Apitope

Apitope is a clinical stage biotech company that develops first-in-class antigen-specific immunotherapies targeting autoimmune diseases.

Apitope uses its novel, proprietary discovery platform to select and develop highly specific peptide-based therapeutics, known as "apitopes" (antigen processing independent epitopes), that directly target the immunological basis of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Graves' disease and uveitis, as well as undesired immune responses against biologic therapeutics used in the treatment of life-threatening disorders such as haemophilia A.

While current therapies for autoimmune diseases typically have the effect of suppressing the immune system, apitopes modulate only the malfunctioning part of the immune system in order to avoid such global immune suppression. The apitope mechanism of action and platform have the broad potential to treat a wide variety of autoimmune diseases. Apitope has a robust pipeline of innovative, potential first-in-class product candidates in clinical and pre-clinical development. Product candidate ATX-GD-59 has successfully completed a Phase I in the treatment of Graves' disease and is ready to start Phase II clinical trials. Apitope's other lead product candidate, ATX-MS-1467, is in development for the treatment of MS and is ready to start a Phase IIb clinical trial. ATX-UV-3 is also being prepared for Phase II trials in uveitis. In addition, Apitope has an innovative pipeline with several potential first-in-class candidates advancing towards clinical development.

Autoimmune diseases

An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mounts an undesired response to an innocuous self-antigen and attacks healthy tissues in the body. Autoimmune diseases are typically treated with therapies that globally suppress the immune system. Such therapies address the symptoms of the disease, not the cause, and increase the risk to life-threatening infections, cancers and other immune complications.

There are at least 80 types of autoimmune diseases[1] including MS, Graves' disease, and uveitis. Up to 50 million people are suffering from autoimmune disease in the U.S. alone[2], where it is one of the leading causes of death in women in all age groups up to 65[3].

Treatments for autoimmune diseases represent a large and active industry that has been gaining momentum, with five out of ten best selling drugs in 2016 targeting autoimmune diseases[4].

1. Office of Women's Health US

2. American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association

3. American Journal of Public Health. 90 (9): 1463-6 4. N Engl J Med. Sep 2002 347(12):911-920

4. Speights, K. (2017). The 9 Best Selling Prescription Drugs in 2016
24 October 2018

TECTONIC GOLD PLC

("Tectonic Gold" or the "Company")

Completion of Drilling at Specimen Hill Project

Tectonic Gold plc (TDIM: TTAU), the Intrusive Related Gold System ("IRGS") exploration pioneer, is pleased to announce the completion of a 2,517.3m diamond drilling campaign at the Company's flagship Specimen Hill project in Queensland, Australia. Drilling was executed under the drill for equity agreement with investor/partner Titeline Drilling Ltd.

Highlights:

Mineralisation intersected in every hole.

Ten holes completed with 2,517m of core recovered.

Epithermal zone (surface to 500m+) validated and extended.

Porphyry mineralisation targeted at +250m successfully intersected.

Rehabilitation underway with full demobilisation expected by 26 October 2018.

Core being processed for assay.

The drilling program has been successfully completed with zero injury time and excellent core recovery. The innovative targeting the company has pioneered has been validated with mineralisation intersected in every hole as predicted (assays pending).

Outcropping epithermal mineralisation that has historically returned gold grades of up to 40g/t has been mapped undercover and intersected in drilling up to 1,000m along structure from the Main Lode area.

Porphyry targets identified by high-resolution 3D IP mapping in April 2018 have been successfully intersected with visible sulphides in the core (assays pending).

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 extensions to the system under cover. Utilising digitisation and big data analytics, new geophysics technologies and advanced testing such as Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) Tectonic Gold unlocked this system. The company significantly extended the structure hosting the known gold bearing mineralisation and demonstrated a vertically extensive epithermal gold prospect from surface to +500m with multiple potential porphyry feeder zones at depth.

Signature intrusive gold system style alteration and sulphide zones have been intersected in the current drilling campaign.

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 and at 330m+.

A buried intrusive interpreted to be a mineralising source for the epithermal deposit has been intersected in deeper drilling of 250m to 500m, confirming the targeting by DIAS 3D IP surveying technology the company brought to Australia from Canada in April 2018 (assays pending).

Drilling Campaign Plan:

This initial drilling program has been completed with 2,517.3m of HQ3 diamond coring is being completed with a UDR 650 diamond drilling rig by our investor/partner Titeline Drilling Pty Ltd. A follow up circa 7,500m program is planned subject to assay results.

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 Yes 220 160.5

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

"Over the last nine weeks the team has been running double shifts, working day and night, dealing with thunder and lightning from early season storms, a few Eastern Browns which are one of the scariest snakes in Australia, a change of Prime Minister (which has become a frequent event in Australia) and delivered a really exciting core package with zero injuries. We have hit mineralisation in every hole, so from that perspective we couldn't have hoped for a better validation of the years of work that has gone in to this rediscovery. Our cornerstone investor and drilling partner, Titeline, has given us excellent core recovery and we have some exciting times ahead with assays to come."

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
SAN FRANCISCO, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The global Medical Document Management Systems Market is expected to gain a positive traction in the specified period. Medical records are the most crucial practice and tool used by physicians and doctors. Irrespective of the specialty, medical documents support and enhance the care patients are entitled to receive. It is thus a legal document encompassing the details about the care provided; along with the case history of patients, which acts as valid proofs for billing practices. Medical document management systems market is driven by factors such as rise in investments for healthcare IT and presence of healthcare infrastructure coupled with technological advancements. Stringent norms laid by government to promote IT for healthcare and organization of medical data in clinics and hospitals is likely to boost the market growth. "Type" segment for medical document management systems market include document scanning software and document management software. Document scanning software accounts for a higher market share and retains a higher market value in the global market. End-use segment for medical document management systems market include clinics and hospital. Hospital segment accounts for a higher market share in the global market due to the vast presence of hospitals and pharmacies on a global scale. Geographical segment for medical document management systems market include North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

North America is a highly matured market due to stringent policies in the healthcare sector and existence of healthcare infrastructures. Technological advances in healthcare domain is likely to empower the market growth in this region. Asia-Pacific region exhibits a positive traction due to rise in R&D activities due to increase in healthcare organizations to enable patient safety and care. Rise in government initiatives and rise in investments in infrastructure and healthcare drives the market growth. The key players in the medical document management systems market include 3M Company, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc, Cerner Corporation, GE Healthcare and Siemens AG.

Access 152page research report with TOC on "Medical Document Management Systems Market" available with Radiant Insights, Inc. @https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-medical-document-management-systems-market-research-report-2018

Medical Document Management Systems Report by Material, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China). The report firstly introduced the Medical Document Management Systems basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.

The report includes six parts, dealing with:

Basic Information;

Asia Medical Document Management Systems Market;

North American Medical Document Management Systems Market;

European Medical Document Management Systems Market;

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REUS, Spain, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The INC hasupdated the2018/19 crop and production forecastsfor almonds, Amazonia (Brazil) nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, dates, dried apricots, dried figs, dried cranberries, prunes and dried grapes (raisins, Sultanas and currants)

In the 2017/18 season, world tree nut production was estimated at 4.2 million metric tons, and it is forecasted to amount to ca. 4.5 million MT in 2018/19, representing a 6% annual growth in overall production (crop figures expressed on a kernel basis, except for pistachios, which are in-shell basis). After overcoming last season shortage, Brazil nut crop is anticipated to experience the biggest increment this season, returning to a normal production of 29,000 MT. The forecasts point to a 21% increment in pistachio and 19% in macadamia total crops, adding up to ca.709,200 and 60,200 MT, respectively. The expected rise in pistachio production is mainly explained by the US is experiencing a strong "on-year" and Turkey bouncing back from a poor harvest the prior season. Pecan and almond crops are forecasted to reach ca. 158,500 MT and over 1.3 million MT; respectively, 10% and 9% higher than those of 2017/18.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/774085/INC_Tree_Nut_Crop.jpg )



World peanut production in 2018/19 is forecasted at over 37.1 million MT (in-shell basis), slightly down from the previous season as the top producing countries are expecting lower crops. However, average yield is foreseen to be higher in China owing to increased planting of high-yielding varieties. Harvest outputs in the US are indicating high yields and quality as well.

The estimated world production of dried fruit in 2017/18 reached more than 3 million MT and it is forecasted to be risen by 5% in 2018/19, amounting to over 3.1 million MT. In relative terms, table dates, dried grapes and sweetened dried cranberries are expected to register the greatest growth (8%, 7% and 6% respectively).

World Nut and Dried Fruit 2018/19 Forecast Production (Metric Tons) Almonds 1,345,609 Walnuts 889,820 Cashews 823,750 Pistachios 709,188 Hazelnuts 458,616 Pecans 158,481 Macadamias 60,219 Brazil Nuts 29,000 Pine Nuts 21,680 Tree Nuts[1] 4,496,363 Peanuts[2] 37,145,000 Raisins, Sultanas & Currants 1,303,600 Table Dates 1,110,000 Prunes 240,049 Dried Cranberries (sweetened) 201,666 Dried Apricots 186,800 Dried Figs 145,900 Dried Fruits 3,188,015 [1]Kernel basis, except pistachios which are in-shell basis. [2]In-shell basis.
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 23 October 2018 were:

78.20p Capital only

79.16p 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 37,897 ordinary shares on 22 October 2018, the Company now has 116,126,515 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 2,839,485 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 23 October 2018 were:

331.25p Capital only (undiluted)

331.25p Capital only (Diluted for treasury shares)

335.69p Including current year income (undiluted)

335.69p 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 23 October 2018 were:

392.56p Capital only (undiluted)

402.91p 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 25,000 ordinary shares on 23 October 2018, the Company has 176,330,242 ordinary shares in issue, excluding 16,681,600 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 23 October 2018 were:

520.06p Capital only

527.80p Including current year income

520.06p Capital only (adjusted for treasury shares)

527.80p 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 23 October 2018 were:

406.49c per share (US cents) - Capital only

313.36p per share (pence sterling) - Capital only

418.30c per share (US cents) - Including current year income

322.47p 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 23 October 2018 were:

172.29p Capital only

173.60p 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 23 October 2018 were:

673.04c per share (US cents) - Capital only

673.04c per share (US cents) - Including current year income XD

518.84p per share (pence sterling) Capital only

518.84p 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 23 October 2018 were:

184.57p Capital only (undiluted)

189.13p 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 23 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 23 October 2018 were:

1405.65p Capital only and including debt at par value

1399.00p Capital only and including debt at fair value

1431.26p Including current year income and debt at par value

1424.61p 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 23 October 2018 were:

162.75c Capital only USD (cents)

125.46p Capital only Sterling (pence)

169.58c Including current year income USD (cents)

130.73p 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.
LONDON, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

PremFina Ltd ("PremFina" or "the Company"), the UK's only venture capital backed premium finance company, announces the successful integration of its IT system with Open GI, which provides software to administer insurance policies to brokers, underwriting agencies, insurers and MGAs.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/774110/PremFina_Logo.jpg )



Open GI is one of the largest technology partners to the General Insurance Industry, with more than 800 brokers in the UK and Ireland using its range of market leading software solutions.

PremFina's unique Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that enables brokers to self-finance insurance premiums in addition to its financing solutions is now available as a "plug-and-play" option on Open GI's software platforms.

"It's greater choice for Open GI's customers who now have a new option available," said PremFina CEO, Bundeep Singh Rangar. "We are there to brighten the lives of brokers and their customers."

"We are delighted to go live with PremFina and its cutting-edge software," said David Kelly, Open GI's Chief Sales Officer. "As a technology partner at the forefront of innovation our focus is on providing maximum choice as the go-to software house, and this strategic relationship will continue to make that possible for our brokers."

About PremFina

PremFina Ltd is a London-based UK premium finance company that promotes financial inclusion by enabling the payment of insurance premiums via instalments. It supplies insurance brokers with funding lines and also enables broker-funded and branded credit agreements via its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) affiliate IXL PremFina Ltd. With PremFina, brokers receive higher profit, greater autonomy and the opportunity to increase the lifetime value of their customers as well as cross-sell and up-sell additional products. PremFina's shareholders include global investors Rakuten Capital, Draper Esprit Plc, Thomvest Ventures, Emery Capital, Rubicon Venture Capital, Talis Capital and the company's founder.

Website: https://www.PremFina.com



About Open GI

Open GI is one of the leading technology partners to the General Insurance industry. Open GI provides a range of configurable insurance software to insurance brokers, underwriting agencies, insurers and MGAs in the UK and Ireland.

Its digital insurance solutions, which includes Core and Mobius, provides multi-line, multi-channel, multi-brand trading capability complemented by innovative ecommerce and mobile technologies.

Open GI is part of the Open International Group and has 600 staff across offices in Worcester, Dublin, London, Winchester, Milton Keynes, Skopje and Krakow.

Website: http://www.opengi.co.uk/





For All Enquiries:

Natalia Zurowski

Strategic Marketing Associate

Natalia.Zurowski@PremFina.com

+44(0)203-500-3462


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.
Boeing Reports Solid Third Quarter; Reaffirms Cash and Raises Revenue and EPS Guidance

CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Revenue increased to $25.1 billion driven by higher defense and services volume

GAAP EPS of $4.07 and core EPS (non-GAAP)* of $3.58 on solid execution across the company

Strong operating cash flow of $4.6 billion ; repurchased 7.0 million shares for $2.5 billion

Total backlog grew to $491 billion , including more than 5,800 commercial airplanes

Cash and marketable securities of $10.0 billion provide strong liquidity

Reaffirmed cash guidance; raised revenue and EPS guidance; updated segment margin guidance

Table 1. Summary Financial

Results Third Quarter Nine Months (Dollars in Millions, except per share

data) 2018 2017 Change 2018 2017 Change Revenues $25,146 $24,223 4% $72,786 $69,235 5% GAAP Earnings From Operations $2,227 $2,630 (15)% $7,812 $7,366 6% Operating Margin 8.9% 10.9% (2.0) Pts 10.7% 10.6% 0.1 Pts Net Earnings $2,363 $1,810 31% $7,036 $5,138 37% Earnings Per Share $4.07 $2.99 36% $11.95 $8.39 42% Operating Cash Flow $4,559 $3,396 34% $12,375 $10,443 19% Non-GAAP* Core Operating Earnings $1,890 $2,284 (17)% $6,793 $6,317 8% Core Operating Margin 7.5% 9.4% (1.9) Pts 9.3% 9.1% 0.2 Pts Core Earnings Per Share $3.58 $2.62 37% $10.55 $7.28 45% *Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing's non-GAAP measures are on page 7, "Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures."

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] reported third-quarter revenue of $25.1 billion driven by higher defense volume and services growth (Table 1). GAAP earnings per share increased to $4.07 and core earnings per share (non-GAAP)* increased to $3.58 primarily driven by strong operating performance at Commercial Airplanes and a tax benefit related to a tax settlement ($0.71 per share). Results also reflect charges related to planned investments in the newly awarded T-X Trainer and MQ-25 programs ($0.93 per share). Boeing delivered strong operating cash flow of $4.6 billion, repurchased $2.5 billion of shares, and paid $1.0 billion of dividends.

The company's revenue guidance increased $1.0 billion to between $98.0 and $100.0 billion, driven by defense volume and services growth, inclusive of the KLX acquisition. Operating cash flow guidance is reaffirmed at $15.0 to $15.5 billion. Full year GAAP earnings per share guidance is increased to between $16.90 and $17.10 from between $16.40 and $16.60 and core earnings per share (non-GAAP)* guidance is increased to between $14.90 and $15.10 from between $14.30 and $14.50 driven by a lower-than-expected tax rate and improved performance at Commercial Airplanes.

"Our teams continued to perform at a high level during the quarter, driving solid operating performance and robust cash generation, and continuing to deliver on our One Boeing advantage by bringing the best of Boeing to our customers," said Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg.

"During the quarter we captured important new defense business, winning and investing in the MQ-25 and T-X programs and securing the MH-139 contract, clearly demonstrating the value Boeing brings to customers while positioning us well for future growth opportunities. Within the Commercial Airplanes business, the 777X static test airplane was completed and moved into test setup and the team's focus on execution across our production programs continued to drive outstanding performance and strong operating margins. Our Global Services business continues to deliver on total lifecycle value to our customers, with key wins in the quarter including P-8 Poseidon training contracts for the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force and an order from GECAS for 20 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters. Additionally, we began integrating new data analytics tools, powered by Boeing AnalytX, into all Boeing Defence Australia support contracts, enhancing its position as a leading fleet services provider in the region."

"This strong underlying performance, along with growth across our businesses we've seen throughout the year, give us confidence to raise our 2018 revenue and earnings guidance and reaffirm our operating cash flow guidance."

Table 2. Cash Flow Third Quarter Nine Months (Millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Operating Cash Flow $4,559 $3,396 $12,375 $10,443 Less Additions to Property, Plant & Equipment ($457) ($399) ($1,227) ($1,304) Free Cash Flow* $4,102 $2,997 $11,148 $9,139 *Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing's non-GAAP measures are on page 7, "Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures."

Operating cash flow in the quarter increased to $4.6 billion, primarily driven by timing of receipts and expenditures as well as planned higher commercial airplane production rates and strong operating performance (Table 2). During the quarter, the company repurchased 7.0 million shares for $2.5 billion, leaving $9.6 billion remaining under the current repurchase authorization which is expected to be completed over approximately the next 12 to 18 months. The company also paid $1.0 billion in dividends in the quarter, reflecting a 20 percent increase in dividends per share compared to the same period of the prior year.

Table 3. Cash, Marketable Securities and Debt Balances Quarter-End (Billions) Q3 18 Q2 18 Cash $8.0 $8.1 Marketable Securities1 $2.0 $1.7 Total $10.0 $9.8 Debt Balances: The Boeing Company, net of intercompany loans to BCC $9.4 $9.6 Boeing Capital, including intercompany loans $2.5 $2.5 Total Consolidated Debt $11.9 $12.1 1Marketable securities consists primarily of time deposits due within one year classified as "short-term investments."

Cash and investments in marketable securities totaled $10.0 billion, compared to $9.8 billion at the beginning of the quarter (Table 3). Debt was relatively stable at $11.9 billion.

Total company backlog at quarter-end was $491 billion, up from $488 billion at the beginning of the quarter, and included net orders for the quarter of $28 billion.

Segment Results

Commercial Airplanes

Table 4. Commercial Airplanes Third Quarter Nine Months (Dollars in Millions) 2018 2017 Change 2018 2017 Change Commercial Airplanes Deliveries 190 202 (6)% 568 554 3% Revenues $15,276 $15,393 (1)% $43,409 $42,626 2% Earnings from Operations $2,023 $1,513 34% $5,175 $3,665 41% Operating Margin 13.2% 9.8% 3.4 Pts 11.9% 8.6% 3.3 Pts

Commercial Airplanes third-quarter revenue of $15.3 billion was relatively unchanged, reflecting lower deliveries largely offset by mix (Table 4). Third-quarter operating margin increased to 13.2 percent, reflecting higher 787 margin and strong operating performance on production programs, partially offset by $112 million of cost growth on the KC-46 Tanker program due to higher than expected effort to meet customer requirements to support delivery of the initial aircraft, as well as due to incremental delays in certification and testing.

During the quarter, Commercial Airplanes delivered 190 airplanes, including 57 737 MAX airplanes. The 777X program remains on track for delivery in 2020 as the static test airplane was completed and moved into test setup and the first two flight test airplanes were in production.

Commercial Airplanes booked 171 net orders during the quarter, valued at $13 billion. The 787 program has captured more than 100 orders in 2018 and nearly 1,400 orders since its launch. Backlog remains robust with more than 5,800 airplanes valued at $413 billion. Commercial Airplanes revenue guidance is reaffirmed at between $59.5 and $60.5 billion and margin guidance is increased to between 12% and 12.5% from greater than 11.5% on strong performance.

Defense, Space & Security

Table 5. Defense, Space &

Security Third Quarter Nine Months (Dollars in Millions) 2018 2017 Change 2018 2017 Change Revenues $5,729 $5,050 13% $17,084 $15,304 12% Earnings from Operations ($245) $486 NM $925 $1,649 NM Operating Margin (4.3)% 9.6% (13.9) Pts 5.4% 10.8% (5.4) Pts

Defense, Space & Security third-quarter revenue increased to $5.7 billion driven by increased volume across government satellites, KC-46 Tanker, F/A-18 and weapons (Table 5). Third-quarter operating margin was (4.3) percent, primarily reflecting $691 million of charges related to planned investments in the T-X and MQ-25 programs and $64 million related to cost growth on the KC-46 Tanker program.

During the quarter, Defense, Space & Security won key franchise program awards, including the T-X Trainer and MH-139 helicopter for the U.S. Air Force, the MQ-25 unmanned aircraft for the U.S. Navy, and the fourth KC-46 Tanker production lot. Significant milestones during the quarter included first flights of the Apache and Chinook for the Indian Air Force and receipt of Supplemental Type Certification for the KC-46 Tanker program, signifying completion of FAA certification. We also completed the acquisition of Millennium Space Systems, which will provide customers with advanced small-satellite technologies and flexible solutions.

Backlog at Defense, Space & Security was $58 billion, of which 31 percent represents orders from customers outside the U.S. Defense, Space & Security revenue guidance increased to between $22.5 and $23.0 billion from between $22.0 and $23.0 billion driven by higher volume and margin guidance is adjusted to greater than 6.5% from between 10% and 10.5% primarily to account for the investments in the business.

Global Services

Table 6. Global Services Third Quarter Nine Months (Dollars in Millions) 2018 2017 Change 2018 2017 Change Revenues $4,091 $3,579 14% $12,124 $10,784 12% Earnings from Operations $543 $495 10% $1,790 $1,687 6% Operating Margin 13.3% 13.8% (0.5) Pts 14.8% 15.6% (0.8) Pts

Global Services third-quarter revenue increased to $4.1 billion, primarily driven by higher parts volume (Table 6). Third-quarter operating margin was 13.3 percent reflecting mix and higher period costs.

During the quarter, Global Services was awarded P-8 training contracts for the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force, captured an order from GECAS for 20 737-800 converted freighters, and completed the first P-8A heavy maintenance check for the U.S. Navy. Global Services also secured contracts for F/A-18 spares for the Defense Logistics Agency and KC-46 Tanker services for Lots 3 and 4. In early October, Global Services completed the acquisition of KLX, which will enhance our services business and allow us to deliver greater value to customers.

Global Services revenue guidance increased to between $16.0 and $16.5 billion from between $15.5 and $16.0 billion driven by higher volume and margin guidance is reaffirmed at approximately 15.5%.

Additional Financial Information

Table 7. Additional Financial Information Third Quarter Nine Months (Dollars in Millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Revenues Boeing Capital $77 $70 $214 $234 Unallocated items, eliminations and other ($27) $131 ($45) $287 Earnings from Operations Boeing Capital $27 $23 $71 $87 FAS/CAS service cost adjustment $337 $346 $1,019 $1,049 Other unallocated items and eliminations ($458) ($233) ($1,168) ($771) Other income, net $12 $40 $63 $91 Interest and debt expense ($106) ($87) ($317) ($267) Effective tax rate (10.8)% 29.9% 6.9% 28.5%

At quarter-end, Boeing Capital's net portfolio balance was $3.1 billion. Revenue in other unallocated items and eliminations decreased primarily due to the 2017 sale of aircraft previously leased to customers. The change in earnings from other unallocated items and eliminations is primarily due to timing of expense allocations. The effective tax rate for the third quarter decreased from the same period in the prior year primarily due to a $412 million benefit related to a 2013-2014 tax settlement and the reduction of the federal tax rate to 21%.

Outlook

The Company's 2018 guidance is updated below (Table 8).

Table 8. 2018 Financial Outlook Current Prior (Dollars in Billions, except per share data) Guidance Guidance The Boeing Company Revenue $98.0 - 100.0 $97.0 - 99.0 GAAP Earnings Per Share $16.90 - 17.10 $16.40 - 16.60 Core Earnings Per Share* $14.90 - 15.10 $14.30 - 14.50 Operating Cash Flow $15.0 - 15.5 $15.0 - 15.5 Commercial Airplanes Deliveries 810 - 815 810 - 815 Revenue $59.5 - 60.5 $59.5 - 60.5 Operating Margin 12.0 - 12.5% >11.5% Defense, Space & Security Revenue $22.5 - 23.0 $22.0 - 23.0 Operating Margin >6.5% 10.0 - 10.5% Global Services Revenue $16.0 - 16.5 $15.5 - 16.0 Operating Margin ~15.5% ~15.5% Boeing Capital Portfolio Size Stable Stable Revenue ~$0.2 ~$0.2 Pre-Tax Earnings ~$0.08 ~$0.07 Research & Development ~$3.5 ~$3.7 Capital Expenditures ~$2.0 ~$2.2 Pension Expense 1 ~$0.2 ~$0.1 Effective Tax Rate ~9.5% ~16.0% *Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing's non-GAAP measures are on page 7, "Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures." 1Approximately $1.4 billion of pension expense is expected to be allocated to the business segments

Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures

We supplement the reporting of our financial information determined under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (GAAP) with certain non-GAAP financial information. The non-GAAP financial information presented excludes certain significant items that may not be indicative of, or are unrelated to, results from our ongoing business operations. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide investors with additional insight into the company's ongoing business performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures, and other companies may define such measures differently. We encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. The following definitions are provided:

Core Operating Earnings, Core Operating Margin and Core Earnings Per Share

Core operating earnings is defined as GAAP earnings from operations excluding the FAS/CAS service cost adjustment. The FAS/CAS service cost adjustment represents the difference between the FAS pension and postretirement service costs calculated under GAAP and costs allocated to the business segments. Core operating margin is defined as core operating earnings expressed as a percentage of revenue. Core earnings per share is defined as GAAP diluted earnings per share excluding the net earnings per share impact of the FAS/CAS service cost adjustment and Non-operating pension and postretirement expenses. Non-operating pension and postretirement expenses represent the components of net periodic benefit costs other than service cost. Pension costs, comprising service and prior service costs computed in accordance with GAAP are allocated to Commercial Airplanes and BGS businesses supporting commercial customers. Pension costs allocated to BDS and BGS businesses supporting government customers are computed in accordance with U.S. Government Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), which employ different actuarial assumptions and accounting conventions than GAAP. CAS costs are allocable to government contracts. Other postretirement benefit costs are allocated to all business segments based on CAS, which is generally based on benefits paid. Management uses core operating earnings, core operating margin and core earnings/per share for purposes of evaluating and forecasting underlying business performance. Management believes these core earnings measures provide investors additional insights into operational performance as they exclude non-service pension and post-retirement costs, which primarily represent costs driven by market factors and costs not allocable to government contracts. A reconciliation between the GAAP and non-GAAP measures is provided on pages 14-15.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is defined as GAAP operating cash flow without capital expenditures for property, plant and equipment additions. Management believes free cash flow provides investors with an important perspective on the cash available for shareholders, debt repayment, and acquisitions after making the capital investments required to support ongoing business operations and long term value creation. Free cash flow does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures as it excludes certain mandatory expenditures such as repayment of maturing debt. Management uses free cash flow as a measure to assess both business performance and overall liquidity. Table 2 provides a reconciliation between GAAP operating cash flow and free cash flow.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "should," "expects," "intends," "projects," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "targets," "anticipates," and similar expressions generally identify these forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements relating to our future financial condition and operating results, as well as any other statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable when made, but that may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are risks related to: (1) general conditions in the economy and our industry, including those due to regulatory changes; (2) our reliance on our commercial airline customers; (3) the overall health of our aircraft production system, planned commercial aircraft production rate changes, our commercial development and derivative aircraft programs, and our aircraft being subject to stringent performance and reliability standards; (4) changing budget and appropriation levels and acquisition priorities of the U.S. government; (5) our dependence on U.S. government contracts; (6) our reliance on fixed-price contracts; (7) our reliance on cost-type contracts; (8) uncertainties concerning contracts that include in-orbit incentive payments; (9) our dependence on our subcontractors and suppliers, as well as the availability of raw materials; (10) changes in accounting estimates; (11) changes in the competitive landscape in our markets; (12) our non-U.S. operations, including sales to non-U.S. customers; (13) threats to the security of our or our customers' information; (14) potential adverse developments in new or pending litigation and/or government investigations; (15) customer and aircraft concentration in our customer financing portfolio; (16) changes in our ability to obtain debt on commercially reasonable terms and at competitive rates; (17) realizing the anticipated benefits of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures/strategic alliances or divestitures; (18) the adequacy of our insurance coverage to cover significant risk exposures; (19) potential business disruptions, including those related to physical security threats, information technology or cyber-attacks, epidemics, sanctions or natural disasters; (20) work stoppages or other labor disruptions; (21) substantial pension and other postretirement benefit obligations; (22) potential environmental liabilities.

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact: Investor Relations: Maurita Sutedja or Ben Hackman (312) 544-2140 Communications: Allison Bone (312) 544-2002

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(Unaudited) In the first quarter of 2018, we adopted the following Accounting Standards Updates (ASU), which are reflected in the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements on pages 9-15: ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606); ASU 2017-07, Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost; ASU 2016-18 Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Restricted Cash; and ASU 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Nine months ended

September 30 Three months ended

September 30 (Dollars in millions, except per share data) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Sales of products $64,848 $61,667 $22,463 $21,782 Sales of services 7,938 7,568 2,683 2,441 Total revenues 72,786 69,235 25,146 24,223 Cost of products (53,134) (50,936) (18,882) (18,050) Cost of services (6,215) (5,742) (2,140) (1,879) Boeing Capital interest expense (51) (53) (18) (27) Total costs and expenses (59,400) (56,731) (21,040) (19,956) 13,386 12,504 4,106 4,267 Income from operating investments, net 112 169 32 49 General and administrative expense (3,345) (2,890) (1,154) (918) Research and development expense, net (2,417) (2,417) (826) (768) Gain on dispositions, net 76 69 Earnings from operations 7,812 7,366 2,227 2,630 Other income, net 63 91 12 40 Interest and debt expense (317) (267) (106) (87) Earnings before income taxes 7,558 7,190 2,133 2,583 Income tax (expense)/benefit (522) (2,052) 230 (773) Net earnings $7,036 $5,138 $2,363 $1,810 Basic earnings per share $12.08 $8.49 $4.11 $3.03 Diluted earnings per share $11.95 $8.39 $4.07 $2.99 Cash dividends paid per share $5.13 $4.26 $1.71 $1.42 Weighted average diluted shares (millions) 588.9 612.8 580.8 606.3

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(Unaudited) (Dollars in millions, except per share data) September 30 December 31 2018 2017 Assets Cash and cash equivalents $8,034 $8,813 Short-term and other investments 1,956 1,179 Accounts receivable, net 2,893 2,894 Unbilled receivables, net 9,936 8,194 Current portion of customer financing, net 431 309 Inventories 62,038 61,388 Other current assets 2,398 2,417 Total current assets 87,686 85,194 Customer financing, net 2,785 2,756 Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $18,328 and $17,641 12,571 12,672 Goodwill 5,722 5,559 Acquired intangible assets, net 2,530 2,573 Deferred income taxes 323 321 Investments 1,190 1,260 Other assets, net of accumulated amortization of $466 and $482 1,852 2,027 Total assets $114,659 $112,362 Liabilities and equity Accounts payable $13,663 $12,202 Accrued liabilities 12,869 13,069 Advances and progress billings 51,496 48,042 Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt 1,389 1,335 Total current liabilities 79,417 74,648 Deferred income taxes 1,738 2,188 Accrued retiree health care 5,394 5,545 Accrued pension plan liability, net 15,927 16,471 Other long-term liabilities 2,905 2,015 Long-term debt 10,487 9,782 Shareholders' equity: Common stock, par value $5.00 - 1,200,000,000 shares authorized; 1,012,261,159 shares issued 5,061 5,061 Additional paid-in capital 6,714 6,804 Treasury stock, at cost - 443,262,126 and 421,222,326 shares (51,781) (43,454) Retained earnings 54,666 49,618 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (15,949) (16,373) Total shareholders' equity (1,289) 1,656 Noncontrolling interests 80 57 Total equity (1,209) 1,713 Total liabilities and equity $114,659 $112,362

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited) Nine months ended

September 30 (Dollars in millions) 2018 2017 Cash flows - operating activities: Net earnings $7,036 $5,138 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: Non-cash items - Share-based plans expense 150 151 Depreciation and amortization 1,531 1,470 Investment/asset impairment charges, net 63 75 Customer financing valuation (benefit)/expense (3) 4 Gain on dispositions, net (76) Other charges and credits, net 158 196 Changes in assets and liabilities - Accounts receivable 10 (558) Unbilled receivables (1,732) (1,805) Advances and progress billings 3,457 4,714 Inventories (173) (800) Other current assets (5) (337) Accounts payable 1,181 780 Accrued liabilities 890 (102) Income taxes receivable, payable and deferred (252) 1,507 Other long-term liabilities 1 25 Pension and other postretirement plans (89) (550) Customer financing, net (175) 634 Other 403 (99) Net cash provided by operating activities 12,375 10,443 Cash flows - investing activities: Property, plant and equipment additions (1,227) (1,304) Property, plant and equipment reductions 117 30 Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (250) Contributions to investments (2,145) (2,815) Proceeds from investments 1,369 2,612 Purchase of distribution rights (56) (131) Other (5) 7 Net cash used by investing activities (2,197) (1,601) Cash flows - financing activities: New borrowings 4,696 876 Debt repayments (4,029) (83) Contributions from noncontrolling interests 35 Stock options exercised 70 291 Employee taxes on certain share-based payment arrangements (247) (118) Common shares repurchased (8,415) (7,500) Dividends paid (2,976) (2,575) Net cash used by financing activities (10,866) (9,109) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents, including restricted (37) 73 Net decrease in cash & cash equivalents, including restricted (725) (194) Cash & cash equivalents, including restricted, at beginning of year 8,887 8,869 Cash & cash equivalents, including restricted, at end of period 8,162 8,675 Less restricted cash & cash equivalents, included in Investments 128 106 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $8,034 $8,569

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Summary of Business Segment Data

(Unaudited) Nine months ended

September 30 Three months ended

September 30 (Dollars in millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Revenues: Commercial Airplanes $43,409 $42,626 $15,276 $15,393 Defense, Space & Security 17,084 15,304 5,729 5,050 Global Services 12,124 10,784 4,091 3,579 Boeing Capital 214 234 77 70 Unallocated items, eliminations and other (45) 287 (27) 131 Total revenues $72,786 $69,235 $25,146 $24,223 Earnings/(loss) from operations: Commercial Airplanes $5,175 $3,665 $2,023 $1,513 Defense, Space & Security 925 1,649 (245) 486 Global Services 1,790 1,687 543 495 Boeing Capital 71 87 27 23 Segment operating profit 7,961 7,088 2,348 2,517 Unallocated items, eliminations and other (1,168) (771) (458) (233) FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 1,019 1,049 337 346 Earnings from operations 7,812 7,366 2,227 2,630 Other income, net 63 91 12 40 Interest and debt expense (317) (267) (106) (87) Earnings before income taxes 7,558 7,190 2,133 2,583 Income tax (expense)/benefit (522) (2,052) 230 (773) Net earnings $7,036 $5,138 $2,363 $1,810 Research and development expense, net: Commercial Airplanes $1,616 $1,755 $517 $538 Defense, Space & Security 613 599 211 207 Global Services 119 101 48 38 Other 69 (38) 50 (15) Total research and development expense, net $2,417 $2,417 $826 $768 Unallocated items, eliminations and other: Share-based plans ($60) ($67) ($24) ($21) Deferred compensation (112) (174) (56) (78) Amortization of previously capitalized interest (67) (68) (19) (22) Eliminations and other unallocated items (929) (462) (359) (112) Sub-total (included in core operating earnings) (1,168) (771) (458) (233) Pension FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 780 811 260 271 Postretirement FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 239 238 77 75 FAS/CAS service cost adjustment $1,019 $1,049 $337 $346 Total ($149) $278 ($121) $113

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Operating and Financial Data

(Unaudited) Deliveries Nine months ended

September 30 Three months ended

September 30 Commercial Airplanes 2018 2017 2018 2017 737 407 381 138 145 747 5 8 (1) 2 4 767 13 7 4 2 777 37 58 12 16 787 106 100 34 35 Total 568 554 190 202 Note: Aircraft accounted for as revenues by BCA and as a note receivable in consolidation identified by parentheses Defense, Space & Security AH-64 Apache (New) - 8 - 3 AH-64 Apache (Remanufactured) 12 43 6 15 CH-47 Chinook (New) 11 6 2 2 CH-47 Chinook (Renewed) 14 28 6 9 F-15 Models 8 11 3 4 F/A-18 Models 10 18 5 6 P-8 Models 10 14 2 5 Commercial and Civil Satellites 1 3 1 - Military Satellites - - - - Total backlog(Dollars in millions) September 30 December 31 2018 2017 Commercial Airplanes $413,064 $410,526 Defense, Space & Security 57,875 44,049 Global Services 20,240 19,605 Total backlog $491,179 $474,180 Contractual backlog $462,468 $456,524 Unobligated backlog 28,711 17,656 Total backlog $491,179 $474,180

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

(Unaudited) The tables provided below reconcile the non-GAAP financial measures core operating earnings, core operating margin, and core earnings per share with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, earnings from operations, operating margin, and diluted earnings per share. See page 7 of this release for additional information on the use of these non-GAAP financial measures. (Dollars in millions, except per share data) 2018 Guidance Third Quarter 2018 Third Quarter 2017 $ millions Per Share $ millions Per Share $ millions Per Share Revenues 25,146 24,223 Earnings from operations (GAAP) 2,227 2,630 Operating margins 8.9% 10.9% FAS/CAS service cost adjustment: Pension FAS/CAS service cost adjustment (260) (271) Postretirement FAS/CAS service cost adjustment (77) (75) FAS/CAS service cost adjustment ~($1,395) (337) (346) Core operating earnings (non-GAAP) $1,890 $2,284 Core operating margins (non-GAAP) 7.5% 9.4% Diluted earnings per share (GAAP) $16.90 - 17.10 $4.07 $2.99 Pension FAS/CAS service cost adjustment ~($1,395) ($260) (0.45) ($271) (0.45) Postretirement FAS/CAS service cost adjustment (77) (0.13) (75) (0.12) Non-operating pension expense ~($90) (50) (0.09) (26) (0.05) Non-operating postretirement expense 29 0.05 31 0.05 Provision for deferred income taxes on adjustments 1 75 0.13 119 0.20 Subtotal of adjustments ($2.00) ($283) ($0.49) ($222) ($0.37) Core earnings per share (non-GAAP) $14.90 - 15.10 $3.58 $2.62 Weighted average diluted shares (in millions) 585 - 590 580.8 606.3 1The income tax impact is calculated using the U.S. corporate statutory tax rate.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2018) - Delrey Metals Corp. (CSE: DLRY) ("Delrey" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed its initial public offering ("IPO") of 7,500,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of $0.20 per Share for total gross proceeds of $1,500,000.

Leede Jones Gable Inc. acted as agent (the "Agent") for the IPO. The Company paid the Agent, and members of its selling syndicate, a cash commission of $135,000 and granted an aggregate of 675,000 agent's options, each of which entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $0.20 per Share for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance.

The Company's common shares were listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), effective October 22, 2018 and will begin trading on October 24, 2018 under the symbol "DLRY".

The proceeds will be used by the Company to fund its exploration program on its 785-hectare Sunset mineral property situated in the Vancouver Mining Division, located near Pemberton, British Columbia, and for general working capital purposes.

About Delrey

Delrey is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties, specifically in the strategic energy minerals space. The Company has an option agreement to purchase a 100% interest in the highly prospective Sunset property situated in the Vancouver Mining Division and located near Pemberton, British Columbia. Delrey is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is listed on the CSE under the symbol "DLRY".

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Morgan Good"

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 604-428-5583

Email: morgan@delreymetals.com

www.delreymetals.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to the Shares commencing trading on the CSE on October 24, 2018 under the symbol DLRY. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of the Company. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. 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. Delrey Metals Corp. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or 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 Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to a U.S. Person unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
JAMA paper to be presented at ESICM conference in Paris

New data on mode of action to be presented at ASN conference in San Diego

AM-Pharma B.V., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of recombinant human Alkaline Phosphatase (recAP) for inflammatory diseases, today publishes data in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) of its recently completed STOP-AKI Phase II study of recAP in the treatment of sepsis-associated Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). Simultaneously, the results will be presented at today's European Society of Intensive Care Medicine in Paris. Additionally, new data on recAP's mode of action will be presented tomorrow (October 25th) at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week in San Diego.

Professor Peter Pickkers, MD PhD, Chair of Experimental Intensive Care Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, and principal investigator of the STOP-AKI study said: "Although the study did not meet its primary endpoint of short-term improvement in kidney function in the first 7 days, it did show long-term improvement in kidney function and very importantly a 40% relative reduction in mortality over placebo. In the absence of any drugs approved for this condition, these exciting clinical outcomes warrant further research to confirm these findings and to make this treatment available to patients."

Prof. Pickkers is presenting the results of the randomized clinical study at today's Hot Topics session at ESICM in Paris at 16:40 CET.

In addition, investigations at the institutions of Professor Mark D. Okusa and Professor Bruce Molitoris revealed more detail into recAP's mode of action. Their research showed that protection from kidney injury is mediated by dephosphorylation by recAP of ATP to adenosine and activation of adenosine A2a receptors (A2aR).

Dr. Okusa, Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Nephrology and Director, Center for Immunity, Inflammation and Regenerative Medicine at University of Virginia, School of Medicine, and Dr. Molitoris, Professor of Medicine, former Director of Nephrology and the Indiana Center for Biological Microscopy at Indiana University noted: "The mode of action appears to be an elegant, double effect; in the first instance recAP inactivates pro-inflammatory ATP, and the resulting formation of adenosine further reduces inflammation through the immunosuppressive adenosine A2a receptor pathway."

Professor Diane L. Rosin from Dr. Okusa's research group will present the results at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology in San Diego; Session Title: AKI: New Players and New Mechanisms, October 25th from 18:00 PT (session room 6D).

Erik van den Berg, CEO of AM-Pharma said: "We are excited to share the clinical trial results in JAMA and scientific conferences. We are now preparing for the pivotal study to confirm the STOP-AKI study results, which could have a significant impact on patients with Acute Kidney Injury, for whom there is currently no treatment available."

Previously, the US Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track designation for recAP for treatment of sepsis-associated AKI. AKI involves inflammatory processes in the kidney which can lead to complete loss of renal function and is associated with high mortality rates.

Notes to Editors

About AM-Pharma www.am-pharma.com

AM-Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of recAP (recombinant Human Alkaline Phosphatase) for treatment of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), Ulcerative Colitis (UC), Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) and Hypophosphatasia (HPP). Based on strong results from Phase II trials with bovine Alkaline Phosphatase in AKI and UC, AM-Pharma has developed an innovative recombinant form of human Alkaline Phosphatase (recAP), and recently completed recruitment of 301 patients in the STOP-AKI adaptive Phase II trial for sepsis-associated AKI.

About Acute Kidney Injury

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) involves inflammatory processes in the kidney which can lead to complete loss of renal function. Hospital-acquired AKI affects annually around 3 million patients in Europe, the US and Japan, and is associated with mortality in roughly 700,000 patients. It occurs in as many as 4% of hospital admissions and 40% of critical care admissions. Depending on the severity and cause of renal injury, mortality ranges from 10% to as high as 70%. In the US alone, hospitals spend around $10 billion each year on managing this major medical problem. The most important causes of AKI are sepsis, cardiovascular surgery, exposure to nephrotoxic drugs and trauma. AKI patients that require dialysis have the worst prognosis. Currently the only treatment options are dialysis and supportive care. No drugs are approved to treat this condition. Typically, these patients are treated in Intensive Care Units, often with guidance by nephrologists.2,3,4

About recAP

AM-Pharma's therapeutic candidate, recAP (recombinant Alkaline Phosphatase), is a proprietary recombinant human AP constructed from two naturally occurring human isoforms of the AP enzyme, which is highly stable and active.

About STOP-AKI study

The trial, titled A Safety, Tolerability, Efficacy and QoL Study of Human recAP in the Treatment of Patients With SA-AKI (STOP-AKI), is an adaptive Phase II trial with two parts. In the first part, data from 120 patients were evaluated to select the most effective dose of recAP. In the second part, an additional 170 patients were recruited into two arms, receiving either the optimal dose of recAP identified initially, or placebo. The study recruited 301 patients in total, which makes it the largest interventional clinical study iwan AKI to date. The study was conducted in more than 50 intensive care units (ICU) in Western Europe and North America. (click here for full details on the protocol).

1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration; available at http://www.fda.gov/ForPatients/Approvals/Fast/ucm405399.htm

2 Murugan R. and Kellum J.A., (2011) Nat Rev Nephrol. Vol 7: 209-217

3 Heung M. and Chawla L., (2014) Nephron Clin Pract. Vol 127: 30-34

4 Chertow et al., (2005) J Am Soc Nephrol. Vol 16: 3365-3370 Soc Nephrol. Vol 16: 3365-3370

- ENDS -

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005062/en/

Contacts:

Company contact:

AM-Pharma

Erik van den Berg (CEO)

+31 30 259 8838

or

Media contact:

80th Atom

Adam Michael

+44 1223 511338

+44 777 588 1813

Adam@80thAtom.com
61% of online shoppers disappointed by last holiday shopping experience

Frequency of online shopping up significantly in the US and UK

Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI), a global technology company that provides commerce solutions in the areas of ecommerce, shipping, mailing, and data, today published key findings from the 2018 Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Study. As online retailers and marketplaces prepare for record volumes of ecommerce orders this holiday season, the study found that 61% of consumers globally felt let down by their online shopping experience during the last holiday season. This figure is up significantly from 47% in 2017, and 41% in 2016. In the US, the rate of dissatisfied online shoppers is accelerating even faster with 56% dissatisfied, up from just 36% a year ago.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005096/en/

2018 Pitney Bowes Ecommerce Study

Consumers pointed to post-purchase experiences, including items arriving late, expensive shipping, tracking inaccuracies, confusing returns policies, and lost or incorrect items as reasons for their dissatisfaction.

"More and more, consumers are telling us that the post-purchase experience what happens after the order is every bit as important, if not more, than the shopping experience that occurs before the order," said Lila Snyder, President of Commerce Services at Pitney Bowes. "The silver lining for retailers: consumers are giving you the blueprint for how to get it right, and those who get it right will be rewarded with customer loyalty and revenue growth."

Despite frustrations, consumers are shopping online more frequently

Nearly everyone is shopping online 94% of consumers globally; unchanged year-over-year. But, the frequency with which consumers shop online is accelerating. Globally, 35% of online shoppers make an online purchase at least weekly. In the US, 30% make an online purchase at least weekly, up from just 19% a year ago. The UK saw their rate of weekly online shoppers rise to 46%, up from 38% the year prior.

Snyder says the uptick in shopping frequency, while welcome news for retailers, is also contributing to the rise in consumer dissatisfaction. "Individual consumers are spending more time shopping online and waiting on products, creating a greater probability for a bad experience," she said. "As volumes rise, retailers are struggling to keep up with the demand in terms of physical infrastructure and the technology to manage it effectively."

Fast and free shipping are table stakes for online retailers

The study shows that consumers start to make judgements on the post-purchase experience even before placing their orders. In fact, 91% of online shoppers in the US said they will leave a retail web site if critical services like "fast and free shipping" are not available. At the same time, consumers are becoming more demanding in their expectations for "fast and free." Only 47% consider 2-day free shipping "fast."

"If there is one finding for retailers to pay attention to, it's this one: fast and free shipping is a must," said Snyder. "Retailers invest millions of dollars in marketing to drive consumers to their ecommerce sites, but all of that expense and effort is for naught if they don't also invest in attractive fast and free shipping offers that meet consumer expectations."

Consumers still rank "free shipping" as more important than "fast shipping." Globally, 76% of consumers prefer "free" over "fast." In the US, however, the trend is starting to reverse, with 79% preferring "free" over "fast," down from 86% the year prior. This reversal is mostly driven by millennials, with 35% willing to pay for fast shipping, up from 20% the year prior.

In the US, online shoppers list free shipping (80%) and fast shipping (66%) as the two most important criteria in determining where to shop online. Two-thirds of online shoppers in the US think it is acceptable to have a minimum purchase requirement of $25 or higher to trigger free shipping.

A bad post-purchase experience can cost retailers multiple customers

According to the study, 90% of online shoppers in the US will take an action that can hurt a retailer's brand in response to a bad post-purchase experience. Their reactions range from sharing their frustrations on social media to never purchasing from the offending site again. Among millennials, 30% will go public about their poor experience, complaining in an online review or social media post, potentially affecting the buying decisions of their entire social networks.

The importance of the post-purchase experience voiced loud and clear by consumers was further validated by the results of retailer surveys. Successful high-growth retailers (25% or greater YoY revenue growth) place a greater emphasis on the post-purchase consumer experience than their slower growth competitors. This includes providing services like free returns and day-definite guaranteed delivery. 54% of high-growth retailers offer 2-3 day free shipping, while 60% of low-growth retailers (10% or less YoY revenue growth) offer 4-7 day free shipping. High-growth retailers also tend to meet or exceed consumer demands for accurate, real-time tracking, free and fast shipping, easy returns with preprinted labels, prompt refunds and even attractive branded packaging.

One trend that may be influencing expectations around quality of packaging is the growth of subscription box services. 27% of online shoppers are subscribed to at least one such service, including 51% of millennials and 47% of households with children.

"Successful high-growth retailers and brands not only exceed their customers' expectations on the post-purchase experience, but they leverage every consumer touchpoint to build brand awareness, further strengthening customer loyalty," said Snyder.

In the battleground for consumer attention, the study found that marketplaces continue to soak up 60% of online purchases, but it also found opportunity for retailers who invest in their brand and delight consumers throughout the shopping and post-purchase experience. 61% of online shopping occurs when the consumer knows specifically what brand they're looking to buy. In these cases, more than half (54%) prefer to buy from a retailer website over an online marketplace. This presents an opportunity for brands and retailers to build customer loyalty and trust by repeatedly delivering exceptional post-purchase experiences.

The same rules apply for cross-border shopping

The cross-border ecommerce market continues to mature. For the first time, fewer consumers said they were shopping cross-border, dropping from 70% in 2017 to 64% in 2018. The US, China and Japan were the only countries where the number of cross-border shoppers increased in 2018. Still, the market continues to grow, because those who are shopping cross-border are doing so more frequently. This was true in nearly every country we surveyed, and 12% of consumers globally are now shopping cross-border at least weekly, up from 10% in 2017.

Consistent with the results of the study, frustrations with shopping cross-border can be attributed primarily to shipping that is too slow, or too expensive. Other frustrations include the inconvenience of returning unwanted items and poor customer service.

The 2018 Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Study is based on surveys of more than 13,000 consumers in 12 markets, combined with surveys of 650 retailers in the US, UK and Australia. The report is intended to help guide retailers and marketplaces in their investment decisions and go-to-market strategies.

For more information on the study including an interactive map and infographic, please visit The 2018 Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Study.

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI) is a global technology company providing commerce solutions that power billions of transactions. Clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on the accuracy and precision delivered by Pitney Bowes solutions, analytics, and APIs in the areas of ecommerce fulfillment, shipping and returns; cross-border ecommerce; presort services; office mailing and shipping; location data; and software. For nearly 100 years Pitney Bowes has been innovating and delivering technologies that remove the complexity of getting commerce transactions precisely right. For additional information visit Pitney Bowes, the Craftsmen of Commerce, at https://www.pitneybowes.com/us.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005096/en/

Contacts:

Pitney Bowes

Brett Cody

W 203 351 6079

M 203 218 1187

Brett.cody@pb.com
PORTLAND, Oregon, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Rise in per capita income, rapid growth of economy, and increase in fast food consumption would boost the growth of the Asia-Pacific food coatings market

Allied Market Research published a report, titled, Asia-Pacific Food Coatings Market by Type (Predust, Batter, Breadings, Specialty Crumbs, Oven Coatings, Tempura, and Others), Application (Meat & Seafood Products, Convenience & Ready Meals, Snacks, Baked Goods, and Others), and Form (Liquid, Paste, and Dry): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025. The report offers detailed analyses of the market dynamics, driving forces & opportunities, market size & estimations, key segments, and competitive landscape. According to the report, the Asia-Pacific food coatings market accrued $572.00 million in 2017 and is estimated to reach $990.41 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2018 to 2025.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )



Rise in per capita income, rapid growth of economy, and increase in fast food consumption drive the growth of the market. However, fluctuating prices of raw materials and health concerns related to fried food hamper the market growth. On the other hand, changes in lifestyle and increase in demand for meat & seafood products create new opportunities for the market players.

Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5067

Predusts segment to maintain its lion's share by 2025

Predusts segment accounted for more than one-fourth of the total market share in 2017, owing to the growing consumption of food items. This segment is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. However, batters segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 8.6% from 2018 to 2025, owing to its ability to avoid moisture loss during preparation of meat and fish. The research also analyzes segments including breadings, specialty crumbs, oven coatings, tempura, and others.

Meat & seafood segment to garner major share through 2025

Meat & seafood held the major share in the industry, contributing nearly one-third of the total market revenue in 2017. This is due to surge in disposable income, increase in urbanization, and rise in health consciousness. However, snacks segment would register the fastest CAGR of 8.2% from 2018 to 2025, owing to the presence of large population base and rise in the number of quick service restaurants (QSRs) such as McDonalds, Burger King, and others. The research also discusses application segments including convenience & ready meals, baked goods, and others.

For Purchase Enquiry:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5067

Dry form of coating to lead in terms of revenue by 2025

The dry form of coating segment contributed more than half of the total market share in 2017, owing to its high demand in various types of food. This segment is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. However, the liquid form of coating would register the fastest CAGR of 7.8% from 2018 to 2025, owing to their demand in various types of sauces such as soya sauce for preparing noodles, Shushi, marinated chicken, pad Thai, and others.

Chinato remain dominant throughout the forecast period

China accounted for more than one-fourth of the total market share in 2017, owing to rise in consumption of seafood and meat. It will continue to contribute the highest share in terms of revenue by 2025. However, India would register the highest CAGR of 9.2% from 2018 to 2025, owing to increase in disposable income, rise in popularity of fast-food restaurants, and expansion of retail network.

Key Market Players

The key players analyzed in the report include Dutch Protein & Services b.v., McCormick & Company, Inc., Kerry Inc., TNA Australia Pty Limited, Continental Mills, Inc., Cargill, Bowman Ingredients, Dumoulin, Buhler AG, GEA Group, and JBT Corporation. They have adopted various strategies such as joint ventures, collaborations, expansions, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, and others to gain a strong position in the industry.

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Expands Growing Leadership Position as Additive Manufacturing Solutions Provider

Incorporates Metal Powder Lifecycle Management Technology with Superior Quality Control and Traceability

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carpenter Technology Corporation (NYSE: CRS) today announced it has acquired LPW Technology Ltd. (LPW), a leader in the development and supply of advanced metal powders and powder lifecycle management solutions to the Additive Manufacturing industry, for approximately $81 million. LPW is based in Widnes, Cheshire, United Kingdom with additional processing operations near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. LPW employs approximately 80 people.

"Our aggressive development in key aspects of Additive Manufacturing (AM) demonstrates our commitment to build on our industry-leading position in this space," said Tony R. Thene, Carpenter's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The acquisition combines LPW's metal powder lifecycle management technology and processes with our technical expertise in producing highly engineered metal powders and additively manufactured components."

Lifecycle management technology is becoming increasingly important to understanding how materials behave before, during, and after production in the powder-bed fusion process. Understanding powder behavior is critical as AM becomes more widely adopted and implemented across various industries.

"LPW's innovative platforms and enabling technology further solidify Carpenter's position as a preferred provider of end-to-end next generation Additive Manufacturing solutions," said Phil Carroll, LPW's founder. "I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments we've achieved at LPW and I'm excited to be part of Carpenter's continued growth and leadership in AM."

Carpenter's additive portfolio, including recent investments in Puris, a titanium powders producer; CalRAM, a leader in electron beam and laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing services, and construction of an Emerging Technology Center in Athens, Alabama represent a significant force positioned to capitalize on the rapid AM growth.

About Carpenter Technology

Carpenter Technology Corporation is a leading producer and distributor of premium specialty alloys, including titanium alloys, nickel and cobalt based superalloys, stainless steels, alloy steels and tool steels. Carpenter's high-performance materials and advanced process solutions are an integral part of critical applications used within the aerospace, transportation, medical and energy markets, among other markets. Building on its history of innovation, Carpenter's metal powder technology capabilities support a range of next-generation products and manufacturing techniques, including Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing. Information about Carpenter can be found at www.cartech.com .

About LPW Technology Ltd.

Widnes, Cheshire, UK-based LPW Technology Ltd. is a leader in the development, manufacturing, and supply of ultra-clean metal powders designed specifically for the Additive Manufacturing industry. LPW's 98,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the UK and its value-added processing facility near Pittsburgh, PA mobilizes its highly differentiated materials design, specification, manufacturing, and lifecycle management capabilities.

RSM Corporate Finance LLP served as exclusive financial advisor to LPW Technology Ltd. on the transaction.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those projected, anticipated or implied. The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Carpenter's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2018, and the exhibits attached to that filing. They include, but are not limited to, statements regarding LPW Technology Ltd. Carpenter undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
PROS thought leaders selected to present at American and European conferences

PROS (NYSE: PRO), a provider of AI-powered solutions that optimize selling in the digital economy, today announced its global premier sponsorship and significant presence at the Professional Pricing Society (PPS) 29th Annual Fall Pricing Workshops Conference and 14th Annual European Global Pricing Workshops Conference, including a keynote presentation by PROS Chief AI Strategist, Michael Wu, Ph.D. The events are scheduled for Oct. 23-26 at Dallas' Renaissance Addison Hotel and Nov. 28-30 at Amsterdam's Movenpick Hotel, respectively.

"Artificial intelligence (AI) is proving its power to radically transform industries and disciplines, and pricing is no exception," said Dr. Wu. "In order for the pricing industry to fully leverage the potential of AI, pricing professionals must understand it in a practical way, and help their organizations make changes to accommodate its disruptive force. My colleagues and I look forward to talking to, learning from and connecting with other PPS members to discuss the exciting shifts on the horizon."

Along with Dr. Wu's keynote presentation, "How the Pricing Industry Can Realize the Benefit of AI," at the PPS Fall Conference on October 25, PROS pricing experts will lead the following workshop and breakout sessions:

"Establishing the Pillars of Your Price Organization" on October 24, presented by Charles Sweeney, PROS Director of Strategic Consulting and Ben Blaney, PROS Senior Strategic Consultant. This workshop will address how globalization and omnichannel transparency demand that pricing professionals reevaluate their approach to pricing, with a hands-on look at how to create successful pricing strategies and leverage machine learning and automation for continuous improvement.

"Sense and Cent's Ability: Getting Pricing Projects Approved with Data and Facts" on October 25, presented by Tracy Cannon, PROS Strategic Consultant

"From (Spread) Sheet to (C) Suite: Tips for Pricers on How to Communicate with Their Executive Team" on October 25, presented by Fabio Freitas, PROS Strategic Consultant

At the PPS European Conference in Amsterdam, Sweeney and Blaney will lead a workshop on November 28 that explores the same theme of maximizing revenue with a new, technology-driven approach to pricing strategy. In addition to the workshop, Valerie Howard, PROS Solution Strategy Director, will lead a breakout session, "The Elusive Perfect Price: Letting Go of Price Lists and Enabling Dynamic Pricing Strategy" on November 30.

"Understanding how pricing impacts the buying process is mission-critical for companies looking to win in the digital economy," said Valerie Howard, PROS Solution Strategy Director. "The PPS Conferences offer an unmatched opportunity for pricing professionals and thought leaders to come together to push the boundaries of the industry, and the PROS team is thrilled to be part of both the Dallas and Amsterdam events."

To learn more, visit the PROS website or follow PROS on Twitter at @PROS_Inc.

About PROS

PROS Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PRO) provides AI-powered solutions that optimize selling in the digital economy. PROS solutions make it possible for companies to price, configure and sell their products and services in an omnichannel environment with speed, precision and consistency. Our customers, who are leaders in their markets, benefit from decades of data science expertise infused into our industry solutions.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the functionality and benefits of AI-powered solutions to organizations generally as well as the functionality and benefits of PROS software products. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon PROS historical experience with AI-powered solutions and its current expectations of the benefits of AI-powered solutions for organizations that implement and utilize such software. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described herein include the addressability of an organization's AI-powered solution needs, the risks associated with PROS developing and enhancing products with the functionality necessary to deliver the stated results and the risks associated with the complex implementation and maintenance of AI-powered solutions such as PROS software products. Additional information relating to the uncertainty affecting the PROS business is contained in PROS filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent PROS expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change, and PROS disclaims any obligations to update or alter these forward-looking statements in the future whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005217/en/

Contacts:

PROS Public Relations

James Gerber, 617-960-9875

pros@marchcomms.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2018) - Sensor Technologies Corp. (formerly Mooncor Oil & Gas Corp.) (CSE: SENS) (the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that on the opening of the market on October 24, 2018, the Corporation's common shares will commence trading through the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"). The common shares will trade under the symbol "SENS".

The Corporation is also pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Fox-Tek Canada Inc. from IntellaEquity Inc. (CSE: IEQ) ("IntellaEquity") for an aggregate purchase price of $21.5 million (the "Purchase Price"). The acquisition of Fox-Tek was approved by a majority of the disinterested shareholders at the annual and special shareholders' meeting held on July 26, 2018.

$9,500,000 of the Purchase Price will be satisfied through the issuance of an aggregate of 47,500,000 post-consolidated common shares (the "Consideration Shares") in the capital of the Corporation to IntellaEquity at a price of $0.20 per Consideration Share. The balance of the Purchase Price, being up to $12,000,000, will be satisfied through a royalty of 15% on all future sales of Fox-Tek's products and a 20% royalty on all future sales of Fox-Tek's services (collectively, the "Royalty"). The Royalty shall be payable until the earlier of (i) the 10 year anniversary of the closing of the acquisition of Fox-Tek, and (ii) the aggregate payment of $12 million. As a result of the acquisition, IntellaEquity has become an insider of the Corporation.

In addition, the Corporation will continue its operations as a technology issuer providing leading solutions to various sectors including the oil and gas industry.

In connection with the acquisition of Fox-Tek and its change of business, the Corporation changed its name from Mooncor Oil & Gas Corp. to Sensor Technologies Corp. and consolidated its issued and outstanding securities on the basis of thirty (30) pre-consolidated common shares for every one (1) post-consolidated common shares.

"The listing of the Corporation's common shares through the facilities of the CSE will allow the Corporation to continue its development of current and new products for the oil and gas industry," stated Jay Vieira, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. "The cost effectiveness of a CSE listing will allow the Corporation to conserve its cash and deploy it in its business."

About the Corporation:

Sensor Technologies Corp. is a leading solutions provider to various sectors including the oil and gas industry. With nonintrusive technologies including fiber-optic sensors and electric field mapping EFM systems, the Corporation is able to accurately measure changes that could negatively impact its client's operations. Its sensors are a non-invasive tool for monitoring pipeline defects in real time and consist of non-intrusive sensors, monitor and software. The Corporation's FM monitoring of isolated pit formation and growth using a non-permanent modular design based on electrical resistance measurements, monitoring locations may be placed hundreds of feet away from the sensors. Software operates in continuous or scheduled reporting modes. The Corporation's latest technology is its leak detection system, for use in application such as pipe sections at remote facilities monitoring of military, scientific installations for corrosive liquids in harsh environments, in tank farms, pipe sections, water leak detection in data centers and buildings.

Corporation contact:

Jay Vieira, President, CEO

email: jay@fox-tek.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note regarding Forward-looking Statements

This news release includes certain information and forward-looking statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statement will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Corporation disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.
SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of their Global Water Treatment Equipment Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005376/en/

Global Water Treatment Equipment Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Photo: Business Wire)

A well-informed decision and a well-thought strategy do not only ensure an impressive revenue generation but are also functional in keeping your business immune from any potential fluctuation in the market. Built on this thought, this procurement report gives a composite picture of the water treatment equipment market and advises ways to adapt to an uneven phase of growth that the market has been predicted to undergo. While increasing establishment of water treatment plants by end-user sectors is promoting the demand for this market, the high lifespan of the water treatment equipment reduces the scopes of repeat purchases, thereby; resulting to a market slowdown. Request the free Sample and know more about the pros and cons while investing in this market.

This procurement report backs up its analysis of the market with real-time data of the nature of demand and supply of various water treatment plants and discusses on the factors that are posing as the major pain points for both the buyers and suppliers in the water treatment equipment market. Talk to our expertsif you are facing challenges in this market and get guidance to create a risk-free and a sustainable market strategy that is tailored to your business goal.

"Buyers stand a risk of incurring high upgrade costs if they seek to migrate from the conventional water treatment equipment to the advanced equipment. Therefore, they must engage with suppliers that have high re-engineering capabilities such as expertise in retrofitting existing equipment with PLC systems," says SpendEdge procurement expert Anil Seth.

This procurement report offers a set of best procurement practices that were concluded by SpendEdge's procurement experts who worked in close proximity to the brands who have successfully marked their footprint in the volatile water treatment equipment market:

Prefer suppliers that procure from industry-certified component vendors with a regional presence to ensure easy availability of high-quality spare parts during failure of components.

Engage with suppliers that have high expertise in re-engineering

Purchase the full report and get unrestricted access to the complete set of procurement practices and other fundamentals that can change the course of your business.

SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free

SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the facility management category offer information on category pricing strategies to help the buyers achieve significant cost-savings. The reports also offer information on supplier performance benchmarking criteria to help buyers reduce spend and establish better SLAs. Additionally, SpendEdge's reports offer insights into the sustainability and procurement best practices for the category.

Report scope snapshot: Water treatment equipment market

Category ecosystem

Market favorability index for suppliers

Competitiveness index for suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Interested to know more about the scope of our reports? Download a FREE sample

Category management enablers

Procurement organization

Category enablers

Want customized information? Get in touch

Category definition

Category hierarchy

Category scope

Category map

To view this report's table of contents, Download a FREE sample

Do you purchase multiple reports in a year? Our subscription platform, SpendEdge Insights, provides ready-to-use procurement research reports for multiple categories. Now access latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 14-day FREE trial now.

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Global Waste Management Equipment Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report

Global Floor Polisher Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report

About SpendEdge:

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005376/en/

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Consultant

US: +1 630 984 7340

UK: +44 148 459 9299

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us
XPO Logistics Adds Dynamic Counteroffer Functionality to

XPO Connect

Drive XPO app responds to carrier bids based on real-time supply and demand

GREENWICH, Conn. - October 24, 2018 - XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), a leading global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, today announced that its XPO Connect digital freight marketplace and Drive XPO mobile app have been expanded to add counteroffers to the online experience. The new functionality generates digital counteroffers to carrier bids that are not accepted, based on real-time market conditions. When a carrier agrees to a counteroffer, the freight is immediately visible in the driver's assigned loads.

Troy Cooper, president of XPO Logistics, said, "We're giving carriers more opportunities to serve our customers. Now, if a bid is above market pricing, the carrier gets a second chance at the load through the counteroffer feature in our Drive XPO app. This dynamic process takes place on our XPO Connect digital platform based on real-time supply and demand. Both shippers and carriers can benefit from XPO Connect's market intelligence."

XPO develops its technology within a proprietary, cloud-based ecosystem, supported by an annual investment of over $450 million. The XPO Connect marketplace uses multimodal, digital architecture to give shippers and carriers direct access to the company's transportation network and the predictive data that powers it. The Drive XPO mobile app interfaces with XPO Connect and is available for iOS and Android devices from the App Store and Google Play.

About XPO Logistics

XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) is a top ten global logistics provider of cutting-edge supply chain solutions to the most successful companies in the world. The company operates as a highly integrated network of people, technology and physical assets in 32 countries, with 1,505 locations and more than 97,000 employees. XPO uses its network to help more than 50,000 customers manage their goods more efficiently throughout their supply chains. XPO's corporate headquarters is in Greenwich, Conn., USA, and its European headquarters is in Lyon, France. www.xpo.com (http://www.xpo.com)

Forward-looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of United States federal securities law. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements set forth in this press release are qualified by factors that might cause or contribute to a material difference in actual results, as discussed in XPO's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and linked to the investor relations section of the company's website, www.xpo.com (http://www.xpo.com/), including: economic conditions generally; competition; XPO's ability to match its investments in equipment, service centers and warehouses with customer demand; XPO's ability to attract and retain key employees; and XPO's ability to develop and implement a suitable information technology system. Forward-looking statements set forth in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and XPO undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, changes in expectations or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.

Media Contact

XPO Logistics, Inc.

Erin Kurtz

+1 203-489-1586

erin.kurtz@xpo.com (mailto:erin.kurtz@xpo.com)





This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: XPO Logistics, Inc. via Globenewswire


24thOctober 2018

Redde plc ("the Company")

At the Annual General Meeting of the above named company, duly convened and held at the offices of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Adelaide House, London Bridge, London, EC4R 9HA on Wednesday 24thOctober 2018 at 10.00 a.m. the following resolutions were passed as to resolutions 1 to 8 (inclusive) as ordinary resolutions and as to resolutions 9 and 10 as special resolutions:

RESOLUTIONS

Resolution 1

To receive and adopt the financial statements for the financial year ended 30thJune 2018 and receive the Directors' and Auditors' reports.

Resolution 2

To declare a final dividend of 6.15 pence per ordinary share recommended by the directors.

Resolution 3

To re-elect Mark McCafferty as a director.

Resolution 4

To re-elect John Davies as a director.

Resolution 5

To re-elect Stephen Oakley as a director.

Resolution 6

To appoint KPMG LLP as auditors to the Company until the conclusion of the next general meeting of the Company at which accounts are laid.

Resolution 7

To authorise the directors to agree the auditor's remuneration.

Resolution 8

That the directors be generally and unconditionally authorised in accordance with section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act") to allot:

(a) shares in the Company or grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company up to an aggregate nominal amount of 101,330; and in addition

(b) equity securities of the Company (within the meaning of section 560 of the Act) in connection with an offer of such securities by way of a rights issue up to an aggregate nominal amount of 101,330

provided that this authority shall expire on 31 December 2019 or, if earlier, the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company but, in each case, so that the Company may, before such expiry, make an offer or agreement which would or might require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or convert securities into shares to be granted after such expiry and the directors may allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert securities into shares pursuant to such an offer or agreement as if this authority had not expired.

"rights issue" means an offer to:

(i) holders of ordinary shares in the capital of the Company in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to the respective number of ordinary shares held by them; and

(ii) holders of other equity securities if this is required by the rights of those securities or, if the directors consider it necessary, as permitted by the rights of those securities,

to subscribe for further securities by means of the issue of a renounceable letter (or other negotiable document) which may be traded for a period before payment for the securities is due, but subject in both cases to such exclusions or other arrangements as the directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter.

Resolution 9

That subject to and conditional on the passing of resolution number 8, the directors be empowered, pursuant to section 570 of the Act, to allot equity securities (within the meaning of section 560 of the Act) for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by resolution number 8 and/or where the allotment constitutes an allotment of equity securities by virtue of section 560(3) of the Act, in each case:

(a) in connection with an offer of such securities by way of a rights issue (as defined in resolution number 8); and

(b) (otherwise than pursuant to paragraph 9(a) above), up to an aggregate nominal amount of 30,399

as if section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment, such authority to expire on 31 December 2019 or, if earlier, the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company, save that the Company may, before such expiry, make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if this power had not expired.

Resolution 10

That the Company be generally and unconditionally authorised to make market purchases (within the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) of ordinary shares of 0.01 pence each in the capital of the Company on such terms and in such manner as the directors may from time to time determine, provided that:

(a) the maximum number of ordinary shares hereby authorised to be acquired is 30,399,035 representing approximately 10 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company;

(b) the minimum price (excluding expenses) which may be paid for any such ordinary share is 0.1 pence;

(c) the maximum price (excluding expenses) which may be paid for any such ordinary share is the higher of:

(i) an amount equal to 105 per cent. of the average market value of an ordinary share in the Company for the 5 business days prior to the day the purchase is made; and

(ii) the value of an ordinary share calculated on the basis of the higher of the price quoted for:

(A) the last independent trade of; and

(B) the highest current independent bid for,

any number of the Company's ordinary shares on the trading venue where the purchase is carried out; and

(d) the authority hereby conferred shall expire (unless previously renewed, varied or revoked) on 31 December 2019 or, if earlier, the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company (except in relation to the purchase of ordinary shares the contract for which was concluded before the expiry of this authority and which will or may be executed wholly or partly after such expiry).

CONTACT:

Name:Nick Tilley

Company Secretary

Telephone: 01225 321207

Date: 24thOctober 2018
PALM BEACH, Florida, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Financialnewsmedia.com News Commentary

Just as the legal cannabis industry has exploded in recent years, so too has a sector that revolves around the plant's non-psychoactive cousin: hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD). Hemp-derived CBD products continue to dominate the cannabis market as less legal restrictions allow for companies to expand new products to previously untapped consumer segments. The demand for hemp-based cannabidiol has skyrocketed, especially since a 2013 CNN report about the success in Colorado of Charlotte's Web, a CBD product that helped a young epileptic girl control her seizures. CBD is expected to become a billion dollar industry itself and could potentially eclipse the entire traditional cannabis market, according to analysts. The Hemp Business Journal projects the industry will generate annual revenues north of $1 billion by 2020. Active Companies from around the market with current developments this week include: Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC:MCOA), Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTC:MJNA), HEMP Inc. (OTC:HEMP), India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE:IGC), The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX-V:FIRE) (OTC:SPRWF).

Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTCPK:MCOA) BREAKING NEWS: Marijuana Company of America, an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, is pleased to announce that the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary hempSMART held its successful first South West Regional Event for its associates in Carlsbad, California on Monday October 22, 2018.

The event featured information regarding the Company's new platform rollout and compensation plan. The event also featured an in-depth discussion regarding product formulations and compliance which then concluded with instructions on how to start your own personal business, network, and how to maximize commissions for all hempSMART associates.

The all-day event gave associates the opportunity to meet and interact with the entire hempSMART staff including, CEO of MCOA, Donald Steinberg who discussed hempSMART's strategic global sales strategy moving forward and corporate strategy for the Company.

Donald Steinberg stated, "After months of hard work and development of our hempSMART brand I am proud to say that we have reached a tipping point. We have successfully launched the first of many regional events to be held across the country. Our CBD product brand (hempSMART) continues to grow rapidly and our Company looks forward to the international expansion of our brand in 2019."Read this and more news for MCOAat:http://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-mcoa/

In the industry developments and happenings in the market this week include:

Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCPK:MJNA) announced on Tuesday that its subsidiary HempMeds has garnered news coverage in leading international publication Men's Health. An Oct. 16, 2018, article on the Men's Health website entitled, "I Tried 3 CBD Supplements for Workout Recovery. Here's What Happened," discusses the benefits a reporter at the publication experienced using HempMeds Real Scientific Hemp Oil (RSHO) and HempMeds Active Relief Roll-On. In an effort to help readers better understand why they should consider using these products, the article also explains what cannabidiol (CBD) is and how it interacts with your body. "We are excited to have this glowing testimonial for our CBD roll-on product, especially since we just announced our new 50-milligram version of it," said HempMeds President Todd Morrow. "We trust this coverage will help us expand our reach and introduce consumers to the many wellness benefits of our products."

HEMP Inc. (OTCPK:HEMP) recently announced it is featured in an article by InvestorPlace ranking the company number 12 among the top 30 stocks to buy in the cannabis sector. InvestorPlace is an online publication that provides investors with specific, daily investing advice. The article highlights the huge potential for agricultural revenues from hemp and includes comments about Hemp, Inc.'s prospective growth as states continue to legalize hemp. The article, "30 Marijuana Stocks to Buy as the Future Turns Green," details the immense opportunity within the cannabis industry, highlighting the most promising investment opportunities. Though Hemp, Inc. is not a marijuana company but only deals with hemp, the editors decided to include it in the roundup due to the huge potential of the burgeoning hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) market. The article also highlights the changing public opinion on hemp, noting that the highly-conservative state of Oklahoma recently became the 37th to legalize industrial hemp production.

India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE:IGC) recently announced that it has filed a provisional method and composition patent application (IGC-509) with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the treatment of fatigue and energy restoration. The filing is for a provisional patent and no assurance can be given as to whether or when a registered patent may be granted by the USPTO in the future. This patent filing made on October 4, 2018, is one of a series of steps in the Company's development and commercialization plan to support the creation of a branded, hemp/CBD sugar-free energy drink, which was previously disclosed by the Company on September 25, 2018.

The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX-V:FIRE.V) (OTCQX:SPRWF) recently announced its 7Acres subsidiary has entered into a supply agreement with Tilray Inc. subsidiary Tilray Canada. Under the 12-month agreement starting Oct. 1, which is estimated to have a value of C$12 million ($9.3 million), 7Acres will provide dried cannabis to Tilray Canada to be used primarily to support medical cannabis patients in Canada. "We are happy to provide 7ACRES premium products alongside Tilray's well-regarded and existing lineup to support medical patients around the world," said Supreme Cannabis Chief Executive John Fowler. Supreme Cannabis shares have rallied 37% over the past three months, while the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF has climbed 31% and the S&P 500 has gained 7.1%.



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This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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Logz.io Security Analytics Combines Operations and Security into one Simple, Open Source Based Platform for Easier and Faster Mitigation



BOSTON and TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 24, 2018, the leader in AI-powered log analysis, releases the first robust security application built on the open source ELK Stack, bringing powerful and scalable security monitoring and analysis directly into the DevOps workflow. The new security application, Logz.io Security Analytics, is fully scalable and easily integrates with core DevOps and security tools such as Kubernetes, AWS, Wazuh and more making it the only security application designed specifically for cloud and DevOps environments.

Combining enterprise-grade log analytics with artificial intelligence, Logz.io Security Analytics offers easy setup and seamless integration, preconfigured correlation rules, advanced threat intelligence and anomaly detection to help Engineering teams and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) identify and remediate threats faster. Unlike legacy SIEM and security solutions which are complex, expensive, and lack analytical sophistication, Logz.io security analytics is simple, easy to deploy, and integrates seamlessly into DevOps processes and methodologies.

The recent successful IPO from Elastic is clear evidence of the market adoption and continued growth potential of the ELK stack. The Continuous Operations platform from Logz.io leverages the openness and universal understanding of Elasticsearch and Kibana but adds cloud-native scalability and the features engineers need to do their jobs more effectively. The Logz.io Security Analytics app extends this value further to enable continual operations management for security and operations across all application lifecycle stages using the same platform and the same data.

"The ELK Stack is the world's most popular open source logging and monitoring platform and we see increased adoption for security use cases as well", says Logz.io CEO, Tomer Levy, "However, just as the ELK Stack lacks certain core components needed for effective operations, it also lacks robust security-specific features such as threat intelligence, a rule engine, AI, and integrations into security data sources. Logz.io Security Analytics brings these much-needed security features to the ELK Stack, enabling a fully proficient open source-based security solution."

Logz.io offers a platform compatible with ELK that provides advanced security features such as:

Threat intelligence

Advanced machine learning to identify and mitigate security threats

A powerful correlation engine featuring hundreds of security rules

Extendable retention

Anomaly detection

"The more you use Logz.io, the more you realize that it is much more than just a log analytics tool," said Moty Yacov, CISO at NexTraiana. "We use the platform in our Security Operations Center (SOC) and have found it extremely useful for connecting the dots between different types of logs. Using Logz.io's AI-powered Insights, we've managed to automatically identify patterns within the data that we had previously missed. Logz.io has proven to be well-suited for an enterprise deployment such as ours -- reliable and feature-rich, with performance unaffected no matter how much data we've thrown at it."

Logz.io Security Analytics brings simplicity to a complex security space. The application is also compliant with PCI-1, SOC-2 Type 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and ISO-27001, making it ideal for enterprise customers. To learn more about Logz.io or to start a free trial, visit https://logz.io.

About Logz.io

Logz.io provides a Continuous Operations platform for engineering and security teams that combines an enterprise-grade ELK Stack with advanced machine learning. Logz.io offers seamless integration, automatic scalability, and sophisticated analytics in a unified platform for operations and security to help organizations detect and resolve incidents more easily.

Contact: Lauren Sirt

Lauren@logz.io
Pharmaceutical service provider relies on expanded capacities, modular production and modern analytics

Pens and autoinjectors make self-medication easier in the everyday life of patients

Modular use of semi-automatic and fully automatic machines increases flexibility

Vetter sets new standards with modern analytics and know-how

Vetter is a leading solution provider of prefilled drug-delivery systems and a specialist for a wide range of packaging solutions. In addition to labelling, blister packing, cartoning as well as serialization, the company offersits customers further technically sophisticated packaging solutions such as the assembly of pens, auto-injectors and safety devices.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005519/en/

Secondary packaging line at the Ravensburg Sued site with an abundance of Vetter know-how and high-tech solutions. Picture source: Vetter Pharma International GmbH (Photo: Business Wire)

Because they facilitate self-medication for many users, the demand for these systems is continuously increasing. For example, diabetes patients benefit from the ease of handling and exact dosage during application. Vetter includes the production of these user-friendly and secure but complex packaging solutions among its core competencies. Due to its many years of experience and expert knowledge of its staff, the company is at the position to meet the different requirements that authorities, customers and patients demand in a product. "Thanks to the modular use of manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic machines, we are able to individually package anything from small clinical to large commercial quantities and, therefore, react flexibly to changing customer structures and requirements", said Bernd Stauss, Senior Vice President Production and Engineering.

At the Ravensburg site, various syringes, cartridges and vials, some with highly complex requirements, are currently packed on state-of-the-art lines. In addition to the existing area of approximately 6000 m2, an additional 2900 m2 will be available in a new building by 2020, enabling continued flexible planning of secondary packaging well into the future.

The extension also includes investments in modern testing and analysis methods. In addition to standard release and stability tests, e.g. syringes with a needle shield, the pharmaceutical service provider will be at the positionto offer its customers even more extensive tests for autoinjectors beginning in March 2019. This development was achieved through the efforts of a team of specialized engineers that worked on the development of a testing machine, enabling application simulations and digital documentation on auto-injectors. Vetter is setting a new standard for testing machines for autoinjectors in the pharmaceutical industry. "State-of-the-art technologies and extensive know-how are bundled at Vetter. In this way, we create real value for our customers high quality, compliance with regulatory requirements and user-friendly administration systems", explained Wolfgang Weikmann, Senior Vice President Quality.

This high level of quality is well received by customers. The ever-increasing demand means that Vetter will continue to expand its offering for complete solutions in the future and contribute with user-friendly solutions for patient safety, as well as convenience and compliance.

About Vetter

Headquartered in Ravensburg, Germany, Vetter is a global leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with production facilities in Germany and the United States. Currently employing 4,400 individuals worldwide, the company has long-term experience in supporting biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers both large and small. Vetter services range from early stage development support including clinical manufacturing, to commercial supply and numerous packaging solutions for vials, syringes and cartridges. As a leading solution provider, Vetter appreciates its responsibility to support the needs of its customers by developing devices that contribute to increased patient safety, convenience, and enhanced compliance. Great importance is also given to social responsibilityincluding environmental protection and sustainability. Learn more about Vetter at www.vetter-pharma.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005519/en/

Contacts:

Vetter Pharma International GmbH

Markus Kirchner

Corporate Spokesperson Media Relations

Phone: +49 (0)751-3700-3729

E-mail: PRnews@vetter-pharma.com
Vendavo, a leading provider of commercial excellence solutions, announced today that United States District Court for the Northern District of California has, for the third consecutive time, denied Price f(x)'s Motions to Dismiss in the patent infringement litigation initiated by Vendavo, thereby allowing the Vendavo lawsuit against the company to proceed.

The most recent Motions to Dismiss attempted to move the litigation to the Czech Republic and remove the patents from the litigation. The court denied both requests in their entirety.

Vendavo's suit alleges Price f(x) has misappropriated Vendavo trade secrets, is unfairly competing with Vendavo in the marketplace and infringes on Vendavo copyrights, as well as U.S. Patent Nos. 8,396,814; 7,640,198; 7,308,421; 8,412,598; 7,912,792. The litigation was first filed in December 2017.

Vendavo is pleased that the court has once again denied Price f(x)'s attempts to dismiss the litigation with the court's ruling and is confident with the case moving forward that the truth will be exposed.

"A significant amount of roadblocks were thrown up and, due to the strength of our case, we were able to defeat them," said Bruno Slosse, Vendavo President and CEO. "This tactic delayed the case and cost both sides unnecessary time and money. We have an obligation to our shareholders and to our customers to ensure that their investments in our intellectual property are protected. While we welcome fair competition, we cannot tolerate theft of our world-class commercial excellence solutions that we have spent decades developing."

About Vendavo

Vendavo powers the shift to digital business for the world's most demanding B2B companies, unlocking value, growing margin and accelerating revenue. With the Vendavo Commercial Excellence platform, companies develop dynamic customer insights and optimal pricing strategies that maximize margin, boost sales effectiveness and improve customer experience. With an annual margin improvement totaling more than $2.5 billion across companies in chemicals, distribution, high-tech and manufacturing, Vendavo delivers cutting-edge analytics and deep industry expertise that help companies stay one step ahead. Vendavo is headquartered in Denver, CO and has offices around the globe. Learn more at Vendavo.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005273/en/

Contacts:

Kimberly Communications

Kimberly Boeckenstedt

319.389.6953

kb@kimberlycommunications.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2018) - Fjordland Exploration Inc. (TSXV: FEX) ("Fjordland") and project partners Commander Resources Ltd. (TSXV: CMD) ("Commander") and privately-owned High Power Exploration Inc. are pleased to provide results from the recent drilling at their South Voisey's Bay nickel-copper-cobalt project (the "SVB Property") located 80 kilometres south of Vale's Voisey's Bay nickel mine in Labrador, Canada. The exploration program was completed in August 2018 and comprised 1,253.2 metres of drilling in 11 holes along with property wide geological mapping.

The 2018 drilling program was designed to test the role of structure in controlling magma emplacement, and sulphide accumulation. Several drill holes were selected to test conductive structures interpreted from reprocessing of historical geophysical data that occur close to structures interpreted from satellite images and geological mapping. Overall results were low with higher grades being associated with basal accumulations of sulphides over narrow thicknesses, with the best results summarized below in Table 1. The intersections comprise clots and semi-massive sulphide comprised primarily of pyrrhotite with minor pentlandite and chalcopyrite occurring at or near the base of gabbro sills. Hole locations are provided in Table 2 at the end of this release. Sections and plans will be posted to the Company website. Reported core lengths are estimated to be true widths.

Table 1: Results

Hole-ID From (m) To (m) Interval ppm Cu ppm Ni ppm Co FL18-10 32.00 36.00 4.00 1231 1748 122 FL18-11b 43.00 52.97 9.97 1160 1413 130 FL18-16 26.65 31.00 4.35 1622 3300 656

Geological and structural mapping and property-wide prospecting programs were also completed during the 2018 field operation. Mapping was performed within key target areas to refine 2018 drill targets, as well as on a property wide scale to identify and constrain structures like those known to control emplacement of magmatic sulphides in the vicinity of the Voisey's Bay mine. Results from preliminary structural data analysis identified the presence of previously undocumented NE-SW ductile shear zones and late brittle fault systems that cross-cut foliation in the Tasiuyak paragneiss that appear to be associated with the emplacement of the Pants Lake Intrusive suite. Further structural mapping is required to better understand the distribution, character and kinematics of these features and verify their role in controlling the geometry of emplacement for the gabbroic rocks of the PLI that host magmatic sulphide mineralization.

Discussion

The 29,400 ha South Voisey's Bay property covers most of the Pants Lake Gabbro Complex. The Pants Lake Complex is comprised of several gabbro phases that are similar to ore hosting gabbro at the nearby Voisey's Bay nickel mine. Drilling was centred on modeled conductors derived from re-processed historical UTEM-3 surveys conducted in 2002 and 2014 and incorporating current geological concepts being successfully applied at the Voisey's Bay Mine wherein structure plays an important ore control role and where massive sulphide accumulations may also occur in wall rock structures. Results to date have encountered several stacked Gabbro sills that are comprised of multiple magma pulses. A feeder system that would link these sills to a deeper source chamber has not been not yet been recognised. The geological information from drilling and preliminary mapping will guide the refinement of the intrusion history through classification and quantifying of gabbro breccias that will resolve magma pathways and high priority feeders. This work, to be completed this winter, will guide field programs in 2019.

Richard Atkinson, CEO of Fjordland stated that "While we did not achieve any economic intersections, we have a much better understanding of the role of geological structure in the project, which gives new avenues for exploration next year."

Work completed at the South Voisey's Bay property this summer has been registered and is being assisted by a Grant from the Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Work was completed under the 2018 Guidelines of the JEA Program. The Company thanks the government of Newfoundland and Labrador for this assistance.

Fjordland currently owns a 35% interest in the SVB Property and may acquire up to a 100% interest by paying Commander combined cash payments of $290,000 ($10,000 paid), completing $8.0 million in exploration expenditures (approximately $2,500,000 spent to date) and issuing to Commander an aggregate of 4.5 million shares of Fjordland (450,000 shares issued) (see Fjordland's news release dated June 5, 2017 for details). Upon Fjordland acquiring a 100% interest in the project, Commander will retain a 2% NSR (Fjordland having the right to buy down 50% of the Royalty for a payment of $5,000,000 as a cash payment, or a cash payment equal $2,500,000 plus the issuance of shares having a fair market value of 50% of the buy down amount). Commander will receive a $10.0 million advance royalty payment at the commencement of commercial production. An affiliate of High Power Exploration owns approximately 30% of Fjordland and has entered into a separate funding agreement with Fjordland to provide up to $7.4 million in expenditures and $290,000 in property payments, following which Fjordland has agreed to assign them a 65% project interest (see Fjordland's news release dated August 28, 2017 for details). Separately Fjordland has entered into three option agreements with landholders internal to the larger Commander claim block including properties held by Vulcan Minerals Inc., Unity Resources Inc., and a consortium of private owners. One hole, FL18-15 was completed on the Vulcan option.

QA/QC

Drill core was NTQ with recoveries typically above 90 per cent. After drilling, the core is logged for geology, structure and geotechnical characteristics, marked up for sampling, and photographed on site. The cores for analyses are marked for sampling based on geological intervals with individual samples 1.0 m or less in length. The core was cut in half lengthwise, with a rock saw on site. One half-core is stored on site for future reference. The other with half-core was bagged in individual plastic bags along with ID tag and sealed. The individual plastic sample bags were then placed into rice bags labelled with sample ID's for all enclosed samples (typically 3 to 5 samples per rice bag before sealing the bag with packing tape. The rice bags were shipped by commercial carrier to Eastern Analytical Ltd, Springdale NL. for assaying. A QA/QC program, including insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates with regular samples was under the supervision of Gary Thompson, P.Geo.

Upon arrival at Eastern Analytical rice bags and sample bags were inspected for tampering or damage during transportation. The samples were dried and then crushed to 80% -10mesh, and a 250g split is then pulverized to 95% 150mesh. A 200 mg subsample is then dissolved in four acids and analyzed by ICP-OES for 34 elements. Samples with significant Ni, Cu or Co were re-analyzed by atomic absorption following a three-acid digestion. Eastern Analytical is an ISO17025 certified laboratory. On site supervision was by Dawn Evans-Lamswood, P, Geo.

Table 2: Drill hole locations

Hole ID Easting Northing EOH_m Azimuth Dip FL18-09 567699 6148796 141.2 170 -50 FL18-10 563199 6151253 176.1 180 -55 FL18-11A 563396 6151488 26.9 320 -65 FL18-11B 563396 6151488 179.2 320 -65 FL18-12A 564423 6151939 53.3 160 -50 FL18-12B 564423 6151939 129.0 160 -50 FL18-13 570330 6142443 145.6 140 -50 FL18-14 568508 6142861 167.0 180 -85 FL18-15 566609 6149874 51.1 185 -75 FL18-16 565324 6151868 78.0 170 -65 FL18-17 565349 6151753 106.0 180 -85 TOTAL



1253.2





Victor A. Tanaka, P. Geo. is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and takes responsibility for the technical aspects of this release.

About Fjordland Exploration Inc.

Fjordland Exploration Inc. is a mineral exploration company that is focused on the discovery of large scale potentially economic deposits located in Canada. For further information visit Fjordland's website at www.fjordlandex.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Richard C. Atkinson"

Richard C. Atkinson, P.Eng.

President & CEO

For further information, please call:

FJORDLAND EXPLORATION INC.

Richard C. Atkinson, President and CEO

1-604-805-3232

info@fjordlandex.com

www.fjordlandex.com

Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information. These 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 the completion of planned expenditures, the ability to complete exploration programs on schedule and the success of exploration programs.

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Regulatory News

Ontex Group NV, a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care, will release its results for the three and nine months ended 30 September 2018 at 6:00 am GMT 7:00 am CET on Wednesday, 7 November 2018

The press release and presentation announcement will be available on the Company's website: http://www.ontexglobal.com/financial-reports.

Management will host a conference call for investors and analysts on Wednesday, 7 November 2018 at 8:00 am GMT 9:00 am CET. A replay of the conference call will also be available for one week afterwards.

Dial-in information

Please dial in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time to register your attendance. Dial-in numbers for the call are as follows:

United Kingdom +44 (0)330 336 9127 United States +1 323 994 2093 Belgium +32 (0)2 404 0659 France +33 (0)1 76 77 22 88 Germany +49 (0)69 2222 25574 Passcode 8636712

Replay numbers

United Kingdom +44 (0) 207 660 0134 United States +1 719 457 0820 Belgium +32 (0) 2 620 0568 France +33 (0) 1 70 48 00 94 Germany +49 (0) 69 2000 1800 Passcode 8636712

About Ontex

Ontex is a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care. Ontex's innovative products are distributed in more than 110 countries through Ontex brands such as BBTips, BioBaby, Pompom, Bigfral, Canbebe, Canped, ID and Serenity, as well as leading retailer brands.

Employing 11,000 passionate people all over the world, Ontex has a presence in 22 countries, with its headquarters in Aalst, Belgium. Ontex is part of the Bel20 and STOXX Europe 600.

To keep up with the latest news, visit www.ontexglobal.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005552/en/

Contacts:

Ontex

PRESS ENQUIRIES

Gaelle Vilatte

+32 53 333 708

gaelle.vilatte@ontexglobal.com

or

INVESTOR ENQUIRIES

Philip Ludwig

+32 53 333 730

investorrelations@ontexglobal.com
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2018) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today released the agenda for the Oct. 29 meeting of the Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee meeting. The Commission established the advisory committee to provide a formal mechanism through which the Commission can receive advice and recommendations on fixed income market structure issues.

The meeting will be held at the SEC's headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., and is open to the public. The meeting will be webcast live on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and will be archived on the website for later viewing.

Members of the public who wish to provide their views on the matters to be considered by the Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee may submit comments either electronically or on paper, as described below. Please submit comments using one method only. Information that is submitted will become part of the public record of the meeting.

Electronic submissions:

Use the SEC's Internet submission form or send an e-mail to rule-comments@sec.gov.

Paper submissions:

Send paper submissions in triplicate to Brent Fields, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number 265-30, and the file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used.

* * *

Agenda

October 29, 2018

9:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks

10 a.m. Draft Recommendations on ETF Classification and Education and Data

11:15 a.m. Break

11:30 a.m. Draft Recommendation on Collection and Dissemination of Reference Data

Fred Demesy, Refinitiv

Spencer Gallagher, ICE Data Services

Bob LoBue, JP Morgan

Ola Persson, FINRA

Alex Sedgwick, T. Rowe Price

12:45 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 p.m. Corporate Bond Transparency Subcommittee Update

1:45 p.m. Municipal Securities Transparency Subcommittee Update and Presentation of Pre-Trade Transparency Analysis

Simon Wu, MSRB

2:15 p.m. Corporate Credit Markets: The Role of Credit Ratings in a Higher Leverage World

Eric Beinstein, JP Morgan

John Bender, Legal and General Investment Management America

Daniel Gates, Moody's Investors Service

Brian Kennedy, Loomis Sayles

Jim Nadler, Kroll Bond Rating Agency

Tom Murphy, Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Craig Parmelee, S&P Global

Adam Richmond, Morgan Stanley

3:45 p.m. Future Topics for Committee Consideration

4:15 p.m. Adjournment
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK: FDIT) a Nevada Corporation offers insight into how Findit is becoming a popular platform among social media influencers.

User engagement with brands on Instagram is 10x higher than on Facebook and over 8x higher than on Twitter. 80% of influencers prefer to collaborate on Instagram as opposed to other platforms. 65% of the top-performing Instagram posts feature products.

What these stats tell us, is that Instagram is popular, effective, and has a well-designed synergy between brands, influencers, and general users. However, any marketer knows how critical it is to have a multi-channel approach. If one channel fails, your account is blocked, or your content isn't well-suited for it, it's unwise to put all of your eggs in one basket.

If you've been on Instagram, you've probably seen 'influencers' - people with large followings - posting pictures of themselves in Santorini, Ibiza, Dubai, Bali, and other exotic locations. But their next destination isn't physical. These social media-savvy influencers are looking to other platforms to expand their reach. They understand that social media has a shelf-life (though it appears Instagram has real staying power) and that diversifying your channels, diversifies the audiences you can reach.

Follow Calvin Corzine aka calvmonster on Findit at: https://www.findit.com/calvmonster/RightNow

Findit is emerging as a winner in the search for effective new channels for influencers to expand their reach. The social media content management platform can provide an alternative to traditional social media platforms, but more importantly, many influencers are finding it's the dream complementary piece their strategies were missing.

Peter Tosto of Findit stated, 'It's important that we push ourselves at Findit to create a platform that is incredibly results oriented. Findit is designed to give people a turn-key solution for managing all the content they want shared socially and indexed in search engines. Influencers, business owners, universities, hollywood celebrities and individuals are all looking for the next new new thing and Findit is that. We are the new new thing. Our task now, is to let everyone out there know we are here and our platform is sustainable. We are giving our members a place to post all of the content they want indexed inside of Findit while keeping it an open platform so it can be indexed in Google, and shared to other social networking sites, that include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others while not selling their data. All of these other social networking sites require you to login to view the content. Findit does not. So as an influencer, think about that. With Findit, you are going to reach people that are not following you and not only reach them they can still share your posts to their followers and friends without having to follow or friend you. Now that can be very cost effective. Look at Regan Patterson and Calvin Corzine. They have over 20,0000 and 30,000 followers on Instagram. That is not as many as Kendall Jenner who is at 96.8 million but even she can reach more people being on Findit. How many people do not have Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter accounts that are locked out of this world? With Findit, in a sense, we have open borders, where anyone can come in and see what you are posting. This is where we see our growth coming from - the open platform, the right to share content from our site to other sites and the fact that we are not selling off people's personal data."

Follow Regan Patterson on Findit at: https://www.findit.com/reganpatterson/RightNow

For one, all of the articles, status updates, and any other content posted on Findit can be shared directly to Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites with a click of a button. Secondly, Findit does something unique: It essentially functions as a de-facto website for its members. Developing a quality website can cost thousands of dollars. If an influencer chooses to purchase their own URL on Findit, they spare themselves a major expense and can pump the thousands they saved directly into marketing their personal brand.

If Instagram is the short-game, Findit is the long-game for these influencers. As Instagram drives day-to-day results, Findit is built to give members exposure online through organic search results, that do not go away.

Findit (FDIT) share structure is available at: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/FDIT/security

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.

Source:

InflunecerMarktingHub https://influencermarketinghub.com/5-influencer-marketing-platforms-instagram/



Sproutsocial https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/



Sproutsocial https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/

Contact:

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Achievements in social and environmental initiatives featured in new CR Report

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With its commitments to alcohol responsibility, disaster relief efforts, women's empowerment, and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and water usage, Bacardi Limited solidified its position as a socially and environmentally responsible leader, as demonstrated in the company's 2018 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report. As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, and in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Bacardi's CR efforts are fueled by its expanded "Good Spirited" platform.

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"Being Good Spirited means being responsible in every aspect of our business. This extends across all our offices and manufacturing sites, from how we source our ingredients and the quality of materials used to make our products, to the ways we market our brands only to adults who choose to drink, to our commitment to support and care for our employees and the communities in which we live and work," says Rick Wilson, senior vice president of Corporate Responsibility for family-owned Bacardi. "Our family values make us a globally conscious and responsible company."

2017 represented the last year for reporting on the Producers' Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking. During this timeframe, Bacardi, often in partnership with others in the industry and through country-level associations, implemented 44 responsible drinking education programs in 16 countries, and reached nearly four million individuals with underage drinking prevention education. While the five-year initiative has concluded, Bacardi remains committed to continuing the spirit of the five commitments and the 10 action areas, including finalizing new, responsible, and robust industry standards to ensure its digital advertising only targets adults of legal drinking age who choose to drink.

By prioritizing environmentally sustainable practices, Bacardi reduced greenhouse gas emissions intensity 59% over the last 12 years, and improved overall water use efficiency 50% as compared to its 2006 baseline. In addition, less than 1% of waste was sent to landfill in fiscal year 2018, with 11 manufacturing sites achieving Zero-Waste-to-Landfill. It also proudly sources sugarcane-derived products for BACARDI rum in a responsible way - 86% certified by international sustainability nonprofit Bonsucro - and remains committed to eliminating one billion single-use plastic straws by 2020 through its recent collaboration with the Lonely Whale.

In December 2017, the company committed to providing consumers nutritional information about its products, with the launch of its nutrition pages on www.BacardiLimited.com, with plans to continue adding products and global markets to its current lineup.

Along with being certified as a Great Place to Work in the United States, Bacardi was also named among Forbes 2018 World's Most Reputable Companies for the sixth consecutive time, as part of the annual Global RepTrak 100 list compiled by the Reputation Institute.

Bacardi continues to invest in its people. Its Women in Leadership program is a company-wide initiative to unleash the potential of current and future female leaders at Bacardi to drive sustainable top and bottom line business growth. A mentoring program for junior employees was expanded to Eastern Europe, and the company increased its support for the S.H.E. Summit in North America. It also kicked off its Spirit Forward program to support women in the hospitality industry. At the end of fiscal year 2018, Bacardi had 36% of leadership positions held by women.

To give back to those in need following the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, Bacardi Limited and the Bacardi family committed US$3 million to disaster relief in Puerto Rico and other areas affected by natural disasters, supporting multiple organizations providing relief services and organizing efforts to support those directly impacted. The Bacardi "Emergency Stop & Go" centers and mobile caravans provided distribution of food, water, and critical supplies throughout Puerto Rico. Bacardi remains committed to long-term recovery in Puerto Rico and other areas through its tourism recovery program in partnership with global humanitarian organization, Mercy Corps. Throughout fiscal year 2018, 38 Bacardi offices in 29 countries held volunteer activities to give back to local communities, as part of its annual CR Month initiative.

"On behalf of the more than 7,000 Bacardi employees, we are proud of our efforts this past year and look forward to what the future holds in our Good Spirited endeavors," said Mahesh Madhavan, CEO of Bacardi Limited. "As important as it was to our founder more than 156 years ago, Good Spirited runs through our veins. Being a responsible business has long been a mark of distinction of Bacardi, based on a foundation of strong corporate governance, ethics, and CR programs. The company remains committed to be a leader in corporate responsibility in the spirits industry, and we will build upon current initiatives to continue to raise the bar across all aspects of over business moving forward."

To read more about Corporate Responsibility within Bacardi, check out the complete FY18 Corporate Responsibility Report, which encompasses April 1, 2017 - March 31, 2018, online at www.BacardiLimited.com.

About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI rum, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRON tequila, DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF vodka.

Founded more than 156 years ago, in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, family-owned Bacardi currently employs more than 7,000, operates more than 20 production facilities, including bottling, distilling and manufacturing sites in 11 countries, and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow @BacardiLimited.





Media Contact

Abril Barba, for Bacardi Limited, 305-347-4345, Abril.Barba@bm.com

Enjoy Responsibly.

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Paris, 24 October 2018 - 17h35

Coface results at 30 September 2018:

Coface reports a solid performance confirming the relevance of its strategy and launches additional 15m share buyback programme

Turnover: 1,036m, up 4.0% at constant scope and FX

- Q3-2018 up 8.0% vs. Q3-2017 and 4.7% excluding one-off adjustments2

- Growth in credit insurance driven by strong customer activity and record retention

- Controlled development of commercial underwriting

Net loss ratio at 45.0% at 9M-2018, an improvement of 9.4 ppts; net combined ratio at 79.0%

- Net loss ratio at 48.5% in Q3-2018 (44.4% at constant exchange rates), thanks to controlled risk monitoring and favourable development of previous claims

-Net cost ratio at 34.0% compared to 35.4% in 9M-2017 driven by tight cost control and revenue growth

- Net combined ratio of 82.8% in Q3-2018, reflecting progressive normalisation of the risk environment in the third quarter

Net income (group share) of 98.2m; of which 35.4m in Q3-2018

- Q3-2018 includes a positive FX impact of 5m and continued favourable recoveries

Annualised RoATE1 at 8.2%

- 30m share buyback programme completed. The repurchased shares will be cancelled in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors on 24 October 2018

- Launch of an additional share buyback for a total target amount of 15m before February 2019

Continuing to execute Fit to Win strategic plan

- Agreement signed to acquire PKZ, Slovenia's leading credit insurer

- Announcement of a strategic partnership with Tradeshift

- Work continues on partial internal model project. Coface continues to monitor potential evolution of the standard formula

- Coface North America obtained an IFS rating of "A (Excellent)" from AM Best

- Coface awarded "Prime" status by ISS-Oekom for its Environmental, Social & Governance performance

Unless otherwise indicated, the changes are expressed in comparison with the results as at 30 September 2017.

1 RoATE = Average return on tangible equity | 2 One-off adjustment of 10.7m

Xavier Durand, Coface's Chief Executive Officer, said:

"More than ever Coface believes Fit to Win is the right strategy and continues to implement the plan with determination. Our ambition to become the most agile global credit insurer is particularly fitting in the current risk environment, which continuous to normalise progressively. Political uncertainty, mainly in Europe; indisputable pressures on the distribution sector; and the challenge to free trade are growing, increasing the level of risk in the economy.

The results of the first nine months of the year confirm Coface's ability to execute, with a net income of 98.2m and a RoATE of 8.2%.

Confident in the strength of our balance sheet and in line with the second pillar of Fit to Win, Coface will launch an additional share buyback for a target amount of 15m. This programme does not affect Coface's ability to finance its growth, be it organic or external, as shown by the proposed acquisition of PKZ. Finally, the strategic agreement with Tradeshift shows our ability to work with leaders in the digitalrevolution."

Key figures at 30 September 2018

The Board of Directors of COFACE SA examined the consolidated financial statements at 30 September 2018 at its meeting of 24 October 2018.

They were also previously reviewed by the Audit Committee at its meeting on 23 October 2018.

Income statement items in m 9M-2017 9M-2018 % %

ex. FX Gross earned premiums 837.2 852.9 +1.9% +4.8% Services revenue 184.0 182.8 (0.7)% +0.3% REVENUE 1,021.2 1,035.7 +1.4% +4.0% UNDERWRITING INCOME/LOSS AFTER REINSURANCE 55.8 122.8 x2.2 x2.1 Investment income, net of management expenses 44.7 42.5 (5.0)% +18.3% CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 100.5 165.3 x1.6 x1.7 Other operating income / expenses (2.3) (1.8) x0.8 N.A OPERATING INCOME 98.2 163.4 x1.7 x1.7 NET INCOME 55.0 98.2 x1.8 x1.9 Key ratios 9M-2017 9M-2018 % %

ex. FX Loss ratio net of reinsurance 54.4% 45.0% (9.4) ppts. Cost ratio net of reinsurance 35.4% 34.0% (1.4) ppt. COMBINED RATIO NET OF REINSURANCE 89.8% 79.0% (10.8) ppts. Balance sheet items in m 2017 9M-2018 % Total Equity (group share) 1,802.6 1,804.6 +0.1%

Turnover

Coface recorded consolidated turnover of 1,035.7m for the first nine months of the year, up 4.0% at constant exchange rates compared to 30 September 2017. On a reported basis (at current exchange rates), revenue increased by +1.4% due to the strengthening of the euro against the other currencies in which the Group operates.

In line with the trends of previous quarters, the growth in Coface's customer business had a positive impact of +4.8% over the first nine months of the year. The price decline remains controlled at (1.4)%, reflecting good commercial control and the start of re-pricing in the riskiest markets.

The retention rate is high in most regions and reached a record level of 92.1% for the Group. New business totalled 88m, down 14m from 9M-2017, in line with a controlled underwriting policy. The third quarter is still in decline compared to the previous year, but at a slower rate than that seen in the first half.

Insurance revenues (including Bonding and Single Risk) grew by +4.8% at constant scope and exchange rates compared to 9M-2017 (up +1.9% at current exchange rates), thanks to the return to growth in mature markets on the back of growth in our clients' business and a high level of contract retention. In emerging markets, contract portfolios stabilised.

Revenues from other activities (Factoring and Services) were down (3.9)% vs. 9M-2017 due to lower factoring revenues in Germany in a context of margin control, offset by good growth in service revenues.

Total revenue - cumulated - in m 9M-2017 9M-2018 % %

ex. FX Northern Europe 229.7 228.3 (0.6)% (0.6)% Western Europe 211.0 212.8 +0.8% +1.5% Central & Eastern Europe 93.7 100.8 +7.5% +8.7% Mediterranean & Africa 259.6 276.8 +6.6% +8.3% North America 92.4 94.4 +2.1% +8.9% Latin America 59.7 51.5 (13.8)% +0.4% Asia Pacific 75.1 71.1 (5.3)% +0.8% Total Group 1,021.2 1,035.7 +1.4% +4.0%

In the Northern Europe region, revenue decreased by (0.6)% (on a current basis and at constant exchange rates), mainly due to lower factoring revenues. Credit insurance revenues increased by +1.9% due to the impact of policyholder activity and a good level of retention.

In Western Europe, revenue increased by +0.8% and by +1.5% at constant exchange rates thanks, on the one hand, to the activity of our customers and, on the other hand, to record retention for the Group.

In Central and Eastern Europe, revenue grew by +7.5% and by +8.7% at constant exchange rates. All countries in the region contributed to this performance, which benefited from the growth in our customers' revenues and record retention. Factoring revenues were also up in Poland.

In the Mediterranean and Africa region, driven by Italy and Spain, turnover rose by +6.6% and +8.3% at constant exchange rates, thanks to good sales momentum and growth in policyholders' business.

In North America, revenue increased by +2.1% as reported and by +8.9% at constant exchange rates. The Group has now stabilised its portfolio and the signing of major contracts explains the significant growth in revenue.

In emerging markets, where the risk environment is less favourable, the growth rate is lower. Turnover in the Asia-Pacific region decreased by (5.3)% on a current basis and increased slightly by +0.8% at constant exchange rates. Customer activity is increasing and the region has recorded a strong improvement in its sales performance. However, these positive trends are offset by high premium refunds (low claims experience) and low Single Risk sales.

In Latin America, revenue decreased by (13.8)% on a current basis and was almost stable at +0.4% at constant exchange rates due to the recording of premium rebates. This decrease comes against a backdrop of prudent risk management (currency turbulence).

Result

- Combined ratio

The combined ratio net of reinsurance was 79.0% for the first nine months of the year (a 10.8 points decrease year-on-year). The combined ratio net of reinsurance for Q3-2018 was 82.8%, reflecting continuing progressive normalisation of losses.

(i) Loss ratio

The gross reinsurance loss ratio stood at 43.8% for the first nine months of 2018, an improvement of 8.0 points compared to the previous year. In Q3-2018, the gross loss ratio was slightly higher than in the previous quarter (46.5% in Q3-2018 vs. 45.0% in Q2-2018), mainly due to an unfavourable exchange rate effect (revaluation of liabilities in local currencies), a phenomenon more than offset by a gain recorded in financial income. Excluding this effect, the gross loss ratio would have been 43.6% for the quarter.

The Group's provisioning policy remains unchanged. The rigorous management of past claims enabled the Group to record 33.2 points of recoveries over prior years. These levels remain well above the historical average. They are supported in particular by good recoveries on two major claims recorded in previous years. A portion of these recoveries has been provisioned again in the current year because the companies concerned, to which the Group retains exposure, have not fully recovered from their difficulties.

These movements are an opportunity for the Group to reiterate that credit insurance activity is sensitive to large single claims, which can frequently represent a significant portion of quarterly profit.

The net loss ratio also improved to 45.0%, a decrease of 9.4 points compared to 9M-2017.

(ii) Cost ratio

Coface is continuing to drive its operational efficiency programme. Since the beginning of the year Coface has achieved 27m cost savings; its annualised total cost savings objective of 30m for 2018 will be exceeded.

The savings achieved enable continued investment in Coface's in-depth transformation around risks, systems, processes and quality of service.

The cost ratio net of reinsurance stood at 34.0% for the first nine months, an improvement of 1.4 points year-on-year.

- Financial result

Net financial income amounted to 42.5m over nine months, including 6.4m in net realised capital gains. The high volatility of exchange rates in a number of emerging countries during Q3-2018 resulted in an exchange gain of 18m in Q3-2018 (and 9.5m over nine months). This apparently very high gain is in fact offset by a 10m charge to the technical account (loss ratio) and a 2m decrease in the Group's equity. Overall, since the beginning of the year, the strong exchange rate movements have therefore had only a very marginal impact (around 1m) on the company's financial position, in line with the Group's matching rules and hedging policy.

In an environment still marked by historically low rates, Coface managed to record a very slight increase in the portfolio's current income (i.e. excluding capital gains) to 32.7m (compared with 30.8m at 9M-2017). The accounting yield[1], excluding capital gains, stood at 1.4% in 2018, and was very slightly lower than the previous year (1.5%).

- Operating income and net income

Operating income amounted to 163.4m since the beginning of the year, up sharply (+66.4%) compared to the previous year, following the decline in the loss ratio.

The effective tax rate decreased to 35% from 37% in 9M-2017, but the third quarter was marked by a number of non-recurring tax charges (tax rate of 40% in Q3-2018).

In total, net income (group share) amounted to 98.2m, including 35.4m in Q3-2018.

Shareholders'equity

At 30 September 2018, total shareholders' equity amounted to 1,804.6m, up 1.9m or +0.1% (1,802.6m at 31 December 2017).

This change is mainly due to positive net income of 98.2m offset by the dividend payment (52.9m), share buybacks (30.1m) and negative adjustments to the fair value of investments (10.0m).

The share buyback programme announced on 12 February 2018 for a maximum amount of 30m was completed on 15 October 2018. In total, 3,348,971 shares were purchased for a value of 29,999,997 (excluding fees). These shares will be cancelled in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors of 24 October 2018.

The annualised return on average tangible equity (RoATE) was 8.2% at 30 September 2018, driven by the improvement in the technical result.

Outlook

The third quarter of 2018 confirms Coface's scenario of a progressive normalisation of the risk environment under the combined effect of high political uncertainty (particularly in Europe), structural pressures on the distribution sector and continued challenges to free trade.

In this economical context, Coface is confident in the pertinence of its strategy to become the most agile credit insurer and remains focused on its execution.

Supported by its investments in risk management, Coface continues its disciplined underwriting policy, while reiterating that its credit insurance activity is sensitive to large claims, which can represent a significant portion of quarterly profit.

The rigorous management of the various transformation projects over 2018 will make it possible to limit the total cost of investments recorded over the year to below the 19m expected previously. The resources thus saved would be used in 2019, which will be another year of investment. In particular, Coface is preparing for the implementation of some structural new accounting standards. In addition, we will exceed the 30m cost savings target.

The agreement to acquire PKZ and the strategic partnership with Tradeshift confirm Coface's ability to grow and to innovate, in line with its selective growth strategy.

In parallel, Coface is continuing work on its partial internal model (Solvency II) and continues to monitor potential regulatory changes that could increase the capital requirement under the standard formula.

The share buyback programme for a maximum amount of 30m announced on February 12, 2018 has been completed and the Board of Directors has approved the cancellation of the 3,348,971 shares purchased.

Confident in the company's balance sheet strength, the Board of Directors also approved the launch of an additional share buyback for a maximum amount of 15 m. This new programme will run until February, 2019.

Finally, the objectives of delivering a net combined ratio of around 83% over the cycle and achieving a RoATE of 8% + 1% are maintained.

Conference call for financial analysts

Coface's results for 9M-2018 will be discussed with financial analysts during the conference call on 24 October at 18.00 (Paris time). Dial one of the following numbers: +33(1)72727403 (France), +442071943759 (United Kingdom), +16467224916 (United States). The access code for participants is: 42587661#

The presentation will be available (in English only) at the following address:

http://www.coface.com/Investors/financial-results-and-reports

Appendix

Quarterly results

Income statement items in m

Quarterly figures Q1-17 Q2-17 Q3-17 Q4-17 Q1-18 Q2-18 Q3-18 % % ex. FX Gross earned premiums 282.2 283.4 271.6 272.5 278.4 282.3 292.2 +7.6% +9.2% Services revenue 66.1 60.0 57.9 61.2 65.6 58.7 58.5 +1.2% +1.6% REVENUE 348.3 343.4 329.4 333.7 344.0 340.9 350.7 +6.5% +7.9% UNDERWRITING INCOME (LOSS)

AFTER REINSURANCE 14.5 7.0 34.2 44.0 52.4 35.9 34.5 x1.0 x0.9 Investment income,

net of management expenses 5.6 20.2 18.9 10.6 8.3 4.6 29.6 +56.7% +91.3% CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 20.1 27.3 53.1 54.6 60.7 40.5 64.1 x1.2 x1.2 Other operating income / expenses (1.0) 0.0 (1.3) 1.7 (2.3) 1.5 (1.0) N.A N.A OPERATING INCOME 19.2 27.3 51.7 56.3 58.4 42.0 63.1 x1.2 x1.2 NET INCOME 7.3 12.9 34.8 28.2 35.5 27.3 35.4 x1.0 x1.0 Income tax rate 52.0% 47.1% 27.3% 47.2% 35.3% 26.4% 39.7% + 12.4 ppts.

Cumulated results

Income statement items in m

Cumulated figures Q1-17 H1-17 9M-17 FY-17 Q1-18 H1-18 9M-18 % % ex. FX Gross earned premiums 282.2 565.6 837.2 1,109.7 278.4 560.7 852.9 +1.9% +4.8% Services revenue 66.1 126.2 184.0 245.2 65.6 124.3 182.8 (0.7)% +0.3% REVENUE 348.3 691.7 1,021.2 1,354.9 344.0 685.0 1,035.7 +1.4% +4.0% UNDERWRITING INCOME (LOSS)

AFTER REINSURANCE 14.5 21.5 55.8 99.8 52.4 88.3 122.8 x2.2 x2.1 Investment income,

net of management expenses 5.6 25.9 44.7 55.3 8.3 12.9 42.5 (5.0)% +18.3% CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 20.1 47.4 100.5 155.0 60.7 101.2 165.3 x1.6 x1.7 Other operating income / expenses (1.0) (0.9) (2.3) (0.6) (2.3) (0.8) (1.8) x0.8 N.A OPERATING INCOME 19.2 46.5 98.2 154.4 58.4 100.4 163.4 x1.7 x1.7 NET INCOME 7.3 20.2 55.0 83.2 35.5 62.8 98.2 x1.8 x1.9 Income tax rate 52.0% 49.0% 36.9% 40.8% 35.3% 31.7% 34.8% (2.1) ppts.

CONTACTS



MEDIA RELATIONS







Monica COULL

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 25 01

monica,coull@coface,com (mailto:monica.coull@coface.com)







Maria KRELLENSTEIN

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 16 29

maria,krellenstein@coface,com (mailto:maria.krellenstein@coface.com)



ANALYSTS / INVESTORS







Thomas JACQUET

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 12 58

thomas,jacquet@coface,com (mailto:thomas.jacquet@coface.com)







Ana Cecilia URIBE ARCE DE BREANT

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 22 40

anacecilia.uribearce@coface,com (mailto:anacecilia.uribearce@coface,com)





FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2019 (subject to change)

FY-18 results: 11 February 2019 (after market close)

Q1-2019 results: 24 April 2019 (after market close)

Annual General Shareholders' Meeting 2018: 16 May 2019

H1-2019 results: 25 July 2019 (after market close)

9M-2019 results: 23 October 2019 (after market close)

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

This press release, as well as COFACE SA's integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group's website: http://www.coface.com/Investors (http://www.coface.com/Investors)

For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM)

please refer to our Interim Financial Report for S1-2018 and our 2017 Registration Document.

Coface: for trade - Building business together

70 years of experience and the most finely meshed international network have made Coface a reference in credit insurance, risk management and the global economy. With the ambition to become the most agile, global trade credit insurance partner in the industry, Coface's experts work to the beat of the world economy, supporting 50,000 clients in building successful, growing and dynamic businesses. The Group's services and solutions protect and help companies take credit decisions to improve their ability to sell on both their domestic and export markets. In 2017, Coface employed ~4,100 people and registered turnover of

1.4 billion.

www,coface,com (http://www.coface.com)

COFACE SA is quoted in Compartment A of Euronext Paris

Code ISIN : FR0010667147 / Mnemonique : COFA

DISCLAIMER - Certain declarations featured in this press release may contain forecasts that notably relate to future events, trends, projects or targets. By nature, these forecasts include identified or unidentified risks and uncertainties, and may be affected by many factors likely to give rise to a significant discrepancy between the real results and those stated in these declarations. Please refer to chapter 5 "Main risk factors and their management within the Group" of the Coface Group's 2017 Registration Document filed with AMF on 5 April 2018 under the number No. D.18-0267 in order to obtain a description of certain major factors, risks and uncertainties likely to influence the Coface Group's businesses. The Coface Group disclaims any intention or obligation to publish an update of these forecasts, or provide new information on future events or any other circumstance.



[1] Accounting profitability ratio calculated on average investment portfolio.

COFACE SA: 9m-2018 Results (http://hugin.info/161449/R/2221915/869931.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: Coface SA via Globenewswire


Phase 2 trial of GKT831 for treatment of PBC enrolled 111 patients, exceeding the initial target of 102 patients

Interim efficacy results of Phase 2 PBC study expected early November 2018 and final results Spring 2019

Third pre-planned safety monitoring board review meeting expected for end of October.

Cash and cash equivalents of 12.8 million as of September 30, 2018 providing cash runway to end Q3 2019

Genkyotex to host corporate update meeting around AASLD in San Francisco on November 9, 2018

Regulatory News:

Genkyotex (Paris:GKTX) (Brussels:GKTX) (Euronext Paris Brussels: FR00011790542 GKTX), a biopharmaceutical company and the leader in NOX therapies, today provides a business update, including progress around the ongoing Phase 2 study of GKT831 for the treatment of Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), and reports cash and cash equivalents of 12.8 million, at September 30, 2018.

Elias Papatheodorou, CEO of Genkyotex, comments: "The third quarter of 2018 was a very robust quarter for Genkyotex. We completed patient enrollment in our Phase 2 trial with GKT831 in PBC exceeding our original target of 102 patients by enrolling 111 patients and had a second positive DSMB meeting. In addition, we announced that the US NIH awarded an $8.9 million grant to the Company's academic collaborators to conduct a phase 2 trial of GKT831 with patient with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Finally, we strengthened our balance sheet and currently have 12.8 million in cash and cash equivalents. We expect a major milestone early November with the announcement of the interim efficacy data from our Phase 2 trial in PBC."

Clinical highlights:

Patient enrollment completed in Phase 2 trial of GKT831 in patients with PBC

The Company announced on September 26 th , 2018, the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase 2 trial of GKT831 for the treatment of PBC. The trial enrolled a total of 111 patients, exceeding the initial target of 102 patients. This Phase 2 trial is a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of GKT831 in patients with PBC and inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Randomized patients were allocated to three treatment arms: UDCA plus placebo, UDCA plus GKT831 at 400mg once a day and UDCA plus GKT831 at 400mg twice a day. Genkyotex expects interim results in early November 2018 and final results in Spring 2019.

, 2018, the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase 2 trial of GKT831 for the treatment of PBC. The trial enrolled a total of 111 patients, exceeding the initial target of 102 patients. This Phase 2 trial is a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of GKT831 in patients with PBC and inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Randomized patients were allocated to three treatment arms: UDCA plus placebo, UDCA plus GKT831 at 400mg once a day and UDCA plus GKT831 at 400mg twice a day. Genkyotex expects interim results in early November 2018 and final results in Spring 2019. The Company also announced early September 2018 that the independent Safety Monitoring Board (SMB) held its second pre-planned data review meeting and recommended the continuation of the Phase 2 PBC trial without protocol amendment. This second review was based on data collected from 77 randomized patients, including at least 60 patients who had completed their week six visit. Genkyotex intends to initiate an open-label extension study for patients completing the ongoing Phase 2 trial, as the positive safety profile observed to date supports continued treatment with GKT831 beyond the planned 24 weeks. A third pre-planned SMB meeting is expected before the end of this month.

Based on its overall profile, the Company believes that GKT831 has significant therapeutic potential in a broad range of chronic diseases, including fragile patient populations. Genkyotex announced, in July 2018, that the United States National Institutes of Health (U.S. NIH) awarded an $8.9 million grant to the Company's academic collaborators to conduct a clinical trial of GKT831 in patients with IPF, an aggressive lung disease that results in progressive fibrosis of the lungs.

Research highlights:

Genkyotex continues to assess the therapeutic value of NOX inhibition in oncology and Parkinson's disease, and to seek opportunities for non-dilutive grant financing to support the preclinical evaluation of promising drug candidates in these therapeutic areas.

In October 2018, the Company announced the presentation of preclinical data showing that GKT831 efficiently targeted cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in prostate cancer and abrogated the pro-tumorigenic influence of the tumor micro-environment. The results were presented by Dr. Natalie Sampson, Division of Experimental Urology, Dept. of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, at ESUR18 the 25th Meeting of the European Association of Urology (ESUR18, October 5, Poster P-23).

Genkyotex also recently announced that an abstract demonstrating the ability of GKT831 to reverse fibrosis in a MDR2 KO mouse model will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) (the Liver Meeting), taking place in San Francisco, November 9-13, 2018. The poster will be presented on Saturday, November 10 (2:00 pm-7:30 pm; Presenters Available: 5:30 pm-7:30 pm).

Financial highlights:

As of September 30, 2018, Genkyotex's cash and cash equivalents amounted to 12.8 million vs. 14.6 million of cash, cash equivalents and liquid investments on December 31, 2017, in-line with the Company's expectations and sufficient to support the Company's current strategic plan to the end of Q3 2019. Genkyotex's cash burn was primarily driven by investments in the ongoing Phase 2 trial of GKT831 in PBC. In Q3 2018, the Company received the upfront payment resulting from the execution of the SIIPL extension agreement, the reimbursement of the French Research tax credit for 2017 of 0.6 million and 4.9 million received as part of the up to 7.5 million in nominal value financing obtained from Yorkville Advisors Global LP through the issuance of convertible notes with warrants attached, announced in August. As of today, 70 convertible notes (OCA) have been converted into shares.

Upcoming event:

Genkyotex Corporate Overview, Friday November 9, 2018:



Genkyotex will provide a corporate update on November 9th, 2018, at the W Hotel San Francisco (181 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103), from 6:30 to 8:00 am.

About Genkyotex

Genkyotex is the leading biopharmaceutical company in NOX therapies, listed on the Euronext Paris and Euronext Brussels markets. A leader in NOX therapies, its unique therapeutic approach is based on a selective inhibition of NOX enzymes that amplify multiple disease processes such as fibrosis, inflammation, pain processing, cancer development, and neurodegeneration.

Genkyotex's platform enables the identification of available small-molecules that selectively inhibit specific NOX enzymes. Genkyotex is developing a pipeline of first-in-class product candidates targeting one or multiple NOX enzymes. The lead product candidate, GKT831, a NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor is evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, a fibrotic orphan disease) and in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 clinical trial in Type 1 Diabetes and Kidney Disease (DKD). A grant from the United States National Institutes of Health (U.S. NIH) of $8.9 million has been awarded to Professor Victor Thannickal at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to fund a multi-year research program evaluating the role of NOX enzymes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic lung disease that results in fibrosis of the lungs; the core component of the program will be to conduct a Phase 2 trial with the GKT831 in patients with IPF. This product candidate may also be active in other fibrotic indications. Genkyotex's second product candidate, GKT771, is a NOX1 inhibitor targeting multiple pathways in angiogenesis, pain processing, and inflammation, currently undergoing preclinical testing.

Genkyotex also has a versatile platform well-suited to the development of various immunotherapies (Vaxiclase). A partnership has been established with Serum Institute of India Private Ltd (Serum Institute) and could generate approximately 150 million in future revenues for Genkyotex, before royalties on sales.

For further information, please go towww.genkyotex.com

Disclaimer

This press release may contain forward-looking statements by the company with respect to its objectives. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs, estimates and expectations of Genkyotex's management and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as the company's ability to implement its chosen strategy, customer market trends, changes in technologies and in the company's competitive environment, changes in regulations, clinical or industrial risks and all risks linked to the company's growth. These factors as well as other risks and uncertainties may prevent the company from achieving the objectives outlined in the press release and actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Without being exhaustive, such factors include uncertainties involved in the development of Genkyotex's products, which may not succeed, or in the delivery of Genkyotex's products marketing authorizations by the relevant regulatory authorities and, in general, any factor that could affects Genkyotex's capacity to commercialize the products it develops. No guarantee is given on forward-looking statements which are subject to a number of risks, notably those described in the registration document (document de reference) registered by the French Markets Authority (the AMF) on 27 April 2018 under number R.18-037, and those linked to changes in economic conditions, the financial markets, or the markets on which Genkyotex is present. Genkyotex products are currently used for clinical trials only and are not otherwise available for distribution or sale.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005680/en/

Contacts:

INVESTORS

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky, Tristan Roquet Montegon and Emmanuel Huynh

+33 1 44 71 94 92

genkyotex@newcap.eu

or

MEDIA

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau, Arthur Rouille

+33 1 44 71 00 15

genkyotex@newcap.eu

or

US

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Brian Ritchie

+1-212-915-2578

britchie@lifesciadvisors.com
Return to growth in the third quarter of 2018

Revenues of 470.6 million for the first nine months of 2018

Ongoing growth in Interconnection Systems

2018 outlook

H1 Q3 30 September YTD (m) 2018 20171 Change Like-for-like change 2018 20171 Change Like-

for-like change 2018 20171 Change Like-for-like change Aerostructures 182.5 211.8 -13.8% -8.3% 87.5 92.4 -5.3% -6.2% 270.1 304.2 -11.2% -7.7% Interconnection Systems 138.2 138.6 -0.3% +5.2% 62.2 53.7 +16.0% +13.8% 200.5 192.3 +4.2% +7.8% Total revenues 320.8 350.4 -8.5% -2.9% 149.8 146.1 +2.5% +1.1% 470.6 496.5 -5.2% -1.6%

(1) restated for the application of IFRS 15, effective as of 1 January 2018

In line with Group expectations, Q3 2018 revenues increased 1.1% at constant exchange rates (2.5% as reported), mainly driven by the Interconnection Systems division which recorded 13.8% growth at constant exchange rates.

Group revenues amounted to 470.6 million for the nine months ended 30 September 2018, down 1.6% at constant exchange rates from the previous year.

Aerostructures nine-month revenues, down 7.7% at constant exchange rates, continued to reflect declining volumes in the Embraer E1 and Airbus A380 and A330 programs. Delivery volumes are increasing for the A320 and B787 programs, for which the Group supplies aircraft doors.

The Interconnection Systems division posted growth of 7.8% at constant exchange rates, despite declining volumes in the A380 program. Business was boosted by the full impact of contracts won in 2017, including the MRJ contract with Mitsubishi Aircraft and contracts with cabin equipment suppliers.

New business

As part of its continued expansion into new markets, Latecoere Interconnection Systems was recently selected by Rolls Royce to supply harnesses for their Pearl engine designed for next-generation business jets.

Following the selection by Thales IFE, production started enabling the first delivery of an aircraft fitted by Thales and Latecoere in October 2018.

2018 outlook

The Aerostructures division is pursuing its plan to insource production of primary parts after the default of a supplier, which should allow the Group to post full-year revenues in line with the previous year (excluding currency effects).

Next release: 2018 revenues, 30 January 2019 after market close

About Latecoere

Latecoere is a tier 1 partner to major international aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Embraer, Dassault, Boeing and Bombardier), in all segments of the aeronautical market (commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft), specialising in two fields:

Aerostructures (61% of total revenue): fuselage sections and doors.

Interconnexion systems (39% of total revenue): onboard wiring, electrical harnesses and avionics bays.

At 31 December 2017, Latecoere employed 4,451 people in 10 different countries. Latecoere, a French corporation (societe anonyme) with capital of 189,489,904 divided into 94,744,952 shares with a par value of 2 per share, is listed on Euronext Paris - Compartment B. ISIN codes: FR0000032278 - Reuters: LAEP.PA - Bloomberg: LAT.FP

Latecoere

Sebastien Rouge / Chief Financial Officer

Tel.: +33 (0)5 61 58 77 00

sebastien.rouge@latecoere.aero Actus finance & communication

Corinne Puissant / Investor Relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 77 - cpuissant@actus.fr

Anne-Catherine Bonjour / Media Relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 93 - acbonjour@actus.fr

------------------------



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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-55663-lat-communique-de-presse-ca-q3-2018-vuk-def.pdf
GENEVA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / On the 73rd anniversary of UN Day, Binance-initiated Blockchain Charity Foundation (BCF) launched a blockchain-based donation portal at the UNCTAD World Investment Forum. The charity system will begin accepting donations immediately, with initial support for BNB, BTC and ETH cryptocurrencies. BCF will also open a donation channel to support victims of the floods and landslides in Eastern Uganda.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao delivers keynote at the Blockchains for Sustainable Development Forum

'Donations through the BCF platform will ensure full transparency, accountability and direct reach to end recipients,' said Helen Hai, UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador for Industrialization in Africa and Head of Blockchain Charity Foundation. Speaking at a UNRISD Seminar on Blockchain for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, Helen said: 'BCF will leverage blockchain technology to help fill the UN SDG funding gap and directly empower over one billion people living in poverty. We believe poverty is not a destiny.'

Hosted in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room at the Palais de Nations, the Blockchains for Sustainable Development forum assembled more than 700 attendees from around the world. Organized by the IFLAS initiative on Blockchains for Sustainable Development and supported by BCF, this marked the first blockchain session ever held at World Investment Forum.

'Transparency will help improve all 17 of our Sustainable Development Goals,' said Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) during a keynote presentation. Introducing BCF's blockchain-enabled donation portal, CZ described the impact blockchain had on fundraising and donation distribution during disaster relief in West Japan last month, and spoke on the architecture of BCF's donation portal:

'Conceptually, it is easy to track the flow of funds through the layers and we can make this 100% transparent. At the same time, for anything Binance is involved with, we pledge that 100% of donations will go to the end beneficiaries, and all costs will be covered by Binance, the company and the foundation.'

As a charity arm initiated by cryptocurrency exchange Binance, BCF aims to use blockchain technology to drive concrete results in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Representatives from Bancor, UNICEF, IBM, Hyperledger, ConsenSys, the public sector and others, also gathered at the forum to discuss the implementation of blockchain toward the SDGs.

During an evening reception at WIF hosted by BCF, Tron Foundation pledged an initial amount of US$3 million to BCF to be used towards advancing blockchain efforts for charity.

'All of us here have made the decision to be leaders in shaping blockchain technology for social good,' said Justin Sun, CEO of Tron Foundation. 'Binance Charity Foundation is taking substantial steps in that direction by increasing the transparency of donations so we can see where the goodwill of the donors is going and what impact it has.'

Recognized as the top global gathering of trade and investment policymakers and their stakeholders, the UNCTAD World Investment Forum took place in Geneva October 22-26, 2018, at the Office of the UN in Europe.

To donate and learn more about BCF, visit https://www.binance.charity.

About Blockchain Charity Foundation:

Blockchain Charity Foundation (BCF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of blockchain-enabled philanthropy towards achieving global sustainable development. Initiated by Binance, BCF aims to transform philanthropy by developing the world's first decentralized charity foundation to build a future where blockchain technology can be used to end all forms of poverty and inequality, advance sustainable development and ensure that no one is left behind.

Contacts:

Leah Li

+972-545-464-238

pr@binance.com

SOURCE: Blockchain Charity Foundation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/526216/Binance-Unveils-Blockchain-Based-Donation-Portal-at-UNCTAD-World-Investment-Forum
LONDON, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Secretary General of the World Energy Council has landed in Australia as part of a week-long visit to Sydney and Canberra to meet with government ministers and leading business figures to discuss critical issues impacting the energy sector.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/774262/World_Energy_Council_Logo.jpg )

It is the first time Dr Christoph Frei has visited Australia as leader of the World Energy Council to discuss the economic and energy transition facing the country, as it looks to decarbonise its energy systems.

Dr Frei kicked off his visit with an event held at Parliament House today, hosted by consultancy giant, Arup, a World Energy Council Partner.

Later in the week Dr Frei will meet with Lily D'Ambrosio, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, in Sydney. He will also be participating in an Investors session hosted by JP Morgan and facilitating a roundtable discussion at the Sydney Energy Leaders' dialogue, held by EY - another Partner of the Council.

At a time when the Australian energy sector is undergoing a period of rapid change as part of the global energy landscape, the Council is focusing on the key drivers of a successful energy transition to ensure secure, affordable and more sustainable energy for all.

Likely discussion topics for the week include decarbonisation, decentralisation and a move towards prosumer and consumer power, enabled by new business models that have embraced digitalisation and energy blockchain. Australia's blockchain scene is fast expanding, as organisations ranging from start-ups to the country's largest banks and government agencies look to harness the technology; indeed, blockchain is being tested in several energy-related industries in a country aspiring to become a global leader in the field.

Hydrogen has been identified as a huge opportunity for Australia, with the hydrogen economy having its first home in the Australian Capital Territory and the government recently committing to a A$15M project renewable-energy powered hydrogen storage trial.

The Council recently held its 2018 World Energy Week in Milan on 8-11 October, which convened global energy leaders, government ministers and innovators. New technologies innovation, integration and sustainability of energy systems, were all high on the agenda.

Dr Frei will conclude his final leg of the Asia Pacific tour by leading on a session 'The 3D vision - New Energy Perspectives', at the Asia Pacific Energy Leaders' Summit, in Wellington, New Zealand, on 1 November.

Dr Frei will be available for interviews until Monday 29 October.

Notes to Editors

World Energy Council

The World Energy Council is the principal impartial network of energy leaders and practitioners promoting an affordable, stable and environmentally sensitive energy system for the greatest benefit of all. Formed in 1923, the Council is the UN-accredited global energy body, representing the entire energy spectrum, with over 3,000 member organisations in over 90 countries, drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia, NGOs and energy stakeholders. We inform global, regional and national energy strategies by hosting high-level events including the World Energy Congress and publishing authoritative studies, and work through our extensive member network to facilitate the world's energy policy dialogue.
- First and only single-dose oral medicine approved to treat the flu -

- XOFLUZA significantly reduced the duration of flu symptoms compared to placebo -

First novel proposed mechanism of action to treat the flu in nearly 20 years -

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved XOFLUZA(baloxavir marboxil) for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated influenza, or flu, in people 12 years of age and older. XOFLUZA is a first-in-class, single-dose oral medicine with a novel proposed mechanism of action that inhibits polymerase acidic endonuclease, an enzyme essential for viral replication. XOFLUZA has demonstrated efficacy against a wide range of influenza viruses, including oseltamivir-resistant strains and avian strains (H7N9, H5N1) in non-clinical studies.

"XOFLUZA is the first new flu medicine with a novel proposed mechanism of action approved in nearly 20 years, and we're excited to offer a convenient treatment option that reduces flu symptoms by more than a day with a single oral dose," said Sandra Horning, M.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "If patients see their doctors within 48 hours of symptom onset, one dose of XOFLUZA can significantly reduce the duration of flu symptoms."

Each year, an estimated 3-11 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu, and it can be very serious, resulting in hospitalization or even death. Since 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the flu has resulted annually in 9.2 to 35.6 million illnesses, 140,000 to 900,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 to 80,000 deaths.

"The devastation of last year's flu season underscores the need for new treatment options beyond currently available antivirals or over-the-counter medications," said Serese Marotta, chief operating officer, Families Fighting Flu. "While the flu vaccine is a crucial first step in preparing for flu season and preventing illness, XOFLUZA is an important new treatment option if you do get sick."

XOFLUZA was approved based on results from the Phase III CAPSTONE-1 study of a single dose of XOFLUZA compared with placebo or oseltamivir 75 mg, twice daily for five days, in otherwise healthy people with the flu, as well as results from a placebo-controlled Phase II study in otherwise healthy people with the flu. XOFLUZA significantly reduced the duration of flu symptoms compared to placebo, and demonstrated similar efficacy compared to oseltamivir. In clinical trials, XOFLUZA was safe and well-tolerated with a side effect profile similar to placebo. The CAPSTONE-1 and Phase II study results were recently published in the September 6, 2018 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine

XOFLUZA will be available across the U.S. in the coming weeks. Genentech is committed to helping people who are prescribed XOFLUZA get access to the medicine and will be offering a coupon for all eligible patients. Please visit http://www.xofluza.com or call 1-855-XOFLUZA (1-855-963-5892) for more information.

About CAPSTONE-1

CAPSTONE-1 was a Phase III multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of XOFLUZA in 1,436 people age 12 and older in the United States (U.S.) and Japan. The primary endpoint of the study was time to alleviation of symptoms. The study found the following results:

XOFLUZA met its primary endpoint compared to placebo: Significantly reduced the duration of flu symptoms by more than one day (median time 54 hours versus 80 hours; p<0.001);

Similar efficacy results were seen between XOFLUZA and oseltamivir in relation to duration of symptoms (median time 54 hours versus 54 hours).

The most common adverse events reported were diarrhea (3.0 percent), bronchitis (2.6 percent), nausea (1.3 percent) and sinusitis (1.1 percent), and all of these adverse events occurred at a lower frequency than placebo. The study was conducted in the U.S. and Japan by Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

About XOFLUZA

XOFLUZA is a first-in-class, single-dose oral medicine with a novel proposed mechanism of action that has demonstrated efficacy in a wide range of influenza viruses, including oseltamivir-resistant strains and avian strains (H7N9, H5N1) in non-clinical studies. Unlike other currently available antiviral treatments, XOFLUZA is the first in a new class of antivirals designed to inhibit polymerase acidic endonuclease, an enzyme essential for viral replication.

Genentech recently announced that the global Phase III CAPSTONE-2 study assessing the safety and efficacy of XOFLUZA in people at high risk of complications from the flu, as defined by the CDC, met the study's primary objective and showed superior efficacy in the primary endpoint of time to improvement of influenza symptoms versus placebo. XOFLUZA will also be further studied in a Phase III development program including pediatric populations, post-exposure prophylaxis and severely ill hospitalized people with influenza, as well as to assess the potential to reduce transmission in otherwise healthy people.

XOFLUZA was discovered by Shionogi Co., Ltd. and is being further developed and commercialized globally in collaboration with the Roche Group (which includes Genentech in the U.S.) and Shionogi Co., Ltd. Under the terms of this agreement, Roche holds worldwide rights to XOFLUZA excluding Japan and Taiwan, which will be retained exclusively by Shionogi Co., Ltd.

XOFLUZA U.S. Indication

XOFLUZA is a prescription medicine used to treat the flu (influenza) in people 12 years of age and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 48 hours.

It is not known if XOFLUZA is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age or weighing less than 88 pounds (40 kg).

Limitations of Use: Influenza viruses change over time, and factors such as the virus type or subtype, emergence of resistance or changes in viral virulence could diminish the clinical benefit of antiviral drugs. Consider available information on drug susceptibility patterns for circulating influenza virus strains when deciding whether to use XOFLUZA.

Important Safety Information

Do not take XOFLUZA if you are allergic to baloxavir marboxil or any of the ingredients in XOFLUZA.

Before you take XOFLUZA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if XOFLUZA can harm your unborn baby.

are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if XOFLUZA passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Talk to your healthcare provider before you receive a live flu vaccine after taking XOFLUZA.

Take XOFLUZA with or without food. Do not take XOFLUZA with dairy products, calcium-fortified beverages, laxatives, antacids or oral supplements containing iron, zinc, selenium, calcium or magnesium.

The most common side effects are diarrhea, bronchitis, nausea, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis) and headache.

XOFLUZA is not effective in treating infections other than influenza. Other kinds of infections can have symptoms like those of the flu or occur along with the flu and may need different kinds of treatment. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel worse or develop new symptoms during or after treatment with XOFLUZA or if your flu symptoms do not start to get better.

Please see the XOFLUZA full Prescribing Information for complete safety information.

You are encouraged to report side effects to Genentech by calling 1-888-835-2555 or to the FDA by visiting http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or calling 1-800-FDA-1088.

About Genentech in influenza

Influenza, or flu, is one of the most common yet serious infectious diseases. Since 2010, the CDC estimates that the flu has resulted annually in 9.2 to 35.6 million illnesses, 140,000 to 900,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 to 80,000 deaths. Although vaccines are an important first line of defense in preventing the flu, there is a need for new medical options for prophylaxis and treatment. Current treatments including existing vaccines and antiviral drugs have limitations as flu viruses are constantly changing and new antiviral medicines are necessary. Genentech is committed to addressing the unmet need in this area through its agreement with Shionogi Co., Ltd. to develop and commercialize XOFLUZA.

About Genentech

Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005745/en/

Contacts:

Genentech

Media Contact:

Heather Gloe, 650-467-6800

or

Advocacy Contact:

Jocelyn Ashford, 650-866-7579

or

Investor Contact:

Loren Kalm, 650-225-3217

Karl Mahler, 011 41 61 687 8503
The Friends Committee today urged President Donald Trump not to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) between Russia and the United States.

Signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, the treaty bans all land-based missiles with short and medium ranges (310 3,400 miles). It helped end the Cold War while destroying over 2,500 nuclear missiles.

"To withdraw from the treaty now will spread fear and uncertainty among our European and global allies. That is no road to go down," said Diane Randall, Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). "The INF has been a bedrock of peace and security in Europe. It helped to prevent a destabilizing arms race and continues to serve important U.S. national interests."

Key Democratic and Republication leaders criticized this surprise move, especially since Congress was not consulted. American allies in Europe, including France, Germany, and the European Union, have said they value the INF treaty and oppose a hasty American withdrawal.

"President Ronald Reagan rightly boasted that he had 'full Allied support' when he signed the INF Treaty in 1987. By walking away from the treaty now, President Trump would free Russia to point more missiles at America's allies," explained Anthony Wier, FCNL's Legislative Secretary for Nuclear Disarmament and Pentagon Spending. "President Trump once made his name as a builder, but with this move he and National Security Adviser John Bolton are wrecking another tool that has helped keep the peace in Europe and the world over."

FCNL fears that walking away from the INF treaty could spark a new nuclear arms race and leave the U.S. and its allies poorer and less safe. The United States must not abandon the hard-learned lessons of the Cold War's nearly catastrophic nuclear showdown-and must instead decisively engage with Russia to again start reducing nuclear risks and restoring much-needed trust and stability.

As a Quaker public interest lobby, FCNL seeks a world free of war and the threat of war.

For more information, please visit www.fcnl.org.

Founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), FCNL lobbies Congress and the administration for U.S. policies that advance peace, justice, and good government.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005758/en/

Contacts:

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Timothy J. McHugh, 202-903-2515

media@fcnl.org
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK: FDIT) a Nevada Corporation offers insight into how Findit is entrusting its users with controlling what they want to see instead of making decisions on its members behalf.

There are few sites and platforms like Findit that are still putting up an honest fight against a homogenized internet. They are trusting their members to simply block what they don't want to see.

Clark St. Amant of Findit "You know you can block friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter and Findit, right? I often wonder how come more people don't just do it."

Every day new studies come out about the effects of cyberbullying and the long-lasting trauma it induces, which leaves you wondering - why don't we just block the haters and the trolls?

With the click of a button, the virtual bully would be relegated to an island in cyberspace. Vanished. Gone. Poofed away into the digital realm. I've read the counterarguments: "They can create other accounts"...block those too...waste their time. "The effects last even after they've been blocked"...talk to your real life friends about it...whatever hate your cyberbully spread is on them.

There are plenty of solutions to the problem, but still, why don't we just use the block button? Cyberbullying is real and it's a valid concern. However, it's also on the individual to deal with it. After all, the offender cannot force you to look at what they say, do, or write. They can't reach through the screen and pull your eyelids open. But you can block them, delete their comments, or in extreme cases, block them and take a social media hiatus.

Sadly, when people have the veil of anonymity, it can lead to the worst side of humanity popping up. Understanding that will help you recognize, most of the time, it's not even personal. These online trolls have legitimate issues with themselves. They're hurting, isolated, and lashing out for reactions as their go-to tactic for getting human interaction.

So if we can control who interacts with us, why is there such a massive push to censor and ban certain kinds of users online? And even more importantly, what's the cost of this type of censorship? Censorship introduces human bias and error into freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech is written as the First Amendment because it was understood that the free-flowing exchange of ideas was what would allow democracy to flourish. The moment the state or an organization can suppress ideologies is the moment they gain absolute control.

We have held good faith in the concept that the strongest, most noble ideas will eventually prevail. And it is also our right to defend them and to be able to withstand confrontation - or to be selective about when we choose not to.

Instead, we have become willing to sacrifice freedom of speech to preserve our feelings. In turn, we're also creating echo chambers or systems in which beliefs are amplified by communication and repetition inside a closed system. People then elect to go inside their echo chambers to seek out information that reinforces their existing views and exacerbates confirmation bias.

Confirmation bias increases social and political polarization and extremism. Each of these platforms, websites, and social networks have their own reasons for censoring users and content the way they do. That's their prerogative. But Findit leaves it up to the user to determine what they don't want to see.

"If you invited someone to your house for a party and they started acting up, you'd ask them or tell them to leave," says Peter Tosto, Findit Marketing Director. "You don't even have to ask them or tell them to leave on social media, block them. It's even easier."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFHv2ZiFQCE

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/526245/As-Cyberbullies-and-Trolls-Lurk-on-Facebook-and-Twitter-What-Keeps-Us-From-Pressing-The-Block-Button
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2018) - Aura Silver Resources (TSXV: AUU) ("Aura" or the "Company") announces that it is in the process of implementing a new corporate strategy which is intended to address both the internal and external challenges to Aura's ability to create value for its shareholders. Aura believes that both of its historical projects, Greyhound in Nunavut, Canada and Taviche in Oaxaca, Mexico are projects of merit. The Greyhound project is being explored by Agnico Eagle via a joint venture which has now been in place for over four years. Agnico Eagle's infrastructure at their Meadowbank mine, located 32 km north of Greyhound, allows for methodical exploration using their in-house knowledge in addition to significant cost advantages that, owing to the short exploration season and logistical challenges of operating in the north, would be difficult for any other company to achieve. A summary of the 2018 exploration program undertaken by Agnico Eagle is expected shortly. Robert Johansing, President and CEO of Aura, stated, "Both Aura and Agnico Eagle remain committed to the Greyhound project and we are pleased that Agnico Eagle continues to invest in this prospective venture. While Aura continues to hold its interest in the Greyhound project the emphasis of our new corporate strategy is to add new projects where Aura will be able to have direct input and control over exploration programs and their advancement".

Aura's Taviche project, in Oaxaca, Mexico, is another solid exploration project. The Company continues to believe that deeper drilling is required and that the currently identified gold and silver mineralization is a distal manifestation of a larger, primary target. Over the past several years, Aura has dedicated significant financial resources to maintain its land position and corporate status in Mexico but has not been able to advance the exploration program required at Taviche due to funding limitations. Aura is now aggressively pursuing a joint venture partner for the Taviche project to ensure that Aura can benefit from its achievements and investment in past exploration programs at Taviche. Aura anticipates providing an update on joint venture developments when arrangements are finalized.

Upon recently accepting the position of President and CEO of Aura, Robert Johansing stated, "A shift in Aura's direction is necessary. We know that our Greyhound project is in good hands and Taviche needs a partner to take the project to the next level of discovery. Aura's new strategy will focus on adding projects in other jurisdictions where we can maximize the proportion of our investments to be spent on exploration in order to maximize potential value creation for our shareholders".

As a first step in this strategy, on July 30, 2018, Aura announced that it had acquired the Gold Chain project in western Arizona (see PR#18-09). Aura believes this project deserves immediate attention because the prospective structural environment is extensive, the gold horizon is shallow and the logistics are good. A recent review of the historical data has allowed Aura to define the initial targets and the permitting process for drilling will commence shortly. Additionally, Aura is advancing discussions on other new projects with the objective of securing opportunities where the Company can add value to projects with existing exploration potential.

Over the past several years Aura has conducted three small financings each at less than $0.05, effectively to maintain its existence and property holdings. Robert Johansing, President and CEO stated, "At our current share price and with current market conditions we do not believe that continued financing at less than $0.05 will allow us to achieve the objectives of our new corporate strategy. We want to ensure we are in a position to raise sufficient levels of funding at reasonable dilution levels to support robust exploration programs at new projects where there is potential to create value within reasonable timeframes. For these reasons, Aura proposes a consolidation of its outstanding shares but believes this will represent a 're-start' and not a 'start over'. Aura currently has three properties of merit, is active with efforts to acquire additional projects and anticipates being able to provide updates on both existing and potential new projects in the near-term."

The Company proposes to consolidate its issued and outstanding common share capital on the basis of five (5) pre-consolidation shares for one (1) post-consolidation share. Aura currently has 137,450,558 common shares outstanding. Upon completion of the consolidation, the Company is expected to have 27,490,112 issued and outstanding common shares. No fractional shares will be issued with any fraction of a share rounded up to the nearest whole number if 0.5 or greater and down to the nearest whole number if less than 0.5 of a share. In addition, the Company proposes to change its name in connection with the consolidation to "Aura Resources Inc.". The Company's CUSIP and ISIN numbers will also change.

The Company's Board of Directors has determined the share consolidation will assist the Company in obtaining equity financing in order to execute its new corporate strategy as outlined above. The share consolidation and name change are subject to shareholder approval at a special meeting of shareholders to be held on November 15, 2018 in addition to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Shareholders of record on October 9, 2018 are entitled to vote at the special meeting and will receive management's proxy circular and related materials. These materials are also available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Robert Johansing, M.Sc. Econ. Geol., P. Geo. is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release.

About Aura

Aura is a TSX Venture listed company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metal prospects in North America including: in Nunavut, Canada (45.7% interest in the Greyhound project under operation by our partner, Agnico Eagle); in Oaxaca, Mexico (100% owned Taviche project); and, in Arizona, USA (the Gold Chain project subject to option to earn a 100% interest). Aura has 137,450,558 common shares outstanding.

For further information regarding this press release contact: Robert Johansing, President and CEO at (805) 455-4775 or by e-mail at rjohansing@gmail.com. Aura's web site is located at www.aurasilver.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are made as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions which involve risks and uncertainties associated with our business including the uncertainty as to whether further exploration will result in the target(s) being delineated as a mineral resource, capital expenditures, operating costs, mineral resources, recovery rates, grades and prices, estimated goals, expansion and growth of the business and operations, share consolidation, the private placement financing activities of the Company, plans and references to the Company's future successes with its business and the economic environment in which the business operates. All such statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements contained herein that are statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations. Please refer to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent annual MD&A and the Company's continuous disclosure documents that can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Aura Silver does not intend, and disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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.
Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

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.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2018) - CENTURION MINERALS LTD. (TSXV: CTN) ("Centurion" or the "Company") announces that its previously announced non-brokered private placement for up to $275,000 priced at $.02/Unit, has been oversubscribed and has been increased to up to $320,000. Each Unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant exercisable for 2 years and priced at $.05.

The Company contemplates that various exemptions will be utilized pursuant to this financing. It may rely upon the suitability advice exemption (B.C. Instrument 45-536) as well as the existing shareholder exemption (CSA notice 45-313) which allows for an investment of up to $15,000 within any 12-month period. There is no material fact or material change that has not been generally disclosed. Closing will be subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval and any shares issued will be subject to a four-month hold period.

Proceeds from this financing shall be used by the Company as follows:

Audit fees - $51,000; legal fees- $15,000; accounting- $10,000; operating capital-Ana Sofia Project- $75,000; rent- $10,000; office overhead- $21,000; promissory notes interest- $50,000; management and administration- $15,000; regulatory filing fees-$3,000; working capital- $70,000.

ABOUT THE ANA SOFIA PROJECT

The Ana Sofia Project includes an agri-gypsum open pit mine and processing facility having a current design capacity of 4,000 tonnes/month. Gypsum is extracted from near-surface, flat-lying beds within the sedimentary formation that extends throughout the Ana Sofia Property, located in Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina. The gypsum rock is fed into primary and secondary crushers, then screened and sorted into two agri-gypsum fertilizer products. The plant is designed to produce a pellet-sized granular product and a fine powder product (comprised of a minimum 85% gypsum content) that are each packaged into one tonne tote bags. Agricultural gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) is a valuable plant nutrient and plays a vital role in maintaining soil structure and nutrient balance in South American soils, resulting in enhanced crop yields.

The Project comprises two mining concessions totalling 50 hectares (ha) in size within a larger (approximately 600 ha) exploration permit area. The Project is well situated within a region where other small producers are currently extracting agricultural gypsum and selling to fertilizer distributors and farmers. An initial inferred gypsum resource for the Project was estimated (news releases - October 31, 2016 and December 16, 2016) to comprise 1.47 million tonnes averaging 94.1% gypsum, using an 85% cut-off grade that is the minimum required gypsum content for commercial-quality agricultural gypsum products in Argentina.

For additional updates, follow our operations at:

Centurion Minerals - Twitter Account and Demetra Fertilizantes - Instagram Account

ABOUT CENTURION

Centurion Minerals Ltd. is a Canadian-based company with an international focus on the development of agri-mineral fertilizer projects. For additional information on the Ana Sofia project and applications of agri-gypsum, visit our website: www.centurionminerals.com

"David G. Tafel"

President and CEO

For Further Information Contact:

David Tafel

604-484-2161

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 contains forward looking statements concerning future operations of Centurion Minerals Ltd. (the "Company"). All forward-looking statements concerning the Company's future plans and operations, including management's assessment of the Company's project expectations or beliefs may be subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual performance and exploration and financial results may differ materially from any estimates or projections. Such statements include, among others: possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery rates; actual results of current exploration activities; actual results of reclamation activities; conclusions of future economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents and other risks of the mining industry; delays and other risks related to construction activities and operations; timing and receipt of regulatory approvals of operations; the ability of the Company and other relevant parties to satisfy regulatory requirements; the availability of financing for proposed transactions, programs and working capital requirements on reasonable terms; the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services on reasonable terms and in a timely manner; market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social conditions.

The Ana Sofia project has not been the subject of a feasibility study and as such there is no certainty that a potential mine will be realized or that the processing facility will be able to produce a commercially marketable product. There is a significant risk that any production from the project will not be profitable with these risks elevated by the absence of a compliant NI 43-101 feasibility study. A mine production decision that is not based on a feasibility study demonstrating economic and technical viability does not provide adequate disclosure of the increased uncertainty and specific risks of failure associated with such a production decision. The Company has undertaken market research and studies to try to mitigate these risks. The work carried out to date is of a preliminary nature to assist in the determination as to whether the mineral product is suitable for sale and if there are markets for the mineral product. General risks inherent in the Project include the reliance on available data and assumptions and judgments used in the interpretation of such data, the speculative and uncertain nature of exploration and development costs, capital requirements and the ability to obtain financing, volatility of global and local economic climates, share price volatility, estimated price volatility, changes in equity markets, exchange rate fluctuations and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry. There can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information referenced herein will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. We undertake no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements or information except as required by law.

The Ana Sofia mineral resource estimate is reported in accordance with the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 and has been estimated using the CIM "Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines" dated November 23rd, 2003 and CIM "Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" dated May 10th, 2014. Due to the relatively wide spacing of the historical quarries and the 2016 test pits, which varies between 40 m and 300 m, the Ana Sofia 2 resource described herein is categorized entirely as an inferred mineral resource. Inferred Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There has been insufficient exploration to define the inferred resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource, however, it is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. There is no guarantee that any part of the mineral resources will be converted into a mineral reserve in the future. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environment, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues.
SYDNEY, October 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Joint research uncovers 50% of respondents believe central banks should develop a strategy for implementing digital currency

SIBOS - OMFIF and IBM released the results of a new report describing potential use cases for central banks to support central bank digital currencies. A CBDC is a digital form of fiat money, which is a currency established as money by government regulation. CBDCs differ from "digital currencies," which are not issued by the state and lack the regulations of a government.

The survey of 21 central banks, which ran from July-September 2018, revealed that 54% of respondents believe CBDCs can be used to improve the speed, efficiency and resilience of cross-border payments. Around 69% found significant issues with existing cross-border transaction processes. Other key findings include:

All respondents are optimistic about the use of smart contracts, since this affords central banks flexibility in payment and settlement processes, such as what form a token would take and who the backer would be.

69% of those surveyed stated that system resiliency has become an increasing priority for central banks.

The report also explains the purpose of unifying CBDCs, as well as the motivations and business use cases for central banks to adopt digital currencies. It outlines key characteristics of such a system, including: who the developer and issuer should be, the technology options and requirements for a successful payments system, the practical and regulatory challenges, and the possible risks and policy implications.

Survey respondents came from institutions that are researching and trialling wholesale CBDCs (38%), as well as those who are not currently active in this field (62%). The Banco Central do Brasil, South African Reserve Bank, Norges Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, European Central Bank and the Bank of Finland were among the institutions that participated in the survey.

"Today, central banks play an essential role in managing monetary policy, and they will continue to do so as the foundation of stable economies worldwide," said Jesse Lund, global vice-president of IBM Blockchain. "As we continue to see the advancement of blockchain and how it is applied in various instances across a number of industries, these new use cases indicate that central banks are now willing to explore blockchain. This will help create added layers of trust and transparency, and quite possibly usher in a new banking era guided by the technology that brings profound new efficiencies to the banking infrastructure."

"Many central banks have devoted considerable effort to examining the viability of introducing digital fiat currency as a complement to physical cash," said Philip Middleton. "In the wholesale domain, the prospects for digital payment or electronic token exchange appear capable of delivering benefits while avoiding some of the difficulties inherent in retail CBDCs."

The report provides a holistic view of approaches to setting up a wholesale CBDC and offers guidance for institutions on how to address challenges and achieve success using blockchain technology and digital currencies. The report can be viewed here: http://thinktank.omfif.org/ibm.

www.omfif.org

www.ibm.com/blockchain
ICICI Bank in a regulatory filing on Tuesday said the clean chit given to Kochhar in March this year was based on the inquiry report of the law firm which is now saying that the same should no longer be treated as valid.

New Delhi: Law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has withdrawn its 2016 report that had given a clean chit to former ICICI Bank chief executive Chanda Kochhar with regard to nepotism allegations against her, sources said.

ICICI Bank in a regulatory filing on Tuesday said the clean chit given to Kochhar in March this year was based on the inquiry report of the law firm which is now saying that the same should no longer be treated as valid.

Following the allegations of nepotism and conflict of interest against Kochhar, the then Chairman M K Sharma in March had expressed full confidence in her and ruled out any quid pro quo as alleged with regard to certain loans given to the Videocon group.

ICICI Bank in a filing said the bank had expressed confidence in Kochhar on the basis of the inquiry report of the law firm which was engaged in 2016 to probe the allegations of nepotism and conflict of interest against her.

The inquiry was conducted by law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, according to sources.

"The law firm submitted its report in December 2016 stating that it had found no evidence of nepotism and conflict of interest on the part of Kochhar and accordingly the matter was treated as closed," ICICI Bank said.

When fresh allegations surfaced in March 2018 on the same matter, the board of the bank on the basis of inquiry report of the law firm issued a statement expressing confidence in then CEO and managing director Kochhar.

Subsequent to the additional whistle-blower allegations and further information made available to the bank, the board of directors of the bank announced a fresh inquiry, which was announced on May 30, 2018.

"Further, the bank informed the law firm about the said developments, whereupon the law firm expressed that its earlier report would no longer be valid," ICICI Bank said.

Later ICICI Bank instituted an external inquiry headed by retired Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna to look into the allegations of nepotism and quid pro quo against Kochhar.

Even as the board stood by her, details of misdoings emerged in the media, leading to a multi-agency probe against Kochhar by various law enforcement agencies.

The cases under scanner include the bank's Rs 3,250 crore loan to Videocon Group in 2012 and the involvement of Kochhar family members, including her husband Deepak Kochhar, in first sanctioning the loan and then restructuring the same.

On 4 October, the bank informed that Kochhar had quit the bank with immediate effect.

The board of the bank had accepted the request of Kochhar to seek early retirement.

"The board accepted this request with immediate effect. The enquiry instituted by the board will remain unaffected by this and certain benefits will be subject to the outcome of the enquiry," it had added.

Following her resignation, the board appointed Sandeep Bakhshi as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for five years until 3 October 2023.
Six global investors, including Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel and SoftBank Group International, have agreed to invest $1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in Airtel Africa

New Delhi: Shares of Bharti Airtel surged nearly 11 percent Wednesday, adding Rs 12,332 crore to its market valuation, after global investors, including Warburg Pincus, Temasek and Singtel, agreed to invest $1.25 billion in its unit Airtel Africa.

The scrip zoomed 10.79 percent to end at Rs 316.75 on the BSE. Intra-day, it soared 14.98 per cent to Rs 328.75.

The stock was the biggest gainer among the BSE barometer's 30-blue chips during the day.

On the NSE, shares of the company jumped 8.97 percent to close at Rs 311.55.

Led by the sharp gains in the stock, the company's market valuation rose sharply by Rs 12,332.65 crore to Rs 1,26,617.65 crore on the BSE.

In terms of the equity volume, 5.19 lakh shares of the company were traded on the BSE and over one crore shares changed hands on the NSE during the day.

Six global investors, including Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel and SoftBank Group International, have agreed to invest $1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in Airtel Africa, the company said Wednesday.

The investment will be used to reduce Airtel Africa's existing debt of approximately $5 billion and for growth of its African operations, the Bharti Airtel unit listed in UK said.

"This primary equity issuance clearly underlines the confidence of leading global investors in Airtel Africa's successful business strategy and its potential to sustain growth and profitability," Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Africa, Bharti Airtel, said.
The government aims to achieve a sustainable growth of 8-9 percent, so that fish production reaches to the level of about 20 million tonnes by 2022-23.

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday approved Rs 7,522 crore fund for creating infrastructure facilities in fisheries and aquaculture sector to help boost annual fish production to 20 million tonnes by 2022-23 and generate over 9.40 lakh employment opportunities.

India's fish production is estimated at around 12 million tonnes annually.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for creation of special Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), an official statement said.

"The approval entails an estimated fund size of Rs 7,522 crore, comprising Rs 5,266.40 crore to be raised by the Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs), Rs 1,316.6 crore beneficiaries contribution and Rs 939.48 crore budgetary support from the Government of India," an official statement said.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and all scheduled banks would be the NLEs, it added.

FIDF would provide concessional finance to state governments/UTs and state entities, cooperatives, individuals and entrepreneurs etc, for taking up of the identified investment activities of fisheries development.

Under FIDF, loan lending will be over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 and maximum repayment will be over a period of 12 years inclusive of moratorium of two years on repayment of principal.

Listing out the benefits, the government said this fund would help in creation of fisheries infrastructure facilities both in marine and inland fisheries sectors, which would boost fish production and help achieve target of 15 million tonne by 2020 set under the blue revolution.

The government aims to achieve a sustainable growth of 8-9 percent, so that fish production reaches to the level of about 20 million tonnes by 2022-23.

This fund would also create employment opportunities to over 9.40 lakh fishers/ fishermen/fisherfolk and other entrepreneurs in fishing and allied activities. It would help attract private investment in creation and management of fisheries infrastructure facilities.
Earlier, the steel ministry had said that it was totally in favour of a single window system.

New Delhi: Stating that there were issues in obtaining environment and other clearances for mineral blocks, the government Wednesday said it is trying to put a single window clearance system in place.

"Clearances like environment, forest and land rights ...are an issue. It is not very easy to get clearances. There are delays in the process...We are trying to put single window clearance in place," Mines Joint Secretary Anil Kumar Nayak said while addressing the Fourth India Copper Forum in New Delhi.

In June, Nayak, had said that unless issues related to green clearances and land rights were addressed upfront, India may not make much progress in auctioning of mineral blocks in the future.

Earlier, the steel ministry had said that it was totally in favour of a single window system.

The government had said that the ministries of mines, steel and environment were working together in this regard.

Addressing the event here, Sterlite Copper CEO P Ramnath said that demand of copper in future would go up but posed a question as to how will the increasing need of the metal in India be met when the expansion projects and currents plants in the country were being shut down "for no reason at all".

The Tamil Nadu government had in May ordered the pollution control board to seal and "permanently" close Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in the state, following violent protests over pollution concerns.

"It is very very clear that the copper demand in the future is going to rise on...But to make a question now is how we are going to cater to this increasing demand of copper in our country when the expansion projects and current plants in the country are being shut down for no reason at all," Ramnath said.

Around 50 mineral blocks have been auctioned so far since 2015. The government will earn a revenue of Rs 1.81 lakh crore over the lease period from these blocks.
The MoUs will help boost cooperation between Punjab and Israel in areas such as water conservation as well as agricultural research and education

Tel Aviv: The Punjab government has signed four MoUs with Israeli institutions to address issues of farmers and depleting groundwater level in the state.

The memorandums of understandings (MoUs) were signed here in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday, the second day of his five-day visit to the Jewish nation. He had arrived on Sunday evening.

The MoUs will help boost cooperation between Punjab and Israel in areas such as water conservation as well as agricultural research and education.

The agreements will "help Punjab secure much needed technical expertise and know-how for strengthening its water management systems and improving its agricultural research and learning", Chief Minister Singh said.

To formulate a water conservation and management plan in Punjab, an MoU was signed between the Punjab Water Resources Management and Israel's Mekorot Development and Enterprise Ltd.

Three MoUs related to agricultural research were signed by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) with Israels ARAVA Institute, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Galilee International Management Institute.

The agreement for water conservation and management acknowledges that Punjab has a limited availability of surface water because of which groundwater has become a major source of irrigation in the state.

Currently, nearly 73 percent of water requirements for irrigation are being met through groundwater, the MoU noted.

"Due to multiple cropping and large-scale cultivation of paddy there has been intensive groundwater extraction in the last five decades.

"This has created a situation in which large parts of Punjab have already become water stressed due to over-exploitation of groundwater resources," it said.

The water quality is also being affected by untreated or inadequately treated industrial effluent and sewage flowing into natural streams and rivers, the MoU said .

"In some of the areas of the state, particularly in southwest Punjab, groundwater is saline and is above the root zone and has made the area unfit for agriculture or for any other use", it added.

The MoU has assigned Mekorot to formulate a comprehensive, viable, cost-effective and efficient water conservation and management plan.This was done as part of an ongoing process of cooperation between India and Israel in the field of water resource management, it said.

Israeli experts with experience in conservation and management of water resources will be helping in formulating the plan.

Singh had met officials on Mekorot Monday after visiting waste-water treatment plant (Shafdan) in the country's Dan region.

The two sides will be holding mutual discussions to decide on the details and scope of the water conservation and management plan, and other deliverables, including recommendations regarding use of appropriate technology and detailed project reports.

The MoU said a detailed agreement for preparation of the plan will be evolved within two months.

The activities to fulfil the MoU will be monitored by a joint working group, comprising an equal number of members from each side. It will be formed within three weeks, it said.

In the MoUs related to the agriculture sector, the PAU has agreed with all the three leading Israeli institutions to collaborate on cooperative research and to hold joint academic seminars in agricultural sciences, pursue faculty and student exchange programmes and cooperate in exchange of scholarship plans of mutual interest.

Details of the arrangements are to be discussed in future deliberations.

The Galilee International Management Institute also agreed with PAU on training of 200 scientists and extension workers. PTIHM ANB ANB ANB
Reserve Bank of India meeting assumes importance as it comes within a week of the central bank openly dissenting with the government on the question of a separate regulator for payments system.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board, including Governor Urjit Patel, economic affairs secretary SC Garg and financial services secretary Rajiv Kumar met here on Tuesday to discuss the issues plaguing the banking sector.

It is learnt that the 18-member board discussed the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework under which as many as 11 public sector banks are placed now. The meeting is also understood to have discussed the liquidity crisis faced by non-banking finance companies following the crisis at project financier IL&FS group, which was taken over by the government on 1 October following a string of payment defaults.

All the four deputy governors-- N S Vishwanathan, Viral Acharya, BP Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain--also attended the meeting, an RBI source said. The two new members--S Gurumurthy and SK Marathe--who were inducted in August also attended the meeting, the central bank source said. Meanwhile, the RBI board is likely to meet again in the first week of November, the source said.

The meeting assumes importance as it comes within a week of the central bank openly dissenting with the government on the question of a separate regulator for payments system.

In a rare move, on 19 October, the Reserve Bank had made public a 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 government under the chairmanship of the economic affairs secretary to finalise amendments to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act of 2007 in its draft report had suggested creating an independent regulator Payments Regulatory Board to deal with payments related issues.

"There is no case of having a regulator for payment systems outside the RBI...and 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," the central bank said in a dissent note.

"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.

Following a massive spike in bad loans, the central bank had put as many as 11 state-run banks under PCA framework which prevent them from large ticket lending. As of the June quarter, the NPA levels at the system level crossed 11.6 percent or over Rs 12 trillion. Most of these large accounts are at the various NCLTs now.
Supreme Court said that Ericsson can revive its contempt plea against Reliance if the settlement amount is not paid by 15 December

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday asked Reliance Communication Ltd to clear the dues of Rs 550 crore to telecom equipment maker Ericsson India by 15 December, saying that delayed payment would attract an interest of 12 percent per annum.

A bench headed by Justice RF Nariman said that it was the last opportunity given to RCom for clearing the settlement amount.

It said that Ericsson can revive its contempt plea against Reliance if the settlement amount is not paid by 15 December.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Reliance said that the company has been waiting for department of telecom's approval to sell its spectrum following which it will pay the Ericsson.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for Ericsson said that the argument of the Reliance is a "complete bogey".

Ericsson's has filed a plea in the apex court seeking contempt action against RCom Chairman Anil Ambani and others for failing to pay Rs 550 crore towards settlement to the company by September end.

The company had alleged that RCom has "wilfully and consciously" defied the order dated 3 August of the top court and the undertaking given before it to pay Rs 550 by September end this year.

It has sought initiation of contempt proceedings against RCom top officials including Ambani.

"They have no respect for the law of the nation and have abused the due process of law," the plea had said.

The apex court had approved the settlement between RCom and Ericsson India Pvt Ltd over a payment dispute and asked the telecom company to pay Rs 550 crore to the Indian arm of the Swedish firm by 30 September.

Ericsson India, which had signed a 7-year deal in 2014 to operate and manage RCom's nationwide telecom network, had alleged that it had not been paid the dues of over 1,500 crore and challenged the debt-ridden firm before National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

The apex court had perused the 30 May interim order of the NCLAT and noted that Ericsson India was willing to settle its debt of over Rs 1,500 crore for a sum of Rs 550 crore which was to be paid by RCom within 120 days.

It had on 3 August allowed RCom to sell assets covering spectrum, fibre, telecom towers, MCNs and certain real estate assets, for an aggregate value of approximately Rs 25,000 crore.
In 2016, the Centre had announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across the country with effect from 1 April, 2020.

The Bharat stage emission standards are standards instituted by the government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.

The Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm would come into force from 1 April, 2020 across the country.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur made it clear that only BS VI compliant vehicle shall be sold in the country from April 1st, 2020.

The bench said the need of the hour was to move to a cleaner fuel.

The BS IV norms have been enforced across the country since April 2017.

In 2016, the Centre had announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

The apex court was deciding whether grace period should be given to automobile manufacturers for the sale of BS-VI non-compliant vehicles after 1 April, 2020.

At a previous hearing, advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the air pollution matter, had opposed the government's move to give time till 30 June, 2020 to automobile manufacturers to sell their BS-VI non-compliant four-wheelers manufactured till 31 March, 2020.

The amicus had also opposed the government's proposal to give grace period till 30 September, 2020 for the sale of BS-VI non-compliant heavy transport vehicles.

The automobile manufacturers had justified the grace period to sell their vehicles contending that India was leapfrogging from BS-IV emission norms to BS-VI within a short span of time.

The manufacturers had argued that they were allowed to manufacture BS-IV vehicles till 31 March, 2020 and they should be granted reasonable time to sell their stock.

Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who had appeared for the Centre, had told the apex court that the government considered it fit to give three and six months to the manufacturers to sell their stock of BS-IV vehicles after 1 April, 2020.
The latest investment comes at a time when Vistara is planning to expand its operations

Full-service carrier Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons Ltd and Singapore Airlines Ltd, has reportedly received a capital infusion of Rs 20 billion from its parent companies, according to a media report.

The latest investment comes at a time when Vistara is planning to expand its operations. With this infusion, Tata Sons Ltd and Singapore Airlines have invested over Rs 38 billion in equity into the joint venture to date, according to Business Standard.

The report said the Rs 20 billion fund infusion will help Vistara in pre-delivery payments to Airbus and Boeing.

In September, Vistara said that the tough operating conditions -- high jet fuel prices along with a weak rupee -- will not impact plans to launch international operations slated for the end of 2018.

According to the airline's Chief Executive Leslie Thng, the airline plans to reduce expenditure by inducting technology-enabled solutions in the non-safety, services or customer facing aspects of its operations.

Further, the company plans to re-negotiate contracts, once it expands operations and inducts more aircraft.

In July, the airline had placed firm orders for six Boeing Co 787 jets and 13 Airbus SE A320neos valued at $3.1 billion at list prices, as it looked to add more domestic flights and launch international routes later this year.

Vistara competes with Jet Airways and low-cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet that have plans to grow their international operations to offset a highly competitive, price-sensitive domestic market.

Indias position as the worlds fastest-growing domestic aviation market and its impressive growth in air passenger traffic that has more than doubled over the last decade makes us confident of our aggressive plans for domestic expansion and international foray, Thng had said in July.

There is huge potential for international travel from India, where the domestic aviation market has grown about 20 percent annually in recent years.

Only 0.3 percent of the 1.3 billion population currently travel abroad for a holiday every year, a fraction of the estimated 100 million Indians who could potentially afford to do so, according to an analysis of household income by aviation consultancy CAPA.

CAPA expects Vistara to place another large widebody order within the next 1-2 years and also expects InterGlobe Aviations IndiGo to pursue an aggressive international strategy by soon announcing a large order.

With inputs from agencies
Journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, in the midst of controversy over his remarks on Odisha's Konark Sun Temple, was arrested on Tuesday moments after he tendered an unconditional apology before a House Committee of the state Assembly.

Following reports saying that journalist Abhijeet Iyer-Mitra has been arrested for his 'anti-Odisha' comments on the origin of rosogollas, Arun Kumar Bothra, IG (crime branch) Odisha issued a clarification stating that the said comment had nothing to do with the journalist's arrest. "I want to clarify that his arrest or legal action against him has nothing to do with rosogollas or his previous comments on rosogollas," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Bothra said that Iyer-Mitra was arrested on the basis of two FIRs registered against him for his "derogatory and very very objectionable and vulgar comments about Odiya culture, people of Odisha and Lord Jagannath."

The IGP added that Mitra's case seems to have gathered public attention after his name cropped up in another case, related to flying a chopper over an eco-sensitive zone.

"There was a case against Baijayant Panda for flying a helicopter in Chilika area. What I understand is that once that case was registered, people came to know about Mitra. They started searching for him on the internet and found these kind of comments. These cases are different," Bothra said.

The Biju Janata dal leader, along with the pilot of the chopper, Abhijit Iyer Mitra and Aarti Tikoo, who allegedly flew with him over the Chilika Lake were booked for alleged unauthorised flying of a chopper at a "dangerous level" on 15 September,

Iyer-Mitra, in the midst of controversy over his remarks on Odisha's Konark Sun Temple, was arrested on 20 September, moments after he tendered an unconditional apology before a House Committee of the state Assembly.

He was arrested as soon as he stepped out of the Assembly, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of people and making derogatory remarks against the state, the Konark temple and Lord Jagannath, PTI reported. The Commissionerate Police arrested Iyer-Mitra after hours of interrogation at an undisclosed location in Bhubaneswar.

Iyer-Mitra was charged under various sections of the IPC on the basis of an FIR filed at the Saheed Nagar police station in Bhubaneswar, ACP (Zone-5) Kishore Mund said. A complaint was lodged against Iyer-Mitra by Manoranjan Mohanty on 20 September for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of the people of Odisha, PTI said.

However, The Hindu claimed that the arrest was in relation to another case, relating to Iyer-Mitra's controversial comments about the origin of Rasagola. Iyer-Mitras counsel Nikhil Mehra told the newspaper that the journalist was arrested in a case that related to a conversation on Twitter involving several people about the origin of Rasagola and Odisha more than a year ago.

Odisha Assembly Speaker PK Amat had, on 20 September, set up the committee to probe the alleged derogatory remarks made by Mitra.

The committee had earlier summoned Iyer-Mitra to appear before it on 11 October, he failed to turn up. A notice was then sent to him for appearance before the committee on 23 October.

Iyer-Mitra courted controversy over a video he posted in September on his Twitter handle where he "criticised Odisha, its people, Lord Jagannath, Konark temple and also Odisha lawmakers."

With inputs from agencies
Earlier, when Abhijit had approached the Supreme Court for relief, he was denied bail and told jail was the 'safest place' for him.

Why I support Abhiji Iyer-Mitra. Why you should too? A Protest and an Appeal by Kanchan Gupta

The exercise of Free Speech in India is never without consequences. Writer, blogger and defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra is the latest victim of British era colonial laws that are frequently invoked to choke free speech and silence free voices in India. Abhijit is facing state-sponsored persecution for commenting on Odisha's Konark Sun Temple recently, and on whether rosogolla, a popular sweet, owes its origin to Odisha or West Bengal a year ago, on Twitter. Abhijit's comments were humorous and satirical; they were neither malicious nor intended to defame anybody. They definitely did not merit police intervention and prosecution under some of the most punitive and obnoxious sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Yet he was arrested on Tuesday, 23 October, in Bhubaneswar soon after he apologised to the Odisha Legislative Assembly for adverse comments he had made against legislators protesting his tweet on Konark Sun Temple. The police arrested him on the basis of the complaint lodged against him for his year-old tweets on rosogolla's origin. The local magistrate's court refused him bail. He was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Earlier, when Abhijit had approached the Supreme Court for relief, he was denied bail and told jail was the "safest place" for him. Offenders who pose a severe threat to India's national security and integrity, or are accused of committing massive financial crimes, have been treated with greater kindness and dignity.

Every Indian who believes in freedom of expression, liberty and democracy should feel alarmed and terrified by the rapid shrinking space for free speech in India. British era colonial laws, which are no longer in practice in Britain, continue to be on the statute books of India more than seven decades after independence. The world's largest democracy continues to fail the litmus test of freedom by denying its citizens the right to unrestricted free speech. Abhijit's arrest is a harsh reminder that 'reasonable restrictions' on free speech, enforced with the help of absurd, freedom-asphyxiating laws that were devised for an oppressive colonial state, is an infringement of what is an inalienable right and curtailment of liberty in a democracy.

Worse, the very existence of these laws and their motivated abuse has emboldened the state to frame new draconian laws like Punjab's anti-blasphemy law. India is fast begining to resemble those very countries, theocracies and tinpot dictatorships that we claim to abhor. Citizens have been arrested and prosecuted for expressing their views on religion, religious leaders, politics, political leaders, for unflattering cartoons, videos and photographs. Books have been banned, films have been censored and independent media has been whipped into submission. Occasional transgression by the state at the prompting of the easily offended have now become a routine affair. The Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary, the cynical political class and, ever so sadly, many among civil society have been found to be complicit in this erosion of rights and liberties. A darkness looms large.

If we who believe in freedom of expression do not stand up and actively assert our support for Abhijit, we will be guilty of silently capitulating to laws that are inimical to liberty without which democracy is, and shall remain, incomplete in India. It is risible that a citizen can be arrested and prosecuted by the state for satire and humour. But the very fact that this happens, has happened, and unless stopped shall happen again, should make us extremely fearful  for ourselves, for others  and deeply concerned  for our democracy, for our nation.

I appeal to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to disallow this gross abuse of law to punish a person for exercising his right to free speech. Even if Abhijit's banter on Twitter were to be deemed as politically incorrect, it is outrageously repugnant that he should have to face politically motivated prosecution. As a liberal who is known to value freedom of expression and champion the fundamental principles of democracy, Naveen babu must intervene so that Abhijit is not subjected to continued harassment, incarceration and worse. Surely, he agrees that sending a citizen to jail for indulging in satire and humour is patently unacceptable? It makes a mockery of the enlightened classical liberal values Naveen babu has professed all his life, as did his father Biju Patnaik.

I also appeal to all writers, journalists, bloggers and commentators across platforms and ideological divides who cherish freedom of thought and speech, to speak up for Abhijit and call for his immediate release from jail. He is not a criminal or a wanton law-breaker. He is not a threat to either society or state. In the very least he is entitled to bail.

I reiterate my unambiguous support for Abhijit. As a free speech absolutist I find his incarcenation an abominable assault on freedom and a denial of liberty. Democracy has once again been wounded by Abhjit's arrest. This wound, and numerous other similar wounds, cannot, and must not, be allowed to fester. Our Republic cannot, and must not, be allowed to be held captive to the caprices of those easily offended by freedom.

Fight for Abhijit. Fight for liberty.
The citizenship bill seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, drawing opposition from several groups in Assam.

Guwahati: Representatives of organisations who had called a 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday against the Centre's move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, on Wednesday sought an appointment with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to discuss the issue.

Serving an ultimatum on Sonowal to convene a meeting within a week with the representatives of 60 organisations that had called the bandh, RTI activist Akhil Gogoi warned that a mass movement would be launched across the state in protest against the bill in case the chief minister refused to hear them out.

"We have come to know that the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is likely to submit its report in Parliament in the Winter Session. However, the Assam government has yet to make its stand clear on the bill," said Gogoi.

The bill seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, drawing opposition from several organisations in Assam.

Gogoi said representatives of the agitating organisations also plan to meet legislators of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to know the party's position over the issue. The AGP is a member of the BJP-led coalition government in Assam.
From the LitMart for aspiring authors to panel discussions on poetry, history, politics, crime and more, to discussions on the burning issues of the day and dedicated childrens literature specials, the 7th edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival has so much on offer

The last weekend of October will see literature enthusiasts headed to one venue  the lawns of The Lalit Ashok for the 7th edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF). Speaking on being hosts for the second time and on how they are gearing up for this weekend, Bhaskaran T Menon, General Manager, The Lalit Ashok says, We did see a growth in public attendance last year over the days, and are expecting it to be much larger this time. The format of the event and the vast sprawling spaces of The Lalit gives it a picnic flavour and encourages one to spend an entire day here. People from all walks of life congregate at the BLF and there is something for everyone!

Speaking on one of the most awaited segments of the festival, the LitMart, Shinie Antony, Festival Director, BLF explains that the shortlisted pitches get pride of place at LitMart, where a jury of editors and publishers will listen to the would-be writers. The jury will include VK Karthika (Westland), Renuka Chatterjee (Speaking Tiger) and Shantanu Chaudhuri (Penguin).

She also says that among the most anticipated sessions will be those by poet Vijay Seshadri, crime writer Sophie Hannah, actor Sarika and writers Bruce Sterling and Ashwin Sanghi. A lot of interest is also being anticipated for Nalini Jameela  a former sex worker whose books give a glimpse into that world and who will be in a panel with German writer Nora Bossong who has done a wide reportage on red light areas. Poetry readings by Ranjit Hoskote and Easterine Kire, political cartooning with N Ponnappa and Ravi Shankar Etteth as well as talks on their new books by Ramachandra Guha, Shashi Deshpande, Shashi Tharoor and Aatish Taseer will see great participation, says Antony.

In fact, Manu S Pillai, writer, and winner of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (2017) and author of The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore (2015) will be in conversation with Aatish Taseer on his new book Benares. Manu says, Having been part of the BLF, twice as a speaker and once in the audience, I have found the turnout remarkable. Besides the discussion with Aatish Taseer, I will also be on a panel discussing narrative non-fiction and my new book Rebel Sultans. As always, I will be highlighting the importance of understanding history in all its glorious, colourful complexity, and holding up the past to help us determine wisely our course for the future. This in addition to speaking of the importance of rediscovering and resurrecting lost women who helped shape our history.

Madhavi Menon is Professor of English and Director of the Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality at Ashoka University, and also the author, most recently, of Infinite Variety: A History of Desire in India. This will be her first appearance at the BLF and she will be at a session called Love and Longing in Hindustan along with Pavan Varma. Speaking on the idea that she will be sharing with the audience, Menon says that desire is too multiple to be contained in neat little boxes. The Indic cultures have histories of engaging with the multiplicity of desire in various forms, even though we seem to have largely forgotten those histories now. We must try not to forget altogether!

While there is a lot for the adults to look forward to, this edition of the BLF will have much to offer for children too. Speaking on this, Antony elaborates, This time we are dividing children by age and taking care of their reading needs in a more attentive manner. There will be a magic show and story-telling for the younger lot, while simultaneously there will be tips on cyber hygiene and animal talk with the older ones. This reflects our decision to keep age-related individualistic tastes in mind and not herd them into one tent regardless of their interests. The writers have been chosen accordingly.

For Saba Naqvi, a renowned Indian journalist, political analyst, TV commentator with a focus on Indian government and politics, this will be her second appearance at the BLF. Narendra Pani will be speaking to her on her book, Shades of Saffron: Vajpayee to Modi. Naqvi says, Dr Pani is someone I respect a lot and so am delighted about my own panel. I'm also on a larger panel on a current issue on the first day. It's been a year of women's empowerment and no city better than Bangalore to reinforce the message.

Antony says that this year, BLF is also going to have a panel on #MeToo with Sister Jesme and journalists Barkha Dutt and Sandhya Menon; a session on Section 377 with Aatish Taseer, Vasudhendra, Robert Dessaix, Anjali Gopalan, and others; and another that will take a nuanced look at the fashion industry with Manjima Bhattacharjya and Shvetha Jaishankar.

Bhattacharjya is a researcher, writer and activist and has been part of the Indian womens movement for over two decades. Her areas of specialisation include gender and sexuality, and labour and the body. She is the author of Mannequin: Working Women in India & Glamour Industry published by Zubaan Books in June 2018. Bhattacharjya says she is looking forward to a dialogue with her co-panelist and moderator, who are from the fashion industry. Shvetha is a former Miss India winner and accomplished entrepreneur and Susan is the Director of NIFT Bangalore. Its a dream panel for me, really. An opportunity for an outsider like myself to have a conversation with two insiders from the industry. Bangalore has an important place in the history of feminist protest against beauty pageants in India. Perhaps many people dont know that! I would love to share about this significant moment in contemporary history, a moment that defined the relationship between fashion and feminism for decades to come, says Bhattacharjya.

The 7th edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival will take place on the 27 and 28 October at The Lalit Ashok Lawns.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an urgent hearing of a review petition filed by historian Romila Thapar in the case of the arrests of five Left-wing activists in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an urgent hearing of a review petition filed by historian Romila Thapar in the case of the arrests of five left-wing activists in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case.

Bar and Bench reported that Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi declined the review petition for urgent listing. According to ANI, the review petition filed by Thapar was in contention with the 28 September Supreme Court verdict which had refused the demand for a SIT probe to be conducted into the arrests of activists Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferriera, Sudha Bhardwaj, and Gautam Navlakha.

On 28 September, the apex court, headed by then-CJI Dipak Misra had extended the interim house arrest of the activists and also refused a SIT probe into the arrests. The bench directed the Maharashtra Police to continue with the investigation.

Supreme Court declines urgent hearing of the review petition filed by historian Romila Thapar against the verdict that refused SIT probe into arrests of five activists in Bhima Koregaon case and allowed Maharashtra Police to continue with the investigation.  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

The court with a 2-1 majority had held that the investigation officers were to be permitted to continue with the investigation and that the accused persons have no say in seeking investigation of their choice. "They cannot choose the manner of arrest," Justice AM Khanwilkar had said, reading out the judgment on behalf of Misra and himself.

"Accused persons cannot choose which investigating agencies should investigate. This is not a case of arrest merely because of dissent or difference in political views," Justice Khanwilkar held in court.

The Supreme Court had declined to constitute a SIT for the case and said that the accused were at liberty to pursue other appropriate remedies. "We don't wish to go into the facts of the case as it may create prejudice," Justice Khanwilkar had stated.

However, Justice DY Chandrachud had presented a dissenting opinion, slamming the Maharashtra Police for holding a press conference and divulging details of the case. Justice Chandrachud had said "A letter alleged to be written by Sudha Bhardwaj was flashed on a TV channel. Acts of Maharashtra Police raise the question of whether it can be trusted to carry out the investigation," Chandrachud remarked.

"Voices of opposition cannot be muzzled because it is a dissent. Deprivation of liberty cannot be compensated later," Chandrachud said asking for a SIT to be constituted to look into the matter.

The Maharashtra police had arrested the activists on 28 August in connection with an FIR lodged following a conclave  'Elgaar Parishad'  held on 31 December 2017 that had later triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon village in the state. The apex court had on 19 September said it would look into the case with a "hawk's eye" as "liberty cannot be sacrificed at the altar of conjectures".

With inputs from agencies
The five accused were arrested from various cities for their alleged involvement in the violence during the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle.

Pune: The Pune Sessions Court will pronounce the verdict on bail applications of Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Sudha Bharadwaj, three of the five activists arrested on 28 August in the Bhima Koregaon violence case, on 26 October.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court declined to hold an urgent hearing of a review petition filed by historian Romila Thapar against its verdict that refused a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led probe into house arrests of the five activists in the case. Thapar along with four others had earlier filed the petition in the top court against the house arrest of the activists.

The court, in its verdict, had also allowed Maharashtra Police to continue with the investigation.

On 28 September, the Supreme Court had turned down the request of the petitioners to set up a SIT to probe into the case and extended the activists' house arrest for four weeks.

The five activists, namely poet Vara Vara Rao, lawyer Bharadwaj, activists Ferreira, Gonsalves and Gautam Navlakha, have been under house arrest since 29 August for their alleged involvement in the violence which took place on 1 January.

The five accused were arrested from various cities for their alleged involvement in the violence during the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle. One person was killed and many were injured in the clashes.
The capsizing of a boat in the Arabian sea off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday could have turned into a major tragedy, said Devendra Fadnavis.

Mumbai: The capsizing of a boat in the Arabian sea off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday could have turned into a major tragedy had the Indian Navy and Coast Guard not acted quickly, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said while ordering a probe into the mishap that claimed one life.

Fadnavis also announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a man who drowned in the afternoon incident that occurred when officials were on their way to the site of the proposed sea memorial of Maratha king Chhatrapti Shivaji, where work was to begin on Wednesday.

"The boat accident was unfortunate. Due to the timely help and assistance provided by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard, a major accident was averted. The state government will conduct an inquiry into the incident," Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.

Expressing deep grief and condolences to the family of the deceased, identified as Siddhesh Pawar, Fadnavis said, "The Maharashtra government declares an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased in this unfortunate accident".

Pawar was an activist of Shiv Sangram Paksha headed by Vinayak Mete, the chairman of a Supervisory Committee monitoring the construction of the Shivaji statue.

The state government had claimed that the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, coming up on an island in the Arabian sea, would be the tallest in the world.

The incident occurred when the boat, carrying some officials of the state government and supporters of Mete, apart from others, was on its way to the site of the proposed memorial.

Two helicopters and rescue boats were deployed for rescue operations.

A survivor has claimed that the incident occurred after the boat hit a rocky patch in the Prongs Reef Lighthouse area in sea, which is the southernmost tip of Mumbai.

He also said the error of judgement by the skipper of the ill-fated twin-engine boat could have caused the incident.

Meanwhile, the Congress too has termed the incident as "extremely unfortunate and suspicious".

"It seems that Shivaji Maharaj doesn't want the present government to build his memorial," said Leader of Opposition in state Legislative Assembly Radhakrisha Vikhe Patil.

He said the BJP-led government has been misusing the name of the 17th Century Maratha king to make false promises to the people.

State unit Congress chief Ashok Chavan demanded a probe into the mishap which he said seems "suspicious".

"Yesterday, Vinayak Mete, who heads the committee to set up the statue, had alleged irregularities in the tender process. And today, the accident occurred which led to cancellation of the work ceremony. This is suspicious," he said and wondered that if the accident was "meant to silence Mete".

Senior NCP leader Dhananjay Munde also demanded a probe to fix responsibility.
The controversy involving the country's premium investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has spilled over to top-most bureaucratic wings oiling the Government of India's machinery.

The controversy involving the country's premium investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has spilled over to top-most bureaucratic wings oiling the Government of India's machinery. In the unprecedented row between the CBI's chief and his second in command, the names of a senior Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer and a former Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) has also been dragged in.

The most recent consequence of the case is the change of guard at the CBI after the Prime Minister's Office intervened. In a dramatic midnight action, the government on Wednesday divested CBI chief Alok Verma of his charge, and Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao was asked to take over. Verma's second in command and Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana was also asked to proceed on leave. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) made the decision past midnight as the war between Verma and Asthana escalated over bribery allegations hurled at each other.

The case, which began as an investigation into a corruption case against meat exporter Moin Qureshi, has now come back to haunt the CBI. The agency first raided its own headquarters on Monday, a week after registering a case Asthana. It then arrested its DSP Devender Kumar, who was the chief investigating officer in the Moin Quereshi case under Asthana's command. The CBI has alleged that Asthana and Kumar took bribes from another accused in the Qureshi case, Satish Sana, and tried to frame Verma instead.

As the case casting a shadow over the CBI gets murkier by the day, Firstpost compiles a primer on the cast of characters involved in the controversy and the role they played.

Rakesh Asthana:

A 1984 Gujarat-cadre officer, Asthana has made it to news channel's ticker these days as the prime minister's 'blue-eyed-boy'. He was appointed the acting director of the CBI in December 2016, upon then CBI chief Anil Sinha's retirement. After a two-month long stint, the government appointed Verma, then Delhi Police commissioner, as next chief for two years from 1 February 1 2017.

Asthana's role in the current controversy started with the investigation in the Moin Quereshi corruption case. Kumar, who was investigating the case moved for permission for custodial interrogation of another accused in the case Satish Babu Sana in September this year. Asthana granted the request, but alleged that Verma interfered in the case and specifically asked him not to interrogate Sana. Following this, Asthana was instrumental in getting a look out circular issued against Sana and his subsequent arrest.

In a statement to Kumar, Sana allegedly confirmed he paid off Rs 2 crore in bribe to Verma with the help of a Rajya Sabha member belonging to a regional party. Asthana communicated this to the CVC on 24 August, and later on 26 September when his name cropped up in the bribery scandal.

"It is clear the active efforts are underway to falsely implicate me (Rakesh Asthana). In the light of above, the commission may kindly expeditiously transfer the investigation and supervision of 8 case to the SIT as requested by undersigned (Rakesh Asthana) in the earlier letters in the interest of justice and in the spirit of principles of nature of justice," reads the letter as quoted by India Today.

However, later the case was completely reversed with the CBI charging that it was Asthana who accepted bribe to protect Sana and used the case to malign Verma. Sana is now the complainant in an FIR against Asthana.

Alok Verma:

Verma was appointed as CBI directer on 1 February, 2017, who was the then Delhi Police Commissioner, and had no previous experience of working in the Central Bureau of Investigation. According to a report in Hindustan Times, his differences with Asthana started when soon after his induction he nominated four other people to be inducted under him. However, these names were not cleared by the CVC-led body, and Verma suspected that Asthana was behind the move to reject names of officials recommended by him.

However, the strain in ties imploded into a full-blown war after Asthana's 24 August complaint to CVC in the Moin Qureshi case. Asthana said the director allegedly held the file for nearly four days and marked to the Director of Prosecution (DoP) on 24 September, 2018 who demanded all evidence available on record, the sources said. With Asthana alleging corruption, and undue interference on the CBI chief's part, the agency swung into action and filed a complaint against Asthana and Kumar on 15 October. The CBI, under Verma alleged that Asthana took a bribe of Rs 2 crore to implicate Verma and to protect Sana and Qureshi. It arrested Kumar and obtained his 7-day-custody. Meanwhile, Verma wrote to the prime minister requesting that Asthana be suspended owing to the corruption charges against him.

Sathish Babu Sana:

Sana, a Hyderabad-based businessman, is said to be a key witness in the case against Qureshi. Previously a small time Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board employee who quit his government job and moved on to Hyderabad, Sana floated several companies and is closely associated with several politicians of Telugu Desam Party, Congress and YSR Congress. According to The Times of India, Sana's named initially figured in ED probe against Qureshi in 2015 and 2017 when he tried to mediate on behalf of Qureshi to get him off the agency's scanner.

It was Sana's conflicting statements that have cast aspersions the name of CBI's number one and number two officials. Initially, he told Kumar in June this year that he discussed his case with Telugu Desam Party's Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh who, after speaking to the CBI director, had assured him that he would not be summoned again.

"From June onwards, I was not called by the CBI. I was under the impression that investigation against me is complete," he is believed to have said. However, the CBI has now alleged that Kumar had fabricated Sana's statement as an "afterthought...to corroborate the baseless allegations made by Asthana against CBI Director Alok Verma to the CVC (Central Vigilance Commissioner)", News18 reported.

Moin Akthar Qureshi:

A Doon school, and Delhi's St. Stephens college alumnus, Qureshi started his business in 1993 with a small slaughterhouse at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, but went on to become India's biggest meat exporter. Over the years he diversified his business and established some 25 companies, including those dealing in real estate and fashion. Qureshi is alleged to be one of India's biggest evaders of Income Tax, and the Enforcement Directorate too is probing a case relating to shell companies and illegal routing of money. He was under the I-T scanner as early as 2011 because of the extravagant wedding function of his daughter.

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha, Narendra Modi had alleged that none of the central agencies were pursuing Qureshi's case on Sonia Gandhi's insistence. There were allegations that Qureshi he was close to two former CBI directors, AP Singh and Ranjit Singh. He is alleged to have exchanged messages with Singh and this had come under the scanner of the I-T department and Enforcement Directorate.

M Nageshwar Rao:

Appointed the interim CBI chief after a midnight order, Rao is a 1986 batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre. Besides serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in four districts of Odisha  Mayurbhanj, Nabarangapur, Bargarh and Jagatsinghpur  he was also SP, Railways at Rourkela and Cuttack, as well as SP of the Crime Branch. He was appointed to the post on Wednesday to facilitate a unbiased probe in the case.

Samant Goel:

According to a Firstpost report, a senior intelligence officer Samant Goel is also under the scanner in this case. No details, however, were available as to what exactly are the allegations against him. The prime minister is learnt to have also spoken to the countrys external spy agency chief Anil Dhasmana since Goel is also under the scanner in this case. Firstpost had reported in August that Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was caught in a spat between the heads of two powerful organisations including an intelligence agency amid an all-out war between Verma and Asthana.

"The PMO knew R&AW was being dragged into ongoing tussle but it seems no tough decisions were made. Although the R&AW officer has not been named as accused, mention of his name appears to be a mischievous attempt. This officer, now placed under the scanner, is a rare and brilliant operative and this move would cause unparalleled damage to the Central governments image," said informed sources.
Feuding CBI director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana have been divested of their powers and sent on leave.

New Delhi: Feuding CBI director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana have been divested of their powers and sent on leave, capping overnight discussions that led to the agency's reins being handed to a joint director as an interim measure early on Wednesday.

It is the first such case in the history of the investigating agency, sources said as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters that the government's decision to remove the CBI's two top officers was based on the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) recommendations.

Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, was appointed to look after the "duties and functions" of the director with "immediate effect" as an "interim measure".

A late-night order on Tuesday from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Verma and Asthana on leave.

On Tuesday evening, the CVC recommended after a meeting that Verma and Asthana be sent to leave and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be formed to probe the allegations against them.

An SIT will look into the charges and both officers will "sit out" the duration of the probe, Jaitley told reporters after a cabinet briefing, adding that they have been sent on leave as an interim measure.

He said it is absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.

The allegations by the top two officers of the country's premier investigation agency had led to a "bizarre and unfortunate" situation, he said.

In a lengthy statement issued later in the day, the government claimed that Verma was not cooperating with the CVC.

It defended its decision to send him on leave, saying an "extraordinary and unprecedented" situation had arisen due to "grave allegations of corruption" against senior functionaries of the agency.

Immediately after taking charge, Rao effected the transfers of officers known to be close to the two officers.

He constituted a fresh team to probe an FIR against Asthana, registered by the agency on 15 October on the basis of a statement of a Sathish Sana alleging that he paid a bribe through middlemen to get clean chit in the case probed by the CBI.

The fresh team will have Superintendent of Police Satish Dagar and his senior DIG Tarun Gauba who will report to Joint Director V Murugesan, a CBI order said.

AK Bassi, who was probing the case against Asthana, was dispatched to Port Blair in public interest with immediate effect.

His reporting officer Additional SP SS Gurm was transferred to Jabalpur while surpervisor DIG MK Sinha was moved to Nagpur, the order said.

The crucial position of joint director (policy) held by Asthana's bete noire AK Sharma has been given to DIG Amit Kumar as additional charge. Sharma has been transferred to the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), probing former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case.

Asthana has leveled serious allegations against Sharma and Bassi, claiming they were sent to Gujarat by Verma to Gujarat to gather material against him.

The additional charge of the Special Unit responsible for phone intercepts, in-house vigilance and surveillance has been given to KG Chaurasia, DIG, while incumbent Anish Prasad has been posted as deputy director (admin and personnel).

Joint Director A Sai Manohar, who was in Asthana's team, has been transferred to Chandigarh.

The rapid overnight changes in the CBI attracted criticism from the Congress and other Opposition parties.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale fighter jet 'scam'.

"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he alleged on Twitter.

The country and the Constitution are in danger, Gandhi claimed.

The government has removed Verma to control the premier agency and avoid the day of reckoning arising from "Rafale-o-phobia", added Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

Jaitley, however, dismissed the allegations as "rubbish".

Other Opposition parties, including the Left parties, AAP and Trinamool Congress, also spoke out.

"To ensure that the CBI is not a 'caged parrot', Supreme Court had granted protection to the Chief from govt's whims and fancies by giving him a two-year tenure. What is Modi govt trying to hide by its panic move?" CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked in a tweet.

Former officers of the agency on condition of anonymity said the situation is "unfortunate" and may affect cases related to the extradition of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

In the wake of corruption allegations against the top officials of the agency,the accused may also plead that charges against them could be motivated, they said.

Gujarat cadre IPS officer Asthana was in charge of the SIT handling sensitive cases, including those related to Vijay Mallya loan default case, Agusta Westland helicopter deal bribery case and alleged corruption in land acquisition in Haryana.

Verma told the commission that Asthana's role was under probe in at least six cases, including one related to the loan default by Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech.
*M*ake what you will of this. In the modern era of partisan polarization, which can be dated back to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, only the presid...
Oct 24, 2018 | By Thomas

Worlds first 3D printed steel bridge is completed and will be installed across a canal in Amsterdam next year.

The bridge has already been on display during the Dutch Design Week that took place from October 20 to October 28, 2018. The 3D-printed bridge is created by Dutch robotics company MX3D, mathematicians from The Alan Turing Institute and Arup.

Since 2015, Dutch designer Joris Laarman has been working with the the robotic manufacturing technology start-up to build this ambitious 12-metre-long pedestrian bridge project. Now, nearly four years after he started the project, the bridge is fully printed and ready to start its final installation in Amsterdams De Wallen red-light district.

"We hope it will be installed in summer. We just started the permit process as we have now all the positive results from the tests," said MX3D.

"The city just started the renovations work on the canal wall we have been waiting for two years. This work could be done in six months."

The bridge is 12 metres (40 feet) in length, and was 3D printed at a larger MX3D facility outside of Amsterdam, before being shipped into the main workshop in the north of the city. The initial plan was to 3D print the entire thing in place in mid-air, using custom robotic 3D printing arms suspended over the canal to gradually build supporting structures underneath and move their way across. As exciting as this possibility was, the project was eventually abandoned due to concerns about control over the environment and interference from pedestrians. After some other teething problems and delays for this pioneering 3D printed bridge project, it is now completely finished.

3D printing technology isnt the only cutting-edge aspect of this remarkable new project. To ensure safety and optimized performance of this and other bridges, the 3D printed steel structure will be equipped with a series of sensors that will relay important information back to the designers and engineers. This smart bridge will monitor its own health, record the number of people walking across it and their speeds, and take measurements of things like weight dispersion and air quality. A digital twin bridge model will also be created from the gathered data, allowing future designs to be compared and adapted accordingly.

All images credit: Adriaan de Groot

The designers and engineers say the ultimate goal is to have robots that can someday autonomously build our infrastructure, tirelessly toiling away on site without the help of humans.

As well as being a one-of-a-kind project, the aesthetics of the bridge are also relatively unique. Its design is organic and fabric-like, with lots of curves, and the surface of the bridge has been left unbuffed after construction. This means that the many different layers of deposited steel from the 3D printing process are visible, giving it a rough, unusual finish.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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catherine todd wrote at 11/22/2018 12:01:59 PM:Noe: 12 meters is almost 40 feet long.(39.3701 feet). Same thing.Anja wrote at 10/25/2018 7:50:00 AM:@Andrew, @Noe Guerrero: Thanks for the correction.Andrew wrote at 10/24/2018 8:11:07 PM:40 meters??? Or maybe 40 feet?Noe Guerrero wrote at 10/24/2018 6:25:20 PM:Is this bridge 12 meters long or 40 meters? It looks more like 12 meters. Maybe you meant to say it's about 40 feet long.




Verma raised eyebrows in the corridors of power after meeting dissident BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, former AAP leader and lawyer Prashant Bhushan in his office on 8 October

In all likelihood, Alok Verma will not return to the Central Bureau of Investigation as its director: unless the Supreme Court rules in his favour. Verma is 61 years old. His two-year tenure as CBI chief ends in January 2019. The governments post-midnight order sending him on leave pending investigation could thus effectively mean the end of his innings at the agency.

So far, Rakesh Asthana, the CBI number 2 was facing the brunt of the law enforcement agency: An FIR had been filed against him with charges as serious as extortion and forgery. However, now it appears that the director, who has been sent "on leave" will face investigations on similar charges by the agency he technically continues to head. This investigation will be done by the Central Vigilance Commission. Of course, the charges against Asthana will be investigated further.

Consider the wording of the official statement issued by the Centre through Press Information Bureau: It asserts that despite repeated reminders, CBI director Verma was non-cooperative and did not respond to the CVC notices. The CVC, on receipt of a complaint on 24 August, 2018, (by Rakesh Asthana) containing various allegations against the senior functionaries of the CBI has served three separate notices (under section 11 of CVC Act, 2003) on 11th September, 2018 upon the Director, CBI to produce files and documents before the Commission on 14 September, 2018. Various opportunities have been given to produce such records and after several adjournments, though CBI assured the Commission on 24th September, 2018 to furnish the records within three weeks. Despite repeated assurances and reminders, the Director, CBI failed to furnish the records / files before the Commission. The CVC has observed that Director, CBI has not been cooperating in making available records / files sought by the Commission relating to serious allegations.

The official statement then notes that the CVC has also observed that the Director, CBI has been non-cooperative with the Commission, non-compliant with the requirements / directions of the Commission and has created willful obstructions in the functioning of the Commission which is a Constitutional body. The statement then goes on to say while the CVC and the government took a decisive action of divesting to send both the director and special director of functions, power, duty and supervisory role in respect of cases already registered and/or required to be registered and/or being inquired/enquired/investigated under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, until further orders and why both were sent on leave.

The statement clearly outlines CVCs grievances against Verma. It appears that Verma now will have a lot of explaining to do: both to the CVC and the Special Investigation Team. Asthana's case is now before the court and he will have to respond as the hearing proceeds.

Both Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the statement issued by the government stressed the word interim to convey the message that the actions taken were to restore the CBI's credibility and give a sense of fair play in investigations against the top officers. Nothing could be more unfair in the world than an accused, or a potential accused or a person against whom allegations are pending being in-charge of investigation or being supervisory head of an agency which is investigating.

The government statement said this has been done as an interim measure and will subsist till the CVC concludes its inquiry into all issues which have given rise to the present extra-ordinary and unprecedented situation and till the CVC and/or Government of India takes an appropriate decision in accordance with the law as regards to the measures to be adopted as a consequence thereof.

The much-awaited intervention from the CVC and the government in the ugly war between the number one and number two in the CBI came around 2 am Wednesday. The government decided to crack the whip when it realised that the factional war in the CBI had taken a toll on its credibility and was giving ammunition to political rivals and critics to question Prime Minister Narendra Modis administrative ability to rein in such a situation.

Sources told Firstpost preparatory work for the final action began Tuesday afternoon both at CVC and at PMO. While CVC was exploring files, ascertaining facts and mulling recommendations to be made to the government, at the PMO National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was holding a series of informal meetings with officials concerned. He remained in office from Tuesday evening to early morning Wednesday.

An extraordinary meeting of ACC was called following which it was decided to appoint Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao as interim CBI director. Around 1 am, Raojoint director in CBIwas informed he had to take charge of agency as interim director with immediate effect. Rao quickly reached CBI headquarters at CGO complex, followed by other officers.

Rao had the two top floors housing offices of CBI director and special directorsealed in his presence. His instructions were clear: nobody and nothing moves in or out of those two floors. Rao then signed a lot of fresh orders transferring and shunting over a dozen officials seemingly aligned with either group. Then, a fresh set of orders giving charge of work supervised by Asthana and who all would be part of the team investigating charges against Verma and Asthana were issued.

The Congress is charging that Verma was de-facto removed because he was about to open an investigation into the Rafale controversy. Verma raised eyebrows in the corridors of power after meeting dissident BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, former AAP leader and lawyer Prashant Bhushan in his office on 8 October and accepting their complaints seeking an inquiry into Rafale deal.

Jaitley called these charges rubbish and said if Congress, Left and AAP leaders were convinced in what they were saying, then they were demolishing integrity of the person (Verma) they are trying to protect. The implication by the finance minister went thus: How could these leaders know the future moves of the CBI director unless they were in contact with him? That argument does not bode well for Verma.
The Rafale deal is fast turning out to be a political potboiler with both the Congress and the BJP getting involved in serious mudslinging from Modi to Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan claimed in a tweet Wednesday that Central Bureau of Investigation Director Alok Verma was asked to go on leave because he was interested in probing the controversial Rafale deal.

Apart from protecting Asthana from investigation, the Rafale complaint by Shourie, Sinha & myself, entertained by the CBI Director, must be another reason for the Govt to remove him with such alacrity by this midnight order https://t.co/vKrR4a9God  Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) October 24, 2018

Bhushan, along with former BJP ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, filed a complaintwhich named Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Manohar Parrikarwith the agency

Although there is no mention of the controversial Rafale deal in the shake-up of the top brass of the premier investigating agency in the intervening night of 23 and 24 October, officially Verma was asked to proceed on leave along with his deputy Special Director Rakesh Asthana against whom he is engaged in a severe turf war over the meat trader Moin Qureshi bribery case. Both IPS officers have levelled allegations of grave misdoings against each other.

The Rafale deal is fast turning out to be a political potboiler with both the Congress and the BJP getting involved in serious mudslinging from Modi to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Calling the Rafale deal the "largest defence scam that the country has seen", Bhushan on 13 October hoped the CBI would act on the complaint made by him and two others against Modi in the matter.

Speaking at an event organised by the Mumbai Press Club, the Supreme Court lawyer said as per a PTI report that if the CBI failed to follow due process and register a preliminary enquiry (PE) or an FIR, he will take the case to the court. A PE is the first step of a probe by the CBI where the agency assesses whether the allegations have enough material for registering an FIR.

The Rs 58,000-crore Rafale fighter jet deal has been at the centre of a raging political row with the Congress accusing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of wrongdoing. The government has rejected all allegations.

"This (the Rafale deal) isn't merely a matter of securing commission for a particular company, as was the case in Bofors. This is the largest defence scam that the country has seen," Bhushan had said. "To begin with, it deals with much more money. It left the Indian Air Force high and dry, and by securing offset contracts for Anil Ambani's new company that has no experience in building fighter aircraft, it also puts our national security at risk."

The trio urged the CBI to register a PE against the duo on various charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act for a range of alleged offences committed in April 2015 in the course of buying 36 Rafale jets from French firm Dassault Aviation. In the complaint, Bhushan and the others questioned how Ambani's Reliance Defence, an Indian offset partner of Dassault, could be involved in the deal as it had no prior experience in the field and most other companies of the industrialist "were in debt."

In September 2016, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to buy the jets, the delivery of which is slated to begin from September 2019.

Bhushan alleged that while the government had refused to reveal the per plane rate, the deal was overpriced and that the French firm had been made to choose Reliance Defence at the insistence of the prime minister. Bhushan said the initial plan was to get 126 aircraft. While 30 percent of these were to be made by Dassault, the rest were to be made here in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, he said.

In his complaint, he alleged that just months before the deal was finalised, the then foreign secretary S Jaishankar said HAL would be involved in the process of getting the 126 aircraft. "It is significant that Mr Modi chose to keep the IAF, HAL, the Foreign Ministry, and even the Defence Ministry in the dark about his impending designs," the complaint read.

Taking cognisance of the written complaint by Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on 6 March seeking a probe into the controversial Rafale deal, the Central Vigilance Commission n 16 May "considered the complaint and decided to send it to Secretary, Ministry of Defence, South Block, New Delhi for necessary action".

In his 12-point letter to the CVC, Singh wrote in point 6: "That a year after the NDA government came to power, Mr Narendar Modi (sic), Prime Minister of India, in his first visit to France, suddenly announced that India would buy 36 Rafale aircrafts, all in a fly-away condition. The announcement came in the absence of the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar. That the RDL's (Reliance Defence Limited) owner Anil Dhirubhai Ambani accompanied Modi during his visit and attended meetings with Dassault raised a few eyebrows. Following prima facie questions stood up at that time: Were corporate interests the moving force behind the Prime Minister's sudden announcement? Was the new government trying to annul the previous agreement? Is the government increasing the quantum of the previous deal? Does it plan to drop the idea of buying 126 aircrafts completely by purchasing a greater number of fly-away jets? These were some of the questions raised at that moment, but there were no clear answers; the government maintained a silence around these issues. After the announcement Manohar Parrikar defended PM Modi's decision. He later declared that 126 aircrafts were "economically unviable" and not required. However, then Defence Minister Parrikar assured people that the fighter planes will now be bought at better prices and terms than what the UPA government had finalised. He said then that the new fleet would be included in the Indian Air. Force within two years. He further said that after adding all costs, the cost per jet would be around Rs 715 crore. This, in itself, was more than what the UPA government had negotiated (UPA had claimed that each jet would cost around Rs 530 crore)."

Again in point 9, the Rajya Sabha MP said: "That the new deal is a violation of the Defence Procurement Procedure, because the Prime Minister unilaterally announced the purchase of 36 jets in the absence of India's Defence Minister and an inter-governmental agreement and secondly, since Dassault is no longer obliged to share its technology with HAL, and will now work with RDL for maintenance of jets and future defence production, the Modi government's deal was prima facie intended to "promote the interests of one industrial group" at the cost of a public sector unit."

On 8 October, Singh moved the Supreme Court and demanded an apex court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into India's purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France.

A Criminal Writ Petition has been filed before the Supreme Court in the Rafale deal, praying for the issuance of the Writ of Mandamus to constitute a Supreme Court-monitored SIT to look into the reasons for cancellation of the deal for 126 Rafale, whether any criminal conspiracy was there to benefit the new offset partner and whether the government had required permission and sanctions for the purchase of 36 Rafale in flyaway condition.

"Apparently, the government had not followed the rules made by it, the DPP," the MP said in a statement. Singh's petition questioned how the figure of 36 fighter jets was arrived at "without the formalities associated with such a highly sensitive defence procurement". The MP demanded to know why Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was removed from the deal.

The petition said an investigation was needed to see if any "individual or intermediary company has/have influenced the decision making of the purchase of Rafale fighter jets at substantially higher prices in the backdrop of the statement given by the then President of French Republic. Singh sought restoration of the earlier deal for the purchase of 126 Rafale fighter jets which was cancelled on 24 June, 2015, and to "bar" the Dassault-Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) from manufacturing the Rafale jets.

In September, Singh sent a legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over alleged irregularities in the deal and threatened to move the court if he did not receive replies to his questions on various issues connected with the deal.
As was expected, the legality of the Modi governments decision has come under question.

In sending Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma and his bete noire and special director Rakesh Asthana on leave without violating the law, the Centre appears to have played it safe in its attempt to lid the feud in nations premier probe agency.

The late Tuesday Night Massacre, whose legality is being questioned by some, also saw 13 other CBI officers  including DSP Ajay Kumar Bassi who was investigating charges against Asthanabeing moved out. Bassi has been transferred to Port Blair with immediate effect in the "public interest". CBI additional director M Nageshwar Rao has been appointed interim director of the bureau.

As was expected, the legality of the Modi governments decision has come under question. 100% illegal in interfering in tenure of #cbidirector. No power 2do so. #CVC may supervise or interfere if perverse investigation. Cannot de facto transfer or divest or sack director. Cannot achieve indirectly wht u cannot do directly, Congress leader and prominent lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi tweeted.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan questioned the legality of the action. Breaking! As feared&suspected, the govt has removed the Director CBI from his charge, because he was pursuing corrupt Spl Director Rakesh Asthana who was foisted on CBI by PMO despite his being investigate, he tweeted.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury accused the government of conducting a political coup to take over the CBI. To ensure that the CBI is not a caged parrot, Supreme Court had granted protection to the Chief from govts whims and fancies by giving him a two-year tenure. What is Modi govt trying to hide by its panic move? #BJPCorruption, he tweeted.

Responding to the charges Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the decision was taken to maintain the sanctity of the CBI and on the Central Vigilance Commissions (CVC) recommendation. This is an extraordinary and as per the power invested in the CVC, it has the power to investigate and maintain the fairness of the investigation. He said that since both the officials have been accused of corruption they cannot investigate the allegations, he told the media on Wednesday, adding that the decision shall help in restoring the CBIs credibility.

According to the CBI Act, the CVC has the power of superintendence in cases related to corruption. Now, who will do the investigation, who will do it and how will it be done is done as per CrPC. But whether an investigation is done properly, the CVC can watch over it under its superintendence, Jaitley said in his defence of the Centres decision. According to the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DPSE) Act, 1946, which governs the working of the CBI, there is a clear distinction between the office of the director, the manner of his appointment and removal of other officers.

Only the CBI director enjoys security of tenure and his appointment process is also different from other officers, whose deputation, appointment and transfer is regulated by the executive.

According to the DPSE Act, the CBI director is appointed by a committee comprising Prime Minister as chairperson, leader of the Opposition and Chief Justice of India (CJI) or a Judge of the Supreme as nominated by the CJI.

According to Section 4Bwhich states the terms and conditions of service of the CBI directorthe director shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the rules relating to his conditions of service, continue to hold office for a period of not less than two years from the date on which he assumes office, and, the director shall not be transferred except with the previous consent of the committee that consists of Prime Minister, leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India.

That Verma has neither been removed nor transferred puts the decision squarely within the legal powers of the executive. The government has acted smart by sending Verma on leave, not removing or transferring him, thus abiding by the Act and clearing the mess caused by the infighting at the same time. The decision does, however, straddle a grey area, as the SC has earlier ruled that what cannot be done directly, cannot be done indirectly either.
The PMO has expressed concern over blame-game in CBI, RSS-BJP to meet for discussion on Ram Mandir strategy, Tanushree Dutta says she is hoping for justice; day's top stories.

CBI versus CBI

As the infighting in the investigative agency reached the court on Tuesday, sources said that that a decision by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) can be expected on the blame game being played by the CBI's top officials. In the case of Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who has been named by the CBI in an FIR regarding a bribery case, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday ruled that the status quo must be maintained, which means Asthana cannot be arrested until further orders in the next hearing on 29 October.

Sources said that the PMO expressed deep concern and that a decision can be expected in the next two days.

Mamata Banerjee blames Railways for Santragachi station flyover stampede

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee shifted the blame on the Railways for the stampede at the station in Howrah after two people died and 17 were left injured in the incident on Tuesday. She claimed that there were massive coordination gaps in the Railway's functioning. This incident in West Bengal comes less than a week after the tragedy in Amritsar when an outstation train ran over at least 60 people standing on the tracks while participating in Dussehra celebrations.

RSS-BJP to meet in Lucknow to discuss Ram Mandir action plan, 2019 General Election

BJP president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS's Krishna Kumar are likely to preside over a meeting in Lucknow to discuss the party's future strategy on the disputed Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in the state. The meeting comes days after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his annual address on Vijayadashami in Nashik, had pushed for a concrete plan on the decades-old conflict.

Women keen to enter Sabarimala temple approach Kerala High Court seeking police protection

In yet another attempt by women to access the sanctum sanctorum of Kerala's Sabarimala temple, four women have approached the high court seeking an order for police protection for them. The group of women includes two lawyers. They have put forward their demand based on the 28 September Supreme Court order which allowed women of all ages access into the temple.

Rahul Gandhi's campaign continues in Rajasthan

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be conducting a roadshow in Rajasthan from Jhalawar to Kota on Wednesday. Jhalawar is considered to be Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's home turf. Rahul is expected to address a public meeting in Jhalawar after which he will proceed to Kota. He is also scheduled for a meeting at the Mandana Agricultural mandi.

Ola and Uber continue with the indefinite strike

The strike by Ola and Uber drivers continues on Wednesday. Drivers are demanding higher fares as they say that the rising fuel costs are diminishing their incomes. Fuel prices have risen more than 20 percent since the start of the year but drivers say fares have not grown at the same rate making it difficult for them to meet expenses despite working longer hours.

In Mumbai, some drivers were forced off the roads on Tuesday by supporters of the strike. The rising cost of fuel, caused by higher oil prices and a weak rupee, are the latest setbacks for drivers operating on thin margins. Their incomes have plunged over the past two years after Uber and Ola cut incentives to boost profitability.

Spoke up to defend myself, not to become a hero, says Tanushree Dutta

Tanushree Dutta, who kickstarted the Me Too movement in India after reiterating her decade-old harassment allegations against Nana Patekar, on Tuesday said such cases are not taken seriously in India but she is hopeful of getting justice. "I am hoping I will get justice. But not figured out what kind of justice I will get. There are rules and regulations, things are tweaked and twisted and there is corruption so justice gets delayed.

"Harassment cases are not taken seriously in our country. One is told to forget about it. This is the attitude but by allowing it you are creating an evil environment. I am in the fight and I know I will be getting retribution," Tanushree said at a Manthan Aaj-Tak event. In September, Tanushree spoke about the bitter experience she had while working on a film in 2008 and once again accused her co-star Patekar of sexual harassment while filming a song.

India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI at Vizag

Equipped with a top-order that is riding an unprecedented run of rich form, India are favoured to extend their dominance while West Indies face insurmountable odds to draw parity, in the second One Day International on Wednesday.

With inputs from agencies
Divya Spandana reacting to Smriti Irani's sanitary napkin comment, tweeted, 'Nothing that comes out of the vagina is to be ashamed of. Cant say the same about the mouth.'

In a strong critique, social media in-charge and Congress leader Divya Spandana slammed Union Minister Smriti Irani for her comment on the Supreme Court verdict in the Sabarimala temple entry case. Irani, in a video gone viral, had said, "I have right to pray,but no right to desecrate. I am nobody to speak on SC verdict as I'm a serving cabinet minster. Would you take sanitary napkins seeped in menstrual blood into a friend's home? No.Why take them into house of God?"

Divya, in her tweet, mocked the Union Minister and said, "Nothing that comes out of the vagina is to be ashamed of. Cant say the same about the mouth."

Nothing that comes out of the vagina is to be ashamed of. Cant say the same about the mouth. https://t.co/vAuTrJ9lsr  Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) October 23, 2018

Irani, responding to the furore over her comments on "menstrual blood" amid the protests against women's entry into the Sabarimala temple, on Tuesday said a propaganda was being launched using her as bait. Interestingly, before she responded to her "comment", the Union minister had claimed that the video was "fake news".

In a series of tweets trying to clarify her comments, Irani said that as a practising Hindu married to a practising Zoroastrian, she is not allowed to enter a fire temple to pray, but she "respects that stand by the Zoroastrian community and priests" and "does not approach any court for the right to pray" as a mother of two Zoroastrian children. Similarly, Parsi or non-Parsi menstruating women, irrespective of age, do not go to a fire temple, she added.

These "two statements are factual" and "the rest of the propaganda and agenda being launched using her as bait is just that", the Union minister said. As far as those who jumped the gun regarding her remark on women visiting a friend's place with a blood-soaked sanitary napkin are concerned, she said she has yet to find a person who "takes" such a sanitary pad to "offer" to anyone, let alone a friend.

Irani added that what "fascinates" her  though she is not surprised  is that as a woman, she is "not free" to have her own point of view. "As long as I conform to the 'liberal' point of view I'm acceptable. How liberal is that?" Irani asked.

Since many people are talking about my comments  let me comment on my comment. As a practising Hindu married to a practising Zoroastrian I am not allowed to enter a fire temple to pray.  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 23, 2018

I respect that stand by the Zoroastrian community / priests and do not approach any court for a right to pray as a mother of 2 Zoroastrian children. Similarly Parsi or non Parsi menstruating women irrespective of age DO NOT go to a Fire Temple.  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 23, 2018

These are 2 factual statements. Rest of the propaganda / agenda being launched using me as bait is well just that ... bait.  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 23, 2018

As far as those who jump the gun regarding women visiting friends place with a sanitary napkin dipped in menstrual blood  I am yet to find a person who takes a blood soaked napkin to offer to any one let alone a friend.  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 23, 2018

But what fascinates me though does not surprise me is that as a woman I am not free to have my own point of view. As long as I conform to the liberal point of view Im acceptable. How Liberal is that ??  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 23, 2018

According to several media reports, the Union textile minister was speaking at the "Young Thinkers" conference organised by the British High Commission and the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, when she made the remarks while speaking on the Sabarimala controversy, she had said that "the right to pray did not mean the right to desecrate".

"I am nobody to speak against the Supreme Court verdict as I am a serving Cabinet minister. But just plain common sense is that would you carry a napkin seeped with menstrual blood and walk into a friend's house? You would not. And would you think it is respectful to do the same when you walk into the house of God? That is the difference. I have the right to pray, but no right to desecrate. That is the difference we need to recognise and respect," Irani reportedly said at the event. However, once reports on her remarks began to be widely shared, she took to Twitter to call it "fake news" and said she would clarify the statement soon.

Updated Date:
By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Wednesday it could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia if its intelligence services find the kingdom was behind the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, even as Paris worked to maintain important business and strategic ties with Riyadh. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Wednesday that Khashoggi's killers would be brought to justice, in his first public comments since the journalist's murder provoked international condemnation.

By John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Wednesday it could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia if its intelligence services find the kingdom was behind the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, even as Paris worked to maintain important business and strategic ties with Riyadh.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Wednesday that Khashoggi's killers would be brought to justice, in his first public comments since the journalist's murder provoked international condemnation.

French reaction has been relatively guarded to date, as Paris tried to retain its influence with Riyadh and protect commercial relations spanning energy, finance and arms.

But President Emmanuel Macron told King Salman that France, in coordination with partners, could take action against those held responsible for the murder, the presidency said in a statement.

Macron expressed profound outrage during a phone conversation with Salman, it said, adding that the president had asked the king that the circumstances around Khashoggi's death be fully disclosed.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Yemen and Syria, the Elysee palace said.

"As long as the facts have not been clearly established, and corroborated by our information services, we will not take any decision," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said earlier on Wednesday.

"On the other hand, once light has been shed on the matter and has been corroborated by our services, based on the hypothesis that Saudi Arabia's responsibility has been proved, then we would draw the necessary conclusions and impose appropriate sanctions," he said.

Any steps would not just involve sanctions on arms sales he said, without elaborating.

Earlier, a French presidency source said there would be no "hasty decision".

Other major Western allies of Saudi Arabia have already spoken out. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the crown prince may be behind Khashoggi's death. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called his killing a "monstrosity" and vowed to halt German arms exports.

Britain, like France a major weapons supplier to the kingdom, has said an explanation by Riyadh that Khashoggi died in a fight in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was not credible. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday Britain would prevent all suspects in his death from entering the UK.

BALANCING ACT

A senior French diplomat acknowledged Macron was treading a thin line in pursuing his long-stated policy of avoiding taking sides between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran.

"We're a bit in the shit because of this," he said, referring to the Khashoggi furore. "We have an important partnership, but while we never considered Saudi to be the cradle of human rights, this is serious. It can't be ignored. There will be consequences, but we need to be prudent."

Since coming to power last year, Macron has largely ignored protests over arms sales he deems vital to jobs and France's strategic relationships in the region.

From 2008 to 2017, Saudi Arabia was the second biggest purchaser of French arms, with deals totalling 11 billion euros ($12.7 billion), including 1.5 billion last year alone.

Reflecting the range of French commercial interests in the region, the head of oil company Total was attending the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, a meeting boycotted by a number of his peers in the wake of the Khashoggi killing.

Macron considers Riyadh vital to help forge a region-wide peace deal with Iran, as well as an ally in the fight against Islamist militants from the Middle East to West Africa, and a rampart against the Muslim Brotherhood.

"The sale of weapons is something very political and part of a long-term vision," said Camille Lons, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Saudi Arabia is present across the region, so if there were to be complications in diplomatic relations it could have an impact on several regional theatres."

ALLIANCE OF YOUTH

At the heart of Macron's strategy is Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MbS, who has painted himself as a reformer but is under scrutiny over Khashoggi's death.

During a visit to France this year Macron urged detractors to give time to the 33-year-old leader-in-waiting.

"The challenge is not to lose MbS. A loss of influence in the region would cost us much more than the lack of arms sales," a French minister said on condition of anonymity.

Macron has tried to play down the importance of economic relations and instead played up the strategic partnership.

"Paris  while projecting its outward image of a beacon of liberalism and idealism  is deeply interested in getting even closer to the current rulers in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi," said Jalel Harchaoui, geopolitics lecturer at Versailles University.

"The dominant perception is that both leaders are dynamic and assertive while the Khashoggi affair is just a temporary crisis during which no mistakes must be made."

(Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier, Matthias Blamont; Writing by Ingrid Melander and John Irish; Editing by Luke Baker, Jon Boyle and David Stamp)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A Sri Lankan minister, who declined to be named, had claimed that the president had said India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was behind the plot.

Colombo: An Indian national arrested for possible links to an alleged plot to assassinate Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has told a court that he is innocent saying the police are trying to frame him in the case.

Marceli Thomas appeared in court before the Colombo Fort magistrate on Tuesday. Thomas said in a written statement that he is innocent but the Sri Lankan police's criminal investigation department was trying to implicate him in the plot. He said he had been under detention for 34 days and as a result his health had deteriorated.

Thomas was arrested late in September following a complaint by Namal Kumara, who claimed he was representing the Anti-Corruption Force, and who had alleged a plot to assassinate Sirisena and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the former top defence ministry bureaucrat and brother of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Kumara also claimed that the senior police officer in charge of the police's counter terrorism division Nalaka Silva had masterminded the plot. Silva has since been interdicted and questioned extensively by the police CID.

The court was also told that voice tapes provided by Kumara and Silva connected to the alleged plot have been verified by the government as carrying their voices.

Last week, it was reported that Sirisena had accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

A Sri Lankan minister, who declined to be named, had claimed that the president had said India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was

behind the plot.

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry later termed the reports as "baseless and false". Sirisena also called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and categorically rejected the media reports that he had accused the RAW of plotting his assassination as "utterly baseless and false".
The woman delivered the baby girl when the aircraft was around 40 minutes away from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Wednesday morning, the spokesperson said.

Mumbai: A Jakarta-bound Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Mumbai after an Indonesian woman delivered a baby on board the Airbus A330 aircraft, the spokesperson of the Mumbai airport said Wednesday.

The woman delivered the baby girl when the aircraft was around 40 minutes away from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Wednesday morning, the spokesperson said.

"An Etihad flight EY 474 flying on Abu Dhabi-Jakarta route was diverted to Mumbai Airport on 24 October due to an expectant female passenger of Indonesian origin going into labour on board," the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson said in a statement.

Airport officials had kept a medical team on stand-by, and it attended the woman immediately after the aircraft landed, it said.

The MIAL doctors provided necessary medical assistance...the passenger was shifted to Seven Hills (hospital) for further medical intervention," it said. The flight departed from Mumbai for its destination Jakarta at 9:42 am, it added.

Etihad Airways, in its statement, said that the flight was diverted to Mumbai due to a "medical emergency" and as a result, it will be "two hours delayed arriving into Jakarta".
The August flood that took the water level in most of the dams, including Mullapperiyar, to the brim had confounded fears of people living in the downstream of the dam regarding their safety.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changes nod to Kerala government to go ahead with the feasibility study for a new dam in place of the 123-year-old Mullaperiyar dam has not enthused people living in the downstream of the dam as the approval is subject to the condition that the dam can be built only with the consent of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu, which owns and operates the dam in Idukki, has already come out against the green nod. A top Tamil Nadu government official was quoted by New Indian Express as saying that it is a violation of the Supreme Court verdicts 2014 verdict allowing the state to raise the water level and they would file a contempt of court petition against the ministry.

The August flood that took the water level in most of the dams, including Mullapperiyar, to the brim had confounded fears of people living in the downstream of the dam regarding their safety. They had hoped the government to address their concerns while reconstructing the flood-damaged assets.

The people in Idukki consider the construction of a new dam thereby in place of the existing dam as the only permanent solution to the problem. Though the state government had started a slew of redressal measures for rebuilding the losses, a large number of the people living in the downstream of the dam is living with fear.

This anxiety was reinforced by the recent floods though the Supreme Court had given permission for raising the water level of the dam to 142 feet and till 152 feet after adequate strengthening measures. How long this will last is the big question worrying the people in Kerala.

The lease agreement signed with the British in 1886 for the transfer of water for 999 years will only be complete in 2885. Will the fragile dam continue for another 800 or more years? Expert opinion and the accepted norms are against this. The International Dam Safety Authority (IDSA) gives a lifespan of 70 years for a dam.

The Mullaperiyar dam was constructed when the technology was in its nascent stage. The cementing material used for the construction of the dam was Surki mixture. This too poses askance over the safety of the mammoth structure.

A minor tremor at any time can lead to the destruction of a number of dams including the Idukki dam which exceeds Mullaperiyar in storage capacity, says senior geologist AV George, who currently works as a professor of Geology at the Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia. He warns about the dam-induced earthquake that occurred at Koyna in Maharashtra in 1967.

Kusala Rajendran, a professor at Centre for Earth Sciences, at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and an eminent seismologist says that a magnitude 6 earthquake cannot be ruled out in south India.

In the event of such an earthquake in the proximity of the Mullaperiyar dam, one cannot predict the response of the dam to the earthquake, especially if it is shallow (within 5-10 km) which is generally observed depth range for the southern peninsular earthquakes. That concern apart, one has to look at the stability and strength of this 123 years old dam, which was constructed before the age of earthquake-resistant designs and is not made with cement. Considering the large population that lives downstream of the rivers that are damned by both the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams, ensuring the safety of these dams is crucial. Global examples show that old dams are decommissioned. It is all the more important to consider such options and to maintain the water level at an optimal level because of the high density of population that lives downstream. The inundation levels of the 2018 flood post opening of the shutters of these two dams should serve as a good learning experience, says Kusala.

K Soman, a former senior scientist-geologist from the Central for Earth Sciences, said that the scenario is grave. Taking into consideration the recent floods, there is anxiety regarding the safety of the dam. A torrential rain accompanied by landslides as happened very recently coupled with a moderate scale earthquake can be disastrous, says Soman.

V Nandakumar, group head of the crustal programmes of the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) Thiruvananthapuram, says that considering the antiquity of the dam it is susceptible to mild tremors. Most of the other dams were constructed using most modern technologies they have safety measures which is not the case of Mullaperiyar, he says.

The structural stability analysis of the Mullaperiyar dam in the year 2009 conducted by DK Paul of the IIT Roorkee's department of earthquake engineering had found that the Mullaperiyar dam and the Baby dam are supposed to sustain damages in the wake of an earthquake leading to the failure of the dam.

In the case of the main dam, damages were predicted over the occurrence of an earthquake having the magnitude of 6.5 in the vicinity of the dam (within 16 km) when the water level in the dam is 136 feet. These studies also support expert opinions.

As per the dam break analysis report conducted by the water resources development and management of the IIT Roorkee in 2012, the water level down the Mullaperiyar dam would rise by 40.30 m and in Idukki dam, which is about 36 km from Mullaperiyar, the level would go up to 20.85 m, if anything adverse happens to the reservoir. The dam break analysis report says about the possibility of the over-topping mode of failure for the dam which is reasonable for dam break flood generation. The IIT Roorkee had evinced an interest to conduct a new study on the rainfall pattern in view of the recent floods.

More than 30 lakh people of the state are living with a Damocles sword hanging over them owing to the age-old weak presence of the dam. Tamil Nadu is using the water from the Mullaperiyar dam for fulfiling the agricultural purposes of more than 13,000 acres of land. Kollam MP and former water resources minister NK Premachandran said that the dam should be decommissioned since it is not safe.

If the rainfall recorded at Idukki dam was recorded at the catchment area of the Mullaperiyar dam, the dam would have toppled. The central government and the apex court should intervene, he says.

Advocate Russel Joy, who recently filed a writ at the Supreme Court seeking the decommissioning date of the dam which has completed its lifespan says that an expert commission should visit the Mullaperiyar dam and they should study on the basis of the The American Federal Guidelines for the Safety of Dam so as to ensure the safety of the dam. In his writ, he demanded that Tamil Nadu should compensate to the beneficiaries who are living in the downstream of the dam in the course of the breakage of the dam.

The water is reaching Tamil Nadu through a big tunnel having the length of 5,220 feet and the width of 150 square meter. A portion of the water is reaching the lower camp power station and the rest to the Vaigavanar project. The water reaches Vaiga dam through the Theny river.

The Mullaperiyars relation with Tamil Nadu is due to the lease agreement signed by the King of Travancore Sri Vishagham Thirunal at the Special interest of the Governor of Madras at the behest of the British government. Though the British government persuaded Sri Vishgham Thirunal to sign the agreement for diverting the water of the Periyar river form 1962 onwards the King resisted it for over 24 years over the interest of his people and finally gave in. The condition of the agreement of 1886 when the construction began only permits to give water for the purpose of irrigation and not electricity production.

The main purpose for the construction of the dam was the irrigation of the agricultural lands of the Theny and Madurai districts in the Madras Presidency. The state received a paltry Rs 5 for an acre for the 8,000 acres of land involved in the lease agreement with the Tamil Nadu.

The lease agreement extending to 999 years culminating only in 2885 authorises to maintain the 8,000-acre land of the state at the hands of the British government. After the British left, Tamil Nadu holds the authority to maintain this lease agreement.

The state didnt take the needed care for ending the lease agreement, though Tamil Nadu violated the lease agreement on various occasions and it stands cancelled after the exit of Britishers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the Seoul Peace Prize, 2018 for his contribution to world peace through his economic vision. Modi will become the 14th recipient of the coveted award.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the Seoul Peace Prize, 2018 for his contribution to world peace through his economic vision. Modi will become the 14th recipient of the coveted award.

"The Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in recognition of his dedication to improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the Human Development of the people of India by fostering economic growth in the world's fastest-growing large economy and furthering the development of democracy through anti-corruption and social integration efforts," read a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Award Committee recognised Prime Minister Modi's contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing the social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor. "The Committee lauded the Prime Minister's initiatives to make the government cleaner through anti-corruption measures and demonetisation. The Committee also credited the prime minister for his contribution towards regional and global peace through a proactive foreign policy with countries around the world under the 'Modi Doctrine' and the 'Act East Policy'," the statement added.

Expressing his gratitude for the prestigious honour and in light of India's deepening partnership with the Republic of Korea, Modi has accepted the award. The award will be presented by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually convenient time. The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul. Former chairman of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch was its first recipient. Other winners include former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former United States Secretary of State George Pratt Shultz.
What makes David Hartley an expert on triple entry accounting?

I became interested in digital accounting in the mid 1970s and had the pleasure of being founder of one of the first companies developing and supplying software for professional accountants. We dominated that vertical market for years. After companies in 8 countries and agents in more, the last company was sold to Sage in the UK in 1999. Their prime professional accounting market software is still based on my companys system.

I have been pondering and working towards a standardised semantic approach to business data since then. With blockchain I had my private Eureka moment. Its attributes of a trusted system without a middleman allows accounting to enter a new era.

Whats different from double to triple?

Triple entry accounting (TEA) adds a public ledger to the existing private double entry (debit/credit) ledgers. One party puts the invoice in the public ledger, and the other party acknowledges it. Thanks to the immutability of a blockchain, it audits itself. Its the first time in history that we can follow the money around the globe. Internal processes become more efficient, opportunities for fraud are greatly reduced.

Double entry accounting has been around for over 500 years. Why will triple entry be implemented now?

We all agree that currently practiced accounting is no moat against fraud. Companies including SMEs suffer billions in losses to fraud annually. KPMG has estimated the figure to be 193 billion in 2016 in the UK alone, with only a mere 0.5% of that, or 1.1 billion, ending up in court. Much of this fraud remains hidden until a company fails.

Even audited companies are not safe. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has estimated that auditors picked up only 4% of occupational fraud in 2017. Triple entry accounting will not fix conman or ponzi scheme type frauds, but it can drastically reduce many inter entity frauds, while simplifying and reducing the cost of audits.

This change has been a long time coming. Now thanks to blockchain technology we can have a public yet secure audit trail.

And all that is without even considering the viewpoint of OECD Governments re tax fraud as they see it, or tax minimisation as business people see it!

What technical elements will triple entry accounting need?

A scalable blockchain ecosystem, a new universal data standard for the storage and processing of accounting data, a blockchain solution dedicated to triple entry accounting, a universal identity solution and a good implementation strategy.

Lets break it down: the blockchain ecosystem?

It starts with the blockchain  the public ledger. First we need the equivalent of an operating system or platform on which companies can build accounting apps. There are hundreds of different systems out there and they all battle with the problem of scale. Today none of the major blockchains can process the number of transactions per second needed for universal triple entry accounting, but that is changing with new so called 3rdgeneration blockchains arriving on the block. There are at least twenty five 3rdgeneration blockchain in development around the world (lf, ternity, Aion, AlphaPoint, Apla, Blockstack, Cardano, Cosmos, Credits, Devcash, EOS, Genaro, Hyperledger, Icon, Komodo, Metaverse, Multichain, Multiversum, NEO, Red Belly, SophiaTX, Tezos, Universa, Wanchain, and Zilliqa), with some beginningto enter service eg EOS which launched in June 2018. I personally favour Cosmos because of its flexibility, its ability scale, its inter operability with other blockchains, security (via the Tendermint Byzantine Fault Tolerance system), and its good governance system. Governance is key in trustless systems.

Then the data standard. Dont we already have one?

Well, there is XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) which is in use around the world for financial reporting  a great feat considering it has developed from the work of a single person. Plus it has a reporting not a storage focus so does not actually define how the raw or original accounting data should be stored to make it comparable across entities let alone jurisdictions and accounting standards. XBRLs very extensibiliy has allowed entities and organisations to invent their own definitions, resulting in incompatibility.

Nor does XBRL cater for triple entry accounting.

There are other contenders eg UBL or International Standard ISO/IEC 19845 which specifies the OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL), Open EDI, RDF or Resource Description Framework, and Ocean which is a Decentralised Data Exchange Protocol.

However in our view none of these standards or the proprietary formats of current accounting suppliers, fully meet the bill for the new blockchain era with triple entry accounting.

We need a new standard that makes accounting between Albania and Zimbabwe compatible, which can cope with all storage and reporting needs.

The current lack of such a system is very expensive  an IFAC report says that International regulatory divergence costs $780 Billion annually  more than the GDP of Switzerland.

Thats where our company Pacio comes in. We are currently working on a standardised semantic data standard called SSIM which fixes all of the issues described above, while maintaining backwards compatibility.

Then the dedicated public ledger and the identity solution?

This can be built within the best blockchain ecosystem. It should follow a universal data standard, preferably SSIM. Logically it consists of the invoice, its meta data and both the issuer and recipient. Here we come to the identity solution. We have to make sure that the parties are known to the system and can be verified to be who they claim they are. There are several projects in the blockchain world that already tackle the identity issue, for businesses as well as people, using the same attributes that make triple entry accounting possible.

How to implement it globally?

It comes down to incentives, the benefits, the network effect, and ultimately a bit of gentle or not so gentle (for the stragglers) coercion. Pacios plan is to make it easy for app developers to incorporate SSIM and TEA in their apps.

Take off will come as major commercial software developers and uses such as Amazon, Alibaba, Apple or Google jump on board. Such companies will require their suppliers to use the system, just as they currently force them to use EDI or similar standards. At some point, national tax authorities will make triple entry accounting mandatory, and in time SSIM too, we trust, as a better option than XBRL.

Who are the players and who will win the triple entry accounting race?

Ecosystem: I see Cosmos, EOS, Zilliqa as front runners. I dont see Ethereum there because they cant scaleyet, though many developers are working on trying to scale Ethereum.

I am fully aware that I am being immodest, but we will propose that Pacios SSIM become the universal data standard. As for the public ledger, there are a few contenders. Ledgerium is one, but they plan to operate on Ethereum. I dont see that working in the short run. Pacio will certainly throw its hat into the ring for triple entry accounting, via its Cosmos based Pacio Blockchain plus decentralised data storage. Likewise with a global identity solution, although as mentioned there are a few very good projects already, among them uport.

When will we have the accounting of the 21st century?

Given how long we have had double entry accounting, Id rather speak of the accounting of the third millennium. Its important to realize that it wont necessarily be the first solution that wins but the first one to solve the major issues. The one that will make onboarding easy and that can create the necessary network effect.

Where are the Quickbooks, Sages, and Xeros of the world in all of this?

In the beginning for sure they will have their place as triple accounting will more or less support the single companys ledger system that they supply now, but in the long run we will probably see a new and changed accounting and auditing world built on blockchain technology. But we have just started to explore the possibilities of the new technology.

Triple entry accounting should greatly reduce auditing efforts. So are the Big Four Accounting/Auditing/Consulting firms friend or foe?

For sure the trust mechanism of Blockchain technology and triple entry accounting will change the role of external auditing. The third party verification (debtors/creditors) steps will be eliminated for all TEA using entities, and that has been a large part of traditional auditing.

However, the Big Four are already far more consultants than accountants or auditors, with something of the order of 75% of their profits coming from their consulting activities. Blockchain triple entry accounting will just continue the evolution of the Big 4 and other accounting firms. That will be good for them, and the businesses they serve = friend, not foe.

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The registration process for the countrys largest medical entrance exam, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam (NEET), is scheduled to start on 1 November.

The registration process for the countrys largest medical entrance exam, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam (NEET), is scheduled to start on 1 November. The newly established exam conducting body, the National Testing Agency (NTA), will release the NEET 2019 application form with the information brochure on the said day.

While changes announced by NTA early in June with regard to the exam such as computer-based test held in multiple sessions were revoked, the status quo in terms of exam mode and number of sessions has been maintained with NEET 2019 remaining a single window, pen-paper based exam.

NEET  Gateway to which courses?

 NEET is the sole gateway for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in all government colleges, private colleges, central universities and deemed universities in the country, with the exception of AIIMS and JIPMER institutions.

 Qualifying NEET is also mandatory for students who intend to pursue medical and dental courses abroad.

 Apart from MBBS and BDS, NEET will offer admission to all Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) undergraduate courses. BAMS, BUMS, BHMS, BNYS and BSMS will be included in AYUSH courses.

 In addition, NEET score is required for admission to 15 percent All India Quota seats in government and private veterinary colleges offering BVSc and AH courses, except for the colleges of Jammu and Kashmir.

Eligible or not?

NEET eligibility has undergone a lot of controversies and therefore remains a topic of contemplation for students. The basic requirements needed to be fulfilled by the candidates can be only confirmed once the information brochure is released. However, prospective test-takers can check here the current regulations laid down by the Medical Council of India and the latest judgments of the Delhi High Court.

Indian nationals, foreign nationals, National Residents of India (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are eligible to apply for NEET, considering they fulfill the age and academic requirements. The much-talked-about upper age limit, which was reintroduced for NEET 2018, has been stayed and is likely to remain for the students applying for NEET 2019. This implies candidates should be between 17 and 25 years (30 years for reserved categories) of age to take the entrance exam.

In terms of academic requirements, candidates should have biology, physics, chemistry and english in their qualifying examination. A minimum score of 50 percent marks (40 percent in case of SC/ST/OBC) in science subjects in aggregate is necessary while passing in all these subjects individually, including English, is also required.

The Delhi High Court struck down the regulation which debarred open school students from appearing for NEET. Therefore, this criterion is unlikely to be introduced in NEET 2019.

Students who had biology as an additional subject were also allowed to appear for NEET 2018. So it is expected that it will be allowed again.

NEET 2019 Application  process, important guidelines

With NTA taking over from CBSE, the official website for NEET 2019 has changed to ntaneet.nic.in. NEET application form will be made available here from 1 November. Currently, the website is under maintenance.

Key Points of NEET 2019 Registration Process:

Application form of NEET will be available in online mode only from 1 to 30 November, 2018.

Aadhaar is not mandatory and candidates can provide details of any valid ID proof like passport number, ration card number, bank account number among others. It must be ensured that the details given in the ID proof support the details submitted by the candidates while filling the application form.

Documents to be kept ready beforehand include the Class 10 marksheet, photograph and signature. Candidates who have already cleared their Class 12 must keep the details of that ready. Photograph must be a recent coloured one in JPG format with a file size of 10 to 100 KB. Signature must be in black ink in JPG format with a file size of 3 to 20 KB.

NEET exam centres, in case of candidates opting to write in languages other than English or Hindi, will be restricted to the state where it is spoken. For instance, NEET question paper in Marathi will be only available in Maharashtra. While NEET 2018 was held in 150 centres, the number is expected to rise, going by the recent indications by the authorities.

NEET application fee is expected to be the same  unreserved category and OBC candidates will have to pay Rs 1,400, while SC/ST/PH candidates need to pay Rs 750. The acceptable mode of payment will be debit card/credit credit/net banking.

Mistakes in NEET application form?

It is expected that the authorities will open up a correction window tentatively in December to facilitate the correction of any mistakes made by the candidates. The details of what can be corrected and what cannot is yet to be announced.

NEET 2019 is slated to be held on 5 May. The admit card will be released on 15 April in online mode. The result for the entrance exam will be declared on 5 June.
The NIA on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet against a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist who was nabbed by security forces earlier this year.

New Delhi: The NIA on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet against a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist who was nabbed by security forces earlier this year, a fortnight after his group infiltrated into India from across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged Zabiullah alias Hamza (20) under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Arms Act and few others.

The agency said Zabiullah hailed from Multan in Pakistan and his group was intercepted by security forces on the intervening night of 20-21 March in the forests of Chak Fatah Khan in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

While five terrorists of this LeT terrorists' group were killed in the encounter, Zabiullah managed to escape.

He was injured during the encounter, but managed to escape and was apprehended a fortnight later from the same district, it said.

Three army personnel and two policemen were killed, while four other troops were injured during this encounter.

During investigation, the NIA said it was found that in the first week of March this year, a group of six LeT terrorists infiltrated into India through the LoC along Kupwara.

"This group of terrorists was heading towards Lolab area of Kupwara for establishing their bases for carrying out subversive activities in furtherance of waging war against India."

"While this terrorist group was passing through the forests of Chak Fatah Khan, Halmatpora in Kupwara they were intercepted by security forces and a gun battle took place," the agency said.

The NIA, in the chargesheet, said the Pakistani terrorist infiltrated into India from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Investigation carried out by the NIA has proved that Zabiullah is a Pakistani national and belonged to the LeT. Evidence collected from the scene of crime clearly linked the AK 47 recovered from Zabiullah's possession with the empty cartridges recovered from the site of encounter. "

"Zabiullah also pointed out his place of residence in Pakistan, the training camps of LeT, the launching pads and the route taken by him to enter into the Indian territory during his questioning," it said.
Lack of consolidated data on construction workers' deaths is one of the reasons why the country is still unaware of how mainstream this problem is.

In early October, four young men lost their lives at a private real estate firm BPTPs 18-storey Capital City. A tractor trolley carrying sand hit the shuttering material, the iron fixture erected along the length of the building during construction, and it collapsed.

Along with the driver of the tractor, the 28-year-old Naushad, the other deceased were identified as Karan and Vijaypal, both 27 years old, and Ramvijay, who was all of 19. The senior superintendent of Police in the area, Ajay Pal Sharma, had told the press that the police was probing the matter and after that, due compensation would be given to the families of the victims as per the Wages Act.

Reportedly, the workers were wearing helmets but the safety harness was missing from the shuttering. This is neither the first incident of its kind nor is it the last. Lack of consolidated data on construction worker deaths is one of the reasons why the country is still unaware of how mainstream this problem is.

We at the Bandhkam Mazdoor Sangathan collect data through RTIs, at the zone, district and state levels, said Vipul Pandya, who fights for the rights of people directly or indirectly engaged in construction work. He shared that the compiled data of 2018 suggests that 60,000 accidents still take place across construction sites in India. The most common causes, constituting nearly 40 percent of the deaths, are workers being struck by falling objects like mobile construction equipment.

He added that the second-most common reason for fatal accidents is workers falling through openings, or because of collapse of scaffolding. Other reasons include electric shocks caused by damaged cables, with either no earthing or no use of 3 pin plug/socket, the handiwork of non-qualified electricians.

Firstpost interacted with retired construction workers who have faced multiple near-death experiences and have lived to tell their story.

Ishwar Sharma worked as a painter for nearly four decades in New Delhi, in both posh and middle-class colonies like Rohini, Vasant Kunj and Vasant Vihar. He now lives in a colony for construction workers in Bawana. Over the years, he has witnessed denial regarding such incidents among the contractors. He shared instances of bodies of young men falling from scaffoldings and getting buried in the debris. The contractor would not bat an eyelid because disclosure would lead to dealing with the police and state authorities.

He also shared instances where the injured are taken to non-descript private hospitals in the vicinity where medico legal cases arent registered. In such cases, investigations by the law-enforcing agencies are essential to fix the responsibility regarding the causation of the injury or ailment. Ishwar shared that accident case summaries are made but quite often, FIRs arent registered.

The sub-contracting in construction weakens the implementation of Acts. For instance, the builder might be familiar with the International Labour Organisation's (ILO's) health and safety standards regarding working from a height of over five metres or working in water or working underground, but the sub-contractor dealing with the workers directly might not be aware of these standards.

Aside from this, the problem is that smaller firms comprise 70 percent of the construction work, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities and in rural areas, and bigger companies who are more likely to maintain quality standards operate largely in urban centres, said Madhukant Pathariya of Nirmaan Mazdoor Sangathan, an organisation that works for the welfare of unorganised labour in 12 districts of Maharashtra.

Under Schedule 8 of the Buildings and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, is a section on safety officers to be appointed on construction sites to advise on purchasing and ensuring high quality of personal protective equipment confirming to national standards. The safety officer has to possess a recognised degree or diploma in engineering or technology.

Contrary to this, Ishwar shared that the machines used to flatten wood produce dust and owing to continuous exposure, he was diagnosed with hepatitis in 1998. He said the new machines for flattening plywood are no better. If only labour inspectors would frequent construction sites just as often as factory sites, they would be able to understand this. If we set safety officers aside and solely consider the case of labour inspectors, well realise that they are overworked. In every industrial belt in every district, there are thousands of places they need to visit under the Shops and Establishment Act. Why cant more people be appointed in a country that complains of unemployment and the lack of jobs? asked Pathariya.

Umesh, who has spent his entire life painting buildings, recounted stories from his work life. For a 15-foot wall, he would climb a tall ladder with a bucket of paint strapped on his waist and to paint along higher floors, he would swing on cloth held by three to four people from above. One small mistake could have cost him his life and the realisation of that fear was internalised.

Another problem is that contractors dont issue ID cards because the possibility of accidents are high. Rakesh Katara, a 31-year-old construction worker, died in Rajpipla in south Gujarat. His family wants to fight a case in the labour court for compensation but is facing difficulties because Rakesh didnt have a Buildings and Welfare Board ID card.

Labour assembles around what are called labour chowks, designated public spots where contractors show up to hire them, said Shyambir, who runs a small organisation called the Inklabi Mazdoor Kendra Sangathan. He said that construction workers are harder to unionise because of the mobility from one site to another.

In 2012, Babul Hasan, 25, from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, died after falling from the seventh floor of an under-construction multi-storey building being built at Behrampur Road in Gurgaon. Shyambir shared that the incident, which he witnessed closely, sparked violent protests by construction workers who pelted stones outside the company premises while shouting slogans against the contractor.

They had blocked the main road and vandalised several vehicles. Back then, we had visited every construction site in Gurgaon and were told that at least one fatal incident had happened in each of them, he said, adding that outrage is limited to sporadic incidents because these people are daily wage labourers and have no time or knowledge to consistently fight for their rights.

In Gujarat, the factory inspectors, who implement the Factory Act, also implement the BOCW Act. This has proven to be effective because the labour inspectors arent trained mechanical engineers. The post called Director, Industrial Health and Safety, under the labour department, was burdened with the inspection of over 2,000 construction sites. So, six appointments of BOCW inspectors were made. These are people solely focused on making reports, filing for compensation, keeping a check on prosecutions and checking if cases have been filed.

In the mid-1980s, a handful of social workers felt the need for a central legislation for construction workers. With assistance from Justice VR Krishna Iyer, the legislation was passed. NP Samy, who is the president of the Karnataka State Construction Workers Central Union, was part of the national campaign committee for construction workers for central legislation that drafted a bill and collected one million signatures.

We had expressed in a parliament petition that the legislation in existence at the time, be it the Equal Remuneration Act or the Minimum Wages Act, doesn't address the complicated issues of construction labourers. Even the existent labour laws cater to the permanent employer-employee relations but these jobs are migrant in nature, Samy told Firstpost.

The result of this intervention led to the passing of two key Acts: The Buildings and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 and the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996. The second Act gives way for generating funds from the construction cost, not the land cost.

So, if the cost of building is more than Rs 10 lakh, the builder has to be pay one percent cess. He revealed that there are around Rs 46,000 crore in 30 state welfare boards across the country and Rs 7,500 crore in Karnataka itself. This money is to be used for the education of the children of construction workers, medical benefits, maternity benefits, housing loans and so on.

Subash Bhatnagar, the founder and co-ordinator of Nirmana, an organisation working for construction workers and part of the National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour, said that a PIL had been filed in the Supreme Court on the failure of state governments to implement both the BOCW and the Welfare Cess Acts.

The PIL had stated, "What is equally tragic is that multiple directions issued even by the Government of India under Section 60 of the BOCW Act have been disregarded by State Governments and UTAs - and this is candidly admitted in a statement made by the learned Additional Solicitor General in this Court and also by the Union of India on affidavit." The other point the PIL raised was that under the Cess Act, more than Rs 37,400 crore have been collected for the benefit of construction workers, but only about Rs 9,500 crore have been utilised ostensibly for their benefit. "What is being done with the remaining about Rs. 28,000 crores?" the PIL stated.

In response to the PIL, a Supreme Court order came out earlier this year (12 years later). It stated that every state government and UTA shall constitute a state advisory committee that shall meet every month. Rule 20 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condititon of Service) Central Rules, 1998 provides that the central advisory committee meet at least once in six months. If a similar procedure is followed in states, a micro-level analysis of incidents is possible.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has proposed the issuance of a Universal Access Number for each construction worker. Strengthening the registration machinery is a crucial step towards ensuring that benefits are reaching these people. So far, only 35 percent workers have been registered, said Bhatnagar, highlighting that the apex court judgment has mentioned that "Monitoring Committee needs to meet far more frequently, and in any case once in three months, considering that thousands of crores of rupees are not being gainfully utilised, and in some instances, misutilised."

The other aspect that needs revision, according to Bhatnagar, are social audits. As per the draft rules prepared by the labour department, in consultation with the social groups fighting for justice after a public hearing in Delhi and Udaipur, the state government and the board would be responsible for taking follow-up action on the findings of the social audit and the implementing agencies should be regularly sensitised and appraised about the efficacy of social audit mechanism in ensuring accountability and transparency.

The implementing agency is to ensure that corrective action is taken on all the social audit reports and issue written orders within a time frame to be specified by the state government. In Gujarat, the Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute conducts these social audits, other states need to utilise and re-orient its institutions towards the task of preparing a social audit framework.

Citing the example of Maharashtra, Madhukant Patharia suggested that the responsibility of registration of construction workers who have worked for 90 days is given to the Mahanagar Palikas. These workers are to be issued ID Cards.

From 23 February to 23 March, a campaigning drive was held under which nearly 2 lakh workers were registered but the government says the state has 20 to 30 lakh workers, Patharia said. He added that after putting pressure on local authorities, a registration tent was set up in district thana. But he asked why there is a need for rigorous activism on the grassroots if there is a law in place. The labour department should spread awareness and promote unions so they can both work in tandem and one-time registration tents should be set up in remote areas, he added.

Two decades after the first central legislation was passed, the people building India with their hands still live on the edge, or hang off of it. Instead of distributing cycles and utensils to construction labourers during elections, shouldnt political parties spend on investigating and strengthening security?

A de-politicised narrative that can tear through the corruption net of corporators and middlemen and catch hold of the last set of hands working directly with labourers is whats needed. Else, lakhs of those who auction their services on chowks or naakas across the country will continue to die.
Despite the Supreme Court's verdict on Sabarimala, a number of women have failed in their quest to enter the holy shrine, and the temple has been witnessing a series of protests by devotees and priests since then.

Kerala: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday sought direction from the state government on a petition filed by four women seeking police protection for entering the Sabarimala temple. The hearing in this regard will take place on 29 October.

The women, including two lawyers, approached the Kerala High Court on Tuesday seeking police protection for entering the premises of the Lord Ayyappa temple.

On 28 September, a five-member constitutional bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had lifted the ban on the entry of women falling in the age group of 10 to 50 years in the temple, citing the practice "irrational and arbitrary".

Earlier, women of menstruating age were barred from entering the Sabarimala temple by its officials, who argued that the temple deity Lord Ayyappa had taken a vow of celibacy.

Despite the Supreme Court's verdict, a number of women have failed in their quest to enter the holy shrine, and the temple has been witnessing a series of protests by devotees and priests since then.

The doors of the Ayyappa temple were shut down on Monday after it opened for five days as a monthly ritual in the Malayalam month of Thulam.
A committee comprising of heads of the departments of the railways has been formed to investigate the stampede at Santragachi railway station in West Bengal, which killed two people and injured 15 on Tuesday. The railways have also announced that they will bear the entire cost of treatment of the injured passengers.

A committee comprising the heads of railway departments has been formed to investigate the stampede at the Santragachi railway station in West Bengal on Tuesday, which killed two people and injured 15. The Railways also announced on Wednesday that it will bear the entire cost of treatment of the injured passengers.

The two deceased have been identified as Kamlakant Singh (32) and Taser Sardar (61). While 12 injured were admitted to hospital, three were administered first aid at the station itself, South Eastern Railway spokesperson Sanjay Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured. Also, Rs 50,000 will be given to those who sustained minor injuries in the stampede.

Blaming the incident on negligence and callousness on the part of Railways, Mamata said there should be more internal coordination to prevent such a situation. "I feel there is a gap in coordination and the Railways should look into it. They should have given some time gap between the arrival of two trains when the passengers have to change platforms," the chief minister said. "Such situations occur due to negligence and callousness. The Railways should act in a more responsible way," Mamata, herself a former railway minister, said.

According to Ghosh, the incident occurred when an express train and two EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time at around 6 pm and passengers rushed to the platforms to board the trains. The SER spokesman said that the presence of passengers of eight trains at Santragachi station, about 10 kilometres from the Howrah station, at one time resulted in a heavy rush at the foot overbridge.

He said that railway doctors and senior officers were rushed to Howrah General Hospital for assisting the state administration. A large number of passengers either deboarded or were waiting to board trains at the same time, leading to a rush on the foot overbridge. However, the chief minister said the Railways did not seek any help from the state government during the festive season for crowd management. Safety and security of passengers cannot be compromised, she added.

Reacting to the incident, Mamata had tweeted, "Another unfortunate incident on railways today. Sadly, too many such tragedies are happening like this even during the festive season, including Amritsar. Railways are the lifeline of our nation. Safety of rail passengers must be taken care of at all times.". Mamata also announced that the state government will hold an administrative inquiry into the mishap.

With inputs from PTI
Smriti Irani had said, 'Would you take sanitary napkins steeped in menstrual blood and walk into a friends home? You will not. And do you think that it is respectful to do the same when you walk into the house of God?'

A few years ago, I heard on the grapevine that an architect friend had been commissioned to build a house by a wealthy techie just outside Chennai. Among other specifics, he wanted the house to have a high level of security and a panic room  a safe and well-stocked room to hole up in, in case of an emergency. There were other things he wanted, but the panic room was high on his list, as was a room with a sort of drain. Not a bathroom, asked the architect friend. The client became blunt. No, he wanted a room for his wife for the days she had her period, and the drain was so she could wash herself while in there. This bizarre and cruel brief floated back to Bengaluru, and we were prompt in giving this room its right name: a moral panic room.

I thought of that room after hearing Union minister Smriti Iranis puzzling remarks about Sabarimala on Tuesday. She was reported as having said: I am nobody to speak on the Supreme Court verdict because I am a current serving Cabinet minister. But just plain common sense; would you take sanitary napkins steeped in menstrual blood and walk into a friends home? You will not. And do you think that it is respectful to do the same when you walk into the house of God? So that is the difference. I have a right to pray. I do not have the right to desecrate. That is my personal opinion.

At this point, I had no clue what Irani was talking about, so didnt feel ragey right then. Perhaps "taking" sanitary napkins was a metaphor for wearing sanitary napkins? As in menstruation was a dirty thing to bring into the house of your god? Or was it potentially menstruating? In which case one could always say things like would you take a used condom to a friends house, then why take your testicles to Sabarimala?

This was all very strange, but it did remind me that a couple of years ago, Gyandev Ahuja, the BJP MLA from the Ramgarh Assembly constituency in Rajasthans Alwar district, had announced, in a rare feat of purely imaginary data journalism, that every day, 50,000 pieces of bones, 3,000 used condoms, 500 used abortion injections, 10,000 cigarette pieces, among other things, are found at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. At JNU, where, according to Ahuja, girls and boys dance naked during functions. At JNU, Irani's "Not Happy Memories Place". The upper-caste Hindus peculiar obsession with other peoples bodily fluids seems to have lent a sort of pornographic manohar kahani-esque vocabulary and imagery to the speech of the BJP leadership.

But then, a little later on Tuesday, Irani called the whole thing "fake news", tweeted at Michael Safi, a journalist with The Guardian, promising a video to prove that it was fake news. She then tweeted a few more times, promising to clarify but only further confusing the rest of us. One, she said that as a Hindu married to a Parsi, she is not allowed to enter the Parsi temple but wouldnt approach any court to contest it out of respect. Two, menstruating women do not enter Parsi temples. Three, and my friends, if you understand whats going on in this tweet, please let me know: As far as those who jump the gun regarding women visiting friends place with a sanitary napkin dipped in menstrual blood  I am yet to find a person who takes a blood soaked napkin to offer to any one let alone a friend.

Nobody said anything about anything blood-soaked until you did, Smriti-ji! Even our captains of industry making millions on sanitary pads have always masked the source of their fortune in a mysterious blue liquid for girls who like to wear white pants when they have their period.

Irani is ordinarily a clear speaker, so I can only conclude that her remarks, and then her tweets, are deliberately meant to create confusion while pretending to be Confucious.

Her last tweet on the subject should be your true clue that Irani has borrowed a leaf from the book of Kellyann Conway, the infamous alternative facts member of the Donald Trump administration, who is truly gifted at sowing furrowed brows and dropped jaws across the American sub-continent. Irani tweeted, But what fascinates me, though does not surprise me, is that as a woman I am not free to have my own point of view. As long as I conform to the liberal point of view Im acceptable. How liberal is that??

Sister, I am not sure who you think you are acceptable to. Your own side hates women in power and has been rejoicing at every mistake of yours because that is a little less time spent on the Great Leaders gaffes. Liberals know they are supposed to like women in power, but you know you are just as bad for liking them. So a powerful right-wing woman is a perfect outlet for all our irritations.

And the fact that the promised video will never surface doesnt matter since truth, or purity, or menstrual blood has nothing to do with Iranis speech. Imagine Iranis gall to talk about videos that will disprove fake news, given the scandal around her beloved JNU videos, which forensic reports concluded had been doctored. The main suspect in that video drama was Shilpi Tewari, Iranis aide. But Iranis political (and non-political) career has been marked by gall and the blessed faith in our fragmented attention span. The diffused spreading of rage and confusion among a wide swathe of those involved in gaining entry for women inside the Sabarimala temple  feminists, anti-caste activists, menstruation-positivity folks  is what she intended, and that has been achieved.

Look at Iranis other self-proclaimed picture from Tuesday, one of domesticated femininity, patience, maternity and tradition-loving. Ready To Wait  Outside the Fire Temple. This portrait is fascinating. No woman who was ready to wait for anything could make it to the Cabinet of any Indian government, forget this one.

I have no particular interest in establishing the true or faked squeamishness of Irani towards menstrual blood. But her continued ability to write her own winning dialogues and give herself meatier roles than the director or producer intended, now thats a skill to be surveyed closely. And for that, the rest of us have to leave our own moral panic rooms.

The Ladies Finger is a leading feminist digital magazine
Nine-year-old D Joseph was found dead with bleeding injuries at the government-run tribal welfare residential school in Telangana's Khammam town

Hyderabad: A Class four student died in a fight with a Class 10 student at a hostel in Telangana's Khammam district, police said on Wednesday.

Nine-year-old D Joseph was found dead with bleeding injuries on Tuesday evening at the government-run tribal welfare residential school in Khammam town, about 200 kilometres from Hyderabad.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the boy died during a fight with the senior student, aged 15. The accused allegedly hit Joseph with a trunk box on his head and other body parts, resulting in his spot death.

Since the residential school runs classes up to fourth, the accused was studying in a private school but was staying at the same premises. Both the students are said to have gone around the town on a bicycle since morning. On their return to the hostel, they had a fight over some issue. The elder one thrashed the younger severely causing him to bleed to death.

The hostel warden or any staff member was said to have not been around when the incident happened. The warden called the police once he was alerted about the body of a student lying in the hostel.

The incident triggered tension in the area as the relatives of the deceased and leaders of students' groups ransacked the premises. They demanded action against the hostel warden for his negligence and justice for the deceased's family.

Police shifted Joseph's body for autopsy and launched an investigation.
Two militants were killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with the security forces in Sooth, Nowgam, in the outskirts of Srinagar city

Security forces have gunned down two militants in gunfight that started early morning Wednesday in the outskirts of Srinagar city, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said

#JammuAndKashmir: An exchange of fire started between terrorists & security forces at Soothu, Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar earlier this morning. Internet services have been suspended. (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/tMIUg9cfmp  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

Security forces early in the day started searches for hiding militants in Sathu area of Nowgam in Jammu and Kashmir after receiving specific input about their presence. "As the cordon was tightened, they fired at the security forces triggering an encounter. Two militants were killed and the gunfight ended," a police officer said, according to IANS.

A combing operation was underway when clashes erupted as youth in the area targeted the security forces pelting stones at them.

The exact identity of the slain militants was yet to be ascertained. Police though suspect both to be Kashmiris.

According to ANI, the police have requested citizens not to enter the encounter site and initiated a probe. The police have found incriminating material including arms and ammunition and a case has been registered, the news agency tweeted.

2 terrorists neutralised. No collateral damage took place. Incriminating materials including arms&ammunition recovered. Citizens are once again requested not to enter encounter site. Police filed a case, probe initiated: J&K Police on encounter in Nowgam on outskirts of Srinagar  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

Authorities have ordered closure of schools and colleges in Srinagar city and mobile Internet services have been suspended in the district.

With inputs from agencies
The Gujarat government on Tuesday directed the district collectors and superintendents of police to keep a watch on social media platforms for instances of atrocities on SCs, STs and other vulnerable sections of the society.

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Tuesday directed the district collectors and superintendents of police to keep a watch on social media platforms for instances of atrocities on SCs, STs and other vulnerable sections of the society.

Speaking at the state-level meeting of Vigilance and Monitoring Committee of the social justice and empowerment and tribal development departments, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani asked officials to work for high conviction rates in such cases. "It is the government's first duty to provide protection to oppressed classes like the SC and ST," a release quoted Rupani as saying in the meeting.

It may be noted that after the 2016 Una Dalit atrocity case, which first surfaced on social media, many cases of harassment of Dalits and tribals in Gujarat were captured on camera and widely circulated. These cases related to Dalits/tribals keeping moustache, bridegrooms riding a horse during a marriage procession and using the suffix Sinh in their names, among others. Rupani asked the departments concerned, particularly district collectors and SPs, to tighten the administrative machinery and keep an eagle eye on social media. "If such incidents are found in the social media space then immediate action should be taken," Rupani told officials.

He called for increasing the fines and conviction rates in such cases. The conviction rate in cases of harassment of Dalits/tribals was 3.78 percent during the last two years. He said 16 special courts have been set up in the state for fast-tracking such cases. "Even as the compensation given to the victims have been increased, the committee was informed that Rs 33-crore assistance was extended to the victims during the last two years, including Rs 8.90 crore to tribals," the release said.

The meeting was attended by deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, leader of the Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Paresh Dhanani, ministers Ganpatsinh Vasava, Ishwarbhai Parmar and Pradeepsinh Jadeja, and top government officials, among others.
Shillong's Congregation of Christian Brothers on Wednesday released a statement about the allegations of sexual abuse made against one of their priests by a Khasi woman in a Facebook post on 19 October, the latest in the Me Too wave in India.

Shillong's Congregation of Christian Brothers on Wednesday released a statement about the allegations of sexual abuse made against one of their priests by a Khasi woman in a Facebook post on 19 October, the latest in the Me Too wave in India.

One of the priests named by the woman reportedly belongs to the Salesians of Don Bosco order, while the other is a member of St. Edmunds church in Shillong.

According to reports, in a statement by the 'Professional Ethics Commission' of Christian Brothers community, the Society Protection officer Brother J Johnson said, "We are committed to a just and fair hearing to both the complainant and the alleged abuser, through a formal process as laid out in our protection policy  Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults. This policy looks into all cases of abuse, past and present, so as to ascertain with compassion the truth and support the survivor towards achieving a peaceful closure while taking appropriate action against the alleged abuser if found guilty."

The statement also said, "The Christian Brothers stand in solidarity with and in support of any survivor of sexual abuse. We are committed to a just and fair hearing to both the complainant and the alleged abuser, through a formal process as laid out in our Protection Policy  Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults"

In her Facebook post published on 19 October, the woman said that she had been subjected to sexual abuse by a priest, who was also a family friend since the age of 5. She said that the abuse continued for years after. "Its a long journey and an ongoing one to stay whole, balanced, sane as someone who was sexually abused through my childhood, age 5 till age 12."

In the post, she speaks about how she reached out to a "trusted adult" who "slapped" her and told her to "never tell such stories again".

Narrating another incident from her childhood, the woman accused another priest from Don Bosco in Shillong . She writes: "This man would sit behind his huge desk in his office, where he had drawers of sweets and toffees  as a child, in the presence of adults on the other side of the table  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 our thighs and feel us up. These incidents with this man was not something I spoke about to anyone in my childhood, because of the larger abuse I faced with the abuser above, this for me then, felt like nothing very serious. He continues in the religious order in Shillong."

She said that the abuse she had faced from the priests weighed heavily on her mental health as a child.

About coping with the trauma, the women said, "I have attempted suicide 3 times as a teenager and a young adult, twice I landed in the hospital in a serious condition. Through the years I have struggled to find comfort and sanity in spirituality, immersing myself in work, and later, in a close circle of friends I trust, these have helped me pull through. There will always be a part of me that is a big gaping hole of sorrow and darkness  of a childhood I did not know, of an innocence I never knew, of the fear and deep shame I have lived with for so long, and for not being believed, not being protected, and for the deep injustice I felt."
Indian Outbound Tourism Market is expected to surpass US$ 42 Billion by the end of year 2024. Due to this economic growth, its people are earning more year on year and their disposable income is also growing. Air connectivity from India to foreign locatio

Renub Research report entitled India Outbound Tourism Market, Tourists Purpose of Visit (Holiday, VFR (Visit Friends & Relatives), Business, Others) Tourists Spending, Countries (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Thailand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, China, South Korea) & Forecast is the 4th edition report on the fast-evolving, high-growth India Outbound Travel Industry.

As per Renub Research analysis Indian Outbound Tourism Market is expected to surpass US$ 42 Billion by the end of year 2024. India is second largest most populous country in the world with the tag of fastest growing major economy globally. Due to this economic growth, its people are earning more year on year and their disposable income is also growing. Air connectivity from India to foreign locations has also improved significantly over period of time. First time Indian visitors generally prefer to visit Asian countries due to their proximity to India and being less expensive compared to western destinations. In the case of long-haul travel Indians prefer going to United States (US), Australia, Europe, New Zealand etc.

Thailand, Singapore and United States are the most favorite Tourist Destination for Indians

In this report, we have done comprehensive analysis of top 11 destinations for India outbound tourist. We have also studied the number of separate factors that affects Indian outbound tourist to each of 11 destinations. In addition, we have done detailed analysis of growth drivers.

Request a free sample copy of the report: https://www.renub.com/contactus.php

Number of Indian Business Tourists visited Japan is bigger than Holiday Tourists Number

According to Renub Research analysis, the number of business tourist from India visited Japan is larger than the number of holiday tourist. Indian outbound business tourist to China is also showing positive trend and will be continue in forecast period of time. Indian tourists visit to Thailand in huge numbers because of its affordability and proximity. Thailand currency (Thai Baht) gaining the benefit of tourism arrival due to strong position against Dollar and Euro.

United States is Prime Destination for Higher Spending

United States is prime destination for Indian outbound travelers in the world. Around more than 1/3rd the total worldwide expenditure by Indian tourist is spent in United States alone. United States is popular destination for the entire segment like holiday, VFR, Business and Others.

Renub Research report entitled India Outbound Tourism Market, Tourists Purpose of Visit (Holiday, VFR (Visit Friends & Relatives), Business, Others) Tourists Spending, Countries (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Thailand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, China, South Korea) & Forecast is the 4th edition report on the fast-evolving, high-growth India Outbound Travel Industry.

This market research report provides a complete analysis of top 11 countries of India outbound tourism market. All the country in the report has been studied from 5 view points.

1) India Outbound Tourists Numbers

2) India Outbound Tourists Market (Spending)

3) India Outbound Tourists Tourism Types (Business, Holiday/Leisure, VFR & Others)

4) India Outbound Tourism Types Market (Business, Holiday/Leisure, VFR & Others)

5) Growth Drivers and Challenges Analysis

Top 11 Countries Analysed

1. Singapore

2. Thailand

3. United States

4. Hong Kong

5. United Kingdom

6. Australia

7. China

8. Canada

9. Japan

10. South Africa

11. South Korea

Client can Purchase this Report in Sections from below link:

Access full Research: https://www.renub.com/india-outbound-tourism-market-outbound-tourists-visit-tourists-spending-and-forecast-to-2020-15-p.php

Tourism Types (Purpose of Visit)  Tourists Numbers & Market for Each Country

 Holiday

 VFR (Visit Friends & Relatives)

 Business

 Others

Who should buy this Report?

 This report is useful for those who want to know Tourism Market of India

 Which is most favourable destination for India outbound Tourist?

 Which is most favourable destination for India outbound spending?

 Which Country is most attractive for holiday/Business/VFR/Others purpose outbound tourist?

 Which country is most spending destination for holiday/Business/VFR/Others purpose travellers?

We recommend this report as must-read for Travel and Tour stake holders, Hotel Industry, Tourism Ministry, Consulting firms, Private Equity firms, Venture Capital firms etc.

If the information you seek is not included in the current scope of the study kindly share your specific requirements with our custom research team at info@renub.com

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Online Travel Market

China Outbound Tourism Market

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Key Topics Covered

1. Research Findings

2. India Outbound Tourists Numbers & Forecast

3. Tourists Share  India Outbound Tourism (2012  2024)

3.1 By Country

3.2 By Tourism Types (Holiday, Business, VFR, Others)

4. India Outbound Tourism Market & Forecast

5. Market Share  India Outbound Tourism (2012  2024)

5.1 By Country

5.2 By Tourism Types  (Holiday, Business, VFR, Others)

6. Countries Tourists Share  Tourism Types (2012  2024)

6.1 Holiday

6.2 VFR (Visiting Friends & Relatives)

6.3 Business

6.4 Others

7. Countries Market (Spending) Share  Tourism Types

7.1 Holiday

7.2 VFR (Visiting Friends & Relatives)

7.3 Business

7.4 Others

8. Tourism Types  India Outbound Tourists Numbers (2012  2024)

8.1 Holiday

8.2 VFR (Visit Friends & Relatives)

8.3 Business

8.4 Other

9. Tourism Types  India Outbound Tourists Market (Spending) (2012  2024)

9.1 Holiday

9.2 VFR (Visit Friends & Relatives)

9.3 Business (Meetings Incentive Conferences Exhibitions)

9.4 Other

10. Australia  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

10.1 Tourists Numbers

10.2 Tourism Types  By Numbers

10.3 Tourists Market (Spending)

10.4 Tourism Types  By Market

11. Canada  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2011  2022)

11.1 Tourists Numbers

11.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

11.3 Tourism Market (Spending)

11.4 Tourism Types  By Market (Spending)

12. Japan  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

12.1 Tourists Numbers

12.2 Tourism Types  Tourists

12.3 Tourism Market (Spending)

12.4 Tourism Types  Tourists Market (Spending)

13. South Korea  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

13.1 Tourists Numbers

13.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

13.3 Tourists Market (Spending)

13.4 Tourism Types  Tourists Market (Spending)

14. China  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

14.1 Tourists Numbers

14.2 Tourism Type  Tourists Numbers

14.3 Tourism Market

14.4 Tourism Type  Tourism Market (Spending)

15. Singapore  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

15.1 Tourists Numbers

15.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

15.3 Tourists Market (Spending)

15.4 Tourism Types  Tourism Market (Spending)

16. Thailand  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2012  2024)

16.1 Tourists Numbers

16.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

16.3 Tourists Market (Spending)

16.4 Tourism Types  Tourism Market (Spending)

17. United States  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2011  2024)

17.1 Tourists Numbers

17.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

17.3 Tourists Market (Spending)

17.4 Tourism Types  Tourism Market (Spending)

18. Hong Kong  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2011  2024)

18.1 Tourists Numbers & Forecast

18.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

18.3 Tourism Market (Spending)

18.4 Tourism Types  Tourism Market (Spending)

19. United Kingdom  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

19.1 Tourists Numbers

19.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

19.3 Tourism Market (Spending)

19.4 Tourism Types  Tourism Market (Spending)

20. South Africa  India Outbound Tourists Visits, Market (Spending) (2010  2024)

20.1 Tourists Numbers

20.2 Tourism Types  Tourists Numbers

20.3 Tourism Market (Spending)

20.4 Tourism Types  Tourism Market (Spending)

21. Growth Drivers

21.1 Foreign Tourism Boards Encourage Indian Outbound Travelers with Incentives

21.2 Countries Tourism Board Opening Tourism Offices in India

21.3 Growing Middle Class Population with Higher Disposable Income in India

21.4 Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) & Proliferation of the Internet Promoting Quality Tourism

22. Challenges

22.1 Indian Travel Agencies Facing Issues

22.2 Rupee Depreciation Hits Outbound Tourism Sector

22.3 Visas & Cuisine

22.4 Destination Brand Awareness

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There is also speculation that Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath may discuss rejigging the state cabinet, and bringing in new faces.

Lucknow: BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday arrived on a day-long visit to Lucknow, as he seeks to assuage cadre discontent and improve coordination between the party and the state government ahead of the General Election in 2019.

Shah was received at the airport by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many of his ministerial colleagues. He is scheduled to take part in a coordination meeting between the organisation, the state government and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) at a private resort.

Workers of the cadre based party have been complaining that ministers and officials do not listen to their problems and this may cost them dearly in the Lok Sabha elections.

There is also speculation that Shah and the Adityanath may discuss rejigging the state cabinet, and bringing in new faces.

Party sources said that the BJP leadership is also worried about the strident position taken by Hindutva leaders like Pravin Togadia and ally Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who are taunting the BJP and the central government for the delay in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Togadia, who announced on Tuesday that he was forming a political party for Hindus, charged the BJP with betraying the sentiments of millions of Hindus on the Ram temple issue. Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP, has also upped the ante and its chief is visiting Ayodhya on Thursday.

The BJP has lost successive bypolls for the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly to candidates jointly put up by arch rivals Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Wednesday's deliberations will also seek to gauge the challenge posed by the two regional parties.
As the power tussle within CBI plays out in public, dragging the Prime Minister's Office into controversy, the glee in the Congress camp is understandable.

As the power tussle within the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plays out in public, dragging the powerful Prime Minister's Office into controversy, the glee in the Congress camp is understandable.

The fight involving the top two officials of the premier investigative agency  Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana  has come as godsend for a party looking to put Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a spot of bother ahead of the 2019 elections. This time, it gets to aim at him at a more personal level since one of the persons in the fracas has a strong Gujarat link.

The party is also using the opportunity to bring the spotlight back on the Rafale deal. In a tweet on Wednesday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that CBI chief Verma has been sent on leave as he was involved in collecting evidence on the Rafale deal.

CBI                               -   ,           Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 24, 2018

The PMO, according to TV news reports, was unhappy with Verma after he entertained complaints on the deal from former minister Arun Shourie and lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan a couple of weeks ago.

The issue has caused the government serious embarrassment since Asthana is a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer who is close to both Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. He was elevated to the number two position in the agency and sources say he had a habit of throwing his weight around.

With the infighting within the agency between Verma and Asthana, the credibility of CBI is seriously hurt. Enough mudslinging has taken place over a fortnight due to allegations and counter-allegations exchanged between the two officials, which has also brought out alleged cases of corruption against the bureau officials. Asthana has investigated several high-profile and sensitive cases  from Godhra train fire (2002) to fodder scam, in which RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was arrested; from Vijay Mallyas bank fraud case to AgustaWestland chopper scam case.

In September, Asthana wrote to the government against his boss Verma, and his complaint was referred to Central Vigilance Commission. He accused Verma of trying to interfere with and thwart investigations in important cases.

Congress, which has desperately been looking for issues to take Modi and his government to task, has lost no time in training guns at the government. Congress leader and in-charge, AICC Communication, Randeep Surjewala, on Tuesday said, Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi is solely accountable and responsible for dismantling, denigrating and destroying Indias premier investigation agency CBI. Habitual and perpetual misuse of CBI by PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in fixing political opponents and illegal intervention of serious criminal cases has landed the CBI in an unfathomable mess, eroding its independence and credibility.

3/n PM Modi has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI. Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isnt the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer! pic.twitter.com/80ckyFiOJX  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018



The Congress has alleged the government violated CBI laws, deliberately misused and controlled every institution, including the CBI, violated a Supreme Court ruling, and attempted to save Asthana. Meanwhile, Asthana has been stripped of all his responsibilities at CBI and a probe has been initiated against him. Nine CBI officials probing the Asthana case have been transferred.

Reacting sharply to these transfers, Surjewala said that illegality, interference and unconstitutionality of Modi government today has hit a new low.

--  for Deputy SP, CBI Ajay Bassi by an autocratic Modi ji. Illegality, Interference & unconstitutionality of Modi Govt today has hit a new low. Speaking Truth to Power has become a crime under this dictatorial regime! 4/n pic.twitter.com/V7R9jyfxIp  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018



However, this is not the first time that the CBIs credibility and functioning have been questioned. Not long ago, former CBI director Ranjit Sinha famously agreed with the Supreme Courts observation that the CBI was a 'caged parrot that speaks to its master's voice'. It now appears the parrot may have many masters, not all necessarily political ones, and it may have a mind of its own too. And yes, political control was always a good excuse to hide under.

Though the ongoing CBI fiasco has taken an ugly political battle, it hardly matters for the voters, as they know well how a ruling government uses the CBI to counter its Opposition. There are innumerable examples in the past. During the previous UPA regime, it was the BJP, as the Opposition party, which had begun using the acronym of Congress Bureau of Investigation for CBI, in reference to agencys alleged tilt towards the party in power then.

Come what may, the public will cast its vote as it wishes to, irrespective of the CBI scam. But the government, on the other hand, needs to fix the CBI issue with an iron hand to keep its promise made to the electorate of delivering a corruption-free government. As Modi had said, Na khaunga, na khaane doonga (Neither will I engage in corruption nor allow anyone to do it.)"
The feud between Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana turned murkier with the arrest of a deputy superintendent of police in the Special Investigation Team headed by Asthana over bribery charges. Asked about the Modi government's performance, Pawar said people's expectations from the present dispensation were not fulfilled.

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar Tuesday said if the central government was "effective", there would not have been bribery charges at the highest level in the CBI, and asked prime minister Narendra Modi to act over the matter.

He also attacked the BJP-led Centre over the Rafale jet deal and demanded a probe into it by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC). Pawar was replying to queries during an interaction at the "Mumbai Manthan" conclave organised by television news channel Aaj Tak.

The feud between Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana turned murkier with the arrest of a deputy superintendent of police in the Special Investigation Team headed by Asthana over bribery charges. Asked about the Modi government's performance, Pawar said people's expectations from the present dispensation were not fulfilled.

"What was promised in 2014 is not seen on the ground after four years. (Former prime minister) Manmohan Singh tried his best to give a good government, intentions were best. That is not the situation today. "If the present government was effective, there would not have been bribery charges at the highest level in the CBI. Still the prime minister is silent. He should act," the former Union minister said. Pawar said Modi was a strong leader for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but not the country.

"His ministerial team does not have the capacity to deliver. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is the most powerful. All decisions are taken there and the files are sent to the ministers to sign. The present government does only 'man ki baat' and does not listen to 'jan ki baat' (people's voice)," he added. Firing a fresh salvo over the Rafale fighter jet deal, Pawar said the Centre should clarify why the price of one aircraft increased from Rs 570 crore to Rs 1,600 crore.

"There is room for suspicion. So there should be a JPC probe. If the BJP stalled Parliament for three weeks for a JPC probe in (the) Bofors (case), why should the BJP, now in power, oppose a JPC?," he asked. Asked if he felt there was corruption in the Rafale deal as alleged by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Pawar said he had no information about it.

"I only know the aircraft is good. Rahul Gandhi may have more information than me about corruption," he said. Led by the Congress, the opposition parties have been attacking the Modi government, alleging that it is procuring 36 Rafale jets from France at an exorbitantly high cost. The government has denied the allegations of irregularities in the Rafale deal and industrialist Anil Ambani has also dismissed the Congress's charge that he got undue benefits under it.
The central government's move to remove the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Alok Verma on Tuesday night and the transfer of 13 CBI officials on Wednesday following the infighting in the top investigative agency has led to a furore, drawing sharp reactions from the Opposition.

The central government's move to remove the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Alok Verma on Tuesday night and the transfer of 13 CBI officials on Wednesday following the infighting in the top investigative agency has led to a furore, drawing sharp reactions from the Opposition.

Senior Congress MP Veerappa Moily said alleged that the "CBI has been politicised" and that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was "misusing his agency". "The CBI has lost its credibility and the act of appointment and removal by the government is very arrogant," he told the media.

Whereas, senior advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan said that since the CBI director's minimum tenure is of two years, he "can't be removed prematurely by the government". "In order to protect Rakesh Asthana, they (the BJP Govt) have decided to remove Verma," Bhushan told the reporters outside court.

Earlier, Bhushan had tweeted that "as feared and suspected, the government has removed the CBI director from his charge, because he was pursuing corrupt special director Rakesh Asthana who was foisted on the CBI by the PMO despite him being investigated by the CBI itself in corruption cases." "Totally illegal. Will be Challenged," he had said.

After the government order directing the transfer of CBI officials came, Bhushan again took to Twitter and said, "Immediately after illegally removing the CBI director, Alok Verma and illegally appointing tainted officer Nageshwar Rao as the acting director, the entire ACB team particularly those investigating the PMO's blue eyed boy Asthana, are being replaced with alacrity! It is Modi's CBI Gate," he alleged.

Immediately after illegally removing the Director CBI, Alok Verma & illegally appointing tainted officer Nageshwar Rao as acting Director, the entire ACB team particularly those investigating PMO's blue eyed boy Asthana, are being replaced with alacrity! It is Modi's CBI Gate pic.twitter.com/rDIRYUEw4R  Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) October 24, 2018

Meanwhile, social media reactions poured in from other political quarters as well. West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted, "CBI has now become so-called BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) - very unfortunate!"

Whereas, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal wondered if "there was a correlation between the Rafale deal and the removal of Alok Verma". "Is there a co-relation between Rafale deal and removal of Alok Verma? Was Alok Verma about to start investigations into Rafale, which could have become a problem for Modi ji (sic)? What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi government get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act ? What is Modi government trying to hide ?", Kejriwal questioned over Twitter.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury too blamed the government for making a mockery of the chief investigation agency of the country and said that "the illegal removal of the CBI chief by the Modi government points to a serious cover-up attempt by it to protect their own handpicked officer, against whom serious charges of corruption are being investigated."

"The Modi government and the prime minister have conducted a political coup against the CBI. They have conducted the transfer of all the officers and directors, the and main objective appears to be to protect the chosen officers of the prime minister posted at the CBI," Yechury tweeted.

"Recent happenings in the premier investigating agency of the country, the CBI, show the degree of damage that is being caused by the present BJP government at the Centre to Constitutional authorities and institutions of parliamentary democracy in India," he added.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has also launched an all-out attack against the government on this issue. The official Congress handle on Twitter posted a tweet questioning the government's decision and lamenting that how the people of India are "the only losers  having lost another institution to the deplorable autocratic antics of the BJP government."

Why has the govt. removed CBI Director Alok Verma of his charge & sealed his offices? Who are they protecting & what are they hiding? https://t.co/7OhVfbVMvBpic.twitter.com/KOb28GJgtV  Congress (@INCIndia) October 24, 2018

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted: "CBI chief Alok Verma was gathering the documents of the Rafale Scam and he has been sent on a forced leave. The prime minister's message is very clear, whosoever will question the Rafale deal will be removed and wiped out. The country and the Constitution are in danger."

Congress's senior spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi too launched an attack on the government saying that the "central bureau of infighting" has made India "hang its head in shame". "Entire reason for insulating the CBI director post was to preclude normal executive interference for transfer or sacking. ... Asking the director to go on a leave during an active corruption investigation is a grave violation of the law," he tweeted. "The government is going all out to protect its blue eyed favourite," he alleged.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also raised fingers on the credibility of the CBI saying that, "The sordid goings-on that have reduced the nations premier investigative agency into a Keystone Cops operation  one more nail in the coffin of Indias once-prestigious institutions, all reduced by the Modi government to shadows of their former selves."

While, another Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted that, "Prime Minister Modi has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI. Has the CBI director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in the Rafale scam? Isnt the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer!"

"We have always maintained that the government is misusing CBI and other agencies. The very people who were being used to harass people are now being investigated. This move raises questions on the functioning of the PMO, alleged Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge.

Congress leader Manish Tewari also raised objections to the government's decision to curtail the CBI chief's tenure without a meeting involving the prime minister, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the leader of the Opposition or the single largest party. "In terms of both the Lok Pal Act and the Supreme Court judgment in Jain Hawala case - the CBI director has a fixed tenure of two years. The government can not curtail tenure/take interim measures without a meeting of a committee consisting of the prime minister, the CJI and the leader of the Opposition/single largest party," he tweeted.

Click here to follow LIVE updates on CBI controversy over removal of Alok Verma
The farmers' agitation in the National Capital on Tuesday led by former BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondia and now chairman, All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress, Nana Patole and the narrative weaved around it was a clear indication that the Congress has started wooing farmers aggressively ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Ajit Singh Khangrot, a farmer and village Panchayat member from Sambhar in Jaipur, was visibly annoyed when asked why he had been raising anti-Modi (Narendra Modi) slogan at Jawab Do, Hisaab Do farmers protest rally organised by the Congress farmers cell at Parliament Street in New Delhi on Tuesday.

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi thinks that the government at the Centre has been due to the BJP coming to power, then hes wrong. Its due to the lakhs of farmers, agricultural labourers and the common man who voted the BJP to power with a huge majority, because Modi promised achche din for the farmers. But, the prime minister has failed to keep his promises. And, if it continues, the same voters wont hesitate to throw the BJP out from the Centre in 2019, Khangrot told Firstpost.

The farmers' agitation in the National Capital on Tuesday led by former BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondia and now chairman, All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress, Nana Patole and the narrative weaved around it was a clear indication that the Congress has started wooing farmers aggressively ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Besides highlighting the plight of farmers across the country, the Congress leaders and the farmers who came from various states also made it clear that the party led by its president Rahul Gandhi would make farmer distress a major issue during the Lok Sabha election.

Today its the beginning of our struggle. Modi didnt keep the promises he made to farmers in 2014  whether it was related implementation of Swaminathan Committee recommendations, minimum support price (MSP), waiving crop loans or bringing down the prices of fertilisers. Well ensure that the farmers get their dues. If Congress comes to power in 2019, itll fulfil all promises made to farmers. Its their right and government wont be doing any charity, Patole said.

After addressing the rally, Patole along with hundreds of Congress workers and farmers, broke the barricades and marched into the Parliament Street police station raising slogans, and staged a dharna.

The farmers cell of the Congress and one of the frontal organisations of the party  All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress managed to bring farmers from various states  Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, to name just a few. Patoles presence as a new leader of the farmers cell has enthused them to revive the organisation and fight for their rights.

Farmers are motivated by the fact that Nanaji (Patole), whos a farmer himself and left BJP over the farmers issue, is heading Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress and leading the agitation. Farmers issue is going to be big during 2019 Lok Sabha election, said S Pawan Kumar, a farmer and state president of Tamil Nadu Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress.

During the rally, Firstpost spoke to farmers from several states to know more about the issues bothering the agriculture sector.

Tamil Nadu

Pawan Kumar who belongs to Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu alleged that lack of crop purchasing centres in the state have made it difficult for the farmers sell their produce at right price.

Farmers are unable to get the MSP of their produce, which is a major problem. Theyre compelled to sell at a price much below the MSP. Its more due to the collusion between touts (middlemen) and government officers. The government should announce Kaveri delta inland zone as an agriculture zone and mining of hydrocarbons and methane should be banned; otherwise farming will collapse in this area, he mentioned.

Rajasthan

The farmers from this poll-bound state alleged that the BJP government in the state has failed to keep proper functioning of crop mandis.

Farmers are unable to sell their crops in mandis and as a result they have to undersell their produce to middlemen. BJP government made false promise to the farmers that their income would be doubled. In fact, after the Note ban, our conditions worsened. The issues bothering farmers are a part of Congress manifesto in the assembly polls and farmer distress would emerge as a major issue. Congress will come to power in Rajasthan this time, Ajit Singh Khangrot said.

Madhya Pradesh

The farmers from poll-bound Madhya Pradesh didnt forget to remind the public, as well as, farmers from other states about the Mandsaur incident. In June 2017, Mandsaur district witnessed a massive outburst in the form of farmers' agitation and violence, which later spread to other districts. Six farmers were killed in police firing.

The condition of farmers in Madhya Pradesh is very bad. Gunvant Patidar, whos associated with Naujawan Kisan Sabha and was instrumental in brokering peace deal between the farmers and government during Mandsaur farmers strike, quit BJP. This happened because Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is highly insensitive to farmer issues. One can see tractor full of produce of farmers waiting at mandis. Prices of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds continue to be high, alleged Shankar Patidar.

Uttar Pradesh

The agricultural labourers who participated along with farmers from Uttar Pradesh complained of not getting employment under MNREGA. It has become difficult for us to get regular employment under MNREGA, and whatever wages we get against the work done are below the standard wage. Were not getting any support from state government, alleged Akhlaf Salmani from Muzaffarnagar.

Punjab, Karnataka

Despite having Congress government in Punjab and as coalition partner in Karnataka, the farmers and representatives of state farmers cell of the Congress from these two states were also present.

Captain Sahabs (Amarinder Singh) government in Punjab has shown that Congress keeps its promises. The state government has waived electricity charges of farmers and crop loan. But the continuous hike in diesel prices has increased the input costs for farmers. Were here to give moral support to farmers from other states, said Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer from Amritsar.

Added Mohd Zabiula, a Ragi farmer from Kolar in Karnataka, Narendra Modi made false promises and did nothing for the farmers at the grass roots. Our state government is now waiving crop loans of farmers. If the UPA government could waive farm loan worth Rs 70,000 crore, why the NDA government failed to do so? The central government is more concerned about the capitalists rather than the farmers.

Congress next move

In an interview to Firstpost, Patole said that Congress would launch a mega rally of farmers led by Raul Gandhi in January 2019.

During the rally, Patole and other Congress leaders including Randeep Singh Surjewala and Raj Babbar urged the farmers to continue with the agitation in respective states.

The Congress party will raise the issue of farmer distress in a big way during the assembly polls in MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana, and also during 2019 Lok Sabha election.
The CPM on Tuesday said the current developments in the country's premier investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have seriously damaged the Indian republic and must be resisted.

New Delhi: The CPM on Tuesday said the current developments in the country's premier investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have seriously damaged the Indian republic and must be resisted.

"The polit bureau considers these developments as seriously damaging the Indian Republic and must be resisted tooth and nail," the Left party said in a statement.

It said the recent happenings in the CBI show the degree of damage that is being caused by the present government at the Centre to Constitutional authorities and institutions of parliamentary democracy in India.

"The undermining of the parliament itself, interference in the judiciary, manipulation of institutions like the CBI are not due to poor 'governance' but due to malafide intentions to undermine the secular democratic foundations of the Indian Constitution," the CPM statement said.

The national secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) also expressed concern about accusations and counter-accusations made by top officers of the CBI  its chief Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

In a statement, the CPI has earlier said the present developments within the agency have damaged the credibility of the institution.

It said Alok Verma is from the Union cadre and Asthana is from the Gujarat cadre and were picked up by the Prime Minister office (PMO) to serve in the premier investigative agency.

"The credibility of prime ministers office itself is at stake," the CPI statement said.

The CPI further stated that the CVC had not cleared both the top officers' names before their appointment in CBI.

The CPI statment also said it would be appropriate for the apex court to take suo moto action in the matter and direct the government to take appropriate steps to re-establish the credibility of the CBI.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who is the new national vice-president of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal (United), said on Tuesday he will not contest any elections for the next 10 years to concentrate on bringing the state out of the 'undeveloped' tag

Patna: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who is the new national vice-president of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal (United), said on Tuesday he will not contest any elections for the next 10 years to concentrate on bringing the state out of the "undeveloped" tag.

He would aim all his efforts to strengthen the JD(U) party that he joined in September, Kishor said ending all speculation as he addressed the youth members of his party.

"I will not contest any elections, including for the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, for the next 10 years... and serve Bihar. My goal is to work to help Bihar get into the 10 developed states of the country," said the founder of the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), who was appointed JD(U)'s No.2 on 16 October.

There was speculation in political circles here that the former BJP poll strategist, who played a role in Narendra Modi's party securing an absolute majority in the 2014 general elections, would contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD(U) president, was expected to soon send Kishor, 41, to Rajya Sabha.

Instead, Kishor said he would "work on the strategy to ensure a strong JD(U) by attracting youth and students into its fold" and put his entire time and energy into strengthening the party in Bihar and on the national level.

Kishor's elevation by Nitish was viewed as a political masterstroke by the Bihar chief minister, who plans to put his best foot forward ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls

"In JD(U) and outside, Kishor is considered close to Nitish. More than anyone he enjoys trust and confidence of the chief minister," a senior party leader said.

The former UN official, who founded the Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), had also successfully ran the campaign of the Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance during the 2015 Bihar Assembly election.

The Grand Alliance comprised the JD(U), Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress and it had humbled the BJP-led alliance.

In last two days, Kishor has been busy meeting and interacting with members of the JD(U)'s youth and students wing. He has asked each one of them to enlist 200 more active members.
Mamata Banerjee accuses Railways of negligence and callousness in Santragachi stampede, announces Rs 5 lakh aide for kin of dead

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday blamed the Railways of negligence and callousness over the stampede on a foot overbridge at Santragachi station, in which two persons died.

Banerjee, who visited the station after the incident, said there should be more internal coordination to prevent such situation.

"I feel there is a gap in coordination and Railways should look into it, they should have given some time gap between the arrival of two trains when the passengers have to change platforms," she said.

"Such situations occur due to negligence and callousness, Railways should act in a more responsible way," Banerjee, who is a former Railway minister, said adding such situation do not occur if precautions are taken in advance.

Noting that "safety and security cannot be compromised," Banerjee said that Railways did not seek any help from the state government during the festive season for crowd management.

Separately in a Tweet, she said "another unfortunate incident on railways today. Sadly, too many such tragedies are happening like this even during festive season, including Amritsar."

"Railways are the lifeline of our nation. Safety of rail passengers must be taken care of at all times," she said.

Banerjee, who went to the station from a Durga Puja immersion carnival in the city, said that the state government will hold an administrative inquiry.

She went to the state-run Howrah General Hospital from the station. "Railways must take proper care of safety and security of passengers; they should hold an investigation into the incident," Banerjee told newspersons at the hospital.

Referring to the Amritsar incident, she said "the Railways must be more careful and cannot shirk its responsibility." Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs one lakh each to the injured from the state government.
After filing his nomination for the upcoming state assembly elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed confidence that his government will come to power once again in the state for the fourth time.

Rajnandgaon: After filing his nomination for the upcoming state assembly elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed confidence that his government will come to power once again in the state for the fourth time.

"I am confident of forming a government once again in the state. There should not be a deficit of one single vote. We need to display our might once again to come back to power. Unlike Congress, who only deceived the poor and the farmers, we worked for the development of Chhattisgarh," Singh said while addressing a rally from his constituency in Rajnandgaon.

Launching a scathing attack at the opposition Congress, Singh said, "The Congress just took the people for a ride here in Chhattisgarh through their "Garibi Hatao" slogan. They did nothing for the poor here. The poor, these days, get rice at Rs 1 per kilogram, the women get gas cylinders for free.

"The Congress government here struggled to buy five quintals of rice to feed the people of this state. The farmers of this state badly suffered because of Congress," he added.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath who was also a part of Singh's public rally, said: "In the last 15 years, the state government through its various schemes have reached out to every single people living in Chhattisgarh. The Chief Minister through his humbleness, hard work, honesty, and his leadership deserves every credit for making Chhattisgarh what it is today. From the deprived, poor, to the Adivasis, everyone in the state has got food security under the Raman Singh government."

The state will go to polls in two phases on 12 and 20 November, while the counting of votes will take place on 11 December. On Saturday, the BJP announced the names of its candidates for 77 seats out of 90 in the state.
Reuters

Apple chief executive Tim Cook is expected to praise new European privacy rules and to voice the companys support for strong laws in Europe and the United States to protect the use of data, according to prepared remarks for delivery at a Brussels event.

Cook will describe Europes General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, as an example of how good policy and political will can come together to protect the rights of us all, according to the remarks, seen by Reuters ahead of a gathering of international privacy regulators on Wednesday.

Cook was also expected to endorse a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States, the strongest statement by Apple to date.

Issues over how data is used and how consumers can protect their personal information have come under the spotlight recently following massive breaches of data privacy involving millions of internet and social media users in Europe and the United States.

Cook, scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, will be one of several executives from U.S. tech companies to present their views at the two-day event.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai will share their thoughts via video messages.

But Apple, which designs many of its products so that it cant see users data, was expected to send Cook to speak in person. The iPhone maker has largely avoided the data privacy scandals that have affected its rivals Google and Facebook this year. In particular, Cook has publicly criticized Facebooks business model, arguing it depends on building out detailed profiles of users in order to target advertisements.

Apple views privacy as a fundamental human right, Cook is expected to say at the event.

We will never achieve technologys true potential without the full faith and confidence of the people who use it, he will say.

Other US tech giants such as Amazon, Alphabet Inc, AT&T, Charter Communications and Twitter have said they would back new federal privacy regulations.

Technology companies have been concerned about strict and varying state-level privacy laws in the United States, such as the one signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown earlier this year that goes into effect in 2020.

Such laws could create a patchwork of differing regulations across the United States that could be difficult to comply with. A uniform federal law could supersede state-level rules.
Some of the major thermic fluids market participants mentioned in this report are Exxon Mobil, British Petroleum (BP), Dow Chemical Company, Solutia Inc., Hindustan Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, Dynalene Inc., BASF AG, Paratherm Corporation, Kost U.S.A In

Silicone & aromatic thermic fluids market shows growth of about 5.8% CAGR from 2018 to 2025 ass these are best suited for completely exposed systems which are not prone to leaking or contamination along with impressive to oxidation and protect the fluid from degradation.

Thermic fluids market is driven by dynamic growth in food & beverage sector due to population growth and improving standard of living across the globe. There are several processes that are carried out in the food & beverage industry which require thermal fluids for the cooling, heating and dehumidifying. Dairies, wineries, breweries and other food processing companies use heat transfer mediums during processing where contact of the fluid with food or portable water is possible. Hence requirement of non-toxic thermic fluid arises.

The growth forecast report by GMI titled Thermic Fluids Market Size By Product (Silicone & Aromatic Based, Mineral Oils Based, Glycol Based), By Application (Oil & Gas, Chemical, Concentrated Solar Power [CSP], Food & Beverage, Plastics, Pharmaceuticals, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning [HVAC]), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018  2025 says global thermic fluids market size will hit USD 4 billion by 2025.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2940

On the basis of product, silicone & aromatic thermic fluids market shows growth of about 5.8% CAGR from 2018 to 2025. This type of thermal fluids is best suited for completely exposed systems which are not prone to leaking or contamination. These fluids are impressive to oxidation and protect the fluid from degradation. Glycol based thermal fluids are also gaining attention in food & beverage industry as they are low in toxicity ion case of incidental contact with water and food products.

In terms of volume, chemical sector will clutch over 10% share of the entire application segment in 2025. In petrochemical complexes, thermal fluids are used to provide heating for distillation towers, crackers and reactors in production of phthalic anhydride, alkyl benzene, terapthalic acid, dimethyl terapthylate and many other downstream products. Rising investments in the chemical sector due to substantial rise in crude oil prices will result in thermic fluids market growth in coming years.

On the basis of region, Asia Pacific thermic fluids market will show decent growth of more than 6% over the forecast years. This is all due to significant presence of industries such as chemical, plastics, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, HVAC, oil & gas in the region. Initiatives taken by governments of emerging economies such as India, China to attract FDI inflow and open more manufacturing facilities will catapult the thermal fluids demand by 2025.

Browse key industry insights from the report@ https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/thermic-fluids-market

Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

1.1. Methodology

1.2. Market definition

1.3. Market estimation & forecast parameters

1.4. Data sources

1.4.1. Primary

1.4.2. Secondary

1.4.2.1. Paid sources

1.4.2.2. Public sources

Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Thermic Fluids market 3600 synopsis, 2014  2025

2.1.1. Business trends

2.1.2. Type trends

2.1.3. Product trends

2.1.4. Application trends

2.1.5. Regional trends

Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2940

Chapter 3. Thermic Fluids Industry Insights

3.1. Industry segmentation

3.2. Industry size and forecast, 2014  2025

3.3. Industry ecosystem analysis

3.3.1. Raw material analysis

3.3.2. Profit margin analysis

3.3.3. Value addition at each stage

3.3.4. Distributor channel analysis

3.3.5. Vendor matrix

3.3.5.1. List of key manufacturers/supplier

3.3.5.2. List of key/potential customers

3.3.5.3. List of key raw material suppliers

3.4. Innovation & sustainability

3.4.1. Patent analysis

3.4.2. Technology landscape

3.4.3. Future trends

3.5. Industry impact forces

3.5.1. Growth drivers

3.5.2. Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.6. Regulatory landscape

3.6.1. U.S.

3.6.2. Europe

3.6.3. China

3.7. Growth potential analysis

3.8. Competitive landscape, 2017

3.8.1. Company market share, 2017

3.8.2. Key stakeholders

3.8.3. Strategy dashboard

3.9. Porters analysis

3.9.1. Supplier power

3.9.2. Buyer power

3.9.3. Threat of new entrants

3.9.4. Threat of substitutes

3.9.5. Industry rivalry

3.10. Regional price trends

3.10.1. Cost structure analysis

3.10.1.1. R&D cost

3.10.1.2. Manufacturing & equipment cost

3.10.1.3. Raw material cost

3.10.1.4. Distribution cost

3.10.1.5. Operating cost

3.10.1.6. Miscellaneous cost

3.10.2. Price by product

3.10.3. Price by application

3.11. PESTEL analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (TOC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/thermic-fluids-market

Chapter 4. Thermic Fluids Market, Product By Application

4.1. Global thermic fluids market product insights

4.2. Silicone & aromatic based thermic fluids

4.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2014  2025

 Oil & gas

 Chemical industry

 Concentrated solar power (CSP)

 Food & beverage

 Plastics

 Pharmaceuticals

 Others

4.2.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2014  2025

4.3. Mineral oil based thermic fluids

4.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2014  2025

 Oil & gas

 Chemical industry

 Concentrated solar power (CSP)

 Food & beverage

 Plastics

 Pharmaceuticals

 Others

4.3.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2014  2025

4.4. Glycol based thermic fluids

4.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2014  2025

 Oil & gas

 Chemical industry

 Concentrated solar power (CSP)

 Food & beverage

 Plastics

 Pharmaceuticals

 Others

4.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2014  2025

4.5. Others (Including molten salts & HFPE.) thermic fluids

4.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2014  2025

 Oil & gas

 Chemical industry

 Concentrated solar power (CSP)

 Food & beverage

 Plastics

 Pharmaceuticals

 Others

4.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2014  2025

Browse Related Report:

1. Heat Transfer Fluid Market Size By Product (Silicones & Aromatics, Minerals Oils, Glycol), By Application (Oil & Gas, Chemical Industry, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Food & Beverages, Plastics, Pharmaceuticals, HVAC) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S, Canada, Mexico, Germany, UK, France, Italy, China, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/heat-transfer-fluid-market

About Global Market Insights

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

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Contact Person: Arun Hegde

Email: Send Email

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Website: www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/thermic-fluids-market
tech2 News Staff

Since a few hours now, many iCloud services and apps have been experiencing issues. While this problem is not being faced by all Apple users, many have reported problems accessing iCloud-based apps and services like Notes and Find My Friends. At the same time, some users are complaining that these apps and service are working slower than normal for them.

The issue seems to be going on since 9.30 pm on 24 October, and at the time of writing the story, the issues seem to be persisting.

Even on Apples System Status page, the company notes that iCloud is suffering a widespread service disruption of some sort.

The outage seems to have affected some key Apple software services, such as the iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, iCloud Accounts and Sign, and a number of productivity apps that sync using Apples cloud platform, including the Mail Drop, iCloud Calendars, iCloud Contacts, iCloud Notes, among others.

FUCK APPLE AND THEIR ICLOUD PROBLEMS. WHEN I SIGNED BACK IN ICLOUD ON MY PHONE IT DELETED ALL OF MY VIDEOS AND PHOTOS FROM THE PHILIPPINES. BEYOND FUCKING PISSED  Summers (@pimp_potion) October 23, 2018

Seems that #iCloud might be down, the only time I kinda need it? Haha  SpoopyYeti (@RebornYeti) October 23, 2018

@AppleSupport, what is this?!! I am trying to see my iCloud storage status on my iPhone and iPad but it tells me "Unable to load storage info". And then when I try to log into iCloud on my computer, I get a connection error. What the hell?! pic.twitter.com/83Qawd2Cl7  Manny (@mannyotr) October 23, 2018

@AppleSupport How long until I can access my iCloud and photos again ?!?! or even log into my iCloud !!!!!  Ty McLean (@Tyler_D_McLean) October 23, 2018

And beyond Find My iPhone, Find My Friends and Backup, there are quite a few serious software tools that rely on the iCloud infrastructure, like iCloud Keychain for secure login and general account sign in for iOS devices and Macs, that are seeing problems as well.

Apple is yet to officially give out a statement on the issue. The company hasnt really acknowledged the issue yet as well, but the System Status page makes it clear that they are aware of the issue.

If you are also wondering whats causing this problem, we will update this space as soon as we find out the issue.
tech2 News Staff

Digital frauds can be of many kinds. Phishing, card skimming, crypto-jacking, trojan attacks are just some examples of them.

But a Buzzfeed News investigation has shone a light on a completely new kind of fraud which involves some level of intelligence. This fraud was using around 125 popular Android apps to track user behaviour and earn multi-million dollars through ad views/clicks.

The modus operandi was as follows:

A company by the name of 'We Purchase Apps' would reach out to popular app developers whose apps were doing well on the Google Play Store and had real users and promise to buy those apps.

The ownership of the apps that were bought was divided among shell companies distributed over many countries, so as to hide any sort of link with other apps that may have been bought by 'We Purchase Apps' which were part of this fraud scheme.

The user behaviour on these apps was monitored and analysed and this behaviour was programmed into a whole network of bots which ran from servers to mimic the human audience.

These bots were then made to use the apps, thereby increasing overall app engagement. The bot traffic was mixed with real user traffic to fool the ad system from detecting any fraud.

Ads viewed by these masked bots earned the app developers money which ran into millions of dollars.

Technically since bots mimicking human behaviour were viewing these ads, fake traffic was being generated which bypassed fraud detection systems that may have been in place to monitor bot activity, which generally has known patterns.

According to the report, a dozen of these apps compromised (here's a list) were targetted at kids or teens. A person with the knowledge of the fraud said that these apps had stolen millions of dollars from brands whose ads were shown to bots instead of real human beings. These apps have been installed on 115 million Android devices. The apps belong to various categories from gaming apps to flashlight apps to selfie apps to healthy eating apps and more.

"We are impressed with the complex methods that were used to build this fraud scheme and whats equally as impressive is the ability of criminals to remain under the radar," said Asaf Greiner, CEO of Protected Media which was the fraud detection firm that analysed these apps.

According to another fraud detection firm, Pixalate, the fraud being committed on a single app could generate $75 million revenue per annum. But an anonymous source who contacted Pixalate later, said that the amount would actually be 10x Pixalate's estimate.

This fraud puts a big question mark on Play Store ecosystem's ad-fraud detection technologies. The fairly easy app review process for Google Play Store over Apple's App Store is clearly demonstrated via frauds like this.

Google has sent out an update on its Security Blog that it has taken down the affected apps. It has taken down around 40 of the affected apps. It claims that this operation stole around $10 million from advertisers using Google's ad network to place ads on the affected websites and apps.

"While our internal systems had previously caught and blocked violating websites from our ad network, in the past week we also removed apps involved in the ad fraud scheme so they can no longer monetise with Google. We are continuing to monitor this operation and will continue to take action if we find any additional invalid traffic," said Google on its blog.

You can read about the complete investigation on Buzzfeed News.
Indo-Asian News Service

In line with the "Digital India" programme, Swedish communication services giant Ericsson on 24 October signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with public sector telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to create a roadmap for 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments in the country.

The partnership will help both companies to work together on developing new 5G use cases, knowledge sharing on 5G technology concepts, industry and innovation trends including 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standardisation progress.

"5G and IoT will enable new opportunities and create new ecosystems and through this association with Ericsson, we intend to take the lead in the development of these new technologies," Anupam Shrivastava, CMD BSNL said in a statement.

"We will test, learn and develop use cases that will help us meet the diverse needs of our customers in the future. 5G will also help create the backbone on which Digital India initiatives will be delivered," Shrivastava added.

The partnership will help BSNL to leverage Ericsson's 5G Center of Excellence established earlier this year at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) to work on evaluating benefits of 5G technology in areas like rural connectivity, connected healthcare, industrial automation, public safety, video surveillance, energy and agriculture amongst others.

"We are proud to partner with BSNL to work on use-cases and scenarios for application of 5G technology and how it will help realise the Digital India vision," Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Market Area, South East Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson said.

As per an Ericsson report, 5G enabled digitisation revenue potential in India will be $27.3 billion by 2026.

The Indian operators can generate additional revenue of $13 billion or half of the stated potential if they take up roles beyond being connectivity and infrastructure providers to become service enablers and service creators, Ericsson said.

The largest opportunity will be seen in sectors like manufacturing, energy and utilities followed by public safety and health sectors.

Some of the 5G use cases that could be implemented using the unique features of 5G technology include industrial control and automation, autonomous driving, safety and traffic efficiency services, hospital applications and medical data management, among others.
Reuters

SoftBank Group Corp Chief Executive Masayoshi Son, whose $93 billion Vision Fund drew nearly half its money from Saudi Arabia, cancelled a speaking engagement at the kingdoms investment conference this week, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Sons absence from the stage is a marked contrast to last years inaugural event, where the 61-year-old Japanese entrepreneur was a notable presence, lending credibility to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans efforts to attract foreign investment.

Son is in Riyadh this week to meet with high-ranking Saudi officials, including Prince Mohammed, one of the sources said, as he wanted to explain in person why he could not attend the conference and also express his concern over the disappearance and death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

SoftBank manages tens of billions of dollars invested by Saudi Arabia in its Vision Fund, and Son believes it is his duty to maintain a close relationship with the Saudis, the source added.

In a sign of its commitment to the Gulf kingdom, SoftBanks representative on the opening day of the event, Vision Fund Managing Partner Saleh Romeih, reiterated the funds plan to open an office there.

Sons speaking cancellation comes as pressure mounts on Riyadh over Khashoggi, with many high-profile company executives pulling out altogether.

SoftBank representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Sons speaking cancellation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Nearly half of the more than $93 billion raised last year to create SoftBanks Vision Fund came from Saudi, giving Son the firepower to make big bets in late-stage startups such as Uber Technologies Inc and shared office space provider WeWork Cos.

SoftBank has repeatedly declined to comment on whether SoftBank management including Son would attend, even as executives from portfolio companies Uber and Improbable dropped out.

ARM Holdings CEO Simon Segars pulled out of the event, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. SoftBank acquired the chip designer in 2016.

Bloomberg reported on 22 October that SoftBank Chief Operating Officer Marcelo Claure would also not attend.

Visionary Businessman

Sons mix of visionary rhetoric and hard-headed business decisions has given him an oversized presence in the tech world.

However, alarm over Saudis involvement in the disappearance and death of Khashoggi has underlined his investment juggernauts reliance on backers such as the kingdom at a time of rising political tensions.

That has left SoftBank weighing its loyalty to Saudi as it eyes the shifting tides of public opinion following the death, the stance of US President Donald Trumps administration and the attitude of the tech community.

While Trump has at times spoken of punishing Saudi Arabia he has also appeared reluctant to follow through against a close economic and security ally in the Middle East.

With the Vision Fund born in an era of cheap money and rising stock prices, Son has said he wants to raise further funds - something some analysts fret its Saudi links could make more difficult.

We havent been through a tech downturn period - it would probably be good to do that before they raise another (Vision Fund), said Hong Kong-based Morningstar analyst Dan Baker.
Reuters

Uber aims for London to be the first city where all of its taxis will be electric in 2025, with a clean air fee added to rides to help drivers go green, a part of efforts to cut pollution in the British capital, its chief executive said on 23 October.

Dara Khosrowshahi also said Uber was awaiting the full facts on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul before deciding whether that would affect the Saudi involvement in the ride-hailing service.

Like many other Western business and political leaders deeply disturbed by Khashoggis killing, Khosrowshahi pulled out of a Saudi investment conference that began on 23 October.

Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund has invested in Uber and its managing director sits on the apps board.

Uber, which lost its London licence last year and only recently regained it, has picked the British capital to roll out its electric vehicle plans.

The Mayor of London has set out a bold vision to tackle air pollution in the capital and were determined to do everything we can to back it, Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

The Silicon Valley-based firm has said it is on track to float next year but, asked about the role of Saudi investment going forward in the light of Khashoggis murder, Khosrowshahi said he needed initially to know what happened.

First we want to get the facts and we will make that determination about how we go forward, how we raise money going forward, what our post-IPO board make-up is, he told reporters.

The rapidly-expanding firm is simultaneously trying to appease regulators in key established markets such as London as well as expand into new areas as it pursues more growth before going public.

After a report that Uber was looking into acquiring British food courier Deliveroo, Khosrowshahi said the firm was very happy with its Uber Eats equivalent but is talking to many players around the world. Is something going to happen with Deliveroo? Who knows? he said.

Deliveroo has said it is not for sale.

He also said its Uber Works initiative, which could provide temporary staff such as waiters, was only at a quite preliminary stage.

And, following a media report that the firm was seeking minority stakes in its self-driving car business Advanced Technologies Group, Khosrowshahi said: Going forward its going to be part of the family. How we fund it, what the capitalisation looks like is something that we are ultimately open to, but it is not an area of focus right now.
Indo-Asian News Service

Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom said on Tuesday that its Festival of Science and Culture focused on nuclear science and technologies will be held in Mumbai and New Delhi from 24 October to 29 October.

Rosatom, which is the consultant and equipment supplier for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu, said in a statement that the event is being organised in collaboration with the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and the Russian Embassy in Delhi.

Russian pilot-cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, Professor of Biotechnology at National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) Elena Sarapultseva and MEPhI Associate Professor Olga Momot are slated to speak during the festival, the statement said.

Kornienko, who was on a year-long mission during 2015-16 aboard the International Space Station, will share his vision about the possibility of developing a nuclear-powered spacecraft for deep space travel, it said.

"During the lectures, Momot and Sarapultseva will talk about electricity generation from the nuclear power plants as well as non-power application of nuclear technologies in medicine, agriculture and daily life," it added.

"Rosatom Festival of Science and Culture is a series of educational activities that give participants an opportunity to experience Russian culture and get to know about the latest developments in nuclear science and technology.

"Each festival consists of a lot of interactive talks, readings, workshops, contests, cultural activities and much more," Rosatom CEO (South Asia) Andrey Shevlyakov said in the statement.
Reuters

Siemens Healthineers has teamed up with Israeli start-up Healthy.io to allow patients to test their urine at home by using a smartphone camera that scans a dipstick and sends the results to their doctor.

The alliance is the latest partnership between medtech firms and technology companies aimed at helping patients monitor their own health, as well as lowering the costs of managing chronic diseases.

Urine testing is the worlds second-most frequently conducted diagnostic test. Regular testing is needed to monitor kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease, as well as to detect potential signs of diabetes.

Under the global partnership announced on Tuesday, Healthy.io will use urinalysis tests from Siemens Healthineers in dipkits that are sent to patients at home.

Patients urinate on the dipstick and scan it using their smartphone camera, which uses computer vision and machine learning to ensure the results can be read.

The results are then sent via an app to the patients medical record for a doctor to assess.

This alliance expands our capabilities to improve patient experience by conducting testing in their home, said Christoph Pedain from Siemens Healthineers Point of Care Diagnostics business.

Yonatan Adiri, founder and chief executive officer of Healthy.io said the technology, which has gained approval from US and European regulators, was like a medical selfie that would improve patient outcomes through more frequent testing.

He said home test kits could help doctors manage the health of diabetes patients and pregnant women that may be reluctant to travel to clinics.

A number of technology companies including Apple, Samsung Electronics and Google are working on health-related applications for wearable devices and smartphones.

Last month, Apple said its new watch can take an electrocardiogram and detect heart problems.

Orthopaedics company Zimmer Biomet is also testing a new app with Apple which would allow patients due to have hip or knee replacements to funnel basic health data from their Apple watches to their surgeons.
Before noon on Wednesday in the US East Coast, at least 5 packages containing 'functional explosive devices' were stopped before they reached Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, the CNN offices in Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York mayor Andrew Cuomo and others. 'This is an act of terror', Cuomo told media outlets and linked the toxic political environment to the way things are unfolding in the run-up to the midterm elections.

Before noon on Wednesday in the US East Coast, at least 5 packages containing 'functional explosive devices' were stopped before they reached Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, the CNN offices in Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York mayor Andrew Cuomo and former Attorney General Eric Holder. "This is an act of terror", said New York City mayor Bill De Blasio and linked the toxic political environment to the way things are unfolding in the run-up to the midterm elections. CNN's New York bureau was evacuated by 10:15 am Wednesday and staff is still out on the streets near Columbus Circle.

By early afternoon, there are initial reports of at least one more suspicious package addressed to the US Congress.

"We have not completed the investigation but the suggestion here is that all this is happening because of the rhetoric and the anger. We are at boiling point", New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN.

All of the bombs intercepted today, incidentally, have been addressed to Donald Trump critics. "As an investigator, this is a lead we would go after. It's a clear pattern and it jumps right out at you", says a formed FBI staffer.

NYPD's chief of counterterrorism says the explosive device sent to CNN's headquarters in New York appeared to be sent by the same person who mailed pipe bombs to George Soros, Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama. In all of the packages, the pattern of the addresses have similarities in the less than precise nature of the detailing.

FBI officials said at a news conference the devices all appeared to be crude pipe bombs. The New York device was black and had wires. NYPD says it all began Monday night with a package sent to Soros and that it's looking at the devices as a pattern, and no arrests have been made. Within the CNN package was also a "white powder". No further details are forthcoming about this powder at this time.

The investigation into the suspicious packages is being led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and NYPD. There were no explosions and no reports of injuries. The entire NYPD briefing is in this tweet below:

The bombs were intercepted two weeks before nationwide elections that could reshape Congress and serve as a referendum on the first two years of Donald Trump's presidency. The events quickly overtook other campaign news in an already-tense political season, which has included pitched fights over immigration, the Supreme Court and sexual violence against women.

The White House quickly condemned the attacks aimed at Democrats and perceived foes of the administration. Republican Vice President Mike Pence said they "have no place in this country," and Trump tweeted, "I agree wholeheartedly."

All the confirmed bombs appeared to come from the same person or persons, said John Miller, the New York Police Department's head of intelligence and counterterrorism, who briefed reporters in New York.

The U.S. Secret Service intercepted a bomb that was addressed to Hillary Clinton at the Chappaqua, New York, home she shares with former President Bill Clinton, and another that was sent to former President Obama at his home with Michelle Obama in Washington. A police bomb squad removed still another from CNN's New York headquarters, which was evacuated.

Overhead TV shots showed a truck carrying that device, which law enforcement officials said was linked to the other explosives, being driven away. The package sent to CNN contained a live explosive and envelope with white powder, and officials said the substance was being tested to see if it was dangerous.

New York Gov. Cuomo said at a briefing that "we will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives."

The official noted that one of the packages had the return address of Florida Rep. Schultz, an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee who was accused by Clinton rivals of secretly helping the party's eventual presidential nominee.

Neither Clinton nor Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, "These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Two law enforcement officials, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the pipe bomb at CNN was crude but operational and was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who regularly appears as a television contributor and who has publicly clashed with Trump. They said it was similar to other explosives discovered in the past few days.

Hillary Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the family's New York residence at the time. Bill Clinton was at the family's Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted Tuesday night at a Westchester County facility, said a person familiar with his schedule. The person said the device was screened at the facility  not in proximity to their residence  and never reached the Clintons' home.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Soros' home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a mailbox outside the gates of the compound. A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates, not near Soros' quarters, the official said.
Three top Democratic lawmakers, including Indian origin Senator Kamala Harris, have sought information from the government on President Donald Trump's allegation of Chinese efforts to meddle in US elections.

Washington: Three top Democratic lawmakers, including Indian origin Senator Kamala Harris, have sought information from the government on President Donald Trump's allegation of Chinese efforts to meddle in US elections.

In a letter to the Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats, the senators  Ron Wyden, Martin Heinrich and Harris  asked whether the US intelligence supports Trump's claims that China interfered in the 2016 presidential elections. The senators are members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The letter follows up on a previous 4 October communication in which the three senators had inquired whether the president's statement that China was attempting to interfere in the upcoming 2018 mid-term polls was consistent with the assessments of the Intelligence Community (IC). In addition to providing a public response to that inquiry, we ask that you address whether the President's statement on 60 Minutes that China meddled in the 2016 US election is consistent with IC assessments, the Senators said.

In September, at an UN Security Council meeting, Trump had alleged that China was trying to interfere in the US elections. Days later Vice President Mike Pence gave a major foreign policy speech on China in which he alleged that Beijing does not want Trump to be the president and it is using various platforms, including newspaper advertisements, to campaign against Trump's policies. China has denied the allegations.
A US official says a 'functional explosive device' was found at Hillary and Bill Clinton's suburban New York home. Television network CNN is reporting that Secret Service has found an explosive device in the Washington DC office of former President Barack Obama too.

Multiple bombs have being mailed to a string of US politicos and found on Wednesday morning - including to Hillary and Bill Clinton's suburban New York home, the Barack and Michelle Obama residence in Washington D.C and also the CNN offices in New York. The FBI and the Secret Service are on location and treating all these as "linked". We are also hearing that FBI is saying that the bombs were "functional" - meaning this is no hoax; these bombs could actually go off and kill people. Law enforcement officials are saying the package at the CNN office in New York is believed to be a pipe bomb.

Former President Bill Clinton was at the family's Chappaqua, New York, home when a suspicious package was intercepted at a Westchester County, NY, facility. That's according to a person familiar with his schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity and wasn't authorized to speak publicly. The person says the device was screened at the Westchester facility and never reached the Clintons' home.

Officials said one of the packages had the return address of Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. The package addressed to Obama was intercepted Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington. Neither Clinton nor Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said in a statement. The CNN bomb was crude but operational and was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who appears on air on other broadcast and cable outlets. Staffers in the mail room noticed pipes and wires when the package went through the usual X-ray process for all incoming mail.

CNN's buildings in New York's Columbus Circle have also been evacuated at exactly 10:15 am EST, soon after fire alarms went off while a morning broadcast was on air. CNN has begun broadcasting from Washington DC while reports of a suspicious device now spread to Manhattan. A suspicious package was found at the CNN mail sorting facility, the network is reporting. The White House says it "condemns" attempted attacks on Obama, Clinton, others. "These terrorizing acts are despicable", White House said.

The official says investigators believe the explosive is linked to one found Monday at the compound of liberal billionaire George Soros. That device was proactively detonated by bomb squad technicians. Police have yet to arrest anyone on suspicion of mailing the explosive to Soros, and a possible motive remains unclear.

All this action comes in the final bend of US midterm election season as racially charged rhetoric is doing the rounds on the Republican campaign trail.
Growing the International Medical Cannabis Marketplace



Strategic Collaboration and Supply Agreement Signed with Canadian Licensed Producer

Sydney, Oct 24, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of Queensland Bauxite Limited ( ASX:QBL ) (or '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 Strategic Collaboration and Supply Agreement Signed with an established Canadian Licensed Producer of Medical Cannabis.As a result of a relationship forged over the past two years, Medcan Australia (Medcan) has formalised a significant Collaboration Agreement with Bonify Holdings Corporation (Bonify), a Canadian Licensed Producer of Medical Cannabis, for Medcan to provide medical cannabis products to Bonify for distribution in the bourgeoning Canadian market.Highlights of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement- Under the Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA), Bonify has agreed to arrange for the delivery to Medcan of cannabis plant (Material) that is to be used by Medcan to manufacture the Material into bulk dried cannabis flowers.- Importantly, Medcan will be provided with Bonify's genetics by way of seed stock/tissue culture and it will immediately obtain from Bonify an amount of finished end user packaged products to cater for Medcan's Australian patients.- The intent of the SCA is for the parties to build a mutually beneficial and profitable relationship, and for that purpose they agree to continue dialogue around further collaboration opportunities relating to (but not limited to) genetics, product development and supply.Further Information in respect of the Strategic Collaboration AgreementThe SCA includes general terms relating to placing of orders, the performance of the manufacturing services, regulatory compliance in respect of the manufacturing which will be undertaken by Medcan, end product deliverables, and the like.Medcan shall, at its own expense, obtain and maintain the necessary permits, registrations, licenses, or other regulatory approvals required for the manufacture of the end product. Bonify shall at its own expense, obtain and maintain any permits, registrations, licenses, or other regulatory approvals in respect of the material and the end product, or the import, export, marketing, sale, distribution or use of the end product in or into any jurisdiction in which it markets, sells or distributes the end product.The term of the SCA is a period of 1 year, in which it is intended for Medcan to initially supply Bonify with 3000kgs of dried flower, and it renews automatically year on year for successive 1-year periods, unless written notice of the intention not to renew is given by either side within 60 days before the renewal term expires.It is anticipated that this supply will commence approximately 14-16 weeks from receipt of Medcan's receipt of the first Materials supplied by Bonify and will continue with shipments on a quarterly basis for the initial term of the agreement. It is anticipated that the Medcan facility will be fit out and operational by early 2019.The parties have acknowledged that whilst Medcan and Bonify will use best efforts to adhere to the timeframes specified within the agreement, the timeframes may be subject to variation in order to comply with relevant Australian and Canadian legislative requirements. Whilst the agreement is expected to be significant for the Medcan business, it is not possible to definitively quantify expected revenue at this stage.The agreement may be terminated immediately by giving written notice if either party fails to remedy a material breach of the provisions of the agreement within 30 days of being notified by the other party in writing of the relevant breach.Either party may also terminate the agreement immediately by giving written notice if the other party is declared insolvent or bankrupt, or a voluntary petition of bankruptcy is filed in any court of competent jurisdiction by a third party; or the other party ceases or threatens to cease to carry on business; or the agreement is assigned by the other party for the benefit of creditors.Medcan may terminate the agreement in the event Bonify does not deliver the Materials. Bonify may (acting reasonably) terminate the agreement by giving 30 days written notice in the event Medcan fails to manufacture the Material into End Product within the timeframes specified in the agreement.Each party provides representations and warranties as to their legal status and corporate authority, and in respect of the Materials or End Product to be delivered which are standard for an agreement of this nature. Medcan and Bonify also provide mutual indemnities in respect of, among other things, any loss suffered (excluding consequential loss) as a result of a breach of the SCA, except to the extent such losses are attributable to the negligence or wilful misconduct of the relevant indemnified party.Medcan Australia's CEO, Craig Cochran says, "We are delighted to announce this strategic agreement with Bonify. This agreement is the culmination of over 24 months of discussions and hard work between our companies. We consider this a huge step forward for the International Medicinal Cannabis industry and more specifically Australian export of Medicinal Cannabis products. It aligns with Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt's announcement in February 2018 that Australia "aims to be the world's number one exporter of Medicinal Cannabis". This agreement also opens the door for numerous other opportunities between our companies around research and product development."Medcan Australia's BDM, Gareth Ball adds, "With patient access still being a huge issue in Australia, an international agreement of magnitude provides a platform for an industry push around Australian patient access. Medcan's vision has, and always will be, to provide the highest level of Medicinal Cannabis products to Australian patients. Agreements like this allow Australian Medicinal Cannabis companies the ability to operate with a level of profitability as the push for better patient access in Australia continues."Bonify's President and Chief Executive Officer, Dalbir Bains, comments: "We are excited to be working together with Medcan to help us ensure our Canadian customers are provided with the products they both want and need. This Agreement allows us to further increase our Canadian market offering, while it simultaneously opens the door for bilateral supply agreements and further international product development and research collaborations between our two companies.About BonifyBonify is a Canadian-owned leading provider of quality Cannabis. By maximizing research findings and strictly adhering to best in class practices, quality standards and procedures, Bonify produces Cannabis solutions to help individuals get the most out of life each and every day.To learn more, please visit http://www.bonify.com Contact InformationPlease call 1.844.586.3556 or contact communications@bonify.com with any media related questions or requests.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.
India and China are to jointly train Afghan diplomats, and there is a tentative reach out by Uzbekistan to get India involved in railway projects

Chinese State Councillor Zhao Kezhi came visiting recently to ink an agreement with India on law enforcement and security, besides co-chairing the first ever meeting of the body with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. He together with his 30-member strong delegation, did the rounds of New Delhi, separately meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, where more cordial statements were exchanged. Thats the stuff of diplomacy. What probably happened behind closed doors, particularly during the meeting of the NSA is another matter altogether.

The agreement itself seems to be aimed at reviving a framework of co-operation dealing essentially with internal security. The statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs was brief, simply stating that the two sides would co-operate on counter-terrorism, organised crime, drug control, and human trafficking. Given that Zhao focuses only on internal security of China aided and assisted by some 1.9 million police  whose authority is due to be increased significantly  the agenda would have been limited to such issues as terrorism and its linkages with narcotics, apart from issues of public safety. Where the cup of agreeable banter would have slipped was the expected raising of the Masood Azhar issue and Chinas equally expected refusal to agree to inclusion of his name in the United Nations (UN) sanctions list. It is not that China likes terrorists less  after all it has given shelter to various such elements in the past - its just that it loves Pakistan more. Sometimes the two are one and the same, but Beijing seems oblivious to that.

Despite being on the way to becoming a regional power, and perhaps a super power at some point, it is surprising that Chinas diplomatic and security policies still remain somewhat conservative to say the least. The stance on Azhar, the refusal to settle border issues, not to mention the continued blocking of India as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), all point to the fact that Beijings ability to move with the times is somewhat limited. Trumps policies on China are not going to change in a hurry, since it is after all based on hard nosed economic priorities. In the wake of the United States turning into a Sanctionistan, there has been a great deal of speculation on whether this would lead to India and China coming closer in areas other than trade.

There is some progress certainly. A trilateral agreement on Afghanistan is moving forward though at snails pace. India and China are to jointly train Afghan diplomats, and there is a tentative reach out by Uzbekistan to get India involved in railway projects that would like Mazhar e Sharif with Herat, thus reviving the China-Afghanistan railway link that has been in doldrums due to lack of further connectivity and logistical backup. That in turn would mean a direct line from India-backed Chahbahar Port to China. There is no sign that either Beijing or New Delhi is ready to go ahead with this. But it could provide China with that vital corridor to reach even closer to the oil rich West Asia than Gwadar.

Another area of possible co-operation is slowly catching up. At the meeting, the Chinese side appears to have raised the issue of separatism which is Beijingspeak for the courageous fight of the Uighurs against an ever increasing Chinese tide. At some level, public security officials seem to have realised that in this area, Pakistan is likely to be more of a hindrance than a help. The Chinese embassy in Islamabad had even taken to virtually chairing meetings on this and the issue of security of Chinese citizens, with relevant police and intelligence organisations present.

There have also been issues about information shared with the Pakistanis reaching Uighur elements settled in Gilgit Baltistan and adjoining areas of Afghanistan, not to mention the assistance given to them by various Pakistani terrorist groups. Religious leaders, including Noor ul Haq Qadri, Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony, are not happy with the reports of massive internment camps for Uighurs which was adequately reported by the Pakistan media. In such a scenario, New Delhi is likely to be a far more competent source for quiet intelligence sharing.

The triangle of unrest which includes Xinjiang, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan  though vastly different in detail  has the potential to seriously compromise security in China, and less so for India. After all, Indian security forces have been battling terrorism in Kashmir for decades, even while a certain unruly democracy took roots in the state. China does not have that luxury. Though reports of internment camps remain just reports as yet  and was not confirmed by the United Nations despite reports to the contrary  the fact remains that the Uighur issue is only likely to climb in seriousness. Beijing is only now realising that transnational separatism needs transnational co-operation. It cannot be handled alone, or with an unstable neighbour.

There are other reasons for Beijing to take India seriously as a source of stability. In the coming weeks, the Prime Minister is due to visit Japan, and the emphasis there is likely to be on defence, and fleshing out the Quad  a euphemism for fledgling co-operation between Japan, India, the US and Australia. There is a strong intention to co-opt India into a US-backed quasi security alliance, which New Delhi has so far resisted. As the USChina face offs continue  with aggressive moves reported by Chinese warship against the US navy in waters off the disputed Spratly Islands as recently as the beginning of this month  there is much motivation for Beijing to seek a friendly face in the Indian Ocean neighbourhood.

Looking at the map from Beijing, the big large peninsula that seems to dominate the Indian Ocean is the Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic of India. You just cannot get away from geography. Justly or otherwise, the Indian Ocean is the future zone of conflict, and major powers are only beefing up their presence. In such a situation, Beijing would be advised to throw the Masood Azhar issue into the sea, together with all the baggage that goes with it. Theres some strong turbulence ahead.
88-year-old Hungarian-American businessman George Soros was not at home at the time and no one was injured in the incident. The explosive device was proactively detonated by bomb squad technicians.

A device resembling a pipe bomb and loaded with black powder was found outside the suburban New York home of George Soros, the billionaire liberal philanthropist who is a frequent target of right-wing conspiracy theories, law enforcement officials said Tuesday. The 88-year-old Hungarian-American businessman was not at home at the time and no one was injured in the incident.

As per a report from The New York Times, the device was proactively detonated by bomb squad technicians, according to one of the officials, all of whom were briefed on the investigation. The motive of the would-be bomber or bombers remains unclear, one of the officials said, adding that there had not yet been any claim of responsibility.

The Bedford Police Department said it responded to the address in the hamlet of Katonah at 3.45 pm on Monday after an employee of the residence opened the package. The person placed the package in a wooded area and called the police, who alerted the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bedford Police said the FBI's terrorism task force was investigating the incident. The FBI's New York field office said on Twitter, "We are conducting an investigation at and around a residence in Bedford, NY. There is no threat to public safety, and we have no further comment at this time."

FBI officials did not respond to requests for more information late Monday.

Shortly after the incident, Soros' Open Society Foundations released a statement on Soros' behalf on Facebook.

Who is George Soros?

Soros, whose family is Jewish and survived Nazi-occupied Hungary, emigrated to the US and went on to become one of the country's most successful investors. The businessman, who made his fortune in hedge funds, frequently donates to liberal causes and is vilified by the Right.

He previously backed the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and labelled US President Donald Trump "an imposter", according to a BBC News report.

Earlier this month, Soros was accused by Florida Republican Matt Gaetz of funding a caravan of migrants moving north toward Mexico.

Gaetz on his Twitter account said:

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

There is no evidence that Soros paid thousands of migrants to storm the border.

Soros has also been the target of anti-Semitic smears, including being falsely accused of being a Nazi collaborator during World War II, when he was a child in Hungary, The Telegraph reported.

Activists frequently post the addresses of homes he owns in Westchester County, north of New York City, on social media sometimes along with threats. "Soros is seen as the boogeyman on just about every right-wing conspiracy theory floating out there," JJ MacNab, a domestic extremism expert at George Washington University, told The Telegraph.

Roseanne Barr previously called Soros a Nazi in an infamous series of tweets.

Soros became a major political donor in the United States during George W Bushs presidency, The New York Times reported. He spent millions backing John Kerrys unsuccessful bid to deny Bush a second term, was an early backer of Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign and contributed more than $25 million to Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates and causes during the 2016 election cycle.

With inputs from The Associated Press
The UNHRC was not persuaded by Frances claim that a ban on face-covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of living together in society

Geneva: The UN Human Rights Committee said on Tuesday that Frances ban on the niqab, the full-face Islamic veil, was a violation of human rights and called on it to review the legislation.

France had failed to make the case for its ban, the committee said, and gave Paris 180 days to report back to say what actions it had taken.In particular, the Committee was not persuaded by Frances claim that a ban on face-covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of living together in society, it said.

The panel of 18 independent experts oversees compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Implementation of its decisions is not mandatory, but under an optional protocol of the treaty, France has an international legal obligation to comply in good faith.

A French foreign ministry spokesman said the law was legitimate, necessary and respected religious freedom. The ban applies to hiding ones face, not to any type of religious clothing that leaves the face uncovered, he told reporters.

Risk of marginalisation

The French spokesman also pointed out that both Frances constitutional court and the European Court of Human Rights, whose rulings are binding, had upheld the full-face veil ban, saying it did not violate religious freedom.

The UN Human Rights Committee disagreed with this in its statement on Tuesday, saying the ban disproportionately harmed the right of women to manifest their religious beliefs and could lead to them being confined at home and marginalized.

The committees findings follow complaints by two French women convicted in 2012 under a 2010 law stipulating that No one may, in a public space, wear any article of clothing intended to conceal the face

In its findings, the panel called on France to pay the two women compensation.

Under the ban, anyone wearing the full-face veil in public is liable to a fine of 150 euros ($170) or lessons in French citizenship. According to Metronews media, 223 fines were handed out in 2015 for wearing a full veil in public.

Other countries in Europe have introduced legislation on Islamic dress. Denmarks parliament enacted a ban on wearing of face veils in public in May. Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria have also imposed some restrictions on full-face veils in public places.

France has the largest Muslim minority in Europe, estimated at 5 million or more out of a population of 67 million. The place of religion and religious symbols worn in public can be a matter of controversy in the staunchly secular country.

The UH Human Rights Committee came to similar conclusions on the 2008 case of a woman sacked by a creche for wearing a veil. In September, a top French judge was quoted by newspaper Le Monde as saying that while not binding, the panels decisions might still influence French case law.
Russian President Vladimir Putin poked fun at the official seal of the United States while hosting US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, saying he wondered if the American eagle had plucked all the olives from the branch in its talon.

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin poked fun at the official seal of the United States while hosting US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, saying he wondered if the American eagle had plucked all the olives from the branch in its talon. While sitting down with John Bolton at the Kremlin, Putin Tuesday mentioned Trump's stated intent to pull the US out of a pivotal arms control treaty. He said Moscow also was aware of Washington's doubts about extending another landmark nuclear treaty and its plans to deploy elements of missile defense in space.

The Russian leader then referred to the Great Seal of the United States, which includes a bald eagle holding a bundle of 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch with 13 olives in another. "I have a question: Has your eagle picked all the olives and only has arrows left?" Putin asked with a laugh. But while underlining the differences between Russia and the US, Putin also emphasized the need to maintain a dialogue, saying he would be ready to meet with Trump in Paris during centenary commemorations in November marking the end of World War I. Putin said his last meeting with Trump in Helsinki in July was useful despite their tough discussion, adding that he would be open to meet with Trump in France "if the U.S. side is interested in such contacts."

Bolton responded that Trump would look forward to seeing Putin in Paris on the sideline of events marking 100 years since Armistice Day, which is 11 November. "Despite our differences which exist because of our different national interests, it's still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation," Bolton said. Bolton's Kremlin meeting with Putin followed two days of talks with top Russian foreign policy and security officials. "Hopefully, I will have some answers for you," he said. "But I didn't bring any more olives." "That's what I thought," Putin quipped.

The Russian leader further demonstrated his knowledge of US symbols, citing the motto written on the scroll the eagle holds in its beak - "Out of Many, One" - as reflecting the need to find common ground despite various viewpoints. Putin and Bolton laughed as they exchanged the quips at the start of the meeting, setting an easy tone ahead of what was expected to be a tense discussion given Trump's weekend statement about abandoning the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Speaking at a news conference after the talks with Putin, Bolton emphasized that the US has been confident that Russia has violated the treaty by testing and deploying a ground-based cruise missile. He said that the US hasn't yet filed a formal notice of withdrawal from the pact and emphasized that the threat isn't the prospective US pullout from the pact but "the threat is the Russian missiles already deployed."

He also pointed at China's massive intermediate-range capability as another key concern. "The treaty was outmoded, being violated and being ignored by other countries," Bolton said. "Under that view, exactly one country was constrained by the INF Treaty - the United States." He scoffed at critics' claims that the US pullout would be destabilizing, pointing at the US pullback from another Cold War-era arms control pact - the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that was described as a cornerstone of strategic stability. "It wasn't true then, and it will not be true now with the withdrawal from this treaty," he said. He voiced skepticism that the treaty could be salvaged by forcing Russia to comply, pointing at Moscow's denials. "One has to ask how you convince the Russians to come back into compliance with obligations they don't think they are violating," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump took "a dangerous position" by deciding to abandon an existing nuclear weapons treaty with Russia without offering anything to replace it. "Right now, we don't have any prospects whatsoever for a new deal," Peskov said. "It's important to figure out if it's possible or not." The treaty was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It prohibited the US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched nuclear cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres (300 to 3,400 miles). China was not a party to the original agreement, and Trump argued that it should be included in the treaty. Other Russian officials also emphasized the need for dialogue in their meetings with Bolton.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu lauded Bolton for making a two-day visit and said that "even small steps will benefit our relations and help restore trust" between the two countries. He added that Russia and the US should build up their cooperation in Syria that helped to prevent major incidents in the sky or on the ground. Bolton told Shoigu he was in Moscow to work on Trump's commitment to improve security cooperation with Russia.
Last year, Israel Aerospace struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply Indian Army and Indian Navy with missile defence systems.

Tel Aviv: State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has won an additional $777 million contract to supply Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) defence systems to seven ships in the Indian Navy, the company said on Wednesday.

The contract is with the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), which is the main contractor in the project, IAI said.

The LRSAM, part of the Barak 8 family, is an air and missile defence system used by Israel Navy as well as Indias navy, air and land forces. With this deal, sales of the Barak 8 over the past few years total over $6 billion, IAI said.

IAIs partnership with India dates many years back and has culminated in joint system development and production, IAI CEO Nimrod Sheffer said. India is a major market for IAI and we plan to ... reinforce our positioning in India, also in view of increasing competition.

Israel and Indias leaders have pledged to deepen ties and the countries have been increasing cooperation in fields like agriculture and advanced technologies. Israel is also emerging as one of Indias biggest suppliers of weapons, alongside the United States and long-term partner Russia.

Last year, IAI struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply Indian Army and Indian Navy with missile defence systems. This was followed by a $630 million contract with BEL to supply Barak 8 surface-to-air missile systems for four ships in the Indian Navy.

The Barak 8 was developed by IAI in collaboration with Israels Defence Ministry, Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation, the navies of both countries, Israels Rafael and local industries in both, India and Israel.
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot and killed a Gazan youth on Tuesday during a protest on the Gaza border and wounded seven others, a Palestinian medical official said. Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza's health ministry, said 17-year-old Muntaser al-Baz died in hospital from being shot in the head by Israeli troops.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot and killed a Gazan youth on Tuesday during a protest on the Gaza border and wounded seven others, a Palestinian medical official said.

Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza's health ministry, said 17-year-old Muntaser al-Baz died in hospital from being shot in the head by Israeli troops.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers had come under attack near the border fence and used riot dispersal means and live fire and had no details of Palestinian casualties who were on the Gaza side of the border.

She said one Gazan breached the fence trying to throw an explosive device at the troops and was shot.

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.

Since the protests began, 208 Gazans have been killed by Israeli troops, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures. An Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Writing by Ori Lewis, Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Trump did not give his views on who was ultimately responsible. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggi's murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking US visas.

Washington: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday said Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.

Trump spoke hours after Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggi's death on rogue operatives. Erdogan urged Riyadh to search "from top to bottom" to uncover those behind Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, an incident that has sparked global outrage and strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

For Saudi Arabias allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability.

Trump said the killing and subsequent cover-up by Saudi Arabia were "a total fiasco." "There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened," Trump told reporters. He said he had spoken on Monday with the crown prince who denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's killing.

Earlier, Trump said the Khashoggi matter was handled badly by Saudi officials. "Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a US resident and Washington Post columnist. Trump's comments in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with "very severe" consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the country's role as a US ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major purchaser of US arms.

Trump did not give his views on who was ultimately responsible. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggi's murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking US visas.

The US State Department said 21 Saudis would have their visas revoked or be made ineligible for US visas. Another official said the vast majority of the group had US visas. "As we continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, not only those who executed it but those who were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable when we develop this fact set," Pompeo told reporters.

Pompeo also said the State Department was looking into whether sanctions could be applicable for those found to be involved. "These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States," Pompeo said, although he emphasized as have other senior US officials, the importance of the US-Saudi relationship. "Neither the president nor I are happy with this situation."

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the US measures. As the crisis unfolded over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia changed its tune on Khashoggi. Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi's fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with scepticism from several Western governments, straining their relations with the world's biggest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi's death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggi's killing by giving orders over Skype.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

Erdogan Vow

Erdogan on Tuesday stopped short of mentioning the crown prince who some US lawmakers suspect ordered the killing. "The Saudi administration has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments," Erdogan said in a speech in parliament.

"From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account," Turkey's president said. Turkish sources have said that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing. Erdogan made no reference to any audio recording.

A Saudi Cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman said Riyadh would hold to account those responsible for the killing and those who failed in their duties, whoever they were.

Turkish investigators searched a Saudi consulate vehicle in Istanbul that contained two suitcases and other items, according to broadcaster CNN Turk. It was not clear what was in the suitcases.

Brutal murder

Trump said he would work with the US Congress to determine the US response to the Khashoggi matter. "In terms of what we ultimately do, I'm going to leave it very much  in conjunction with me  up to Congress," Trump said, adding he would like a bipartisan recommendation.

CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters on Tuesday.

A host of Western executives and governments have pulled out of a high-profile Saudi investment summit that started on Tuesday because of the Khashoggi affair.

Erdogan said the killing was planned from when Khashoggi, 59, first went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28 to obtain documents necessary for his marriage. He was told he would need to return later to collect the documents.

A day before Khashoggi's death, agents arrived from overseas and began to scout locations, including the Belgrad Forest near Istanbul and the city of Yalova to its south, Erdogan said. Police have searched both areas for evidence of Khashoggi's remains, Reuters has reported.

On the day Khashoggi arrived for his appointment and was later killed, the hard disk in the consulate's camera system was removed, Erdogan said. "Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership," he said.

"We have strong signs that the murder was the result of a planned operation, not a spontaneous development."
Rouhani's comments came after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Saudi Arabia's account of Khashoggi's killing in Turkey as 'the worst cover up ever' and revoked visas for Saudi agents suspected in the killing.

Tehran: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that Saudi Arabia wouldn't have dared to kill dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi without the support of the US, a close Riyadh ally.

Rouhani's comments came after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Saudi Arabia's account of Khashoggi's killing in Turkey as "the worst cover up ever" and revoked visas for Saudi agents suspected in the killing.

"No one would imagine that in today's world and in this century, we would witness such an organized murder, with an apparatus organizing such a heinous killing," Rouhani told a Cabinet meeting.

"I don't think any country dares to commit such a crime without a green light from the US," he was cited as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the journalist was the victim of a carefully planned "political murder" by Saudi intelligence officers and other officials.

Khashoggi, a supporter-turned-critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared on 2 October after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The kingdom first denied any involvement in the disappearance, but amid mounting international pressure, acknowledged that he had been killed at the consulate in a rogue operation.

"The Iranian president described the case as a 'big test' for the so-called advocates of human rights, particularly the US and Europe," Press TV reported.

"Undoubtedly, the positions which the US, Europe and other world countries adopt on the issue will reveal the degree of their sensitivity to (protecting) human rights and to preserving human dignity," he said.

"It seems that a clan that is governing a country and enjoying immunity is not afraid of committing such crimes, since it is depending on a super power's support, in such a way that even the courts of human rights are not allowed to probe it.

"How come that a big nation like Yemen has been the target of intense bombing and the world remains silent? Would Yemeni people be bombarded in such a barbaric way if the US did not support it?" Rouhani asked.

He called on Turkey to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder. Erdogan said that Ankara would not allow those responsible for the killing to avoid justice.
By Mert Ozkan ANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - A Japanese journalist held hostage by Islamist militants for 40 months left for Japan from Turkey on Wednesday after being freed and said he was happy to be going home. Jumpei Yasuda, a 44-year-old freelance journalist who was reported to have been captured by an al Qaeda affiliate after entering Syria from Turkey in 2015, was released a day earlier after three years in captivity

By Mert Ozkan

ANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - A Japanese journalist held hostage by Islamist militants for 40 months left for Japan from Turkey on Wednesday after being freed and said he was happy to be going home.

Jumpei Yasuda, a 44-year-old freelance journalist who was reported to have been captured by an al Qaeda affiliate after entering Syria from Turkey in 2015, was released a day earlier after three years in captivity.

Japanese diplomats in Turkey earlier confirmed that the released man was Yasuda, and Japan's foreign minister said the journalist would be brought home as soon as possible.

Speaking to Reuters on board a flight from Antakya in southern Turkey en route to Istanbul, from where he flew back to Tokyo, Yasuda said he did not know what the future held for him.

"I am happy that I can return to Japan. At the same time, I don't know what will happen from here or what I should do," he said. "I am thinking about what I need to do."

He also said he had not spoken Japanese for 40 months and was struggling to find the right words.

In an earlier video released by Turkish officials, Yasuda gave thanks for his freedom and said he was safe.

"My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months, now in Turkey. Now I'm in safe condition. Thank you very much," a bearded Yasuda said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had earlier voiced relief, while still waiting for confirmation of the identity of the freed man.

Both Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono thanked Qatar and Turkey for their cooperation in freeing the man. A government spokesman said that no ransom was paid for Yasuda's release.

"He looks to be in good health, but our staff will check his condition and transport him to Japan as soon as possible," Kono told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

Yasudo's three years in captivity were not the first time he had been detained in the Middle East.

He was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism at home for drawing the government into negotiations for his release.

In Tokyo, Yasuda's parents spoke to reporters outside their house.

Yasuda's mother, Sachiko Yasuda, choked back tears as she clutched a white handkerchief.

"I could do nothing but pray. So I've been praying every day," she said.

His father, Hideaki Yasuda, said all he wanted was to see his son in good condition.

"Above everything else, I want to see him being fine," he said.

"When he's back, I want to tell him one thing, and that'll be 'good job hanging in there'," he said.

(Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; David Dolan, Ece Toksabay and Yesim Dikmen in Istanbul; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
At an Old Bailey court hearing in London on Tuesday, Mohamed was sentenced to 26 years' imprisonment and told he must serve the full term before being considered for release.

London: Two men convicted of the fatal stabbing of an Indian-origin man earlier in 2018 have been sentenced to a total of 40 years in jail by a London court.

Balbir Johal, 48, was attacked in the Southall suburb of west London in March and rushed to hospital with stab wounds but died a short time later. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a murder investigation and charged Hassan Mohammed, 24, and Yassin Yussuf, 21, with the murder of the logistics planner a day later.

At an Old Bailey court hearing in London on Tuesday, Mohamed was sentenced to 26 years' imprisonment and told he must serve the full term before being considered for release.

Yussuf was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment and an additional three years on license, or release under strict conditions. He was told he must serve nine-and-a-half years behind bars before being considered for release.

"This fateful encounter, despite the best efforts of medical staff, cost Balbir his life. Those who carry and use knives must face the consequences of their actions and we hope these sentences serve as a deterrent to anyone else thinking of carrying dangerous weapons on our streets," said Detective Chief Inspector Nicky Wall, of the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command.

On 19 March, police were notified by Ealing Hospital staff that Johal had been admitted to hospital suffering stab injuries. He died a short time later. "A post-mortem examination, which took place on 22 March, found the cause of death to be a haemorrhage from a stab wound to the right femoral vein," the Met Police said.

Detectives established through their enquiries that Johal was involved in an altercation with two men on Marlborough Road in Southall. CCTV captured the incident and showed two men in a white Mercedes pulling up alongside Johal before getting out and speaking to him.

One then returned to the vehicle and armed himself with a knife from inside the car before chasing after the victim and fatally stabbing him. He was driven to hospital by a family member and treated for his injuries but could not be saved.

On 20 March, Mohamed and Yussuf were stopped by police in the car that had been captured on CCTV and were arrested on suspicion of murder and subsequently charged.

Two UK nationals sentenced to imprisonment by London court for fatally stabbing Indian-origin man; attackers jailed for 40 years in total


Quarterly Activities Report 30 September 2018

Perth, Oct 24, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Intermin Resources Limited ( ASX:IRC ) ("Intermin" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the September 2018 Quarterly Activities Report. Intermin is a gold exploration and development company with a key focus in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia (see Figure 1 in link below) and has a number of joint ventures in place with quality partners covering multiple commodities in Western Australia and Queensland.HIGHLIGHTS- Fully funded 55,000m Resource extension and new discovery drilling program continues with 20,336m drilled at the Anthill, Binduli and Blister Dam projects during the Quarter- Highly successful new discovery and resource expansion drilling campaign completed at the Teal gold project area, 11km north-west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder- Updated independent Mineral Resource estimate released for the Teal Project area and, after depletion from mining Teal Stages 1 and 2, stands at:o 4.25Mt @ 2.11g/t Au for 289,000 ounces at a 1.0g/t Au lower grade cut-off, up 80%(see Note 1 below)- Over 85% now in the Indicated Category with mineralisation open in all directions (see Note 1 below)- Intermin's Total Mineral Resource (after depletion) grew to:o 8.40Mt @ 2.08g/t Au for 562,000oz at a 1.0g/t Au lower grade cut-off (see Note 1 below)- Excellent first pass drilling results received from the Crake prospect with follow up drilling now underway and results expected in the December Quarter (see Note 2,5 below)- Initial drilling results received from the Anthill gold project with further results and an updated Mineral Resource estimate expected in the December Quarter (see Note 3,5 below)- A total of 3,946,347 IRCOA options exercised during the Quarter raising A$670,879 and 4,250,000 unlisted Director options exercised raising A$406,250- Cash and tradeable securities of A$8.65 million (see Note 4 below)- Infill and regional exploration drilling to commence at the Richmond vanadium project in the current Quarter with results expected in the March Quarter 2019 (see Note 5 below)- Metallurgical testwork continues on ore samples from the vanadium project with further pre-concentration and downstream processing tests on going- Drilling commenced at the Blister Dam gold project on the Zuleika Shear with results expected in the December and March quarters (see Note 5 below)- Janet Ivy Mining Royalty payments of A$0.50/t continue with A$196,000 received for the June Quarter and regular quarterly payments expected through CY2018 (see Note 5 below)DECEMBER QUARTER ACTIVITES (see Note 5 below)- Resolution of purported variation claims received from mining contractor Resource Mining Pty Ltd over the Teal open cut gold mine- Ongoing resource expansion and new discovery drilling at Binduli and Blister Dam- Further drilling results from the Anthill, Binduli and Blister Dam gold projects- Richmond Vanadium metallurgical test work results on ore pre-concentration optimisation- Resource update for the Anthill project- Stakeholder engagement and drilling at the Richmond vanadium prospectNotes:1 As announced to the ASX on 19 September 2018,2 As announced to the ASX on 10 July and 15 August 2018,3 as announced to the ASX on 21 August 2018,4 Includes 75% profit share component from Teal gold mine as per Intermin's position, see Page 4 for details,5 see Forward Looking and Cautionary Statement on Pages 29 and 30To view the full report, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
Saudi Arabia has agreed to give Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to $3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports to help stave off a current account crisis.

Islamabad: Saudi Arabia has agreed to give Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to $3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports to help stave off a current account crisis, Pakistans government said on Tuesday.

The $6 billion total exceeds forecasts by analysts and will likely reduce the size of any bailout Pakistan it receives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with whom it is currently engaged in talks on a rescue package.

The Saudi agreement came as new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attended a Saudi investment conference that has been boycotted by several other leaders over the death of a dissident Saudi writer at the countrys consulate in Istanbul.

Khan had said before departing that his country is desperate to shore up its foreign currency reserves, which are at a four-year low, equivalent to less than two months imports and barely enough to make its debt repayments through the rest of the year.

Finance Minister Asad Umar this month requested talks with the IMF for the countrys second bailout in five years. An IMF team is due to visit Pakistan to open negotiations on 7 November.

Khan had however sought to avoid going to the IMF and still wants to at least reduce the size of any bailout by appealing to friendly countries for bilateral financial support.

Khan had visited Saudi Arabia last month, his first overseas trip since taking office in August, but that trip failed to produce any significant assistance, despite Pakistani media reports of agreements on deferred oil payments.

Pakistans Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night said the latest visit had met with success. It was agreed Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of $3 billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support, the ministry said in a statement.

It was also agreed that a one-year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to $3 billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia. This arrangement will be in place for three years, which will be reviewed thereafter.

Khan is scheduled to visit China next week.

Pakistani officials have been concerned the United States, which has fallen out with Islamabad, will push the IMF to impose harsh conditions on Pakistan as part of any bailout. Pakistani analysts say reducing the size of the bailout package needed from the IMF would shore up Pakistans weak position during negotiations with the fund.
Officials at the Criminal Investigation Department of police on Tuesday told the court that some of informant Kumara's phone data, which could be evidence, had been deleted and they needed Huawei's technical help to retrieve it.

Colombo: Sri Lankan police on Tuesday won permission from a court to ask Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei to help recover data from a phone used by a police informant who has alleged a plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena.

Informant Namal Kumara said at a news conference last month he had discussed the plot by phone with a senior police officer. He has since been questioned but not charged with any offence.

Former Sri Lankan defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was also a target of the plot, Kumara said.

Officials at the Criminal Investigation Department of police on Tuesday told the court that some of Kumara's phone data, which could be evidence, had been deleted and they needed Huawei's technical help to retrieve it.

Sri Lankan law prevents police from asking Huawei to help without first obtaining explicit permission from a court. The court granted it on Tuesday. A man named as M Thomas from India's southern state of Kerala was arrested in Sri Lanka on 22 September on suspicion of involvement in the plot.

Thomas appeared in court on Tuesday and requested that he not remain in CID custody, saying there had been death threats against him by the CID. The magistrate denied Thomas' request.

The alleged plot briefly threatened to cause tension between Sri Lanka and its much larger neighbour India, after an Indian newspaper report that Sirisena had accused India's intelligence services of involvement  a claim New Delhi and Colombo have both denied.
Swiss officials have said the two suspects, arrested in the Netherlands earlier this year, were planning a cyber attack on the Spiez laboratory in Bern and launched an attack on the Lausanne office of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Geneva: Switzerland's justice department on Tuesday cleared the attorney general's office to open criminal proceedings against two suspected Russian spies accused of attempting to hack sensitive targets in the country.

Swiss officials have said the two suspects, arrested in the Netherlands earlier this year, were planning a cyber attack on the Spiez laboratory in Bern and launched an attack on the Lausanne office of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

In a statement, the Swiss justice department said it had given the attorney general's office the green light for the prosecution after meetings with the Swiss foreign affairs department.

The Spiez lab was the target of a planned attack while it investigated the poisoning of Russian former agent Sergei Skripal in Britain, say Swiss officials. The lab does analytical work for the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

WADA, for its part, has been a thorn in Moscow's side for several years over drug cheating in Russian sport. The Montreal-based watchdog suspended Russia's Anti-Doping Agency in 2015 after declaring it to be non-compliant following evidence of a vast plan backed by Moscow to cheat at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Russia admitted to shortcomings in its anti-doping programme but rejected the existence of a state-supported cheating programme.

In September, WADA said a compliance review committee had cleared RUSADA to be reinstated.

Exact details of the alleged agents' arrests are unknown, but on 26 March Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that "two Russian intelligence workers" were expelled as a result of the Skripal attack.

Last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the reports that Russian agents had targeted the Spiez laboratory, saying he could not believe the arrests were not picked up at the time by the media.

In a separate development, Russia also denied that four of its nationals expelled by the Dutch in April had been trying to hack into the OPCW headquarters at The Hague, as Dutch officials allege.
Both presidents plan to be in Paris for events to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One, and they are planning to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Moscow: US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin plan to meet in Paris next month, officials said on Tuesday, their first encounter since a summit in Helsinki that unleashed a storm of criticism that Trump was cosying up to the Kremlin.

After a meeting in Moscow between Putin and Trump's national security advisor John Bolton, officials on both sides said a preliminary agreement on 11 November meeting in the French capital had been reached, and that detailed arrangements were underway.

Both presidents plan to be in Paris for events to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One, and they are planning to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Bolton, speaking to reporters after his talks with Putin, said Trump would like to meet the Russian president in Paris and that precise arrangements were being worked on.

Putin and Trump have met several times on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings, but had their first bilateral summit in the Finnish capital in July.

Afterwards, Trump's Democratic Party opponents, and some members of his own Republican Party, accused him of failing to stand up to Putin, especially over allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential elections.

At a post-summit news conference alongside Putin, Trump questioned the findings of US intelligence agencies that Russia had tried to influence the vote. Moscow denies any interference in the elections.

Republican Senator John McCain, who has since died, described the news conference at the time as "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory".

"No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant," McCain said.
In 1988, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced an ambitious campaign to rid the world of polio by 2000. Its 2018, and polio still persists in pockets, including cases of vaccine-derived polio in India.

In 1988, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced an ambitious campaign to rid the world of polio by 2000. Its 2018, and the disease still persists in pockets, including cases of vaccine-derived polio in India. Though it is no longer a major health hazard, the campaign continues to cost about a billion USD annually. So why did the campaign fail to achieve its target? In his new book Polio: The Odyssey of Eradication, journalist and academic Thomas Abraham looks at what went wrong; from the assassination of vaccinators, to resistance from parents, to how it became a casualty of geo-politics in the post-9/11 world. Abraham, who was previously editor of the South China Morning Post and worked at the United Nations, spoke about the campaign, the disease and the vaccine, on the sidelines of the Global Investigative Journalism Networks third Asian Investigative Journalism Conference in Seoul.

Following are the edited excerpts from the conversation:

How did this idea to look at this campaign start? And what in essence led to the campaigns failure?

The polio programme started in 1988 and it was to end in 2000. Now it is 2018 and it still hasnt finished. The obvious first question is why has it taken so long? That was one interesting question that in turn led to a whole bunch of other issues. The three remaining countries in 2011 (which still had polio) were India, Pakistan and Nigeria. War and conflict was one issue, lack of confidence was another.

Eradication, if you look at it from a scientific point of view, is like a moon shot; putting a man on the moon. What eradication means is ending a disease permanently by removing the cause of the disease. And in polio, the cause is a virus. You are trying to drive that to extinction, globally. That itself is an amazing thing. Even for human beings, it is hard to drive other life forms to extinction. And you are trying to drive it to extinct through a vaccine. Lots of questions jump up when you start travelling. First of all, why was polio chosen for this? Polio is a global programme, the vaccine was coming straight to peoples doorsteps. You didnt have other health services, instead, you are having these repeated doses of polio vaccines. So parents started shouting and saying 'when our kids are dying of other things and we cant get any medicine for that, and we have to pay for this stuff... all you are giving us is for polio'. And polio, to be honest, was a really, really small cause of childhood death. So there was a natural pushback. From India, it started in the 2000s.

The old polio vaccine was amazing but it was not as effective in tropical conditions where you have a high population density. It can persist for a long time along with poor sanitation. This was what was happening in India and Pakistan. The vaccine didnt work that well so it needed repeated vaccination campaigns. That led to certain suspicions.

In Nigerian Muslim communities, there was also a rumour that the polio vaccine is the Wests revenge for 9/11. They dont care about your kids, they want to make sure all kids are sterile. This brings us to Pakistan and Afghanistan where the polio campaign fell into this crevasse in the global divide that opened up after 9/11 between the West and parts of the Muslim world.

How did that happen?

In parts of Pakistan, you had American drone attacks, and the Taliban figured this campaign is important to the government and the Americans, and said unless you stop the drones we wont allow vaccination here. This was around 2007. Another thing was the Talibanisation of the north-west frontier meant that women polio workers were being targeted. And unless you have women vaccinators its difficult to get access to homes. Prominent mullahs were doing propaganda against the vaccine. That was part of it. Why did it go so wrong, why it has taken so long? These are all the things: bad vaccines, lack of demand, geopolitics.

Though the campaign wasnt fully successful, it succeeded to a very large degree, isnt that correct?

Oh yes. But the aim wasnt to succeed to a large extent. So the question was, should we have tried to eradicate the disease or bring it to a manageable level? But here you decided the aim is to bring it to zero and make sure there is not a single exemplar of poliovirus in nature. And you cant step away.

Why was 2000 chosen as the cut-off date?

They thought it would be an easy thing. And eradication programmes need to be time-bound, because they are very intensive. In eradication, as opposed to a vaccination programme, you put a lot of effort for a short period of time and wipe it out permanently. But if it persists and you put this huge effort year after year then the system breaks down, nobody can afford it any more.

How did you approach the writing? Did anything surprise you or were there any assumptions that were overturned in the process?

It took about five years to report and write. The story kept changing. As you dig deeper, the story becomes more complex and more interesting. The whole thing is a learning process. Why were vaccinators being assassinated? Why are rational parents refusing vaccination? Once you start with these questions the answers get a lot more interesting. If you dont ask the questions you dont get the answers.

You also mentioned the ethical dilemma in a campaign such as this  when parents are resistant, for instance.

There is a huge ethical dilemma. For examples, parents were threatened with jail in Pakistan. That would be completely unacceptable in other parts of the world. Why do you have two standards? Then this idea of informed consent ingrained into medical practice. Here there was no consent, informed or otherwise. Do parents know the risk? In the United States there was a compensation programme because there is a known risk [of vaccine-derived infection]. Another ethical point, if vaccinators are getting killed is it worth an adult human life to save a child from paralysis? Where does the balance lie?

Is eradication the only way to approach a public health issue?

Only certain diseases are capable of being eradicated. It means the virus must be removed from society. And those are diseases where the bug exists only in human beings. Even if you ensure every human is flu-free, it can be reintroduced. And most diseases are like that. The exceptions are smallpox, measles, Guinea worm disease. Technically very few diseases can be eradicated. The feeling in the 1970s and 80s was a great belief in the ability of science to achieve a lot of things. If we can, lets go for it.

What about the argument that it is better to focus on simple things like water and sanitation rather than attack single diseases?

Thats valid. Public health has many religions and sects within it. Some would say focus on single diseases, others say its a waste of time, strengthen primary health care, fix water, sanitation and save more lives this way for the same amount of money. There is this continuous argument in public health. Here a certain way was chosen. At that point in time, they thought we can finish in it 12 years. Rotary International was willing to provide money. And everyone thought it would be pretty easy. The whole idea in 1988 was that it would be a gift from the 20th to the 21st century.

What were the lessons learnt then from this for public health in general?

The big issue is, as a government, do you focus your resources on one disease or on building up infrastructure; sanitation, primary health care centres etc? And the answer to me is [the latter]. If you look at the child as a whole, you are preventing the child from getting polio but the same child may die of measles or malaria or diarrhea or all these childhood killers. You are saving the child from paralysis and polio but what happens after that? There are arguments on both sides but this is the question that needs to be addressed.

So what do you think is a realistic date for the world to become polio-free?

The earliest according to the WHO is 2022. Will they meet it? I dont think so. I think it will take a lot longer. If you look at the rate at which vaccine-derived polio cases are springing up, its hard to put a date on this. And neither can you stop; youve reduced it to about 30 cases globally. If you take your foot off the gas, the danger is it could explode. Its at a point of no return at the moment.
Samsung Display has filed a patent for a tablet with a flexible and bendable screen. The patent was filed with WIPO in April 2018 for a Display Device and was published on October 11, 2018. The patented tablet can be bent in two directions exactly in the middle

The device lets you use it folded or unfolded; if you want to use a small display, you can bend the tablet in the opposite direction. The user interface will then be adjusted, compared to when you use the device in a fully open state. This Samsung tablet is expected to come with a flexible and bendable screen with a cover on both the left and right side of the display.

The cover is made of a metallic material, such as aluminum foil and all the necessary components will also be included in the cover. The display itself is touch sensitive. With Samsung patenting so many technologies, it is unclear if the company would ever bring this foldable tablet into reality.

Source | Via
Australia's next lithium producer



Benchmark Cathodes Presentation

Adelaide, Oct 24, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Core Exploration Ltd ( ASX:CXO ) provides the Company's Benchmark Cathodes Presentation.Huge exploration upsideTargeting substantial Mineral Resource growthUpcoming exploration and aggressive drill programs in 2018 to target growth in the resource base to support a long-life lithium production hub at Finniss ProjectDiscoverers - Core's exploration has discovered some of the highest grade lithium in Australia, capable of producing a quality spodumene concentrateNumerous high grade lithium pegmatite targets already identifiedHigh potential for additional resources from 500km2 covering 100s of pegmatitesThree rigs currently drilling at Finniss with 40,000m of drilling to be conducted over 12 monthsDrilling results over coming weeks and months leading to multiple Resource increases and upgradesTo view the full presentation, please visit:About Core Lithium Ltd

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX:CXO) is an emerging lithium producer focused on development of its Finniss Project near Darwin in the Northern Territory. Core owns 100% of Finniss, a major developing project that lies close to existing infrastructure such as the Darwin Port, grid power, gas and rail infrastructure.

The Finniss Project covers a 500km2 tenement holding and 25 historic pegmatite mines. The project area is about 80km from Darwin Port. Exploration work has generated a near term development timeline, with feasibility studies to be completed over the course of 2018 ahead of receipt of approvals in early 2019 and planned first production during 2019.

An aggressive exploration program is under way, which has confirmed the high quality prospectivity across much of the Finniss Project area. Core's stated ambition is to upgrade Finniss' resource base to fast-track commercialisation options.
Coca-Cola India has collaborated with Vodafone Idea Business Services and eBest IoT, to introduce state-of-the-art Connected Coolers across the country. The IoT enabled fleet of Connected Coolers will enable Coca-Cola to understand consumer behavior.

Under the partnership, Connected Coolers will be powered by Vodafone SuperIoT  an industry-first solution that enables end-to-end management of device, application, connectivity, service platform, support and security. The technology will also equip Coca-Colas partners to manage inventory, sales tracking, monitor usage pattern, and track locations, thus enabling them to increase sales and enhance customer experience.

To ensure that customers get the best taste, this IoT solution has turned static cabinets into intelligent assets through a sensor that detects temperature, humidity and door closing/opening and helps maintain the quality of the bottle of Coke delivered to the customer. The pilot for the Connected Coolers has been successfully completed and will be introduced in a phased manner across the country.

Commenting on the collaboration, Sanjay Rawal, Chief Information Officer for Coca-Cola India and South-West Asia said:

Coca-Colas portfolio is expanding, and we are harnessing the power of technology to get consumer insights which can help us engage better with our consumers and provide choices tailored to their location and behaviour. The connected cooler is the next milestone in our journey towards digitizing the marketplace and establishing a connected environment with our consumers. We are delighted to have partners like Vodafone Idea Business Services and eBest IoT.

Nick Gliddon, Chief Enterprise Business Offer, Vodafone Idea Business Services said:

Vodafone Idea Limited is extremely pleased to partner with a global leader like Coca-Cola India to bring the benefits of Internet of Things closer to the consumers. As organisations embark on their digital journey, collaborations like this will enable them to harness the power of IoT, driving innovation and growth. I am confident that the introduction of Connected Coolers is the beginning of Coca-Colas journey in building a digital ecosystem for deepening their engagement with the Indian consumers.

Karan Bakshi, Chief Executive Officer at ebest IoT said:
Orkla is expanding its acquisitions further with its latest deal to buy Zeelandia Sweden AB, a supplier of margarine, vegetable oils and bakery ingredients to the... Read More
What happened

Shares of Aqua America (NYSE:WTRG) dropped by double digits today after the company announced it had agreed to acquire natural gas utility Peoples in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.275 billion, including approximately $1.3 billion in debt. The water utility's decision to expand into natural-gas utilities is a bit unusual, but management thinks it can provide a higher-growth opportunity in the long run.

Wall Street is discarding that promise for now and instead focusing on the financial implications. The nearly $4.3 billion price tag will need to be met with a combination of capital raises, including issuing debt offerings as well as new shares of Aqua America. That could imperil the balance sheet, especially if Peoples doesn't deliver healthy returns relative to the acquisition price.

As of 1:40 p.m. EDT, the stock had settled to a 8.2% loss.

So what

Both Aqua America and Peoples are headquartered in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia and in Pittsburgh, respectively. That creates logistical synergy for the combined company, which would serve approximately 1 million water utility customers and 740,000 gas utility customers across the same 10 states. More important, management expects the natural-gas utility business to achieve annual rate base growth of 8% to 10% through 2021, compared to 7% for the water utility business.

The combined company would have a regulated rate base of $7.2 billion, comprising 70% water and 30% natural gas. In other words, it represents a significant dose of diversification for Aqua America. But details on the financing of the deal are scant. The company simply stated: "The acquisition is supported by a fully committed bridge facility. Permanent financing will include an appropriate mix of equity and debt to target a strong balance sheet and investment-grade credit ratings."

Investors may have to wait for third-quarter 2018 operating results to be announced before learning more, but dilution and increased debt come with obvious risks.

Now what

Interestingly, the idea to combine water and natural gas utility services originated with Peoples. The company approached the beleaguered Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to create a public-private partnership to tackle various infrastructure investments together, including building a new renewable energy-powered water treatment facility outside Pittsburgh for $350 million. The city rebuffed the idea, but perhaps Aqua America coming on board will change the mayor's mind. That could lead to better growth prospects for the company's water utility segment -- thanks to acquiring a natural-gas utility. It makes sense.

Dreaming big aside, the regulated nature of Peoples' natural-gas business should make it a relatively predictable profit generator for the combined company. That said, investors are right to want more details on the financial impact of the proposed acquisition.


Quarterly Activities Report September 2018

Perth, Oct 24, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Blackham Resources Ltd ( ASX:BLK ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) ('Blackham' or 'the Company') provides the following update on its activities for the quarter ended 30 September 2018 and thereafter:HighlightsMatilda-Wiluna Gold Operation- Over the last three quarters gold production has been successfully stabilised at an average of 19,700oz per quarter- Sep'18 quarterly gold production of 19,049oz (Jun'18 Qtr: 19,393oz)- Record throughput in Sep'18 quarter of 556kt (Jun'18 Qtr: 535kt)- Strong production in month of Sep'18 of 7,355oz and record weekly production of 2,127oz achieved in the final week of Sep'18- All in Sustaining Costs per ounce ('AISC') for the Sep'18 quarter was A$1,588/oz (Jun'18 Qtr: $1,509/oz), in line with forecast as highlighted in our previous quarterly- Investment in the additional mining material movements from 550KBCM per month in Jun'18 quarter, ramping up to 745kBCM in the month of Sep'18, resulted in higher overall costs this quarter which was required to match higher mill throughput- Higher grade Wiluna ore is expected to increase production in the Dec'18 quarter- Expecting Dec'18 quarter production of 20,000-23,000oz- AISC/oz expected to decrease in Dec'18 quarter and over remainder of FY19- FY19 production and cost guidance reconfirmed at 77-89koz @ an AISC of A$1,250-$1,450/ozReserve Development, Resources and Exploration- Blackham delivers resources increase of 9% to 96Mt @ 2.2g/t for 6.7Moz (58% Indicated Resource)- Golden Age underground mine plan was extended by a further 4 months to Apr'19 during the quarter, boosting high grade ore in the back half of FY19- Additional Wiluna high grade free-milling mineralisation identified from drilling at East-West, Golden Age North and Happy Jack Pits that is likely to result in enhancements to the short-term mine plan- Lake Way drilling confirms large mineralised gold system and further drilling planned this quarterCorporate- Cash and Bullion at 30 September was $8.9m (Jun'18: $23.9m)- Net debt at 30 September was $11.0m (Jun'18: $8.4m)- Lind Partners have agreed to invest up to A$23 million providing back up working capital- Orion Fund JV Limited fully repaid in early Oct'18, strengthening the balance sheet- Board strengthened further with the addition of Mr Geoff Jones as a Non-Executive DirectorNon Core Assets- A-Cap Resources Limited (ACB) agree to pay consideration of $5.8 million to Blackham and invest $5 million in the Wiluna Nickel-Cobalt Project to acquire up to 75% of the Wiluna Nickel-Cobalt Project- Salt Lake Potash (SO4) announces a Scoping Study on development of a 50,000tpa sulphate of potash Demonstration Plant at Lake Way which supports a low capex, highly profitable operation- SO4 gains mining approvals for initial Lake Way demonstration pondsBlackham's Managing Director Bryan Dixon said "Our production performance in the Sep'18 quarter demonstrates further consistency in our operations. During the quarter, foundations were established for mining at our Wiluna free-milling open pits, creating the pathway to access higher grade ore at a lower cost-base moving forward."To view the full report, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
From left to right: Thomas Schopphoven, Dr. Andres Gasser (Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT) and Gerhard Maria Backes (Chair of Digital Additive Production DAP at RWTH Aachen University) with Prof. Michael Zah (Technical University of Munich), who delivered the prize-giving speech, at the award ceremony on September 21 in Ditzingen.

Back in 2010, Gerhard Maria Backes from the Chair of Digital Additive Production DAP at RWTH Aachen University was already wondering how to make the technique of laser material deposition faster. The classic method involves creating a melt pool on the surface of the material with a laser and then fusing a metal powder there. Although well established, this technology is relatively slow when it comes to processing large areas. What if we could melt the powder while it is still in the air and then deposit the liquid metal?

However, the fundamental science for implementing this idea had not yet been researched. Dr. Andres Gasser from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT applied for research funds from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and hired Thomas Schopphoven. The latter was able to devote himself fully to the problem in the internal Fraunhofer funding program for SME focused, applied research. Schopphoven carried out basic research in interdisciplinary teams, developed the systems technology together with partners from industry and brought the technique to industrial application over the following years.

Bringing research and industry together

A company from the Netherlands with an interest in the technology, Hornet Laser Cladding BV, was brought into the project at a very early stage. Together, the partners integrated the laser into a conventional lathe. With this first machine, the research team and Hornet were able to convince first customers. In close coordination, they built a machine for coating 10-meter-long hydraulic cylinders. As well as being highly efficient, the solution also offered an alternative to the use of hexavalent chromium, which is damaging to human health and the environment and which is now subject to strict regulations. In this way, lasers can be used to apply highly robust and durable coatings to hydraulic cylinders and to applications in shipbuilding and the oil industry.

In recent months, the technology was not only officially recognized with a prize  the Steel Innovation Award 2018 shows the major importance of the technique for the steel industry  but industrial partners in the Netherlands and China also booked the first five orders. Others have followed since. The developer team is already working on the next innovation  adapting the method for additive manufacturing.

Innovation is no coincidence

Success is not something you can plan out with certainty, but you can create the ideal conditions for it, explains Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. An organizations success depends in large part on the expert knowledge, experience and commitment of its people, especially in a research organization. Were constantly striving to create an environment for our scientists that facilitates creative, forward-looking and solution-oriented research. After all, innovation always begins with an idea. Our principal role is to translate these ideas into industrial applications and thereby support the innovative capacity of the German economy. Awards like the prestigious Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis are proof that were on the right track.

Award-winning research

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft focuses on needs- and problem-oriented research. In domains such as climate change, health and environmental protection, the results of research by the organizations scientists provide solutions that address various social challenges. The employees of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft produce research of outstanding quality. They help Fraunhofer maintain its position at the pinnacle of research in Europe. For their excellent achievements, they are honored with top national and international prizes every year, such as the Franco-German Business Awards, the European EARTO Innovation Awards and the Engineering Emmy Awards.
Sony recently confirmed via PlayStation Blog that PlayStation fans will be able to change their PSN Online ID very soon (are you aware of the fact the PSN Online ID Change feature could have been available 12 Years Ago, and possibly for free?). The feature will go live starting from early 2019, and before the official launch in 2019, there will be a beta to test out the feature. It seems like the beta is almost ready as few PlayStation Network subscribers in the United Kingdom have received an invitation from Sony for it. One thing in the beta invite that caught our eyes is the section that reads: Important Information Before Changing Your Online ID.

I went through the details and it made me think twice on whether or not I should go for PSN Online ID change when it launches in 2019?

You guys can go through the details below. I am sure that you are not going to like them. Who would have thought that the most requested feature from PlayStation fans would come with these many unexpected terms and conditions or restrictions, whatever you can call it?

PSN Online ID Change Terms And Conditions

Important Information Before Changing your Online ID

Not all games and applications for PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and other PlayStation systems support the Online ID change feature. If you change your Online ID:

You may lose access to content (including paid-for content) that you have acquired for your games, including content like add-ons and virtual currency.

You may lose your progress within games, including game saved data, leaderboard data, and progress toward trophies.

Parts of your games and applications might not function properly, both online and offline.

Your previous Online ID(s) may remain visible to you and other players in some places.

Change Online ID Restrictions During Preview:

The changes during the preview will adhere to the following structure:

The first change is free for all users.

The second change will be charged at $9.99/9.99 / 7.99 (PlayStationPlus subscribers receive a 50% discount).

If your previous Online ID violates any of the current Terms of Service, you will not be able to revert back to your previous Online ID.

You can revert to your previous Online ID once per account during the preview period.

Sub-Accounts cannot utilise the Change Online ID feature.

After you change your Online ID, it may take a few hours for some services and applications to reflect the new ID.

If for any reason you have issues after changing your Online ID you can revert back to your previous ID at no charge. However:

You may only do this once during the preview period;

Changing back to your previous Online ID may not fix all issues (you may not recover all or any lost content, progress, and functionality; and

If you want to change back, do so as soon as possible because changing back to your previous Online ID may affect content, game progress and functionality associated with your new Online ID.

Are you shocked by these terms and conditions for PSN Online ID Change? Share your opinion with us in the comment section below.
If you fuck with fried chicken as much as us, this news is going to absolutely make your year.

The Chamberlain, an Auckland food joint located in Britomart, has announced that until the end of the year they will be hosting two-hour bottomless 'dining sessions' every weekday from 1pm-3pm. This will include unlimited beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and unlimited fried chicken for the measeley cost of $35 a head.

The Chamberlain is located on Tyler Street in Auckland City, in the Britomart area.



Only catch with this epic deal is that you need a minimum of four people in order to book! But hey, that'll be easy with a deal like that?! Email here to book: drink@thechamberlain.co.nz



Fried chicken and tins... Name a better duo? Hmmmm, we'll wait.
















The new federal tax laws starting Jan. 1 that eliminates the spousal support deduction has caused a huge fuss, as local attorneys and judges are rushing to finalize an overflow of accelerated divorces.

The rush is prompted by the need to beat the Dec. 31 deadline which will allow Americans expecting to pay support to continue to deduct the amount from their taxable income annually. Theres equally an incentive for those who will get spousal support, as judges are now expected to start awarding smaller payments as of next yearwith the lost tax deduction significantly reducing what high earners can afford.

Due to this mutual benefit, the state has witnessed a rush of divorce fillings before June 30, because until at least six months after proceeding have started, divorce cases cant be finalized.

Quite a number of family law attorneys are now rushing to finalize all divorce cases by Dec. 31 before the new law kicks inwith professionals such as Rees Law Firm divorce lawyers offering to aid clients successfully finalize divorce cases.

With many lawyers now desperate to settle divorce cases, the move is bound to prompt a heap of paperwork at local courthouses.

"Everybody anticipates that come December, the line for judgment day will be around the block because people want to get it done," said Garrison Bud Klueck, a family law attorney. I imagine the courts will be devoting whole groups of court clerks to handle this.

Officials at the San Diego Superior Court have acknowledged that they expect a significant increase in divorce cases.

We will take actions needed to process judgments at the end of the year depending on the number coming in, said court spokeswoman Karen Dalton in a report.

We dont have the funds to hire more clerks, so if we need resources, they will have to be shifted from other areas.

According to Klueck, there was a sharp surge in people filing for divorce during the first half of 2018, with numerous attorneys alerting clients to the impacts of the new Republican tax reform bill shortly after it was approved last December. The bill eliminates many longstanding deductionsincluding spousal supportin a move to partly counteract large tax breaks for corporations and the rich.

Nonetheless, the increase in divorce filings is more likely to have been even larger if more agreements included spousal support. Currently, only about 20% do, due to many divorcing couples having young children and judges calculate child support before ruling on spousal support. In addition, spousal support is usually a major factor in a divorce, but only if one of the parties earns significantly more than the other.

According to the IRS, about 6,000 people report deductions for alimony paymentssignificantly outnumbering the number of people taxes on receiving alimony.

"What they decided to do is just wipe the slate clean and no benefit, no tax deduction essentially, no tax deduction, no tax being paid and effectively what they anticipate that's going to do is generate about 6.9 billion dollars," said family attorney Lauren Taylor in a report.
















I'm about to tell you something so unbelievable but apparently true.



For over three years now, it appears that a group of judges at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa who are are all alumni of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law have been coordinating an apparent human sacrifice conspiracy against an Ottawa woman named Dezrin Carby-Samuels who has been severely disabled as a result of the activities of these judges.



In a nutshell, "human sacrifice" is a reputed activity of "non-human entities" who have coordinated and then reinforce the promotion of certain people into positions of power provided that they show their "loyalty" to the non-human entities when called-upon. The most vulnerable members of our society are targeted for "human sacrifice". The most heinous barbaric acts of cruelty, torture and destruction are a part of a "human sacrifice" ritual.



The alleged practice has taken place since the earliest and most tyrannical societies came into existence on our planet Earth. In these societies, demonic aliens elites sought to worship demonic aliens as their God or gods that often brought technology that would then be used to support military oppression and torture.



Unfortunately, Dezrin Carby-Samuels like so many vulnerable people on our planet are being targeted by non-human beings which can appear as "people". But these "people" are in no way human.



Dr. Michael Salla referred to such entities as "shape shifters". David Icke has further described such entities to be reptilian that operate from a different dimension that reaches into ours.



Such victims like Dezrin include children who go missing as targets of alien abduction (or become victims of pedophile rings) to homeless people on the street who from time to time appear to be been chosen by the non-human handlers as targets of apparent human sacrifice rituals.



My name is Jesse, and I'm an investigative journalist. Since 2015 I have watched the bizarre activities at the Ottawa courthouse at 161 Elgin Street.



I have also investigated activities by non-human entities which include alien abductions. But I never expected that my investigation on Dezrin's plight would take me to apparent non-human interference at the Ottawa courthouse through judges working in tandem with Ottawa lawyers John E. Summers and Jeremy Wright of the City of Ottawa.



It is apparent that Jeremy Wright is an apparent ring leader of University of Ottawa psychopaths somehow recruited to perpetuate demonic torture against Dezrin.



Jeremy Wright in his official capacity works to defend Bordeleau's rag tag gang of dirty cops who sought to block Raymond getting help of his Mom for more than three years.



In one instance, when a Small Claims Court judge was just about to enable Raymond to see his Mom, Mr Wright gave some weird "wink" at a Judge sending him into an immediate panic leading him to immediately reverse his inclination to assist Raymond in helping his Mom. Mr Wright is a highly secretive lawyer embedded into the City of Ottawa as an apparent handler for a University of Ottawa "rogue group".



It's notable that while one set of judges at the Ottawa courthouse would seek to liberate Dezrin Carby-Samuels from the profound abuse and torture that she has been experiencing at the hand of her husband, the "rogue group" would seek to perpetuate it.



The rogue group are all members of the University of Ottawa alumni community. This group was reinforced by an apparent dirty cop named Detective Robert Griffin and a lawyer named John E Summers who is the alleged lawyer for Dezrin's husband against Dezrin's son.



Funny thing is that Dezrin husband can in no way afford Mr. Summers. When Raymond asked Mr Summers who he ACTUALLY works for and pays his bills, he refused to say.



There is absolutely a zero chance that Dezrin's retired husband who struggles to pay his biills when he's not abusing Dezrin with the help of others could afford the legal services of John Summers who has worked to perpetuate his abuse for more than three years at a pay rate of more than $300 per hour having been practicing law since 1999.



We therefore have 100% conclusive evidence that someone or more likely a "group" without any empathy for the plight of Dezrin in conditions of abuse is paying a University of Ottawa trained lawyer who is getting the support of judges and others ALL directly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.



I don't believe in such coincidences.



But every time Dezrin was about to be liberated, another set of judges who simply ignore all the evidence and case law that Raymond presented.



Finally, one Judge named Sylvia Corthon decided that she was going to "seize" the case, and declared not only Summary Judgement against Raymond, but also declared him to be a Vexatious Litigant.



It became apparent that Sylvia Corthorn had "seized the case" to prevent another judge who is not a member of an apparent University of Ottawa demon worshiping group from trying to again help Dezrin.



You see, Raymond who is Dezrin's son has sought to liberate his Mother from abuse as any loving and responsible son would want to do.



One of my favourite shows is Murdoch Mysteries like so many other Canadians. One of my favourite part of Murdoch Mysteries is when Detective Murdoch connects criminal suspects with each other by tying a common association with each other using a blackboard in his constabulary office.



Thinking of the Detective Murdoch character I decided that I was going to try the same technique to figure out an apparent bizarre pattern taking place against Dezrin Carby-Samuels.



However, I didn't expect to find anything though this exercise. But to my amazment I did.



All three Judges at the Ottawa courthouse that have apparently worked to Ottawa lawyer John E Summers to perpetuate abuses against Dezrin are all University of Ottawa alumni.



These judges are Justice Pierre Roger, Justice Sylvia Corthorn and Regional Senior Justice James MacNamara.



None of the three judges at the Ottawa courthouse who had sought to act fairly and support the liberation of Dezrin are connected with the University of Ottawa.



The judges who acted to spare Dezrin are Justice Patrick Smith, Justice Callum MacLoed and Justice Robert Beaudoin.



I have provided screenshot proof of an apparent coordinated pattern of bizarre judicial decisions by the University of Ottawa alumni at the Ottawa courthouse.



It is apparent that there's a very distinct pattern of psychopath behaviours by three judges at the Ottawa courthouse with shared ties to the University of Ottawa that is extremely distinct from the behaviours of judges who aren't connected with the University of Ottawa. My screenshot shows the distinctive affiliations of legal "actors" in this matter.



Coincidence? I think not.



I then took my "theory" that there's "fifth" column of Judges who are seeking to subvert civil and human rights in resistance to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to different Faculties of Law across Canada to get their reaction. Only the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law members were hostile to the notion. It was almost as if they were hypersensitive based upon their own complicit behaviour.



Could in fact the University of Ottawa be home to psychopaths who refuse to let go of their on-going abuse and torture against Dezrin Carby-Samuels?



Are we witnessing a human sacrifice ritual that has sought to seize and perpetuate Dezrin's abuse?



Is Dezrin one of possibly many people who have been subjugated to abuse in Ottawa as a result of a "human sacrifice ritual"?



And guess where John E Summers attended law school? You would be right if you said the University of Ottawa.



I then became more intrigued. I then looked up Ottawa's Chief of Police Charles Bordeleau's background whose Office supported the dirty cop that forcibly separated Raymond from his Mother.



Once again we have a perfect match. Bordeleau also graduated from the University of Ottawa and received an award from the Tefler School of Management (screenshot attached).



After Bordeleau's dirty cop orchestrated Raymond's forcible separation from his Mother that has suffering from profound domestic abuse, Dezrin lost the ability to walk, talk or write.



After months of unlawfully being prevented from seeing his Mother, Raymond filed an Emergency Motion at the Ottawa courthouse in December 2015.



Raymond appeared before University of Ottawa Faculty of Law graduate Justice Pierre Roger.



At first, Justice Roger was going to grant Raymond's request seeing as he began to say "no harm in it".



But that's when things began to get really bizarre. Someone from judge's chambers interrupted Judge Roger's deliberation.



When Justice Roger came out of this "meeting" he was a different person, declaring the matter "personal to him" and that he would say "no" to Raymond seeing his Mom and checking on her well-being.



Raymond persevered and eventually got a Default Judgement from Justice Patrick Smith who has no affiliation with the University of Ottawa.



Justice Patrick Smith who is a member of the Lakehead University community granted Raymond's request through an order dated 11 February 2016.



But shortly after, John E Summers who was a top graduate of the University of Ottawa entered the picture. He began to manufacture and support countless obvious lies to justify continued forcible separation.



Raymond and his Mother last saw each other on 12 June 2016.



John E Summers lies are easily transparent to any fair minded judge. So, John E Summers needed "help" if he was going to perpetuate Dezrin's abuse.



John E Summers got that help when he and Raymond appeared in front of Regional Senior Justice James MacNamara who threw out Justice Patrick Smith's Order to enable Raymond and his Mother to see each other, on a daily basis, so Raymond could ensure his Mother's care as she has wanted



Raymond tried to appeal that decision. But that appeal was then intercepted by an angry Justice Roger who declared his interception to be a "coincidence".



I don't believe in such coincidences. It was quite improper for Roger to "coincidently" get the file. He should have recused himself. But, instead, Justice Roger "fined" Raymond $1500 for his Appeal.



When the matter was referred to Justice Callum Macloed, he was quite concerned about Dezrin's well being and directed John E Summers on 24 March 2017 to obtain independent verification to ensure Dezrin has not been held a prisoner against her wishes. On our "Murdoch blackboard" Justice Macloed is a graduate of Queens in Kingston, Ontario with no U of O affiliations.



John E Summers then sought to get the matter thrown out of Court. But his request was blocked by Justice Robert Beaudoin whose ties are with the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.



Then all of a sudden after this decision by Justice Beaudoin, the matter was then "seized" by Justice Sylvia Corthorn who like John E Summers, Justice Roger, Regional Justice McNamara and Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordaleau are all University of Ottawa alumni.



Justice Sylvia Corthorn not only totally ignored all evidence and case law presented by Raymond but also ignored any support for Raymond articulated by non-University of Ottawa Judges.



When Justice Beaudoin recognized her apparent judicial misconduct by granting Raymond's request to have her recused from the trial, Justice Corthorn simply sped up her final rulings which were directed at preventing Raymond from his efforts to rescue his Mother from the "Hell of Earth" that she has lived for more than three years thanks to an apparent "University of Ottawa mafia" which has sought to perpetuate the abuse and torture of Dezrin Carby-Samuels.
OnePlus pop-up events announced: Buy OnePlus 6T with free food and goodies News oi-Vivek OnePlus 6T will launch in India on the 30th of October

OnePlus is all set for the launch of the OnePlus 6T on the 29th of October, a day before the originally announced date. And now, OnePlus has shared yet another news for the OnePlus enthusiasts, where the company will be hosting OnePlus popup events at 27 different cities across the country from the 29th to 31st of October.

On these popup events, fans can get their hands on the latest smartphone, the OnePlus 6T to experience the smartphone. Similarly, interested users can also buy the OnePlus 6T then and there itself. Along with experiencing the smartphone, users can also get gears and goodies from OnePlus with free drinks and snacks.

In India, the company will have nine popup events on the 31st of October in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur.

OnePlus 6T specifications

The OnePlus 6T will be the most expensive smartphone from the company with top of the line specifications. According to leaks, the OnePlus 6T will have a 6.4-inch Optic AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080p, protected by 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 will be the chipset that powers the smartphone with 6/8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of internal storage.

The OnePlus 6T will have a dual SIM card slot with support for 4G LTE and VoLTE on both the slots. The smartphone is expected to run on a 3700 mAh Li-ion battery with support for fast charging (Dash Charging) via USB type C port. The OnePlus 6T will also be the first OnePlus smartphone to launch sans the 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Just like the OnePlus 6, the 6T will have a dual camera set up at the back with a 16 MP + 20 MP sensors. On the front, the device will have a 16 MP selfie shooter. The cameras on the OnePlus 6T will offer features like 4K video recording @ 60fps, portrait mode, and more.

According to leaks, the base variant of the OnePlus 6T will cost Rs 37,999, whereas the high-end variant with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage will cost Rs 44,999.

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Qualcomm introduces an Alexa-powered earbuds reference design for OEMs News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Qualcomm wants to help push more Alexa-powered headphones.

Amazon's Alexa has become the first choice of OEMs when adding a voice assistant to a speaker or headphones. This is likely due to the openness and the growing adoption rate of the platform.

Now Qualcomm is planning to lend these manufacturers a helping hand by building a smart headset reference design. The design features company's own QCC5100-series Bluetooth audio chip. Once paired with these earbuds using the Alexa app on your Android phone, you will be able to toggle Alexa with just a push of a button on of the buds.

Qualcomm's reference design also comes with long battery life alongside active noise cancellation, aptX HD audio, and TrueWireless Stereo. This will also give manufacturers a chance to focus more on the design, and other features thanks to included Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit protocol out of the box.

Besides, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said the company is expecting "at least two major flagships" with the 5G radio next year.

Amon also told that one of the devices might launch within the first half of the year and the second one in the holiday season. We wouldn't be surprised if manufacturers like Vivo, Oppo or Xiaomi would be one of the first one to launch a 5G device. Even Motorola is said to be Qualcomm's Snapdragon X50 5G modem into a Moto Mod.

Meanwhile, there are few major names missing from Qualcomm's list of OEMs, namely Apple, Samsung, and Huawei. But if the rumors are to be believed, Huawei is already working on a foldable 5G smartphone slated for a 2019 launch, while Samsung is already pushing ahead with its very own 5G modem.

The company has also announced the launch of its Snapdragon 675 processor, which is touted as the most powerful chipset in the Qualcomm 600 series chipsets. The new SoC claims to offer similar performance as of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC and will be available for OEMs in the first quarter of 2019.

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Xiaomi to be the first to launch a Snapdragon 675-powered smartphone News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Xiaomi will soon announce a new smartphone with SD675.

Qualcomm has just announced its Snapdragon 675 octa-core chipset for mid-range smartphones. The new chip will amplify the gaming, imaging and AI performance of the devices. It is the successor of the Snapdragon 670 processor which was launched in August this year.

Soon after the new chipset was announced, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has confirmed that it will soon be launching a new smartphone with the latest processor, which is manufactured using the 1nm process.

The announcement was made by Xiaomi's Global Vice President and Managing Director of Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar at Qualcomm's 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong. With this Xiaomi will also become the first company to launch a phone with SD675.

The new Snapdragon 675 Mobile Platform is an octa-core processor that has two performance cores of Cortex A76 clocked at 2.0GHz and six power-efficient cores of Cortex A55 clocked at 1.78GHz. It comes equipped with Adreno 61X graphics which carries support for OpenGL ES 3.2, Open CL 2.0, Vulkan, and DirectX 12.

The new chip also has support for front and rear facing triple camera setups and features like the portrait mode and 3D face unlock. It also has support for limitless slow-motion videos of HD quality. In terms of connectivity, it has an X12 LTE modem with download speeds of 600Mbps and 3x carrier acceleration along with Wi-Fi 802.11ac 22 with MU-MIMIO, tri-band and Bluetooth 5.0.

In terms of performance, the new chip gets a 30 percent bump compared to its precursor. It will also offer 35 percent faster internet browsing, according to the company.

While Xiaomi is yet to reveal the launch time of its SD675-powered smartphone, it is expected to hit the shelves in the first quarter next year. Qualcomm has also confirmed that the new chipset is already available to the OEMs.

Besides, Speaking at the 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said the company is expecting "at least two major flagships" with the 5G radio next year.

Amon also told that one of the devices might launch within the first half of the year and the second one in the holiday season. We wouldn't be surprised if manufacturers like Vivo, Oppo or Xiaomi would be one of the first one to launch a 5G device.

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BSNL join hands with Veecon Rok Corporation to offer internet service in 25 cities News oi-Priyanka Dua VEECON ROK Corporation also announced a new line of Veecon ROKiT mobile handsets, including India's first 3D glasses-free mobile phone.

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has collaborated with Veecon Rok Corporation to offer internet service in 25 cities.

The City-Wide Wi-Fi Network will include cities like Vijayawada, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Panaji, Pune, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Jaipur, Patna, Cochin, Guwahati, Tirupati, Shimla, Chandigarh, Noida, Gurugram, Dehradun, Indore, and Agra.

Anupam Shrivastava, Chairman & Managing Director, BSNL said, "I am pleased to be here at the launch of City Wide WiFi project for 25 cities. This is indeed going to be a landmark initiative towards providing internet to every Indian, quite in sync with the government of India's Digital India programme. In the wake of arguably cutting edge technology and government initiatives, we are also pleased to associate with an emerging player like VEECON ROKiT and roll out this new range of mobile handsets."

Meanwhile, VEECON ROK Corporation also announced a new line of Veecon ROKiT mobile handsets, including India's first 3D glasses-free mobile phone.

Gaurav Kumar Srivastava, Chairman, VEECON ROK Corporation Pvt. Ltd said: "The City Wide Wi-Fi Network of 25 cities is in sync with our smart city Initiative and would be taken ahead with our Superior technology to drive this. We believe public and private partnerships affect serious positive change and we could not have found a better partner than BSNL to take this initiative ahead. The amalgamation of BSNL's reach across the country and our cutting-edge technology is certain to be a game changer in the business of running a city. For this project, we plan to invest $5 bn in the next three to five years."

The company has displaced five models i.e ROKiT One and ROKiT F-One are classic calling devices featuring WiFii calling.

As its name suggests, the ROKiT IO Light is a lightweight smartphone that boasts impressive processing power. The ROKiT IO 3D and ROKiT IO Pro 3D are the first glasses-free 3D smartphones to be introduced for sale in India. The ROKiT mobile series will be available for sale from early next year and will be bundled with BSNL SIMs.

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Nokia signs MOU with BSNL to explore public safety initiatives in India News oi-Priyanka Dua The collaboration will assist in advancing public safety standards in the country and supports the Indian government's Smart Cities Mission,

State-run telecom operator BSNL and Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities in the public safety space.

Under the agreement, Nokia will become BSNL's Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) technology partner for public safety projects. The collaboration will assist in advancing public safety standards in the country and supports the Indian government's Smart Cities Mission, Nokia said.

Anupam Srivastava, Chairman and Managing Director at BSNL, said: "Our technology partnership with Nokia is a crucial step in this direction. We have a longstanding working relationship with Nokia, and this project starts a new chapter in our journey. Nokia's innovation and leadership in mission-critical communications will allow us to deliver a best-in-class public safety network."

Under the agreement, Nokia and BSNL will explore public safety opportunities for various industry segments including Smart City deployment, border-related activities, and mines and quarries in remote areas with limited connectivity.

In addition to that, they will establish a mission-critical government network, allowing ministers and other officials to communicate securely across the country. The companies will also work with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to help them leverage the benefits of LTE technology in public safety communications systems.

"We have been working closely with BSNL for more than 25 years and this agreement further strengthens our relationship. This is the first time our public safety solution will be used in India, and we are excited to leverage our ViTrust critical communications portfolio, working with BSNL to enhance public safety work and aid vital rescue operations," JP Singh, head of Nokia's customer team for the Government Business in India, said.

BSNL will leverage the Nokia ViTrust critical communications portfolio, in particular, the Nokia Ultra Compact Network, Nokia and BSNL will explore solutions that help first responders more swiftly locate people and assist affected communities.

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Senator Jon Tester delivers a stump speech at the Elk's Club in Glasgow last Friday, Oct. 19.

Democratic Senator John Tester campaigned in Glasgow Oct. 19 alongside Democratic Congressional candidate Kathleen Williams and candidate for District 1 Public Service Commission Doug Kaercher. The event, which was held at the Glasgow Elk's Lodge,...
U.S. Senator Jon Tester introduced legislation on Oct. 12 to provide critical funding for the Milk River Project in northcentral Montana. After speaking with the St. Marys Working Group on Oct. 10, Tester introduced the St. Marys Reinvestmen...
Fort Peck Tribal Chairmen Vows Opposition, Condones Only Lawful Protests

Pipes sit staged in northern Phillips County for the start of next year's construction of Keystone XL pipeline.

Truckloads of pipes to be used in the construction of TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline have been traveling across Northeast Montana from Glendive to staging areas along the pipelines' future route in northern Phillips and Valley County.

Constru...
On Saturday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m., the biological daughters of Valley County Sheriffs candidate Joseph Horn, Amy Brown and Gail Hayes, held a forum to discuss their opposition to their father for Valley County Sheriff. In that meeting, which was p...
Dear Editor,

I-185 will address problems: Mental Health. Drug Abuse. The State of Montana has a real need for more mental health providers/therapists.

At times Montana has citizens that need help- be that in times of flood, or drought, or canc...
Pence Confirms CIA Director in Turkey to Review Evidence in Khashoggi Murder

Sputnik News

17:36 23.10.2018(updated 18:36 23.10.2018)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Gina Haspel, is currently in Turkey to review evidence in connection with the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US Vice President Mike Pence confirmed on Tuesday.

"The director of the CIA is in Turkey now reviewing the evidence. Once we have all the facts President Trump will make a decision based on the values of the American people and our vital national interests," Pence said at a conference in Washington.

Pence explained that any decision by the Trump administration regarding Saudi Arabia will be made in the context of the important and more half-century-long relationship between the two countries.

However, the Vice President did not disclose whether he has seen any intelligence that would link Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi's murder.

"When the CIA Director returns, she'll be briefing the president, myself and the entire team on what the Turks have assembled," Pence said. "I want to assure the American people, we are going to get to the bottom of it. This brutal murder of a journalist, an innocent man, a dissident will not go without an American response, and I expect without an international response."

On Monday, Trump said he was not satisfied with the Saudi government's explanation of the Khashoggi incident. Trump also said the Saudi government's request to be given a month to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance and death is too long of a time frame.

Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on Friday via state television that Khashoggi was killed in a brawl inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their involvement in the killing. Turkey is conducting a separate investigation into the journalist's death.

 Sputnik

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Dropping steel rain, artillerymen deter enemy rockets in Afghanistan

By Sean Kimmons, Army News Service October 22, 2018

CAMP DAHLKE, Afghanistan -- For Sgt. James Bess, there's nothing like the sound of thunder erupting from a howitzer when it sends a 155 mm artillery round to an enemy position.

"The sheer power you feel when that round leaves that tube is something else," said Bess, a team chief with 4th Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment.

When called upon, Bess said firing their guns to help fellow Soldiers is almost like sending a wave to them from afar.

It's as if, even from miles away, the artillerymen let them know that they have their back.

"You know that the round is going somewhere to do something for someone else who needs it," said Bess, 23, of Apopka, Florida. "It could possibly be their saving grace."

Since April, his unit has fired hundreds of artillery rounds from M777 Howitzers in support of U.S. and Afghan forces.

Mostly they fire for terrain denial purposes, hitting spots historically used as launching pads by insurgents who shoot rockets at the camp. There are also calls for fire and if insurgents are able to shoot off an incoming rocket, the gunners fire back at them within a few minutes.

"When the enemy shoots rockets at us, they are shooting and running," said Staff Sgt. Anthony Yannarella, a section chief with the battalion's Bravo Battery. "For us to be able to shoot back and get that counter-fire, we need to move quickly to get to that gun."

Soldiers from the battery live in fortified shipping containers next to the guns, so they can be ready to fire at any time.

Due to his unit's speedy and accurate fires, Yannarella, 28, of Delran, New Jersey, believes they have deterred the enemy.

When they first arrived, rocket attacks occurred almost every other day at the camp, which is south of Kabul. Incoming rounds then slowed down and, in September, Soldiers said they were only receiving about one every two weeks.

"They know that if they're going to shoot, they're going to end up being shot back," Bess said. "We're sending them what were supposed to -- steel rain."

In his first deployment, Bess said he has enjoyed doing what he has been training to do for four years.

Past counter-insurgency missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, often pulled artillerymen from their routine missions to do infantry-like tasks.

"Artillerymen would come over here and kick in doors," he said. "That's not what we trained for, that's not what we came in the Army for."

Bess joined the Army right after high school. He always loved manual labor and decided to head into artillery after he saw online videos of Soldiers firing the howitzers.

"I like being able to get out there in the grit and do stuff that takes more than just brains, but also a little bit of muscle," he said. "There's not another job in this Army that I'd rather be doing."

But Bess and others in his unit understand the need to build up the Afghan's artillery force.

Afghan soldiers from a nearby base will sometimes come to their gun pits and observe them in action. Perhaps the most important thing the Afghans see is the discipline of the American crews.

"Everybody has a specific role, everybody is well-trained on their role and knows exactly what to do," said 1st Lt. Evan Russell, a platoon leader. "But we're also trained in other people's roles, so if someone has to step aside, someone can hop in and know exactly what to do."

While the Afghans use a different gun system -- the D-30 Howitzer, which fires 122 mm rounds -- the concepts are similar, especially the discipline part.

"When they come here, they see how efficient we work as a well-oiled machine," said Russell, 26, of Davis, Illinois.

One of the Army's newest units, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, has also chipped in to help the Afghans stand up their version of rolling thunder.

A mortarman by trade, Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Bernier, who is now a senior operations advisor, visits Afghan bases during fly-to-advise missions to train them on their artillery and mortar systems.

"I feel that they appreciate my influence mostly because I fly to their [forward operating base] and I use their equipment and show them how to employ it, shoulder-to-shoulder with them," Bernier said. "They feel that you are more invested in their success when you're on their FOB using their equipment."

Until the Afghans are ready to go solo, Bess and other U.S. artillerymen will keep helping them with a pull of a lanyard.

"I'm here in an environment where it really counts, where people are actually requesting fires," he said. "Peoples' lives depend on our accuracy and our dedication to the fires we send downrange."

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'Bulldog' brigade arrives to the Republic of Korea

By Courtesy 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs Office October 22, 2018

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea -- The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Bulldog," 1st Armored Division assumed responsibility as the rotational armored brigade combat team during a transfer-of-authority ceremony Monday, Oct. 22.

Thousands of Bulldog brigade Soldiers and equipment have been flowing in to the Republic of Korea since Sept. of this year to start their nine-month rotation. Bulldog brigade replaced 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team "Raider First," 3rd Infantry Division, who has served in Korea as a rotational armored brigade combat team from Jan. to Oct. 2017 and during the Korean War.

The TOA ceremony, officiated by Maj. Gen. Scott McKean, commanding general of 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, was the last step in the transition between the two rotational brigades.

"The strength of our Army is the ability to produce well-trained and well-led units" said Maj. Gen. Scott McKean. "We're very fortunate to welcome the Bulldog brigade to take the mantle of responsibility from the 'Raider' team. The Bulldog brigade has already come in demonstrating its professionalism by deploying its combat platforms from El Paso (Texas) to Busan (Republic of Korea)."

The Bulldog brigade's deployment is the Army's sixth regionally allocated force rotation to the Republic of Korea. However, it's a historic occurrence since it's the first 1st AD unit to serve on the Korean Peninsula.

"Our mission here in the Pacific is remarkable in the regard that it's the first time a 1st Armored Division unit will conduct operations on the Korean Peninsula," said Col. Marc Cloutier, commander of 3rd ABCT, 1st AD. "We're particularly excited for establishing relationships with our Republic of Korea partners and we know that our efforts will have a significant impact here in your country."

The Bulldog brigade will provide the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division with a fully trained unit in the ready phase of the force generation process during their time in Korea. Soldiers from Bulldog brigade will also have the opportunity to work with their ROK Army counterparts to help shape the Korean security environment and increase interoperability between each other.

"We're honored to have this opportunity and the Bulldog Brigade will continue to serve to make this world freer and safer every day," said Cloutier.

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Army to fuse laser technology onto air defense system

By Joe Lacdan October 22, 2018

WASHINGTON -- U.S. forces have long held a strategic advantage in ballistic missile defense dating back to the Operation Desert Storm era, Army leaders said.

But the addition of laser technology in the Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System used on the Interim Armored Vehicle Strykers could give the Army a greater competitive edge over potential threats, they added.

"(Guns are) a relatively inexpensive solution," Brig. Gen. Randall McIntire said at the Association of the U.S. Army's Annual Meeting and Exposition last week. "But it doesn't give us the range that we're seeing from our adversaries.

"We get range from our missiles, but they're becoming extraordinarily expensive," he said, adding adversaries are putting up drones that are weaponized "really for pennies."

Directed energy will be a complementary system to guns and missiles, he said. "It's not the end-all be-all, but it's another tool in the tool box  We think having this mix of capability gives us a variety of solutions as we move into the future."

McIntire, the Air and Missile Defense Cross Functional-Team director, said the MSHORAD system relies on missiles for long-range capability, but his team is also seeking more cost-effective measures to shore up air defense. He added that directed energy and electronic warfare will be the focus of the future.

Currently the Army has targeted 2020 for initial operational capability of MSHORAD. Two battalions should be fielded with MSHORAD capability in 2021, he said, and another two battalions by 2022.

Dr. Craig Robin, Space and Missile Defense Command senior research scientist, said a 50-kilowatt laser cannon will be placed on Strykers with a demonstration planned for 2021. At the same time, SMDC also plans to place a 100-kilowatt laser on a FMTV medium tactical vehicle.

The Army is currently conducting directed energy demonstrations at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

"We're working to improve our stance in that area so we're relevant in the 21st century," said McIntire, who previously served as the commandant of the Army's Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Sill. "We're working on our indirect fire protection capability and coming up with solutions that would defeat cruise missiles. I would tell you today [the] Patriot can defeat cruise missiles. So it's not the fact that we're naked by any stretch of the imagination  We're trying to figure out how to do a more cost-effective way as we move to the future."

Brig. Gen. Robert Rasch, the deputy program executive officer for Missiles and Space at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, said that the eventual plan is to add capabilities such as an enhanced MSHORAD interceptor and electronic warfare capability to the Stryker platform.

To combat a wide range of threats, the service will start with a blend of guns and missiles before shifting the focus to directed energy. He said the CFT will begin loading Strykers with a two-thirds gun and missile mix and one-third directed energy. As the technology matures, that ratio will shift to a two-thirds directed energy mix.

"We need to be able to have a tiered and layered approach to the different threats," Rasch said, "from the low, small (unmanned aircraft systems) that we'll see from the drones to the rotary-wing and the fixed-wing, to cruise missiles to tactical missiles to tactical ballistic missiles to intercontinental ballistic missiles. There's not one tool that does all that; what you'll find is you'll need to have a variety of tools."

The initial MSHORAD operational objective will be to load Strykers with a Stinger Proximity Fuse, an on-board sensor, a 30-millimeter airburst round to provide a cheaper cost for enemy intercept and a 7.62 coax gun, a four-pack of Stinger Missiles, and a two-pack of Hellfire missiles.

After the service fields the four MSHORAD Stryker battalions in fiscal year 2022, the Army will receive an updated requirements document.

"The real goal of (this) effort is to get the technology in the Soldiers' hands," Robin said, "and develop the concept of operations."

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1st Armored Division brigade assumes 2ID rotation mission

By Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke October 23, 2018

The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division assumed responsibility as the rotational armored brigade combat team in Korea during a transfer of authority (TOA) ceremony on October 22.

Soldiers from the "Bulldog" brigade began arriving here in late September to begin their nine-month rotation. Bulldog Soldiers replaced the Raider Soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, who completed their first ever rotation to Korea after U.S. armored brigades began rotating on the Korean peninsula June 2015.

Hosted by Maj. Gen. Scott McKean, a San Jose, California native, commander of 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, the TOA ceremony completed the mission hand-off between the two armored BCTs.

"Over the last nine months, the Raider brigade from the great Rock of the Marne division, served with honor and distinction," said McKean. "During their rotation they furthered interoperability with our ROK partners and demonstrated their Soldiers toughness throughout."

"Raiders, you should be proud of all you've accomplished; Our Army is better because of all of your efforts. You are second to none," he added.

The deployment marked an historic return of 3rd ID Soldiers to the Republic of Korea. This was the first time that Rock of the Marne troops have served in the ROK since fighting throughout the Korean War.

"At Fort Stewart, our battalions are all within walking distance of each other. Here we were split between Camp Humphreys, Camp Casey-Hovey and Rodriguez Live Fire Range with the world's fifth largest metropolitan area in the middle," said Col. Mike Adams, commander, 1st ABCT. "Our Soldiers trained and competed in everything they could across Korea."

He also mentioned that some Raider troops represented 2ID/RUCD at the Sullivan Cup, competed in the military intelligence and best medic competitions, and qualified expert on all weapons platforms.

This will be a new mission for the Bulldog brigade and 1st AD as a whole. Nearly 10 Army units have completed rotations to the Republic of Korea since 2013, including armored brigades and various battalions. Brigade rotations began after the Army deactivated 2ID/RUCD's organic brigade, the 1st "Iron" Brigade, in 2015.

"Our mission here in the Pacific is remarkable in the regard that it's the first time a 1st Armored Division unit will conduct operations on the Korean Peninsula," said Col. Marc A. Cloutier, a Marlborough, Connecticut native, commander, 3rd ABCT. "Many thanks to our new division leadership, the 2nd Infantry Division. We are certainly honored to become part of your storied legacy, Second to None!"

During their time in the ROK, the Bulldog Brigade will support the 2ID/RUCD in maintaining peace on the Peninsula.

"We look forward to building on Raider Brigade's superb work they've done here. We are particularly excited to establish strong relationships with our Republic of Korea partners, and we know that our efforts will have a significant impact here in your country," concluded Cloutier.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-301-18 October 23, 2018

Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' bilateral engagement with Chinese Minister of National Defense GEN Wei Fenghe at the 2018 ADMM-Plus

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis met with Minister of National Defense GEN Wei Fenghe on the margins of the 2018 ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting (ADMM-Plus). The leaders discussed a broad range of defense and policy issues. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of dialogue, risk reduction, and open lines of communication between the two militaries.

Secretary Mattis emphasized U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific and both leaders agreed to continue engagement on areas of cooperation, particularly on North Korea.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1669428/

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Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the President of Colombia, Ivan Duque Marquez

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

23 Oct. 2018

(As delivered)

President Duque,

It is a great honour and a great pleasure to welcome you here to the NATO headquarters. Especially since this is your first visit to NATO and also because Colombia is our first partner is Latin America. And we highly value the partnership with your country, we look forward to strengthen that partnership and to work closer together on many different issues, where we see common ground and where we face common challenges.

Our cooperation is good for Colombia and it is good for NATO. It is based on our common values and a shared commitment to international peace and security.

In 2015, Colombia took part in NATO's Operation Ocean Shield to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa. We continue to work closely together.

Your commitment to NATO's Building Integrity programme has helped increase the transparency and the professionalism of Colombia's defence institutions.

And Colombian personnel have also benefitted from military education at the NATO School in Germany, and the NATO Defence College in Italy.

We just had a very productive meeting where we discussed how we can further step up our cooperation and partnership between Colombia and NATO. In areas like cyber defence, demining. And we are extremely grateful for your offer to help us strengthen our demining capacities, and also promoting the role of women in peace and security, as examples of where we can do more together.

We are looking at how Colombia's experience in countering improvised explosive devices could be shared with NATO. The Alliance could also benefit from Colombia's expertise in support of our efforts in Afghanistan.

So President,

Thank you once again for being here.

NATO's partnerships across the world are of great importance for NATO, but we really welcome Colombia, since you are our first and so far only partner in Latin America, and I look forward to continue to work with you and to strengthen the partnership between Colombia and NATO.

So once again, welcome.

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NMCB-3 Completes Turnover, Assumes Authority of Indo-Pacific Region NCF Operations

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS181023-01

Release Date: 10/23/2018 8:53:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Lopez, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 Public Affairs

OKINAWA, Japan (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 assumed charge of all Indo-Pacific Region Naval Construction Force (NCF) missions from NMCB-5 during a Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority (RIP/TOA) ceremony at Camp Shields in Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 22.

The RIP/TOA marked the official start of NMCB-3's deployment and the end of NMCB-5's deployment to Indo-Pacific Region that began in April when the battalion deployed from Port Hueneme, Calif., where both NMCBs are home ported.

Capt. Robert Baughman, commander of Navy Expeditionary Forces Command Pacific and Task Force 75, presided over the ceremony.

"NMCB-5 delivered 22,000 man hours and over $6 million worth of construction efforts during the course of their deployment," said Baughman. I want to thank the NMCB-5 team for everything you have done here throughout your deployment, and I wish you the best of luck as you wrap-up and head back to home port."

While continuing his remarks, Baughman extended a warm welcome and words of encouragement to the Seabees of NMCB-3.

"I want to welcome NMCB-3 back to this area of operations," said Baughman. "I'm confident that you all are going to do great things given the experience you have gained here during previous deployments. With that being said, I urge you all to stay focused and be ready because NMCBs are a vital component in achieving what we need to do as the Navy Expeditionary Force."

Cmdr. Joseph Harder, commanding officer of NMCB-3 relieved Cmdr. Omarr Tobias, commanding officer of NMCB-5, in officially assuming all duties and responsibilities from the battalion.

"Congratulations to the Seabees of NMCB-5 on a phenomenal deployment," said Harder. "Thank you for your commitment in setting conditions for our success, and for your transparency in helping us understand the challenges of the mission in front of us. We have the watch, so travel safely, and I wish you the best of luck during the challenging homeport cycle ahead of you."

Harder expressed his excitement for the battalion's deployment saying that Seabees join the Navy not just to train, but to put their skills to work by executing missions on foreign shores.

"For the Seabees of NMCB-3: you have worked very hard to be prepared for this challenging mission," said Harder. "The senior leaders of this battalion have worked incredibly hard to set our standards high, and now it's your opportunity to contribute to the 76-year legacy of the Seabees in the Pacific. Let's make it happen!"

The ceremony concluded with the lowering of NMCB-5's battalion flag and the raising of NMCB-3's to signify the transfer of authority.

Before the RIP/TOA occurred, a week-long inspection and review was conducted of all equipment, supplies, projects, facilities and civil engineering support equipment (CESE).

When a Seabee battalion deploys, it does not travel with equipment. Instead, all construction equipment and supplies are already at the deployment sites. A detailed turnover must be conducted before the incoming battalion commences work.

"Alfa Company arrived at Camp Shields in several waves on various days," said Lt. Corey Cattano, Alfa Company commander. "I'm very impressed with what we were able to accomplish given our atypical arrival schedule. We had some issues embarking out to Okinawa, but I've always said that when Seabees are needed, they step up to the plate and that was evident during this turnover."

The CESE undergoes a more thorough inspection in a process called the Battalion Equipment Evaluation Program (BEEP). The BEEP inspection is designed to transfer all special knowledge of CESE maintenance, operations and techniques to the relieving battalion. During the BEEP inspection, NMCB-3's Alfa Company, consisting of construction mechanics and equipment operators, inspected and received custody of more than 340 units of CESE from NMCB-5.

"The Alfa Company Seabees did an outstanding job in the teamwork aspect as we worked alongside NMCB-5," said Cattano. "Not only were we working with Seabees from another battalion, who were simultaneously trying to pack up their things to end a successful deployment and get home to their families, but we had to work amongst ourselves to get the job done in a timely and professional manner."

When the inspection was complete, a red diamond shaped sticker with a white number three, called a BEEP sticker, was placed on each piece of CESE. A red diamond identifies the CESE as belonging to an NMCB; a triangle identifies it as belonging to a naval construction regiment.

NMCB-3 is forward deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region and United States ready to support major combat operations, theater security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Seabees provide general engineering and civil support to Navy, Marine Corps and joint operational forces globally.

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Pakistani prime minister vows to hold peace talks with India

Iran Press TV

Tue Oct 23, 2018 02:46PM

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to hold peace talks with arch-rival India following next year's nationwide elections in the neighboring country.

Khan made the announcement during a speech at a Saudi investment conference in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday.

"When I won the elections and came to power the first thing I tried to do was extend a hand of peace to India," Khan said at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in the Saudi capital, adding that the overture was later "rebuffed" by Delhi.

"Now what we are hoping is that we wait until the elections then again we will resume our peace talks with India," the premier said, referring to upcoming elections scheduled to take place by mid-May.

Last month, New Delhi pulled the plug on a planned meeting between its foreign minister and her Pakistani counterpart set on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Khan said at the time that he is "disappointed" with the Indian government for its decision to call off a planned meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, denouncing New Delhi's move as "arrogant and negative."

The foreign ministry in New Delhi said its decision was to protest the killing of Indian security personnel in Indian-controlled Kashmir and a Pakistani postage stamp it said was "glorifying" an anti-India fighter who Indian forces killed in the disputed Himalayan region last year.

Islamabad immediately rejected New Delhi's charges as excuses to enable it to avoid holding talks before national elections next year.

Tensions are high in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where the Muslim-majority population stages regular protests against the Indian rule, demanding autonomy from New Delhi or a merger with Pakistan.

New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting pro-independence fighters, an allegation rejected by the Pakistani government. Islamabad, in turn, is critical of India's heavy military deployment to Kashmir, some 500,000 soldiers, and its crackdown against the disputed region's Muslim population.

Thousands of people have been killed in the unrest in Kashmir over the past few decades.

Khan justifies presence at controversial Saudi summit

Khan is in Saudi Arabia for the summit overshadowed by the brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Turkish coastal city of Istanbul that has prompted a wave of cancellations.

Islamabad continues to seek funding to plug its deteriorating finances. Khan earlier said in an interview he was concerned by Khashoggi's death but could not skip the conference because "we're desperate" for possible Saudi loans to shore up Pakistan's economy.

It is Khan's second visit to Saudi Arabia in just over a month.

Since taking power in August Khan has sought loans from countries such as China and Saudi Arabia.

The Pakistani premier has also recently said that the country might need to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address its mounting balance of payments crisis and economic woes.

Any IMF bailout would likely include conditions to curb government spending. The IMF's demands could threaten Khan's campaign promise to build an Islamic welfare state.

Khan has blamed the previous government for the economic situation and repeated a promise to recover billions of dollars he says former corrupt rulers have stashed abroad.

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U.S., Gulf States Blacklist Afghan Taliban, Iranian Officers For Terrorist Financing

RFE/RL October 23, 2018

A seven-country group set up to combat the international financing of terrorists has blacklisted nine individuals associated with Afghanistan's Taliban, including two Iranian military officers and several men accused of "facilitating Iranian support to bolster the terrorist group."

The announcement by the U.S. Treasury Department on October 23 says the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) blacklisted the individuals in order to "expose and disrupt [the] Talibanand their Iranian sponsors that seek to undermine the security of the Afghan government."

Other TFTC member countries joining the action include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on October 23 that the blacklist targets "Taliban members who are involved in suicide attacks, and other lethal activities."

"We are also targeting key Iranian sponsors providing financial and material support to the Taliban," Mnuchin said. "Iran's provision of military training, financing, and weapons to the Taliban is yet another example of Tehran's blatant regional meddling and support for terrorism."

Mnuchin said Iran's support to the Taliban "epitomizes the regime's utter disregard for fundamental international norms."

The assets of those on the blacklist are to be frozen in the United States and the six Gulf states that are members of the TFTC.

Two officers of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps's Quds Force -- Muhammad Ebrahim Owhadi and Esmail Razavi -- were designated on the list.

Six senior members of the Afghan Taliban on the blacklist are Abdullah Samad Faroqui, Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil, Abdul Rahim Manan, Naim Barich, Sadr Ibrahim, and Hafiz Majid.

Businessman Abdul Aziz, described by the U.S. Treasury Department as "a Pakistan-based narcotics trafficker," was blacklisted on allegations of setting up international firms to carry out illegal smuggling operations that finance the Pakistan-based Taliban -- including the Quetta-based leadership of Afghan Taliban known as the Quetta Shura.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on October 23 added Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and senior officers from its Quds Force to their lists of people and organizations suspected of involvement in terrorism.

Saudi security services said Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, was on the list together with Quds Force officers Hamed Abdollahi and Abdul Reza Shahlai.

In 2011, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the three amid allegations that Soleimani, Abdollahi, and Shahlai were linked to a failed plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir.

Jubeir is now the Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.

Iran at the time dismissed the accusations as false and demanded an apology from Washington.

The terrorist listing of the three IRGC officers is separate from the blacklisting of nine individuals on October 23 by the United States and six Gulf countries in the TFTC.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-gulf-states- blacklist-afghan-taliban-iranian-officers-for- terrorist-financing/29559900.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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Pakistani PM Hopes For Peace Talks With New Delhi After India's 2019 Elections

RFE/RL October 23, 2018

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to try to extend a hand of peace to archrival India following elections in the neighboring country, after a similar offer was "rebuffed."

Khan made the remarks on October 23 at an investment conference in Saudi Arabia.

"When I won the elections and came to power, the first thing I tried to do was extend a hand of peace to India," Khan told the crowd at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, adding that the overture was later "rebuffed" by New Delhi.

"What we are hoping is that we will wait until the elections, then, again, we will resume our peace talks with India," Khan said, referring to India's nationwide polls expected in April or May 2019.

In September, a rare meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries was scheduled on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

But India called off the meeting one day after it was announced, following the killing of an Indian border guard in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Instead, in an angry speech to the UN, India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists and rejected the notion that India is sabotaging peace talks with Pakistan, calling it "a complete lie."

Swaraj pointed to the fact that Osama bin Laden lived quietly in Pakistan before he was found and killed by a U.S. Navy SEAL team.

She also said the mastermind of a 2008 attack that killed 168 people in Mumbai, India, "still roams the streets of Pakistan with impunity." Pakistan says there is not enough evidence to arrest the suspect.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi responded to Swaraj's criticism in his speech to the UN by declaring that India "preferred politics over peace."

India has long accused Pakistan of supporting militants in Kashmir, a Himalayan territory divided between the two nuclear archrivals but claimed in full by both since independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

"One thing Pakistan needs now more than anything else is peace and stability," Khan told the investment conference on October 23. "Stability means peace with all neighbors...Our problems now are with Afghanistan and with India."

Khan's call for peace talks with India comes as his administration seeks funds to bolster Pakistan's deteriorating finances.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistani-pm -hopes-for-peace-talks-with-new-delhi-after- india-s-2019-elections/29560053.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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Armenian Yelk Alliance Nominates Pashinian As Prime Minister

RFE/RL's Armenian Service October 23, 2018

YEREVAN -- The Yelk political alliance in the Armenian parliament has nominated acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian for the post of prime minister.

The move came hours before a deadline for parliamentary factions to nominate their candidates expires later on October 23.

The other factions in parliament have said they will not nominate candidates.

Lawmakers are scheduled to hold the first round of voting for the prime minister's election on October 24.

Pashinian announced on October 16 that he was resigning from the post of prime minister in order to dissolve parliament and force early elections.

Under the Armenian Constitution, snap elections can be called only if the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to replace him or her with someone else within two weeks.

New elections then shall be held no earlier than within 30 days and no later than within 45 days  approximately in the first half of December.

Pashinian has pushed for early parliamentary elections following his bloc's landslide victory in the mayoral race in the capital, Yerevan, last month in a bid to unseat his political opponents, who have maintained a majority in parliament.

A former opposition lawmaker, Pashinian took office in May after spearheading weeks of protests that forced his predecessor, Serzh Sarkisian of the Republican Party of Armenia (HKK), to resign.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenian-yelk-alliance -nominates-pashinian-as-prime-minister/29559423.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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Poland Hasn't Decided Yet to Deploy Rockets on Its Territory Within INF Scope

Sputnik News

13:38 23.10.2018(updated 14:00 23.10.2018)

On October 20, US President Donald Trump announced the country's exit from the INF treaty over alleged Russian violations of the agreement.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland has not yet considered deploying missiles with ranges similar to those specified in the INF treaty on its territory.

"We have not yet considered it at all. It has not been the issue of discussions either in the society, or between the Polish government or military officials," Duda told reporters.

The United States claims that Russia has been in violation of the INF Treaty since 2014.

Moscow, Berlin, Rome and Paris have slammed Washington's statement of intent, urging Washington to consider the consequences of withdrawal for European and global security.

Signed in 1987 at the twilight of the Cold War, the INF Treaty was aimed primarily at reducing the risk of nuclear war in Europe, and committed the US and the USSR (and since 1991, Russia) to terminating their stocks of missiles and land-based launchers with ranges between 500 and 1,000 km and 1,000 and 5,500 km, respectively, and prohibited the missile technologies' development.

The treaty resulted in the destruction of nearly 2,700 missiles by the treaty-imposed deadline in mid-1991.

 Sputnik

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India, Japan to Sign Maritime Pact to Monitor Chinese Warships in Asia-Pacific

Sputnik News

13:25 23.10.2018(updated 15:26 23.10.2018)

The Indian Navy had earlier said that at any given time, China has six to seven warships, including submarines, deployed in the Indian Ocean. Earlier this month, the Indian Navy reported it had spotted a Type 039A Yuan class Chinese submarine in the ocean for the first time in over a year.

Emphasizing the growing strategic stakes in the Asia-Pacific region, India, and Japan are set to sign the maritime domain awareness (MDA) agreement during their annual bilateral summit, scheduled for October 29. The agreement is aimed at facilitating the ability of the two navies to share critical information of mutual interest such as the movement of Chinese warships/submarines in the Indian Ocean. This agreement will shore-up the monitoring wherewithal of the two countries against the backdrop of the increased presence of Chinese warships in their respective waters.

"We are expecting to sign an agreement between the Indian and Japanese navies in MDA and maritime security, which will enable more cooperation in this domain," Japan's envoy to India Kenji Hiramatsu revealed at a briefing about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo on October 28-29.

The two countries completed the legwork of the agreement during Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's visit to Japan in August this year.

The impending 13th India-Japan annual summit in Tokyo will also witness the beginning of formal negotiations as per the acquisition and cross-service agreement (ACSA)  an agreement which would allow the navies of the two countries to get access to each other's military bases.

"We are hoping to start a formal negotiation process that will enable us to sign an Acquisition and Cross-Service Agreement (ACSA), a mutual logistics support agreement. It is natural that two countries, which have such a large number of exercises, should implement a logistics support agreement," Hiramatsu added.

India has a similar logistics support agreement with the US, which it signed in 2016. In March this year, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government signed a similar pact with France. The Indian Navy has also been receiving logistics support at Singaporean military bases since 2015.

The Japanese envoy also revealed that that Japanese air force observers would attend the upcoming 'Cope India' exercise, which the US and Indian air force conduct annually. India and Japan will also hold their first-ever joint military exercise in November this year in Mizoram, in northeast India.

Japan is also initiating its first joint military technology project with India. "In the field of defense technology cooperation, we will cooperate on building unmanned vehicles and robotics," Hiramatsu stated.

 Sputnik

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Treasury and the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center Partners Sanction Taliban Facilitators and their Iranian Supporters

U.S. Department of the Treasury

October 23, 2018

RIYADH -- Today, the seven member nations of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) took significant actions to expose and disrupt Taliban actors and their Iranian sponsors that seek to undermine the security of the Afghan Government. The TFTC Member States designated nine individuals associated with the Taliban, including those facilitating Iranian support to bolster the terrorist group. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated these key Taliban members and their Iranian regime sponsors in partnership with the other TFTC Member States: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"The TFTC has again demonstrated its tremendous value to international security by disrupting and exposing key Taliban members who are involved in suicide attacks, and other lethal activities. We are also targeting key Iranian sponsors providing financial and material support to the Taliban," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. "Iran's provision of military training, financing, and weapons to the Taliban is yet another example of Tehran's blatant regional meddling and support for terrorism. The United States and our partners will not tolerate the Iranian regime exploiting Afghanistan to further their destabilizing behavior. Iran's support to the Taliban stands in stark violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and epitomizes the regime's utter disregard for fundamental international norms."

Specifically, OFAC, together with TFTC Gulf partners, designated Mohammad Ebrahim Owhadi (also known as Jalal Vahedi), Esma'il Razavi, Abdullah Samad Faroqui, Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil, Abdul Rahim Manan, Abdul Aziz (also known as Aziz Shah Zamani), Sadr Ibrahim, and Hafiz Majid pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. In addition, TFTC Member States also designated Naim Barich, who is managing the Taliban's relationship with Iran. Naim Barich was previously designated by the United States under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) on November 15, 2012.

This is the third coordinated TFTC designation action since the Center was announced on May 21, 2017. The TFTC is a bold and historic effort to expand and strengthen the seven member states' cooperation to counter the financing of terrorism. The TFTC facilitates coordinated disruptive actions, sharing of financial intelligence information, and member state capacity-building to target terrorist financing networks and related activities that pose national security threats to TFTC members.

These designations support President Trump's South Asia Strategy by exposing and disrupting actors seeking to undermine the Afghan government, and disrupting terrorist safe havens in South Asia. We will continue to actively target those providing financial support to the Taliban until there is a negotiated peace settlement. The inclusion of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps  Qods Force (IRGC-QF) members supporting Taliban elements in this action highlights the scope of the Iranian regime's malign activities and regionally destabilizing behavior, and furthers the U.S. maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

Mohammad Ebrahim Owhadi (Owhadi)

Mohammad Ebrahim Owhadi was designated for acting for or on behalf of IRGC-QF and for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, the Taliban.

In 2017, Owhadi, an IRGC-QF officer assigned to Birjand, Iran, reached an agreement with the Taliban Deputy Shadow Governor for Herat Province, Abdullah Samad Faroqui (Samad), also designated today, that the IRGC-QF would provide Samad's forces with military and financial assistance in return for Samad's forces attacking the Afghan government in Herat Province, Afghanistan. This agreement was made in Birjand, Iran, and included the IRGC-QF providing training to Samad's militants at IRGC-QF training facilities near Birjand. As of mid-2017, both parties appeared to be honoring their commitments, with the IRGC-QF providing a basic military training program for Samad's forces.

In 2016, Owhadi worked with Samad to discuss Iranian support to the Taliban. This included a compound built in Iran to house Taliban fighters and their families that had been injured or killed. Owhadi also inquired with the Taliban about progress on sending personnel to Iran for training.

As of 2014, Owhadi was the second deputy at the IRGC-QF base in Birjand, Iran, and was in charge of providing weapons and ammunition to opponents of the Afghan Government.

As of 2008, Owhadi was an official at an IRGC base in Nehbandan, Iran, where several youth between the ages of twelve and fifteen years old were being trained in terrorist and suicide attacks. Officials stationed at Nehbandan were subordinate to IRGC officials in Birjand.

Esma'il Razavi (Razavi)

Esma'il Razavi was designated for acting for or on behalf of IRGC-QF and for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, the Taliban.

Razavi was in charge of the training center at the IRGC-QF base in Birjand, Iran, which as of 2014, provided training, intelligence, and weapons to Taliban forces in Farah, Ghor, Badhis, and Helmand Provinces, Afghanistan. In 2017, Razavi traveled to Farah Province, Afghanistan, where he encouraged the Taliban to conduct attacks in the border region of Afghanistan. In addition, he ordered a Taliban commander to disrupt the ongoing construction of a dam in western Afghanistan and appointed Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil, also designated today, to find two suicide bombers to assassinate someone working on behalf of the Afghan government in the southwestern provinces of Afghanistan. Razavi also promised to provide Abdul Rahim Manan, the Helmand Shadow Governor also designated today, with anti-aircraft weapons.

In 2008, as the senior IRGC-QF official in Birjand, his base supported anti-coalition militants in Farah and Herat Provinces.

Abdullah Samad Faroqui (Samad)

Abdullah Samad Faroqui was designated for acting for or on behalf of the Taliban.

As of early 2018, Samad, the Taliban's Deputy Shadow Governor for Herat Province, Afghanistan, was one of several Taliban officials maintaining a relationship with IRGC-QF officials based in Birjand in order to accept weapons and military aid from Iran for the Taliban. As of early 2018, Samad received thousands of kilograms of explosives from the IRGC that he planned to distribute to Taliban commanders throughout Herat Province, Afghanistan. Samad visited a training camp in Birjand, Iran, where the IRGC was training Taliban fighters to attack a proposed pipeline that would run through Afghanistan. Samad promised to distribute Iranian provided funds to the fighters' families.

In early 2006, Samad was part of a group of Taliban leaders that traveled to Zahedan, Iran, to meet with Iranian intelligence officials. Samad was a representative of Mullah Obaidullah, a now deceased Senior Taliban leader. The Iranian officials gave money and equipment to the group of Taliban leaders, who agreed to carry out terrorist attacks targeting reconstruction efforts in western Afghanistan.

Additionally, in mid-2017, Samad received money from the IRGC through a hawala in Herat, City, Herat Province, Afghanistan.

Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil (Daoud)

Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil was designated for acting for or on behalf of the Taliban.

As of late 2017, Daoud, the former Taliban Deputy Shadow Governor for Helmand Province Afghanistan, had been appointed the Shadow Governor for Farah Province, Afghanistan. In early 2017, Daoud was appointed as leader of the Taliban's Quetta Military Commission.

Abdul Rahim Manan (Rahim)

Abdul Rahim Manan was designated for acting for or on behalf of the Taliban.

Rahim is the Taliban's Shadow Governor for Helmand Province, Afghanistan, who provided a large number of Taliban fighters to attack Afghan government forces. As of early 2018, Rahim was a Taliban leader responsible for coordinating and organizing Taliban operations in Afghanistan and has ties to the IRGC.

In late 2007, Rahim oversaw the logistics of lethal aid transfers from the IRGC-QF to the Taliban. Rahim, a senior Taliban commander, worked with Iran's primary interlocutor with the Taliban to request supplies and coordinate lethal aid shipments.

Naim Barich (Barich)

Naim Barich was designated by TFTC Member states for action for or on behalf of the Taliban. Barich was designated by OFAC on November 15, 2012, pursuant to the Kingpin Act, for the significant role he plays in international narcotics trafficking. Barich also appears on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1988 Sanctions List due to his support for the Taliban.

As of late 2017, Barich was the Taliban shadow minister of foreign affairs and managed Taliban relations with Iran.

Since at least 2006, IRGC-QF officers provided weapons to Barich.

Abdul Aziz (Aziz)

Abdul Aziz was designated for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of the Taliban.

As of early 2017, Abdul Aziz had a business relationship with two Taliban commanders whereby he arranged for these commanders' narcotics to be transported from Afghanistan, through Pakistan and Iran, to Europe and Africa. In exchange, these Taliban commanders provided protection for one of Abdul Aziz's narcotics processing facilities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. As of late 2016, he provided financial support to Taliban senior leadership in Pakistan and paid certain travel expenses for Taliban commanders. Aziz has narcotics trafficking partners in Europe, Africa, and East Asia. Previously, Aziz smuggled precious gemstones from Afghanistan for international sale and donated a large portion of these profits to Taliban senior leadership in Pakistan. Aziz provides funds to the Taliban's Quetta Shura every year and travels to the Gulf to collect money from other international narcotics dealers to provide to the Taliban Quetta Shura.

In addition, in late February 2017, Aziz planned to travel to China to establish a company, probably related to a marble quarrying venture in Pakistan. Aziz had traveled recently to review the marble venture. As of late July 2017, Aziz planned to bring a collection of green, white, and pink onyx with him when he traveled to the UAE.

Aziz, a Pakistan-based narcotics trafficker, has served as a middleman for the sale of opium from Afghan farmers to Iranian and Turkish narcotics traffickers.

Sadr Ibrahim (Ibrahim)

Sadr Ibrahim was designated for acting for or on behalf of the Taliban.

For the past four years, Ibrahim served as the leader of the Taliban's Military Commission. He previously served on the Taliban's Peshawar Military Commission and as a Defense Ministry official during the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan.

In 2018, Iranian officials agreed to provide Ibrahim with monetary support and individualized training in order to prevent a possible tracing back to Iran. Iranian trainers would help build Taliban tactical and combat capabilities.

Hafiz Majid (Majid)

Hafiz Majid was designated for acting for or on behalf of the Taliban.

Majid is a Taliban senior Shura and Military Commission Member, and oversees all suicide attacks in Afghanistan.

Majid was an advisor to now deceased former leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar. During the Taliban regime era, Majid was the Taliban's security chief (Chief of Police) for Kandahar Province.

Identifying information on the individuals designated today.

####

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UN Security Council hails 'courage' of Afghan voters; calls for perpetrators of violence to be held accountable

23 October 2018 - Welcoming Saturday's parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council called for continued engagement with electoral institutions and urged that any complaints over the vote should be channelled through established legal and constitutional mechanisms.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the members of the Security Council "commended the participation and courage" of Afghans for their participation in the vote, including women's engagement in the elections "both as voters and candidates."

The members "reiterated their continued support for the Afghan Government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to develop sustainable democratic institutions" added the statement.

In addition, they reiterated the important role of national electoral institutions, including the Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission, and urged them to "redouble efforts" to ensure the integrity, neutrality and transparency of the electoral process. That should include detection and prevention of fraud and careful monitoring of results.

They also took note of the situation in Kandahar, where the ballot was postponed due to security incidents until this coming weekend, saying it was important that the vote goes ahead.

In the statement, the members also "condemned in the strongest terms" the actions of those who sought to disrupt the elections and emphasized that violence, or threat of violence in any form, was unacceptable.

"Perpetrators of such acts must be held to account and brought to justice," said the joint statement from Council members.

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Pakistan Hopeful Nascent US-Taliban Peace Talks Will Stabilize Region

By Ayaz Gul October 23, 2018

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared upbeat Tuesday about the recently launched U.S.-led dialogue with the Taliban, saying it "hopefully" would lead to peace in Afghanistan and pave the way for regional economic connectivity and prosperity.

Speaking at an investment conference in Saudi Arabia, Khan was referring to a meeting the U.S. special envoy for Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, held earlier this month with Taliban political negotiators in Qatar.

The prime minister noted peace in the neighboring country is critical for stability in Pakistan. He said "the low amount of terrorism" his country is still experiencing comes from Afghanistan.

"That's why we are hoping that these peace talks ... between the Taliban and the Americans, we hope that once Afghanistan settles not only will there be no terrorism within Pakistan but then we have this access [for trade] all the way to Central Asia [through the Afghan territory]," Khan said.

Khan noted that his country's partnership in the U.S.-led "war on terrorism" in Afghanistan prompted retaliatory militant attacks in Pakistan, leaving thousands of people dead and inflicting more than $100 billion in economic losses over the past decade.

"Thanks to our security forces, our intelligence agencies, Pakistan has controlled terrorism. Within Pakistan now we have really clamped down on terrorism. We still have problems, terrorists and terrorism coming from Afghanistan," Khan said.

Islamabad supports an early negotiated settlement to the war because it maintains that "ungoverned" Afghan areas have encouraged Islamic State militants to establish bases there and plot terrorist attacks on both sides of the border.

For their part, U.S. and Afghan officials allege that Taliban insurgents operate out of sanctuaries in Pakistan, charges Islamabad rejects as baseless.

The Trump administration held its first publicly known direct meeting with Taliban officials in Qatar in late July. That interaction followed persistent insurgent demands it would hold face-to-face talks only with the U.S. and not its "puppet" Afghan government.

The October 12 meeting in the Gulf state was believed to be a follow up of the previous "preliminary" talks.

The Taliban said in a statement issued after the latest meeting with Khalilzad that both sides discussed withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign "occupation" forces from Afghanistan and exchanged views on finding a peaceful settlement to the war.

The nascent peace process apparently suffered a serious blow in the wake of a deadly attack last Thursday on a high-profile security meeting of local and top American officials in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

The Taliban-claimed violence killed Gen. Abdul Raziq  a powerful, though controversial, regional police chief  along with the provincial spy chief, and wounded a senior American military commander, Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley. The U.S. commander of NATO's Afghan military mission, General Scott Miller, also was present at the meeting, but was unharmed.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has told VOA the insurgent group remains committed to the peace dialogue with the U.S. He defended the attack on the security meeting in Kandahar, saying no understanding has so far been reached with the U.S. or any other party to end the war or observe a cease-fire.

"General Raziq was one of our biggest targets that was finally eliminated. It has no link to peace talks because they are being held with the Americans and our war is also with the Americans. We will continue to target Afghans who are supporting America's invasion of the country," Mujahid said.

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UN: 14 Million Yemenis Could Soon Be at Risk of Starvation

By Margaret Besheer October 23, 2018

The U.N. aid chief warned Tuesday that humanitarians are losing the fight against famine in Yemen and that 14 million people could soon be at risk of starvation.

"There is now a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen," Mark Lowcock told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. "Much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen in their working lives."

Lowcock has warned before of the risk of famine  two separate times in 2017  but a significant scaling up of the humanitarian response and the end of a Saudi-led coalition blockade on Yemen helped avoid a worst-case scenario.

"What I am telling you today is that the situation is now much graver than on either of those two occasions," Lowcock said.

He said a U.N. assessment in September that about 11 million people could be at risk was wrong, and a revised review puts the number significantly higher.

"Our revised assessment, the results of new survey work and analysis, is that the total number of people facing pre-famine conditions  meaning they are entirely reliant on external aid for survival  could soon reach not 11 million but 14 million," Lowcock told the council. "That is half the total population of the country."

Currently, the U.N. and partner agencies reach 8 million people each month in every district of the country with critical assistance. The relief operation is the largest in the world and has earmarked $3 billion for this year, of which the U.N. has received $2 billion from donors. Lowcock expressed concern that the operation could be overwhelmed if the numbers continue to grow.

The aid chief said that after nearly four years of conflict and struggling to survive, millions of Yemenis are physically more vulnerable, as they are less able to withstand hunger, cholera and other diseases.

One of the main culprits driving the food crisis is the collapse of the national economy. The country imports 90 percent of its food, fuel and medicines, and the devaluation of the national currency has impeded imports. Civil servants have also not been paid in almost two years, adding to their inability to afford food, especially when the price of many staple items is skyrocketing.

Clashes around the country's most important sea port  Hodeida  is hindering food distribution. A main road from the city to the densely populated northern city of Sanaa remains blocked, affecting trade and aid convoys.

A Saudi Arabia-led coalition began bombing Houthi rebels in support of the Yemeni government in March 2015. Since then, the U.N. estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly due to airstrikes.

Political efforts to end the crisis have mostly stalled since the Houthis skipped September U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva with the Yemeni government.

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Texas National Guard partners with local authorities in response to Texas floods

By Spc. Miguel Ruiz October 23, 2018

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Texas National Guard members mobilized support personnel and vehicles Oct. 17 in response to flooding near Huntsville.

The Dallas and Fort Worth-based 949th Brigade Support Battalion received orders that day, effective through Oct. 20, to provide support to Texas Task Force 1 (a Texas-wide urban search and rescue team) in flooded neighborhoods near Huntsville and other parts of Texas.

As a result of record-breaking amounts of rainfall throughout Texas, many Texas neighborhoods and roadways fell victim to severe flooding. The task force, working under the direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, mobilized water-rescue personnel and boats to help flooded communities near Huntsville.

More than 25 Texas Guard members and nearly a dozen support vehicles in Huntsville partnered with the task force to help transport boats to and from flooded areas, transport supplies like water, food and cleaning materials to residents and helped evacuate stranded people, said 1st. Lt. Brendon Isenhower, the 949th's Huntsville-Task Force Commander.

"My Soldiers and I have a true passion for helping people," said Isenhower. "This is what we signed up for and we love it. We're always ready to lend a helping hand."

Guard members and task force first responders arrived at Huntsville's Army Reserve Center late Wednesday evening to stage boats, trucks, equipment and supplies ahead of

24-hour on-call duty to last through Saturday.

Thursday and Friday's missions consisted of surveying flooded neighborhoods and roadways outside of Huntsville for people in need, delivering hay bales to livestock surrounded by flood water and transporting personnel, supplies and equipment to and from flooded areas.

Saturday, the joint team spent the day delivering supplies, to include water, food and cleaning supplies, to people still living in flood-affected areas.

"Although most of us here have different jobs within the Army, we set priority on being ready and willing to help Texas citizens in whatever capacity necessary,"; said Spc. Denis Firstov, a combat medic in the 949th. "Most people may believe Soldiers only deploy overseas. But National Guardsmen respond to these events first and also deploy overseas when needed.";

The National Guard task force in Huntsville returned home to Dallas--Fort Worth early Sunday morning while other National Guard units remain on active orders to assist with flood relief efforts in other parts of Texas, alongside Texas Task Force 1 and local authorities.

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Florida's Infantry Soldiers provide security, peace of mind after Hurricane Michael

By Staff Sgt. Aidana Baez, Florida National Guard October 23, 2018

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- From World War II to state activations, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, has served the citizens of Florida for the past 76 years. While the fundamental combat mission for the battalion is to engage an enemy in close combat, the Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment do more than just that.

Currently Soldiers of that battalion continue that legacy of service during Hurricane Michael relief efforts.

"The first elements of 2nd Battalion arrived within hours of the storm," said Maj. Ryan Hagemeir, the operations officer in charge for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment.

As Hurricane Michael quickly transformed from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment was preparing for its mobilization to the Florida Panhandle.

"Our operations sergeant major and our operations officer in charge went out Wednesday, the night of the storm, to Tallahassee," said Sgt. 1st Class Steven H. Robinson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment. "They rode out the storm and once it was safe to travel they headed up here and established contact with the [Bay County Emergency Operations Center]."

An emergency operations center is the central hub for all requests for resources in response to a disaster. For Hurricane Michael's relief efforts in the Panhandle, the Bay County Emergency Operations Center is the entity.

In response to an emergency, city officials request resources via WebEOC, an online system designed to support the mission of crisis management, public safety and emergency response personnel. Through this system, missions are assigned to the appropriate organization for the task.

"We receive missions from the emergency operations center," said Robinson. "As we receive them we start tasking them out to all of our units."

"The first day or so was trying to figure out how bad the damage was," said Robinson. "Going around accessing everything and us trying to figure out the best place to get communication with everybody in our area of operations."

Hurricane Michael came ashore in the Florida Panhandle 2 mph shy of a Category 5 storm, surpassing Hurricane Katrina, Donna and Andrew in power, making landfall in Mexico Beach, Florida. Mexico Beach was quickly recognized as the location with critical significance due to the damage.

"We've been out here since Oct. 10," said Robinson. "[We've] been doing POD sites, security missions, route clearing, tree cutting and whatever needed to be done.

"Initially we were airlifted in after the storm," said Cpt. Elliot L. Brunner, commander of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment.

With storm surge up to 14 feet, downed trees, splintered homes and debris made the roads impassable.

"When we rolled up to this site, it was basically two tables with a handful of volunteers," said Brunner.

"When we arrived to this location this wasn't actually a POD," said Morris.

What began as a preplanned staging area with few volunteers standing behind a table on the side of a dirt road off of County Road 386 S, has evolved into a fully functioning, efficient and organized point of distribution and base camp for the citizens of Port Saint Joe and Mexico Beach. Soldiers from Company D, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment were there for the evolution of this now-critical distribution site.

"This [POD] was established by volunteers. This was completely organic to this area - just people wanting to help other people," said Morris. "We came in and assisted. We were able to utilize our resources to assist the volunteers."

The POD sits on a stretch of land easily accessible to the residents of Bay and Gulf County, which is owned by Bubba and Barbra Harmon, who have allowed the City of Mexico Beach to lease a portion of his land to use as needed.

"He [Bubba Harmon] has been extremely accommodating to us, allowing us to use his front gate for civilian traffic," said Morris. "We were able to establish distribution points for different items, so you come in and you have ice, followed by cases of water, followed by cases of MREs, then paper goods, hygiene products, canned foods, animal foods and now we have tools, hardware, tarps and cots."

Operating the POD isn't the only mission for the Soldiers of Company D. They are also assigned to provide security for Mexico Beach.

"We are third platoon and we were originally doing night patrols in the area," said 2nd Lt. Christopher J. Long, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment. "But, a lot of what we were doing, in the beginning, was going through the area seeing what was here and letting people know we were here."

The National Guard's state mission is to provide the protection of life, property and preserve peace, order and public safety. The Soldiers of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment take that charge to heart.

"Our unit's part was not only facilitating local agencies but facilitating the people. It is almost like a liaison," said Spc. Victor R. Reyes-Soler, a rifleman assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment. "We basically helped the residents, so they can clean up and at the same time feel like their stuff was secure when they were not home.

"I know a lot of time being an infantryman everyone always see the security, they see us on roving patrols, said Morris. "I just want to make sure they understand that my guys were here to assist people and not to scare people or intimidate people. We are here to work alongside citizens and to give people the resources they need in their time of need."

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NY National Guard deploys Soldiers, helicopters in Hurricane Michael response mission

By Eric Durr, New York National Guard October 23, 2018

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Four New York Army National Guard helicopters and 25 Soldiers constituted the New York National Guard's contribution to the Hurricane Michael recovery efforts after the category four hurricane crashed into the Florida panhandle on Oct. 10

Eleven Soldiers and two CH-47 Chinooks assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation deployed from the Rochester Flight Facility on October 11 for Tallahassee, Florida. The Chinooks arrived on October 12 and plugged into an aviation task force built around Florida's 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation.

Fourteen additional Soldiers and two UH-60s from the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation deployed to Florida on October 12 and arrived October 13. One of the UH-60s deployed from the Latham flight facility, while the other came from Ronkonkoma on Long Island.

As the storm approached Florida, National Guard Bureau called on New York to mobilize a team from the 106th Rescue Wing to provide search and rescue if necessary. The wing had 75 Airmen ready to go with one CH-130 search and rescue aircraft, one HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopter and two rescue boats and crews.

A team of 11 personnel deployed to Gulfport on October 10 as an advance while the other Airmen remained at Gabreski Air National Guard Base.

After the hurricane came ashore, their deployment was canceled because there was no need for additional search and rescue assets in the area.

The CH-47 crews began conducting missions after arriving in Tallahassee, according to Major Eric Fritz, the officer in charge.

The initial effort was inserting first response search and rescue teams to areas inaccessible by road to help look for people in need.

On October 12 the New Yorkers delivered a 12-person search and rescue team and all-terrain vehicles to a location in Florida's Wakulla County. After the team conducted their rescue mission, the New York CH-47s picked them up and returned them to base.

The next day, October 13, the CH-47 team delivered another search and rescue team to Alligator Point, a barrier island off Apalachicola Bay, Fritz said. The helicopter landed on the beach to deliver the team because there were no other suitable landing zones.

The two helicopters also delivered supplies to Mexico Beach and Apalachicola Airport.

By October 14 roads were reopened, so there were no new mission requests for the CH-47s, Fritz said. The two heavy lift CH-47s transported 31,240 pounds of cargo during their brief support missions.

The UH-60s Black Hawks were used for a variety of transport missions while based at Tallahassee airport. When not on missions, the Soldiers bedded down in a hangar on site.

On October 15 one of the New York UH-60s joined two Florida Army National Guard helicopters in transporting Florida Governor Rick Scott and his party on a survey mission during the visit of President Donald Trump to the hurricane zone.

The UH-60 team also provided transport support to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long, moved other personnel and transported radios needed by response personnel.

Along with Army aviation assets the New York National Guard also deployed five Airmen assigned to the Eastern Air Defense Sector 224th Air Defense Group to Florida to assist in air traffic control. The Airmen were assigned to support the 601st Air Operations Center in managing military air traffic in the region.

As roads continued to reopen, there were fewer air missions for the New York helicopters. The CH-47s departed the region on Oct. 15 and arrived back at home station on Oct. 17. The UH-60s left a day later and closed on their home station locations by Oct. 18.

All of the New York National Guard aircrews performed well, Fritz said. "The Soldiers were like a well-oiled machine, executing every mission flawlessly and adapting to an ever changing situation," he said..

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President Donald J. Trump Is Launching America's Space Force

October 23, 2018

Our destiny, beyond the Earth, is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security. President Donald J. Trump

FORMING SPACE FORCE: To safeguard American dominance in space, President Donald J. Trump is working to form a Space Force as a sixth branch of the Armed Forces.

President Trump has received six recommendations, unanimously approved by his National Space Council, regarding the establishment of the United States Space Force.

The six recommendations presented to the President call for: Forming a United States Space Command to control our space forces and develop the tactics, techniques, and procedures for military space operations. Establishing the Space Force as a separate and distinct branch of the military whose mission will be to organize, train, and equip combat space forces. Calling on Congress to authorize the establishment of a Space Force and provide funding for the United States Space Command. Launching a joint review by the National Space Council and National Security Council of existing space operational authorities for meeting national security objectives, informed by DOD's assessment of the authorities required. Creating a Space Development Agency to ensure Americans in the Space Force have cutting-edge warfighting capabilities. Creating collaborative mechanisms with the Intelligence Community to improve unity of efforts for the development of space capabilities and operations.



PREPARING FOR THE THREATS OF THE 21ST CENTURY: President Trump is preparing our military to protect against the wide range of challenges we face today, including in space.

Space is now recognized as a warfighting domain and the United States must be prepared to meet the emerging threats we face in this new battlefield.

Recognizing this, President Trump is taking action to ensure that the American military is equipped to protect our Nation and preserve our freedom to operate in, from, and to space.

The recommendations follow the President's direct call for the formation of a Space Force as the sixth branch of the Armed Forces. On June 18, 2018, President Trump directed the Department of Defense to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as a new military branch



RENEWING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN SPACE: President Trump is keeping his promise to restore America's legacy of leadership in space

President Trump has signed three space policy directives to restore and revitalize America's space program. These directives will: Reorient our space program toward human exploration of deep space. Unleash the power of America's commercial space enterprise. Protect our vital space assets by improving space traffic management.

In June 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order reviving the National Space Council for the first time in nearly a quarter century.

President Trump unveiled the National Space Strategy in March of 2018 to prioritize American strength and competitiveness in the space environment.

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China slams US for using nuclear arms treaty with Russia as means to 'blackmail' Beijing

Iran Press TV

Tue Oct 23, 2018 03:30PM

China has warned the United States that Beijing will "never accept any form of blackmail" after US President Donald Trump said that his country's pull out from a decades-old Cold War-era nuclear arms control treaty with Russia also linked to China's arsenal.

In an attempt to restrict a threatening arms race in the final years of the Cold War era, the US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), large part of which is modern day Russia, reached an agreement, known as Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The landmark treaty, the first-ever pact reached by then two superpowers on nuclear disarmament, was signed by then American President Ronald Reagan and then USSR General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in Washington on December 8, 1987, and came into force a year later, and was successful in eliminating nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles from both sides altogether.

On Saturday, however, Trump announced that Washington would withdraw of the historic accord after alleging that "Russia has violated the agreements ... for many years" in the framework of the treaty. The announcement and the accusation drew the Kremlin's response on Sunday, denouncing such allegations and vowing to respond with military, technological and other means necessary should the White House insist on pulling out willfully.

The US president also hinted that China, which is not even a party to the treaty, was another country that played a role in the alleged violations.

In a brief press conference on Monday, Trump reiterated his accusations and once more threatened that Washington would "build up" its nuclear arsenal "until people come to their senses." He also said that the threat "includes China" and "Russia", insisting that China "should be included in the agreement."

Trump's direct allegations against China also drew a response and condemnation from Beijing on Tuesday.

"Now that the United States wants to unilaterally withdraw from the treaty, they start to inappropriately speak about other countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing in the capital Beijing.

"This approach of shifting the blame on others is utterly unjustifiable and unreasonable," she said, adding that Beijing had always pursued a defensive national defense policy. Hua also warned that her country would "never accept any form of blackmail."

The treaty obliged both Washington and Moscow to eliminate ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles within three years' time, and not to test, deploy or possess these weapons in the future. In a bid to ensure the implementation of the treaty, both signatories were allowed to conduct on-site inspections.

According to the inspections, as of the beginning of 2001, Russia and three other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States eliminated 889 medium-range missiles and 587 launchers, 957 medium- and short-range missiles and 238 launchers. The US, for its turn, destroyed 677 medium-range missiles and 288 launchers, 169 medium- and short-range missiles and one launching device.

In recent years, both Moscow and Washington every so often have accused each other of violating the agreements within the treaty.

In late last year, Russia said that the US had violated the treaty, arguing that the missile defense system in Romania - also planned for deployment in Poland this year - could launch Tomahawk medium-range missiles apart from interceptor missiles.

Furthermore, in May, the Russian defense ministry also said that the US produced a series of target missiles.

Experts have already warned that leaving the agreement could provoke a dangerous arms race across Europe, akin to the one that was unfolding during 1980, but was ended by the INF.

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S.Korea, DPRK, UN Command agree to withdraw firearms, guard posts from JSA in border area

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:08, October 23, 2018

South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United Nations Command agreed on Monday to withdraw firearms and guard posts by Thursday from the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the inter-Korean border area, South Korea's defense ministry said.

The agreement was reached after the second consultation on disarming the JSA was held at the Freedom House, a South Korean building in the border village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The first one was held last week.

From Oct. 1, soldiers from the two Koreas conducted a 20-day operation to remove landmines inside the JSA, which was set up right after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with armistice.

During the second consultation, the two Koreas and the UN Command agreed to pull firearms and guard posts out of the JSA by Oct. 25, and to conduct a joint verification for the next two days.

The three parties jointly confirmed the official completion of the landmine removal works in the JSA, according to the ministry.

The disarmament of the JSA was agreed upon by defense chiefs of the two Koreas during the Pyongyang summit in September between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un.

Following the disarmament, South Korea and the DPRK planned to station a patrol of non-armed 35 soldiers each, including five officers, inside the JSA.

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UN Expert on Human Rights Welcomes Thaw on Korean Peninsula

By Margaret Besheer October 23, 2018

The United Nations independent expert on human rights for North Korea has welcomed political talks and denuclearization efforts, but urged that the human rights situation not be forgotten.

"The human rights situation at the moment has not changed on the ground in North Korea, despite this important progress on security, peace and prosperity," Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana told reporters Tuesday ahead of his briefing to the U.N. General Assembly committee that deals with human rights issues.

Ojea said the "reality" is that the nuclear issue is "extremely serious" and that human rights had been put on a back burner, but at some point, Pyongyang must signal that it will discuss human rights.

"It is the time for North Korea to show commitment to the human rights agenda," he said. "We have seen nothing from North Korea in this respect."

Ojea also called for access to the country, which rejects his mandate and has not allowed him to visit.

In 2014, a U.N. panel wrote an exhaustive report on North Korea's human rights situation. It found systematic, widespread and grave violations of rights rising to potential crimes against humanity.

"The gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world," the Commission of Inquiry said at the time. The panel said such crimes against humanity were the result of "policies established at the highest level of State."

Abuses included murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, sexual violence, enforced disappearance of persons, and the act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have decreased dramatically in the past year. Starting with North Korea's participation in last February's winter Olympics in South Korea, which led to three separate summits between the leaders of those two countries. In June, President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Trump has said he plans to hold a second summit with Kim soon.

Speaking of the U.S.-DPRK summit, Ojea said there were some "confusing statements" on whether human rights had been addressed. He said the issues of the repatriation of the remains of U.S. soldiers and the release of U.S. prisoners in Pyongyang are human rights issues, but that there must be a discussion about the situation of ordinary North Korean citizens.

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India Denies Reports of Discussion to Buy F-16 for CAATSA Waiver on S-400 Deal

Sputnik News

17:22 23.10.2018(updated 17:54 23.10.2018)

The US administration has been pressurizing India for long to buy its F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft but the Indian government has clarified on several occasions that it has no such intention to buy it in spite of an offer for setting up a production facility in India.

The Indian government has categorically denied reports about an ongoing discussion between Washington and New Delhi on the possible purchase of F-16 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force in exchange of waiver on sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for the S-400 Triumf air defense system deal with Russia.

India had signed $5.43 billion deal to purchase five units of S-400 Triumf from Russia during the annual summit earlier this month.

"The Ministry has noted the news reports in a section of the media, claiming that the United States had indicated that India could avoid sanctions under US CAATSA provisions if it were to give an assurance to procure F-16 aircraft from the US. This is to clarify that the news report is incorrect. No such discussions have been held by the Ministry," a clarification issued by the Indian defense ministry reads.

The Indian Express had reported last week that the offer of a CAATSA waiver in exchange of a deal on F-16 fighter jets was made earlier this month. Indian defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman met her US counterpart James Mattis in Singapore last Friday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus).

India had sent several delegations, led by the Foreign Secretary, to make a case for a sanctions waiver, but has not yet received any guarantee on the waiver despite US Defense Secretary James Mattis and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advocating on India's behalf.

A few days after the S-400 Triumf deal was signed, when asked if he would waive off the sanctions against India, US President Donald Trump said: "India's going to find out, aren't they? Sooner than you think."

 Sputnik

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Russia reiterates support for JCPOA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, Oct 23, IRNA -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday reiterated his country's support for Iran nuclear deal known as JCPOA, saying that Russia considers US withdrawal from the deal the US a big mistake.

Responding to a question whether Syria, Iran and Korean Peninsula were discussed during the meeting with US National Security Advisor John Bolton, he said that the US and Russia do not hold talks in this form, but the issues are on the two countries' agenda.

Lavrov further noted that there is a channel for removing tensions between Russia and the US over Syria, adding that his country is seeking ways for effectively settling Syrian crisis.

At the first stage, Syrian refugees should return home so that grounds would be prepared for solving Syrian crisis and eliminating remaining terrorists, he said.

The Russian top diplomat pointed out that Russia is ready to coordinate with all countries with a view to achieving a political settlement of the crisis in Syria. However, Washington does not show the readiness required for comprehensive cooperation with Moscow on this issue, despite the Russian willingness to strengthen this cooperation.

Russia considers US withdrawal from the deal the US a big mistake, Lavrov said, noting that remaining parties in the JCPOA are engaged in intensive talks in a bid to prevent adverse impacts of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and continue doing business with Iran.

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Iran's Silence On Khashoggi Killing Loosens, But Tehran Keeping Its Cards Close To Its Vest

Golnaz Esfandiari October 23, 2018

Tehran spent weeks watching quietly as the international crisis unfolded over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, reportedly in brutal fashion in the Istanbul consulate of regional foe Saudi Arabia.

Iranian officials largely refrained from commenting publicly on the death and purported dismemberment at the hands of Saudi agents of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and conspicuous critic of the Saudi government.

Reaction was even muted among hard-line elements that have been accused in the past of provoking tensions between Shi'a-dominated Iran and the mostly Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

But that hush was finally broken on October 22 in a speech by the powerful head of Iran's hard-line Judiciary, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, who appears to have become the first senior Iranian to publicly condemn Saudi officials' suspected role in the killing.

In his remarks, 20 days after Khashoggi was last seen alive entering the Saudi Consulate, Larijani accused Saudi Arabia of "first set[ting] out to cover up this crime with the help of the West and recently, when it was forced to acknowledge it to whitewash its corrupt system, [claiming] that some rogue elements committed this crime."

The brazenness of the Khashoggi incident has focused international attention on Saudi Arabia's perceived human rights abuses, including the jailing and harassment of dissidents, and on Riyadh's prosecution of a war in Yemen that has pushed that country to the brink of a massive humanitarian disaster.

It has also shaken relations between Riyadh and even its closest allies and prompted boycotts and other calls to punish the Saudis, making the silence out of Tehran particularly puzzling.

But analysts cite a number of reasons why it might be in the Iranian leadership's interest to leave the spotlight firmly on its neighbor across the Persian Gulf.

"At a time when Saudi Arabia already faces increased regional and international pressure, even from [U.S. President Donald] Trump, [Iran] doesn't see any reason to interfere in this issue," Hossein Alizadeh, a former Iranian diplomat and a researcher at the Peace Research Institute of the University of Tampare, in Finland, told RFE/RL.

"The Islamic republic [of Iran] and Saudi Arabia are already at the peak of tensions in their [mutual] relations, and Tehran probably feels that if it focuses on this case, when and if Saudi Arabia manages to weather the very serious situation it faces, it could retaliate."

Alizadeh compared the relative restraint to "quick and strong" Iranian condemnation after the execution by Saudi authorities of leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr in late 2015 or early 2016, after more than three years in Saudi custody.

If, on the other hand, mounting evidence ends up implicating the crown prince or other senior Saudi officials, the stakes could rise for both sides, and even outside the region.

Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group (ICG), speculated that Tehran might sense an opportunity in the Khashoggi affair.

"If [the killing] brings down Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, it could open the door for reconciliation with Riyadh; if it doesn't, then Iran's restraint could potentially help deescalate tensions with Saudi Arabia," Vaez said. "But overall, Iran seems to be happy getting out of the way of an adversary that is shooting itself in the foot."

Tehran-based analyst Ahmad Fateminejad suggested to the semiofficial news agency ISNA recently that Iran had already benefited from the Saudi crisis by doing and saying nothing.

"Just the fact that international public opinion has in the past 20 days focused on the [Khashoggi case] is positive [for Tehran], as it decreases the psychological [pressure] on Iran," Fateminejad was quoted as saying.

Fateminejad added that Iran's silence could be interpreted by Saudi Arabia as a "friendly" gesture "at a time when the country is under attack by everyone."

Iran-based foreign policy analyst Sadeq Maleki, who has contributed to The Iran Project and Mehr News Agency, cautioned Tehran against ratcheting up tensions and urged Iranian officials to use the crisis to rebuild ties with Saudi Arabia.

"Khashoggi's [case] will sooner or later leave political and media circles," Maleki wrote, adding that the rocky relationship between Tehran and Riyadh will be "the everlasting issue" on the agenda of the region and the world.

"Tehran and Riyadh don't have any other option than peace with each other by acknowledging and respecting mutual interests," Maleki wrote in a piece for irdiplomacy.ir. "They will have to give in sooner or later. Let's not leave it until it's too late."

An Iranian political scientist and former reformist lawmaker, Elahe Koulaee, had another suggestion for Tehran. Iranian officials could leverage the fallout against Riyadh from the Khashoggi case by scaling down tensions with the United States -- a traditional Saudi ally -- in an effort to alter influence in the region, she said.

"By focusing on 'scientific and cultural' diplomacy, Iran should rebuild relations with the United States and change the balance of power in the region to its advantage," she said on Twitter, without elaborating.

But others have suggested a further reason for Iran's muted response to the Khashoggi case: Tehran's own human rights record regarding dissidents and journalists.

"If Iran entered the stage, the West's campaign would be guided from Riyadh toward Tehran," former nuclear negotiator Hossein Musavian told Khabaronline.ir, praising Iran's public stance as "mature."

"The Western media would revive all the cases they have in past decades attributed to Iran."

Musavian appeared to be referring to killings of Iranian dissidents abroad during the 1980s that have been widely blamed on Iranian intelligence operatives.

A series of extrajudicial killings of Iranian dissidents and intellectuals in the late 1990s was blamed on "rogue intelligence agents" amid reports that the operations had been authorized by senior officials.

A tweet by former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolahian in which he condemned Khashoggi's murder and expressed condolences to Khashoggi's family went on to suggest that those responsible for his death were a "new terrorist and #neowahabbist," a reference to an Islamist movement with long ties to the House of Saud.

His comment prompted dozens of replies from Iranians and others who tweeted at Abdolahian the names and pictures of victims of Iran's state repression and executions. They included Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who died in 2003 from injuries sustained during interrogations following her arrest outside of Tehran's Evin prison.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-s-silence- loosens-on-khashoggi-killing-but-tehran-keeps-its-cards- close-to-its-vest/29559744.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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Saudis to Give Pakistan $6 Billion Worth Cash, Defer Oil Payments Relief

By Ayaz Gul October 23, 2018

Saudi Arabia has agreed to lend Pakistan $3 billion in cash and allow Islamabad to defer payments for oil imports worth $3 billion for a one-year period to help the country address its looming balance of payments crisis.

The Pakistani government announced the details Tuesday at the end of Prime Minister Imran Khan's official visit to Riyadh, where he met with the Saudi leadership and attended an investment conference boycotted by several other world leaders over the death of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.

"It was agreed Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of USD 3 billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support," the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

"It was also agreed that a one year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to USD 3 billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia. This arrangement will be in place for three years, which will be reviewed thereafter," it added.

Prime Minister Khan's detail discussions with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman led to the "far-reaching decisions on bilateral economic and financial cooperation," the ministry noted.

Hours earlier on Tuesday, Khan said while speaking at the Future Investment Initiative Conference that his government was urgently seeking loans from "friendly governments" and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to shore up Pakistan's rapidly depleting foreign currency reserves and pay for import bills.

"Yes, we are talking to the IM. What we are hoping is that we can do a bit of both, get some loans from friendly governments, at the same time get a loan from the IMF and so to go through this (tough) period," Khan explained when asked how he would be managing the financial crisis facing his country.

Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar has estimated the country needs around $12 billions to meet its immediate liabilities.

Islamabad approached the IMF earlier this month for a bailout package. A team from the international lender is due to arrive in the Pakistani capital on Nov. 7 for talks. Umar has not revealed the amount Pakistan is seeking from IMF.

Prime Minister Khan is also scheduled to undertake an official visit to China on Nov. 2, his first since taking office two months ago. His visit comes amid reports Beijing could also step in and provide foreign currency support to Islamabad like it has done in the past year and deposited more than $2 billion with the State Bank of Pakistan.

Pakistan said Tuesday that the Saudis have also shown interest in investing and building a major oil refinery in Gwadar, the Arabian Sea port built and operated by China. Officials estimate the proposed project may bring up to $8 billion in Saudi investment.

The port is regarded a gateway to the bilateral multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is the flagship of Beijing's global Belt and Road Initiative. Both the countries strongly reject U.S. concerns as misplaced that Chinese loans under CPEC are also to be blamed for Pakistan's current financial woes.

Khan blames bad governance and rampant corruption by his predecessors for the financial crisis facing the country. He has vowed to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for laundering billions of dollars out of Pakistan.

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Dressed in the liturgical vestments of the Hussite Churcha black robe with an imprinted red chalice and white stoleshe delivered an address to the whole synod body on Oct. 11, emphasizing the importance of ecumenical relations, calling the synod a sign of hope and affirming the capacity of young people to be bridge builders.

The true ecumenical movement must be lived and shared together, she said.

Rev. Kopecka did not go unnoticed. She believes the cardinals and bishops were surprised, maybe shocked to see her clerical attire, she told America . They recognized me as the girl at dinner and now as a priest. It takes some time, but they have accepted me.

Rev. Kopecka believes the cardinals and bishops were surprised, maybe shocked to see her clerical attire.

After my intervention, a lot of people came to me in the hallways, saying they listened to me and were inspired, Rev. Kopecka said. I was surprised that they even listened to me. I am quite young and a woman. I wore a white stole. They are not pushing me away. They accept me as a member of the family.

The fraternal delegates who represent other Christian churches can make interventions in the synod aula and participate in small group discussions, but they cannot vote. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has a delegate, as do ecclesial organizations like the World Lutheran Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the World Methodist Council.

Rev. Kopecka is representing the World Council of Churches, a fellowship of 350 member churches seeking unity, common witness and Christian service. Even at her young age, she has been entrusted with great responsibility at the W.C.C. She serves on their central committee and 20-member executive committee, and she moderates the ECHOS commission on youth in the ecumenical movement.

I was surprised that they even listened to me. I am quite young and a woman. I wore a white stole. They are not pushing me away.

When a human being meets another human being, it doesnt matter which denomination we belong to, she said. We believe in Christ and can find a wayas Pope Francis saysto work and pray together. We are from different cultures and societies, but we have something in common. Young people, through friendship, are learning how to move toward acceptance and respect.

At the beginning of her experience in the eternal city, Rev. Kopecka was not certain she would receive a welcome, she admitted. She is staying at an international house for clergy and sat alone for her first three meals. I said: This is a disaster. On the second day, however, a bishop from Paraguay asked if he could join her. I said, Yes, please!

She described the encounter as the first major turning point in her experience. The bishop was really interested in who I am, she said. Ecumenical circles are not about papers, documents and institutions. It is about meeting people without any judgment. Yes, I am the girl. I am ordained. But he was interested in my culture and church and, later, many others joined us.

We believe in Christ and can find a wayas Pope Francis saysto work and pray together.





Another turning point happened in her small group. At the first meeting, I felt very vulnerable, she admitted. Im quite introverted, so it is not easy for me to talk in a group with people I dont know. But the leader of the group helped create an atmosphere where she felt comfortable, she said.

I feel accepted. My voice is heard, she said. I can even turn the direction of the conversation and influence decisions. My answers are valued. We support each other.

The moderator of the group is Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago. The relator is Auxiliary Bishop Mark Edwards of Melbourne, Australia. Several young people have spoken about their high regard for the welcoming and inclusive spirit of Bishop Edwards. On Oct. 15, Bishop Edwards invited Yadira Vieyra, a young auditor from Chicago, to read part of the group report to the entire synod.

Rev. Kopecka said the W.C.C. strongly supports young people, inviting many young leaders and speakers and trying to be inclusive. With the diversity of 350 member churches, she said, a consensus model of decision-making is very, very difficult but enriching. In fact, the Synod of Bishops has reminded her of the open-minded climate of the W.C.C.

I feel accepted. My voice is heard, Rev. Kopecka said.





I feel we are touching very, very sensitive issues in the synod, like child exploitation, she said. People are speaking to each other very openly. I would not have expected the mutual acceptance, the variety of the topics, the richness and diversity. It is not about bringing divisions and differences but charity, which builds the Christian community.

In her intervention to the synod, Rev. Kopecka referenced her conversion to Christianity at age 20. When I heard the voice of God, I left everything and I followed that inspiration, she told the synod.

In the interview with America , Rev. Kopecka described her native Czech Republic as a highly secularized society in which people generally do not want to be part of any institution, especially the church. She noted that her parents, who are both medical doctors, are spiritual but not Christians or churchgoers.

She could not have foreseen her conversion to Christianity or call to ordained ministry. She had been working as a highly paid manager in an international company and had everything, except for education. She decided to go to Charles University in Prague to study theology, simply because there were no entrance exams. She explained, I had no knowledge of the Bible or Christianity.

She started to take classes in Hebrew, Latin, systematic theology and biblical hermeneutics. In studying Hebrew, she said she discovered the values she had always been looking for. At first, she told herself it is only a science: No, Martina, dont believe in anything. But she was being drawn into a mystery.

For me, ordination is not a question of gender but human dignity and equal possibilities.





I could not help myself, she recounted. Day by day, I realized this is the way. I fell in love with Jesus. I realized this calls me to become a member of the church. So she began visiting parishes and considering baptism. Later, the amazing work of priests inspired her to quit her job and pursue ordination.

She has studied theology, psychology and special education and has worked as a crisis counselor. She was ordained at age 30 and is currently working as a pastor. She is also pursuing a doctorate in ecumenical theology at Charles University, which involves attending seminars, teaching classes and writing a dissertation.

She feels strongly about the ordination of women but also understands the sensitivity of the issue in the Catholic Church.

For me, ordination is not a question of gender but human dignity and equal possibilities, she said. Women do a lot of work in the church today and should be considered as spiritual leaders and servants of God. They are doing the hardest work, caring for people in miserable situations. They make the face of the church more human.

Women do a lot of work in the church today and should be considered as spiritual leaders and servants of God.

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She said her small group discussed the ordination of women deacons. I understand it is not an easy question. It is sensitive, she said. Sometimes I can disagree but I am trying to accept the different contexts and backgrounds.

The Czechoslovak Hussite Church, formally established in 1920 in Prague by members of the modernist reform movement of Roman Catholic clergy, draws from the tradition of the Czech reformation in the 15th century (a century before Martin Luther). According to the website of the World Council of Churches, the Hussite Church has nearly 100,000 members and occupies the middle ground between the essence of the Catholic Church (liturgy and the seven sacraments) and the principles of the Protestant churches (teaching and order). Bishops are elected by a diocesan assembly. The church values dialogue, freedom of conscience and openness to a pluralistic world.

Jan Hus, a leading priest in the movement, sought to purify the church, Rev. Kopecka explained. He criticized indulgences, wanted to preach in the vernacular and asked for theological dialogue. Under pressure, he refused to renounce what he believed. He was burned at the stake in 1415 and considered a heretic for hundreds of years until 1999 when Pope John Paul II apologized and expressed deep sorrow for his cruel death and praised his moral courage as a true reformer of the church.

My heart is really in Hussitism and the Reformation and the legacy of Jan Hus, she said.

Rev. Kopecka said she first met Pope Francis in Geneva, when the pope visited the headquarters of the World Council of Churches on June 21. When she met him again at the synod, he remembered her.

I expressed my gratitude [to Francis] on behalf of the World Council of Churches, she said. To be involved in the synod is a huge step in the ecumenical relationship between the Vatican and the World Council of Churches. It is an open door and a new era, a new dimension of sharing, of becoming a family.

In the synod hall, she said, Pope Francis is always very relaxed, ready to smile. He accepts fun, which is beautiful. When there is a joke, he smiles. He is not rigid in any way. We feel we are at home and can speak openly.
Saudi princes call on int'l community to investigate assassinations in Saudi Arabia

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 23, IRNA -- A number of Saudi princes who are in jail have called on the international community to enter and investigate the issue of arrests and assassinations in Saudi Arabia, along with investigating the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper in London reported Monday that the Saudi princes who are in jail have sought international assistance in the wake of the murder of Khashoggi in fear of their lives.

A Saudi prince sent a message to Al-Quds Al-Arabi through a mediator to ask the international community to pay attention to the issue of the arrest of princes and civil society activists, in addition to paying attention to the issue of Khashoggi for expressing their views on political and social issues.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi wrote, 'Some senior Saudi princes who were arrested on the orders of Mohamed bin Salman, current crown prince, are under house arrest, and the fate of some of them is unclear. Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Prince Walid bin Talal and Motab bin Abdullah are under house arrest. Waleed has tried to travel abroad several times, but the police have blocked him. Talal's brother Khalid was also missing, until a few months ago discovered that he was arrested at Al-Haer Prison.

Khalid was sentenced to death, but because of his relations with the Lebanese people he evaded death sentence.

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Too late to admit journo killing: Turkish FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Ankara, Oct 23, IRNA -- Turkish Foreign minister has said on Tuesday that the claim of responsibility for killing Saudi prominent journalist was too late, yet very important.

Speaking at Anadolu Agency Editor's Desk, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey's actions and global pressures led to Saudi Arabia's admission that the critic journalist was killed inside Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

He stressed, 'Turkey is ready to cooperate if an international investigation is launched into the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.'

Cavusoglu said following the telephone conversation between Turkish president and the king of Saudi Arabia, the two countries' cooperation in shedding light on the issue has been prompted.

'A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the Saudi consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul', he said, adding independent investigations are underway at the Turkish prosecutor's office.

After 18 days of silence and rejecting claims that Khashoggi was killed, the Saudi government finally bowed down to international pressure on October 20th and claimed the prominent journalist was killed in a fist-fight inside Istanbul consulate.

Since the statement released by the Saudi regime provided no information on the whereabouts of his body, some Turkish media called for a clear answer from Saudi officials to 'Where is the body?'

All evidence suggests people close to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who were sent to Istanbul, have committed the premeditated murder.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said two days ago he would announce the latest findings while addressing lawmakers at Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Tuesday (Oct 23).

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France must halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia: Amnesty International

Iran Press TV

Tue Oct 23, 2018 07:24PM

Amnesty International has once again called on France to suspend its arms sales to Saudi Arabia, due to Riyadh's war crimes in Yemen and the display of its disrespect for human rights, following the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Director of Amnesty International France's Program for Responsibility, Yves Prigent, said on Tuesday that a number of serious human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, have been observed since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen in 2015.

Amnesty International France has long been calling on France to halt arms sales to the Saudis, on account of Paris being a signatory of the Arms Trade Treaty, which regulates the international trade in conventional arms.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said her country exported 11 billion euros ($12.6 billion) to Saudi Arabia between 2008 to 2017, a figure which was crucial for French jobs.

"These arms exports are extremely supervised and analyzed very meticulously. They are authorized by an inter-ministerial commission placed under the authority of the prime minister, which follows a case-by-case evaluation which takes into account numerous criteria, among which is the nature of exported materials, the respect of human rights, and the preservation of peace and regional stability," Parly told a senate foreign policy commission hearing.

"More and more, our industrial and defense sectors need these arms exports. And so we cannot ignore the impact that all of this has on our defense industry and our jobs," she added.

France is one of the five biggest arms exporters to Saudi Arabia in past years, Amnesty International said, in the same category as the United States and Britain. It sells firearms, parts, ammunitions, artillery and maintenance services.

In April, France managed to sign 20 major agreements with Saudi Arabia worth $18 billion, sources have revealed at the end of a trip by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris.

The French companies have always been among the main suppliers of modern weaponry to Saudi Arabia and Paris has already reached military deals worth around 20 billion with the Saudis.

Most of those weapons have been used in Saudi Arabia's more than three years of war on its southern neighbor Yemen. Rights groups have repeatedly called on Paris to stop the provision of arms and instead impose pressure on Saudis to stop the carnage.

As part of the increasing arms sale, Riyadh has been procured with French tanks, armored vehicles, munitions and artillery and navy ships over the past years.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government of resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, back to power and crushing the country's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Legal Center for Rights and Developments in Yemen, in a statement released on October 15, announced that the ongoing Saudi-led military campaign against the impoverished and conflict-plagued Arab country has resulted in the death of 15,185 civilians, including 3,527 children and 2,277 women.

France's arms sales control policy strict: Gauvin

French foreign ministry deputy spokesman Olivier Gauvin said on Monday that France's arms sales control policy was strict and based on case-by-case analysis by an inter-ministerial committee.

He made the remarks in response to a question whether Paris would heed Berlin's call to suspend weapons sales to Riyadh after Khashoggi's killing.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier on Monday that the killing of Washington Post journalist is a "monstrosity" and vowed that Berlin would not sell arms to Riyadh while the issue remains unclear.

After long insisting that Khashoggi had exited the consulate alive, Riyadh finally admitted on October 20th that he had been murdered inside the mission, blaming the killing on a "rogue operation." Saudi officials alleged that "discussions" at the mission had turned into "a brawl," resulting in the journalist's murder.

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Only Saudis have answers to Khashoggi case: UK

Iran Press TV

Tue Oct 23, 2018 05:38PM

The British government has further pressed the Saudi government over the case of a dissident journalist who was killed earlier this month in Turkey, saying new allegations raised by Turkish authorities showed that it was only Riyadh that could clarify the issue.

Prime Minster Theresa May's spokesman said Tuesday that a statement by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier in the day on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul showed that Saudis has more facts to reveal about the mysterious case.

"President Erdogan's statement this morning underscores the fact there remain questions which only the Saudis have the answers to," said the spokesman.

In remarks to his ruling party members, Erdogan criticized Riyadh's contradictory reports in the days following Khashoggi's disappearance, saying Ankara will not stop its investigation until all major questions in the case are answered.

"Why don't they still produce the body of the person after their admission? Who is the 'local cooperator' that a Saudi official pointed at as the person who took the body? You should reveal who this local cooperator is," asked Erdogan.

The comments came days after Saudis finally admitted the death of Khashoggi in the Istanbul mission, although they stopped short of providing evidences on how he was killed.

Governments around the world have pressed the Saudis to come up with better explanations on the case. The same British government spokesman has said on Monday that Saudis were supposed to provide the world with "urgent clarification" on how Khashoggi was killed. The official said Riyadh's account on Khashoggi's murder entailed hypotheses.

"There remains an urgent need for clarification of what happened beyond the hypotheses raised so far in the Saudi investigation," the spokesman told reports.

Opposition parties and rights campaigners have criticized the UK government for its inaction in dealing with Saudi Arabia and its crimes. They say the UK should start imposing painful sanctions on Riyadh regardless of what would come out of investigations on Khashoggi's case.

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Trump: Khashoggi Probe, Initial Story 'One of Worst Cover-ups in History'

Sputnik News

02:11 24.10.2018

Madrid will proceed with a delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs to Riyadh.

The Spanish Parliament voted against a proposal blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia Tuesday, according to a report by Haaretz. The proposal to stop the sales over the ongoing scandal around Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was introduced by a mixed group that included deputies from smaller parties, but was rejected by a joint vote by the ruling Socialists and the opposition People's Party.

Antonio Gutierrez Limones, a Socialist Party MP, asked for "prudence and to wait to find out the facts" before making such a decision, El Nacional reports.

"Spain is a country which meets its international commitments; the decisions taken should be collective, in the headquarters of the European Union," Gutierrez Limones argued.

The matter is particularly sensitive for Spain, because Saudi Arabia is the main client for Navantia, Madrid's state-owned ship building company, Bloomberg notes. Should Spain decline to sell the bombs, Riyadh will likely reject a much bigger $2 billion ship contract in retaliation.

The vote puts Spain and Sweden, whose Prime Minister Stefan Lofven also announced his decision not to stop Sweden's arms sales to Saudi Arabia Tuesday, into the club of countries that have decided not to cut their arms contracts with Riyadh over the ongoing Khashoggi scandal. France and the UK, which are considered Riyadh's two biggest suppliers, have also declined to cut arms sales so far. Germany, the fourth-biggest exporter of weapons to Saudi Arabia, however, announced Sunday that it would halt its arms sales to the kingdom.

The $10 million arms deal, which includes a sale 400 laser-guided bombs, was previously halted in September over concerns that the weapons could be used in the war in Yemen. The decision to halt the sales was reversed mere days after its announcement.

 Sputnik

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Canada Considers Halting Arms Sales to Saudis Over Khashoggi Case - Reports

Sputnik News

15:40 23.10.2018

While Prime Minister Trudeau insisted that Canada has "frozen export permits before" and may do so again, the minister of foreign affairs was apparently less eager to give definitive answers about what measures Ottawa may implement against Riyadh.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government is willing to freeze exports of military hardware to Saudi Arabia following the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Globe and Mail reports.

According to the newspaper, Trudeau announced during a Question Period on Monday that his government "has committed to strengthening arms export controls in Bill C-47."

"We have frozen export permits before, when we had concerns about their potential misuse, and we will not hesitate to do so again," he said, apparently referring to Canada halting the approval of permits for arms exports to Saudi Arabia in August 2017, when Ottawa "began an investigation into Riyadh's deployment of Canadian-made armored vehicles against Saudi citizens."

At the same time, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was "less definitive" when describing what measured Canada might take regarding the Khashoggi case.

"Jamal Khashoggi's death is a very serious, grave incident in Canada's eyes. We still have many questions about this incident. The explanations are not credible and they are not sufficient," Freeland replied when asked why Ottawa is going ahead with a massive sale of armored vehicles to Riyadh.

This development prompted Canadian MP and member of the New Democratic Party Helene Laverdiere to accuse the government of "doublespeak," arguing that "the government claims to defend human rights on one hand, and on the other hand they arm one of the world's worst human-rights offenders."

"Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition that has been accused of war crimes in Yemen, where 12 million people could starve to death due to the armed conflict. Can the government stop the doublespeak  and stop arming rogue nations like Saudi Arabia?" she inquired.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also announced that it is "impossible under the circumstances we see" for Berlin to keep exporting weapons to Riyadh, while the country's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that there was "no basis" to continue arms sales to Saudi Arabia "as long as we don't know what happened."

US President Donald Trump, however, claimed that canceling weapons sales to Riyadh would be "not helpful" as it might affect "over a million jobs" in the US.

Jamal Khashoggi, a newspaper columnist at The Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. On October 19, Saudi Arabia, which has initially denied any involvement, admitted that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate.

 Sputnik

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Saudi King Says Riyadh to Prosecute Those Responsible For Journo Death - Reports

Sputnik News

15:16 23.10.2018(updated 16:19 23.10.2018)

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's death should be tried in Istanbul.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said that Riyadh would hold to account those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and those who "failed in their duties," the Sky News broadcaster reported on Tuesday.

Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post newspaper columnist known for his criticism of Saudi policies, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Earlier, officials from the UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Khashoggi's killing in the "strongest possible terms."

On October 19, Saudi Arabia, which initially denied any involvement, admitted that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate.

Saudi authorities have since detained 18 individuals in connection with the case, and dismissed intelligence chief Ahmad Assiri and Saud al-Qahtani, a senior aid to the crown prince.

Turkey is conducting a separate investigation into the journalist's death.

 Sputnik

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UN expert calls for international investigation into 'evident murder' of Jamal Khashoggi

23 October 2018 - The UN independent expert on freedom of opinion and expression, has said he's "very disappointed" that Member States have so far failed to back calls for an independent international investigation into the "evident murder" of dissident Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

In an exclusive interview with UN News on Monday, Special Rapporteur David Kaye, urged all governments to respond at a time when journalists are under attack, whether it's through the Security Council, Human Rights Council, or by persuading the UN Secretary-General to launch such an investigation.

Regarding the form of the investigation, the Special Rapporteur suggested an independent body made up of five people at the most, who could "evaluate the information that the Turkish authorities have been sharing with the press surreptitiously over the last couple of weeks."

This, said Mr. Kaye, would provide the international community with a credible report of what happened and, whilst it would not answer every question, it could identify who was responsible: the international community would then have to decide what to do with that information.

If such an investigation does not take place, he added, the facts will constantly be disputed.

The death of Jamal Khashoggi, said Mr. Kaye, is emblematic of a broad kind of attack on freedom of information and journalistic reporting, one that is "encapsulated" by US President Donald Trump describing the press as the "enemy of the people."

He expressed concern about the "rise in pressure on journalists and just what that suggests about our ability to sustain democratic institutions when we have such pressure on those people who are simply trying to report what they see as facts."

Mr. Kaye also noted that, in his next report to the UN, he will focus on the abusive use of commercial technology to spy on journalists, activists and ordinary citizens, which raises questions about the rules for the use of such tools, and whether or not their export should be restricted.

The interview at UN headquarters in New York took place a week before the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, on 2 November, when UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, will launch a new campaign, Truth Never Dies to raise awareness of the dangers they face: every four days, a journalist somewhere around the world is killed.

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US to Revoke Visas of Saudis Implicated in Khashoggi's Death

By VOA News October 23, 2018

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the United States had "identified at least some" of the Saudi officials involved in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and was revoking their visas.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable," Pompeo said. "We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence."

The visa revocations were the first punitive actions the U.S. has taken against Saudi Arabia since news broke of Khashoggi's disappearance on Oct. 2.

Pompeo, who made the announcement at the State Department, did not say who or how many Saudi officials would have their visas revoked. Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced it had already arrested 18 Saudis and fired several top intelligence officials in connection with Khashoggi's death.

The secretary also said the U.S. was considering taking action, such as imposing financial sanctions, under the Magnitsky Act. That law was named for Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in a Moscow prison after he reported tax fraud involving government officials; it was aimed at punishing officials responsible for his death.

Earlier Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for the first time about the Khashoggi case, saying the journalist was "murdered in a ferocious manner," and contending that Saudi Arabia carried out the killing in its Istanbul consulate in a premeditated plot. He dismissed Riyadh's claim that "rogue agents" were responsible.

"All evidence gathered shows that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a savage murder," Erdogan told the Turkish parliament in Ankara. "To cover up such savagery would hurt the human conscience."

The Turkish leader said "to blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community."

Erdogan demanded that whoever ordered the killing of Khashoggi "be brought to account," and that the 18 officials already arrested by Saudi Arabia in connection with the killing stand trial in Istanbul.

In Washington, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Saudi authorities had staged "one of the worst cover-ups" in history with their response to the killing of Khashoggi, 59, a U.S.-based Saudi dissident.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

When a reporter asked Trump if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, should be held accountable, Trump said, "I spoke with the crown prince yesterday, and he strongly said he had nothing to do with this  it was at a lower level."

Vice President Mike Pence said Erdogan's assessment of the killing "underscores the determination" of the Trump administration "to find out what happened. The word from President Erdogan this morning that this brutal murder was premeditated, preplanned days in advance, flies in the face of earlier assertions that had been made by the Saudi regime."

"The world is watching," Pence said at an event at The Washington Post, where Khashoggi wrote opinion columns that were critical of the Saudi crown prince. "The American people want answers, and we will demand that those answers are forthcoming."

Erdogan told Turkish lawmakers that "Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder. As of now, we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible, from the highest ranked to the lowest, and to bring them to justice." The Turkish president described Khashoggi's death as a "murder" 15 times in his speech.

Erdogan never mentioned Salman in his speech and did not play an audio recording of the killing that news accounts have cited.

Erdogan gave new details surrounding the killing  which involved 15 Saudi agents who started arriving in Turkey on Oct. 1, the day before Khashoggi was killed  while largely confirming earlier news accounts of Khashoggi's disappearance, including that Saudi agents deployed a body double with Khashoggi's clothes, glasses and beard to walk out of the consulate to make it appear as if he had left the diplomatic outpost alive.

The Turkish president said that on Oct. 1, a team of Saudi consular staff scouted out two separate locations in a forest outside Istanbul and at Yalova, 90 kilometers south of the city. Turkish authorities have searched the locations, theorizing that Khashoggi's remains might have been disposed of there, but have not found his body. Erdogan said Saudi agents removed the hard drive from the consulate's surveillance system.

Saudi officials at first said that Khashoggi had walked out of the consulate and that they did not know his whereabouts. Then they said he died in a fistfight in the consulate. Most recently, the Saudis said Khashoggi was killed in a chokehold when he tried to leave the consulate to call for help.

"When the murder is so clear," Erdogan said, "why were so many inconsistent statements made? Why is the body of a person who has officially been accepted as killed still not around?"

Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to get documents he needed to marry his fiancee, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz, who waited outside in vain for his return.

The Turkish leader stressed the need for his police and intelligence services to conduct a thorough probe, both to avoid falsely accusing anyone and to fulfill a responsibility to the international community.

Since Saudi accounts said a "local collaborator" had disposed of Khashoggi's remains, Erdogan said, "I am now asking: Who is this local collaborator?"

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel was in Turkey to confer with Turkish officials about their investigation.

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Will Khashoggi Killing Trigger Saudi Crown Prince's Downfall?

By Jamie Dettmer October 23, 2018

A week before his death, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi noted at a conference he attended, "Change will happen solely because of the grave mistakes committed by the [Arab] despots."

His remark strikes his friends as appallingly ironic, and they're determined to ensure his death by alleged assassins, with links to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, in what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says was a meticulously planned premeditated murder, won't have been for nothing.

They hope Khashoggi's slaying ends up as a "mistake" marking the beginning of the end for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "The biggest threat to the crown prince is what he did," says Khalil Jahshan, a friend of the slain journalist and director of the Arab Center, research group in Washington, D.C.

"Whether he supported it, endorsed it, whether he picked up the phone, as the Turks have alleged, when Jamal entered the consulate and [when they] spoke with Jamal to try to persuade him to head back to Saudi Arabia and he refused, if that is the case it is pretty damning. It is his actual actions that will condemn him," said Jahshan.

Khashoggi's death three weeks ago in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, which Riyadh belatedly acknowledged as a tragic error, but insists was a rogue intelligence operation, is emboldening exiled Saudi dissidents and it may trigger a serious challenge from within the kingdom's royal family to the day-to-day rule of the crown prince, say Saudi activists and analysts.

In midst of a crackdown

Khashoggi's death has compounded the widespread fear in the Gulf kingdom of criticizing the royal family and especially of the crown prince, widely referred to as MBS. Activists say people were already cowed by a vicious crackdown on dissent and are afraid now to say anything against the regime, and the murder has terrified the Saudi Diaspora.

But high-profile dissidents living outside Saudi Arabia appear emboldened and are adamant they will make sure the death of the onetime palace insider-turned-critic isn't forgotten or glossed over.

Much of their effort is on ensuring those in the West, who they accuse of overlooking injustice and repression in the kingdom, don't try to assist what they see as a Saudi effort to exonerate the crown prince, who they firmly believe ordered the killing.

"Solace will only come if this turns out to be a tipping point in how the world deals with tyrants and dictators," according to Wadah Khanfar, a Khashoggi friend and president of Al Sharq Forum, an independent network dedicated to finding strategies for political development and social justice in the Middle East.

They draw some comfort from an unlikely figure, Erdogan, who according to his aides sees the killing as a personal insult. The Turkish president is the target of criticism from rights campaigners for overseeing a crackdown on dissent in his own country and for jailing journalists, but he appears ready to continue to press the Saudi government for a full accounting of the killing.

Lack of details

Speaking Tuesday to members of the ruling party, Erdogan said all the culprits should be held accountable to the law, including those who instructed the killers. And he wants them tried in Turkey. His speech carried the strong implication the crown prince isn't innocent. In a remark clearly pointed by omitting any mention of MBS, he said, "I do not doubt the sincerity of King Salman. That being said, independent investigation needs to be carried out. This is a political killing."

Erdogan's speech was a disappointment to many, on Sunday he had said his speech would reveal all the facts about the killing. But he made no mention of audio and video evidence Turkish officials say they have and which have been reportedly shared with Western intelligence agencies.

But Western diplomats say they assume Erdogan knows more than he revealed Tuesday and by withholding what he knows, he's increasing his leverage on Riyadh and turning the screws on the Saudi royal family. That may force the Saudis offer more admissions about the slaying, they say.

Dysfunctional family

As pressure mounts for Riyadh to clear up crucial questions about the killing, there is mounting disapproval of the crown prince in the Saudi royal family from senior princes, many of whom have been sidelined by MBS and bear him a grudge.

His decision to break with Saudi tradition and to rule as a one-man show and not seek consensus for decisions within the royal family could come back to haunt him, say analysts.

Last week, Saudi Prince Khalid bin Farhan Al-Saud, one of the sidelined senior princes, who lives in self-imposed exile in Germany, called publicly for King Salman bin Abdulaziz to abdicate the throne in favor of his brother Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.

Ahmed is the 31st son of the founding king of Saudi Arabia and until Salman decided to make his son MBS the crown prince, Ahmed was next in line to succeed.

For MBS to be stripped of his crown prince status, a so-called allegiance council would have to be convened, but that can only happen with King Salman's agreement.

How the West reacts and what punishment for the killing they decide to impose on Saudi Arabia will be a major factor in shaping the king's thinking, say Saudi activists.

Some analysts discount the idea that King Salman will 'dethrone' his favorite son  doing so would indicate weakness and invite further demands from princes who have been sidelined. And Tuesday there were few signs the crown prince's power was waning  he received a warm welcome at the opening of a high-profile investment summit. However, he did not deliver the opening speech, as had been expected by attendees.

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Spain Votes Against Blocking Arms Deal With Saudi Arabia

Sputnik News

02:11 24.10.2018

Madrid will proceed with a delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs to Riyadh.

The Spanish Parliament voted against a proposal blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia Tuesday, according to a report by Haaretz. The proposal to stop the sales over the ongoing scandal around Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was introduced by a mixed group that included deputies from smaller parties, but was rejected by a joint vote by the ruling Socialists and the opposition People's Party.

Antonio Gutierrez Limones, a Socialist Party MP, asked for "prudence and to wait to find out the facts" before making such a decision, El Nacional reports.

"Spain is a country which meets its international commitments; the decisions taken should be collective, in the headquarters of the European Union," Gutierrez Limones argued.

The matter is particularly sensitive for Spain, because Saudi Arabia is the main client for Navantia, Madrid's state-owned ship building company, Bloomberg notes. Should Spain decline to sell the bombs, Riyadh will likely reject a much bigger $2 billion ship contract in retaliation.

The vote puts Spain and Sweden, whose Prime Minister Stefan Lofven also announced his decision not to stop Sweden's arms sales to Saudi Arabia Tuesday, into the club of countries that have decided not to cut their arms contracts with Riyadh over the ongoing Khashoggi scandal. France and the UK, which are considered Riyadh's two biggest suppliers, have also declined to cut arms sales so far. Germany, the fourth-biggest exporter of weapons to Saudi Arabia, however, announced Sunday that it would halt its arms sales to the kingdom.

The $10 million arms deal, which includes a sale 400 laser-guided bombs, was previously halted in September over concerns that the weapons could be used in the war in Yemen. The decision to halt the sales was reversed mere days after its announcement.

 Sputnik

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Joint US-Turkey Patrols Could Begin in Manbij Over Coming Days  CENTCOM Chief

Sputnik News

17:51 23.10.2018(updated 17:58 23.10.2018)

Ankara has long been locked in negotiations with Washington over the city of Manbij and other parts of northern Syria under the control of Kurdish forces, seeking to limit their influence.

Turkish and American troops are likely to start conducting joint patrols in Manbij over the coming days, General Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), told reporters on Monday.

Both militaries have been carrying out their own separate patrols in northern Syria, and a recently agreed deal paved the way for US and Turkish forces to begin training for joint patrols.

"We're right on track with where we want to be. We've been through a very deliberate and mutually agreed upon training program," Gen. Joseph Votel stressed.

The senior US military official didn't specify the number of troops that will be involved.

Over the weekend, following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kaln announced that the necessary training and planning had been completed, suggesting joint patrols could begin imminently.

The Manbij deal was reached earlier this year, in June, after negotiators eventually agreed on a plan which consists of militants from the People's Protection Units (YPG) group withdrawing from the area.

Turkey considers the YPG to be part of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has fought a bloody insurgency in the name of Kurdish independence.

In early 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the Turkish Army and allied rebels to seize Afrin to dislodge YPG forces from the area, drawing condemnation from the Syrian government.

 Sputnik

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Feeding families remains complex task in war-torn Syria - UN relief agency

23 October 2018 - Nearly a million Syrians have headed home amid improving security, only to find houses destroyed and livelihoods lost said the United Nations emergency food relief agency on Tuesday, leaving many civilians still reliant on aid.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), while Syrian food prices have fallen due to easier transportation links, erratic weather patterns have severely damaged cereal production, resulting in the lowest wheat crop in almost three decades.

"It is likely that everyone in Syria will, in some way, be affected by the abysmal wheat crop  people would either have less wheat or pay more for it," WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel told journalists at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

"Continued food assistance at scale is vital," he continued, noting also that Syrians returning home "need active markets, jobs and support."

In response, WFP is supporting food production and income generation projects in areas that are secure and have functioning markets, as well as prioritizing longer-term recovery. However, its efforts are constrained by a severe lack of resources.

Between now and March next year, the UN agency needs about $136 million for Syria operations, explained Mr. Verhoosel, necessitating "reliable and predictable funding, to plan and maintain the vital lifeline of food assistance on which millions of vulnerable Syrians depend."

Across Syria, over 13 million people continue to depend on humanitarian assistance, of which more than 6 million are food-insecure IDPs.

WFP chief in Syria 'to gain better understanding of situation on the ground'

Meanwhile, the UN agency's Executive Director, David Beasley is in Syria, visiting the previously besieged enclaves of eastern Ghouta and Rural Damascus.

There, he visited a school meals site where WFP is delivering date bars for schoolchildren, a food distribution point, and residents of Zamalka who benefit from WFPs food assistance.

"The purpose of the visit," said Mr. Verhoosel, "is to gain a better understanding of the situation on the ground, especially given the wheat crop," he added.

On Wednesday, Mr. Beasely will travel to Lebanon, which is hosting nearly a million Syrian refugees, 700,000 of whom are dependent on WFP food assistance.

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Pro-nuclear referendum approved to be held with local elections

ROC Central News Agency

2018/10/23 18:44:28

Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved a referendum proposal on overturning the government's policy to make Taiwan a nuclear-free homeland by 2025, bringing to 10 the number of referendums to be held in conjunction with year-end local elections.

The agency announced Tuesday that the initiative had met the threshold for valid endorsements after the leading petitioner submitted enough additional signatures to make up a shortfall that had held the initiative back.

The referendum proposal will ask voters if they agree to abolish paragraph 1 of Article 95 of the Electricity Act, which says that "all nuclear energy-based power-generating facilities shall completely cease operations by 2025."

Proposers of the referendum, led by Huang Shih-hsiu (), argue that nuclear energy is a safe, clean source of electricity that can allow time for the development of other sources of green energy without damaging the environment or contributing to global warming.

The clause was passed as an amendment by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government in 2016 to codify its goal of making Taiwan nuclear-free by 2025.

Approval of the referendum means that Taiwanese voters will now have 10 referendum questions to decide when they head to the polls in nationwide elections of local officials on Nov. 24, the CEC said.

The CEC first rejected the proposal on Oct. 16 after it found that only 279,419 of the 314,135 endorsements submitted by Huang on Sept. 6 were valid, leaving it short of the 281,745 signatures legally required to bring a referendum to a vote.

On Sept. 13 Huang submitted an additional 23,251 endorsements to be sure the proposal would be approved, but the CEC rejected them.

The rejection led Huang to file suit and secure a court order requiring the CEC to accept those endorsements, which were resubmitted on Oct. 17 after the CEC rejected Huang's referendum bid.

A total of 13,235 were determined to be valid as of Tuesday noon by household registration authorities, allowing the referendum question to be put to a vote, the CEC said.

(By Claudia Liu and Elizabeth Hsu)

Enditem/ls

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Trump Effort to End Missile Treaty Draws Mixed Reaction

By Danila Galperovich October 23, 2018

A prominent nuclear weapons expert says White House threats to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty are diplomatically shortsighted, potentially dangerous and politically risky for President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections.

Calling the landmark 1987 missile treaty a key part of European and international security for over 30 years, Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said while there have been concerns about Russia's compliance with the agreement, U.S. withdrawal would shift blame for the collapse of the treaty from Moscow, "where it belongs," to Washington.

His comments came shortly after U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top Kremlin officials in Moscow.

"The other reason why this is problematic is that the United States and Russia have not exhausted the diplomatic options to resolve this conflict," Kimball said, pointing out that Bolton's Moscow visit is only the third U.S.-Russia meeting under the current administration.

"One of the available options that should be tried is mutual transparency visits by Russian experts to U.S. missile interceptor sites in Romania, and U.S. technical expert inspections of the 9M729 missiles that the U.S. is concerned about in Russia," Kimball said.

U.S. officials, including Trump, accuse Russia of ground-launching an 9M729 cruise missile in violation of the treaty in 2014, a charge long denied by Russia, which says U.S. missile defense systems in Europe violate the agreement.

"Both sides are going to have to try harder to work out a diplomatic solution," Kimball added. "I think if the two sides have the necessary political will, it's possible, and the INF treaties can be preserved."

Bolton, who said he was in Moscow as part of Trump's commitment to improve security cooperation with Russia, had earlier hinted the arms control pact with Russia is outdated.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the INF accord in 1987, which bans the United States and Russia from building, testing and stockpiling ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range from 500 to 5,000 kilometers (310-3,100 miles).

"Because intermediate-range missiles have a very short flight time to their targets, they're especially destabilizing," Kimball told VOA's Russian Service. "Because there's very little warning time, it can lead to instability in a crisis, which is why Reagan and Gorbachev eliminated them in the 1980s."

Addressing reporters in Moscow, Bolton said he believes Cold War-era bilateral treaties are no longer relevant because now other countries are also building missiles.

At recent political campaign rally in Nevada, Trump said the United States would have to start developing new weapons if Russia and China, which is not part of the INF treaty, do. He then proposed having China join the treaty, an idea that Kimball calls highly unlikely.

The U.S. and Russia, said Kimball, "would love to have China in this INF agreement."

"Why? Because about two-thirds of China's nuclear arsenal is deployed on short, medium, or intermediate-range missiles," Kimball said. "That's because of geography, because of the way China deploys its relatively small nuclear arsenal. So, that would be a win for the U.S. and Russia, and a loss for China."

Asked if he expects the administration to withdraw formally, Kimball was skeptical.

"The past few weeks, the United States government has been discussing what to do with respect to the treaty. I think that Bolton, if he's smart, he would have gone to Moscow to say, 'Look, we're not going to let this problem linger for too much longer. We may withdraw from this treaty if you, Russia, don't take the following steps,'" Kimball said. "But I think Donald Trump  with his penchant for tough rhetoric  may have jumped the gun a little bit when he said on Saturday that we will terminate the INF treaty."

In Russia, state media such as RIA Novosti cited anonymous sources offering similar interpretations of Trump's rhetoric, which they dismissed as midterm election rally grandstanding, where politicians can score political points for appearing tough on Russia.

Although European leaders have supported U.S. efforts to bring Russia into compliance with the treaty and called on the Russian government for greater technical transparency with its arsenal, they have largely resisted U.S. withdrawal.

"The INF contributed to the end of the Cold War and constitutes a pillar of European security architecture since it entered into force 30 years ago," said a spokesperson for the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in a prepared statement issued Monday.

"Thanks to the INF treaty, almost 3,000 missiles with nuclear and conventional warheads have been removed and verifiably destroyed," the statement said. "The world doesn't need a new arms race that would benefit no one and on the contrary would bring even more instability."

French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue with Trump by phone the morning after the Nevada rally to "underline the importance of this treaty, especially with regards to European security," according to a statement by the French ministry that called "on all the parties to avoid any hasty unilateral decisions, which would be regrettable."

Matthew Kroenig, deputy director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, hailed Trump's proposed withdrawal as "the right move."

"Russia has been cheating on this treaty for years, and there was no hope of getting Moscow to return to compliance," he said in an Atlantic Council blog post. "It doesn't make sense for the United States to be unilaterally constrained by limits that don't affect any other country."

A Putin spokesman said a U.S. pullout from the INF treaty would make the world a more dangerous place, and that Russia would have to take security countermeasures to "restore balance."

Addressing reporters in Moscow, Bolton said he discussed Russian meddling in U.S. elections with Putin, calling it counterproductive for Russia. He also said Trump looked forward to meeting Putin in Paris on Nov. 11.

This story originated in VOA's Russian Service.

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PROGRAM GOALS - RESOURCE EXPANSION, TheNewswire - Savary Gold Corp. (TSX-V: SCA) ("Savary" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update for its Karankasso Project in south western Burkina Faso. Savary is the 74% owner and operator of the joint venture project.

The Company plans to commence a 70 hole, +5,000 m drill program in early November to follow-up the positive results of the drill program completed in June of 2018 (as highlighted below) as well as a few high priority targets as depicted in Figure 1.

Drill Program Targets - Based on previously released highlighted results1

Karangosso South Area*

-AC-18-79 - 1.81 g/t gold over 28 metres from 28 metres -AC-18-82 - 5.12 g/t gold over 13 metres from 9 metres

Serakoro 1 West Area**

-AC-18-60 - 1.93 g/t gold over 10 metres from 22 metres - F North Zone (new) -AC-18-77 - 5.81 g/t gold over 14 metres from 10 metres - D South Zone (new) -includes 57.63 g/t gold over 1 metre -AC-18-131 - 3.95 g/t gold over 3 metres from 11 metres - A zone -AC-18-133 - 3.09 g/t gold over 8 metres from 25 metres - A South Zone (new)



Serakoro West North Area**

-AC-18-96 - 1.07 g/t gold over 8 metres from 12 metres (new) -AC-18-100 - 1.56 g/t gold over 6 metres from 38 metres - SWN1 Zone (new) -AC-18-112 - 3.84 g/t gold over 4 metres from 8 metres (new) -AC-18-118 - 50.85 g/t gold over 1 metre from 13 metres and 2.44 g/t gold over 13 metres from 20 metres (new)

* widths are 70-75% of true width

** widths are approximate true widths

1 Savary News Release July 25, 2018

"The focus of the upcoming program is to expand resources and to continue to de-risk the project through the collection of a more complete suite of metallurgical samples of the principle zones" stated Don Dudek, President and CEO of Savary. "These targets continue to represent obvious expansion potential and therefore I anticipate continuing the trend of positive results, added Mr. Dudek.



Click Image To View Full Size

The program will include approximately 3,750 metre of reverse circulation and air core drilling in 56 holes as well as 1,900 metres of core drilling in 12-13 holes. The core holes will test for higher grade mineralization at depth (approx. 150 m to 200 m below surface) at Kueredougou and Karangosso (see Figure 1 for locations), acquire additional structural information at all zones and collect a more complete suite of fresh rock metallurgical samples from all zones. The high-grade target at Kueredougou is an inferred structural intersection area where drilling returned 83.35 g/t gold over 4 metres, 48.00 g/t gold over 4 metres and 21.13 g/t gold over 4 metres. The high-grade target at Karangosso lies below an intercept of 6.73 g/t gold over 7 metres. All of the core holes will be completed using an oriented core tool that will facilitate the collection of structural data.

Metallurgical data to date has shown a wide range of fresh rock gold recoveries from 42% to 99% with the most recent work returning lower gold recoveries from several of the zones. Average, modelled fresh rock recoveries, as previously guided, range from 80% to 91%, depending on the resource zone. The metallurgical work to date comprised timed bottle roll tests and a combination of up to 8 year old core and RC chip material that were subjected to various grind sizes (some ulta-fine) and a variety of leach conditions. The current program will collect a fresh suite of representative core samples from the principle mineralized zones and subject this material to more uniform treatment and testing. It is expected that up to 30 metallurgical samples will be collected and then analysed in Q1, 2019. These samples will be used to refine our assumed average gold recoveries.

Stock Option Grant

The Company has granted a total of 1,930,000 stock options to various officers, directors and consultants. The options may be exercised at a price of $0.05 per common share for a period of five years from the date of grant. The company grants stock options from time to time to the various members of the board and management with a view to linking the interest of the directors and management with those of shareholders while keeping G&A expenses as low as possible. It is anticipated that during the financial year ending December 31, 2018 stock options are the only form of compensation to be received by members of Savary's board. The grant of options remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Savary Gold Corp.

Savary is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploring and developing (its ~74% owned) Karankasso Gold Project in Burkina Faso. The Project is located within the Hounde Greenstone Belt, which hosts Semafo's Mana mine, Roxgold's Yaramoko Mine and Endeavor's Hounde Mine. The Project contains an Inferred mineral resource estimate* of 12.3 million tonnes (Mt) grading 2.03 g/t gold for 805,000 ounces. For additional information please visit our website at www.savarygold.com.

Don Dudek, P.Geo., President and CEO of the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

* Open pit constrained and underground Mineral resource estimate presented in Savary news release dated November 2, 2017

For more information, please contact, Don Dudek, President and CEO at 647-259-2097: info@savarygold.com or visit our website at www.savarygold.com

Cautionary Notes

The potential to increase existing estimated mineral resources is conceptual in nature and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

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.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the details of the potential value growth of the JV, the upside of the property, the drill program, the company's exploration plans and the timing of results, the focus on existing drill targets and new targets. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Copyright (c) 2018 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, Oct. 24, 2018 - Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; OTCQB: GRLVF; FRA: 3GE) ("Group Eleven" or the "Company") announces the commencement of preliminary drilling at the Company's 76.56% owned Stonepark zinc-lead project ("Stonepark") in the Republic of Ireland. The primary aim of the program is to advance the Company's ongoing 'Big Think' exploration strategy by providing important 3D geological information ahead of Group Eleven's 'Big Drill' exploration program in 2019. Preliminary drilling is expected to total 1,500-2,000 metres and focus entirely outside the existing Mineral Resource Estimate footprint (see news release dated April 17, 2018).

"We are excited to embark on this important next stage of exploration in the Limerick basin. Despite being relatively new and underexplored, this zinc camp is already the most metal-endowed region in Ireland, outside Boliden's Navan zinc deposit" stated Bart Jaworski, CEO. "Mineralization discovered to date in this area includes Glencore's Pallas Green deposit1, our neighbouring Stonepark deposit2, our Carrickittle and Oola occurrences3, as well as, our five regional prospects identified by the previous operator. Our Gortdrum4 prospect  an open-pit copper mine from the 1960s - is also in the area and postulated as a feeder system for zinc mineralization in the district."

"The above deposits and occurrences are located in a roughly concentric pattern around the Limerick Volcanic Complex. Recent academic work suggests these volcanics may play a significant role in the emplacement of zinc mineralization. One of the exciting ideas being developed by Group Eleven as part of the 'Big Think' is that known mineralization represents merely the outer edges of the system - with its heart located towards the centre of the volcanics. With that in mind, it will be very interesting to combine geological information from this preliminary drilling with results from the ongoing Tellus airborne survey to produce high-priority drill targets for next year's 'Big Drill' program."

What is 'Big Think'? Group Eleven's 'Big Think' exploration is an open-minded and methodical search for tier-one zinc deposits in the Irish Zinc District through comprehensive re-evaluation of over 70 years of exploration data, combined with cutting edge geophysical and geochemical techniques. The Company believes no other zinc-focused junior or major company is currently exploring on such a broad and deep scale in Ireland. Please see our 'Q&A' discussion on the 'Big Think' for further information. For more information on the Tellus survey, see news release dated September 27th, 2018. Maps of the Limerick basin are shown on www.groupelevenresources.com.

__________________________ 1 Pallas Green hosts 44.2 million tonnes of 7.2% Zn + 1.2% Pb in the Inferred Category (Glencore; Dec 31, 2017). 2 Stonepark hosts 5.1 million tonnes of 8.7% Zn + 2.6% Pb in the Inferred Category (Group Eleven; June 18, 2018). 3 Carrickittle prospect hosts historic drilling with up to 5.8 metres of 10.7% Zn and 1.7% Pb; Oola prospect hosts extensive medieval silver-lead workings (Group Eleven intersected 0.45m of 107 g/t Ag + 4.9% Pb; Dec 31, 2017). 4 Gortdrum, mined from 1967-1975, contained an historic estimate of 4.2 million tonnes of 1.2% Cu + 23 g/t Ag.

Qualified Person

EurGeol John Barry MSc., M.B.A., P.Geo, Vice President of Exploration Strategy and Director of Group Eleven's Irish subsidiary, is the qualified person at Group Eleven Resources, as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Barry has worked for extended periods on Irish-style zinc deposits over much of the last 30 years and is a professional member of the Institute of Geologists of Ireland and a member of the European Federation of Geologists. Mr. Barry is responsible for the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release.

About Group Eleven Resources

Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; FRA: 3GE and OTC: GRLVF) is focused on zinc exploration in Ireland. The Company's large land package (99 prospecting licenses totalling 3,200 square kilometres) allows Group Eleven to leverage new geological thinking and geophysical technology to systematically rethink key aspects of the Irish zinc district. Key projects include Ballinalack (with Joint Venture partner Nonfemet), Stonepark (with Joint Venture partner Connemara Mining), Silvermines (100%) and Tralee (100%). The Company's team includes accomplished mining professionals with direct experience in finding mines, building companies and exploring Irish zinc deposits.

Additional information about the Company is available at www.groupelevenresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bart Jaworski, P.Geo.

Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Adjacent Property Information



This press release contains statements regarding the Pallas Green Mineral Resource estimate by Glencore plc Such statements are obtained from publicly available sources and are provided for informational purposes only. The results within the report referenced are not meant to be indicative of the results and findings of the Company's Stonepark property.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information



This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of the Company, including the timing, content, cost and results of proposed work programs, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/ reserves and geological interpretations. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. 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. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located. 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 technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties, and particularly the technical report entitled "NI 43-101 Independent Report on the Zinc-Lead Exploration Project at Stonepark, County Limerick, Ireland" with an effective date of April 26, 2018 by Paul Gordon, John Kelly and Belinda van Lente (SLR Consulting Ireland) with respect to the Stonepark Project."

SOURCE Group Eleven Resources Corp.
VANCOUVER, Oct. 24, 2018 - Sanatana Resources Inc. (Sanatana or the Company: TSX-V: STA) is pleased to provide the details of the acquisition of the Tirua project to its shareholders.



The Tirua project, hosted in the 15km wide (68 square kilometres in area) Tirua volcanic caldera, is located on New Georgia Island, in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, part of the South Pacific archipelago of volcanic islands around the Ring of Fire. This chain of islands is renowned for hosting large copper and gold deposits, extending from Papua New Guinea ("PNG") in the northwest to Fiji to the southeast, most notably the giant epithermal Ladolam Gold Deposit on Lihir Island and the copper-gold porphyry Panguna deposit on Bougainville, immediately west of New Georgia Island.

Pursuant to a prospecting agreement, which is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval ("the Agreement"), signed with Trevor Wright, Sol Mar Por Pty Ltd, Brian D Edgar and Stadnyk and Partners (collectively, "the Vendors"), the Company, through its Solomon Islands wholly owned subsidiary ExSol SI Ltd, has received notice of a letter of intent (the "LOI"), from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification to issue a Prospecting License (the "PL") subject to the completion of surface access agreements ("SAA"), which will allow for exploration of the Tirua Project.

A presentation outlining and detailing the Tirua project will be posted shortly on Sanatana's website, www.sanatanaresources.com.

Sanatana will be working with Trevor Wright, MSc Geology, who has some 20 years experience in gold and copper projects in the Southwest Pacific. Trevor, and his team, who bring expertise in community relations, support and logistics will partner with Sanatana's Buddy Doyle, who spent 8 years in PNG and was instrumental in the discovery, definition, and decision to mine phases of the world class Lihir Gold Mine.

Mr. Wright undertook surface and geophysical studies at Tirua that led to a six hole drill program being conducted. This and other limited work has demonstrated that the Tirua caldera has gold and copper mineralization, much of which, including significant targets developed by Mr. Wright, remains untested and underexplored.

Highlights of Past Exploration:

Drilling: The best intervals from 11 drill holes ran 62m @ 0.45% Cu from surface and 3m @ 2.52 g/t Au from 98m.

Trenching: 15m @ 1.16 g/t Au (open).

Maximum rock chip float samples of 37.7 g/t Au, 201 g/t Ag, and 0.25% Cu.

Maximum soil samples of 10.7 g/t Au, 322 g/t Ag and 0.29% Cu.

Completion of airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the entire caldera highlighting a distinct ring structure.

Wide spread alteration and porphyry Cu-Au and epithermal Au mineralisation associated with geophysical / structural interpretations.

Note that previous exploration was conducted between 1983 and 2013 and the data has been verified by Mr. Trevor Wright from open file reports obtained from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification. These samples may not be indicative of future results.

Peter Miles, President and CEO states, "We are excited to acquire the Tirua project. In our opinion the limited work done at Tirua to date has shown it to have extensive and significant mineralization in a world class underexplored geological setting. Sanatana is in a unique position to maximize the potential of the project by combining Buddy's knowledge of caldera geology and logistics gained through his experience at Lihir, and Trevor's similar experience at Tirua".

Buddy Doyle, VP Exploration states, "The Tirua project is in a geological setting with a large mineralized alteration system that has seen only minimal historic drill testing, leaving many high priority exploration areas and specific targets untested. I look forward to helping with the future exploration of this exciting opportunity".

Sanatana's exploration and management team are planning to visit the Tirua project shortly in order to plan exploration and to begin the process to acquire the necessary SAAs, which are expected to be in hand before Christmas.

The terms of the Agreement, are:

Within 10 business days of the issuance of the PL, 25,000,000 shares of the Company will be issued to the Vendors;



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) indicating a minimum resource of 1,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors;



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 indicating a minimum resource of 2,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors;



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 indicating a minimum resource of 3,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors; and



Within 10 business days of the receipt by the Company of a resource report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 indicating a minimum resource of 4,000,000 ounces of gold (or gold equivalent if other metals are considered to be economic), 3,750,000 additional shares of the Company will be issued to the vendors.

The information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Buddy Doyle, BAppSc (Geol.), MAusIMM, VP Exploration for Sanatana. Mr. Doyle is a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this news release.

About the Company

Sanatana Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration and development company with an experienced management team and board of directors. Sanatana is based in Vancouver and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: STA).

SANATANA RESOURCES INC.

(signed) Peter Miles______________



Peter Miles

President and Chief Executive Officer

For additional information on the Company, please contact:

Mr. Peter Miles, President and Chief Executive Officer at (604) 408-6680 or email investor@sanatanaresources.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Some of the statements contained in this news release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, intends, is expected, potential, suggests or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond Sanatanas control. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
COQUITLAM, Oct. 24, 2018 - Cobalt Works Inc. (TSXV: CCW) (OTC: CCWOF) (Frankfurt: 4T9B) (the "Company" or "Canada Cobalt") is pleased to announce that drilling 1.5 km east-southeast of the Castle mine, in an under-explored area prospective for a new deposit type, has intersected well-mineralized felsic Archean units at a downhole depth between 77 meters and 163 meters as well as mineralized mafic to ultramafic units above and below over significant widths starting from surface.

Drilling of this third hole of the program continues.

The upper 77 meters of the hole is a coarse-grained, variable-textured and apparent cumulate gabbroic body (crystals up to 1 cm diameter) with disseminated pyrite throughout. From 77 m to 163 m is an intensely-altered, silicified and pyritized zone of felsic rocks unlike anything previously intersected at the Castle Property. Below the highly silicified unit are mineralized mafic to ultramafic units. Mineralization in these units consists of four distinct horizons featuring up to 1-cm diameter, coarse-grained blebby sulphides.

Core is being investigated and assayed for gold, platinum group elements, nickel and other potential metals.

A thin layer of overlying Huronian sedimentary rocks masked this area from previous exploration. The hole, collared 27 meters south of a strong, multi-element MMI soil anomaly and at the center of a 725-meter-long east-west trending IP anomaly with an associated chargeability halo, was drilled toward the north.

At the completion of this hole, a follow-up hole will be collared to the north of the MMI anomaly and 50 meters to the west, drilled southward to give a second cut through these newly-discovered mineralized zones.

Underground Drilling Update

A total of 67 underground drill holes have now been completed on the first level of the Castle mine. Visual analysis of core supports the Company's geological model that many well-mineralized cobalt vein structures were left behind by previous operators. The Company looks forward to providing initial assay results, and a steady stream thereafter, within the next seven to 10 days.

Pilot Plant Produces 8.25% Cobalt Concentrate From Waste Pile

Canada Cobalt's on-site proprietary pilot plant recently produced a gravity concentrate from a 250-kilogram sample randomly selected from the Castle mine waste pile (material left behind outside the mine by previous operators). Subsequent assaying by Swastika Laboratories has returned a cobalt concentrate grading 8.25%, featuring head grades of 0.39% cobalt and 1,905 g/t silver.

Frank Basa, Canada Cobalt President and CEO, commented, "Such head grades from the waste pile at Castle are extremely encouraging, not to mention our ability to produce such a high cobalt concentrate on site from material that was considered waste decades ago. Our proprietary Re-2OX process takes the concentrate from this stage, removes the arsenic and converts the concentrate into a client-specific technical grade cobalt sulphate."

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Two samples weighing a total of 250 kilograms, having been processed in Canada Cobalt Works' proprietary Re-2OX pilot plant at the Castle Property, were taken to Swastika Laboratories in Swastika, Ontario, for analysis where a pulp-metallic analysis was completed for the silver assays. The entire sample was dried, weighed and crushed over 95%, then fully pulverized and passed through 147-micron screen to create a plus 147-micron fraction (metallics) and a minus 147-micron fraction (pulp). Approximately 50 grams of the metallic fraction was weighed, fused and assayed by fire assay. The resulting dore bead of gold and silver was weighed before adding HNO 3 acid to dissolve the silver. The remaining gold bead was weighed and subtracted from the gold + silver bead to give a silver weight and grade for the metallics portion. The minus-147 fraction (pulp) had 2 samples from entire pulp which were weighed and then digested by two acid aqua regia and finalized by AAS reading for Co, Ag and Ni. Final silver grade is a calculated weighted average using grades and weights from both pulps and metallics. As gold was not assayed in the pulps, the final gold assay was calculated by weighted average, as for the silver, but assuming a 0.0 g/t Au grade for the pulp portion. Cobalt, nickel and copper were provided as percent grade. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks and reference materials at the lab.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., Canada Cobalt's President and Chief Executive Officer, who is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.

About Canada Cobalt Works Inc.

Canada Cobalt is a pure play cobalt company focused on its past producing Castle mine in the Northern Ontario Cobalt Camp, Canada's most prolific cobalt district. With underground access at Castle, a recently installed pilot plant to produce cobalt-rich gravity concentrates on site, and a proprietary hydrometallurgical process known as Re-2OX for the creation of technical grade cobalt sulphate as well as nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) formulations, Canada Cobalt is strategically positioned to become a vertically integrated North American leader in cobalt extraction and recovery.

"Frank J. Basa"

Frank J. Basa, P. Eng.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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 forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE Canada Cobalt Works Inc.
After creating a runaway tech success story in Norwalk, Austin McChord is stepping away as CEO of Datto, the data backup and security company he created after college and built to a $1 billion valuation within a decade.

McChord will remain actively involved with Datto as an investor and board member, with the company elevating No. 2 executive Tim Weller to interim CEO while it considers a permanent replacement.

Datto was acquired last year by Vista Equity Partners, with McChord laying the foundation of the company in a basement office of his fathers civil engineering firm in Wilton after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1997 with an idea for a small data backup device for use in small businesses and homes.

A native of Newtown and resident of Norwalk, McChord donated $50 million last year to RIT, with the school using it to bolster entrepreneurship and digital programs it offers students.

McChord would find success by tapping a sales channel of smaller, independent companies who manage information technology for business clients, and who lacked themselves a sophisticated data backup provider as part of the portfolio of services they offer. Today, some 14,000 managed services providers offering its suite to more than 500,000 business customers in more than 130 countries.

Datto has 1,400 employees after merging last year with Autotask, and currently lists 45 open jobs in Norwalk.

Speaking last month in Rochester in announcing an expansion there with incentives from the state of New York, McChord gave no hint of his plans, calling it a natural evolution in a written statement.

Its pretty wild just how much Datto has grown, McChord said last month in Rochester. While we are far away from Silicon Valley, ... it shows what can be built. I honestly believe that in the beginning, if Datto had moved to one of those major tech hubs, I dont think that we would have been as successful as we are today.

Among homegrown, high-tech companies in Connecticut, it is a success rivaled by few others with Datto on a short list that includes Priceline.com and successor company Booking Holdings, which remains based in Norwalk two decades after its launch.

Datto disclosed a 36 percent increase in revenue last year, with its sustained growth trajectory lumping it in with tech companies seen as candidates for an initial public offerings of stock. To date this year, more than 170 companies have gone public at valuations in excess of $50 million, up by more than half from a year ago according to Renaissance Capital, a Greenwich firm that maintains an IPO pipeline tracker.

Datto hired Weller more than a year ago as chief financial officer, then elevated him to president and chief operating officer. At Cambridge, Mass.-based Akamai Technologies in the late 1990s, Weller helped put together what was at the time one of the best initial public offerings of stock in history, with Akamai an early pioneer in helping websites stay up and running during surges in traffic.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
GREENWICH  Enrollment for Greenwich Public Schools is up for the fifth consecutive year and will peak next year, according to district data collected this October.

The district is also seeing a historic high in the number of students who identify as Hispanic or of two or more ethnicities. For the first time, more than one-third of Greenwich students meet the state definition of high needs, meaning they qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch, require special education services or are learning English.

The data show these students are overwhelmingly attending New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue, two schools that will again be cited by the State Department of Education as racially imbalanced. Schools with that designation either exceed, as New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue do, or fall short of the districts average enrollment of minority students by 25 percentage points or more.

This years data also classifies Western Middle School as impending racial imbalance toward minority students. The state designates schools as impending racial imbalance if they exceed or fall short of the district average for minority enrollment by 15 percentage points.

Riverside and Parkway will also be labeled impending racial imbalance, but unlike New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue, they fall below the districts average minority enrollment, by 16.8 and 18.2 percentage points, respectively.

Officials say the data concerning racial imbalance confirms what they knew four years ago.

(It) reflects data similar to that which was known when the current Racial Balance Plan was developed, which was approved by the State Board of Education in July 2014, Interim Superintendent Ralph Mayo said in a statement.

Connecticut law requires school districts with imbalanced schools to submit a racial-balance plan. It does not require that the district actually achieve racial balance, however.

Board members and administrators hope the opening of the new New Lebanon building, meant to accommodate more students in the neighborhood and attract more magnet students, will affect the reports findings.

The district will continue to track racial balance status on an annual basis, but will not be in a position to evaluate the plans impact until the new New Lebanon School has been opened and has had a chance to attract new magnet students, Mayo said.

Forty-seven non-minority students would have to enroll at New Lebanon for the school to achieve racial balance, District Research Manager Jennifer Lau said when she presented the data during the Board of Education meeting Thursday.

Traditionally, past magnet programs in western Greenwich schools have failed to attract significant numbers of students from elsewhere in town.

Outbound migration from New Lebanon has affected the racial composition of the school, which is 80 percent minority, school records show. The catchment area, meaning the neighborhood district that geographically feeds the school, is 69 percent minority.

So you can infer from that what the outbound racial composition was, Lau said, adding that the schools space constraints prevent more families from enrolling their children at New Lebanon.

Changing demographics

District-wide, over the last five years, the percentage of Hispanic students has risen steadily, from 18 percent to 22 percent, as has the percentage of students who identify with two or more races, from 3.4 percent to 4.9 percent. Numbers for Asian and African-American students have remained constant, under 9 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

More students require special education services, rising steadily from 885 in 2013 to 1,072 in 2018. The number of students learning English, 519, broke 500 for the second time.

The increase in high-needs students is mostly attributed to state mechanisms that automatically enroll students for free- or reduced-price lunch, Lau said.

Those students existed already, it was just a matter of us surfacing them, she said.

The next 10 years

This year, 9,113 students are enrolled in Greenwich Public Schools for preschool through 12th grade. The number, up 71 students from last year, includes young adults in Greenwichs alternative education program, Windrose, and the 28 students the district outplaces for special education services.

GPS enrollment will increase for the sixth consecutive year and peak in 2019-20, according to projections. Members of the 732-member class of 2026, fifth graders now, are driving the districts enrollment spikes.

Middle-school enrollment will peak in 2019-20, when the class starts the sixth grade, and high-school enrollment will peak in 2022-23, when they enter the ninth grade, according to projections.

The rise started in 2013 because of a migration of students to the district and a positive rate of kindergartners replacing graduating seniors, Lau said.

But the towns birth rate is projected to decline over the next decade, meaning the district  currently balking statewide declines in school enrollment  will eventually follow other Connecticut school districts.

After the class of 2026, enrollment will return to what Lau calls normal levels, averaging 8,912 over the next 10 years. This estimated average approaches the average from the last decade, 8,891 students.

jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com
This is a big election, Greenwich. We all remember what happened last year. The ever-charming blogger Christopher Fountain blamed the RTM takeover on a coven of shrieking banshees  all suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Remember that one? And all those shrieking women made it happen in the end; it was quite an event to behold.

Suffice it to say, change is in the air.

Or is it? Remember Greenwich: The state Legislature has been under Democratic control over the past several decades, even though Greenwich, and the entire 36th Senate District, have skewed Republican. Despite hopes that new voters will get involved, or stay-at-homes will turn out, many say our local election will be no game-changer. Greenwich has been painted red for some time now, the argument goes, and that isnt going to change anytime soon.

So, those frisky Democrats say our incumbents are sweating it out just about now, but many are saying theyre not.

Which is true, Greenwich?

In case you have missed the cardboard signs that have invaded every front yard in town, we have Scott Frantz, a Republican, vs. Alex Bergstein, a Democrat, for state Senate (36th); Republican Fred Camillo vs. Democrat Laura Kostin (151st), and Mike Bocchino, a Republican, vs. Democrat Stephen Meskers (150th) for state House. All the Republicans are incumbents.

Never write about politics, Claire, my friend Robert told me when I started writing this column.

The problem is, as soon as you qualify your voice  especially your voice, Claire  with a political position, your readers see you through that lens, and that lens only. An unconscious bias takes root, he warned me.

OK, first of all, if anyone talks to me again about unconscious bias this week, I will scream. Why is everyone so fixated on this concept suddenly? Bias, conscious or not, has been around for a long time.

Second, I find it striking that we cannot talk about politics at all right now. As soon as politics comes up, people start clearing the room because, as one friend put it, You never know. I remember with warm nostalgia sitting at all those 1970s Brooklyn dinner parties, as a kid on the sidelines. My Dad even tossed a Jimmy Carter mask at his friend one night and yelled, Are you happy now?! Americans were engaging each other from across the dinner table. Some even changed their opinion through honest debate and sharing. And wine. Lots of wine.

Not so anymore. In this age of polarization and partisan stalemates, we dont want to hear from the other side. Its almost as if weve given up.

Early in our courtship, my husband, Ian, and I knew our political positions were pretty much diametrically opposed. It was obvious just by looking at us: Ian was buttoned up and I was basically a gypsy. We instinctually knew that we needed to approach politics with caution.

It worked until Ian tried to plan a weekend for us soon after we met.

I cant go. Im going to Chicago for three days, I told him.

A weekend in Chicago? he replied, with interest.

For the ISOs annual convention, I said, adding cautiously, Do you want to come?

Whats the ISO? he asked.

Its the International Socialist Organization, I replied.

There was a notable pause.

Youre kidding me, he said, looking at me like I was an exotic life form. He really didnt believe me. I had to show him the agenda for the weekend.

There are break-out groups on Trotsky! he shouted, in horror.

Yeah  I know, its out there  but heres the thing: We need to learn how to share, I told him calmly.

No, we dont! he hollered.

The ardent socialism of my youth softened and changed with age; and as with most opposites-attract marriages, Ian and I worked hard to understand each other. I kept thinking of Mary Matalin and James Carville; if they could do it, so could we. We just had to get through the hollering-at-each-other stage.

After 11 years of marriage, I can honestly say that we have evolved together, even in these days of partisan stasis and regression. I can also honestly say that we still holler. If anything, Ian has become more liberal and I have become more conservative. We try to learn the issues, research the candidates, and then we holler at each other, although probably not as loudly as we did in 2000. But Ive got to be honest: All this hard work tends to happen for federal elections, not the local ones.

But heres the thing, and please hear me on this: Our local and state elections merit just as much if not more research and debate, especially right now. I would strongly urge you to engage in nonpartisan investigation of all our candidates as we approach Nov. 6. Connecticut has too much at stake right now.

So, in an earnest attempt to practice what I preach, I showed up to hear one of our state Senate candidates talk this weekend. His words to his wife after I left were, You know you could have told me you invited a socialist. Regardless, this candidate patiently took us through the financial status of Connecticut. I had no idea how bad things were; we are second to Puerto Rico in our fiscal challenges. Puerto Rico  are you kidding me? But we have hydrangeas!

In Greenwich, we are clueless, apparently  or at least I sure was. And once again, another large home goes up in Old Greenwich while another public school shuts down in Bridgeport. It took sitting down with a senator from the party I thought I hated (Republican) to have this explained to me, as well as the implicit complications of regime change in a time when so much work needs to be done. This is not to say the Dems dont have a very well thought through plan; they do, and you should learn all about it. But the point is this: I was schooled against my political partisan bias because I took the time to listen to the enemy.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: I knew far more about the sexual abuse allegations levied against Brett Kavanaugh before he got confirmed to the Supreme Court than I did about problems in Hartford. Connecticut faces serious financial challenges, and next months election will determine a lot about our schools, our health care, our roads and our futures. I am so wound up about our federal situation, that I find myself wanting to make a party statement as I vote locally, without fully understanding the issues at hand  and how each candidate plans to deal with them.

I do not think I am alone.

My point is, as liberal as you think you are, I would strongly urge to really learn about the financial rescue plans from both sides and judge for yourself whose policy and implementation you think will actually work. I was shocked at how little I knew, and how biased my vote was; I hadnt done the work. Looking to real solutions, rather than partisan statements is key here. In particular, Connecticuts state Senate is at a crossroads with 18 Republicans and 18 Democrats. Whichever party wins on Nov. 6 will have enormous say in the direction of our state. Gun laws, environmental regulations, fiscal issues and health care all hang in the balance. It is crucial for us to understand the positions of all our candidates from across the ballot. Every vote matters.

So, get out there Greenwich: read, learn, ask questions and fight off that unconscious bias. Every single candidate is available and out there hosting speaking events to discuss their ideas. Go to all of them (not just the ones you think you will vote for). What happens will hit your wallet, your schools, your environment, your health care in a real way.

Ill see you at the ballot box.

Claire Tisne Haft is a former publishing and film executive, raising her family in Greenwich while working on a freelance basis on books and films.
Every once in a while, something is published that packs so much insight and inspiration that it becomes required reading for our entire team. Jeff Bezos's 21 years' worth of Amazon shareholder letters is just that.

Related: Bezos Defends Amazon's Company Culture in Letter to Shareholders

To read the letters first-hand, plus commentary about each one, check out this analysis CB Insights conducted of them, detailing the insights of the richest man in modern history, Amazon's founder.

The letters, released annually, from 1997 through 2017 -- offer a unique perspective on the core principles that led to Amazon's becoming only the second company in history to reach a $1 trillion market cap and to Bezos having a personal net worth almost equal to those of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, combined, according to the New York Times.

Shareholder letters have a time-honored reputation of being repositories of insight and wisdom, with Warren Buffets letters for Berkshire Hathaway widely considered essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in investing and finance. Following is a summary of five particularly salient points from Bezoss shareholder letters.

I enthusiastically recommend that you read both the CB Insights article and the individual letters themselves, which I quote from here

Lesson 1, 1997: "It's all about the long term."

Right from the beginning, Bezos was always up-front with his shareholders about his intention that many of the metrics traditionally employed to gauge the success of a company -- particularly those that measure short-term success -- would not apply at Amazon.

In what would become ecurring themes, Bezos claimed that it was Day 1 for both Amazon and the internet and that the fundamental measure of [Amazons] success [would] be the shareholder value we create over the long term.

Related: Read Jeff Bezos's Inspiring Letter to Shareholders on Why He Keeps Amazon at 'Day 1'

Comment: Amazons earnings show that it didnt turn a quarterly profit until 2001 and that it has seen many nonprofitable quarters since, but by focusing on growth rather than earnings over the short-term, Amazon has handsomely rewarded investors who bought into Bezos long-term strategy.

In the last quarter of 2017, Amazon posted $1.86 billion in profit, more profit than it had earned in the previous 14 years combined, according to Quartz. Had you been astute enough to purchase Amazon shares at $18, their price at the IPO -- and had you hung on to them per the advice in Bezos first shareholder letter -- you would have seen a 9,900 percent increase in their value. Current stock prices are hovering around $1,800.

Bezos considers his 1997 shareholder letter so prescient that he still appends a copy of it to every annual shareholder letter. If you have time to read only one, make it this one.

Lesson 2, 1998: "Wake up every morning terrified" of your customers.

For many businesses, concerns about their competitors drive much of their decision-making. In his goal to make Amazon the worlds most customer-centric company, Bezos cautioned his employees in 1998 to fear not the competition but the customer. As he said, We consider [our customers] to be loyal to us -- right up until the second that someone else offers them a better

service.

Comment: This laser focus on customer experience is a reason why Amazon has captured 49 cents of every ecommerce dollar spent in the United States as of September 2018, according to the New York Times.

Lesson 3, 2006: "Plant seeds that will grow."

One of the hallmarks of Amazons success has been its ability to plant seeds, as Bezos advised in his 2006 letter. "Planting seeds that will grow into meaningful new businesses takes some discipline, a bit of patience and a nurturing culture," he wrote.This means consistently developing and nurturing new revenue streams. What started initially as an online bookstore has grown to become The Everything Store, as it was dubbed by the 2013 book of that name, in its assessment of the rise of Bezos and Amazon.

Few better examples of this philosophy exist than Amazon Web Services. Launched to little fanfare in 2006, Amazon Web Services has grown to become by far the largest infrastructure as a service (IaaS) provider in the US, with a market share of 33 percent, according to CNBC.

Comment: What began largely as an internal effort in the early 2000s to build and operate the reliable, cost-effective and scalable data-centers Amazon needed to run its own ecommerce operation. That led to the company building an infrastructure that third-party developers could run their own platforms on.

In 2017, Amazon Web Services posted $17.5 billion in sales, according to Business Insider. That figure makes a compelling case for Bezoss philosophy of nurturing new businesses underneath the Amazon umbrella.

Lesson 4, 2007: "Missionaries build better products."

In November 2007, Amazon virtually reinvented the wheel. By introducing the Kindle, Amazon changed the way many people consume the printed word. Bezos didnt take this challenge lightly, saying of books, Anything that has persisted in roughly the same form and resisted change for 500 years is unlikely to be improved easily. Suddenly, Amazon had revolutionized the very medium it was initially founded to do: market and sell books. As Bezos wrote, "Missionaries build better products.

Comment: In order to effect such revolutionary change, Bezos recognized that not only did he need to be a missionary, but he also needed to surround himself with them at Amazon. Given the success of the Kindle, which has sold tens of millions, according to Good e-Reader, its hard to argue with this piece of advice.

Lesson 5, 2016: "Day 2 is stasis ... Followed by death."

Hearkening back to his first-ever shareholder letter from 1997, Bezos, in 2016, reminded investors that for Amazon, it is always Day 1. "Day 1" is even the name of the building that Bezos works in at Amazon.

As Bezos stated unequivocally at the outset of his 2016 shareholder letter, Day 2 is stasis." Stasis, he continued, is "Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1.

Comment: So what does Day 1 mean for a company whose market cap hovers around $1 trillion? More than anything else, it means focusing obsessively on what customers want -- even if they dont know what that is. Bezos points to the success of the Amazon Prime program, which gives members free two-day shipping on millions of products as well as a host of other benefits.

In April 2018, Bezos revealed that Amazon Prime had over 100 million members worldwide. As he put it, No customer ever asked Amazon to create the Prime membership program, but it sure turns out they wanted it. Without Amazons focus on customers' needs and wants, it is highly doubtful it would have grown to become the worlds most valuable company, according to Inc.

Related: How to Make Decisions Like Jeff Bezos

Final thoughts

If youre lucky enough to have been an Amazon shareholder since 1997, you may find these insights in Jeff Bezos annual letters as no surprise. If youre an entrepreneur, its a good idea to take some time out to read each of these letters. They offer an invaluable peek into the mind of arguably the most successful entrepreneur of all time.

Related:



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
This story was originally published on June 29, 2018, and has been updated.

It was January 2017. A 26-year-old Nadia Genevieve Masri made her way up to the second floor office of a venture capital fund in San Francisco. She was there to ask for $500,000.

Masri already had four startups under her belt, and she was raising her first round of VC funding for Perksy, a market research company targeting millennial and Gen-Z audiences. She knew market research was a $45 billion industry and that there was no leading mobile solution -- meaning companies like Pepsi were spending well over $50 million per year without certainty of directly reaching younger generations. Masris idea: an app where, in exchange for rewards at companies like Nordstrom, Sephora, Delta and Netflix, users would answer stacks of focused questions from brands on their likes, dislikes and views on current events.

Masri had done the research: She knew her service was unique, that companies would pay for it and that, with the right capital, she could deliver promising results. But the men sitting across the table werent sold, telling Masri she was too early -- that they wanted to see how this goes.

Self-doubt lingered in the back of Masris mind: Its probably just me. Its probably just the way Im communicating this. Nevertheless, she kept plugging away, raising $250,000 in a friends and family funding round, then pitching her idea to Marcy Simon, an angel investor in New York. Simon was the first angel to cut Masri a check, and she helped rally other investors behind the idea -- leading to another $250,000 in funding and Perksys January 2018 launch. Within six months, that initial $500,000 in funding brought in $3 million in the pipeline.

Masri still thinks back to those VC rejections and the insecurity that accompanied them, but she has a new outlook now. She says if youre second-guessing your company, remember the rejection may have nothing to do with your idea itself. Throughout the fundraising process, Masri doesnt remember meeting with a single female venture capitalist. And even after her companys seminal success, she still gets eyebrow raises from male investors when she talks about next steps.

I think I made so many excuses for the VC industry, and it wasnt until recently that I realized I shouldnt have been making excuses for them, says Masri. She says its not a black-and-white issue, that there are some great male venture capitalists, but the industry itself needs to be conscious of the issue and make way for change. Were all on the same team here, she says. I say what I say because I want the industry to be better.

Related: How to Be a Confident Badass at Work (and Silence That Little Voice in Your Head)

Masris experience points to a much larger issue.

In 2017, only about 2 percent of the $85 billion raised in VC backing went to female-founded startups based in the U.S., according to data from research firm PitchBook. Women are also raising smaller rounds than men -- averages of $5 million and $12 million, respectively. Last year, the largest VC deal cut by a team of female founders was Moda Operandis $165 million Series G, contrasting starkly with the largest round of their male counterparts: WeWorks Series G at $3 billion.

When it comes to black women founders, VC statistics are even bleaker. Black women raised only 0.0006 percent of the $424.7 billion in total tech venture funding raised since 2009, according to a study by digitalundivided, an organization, incubator and accelerator aiming to advance equity in tech and entrepreneurship. For black women who raised less than $1 million in 2017, the average funding raised was $42,000. Compare that to the average seed round for all startups in 2016: $1.14 million.

The good news is there are two times more black women-led startups than there were when we originally did the report back in 2016, says Darlene Gillard, chief community officer at digitalundivided. The number of black women who raised over $1 million in 2017 is two times that of the previous year. Still, she says, theres much more work to be done.

Another key issue: Just 1 percent of all women-owned businesses use VC funding, according to a new report from EY and the Womens Presidents Organization. If there arent more who get it, fewer will seek it, says Lisa Schiffman, global lead of EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women, a national competition and executive education program for women entrepreneurs. That idea doesnt just affect todays entrepreneurs: It could propagate in future generations of women. If they dont see that its possible, then theyre not going to go in that direction [it] can place artificial limits on what they can accomplish, says Schiffman.

Even for those women who do seek a VC injection, the problem extends to the implications of that funding: Women entrepreneurs on the whole are paying themselves less than their male counterparts -- almost 30 percent less, according to research by J. Thelander Consulting, a firm that collects private compensation data. After an analysis of more than 160 early-stage private companies with less than $15 million in funding, results showed that the average woman entrepreneur paid herself $179,444 annually. Male founders, on the other hand, paid themselves an average annual salary of $232,659. When it came to stock options, the difference was even more striking -- female founders retained an average of just over 25 percent in company shares, while male founders claimed just over 42 percent.

Real equality may require an overhaul of the VC model as it stands today, introducing new options for looking at solid investments. Another recent report by J. Thelander Consulting showed that male VC investment professionals outnumber their female counterparts five to one.

The venture capital [model]... is inherently sort of a white male majority model, says Nell Derick Debevoise, founder and CEO of Inspiring Capital, a consulting organization for purpose-driven businesses. She notes that, although it makes many startup ideas possible, its a style of investing that white men with money have developed centering on long-shot opportunities -- the majority of which likely wont yield a profit. She believes that truly serving diverse founders and ideas will mean diversifying funding types as well.

I have noticed a significant difference with female partners, says Masri, who notes that women are the number-one market driving most consumer purchases. That translates to a potential blind spot for venture capitalists when it comes to more nontraditional business ideas.

If Im a black woman, I might have an incredible idea about hair weaves, but investors who are typically white and male are not going to understand that, even though its a multibillion-dollar industry and theres opportunity there, says Gillard.

If youre looking to raise your own VC funding, know that the best fits are often ideas with a large market that will be quick to scale, and founders typically have between five and seven years to return investors money.

Heres what women entrepreneurs should know before taking the first-round plunge.

Learn like an apprentice.

Seek out someone with a lot of fundraising experience who has nothing to do with your company. That way, they can serve as an objective third party. Have them teach you absolutely everything they know, including how to phrase your pitch and how to ask the kinds of questions venture capitalists may not want you to ask. Ask for guidance on how venture capitalists think, what theyll be looking for and the criteria they use to evaluate a pitch. Read up on the process and terminology so youll know what theyre talking about. Then, talk to other women about their experiences. I dont think I had access to as many females to talk about fundraising [with] early on I wish I did, says Masri.

Put on your research hat.

Before you choose which VC funds to pursue, do your research. Pitching to every VC fund to see what sticks isnt usually a good fundraising strategy, says Masri -- plus, its inefficient. Instead, focus on the investors who are likely to be interested in your idea.

For example, some venture capitalists have never invested in a company run by a black woman, says Gillard. One approach: Dont waste your time on the other hundred -- focus on the five that have actually invested in people like you, says Gillard. Investing guidelines are usually included on a VC funds website, so you can see whos on the team and the companies theyve supported. You can also search online for VC funds investing in companies led by women or specifically black women.

Think bigger.

I think males are judged on potential and females are judged on what they have done, says Masri. When you show up, you already have to prove yourself. Thats why its important to be aware of a key difference in the way men and women tend to pitch ideas. While men often think best-case scenario and inflate projected revenue, women tend to be more realistic and modest in projections.

Men are more comfortable painting the $1 billion exit picture when everyone in the room knows thats a total long shot, says Debevoise. Think big, and dont be afraid to let your numbers reflect that confidence. Every investor will undercut your projections by 30 to 50 percent, says Debevoise. If you come in realistically, theyll haircut you by half.

Get up close and personal with all the aspects of your business.

Investors invest in people as much [as] -- if not more than -- they invest in the business, says Schiffman. They want to put money behind a confident and strategic leader who knows what they mean to accomplish and what they need to do to make it happen. Nail down the specifics of the market for your product or service, how far the business can feasibly go (be optimistic), the steps youll take to get it there and why you and your team are the best people to make it happen.

You also need to be able to clearly lay out how the money will be used, approximate returns and which financial levers youll need to pull in order to grow your company. Sit down with your companys numbers, financial statements and projections, have someone clarify any segments you dont understand and dont quit until you can clearly explain it all. Thats what someone would expect if theyre going to give you five or 10 or 20 million dollars, says Schiffman. Owning it -- and not only owning the parts that you love, but owning the entire undertaking -- is really important.

Know what you want, and make it very clear.

Show up knowing exactly what you want, be very clear about it and deliver a great pitch and projections. But avoid over-explaining or over-answering questions. Every extra sentence can provide more fodder for doubt and things to poke holes in, says Debevoise. Concisely and assertively lay out the industry problem, your solution, why its better than any other and why you predict such large returns.

Another key tip? Give the investors an ultimatum, says Masri. Dont take them at their word if they tell you theyd like to see how things progress -- instead, ask them if they need more information (like metrics or customer testimonials) to make their decision. If not, ask them to give you a point-blank answer as to whether theyre in or out so you know whether to keep them on your list or remove them. When I go in, Im like, Im here to do fucking business; whats the plan? says Masri. Im very clear about what I want.

Educate yourself about other funding options.

VC funding isnt the best match for every type of company -- in fact, the level of growth necessary in a relatively short period of time isnt a match for most, says Debevoise. For example, though Starbucks is currently the worlds largest coffeehouse chain, it took much longer than seven years to build, so it likely wouldnt fit a VC model.

Another potential route? Financial buyers -- e.g., VC funds, hedge funds and more -- primarily aim to realize a return on investment. But strategic buyers -- often an investment arm of a large company -- usually seek out acquisitions that will tie in with the existing company. If youve got a unique idea in your field, you can research whether a strategic buyer in your industry might be interested in acquiring your company.

Other options vary greatly depending on your product or service. Crowdfunding is one option, and in exchange for funding, you could offer individuals equity, rewards or the promise youll donate a percentage of the money to charity. Theres also bank financing, including small business loans -- especially if youve got a home or other assets to use as collateral. A friends and family round of funding could help get you off the ground, and angel investors are another option, especially since an increasing number dont consider VC the default next step and could fund in exchange for equity or debt, says Debevoise. And finally, theres plain old revenue from customers.

Related: When an Investor Bailed, Finery Founders Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey Had to Do Major Damage Control

Related:

Este fondo quiere darle dinero emprendedores y no a startups

98 Percent of VC Funding Goes to Men. Can Women Entrepreneurs Change a Sexist System?

Survey Shows Founders Ignored by VCs Are Succeeding With Equity Crowdfunding



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
WASHINGTON  If they win re-election, Connecticuts delegation to the U.S. House would enjoy a power surge should Democrats take control of that chamber in Novembers election.

A blue wave that wrests control of the U.S. House from the GOP would steer the Democratic lawmakers  who are favored to win another term  out of the political wilderness theyve inhabited since 2011, when their party lost control of the chamber.

Specifically, it could lift members of Connecticuts delegation into leadership positions on subcommittees of key House panels, including the Appropriations Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, and the Armed Services Committee.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, would also be in line to head the House Intelligence Committee, which is expected to open several investigations into the Trump administration if Democrats win control of the House.

While Connecticuts Democratic lawmakers would have a higher political profile and a new ability to hold hearings and schedule votes on key issues if the U.S. House flips, Novembers elections could result in a divided government, with the GOP likely to continue to control the U.S. Senate and a Republican president still in the White House.

That means there would be limitations on the Connecticut delegations new political clout, and a likely increase of the gridlock that has long defined politics in the nations Capitol.

House Democrats will decide which bills get a hearing and a vote, but they will control just one chamber in an institution thats just one branch of a system of checks and balances, said Robbin Smith, head of the political science department at Central Connecticut State University.

While congressional races have been tightening as the November 6 election gets closer, analysts still believe the U.S. House may trade hands.

Heres why:

The party that controls the White House, in this case the GOP, has historically lost an average of 32 seats in the first midterm election. To win control of the House, Democrats will need to win only 23 new seats.

There also has been a wave of Republican retirements, raising the number of competitive open seats. Many of the GOP retirees, like Rep. Darrell Issa of California, decided to bow out rather than face a tough race this year.

President Donald Trumps popularity has risen lately, but his most favorable poll puts the presidents approval rating at 47 percent. Since World War II, the presidents party has never gained seats when the presidents job approval rating is below 50 percent

Nationally, there has been a boost in Democratic voter registration, which runs counter to the pattern seen in most midterm elections. In addition, turnout in this years primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives surged compared with the last midterms in 2014, particularly among Democrats, according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of state election returns.

Seniority matters

Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, would likely take over the subcommittee in charge of Social Security policy if he serves in a Democratic-controlled House. That would allow him to advance a pet project - a bill to reform the retirement program.

If we are fortunate enough to take back the House in two weeks, and I pick up the gavel as the chairman for the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee the focus will be clear, Larson said. For too long we have allowed the Republicans to control the message on programs like Social Security and Medicare - calling them entitlements when any working American knows they have earned their benefits with their every paycheck.

U.S. Rep. John Larson delivers an impassioned plea last year for lawmakers to pass a national infrastructure package.

Larson also said a Democratic takeover of the Ways and Means Committee would lead to a revisiting of the GOP federal tax overhaul which double taxes middle class families in donor states like Connecticut through an arbitrary limit on the state and local tax deduction, to pay for things like a giant tax break for billionaire estates.

He also said he would propose a pollution tax to pay for new infrastructure, including his I-84/I-91 tunnel proposal in Hartford.

We need to think big again and thats what I know we will do should we be in the majority next year, Larson said.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-2nd District, would become a cardinal, or chairman of a House Appropriations subcommittee. That subcommittee would help determine the budgets of the Labor Department, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Education Department, allowing DeLauro to influence health and social service programs run by those agencies and bolster her efforts to prevent pay discrimination.

If Democrats win the majority, the biggest impact we will have is by finally being able to implement an agenda for working people and the middle class to get ahead, DeLauro said. The biggest economic challenge of our time is that people are in jobs that do not pay them enough to live on. Workers are struggling with the rising costs of health care, child care, and housing. Meanwhile, wages have been flat for decades.

DeLauro also said, If I were to become chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, I would also focus on securing critical investments in programs that help people, including groundbreaking medical research and child care grants to job training and education programs.

It would be the honor of a lifetime to directly oversee this subcommittee and fight to increase funding for these national priorities, DeLauro said.

DeLauro, who has represented a New Haven-based district since 1991, and Larson who has represented the Hartford area since 1999, will be among the most senior Democrats in the U.S. House next year if they win re-election. Influence grows with seniority in that chamber.

DeLauro said she would like to continue in her leadership role in the new Congress.
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Samsung is working on foldable phone - that much is no surprise. What might be more intriguing is the following patent, that imagines a flexible tablet that will bend both inwards and outwards to halve the footprint.

The patent was filed with WIPO back in April 2018 and got approved in October. Its description says Display Device and reading further along, you learn that the gadget will adapt its user interface to the orientation or the way it bends. Both ends of the flexible panel will have aluminum-magnesium alloy that will stick to each other, probably with some kind of magnet.

Samsung already introduced 14 rollable OLED panel at SID Display in Los Angeles, USA, back in the last week of May. With the approval of the new patent, the Galaxy X is a step away from being a sci-fi myth and slightly closer to becoming a reality.

Via (in Dutch)
The Oppo R17 Pro was announced in late August, but its yet to reach stores. It will finally launch in China on November 1 and in Europe on November 6.

For one reason or another Oppo decided that the phone will have a different name in Europe  the Oppo RX17 Pro. Whether the vanilla Oppo R17 will launch as the RX17 is unclear, some claim that it will be the RX17 Neo instead. To be clear, were talking about a simple name change, the specs will be identical.



Oppo R17 Pro - or as it will be called in Europe, RX17 Pro

Anyway, the R17 Pro will cost CNY 4,300 in China, which is 543 in Europe. Thats how much the Oppo R15 Pro currently costs in Italy and is how much we expect the new model to cost . The R17 is currently available in China for CNY 3,500, so expect a price tag of around 450.




Haiti - PetroCaribe : Laurent Lamothe did not show up at the Prosecutor's Office





As part of the PetroCaribe file, following the invitation of Me Clame Ocnam Dameus, the Commissioner of the Government at the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25884-haiti-news-zapping.html the former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe did not appear Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at the Procuratorate of Port-au-Prince. His lawyers in a letter dated October 23 to Commissioner Dameus explain :



"[...]

Mr Government Commissioner



The Citizen Laurent Salvador Lamothe and his undersigned lawyers, Me Mario Delcy, Me Edwin F. Coq and Me Staley Gaston, have acknowledged receipt of your October 19, October 4, 2010 invitation at 4:25 pm of your invitation dated October 19 by which you ask him to go to the prosecutor's office of this jurisdiction on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 11:00 am in the context of "an open and ongoing investigation at the level of the Procuratorate of Port-au-Prince."



We are surprised by the total absence of delay of notice between the date of the summons and the date of the hearing requested.



We are all the more surprised by such a measure from the Port-au-Prince Public Prosecutor's Office, since the Bar of Port-au-Prince has been observing since October 11, 2018, a work stoppage formally prohibiting lawyers from this Law Society the provision of all judicial services.



With the foregoing it is impossible for Mr. Lamothe to comply with your invitation without the assistance of his lawyers.



[...] "



See alos :< B>

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25884-haiti-news-zapping.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By Vasia Orion | Published on 2018/10/23

"My Strange Hero" has held its script reading, and we have new information on its supporting characters, along with promotional stills on what is a very exciting cast. "My Strange Hero" is an upcoming 'healing school romance' about a man named Kang Bok-soo (Yoo Seung-ho) returning to school for revenge after he was expelled by being framed as a bully during his teens.

Advertisement

Present at the script reading were writer Kim Yoon-yeong and PD Ham Joon-ho, along with Yoo Seung-ho, Jo Bo-ah, Kwak Dong-yeon, Chun Ho-jin, Kim Mi-kyung, Uhm Hyo-sup, Kim Kwang-kyu, Kim Dong-young, Park Ah-in, Yeon Jun-suk, Yoo Seon-ho and more. Everyone worked hard for what was reportedly an exciting 3 hours of solid acting prowess, and the news goes on to give us a little more on the characters they will be portraying.

Chun Ho-jin plays Bok-soo's teacher, Teacher Park. He is a man who cannot tolerate injustice, and who has a great rapport with his students. Kim Mi-kyung plays Jeong-soon, Bok-soo's mom. Rather than caring about grades, she is just thankful that her son grew up to be healthy and brave. Uhm Hyo-sup and Kim Kwang-kyu play the principal and vice principal of the school acting as the drama's setting.

Kim Dong-young plays Lee Kyeong-hyeon, Bok-soo's friend and his boss at work, while Park Ah-in plays Bok-soo's 'cute stalker', because that's apparently a thing in this universe. Yeon Jun-suk plays Oh Yeong-min, a student suffering from severe stress due to having the lowest scores in his class, and Yoo Seon-ho plays Yoo Si-on, who is handsome, but also the toughest, manliest man in the world. Now that's one hyperbolic description.

Let's hope that they can make the best of a quest for revenge resulting in a cheerful school romance. Stranger things have happened in Dramaland, and the names involved are absolutely lovely. Look at all those beloved actors! May "My Strange Hero" warm our hearts this upcoming holiday season. It will be following "Where Stars Land" in December, on SBS.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Sources (1)
The state body that will forward names to Gov. Steve Bullock from which he will select the replacement for the state district judge in Hill, Chouteau and Liberty counties announced it has received applications from four local attorneys and is looking for public comments on the applicants.

The applicants are Havre attorney Randy Randolph, Havre-based Regional Public Defender Katy Snipes Ruiz, Big Sandy attorney Tom Sheehy and Chouteau County Attorney Stephen Gannon.

Last month, Twelfth Judicial District Judge Dan Boucher submitted his letter of resignation effective Nov. 8. He is running unopposed for re-election in the Nov. 6 election.

Boucher said that after decades of working in the legal system in Havre,

he decided it was time to retire and spend more time with his family, adding that he might do some traveling.

Boucher started practicing in Havre in 1984 and was appointed to take the place of retiring judge Dave Rice in 2010. He was unopposed in his bid for re-election in 2012.

A press release from the state Judicial Nomination Commission said the Commission will forward the names of nominees to the governor after reviewing the applications, receiving public comment and interviewing the applicants if necessary.

The person appointed by the governor is subject to Senate confirmation

during the 2019 legislative session.

The position is subject to election in 2020, and the successful candidate in that election will serve the remainder of the term, which expires in January 2025.

The commission said people cam comment in writing,

e-mail or paper, or via telephone at406-841-2972. Comments, which become part of an applicant's file, will be posted on the Commission's web page and forwarded to the Governor. Public comment may be submitted to Judicial Nomination Commission,  Lois Menzies, Office of Court Administrator, P.O. Box 203005, Helena, MT 59620-3005 [email protected]/.

The full applications can be seen at http://courts.mt.gov/supreme/boards/jud_nomination/.

In his application, Randolph said he is a 1991 Havre High School graduate and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Montana State University in

Bozeman in 1996 and his law degree from the University of Montana in 1999.

He started Randolph Law Firm in Havre in 1999, and wrote that he has practiced privately in both civil and criminal matters, including as a contract attorney with the public defender's office, and regularly handles civil and criminal cases on Fort Belknap and

Rocky Boy's Indian reservations.

He wrote that about 65 percent of his time is spent on criminal cases and the rest about equally on all other civil, family and estate issues.

He noted that he has a particular interest in Indian law, and has served

on the council of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Randolph said he believes it is important to give back to the community.

"I am a lifelong resident of my local community, and my family ties go back more than six generations in the Havre and Hi-Line communities," he said. "I am related to many people in Havre and along the Hi-Line, including residents of both the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. With such strong local ties the health and well being of the community is of vital importance to me. I think everyone should give back to their community in any way they can."

Ruiz said in her application that she graduated from C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls in 2004 and earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in sociology with a justice studies emphasis and political science minor from MSU in 2008, and a law degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, in 2011.

She began practicing law in Havre in 2011, representing clients in criminal, family, landlord-tenant and civil matters including as a contract attorney with the public defender's office. She joined the office of the public defender in 2014, taking over as regional deputy director that year and serving in that position since then. Including her management duties in that office, she said, she carries a full caseload of her own, including clients in criminal matters in city, justice and district courts, representing youths in Youth Court and representing clients in civil matters.

She said she also has worked as an adjunct professor at Montana State University-Northern in its Criminal Justice Program and works with the university in its cooperative education placement, including mentoring five students.

She said she is part of the drug and dui treatment courts, and has been active in community events as well.

She said she has dedicated her career in academia and the law to giving back to the community, and was attracted to Gonzaga University by the Jesuit philosophy of educating people to pursue the public good. She has given her time to the community while here, she said, from donating time to the Community Education Program, working at the Veterans Stand Down, joining the executive board of the nonprofit Federal Defenders of Montana, to dressing as an elf at Rotary Club Christmas parties and barbecuing corn at its fair booth.

"Both within and outside of the practice of law, I freely give my time to the community because, in doing so, we make the community a better place," she said.

Sheehy said he graduated from Big Sandy High School in 1970 and earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from MSU in 1974 and his law degree from UM in 1977.

He served as a deputy Hill County attorney from 1977 to 1979 and since then has served in private practice and as Chouteau County attorney from 1987 to 1990. He worked with his parents on their ranch from 1979 to 1985 and has been involved with the ranch ever since.

His practices focused on civil law, he said, but he practiced substantially in criminal law for 15 years, including prosecution and public defense. Sheehy said he does not hold himself out as a specialist, but at times has substantial practice in specific areas of law including in the water courts.

He has practiced extensively both in courts and before boards and agencies including the Montana Child Support Enforcement Division, serving as a member on a number of medical panels, appearing before the Farm Service Agency and the Montana Land Board.

Sheehy said he has been active in his community, including being a member of the local Rotary Club for 40 years, supporting the local fire department, leading a local Cub Scout pack and continuing his family's tradition of offering access to a park on their land, maintained by Rotary Club.

"I believe it is important to contribute to the community," Sheehy said.

Gannon said he graduated from Simms High School in 1983 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from UM in 1988 and his law degree from UM in 1992.

He was a staff attorney for Montana Legal Services from 1992-94, then in private practice from 1994-2004. He served as a part-time deputy Hill County attorney from 2003-7 and has served as Chouteau County attorney from 2003 to the present as well as continuing his private practice, as time allows, he said.

Katy Snipes Ruiz

Gannon said his uncle was a county attorney and was in practice before he retired, and that is what led him to get into his law career.

He is an EMT and has taught classes on medical legal issues in various classes, he said, has been a hunter education instructor since 2012, was in the Big Sandy Rotary Club and still attends its annual fundraiser and has been a parish council member in both Big Sandy and Fort Benton.

He said his philosophy in public and community involvement is that, to be part of a community, a person needs to support the community when and where they can.

"This must be balanced with spending time with one's family and performing their job," he added. "I am still looking for the perfect balance."
U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., took advantage of being in Havre Tuesday to visit the U.S. Border Patrol Havre Sector facilities.

"I wanted to get some first-hand knowledge from the Customs and Border Patrol on the challenges they face to keep our northern border secure," Gianforte said after he toured the facilities.

Gianforte, who faces a re-election challenge from Democrat Kathleen Williams and Libertarian Elinor Swanson, held a campaign event in Havre Monday.

He said he met with several agents while touring facilities Tuesday, including Division Chief John C. South, Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good, Division Chief Julie L. Hassa and Division Chief Michael P. Stewart.

Gianforte said he has toured a number of facilities and ports of entry in Montana along the Canadian border, including the Plentywood and Scobey Border Patrol stations. He said it was interesting to see the headquarters in Havre for the whole sector that guards the Montana-Canada border.

He added that like on the southern border, agents are concerned about border security.

"First I want to say thank-you to the Customs and Border Patrol for them working to secure the border," Gianforte said. "I am always

impressed with their professionalism."

Gianforte said the agents said they encounter at least one illegal crossing at the border per week, though most of these are hunters wandering across the border, but there are other issues as well. He added that agents informed him the state has a serious problem with illegal narcotics being transported across the border.

Gianforte said an agent he met with had recently transferred to Montana from the border with Mexico. The agent told him, he said, Montana has fewer than 200 agents protecting the northern border while the southern border has more than 18,000 agents. Gianforte said the challenges they face are different, but with agents stretched thin across 476 miles,

they would like to have additional surveillance capabilities, due to a concern about small aircraft.

"We have to be vigilant," Gianforte said, "I was impressed with the work that they do."

One of the big issues raised,

Gianforte said, was the need to be effective in stopping narcotics coming across the border. He added that for the northern border illegal immigration is not as high of a concern as drug trafficking.

While touring the facility, Gianforte said, he was also given the opportunity to observe and participate in the training simulator, which simulates a variety of law enforcement scenarios. He said this simulator is one out of a handful in the country and is the only one, to his knowledge, in the state.

Border Patrol has been using the simulator for its own training purposes, as well as for training officers from other agencies, Gianforte said, such as the Hill County Sheriff's Office and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Officers and agents can be trained for a variety of situations they might face in the field, he said, such as an active shooter in a school or a movie theater or just a confrontation with a potential criminal.

He added that

the simulator is a great tool to assure law enforcement is ready to face whatever challenges they might encounter while in the line of duty.

Gianforte said that during his session in the simulator he faced a perpetrator attacking him with a knife.

"I learned when a man who was running at me with a knife I didn't shoot fast enough," he said, "I was prepared the second time."

"I am thankful that we have tools like (the simulator) so that our law enforcement is prepared," Gianforte added. " ... They put their lives on the line every day and anything we can do to prepare them or make sure they have the resources they need. 'Cause they are the thin blue line that keeps our communities safe both at the border and within our communities."

Gianforte said he saw how critically important it is that the country has secure borders, whether it is the northern or southern border.

The issue at the border for Montana has more to do with methamphetamine, he added, with meth from Mexico finding its way across that border into Montana.

Kathleen Williams

Gianforte said a Montana sheriff told him he knows when the "Mexican meth" shows up in the community because he sees a spike in the crime rate. Burglaries, domestic violence and vandalism, 95 percent-plus is traced back to some form of addiction, Gianforte said the sheriff told him.

The country needs to secure the border to end illegal immigration, Gianforte said, but probably more important for Montana is to end the flow of illegal drugs coming into the communities. These drugs, he added, are tearing families apart and are the root of most of the crime that is seen in the state.

"This is all about making our communities safer," he said. "And I'm thankful that we have such talented individuals there in Havre supervising the security of our entire northern border."
As influenza activity picks up, the American Red Cross is urging healthy donors of all blood types to give blood to ensure a strong blood supply for patients in need.

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 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:

Chester, Thursday, Nov. 1, 1 to 6 p.m., Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Main and Madison.

Havre, Monday, Nov. 5, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., St. Jude Parish Center, 440 7th Ave.

Chinook, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 12:30 to 6 p.m., Wallner Hall, 330 Ohio.

Turner, Wednesday, Nov. 7, noon to 5 p.m., American Lutheran Church, American Lutheran Church, 155 2nd St. W.

Havre Thursday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Montana State University-Northern Student Union Building, SUB Ballroom.

How 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.

About the American Red Cross

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.
The four workers, who were in Australia on student visas at the time, performed duties including making and garnishing pizzas, delivery driving, serving customers and cleaning. It is alleged the four workers were paid a flat hourly rate of $12 for all hours worked, plus $1 per pizza delivery, resulting in significant underpayment of the ordinary hourly rates, casual and evening loadings and penalty rates for weekend and public holiday work they were entitled to under the Fast Food Industry Award.

It is also alleged that the four workers were paid in cash and were not provided with pay slips, in breach of workplace laws.

However, it is alleged that Australian employees at the outlet were paid higher minimum rates of pay and penalty rates, including being paid penalty rates for weekend and public holiday work and a cents-per-kilometre rate for deliveries.

Indeed, six of the adult Australian employees were paid ordinary rates of more than $18 an hour and three were paid penalty rates of up to $46.31 on public holidays. These workers were allegedly also paid into their bank accounts and provided with pay slips.

It is also alleged that the incorrect application of some provisions in the Award resulted in 10 Australian workers being underpaid a total of $6,252. The foreign workers and all Australian workers have been back-paid in full.
Primero de Mayo, Bolivia  Life in the rainforest is colored with glimmers of danger and flashes of magic. While I was visiting an acai project in Bolivia, one Heifer project participant told me this story of a mystical creature with a taste for fresh meat. While it is called a tiger in this story, the beast to which our storyteller refers is known in the United States as a jaguar.

We don't know that much of what's in the forest, but our ancestors say there's a small species of plant that people rub on their bodies, like a ritual, and then they do three somersaults backward. At the third one, when they land, they land as a tiger. And they say that the head of the person becomes the back part of the body of the tiger.

The man who became a man-tiger, every night he would go out and hunt, and every day he would have meat to eat. He always had meat. But then, he started to steal meat from the people in the village. He would take their pigs. And nobody could kill him because, since he was a man-tiger, he had the intelligence of a person. So he knew when people were waiting for him, and he knew where to hide. And the people in the community were afraid.

Finally one person said, "I'm going to catch him," and began to lay in wait for him one day after the next after the next. And that man was able to shoot him, but he shot him in the head and the tiger took off.

But who was the man-tiger? The person who shot it had a guess, so he sneaked into a man's house and he saw that the man had a rifle bullet in his backside. And then he knew the man was a man-tiger, and he came back with all the people in the town, and they said, "if you don't leave, we're going to burn you." And then the man-tiger had to leave that home and go to live somewhere else. And until today, there is still this species of men who turn into tigers.
Sapphire man sentenced to 50 years in prison for sex offenses

A 68-year-old Sapphire man was sentenced to almost 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in Transylvania County Superior Court on Monday to multiple counts of first-degree sex offense with a child and to indecent liberties with a child, District Attorney Greg Newman announced.

Judge Gregory Horne sentenced Charles Clayton Moore, to 49 years, 6 months in prison after the guilty plea. Assistant District Attorney Beth Dierauf presented the facts of the case to the judge and the evidence is that Moore committed various sex acts with at least five of his grandchildren from 1999 through 2011. Most of the children ranged in ages from 3 to 8. The sex offenses included incidents of oral sex and multiple occurrences of sexual contact where the defendant touched the children and had them touch him. Most of these crimes occurred in the defendants home when the grandchildren spent time there.

Several persons from the community, as well as the defendants family, read prepared statements to the court. Some advocated mercy for Moore, while others asked for stringent penalties. The defendant apologized to his family and made a short plea to the court for leniency. The District Attorney asked for a sentence that would guarantee the defendant never gets out of prison.

Mr. Moore hurt a lot of people and I fear that much of the harm to his grandchildren may leave permanent scars, Newman said. We are satisfied with the sentence imposed by Judge Horne. Certainly the community, and definitely the defendants family, are safer now. Mr. Moore will spend the rest of his life in a North Carolina prison. I hope his family, and in particular the child victims, can find a way to cope with what they have experienced."

The case was investigated by the office of Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney. After an initial disclosure was made by one of the grandchildren during the summer of 2017, Moore contacted the sheriffs department and disclosed, in general terms, that he had committed crimes against members of his family. He agreed to meet at the sheriffs office with his pastor where he confessed to his crimes. Detectives Geoff Bishop and Wade Abram conducted the interviews of the defendant, the victims, and their parents.

My office will continue to aggressively prosecute persons who abuse children in any manner, Newman said. A communitys strength is measured by the respect for the rule of law and by how well it protects its most vulnerable citizens. Our kids have to be protected and I appreciate the cooperation of the victims, their parents and other relatives, and certainly our law enforcement officers in the successful outcome in this very tragic episode."
Up to 40 schools built in the last decade are at risk of closure as the Department of Education widens its investigation into the structural safety of work done by a single contractor.

Two primary schools in west Dublin are closed from today, while Ardgillan Community College, in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, has shut 18 classrooms since Monday because of "significant structural issues".

Tyrrelstown Community Centre, which is on the same campus as the two primary schools, is also closing temporarily.

The problems at Ardgillan came to light during work being carried out on foot of fire safety assessments at 55 schools.

The three schools were among those built by Co Tyrone-based Western Building Systems (WBS) between 2009 and 2013, before the introduction of more stringent building regulations in 2014.

After Ardgillan, the Department of Education ordered structural checks on 30 WBS schools built in the same period.

It was those checks yesterday that led to the decision to close Tyrrelstown Educate Together and the neighbouring St Luke's National School.

"Following advice from a consultant structural engineer and in consultation with the school authorities a decision was taken to close both schools," the Department of Education said.

Defended

While it said it had not identified any imminent danger, the schools were being closed to allow for further investigations.

Work is under way to find interim accommodation for when the 1,200 pupils return after the mid-term break.

After yesterday's developments, Education Minister Joe McHugh told the Dail that the programme of structural checks was being extended to 40 WBS schools, covering the period up to 2018.

WBS defended its record last night, saying it wanted to "get to the bottom of this [matter]".

The company said it placed "considerable emphasis on delivering high quality work on each of our projects, always ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements."

"These include projects which had met the Department of Education's compliance standards".

It added: "Until now, our integrity has never been questioned. Each of our Department of Education and Skills' projects, both before and since the amendments to building regulations in 2014, were subjected to inspections during construction. Every time, each was certified as meeting compliance standards."

"We are moving to intensify our engagement with the department and other relevant bodies to better understand the issues which have now arisen," it added.

WBS said it had "received some rather than all of the individual school fire audit reports. Of those we have received, we have responded with two exceptions which have only recently been issued to us".

"We are writing to the Minister for Education and Skills on the matter and remain available to meet with him," it added.
A drugs gang which has taken over the patch of a notorious jailed gang boss has been dealt a major blow by gardai who intercepted a broad daylight drugs transaction in a north Dublin town.

Armed officers arrived in up to half a dozen unmarked patrol cars as part of the major operation.

The dramatic bust happened at lunchtime last Friday on the Westbrook Park estate in Balbriggan when members of the Ballymun Drugs Unit targeted a mob that has been "making lots of cash from dealing" after taking over the patch previously controlled by associates of Cornelius Price.

Gardai arrested three suspects - two men and a woman - and seized 30,000 of cannabis herb after a drugs handover.

It is understood that the 26-year-old woman and a man in his 30s are suspected of delivering the drugs to a local man who was driving a Volkswagen Polo.

After the handover took place, multiple garda units pounced and the couple who were on foot were arrested while officers surrounded the Polo, smashing one of its windows before discovering the drugs in the boot.

Shootings

The driver of the car, who is aged in his 20s, and the other man and woman were all arrested and taken to Ballymun Garda Station for questioning where they were released from custody without charge at various stages over the weekend. A file will now be prepared for the DPP.

The drug-dealing faction targeted in the operation is just one of a number of crime groupings that have taken advantage of the fact that Price has now been locked up for the best part of two years.

"They have links to his crew but they are easily making more money selling weed with him locked up," a source said last night.

Price is held in Wheatfield Prison, he was transferred there from Cork Prison after he was involved in a violent row with a suspect in six gangland shootings who has himself been transferred to Portlaoise Prison.

It is understood that the inmate has issued grave threats to Price and his associates after he needed 29 stitches following a savage "shiv" attack.

"Jail might well be the safest place for Price at the moment because the gunman that was targeted is blaming him over the shiv attack," the source added.

"But with Price in jail, other groupings are springing up all the time in the Balbriggan area."

It is understood that Price approached the Dublin gun-for-hire in Cork Prison earlier this month and the men shook hands.

However, while Price held onto his hand, two inmates from Waterford then attacked the victim with a shiv, causing significant injuries which required 29 stitches.
A Dublin man who inflicted over 100 injuries on his victim has been sentenced to life for murdering a man following a drunken row over a cigarette.

Following the verdict, the victim's daughter Shawna Byrne gave an emotional statement, telling the court her family's world stopped the day he died, "his life and his dignity taken in an absolutely savage way".

Anthony Walsh (31), who has over 60 previous convictions, was found guilty of the murder of 54-year-old Dermot Byrne in North Street, Swords, Co Dublin, on July 16, 2017 by a unanimous jury verdict.

"He was one of the most important people in our lives, as a father but also as a husband, a brother and a son," Ms Byrne told the Central Criminal Court.

The days after his death were a blur as they tried to figure out why their father had been beaten to death. Slowly they realised that he would not return.

"His white van would no longer be parked outside the house. The familiar sound of his voice, joking about one thing or another, was gone," she said.

"He will not be there for our milestones. Our dad will not be there to walk us up the aisle."

Morgue

Speaking about seeing their father for the first time after his body was left in the morgue for 11 days, Ms Byrne said: "He was bruised and had cuts and stitches on his face.

"This is the last memory I have of my dad and is something I'll never forget."

Walsh's life sentence was insignificant compared with the "tragedy that arrived on our doorstep that day".

Justice Eileen Creedon sympathised with Mr Byrne's family.

She sentenced Walsh to the mandatory life imprisonment for Mr Byrne's murder and seven years for stealing his bank card, Zippo lighter and keys after beating him to death.

She said it would be difficult to think of a more heinous circumstance in which a person could take another man's property.

Walsh did not react as he was sentenced and led away by prison guards.

Mr Byrne was well known in Swords and spent many weekends at the local GAA club and in various pubs.

Although he was barred from the Harp Bar, head of security John Burke said he would enjoy a bit of banter with door staff every weekend. He was barred because he was a "messy" drunk, but he was friendly.

Mr Byrne was caught on CCTV outside the bar coming up behind Mr Walsh and grabbing a cigarette from his mouth.

Door staff held him back and he later complained to one of them: "Why did you do that? I can look after myself."

Following that confrontation Walsh went off in the direction of Main Street and was seen arguing with a friend who he had earlier been drinking with.

Walsh, who was homeless at the time and carrying his belongings in a black holdall, sat down at the steps to the Community College and his friend left to get a taxi.

According to Walsh's statements to gardai, Mr Byrne then attacked him, cornered him and kept coming at him, throwing punches, kicks and rugby tackling him.

Confessed

Prosecution counsel Vincent Heneghan SC said this version of events was not realistic given that Walsh is taller than six feet one inch while Mr Byrne stood at five feet and four inches.

Mr Byrne died from a traumatic brain injury complicated by intoxication and blood inhalation.

Following the beating Walsh stripped him of his clothes and put his bank card, lighter and keys into his holdall.

The next day he confessed what he had done to his parents.
A Dublin man who engaged in "catfishing" to lure teenage boys into sharing explicit images of themselves online will be sentenced early next year.

Ben Mooney (22) used the name "Nicole Heffernon" to email and contact teenage boys through Facebook.

Garda Daniel Tracey said Mooney had been pretending to be someone else online, to obtain images of boys in their underwear and naked as well as videos of them masturbating.

Mooney later told gardai that he had contacted up to 15 teenage boys in the two years before he was caught.

Mooney, of Rathsallagh Park, Shankill, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to knowingly possessing 4,000 images and 300 videos of child porn at his home on January 5, 2016. He has no previous convictions.

Addresses

The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in America contacted gardai about two email addresses sharing child porn. One of these was in the name Nicole Heffernon and the other belonged to a 16-year-old boy.

Gda Tracey said the IP address for the Nicole Heffernon email led back to Mooney's home. He and colleagues got a search warrant for the premises, where Mooney and his parents were present.

Mooney admitted he had contacted up to 15 teenage boys over the last two years.

Gda Tracey said Mooney gave officers a number of emails, with which he had communicated with other suspected paedophiles through a Russian website. Gardai also seized two mobile phones and a computer hard drive during the search.

Gda Tracey agreed with Sean Guerin SC, defending, that Mooney made full admissions and that he had been struggling with his sexuality at the time.

Judge Melanie Greally ordered a report from The Probation Service and adjourned the sentence to January.
Roche (right) grapples with Paddy Holohan in an MMA bout

David Roche, a leading Irish MMA fighter, yesterday withdrew from a legal fight for 60,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court and walked away, almost cashless, from another.

Roche, who shares the services of Conor McGregor's trainer and trains at his Straight Blast Gym, had sued policy holders of AXA and AIG insurance companies for a total of 120,000.

Costs

The claims related to two rear-ending accidents which occurred two months apart.

Barrister Jennifer O'Connell, who appeared with Ennis and Associates Solicitors, for Darren Doyle and AIG Insurance, told Judge Kathryn Hutton that the defendant was consenting to Roche's claim against her client being struck out.

It was learned afterwards that the AIG claim had been settled for a minimal amount, including a contribution towards Roche's legal costs.

In court, neither defendant sought or obtained orders for legal costs against Roche.

John Martin, counsel for another motorist, Ms Uduak Madudu, and her insurer, AXA, told the court the defendant was consenting to Roche, of Mountjoy Square, Dublin, withdrawing his separate 60,000 damages claim against her.

Roche's legal team and counsel for both defendants, including solicitors Nathaniel Lacy for AXA, had taken part in negotiations in the corridor outside the court just prior to the settlement of one and withdrawal of the other Roche claim.

Orlene Cox, of Nathaniel Lacy, said their AXA's client's defence had been based on an alleged improbability of Mr Roche's injuries having been as serious as he was alleging.

They were sustained as he got out of a parked car at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in January 2015.

In both his rear-ending claims, the first on Kimmage Road, Terenure, in November 2014, Roche had claimed he suffered a similarity of injuries to his neck and body.

Following the development in both cases, Mr Colm Featherstone, on behalf of AXA, said the insurer welcomed the result.

He said it fully vindicated the stance taken by the company's special investigation unit in probing such claims.

The firm had prepared video material of a mixed martial arts fight between Roche and Paddy Holohan which had taken place in March 2018 just over two years after the accidents in which Roche had been injured.
A 34-year-old Dublin man has been remanded in custody after he was charged with murdering his partner Amanda Carroll who was found dead in her apartment in Dublin.

The 32-year-old mother-of-two was discovered at her home in Homestead Court, Quarry Road, Cabra, Dublin 7, shortly after 2.30pm on Sunday. The scene was preserved for an examination by the Garda Technical Bureau. A post-mortem found she sustained serious injuries.

Electrician Sean Nolan, of Ashington Crescent, Navan Road, Dublin, was arrested on Sunday and detained at Mountjoy Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

He was charged shortly after 1am on Monday and taken before Dublin District Court yesterday morning charged with Ms Carroll's murder.

Remanded

In a hearing that lasted only a few minutes, Detective Garda Aidan Flanagan said that when the charge was put to Mr Nolan "he made no reply".

The district court cannot grant bail in murder cases and defence solicitor Yvonne Bambury said there was consent to him being remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court next Tuesday.

Dressed in a black hooded top and white T-shirt, the accused stood silently with his arms folded during the brief hearing.

Legal aid was granted to Mr Nolan who has not yet indicated how he will plead to the charge.

Due to the nature of the charge a bail application would have to be brought before the High Court.

Ms Carroll, originally from the north inner city, had worked in Marino, Dublin.

The former child-development student had lived at Homestead Court apartments for the past 11 years.

She had a 16-year-old son and another child who is aged four.
(ANSA) - Moscow, October 24 - Visiting Premier Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Italy.

The invitation was made during formal greetings ahead of talks between the two leaders.

"I hope that you can come to Italy as soon as possible, you've not been there for too long: I wouldn't like the Italian people to think you aren't paying attention to them," said Conte, who is on an official visit to Russia.


(ANSA) - Rome, October 23 - Prosecutors believe a 16-year-old girl from Cisterna di Latina found dead in an abandoned building in Rome on the night of Friday-Saturday was raped and murdered, judicial sources said Tuesday.

An autopsy has shown evidence that the girl was raped by more than one person and then murdered, the sources said.

The girl has yet to be named.


Russians blowing up satellites used to mean something in this country
(ANSA) - Rome, October 24 - Italian wine exports to China over the last year have surged 14.2% in quantity and 21.76% in value for a turnover totaling 140 million dollars, according to the newly released report China Vinitrac of Wine Intelligence on behalf of the Valpolicella Wine Consortium.

The success is reportedly also due to an increase in the population's high-income bracket, including "wine collectors" (9%) and "premium wine consumers" (18%), two segments of the market interested in Valpolicella wines.

According to the report, the denominations Valpolicella and Amarone are well-known to about 18% of consumers of imported wines, a higher percentage than that registered by other Italian labels including Barolo and Chianti.

Both Valpolicella and Amarone originate in the same region of the Veneto, north of Verona, and are made from the same grapes.

Overall, Valpolicella wines are known to about 30% of consumers who drink imported wines and attract as consumers some 49% of those recognizing one or both denominations.

In terms of consumption, the generic denomination of Valpolicella is slightly more well-known than its sibling Amarone della Valpolicella - respectively 6% and 5%.

The city of Shanghai, in particular, has 22% of Valpolicella wine consumers in China, followed by the capital Beijing.


(ANSA) - Rome, October 23 - The government's decree containing measures for Genoa following the August Morandi-bridge disaster is set to arrive on the floor of the Lower House on Tuesday after being approved by a joint session of the environment and transport committees on Tuesday.

The decree was amended to ensure that Mayor Marco Bucci, the commissioner for the reconstruction of the viaduct that will replace the Morandi bridge, will have to follow the anti-mafia code.

Raffaele Cantone, the head of Italy's anti-corruption authority ANAC, had said there was a risk of mafia infiltration in the work because the decree had exempted the commissioner from following the anti-mafia code as part of special powers to tackle the emergency.


(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, OCTOBER 24 - The Great Pompeii Project will be at the center of an archaeology course beginning next month and running through March 2019 in the Tunisian capital.



The project will be studied as a model for the recovery, restoration and optimization of cultural assets and as a model of collaboration between the culture ministry and the regional agency for the relaunch and creation of a new reputation for the site, with valorization and integrated initiatives.



The course will be at the Institut Superieur des Sciences Humaines - El Manar in Tunis and will be entitled ''Archaeology of Pompeii''. The course will be for both teachers and students of archaeology under Professor Umberto Pappalardo, a former inspector for the Pompeii excavations and director of the Ercolano ones. He currently teaches ''Pompeii Archaeology'' and is the director of the International Center for Pompeii Studies.



The center will be officially presenting the course in a public conference in El Manar, sponsored by the local Italian Institute of Culture and others on October 29.



Pappalardo, chosen by the Tunisians for his academic and administrative skills, told ANSAmed that the aims of his course are to illustrate Pompeii in its historic and scientific aspects as well as highlight the management and valorization model to be imitated. ''Pompeii and the Campania region are at the center of a positive process that - thanks to the work done by the directorate for the archaeological park (under professor Massimo Osanna) and all the staff of the Great Pompeii Project and the acts of valorization that have been implemented by the region - have now entirely reversed an idea held in the past, as a place full of lacks and disfunction,'' Pappalardo said. Tunisia, according to data provided by the Tunisian National Heritage Institute (IMP), currently has 1,200 archaeological sites and 40 museums. This is why there is a great deal of interest to valorize as best as possible the wealth of its heritage, in order to consolidate national identity and contribute to the country's economic development. The links between Tunisia and Italy in the archaeological field and heritage valorization have been getting stronger over time. In 2002, the Institut Superieur des Metiers du Patrimoine de Tunis signed a convention with Naples' Suor Orsola Benincasa University (where Pappaardo used to teach PPompeii Archaeology) for training in Patrimoine Applique aux Metiers de l'Artisanat, al Tourisme du Patrimoine and the Promotion Touristique du Patrimoine. Also in that occasion Pompeii.. one of the most ''complete'' archaeological sites in the world with mosaics, paintings, ceramics, glass and bronzes, acted as a model not only for the training of restorers of archaeological sites, but also for craftsmen reproducing ancient masterpieces for tourists in the form of high-quality souvenirs. (ANSAmed).


While more than 6000 Christians celebrated Sukkot in Israel, Central Florida Christians celebrated the feast with a replica of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, also called the Tent of Meeting, erected in the field behind Fellowship Church. Banners with each tribe's name were displayed around the Tabernacle courtyard, showing where each tribe set up camp during the 40 years the Israelites traveled in the desert.

Celebrating the culmination of Sukkot.

Sukkot is the festival in which the Jewish people are reminded of living in tents after leaving Egypt. The Tabernacle, set in the very center of the camp, was where the high priest, Aaron and his sons, would make sacrifices to G-d (Exodus 29) and where G-d abided with the Israelites.

For five days, Fellowship Church held tours of the Tabernacle to teach about this feast. Every detail-from the articles in the Tabernacle to the vestments worn by the priests-was replicated to give a visual of what the Israelites experienced. Several of the church elders led the tours, all of which were sold out.

On Shabbat, Sept. 28-29, church members as well as others camped around the Tabernacle and on Saturday the church was filled with celebration, culminating with a buffet dinner, singing and dancing as the Ark of the Covenant was carried from the Tabernacle into the sanctuary where it was placed in a replica of David's Tabernacle.
The cover of "The Joe Shuster Story: The Artist Behind Superman," by Julian Voloj and illustrated by Thomas Campi.

(JTA)-When Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel created the Superman character in the early 1930s, they were still living at their parents' homes.

Of course, the character and his story-the arrival from another planet, his dual identities as mild-mannered reporter and flying, bulletproof crime fighter -would go on to change the comics industry in several ways and pave the way for the super-heroization of our popular culture.

But Siegel and Shuster originally just wanted to make a little income to support themselves and their families, who had both immigrated from Eastern Europe not long before. They had bonded and began collaborating in high school in Cleveland, and although they were ambitious, they could not have conceived of how influential and popular the character would become. Sadly, they signed over the rights to the Man of Steel early on, dooming themselves to careers full of frustration and misfortune.

The story of these two Jewish comic book legends-Shuster the quiet, reserved artist, and Siegel the earnest, competitive writer-is dramatic and heartbreaking in its own right, and it's now chronicled in a graphic novel titled "The Joe Shuster Story: The Artist Behind Superman," written by Julian Voloj and exquisitely illustrated by Thomas Campi. (Voloj, who is Jewish, is also the author of the graphic novel "Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker," a Jewish and Puerto Rican gang leader in the Bronx.)

JTA spoke with Voloj about the project and Jewish comic book history just before New York Comic Con, which starts Thursday. (Voloj's wife, Lisa Keys, is an editor with 70 Faces Media, JTA's parent company.)

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

So Jerry and Joe are both nerdy outsiders, and that's how they meet at school. But was their shared Jewish immigrant background also a big part of their coming together? As in, they weren't just nerds, they also weren't as assimilated as the other kids?

Voloj: They definitely shared a very similar identity, both born to Eastern European Jewish immigrants-Jerry in Cleveland, Joe in Toronto-but their identity was also the identity of Glenville, the neighborhood they grew up in.

In the 1920s and '30s, the Cleveland neighborhood was like New York's Bronx during that time. All their neighbors were Jewish, they were surrounded by dozens of synagogues, kosher groceries, etc. If you look at their high school yearbook, nearly every student seems to have a Jewish name Even if they were from more assimilated backgrounds, they grew up in a very Jewish environment, so without a doubt, Superman has Jewish roots.

Jewish identity in America before and after World War II is a recurring theme in the story, but it also feels like 99 percent of the characters in the book are Jewish (from the businessmen to other artists like Stan Lee and so on). Could you give an idea of how Jewish the comic book industry was throughout those early decades and why that might have been?

It's a history with many parallels to the beginning of the American film industry. Jews were discriminated against on the job market. If you were a writer or illustrator, not many jobs were available if you could be identified as Jewish. Some Jews changed their name and hid their identity in order to seek employment. Jewish artists such as Jakob Kurtzberg or Stanley Lieber became Jack Kirby and Stan Lee [respectively], even if they often claimed that their name change had nothing to do with them trying to hide their Jewish background.

When, thanks to Superman, comics became a lucrative industry, job recruitment in this new market happened by word-of-mouth. Friends and family were hired. That's why, for instance, many comic book pioneers came from even the same high school, such as DeWitt Clinton in the Bronx, where pioneers such as Will Eisner, Stan Lee or Bill Finger, to name but a few, had been students.

Given that also the publishers were Jewish... I think Siegel and Shuster didn't imagine that they would, as fellow Jews, screw them over. Here, by the way, is an interesting parallel to the garment industry, where factory owners exploited workers even though both came from the same shtetl backgrounds.

Was it an easy decision to tell the story from Joe's perspective? Was it solely because he's just a more likable character than Jerry was?

When starting my research, the plan was to write about both of them from a third-person perspective, but then Joe became the protagonist by chance. In 2014, I learned that Columbia University had just received a donation of letters and documents that were either written or once belonged to Joe Shuster. I contacted Karen Green, who oversees Columbia's comic collection, and even before the documents were cataloged, I got access to these letters, legal papers, bills, etc.

It was fascinating to read about Joe's problems in his own words. Most of the documents were from the late 1960s, during a time when [he was under] the threat of eviction, had doctor bills piling up, etc.-while at the same time preparations were made for a multimillion-dollar Superman movie.

It also became apparent how Jewish he was. For instance, he wrote about the tzedakah he gave during the good years and how ashamed he felt that now he needed help from the Jewish community to pay his own bills.

Jerry had always been the dominant figure of the creative duo, with Joe being the silent partner following his lead.

Making him the narrator puts, for the first time, the spotlight on him, a late recognition of his role in creating the first superhero.

Were there other Jewish comic book artists and writers who dealt with similar losses of rights to their creations? Batman co-creator Bill Finger seems to be one? Or were Shuster and Siegel really the worst case?

I'm not sure if it is really the worst case, but I would rather call it the original sin.

Many stated that Siegel and Shuster were naive to sign the first Superman contract, but as we show in the book, there was no precedent. Comics were not big business and most work was work-for-hire, transferring rights to publishers.

And then Superman changed everything. No one expected this success-neither the creators nor the publishers-and for sure no one expected the success to last.

Like Superman becoming the blueprint for the genre, Siegel and Shuster's contract became the blueprint for other contracts.

Many pioneers experienced similar fates. Batman co-creator Bill Finger [who was Jewish], subject of a future graphic novel project I'm currently working on with the Israeli artist Erez Zadok, is another tragic story that only recently had a posthumous happy ending thanks to the efforts of comic historian Marc Tyler Nobleman.

And unfortunately, these stories are not necessarily stories of the past. Earlier this year I read about Bill Messner-Loebs who once worked for DC Comics and was even credited in the "Wonder Woman" movie, but now was homeless in Detroit.

Super Genius The graphic novel tells the story of Joe Shuster and his writing partner Jerry Siegel: how they grew up, collaborated and navigated the complex comic book industry.

People have called Superman, who is sent away from his home planet just before it is destroyed, as the ultimate immigrant character. Was this definitely part of Siegel's thought process in creating him? And can Superman more specifically be compared to a Jewish refugee fleeing a burning Europe?

Superman's Jewish identity is a recurrent theme. I once read that his origin story is an allegory to the Kindertransport, but this is, of course, a post-Holocaust analysis.

Both their parents escaped poverty and pogroms in Eastern Europe, so this could have influenced the story, which some see as a kind of modernized Moses tale.

I'm neutral when it comes to these interpretations. Superman's origin story, which we see developing throughout the graphic novel, had many roots for sure, as did the plot. The double identity came from Zorro.

What made Superman a success was that Siegel and Shuster understood the zeitgeist, took elements from contemporary pop culture and created something totally new, something that even today, 80 years after its debut, remains a global success.
Twins Herbert and Martin Siegel, will be celebrating their 83rd birthdays on Oct. 24, 2018. What is more significant about this date is that it is also the 70th anniversary of their bar mitzvah. To honor this event, the brothers will again be called to the Torah to recite the traditional prayers and read the Haftarah portion on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 10 a.m. at Congregation Beth Sholom in Leesburg. Herbert will be wearing the same tallit that he wore for his bar mitzvah. After the service they are sponsoring a Kiddush (luncheon) for congregants.

The Siegel twins were born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Saul and Sophie Siegel. They attended Erasmus Hall High School and then University of Miami, Florida, where they both graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. They joined the Army in 1958 due to the draft. After one year they went to Officers Candidate School at Fort Sill Oklahoma and graduated as 2nd lieutenants-Hebert as an artillery officer and Martin as a chemical officer.

Martin (l) and Herbert Siegel today.

At that time, Herbert was married to Betty Israel and awaiting their first child. They decided to remain in the Army and after tours in Korea, Laos, Okinawa, Germany and many stateside posts, Herbert retired in 1983 with 25 years of active service. Herbert retired as a lieutenant colonel and then taught Junior ROTC at Miami Killian High School for 15 years. They retired again in 1998 to Kissimmee and then to the Villages in 2014.

Martin remained on active duty a few more years and then remained in the Army Reserves to complete 30 year of service and retired as a colonel in the Chemical Corps. While serving he had a very successful career as a formulation chemist with an international company (Ciba Geiga of Switzerland). He married Betty Dobin and has two sons. He currently resides in Niceville, Florida.
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Two Israelis were killed and another injured in a terror attack in a West Bank industrial area that employs thousands of Palestinian and Jewish workers.

The attack in the Barkan Industrial Park factory took place shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday, at the beginning of the work week. The gunman, a 23-year-old Palestinian who remains at large, had been employed at the factory for several months and reportedly knew the two dead victims-a man and a woman from central Israel. Both had been tied up and shot at close range; they died of their injuries at the scene.

A woman in her 50s was taken to a nearby Israeli hospital in serious but stable condition, according to Magen David Adom.

Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, 29, of Rosh Haayin, and Ziv Hajbi, a 35-year-old father of three from Rishon Lezion, were identified as the two people killed.

The attack is reported to be the first of its kind in the Barkan Industrial Park.

The gunman used an assault rifle and was caught on security cameras leaving the factory. He lived in the village of Shweika, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, and had a permit to enter Barkan for work, but it is not known how he was able to bring the weapon into the industrial zone. He reportedly left behind a suicide note with a friend.

The Israel Defense Forces is searching for the attacker.

"This is a serious terror attack," IDF spokesman Ronen Manlis said in a statement. "He may have had other motives, but we unequivocally state that this is a terrorist attack, in light of other findings we have."

Manlis said that special units have been brought in to help capture the shooter.

He called the Barkan Industrial Zone, which is home to 160 factories, "an area of coexistence in which Palestinians work daily with a permit alongside Jews. We are examining the events of the day, but it is clear to all of us that preserving this coexistence is part of the IDF's mission, and we will continue to do so."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday morning called the shootings a "severe terrorist attack."

"The security forces are in pursuit of the reprehensible murderer," he said. "I am certain that they will apprehend him and I am also certain that we will deal with him to the fullest extent of the law and quickly.

President Reuven Rivlin in a statement said "This was not only an attack on innocent people going about their daily lives, it was also an attack on the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians co-existing peacefully. I call on the Palestinian leadership to condemn the attack and to use the forces at their disposal to capture the terrorist and those who aided him."

The Hamas terror organization called the attack "a new chapter in our resistance in the West Bank."

"The incident has proven that any attempts of the Palestinian Authority to normalize relations with the Zionist occupier are unsuccessful," it said in a statement.

An Islamic Jihad spokesman, Daoud Shehab, said the attack is a reply to "Israel's war crimes in Gaza, Jerusalem, the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar and the damage Israel causes to the Al-Aqsa mosque. We call on our people to rise up against the settlements terror until the West Bank is freed from it."
(JNS)The University of Michigan is again under fire for anti-Israel sentiment as a pro-BDS instructor rejected a Jewish students request for a letter of recommendation to study in Israel for a semester, just a few months after an associate professor refused to do the same for student Abigail Ingber.

In August, associate professor in the American Culture Department John Cheney-Lippold wrote to Ingber via email: As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine. This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there... For reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter.

He is now undergoing disciplinary action.

But the problem is bigger than Cheney-Lippold, as further evidenced by a second, nearly identical incident that affected another Jewish student.

Last week, a graduate teaching instructor reneged on her promise to write 20-year-old junior Jake Secker a letter of recommendation to study abroad for a semester at Tel Aviv University.

Im so sorry that I didnt ask before agreeing to write your recommendation letter, but I regrettably will not be able to write on your behalf, Lucy Peterson said in her email to Secker. Along with numerous other academics in the U.S. and elsewhere, I have pledged myself to a boycott of Israeli institutions as a way of showing solidarity with Palestine.

University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald has stated on the record that the university is prohibited by federal law from discussing student matters without the written permission of the student.

Secker is a friend of Ingbers. He did not respond to JNS for a comment, nor did Peterson.

Groups like the Anti-Defamation League condemned the move and called on the university to address the issue of students being denied letters of recommendation to study in Israel, despite the universitys policy against BDS.

The University of Michigan must take immediate steps to ensure that students are not denied an opportunity to participate in an accredited overseas program because of their professors political views, said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a statement.

The University of Michigan, and indeed all U.S. institutions of higher education, should ensure that students are able to pursue academic studies without having their studies thwarted by their professors political views, he added.

We are strong supporters of academic freedom. Certainly everyone, including professors, has a right to openly express their views of the policies of the elected Israeli government, continued Greenblatt. But this should not be at the expense of students seeking to broaden their academic experiences.

Greenblatt called out an apparent double standard by instructors. These professors indicated they had no problem writing recommendations for students who might study in any other country in the world, he said. Singling out Israel alone among all the nations of the world as worthy of boycott, according to the State Department working definition, potentially crosses the line from criticism of Israel to anti-Semitism.

A culture of discrimination

Zionist Organization of America president Mort Klein expressed a similar sentiment to JNS.

It is shocking and irresponsible for an academic to take this bigoted stance against Israel while ignoring the fact that Israel has offered statehood to the Palestinians, who have rejected the offer three times in the past 20 years, he said.

All the while, these academics are ignoring the fact that the Palestinian Authority is a terrorist entity that refuses to negotiate with Israel, added Klein.

He called on the university to sanction those who display this type of irrational anti-Semitic prejudice.

Club Z Founder and executive director Masha Merkulova said there is a culture of discrimination at the University of Michigan that must be addressed immediately by President Mark Schlissel, Michigan elected officials and the Department of Education. Club Z will be working closely with partners in the pro-Israel community to bring this issue to light. We cannot afford to be silent as students continue to face this hostile and discriminatory environment.

Secker met last Friday with the Rosario Ceballo, associate dean for the social sciences in Michigans College of Literature, Science and the Arts, who agreed to write the letter in Petersons place, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the incident.

According to the Post, Seckers father, who is Israeli, was so infuriated that he considered withdrawing his son from the school, but reconsidered after his wife contacted the presidents office, which connected the couple to the associate dean, who offered to write any letter Jake wanted, he said.

Guest lecture compares Netanyahu to Hitler

The latest anti-Israel outrage comes less than a week after a guest lecturer, former Black Panther leader Emory Douglas, compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the mastermind of the Holocaust, which resulted in the founding of the Jewish state. As part of the department-sponsored lecture, Douglas presented two slides that promoted the ideas behind BDS and violence against Israel.

A student, Alexa Smith, captured the images, two years after she observed a similar experience.

As a Wolverine, I sat through this lecture horrified at the hatred and intolerance being spewed on our campus, Smith posted on Facebook. As a Jew who is proud of my people and my homeland, I sat through this lecture feeling targeted and smeared to be as evil as the man who perpetuated the Holocaust and systematically murdered six million Jews.

Two years ago I was forced to sit through another mandatory Stamps lecture in which the speaker, Joe Sacco, made references to Israel being a terrorist state and explicitly claimed that Israeli soldiers were unworthy of being represented as actual human beings in his artwork, continued Smith.

I will no longer sit quietly and allow others to dehumanize my people and my community, she added. The administration is repeatedly failing to forcefully respond to anti-Semitism, and so it comes back worse and worse each time. A line needs to be drawn and it needs to be drawn now.

The lecture was part of a guest-speaker series through the universitys Stamps School of Art & Design.

Calling on the university to react

Pro-Israel groups like StandWithUs, the AMCHA Initiative and the Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned the content of the talk.

StandWithUs commended Smith for the exposure. We are proud of Alexa for her courage. She did not give the situation a pass and instead stood up to bigotry, said Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO StandWithUs, and a daughter of Holocaust survivors, in a statement. Comparing Netanyahu to Hitler in the course of a mandatory lecture for art students is an example of the subtle form of anti-Semitism that is injected into North American campus lectures far too often.

At the University of Michigan, this comes after a professor and a graduate-student instructor used the BDS movement to penalize two students who expressed their desire to study in Israel, she continued. We commend the university leadership for taking a firm and immediate stand against anti-Semitism in the past and encourage them to take a stand to differentiate the university from Emory Douglas hateful, agenda-driven comparison.

AMCHA echoed SWUs response. The image comparing Netanyahu is outrageous and anti-Semitic, the groups director Tammi Rossman-Benjamin told JNS.

Also important to note is that Douglas presented two slides that promoted BDS and violence against Israel, which are perhaps even more problematic, particularly because Douglass talk was mandatory and departmentally sponsored, she said. In fact, research demonstrates that the presence of BDS-promoting speakers on campus is directly associated with an increase in anti-Semitism on campus, and specifically those acts that target Jewish students for harm, including assault, harassment, destruction of property and suppression of speech.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center called on the university to act.

In the name of free speech, a public university invites a speaker who equates in word and visually Netanyahu and Hitler with the term genocide, SWC said in a statement to JNS. Students are required to sit through a propaganda presentation based on an insidious lie.

If Hitler was ultimate evil and Bibi = Hitler whats the message to fellow students about Jews/Zionists on campus? Beyond an outrage, continued SWC. Will the University apologize or take action or make a comment beyond protecting free speech of bigot?
Protesters outside the main gates of Columbia in New York City called on the university administration to do more to protect pro-Israel students, Oct. 4, 2018.

By Ben Sales

NEW YORK (JTA)-The organizers of a rally to support pro-Israel students at Columbia University didn't want the Jewish Defense League to show up.

And yet there they were, a few demonstrators wearing the extremist right-wing group's insignia, a clenched fist punching into a yellow Jewish star.

The leader of the group's New York chapter, Karen Lichtbraun, marched up and down the small police barricade chatting up the other protesters. She said six of her members had come to demonstrate on behalf of the students.

The Oct. 4 rally outside Columbia's main gates in Upper Manhattan was organized by Students Supporting Israel, a campus group with chapters across the country. It called on the university administration to do more to protect pro-Israel students, whom SSI says are harassed for their views.

But most of the 40 or so demonstrators appeared not to be students. Many were older, mostly middle-aged, protesting on their behalf. The rally was posted on Facebook and was the subject of a news release sent out by Miller Ink, a West Coast public relations firm that represents some pro-Israel groups. In the past, SSI's Columbia chapter has received support from the Lawfare Project, a legal aid group that supports pro-Israel causes.

One of the older protesters, a non-student who wore a black face mask and identified himself only as "Big Rob," said he attended the rally in order to encourage pro-Israel students to aggressively confront their adversaries.

"The way to help yourself is by demonstrating you're willing to take a risk, you're willing to take a loss to extract a price," Big Rob said in a gruff voice. "Whatever it takes: kicked out of school, a fat lip, a bloody nose, a night in jail, whatever it is. They want to play it safe. That's why the tormentors are emboldened."

Columbia undergraduate Ofir Dayan, daughter of Israel's consul general in New York, Dani Dayan, told the New York Post that members of Students for Justice in Palestine have harassed her on campus. Dayan said she has been called a "murderer" and "terrorist" by mobs of Palestinian supporters, and that when her father spoke at the university in February, she was handed a flier calling him a "war criminal."

SSI Columbia's president, senior Dalia Zahger, told JTA at the rally that she has had similar experiences. Zahger recalled an instance when she and three friends were confronted after an SSI meeting by a group of 50 protesters chanting at them.

"They called me a terrorist in all kinds of different situations," said the 25-year-old senior, who came to Columbia after serving in the Israeli army. "There were about 50 people there and they started yelling chants at us against Israel. They were there for a different protest, not connected to us. They saw us and decided to scream at us."

Earlier this year, with the help of Lawfare, SSI filed a complaint with the university administration claiming harassment of pro-Israel students by anti-Zionist groups. The university, according to Zahger, has repeatedly dismissed the complaint.

Despite that, only a handful of students showed up at the rally. Zahger and a few older attendees claimed that was because students were too scared to out themselves as pro-Israel, they were unaware of how bad things were or people discount Jewish claims of discrimination.

"If there would be any other minority treated the way Jewish students are being treated here, you would have thousands of people here standing with them," said protester Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, the president of Eitan, a nonprofit supporting American Israelis. "When it comes to Israel and Jews, unfortunately, people don't feel that the same safe spaces and support are required."

But other large Jewish groups on campus also stayed away from the protest. The campus Hillel's leadership did not respond to requests for comments, and Aryeh, a large pro-Israel group at Columbia, declined to endorse the rally or encourage its members to attend. The group's president, Adele Stolovitz, was reluctant to comment on SSI, but told JTA that her group prefers to engage students in pro-Israel activism rather than confronting the administration.

"Aryeh had no official part in that protest at all," she said. "We are not currently petitioning the administration in any way. Most of our outreach is on a personal basis, and we like to engage the students more than the administration."

Although SSI tends to be more provocative-in 2016, the group inflated a 12-foot Pinocchio doll on campus to call out what it said were lies being propagated by anti-Israel students-it was uncomfortable with the JDL presence at its rally. The JDL was founded in the late 1960s by Rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated violence in response to anti-Semitism. The FBI labeled it a terror group.

Today, the JDL, which has a small New York chapter, frequently protests on behalf of right-wing pro-Israel causes.

Following the rally, SSI published a statement condemning the JDL and clarifying that it had asked its members to leave. It said there were three JDL members at the rally.

"We apologize for any distress the three individuals caused," the statement said. "We did not intend on allowing such an extreme group of individuals to attend. Again, we condemn JDL and what they stand for on the strongest possible terms."

But at the rally, Lichtbraun said she had no qualms about protesting on behalf of students-even if there weren't that many students there.

"Most of the pro-Israel groups have not taken to the street, have not organized a protest," she said. "They've stayed in their safe classroom."
(JNS)New details of the fatal terror attack against three Israelis at the Barkan Industrial Park on Sunday morning are coming to light as parents of the deceased call for vengeance.

Every terrorist should know he would be executed, and that his family will suffer for his crimes, the father of murdered Alon Group employee Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, Rafael, said at her funeral. These people spit into the well they drink from, so maybe they dont deserve to drink.

Levengrond Yehezkel, a 29-year-old mother of an 18-month-old son who worked as a secretary to the CEO of Alon Group was killed around 7:30 a.m., along with 35-year-old accountant Ziv Hagbi, by 23-year-old Ashraf Wallid Suleiman Naalwa, who worked as an electrician for the company.

According to new reports, before Naalwa fatally shot Levengrond Yehezkel and Hagbi, moderately wounding 54-year-old Sara Vaturi, he forced a 20-year-old Arab cleaner from Shechem to tie Levengrond Yehezkels hands behind her back with zip ties.

The cleaner, who was subsequently questioned by Shin Bet security services but not arrested, told authorities that Naalwa threatened to kill him if he did not comply, then gave him seconds to escape.

Vaturi said that after she was shot in the stomach, she managed to flee the room and hide under her desk. She was found by two stockroom workersone Arab and one Jewwho took care of her until paramedics arrived.

When news began to emerge that workers at the Alon Group were shot, Rafael Levengrond raced to the scene and saw the aftermath of the slaughter with his own eyes.

Policemen attempted to pull me away, but after I saw her, I couldnt leave, said Levengrond. At the funeral, he apologized to his daughter for being unable to protect her from the terrorist.

I am sorry I was not with you. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get there in time, he said. I promise you that [your husband and son] Guy and Kai will receive everything they need. I promise that I will take care of them like I always took care [of you]. You can rest in peace.

At the funeral, Minister of Communications Ayoub Kara, a friend of the family, lamented that terrorists were not eligible for a death penalty in Israel. It is a dark day, said Kara. I came to represent the government of Israel and to express solidarity with this dear family. I came to tell her husband and her baby, who will never again see his mother, I am sorry. I tried to advance a law to give the death penalty to terrorists, but I have not succeeded.

Iris Hagbi, the mother of Ziv Hagbi, also called for the death of the terrorists.

I want to convey a messageI wish none of the terrorists remain alive, she said. The terrorists family should suffer. He shortened the lives of the people there. He should be killed.

Hagbi, a husband and father of three children, was laid to rest on Monday in Moshav Nir Yisrael. Kim was buried late Sunday in Rosh Haayin.
Migrants clash with police at Croatia border 200 refugees from Bosnia, at least two wounded

(ANSAmed) - SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 24 - A reported 200 migrants in Bosnia-Herzegovina clashed with police while trying to cross the Croatian border crossing of Maljevac, in Velika Kladusa (north-west) and the border pass is now blocked. The migrants pushed through a police cordon before being stopped by another one outside the border crossing.



According to local reporters on the ground, at least two migrants were injured. A helicopter with Croatian special forces has reportedly arrived. (ANSAmed)
(JTA)Moshe Aryeh Friedman may be mild-mannered, but the Antwerp rabbi certainly has a knack for publicity.

An anti-Zionist activist from New York, Friedman, 47, has been accusedfalsely, he has saidof denying the Holocaust during a 2006 conference organized by then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

He has since repeatedly riled the Jewish community of the Belgian city where he has lived with his family since 2011.

In 2013, Friedman got a judge to force a Jewish school for girls to admit two of his boysa blow directed at a congregation that treats him like a pariah.

This year he went after another communal soft spot, telling the media that Orthodox Judaism does allow the stunning of animals before they are slaughtered (despite a rabbinical near consensus to the contrary).

But even Friedman outdid himself this summer when he landed himself and his family in the middle of an international scandal involving suspected espionage by a young Moroccan woman whom the Belgian security service recommended deporting, saying she threatens national security.

The relationship between Friedman and 32-year-old Kaoutar Fal, who left Belgium on July 23 amid suspicions that she is a Moroccan spy, began several years ago when they met at various conferences about achieving peace, he told JTA.

We became good friends. Best friends, he said

Friedman and his wife, Lea Rosenzweig, have been at the forefront of an effort to clear the name of Fal, who describes herself as an entrepreneur, womens rights activist and journalist, and has denied gathering intelligence for any country, including Morocco.

The couples involvement began on July 11, when Rosenzweig called police to report that Fal had been abducted in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.

In reality, Fal had been taken for interrogation by security services, according to VRT and the Joods Actueel Jewish newspaper, though Friedman insists she was abducted by unidentified mobsters. Whoever they were, the men who apprehended Fal whisked her away into a van with civilian license plates in broad daylight in front of the European Parliament, according to VRT.

During that week, police picked up Fal a number of times in connection with her three-year visa, which had been issued in 2016 but revoked suddenly this year. The Belgian State Security Service flagged Fal as a danger to our national security, VRT said. Later, the same service told a court that Fal is actively involved in intelligence operations for Morocco, leading to her departure from Belgium after her release without a staying permit.

Friedman has lodged a complaint with police over what he calls Fals abduction in Brussels. He told JTA that Fal, whom Friedman has visited in Morocco several times since 2017, including with some of his eight children, is not and has never been a spy. These are all false allegations.

He similarly dismissed as nonsense a claim, appearing on a small news site for Moroccan Berbers in Belgium, that Fal is his lover.

A ridiculous lie, Friedman said.

But what may have remained an unlikely friendship between two colorful figures could still pose a security risk for Belgium, according to an expose published Thursday by Joods Actueel, which has taken a highly critical line in covering Friedmans actions vis-a-vis the Jewish community.

Thats because Friedmans 23-year-old daughter, Rezi, is running for office in the Oct. 14 municipal elections on the ticket of the party of Kris Peetersthe current deputy prime minister of Belgium. Peeters and Rezi Friedman posed together for a campaign poster on display in Antwerp wishing Jews Shanah Tovah, a happy Jewish New Year.

And thats a potential issue because Rezi Freidman lives at home with her parents at the same address that Fal at one point gave authorities as her correspondence address in Antwerp, Joods Actueel suggested. The rabbi said that his daughter didnt have anything to do with Fal, who may have given authorities his address, he said, only so he might hold her mail for her during her court case over extending her visa.

On Tuesday, Fal wrote under a campaign poster on Rezi Friedmans Facebook account: Youre the best, I know youre going to be successful in anything you do. The two women posed together for pictures on several occasions.

According to Joods Actueel editor-in-chief Michael Freilich, this means that we have to ask ourselves questions about a suspected spys ties and access to politicians during the campaign and whether this is a security issue.

Rezi Friedman did not respond to JTAs request for a comment on Freilichs assertions.

Freilich is not the only one with an uneasy feeling about Fals ties to the Friedmans.

Rezi Friedman is now surrounded by a few important politicians, Christophe Busch, a terrorism expert and criminologist who is the director of the Kazerne Dossin state Holocaust museum near Antwerp, told Joods Actueel.

Even if she herself never does anything to endanger national security, There is the appearance that thats possible, he said. And thats a big problem for her party because appearance is everything in politics.
Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Nadia Murad of Iraq is a staunch supporter of Israel and visited the Jewish state last year.

On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Surgeon Denis Mukwege from Congo and 25-year-old Murad "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict."

Murad visited Israel in July 2017 when the Knesset held a memorial session in remembrance of the genocide conducted by the Islamic State against the Yazidis in Iraq in recent years.

The conference's main guest speaker was Murad, who, in August 2014, was captured by ISIS in her village of Kocho, Iraq, and sold into sex slavery. ISIS murdered six of her brothers and held her captive for months. She managed to escape, found her way to a refugee camp and was one of more than a thousand Yazidis accepted into a refugee asylum program in Germany.

Murad was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by the UN last year as an advocate for her people. She is explaining to the world that the crimes waged against them must not go unpunished.

"This is not the first time people have used their power to destroy a group of innocent human beings, simply because of who they are. This is something you know all too well, and your families have had their own tragic and difficult journeys," she told the Knesset last year, referring to the Holocaust.

"We Yazidis are a peaceful people. Never in our 5,000 year history have we fought and killed others. But our peacefulness has not served us well," Murad stated. "We have faced 74 massacres, often motivated by extreme interpretations of Islam. And I'm afraid this genocide, the one that continues today, will be complete, if we are not able to return to our homeland. Yazidis strive for, but are given no say, in deciding the future of our homeland."

'Like the Jewish people, we have always survived'

"I know that like the Jewish people, we have always survived. These experiences inspire us to hold onto our culture and identity. And importantly, our experiences drive us to stand up for others who are being persecuted, as you have chosen to do today. This is why I use my voice to speak on behalf of those who are silenced, like the 3,000 women and girls still in the hands of Daesh [ISIS] terrorists. My visit here today is to ask you to recognize the genocide being committed against my people, in light of our peoples' common history of genocide," she said.

Murad announce after winning the prize that she will share the award "with Yazidis, Iraqis, Kurds, other persecuted minorities and all of the countless victims of sexual violence around the world."

"As a survivor, I am grateful for this opportunity to draw international attention to the plight of the Yazidi people, who have suffered unimaginable crimes" under ISIS, she said.

"We must work together with determination to prove that genocidal campaigns will not only fail, but lead to accountability for the perpetrators and justice for the survivors," Murad concluded.

AP contributed to this report.
(JNS)-A Jewish Community Center in Fairfax, Va., was vandalized with 19 spray-painted swastikas early Saturday morning.

Building staff noticed the building had been vandalized when they arrived to open the facility at 7 a.m. Security camera footage showed a suspect defacing the center at around 4:30 a.m, and local authorities released photos to the public.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine tweeted that an "insidious rise in hateful actions and anti-Semitism" must be met with "fierce condemnation and an over-abundance of love and unity."

In 2017, the same JCC was spray-painted with the message "Hitler was right," swastikas and other Nazi symbolism.

JCC leadership released a statement saying, "as many of us recognize, these acts do not represent the community around the J[CC] or the community in Northern Virginia. The J[CC] as a whole, and particularly through the focused efforts of our Committee for a Just and Caring Community, will continue to participate as a positive force in both the Jewish and wider communities."
Jewish Academy student uses the Lulav and Etrog in the Jewish Academy Sukkah during Chol HaMoed Sukkot.

Jewish Academy of Orlando students celebrated Sukkot and Simchat Torah at Temple Israel and Congregation Ohev Shalom.

The Jewish holidays at Jewish Academy of Orlando have always been special. This year, the holidays were even more memorable as the students celebrated with their friends, teachers, and the community at two local synagogues.

On Sukkot, students visited Temple Israel where they celebrated by participating in services, visiting the Sukkah, using the Lulav and Etrog, hearing stories, and playing games appropriate for the holiday.

"It was a joy sharing Sukkot with the students and teachers of JAO. All of our congregants raved about how wonderful the kids were and what extra spirit they added to the festival. I hope we have many more such chances to bring the community together," stated Rabbi Joshua Neely from Temple Israel.

On Simchat Torah, JAO visited Congregation Ohev Shalom, participated in the traditional marching (Hakafot) with the Torah and flags, as well as singing and dancing with the Torah. It was a joyous celebration for the community and enhanced by the participation of the students.

"What better way to celebrate the renewal of the annual cycle of Torah-reading than with the future of our community? Our congregation was bursting with energy and joy. Thanks to the students and staff of JAO joining us for Simchat Torah," added Rabbi David Kay from Congregation Ohev Shalom.

"I am so pleased with the wonderful gracious reception that Jewish Academy of Orlando students and faculty received at both Temple Israel and Congregation Ohev Shalom. The student participation and enthusiasm exceeded my expectations," added Dr. Edward Zissman, Jewish Academy of Orlando founding president, board member, and grandfather to three students.

"We are grateful to partner with these wonderful congregations so that our students can celebrate the joyous holidays in a meaningful way," stated Alan Rusonik, head of school.

Jewish Academy plans to continue to celebrate with the community and will be doing more outreach to the other synagogues and community agencies in the months to come.

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: https://www.jewishacademyorlando.org or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando.
WASHINGTON (JTA)-There are 56 candidates for Congress who identify as Jewish.

Among them are 41 Democrats: five are running for the Senate-three incumbents and two challengers. Among the 36 in the U.S. House of Representatives, 18 are incumbents and 18 are challengers. (Three incumbent Jewish House Democrats are retiring.)

The 15 Republican candidates are running for the House. There are two incumbents and 13 challengers.

Additionally, two House candidates, both Democrats, have Jewish fathers and say that shaped their outlook, but they do not identify as Jewish. At least three House hopefuls in the same party-two incumbents and one challenger-have a Jewish spouse and are raising their children as Jewish.

Politically and geographically, they are as diverse a bunch as the 900 candidates for Congress (Jews, who make up less than 2 percent of the population, comprise 6 percent of the candidates). There are moderate Republicans who would rather not mention President Donald Trump's name while campaigning, right-wing Republicans who eagerly embrace the Trump endorsement and other right-wing Republicans who peddle "alt-right" tropes.

There are centrist Democrats who staunchly defend Israel, leftist Democrats among the Jewish state's most outspoken critics and Democrats who barely register on the Israel spectrum.

There are sure bets and long shots (in some cases very long shots), while some races are too tight to call. Some have come up through the statehouse, some through the national security system, some with no political experience.

They come from areas of high Jewish concentration like New York and Los Angeles, and spots such as Kentucky and Wyoming where Jews barely register on the electoral map.

JTA is breaking down the races, assessing where the candidates stand on the political spectrum, noting their Jewish involvement and reporting what the forecasters say.

We start with the Jewish Senate nominees, all Democrats:

Dianne Feinstein, California (incumbent)

Politics: Feinstein, 85, elected in 1992, is the oldest sitting U.S. senator and the longest-serving woman in the body.

She is a leading progressive on most issues, and for decades has been outspoken on gun control and LGBTQ rights. She became San Francisco's mayor in 1978 after her predecessor, George Moscone, and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, a Jewish gay rights activist, were shot to death. Feinstein, the president of the city's Board of Supervisors, discovered their bodies.

As the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Feinstein took the lead in picking through the record of Brett Kavanaugh, who barely won Senate confirmation following allegations of sexual assault from decades ago.

As the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2009 to 2015, Feinstein angered progressives by siding with intelligence agencies when they drew fire for their methods.

Jewish quotient: Feinstein had a Jewish father and Christian mother and was brought up in both faiths. At 20, she chose Judaism, she said, because of its directness. Over the years she has become more critical of Israel, taking the lead recently in urging its government not to demolish Palestinian residences in the West Bank as punishment. Feinstein has been endorsed by the political action committee affiliated with J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, as well as JACPAC, the Chicago-based Jewish PAC that backs liberal domestic policies.

Election prospects: California's system grants the two spots on the November ballot to the two top vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party. That leaves Feinstein facing off against Kevin de Leon, a Democratic state senator who has the endorsement of the state party. Feinstein is expected to win, although recent polls show de Leon narrowing the divide to single digits.

Ben Cardin, Maryland (incumbent)

Politics: Cardin, 74, was elected to the Senate from the House in 2006. Like his father and uncle, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates, becoming its youngest-ever speaker. As a U.S. senator, he eschews the national reputation some of his colleagues seek and tends to pursue his liberal agenda through the prism of state issues: Cardin is a champion of the environment who seeks to keep the Chesapeake Bay clean and wants to narrow the income gap, with a focus on Baltimore's troubled inner city.

Cardin does strike a broader profile in international relations, particularly human rights. For years he has taken a lead role on the U.S. Helsinki Commission, which monitors human rights in other countries, and he was the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee from 2015 until earlier this year. Cardin started each briefing with reporters with an appeal for the release of a prisoner of conscience.

Jewish quotient: Cardin is a scion of a family influential in Jewish philanthropy. A relative is Shoshana Cardin, who led multiple national Jewish organizations. He hews to a conventional pro-Israel line, and was one of four Senate Democrats who in 2015 opposed the Iran nuclear deal after being subjected to intensive lobbying by Baltimore-area Jewish leaders. This year, Cardin spoke at J Street's national conference, a signal that he was edging toward the more Israel-critical posture that the group favors. Nonetheless, he defended a bill he authored that would impose penalties on companies that comply with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. Cardin has been backed by NORPAC, the New Jersey-based center-right pro-Israel political action committee, as well as JACPAC.

Election prospects: Cardin is heavily favored to defeat Republican Tony Campbell, a political science professor.

Jacky Rosen, Nevada (challenger)

Politics: Rosen, 61, was a consultant and software designer plucked from obscurity by Sen. Harry Reid just two years ago to run for the 3rd District seat then held by Republican Joe Heck, encompassing Las Vegas suburbs. (Heck ran a failed Senate campaign to replace Reid, who was retiring.) Reid, the longtime Democratic leader in the Senate and a powerhouse in Nevada politics, wanted a pickup for Democrats, and Rosen delivered-so much so that Reid, who remains influential, tapped Rosen to take down Dean Heller, the incumbent Republican senator.

The focus of Rosen's campaign has been education-the public school system in Nevada is notoriously underfunded-and the environment. She also is part of the wave of women seen as spurred to higher office by Donald Trump's election. She has been outspoken in recent weeks in saying that as a senator she would have opposed the Kavanaugh confirmation, and she has the endorsement of feminist PACs like Emily's List.

Jewish quotient: Rosen's sole political experience prior to 2016 was as president of Ner Tamid, a Reform synagogue in Henderson, Nevada. Good enough, said Shelley Berkley, a former Democratic congresswoman from Las Vegas who lost to Heller in 2012.

"If you can be president of a synagogue," Berkley told The New York Times, "you can be president of the United States very easily."

Rosen has taken a typically centrist pro-Israel line, saying she would have opposed the 2015 Iran nuclear pact. Heller is backed by Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate and pro-Israel and Republican giver who helped lead opposition to the deal. She has been endorsed by center-right pro-Israel PACs as well as JACPAC. She's an "On The Street" candidate for J Street's PAC, which means she does not accept the PAC's money but does allow it to direct individual donors her way.

Election prospects: Rosen vs. Heller is one of the closest races in the country-pollsters rate it as a tossup.

Bernie Sanders, Vermont (incumbent)

Politics: Sanders, 77, is an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats. He won election to the Senate in 2006 after serving 16 years in the House. He launched his political career in 1981 when he became mayor of Burlington, Vermont.

Sanders ran a surprisingly strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, becoming the first Jewish candidate to win major-party nominating contests. Hillary Clinton won the nod, but the Sanders bid excited the party's base and helped steer it leftward For instance, the $15 minimum wage Sanders championed, once considered pie-in-the-sky by the Democratic establishment, is now party policy. Left-leaning candidates now eagerly seek out an endorsement from Sanders or the activist group established in the wake of his campaign, Our Revolution.

Jewish quotient: Sanders, who firmly identifies as a democratic socialist, for years had eschewed a focus on his Judaism, preferring in media encounters to stick to his overriding policy concern: income inequality. Since launching his presidential election campaign, though, he has spoken more openly than he had in the past about family who had perished during the Holocaust and about the several months he had spent as a young man in Israel on a kibbutz.

He has since his presidential campaign become a leading Senate critic of Israel, posting multiple videos on social media criticizing how Israel is handling the crisis across its border in the Gaza Strip. He has the endorsement of J Street's PAC and was the star of J Street's annual conference this year. While critical of Israel, Sanders opposes BDS and emphasizes his demand that Arab states recognize Israel's existence.

Election prospects: Sanders is running unopposed.

Gary Trauner, Wyoming (challenger)

Politics: Trauner, 59, ran twice in the mid-2000s for Wyoming's single House seat and, shockingly for this reddest of Republican states, nearly took it in 2006, a sweep year for Democrats. He told JTA that year that he had knocked on nearly every door in the state. Trauner tried again in 2008 and lost by a wider margin.

The issues page on his campaign site suggests a cautiously centrist approach: He backs the social safety net, environmentally responsible energy independence, immigration reform that includes allowances for undocumented migrants currently in the United States and "balance" on gun rights.

Jewish quotient: Trauner, a New York-born financial entrepreneur, attended Jewish political fundraising events during his House runs. This time around, the record does not show money coming in from pro-Israel or Jewish PACs. (He has raised an impressive $630,000, which nonetheless is less than a tenth of the nearly $7 million brought in by his Republican opponent, incumbent John Barrasso.) His campaign site does not address foreign policy

Election prospects: Barrasso is seen as safe in a state that Trump won with 67 percent of the vote to 22 percent for Hillary Clinton-the widest margin for a presidential election in the state's history.
John Cheney-Lippold, an associate professor in the American Culture department at the University of Michigan, cited the BDS movement in his decision to withhold a letter recommendation for a Jewish student seeking to study abroad in Israel.

(JNS)-A University of Michigan professor, citing his support for the BDS movement in denying a student's request in August for a letter of recommendation for a semester-long study-abroad program at Tel Aviv University, was sanctioned on Tuesday by the university.

"As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine," John Cheney-Lippold, an associate professor in the American Culture department, wrote to University of Michigan student Abigail Ingber in an email in August. "This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there... For reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter."

The punishments against Cheney-Lippold include a stern warning, ineligibility for a merit increase for the 2018-19 academic year, in addition to being ineligible to take an accredited sabbatical until the fall 2020 semester.

Ingber's family found out about the course of action through a Freedom of Information Act request, obtained by JNS.

Cheney-Lippold met with Elizabeth Cole, interim dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, on Sept. 20, where he acknowledged he was wrong regarding university policies on the BDS movement and instead inserted "a personal stance," according to a letter from Cole to the professor, which is part of the FOIA file.

The professor acknowledged that he previously wrote a few letters for students wanting to study in Israel because he "did not have tenure."

"Supporting the academic aspirations of your students is fundamental to your responsibilities as a faculty member. You have an obligation to support your students' academic growth," said Cole. "Rather than fulfill this obligation, you used the student's request as a platform to express your own personal views."

"Nothing in this letter is intended to discourage you from speaking on or advocating for matters that are of concern to you, which you are free to do," added Cole. "But interfering with a student's academic aspirations, as you have done here, is not acceptable."

Despite a BDS resolution passed last year by the university's student government, the school itself prohibits its departments or any part of the university to boycott or divest from Israel.

This development comes amid two anti-Israel controversies at the university late last week: a guest lecture comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and a graduate instructordenying a similar request from a student, citing the same reason as Cheney-Lippold.
NEW YORK (JTA)-Nikki Haley, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations and a strong defender of Israel in the world body, will leave her post by the end of this year.

President Donald Trump in an Oval Office appearance with Haley on Tuesday morning praised the former South Carolina governor and said that about six months ago, she told him that she was ready to leave by the end of this year.

"She's a fantastic person, very importantly, but she's also somebody that gets it," Trump said.

The announcement has especially shocked supporters of Israel. "Whatever Trump may have gotten wrong, his choice of Nikki Haley as ambassador to the U.N. was a masterstroke," the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby wrote recently.

CNN has referred to her as "the breakout star" of Trump's cabinet.

Haley, a moderate on Trump's foreign policy team, had a warm relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who frequently praised her for criticizing what she saw as bias against the Jewish state at the U.N.

The most consequential actions she took had to do with Israel: She pulled out of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural affiliate, and pushed for the defunding of UNRWA, the agency that administers assistance to Palestinian refugees and their descendants. She threw a party for countries that did not vote to condemn the United States for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Haley at the Oval Office event said Trump earned international respect by delivering on his warnings, including on Iran and Israel.

"They get it when the president says he means business," she said. "If you look at the anti-Israel bias and the strength and courage the president showed in moving the embassy" to Jerusalem.

She especially praised Jared Kushner, Trump's Jewish son-in-law. "Jared is a hidden genius that no one understands," she said. Haley recently joined Kushner in shaping his Middle East peace proposal, which no one outside the small team has seen. "It is so unbelievably well done," she said of the proposal.

Ivanka Trump, Kushner's wife and Trump's daughter, returned the compliment on Twitter.

"She is a bold reformer and has been an unwavering champion of truth, principled realism and integrity within the United Nations," Ivanka Trump said on Twitter. "Jared and I are grateful for her friendship-a true blessing in our lives!"

Haley was a star in the center-right pro-Israel community, consistently earning the loudest plaudits at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference.

"Her departure was unanticipated and took the pro-Israel community by surprise," Matt Brooks, the Republican Jewish Coalition CEO, said on Twitter. "Stunned and shocked by the surprise resignation of @nikkihaley as UN Amb. She was a consequential and impactful force at the UN."

She was the rare Trump Cabinet official who earned praise from Democrats.

"I want to thank Ambassador Haley for her willingness to express moral clarity to the world and to President Trump, and promote American values and leadership on the global stage, even when she lacked the backing of the White House or State Department," Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a pro-Israel leader in the party, said in a statement.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement thanked Haley "for leading an uncompromising struggle against the hypocrisy of the UN and for the truth and justice of our country."

Haley downplayed reports of tensions between her and Trump. Born to immigrants from India, she comes from the wing of the Republican Party that favors a robust interventionist foreign policy, while Trump is an isolationist.

Haley condemned another senior aide who favored foreign policy interventionism and expressed opposition to Trump in an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times last month.

"If I disagree with something and believe it is important enough to raise with the president, I do it," Haley wrote in her own op-ed in The Washington Post. "And he listens. Sometimes he changes course, sometimes he doesn't. That's the way the system should work."

The Washington scuttlebutt at the time was that Haley published the op-ed to squash rumors that she had written the original anonymous op-ed in The Times. It may have backfired; there were reports that Trump resented even the notion that his top staff disagreed with him.

Haley backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another fiercely pro-Israel interventionist, during the 2016 presidential primaries.

In her appearance with Trump, she again denied ambitions of mounting a 2020 primary challenge against Trump.

"No, I am not running in 2020," she said.

If she changed her mind, Haley could tap into a Republican Jewish donor class that fetes her pro-Israel credentials and has never been wholly comfortable with Trump.

At least one hawkish pro-Israel voice was unabashed in making that wish.

"Thank you @nikkihaley for your remarkable service," Mark Dubowitz, the director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said on Twitter. "We look forward to welcoming you back to public service as president of the United States."

Separately, an ethics watchdog, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, criticized Haley this week for accepting $24,000 in private flights last year to her home state of South Carolina from a businessman friend.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in response to the resignation of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley:

"Thank you, Nikki Haley! Thank you for standing with the truth without fear. Thank you for representing the values common to Israel and the United States.Thank you for your support for the State of Israel, which helped lead to a change in Israel's status in the U.N. Thank you for your close friendship and common paths. Wherever you are, you will continue to be a true friend of the State of Israel."
Association for Israel Studies backs American student detained at Israeli airport

(JTA)The international association of Israel studies scholars is calling on Israel to allow Lara Alqasem, the American student detained at Ben Gurion Airport, to enter the country.

Alqasem has been denied entry to Israel due to her alleged support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. An Israeli law passed last year allows the country to ban BDS supporters from entering.

Alqasem, who arrived in Israel on Oct. 2, has been detained at the airport while she challenges the decision in court.

The Association for Israel Studies statement, made Monday by its president, Donna Robinson Divine, says the association opposes boycotts of Israel, and that the best way to fight such boycotts is by allowing people to learn about and experience the country. The statement says the decision to bar Alqasem gives momentum to the BDS movement that we oppose. Above all, it does serious damage to Israels academic status.

The association also opposed the 2017 law barring BDS supporters from entering Israel.

As academicians and as people knowledgeable about Israel, we think the best strategy for combatting boycotts is precisely the path Ms. Alqasem has chosena genuine education, reads the statement by Divine, an emerita professor at Smith College and an adjunct professor at Haifa University. There is no better place to acquire knowledge and deep insight about the meaning of a Jewish state than at one of Israels prestigious universities. We have faith in both the country and in the educational mission to believe a person prepared to learn will indeed be able to see and understand Israel as a reality and not as a caricature comprised of slogans and polemics.

Last week, three major American Jewish groupsthe Anti-Defamation League, the Reform movement and the liberal Israel lobby J Streetbacked Alqasem publicly while noting their opposition to BDS.

On Friday, an appeals court ruled in favor of the governments decision, upholding a lower court ruling. Israels Supreme Court will decide on Wednesday whether to hear her appeal.

Scarlett Johansson signs $15 million deal for Black Widow movie

(JTA)Actress Scarlett Johansson has signed a deal to play Marvel superhero Black Widow in a standalone movie for $15 million.

Her paycheck will be equal to Chis Evans, who plays Captain America, and Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, both in their own standalone movies and in the Avengers series.

The deal was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter. Marvel told the news website that it does not publicly disclose salaries or deal terms.

Johansson already has appeared in six Marvel feature films as Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff.

Black Widow first appeared in Iron Man 2 and since then has appeared in three Avengers films, as well as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.

In the Marvel universe, the Romanoff character was trained as a young girl by the KGB, and her prowess as an expert assassin earned her the Black Widow moniker. She later defected from Russia to become a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, a secret American espionage and counter-terrorism agency.

Johansson was the highest-paid actress of 2018, according to Forbes. She earned $40.5 million, before taxes, between June 2017 and this June, according to the report released in August. Johansson, who has a Jewish mother, did not make the Forbes list last year, but she ranked third in 2016. In the past year she has starred in films such as Avengers: Infinity War and the indie flick Isle of Dogs.

Johansson learned about her familys tragic Holocaust history last year when she was featured on the PBS series Finding your Roots.

Study shows regular tefillin use can protect men during heart attacks

(JTA)Jewish men who wrap leather straps around their arm as part of their daily morning prayers may also be protecting themselves from the worst effects of heart attacks, a study found.

A pilot study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine found that regular users of tefillin, or phylacteries, may receive cardiovascular health benefits though remote ischemic preconditioning that is, briefly restricting blood flow and oxygen to the heart and then restoring it.

The results of the study were published last month online in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

The study involved 20 Jewish men from the Greater Cincinnati area including nine who wore tefillin daily and 11 who did not. A leather strap is wrapped tightly around either the right or left arm for about half an hour during morning prayers six days a week, often tight enough to leave grooves in the skin for a few minutes after they are removed. They are not worn on Shabbat.

The researchers measured participants vital signs, drew blood for analysis of circulating cytokines and monocyte function and also measured blood flow in the dominant arm which is not wrapped with the tefillin. Blood flow was higher for men who wore tefillin daily and improved in all participants after wearing it just once as part of the study.

The study was headed by Jack Rubinstein, UC Health cardiologist and associate professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease. He said in an article posted on the universitys website that the binding of the arm and the discomfort users often report may serve as a form of preconditioning and offer a substantial degree of protection against acute ischemic reperfusion injurywhen a section of the heart is deprived of oxygen and then damaged when re-oxygenatedthat occurs as a result of a heart attack.

Ischemic preconditioning essentially mimics the effects of exercise by placing the heart and vessels under light stress.

We found people who wear tefillin in either the short or long term, recorded a measurable positive effect on their blood flow. That has been associated with better outcomes in heart disease, Rubinstein said

Israeli studies have shown that Orthodox men have a lower risk of dying of heart disease compared to non-Orthodox men.

LA Jewish group suspends grants to organization tied to Canary Mission

(JTA)The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles will suspend grants from donors to a group that appears to support the controversial Canary Mission, although the foundation said it was not aware that previous grants had been used to fund Canary Mission and its efforts to blacklist anti-Israel activists on campus.

In a statement to JTA on Sunday, the foundation said there was no indication that grants to the Israel-based nonprofit Megamot Shalom in 2016-17 were for the benefit of Canary Mission. However, Given what The Foundation has learned, it is suspending any further grants to Megamot Shalom, the statement read.

Last week, the Forward reported that the foundation, one of the largest Jewish charities in the United States, had made a series of grants to Megamot Shalom, which the news site had previously linked to Canary Mission. The grants, totaling $250,000, were made by one donor to the foundation via a donor-advised fund. Such funds allow donors to receive a tax break and suggest where the foundation gives the money. The fund manager must approve any grants, although most such foundations do not apply much scrutiny to individual grants.

Canary Mission, which does not reveal who funds it or manages its activity, says that it documents individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses. Critics have accused it of seeking to intimidate pro-Palestinian college students and stifle their activism with the threat of a blacklist.

The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles said in its statement to JTA that the four grants to Megamot Shalom were accompanied by a note saying only that the organizations mission was to fight anti-Semitism.

Earlier this month, the Forward reported that a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco once earmarked funding for Megamot Shalom and Canary Mission. The foundation said it and the supporting foundation will not support Canary Mission in the future, according to J., the citys Jewish newspaper.

In April, a coalition of pro-Israel students wrote in JTA that the Canary Mission website and its dossiers on student and faculty activists is antithetical to our democratic and Jewish values, is counterproductive to our efforts and is morally reprehensible.

Israeli border control officers have used information from the site to bar activists from entering the country, according to Haaretz.
(JNS)Some American pundits are slamming Israel for denying entry to Palestinian-American student Lara Alqasem. Perhaps they should take a look at Americas own laws concerning the admission of extremists before they throw mud at Israel.

In 2014, Ms. Alqasem became a member of the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine at her home campus, the University of Florida. She didnt join as some passing lark; she was an activist who rose through the ranks, becoming vice president of the chapter, and then serving as president in 2016-17.

SJP is not a group that merely criticizes Israel. It supports Palestinian terrorists. In recent years, it has issued statements and held events praising and defending, among others, convicted Jerusalem supermarket bomber Rasmea Odeh; convicted Palestinian sniper and bomb-maker Samer Issawi; and Palestinian stabbers Fadi Aloon and Fadil Qawasmi.

With that kind of track record, if Alqasem was a non-American applying to enter the United States, she would not be admitted.

U.S. law specifies several categories of people who are denied admission, including those who espouse terrorism. Look at the section called Inadmissible Aliens in 8 U.S. Code 1182, (a)(3)(B)(i)(IV)(bb). It bars any representative of... a political, social, or other group that endorses or espouses terrorist activity.

That sounds to me like a pretty good description of Students for Justice in Palestine.

The grounds for exclusion dont stop there. Consider (a)(3)(A)(iii)(VII). It denies admission even if the applicant doesnt represent a pro-terrorist groupif she is just an individual who endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization.

That sounds to me like a pretty good description of Lara Alqasem.

And then theres (a)(3)(A)(iii). An applicant is denied if he or she intends, even incidentally, to engage in any activity that has as one of its purposes opposition ... to the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means.

I would call support for anti-Israel terrorism an activity that promotes opposition to Israel by force.

And by the way, although this does not apply to Lara Alqasem, its worth noting that U.S. law also targets foreigners if they have certain political opinions. According to (a)(3)(A)(iii)(D)(i), you cannot immigrate to the United States if you are someone who is or has been a member of or affiliated with the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party, or subdivision or affiliate thereof, domestic or foreign.

Columnists Bret Stephens and Bari Weiss, writing in The New York Times this week, acknowledged that SJP has received funding and other assistance from American Muslims for Palestine, some of whose leaders have ties to the terrorist group Hamas.

Despite that connection, they say that Israel should admit Alqasem. Stephens and Weiss usually are on the right side when it comes to Israel. But once in a while, theyre wrong. And theyre wrong on this one.

They offer two arguments: one strategic and one principled. The strategic argument is that expelling visitors such as Alqasem powerfully reinforces the prejudice of those visitors (along with their supporters) that Israel is a discriminatory police state.

That makes no sense to me. Alqasem and her friends in SJP obviously are Israel-haters through and through. Their words and deeds irrefutably demonstrate their hatred. They believe Israel is a discriminatory police state and worse, long before she was detained. Keeping Alqasem out of the country she hates wont make her hate it any more than she already does.

JNS editor in chief Jonathan S. Tobin has made a similar argument regarding Alqasem. He wrote this week that keeping anti-Israel radicals out of Israel is handing Israels opponents an unearned propaganda victory since it bolsters their lies about Israel being an apartheid state. I disagree. Those who falsely call Israel an apartheid state will continue to do so, whether Israel admits or denies entry to foreign extremists. Their lies are not bolstered by Israel taking the same modest border-control actions that the United States itself takes every day.

The second Stephens-Weiss argument is one of principle. They say that liberal democracies such as Israel should show deep tolerance for opinions [they] find foolish [or] dangerous, and refrain from expelling visitors who favor the BDS movement because democracies have to make room for all kinds of views.

That argument is highly misleading. Alqasem is being denied entry not because of her opinions or what she favors, but because of her actions. She has been (up until at least last year) a leader of an organization whose activities include publicly cheerleading for terrorists. That is not an opinion on Israels borders or housing construction policy. That is actively promoting the cause of those who murder Israelis. And those who promote that evil cause have no place in Israel.

Stephen M. Flatow, an attorney in New Jersey, is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. His book, A Fathers Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror, will be out later this month.
(Mida via JNS)There is an evil that exists in Palestinian society.

An evil that seeks to destroy and to kill and to hurt and to eliminate all those around it.

An evil that takes great joy in the murder of innocents.

An evil that celebrates the tears and heartaches of the Jewish people.

An evil that has only darkness in its heart, and only murder in its mind.

Destroy. Murder. Burn. Wreck. These are the words it lives by, and these are the words it kills by, too.

Today that evil visited two beautiful Jewish souls and snuffed out their light. Kim Levengrond-Yehezkel (zl) and Ziv Hajbi (zl) were taken from the world, brutally murdered by an Arab who will now be hailed as a hero and will, along with his family, receive copious amounts of money for his deed.

He committed the atrocity in a place where hundreds of Jews and Muslims work side by side. He bound their hands and shot them point blank, ISIS-style, in the back of their heads. Kim was a young mother of an 18-month-old. Ziv was an accountant and the father of a three young children. They were not soldiers, they were not armed, they were not settlers. None of the usual excuses made to try to justify the barbaric behavior of Arabs who murder Israeli civilians. They were Jews.

Kim, her husband and 18-month-old son, orphaned of his mother. The world will most likely feign their concern, if they mention it at all, and call for calm and restraint. Then they will continue to supply the Palestinian Authority entity with the funds needed to reward the murderers with a nice sizable pension that ensures the rest of their lives will be lived in comfort, while being honored by their community.

We like to think we live in a world that fights evil, but we dont. We like to think we live in a world where terrorists who murder are shunned and expelled from decent society, but we dont. We like to think that we live in a world where those who murder and those who encourage and facilitate that murder are punished, but we dont.

Instead, the Palestinians will name town squares after the murders. Schools will bear their names, and great big murals on walls will carry their image and legacy for all to admire and emulate. And all this time, this world will throw more money at them and demand from the tiny Jewish state that this evil that exists must be rewarded and it must be given a state of their own, a state whose goal is to continue that path of murder that the world turns a blind eye to. Then we will have peace, we are told.

But peace will never come when dealing with evil, because evil has only ever had one goal: to destroy everything and to kill everyone.

You cannot fight evil with kindness. You cannot fight evil with appeasement. And you certainly cannot fight evil by appealing to blackened hearts.

You can only fight evil with the sole intention of destroying it, because anything less will ensure it will keep on trying to destroy you.

Justin Amler is a noted South African born, Australia-based writer and commentator on international issues.
Palestinian youth killed by soldiers in West Bank Army says was attacked by dozens of residents

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, OCTOBER 24 - A 24-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Bisharat, was shot and killed last night in the West Bank village Tammun, WAFA reported on Wednesday.



The incident occurred during clashes between local residents and the Israeli police, the Palestinian news agency said, adding that other residents were injured and suffered tear gas intoxication. The Israeli military spokesman confirmed that an army unit had been engaged in operations in Tammun.



The soldiers, the spokesman said, had to deal with about 50 Palestinians who threw stones and shot fireworks at them.



''Our troops,'' the spokesman said, ''responded by making use of means of dispersion and live munitions.'' (ANSAmed).




(Mida via JNS)I write this just hours after an Arab terrorist shot and killed two Jews and seriously wounded a third in the Barkan industrial center in Israels Shomron region, where thousands of Jews and Arabs work side by side.

I write this just after learning that Arab terrorists set fire to chicken farms in the Yizrael Valley in northern Israel. I write this as southern Israel is still ablaze, for months, due to Arab terrorists in Gaza that began their arson attacks early this past summer.

I write this just 22 days after Ari Fuld  was murdered in Gush Etzion.

I write this after Israeli citizens have been attacked with rockets, knifed, gunned down, run down, ambushed on our roads, in our streets, in our capital, in our synagogues, in our schools, in our kitchens, and in our beds, spanning decades, with no end in sight.

I write this after listening to countless impeccably written speeches, artfully delivered by our prime minister attesting to Israels right to defend itself. I write this after listening time and again to our defense ministers empty threats and tedious warnings to our enemy.

The people of Israel wait in vain for the government to take action.

We wait in vain for our leadership to implement concrete security measures, for the government to initiate preventative procedures. We wait in vain for our prime minister and defense minister to employ a definitive policy of deterrence. We wait in vain for them to execute the courage to put an end to it. To exhibit a desire for victory.

We wait for our leadership to stand as proud Jews against our enemies. With strength of conviction. With dignity. We wait. We bleed. We bury our dead. And we wait some more. In the absence of leadership, we live and die at the whim of our enemies bent on our destruction.

To its shame, this government will go down in history as the one that turned a blind eye to the flow of Jewish blood, and who besmirched the tenet of Jewish dignity that the Likud had once stood for.

Yes, to be certain, our government is front and center with its commitment to helping humanity at large, but at the same time, our leaders forsake its own people. They discard their own identity, their compassion, and their duty to its people and they have shed the pride that accompanies a love of ones peoplehood.

The Knesset today is home to Jews who sit at the helm, whose Torah and heritage is foreign to them. Rather than take definitive measures to put an end to enemy attacks, they turn on their own, deny the right of the people of Israel to their land, and uproot their people from their homes and property. Worse, they do not possess the mettle to apply our right to pray on the Temple Mount, the Jewish nations most sacred place.

Could it be, that in a desperate attempt to grasp at any solution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen a path of national suicide, by considering an enemy state on our soil? This is the path of those who have lost hope. Perhaps he can claim to be pragmatic. But pragmatism belongs to those who lost their hearts along their way. His pragmatism bares Jewish blood flowing easily throughout our land.

In the vacuum of responsible governance, the onus of security falls on the individual.

Individuals such as Marc Prowisor of The One Israel Fund, who is literally a one-man team who travels all over the country ensuring that communities and First Response teams have the equipment they need to prevent further victims to Arab terror. His mantra of No more victims is put into action without flowery speeches or fanfare, and works around the clock to fill in where our government wont.

Other individuals such as Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover, indefatigable leaders of Women In Green, who have labored consistently over the years, preventing colonialist Arabs from destroying our fields and illegally seizing our land, and who are currently spearheading the push for our rightful sovereignty over our ancestral land.

Ari Fuld, HYD, was also a brave warrior of our country who lived and died giving his life for his people.

There are many more selfless Jews in Israel who take the burden upon themselves to secure our land and our people. What is most important to note, however, is the woeful fact that we need Marc Prowisor, we need Nadia Matar and we need Yehudit Katsover. We need them to fill the void, because our leaders have failed us, and continue to fail us.

Our sovereignty and our security will not come about through flowery speeches or through negotiations. Nor through pleading or acquiescence. Rather, it will come about through Jewish dignity, loyalty to our nation, appreciation of our legitimate heritage and devotion to our ancestral land, along with the courage to stand up for it with determination and with pride.

Such was the ethos of the Likud of old, infused with the honor, integrity and legacy of Betar, the progenitor of the Herut and then Likud parties. It is time for them to turn to this once more. It is my fervent prayer, that once this missive is published, my words will no longer ring true.

Zahava Englard Shapiro is an Israeli based author and writes articles on Israel for several online publications.
At the end of the month, the Jewish Federations of North America will hold their annual General Assembly in Israel. And while the Federations decision to hold their annual conference in Israel rather than America seems at face value to be a statement of solidarity with Israel, in this case, it isnt.

Five months after U.S. President Donald Trump moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in an extraordinary act of friendship, the Jewish Federations of North America chose to hold their annual General Assembly in... Tel Aviv.

The name the Federations gave their conference is also a stunner.

Israel and the Diaspora, We Need to Talk.

What do we need to talk about?

The homepage of the conferences website makes that clear enough. At the very top, it spells out all the differences dividing Israeli and American Jews.

Fifty percent of American Jews define themselves as liberal and only 8 percent of Israeli Jews define themselves as leftists.

Sixty-one percent of American Jews think that Israel and an independent Palestinian state can coexist. Only 43 percent of Israelis agree.

Eighty percent of American Jews vs. 49 percent of Israeli Jews think non-Orthodox rabbis should officiate at Jewish ceremonies in Israel.

The odd thing about these data is that they arent new, and they certainly dont point to unbridgeable disputes between two well-intentioned sides to an argument.

Israel has certainly demonstrated its good will.

According to the American Jewish Committees survey of Israeli Jewish and American Jewish opinions published in June, a mere 42 percent of Israeli Jews supported establishing an egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall while 48 percent opposed it. And yet, out of respect for American Jews who overwhelmingly supported it, the government established an egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall.

The issue of non-Orthodox rabbis in Israel is imaginary. According to the AJC, less than one percent of Israelis define themselves as either Reform or Conservative. And there is no line of Reform and Conservative American Jews demanding to get married in Israel.

As for the issue of a Palestinian state, if the American Jews shared Israels good will, they would not pick a fight on the issue.

The AJC poll showed that 68 percent of Israeli Jews think it is inappropriate for American Jews to attempt to influence Israeli policy on national security issues including the issue of negotiations with the Palestinians. Only 25 percent of Israeli Jews deem it appropriate. Given the wide majority of Israelis who oppose their meddling, it is clear that no Israeli government is likely to give American Jews a seat at the table as it determines policies for which only Israels citizens will bear the consequences. Presuming American Jews have a modicum of respect for Israelis and their government, it would seem reasonable for them to respect the wishes of the people of Israel.

As for the ideological divide between liberal American Jews and right-leaning Israeli Jews, it is true that it is wide. But it is also true that it has been that way for decades. And yet, until recently it was never an obstacle to good relations.

So what is going on? Why did the Federations choose to insult Israelis by holding their conference in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem five months after the U.S. government finally moved the U.S. embassy to Israels capital? And why are the Federations demanding that Israeli Jews give them an accounting for the longstanding disparities in the outlooks of the two communities?

The most reasonable explanation for the Federations unfriendly behavior is that it doesnt lay in anger over Israels policies regarding non-Orthodox rabbis or the Palestinians or Israels rejection of the political Left. Rather, the Federations decided to highlight these longstanding, workable gaps in order to hide the real source of the anger that their leaders feel toward Israeli Jews. The source of the anger can be summed up in two words: Donald Trump.

Israelis are divided on many issues. But one issue unites them. Israelis love Trump.

This week the Pew Research Center published a new survey analyzing how the nations of the world view Trump and America under Trump. While support for Trump and the U.S. is low and dropping among many key U.S. allies, particularly in Europe, Israelis adore him. And under Trump, their longstanding overwhelming support for the U.S. has increased.

The Pew study found that 83 percent of Israelis and 94 percent of Israeli Jews love America. Israel is the only country in the world where a majority52 percentbelieves that under Trump, the U.S. is doing more to solve global problems than it was in previous years. Seventy-nine percent of Israelis think U.S.-Israel relations have improved under Trump. Eighty-six percent of Israelis believe that under Trump, the U.S. takes its interests into account.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the situation is almost completely reversed. The AJC poll from June showed that only 26 percent of American Jews support Trump while 71 percent oppose him. Seventy percent of American Jews oppose the way Trump is handling U.S.-Israel relations.

As The Wall Street Journal editorialized on Thursday (Oct. 4), one of the clarifying aspects of the Democratic bid to dehumanize and destroy Trumps Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh is that it shows that the Democrats rage is not solely directed against Trump personally. Trump is the Democrats foil to regain power.

Kavanaugh, after all, is not a Trump Republican. The Washingtonian is about as establishment as they come. By trashing Kavanaugh as though he were what the Journal refers to as part of Mr. Trumps New York menagerie, the Democrats revealed that they oppose Trump because he is implementing conservative Republican policies and not because of his unconventional personality.

The Journal explained, Republicans across America can see, and certainly their Senators voting on Judge Kavanaugh should realize, that the left hates them as much or more than they loathe Mr. Trump. Conservatives understand that, for the American left, they are all deplorables now.

The Federations use of their conference to disrespect Israelis while highlighting longstanding disagreements is a means to express their anger as Democrats at Israelis for supporting Trump.

The fact that Democrats are using Trump as a foil to discredit his policies and demonize his supporters has had a radicalizing effect on Democrats. Since everything Trump supports is bad, Democrats now embrace positions that they had previously rejected.

Growing Democratic hostility towards Israel and effusive support for the PLO are a consequence of that radicalization. Last week, 34 Democratic senatorstwo thirds of the Democratic Senate caucussigned a letter to Trump asking that he restore aid to the Palestinian Authority. This, despite the PAs continued payment of more than $300 million a year to convicted terrorists and their families. That is, the Democrats called for Trump to ignore the Taylor Force Act, which requires the administration to deny funding to the PA so long as it continues the payments.

The AJC survey indicated that Jewish Democrats are not lagging far behind their senators.

Consider the U.S. Jewish communitys position on Trumps transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Eighty-five percent of Israelis supported the move; only 7 percent opposed it. In contrast, only 46 percent of American Jews supported Trumps decision to move the U.S. embassy to Israels capital, while 48 percent opposed it.

This position is remarkable because for decades, a solid majority of American Jews supported moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Major Jewish groups played key roles in passing the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1996 that recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and enjoined the executive branch to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The precipitous drop in American Jewish support for the embassy movegraphically demonstrated by the Jewish Federations decision to hold their annual conference in Tel Avivshows that like their fellow Democrats, Jewish Democrats view Trumps supportersincluding Israelisas deplorables who deserve their hostility. So their longstanding support for locating the U.S. embassy in Israel in Israels capital city flew by the wayside.

The program of the three-day GA is similarly discouraging. The three days of panels, speeches and debates are ostensibly supposed to involve frank discussions between Israelis and American Jews, with the goal of building bridges between them. But the Federations invited no Israelis who represent the religious Israeli establishment that they spend so much time and energy demonizing. They invited no anti-immigration activists from south Tel Aviv who complain that their neighborhoods have been transformed into crime-ridden ghettos due to illegal immigration from Eritrea and Sudan. None of the sponsors of the Nation-State Law, so viciously opposed by the Jewish Federations, was invited to speak. No voices calling for abandoning the quest to establish a Palestinian state were invited.

Most of those invited to speak represent marginal factions in Israeli society. The spectrum of views spans from center-left to far-left with a sizable representation of Israels Arab community thrown in, to what is billed as a frank discussion between American Jews and the uninvited Israeli Jews who disagree with them (and support Trump).

The only Israeli speaker representing the positions held by the majority of the countrys citizens who was invited to address the GA is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Given that his is the only representative voice on the program, Netanyahu should use his speech to voice the growing frustrations that Israelis feel toward the American Jewish establishment. He should ask them why they havent acknowledged, much less applauded, Trump for his unparalleled support for Israel. He should ask them why so few of them support the embassy moveand what possessed them to hold their conference, in this of all years, in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem.

And he should tell them that Israelis are proud to stand with their friends and supporters wherever they may beand ask them why they find it so difficult to do so.

The American Jewish communitys apparent preference for lawmakers who urge Trump to underwrite Palestinian terrorists over Trump and his voters who refuse to do so makes no sense to Israelis.

Netanyahu should tell them that while Israeli Jews are eager to work with American Jewry on the basis of our shared heritage and values, if American Jewry chooses to abandon those values in favor of their swiftly radicalizing partisan agenda, they are free to make that decisionand live with its consequences.

Originally published in The Jerusalem Post.
NEW YORK (JTA)Something is rotten in the state of liberalism that threatens the future of progressive Judaism.

Jews who call themselves liberal join organizations seeking to boycott, divest and sanction Israel in disproportional numbers. They lead the attack against Israel with a kind of ferocity normally reserved for the worlds worst regimes. Their antipathy for Israel leads them to join groups that even have anti-Semitic tendencies.

But the danger is not only in the political realm. Like everything else in life, our actions, our politics are dictated by our core values and principles. Many liberal Jews are uncomfortable with Jewish particularism, asserting that it is an illiberal idea whose time has passed. While there was always a healthy tension in Jewish thought between the centrality of Jewish peoplehood and Jewish interactions with, and obligations to, the world at large, it is increasingly difficult for liberal Jews today to accept that Jewish distinctiveness is a core Jewish value or even a contemporary social good.

Thus, liberal Jews are abandoning their Jewish identity in accelerating and unsustainable numbers. According to a Pew study published in August, nearly half of American Jews prefer not to identify with organized religion. Their distancing from the Jewish community has already caused a significant contraction of our movement and, if not contained, will cause an implosion of the instrumentalities of Reform Judaism itself. If we do not reverse these trends, Reform Judaism two generations from now will be a shadow of what it is today.

Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabons commencement address last spring at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion addressed these issues directly. Before a sanctuary filled with newly minted or soon-to-be Reform rabbis, cantors, educators and other Jewish professionals and their families, Chabon told these future leaders of Reform Judaism that since the last of his childrens bnai mitzvah, his retreat from religious practice has been near total. He contended that Judaism, like every other religion, is one giant interlocking system of division intended to enforce the division between, among other things, Jews and non-Jews.

Chabon touched upon the very heart of Jewish distinctiveness and peoplehood.

An endogamous marriage is a ghetto of two, he said. I want [my children] to marry into the tribe that prizes learning, inquiry, skepticism, openness to new ideas. I want my children to marry into the tribe that enshrines equality before the law and freedom of conscience and human rights. ... There will be plenty of potential partners for my children to choosea fair number [of whom] are even likely to be Jews.

Such is the wounded state of Jewish liberalism today that in response, Chabon received a rousing ovation from most (but not all) of the crowd of students about to embark on their first full-time positions in Reform synagogues, supported by many of their professional mentors.

Under what theory of liberalism are we required to discard attachments and loyalties to Jews? What is this new Jewish progressivism that asserts that the acceptance of others requires the negation of self? Is a marriage between two Catholics, Hindus, Muslims or Universalists illiberal? Is a marriage between two indigenous Australians, eager to preserve Aboriginal civilization, illiberal?

To care about fellow Jews, to feel connected to the Jewish people and to be attached to the Jewish state are not proof of ghetto Judaism. In fact, not to be committed to these values is evidence of Jewish decline.

Dont liberals believe in diversity, in a pluralism of communities? Dont we believe in the dignity of human difference? Or do we believe in diversity for everyone but Jews?

We didnt build walls to keep people out; they built walls to keep us in. The goal of the particular existence of the Jewish people is to bring light to all the peoples of the earth. God appointed you to be a light to the nations, Isaiah preached, opening eyes deprived of light, bringing prisoners, and all those who sit in darkness out of their dungeons. The point of the particular existence of the Jewish people is to promote the dignity of all people. Jewish chosenness never implied superiority. To the contrary, we were the lowest of nations. We were slaves.

We liberal Jews never seem to speak about Jewish solidarity anymore. We speak about our obligations to the world with profound conviction and eloquence, but never seem to speak about our obligations to Jews. Thus, for many Reform Jews, tikkun olam implies everyone in the world except Jews. It is rare to meet an American Reform youth or activist who considers tikkun olam to include the obligation to assist, say, impoverished Jews in Israel or the former Soviet Union. A Reform tikkun olam mission would more likely travel to a poor African village than a soup kitchen for Jews in Ukraine.

The irony is that the very concept of prophetic values emerged from the Hebrew prophets, who were fierce particularists At no time did they abandon the Jewish particular in favor of the universal. To the contrary, the universal was a function, a product, of the particular. The impetus and urgency of prophetic morality was an outcome of the centrality of the Jewish people, not its negation.

The growing inclination among liberal Jews to de-emphasize Jewish distinctiveness is the gravest threat to the future of liberal Judaism. For what are the prospects of the continuity of the people if the people are not committed to its own continuityand does not even agree philosophically that it is a legitimate objective and a social good? Is it possible to sustain the Jewish people without being committed to the Jewish people? Can Judaism survive without Jews?

It is the will to Jewish distinctiveness that ensures Jewish distinctiveness. It is the will to continue that has led to continuity. There is a ferocity to Jewish survival instincts, an indomitable sense of Jewish destiny. When these are lost, the future is lost.

In the modern world, those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.

Ammiel Hirsch is the senior rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, a Reform congregation on New Yorks Upper West Side. This op-ed is adapted from his 2018 Yom Kippur sermon, From the Ghetto.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
France denies pushing migrant kids back into Italy In response to Salvini's accusations

(ANSAmed) - Rome, October 24 - Unaccompanied minors, who are included on the list of migrants that do not have permission to enter France, are nonetheless not pushed back into Italy when they cross the border, French authorities said Wednesday.



They are instead ''systematically entrusted to departmental facilities for minors and are not handed over to the Italian authorities. This was the case for two migrants under age 18 on October 18 as well'', the prefect's office for the department of the French Hautes-Alpes region said in a statement denying accusations made on Tuesday by Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini.




There has been a visible thawing in the India-China relationship in the past few months if the increased number of high-level visits exchanged are any pointer. Among the high-level visitors India has received are Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe, who led a 20-member military delegation on a stand-alone visit. Chinese State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Keji, also leading a 20-member delegation, arrived in Delhi on October 22. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive in Delhi shortly, followed by the possible visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping in December. Beijing has traditionally cited the exchange of high-level visits as indicative of good, or improving, ties.

The visits, at the least, signal a pause in the steady deterioration of bilateral ties witnessed over the past three years. Bilateral tension rose because of the altered geopolitics of the region. Ever since his appointment to Chinas three top posts and Chinas rise, Chinese president Xi Jinping adopted a more aggressive approach in foreign policy, which has included advancing Chinas territorial ambitions. This has been most visible in the South China Sea, the belligerence against Taiwan, and on the borders with India.

At the Eighteenth Party Congress in November 2012, Xi Jinping promised to achieve the China Dream by 2021  the centenary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party  and which included the rejuvenation of the great Chinese nation, code for recovering its territories claimed to have been lost through the imposition of unequal treaties by foreign powers. Beginning his second term, at the Nineteenth Party Congress in October 2017, Xi Jinping set out a bold timetable for Chinas goals. He reiterated the China Dream, adding that with the implementation of its Made in China 2025 programme, China would be in the front ranks of the worlds advanced technology powers. He also forecast that by 2050, China would be a power with global pioneering influence, in other words rivalling or surpassing the US. The target date for completion of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), coincidentally is 2050  the hundredth year of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. He also proposed the China model of governance as an alternative to democracies.

Undoubtedly a number of factors contributed to the change in Chinas policy, but important among those that prompted China to recalibrate its policy towards India, at least in the tactical short term, are a couple of events centered in the bilateral relationship. These clearly signalled that India is unwilling to yield any ground on issues of sovereignty or territory. Indias firm opposition to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor as a violation of its sovereignty and its unwavering stance on the BRI, despite sustained Chinese pressure, were unhappily viewed in Beijing. Another vivid reassertion of Indian policy was the 73-day face-off at Doklam where, despite a vitriolic state-sponsored Chinese propaganda offensive warning of dire consequences, India did not blink. Finally, both countries agreed to disengage. Since April this year China, and Chinese president Xi Jinping, have also come under pressure from US president Trump. Especially adversely impacted is Chinas technology sector and, possibly, its growth.

Interesting in this backdrop is the article published in the state-run Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Daily on October 15, authored by Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, Deputy Director of the Center on China-US Defense Relations at the War Studies College of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences and Wang Yu of the Joint Service Academy of the Chinese PLA National Defense University. An article taking a positive view of India-China relations has been noticed in the Chinese military media after a considerable time. This article says the two countries and their militaries should adhere to a positive, open and inclusive attitude, stick to the basic judgments of being each others development opportunities but not threats, and promptly negotiate on major issues of mutual concern. Importantly, the article suggests that the PLA is beginning to recognise that the biggest problem is the pending border issue between the two countries. It called for the joint efforts of the two countries and their militaries in insisting on controlling differences through dialogue and properly handling border issues. Quite unusually, it proposed a range of confidence-building measures calculated to resolutely put an end to similar incidents as Donglang event and said the two militaries can serve as a positive factor for stable bilateral ties.

Though it will be premature to expect that Beijings changed attitude is anything more than tactical, it is pertinent that the PLA recognises the pending border issue as the biggest problem in bilateral ties.

Jayadeva Ranade is a former additional secretary in the cabinet secretariat, Government of India and is presently president of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy

The views expressed are personal
On October 11, the World Bank released the first Human Capital Index (HCI). The index is designed to place the spotlight on human capital as the key driver of sustainable growth and poverty reduction. Human capital is defined as productivity measured against a benchmark of complete education and full health. Drawing on five key indicators, including under five mortality rates, quality and quantity of education, adult survival rates and quality of stunting, the index attempts to capture the amount of human capital a child born today could expect to attain by the age of 18.

The HCI awards India the dubious distinction of 115th position out of 157 countries ranked. India beats Pakistan, which ranked 134. But the rest of our neighbourhood, poorer in terms of GDP, has inched ahead. Bangladesh is at 106; Mynamar at 107; and Nepal at 102. I suppose we can take some comfort in knowing its a close fight. Sri Lanka tops the charts at 72.

India has summarily rejected HCI. In a statement issued by the ministry of finance, the government expressed serious reservations about the advisability and utility of the exercise. Arguing that there are serious methodological weaknesses, the government announced, therefore, that it has chosen to ignore the HCI and will continue to undertake its path-breaking programme for human capital development.

India is well within its rights to ask difficult questions and critique HCI. Indeed these are global debates that must be had and we should worry if other countries are not asking hard questions of the World Bank. However, in refusing to engage in a dialogue and debating the scale of Indias challenge (frankly, the ranking merely exposes a well-known reality) the government, has achieved little  except to expose its own failings. The tone and tenor of the governments position and the failure to acknowledge the scale of the challenge India faces offers an important insight into the governments current mindset and policy focus. This doesnt bode well for Indias future.

The language adopted to reject the ranking reveals a lack of the political imagination needed to tackle these grand challenges. The HCI, the finance ministrys statement argues, is flawed because it doesnt reflect recent initiatives of this government. It goes on to list a medley of schemes that find regular mention in election rallies as key welfare achievements of the National Democratic Alliance  Ujjwala, Swachh Bharat Mission, Aadhaar, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, Ayushman Bharat and the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. But this medley offers little in terms of a vision or strategy for human capital development.

Early in its tenure, the Modi government made a careful attempt to craft a new narrative of welfare and human development as empowerment in opposition to its predecessor, the UPAs entitlement approach. But it never clearly articulated a pathway to empowerment, choosing instead to focus on announcing schemes without joining the dots.

Crucially, the two key pillars of empowerment  quality education and health  remained mostly invisible from the NDAs welfare politics, until the grand announcement of Ayushman Bharat.

On education, this governments singular achievement, reflected in the finance ministrys statement, is the launch of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan  an administrative coupling of two existing schemes that dealt with elementary and secondary education. There is little here that is different from the past. And certainly has nothing on the real education challenge  improving learning outcomes.

And while Ayushman Bharat is ambitious in scale, given the challenges of implementing a large health insurance scheme in a low-capacity state like India, it remains unclear what impact this might have on the quality of care a patient receives.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that like its predecessor, which rejected the global PISA rankings on learning outcomes, the NDA believes that a business as usual, scheme driven approach that measures progress against inputs and processes  access to cash, schools, hospital, toilets  rather than outcomes  learning quality, stunting rates  is the route to human capital development. This is the reason offered for conveniently accepting the World Banks Ease of Business (whose methodology raises as many, if not more, questions than the HCI) where India shows progress  because it measures inputs. It is also why the United Nations equally damning, Human Development Index is more acceptable to India.

Yet all the evidence, including the governments own data, highlight that business as usual will not lead to change. Rather than acknowledge reality and raise questions that elevate the debate on how to develop and measure human capital, the governments summary rejection has exposed its own lack of political imagination. Quibbling with the World Bank is not going to ensure that India implements path-breaking programmes for human development. This needs a bold, new political imagination.

Yamini Aiyar is president and chief executive, Centre for Policy Research

The views expressed are personal
One of the most anticipated weddings of the year is here. Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who are all set to tie the knot in Italy in November 14 and 15, will have two wedding ceremonies, a sangeet and a party, says a new report.

According to a new report in Mid Day, Deepika and Ranveer will marry in the south Indian tradition as well as in the north Indian way. The four-day affair will be kickstarted by a sangeet function on November 13. This will be followed by a Kannadiga style wedding on November 14. On November 15, they will tie the knot again, this time in the North Indian way.

Since Deepika is a South Indian and Ranveer is of Sindhi-Punjabi origin, the two families decided to follow customs practised by both communities. A South Indian wedding has been planned for November 14, complete with Kannadiga rituals. The next day will see the couple solemnise their relationship as per the customs of a North Indian wedding (Anant Karaj).

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at Taj Palace, in New Delhi on October 5, 2018. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

The report goes on to say that since the wedding will strictly be a family affair, there will be hardly any representation from the industry. However, it will see four people from Bollywood in attendance. Given the fact that Deepika shares a deep bond with Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan (who launched her in the film Om Shanti Om), she is keen that they be present on the most important day of her life. The other two people, expected to join are Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Aditya Chopra (the latter launch Ranveer in his production, Band Baaja Baraat), whom they consider their mentors. This will be followed by an intimate party on November 15.

The celebrations will be followed by an intimate party on November 15, the report says. Arjun Kapoor too is expected to be present at the wedding.

Of course, the celebrations wont end there. On their return to Mumbai, they will throw a grand reception inviting all their industry friends. The two will host a reception at Grand Hyatt on December 1. As their wedding is an intimate affair, the reception will be a grand one where they will invite their Bollywood friends. A reception in Bengaluru is also on the cards.

It may be recalled that the couple will wed at the picturesque Villa del Balbianello at Lake Como. Deepikas trousseau will be designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee while it is still unclear what flamboyant Ranveer will wear.

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Irrfan Khan is expected to return to India after a lengthy stint abroad, where he was getting treatment for a rare form of cancer. Irrfans spokesperson, neither confirming nor denying that the actor is returning to begin work on Hindi Medium 2, said that the actor could be back home after Diwali.

The story floating about Irrfan starting Hindi Medium 2 shoot in December are all based on speculations. However there is a possibility of him returning to India after Diwali, the spokesperson said.

Irrfan had announced in March that he had been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour. He then left for London to undergo treatment, and backed out of promoting his film Karwaan, and appearing in the Amazon series Gormint.

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan appears at a press conference to promote his film, Hindi Medium in Ahmadabad, India. (AP)

In June, Irrfan provided an update about his health in an interview to a tabloid. This realisation made me submit, surrender and trust, irrespective of the outcome, irrespective of where this takes me, eight months from now, or four months from now, or two years. The concerns took a back seat and started to fade and kind of went out of my mindspace. For the first time, I felt what freedom truly means. It felt like an accomplishment. As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it. My confidence in the intelligence of the cosmos became absolute. I feel as if it has entered every cell of mine. Time will tell if it stays, but that is how I feel as of now, he said.

A few months later in August, he said that after four rounds of chemotherapy, he had found a new perspective on life. Ive seen life from a completely different angle. You sit down and you see the other side and thats fascinating. Im engaged on a journey, he said.

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Mira Rajput is back in action after being away from limelight for close to two months after the birth of her son Zain. She was spotted with husband Shahid Kapoor in Mumbai and the young mommy looked cool is her casual avatar. Wearing a comfortable oversized olive green shirt which she had teamed with a pair of black leggings, Mira was ready to go. Shahid, meanwhile, was dressed in a knee-length track bottoms and a T-shirt.

After it was extensively reported on Tuesday that Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora walked in hand and hand on the sets of Indias Got Talent, the rumoured couple was spotted at the airport together. Malaika was in Italy to celebrate her 45th birthday. Karan Johar posted a video of her in which he teases her who she celebrated her birthday with. She smilingly brushed aside the question. A social media post said that the two came back from Italy in the same flight. She was later spotted in Bandra too.

Neha Dhupia is heavily pregnant but that hasnt spotted her from working or partying hard. The actor-anchor was spotted at Sophie Choudharys house party. Also present was Dia Mirza. Raveena Tandon, who was recently named as a member of CINTAA committee set up to tackle sexual harassment in the film industry, was seen at an Aaj Tak event while Jacqueline Fernandez turned showstopper for designers Monica and Karishma during the 10th anniversary of Jade in Mumbai.

Shah Rukh Khan was seen at the airport while Esha Deol and her little girl Radhya too were spotted in town.

At the airport, a number of celebs were spotted including Katrina Kaif (with sister Isabella Kaif), Alia Bhatt, Shilpa Shetty, Aditya Roy Kapur and Aamir Khan.

See all the pictures here:

Katrina Kaif, Shilpa Shetty, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor at the airport.

Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora seen at the airport.

Baazaar promotion in Delhi.

Neha Dhupia, Dia Mirza at Sophie Choudharys house party.

Jacqueline Fernandez walks for a brand called Jade.

Malaika Spotted at Bandra.

Raveena Tandon at Aaj Tak event.

(All the pictures by Viral Bhayani)

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India is devising a plan to boost shipments of around 200 products to China and narrow the deficit with its biggest trading partner, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

The plan includes seeking duty waiver on a raft of products under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement, the person said, asking not to be identified as the talks are still on. New Delhi wants China to scrap levies on items including uncombed single cotton apart from castor oil, menthol, granite, diamonds and glass envelopes for picture tubes when negotiations for expansion come up in April 2019.

An analysis by Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration shows that Southeast Asian nations, Australia, and South Korea among others have competitive advantage over India due to free trade agreements with China. In marine products, especially frozen shrimps and prawns, India loses its competitive advantage due to tariffs while shipments from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are allowed duty free.

APTA, established in 1975, seeks to create a liberal trading regime between Bangladesh, India, Laos, Korea and Sri Lanka and China. Apart from seeking tariff concessions, the ongoing US and China trade conflict also presents an opportunity to cut down the $56-billion trade gap it runs with China, the person said.

Export competitiveness

Indias Commerce ministry spokeswoman didnt immediately respond to two phone calls to her mobile phone. Chinas Ministry of Commerce didnt immediately respond to a fax, seeking comments.

But trade experts feel that it is not tariff concession alone that will help India, which lags many of its southeast Asian peers in competitiveness. Also, India shouldnt lose focus on other trade pacts that are being negotiated including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in its bid to boost exports to China.

While APTA may be a good idea to pursue, RCEP is a complete package as it would give access to Japan, Australia and other markets too apart from China, Amitendu Palit, a senior research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, said by phone. Difference in competitiveness level and non-tariff barriers imposed by China is a major problem for India.

India has dragged its feet as RCEP doesnt provide for free movement of skilled workers, a key concern for New Delhi given its large pool of tech workers, even as it opens its market to a clutch of nations known for their manufacturing prowess. It is facing pressure from member nations -- including Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea -- to conclude talks by end of 2019.
The Delhi governments Directorate of Education (DoE) said that within a year it will come up with guidelines to make its 1,100 schools inclusive for transgender students. The department plans to train principals of all government-run schools on handling issues relating to transgender students. On Tuesday, the DoE organised a workshop for 25 government school principals in collaboration with an NGO.

DoE director Sanjay Goel said the project, a first of its kind, hopes to eliminate stigma that transgender students face. We first need to train our principals and teachers to identify transgender students. If they come across anyone, they should know how to deal with them. They should know how to reach out to them and understand their special needs and challenges. And for that they need some training and sensitisation, he said.

The workshop was organised in collaboration with a Delhi based non-governmental organisation SPACE (Society for Peoples Awareness, Care and Empowerment).

Anjan Joshi, co-founder of SPACE, said they are currently working on an anti-bullying policy with schools. We are currently working with 30 schools  25 government and five private  to come up with anti-bullying policies to safeguard the rights of transgender students, as well as to make fellow students aware about the transgender issues. We need to work together to remove this trans-phobia from educational institutions, she said.

While there are no accurate numbers of how many students in the country are transgenderidentified, there are many academic reports that detail the discrimination and abuse that transgender persons face at school. Experts say a majority of transpersons drop out of school on account of sustained harassment.

Since 2014, after the Supreme Courts judgement which granted the right of self-identification of gender, many universities have taken steps to include transgender students. In July, for instance, Kerala announced that it will reserve seats in its state university. Last month, Uttarakhand High Court directed the state to provide scholarships and financial assistance to transgender persons. However, no such reservation exists at the primary, secondary or high school level.

Goel said that absence of transgender students in higher education is a testimony of the adversities they face in schools. A few years back there was a transgender student in my school, whose parents disowned him despite several counselling sessions imparted by the school. However, I should have reached out to that student and talked to him, but most of us are not aware of how to handle this, said a principal of a South Delhi school, who spoke to HT under the condition that they remain anonymous.

By next year, the government plans to complete the training for all principals and teachers across its 1,100 schools in Delhi. Shashikant Singh, the principal of a senior secondary school in Dwarka Sector-2 suggested that there should be a provision that children need not mention gender at the time of admission. Students do not know their gender identity when they enrol in schools. They understand themselves gradually, he said.
More than 900 students of National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand (NIT UK) in Pauri Garhwal district have gone home after their demands for a permanent and safe campus went unheard by the authorities, who say they have approached the Centre for help.

The 932 students, including those from B Tech and M Tech courses, left the campus after protesting for over 22 days since October 4 demanding that the present campus along the busy National Highway 58 in Srinagar Garhwal town should be shifted to a more favourable location in the plains.

They started their protest and boycott of classes after two students met with an accident on the highway while on their way to a college laboratory. Vaibhav Tiwari, a second-year student of electronics and communication, said they took this step because authorities were not paying heed to their demands despite protesting for so long.

Another student from the computer science department, Anjum, said that the current campus does not provide them with the facilities that an engineering student should have access to.

NIT has to be an institute of national importance but this campus does not meet those parameters. We do not even have the proper equipment in our laboratories, Anjum added.

The students have also written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind and Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to take cognizance of the situation.

The registrar of NIT UK Col Sukhpal Singh said college authorities can only write to the students and send messages through WhatsApp groups asking them to return.

The college authorities are continuously approaching the ministry of human resources development and the state government, apprising them of the present situation. We are requesting them to take the necessary actions to address the problems of the students, Singh said.
(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 24 - The role that the European Space Agency (ESA) is getting ready to play in the coming years amid new space policies will be the focus of the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting on Thursday in Madrid.



The other two major themes to be discussed by the EU research ministers ahead of the 2019 Ministerial Conference will be relations between the ESA and the European Union and strategic guidelines for new programs, ESA general director Jan Woerner told ANSA. ''There will be discussion on the role of ESA as an agency and its structure,'' Woerner continued, and while taking into account the steps taken by the European Union in space programs, such as the satellite navigation system Galileo and the Copernicus program for observation of the Earth. Since the creation of ESA in 1975, the outlook for European space activities has changed a great deal. Now even the European Commission is involved in significant space programs and new roles are being drawn up, with a more political function entrusted to the European Union and a more technical one for ESA. The Thursday meeting ''is one that will be useful to inform countries that support ESA of prospects before preparing the 2019 Ministerial Conference,'' Italian Space Agency (ASI) chief Roberto Battiston said.



The October 25 meeting will also be a chance to bring in new agreements, such as one between France, Italy, Germany and Spain on the use of the new European space launchers Ariane 6 and Vega C for their institutional launches. The aim is to ensure an operating base for the European launchers industry so that it can compete with emerging nations such as China and India. Italy and India are expected to sign an agreement on a project for the Fly-Eye telescope, a hunter of asteroids and comets near the earth - also known as Near Earth Objects (NEO) - and space detritus. Created through a patent by the Italian National Astrophysics Institute (INAF), the telescope is expected to be installed in Sicily after two years. ''This telescope,'' Battiston said, ''will enable us to observe NEOs even from Italy, thanks to its sufficient atmospheric characteristics. The agreement marks the end of long work done with ESA and of which we are especially proud.'' (ANSAmed).


Experts on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Courts verdict on firecrackers but warned that pollution levels in the city would shoot up again a day after Diwali celebrations.

The judiciary has done its job and it is a welcome order. But under the garb of green crackers, polluting fireworks and crackers that were banned in 2017-Diwali are likely to hit the market again. Besides this, it would be difficult to contain the celebrations to the two-hour window as mandated by the apex court. This could lead to spike in pollution levels after the celebrations, said Mukhesh Khare, a professor of environmental engineering at the IIT-Delhi.

Experts also claimed that no green crackers were available in the market. The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that people in the country can burst firecrackers from 8.00pm to 10.00pm on Diwali and other festivals, while allowing the manufacture and sale of just green crackers  which have low emission of light, sound and harmful chemicals.

Delhi celebrated its cleanest Diwali in three years in 2017 after the Supreme Court banned the sale of crackers in the NCR.

In 2017, the level of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) shot up alarmingly the morning after Diwali celebrations. By 11 am, the overall PM2.5 in Delhi had shot up at least nine times above the permissible limit of 60ug/m3. According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), PM2.5 levels had shot up to 574ug/m3.

Some premier laboratories like IISER and NEERI have already come up with pollution-free fireworks. But they are yet to hit the markets, said Samrat Ghosh, assistant professor of chemical sciences at IISER, Mohali, who developed Indias first prototype of a smokeless firecracker.

Experts apprehend that with no green crackers available, the old ones which have toxic chemicals such as chromium, barium, nickel and strontium will again be burnt this year. The Supreme Courts order would pave the way for a less-polluted Diwali in the coming years as it would promote manufacture of fireworks and crackers that cause less pollution, said D Saha, former head of the air quality laboratory at the Central Pollution Control Board.
Police said the initial probe into the Paytm extortion case suggests that the data breach involved crucial information that can hamper the companys prospects, if made public.

Manoj Pant, station house officer, Sector 20 police station, said, The total data is of more than 128 GB and contains over 1,000 pages.

Police sources said the data included passwords, encrypted emails, PIN of Paytm accounts and cash cards used by its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the companys business model, new plans and schemes as well as financial dealings of the company, all of which would have damaged the prospects of Paytm, if made public or shared.

Gautam Budh Nagar SSP AjayPal Sharma said, We are sifting through the data with the help of cyber cell officers. The data contained important passwords, among other things.

But the company, in a statement to the media, assured customers that their personal details are protected. All our consumer data is protected with the highest and most impenetrable levels of security. At this point, the law enforcement authorities are investigating this matter and we would like to respect the police investigation, and not comment further until the results of such investigation are known, Paytm statement read.

Police are trying to ascertain if the data contained details of customers. The data is huge and we are sifting it thoroughly, Sharma said.

Police have arrested Sonia Dhawan, former vice-president (communications), her husband Roopak Jain and Devendra Kumar, an employee of Paytm. A fourth person, Rohit Chomal, a resident of Kolkata, who made the extortion call, is still at large.

The SSP said the Noida police is in contact with the Kolkata police and they hope to nab Chomal soon. The SHO said they have found out that Devendra had recently travelled to Kolkata, where he may have interacted with Chomal.

Pant said Dhawan and Jain were stealing data for the last two years. Dhawan shared the data with Devendra who took the help of a woman called Mala, whom he was dating since 2014, to get in touch with Chomal.

According to police, Jain was going through a rough phase in his real estate business. Chomal had allegedly been involved in this scheme as his coal business was failing and he needed money, the police said.

Chomal had initially demanded 30 crore from Paytm chiefs Vijay Shekhar and his brother Ajay Shekhar. It came down to 20 crore and then to 10 crore. Rohit (Chomal) shared a few passwords with the Shekhars to convince them that he was in possession of crucial data, SSP Sharma said.

When Shekhar deposited 2 lakh in the account provided, Chomal revealed further details of the data to prove the authenticity of his claims, the SSP said. Dhawan had allegedly copied all data from Vijay Shekhars laptop and shared it with Devendra, the police said.

According to police, the details shared by Chomal could only have been obtained by Dhawan as she was the only employee with access to these details. That is how Shekhars came to know of Dhawans involvement, the police said.

Police recovered a pen drive, a hard disk and four mobile phones from Devendras house in Shahdara village. We have also recovered certain incriminating WhatsApp chats between Devendra and Chomal, the SHO said.

The police said the extortion calls were made from a number with an oversees ISD code using an internet application. The police are trying to trace the IP address from which these calls originated.

A case was registered under the IPC sections 381 (theft by clerk or servant or property in possession of the master), 384 (punishment for extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear), 420 (cheating), 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections of the IT Act, 2008.
The government finally decided to step into the ongoing war within the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by, effectively, removing the squabbling Nos. 1 and 2 of the agency from the field of play, and appointing an interim chief. The developments, most of which played out in the intervening night of October 23 and October 24, have resulted in a challenge by the CBI director in the Supreme Court, which will now have to weigh in on the issue; raised questions about the process followed; and, predictably, resulted in howls of protest from Opposition parties.

The big question is whether the government has the power to remove the CBI chief. The simple answer to that question is no. The court may be open to the governments arguments, but the law makes it clear that a CBI director cant be removed at the governments discretion. The government may argue that this is a mere divestment of powers, not a removal, pending an investigation, and that it is the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which enjoys supervisory powers over the federal investigation agency, that passed the actual order, but these are largely technicalities. It is also not clear whether the CVC itself has the powers to do what it did or , whether, this agency, or for that matter any other, has the powers to ask someone who doesnt want to go on leave to go on leave.

The CBI director is appointed by a committee comprising the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India, and the directors argument is that only this committee has the powers to remove him; that he is, by law, guaranteed a two-year term; and that the governments action (even if routed through the CVC), infringes on the independence of the agency.

It is also not clear whether the court will go into the details of the charges levelled by the director against special director Rakesh Asthana and the latter against the former. That is actually the domain of the CVC and the department of personnel and training, which comes under the Prime Ministers Office, and it is an issue that should have never been allowed to come to a head. By addressing the issue a few months ago, the government may have avoided a sticky legal challenge.

In an editorial yesterday, when this newspaper asked for the PMO to act and stop the unseemly slight of the agencys top two officers going at each other using all means at their disposal, it was thinking of an intervention, not surgery. Now it is up to the Supreme Court. The only previous precedent of a similar legal challenge by the chief of an investigative agency involves M K Bezbaruah in the late 1990s. The court ordered the government to reinstate him.
The killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, within the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul has unleashed a high-stakes showdown between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both key allies of the US, and triggered a diplomatic crisis at a time when West Asia can well do without such tensions. Khashoggi had long-standing ties with key members of Saudi royalty before he turned into a vocal critic of crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Ever since he went missing on October 2, Turkish officials have been behind a string of leaks that appeared aimed at pinning the blame on the powerful Saudi prince.

The Saudi stand on the affair  going from a claim that Khashoggi had left the consulate to a claim that he died in a fight with Saudi officials and an eventual admission that he was murdered by individuals who had exceeded their authority  certainly hasnt helped the kingdom, especially at a time when the crown prince is facing growing criticism for a reputation of recklessness and amassing too much power by sidelining his rivals and detractors.

In his death, Khashoggi has become a figure cited by many to back calls for the Saudi crown prince to be reined in before he does more damage in the region through actions such as the devastating military campaign in Yemen. And while the prince once had the backing of US President, Donald Trump, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Mr Trump has now described the killing of Khashoggi as the worst cover-up ever and indirectly acknowledged the princes central role in the matter as he is running things in Saudi Arabia. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has clearly decided to use the affair to make a push to project his country as the main Sunni player in the Muslim world while discrediting the Saudi prince. Many are hoping Khashoggis death will lead to much-needed reforms in human rights and associated matters in Saudi Arabia but it may only have unleashed a power play with far-reaching ramifications.
Faraz Manan is a name not very well known in India as of now, but fast gaining momentum. October has turned out to be his lucky month; with two biggies from Bollywood wearing his designs- Jacqueline Fernandez wore a stunning red sari by the Lahore based designer to Aamir Khans Diwali party. And in the week before that, Kareena Kapoor Khan wore a bluish-pink salwar kameez during a store launch.

Here are some facts about the designer you might not know:

1. Manan is known for his luxury bridal ensembles, and caters to Pakistans richest families. He began his career in 2003 as a designer and has found national and international recognition for his work, be it luxury pret, fabric or bridal couture.

2. In 2017, Sridevi wore an aristocratic red gown by Faraz Manan for the Russian premiere of her film, Mom. The premiere took place in Moscow, where it was released under the name Mama.

3. In an interview with Dubais Khaleej Times, Manan spoke about his friendship with Kareena, saying, Working with Kareena (Kapoor) has been great! We are good friends now, and have a blast working together. She is perfectly suited for my brands aesthetics and carries the outfits well. She has also been the face of our Crescent Lawn collection for the past couple of years, and is something of a muse to me. His clientele also includes Kareenas sister Karisma Kapoor.

4. Manans strength lies in the detailing of thread work, delicate embellishments, applique and cut-work techniques with layering, cut, colour and fusion tailoring.

5. He has been recognised for his work in the field of Bridal Couture and Lawn and in 2016 had won the Designer of the Year (Bridal Couture) at the annual Hum Style Awards which took place in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Chris Evans retirement from the role of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has opened the floodgates for a whole lot of speculation - when will he quit exactly? Who will replace him? Will Cap die in Avengers 4?

But now, an MCU actor who has worked on two Captain America movies, Frank Grillo (Crossbones) has said that he has heard that Marvel is looking to diversify in their future casting choices. I dont know, Grillo told talk show host Larry King when asked if he knew whos taking over as Captain America, but there have been rumors that Captain America could be African American. It could be a woman. You know? So theyre looking.

Grillos statement echoes what Marvel president Kevin Feige had recently said about the studios philosophy moving forward. We want people from any background to be able to look at that screen and see themselves reflected, and just as importantly to have different types of people be inspired by people who dont look like them, or people who have different backgrounds than them, and let them inspire them going forward, Feige had told i09. To me, thats the most important thing that we can do, and weve started it, and were going to continue it.

Meanwhile, Evans recent tweet in which he seemingly bid farewell to Captain America, went viral, with everyone from Dwayne Johnson to Ryan Reynolds expressing sadness. Evans had said last year that his contract with Marvel was due to expire post Avengers 4. You want to get off the train before they push you off, Evans said in a previous interview. I used to have thoughts of wanting to climb to the top of something, or wanting to be somebody. But when you get the thing that you think you want and then you wake up and realize that you still have pockets of sadness, and that your struggle will reinvent itself, you stop chasing after those things and it is liberating, because you realize that right here, right now, is exactly all I need, hed said.

Evans, Robert Downey Jr and the rest of the sprawling cast will return in Avengers 4, due out in May, 2019.

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Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackmans running joke where they pull each others leg continues. Reynolds replying to a tweet from Jackman, in which the Wolverine star wished the Deadpool actor a happy birthday, called him a monster - all in jest, of course.

This man is a monster. Hes not even from Australia. Hes from Milwaukee, Reynolds wrote in a tweet. In his original birthday message, Jackman, attaching a picture of the two of them hugging, wrote, Because Im told that I AM THE NICEST GUY and youre NOT. @VancityReynolds ... I will let you hug me. Just this once. On your birthday.

This man is a monster. Hes not even from Australia. Hes from Milwaukee. https://t.co/CxHceP4d9L  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 23, 2018

Reynolds and Jackmans repartee goes way back. On Jackmans wedding anniversary, Reynolds had joked that hed given the relationship three months. When Reynolds received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Jackman posted a parody video on Instagram. Reynolds even crashed a press interview for Jackmans recent film, Eddie the Eagle, and who can forget the opening scene of Deadpool 2, which poked fun at Wolverines death in Logan.

Reynolds turned 42 on Tuesday, and celebrated his birthday by posting images with his wife, Blake Lively, and his father.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a top commander, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Srinagars Nowgam area on Wednesday, police said.

Acting on a tip-off about the presence of militants in Suthu Kothair locality of Nowgam, security forces launched a cordon and search operation on Tuesday night.

Officials said Special Operation Group of J&K Police, 55 Rashtriya Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force laid a cordon around the house.

The militants gunned down were identified by officials as Sabzar Ahmad Sofi and Ashiq Gojri, both residents of South Kashmirs Anantnag district, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, V K Birdi.

We recovered incriminating materials including arms and ammunition from the site of encounter, the police spokesman said.

One of the militants killed in the encounter, Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, was pursuing PhD at Jamia Millia Islamia. He had joined militancy after Burhan Wanis killing in 2016. Sofi, has an MPhil and MSc and also had qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET).

However, Jamia Millia Islamia in a press statement in Delhi refuted that Sofi was registered as a student with the university and that there was no botany subject in the university.

Sofi is the second scholar-turned-militant who has been killed in the Valley in recent times. On October 11, PhD scholar Manan Wani was gunned down at Handwara along with one of his associate.

Meanwhile, clashes erupted in Nowgam, Sangam and Sirhama areas of south Kashmir. Police used tear gas shells and pellets to disperse protestors. Four persons were injured in the clashes.

Authorities snapped mobile Internet services in the city and shut educational institutions as a precautionary measure. Train service between Banihal and Baramulla was also suspended.
The Union cabinet on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for the creation of a Rs 7,552-crore fund to boost infrastructure facilities in the marine and inland fisheries sector and also approved the setting up of six Indian Institutes of Skills (IISs) in different parts of the country.

Law minister Ravi Shankar, while addressing a press conference here, said beneficiaries contributions and budgetary support would be used for the formation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF). The FIDF would help achieve 15 million tonnes of fish production by 2020, a target set under the Blue Revolution scheme, and help generate over 940,000 employment opportunities, said a statement issued by the Centre.

The cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also decided to set up six IISs in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, Prasad, who addressed the media with finance minister Arun Jaitley, said.

In the official statement, the government said by leveraging advantages of private sector enterprises and public capital in terms of government land, it would create new institutes of expertise, knowledge and competitiveness.

The cabinet also approved the constitution of a high level steering committee to periodically review and refine the National Indicator Framework (NIF) for monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with associated targets, Prasad said.
A public feud between its top two officers has rocked the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has seen a few other controversies in the past .

Heres a look at some earlier controversies

SCs caged parrot remark

In 2013, the Supreme Court called the CBI a caged parrot. Justice RM Lodha said there was clear evidence of interference in a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation. The remark came amid the Oppositions criticism that the government was using the agency to cover up wrongdoing in the case. Its a sordid saga that there are many masters and one parrot, the court said. It added that the agency must know how to stand up against all pulls and pressures

Criminal case against Ranjit Sinha

In November 2014, the then CBI chief, Ranjit Sinha, was directed by the Supreme Court to recuse himself from a probe into the 2G scam. The court issued the directions following a PIL that stated that Sinha abused his official position and met accused in many cases at his residence. The top court asked former CBI special director ML Sharma to look into charges against Sinha. Following Sharmas report, the CBI was asked to register a criminal case against Sinha. The investigation against Sinha is yet to be completed

Criminal case against AP Singh

Ranjit Sinhas predecessor in the Central Bureau of Investigation, AP Singh was accused by the investigating agency in 2017 of abusing his official position. It was alleged that controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi was taking money for settling Central Bureau of Investigation cases against people by claiming his proximity to Singh. One of the businessmen who allegedly paid money to Qureshi was Sana Satish Babu, who is now a complainant against Rakesh Asthana

Vijay Mallyas flight out of country

The dilution of a lookout circular (LoC) against beleaguered tycoon Vijay Mallya from block to inform allowed his escape on March 2, 2016. In October 2015, the LoC was issued against Mallya on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation in a bank loan default. Immigration authorities were asked to stop Mallya from leaving the country, but the agency later downgraded the LoC. Mallya remains in the UK since leaving the country and investigating agencies are trying to secure his extradition

Suicides by Bansal family

In Sept 2016, former director general of corporate affairs BK Bansal and his son committed suicide in their house. Before their suicides, Bansals daughter and wife, too, killed themselves after the registration of a bribery case against the official. Bansal and his son wrote suicide notes in which they accused some Central Bureau of Investigation officials, including a deputy inspector general-level officer of threatening and misbehaving with them. It is still not known whether the CBI investigated charges levelled by the Bansals

Transfer of RK Dutta

The Central Bureau of Investigations then special director and frontrunner for the directors post, RK Dutta, was transferred only two days before the then Central Bureau of Investigation chief Anil Sinha was to retire in December, 2016. Dutta was shunted out to make way for Rakesh Asthanas appointment as acting director. Asthana was only an additional director. A note had gone to CVC that I was to be shifted from CBI to the home ministry and CVC just followed the course. CVC was supposed to look into the reasons of my shifting, Dutta said recently
The opposition on Wednesday tore into the Narendra Modi government over the removal of CBI officers, including its director Alok verma, with the Congress accusing it of trying to cover up probe into Rafale scam and Mamata Banerjee saying the CBI had become BJP bureau of investigation.

In a late night move at 2.30 am on Wednesday, the government divested Alok Verma of all responsibilities following a feud with his deputy, Rakesh Asthana. Verma had late on Tuesday had stripped Asthana of all charges after CBI filed a bribery case against him.

Joint director M Nageswar Rao, who took over as acting chief, in his first order, removed the entire team probing the bribery case against Asthana, including Ajay Bassi, the investigation officer (IO) and deputy inspector general Manish Sinha.

Reacting to the move, Congresss chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a series of tweets, wondered if Verma was sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in the Rafale scam and sought an answer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isnt the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer! the Congress leader said.

3/n

PM Modi has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI.



Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isnt the rest a shoddy cover up?



Let PM answer! pic.twitter.com/80ckyFiOJX  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018

Atccusing the Modi government of trying to tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases, he said it had buried the last nail into the independence of the premier investigating agency.

Modi govt buries the last nail into the independence of CBI. Systematic dismantling & denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBIs integrity, credibility & reliability is buried & dead, Surjewala said on Twitter.

CBI has now become so called BBI ( BJP Bureau of Investigation ) - very unfortunate!  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 24, 2018

Hitting out at the BJP, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, in a tweet, said, CBI has now become so called BBI ( BJP Bureau of Investigation )  very unfortunate!

Finance minister Arun Jaitley rubbished the opposition charges, saying the two officers (Verma and Asthana) were sent on leave to maintain integrity of probe, which would be done by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and not the government.

Jaitley said the government was committed to preserve the integrity of Indias administrative system and the credibility of CBI.

Earlier, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also had criticised the removal of Verma, saying it pointed to attempts to protect governments handpicked officer with direct links to the BJPs top political leadership, news agency PTI reported.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also slammed the government on the move.
cchief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his party does not have funds to contest the coming assembly elections in Haryana and urged people to spend from their own pocket to canvass for the party.

The assembly elections are due in the state next year.

After a public event in Jhajjar on Monday, Kejriwal visited Bhiwani on Tuesday where he where he addressed a gathering of supporters and visited some government schools. .

People tell me there are no hoardings of AAP in Haryana. I tell them it is because we never indulged in any form of corruption, he said.

I have been the CM of Delhi for the past three years and could have easily gobbled thousand of crores by seeking my share in PWD tenders. But we are an honest government, he added.

Referring to the shortage of funds with AAP, Kejriwal said, We dont have money to fight elections. You people will have to fight elections on our behalf. You will have to go door to door to seek votes for us. You will have to spend your own moneyNot for me, but for a better education and health care of your families.

Haryana parties making a joke of me

The Delhi CM said he was aware of political parties in Haryana making a joke of him about not having any hold among people in the state. They made a joke of me when we were contesting elections in Delhi as well. The Congress and the BJP made predictions that not a single AAP candidate will be able to save its security deposit. But we won 67 out of 70 seats, he said.

In Haryana too, people will show these political parties they are with the AAP. Five lakh houses in Haryana already carry boards pledging support of their families to AAP, Kejriwal said.

Khattar govt looting farmers

Attacking the Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana, Kejriwal said it is looting state farmers by withdrawing money from their accounts every month in the name of insurance, but is giving nothing to them for crop loss.

The Khattar government imposed a sort of goonda tax on farmers by withdrawing money forcibly from their account. In Delhi, our government gave Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers for crop loss, he said.

Claiming huge success of AAP governments Mohalla Clinics in Delhi, Kejriwal said officials from the United Nations were impressed by his healthcare model.
At least 3,000 job aspirants from across the country were duped of more than Rs12 lakh allegedly by a gang of cons, who were running a job racket from a house in east Delhi and offering employment in the Union agriculture ministry. The racket was busted on Monday by crime branch. Two members of the gang have been detained so far, police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Bhisham Singh said the gang had created a fake website, panditdeendayalkrishivikas.com and were accepting applications for recruitment on various posts in the agriculture ministry. An advertisement regarding the vacant posts were uploaded on the website on October 6 and the last date of submitting the applications was fixed as October 28, said the police.

In a bid to make the fake recruitment drive look genuine, the racketeers had given the postal address of Krishi Bhawan in central Delhi for submitting the forms. The applicants were directed to send their filled forms by post only. The cheats charged Rs 400 from each job seeker as recruitment application fee. They had mentioned details of a bank account and the applicants were directed to make the payment in the account through demand draft, said DCP Singh.

Several fake websites promising jobs have come to our notice. We are constantly running scrolls and alerts on the agriculture ministrys website to make people aware and prevent fraud, an agriculture ministry official said.

Police said they learnt about this fake recruitment drive after they received a complaint from the agriculture ministry around 10 days ago. The ministry informed the crime branch that they had been receiving filled application forms in bulk at its office in Krishi Bhawan since early this month.

On an average 100 such recruitment forms are being received every day from job-seekers across the country, even though no such employment advertisement or notice was issued by the ministry. We registered a case on the basis of the ministrys complaint and a team was formed to identify and nab the fraudsters, said a police officer, associated with the case.

During the probe, the officer said, the investigating team contacted some of the applicants, who told them about the website.

We contacted the bank concerned and collected details about the account holder. Through technical surveillance we identified the internet protocol (IP) address of the computer through which the fake website was created. Further probe led to the apprehension of two men from a house in east Delhis Kalyanpuri, said the officer.

Police refused to reveal the names of the detained men, saying that raids were being conducted to nab three more persons involved in the crime.

Both the men are school dropouts and unemployed, the officer added.
Even as the coordination committee of the striking Haryana Roadways employees on Tuesday decided to continue their strike till October 25, the government claimed an improvement in the situation with over 2,800 buses now running on roads across the state.

Meanwhile, the government has invited leaders of Haryana Roadways employees union for a fresh round of talks. Their negotiations failed on Sunday after the government said it was firm on its decision to rope in 700 private buses.

The union leaders and state transport minister Krishan Panwar will have a meeting on Wednesday.

Around 550 buses plied in the state on Sunday, but the number jumped to about 2,100 on Monday, which further rose to 2,800 on Tuesday, additional chief secretary Dhanpat Singh said.

These included 1,464 buses of Haryana Roadways buses, 1,059 of cooperative societies and 279 hired from private institutions. Around 4,100 buses of Haryana Roadways run daily on routine days.

He said as many as 174 new drivers who had been recently appointed would start working from Wednesday and run roadways buses on as many routes.

47 employees dismissed so far

Singh said the government had terminated on Tuesday the service of five more drivers who were on probation and yet joined the strike.

This has brought the number of probationary employees whose services had been terminated to 47. Besides, around 200 other employees who had been hired through outsourced agencies have also been fired.

He also said that some of the probationary employees, who had gone on strike, have now resumed work. On Tuesday, about 30 such employees resumed duties in Faridabad and about 25 in Narnaul, he said.

The roadways employees had gone on strike on October 16 to protest against the governments move to rope in 700 private buses, even as the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) is in force in the state.

However, as the government started taking action against striking employees under Esma, the employees union extended their strike till October 25.

Haryana Sarvkarmchari Sangh, an umbrella body of over 40 unions of government employees, has also extended their support to the striking roadways employees.

7 drivers booked under ESMA in Hisar

The Hisar police on Tuesday booked seven striking drivers of the Haryana Roadways under the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

Talking to HT, police spokesperson Harish Bhardwaj said the case was registered against these drivers on the basis of a complaint by the roadways general manager (GM), Hisar depot, who alleged that they participated in the chakka jam from October 16 to October 22, and did not report to duty even as they were asked to do so.

These drivers were identified as Rajesh, Fateh Singh, Virender Singh, Pawan, Ashok, Naresh and Nagendra. He said the police were further investigating into the matter.

Roadways GM in Sirsa seeks security

Meanwhile, Sirsa depot roadways GM Khubi Ram Kaushal has sought police security, saying two unidentified youths allegedly handed him a letter on Monday night, asking him to join the ongoing chakka jam.

Kaushal wrote a letter to Sirsa superintendent of police (SP) Hamid Akhtar in this regard.

I am ensuring that an average of 45 buses ply from Sirsa daily. The protesters feel that their chakka jam is not a success here, so they have warned me through this letter. I feel someone can harm me and my family, he added.
BHOPAL: In the last 13 years, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has tried to wean tribals away from the Congress by pumping in money in the states tribal-dominated constituencies. The tribals have stuck with him in the last two assembly elections but Chouhan may not get a thumbs-up from them this time.

Take, for instance, the members of the Baiga tribe in Tikaria village, 15 kms from district headquarters in Dindori. They are not happy with the homes constructed for them under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY). They complain of corruption in implementing the scheme and claim that the concrete structures built under the scheme are too hot in summers and too cold in winters, and the locals prefer to stay in their traditional mud houses.

Even the village pradhan, Sukarobai, and her deputy, Phulobai, are yet to shift to their new homes constructed under the scheme. We are six members in the family. Its difficult for all of us to live in such a small house, said Phulo Bai, who uses the new home to store fodder for animals.

Sitting in the village chaupal with other Baiga tribals, considered the most backward tribe in central India, Phulo Bai lists other reasons for not using the home. From where will we get water for the toilets? she asks, adding that the village women have to fetch water even for drinking.

Sukarobai says the tribals find these two-roomed homes very cramped and highly uncomfortable to live in as they get very hot in summers and very cold in winters. We prefer our mud homes as they adapt well to seasonal weather changes, she says.

There are about 0.13 million Baiga tribals living in six Madhya Pradesh districts -- Dindori, Mandala, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Balaghat.

For them, corruption in administration of the PMAY scheme is an election issue. Ramesh Baiga, a tribal from the village, alleges that members of the community have to pay to get instalments under the scheme that are directly transferred to banks. The next step is to use the money to buy building materials, whose prices are marked up by local traders. This is why his house remains incomplete, Ramesh claims.

Explaining how things work under the scheme, social activist Balwant Rahang Dale said, Besides the bribe a tribal has to pay to get his own money, he has to pay higher prices for building materials as local traders have increased prices arbitrarily after implementation of PMAY. Hence, he runs short of money to construct his house. Several houses are incomplete.

However, panchayat and rural development minister Gopal Bhargava disagreed.

I am not aware that the tribals are not living in their houses and they are facing problems like arbitrary hike in prices of building materials by local traders and corruption and that they are not using the toilets. I will look into it, he said.

State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said, The houses built under PMAY are highly sub-standard and they have been built by BJP governments just for the sake of votes. There should be a special audit of the money spent on the PMAY and quality of the houses.

During the ongoing election campaign, Chouhan has been repeatedly talking about the work his government has done for the tribals.

The former head of Allahabad Universitys anthropology department, Vijoy Sahay, said that the rehabilitation plan for tribals had hardly been successful anywhere in the country given the flawed schemes.

Schemes for tribals cannot be and should not be made from Delhi or Bhopal without a proper study of their society, climate and local ecology with the help of anthropologists and sociologists, he said. BHOPAL: Authorities in poll-bound Madhya Pradeshs Mandla and Balaghat districts have sought helicopters, drones, satellite phones and additional forces for the November 28 assembly elections, citing a heightened threat of Maoist violence threat in the region.

Mandla and Balaghat are among Madhya Pradeshs Maoist-affected districts .

there is heightened threat perception there is (an) increased movement of Maoists in these two districts, said Balaghat police inspector general Venkateshwar Rao. Rao said a Maoist leaflet threatening to kill police informers was seized from neighbouring Chhattisgarhs Kavardha on Monday. We have asked for 130 companies (105 for Balaghat and 25 for Mandla, which is 20% more than the deployment for the 2013 election) apart from helicopters, satellite phones and drones from the Election Commission.

Rao said the state police want to ensure peaceful polls and was making adequate preparations. On Monday, too, we had a meeting of officials from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to further fine-tune the strategy, he said.

An officer familiar with the development explained that the helicopters would be necessary for carrying out rescue operations in case of an attack. He added satellite phones had been sought as there are 25 so-called shadow areas in the two districts where there are no mobile phone networks. five drones have been asked for the road opening parties (which ensure there are no landmines or presence of Maoists along important routes security forces take), he said on condition of anonymity.

The assembly polls are being held months after the Maoists move to form a new MMC (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh) zone to expand their operations came to light.. The zone comprises districts situated in the tri-junction of the three states. As many as 108 armed men have been assigned to the zone. Milind Teltungre, a Maoist central committee member, heads the zone.

Maoist leader Pahar Singh, 48, who surrendered to the police in Chhattisgarhs Rajnandgaon and headed operations in places including Balaghat, has told his interrogators about a Maoist plan to develop four more dalams

The dalams are apart from Malajkhand dalam, which is operating in Balaghat, and the newly formed Vistaar dalam, whose cadre is drawn from Chhattisgarhs Bastar, where Maoists are active.

Madhya Pradeshs additional director general and anti-Maoist operations head Sanjeev Singh said the police had conducted several operations to ensure peaceful elections. Their movement has increased, but we, too, have increased ours so there would not be any problems, he said.
The feud now playing out in public between the two top officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), its director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana, first came into the public domain in October last year when the former tried to stall the latters promotion to his current post, although it had been simmering even before Verma took over as the chief of the federal investigation agency on February 1, 2017.

Hindustan Times chronicles the key developments in the bitter saga, which on Tuesday entered what seems to be the end game when Asthana approached the Delhi high court against the filing of a bribery case against him by the agency .

In his petition, Asthana sought a directive from the high court that no coercive action be taken against him. On the same day, the agency presented before special CBI judge Santosh Snehi Mann, deputy superintendent of police Devendra Kumar, arrested in connection with the bribery case against Asthana. It claimed that Kumar, who was arrested on Monday, was part of an extortion racket being run in the garb of an investigation.

Asthana has accused Verma of attempting to induct tainted officers into the agency and interfering in investigations carried out under his supervision and made a formal complaint to the cabinet secretary. The cabinet secretary has asked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to look into his representation.

Read | Boss trying to frame me, CBI No. 2 Rakesh Asthana tells court

CBI, in a formal statement on September 21, said the special director was being probed in six different cases being investigated by the agency.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told CBI chief, Verma, to let the law take its own course when the latter briefed him on the allegations against Asthana, an official familiar with the development said on Monday.

CBI expanded its probe into the case on Monday by arresting Kumar. Investigators are preparing to question two supervisory officers  one of superintendent of police rank and the other of inspector general  in the case.

The agency will also seek a clarification from a senior intelligence official who investigators suspect may have been acting in his individual capacity.

Director Verma separately met national security adviser Ajit Doval too, said the CBI official cited above, on condition of anonymity.

The Prime Ministers Office did not offer any comment on the meeting. But a senior official confirmed that the PM met the CBI chief.

The bribery case against Asthana has been registered on a complaint by a Hyderabad-based businessman, Sana Satish Babu, who alleged that two Dubai-based brothers  Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad  claimed that they were acting on behalf of the CBI special director and allegedly struck a deal for Rs 5 crore to protect him (Babu) in a case that the agency registered against controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi last year.

Former CBI director AP Singh is also an accused in the case. Two months before the registration of the case, Asthana complained to cabinet secretary Pradeep Sinha that it was Verma who asked him in February to call off the questioning of the Hyderabad-based businessman.

Asthana alleged that Satish Babu was being protected by Verma under a Rs 2 crore deal. The cabinet secretary forwarded this complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). Asthana cited nine other instances in which he alleged that Verma and agency joint director Arun Kumar Sharma were trying to interfere in investigations with ulterior motives.

CBI has formally denied the charges against Verma and Sharma.

The agency has now named Satish Babu as a witness in the case against Qureshi. Asthana wrote to the CVC that he recommended Satish Babus arrest in the case in September . After the registration of the FIR against Asthana, CBI arrested the alleged middleman in the case, Manoj Prasad, who is in the agencys custody.

On Monday, CBI named Kumar as an accused in the case on charges of fabricating records. Kumar was the designated investigation officer in the case against Qureshi.
In an unexpectedly swift predawn move to end a potentially destructive internecine war in the countrys premier investigating agency, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government removed the two principals of CBI, director Alok Kumar Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana, an order immediately challenged by Verma in the apex court, which will hear the appeal on Friday.

The government asked M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Orissa cadre officer and the senior-most joint director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, to look after the duties and functions of the CBI director. Rao, officials familiar with the development said, reached the CBI headquarters at around 11pm on Tuesday and left at 2am on Wednesday after receiving the order in a shakeup of the investigative agencys ranks.

As Wednesday drew to a close, uncertainty remained over the legitimacy of Verrmas removal given that the CBI chief has a fixed two-year tenure and Vermas term runs till January-end. Congress party president Rahul Gandhi slammed the government, claiming that the Prime Minister broke the law and bypassed the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition, who were part of the panel that selected the CBI chief.

The order divesting Verma and Asthana of their roles was served to them at their homes at around 2.30am. The government acted within hours of their bitter feud, which became public in October 2017, reaching the courts, with Asthana, who had been stripped by Verma of all his functions, seeking protection from arrest.

CBI also secured the remand of a deputy superintendent of police on his team.

Verma and Asthana have traded allegations of bribery.

The government said the allegations of corruption by senior CBI officer against each other vitiated the official eco-system of the organisation.

The environment of faction feud has reached its peak in CBI leading to a potential loss of credibility and reputation of the premier investigating agency of the government. It also vitiated the working environment of the organization which has deep and visible impact on the overall governance, it said in a statement.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley defended the governments move in a press conference, saying Verma and Asthana were removed from their posts on a recommendation by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to maintain the agencys institutional integrity and fairness.

Officers under a cloud must stand out as interim measure. This is in accordance with the highest standards of fairness, Jaitley said, pointing to the allegations and counter allegations that Verma and Asthana levelled at each other.

Asthana sent a representation to the cabinet secretary listing 10 cases of corruption and misconduct against Verma and joint director Arun Kumar Sharma. CBI has registered a first information report (FIR) alleging that Asthana had taken a bribe from a Hyderabad-based businessman

On Tuesday evening, ministry of personnel officials (CBI is under the jurisdiction of the ministry) were asked to stay back in their offices . The secretary, personnel, establishment officer, who deals with senior appointments in the government, and additional secretary were summoned to the Prime Ministers Office at about midnight. The meeting at PMO started at about 1am and ended an hour later with the orders being issued for the removal of Verma and Asthana and Raos interim appointment.

Immediately after taking charge as acting chief, Rao divested Sharma of his charges of the police division, which handles technical surveillance of suspects, and the anticorruption headquarters zone, under which investigations against Asthana following the bribery charge were being carried out.

The acting chief also ordered transfers of 12 other officers in the agency including the investigation officer (IO) of the case, his supervisory additional superintendent of police, and deputy inspector general.

Asthana, in a representation to the CVC, had asked for removal of the IO, Sharma, and director Verma from investigation and supervision of the case lodged against him.

As it came under attack from opposition parties over the removal of Verma, the government said it acted only on the recommendation of CVC, which has superintendence over CBI. The CVC on Tuesday issued an order that Verma be divested of his charge.

The commission said it had received a complaint by Asthana (of August 24) from the cabinet secretary levelling charges of corruption and misconduct against Verma and other CBI officers on August 30. The allegations were divided into three categories  one pertaining to seeking a bribe of ?2 crore from a Hyderabad-based businessman, Sana Satish Babu, to scuttle a probe against him; second of trying to hamper a probe against Bihar politician Lalu Prasad; and a third concerned with various other acts of misconduct.

The commission said CBI was served three separate notices (under section 11 of CVC Act, 2003) on September 11 asking its chief to produce files and documents before the Commission on September 14, but the documents were not produced.

Finally, on September 24, CBI assured the CVC that it would furnish the documents within three weeks. Despite repeated assurances and reminders, Verma failed to furnish the records or files. In the meanwhile, Asthana complained to CVC again that the agency was trying to implicate him in false cases.

CVC said it had advised CBI not to initiate any probe against Asthana, keeping in mind the fact that prior sanction under section 17 A of the amended Prevention of Corruption Act is required for such a probe. But CBI went ahead and registered a case against Asthana.

CVC also observed that Verma was non-cooperative with the Commission and created willful obstructions in its functioning. Considering the extra-ordinary and unprecedented circumstances, CVC passed orders divesting Verma and Asthana of their functions, power, duty and supervisory role, it said.

The government said it carefully examined and evaluated the material made available to it and in the interest of equality, fair play and principles of natural justice, decided to divest Verma and Asthana of their responsibilities.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Kumar Verma has accused the government of interfering with the independence and autonomy of the premier institution, told the Supreme Court that divesting him of his powers overnight by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was patently illegal, and also hinted that he was removed for investigating cases inconvenient to the government.

He also hit out at the agencys special director Rakesh Asthana (whom he didnt name), who too was sent on leave along with the director, for posing hurdles in investigating cases.

Vermas petition was mentioned by advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan before a bench led by chief justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday morning. Investigating officers of sensitive cases are being changed, which may jeopardize a probe into many sensitive cases, he said. The court agreed with his request for an early hearing and listed the matter for Friday.

Verma sought the quashing of the rapid fire decisions of October 23 by the CVC and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), as being without jurisdiction and in violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. They were arbitrary and issued without following the due process of law, he claimed.

Verma has moved the top court under Article 32 of the Constitution.

As CBI is expected to function independently and autonomously, there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations of high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government, Verma mentioned in his petition. He offered to share details of many cases which have led to the present circumstances. Verma did not divulge the same in his petition as they are extremely sensitive in nature.

Vermas petition has asked to court to give independence to CBI from the DoPT as its latest move seriously hinders the CBIs independent functioning. Not all influence exerted by a political government would be found explicit or in writing. More often than not, it is tacit and requires considerable courage to withstand, Verma claimed.

The director has also challenged the decision of the government by which joint director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre Indian Police Service officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency. According to him the DoPT could not have divested him of the powers without the mandate of the high-powered committee led by the Prime Minister and comprising the leader of the Opposition and chief justice of India. Under the law it is this committee that appoints and approves the transfer of a CBI director.

Over the recent past, although all functionaries within CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view, he said, referring to Asthana. Hurdles posed by Asthana, Verma said, have now been compounded by his complicity in concocting evidence to impugn the directors reputation. This had led to registration of a separate FIR, which Asthana has challenged in the Delhi high court.

As matters stood thus, CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) and the Central Government have overnight taken the impugned decisions to divest the petitioner of his complete role as Director CBI and to appoint another individual in his stead. These actions are patently illegal for the reasons, the petition stated.

Recalling various SC judgements, Verma said the present actions give serious credence to the requirement that the agency be given independence from the DoPT. Any illegal interference of the present nature not only erodes the independence of the institution but also the morale of its officers, he added.
Karnataka chief minister, HD Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday said the upcoming bypolls in the state will have a bearing on elections in other states set to be held in the next two months.

Addressing a press conference to mark 150 days in office, Kumaraswamy said, The state elections and next years Lok Sabha polls will be held in the backdrop of the bypolls. This will be the first test for the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular), or JD (S), coalition, which has decided to campaign together.

Days after the alliances top leaders, former chief minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda of the JD (S), publicly buried the hatchet and reunited after 12 years on the same stage, Kumaraswamy emphasised that the bypolls in the state would lay down a marker for the general elections next year.

Bypolls are set to be held for three Lok Sabha and two state assembly constituency on November 3 and counting of votes will be on November 6. The JD(S) is set to contest three seats  the Mandya and Shivamogga Lok Sabha seats and the Ramanagara assembly constituency  and the Congress two  the Ballari Lok Sabha and the Jamakhandi assembly seats.

Elections are due in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana in November and December ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Kumaraswamy highlighted the farm loan waiver announced by the Congress-JD(S) alliance government . He also said that the state government was considering a similar waiver of student loans, but no proposal had been worked out yet.

By March, all 4.4 million farm households will receive the waiver, Kumaraswamy said. In a similar light, we are considering a suggestion to waive education loans because many parents have petitioned me regarding this matter. No proposal has been worked out yet, he added.
The brother of Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, who was found dead in Punjabs Hoshiarpur on Monday, has lodged a police complaint alleging the priest was being harassed by former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal and his supporters.

Kattuthara, 62, had testified against Mulakkal, who was arrested last month after allegations of raping the Kerala nun repeatedly over a period of two years. Kattuthara had alleged there were attempts by the church to hush up the sexual assault complaint of the nun against Mulakkal.

His brother Jose Kattuthara, cousin John Thomas and nephew Jojo Thomas reached Dasuya in the morning from Kerala to lodge the police complaint. Dasuya police initiated the inquest proceedings following the complaint and the body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination.

I and my family members suspect that our brothers death was not natural as he was under pressure and being tortured by Franco and his people, Jose said in his complaint.

Father Kuriakose was the first priest who spoke against Franco through electronic media. Since then he was threatened by Franco and his own parish members started turning against him at Francos directions, he said.

He (Kuriakose) told me that ever since Franco came out on bail, he was being mentally tortured, Jose said in the complaint.

Jose said Kattutharas salary was reduced to Rs 500 and that too was irregular. He was one of the senior priests of the diocese. All his positions were taken away from him, he said.

The complaint added that Kattutharas residence and a vehicle parked outside his residence was attacked the day he gave a statement against Mulakkal.

Dasuya station house officer Jagdish Raj Attri said they have lodged the complaint and further action will be taken on the basis of the autopsy report.

After the postmortem, Kattutharas embalmed body was taken to the St Mary Cathedral Church at Jalandhar Cantonment for prayers conducted by bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias. The body will be airlifted from Delhi to Kerala on Wednesday afternoon.

Kattuthara, a native of Allepy in Kerala, was found dead in his room at St Marys Church in Dasuya by his cook around 9am on Monday.

When we broke opened the door, we found father lying on his bed. We immediately took him to the civil hospital, where he was declared brought dead, Sister Lisabeth, the principal of the St Paul Convent School, said.

There was vomit in the room and some tablets were found near the bed, she added.

Kattuthara had differences with Mulakkal

Father James Chaco Ullatil, the head priest at Dasuya church, said Kattutharas family has wrongly claimed that his salary was reduced to Rs 500 and alleged they were doing it to put pressure on the police.

We dont have any salary and get Rs 5,000 as a monthly stipend, besides free medical and travel facilities. Father Kuriokose was getting the same, he said.

When asked whether there was any rift between Kuriakose and Mulakkal, Ullatil said, Father Kuriakose didnt like the policies and working style of Franco.

Ullatil said Kuriakose had been suffering from several ailments, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problem. On October 9, his (Kuriakose) sugar level was 500 mg/dL, he said.
Two hundred children on Tuesday urged political parties to include their demands such as free distribution of sanitary pads, construction of toilets in all schools and electricity in villages, in election manifesto for the assembly election.

The event was an initiative of Rajasthan Right to Education (RTE) forum, Girls not brides- Rajasthan group, Jan Swastha Abhiyan evam Bal Suraksha Network, Udaipur and Rajasthan Baal Adikar Sanrakshan Saajha Abhiyan.

BJP leaders Suman Sharma and Rao Rajendra Singh, Congress leader Mahesh Sharma, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader TP Sharma and Nisha Siddhu from the Communist Party of India (CPI) were present at the event.

A booklet of the demands of the children was also launched at the event. Availability of free sanitary pads, construction of toilets in schools and electricity in villages were some of the demands put forward by students.

Under the Dasham initiative, the state was divided into seven areas and over 900 children were asked to discuss problems with organizers in each area. The demands were then complied into a booklet.

Arvind Ojha, one of the organizers, said although children below 18 are not allowed to vote but they are the future voters of the state and their demands should be heard. 41% of Rajasthans population comprises of children below 18 years of age. It, therefore, becomes important to hear the children out and consider including their demands in party manifestos, he added.

Amira Khatoon, a 17-year-old from Jodhpur, said her village has no school or hospital. People die before getting to a hospital in case of emergency. Is this what we call development? asked Khatoon.

Women living in villages get access to sanitary pads only during their time in schools. What is she supposed to do once school is over? Where will she get access to sanitary pads? questioned another student.

Translators in banks and schools were some of the demands raised by specially-abled children at the event.

Reacting to questions raised by the students, BJP leader Suman Sharma said: If the children have to come on stage to speak about basic needs even after 70 years of Independence, we really need to ponder upon the questions. I will refer their demands to people preparing the manifesto for the election. CPI leader Siddhu said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana were divested of all duties late in the night following a feud between the two.

Joint director M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Orissa-cadre officer, who was asked to take over as acting chief immediately, in his first order, removed the entire team probing the bribery case against Asthana, including Ajay Bassi, the investigation officer (IO) and deputy inspector general Manish Sinha. (Follow live updates here)

Meanwhile, Verma has moved the Supreme Court challenging his removal and the appointment of a new director. The court has listed the matter for hearing on Friday.

In an order at 2:30 am on Wednesday served at Vermas residence, the government said he was being divested of all responsibilities, said an official familiar with the development.

Before being divested of all responsibilities as the CBI chief, Verma too had signed an order at 9pm on Tuesday divesting his deputy Rakesh Asthana of all responsibilities.

The bribery case against Asthana was under the anti-corruption headquarters zone, which was under the powerful joint director AK Sharma. He too has been transferred internally.

Asthana in his complaint to the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) had alleged that the investigating officer Bassi was acting at the behest of director Alok Verma.

Read | Boss trying to frame me, CBI No. 2 Rakesh Asthana tells court

The CVC, which has superintendence over the CBI in corruption cases, and is already seized of the complaint by Asthana against the director and the counter FIR registered against him by the CBI, will seek a fair and impartial probe into the charges and counter charges.

More changes in the investigation agency are being effected by the interim director to ensure a fair and impartial probe.

Asthana, the second senior-most officer in the federal agency who has been accused of taking bribes, had secured protection from arrest from the high court, which ordered a status quo until the next hearing on October 29.

In a counter-allegation, Asthana in a complaint to the cabinet secretary on August 24 had alleged that Verma had received a bribe of Rs 2 crore from a Hyderabad-based real estate agent Sathish Sana whose role was being investigated by a team led by Asthana in a bribery case allegedly involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

He had also alleged that Verma had called him over phone in February to not call Sana for questioning.

In a surprising and unprecedented move on October 15, the CBI has booked Asthana and investigation officer of the case on the charges for receiving bribe from Sana through middlemen Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad.

The CBI has arrested Devender Kumar, the Dy SP and investigation officer, alleging that he had fabricated the statement of Sana purportedly claiming that a Rajya Sabha MP had met Verma on his pending case and assured him of relief and a clean chit.

There were reports that the CBI headquarters had been sealed and officials or outsiders were not being allowed as a team of officers was inside, the sources said, according to news agency PTI.

However, the CBI spokesman clarified that no offices in the headquarters were sealed.

Political Row

The removal of the director triggered a political row, with opposition leaders criticising the move and Congress wondering if Verma was sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in the Rafale scam and sought an answer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

3/n

PM Modi has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI.



Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isnt the rest a shoddy cover up?



Let PM answer! pic.twitter.com/80ckyFiOJX  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 24, 2018

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, chief ministers of Delhi and West Bengal Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee also criticised the move.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley rubbished the opposition charges, saying the two officers (Verma and Asthana) were sent on leave to maintain integrity of the probe, which would be done by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and not the government.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on filed a charge sheet against a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist who was nabbed by security forces earlier this year, a fortnight after his group infiltrated into India from across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA has charged Zabiullah alias Hamza (20) under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Arms Act and few others.

The agency said Zabiullah hailed from Multan in Pakistan and his group was intercepted by security forces on the intervening night of March 20-21 in the forests of Chak Fatah Khan in Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara district. While five members of his group were killed in the encounter, Zabiullah managed to escape.

Three army personnel and two policemen were killed, while four other troops were injured during this encounter.

Zabiullah was injured during the encounter and was apprehended a fortnight later from the same district.

Besides other articles, five AK-47 rifles, two pistols, two under barrel grenade launchers (UBGL), one silencer, knife, four compasses and huge quantity of ammunitions were recovered from the scene of the crime. Zabiullah was arrested later from Jugtiyal in Kupwara, an NIA spokesperson said.

During investigation, the NIA said it was found that in the first week of March this year, a group of six LeT terrorists infiltrated into India through the LoC along Kupwara. This group of terrorists was heading towards Lolab area of Kupwara for establishing their bases for carrying out subversive activities in furtherance of waging war against India, the agency said.

Investigation carried out by the NIA has proved that Zabiullah is a Pakistani national and belonged to the LeT. Evidence collected from the scene of crime clearly linked the AK 47 recovered from Zabiullahs possession with the empty cartridges recovered from the site of encounter, the agency added.
Opposition parties on Wednesday accused the government of violating all norms by removing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director, Alok Verma, who was locked in a bitter feud with his deputy, Rakesh Asthana, who too was forced to step aside.

Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, alleged that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was trying to stop the agency from probing alleged irregularities in a deal to purchase Rafale fighter jets from French military planemaker, Dassault Aviation.

The principal opposition party also claimed that the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), which has been invoked by the government, has no power to order the removal, appointment or reappointment of the CBI chief, as it is a supervisory body. In a pre-dawn order after the bitter public feud between Verma and Asthana reached the courts on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government divested both of all authority.

Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister broke the law and bypassed the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition, who were part of the panel that selected the CBI chief.

The Congress president mocked the Prime Minister while addressing an election meeting at Jhalawar in Rajasthan. Do you know what the chowkidar (watchman) did at night? The chowkidar removed the CBI director because CBI was raising questions on Rafale deal. CBI director had called for papers on Rafale deal, he claimed.

In a series of tweets, Gandhi alleged that Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to what he called the Rafale scam. The Prime Ministers message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale will be removed, wiped out. The country and the Constitution are in danger.

Congress chief spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala, asked whether the CBI director was sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale scam.

Another party spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, told a news conference that the governments decision of stripping Verma of his responsibilities was in violation of the Lokpal Act and the Supreme Court judgment in the 1997 Vineet Narain case that freed the CBI from direct government control and sought to protect senior CBI officers from arbitrary transfers.

He said the CVC had no powers to either recommend Vermas removal or the appointment of a new director.

The CBI directors tenure as per the 1997 verdict is regardless of the date of his superannuation. The court also ruled that the CBI director could be transferred only under extraordinary circumstances and the transfer needs to be approved by the selection committee, none of which have been done, he said .

This is a sordid story and the sorry state of affairs where the government is abusing and misusing central agencies and institutions..., he added.

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, said: What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi government get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is the Modi government trying to hide?

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, said: To ensure that the CBI is not a caged parrot, the Supreme Court had granted protection to its chief from governments whims and fancies by giving him two-year tenure.

What is the Modi government trying to hide by its panicked move? Yechury asked. The CBI should be renamed as BJP Bureau of Investigation, said West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday called for a tax-plus one approach for citizens to do more for the society besides honestly paying taxes. He said more people were paying taxes because they have faith that their money is being utilised.

Paying tax is prakriti (natural), not paying tax is vikriti (deformity). But paying tax plus doing more is sanskriti (culture), he said in his address to IT professionals and tech honchos at a town hall. I appreciate honest taxpayers whose numbers have increased. But the tax that is paid is part of the system. Social service is tax-plus something. We need to create that, Modi said.

Modi praised industries and corporates for exemplary social work alongside their business while saying he does not believe in the culture of criticising them. In our country, the general culture is to abuse businessmen, industrialists. I do not know why it is so but it has become a fashion. This is not a line of thought I agree with, Modi said. He urged tech companies to contribute their expertise and manpower to bring social change. We have seen today, in this townhall programme, how leading IT corporates are doing excellent social work, urging their employees to contribute to the society.

Modi had in July said he was not scared to be seen with industrialists as his conscience was clear and that they had contributed to countrys development.

The Prime Minister said the future lied in technology, which should be used to develop solutions for issues facing the worlds fastest growing economy. He called electric vehicles an answer amid the recent spike in international oil prices.

At the town hall, IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Mindtree showcased the social transformation efforts they have undertaken and pledged to support the newly launched self4society initiative.

The self4society.mygov.in  named as Main Nahi Hum  portal will act as a platform for companies to contribute their technology, skills and HR resources towards various social causes, including financial literacy, financial inclusion, small business enablement, and Swachh Bharat. Modi said volunteering efforts by the tech companies could bring about transformation in various sectors, including agriculture. He called on youngsters to venture out and work for the welfare of farmers.

Modi appealed to hard-working farmers to embrace drip irrigation. He called saving natural resources a collective responsibility. We have become very careless when it comes to the consumption of water. We need to conserve water and recycle water too. Modi called Mahatma Gandhi the inspiration for his clean India campaign. We are fulfilling Bapus vision, he said.

On many occasions, what sarkar (government) cannot do, sanskar (culture) can do. Let us make cleanliness a part of our value systems, he said.

He said governments may have schemes and budgets but the success of any initiative lies in public involvement. I am sure people want to work for others, they want to serve society and bring a positive difference, Modi said. Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra and Nasscom president Debjani Ghosh were among those who attended the town hall.

(With PTI inputs)
Amid the BJPs charge that he is playing the soft Hindutva card by visiting temples in poll-bound states, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will perform a puja at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain on October 29 before hitting the hustings in the BJP-dominated Malwa-Nimar region.

In Madhya Pradesh, where elections are scheduled to be held on November 28, the Congress has been struggling to oust the ruling BJP from power for the last 15 years.

Gandhi will begin his two-day tour of the Malwa-Nimar region after worshipping the famous Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva in Ujjain on October 29, a party leader said here Wednesday.

Rahul Gandhi will begin his visit to the Malwa-Nimar region after offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain. He would address a public meeting in Ujjain after worshipping (the Jyotirlinga), said Madhya Pradesh Congress Secretary Sanjay Kapoor.

The Congress chief would also hold a road show in Indore the same day.

On October 30, Gandhi will visit BR Ambedkars birthplace Mhow, about 23 kms from Indore, and pay his tribute at the memorial of the Dalit icon. Gandhi would address a public meeting there, he said.

On the same day, Gandhi would address public meetings in tribal-dominated Khargone and Jhabua districts.

According to sources in the Congress, Gandhi is likely to visit Janapav near Mhow, which is the birthplace of Lord Parshuram.

Malwa-Nimar region is spread across Indore and Ujjain divisions of western Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP had nearly swept the region in the assembly elections held in 2013 by winning 56 out of total 66 seats while the Congress was restricted to 9 seats.

The BJP has been ridiculing Gandhi for his visits to temples in states where elections are scheduled, by dubbing them as a Temple Run--an allusion to a popular running video game.

The Congress had proclaimed Gandhi as a Shiv-bhakt (a devotee of Lord Shiva) ahead of the assembly elections held in Gujarat last year.

Gandhi began canvassing in Madhya Pradesh last month by offering prayers at the famous Kamta Nath temple in Satna districts Chitrakoot town.

Battling anti-incumbency headwinds, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been projecting himself as the champion of development while the Congress is raising issues like corruption, bad governance and rise in crime against girls and women at the hustings
The Centre has informed the Delhi High Court that rape laws cannot be made gender-neutral because of the perpetrator of the offence who is a man and that even globally offences like sexual harassment are predominantly perpetrated by a man on a woman.

The reply by the ministry of home affairs was filed before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and justice V Kameswar Rao while responding to a petition, which challenged the constitutional validity of sections 375 & 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) seeking to make these sections gender-neutral.

It is pertinent to mention that rape laws are gender-specific and an FIR under these sections can be registered only against a man and not a woman.

The affidavit states: ...that after due deliberations at various levels including various stakeholders and women groups, Section 375 was decided to be kept gender specific qua the perpetrator of the offence and the perpetrator is said to be a man.

Further, globally offences like sexual harassment along with other offences like voyeurism or stalking are predominantly perpetrated by a man on a woman. These sections have been enacted to protect and keep a check on the rising levels of sexual offences against women in India.

The Centre also said that other sections like 498a, which provides for prosecution of a husband or a relative of the husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty, are also gender-specific to ensure the safety of the women.

According to the plea filed by advocate Sanjjiv Kkumaar, boys below the age of 18 are safeguarded under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

However, there is no guarantee of their safety once they cross the age, following which they are robbed of their rights.

Advocate Kkumaar filed the plea in the wake of an incident at a private school in Gurugram where a minor boy was found dead with his throat slit in the washroom. Investigations later revealed that a sodomy attempt was made on the boy.

In its affidavit, the Centre asserted that a similar petition was filed before the Supreme Court which dismissed it, and hence it is liable to be dismissed as it is devoid of merit.

The public interest litigation (PIL) had invoked the privacy judgment, stating that the Supreme Court had ruled that consent is intrinsic to the Right of Privacy and Bodily Integrity, Human Dignity and personhood.
Sirohi, surrounded by the Aravali hills on all four sides, is known for its natural beauty. The assembly constituency, which has traditionally been witnessing a contest between the BJP and the Congress, is currently represented by BJPS legislator Ota Ram, who is the minister of state for gopalan in the present government.

Ram, who comes from the other backward classes (OBC) category, had defeated Sanyam Lodha of the Congress in the 2013 assembly elections.

Sirohi is an OBC dominated constituency, followed by the Scheduled Caste community. However, general category voters play key role in the election of the candidate.

Read more: From IPL to elections, gambling no taboo in Rajasthans betting hub of Phalodi

The Congress won the seat in 1980 and 1985 assembly polls, before BJP unseated the Congress legislator in 1993. BJP won the seat in 1993 also, but the Congress snatched it again in 1998. The Congress won the seat again in 2003, but the BJP bounced back in 2008.

The major problems facing the constituency at present are poor education system and shortage of drinking water and health facilities. Besides, there has not been much industrial development in the constituency, due to which employment is also a major problem.

Ram has been two-time MLA from this constituency, but people are not happy with the pace of development in the area. Arvind Singh (35), a resident of the area who is self-employed, said Sirohi has been what it was five years ago. There is no development. People are forced to go to Gujarat and nearby districts in search of employment, as there has been no industrial development.

Another resident, Rewat Mal (65) said, Drinking water is a problem here. The government told us that water of Narmada river will be brought to Sirohi, but it is still a dream.

However, Ram claimed that a lot of development has been done in the constituency during his tenure and he will contest the next polls based on the development work. He said during the Congress regime there were only 13 doctors at the district hospital, which has increased to 34 during his tenure. Road related work is going on war-footing, he added.

In regard to bringing Narmada water to Sirohi, Ram said, It is still pending as Sirohi being hilly area, it is not feasible, but efforts are being made to bring water from Battisa Nallah. The work is on and soon the water will come to Sirohi.

Sanyam Lodha, two-time Congress MLA from the seat and runner-up during the last assembly elections, said that not much development has taken place in the constituency. A few toilets have been made and Gaurav Paths have been constructed in some villages, but overall there is no development. Although, district has been declared open defecation-free, but toilets have not been constructed at many places, Lodha said.

Drinking water is also a problem. Promise was made by the BJP to bring water from Narmada to Sirohi, but it was a lie. That scheme was for 84 villages and not for Sirohi, he said.
Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla will lead a team of old and new faces into the November 28 assembly polls as the Congress gears up to save its last bastion in the northeast.

As per the official list of candidates for the 40 assembly seats in the Christian-majority state released in New Delhi on Wednesday, the 76-year-old leader who has been in power since 2008 will contest from two seatsChampai South and Serchip.

The Congress is battling desertionsas many as 4 MLAs left the party to join other parties, anti-incumbency and growing influence of regional players and the Bharatiya Janata Party which is ruling or sharing power in six of the seven states in the region.

Lal Thanhawla is confident of a hat-trick of wins and to achieve that the party has dropped several sitting MLAs and given tickets to new faces.

Among the old timers getting another chance are Lalrobiaka (Dampa), cabinet ministers H Rohluna (Lengteng) and CMs Lalthanhawlas brother Lal Thanzara (Aizawl North-III).

Among the new faces are former Indian Police Service officer LT Hrangchal who will contest from Chalfilh, former student leaders A Lalhmacchuana (Serlui), and Laltlansanga (Aizawl West-I).

Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu, the only woman legislator in the assembly and a member of the present cabinet, is the only woman candidate in the list. She will be contesting from Hrangturzo seat.

Despite a call by several organizations in the state not to field Chakma candidates, the Congress list includes names Nihar Kanti Chakma and Amit Kumar Chakma from the West Tupui and Tuichang seats.

Congress had 34 members in the assembly but last month senior leader and home minister R Lalzirliana quit and joined opposition Mizo National Front (MNF).

Earlier this month, another sitting MLA, Lalrinriana Sailo, also quit and joined MNF. Two more MLAs left this week - Buddha Dhan Chakma, who joined the BJP and H Khiangte, who said he will announce his future plans later.

Despite BJPs growing influence in the region, in Mizoram it is expected to be a direct contest between Congress and MNF, a party which is part of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a BJP-led conglomeration of anti-Congress parties in the region.
Four women, including two lawyers, approached the Kerala High Court on Wednesday seeking protection to pray at the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala, which witnessed clashes and protests over the entry of female devotees last week.

Lawyers Maya Krishnan and H Rekha, Jeejapol PS and Jalajamol PS said in their petition they were in the 10-50 age group and wish to offer prayers at the temple according to the recent verdict of the Supreme Court that permitted women of all ages to worship at the shrine in the state Pathanamthitta district.

They also named 14 respondents, including the hilltop shrines tantri or the supreme priest Rajeevaru Kandararu and the presidents of the state units of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, saying they were instigating violence in the name of an unfounded ritual held unconstitutional by the highest court of the country.

They have also sought a declaration that the government is duty-bound under the Constitution to maintain law and order.

The act of respondents publicly declaring and instigating others to prevent women of reproductive age from entering the temple is a malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings of the petitioners and others and the state is duty bound to check them, the petitioners said.

At least 12 women, including journalists and activists, tried to trek to the temple nestled in the greenery of the Western Ghats between October 17 and October 22 and two of them were just 50 metres away from the sanctum sanctorum.

All of them were turned away by a wall of resistance mounted by protesters, who claim women of menstrual age cannot enter the shrine because the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered celibate.

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), responsible for the administration of the 800-year-old temple, has decided not to file a status report on the situation in the temple in the Supreme Court. The board also said it will wait till it takes up more than 20 pleas on November 13 seeking the review of its September 28 verdict.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had rapped the board on Tuesday for rushing to the court after witnessing some criminal acts being perpetrated by Sangh Parivar activists. Vijayan had also slammed the board president A Padmakumar publicly for going soft on the protest against the top courts verdict.

Board member KP Shankardas said it will reply if the court seeks its views while considering the review pleas. It took a U-turn a day after the chief minister made it clear that the state government will go ahead with its decision to implement the verdict.

The temple is still on the boil as the annual pilgrimage season is slated to begin on November 17.

Special commissioner to Sabarimala AN Manoj had submitted a report to the high court, saying if the protests continued during the annual pilgrimage season there are chances of large-scale violence and stampede.

The temple had witnessed two major stampedes in 1999 and 2011 claiming more than 150 lives
We have been following Indias only Master of Wine Sonal Hollands magical tour in the company of the worldwide Masters of Wine, through the vineyards of California. Not only is it pastoral in its pace and breadth, but Hollands posts on social media have taken viewers through the ins and outs of never-ending al fresco lunches under sunny skies and informed tastings of sparkling roses and crisp sauvignon blancs from vineyards such as Bedrock and Tablas Creek, and Ridge Montebello. But, the highlight was this Monday, when 47 Masters of Wine dined at the Francis Ford Coppola winery, a resort the director of masterpieces such as The Godfather and Patton has created for families to enjoy the best things in life. The winery has a massive pool, cabins, tasting rooms, restaurants, and a movie gallery with a vast collection of authentic memorablia, including his Academy Awards, Don Corleones desk from the Godfather and the original automobile from Tucker, texted an exultant Holland, when we asked her about the evening. Much like his movies, his wines too are iconic and legendary, she said. And, we were delighted to see the Mumbaichi Mulgi, married to British-born financial whiz Andrew Holland, had chosen to wear a glamorous pale grey and gold bordered sari on the occasion.

TRUE LIES

If youre one of those whose heart bleeds for those under the scanner for financial fraud, its time you stopped. From a source close to a clan that has been under scrutiny for a massive bank fraud, they appear to be whooping it up even as headlines report gloom and doom about them back home. Having fled the country after their misdeeds came to light, one would imagine they would tone down their glamorous lifestyles, cut back on conspicuous consumption and lay low till the storms have passed, says one shocked observer, adding, But no, this is not the case. Since only their Indian assets have been seized, they continue to operate hundreds of companies overseas. The source said, not only are their apartments in Dubai and Mayfair London running smoothly, but private jets are still employed, with no thought for tomorrow. Arent they worried this show of wealth will aggravate accusations of swindling public money? No. They have told friends they are scapegoats in a game of political vendetta with the aim to embarrass a party, thanks to their proximity to a powerful politician, and insist they have done no wrong, so why change their lifestyle? he says. A young member of the clan was at a top London nightclub last week. Oh dear.

WTSWTM

What They Say 

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharmas long-time secretary, Sonia Dhawan, was arrested on Monday afternoon for trying to extort a sum of 20 crore from her boss after stealing data and personal information from her boss to use to blackmail him.

--- Newspaper reports yesterday

What They Mean 

Paytm mat karo

Spirited Mumbai evenings

Christopher Hayman

Is it our imagination or is the citys social whirl even more frantic these days? Not an evening seems to pass in the city that never sleeps, without at least one event, more often than not the launch of a new wine or spirit. If Mumbai appears adrift in barrels of wine, beer, whiskey and single malts, put it down to the fact that producers of these libations have discovered an enthusiastic community of patrons eager to discover and imbibe their wares. The formula is time-tested  a venerable international brand which seeks a foothold in the city, introduced by its ambassador, preferably someone from the founding family who can speak about its merits, a high-profile host, 5-star location and a sit down plated food soiree for a convivial group of people adds up to that long-standing Mumbai social institution: a spirited evening. While Mumbais glitterati prepare to attend one such evening hosted by celebrity architect to the stars, Ashiesh Shah, in partnership with a malt firm over the weekend, earlier this week saw head honcho of St Regis, Anuraag Bhatnagar, host a soiree for gin. The event was at Luna, the hotels trendy watering hole, with Christopher Hayman, founder and fourth-generation master distiller who shared his family recipe from 1863 that created the rich, woody flavour of his gins, informs a spokesperson. Those spotted partaking in the tasting over never-ending avocado toasts and salmon rolls were Dietmar Kielnhofer, GM, Marriott Internationals Mumbai properties; Claudio Zemp, Director India of Swiss Tourism; travel bloggers Sajid and Lavina Mitha; designer and polo player Reena Shah; ad film-makers Kailash Surendranath and Prahlad Kakar.
The strike by one group of drivers of app-based taxis of aggregator companies Ola and Uber entered day three with both the companies and protesting drivers refusing to back down. No dialogue has taken place between the two parties. Representatives of the drivers have threatened to intensify the strike after Wednesday.

The drivers launched their strike on Monday in Mumbai, under the banner of Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS). They want revisions in the regulations guiding fares and commissions. Ola and Uber are asking us to call off the strike without fulfilling their [the drivers] demands. However, we have conveyed our stand that the strike will continue till the demands are fulfilled, said Sunil Borkar, secretary of MRRKS.

On Tuesday afternoon, Borkar had a meeting with drivers and informed them that their union president Sachin Ahir, who is also the Mumbai president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), will meet union members on the issue on Wednesday, at noon. We may intensify the strike by launching chakka jam (blocking all traffic) agitation at four toll plazas at Mumbai entry/exit point, after the meeting, said Borkar.

Uber stated that they have requested the law enforcing agencies for implementation of the high courts injunction that restrains unions from going on strike. In a statement, Uber said, We request the support of law enforcement to enforce the courts order and hope that it will enable drivers to stay behind the wheel, something many have been telling us, without fear or harassment. On social media, some commuters reported that drivers were threatened for not going off-road. Passenger Kruti Parekh, who had booked a cab through Ola, wrote on Twitter, On my way to my destination, goons stop my cab and stop my ride. Parekh alleged that Olas support team did not respond to her calls. Ola is yet to issue a comment on the strike.

For city commuters, the strike has meant longer waits and increased cab fares. A ride to Borivli (West) from Elphinstone Road cost Rs1,025 during peak hours in the evening on Tuesday. This was significantly higher than the Rs880 the same journey cost on Tuesday morning. The normal fare for this ride is between Rs500 to Rs600.

The strike began on Monday, with some of the drivers who have signed up with Ola and Uber in Mumbai demanding revised rates because they claim they are not earning enough, particularly after the recent spike in fuel prices.

According to RTO officials, Mumbai has approximately 50,000 app-based cabs.
Your education gives you responsibility, to help those less privileged and less-fortunate. How you choose to do this is entirely up to you, but do remember that your empathy for fellow citizens is as much a test of your scholarship as your mark sheet or your degree, said Ram Nath Kovind, President of India at the 15th convocation of Symbiosis International Deemed University which was held at Lavale campus on Tuesday.

At the event, Sonam Wangchuk, education reformist and innovator, was presented with a doctorate of literature (Honoris Causa), for his contribution to the education sector, especially his work in the Ladakh region.

It is important to realise that the kind of work that I do, is not special. I was provided with the privilege of education and so I use it to contribute to the society. That is humanity. Hence, winning an award or recognition for being a human is rather tragic than a reason to be happy, said the scientist, whose work was mentioned in the film 3 idiots. Wangchuk is the founding director of the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). SECMOL was founded in 1988.

Addressing a total of 5,939 students, Kovind said, India has a massive network of 903 universities and 39,050 colleges. But the fact is there are still gaps in quality and in attaining world-class excellence across the spectrum. Drawing reference to the Institutes of Eminence programme by the government, he asked Symbiosis University to be equipped to place at least one institution from their group in the list, from next year onwards. Based on his visits to several educational institutions across the country, he pointed out that girl students have been performing better than the boys. Today too, out of the nine gold medals awarded at this convocation, six have gone to graduating girls. This is commendable and a happy sign for our society. he added.

C Vidyasagar Rao, governor of Maharashtra; Vinod Tawde, state government minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra and Girish Bapat, state minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, were among the other dignitaries who attended the function.
letterschd@hindustantimes.com

Describing the train accident in Amritsar on October 19 as a man-made tragedy of unprecedented magnitude, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday accused the Punjab government of non-seriousness, citing CM Capt Amarinder Singhs Israel visit.

I find it insensitive that chief minister chose to leave the state and proceeded on an avoidable foreign trip. I would have cancelled the trip and preferred to spend time with people in grief, Badal said while talking to mediapersons after a delegation of the SAD-BJP met Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore, seeking his intervention for justice to the victims and punishment to those guilty of lapses in the Amritsar train tragedy.

The former CM led a joint SAD-BJP delegation, also comprising SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP state chief Shwait Malik, to submit a memorandum to the governor. He said the tragedy could have been avoided had the local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and his spouse Navjot Kaur Sidhu displayed sense of responsibility by refusing to get associated with an event that didnt have due permissions.

He demanded sacking of Navjot Singh Sidhu from the cabinet, and registration of criminal cases against his wife Navjot Kaur, events organiser Saurabh Madan Mithu and others. The land where the event was organised, Badal said, belonged to the local bodies department of which Navjot Singh Sidhu is the minister. They misused their clout in the government for publicity, which led to the loss of 62 lives, he said.

The former CM said the tragedy could have been averted had the climax of the function not been delayed in wait of the VIPs.

Badal said the conduct of Navjot Kaur after the tragedy was more shocking. It was her duty to stay at the site of a tragedy which she had herself caused to happen, said the former CM.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to the governor, demanding local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhus ouster from the cabinet and registration of criminal case against Sidhu, his wife Navjot Kaur and chief organiser of the event. They also demanded an inquiry by a sitting Punjab and Haryana High Court judge.
Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Israeli President Reuven Rivlin for technical collaboration and support in the key areas of water management, agriculture and homeland security.

The CM called on Rivlin at the President House in Jerusalem. Referring to Punjabs hostile neighbours, the CM also underlined the need to adopt Israeli knowledge and technologies in the area of homeland security.

He said there was a need to take urgent steps to check the depletion of water levels in Punjab and sought help in utilising Israeli knowhow and expertise in addressing Punjabs concerns in the areas of water management.

The President shared Israels experience on judicious management of water to transform a desert into an agricultural nation and observed that Indias water problem had also been raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their discussion. He suggested use of desalination to make water drinkable, as was being done extensively by Israel through various innovative technologies.

The two leaders also discussed the centenary celebration of Haifa liberation by the Indian troops. The CM later visited the Commonwealth Cemetery for the Battle of Haifa martyrs and paid tributes to the Indian soldiers who had laid their lives while protecting Haifa city from the Ottoman Empire forces during World War-I.

Agriculture, water conservation pacts

The Punjab government on Tuesday signed four memorandums of understandings (MoUs) with Israel to boost cooperation in water conservation and management, as well as agricultural research and education.

The MoUs were signed in the presence of the CM on the second day of his Israel visit.

The MoU on water management was signed between Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation and Israels national water company, Mekorot Development and Enterprise Ltd.

Under the MoU, Mekorot will formulate water conservation and management plan for the Punjab, recommend use of appropriate technology, detailed project reports.

The plan will be finalised with two months, unless the parties agree to an extension.

The three MoUs relating to agricultural research have been signed by the Punjab Agricultural University with Israels ARAVA Institute, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Galilee International Management Institute.
US president Donald Trump on Tuesday called the Saudi handling of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi the worst in the history of cover-up and his administration moved to punish Saudi officials responsible by revoking their visas as a first step with the promise of more action to follow.

They had a very bad original concept, President Trump told reporters hours after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogans stinging speech detailing the killing. It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal.

He added: And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, where they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea I think is in big trouble, and they should be in big trouble.

The first actions in this regard were announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later on Tuesday. He told reporters the US has identified some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries suspected of involvement in Khashoggis death.

We are taking appropriate actions, which include revoking visas, entering visa lookouts, and other measures. he added. The state department has said 21 Saudi individuals are included in the first round of punishment, who stand to have their US visas revoked or will be turned down if they applied.

Further action may follow, the administration has indicated under the Global Magnitsky Act, a law that specifies sanctions and financial assets freeze of foreign individuals and entities found to have ordered the assassination of a person exercising their freedom of expression.

Khashoggi was a veteran journalist who was once close to the Saudi Royal family, but he grew critical of the crown prince Mohammad bin-Salman and fled the kingdom, and began living in the United States in self-imposed exile and worked as a contributing writer to The Washington Post.

He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. President Erdogan told ruling party MPs on Tuesday that Khashoggi was murdered inside mission in a savage manner by a team of 15 men who had arrived from Saudi Arabia for the operation in the days and hours ahead of it.

Turkey is conducting its own investigation, as are the Saudi and the Americans. Trump said US teams of investigators are expected to return shortly; they were joined in Turkey by CIA director Gina Haspel, who had apparently rushed to see the evidence the Turks have ahead of Erdogans speech.

Though the Turkish president did not name the Saudi crown prince, questions are being raised about latters role, with speculation raging, without any evidence yet, that the operation was ordered by him and was carried out by people close to him, including members of his security detail.

Asked about Mohammads role, Pompeo told reporters, We continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, who not only executed it but led and were involved and were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable.

The president and his officials continue to condemn the killing but have tended to separate the ruling family from it specially the crown prince. They have said the desert kingdom is a close ally and prolific buyer of American gods, worth an estimated $50 billion, of which $110 billion on defense equipment.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke on the phone with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a presidential source said.

The two discussed the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects, the source added.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has blood on his hands in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a top aide to Turkeys president said, in his countrys first direct accusation against the power behind the Saudi throne.

The allegation by Ilnur Cevik came a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the killing but stopped short of implicating the brash young leader, whose ambitions for a modernized Saudi Arabia have been undermined by his penchant for making enemies at home and abroad.

It is a futile gesture trying to distance the crown prince from the monstrous atrocity that has been committed by the Saudis, Cevik said in a column published on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump may try to stand up for MBS so Washington can use him for its plans against Iran; however, from now on, wherever the crown prince goes, he will be regarded as the man with Khashoggis blood on his hands.

The kingdom has said to widespread skepticism that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the prince, was killed in an Oct. 2 altercation gone wrong at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, after initially denying he died.

International outrage over the fate of Khashoggi overshadowed a three-day investment conference in Riyadh that began on Tuesday, where a smiling Prince Mohammed posed for photographs and Saudi officials sought to restrict the damage from the killing.

The Saudis have much to explain to the international community and are doing a very poor job, Cevik added.

Their explanations, alibis and statements are full of contradictions that keep adding to the massive fiasco Riyadh is facing, he added. The Khashoggi murder will linger like a curse, haunting Mohammed bin Salman throughout his journey to become the new king of Saudi Arabia.
Appointment

24 October 2018

Hyatt Regency Houston is pleased to announce the appointment of Vincent de Croock as the Director of Sales, Marketing & Events where he will be responsible for elevating sales as well as pioneering strategies to drive occupancy and increase the hotel's revenue. A driven, strategic and accomplished sales professional, de Croock will also be tasked with growing strategic accounts, fostering partner relationships and overall boosting of the hotel's profile.

Prior to this role, de Croock was the Director of Sales & Marketing at Hyatt Centric Times Square New York. Before returning back to the United States, he was the Director of Sales & Marketing at De L'Europe in Amsterdam. No stranger to the Hyatt family, he began his career in hospitality in 2005 at the Park Hyatt Madrid as Sales Manager and later Senior Sales Manager. He later moved to Park Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC where here served as Associate Director of Sales at Park and later Director of Sales & Marketing at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables in Florida. De Croock was also the opening Director of Sales & Marketing at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica.

De Croock graduated from the Superior School for Hotel Management Maastricht, Netherlands. He has been recognized with various awards during his time at Hyatt properties including Department of the Year and Manager of the Quarter.
Supplier News

24 October 2018

From 'dated' industry comeback kids to the Google factor, and doing things differently with loyalty and personalisation, it is all happening in Las Vegas where EyeforTravel North America kicked of yesterday

'Dynamic and unpredictable,' was how Del Ross, the chairperson of this week's EyeforTravel North America, and a senior advisor to McKinsey, described the travel industry in the 'weird year' just gone. Ross, who yesterday opened the Las Vegas conference, which is now into its 20th year, said there had been some unexpected developments since last year's event.

Two sectors in travel - the car rental firms and traditional travel agencies - that had been labelled 'outdated' seemed to be making a comeback, he said. And in another ironic twist, the dominance of Google's increasingly monopolistic meta-model, was leading travel suppliers to cheer on a crowd that weren't all that long ago labeled the 'big bad OTAs'! (Watch out for an upcoming Google analysis on EyeforTravel.com next week).

It was fitting then that the opening address was from a major travel supplier - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Barry Goldstein, the company's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, called for continued disruption in the sector. In the opening keynote delegates heard that Wyndham's eye is on the 'travelling class', the so-called millennial generation, which would help the middle class to double in the next five years.

Goldstein also argued that many travel suppliers still lagged behind with a mobile first strategy, and were losing out on engagement with this increasingly important segment. Mobile presented a huge opportunity, he said, as does 'personalisation' which is a justified buzzword!

Loyalty: missing a trick?

Loyalty was a hot topic and a number of speakers agreed that most firms in the travel sector are implementing it too narrowly. Emre Mangir, the chief commercial officer of ground transportation firm Mozio, said companies were missing a trick by not addressing what Google doesn't knowabout your customer and only focusing on a small part of the experience. When people travel, they are looking forward to the experience in-destination and by better understanding how the flight or hotel fits into the broader trip would garner more loyalty. McKinsey's Ross summed this point up nicely by saying: "People are our customers, even when they're not travelling."

People are our customers, even when they're not travelling

Morana Bakula, VP customer experience at marketing firm Bond Brand Loyalty, talked about a new kind of 'currency' in loyalty. As an example, she said business travellers taking a taxi at the end of a long day could be offered 'silence'!

Apple's long-running, aspirational and iconic 'Get a Mac' campaign, which once posed the question 'Are you an Apple or a PC?', nicely sums up a point made on loyalty by Jordan Elkind, head of product management at EyeforTravel platinum sponsor Custora. He argued that people are loyal to brands 'like them'. [In the Apple campaign case, the 'cool' guy was the 'apple', and the aim was also to acquire new aspirational customers].

Pointed personalisation

The morning also saw Josh Margolis, VP, Customer Journey & Digital Products, Caesars Corporation, highlight the importance of engagement in effective personalisation, and why brands should be thinking about 'immersive experiences'.

Margolis cited an example of how Caesar's engaged digitally with a customer who paid a $39 initial hotel rate, which arguably slotted the customer into a "price and service insensitive segment". However, by getting to know the customer's interests through virtual listening, Caesars was able to upsell unique restaurant offerings, and the customer even splashed out on expensive champagne. [Maybe, spending what he'd saved on the room night!]

Right time can vary by customer segment

In a later session on personalisation, Eliot Hamlisch, VP of Worldwide Loyalty & Partnerships, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, continued the personalisation theme, also with an example of La Quinta Inns & Suites, going the extra mile. La Quinta, a chain of limited service hotels in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Honduras embarked on a thoughtful personalisation campaign that sees check-in agents thank military veterans, for their 'service'. And, after all, being service-led is what all hotels should be about!

Travel companies are often advised to 'get the right product, to the right customer at the right time'. But Abhishek Mago, VP, Product & SEM, MyFlightSearch, pointed out that the "right time can vary by customer segment". Its solution has been to micro-segment customers and make individual time-based offers, which resulted in a 30% uptick in spend.

Getting it right

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas developed Rose, an AI-driven chatbot with a unique and sassy personality that reflects the hotel's overall brand. According to Mamie Peers, who was until recently VP - Digital Marketing Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Rose, the queen of the double entrendre, only offers guests the "the right amount of wrong". In doing so the brand has had the following promising results.

 8% of all check-ins use Rose, and 69% are highly engaged

 Guests who text Rose, spend as much as 30% more

 11% of users return, and 43% through a direct channel

Clearly a technology investment on the right side of right!

Other themes to emerge on day 1 included the growing opportunity in the tours and activities sector, that is predicted to be worth +$180 billion by 2020. Christina Heggie, Principal, JetBlue Technology Ventures, explained that while previously, tours and activities were mostly booked in destination, JetBlue is increasingly seeing people book experiences, even before their flight or hotel.

Insights were also heard on how blockchain for the travel industry is evolving rapidly. Winding Tree has recently made several announcements, most recently its relationship with Air-France KLM on the travel supply side, but also in a technology partnership with Sciant to make the HTNG hotel distribution standards compatible with their blockchain-based distribution platform.

Day 2 will begin with a keynote address from Esteban Velez, VP Information Technology & Cyber Security, at Classic Hotels & Resorts, and is followed by presentations from brands that include Amazon, Twitter, American Airlines and more
Performance

24 October 2018

Hotels in the Middle East reported September 2018 performance declines, while hotels in Africa posted growth across the three key performance metrics, according to data from STR.



U.S. dollar constant currency, September 2018 vs. September 2017



Middle East

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Occupancy: -7.0% to 59.8%

Average daily rate (ADR): -18.0% to US$124.49

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -23.7% to US$74.47

Africa

Occupancy: +3.9% to 65.0%

Average daily rate (ADR): +6.4% to US$107.96

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +10.6% to US$70.21

Local currency, September 2018 vs. September 2017

Beirut

Occupancy: -6.7% to 66.6%

ADR: -6.8% to LBP224,065.02

RevPAR: -13.0% to LBP149,146.78

Beirut's declines were largely attributable to high performance levels last September, according to STR analysts. Performance growth was well-pronounced during most of the months of 2017 due to a stabilized political climate and a boost in tourism. Despite the year-over-year performance decrease, Beirut's absolute occupancy level was the second-highest for a September in the market over the last seven years. Only September 2017 (71.3%) was higher during that time.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Occupancy: +26.7% to 56.3%

ADR: -8.7% to SAR599.84

RevPAR: +15.7% to SAR337.45

STR analysts attribute a 33.4% jump in demand (room nights sold) to four events hosted at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. The 56.3% absolute occupancy level was the highest for any September in the market since 2014. The highest occupancy night came on 25 September (78.5%), which was the first day of the SFDA Annual Conference & Exhibition. The decline in monthly ADR was likely due to continued significant supply growth (+5.8% year to date).
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Set on Russell Square within an iconic Grade II listed heritage building dating back to 1898, Kimpton Fitzroy London features 334 luxurious rooms and suites, a large ballroom, various restaurants and bars, modern meeting rooms and a 24-hour fitness centre.

Kimpton Fitzroy London, the first UK hotel from boutique luxury brand, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, opens its doors today in London's Bloomsbury neighbourhood. The hotel combines late-Victorian heritage with a quirky, modern vibe. The existing glamour of the building paired with Kimpton's signature heartfelt service brings a new hotel offering to London that delivers exclusivity for everyone.

Set on Russell Square within an iconic Grade II listed heritage building dating back to 1898, Kimpton Fitzroy London features 334 luxurious rooms and suites, a large ballroom, various restaurants and bars, modern meeting rooms and a 24-hour fitness centre.

A true homage to British history and design, the hotel is named after the original architect of the building, Charles Fitzroy Doll, a Titan of British architecture in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The interior features striking, contemporary design by lead designer Tara Bernerd & Partners that thoughtfully honours the building's heritage. The bedrooms are decorated with Kimpton's bold and playful edge and include unexpected touches such as unique, contemporary artwork and vibrant floral cushions, featuring a bespoke design by British textile artist Kit Miles.

Kimpton Fitzroy London offers Kimpton's much-loved signature touches including in-room yoga mats, complimentary bikes to explore the city, tea and coffee to fuel up for the day, and welcomes pets to stay for free. In true Kimpton style, perks take on a local slant and the hotel will host a complimentary champagne hour - a daily social gathering for hotel guests.

Paul Walters, General Manager of Kimpton Fitzroy London, commented: "This hotel will bring a new luxury approach to the UK a more inclusive style of luxury as opposed to museum-like spaces so guests don't need to keep their voices down in the lobby, or wear a suit jacket to dinner. A defining trait for the Kimpton brand is the focus on heartfelt human connections. We want guests to enjoy the glamour of a historic iconic building but still feel free to be themselves. It's an approach we're excited to bring to London, as we know it's what guests in this city are craving."

Kimpton Fitzroy London has an interior courtyard, the Palm Court, which provides a peaceful oasis away from the hustle and bustle of central London. Neptune restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with a range of modern seafood dishes courtesy of duo Brett Redman and Margaret Crow in a stylish, yet relaxed environment. The 1920's inspired Fitz's is the spot to enjoy an evening cocktail while Burr & Co. coffee house awaits guests and locals throughout the day. Neptune, Fitz's and Burr & Co. have all been designed by Russell Sage Studio.

Overlooking Bloomsbury's Russell Square and only two minutes' walk from Russell Square tube station, the hotel is located steps away from The British Museum, Lambs Conduit street and London's West End, making Kimpton Fitzroy London the perfect base from which to explore all that the British capital has to offer.

Next year will see a continuation of the Kimpton brand's momentum, with additional hotel openings in key UK cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. Kimpton first launched in Europe in 2017 with the opening of Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam, and since then the brand has rapidly increased its global footprint following signings in Barcelona, set to open in 2019, Tokyo and Paris, both set to open in 2020 and Frankfurt due to open in 2023. In the next few months Kimpton Da An Hotel in Taipei will also open its doors, the first Kimpton hotel in Asia.

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Hong Kong RevPAR grows for 17th consecutive month despite Typhoon Mangkhut - Osaka performance levels affected by Typhoon Jebi

In September, hotels in the Asia/Pacific region saw occupancy decline 2.7% to 69.2%, ADR increase 2.8% to $106.24 and mostly flat RevPAR (+0.1% to $73.47).

Hotels in the Asia Pacific region posted mixed results across the three key performance metrics during September 2018, according to data from STR.

U.S. dollar constant currency, September 2018 vs. September 2017

Asia Pacific

 Occupancy: -2.7% to 69.2%

 Average daily rate (ADR): +2.8% to US$106.24

 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +0.1% to US$73.47

STR analysts note that key markets in the region, such as Thailand, saw a softening in demand growth from mainland China.

Local currency, September 2018 vs. September 2017

Hong Kong

 Occupancy: -4.2% to 82.8%

 ADR: +8.1% to HKD1,458.29

 RevPAR: +3.6% to HKD1,206.94

Hong Kong hotels have posted a year-over-year increase in RevPAR for 17 consecutive months. According to STR analysts, the September increase had to be driven primarily by ADR growth as Typhoon Mangkhut led to three days with double-digit declines in demand and occupancy (15-17 September).

Osaka, Japan

 Occupancy: -14.7% to 76.9%

 ADR: -6.3% to JPY14,018.50

 RevPAR: -20.1% to JPY10,774.26

RevPAR has declined year over year for seven consecutive months in the market. STR analysts note that Typhoon Jebi had a significant impact on Osakas performance levels as did continued significant supply growth.

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STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com.

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'Dynamic and unpredictable,' was how Del Ross, the chairperson of this weeks EyeforTravel North America, and a senior advisor to McKinsey, described the travel industry in the weird year just gone. Ross, who yesterday opened the EyeforTravel North America conference, which is now into its 20th year, said there had been some unexpected developments since last year's event.

Dynamic and unpredictable, was how Del Ross, the chairperson of this weeks EyeforTravel North America, and a senior advisor to McKinsey, described the travel industry in the weird year just gone. Ross, who yesterday opened the EyeforTravel North America conference, which is now into its 20th year, said there had been some unexpected developments since last year's event.

Two sectors in travel  the car rental firms and traditional travel agencies  that had been labelled outdated seemed to be making a comeback, he said. And in another ironic twist, the dominance of Googles increasingly monopolistic meta-model, was leading travel suppliers to cheer on a crowd that werent all that long ago labeled the big bad OTAs! (Watch out for an upcoming Google analysis on EyeforTravel.com next week).

It was fitting then that the opening address was from a major travel supplier  Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Barry Goldstein, the companys executive vice president and chief marketing officer, called for continued disruption in the sector. In the opening keynote delegates heard that Wyndhams eye is on the travelling class, the so-called millennial generation, which would help the middle class to double in the next five years.

Goldstein also argued that many travel suppliers still lagged behind with a mobile first strategy, and were losing out on engagement with this increasingly important segment. Mobile presented a huge opportunity, he said, as does personalisation which is a justified buzzword!

Loyalty: missing a trick?

Loyalty was a hot topic and a number of speakers agreed that most firms in the travel sector are implementing it too narrowly. Emre Mangir, the chief commercial officer of ground transportation firm Mozio, said companies were missing a trick by not addressing what Google doesnt knowabout your customer and only focusing on a small part of the experience. When people travel, they are looking forward to the experience in-destination and by better understanding how the flight or hotel fits into the broader trip would garner more loyalty. McKinseys Ross summed this point up nicely by saying: People are our customers, even when theyre not travelling.

People are our customers, even when theyre not travelling

Morana Bakula, VP customer experience at marketing firm Bond Brand Loyalty, talked about a new kind of currency in loyalty. As an example, she said business travellers taking a taxi at the end of a long day could be offered silence!

Apples long-running, aspirational and iconic Get a Mac campaign, which once posed the question Are you an Apple or a PC?, nicely sums up a point made on loyalty by Jordan Elkind, head of product management at EyeforTravel platinum sponsor Custora. He argued that people are loyal to brands like them. [In the Apple campaign case, the cool guy was the apple, and the aim was also to acquire new aspirational customers].

Pointed personalisation

The morning also saw Josh Margolis, VP, Customer Journey & Digital Products, Caesars Corporation, highlight the importance of engagement in effective personalisation, and why brands should be thinking about immersive experiences.

Margolis cited an example of how Caesars engaged digitally with a customer who paid a $39 initial hotel rate, which arguably slotted the customer into a price and service insensitive segment. However, by getting to know the customers interests through virtual listening, Caesars was able to upsell unique restaurant offerings, and the customer even splashed out on expensive champagne. [Maybe, spending what hed saved on the room night!]

Right time can vary by customer segment

In a later session on personalisation, Eliot Hamlisch, VP of Worldwide Loyalty & Partnerships, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, continued the personalisation theme, also with an example of La Quinta Inns & Suites, going the extra mile. La Quinta, a chain of limited service hotels in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Honduras embarked on a thoughtful personalisation campaign that sees check-in agents thank military veterans, for their service. And, after all, being service-led is what all hotels should be about!

Travel companies are often advised to get the right product, to the right customer at the right time. But Abhishek Mago, VP, Product & SEM, MyFlightSearch, pointed out that the right time can vary by customer segment. Its solution has been to micro-segment customers and make individual time-based offers, which resulted in a 30% uptick in spend.

Getting it right

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas developed Rose, an AI-driven chatbot with a unique and sassy personality that reflects the hotels overall brand. According to Mamie Peers, who was until recently VP - Digital Marketing Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Rose, the queen of the double entrendre, only offers guests the the right amount of wrong. In doing so the brand has had the following promising results.

8% of all check-ins use Rose, and 69% are highly engaged

Guests who text Rose, spend as much as 30% more

11% of users return, and 43% through a direct channel

Clearly a technology investment on the right side of right!

Other themes to emerge on day 1 included the growing opportunity in the tours and activities sector, that is predicted to be worth +$180 billion by 2020. Christina Heggie, Principal, JetBlue Technology Ventures, explained that while previously, tours and activities were mostly booked in destination, JetBlue is increasingly seeing people book experiences, even before their flight or hotel.

Insights were also heard on how blockchain for the travel industry is evolving rapidly. Winding Tree has recently made several announcements, most recently its relationship with Air-France KLM on the travel supply side, but also in a technology partnership with Sciant to make the HTNG hotel distribution standards compatible with their blockchain-based distribution platform.

Day 2 will begin with a keynote address from Esteban Velez, VP Information Technology & Cyber Security, at Classic Hotels & Resorts, and is followed by presentations from brands that include Amazon, Twitter, American Airlines and more

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The Internet is a basic source of information for many people from various industries, including tourism. As an outcome, the hotel website is a first thing that may encourage the potential guest to book a room in your hotel or to leave your website quickly. That is why, the search engine hotel marketing is a keyword in this industry and it will be explained in this article.

The Internet is a basic source of information for many people from various industries, including tourism. As an outcome, the hotel website is a first thing that may encourage the potential guest to book a room in your hotel or to leave your website quickly. That is why, the search engine hotel marketing is a keyword in this industry and it will be explained in this article.

What is SEO?

SEO is a short of Search Engine Optimization and it is related to Google's results and the place they appear. If you have a hotel website and you want to be visible in Google search engine, you need to take certain actions that will help you to rank better. You may be not familiar with the hotel SEO but it is very useful. In accordance to the latest research, 33% of the Internet visitors click only on the first result while only 18% of them enter the second result. Moreover, 92% of people visit only websites that are displayed on the first page of the results and 5% of them browse the second page of results (source: Search Engine Watch). So, if you want to gain new clients and make your website popular, learn more about four crucial SEO changes!

A lot of experts underline that it is possible to improve your SEO hotel results and get more organic traffic to your website! They are following:

1. Change your website content  at the beginning, it is worth to think about catchy titles that will encourage your visitors to read the given article to the end, see your detailed offer and what is the most important  to book a room. The visitors of the website are bored with similar content. They desire to discover something new, something what will be a prediction of a great holiday. The hotel website should also be full of interesting photos related to the hotel rooms, hotel facilities and the nearest neighbourhood.

2. Make a use keywords related to your website and hotel industry  the search engine hotel marketing is very demanding. It means that uploading interesting content at your website is not enough. It is better to discuss the content with the SEO specialists who will suggest to add the most important hotel website keywords that will help you to get more organic traffic at your hotel site and become more popular online, too. One of the websites that presents the most frequently searched keywords for hotel industry (www.wordstream.com), recommends using the following words: hotels near me, motel, cheap hotels, booking hotel, hotell, luxury hotel and a few more.

3. Make a use of SEO long tail  if you want to have a lot of visitors at your website and you do not want to spend fortune on professional SEO services, it is suggested to think about long tail SEO. It is a method that is less expensive than traditional search engine optimization and it still generates satisfied results. In accordance to Hit Tail experts, Long tail SEO is a technique of targeting highly specific niche search terms (long tail keywords) that usually consist of 3+ words and are much easier to rank for due low competition. When it comes to hotel industry, you may attract the hotel guests when they type hotel near + tourist attraction located near your hotel. The traffic organic is considered to be the most valuable as well as the cheapest one.

4. Be innovative  use unique solutions at your website. As you know, the hotel website visitors do not like monotonous content. As an outcome, it is worth to think about modern widget that will make your website attractive. One of the most popular hotel website widgets is Our.Guide. The widget is very easy to use and its main aim is to showing the most popular tourist attractions situated near your hotel. It is a SaaS software, so the hotel employees do not have to do any updates. The software allows to create detailed itinerary, share them online to highlight your presence in the given area. What is more, the widget may be used as the basis for SEO long-tail.

Headquarter:

John Paul II 61/211 St.

01-031 Warsaw, Poland

email address: contact@our.guide

phone number +48737 432 090

www.our.guide

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Earlier today, the Secret Service announced that it had "intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees, former President Barack Obama and presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. According to a report by The New York Times, two explosive devices were discovered during routine mail screenings conducted by the politicians' staff.

The statement made by the Secret Service reveals that the device addressed to Mrs. Clinton was identified late on Tuesday, while the device addressed to Obama was discovered earlier today, Wednesday, October 24th. The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the statement reads. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

Law enforcement officials believe that the aforementioned devices were similar to that sent to the New York home of billionaire investor and philanthropist, George Soros. The device is said to have been six inches long and filled with explosive powder. Though a motive and suspect has yet to be identified, the Secret Service writes in their statement that they have initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.
If there's one woman on the planet that knows how to market herself on the internet, it's Iggy Azalea. For years, the artist has remained in the public eye and much of it has to do with the way she uses her looks to gain clout. The Australian rapper continues to make headlines for her use of Instagram as a means to promote her image, showing off as much of her body to her fans as she can. Whether she's twerking, laying by the pool, lounging with her boyfriend Playboi Carti, or just taking a regular selfie, Iggy knows her angles and she makes sure to flaunt her looks online. In her most recent shots, Azalea takes on the role of a "rich b*tch" as she dons a casual spa outfit.

With her hair wrapped up and a bathrobe covering her skin, Iggy grasped a bottle of champagne and made sure to express her satisfaction over where her bank account currently lies. "Caviar infused champagne is an official rich b*tch activity," wrote the rapper before sharing a few more photos. Her heavily-tattooed arm was on full display as she raised her middle finger to her mouth, sensually flipping the bird to all of her haters.

Iggy dropped her new EP this summer with standout "Kream," which many are hailing as one of Tyga's best performances of the year. She continues to cause a stir with her social media presence. Peep her latest photos below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpQSHkyHPKI



https://www.instagram.com/p/BpSJfqunKpj



https://www.instagram.com/p/BpThvW8HLEx


Earlier this year, T.I. was caught with his hand on actress Asia'h Epperson's derriere, and the tabloids went to town on him. The incident occurred backstage at one of his concerts in the state of Indiana. Epperson was widely reported as T.I.'s side piece but has faded out of view in the months that have passed. That didn't prevent the issue from coming to a head on last night's episode of T.I. & Tinys Friends & Family Hustle.

While Tiny and T.I. battled it out "on-air," the Twitterverse quickly engaged in their regular antics, as social commenters. The news eventually got around to Asia'h Epperson, who decided to enter the discussion from a defensive position. As you can see by the nature of her Tweets, Asias'h was none too pleased to have her name brought up in a marital scrum, much less one telecast to millions of viewers.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1054808241933234176



https://twitter.com/_/status/1054821628771627008



Asia'h, who acts as well as sings-writes her own music, was careful to stay covert while the issue was trending. Tiny did not mention the actress by name, only as a conspicuous "her" in her case against T.I.'s proposed "open" marital conventions. Her Tweet "Thank God I'm whole" seems to indicate that Asia'h will make out just fine, all things considered. T.I. and Tiny continue to make the marital World a messy place, sometimes at "her" expense.
Yella Beezy is very fortunate to have escaped an unsuccessful attempt at his life two Sundays ago. The Texan, best known for the hit record "That's on Me," is in stable condition after surviving a drive-by-shooting in Lewisville, Texas, where he remains hospitalized yet visibly in contact with fans via social media. His stay limited him to a simulcast performance of "That's on Me" via satellite, broadcast live to a television audience witnessing the BET Awards for the very first time, after their belated taping results.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpSu9cWljFe



Since then, Beezy has been keeping fans abreast with his greatly improving condition. Just over 15 hours ago, he even uploaded graphic images of the Mercedes G-Wagon he was piloting during the attack. Beneath the multi-image posting (swipe left to right), Beezy included a message of gratitude, crediting God with showing him mercy against all odds. "They shot the car up i crashed it , lost control .... God is good aint he man," he captioned beneath the photo upload.

As you can see above, the car wasn't just hit with discrepant firepower. The front windshield is pockmarked, with a hole lodged right down the middle of the front seating arrangement. The windshields on the side of the vehicle have been blown to bits, and front bumper upended, likely due to an offensive maneuver from the incoming vehicle.
The sight of a colossal flame roaring from the end of a pipe attached to an oil well stirs a primal fear: We know instinctively nothing good comes from that much fire, smoke and stench.

Certainly, no one wants a flare within sight of their home. Royalty owners also despise the loss of income as the natural gas burns off. Even oil companies recognize that flares are imperfect solutions for the shortage of natural gas pipelines.

Yet flaring is a serious problem across West Texas, where oil wells produce more natural gas than there are pipes to carry it away. The traditional way of coping is to burn the gas using a flare stack, even if it looks and sounds like a giant flamethrower.

Oil and gas executives consistently lament flares in public but excuse them as necessary to keep oil flowing. If oil well operators really wanted to stop flaring tomorrow, as they claim, I know a company that could make it happen.

And no, Im not being metaphorical or hyperbolic. Quite literally, if you call Questor Technologies today, CEO Audrey Mascarenhas promised me the company could deliver and install a gas incinerator tomorrow anywhere in the Permian Basin. The device can burn all of the waste gases, including VOCs, with 99.99 percent efficiency in an enclosed, quiet and smokeless device.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Oil companies must put their politics where their marketing materials are

Questors device is also not much more expensive than a flare and in some cases cheaper. Renting a Questor incinerator costs $1,000 a day for wells that typically generate $500,000 a day in revenue, Mascarenhas said.

The beauty of what were doing is that because we are in an enclosed chamber, during the day you cannot see anything at all, and there is very little visible light at night, she added. Weve helped our clients in Colorado reduce their costs by 20 percent at a pad site and also have eliminated vapor recovery units and a whole bunch of other problematic equipment they were trying to use to meet regulations.

Why dont companies use Questors technology, or one of the other devices that dispose of waste gas more efficiently? The generous explanation is that engineers arent aware of these alternatives to flare stacks. The more cynical answer is that they wont use anything else until someone requires it.

Colorado has banned flaring, and the EPA has declared much of the state a non-attainment zone when it comes to air quality. ConocoPhillips started renting four of Questors ClearPower systems to comply with emissions regulations and to meet neighbors expectations.

Landowners are very uncomfortable with having this continuous flare that is black and smoky with odor and continuous light, Mascarenhas said. Weve become a key way for companies to reach compliance, especially in non-attainment zones.

Renting to drillers in West Texas Permian Basin has been more challenging. The Texas Railroad Commission has never rejected an application for a flare. Our states oil and gas regulator only requires drillers to demonstrate that they have no alternative to disposing of gases that come with drilling for oil. And there is a lot more oil drilling lately.

Higher oil prices and greater efficiencies with hydraulic fracturing have triggered a drilling boom in the Permian Basin. Natural gas pipelines are 98 percent full, forcing drillers to choose between shutting in their oil wells or burning off the gas they produce.

The result is a record amount of flaring, more than 400 percent more than in 2010, according to DrillingInfo, an industry data analysis firm. Until new pipelines are built, the amount of gas flared will only go higher, unless someone demands a better solution.

On HoustonChronicle.com: More pipelines needed to meet environmental goals

Oil company executives routinely give flowery speeches about their commitment to the environment and their need to reach a social contract in the communities where they work. But those who listen to such talk grow tired of hearing one thing from the stage and something completely different from landowners in the oil patch.

Questor is just one of several alternatives to the open flare stacks that create blight in the oil patch. Despite their pledges, executives are not putting their money where their mouth is.

If you are a leaseholder, landowner or, say, a Texas railroad commissioner who reviews flare permits for a living, take note. You might want to point out the readiness of companies like Questor the next time an operator claims a site needs a flare.

Too many drillers just wont do the right thing unless someone gives them a nudge. Or even a shove.
The mental pas de deux between multidisciplinary artist Matthew Ritchie and choreographer Hope Mohr was so palpable Tuesday at Moody Center for the Arts, you could almost see the cogs of their well-oiled brains spinning.

They were watching Mohrs four dancers rehearse in the centers foyer during the very early stage of a collaboration that culminates Saturday with Dimensions Variable, a 30-minute performance within Ritchies huge, multilayered installation, Demon in the Diagram. Composer/clarinetist Evan Ziporyn had not yet arrived, but he, too, will be part of the mix.

The walls of Demon in the Diagram contain a timeline of human history, told through funny little diagrams based on about 8,000 years of human progress, driven by thinking about the meaning of the universe. Ritchie can delve convincingly into any detail of it a viewer wants to engage with  the history of philosophy, science, art or information technology  but he is also refreshingly down-to-earth and playful.

This shows about excavating all these moments, showing them in sequence, but also knowing that its impossible, he explained in an earlier interview. Can you present all human knowledge? Its an absurd idea. Doing it at a university is so cool because thats what university sort of implies  weve got the universe of knowledge here. Its all here, somewhere, in the library.

Dimensions Variable and The Demon in the Diagram When: Artist talk 6 p.m. Thursday; performance 7 p.m. Saturday; installation on view through Dec. 22 Where: Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University Details: Free; 713-348-4772, moody.rice.edu See More Collapse

The installations parts are based on 25 square diagrams, each representing an epoch in which some monumental shift of thought occurred. Each diagram has four quadrants that relate to the first concepts of chaos, nature, eros and the dark soul.

Helenistic cultures saw these components as a process of ensoulment  locating your inner daemon, Ritchie said. For me, its really about a relationship with forces larger than yourself  that voice telling you at night to do stuff tomorrow. It sort of is you, but its kind of not you, and annoying. What is that? I have an artist friend who calls it the governor. Thats what this idea of the demon in the diagram is.

Decals of the basic diagrams on the foyers floor form a walkable game board. More complex versions, with layers of fragmented imagery, appear in the shows paintings, light boxes and rolling sculptures that resemble transparent, rolling whiteboards. Everything on the walls is held together with a web of painted lines of varying densities  imagine looking at a complex musical score, with its moments of quietude and explosiveness.

Ritchie only half-jokingly calls it apocalyptic wallpaper: You can almost think of all these pictures as one picture, or one drawing thats changing over time.

Growing up in London, before he attended art school, Ritchie was not the kid who wanted to read every book in the library. But after he moved to the U.S., he worked as a building superintendent at New York University and had access to piles of discarded textbooks. Who keeps Principles of Modern Chemistry after youve done your required reading? he said. I didnt have any money, so Id pick them up. I thought, well, I should probably know about chemistry  and its free!

That kind of curiosity has fueled his work for about 20 years now, catapulting him into the international art stratosphere. He first delved into the history of diagrams  examining every kind of drawing people have made to organize their thoughts  during a residency at the Getty a few years ago.

The Moody project is about what gets lost, he said. These images have been run through a computer program that strips away all the historical detail, so theres just little bits of it left. Which is a metaphor for how we view history: Theres always fragments. You cant really retain it in all its detail.

He especially likes the rolling sculptures because they can be lined up to illustrate how one layer of history obscures another. Theyre not gone; a lot of these old ideas haunt us still. The older diagrams are underneath; its like a house built on all these layers that are sort of seeping up from the basement, and you hear the footsteps in the night, he said, chuckling. Maybe thats also the demon!

The installations elements are interactive, even without professional performers. In the centers foyer, all visitors can roll the sculptures across the floor diagrams to set off speakers in the ceiling that produce music and sounds. Inside the Moodys large gallery, they can don a cape and a virtual-reality headset to embed themselves in the stories behind the supergraphics, paintings and light boxes that consume the walls. Ritchie collaborated with Ziporyn and Kelley Deal, lead guitarist of the Breeders, on the VR soundtrack, which he narrates. (Sometimes the minimal music sounds like something ancient, grabbed from outer space.)

Alison Weaver, the Moodys director, also wanted to use the foyers sprung floor a surface designed for dance that was a debated cost when the building was designed. Dimensions Variable is her second recent dance commission. She paired Mohr and Ritchie, who had not worked together before, because both have idea-driven practices. (Mohr writes a blog called The Body Is the Brain.)

Mohr, who lives in San Francisco, did not appear to be the least bit intimidated by Ritchie. Her dancers would demonstrate a few minutes of movement, then break for feedback. When Ritchie sensed something romantic in the way two dancers cradled each other, he explained that the painting above them was about creation of the universe. He thought the movement should express dominance and suppression.

Thats your projection! Mohr said.

They were testing their boundaries, in a friendly way.

Its a good match. Hes a very cerebral artist, but Im a pretty cerebral choreographer. I really get into conceptual content, Mohr said. She wants to support and amplify Ritchies project, giving viewers another access point into it; but also to stay true to her own aesthetics.

I make dance that leans toward postmodernism and abstraction. So when anyone comes in and says, This is about this, Im like, Really? It could be about 2,500 other things, she said. Im not going to make work that feels inauthentic to me. Im just trying to find the Venn diagram of where our interests intersect.

Ritchies interests seem to have no bounds, whether hes talking about ancient civilizations; Luigi Galvonis early experiment with electrocuting a frog, which inspired the story of Frankenstein; or Maxwells demon, a 19th-century idea that has resurfaced in nanotechnology.

The 25th diagram is based on the mathematical concept of eversion, turning something inside-out without tearing it or cutting it. Kind of like what Ritchie and Mohr are trying to do together.

The start of this was a premise that nature changes, and everything is always in flux, Ritchie said. The facts are the facts. But the history of facts is as much of artistic experimentation and innovation as it is of people making discoveries. The history of diagrams is full of the craziest ideas. Isaac Newton was the worlds greatest scientist, also the last sorcerer; he was as interested in magic as science. An artist can say, hey, look at all this crazy stuff, where a scientist or a historian couldnt. What happens when you start treating information as a material, like a sculptor would manipulate clay? Of course, it pushes back; thats the beauty of it.

molly.glentzer@chron.com
There are so many good movies in theaters right now  thoughtful, artistic, well-acted and well-told movies that studios preciously save for this time of year with the distant hope of Oscar gold in their future. The Gerard Butler submarine movie Hunter Killer  is not one of those movies.

It is bombastic and garish, ridden with cliches, preposterous politics and diplomacy, and frenetic, video-game energy. And it so often is so unintentionally silly that its actually kind of a fun watch. Das Boot this is not, nor is it The Hunt for Red October, but you probably already knew that from the name at the top of the marquee. In Gerard Butler parlance, Hunter Killer is the London Has Fallen of submarine movies, genetically engineered in a lab to entrance the nations dads in basic cable reruns for the next 25 years.

The film starts out confusingly. An American submarine is torpedoed by a Russian sub in Russian waters, but back in the U.S., all they know is that it has disappeared and theyve got to go find it. The man for the job, Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) concludes, is Captain Joe Glass (Butler), who were told is not like the other guys. He never went to Annapolis. Why that makes him especially qualified for this mission will basically remain a mystery, other than the fact that hell readily disobey orders and go rogue at any opportunity. Hes seen stuff, guys, and not in a Naval Academy classroom.

Hunter Killer Rated R: for violence and some language Running time: 120 minutes 2.5 stars (out of five) See More Collapse

We meet him in the middle of nowhere, in snowy terrain about to shoot a CGI buck across a glassy lake with a bow and arrow. But then he looks to the right of the buck and sees its CGI family close by and decides to lower his weapon. This moment lets the audience know a few things: a) That Joe Glass has empathy and b) that this movie has no subtlety. The next thing we know, a military helicopter is swooping down to pick him up and take him to his sub.

Their mission gets even more puzzling, as a Russian sub hidden in the crevasse of an iceberg starts firing on them. Back in the U.S., NSA worker Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardellini, one of three women in this film), decides Fisk needs to send a ground team (Toby Stephens, Michael Trucco, Ryan McPartlin and Zane Holt) to Russia, which ends up feeling like a Peter Berg short film accidentally cut into a submarine movie. It all eventually comes together when they realize that theres been a coup on the Russian president, but why anyone makes any of these decisions prior to this is just baffling to say the least. Also, no one seems to be able to communicate with anyone else, like when Captain Glass decides to save a Russian captain (played by the late Michael Nyqvist) in an extremely pivotal moment, which makes you wonder why no one did this earlier.

Diplomacy conversations really go out the window when the Americans decide  against the protest of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman, for some reason)  that their best option is to rescue the Russian president from his own soldiers and not tell anyone about it. The plot and the international politics leave a lot to be desired, although they do end up manufacturing a silly but effective standoff by the end.

Based on the book Firing Point, this is the first Hollywood film from South African director Donovan Marsh, and he does cook up some captivating action set pieces, like navigating a submarine through a fjord of mines, or even just an old fashioned, ridiculously over the top shootout, which may have you laughing, rolling your eyes or even cheering (as a fair amount of people were in my screening), but its never boring.
When Olympic medal-winning gymnasts Simone Biles and Ashton Locklear walked into Flower Vault earlier this month, owner Robbie Forrest didnt recognize either one of them. It was opening day at his floral-themed, temporary pop-up in Montrose, and he was busy training staff.

Later, when Robbies wife and co-founder, Sarah Forrest, waved her phone to show him the Flower Vault pictures both athletes had posted on Instagram, Robbie sheepishly admitted he thought they had looked familiar, then got distracted and forgot to tell her.

WAY BACK WHEN: What life was like along Montrose Boulevard in Houston 30-50 years ago

Sarah assumes Biles and Locklear discovered Flower Vault on Instagram, the same way most of her customers have found out about this temporary space with five, faux flower-covered rooms designed as backdrops for social media posts. Customers buy a one-hour, timed-entry ticket to have their run of the interactive concept.

Flower Vault on Facebook

Many customers are families, said Forrest who, before opening Flower Vault, was a stay-at-home mom. In its first weeks in business, Flower Vault has hosted bridal portraits, childrens birthday parties, corporate events and, so far, one surprise marriage proposal.

Flower Vault When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays Where: 1735 Westheimer Details: $20, $10 for pets, free for kids age 10 and younger; tickets must be purchased online in advance at flowervault.com See More Collapse

Forrest had the idea when she forced Robbie to stop on the feeder road of a freeway in San Antonio, where they live, so she could take pictures of their kids in front of a colorful mural. What if you could create a space for families to snap vibrant photos, she wondered, without the elements of cars whizzing by or weather?

TRY THE TATER TOTS: The bar called the 'living room of Montrose' celebrates 40 years

After a five-month run in San Antonio, the Forrests began looking for a short term lease in Houston for Flower Vaults second iteration.

They were drawn to a space in Montrose  formerly a furniture store  because of the large windows that allow in the natural light . They installed temporary walls and got to work ordering hundreds of flowers for the rooms, which each having a distinct design.

Flower Vault is open only through mid January, and the Forrests have worked around the limitations of the space. For example, the temporary walls do not reach the ceilings so that skylights allow sunlight in each room.

NEW NIGHTLIFE HOTSPOT: See inside Present Company in Montrose

At the entrance, a wall covered in faux pink peonies is the most popular spot for photos, Forrest said. She calls the adjacent room, which is painted orange, Merry Marigold.

Garlands of the golden blooms hang from the ceiling in loops. Kids can stick their heads through the layered garlands to wear them like an oversized necklace or stand beneath them, creating a marigold head and human legs.

Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

In the Fall Rainbow room, blooms are affixed to the wall in an ombre effect, with enough room under the colorful arcs for a toddler to pose.

Wheres Wallflower is an oft-posted room by adult visitors  Forrest said mom bloggers and social media influencers who have helped drive business  who drape themselves in floral fabric that matches the fabric bolted to the wall. The effect is a dark, moody, floral camouflage. Hardback books, a chair and ottoman are also covered with the fabric, allowing a person to melt into their surroundings for an artsy portrait.

In the same room, there are floral jumpsuits you can put on over your clothing for a photo.

DRINK UP!: Houston's top happy hour deals in Montrose, Midtown and the Heights

The final room makes use of white space with a single floral pattern along the walls. Several dogs, who have posted outtakes from their very own Instagram accounts, have sprawled out in this large space. (Pets are allowed for a separate entry price.)

Julianna Longoria, who lives in Palacios, doesnt remember whether she discovered Flower Vault by way of a humans or an animals post on Instagram, but she made plans soon after for a visit with her daughter Addison , 6, and son Michael , 2. Addison was instantly drawn to the rainbow room, borrowing her moms phone to make a video of her surroundings.

She had never seen anything like it, Longoria said. Because Addison has shown an interest in her first-grade art class this year, Longoria hoped the visit to Flower Vault would spark her creativity. She has this passion and now she can see how you can be creative in a small space, Longoria said.

As the holidays approach, there will be more. The Forrests will add a playground-inspired flower-covered spinner you step on for a whirl.

Allison Bagley is a writer in Houston.
When the smoke cleared from the 2018 Butcher's Ball in Brenham on Sunday, a couple of things were clear:

1.About 1,100 guests had their crazy fill of smoked meat and live-fire-cooked dishes from some of the best chefs and pitmasters in Texas.

2.The meat-focused event raised more than $20,000 for Urban Harvest.

3.Tony Luhrman, owner and operator of El Topo Food Truck, was judged by event-goers as having the best dish (a 44 Farms barbacoa taco on handmade tortillas), nabbing the Golden Cleaver award.

There were undoubtedly many other revelations and discoveries at the Butcher's Ball. But that's because the event, held at Rockin' Star Ranch in Brenham on Oct. 21, has grown steadily since it began in 2016. Now in its third year, the Butcher's Ball (focused on highlighting Texas farms and ranches that engage in sustainable, hormone-free practices and the chefs who use their products) has become one of the area's premier food events.

WILLOW TIME: Listen to the owner of Willow's Texas BBQ

More than 50 of Texas' best pitmasters, butchers, chefs and industry leaders participated in the Golden Cleaver competition, which Luhrman took after Willow Villarreal of Willow's Texas BBQ claimed it two years running. Luhrman also received a $1,000 check. The competition was a public vote by event-goers.

Teddy Lopez of Killen's STQ took second place with his Marble Ranch barbecue beef ribs; Erin and Patrick Feges of Feges BBQ were named third place for their Black Hill Meats pork belly with pimento cheese grits and braised collard greens.

In addition to the competition there was live music, wine, beer and cocktails curated by Alba Huerta of Julep.

Butcher's Ball was founded in 2016 by Houstonians Elaine Dillard, Jonathan Beitler and Jason Kerr as an event to spotlight businesses and individuals supporting sustainable and ethical farming and ranching.
A Fulshear police officer is warning nearby residents of coyotes after his dog survived a surprise attack earlier this week.

Three coyotes scaled Fulshear Police Captain Mike McCoy's backyard fence in Cross Creek Ranch and attacked unsuspecting 10-year-old Bella early Monday morning. Lucky for her, her buddy brother, a six-year-old German Shepherd named Jaeger, was there to stop the attack.

Bella has a long road to recovery and received multiple stitches, while Jaeger received a few, less serious contusions.

McCoy said coyote sightings have somewhat increased and are not uncommon.

'A VISCOUS CIRCLE:' Feral "hog epidemic" causing headaches for residents near Woodlands

"We have them (coyote sightings) quite often in the area," McCoy said. "Right before this happened somebody spotted a group of them directly west of where I live, I think these were the same ones."

In a Facebook post regarding the incident, FPD urged residents to be aware of their surroundings as more coyotes make their way into suburban neighborhoods.

"The coyotes are hungry and are looking for food. Construction has depleted their food source and moved their dens," FPD said in the post. "They can jump fences with ease. This is not uncommon and happens across the country with urban sprawl. We all must be vigilant and aware."

Some residents have also seen an increase in sightings in the Katy and Fulshear area. Megan Jones Freeman commented on the FPD post and said she had a close encounter while walking her three dogs in the Pine Mill subdivision near Cinco Ranch in Katy about a month ago.

ANIMAL RESCUE: Hundreds of cats seized from Spring home

"He(a coyote) saw my dogs and rushed us several times trying to get to one of them. I had my sonic dog whistle and kept beeping it at him while backing up...We finally backed far enough down the path that he quit following us," Freeman told the Chronicle. "This is a real danger to pets right now."

Freeman said she caught some of the coyotes on a game camera she had installed in a grassy area in the Silver Ranch green subdivision and urges residents to be on the lookout.

"It's swarming with coyotes at night," Freeman said. "Three (dogs) got taken in my neighborhood the last 3 weeks."

McCoy said while coyote sightings have become more common, the public has to learn to live with them and be cautious of their surroundings.

"Just check your surroundings especially when it is dark outside," McCoy said. "You can't relocate coyotes. It's sad but there is not much we can do other than try and coexist with these wild animals."

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
President Donald Trump trundled through Houston on Monday, ostensibly to support GOP Sen. Ted Cruzs bid for re-election.

Some 20,000 Texans attended Trumps rally at the Toyota Center, and I hope they enjoyed their evening.

Democratic voters in Texas have been having a lot of fun throughout the 2018 midterm election cycle. They were especially animated on Monday, the first day of early voting.

Thousands of voters convened at various locations around Houston to greet Cruzs Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke, who is romping around the state this week rustling Texans to the polls. Some voters even camped out overnight at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center on West Gray so they could be among the first Texans to cast ballots on the first day of early voting.

There were still hundreds of voters in line when I stopped by Monday afternoon, and the mood was festive.

Grieder: Texas may seem like a red state because its a gerrymandered one

By 1 p.m. Harris County voters had smashed the previous record for the number of votes cast during the first day of early voting in a midterm election.

After polls closed, Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart reported that turnout was commensurate with the first day of early voting in 2016. Similar results were reported all across Texas. And the trend continued Tuesday.

That doesnt mean Texas will turn blue on election day. But this years Democratic challengers, like ORourke, have generated more grassroots excitement, for the most part, than Republican incumbents like Cruz. And Texas voters who support the latter have reason to be dispirited by the way GOP leaders have behaved lately  and, especially, since Trump was elected president.

Set aside your political beliefs, for a moment, and think about this as a Texan. This is the second-largest state in the country. It has 38 electoral votes, and an economy roughly the size of Canadas. Trump, as a New Yorker, might not agree that Texas is the greatest state in the country. But he should nonetheless be able to recognize it as one that is crucial to his own fortunes.

A recession in Texas, for example, would take a toll on the national macroeconomic indicators Republicans keep touting. And Texas is more exposed to that risk than most states, because of Trumps enthusiasm for tariffs and trade wars.

Grieder: Tariffs arent great, and a trade war will take a toll on Texas

And as Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn put it at Trumps rally on Monday, Texas is the GOPs firewall. Texas voters are likely to play a crucial role in deciding whether Republicans retain control of the U.S. House come January  and whether they can still rely on Texass electoral votes in plotting out their path to the White House.

The president, however, seemed to think he was doing Texas a favor by visiting Houston. During the course of the rally, he disrespected us repeatedly.

Trump commended Cruz as one of his most helpful supporters in Washington, D.C., even though Texans didnt send Cruz to Congress to be anyones lapdog.

The president was here in town to stump for Cruz. But the best he offered was dubious and tepid criticism of ORourke.

He pretends to be a moderate but hes actually a radical, open-borders left-winger, said Trump, showing a strange lack of the imagination that usually characterizes his insults.

Trump also maligned Gov. Greg Abbott by claiming the governor begged for his help in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Abbott may well have made such a call, but he shouldnt have had to  and Trump shouldnt have embarrassed the governor by pointing it out, if true.

The president also appeared not to know who is on the ballot in Texas this year. At one point, Trump encouraged the audience to vote for U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, who is retiring at the end of his term in the 2nd Congressional District. Trump should have named Republican Dan Crenshaw, a first-time candidate who is facing off against Democrat Todd Litton.

Read more: Trump claims many Texans watched Harvey from their boats

Worst of all, however, is that Trump once again maligned the many Texans who rushed to the aid of their neighbors with little boats during Harvey.

Where do these people come from? the president asked.

They want to go out, and they want to go into the hurricane, toshow their wife how great they are? he continued, incredulously.

Any resident of Houston knows how absurd this claim is. The crowd, in fact, seemed perplexed by it.

Still, the mood in the Toyota Center was otherwise exuberant. Im sure the voters who attended it had fun.

But many Texas voters have tired of Trumps showand hundreds of thousands of them voted on Monday, which must have been fun, too.

erica.grieder@chron.com
When Aubrey Fontenot's eight-year-old son Jordon was being bullied at school by an 11-year-old schoolmate named Tamarion, the Houston-area father stepped in and was reminded that things aren't always what they seem.

"My son gets daily progress reports and it seemed like the two always had issues. The bullying thing was ongoing," Fontenot, a local tattoo artist, tells the Houston Chronicle.

"I asked my son about it and he told me the boy was messing with him and was too rough."

RELATED: Where's the compassion for bullying victim?

A concerned Fontenot turned to the school for help. "I told them that stuff like this can be a lot for a kid and we didn't know what my son was going through. They said they would take care of it," he says.

After another incident occurred a week later, an upset Fontenot found himself back in the school's office. This time, a conversation with Tamarion's mother revealed that the family had fallen on hard times and was experiencing homelessness.

"I decided I wanted to talk to the boy myself, and his mom gave me permission," Fontenot notes.

Young Tamarion admitted to being envious of Fontenot's son. The object of that envy? Clean clothing.

"He said he was getting made fun of by the other kids. They said his shoes were cheap and his clothes were dirty."

Rather than add to Tamarion's troubles, Fontenot opted for kindness over reprimand.

The following week, the pair went shopping to buy new apparel for Tamarion. "I figured I could help both him and my son, and better the situation."

The experience came with important life lessons for the children. Fontenot's advice to Tamarion began by explaining that everyone makes mistakes.

"I told him he's a great person and this [situation] doesn't make him bad," Fontenot says.

RELATED: Man levels 3-decades-old bullying charge against Katy ISD's superintendent at public session

"I also told him that no matter what's going on, you have to walk around with your head up and chest up. This world is tough. You can't let what people say or do bring your self-confidence down."

As for Fontenot's son, Jordon, he learned something valuable as well. "I told my son that if you put good things out in the world, good things will come back to you." Fontenot recorded some of his mentoring of the boys.

Today, the two boys are friends. And Fontenot, going the extra mile, has generously started a GoFundMe campaign to benefit Tamarion and his family.

To date, more than $24,000 has been raised, exceeding the original goal of $7,000.

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
Authorities hope newly released surveillance video will help identify the man accused of shooting a woman inside a bar Sunday morning.

The shooting happened around 7 a.m. inside the El Sapo Enamorado bar, located along the Beaumont Highway near Van Hut Lane.

The bar's manager was throwing the man out of the bar when he pulled out a gun and shot through the front door, striking a woman inside, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Several men then fled with the shooter in a two-door hatchback, according to detectives.

The woman was rushed to an area hospital where she was listed in stable condition.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call HCSO Violent Crimes Unit at 713-274-3351 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

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
Amid the record-breaking surge of early voting in Texas, five Prairie View A&M students have lodged a lawsuit contending Waller County has suppressed their ability to do the same at the historically black campus.

The students accused the county of violating their civil rights by offering easily-accessible locations to non-Black and non-student voters, rather than the more than 8,250 students  80 percent of whom are black  who call the education hub home, according to the federal lawsuit.

The case was filed Monday in Houston, where more than 181,000 voters in Harris County set a new record for the first two days of early voting in a midterm election.

SECRETARY OF STATE: Prairie View A&M students allowed to vote without extra paperwork

There were no early voting sites in Prairie View for the first week, the federal suit states. Next week, however, Waller County is expected to give Prairie View residents five days to vote at the on-campus Memorial Student Center and WC Community Center a mile off campus.

The suit takes exception to the lack of weekend and evening hours and the location for the off-campus community center on FM 1098, which the students argue is not easily accessible to young voters who lack transportation.

The student center is slated to be open next Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the community center will be open Thursday through Friday from 7 a.m to 7 p.m., according to a list of early voting locations on the Waller County website.

The first week offered early voting hours  including weekend opportunities  in Hempstead, Waller and Brookshire.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the suit on behalf of the five students, identified in court documents as Jayla Allen, Damon Johnson, Joshua Muhammad, Raul Sanchez and Treasure Smith.

Among the defendants in the case are members of the Waller County Commissioners Court, who heard testimony from multiple Prairie View A&M students during an Oct. 17 meeting asking for better early voting locations and hours.

In response to the early voting plan, one of the plaintiffs, Muhammad, testified that the school keeps getting the short end of the stick when it comes to polling locations.

A member of the Prairie View City Council who attends the university argued that the community center polling site  near where a post office is also located  is a less than ideal location because students send and receive their mail on campus, according to the court document. The councilmember was not identified in the lawsuit.

During the meeting, the Commissioners Court said the polling sites were compiled with input from the local Republican and Democratic parties and that the university was left off the first week of early voting because the commissioners believed it would conflict with PVAMUs homecoming, the complaint states.

HARRIS COUNTY: Early voting surge continues despite limited polling hours

Judge Carbett Trey Duhon III and Waller County Elections Administrator Christy Eason, both of whom are defendants in the case, spoke favorably of tweaking the early voting plan, but the Commissioners Court ultimately voted 3-2 to dismiss the proposal.

The lawsuit requests that the days and hours at the Memorial Student Center be changed from either Oct. 25 through Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or include the same hours on Oct. 25 and 26. Additionally, the students request that the center be open Saturday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the following day on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate students on the weekend.

After filing the lawsuit, Leah Aden, the deputy director of litigation for the NAACP LDF, called the voting plan another example of the countys decades-old history of voter suppression.

Since at least the early 1970s, Waller County has consistently tried to limit the political power of black voters in the city of Prairie View and at Prairie View A&M specifically by undermining their right to vote, Aden said in a statement.

A voter registration mix-up that was discovered more than a week before early voting started, election officials in Waller County clarified that all Prairie View A&M students would have to fill out a statement of residence form when casting their ballots in November. It was discovered that thousands of students may have been registered to vote under the wrong address.

The form applied to those who live on campus and were registered to vote at the Memorial Student Center precinct.

The Associated Press reported that Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

nicole.hensley@chron.com

@nkhensley
A California-based indie rock band thought a man was joking when he threatened to kill them for not playing an encore during a recent Houston show, according to tweets from the band on Monday.

UPCOMING SHOWS: The best concerts coming to Houston for the rest of the year and beyond
Gene Kranz, arguably the most famous flight director in NASA's history, is of the generation that played sandlot sports, got their sense of adventure from reading pulp fiction and made model airplanes out of balsa wood and toilet paper rolls.

This generation  that looked to space as America's next great adventure  is also of the "Apollo generation," who helped the U.S. become the first country to land on the moon in July 1969, Kranz, 85, said Tuesday.

But as their time here on Earth comes to an end, Kranz' effort to restore Historic Mission Control to its glory days and inspire the next generation of space geeks is well on its way, with more than 80 percent of its $5 million goal raised.

A DIFFERENT SPACE AGENCY: NASAs recent woes took root with loss of space shuttle program

"This is a very special place, and I'm passionate about the importance of restoring and preserving it," Kranz said Tuesday at a luncheon held to both honor him and raise money for the restoration project.

Prior to the luncheon Tuesday, $4.2 million had been raised. Officials with Space Center Houston  the museum side of Johnson Space Center in Houston and one of the entities raising money for the project  did not have an updated number that took into account Tuesday's fundraiser.

Johnson is home of the nation's astronaut corps, where mission control is located.

Kranz, a former mission control flight director during the Gemini and Apollo programs, is best known for leading the enormous team on the ground that helped bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home after an oxygen tank explosion forced them to abort their trip to the moon in 1970.

Flight directors are in charge of keeping astronauts safe by leading teams of controllers, researchers, engineers and support personnel at the Houston center.

Holly Ridings, the first woman to be named chief flight director at NASA's mission control, said in a video created for Tuesday's event that Kranz laid the groundwork and set the definitions for how her team of flight controllers operate half a century later.

"We are the guardians of human spaceflight, and we trace our lineage back to Mr. Kranz," she said.

The historic mission control room  famously used for the Gemini, Apollo and a handful of space shuttle missions  was decommissioned in the 1990s after the Space Shuttle Discovery spent seven days in space in 1992. The room had fallen into a state of disrepair, and in 2015 the National Park Service designated the National Historic Landmark as "threatened."

Museum officials hope to restore mission control to its 1969 glory in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing next summer. That timing still is on track, scheduled for opening early July.

The public will be able to see the room just as it was on July 24, 1969, down to some of the smallest details. Carpeting, tile, paperwork, coffee cups, ashtrays, and even the wallpaper are in the process of being recreated to make Mission Control look just as if the entire team all went on a restroom break at one time and left the room unattended. Even the Apollo 11 mission clocks will be reactivated.

'SUPER THANKFUL': NASA astronaut Nick Hague ready to fly again after aborted Soyuz launch last week

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also attended Tuesday's event, saying it was a "very proud moment" for the city.

"As a kid, I always wanted to go up into space, but I just never made it," Turner said. "Today, a whole lot of kids dream of going into space and this one city and one region is where, if dream it, you can make it happen."

Turner presented Kranz with a proclamation naming Oct. 23, 2018, "Gene Kranz Day" in Houston.

"As we raise funds for restoration, we most of all want to pay tribute to a great American leader," said Gwen Griffin, a member of the board of directors for the Manned Space Flight Education Foundation, which owns and operates Space Center Houston.

"It is with great pride that we all come together to honor Mr. Kranz," she added.

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.
NASA has invited the head of Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos to visit the United States early next year, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Dmitry Rogozin, Roscosmos CEO, has been in the news a lot of late, given the air leak-causing hole discovered in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the International Space Station in August and the aborted launch of the Soyuz headed to the orbiting laboratory earlier this month.

The specifics of the visit have not been determined, but NASA spokeswoman Megan Powers said that space agency Administrator Jim Bridenstine wants to partake in a public forum with Rogozin.

A DIFFERENT SPACE AGENCY: NASAs recent woes took root with loss of space shuttle program

The discussion would center around "the history and relationship of space cooperation between the two countries," Powers said. "Hopefully by this time ... the investigation into the hole will be complete."

Though the invitation was informal, Powers said Rogozin was "receptive to the idea."

Rogozin, who previously was Russia's deputy prime minister, was banned from entering the U.S. after Moscow seized the Crimean peninsula in 2014, according to the Guardian.

"U.S. Government officials are permitted to engage with the Director General of Roscosmos and NASA will continue do so in support of U.S. civil space objectives consistent with U.S. government policies and procedures," Power said in a statement. "For specific questions about sanctions, I would refer you to the U.S. Department of the Treasury."

The treasury department did not immediately return a request for comment.

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.
An effort from San Antonio to Austin to persuade veterans to vote for Joseph Kopser, a Democratic congressional candidate and Iraq War veteran, will test both Kopsers appeal and the Democrats strategy this cycle of recruiting combat veterans and moderates to run for Congress.

Kopser will be joined this week by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Democratic state Senate candidate Steven Kling, also a combat veteran, in a multi-pronged operation with block-walking, phone banks and the goal of reaching as many of the 69,000 veterans in the 21st Congressional District as possible.

I dont know whether were going to reach all of them, but were going to give it a try, said Wolff, who also plans a mail appeal to San Antonio precincts with veteran-heavy populations.

Success is by no means assured. Kopser is running an against Republican Chip Roy, a protege of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and a favorite of ardent conservatives in Congress, in a GOP stronghold held for three decades by retiring Rep. Lamar Smith.

For subscribers: 2018 San Antonio Express-News Voter Guide

For subscribers: 2018 Houston Chronicle Voter Guide

Military veterans have established themselves as reliably Republican over the years.

Republicans from Southeast Texas make up half of the state's six members of Congress who are veterans. One of them, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Atascocita, is retiring this year. Decorated former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, also a Republican, is running for Poe's seat.

In the 2016 presidential election, voters with military service supported Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by a margin of 61-34 percent, exit polls showed.

Kopser is among an array of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans running across the country after a concerted effort by national Democrats last year to run less ideological candidates with wider appeal.

Democrats have tried this before. In 2006, the party set up the Veterans and Military Families Council, which in turn pressed a slew of veterans dubbed the Fighting Dems into the midterm political fray.

But by most accounts, the Democratic Party failed to follow through with focus and cash.

The problem was, they were treated like a political prop, with many of them nominated in red districts where they didnt have a shot, said Jeremy Teigen, of Ramapo College, author of the book Why Veterans Run: Military Service in American Presidential Elections, 1789-2016.

For subscribers: Number of Texas veterans in Congress at nearly 100-year low

2018 looks extremely different, Teigen added. Many of the veterans making news and noise were nominated in winnable districts.

Wolff, the Bexar County Judge, said that Republicans simply have done a better job over the years in appealing to veterans.

Were trying to change that dynamic. That is why were making this special outreach, he said.

A more patriotic Democratic party?

Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, founder of NDN, a Washington think tank, has pressed his party to more forcefully embrace patriotism.

Its been a very effective and important part of the story Democrats are telling this cycle, an implicit criticism of the president and his dalliance with foreign powers, Rosenberg said

The tactic clashed on occasion with Democratic primary voters desire for fiery, left-leaning candidates. But in the campaigns final days, several combat veterans are among Democrats best bets to upset Republican incumbents in the partys quest to gain the 23 seats needed to take control of the House.

For instance, Pennsylvania, former Air Force Capt. Chrissy Houlahan is the odds-on favorite to capture a suburban Philadelphia seat in GOP hands for more than a century. In New Jersey, former Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherill is favored in a race for an open seat now held by Republicans.

Across Central Texas, combat veterans won Democratic nominations for Congress. Gina Ortiz Jones, who was an Air Force intelligence officer, is campaigning to unseat incumbent Republican Will Hurd, formerly a CIA case officer. She has met often with veterans service groups and held veterans roundtables recently in Uvalde and Del Rio.

For subscribers: Hes ex-CIA. She was an Air Force intelligence officer. Both want your vote for Congress

In the district that runs from north Austin to Temple, Mary MJ Hegar, has drawn national attention for artful television ads recalling her wounding in Afghanistan as an Air Force rescue pilot. She faces incumbent Rep. John Carter, a Republican accustomed to easy victories in his eight terms in Congress.

Like Kopser, veterans are focusing their closing arguments on their service. Hegar is visiting VFW halls this week and on Monday began running an ad aimed squarely at veterans: This campaign isnt about me, its about all the service members who deserve the care and benefits theyre owed, she says in the spot.

For Republicans, particularly those who didnt serve in the military, running against decorated Democratic combat veterans requires an approach that neither makes light of their opponents service nor generates further opportunity to highlight it.

In Colorado, a GOP-aligned super PAC tried a head-on attack with a recent ad claiming that congressional candidate Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, had turned his back on veterans by skipping meetings of a state veterans advocacy panel.

Aiming at Hegar, Republican Rep. John Carter takes a more roundabout approach in a television ad this week: MJ Hegar is an Air Force hero. She has catchy ads. She will raise your taxes  She is a Democrat like Nancy Pelosi. Shes as liberal as Austin is weird. Are you? a female announcer asks.

VoteVets Super PAC pours $8.7M into Democrat campaigns

In one of his television ads, Kopser, a 20-year Army veteran and Bronze Star winner, stresses his background. In an ad with photos from West Point and Iraq, he says to the camera: Ive crossed oceans and deserts to defend our country, believe me, I can cross an aisle if thats what it takes to solve our problems in Washington.

Kopser, 47, who became an entrepreneur after leaving the military, reported raising $944,000 in a recent three-month period, further establishing himself as the most prolific fundraiser ever in the district.

But he has not been among veterans receiving hefty donations from VoteVets, a Super PAC that so far has spent $8.7 million for Democrats and against Republicans - money likely devoted to races the group views as most winnable.

Roy, 46, who was Cruzs chief of staff in Washington, is aligned with the House Freedom Caucus - an alliance of conservatives  and has received $72,000 from the groups political action committee, according to Federal Election Committee reports. He raised $641,000 in the recent fundraising quarter.

Roy spokesman Nathan McDaniel asserted that Roy has strong support from veterans, among them the 100-plus members of a Vets for Chip coalition.

Just because our opponent is a veteran, we dont think that will necessarily carry the day for him, McDaniel said.

When Roy, who is not a veteran, used images of soldiers in a recent television ad, Kopser responded with a news release featuring an array of his personal photos from Army Ranger School and war zones.

Kopser noted sarcastically that in the spirit of bipartisanship, he would allow Roy to use them to save money.
A few months ago, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that hed soon be coming to Texas to do a major rally for Senator Ted Cruz, or Lying Ted, as Trump called him for much of the 2016 presidential election. That acrimony is all over now, Trump told reporters on the White House lawn on his way here. Cruz is now Beautiful Ted, the president said, and he was on his way to help out his friend.

Thats the president for you; always thinking of ways to serve others.

Something must have gotten lost in the mail, though. The rally for Cruz never materialized, yet Cruz, ever the helpful sort, was nonetheless willing to be a supporting speaker for a tremendous and very huge rally for the president himself, who descended on the Toyota Center Monday night for the sort of high-energy and ribald party weve come to expect from him. Trump knows how to put on a show, theres no doubt about that.

If you happened to catch some of the pre-show, where a line of Texas politicians killed time for the president, you might even have seen some of Cruzs perfunctory 13-minute speech. He quickly got off his stage for Trump, the man the audience was here to see, who spoke for more than 75 minutes. What, actually, did he come here to say?

I know Texas better than anybody, Trump told the audience.

It would befit him to know Texas. It is the most important Republican state in the country and a cornerstone of the national economy. But he doesnt seem any more familiar with the place than when he first came here as a presidential candidate in the fall of 2015.

The most tone-deaf section of the presidents speech came when he addressed the legacy of Hurricane Harvey. The Texas congressional delegation had to fight Trump tooth and nail to obtain sufficient relief funding, a shocking episode for a state thats used to getting its way with Republican administrations. But thats not how Trump recalled it.

Did we help you with that lousy hurricane that you suffered through? That was brutal! He was annoyed with all the rain from the storm. Im paying for that, he remembered thinking.

Hes not paying, though. We are. Were paying through our local property taxes for the Harris County Flood Control District, our sales taxes for city and state projects, and our income taxes for federal work. Trump, and much of his family, has done a good job of avoiding that pesky price for civilization, as the New York Times has recently reported.

Trump repeated a story hed told before about the irresponsibility of some Texans during the hurricane. These guys with the little boats, they think they have these great boats, he said.

There was cheering in the audience, because the people who performed boat rescues in Houston are remembered as heroes. But Trump wasnt done.

Where do these people come from? They want to go out and they want to go into the hurricane, to show their wife how great they are? And then they get out there and they say, Oh my god, Im dead.

The martyrs of Harvey are apparently nothing more than a punchline for Trump.

Perhaps the worst part of the speech came when he ridiculed Gov. Greg Abbotts meek attempt  according to Trump  to secure money for the Ike Dike coastal storm surge barrier. Abbott called him after Harvey, he said, to ask for only ten billion dollars, after already having pressed for billions and billions of hurricane relief. I said Greg, thats the most expensive dam Ive ever heard of  Would you name it the Trump Dam, please?

Trumps policies on trade and immigration are uniquely opposed to the interests of the city of Houston, which has been key to the Republican Party since the early days of George H.W. Bush. Carnivals like the rally Monday ought be an opportunity to ask: What are we getting from any of this?

From the medical center to NASA to the port, there is no stronger advocate for Houston than Ted Cruz, said Sen. John Cornyn. But that simply isnt true. Cruz has been a bystander to issues facing the city at best. It fell to Rep. John Culberson to do a good deal of the work to secure Harvey relief funding, and he skipped the rally.

We agree wholeheartedly with at least one thing the president said, though: You gotta get out and vote.
The contract is with the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), which is the main contractor in the project.

Last year, IAI struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply Indias army and navy with missile defence systems.

Tel Aviv: State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has won an additional, $777 million contract to supply LRSAM air and missile defence systems to seven ships in the Indian navy, the company said on Wednesday.

The contract is with the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), which is the main contractor in the project, IAI said.

The LRSAM, part of the Barak 8 family, is an air and missile defence system used by Israels navy as well as Indias navy, air and land forces.

With this deal, sales of the Barak 8 over the past few years total over $6 billion, IAI said.

IAIs partnership with India dates many years back and has culminated in joint system development and production, IAI Chief Executive Officer Nimrod Sheffer said. India is a major market for IAI and we plan to ... reinforce our positioning in India, also in view of increasing competition.

Israels and Indias leaders have pledged to deepen ties and the countries have been increasing cooperation in fields like agriculture and advanced technologies. Israel is also emerging as one of Indias biggest suppliers of weapons, alongside the United States and long-term partner Russia.

Last year, IAI struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply Indias army and navy with missile defence systems. This was followed by a $630 million contract with BEL to supply Barak 8 surface-to-air missile systems for four ships in the Indian navy.

The Barak 8 was developed by IAI in collaboration with Israels Defence Ministry, Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation, the navies of both countries, Israels Rafael and local industries in India and Israel.
Ongoing crisis is likely to impact home loan approvals, says expert.

Despite residential sales gradually picking up on a quarter on quarter basis, they are nowhere near their peak levels.

MUMBAI: With non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) being a major source of funds for the realty sector, the current liquidity crisis in NBFCs is expected to adversely impact the real estate developers.

NBFCs themselves are struggling and their loan disbursal to developers have slowed down significantly. A source of broad spectrum dismay and despair, the NBFC crisis needs to be resolved as soon as possible or the real estate sectors much-anticipated recovery will be postponed by a couple of quarters more, said Shobhit Agarwal, MD & CEO at Anarock Capital.

According to the consultant, the current NBFC crisis can have a cascading effect on the real estate sectors growth forecasts, which were already nebulous on the back of the liquidity crisis created by rising defaults and non-performing assets in banks.

Despite residential sales gradually picking up on a quarter on quarter basis, they are nowhere near their peak levels. With substantial number of residential projects running behind schedule, Mr Agarwal believes the crisis could further exacerbate liquidity woes and impact project delivery timelines even more.

The liquidity crisis plaguing NBFCs is likely to hit stake sale and fund-raising plans for these lenders in the near term. With real estate having a strong correlation to credit availability, it could be worse for already cash-starved developers, he added.

As per Anarock data, more than 5.75 lakh residential units are running behind schedule across the top 7 cities since their launch in 2013 or before.

The major factor contributing to this delay is the liquidity crunch developers are experiencing due to tepid sales.

Some NBFCs also provide home loans to individual home buyers. With banks tightening their norms for lending to individual home buyers in recent times, NBFCs were seen as the best alternative. Therefore, the ongoing NBFC liquidity crunch will also impact home loan approvals and disbursements, inevitably reducing residential property demand in the short-to-mid-term, he noted.
Honesty is the best policy

Lincoln, Nebraska - Nebraska has a new campaign to attract tourists. It boasts print ads with headlines such as Lucky for you theres nothing to do here. Yet another advertisement brags that the state is Famous for our flat, boring landscape, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens.

Noting that Nebraska is the least likely state when it comes to attracting tourists, State Tourism Director John Ricks says the new brand platform is defined by honesty. The overarching concept of honesty is rooted in a mindset that values transparency, purity and simplicity.
Secretary of State Pompeo's Call With UN Special Envoy for Syria

Washington, DC - Secretary Michael R. Pompeo spoke with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and discussed the Special Envoys progress on convening a constitutional committee.

The Secretary thanked de Mistura for his efforts in de-escalating the military conflict and re-invigorating the political peace process. The Secretary also thanked de Mistura for his more than four years of service on behalf of the Syrian people, as well as his many years of UN service around the world.
Deputy Secretary Sullivan's Meeting With UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths

Washington, DC - Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met today in Washington DC with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths. The Deputy Secretary thanked the Special Envoy for his dedication to renewed peace talks among all parties to the Yemen conflict.

The Deputy Secretary and the Special Envoy discussed the dire humanitarian situation and latest steps being taken to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, as well as the urgent need for de-escalation and dialogue throughout Yemen. Deputy Secretary Sullivan reiterated U.S. support for Special Envoy Griffiths as he continues his consultations. The Deputy Secretary and the Special Envoy expressed hope that all sides can work toward a comprehensive political agreement that brings peace, prosperity, and security to Yemen.
Apple's Tim Cook wants a federal law to regulate privacy in the U.S.

Speaking at a conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, the CEO praised Europe's progress for implementing a privacy law known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and said the U.S. should follow its lead, adding that Apple is fully supportive of enacting similar legislation in America. In prepared remarks, Cook delivered one of his stringiest criticisms about technology's role in society. He referred to tech companies' mass collection of personal information as "surveillance" and called out the companies that make money by selling it, alluding to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data scandal without naming the company.

"Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," Cook said. "Rogue actors and even governments have taken advantage of user trust to deepen divisions, incite violence, and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false."

While the U.S. doesn't have a federal privacy law--except for data related to personal health records--each state has the power to enact its own legislation. California, for example, recently passed a wide-ranging privacy law that compels companies to inform customers about what information is collected and why. It also bars businesses from selling data about kids younger than 16 years old without consent.

Unlike Google or Facebook, which make money by selling advertisements, Apple's main source of revenue comes from its hardware products and subscription services like Apple Music. The company has long advocated that privacy is a human right and refused to weaken its iPhones' security measures even at the behest of the federal government. The introduction of a federal privacy law is likely to have less impact on Apple's bottom line than it would for Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
Last year, Clara Shih, the founder of Hearsay Systems, was taking part in a routine visit with one of her insurance industry clients in San Francisco. Hearsay works with more than 150,000 financial and insurance advisers, providing them with artificial intelligence-driven tools to improve client relationships and workflow processes. This particular visit was to a small firm with four employees--two of whom did nothing but follow up on delinquent payments and policy renewals. The approach, involving numerous phone calls that were never returned, was not only unproductive, but also laborious and tedious.

During the visit, Shih and her team demonstrated a new A.I.-driven tool that digitizes manual customer-outreach processes by sending a text to dozens of customers reminding them of overdue bills, instead of calling each one. As they explained the tool's uses, one of the advisers, a middle-aged man, started to cry. For a moment, Shih and her colleagues feared the adviser thought their A.I. product was going to put him out of a job. After all, that's the knee-jerk reaction many workers have when confronted with machine learning. But his tears were for a different reason. "This is amazing," Shih recounts him saying. "What have I been wasting my time doing for the past 20 years?"

Machine learning--whether it be robotic process automation, advanced data analytics, or A.I.--will undoubtedly reshape the workplace. The question of how many jobs will be lost and created is the subject of much speculation. According to the World Economic Forum's "The Future of Jobs 2018" report, by 2025 more than half of the total time spent on labor will be handled by machines. Nearly 50 percent of companies expect that by 2022, automation will lead to some reduction in their full-time staff, while 38 percent surveyed expect to grow their workforces to new productivity-enhancing roles. Another recent study by PwC estimates that in the United Kingdom, seven million existing jobs could be lost to machines over the next 20 years, but another 7.2 million could be created.

The transition to a workplace where humans and machines will need to productively co-exist could make or break a business. As company leaders plan for the future, they will have to consider machine learning's impact on everything from productivity to skills to morale and culture. And they will have to learn how to lead a business that may have as many intelligent machines as people.

"A.I. doesn't just offer to make the existing things we do better, more efficient, and cheaper. It also has the potential to help us do things that would have been inconceivable before," says Dave Coplin, author of The Rise of the Humans and CEO of the Envisioners, a futurist consultancy. "But unless humans understand how to make the best of it, we risk belittling the potential it offers."

Redefining Collaboration

Here's what we do know: The more robotic minds there are in the workplace, the more companies will want workers who don't think robotically. "We need to make sure that humans develop complementary, not competing, skills with the technology," says Coplin. "We wouldn't try to outcalculate Excel, and we don't try to remember more facts than Google. Instead, we need to consider: What are the fundamentally human skills that the computers will be unable to replicate for decades to come?"

Machine learning can do many tasks far better than humans, but it still takes humans to interpret its work, and apply the results in ways that are strategic, empathetic, and creative. The key, says Shih, is realizing that the machine is just one resource humans can call upon, and that they, not the machine, have the skill set that makes the relationship truly useful. "It's about being open-minded and having the ability to delegate the right task to the machine," Shih says.

The best way to ensure that approach is to establish what those in the industry call a "humans-in-the-loop" relationship. Let the algorithm do its thing, with people overseeing and refining it. "Machine learning is hard to get 100 percent right," says Shih, but with such a process in place, "you don't have to be perfect. The human intervenes in the process and the algorithm learns."

She points to a recent rollout of a new Hearsay service that provides automated quick text responses for advisers and insurance agents to send their clients. When the eight-year-old company first introduced the service, the algorithm came up with a few eyebrow-raising suggestions. In one case, it suggested an adviser wish his client happy birthday. When the client responded, "Thanks for the kind thoughts," the algorithm replied, "Sounds good to me!" leaving the client thinking the adviser wasn't paying attention or was slightly unhinged. (Google's new automated email reply service has suffered from even more bizarre response fails in recent months.) As Hearsay's human employees and machine learning refined the algorithm, they were able to smooth out the rough edges around the message prompts and create a set of more appropriate responses.

The only way to achieve this type of human-machine symbiosis, though, is if humans don't enter this new relationship with fear--"the worst decision-making sentiment to have," observes Kristian Hammond, the co-founder of Narrative Science, a company that uses A.I. to create natural-language reporting out of raw data and statistics. When interactions are driven by fear, the emphasis shifts to the technology, rather than the business need for using the technology. Hammond recommends assembling a team comprising both data architects and those in strategic business roles. "You want A.I. experts to be part of a broader initiative that speaks to who you want to be as a company and how A.I. can shape the business," he says.

Learning to Trust the Machine

If humans are going to regard machines as partners rather than as adversaries, they need to have faith in the work being produced. To win your employees' trust, Coplin recommends taking an incremental approach to A.I. "Apply the algorithm to a small portion of the overall workload to give humans time to see how the algorithm works, and to build trust that the outcome is what was expected," he says.

One example he cites is a new algorithm-based table-booking system a large restaurant chain implemented. Initially, individual restaurant managers were skeptical that an algorithm in the cloud could do a better job at managing the tables than they could. To alleviate their concerns, the company agreed to allocate just a small portion of available tables to the algorithm, and if the managers were happy with the results, more tables would be added. After starting with a pool of just 10 percent of available tables, the managers quickly realized that not only did the algorithm do a great job, but it also freed them up to do more useful tasks.

Stephen Ufford is the co-founder and CEO of Trulioo, an A.I.-powered global verification service to support financial services' anti-money-laundering monitoring. Traditionally, this important area of banking security was handled by human workers, but increased computing power and the sheer volume of digital data now being produced have left them outnumbered and outgunned by criminal gangs. Now, algorithms like Trulioo's scan millions of transactions at a scale no human could manage and are trained (by humans) to spot potential fraud or block suspicious individuals.

When dealing with something as sensitive as identifying fraudulent transactions, Trulioo's employees had to be certain the algorithm they had built wasn't showing any bias in its decision making or making rogue recommendations. "Learning to trust A.I. isn't that different from when you employ a new babysitter," Ufford says. "To start off, you watch what they are doing via the nanny cam, but after a while you start to relax as you gain confidence in how they work."

The End of Work as We Know It?

The growth of machine learning within companies ultimately raises the type of existential questions that executives don't like to confront: How many of us will actually work with machines in the future?

The reality is that change is inevitable, so companies need to work on ensuring a soft landing for those currently doing the type of functional or repetitive tasks that automation can do better. For some, that may mean retraining or upskilling staff to get the most out of their institutional knowledge and experience. Others, however, will inevitably find employees automated out of a job, just like those at Foxconn, which in 2016 replaced 60,000 workers with robots.

Yet, as we look to the long term, could it be that the fears of automation-induced mass unemployment have been overblown? After all, the next generation of workers--the Alexa generation, for want of a better term--will already be used to living with and learning from machines. And these new workers are showing signs that they are more motivated by the experiences, freedom, and creativity they can have in their work than by conventional incentives.
Some books are not merely difficult to track down, they are literally impossible to find. Because they dont exist.

Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen

Upon the Distinction Between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos

Upon the Tracing of Footsteps

The Influence of a Trade upon the Form of the Hand

On the Dating of Manuscripts

Upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus

Secret Writings

A Study of the Chaldean Roots in the Ancient Cornish Language

Upon Tattoo Marks

On the Variability of Human Ears (two monographs)

One of the earliest descriptions of these invisible books is by Thomas Browne in his late 18th century Musaeum Clausum, a fake catalogue of items including Aristotles de Precationibus, Pytheass account of travels beyond Ultima Thule, and a history of Hannibals expedition through the Alps which is better than Livys. Around 50 years later, Charles Lamb describes such things as biblia a-biblia in his essay Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading.
Kanye Wests politics continue to baffle his fans, and the rest of the world.

The 41-year-old has donated $73,540 (56,590) to Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia  a long shot for the title  just six days after West's fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper endorsed her.

Enyia has reportedly been struggling with debts since dropping out of the 2015 mayoral race. She was fined a substantial amount after dropping out and has wracked up signifiant additional fines for not paying off the original debt.

The $73,540 debt to the Illinois State Board of Elections has been paid in full, a statement from Enyias campaign, published by the Chicago Sun Times, reads.

The Amara Enyia campaign thanks Chicago native, Kanye West, for his generous action. Amaras campaign is energizing people around the city with bold ideas and solutions that move Chicago forward. We are excited to engage people of all walks of life as we focus our efforts on getting on the ballot.

'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Show all 10 1 /10 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I was the best new artist this year" Kanye asserted this after losing the New Artist of the Year award at the 2004 American Music Awards Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes I am the number one human being in music. That means any person that's living or breathing is number two. Kanye made this claim while appearing on the Wendy Williams show in 2007. He had recently released the album 'Graduation' to critical acclaim Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyonce has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time! In arguably the most famous incident of his career, Kanye bravely stole the microphone from then 19 year old Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for the Female Music Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards REUTERS 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street and people look at me... like I'm Hitler" Kanye said this during a mid-set rant while on stage at the Big Chill festival in 2011. Despite releasing the acclaimed 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in 2010, he was still widely disliked following the Taylor Swift incident PA Archive/PA Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I am Picasso. I am Michelangelo. I am Basquiat. I am Walt Disney. I am Steve Jobs" Kanye compared himself to these visionaries in a mid-set rant on stage in Paris, 2013 AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live. In 2013, Kanye opened up to reveal more Kanye. His pain is understandable, considering such performances as his at the BRITs in 2015, where he came on stage with an entourage of flamethrower wielding grime artists (pictured) Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes I have to dress Kim everyday so she doesnt embarrass me. Kanye tweeted this in 2014, around the time that he was designing the first Yeezy range AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes By 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Apostle Paul, Picasso f***ing Picasso and Escobar. By 50 per cent more influential than any other human being. Kanye made this claim backstage after appearing on Saturday Night Live in 2016, he did not show his working out Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "My wife just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone. I don't agree with everything Trump does. I don't agree 100% with anyone but myself." This quote followed Kanye's recent expression of love for Donald Trump on Twitter, in which he claimed that he and Trump were "dragon energy" Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "When you hear about slavery for 400 years... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice." Kanye made this comment in a May 2018 interview with TMZ. He later clarified that, in saying slavery was a choice, he meant "we can make our own reality" PA Wire/PA Images

Illinois State Board of Elections first revealed on Monday (22 October) that the substantial sum went to the Friends of Amara Enyia political action committee.

West has become increasingly involved with politics over the last few months, having met with Donald Trump at the White House less than two weeks ago.

Chicagos county commissioner Stanley Moore, who has endorsed another candidate for mayor, questioned whether accepting Wests donation meant that Enyia also aligns herself with Trump.

If you accept money from a person like Kanye West, are you also endorsing his stance on Donald Trump? Moore said.

Kanye West has made comments in the past about slavery being the slaves fault. He has talked about abolishing the 13th amendment. This opens the door for Amara to answer questions about whether or not she is embracing these same philosophies. Is she embracing Trumps policies that hurt African-Americans?

Chance first endorsed Enyia with a simple tweet, reading: Amara for Mayor. He later appeared on stage with her, something that made the front page of various local Chicago papers and significantly boosted her profile.
As their eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE tour winds to a close, completing a four-year encapsulation of U2s lives and career over the course of two semi-autobiograpical albums, what have the band learnt? That forcing 2014s Songs of Innocence into 500 million iTunes accounts isnt a benevolent gift to the world but, to many ears, the sonic equivalent of having your front room unexpectedly selected to host the inaugural Piers Morgan Lecture? That, come last years sister-piece Songs of Experience, theyre no musical William Blake? And, perhaps, that a little humility might go a long way in winning over new generations of music fans who see U2 as the epitome of smug, cosy, ego-riven and tiresomely preachy rock superstardom?

To their credit, theyve gained an inkling. Were the greatest rocknroll band on the north side of Dublin! Bono cries before launching into a desert disco-style Even Better Than the Real Thing out on a glitterball festooned second stage. But the self-mythologising rock god images so often blasted across the gigantic screen stretching the length of the O2 tonight suggest that his modesty is only skin deep.

Instead, after Songs of Innocence and its accompanying tour explored the bands youth and roots on the rough end of Dublins Cedarwood Road and Songs of Experience tackled the personal and political ills of the modern day, the conclusion their journey has brought them to is that wisdom is the recovery of innocence at the far end of experience. Or, as Bono puts it in one of his many confessional between-song TED talks, theyve reconnected with the four Irish boys lost in the Eighties

If anything, U2 have become lost in technology over the past four years. They first appear playing inside their elongated transparent screen hanging along the centre of the arena, repurposed from 2015s Songs of Innocence tour to display images of modern dictators like Trump, Putin and Kim Jong-un as Charlie Chaplins rousing speech from The Great Dictator booms out and The Blackout declares democracy is flat on its back, Jack. Theres no more fitting metaphor for the way U2 have become absorbed by their own spectacle.

Their music is entirely predictable  panoramic pomp rock, devilish disco, the odd spot of gospel. The thrill is almost entirely in the show, a technological marvel that fills the O2 with war footage, brain scans, clacker board soundbites (Ambition bites the nails of art, Taste is the enemy of art, Watch more TV) and, during one interval, a five-minute U2 comic book animation. But this seems a little scattershot in the wake of Muses similarly arena-strafing  but far more coherent  Drones tour.

There is a loose narrative to the night: a potted history of U2. As the band emerge from the screen onto a fixed stage, Bono yells were U2 and this is our new song! and they launch into 1980s quasi-punk I Will Follow, stripped to its raw bones and standing righteously on its own two feet. If Bono wasnt doing his stature enhancing leaning-into-the-wind pose like a billionaire Marcel Marceau, we could be back in a Dublin club basement in 1979.

There is a loose narrative to the night: a potted history of U2 (PA)

Before long, hes reminiscing about playing to 34 people at the Hope and Anchor, riding the central walkway as it transforms into a Berlin subway carriage for a gnarled, rattling Zoo Station, and recalling band breakdowns while recording in Berlins Hansa studios in 1990 in search of the spirit of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, dark days marked with the gorgeous, slow-cooked groove of Stay (Faraway, So Close!). Bonos demonic 1993 alter-ego MacPhisto even makes a cameo, digitally mapped onto his face and claiming responsibility for destroying world unity like a cheap CGI Pennywise the Clown.

Such interjections are, by turns, touching, revealing, humanising and just plain laughable. After a virile Vertigo, theres a moving integrity to Bono dissecting how fame and ego went to our heads in the Nineties. Yet a tears-of-a-clown confessional that finds him admitting I had just enough low self-esteem to get me where I needed to go during a soppy fake call home could make a house brick cringe. The narrative lacks its cornerstone too: having played The Joshua Tree in full on an anniversary tour last year, they ignore it here, leaving a gaping hole at the heart of the gig and faint echoes of its majesty reverberating through the far inferior recent material.

Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Show all 9 1 /9 Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell Estimated wealth: 820m. Annual change: 40m PA Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Lord Lloyd-Webber Estimated wealth: 740m. Annual change: No change Getty Images Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Sir Elton John Estimated wealth: 300m. Annual change: Up 10m Getty Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Sir Mick Jagger Estimated wealth: 260m. Annual change: Up 10m Getty Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Keith Richards Estimated wealth: 245m. Annual change: Up 10m AP Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Olivia and Dhani Harrison Estimated wealth: 230m. Annual change: Up 20m EPA Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Sir Ringo Starr Estimated wealth: 220m. Annual change: Up 20m Getty Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Michael Flatley Estimated wealth: 202m. Annual change: Up 2m PA Richest musicians in UK and Ireland Sting Estimated wealth: 190m. Annual change: Up 5m Rex

There are powerful moments  a stirring Beautiful Day, a storming Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, an uplifting tribute to Aleppo with Summer of Love  but too often the politics stifle the songs. As the EU flag is hoisted behind the stage and Bono applauds it as stoically as a statesman, old-school crackers like New Years Day and Pride (In The Name Of Love) suffer from being infused with political poignancy rather than hammered out full-throttle.

And Bono still hasnt grasped that, as much as we might agree with his messages of unity and togetherness, its still a little galling to be lectured on poverty and social dissolution by a billionaire with labyrinthine international tax arrangements and a major stake in the notoriously HMRC-shy Facebook. Still, as hollow and self-important as it can all seem, the U2 spectacle is still capable of sucking you in. A rollercoaster eXPERIENCE.
Dangerous pests and diseases could flood Britains shores after Brexit, according to a new House of Lords report, which warns the country may be left with limited capacity to defend itself from invasive species.

Biosecurity hazards are a constant concern for British agriculture and wildlife, with hundreds of threats intercepted at the border each year.

Infections transmitted from abroad such as hand-foot-and-mouth and Dutch elm disease have cost the country billions, and alien species like signal crayfish and grey squirrels are contributing to the decline of native animals and plants.

As it stands, the UK benefits from an EU-wide regulation to repel these invaders, with intelligence gathering, disease alerts and research all being undertaken at an European scale.

After Brexit, the UK will no longer automatically be part of this system, and in their report the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Committee has urged the government to maintain as close a relationship with the EU on biosecurity as possible.

Though the Lords also noted that Brexit could provide an opportunity to implement stricter and more UK-specific checks, they said it is unlikely a replacement system will be in place before the exit date in March. This is especially concerning in the case of a no-deal scenario.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

They also noted that stricter rules would create barriers to the free flow of goods when additional checks are imposed at the borders, and warned that ministers must not be tempted to compromise biosecurity in order to obtain trade deals.

The existing arrangements are far from perfect but significant gaps will be created when the UK leaves them, said committee chairman Lord Teverson.

We rely on the EU for everything from auditing plant nurseries and farms to funding our research laboratories.

The UK government has a huge amount of work to do to replace this system in time for Brexit, and failure to do so could have an economic and environmental impact that would be felt for decades to come.

The report draws on evidence submitted by a variety of expert groups, government departments and NGOs.

Among particular areas of concern flagged were the capacity of the UK veterinary sector to cope with disease controls, access to funding for relevant research and the ability to enforce laws meant to preserve biosecurity.

Dr Paul Walton, who heads up the invasive species group at environmental coalition Wildlife and Countryside Link and said he was glad the committee shared the concerns he had raised.

The risks to our economy and wildlife from invasive non-native species are already intensifying due to climate change and the globalisation of trade. They are set to further increase with new post-Brexit trade routes, he told The Independent.

Invasive species alone already cost the UK economy at least 1.7bn per year, so it is essential that the government averts this significant post-Brexit threat by not only ensuring access to current EU protection systems, but by further strengthening them.

The peers noted that it may be possible for the UK to respond more quickly to biosecurity threats by itself, rather than waiting on the remaining EU member states to come to a decision.

A spokesperson from the Royal Horticultural Society noted in the Lords report that the most obvious positive step for legislative change is to prioritise UK biosecurity activities to UK, rather than EU needs.

The committee suggested Australia and New Zealand as examples of island nations with strong biosecurity that the UK could model itself on once it had left the EU.

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However, they concluded that significant work remains to ensure the UK has replacement laws, along with the monitoring, inspection and enforcement mechanisms, staff and IT systems to support it.

Lord Teverson said that past outbreaks of diseases imported from overseas had killed millions of animals and trees, with new fears on the horizon including ash dieback and African swine fever.

These examples highlight just how important biosecurity is, and the devastating impact that animal and plant diseases can have, he said.

Responding to the report, a spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the UKs ability to protect against these threats would not be compromised and the country would not stop sharing biosecurity information with Europe.

All countries that are members of the World Organisation for Animal Health are required to report any listed animal disease within 24 hours of a disease being confirmed. We will also remain part of plant information-sharing networks, such as European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation, they said.

Within Defra we have taken a number of steps to maintain our high biosecurity standards post March 2019. This includes working with the industry to make sure the necessary numbers of vets are in place.

We will formally respond to this report in due course.
An entire town celebrated Christmas two months early so that a terminally ill 12-year-old neighbour could enjoy what will likely be his last one.

Keith Burkett, from Stow, Ohio, has a rare form of childhood cancer in his skull, shoulder, spine and liver that doctors fear may take his life before the end of the year.

So to ensure Burkett was able to celebrate Christmas, the residents of Stow decided to hold the winter holiday slightly earlier this year - on October 21.

In addition to decorating their homes with lights and Christmas trees, Burketts neighbours sang carols and Santa made an appearance.

The day was made even more special for Burkett with a ride in a fire truck, a procession of more than 100 cars decorated for Christmas, and a medal of bravery awarded by the Stow mayor.

It was awesome, Burkett said. The fire truck was my favourite part because Ive never been in one before. I got to beep the horn."

The entire town joined in on the celebrations (SWNS)

According to his mum, Taylore Woodard, 32, the familys decision to celebrate early came after doctors told her they didnt know if Keith would make it to Christmas.

He loves Christmas, she said. His life has been taken up with cancer and medicines and I wanted my son to enjoy one last Christmas.

The day was named Keith Burkett Day (SWNS)

So at the end of September, we made our house into a winter wonderland. We put lights up, candy canes, polar bears and santas. We had a North Pole sign and put up a banner that said: Merry Christmas Kourageous Keith.

Then neighbours caught on and began hanging their own Christmas decorations.

We noticed our next door neighbours put up some icicle lights and garlands and soon everyone was doing it, Woodard said of the towns incredible support - and that was just the beginning.

All the neighbours decorated their homes (SWNS)

On the morning of the October Christmas, Burkett, who fell ill at age five, was greeted at his home by friends dressed as Santa and elves from the North Pole.

Keith's friends dressed up too (SWNS)

His favourite part was the ride in the fire truck (SWNS)

Keith will not live till the end of the year (SWNS)

From there, the 12-year-old rode a fire truck to Stow-Munroe Falls High School, where hundreds of people decked out in Christmas attire had gathered for his arrival.

To mark the special day, Stow Councilman John Pribonic read a proclamation in Burketts honour and declared October 21 Keith Burkett Day.

Santa made an appearance (SWNS)

Hundreds of people showed up to help Keith celebrate (SWNS)

On the ride back from the local high school, Burkett was entertained with carols sung by the high school choir.

Everyone was dressed up and embraced the Christmas theme. Both Santa Claus and the Grinch were there, Burketts mum said.

Keith was smiling ear to ear. I havent seen him smile like that in such a long time.

Woodward and her husband Adam, 34, who also have a seven-year-old daughter and six-year-old son, first noticed their eldest son was ill on Christmas Eve in 2010, when the then five-year-old appeared pale and didnt want to eat.

Keith became sick when he was five-years-old (SWNS)

At the hospital, doctors found that there was fluid pushing on his heart and his heart rate was down, Keiths mum recalled.

On Christmas Day, he underwent surgery to remove the fluid. Doctors also removed the left lower lobe of his lung because it looked like hamburger meat.

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However, it wasnt until March 2012 that Burkett was diagnosed with undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma - at which point he underwent another surgery so doctors could remove cancerous parts of his body.

His mum now cares for him full-time (SWNS)

Despite four courses of radiation and chemotherapy, the cancer continued to return and in May, doctors found it had spread.

Two months ago, Burketts condition turned severe and he was moved to a hospice - at which point his mum left her job to be with him during his remaining time.

In addition to bringing her 12-year-old son on two trips to Disney World, Woodard said they spend their time playing video games and going for walks.

Its hard to watch your son die and know that youre not going to have another Christmas with him, she said. No mother should outlive her child. Its one of the hardest things anyone can watch.

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Hes such a kind boy. It doesnt seem fair. Im so glad that we were able to give him a proper Christmas.
Shafeek Ahamed, resident of Thanjavur, was arrested and produced before special court, which gave him 7 days remand to NIA.

NIA on Tuesday arrested a man from Tamil Nadu as conspirator for his suspected links with Islamic State terrorist group. (Representational Image)

Chennai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested a man from Tamil Nadu as a conspirator for his suspected links with Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Shafeek Ahamed (30), a resident of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, was arrested and produced before a special court, which subsequently gave him seven days remand to the NIA.

During the investigation, it has emerged that Ahamed had facilitated procurement of forged passports.

The arrests had been made after five people from Kannur, who were believed to have joined IS and left the country to undergo training in Syria, were arrested by the police in 2017.

The Valapattanam police registered a case against them on charges of joining a banned terrorist organisation under Sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Earlier in July, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative Shajahan Velluva Kandy, a resident of Kannur in Kerala, was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International airport on his deportation by the Turkish authorities.

Kandy had gone to Turkey and Syria for carrying out terrorist activities after procuring an Indian passport with a fake name.
The British Fashion Council has announced its nominees for this years Fashion Awards, the prestigious ceremony which celebrates the brightest talents in the industry.

Each year, the awards are divided into 10 categories and recognise those at the forefront of various sectors across the fashion world, from womenswear and accessories to menswear and modelling.

This years nominees for British designer of the year, one of the biggest awards of the night, include Victoria Beckham for her namesake label, and Claire Waight Keller for Givenchy, who made Meghan Markles wedding dress.

They will compete against Jonathan Anderson, Roksanda Ilincic and Simone Rocha, all of whom are in the mix for their eponymous brands.

Nominees for model of the year include Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Winnie Harlow, Adut Akech and Adwoa Aboah, who took home the prestigious award last year, joining former winners Kate Moss, Edie Campbell and Cara Delevingne.

As for designer of the year, which recognises talents from around the globe, major names such as Alessandro Michele and Virgil Abloh have been included for their work at Gucci and Louis Vuitton respectively.

Last year's business leader award went to Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri, who has been nominated again this year alongside Jonathan Akeroyd for Versace and Jose Neves for Farfetch.

Marco Gobbetti for Burberry has also been included in the category, meaning it could be a big night for the British heritage brand, which has undergone a major revamp since the departure of former chief executive Christopher Bailey.

His successor, Riccardo Tisci, has been nominated for British menswear designer of the year and the label has also been included alongside Balenciaga and Prada for the brand of the year award.

Karlie Kloss at the Fashion Awards in 2017 (Getty Images)

The winners will be announced at a lavish ceremony, held in partnership with Swarovski, on Monday 10 December at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The event itself is always a star-studded affair, with last years proceedings attracting high-profile names spanning the fashion, film and music industries, including Karlie Kloss, Selena Gomez, Ashley Graham and Pink.
Easter might still be months away but Cadbury has already announced its new offerings for the chocolate-laden holiday.

The confectionery giant has revealed that it is launching full-size Oreo Creme Eggs in the UK for the very first time following the success of the miniature versions last year.

The full-sized eggs, which will cost 58p, are already on sale in Canada and are set to arrive on British soil in January 2019.

So, what exactly are they?

The new Oreo Creme Egg will have the same thick chocolate shell as the original Creme Egg, but will be filled with Oreos signature creamy filling and crunchy biscuit chunks.

Theres more good news too. They also contain less sugar, with 16g per egg compared to 26.5g in the original Creme Egg.

Unfortunately, youre going to have to wait to get your hands on one though. The Oreo Creme Eggs arent set to launch until next year and, as a limited edition product, they will only be available until Easter Sunday, which falls on April 2.

Aislinn Campbell, brand manager at Cadbury, said: We are constantly listening to what our customers want and we know fans went wild last year when they heard about the Oreo Egg.

So for Easter 2019, we are bringing this to the UK and we cannot wait for everyone to try it.

In light of the news, Twitter reactions have been mixed with many people eager to try the new combination while others are less enthused.

Omg, a full size Oreo Creme Egg is coming out, one person wrote.

Another added: Okay, I need this.

Someone else commented: Theyre doing an Oreo Creme Egg and I am uncomfortable.

This isnt the first time Cadbury has joined forces with Oreo. In 2017, the chocolate giant launched a range of products including the Oreo Shell Egg Minis, Oreo Easter Egg Sharing Bar and the Egg n Spoon Oreo.

Cadbury also caused serious chocolate commotion last year with a nationwide Easter Egg hunt for a limited number of white chocolate Creme Eggs.

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There were just 371 of the eggs spread out across various shops, and the top prize egg - which would win the owner 2,000 - was in a branch of Co-Op.

But according to the confectioners, no one ever found the egg and claimed the 2,000.
Nasa's Kepler space telescope has gone to sleep  and might never wake back up again.

For some time, the space agency has been coaxing the famous telescope to keep working, despite the fact it is fast running out of fuel. It has repeatedly been put to sleep, before successfully waking back up again and looking for yet more promising worlds deep in the universe.

Now it has sent itself back to sleep again and might never wake back up.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

Overnight, Nasa said that it had attempted to get in touch with the telescope and found that it had gone into its sleep mode, during which it uses no fuel. Engineers are not clear why it has happened, though it might suggest that the telescope has finally run out of power.

"Following a successful return of data from the last observation campaign, the Kepler team commanded the spacecraft into position to begin collecting data for its next campaign," Nasa wrote on its page for the telescope. "On Friday October 19, during a regularly scheduled spacecraft contact using NASAs Deep Space Network, the team learned that the spacecraft had transitioned to its no-fuel-use sleep mode.

"The Kepler team is currently assessing the cause and evaluating possible next steps."

In recent weeks, work on Kepler has been a matter of trying to use the last bits of fuel onboard the telescope as efficiently as possible, and engineers have repeatedly warned that fuel is running low and the telescope could die. Much of the power is used to ensure that the telescope points towards Earth and can send back down data that it has collected while it surveys the stars.

If Kepler can't be woken back up again after the latest problem, the mission will come to a close and it will be left on its own, drifting without power nearly 100 million miles away from Earth.

Kepler's mission  which has already lasted far longer than projected when Nasa first sent it up into space in 2009  has seen it discover a vast number of exoplanets. Those worlds, orbiting around distant stars, have offered glimpses of what planets might exist elsewhere in the galaxy, and even offered hints of planets that could be able to support life.

In all, it has found nearly 3,000 planets.

Finding all of those planets has also helped fill gaps in our understanding of the galaxy. We have gained a better understanding of how many planets there might be, for instance, as well as examining how solar systems form and how many like our own there could be.

The problems with Kepler come as Nasa deals with a range of problems with its ageing space telescopes. Hubble and the Chandra space telescope have both had their own issues around the same time.
More than two years after the launch of Pokemon Go, a Catholic group has launched its own version the mobile gaming sensation that it hopes will lure children to the religion.

Follow JC Go uses the same GPS-tracking and augmented reality (AR) technology as Pokemon Go, though rather than tracking different Pokemon creatures, players have to capture saints and other biblical characters.

The copycat app has gameplay that is strikingly similar to Pokemon Go and even has the blessing of Pope Francis.

The funniest Pokemon Go memes Show all 15 1 /15 The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes The funniest Pokemon Go memes

The Catholic Church will be hoping that Follow JC Go will be able to replicate the success of Pokemon Go, which since launching in July 2016 has been downloaded more than 500 million times and generated more than $2 billion in revenue worldwide.

"Never has the Church had a project like this. This is the Catholic app with the most advanced technology there is," Ricardo Grzona, executive director of the Foundation Ramon Pane, told Crux Now.

"Everything today, language and relations, among young people, go through smartphones. We wanted to be there and propose to them an educational video game, that is religious and interactive, and with which they can form evangelization teams."

Follow JC Go swaps Pikachu for Saint Peter (Follow JC Go)

Grzona added that Pope Francis is "not a very technological person" but supported the idea of combining technology with evangelization.

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga, who serves as the president of the Foundation Ramon Pane, told the publication: "We speak a lot about young people and technology, a more modern language. What young people want is to be active in taking the Gospel also to technology and have fun, learn and be evangelized through these channels."

Recommended Pope admits child abuse has driven young people away from Catholicism

Pope Francis recently spoke about the challenges the Catholic Church faces in attracting young people, given the decades of child sex abuse scandals.

"They are upset by sexual and economic scandals that do not meet with clear condemnation, by our unpreparedness to really appreciate the lives and sensibilities of the young, and simply by the passive role we assign them," Pope Francis told a group of followers in Estonia last month.

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The app is likely to raise questions about whether it constitutes religious indoctrination of young people, with leading atheist and agnostic figures previously criticising attempts to force religion onto children.

In 2013, the academic Richard Dawkins said that raising a child within an organised religion like Catholicism was in itself equivalent to child abuse.

"What a child should be taught is that religious exists; that some people believe this and some people believe that," Professor Dawkins said at the Chipping Norton Literary Festival.

"What a child should never be taught is that 'you are a Catholic or Muslim child, therefore that is what you believe.' That's child abuse."
Chinese-American artist and illustrator Tyrus Wong is being recognised for his illustrious career with a Google Doodle on what would have been his 108th birthday.

Mr Wong, who was born Wong Gen Yeo in the Guangdong Province, China on October 25 1910, immigrated to the United States with his father when he was nine - which marked the last time he would see his mother and sister.

Immediately upon his arrival in America, Mr Wong faced hardship as he was initially barred entry under the Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted the number of Chinese immigrants that could enter the country.

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After finally settling in Los Angeles, California, Mr Wong began attending school. Shortly after, his teachers noticed his artistic capabilities.

His talent soon led to a scholarship opportunity at the Otis Art Institute, where he honed his skills as an artist.

Upon graduating, Mr Wong, who also became a talented animator, calligrapher, muralist, and set designer, set out on a impressive career in Hollywood during which he worked on and created some of Disneys most iconic works, including Bambi.

It was his watercolour paintings, inspired by the Song Dynasty, that inspired much of the backdrop for the 1942 animated film. However, his only credit came in the form of a background artist.

The same exclusion, likely caused first by the effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act and then lasting racism in the country, would follow Mr Wong throughout the rest of his lengthy career - overshadowing his work at both Disney and Warner Brothers Studios, where he worked for 26 years as a production assistant.

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Despite the lack of full recognition for his work, Mr Wong continued to follow his passions, later becoming a Hallmark greeting card designer and a talented kite-maker.

He also continued to paint - with many of his works displayed in exhibitions alongside Picasso and Matisse throughout his career.

But it wasnt until 2001 that Mr Wong was finally acknowledged for influence on Bambi, when Disney bestowed upon him the honour of a Disney Legend - for outstanding contribution.

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Sponsored: Read more on The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and Misty Copeland

Mr Wong died in 2016 at the age of 106 - at which point his talents and contributions to the art world were finally widely recognised.
Meghan Markles visit to a market in Fiji as part of her 16-day royal tour with Prince Harry was cut short amid a "security issue".

The Duchess of Sussex was visiting the market to meet female entrepreneurs who are part of the UN Womens Markets for Change project.

The original plan was for the duchess to spend around 15 minutes meeting the female vendors and discussing their entrepreneurial work.

However, the duchess was escorted from the market after around seven minutes due to concerns about the size of the crowds who turned out to catch a glimpse of the royal.

It [the visit] was cut slightly short due to the large number of people within the market, which made the event uncomfortably busy, says a royal source.

There were much bigger crowds than people had been anticipating and there were a lot of people cramped into the market.

Asenaca Salusalu, a farmer from the village of Nukulau close to Suva, Fijis capital, describes what it was like to make the acquaintance of the duchess.

She didnt really speak at all, like she was a bit afraid, Salusalu says.

She just said Bula and Nice to meet you. But Im happy to have met her.

Some stallholders at the market were disappointed to have not been given the opportunity to meet Meghan due to the brevity of her visit.

Its such a shame as we were all very excited to meet her, one stallholder says.

We started preparing for the visit three weeks ago and had been meant to meet her but she left without even saying hello.

According to a royal aide, the visit to the market in Fiji followed a morning tea, where the duchess met and conversed with members of the Markets for Change project.

She met everyone she was meant to meet and left, a royal aide says.

On advice she was taken out due to crowd management issues.

Prior to her visit to the market, the duchess gave a speech at the University of the South Pacific about her experience of being unable to fund her university degree.

I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world - myself included, she told students at the university.

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Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive.

And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital.

In 2015, Meghan delivered a powerful speech as a UN Womens advocate about gender equality.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
Slough, the nondescript setting for sitcom The Office, has been named the best town to work in for a second consecutive year.

The Berkshire town took the top spot in a list of 25 towns and cities compiled by job search website Glassdoor.

The ease of acquiring a job, the cost of living in the area and overall job satisfaction were all taken into account when determining which UK towns and cities were the most ideal locations for workers.

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According to the research, Slough came out on top due to the high number of jobs that were provided in the town and the decent average salaries of the workers, weighted against the average cost of living in the area.

In 2018, there were more than 22,000 job openings in Slough with an average salary of 29,500.

The average value of a home came to 391,218 and average job satisfaction in the area was ranked at 3.4 out of five.

Gloucester was ranked second, with Cambridge, Reading and Guildford making up the rest of the top five.

Manchester, which ranked second last year, dropped to seventh on the list, with major cities including London, Glasgow and Cardiff not making the top 25.

Slough is now firmly established as one of the best areas in the UK to work, because of its consistently high employee satisfaction and job opportunities relative to its population. It is also home to a huge range of employers, says Amanda Stansell, economic research analyst at Glassdoor.

With plans now agreed for Heathrows third runway and the new Crossrail in 2019, its growth potential is very positive.

Recommended Petition to rename Slough to save its reputation splits opinion

While several of the towns and cities highlighted in this report may be surprising, many are experiencing growing local economies, complete with a healthy dose of new job prospects and strong home affordability.

Slough, often lampooned for its supposed dreariness, was the subject of a disdainful 1937 poem by John Betjeman, which begins: Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough! It isnt fit for humans now. The poem was recited in popular BBC sitcom The Office by David Brent, played by Ricky Gervais.

Two years ago a petition was launched to rename Slough in an effort to salvage its reputation.

Slough is the biggest centre for business outside of London but I think there are preconceptions attached to the town, Slough resident Hamzah Ahmed told the Slough Express.

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People seem to think that so much crime takes place in the borough but I feel in reality, it is not dangerous to live here."

Ahmed suggested renaming Slough as Upton, a suburb of the town.

The top 10 towns and cities to work in, according to the study:

Slough Gloucester Cambridge Reading Guildford Stoke-on-Trent Manchester Derby Bolton Chelmsford

This is the third consecutive year that Glassdoor has compiled the list.
The Womens Institute (WI) celebrates an important centenary on Wednesday, marking 100 years since members of the organisation had their second annual meeting and passed their first resolution, which called for improvements to state-aided housing.

Since then, the WI has led many successful campaigns which have brought about key policy changes in a number of fields such as health, agriculture and education.

From how the organisations gets their initiatives off the ground to which British royals are members, read on for everything you need to know about the WI.

(Women's Institute (Women's Institute)

What is it?

The National Federation of Womens Institutes (NFWI) was formed in the UK in 1915 to help encourage women to provide agricultural support to rural communities that were struggling as a result of the First World War.

By the time members passed the first resolution in 1918, there were already 12,000 members in 700 WIs scattered across the country.

Now, there are almost 220,000 members in approximately 6,300 WIs and the campaigns have broadened significantly, addressing a whole host of contemporary social issues that directly affect members communities.

What do members do?

Members of the WI are encouraged to be active in their respective communities.

From hosting regular sporting events and craft workshops to creating projects that teach members skills in cookery and floral arrangements, the WI community thrives in bucolic bliss.

But the most notable part about being in the WI is the campaigns, with significant ones from history including the 1943 call for equal pay and the 1954 Keep Britain Tidy campaign, which targeted littering in the countryside and ultimately led to the 1958 Litter Act.

(Women's Institute (Women's Institute)

Current key campaigns include Make Time for Mental Health, Time to Talk about Organ Donation and More Midwives, which aims to combat the chronic shortage of midwives in the UK.

Each WI holds 11 meetings throughout the year to come up with new initiatives and plans for action.

How can you get involved?

With 6,300 WIs across the UK, its fairly straightforward to find out where your nearest one is, but each organisation is unique to the area, so it might be worth doing some background research in order to ensure youre joining one that reflects your values.

In order to become a member, its simply a case of contacting your chosen WI and paying 41.

Membership entitles you to eight copies a year of the WI magazine, regular newsletters and an invitation to the annual WI meeting, which unites representatives from WIs across the UK to vote on key resolutions.

If you cant find a WI in your area or are struggling to come across one that suits you, theres nothing stopping you from starting your own - the WI website has plenty of information on how to do this.

Are there any famous members?

The WI has several ties to the Royal family.

Queen Mary was the one to invite Madge Watt, who was a founding member of the first WI in British Columbia and brought the concept to the UK, to form the very first WI in Sandringham in 1919.

The Queen became a WI member in 1943; at the time, she was still Princess Elizabeth.

In 1952, she was appointed President of the Sandringham WI, a role she maintains today.

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Other royal WI members include the Countess of Wessex, who is a member of Bagshot WI in Surrey, and the Duchess of Cornwall, who is a member of Tetbury WI in Gloucestershire.

British TV presenter Kirstie Allsop and historian Lucy Worsley are also members.
Deutsche banks profits slumped 65 per cent in the third quarter as analysts warned that Germanys flagship lender needed radical surgery to fix its long-running problems.

Deutsche is trying to bounce back after three consecutive years of losses and a stream of negative press including a ratings downgrade and several departures at senior level.

Chief executive Christian Sewing said on Wednesday that the bank was making progress but the numbers did not impress investors. The banks share price dropped more than 4 per cent in early trading.

We have our costs under control and sufficient capital to grow. We are on track to be profitable in 2018 for the first time since 2014, Mr Sewing said.

Net profit was 229m (202m), down from 649m a year ago but still beat the 149m expected in a poll of analysts.

Revenue in the quarter was 6.2bn, down 9 per cent from 6.8bn a year ago.

Octavio Marenzi, chief executive of consultancy Opimas, said it was difficult to see anything positive in Deutsches latest earnings.

There was weakness right across all lines of business, and the return on equity achieved of only 1.3 per cent is pretty awful.

He added: It does seem that Deutsche Bank is starting to look at headcount reductions more seriously, particularly at the banks troubled Corporate and Investment Bank, with headcount down 3 per cent, but this kind of reduction looks homeopathic at a time when more radical surgery is needed.

Deutsche already announced in May that it would cut more than 7,000 of its 97,000 global workforce in a bid to save money.

The bank has struggled to achieve profitability and find a focus since the financial crisis.

In July, the lender, which has a significant UK presence, said it had moved almost half of its euro clearing business from London to Frankfurt because of Brexit.

Euro clearing is the system through which euro-based financial transactions are settled, and London is known as a leader in the clearing business.
Govt's order followed CVC's recommendation that CBI's warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, stripped of responsibilities.

The Supreme Court has accepted Alok Verma's petition. It has agreed to take up his hearing on Friday, October 26. (Photo: File | PTI)

New Delhi: CBI director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been sent on leave amidst an internal rift at the country's top investigating agency.

M Nageshwara Rao, a joint director at the agency, has been appointed its interim director.

Nageshwar Rao, who hails from Warangal district in Telangana, is from the 1986 batch of Odisha cadre and supersedes Rakesh Asthana.

Also Read: CBI boss, deputy sent on leave, interim chief takes over

The move comes after a week-long standoff that began with CBI boss Alok Verma filing a case against his deputy, Rakesh Asthana, accusing him of bribery in an investigation.

The government's order last night followed a recommendation by the country's top vigilance officer, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, that the CBI's warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, stripped of all responsibilities.

Here are LIVE updates on infighting within CBI:

05:20 pm: The image of CBI will not be tarnished as the agency is for the country not for individuals, whatever investigation required is being done: CBI spokesperson.

04:45 pm: A CBI spokesperson said, "The team probing Special Director Rakesh Asthanas case has been reconstituted for a fair, impartial and expeditious probe. We have put available best resources in the reconstituted team. There were searches and reports of sealing any offices are totally untrue. CBI is working normal."

03:50 pm: Asaduddin Owaisi speaking in favour of ousted CBI director Alok Verma said, " I have faith that top court will give relief to CBI director as it is a violation of section 4 of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. I want to know which section did CVC use to remove him. Why is PM protecting a corrupt officer? All democratic institutions are being undermined."

03:12 pm: On Nageshwar Rao's appointment as CBI interim director, DMK chief MK Stalin said, "Several complaints were sent to CBI director against Nageshwar Rao and there are reports that the CBI director Alok Verma wanted to initiate investigations into allegations against him."

03:10 pm: "Is this move initiated to cover up the Rafale scam investigations? This shows an undeclared emergency has been imposed in our country. Appointment of a controversial officer like Nageshwar Rao is nothing but to ensure that CBI remains the caged parrot of the BJP government," added Stalin.

02:48 pm: A petition has been filed in Bombay High Court seeking setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for an investigation into Alok Verma - Rakesh Asthana issue. The petition also demands a retired Supreme Court judge in the SIT.

02:45 pm: "Institutions like CBI, CVC, judiciary, Election Commission are pillars of democracy. It is really sad that the chiefs of the topmost investigation agency are accusing each other of corruption. This is a big issue for the upcoming Parliament Session," Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said.

02:15 pm: All sensitive cases including Vijay Mallya and Agusta Westland cases will be personally supervised by new interim CBI chief Nageswara Rao, reports news agency ANI.

01:55 pm: Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi government, says: "CBI director removed by 'chowkidar' (watchman) because agency was raising questions on Rafale deal."

01:45 pm: "CVC being misused by government, has no power to interfere in appointments," Congress alleged.

12:37 pm: "The CVCs recommendation and the government's action is intended to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of CBI," Union Minister Arun Jaitley said.

12:35 pm: Union Minister Arun Jaitley said, "CVC in its yesterday's meeting said neither these 2 officers (Arun Verma and Rakesh Asthana) nor any agency under their supervision can investigate charges against them. So the officers will sit out by going on leave. It's an interim measure".

12:26 pm: "(CBI) Director has been accused by Special Director. A Special Director has been accused by CBI. Two topmost officers of CBI have been accused. Now who will investigate it? Requirements of fairness and fair play have to be there. Government can't investigate it," Union Minister Arun Jaitley said.

12:25 pm: "CBI is a premier investigatiive agency, for maintenance of its institutional integrity, it is a pre-condition and absolutely essential for fair investigation," Union Minister Aruin Jaitley said.

12:09 pm: CBI DIG Tarun Gauba, SP Satish Dagar and Joint Director V Murugesan will probe charges against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

12:05 pm: "What PM couldn't do directly by removing the CBI director and his collegaues, he has done surreptitiously and in clandestine fashion by taking shelter behind CVC. Has CBI director been transferred because he was about to order a probe into Rafale corruption," Congress Randeep Surjewala asked.

12:04 pm: "PM Modi has buried the last nail in the independence of CBI. The systematic dismantling and disintegration of CBI is complete. PM's systematic attack on credibility and capacity of CBI has now ensured that its credibility is dead and buried," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said.

12:02 pm: "We don't know if CBI was investigating other issues like Rafale scam. If that was the case, it was ordered to protect the government, PM and concerned officers. Why was the DIG investigating the charges against Asthana has been sent to 'Kala Pani' in Andaman?," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

12:01 pm: "The Modi government and the Prime Minister have conducted a political coup against the CBI. They have conducted transfer of all the officers and directors, and main objective appears to be to protect the chosen officers of the Prime Minister posted at CBI," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

11:50 am: "I maintain that the integrity of the institution (CBI) is the most important. In an extraordinary situation, the government has full authority to act. At this time, an open fight between the top two people spells doomsday for the institution," former ASG Vikas Singh told news agency ANI.

11:27 am: CBI's JD (P) Arun Kumar Sharma, A Sai Manohar, HoZ V Murugesan and DIG Amit Kumar have been transferred/posted. They were a part of the team probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana.

CBI transfer order. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

11:10 am: CBI DIG Manish Kumar Sinha, DIG Taurn Gauba, DIG Jasbir Singh, DIG Anish Prasad, DIG KR Chaurasia, HoB Ram Gopal and SP Satish Dagar have been transferred. They were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana.

CBI transfer order. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

11:06 am: Dy SP CBI AK Bassi, officer probing case against Special Director Rakesh Asthana, has been transferred and posted as Dy SP CBI, ACB Port Blair in public interest: CBI order.

Additional SP CBI SS Gum has been transferred and posted as CBI, ACB Jabalpur.

11:05 am: Alok Verma also challenged decision to give interim charge of agency to Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao.

11:04 am: M Nageshwar Rao takes charge as interim CBI director. No room at CBI headquarters has been sealed, news agency ANI reports CBI spokesperson as saying.

10:53 am: Interim CBI director M Nageswar Rao is currently inside the CBI's headquarters. He is there to attend a meeting of the agency's top officials.

10:49 am: Gopal Sankaranarayanan, lawyer appearing for Alok Verma, told the Supreme Court that the government on Wednesday morning, asked Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to go on leave compromising the investigation into many sensitive cases.

10:40 am: The Supreme Court has accepted Alok Verma's petition. It has agreed to take up his hearing on Friday, October 26.

10:29 am: Lawyer Prashant Bhushan reaches the court of the Chief Justice.

10:24 am: There would be no movement of officials or files at the CBI Director's office and Special Director Rakesh Asthana's office till 2 pm on Wednesday, news agency ANI quoted CBI sources as saying.

10:21 am: Alok Verma, the CBI chief who was sent on leave, will challenge the government order in the Supreme Court today.

10:11 am: Alok Verma to move the Supreme Court at 10:30 am.

09:05 am: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal tweets on CBI tussle: "What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave?"

08:45 am: Prashant Bhushan in a tweet termed the appointment of M Nageswar Rao as interim director at the CBI "totally illegal".

08:40 am: M Nageswar Rao appointed interim CBI director.

08:35 am: CBI building has been sealed. Neither staff nor outsiders are being allowed, according to news agency PTI. The 10th and 11th floor of the CBI office in Delhi, which has the rooms of all these officers, are being raided.
A defiant Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday called the killing of Jamal Khashoggi a heinous crime that is painful to all Saudis, but vowed that the diplomatic firestorm would not derail his plans to encourage foreign investment into the kingdom.

In his first public comments since the murder of the dissident journalist at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, the crown prince added: All legal things [are being done] to finalise the investigation to cooperate with the Turkish government, to present the perpetrators to the court.

Some are using it to drive a wedge between Saudi and Turkey. They will not be able to do that as long as there is a king called King Salman and a crown prince called Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, and a president in Turkey called Erdogan.

This wedge will not happen. All perpetrators will be taken to court.

Crown Prince Mohammed was speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, an event organised by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and dubbed Davos in the Desert, designed to encourage foreign investment in the kingdom.

The audience appeared to be packed with supporters of the crown prince who loudly clapped and cheered his statements.

Mohammed appeared alongside the crown prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa and the prime minister of Lebanon, Saad al-Hariri.

In response to a plea from the Bahraini ruler for foreign investors to continue to invest in the region Mohammed said: Your royal highness, dont worry: we have $50bn (39bn) US dollars as of yesterday.

This was a reference to various foreign investment pledges from western energy and infrastructure companies made earlier in the week.

Reuters reported that Mohammed and President Erdogan had spoken earlier on Wednesday about the investigation into the killing. But despite the claims of solidarity with Turkey, the government in Istanbul has been piling the pressure on Riyadh over the death.

And on Tuesday Donald Trump called the Saudi response to the murder the worst cover-up in history. He also indicated that he would acquiesce in any sanctions put forward by Congress.

Asked in the Oval Office how the killing of Mr Khashoggi could have happened, Mr Trump said: They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.

And in a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, the president said he thought the crown prince could have been personally behind the killing.

Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him, he said.

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Dozens of western business leaders and politicians pulled out of the FII conference, organised by the countrys sovereign wealth fund, in the wake of the murder of Mr Khashoggi on 2 October.

An official Saudi investigation into the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi stated last week that he had died after a fist fight in the embassy and that 18 Saudi nationals had been arrested.

The countrys deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Asiri and Saud al-Qahtani, a senior aide to the crown prince, were sacked.

The Saudis had previously insisted that Mr Khashoggi had left the embassy safely.

Theresa May said in parliament on Wednesday that the visas of the Saudi suspects would be revoked.

The FII conference, which is in its second year, was conceived by the crown prince, the de facto political leader of Saudi, as a crucial element of his long term programme to diversify the domestic economy away from its overwhelming reliance on oil.

The conference is being held at a site next to the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, where dozens of wealthy Saudis were detained last year as part of the crown princes anti-corruption drive.

Despite the withdrawal of chief executives from JPMorgan, Blackstone and Mastercard, many corporations still sent lower level employees.
The asking price of almost two-in-five properties for sale in Britain has been reduced by an average of more than 26,000, new research has found.

Sellers have cut the price of 37.9 per cent of homes, up from 32.4 per cent in April, property website Zoopla said, in the latest sign that the UK market may be slowing down.

The figures highlight big differences in the housing market across different regions with Manchester and Glasgow performing well while London lags behind.

In the capital, 39.5 per cent of property listings have been reduced in price  up from 34.6 per cent in April. Mitcham, in southwest London, has seen 45 per cent of asking prices reduced  the most of any London borough. Kensington and Chelsea, home to some of the worlds most expensive residential property, registered the biggest drop in cash terms with an average discount of 127,394.

Brighton had the highest proportion of list prices reduced (46 per cent), while Glasgow and Manchester were at the other end of the list with 19 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

Bradford, Newcastle upon Tyne and London are among the areas with the biggest percentages slashed off the original asking price, the research found. Across Britain, sellers have discounted properties by 26,131 on average.

Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall said the findings should be welcome news for prospective first-time buyers looking to get a foot on the property ladder.

He continued: With further market uncertainty ahead, it will be interesting to see whether these reduction figures rise in the coming months.

The research is the latest sign of a decline in the UK housing market, particularly in London and the pricier parts of the southeast of England.

House price growth in England and Wales slowed to a six-and-a-half-year low in September with prices dropping in most of the southeast, according to the latest figures from Your Move.

The average price rose 0.9 per cent to 302,626 year-on-year, down from an annual increase of 4.5 per cent recorded in September last year.

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The number of transactions dropped 16 per cent on a monthly basis, with an estimated 72,500 sales made in September.

The UK is still suffering from a housing shortage as building lags behind Britains growing population, but demand has been held back because many first-time buyers remain stretched while buy-to-let investing has become less profitable thanks to tax changes since 2016.

Top 10 areas with the highest proportion of homes on the market that have had the original asking price reduced (Zoopla):

1. Brighton, 46.6%

2. Woking, 46%

3. Mitcham, 45.92%

4. Slough, 45.84%

5. Sutton, 45.37%

6. Reading, 44.62%

7. Basingstoke, 43.79%

8. Harrow, 43.34%

9. Twickenham, 43.30%
The NHS is being ripped off by drug manufacturers and pharmaceutical firms who are charging as much as 1,000 a bottle for pain-relieving mouthwash while the government demands efficiency savings on staff and hospitals, ministers have been warned.

More than 230m a year is wasted because of hundred-fold price increases on out-of-patent medications and custom mixtures made with much cheaper ingredients, Scottish National Party MP Dr Philippa Whitford said in questions to the governments health ministers.

The former NHS breast cancer surgeon asked what it was doing about cases like mouthwash used for relieving mouth ulcer pain in chemotherapy patients being sold at ridiculous mark-ups.

After nearly a decade of austerity and pay restraint has been officially declared over, ministers are still demanding trusts meet increasingly unachievable spending and performance targets.

The Central Ayrshire MP said: NHS England is being ripped off to the tune of 230 million a year as the price of some off-patent drugs and non-standard preparations, or specials, have been hiked up hundreds of times, for example to over 1,000 for a bottle of pain-relieving mouthwash.

In Scotland, specials remain in-house to keep the price down, but a year and a half on from the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017, why have the Government not used its powers to stop this drug racketeering?

Specials are typically special ointments or creams made up by big manufacturers for a particular trust or patient group.

The decentralised way that hospitals and NHS groups in England buy these medicines adds an estimated 5bn to 10bn to NHS costs, Dr Whitford said.

She added that it also accounted for 2.5 million nursing hours a week being wasted on non-clinical paperwork, making it the biggest inefficiency in the English NHS.

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Her comments came after a report earlier this year by the National Audit Office, found that the government's failure to act on unreasonable price increases for generic medicines had cost the NHS more than 300m last year.

In response to calls to reverse this market, Stephen Barclay, the health minister in charge of NHS efficiency said: We are looking at this area. As we commit an extra 20 billion in funding to the NHS, our commitment is to ensure that we derive value for money from that investment. That applies to specials, too."

He added that his work looked "at a range of efficiencies such as sending texts and emails, dealing with missed appointments and the use of green energy.
It will cost at least 3.2bn a year to reverse damaging Tory austerity cuts to health budgets for curbing childhood obesity and smoking rates, a major new report has warned.

A report by the Health Foundation think tank has criticised the government for short sighted and irresponsible cost cutting which has created more work for hospitals in the long run.

Public health budgets which underpin ill health prevention initiatives as well as addiction and sexual health services, have been cut by almost a quarter (23.5 per cent) between 2014/15 and 2019/20.

This amounts to a 700m-a-year real terms reduction in the funding council programmes to help people live healthy lives despite ministers' identifying this as one of the top three health priorities.

The cuts have been disproportionately heavy in the most deprived areas, the report warns and this reduction is inevitably heaping pressure on already stretched NHS services.

Public health prevention initiatives are the only way to curb obesity and Type 2 diabetes epidemics  which the health service spends 10 per cent of its budget treating.

NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, addresses demonstrators following the march AFP/Getty NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Reuters NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images

At a time of ongoing wider cuts to public services that directly impact on peoples health, and with the NHS under intense pressure, the cuts to the public health grant are short sighted and irresponsible, Health Foundation director of health Jo Bibby said.

The long term consequences of eroding peoples health are likely to prove far more costly than the short term savings made.

Its report warns that at least an additional 1.3bn will be needed to reverse the lost services in more deprived areas, with the remainder required to address the growing demand for preventative health services

The report comes after doctors warned life expectancy improvements in the UK issues serious warnings over child health in England and Wales caused by austerity.

Responding to the report, Labours shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: When health inequalities are widening, improvements in life expectancy are stalling and infant mortality is tragically rising, a new approach to prevention and public health is clearly more urgent than ever.

Thats why in the Commons on Tuesday I demanded ministers start by reversing these swingeing cuts to public health provision in next weeks Budget."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that the health secretary Matt Hancock would soon outline his "prevention vision".

They added: We have a strong track record on public health  robust Government action has led to a fall in rates of smoking, and our world leading childhood obesity plan promotes ways to keep children healthy from an early age.

Prevention is a top priority and we believe there is always more to be done  which is exactly why we are giving 16 billion to local councils to fund public health services over the current spending period, and we will soon publish our prevention vision.
Crows have shown that they can assemble tools from two or more components  a feat that was previously believed that only humans and great apes were capable of.

A film by scientists from the University of Oxford shows Caledonian crows slotting pieces of rod together to create a tool long enough to extract a food reward.

The birds are seen being presented with the barrels and plungers of disassembled syringes.

Recommended Crows trained to pick up litter at French theme park

Four out of eight of the birds were able to partially insert the plunger to manufacture the right length of tool.

One star performer, called Mango, was able to make compound tools out of three and even four parts, according to the research which is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The birds used the tools to drag a piece of food, a grub, along a slot to an open doorway.

Researcher Dr Auguste von Bayern, from Oxford University and the Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, said: The finding is remarkable because the crows received no assistance or training in making these combinations, they figured it out by themselves.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

Professor Alex Kacelnik, from Oxford University, added: The results corroborate that these crows possess highly flexible abilities that allow them to solve novel problems rapidly, but do not show how they do it. It is possible that they use some form of virtual simulation of the problem, as if different potential actions were played in their brains until they figure out a viable solution, and then do it.

Similar processes are being modelled on artificial intelligences and implemented in physical robots, as a way to better understand the animals and to discover ways to build machines able to reach autonomous creative solutions to novel problems.

Agencies contributed to this report
Scientists have seen evidence of supermassive black holes merging into each other, in a dramatic spectacle that could shed light on the development of the universe.

Researchers found evidence of a significant number of double supermassive black holes. Those are probably precursors to a full merging, of the kind that would send shock waves through the universe.

Scientists say the discovery helps support a theory about the way the universe will develop, as galaxies and their associated black holes merge into each other and expand into even bigger galaxies or black holes.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

Astronomers looked at radio maps of powerful jets being flung towards Earth from elsewhere in space. They found a series of signs that suggested black holes are closely orbiting each other.

Before black holes fully merge together, they form what is known as a binary black hole, swirling around each other in orbit before they eventually get close and smash into each other. Scientists have spotted evidence of smaller black holes crashing into each other since 2015, by measuring the gravitational waves that are sent out into the universe.

But scientists havent yet been able to see evidence of the bigger, supermassive binary black holes.

Now scientists have examined the powerful jets that are thrown out by supermassive black holes. As the binary black holes orbit each other, the jet coming out will occasionally change direction  by mapping those as they change, scientists can confirm that those binary black holes do exist.

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We have studied the jets in different conditions for a long time with computer simulations, said Martin Krause, lead author and senior lecturer in Astronomy at the University of Hertfordshire. In this first systematic comparison to high-resolution radio maps of the most powerful radio sources, we were astonished to find signatures that were compatible with jet precession in three quarters of the sources.
Dozens of firefighters are battling a large blaze at a disused gas works in south London.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it had sent four engines and 25 firefighters to the site in Homesdale Road, Bromley.

Residents in the surrounding area have been told to keep windows and doors closed due to thick smoke. A Tesco supermarket neighbouring the site been forced to shut.

A man who lives close to the site said workers had been knocking down the gas works before the fire broke out.

I just hope everybody is OK, he added.

LFB was first called at 11.30am on Wednesday and said its 999 control room had received more than 65 calls about the blaze.

Crews from Bromley and Sidcup fire stations were sent to tackle the flames.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. There have been no reports of any injuries.

The blaze forced a nearby Tesco to close (Olly Woodward)

The Metropolitan Police has closed roads in the surrounding area and warned considerable disruption is anticipated.

A small exclusion zone is in place around the seat of the fire. Please avoid the area at this time, the force said.

Pictures posted on social media showed officers speaking to customers in Tescos car park as flames roar nearby and a thick plume of black smoke rises up.

A staff member at the supermarket said the store had been closed and would remain shut until Thursday.

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Rail operator Southeastern said it was monitoring the situation as the blaze was near to train lines but services were currently unaffected.

Dozens of people have posted pictures or footage of thick black smoke rising up from the fire.

Huge fire in Bromley this morning, we pray there are no injuries or loss of life, tweeted one man.
Police were forced to evacuate a number of buildings in Manchester city centre after an unexploded tank cartridge was found.

A military bomb disposal team was called in after the shell was uncovered on a building site in New Quay Street.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) closed surrounding roads and told people to leave nearby flats and offices, including the former studios of Granada Television.

Specialist officers were sent to the building site after the force was called shortly before midday.

Early indications suggest the device has been there for some time, the force said in a statement.

A bridge crossing the River Irwell was also closed.

The roads and bridge reopened three hours later after an explosive ordnance disposal team from the military removed the device, GMP said.

Evacuated people now free to return to their buildings and cars, the force tweeted.

It is not yet where when or where the cartridge was made.
The European Parliaments Brexit coordinator has rejected Theresa Mays suggestion that a deal is 95 per cent done, as Brussels warned it will not be bounced into an agreement.

Guy Verhofstadt said the withdrawal agreement needed to prevent no deal was 0 per cent done as far as MEPs were concerned, because of the lack of a solution to the Irish border issue.

Progress on the Brexit negotiations can be 90 per cent, 95 per cent or even 99 per cent, Mr Verhofstadt said.

But as long as there is no solution for the Irish border, as long as the Good Friday agreement is not fully secured, for us in our parliament progress is 0 per cent.

The European Parliament has a veto on the final Brexit deal and has said it would kill any agreement that does not prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Speaking in a debate at the parliaments Strasbourg seat on Wednesday morning, the second in command of the European Commission Frans Timmermans also warned that the block would not rush a deal through at the expense of our principles.

As long as there is no solution for the Irish border... for us in our Parliament progress is zero per cent Guy Verhofstadt

As was clear after the European Council the bottom line is that we do not have the decisive progress that we need, Jean-Claude Junckers deputy said.

The good will and the determination to find a deal as soon as possible are there. But it is also clear that we will not rush a deal through at the expense of our principles or our agreed commitments, most notably on the Irish border question.

 European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmerman: EU will not sacrifice principles to get Brexit deal

With all of this in mind we must now continue negotiating with patience, calm and an open mind. The commission and our chief negotiator Michel Barnier received the full backing of all our leaders to do just that. It is time to deliver and were getting on with the job.

Ms May had said on Monday that 95 per cent of the Withdrawal Agreement and its protocols are now settled but that the Irish border was still a sticking point. Michel Barnier, the Commissions chief negotiator, has previously quoted similar figures, suggesting most issues have been resolved.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

But the question of the Irish border has also dogged talks and proved difficult to resolve. Most recently the UK and EU have considered extending the transition period or setting up elements of a customs union between the UK and EU after Brexit.

But any deal would also have to satisfy Eurosceptics in the Conservative Party, who are threatening to unseat Ms May, and her DUP allies in Northern Ireland, who have rejected a series of possible solutions on the basis that they treat the province differently to the rest of the UK.
International law will force the return of checks at the Irish border if there is a no-deal Brexit, MPs have been told  despite Theresa Mays claim she would never take bring them back.

Both London and Dublin would have no choice but to impose a hard border if the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement, an expert in cross-border law said.

Dr Katy Hayward, from the University of Belfast, also warned of dangerous goods being smuggled into the UK if the prime minister attempted to defy the law and keep the border open.

Both the UK and Irish governments have said they will not introduce border checks, even as the risk of a no-deal Brexit rises with the talks deadlocked.

It follows warnings, including from police chiefs, that they would play into the hands of terrorists, by becoming an easy target for dissident paramilitaries.

But, Dr Hayward told the all-party Brexit committee: If the UK is saying it is not enforcing a border at this point, there is a risk of smuggling of dangerous goods into the UK through its open borders.

And, asked if governments could allow that situation to continue for years, she replied: Its not their choice to say whether they are going to enforce the border or not - they would be obliged to do so under international law.

On the Republic of Ireland side, from the whole of the EU there would be an expectation that a customs border would be enforced.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has also privately suggested that World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules would force the UK to bring back checks without a deal.

And other EU countries are thought to have warned Dublin they would consider checks on trade from the Republic to the continent, if it failed to act.

Stephen Kelly, the chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said the notices simply told companies to contact the Irish government  telling the MPs the message was have a word with the Irish, we'll come back to you.

The vast bulk of people are sitting with their heads in their hands looking for some clarity. The overwhelming reaction is one of worry, concern and waiting, he said.

The stalemate in the Brexit talks is over the EUs requirement for a backstop, to keep Northern Ireland aligned to EU customs and single market rules until a solution to avoid a hard Irish border can be found.

Ms May has called it unacceptable  and Tory MPs have branded it an annexation of UK territory  but Dr Hayward argued people in Northern Ireland preferred it to the damage from crashing out of the EU.

A majority of business and civic leaders and political parties in Northern Ireland say a backstop is acceptable. If its between that and a no deal, a backstop is preferable.

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, echoed that message, saying: A backstop id not perfect, but is much, much preferable to the alternative of a no deal.

Warning beef prices would soar by 37 per cent, and cheese prices by 43 per cent, Mr Connelly added: The Northern Ireland shopper does not have the ability to absorb these cost rises.
The apex court has agreed to hear on October 26 the petition by Verma challenging the government's decision.

Verma also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma Wednesday told the Supreme Court that divesting him of his powers "overnight" by the Centre amounts to interference in the independence of the agency whose probes against "high functionaries" may not take the line desirable to the government.

He said the Centre and the CVC's move was "patently illegal" and such interference "erodes" the independence and autonomy of the premier investigating institution. The apex court agreed to hear on October 26 the petition by Verma challenging the government's decision.

He has said in the petition that the CBI should be kept independent of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which has jurisdiction over the probe agency since it seriously hinders the CBI's independent functioning.

Also Read: CBI boss, deputy sent on leave, interim chief takes over

Verma said that as the CBI is expected to function completely independently and autonomously, there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph by Verma's advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan. He assailed the decision divesting the CBI chief of his powers and sending him on leave in view of the internal feud between Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Verma also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency.

"Over the recent past, although all functionaries within the CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view," the plea said.

Also Read: Alok Verma did not cooperate with CVC, failed to produce records: Govt

It alleged that "hurdles posed" by Asthana have now been compounded by his complicity in "concocting evidence" to impugn the reputation of Verma, leading to a separate FIR being registered by CBI which has been challenged by the special director in the Delhi High Court.

"As matters stood thus, the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) and the Central Government have overnight taken the impugned decisions to divest the petitioner of his complete role as Director CBI and to appoint another individual in his stead. These actions are patently illegal for the reasons...," it said.

The petition also said that as the apex court has repeatedly stated that CBI ought to be insulated from the government, the present actions give serious credence to the requirement that the agency be given independence from the DoPT.

Verma has said he has complete confidence of his officers within the organisation and any illegal interference of this nature not only erodes the independence of the institution but also the morale of its officers.

He urged the court to stay the government's decision to divest him of powers and send him on leave so that such external interference does not occur again. "The details of many of the cases which have led to the present circumstances are extremely sensitive and cannot with full responsibility be divulged in the present pleadings. The petitioner shall, however, furnish the same to this court," he said.

Verma said that not all influence that is exerted by the political government would be found explicitly or in writing. "More often than not, it is tacit and requires considerable courage to withstand," the plea said.

It referred to Section 4B of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, saying it statutorily secures the two-year period of the director's tenure notwithstanding anything to the contrary. This is precisely to secure the independence of the CBI, but the same has been violated by these orders, it said.

"In any event, Section 4A of the Act constitutes a high powered committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India for the purpose of appointing the Director of the CBI as also under Section 4B(2) to grant previous consent for his transfer. The exercise of power by the impugned orders has been to bypass the mandate of the committee," it said.

He sought quashing of three orders of October 23, one by CVC and two by the DoPT, as being without jurisdiction and in violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. He added that the orders were manifestly arbitrary, sans natural justice and without due process.

The petition has said whenever investigations were carried on, decisions regarding the direction of the probe were taken by an investigating officer and then approved at all levels right up to the Director CBI.

After the appointment of Asthana in CBI, despite the pendency of cases against him and the reservations in this regard expressed by Verma, decisions that were crucial to the progress of certain probe were stymied by Asthana alone, it alleged, adding many of these concerned very sensitive cases including those monitored by the top court.

It said that yesterday, three "rapid fire" decisions were taken by the CVC and DoPT. The CVC passed an order under the DSPE Act divesting Verma of all functions regarding any cases registered or to be registered, after which the procedures of natural justice would follow, the plea said.
The governments lack of preparation for a no-deal Brexit could cause chaos as millions of tonnes of waste pile up and the UK is unable to prevent foreign fishing fleets entering its waters, a committee in the House of Lords has warned.

While noting progress had been made under very difficult circumstances, a letter addressed to environment secretary Michael Gove has raised serious concerns about his departments ability to cope with such an outcome.

The Lords European Union Energy and Environment Sub-Committee scrutinised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) preparations for a no-deal Brexit in a meeting with Mr Gove earlier this month.

Prior to this, the National Audit Office had concluded that the department was at high risk of not having necessary plans in place for a no-deal scenario.

Following from Mr Goves testimony, the committee chair Lord Teverson wrote to him outlining five key problem areas.

They expressed concerns about obtaining a post-Brexit status that will allow livestock to be transported to Europe.

You acknowledged that this process could take six months, during which time no animal exports could take place, Lord Teverson wrote. This would be catastrophic for the UKs agri-food sector.

The peers urged Mr Gove and his officials to seek agreement with the EU on a fast-track process that would bypass this long wait, which has previously been hinted at but not agreed upon.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

In earlier evidence to the committee, Mr Gove explained that his biggest concern in a no-deal scenario was what would happen at ports.

Around a fifth of British exports currently reach the EU via the Dover to Calais route. Animal products will only be allowed to enter the EU through a border inspection post in a no-deal situation, and Calais has no such post.

A solution to this problem would be re-routing animal exports to the Belgian ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The lords said such a situation would involve exports leaving from different UK ports, and asked what measures had been put in place to prepare for this major shift.

They also raised the issue of waste exports, which Defra thinks could take over six months to sort out after Brexit. The industry has pointed out that such an interruption to the supply chain could result in nearly 2 million tonnes of waste stranded in the UK.

Control over fisheries was another major concern, according to Lord Teverson, especially considering the import status it had in the Brexit debate.

You will be well aware that, in the eyes of many members of the public, one of the perceived benefits of Brexit is the ability to control who can fish in UK waters, Lord Teverson wrote. We suspect they would be surprised to hear, therefore, that the UK will follow whatever quota allocation is agreed at the annual EU summit in December 2018.

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In practice, this means EU fishing fleets will continue to have access to British waters until the end of 2019.

The committee questioned the fisheries control and enforcement policies that Defra would have in place before March, and whether it had assessed the fishing industrys view of continued EU incursions into UK waters.

In August, rocks and smoke bombs were hurled at British fishing vessels in the English Channel by French fishermen in so-called scallop wars, and Lord Teverson asked if there was any risk of these conflicts repeating themselves when EU vessels continued fishing in British waters.

The committee also said they were disturbed to hear from Mr Gove that he was not aware of many of the issues surrounding chemical regulations following Brexit.

Has your department received no representations from industry on this issue? Now that you are aware, how do you intend to overcome this challenge? Lord Teverson asked.

Responding to the letter, a Defra spokesperson said: We remain confident that we will agree a mutually advantageous deal with the EU, however it is the duty of a responsible government to prepare for a range of potential outcomes including no deal. Defra is working hard to carry out extensive preparations to make sure environmental, welfare and biosecurity standards will continue to be met in a way that supports trade and the smooth flow of goods.

In a separate report released on Tuesday, the same Lords committee warned that the UKs biosecurity could be compromised after Brexit due to the loss of EU systems to prevent diseases and invasive species entering the country.
Britain has left it too late to prepare its borders for a no-deal Brexit, which would be a gift for organised criminals and chaotic for traders, the UKs spending watchdog warns Theresa May today.

Only one of 12 new critical systems is likely to be ready after planning was undermined by political uncertainty and delays in negotiations, the National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded.

The failure would open up weaknesses or gaps in the enforcement regime which organised criminals and others are likely to be quick to exploit, its highly-critical report says.

Recommended Cabinet to get weekly Brexit updates amid fears country not ready

And the problem will be made worse by the UK losing full access to EU security databases after Brexit, which police chiefs have already warned will weaken the fight against crime.

Meanwhile, firms would be hit with delays for goods crossing the border while rogue operators would escape tax and regulatory checks, the report predicts.

Diane Abbott, Labours shadow home secretary, seized on the findings as painting a damning picture on the governments lack of security preparation for Brexit.

She said: The British people will never forgive this government if its in-fighting and political jockeying led them to neglect border security and the international co-operation needed to tackle serious, organised crime and terrorism.

And the Federation of Small Businesses said ministers were living in dreamland if they believed the ability to track and examine goods at the border would be in place for leaving the EU next March.

Every day that passes brings us closer to the sobering realities of a no-deal Brexit that will be damaging and dangerous for our small firms, said Mike Cherry, the FSB chairman.

The prime minister and other senior ministers have repeatedly insisted Britain will be prepared for the shock of a no-deal departure, with only minor disruption.

But the NAO reveals the government knew last July that it was already too late to ensure that all traders were properly prepared for a no deal.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO, criticised ministers for admitting border checks would be less than optimal after a no-deal Brexit, without saying what that means in practice, or how long this will last.

The government has said it will prioritise security and flow of traffic over full checks if Britain leaves the EU without a deal  effectively leaving borders open for products.

Todays report says the creation of a Border Delivery Group has improved central governments understanding of the changes that need to be put in place.

But it said the government was heavily dependent on traders making changes to their own systems and on complying with new processes.

The NAO says: Ongoing political uncertainty and delays in negotiations have hampered the effectiveness of departments border planning and delivery.

This has reduced the time available to plan and implement new border regimes that might be required.

And it adds: Government papers from July 2018 stated that it was already too late to ensure that all traders were properly prepared for no deal.

Its investigation found that:

11 of 12 critical systems to manage the border after a no-deal Brexit were at risk of not being delivered on time and to acceptable quality.

New infrastructure to track and physically examine goods cannot be built before March 2019  making compliance impossible from day one.

An extra 581 staff were being recruited, but training and security clearance would prevent them all being deployed by the leaving date.

260 million customs declarations will need to be processed each year after a no-deal Brexit  almost five times the current 55 million.

Mr Morse said: It is not clear what sub-optimal means in practice, or how long this will last. But what is clear is that businesses and individuals who are reliant on the border running smoothly will pay the price.

Meg Hillier MP, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which shadows the NAO, said there had been a complacent approach to risks to our borders from day one of Brexit.

She added: Infrastructure at our borders will not be in place in the event of a no-deal and there is a real danger that systems will not be ready.

The report points out that the National Crime Agency last month said tackling crime would be more fragmented and less effective if the UK leaves the EU without a security agreement.

However, the EU is on course to reject the prime ministers call for a deep and special partnership to preserve security co-operation, even if there is an orderly Brexit.

It is offering only a slightly closer tie-up than with other non-EU countries  putting at risk the European Arrest Warrant, membership of Europol and access to crime and terror databases.
The British public should be given a Final Say referendum on any Brexit deal Theresa May strikes with the EU, the leader of the socialist group in the European Parliament has said.

Udo Bullmann said the lies of the Brexiteers and the strength of support shown at last weekends march in London meant a vote now had to be on the cards.

The intervention by the leader of the centre-left group of which Labour is a member, is a major boost for The Independents Final Say campaign.

Last Saturday we saw some 700,000 people marching in London to have a Final Say on a possible Brexit deal, Mr Bullmann told a debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday morning.

We think the British people deserve, once they have seen the measures and the consequences of this divorce, once they have seen the lies of the Brexiteers, the British people deserve to have a Final Say on their future. This is my firm belief and this is my understanding of democracy.

Mr Bullmanns intervention is particularly significant because EU figures have so far been reticent to call for a second vote  for fear they might be seen as interfering in Britain's politics.

But the vast show of support on the streets of the capital has apparently encouraged some in Brussels and Strasbourg to break cover and speak out.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

Theresa May has said unequivocally that she will not hold another Brexit referendum. Labour has not committed to another vote but has not ruled one out as a response to a no-deal scenario, though it says it would prefer a general election.

The government is obliged to consult with parliament on the way forward in the event of a no-deal  a time when some campaigners believe a second vote could be formally proposed.

Mr Bullmann is a German MEP, and hails from the centre-left SPD social democrats, which is currently in coalition with Angela Merkel's CDU Christian democrats.
 Close Theresay May admits end to austerity not coming yet

MPs will try to force the government to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland when the Commons votes this evening on a motion tabled by Labour MPs.

The amendment, which would force ministers to ensure that the law in the region is compatible with human rights legislation, has been tabled by Labour backbenchers Stella Creasy and Conor McGinn but has the backing of a number of Tories.

Both the Conservatives and Labour are expected to give their MPs a free vote on the matter, raising the prospect that it could pass.

It comes after the Commons yesterday voted by 208 to 123 in favour of a largely symbolic motion to scrap the 157-year-old laws that make abortion illegal in Northern Ireland. It was backed by several Tory ministers, including women and equalities minister Penny Mordaunt, piling pressure on Ms May to act.

Proposing her amendment, Ms Creasy told the Commons: "This amendment would not create a new law in Northern Ireland but what it would do is recognise that there are thousands of people in Northern Ireland whose lives right now are affected by two key human rights issues.

They are human rights issues because the are issues on which our courts are currently discussing, ruling and indeed appealing."

She added: They refer in particular to the right of somebody to be able to marry who they love and the right of women to have bodily autonomy. To make the choice, if they wish, to not continue with an unwanted pregnancy.

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Theresa May has announced the UK government will today revoke visas of suspects related to the killing of the Saudi journalist and dissident, Jamal Khashoggi.

The action comes after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed the kingdom's efforts to blame Mr Khashoggi's death within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on "rouge operatives".

Ms May, who will later speak with King Salman of Saudi Arabia over the killing, told MPs gathered in the Commons that the government condemned the killing of the Washington Post journalist in the "strongest possible terms".

She said ministers have made clear that the Saudi officials must "cooperate with Turkey and conduct a full and credible investigation".

She continued: "The claim that has been made that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation, so there does remain an urgent need to establish exactly what has happened."

"The home secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK and if these individuals currently having visas, those visas will be revoked today."

The action from the prime minister was announced following a demand from the SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, to suspend arms sales to the kingdom in the wake of the murder and the on-going brutal war in Yemen.

Before Ms May's announcement, the former deputy prime minister, Michael Heseltine, had also urged Britain and other western powers to "take a stand" over Mr Khashoggi's death.

"In this particular case I haven't the slightest doubt that the Western allies have got to take a stand over the butchering of Mr Khashoggi," Lord Heseltine told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Show all 7 1 /7 Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi Washington Post journalist who was critical of the Saudi regime and the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he was murdered on 2 October in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul AFP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Heir to the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in the murder, with US officials claiming that he must have known of the plot AFP/Getty Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures 15 man hit squad Turkish police suspect these 15 men of being involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, issued 10 October, 8 days after the journalist disappeared EPA Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saud al-Qahtani Aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saud al-Qahtani is claimed to have ordered Khashoggi's murder Saud Al-Qahtani/Twitter Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb A former diplomat who often travelled with the Crown Prince, Mutreb was initially claimed to be the leader of the hit squad and is pictured here entering the Saudi consulate on the day of the murder AP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Mustafa al-Madani First implicated in the 15 CCTV photos released by the Turkish police, al-Madani was later found to have been used as a body double for Khashoggi, leaving the Saudi consulate dressed in his clothes on the day the journalist was killed CNN Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi (L) Son of the murdered journalist met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 23 October EPA

"That's a scandalous thing to do and we cannot be in a position where we are criticising the Russians for the Salisbury incident and then stand back and allow ourselves to be associated with this event in Turkey.

"At the moment no-one has been able to prove - although they are trying and they may succeed - the connection between the Saudi government and this appalling event, but events are moving in that direction."

The Saudis finally admitted at the weekend that Mr Khashoggi - who has not been seen since entering the consulate on October 2 - is dead but said he was killed accidentally in a "fight".

That explanation has been dismissed by the Turkish authorities, who say he was tortured, killed and his body dismembered by a 15-man hit squad sent from Riyadh.
A bomb has been discovered in a package sent to the home of Hillary and Bill Clinton in New York, police say.

Officials say the suspicious package is similar to that left at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros just two days ago. Other packages reportedly containing explosives were also sent to former President Barack Obama, the White House, the Time Warner headquarters, which houses CNN's New York offices, and a Florida building housing the offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Follow latest updates on 'bombs' and suspicious packages sent to high profile recipients.

The packages, sent Wednesday morning to the Clintons residence in Chappaqua, New York, and Mr Obama's home in Washington, were intercepted by US Secret Service, after the package containing explosive powder was discovered at billionaire philanthropist George Soros home earlier this week.

Both the Clinton and Soros residencies are located in Westchester county.

The return address on at least two of the suspicious packages intercepted Wednesday were labelled as being from former Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, NBC New York reported. Shortly after, it was reported that a building housing the Florida lawmaker's office was also sent a suspicious package.

In a Wednesday statement, the US Secret Service said it has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees, naming Ms Clinton and Mr Obama as the recipients.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the statement said. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

The Secret Service added that it had already initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

On Wednesday morning, the New York Police Department also announced it was investigating a suspicious package sent to CNN's New York offices located inside the Time Warner headquarters.

We are fine thanks to the men and women of the secret service, Ms Clinton said Wednesday, adding the package was intercepted by Secret Service long before it made its way to our home.

As a person, Im doing great, as an American, Im worried, she said.

 'Trump has been racist, he's been sexist, he's been Islamophobic, he has been anti-LGBTQ,' says Hillary Clinton

An employee of Mr Soros first located the suspicious package located at his residency earlier this week, placing it in a deeply wooded area before alerting the FBI and he Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives.

Chappaqua is a quiet suburb in Westchester county outside of New York City. The Clintons have lived in the home since the late 1990s.

Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Rodham Clinton as a Wellesley College senior Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham in at Wellesley College Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Rodham Working with the House Committee on Nixon's Impeachment Case Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures US Presidential candidate Bill Clinton with wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea at the Democratic National Convention Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill and Hillary Clinton at the Inaugural Ball Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill and Hillary Clinton with Barbara Bush Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, President William Jefferson Clinton their daughter Chelsea, at the first state dinner of the Clintons administration Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Clinton meets with 12 chidren in response to their letter to the President concerning their health problems Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Nelson Mandela jokes with First Lady Hillary Clinton Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Senator Hillary Rodham comforts Maren Sarkarat the conclusion of the Family Memorial Service held at Ground Zero of the WTC Getty

FBI officials are reportedly working with local law enforcement to follow any leads in each case, and have been combing over surveillance footage to learn whether the package found at Mr Soros home was hand delivered or sent by mail.

The suspicious packages sent to Mr Soros  a major donor to the Democratic party  and former high-power Democratic leadership arrived during an especially tumultuous midterm election season, as both sides attempt to address an apparent lack of civility in the nationwide political discourse.

Officials declined to provide immediate details on the packages found Wednesday.

However, a senior official expressed "concern" over the similarities between the packages discovered at the Clinton and Soros residencies.

A press conference with the New York Police Department has been scheduled for this afternoon.

More follows
A suspicious package sent to a Florida building housing the offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz was being investigated Wednesday as a string of explosive devices were sent to several high-profile recipients.

The offices were reportedly evacuated, along with CNNs offices in New York City after the Time Warner building was also sent a suspicious package.

Follow along with live updates on the suspicious packages sent to high-profile recipients.

The US Secret Service also announced Wednesday it had intercepted explosives sent to Bill and Hillary Clinton in New York, as well as former President Barack Obamas home in Washington. A suspicious package was also being investigated within the vicinity of a California building housing the offices of Senator Kamala Harris as well as the San Diego Union Tribune.

At least two of the suspicious packages intercepted by authorities on Wednesday reportedly featured return addresses labelled with Ms Schultzs name. A package sent to Eric Holder was reportedly returned to the congresswoman's offices, which was listed in the return label, though it wasn't immediately clear whether that was the package discovered in Florida on Wednesday.

Police in Florida confirmed they were investigating the possible suspicious package sent to the lawmakers Sunrise offices after a Broward Sheriffs Office bomb squat unit and firefighters were deployed to the scene.

 Suspicious packages found near Clinton and Obama homes

Other details on the package and when it was first discovered were not immediately clear. There were no initial reports of injuries.

In a Wednesday statement, the US Secret Service said it has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees, naming Ms Clinton and Mr Obama as the recipients.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the statement said. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The Secret Service added that it had already initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

On Wednesday morning, the New York Police Department also announced it was investigating a suspicious package sent to CNN's New York offices located inside the Time Warner headquarters.

An employee of Mr Soros first located the suspicious package located at his residency earlier this week, placing it in a deeply wooded area before alerting the FBI and he Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives.

Chappaqua is a quiet suburb in Westchester county outside of New York City. The Clintons have lived in the home since the late 1990s.

FBI officials are reportedly working with local law enforcement to follow any leads in each case, and have been combing over surveillance footage to learn whether the package found at Mr Soros home was hand delivered or sent by mail.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

The suspicious packages sent to Mr Soros  a major donor to the Democratic party  and former high-power Democratic leadership arrived during an especially tumultuous midterm election season, as both sides attempt to address an apparent lack of civility in the nationwide political discourse.

Officials declined to provide immediate details on the packages found Wednesday.

However, a senior official expressed "concern" over the similarities between the packages discovered at the Clinton and Soros residencies.

A press conference with the New York Police Department has been scheduled for this afternoon.

More follows
Senator Marco Rubio has said that aid to Central American countries help us more than them in response to Donald Trumps threat to cut off foreign aid to countries unable to stop undocumented immigrants making their way to the US.

The Republican from Florida tweeted Our aid to #Honduras & #Guatemala isnt charity. It helps us more than them. By seizing drugs before they enter U.S. & kill Americans.

Both men were talking about a caravan of approximately 7,000 refugees and migrants travelling north towards the US-Mexico border having gone through Honduras and Guatemala.

The president had said on Twitter earlier this week that the Central American countries nor Mexico were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the US."

"We will now begin cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to Honduras and Guatemala, the president said.

Mr Rubio, whose own grandfather came close to being deported as an undocumented immigrant from Cuba, said while he understood why the president would want to punish those countries for not adequately address the rampant poverty and gang violence which have plagued them for years and pushed people to seek asylum or enter the US illegally.

However, Mr Rubio noted our aid to #Honduras & #Guatemala isnt cash. Its primarily equipment & training to stop drugs headed to U.S. & to deal with the gangs causing people to leave those countries.

Mr Rubio also noted it is border security because the aid focuses on violence prevention and ultimately helps the US fight the gangs that are terrorising the people who ultimately wind up on our border.

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

According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2016, the US gave Honduras nearly $128m, Guatemala $297m, and El Salvador $75m in aid across all federal agencies mostly aimed towards counter-narcotics activities, military training, agricultural subsidies, and violence prevention.

By next year, those sums are projected to fall to $69.4m for Guatemala, $65.8m for Honduras, and $45.7m in the case of El Salvador.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Several international development experts have noted US foreign aid is not perfect but cutting it off to the region could have disastrous effects for children in terms of education and malnutrition, and would allow gangs and government corruption to flourish unchecked.

He also said he had alerted US Customs and Border Patrol and the US military.

Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said that while National Guard troops are currently supporting the Department of Homeland Security on the border, the Pentagon had not been asked to provide additional support. There are currently 2,100 National Guard troops along the border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, according to the Pentagon
US President Donald Trump has called himself a nationalist but denies the racial connotation of the word.

You know, they have a word, Mr Trump said at a rally on Monday night in Texas.

It sort of became old fashioned. Its called a nationalist. And I say, 'Really, were not supposed to use that word?' You know what I am? I'm a nationalist, okay, Im a nationalist.

Critics like CNN anchor Don Lemon have called the president out on his choice of words, questioning whether using the term was a sloppy mistake or a dog whistle.

A dog whistle is coded language that means one thing to the general population  like love of our country  and secretly means another thing to a certain group  such as priority for whites to racists.

There is nothing formally racial in the dictionarys definition of nationalism: it simply means devotion to ones own country. However, in both a historical and modern context, many have linked the word nationalist with controversial, far-right conservative, and sometimes white supremacist ideologies.

CNN reports that the term dates back to the 17th century, but today, American nationalists are often associated with white nationalists, specifically.

White nationalists want the US to remain a primarily white nation, with white people holding the most political, social, and economic power. White nationalists organised the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, when a woman was killed when a vehicle rammed into anti-fascist protesters.

On Tuesday, reporters asked the president if his use of the term means that hes a white nationalist. "Ive never even heard that. I cannot imagine that," Mr Trump said, according to The Hill. Instead, he insisted, he used the word to explain how he loves America and wants the country to be treated fairly and with respect.
A group of armed robbers were arrested after a shop owner tricked them into returning to his business so police could arrest them.

The owner of the e-cigarette shop in Belgium, who identified himself as Didier, was confronted by six people who intended to rob him at around 3pm.

Recommended Armed robber demands shop owner stream his crime live on Facebook

In a 14-minute discussion with the thieves, Didier suggested they should come back later in the day when the shop was closing so he could give them more money.

I told them clearly that 3pm is not the best time to hold up a store, Didier said. He then told the thieves, Youll take 1,000 bucks, but if you come back tonight you might be able to take more.

When the group left, Didier contacted police in the town of Charleroi, south of Brussels, and asked them to wait for the thieves to return.

Its like it was a comedy, Didier told the BBC. Theyre being called the worst robbers in Belgium.

When I called the police, they didnt believe [the thieves] would come back.

To their surprise, the group returned twice to collect the money. First, they arrived at 5.30pm but were sent away again because it was not closing time.

When they returned an hour later, undercover police officers were waiting to arrest them.

Local media reported five men have been arrested, including a minor.
Centre has simplified the process of renunciation of Indian citizenship, providing relief to Indians who have applied for foreign passports.

In a notification, the ministry said a person, who is a foreign-origin spouse of a citizen of India or of an OCI cardholder, and who fulfil the laid down conditions shall be eligible to apply for registration as OCI card holder. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Foreign-origin spouses of Indian nationals or an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder will now be eligible for obtaining the privileged OCI card which grants multiple entry, multi-purpose, life-long visa for visiting the country, the Home Ministry said Tuesday.

The home ministry has also simplified the process of renunciation of Indian citizenship, providing relief to Indians who have applied for foreign passports.

In a notification, the ministry said a person, who is a foreign-origin spouse of a citizen of India or of an OCI cardholder, and who fulfil the laid down conditions shall be eligible to apply for registration as OCI card holder.

So far, they were not allowed to apply for this facility.

The person is entitled to general parity with Non-Resident Indians in respect of all facilities available to them in economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

The OCI card scheme was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention 2006 in Hyderabad. The scheme provides for registration as Overseas Citizen of India of all Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who were citizens of India on January 26, 1950 or thereafter or were eligible to become citizens of India on January 26, 1950 except who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Home Ministry has also amended the Citizenship Rules, 2009, related to the declaration of renunciation of citizenship.

A declaration of renunciation of citizenship of India shall be made by a citizen of India in the prescribed form and on receipt of the declaration of renunciation of citizenship of India, the authority concerned will process it, the notification said.

On being satisfied about the correctness of the particulars of the declaration made under the relevant rule, the declaration will be registered by the authority concerned and a certificate of renunciation of Indian citizenship will be issued to the declarant, it said.
I sleep here. 21-year-old Ahmad points to a grubby blanket on a patch of soil beneath an apartment block in northern Paris. Its 3am in October but the Afghan national wears only a T-shirt. His arm bears a small bullet wound, and a cluster of self-inflicted slashes cover both wrists.

I got a letter saying if I find you anywhere in Afghanistan, I will shoot you directly like your father, he says in perfect English, sweeping back an overgrown fringe. I said to my mother, Goodbye, I hope you have a long life, lets see if I can make a life. But now Im in Europe, there is nothing.

Ahmad pulls a folded plastic wallet from his pocket  a document from the French authorities outlining his decision to appeal a rejected asylum claim. Its been eight months and Im still waiting for an answer. I have nobody helping me.

 Refugees in Paris forced to sleep among rats and rotting waste

Several hundred metres from his makeshift dwelling lies so-called Crack Hill. Unknown to most Parisians, the strip of conjoining roads at Porte de la Chapelle is infested with rats and rotting waste, and has become a hotspot for drug addicts. Prostitutes pose on street corners as crack addicts shamelessly smoke or inject themselves on the wall. There isnt a police officer in sight.

Charities warn that the proximity of this lawless hub to scores of sleeping refugees  of which there are an estimated 800 on any given night  is a recipe for exploitation, as vulnerable asylum-seekers with no right to work are lured into transporting drugs and even selling their bodies in order to earn money to survive.

Yards away, on a concrete island between two main roads, a large cluster of blankets and sleeping bags marks the sleeping bodies of several dozen West African men, some just boys, bedding down for the night. Others sleep in a narrow ditch running alongside the road, among the rats and abandoned litter.

Trying to find somewhere to sleep which isnt dangerous is impossible for a lot of refugees  and it makes them perfect prey for exploitation, says Heather Young, a veteran volunteer who has embarked on night-time distributions in the area for the last four winters.

Being on the streets makes refugees vulnerable to exploitation (Heather Young)

There is this really young boy from Somalia. We knew him seven weeks ago. He still had a fresh face. Now he is cracked out. In seven weeks hes just plummeted. Hes a slave to all of it.

Heather, who tours the area every other night with Paris Refugee Ground Support, makes reference to Ahmed, saying she found him a few nights ago with sore and bloody forearms after he spent his birthday alone.

He comes from a wealthy family and was well-educated in Afghanistan, but now, with just a blanket and a crumpled asylum claim, he has no choice but to rely on black work to live.

The kid needs help, but the only way for him to survive is to find work  black work. He tells me hes working six-hour shifts for 20 euros for some food chain. Its a recipe for exploitation, Heather says.

The risks facing refugees in Paris are exacerbated by increasing delays on the French authorities processing asylum claims, and a lack of support or legal means of earning money in the interim period, making homeless refugees malleable prey.

Rats and rotting waste where refugees are forced to sleep (May Bulman)

Unaccompanied minors, of which there are up to 100 out each night, are eligible to state support under child protection law, but many are initially refused  with 50 per cent overturned on appeal. Appeals take between two to 14 months, with no support offered during this time.

They are left without anything, so they become invisible, and then its just violence and exploitation, says Alix Geoffrey, head of Utopia, a charity supporting homeless child refugees in Paris. People with bad intentions who stumble on to a kid who is isolated and on the street and see an opportunity to abuse.

Alix explains that sometimes drug dealers will tactically offer hard drugs to young refugees for no cost, promoting it as a form of escape, so that they develop addictions and become dependent.

Theyre very aware of how to do it. They offer it for free the first time and the second time, and then say okay you can have it if you go sell this for me, and its very quickly too late, she says.

Weve had a few cases where we see the kid and recognise them from six months or a year before, but they are evidently hooked on drugs. Its too late to do anything. We dont have the skills to intervene.

There are reports of refugees being offered shelter in return for sexual favours (May Bulman)

Weve known of girls being raped. There was one 16-year-old girl recently who we took to the police because we were concerned about her. But she ended up back on the steer, and experienced a rape attempt.

Volunteers say teenagers with no option but to sleep on the streets are also vulnerable to sexual grooming and exploitation, with adults allegedly offering them shelter in return for sexual favours.

A lot of minors will come to us and say they have been staying somewhere, but they know what this person wants in return, says Alix. Theyre staying with women and men who are exploiting them.

But when you ask them for more information they completely close up. Thats why its very difficult to know how often this is happening and to report it to the police.

Beneath a large underpass close to the drugs area, another Afghan male, who doesnt look older than 17, with wide eyes and clear skin, is walking alone and in tears following a scuffle with some men over a sleeping bag.

Drug dealers tactically prey on the young refugees (May Bulman)

He will be perfect prey for so many people here, says Heather, after comforting the boy and bidding him farewell. The tragic thing is, we cant help him. There are so many like him, and we have no power to help.

At around 5am, as the darkness fades into the approaching dawn, the toxic buzz of Crack Hill begins to die down. Refugees lie still under their donated blankets and sleeping bags, and Ahmad is tucked alone on his patch of soil. For a moment it feels peaceful.

But within hours, police will arrive to clear them away. The refugees will blend into the city for another day until they are forced to become part of Pariss criminal underworld once again.

The French police have been approached for comment.

The names of asylum seekers have been changed to protect their identities
Turkish media broadcast images early Wednesday showing two Saudi operatives connected to the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi carrying what appeared to be large black cases, in what could be the first confirmation that Turks have surveillance footage showing The Washington Post columnists alleged executioners carrying away his remains.

The security camera images, broadcast by CNN Turk, were the latest in a series of media leaks by Turkish authorities that challenge Riyadhs account of Khashoggis murder and subsequent cover-up, part of a campaign that has badly damaged Saudi Arabias credibility and reputation.

Saudi officials contend Khashoggi died accidentally in a physical confrontation during an unauthorised overseas kidnapping operation ordered and carried out by senior officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is scheduled to speak today at a major investment conference. They say the 59-year-olds body was wrapped in a rug and disposed of by a local collaborator whom they have not identified

But many world leaders have rejected the Saudi explanation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the evidence collected shows the killing was premeditated" in a speech before parliament on Tuesday.

Even US President Donald Trump, close to the Saudi leadership, has cast doubt on Riyadhs claims.

Still from security camera footage broadcast on CNN Turk shows what appears to be Saudi consular officials carrying a large case (CNN Turk)

On Tuesday, hours after CIA director Gina Haspel met with Turkish counterparts in Ankara about the Khashoggi murder, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced visa suspensions for Saudi royal court, foreign ministry, intelligence and other officials allegedly involved in the killing and subsequent cover-up, without identifying them. He also confirmed that Washington officials were considering slapping Saudi officials with sanctions under the Magnitsky Act which punishes human rights abusers.

Still from security camera footage broadcast on CNN Turk shows what appears to be Saudi consular officials carrying a large case

President Trump has resisted calls by even his own Republican Party members to halt, suspend, or review weapons sales to Saudi over the killing but Germany has vowed to suspend arms transfers, and Canada, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands were under pressure to halt sales over the Khashoggi matter as well as concern about the years-long Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has brought the impoverished nation to the brink of mass starvation.

Meanwhile in Riyadh, the second day of a glitzy, high-powered economic summit dubbed 'Davos in the Desert' got underway with the absence of some Western officials and corporate leaders loathe to be associated with the Crown Prince at the moment but the presence of many other international executives, including the chairman of MasterCard, UK national Richard Haythornthwaite. Saudi media claimed $50 billion in energy and transport deals were signed during the conferences first day, even as attendees condemned Khashoggis murder.

Still from security camera footage broadcast on CNN Turk shows what appears to be Saudi consular officials carrying a large case (CNN Turk)

Those partners who are here with us today, to continue their journey with us are certainly going to look back and find out how the lessons have been learned from the incident, but at the same time how committed the Kingdom is to its partners who stay the course, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told attendees.

In Turkey, the investigation into Mr Khashoggis death continues, with curious new clues turning up daily. Turkish police on Tuesday reportedly discovered clothes, a laptop, and other personal effects inside an abandoned diplomatic vehicle registered to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish police crime scene investigators, looking for possible clues into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, work in an underground car park, where authorities Monday found a vehicle belonging to the Saudi consulate, in Istanbul, Tuesday, 23 October, 2018 (AP/Emrah Gurel)

Photographs showed security forces searching through the 2011 black Mercedes-Benz with green consular registration plates. The vehicle was reportedly abandoned in an underground car park on Istanbuls northern outskirts days after Khashoggis murder.

The car matched the description and plates of a vehicle seen at the Saudi consulate on the day of the 2 October killing at the hands of Saudi security and intelligence officials dispatched from Riyadh to confront the dissident. The daily Hurriyet, citing an employee of the car park, reported that the vehicle arrived at the lot on 7 October, driven by a consular official.

That same consular official then returned in a BMW on 18 October, placing three suitcases into the parked Mercedes before departing, the paper reported. Police found the vehicle on 22 October.
Let bygones be bygones. Let sleeping dogs lie. But not everyone would agree: for decades the families of 24 people allegedly massacred by British soldiers in 1948 at Batang Kali, Malaysia, have been trying to get the UK to investigate  without success. Their efforts recently came to the end of the line when an application to the European Court of Human Rights was rejected.

The families, led by Nyok Keyu Chong, thought the UK should investigate because in 1948 Batang Kali was within the British Empire. There had been investigations in the past, but Chong thought they were not good enough, and that new information from the Royal Malaysia Police and a 2009 book would make a difference. However, the UK government refused a new inquiry, and an appeal to the UK Supreme Court was unsuccessful. In desperation the families turned to the European Court of Human Rights, which has now ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights cannot help them.

The backdrop to this case is a 21st-century revision of how we view events of the past. Wrongdoing that was once swept under the carpet is now being re-examined, with people asking important questions about the UKs reliance on slavery and colonialism.

The official line just after the Batang Kali massacre was that a number of bandits had been shot while making an attempt to escape custody. In 1969 The People newspaper reported that the victims were killed in cold blood, and several of the alleged perpetrators appeared on TV to confirm this new version of the events. The Labour government at the time said it was taking the matter very seriously, but after the Conservatives won the 1970 general election the investigation was cancelled.

The right to truth

Families of Batang Kali victims at the High Court in London in 2012 (EPA)

In the wake of awful events, finding out exactly what happened, and why, takes on a special significance. After the fall of apartheid in South Africa, the country embarked upon a process of truth and reconciliation. A commission was established, with the power to grant amnesties in return for information. Getting to the truth was so important that South Africa was willing to sacrifice the ability to prosecute people who had done terrible things.

The UN General Assembly has gone so far as to promote the idea of a right to the truth in respect of the most serious human rights violations. It also proclaimed 24 March as an annual day for the right to the truth. These efforts are designed to encourage states, but that is as much as the UN can do here  encourage. Since the General Assembly is not a parliament and does not make international law, there is a problem when states refuse to be encouraged.

This is what faced the families of the victims of the Batang Kali massacre. Spurred on by changing attitudes to colonialism, families leader Chong thought the time was right to request a new public enquiry. The UK government refused, so Chong tried, in effect, to use UK and European human rights law to enforce a right to the truth.

A disappointing outcome

International human rights law has long recognised that some past violations have effects that continue into the present day: these are called continuing violations. The clearest example is enforced disappearance, where it is accepted that the uncertainty and anguish felt by relatives continues until the fate of the missing person is known. The events at Batang Kali cannot be characterised as enforced disappearances so the law as it stands, disappointingly, does not recognise that they give rise to a continuing violation.

Eugene de Kock pictured with film maker Jann Turner at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission headquarters in 1997. Nicknamed Prime Evil, De Kock was sentenced to two life sentences plus 212 years in prison for crimes against humanity (George Hallett)

Sometimes when new information about events even in the distant past (including cover-ups) comes to light, it can trigger a present-day obligation to investigate. This is because the right to life contains not only a duty not to deprive people of their life arbitrarily, but also a duty to investigate suspicious deaths. The European Court found that there were not enough new developments in relation to Batang Kali.

The European Court has said that it might look into the failure to investigate historical events that go against the very foundations of the European Convention, such as war crimes or crimes against humanity. This would be to protect the underlying values of the convention. However in the Batang Kali case, the European Court said that such convention values cannot help where the events took place before the European Convention on Human Rights even existed.

The European Court of Human Rights is a great institution that has real power to promote justice. And it has in the past recognised that proper investigations promote the right to truth. In the Batang Kali case it could have found that refusing to investigate the alleged events and cover-up gave rise to a continuing violation. It could have found that new materials supplied by Chong were a significant new development. Finally it could have found that a present-day convention value is to investigate credible allegations about the worst excesses of colonialism. The European Court invented the convention values test only recently, and it is in its power to put events to that test. Given this historic opportunity, it is profoundly disappointing that the court declined to put itself on the frontline in the quest for a right to the truth.

It was, and indeed still is, possible for the UK government to instigate a public inquiry into the events of 1948. With concerted political pressure it might still happen  and while at least some of the people who were there as children are still alive and able to find out why their parents were killed.

James Sweeney is a professor at Lancaster law school, Lancaster University. This article was first published on TheConversation.com
The best place to celebrate Halloween in the world. It must be Transylvania, the home of Dracula, right? Or Salem, Massachusetts, for its history of witches, right. Maybe even New York, for its celebrity-led annual Village Parade.

One place you almost certainly wouldn't think of is Derry  the second city of Northern Ireland. But that's where you'd be wrong.

I was born and bred in Derry, so dont take my word for it. Instead, listen to USA Today, who named Derry the "best Halloween destination in the world" in 2015. If Americans say someone else does Halloween better, you can guarantee they do.

Recommended What to do on a weekend in Derry

Growing up, I would dress up with my family and join the Halloween parade as it snaked through the streets, before assembling to watch a spectacular fireworks display from the banks of the River Foyle.

I thought everywhere did this. It was only when I first moved away from Derry for university that I realised Halloween wasnt nearly as big a deal anywhere else, and I've always wondered how our city came to be such an essential festive location. The answer, it seems, has its roots in Irish history.

Dont be fooled by the Americanisation of 31 October. Halloween's origins date back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in), when, according to tradition, the ghosts of the dead returned to walk the earth before a new year began for the Celts on 1 November.

This sparked a long tradition of sacrifices, bonfires, activities, and the telling of ghost stories. Indeed, despite the introduction of Christianity, the pagan culture of Ireland  and a belief in the supernatural, spirits, and fortune tellers  remained very much alive in the nation. The popularisation of Halloween in America in the late 19th century coincided with the mass migration of Irish people following the potato famine of the 1850s, suggesting that as with many American traditions, it was brought to the country by immigrants, before being mass-marketed and exported back to the world.

But back in Derry, the carnival we know and love is entirely homegrown. My grandparents generation have memories of little more than telling ghost stories, but Jacqueline Whoriskey, the festival manager, fills me in on how the festivities grew in size.

It was started by the local communities, groups getting together and dressing up," she says. "Derry has a lot of creativity, and because it was a city of shirt factories, people also had the skills to put together great costumes. It was done among the local people long before it drew others in from abroad.

Derry's festivities are far more than trick-or-treating

In 1986, the city council stepped in to make Halloween more of an organised event. Arthur Arbuckle was one of the workers who helped put that first year together.

It was a very small carnival," he tells me. We built a stage in the Guildhall Square, there was a small band, no parade  just a festival which then grew year after year. Ive spoken to people whove come from all over the world: England, Germany, America. They just thought it was the greatest thing ever.

That certainly rings true for the people I spoke to. Lorenzo De Martino  an Italian living in London  visited Derry for Halloween with friends a few years ago, and remembers how the locals truly embraced the whole affair.

I was positively surprised at the effort people made for fancy dress, and how big an event is actually is," he says. "It wasnt just about finding a ready-made costume to wear but to go and find different pieces in different shops to create the best and most original outfit.

Otherwise known as being a city of song and dance, rich in history with a reputation for a good night out, the Halloween celebrations fuse the best of Derry together  starting with the 17th-century city walls that give it its nickname, the Walled City (Derry is the only fully intact walled city in Ireland). While they've often been seen as a divisive symbol in a city largely populated by Irish nationalists, now the Halloween "wakening of the walls"  which see them brought to life with art projections and nearby parades  has given them a new significance.

The 17th-century walls are an integral part of Derry's festivities

In 2013, the Halloween carnival was one of the centrepieces of Derrys year as UK City of Culture. On the occassion of its 30th anniversary in 2016, the council estimates 80,000 people took part in four days of festivities  with 30,000 people attending the main carnival itself. It's unique in the world, insists Whoriskey. We dont know of anywhere else in Europe that puts on a Halloween carnival like we do  and we have looked hard!

The celebrations culminate in a parade on the night of Halloween

Visitors to the carnival can expect fireworks and Jack-o-lantern competitions (with traditional Irish turnips used for carving in addition to the expected pumpkins). To tie in with this years theme of Under the Samhain Moon, there will be a giant moon on display in the central Guildhall Square  the centre for many activities  before it is released during the final parade.

Of course Halloween isnt just for children, and it isn't just for horror fans either. The Derry celebrations will see a harvest market for foodies, the Samhain Sessions for music lovers, as well as plenty of opportunities to scare yourself senseless  literally. The Playhouse Theatre is engaging the help of its resident ghost  supposedly a nun, who lingers there from when the building was a school  and putting on a sensory deprivation exercise called See No Evil which involves being put in a room blindfolded, to heighten your other senses.

So, for the best Halloween experience in the world, rooted in th festival's history, look no further than Derry. And remember: spooky costumes bought in a shop are usually frowned upon, so get creative while youve still got time.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Loganair flies to Derry from London Southend. Ryanair flies from Glasgow and Liverpool.

Staying there

The Bishop's Gate Hotel has doubles from 129, B&B.

More information

derryhalloween.com

This article was originally published in October 2017.
Eurostars link from London to Amsterdam is proving so popular after just six months that extra trains are planned to start next summer.

From June 2019, a new daily round-trip will add 58 per cent to capacity on the route. It will depart from St Pancras in the middle of the day, in addition to the existing morning service (daily except Sunday) and late afternoon run (daily except Saturday).

The timings for the existing services move earlier. But they will slow down by 14 minutes, taking 3h55m rather than 3h41m. The new departure is slower still, taking 26 minutes longer than current trips with a journey time of 4h07m.

The new schedule envisages the first train leaving St Pancras at 7.16am, 75 minutes earlier than now. It will reach the Dutch capital at 12.11pm.

The added train will depart at 11.04am, which allows plenty of time for travellers from elsewhere in Britain to reach London. Even passengers on the first morning train from Edinburgh and Newcastle should be able comfortably to connect.

But due to the availability of paths (the rail equivalent of slots for flights) on the complex network, the train from London is scheduled to wait at Brussels Midi station for 17 minutes before continuing to Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Train gain: planned new timetable from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam (Eurostar)

The new timings are likely to increase the appeal to business travellers, allowing an earlier arrival in the Netherlands and increasing the range of choices.

But the return journey from Amsterdam and Rotterdam requires a change of trains in Brussels because there is no facility for security and immigration screening at the Dutch stations.

Passengers have to take a Thalys high-speed train to Brussels, where they clear formalities and board a Eurostar service.

Border controls are expected to be in place by the end of 2019. Eurostar has said it intends to double the current number of trains each day to four with ambitions for five services a day.

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The train operator says that 130,000 passengers have switched from air to rail since the service began in April, saving over 7,000 tonnes of CO2.

The Dutch transport secretary, Stientje van Veldhoven, told Algemeen Dagblad: I want to get as many passengers as possible to choose the train over the plane for short distances within Europe, I want to do everything I can to make Eurostars plan possible.

Rail operators, like airlines, are concerned about the effect of a no-deal Brexit on UK-Europe links. For Eurostar and Eurotunnel trains to continue to run will require a new legal agreement.
Kyoto, Japans crown jewel of tourism, could be the next destination to become a victim of its own success.

Residents and business owners in the citys Gion-Shinbashi district have joined together to form a scenery preservation committee to combat issues brought on by overtourism, including half-naked hikers, trespassing travellers and prolonged photo shoots, according to Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun.

The group has signed a memorandum demanding better behaviour from tourists. If no countermeasures are taken, the elegant view of Gion will be spoiled, said Kanji Tomita, vice representative of the group.

Recommended Amsterdam has a new solution for overtourism

Their campaign specifically targets enthusiastic selfie-takers, suggesting they spend less time posing, and people who strip off in public.

It follows the Kyoto Convention and Visitors Bureaus etiquette manual, which advises visitors not to hassle geishas, cycle while drunk, take their own food and drink to a restaurant or touch old buildings and objects.

The citys tourist board and the Japanese government have also recognised the problems caused by the influx of tourists, who come in droves to see the cherry blossom trees, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, temples, shrines and geishas.

The Kyoto tourist board is employing several strategies to ease overcrowding, including opening attractions earlier and encouraging early morning excursions, promoting lesser known districts and positioning the city as a year-round destination.

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The key is to disperse crowds in crowded times, crowded areas or crowded seasons, Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa told Japanese public broadcaster NHK in early October.

The Japan Tourism Agency has highlighted the issue further by introducing a survey into the effects of overtourism in a bid to find ways visitors and locals can peacefully coexist.

The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to June rose by 15.6 per cent in 2018 to 15.89 million, a record for the first half of the year according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

China accounted for the largest number of foreign tourists, with 4.05 million visiting in the first half of the year, up 23.6 percent.

Kyoto is far from the first city to encounter issues due to its popularity. Venice segregated tourists and locals using gates at particularly busy points over the summer and recently imposed a 500 fine for tourists sitting down in non-designated spots, while just this month it was announced that Maya Bay, which featured in film The Beach, will be closed until further notice due to damage caused by overtourism.
What happens in China affects the world. It may not be as important as the US  yet. But if you are wondering about the trigger for the current stock market weakness in the UK, Europe and to a lesser extent the US, start looking there.

Back in January the most important index, the Shanghai Composite, hit a two-year peak. Since then it has fallen by 27 per cent. The smaller company Shenzhen, which has been more volatile, has fallen by 34 per cent in the same period. Last Friday the collapse of prices had become so serious that the three most senior financial officials in the country intervened with statements of support.

The governor of the central bank, the Peoples Bank of China, Yi Gang, the chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Liu Shiyu, and the head of the newly merged banking and insurance regular, Guo Shuqing, all made various policy changes designed to underpin share prices. These are three of the top dozen of the Chinese oligarchy that runs the country. All are thoughtful, measured and competent.
Bord na Mona has announced major job losses, with 150 expected to be lost before Easter next year.

The power and fuel company announced on Wednesday that it is to open a voluntary redundancy scheme.

The statement said the organisation has commenced engagement with employees flagging possible reduction of 380-430 managerial, administrative and peat operations roles.

The group has also announced its strategy to decarbonise and move away from its traditional peat business into renewable energy.

Standing still is not an option for Bord na MonaTom Donnellan

Chief executive Tom Donnellan said: Decarbonisation is the biggest challenge facing this planet.

By accelerating the move away from peat into renewable energy, resource recovery and new businesses we are supporting national policy and seizing the opportunity presented by decarbonisation.

In the past few months we have put in place a new structure to safeguard the maximum number of jobs, facilitate the decarbonisation strategy and reposition the company.

Standing still is not an option for Bord na Mona.

The job losses are expected to occur in counties Kildare and Offaly.

The cuts follow a decision by the company to close 17 of its 62 active peat bogs immediately, with harvesting at the remaining 45 expected to stop by 2025.

A consultation process with unions is under way.

Union officials have forecast that 850 workers in the peat sector could lose their positions.

Trade union Unite accused the Government of sleepwalking into a crisis which will devastate Midlands communities.

Regional officer Colm Quinlan said: Unite is calling on minister Richard Bruton to convene an urgent meeting of all stakeholders to progress the agreement between Bord na Mona and the ESB.

While Unite and the Bord na Mona group of unions will be fully engaged in the consultation process, if we do not receive progress reports and assurances in the short term, a major industrial dispute early next year would become inevitable.

Sinn Fein jobs spokesman Maurice Quinlivan TD said: The reality is that these are jobs that will very likely be hard to replace due to the industry and the fact that most of the jobs are in rural Ireland.

These are very worrying times for the workers affected by this news and their families.

It is important that the Government and the enterprise agencies direct the necessary resources into the areas affected by these job losses and make serious efforts to introduce new jobs to these areas.

A joint statement from ministers Richard Bruton and Heather Humphreys said state supports are available to those whose jobs are at risk.

All relevant state supports are available to the workers impacted by todays announcement. Bord na Mona will provide additional supports to workers who opt for redundancy, including reskilling opportunities.

The Government welcomes the extensive consultation which will now take place with workers in the coming weeks.
Irelands top police officer has described findings from an investigation into corruption in the force as a clarion call for action.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said he felt the stark remarks made in the final pages of the Disclosures Tribunal report were almost written directly to him.

In his first appearance before the Justice Oireachtas Committee since taking up his role as commissioner two months ago, Mr Harris said whisteblowers will be treated with the utmost seriousness.

The Disclosures Tribunal found former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan was part of a campaign of calumny against Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

The report said he was actively aided by his former press officer, Superintendent David Taylor.

Mr Harris said he spoke to Sgt McCabe by phone on the day the report was published and will meet him later on Wednesday.

The former deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland addressed some of the concerns raised in Mr Justice Peter Charletons report.

Cultural change comes from behavioural change and my behaviour and that of the leadership team have a dramatic impact on the organisationCommissioner Drew Harris

I have read it and in particular I read the last few pages which I feel were almost written directly towards me and they are a clarion call for action, he said.

Cultural change comes from behavioural change and my behaviour and that of the leadership team have a dramatic impact on the organisation.

We wish to follow through in completely overhauling our discipline code, which creates an atmosphere of people fearing that discipline, as opposed to proper management intervention and a learning organisation, to an organisation which is punitive towards its staff.

There is structural systemic changes we need to make about how the organisation is run but I also emphasise if any individual wishes to come forward and wishes to whistle blow or to make a disclosure then that will be treated with utmost seriousness and I am open to individuals should they wish to speak to me.

He said everyone in the force is undergoing code of ethics training to be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Harris told the Justice Committee that while An Garda Siochana is a disciplined force, it is not helped by its current procedures, which he said was not fit for purpose.

Instead of discipline where we are intervening around poor performance, (we must ensure) that we are intervening appropriately in either support, supervision, training or management intervention, he said.

But in cases of serious misconduct where your trust in an individual is entirely broken then they have no place in the organisation.

In addressing concerns around the forces preparations for Brexit, Mr Harris said the border region is appropriately staffed, adding 180 staff members are due to graduate from Templemore College next month.

He said people living in border communities are concerned about local policing and there were also fears of travelling criminals crossing the borer.

There is also the reality of the nightlife in Derry where there are a lot of young people who travel across the border and engage in nightlife, he said.

There is also the concern that they (terrorists and dissident republicans) might use this (hard border) as an emotional driver for their particular campaigns and we want to avoid it being used as a rallying call.

We are still not sure what the nature of Brexit is going to be so there is an unknown element of this and we have prepared as best we can for that.

Donnchadh O Laoghaire, Sinn Fein TD, said following Mr Harris appointment as Garda Commissioner a number of Northern Ireland victim groups raised concerns.

They viewed you as someone who blocked their access to truth and justice when you were the key person within the PSNI responsible for legacy issues, Mr O Laoghaire said.

Mr Harris told the committee he is willing to meet victims and he has a number of pending invitations.

I will work with the various coroners inquests and other avenues which are ongoing at the moment in Northern Ireland around inquiring into matters during the Troubles, he added.

I am here to serve and protect the people of IrelandCommissioner Drew Harris

Mr Harris was further pressed by Mr O Laoghaire on his previous roles within the PSNI, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the MI5 British security service after a number of people questioned his suitability to be head of the Irish police force.

Mr Harris said he was subjected to a very high level vetting process for two decades that was under constant renewal.

There is no issue about the level to which I have been vetted, he added.

Jack Chambers, Fianna Fail TD, asked Mr Harris if he felt that some of the questions posed by Mr O Laoghaire were of sectarian prejudice.

Have you felt that certain elements are trying to undermine your position? he added.

Mr Harris said he has addressed questions that have been subject to much commentary.

Some of that commentary has been ill-founded, Mr Harris added.

I swore an oath and that oath is important to me. I am here to serve and protect the people of Ireland.
It was not immediately clear where the devices sent to the Clinton and Obama offices were found, New York Times reported.

The US Secret Service said it had intercepted suspect packages, identified as potential explosive devices. (Photo: File)

New York: A 'functional explosive device' was sent to Hillary and Bill Clinton's residence in New York as well as to former president Barack Obama on Wednesday, reported Associated Press.

The US Secret Service said it had intercepted suspect packages, identified as potential explosive devices, sent to the homes of former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

US news network CNN also evacuated its New York bureau over a suspicious package similar to those addressed to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The Secret Service said it recovered a single package addressed to Clinton in Westchester, a suburb north of Manhattan on Tuesday, and a second package addressed to the Obama residence in Washington, reported AFP.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the Secret Service said in a statement. "The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Twitter said: "We are aware of a suspicious package found in the vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, NY, and our JTTF has engaged with our federal, state and local partners to investigate. As this is an on-going investigation, we will have no further comment at this time."

We are aware of a suspicious package found in the vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, NY, and our JTTF has engaged with our federal, state and local partners to investigate. As this is an on-going investigation, we will have no further comment at this time  FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) October 24, 2018

A New York Times reported that the item was similar to the bomb found in the post box at the home of billionaire George Soros on Monday.

A senior White House officials told NBC News that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation. The official said the White House is taking the situation "extremely seriously".
Young guests at the official opening of the Tullydonnell Hoard exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland (Julien Behal/PA)

One of the heaviest hoards of gold ever discovered in Ireland has gone on display at the National Museum.

The rare gold, unearthed in the east of Donegal, weighs more than four kilograms and experts say it dates back to the late Bronze Age.

The gold, which was found in a field in Tullydonnell Lower, has been added to the museums permanent gold exhibition, Irelands Gold, which showcases one of the largest and most significant collections of Bronze Age gold internationally.

Expand Close Members of the group who discovered the gold hoard at Tullydonnell Lower (Julien Behal/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Members of the group who discovered the gold hoard at Tullydonnell Lower (Julien Behal/PA)

Known as the Tullydonnell Hoard, it will go on temporary loan to the Donegal County Museum next year.

The National Museums Keeper of Irish Antiquities Maeve Sikora said the gold underwent extensive analysis by conservation staff over recent months and the results indicated it dated to between 1200 BC and 800 BC.

The objects were discovered in perfect condition, she said.

Expand Close Chairwoman of the Board of the National Museum of Ireland Catherine Heaney, back left, Education Minister Joe McHugh, centre, and National Museum director Lynn Scarff, right, with young guests during the opening of the Tullydonnell Hoard exhibition (Julien Behal/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Chairwoman of the Board of the National Museum of Ireland Catherine Heaney, back left, Education Minister Joe McHugh, centre, and National Museum director Lynn Scarff, right, with young guests during the opening of the Tullydonnell Hoard exhibition (Julien Behal/PA)

Ms Sikora explained that the overlapping gold rings were circular in shape, but that it was not possible to determine accurately how they were used.

Theyve been described as arm bands because of their size, but it is thought more likely that gold was shaped in this fashion as a means to store wealth, she said.

Education Minister Joe McHugh officially launched the exhibition at the archaeology museum on Dublins Kildare Street on Thursday alongside the people who discovered the gold.

On behalf of the Government, he thanked members of a family who found the items.

Mr McHugh said he had not previously realised Donegal was considered to be such an active area during the Bronze Age.

This discovery is so exciting for Donegal because it gives us a rare and important insight into the history of our country, and its equally important for Ireland in that it adds to our already extensive collection of artefacts from this fascinating era, he said.

Museum director Lynn Scarff said the hoard was the latest addition to thousands of rare and beautiful artefacts that the museum proudly displayed.

While Donegal County Museum curator Judith McCarthy said it was a significant find not only for Donegal but for Ireland.

Donegal has a very rich and varied history stretching back thousands of years and the Tullydonnell Hoard forms an important part of this multi-faceted story, she said.
The Department of Education published a list of 42 schools where emergency structural reviews will be carried out (Barry Batchelor/PA)

The Government has ordered risk assessments to be carried out at more than 40 schools across the country amid structural safety fears.

The Department of Education published a list of 42 schools on Wednesday where emergency structural reviews will be carried out to determine whether the buildings could be potentially dangerous.

The review was announced after serious structural problems were uncovered at three schools in Dublin.

There are a lot of inefficiencies here and we have to obviously follow through on the safety groundsEducation Minister Joe McHugh

Two schools in Tyrelstown were forced to shut on Tuesday with immediate effect, while a building with 18 classrooms at a school in Balbriggan was closed last Friday.

Education Minister Joe McHugh said that the inspection works had already started and that he wanted the assessment to be completed by the end of the mid-term break next week.

But Mr McHugh said he expected that more schools are likely to have to close before the issue was resolved.

There are a lot of inefficiencies here and we have to obviously follow through on the safety grounds, Mr McHugh said.

The minister said he understood that parents were concerned not only about the safety of their children, but that they were also worried about organising childcare if the reopening of the schools were to be delayed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dail that the full extent of the problem was not yet known. He added that it would not be easy to find alternative classroom accommodation for students affected by the closures.

More than 1,200 students attend the two Dublin schools, Tyrelstown Educate Together and St Lukes National School, that have been closed.

The schools being examined are located across the country. They were built by Tyrone construction firm Western Building Systems between 2009 and 2013.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the excavation of a mass grave at Tuams mother and baby home will be slow and painstaking.

At Leaders Questions on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar was asked by Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald when the legislation required to excavate the grave would be before Parliament, and why the order of nuns that ran the home did not contribute more to the cost of the excavation.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone announced on Tuesday that the order of the Bon Secours will contribute 2.5 million euro to the overall cost, estimated at between 6 million and 12 million euro.

Minister Zappone had sought a higher offer on a percentage scale, but this is what is forthcoming, Mr Varadkar said.

We are treating it as a contribution, not a settlement.

Expand Close Children's Minister Katherine Zappone. Photo: PA / Facebook

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Mr Varadkar said the Government would implement a multidisciplinary framework and the action being taken will be phased.

The recovery of remains will be conducted by systemic ground truthing and forensic analysis.

Im not sure if anyone knows what were getting into, but it was the right decision, Mr Varadkar added.

As it has never been done before, it will require new primary and bespoke legislation and I expect that will be before the Dail early next year.

This is going to be very difficult, this is a mass grave, there are remains of stillborn babies and older children, and there may also be adult remains, he said.

It will be slow and painstaking and it will not be possible to identify all remainsLeo Varadkar

Mr Varadkar added that the site was also used as a workhouse and grave site during the Famine period, which will add to the difficulty in identifying remains.

It will be slow and painstaking and it will not be possible to identify all remains, and what we learn along the way will inform us for action at other sites. This is going to take time, we need to build capacity to do it.

We will do our utmost in terms of identification, but in many cases it wont yield answers.

Mr Varadkar added that almost 10% of Irelands population at one point lived in some kind of institution, and many terrible things may have happened there.

The Government approved the forensic excavation of the site at the former mother and baby home on Tuesday, after a mass grave was found at the site in Tuam, Co Galway, last year.

A commission was set up following allegations that around 800 infants were buried in a septic tank at the former home for unmarried mothers.

Other questions to the leader were about recent structural inspections in schools, which will see 40 sites assessed over the mid-term break. Mr Varadkar said every effort would be made to find alternative classrooms if schools have to temporarily close.
Budget 2019 did not adequately factor in the potential for a "disorderly" Brexit, according to the independent Oireachtas watchdog.

The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) has warned that Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe based most of his decisions "on the assumption of an 'orderly' Brexit".

It says that the minister based his spending decisions on the idea the UK would agree to a transition period until the end of 2020 and that a subsequent trade agreement with the EU would be entered into immediately afterwards.

"However, the PBO would emphasise that there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the nature of the future relationship between the UK and the EU, and the negotiations in respect of this future relationship. For this reason, it may not be prudent to plan on the basis of an 'orderly' Brexit," the office said.

In its post-Budget analysis, the PBO also cautions that "conventional economic models may not adequately capture the impact of the unprecedented shock that a disorderly Brexit represents".

The PBO also noted the Government's decision to shy away from increasing carbon tax or excise duty on fuel.

"In addition, there were no changes to motor taxation and a small change related to VRT on diesel cars," it said.

"This appears to be a missed opportunity to rebalance tax revenue away from income tax and address the identified fiscal risk of missing EU climate change and renewable energy targets.

"Changes in these areas of taxation seem inevitable in the near future and provides a clear opportunity for the Government to consult with the Houses of the Oireachtas before making decisions in a future Budget."

On the increase to the VAT for the hospitality sector, the PBO suggested it was rushed unnecessarily through the Dail on Budget night.

Given that the Finance Bill 2018 should be passed before the hike kicks in on January 1, the PBO said the rush was "questionable" and limits scrutiny of the measure.
European Council President Donald Tusk has responded to comments made by Ukip MEP Nigel Farage to the European, where he dismissed the threat of a hard border in Ireland as a "red herring".

Earlier today, Mr Farage thanked Mr Tusk for "confirming that it was Theresa May that asked for a one-year extension to the transition period".

But he added that, as regards the hard border in Ireland; "the problem is that there is a rogue element in these negotiations, a group of people who don't wish to see a solution, who put up a brick wall to stop us breaking free".

In a tweet, Mr Tusk said: "In response to Nigel Farage in EP (European Parliament): I don't know what the result of the #brexit talks is going to be. But I know that it is the Brexiteers who are 100pc responsible for bringing back the problem of the Irish border."

In response to @Nigel_Farage in EP: I dont know what the result of the #brexit talks is going to be. But I know that it is the Brexiteers, who are 100% responsible for bringing back the problem of the Irish border.  Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 24, 2018

Mr Tusk told the European Parliament on Wednesday morning it was Britain which said at last week's EU summit that more time was needed to reach a Brexit deal and raised the idea of an extension of the transition period.

He said that he would be ready to call a special summit on Brexit whenever negotiators said conditions were right.

Briefing lawmakers on last week's regular summit, Tusk recalled that EU leaders had agreed that they would meet again to endorse a deal if their negotiator Michel Barnier judged that enough progress toward a deal had been made.

A meeting pencilled in for November 17-18 is still on hold.
Paramilitarism is a continued threat in the North and the absence of political decision-making there is a major impediment to progress, a new report has concluded.

The Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) yesterday published its first report looking at the political situation in the six counties.

"Paramilitarism is a residual legacy of the long conflict and remains a stark reality of life in Northern Ireland," it said.

"The major and obvious impediment to the task of full implementation of  provisions on ending paramilitarism is the continued absence of political decision-making in Northern Ireland for close to two years.

"This has had an adverse impact on the implementation process."

In some communities, there was a sense of fear and anger about the continuing coercive control exercised by paramilitaries, and a strong desire to be rid of such coercion, it said.

The commission was established in 2015 by an international agreement between the governments of Ireland and the UK.

It was set up under the terms of the Fresh Start Agreement under which the two governments and the Northern Ireland Executive recommitted themselves to bringing an end to paramilitarism once and for all.

"In this first report, we provide our analysis of what we have seen and heard, and the potential that the Fresh Start measures have for transformation," its authors said. "We make clear that it is unacceptable that paramilitarism continues to exist in Northern Ireland.

"The continuation of paramilitary-style attacks and assaults, while declining in general terms, is reprehensible and must stop."

The report considered the complex reasons why the problem persists, and attached importance to the situation of victims of paramilitary violence.

It welcomed a "good start overall" on the implementation of 43 recommendations from a three-person panel included in an executive action plan on tackling paramilitary activity.

"However, there continues to be a number of areas where in our view not enough is being done, or not being done quickly enough."

The three panel members were former Alliance leader John Alderdice, former Women's Coalition politician Professor Monica McWilliams, and solicitor John McBurney.

Among its recommendations was allowing for a period where "residual weapons" could be decommissioned.

"We are under no illusion about the scale of what is involved in achieving the goal of ending paramilitarism but we believe that in this Fresh Start process, there is a credible pathway towards it."

In August 2017, the commission was set up to oversee the implantation of those recommendations. The commissioners include Mr McBurney and Prof McWilliams, along with Irish-government nominee Tim OConnor and Mitchell Reiss, who was nominated by the UK Government.

It came as DUP MP Sammy Wilson ramped up rhetoric about the situation north of the Border, referencing British Prime Minister Theresa May and the army.

"Theresa May has to stand by the armed forces and she has to defy and stand up against those people, especially on the Republican side, in Northern Ireland who are trying to rewrite history," he said, speaking on the BBC 'Good Morning Ulster' programme.

"To give the impression ... that the main protagonists in the terrorist campaign, and which people suffered for over 30 years, was the British government rather than the terrorists who skulked behind hedges and blew up unarmed individuals when they were going about their shopping.

"And I think she has got to make sure there is no arrangement put in place which allows republicans to rewrite history of Troubles," he said.

He was responding to plans to investigate military veterans accused of Troubles crimes.
Hello, maam: Theresa May looks at Queen Elizabeth as they take their places for a ceremonial welcome for King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in London. Photo: PA

British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to face down her Conservative Party critics amid reports of a fresh EU offer aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock.

There are signs that Mrs May believes she can fend off the latest attacks from within her own party, as she attends a meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs today.

Anonymous sources from the group had suggested she should "bring her own noose" to the gathering - but such commentary has led to sympathy for the embattled prime minister.

It has now emerged that the EU is prepared to help her cause by offering a UK-wide customs union rather than a so-called 'backstop' limited entirely to Northern Ireland.

However, the EU will insist a special recognition of the situation on this island will have to be factored into the arrangement. The Irish Government insists that while a time limit could apply to a backstop in England, Scotland and Wales, it must stay in place for Northern Ireland "unless and until" a deal ensuring a soft Border is secured.

"That has always been clear from the start. At some point Theresa May is going to have to take that leap," said one Irish source last night.

Members of the UK cabinet are said to have held "an impassioned" discussion about the importance of an end date for the backstop - but Downing Street denied reports of a row.

Ministers also discussed the possibility of chartering ships to ferry in critical food and medicines in the event of a "no-deal" Brexit next March.

The move was greeted with disbelief at a stormy meeting.

It comes as MEPs heard that a no-deal Brexit could pose "challenges" surrounding medicines that need to be stored at cooler temperatures.

There are no "cold chain" medicine storage facilities at British border ports.

Mike Thompson, chief executive of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry, said: "If we look at the latest medicines that we are producing, they are almost all biologicals, and they require cold chain storage and that means they need to be kept from 2C to 8C from when they're produced to when they actually get to a patient.

"There are no cold chain facilities at the border ports so that's why we rely on real frictionless trade to be able to move medicines quickly, and those are the things that will give us challenges in the event of a change at the border."

The UK's Health and Social Care Select Committee heard a no-deal scenario could lead to a "catastrophic time" for the UK medicines supply.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock was asked about the prime minister's announcement that 95pc of the Brexit deal is done.

He said of the remaining 5pc, none of the issues are health-specific - but contention over the Irish Border had a small number of health-related implications.

When asked whether the issue of UK citizens receiving healthcare treatment in Europe has been resolved, Mr Hancock said: "It is resolved under a deal scenario so long as we land a good deal.

"In a no-deal scenario we will be publishing very shortly a healthcare reciprocal arrangements bill and we are undertaking bilateral discussion with the main countries in which UK citizens reside, and from whom their citizens live in the UK, in order to get to a position where people's health is looked after wherever they live."

Some Tory MPs are rallying around Mrs May ahead of the meeting with the 1922 Committee. Andrew Mitchell - an ally of former Brexit secretary and possible leadership contender David Davis - said a challenge to Mrs May would be a "mistake". And former home secretary Amber Rudd insisted any attempt to force her out of office would be a "total indulgence".

Speaking on the BBC's 'Newsnight' programme, Ms Rudd said: "What we need is to back the prime minister and make sure that she has the public support of MPs so that she can get a deal with the EU.

"The EU can see what's going on here. We need to make sure that they're clear that she is the prime minister, that she has got our support."
The outbreak of African Swine Fever in China could lead to increased exports for Irish pigmeat to the country in the medium term, Director of Meat Industry Ireland (MII) Cormac Healy has said.

In recent weeks more than 200,000 pigs have been culled in the northern region of China due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) and on Sunday it was announced that the disease has spread to the southern region of the country.

While Mr Healy said in the short-term the Chinese situation could lead to increased domestic production which would dampen demand, he added that Ireland has the potential to take advantage of the situation in the medium term if significant culling occurs in the Asian country.

The ASF outbreaks in China have created a great deal of uncertainty there in the short-term. It presents a major challenge to Chinas pig sector and will certainly have an impact on domestic production and output there, he said.

In the short-term it could lead to more domestic product coming onto the market which would dampen import demand. That said, restrictions on movement of pigs within China could lead to some regional shortages.

However, in the medium term, as we move into next year, if significant culling within the domestic Chinese pig herd takes place, then it should create greater import opportunities.

However, Mr Healy said it is important that the Irish industry is conscious of ASF closer to home as last month it was announced that the disease had spread from eastern Europe to wild boar in Belgium.

The recent outbreak of ASF in wild boars in southern Belgium has the EU pig sector on edge. The response of most international markets has been to close there border to Belgian pork.

Should ASF spread into neighbouring France or Germany and international markets close to their exports, then we face a massive surplus of Pigmeat on the EU market.

The jump of ASF from Eastern EU member states to Belgium should be a wake-up call to everyone. Maximum vigilance is essential in terms of imports, controls and biosecurity, he explained.

According to Bord Bia exports to China in 2017 amounted to 93m and it is the key export market for Irish pigmeat in international markets, with Chinese meat consumption continuing to rise due to rising living standards and increasing urbanisation.

Bord Bia's Mike Neary pointed out while Chinese is traditionally self-sufficient in pig-meat production, he said that any local issue in supply could be of benefit to Irish pig-meat exporters.

"Any issues that impact the local Chinese industry and local supply could potentially lead to an increased demand for imports. For Irish pigmeat exporters, challenges lie in competition from other EU competitors, domestic supply and increased consumption of poultry and beef by Chinese consumers," he said.

"In the medium to longer term it is expected that Irish pigmeat exports to China will increase."

Teagascs Head of Pig Knowledge Transfer Ciaran Carroll said Irish farmers are hopeful that the spread of the disease will lead to an increase in pig prices, which currently stand at around 1.40/kg, 40c below the price 12 months ago and well below the break even price of 1.60/kg.

Somebodys cloud is somebody elses silver lining. China will have to import more as they are culling due to their being 100pc mortality rate on farms. So Irish farmers are hopeful this spread will leads to an increase in price for pigs at home, he explained.

The difference in price in affected Chinese regions compared to non affected is 23 per pig, so Irish pig farmers might be able to gain from this.

Mr Carroll said the risk that the disease could spread to Ireland is minimal but that farmers and workers still need to be vigilant as on affected Chinese farms mortality rates have been 100pc.

The disease has been contained to wild boar in the southern region of Belgium and is being dealt with by the government there. We are at an advantage because we are an island nation and farmers are well tuned in to risks but they still have to be vigilant as the disease can be passed on through bi-products and if this gets in to the pigs feed it can be fatal, he warned.
The difference in dry matter between silage made during the summer drought and recently made autumn silages, is as high as 40pc

The sight of mowers, balers and silage harvesters in full flight over the past two weeks was yet another indication as to what a unique year 2018 has been.

Thankfully, on many farms, fodder deficits have now been significantly reduced. With grazing conditions continuing to remain good, the fodder crisis can hopefully be less of an issue than was previously feared.

While the supply of fodder stocks has been rectified, there still remains issues surrounding feed quality, mineral status and contamination levels of many silages.

Last week I noted fellow nutritionist, Brian Reidy commenting on the forage quality that he has encountered, particularly in relation to secondary fermentation or overheating in dry silage pits.

The difference in dry matter between silage made during the summer drought and recently made autumn silages, is as high as 40pc.

This equates to a suckler cow requiring either 42kg/day of a wet silage or 15kg/day of a high dry matter silage. There are many variables to consider when feeding either of these silage types. High dry matter silage, which is obviously a lot more prevalent this year will have a higher pH, higher sugar content and quite often a high NDF level.

When stored in a pit, this type of silage can be very difficult to manage.

The effectiveness of a shear grab is lessened and heating at the pitface is common. Where heat is present, moulds are forming, both visible and invisible to the naked eye.

These moulds can result in a mycotoxin challenge to animals, resulting in lower performance, reduced fertility and increasing the likelihood of lameness.

Dry silage, while made in excellent conditions, may have a higher level of soil/dust contamination.

Any soil contamination can lead to mineral lock-up and reduced availability of both natural and supplemented minerals.

As previously mentioned, recently made silages and short term grasses still to be ensiled have supplied a welcome boost to forage stocks but will pose some challenges at both storage and feeding time.

In contrast to high dry matter silage, they will likely contain low NDF levels, low sugar, high ammonia, low pH and have lower dry matters. If in a pit, effluent run off is a risk, while bale stacking may prove difficult. Last week I witnessed recently made bales with significant effluent run off.

Removing plastic, net wrap and twine from these bales can be an arduous task.

This type of silage is likely to have a high reading for protein content, in the form of non-protein nitrogen.

Twinned with a low NDF and low pH, it could result in animals having loose dung or scouring.

Maize

Where grass growth struggled in 2018, maize crops thrived. With the exception of some storm damaged crops, the harvest has been a dream for both growers and contractors. Early sampling that I have carried out is showing quality to be of an excellent standard.

As with dry grass silage, any storm damaged maize crops could pose issues as a result of their high dry matter and possible soil contamination.

These damaged crops were allowed to dry out in order to make harvesting possible, but some soil contamination was unavoidable.

Wholecrop silages are testing low on starch and energy contents, which is a reflection of the poor grain yields that were experienced during the harvest.

For farmers feeding whole-crop and wet grass silage in a TMR situation, mixing these feeds in the correct proportion will enhance the utilisation of both forages.

A 60:40 mix of grass silage to wholecrop is usually recommended in this situation.

Gerry Giggins is an animal nutritionist based in Co Louth
BJP strategy aims to undo damage by lax Raje regime.

New Delhi: To beat anti-incumbency in poll-bound Rajasthan and assuage the BJPs angry cadre in the desert state, the ruling party has devised a strategy wherein BJP president Amit Shah will reach out to party workers in each district while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address rallies to reassure people about the partys commitment to development, welfare for all and clean governance.

Party sources said that Mr Shah has already held worker meetings in several parts of the state and is expected to cover all districts in the next few days. The focus of these visits is to reach out to organisational workers allegedly disenchanted with the Vasundhara Raje regime.

During his interactions, the BJP chief emphasises that workers should work for the victory of the party no matter how upset they are. He reminds them that a BJP government in power would any day be better for them than of any Opposition party.

The BJP is looking at its star campaigner Prime Minister Narendra Modi to once again spin magic at his rallies and ensure voters sentiment grows in favour of the ruling party.

The Prime Minister will focus on the disaffection among the common man against the Raje government. He is the tallest leader of the party and his popularity continues to be at the highest levels and the party hopes that he would be able to secure yet another win for us in the state, a senior BJP leader said.

Interestingly, Ms Raje, who is the BJPs face in Rajasthan, has been conspicuously absent from many sammelans and party meetings that Mr Shah has addressed. Sources said that it is a part of the strategy that Mr Shah goes to meetings separately to address issues raised by booth level workers and does not accompany the chief minister whenever she interacts with workers.

Sources said that Mr Shah has been pro-active in Rajasthan in an effort to reverse the trend wherein no party has won consecutive elections in the past 25 years.

Ahead of the December 7 Assembly elections, the BJP president has been addressing a number of meetings and rallies in Rajasthan, reaching out to tribals and farmers, and mobilising party workers without the chief minister in tow.

This is in stark contrast to the BJP presidents engagements in the other two major poll-bound states  Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh  where chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh join him during majority campaign rallies. Voting in Chhattisgarh will take place on November 12 and 20 and in Madhya Pradesh on November 28. Results in all three states will be declared on December 11.
A farming couple have been given permission by the High Court to challenge a Bord Pleanala decision over the use of a laneway beside their home which has been at the centre of a long running row over access by a rowing club to a lake.

Cornelius and Suzanne Dennehy, who live and farm near Fossa village in Co Kerry, want the court to quash an August 30 last decision of the board declaring that a gate they erected at the entrance to lands they own is not exempted development.

The lane leads down to the shore of scenic Lough Leane and links to the N72 Killarney-Killorglin Road. It also provides access to a number of houses and to the Loch Lein Country House Hotel, owned by Donal Coffey.

On Monday, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted the Dennehy's lawyers permission to bring judicial review proceedings against the board, the Minister for Housing Planning and Local Government and the State over the board's decision. Mr Coffey is a notice party.

Mark de Blacam SC, for the couple, said the land in question is owed by the Dennehys and their neighbour Maurice O'Connell who, up until 1989, was supportive of the Fossa Rowing Club using the lane to access the lake

Mr Dennehy also allowed them to use it up until 1993 until some members of the club exceeded their permission and insisted they had a right to use it.

No trespassing signs were erected but by 2012 there were increasing incursions which became confrontational and gardai had to be called, counsel said. Mr Dennehy was on one occasion assaulted, he said.

Local boat groups were now asserting a public right of way even though it was private land, he said.

In 2011, Circuit Court proceedings brought by the rowing club and by Mr O'Connell seeking the removal of the gate and declaration of a right of way were dismissed.

An appeal by the boat club against that decision was discontinued. Mr Coffey, the hotelier, gave evidence in that case on his own behalf and that of the club.

Mr Coffey then made an application to Kerry Co Council under the Planning and Development Act for a decision on whether the erection of the gate was exempted development and did not require planning permission.

The council referred it to the board who, following a second referral after the board agreed to a quashing of the first decision, made the decision that it was development. Among the board's reasons was that the gate was "habitually open to or used by the public" during the preceding ten years when it was a means of access to the lake.

It was their case that it was irrational and that the board misconstrued the regulations and the decision was not in accordance with law, he said.

In making its decision, the board purported to make a finding of the existence of public rights which can only be made by the courts, the Dennehys say.

They also say the Minister for Housing, in attempting to introduce into Irish law a concept of habitual use and access to private lands by the public, at the expense of private landowners, has unlawfully entered into the judicial sphere and has attacked the Dennehys' constitutional rights.

Mr Justice Noonan also placed a stay on the decision of the board and said the matter could come back in December.
Smelting point: The directors of the Aughinish Alumina Refinery on the Shannon Estuary near Foynes said they expect to be be profitable in 2018 and 2019

The directors of the firm which operates the Aughinish Alumina refinery have stated that they expect that a successful solution will be reached with the US Treasury over sanctions imposed on the Limerick company's parent firm.

The directors have made the upbeat assessment in new accounts for Limerick Alumina Refining Ltd (LARL) that show that an increase in the price of alumina last year contributed to the firm recording pre-tax profits of $50.6m (44m). This followed the company recording a pre-tax loss of $40.58m in 2016 - a positive swing of $91m. The return to profit followed revenues at the company increasing by 26pc from $520.28m to $658m in 2017.

The directors state that the favourable environment for the alumina industry in 2017 resulted in the company recording the profit.

Uncertainty has clouded the future of the refinery since the US Dept of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on the Limerick's firm parent - United Company Rusal, which is controlled by Oleg Deripaska - in April of this year.

The directors state that the refinery continues to operate at full capacity "and since the announcement of sanctions, the company has experienced increased sale prices".

"The directors expect the company to be profitable in the years ended December 2018 and 2019." Numbers employed at the refinery remained static last year at 450 and staff costs increased from $50.35m to $52.8m. Directors' pay increased from $1.1m to $1.58m.
Herd mentality: The newly-merged entity will be known as Lakeland Dairies, with 3,200 suppliers creating a milk pool second in size to Glanbia. Stock image

FARMERS at two all-island dairy co-ops have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a merger.

The decision by farmer members of LacPatrick Dairies and Lakeland Dairies to back the merger will create the second-largest dairy processor on the island, with a milk pool of 1.8 billion litres.

The new entity will be known as Lakeland Dairies, with 3,200 suppliers creating a milk pool second in size to Glanbia, which has 2.5 billion litres. The votes were cast by larger-than-expected turnouts of farmers at a Special General Meeting (SGM) for LacPatrick members in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, while Lakeland members also voted in favour at their SGM in Cavan town.

The ballots were conducted by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society.

Icos reported that 97.24pc of Lakeland members voted in favour, while 95.99pc of LacPatrick farmers gave it the thumbs-up.

There are around 600 Northern Ireland suppliers to Monaghan-based LacPatrick, and 750 who supply milk to Cavan-based Lakeland.

But it said there would be "efficiencies" across the organisation to improve value and return for producers.

Alo Duffy, chairman of Lakeland Dairies, said the shareholders of both societies had created a great good for co-operative dairy farming.

"By combining our co-operatives and operations, we will continue our strong progress in a very meaningful way," said Mr Duffy.

"The new society being formed through this merger will continue to be farmer owned and controlled while paying a sustainable and competitive milk price in line with market conditions into the future."

The merger is the latest shake-up and change of name for LacPatrick suppliers.

Last year LacPatrick unveiled a 30m "Brexit-proofing" technology centre for the production of milk powders in Strabane, Co Tyrone. Lakeland also owns the Pritchitts processing centre in Newtownards, Co Down.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has claimed EU countries are "very close to an agreement" on a new tax on the turnover of tech giants.

He said reservations which have been expressed by Ireland can be addressed, with "very few" countries opposed to the measure, which requires unanimity. "There's a vast movement to progress in this direction, but as always in Europe the most difficult is the decision ... we can achieve unanimity." He said concerns about double taxation - being taxed twice for the same activity - that had been raised by Ireland, Sweden, and Finland were a "smokescreen".

Ireland - an important hub for multinationals - has said it believes the issue of multinational tax avoidance should be addressed at OECD level.

"Ireland has a number of concerns with the commission's interim tax proposals. These concerns include the short-term nature of the approach, the proposed move away from taxing profits to taxing revenues and the lack of a clear link between any new interim tax and evidence of value creation by digital business," a Department of Finance spokesman told the Irish Independent.

"Ireland will continue to actively engage in the debate at both EU and OECD level to meet the challenges and opportunities that arise from the digitisation of the economy," the spokesman said, adding that issue relating to the scope of transactions covered by the tax had yet to be ironed out.

Mr Le Maire rejected US criticism, saying it was the EU's right to set its own tax policy. US Senate Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch blasted the plan last week.
Minister of State for Trade, Business and EU Digital Single Market, Pat Breen TD led a five-day trade mission to Brazil in September. Photo: Steve Humphreys

AN Irish tech firm is to create 35 jobs as it embarks on expansion plans across Europe.

Established in 2010, Kildare-based VEI Global also has offices in Belfast and London but plans to open another EMEA office early next year.

The Enterprise Ireland-supported company delivers projects for clients in the US and Europe which includes telecoms and IT installation, project and account management, and solution design.

The jobs are expected to be filled over the next two years.

"It is always heartening to see regionally-based companies grow in scale, providing jobs and contributing to the economic and social well-being of their locality," said Minister of State for Trade, Employment and Business Pat Breen.

The LEO in Kildare supported 41 different business projects with financial aid worth 456,435 last year, while its 171 client companies created 128 jobs across the county for the same period.

"To support the growth plans of even more locally-grown enterprises, an extra 5m in funding was secured for the 31 LEO in Budget 2019, which is up 22pc on 2018," added Mr Breen, who has met the LEO and local business leaders.
Bord na Mona has been transitioning away from peat towards more environmentally friendly forms of energy

MIDLANDS communities have been dealt a major blow after Bord na Mona announced 430 job losses as it winds down its peat business.

All the redundancies will be voluntary and staff will be offered an exit package.

There is no time frame for the plan as this will be negotiated with unions  but the company wants as many redundancies as possible over the next year.

The board has signed off on the restructuring plan that is part of the companys decarbonisation strategy.

This policy means it will use more environmentally-friendly forms of energy.

In a statement, Bord na Mona said it is beginning talks with staff on the possible reduction of between 380 and 400 managerial, administrative and peat operations roles.

It said it is accelerating decarbonisation and fast tracking renewable energy and higher value recycling, and will bring forward the end of energy peat.

However, it also said it is developing new businesses to support the low carbon economy and has identified potential to create up to 500 jobs across the Midlands in the medium term.

Chief Executive Tom Donnellan said decarbonisation is the biggest challenge facing this planet and standing still is not an option for Bord na Mona.

While, decarbonisation means we must introduce a new structure it also means confronting some extremely difficult choices, he said.

It means that fewer people will be working in peat operations and also managerial and administrative roles across Bord na Mona.

We will shortly open a voluntary redundancy programme, with the expectation that these changes could directly impact approximately 380-430 roles and employees. 

He said talks with the group of unions are underway.

In the medium term, we will be increasing employment again in our new businesses but this is not to minimise the real short term challenges for people that flow from decarbonisation, he said.

He said the company is embarking on a transition phase that will see it become a leading provider of renewable energy in Ireland by 2026.

It will become a leader in high value recycling and a provider of new low carbon goods and services, he added.

Unions were recently told that the commercial semi-state company plans to close 17 of 62 bogs where peat is harvested.

In 2015, Bord na Mona announced it would exit the peat-for-energy business by 2030.

Ten years ago, Bord na Mona pledged to stop opening new bogs and next year.

It also heralded the largest change in land use in modern Irish history for 125,000 acres of bogland, to be used for renewal energy, eco-tourism and "community amenities".

But former CEO Mike Quinn promised the business would remain rooted in the bogs.

The company is also offering domestic fuel and horticultural products, and has increased the co-firing of peat and biomass at Edenderry Power Station.

The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment said it remains committed to the company.

The Department remains committed to the long-term sustainability of Bord na Mona and is currently working with the company to ensure its business model adapts to meet the needs of Irelands changing economy, it said in a statement.

Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen called for a Sustainable Transition Forum to support the workers must be set up.

He said the government cannot wash its hands of this devastating blow.

The Government cannot just leave this region and in particular these communities on its own after such an announcement, he said.

He said he has written to the Taoiseaach asking for his support in setting up a forum and to EU commissioners for a meeting to discuss how Eu funds can support them.

Fianna Fail believes that a Sustainable Transition Forum is desperately needed to alleviate the impact of the job losses, and to plan and prepare the local economy to make the transition to other forms of enterprise on old Bord na Mona bogs, he said.

He said the forum would include representatives from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Bord na Mona, the ESB, the existing workforce, the local authorities, public representatives, Enterprise Ireland and research facilities.

The Unite union has threatened industrial action and warned that the government is sleepwalking into a crisis that will devastate the Midlands.

While Unite and the Bord na Mona Group of Unions will be fully engaged in the consultation process, and will make every effort to work with all stakeholders to preserve the maximum number of jobs, if we do not receive progress reports and assurances in the short term, a major industrial dispute early next year would become inevitable, said Regional Officer Colm Quinlan.

We are determined to ensure that Bord na Mona, its workers and the communities they sustain do not pay the price for decarbonisation..
The Central Bank has called for feedback on a report it has published outlining potential changes to the lending framework for credit unions.

Proposals listed in the document CP125 emerged following a review of the existing processes, which was undertaken this year.

According to the Central Bank, the proposals are to ensure the financial stability of credit unions and the protection of the funds of its members.

The proposed amendments include the removal of lending maturity limits which cap the percentage of credit union lending which may be outstanding for periods of greater than five and ten years.

An introduction of concentration limits, on a tiered basis, for home mortgage and commercial loans expressed as a percentage of total assets has also been mooted.

The report also seeks to clarify the scope and parameters for commercial lending, to reflect credit union focus on local owner managed business lending.

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Registrar of Credit Unions Patrick Casey, said that the proposals support diversification in credit union loan portfolios.

"Revisions would allow those credit unions with sufficient financial strength, competence and capability, to undertake additional home mortgage and commercial lending.

"For long term lending, we emphasise the need for the boards of credit unions to ensure that they understand the risks involved, including financial, regulatory and consumer impacts.

"They must also understand how long term lending fits within their credit unions lending strategy, risk framework and capabilities."

The consultation is open until 9 January 2019.

Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) CEO Ed Farrell said it has long campaigned for a review of the "restrictive, long-term lending limits imposed on the credit union movement".

"It is now more crucial than ever that the lending limits are amended to enable credit unions to offer home loans in a meaningful way. While credit unions have always held a significant share of the consumer lending market, essentially this represents just 13pc of overall household lending," he said.

"We have been keenly aware of the need to expand our reach in the residential mortgage market in order to ensure credit union members, and consumers in general, are benefiting from real competition and diversity. We can only become significant players in the mortgage market with an amendment to the current lending limits."

CEO of Credit Union Development Association Kevin Johnson said that almost 43m in mortgage lending has been processed sinceCUDA launched its mortgage solution.

"Recent research found that over 59pc of credit union members would consider switching their mortgage to a credit union if a better deal was offered. It should provide credit union members with greater options when become homeowners within their own communities," he said.
A DUBLIN-BASED online news service called Kinzen has been launched by Mark Little and Aine Kerr.

Mr Little is a former RTE news journalist, founder of Storyful and Twitter Ireland boss. Ms Kerr is a former Irish Independent journalist and Facebook executive.

The duo are joined by Paul Watson, who worked with them at Storyful. The new service, which aims to develop as a subscription news app, wants to sift out "junk" and promote high-grade news and information from around the web.

It plans to do this through the service's users, around whom the system is based. Users will share and discuss 'quality' news links in what amounts to a top-down, 'curated' organisation: users' motivation for doing this might be borne of a sense of expertise or community.

The service, which was previously called Neva Labs, will be structured in a way to allow for a personalised news feed, based on a user's preferences and what others are interested in.

"Just over a year ago, we created NevaLabs with the goal of empowering people who want to take control of their news experience," said a company statement.

"We soon realised that we were not just building another news app. We were building a news community with a radically different approach than the social platforms that have come to dominate our experience of news."

The website, kinzen.com, will be free for the first few months. Early next year, the app will be launched on a subscription basis: 5 per month is a likely fee level, said the founders.

While they are emphasising a clampdown on false news and dishonest sourcing, they say that they will not police the tone or content shared from across the political spectrum.

With no ads, it is being styled as an antidote to social network news delivery which, the founders say, is based on grabbing and holding a person's attention for as long as possible, regardless of content.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore the tiara at the reception held to honour King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

The Duchess of Cambridge channelled old school Hollywood glamour in a flattering blue gown by her favourite designer Alexander McQueen. (Photo: Twitter Screengrab/ @KensingtonRoyal )

The Duchess of Cambridge glittered in a diamond tiara that once belonged to Princess Diana for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Kate, 36, joined husband Prince William, 36, and other senior royals for the lavish dinner hosted in honour of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

It was also the first time that the Queen, 92, spoke publicly about Brexit, saying in a speech that 'as we look toward a new partnership with Europe' the values shared by the UK and the Netherlands 'are our greatest assets'.

As per protocol, female members of both the Dutch and British royal families wore ballgowns and tiaras for the glittering event at Buckingham Palace.

For her third appearance at a state banquet, the Duchess of Cambridge channelled old school Hollywood glamour in a flattering blue gown by her favourite designer Alexander McQueen. The dress - made in a thick vintage-inspired fabric - featured a ruched bodycon fit on the torso and flared out in a fishtale style.

Kate finished the look with the diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara owned by Princess Diana, which she also wore to the Chinese state banquet in 2015 and the Spanish state banquet last year.

Eagle-eyed royal fans also noted the duchess has been given the Elizabeth II Family Order - a jewel-encased image of the Queen on a chartreuse yellow ribbon which royal women wear pinned to their left shoulder.

The Duchess of Cornwall, 71, was the picture of elegance in an embroidered ivory coat dress and the Queen Mother's Greville tiara, which was loaned to her by the monarch for the evening.

The honeycomb-patterned jewellery piece, which was worn by Camilla to the Spanish state banquet last year, was originally made for society maven the Hon. Mrs Greville, who famously left her considerable jewellery collection to Queen Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, on her death in 1942.

Meanwhile the Queen opted for The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, which is believed by many to be the favourite among her sizeable collection.
ITALIAN Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte insisted his government has no "Plan B" for its budget after the EU demanded unprecedented changes to bring the country into line with spending rules.

While EU commissioners were discussing Italy's violations at a meeting in Strasbourg yesterday, Mr Conte said he was looking forward to explaining the 2019 budget to them.

He suggested that Italy has some leeway to tweak aspects of the plan, but not actual spending. If he is asked to change the substance, "it will be difficult for me because I cannot accept that", he said.

Hours later the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, officially rejected the budget and asked Italy to take back, revise and resubmit its plans - the first time such demands have been made of a member state.

"There isn't any B plan," Mr Conte said. "I said that the deficit at 2.4pc of GDP is the cap. I can say this will be our cap," he said.

While many euro nations have at times struggled to meet the deficit constraints built into the single currency since its creation almost two decades ago, Italy's decision to reverse course on the budget plan it had agreed with the commission stands out.

It puts the country's government on a collision course with Brussels as its spending targets far exceed EU limits.

"The Italian government is openly and consciously going against commitments made," Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Strasbourg.

"Europe is built on cooperation. The euro area is built on strong bonds of trust," Mr Dombrovskis added.

Financial markets are responding to Italy's chafing at EU rules. Italian bonds fell yesterday while the 10-year spread over similar German debt touched a five-year high during trading on Friday.

"We are ready to reduce maybe, to operate a spending review if necessary," Mr Conte said. Still, he insisted that economic growth is "the best way in order to take us out of a debt trap".

Mr Conte dismissed the prospect of the spread with German bunds reaching 400 basis points, a level that Credit Suisse said could put unsustainable pressure on Italy's banking system.

Bloomberg
John Williams has pulled out of a performance at the Royal Albert Hall and is in hospital after falling ill.

The Oscar-winning composer, 86, was due to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra on Friday night at an event billed as a celebration of his music.

Williams is known for some of the most recognisable film scores in history, including Jaws, ET: The Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park, as well as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, and the first three Harry Potter films.

Unfortunately, owing to a last-minute illness, John Williams greatly regrets that he is no longer able to join us for this concert and will be replaced by his colleague and dear friend Dirk Brosse conducting the @londonsymphony. Full details here: https://t.co/F9zPv2D7oE  Royal Albert Hall (@RoyalAlbertHall) October 24, 2018

Dirk Brosse, music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and of Ghent Film Festival, will now take his place.

In a statement, his management said: John is so sorry that an illness prevents him from conducting Fridays concert, and hes grateful to his friend Maestro Dirk Brosse for taking the podium in his place.

He so wished he could be with everyone, and the knowledge that 5,000 of his friends will be joining together to celebrate his music is a great comfort for him as he recovered. He wishes everyone a very joyous evening of music.

The nature of his illness remains unknown at this time.

Williams has won five Oscars, seven Baftas and 24 Grammys among many other accolades.
Jamie Dornan has become something of a regular on the chat show scene across the UK and US since the first of the Fifty Shades trilogy landed in 2015, and he has proven to be one of the funniest Irish guests to grace the sofas of Conan, Kimmel and Co.

This week he joined Kimmel to talk about making babies and how he attempted to fool the bouncers of Belfast into thinking he was 18 and not seven when he was a baby-faced 16-year-old in need of a pint. Last week he shared, with Graham Norton, a rather gross but hilarious story about sleepwalking as a child. Here are some of his funniest chat show moments...

Underage drinking in Belfast...

"Everyone had fake IDs," he told Kimmel of underage drinking in his hometown. "You'd always pick something really obscure that you could barely say which is a really stupid thing when a bouncer is asking you."

Speaking about his ID photos, he added, "I looked very young for my age so even when I was 16 trying to get into bars I looked about seven. I used to think I looked older if I wore turtlenecks, so all my fake ID pictures I had this tiny wee peanut head poking out of a turtleneck.

"And I always picked some really stupid course I was doing at university, like 'electrical science'."

THAT sleepwalking story...

Skip to around 1:10 to hear Jamie's sleepwalking story. It has only happened once, he says, when he was around 11 or 12. He awoke one morning to find his father at the end of his bed asking if he had anything to tell him. Someone had done something terrible in the bath...

"As it turns out, by process of elimination with my sisters, working his way down the hall, it was me."

He has a weird walk

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He may be the model of physical perfection by many people's standards, but he's not perfect. By his own admission he has an odd walk which has been commented upon ever since he was at school, he told Graham Norton back in 2014.

During filming of hit BBC series The Fall, the writer/director asked him if it was a "character thing" and when Jamie said it was simply his walk, he was asked to "take maybe longer strides".

He also demonstrated to Graham and his fellow guests how he walks ("I'm on my tiptoes, I'm quite high and bouncy"), how his wife taught him to walk (like "the commercials for Mr Soft") and how he walks now.

Reacting to Fifty Shades fans...

Appearing on The Ellen Show earlier this year he said he gets a lot of fans "talking to me as if I am Christian Grey" who will approach him in Starbucks when he's holding one of his children and say "very specific things from the books or the movies or some sort of red room reference".

"I panic. I don't know how to respond to it because I'm not like him. I think they probably think I'm just really weird, which I'm fine with."

Learning how to remove a woman's underwear

Fifty Shades co-star Dakota Johnson taught him how to remove a woman's underwear in a "more delicate and sensual way", which he demonstrated for host Conan O'Brien.

"There's times where maybe Dakota would be quicker to give me a note than a director," he said. "Sometimes in the first movie. There's a sexy way to take off a girl's underwear that isn't just like [whips them down]. Sometimes it's sort of needs must, but there is a more delicate and sensual way to do it, which is thumbs into the side then you sort of shimmy it down."

The 'wee bag'

Speaking about covering his manhood during sex scenes with Fifty Shades co-star Dakota Johnson, he said, "I wear a wee-bag. Well, that's an expression from where I'm from - a wee-bag. But it doesn't mean it's actually wee in size. I wear quite a big bag! I wear this huge travel bag and stuff everything in there."

He also revealed that the one he had was not brand new...

"I'd love to get to the stage where you have your own one that you get to carry around. I think I was right to think this way: On the first movie, there was a selection of them, and I picked one. I thought you'd take them out of the packets and they'd be brand new; they'd have that brand new smell. Then I sort of picked one that I liked the look of and the shape of, and in the seam it said, 'Inmate No. 3.' It was sewn into it. I was like, 'S**t. This has been used before?' When you picture the guy playing Inmate No. 3 in a movie in your head ... I don't know. It's not sexy!"
More than 1m is to be lodged in the High Court to purchase a home for the five children of the late Emma Mhic Mhathuna, a judge has directed.

Mr Justice Kevin Cross, who also made orders directing that the rest of Ms Mhic Mhathuna's 7.5m award be lodged in court, was told that it had been decided to put off the purchase of the house at the moment.

Ms Mhic Mhathuna, who last June settled for 7.5m her action over her CervicalCheck smears, died earlier this month.

She passed away some five months after being told the cervical cancer she had beaten in 2016 had returned - a few weeks later she was told it had spread to her brain.

Counsel for Ms Mhic Mhathuna's five children, Patrick Treacy, told the court it had been decided by Peter Duffy, grandfather of the five children who are all currently living in Kerry, to postpone the question of a property purchase as the family grieve and deal with the trauma of what has happened.

Mr Justice Cross said he understood the family might not want to purchase a house at the moment but he ordered the 1m be kept in court pending the future purchase of a house.

Mr Duffy, the court heard, has given up his job as a financial adviser to look after the children with his wife who has given up her job as a nurse.

Last July, the court heard Ms Mhic Mhathuna was to move near Dublin where she was receiving medical treatment prior to her death.

At that time, the court directed that a further 650,000 be released to the 37-year-old mother so she had a fund of 1.75m to buy a house near the capital.

In Ms Mhic Mhathuna's case, liability was admitted by the HSE and US laboratory Quest Diagnostics Incorporated.

The admission of liability by the HSE related to a failing to disclose the findings of cervical cancer. Quest Diagnostics admitted misreading her two cervical smear slides in 2010 and 2013.

The settlement followed mediation talks in June.

After it was agreed, Ms Mhic Mhathuna said her main concern was for her five children.

"I am glad it's over with, so I can enjoy my time with my children. We take it day by day," she said.
Catherine Nevin's conviction for murdering her husband Tom does not actually amount to proof of her guilt, her legal team have claimed in a long-running battle over his estate.

Nevin earned the moniker 'The Black Widow' after she was convicted of the March 1996 murder at Jack White's Inn in Brittas, Co Wicklow.

Tom Nevin died intestate and the couple had no children which generally means the entire estate goes to the widow.

His mother Nora initiated proceedings in November 1997 seeking that Nevin be disinherited, but more than two decades later the saga continues in the courts.

Now the Supreme Court must decide whether Nevin's murder conviction can be relied on by his family, in their bid to ensure her estate does not benefit from his.

Nevin died in a hospice last February having been given compassionate temporary release from her life sentence.

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But the disinheritance case is being opposed by the executors of her estate.

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard an appeal, which follows the Court of Appeal finding the criminal conviction can be relied on in the civil disinheritance proceedings as proof of Nevin's guilt.

Members of Tom Nevin's family were in court for the appeal on which the five-judge court, presided over by the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, reserved judgment.

In submissions, Coleman Fitzgerald SC, for the estate, said Nevin always denied involvement in her husband's murder and had intended to give evidence to that effect in the civil proceedings.

There was a procedural flaw in the manner in which the family had sought orders permitting them to rely on the conviction, he said.

He argued that a conviction order is proof only that a person was "found guilty" and was not proof of their guilt.

In that context, the conviction order amounted to "hearsay".

George Brady SC, for the family, said the "indisputable fact" was Nevin had been convicted in 2000 of the murder after a 42-day trial in the Central Criminal Court.

That was the third trial, two earlier trials having been aborted, he said.

He rejected the estate's arguments of a procedural flaw in the family's preliminary application seeking orders permitting them to rely on the criminal conviction for their civil case.

When making the preliminary application, he was acutely conscious of a lacuna, or gap, in the Succession Act but had not argued that point.

He instead relied on the common law in seeking the order to rely on the criminal conviction, Mr Brady said.

Mr Nevin was murdered in 1996 at Jack White's Inn in Brittas, Co Wicklow, the pub jointly owned by the couple.

The pub was re-opened for a short time before it was sold in 1997 for IR620,000. After Nora Nevin died intestate in 1999, her case was taken over by Tom Nevin's brother and sister, Patrick Nevin and Margaret Lavelle, who were in court yesterday.
Guilty plea: Tina Cahill has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh

An Irish woman was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when she killed her fiance in Australia, a court has heard.

Christina Cahill (27), known as 'Tina' and originally from Wexford, had been charged with the murder of David Walsh in their Sydney home. Mr Walsh (29) died after suffering a catastrophic injury to his neck caused by a broken bottle.

The murder trial was due to begin yesterday but Ms Cahill pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was accepted by the prosecution.

Lawyers for the defendant argued that she carried out the killing between February 17 and 18, 2017 under substantial impairment.

She had suffered from PTSD as a result of Mr Walsh's conduct towards her, and the court heard that he was degrading and violent towards Ms Cahill.

Prosecutor Nanette Williams said the prosecution accepted the plea to the less serious offence on the basis that Ms Cahill was suffering an abnormality of mind at the time.

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Her barrister, James Trevallion, said this PTSD was caused by Mr Walsh's conduct towards his client, submitting that the judge needed to be aware of the "extent of the provocation and controlling behaviour" by Mr Walsh.

The couple had been socialising with a number of friends that evening before a row broke out, with neighbours reporting loud noises coming from their property.

Emergency services were called to the home but Mr Walsh was pronounced dead.

The couple's two housemates, now back in Ireland, could give evidence about the nature of the relationship.

They were also witnesses to events on February 17 at the Cock'N'Bull Hotel, the Doncaster Hotel and at the Padstow address, Mr Trevallion said.

The prosecution and defence have yet to prepare an agreed statement of facts for Justice Peter Johnson to use as the basis for Cahill's sentence hearing on November 1.

Ms Williams said the prosecution was seeking victim impact statements from a number of Mr Walsh's family members in Ireland.

Speaking outside the court after the hearing, Mr Trevallion said his client was "doing OK".

He added that her parents, Daniel and Rita, had travelled from Ireland to support her and had a chance to speak with their daughter in court.

Justice Peter Johnson set a sentencing hearing for November 1 and remanded Ms Cahill in custody.

Mr Walsh, who is originally from Enniscorthy, was facing a number of charges in Ireland but had moved to Australia.

They included an assault of his ex-partner in 2012, assaulting three gardai at Enniscorthy Garda Station that same year and three other assault charges.
A nursing home tried to discharge an elderly woman from its premises because of arrears in meeting its costs of her care. Stock image

A nursing home tried to discharge an elderly woman from its premises because of arrears in meeting its costs of her care.

The woman, in her eighties and a ward of court since spring 2017, requires to be hoisted and needs two carers to look after her.

It would be difficult to find an alternative public nursing home facility for her, a court heard.

The nursing home had complained of arrears which at one stage were some 28,000 but had been cut to about 10,150.

Her care costs are 350 weekly, plus 46 expenses to meet hairdressing and other needs.

The home is a business which cannot be expected to continue to incur such costs, its counsel said. It wanted to be permitted to discharge her and for the HSE to seek an alternative public facility.

But refusing to permit her discharge, President of the High Court Mr Justice Peter Kelly said the nursing home should be "a bit patient".

He said it should wait for completion of legal steps to realise the woman's interest in her late husband's estate, which was "a mess".

The woman has some 10,300 left in cash funds out of which 6,000 will be paid towards reducing the current arrears of 10,150 to some 4,000, he directed.

Her weekly care costs will be paid for out of the remaining 4,000 so the arrears as of now will be just over 4,000.

He said the court could not look at it "solely in commercial terms", and had to pay regard to the woman's care.

Any company incurred risk when it goes into business and he was sure other nursing homes, because of the nature of their business, have and are experiencing payment arrears.

The nursing home company appeared to have the view the court was "some sort of shadow Department of Social Protection" which could "conjure up funds or nursing home placements which don't exist", he added.

Earlier, he stressed the arrears were not due to any neglect or default of the general solicitor for wards of court.
A young Dublin man engaged in "catfishing" to lure teenage boys into sharing explicit images of themselves online, a court has heard.

Garda Daniel Tracey revealed Ben Mooney (22) used the name 'Nicole Heffernon' to email and contact teenage boys through Facebook.

Gda Tracey explained that Mooney had been "catfishing", which is pretending to be someone else online, to obtain images of boys in their underwear and naked.

The garda said there were also videos of the teenagers masturbating.

Mooney later told gardai he had contacted up to 15 teenage boys in the two years before he was caught.

Mooney, of Rathsallagh Park, Shankill, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to knowingly possessing child porn and possessing 4,000 images and 300 videos of child porn on a Samsung mobile phone at his home on January 5, 2016. He has no previous convictions.

Gda Tracey told Genevieve Coonan BL, prosecuting, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the US contacted gardai about two email addresses sharing child porn. One of these emails was in the name Nicole Heffernon and the other belonged to a 16-year-old boy.

During the investigation, gardai spoke with this boy, along with two other boys aged 16 and 15. They told officers that a person pretending to be a 16-year-old girl had contacted them through Facebook and had been sending them explicit material.

Gda Tracey said the IP address for the Nicole Heffernon email led back to Mooney's home. He and colleagues got a search warrant for the premises, where Mooney and his parents were present.

Mooney asked his parents to leave him with gardai and then admitted he had contacted up to 15 teenage boys over the last two years.

Gda Tracey said Mooney gave officers a number of emails with which he had communicated with other suspected paedophiles through a Russian website.

Gda Tracey told Ms Coonan that 70pc of the 6,000 images on the phone was a mixture of pornography and child pornography. He said the child porn images fell onto the lower two levels of the scale and consisted of children posing erotically, solo masturbation and sexual activity between minors.

Gda Tracey agreed with Sean Guerin SC, defending, that Mooney made full admissions before forensic analysis had been done on the computer hard drive.

Judge Melanie Greally ordered a report from the Probation Service and adjourned sentencing to January.
For paediatric liver transplant, they take the entire left lobe of the donor or its portion.

The challenge was that the baby was quite small.

NEW DELHI: A three-and-a-half-month-old baby from Uzbekistan underwent successful living donor liver transplant at a private hospital.

According to doctors, baby Yusuf was suffering from high-risk liver disease, a critical condition where scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and prevents the liver from working normally. Hyper reduced liver graft transplant was performed to treat the health condition of baby Yusuf. The hospital claimed that worldwide, only a handful of cases has been recorded in patients of age less than a year undergoing this complex high-risk surgery.

Born in July 2018, baby Yusuf was one of the twin babies welcomed by the family back in Uzbekistan. Weighing 2.92 kgs, the baby was detected with jaundice causing yellowish discoloration of the skin tone and eyes just 5-6 days after birth.

Doctors found that he required Living Donor Liver transplantation surgery.

His mother, Feruza Dadaeva was evaluated as the potential donor for the surgery.

The surgical process was performed with high precision. The challenge was to avoid injury of the blood vessels or bile duct, said senior consultant at the liver transplant department of Jaypee Hospital Dr Abhideep Chaudhary.

For paediatric liver transplant, they take the entire left lobe of the donor or its portion. The challenge was that the baby was quite small.
Attack victim Simone Lee with her sister Una outside Limerick courthouse. Photo: Liam Burke/Press 22

A JUDGE yesterday dismissed provocation as a valid mitigating factor in the case of a man who beat, stabbed, and scalded his partner.

Judge Tom ODonnell said gardai walked into a bloodbath when they arrived at the womans flat where the attack took place.

There was blood everywhere, he added.

Colin Ryan, aged 30, and from St Itas Street, St Marys Park, Limerick, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Simone Lee, (39), on November 27, 2016.

Ms Lee sustained a brain injury, a broken nose, broken bones, and scald injuries.

She also suffered burns to her face, neck, trunk, and eyelids.

She was also stabbed in the back.

Due to the serious nature of her injuries, gardai initially believed Ms Lee was a victim of an acid attack.

Gardai later told the court they now believe she was scalded with boiling water.

Ms Lee also lost some of her hair in the attack and now wears a wig.

Gardai responding to a report of a serious disturbance at Ms Lees flat at Hassetts Villas, Thomondgate found shards of glass on the road outside the property and a step ladder protruding from a window at the upstairs flat

Ryan, covered in blood, allowed gardai into the flat, telling them: Shes playing dead upstairs.

The judge said: Gardai encountered what can only be described as the most horrific of scenes. The flat can only be described as a bloodbath. There was blood everywhere.

Furniture and two televisions were found smashed up inside the flat.

Photographic stills taken by gardai from inside the flat show the absolute havoc gardai encountered, the judge said.

Gardai discovered Ms Lee semi-naked and unconscious on the floor with burn marks and stab wounds on her back.

Ms Lee was routed by ambulance to St Jamess Hospital, Dublin, where she was put in an induced medical coma for three weeks.

Some of her neighbours told gardai they heard loud noises coming from Ms Lees flat for most of the day.

One neighbour said it sounded like a building being demolished.

It was accepted both Ryan and Ms Lee appeared to be in a volatile relationship, which was fueled by each others drug and alcohol addictions.

Bloodstains found on Ryans clothes, and blood found at the scene was matched to the victim.

Ryans fingerprints were also discovered in bloodstains found inside the flat.

Initially, following his arrest, Ryan denied any wrongdoing.

The court heard there were no witnesses to the attack, and, Ryans guilty plea was very welcome.

Judge ODonnell said the attack as appalling, brutal, and savage.

Ryan had initially told gardai he found Ms Lee covered in blood after he called to her flat.

He claimed she threw a step ladder at him hitting him on his arm and which smashed through a window.

Ryans barrister Mark Nicholas described it as a desperate case.

Ryan had two previous District Court convictions for non-violent offences.

The assault was quite clearly a sustained, vicious, savage attack, the judge said.

Gardai also found a broken broom handle with the victims blood and hair on it.

He noted Ryans guilty plea is a public acknowledgment of his wrongdoing...and a trial was avoided.

Had matters gone to trial its not absolute that a conviction would have followed, he said.

Ryan had led a chaotic life and showed remorse for the attack, the court heard.

The judge said, while both parties had had a volatile relationship, there was no evidence as to what lit the fuse leading to the sequence of events on the night.

Defence submissions were presented to the judge which included a reference to provocation.

The judge rejected this.

I dont often comment in the course of pleas of mitigation in which a reference was made to provocation, he said.

The court notes the submissions but the court must be cognisant of the nature and seriousness of the injuries.

He added: No human - let alone a defenseless woman - should be subjected to such a vicious and savage and cowardly attack as was meted out to the victim.

Ryan was jailed for nine and a half years, with the final two years suspended for a period of nine and a half years.

Ms Lee, who has since successfully addressed her addiction issues, was not visible in the body of the court for the sentencing hearing.
Catherine Nevin's conviction for murdering her husband Tom does not actually amount to proof of her guilt, her legal team have claimed in a long-running battle over his estate.

Tom Nevin's mother Nora initiated proceedings in November 1997 seeking that Nevin be disinherited, but more than two decades later the saga continues.

Now the Supreme Court must decide whether Nevin's murder conviction can be relied on by his family in their bid to ensure her estate does not benefit from his.

Coleman Fitzgerald SC said Nevin always denied involvement in her husband's murder and had intended to give evidence to that effect in the civil proceedings.

He argued that a conviction order is proof only that a person was "found guilty" and was not proof of their guilt. In that context, the conviction order amounted to "hearsay".

Nevin earned the moniker 'The Black Widow' after she was convicted of the March 1996 murder at Jack White's Inn in Brittas, Co Wicklow. She died in a hospice last February having been given compassionate temporary release.
Ana Kriegel was murdered on May 14 in Lucan, Dublin

A date has been set for the trial of two teenage boys accused of murdering Kildare schoolgirl Anastasia 'Ana' Kriegel.

The 14-year-old boys, who cannot be named because they are minors, are charged with the murder of the 14-year-old girl at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan, Co Dublin, on May 14 this year.

Mr Justice Michael White has set April 29, 2019 as the date for their trial before a jury at the Central Criminal Court.

The two accused, who are on bail, appeared at yesterday morning's brief hearing.

Their family members were also in attendance at the court hearing.

Ana, who was adopted from Russia aged two, left her house in Leixlip, Co Kildare, at around 5pm on May 14 but did not come home and gardai were alerted. A search was launched the following day.

The schoolgirl's body was found at a disused farmhouse, three days after she was reported missing.

A post-mortem conducted by State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy gave the cause of Ana's death as blunt force trauma to the head.

Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, said the State was seeking a joint trial and to have the case heard "sooner rather than later".

The Central Criminal Court heard that there was a lot of CCTV and forensic evidence in the case, which is due to last more than four weeks.
Up to 40 schools built in the last decade are at risk of closure as the Department of Education widens its investigation into the structural safety of work done by a single contractor.

Two primary schools in west Dublin - Tyrrelstown Educate Together and St Luke's National School - are closed from today following structural checks, forcing 1,200 pupils to stay at home.

Tyrrelstown Community Centre, which is on the same campus as the two primary schools, is also closing temporarily.

Ardgillan Community College, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, has already shut 18 classrooms since Monday because of "significant structural issues" of a similar nature as those identified in those two primary schools.

The problems at Ardgillan came to light during remediation works being carried out on foot of a programme of fire safety assessment at 55 schools.

The three schools were among those built by Co Tyrone-based Western Building Systems (WBS) between 2009-13.

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After Ardgillan, the Department of Education ordered structural checks on 30 WBS schools. It was those checks yesterday that led to the decision to close the two primary schools, as well as an extension of checks to 40 schools.

Meanwhile, WBS defended its record, stating it wanted to "get to the bottom of this" and resolve any issues.

The "significant structural issues" discovered during last Friday's inspection in Ardgillan, relate to the placing of ties between the outer block work and the inner timber frame.

It is understood that the issues identified in Tyrrelstown are similar to those identified in Ardgillan. The Department of Education stated that the closure of the two schools followed "advice from a consultant structural engineer". The statement added that "while not identifying any imminent danger, the schools closed to allow for further investigations. The decision to close was taken and in consultation with the school authorities".

Educate Together said that "for safety reasons, the Tyrrelstown ETNS building cannot be occupied whilst remedial works are being carried out".

Work is under way to find interim accommodation for when the 1,200 pupils return after the mid-term break. After yesterday's developments, Education Minister Joe McHugh told the Dail that the programme of structural checks was being extended to 40 WBS schools, covering the period up to 2018.

The 30 WBS schools covered in the initial structural assessment programme were built between 2009-13, prior to the introduction of more stringent building regulations in 2014.

WBS stated last night that it placed "considerable emphasis on delivering high-quality work on each of our projects, always ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. These include projects which had met the Department of Education's compliance standards. "Until now, our integrity has never been questioned. Each of our Department of Education and Skills' projects, both before and since the amendments to building regulations in 2014, were subjected to inspections during construction. Every time, each was certified as meeting compliance standards."

WBS said it was "interested in getting to the bottom of this and that starts with establishing the facts. We are moving to intensify our engagement with the department and other relevant bodies to better understand the issues which have now arisen and to work to resolve them".

WBS said it had "received some rather than all of the individual school fire audit reports. Of those we have received, we have responded with two exceptions which have only recently been issued to us. We are writing to the Minister for Education and Skills on the matter and remain available to meet with him and his officials".
The impact of Storm Emma and other unexpected demands will be blamed by the HSE today for blowing a 700m hole in its budget this year and forcing it to ask for a bailout again.

Officials from the HSE will appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee to explain why it has overspent its 14.3bn funding to such a degree this year.

It says it is vulnerable to areas of spend that are outside of the normal management control efforts and it incurred exceptional costs such as those associated with Storm Emma.

The response to the extreme weather event, which left Ireland under snow, cost 28m.

At the end of August it was 487m over budget, driven by pressures including demands from hospitals that suffered a fall in income from private health insurers of 63m.

The HSE paid out 24m for overseas treatment for patients from Ireland and also incurred extra costs from the Primary Care Reimbursement Service and pension costs.

There was a large extra payout needed to meet the costs of finding residential places for people with an intellectual and physical disability.

These were needed on an emergency basis by vulnerable people who had been cared for by their family.

The HSE will get 625m of the 700 over-spend and 20m is being given to support ongoing investment.

It is set to insist it has been reviewing its current costs to reduce the overrun.

This month's Budget for 2019 promised record funding of 17bn for the health service in a rise of 1.05bn.

Health Minister Simon Harris said he did not expect an overrun.
Families are 'not having the conversation' about who will take on the care of a relative with an intellectual disability when a parent is no longer able to care for them.

A Symposium on Caregiving Capacity and Contemporary Irish Family Life has heard that "the majority" of parents are reluctant to pass the burden of care on to their other children.

The discussion, held as part of Trinity Week at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), heard that for most families, the decision about the future care of the person with an intellectual disability did not come about until the family had reached crisis point.

For many, this resulted in acrimonious relations with other family members.

Dr Damien Brennan of TCD's School of Nursing told delegates that families are not sitting down to do the future care planning and this leads to "family rows and tense situations".

"The majority of families say they will not pass on care-giving to the rest of the family members which means the family may require residential services in future," he said.

Professor Mary McCarron, Dean of Trinity's Faculty of Health Sciences, said this is the first time in history that we have an older population living with an intellectual disability and that this is to be celebrated.

"However, we must ensure that the necessary supports are made available to carers," she said.

Families are the main care providers of care-giving support for people with intellectual disabilities but because of the changing structure of families, family care is more difficult and complex, delegates heard.

Michael Gannon, of Newbridge, Co Kildare, told the symposium of his experience of living with an intellectual disability and of living with an extended family in adulthood.

He requires support in cooking, paying bills, visits to the doctor and going on holidays but that some of his friends would need additional help.

Meanwhile, Mark O'Connor of Inclusion Ireland said carers need more of the basics - such as changing facilities for adults in public places, greater levels of respite care and greater flexibility in the hours they are allowed to work outside the home.
Scene of the fatal shooting of a 58 year old male in Raleigh ,Macroom Co Cork. Photo: Kyran O'Brien

Scene of the fatal shooting of a 58 year old male in Raleigh ,Macroom Co Cork. Photo: Kyran O'Brien

Scene of the fatal shooting of a 58 year old male in Raleigh ,Macroom Co Cork. Photo: Kyran O'Brien

A man has been arrested after a middle-aged man was shot dead in an incident in Cork.

It is understood the man was shot at a farmhouse near Macroom shortly before midnight last night, but was able to raise the alarm by phoning a friend who in turn called the emergency services.

Efforts to save his life were unsuccessful however, and he was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

Gardai said they are investigating "all of the circumstances surrounding the death".

A man aged in his 60s has been arrested in relation to the incident.

He is currently detained at Bandon Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007.

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The scene - about five kilometres from Macroom - remains closed off this morning, and the man's body remains at the farmhouse.

The man's identity is not yet being released.

The mans body will be taken to Cork University Hospital later where a post mortem examination will be carried out.

"At approximately 11:40pm Gardai were called to the scene of an incident at Raleigh North near Macroom," a garda spokesman said.

"A man in his 50s was being treated at the scene for an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

"The body of the man remains at the scene which is currently preserved and the Office of the State Pathologist has been notified. The services of the Garda Technical Bureau have been requested by investigating Gardai and an incident room has been established at Macroom Garda Station."

More to follow
THE number of homeless people here rose by 171 last month compared with August, new figures have revealed.

5,869 adults and 3,829 children are classed as homeless, according to the Department of Housing's September Homelessness report.

193 children became newly homeless last month, there are now 207 families without a home - 88 entered emergency accommodation and 45 left it last month.

In total 9,698 people are in emergency accommodation in hotels, family hubs and B&Bs.

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Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that we are "still very much in the midst of a crisis in homelessness in this country, despite the increasing numbers of new social houses being built and house building more generally.

"Until we have caught up with supply, we will continue to face a serious challenge.

"More effort is needed and more emergency responses are needed, and the provision of extra money in the budget, for this year and next year, is demonstration of the governments determination when it comes to our homelessness crisis.

"Regulation of the short term rental market as well as greater protections for tenants, both of which are imminent, will also play an important role in making better progress."

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Minister Murphy said that more than 160 family preventions and exits in Dublin last month is "very welcome."

He noted that an extra 30 million was allocated for homelessness services in Budget 2019, bringing the total to 146m - there is also 60m more in capital funding for additional emergency accommodation and 1.25bn for the delivery of new social homes.

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said that more needs to be done to tackle the housing crisis.

He said: "Focus Ireland has repeatedly highlighted though our services and research that the main reason families are becoming homeless is that they are being evicted from their homes by private landlords due to properties being sold or repossessed.

"The Government appear to be just accepting this as a natural phenomenon it can do nothing about.

"But in fact it can take several meaningful steps to make people more secure in their homes. Much more can  and must be - done if we are to end this terrible human crisis and protect the childhoods of nearly 4,000 children currently homeless."
The site of the mass grave at the Tuam mother and baby home. Picture: PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the government has sought a higher contribution to the costs of excavating the remains of children buried at Tuam but 2.5m was what was forthcoming from the Bons Secours religious order.

Minister Katherine Zappone's Department of Children has estimated that the cost of exhuming the hundreds of remains from the sewage system near the former Bon Secours mother and baby home is between 6m and 13m.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald claimed in the Dail that the sum offered by the Bon Secours sisters is "entirely inadequate".

Ms McDonald raised the issue at Leaders' Questions where she said what happened at Tuam is a "cause of national shame".

She commended the government for taking the decision to exhume the remains for possible identification and respectful burial.

She asked about the time-frame for legislation needed to proceed with the plan and suggested the Bon Secours order of nuns should pay "significantly more" arguing that it "bears at least an equal responsibility with the State in this scandal".

She called on the government to seek a greater contribution adding: " It strikes me that 50pc at least of the costs incurred would rightly fall to them."

Ms McDonald also said she hopes other former mother and baby homes will be investigated in a similar manner.

Mr Varadkar said a Commission of Investigation is currently investigating mother and baby homes elsewhere.

He said the excavation of a mass grave has never been done in Ireland and that legislation- expected in the first quarter of next year - is needed as a result.

Mr Varadkar said the government had sought a higher contribution from the Bon Secours but added "this is what is forthcoming".

He said the religious order "are not under any obligation to make a contribution" but have offered 2.5m.

He added: "I want to make it very clear to everyone in the house that this is not a settlement. This is not an indemnity  its an initial contribution to the cost of carrying out these works."

Mr Varadkar said the rest will come from the taxpayer.

He said the excavation at Tuam will be "a very difficult operation" and "slow and painstaking".

He said there's likely to be remains of children and adults there dating back as far as the Famine.

"Unfortunately it will not be possible to identify all of the remains. It will not be possible to individualise them all but were going to do our best and what can be learned along the way will inform us as to what we do with regards to other sites."

"I think were doing the right thing but I do also want to contain expectations. This is going to take time. We havent done this before in Ireland...

"Well do our utmost to carry out a forensic examination... identification in many and perhaps even most cases won't yield a result or answers".

Earlier Mr Varadkar said that at one point 10pc of Ireland's population lived in institutions whether it was mother and baby homes, psychiatric homes, or laundries and this was quite common in Northern Europe at the time.

He said: "many terrible things may have happened there and I know for some people they may take the view that we should just treat that as something in the past and not dredge up old issues.

"We have decided thats not the right approach. We need to understand our past, know what happened, come to terms with it and try to put things right. This is a step in that direction."
The glass memorial is dedicated to over 700 Clare men and women who died in WW1 Photograph Press 22

Damage to a 70,000 World War I memorial in Co Clare has been branded "frankly sickening" by horrified locals.

The glass memorial is dedicated to over 700 Clare men and women who died in the conflict. Located at Causeway Link road, adjacent to the glor theatre in Ennis, one of the three glass panels was shattered sometime in recent days.

While still standing, the glass panel was shattered after been hit by what appears to have been a hammer or other heavy implement.

This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the ending of WW1 and the Committee have plans to host two services to commemorate this, including a major memorial event on November 11.

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Clare Peace Park committee member and historian Dr Keir McNamara said: We are disgusted by this turn of events. The memorial has been a wonderful addition to the build heritage of Ennis and Clare and means so much to so many people.

A lot of hard work went into this project which included private donations and public money especially from Clare County Council and the Ireland 1916 Fund. Its worth over 70,000 in its entirety and we are assessing the extent of the damage and how the panel can be replaced.

Very brave men and women are remembered on our memorial. How brave are those who carried out this needless act? We hope as many people as possible come out to the Service of Remembrance at the memorial on 11th November at 2pm, Dr McNamara added.

Ennis Councillor Mary Howard said: I am so disappointed at this cowardly act. This memorial was only completed a couple of years ago and it has been used regularly for different memorials over the that time.

Most recently we laid wreaths at the site on Sunday October 7 to commemorate those from Co Clare who lost their lives on the RMS Leinster which was torpedoed off the east coast exactly 100 years ago.

I joined the Clare Peace Park committee in 2012 and we raised every penny whether by fundraising, donations and grants to create this beautiful.

To think that some gormless, spineless coward would come in the cloak of darkness and destroy one of the panels is quite frankly sickening, Ms Howard added.

Dr McNamara has asked anyone with information about damage to contact Ennis Garda station on 065 68 48100.
Incident occurred at foot overbridge at Santragachi station when an express train and 2 EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time.

State minister Arup Roy said that 17 others were injured in the incident, of whom some were in a serious condition and were being treated at Howrah General Hospital. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Kolkata: Two persons were killed and 17 injured in a stampede on a foot overbridge at the Santragachi railway station in West Bengal's Howrah on Tuesday evening after announcements were made about simultaneous arrival of trains on platforms connected by the overbridge.

The incident occurred at around 6.30 pm between platform numbers two and three at Santragachi station in Howrah when Nagercoil-Shalimar Express and two EMU locals arrived there around the same time and passengers rushed to the platforms to board the trains, South Eastern Railway spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said.

Shalimar-Vishakhapatnam Express and Santragachi-Chennai Express were also scheduled to arrive shortly, Ghosh said.

A large number of passengers had deboarded and many others were trying to reach their trains at the same time, leading to rush on the foot overbridge that connected the platforms.

"Two persons have died in the stampede at Santragachi this evening," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the station after the incident, said.

State minister Arup Roy said that 17 others were injured in the incident, of whom some were in a serious condition and were being treated at Howrah General Hospital.

Railway officials, however, said that 12 persons were injured.

Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured from the state government.

The chief minister alleged that "negligence and callousness" on the part of Railways led to the accident and there should be more internal coordination to prevent such a situation.

The incident comes days after the Amritsar tragedy when a festive crowd that spilled onto the rail tracks during effigy burning on Dussehra was run over by a train, leaving nearly 60 people dead.

"I feel there is a gap in coordination and Railways should look into it, they should have given some time gap between the arrival of two trains when the passengers have to change platforms," Chief Minister Banerjee said.

"Such situations occur due to negligence and callousness. Railways should act in a more responsible way," Banerjee, who is a former Railway minister, said.

"Safety and security cannot be compromised," Banerjee asserted and added that Railways did not seek any help from the state government during the festive season for crowd management.

Banerjee, who went to the station from a Durga Puja immersion carnival in the city, said that the state government will hold an administrative inquiry.

Several express trains stop at the station, apart from numerous local trains.

Thousands of people use the station every day since it is easier to travel to and from south and central Kolkata from Santragachi.
Closure: Bob Shanahan, Ashbrook, Limerick holds a photo of his late wife Nancy and their son Gus. Photo: Press 22.

The remains of Aengus "Gussie" Shanahan will be laid to rest alongside his late mother.

Bob Shanahan - Gussie's father - said news of his son's fate struck him and his family "like a thunderbolt".

The skeletal remains, consisting of foot bone fragments, were found by members of Bunratty Search and Rescue Service, at Quay Island, Bunratty, on October 28, 2001 over a year and half after Mr Shanahan's disappearance.

Gussie was 20 when he was last seen exiting Coopers Bar, St Joseph Street, Limerick before he walked onto Old School House Lane, around 10.30pm, on February 11, 2000.

His family made public appeals for information every year since. His mother Nancy passed away two years ago without knowing what happened to her son.

It was only this week they were told the remains found 17 years ago belonged to their loved one.

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Superintendent Eamon O'Neill, of Roxboro Garda Station, praised Forensic Science Ireland for tirelessly seeking ways to positively identify the 17-year-old remains.

"They were tested on a number of occasions, but due to various reasons which are of a scientific nature, DNA could not [previously] be extracted from the remains. That difficulty has been overcome."

Mr Shanahan said he learned of the news from gardai on Monday. "I'm struggling through it. It's a mixture of joy and sadness," he said.

"Sadness, because it means Aengus is dead; and joy, because we now have some closure."

Closure is "something we have wanted all along."

Mr Shanahan said he understood that his son's remains would be "handed over to us shortly" for burial.

"It's surreal. Nancy was always of the view that he was dead," he said.

"She also used to say to me, 'You'd think our dead [relatives] would tell us somehow where he was'. When she passed away, I said to her, 'It's you're turn now Nancy', and she has delivered."

Mr Shanahan said he was "delighted" his grandchildren would not carry the same burden he has had for so long: "We always wanted to find his body, and now we can give him a Christian burial."

He acknowledged gardai were "keeping an open mind" in their investigation into Gussie's last known movements. However, he said he remained convinced his son was murdered: "That's still my belief."

He renewed his by now annual appeal for information about what happened to his son.

"It will give us rest," he added.

Supt O'Neill has issued an appeal for information, asking people to re-examine their memory of the night in question.

"Anything at all with regard any small minutiae that may of insignificance to any other person, may be of huge benefit to the investigation."

"We would ask anybody that has that information to contact us at Roxboro Garda Station on 061-214340, or the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666-111 or indeed any garda station."

"Any information that is received by the investigation team will be treated with the upmost confidentiality," he added.
It is understood that the infants were buried between the years of 1925 and 1961  the 36 years that the St Marys home, run by Bon Secours nuns, existed. Photo: Getty Images

The Pope has failed to respond to a request for the Vatican to contribute towards the cost of excavating the remains of hundreds of children feared buried in the sewage system of a former Bon Secours mother and baby home.

Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said she had received no response since raising the issue with Pope Francis during his visit to Ireland in August.

The revelation came as the minister announced Government approval for a plan to exhume remains in the mass grave in Tuam, Co Galway.

It is part of a major forensic investigation expected to cost between 6m and 13m.

The Bon Secours Sisters has said it would donate 2.5m towards the project, an offer that has been accepted in principle by the Government.

However, campaigners said the offer was "too low".

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Historian Catherine Corless, whose work helped expose the scandal, welcomed the minister's announcement, but said the order should pay at least half of the eventual cost.

"The order made money from those children. There is no doubt about that. And they neglected them severely," she said.

Anna Corrigan, of the Tuam Babies Family Group, said the Government had made "an exceptionally important decision", but added that there was "an onus on the order to put more money forward".

Ms Zappone said she still hoped to receive a response from the Pope and believed the Vatican would pay attention to the announcement.

The plan for Tuam involves a phased forensic investigation of the site, and the recovery of the remains "in so far as is possible". This will first involve test excavations to locate potential burials. Then there will be forensic analysis of any recovered remains and, where possible, their identification via DNA testing.

Arrangement will also be made for a respectful burial, memorialisation and the conservation of the site.

"Every effort will be made to locate and recover all juvenile remains from the site," said Ms Zappone. "What happened in Tuam was part of a pattern of injustice we cannot overcome unless we acknowledge it."

Unmarried pregnant women were sent to the home to give birth between 1925 and 1961.

They were separated from their child and required to do unpaid work in the home for a year. The children stayed until they were fostered, adopted or sent to industrial school.

But Ms Corless discovered 796 child deaths at the home were registered where no burial location was recorded. In March of last year, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes reported that significant quantities of human remains had been discovered at the site.

Ms Zappone could not say when the excavation work would begin as legislation needed to be passed first.

She did not rule out the possibility of similar exhumation projects at other mother and baby homes where there are known unmarked burial grounds. So far, however, Tuam is the only site where the commission has confirmed the presence of juvenile remains.

Ms Zappone said the Government's decision was informed by detailed technical advice on international best practice.

A report by the special rapporteur on child protection, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, had a significant bearing on the decision. He advised that a failure to provide relatives with credible information may fall foul of the State's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

He said family members might have the right to have their loved one's body returned to them and to know the fate of family members. Dr Shannon also concluded there appeared to be an inferred duty on the State to collect, as far as possible, the remains.

In his report, he noted that an expert group had found the Tuam site would test the boundaries of forensic investigation. He said that if the State failed to retrieve the remains, it would be unlikely to fall foul of its duties as long as all reasonable steps were taken to attempt retrieval.

In a statement, the Bon Secours Sisters said it acknowledged the pain experienced by those affected. It said it recognised the need for urgency in dealing with Tuam and had made "a substantial offer to help expedite matters".

The statement also claimed the revelations came "as a complete shock" and that the order had been unable to investigate what happened, as it no longer had access to the home's records.
A row over the rules of engagement for the confidence-and-supply talks erupted even before Fine Gael and Fianna Fail met for the first time.

Amid deep suspicions on both sides over the sincerity with which the other is entering the negotiations, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to insist Fianna Fail provides costings for any demands being made.

Fine Gael ministers met yesterday to discuss its approach to the talks, which could extend the Government lifespan by at least one more budget.

Sources indicated there is a "strong belief" Micheal Martin is trying to lure them into "a trap" that will result in an election in February.

Despite an agreement that the two sides would meet with no preconditions, Mr Varadkar's spokesman said Fine Gael wanted "everything to be costed".

Fianna Fail's deputy leader Dara Calleary said Fine Gael were "jumping ahead of themselves" as a review of the existing deal needed to be concluded before the talks move onto an extension.
"Unscrupulous" private bus operators are failing to carry out maintenance - leading to defective vehicles in our school and transport fleets, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) will warn today.

RSA chiefs will face questions before a Dail committee on the safety of the school bus fleet following data that showed more than half of buses failed roadside checks.

Almost 900 roadside checks between July 2017 and June 2018 saw 51pc of vehicles failing. Of the 873 inspections, 268 buses had a major defect and 37 were deemed to be dangerously defective.

The RSA is also set to outline figures that show 41pc of buses failed the annual NCT-style test.

The inspections were of privately operated buses, including but not solely buses used to bring pupils to school.

The publication of the data earlier this year sparked calls for a national safety audit of the school bus fleet.

The School Transport Scheme is operated by Bus Eireann on behalf of the Department of Education, and there are also schools or parents who have contracts with private operators outside of the department scheme.

Chief executive of the RSA Moyagh Murdock will meet with members of the Oireachtas Transport Committee today. Her opening statement, seen by the Irish Independent, will outline the safety checks process and puts the onus on operators to ensure that they keep up maintenance to ensure road worthiness.

"It is evident from the number of dangerously defective vehicles detected at the annual test that there are some unscrupulous operators who are failing to continually carry out preventive maintenance," the statement reads.

"This is a systematic failure by the owners concerned, unacceptable practice and clearly a blatant disregard for road traffic law and also a failure to appreciate the potentially adverse road safety effects for the general public."

She will outline the "heavy responsibility" on both operators and agencies such as the RSA to ensure safe services, saying: "The children and students who use buses every day to travel to school or other venues, either through the School Transport Scheme or other privately operated services, are precious cargo.

"Parents, children and students deserve the safest possible transport system. Every day parents and guardians put their trust in bus operators and drivers to get their children to and from school or other activities."

The RSA assists gardai with roadside checks and says the data is not reflective of the compliance rate in the national fleet.

Operators deemed to be at a higher risk of non-compliance are targeted.

The statement also outlines that "the national bus fleet provides passengers with a remarkably safe travel compared to other road vehicles".

Ms Murdock will also outline a number of initiatives being run by the RSA to promote school bus safety.
Presidential candidate Peter Casey has said if the law has been broken, it must be upheld in the case of a nine-year-old boy facing deportation.

Eric Zhi Ying Xue, from Bray, Co Wicklow - whose mother is Chinese - is facing deportation to China following unsuccessful appeals to remain in Ireland.

Despite being born in Ireland, the boy faces being deported as Irish legislation does not grant him a right to citizenship here.

Mr Casey said the case was tragic, but the law must be respected.

"That's a tragic situation, it really is.

"On one hand the law has been broken [and] the law has to be enforced," he said.

"I don't know the full facts of it. If the law has been broken, the law has to be enforced."

Mr Casey said he required more information before he would make a definite opinion on the case.

"I need to really understand it better to give a more balanced and more defined judgment on it," he added during an interview with LMFM.

A referendum in 2004 removed the birthright to citizenship for children born in Ireland to foreign-born parents.

An online petition addressed to the Justice Minister and supporting the young boy's plea to remain here has amassed more than 50,000 signatures.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the case is currently being reviewed but that there was a small number of just 134 deportation orders against minors in the past five years.

Health Minister Simon Harris has also backed calls for the Wicklow native to be permitted to stay in Ireland, citing humanitarian reasons.

Mr Casey has come under fire in recent weeks for controversial comments around the ethnic background of Travellers, leading to calls for his withdrawal from race for the presidency.

The presidential hopeful considered dropping out of the race just a week before the country goes to the polls following criticism of his recent remarks.

In an open letter in last weekend's 'Sunday Independent', Mr Casey also said Ireland had become a welfare state where there was a "sense of entitlement".

"We have become a nation of people who expect, no demand, that the State looks after them," he said.

However, the former 'Dragon' said that he would continue with his campaign for the presidency after receiving "thousands" of messages of support for his vision for the Presidency.
President Michael D Higgins was told he "couldn't lie straight in bed" during feisty exchanges over his use of the Government Learjet during the final presidential debate.

Mr Higgins was rounded on by four of the other five candidates as they sought an explanation for his journey on the jet for a visit to Belfast.

Over recent days the President claimed that he flew rather than travelling by road due to security and logistics reasons after consultation with the PSNI. He has now said he was following the advice of his office.

"My office draws on different sources," Mr Higgins said.

During bruising exchanges, Peter Casey accused the President of lying. Mr Casey said the President needs "to start telling the truth".

"He was economical with the truth when he said he would only stand for one election," he said.

Despite being told not to refer to Mr Higgins as a liar, the challenger said: "He couldn't lie straight in bed."

Sean Gallagher, who is second in the opinion polls, said Mr Higgins had developed "a pattern of hiding behind security reasons" to explain his travel.

Expand Close In control: David McCullagh was asking the difficult questions. Photo: INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp In control: David McCullagh was asking the difficult questions. Photo: INM

He said that at a time when "so many people in this country are struggling" it sent out the wrong message for the leader of the country to taking a jet less than 160km up the road.

"I think you know in your heart that was not a good move," he said.

Over the course of the RTE 'Prime Time' debate, all three Dragon's Dens investors refused to disclose how much tax they pay - with Peter Casey admitting he does not pay tax in Ireland.

He said he is working on "posting back" his Green Card which mandates that he pays tax on his worldwide earnings in the US, which he said he is doing at around 46pc.

Sean Gallagher repeatedly said he was compliant in all tax affairs and took issue with a suggestion by Gavin Duffy that his affairs were "very tight" unlike Mr Gallagher or Mr Casey.

However, he moved to qualify his remarks by saying he does not have involvement with several companies unlike the other two, leading Mr Casey to suggest that he should attend one of his own communications courses.

Sinn Fein's Liadh Ni Riada looked uncomfortable as she was repeatedly challenged about previous claims that she takes home the average industrial wage.

She has now admitted that in fact her salary is 60,000 after tax. The MEP puts 13,000 of this into her constituency office and other political expenses.

She claimed the "average wage" is 47,000 - but moderator David McCullagh pointed out that this is well above the average industrial wage.

Under pressure, Ms Ni Riada claimed it was "semantics".

Mr Gallagher was forced to defend his absence from public life since his failed presidential bid in 2011.

He said it took a decision "not to take part in any media" until he settled his claim against RTE over the 'Frontline' debate.

"That took me six years which was not my fault," he said.

Peter Casey claimed that Mr Gallagher did not deserve a "penny" from RTE as he "shot himself in the foot" seven years ago.

Last December the broadcaster apologised and paid "substantial damages" to Mr Gallagher.

Meanwhile, Mr Casey was quizzed on his comments about Travellers on Independent.ie's Floating Voter podcast.

Mr Casey faced calls to withdraw from the race after describing the recognition of Travellers as a distinct ethnic group as "nonsense".

He again refused to apologise for his comments and fully rejected claims his remarks were racist.
THE final televised debate of the presidential campaign saw the five challengers to sitting president Michael D Higgins fend off the key questions that have faced them throughout the campaign.

A lively debate hosted by Ivan Yates and Matt Cooper saw presidential hopefuls Joan Freeman, Peter Casey, Sean Gallagher, Liadh Ni Riada and Gavin Duffy make their final pitches to the public before polling opens on Friday morning at 7am.

Questions to each candidate reflected the persistent issues that have emerged for each.

In the case of Senator Joan Freeman, founder of Pieta House, it was a question of whether she is a one-trick pony - which she admitted she was, moving to point out what a trick it was.

Sinn Fein MEP was quizzed on her unvouched expenses as an MEP, which she has not published details on to date despite leading the charge against Mr Higgins over detail on spending in the Aras.

Meanwhile, businessman Peter Casey was forced to defend his controversial interventions throughout the campaign on the Travelling Community and on social welfare recipients.

He roundly rejected a charge from host Ivan Yates on whether he had dragged the campaign into the gutter with dog whistle politics.

Absolutely not. I think what Ive done is... people have said I've been divisive I simply pointed out divides that were already there. I didnt create any divides.

Mr Casey was left momentarily speechless when he was asked how much a person on jobseekers gets weekly.

After a moments thought he admitted he did not know.

Mr Casey penned an opinion piece in the Sunday Independent where he suggested that Ireland is becoming a welfare state.

Where is the incentive work in this country? We have become a nation of people who expect, no demand that the state looks after them. Pay all of their bills, provide them with homes provide all sorts of social benefits, he wrote.

Meanwhile, Sean Gallagher again found himself explaining that he took a decision not to appear in the media while a case against RTE was ongoing following the Frontline debate during the 2011 campaign.

Gavin Duffy lead the charge in disputing an assertion from host Mr Yates that the challengers were wasting the time of the voting public.

The Virgin Media One host launched a stinging attack on both the incumbent president and the five challengers.

Michael D Higgins opted to sit it out.

He attributed his decision to take part on one debate on RTE and one on Virgin Media One, citing the need to balance the duties of the office and his campaign.

Just minutes into the debate Mr Yates accused the challengers of running inept campaigns.

Mr Yates claimed the incumbent is a pompous poet who gives lectures on ethics but does not publish full details of Aras spending.

He said the challengers has run the most inept campaign of all time and said they did not understand the knock down drag out nature of politics.

Questions about how a 317,000 unaudited allowance for the Office of the President have persisted throughout the campaign. The money is used to fund events in the Aras and other expenses not covered elsewhere in the budget. Mr Higgins has said if re-elected he will seek an annual report detailing the activities of the presidency and details of expenditure. However, he said to do so ahead of the election would politicise the issue.
Sinn Fein presidential candidate Liadh Ni Riada has defended her decision to support the abandonment of the EU's mission to clamp down on people smugglers and save migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

Ms Ni Riada voted in favour of a proposal to end the naval mission involving Irish soldiers which has saved the lives of thousands of migrants fleeing war-torn regions of North Africa.

The Sinn Fein MEP, who is campaigning to become the supreme commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces, said she believes Irish soldiers should not assist the Libyan authorities over concerns she has about alleged human rights abuses by the country's coast guard.

Operation Sophia has resulted in the rescue of more than 44,000 migrants and led to the arrest of at least 143 suspected people smugglers and traffickers. Around 545 smuggler vessels have been intercepted by EU navy forces.

Fianna Fail's defence spokesperson Jack Chambers said it was "concerning" that a candidate campaigning to become the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces would oppose the "great work they are doing as part of the operations in the Mediterranean".

"The Defence Forces' own general staff advised that Ireland participate in Operation Sophia. Therefore, if elected, Liadh Ni Riada would be in direct conflict with her own military management," Mr Chambers said.

Ms Ni Riada said she voted to stop the mission in May because she believed the operation was moving towards "greater military co-operation between the EU and Libya with the expressed aim of preventing refugees from reaching Europe".

The Sinn Fein candidate was voting on an amendment to an EU Commission report which recommended increased co-operation between the EU and Libyan authorities with the aim of clamping down on people-trafficking gangs.

The amendment suggested stopping Operation Sophia and said people in need of rescue in the Mediterranean should be assisted by "EU actors", including NGOs.

The EU provides the Libyan coast guard with training on search and rescue missions under Operation Sophia.

However, concerns have been raised about the treatment of migrants by the Libyan coast guard.

Amnesty International reported that asylum seekers who are returned to Libya face cramped conditions in detention centres and have also been subjected to torture and extortion.
The city has around 50,000 app-based cars.

The drivers of the cars were demanding that a minimum base fare be fixed between Rs 100-150 depending on the range of the cars, while the per kilometre fare should be fixed between Rs 18 to Rs 23.

Mumbai: The Ola and Uber drivers strike entered its third day on Wednesday. In the tussle between the cab aggregators and the cab drivers, commuters suffered once again. The protests will continue on Thursday as well as the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS) said that the stir would only be called off after the demands of the cab drivers were fulfilled. He also said that they were getting good response from cab drivers from Pune, Dhule and other parts of the state. Meanwhile, Ola and Uber did not respond to any queries.

MRRKS secretary, Sunil Borkar said, The next course of action would be decided after meeting the Nationalist Congress Party Mumbai chief Sachin Ahir on Thursday. He claimed that 95 per cent of the cars were off the road on the third day of the strike. The cabs which were still seen plying were those belonging to Ola, Uber brokers.

The city has around 50,000 app-based cars. The drivers of the cars were demanding that a minimum base fare be fixed between Rs 100-150 depending on the range of the cars, while the per kilometre fare should be fixed between Rs 18 to Rs 23.

Kamya Sharma, who was travelling from Thane to BKC, said, It was very difficult to book an Ola cab on Wednesday morning. It took me 15 minutes to book the cab, something which generally takes five minutes. Also I had to pay Rs 800 today, which is double of what I pay on a normal day, ie Rs 400.

Ashish Trimukhe, a marketing professional, who was travelling from Ghatkopar to BKC, said that he was unable to book a cab on either Ola or Uber despite several attempts.
Colourful: People take selfies in front of autumn leaves at the National Arboretum near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA

A blast of raw and unseasonably cold weather is headed our way this weekend as an Arctic air mass moves in.

The pleasantly mild temperatures we have enjoyed this week will come to an end tomorrow night, according to Met Eireann forecaster Gerry Murphy. Tomorrow will remain dry in most places with mild daytime highs of between 11C and 13C.

But that is all set to change by Friday morning when the Arctic air mass settles in over Ireland for the October bank holiday and early next week.

There could even be wintry showers with hail and possibly sleet on mountaintops, he said.

While a dusting of snow on higher ground is highly unlikely, it will feel more like winter than Halloween this weekend, he said.

"It will be quite cold, especially on Saturday," he said, adding the mercury is not expected to exceed 6C or 9C.

Although Sunday and Monday will see a slight recovery in temperatures to daytime highs of between 7C and 10C, the northerly wind will make it feel cold and raw, he said.

Widespread frost and overnight lows of between zero and 3C are forecast for Friday night, with more frosty nights forecast for the remainder of the weekend, and overnight lows of between -2C and 2C.

Conditions are not set to change well into next week, he added.

"It's still unsettled right up to next week and will stay cold right up to Halloween," he said.

But the good news is conditions should begin to improve later in the week, he added.
They won't be parents until next spring, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are leaving nothing to chance. Over the weekend, it was reported that the couple - who are around 12 weeks pregnant - have already hired a top parenting coach in the shape of Connie Simpson. If nothing else, Harry and Meghan are determined to do everything right for their (very) little one.

Elsewhere in their blue-blooded orbit, new mums Pippa Middleton and Vogue Williams have made the whole parenting thing look practically Pinterest-perfect. Mere days after giving birth last week, serene and coiffed Pippa looked decidedly unlike a woman who had birthed something the size of a watermelon. Howth-born Vogue, meanwhile, returned to work as a DJ at the O2 Arena in London, sporting enviable abs a month after giving birth to son Theodore. But the working mum showed that she is only human (or rather, superhuman), doing double breast-pump duty before going to work. They're not like us, these starry types, but there certainly seems to be a commonality to the millennial parenting experience. Where once a 70s/80s mum could chain smoke Rothmans in the car with impunity and boot kids out into the nearest patch of neighbourhood green until dusk, today's parents seem bound by an entirely new set of norms and expectations. Adding insult to injury, an overload of information and the cult of perfection and parenting means that there could well be such a thing as being overly prepared.

As Vogue magazine posited this year, "millennials are the most tech-savvy generation in human history, and the most anxious. Coincidence?".

Laura Doyle (30), a podcaster/writer for FamilyFriendlyHq.ie (and on lovelifeandlittleones.com), certainly thinks so. The mum-of-four (Kyle, 9, Noa, 4, Briar, 2 and Milla, 1) says that the wealth of parenting information available, coupled with the rise of 'performative' parenting on social media, has created a unique set of demands on today's parents.

"We're the generation who will scroll through Google instead of going to the GP, or scroll through dozens of parenting particles on Facebook everyday," Doyle says. "You see so many new mum bloggers back in shape, wearing full make-up, out and about, and new mums think that's the way it's meant to be. Everyone is performing - they're showing their best side, even if they are posting about something negative," she adds. "I don't think you'd find a person who will show the truly raw side of things."

Joanna Fortune, parenting expert and author of 15-Minute Parenting, notes: "Millennial parents have access to more information about raising children than any generation before. One might think this is a great help to parents today and there are certainly gains to it, but it also drives this need to feel you are getting it all right all of the time. Parenting is not about perfection, indeed many would support me when I say perfection isn't good enough, good enough is good enough."

Expand Close Vogue a month after giving birth. / Facebook

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Much of the emphasis on the online bush telegraph, as well as the pressures of social media, have supplanted the traditional face-to-face support that many previous generations enjoyed.

"It really does take a village and, before, you might have been able to get help from a family member or neighbour, but now so many people find their primary support online," observes Doyle. "It can be a very lonely situation."

Yet in the millennials' ongoing quest for perfectionism, there lies a serious roadblock. Financial pressures - a stew of rising property prices, zero-hour contracts, gig economy pitfalls and a treacherous work-life balance - has also affected parenting.

"A lot of working mothers definitely feel this kind of guilt," affirms Doyle. "You feel bad not spending time with your children, you end up overcompensating with a trip to Smyths on the weekend and you have them in every activity going because you have work, which obviously comes at a price."

Doyle also observes that the enthusiastic scheduling of children's after-school activities is reflective of a generation keen to give their offspring every advantage possible in early life.

"Millennial parents tend towards structure because they are juggling multiple tasks (career, family, friends, hobbies) all at once, so tend towards strict schedules and rely on routine to achieve this. Of course this is difficult to sustain," observes Fortune.

As mum to two-year-old Sienna, make-up blogger Grace Mongey recalls that she consciously decided to swim against the tide with a more laid-back approach.

"I never put that much pressure on myself to be perfect," she recalls. "I never stuck with milestones or talk about 'this is the way to do it' - rather, I just went with my gut.

"I think people appreciate the realness if I ever mention my daughter on social media. I was on Instagram Stories the other day and Sienna had peed all over the place. I certainly wasn't sugar-coating it."

Fortune advocates the 'good enough' approach to parenting. "My book is about supporting parents to engage in 15 minutes of mindful play a day with their children," she says.

"This is right now, in the moment, screen free, person to person time. My book is built on the premise that good enough is good enough and that small changes will make big differences in family life."

Still, Mongey acknowledges that being laid-back is less the rule and more the exception when it comes to her generation of parents.

"I think people are completely confused and overwhelmed, and all the information seems to contradict the other information," she notes. "As parents, we can seem advanced but it's a catch-22. I'm scared to think about a time when Sienna is 20, and what life will be like for her then."
We moved into our new home on Christmas Eve 2006. It was a new beginning for us. We wanted to live in the countryside but close to my hometown Moville and to develop an organic garden. We were all full of hope that this was to be a new, healthy and exciting move. We put a lot of work into making this newly built house our home. We were blessed with the arrival of our fourth child in June 2007, but unfortunately around this time we noticed large cracks on the outside of the house.

I knew it wasn't normal. The builder got an engineer in to take a look and he told us it was nothing to worry about, that it was natural subsidence. I knew it wasn't. The scale of the cracks' opening was dramatic. But after further tests and reports over a period of time, the engineer signed off that the house was perfect.

A number of years later, an article in a local newspaper by a structural engineer raised my concerns again. He visited us and told us there was a real issue, not only with our house, but with lots of other houses in Donegal. It was because of blocks that were not fit for purpose due to the high content of muscovite mica in them.

The house had been continually getting worse. It was categorised as a code red - the most severe indicator of structural damage - and our hearts sank with this news. It got worse as we soon realised that this issue was not covered by insurance or building warranty. We simply couldn't understand that having paid all the professionals, nobody was responsible.

I started getting in contact with other people and we found out it was a story. I was selected as the chairman of the newly formed Mica Action Group. I took this role very seriously and worked tirelessly to seek a redress scheme for all homeowners that were affected. I took responsibility and led the way in exposing this issue in the media.

I became completely absorbed and obsessed with it and did as much research on it as I could. Like many homeowners, my own health started to deteriorate. This was brought on by my fear that our house was becoming structurally unsafe to live in. The choice was either to expose my family to this potential risk or leave our home. I was also becoming more and more concerned about our livelihood. I'd spent a couple of years developing an idea for a seaweed cafe, which I had secured planning permission for. This now all stopped as the house was valueless - it was the collateral to develop the business. My wife Trish and I became increasingly worried we had no safety net for our children Realtin (19), Niamh (17), Oisin (14) and Cahir (11).

By 2014 it was so bad that I could fit my fingers into cracks in my bedroom walls. I remember the night of a big storm in Moville - it actually made the national news - I didn't sleep. I thought as a father "is this house safe?". I couldn't cope in it anymore. By now, nobody would sign off and say "this house is structurally safe". There was also lateral movement in the house where the walls were literally pulling away. There was a risk of imminent collapse. We had no option but to get out.

We moved out in November 2014. It was absolutely traumatic. I felt, as a father, I'd let the kids down. I told them I'd go to the media and sort this out. The Government had just kept kicking the problem down the road. I had exposed my children's home. It was in the papers and everybody knew about their house. As a father, you want to be the person who fixes things. I felt I wasn't fixing things.

Three months after we moved out, my wife Trish was in a car accident with our daughter Niamh. After that, I decided life was more important. I'd been lucky: my wife is still here and my daughter is still here. I had to take a step back from the Mica Action Group because I was losing confidence in their approach.

The impact of the crash has had a huge impact on our lives. A year later, my wife - who's a teacher - had to stop work and hasn't been able to return. Our problems multiplied. We were renting a house eight miles out of town. Our medical bills began to escalate beyond our means. The bank wouldn't engage with me. The only route for us was to apply for bankruptcy in 2016. We were at rock bottom.

The Government has only now approved a redress scheme for homes affected by mica, which I am genuinely delighted about. However, I want the Government to tell us as a family - who have been left with nothing financially and been made homeless - will we receive any help or compensation?

Last year, I won a National Heritage Award for a project I did on fishermen who fished salmon on Lough Foyle. I said in my acceptance speech that I couldn't give up on my dream to develop a tourism and education project based on seaweed called Wild Strands. Earlier this year, I also secured European FLAG funding to develop my ideas further.

Three weeks ago, I opened a cafe at Malin Head Community Centre - it's called Wild Strands Caife. I've been able to set up purely with the help of friends and the goodwill of the people of Malin Head. Without their help, support and generosity, this would not have been possible.

Words can't actually express the stress of everything our family has had to go through. I'd like to think if I can keep the cafe going I can show people you can be resilient and there's a great community out there. Reach out and genuine people will come and have your back. I want to turn this nightmare around. If I end up with nothing, I want people to realise that the nothing I have is worth more than what a lot of people have. It's worth a hell of a lot more.

I want to explore and showcase Irish food. I'm an expert in how to use seaweed. Nearly all of the stuff in the cafe is organic. If it's not organic, it's local and it's seasonal. I need to somehow give back to the friends that have helped me. I want to tell a bit of my story to inspire others not to give up.

In conversation with Kathy Donaghy
Car-value expert Gillian Keogh teams up with Motoring Editor Eddie Cunningham to help you make the right choice with your next purchase. Gillian is Editor of a monthly guidebook on the values of used cars produced by the Motor Trade Publishers team. The team supplies a car-valuing service to the motor trade, insurance companies and finance houses

I have a Toyota Auris 1.4-litre petrol. I was thinking of getting a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 1.5CVT 'Intense' petrol. I liked it when I took it for a test drive. I would go hybrid, but it's Donegal, so I'm not sure about it. We are not doing enough miles for diesel. I think 181-reg would be good - it keeps my 29,000 budget and gets me the car I want. What do you think?

Gillian: The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a good choice. If you really like it, go for it. A 181 will fit your budget, while a new one is 32,400. Unfortunately, the Eclipse Cross isn't available as a hybrid yet.

Other models in the same league are the Nissan Qashqai and the SEAT Ateca, both of which have automatics.

The Qashqai petrol has a 1.2 engine and the CVT range starts at 28,300, but for your budget a better buy would be a one-year-old higher spec SV Premium.

The Ateca as a 1.4 DSG starts at 30,825 but, again, a one-year-old Xcellence might be worth looking out for.

If you do want hybrid, the Toyota C-HR starts at the same 30k-plus mark. I think the Eclipse Cross is worth another drive though.

Eddie: I think you have made up your mind and just want reaffirmation on the Eclipse Cross, so go and buy it.

I have recently returned from abroad with my wife and three children. I would like advice on buying a seven-seater. The majority of our journeys will be short. Our budget is 16,000 to 18,000 cash, and our annual mileage is 12,000 to 15,000km.

We are looking for a four-year-old from the UK. We have considered the Ford S-MAX and Seat Alhambra as our main options.

We looked at the Kia Carens, Toyota Prius+ and Ford Grand C-Max but felt the rear rows were only for occasional use. Space, affordability and reliability are what we are looking for.

What is our best option? Diesel/petrol? Is there a good hybrid option? We will probably keep whatever we buy for a long time, so resale is not a big factor.

Gillian: A seven-seat hybrid won't suit your budget unless you go for the Prius+, but, yes, the third row of seats is better suited to occasional use. For a full seven-seater, the Alhambra is a good choice. You should get into a 2013.

However, I find them a little dated and suggest you take a look at a Ford Galaxy too. The S-Max is good, but for an extra 2,000 to 3,000 you will get more space and use out of the Galaxy. Both Ford and SEAT sell well in the UK, so you shouldn't find it hard to source one there.

They sold well for Irish families here too, so I wouldn't be in a rush to go overseas.

Both models only come as diesel, however.

Eddie: Alhambra or Galaxy for me.

I am 70, female and have a Volkswagen Polo 1.2-litre that is 10 years old. Total kms: 133,000. I have had very few issues with it, but I would like to change for something with higher seating, so I don't really want a hatchback. I anticipate keeping it for a good few years.

We have a second car, a Peugeot 3008, but the dealer is a long distance for servicing etc, so not necessarily considering a 2008. Only occasional city driving. Budget is 18,000 max including trade-in. I have looked at a Kia Venga but because this model is going off the market, would it be a wise buy, or should I go perhaps for the Kia Stonic?

Will either take poor enough driving surfaces? What would you other suggestions be?

Gillian: Both will take on poor surfaces, but the Venga is dated now. The Stonic would be a better choice. You could get a new 1.25 K1 model for around your 18,000, but I recommend going for the 1.4 K2 and look for a 172/181 plate.

The seat might not be as high as you are hoping. If you find that, how about the Citroen C3 Aircross or the SEAT Arona? Both are priced around the same as the Stonic, so a one-year-old would be better suited to your budget. But as they are both fresh models, you'll have to wait until the new year for one.

Eddie: I'd go Stonic or Arona - it's really your preference.

I drive a 2016 Hyundai i40 estate 1.7 diesel (60k km). As I do hunting, farm work and towing, the car doesn't suit all activities. I was thinking of buying a 2017 Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Hilux or Nissan Navara. Budget is 12,000 to 15,000, plus the sale value of the car.

What type of vehicle would you advise best for fuel usage, comfort on long journeys and overall maintenance/service costs and depreciation? Any other SUVs you could advise on?

Gillian and Eddie: The three vehicles you mentioned are all built for comfort and hard work. Assuming a budget of 27,000 to 28,000, a L200 high-spec Intense, a Navara SE and HiLux DLX will all fit with a 171-registration plate.

They are similar models and differ mainly on engine size. The Navara has a 2.3 engine, while the L200 and HiLux have 2.4 engines. We suggest you consider which brand dealership is nearest to you for maintenance/service convenience. Choosing between the three is a matter of taste, so we suggest taking them out for a good spin and see which one feels right.

Other options include the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok. However, the new-model 171 Amarok would be out of budget, so going back to a 161 might not be the best option. The Ranger also had a change of model, but that was in 2016 and a 171/172 would fit in budget, so we suggest you take a look. It is a beast of a machine and has a great 2.2 dsl engine.

I have a nice dilemma in that I am buying a new 191-reg vehicle through my company. I currently drive an Audi A4 2.0TDi (131-D-reg). I have been happy with it. I am looking at something similar, but not a BMW or Merc, for company reasons. I was thinking of an SUV, but I think you get a few more luxuries and comforts in a car. The vehicles I plan to look at are the Audi A4, Volvo S60/V60, VW Arteon and Hyundai Sante Fe. I definitely want automatic and leather. I do about 25,000km/year. I would consider an electric car, but there is nothing really in this class yet.

Gillian: A new model would be great. Depending on the spec, you are most likely now accustomed to the Audi, so it will be difficult to find something that ticks all the same boxes. Another A4 should be a real contender and I would stick with a 2.0 TDi again. But see if you can get into the top spec S-Line 150 S-Tronic. I would rule out the Santa Fe as it is a whole other class to the others. The Volvo S60 and estate version V60 are due a new-model launch soon. I can't help but suggest an Arteon all the way. It is just so sleek and has plenty of room. While it's classed as a saloon, it has the appeal of a coupe. The Elegance 150 DSG starts at 44,495, so it's priced similar to the A4, but go R-Line if you can.

Eddie: As you are so happy with your A4, you should make a new one your prime focus. I just think Audi should have made the A4 less conservative-looking. That's a personal prejudice. For you, I think it's the right option. Get yourself one with plenty of bells and whistles. We envy you.

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An Irish apple farmer is giving away 6,000 apples to school children to celebrate Halloween this year.

Over the last two decades, Cornelius Traas from Tipperary has given away over 120,000 apples to Irish primary school children, a tradition hes carried over from his parents.

This year, teachers and children from 32 primary schools will get their apples.

When I was in school, my parents used to send me and my brother into school with a box of apples for our classes. We did it every year right up until Leaving Cert - my brother as well.

Old-fashioned communication. This morning I am sending letters to 32 local national schools offering them free apples for every student (and teacher) before Halloween. Over 120,000 apples given away in the past 20 years. pic.twitter.com/lJiMITY96W  Cornelius Traas (@theapplefarmer) October 22, 2018

Weve 32 schools every year now that collect the apples every year  it comes to around 200 children in each school and ten teachers, and we have an apple for everyone.

If half the class are eating them, all the class are going to eat them Its like the Food Dudes who are encouraging children to eat healthy.

Less than 10pc of apples eaten in Ireland are Irish apples, Traas added.

Elstar is and Irish variety, while pink lady and granny smith are grown abroad.

The eating apples tend to be grown more in the south of Ireland. Less than 10pc eaten here are actually grown here.

Granny smiths and Pink ladys need a warmer climate, a hotter summer than we have in Ireland. If people are in the habit of consuming those apples, we cant provide that apple to them. Were relying on people to choose another.

However, he added: Elstars are very popular with consumers in general.

Irish apples tend to have larger cells than they do elsewhere, when you bite them, because the cells are bigger, then it reduces more juice, so theres less chewing to get the juice. Theyd probably seem juicier.
British Airways captain Steve Allright and Patrick Smith, US pilot and author of Cockpit Confidential, explain the truth about turbulence.

What causes turbulence?

Steve Allright: Many different things may cause turbulence, but each and every one of them is known and understood by pilots. Every day I fly, I expect a small amount of turbulence, just as Id expect the odd bump in the road on the drive to work. Turbulence is uncomfortable but not dangerous. It is part of flying, and is not to be feared.

Different aspects of the weather cause different types of turbulence. CAT is an abbreviation for Clear Air Turbulence  the most common form of turbulence you are likely to experience.

Air tends to flow as a horizontal snaking river called a jet stream. A jet stream can sometimes be thousands of miles long but is usually only a few miles wide and deep. Depending on the direction of travel, our flight planners either avoid (into a headwind) or use (into a tailwind) these jet streams to cut fuel costs, as they can flow up to 250 mph. Just like a fast-flowing river swirling against the riverbank, where the edge of the jet stream interacts with slower moving air, there may be some mixing of the air which causes turbulence.

Patrick Smith: Everything about turbulence seems dangerous. However, in all but the rarest circumstances, it's not. For all intents and purposes, a plane cannot be flipped upside-down, thrown into a tailspin, or otherwise flung from the sky by even the mightiest gust or air pocket. Planes are engineered to take a remarkable amount of punishment, and they have to meet stress limits for both positive and negative G-loads. The level of turbulence required to dislodge an engine or bend a wing spar is something even the most frequent flier won't experience in a lifetime of travelling.

So I'm not accused of sugarcoating, I concede that powerful turbulence has, on occasion, resulted in damage to aircraft and injury to their occupants. With respect to the latter, these are typically people who fell or were thrown about because they weren't belted in. About 60 people, two-thirds of them flight attendants, are injured by turbulence annually in the US. That works out to about 20 passengers. Twenty out of the 800 million or so who fly each year.

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Can it be avoided?

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Steve Allright: You cannot see CAT, you cannot detect it on radar, and you cannot accurately forecast it, but there are other ways of avoiding it. In the main we rely on reports from other aircraft, which we hear either directly or which are passed on by air traffic control. We then consider the options available to us. Our endeavours to fly at an altitude that has been reported as smooth may be prevented by several constraints such another aircraft occupying that level, or the weight of the aircraft at that time.

Whatever the circumstances, your pilot will find the most comfortable path to your destination without compromising your safety. Just like you, we experience the movement and would prefer a smoother ride.

Patrick Smith: Predicting the where, when, and how much of turbulence is more of an art than a science. We take our cues from weather charts, radar returns, and, most useful of all, real-time reports from other aircraft.

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Is turbulence more likely on certain routes?

Steve Allright: Any airport is at the mercy of strong winds on any given day. The same applies to jet streams on any given route, although there is generally more chance of turbulence crossing the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) when flying south across Africa, for example.

Patrick Smith: Those burbling, cotton-ball cumulus clouds are always a lumpy encounter. Flights over mountain ranges and through certain frontal boundaries will also get the cabin bells dinging, as will transiting a jet stream boundary. But now and then it's totally unforeseen. You just don't know. Because turbulence is so unpredictable, I am known to provide annoying noncommittal answers when asked about how best to avoid it.

"Is it better to fly at night than during the day?" Sometimes.

"Should I avoid routes that traverse the Rockies or the Alps?" Hard to say.

"Are small planes more susceptible than larger ones?" It depends.

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Which is the smoothest part of a plane to sit?

Patrick Smith: Ah, now that one I can work with. While it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, the smoothest place to sit is over the wings, nearest to the plane's centres of lift and gravity. The roughest spot is usually the far aft - the rearmost rows closest to the tail.

How bad can turbulence get?

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Patrick Smith: I remember one night, headed to Europe, hitting some unusually rough air over the Atlantic. It was the kind of turbulence people tell their friends about. It came out of nowhere and lasted several minutes, and was bad enough to knock over carts in the galleys. During the worst of it, to the sound of crashing plates, I recalled an email. A reader had asked me about the displacement of altitude during times like this. How many feet is the plane actually moving up or down, and side to side. I kept a close watch on the altimeter. Fewer than 40 feet, either way, is what I saw. Ten or 20 feet, if that, most of the time. Any change in heading - the direction our nose was pointing - was all but undetectable. I imagine some passengers saw it differently: "We dropped like 3,000 feet in two seconds!"

You're liable to imagine pilots in a sweaty lather: the captain barking orders, hands tight on the wheel as the ship lists from one side to another. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, one of the worst things a pilot could do during strong turbulence is try to fight it.

Steve Allright: Flight crews around the world share a common classification of turbulence: light, moderate and severe. The definitions are laid down in our manuals and help us to make an assessment as to what our course of action should be.

For the fearful flyer, even light turbulence can be upsetting. For pilots, light turbulence is no different to a bumpy road for a taxi driver or a slightly uneven section of track for a train driver  a small, but totally safe, inconvenience and very much part of our daily lives. In light turbulence, the aircraft may be deviating by just a few feet in altitude.

Moderate turbulence strikes no fear into pilots, as they will experience this level of turbulence for a few hours in every thousand hours they fly. It usually lasts for no more than 10 or 15 minutes, but occasionally may last for several hours, on and off.

This sort of turbulence will unsettle even some regular travellers and will cause drinks to spill. The aircraft may be deviating in altitude by 10 or 20 feet. No action is required by the pilot to control the aircraft, but the flight crew may decide to try a different altitude if the turbulence persists.

Severe turbulence is extremely rare. In a flying career of over 10,000 hours, I have experienced severe turbulence for about five minutes in total. It is extremely uncomfortable but not dangerous. The aircraft may be deviating in altitude by up to 100 feet (30 metres) or so, up as well as down, but nothing like the thousands of feet you hear some people talking about when it comes to turbulence.

I should stress that this level of turbulence is so rare that leisure travellers will almost certainly never experience it and nor will most business people.

The authors

Steve Allright is a British Airways training captain and co-author of the book Flying with Confidence. British Airways regularly runs "Flying with Confidence" courses at airports. See flyingwithconfidence.com.

Buy a copy of Patrick Smith's book, Cockpit Confidential, from Amazon.

Read more:

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Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
There's a haunted house in the Dublin Mountains... and you can reach it on a family-friendly looped walk.

Set on Montpelier Hill, overlooking the city and coast from a height of 1,275 feet, the Hell Fire Club is deeply ensconced in Dublin folklore.

First built as a hunting lodge by in 1725, the stone building later became notorious due to the behaviour of a wild young group of aristocrats who met there.

Drinking and gambling were just the beginning. Strange stories also suggest satanic rituals, murder, and even a card game joined by the devil himself.

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The Hell Fire Club was built on the site of an ancient passage tomb - another story suggests its stone was taken from a cairn on the grave, cursing the building.

Today, walkers can access the lodge via a looped walk through the Dublin Mountains - the main forest entrance is about 6.5km south of Rathfarnham on the R115.

The Hell Fire Club hit the headlines recently, with the unveiling of a proposed 19 million tourism development by South Dublin County Council and Coillte.

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The proposal includes a visitor centre, restaurant and treetop canopy walk, but a 'Save the Hellfire' campaign has been protesting the developments.

It believes tree-felling, environmental damage and traffic congestion would adversely impact the area around Massey's Wood and Montpelier.

For more info and parking directions, see dublinmountains.ie.
Brexit is not the only problem challenging the integrity of the EU's single market. Last week the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ordered the Polish government to stop appointing new judges.

In December, the Venice Commission, a body set up by the Council of Europe (which is independent of the EU), said that elements of the reform of the judiciary being undertaken by the present Polish government "bear a striking resemblance with the institutions that existed in the Soviet Union".

One of the authors of that report was the distinguished Irish barrister Richard Barrett, who worked at one time in the Irish attorney general's office.

The EU is a system of rules, and the EU can only survive if its rules are fairly and uniformly enforced.

The European Union is a common market because it has a common system for making, interpreting and enforcing common rules that apply directly to the citizens of its member states. These common rules are interpreted, in the first place, by the national courts in each of the member states.

But if a dispute arises about the interpretation of a European rule, the ECJ will provide an authoritative interpretation of the rule. If a dispute arises about enforcement, the European Commission will take action, including imposing fines on states that are not enforcing the agreed EU rules.

This distinction lies at the heart of the difficulties the UK is experiencing, as it tries to leave the EU yet still enjoy the benefits of the EU's common market for goods, without taking part in the common system for making, interpreting and enforcing the rules of the common market.

In a very different way, this same issue is at the heart of the disputes between the European Commission and the governments of Poland and Hungary, about the independence of their judicial systems.

If one is living or doing business in Poland, the only way one can get one's common market rights is by going in the first place to the Polish courts. This course should be open to you, whether you are a Polish citizen or not, and whatever political opinions or status vis-a-vis the government of Poland.

The EU insists that courts be independent because it wants to ensure that everyone can enforce their rights as EU citizens anywhere in the EU, at all times.

This rigorous insistence on the rule of law is one of the reasons many European countries want to join the EU, so that they can get the EU seal of approval for the rule of law in their country, and thus be attractive to overseas investors and other visitors.

I visited Serbia recently, and heard that country's prime minister, Ana Brnabic, stress that accession to the EU was the number one priority for countries in her region. She said that the rule of law and transparent administration, demanded as preconditions for Serbian membership of the EU, are crucial to winning foreign investment and access to cheaper finance for Serbia.

So, if the Polish courts were to be allowed to become politicised, and were perceived to no longer be objective in all circumstances in interpreting EU law, and Poland still continued to enjoy all the privileges of EU membership, that would damage the EU as a whole, as well as Polish citizens. It would discourage investment in Poland. Worse still, it would remove part of the reason for the existence of the EU.

The European Commission started proceedings against Poland under article 7 (1) of the EU Treaties over aspects of the restructuring of the Polish judiciary. It was on an application to it by the European Commission, that the ECJ ordered the Polish government to stop appointing new judges to its Supreme Court last week. The ECJ feared the new appointments might politicise the Polish courts.

The Polish government is proposing these new appointments because it is compulsorily retiring up to 40pc of existing judges, on the basis of newly introduced age limits. The well-founded fear is that it will replace them with judges sympathetic to the views of the present government. The age limit will not, indeed, be applied uniformly. The government will be able to grant discretionary extensions to some judges, presumably those whose judgments it likes.

This comes on top of a merger of the offices of the justice minister and the public prosecutor. This merger creates a fear that prosecutorial decisions will also be politicised. The independence of the DPP's office in Ireland was one of the important reforms made here in the 1970s, and it has been carefully protected by successive Taoisigh since then.

The Polish "reforms" also provide that the president of the republic, not the court itself, would establish the rules of procedure for the Polish Supreme Court, determining which categories of judge would hear what sort of case. Again this is unacceptable political interference.

It is very important for the EU that the Polish government realises that it is not enough just to have free elections.

A country cannot enjoy the benefits of EU membership, or of democracy, unless it respects the rule of law which is enshrined in Article 2 and Article 7 of the EU Treaties.

The credibility of the EU and the integrity of the EU single market is at stake in the commission's dispute with Poland, to an even greater extent than it is with the UK's attempt to "have its cake and eat it" on trade.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits Suva Market to meet some of the female vendors who have been involved in the UN Women's project 'Markets for Change'. on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks during a visit to the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

This handout from the Fijian Government taken and released on October 24, 2018 shows Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (2nd L) leaving the municipal market in Suva

This handout from the Fijian Government taken and released on October 24, 2018 shows Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) touring the municipal market in Suva

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends a morning tea reception at the British High Commissioners Residence on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji

Meghan Markle was ushered out by a bodyguard at a market in Fiji

The Duchess of Sussex's visit to a market to meet female entrepreneurs was curtailed due to concerns about security as large crowds turned out to greet her.

Meghan, who is expecting her first baby, was due to spend around 15 minutes meeting vendors who are part of the UN Women's Markets for Change project.

Hundreds of people packed into the square near the Suva Municipal Market and strained for a glimpse or a photo of the 37-year-old over barriers, while others whooped and sung.

But the duchess left the market early, after around seven minutes, with Kensington Palace suggesting the decision was taken due to "crowd management issues".

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A royal aide said the market visit was an extension of an earlier engagement where the duchess heard about the Markets for Change project at a morning tea.

The aide added: "She met everyone she was meant to meet and left.

"On advice she was taken out due to crowd management issues."

Royal sources said there was a "security issue" because of the "much bigger crowds than anticipated" inside the market, making the event "uncomfortably busy".

On a hot and humid day in the Fijian capital, the duchess, wearing a dress by Figue and carrying a woven bag made by women at the market, was greeted by crowds waving flags and cheering.

Shobna Verma, the legal advisor to Suva Market Vendors' Association, presented Meghan with a bouquet of flowers.

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Mrs Verma, 58, who sells eggs at the market, said: "The duchess asked me if the programme really is making a difference and I told her there have been a lot of positive changes, but we are still waiting for more."

Asenaca Salusalu was the first vendor to meet the duchess inside the market.

Mrs Salusalu, 50, a farmer from the village of Nukulau, more than 100 kilometres from Suva, has been a stallholder at the market for nine years, selling root crops, vegetables and fruits.

Meghan, who looked slightly flustered during the hurried walk through the market, shook Mrs Salusalu's hand, and said: "It's very good to meet you", before moving on.

Mrs Salusalu said: "She didn't really speak at all, like she was a bit afraid. She just said 'Bula' and 'Nice to meet you'. But I'm happy to have met her."

Inside the market, stallholders and members of the public appeared calm and orderly and there did not appear to be any obvious security risk or problems with the crowds.

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"It's such a shame as we were all very excited to meet her," said one stallholder, who had been positioned to expect a visit from the duchess.

"We started preparing for the visit three weeks ago and had been meant to meet her but she left without even saying hello."

A royal source said: "It (the visit) was cut slightly short due to the large number of people within the market, which made the event uncomfortably busy. There were much bigger crowds than people had been anticipating and there were a lot of people cramped into the market."

Earlier in the day, the duchess had made her first speech of the tour at the University of the South Pacific in which she spoke of the trouble she had funding her university degree.

Addressing students, she said: "I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world - myself included.

"It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition, that I was able to attend university.

"And, without question, it was worth every effort. Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive.

"And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital."

The duchess announced two grants for the Fiji National University and the University of the South Pacific, allowing each of them to run workshops to empower their female staff.

She said: "This means that female faculty members are able to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and enter higher education, and that more women become part of the decision-making process in academic institutions.

"Grants like this ensure that women are provided with the training and skills to operate effectively in their roles, and those with leadership potential are given the opportunity to be heard and recognised at the most senior level."

On Wednesday, the duke laid a wreath at the Suva War Memorial and unveiled a plaque commemorating the designation of Colo-i-Suva to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project.

The Sussexes will travel to Nadi, Fiji, on Thursday and then onward to Tonga.
The police apprehended two accused from Mandwa jetty after they travelled there from Mumbai and seized the venom in their possession.

Mumbai: The Raigad police has busted an inter-state gang which illegally sold snake venom, and seized 850 ml of the liquid worth Rs 1.70 crore. The police apprehended two accused from Mandwa jetty after they travelled there from Mumbai and seized the venom in their possession.

When they were questioned, they revealed the identity of two others from Gujarat and Rajasthan who had given them the venom for selling.

The arrested accused have been identified as Rajaram Jaiswar (46) and Udaynath Jaiswar (37), both residents of Malad who were intercepted by a Raigad police team soon after they stepped out of the Mandwa jetty Tuesday.

The officials had specific information on the duo who would be arriving via boat at Mandwa with snake venom on their person.

Based on the description of the accused persons, constable J.A. Shaikh identified them and the team caught them. 850ml venom was found inside a mineral water bottle and its market value was ascertained to be Rs 1.70 crore, said Kundan Gawade, Raigad police spokesperson.

The officials said that the accused had procured the venom from other persons identified as Devilal Joshi (36) and Santoshkumar Singh (35) from Valsad in Gujarat.

A team of Raigad police tracked down the duo and rushed to Gujarat to apprehend them. It later came to the fore that the duo had given the venom to the Jaiswars who were allegedly trying to sell it.

The officials are investigating as to whom the duo was planning to meet at Mandwa and trying to identify further links in the alleged inter-state racket. The officials are also probing the quantity of venom sold by the accused persons caught from Gujarat.

A case has been registered under sections 284 and 34 (acts of common intention) along with relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and Poison Act, and the accused have been remanded to police custody till Monday for further investigation.
Jamie Dornan (L) and Amelia Warner attend Charles Finch and Chanel Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at Madeo in Beverly Hills on March 3, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images )

Amelia Warner and Jamie Dornan attend day 4 'Gold Cup Day' of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 16, 2018 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Actors Jamie Dornan (L) and Amelia Warner attend the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Amelia Warner and Jamie Dornan attend the Horan And Rose Charity Event held at The Grove on June 23, 2018 in Watford, England. (Photo by Neil P. Mockford/Getty Images)

Irish actor Jamie Dornan said he should probably "put a cork in it" after announcing his wife Amelia Warner is pregnant with their third child.

The couple are famously protective over their children (Jamie only confirmed his two year old daughter Elva's name this year), but it was revealed earlier this month by a source that they will soon be a family of five.

In a sit-down interview with Jimmy Kimmel, the Fifty Shades star (36) said he can't wait to become a father again, but will leave the decision making up to his wife of five years.

"Part of me feels like [I need] to put a cork in it after this,," he joked. "But then, alternatively, I feel like we make really great kids. Maybe well just - if my wifes willing - do it until we cant do it anymore. Its all up to her. I do the fun bit."

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He is particularly excited at the prospect of being more available for his family this time around as he was previously travelling around the world promoting the Fifty Shades trilogy over the last four years.

"I think for this one, Im going to have a lot more control over [my schedule]. [With] the first two [kids], I was sort of at the mercy of Fifty Shades schedule," he said.

"The first one we had in Canada, and I started filming three days after she was born. The second one we had in London, and I flew to Canada 10 days later and started filming the second."

Dornan previously opened up about the secrets to his happy relationship, saying they always address issues before they become bigger.

"We get frustrated at times, usually when travelling with the kids, but wed never let anything boil and become a thing. We know couples who are plate-throwers, but thats just not us. Im glad its not us - plates are expensive ... Certainly theres never a day that I dont tell her I love her," he told the Sunday Times Style magazine.

"I feel a healthy and lovely duty to provide for my kids, and I really like it. It suits me. Making my kids happy is a good thing for my wife and me to be driven by."

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Queen Maxima of the Netherlands reacts as she arrives to view the Ohbot, an educational robotics system, at the UK-Netherlands Innovation Showcase at Mansion House on October 24, 2018 in London, England

(L-R) Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Sophie, Countess and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex on HMS Belfast to watch an on-the-water capability demonstration between the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines on October 24, 2018 in London, England

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attends the Dutch ship HNLMS Zeeland, anchored on the Thames next to HMS Belfast, to watch an on-water capability demonstration by Royal Marines and HNLMS Zeeland's Marines company during day two of the state visit to the UK on October 24, 2018 in London, United Kingdom

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Queen Maxima of the Netherlands watches an on-the-water capability demonstration on HMS Belfast between the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines on October 24, 2018 in London, England. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands accompanied by Queen Maxima are staying at Buckingham Palace during their two day stay in the UK. The last State Visit from the Netherlands was by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus in 1982. (Photo by Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are greeted by British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) outside Number 10 Downing Street on October 24, 2018 in London, United Kingdom

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are greeted by British Prime Minister Theresa May (C) outside Number 10 Downing Street on October 24, 2018 in London, United Kingdom

King Willem-Alexander (L) and Queen Maxima arrive in Downing Street in London on October 24, 2018, ahead of a lunch with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of the Dutch King and Queen's two-day state visit. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (C) greets King Willem-Alexander (L) and Queen Maxima outside 10 Downing Street in London on October 24, 2018, ahead of a lunch on the second day of the Dutch King and Queen's two-day state visit. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrive to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May outside Number 10 Downing Street on October 24, 2018 in London, United Kingdom

Dutch Queen Maxima, one of Europe's most stylish royals, opted for an Irish designer to add that certain je ne sais quoi to her outfit during a state visit to the UK.

The mother-of-three, who worked as an investment banker in her native Argentina before marrying King Willem-Alexander in 2004, has become a royal fashion icon for her preference of bold colours and dramatic headwear. Her second day appearance in London was no exception to the adventurous Maxima that royal watchers have come to expect as she beamed in a fuschia fit and flare dress by Oscar de la Renta, and chose a handblocked coffee bean beret in velver with spine and Swarovski crystals charm by Galway native Philip Treacy as her most statement-making accessory of choice.

Her pink-and-black combination encapsulates her penchant for devil-may-care dress and her refusal to play by anybody's else's wardrobe rules but her own. Treacy was a fitting choice for the queen as he has long-standing links to royals the world over, including Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, and he's the milliner of choice for A-listers like Victoria Beckham and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Treacy, who was born and raised in Ahascragh, said he was always drawn to his craft, making clothes for dolls even as a child, and will never forget his father's support in his passions from an early age.

Expand Close King Willem-Alexander (L) and Queen Maxima arrive in Downing Street in London on October 24, 2018, ahead of a lunch with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of the Dutch King and Queen's two-day state visit. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp King Willem-Alexander (L) and Queen Maxima arrive in Downing Street in London on October 24, 2018, ahead of a lunch with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of the Dutch King and Queen's two-day state visit. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

"I have come from a very humble background, I have made hats for kings and queens," he said. "One of the strongest memories I have is being in somebody's house and my father's friend saying 'don't you think that's a little odd, don't you think it's a bit strange this child is doing this?' And I remember distinctly my father saying: 'Whatever makes him happy.' It moves me still."

The London-based designer said he would not be where he is today without the support of the British royal family. "If the royal family decided not to wear hats... then I wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation with you, because hats are part of the culture of Britishness," he said.

Their stamp of approval has granted him an international platform, which has officially reached the Netherlands - or, at least its queen.

Much has been made by the couple's arrival as it marks the first official visit by the Dutch royal family to the UK in 35 years. A number of European royals have visited Britain in recent months as royals on both sides attempt to foster a positive working relationship in preparation life post-Brexit.

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Whatsapp Queen Maxima of the Netherlands reacts as she arrives to view the Ohbot, an educational robotics system, at the UK-Netherlands Innovation Showcase at Mansion House on October 24, 2018 in London, England

On Tuesday night, a state dinner was held in Buckingham Palace to honour the visitors.
Rachel Bloom attends Entertainment Weekly's Comic-Con Bash held at FLOAT, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on July 21, 2018 in San Diego, California sponsored by HBO (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)

Rachel Bloom attends the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Rachel Bloom attends the 2018 Tony Awards Gala at The Plaza Hotel on June 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Rachel Bloom arrives for the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. / AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom said she didn't know she was "supposed" to keep the fact that she bought her Golden Globes dress a secret.

The tv star revealed her excitement at wearing her slinky black Gucci dress to last year's Emmy Awards, paying $3,500 for the gown. In a viral red carpet interview, she said: "I bought this dress because Gucci is not lending me a dress."

"I said in an interview before, sometimes it's hard to get places to lend me dresses because I'm not like a size zero," she added.

It was a succinct summation of her time in Hollywood - Rachel is still considered a rising star by general standards, but is well paid enough that she can fork out a couple thousand dollars for a gown for a label that didn't want to loan her a gown, which she brilliantly elaborated on in a new interview with Allure.

Expand Close Rachel Bloom attends the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Rachel Bloom attends the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

She told the magazine: "Because unbeknownst to me at the time, which I know more now, you dont admit to buying dresses - because it means no one would loan a dress, right?

"People who are earning the most money are supposed to not pay for their dresses, and thats capitalism. People are rewarded for being already rewarded."

Bloom also spoke of her frustration at the availability of size inclusive clothing and said designers "just have to adapt".

"When you have curves or a different body type, suddenly the canvas gets bumpy, and so you have to adapt. For me, that would sound fascinating if I were designing clothes," she said.
China's President Xi Jinping officially opened the world's longest sea bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China yesterday, at a time when Beijing is tightening its grip on its semi-autonomous territories.

The 55km crossing, which includes a snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel, links Hong Kong with the southern mainland city of Zhuhai and the gambling enclave of Macau, across the waters of the Pearl River Estuary.

Mr Xi presided over an inauguration ceremony attended by Hong Kong's and Macau's city leaders at a new port terminal in Zhuhai. "I declare the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge officially open," Mr Xi said in a one-line address, as digital fireworks exploded on a screen behind him at the indoor ceremony.

Supporters of the multi- billion-dollar bridge promote it as an engineering marvel that will boost business and cut travel time, but critics say it is one more way to integrate Hong Kong into China as fears grow that the city's cherished freedoms are being eroded.

China's vice-premier Han Zheng characterised the bridge as part of the development of the Greater Bay Area - a Beijing-driven project to create an economic hub linking nine southern mainland cities to Hong Kong and Macau.

At the ceremony, he described the strategy as "deployed and driven by Xi Jinping personally".

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the bridge would help transform Hong Kong from a "connector to a more active participant".

It is the second major infrastructure project tying Hong Kong to mainland China to launch in a matter of weeks, after the opening of a high-speed rail link last month that sparked criticism Hong Kong was giving away territory - with part of the terminus coming under mainland jurisdiction.

The main section of the new bridge is also considered mainland territory, even though Hong Kong was slated to pay at least half the cost of the project, according to the original blueprint from the city's government.

Hong Kong cars and drivers travelling over it "must comply with the laws and regulations of the mainland", the city's transport department said.

The total price tag is unclear but some estimates run to 100 billion yuan (12.5bn).
A researcher at a remote Russian Antarctic station stabbed a colleague during an emotional breakdown, it has been reported.

The incident occurred on 9th October at the stations canteen, according to the Interfax news agency.

The researcher's injuries were not life threatening and they have been transferred to a hospital in Chile.

The assailant voluntarily surrendered to the chief of the station and has been placed under house arrest.

Russian authorities are yet to comment on the incident, however the cause of the attack was understood to be due to 'tensions in a confined space'.

The Bellingshausen station was founded by the Soviet Union in 1968 and is named for the 19th-century Russian explorer of the Antarctic.
Police outside the Time Warner Centre in New York (Kevin Hagen/AP)

Crude pipe bombs targeting former US president Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and CNN have been intercepted amid a spate of attacks aimed at prominent Democrats and a cable news network often criticised by political conservatives.

The FBI also said it was responding to a report of a suspicious package at a Florida office of Representative Deborah Wasserman Schultz.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said his office received a similar package but police officials said the office was cleared and no device was found.

A similar device was found on Monday at the New York compound of liberal billionaire George Soros, a major contributor to Democratic causes.

There were no explosions and no reports of injuries.

The bombs were intercepted two weeks before nationwide elections that could reshape Congress and serve as a referendum on the first two years of Donald Trumps presidency.

The events quickly overtook other campaign news in an already tense political season which has included pitched fights over immigration, the Supreme Court and sexual violence against women.

Expand Close Former US president Barack Obama and former first lady Hillary Clinton (Wesley Johnson/PA) / Facebook

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The White House quickly condemned the attacks aimed at Democrats and perceived foes of the administration.

Acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States, Mr Trump said. This egregious conduct is abhorrent.

Thats a very bipartisan statement, he said.

All the confirmed bombs appeared to come from the same person or persons, said John Miller, the New York Police Departments head of intelligence and counter-terrorism.

The US Secret Service intercepted a bomb that was addressed to Mrs Clinton at the home in Chappaqua, New York, she shares with former president Bill Clinton, and another that was sent to Mr Obama at his home with Michelle Obama in Washington.

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A police bomb squad removed another one from CNNs New York headquarters, which was evacuated.

Overhead TV shots showed a truck carrying that device, which law enforcement officials said was linked to the other explosives, being driven away.

The package sent to CNN contained a live explosive and envelope with white powder, and officials said the substance was being tested to see if it was dangerous.

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Mr Cuomo said at a briefing that we will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives.

A US official told the Associated Press that investigators believe the explosive that was discovered near the Clintons home was linked to one found on Monday at the Soros compound.

Expand Close The entrance to a house owned by philanthropist George Soros in a suburb of New York City (Seth Wenig/AP) / Facebook

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The official noted that one of the packages had the return address of Mrs Schultz, an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee who was accused by Clinton rivals of secretly helping the partys eventual presidential nominee.

Neither Mrs Clinton nor Mr Obama received the packages and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement: These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Two law enforcement officials said the pipe bomb at CNN was crude but operational and was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, who regularly appears as a television contributor and who has publicly clashed with Mr Trump.

They said it was similar to other explosives discovered in the past few days.

We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.  Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) October 24, 2018

Mrs Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the familys New York residence at the time.

She said we are fine and thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the package long before it made its way to our home.

The former secretary of state said her family was grateful for the Secret Services service and commitment and obviously never more than today.

Mr Clinton was at the familys Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted on Tuesday night at a Westchester County facility, said a person familiar with his schedule.

They said the device was screened at the facility  not in proximity to their residence  and never reached the Clintons home.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Mr Soross home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a postbox outside the gates of the compound.

A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates, the official said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was "a political murder" planned in advance by Saudi Arabian operatives and demanded "the person who gave the order" be held accountable.

In his first major speech since the journalist disappeared, Mr Erdogan said the murder of the 'Washington Post' columnist was pre- meditated and several members of the so-called hit squad arrived in Istanbul ahead of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance to scope out a forest.

Mr Erdogan said Turkey would not accept Saudi Arabia's explanation the killing was a botched operation carried out by rogue intelligence officials and implied he believed it was ordered by senior leaders.

"Leaving some security and intelligence forces holding the bag will not satisfy us or the international community," he said. "The human consciousness will not be satisfied until all those - from the person who gave the order to those who carried it out - are brought to account."

He said he wanted the 18 Saudi men who have been arrested for the murder to be extradited to Turkey to face charges, a challenge to the Saudi government which has said they will be tried in Saudi courts.

Mr Erdogan's speech adds to pressure on Riyadh, which has been facing a wave of international scepticism since it announced over the weekend that Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, was not involved in the killing.

The Turkish president made no mention of the crown prince in his speech but said Saudi Arabia's own investigation would not be enough.

Nor did he make any reference to the tapes Turkish officials are believed to have of Mr Khashoggi's torture and killing, which appears to implicate the prince's inner circle.

"I don't doubt the sincerity of King Salman," he said. "But such a critical investigation should be carried out by a delegation that is fair, truly unbiased and does not even have the slightest suspicion of contact with the incident."

Mr Erdogan posed a series of questions, demanding to know where Mr Khashoggi's body was and to know the name of the "local collaborator" Saudi Arabia says hid the corpse.

He asked "on whose orders" the team of soldiers, spies and a forensic expert flew into Istanbul and why people with those skill sets had been assembled. He also demanded to know why Saudi officials had not immediately opened the consulate for inspection, stalling for more than a week before allowing a search.

"Until these questions are answered, no one should give the slightest thought to this matter being covered up," he said.

Top Turkish officials have said Turkey would clarify exactly what happened to Mr Khashoggi and a stream of leaks to national and international media has increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, which is hosting an investment conference this week that many dignitaries have decided to skip.

After initially denying any knowledge of Mr Khashoggi's fate, the kingdom gave a new story on Friday night, saying he had died in a "fistfight".

The timing of the controversy could not be worse for the crown prince.

His annual conference, the Future Investment Initiative, kicked off yesterday and was intended to draw leading investors who could help underwrite the heir-apparent's ambitious plans to revamp the economy.

But the summit, nicknamed "Davos in the desert", has been overshadowed by growing global outrage. So much so that MBS, as he is nicknamed, decided not to not appear on the opening day.

Joe Kaeser, chief executive of German industrial conglomerate Siemens, was the latest among dozens of global executives to withdraw from the summit, hosted by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund.

Ministers from the United States, Britain and France - which have huge defence deals at stake with Saudi Arabia - have already pulled out of the summit.

Corporate heads from JP Morgan to car manufacturer Ford and ride-hailing app Uber, as well as media powerhouses like Bloomberg, CNN and the 'Financial Times', all abandoned plans to attend.

Organisers have taken down a list of speakers from its website and refused to confirm the number of attendees.

In another setback, the forum's website went down after an apparent cyber-attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

US President Donald Trump said he was "not satisfied" with Riyadh's explanation of the death and other world leaders are demanding answers. ( Daily Telegraph, London)
The committees findings follow complaints made by two French women convicted in 2012 under a 2010 law stipulating: No one may, in a public space, wear any article of clothing intended to conceal the face. Photo: Reuters

The UN Human Rights Committee has declared that France's ban on the niqab - the full-body Islamic veil - was a violation of human rights and ordered it to review the legislation.

France had failed to make the case for its ban, the committee said, and gave it 180 days to report back to say what actions it had taken.

"In particular, the committee was not persuaded by France's claim that a ban on face covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of 'living together' in society," it said.

Decisions taken by the committee, made up from a panel of independent experts who oversee compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, are not legally binding.

Comply

However, under an optional protocol of the treaty, France has an international legal obligation to comply "in good faith".

The committee's findings follow complaints made by two French women convicted in 2012 under a 2010 law stipulating: "No one may, in a public space, wear any article of clothing intended to conceal the face."

The committee said the ban disproportionately harmed their individual right to manifest their religious beliefs and could lead to them being confined at home and marginalised.

It also ordered France to pay compensation to the two women.

The committee's chair Yuval Shany said the findings were not an endorsement of the full-body veil.

He said that he and several others on the 18-member panel considered it a form of oppression.
Greetings: Pope Francis meets US film director Martin Scorsese during the launch of the pontiffs book in Rome. Photo: AFP

Il Papa, meet one of the godfathers of modern cinema.

Pope Francis met Martin Scorsese in Rome - three decades after his film 'The Last Temptation of Christ' was deemed "morally offensive" by the Catholic Church.

They met at the end of the presentation of the book 'The Wisdom of Time', a collection of 250 interviews from over 30 countries, with various stories of old and young people presented by Pope Francis.

In conversation with Scorsese, the Pope warned of a world that is becoming more and more cruel.

"People act with more cruelty cold cruelty, calculated to ruin someone else's life," said the pontiff.

Pope Francis answered questions from people as young as 20 and as old as 83.

It is not the first time that the legendary director has met the Pope, as Francis received Scorsese, his wife and two daughters in late 2016.

It is now 30 years since the Oscar-nominated 'The Last Temptation of Christ' sparked outcry among many Christians.

Argentina, where Francis was born and served as a cardinal, was among the countries that banned the film.

Separately, the Vatican laid the groundwork to open formal debate on an issue that has long been taboo: opening up the priesthood to married men in parts of the world where clergy are scarce.

Pope Francis has convened a meeting of South American bishops next year focusing on the plight of the Church in the Amazon, a vast territory served by few priests. The question of ordaining married men is expected to be on the agenda.
Identity politics, of legitimising the assertion of the majority in terms of its religion, is the BJPs most effective incursion.

Large democracies need larger-than-life politicians; leadership is either expanded or reduced to populism on the one hand and a specific way of establishing consociation on the other, whichever way one may look at it. The proliferation of suffixes and prefixes across India to idolise the leader is a measure of how the popular is invented, through an investment in building on the idea of one the world, rather whichever fragment of it is occupied by a particular leader, as one family.

The bhaiyas, behenjis, netajis, ammas, annas, garus, dadas, to describe the relationship of Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jayalalithaa, a host of male Tamil politicians who are often identified as thalaivi or thalaivar, KCR garu attest to the significance of establishing a connection. There are other ways in which the masses have addressed leaders, not all of them in cosy familiar terms: mahatma, pandit, acharya, sardar and bapu. Seldom have these definitions of the relationship changed.

The appearance of flexes of Mamata Banerjee as the Banga Janani in juxtaposition with the devi, described as Vishwa Janani, is an intriguing signal of a possibly imminent metamorphosis; the benevolent mother as a powerful authority figure from the lovable, familiar, somewhat harum-scarum sister or Didi. The formality of Janani is very different from the familiarity of Didi. It implies a shift to a persona that is dominant and aloof and of course the only representative of the people.

The message of the aloof and only leader was subtly conveyed as Ms Banerjee stood still, which is unusual, and all by herself, to officially bid a grand farewell to a long, long parade of prize winning Durga images and attendant organisers and dancing troupes. The carnival and its presiding queen turned the wide road into a local colosseum, a stage for a triumph in the ancient Roman style.

The need for a splendid show on a giant scale is imperative political theatre. To be seen as holding the high ground of a celebration that is both secular in the sense that it is inclusive and deeply religious is a balance that Ms Banerjee has to achieve to defend her turf in West Bengal and challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party in national politics. The vulnerability of West Bengal to the potent emotional appeal of BJPs incendiary politics of illegal immigrants, Hindus as an endangered community and Hindutva as an idea that must be defended is the toughest challenge that the non-BJP political class has ever faced. It is harder to fight because community is perhaps the most openly acknowledged difference in the public space. Caste as a baggage in public and even social, but not intimate, conversations is not a divider. The history of socially progressive reforms, loosely branded as the renaissance put paid to that at one level and the wealth and social success of the Schedule Caste and Other Backward Caste families as agents of the East India Company sorted out the rest.

However much the Bengali, especially the bhadralok and the Babu class, was and is significantly different from the rivalries of caste that continue to reign in the politics of other states, Hindutvas aggressive campaign has changed that. The BJP has made inroads, as a political party as well as an idea. Casual, common conversations in West Bengal today at every level of the hierarchy of class, caste and politics, is permeated with anxiety as much as concern over the communal question. And as these conversations progress into a venting of grievances or an appraisal of Ms Banerjees government, the sub-text is a communally charged interpretation of her actions vis-a-vis the Muslims and the Hindus.

Identity politics, of legitimising the assertion of the majority in terms of its religion, is the BJPs most effective incursion. It happened much earlier across other states, and it is happening in West Bengal now. This does not mean that the BJP is poised to takeover West Bengal and Ms Banerjee is a spent force. What it adds up to is that there is now an alternative to Ms Banerjee, another saviour of the Bengali race. The difference is that the saviour is not home grown as were the Communists who led the Left Front and reigned for 34 years, nor the Congress that was founded in Kolkata. And that is why, this is probably the closest that West Bengals politics and choices have ever got to that of the rest of India.

Like all the other regional parties and leaders, Ms Banerjee seems to be coming to grips with the biggest headache of the league of regional parties, otherwise known as the federal front. The leaders of the league are gambling with small change in a game that is being played for the biggest of all stakes, the job of the Prime Minister. As a champion of the federal front and claimant to the position of a founder, Ms Banerjee has pitted herself as anti-Modi. It is not that Narendra Modis populism is of a particularly elevated variety, but as the Prime Minister it has a certain something that makes it very different from the ordinary populism of a chief minister, dealing with a horrifying stampede, fires, collapsing bridges, corrupt babudom and servile police, murderous factionalism, dynasty politics versus democratic politics.

The small change is not nothing; there is growing disenchantment with the government led by Mr Modi. Price rise, joblessness and farmer fury are real everyday problems around which mobilisation of voters should have been easy. That it is not so, is a brilliant and successful strategy of diversion such as blood-soaked sanitary napkins at Sabarimala. When the small coins are blown up into a mobilisation for purity and in defence of faith then it becomes difficult for regional party leaders, irrespective of how larger than life they make themselves out to be or familiar to their constituents as brothers, mothers, sisters and elders, to outdo the BJPs populist, divisive and dangerous machinations.
Traces of eight different plastics were found in the stomachs of the starfish, sea stars and brittle stars

Deep-sea creatures living off the Outer Hebrides have been feeding on plastic for at least four decades, researchers have discovered.

Scientists examined archived specimens of animals collected more than 2,000 metres down in the Rockall Trough off the Western Isles, Scotland.

Traces of eight different plastics were found in the stomachs of the starfish, sea stars and brittle stars.

The creatures were collected between 1976 and 2015.

Polyester and nylon were among the plastics identified at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, suggesting they may have come from the washing of synthetic clothes.

The study, published in 'Environmental Pollution' follows SAMS research last year that suggested 48pc of sampled starfish and snails from the Rockall Trough had eaten microscopic pieces of plastic.

"Mass production of plastics only began in the 1940s and 1950s, so it would be reasonable to expect less plastic in our earlier samples, with a subsequent upward trend," said lead author Winnie Courtene-Jones, a doctoral student at the University of the Highlands and Islands and SAMS.

"But we haven't seen that. In fact, the level of microplastic ingestion is remarkably similar throughout the time series.

"This data shows, for the first time, the long-term prevalence of microplastic pollution in the deep sea."
The Kremlin said yesterday that a landmark nuclear arms treaty that Washington says it wants to quit had its weak points, but that the US approach of talking about leaving it without proposing a replacement was dangerous.

President Vladimir Putin was due to discuss the matter in Moscow with US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton.

Mr Bolton visited Moscow a day after Russia said it would be forced to respond in kind to restore the military balance with the United States if Mr Trump followed through on his threat to quit the treaty and began developing new missiles.

Signed by then-US president Ronald Reagan and reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) required elimination of all short and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles held by both countries in Europe.

Its demise could raise the prospect of a new arms race and of Europe once again hosting US land-based ballistic and cruise missiles, something that would make it a target for Moscow.

Mr Gorbachev (87) has warned that unravelling it could have catastrophic consequences.

Countries such as Poland have, however, backed Mr Trump's move.

Mr Bolton has said he thinks the treaty is outdated because it does not cover countries such as China, Iran and North Korea, which he says remain free to make intermediate-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

"We have this very unusual circumstance where the United States and Russia are in a bilateral treaty, whereas other countries in the world are not bound by it," Mr Bolton told the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Monday.

The RIA news agency cited a Russian diplomatic source as saying that Mr Bolton had used a series of meetings with Russian government officials yesterday to complain about China's economic and military policies.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he expected Mr Bolton to explain the US stance to Mr Putin.

"Of course there are weak points [in the treaty], but tearing up the agreement without plans for anything new is what we don't welcome," Mr Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

Dangerous

"To first reject the document and then [talk of] ephemeral possibilities to conclude a new one is a dangerous stance."

Russia and the United States have long accused each other of violating the terms of the treaty, something they both deny.

Mr Trump's withdrawal announcement is causing particular concern in Europe, which was the main beneficiary of the INF treaty as a result of the removal of Pershing and US cruise missiles from Europe and of Soviet SS-20 missiles from the European part of the then-Soviet Union.

Without the treaty, some European countries fear Washington might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe again and that Russia might move to deploy such missiles in its European exclave of Kaliningrad, which would once again turn Europe into a potential nuclear battlefield.
The investigation will bring scrutiny to Catholic leaders who have come under intense criticism in recent months. Stock photo

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine said yesterday that his office has launched an investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington.

It is the latest in a string of state-level law enforcement offices now probing the Catholic Church's handling of abuse complaints.

The investigation will bring scrutiny to Catholic leaders who have come under intense criticism in recent months.

Washington's archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, resigned this month amid uproar over a Pennsylvania grand jury report that depicted systemic abuse across the state's Catholic Church, including in Pittsburgh, where he had previously been a bishop.

His predecessor, former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, was removed from ministry in June following allegations that he had sexually abused a teenager decades ago while serving as a priest in New York.

Mr Racine has limited power to prosecute crimes in the District of Columbia, where felony cases are handled by the US attorney's office. However, he is opening the investigation under his authority to enforce a Washington law governing non-profit groups, as well as a law on the mandated reporting of sexual abuse.

"According to the law, non-profits are required to work for a public purpose," Mr Racine said. "If they are in fact covering up child sex abuse, that is clearly not in the public interest." ( The Washington Post)
The home of former US president Barack Obama in Washington (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The US Secret Service has intercepted a bomb that was addressed to Hillary Clinton and also discovered a possible explosive that was sent to former president Barack Obama.

A police bomb squad was also sent to TV new channel CNNs offices in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a suspicious package.

A US official told The Associated Press that investigators believe the explosive that was discovered near the Clintons home in Chappaqua, New York, is linked to one found on Monday at the compound of billionaire philantrhopist George Soros.

BREAKING: Secret Service intercepts suspicious packages addressed to the residences of former President Obama and former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Working with our law enforcement partners on the investigation. Our Statement: https://t.co/lJdTn04KmI  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) October 24, 2018

The official said one of the packages had the return address of US representative Deborah Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The package addressed to Mr Obama was intercepted on Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington.

Neither Mrs Clinton nor Mr Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said.

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The White House condemned the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders said: These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Mrs Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the familys New York residence at the time.

She is headlining a fundraising reception on Wednesday for former health and human services secretary Donna Shalala, who is running for Congress in South Florida.

Mr Clinton was at the familys Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility. The device was screened at the facility  not in proximity to their residence  and never reached the Clintons home.

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A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Mr Soros home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a post box outside the gates of the compound. An employee for Mr Soros opened it just inside the gates, not near Mr Soros quarters.

The Secret Service said media reports that it has intercepted a suspicious package bound for the White House are incorrect.

We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.  Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) October 24, 2018

The agency tasked with protecting the president and other dignitaries says it has intercepted two packages in Washington and New York. The packages were respectively addressed to the residences of Mr Obama in Washington and Mrs Clinton in Chappaqua.

Vice president Mike Pence tweeted: These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country.

He thanked law enforcement and added: Those responsible will be brought to justice.

Law enforcement officials said the CNN bomb was crude but operational and was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, a CNN contributor.
Japan has confirmed that a man freed from Syria is a Japanese freelance journalist who was kidnapped three years ago.

The man was identified as Jumpei Yasuda, foreign minister Taro Kono said.

We are extremely pleased that we have confirmed the safety of Mr Jumpei Yasuda, Mr Kono told reporters.

He said Japanese Embassy officials met with Mr Yasuda at an immigration centre in southern Turkey near the border with Syria, where he has been protected since he was freed on Tuesday.

Mr Kono said Mr Yasuda appeared to be in good health.

Expand Close Mr Yasuda went missing in 2015 (Kyodo News via AP) / Facebook

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Mr Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al Qaidas branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, after contact with him was lost in June that year.

A war monitoring group said he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly comprises Chinese jihadis in Syria.

The news of Mr Yasudas release came late on Tuesday from Qatar, which helped in efforts for his release along with Turkey and other countries in the region, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said, thanking them for their support.

Asked if any ransom was paid, Mr Suga said: There is no fact that ransom money was paid.

Mr Yasudas parents earlier said they could not wait to see their son return home.

Expand Close Mr Yasudas mother cries while speaking to the media with the journalists father (Kyodo News via AP) / Facebook

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I was just praying for his safe return, his mother Sachiko Yasuda, 75, told Japans NHK public television.

Mr Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in the early 2000s. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese, but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release.

His last work in Syria involved reporting on his friend Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist who was taken hostage and killed by the Islamic State group.

Contact was lost with Mr Yasuda after he sent a message to another Japanese freelancer on June 23, 2015. In his last tweet two days earlier, Mr Yasuda said his reporting was often obstructed and that he would stop tweeting his location and activities.
Palestinian security forces regularly torture prisoners and arrest political opponents "to crush dissent" in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday.

A new report said both the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) and its rivals in Hamas make systematic use of torture and widespread arrests which could amount to crimes against humanity.

HRW called on the EU and the US to cut off funding for the PA's security forces until they stop torturing detainees and investigate officers accused of abuse. The group also called on Qatar, Iran and Turkey to halt their funding for Hamas. Both the PA and Hamas security forces denied to HRW that they practise torture and said they investigate all allegations of abuse.

Tom Porteous, deputy programme director at HRW, said those claims were not accurate. "Calls by Palestinian officials to safeguard Palestinian rights ring hollow as they crush dissent," he said.

In one of the most disturbing allegations, HRW said PA security forces arrested a 32-year-old civil servant and tied a cord around his genitals for eight hours, causing them to "swell and turn blue".

The man said his captors kept him in a small room known as "the closet", roughly 60cm by 60cm, where he struggled to breath. He said he was kept in the room for 22 hours a day for 22 days in a detention facility in Jericho in the West Bank. His interrogators wanted him to confess to taking part in a murder he had seen a month earlier. "If you do not speak, you will be destroyed," one security officer reportedly told him.

Other detainees in Hamas prisons in Gaza said they were beaten and kept in painful stress positions for hours at a time in a room they called "the bus".

HRW said both the PA and Hamas suppressed free speech, arrested critics, stifled the media, and prevented people from taking to the streets to protest.

One Palestinian journalist was held in Gaza for 15 days after publishing a post on Facebook asking if the children of Hamas leaders "sleep on the floor like ours do".
In the know: Jamal Khashoggi had been a colleague of one member of the squad accused of killing him. Photo credit: Johnny Green/PA Wire

Short of declaring all-out war on the House of Saud, it is hard to imagine a more effective way for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to inflict so much damage on the global standing of his Saudi rivals than his adroit handling of the Jamal Khashoggi affair.

From the moment the journalist disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, Mr Erdogan has proved himself to be a master manipulator in terms of handling the global media coverage. The steady drip-feed of revelations about the grisly fate Mr Khashoggi is believed to have suffered has been skilfully designed to cause the Saudis maximum discomfiture.

It goes without saying, given the blatant lies and misinformation emanating from Riyadh, that the Saudis have hardly covered themselves in glory. Having initially insisted that Mr Khashoggi left the consulate of his own volition, the Saudi version of events has enjoyed a number of deeply unconvincing manifestations, from the suggestion that the portly and out-of-condition Mr Khashoggi was killed in a fist fight with Saudi officials, to the latest proposition, that he was the victim of a "rogue" intelligence operation.

From the outset, the Saudis' primary objective has been to protect their all-powerful Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old dynamo who is in the process of overseeing the most ambitious reform programme undertaken in the country's history.

Mr Erdogan's goal, by contrast, is the irrevocable destruction of the crown prince's reputation.

To judge by the current state of play, Mr Erdogan is winning. For, no matter how hard the Saudis have tried to control the Khashoggi narrative, they have been severely undermined at every turn by the wily Turkish president.

Mr Erdogan is well-acquainted with the persecution journalists can suffer in the Muslim world, having presided over a wide-ranging crackdown against any Turkish journalist or media organisation foolhardy enough to criticise his autocratic rule.

Consequently, he now enjoys almost undisputed control over Turkey's major media outlets, an extremely valuable tool in his relentless assault on his Saudi rivals. Indeed, Mr Erdogan and his willing cohorts in the Turkish press appear to have succeeded in convincing the entire world that Mr Khashoggi was subjected to the most appalling acts of butchery from the moment he entered the Saudi complex in Istanbul. But they have been less willing to release the actual evidence. The Turkish media has dropped heavy hints about the existence of audio and video records, no doubt acquired by listening devices planted by Turkish intelligence. Indeed, Mr Erdogan promised to provide "the full details" about Mr Khashoggi's demise.

Yet, when the Turkish leader yesterday gave his long-awaited address to members of parliament from his ruling party, no mention was made of the damning audio and video tapes the Turkish authorities are said to have in their possession. Nor was there any direct mention of the Saudi crown prince, whom the Turks have unofficially suggested was directly involved in authorising the journalist's assassination.

Instead, the Turkish leader sought to increase the pressure on Riyadh by claiming Mr Khashoggi's death was a "political murder" that had been planned in advance by Saudi officials.

But Mr Erdogan would be well-advised not to write off his regional rivals just yet.

The Saudi royal family are a resilient bunch, and have a proven track record of overcoming extreme adversity - the assassination of King Faisal in 1975 and the September 11 attacks are just two examples that come readily to mind.

And, irrespective of the damage that they have suffered over recent events in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan should understand that there is every likelihood that the Saudi royal family will be able to prevail, once again.
An explosive device was found on Monday in a letter box at the New York residence of George Soros, the liberal philanthropist and target of far-right, nationalist groups, according to authorities.

The Bedford Police Department said a suspicious package was found by an "employee of the residence". Police didn't specify who owned the home, but town records show that it is co-owned by Soros Fund Management LLC, a family office operated by Mr Soros.

Inside the package was what appeared to be an explosive device, police said.

The employee placed the material in a wooded area and notified authorities.

'The Times of Israel' reported that Mr Soros (88), a billionaire hedge fund manager, was not home at the time. ( The Washington Post)
Buffaloes battle it out on dirt tracks in Thailand's annual racing festival
Members of the New York Police Department walk outside the Time Warner Center after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in Manhattan REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Police allow someone though the perimeter outside the Time Warner Center REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

Members of the New York Police Department are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

Members of the New York Police Department are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

US President Donald Trump has vowed that no expenses or resources will be spared as part of a full investigation into suspicious packages that were mailed to former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and the media.

The US Secret Service says agents have intercepted packages containing possible explosive devices addressed to former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

A police bomb squad was also sent to TV new channel CNN's offices in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a suspicious package.

A package at TV news channel CNN's office in New York is believed to be a pipe bomb, according to police.

"The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. We will spare no resources or expense in this effort," Trump, a Republican, said at an event on opioid abuse.

"In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together, and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

A US official told The Associated Press that investigators believe the explosive that was discovered near the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York, is linked to one found on Monday at the compound of billionaire philantrhopist George Soros.

The official said one of the packages had the return address of US representative Deborah Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The package addressed to Mr Obama was intercepted on Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington.

Neither Mrs Clinton nor Mr Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said.

The White House condemned "the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures".

Press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Mrs Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the family's New York residence at the time.

She is headlining a fundraising reception on Wednesday for former health and human services secretary Donna Shalala, who is running for Congress in South Florida.

Mr Clinton was at the family's Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility. The device was screened at the facility - not in proximity to their residence - and never reached the Clintons' home.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Mr Soros' home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a post box outside the gates of the compound. An employee for Mr Soros opened it just inside the gates, not near Mr Soros' quarters.
Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday October 2 (CCTV/TRT World/AP)

Donald Trump has described the killing of a Saudi journalist as a botched operation and a "bad original concept" as the US took its first, careful steps toward punishing the Saudis by moving to revoke the visas of the suspects.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said the entire operation was a fiasco.

"They had a very bad original concept," Mr Trump said. "It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up, and they had the worst cover-up ever."

Even in the face of ugly details of Jamal Khashoggi's slaying, Mr Trump has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to the gulf kingdom and has been reluctant to antagonise the Saudi rulers.

Mr Trump considers the Saudis to be vital allies in his Mideast agenda.

Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Mr Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the US and wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Expand Close Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Hasan Jamali/AP) / Facebook

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The writer, who was a contributor to The Washington Post, vanished October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey, where he went to pick up documents for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

Turkish officials say that a Saudi team of 15 men tortured, killed and dismembered the writer and that Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

Expand Close Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday October 2 (CCTV/TRT World/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday October 2 (CCTV/TRT World/AP)

On Tuesday the Turkish president said Saudi Arabia must identify those who ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and turn over the suspects for trial.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabia's widely-criticised account that the writer for The Washington Post died accidentally in a brawl.

Saudi officials - after weeks of denials - now concede that he died, but they say it happened accidentally in a fight at the consulate.

Addressing ruling party lawmakers in parliament, Mr Erdogan used the word "murder" 15 times to describe Mr Khashoggi's death.

"It was a total fiasco," Mr Trump said. "The process was no good. The execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a move to revoke visas was just a first step.

Visa records are confidential and Mr Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 "Saudi suspects" would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the US.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter," Mr Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.

The administration "will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence," he said. "Neither the president or I am happy with this situation."

Still, Mr Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship.

"We continue to view as achievable the twin imperative of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr. Khashoggi," Mr Pompeo said.
Barclays has reported a rise in third-quarter profits as the banks bosses prepare for another meeting with activist investor Ed Bramson.

The groups pre-tax profits grew from 1.11 billion to 1.46 billion in the three months to September 30, the figures aided by the absence of misconduct charges.

Net profit came in at 1 billion on revenue of 5.13 billion, beating consensus forecasts.

Barclays investment banking arm had an improved performance with income in its markets division rising 19% to 1.15 billion in the period.

Macro income, which comprises fixed income, currencies and commodities, rose from 627 million to 688 million.

But the results come at a challenging time for the lender, with Mr Bramsons Sherborne group pushing for higher investment banking returns and bigger payouts for shareholders.

Chief executive Jes Staley said he plans to meet Mr Bramson in the coming weeks.

We have only met once with Ed Bramsom, we are going to meet him again in a few weeks.

Hes not yet articulated to the bank what his strategy is, the American said on a conference call.

Sherborne has been relatively tight-lipped about its intentions with its Barclays stake but it is thought the group also wishes to influence the banks succession plans for chairman John McFarlane.

Barclays shares were up 0.3% in morning trade at 166p.

Expand Close Barclays chief executive Jes Staley (Debra Hurford Brown/Barclays/PA) / Facebook

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The results show the corporate and investment bank booked a total income of 2.24 billion, down slightly compared with the same quarter last year.

Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: A jump in profits at Barclays can be largely put down to a lower level of bad loans, stemming from improved economic forecasts, stronger sterling and some one-off adjustments.

The recent volatility we have seen in global markets should also help out a bit with trading income at the investment bank, though questions will still linger, not least as activist investor Edward Bramson reportedly wants to shrink this division.

On Brexit, the lender confirmed it will use Barclays Bank Ireland as its EU hub to mitigate any potential disruption to business, boosting numbers in Ireland by up to 200 through a mixture of relocation and local hires.

Mr Staley added: In spite of macroeconomic uncertainty, and particularly concerns over Brexit which weigh heavily on market sentiment, 2018 is proving to be a year of delivery on our strategy at Barclays.

We remain focused on generating improved returns and on distributing a greater proportion of excess capital to shareholders over time.

These latest results dont really change the big picture at BarclaysHargreaves Lansdown senior analyst Laith Khalaf

The chief executive has come under fire this year after attempting to identify a whistleblower at Barclays, sparking a probe by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Mr Staley has also been overseeing an asset disposal programme in which Barclays has offloaded non-core businesses to focus on core UK and US operations.

The group has shed 60,000 jobs as part of the shake-up, which the chief executive said will allow Barclays to focus on generating profitability.

Mr Khalaf added: These latest results dont really change the big picture at Barclays.

Progress has been made, though its come in fits and starts, and wed like to see greater consistency in its performance.
The US Secret Service says agents have intercepted packages containing possible explosive devices addressed to former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The agency says neither Mrs Clinton nor Mr Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures.

BREAKING: Secret Service intercepts suspicious packages addressed to the residences of former President Obama and former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Working with our law enforcement partners on the investigation. Our Statement: https://t.co/lJdTn04KmI  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) October 24, 2018

It says the devices were discovered late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday.

A US official tells The Associated Press that a functional explosive device was found during screening at Bill and Hillary Clintons suburban New York home.

The official says investigators believe the explosive is linked to one found on Monday at the compound of billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

The Secret Service says a second package was addressed to Mr Obama and was intercepted in Washington.

The White House condemned the attempted attacks against the former presidents and former first lady.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

She continued: The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

US news channel CNN says its offices in New York have been evacuated because of a suspicious package.

The news network reported on Wednesday morning that a police bomb squad was at its offices.

WATCH: CNN had to abruptly stop broadcasting from its studio in NYC while covering a story about bombs being sent to the Clintons and Obamas because an alarm suddenly went off about a "suspicious device" in the building.



Scary stuff. pic.twitter.com/BKVnkdYpbZ  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 24, 2018

Law enforcement officials say the CNN package was discovered in the post room.

Mrs Clinton was campaigning for Democrats in Florida and was not at the familys suburban New York residence when the suspicious package addressed to her was seized.

Mr Clinton was at the familys Chappaqua, New York, home when the package was intercepted at a facility in Westchester County, New York.

Mrs Clinton is headlining a fundraiser on Wednesday for Florida congressional candidate Donna Shalala.
Turkeys president has kept up pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The kingdoms Prince Mohammed bin Salman will address the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh later, which has been overshadowed by Mr Khashoggis killing and the international outrage over it.

International business leaders, officials and others have pulled out of the summit, and the events first day saw several speakers acknowledge the killing of the Saudi writer whose columns criticised the princes campaign of arrests and governance.

Expand Close Jamal Khashoggi was critical of Prince Mohammed bin Salman (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File) / Facebook

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Turkish officials say Mr Khashoggi was killed on October 2 by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage on overseas trips.

Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue. However, no major decision in the kingdom is made without the approval of the ruling Al Saud family.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kept up his pressure on Wednesday.

We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible  from the person who gave the order to those who executed it  not to escape justice, he said in the capital, Ankara.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, continued to criticise the kingdom over Mr Khashoggis killing.

The cover-up was horrible. The execution was horrible, Mr Trump told journalists on Tuesday night at the White House. But there should have never been an execution or a cover-up because it should have never happened.

Mr Trump was later asked about Prince Mohammed in an Oval Office interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him, Mr Trump told the newspaper.

Shortly after Mr Trumps remarks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States was revoking the visas of some Saudi officials implicated in Mr Khashoggis death.

The visa revocations are the Trump administrations first punitive measures against the Saudis, who are seen as key allies in US efforts to isolate Iran, since Mr Khashoggi disappeared.

Mr Trump meanwhile has been criticising Saudi Arabia and OPEC over high oil prices, calling for a production increase to drop gasoline prices ahead of Americas midterm elections.

The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations said Saudi Arabia should conduct a credible investigation, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities.
'They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly,' Trump declared in the Oval Office.

'Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever,' Trump said. (Photo: File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump charged Tuesday that a Saudi operation to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul had given rise to "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," Trump declared in the Oval Office.

"Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," he added.

"Because whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble. Okay?"

After more than two weeks of near silence, Saudi Arabia admitted Saturday that Khashoggi, 59, was killed in its Istanbul consulate on October 2, in what it said was an operation gone wrong.

But Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan charged Tuesday that Khashoggi was targeted in a meticulously planned killing -- and demanded that 18 suspects detained by Saudi Arabia be extradited to Istanbul to face trial.

Asked about Erdogan's call for those behind Khashoggi's "savage murder" to face punishment, Trump said the Turkish president had been "pretty rough on Saudi Arabia."

But when questioned about whether he believes the Saudi account of events leading up to Khashoggi's death, Trump replied, "I want to see the facts first" -- while reiterating Riyadh's importance as a US ally in the Middle East.

"Look, Saudi Arabia has been a really great ally. They've been one of the biggest investors, maybe the biggest investor, in our country," he said.

A former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, Khashoggi disappeared after he entered the consulate to collect a document for his upcoming marriage.

The murder of the Washington Post contributor has severely dented the international reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The killing also overshadowed a major investment forum that opened in Riyadh Tuesday.
Alia Bhatts mother, Soni Razdan, also opened up on the ongoing #MeToo moment and revealed that somebody tried to rape her years ago. She didnt name the person only because she thought it would cause trouble to him and his family, she told The Quint.

This also means that his health has massively improved and doctors have given him a green signal to resume shooting. A few months ago, there were reports that the makers of the Hindi Medium franchise had film flew down to London to meet Irrfan and it was after a really heartwarming session that Irrfan decided to give this project a go ahead.

All you Yo Yo Honey Singh fans who are waiting to catch his glimpse, the good news is that he is making a comeback in a music video after four long years, and heres the first look!

"On returning from a long trip to the US yesterday, I read several baseless and unfounded stories with respect to misconduct and misbehaviour on the sets of our film Kizie Aur Manny. "I'd like to clarify that no such incident took place with me. Let's put an end to these conjectures," Sanjana wrote.

The company in a statement said they carried out an independent investigation and are satisfied with the results. Kashyap and Motwane, who co-directed the hit series, have been under fire for their alleged inaction in the sexual harassment allegations against former Phantom Films partner Vikas Bahl by an employee, a charge they both have denied.
Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane had apologised on Facebook after a woman, an ex-employee of their company Phantom Films, complained that despite knowing of sexual predator Vikas Bahl, they didnt act upon her sexual harassment complaint against him.

On the other hand, Varun Grover was accused of sexually harassing an anonymous woman. Amid the #MeToo movement and claims, rumours were doing the rounds that some of the core team members of Sacred Games 2 will be sacked by Netflix. However, the digital platform has now confirmed that it is retaining the original team.

Netflix on Tuesday confirmed the streaming giant will continue its association with Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and writer Varun Grover for the second season of Sacred Games.

The company in a statement said they carried out an independent investigation and are satisfied with the results.

Kashyap and Motwane, who co-directed the hit series, have been under fire for their alleged inaction in the sexual harassment allegations against former Phantom Films partner Vikas Bahl by an employee, a charge they both have denied.

ndtv

The production house was dissolved last month after allegations resurfaced against Bahl in the wake of #MeToo movement in India. The case dates back to an incident that took place in Goa in 2015.

Whereas, Grover was anonymously accused of sexual harassment, a claim he has categorically denied. In multiple statements, he has said that while he supports the movement, he wants to clear his name for his mental health. There has been no response from the anonymous account after he asked for closure.

youtube

"After an independent investigation, the results helped inform Netflix's decision to continue with Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap on season 2 of Sacred Games," Netflix said.

"Netflix will continue to work with Varun Grover on season 2 of Sacred Games," it further said.

The company said it will collaborate with its production partners "to ensure and maintain a safe and respectful working environment".
The countrys premier investigative agency the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - has been making headlines for the 72 hours for reasons likely to damage its credibility beyond repair.

The 'caged parrot' memes about CBI still make people laugh and now this unprecedented episode where the sleuths of the agency raided its own headquarters and arrested one of its own officers in connection with bribery case openly exposed the power tussle going on within the agency.

Rakesh Asthana and Alok Verma PTI

On October 22, the sleuths raided its own headquarters and arrested DSP Devinder Kumar in connection of the bribery case against the agencys own special director and the No. 2 Rakesh Asthana.

Asthana is a prime accused on the FIR lodged on October 15, which alleges that he received bribe amounting to Rs 2 crore from meat exporter Moin Qureshi against settling the money laundering case against him.

Asthana has moved to Supreme Court (SC) against the action and allegation and probably would avoid the arrest till the hearing.

But, the episode has brought to the fore, the rivalry between the director of the agency Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana. The government in a face-saving mode has acted swiftly and has asked both Verma and Asthana to go on leave and M Nageshwar Rao has been appointed as an interim chief.

PTI

The tussle seems far from over and the agency is destined to face massive embarrassment in days to come.

Heres how we can understand it better:

The main players

1. Rakesh Asthana, CBI special director

A 1984 batch Gujarat cadre officer, Asthana has been a high profile officer of CBI, famous for investigating the burning of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra in 2002. He is said to be close to BJP president Amit Shah and PM Modi which many believe why he was made the special director, CBI in 2017.

pti

Asthana had also arrested RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the fodder scam in 1997. Despite concerns and allegations of corruption against Asthana in the case of money laundering involving Sterling Biotech whose owners, the Sandesaras, are said to have fled India allegedly defaulting loan of Rs 5,000 crore, he was appointed as special director of the CBI by the government.

Asthana is being probed in corruption allegations in six different cases.

2. Alok Verma

A 1979 batch UT cadre officer, Alok Verma has also served as Delhi Police Commissioner. Having served in Delhi for long Verma is said to be close to government top brass and its said to be one of the reasons behind his elevation as CBI director.

Verma is said to have opposed Asthanas appointment as special director citing his alleged role in Sterling Biotech case and according to rules as well, the CBI director has to be consulted before appointing officers above the rank of Superintendent of Police. But in Asthanas case, Vermas said objection was overruled.

PTI

Asthana also has his side of the story and he accuses Verma of going soft on Lalu Yadav in his role in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation tender issuance case scam, Asthana accuses Verma of allegedly impeding the investigation in the case.

What is the fight, when did it start?

The tiff between the two top officers of the agency looks more like an ego tussle. Asthana was the acting CBI director when Verma was appointed as the director in 2016. Soon, Verma felt being overlooked as Asthana is said to have started flexing muscles including conducting raids without keeping Verma in the loop.

For instance, Asthana who was investigating the IRCTC scam involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav carried out raids without consulting Verma which irked him. Asthana accuses Verma of going soft in RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in IRCTC scam.

Asthana also said to have begun representing the CBI at meeting with the Central Vigilance Commission, the Supervisory agency for the CBI.

When the question of Asthanas appointment as special director, CBI arose, Verma did object citing Asthanas alleged involvement in Sterling Biotech case, but his objection was said to be overlooked.

After being appointed as special director, Asthana allegedly became more asserting with his power and started performing duties otherwise related to the director. For instance, Asthana once compiled a preference list for CBI appointments and forwarded to the CVC, a duty meant for the director to perform.

Verma was not pleased with Asthanas assertion of power.

Therefore, in July, the CBI wrote to the CVC that Asthan couldnt represent director Verma in his absence as he was being probed in several cases of corruption. The letter also stated that several officers recommended by Asthana for induction in CBI were under investigation in criminal cases filed by the CBI.

The letter also alleged that Asthana misused his power to bypass Vermas authority to induct officers of questionable integrity.

The Qureshi case

Moin Qureshi, meat exporters, was arrested in August 2016 for allegedly extorting money from suspects by claiming to have the close affinity with CBI directors and promised relief from Prosecution. In a case, Moin Qureshi is accused of extorting Rs 5.75 crore from a businessman.

pti

An income tax raid against Qureshi in February 2014 revealed message exchanging with the then CBI director AP Singh which led to his resignation from the membership of the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) to which he was appointed after his retirement from CBI.

Sana Satish and his role

Sana Satish, a Hyderabad based businessman who is one of the suspected in Moin Qureshi money laundering case alleged that he paid a hefty sum to CBI officers to get the agency off from the investigation involving him.

In his statement to a magistrate, he named Asthana, Manoj Prasad, a Dubai based businessman and Prasads relative Somesh.

Sana alleged that he paid Rs 3 crore to three men over 10 months to keep himself off the agencys radar. He claimed to have paid Rs 25 lakh to a middleman as recently as 9 October last year after Prasad advised him against avoiding appearing for questioning before the CBI.

Following Sanas statement, the CBI registered a case against Asthana as the main accused and DSP rank CBI officer Devinder Kumar who was arrested on Monday along with Prasad duo.

Asthanas allegations on Verma

In a letter to CVC, Asthana has also accused of Verma of influencing many cases. He listed 10 cases in which Verma tried to influence the investigation.

Asthana has also claimed that Sana claimed to have paid a bribe of Rs 2 core to Verma to avoid action by the CBI. He also alleged that when Sana was called in for questioning in February 2018, Verma allegedly restricted Asthana from examining him.

Asthana also alleged that Verma has been soft on RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on IRCTC scam. Other cases listed by Asthana in which Verma allegedly interfered include the coal block allocation scam.

Acting swiftly, the government in a decision taken around 1 am in the midnight has asked both warring top officers to go on leave. M Nageshwar Rao has been appointed as an interim chief and minutes after his elevation as the chief, he signed orders of transfers of many officers.

Many of the officers whose transfer orders have been issued by the new chief were part of the investigation team investigating corruption charges against Rakesh Asthana. Alok Verma has approached the SC against the government's order and the SC will hear his petition on Friday.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the decision to remove the director and special director was taken to restore the integrity of the CBI. "The decision to remove the director, the special director was taken to restore institutional integrity and credibility of CBI," said Union Minister Arun Jaitley.
For many in the company, Sonia Dhawan was the close confidant of the boss, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, and an employee who rose through the ranks over the years.

Given how influential she was and her position in the company, no one could imagine that she was hatching a sinister plot to extort money from her boss.

So, the arrest of Sonia from the Paytm office in Noida on Monday has left many employees shocked.

REUTERS

As the alleged plot of extortion begins to unravel, Police say the Sonia, who was the Vice President and head of communications orchestrated the crime with the help of her husband Rupak Jain, a property dealer and Devendra Kumar, an employee with Paytm and Rohit Chomal, who is based in Kolkata, and made the ransom calls.

According to the police, Sonia had begun the plot some months ago after her request for a financial help to buy a house was turned down by Sharma.

Sonia who had access to Sharma's laptop and mobile phones along with his email and bank details as she was his private secretary, used the access she had to gain the data.

Sonia, who had joined Paytm some 10 years ago at an annual package of Rs 7 lakhs was currently drawing around Rs 70 lakh annually, other than the shares she had in One 97 Communications, estimated to be worth Rs 1.79 crore.

Police said that Sonia and her husband Rupak lived in a rented flat in Noida and wanted to buy a large house. But after Rupak's real estate business suffered some setbacks, the couple was in financial trouble and could not afford to buy the house. Sonia asked her boss, Sharma for a financial help of Rs 4 crore, but it was turned down.

It is at this point Sonia allegedly resorted to extortion, with the help of Devendra who copied the data from Shekhar's laptop and handed it over to Rohit who made the calls demanding money.

According to Police sources, Sharma got the first call from Chomal on September 20 with a demand for Rs 30 crore. He later scaled the amount down to Rs 10 crore.

BCCL

Sharam initially paid a portion of the demanded amount, but became suspicious Sonia's role after she consistently offered him a single piece of advice, just pay up, citing the sensitive nature of the data. Sharma then alerted the police about his apprehension, based on which Sonia was arrested.

While Devendra has confessed of his role, both Sonia and Rupak have claimed innocence. The couple's lawyer Prashant Tripathi has claimed that there have been discrepancies about the kind of data which was stolen.

BCCL

According to him, initially, it was reported that the data in question belonged to the company but was later acknowledged as Sharma's personal data.

He also suggested that there was a conspiracy against the couple and suggested that it could be the result of Sonia's refusal to sell her stakes in the company as part of the recent share repurchase plan of the promoters of the company.
As the alleged plot of extortion begins to unravel, Police say the Sonia, who was the Vice President and head of communications orchestrated the crime with the help of her husband Rupak Jain, a property dealer and Devendra Kumar, an employee with Paytm and Rohit Chomal, who is based in Kolkata, and made the ransom calls. Read More.

Here's More Top News For The Day:

1) Wife Of Slain Soldier Delivers A Baby Girl Just Hours Before Performing His Last Rites

Photo: Hindustan Times

One of the soldiers who was martyred on Sunday, Lance Naik Ranjeet Singh and his wife waited for a child for 10 years. Sadly, Singhs wife Shimu Devi delivered a baby just hours before her husbands rites at Ramban district hospital. Read More.

2) CBI Has Scripted Its Own Thriller In Last 72 Hours, Here's What Makes The Story So Intriguing

Rakesh Asthana and Alok Verma PTI

The countrys premier investigative agency the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - has been making headlines for the 72 hours for reasons likely to damage its credibility beyond repair. Read More.

3) #MeToo Hits The Catholic Church In Meghalaya, Woman Accuses Two Clerics Of Sexual Abuse

A Catholic Church organization in Meghalaya has ordered a probe into alleged sexual abuse, after a Facebook post accused one of its clergymen sexually assaulting a girl, when she was a minor. Read More.

4) Social Boycott, Punishment Transfer And Threats, That's What Women Who 'Dared' To Visit Sabarimala Got

AFP

For Bindu Thankam Kalyani, a Dalit activist and teacher at the Medical College Campus Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode, the 'repercussions' of her attempted visit to the Sabarimala Temple, was far beyond what she could have imagined.She was almost assaulted by a frenzy mob in Erumely, enroute to the hill shrine on Monday. Read More.

5) Ye Diwali, Thain Thain Vaali: Internet Urges People To Celebrate An Eco-Friendly Diwali

Photo: Facebook

Well, we are having an on-ground event in the heart of Delhi where people are gathering to shout thain thain to celebrate Diwali. A Facebook event page was created by the organisers who go by the name Wander Bottle that soon struck a chord with the netizens. Read More.
For Bindu Thankam Kalyani, a Dalit activist and teacher at the Medical College Campus Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode, the 'repercussions' of her attempted visit to the Sabarimala Temple, was far beyond what she could have imagined.

She was almost assaulted by a frenzy mob in Erumely, enroute to the hill shrine on Monday.

A video of the incident which is making rounds in social media showed Bindu and her two friends, accompanied by nearly half a dozen police officers running into a police van after the mob blocked their way.

Sensing the dangerous situation Bindu decided to return midway, to more troubles.

Since then she has been faced with threats to life and even eviction from her rented house.

The 43-year-old school teacher alleged that the landlord of her rented home had asked her not to come there following protests by some Hindu outfits.

In a video posted by her on social media, the English teacher alleged that the protesters have threatening the school authorities that they would not allow her to enter the school.

I got a call from the school authorities on Monday evening saying that there had been protests at the school and I could be attacked if I went there without security, she added.

The school authorities have allegedly told her not to come for work until further information.

Bindu is not an isolated case, almost all women who have travelled to Sabarimala and made unsuccessful attempts to reach the shrine have faced backlash one way or the other.

AFP

Activist Rehana Fathima, a telecom technician with BSNL, who had attempted the same has been transferred to another office. The move came after a fringe group held a protest outside the office demanding her ouster. But according to BSNL had not committed dereliction of duty, and th transfer was to an office where she would not be required to interact with the public.

Earlier, while she was on her way to the shrine, unidentified miscreants had vandalised the Kochi house of Rehna.

PTI

She was also expelled from the Muslim community by the Kerala Muslim Jamaath Council for "hurting sentiments of lakhs of Hindu devotees".

The story of SP Manju was no different, the Dalit activist who attempted the trek on Saturday was forced to return amid the protests. While she was away her house in Kollam was vandalized by unidentified miscreants.
Breakups are hard enough to deal with in regular circumstances. But when both participants are somewhat high profile, it tends to get even messier.

Just ask Douglas Martin and Yanet Garcia, aka "the pro-gamer that dumped the hottest weather girl."

Douglas "FaZe Censor" Martin

Douglas "FaZe Censor" Martin is a 23-year-old professional Call of Duty player for the Faze Clan team, though he also has a fairly successful YouTube Channel and dabbles in fitness modelling. His ex-girlfriend, Yanet Garcia, is a well-known Mexican weather presenter who has made a name for herself as a model and social media influencer, and has also dipped her toes in Hollywood too, among other things.

Yanet Garcia/Instagram

When he and Garcia broke up back in July, he stated it was to let him focus on his professional gaming career. He claimed things had started going downhill when she moved back from New York to her native Mexico in order to focus on her modelling career. Though they gave the long distance relationship a shot, it just wasn't working as both of them grew in popularity.

Seems straightforward enough, but there's since been a twist (aside from him losing the tournament immediately after the breakup). Just a few days ago, Martin uploaded a video to his YouTube channel with a slightly different story. In it, he claims he only said he wanted to focus on pro-gaming in order to protect Garcia's reputation, but that the real reason was she was demanding a cut of his social media earnings.

The video has quickly gone viral, and now sits at 1.3 million views

"Everything started to turn when I mentioned to her how much money can be made on YouTube and being a YouTuber," he says in the video.

Clearly, Garcia isn't happy about the "revelations", and she's taken to her Instagram to hit back. There, she addresses the accusations, saying she's always strived for economic independence. "I've been working for my dreams on a daily basis and I work everyday to reach professional and personal stability." She went on, saying she "couldn't recognise the person she was in love with" and was intent on setting the record straight.

Frankly, the entire ordeal is a mess, and it's probably not over yet by far. Given that both these people's careers depend partly on their reputation and social media fans, you can probably expect a few more swipes before things begin to settle down.
Nissan India is aiming to up its game in the country with all-new offerings in its pipeline. After showcasing the Nissan Kicks SUV, the Japanese automaker has shown intent of further expanding its SUV portfolio by bringing its globally recognised premium products to India, as confirmed by Thomas Kuehl, President - Nissan Motors India Pvt Ltd. So we can expect to see Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Patrol making their way to the Indian market soon.

Even more interestingly, the company is embracing the move towards electric vehicles as well, promising a fleet of electric vehicles in India soon. For the same, Nissan says to have concrete plans that abide with the governments policies to do away with the fossil-fuel run vehicles.

The promise falls in line with the recent announcement of Nissan Leaf to be made available in India. Though the use-case will be restricted to corporations, the entry of a global EV icon in India will certainly propel other automakers to bring out their best as well.

Nissan IDS Concept

Adding to this, Nissan is even keen on bringing its Note e-Power to India, which might be an even better move, considering the car eliminates the need of a charging station and charges the battery through petrol. While it does not really do away with the dependence on fossil fuels, it certainly reduces it, to a point that it can be considered a viable option to make the shift to an EV ecosystem in a country like India, where charging stations are still few and afar.

Why not? It worked in Nissans home market after all. The Note e-Power dominated the Japanese market back in 2017 at the time of its launch. Even if the company is not able to replicate the success here, it surely will have a considerable bite of the still growing apple.

Nissan Note e-Power

Totalling all the prospective arrivals from the house of Nissan in the coming years, it is safe to say that the company is looking to completely remodel its image in India to that of a premium brand. If we were to focus on electric vehicles, Nissan already has enough in its arsenal to capture a major share of the Indian EV market, lest it plans to get a head start on it.
'It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups,' Trump said.

Trump said the Saudis had a 'very bad original concept' in killing the 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: The United States said Tuesday it was revoking visas of Saudis involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as President Donald Trump ridiculed the kingdom's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

The move came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudis' Istanbul consulate had been meticulously planned, in a speech that overshadowed a long-planned investment forum in Riyadh.

Saudi leaders have denied involvement in the killing, pushing responsibility down the chain of command.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "strongly said that he had nothing to do with this, this was at a lower level," US President Donald Trump said, adding he had spoken Monday to the prince and his father King Salman.

Trump said the Saudis had a "very bad original concept" in killing the 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic.

"It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," Trump said.

"It was a total fiasco," he later added.

Faced with mounting calls for tough measures by US lawmakers across the political spectrum, the State Department said it had identified 21 Saudis whose visas would either be revoked or who would be ineligible for future visas.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.

"We are making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of action to silence Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he said.

The top US diplomat said the Saudi suspects came from "the intelligence services, the royal court, the foreign ministry and other Saudi ministries."

Pompeo added the United States was also looking into whether to take action under a law named after Sergei Magnitsky, the anti-corruption accountant who died in Russian custody, that would impose financial sanctions on individuals behind Khashoggi's death.

The initial US action against the Saudis came three weeks after Khashoggi, self-exiled to suburban Washington, vanished in the consulate and following contradictory statements by Trump, who has ruled out major steps such as cutting arms sales to the major defense partner.

'Brutal Murder'

Vice President Mike Pence, in an appearance at The Washington Post, where Khashoggi was a contributing opinion writer, denounced the "brutal murder."

He added Erdogan's account -- the most substantive remarks on the case by the Turkish leader -- "flies in the face" of the Saudis' earlier assertions.

Saudi Arabia -- whose ambitious crown prince has been amassing power -- initially claimed Khashoggi left freely after visiting the consulate, where he was completing paperwork for his upcoming marriage.

But as pressure grew, Saudi state media changed the story and said Khashoggi died when an argument descended into a fistfight, an account that was swiftly denounced overseas even if Trump initially said he found it credible.

Erdogan said that a 15-person team came from Riyadh to kill Khashoggi, carrying out reconnaissance outside Istanbul and deactivating security cameras at the consulate.

He said 18 suspects detained by Saudi Arabia should be extradited to Istanbul to face trial and called for an investigation into those with "even the slightest link" to the case.

The Turkish leader did not mention some of the most striking claims that appeared in the Turkish press in recent days, notably that Khashoggi's body was cut up into multiple pieces, and that there is an audio recording of the murder.

However, he did confirm a Saudi official played the role of body double for Khashoggi, wearing the journalist's clothes upon leaving the consulate to pretend to be the dead man.

The whereabouts of Khashoggi's corpse remain unknown. Turkish police were searching an abandoned car belonging to the Saudi consulate in an underground car park in the Sultangazi district of Istanbul.

'Many Questions Unanswered'

Jana Jabbour, a professor at Sciences Po university in Paris, said the fact Erdogan did not opt for sharper rhetoric against Riyadh suggested the two nations were talking behind the scenes.

"Erdogan's very moderate speech shows that a deal has been reached," she told AFP.

But allies remained alarmed.

The Group of Seven industrial nations said in a joint statement that the killing left "many questions unanswered." Denmark also summoned the Saudi ambassador over the case.

The murder has shone the spotlight on the Mohammed bin Salman, who was credited with a reform drive in the kingdom, but is now accused of ordering Khashoggi's killing.

A key investment summit, dubbed "Davos in the desert," was overshadowed by big-name cancellations as it kicked off in Riyadh.

Dozens of executives, including from banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan and ride-hailing app Uber pulled out of the three-day Future Investment Initiative.

Saudi organizers sought to portray it was business as usual, announcing 12 "mega deals" worth more than USD 50 billion in oil, gas, infrastructure and other sectors.

But Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih acknowledged "we are going through a crisis."
In 2004, six-year-old Bhagyaban Rath from Odisha was accidentally separated from his family.

Now, 14 long years later, they've been reunited. And it was all thanks to a little memory, and a little help from online web search.

TNN

The boy's father, Kailash Rath, had taken him from their native Kumaruni village in the Kendrapara district to visit an uncle in the Koraput district about 500 km away. After spending a few months there, the two were journeying home, when little Rath was accidentally separated from his father.

As it turns out, Rath was rescued and taken in by an orphanage, the Shree Jagannath Niketan at Rayagada, not far from where he'd gotten lost. The orphanage put him through school, where he eventually graduated Class X in 2015, and even completed a mechanical engineering diploma in 2018, with the help of the orphanage coordinator.

Throughout his separation, Rath recollected one vague detail from his childhood - the name of the village and its Hanuman temple where his uncle worked as a priest. WIthout any other real options, he began hunting through Google for any mentions of the place online.

The journey on which Rath was separated from his father

Then, last week, he found the location of the temple he remembered from his childhood. He packed his bag and, with a friend, travelled to the village about 125 km away. Thankfully for Rath, his uncle still recognised him, even as a now 20-year-old youth, and called his parents to tell them their son had been found again after 14 long years.

The orphanage said Rath could never remember his home address, so contacting the police more than a decade ago revealed no real leads. Instead, he was able to find them himself thanks to a little help.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been a vocal proponent of digital privacy for years, but now he's also begun pushing for regulations to back it up.

At a recent event, he spoke out against the consequences of major companies accumulating user data for their own benefit.

Images courtesy: Reuters

His address was to the attendees of the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC), a privacy conference in Brussels. In it, he made an impassioned explanation of Apple's own commitment to privacy (and thereby the lesser dedication of its rivals) as well as detailed just how things can go very wrong if corporations proceed as freely with user data as they have until now.

Cook said modern technology is leading towards the creation of a "data-industrial complex", with which the data people generate everyday will be "weaponized against us with military efficiency." To him that's not just an issue of personal security, but something that threatens societies as a whole.

"Platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies," Cook said. "Rogue actors and even governments have taken advantage of user trust to deepen divisions, incite violence, and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false. This crisis is real. It is not imagined, or exaggerated, or crazy."

Cook didn't specifically mention what could cause this, but he's clearly talking about incidents like the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal. Things there happened almost word for word as he described, where user data was abused to deepen racial and political divides, all for personal gain. He didn't name drop any corporations either, but the tirade was clearly directed at those like Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

Cook's speech though is a marked shift from the tech industry's stance compared to a couple of years ago. Then, they wanted to preserve self-policing in order to retain a semblance of independence. But thanks to how much of an eye-opener Cambridge Analytica has been, they now have to get on board with a government regulation policy, or risk alienating users now much more conscious of their data and its value.

Then again, it doesn't necessarily means they plan to support anything more than namesake regulations.

Also Read: The Guy Who Built The World Wide Web Is Building A 'New Internet', Where You Control Your Data

Cook praised the EU's "successful implementaton" of its newest data privacy law, GDPR. Not only does it force companies to offer users clear and concise choices as far as their data is concerned, but it also has them obliged to let people choose to be forgotten if that's what they want.

"It is time for the rest of the world to follow your lead," Cook said. "We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States."

Every country should have four key data rights enshrined in law, he went on to add. The right to minimize personal data, the right to know what's being collected, the right to access that data; and the right for that data to be secured.
Dyson, widely known for its state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner line-up, is now set to foray into an all-new vertical - electric vehicles. For the same, the British company has announced a new automotive factory in Singapore which will be the abode for the assembling of these electric cars.

The thought is not new for Dyson though, having shown its interest in electric vehicles in September 2017 first. The company is also accounting for its battery expertise to help its venture in the automotive space.

And why not? After all, Dyson is known to come up with unique and remarkable technologies to give an efficient twist to the existing products. This can be seen in its range of vacuum cleaners too, a couple of which are worlds first. Or better yet, check out its automatic hair curler for judging its expertise.

The companys founder and chief engineer James Dyson is OK spending about $2.7 billion in the process. Half of this amount will be for the car itself while the other half will be used to progress the battery innovations, as that is where the company initiated its pursuit for electric vehicles.

James Dyson (James Dyson Foundation)

But why Singapore? Because the company already has a manufacturing facility there. In addition, the open trade ties between Singapore and China will provide Dyson with an easy access into China, which is undoubtedly the worlds largest EV market.

The plant in Singapore is expected to open in 2020 and will employ workforce in addition to the existing 1100 employs. Dyson CEO Jim Rowan told employees in a letter. "Singapore has a comparatively high cost base, but also great technology expertise and focus. It is therefore the right place to make high quality technology loaded machines, and the right place to make our electric vehicle."

For now, these factors seem to click for Dyson and if and when the company finally comes up with its own electric car, it might be a tough competition for others in the race, considering the history of its products.
Last week, Kerala witnessed a statewide 12-hour bandh to disagree with the Supreme Court's Sabarimala ruling. The bandh resulted in the suspension of the road transport too, after a bus was vandalised.

As the state came to a standstill, the auto and taxi drivers did something that came as an unexpected albeit pleasant surprise to everyone.

Twitter

Utilising the bandh, a group of taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers in Cheruthuruthy and Shoranurthe filled potholes across a major road in town. The road between SMP Junction and the Old Cochin Bridge had a lot of potholes which were disrupting the connectivity and were becoming a pain for the citizens. Not only were they causing the traffic to slow down, they were also causing a lot of accidents. Emergency services like ambulance were also being affected and delayed due to the same.

Due to the poor condition of the road, we are not able to take pregnant ladies to hospital fast, the drivers told Mathrubhumi.

Thanks to these good folks, life has become slightly smoother for the people who take the aforementioned route regularly. These guys set a noble example for the rest of the country to follow and for that, they deserve to be applauded.
Corn Red for Thursday Close Barchart - 5 minutes ago Corn was a little weaker on Thursday, ending the session fractionally to 2 1/4 cents in the red. For December, that meant a dime fade off the days high. Dec 22 contracts stayed fractionally higher... ZCZ21 : 573-0s (-0.39%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.5788 (-0.34%) ZCH22 : 579-2s (-0.39%) ZCZ21 : 573-0s (-0.39%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.6207 (-0.40%)

Wheat Red after New Highs Barchart - 5 minutes ago Wheat futures turned south in the afternoon, after reaching new highs for the move. CBT SRW got to $8.43 1/4 cents for December, before dropping to a 2 1/4 cent loss on the day. The other front month CBT... ZWZ21 : 820-0s (-0.27%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7153 (-0.29%) KEZ21 : 827-2s (-0.81%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.0555 (-0.85%) MWZ21 : 1016-6s (-1.00%)

Double Digit Losses for Beans Barchart - 5 minutes ago Soybean prices ended the session with 10 3/4 to 11 3/4 cent losses at the bell. For November that was off the days high by 22 cents. Soymeal closed red on Thursday too, giving back $4.30 to $5.10/ton.... ZSF22 : 1265-2s (-0.92%) ZSPAUS.CM : 12.2783 (-0.94%) ZSH22 : 1276-4s (-0.91%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.2783 (-0.94%)

Dollar Declines on Strength in Stocks Barchart - 1 hour ago The dollar index (DXY00 ) on Thursday fell -0.281 (-0.29%). The dollar index on Thursday moved lower throughout the day and posted moderate losses. A rally in stocks on Thursday reduced the liquidity... DXY00 : 95.542 (-0.30%) ^EURUSD : 1.13703 (-0.01%) ^USDJPY : 114.255 (unch) GCZ21 : 1,861.4s (-0.47%) SIZ21 : 24.900s (-1.06%)

Chart of the Day: Information Services Group - A Top 100 Stock Barchart - 1 hour ago The Barchart Chart of the Day belong to the management consulting company Information Services Group (NASDAQ: III ). I found the stock by sorting Barchart's Top 100 Stocks list first by the most... III : 9.33 (+0.32%)

Nat-Gas Prices Rally on Record U.S. Nat-Gas Exports Barchart - 1 hour ago December Nymex natural gas (NGZ21 ) on Thursday closed up +0.086 (+1.79%). Dec nat-gas prices on Thursday posted moderate gains. Unprecedented foreign demand for U.S. nat-gas supplies is bullish for prices... NGF22 : 4.995s (+1.65%)

Shootin' the Bull Swift Trading Company - 1 hour ago Cash continues to firm. Futures are firming with a slight gap higher to start this day off. I look for the firm tone to remain for a little while longer.

RFD-TV Interview: Grain and Livestock Markets (Video) Blue Line Futures - 1 hour ago Are cattle set to make a run at contract highs? Has the bull market in grains hit a brick wall?
'This approach of shifting the blame on others is utterly unjustifiable and unreasonable,' said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

China warned on Tuesday it would 'never accept any form of blackmail' after US president Donald Trump said his decision to withdraw from a nuclear pact with Russia was also linked to Beijings arsenal.(Photo: Representational | AFP)

Beijing: China warned on Tuesday it would never accept any form of blackmail after US president Donald Trump said his decision to withdraw from a nuclear pact with Russia was also linked to Beijings arsenal.

China is not a signatory to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which the United States signed with the then Soviet Union in the 1980s, but Trump said Monday that Beijing should be included in the accord.

Now that the United States want to unilaterally withdraw from the treaty, they start to inappropriately speak about other countries, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing.

This approach of shifting the blame on others is utterly unjustifiable and unreasonable, Hua said.

She said China had always pursued a defensive national defence policy.

We will never accept any form of blackmail, Hua said.

The landmark treaty was signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and led to nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles being eliminated.

It put an end to a mini-arms race in the 1980s triggered by the Soviet Unions deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles targeting Western European capitals.

Until people come to their senses, we will build it up, Trump told reporters Monday at the White House, referring to the US nuclear arsenal.

Its a threat to whoever you want. And it includes China. And it includes Russia. And it includes anybody else that wants to play that game, he said, adding that China should be included in the agreement.
A once in a generation opportunity awaits Macedonia as the country considers NATO and European Union membership, concluded a panel discussing the countrys recent referendum vote. The event, organized by the Atlantic Council, took place on October 22 at its Washington, D.C. headquarters.

VOA Macedonian Service Chief, Lilica Kitanovska, former NATO Secretary General, the Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and nonresident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council, Dr. Michael Carpenter, comprised the panel titled Completing Europe: Will Macedonia Seize its Moment? moderated by the Councils Executive Vice President Damon Wilson.

In a standing room only event, Kitanovska related the latest developments on the ground, as reported daily by VOA journalists in the region. She also put into context last Fridays vote in the Macedonian parliament, making it clear that it was only the first step in a lengthy process of completing required constitutional changes to rename the country North Macedonia.

All panelists addressed the continuous efforts by regional powers to influence the political process in the country and stressed that the recently established Prespa agreement with Greece to resolve the long-standing dispute about Macedonias name is as good as it will get for decades, as noted by Dr. Carpenter. Leaders of the two nations reached an agreement in June to change the countrys name to North Macedonia, for Athens dropping its opposition to Macedonias accession to NATO and the European Union.

Its not about guarantees, but about shaping the future, noted Lord Robertson. He further reminded the audience that, given NATOs unanimity policy, there can be no NATO membership for Macedonia if Greece does not agree.

Kitanovska said Macedonian officials have approximately one month to conclude the deal in parliament. Nevertheless, significant challenges still remain on the Greek side of the equation before reaching a final deal.
The Hobart and Canberra forums will take place this year with the same topic, to help brokers identify todays set of risks and how to deal with them to strengthen governance, with attendees earning 3 CIP points.

The Hobart event will be held on Nov. 21, 8:30am-12:30pm, at the RACV Hobart Hotel; while the Canberra event will take place on Dec. 7, 9am-1pm, at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

Attendance to the half-day forums is free. For more information and to register, visit Ansvars website.
'Those behind this crime will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail,' Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.

Saudi leaders have denied involvement in Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on October 2, pushing responsibility down the chain of command. (Photo: File)

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's crown prince on Wednesday denounced the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi as a "heinous crime", insisting the kingdom was cooperating with Turkish authorities and "justice will prevail".

"The crime was very painful to all Saudis. And it is painful, heinous to every human being in the world," Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in his first comments since the murder of the journalist.

"Those behind this crime will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail," said during an address to the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh.

Saudi leaders have denied involvement in Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on October 2, pushing responsibility down the chain of command.

But the kingdom is under mounting international pressure over the killing amid US accusations of a monumental cover-up by the kingdom.

Prince Mohammed, widely known as MBS, said Saudi Arabia was working with the Turkish authorities to investigate the case.

"Many are trying to exploit the Khashoggi affair to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey," he said.

"But they will not succeed as long as there is a king named Salman and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman."
AXA has entered into an agreement with Fairfax wherein the latter would acquire 100% of the formers non-life AXA Insurance business and AXA Insurance Life in Kyiv (Kiev).

According to a press release by AXA Group, 50% of its AXA Insurance business in Ukraine belongs to local commercial bank UkrSibbank.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals.

AXA Insurance in Kyiv is Ukraines leading insurance company, Interfax-Ukraine reported. For the first half of 2018, the company collected over UAH 915.6 million in gross insurance premiums  a 14% year-over-year increase from the same period in 2017. The Ukrainian insurance business has more than 780 employees and 1,220 agents throughout the country.

This is not Fairfaxs first purchase of a business in Ukraine. In 2015, the company completely bought out QBE Ukraine, later renaming the unit as Colonnade Ukraine.
In a super fund forum organised by Visy Industries and Fairfax Media, Keating said that when the superannuation system was designed 32 years ago, people retired at about 65 or 66 and died at 81, but with people now living nine years longer accumulation at 9.5% of average weekly earnings cant be stretched out to cover that longevity, The New Daily reported.

We have no policy here in Australia for the 80 to 100 cohort, Keating said.

Martin Fahy, chief executive of superannuation-industry research and advocacy group ASFA, said compulsory super contributions should be raised to 12% of wages, from the current 9.5%, to support Australians during retirement.

Keating was of the opinion, however, that even with the increase in contributions, the current superannuation system would still not be enough to support many retirees.

I dont believe that it should be left to superannuation, Keating told the forum. I think it should be national insurance scheme. Only the commonwealth can insure across generations.

Keating said his proposed national insurance scheme would require the federal government to offer a calibrated product to help meet the costs of aged care, accommodation, and other expenses.

The former prime minister also said the insurance of those who died early would help support the needs of those who lived longer, The New Daily reported.
I am delighted to have Tava as the leader of our business in the UK and Ireland, Intelligent Insurer quoted Russell Higginbotham, CEO Reinsurance for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), as saying. His strong and successful leadership of the Middle East & Africa region shows that he is the ideal candidate to lead and grow our UKI business.

This appointment also shows our intention to continuously develop and grow the strong bench of talent we have at Swiss Re.

Based in London, Madzinga will remain a member of the groups EMEA management team. He came onboard Swiss Re in 2016, after holding the position of regional CEO at South African insurer Old Mutual.
The complete lack of concern by survey respondents about their work email potentially being hacked is problematic, said Monica Pal, CEO of 4iQ. This is exacerbated by the finding that the average person admits to using just two or three passwords to protect all their online accounts. By repeating passwords on multiple accounts, individuals are inviting cyber-criminals to access all of their online data. Once a password becomes compromised, all of that individuals information  and by extension their employers information  are at risk.

Work email accounts can give cyber-criminals access to email messages and confidential information like contracts, intellectual property and customer payment information. Criminals can also often glean information like health insurance, travel itineraries and personal banking information. When hacked email credentials match the credentials to access corporate systems, the risk grows exponentially.

While much time is spent researching and analyzing data breaches and security events, less time is focused on understanding a critical element  the people impacted, their concerns, and their motivation, said Claire Umeda, head of marketing for 4iQ. This survey provides a glimpse into public concerns relating to personal data privacy, and even the potential for corporate security risks from an uneducated or unmotivated employee audience.

Our survey shows that consumers are concerned about protecting certain aspects of their digital identities, such as their Social Security number, banking and credit card information, but they are not taking all the steps the can to adequately protect this data, Pal said. Perhaps its because they dont understand how to protect themselves or they are uninformed about the services that are out there to help them. One thing we know for sure is that we need to be better about communicating with people on an individual level on what risky online behavior is, the steps they can take to protect their accounts and identity, and what solutions are out there that can alert them to compromised or vulnerable information.

According to our analysis of digital identities found on the Deep and Dark Web, over 39% of people use password credentials classified as very weak, said Julio Casal, founder and chief technology officer of 4iQ. For example, our research shows that over nine million passwords consist of the number combination of 12345. This is frightening because the first line of defense against attackers is login credentials  strong, unique username and password combinations. But the scarier part is that companies and organizations dont necessarily consider this challenge as part of their ongoing cybersecurity efforts. The fact is, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Yet companies dont often consider the fact that their vendors employee, whose username and password were compromised in a recent breach, used the same password for their work email. And now that cyber-criminal holds the key to your data.
A fast-moving blaze ripped through the business district of a New Jersey town, destroying multiple businesses and causing the partial collapse of at least four buildings, according to officials.

Daniel DeGroot, director of public safety for Dover, N.J., said the blaze was reported just after 3:30 p.m. Monday as smoke filled the basement of a luncheonette.

The fire grew quickly as it spread throughout the luncheonettes building and surrounding structures in the town about 30 miles west of New York City.

More than a dozen fire departments responded to the scene with firefighters racing through the buildings threatened by the flames to clear out occupants. All affected occupants of the buildings were safely evacuated and no injuries were immediately reported, DeGroot said.

Numerous fire crews were still fighting the flames after 6:30 p.m. Monday, according to DeGroot.

In my tenure here, this is the worst Ive seen, Town Administrator Don Travisano told the North Jersey Record. Its a nightmare thinking of a fire because the buildings are old and close together.

James Dodd, the mayor of Dover, said the fire has already caused a devastating blow to the community.

Now we have residents who are going to be displaced, the Democratic mayor said. Were in the middle of developing our downtown area. Its undergoing a complete renovation so it couldnt have come at a worse time.

Roads have been closed off throughout the area and officials are asking residents to avoid downtown.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New Jersey
NIF Group Inc., a New York-based wholesale broker, program administrator and managing general agency, has hired Erich A. Schutz as an excess and surplus lines broker in the East Douglas, Mass., branch office.

Schutz joins NIF from DeCotis Specialty, where he was an excess and surplus lines broker. Prior to his tenure at DeCotis, Schutz spent six years in property and professional lines underwriting at the Boston branch of London based carrier, Beazley Group.

Since December 2016, NIF has been a portfolio company of JenCap Holdings, which was formed by The Carlyle Group.

Source: NIF Group Inc.

Topics Agencies Excess Surplus Massachusetts
Australias life insurers will be required to publish customer dispute numbers every six months, top financial regulators said on Wednesday, as a misconduct inquiry threatens other reforms that could hurt industry profitability.

For the first time, customers will be able to see comparable dispute and claims data of each insurer, helping to make better choices, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said.

The move comes follows criticism last month by the powerful Royal Commission inquiry into financial services misconduct that faulted both regulators for allowing widespread wrongdoing in the banking and insurance sectors.

The introduction of a legally binding reporting standard will improve the consistency and reliability of the data we receive, APRA member Geoff Summerhayes said in a statement.

The new standardized claims data would help the regulators identify emerging problems in the industry, said ASICs deputy chairman, Peter Kell.

Life insurers must submit details of the number of claims, the duration of the handling process, and the number of customer complaints for the year ending June 30, 2018 by December 28, and within weeks of the end of each semester after that.

Last month, the government-ordered investigation exposed how some of the largest insurers, including Australian units of multinationals, may have broken laws  some of which carry criminal penalties.

The inquiry is considering whether laws should be strengthened to protect consumers amid evidence of rampant misconduct, including poor handling of insurance claims, inappropriate selling techniques and use of outdated medical definitions to avoid claim payouts.

It will deliver its recommendations in February.

On Wednesday, credit agency S&P Global Ratings said the prospect of legislative changes amid the inquirys revelations of poor claims handling could hurt the profitability of insurers in Australia.

There are prospects of legislative changes affecting group business that threaten to further erode margins, said credit analyst Mark Legge. All these challenges reinforce the negative trend we see for the sector.

(Reporting by Paulina Duran; editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Related:

Topics Carriers Claims Australia
French insurer April SA has drawn takeover interest from private equity firms including CVC Capital Partners, KKR & Co. and BC Partners as it weighs a sale amid a wave of industry consolidation, according to people familiar with the matter.

April confirmed it initiated discussions with its majority shareholder as part of a strategic review that could lead to a change in its holding, according to a statement after Bloombergs report. The insurer said it had received preliminary expressions of interest and declined to comment further. Private equity firm Evolem controls about 65 percent of the company, according to Aprils website.

April is working with an adviser to explore a sale, the people said, asking not to be identified as the details arent public. Shares of the company climbed as much as 13 percent on the news, the most in a decade, before the stock was suspended. April was up 9.2 percent in Paris as of 4:12 p.m. on Tuesday to give it a market value of 560 million euros ($643 million).

Representatives for CVC and KKR declined to comment. BC Partners didnt have an immediate comment.

Insurance companies globally have announced $110 billion in mergers and acquisitions so far this year, on track to outpace last years $121 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Rising premiums and increasing regulatory risks are pushing companies to seek combinations. French insurer AXA SAs $15.3 billion purchase of XL Group Ltd. was the sectors largest deal this year.

April reported adjusted earnings before interest and taxes rose 11 percent to 42 million euros for the first half of 2018, driven by its French and international health insurance and personal protection businesses. Shares of the company had dropped 15 percent this year through Monday.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Carriers France
Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK) announced a reorganization of its Asian operations based primarily in Singapore with supporting offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. TMK will be closing its Hong Kong office with immediate effect and making arrangements over the next six months for the orderly runoff of the business.

This decision was made after re-assessing the ongoing, challenging market for the engineering, marine cargo and marine liability lines written out of Hong Kong, which have made the cost of maintaining the office unsustainable, said TMK in a statement.

Our Hong Kong team have all made huge contributions to our efforts in Asia and we will do all we can to support them through this difficult time, said Charles Franks, group CEO.

We remain however, firmly committed to our Asian strategy and our Singapore and Shanghai offices will continue to operate and pursue their respective growth strategies  focusing on accident & health, aviation, marine cargo, trade credit, political risks, property, agriculture treaty reinsurance and property treaty reinsurance business throughout Asia, he continued.

Franks said the Singapore and Shanghai teams will help to manage the runoff of the Hong Kong business.

Source: Tokio Marine Kiln
Minnesota officials say more than 300 people have died in traffic crashes so far this year.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said Monday the 302 deaths were 17 more than the 285 reported at this time last year. In 2017, Minnesota did not record its 300th death until Oct. 31.

The most recent death came Friday night when a 66-year-old Big Lake man was struck and killed while crossing Highway 10 in Becker.

He was the 29th pedestrian to die in a crash in 2018. The years fatalities include 195 people in motor vehicles, 58 motorcyclists, six bicyclists and 14 classified as other, such as farm machinery or ATVs.

The Star Tribune reports drunken driving was a factor in 93 fatal crashes, making it the leading cause of death.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Minnesota
The meeting took place in Taiwan. The nuns hope that our witness to a way of life [. . .] can be meaningful and joyful through detachment from consumerism, materialism, and individualism [and] encourage others to walk on the path of goodness.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  The origin, evolution and current situation of monastic religious life for women in Buddhism and in Christianity was one of the topics discussed at the first international Buddhist-Christian dialogue for Nuns.

The meeting, held in Taiwan on 14-18 October at the Fo Guang Shan monastery in Kaohsiung (pictured), was centred on Contemplative Action and Active Contemplation: Buddhist and Christian Nuns in Dialogue.

It was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in collaboration with the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery, the Association of Major Superiors of Religious Women in Taiwan and the Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue.

A statement by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue said that about 70 nuns from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cambodia, the Philippines, Brazil, Italy and Germany attended the conference. A representation of the World Council of Churches was also present.

In a statement issued at the end of the conference, the participants defined this First International Dialogue for the Buddhist and Christian nuns as a point of reference for promoting mutual understanding and friendship among women religious and for building bridges that link their different spiritual paths.

The Sisters noted that, whilst remaining steadfast in their own deepest convictions, they can learn from each other how to be spiritually, culturally and socially enriched, thus becoming humble and credible for their brothers and sisters.

[W]e believe, the statement said, that our witness to a way of life that can be meaningful and joyful through detachment from consumerism, materialism, and individualism may encourage others to walk on the path of goodness.

Likewise, we stress the importance of being contemplatives in the midst of action working together to show tenderness to those who are in need.

The Sisters reiterated their belief that interreligious dialogue is a path that men and women must undertake together. For this reason, they encourage more and more women religious, to contribute with their "feminine genius" to new and creative ways of dialogue between religions and urge their communities to be more open so that this contribution can be received.
Autonomous vehicle manufacturers need a better yardstick to show that their products are safe, said Derek Kan, under secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The metrics that are most widely used by self-driving car developers  miles driven and the frequency of human intervention  alone are insufficient to demonstrate the safety of an autonomous automobile, Kan said at a conference in Washington on Tuesday.

Kans comments strike at a key aspect of the driverless car industrys competition for public perception, where companies such as General Motors Co. and Alphabet Inc.s Waymo unit tout millions of test miles traveled under computer control and the number of times a test engineer had to intervene to measure the vehicles self-driving progress.

Both of those metrics have flaws, Kan said. For one, all miles arent created equal. Navigating the complex streets of Manhattan is far more challenging than, say, cruising on an empty highway. Disengagements  or instances when an engineer takes over from a self-driving system  can be influenced by driving and engineering choices, and dont provide a very rich data set, Kan said.

We are now at that point where were saying help us think through the right metrics, to prove that a car driven by artificial intelligence is at least as safe as a human driver, Kan said at the conference, which was organized by the tech company Nvidia Corp., which makes high-performance processors used in artificial intelligence applications, including self-driving cars.

Kan said the department wants input from companies on how safety should be measured as part an effort to reform federal policies for autonomous vehicles.

As part of the departments broader self-driving push, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking comments to guide a new series of autonomous vehicle test projects in which the agency could temporarily lift rules that pose barriers to those tests. The agency also plans to propose and seek comment on changes to existing vehicle safety standards to allow for new automated vehicle designs, such as removing a steering wheel or foot pedals.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has repeatedly stressed the need for companies to create public trust in the still-developing industry. Polling shows many Americans are leery of autonomous vehicles, and a series of accidents and fatalities involving semi- and fully self-driving technologies has further heightened scrutiny.

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a self-driving SUV tested by Uber in Arizona in March, and a California driver died the same month when his Tesla SUV slammed into a highway barrier while using the cars semi-autonomous driving system.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics USA Auto Autonomous Vehicles
A bid by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to settle a lawsuit over how much it pays directors was rejected by a judge who said that simply making changes in corporate governance didnt provide enough benefit to the firm.

The investment banks willingness to disclose more about its executive-compensation plan and its hiring of a consultant to review directors pay packages werent enough to justify extinguishing the investors claims, Delaware Chancery Court Judge Sam Glasscock III concluded Tuesday.

In return for a release of the monetary claims against them, the director defendants give up nothing, Glasscock wrote in his decision.

The ruling comes as part of a chancery court crackdown on so-called disclosure settlements, in which companies resolve investor suits by make additional disclosures about deals or compensation and no cash changes hands.

Shiva Stein, a Goldman investor, sued the bank last year challenging a stock-incentive plan for managers and directors, saying it wasnt properly outlined to shareholders. Besides hiring a consultant to review non-employee directors pay, the bank offered to make additional disclosures in its 2018 proxy, including that those board members compensation is the highest among their U.S. peers.

We are disappointed that the settlement of these claims was not approved, but they remain subject to our pending motion to dismiss, Michael DuVally, a Goldman spokesman, said in an email.

After Fordham University law professor Sean Griffith objected to the settlement, Glasscocks analysis found Stein had potentially-meritorious monetary causes of action that were being extinguished without proper benefits in exchange. Griffith is one of a number of law professors who have called into question the value of disclosure settlements and routinely objects to such accords.

While Goldmans disclosures and acts of corporate hygiene may have value, the judge found, they were unrelated to the damages/disgorgement claims for conflicted over-payment that are the heart of Steins suit.

The case is Stein v. Blankfein, No. 2017-0354, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington).

10/23/2018 03:35 PM

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Talent
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of premium grocery stores with headquarters in Monrovia, California. With an eclectic array of products, a friendly atmosphere, and low prices relative to the quality of its goods, Trader Joe's has become one of the most popular grocery store chains in America and it maintains a very loyal customer base. The company has over 500 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

Key Takeaways Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of premium grocery stores with headquarters in Monrovia, California.

While public companies often raise far more money from investors than if they remain privately-held, private companies like Trader Joe's don't have to sacrifice their values in order to appease the expectations of shareholders.

Trader Joe's operates small stores with less square footage and doesn't charge its suppliers a slotting fee.

Most people would be thrilled to invest in a company of this caliber. However, investors shouldn't bother looking up the ticker symbol for Trader Joe's because the company has been privately-held since it was founded in 1967 by Joe Coulombe. The company began as a chain of convenience stores in the Greater Los Angeles area in 1958. The first Trader Joe's-branded store opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California. Joe Coulombe was succeeded by John Shields as the company's CEO in 1987. Under Shields' leadership, the company greatly expanded, opening stores in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. In 1996, the company expanded to the East Coast. Dan Bane became the CEO of Trader Joe's in 2001. The German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht purchased Trader Joe's in 1979. Ownership was passed onto his heirs when he died in 2010.

Between 1990 and 2001, the number of Trader Joe's stores quintupled and the company multiplied its profits by ten. In 2019, Trader Joe's was ranked number 23 in best places to work in the United States by Glassdoor and in 2020, the company ranked number 14. However, there are no short-term plans for Trader Joe's to go public. In fact, part of the reason the company has been able to achieve so much success is that it has remained a privately-owned company.

More Freedom to Maintain Its Brand Values

When a company decides to go public, it has to answer to its shareholders who become partial owners of the company when they purchase shares. Shareholders expect that a company will experience growth year-over-year. If this doesn't happen, shareholders may become dissatisfied. When they go public, many companies are pressured into making changes that expedite their growth but might be executed at the expense of their core values.

Because Trader Joe's doesn't have to answer to shareholders, it can stay true to its brand values and give its consumers, employees, and other internal stakeholders the type of experience they want.

For example, Trader Joe's has made a commitment to operating smaller stores. Although this gives the company less square footage to sell products, it creates a more intimate environment in their stores. Trader Joe's also maintains a smaller selection of products. If a product doesn't appear to be selling well in its stores, then the company can easily get rid of it and replace it with something else. As a result, customers can trust the quality of all of their products.

Trader Joe's also doesn't charge its suppliers a slotting fee. This fee is typical of grocers and means that their suppliers have to pay a fee in return for shelf space. This results in suppliers trying to outbid each other and ensures that the supplier who is willing to pay the highest bid price gets the shelf space. They may not be the most deserving supplier or have the best product to offer. In the case of slotting fees, higher prices are also passed on to customers, so Trader Joe's has opted not to charge their suppliers for slotting fees.

Trader Joe's and the Future of Grocery Chains

Food retailers and grocery chains are facing a changing landscape, with a growing number of discount grocers in the industry. The acquisition of Whole Foods Market (WFM) by Amazon in August 2017 also created more pressure in the industry. There is speculation that Whole Foods will make significant gains in terms of market share and could threaten Trader Joe's growth in the future.
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With the difficulties new college graduates face repaying student loan debtnow a cumulative $1.5 trillion in the United Statesmany are questioning whether the cost of higher education is worth the potential reward of higher income.

After all, two of the richest men in America, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, do not hold college degrees. While both went to Harvard, neither earned a diploma, and they benefited from on-the-job training as founders of Facebook and Microsoft, respectively. Although the college vs. workforce debate is more relevant than ever, there are important factors to consider before forgoing a college degree.

Key Takeaways As the cost of college has risen, so has the demand for college graduates along with the economic penalties from forgoing college.

The pay gap in weekly earnings for those with a degree and for those without a degree is significant.

In 2019, the average weekly earnings for high school grads was $789 vs. $1,1416 for those with bachelor's degrees.

Two-year-degree holders hardly fare better than most high-school graduates with median earnings of $874 per week.

But Wait! College Does Pay Off

As the cost of college has risen, so has the demand for college graduates along with the economic penalties of not obtaining a four-year degree. In other words, it's important to consider income earned as a college graduate versus the income earned for only having a high school degree.

Earnings Breakdown

Below is the average weekly earnings for workers in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), broken out by education level.

Without a high school diploma: $630

High school graduates: $789

Bachelors degree: $1,416

Master's degree: $2,100

There is a significant pay gap in weekly earnings based on whether workers had a degree and for those who chose not to get either a high school or college degree.

The wage differential reflects, in part, a shift in the nature of the workplace leading to few high-paying low-skilled jobs. For example, there are fewer well-paid positions involving physical labor, such as manufacturing and farm work. Instead, the economy has shifted to more knowledge-based jobs, such as computer programming and marketing, where a bachelors degree is required or preferred.

The College Investment

If you're not convinced yet that it's worth going to college, consider the study that MIT economist David Autor published in the journal Science back in 2014. Autor showed that, after all the costs associated with a college education were factored in, the holder of a degree over a lifetime of earnings came out $500,000 ahead. Not a bad deal for a four-year investment. On average, a public university costs approximately $26,000 (in-state); a private one, $51,000.

The Hard Reality

According to a 2019 study, nearly 45% of high school kids surveyed said that a high school diploma would be enough to provide the skills necessary to become successful workers, as reported by the USA Today.

However, the data from the BLS, shown earlier, demonstrates that those with at least a bachelor's degree will earn 79% higher weekly wages on average than those with only a high school degree.

High-school graduates are increasingly being penalized in a knowledge-based workforce. As a result, todays high-school grads are more than three times as likely to live in poverty than their predecessors.

Not All Degrees Are Equal

When deciding whether a college degree is worth the investment, it's important to consider that not all degrees offer the same income opportunities.

Unfortunately, according to the BLS, two-year-degree holders hardly fare better than most high-school graduates with median earnings of $874 per week versus $789 per week for high school grads.

Of those holding bachelors degrees, according to GetEducated.com, the highest-paid majors from their 2018 report include:

Management Information Systems: Average salary of $158,000, expected growth 15%

Marketing: Average salary of $131,180, expected growth 9%

Economics: Average salary of $101,050, expected growth 6%

Business Management: Average salary of $97,230, expected growth 6%

Finance: Average salary of $81,760, expected growth 12%

Accounting: Average salary of $68,150, expected growth 11%

What On-the-Job Training Offers

But what about learning on the job. Is real-world experience preferable to an academic education? On-the-job training is often free, or you may be paid. Unfortunately, many formal training programs have fallen victim to corporate spending cuts, although there are still fields where hands-on training is available.

Apprentice Programs

Industries in which guilds and unions dominate, such as construction trades like plumbing, carpentry, and electrical, have traditionally offered apprentice programs as a means of entry. All three major unions for electricians, for example, offer paid apprenticeships with on-the-job and classroom training. There is similar training for the growing fields of telecommunications installers and green-energy technicians.

However, these are not casual commitments. All of these industries require at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning, with some requiring as many as 4,000 to 6,000 hours.

Culinary

Chefs and other kitchen staff often start their careers by learning and earning through a combination of hands-on training and classroom work. Although culinary school is an option, it is not a requirement. The American Culinary Federation offers formal, multiyear apprenticeships, while some vocational training programs place students in internships.

Sales

Another option for on-the-job training for white-collar work is sales. Real-estate brokerages and telephone-sales operations typically offer real-world training.

Business Owner

Probably the most extreme form of on-the-job training is entrepreneurship where starting your own business teaches you how to manage employees, cash flow, and inventory while simultaneously marketing your new business and negotiating with suppliers and customers.

Government Help

The U.S. government has put a focus on high-tech apprenticeships as a fast track to a middle-class paycheck, with the Department of Labor pledging $100 million in grants in 2020 to develop public-private apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology.

The Bottom Line

When considering the income opportunities, the decision to get a four-year degree or skilled professional training is critical when thinking about long-term earnings potential.

Even if getting a college diploma means taking on substantial debt, research suggests that throughout a career, college grads will still come out ahead financially. However, your interests, ambitions, and aptitudes should ultimately determine your approach to higher education and whether your career path begins with academia or with real-world experience. It is possible to become wealthy with only a high-school diploma; it's just a lot less likely.
VANCOUVER - October 24, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) THC BioMed Intl Ltd. ("THC" or the "Company") (CSE: THC) is pleased to announce its third shipment to the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch.

THC is delighted that its strains and pre-rolls are sold out due to popular demand and looks forward to the continuation of providing the adult use recreational market with high quality cannabis for a reasonable price.

About THC

THC's vision is to be on the leading edge of scientific research, development of products and services related to the medical cannabis industry while creating a standard of excellence. As the industry develops, it will become more important to focus on scientific research and development of products and services related to medical cannabis. Management believes THC is well-positioned to be in the forefront of this rapidly growing industry.

Please visit our website for a more detailed description of our business and services available. www.thcbiomed.com

Forward-Looking Information:

This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of THC. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of THC. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "will," "may," "would," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "could" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Although THC believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because THC can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release include that THC will continue to provide the adult use recreational market with high quality cannabis for a reasonable price. THC disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

SOURCE: THC BioMed

President and CEO:

John Miller, THC Biomed Intl Ltd., T: 1-844-THCMEDS, E: info@thcbiomed.com

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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As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information

October 24, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire)

Dear President Trump,

I applaud your change of mind regarding climate change and that you now believe the Earth is warming, that our climate is changing, and after alluding to an increasing number of and storms of higher intensity while visiting Florida you realize not for the better.

As the leader of the free world, we know you've got your hands full with this tricky little Saudi problem, and keeping control of the House of Representatives, looks like the Senate is safe so congratulations. We promise we won't take up too much of your time.

The Khashoggi incident

Saudi Arabia and its royal family is a long-time ally of the United States. So what was the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman aka MbS, thinking when he strongly implied a few days ago that his country, the world's largest oil exporter, would retaliate against any "punitive measures" linked to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist who has disappeared, and likely died, at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey?

"The Kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by threatening to impose economic sanctions, using political pressures, or repeating false accusation," a government source reportedly told the official Saudi Press Agency. "The Kingdom also affirms that if it receives any action, it will respond with greater action."

The United States still buys a lot of oil from Saudi Arabia (close to a million barrels a day in 2017, or 9% of the total; 40% comes from Canada) even with all that fracking going on, so we know you were paying attention.

But we also know you've threatened "severe punishment" against the Saudis, and it seems to be gaining momentum as a bi-partisan issue, if it's shown that Khashoggi, a Saudi national but US resident, was killed inside the consulate. So we shouldn't be surprised that bin Salman got his back up.

But you don't really want to get into a fight with these guys. They're keeping Iran in check. We need their oil. And we sell them weapons. A lot of weapons. Saudi Arabia was the first foreign country you visited after becoming President. You signed a $110 billion arms deal. That's a lot of dough, and bullets, planes and bombs. Stopping that investment into the US because of just one mistake, apparently a questioning gone bad, by bin Salman (the Khashoggi incident) would hurt US companies and jobs. The opposite of what you promised you would do as President.

Back to that Saudi government oil as a political weapon statement. Didn't sound that bad, but it was actually a pretty big deal. You see, ever since the 1973 energy crisis, OPEC has tacitly agreed not to mix politics with oil - the business of making gazillions of dollars - it's just good business practice. As a shrewd real estate developer, we know you know and understand a dollar is a dollar, no matter where it comes from. When Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister insulted Saudi Arabia for arresting women activists, there was no threat of shutting off Saudi exports of oil to a refinery in Eastern Canada. Even though everything else was on the table for nixing by the Saudis, that's the business of not mixing oil and politics.

So who were the Saudis to imply that they could slow down the flow of oil, should any country, including the United States, punish them with sanctions, for eliminating a journalist? Of course we're hearing if Saudi Arabia doesn't pump enough barrels to replace the ones lost to sanctions on Iranian oil, it could push the price up to $100 a barrel, or higher. They think they have the west bent over a barrel Mr President. And you do have the mid-term elections coming up, so the last thing you need is a big hike in gas prices. Wouldn't look good.

However this Khashoggi thing goes, it does indicate how vulnerable you are to foreign oil imports - despite all the talk of US energy independence. (More on that below)

Not to be alarmist, but if the Saudis retaliate using oil, it could have a major impact on the world economy. I'm sure you're aware, the Kingdom supplies one in 10 barrels of oil worldwide. It's the swing producer, which means it holds nearly all the spare capacity available to respond to any supply concerns. When OPEC shut off its oil supply because the US backed Israel in the Yom Kippur War, there was widespread demand destruction. The same thing could happen if oil prices head north of $100 a barrel. Gasoline prices would shoot up too. If Saudi Arabia, the biggest OPEC producer, actually embargoed its oil and gas, we could have shortages, just like we did in 1973. That's right, lineups for gas.

On the other hand, it could be the catalyst that pushes the Western world (actually all the buyers of OPEC oil) away from gas-powered vehicles and toward electric ones. Would that be such a bad thing?

Climate change

If you accept that planet Earth is warming, and you said recently that you do, then it follows that making a switch from gas-powered to electric vehicles would make a huge dent in global greenhouse gas emissions. Just ask China who supplies us with most our lithium-ion batteries. EVs are a major strategy for reducing pollution in Chinese cities. They are putting a lot of people to work and China is the far and away leader in green tech exports. Wouldn't be hard to take all that away from them sir.

The Chinese understand the importance of a dollar just as well as you do sir. They also understand that our time to make any kind of difference to a warming planet is running out, and they are taking advantage of it, leaving us in the west in their dust. It's happening a lot quicker than scientists predicted. According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world's ecosystems would be in much better shape if we could limit warming to just 0.5 degrees C rather than the agreed-upon 1 degree C.

The 728-page report by 90+ scientists says to meet the more ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees would require "draconian cuts in emissions of heat-trapping gases and dramatic changes in the energy field," CBC News reported. If nothing is done, temperatures will increase by 1.5 degrees between 2030 and 2052.

A smarter scenario

Global warming of 1.5degrees

We're already seeing feedback loops that occur when one change causes another change to occur, worsening the first change. NASA states that climate feedbacks could double the amount of warming caused by carbon dioxide alone. The space agency points to snow and ice, water vapor, clouds and the carbon cycle as the main climate feedbacks. A well-known feedback loop is the disappearance of snow and ice at the poles. This exposes dark ocean to sunlight, warming the oceans. When ice covers the poles, the sunlight is reflected back to the atmosphere, keeping the oceans cool. As the planet keeps warming, more ice disappears, exposing more water, further raising ocean temperatures, and sea levels.

The poles are warming at a much faster rate than the rest of Earth. This means the most dramatic effects of climate change are being felt in the Arctic and Antarctic. One of the most potent examples of this is melting permafrost. As the Arctic tundra thaws, it exposes methane, a greenhouse gas that is about 30 times more powerful than CO2, in terms of its ability to trap heat.

The impact of thawing permafrost could mean the equivalent of adding two more Germany's to the planet in terms of carbon emissions. And that doesn't count the existence of strange Arctic cauldrons that emit methane at a much faster rate.

So climate change is real, and eventually, it's going to hit the United States. Hard. Already we have more frequent hurricanes, forest fires and a persistent drought in the MidWest. As the seas keep rising, things are going to get bad. Climate Central ranked the 25 US cities most at risk of coastal flooding and sea level rise. It found that New York is most likely to have problems, Miami second. Twenty-two of the 25 cities are in Florida.

Still dependent on foreign oil

Back to the Khashoggi incident, some will argue it doesn't matter if Saudi Arabia cuts the United States off from its oil and gas. After all, the US is practically energy-independent. According to the EIA, net imports of crude oil and petroleum products are expected to fall to their lowest levels since 1958.

That's because of two factors: the massive increase in oil and natural gas production over the last decade due to fracking, and the lifting of the crude oil export ban in 2016.

But is the US actually energy independent? In 2017 the US imported 10.1 million barrels of oil a day, and exported 6.3 mbod, leaving net imports of 3.7 mbod. In other words, your country is roughly 4 million barrels of oil a day short of energy independence. You see nearly a million of those barrels comes from Saudi Arabia.

While some analysts (like Goldman Sachs) see US energy independence occurring by 2019 or 2021, there is an elephant in the room that not many have noticed: depleting shale oil fields.

While production in the main shale formations grew steadily from 2007, in the past year and a half, rates have declined. The lower numbers have some predicting that US shale oil production could peak before 2025. This is because shale oil wells are gushers in their first year, then deplete rapidly. Shale companies are therefore money losers because they have to keep ploughing more money into production just to keep output flat, a phenomenon known as "The Red Queen Syndrome." Shale wells typically bleed off 70 to 90% in their first three years, and drop by 20 to 40% a year thereafter without new drilling. According to consultancy Wood Mackenzie, Permian production could peak in 2021 versus the more optimistic 2025. A report from the Post Carbon Institute argues that the EIA's rosy forecast of strong US oil and gas growth for several decades - with shale oil not peaking until the 2040s - is wrong. So, while you could dismiss Saudi Arabia's threat of another oil embargo, the fact is the US will most likely have to keep importing oil, as shale wells continue to decline, and eventually dry up.

Pipeline pressures



Of course the US could just get the oil from Canada. Your friends to the north supply 40% of US oil. The problem is, Canadian oil companies don't get a lot for their oil, and they're pretty mad about it. We're talking 50 bucks a barrel less than WTI. The discount is HUGE. The Canadian oil sands are pretty much dead. Not growing at all. They need more pipelines to take away the glut of Canadian heavy crude, but it's not happening. So everybody is moving to north east British Columbia to frack for 80 trillion cubic feet of tight natural gas and send it as LNG to Asia.

Even in the US, your having trouble getting oil to market. Shale oil production is supposed to double in Texas over the next five years. You need more pipelines too, if you want to keep expanding shale, and you might as well, because of that Red Queen Syndrome thing. They're turning to trucks and rail to move their product. A big glut in Oklahoma is keeping prices down. The shale guys aren't happy. There's also bottlenecks due to shortages of frac sand, power and workers. But then again, if it's all over in a few short years why bother?

Go electric

We know, they're building more pipelines. You did the right thing in overturning your predecessor's rejection of Keystone XL, and killing his new stronger EPA, because you needed it to happen to Make America Great Again.' But come on, let's give it a doubt on this fracking stuff, is it really worth it? Fracking is terrible for the environment. We're poisoning the water supply, and we can't afford to do that, what are we going to drink when, after all the ice melts, we're forced to move inland away from coastal flooding and increased levels of storm surge penetrating deep into the heartland? There's also a prolonged drought in the MidWest; they need all the fresh water they can get, fracking uses billions of gallons of it and it ain't reusable.

There is coal. We know you promised the good people of Appalachia that you'd revive the coal industry, but it's not happening. Those jobs aren't coming back. Time to face facts: coal is dying, and in a lot of countries, it's already dead. Coal power plants are being shut down and banned all over the place.

Obama pretty much hammered the last nail in the coal coffin and you, despite the long term job decline in the industry, over several presidencies, took that and ran with it. Brilliant. But it's time to recognize that coal dog don't hunt no more.

But we also know that coal and steel towns built America. A lot of them are hurting. A lot of them voted for you. They need jobs, cash flow to pay their bills. They need hope for the future. But let's not flog a dead horse. Promising what you can't deliver is no way to treat hard-working coal miners. Instead, what about investing in a new industry, one that has a real future? We are talking about electric cars. Not Tesla's expensive, fancy ones driven by celebrities and those making six figures, but affordable electric vehicles, made by Americans for Americans!

So we ask you Mr. President, why not go electric?



Lithium, rare earths





How would you do it? Well, the first step would be to source the materials required for electric vehicles. The really tough ones to get are rare earths and lithium, not so much because there isn't enough lithium in the US but all of the larger projects except one have off-take agreements already in place with Chinese or Australian companies. You used to have a rare earths mine, but it got sold to the Chinese and they undercut the price of REE's so bad a start-up supply chain industry was destroyed in its infancy. Not good. China controls over 90% of the rare earths market, so it would be great if you could break that monopoly. In fact you have to, otherwise your just substituting one dependency for another Ie. dependence on Saudi and Canadian oil for Chinese rare earths. Most US rare earths come from China. (see chart below). We noticed your Administration backed off tariffs on critical minerals from China, so this dependency must be on your radar.



The rare earths needed for electric vehicles are neodymium and praseodymium - used for making the magnets in electric motors and generators. The market for the neodymium-iron-boron magnet, installed in Tesla's Model 3 Long Range electric car , is estimated at $11.3 billion. You can see in the chart below that demand for neodymium has been growing steadily.

The Chinese are also locking up supply from Australia and South America - particularly the lithium triangle of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia - where 70% of lithium is mined.

How China is muscling in on Lithium-ion batteries



Currently, if we want to build a mine to battery to EV industry in the US, we'll have to import most of our lithium. It'll be expensive. Battery-grade lithium carbonate goes for US$16,000 a tonne, not including shipping and tariff costs.

We could get it from Chile, or Argentina, but placing a long-term supply bet on these countries is risky. They sway back and forth between governments that support foreign mining companies, and those that want to keep the resources for themselves. Their economies are also fragile. The Argentinian economy is a basket case, and while Chile is doing better, its government has an itchy trigger finger on the resource nationalism button. Chile is having water problems and the government is cracking down on miners that use a lot of water. Albemarle, the world's largest lithium miner and owner of the Silver Peak Mine, is having trouble getting its quota increased, for the lithium it produces in Chile.

All of this points to the conclusion that the US needs a mine to battery to EV supply chain in the United States, if you are to successfully move the US from ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles to EVs. This includes not only supporting mining in the US, but building the infrastructure for electric vehicles. Millions of charging stations will be required. There will need to be government subsidies to give people an incentive to trade in their electric Nissan's, VW's etc for an American built EV that doesn't require a mortgage. And to car companies. The European Union just announced they're planning to allow state aid for EV battery research and will offer billions to companies willing to build large battery plants. You, President Trump, could do the same.

Thorium

Then there's the power, batteries are energy storage devices. Where will the power come from to charge them? If America ramps up its production of EVs beyond what is already going on - very little, you are going to need a lot more juice. Natural gas? It's cheap, but drilling for it involves fracking/methane, and we've already shown that isn't such a good idea. We've dammed all the rivers we can or want to. Coal? Forget about it. Solar and wind power are getting price-competitive, but there's the problem of such large requirement energy storage.

Nuclear energy produced using uranium is going to be the short to medium term solution, but it's controversial. A lot of the nation's nuclear plants are old, and need upgrading, this is going to be done. But building new plants takes years, then there's the problem of what to do with the radioactive waste. It's dangerous and lasts hundreds of years.

We have a solution for you: thorium. Fukushima started scientists looking more closely at thorium as a greener alternative. While conventional nuclear plants are only able to extract 3-5% of the energy in uranium fuel rods, in molten salt reactors favored by thorium proponents, nearly all the fuel is consumed and there is zero chance of a meltdown. Because plutonium is not created as a waste product in a thorium reactor, it cannot be separated from the waste and used to make nuclear weapons.

Conclusion

Mr. President, you campaigned on a promise to return America to its former glory, to emancipate workers from the grip of foreign companies who are stealing America's jobs and America's technology. To rip up bad trade deals and negotiate new ones, at fairer terms to the United States. And to put more money in the pockets of average Americans, by cutting income taxes, and helping businesses, by slashing corporate taxes. You've done all these things, and we applaud you for it.

With respect, we suggest that the way forward is to put your energies and tax revenue into the global electrification trend. This trend has been ongoing for the last decade or so, and it's unstoppable. The IEA has said it expects the number of EVs to more than triple by the end of the decade, from 3.7 million last year to 13 million in 2020.

According to the organization the biggest adopters will be Europe and China, due to credits and subsidies provided by the Chinese government, and tighter fuel emissions standards plus higher fuel taxes in Europe. Notice the United States isn't mentioned here. But you could be part of it. A big part, the leader if you so desired.

Your country is divided. Republicans and Democrats are at each other's throats like never before. This could be the BIG IDEA that everyone, Republicans, Democrats and everyone in between, gets behind. A truly bi-partisan deal only you could broker. Obama could not get it done sir. You can. Make America Great Again through electrification - building a mine to battery to electric vehicle industry right here in America - eliminating your dependence on foreign suppliers and taking leadership in supplying critical metals that are needed for both civilian and military uses. Rare earths are not only used in EVs, but a host of other civilian applications, including cell phones, computer hard drives, wind turbines, TVs, cameras and lighting. Guided bombs and night vision are just two applications used by the US Military. Building mines that can process lithium and rare earths, which would attract companies to spend money on gigafactories like Tesla's that can make batteries in America and sell them to American automakers.

Go electric, Mr. President. You and your coal miner buddies won't regret it.

Sincerely,

Richard (Rick) Mills

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October 24, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Thanks to a contract awarded to Sunbolt, students at Puerto Rico University, impacted by Hurricane Maria's devastation of the island's power grid, will now have the off - grid ability to charge their electronic devices, from phones to computers, from six solar charging workstations on the University's campus. Instead of depending on the island's uncertain availability of electricity, outdoor solar charging stations enable students to sit comfortably outside and chat with friends while rapidly recharging any of their devices.

A Solar, "Social Recharge" on the campus

Puerto Rican students without power at home are a perfect audience for solar charging stations given their social life, heavy reliance on cellphones and movement around the campus between classes. It is common for students to meet-up at a station, enjoy a beverage and conversation while charging their devices.

Each Campus XL solar charging workstation includes a high capacity solar array of more than 1 Kilowatt, brilliant nighttime LED lighting (for charging at night), a robust design with multiple bench options, the capacity for 75-150 (iPhone 6 or 7 equivalent) mobile charges/day and (4) 120V and (8) USB electrical outlets for charging - all built into a durable, long lasting, 130 mph wind - rated outdoor structure.

Built tough for heavy use, all weather conditions and a minimum lifetime of 30 + years

Sunbolt's architectural designs are built as fully engineered commercial grade structures, hardened for public use and low maintenance with a minimum service life of 30 years.

Each will be available to Puerto Rico University students with electronic devices who need a recharge, with new technology that provides a broader range of designs, features, options and price points.

About Sunbolt

Years ago, in the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Ian Jones, one of the founders of Sunbolt, watched as over 8 million homes lost power in 17 states. As thousands of people drained their car batteries just to charge their phones, Ian recognized the need for an off-grid solution that would provide electricity during major power outages.

Over the years, the company's product line has evolved from charging docks to outdoor workstations and the company itself was transformed from The ConnecTable to Sunbolt. Today, Sunbolt has installed workstations throughout the United States and Mexico and continues to be a leader in the renewable energy community. More information is available at: https://gosunbolt.com/.

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By Geoff Percival

Aryzta shares have fallen more than 4.4% as a row over the size of the Cuisine de France-owners planned capital raise next month deepened.

Aryzta also makes burger buns for McDonalds. It plans to raise 800m via a rights issue in order to pay down some of its 1.5bn debt mountain.

Shareholders are due to vote on the plan early next month and it has already got the support of investor rights groups including ISS.

However, the Irish-Swiss baked foods groups largest shareholder, Spains Cobas Asset Management which owns 14.5% of the business, has said the raise is too much and that 400m is a more appropriate target. Aryzta has said it has considered all potential alternatives and called Cobass proposal inadequate and one which presents significant execution risk for Aryzta and all of its stakeholders.

Aryzta said the full 800m is required to reduce debt and strengthen its balance sheet. It said Cobass proposed lower capital raise will not address the significant liquidity and financing needs of the business.

The row between Aryzta and its largest shareholder has now deepened, with the investor accusing the baking company of painting an unduly grim picture of its financial situation to ram through the disputed capital hike.

As well as a halving of the targeted rights issue proceeds, Cobas wants Aryzta to sell non-core assets, saying this could raise a further 250m.

Cobas expressed disappointment at Aryztas defence of its plan, saying chief executive Kevin Toland has not engaged shareholders. The baking company is reeling from a failed expansion strategy that has led to hundreds of millions of euro in losses. Aryztas share value has plunged over 70% in the past year.

We believe the company now is drawing an unduly grim picture of the current situation with the sole intent to convince shareholders to support the excessively large and dilutive capital increase, Cobas said.

Yesterday, Aryzta reiterated its recommendation to shareholders to vote for the 800m capital raise plan.

Last month, Aryzta agreed an underwriting deal with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, UBS, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and HSBC setting the stage for the rights issue.

Aryzta has been undergoing an asset disposal round, but recently said dividends from its much-criticised 49% stakeholding in French food retailer Picard have strengthened its balance sheet. Analysts had expected a sale of the Picard stake by the end of Aryztas financial year in July.

Additional reporting Reuters
By Gordon Deegan

The directors of the firm which operates the Aughinish Alumina refinery said as recently as mid-September they expected a solution to be reached with the US Treasury over sanctions imposed on the Limerick companys parent.

The directors made the upbeat assessment in new accounts for Limerick Alumina Refining Ltd which show higher alumina prices helped the firm post a pre-tax profit of $50.6m (44m), the year before the US imposed sanctions on Rusal.

The return to profit came as revenues rose 26% to $658m in 2017. It had made a loss of $40.58m in 2016.

The directors said the favourable environment for the alumina industry in 2017 had boosted earnings.

The huge refinery in the Shannon Estuary was plunged into doubt after the US-imposed sanctions in April on Rusal which is controlled by Russias Oleg Deripaska and government ministers have been involved.

The directors of the Irish firm, who signed off on the accounts on September 19, said the refinery was still operating at full capacity and since the announcement of sanctions, it has had increased sale prices and would continue to be profitable this year and in 2019.

Staff numbers at the refinery were unchanged at 450, while staff costs rose from $50.35m to $52.8m. Directors pay increased from $1.1m to over $1.58m.

The profits last year take account of non-cash depreciation costs of $33.28m and a $2.85m loss on foreign exchange. On the talks with the US Treasury concerning the sanctions, the directors said in the accounts they believed the Irish firm would continue to trade successfully as a going concern even if the sanctions crisis remained unsolved.
The Communist Party secretary was the only candidate running to succeed the late President Tran ai Quang. He will retain his position as head of the party, becoming the first person to fill both roles with the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

Hanoi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - With 99.8% of votes in favor, the National Assembly elected Nguyen Phu Trong (photo), secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (ang Cong san Viet Nam), new president of the Republic.

Although the role of head of state is largely ceremonial, Trong, age 74, will retain his position as head of the party, becoming the first person to hold both roles since the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in the late 1960s. .

Having obtained two of the so-called "four pillars" of power in Vietnam [President of the Republic, Party Secretary, Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly] will allow Trong to centralize himself with enormous power of governance, whose mechanisms are often hidden to the public.

He was the only candidate running to succeed the late President Tran ai Quang. In yesterday's consultations, only one of the 478 MPs voted against his election. Conservative and true number one of the regime, during his second term at the helm of the Party, Trong launched a tough government campaign against corruption.

It has brought to trial high officials and state officials, including a member of the Politburo, with allegations of financial embezzlement and fraud. According to critics, such measures are the result of internal political conflict.
By Joe Leogue

Almost 90,000 dosage units of illegal prescription medicines were seized by Revenues Customs Service and gardai over a single week this month, the health products watchdog has revealed.

The haul  valued at more than 375,000  formed part of an international crackdown coordinated by Interpol and brings the total value of such seizures in Ireland this year to more than 1.6m.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority said Operation Pangea is an international week of action targeting the online sale of falsified and illegal medicines across 61 countries.

The authority said the operation targets criminal networks behind the sale of falsified and illegal medicines via illicit online suppliers and online e-commerce platforms.

Earlier this month, as part of the operation, Customs officials and gardai seized 29,518 units of anabolic steroids, 25,241 units of sedatives, 5,700 units of erectile dysfunction medication, 5,477 units of analgesics, and 14,009 units of other medications.

Previous operations targeting illegal online supplies, including through social media, led to the detention of nearly 400,000 dosage units of illegally supplied online medicines between January and September valued at 1.39m.

In addition, 14 social media pages and 10 e-commerce advertisements were taken offline, as well as the investigation of 56 websites which were subsequently forced to either close or cease selling medicines into Ireland.

HPRA chief executive Lorraine Nolan said buying medicines from illegal sources poses serious health risks, particularly when it comes to unprescribed anabolic steroids.

We have detained almost half a million dosage units of illegal medicines since the start of the year, which is concerning, she said. Falsified medicines and medical devices can appear legitimate, but we cant stress enough that there are simply no guarantees as to what is contained in these products.

Members of the public are putting their health at significant risk by buying medicines from unverified and unregulated sources.

Dr Nolan also warned that the composition of the substances being sold may not match those of properly licenced and prescribed products  posing a danger to those who take them.

Laboratory analysis of products detained has shown that these illicit medicines often contain too little or too much of the active ingredient, she said. They have also been found to contain harmful or undeclared substances.

Interpol also announced that worldwide Operation Pangea resulted in more than 10.1m dosage units of illegal medicines and medical devices, with an estimated value of 12.2m, being detained across all 61 countries involved.

Globally, 4,990 websites and web pages on social media, e-commerce sites and other platforms have been closed or are in the process of being closed.
Charity organisation Alone saw a doubling in the number of older people availing of its services last year.

The charity, which supports older people, also said its volunteer base increased 100% last year  yet in the same period there was just a 15% increase in the donations it received.

Launching its 2017 annual report, Alone said the number of people using its services to cope with loneliness, poverty, housing difficulties and other issues doubled to 1,903.

The report also outlined how almost 700 people were supported by the Alone Befriending Service, while 1,146 older people were assisted with issues such as housing, finance and loneliness.

More than 750 volunteers gave of their time during the year and 120,000 was invested to support the growth of other befriending organisations.

Illustrating how the elderly have also been caught up in the housing crisis, nine new tenants and six people who were deemed emergency cases received accommodation in Alone housing.

Sean Moynihan, CEO of Alone, said: As a country, we are facing an ageing demographic and Alone and other agencies are providing essential supports. Many more older people will be experiencing issues such as loneliness or homelessness in the coming years.

We need support from the public to increase so that we can continue to meet the demand.

Alone referred to the need for greater Government supports to meet the needs of an ageing population.

In the report foreword chairman, Eddie Matthews, said: Irelands demographics are rapidly changing.

It is expected that there will be 1.2 million people over 60 in Ireland by 2032.

According to the report, fundraising income increased by 15% and donations in kind of goods and services increased by 65%, but legacy donations decreased by 27% against 2016 income.

alone.ie
Several members of the Oireachtas health committee have expressed concern over Health Minister Simon Harriss demand to expedite liberalised abortion laws.

The legislation, which would allow abortions up to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in all cases, passed the second stage in the Dail yesterday by 102 votes to 12, with seven abstentions.

Among those to vote against were junior minister Sean Canney and Sinn Fein TD Peadar Toibin, who is to be suspended from his party for a second time.

The legislation now moves to the committee for consideration. Mr Harris last week wrote to members requesting they sit next week, during a recess, in order to ensure a speedy conclusion.

Several members expressed concern that, were they to do that, insufficient time would be given to table amendments.

Rushed legislation is likely to result in mistakes, said Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly, adding that while he was willing to consider sitting during the break, the bill is complex and requires proper consideration.

Chairman Michael Harty said that, were the committee to sit next week, amendments would have to be submitted by 11am tomorrow.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, he said: Submissions have to be in four working days before they can be considered, so if we are to sit, it can only be Thursday and that would mean amendments would have to be in by Thursday, 11am, this week.

This bill will attract a lot of attention and people should and will be given adequate time to deal with it properly.

If the committee does not sit during the recess, it is not due to sit again until November 7. Mr Harty said he was willing to consider sitting earlier that week, if required.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein said disciplinary procedures will begin against Mr Toibin today and it is expected he will be suspended for up to six months.

Defending his decision to oppose the legislation, Mr Toibin said: This issue is far more important than my job or any job in Leinster House. I will seek to amend this legislation at committee and report stage. I will seek to stop Simon Harris making doctors and other medical professionals providing or arranging abortions against their will. In this new era of choice, we need choice for everyone.

I will seek to prevent gender-selection abortion and abortion on the basis of disability. I will seek to ensure that unborn children who survive abortions are given adequate health care to allow them survive their injuries. I will seek that there will be adequate reporting on par with the British system so policymakers and the general public in future understand what is happening in the Irish system.

The 12 TDs to vote against the bill were: Eamon O Cuiv and Marc MacSharry of Fianna Fail; Mr Toibin; and Independents Mr Canney, Michael Fitzmaurice, Peter Fitzpatrick, Carol Nolan, Danny Healy Rae, Michael Healy Rae, Michael Lowry, Mattie McGrath, and Michael Collins.

The seven Fianna Fail TDs who abstained were: Charlie McConalogue, Mary Butler, Sean Haughey, Eugene Murphy, Andrias Moynihan, John Curran, and Pat Casey.
Towns and villages all over Ireland are still flushing their toilets directly into rivers or onto the coastline because of a lack of wastewater treatment facilities.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says 38 towns and villages, home to 88,000 people, are discharging raw sewage into local waterways or the sea.

A further 28 large towns and cities, home to half the countrys population, are discharging inadequately treated sewage that fails to meet mandatory standards.

There are 57 other areas where rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are at risk of pollution due to less than ideal treatment standards.

The situation is better than last year, when 44 towns and villages were discharging raw sewage and 50 large towns and cities were failing to treat discharges adequately, but Tom Ryan, director of the EPAs office of environmental enforcement, said the improvements are unacceptably slow.

Ireland is not addressing the deficiencies in its wastewater treatment infrastructure at a fast enough pace, he said. This is putting our health at risk and is having an impact on our rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

The EPA prosecuted Irish Water for nine incidents in which wastewater rules were breached last year, resulting in convictions and fines of 70,000.

However, the agency warned that the country as a whole risks massive fines from the EU over our failures to comply with the Waste Water Treatment Directive which required proper treatment of all wastewater by 2005.

Darragh Page of the EPAs environmental enforcement team pointed the finger at Irish Water.

A substantial increase in the rate of investment is necessary to provide the infrastructure needed to treat our wastewater, he said.

Irish Water also needs to improve its understanding of the condition and performance of sewers, to help focus sewer upgrade works where they are most urgently needed.

Irish Water admitted progress on some projects is slower than we would like but said a comprehensive investment plan is in place.

Irish Water is on track to deliver on our approved investment plans which will result in no areas in the country having any form of untreated wastewater discharge by 2021, it said.

Irish Water in conjunction with the local authorities is continuing to roll out standard operating procedures for wastewater treatment plants to ensure that they are operated to the highest standards possible.

The areas where untreated sewage is being discharged include Castletownbere, Castletownshend, Timoleague, Inchigeelagh, Passage-Monkstown, Ringaskiddy village, Whitegate- Aghada, Ballycotton, and Cobh in Co Cork; Kilkee, Kilrush, Clarecastle, Liscannor, and Ballyvaughan in Co Clare; Glin and Foynes, Co Limerick; four in Co Galway; two in Co Mayo; eight in Co Donegal; two in Co Wicklow; Omeath, Co Louth, and Howth, Co Dublin.
By Liam Heylin

A 12-month driving ban was imposed yesterday on a driver who sped from gardai after panicking because he had small amounts of cannabis and cocaine in his car.

Gardai had to take evasive action and one officer had to jump up on the bonnet of a patrol car to avoid being struck by the man, who drove for miles around Blarney and Donoughmore trying to avoid gardai.

Daniel McCarthy, aged 24, of Ballymacandrick, Cloyne, Co Cork, was disqualified from driving yesterday at Cork District Court and fined a total of 1,250 on several charges arising out of the incident on December 1, 2017. He committed nine counts of dangerous driving.

Defence solicitor Eddie Burke said it was an unusual and out-of-character incident for McCarthy.

Mr Burke said that, on the night in question, the accused was in his car in Blarney, having just dropped a woman home. He was contemplating life, having just lost his job. Mr Burke said the man panicked because he had a small amount of cannabis and cocaine with him and did not want to be detected by gardai. He told them this when the escapade came to an end.

Inspector Finbarr OSullivan said McCarthy did collide with two garda cars but the inspector said gardai were concerned with bringing the incident to a halt and had driven closely beside McCarthy. The inspector said the collisions were very minor and there was no question of garda injury.

Judge Con OLeary put sentencing back until yesterday for the accused to pay 1,000 to the Garda Benevolent Fund.

It is not for the damage. It is for the fright. He clearly gave the guards quite a fright on the night, the judge said.

There were nine separate incidents constituting dangerous driving. McCarthy pleaded guilty those counts, to charges of having no insurance, and to being in possession of cannabis and cocaine.
Two Celtic Tiger-era schools have been shut immediately and 40 more are undergoing emergency structural examinations amid real fears their ongoing use is putting thousands of children and teachers lives at risk.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Education Minister Joe McHugh confirmed the decision last night as it emerged they have asked Attorney General Seamus Woulfe about widescale legal action against the firm involved.

On Monday , the Department of Education confirmed it has launched an urgent structural review of schools developed under the rapid build programme at the height of the Celtic Tiger era by Tyrone-based firm Western Building Systems (WBS).

The review was launched in the aftermath of serious structural problems which were uncovered at Ardgillan Community College in Balbriggan, Dublin, leading to the facilitys partial closure.

Yesterday, a second WBS school  Tyrrelstown Educate Together in Dublin  was also told it must shut, while 40 more schools built including one in West Cork are also being examined.

An Irish Examiner expose in 2015 and 2016 found the department had been told of serious fire safety warnings three years ago. This led to a full fire safety audit of all WBS schools being launched last year. However, despite the reports being completed for a number of months, none have been published.

Addressing the the Dail yesterday, Mr Varadkar said the investigations will take place over the Halloween break and the first week of November. He said it will be in some cases necessary to partially or entirely vacate the sites  meaning thousands of children may need to find new schools  and that the Government will pursue legal action if errors are found.

In a separate Dail debate last night, Mr McHugh said student and teachers lives have been put at risk. He said his officials will brief opposition education spokespeople on the situation today, and that he and Mr Varadkar have discussed the matter with the attorney general, adding: Coming from me personally I just could not stand over this.

Fianna Fail education spokesman Thomas Byrne, who has repeatedly raised the issue over the past year, said last night what has happened has put a shiver down the countrys spine.

A WBS spokesman said the firm are responsible, solutions-focussed professionals and always ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

The spokesman said all of its work on the schools was certified by the department and met regulations at the time, and that until now our integrity has never been questioned. He added that the firm is interested in getting to the bottom of this, will write to Mr McHugh and remain available to meet with him and his officials.
By Elaine Loughlin and Fiachra O Cionnaith

EU negotiators are hoping for a Brexit breakthrough with a proposal that could allow for a UK-wide customs union.

It has emerged that the EU Brexit taskforce is to offer a UK-wide customs union to get around what has become the controversial issue of the backstop for the North.

The proposal would see a legal clause put into the main withdrawal agreement that would give a specific commitment to a UK-wide customs arrangement which would replace the Northern Ireland-only plan.

However, the new formal customs arrangement would have to be dealt with separately to the Withdrawal Agreement and negotiated as another treaty.

As reported in the Irish Examiner last Friday, the insertion of the clause was discussed by leaders during the EU Council meeting last week.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he has every confidence that the UK will honour the backstop agreement agreed in Brexit.

Mr Varadkar yesterday stressed that a backstop which gives us an assurance that therell be no hard border on the island of Ireland no matter what happens is a key requirement of any deal.

That is something that the UK government has committed to in principle, committed to in writing and Ive every confidence that the UK government will honour that commitment, he said.

Mr Varadkar also defended using a newspaper article about the Troubles to show his fellow EU leaders what a return to a hard border could look like.

The concerns that I was raising about the possibility of any physical infrastructure on the border becoming a target have been raised before, he said.

The deputy chief constable [of the PSNI], for example, himself, when speaking before the House of Commons committee on this matter, also pointed out that any customs posts, a physical infrastructure, could become a target.

Mr Varadkar added that he had raised a reasonable concern with his fellow EU leaders to demonstrate to them that this is something that people are very concerned about on the island of Ireland, concerned enough that it can appear on the front pages of our papers.

A lot of the reason why I believe we have peace on our island is because of the European Union because, over a number of decades, the European Union through regulatory alignment swept away a lot of the differences between north and south and that created the environment in which we could have a Good Friday Agreement and I think any change to that environment is a risk for the future and we should be wise to that. I really hope Im not proven right.
By Louise Walsh

A grieving daughter whose mother died just hours after insisting on doing her hair before getting into an ambulance is now campaigning on the dangers of sepsis.

Angela Cahill put on a new pair of pyjamas and admonished her family for wasting paramedics time when she reluctantly got into the ambulance on February 8. Just eight hours later, the 60-year-old mother of three from Virginia, Co Cavan, was dead.

Her devastated family, who are struggling to come to terms with her sudden death, are now urging people to learn the signs of sepsis and be aware that every second counts.

Her daughter Cathriona Flanagan, a nurse at Our Ladys Hospital in Navan, Co Meath, is behind an awareness campaign after discovering that many people think sepsis can only result from a cut.

My mam walked every day and never had a medical condition. On the Saturday before she died, she minded my two kids all day and was in great form, she recalled.

The next day, she visited her sister who was sick and on the Tuesday, she was out chatting away in the local supermarket.

It was on Wednesday that things took a turn for the worst.

She took to the bed with flu-like symptoms, which are a classic symptom of sepsis but we thought she has just contracted the flu, which was going around the area.

She refused to go to the doctor and said shed see how she was the next day, so my dad Noel and siblings Matthew and Helen stayed with her to constantly monitor her overnight.

I rang from work at 8am and my sister said there was a rash on mams face so I asked her to WhatsApp me a picture. I thought it initially was meningitis and told her to call an ambulance straight away. I left work straight away to get over and knew something just wasnt right.

My mam couldnt understand what the fuss was all about and insisted on changing her pyjamas and doing her hair before she got into the back of the ambulance, where the paramedics got a shock when they checked her blood sugar level. The normal level is between four and five and this was just two. They couldnt understand how she was even conscious, never mind mobile.

On the way to Cavan General Hospital, Angelas organs began to fail and by the time Cathriona arrived at the hospital at 10.30am, there was panic in the emergency department.

A nurse told me that mam had gone into septic shock and things werent looking good. By 3pm, my mam was on a ventilator, and by 6.15pm it was switched off. My mam was dead.

The family were told that Angela developed sepsis from a chest infection of which she showed no symptoms.

Cathriona said: Sepsis does not discriminate and does not only come from a cut. It can come from surgery, pneumonia, chest infection, even a urinary tract infection.

Early intervention is paramount. Symptoms include a high or low temperature, confusion, fast heartbeat, or failure to pass urine within a 12-hour period. If anyone is showing these symptoms, you need to ask the question about sepsis and please, please get checked out immediately.
Presidential challenger Sean Gallagher attacked the Government as candidates in the race for the Park struggled to make an impact as the incumbent stayed away from the final debate of the campaign.

The last debate in the presidential election on the Tonight Show saw a discussion about everything from deportations to taxes, to the price of milk.

Initially, presenter Ivan Yates landed the toughest blows as he quipped that President Michael D Higgins was a pompous poet who none of the contenders could beat.

The outspoken presenter went as far as to tell businessman Sean Gallagher that his campaign promises were boring.

It was all tongue in cheek, especially with the leader in the race staying away from the Ballymount studios for the verbal punch-up.

And that was always going to be the catch. WithoutMichael D, it certainly was Hamlet without the Prince.

It was a more relaxed affair instead with the five contenders who turned up sitting, smiling, laughing and ultimately helping viewers lose their marbles in these last moments of this warped contest. It was almost worth turning the sound down, just to watch the strange faces the contenders made.

So were we enlightened by the last debate? Ultimately no, but maybe a little entertained. There was Saint Joan (Sen Joan Freeman), who said if she was a one trick pony on mental health that this was an important trick.

The wild Peter Casey said he regretted not getting a big big bus for the campaign while Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada insisted the IRA had gone away.

The bizarre debate turned at one stage to the price of milk, welfare payment amount, while Peter Casey even claimed the president could grant exceptions to deportation orders.

Businessman Gavin Duffy quipped at one stage that it was indeed bizarre that there were three candidates competing from Dragons Den.

Presenter Yates also went after the five contenders saying their campaigns had been a waste of time and that they would not get sufficient support to get their expenses refunded.

Of course, the elephant in the room was that indeed Michael D was not in that room.

Earlier, Sean Gallagher slammed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and ministers for campaigning for President Higgins at a time when there is a housing crisis and hospital overcrowding.

He also admitted that he was involved in a minor car accident several years ago in which another motorist received a payout after damage to their vehicle.

The comments were made as the Cavan man arrived at Virgin Media studios.

Mr Higgins had said he was not attending the debate as he has a schedule as president which did not allow him to take part in the show.

Mr Gallagher questioned why cabinet ministers were giving out leaflets and campaigning for Mr Higgins in Dublin this week.

To see the Cabinet come down Grafton St and make cups of tea and campaign for the president when there is a housing crisis, a crisis in our health service and no broadband in rural Ireland.

However, Mr Gallagher was also asked about reports that he was involved in a traffic accident in 1991 which involved a 14,000 settlement.

The businessman said:

It was a minor car accident. Coming from a funeral in a cortege within my local village in a line of traffic between 5km-10km, a small bit of damage done to a bumper in front. The person who owned the car was later paid money by the insurance company and I was informed.

The debate was the last before polling day tomorrow.

Where the candidates stand

1. President Michael D Higgins, seeking a second term.

What he stands for:

Independent candidate supported by major parties. The former Labour minister promises to focus on four areas if returned for another seven years: equality, sustaining communities, shaping the

future and Irelands voice.

Highs and lows:

The incumbents campaign has suffered from a lack of transparency around spending, an apathy around missing live debates and claims about the use of the

Government jet to dog-grooming costs. While under attack from the other five contenders, he has remained calm and kept a distance from the mudslinging.

Queries which dogged his campaign include around whether Mr Higgins stayed in a 3,000-a-night suite in Switzerland; the lack of auditing for a special 300,000 allowance; why he used the Learjet to travel to Belfast and how state monies financed an upgrade of his private Galway home. Rivals claimed without evidence, that 10,000 was splashed out on grooming Brod and Sioda, his two Bernese mountain dogs.

Poll ratings:

Polls predict a landslide win for the 77-year-old, with support reaching 68%.

2. Sean Gallagher

What he stands for:

The businessman and former Dragons Den investor was the runner-up in the 2011 presidential race.

The Independent candidate is advocating economic recovery for communities and would also focus on divisions and disabilities if elected. He also believes Ireland will at some stage be united.

Highs and Lows:

The bitter 2011 campaign has been dragged up by Mr Gallagher regularly, with some still suggesting he is a proxy Fianna Fail contender.

The businessman has zoned in on spending by Mr Higgins. Promising to stay in embassies rather than hotels, Mr Gallagher ran what he says was a values-based campaign.

However, his decision not to participate in debates without the incumbent backfired on him amid claims he was invisible over the last seven years.

Nonetheless, his established position from 2011 will likely help his vote. However, his campaign has not lifted as was expected.

Poll ratings:

Recent polls put support for the businessman on 11% to 12%, a much lower level compared to 2011.

3. Communications expert Gavin Duffy was the first Dragons Den investor to enter the race.

What he stands for:

He promises to speak out about infrastructural challenges if elected and would operate, what he terms, a dynamic presidency akin to previous office-holders.

Brexit is at the centre of his bid and he has also floated the idea of an international youth corps.

Highs and Lows:

Mr Duffy was forced to admit previous driving convictions, including where he hit a woman (driving while uninsured), leaving her with sustained injuries. The businessman also faced questions about advising Denis OBrien over the Moriarty Tribunal.

He has also talked about whether AIB should be sold or not, a matter outside the role of the presidency. However, his campaign has been bland and his main attraction has been attacks on once-fellow Dragons Den colleagues.

Poll rating:

Mr Duffy is also in danger of coming last in tomorrows presidential contest, polling 4% of votes, despite being a confident speaker.

4. Liadh Ni Riada

What she stands for:

The Sinn Fein MEP is the only official party candidate in the race. Formerly involved in television production, the daughter of composer Sean O Riada rose through the partys ranks.

She is a fluent Irish speaker, believes in a united Ireland, and promises to bring energy to the presidents role.

Highs and Lows:

The Cork natives campaign launch was overshadowed by criticism about Sinn Feins treatment of IRA abuse victim Mairia Cahill. The campaign was also dogged by questions around her concerns about the HPV vaccine and how she contacted her childrens school about it.

She now supports its use. A decision to wear the poppy if elected president also went against her own partys views. It is also curious she had no party logo on posters. The MEP also tripped up on her previous claim of taking the average industrial wage, finally admitting her take-home pay after tax is 60,000. She previously told Hot Press she takes home the average industrial wage.

She was front and centre of queries about spending by Michael D Higgins.

Poll ratings:

Support for the Sinn Fein candidate has been hovering around 9%.

5. Peter Casey, the former Dragons Den venture capitalist is an Irish millionaire based in the United States.

What he stands for:

Tapping into the diaspora has formed part of Mr Caseys campaign promises. He also wants foreign students to spend time here.

He says Irelands neutrality is outdated and we should align ourselves with Nato.

Highs and Lows:

His profile in the race has risen for the wrong reasons. He claimed Travellers should not be recognised as an ethnic minority as they are basically people camping on someone elses land. The millionaire said they dont pay their fair share of taxes, despite the fact Mr Casey pays his in the US.

He took aim at those on welfare and has claimed, without evidence, that Mr Higgins spent 10,000 grooming two Bernese dogs. Mr Casey claims Ireland could sell passports to the diaspora and raise some 300m. He also says he would only serve five out of the seven years in the Park if elected.

Poll rating:

Starting off with the lowest support at 2% in the race, he may poll more after his criticisms.

6. Independent senator Joan Freeman is the co-founder of charity Pieta House.

What she stands for:

The senator has prioritised mental health and elderly people and says she is the only true independent candidate without significant funding or party backing. Ms

Freeman has promised to invest in the publics wellbeing and build links to Irish people abroad.

Highs and Lows:

Initially questioned about her familys links to the religious body, the Iona Institute, she has silenced critics after her daughter came out in her defence.

Her decision to borrow 120,000 from a former boyfriend for her campaign caused problems. She said it was a personal loan from the Herbalife former president, whose company was fined for pyramid selling. During debates, she has come across as prickly and defensive when questioned. Nonetheless, she has kept her dignity and tried to steer debates towards campaigning issues.

Poll rating:

Joan Freeman is in danger of securing the wooden spoon with 6% support.
Businessman Sean Gallagher has slammed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and ministers for campaigning for President Michael D Higgins at a time when there is a housing crisis and hospital overcrowding.

The Dragon's Den star this evening also admitted that he was involved in a car accident several years ago in which another motorist received a pay out after minor damage to their vehicle.

The comments were made as the Cavan man arrived at Virgin Media studios in Ballymount, Dublin, for the last televised debate in the race for the Park.

Nonetheless, the incumbent Michael D Higgins is not attending the debate and says he has a schedule as president which does not allow him to take part in the Tonight Show.

Mr Gallagher, speaking to the media ahead of the debate, questioned why Cabinet ministers were giving out leaflets and campaigning for Mr Higgins in Dublin this week.

To see the cabinet come down Grafton St and make cups of tea and campaign for the president when there is a housing crisis, a crisis in our health service and no broadband in rural Ireland.

However, Mr Gallagher was also asked about breaking news that he was involved in a traffic accident in 1991 which involved a 14,000 settlement, the businessman said:

It was a minor car accident. Coming from a funeral in a cortege within my local village in a line of traffic between 5 to 10 kilometres, a small bit of damage done to a bumper in front. The person who owned the car was later paid money by the insurance company and I was informed.

Tonight's debate, hosted by presenters Matt Cooper an Ivan Yates, is the last debate before polling day on Friday.

Speaking on his way into studios, fellow Dragon's Den investor Peter Casey also maintained his position that President Higgins had not told the truth about spending or expenditure.

The outspoken candidate also denied that he had not attacked any groups during the campaign

Senator Joan Freeman said she hoped she could get an opportunity to get her message across in the debate.
In the summer the kidnappers released a video in which he appeared tried and called for help from the government. Premier Abe: "relieved" by the news, awaiting official confirmation. The man would be in an immigrant center in Ankara. Japan paid no ransom. The help of Qatar and Turkey.

Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The 44-year-old freelance Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, kidnapped in Syria more than three years ago by militias linked to al Nusra (local al Qaeda cell), has been freed and is in Turkey, say Japanese government sources. The official "identification" is still pending, although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shows cautious optimism and says he is "relieved" by the news.

No ransom was paid for his release. Addressing the reporters, the Prime Minister thanked Qatar and Turkey for their contributions. "I am relieved - he said - after having received the information. We want official confirmation that the man is indeed Jumpei Yasuda as soon as possible ".

The kidnapping of Yasuda dates back to June 2015, shortly after the reporter's entry into Syria across the Turkish border. Last summer his kidnappers released a video on the internet where he appeared exhausted and called for help from the government for his release.

Chief of Staff Yoshihide Suga confirmed that the government is moving to seek official confirmation of the identity of man through Qatari emissaries. During the late-night press conference he added that it is "very likely" that the reporter was finally released.

"The government of Qatar - underlines Suga - has informed us that Jumpei Yasuda has been freed and is now in an immigrant center in Ankara". "We are trying to verify the information - he added - but it is very likely that it is him".

Appeared in a video released in August in poor condition along with the Italian Alessandro Sandrini, still in the hands of his kidnappers, he wore the orange jumpsuit typical of prisoners in the hands of the jihadists. Armed men loomed behind him.

In the video it was not clear which group was responsible for the kidnap and no special demands were made for his release. Furthermore, recent developments in the war in Syria and the advance of the government army that has recaptured much of the territory may have prompted the first kidnappers [members of the Front of al-Nusra] to cede the hostage to other groups.

In 2015, some militias of the Islamic State (IS, ex Isis) in Syria beheaded the Japanese war correspondent Kenji Goto and his friend Haruna Yukawa. At the time, the government had been criticized for its lack of response and its miserable contribution to trying to save their lives.
Update 3.40pm: A man who died following a shooting at a farmhouse in Cork last night has been named locally as 58-year-old Derry Coakley from Macroom.

The incident occurred at around 11.30pm in the Raleigh area of Macroom.

It is understood Mr Coakley rang a friend following the shooting who then contacted gardai after finding him with a gunshot wound.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man in his 60s has been arrested and is being questioned at Bandon Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Update - 10.52am: Man arrested in connection with Macroom shooting

Gardai investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in his 50s in Cork last night have arrested a man in his 60s.

He is currently detained at Bandon Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007.

Earlier: Man dies in shooting incident in Macroom

Update 8am Gardai have launched an investigation following a fatal shooting in Cork late last night.

The alarm was raised just before midnight after a man in his 50s suffered apparent gunshot wounds on a farm near Macroom.

Gardai and paramedics rushed to an area in the Raleigh North townland near Tarelton, a rural area west of Macroom at approximately 11:40pm.

Gardai cordon off a road in Raleigh North. Picture: John Delea.

They treated the injured man at the scene for some time but were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

The body remains at the scene.

The road approaching a farm in Raleigh, outside Macroom Co Cork is closed off as Gardai investigate the fatal shooting of a man in his fifties last night.

A man in his sixties has been arrested and is currently detained at Bandon Garda Station. #iestaff pic.twitter.com/kxiSOFlyuC  Joe Leogue (@JoeLeogue) October 24, 2018

A stretch of road near Raleigh House has been preserved and the Garda Technical Bureau has been notified.

There was a heavy garda presence in the area overnight and it is understood that a number of searches were undertaken in the area.

The mans body will be taken to Cork University Hospital later where a post mortem examination will be carried out.

The results will determine the course of the garda investigation.

Gardai have appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact Macroom Garda Station 026 20590 or the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111.
Irelands national maritime festival is upping anchor and charting a course for Cork and bringing tens of thousands of visitors and a major economic boost with it.

SeaFest, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors to its events in Galway each of the last two years, will moor in the southern capital from 2019 to 2021, it was announced yesterday. It is expected to provide a major boost for the local economy.

Lord Mayor of Cork Mick Finn said he is delighted the event is coming to Cork city for the next three years.

There is no better fit for SeaFest than Cork, given the depth and reach of its maritime history and the significance of activities at the Port of Cork in terms of business, tourism and recreation, he said.

Even our city motto and crest, providing a safe harbour for ships, shows that the sea is in our DNA. When you consider the importance of our maritime assets in Cork, it is crucial that the city and county councils co-operate to maximise events like SeaFest and European Maritime Day to attract further interest and investment in what we have.

SeaFest, which will feature dozens of free, family-focused events, will take place in the city and on the water from June 7 to 9, 2019.

The city will also host the Our Ocean Wealth Summit Conference on June 6 and 7 featuring international delegates from island states around the world.

SeaFest is a key initiative of the Governments integrated marine plan, Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, which aims to develop the marine economy and increase citizen engagement with the sea.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said it helps raise awareness about the value of and the economic opportunities provided by the marine sector.

As a national festival, it is important that the event reaches across Ireland, enabling more people to increase their knowledge about the value of our oceans, said Mr Creed.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said Ireland has a hugely positive story to tell about its engagement with the marine sector and how far it has travelled in recent years in terms of realising the potential of marine resources.
Presidential candidate Peter Casey has hit out at Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for being out of touch with ordinary people and said he has spent more time in India in the last three years than the Taoiseach has.

Mr Casey gave two lengthy interviews on local radio in Cork where he again hit out at Mr Varadkars remarks on his comments about Travellers. Mr Casey also reiterated his view that Travellers are not a distinct and separate ethnic group.

In Brussels last week, Mr Varadkar said Mr Caseys comments on Travellers were very divisive and largely designed to get attention for his campaign.

He said: And I hope that when the people of Ireland go out to vote next Friday they will give Mr Casey and anyone else who holds these kinds of views a very clear message.

Mr Casey yesterday told Neil Prendeville on Red FM that, in the very unlikely event he is not elected president, ,he may consider starting his own political party.

Speaking to PJ Coogan on Corks 96FM, Mr Casey said he is not a racist and defended his decision to cite Mr Varadkars Indian heritage in recent days. Mr Varadkars father is Indian but the Taoiseach was born and raised in Ireland and has lived here all his life.

He knows I am not a racist, said Mr Casey. I pointed out that I have spent more time in India in the last three years than he has. I have had 10 trips to India. I have written a book about the most amazing Indian company and its one of the most amazing companies in the world.

Mr Casey described the Taoiseachs intervention in Brussels as bizarre and against the spirit of the Constitution.

And he takes it upon himself to interfere in the presidential electoral process by trying to get other people to vote against me, he said. That is so wrong. It definitely against the spirit of the Constitution. Under the Constitution, the President is not allowed to make a statement on Government policy but the corollary of that is that the Government is not supposed to interfere in the presidential election process and thats what he did. I called him out and I called his deputy Simon Coveney out as well.

Mr Casey also addressed claims that he is increasing his security in response to death threats and spoke about a video that was posted online targeting him.

He told Neil Prendeville the person in the video said they were going to come and get me... and the matter has been handed over to the Guards.
by Gordon Deegan

Romanian prostitutes at two Ennis brothels were selling their bodies in order to raise the exorbitant rent being charged to them for the properties by a brothel keeper, a court has heard.

Judge Patrick Durcan today jailed brothel keeper and married father of three, Thiago Silva (31) of Castle Manor, Racecourse Rd, Roscommon for six months.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Durcan said that Mr Silva had engaged in huge exploitation in terms of the level of rent that these girls were forced to pay.

Judge Durcan said that the girls were the poorest of the poor and came from an impoverished country.

Insp Tom Kennedy said that Mr Silva was paying rent for the two apartments in Ennis at 600 each per month and he was in turn charging the prostitutes using the apartments 2,400 per property per month.

Judge Durcan said:

Mr Silva was exploiting them to the tune of extracting the rent four times that he was paying. The level of exploitation means that these girls were paying almost a 100 a day in rent and the extent that they have to work to pay that rent.

Judge Durcan said that one way to discourage such activity was to impose a jail term and he imposed two three month jail terms on each of the two charges to run consecutively.

The court heard that that Brazilian born Mr Silva turned to brothel keeping after his car-wash business in Co Roscommon went bad.

Solicitor for Mr Silva, John Casey said that someone told Mr Silva that he could make a premium in the rent he charged the women using the properties and that it was an easy way of making money.

Mr Casey said: It was his first venture and he has no previous convictions and has lived in Ireland for 12 years."

Det Garda Stephen Hession said that Mr Silva was crying when caught by Gardai and co-operated. Det Hession said that in a Garda interview, Mr Silva stated that he knew what was going on in the properties.

Mr Casey said: Mr Silva is married with three school going children and his wife was very upset when she heard about this.

Mr Casey said that his client had no involvement with the girls other than charging them the rent.

Det Hession said that both brothels were shut down within a week of opening as a result of a Garda operation targeting suspected brothels.

Asked by Judge Durcan was there much business being conducted at the two properties, Det Hession replied: There was a steady flow Judge.

Det Hession said that the Romanian girls would fly in from Romanian to work as prostitutes and advertise themselves on the 'Escort Ireland' website.

Asked was there any element of trafficking involved, Det Hession said: The girls came of their own free will and money they were making was for themselves.

Mr Casey said that Mr Silvas business in Ennis never really got off the ground. He lost the deposits he paid on the properties.

Mr Casey said that Mr Silvas house in Co Roscommon is in pretty poor condition and there are no trappings of wealth.

In the case, Mr Silva pleaded guilty to being a tenant in charge of an apartment at Leim an Bhradain, Gort Rd and knowingly permitting the property to be used as a brothel on May 26th 2017.

Mr Silva also pleaded guilty to being a tenant in charge of an apartment at Springfield Orchard, Harmony Row, Ennis and knowingly permitting the property to be used as a brothel on November 17th 2016.

Mr Silva has appealed the jail term to the circuit court and Judge Durcan granted recognisance to allow Mr Silva take up bail in the event of an appeal.
Some locals in the Liberties in Dublin have raised concerns about graphic images being displayed outside a sex shop.

The window displays at Sweet Sensations on James Street have been criticised by politicians for being inappropriate.
By Dan Buckley

Most girls in secondary school are not aware of the career opportunities available to them from choosing science and technology subjects, according to a new study.

In a survey of more than 2,200 students in transition year, 59% of girls said they do not know enough about Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering, and maths), despite continuing efforts to motivate schoolgirls to pursue careers in science.

Nearly half (48%) said they have not yet chosen their Leaving Certificate subjects.

A survey of teachers shows 98% of them identified the level of awareness of Stem careers as a significant challenge to the promotion of science studies, while 93% of teachers cited girls lack of belief in their own ability as a top challenge to promoting such subjects in schools.

The survey, undertaken by the non-profit company I Wish, also found that nine out of 10 teachers wanted to see workshops for girls to improve their confidence and resilience. The same proportion of teachers recommend co-teaching of Stem subjects with experts in industry.

The survey of 2,241 girls was published as Mary Mitchell OConnor, the minister of state for higher education, launched two initiatives to enhance Stem education:

The fifth annual I Wish showcases, which will take place over four days in Dublin and Cork next February

Dublin City Universitys World of Opportunities careers guide for parents, teachers and students

Ms Mitchell OConnor said the need to increase gender diversity in Stem has been widely recognised and the research once again highlights the challenge we face.

We need to make more young people aware of the vast learning opportunities and potential careers that exist in Stem, she said.

DCU president Brian MacCraith said the universitys Our World of Opportunities publication is designed to explain, in accessible language, the exciting new careers available to those with Stem qualifications.

The task of selecting a career path in Stem areas can be somewhat daunting to those not familiar with new and evolving terminology, he said.

The second purpose of our publication is to highlight, through real examples, female role models in exciting Stem careers.

Caroline ODriscoll, co-founder of I Wish, said: We can now demonstrate definitively that the more a girl is exposed to extracurricular Stem events, the more likely she is to take on related Leaving Cert subjects and college courses. Information and confidence are also key, however.

We must continuously showcase the opportunities through Stem and build girls confidence in their ability to improve peoples lives through Stem. We need to act now to make a difference.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has defended President Michael D Higgins decision to use the Governments Learjet to fly to Belfast, saying the near 6,000 cost is actually very small.

Ahead of last nights debate, Mr Varadkar rejected rival presidential candidate claims that the cost is an example of runaway spending at Aras an Uachtarain. Separately, he said he is happy that President Higgins has provided all the clarity needed on expenses during his time in power.

Speaking at a Fine Gael canvass launch in Dublin in support of President Higgins bid for a second term in office, Mr Varadkar acknowledged the ongoing controversy surrounding presidential spending.

Recent concerns have centred around President Higgins use of the Governments Learjet on May 29 to deliver a speech at Queens University, Belfast, which cost the taxpayer 5,670.

While President Higgins initially responded to criticism over the flight costs by saying it was caused by security advice, the Police Service in Northern Ireland rejected the suggestion at the weekend, causing further questions over the matter.

However, asked before last nights live TV debate on RTEs Prime Time if he believes more clarity over the flight costs and further presidential expenses are needed, Mr Varadkar insisted there is nothing more to answer  and claimed the cost of the near 6,000 Belfast flight is actually very small.

I know theres an understandable public concern around the cost of using something like the jet, but bear in mind the plane is owned by the Government, said Mr Varadkar.

The pilots are paid anyway, and we had a very strange situation during the recession when it was being flown around empty because the pilots have to keep up a certain number of flying hours.

The added costs are actually very small and theres obviously security costs associated with going by land as well.

He has said if he is elected for a second term that [costs] will all be governed by an internal audit committee, so Im happy with the answer hes given.

The defence of President Higgins presidential spending was repeated yesterday by Labour TDs Jan OSullivan and Aodhan O Riordain and senator Ged Nash, who told reporters at Leinster House the President has nothing to hide. In particular, Mr Nash said Mr Higgins is not someone who is prone to extravagance, Ms OSullivan said he has been upfront about spending details, and Mr O Riordain simply said the rival candidates are trying to throw mud and hope it sticks.

The latest opinion poll, taken before last nights debate, put President Higgins on 68%, Sean Gallagher on 12%, Sinn Feins Liadh Ni Riada on 9%, Joan Freeman on 6%, Gavin Duffy on 3%, and Peter Casey on 2%.
Update Oct 25: Jasmine Scally has been found safe and well.

Earlier: Gardai in Store Street are appealing for help to find 17-year-old Jasmine Scally.

Jasmine was last seen on October 21 on Eden Quay, Dublin at approximately 9pm.

She is 5ft 5 tall with long dark hair.

When last seen she was wearing grey leggings, black jacket and dark grey runners.

Anyone who has seen Jasmine or who can assist in locating her is asked to contact Store Street Garda station on 01-6668000 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

Digital Desk
Speaking of the Commandment "You shall not commit adultery", Francis spoke of a need for a "catechumenate" for engaged couples. We must not "overestimate physical attraction, which in itself is a gift from God but aimed at preparing the way for an authentic and faithful relationship".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Marriage needs careful preparation, a "catechumenate" that cannot be reduced to "three or four sessions" in the parish: "the call to married life requires careful discernment of the quality of the relationship and a period of engagement time to confirm it". The need for preparation for the sacrament of marriage and "turning to Christ" to find its foundation was the focus of Pope Francis' reflection on the Commandment "You shall not commit adultery".

Speaking to the more than 20 thousand people present in Saint Peter's Square, the Pope said that one should not "overestimate physical attraction, which in itself is a gift from God but aimed at preparing the way for an authentic and faithful relationship". Two people "cannot promise fidelity" in joy and sorrow, in sickness and in health", and to love and honor each other every day of their lives, only on the basis of goodwill or hope that it will work out'. They need to build on the solid ground of God's faithful love ".

"Only love based on the rock of faith in God - he explained in the greeting to the Arab faithful - and on trust in the other, can withstand the wind of temptations, the storms of mood swings and the seductions of the world. The word 'I love you', in fact, contains in itself the promise of permanent fidelity ".

The " You shall not commit adultery" of the Sixth Commandment, he said in catechesis, is an "immediate call to fidelity, and in fact no human relationship is authentic without fidelity and loyalty. One cannot love only as long as 'it is convenient'; love manifests itself just beyond the threshold of one's own advantage, when everything is given without reserve. As the Catechism states: "Love wants to be definitive. It cannot be 'until further notice'"(No. 1646). Fidelity is the characteristic of a free, mature, responsible human relationship. Even a friend proves himself authentic because he remains such in all circumstances, otherwise he is not a friend. Christ reveals authentic love, He who lives of the boundless love of the Father, and by virtue of this is the faithful Friend who welcomes us even when we make mistakes and always wants our good, even when we do not deserve it".

"The human being needs to be loved without conditions, and those who do not receive this welcome carry within a certain incompleteness, often without knowing it. The human heart tries to fill this void with surrogates, accepting compromises and mediocrity that only have a vague taste of love. The risk is to call of unripe and immature relationships 'love', with the illusion of finding the light of life in something that, at best, is only a reflection of it. This leads to overestimate physical attraction, which in itself is a gift from God but is aimed at paving the way for an authentic and faithful relationship with the person. As St. John Paul II said, the human being "is called to the full and mature spontaneity of relationships", which "is the gradual fruit of the discernment of the impulses of one's heart". It is something that is conquered, since every human being "must with perseverance and consistency learn what the meaning of the body is" (cf. Catechesis, 12 November 1980)".

"The call to married life requires careful discernment of the quality of the relationship and a period of engagement time to confirm it. To enter the sacrament of marriage, the engaged couple must mature the certainty that in their bond there is the hand of God, who precedes them and accompanies them ".

"For this reason, before receiving the sacrament of marriage we need attentive preparation, I would say a catechumenate". "You cannot say preparation is three or four conferences held in the parish, the responsibility is of the parish priest or the bishop who allow these things. Marriage is a sacrament that must be prepared ".

"The Sixth Commandment can safeguard us from so many forms of adultery. Fidelity is in fact a way of being, a way of life. One works with fidelity, one speaks sincerely, one remains faithful to the truth in one's own thoughts and actions. A life woven of fidelity is expressed in all dimensions and leads to being faithful and reliable men and women in all circumstances. But to arrive at such a beautiful life our human nature is not enough; it is necessary that God's fidelity enter our existence. This Sixth Commandment calls us to turn our gaze to Christ, who with his fidelity can take an adulterous heart from us and give us a faithful heart. In him, and only in him, there do we find love without reserve and rethinking, the complete gift without conditions and the tenacity of acceptance to the end. From his death and resurrection comes our fidelity, from his unconditional love comes constancy in relationships. From communion with him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit comes the communion between us and the ability to live our bonds in fidelity ".

Among those present at the audience, Francis greeted," the group of eleven cyclists who have made a journey of 1160 km by bicycle from Zagreb to Rome ", thanking them "for this testimony of faith and closeness to the Successor of Peter ".

Finally, Francis recalled that" next Sunday, the Church in Poland celebrates the X Day of solidarity with the persecuted Church, organized by the papal foundation "Aid for the Church in Need", together with the Polish Episcopal Conference. Economic support will be donated this year to Christians in Pakistan. Thank you for these initiatives of peace and solidarity ".
The Irish Farmers Association is to hold a meeting later this evening to address rural crime in north County Dublin.

It follows a number of criminal incidents targeting farmers and the wider rural community.
By Conall O Fatharta and Elaine Loughlin

The remains of hundreds of infants buried in a mass grave in Tuam will be exhumed as part of a full forensic examination of the site of the former mother and baby home.

Campaigners had been waiting almost 20 months for a decision after significant quantities of human remains were discovered at the site in March 2017 and were becoming increasingly angry at the delay.

Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone said the Government has agreed to implement the multi-disciplinary framework, known as humanitarian forensic action as the appropriate response to the discovery of childrens remains found at the site.

The actions to be taken include:

A phased approach to the forensic excavation and recovery of the juvenile human remains in so far as this is possible

The use of systematic on-site ground-truthing and test excavations to effectively locate potential burials

The forensic analysis of any recovered remains and, where possible, individualisation and identification

Arrangements for respectful reburial and memorialisation and the appropriate conservation of the site

Ms Zappone said implementing the decision would not be straightforward and that new legislation will be needed to provide specific lawful authority for the plan.

She declined to give a timeline for the legislation but acknowledged that, if it needed to be more generally applied to take into account remains found at other sites, that that would be done.

She said it was important to note there is a possibility of investigations like those at Tuam taking place at other sites.

Death registers for the Bessborough and Sean Ross Abbey mother and baby homes contain the full details of some 800 infants who died at these homes. The registers were handed over the HSE in 2011 but are now with Tusla. The actual number of children who died at these homes has been estimated to be higher than what is recorded in the registers.

Pressure had been mounting on the Government in recent months to commit to the fullest possible exhumation and examination.

A report by Geoffrey Shannon also published by Ms Zappone yesterday on the human rights issues implications of the discovery of remains at the site also indicated that the Government had little option but to go with the fullest examination of the site.

Dr Shannon found that the State may be party to the continuing offence of preventing a lawful and decent burial unless it fully exhumes, sorts and buries all of the infant remains found in Tuam.

Outlining a number of precedents, Dr Shannon said the operators of the Tuam mother and baby home, the Bons Secours Sisters, may have been under a common law duty to bury those who died under their roof and that this incorporates a duty to bury decently, and with dignity, in a Christian burial.

Catherine Corless welcomed the decision as wonderful news and said she was relieved the Government had taken the decision to carry out a full forensic examination of the site.

Catherine Corless

Paul Redmond of the Coalition of Mother and Baby home Survivors said the group was are delighted for the families of babies and children buried in Tuam but said the Government needed to address the issue of other sites in other institutions.

Tuam is the tip of the iceberg of horrors from the mother and baby homes in Ireland, said Mr Redmond.

Adoption Rights Alliance welcomed the decision by the Government and said it will put family members desperate to find their loved ones and survivors of the former home at the centre of the process.

The group also praised Dr Shannons report which it said reaffirmed the rights of family members, survivors, victims of forced and illegal adoptions, victims of trafficking and illegal vaccine trials not just in Tuam but across the entire spectrum of government financed institutions that proliferated the vile treatment of unmarried mothers and their children.
New infrastructure including boarding gates, stands, and passenger handling facilities will be needed for Cork and Shannon but no new terminal capacity or runways, a report for the Government says.

Passenger numbers for Cork are projected to rise to as many as 4.6m a year and for Shannon to 3.8m by 2050, the review of the future capacity needs at Irelands State airports concludes. The review says these projections, as well an expected 61m passengers a year for Dublin airport, do take account of developments from Brexit or US protectionism.
The soul still burns! Fans of fighting games will be familiar with that motto, which reads a little strangely out of context. The Soul Calibur series isnt about evangelist Christian preaching  but it is a slice of gaming heaven.

After a break of six years, weve finally seen another entry in the worlds best weapon-based fighting game. Soul Calibur 6 has hit the shelves (probably with a giant axe) and is thankfully a big improvement on the previous entry.

Some old favourites are back, including the wonderful create-a-freak custom character mode, and theres even a guest appearance by none other than Geralt of Rivia.

For the unaware, or unconscious-by-sledgehammer, Soul Calibur is a 3D fighting game that revolves around the usage of weapons, with characters bearing more than just grimaces and grudges. The weapons range from spears to samurai swords to nunchuks and giant hammers, with each one requiring a very different playstyle. If you want gamings best exhibition of martial arts, try watching the Soul Calibur title screen demoes, which have shown some of the most beautiful kung fu dancing this side of those crouching tigers.

The key to success involves learning the weapon combinations, or alternatively button-mashing until the bad man is dead. Skilled players will be able to parry and dodge with perfect timing, which leads to a fighting game that is much more about strategy and picking your moment than all-out attack, just as weapon-based battles should be.

In Soul Calibur 6, theres a new addition to the parry system that involves a rock-paper-scissors like situation and can lead to big counter-attacks. We cant say that we understand it fully, but that might be because we had the paper and the other guy had the giant hell-scissors. It does, however, add another layer of strategy to an already brilliant system.

In other developments, the truly perfect custom character mode allows you to create even more hideous abominations than ever before, with lizardmen and other base skins now available along with the human kind.

Some of this writers best gaming memories come from the randomly-generated monstrosities given up by this mode over the years. Youve never known fear until a tutu-wearing clown starts hissing at you from behind a pair of knives.

Theres also a new RPG-style mode that provides an overhead map and collectibles and side-quests and the works, along with the standard story mode that keeps the Soul Calibur mythos trundling along. (But really, when a lizardman is fighting a zombie pirate, what explanation do we need?).

Tying the whole experience together is probably the best soundtrack of the year, a feature that Soul Calibur has always completely over-delivered upon. So yes, the soul still burns with Soul Calibur 6, if thats a good thing. Who cares  its a lizardman fighting a zombie!

CHANGE OF DIRECTION

Speaking of zombies, lets talk about virtual reality. Ok, so VR isnt exactly dead-tech-walking, but the obstacles that faced the bright new hope of gaming certainly havent lessened much in the last year. We count ourselves among the converted  VR is truly spellbinding when first experienced and done properly  but Facebook are aiming for slightly different markets.

Having bought Oculus for billions, one of the companys founders has now left Facebook due to rumoured differences in opinion over the direction of VR. Brendan Iribe left Facebooks VR division stating: Although were still far from delivering the magical smart glasses we all dream about, now they are nearly within our reach. Iribe was Facebooks head of PC VR development, leading many to believe Facebook is now fully focusing on their portable, mass market Oculus Go headsets instead of full-blown high-end gaming.

RADIO RECOGNITION

Finally, you know that something has been accepted into the mainstream when it hits BBC radio. This Saturday at 3pm, Matthew Sweet will present a programme on BBC Radio 3 dedicated to the current Video Games: Design/Play/Disrupt exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Sweet will be joined by Stephen Baysted, who wrote music for Project CARs and a few other vehicular games. They will discuss the nature of writing music for games and play examples.
Women Young Palaung War Victims Flock to Yangon Nunneries for Education, Safety

Ethnic Palaung nuns at a nunnery in Yangons Thanlyin Township. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Khin Myat Moe is a 4-year-old ethnic Palaung girl born in Nansang in northern Shan State. In January, her mother brought her to a Buddhist nunnery in Yangons Thanlyin Township.

She lost a lot of weight because of being homesick. She cried a lot and barely ate. She might have felt empty because she is too young to be away from the bosom of her parents, said Daw Nanda Marlar, a nun at Thadhama Mizu School at the nunnery, describing Khin Myat Moes first days there.

Khin Myat Moes mother was also in a flood of tears as she returned to her town.

She brought her daughter to the school because her hometown, Nansang, has become unsafe due to armed clashes and because she wants her daughter to study in a peaceful and safe environment. Khin Myat Moe can study for free at this Buddhist nunnery.

Besides Khin Myat Moe, some 400 other Palaung girls have joined the order and are undergoing primary and high school education at three similar schools for Buddhist nuns in Thanlyin, Yangon Region.

Daw Kathari, the head of another nunnery school called Kaetharawadi, said her school has helped and taught Palaung girls for more than 30 years. Some nuns left the order and some went back to their hometowns in northern Shan State after they passed their matriculation examinations, she said.

Of course everyone wants to live with their family, but today, parents know that their children must be educated so they bring them here, she said.

Daw Kathari also is an ethnic Palaung from Nansang Township. Due to armed conflict in northern Shan State, every year hundreds of Palaung children, deprived of the simple pleasure of family life, have to flee to other towns.

Young boys of the Palaung community are often faced with finding work in teashops and beer bars in large towns like Lashio, Muse, Mandalay and Yangon. Others join the Buddhist order as novice monks in order to be able to continue their studies.

Apart from the dangers of fighting and landmines, there is also a fear of conscription in northern Shan State where a number of ethnic armed groups are based. This is why many poor Palaung parents are sending their daughters to nunneries where they can study for free.

The youngest girls to arrive at the nunnery are just three years old. Nunneries have a rule that girls older than five years old must wear nuns habit, the pink-colored robe. This is just one rule in the strict code of conduct which the young girls must follow to make it easier to be raised as nuns.

Wearing the nuns habit, Palaung girls study from primary to matriculation at the nunneries. The standard public school curriculum is taught at the nunneries, which are part of a monastic school education system, a traditional education system that dates back to the monarchical period.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture provides some funds which are supplemented by the nunneries in order to pay the teachers salaries.

The convent schools also arrange private tuition for students preparing for matriculation exams.

The young girls not only have to learn their school subjects; they also have to follow the religious codes of conduct for nuns and help with daily chores around the nunneries.

Either on weekends or the day before the Buddhist Sabbath day, they go outside collecting alms.

Nunneries have to rely on food supplies given by donors and use the money and rice which nuns get on their alms rounds for the healthcare and education of those who board at the convent schools.

Nuns who are very young, and who are attending 10th grade and matriculation years do not have to go for alms collections or do daily chores at the nunneries.

Ma Sandari, a 15-year-old ethnic Palaung nun, said: We give half of the cash donations we receive to presiding nuns and use the half for ourselves. We need around 2,000 kyats a week. With this money, we have to buy essentials for women and we also use this money to travel back home to Nansang when we have summer holidays.

When she was six years old she ran away from the nunnery because of overwhelming homesickness. But today, it has become a second home for her.

I will go back home after sitting my matriculation exam. I have been back home twice since I arrived here, she said.

Almost all the Palaung nuns have a dream of going back home after taking their matriculation examination.

Most of the Palaung girls at the nunneries in Thanlyin are the children of tea growers.

Many Palaung people have had to move to towns in lower Myanmar leaving their homes and farms behind, said Daw Kathari.

There are public schools in Nansang, but parents are worried about the safety of their children who often have to travel along forest routes, which are notorious for landmines and armed attacks, to get to their schools.

When we were young, rebel groups would only recruit those who were willing to join them. But it is different now. They force conscription. If a family has two sons, one has to join them. If there is no son, the daughter has to join, said the nun.

The more clashes that happen, the higher the number of children who arrive in Thanlyin, said Daw Kathari. Over 60 Palaung girls have arrived at the nunneries in Thanlyin since January this year.

Almost all the girls go back to their native towns after they pass the matriculation exam, said Daw Kathari. Some of them remain as nuns after the go home, and some disrobe and get married, she said.

Five nuns from the Thanlyin nunneries have joined the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in order to undergo medical training provided by the group. Taang is the word the Palaung use to refer to themselves in their own language.

They said the rebel group provided them with 18 months of medical training. They dont have as much medical knowledge as doctors, but can provide some medical services in their community. They said they had to serve [with the TNLA] for five years. They have been dispatched to remote areas. At least this is taking care of the health of Palaung people, said Daw Kathari.

Some others underwent training provided by the health ministry and have become nurses, she said.

It has been around 20 years without stability [in regions where the Palaung live]. If there is peace, children wont have to come here, she said.

Northern Shan State is the most militarily hostile area in Myanmar where the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military), ethnic armed groups and peoples militias are based. The area is riddled with political and racial conflicts as well as territorial interests of the ethnic armed groups.

While well-off families face extortion of their money from various groups, poor families have to bear various human rights violations including conscription and forced labor.

As long as armed conflicts exist, Palaung girls in northern Shan State will have to spend their lives in nunneries in order to receive an education.
Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 (7:46 am) - Score 14,495

Theyve done it. Fibre optic network builder Cityfibre has announced that their backers have agreed to establish a 2.5bn fund, which will help the operator extend their 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH/P) broadband ISP network to cover 5 million premises in 37 UK cities and towns by 2025.

At present the operator already has a Dark Fibre style network in around 50 cities and towns, which primarily serve public sector sites and businesses. On top of that theyre also investing 500m to build a new open-access FTTH network, which alongside Vodafone is working to cover a minimum of 1 million homes in up to 12 of their existing cities and towns (this Phase One should be largely complete by 2021).

After Phase One they had also previously spoken about the potential to extend this network up to 5 million homes (representing 20% of the current UK broadband market) by 2025, although that would require significantly more funding.

Since then Cityfibre has been acquired for 537.8m cash by Bidco and will be going private (here). The Bidco group was backed by Antin Infrastructure Partners and West Street Infrastructure Partners, which is a fund managed by Goldman Sachs.

The big news this morning is that Cityfibres new backers have agreed to establish a new 2.5bn investment programme for the operator, which they say will be enough to help them deliver on their 5 million aspiration and wed agree. This, they suggest, could also deliver 85bn in associated economic benefits, but we take such estimates with a big pinch of salt due to the difficulty of quantifying such things.

Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, said: With a head-start in 37 towns and cities, this full fibre investment plan enables us to further accelerate our rollout, catalysing huge economic growth in regional towns and cities across the country and transforming the UKs digital future. Our rollout will soon bring to scale an innovative wholesale network, providing internet service providers and mobile network operators with greater choice and unrivalled technical capabilities, benefitting all sectors of the market. We now need to work together across Government, Ofcom and industry to create a level-playing field that continues to encourage investment from multiple network operators, so that full fibre can be delivered as quickly and effectively as possible.

Jeremy Wright, UK Secretary of State for Digital (DCMS), said: The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review set out our plans to maximise full fibre coverage. Im delighted that CityFibres investment in 37 towns and cities across the UK will ensure the vast majority of homes and businesses in those areas can access this technology through new fibre networks. Significant investment from new network operators is critical to deliver our ambition for nationwide coverage. Through our Industrial Strategy were working with businesses and Ofcom to ensure effective network competition that supports investment on this scale.

The new funding pot will reflect a combination of debt and equity (were expecting an announcement on the new debt facility shortly). Meanwhile Cityfibre said they have already identified 37 UK towns and cities where it has critical fibre spine assets, which are now primed for expansion via FTTH (listed below).

Todays news is significant as it represents the operators ascent toward becoming a truly major challenger versus the established likes of Openreach (BT) and Virgin Media. But it wont be an easy process as Openreach are similarly aspiring to reach 10 million premises with FTTP by around 2025 and theyre doing many of the same cities (e.g. the big clash in Coventry  here and here). Competition is going to become aggressive.

On the other hand Openreachs top speeds are much more expensive than the Cityfibre based Gigafast Broadband from Vodafone, which suggests that theyll have to adapt or risk losing market share. At present their 500Mbps and 1000Mbps tiers are aimed more at small businesses and that may eventually have to change. Consumers in this market are very price conscious, but offering FTTP on the cheap can harm the investment case.

Meanwhile Virgin Media is only planning to do 2 million via FTTP and we have doubts about whether theyll achieve that figure, although their existing EuroDOCSIS based Hybrid Fibre Coax cable network will be able to deliver Gigabit download speeds via the forthcoming DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade (covering around 60% of the UK at completion). But at present their big weakness is still upstream speed and flaky router quality.

The other big challenge in all this will be actually building the new network and finding enough civil engineers (Cityfibre said theyll need to find another 5,000 engineers), which is already a difficulty in the UK with many operators currently wanting to do more FTTP and thus chasing a limited supply of skilled manpower. Scaling up, as Gigaclear recently found (here and here), is very hard to do.

Meanwhile spare a thought for all those forthcoming complaints about street work quality, which invariably seem to follow all of the major civil engineering linked deployments. Particularly in areas where residents may see their streets being ripped up several times over by different operators.

Current 10 Phase One Areas by Order of Announcement

Milton Keynes (40m)

Aberdeen (40m)

Peterborough (30m)

Edinburgh (100m)

Coventry (60m)

Huddersfield (30m)

Stirling (10m)

Cambridge (20m)  c.60,000 premises

Leeds (120m)

Southend-on-Sea (35m)  c.100,000 premises The 27 Future Areas Under 2.5bn Plan

Bath

Batley

Bournemouth (35m)  already has a legacy FTTH network to c.20k premises from Cityfibre

Bracknell

Bradford

Bristol

Crawley

Derby

Dewsbury

Doncaster

Glasgow

Halifax

Harrogate

Leicester

Maidenhead

Manchester

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Northampton (40m)

Nottingham

Reading

Rotherham

Sheffield

Slough

Southampton

Swindon

Wakefield

Worthing

UPDATE 2:17pm

We have had a comment from UK ISP Zen Internet, which offers some useful thoughts on the appeal of Cityfibres network to providers like them at the wholesale level (Zen are currently Openreach-based).

Richard Tang, Founder & Chairman of Zen, said: The CityFibre investment should overall be good for UK households as it should provide increased competition to Openreach. Remembering the rise of the cable TV companies in the 90s however, I hope they dont make such a mess of all the footpaths! One thing to note is that deploying the infrastructure is, in my view, the smaller part of the problem of providing viable competition to Openreach. The bigger part of the problem is layering a service on top of that infrastructure  something that Openreach has already achieved and refined. CityFibre will have their work cut out to deploy the network and develop all the service layers within their stated timescales. Unless they get both aspects right, the competitive threat to Openreach will be very limited. I wish them best of luck.

UPDATE 21st March 2019

Added the investment levels for Bournemouth and Northampton.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) slams Trumps decision, which caps a "process that has been going on for several years". Still, the arms control regime saw a real reduction in the number of missiles.

Stockholm (AsiaNews)  The announcement by US President Donald Trump that he intends to pull out the United States out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles Treaty could boost the number of US and Russian nuclear weapons, this according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an authoritative independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

Trumps decision last Saturday " confirms what has steadily been unfolding over the past couple of years: the architecture of RussianUS nuclear arms control is crumbling.

The latter was built on the foundation of the 1972 Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM Treaty). Afterwards, an arms control regime was developed that saw the reduction in the number of nuclear weapons, especially in the 1990s.

Since then, the process however began to slow down, coming to a crawl in the past six years. By early this year, the overall number of nuclear weapons stood at 14 700, far below the all-time high of around 70 000 in the mid-1980s.

SIPRI notes that although the reduction is [. . .] both large and significant, nuclear weapons are today far more capable that their older versions. What is more, along with the decline in numbers, problems have emerged.

In 2002 the United States unilaterally pulled out of the ABM Treaty, a decision that did not prevent Russia and the United States from signing the Strategic Offensive Reductions (SORT) Treaty that same year, as well as the New START in 2010.

What Trumps decision does is to bring "a process that has been going on for several years towards its conclusion."

Already in July 2014, the Obama administration had said that Russia had violated the INF Treaty with Americas NATO allies aligning themselves with the US, albeit somewhat guardedly.

The charge against Russia is that it has developed a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of over 500 kilometres. Moscow has rejected such a claim, slamming in turn the United States for violating the INF Treaty.

Now Trump has seemingly ended the arguments by withdrawing. Under Art 15 of the treaty, either party can withdraw after giving a sex months notice. This means that the INF Treaty can be terminated by April 2019.

Some observers though might see that the announcement is intended as a manoeuvre to obtain Russian concessions on the alleged missile deployment or on other aspects of an increasingly tense RussianUS relationship. That is what Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, implied by calling [Trumps] move blackmail.
Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 (8:35 am) - Score 2,538

Mobile operator Three UK has been told to pull yet another advert for their service after Vodafone complained that one of their TV promotions, which told viewers that they could use Snapchat all you like, without using up your data  only on Three, was misleading because they offered a similar plan.

According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Vodafone pointed out that their sub-brand VOXI also promoted unlimited use of social media apps without eating your data (i.e. their 3G or 4G mobile broadband data allowance), although Three UK countered that VOXI was only available to consumers aged 25 and under.

Three also said that they believed the small print in one of the adverts sufficiently qualified the claim, by stating: Only on Three on selected plans can anyone use Go Binge to enjoy Snapchat without using up data, with no upper age limits. Snapchat minimum age 13. Must have regular data.

The ASA didnt agree with Threes position and decided to uphold Vodafones complaint.

ASA Ruling (REF: A18-455041) We acknowledged the partnership that Three had with Snapchat, which meant that unique content was available to customers of Three. We also acknowledged their reference to the small print in ad (b) and to further information on their website. However, we did not consider that the text in the small print was sufficient to override the impression that they were the only network to offer a service that allowed customers to use Snapchat without using monthly data. Therefore, because the ads implied Three was the only network to allow customers to use Snapchat without using up their monthly data allowance when those under the age of 25 (or 30) received the same service from Voxi, we concluded that the claim Only on Three was likely to mislead.

As usual the ASA told Three UK to stop promoting the offer as being only available on their network. The development comes only one week after the advertising watchdog forced Three UK to pull another promotion that claimed customers could Roam the world in 71 destinations at no extra cost, even though limits did apply to Mobile Broadband data usage (here).
Oracle has revealed more about its plans to provide implementations of various pieces of open source code that are commonly used with cloud native applications.

In what seemed to be a lightly veiled dig at AWS, vice-president of software development Rahul Patil said there is a risk of lock-in when using services that aren't open source.

But Oracle has worked to make the popular open source components available on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to avoid lock-in.

Patil said the services, which will be variously available later this year or in 2019, include:

Container Engine for Kubernetes;

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Events (CloudEvents);

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Streaming (Kafka compatible);

Oracle Functions (based on Fn and Docker);

Auto Scaling; and

Orchestration (Terraform as a service).

In related news, senior vice-president for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Clay Magouyrk said that the new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Generation 2, which chief technology officer and chairman Larry Ellison described as "impenetrable" , would be available from the company's Sydney region in the second half of 2019.

The writer attended Oracle Open World as a guest of the company.
Global retail giant Amazon experienced problems with its retail website on its Prime Day, the company's made-up holiday in July meant to boost sales, because of problems in migrating from Oracle's database to its own technology.

A report from CNBC, which obtained an internal Amazon report, said the incident showed that Oracle's software was superior to what Amazon had deployed in some respects.

It said the website glitches experienced on Prime Day came at a time when the company was also trying to hose down an issue at one of its bigger warehouses in Ohio. Together, these led to thousands of deliveries being delayed.

The report obtained by CNBC, running to 25 pages, showed that Amazon's technical staff struggled to find out the root cause of the issues on Prime Day.

Last year,by a member of its technical staff caused Amazon Web Services to go down. The company said at the time that the S3 team was attempting to debug an issue that caused a slowdown in its billing system when one of its technical staff ran a command that was intended to remove a few servers from one of the subsystems used by the S3 billing process.

The worker entered one wrong input for the command and ended up removing a much larger number of servers than intended, some of which supported two other S3 subsystems.

CNBC said Amazon also failed to come up with a contingency plan in the event of any error in its replacement database, which is the open-source PostgreSQL software, sold by a company known as Aurora.

One of the questions in the Amazon technical report obtained by CNBC asked the engineers why the database system had not failed during the previous Prime Day when it was running on Oracle. They said that Oracle and Aurora PostgreSQL handled savepoints differently.

An Amazon spokesperson attempted to play down the issue and even claimed there was no outage, even though the report that CNBC obtained said that the "degradation resulted in lags and complete outages".

CNBC said 13 warehouses had moved from Oracle to PostgreSQL before Prime Day. It said the Amazon report cited delayed deliveries for 15,000 packages and about US$90,000 in wasted labour costs.
Australian crypto fund Apollo Capitals Henrik Andersson has joined as an adviser to precious metals retailer, Melbourne Mint, to support the development of MELD, a gold backed stable coin.

Andersson joins Melbourne Mint with 17 years experience in global financial markets, including almost a decade on Wall Street.

Melbourne Mint says Anderssons expert knowledge in the field of tokenomics, cryptocurrency applications, and knack for identifying the long-term viability of projects is an invaluable asset to MELD.

With over 100 years of precious metals expertise, Melbourne Mint says, with partners, the company is leading the way with a product that digitises gold, making it available for use globally.

Michael Cotton from Melbourne Mint is the driving force behind MELD.

We are bringing gold, the world's oldest currency, into the future through blockchain technology, combining the best of old and new to deliver a truly global currency, Cotton said.

MELD is a gold backed digital currency that is safe, stable and supported by an expanding network of partners.

Enhanced Society, a Gold Coast-based blockchain technology consultancy, has been instrumental in bringing the MELD concept to market.

As Australasia's leading blockchain consultancy, the focus is on providing expert strategic advisory, project management and software development to enable blockchain based projects, founder and chief financial officer Jason Atkins says.

We excel in our ability to identify quality projects, design credible blockchain applications and provide valuable development and introductions to our rapidly growing global network of business partners, platforms and investors.
US security firm FireEye claims that malware named Triton that was used to attack industrial control systems last year is connected to a Russian Government-owned research institute.

Triton is built to interact with Triconex Safety Instrumented System controllers and prevents emergency shutdown of such systems. The activity set of Triton was being tracked as TEMP.veles, FireEye said.

Last year's incident was at a petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia which was forced to down shutters after the attack.

In a blog post on Tuesday, FireEye claimed the activity that led to the deployment of Triton was supported by the Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, a Russian government-owned technical research institution located in Moscow.

FireEye has,, claimed that the US creates nice malware unlike other states. The company has also claimed that it would inform other Five Eyes nations before it publishes a public threat intelligence report.

iTWire has sought comment from the company about these two points.

In response, John Hultquist, director of Intelligence Analysis, said: "The attack was dangerous and put lives at risk. Once more, the fact that an error brought operations to a halt proves the operators were not totally in control.

"We shared details of this with government and commercial clients all over the world in advance."

FireEye has not identified the location of last year's Triton attack as yet. In is blog post, FireEye said that malware testing activity suggested links between TEMP.Veles and the Russian institute.

It also claimed that the behaviour patterns of the attackers was consistent with the Moscow time zone.

While FireEye did admit that the Triton malware may have been created and deployed by rogue employees of the institute in question, it said the characteristics noticed were more typical of an organisation.
Vodafone's government and corporate customers in New Zealand will be able to use new security management services after the company's New Zealand branch signed a deal with Telstra to make these available.

A statement from Vodafone said Security Management Services was a cloud-based platform that used artificial intelligence, event data and analytics to tackle threats before the fact, and not after.

The service is supported by qualified personnel in Australia and New Zealand and offers a real-time security response against cyber and electronic threats.

Vodafone Enterprise director Ken Tunnicliffe said: We are excited about providing this new capability to our customers in the government and business sectors. It enhances our ability to help keep New Zealand businesses safe from cyber threats.

The agreement between Telstra and Vodafone will be one of the main offerings in Vodafone New Zealands new security practice. It is led by Warren Shera, head of Security Practice.

Shera, who joined Vodafone in September 2018, heads a newly-formed department of 60 with security expertise.

He said: Working with Telstra means that we now have a powerful intelligence and analytics platform at our fingertips. The platform not only quickly identifies and explores cyber threats but is also able to see true mathematical anomalies.

Our team is passionate about providing clients with leading-edge security services and is focused on providing Kiwis with a safer and more secure environment to transact in, which this agreement will support in a powerful new way.

The Vodafone-Telstra deal came about due to the growing security challenges that businesses and the public sector are claimed to be facing.

Nearly half (46%) of Vodafones public sector customers surveyed indicated they suspect their business experiences cyber threats every month.

Telstra NZ managing director Rob Lee said: It is fantastic to be able to bring Telstras Managed Security Solution to New Zealand through this agreement with Vodafone New Zealand, especially when much of this global solution has a strong New Zealand connection with the 2016 acquisition of advanced security analytics provider Cognevo based in Christchurch.

"We are excited to be working together to build solutions that will help protect New Zealanders against ever-increasing cyber risk.
Researchers from the Danish security outfit CSIS Services have poked fun at the operations of a Germany-based spyware unit known as Wolf Research, after they found about 20GB of data from the company that revealed poor coding, dubious sales practices and numerous details about the company's operations.

In a presentation titled "Wolf in sheep's clothing  undressed" at the Virus Bulletin conference in Montreal earlier this month, Benoit Ancel and Aleksejs Kuprins said they had encountered the trove of data while chasing up information about a particular strain of malware that shared infrastructure with a remote access trojan.

The American website Motherboard, which was the first to report the talk, said Wolf was known from an incident in Mauritania when a bodyguard it sent to that country was detained as collateral for a deal that had gone wrong.

According to a video of their talk, Ancel and Kuprins said they had found the data on a command and control server and a public repository on Google Drive belonging to Wolf Research.

They found versions of the RAT that were meant to work on Windows, iOS and Android, but did not function as they were intended to. The RAT was seeded on Google Play store, but since the two researchers informed Google about it, is unlikely to be there now.

The transcript of one file found on the C2 server.

Among the data that Ancel and Kuprins found, once they had discovered the command and control server for the RAT, were pictures identifying the owner of the company  one Manish Kumar  screenshots of other companies which with Wolf appeared to be trying to do, or had done business, telephone conversations which were laughable, and details of victims.

Ancel and Kuprins did not reveal details of the victims but said they had passed on information to relevant authorities.

Both the researchers poked fun at Kumar and his company, saying most of the code found showed that the RATs were mostly derived from cut and paste operations. They frequently used the word "shitty" to describe Wolf Research's operations.

The man behind Wolf Research: Manish Kumar.

But they said Kumar appeared to have made a good deal of money as pictures of him next to various luxury cars were also present among the data they found. Kumar had even left a picture of his credit card among the data.

The level of security practised by Wolf Intelligence appeared to be lax, as there were many pictures of company personnel or those with whom the company did business. It appeared that Wolf had operations in Germany, a couple of other European countries, and India.

Ancel and Kuprins played several of the conversations that they had found among the 20GB of data, most of which resulted in laughter.

The two researchers raised the question of who regulates companies like Wolf which sell spyware to governments and companies for monitoring their enemies, but did not provide any answers.

Screenshots: courtesy CSIS
This Week in Review

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Railroads and ports are spending billions of dollars for infrastructure. All of that of that is great, but lets focus more on what is needed to get drivers into and out of the port. Railroads should look at their in-gates and out-gates. Most of the delays occur in the queue lines, Patrick Maher, executive vice president of Gulf Winds International, told attendees at the JOC Inland Distribution Conference 2018 on Tuesday.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2018 /CNW/ - First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC; ASX: FCC; OTCQX: FTSSF) (the "Company") is pleased to report new drill results from its Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, USA. Results reported today demonstrate thicker cobalt mineralized zones as well as mineralization between the two recognized zones.

Highlights

All drill holes reported contain mineralization over long widths and grades above the Inferred Resource average grade, including:



25.7m of 0.35% Co and 0.62 Cu (0.42% CoEq) in hole ICS18-03



22.6m of 0.34% Co and 0.59% Cu (0.40%CoEq) in hole IC18-29



27.8m of 0.27% Co and 1.09% Cu (0.38% CoEq) in hole ICS18-02





Higher grade mineralization occurs within the broader zones of mineralization, including 8.0m of 0.45% Co and 2.07% Cu (0.65%CoEq) in hole ICS18-02





(0.65%CoEq) in hole ICS18-02 Several mineralized intersections occur in between the No Name and Waite Zones, including 3.8m of 0.30% Co in hole IC18-28





in hole IC18-28 Further drilling for an additional 300m along strike to the east of the current resource is planned to test extension of mineralization

Trent Mell, President & Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"Today's drill results from our flagship asset support the development vision for the future of the Iron Creek Project. We now have three drill rigs on site for infill and extensional drilling as we work towards updating the mineral resource estimate in early 2019."

Figure 1. Bedrock geology and surface expression of cobalt-copper mineralization at Iron Creek.

Assay results reported today infill previous drilling in the eastern portion of both the No Name and Waite Zones (Figure 1). Drilling specifically targeted mineralization near surface around Adit#1 using a relatively tight spacing of less than 20m, which could be considered appropriate for Indicated Resource estimation (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Cross section of drill holes reported. Width of the cross section is 33 metres. Outlines of mineralized zones are interpreted from the 3D geological model considering drill intersections outside of the cross section.

Surface and underground drilling from the eastern extent of the resource identified higher grades of cobalt and copper mineralization (up to 0.61% Co and 2.02% Cu over 2.7m true width) within broader intervals of mineralization in the No Name Zone.

All six holes intersected cobalt and copper mineralization in between the two recognized zones, No Name and Waite. Based on the current drilling data, these mineralized intervals between the zones in the eastern portion of Iron Creek support development vision of the Company's pit constrained maiden resource estimate (see September 26 press release). More infill drilling is planned to test the continuity of mineralization in this area.

Assay results from each hole show a strong overlap of higher grade cobalt and copper mineralization in this area (Table 1). Overlapping intercepts of both cobalt and copper mineralization with higher grades contained within broader zones include 0.61% Co and 2.02% Cu over 2.7m in IC18-27 within 12.3m of 0.38% Co and 1.63% Cu and 0.60% Co and 1.38% Cu over 2.4m in IC18-28 within 18.0m of 0.30% Co and 1.21% Cu (Figure 2).

In all drill holes, copper mineralization typically occurs with cobalt in both the No Name and Waite Zones. As seen in Adit#1, intersections of massive pyrite lenses are one to two metres thick as host to higher grades of cobalt. Massive sulphide mineralization characterizes the No Name Zone in this area. Chalcopyrite is also prominent with pyrite and as centimetre-sized veins in higher grade copper intervals.

Table 1. Assay Results

Hole ID Mineralized

Zone From

(m) To (m) Drilled

Length

(m) True

Width (m) True

Width

(feet) Cobalt (%) Copper

(%) CoEq

(%) IC18-26 No Name 0.0 18.6 18.6 15.4 50.5 0.28 1.18 0.40 including 5.0 6.9 1.8 1.5 5.0 0.60 0.89 0.69 Between Zones 29.9 32.9 3.0 2.6 8.4 0.09 0.28 0.11 42.8 44.1 1.3 1.1 3.6 0.24 0.21 0.26 Waite 57.3 61.9 4.6 3.9 12.7 0.30 0.41 0.34 Footwall 89.2 94.6 5.4 4.6 15.0 0.11 0.01 0.11 IC18-27 No Name 0.0 13.8 13.8 12.3 40.2 0.38 1.63 0.54 including 10.4 13.4 3.0 2.7 8.9 0.61 2.02 0.81 Between Zones 19.4 23.3 3.8 3.4 11.3 0.04 1.07 0.14 32.2 33.2 1.1 1.0 3.2 0.12 0.27 0.15 88.4 89.6 1.2 1.2 3.8 0.17 0.10 0.18 Waite 101.8 106.4 4.6 4.3 14.2 0.21 0.00 0.21 including 103.1 104.9 1.7 1.6 5.4 0.35 0.01 0.35 footwall 115.5 116.3 0.8 0.8 2.6 0.18 0.00 0.18 IC18-28 No Name 0.0 27.1 27.1 18.0 58.9 0.30 1.21 0.42 including 5.2 8.8 3.7 2.4 7.8 0.60 1.38 0.74 Between Zones 37.5 40.8 3.4 2.3 7.6 0.12 0.04 0.12 46.9 49.7 2.7 1.9 6.2 0.24 0.11 0.25 53.6 59.1 5.5 3.8 12.4 0.30 0.09 0.30 including 53.6 55.8 2.1 1.5 4.8 0.57 0.20 0.59 Waite 67.5 69.5 2.0 1.4 4.7 0.21 0.01 0.21 106.3 110.9 4.6 3.6 11.7 0.23 0.01 0.23 IC18-29 No Name 0.0 44.5 44.5 22.6 74.1 0.34 0.59 0.40 including 4.6 9.1 4.6 2.3 7.6 0.48 1.10 0.59 19.1 26.2 7.2 3.6 11.9 0.65 0.38 0.68 Between Zones 63.7 71.3 7.6 4.1 13.6 0.11 0.00 0.11 75.9 77.9 2.0 1.1 3.7 0.22 0.00 0.22 Waite 136.5 139.0 2.5 1.7 5.6 0.14 0.01 0.14 ICS18-02 No Name 107.0 139.5 32.5 27.8 91.2 0.27 1.09 0.38 including 127.7 137.1 9.4 8.0 26.3 0.45 2.07 0.65 Between Zones 151.0 158.9 7.9 6.8 22.2 0.12 0.01 0.12 Waite 168.1 177.4 9.3 8.0 26.3 0.19 0.00 0.19 including 169.0 174.5 5.5 4.7 15.5 0.26 0.00 0.26 Waite 188.2 191.5 3.3 2.8 9.3 0.24 0.00 0.24 ICS18-03 No Name 124.7 157.9 33.2 25.7 84.2 0.35 0.62 0.42 including 139.0 141.6 2.6 2.0 6.6 0.55 0.66 0.62 150.9 157.9 7.0 5.5 18.1 0.64 0.19 0.66 Between Zones 164.6 166.1 1.5 1.2 4.0 0.14 0.01 0.14 185.9 191.4 5.5 4.5 14.6 0.11 0.01 0.11

True thickness estimated from 3D geological model also considering drill holes on strike. Cobalt equivalent is calculated as %CoEq = %Co + (%Cu/10) based on US$30/lb Co and US$3/lb Cu. No metallurgical recoveries were applied to either metal as it is expected that the metallurgical recoveries will be similar for both metals. Flotation tests support the Company's opinion that both cobalt and copper are of sufficient grade to be recovered.

Iron Creek Property

First Cobalt announced on September 26, 2018 an Inferred Resource estimate at Iron Creek of 26.9 million tonnes grading 0.11% cobalt equivalent (0.08% Co and 0.30% Cu containing 46.2 million pounds of cobalt and 176.2 million pounds of copper) under a base case scenario pit constrained and deeper mineral resource. An alternative underground-only scenario results in 4.4 million tonnes grading 0.23% Co and 0.68% Cu (0.30% CoEq) using a cutoff underground grade of 0.18% CoEq and containing 22.3 million pounds of cobalt and 66.7 million pounds of copper. The Inferred Resource is based on drilling over a strike length of approximately 500 metres and a dip extent of over 150 metres. Preliminary metallurgical testing concludes that simple flotation methods are applicable, yielding recoveries of 96% for cobalt and 95% for copper in rougher floatation.

Drilling is ongoing to extend the strike length of the mineralized zone from over 500 metres to over 1,000 metres and test down dip extensions of known cobalt-copper zones from 150 metres to over 300 metres below surface.

The Iron Creek property consists of patented mining claims surrounded by unpatented mining claims covering an area of 1,698 acres. Significant infrastructure is in place to support multiple drills and underground activity. Historic underground development includes 600 metres of drifting in three adits and an all-weather road connecting the project to a state highway.

Cobalt-copper mineralization occurs largely within two distinct east-west trending zones. The No Name and Waite Zones are roughly parallel and dip roughly 75 to the north, remaining open at depth and open along the east and west strike extensions. The No Name Zone and the Waite Zone have true widths between 10m and 30m. Mineralization also occurs between the No Name and Waite Zones as 1m to 5m pods.

Cobalt-copper mineralization occurs as semi-massive and disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite along stratabound bands within finely layered meta-sedimentary rocks consisting of interbedded argillite and quartzite. Thin veins of sulfide minerals also cut the bands and meta-sedimentary rocks. Quartzite units make up the hangingwall and footwall to the mineralized meta-sedimentary horizon. This stratigraphic sequence has been mapped at surface and by drilling to extend along strike for at least two kilometres.

The principal mineral assemblage consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and magnetite with much lesser quantities of native copper and arsenopyrite locally. Scanning-electron and microprobe tests indicate the cobalt occurs largely or entirely within pyrite and there is a distinct lack of cobaltite, a common cobalt ore mineral containing arsenic. Drill results demonstrate that the cobalt and copper mineralization are in part separated from each other spatially, and in part overlapping.

Corporate Update

In conjunction with the recent appointment of Ryan Snyder as Chief Financial Officer for First Cobalt, certain directors and officers of the Company have been granted incentive stock options to purchase an aggregate of 400,000 common shares of First Cobalt exercisable at a price of $0.27 for a period of five years. The grant of options remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the requirements of the Australian Securities Exchange.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

First Cobalt has implemented a quality control program to comply with industry best practices for sampling, chain of custody and analyses. Blanks, duplicates and standards are inserted at the core processing site as part of the QA/QC program. Samples are prepared and analyzed by American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Sparks, Nevada. Over 15% of the samples analyzed are control samples consisting of checks, blanks, and duplicates inserted by the Company; in addition to the control samples inserted by the lab. Drill core samples are dried, weighed crushed to 85 % passing -6 mesh, roll crushed to 85% passing -10 mesh, split 250 gram pulps, then pulverized in a closed bowl ring pulverizer to 95 % passing -150 mesh, then analyzed by a 5 acid digestion for ICP analysis. All samples have passed QA/QC protocols.

Qualified and Competent Person Statement

Dr. Frank Santaguida, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Dr. Santaguida is also a Competent Person (as defined in the JORC Code, 2012 edition) who is a practicing member of the Association of Professional Geologists of Ontario (being a 'Recognised Professional Organisation' for the purposes of the ASX Listing Rules). Dr. Santaguida is employed on a full-time basis as Vice President, Exploration for First Cobalt. He has sufficient experience that is relevant to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code.

About First Cobalt

First Cobalt a North American pure-play cobalt company whose flagship asset is the Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, USA, which has Inferred mineral resources of 26.9 million tonnes grading 0.11% cobalt equivalent. The Company's other assets include 50 past-producing mines in the Canadian Cobalt Camp and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

On behalf of First Cobalt Corp.

Trent Mell

President & Chief Executive Officer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Estimates of Resources

Readers are cautioned that mineral resources are not economic mineral reserves and that the economic viability of resources that are not mineral reserves has not been demonstrated. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues. The mineral resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's "2014 CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" incorporated by reference into NI 43-101. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies or economic studies except for Preliminary Economic Assessment as defined under NI 43-101. Readers are cautioned not to assume that further work on the stated resources will lead to mineral reserves that can be mined economically. An Inferred Mineral Resource as defined by the CIM Standing Committee is "that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration."

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are set forth in the management discussion and analysis and other disclosures of risk factors for First Cobalt, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although First Cobalt believes that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, First Cobalt disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
"Golden Rose" gold slab recovered as mining resumes in Father's Day Vein

Final estimates of gold content for large specimen stones confirm among largest gold specimens ever found



TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2018 /CNW/ - RNC Minerals Corporation ("RNC") (TSX: RNX) is pleased to announce record quarterly gold production of 31,360 mined gold ounces in third quarter of 2018, a 199% increase versus third quarter of 2017 production and a 135% increase versus second quarter of 2018. Gold production for the first nine months of 2018 totaled 58,460 ounces compared to 24,305 for the comparable prior year period. The large increase in high grade specimen and coarse gold production led to a 198% improvement in the mined grade for the quarter to 6.67 g/t, as compared to 2.24 g/t in third quarter of 2017 and a 112% increase as compared to second quarter of 2018.

Mark Selby, President and CEO of RNC, commented, "Clearly, the highlight of the third quarter was the significant high grade gold discovery at the Beta Hunt Mine. As a result of the Father's Day Vein discovery, the company will be in a substantial net cash position to fully fund our upcoming activities. With the arrival of the first drill at site during the past week, exploration activities will begin to ramp up as part of an aggressive exploration campaign. The technical team is continuing to advance their work on understanding the sediment structures in the mine which have the potential for additional high grade coarse gold."

Mr. Selby continued "We are also pleased to announce the final gold content estimates for the large specimen stones, which would rank them among the largest ever found. The "King Henry" specimen stone, at 1,402 ounces, would rank amongst the largest gold specimens in existence. With multiple large scale and spectacular specimens coming from a single area, we believe the Father's Day Vein may rank among the richest and most prolific gold veins ever found."

A total of 199 kt of material was processed at an average grade of 5.26 g/t, for a total of 33,725 ounces of gold, a 185% improvement from prior quarter milled production and 158% higher than the third quarter of 2017. Milling grades were 62% higher in the third quarter of 2018 compared to the prior quarter, and 136% higher than the third quarter of 2017, mainly as a result of higher grade mined material and specimen grade material processed in September.

Table 1: Beta Hunt Mine Q3 2018 Production Results

Beta Hunt Gold and

Nickel Operation1 Q3 2018 Q3 2017 Q2 2018 YTD

2018 YTD

2017 2017 Q3 to

2018 Q3 %

Change 2018 Q2 to

2018 Q3 %

Change Gold tonnes mined (000s) 146 146 132 447 371 - +11 Gold mined grade (g/t)3,4 6.67 2.24 3.14 4.07 2.04 +198 +112 Gold mined (ounces)2,3,4 31,360 10,489 13,320 58,460 24,305 +199 +135 Gold tonnes milled (000s) 199 182 112 422 350 +9 +78 Gold mill grade (g/t) 5.26 2.23 3.29 3.98 2.06 +136 +60 Gold Recovery (%) 95 90 92 94 91 +6 +3 Gold milled (ounces)5 33,725 13,047 11,844 53,941 23,180 +158 +185 Gold sales (ounces)1 23,805 8,659 11,508 43,291 25,200 +175 +107

Note that production numbers are preliminary estimates - final grades and ounces can only be determined once mined material has been processed. As of the end of Q3 2018, 70.5 kt of gold mineralization remained in inventory and had not yet been processed. 1. Note: numbers may not add due to rounding. 2. The difference in gold sales ounces and gold mined ounces is due to timing differences in receipt of gold sales depending on completion date of tolling campaigns. 3. Final grades are determined once mined material has been processed. 4. As of September 30, 2018, 70.5 kt of gold mineralization remained on the ROM pad for tolling in the subsequent quarter, as compared to 126.5 kt of gold mineralization as of June 30, 2018. 5. Includes 6,206 ounces of coarse gold and 2,390 ounces of specimen gold

Father's Day Vein Update

Additional firings were completed at the Father's Day Vein over the past weekend, resulting in the recovery of the "Golden Rose" slab (see Figure 1). On-site personnel were not able to weigh the slab as its weight exceeded the maximum weight of the site scales. A weight and estimate of gold content will be provided by a third party laboratory.

RNC now expects 27-30,000 ounces of gold from the immediate Father's Day Vein area and substantially more than 35,000 ounces from the 540 metres of A Zone sediment structures identified to date.

With the expectation that ongoing high-grade coarse gold will be produced by the mine on a regular basis, the Beta Hunt Mine has taken measures to improve the ability to estimate coarse gold and realize cash flow more efficiently.

Figure 1: The Golden Rose gold specimen in a 151 scooptram bucket





Final gold content of various specimens has now been measured by third party laboratories (based on the specific gravity of each specimen relative to the specific gravity of gold and the other minerals in the specimen).

Table 2: Selected Gold Specimens  Estimated Gold Content

Specimen Gross Weight (kg) Estimated

Gold Content (oz) Gold Grade

(g/t, %) King Henry 94.21 1,402 462,870 g/t, 46% Warren 63.38 893 438,236 g/t, 44% Sylvie 3.86 88 709,095 g/t, 71% Steve 3.87 74 594,740 g/t, 60%

Technical Disclosure

The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Kevin Small, Chief Operating Officer, Salt Lake Mining and Vice President, Project Development of RNC.

About RNC Minerals

RNC has a 100% interest in the producing Beta Hunt gold mine located in Western Australia where a significant high grade gold discovery - "Father's Day Vein" - was recently made. RNC also has a 28% interest in a nickel joint venture that owns the Dumont Nickel-Cobalt Project located in the Abitibi region of Quebec which contains the second largest nickel reserve and eighth largest cobalt reserve in the world. RNC owns a 35% interest in Orford Mining Corporation, a mineral explorer focused on highly prospective and underexplored areas of Northern Quebec and the U.S. Carolina Gold Belt. RNC has a strong management team and Board with over 100 years of mining experience at Inco and Falconbridge. RNC's common shares trade on the TSX under the symbol RNX. RNC shares also trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol RNKLF.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of RNC, production guidance and the potential of the Beta Hunt Mine.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of RNC to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, projected cash costs, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to RNC's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although RNC has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and RNC disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Toronto, Canada / TheNewswire / October 24, 2018 - Savary Gold Corp. (TSX-V: SCA) ("Savary" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update for its Karankasso Project in south western Burkina Faso. Savary is the 74% owner and operator of the joint venture project.

The Company plans to commence a 70 hole, +5,000 m drill program in early November to follow-up the positive results of the drill program completed in June of 2018 (as highlighted below) as well as a few high priority targets as depicted in Figure 1.

Drill Program Targets - Based on previously released highlighted results1

Karangosso South Area*

AC-18-79 - 1.81 g/t gold over 28 metres from 28 metres

AC-18-82 - 5.12 g/t gold over 13 metres from 9 metres

Serakoro 1 West Area**

AC-18-60 - 1.93 g/t gold over 10 metres from 22 metres - F North Zone (new)

AC-18-77 - 5.81 g/t gold over 14 metres from 10 metres - D South Zone (new) includes 57.63 g/t gold over 1 metre

AC-18-131 - 3.95 g/t gold over 3 metres from 11 metres - A zone







AC-18-133 - 3.09 g/t gold over 8 metres from 25 metres - A South Zone (new)

Serakoro West North Area**

-AC-18-96 - 1.07 g/t gold over 8 metres from 12 metres (new)

AC-18-100 - 1.56 g/t gold over 6 metres from 38 metres - SWN1 Zone (new)

AC-18-112 - 3.84 g/t gold over 4 metres from 8 metres (new)

AC-18-118 - 50.85 g/t gold over 1 metre from 13 metres and 2.44 g/t gold over 13 metres from 20 metres (new)

* widths are 70-75% of true width

** widths are approximate true widths

1 Savary News Release July 25, 2018

"The focus of the upcoming program is to expand resources and to continue to de-risk the project through the collection of a more complete suite of metallurgical samples of the principle zones" stated Don Dudek, President and CEO of Savary. "These targets continue to represent obvious expansion potential and therefore I anticipate continuing the trend of positive results, added Mr. Dudek.

The program will include approximately 3,750 metre of reverse circulation and air core drilling in 56 holes as well as 1,900 metres of core drilling in 12-13 holes. The core holes will test for higher grade mineralization at depth (approx. 150 m to 200 m below surface) at Kueredougou and Karangosso (see Figure 1 for locations), acquire additional structural information at all zones and collect a more complete suite of fresh rock metallurgical samples from all zones. The high-grade target at Kueredougou is an inferred structural intersection area where drilling returned 83.35 g/t gold over 4 metres, 48.00 g/t gold over 4 metres and 21.13 g/t gold over 4 metres. The high-grade target at Karangosso lies below an intercept of 6.73 g/t gold over 7 metres. All of the core holes will be completed using an oriented core tool that will facilitate the collection of structural data.

Metallurgical data to date has shown a wide range of fresh rock gold recoveries from 42% to 99% with the most recent work returning lower gold recoveries from several of the zones. Average, modelled fresh rock recoveries, as previously guided, range from 80% to 91%, depending on the resource zone. The metallurgical work to date comprised timed bottle roll tests and a combination of up to 8 year old core and RC chip material that were subjected to various grind sizes (some ulta-fine) and a variety of leach conditions. The current program will collect a fresh suite of representative core samples from the principle mineralized zones and subject this material to more uniform treatment and testing. It is expected that up to 30 metallurgical samples will be collected and then analysed in Q1, 2019. These samples will be used to refine our assumed average gold recoveries.

Stock Option Grant

The Company has granted a total of 1,930,000 stock options to various officers, directors and consultants. The options may be exercised at a price of $0.05 per common share for a period of five years from the date of grant. The company grants stock options from time to time to the various members of the board and management with a view to linking the interest of the directors and management with those of shareholders while keeping G&A expenses as low as possible. It is anticipated that during the financial year ending December 31, 2018 stock options are the only form of compensation to be received by members of Savary's board. The grant of options remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Savary Gold Corp.

Savary is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploring and developing (its ~74% owned) Karankasso Gold Project in Burkina Faso. The Project is located within the Hounde Greenstone Belt, which hosts Semafo's Mana mine, Roxgold's Yaramoko Mine and Endeavor's Hounde Mine. The Project contains an Inferred mineral resource estimate* of 12.3 million tonnes (Mt) grading 2.03 g/t gold for 805,000 ounces. For additional information please visit our website at www.savarygold.com.

Don Dudek, P.Geo., President and CEO of the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

* Open pit constrained and underground Mineral resource estimate presented in Savary news release dated November 2, 2017

For more information, please contact, Don Dudek, President and CEO at 647-259-2097: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website at www.savarygold.com

Cautionary Notes

The potential to increase existing estimated mineral resources is conceptual in nature and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

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.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the details of the potential value growth of the JV, the upside of the property, the drill program, the company's exploration plans and the timing of results, the focus on existing drill targets and new targets. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Azincourt Energy Corp. (Azincourt or the Company) (TSX-V: AAZ, OTC: AZURF) is pleased to announce the commencement of its initial work program at the recently acquired series of uranium-lithium exploration projects located in the Picotani volcanic field in Carabaya and San Antanio De Putina Provinces, Puno Region, in southeastern Peru, collectively known as the Escalera Group.

The Projects cover a combined area of 7,400 hectares of prospective exploration targets for volcanic hosted supergene/surficial uranium and lithium on the Picotani Plateau (or mesata in Spanish). Surface rock samples obtained in 2017 from the Escalera project were processed by ALS Minerals, in Lima, Peru, and returned values of up to 3,560 ppm uranium and 153 ppm lithium. Historical samples taken from the Escalera project have yielded values up to 6,812 ppm uranium* (see table).

A crew of experienced geologists familiar with the area are assembling in country over the next ten days and are immediately commencing a comprehensive phase one work program at all three concessions forming the Escalera Group (Escalera, Lituania, Condorlit), which is expected to last throughout the month of November.

First phase ground work will include detailed reconnaissance to locate favorable outcroppings and known host rock formations, focused ground radiometric geophysical surveys using hand portable scintillometers to test for elevated radioactivity at surface, and a comprehensive channel sampling program.

Were pleased to get on the ground and start the work programs there, said president & CEO, Alex Klenman. As we know, the Macusani-Crucero-Picotani area is very mineral-rich environment, with uranium, lithium and other metals present. Both recent and historical sampling at the Escalera Group have returned very solid uranium numbers, so wed like to confirm and expand on that success. The data we glean from this initial work program will give us a better understanding of the geological footprints at each site and will allow us to zero-in on drill targets. Our goal is to get the projects to drill-ready status as soon as possible, continued Mr. Klenman.

The initial work program will focus on full digital data compilation of detailed geological mapping, reconnaissance level scintillometer radioactivity surveying, and surface rock and soil sampling with the purpose of generating high-priority drill targets for subsequent work programs. The program is being managed by Michael Moore, P. Geo., who has both extensive Latin American and uranium exploration experience. Results from this program will be released once received, reviewed and verified.

The Macusani-Crucero-Picotani Volcanic Fields have been of interest for uranium exploration since the 1980s. A 1981 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency** examined the Macusani-Crucero-Picotani area and concluded the large Crucero to Picotani basin, although having less well exposed occurrences may have more potential. Isolated outcrops of the volcanic sequence around the rim of the basin may have been available both during sedimentation and later basin evolution, leading to the accumulation of significant deposits.

The projects are accessible year-round via paved/dirt road access, with a national airport only 130km to the south.

** IUREP Orientation Phase Mission Report, PERU, Donald L. Hetland, Uisdean McL. Michie, August-October 1981

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Moore, P.Geo, an independent Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Azincourt Energy Corp.

Azincourt Energy is a Canadian-based resource company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of alternative energy/fuel projects, including uranium, lithium, and other critical clean energy elements. The Company is currently active at its joint venture East Preston and Patterson Lake North uranium projects in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada, and its lithium exploration projects in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field, Manitoba, Canada.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF AZINCOURT ENERGY CORP.

Alex Klenman

Alex Klenman, President & CEO

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 press release includes forward-looking statements, including forecasts, estimates, expectations and objectives for future operations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Azincourt. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information represents managements best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially.

For further information please contact:

Alex Klenman, President & CEO

Tel: 604-638-8063

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Azincourt Energy Corp.

1430  800 West Pender Street

Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6

www.azincourtenergy.com
A Khmer Rouge-era jailer who was the first to be convicted in an ongoing Cambodian war crimes tribunal is ill in hospital, a prison official told AFP Wednesday.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, is serving out a life sentence for his role in managing a Phnom Penh detention centre where thousands were incarcerated, tortured and sent to their deaths in nearby Killing Fields.

The factory of death called S-21 was at the heart of the security apparatus of the Khmer Rouge, an ultra-Maoist regime that ruled from 1975-1979 and killed almost a quarter of the population through enslavement, overwork and execution.

Duch was sent to a prison in Cambodias Kandal province after an appeal extended his original decades-long sentence to life in 2012.

Chat Sineang, director of the Kandal prison, told AFP that Duch had been undergoing treatment for respiratory problems since October 20 and was moved from a provincial treatment facility to the capital Phnom Penh.

He is still at the Russian Friendship hospital, Sineang said, describing his condition as quite serious because he is 76 now.

The former mathematics teacher turned torturer was arrested in 1999 after being discovered working for a Christian aid agency under a false name.

His eventual trial was followed closely and the conviction was seen as a historic milestone for victims seeking long-delayed justice.

Numerous books and films have probed Duchs life and his time at S-21, which has been converted into a museum.

During the proceedings, Duch asked for forgiveness but also said he was not a senior member of the Khmer Rouge and should be acquitted.

The UN-backed trial in Phnom Penh has been tainted by its limited scope since it started more than a decade ago, recording only three convictions including Duchs.

Age has also played a factor in thwarting prosecutions in real time.

Ieng Thirith, the Khmer Rouge social affairs minister and one of the suspects on trial in the case after Duchs, was released on mental health grounds before dying in 2015.

Her husband and co-defendant Ieng Sary died two years earlier.
EAGLE POINT, Ore.  An eight-hour standoff between police and an armed suspect at a home east of Eagle Point resolved late Tuesday night without serious harm to anyone involved, in spite of shots fired early in the incident. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) says that two of their deputies have been placed on leave for their part in the exchange.

Around 4:15 p.m., JCSO said that dispatch received a 911 call from a woman in the 1500-block of Worthington Road in Eagle Point. The woman reported that her son, 33-year-old Warren Alexander Rich, had come to her home and threatened her with a rifle. She said Rich was showing suicidal and homicidal behavior.

Deputies said the woman was able to leave the house and call 911.

Deputies from JCSO, the SWAT team and negotiators responded to the scene a short time later. Worthington Road was closed to traffic for the duration of the incident for the safety of the public and law enforcement.

JCSO claims that at multiple points throughout the incident, Rich fired rounds from inside the residence. During the final instance, two deputies returned fire when "Rich shot a rifle toward a deputy."

Rich was not hit by the shots and went back inside the home. Negotiations continued and officers used "less-lethal options including CS gas" to force Rich out of the home. Deputies said those efforts were unsuccessful.

Around 1:30 a.m., SWAT members burst into the home and took Rich into custody. A Mercy Flights ambulance took Rich to Providence Medford Medical Center for treatment for minor lacerations that JCSO says he sustained before deputies went inside the home.

Rich was taken to the Jackson County jail on charges of Menacing, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and a no-bail hold for parole violation. JCSO said that additional charges are expected as the investigation progresses.

"Per protocol related to the use of deadly physical force, Oregon State Police has assumed the investigation, with guidance from the Jackson County District Attorneys Office. The deputies involved are now on administrative leave," JCSO said in a statement.

Further information regarding the investigation will come from the Oregon State Police.
MALIN, Ore. --

UPDATE: After arresting 22-year-old Nickolas Beaumont at the end of a lengthy car chase for a list of felony warrants on Tuesday, KCSO has added a long list of additional charges. They say that these charges come due to additional investigation.

"Investigations are still ongoing, and more charges may be added. Beaumonts crime spree is suspected to have spanned multiple time periods and locations throughout Klamath County," KCSO said.

The new charges against Beaumont include:

Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle (3 counts)

Unlawful Entry of a Motor Vehicle

Theft I  Motor Vehicle (3 counts)

Attempt to Elude  Felony (2 counts)

Attempt to Elude  Misdemeanor (2 counts)

Reckless Driving (2 counts)

Burglary I

Failure to Perform Duties of a Driver  Property Damage

Criminal Mischief II

Resisting Arrest

Theft I  Possession of Stolen Property

Felon in Possession of Restricted Weapon  Firearm

(Updated 10/24/18 at 5:24 p.m.)

INITIAL REPORT: On Tuesday afternoon, the Klamath County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) attempted to arrest 22-year-old Nickolas Beaumont on outstanding felony warrants  leading to a pursuit through the area south of Merrill and Malin, Oregon and at times into northern California in the Tulelake area.

Beaumont was taken into custody while hiding in an apartment in Malin, Oregon after crashing the pickup he was driving into the side of a brick structure. The pursuit lasted about about 30 minutes.

KCSO said Beaumont had been indicted earlier this year in the Klamath County Circuit Court for stealing vehicles and eluding police. Deputies say he was known to have bragged about possessing weapons and displaying them at times. A weapon was later recovered in a stolen vehicle Beaumont had been working on when police arrived at a residence on Wilson Road.

KCSO was assisted in the apprehension of the suspect with the aid of every law enforcement agency in the Klamath Basin and northern California  as the coordinated pursuit traveled between many different jurisdictions. Knowing the suspect's tendency to flee in a motor vehicle, assistance was obtained prior to the planned arrest by Emergency Air Lift who provided an aircraft to direct pursuing officers on the ground.

Beaumont is charged with:

Felony Warrant - Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts)

Felony Warrant - Failure to Appear on charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance Meth

Felony Warrant - Theft

Felony Warrant  Felony Warrant out of Siskiyou County for Flight from and Officer and

Obstruction of a Public Safety Officer
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  For decades, a 125-acre area among housing developments outside of Klamath Falls has been a veritable wasteland of asbestos-contaminated materials. Now state and federal officials say that they have completed a multi-year cleanup of the North Ridge Estates Superfund site.

Were proud to celebrate the successful completion of this important cleanup that will protect the health of the North Ridge Estates community, said Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler. With our partners the Oregon DEQ, City of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, the Klamath Tribes, and others, we accomplished a major cleanup while boosting the local economy with local jobs and a restored community asset.

The project began in earnest back in 2016, with the EPA and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) beginning the excavation of roughly 360,000 cubic yards of asbestos-laden materials and contaminated soils throughout the North Ridge Estates subdivision. Officials now seem confident that the place is fit for human habitation.

"The cleanup has returned the site to productive use as a residential neighborhood, protecting current and future residents from harmful asbestos contamination," the EPA said in a statement.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was once mined and used in a number of products  but particularly the construction of homes and other buildings. However, disturbing the material can cause the release of microscopic fibers into the air, which can then be inhaled into the lungs. Breathing asbestos fibers can cause a laundry list of serious diseases, including mesothelioma.

Origins for the Superfund site go back to the 1940s, when the site hosted a military base for the treatment of Marines suffering from tropical diseases contracted during World War II. For a time, the facility would next be home to the Oregon Technology Institute's vocational college.

During the 1960s and '70s, private owners took control of the property and began demolishing buildings. However, without proper demolition methods, the asbestos-filled walls of the old facility made the site a minefield of contamination.

It wasn't until the early 2000s when a real estate development group had already constructed a number of homes as "North Ridge Estates" and sold them to buyers that the asbestos contamination would come to light.

"At the request of DEQ, EPA first responded to the site in 2003. Investigations found widespread asbestos contamination at the site because of improper demolition of the former buildings. Starting in 2003, EPA conducted several cleanup operations at the surface to remove asbestos-containing materials and contaminated soil. Unfortunately, annual winter frost heave continued to force asbestos to the surface. EPA determined that a more permanent remedy was needed," the EPA said.

By 2006, the North Ridge Estates developer, homeowners, the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA finally negotiated a settlement to permanently relocate and compensate most subdivision residents.

The area became a Superfund site in 2011, but cleanup wouldn't begin in earnest until 2016.

The EPA now says that homes will be sold again in the North Ridge Estates development, which they will continue to monitor for two more years. One year from now, the DEQ will take over operations and maintenance of the site.

This cleanup was uniquely challenging as we worked to protect the people living in the neighborhood while completing a major 3-year construction project, said DEQ Deputy Director Leah Feldon. Our thanks go out to the community for their patience and cooperation. We now look forward to watching the North Ridge Estates neighborhood thrive.

For more information on asbestos and harmful conditions it can cause, visit the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance website.
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Necessity is the mother of invention. If you need something badly enough, you are more likely to find a way to obtain it. This proverb clearly rings true in all aspects of life. The key is really knowing how badly we need it. I knew someone who wanted to become a dermatologist. After several additional years of research after medical school and applying to residency, she eventually achieved her goal. Some accomplishments can be achieved with enough persistence, desire, intelligence, and maybe some luck.

Society loves achievement stories. People who defy odds to achieve. The J.K. Rowlings. The Jay-Zs. These are people who defied the impossible and found a strategy to transform it into success. As doctors, weve all struggled with adversity to get to our current situation. Some of these doctors were first-generation college graduates in their families. Others dug deeply into their reserve to overcome poor academic records to finish in the top of their class and enter the most competitive of the specialties.

After the early career hurdles, most doctors actually enjoy relatively stable careers. Rightfully, we should enjoy stable careers, given that there is an incredibly long incubation period before we actually become viable in our profession. In fact, job stability, good incomes, and ability to heal are expected returns when we sign up to become doctors.

Stability is good

If you are acclimated to your routine, biweekly paycheck, and tasks, you may have no need to deviate from the plan. This is actually one of the perks of being a doctor. Our daily routine may be challenging, but it is still our routine. Show up, take care of people, do the paperwork, and you will be rewarded. Structure your financial plan around your income and expenditures, and you can have a fairly accurate and predictable financial timeline. Who wouldnt want to be able to sleep comfortably knowing that junior will be able to go to college with minimal loans or that you would be able to stop working by the time youre 45?

At the minimum, all doctors ought to be able to create a financial plan. All it takes is not to be derelict in your habits.

Stability precludes vast financial success

Most doctors are busy. Many days I dont even have time to relieve my bladder, yet alone eat. Some of my colleagues have to do hospital consults after a full day in the office. Afterwards, we go home to our families, and take call over the weekend. Rinse and repeat every day and you will have one fatigued soul. The last thing that wed want to do is to brainstorm and venture into something else that would surpass the earning power of being a doctor.

Herein lies the dilemma. You can be financially comfortable as a doctor, but you will unlikely be able to afford helicopter rides from your heliport to the local airport. Dreaming of owning a conglomerate of skyscrapers or sprocket factory? Tough luck. Youll just have to stick with resuscitating drug addicts in the ER at 2 a.m. Dont worry  youll still be able to drive home in your comfortable BMW.

Now there are always exceptions to the rules. We all know of doctors who are business savants, and are able to create equity within their profession. Ive known doctors whove invested in real estate, surgical centers, medical equipment sales, and aesthetic services that are able to generate income that is several multiples of what they otherwise would generate from professional services alone.

If you dont have a Plan B, then you dont really have any alternatives. If youre not working 12 hour days and commanding better than average incomes, you might be more motivated to find a means to achieve a better quality of life. You might also fail miserably, but we all know that we dont typically hear about those that dont succeed.

Where do most doctors stand?

I actually dont know too many doctors who openly admit that theyd like to own an empire of real estate. Id imagine those who do never finished medical school or opted to pursue an entirely different career. The majority of us just want to be happy, take care of people, and make sure we get compensated adequately for our knowledge and service. The majority of us (anyone, for that matter) will never experience the vast upper echelons of wealth, and that is OK. Our profession overall isnt in horrible financial shape either.

Smart Money, MD is an ophthalmologist who blogs at the self-titled site, Smart Money MD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
EUGENE, Ore. -- One of the big fundraisers for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Eugene said their company will still be involved in helping to find a cure, even though the race has been canceled.

Yogi Tea Manufacturing in Eugene has been one of the largest supporters and contributors for the race over the years. KEZI spoke with the Sat Bir Khalsa, the director of global community relations and HR development with the company.

He said although the race is canceled, they will continue to support the nonprofit, which will continue its presence in Eugene through a brunch event in March.

RELATED: Susan G. Komen cancels Eugene race for 2019

"Having this more intimate event, more intimate activity, is going to be able to really focus on getting people together and giving them the opportunity to give back as much as they can, Khalsa said. So, the event is changing, but the mission is not shifting. The mission is to find a cure."

Khalsa said last year they had about 60 people on their team and raised $10,000.

KEZI sat down with Andy Asato the CEO of Susan G. Komen Oregon and SW Washington on Monday.

Asato said the high expenses and the increase in charity walks every month have led to a decline in race participation. Instead of the race, they plan on hosting a "More Than Pink Brunch" in Eugene on March 30 at the Valley River Inn. He said it will still involve teams, fundraising and will continue to be an event to share inspiring stories.

A More Than Pink Walk will be held in Portland in September.
EUGENE, Ore. -- A homeless protest camp in downtown Eugene is growing every day, and so is the community concern.

But who are these people?

We see them everywhere we look. Some call them bums, drunks and tweakers. Others welcome them into the community.

KEZI 9 News followed one man at the protest camp in downtown Eugene on 8th Avenue and Oak Street.

RELATED: PROTEST CAMP NEAR LANE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Theyre individuals that either fell through the cracks or just exploring, and I dont find anything wrong with the travelers or the explorers. Thats how I got into being homeless," said Eric Jackson, who lives at the camp.

Eric Jackson is just another face in the crowd, another life in the shadows.

The word homeless is not even close to true. Everyone is at home where they lay their head," Jackson said.

Every morning Jackson wakes up, finds a bathroom if he can and enjoys a hearty scoop of peanut butter.

His life didn't always look like this.

Before becoming homeless, Jackson said he thrived in an affluent area of New Jersey, where he said he owned and operated a pizza shop.

An arrest for illegally smoking marajuana in New Jersey led him to pack up and leave.

I left going over the Ben Franklin bridge and kept on going straight and eventually ended up in Colorado," he said.

He never looked back.

Headed west, Jackson recalled the first time he ever camped outside in Denver.

It was gorgeous. I thought Id never be able to sleep with the trains, and I slept like a baby because around each other, we were comfortable," he said.

Jackson understands that not everyone in Eugene considers homeless camps in their community gorgeous.

With about 1,600 homeless people in Lane County, some people said increasing numbers means more crime, harassment and lower property values.

KEZI asked Jackson what he would say to viewers with these concerns.

Give some love. Give some respect. Give some respect, and youll get so much respect back," he said.

Respect is an important word for Jackson, and he doesn't think of Eugene's latest "tent city" as a homeless camp.

He prefers "protest camp."

About two weeks ago, about 50 people were living on county-owned property near the Lane County Courthouse with no running water, no electricity and tarps for cover.

As of Tuesday, there are about 100 people in the camp. As of now, the county has no plans to move them.

Officials with the county said their hands are tied because of the recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that states you can't criminalize homelessness.

According to a recent study presented to county officials, 38 percent of unsheltered homeless people have a serious mental health illness, and 30 percent have a substance abuse problem.

Jackson admits that a lot of homeless people have addiction issues.

He's addicted too, he said, but not to what you may think.

I dont have other addictions except for court," he said. "I have a court addiction."

Jackson said he spent years informally studying the law, mostly because of former run-ins with the legal system.

He considers himself a sidwalk lawyer, of sorts, teaching others in the homeless community.

I very much inform them of the law and try to get them to abide by and enforce what is lawful because I dont want a disruptive society," he said.

Every morning, Jackson takes a walk to Theo's coffee to begin his work.

Its time to check the morning emails to see if I got any lawyer letters or new Human Rights Commission Eugene or the homeless poverty work group Eugene (emails), and unlike most out here, I actually have a laptop because I have to do advocacy work," he said.

Jackson still thinks like a business man, with grand plans to create a new life for the homeless.

A homeless community run by us, for us, owned by us and operated by us," he said. "Showing that we can run restaurants, we can run retail businesses, we have artists that can fill gallery walls and we have sales people that can sell ice to eskimos. When they see that, theyre going to come from all over the world.

Even though life can be rough on the streets, he and others would rather sleep outside than in the shelters -- including the one that city leaders plan to open just down the street.

MORE: BUSINESS OWNERS AND RESIDENTS REACT TO DOWNTOWN SHELTER

As night falls on the camp, Jackson lays his head down on the cold, hard ground.

Homelessness is a problem that cannot be hidden, even though when our cameras showed up, many of the campers took off and hid.

Theres no voice," he said. "You saw how fast it cleared out. They dont want to be seen. They dont want to be heard 'cause theyll be picked on more. And Im so out. Im so out it just doesnt matter 'cause Im out there, and Im in your face, and thats not going to change.

Eric Jackson is man on a mission. His high? Shining a light on others, and helping them out of the shadows.
The idea of turning a whole town into a book shop may have seemed like a massive undertaking when it was first mooted, but 15 years later and the Graignamanagh Town of Books festival is a runaway success with its highest ever attendance this year.

Visitors flock to the South Kilkenny town from all over Ireland, and further afield, for the now annual August weekend-long book festival. Its a huge boost to the local economy, with visitors basing themselves in the town for the whole weekend. Theres also the knock-on economic boost to all local businesses, pubs, cafes, restaurants and accommodation - everybody benefits.

Juliet OShea, a member of the organising committee, says that the town-wide benefits encourage them to make the festival bigger and better each year.

All kinds of books are there to be discovered in Graignamanagh during the festival - from childrens favourites to adults pageturners; fiction; reference; from pocket-money purchases to rare finds.

The festival has developed over the years and is not just about book selling. This year Graignamanagh library hosted talks from well known Irish authors Helena Duggan, a children's book author from Kilkenny, and Patricia Gibney, a crime writer from Mullingar. These are part of the fringe events to make the Town of Books family friendly.

A core organising committee of eight to ten people are the driving force behind the Town of Books festival but they couldnt do it without the people of the town who row in behind the festival and the many local volunteers who give their time over the weekend.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 47F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 47F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
You are eligible for Medicare when you turn 65. But these days, the decision to sign up is not a slam-dunk. For example, after you enroll in Medicare, you can no longer contribute to a health savings account. If, however, you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, you usually dont have a choice: Medicare Part A, which covers hospitalization, must be your primary insurance. The decision to sign up or not also depends on whether youre receiving Social Security benefits and whether your spouse has coverage through your health insurance. If you miss key deadlines, you could have a gap in coverage, miss out on valuable tax breaks or get stuck with a penalty for the rest of your life. The Social Security rule If you enroll in Social Security before age 65, youll automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B when you turn 65. Part A covers hospital costs and is premium-free if you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. Part B covers outpatient care, such as doctor visits, x-rays and tests, and costs most people $104.90 per month in 2015. Part B premiums are deducted from your Social Security benefits. Youll receive your Medicare card in the mail three months before your 65th birthday. If youre still working and dont want Part B yet, you can send back the card and have it reissued for Part A only, but you cant turn down Part A if youre enrolled in Social Security. Call Social Security at 800-772-1213 with details about your situation to make sure you wont be penalized for enrolling late in Part B.

If you havent claimed Social Security benefits, enrollment in Medicare isnt automatic. If neither you nor your spouse has employer health coverage, you should sign up for both Part A and Part B. Go to SocialSecurity.gov to sign up three months before or after the month you turn 65even if you arent signing up for Social Security. If you miss the seven-month window, youll be able to enroll in Medicare only at limited times during the year (from January through March, with coverage starting July 1), and you may have to pay a lifetime late-enrollment penalty of 10% of the current Part B premium for every year you should have been enrolled in Part B. If you have employer coverage If you have coverage through an employer with 20 or more employees, you dont have to sign up for Medicare when you turn 65 because the group policy pays first and Medicare pays second. (If your spouse is covered under your policy, the same rules apply.) Most people with employer coverage enroll in Part A at 65 because its free (unless they want to contribute to a health savings account). But you dont have to sign up for Part B if youre happy with your existing coverage. Youll avoid a future penalty as long as you sign up for Part B within eight months of leaving your job. If you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, however, Medicare is considered your primary coverage and your employers insurance pays second. You generally must sign up for Medicare Part A and Part B at 65, although sometimes small employers negotiate with their insurers to provide primary coverage to people over 65. If your employer says it will cover your outpatient costs first, its really important to get that in writing, says Casey Schwarz, of the Medicare Rights Center.

Only coverage from a current employer with 20 or more employees counts as primary coverage. Retiree health insurance and coverage under COBRA, the law that allows a temporary extension of employer benefits, dont count. So if you dont sign up for Medicare Part A and Part B at age 65, you could have coverage gaps and face the lifetime penalty. Medicare rules for federal employees who are 65 and older and still working are the same as they are for employees still working for other large employers. But the rules are different for federal retiree coverage than for other retiree coverage. If you havent signed up for Medicare, federal retiree coverage is the primary insurance (Medicare pays first if you have it). But if you change your mind and miss the window for signing up after you leave your job, you will face a late-enrollment penalty. If you didnt enroll in Part B at 65 because you had coverage through your employer (even if you signed up for Part A), youll need to sign up within eight months of leaving your job to avoid the penalty. You wont be able to enroll online, because youll need to provide evidence of creditable coverage from your employer from the time you turned 65. Joan Baraba of Chesterfield, Mo., was still working as a banking executive when she turned 65 in July 2013. She and her husband, Edward, had good coverage through her employer, so he signed up for Part A at 65, and she waited to sign up for benefits. A few months before she retired in July 2014, she applied for parts A and B and Edward applied for Part B. Doing so was complicated because they had to provide evidence that they had been covered by her employer since age 65. It took several months to go through the process, she says. She recommends starting the paperwork six months before you plan to retire, so you dont have a gap in coverage. HSA versus Medicare An HSA, which must be paired with a high-deductible policy, offers tax advantages, and some employers contribute money, too. But you cant contribute to an HSA after you sign up for Medicare Part A or Part B.
Skroska is a fully developed mine with close to 6000m of underground workings in excellent condition.

By Kevin Silva

The demand for cobalt from favourable mining jurisdictions is increasing

European Electric Metals (EVX) has commenced a sampling program at the Skroska Mine

EVX aims to be an ethical source of high-grade cobalt in Europe

The cobalt supply crunch combined with dramatically increasing demand is starting to cause concern for a number of large end users. Companies such as Tesla, Apple, and BMW need cobalt for their battery processes but cobalt is hard to come by outside of Congo where working conditions are horrible and child labour is prevalent. Therefore, there is a search for ethical cobalt.

European Electric Metals is Exploring a Potentially Significant Source of Cobalt within Europe

European Electric Metals Inc. (TSX.V: EVX) (OTC: EVXXF) is wasting no time since announcing plans to enter the European nickel-cobalt market, via an acquisition of the Skroska Nickel Cobalt Mine located in Southern Europe. The company, backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development as a major shareholder, has made a number of recent announcements regarding the project where recent sampling returned high grade cobalt levels.

The company has announced they are commencing an underground sampling program over two adjoining parts of the laterite deposit measuring 250m x 45m and 70m x 40m. The blocks are accessible and supported by existing underground mining infrastructure. Company personnel have recently been onsite and note that the area has been deemed during company inspections to be in good working condition, and, subject to engineering review, conducive to restarting mining operation.

There is electricity throughout the mine and the track system and air compression systems are in good working order. There is no water issue and the mine is well ventilated with no mechanized ventilation system in place. There are no rockfalls in any areas of the mine.

The mine is serviced via hydro-electric power (the mine is on the power grid) and has paved road access nearby the property area with well-maintained gravel roads to the site. The site also has good office infrastructure and various storage/outbuildings that formerly supported previous state-run operation (19851990) and operation by current owner from 2008 to 2013 when it was put on care and maintenance.

It is anticipated that the sampling program will be completed within the next 30 days, during which time the company also intends to engage an engineering firm to conduct geological model and engineering studies focused on restarting operation.

EVX CEO, Fred Tejada, states, The infrastructure and development at Skroska is in excellent condition. The recent EVX news regarding elevated cobalt levels describes, in our view, a new discovery within an existing mine. We believe this new cobalt discovery has the potential to positively impact the economics of the project.

European Electric Metals Inc. (TSXV: EVX) will be exciting to watch as its mine restart plans at Skroska evolve.
(Kitco News) - While 2018 has not been a positive year for the mining sector, the rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated, according to one financing executive.

Chad Williams, president of Red Cloud Klondike Strike

Although the sector has struggled to find investment capital, the Canadian mining sector continues to dominate deal flow, raising the most money out of any other sector in Canada, Chad Williams, president of Red Cloud Klondike Strike, said in a presentation Xplor, a Quebec annual mining conference. He also noted that so far this year the mining sector has seen deals valued at $5 billion.

The value of the deals made in the mining space far outstrip what weve seen in the marijuana market, he said. Even though it has been a difficult year, companies are making money even in a bear market,. There is hope going forward

However, Williams added that the downside for the mining sector is that most of the financing is coming from other mining companies. Generalist investors are still avoiding the marketplace. Business-to-Business capital in the mining sector increased 78% from the previous year.

Another issue William raised is that the deals are being spread out among small companies that dont have viable projects.

What we lack in value we make up for in the sheer number of deals. There are something like 2,000 mining companies out there fighting for capital. What would this sector look like if there were only 200 companies getting that capital, even then maybe 200 is too many, he said.

Despite the headwinds in the sector, Williams said that he is optimistic that capital will eventually return to the market. And it could come from an unlikely sector: cannabis.

We have seen the creation of a new set of investors, young people who have made money in marijuana stocks, he said. That has created an appetite for risk that I expect the mining sector will eventually fill.
OSLO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro's third-quarter earnings far exceeded forecasts on Wednesday amid rising metals prices, but the company is still in the dark over when its key Brazilian alumina plant can return to full production.

The company won permits from Brazilian authorities earlier this month to restart operations at half capacity at its Alunorte alumina refinery, the world's largest. The resumption was the latest twist in a months-long environmental dispute with Brazilian authorities, after the metals maker admitted to making unlicensed emissions of untreated water during severe rains in February. "The market for aluminium is tightening, and we expect the 2018 global primary market in deficit," CEO Svein Richard Brandtzaeg said in a statement.

"We continue the dialogue with the authorities with the aim to resume full production at Alunorte, but the timing remains uncertain," he added.

The company's underlying earnings before interest and taxes EBIT) came in at 2.68 billion crowns against the 1.8 billion crowns expected in a Reuters poll and up from 2.4 billion crowns in the year-ago period.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)

gwladys.fouche.reuters.com@reuters.net; Twitter handle: @gfouche))
(Kitco News) - There appears to be light at the end of the mining sectors very long and very dark tunnel, according to one research firm.

In an interview with Kitco News on the sidelines of the Mines and Money conference in Toronto, Michael Curran, managing director with Beacon Securities, said that his firm is starting to see improving sentiment within the mining sector.

We are seeing juniors getting rewarded for good exploration news. We are seeing trading volume picking up for mid-tier and senior producers, he said. These are positive baby steps for the mining sector.

Curran said that helping build excitement in the mining space is the recent merger announcement between Barrick Gold Corp and Randgold, which would create the largest gold mining company in the world; however, he also added that the market needs to see higher prices.

Currans comments came just before gold prices hit a three-month high. While the yellow metal has backed off its recent highs, the market is still holding on to most of its gains. December gold futures last traded at $1,231.40 an ounce, down 0.50% on the day

Curran added that while he doesnt know the timing of the next big upswing, his firm is confident that at least a bottom is in. I am convinced that at the very least we are off the bottom and its only a matter of time before we see higher prices.

Although Beacon Security has exposure across the mining spectrum, Curran said that the firm traditionally likes the junior producer space. That sector has some of the best growth potential with the lowest risk.

One company Curran said he likes is Atlantic Gold, which is expected to produce between 82,000-90,000 ounces of gold at its mine in Nova Scotia.

Junior producers who can move into the mid-tier give you the double whammy of either being revalued as a larger producer or you become an attractive takeover target, he said.

One interesting theme at the Mines and Money conference was the impact other sectors like cannabis or cryptocurrencies are having on the mining sector. Curran was part of a panel discussion that touched on this theme.

Curran told Kitco News that the mining sector has nothing to fear from the marijuana sector, adding that the money being made from rallying pot stocks will eventually be good for the yellow metal and the mining sector.

The marijuana scene is going to look a lot different twelve months from now, he said. I think we are going to eventually see a rotation back into the mining sector.
* German yields hit days low after euro zone PMI data

* Euro down half a percent on day

* Italian yields rise up to 7 bps

* Euro zone periphery gov't bond yields tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr (Updates prices)

By Abhinav Ramnarayan and Virginia Furness

LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The euro fell and the euro zones government bond yields dropped on Wednesday after data showed business growth in the single currency area lost more momentum than expected, as trade tensions and worries over Italy overshadow the economy.

The bid for quality assets gathered pace after the U.S. market open, with most of the single currency areas bond yields falling further as equity markets were pushed lower by bearish sentiment over trade conflicts, concerns about Italys budget and criticism of Saudi Arabia over the killing of a journalist.

Euro zone business growth decelerated faster than expected as the final quarter of 2018 began, dragged down by waning orders that dented confidence, according to a purchasing managers survey released on Wednesday.

The flash PMI for October gives a first glimpse on where the euro zone economy is heading. And the picture is not terrific, ING economist Peter Vanden Houte said in a note.

The data for the single currency area came after French and German business surveys released earlier also undershot expectations. .

Germanys 10-year bond yields fell three bps to a low of 0.39 percent. Other high-grade euro zone bond yields also fell with Frances 10-year yield hit a five-week low of 0.76 percent while Spains 10-year bond yield fell four basis points to a two-week low of 1.62 percent.

The European Central Bank is due to meet on Thursday, when its president, Mario Draghi, may hint at how concern over Italys budget and equity market downturns will affect monetary policy.

Besides risk sentiment, economic sentiment should be key today as both can influence the tone at tomorrows ECB meeting, Commerzbank analysts said in a note to clients.

DIFFICULT PERIOD

Italian government bond yields rose as much as seven basis points in late trade on Wednesday as a recovery in European stocks proved short lived, and Italian banking stocks fell.

Italys sovereign yields rose across the curve, extending the weekly highs they reached on Tuesday after the European Union rejected the countrys draft budget for 2019.

Its five-year government bond yields were seven bps higher on the day to 2.97 percent, while its 10-year bond yields rose four bps to 3.62 percent,.

One analyst said selling in Italian bonds was led by the Italian equity market, which was down around 1.69 percent . Others said comments by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio on the so-called golden power rules did not help.

The rules allow the government to veto strategic decisions such as asset sales and mergers at businesses deemed to be of strategic national importance.

The government is doing things that arent that business friendly, said Lyn Graham Taylor, rates strategist at Rabobank.

Investors are also cautious on Italian bonds ahead of a ratings review by S&P Global on Friday. S&P is due to review Italys credit rating, currently at BBB with a stable outlook.

Analysts expect a downgrade, but are divided on whether this will only be lowering the outlook to negative, or whether Italys credit rating will be cut to BBB-, the lowest investment-grade rating. (Additional reporting by Tommy Wilkes, Danilo Masoni in Milan Editing by David Holmes and Helen Popper)
I have recently become involved with the twinning (jumelage) of a Creuseois village, Saint-Dizier-Leyrenne, with a village in the Morbihan, Loqueltas. It might seem a little strange to twin with another town in France as normally town twinning is with towns in other countries.

The town twinning movement did in fact begin soon after the end of the Second World War, the mayors and the population were determined that Europe should never be at war again and often the twinnings were with towns that had recently been torn apart by war. Twinning is not limited to Europe but it does appear that twinning has played a positive role in the creation of the European Union, bringing together people, peace, integration, friendship and discovery of different cultures.

Twinning with another town in France can also have the same positive results, and can cover a range of issues  sport, art and culture, young people, local services and development, solidarity. For a twinning to be successful, the citizens must be involved and participate, and for that reasons, as in Saint-Dizier-Leyrenne, a twinning committee is very often formed which brings together the citizens and officials, the partnership is certainly a long term one.

Saint-Dizier-Leyrenne decided to twin with Loqueltas because in 2017 Eric Perot, who lives in Loqueltas (he is the son of Saint-Dizier's mayor) decided to help a young, very ill boy named Nohann by running 500 kms from Loqueltas to Saint-Dizier, raising funds on the way. He succeeded and the idea of twinning came to light at that moment between the two mayors. Unfortunately Nohann died this year, but research into his illnesses continues, and this week -end Saint-Dizier welcomed a group of Bretons (including Nohann's parents) to officialise the twinning of the two towns.

The Bretons were introduced to local food, local museums, traditional dancing and singing in patois and the unveiling of the twinning sign took place under a brilliant blue Creusois sky. It seems like the beginning of a long term partnership that can bring many benefits to the community and to the municipality.

I have a memory of twinning - I used to drive daily to work in Manchester and driving on the bridge passing over the Manchester Ship Canal, on my way into Salford, there was the sign that I often read and that has stayed with m  'Salford twinned with Clermont-Ferrand (France)'. I did wonder exactly where that town in France was  now of course I know! Little did I know when I read that sign most mornings that I would be living just down the road from Clermont-Ferrand.

I feel sure that the twinning between St Dizier Leyrenne and Loqueltas will grow and flourish, it will introduce new experiences and new friends, the idea is certainly a positive one which encourages people to be dynamic, and to participate in the life of their village. I look forward to a visit to the Morbihan in the near future !
New Delhi [India], Oct 24 (ANI): The first trilateral meeting between India, Afghanistan and Iran of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement took place on October 22 in Tehran.

The Indian delegation was led by T.S. Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations), while the Afghan and Iran delegations were led by respective Deputy Ministers of Transport.

"Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar Port," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

"All sides shared the view that full operationalisation of trilateral Chabahar initiative will promote connectivity and economic development of Afghanistan and the region," it added.

The MEA also said that the three nations have decided to constitute a follow-up committee that would hold its first meeting within two months in Chabahar Port, Iran.

"It would, inter alia, discuss and aim to finalise protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs, consular matters that was shared by the Indian side at the meeting for making the route attractive, decrease logistic costs and pave way for smooth implementation of the Trilateral Chabahar Agreement," the statement said.

The next meeting of the Coordination Council will be held in the first half of 2019 in India. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
US Military Cancels 300 Million USD Financial Aid to Pakistan. (Photo Credit: ANI)

New Delhi [India], Oct 24 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that it has appointed Saurabh Kumar as the new Ambassador to Myanmar.

The MEA, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the new Indian Ambassador to Myanmar will be assuming the assignment "shortly".

Kumar, belonging to the 1989 Indian Foreign Service's (IFS) batch, is presently serving as the Ambassador of India to Iran. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
One of the movies releasing in 2019 that we are super-excited about is Ali Abbas Zafar's Bharat. The movie reunites Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif with the director after Tiger Zinda Hai. The cast and crew have already travelled to Abu Dhabi and Malta to shoot for the film. Now, we know about their next pitstop. Team Bharat is all set to return to the roots as they will be stationed in Punjab after Diwali. Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Sunil Grover's First Selfie From the Sets of Bharat - See Pic Inside.

As per a report by TOI, the next shooting schedule of the film will begin right after Diwali. Punjab will serve as the next location for the shoot and given the scenic beauty of the state, we are not surprised by the choice. But all will not be about scenic beauty in the next schedule. As the Salman and Katrina will be shooting for a very intense part of the story in Punjab.

As per the report, scenes of India-Pakistan partition will be shot in the next schedule in Punjab. Makers have already started building massive sets in Punjab to shoot for the very crucial scenes.

Back on October 16, Team Bharat wrapped up the Abu Dhabi schedule. Unlike previous films of Salman like Tiger Zinda Hai and Tubelight, we are only getting limited pictures from the sets of this one. But since the base is shifting to India, finally, expect some locals to click pictures of the film sets and the stars.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bharat also stars Disha Patani, Tabu, Sunil Grover in key roles. The movie is an official adaptation of the Korean film, An Ode to My Father. Stay tuned to Latestly for more updates on Bharat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 11:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow released the admit cards for Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018 today. All the registered candidates must note that the link has been activated on October 24 at 1:00 pm on the official website; iimcat.ac.in. The hall tickets are now live online for candidates to download. Only those who fall under the eligibility and have completed the registrations will get the call letters. The admit card is an essential document for CAT 2018. Those without a print out will be barred from appearing in the exam which is scheduled to be held on November 25. IIM Calcutta will host this year's CAT at various test centres across in 147 cities. CAT 2018: IIM Notifies Registration Dates, Exam Schedule & Other Details.

Candidates allotment of cities and venue details will be available on the admit card. The hall tickets will be available for download from October 24 to November 25, 2018. As the link is activated on the official website; the candidates are required to fill in the details on the prescribed format. The registrations for CAT 2018 ended on September 26 followed by an extension from the earlier scheduled date. Before downloading the admit cards, the candidates are advised to read if their details on it are mentioned correctly. If not, they must contact the help desk soon, the contact of which is available on the website.

Students who wish to pursue MBA course in top IIMs in the country, they prepare for the entrance exam. CAT is a 3 hours computer-based exam of 100 marks with questions including Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. As the exam is coming closer, the candidates must do a quick preparation and practise as much with the mock tests available online to surpass the exam at one go. The students will get only 60 minutes to answer each section. While doing that, they will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a particular section.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 02:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Mumbai, October 24: An Indonesian woman delivered a baby-on-board an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta on Wednesday morning, officials said here.

Following the medical emergency, the flight was diverted to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the woman was rushed to the Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri east and is now recuperating with her newborn baby. Mumbai Teen Finds Abandoned Baby on the Turf After Mistaking Its Cries for a Cats.

The flight, EY-474, was delayed by at least two hours against its scheduled arrival of 3.05 p.m. at Jakarta due to the medical emergency, according to an official.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 01:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Amritsar, October 24: The tragic accident in Punjab's Amritsar on Friday claimed lives of at least 61 people and injured nearly 72. Following the mishap, a headless body, which was found lying on the railway track, was claimed by several people. These people claimed that the deceased was their kin and asked for compensation from the state government. According to a BBC report, there were many who claimed in the General Railway Police (GRP) for the body of a 35-year-old man but after they were asked to do a DNA test, most of them did not return.

The report further informed that a day after the accident, a person from Madhya Pradesh claimed that he had identified the corpse and it was his brother's dead body. A day later, a woman from Gonda district contacted GRP and claimed that the body is from her husband, but did not return for the DNA test. Dussehra Event Organiser Saurabh Madan Mithu Releases Video, Claims 'Asked People 10 Times Not To Stand On Railway Tracks'.

GRP SHO Balbir Singh Ghuman confirmed two families have approached to take the dead body. Ghuman informed that families that they will have to take a DNA test to confirm their claim. Amritsar MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu 'Adopts Families of Those Killed in Train Tragedy'.

In the wake of the mishap, the Punjab Government has announced a grant of five lakh rupees to the families of those killed in the train accident. The accident took place after a crowd of Dussehra revellers spilled onto railway tracks while watching the burning of Ravana effigy. The revellers were run over by a train near the Joda Phatak in Amritsar. According to PTI reports, the train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar and over 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, October 23: According to a report by IT security firm Sophos Labs, fake apps of leading banks in India may have stolen data of thousands of customers in the country. The fake Android apps, available on Google Play, target total seven banks such as SBI, ICICI, Axis, Indian Overseas, BoB, Yes Bank and Citi Bank, the report said.

These fake android apps lure customers by promising rewards, including cash back on purchases, free mobile data or interest-free loans on downloading and using their applications. People fall in the trap as these fake apps have the logo of respective banks which makes it difficult for customers to differentiate between the fake and original apps, the report stated. Ayushman Bharat Scheme: Fake WhatsApp Messages With Dubious Links Shared on Groups.

"Deceptive malware may have stolen thousands of Indian sub-continent bank customers account data or credit card numbers," Pankaj Kohli, threat researcher, SophosLabs, said. "Some are blatant copies of real apps, while a few are much more dangerous as they seed malware and steal data from user accounts," the SophosLabs report said.

When news agency PTI contacted some of the banks mentioned in the report, they said they have not come across any such fake apps. However, some banks have started an inquiry and also informed the CERT-In -- the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incident. Yes Bank said it has informed the bank's cyber fraud department about the matter.

Response from the country's largest lender State Bank of India, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank were awaited. According to the report, bank customers should always use antivirus software, which provides malware protection and internet security to keep users protected and stop these fake apps from stealing data.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2018 11:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Jammu, October 24: An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in several areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. According to the latest updates, two terrorists were neutralised and their bodies were recovered following the encounter. According to a tweet by ANI, the exchange of fire began at Soothu and Nowgam areas on the outskirts of Srinagar. In the wake of the gunfight, the internet services in these areas remained suspended.

Reports inform that no collateral damage took place and incriminating materials including arms and ammunition have been recovered. Citizens have been requested not to enter the encounter site. However, the J&K Police has filed a case and a probe has been initiated into the matter.

On Tuesday, a massive explosion took place inside the Indian Army camp in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports, the blast took place on Tuesday morning around 10.30 AM inside the 3rd brigade headquarters at Moti Mahal. Jammu And Kashmir: Three Terrorists Killed In Kulgam Encounter At Laroo Area; One Security Personnel Injured.

#JammuAndKashmir: An exchange of fire started between terrorists & security forces at Soothu, Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar earlier this morning. Internet services have been suspended. (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/tMIUg9cfmp  ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

Earlier this week, seven civilians were killed when unused explosives of three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants went off in Kulgam district of South Kashmir. Police informed that the three militants were gunned down in an encounter. According to a report by PTI, The incident took place at Laroo village in Kulgam district, which is one of the worst-hit by militancy in south Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir: Terrorists Hurl Rifle Grenade on CRPF Camp in Pulwama, One Personnel Injured.

Reports inform that the security forces launched a search-and-cordon operation following intelligence report about the presence of militants.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Vadodara, October 24: Members of two families in a Kutch village clashed over a dispute related to a local election held two years ago. Six persons were killed and four injured in the violance that took palce in Chhasra village of Mundra taluka in Kutch late on Tuesday night. The clash took place outside the residence of Sakina Boliya, the sarpanch of Chhasra village.

Following the clash, cross-complaints were filed by one Ritesh and Arab, husband of Sakina Boliya, the sarpanch of Chhasra village. According to Ritesh's complaint, his cousin brother Mangal and Chetan were going on their farm on their tractor when Sakinas son Aabid came in a Bolero car and started abusing Mangal.

Their elder brother Bharat Chavda went to the sarpanch house to complain about his son. Mangal and Chetan also followed Bharat. Ritesh alleged that there Sakina and Arab were waiting for them with weapons like scythe, spear, knives, swords, sticks etc. He said they were attacked and by the family. While we were shifting the injured into our car, Arab rammed his Bolero car in our car with the intent to kill us, Ritesh stated in his complaint.

In the cross-complaint, Arab said he was sitting outside his residence when Bharat, Mangal, Panchabhais son Nim (alias Bhargav) and Chetan arrived there and started abusing him. They also started vandalising a CCTV camera installed at their house, he alleged.

When I requested them not to use foul words and not to break the CCTV camera, they became incensed and attacked me with sticks and steel pipes. After hearing my cries for help, my wife came out of the house and shielded me. But the assailants attacked her also. In the meantime, my son Abid rushed out of our home to help us, but the quartet hit him in his head with a stick and knocked him down. They also attacked my father Adam who had rushed the spot by then, Arab was quoted as saying.

In the clash, all including Sakina and her father-in-law Adam were injured. Superintendent of Police of Kutch (west), MS Bharada, said the incident did not have any communal overtones, and there has been no further violence.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 08:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, October 24: The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that no Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) vehicle will be sold and registered across the country after 1st April, 2020. The top Court today pronounced its order on whether grace period should be given to automobile manufacturers for the sale of BS-VI non-compliant vehicles after 1st April, 2020, which was the deadline.

With the latest decision, the Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm would come into force from 1st April, 2020 across the country. The BS IV norms have been enforced across the country since April 2017 and will now switch to Bharat Stage VI in April 2020. According to details Auto Fuel Policy, BS IV was to be adopted by the country by 2017, BS V by 2020, and BS VI by 2024.

Earlier in 2016, the Centre had announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020. According to a PTI report, a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur had on August 27 reserved its order on the issue. Delhi Air Quality Index: Pollution Worsens in NCR, Anand Vihar at 999 Under Hazardous Category.

The Bharat Stage emission standards are believed to regulate the output of air pollutants from vehicle engines. However, the higher the Bharat Stage, the less polluting is the vehicle.

Reports inform that the automobile manufacturers had justified the grace period to sell their vehicles contending that India was leapfrogging from BS-IV emission norms to BS-VI within a short span of time. However, they had argued that they were allowed to manufacture BS-IV vehicles till March 31, 2020 and they should be granted reasonable time to sell their stock.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Bengaluru, October 24: An illegal cryptocurrency kiosk put up in the city by Unocoin Technologies was seized within a week of its installation. The police have made an arrest of the co-founder of the company, Harish BV. It was called as India's first ever Bitcoin ATM installed at Kempfort Mall in the city, despite Reserve Bank of India's crackdown on cryptocurrency in India. The Cyber Crime Police from Bengaluru have registered a case against the company.

The Cyber Crime department of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) told the media, "The ATM kiosk installed by Unocoin in Bengaluru's Kempfort Mall has not taken any permission from the state government and is dealing in cryptocurrency outside the remit of the law." The ATM allowed customers to deposit and withdraw a minimum amount of Rs 1,000 of virtual currency. Along with the machine, the police also seized two laptops, mobile phone, credit cards, debit cards, passport, seals of Unocoin company and Rs 1.8 lakh.

The co-founder Harish has been sent to police custody for a week. The police also said that more arrests in the case are likely after further investigation. The Bitcoin ATM was a platform for people wanting to buy and sell bitcoins. In a report to TOI, the CCB course said, "The accused claims hes running the kiosk for six months. We think he's misleading us." The police also appealed to the people to not be lured by investing money in cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies to Remain Illegal in India, RBI Says Can't Recognise Bitcoins Under the Current Legal Regime.

The company meanwhile stated that the machine wasn't working yet and was portrayed in a negative light. Unocoin was planning to install similar ATMs in Mumbai and Delhi. The RBI earlier this year had made a declaration to prohibit dealing in virtual currencies. The central bank declared that cryptocurrencies are not a legal tender and no financial institutions associated with the RBI would deal in virtual currency.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 10:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Ten years after France implemented a ban on full face veils in public in its country, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has called it a violation of religious freedom.

The ruling which looked at Frances decision to introduce the ban across the country and has been followed by other European countries, says that France has not explained adequately why the ban was necessary.

In its statement, the committee said it was "not persuaded by France's claim that a ban on face covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of 'living together' in society."

The UN body found that the French law, passed in 2010, violated the rights of two French women, who were fined in 2012 for concealing their faces in public. They had filed a complaint in 2016.

"The Committee found that the general criminal ban on the wearing of the niqab in public introduced by the French law disproportionately harmed the petitioners' right to manifest their religious beliefs, and that France had not adequately explained why it was necessary to prohibit this clothing," the UN experts said in a statement.

"The ban, rather than protecting fully-veiled women, could have the opposite effect of confining them to their homes, impeding their access to public services and marginalising them," the statement added.

According to the non-binding ruling, the French government has 180 days to report back to the UN committee, which has asked for compensation for the two petitioners.

Meanwhile, Yuval Shany, committee chairman, stressed that "the decisions are not directed against the notion of secularity, nor are they an endorsement of a custom which many on the Committee, including myself, regard as a form of oppression of women."

France was the first European country to ban the veil in public places with a law that took effect in 2011 and was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2014. Women can be fined up to 150 euros ($170) for failing to abide by it.

Other European countries have also followed suit with similar legislation in Denmark, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and parts of Switzerland.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 06:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Barely a month after a U.S. Navy war ship and a Chinese destroyer were embroiled in aggressive maneuvering in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy has sent two warships to sail through the Taiwan Strait.

The USS Antietam, a guided missile cruiser, and the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer, transited the strait Monday, sailing from south to north.

"USS Curtis Wilbur and USS Antietam conducted a routine Taiwan Strait Transit on October 22, in accordance with international law," Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for US Pacific Fleet.

"The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," he added.

The Taiwan Strait constitutes international waters but China is extremely sensitive about any U.S. vessel in the area as it lays claim to Taiwan. Taiwan, however is a self-governed, democratic island, which Beijing views as a breakaway province. Taiwan has been historically close to the U.S. and the Trump administration has not deviated from this geopolitical relationship.

In recent years, the U.S. has only sailed warships through the waterway about once a year. But more importantly, the U.S. Navy has not sailed an aircraft carrier in that area since 2007.

The U.S. Navy warships were tailed by Chinese warships throughout the transit but the increased frequency of the patrols conducted by the US Navy in areas that Beijing has laid claim to, has increased tensions between the two countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists Tuesday that China had already expressed "serious concern" to the United States following the transit.

"We urge the U.S. to stick to the one China principle ... and cautiously and appropriately handle the Taiwan issue to avoid harming Sino-US ties, and peace and stability in the Taiwan strait," she said.

Taiwan's premier William Lai said during a parliamentary session on Tuesday that Taiwan respected the US's right of passage in international waters and recognised "the various efforts of the US in maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific region".

This freedom of navigation movement by the U.S. Navy adds just another spark to the many flashpoints, such as the trade war, that have risen between Washington and Beijing in recent months.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 07:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Oct 24, 2018, 4:53am ET

Deja vu: small plane lands on CA freeway

That's the second time this week. This time, it burned.

Stop us if you've heard this one before: a small plane made an emergency landing on a freeway in southern California. It happened recently in the San Diego area, and a similar incident took place in Los Angeles just a few days later.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) told news station ABC 7 that 43-year old pilot Robert Sandberg was flying a North American T-6 made in the 1940s as part of a training exercise. The plane was part of the Condor Squadron vintage flying club, which explains why it was painted in the same livery as the German Luftwaffe's planes during World War II.

Sandberg experienced an unspecified engine problem while in the air and realized he would not be able to safely land at the airport. He pointed his plane towards a straight and relatively empty stretch of the 101 freeway and hoped for the best landing possible. He touched down without hitting a car, which is easier said than done in these circumstances.

Until this point in the story, the Los Angeles freeway landing sounds a lot like the earlier San Diego landing. But while Ryan Muno managed to safely bring his Pioneer Cherokee to a stop, Sandberg struggled to keep his T-6 under control after it touched the ground and ended up crashing into the median. He escaped the burning wreckage with help from other motorists.

Sandberg walked away from the crash without injuries. Fire fighters put out the flames -- which had consumed nearly the entire plane -- and crews spent the rest of the day cleaning jet fuel and debris off the road. The wreckage was taken to a hangar, and ABC 7 notes the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Note: Photo by ABC 7.
We bet you, Ijaw culture and traditions are worth getting acquainted with. They are considered to be the least studied among other Nigerian cultures, but still have a lot of exciting things to present, which everyone will find astonishing. We are sure you are already curious about it.

READ ALSO: Ijaw traditional attire you will adore

Distinguishing features of Ijaw culture

Ijaw cultur really has a lot of things to offer, cause the history of Ijaw and its culture itself is fascinating and runs deeply, despite the fact it is poorly studied.

Languages

Photo: proandroiddev.com

First, we are going to observe the Ijaw language. To be more specific, languages. There are nine closely cognate NigerCongo languages. All these languages belong to the Ijoid section of the NigerCongo language family. The main division between the Ijo languages is between Eastern Ijaw and Western Ijaw. Izon is the most prominent of the ancient language group. It is spoken by about five million Nigerians.

Photo: depositphotos.com

Izon language has two prominent groups. The first, related to Western (Central) Ijaw, is made up of speakers from eleven clans such as Tuomo, Mein (or Sagbama), Ekeremor, Apoi, Tarakiri, Bassan, Bumo (or Bomo), Arogbo, Kabuowei, Kololuma-Opokuma, and Ogboin. The Southeast Izon is represented by Nembe, Brass, and Akassa (or Akaha).

Kalabari is another influential Ijaw linguistic group. It is considered an Eastern Ijaw language, related to Kalabari clan, which is located on the eastern side of the Niger-Delta. There are several smaller language groups in Ijaw, which are defined by very close cultural and territorial bonds. They are the Epie-Atissa, Engenni, and Degema (or Udekama).

Religious traditions

Photo: dailywatchng.org

READ ALSO: Nigerian traditional art and culture

Although the Ijaw majority is Christian, traditional religious elements are still making the rounds. For Ijaw people, it is crucial to hold in reverence the reminiscence of ancestors and religious traditions. One of the most prominent idols is one of the water spirits called Owuamapu. Ijaw people believe that water spirits are just like humans, they have their accomplishments and imperfections.

There is also a belief, that every person had been one of the water spirits before he was born. They pray to water spirits. Each year the Ijaw hold festivals in honor the spirits, which can last for a few days. During these celebrations, men wear fancy attires and carved masks, dance to the rhythm of drums and expose the impact of the water spirits through the mood and energy of their dancing.

Traditional Ijaw food

The main role in the nutrition of the Ijaw people is played by agricultural products, among which yams occupy the first place. Many different dishes can be prepared from its tubers containing starch. There are several varieties of yams, each of which has a special purpose: white yam goes for making flour and porridge, bread is made from yellow.

Photo: seriouseats.com

Ijaw peope also use corn, sorghum, millet and taro. Sometimes taro is mixed with yam, manioc or bananas. Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, eggplants, breadfruit are common products as well.

Photo: thecoconet.tv

Many dishes are made from legumes. Dishes made from wheat are common, especially houraza, a special kind of wheat bread. Rice, which is considered to be a luxury product, is increasingly consumed here. Most of the dishes are very hot: they put a lot of pepper, onion, and tomatoes in them. When stewing meat and vegetables, leaves of various plants are put, for example, baobab, and a lot of spices. Bananas, pineapples, oranges, mangoes, lemons, papayas are common among fruits.

Photo: twitter.com

Here is the top-5 list of the most popular dishes:

Polofiyai - is very nutritious soup cooked with yams and palm oil.

Photo: deskram.net

Kekefiyai - is a thick soup made with chopped green plantains, fish, other seafood or fowl and of course alm oil.

Fried or roasted fish and cooking banana - is a dish made of fish, fried in palm oil, and served with fried plantains.

Photo: deelamilovesit.blogpost.com

Kalabari "sea-harvest" fulo - is a seafood soup or stew that can be served with foofoo, rice or yams.

Owafiya ( or Beans Pottage) - is a thick soup made with beans, palm oil, fish or game meat, with yam or cooking bananas. Usually, it is taken with processed cassava or starch.

Photo: 1qfoodplatter.com

READ ALSO: Hausa culture and traditions in Nigeria: top facts to know

Traditional Ijaw dressing

Photo: pinterest.com

In Ijaw, women's national clothing consists of a large piece of cloth wrapped around the hips and a blouse. Although in recent years more and more European-cut dresses are decorated with embroidery with beaded caps Exclusively picturesque hats. There are a lot of varieties of styles of knitting scarves. Jewelry made of gold, silver, beads are very trendy. Traditional hairstyles are characterized by high complexity.

Photo: pinterest.com

Men's clothing consists mainly of short pants and a shirt, over which a loose cape is worn. In the northern areas, the traditional dress of Ijaw is an elongated tunic, which is usually worn with baggy trousers. Moreover, the tunic and pants are an ensemble and must be the same color.

Photo: joy.az

Actually, etibo is an informal version of a tunic without buttons, and Uoko is an official one with three buttons and an aglet. The popularity of etibo among the ruling elite of Nigeria led to the emergence of a new name for the attire senator, which now almost entirely supplanted the original name.

Ijaw traditional music

The Ijaw culture has its own autochthonous music style called awigiri (or awijiri). Although, this form of music is almost entirely obscure outside of Nigeria but has initiated the careers of plenty of famous performers, and they in their turn have produced beautiful musical pieces over the years.

Now, we want to introduce to you some of the most popular awigiri performers:

Anthony Cockson

Photo: likembe.blogspot.com

A. S. Eseduwo

Photo: likembe.blogspot.com

King Robert Ebizimor

Photo: likembe.blogspot.com

Chief Bukka

Photo: likembe.blogspot.com

Barrister S. Smooth

Photo: likembe.blogspot.com

Traditional musical instrument is mainly represented by a specific type of drum. The most common drum types for Ijaw people are the Ibid (or Ibibio) and Ekomo (or Efik). Both are medium-sized and covered with leather skin like tom-tom drums.

Photo: musicinafrica.com

Other regularly handled drums in Ijaw are the clay bass pot. These types of drums are also typical for Igbo and Udu. Drums are usually used for dances to beat the rhythm during festivals and celebrations.

READ ALSO: 7 Strange Traditions In Nigeria You Probably Never Knew

Source: Legit
The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame was seen doing a jogging exercise around the city of Kigali, the country's capital without security operatives.

In a photo posted on his official Facebook , the 61 year-old politician and former military leader was seen jogging in Kigali devoid of the usual security details that usually accompany leaders..

READ ALSO: Fix this mess - Buhari orders Oshiomhole as APC crisis deepens

President Kigame who is reputed to have turned the economy of the country around had served as minister of defence and vice-president in Rwanda.

The East African leader has received global acclaim for returning Rwanda to normalcy decades after the genocide that claimed hundreds of lives between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups.

The country is now regarded as a leading economy. Kigali is also known to be a major tourist attraction.

Check the post:

Recall that recently, President Buhari also walked 800m in his hometown, Daura in Katsina state.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the United Nation (UN) had named the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali as the most beautiful city in Africa.

This announcement had, however, caused an uproar online as many Africans did not agree with the United Nations.

They had come out in defense of their respective cities as the most beautiful in Africa.

Osun Osogbo Festival 2018: How I got Powers to Deliver People Under Osun's Spirit | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Nnamdi Kanus threat to cause hell has been described as mere threat by the presidency

- Presidential aide, Garba Shehu, said Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat

- He said Nigerians need not worry about the hollow outburst by Nnamdi Kanu

The presidency has described Nnamdi Kanus threat to return to Nigeria with hell as mere threat and urged Nigerians not to worry.

In a statement by Garba Shehu who is the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity on Tuesday, October 23, the presidency said its relationship with other countries remain strong.

The statement reads: The Presidency wishes to restate that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat, assuring all Nigerians that there is no reason to worry about the hollow outburst by Nnamdi Kanu, the disputed leader of IPOB on returning to the country with hell.

READ ALSO: Southeast leaders have the right to disagree with my nomination as Atiku's running mate - Obi

Instead, we see the re-enactment of his bizarre, episodic threat as a mere distraction which will not be allowed to detract from the existing cordial relationships between Nigeria and other countries.

The Buhari administration is in constant touch with other friendly nations and has the best assurances that they would continue to reciprocate the respect Nigeria has for the sovereignty of their nations.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army says it has commenced Operation Crocodile Smile III exercise across the states of the Niger Delta to stem the tide of pipeline vandalism in the region.

This is contained in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Tuesday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Tayo Oluwafemi of 2 Brigade Nigerian Army.

According to him, the exercise which started on Monday October 22 would last till November 22, 2018.

In line with the Army Headquarters Training Directive for Year 2018 which tasked Headquarters 6 Division, Port Harcourt to organize above mentioned exercise, the exercise is going to take place within the States in the Niger Delta Region including Akwa Ibom state.

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In view of this, Headquarters 2 Brigade, Uyo will from Monday 22 October to 22 November 2018 conduct Exercise Crocodile Smile III. This is aimed at stemming the tide of pipeline vandalism, illegal refineries/bunkering, kidnapping, cultism and other related crimes," he said.

EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians on Legit TV

Source: Legit Nigeria
The editor-in-chief of Legit.ng, Nigerias biggest online news publisher, Bayo Olupohunda was honoured at West Africa Media Excellence Awards where he emerged runner-up in the health reporting category.

The award in its second year attracted over 600 entries, shortlisted to 18, from West African journalists.

The 18 finalists competed in seven categories.

Olupohunda was nominated for the awards based on his investigative story on the menace of maternal mortality in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Army begins Operation Crocodile Smile III, gives reasons

The investigative story was structured in two parts. In the first part, the front line journalist and new media expert spoke to families who have been victims of maternal deaths and examined why many more Nigerian women are dying during childbirth.

In the second part, he examined the depressing statistics of maternal deaths, the role of traditional birth attendants and how corruption and poor health care system fuel maternal deaths in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, three Nigerian journalists emerged winners of their categories at the event held in Accra on Saturday. Ghanaian journalists also had a field day with three winners.

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Each of the winners was presented certificates, plaques, $500 cash prize and availed other opportunities.

For the biggest prize of the night, Manasseh Azure Awuni was announced as West Africa Journalist of the Year with the prize tag of $2, 000.

Source: Legit
- Six people have been reportedly injured in a fresh crisis between herders and farmers in Adamawa

- According to the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, the victims were taken to Yolde-Pate Hospital for treatment

- The agency, however, said the situation has been brought under control

The Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency ( ADSEMA) has confirmed that six persons sustained injuries in Farmers/Herders conflict in Chambaji Village, Yolde-Pate in Yola south LGA.

Muhammad Sulaiman, the executive secretary of the agency, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) on Tuesday, October 23, in Yola.

Sulaiman said that the situation was under control and the victims were taken to Yolde-Pate Hospital for treatment.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Army begins Operation Crocodile Smile III to stop pipeline vandalism, illegal refineries

"There is a farmer/herder clash in Chambaji Yolde Pate Yola south local government area on Tuesday afternoon where 6 people sustained injuries. The victims are receiving treatment in Yolde Pate hospital.

"Security Operatives were deployed to the area and the situation is now under control, Sulaiman confirmed.

Also, when contacted, the Adamawa Police command spokesman, Othman Abubakar confirmed the development, saying that normalcy had been restored in the area.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu: We are in constant touch with other friendly nations - Presidency

Abubakar, however, told NAN that the police were still investigating the situation.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a N550 billion fundamental rights suit has been instituted against President Muhammadu Buhari and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria by the Incorporated Trustees of Mdzough-U-Tiv, a socio-cultural association of the Tiv people.

The group is seeking the payment as compensation for damages for the victims of herdsmen attacks in Benue state.

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The president general of the Mdzough-U-Tiv, Edward Ujege, was listed as the plaintiff, in the suit which was filed at a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Benue elders speak on herdsmen attacks - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The Benue state government has reacted to a media report indicting its officials of graft

- The report had suggested N33 billion local government funds have been diverted for 3 years

- The government says the report is an attempt to smear the hard earned reputation of Governor Samuel Ortom and his administration

The Benue state government has reacted to a media report suggesting N33 billion local government funds have been diverted for 3 years by its officials.

Legit.ng gathered that the report was published by an online news portal (not Legit) recently.

In a statement sent to journalists on Tuesday, October 23, the information officer in the state's bureau of local government and chieftaincy affairs, Ahangba Ayati, described the report is an attempt to smear the reputation of Governor Samuel Ortom and his administration.

He said no funds belonging to the local government councils in the state have been diverted by Governor Ortom or any other government official, contrary to the claim by the publication.

READ ALSO: Farmers/herders clash: 6 people reportedly injured in Adamawa community

Part of the statement read: The general public may wish to note that the bureau of local government and chieftaincy affairs carries out disbursements to local government councils based on approvals by the Joint Account Allocation Committee JAAC, which meets monthly to deliberate on such issues based on the accruals from the federation account.

The general public may wish to also note that the Benue state bureau of local government and chieftaincy affairs has decentralized the payment of salaries of workers at the third tier. Monies are sent directly to the accounts of local government councils, who then effect payment of salaries of their various staff.

The accountant of the bureau, Mr. Emmanuel Gbagyo, has neither met in person with the publisher of the article in question, nor has he ever spoken with him. He therefore wonders how the said publisher came across such information, except perhaps, by sheer imagination and desperation to cast aspersions on the Ortom administration.

We challenge the online publisher to prove his allegations, otherwise, the bureau will seek legal redress.

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Meanwhile, Governor Ortom has warned thugs demanding money from government contractors or individuals who embark on private projects in parts of the state to desist from the act or face arrest and prosecution.

The governor issued the warning in a statement sent to Legit.ng by his chief press secretary, Terver Akase.

The governor said the warning has become necessary following reported cases of harassment of contractors on project sites recently by some youths in Makurdi.

Benue IDPs: Education amidst crisis | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- The federal government has announced plans to limit number of children born per mother

- FG said Nigeria's population had been identified as one of the great challenges confronting the successful implementation of the ERGP

- Minister of finance Zainab Ahmed said the plan would be sustained as it was purely a document that focused on the development of the Nigerian economy

The federal government has said that it is working on a policy that would limit the number of children that a mother could have in Nigeria.

The FG said the move was aimed at addressing one of the great challenges in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the Nigerian government.

Speaking at the fourth Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, on Tuesday, October 23, the minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, said Nigeria's population had been identified as one of the great challenges confronting the successful implementation of the ERGP.

She said: We have been engaging traditional rulers and other leaders. Specifically, we have found out that to be able to address one of the great challenges that we identified in the ERGP, which is the growth in our population, we need to engage these institutions.

READ ALSO: Fayemi debunks media reports of receiving N30 billion from Federal Government

And we hope that with their support, we will get to a point where we can come out with the policy that limits the number of children that a mother can have because that is important for sustaining our growth," Ahmed said.

The minister also argued that the plan would be sustained as it was purely a document that focused on the development of the Nigerian economy.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the National Population Commission (NPC) has put Nigerias current population at 198 million people with urban population growing at an average annual growth rate of about 6.5%.

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The chairman of NPC, Eze Duruiheoma, said Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million.

The recent World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.

What does Nigeria need right now? (Nigerian Street Interview) | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
- Ekiti state governor, Kayode Fayemi, has reacted to rumours that he got N30 billion from the federal government after his inauguration

- The governor said his government has not received any money from the federal government or any of its agencies since its inauguration

- Described it as fake and unfounded, Fayemi said his administration would not be distracted by baseless rumours

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state on Tuesday, October 23, denied receiving N30 billion from the federal government after his inauguration.

A statement by the chief press secretary to the governor, Yinka Oyebode, quoted Fayemi as saying that the people of the state should discountenance the rumour as it was fake and unfounded.

He said his administration has not received any money from the federal government or any of its agencies since its inauguration.

READ ALSO: Only Nwosu can win Imo governorship - Okorocha boasts

Part of the statement read: As a responsible government that believes in accountability and transparency, this government will always provide correct information to the people on all its transactions and will not hide anything from the people.

Members of the public are thereby assured of regular briefings on the state of finances and developments in the state

The era of government by deceit and falsehood has ended on October 15. The present administration is focused on meeting its obligations to workers, pensioners and the general public."

The governor said that his administration would not be distracted by baseless rumours in the discharge of its duties to the people of the state.

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Meanwhile, Governor Fayemi has been advised by the Catholic bishop of Ekiti Diocese, the Most Reverend Felix Ajakaye, to appoint only men of goodwill that will help his administration in touching the lives of the people.

The cleric issued the admonition during a thanksgiving mass held at the St. Patricks Catholic Cathedral Church, Old Garage, Ado-Ekiti as part of activities marking Fayemis inauguration, on Sunday, October 21.

Legit.ng reports that Ajakaye also warned Fayemi not to appoint people who will hijack his government; and cautioned him to make a difference in the lives of Ekiti people, during his second stint as governor.

Nigeria News: President Buhari's Return Will Teach Nigerians Sense | Legit TV

Source: Legit
A Nigerian lady has taken to her Facebook profile to call out the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, for getting married to Olori Shilekunola Oluwaseyi Naomi. Ooni of Ife officially unveiled his new bride on Thursday, October 18.

Just five days after the pronouncement of Naomi as queen, a self-acclaimed jilted lover, Elizabeth Odunlami, took to Facebook and revealed what transpired between her and the Oba Ogunwusi.

According to Odunlami, the Ooni not only promised her marriage but allegedly used her name for business transactions that ran into millions of dollars in the United States (US). Odunlami added that she would not have shared this on social media but the humiliation was too much to bear.

Ooni of Ife lied to me that I'll be the next queen - Nigerian lady Elizabeth Odunlami

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Beautiful photos from Ooni of Ifes royal wedding to his new bride

Odunlami hails from Ijebu, attends the Celestial Church of Christ, lives in New York and worked at the African Charities of America.

Her Facebook post reads: Kabiyesi Enitan Ogunwusi, I'm thanking you for the disappointment after using my real biological name to execute your contract from Mr John in California. As a matter of fact, you promised me to be your next queen before Naomi, whenever i asked you if you have someone, you were always in denial. On certainty, you told me that all your so-called spiritualists positively accepted me as your new queen, that shouldn't listen to rumors, always communicating with me every day promising me ticket to Nigeria soon. Had it been that i knew you're a liar, do u think that I'll release all my personal informations to both you and your contractor that died in ghastly accident, you put tears in my naked eyes and give joy to Naomi after getting your plenty million contracts successfully and also told me after Olojo festival that you're sending me ticket to board airline to Nigeria. If want to deal with you in America way, you'll be arrested by USA, but for the sake of love that I have for Yoruba Land, I'll leave you with Judgment of God Oonirisa Oba Funfun Nene. For those making Jess of me on Facebook continue making Jess of me. I'm already successful and I'm a pillar. Nobody tackle with me. Vengeance is Lord between me and you Akande Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi. AdabiArojahadafun iwo ati PA ti mo designated to bring the contract to you at your lle-Ife palace. Idajo Olorun Esan a wo afin e soon wa mo wipe emi gangan ni atupa Jesu.

See post below:

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Legit.ng earlier reported that Ooni of Ifes former queen, Zaynab Otiti Obanor, took to her Instagram handle to congratulate her ex-husband and new wife, Prophetess Shilekunola Oluwaseyi Naomi on their union.

Amazing revelation!

Nigerian Celebs Who Are Happy Together Despite The Age Gap - Dare Art-Alade, Kaffy and Peter Okoye / Legit TV.

Source: Legit
- VON DG has accused the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, of impunity

- He accused Oshiomhole of not giving regard to natural justice, equity and fair play

- According to him, the national chairman corrupted the panels that supervised the primaries

Osita Okechukwu, the director general of Voice of Nigeria (VON), has accused the the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, of lacking regard for natural justice, equity.

He accused Oshiomhole of promoting impunity and circumventing due process in the recent primary elections of the party.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Army begins Operation Crocodile Smile III, gives reasons

Daily Trust reports that Okechukwu accused the APC national chairman of not giving regard to natural justice, equity and fair play when he allegedly populated and corrupted the panels that supervised the primaries with his Edo field commanders.

He told the APC national chairman that the federal character principle as enunciated in the 1999 Constitution, the constitution of the APC and extant laws, frowned at nepotism and food-is-ready for his cronies.

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Legit.ng earlier reported that Oshiohmole, on Monday, October 22, dismissed as untrue the reported gang-up by APC governors against his leadership of the party.

Oshiomhole had on Sunday in a statement by his press secretary, Simon Ebegbulem, alleged that conservatives within the party are ganging up to pass a vote of no-confidence in him. He said in the statement that his sin was his refusal to allow continued impunity and circumvention of due process being perpetuated in some states.

But, Oshiohmole, who fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, said only one or two out of the 23 state governors under the platform of the APC were vehemently opposed to his leadership style.

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole has filed an application challenging the allegation of fraud against him before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Federal High Court in Abuja recently ordered that Oshiomhole be served with an application brought before the court by one Bishop Osadolor Ochei, an anti-corruption activist.

Name a Nigerian politician who is not corrupt - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
- Sultan of Sokoto Saad Abubakar says things are not well with Nigeria

- The respected monarch cited issues of kidnappings and killings in the country for making this statement

- He also warned that politicians might want to orchestrate the type of violent crisis that rocked Kaduna last week

Saad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto has declared that things are not right with Nigeria. The respected monarch cited issues of kidnappings, killings in some sections of the nation in arriving at this statement.

He disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday, October 23, at the National Dialogue for Democratic Stability organised by the Alumni Association of the National Institute.

He also warned that politicians might want to orchestrate the type of violent crisis that rocked Kaduna last week in which over 50 persons were killed by hooligans.

READ ALSO: Governor Fayemi denies receiving N30 billion from Federal Government

I cannot say things are right with Nigeria; things are not right with Nigeria. We all know that and thats why we have these security issues, kidnappings, killings, everywhere, everywhere you find a community.

One of the saddest things that have happened in the last five days is the killing in Kaduna. If you know how these killings started, you would feel so bad. It is not a religious crisis; it was caused by people who dont have jobs, they are hungry, they want to lead a good life.

You would find that all that took place was the looting of shops, thats all, nothing more. There was no burning of churches and mosques. People were going about killing people, breaking cars.

As we inch closer to elections, we are going to get worse scenarios because politicians would definitely use it to do whatever they want, to scuttle elections or to make sure they are at an advantaged position, he said.

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Legit.ng had reported the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, urged Nigerians to shun all forms of conflict and violence before, during and after the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

Abubakar, represented by the Emir of Keffi, Shehu Chindo-Yamusa III, made the appeal on Tuesday, September 18, in Abuja at a peace declaration summit.

The Next President of Nigeria. Who Will Win the 2019 Elections? | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The PDP, Kwara state chapter, urges President Muhammadu Buhari to focus on the pressing demands of governance rather than being focused on the APC taking over power in Kwara state

- Tunde Ashaolu, the spokesperson for the party, advises the APC-led government not to dispense its energy to cause unrest in a peaceful state like Kwara

The Kwara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress of trying to take over power in Kwara state in 2019 general election for the purpose of handing over the state to cabals.

The party made the allegation on Tuesday, October 23, in reaction to the reported order by President Muhammadu Buhari that APC should take over Kwara state in 2019 general election, Vanguard reports.

READ ALSO: Governor Fayemi denies receiving N30 billion from Federal Government

Tunde Ashaolu, the spokesperson for the party, in a statement urged the president to focus on the pressing demands of governance rather than being focused on what he described as the tall dream of taking over power in Kwara state.

As a responsible and compassionate party, we enjoin the APC-led government to address the insecurity in the country rather dissipating its energy to cause unrest in a peaceful state like Kwara," Ashaolu said.

The killings in Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Borno and in other parts of the country are unacceptable.

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The marching orders by the president to the APC stakeholders to take over Kwara is a reflection of the partys desperation to take control of Kwara at all cost and put the state in captivity of the Lagos and Abuja cabals.

Legit.ng had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, October 22, met behind closed door with stakeholders of the APC in Kwara state at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the state APC governorship candidate in the 2019 general elections, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, said the president had given the party the marching order to take over the mantle of leadership in Kwara, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

He said the presidents marching order would be democratically implemented by the party as the people of the state had since expressed their readiness to make the Saraki political dynasty a history in the state.

Election 2019: Can Saraki be the Next President of Nigeria? | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Ondo state APC chapter has started a reconciliation move

- The move is expedient to bury the grievances generated by the primaries

- Members still aggrieved have been urged to let the bygone be

In its preparation to bury all the swords in their scabbards, the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ondo state has embarked on peace move ahead of the coming general elections, Vanguard reports.

The assurance was given by the chairman of the party in the state, Ade Adetimehin at Ode Irele, area during an empowerment programme by the commissioner for budget and planning in the state, Pastor, Emmanuel Igbasan.

Legit.ng gathers that the recently concluded APC primaries in Ondo had generated controversies and animosity among party members, with some threatening to dump the party.

READ ALSO: APC is planning to hand over Kwara state to cabals - PDP alleges

But Adetimehin has called for mutual understanding and respect for the party's decision, adding that all would be fine with the reconciliation moves.

Also in a statement by the state publicity secretary, Alex Kalejaye, aggrieved members were urged to manage the crisis rocking the party well ahead of 2019. He similarly added that dividends of government can only come when party members persevere.

He said: It was not unusual for members to be negatively affected by some decisions of the party leaders, but the ability to manage the crisis and forge ahead was of utmost importance.

Certainly it would go round if party members keep faith and agitate within the fold.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that some aggrieved loyalists of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state were reportedly planning to defect to other political parties.

They were not happy over an alleged imposition of candidates by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.

The aggrieved members claimed they were shunned out from contesting during the primaries by the partys NWC.

APC Official Tells Why His Party Could Be Voted Out in 2019 | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- A trigger-happy police officer reportedly killed a young lady named Anita Akapson

- He allegedly shot the lady for refusing to open her car door as he directed

- The FCT police refused to comment on the case, saying investigation was still ongoing

Anita Akapson, 31, said to be the daughter of a former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, was reportedly shot and killed in her 2007 Honda Accord car, on Saturday, October 13, after allegedly refusing to alight when directed by a policeman.

The Punch reports that after demobilising the car by firing at the tyres, the Superintendent of Police, who shot her, was said to have asked Akapson to come out of the car but she reportedly refused, fearing that she might be harmed.

The newspaper said that sources close to the investigation disclosed on Tuesday, October 23, that the police officer insisted that Akapson should step out of her car, but she refused to budge.

READ ALSO: Governor Fayemi denies receiving N30bn from federal government

In an attempt to force the door open, the police officer fired at the car door and the bullet went through it, hit Akapson in the stomach and exited into the driver seat, the source explained while reportedly tendering the picture showing the trajectory of the bullet.

Legit.ng gathers that the spokesman, Federal Capital Territory Police, Anjuguri Manzah, declined to comment on the case, saying investigation was still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the family of the deceased has allegedly refuted reports that they have secured an independent investigator to probe the death of their daughter, describing the claim as erroneous

The lawyer for the family, Kayode Ajulo, said it was untrue that an independent investigator was probing the case, noting that the family expected the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the tragedy and prosecute those involved.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a 27-year-old woman fell off the 27th floor of a building while trying to take a selfie.

According to a report, taking selfies has led to more than 250 deaths since 2011, and that does not seem ready to stop anytime soon.

The 27-year-old woman in Panama, identified as Sandra Manuela Da Costa Macedo, fell to her death from the 27th floor of a building while trying to take a selfie.

The mother of two had been sitting on the railing of the balcony when she tumbled backwards and fell. It has been said that perhaps strong winds pushed her back leading to her fall.

Lagos CP Tells Lagosians What to Do to Erring SARS Officers | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Osita Okechukwu has called for the removal of Adams Oshiomhole

- Okechukwu is the senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress

- He complained that Oshiomhole has grossly breached the constitution of the APC

The director-general of Voice of Nigeria (VON), and senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Osita Okechukwu, on Wednesday, October 24, called for the removal of the chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.

Okechukwu, who lost the Enugu west senatorial ticket to Juliet Ibekaku, the special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on justice reform, said this on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, while speaking on the issues surrounding the party primaries.

According to him, As national chairman, I had high respect for him like most of our members. But today, three, four months down the line, he has grossly breeched the constitution of the APC, grossly divided the APC further that it is only president and the leadership for the party that can couple together the mess.

READ ALSO: Governor Fayemi denies receiving N30bn from federal government

I was a member of the APC merger committee. I (can) stand to say I am (a) foundation member, like Comrade Oshiomhole. We started by saying we are true progressives, patriots, (who) wanted to make change, (who) wanted to avoid discrimination, eliminate what those we defeated in 2015 were doing.

We talked of change. Our motto is justice, peace and harmony. The constitution went further to say that if you want to conduct any primary or congress to elect anybody, it must be democratically done.

I think actually, unlike those who are saying he is a mole, I dont think so. What I know is that as a social scientist, the little I could read on Adams Oshiomhole is that he suffers from Narcissism, what we know as I too know (ITK). So he doesnt believe anybody except himself and that is costly to the APC.

What we noticed, especially in the south -east where I come from, is that Oshiomhole populated the leadership of the panels with his kindred and cronies.

Go to the records of the outcome of those primaries, one in Kano, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, (filled with) Edo people. Is that federal character principle? Is there no qualified chairman that could come from Jigawa, Kano, Ekiti, and Enugu?

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I thought that the 37 chairmen of the panels will represent different states and each state should have a spot. That is the internment of the APC constitution; that is the internment of the Nigerian constitution.

So if you went out of your way to grossly violate the constitution of the party, the outcome is on the plate.

Speaking on the pro -Oshiomhole protest held at the partys national secretariat on Tuesday, Okechukwu said he believes that was sponsored by the chairman.

According to him, When I saw a crowd at the party secretariat chanting his songs, I said so it has gotten to a stage where comrade went to hire people to start defending the indefensible.

Comparing the tenure of the former chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, he said what happened in Oyeguns time is far different from the calamity we have now.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that some governors on the platform of the APC are reportedly calling for the removal of Adams Oshiomhole, the chairman of the party.

A minister who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday, October 9, said they were not comfortable with his style of leadership.

The minister reportedly claimed the governors did not financially contribute to the partys convention and were monitoring how money gotten from sale of nomination forms are being spent.

APC is the worst party in Nigeria, i regret being a member - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit
-VoN DG, Okechukuwu has called for the resignation of Adam Oshiohmole

- He said the crisis in APC is because of the national chairman's too know

- He also added that there is high-handedness in Oshiohmole's leadership

Following the crisis generated by the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections, the director-general of Voice of Nigeria (VoN), Osita Okechukwu has joined the train of party members calling for the removal of Adams Oshiomhole

Channels TV reports that Okechukwu, who was also a senatorial aspirant for the Enugu West senatorial district, gave this opinion on Wednesday, October 24 during a TV session tagged Sunrise Daily.

The VoN director, who attributed the latest crisis hitting APC like storms to the alleged authoritarianism of the partys leadership, also claimed that candidates were imposed against the people's wishes.

READ ALSO: APC is planning to hand over Kwara state to cabals - PDP alleges

He said: "The little I could read on Comrade Oshiomhole is that he suffers from nacism what in a local palace is called I too know.

He doesnt believe in anybody except himself. He has a fascination with himself and that is costly for the APC. So he should just resign.

What I am saying is that the crisis on the ground could be located on preferences to kindreds and cronies because if he (Oshiomhole) was genuine, the National Working Committee (NWC) could have been in a place to resolve the issue.

If there was no authoritarianism or high handedness in his governance, these people could have looked into the composition.

Okechukwu also noted that the problem behind the crisis in the ruling party is because under the watch of Oshionhole, personal interest was placed over party's, which has indicted the credibility of Oshiomhole's leadership competence.

Citing section 20 of the partys constitution, Okechukwu expressed that APC leadership should have taken into consideration the federal character principle before making rules and regulations for the conduct of its primaries.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that following the calls from some quarters for the removal of All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Adam Oshiomhole, supporters of the APC under the aegis of Federation of Buhari Support Groups (FBSG) staged a protest in support of Oshiomhole.

The protesters who came in several buses took up strategic positions in and around Blantyre street, APC national secretariat.

Armed security operatives, upon sighting the protesters, were deployed to the area to prevent violence and breaking of law and order.

Nigeria Election 2019: Kenneth Okonkwo Interview - Buhari will win | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng News
- A while ago, a post about a mentally challenged family of 5 in Cross River, surfaced online

- The news which went viral on social media, has finally reached the Cross River government who have since taken the family off the street

- New photos suggest they are currently in a psychiatry hospital, receiving treatment

Earlier on, Legit.ng reported the news of how a corp member serving in Cross River left many people stunned after she took to social media to share a photo of a family comprising a man, his wife and their 3 kids, all mentally challenged in Ogoja, Cross River.

Well, it appears their luck has turned around for the better as new reports suggests the Cross River government has come to their rescue. According to a Facebook post by a man identified as Prince Michael Nku Abuo, the government has partnered with the Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, to help the family get better.

Further details reveal the identity of the family as Mr and Mrs Ben Ogar and they are popularly referred to as the 'Ogoja mentally deranged couple'. According to his wife, they both lost their means of livelihood about the same time six years ago while still resident in Abuja with their two kids, and what followed was a mental disorder.

READ ALSO: Photo of a family of 5 battling mental illness in Cross River goes viral

This led to Ben relocating himself and family to his country home in Ogoja where he chose to stay in a shanty rather than his father's house. His family rescued his first set of kids from him when he started showing signs of the disorder, and six years of roaming the streets of Ogoja produced the three kids he was rescued with.

Doctors confirmed Ben to be suffering from a mental disorder, while his wife is only having the 'folie a deux' syndrome as a result of her husband's idealization. The children, two daughters and a son, are in very stable condition and are responding to treatment very well.

Honorable Commissioner for Health for the state, Inyang Asibong, said the family are in stable condition and are responding to treatment. She further revealed that the family will be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society with continuous medical care and social welfare.

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The Nigerian family of six with four blind children on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
- Atiku Abubakar's media team has said the PDP presidential candidate is not sick

- The media team said the news of Atiku illness was sponsored by political opponents

The media team of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has debunked the rumour that the PDP flagbearer is seriously ill and receiving intensive medical care.

Alaba Yusuf, the head of public relations unit of Atiku media team, said the report was a malicious lie sponsored by political opponent seeking to tarnish the image of the PDP presidential candidate.

READ ALSO: Armed soldiers reportedly guard strategic positions at NASS

He said: "Those unable to tar the image of our Principal and PDP presidential flagbearer, H.E. Atiku Abubakar, with the dirty brush of corruption, incompetence or visa scandal, have now come up with diabolical social media campaign that the former Vice President is seriously ill and may need a life-support oxygen machine.

"What a web of lies. In fact, prominent members of Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) have been perpetrating the ill will with a mischievous quick recovery to Waziri Adamawa and PDP candidate on Facebook. Nice one from your stable. We know the cable that is burning and requires replacement.

"H.E. Atiku Abubakar is as fit as fiddle. If he is ill, he would brief Nigerians of his ailment and he won't spend public fund to treat himself. Atiku is too modern to welcome prayers as solution to comatose public health Atiku, President-to-be, is no awoof person!"

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will revamp the Nigerian economy through the creation of qualitative employment for the youths if elected into government in 2019.

The party gave the assurance in a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday, October 21, in Abuja.

2019 Election: Is Atiku the right man to defeat Buhari? - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
For prosecutors and Allentown officials, Ed Pawlowski's trip to federal prison is the bookend to his pay-to-play case that tainted the Queen City.

But Pawlowski's defense attorney has vowed to appeal his conviction by a jury, so Pawlowski "can clear his name," and to appeal Chief U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez's order sending Pawlowski to prison to serve his 15-year-sentence while he waits for an appeal court decision.

Sanchez said Pawlowski lied to the FBI and to the jury, and said "I cannot trust him," before ordering the former mayor to federal prison Tuesday afternoon.

Following an almost six-week trial, Pawlowski was convicted of selling his office for campaign contributions and kickbacks, and then lying to FBI agents.

Defense attorney Jack McMahon said the 53-year-old Pawlowski knew he was going to be incarcerated, but that the 180 months was "cruel," "outrageous," and "clearly excessive for what he did."

"The judge did what he did, and we have to take the next steps," he added, which includes appealing the free-on-bail issue on Wednesday. "We think there are substantial errors in this case."

The family was upset and were still processing Pawlowski being handcuffed and taken out of court after the judge handed down the sentence, McMahon said.

Standing on the steps of the federal courthouse in downtown Allentown, less than a block away from City Hall, Deputy U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen said "Pawlowski has gone from running a city with 120,000 citizens to becoming a citizen of the federal prison system for a long time."

"He put his needs ahead of the citizens of Allentown," Lappen said. "He sold the mayor's office to the highest bidder. If you wanted to do business with the city of Allentown, you needed to line the pockets of the mayor with campaign contributions."

The cost is high for the former mayor and former candidate for U.S. Senate. Pawlowski lost his job, his pension, and his reputation.

"Most importantly, he has lost his freedom," Lappen said.

The judge and Lappen both commented on Pawlowski showing no remorse in his brief statement to the judge on Tuesday.

"When he finally had the opportunity to tell the court, to tell the citizens of Allentown, to tell his family, to tell everyone how sorry he was for what he did, and show some remorse, he didn't do it. He showed absolutely no remorse," Lappen said.

That mind set is disingenuous, McMahon said, since Pawlowski maintains his innocence in the case.

"It would be disingenuous for a man to stand up there and say, 'I'm sorry,' for something he said he didn't do anything wrong," the defense attorney said. "He's not remorseful because he said he didn't do it."

Mayor Ray O'Connell noted Pawlowski has been credited with turning the city around, "but a jury found that his actions tied to his political ambition ran afoul of the law."

O'Connell, a former city councilman, was appointed mayor after Pawlowski's March 1 conviction and subsequent resignation.

"The sentence imposed by Judge Sanchez today closes another chapter in that tale," O'Connell said in a prepared statement. "We are trying to put that past us by working hard every day to restore the public's faith in Allentown city government."

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Former Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski won't have the benefit of remaining free while he appeals his conviction for a pay-to-play scheme.

Chief U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez on Tuesday afternoon revoked Pawlowski's bail after sentencing him to serve 15 years in federal prison.

Defense attorney Jack McMahon had filed a motion to keep Pawlowski free on bail pending appeal of his conviction, but Sanchez said he had good reason to lock up Pawlowski immediately.

"I cannot trust him," the judge said, citing his lying to the FBI and jurors in the trial.

The former mayor was hauled out of court in handcuffs after the judge's decision.

McMahon told the court Pawlowski has been "devastated financially" and was not likely to flee while he appealed his case. As McMahon spoke, Pawlowski's wife Lisa could be seen nodding her head from the courtroom audience.

Pawlowski was convicted on March 1 of 47 federal crimes including conspiracy to commit fraud, making false statements to the FBI and multiple counts of bribery, attempted extortion, mail fraud and wire fraud.

Earlier Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Wzorek said Pawlowski was using the ill-gotten donations to "buy a seat on the United States Senate."

Pawlowski had about $400,000 in campaign funds before the FBI's raid of City Hall in connection with this investigation, and wanted to get to $1 million.

Dozens of Pawlowski supporters showed up to the court on Tuesday to testify on his behalf and ask for leniency.

His wife, Lisa Pawlowski, was among those to testify.

She asked the judge to allow her husband to be free while he appealed his conviction. The couple will have been married 30 years in December, and Lisa Pawlowski said she has been a stay-at-home mom while her husband devoted himself to Allentown.

"If he can stay home, during the appeal process, he can work. He can help us," she said.

Reporter Sarah Cassi contributed to this report.
Former Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski is going to prison and current Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell is going to hope that his city can now move on from a sordid chapter in its history.

Pawlowski, convicted of 47 federal crimes stemming from a pay-to-play scheme, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 year in federal prison. The 53-year-old is appealing his conviction, but a federal judge revoked Pawlowski's bail after handing down the sentence and sent him out of his courtroom in handcuffs.

O'Connell, a former city councilman, was appointed mayor after Pawlowski's March 1 conviction and subsequent resignation. He released a statement following Tuesday afternoon's sentencing.

"The former mayor is credited with some significant accomplishments while chief executive of the city, but a jury found that his actions tied to his political ambition ran afoul of the law," the statement says. "The sentence imposed by Judge Sanchez today closes another chapter in that tale. We are trying to put that past us by working hard every day to restore the public's faith in Allentown city government."

Prosecutors say Pawlowski was behind a scheme that required city action on contracts be dependent on donations to his campaigns. They say he used the ill-gotten donations to "buy a seat on the United States Senate."

Dozens of Pawlowski's supporters testified on his behalf during Tuesday's sentencing hearing. They asked for leniency, citing Pawlowski's character and commitment to public service.

O'Connell, the current mayor, will serve through Dec. 31, 2019, the day before the city's next mayor elected by voters is to be sworn in.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
When it comes to Christmas trees, there are two camps and the Christmas City may be about to make a switch.

Long in the real-Christmas-tree camp, Bethlehem is considering ditching its live-tree tradition and purchasing a 40-foot artificial one for Payrow Plaza.

Bethlehem annually hunts down a 40-foot-plus evergreen and cuts it down from a citizen's yard. The tree gets a police escort to city hall where cranes help to erect it in the plaza.

Then a Black Friday tree lighting kicks off the holiday season, culminating with a visit from Santa Claus on a firetruck.

City officials floated the idea in the proposed five-year capital plan, which city council will adopt as part of the 2019 budget process. The plan includes a $90,000 earmark for a faux 40-foot tree, potentially funded out of the real estate transfer tax proceeds from the sale of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

"It is getting harder and harder to find one," said Michael Alkhal, city director of public works. "...It has to be within a reasonable distance because it is a tall order to transport it here."

For about 20 years, Bethlehem asked residents to donate a tree in the 40-foot to 50-foot range to be the city's official Christmas tree, Alkhal said.

Fewer people are answering that call, sometimes leaving city staff driving around on the hunt for the perfect one.

Artificial trees have come a long way and look much more realistic these days, Alkhal said. And the city's gotten a taste of the ease of the faux Christmas tree as the trees hung on city light posts have transitioned to all artificial ones.

The Citizens Christmas City Committee piloted the pre-strung LED fake trees in 2015. Bethlehem opted to expand them after receiving no negative feedback because they save on electricity and installation costs, Alkhal said. It is also better for the environment.

The city has already found its 2018 tree. But this could be the last year for the live tree.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Two Schuylkill County men and a Carbon County woman were identified Wednesday morning as the three people killed Tuesday night in a two-vehicle wreck just outside Tamaqua, Pennsylvania State Police report.

The crash happened just after 9:30 p.m. on Route 209 near Mining Road in Walker Township, police said.

Zachary L. Kabana, 24, of Tamaqua, was pronounced dead at the scene after he pulled out from Mining Road in 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup, attempting to make a left onto Route 209, police said.

Jeremy R. Behler, 24, of Tuscarora, drove a 1992 Volkswagen from the northbound into the southbound lane of Route 209 to try and avoid the collision, but hit the Dodge on the driver's side door, police said. Behler also died at the scene as did his passenger Kylee R. Mullen, 23, of Lehighton in Carbon County, police said.

The car spun for 30 feet and struck a guardrail, police said. The truck went airborne and over the guardrail, crashing into trees before before ending up on its passenger side down an embankment, police said.

A 17-year-old girl in the truck was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, police said. Her condition wasn't immediately available and police didn't name her in the news release due to her age.

No one was wearing a seat belt, police said.

A charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance was possible if Kabana had survived, police said. But since he died, further testing won't be done and the full role of inebriates in the crash will be suspected but won't be known, police said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A former Lehigh Valley resident is heading to federal prison after authorities found him with "blenders full of heroin" in a western Pennsylvania motel room.

Donte Spence, 21, who used to live in Allentown, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and a fentanyl analogue, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Spence was one of three people charged on the federal level in January 2017, following a raid in 2016 in Allegheny County.

He had been wanted by Hunterdon County prosecutors since an October 2017 raid called Operation Downtown Shutdown in the county, where he was charged with heroin distribution.

In the federal case, prosecutors said Spence and others were dealing heroin in the fall of 2016 out of two rooms at the Days Inn in Monroeville.

On Nov. 3, authorities with Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Monroeville Police Department raided the rooms, and found Spence and Wilfredo Torres in room 238 of the motel.

When officers arrived, Spence grabbed a large amount of heroin off of a desk, causing the powder to become airborne, then ran to the bathroom and flushed the toilet, according to federal prosecutors.

Several law enforcement officers sought medical attention, but were not injured, prosecutors said.

In room 238, investigators found powdered heroin on two tables, a Magic Bullet blender and blenders full of heroin, and packaged heroin, as well cash and packaging material.

In room 305, authorities found a cousin of Termane Eleam working to bag heroin for sale, prosecutors said. Eleam had left just before the raid, and returned to the motel as officers were there.

Eleam pleaded guilty Oct. 16 in federal court to conspiring with individuals to possess with the intent to distribute over 100 grams of heroin.

All told, authorities seized more than 200 grams of heroin containing furanylfentanyl, a synthetic opioid.

Spence was initially charged in Allegheny County Court, records show, but those charges were withdrawn in January 2017 after he was indicted in the federal case.

Spence was on pretrial release supervision in the federal case, but his bond was revoked in July 2017, records show.

In a presentence memo, federal prosecutors said Spence was adjudicated delinquent in three cases, including robbery and a drug offense.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Despite pleas to the sentencing judge for leniency, former Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski was ordered to serve 15 years in federal prison for masterminding a pay-to-play scheme during his time in office.

Chief U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez said he didn't sense any remorse on Pawlowski's part and revoked his bail, pending appeal. "I cannot trust him," the judge said, citing the defendant's lies to the FBI and jurors in the trial. Pawlowski was taken away in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence.

Dozens of supporters showed up to ask the judge for mercy. They cited Pawlowski's contributions to the city and said he did not use money raised illegally to enrich himself. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Wzorek said Pawlowski had shaken down contractors and others for campaign funds to "buy a seat on the United States Senate."

Pawlowski was convicted of 47 federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit fraud, making false statements to the FBI and multiple counts of bribery, attempted extortion, mail fraud and wire fraud.

What do you think? Is a 15-year prison sentence too harsh, too lenient, about right? Have a say in our informal poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comments section.
Upper Mount Bethel Township doesn't plan on spreading sewage sludge-based fertizlier on any of its properties in the near future.

Township supervisors voted Monday to support the prohibition of using fertilizer made from sewage treatment plant sludge on township-owned land.

This type of fertilizer, known as biosolids, has been a controversial topic in Upper Mount Bethel Township and its neighboring municipalities in recent years.

Biosolids are created from municipal and industrial waste, which is treated and can be used as fuel or fertilizer.

In 2015, Sludge Free UMBT and the Delaware Riverkeepers challenged the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's approval of permits for the proposed use of Class B biosolids on farms in Upper Mount Bethel.

The permits were eventually withdrawn by the applicant Synagro.

In neighboring Plainfield Township, land development meetings on Synagro's proposed Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center have drawn large crowds, who mostly in objection to the proposal.

The proposed facility would treat sewage sludge to create biosolids.

At Monday's Upper Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Robert Teel made a motion to ban the product's use on municipal land. Because the state DEP regulates biosolids, the township would not be able legally to ban its use on private land.

The township has not been using biosolids on municipal property. However, supervisors' Chairman John Bermingham said he supported Teel's motion.

Township officials have been looking at ways to update and improve a variety of environmental protections in the township. Banning sludge-use on township land is a good way to add to that effort, Bermingham said.

"We don't want to cripple economic development by having the tightest ordinances in the world, but we do want to protect the environment," Bermingham said.

Bermingham said he has fielded multiple complaints from residents regarding foul odors, respiratory problems and other ailments shortly after biosolids have been spread on township farms.

The DEP has stated that properly applied biosolids are safe to human and environmental health.

"Biosolids contain organic matter and nutrients that can improve crop growth and the quality and structure of soil," according to DEP literature. "Biosolids are an excellent resource to be used as an organic supplemental fertilizer, allowing farmers to save money by reducing the need for expensive commercial fertilizers."

Bermingham said that although he is not an expert on the health issues, he feels the need to respond to residents' concerns.

"I want to stop sludge and look at alternative ways," Bermingham said. "I don't want to hurt the farmers, but sludge is not the answer."

Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of Teel's motion, with Supervisor Anthony DeFranco absent. A vote for a formal ordinance for the biosolids prohibition on township land is scheduled for the board's Nov. 12 meeting.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Laois primary school has confirmed it will undergo structural testing, as one of 31 Irish schools built by Western Building Systems.

Portlaoise Educate Together NS teaches 320 pupils in the Summerhill school campus.

It issued emails to parents on October 22 informing them of the imminent tests of the school structure.

"The Educate Together National Office have advised us on 22/10/18 that the Department of Education is considering carrying out further investigation on 31 schools using a borescope (to minimise disruption). PETNS is one of these schools and we have been advised that this work will take place over the coming weeks," the school has told parents.

The school says there is no indication of immediate danger to anyone in the school building.

"National Office have further advised that they have not been given any information that indicates any immediate danger to persons in our school building nor any reason why our school should not operate as normal," the school states.

Three Dublin schools have now been closed after structural deficiencies were discovered in the walls during fire audits, one last weekend and two more on Tuesday October 24. Read more here.

Educate Together is one of three in the Summerhill school campus in Portlaoise built by the company in a rapid build for the Department of Education in 2013.

Gaelscoil Phortlaoise with 393 pupils has confirmed when it will undergo structural tests. Read here.

A third school in the campus, Maryborough NS with 94 pupils is yet to confirm if it will be tested.

A fourth school in Laois may be affected, Portarlington Presentation Primary School, built by WBS in 2009, with some 740 pupils.

Portlaoise Educate Together school has explained in detail to parents how it was selected for a Fire Audit by the Department of Education, from which they received an Assessment report in June 2018.

"In August 2018 we were advised by the Patron (Educate Together Schools) that the department provided all Assessment Reports to the Fire Officers Association and met with them for feedback.

"The FOA did not advise that schools should not reopen. They are of the view that the existing Fire Detection, Alarms and Emergency Lighting Systems - as long as they have been properly maintained - together with up-to-date and recently practiced Evacuation Procedures that will ensure all children and adults are safely at designated assembly points within 3 minutes of the alarm sounding will be sufficient.

Following advice, the school gave the Fire Officer in Laois County Council a copy of the report, requested any advice, took action on housekeeping elements before the school reopened last September, and carried out fire drills when it reopened. It was told that the Department would produce fire safety guidelines for all school later in thee year.



"The National Office has been in contact with the Department and will communicate any further information as it emerges" the school has said.
Minister for Justice and Laois TD, Charlie Flanagan, has said he is requesting a special meeting with Bord na Mona and government officials following the announcement of hundreds of job losses.

Laois and Offaly is to experience significant job losses under the new Bord na Mona strategy which sees the company accelerate its Decarbonisation plan and bring forward its date to end peat production.

Between 380 and 430 redundancies will be felt across the Midlands in the coming years with 150 to go before Easter 2019.

The job losses were revealed as Bord na Mona announced its strategy to decarbonise, accelerating moves away from its traditional peat business into renewables, resource recovery and new sustainable businesses.

Responding to the news, Minister Flanagan, who will stand for election in the reformed Laois-Offaly constituency at the next General Election, said, "Bord na Mona is an organisation which is really important to the Irish Midlands, and has been since the Turf Development Act of 1946."

"I acknowledge the close relationship which has developed between it and the people of the Midlands over the past number of decades," he continued.

"Obviously, however times have changed, and I accept that, with particular reference to Climate Change and the need to decarbonise, Bord na Mona now needs to diversify."

"However, the impact on the Midlands is such that I am asking Bord na Mona, Senior Officials from Dept Business & Innovation, the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the local LEO offices to convene a meeting and arrange a special committee charged with the responsibility of focusing on jobs maintenance and creation in the Midlands," Flanagan concluded.
Tracey Murphy from Dara Park in Newbridge scooped a bronze medal at the recent Sodexo Salon 18, the staff culinary competition run by the food and facilities management company for its staff in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Read also: Newbridge residents to hold protest this Saturday to call for pedestrian crossing

"Unlike the TV bake-offs, all the entries must be made in advance and brought to the Salon which was held at Cliff at Lyons in Kildare. There were five Baking Classes and Tracey, who is a trainee chef for Sodexo at P&G in Newbridge, took home the bronze medal in the hotly contested Gateau/Filled Sponge Class for her delicious chocolate creation, made of two layers of chocolate sponge with a vanilla sponge in the centre, buttercream filling throughout, covered with a chocolate glaze and topped off with edible roses," said the company.

Tracey said; Ive been working with Sodexo for nearly three years now and its my second time to enter the Salon, so I knew what the standard was like. I didnt think Id have a chance of a medal because I felt my cake was quite simple and plain compared to some of the other entries, so to say I was surprised was an understatement! Winning the bronze was amazing for team morale and some other staff members are thinking of entering next year.

I have always had an interest in baking and when I was younger I used to bake things like fairy cakes and muffins with my nanny and mother. I was a carer for my nanny for a few years before she passed away and she had Alzheimers, so we used to bake together to keep her mind occupied, all by hand with no electronics, and it gave us some lovely times together."

Sodexo Ireland provides food and facilities management services to clients in business and industry, education, financial services and healthcare. It employs approximately 3,700 people in 230 locations in Ireland and Northern Ireland and spent over 19 million on Irish food in 2017.
According to local Presidential campaign organiser John Feely, President Michael D. Higgins will be in Leitrim today, Wednesday, October 24th, to meet with local individuals and organisations.

He is expected to be at The Bush Hotel at 3 pm.

Michael D. Higgins has urged the electorate to turn out this Friday, stating that this election comes at a critical time in Irelands history.



As we commemorate 100 years of the extension to women of the right to vote, and as we face a critical point in Irelands history, I urge to use your vote, because it matters.

The Presidency draws its strength and mandate from the direct vote of the Irish people. You choose who represents and speaks for our country at home and abroad. It sends a signal about of the kind of Ireland we want, about the values and vision we share for our country and how we want to live together.



In the next seven years we will face new uncertainties and exciting possibilities such as commemorations, Brexit and climate change along with opportunities for social progress, creativity and inclusion.

This is why its so important that people cast their vote for the person they want to speak for Ireland, at home and abroad.



As the campaign draws to a close, Michael D Higgins thanked his supporters and in particular those who have participated in his campaign locally.

It is the local campaigners who have had a real impact in shaping the campaign, ensuring that it has been run positively and stressing the importance of participation in this significant election, the President said.
The Chairman of Leitrim IFA James Gallagher has called for the immediate suspension of the current forestry planting, approvals to plant and issuing applications to plant with immediate effect until an IFA study is complete.



Mr Gallagher was addressing the recent Leitrim IFA Open Farmer Meeting in Drumshanbo, when he stated that the IFA National Council have fully supported a resolution from Leitrim IFA Executive that an assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts of afforestations within the county should be undertaken.

Further resolutions from Roscommon and Sligo IFA have supported Leitrim IFA.



Gallagher explained by suspending forestry planting it will allow time to carry out a thorough appraisal and a complete objective assessment on the full impact of afforestation on farm families and rural communities.

He outlined that recently an IFA delegation led by IFA President Joe Healy toured the county and were alarmed at the level of forestry in the county and the impact it was having on rural isolation to the detriment of parishes.



The Leitrim IFA Chairman said changing land type from traditional farming to trees has massive consequences in the changes in population and has seen the closure of churches, schools and shops, affecting the whole fabric of rural areas.

Leitrim IFA are not totally opposed to forestry but now with 18.9% of the land area of the county planted, farmers feel that Leitrim has taken more that is fair share.



Leitrim IFA total supports a balanced regional spread of sustainable forestry throughout Ireland.

Speaking at the IFA Open Farmers Meeting, Adrian Leddy, IFA Regional Development Officer, called on all the pillar banks to support young farmers in the purchase and development of farm land.

For the future of farming in Leitrim young farmers needs to be supported against the forestry companies with big outside investors.



The IFA have got great support for the need to carry out this study within the county from community groups, businesses, tourism and all local public representatives.



The call from Leitrim IFA this week follows Cllr Justin Warnock's request on Monday, October 15, for a moratorium on forestry plantations from the Minister of Agriculture.

Cllr Warnock asked his fellow councillors to support asking Leitrim County Council to write to the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed TD to seek a moratorium on all forestry plantations in Leitrim until such time that Leitrim County Council has carried out their review of the Landscape Character Assessment Plan and the County Development Plan.

Cllr Warnock called on the council to preserve our county. Cllr Sean McDermott called it a timely motion noting the issue with one-off housing in the county. Cllr Mary Bohan supported it but said unless forestry is subject to planning the council has no say.



Cllr Warnock said TDs should be pushing the agenda. Cllr Padraig Fallon said Sinn Fein Deputy Martin Kenny is introducing a bill on forestry and one-off housing and he asked councillors to lobby their TDs to support the bills.

The meeting acknowledged that recently more funding was allocated to forestry nationally.

Also read: Two Leitrim families stranded for days without road access
Minister for Education Joe McHugh has still not answered how distances are measured for the SUSI college grant.



Last week the paper ran a front page story 'Anger over latest SUSI college grant debacle' where student, Sarah Poole, who is attending Cavan Institute and lives in the Mohill area, has been refused a Non-adjacent Maintenance Grant despite the fact she lives in the same house as a sibling who was, only a year previously, was awarded the grant to attend the same institution.

Under the grant criteria, students must live more than 45km from their place of education.



Sarah's older sister Hannah was awarded the grant in 2016 following an appeal. However Sarah has been refused the grant to attend the same institution.

SUSI, using Google Map measures and an Eircode for Cavan Institute, calculated the distance between Sarah's home and the Institute as being 43.7km, under the 45km requirement.



Sarah is at stage two of an appeal to SUSI showing that, depending on whether you used Eircodes or addresses, four measurements are produced ranging from 45.6km to 54.2km.



Deputy Marc MacSharry last week asked the Minister his views on the accuracy of using an application and Eircodes as the measurement benchmark for assessing eligibility for the non-adjacent rate of student maintenance grant in which the practical evidence of a clocked drive of the distance proves that the measurements by the application using Eircodes to be inaccurate.

Minister McHugh stated, The adjacent rates of maintenance grant is payable in the case of students whose normal residence is 45km or less from the approved institution which he or she is attending, where the distance is measured as the shortest non-tolled direct route from the students residence to the institution. The non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable in all other cases.



He spoke about last year's unsuccessful appeal but did not note her stage two appeal to this year's decision.

On a general point, the student grant scheme is published annually and the terms of each scheme, including enhancements which improve the efficiency of the scheme in terms of accuracy and reduced processing times, can change over time.

While some students who were assessed under older schemes may have benefitted from the application of rules that applied at a particular point in time, this should not been seen as an indicator that similar outcomes will be arrived at for students assessed under more recent schemes.



More students have also queried and appealed their grant refusal.

Fiann Fail Deputy Marc MacSharry said This is an example of an absence of common sense. He believes Ireland's Ordnance Survey map measurements should be the criteria used for gauging distance.

Also read: Scarecrow festival in Keshcarrigan
A YOUNG man who was extradited from the UK earlier this year has beeen jailed for three years for his role in a burglary during which property worth more than 60,000 was stolen.

Bernard Casey, aged 29, who has an address at Templegreen, Newcastle West fled to the UK in the days after he first appeared in court on February 27, 2015.

He was arrested by police in Birmingham last May on foot of a European Arrest Warrant. He was formally deported in early June.

Casey was one of three men who were prosecuted in relation to the break-in at 5 Crossroads, Croagh on June 25, 2012.

Garda Denis Waters told previously told Limerick Circuit Court the alarm was raised at around 8.50pm while the occupants were away in Dublin.

It was later established that two Rolex watches were among the items taken.

Various other items of jewellery were stolen along with two designer handbags  a Louis Vuitton and a Coco Chanel.

During a sentencing hearing, Garda McCarthy said the Casey and another man entered the property after they broke a glass panel in a back door. A third man remained outside in the getaway car.

Casey, who also admitted damaging a door at another house near Ballingarry on the same day was sentenced to five years imprisonment with the final two years suspended.
A WOMAN told gardai she was very sorry after she was charged in connection with a late-night attack on a group of students in Limerick.

Winifred ODonoghue, aged 32, who has an address at St Brendan Street, St Marys Park appeared before Limerick District Court charged with theft and robbery offences relating to an incident in the early hours of October 17, last.

Opposing bail, Garda Michael Dunphy said it will be alleged the defendant was one of two women who attacked four students at Parnell Street as they were making their way home following a night out.

Judge Marian OLeary was told a male student was struck across the head with a glass bottle while a female student was swung around after her hair was grabbed.

Garda Dunphy said the incident happened at around 3am and that a taxi driver came to the assistance of the students and drove them home.

It is alleged a mobile phone belonging to one of the students was recovered from Ms ODonoghue when she was arrested around an hour after gardai were alerted.

Garda Dunphy said the students were extremely shaken as a result of what happened and are seeking alternative accommodation as they no longer feel safe in the city.

He expressed concern that the defendant would not appear in court if released and that she would not abide by any bail conditions.

In her evidence, Ms ODonoghue described the allegations as lies and waffle.

She denied stealing the students phone, stating that she picked it up believing it was her own phone.

The defendant told solicitor Ted McCarthy she would do anything the judge says were she granted bail.

Having considered the matter, Judge OLeary said she was refusing bail on the basis of the evidence before her.

Ms ODonoghue was remanded in custody pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Another woman has been arrested and questioned about the incident.
INORMATION is being sought by gardai in Limerick after a young man was assaulted and his phone stolen late at night.

According to gardai, the victim was walking alone at Dominick Street between 2am and 3am last Friday when he was set upon by three other men.

One of the assailants punched this male and then stole his phone. All three men were wearing tracksuits, said Garda John Finnerty.

While not seriously injured, the youth is said to have been shaken by his ordeal.

Gardai have obtained CCTV from the area, and are appealing to anyone who was in the city centre last Thursday night into Friday and who may have seen anything suspicious to come forward and contact them.

Gardai at Roxboro Road are investigating the incident and can be phoned at (061) 214340.
NOVAS homeless and drug outreach service had an operating surplus of more than 93,000 after spending over 9m in 2017, its annual financial report states.

Novas published its annual statement at its newly-launched headquarters on OConnell Stree, Limerick on Friday morning.

Novas operates 29 different centres and services in Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and, primarily, in Limerick.

Last year marked Novas first full year operating its temporary emergency provision services (Tep) in Limerick, after it teamed up with Limerick City and County Council to open a 14-bed homeless shelter on Lord Edward Street on December 2016.

This expanded to a 20-bed facility before Novas and the council opened an additional 10-bed Tep hostel in December 2017.

Last year there were 7,000 referrals to Tep service accounting for 292 individual cases. Seventy-seven percent of these were male, the annual report stated.

Financial statements reveal that Novas had an turnover of 9,103,985, almost 500,000 more than the previous year. In total, there were administrative expenses amounting to 9,010,913, more than 800,000 more than in 2016.

In 2017, there was an operating surplus of 93,072, which was significantly less than the 427,807 surplus in 2016.

Launching the report and the new headquarters, Metropolitan Mayor Cllr Daniel Butler praised Novas, which has been operating out of Limerick since 2002.

Well done to Novas on an incredible, challenging year that you have come through, but you have done so with exemplary record, meeting the needs of many, many individuals and making a difference in many, many peoples lives. You are to be commended on your work.
SOME 21 companies have been nominated across seven categories at this years Limerick Chamber business awards.

At a special breakfast event this Wednesday morning in the Limerick Strand Hotel, the shortlist of local firms for The Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards 2018 was unveiled ahead of the big night that takes place on Friday, November 16.

The awards, sponsored by LIT, will be hotly contested by 21 companies across seven categories, including the 2018 Overall Business of the Year and the Presidents Award. 100 entries were submitted.

Electricity Exchange, Troy Studios and Metis Ireland have been nominated in the Best Emerging Business category.,

Meanwhile, Design Pro Automation, ResourceKraft and JJ OToole will battle it out for the title of best small to medium sized enterprise.

In the high-profile category of Best Large Business, the Shannon Group, Fexco and First Names Group are nominated.

The Best not-for-profit award will go to either the Bluebox Centre, the Rape Crisis Centre or Novas Initiatives.

In terms of best retail and hospitality, Masterchefs, Matthew Stephens and the Absolute Hotel will contest for the title.

And in the running for the best employer are Three Ireland, Collins McNicholas and H&MV Engineering.

Finally, in the category of best corporate social responsibility, the shortlisted companies are Optel Group, SL Controls and Cube Printing.

Out of all these, a business of the year will be selected.

And Chamber president Dr Mary Shire will also afford a special lifetime achievement award, to be revealed on the night.

Dee Ryan, Limerick Chamber CEO, said: The standard of entry was so high that this year our Independent Judging Panel, chaired by former Entrepreneur of the Year, Anne Heraty, deliberated for more than 12 hours on reaching their decisions. It was nail-bitingly close for many categories with high-scoring entries narrowly missing out in a place in the final. All of the entrants can be very proud of their performances, the competition was stiff!

Dr. Liam Brown, LIT, overall sponsors of the awards, said: LIT is delighted to partner with Limerick Chamber in recognising the success and achievements of businesses in our region. As sponsors of these awards for the 8th year running, we are delighted to be involved in Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards as it is an opportunity to honour companies who are thriving and succeeding in the current economic climate.

Over 400 guests are set to attend the event next month, which is the biggest social event on Limericks business calendar. The Limerick Leader is a media partner for the awards.

It has also been announced that AIB has become the principal sponsor of the Limerick Chamber Presidents Dinner taking place on the night, as well as the official small to medium sized enterprise partner on a deal up to 2020.

Conor OSullivan, the head of the bank in Clare and Limerick said he is delighted with the deal.

The strategic objectives of AIB and Limerick Chamber around the SME sector are closely aligned, as both seek to help and support the various strands, from start-up to SME to corporate, he said.

AIB is proud to partner with Limerick Chamber and this partnership will significantly help the Chamber in delivering its services and support to business in the Mid-West, he added.

Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan added: We are delighted to have the support of AIB as our official SME partner and for the presidents dinner, which is our flagship event where multinationals, large indigenous companies and SMEs in attendance.

This year the sponsorship from AIB allows us to ensure this continues to be the leading business event in the region.
LIMERICK is cooking up a storm for some of the worlds leading chefs and foodies in a bid to promote the region as a culinary destination.

Some of the worlds top chefs, restaurateurs and food influencers are in the city this week as part of the Food on the Edge Chefs symposium.

A coming together of chefs to listen, talk and debate about the future of food in our industry and on our planet, it attracts food enthusiasts from all over to world who want to create a better global network and challenge peoples perception of food to make it accessible to everyone.

As part of the event, Limerick will be the base for a two-day excursion for some of the most renowned chefs in the world, who will sample some of the best food that Limerick has to offer.

Supported by the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Limerick, the excursion will be a unique opportunity for some of Limericks best food and drink producers to showcase their produce to some of the most influential foodies around the world.

It will also allow the chefs and restaurateurs a chance to see the process for themselves, highlighting the provenance of food, which is becoming more and more important with consumers.

As part of the excursion, a special dinner for the chefs, restaurateurs, food media and influencers will be held in the Limerick Strand Hotel this Wednesday to sample some of the best of local produce served by the hotels award winning chef Tom Flavin.

Limerick has seen a major growth in its food sector over the past number of years and the decision by Food on the Edge to base itself in Limerick for its two-day excursion is testament to the growing reputation.

Its a great honour to welcome some of the worlds best chefs to Limerick. Being at the heart of the Golden Vale, food production has always been an important industry for Limerick, said Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr James Collins.

In the recent history, we have been home to the various pork companies in the city, while Limerick Ham is still one of the best in the world. Ive no doubt our visitors will find Limerick an enticing destination for food and drink and hopefully this will encourage them to source from our wonderful local producers.

Central to this growth has been the Limerick Food Strategy which aims to grow the reputation of the Limerick food systems products and capabilities, improving its ability to respond to changing market needs and enhancing its attractiveness to investors.

Eamon Ryan, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Limerick, said: We are delighted to be able to host the Food on the Edge delegates here in Limerick. The theme of the symposium is Conversations and this is a great opportunity for these world renowned chefs, restaurateurs and key food industry influencers to begin a conversation about Limerick and experience first- hand the incredible food and drink that is being produced here.

Through the work of the Food Strategy which was published in 2016, Limerick has developed into a thriving foodie destination producing, serving and selling the finest, high quality, locally made and grown produce. We look forward to giving these visitors a true taste of what Limerick has to offer, he added.

A new digital platform called www.limerickfood.ie is to be unveiled next month, by LEO, described as a one stop shop for all Limerick food, events and producers.
A MAN who admitted beating, stabbing and burning his girlfriend at her apartment in Limerick city has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Colin Ryan, aged 30, of St Itas Street, St Marys Park, had pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Simone Lee on November 27, 2016.

The 39-year-old victim was found by gardai at her flat in Thomondgate with extensive burns to her face, neck and eyelids, a stab wound to her back and severe head injuries.

Your actions have changed my life forever, Ms Lee said in a victim impact statement which was read out at Limerick Circuit Court during a sentencing hearing earlier this year. I will never be the same, emotionally or physically.

Imposing sentence this Wednesday, Judge Tom ODonnell Ms Lee had been subjected to a vicious, savage and cowardly attack.

He said the scene which gardai encountered on the night could only be described as a bloodbath.

The court heard that after entering the blood-stained flat, gardai found Ms Lee in a semi-conscious state, lying face down in a pool of blood and naked from the waist up.

She had a stab wound on her back and apparent serious head injuries.

She had also been badly burned, with what was initially believed to be acid or a corrosive cleaning substance. An investigation later determined Ms Lee had been scalded with hot water.

They were greeted with the most horrific of scenes, said Judge ODonnell.

Following the attack, Ms Lee was taken to UHL where she was induced into a coma and then transferred to St James Hospital in Dublin. She remained in a coma for three weeks.

The court heard that Ryan told gardai at the scene that Ms Lee was upstairs playing dead. He later denied saying this, the court heard.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Lee said she had no memory of the night but she was haunted by it daily.

Ryan had seemed kind and caring when she had met him first, she added. I thought you were my knight in shining armour.

Instead, he assaulted her and left her for dead, she added.

I stood no chance of defending myself.

While noting the volatile nature of the couples relationship, Judge ODonnell said he agreed with the DPPs view that the offence was at the higher end of the scale.

He noted Ryan has suffered from alcohol and drug problems and that he was living a chaotic lifestyle around the time of the offence.

The judge commented that while there was no evidence before the court as to what lit the fuse on the night no human being should have been subjected to such a beating as was meted out by the defendant.

He imposed a nine and-a-half year prison sentence, suspending the final two years.
Oct 24, 2018, 6 AM

Canada Post issued its permanent-rate Armistice stamp Oct. 24 in booklets of 10 and panes of five (shown). The selvage of the pane depicts people in Toronto celebrating the end of the war.

Canada Posts Armistice stamp depicts a white dove at the center, symbolizing peace, against a devastated background to show the realities of war.

By Molly Goad

Canada Post remembers the 100th anniversary of the truce that ended World War I with a new stamp issued Oct. 24.

This stamp celebrates the silencing of the guns and commemorates those who fought and died for peace, Canada Posts Details magazine said.

At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918  the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month  a ceasefire was initiated between the Allies and Germany. Of the more than 650,000 Canadians who served with the Allies, 66,000 were killed and 172,000 wounded, according to Canada Post.

Larry Burke and Anna Stredulinsky of Burke & Burke designed Canada Posts Armistice stamp, and Jillian Ditner was the illustrator.

The bird hovering over barbed wire against a desolate backdrop serves as a poignant metaphor for the return of peace to a war-torn world, according to Details magazine.

Burke said of the stamp design, To us, the armistice was less about the moment of its signing than the lasting peace it brought.

He said photos of the celebrations in 1918 were selected for the booklet, pane of five and official first-day cover to impart the relief and happiness expressed by Canadians at the wars end.

For example, the selvage of the pane of five shows a large photograph of celebrations at Bay and King streets in Toronto, according to an inscription at the bottom of the pane.

The die-cut self-adhesive stamp is a permanent stamp paying the domestic letter rate (currently 85). Measuring 36 millimeters by 25mm, it is available in 10-stamp booklets (Canada Post order no. 414097111) and the pane of five stamps (404097107).

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Lowe-Martin printed 250,000 booklets and 40,000 panes in four-color offset lithography. Symbolic doves in the four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) are shown in the selvage of the pane of five and the booklet pane.

Canada Post also reported that the barbed wire shown in the design is highlighted with a spot varnish special effect.

Canada Posts first-day cover for the stamp has an Ottawa cancel with a poppy at its center. (The poppy design is a registered trademark of the Royal Canadian Legion, Dominion Command, and is used under license.) While the stock of 8,000 lasts, the FDC is available for $1.85 (414097131).

On its website, the Royal Canadian Legion said of Remembrance Day: Every year, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we gather in memorial parks, community halls, workplaces, schools and homes to stand in honour of all who have fallen. Together, we observe a moment of silence to mark the sacrifice of the many who have fallen in the service of their country, and to acknowledge the courage of those who still serve.

Other recent Canadian stamps with WWI subjects include the 2015 commemorative issue for the 100th anniversary of the poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae (Scott 2835-2836), the 2016 Black Heritage stamp honoring the contributions of the No. 2 Construction Battalion (2895), and a 2017 joint-issue with France for the centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (Canada 2981-2983, France 5216).

Canada Post products are available online. Stamps and FDCs are available by mail order from Canada Post Customer Service, Box 90022, 2701 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON K1V 1J8 Canada; or by telephone from the United States or Canada at 800-565-4362, and from other countries at 902-863-6550.

Canadas stamps and stamp products also are available from many new-issue stamp dealers, and from Canada Posts agent in the United States: Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557.
As the only mammal that can fly, there's no doubt that bats are exceptional creatures. Common misconceptions and fears about bats have led many people to regard these nocturnal flyers as nothing more than frightening disease carriers, but bats are crucial for a healthy environment. Bats disperse seeds, eat loads of harmful insects and help pollinate plants.

There are more than 1,300 bat species distributed across six continents; about 50 bat species live in national parks across the United States, and Indonesia hosts 219 bat species  more than any other country. Bats make up one-fifth of the mammal population on Earth, according to Bat Conservation International.

Megabats and microbats

Bats are divided into two main types: megabats and microbats. Megabats (formally, bats in the Megachiroptera suborder) include flying foxes and Old-World fruit bats. They tend to be larger than microbats (Microchiroptera suborder), although some microbats are actually larger than the smaller megabats.

Flying foxes (genus Pteropus) are the largest bats. Some species have wingspans of 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) and weigh up to 2.2 lbs. (998 grams), according to the Oakland Zoo. One of the smallest megabats is the adorable long-tongued fruit bat (Macroglossus minimus), which has a wingspan of only 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) and weighs about half an ounce (14 g), according to the Smithsonian Institution.

Flying fox bats hanging upside down. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Among microbats, the largest species is actually pretty big: the false vampire, or spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum), weighs 5 to 6.7 ounces (145 to 190 g) and has a wingspan of up to 40 inches (1 m). The smallest bat of them all is the bumblebee bat (Craseonycteridae thonglongyai), according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. This tiny furrball-with-wings grows to only about 1.25 inches long (3 cm) and weighs about 2 grams (0.07 ounces).

Habitat

Bats live almost everywhere, except for some islands, and the Arctic and Antarctica. They prefer warmer areas that are closer to the equator, and they can be found in rain forests, mountains, farmland, woods and cities.

These furry mammals don't have a lot of fat to keep them warm, and instead have two strategies for weathering the cold. Some bats migrate to warmer areas, while others go into a short-term form of hibernation called torpor. During torpor, a bat reduces its metabolic rate, lowers its body temperature, and slows its breathing and heart rates.

Bats roost in trees, caves, mines and barns  any place that provides shelter from the weather, protection from predators and seclusion for rearing their young. They generally live together in groups called colonies, which can contain anywhere from 100 to several thousand individuals.

As nocturnal creatures, bats sleep during the day and are active at night. Some may fly up to 31 miles (50 kilometers) to find food during their nightly journeys. In the day, they sleep upside down, holding on to their roost with their sharp claws. [Flying Mammals: Gallery of Spooky Bats]

Diet

Most bats eat flowers, small insects, fruits, nectar, pollen and leaves, though it depends on the type of bat. Megabats usually eat fruits, and microbats generally eat insects.

Some bats have relatively large appetites, such as the Malayan flying fox, which eats about half its body weight every day. But the vampire bat far exceeds even that, eating twice its weight in one day. Bats can eat fast, too  the brown bat can eat up to 1,000 small insects in just one hour, according to the Defenders of Wildlife organization.

Bats use echolocation to "see" insects and other objects in the dark. They make high-frequency sounds then analyze the location of objects around them by perceiving how the sound bounces off the object. Echolocation allows the bats to tell how big and how far away an object is.

Not all bats eat insects. For example, some bats will squeeze fruits into their mouths and drink the juices. Vampire bats, though, like a different kind of juice. As their name suggests, they drink blood, mainly from cattle and deer, which they find using specialized heat-detecting sensors near their noses. And they don't actually suck the blood like the legends suggest. Rather, they make a V-shaped cut and then lick up the blood, according to the San Diego Zoo.

An anticoagulant in vampire bat saliva, called Draculin, is so effective at thinning blood that it's being considered for use in patients with stroke or heart disease, Discover magazine reported.

A close-up of a common vampire bat. (Image credit: Daniel Streicker)

Mating habits

Bats exhibit unique mating behaviors not seen in other animals. Male and female bats meet at hibernation sites, called hibernacula, where they breed.

"Bats 'swarm' around in huge numbers, chasing each other and performing spectacular aerobatics," biologist John Altringham told Live Science in 2013. [Animal Sex: How Bats Do It]

It's not clear how the bats choose their mates, Altringham said, but it may be that females seek out the most agile males. During the swarming event, breeding pairs will go off to secluded spots in the cave to mate in private.

Researchers have found that female short-nosed fruit bats perform oral sex on their mates to prolong the act; male Indian flying foxes do the same thing to females.

Mating occurs in the late summer and early autumn, and the females store the males' sperm until the next spring. A pregnant female will carry her young for a gestation period of 40 days to six months. Then, she will give birth to one baby, called a pup. The pup will weigh about one-fourth as much as its mother at birth. Young bats drink milk from their mothers to survive, like other mammals.

The mothers and pups stay in groups separate from the males. Mothers will help take care of other pups until the pups are old enough to care for themselves.

Conservation status

Many bat species around the world are threatened with extinction. The Red List from the International Union for Conservation of Nature identifies more than 280 species as endangered, vulnerable or "near threatened."

Bulmer's fruit bat is the world's most endangered bat. It's only found in one cave in Papua New Guinea. According to the Red List, there are only around 137 to 160 individuals left.

A fungus that causes a disease called white-nose syndrome has devastated bats in North America. This white, powdery-looking fungus, a member of a group of cold-loving fungi called Geomyces, coats the muzzles, ears and wings of bats and has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of the animals in the northeastern United States. [Devastating Disease Found in Endangered Gray Bats]

While the effects of white-nose syndrome have decimated bat populations, anti-fungal microbes found in soil could provide a ray of hope for North America's beleaguered bats, researchers recently reported.

A group of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) hit the skies at dusk. (Image credit: James Sakaguchi/Shutterstock)

Disease vectors

Bats are recognized by many as flying disease carriers and there's good reason for that. In 2013, Live Science reported that bats act as reservoirs for more than 60 different viruses that can infect humans. And in 2017, a study published in the journal Nature found that bats carry significantly more viruses than any other mammal species on planet.

"There seems to be something different about bats in terms of being able to host zoonotic infections," David Hayman, a wildlife epidemiologist at Colorado State University, previously told Live Science.

Researchers aren't exactly sure why bats are so good at harboring disease, but there's strong evidence to suggest its due to the fact that bats are relatively long-lived creatures, and they live in such tight quarters with one another. Their habitats and food sources also tend to overlap with humans, making contact more likely.

But getting rid of bats is not the way to avoid disease. In fact, research has shown that killing bats doesn't reduce disease transmission but instead can increase the number of susceptible bats and enhance disease transmission.

A bit of bat trivia

Bat flight is so acrobatic and complex that it inspires designs for flying robots; a robotics engineer told Live Science in 2017 that bat flight was "the Holy Grail of aerial robotics."

Nitrogen-rich bat poop is a nourishing treat for carnivorous pitcher plants in Borneo. The plants provide bats with a parasite-free roost, and the bats reciprocate by using pitcher plants as living toilets.

Bats may be the only mammals that can fly  but did you know that they can also run and swim? Vampire bats sprint over the ground by loping on all fours, adding a little extra hop that takes them airborne for a few moments. Bats can also paddle through water by using their wings, hands and feet, Smithsonian reported.

This article was updated on Oct. 24, 2018 by Live Science Senior Writer, Mindy Weisberger and Reference Editor, Kimberly Hickok.
The Fibonacci sequence is one of the most famous formulas in mathematics.

Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. So, the sequence goes: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on. The mathematical equation describing it is Xn+2= Xn+1 + Xn

A mainstay of high-school and undergraduate classes, it's been called "nature's secret code," and "nature's universal rule." It is said to govern the dimensions of everything from the Great Pyramid at Giza, to the iconic seashell that likely graced the cover of your school math textbook.

And odds are, almost everything you know about it is wrong.

Scattered history

So then, what's the real story behind this famous sequence?

Many sources claim it was first discovered or "invented" by Leonardo Fibonacci. The Italian mathematician, who was born around A.D. 1170, was originally known as Leonardo of Pisa, said Keith Devlin, a mathematician at Stanford University. Only in the 19th century did historians come up with the nickname Fibonacci (roughly meaning, "son of the Bonacci clan"), to distinguish the mathematician from another famous Leonardo of Pisa, Devlin said. [Large Numbers that Define the Universe]

But Leonardo of Pisa did not actually discover the sequence, said Devlin, who is also the author of "Finding Fibonacci: The Quest to Rediscover the Forgotten Mathematical Genius Who Changed the World," (Princeton University Press, 2017). Ancient Sanskrit texts that used the Hindu-Arabic numeral system first mention it, and those predate Leonardo of Pisa by centuries.

"It's been around forever," Devlin told Live Science.

However, in 1202 Leonardo of Pisa published the massive tome "Liber Abaci," a mathematics "cookbook for how to do calculations," Devlin said. Written for tradesmen, "Liber Abaci" laid out Hindu-Arabic arithmetic useful for tracking profits, losses, remaining loan balances and so on, Devlin said.

In one place in the book, Leonardo of Pisa introduces the sequence with a problem involving rabbits. The problem goes as follows: Start with a male and a female rabbit. After a month, they mature and produce a litter with another male and female rabbit. A month later, those rabbits reproduce and out comes  you guessed it  another male and female, who also can mate after a month. (Ignore the wildly improbable biology here.) After a year, how many rabbits would you have? The answer, it turns out, is 144  and the formula used to get to that answer is what's now known as the Fibonacci sequence. [The 11 Most Beautiful Mathematical Equations]

"Liber Abaci" first introduced the sequence to the Western world. But after a few scant paragraphs on breeding rabbits, Leonardo of Pisa never mentioned the sequence again. In fact, it was mostly forgotten until the 19th century, when mathematicians worked out more about the sequence's mathematical properties. In 1877, French mathematician Edouard Lucas officially named the rabbit problem "the Fibonacci sequence," Devlin said.

The Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio are eloquent equations but aren't as magical as they may seem. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Imaginary meaning

But what exactly is the significance of the Fibonacci sequence? Other than being a neat teaching tool, it shows up in a few places in nature. However, it's not some secret code that governs the architecture of the universe, Devlin said.

It's true that the Fibonacci sequence is tightly connected to what's now known as the golden ratio (which is not even a true ratio because it's an irrational number). Simply put, the ratio of the numbers in the sequence, as the sequence goes to infinity, approaches the golden ratio, which is 1.6180339887498948482... From there, mathematicians can calculate what's called the golden spiral, or a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor equals the golden ratio. [The 9 Most Massive Numbers in Existence]

The golden ratio does seem to capture some types of plant growth, Devlin said. For instance, the spiral arrangement of leaves or petals on some plants follows the golden ratio. Pinecones exhibit a golden spiral, as do the seeds in a sunflower, according to "Phyllotaxis: A Systemic Study in Plant Morphogenesis" (Cambridge University Press, 1994). But there are just as many plants that do not follow this rule.

"It's not 'God's only rule' for growing things, let's put it that way," Devlin said.

And perhaps the most famous example of all, the seashell known as the nautilus, does not in fact grow new cells according to the Fibonacci sequence, he said.

When people start to draw connections to the human body, art and architecture, links to the Fibonacci sequence go from tenuous to downright fictional.

"It would take a large book to document all the misinformation about the golden ratio, much of which is simply the repetition of the same errors by different authors," George Markowsky, a mathematician who was then at the University of Maine, wrote in a 1992 paper in the College Mathematics Journal.

Much of this misinformation can be attributed to an 1855 book by the German psychologist Adolf Zeising. Zeising claimed the proportions of the human body were based on the golden ratio. The golden ratio sprouted "golden rectangles," "golden triangles" and all sorts of theories about where these iconic dimensions crop up. Since then, people have said the golden ratio can be found in the dimensions of the Pyramid at Giza, the Parthenon, Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" and a bevy of Renaissance buildings. Overarching claims about the ratio being "uniquely pleasing" to the human eye have been stated uncritically, Devlin said.

All these claims, when they're tested, are measurably false, Devlin said.

"We're good pattern recognizers. We can see a pattern regardless of whether it's there or not," Devlin said. "It's all just wishful thinking."
Last week, scientists proved that electrons are round  a discovery that threw physicists into a tailspin. Now, other scientists might be equally dismayed to hear that the opposite is true about another questionably round subject: spherical viruses. Turns out that they aren't as round as everyone thought, a new study finds.

Setting aside the feelings of disappointed sphere lovers, the findings could play an important role in the field of virology: They could affect how viruses are studied and may impact strategies used to treat viral diseases, according to the study.

Certain types of viruses are icosahedral, or 20-sided. Since the 1950s, these viruses were viewed as symmetrical spheres, with 20 triangular facets equally distributed concentrically over their surfaces. [Tiny & Nasty: Images of Things That Make Us Sick]

The long-assumed geometry of these viruses was shaped by scientists' understanding of how proteins replicate, which suggested that viruses were built from many identical copies of the same protein structure, said study co-author Michael Rossmann, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University in Indiana. All of these identical copies would therefore come together to form a symmetrical shape.

Indeed, examination of spherical viruses under the microscope since the 1950s reinforced the notion of their symmetry. It turned out, however, that scientists weren't seeing the whole picture.

So, it came as a big surprise when Rossmann and his colleagues discovered that flaviviruses  a genus that includes Zika and dengue  were asymmetrical, he explained.

"Because for many decades all studies of viruses have assumed symmetry, we had not been looking at viruses with sufficient care. We were making assumptions which overrode those variations," Rossmann told Live Science.

A bumpy surface

In the new study, published online Oct. 22 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Rossmann and his colleagues used cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, to generate high-resolution 3D models of a flavivirus. By cooling specimens to extreme temperatures, cryo-EM reveals details of viruses at the atomic level.

Because spherical viruses were thought to be perfect spheres, this approach was typically finalized with a processing technique known as a symmetry requirement, which created a symmetrical model from the data, the scientists reported.

For the new study, the researchers omitted that last step. They looked at immature and mature Kunjin viruses (a subtype of West Nile virus), and in both forms they found bumps that stuck out on one side of the virus. In other words, goodbye symmetry.

These bumps take shape when a young virus buds from another virus inside a host cell, according to the study. As proteins in the new virus's outer membrane scramble to close up the opening, they form a shape that isn't as perfect as the other facets on the virus's surface, said study co-author Richard Kuhn, also a professor with Purdue's Department of Biological Sciences.

"The neck of this budding particle gets very narrow as it pinches off, and the [proteins] surrounding the shell begin hitting one another," Kuhn said in a statement. "We think they might not grab the right number of proteins to make an icosahedron, and the result is a particle that has a distortion on one side."

The scientists also discovered that immature viruses had irregularly positioned nucleocapsids, or core structures. In young viruses, the core lay closer to one side of the external shell, though it repositioned to the center by the time the virus matured, the researchers wrote in the study.

These newfound irregularities likely offer insights into how new viruses assemble themselves as they grow in an infected cell, and uncovering these features and how they work could offer researchers new targets for antiviral treatments, Rossmann said.

"Any antiviral works by interfering with the normal course of the virus life cycle  one way of interfering with it is to stop the initial assembly of the virus," he said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Scientists revel in exploring mysteries, and the bigger the mystery, the greater the enthusiasm. There are many huge unanswered questions in science, but when you're going big, it's hard to beat "Why is there something, instead of nothing?"

That might seem like a philosophical question, but it's one that is very amenable to scientific inquiry. Stated a little more concretely, "Why is the universe made of the kinds of matter that makes human life possible so that we can even ask this question?" Scientists conducting research in Japan have announced a measurement last month that directly addresses that most fascinating of inquiries. It appears that their measurement disagrees with the simplest expectations of current theory and could well point toward an answer of this timeless question.

Their measurement seems to say that for a particular set of subatomic particles, matter and antimatter act differently.

Matter v. Antimatter

Using the J-PARC accelerator, located in Tokai, Japan, scientists fired a beam of ghostly subatomic particles called neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts (antineutrinos) through the Earth to the Super Kamiokande experiment, located in Kamioka, also in Japan. This experiment, called T2K (Tokai to Kamiokande), is designed to determine why our universe is made of matter. A peculiar behavior exhibited by neutrinos, called neutrino oscillation, might shed some light on this very vexing problem. [The 18 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics]

Asking why the universe is made of matter might sound like a peculiar question, but there is a very good reason that scientists are surprised by this. It's because, in addition to knowing of the existence of matter, scientists also know of antimatter.

In 1928, British physicist Paul Dirac proposed the existence of antimatter  an antagonistic sibling of matter. Combine equal amounts of matter and antimatter and the two annihilate each other, resulting in the release of an enormous amount of energy. And, because physics principles usually work equally well in reverse, if you have a prodigious quantity of energy, it can convert into exactly equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Antimatter was discovered in 1932 by American Carl Anderson and researchers have had nearly a century to study its properties.

However, that "into exactly equal amounts" phrase is the crux of the conundrum. In the brief moments immediately after the Big Bang, the universe was full of energy. As it expanded and cooled, that energy should have converted into equal parts matter and antimatter subatomic particles, which should be observable today. And yet our universe consists essentially entirely of matter. How can that be?

By counting the number of atoms in the universe and comparing that with the amount of energy we see, scientists determined that "exactly equal" isn't quite right. Somehow, when the universe was about a tenth of a trillionth of a second old, the laws of nature skewed ever-so-slightly in the direction of matter. For every 3,000,000,000 antimatter particles, there were 3,000,000,001 matter particles. The 3 billion matter particles and 3 billion antimatter particles combined  and annihilated back into energy, leaving the slight matter excess to make up the universe we see today.

Since this puzzle was understood nearly a century ago, researchers have been studying matter and antimatter to see if they could find behavior in subatomic particles that would explain the excess of matter. They are confident that matter and antimatter are made in equal quantities, but they have also observed that a class of subatomic particles called quarks exhibit behaviors that slightly favor matter over antimatter. That particular measurement was subtle, involving a class of particles called K mesons which can convert from matter to antimatter and back again. But there is a slight difference in matter converting to antimatter as compared to the reverse. This phenomenon was unexpected and its discovery led to the 1980 Nobel prize, but the magnitude of the effect was not enough to explain why matter dominates in our universe.

Ghostly beams

Thus, scientists have turned their attention to neutrinos, to see if their behavior can explain the excess matter. Neutrinos are the ghosts of the subatomic world. Interacting via only the weak nuclear force, they can pass through matter without interacting nearly at all. To give a sense of scale, neutrinos are most commonly created in nuclear reactions and the biggest nuclear reactor around is the Sun. To shield one's self from half of the solar neutrinos would take a mass of solid lead about 5 light-years in depth. Neutrinos really don't interact very much.

Between 1998 and 2001, a series of experiments  one using the Super Kamiokande detector, and another using the SNO detector in Sudbury, Ontario  proved definitively that neutrinos also exhibit another surprising behavior. They change their identity.

Physicists know of three distinct kinds of neutrinos, each associated with a unique subatomic sibling, called electrons, muons and taus. Electrons are what causes electricity and the muon and tau particle are very much like electrons, but heavier and unstable.

The three kinds of neutrinos, called the electron neutrino, muon neutrino and tau neutrino, can "morph" into other types of neutrinos and back again. This behavior is called neutrino oscillation. [Wacky Physics: The Coolest Little Particles in Nature]

Neutrino oscillation is a uniquely quantum phenomenon, but it is roughly analogous to starting out with a bowl of vanilla ice cream and, after you go and find a spoon, you come back to find that the bowl is half vanilla and half chocolate. Neutrinos change their identity from being entirely one type, to a mix of types, to an entirely different type, and then back to the original type.

Antineutrino oscillations

Neutrinos are matter particles, but antimatter neutrinos, called antineutrinos, also exist. And that leads to a very important question. Neutrinos oscillate, but do antineutrinos also oscillate and do they oscillate in exactly the same way as neutrinos? The answer to the first question is yes, while the answer to the second is not known.

Let's consider this a little more fully, but in a simplified way: Suppose that there were only two neutrino types  muon and electron. Suppose further that you had a beam of purely muon type neutrinos. Neutrinos oscillate at a specific speed and, since they move near the speed of light, they oscillate as a function of distance from where they were created. Thus, a beam of pure muon neutrinos will look like a mix of muon and electron types at some distance, then purely electron types at another distance and then back to muon-only. Antimatter neutrinos do the same thing.

However, if matter and antimatter neutrinos oscillate at slightly different rates, you'd expect that if you were a fixed distance from the point at which a beam of pure muon neutrinos or muon antineutrinos were created, then in the neutrino case you'd see one blend of muon and electron neutrinos, but in the antimatter neutrino case, you'd see a different blend of antimatter muon and electron neutrinos. The actual situation is complicated by the fact that there are three kinds of neutrinos and the oscillation depends on beam energy, but these are the big ideas.

The observation of different oscillation frequencies by neutrinos and antineutrinos would be an important step towards understanding the fact that the universe is made of matter. Its not the entire story, because additional new phenomena must also hold, but the difference between matter and antimatter neutrinos is necessary to explain why there is more matter in the universe. [5 Mysterious Particles That May Lurk Beneath Earth's Surface]

In the current prevailing theory describing neutrino interactions, there is a variable that is sensitive to the possibility that neutrinos and antineutrinos oscillate differently. If that variable is zero, the two types of particles oscillate at identical rates; if that variable differs from zero, the two particle types oscillate differently.

When T2K measured this variable, they found it was inconsistent with the hypothesis that neutrinos and antineutrinos oscillate identically. A little more technically, they determined a range of possible values for this variable. There is a 95 percent chance that the true value for that variable is within that range and only a 5 percent chance that the true variable is outside that range. The "no difference" hypothesis is outside the 95 percent range.

In simpler terms, the current measurement suggests that neutrinos and antimatter neutrinos oscillate differently, although the certainty does not rise to the level to make a definitive claim. In fact, critics point out that measurements with this level of statistical significance should be viewed very, very skeptically. But it is certainly an enormously provocative initial result, and the world's scientific community is extremely interested in seeing improved and more precise studies.

The T2K experiment will continue to record additional data in hopes of making a definitive measurement, but it's not the only game in town. At Fermilab, located outside Chicago, a similar experiment called NOVA is shooting both neutrinos and antimatter neutrinos to northern Minnesota, hoping to beat T2K to the punch. And, looking more to the future, Fermilab is working hard on what will be its flagship experiment, called DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment), which will have far superior capabilities to study this important phenomenon.

While the T2K result is not definitive and caution is warranted, it is certainly tantalizing. Given the enormity of the question of why our universe seems to have no appreciable antimatter, the world's scientific community will avidly await further updates.

Originally published on Live Science.

Don Lincoln is a physics researcher at Fermilab. He is the author of "The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Stuff That Will Blow Your Mind" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014), and he produces a series of science education videos. Follow him on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

Don Lincoln contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
The Borexino instrument is nestled deep beneath Italy's Appenine mountains. Flashes of light within its massive detector reveal when neutrinos bang into electrons. By painstakingly compiling data on these neutrino-electron collisions over 10 years, scientists have created one of the most detailed snapshots yet of the sun's fiery heart.

Why does the sun shine?

Our local star constantly smashes atoms together deep inside its fiery belly to produce its blazing light. But because this internal commotion lies hidden beneath the sun's thick outer layers, scientists have few ways to learn about what goes on at the star's core.

But by collecting neutrinos  tiny, ghostly particles that barely interact with other matter and so can fly directly out from the suns center researchers have produced one of the most detailed snapshots ever compiled of the sun's mysterious interior.

"We're basically staring at the sun in the heart," study co-author Andrea Pocar, a physicist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told Live Science. The results, which appeared today (Oct. 24) in the journal Nature, will help solar physicists gain a better understanding of our parent star. [Sun Storms: Incredible Photos of Solar Flares]

Gathering neutrinos

Researchers created the snapshot using a colossal detector situated at the center of the international Borexino experiment, which sits inside a mountain range in Italy to help shield it from interfering radiation. Every second, 420 billion neutrinos from the sun hit any given postage-stamp-size area of the Earth's surface. However, most of these neutrinos pass through the planet like light rays through a clear window, according to a statement from the collaboration.

Borexino takes advantage of the fact that every once in a while, a neutrino has some chance of interacting with an electron. The project's detector consists of 100 tons of an ultrapure substance that produces a tiny flash of light if a neutrino hits one of the instrument's electrons, Pocar said. Surrounding the detector are 2,000 supersensitive cameras that can record the intensity of the light flashes, revealing how much energy the neutrino carried when it smacked into the electron, he added.

While most previous solar-neutrino experiments could detect only high-energy neutrinos, Borexino can detect neutrinos with a vast range of energies, providing a better look into the nuclear reactions in the sun's interior, the researchers said. The experiment collected data for 10 years to provide the new, highly precise picture of neutrinos emerging from the sun.

Neutrinos serve as excellent probes of the sun's interior, because the nearly intangible particles stream directly out from the core at the speed of light, Pocar said. Photons, or light particles, by contrast, get quickly absorbed and then re-emitted by atoms in the dense solar center. This sends the particles on a zigzagging path out of sun's center that can take thousands of years, said Pocar.

Borexino's results will provide valuable data for scientists making models of the sun. The snapshot could, for instance, help determine the precise amounts of relatively heavy elements  such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen  in the sun's center, said Pocar, a problem that still leaves solar physicists scratching their heads.

Originally published on Live Science.
For an octopus mom, the miracle of life is bittersweet. After wandering the seas alone, she meets up with a mate, collects his sperm and then goes on to deprive herself of any food while caring for her now-fertilized eggs. When it nears time for the little eight-armed bundles to hatch, the mom wastes away, entering an aquatic death spiral.

She never even gets to see the fruits of her labor, having perished by the time her young emerge from their eggs.

Now, researchers have found that the octopus mom does not go quietly into the night. Rather, the same optic gland that directs a female octopus to mate and brood her eggs also guides her on a suicide mission of sorts, directing the nurturing cephalopod to make haste with dying. [Octlantis: See Photos of Tight-Knit Gloomy Octopus Communities]

For their study, neurobiologists Z. Yan Wang and Clifton Ragsdale of the University of Chicago were interested in figuring out how the optic gland works. Specifically, they wanted to know which molecules are responsible for the gland's function in maternal behaviors. (Like the pituitary gland in humans, the optic gland is located between the eyes.)

To do that, the researchers monitored wild-caught female California two-spot octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides) in their lab. The experiment included mated and nonmated individuals, allowing the duo to look at tissues and genetics as well as behaviors of both groups of octopuses.

The brooding females, the scientists found, cared for their egg clutches for the first eight days, on average, blowing water over the eggs and stroking them with their suckers. The octo-moms also kept eating. "We were a bit surprised that there was a period of feeding while brooding that preceded the fasting period, because it hadn't been characterized before. Results like this demonstrate how much more there is to know in these animals," Wang told Live Science.

During the next stage of brooding, the females stopped eating; after about 11 days of fasting, the octopuses entered a rapid decline, the researchers wrote. Behaviorally, they seemed to be hastening death, the researchers said. [In Photos: Amazing 'Octomom' Protects Eggs for 4.5 Years]

The researchers watched as new mothers rammed their mantles into the glass sides of the aquarium or the gravel at the bottom of the tank, leading to deep wounds that didn't heal. Some of the mothers took to excessively self-grooming their bodies. Rather than running the first pair of arms over the head and mantle, as is typical, these octopus moms groomed with all their arms, in somewhat of a flurry that created a "turbulent mass of entangled arms," which was followed by "self-cannibalization of the arm tips or suckers," the researchers wrote online Oct. 8 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

"The overgrooming and self-mutilation are definitely odd to witness," Wang said.

And after the self-mutilation and cannibalism, the animals showed physiological signs that death was near: The skin around their eyes sank in, and their skin paled. Their pupils, which are usually aligned perpendicular with respect to gravity, shifted, suggesting deterioration in at least part of the central nervous system, the scientists wrote.

When the researchers analyzed the optic glands at different stages of the mothers' lives, they found that certain molecules related to gene expression were activated depending on which stage the mother was in. Specifically, they found that four different molecular "pathways" were activated for the four stages of the female octopus's reproductive life: unmated behaviors, feeding once eggs hatch, fasting and decline (the spiral toward death).

"These behaviors, along with our transcriptomic [genetic] evidence, strongly imply that post-reproductive death is an active process," the researchers said.

As for why the new mothers go to so much trouble to end their lives, the researchers said they ruled out the idea that the octopuses just didn't have the energy to reproduce again (and so what's the point of living?). Apparently, the only thing stopping them from reproducing again is the optic gland, according to the researchers, who suspect the hasty dying may be related to the animals' cannibalistic nature. The mother's death ensures she will not consume her young, the researchers said.

Next, the researchers hope to learn more about how the molecular pathways in the optic gland work, particularly those triggered by steroids and peptides, Wang said. "Follow-up studies such as these will reveal how similar or completely different this process may be to other known biological processes."

Originally published on Live Science.
If you're already feeling stressed out, sorry, but there's one more thing you might need to worry about: A new study finds that stress may impair your memory now and quicken cognitive decline later in life.

And if that's not stressful enough, stress might also be tied to a slight shrinking of the brain, according to the study, published today (Oct. 24) in the journal Neurology.

In a study with more than 2,000 healthy, middle-age volunteers, doctors found that those with higher blood levels of the hormone cortisol  an indicator of stress  performed more poorly on memory tests and had a slightly shrunken brain volume compared to those with a normal level of the hormone. The effect was more evident among women in the study. [10 Things You Didn't Know About the Brain]

But before you panic, know that the researchers emphasized (stressed, really) that the findings do not mean that stress causes brain damage. Rather, the study reveals an association between stress and brain function that's consistent with laboratory-based studies on mice.

Don't stress  it's natural

The stress response is a natural part of life, as the bodymust react when confronted by danger or other threats. And cortisol is central to that stress response, said lead study author Dr. Justin Echouffo-Tcheugui, an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

During stressful moments, cortisol levels rise and, together with another hormone called adrenaline, signal the body into making a fight-or-flight response. Specifically, cortisol increases glucose, or sugar, in the bloodstream; enhances your brain's use of that glucose for energy; and suppresses bodily functions that aren't immediately needed during an emergency, such as digestion, reproduction and growth. [11 Tips to Lower Stress]

Once the stressful event passes, cortisol levels should fall. This, however, isn't always the case, Echouffo-Tcheugui told Live Science. The body may still perceive stress or, for reasons not well understood, retain high levels of cortisol. Or, in this modern life, one's home or work life may cause daily stress.

Persistently higher cortisol levels can cause damage to the heart and skin. So, the idea that stress and higher cortisol levels could also affect memory and brain function is not surprising, Echouffo-Tcheugui said. Indeed, people with Cushing syndrome, a condition that's defined in part by a high and persistent level of cortisol, often experience poor memory, attention deficit, moodiness and depression.

Stress and the brain

In the new study, Echouffo-Tcheugui, who was based at Harvard Medical School while conducting the analysis, tapped into the Framingham Heart Study database, a massive, government-sponsored study that has followed the health of thousands of residents in the Framingham, Massachusetts, area for more than 70 years. Echouffo-Tcheugui and his colleagues identified 2,231 people with an average age of 49 who were free of dementia.

At the beginning of the study, each participant had a psychological exam and assessments for memory and thinking skills. Their memory and thinking skills were tested again an average of eight years later. At the end of the study,the participants also provided a blood sample, and about 2,000 of them had a a series of MRI brain scans to measure brain volume.

The researchers found that people with high levels of cortisol had lower scores on tests of memory and thinking skills than those with normal levels of cortisol. High cortisol was also linked to lower total brain volume.

Echouffo-Tcheugui said the study is only a snapshot of the effects of cortisol at one period in time for one group of people, largely of European descent. Yet, given the known deleterious effects of elevated cortisol levels on various body tissues, he said doctors and the public should pay heed to the potential for brain damage.

"Our research detected memory loss and brain shrinkage in middle-aged people before symptoms started to show" in ordinary, daily activities, said Echouffo-Tcheugui. "So, it's important for people to find ways to reduce stress."

Dr. Paul George, an assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford Medicine, who was not involved with the research, said the community-based study "raises many questions which need further exploration about how cortisol affects the brain and our cognition."

"One of the strengths is the assessment of these brain volumes using multiple imaging assessments to evaluate brain changes," George told Live Science. "The size of the study also adds to its impact, [and] they provided sound analysis to eliminate confounding factors such as depression."

The limitations, George added, are inherent in the nature of such epidemiological studies: The researchers cannot be certain of the cause, existence or persistence of stress, because they are relying on a one-time morning blood sample of cortisol levels.

Echouffo-Tcheugui said that he agrees with that assessment. Still, reducing stress can have a range of benefits, he said, whether it's accomplished through better sleep, exercise, relaxation techniques, or asking one's doctor about cortisol-reducing medication, if needed.

"There's nothing wrong in reducing stress," he said.

Follow Christopher Wanjek @wanjekfor daily tweets on health and science with a humorous edge. Wanjek is the author of "Food at Work" and "Bad Medicine." His column, Bad Medicine, appears regularly on Live Science.
CenterPoint Energy's pipeline company continues to expand nationwide, agreeing to acquire Oklahoma's Velocity Midstream for more than $440 million.

CenterPoint's Enable Midstream Partners said it is greatly expanding its crude oil pipeline gathering and processing network with Velocity, which holds a large network in Oklahoma's Anadarko Basin, which expands into the Texas Panhandle, as well as in the SCOOP and Merge shale plays in Oklahoma.

Enable is controlled by Houston-based CenterPoint and Oklahoma City's OGE Energy.

Farther north, Enable also said it plans to expand its crude oil and water pipeline gathering systems in North Dakota. Enable cited an uptick in activity in the region and a large number of drilled but uncompleted wells that are yet to produce oil.

"Today's announcements continue Enable's strategy of extending our reach across the midstream value chain by significantly expanding our crude business," said Enable Midstream President and CEO Rod Sailor.

RELATED: CenterPoint's pipeline business proposing $500 million project

These new moves continue Enable's spending spree of late.

Just last month, Enable said it plans to build a 165-mile gas pipeline from northwestern to southwestern Louisiana along the Texas state line. The project would take gas from the Haynesville Shale and other regions to new liquefied natural gas export terminals in Louisiana and Texas.

The gas pipeline project has an estimated price tag of $550 million.
As sharp-tongued, alcoholic misanthropes go, Lee Israel deserves her place in cinema's most un-hateable pantheon. Israel, a freelance journalist, made a name for herself in the 1970s by writing about such similarly tough-minded women as Katharine Hepburn and Tallulah Bankhead. But by the 1980s, Israel's usual work had evaporated, a descent not helped by her prickly demeanor and a spreading infotainment ethos demanding that writers develop personae as vivid as their subjects.

It's at this low point that we meet Melissa McCarthy's Lee in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," in which the actress brings her dowdiest, most disagreeable A-game to a caustically funny, improbably affecting enterprise. When she's fired from the latest of a series of lobster-shift clerical jobs, Lee calls her agent (a sublimely deadpan Jane Curtin) to revive a long-gestating biography of Fanny Brice. Later, at a literary party, Lee steals toilet paper and a stranger's coat before repairing to a local bar.

You've never seen Melissa McCarthy like this. And she's not even the best thing about her new movie.

It's at that corner watering hole that Lee meets Jack, a dashing but vaguely disreputable character who, when she asks what he does, answers with a cryptic, "This and that. Mostly that." Portrayed by Richard E. Grant in a delectable melange of catty observational wit and almost childlike guilelessness, Jack winds up being the perfect, arms-wide foil for Lee's crabbed cynicism. And he winds up being a similarly appropriate henchman in the crime spree she embarks on, as an act of economic opportunism and, ultimately, creative defiance.

Based on the real-life Israel's memoir, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" dramatizes one of the strangest true-crime stories of the late 20th century, one whose precise parameters are so devious and, in their own way, deeply romantic that synopsis wouldn't be remotely fair. Suffice it to say that Lee ends up finding her second act and also her calling as someone smart enough to recognize greatness, but unable to get out of her own way. She also finds her tribe in the denizens of a world largely confined to secondhand bookstores, antiquarian fairs and rare-print galleries.

It's that universe - and a 1980s New York when people still smoked in bars, did coke in bathrooms and typed on Smith Coronas - that comes to life so gratifyingly in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," which is directed by Marielle Heller from a tartly on-point script by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty. As she did in her revelatory debut, "The Diary of a Teenage Girl," Heller exhibits a richly expressive sense of texture and atmosphere, capturing the hushed coziness of the shops that constitute Lee's territory, as well as the sad cat-lady squalor of her own Upper West Side one-bedroom. As a valentine to a lost city and its most eccentric kooks, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is adamantly analog, in temperament and aesthetic. One can almost see the real Israel, who died in 2014, raising an enraged middle finger to a once-eclectic urban grid now colonized by generic big-box stores, obscene wealth and downcast human turtles hunched into handheld digital shells.

Not that the city was all fun and games back in the day. But somehow, the pleasure of inhabiting Lee's environment isn't compromised by the tragedies, big and small, that tug at and threaten to engulf her story, whether it's the AIDS epidemic that is killing off all of Jack's friends or her own most self-destructive impulses. Instead, the evanescence that hovers over "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" gives it a much-needed, wistful sense of warmth.

That affectionate nostalgia is underlined by a delicately moving supporting turn from the British actress Dolly Wells as a genteel retro-chic bookshop owner. But primarily, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is most memorable as a classic two-hander, with McCarthy and Grant sparking and riffing off each other like the musicians who can be heard on the film's jazz-infused soundtrack.

In some ways, Lee is a stretch for McCarthy, who's best known for such broad comedies as "Bridesmaids" and its successors. She's more muted and layered here, but Lee still resides squarely in the actress's wheelhouse as a woman unburdened by conventional notions of femininity and politesse. As the extravagantly un-pin-downable Jack, Grant gives her a fabulous co-star to play against or lean into, as the characters' mercurial relationship demands. Together, he and McCarthy give spiky, sympathetic life to the thwarted promise of so many New York misfits. Convinced that they're one in a million, they forget that, just footsteps away, there are at least eight other people just like them.

---

Three stars. Rated R. Contains coarse language, including some sexual references, and brief drug use. 106 minutes.

Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.

Advance for fri oct. 26
"The best thing of its kind since 'Dracula' " declared James Hilton, author of "Lost Horizon," after finishing Dennis Wheatley's "The Devil Rides Out." Even now this 1934 thriller - about a black-magic cult in Britain and the small band of friends that seeks to thwart its evil designs - remains wonderfully kitschy fun, as well as a perfect book for Halloween.

In its glorious excess, Wheatley's novel recalls the weird-menace adventures that flourished in 1930s pulp magazines. Related in breathless prose, these shuddery tales often featured mad scientists, Fu Manchu-like supervillains or nefarious diabolists. Beautiful young blondes were invariably needed for grotesque experiments or Satanic rites, while square-jawed heroes would rescue these lightly clad damsels at the very last moment. Wheatley develops all these tropes to melodramatic, sensationalist perfection. Little wonder that "The Devil Rides Out" became one of the best of the Hammer horror films. Its star, Christopher Lee, maintained that it was the favorite of all his movies.

The novel opens when the burly young American Rex Van Ryn visits his rich, aristocratic friend the Duke de Richleau. On the first page we learn that some years earlier Rex had landed in a Soviet prison and "the elderly French exile had put aside his peaceful existence as art connoisseur and dilettante to search for him in Russia." Together, the pair learned the dangerous secret of "The Forbidden Territory" but finally escaped alive with the help of Richard Eaton; his future bride, the Princess Marie Lou; and a third companion, one with a "subtle brain and shy, nervous courage," Simon Aron. The life-and-death perils faced by these five created a bond of friendship that nothing could ever break.

Or could it? Simon has recently been spending all his time with a mysterious Mr. Mocata. Even though Rex has only just arrived in London, the American instantly insists on driving to Simon's new and strangely secluded house to find out what's going on. When he and the duke arrive, they discover some kind of party or celebration in progress. There are 13 guests, of differing nationalities, many of them slightly grotesque or misshapen, though that's hardly true of the lovely Tanith, to whom Rex is quickly attracted. However, when the duke notices a "five-pointed star enclosed within two circles between which numerous mystic characters in Greek and Hebrew had been drawn," he realizes that Simon is in grave and immediate danger.

As is usual with aristocratic dilettantes, De Richleau once studied "esoteric doctrines" during a sojourn in the East, so he is able to recognize the dread symbols of the Left-Hand Path: "Despite our electricity, our aeroplanes, our modern skepticism, the power of Darkness is still a living force, worshipped by depraved human beings for their unholy ends in the great cities of Europe and America to this very day."

Mocata's ends are unholy indeed. He needs Simon to locate the Talisman of Set, with which he can then release the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War, Plague, Famine and Death. As the novel proceeds, the Indiana Jones-like action never slows, except when our heroes take a short break to sip a glass of Imperial Tokay or enjoy an expensive cigar, usually while discussing occult practices. As it is, Wheatley doesn't miss a trick from the Penny Dreadful playbook: hypnotism, crystal-gazing, an entity from another dimension, the Tarot, a cackling Gypsy, palm-reading, the Philosophers' Stone, an orgiastic sabbat on May Day's Eve, the Kaballah, Stonehenge, the Undead and, not least, a threat to the very soul of our bedeviled heroine, the lovely Tanith. Can she be rescued from a fate worse than death?

I'll stop there except to add that the tireless Wheatley went on to produce many other Grand Guignol thrillers, including the shivery and lubriciously suggestive, "To the Devil a Daughter"!

Still, enough diabolism. Halloween is also a time for ghost stories, and this fall brings several wonderful collections, starting with the British Library's magnificent paperback series "Tales of the Weird." Recent volumes include: "Mortal Echoes: Encounters With the End," edited by Greg Buzwell; "Haunted Houses: Two Novels by Charlotte Riddell," edited by Andrew Smith (the novels are the hard-to-find "Fairy Water" and "The Uninhabited House"), "From the Depths and Other Strange Tales of the Sea," edited by Mike Ashley and "Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories," also edited by Ashley, perhaps our most redoubtable scholar of early genre literature.

In fact, Ashley's "lost ghost stories" are true rediscoveries, as are those in the equally welcome "A Suggestion of Ghosts: Supernatural Fiction by Women 1854-1900," gleaned from contemporary periodicals by J.A. Mains (Black Shuck Books). Similarly, "The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories, Volume 3," compiled by James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle, reprints uncanny tales that are still too little appreciated. For "The Folio Book of Horror Stories" (Folio Society), British horrormeister Ramsey Campbell surveys the genre beginning with Poe and advancing to Shirley Jackson ("The Bus") and Reggie Oliver ("Flowers of the Sea"). To sample the very latest in weird storytelling, seek out "Uncertainties: Volume 3," edited by Lynda E. Rucker (Swan River Press).

If you prefer spending dark evenings with a single author, consider three recent collections: Rosalie Parker's "Sparks From the Fire" (Swan River Press), which collects 19 stories, some set against the brooding Yorkshire landscape; "Figures Unseen: Selected Stories" by the prolific World Fantasy Award winner Steve Rasnic Tem (Valancourt); and "Nothing Is Everything" (Undertow) by Canada's master of Northern chills, Simon Strantzas.

Last, if you haven't been too frightened by "The Devil Rides Out," you will be by Scott G. Bruce's "The Penguin Book of Hell," in which writers from antiquity to the 20th century describe the eternal, infernal hereafter. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here, but in the meantime, Happy Halloween!
CNN found itself not just reporting the news but part of it Wednesday as it evacuated its Manhattan offices following the discovery of what police said was a crude explosive device - one of a wave of would-be bombs aimed at media organizations and leading Democratic figures.

Viewers could hear alarms going off during the network's morning broadcast, as anchors Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow were discussing the first reports of bombs sent to the homes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama and billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.

Sciutto and Harlow hurriedly left the set, and CNN went to a commercial break. The network then temporarily switched its coverage from New York to its Washington studios - but then switched back to the anchors, who reported from the Manhattan sidewalk outside CNN's building, amid the noise of pedestrians, sirens and honking traffic.

The device, apparently a pipe bomb, was removed from CNN's offices on Columbus Circle by New York Police Department technicians before noon, while network anchors continued to report from the street. The CNN building remained cleared until about 3:45 p.m. because of a suspicious white powder that came in the package with the explosive device, delivered via courier.

The sending of suspicious parcels to Soros, Clinton, Obama and CNN strongly suggested that the sender or senders were motivated by animus toward people whom President Donald Trump has frequently criticized.

Trump has singled out CNN repeatedly in his denunciations of the "fake news" media, and he has characterized the press as "the enemy of the people."

Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, drew a connection between the president's rhetoric and the attempted attack in a sharply worded statement released on Twitter hours after the scare.

"There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media," Zucker wrote. "The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter."

About 200 employees cleared out after the package was discovered in a mailroom. Some described a confusing scene as the alarms sounded and employees left laptops, coats and even wallets behind.

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan was struck by the "layer upon layer upon layer" of law enforcement officers flooding into the building as workers streamed out. The employees were pushed about a half block away by local authorities as a massive NYPD bomb-disposal truck drove up the building, she said.

TV trucks from other news organizations soon pulled up nearby, creating a traffic-stopping spectacle in which the news media covered one of its own.

"People took it pretty well," said a CNN journalist, who described some of his colleagues heading to local coffee shops and restaurants with wi-fi service so that they could continue their work. "This is the modern world, I guess."

At a briefing on the street in the early afternoon, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said the package uncovered at CNN contained "a live explosive device."

New York mayor Bill DeBlasio called the mailing of the packages "an act of terror. It was an attempt to terrorize" and to intimidate the free press.

CNN's offices are in the headquarters of its parent company, Time Warner, just off Central Park in midtown Manhattan. The Time Warner Center houses the company's other networks, including TNT and corporate offices of WarnerMedia.

Similar devices later turned up addressed to former attorney general Eric Holder with a return address claiming to be that of the Florida office of Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Another suspicious package was found at the Congressional mail-screening facility in Capitol Heights, Md. addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Ca., a prominent Trump critic. Authorities believe the devices all came from the same source.

Law enforcement authorities intercepted all of the packages and no injuries were reported.

Amid heightened vigilance, mystery packages also set off scares at the offices of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, the San Diego Union Tribune and a Fresno TV station, but those turned out to be harmless.

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said the package sent to CNN was addressed to John Brennan, the former CIA director. Brennan is now a TV commentator, but he works for MSNBC and NBC, not CNN.

Brennan, who headed the spy agency during the Obama administration, has been a harsh critic of Trump, who retaliated against him in August by revoking his security clearance.

In an email to employees, Zucker said the network was "checking all bureaus around the world, out of a complete abundance of caution." He later said no other devices were found.

In a statement sent via Twitter, Vice President Mike Pence said: "We condemn the attempted attacks against former President Obama, the Clintons, CNN and others. These cowardly actions are despicable and have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @Secret Service, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice."

Trump's only public statement about the suspicious mailings throughout the morning was a tweet in reply to Pence's statement. "I agree wholeheartedly," he wrote.

He later changed his usual combative tone and told a White House gathering, "In these times, we have to unify. We have to come together and send one very clear, strong and unmistakeable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

In a bit of ill-timed fundraising, Trump's re-election campaign distributed an email attacking CNN around noon Wednesday, about two hours after CNN reported on the bomb threat against it. The fundraising letter came from Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, who criticized CNN for its reporting on a Trump's rally in Florida. Her email quotes an unnamed CNN figure who said of the rally, "It felt like we weren't in America anymore." Lara Trump's response reads, "It's time for us to give the media another wake-up call from the American people."

In an unrelated statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards."

She later added a tweet including CNN: "Our condemnation of these dispicable [sic] acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants."
Several area events will commemorate the 100 years since the Armistice ending World War I went into effect Nov. 11, 1918. Here are some:

Bennington Battlefield

Observance: Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site in Hoosick hosts a Veterans Day observance, 11 a.m. Nov. 11. Speakers will highlight American service through the centuries, discussing the American experience in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and World War I. A musket salute follows. No RSVP required.

Sage Colleges

Musical: Billy Bishop Goes to War, The Theatre Institute at Sage. Bishop was the worst student in the Royal Military College and went on to become the most decorated officer of the Royal Canadian Flying Corps in World War I. Showings at the Schacht Fine Arts Center Theater, 5 Division St., Troy, are: 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday; 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Adults: $15. Senior and students: $12.

Bethlehem Public Library

Movie: "The African Queen" 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Talk: The Empire State and War of the Empires, by UAlbany Professor Richard Fogarty, 2 p.m. Nov. 4.

Discussion: "The Sun Also Rises," by Ernest Hemingway, 1:30 p.m., Nov. 12

Movie: "Gallipoli" 2:30 p.m. Nov. 9.

Songs: Music with Linda Russell and trio, 2 p.m. Nov. 11.

After Dinner Books: "Stella Bain," 7 p.m. Nov. 14.

Talk: Sammy Doughboy Remember, 2 p.m. Nov. 18.

Discussion: "Dead Wake" by Eric Larson, 7 p.m. Dec. 11.

Movie: "All Quiet on the Western Front," 2:30 p.m. Dec. 14.

Irish-American Heritage Museum, Broadway, Albany

Upcoming exhibition: American experience of war, including the Irish- and German-American response to it and efforts to remain neutral, (launching in November).

Wreath-laying: At 11 a.m. Nov. 11 museum officials will lay a wreath of remembrance at the World War I monument at New Scotland and South Lake avenues.

Proctors, Schenectady

Exhibit: The second installation of "Together Until the End Schenectady in World War I": The exhibit runs until Nov. 11, Proctors theater, Schenectady.

From the Battlefield: Music by Soldiers in WWI: From 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Free. Reservations required. Fenimore Gallery. Performance by the Lost Radio Rounders and lecture by the State Museum's Aaron Noble.

Lecture: Altered Landscapes: the Great War and the World Remade, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 1. Reservations required. Fenimore Gallery.

Movie: "The Big Parade:" Proctors 7 to 10:30 p.m. Nov. 5. $10. Buy tickets at proctors.org or 518-346-6204.

Movie: "All Quiet on the Western Front," 11 a.m. Nov. 10, Proctors. Buy tickets at proctors.org or 518-346-6204.

Concert: Britten's War Requiem, David Alan Miller conducting, Albany Pro Musica, Cathedral of All Saints Boys choir chorus, 7:30 to 10 p.m. Nov. 10, Proctors. Tickets start at $19.

Other events

Roundtable: Britten's War Requiem: Its History, Music and Poetry, 7 p.m. Nov. 5, the Cathedral of All Saints, Albany. Free.

Movie: "Under Four Flags," noon Nov. 7. Free. Schenectady County Community College.

Concert: To a Soldier: A Great Life Lost, by Musicians of Ma'alwyck, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Nov. 10, First Reformed Church, Schenectady. $25 adults, $10 students. Honors violinist David Hochstein, killed October 1918.

Reading: 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: 518-325-4101.
Louis H. Jones Jr., a high-ranking Dannenbaum Engineering executive in South Texas and a subject of an FBI investigation, died by suicide late Monday, one of his family members confirmed.

Its not clear how or where he died, but the 63-year-old was at a place he chose. He was not home in McAllen at the time of his death, the family member said.

Jones was the principal/director of Dannenbaums South Texas region, and a frequent campaign contributor to many elected officials in Laredo.

READ ALSO: Ex-county commissioner, ex-city councilman face up to five years in prison

The FBI in April 2017 raided Dannenbaums headquarters in Houston as well as its satellite offices in Laredo, McAllen and San Antonio. Search warrants were also executed at City of Laredo and Webb County government buildings. Jones attorney said in a deposition related to a lawsuit in Hidalgo County that his clients office was subjected to a search warrant.

He didnt do anything wrong and fought it the best he could, the family member said. And it was more than he could handle so he took his life. Now, hell be put to rest in his hometown of Freeport, they said.

Dannenbaum Engineering also offered a comment to Laredo Morning Times confirming Jones death.

It is with great sadness that we share with you that yesterday (Monday) we lost a beloved colleague, Louis Jones, Jr., Dannenbaum engineer Richard D. Seitz said in the statement. Louis was admired by all who know him. A wonderful man who will be sorely missed by his family and his many, many friends. We are heartbroken.

In early October, federal prosecutors handed down their first indictment in connection with the 2017 FBI raids. Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales and former Laredo City Councilman Johnny Amaya were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery. They pleaded guilty to the charge Thursday in a federal court in Houston. Canales resigned as commissioner hours before the guilty plea was announced.

According to the indictment, an employee of a civil engineering firm was a co-conspirator in the case. The indictment says he is a McAllen resident and served as the lead project manager on most of the engineering firms South Texas work.

This co-conspirator gave Canales money in exchange for the commissioners official action benefiting the co-conspirator and the civil engineering company, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The indictment notes that on Oct. 26, 2015 the co-conspirator wrote Canales a $5,000 check.

In campaign finance report documents previously requested by Laredo Morning Times, Canales noted receiving a $5,000 check from Jones, marked as received in October 2015. No one else donated $5,000 to Canales in that time frame.

READ ALSO: City of Laredo's business with Dannenbaum on hold after FBI raids

The FBI on Tuesday would not confirm the identity of the co-conspirator .

The engineering firm was also not named in the indictment. The indictment only described it as a civil engineering firm headquartered in Houston with satellite offices in Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. However, the indictment references that the corporation that allegedly benefited from the bribery scheme was awarded a road engineering contract by Webb County Commissioners Court on Sept. 26, 2016.

Agenda minutes and video of that Commissioners Court meeting show that the $300,000 contract was awarded to Dannenbaum. The firm was also the only one to respond to the bid.

When Laredo Morning Times on Friday reached out to Dannenbaum for comment on the indictment, the firms spokesman, Bill Miller, said, We do not comment on other peoples misfortunes and, as such, will have no comment.

Jones is survived by his wife, Maruca, and his funeral services will be announced at a later date, Seitz said.

jwallace@lmtonline.com

keri.blakinger@chron.com
Reports of a reckless driver landed an apologetic man behind bars, Laredo police said.

Steven Martinez, 26, was arrested and charged with evading arrest with a vehicle.

Police said Martinez "immediately apologized for not stopping." He was additionally cited for failure to drive in a single lane.

READ ALSO: Laredo man speaks out after video of vehicle pursuit goes viral

On Monday afternoon, police officers were dispatched to a report of reckless driver in the 700 block of Gale Street. LPD received information that a red Ford Mustang was swerving in and out of traffic and "driving in excessive speeds."

Police said they located the Mustang traveling north in the 6500 block of Springfield Avenue. Officers said the driver, Martinez, failed to drive in a single lane and kept traveling north on Springfield.

Martinez never attempted to pull over, according to police. Then, he turned into the JSJ Estates and stopped on St. Julien Drive, where he was taken into custody.
Alleged Texas Syndicate gang member Guillermo Capetillo has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for fatally shooting a man.

Jurors convicted Capetillo of murder and aggravated assault on Monday night after deliberating the verdict for about four hours. On Tuesday, Capetillo elected to have 49th District Court Judge Joe Lopez assess his punishment instead of the jury.

Lopez sentenced Capetillo to 32 years in prison for murder and 10 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The sentences will run concurrently.

READ MORE: Witnesses provide details in shooting incident that killed one in 2017

Capetillo's trial began Oct. 16 after he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Laredo police said that on Jan. 15, 2017, Capetillo fatally shot Sergio Ramirez Jr., 27, and caused serious injury with a firearm to Leonel Maldonado Jr., 22. The shooting happened outside an "after-after-party" at Kush Smoke Emporium in the 2600 block of Arkansas Avenue.

When Capetillo and three of his friends  Daniel Murillo, Jonathan Morales and Ernesto Rodriguez  arrived at the party, Capetillo began arguing with his girlfriend. He asked her what she was doing there and told her to go home, according to testimony.

Capetillo also had a gun that belonged to Rodriguez and was waving it at her, Murillo testified.

READ ALSO: In El Chapo's Trial, Extraordinary Steps to Keep Witnesses Alive

When the group of four friends got back into the car, a handful of guys approached the vehicle and started banging on it from all sides.

Morales said he was pulling on the handle to hold the door shut from the inside when he saw Capetillo exit the car, and then he heard gunshots.

Murillo said Capetillo also had exited the vehicle, and when asked if he knew if Capetillo was shooting a gun, he said yes.

"Supposedly, they wanted to blame (Rodriguez) for what happened," Murillo said. "My problem with that is why is someone else going to pay for something he didn't do?"
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil is a majority nonwhite country, a multicultural mix of ethnicities. So many people here are stunned by an apparent contradiction: How could a man like Jair Bolsonaro be this close to winning the presidency?

The far-right former army captain once said his sons would never fall in love with a black woman, and in 2015, he dubbed African refugees coming to Brazil "the scum of the earth." The left has sought to portray him as an open racist - a charge the blunt-talking Bolsonaro denies.

But this is what has perhaps shocked his opponents the most. Now polling in the lead by 18 percentage points, the 63-year-old will enter Sunday's presidential runoff with a surprising group of backers: people of color.

In Latin America's largest nation, Bolsonaro is now the top candidate among black and mixed-race voters, according to a major polling agency, Ibope. He is supported by 47 percent of that voter pool, compared to 41 percent for Fernando Haddad, his opponent from the left-wing Workers' Party, or PT.

Other polls that break out figures on Afro-Brazilians separately from that group suggest they are supporting Bolsonaro in far lower numbers than mixed-race voters. Yet overall, people of color could push Bolsonaro over the top.

"Brazil is ignoring some of its characteristics," said Alexandre Bandeira, a political strategist in Brasilia. "It is a nation of largely mixed-race, lower-middle-class people. But people are putting aside their personal identities in search of political renovation."

While Bolsonaro has at times used incendiary language in reference to race, critics also charge him with a more subtle form of discrimination - promoting policies they say unfairly target people of color.

He has proposed, for instance, combating crime by sending heavily armed security forces into largely black and mixed-race slums, providing more protection for police officers who kill on the job, and stripping indigenous communities of their land rights to speed up development.

He has lashed out at a quota system enacted by previous governments that guarantees places for black and indigenous Brazilians at universities. "I would not board a plane piloted by a quota beneficiary, or be operated on by a quota doctor," he said.

Earlier this month, Twitter was flooded with posts about Bolsonaro tagged #MySecretRacist, which attempted to expose subtle racism in Brazil.

"He says a good thug is a dead thug. He's bringing death to the slums," said Elsa Santos, 48, an expert on black history from the outskirts of Sao Paulo who attended an anti-Bolsonaro rally this month.

The strongest voter bloc for Bolsonaro - who resoundingly won a first-round vote earlier this month but fell short of the number needed to avoid a runoff - is still white men. And this country of 210 million is now more polarized than at any point in its modern history, especially after a spate of attacks and incidents of harassment against women, gays and black people allegedly committed by Bolsonaro supporters in recent weeks.

Yet backers of Bolsonaro include the likes of Achiles Guimaraes. An Afro-Brazilian and 40-year-old motorcycle delivery man, he heads a neighborhood association in Rocinha, Rio's largest slum - which Bolsonaro once suggested should be "machine-gunned" to kill off gang members. Guimaraes is Afro-Brazilian, like about 8 percent of Brazilians. Mixed-race people make up about 47 percent of the population, according to the 2016 census.

Guimaraes voted left-wing in past elections - but this year, he ran out and bought a Bolsonaro T-shirt. He laughs off the charges of racism against his candidate, saying "we can't agree on everything."

He's far more disgusted by Brazil's traditional political class. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - the leftist Guimaraes once voted for and who led Brazil for eight years - is now in jail, serving a 12-year sentence for corruption. His successor was impeached. Her successor - the current president - was recently indicted on corruption and money-laundering charges, which he denies. One-third of the lower house of congress is under criminal investigation.

At the same time, Brazil has slipped into an unprecedented cycle of violence. As gang wars rage, Brazil suffered a record 63,880 homicides last year - almost twice the number in the United States and Europe combined.

Young black males are nine times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as their white counterparts - a statistic Guimaraes knows a lot about. His bother and his uncle were both gunned down in Rio slums.

"Today, motorcycle delivery men run from thieves trying to steal their merchandise and motorcycles, and from the corrupt police asking for bribes," he said. "Bolsonaro was a military man; he will demand more from authorities, including the police."

Yet Brazil already has one of the deadliest police forces in the world, responsible for over 5,000 deaths last year, according to government figures. Experts warn that Bolsonaro's tough-on-crime platform, which includes proposals to arm ordinary citizens, could make life worse for many people of color.

"There is no basis of evidence to suggest that what he proposes will work," said Ilona Szabo, director of the Igarape Institute, a think tank in Rio that focuses on security issues. "Things will get worse. The police will kill more. There will be more extrajudicial killings, especially of people in the slums and of blacks."

Once hailed as a unique "racial democracy," a multicultural nation where people did not view one another through the lens of race, Brazil is now confronting rifts that many here would prefer to ignore.

Photos recently circulated on social media, for instance, showing a bathroom door at a university in southern Sao Paulo spray-painted with the message: "Blacks will die. Here, we're for Bolsonaro." After the first round of the elections, a flurry of people took to social media to attack Brazil's predominantly black northeast, where Haddad won a majority of votes.

Bolsonaro's campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In recent months, he has courted the black vote and has sought to celebrate Brazil's diversity. After media reports in Brazil said that David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, had spoken highly of Bolsonaro, the Brazilian candidate rejected any such ally.

"I refuse any kind of support coming from supremacist groups," Bolsonaro tweeted. "To exploit this to try and influence an election in Brazil is an enormous stupidity! It's not knowing the Brazilian people, who are mixed race."

Within the black community, Bolsonaro's candidacy has pitted his supporters against his opponents. On the night of the first round of the election, a 63-year-old black master of capoeira, a form of martial arts that originated in Africa and is popular in Brazil, was stabbed 12 times by a black Bolsonaro supporter in northern Brazil after he declared he had voted for Haddad.

Carla Jesus, a 34-year-old Afro-Brazilian teacher and lesbian activist, criticized blacks supporting Bolsonaro.

"Just because slavery is over does not mean our minds are free," she said.

She said she is preparing for the dawn of a dark chapter in Brazil should Bolsonaro sail to victory.

"People are looking at us differently now with the campaign," she said. "They aren't shy about saying blacks and lesbians need to die. I'm feeling more than fear. I'm panicking about him winning."
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Georgia election officials to stop summarily tossing absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures, delivering a crucial win to voting-rights advocates - and to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams - less than two weeks before Election Day.

The ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed by the ACLU last week after election officials in a single Atlanta suburb, Gwinnett County, rejected hundreds of absentee ballots with signature discrepancies, missing addresses or incorrect birth years.

The ACLU argued that allowing nonexpert election officials to judge the validity of signatures without giving voters the chance to contest the decisions amounted to unconstitutional voter suppression.

U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May agreed, and she ordered Secretary of State Brian Kemp to instruct all local election officials to stop rejecting absentee ballots over the mismatched signatures. Instead, such ballots will be marked "provisional," and the voter will be given the right to appeal the decision or confirm his or her identity. Kemp and the Gwinnett County election board were named as defendants in the suit.

The issue had prompted a fiery outcry from Abrams, who accused Kemp, also her Republican opponent, of trying to suppress the minority vote. Gwinnett County, the state's second-largest county, has undergone a demographic transformation in recent years, moving from 67 percent white in 2000 to 62 percent nonwhite last year. Democrats have sought to mobilize the new residents in support of their efforts to turn the state blue.

Voting rights advocates noted with suspicion that Gwinnett accounted for more than a third of all rejected absentee ballots across Georgia.

"This ruling protects the people of Georgia from those who seek to undermine their right to vote," said Sophia Lakin, a staff attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. "It's a huge victory, especially with the midterms just days away."

A spokeswoman for Kemp did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. A spokesman for Gwinnett County said only that officials there were reviewing the decision.

The ACLU suit, filed on behalf of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, is one of at least four legal actions pending in Georgia, where Kemp and Abrams have traded accusations of encouraging voter fraud and voter suppression, respectively. Abrams, a former state lawmaker who is black, founded the New Georgia Project with the goal of boosting voter registration among African Americans.

Kemp, who is white, has promoted some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation, including one new law known as "exact match" that requires the information provided on voter registration applications to exactly match existing driver and Social Security records. He also accused the New Georgia Project of improper registration practices, but his investigation found no wrongdoing.

Kemp has also accused Abrams of encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote, which she has denied. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Georgia or elsewhere.

The "exact match" law has been blamed for the suspension of more than 53,000 registration applications in Georgia this year.

Kemp has also been accused of purging hundreds of thousands of active voters from the state's rolls.

He has argued that his office has properly maintained the state's voting rolls and that the "exact match" law is an appropriate safeguard against voter fraud.
EDWARDSVILLE  Metro East Humane Society will host Rock & Roll Bingo Presented by Purina on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Moose Lodge in Edwardsville.

The cost is $20 per person in advance or $25 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. and bingo begins at 7 p.m.

In a game where Name That Tune meets bingo, players identify music artists after a short clip and must get a row, column or diagonal of five artists for a win. Theres a little something for everyone with rounds of Oldies, 90s, television show theme songs and more.

The event will offer more than $1,000 in cash prizes as well as a 50/50 raffle, lottery ticket raffle, MEHS merchandise and silent auction. A cash bar will be available with no outside beverages allowed. Guests can bring their own snacks. To make a reservation, call (618) 656-4405 or email developmentmgr@mehs.org for more information.

MEHS is also encouraging local businesses to consider sponsoring a round of Bingo for $100 or donating an item for the silent auction.

Community support for our events is essential to our ability to rescue stray and unwanted dogs and cats, said Executive Director Anne Schmidt. Because MEHS is a no-kill shelter, animals stay with us until they find a forever family. As a result, we spend nearly $600 caring for each animal during their stay with us.

MEHS provides adoption, foster, low cost veterinary services, humane investigation and education and trap-neuter-return services to a five-county area in southwestern Illinois. Throughout its 30-year history, MEHS has placed thousands of dogs and cats with forever families, including more than 800 dogs and cats so far in 2018.
WASHINGTON - In a bid to bolster support for his hard-line immigration policies, President Donald Trump has turned to an unlikely source: former president Barack Obama. In a Tuesday night tweet, Trump attached a video clip from 2005 of Obama, then a Democratic senator from Illinois, talking up the need to tighten border security.

"I agree with President Obama 100%!" Trump wrote.

The video shows Obama at a news conference, saying: "We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently and lawfully to become immigrants into this country."

Trump boosters seized on the comments overnight, as cable news continued to show footage of a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S.-Mexico border - a procession that has become a source of outrage for the president.

During a "Fox & Friends" interview Wednesday morning, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway called the Obama clip "delicious" and suggested a new litmus test less than two weeks before the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

"I think every candidate should be asked, 'Do you agree or disagree with President Obama from 2005?'" she said.

It turns out Obama had a lot more to say than what Trump shared, and it's doubtful that Trump agrees with 100 percent of it.

The 31-second clip was taken from a 27-minute news conference broadcast on C-SPAN in which Obama and Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., voiced support for comprehensive immigration reform legislation that the Senate would take up the following year.

Obama said his aim was "to bring the immigration debate toward the sensible center" through "pragmatic, comprehensive reform."

He did, in fact, deride those "who enter the country illegally," saying they are "showing disregard for those who are following the law."

But Obama then pivoted to make two other points.

"Having said that, securing the borders alone does not solve immigration management," he said. "We're going to have to better manage legal immigration in order to end illegal immigration. . . . Right now we've got millions of illegal immigrants who live and work here without knowing their identity or background. That's part of the reason we need a guest worker program to replace the flood of illegals with a regulated stream of legals who enter the United States after checks and with access to labor rights."

Obama then turned to "a third principle," which he said "is most important."

"If we hope to bring the 11 million existing undocumented workers out of the shadows into the open, we have to give them a reason," Obama said. "I am sympathetic, and I understand people's frustrations with respect to those who have come here illegally, but we have to understand that they are now here, they are paying taxes, they are raising families, many of their children are U.S. citizens who were born here and are going to school here, and if we are going to get some handle on that population, then we've got to give them some incentive in order to come out into the open."

"This means that we're going to have to grant them some sort of interim legal status to work with the opportunity to eventually earn citizenship," Obama said.

In a 2006 speech on the Senate floor, Obama sounded even less like Trump, asserting that "while security might start at our borders, it doesn't end there."

He continued: "In fact, I will not support any bill that does not provide this earned path to citizenship for the undocumented population - not just for humanitarian reasons; not just because these people, having broken the law, did so for the best of motives, to try and provide a better life for their children and their grandchildren; but also because this is the only practical way we can get a handle on the population that is within our borders right now."

By Wednesday morning, Trump had returned to Twitter and the subject of immigration.

In one tweet, he pointed to immigration challenges in Europe.

"For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years," the president wrote. "A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again."

In another tweet, Trump wrote: "We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!"
At their respective SGMs held on Tuesday (yesterday) afternoon, shareholders of dairy processing co-operatives Lakeland Dairies and LacPatrick Dairies have voted resoundingly in favour of the merger of both Societies. Lakeland shareholders met in Cavan and LacPatrick shareholders met in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone.

The ballots of each society were conducted independently by the Irish Co-Operative Organisation Society ('ICOS')

97.24% of shareholders of Lakeland Dairies voted in favour of the merger.

95.99% of shareholders of LacPatrick Dairies voted in favour of the merger.

Alo Duffy, Chairman of Lakeland Dairies, said: "The shareholders of both societies have created a great good for co-operative dairy farming. By combining our co-operatives and operations, we will continue our strong progress in a very meaningful way. The new society being formed through this merger will continue to be farmer owned and controlled while paying a sustainable and competitive milk price in line with market conditions in the future."

Andrew McConkey, Chairman of LacPatrick Dairies, said: "By voting in favour of the merger, we are confident that both the LacPatrick and Lakeland shareholders have created a sustainable platform for dairy production in the northern half of the country. This will create stability, scale, efficiency, and further added value for our milk producers together with enhanced global market access for our high quality dairy products."

Michael Hanley, CEO of Lakeland Dairies and Group CEO Designate of the News Society, said: "Underpinned by the confidence shown by the members of each co-operative, the combined organisation will be a competitive, international dairy food business which will work as a platform to secure the future of our dairy farmer members for generations to come. It will deliver economies of scale and commercial synergies, processing increased volumes of milk and providing greater capability to address global customer needs for high quality foodservice, food ingredients and consumer products."

Subject to the necessary regulatory approvals, it is envisaged that the merger will be complete in 2019.The new society will adopt the name of Lakeland Dairies. With 3,200 suppliers, the merged co-operatives will process over 1.8 billion litres of milk annually and will have an annual revenue of over 1 Bn. The combined organisation will have substantial cashflow to underpin the development of the business. It will also create efficiencies across the organisations and its operations which will enhance the value and return from the merged societies for the benefit of milk producers.
A retired Arva farm labourer convicted of the sexual abuse of two children more than 60 years ago has been told he would have been facing a lengthy custodial sentence but for his age and ill health.

Eighty-six-year-old John Joe Kiernan, of Forthill, Arva, Co Cavan pleaded guilty to repeatedly abusing a brother and sister when they were aged between four and ten.

Kiernan, of Forthill, Arva, Co Cavan, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 11 sample counts of indecent assault and one count of rape between 1958 and 1963.

All the offending took place on or near the victims' family farmland in Arva, where Kiernan worked as a farm labourer.

He raped the girl in her bedroom and threatened to "bury you with all the other bones" after another attack.

Mr Justice Michael White said if Kiernan was a younger man the court would have imposed a serious custodial sentence but, given his age and ill health, he did not think it was appropriate to jail him.

The court was told Kiernan is in chronic ill health. His many conditions including heart disease, osteoarthritis, obstructive pulmonary lung disease and diabetes means that he is confined to his home where he receives ongoing care from his wife.

Mr Justice White imposed sentences of eight years for the rape and five years and two years for the indecent assaults. He suspended all sentences in their entirety on condition that Kiernan keep the peace.
He may be a considerable distance behind incumbent Michael D Higgins in the opinion polls, but former Dragons Den star Sean Gallagher is not giving up the Presidential fight just yet.

The Cavan businessman was on the canvass train in Longford on Sunday to take in the opening day of the countys Aisling Childrens Arts Festival.

ALSO READ: POLL: Who are you voting for in the upcoming Presidential Election?

Mr Gallagher smiled and shook the hands of young attendees and their parents at St Michaels Boys National School ahead of polling day on Friday.

And the father of two wasted little time in reaching out to voters in a bid to eat into Michael D Higgins seemingly insurmountable lead.

I believe the choice voters will have on Friday is very simple, stressed a relaxed but defiant Mr Gallagher.

I come from Cavan and I know the issues facing counties like Longford. The question is do people want more of the same old, same old and same lofty speeches but nothing else.

Or, do they want someone young, someone who is energetic and dynamic and someone who will breathe new life into the role?

Mr Gallagher refuted suggestions concerning the limitations the Irish Head of State enjoys and the accountability the office of President faces from government chiefs inside Leinster House.

In a candid appeal to the local electorate, Mr Gallagher vowed to become a working president that would serve alongside State legislators in bringing about jobs growth and take a hands-on approach with the challenges facing Ireland post Brexit.

In reaffirming his appeal for a time for change, Mr Gallagher didnt let his visit to the county pass without issuing a parting shot at the man presently holding the keys to the Aras.

He is not debating and opening himself up to scrutiny, said Mr Gallagher, in reference to President Higgins' selective approach to media debates over the past two weeks.

This is a man who started out as a socialist and is now living the extravagance of office without much transparency.

Innuendos concerning opulence and excess are inevitably linked to revelations over a 317,000 unaudited annual allowance to the Irish President and claims the former Labour TD also stayed in a 3,000 a night Geneva hotel using taxpayers money.

It's just not good enough for the ordinary people of this country who are trying to survive, he said.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that Saturday's count, together with the blasphemy referendum, will take place at Athlone's Institute of Technology (AIT).

Voting for both gets underway at polling stations across the county from 7am.
Foroige volunteers from around Ireland gathered in Hotel Kilkenny last weekend, 19th-21st October 2018, for Foroige's annual volunteer conference. Ruth McGarry Quinn, Carmel Norton, Linda Guy, Geraldine McKeon & Joe Quinn attended from Longford.

Foroige as over 5,500 volunteers working in 600 youth clubs, 160 projects and programmes such as the Aldi Foroige Youth Citizenship Programme; Leadership for Life; Be Healthy Be Happy; and Entrepreneurship. They are instrumental to Foroige's engagement with over 50,000 young people, or one in ten Irish teenagers, year on year.

This was the 48th annual Foroige volunteer conference and the delegates enjoyed a variety of guest speakers, workshops, and the exchange ideas on the best practice in youth work.

David O'Reilly, Chairperson of the National Council of Foroige, speaking at the conference, said: "Foroige volunteers are extremely special. They are thoroughly dedicated to providing young people with opportunities which will empower them to reach their full potential in a safe and understanding place. Without our army of volunteers a gaping hole would exist in youth work in Ireland and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every volunteer who braves the winter nights, becomes a mentor, and empowers Ireland's young people to believe in their own potential.

"Last year, volunteers in Foroige gifted almost 400,000 hours to help support and develop young people the length and breadth of Ireland. This type of commitment doesn't just happen, it must be co-ordinated and given the support it deserves."

Dr Mark Brennan, Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community, Leadership, and Youth Development, at Pennsylvania State University, speaking at the conference said: "Community is developed, created and recreated through social interaction. Local people through interacting and effective community leadership have the power to transform and change society. Volunteering can be central to developing a strong backbone to communities and moulding them into the best they can be. I commend each and every person in this room for making themselves accountable for creating a world where young people not only survive, but thrive."
Nature & Weather, Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 24 2018

Investigation into Exxons Business Practices Uncovered an Alleged Fraudulent Scheme to Systematically and Repeatedly Deceive Investors About the Significant Impact That Future Climate Change Regulations Could Have on the Companys Assets and Value.

New York, NY - October 24, 2018 - Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation (Exxon), alleging that the company misled investors regarding the risk that climate change regulations posed to its business. As alleged in the complaint, Exxon for years assured investors that it was accounting for the likelihood of increasingly stringent regulation of greenhouse gas emissions  which are driving climate change and which Exxon emits in large quantity  by rigorously and consistently applying an escalating cost of those emissions to its business planning, investment decisions, calculations of the amount and value of company reserves and resources, impairment assessments, and projections of future demand for oil and gas. However, Exxon did not abide by these representations, and instead did much less than it claimed, deceiving investors as to the companys true financial exposure to increasing regulations and policies adopted to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Exxon marketed the company as a secure long-term investment and courted long-term investors such as institutional shareholders, life insurance companies, and pension funds. For example, the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF), which is entrusted with the retirement security of over one million state employees and retirees, and the New York State Teachers Retirement System, which serves over 425,000 members, hold Exxon shares with a combined value of approximately $1.5 billion. These investors depend on companies to provide complete, accurate information about the value of their assets to make informed investment decisions. In fact, over the course of the past decade, Exxon institutional shareholders repeatedly sought more information and disclosure regarding the risk the company faced due to climate change regulations.

Investors put their money and their trust in Exxon  which assured them of the long-term value of their shares, as the company claimed to be factoring the risk of increasing climate change regulation into its business decisions. Yet as our investigation found, Exxon often did no such thing, Attorney General Underwood said. Instead, Exxon built a facade to deceive investors into believing that the company was managing the risks of climate change regulation to its business when, in fact, it was intentionally and systematically underestimating or ignoring them, contrary to its public representations.

The Attorney Generals complaint alleges that Exxon told investors that it accounted for the risk of governmental regulation of climate change by applying a proxy cost of carbon. A proxy cost serves as a stand-in for the likely effects of expected future events; in this case, the effects of the increasingly stringent climate change regulations that Exxon has publicly stated it expects governments throughout the world to impose and steadily increase over the course of several decades. As the complaint alleges, Exxon told its investors that it used that proxy cost in its investment decisions, corporate planning, estimations of company oil and gas reserves, evaluations of whether its long-term assets remain viable, and estimations of future demand for oil and gas.

Yet, contrary to those representations, the complaint alleges that Exxon frequently did not apply the proxy costs as represented in its business activities. Instead, in many cases Exxon applied much lower proxy costs or no proxy cost at all.

The complaint alleges that this fraud reached the highest levels of the company. Exxons management, including former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rex W. Tillerson knew for years that the company was deviating from its public representations by using a second set of proxy costs from undisclosed internal guidance that were lower than the publicly disclosed proxy costs. Exxons management also knew that using these lower figures made Exxon more susceptible to climate change regulatory risk, but did not align these two sets of proxy costs for years.

The complaint alleges that the fraud continued even after Exxon increased its internal proxy cost guidance to conform to its public representations. Indeed, when the company realized that applying the publicly represented proxy costs would result in massive costs and large write-downs, and shorter asset lives, Exxon management decided to apply an undisclosed alternate methodology. Under this alternate methodology, Exxon chose not to apply any proxy cost and, instead, allegedly chose to assume that existing climate regulations would remain in place and unchanged, indefinitely into the future.

The complaint further alleges that in various other aspects of its business  including evaluating the volume of its oil and gas reserves, determining whether to write down its major assets, and estimating demand for its products in the transportation sector  Exxon chose not to apply proxy costs in the manner it represented to investors. By applying a lower proxy cost or not applying any proxy cost at all, Exxon repeatedly and consistently underestimated the potential financial risk that increasing climate change regulation posed to its assets and value.

According to the allegations in the complaint, Exxon made these misrepresentations knowing that its shareholders were concerned about the companys management of the risk of future climate change regulations, particularly given its carbon intensive assets. Those investors included institutional investors such as New Yorks CRF. In responding to shareholder requests for an explanation of how it accounted for the likelihood of increased climate change regulations, Exxon allegedly made numerous misrepresentations, including offering a misleading analysis in which it understated the financial risks that it would face in a two degree scenario  that is, if governments acted to limit global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Exxon continued to present that analysis to investors even after being warned by the author of a study upon which it purported to rely that the analysis was misleading.

The impact of Exxons alleged fraud on the companys value is significant in scale and scope. For example:

For 14 of Exxons oil sands projects in Alberta, Canada, Exxons failure to apply its publicly represented proxy costs resulted in undercounting of projected greenhouse-gas related expenses by more than $25 billion over the projected lifetime of the projects.

Exxon undercounted projected greenhouse gas-related costs by as much as 94%  equal to about $11 billion  in an economic forecast for its Kearl oil sands asset in Alberta.

Exxon failed to apply the proxy costs it represented to the public in estimating company reserves at Cold Lake, a major oil sands asset in Alberta, resulting in an overestimation of its projected economic life by 28 years, and an overestimation of company reserves volumes by more than 300 million oil-equivalent barrels, representing billions of dollars of revenues.

The lawsuit announced today was filed in New York Supreme Court, New York County. The suit seeks an order prohibiting Exxon from continuing to misrepresent its practices in this area, and requiring it to correct its past misrepresentations; in other words, to tell investors the truth. The suit also asks the court to award damages, a disgorgement of all monies obtained in connection with the alleged fraud, and restitution. Additionally, the complaint requests the court to direct a comprehensive review of Exxons failure to apply a proxy cost consistent with its representations, and the economic and financial consequences of that failure.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 24 2018

Turn in Unused or Expired Meds for Safe Disposal Saturday, October 27 - Massapequa High School, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Long Island, NY - October 24, 2018 - Senator John Brooks encourages all area residents to participate in Massapequa Takes Action Coalitions (MTAC) and our nation's bi-annual Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 27th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Senator John Brooks encourages all area residents to participate in Massapequa Takes Action Coalitions (MTAC) and our nation's bi-annual Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 27th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Massapequa High School, East Driveway - District Office Parking Lot.

Residents and parents can help prevent prescription drug misuse by turning in unused or expired medication for safe disposal. If unable to attend, residents can drop off unused or expired meds (no liquids or ointments) any time/day at Nassau County Police Department 7th Precinct, 3636 Merrick Road, Seaford , NY 11783 or ANY Nassau County Police Precinct.

Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. In the Massapequas, 71% of young adults who misuse prescription drugs get them from the medicine cabinets of friends and family.

Instructions: keep all medications in original containers; block out name for anonymity - do not cross out medication information; SYRINGES & SHARPS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Please remember: NO thermometers, IV Bags; NO Chemo Drugs; and NO Liquids of any type.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America. Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. Medication that is flushed, contaminates the water supply. Proper disposal of these drugs saves lives and protects the environment.

To learn more about MTACs prevention efforts, you can like MTAC on Facebook, go to mtacoalition.com or contact Cathy Samuels, MTAC Coalition Coordinator, at (516) 799-3000 x131 or email info@mtacoalition.com
Celebrate 3rd Singapore Eco Film Festival (1  4 Nov) at ArtScience Museum. Headlining the festival are ten acclaimed eco-themed documentary feature films, with six Singapore Premieres and one Asian Premiere. Opening the festival on 1 Nov is JANE, the award winning documentary will show some never-before-seen footage of Jane Goodall's early explorations and research in Tanzania.

From 2  4 Nov , the Festival will open its doors from 10am - 7pm. Look forward to a total of nine film sessions and panel discussions, along with a series of workshops that will run in parallel to the films.

New to the festival, this year there will be a special Sound Healing room featuring international Gong Bathing practitioner Martha Collard, and Yoga Instructors who have volunteered their time for the cause.

From creatives to corporates, children to adults, #SGEFF brings the community together to celebrate and accelerate eco solutions!

Please refer to SGEFF Facebook event page for more details.
The group of photographs displayed in a new exhibition at the Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts is "an extremely coherent body of work, as all but one of the photographs date to the 1930s and all focus on architecture as subject matter," said the acting curator of art there.

"As photographs, they function in two ways: They are documents of the place and moment in which they were taken, but they are also artistic depictions that make use of the light, patterns and forms found in the built environment," explained Maggie C. North.

"Framing the 1930s: A Decade of Architectural Photography" includes 20 black-and- white photographs and is on display until Jan. 13 in the Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts. It showcases photographs from the private collection of Peter Gordenstein and explores how renowned artists such as Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans and Paul Strand were inspired by the formal qualities of architecture and environment. In an era of modernity and hardship, these photographers present structures ranging from skyscrapers to shacks through an emphasis on line, angle, pattern and composition.

Many of the artists represented in the exhibition were fascinated with architecture and the new construction that was taking place in the early 20th century. The New York skyline, for example, changed drastically between 1900 and World War II. The Chrysler Building and Empire State Building were both completed in the early 1930's.

At first, many of the buildings being erected were funded by the economic boom of the industrial revolution. However, during the Great Depression, the government's New Deal continued to fund construction projects. "Artists found that their environment was changing rapidly and were compelled to create art as a way to understand and, in some cases, glorify the work that was being done," North said. "The shapes of buildings also became excellent subjects with which to experiment with the straight photography method."

Although there are two images that may be described as "Pictorialist," most images adhere to the "straight photography" method that was popular with photographers at this time. "Straight photography emerged as a reaction to Pictorialism. Unlike pictorialist photographers, straight photographers rejected the idea of beautifying the subject of a photograph by manipulating the negative and instead focused on framing unaltered subjects in interesting ways," she explained.

The D'Amour building was constructed in the 1930's. "My collection of 1930's architectural images marries the building with the subject matter of the photographs," Gordenstein said.

In other words, his collection offers a story within a story of 1930's architecture.

"The first photograph that really stopped me in my tracks was by Minor White," he said. "He was from the 1950's, but his work was influenced by the photographers of the 1930's." Gordenstein described the image, which was a portrait of a man looking at a building through the window of another building: "Layers within layers of meaning."

The 1930s were a pivotal time for photographers as well as for the arts in Springfield. "It is by virtue of Peter Gordenstein's incredibly generous loan that we are able to share these works with the public," North said.

The photographs displayed in this exhibition are often striking because the artists made familiar sights interesting by capturing them from new angles. "At the time they were taken, these images really spoke to various aspects of their decade. While some speak to the Great Depression, others are hopeful scenes of modern infrastructure and innovation," North said.

She hopes this exhibition will capture the attention of admirers of photography and architecture. There are also connections to be made to other art forms. In fact, the artists represented in the show came to photography through a variety of paths: Berenice Abbott was initially trained as a sculptor; Andreas Feininger was initially trained as an architect.

For more information, go to springfieldmuseums.org/about/museum-of-fine-arts.
CiderDays is the appealing Nov. 2-4 event coming to Franklin County to celebrate all things apple and cider including orchard tours, cider-making workshops and cider tastings, cooking demonstrations, an apple festival, a cider-pub sing and a panel with "Trailblazing Women of the Cider World."

"CiderDays is really ground zero for the craft cider movement," said Lisa B Davol, marketing manager for the producer of the event, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. "It is responsible for the birth of craft cider. Many commercial cider makers got their start here so it is a very special place for them."

The event, now in its 24th year, has grown into an internationally recognized event that draws visitors from the United States, Canada and Europe.

About 4,000 people are expected -- attendees, hard cider makers, authors and cider experts from throughout the world.

"It's interesting that people come from far away places to this event, but many locals don't know it is happening or realize the important role Franklin County has played in the craft cider movement," Davol said. "The innovators of cider are right here in Franklin County. It is exciting and something to be proud of."

According to Benjamin A. Watson, of Francestown, New Hampshire, a member of the Cider Days Organizing Committee, Franklin County is an appropriate location for this festival because of its historic and current status as an active region of apple production and cider making.

"Every year Cider Days draws a few thousand people to orchards and cider houses, restaurants and hotels, all over Franklin County and western Massachusetts, and it gives an economic boost to tourism, both during the weekend itself and to the region as a destination during other times of year," added the author of "Cider, Hard and Sweet."

When he began researching that book in the late 1990's, he estimates there were maybe a dozen craft cider makers. "Today, there are literally hundreds of commercial cideries in the US," he said, and American cider is respected even in parts of the world where cider has been well established for centuries.

Begona Medio Zorrilla, manager of Asturias for Foodies Consortium in Gijon, Asturias, Spain, will be at CiderDays to show how in Asturias cider, cheeses and canned seafood are produced and paired naturally.

"As Asturias for Foodies manager, I want to share with the public the other flavors that in my homeland are always beside the cider and vice versa: cheeses and seafood," Zorrilla said. "Naturally paired. Salt and acid. Lactic and apples. How we enjoy even more the cider, when we have a cheese plate or a seafood toast on the table."

Zorrilla also looks forward to meeting CiderDays participants: "It's a time to open your mind and observe how others make it and how they sell it. It's a great opportunity to meet cider people who love to talk about the product."

Popular features of CiderDays include the country's longest running hard cider tasting, the Cider Salon, which this year will take place on Saturday afternoon under a tent at Unity Park in Turners Falls. Visitors can taste ciders from local fermenters like West County Cider, Bear Swamp Orchard Cidery and Headwater Cider, as well as from cider makers from throughout the United States and some ciders and perries from Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom. The salon will feature more than 100 ciders.

At a new Friday night event, the Cider Schmooze at Hawks & Reed's Wheelhouse bar, visitors can to talk with cider makers, authors and cider experts. This will be a casual setting with cider and food available for sale.

"I love the warm communal aspect" of CiderDays, Davol said. But she especially is looking forward to The Cider Schmooze. "Attendees might like additional time to be able to talk to cider makers and other experts," she said. "This could prove to be a very popular event in future years."

Beside the professional side of the event, children and general participants enjoy touring the orchards "during this most beautiful time of year and immerse themselves in the landscape that produces apples and cider," Davol said.

New Salem Orchards and Preserves offer an apple festival with workshops and sweet cider and other activities to appeal to everyone. Other orchards and locations offer orchard tours, cider donuts and other activities.

The activities "are what autumn-getaway dreams are made of, especially the ride to get to those locations through some of the most scenic landscapes in New England," Davol said.

Asked what's new in the world of cider, Watson noted that from a production standpoint, there is a strong movement toward aluminum cans, rather 750 ml. bottles. Twelve-ounce cans or bottles used to be restricted to the larger regional or national producers, and back in the 1990s were what we called "draft ciders," even when they weren't on draft at a bar. "But for whatever reason, the demand seems to be strong for cans, even among high-quality craft ciders."

He sees two separate trends among smaller cider producers: Some producers are making innovative ciders, with different flavors over and above just the fermented apple, like hopped ciders, but also ciders fermented or infused with other fruits like black currants or other adjunct ingredients. There also is some experimentation with new styles, like "sour cider," which is made with Lactobacillus strains and akin to the new popularity of "sour beers."

According to Watson, many other small cider producers are innovating by looking backward and making traditional ciders, often naturally fermented with wild yeasts and either using heritage American cider apple varieties or even foraged "wild" apples, which are seedling varieties that often have the tannins and polyphenols that contribute to making complex, well-structured alcoholic ciders. "Think of wine grapes versus table grapes; true wine grapes are often tannic and not very good to eat. It can be the same with apples," he said. "The producers are leading the movement to rediscover and reestablish a true American cider culture."

CiderDays takes place on the first weekend of November when even the late-bearing cider apples have been picked.

There are many free and ticketed CiderDays events throughout the Franklin County all weekend. Event schedule and tickets for tastings and workshops are available for sale online at ciderdays.org. Advance purchase is recommended.

For a full schedule of CiderDays events, go to ciderdays.org.
BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE - THREE STARS - (R) Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Smart, stylish, and packed with solid performances, it delivers pure popcorn fun with the salty tang of social subtext. (140 min.)

CRAZY RICH ASIANS - THREE AND A HALF STARS - (PG-13) Rom-com about a native New Yorker who accompanies her longtime boyfriend to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. She is unprepared to learn that he comes from a wealthy family and is a sought-after bachelor. (120 min.)

FIRST MAN - THREE AND HALF STARS - (PG-13) First Man uses a personal focus to fuel a look back at a pivotal moment in human history - the riveting story of NASA's mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong in the 1960s. (138 min.)

GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN - TWO STARS - (PG) Slappy is back to wreak more havoc this Halloween in a brand-new comedy adventure based on R.L. Stine's 400-million-selling series of books. (100 min.)

HALLOWEEN - THREE STARS - (R) Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her breakout role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. (109 min.)

THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS -TWO AND A HALF STARS - (PG) The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a family-friendly blend of humor and horror with an infectious sense of fun. Directed by Eli Roth. (104 min.)





HUNTER KILLER - TWO STARS - (R) Deep under the Arctic Ocean, American submarine captan (Gerard Butler) is on the hunt for a U.S. sub in distress when he discovers a secret Russian coup is in the offing, threatening to dismantle the world order. (120 min.)

THE MEG - TWO STARS - (PG-13) A deep-sea submersible--part of an international undersea observation program--has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific... with its crew trapped inside. (114 min.)

THE NUN - TWO STARS - (R) When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order's unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force. (96 min.)

PEPPERMINT - ONE AND HALF STARS - (R) A young mother (Jennifer Garner) awakens from a coma after her husband and daughter are killed in a brutal attack on the family. When the system frustratingly shields the murderers from justice, she transforms herself into an urban guerilla. (102 min.)

THE PREDATOR - TWO AND A HALF STARS - (R) In this reboot, the universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. (108 min.)

A SIMPLE FAVOR - THREE STARS - (R) Stylish post-modern film noir directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy blogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. (116 min.)

SMALLFOOT - TWO AND A HALF STARS - (PG) Smallfoot turns the Bigfoot legend upside down when a bright young Yeti finds something he thought didn't exist -- a human. News of this Smallfoot throws the simple Yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village (109 min.)

A STAR IS BORN - FOUR STARS - (R) With appealing leads, deft direction, and an affecting love story, A Star Is Born is a remake done right -- and a reminder that some stories can be just as effective in the retelling. Stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. (135 min.)

VENOM - ONE AND HALF STARS - (PG-13) - Venom's first standalone movie turns out to be like the comics character in all the wrong ways - chaotic, noisy, and in desperate need of a stronger attachment to Spider-Man. (112 min.)
The Massachusetts Medical Society is joining a number of other organizations in voicing its opposition to the federal government's proposal to exclude legal immigrants who receive public assistance from permanent residency.

A draft version of a forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by Homeland Security would allow enforcement of this by including in the definition of "public charge" any such immigrant who receives or is likely to receive routine care through Medicaid, a low-income subsidy through Medicare Part D drug coverage, what is commonly referred to as food stamps as well as Section 8 Housing assistance.

Previously, such assistance was not included in determining whether someone is allowed to become a lawful permanent resident or to enter the country temporarily.

The 447-page proposal called, "Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds," is published on the website of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

DHS said in a press release that the expanded determination would ensure that anyone seeking temporary or permanent residency "can support themselves financially and will not be reliant on public benefits."

Opponents say it will force immigrants to choose between getting needed help or remaining with their families.

In a statement release Oct. 23, Dr. Alain A. Chaoui, Massachusetts Medical Society president, said that he is "fearful" for patients as MMS president as well as a family physician, and "gravely concerned as "a person who legally immigrated to this great nation with my family."

"The proposed changes in rules related to families and individuals deemed a 'public charge' could have disastrous consequences for the health and well-being of those who will be affected," stated Chaoui who was educated here as well as in Egypt.

"It is my belief and the unwavering policy of our organization's 25,000 physicians and medical student members that we commit to working for the best possible health care for every patient in the commonwealth regardless of racial identification, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, disability, immigration status, or economic status."

He added, "To be clear, no person living in the United States should ever have to defer medical treatment for fear that making use of safety net health care programs will negatively impact their immigration status or, worse yet, put in jeopardy their dreams and path to citizenship."

"I can in some ways empathize with the angst and uncertainty endured by those new to this country, but I cannot fathom the fear that comes with not knowing where to turn for medical help. It would devastate me to learn that one of my patients did not receive care for no reason other than they were too scared to seek it," Chaoui said.

"The Massachusetts Medical Society will be commenting on the proposal, stands firmly in opposition and will continue to advocate doggedly to make certain it is not implemented."

The draft of the proposed rule change reads like a budget in terms of screening an immigrant as a 'public charge' and does acknowledge that the result of immigrants not applying for or withdrawing from public assistance in order to live and work legally in the country could produce "worse health outcomes," housing instability, and "reduced productivity and educational attainment" for the effected population.

The proposed changes from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can be made without Congressional approval, but do require a period of public input.

They could affect more than 300,000 people annually and would "require all aliens seeking an extension of stay or change of status to demonstrate that they have not received, are not currently receiving, nor are likely to receive, public benefits as defined in the proposed rule."

Comments on the DHS proposed changes can be made on its website through Dec. 10.

The MMS website invites input.

Other organizations that have released statements of opposition include the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National WIC Association, American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Boston Foundation.

Members of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have called the proposed changes "harmful to families, raising fear among immigrant families already struggling to fulfill the American Dream."

The National Low Income Housing Coalition was among more than 1,000 organizations signing a statement in opposition.
There has been a 20 percent increase in fatal shootings in Boston in 2018, according to city police data -- a fact that frustrates but does not surprise community leaders.

Boston police released crime data Tuesday that shows there have been 41 fatal shootings in the city in 2018, compared with 34 at this time last year.

Non-fatal shootings have decreased, though, with police reporting 170 in 2017 compared with 129 so far in 2018. This marks a 24 percent drop.

The number of homicides has also increased. Alicia Restrepo, a 24-year-old woman who was shot and killed while sitting in her car last week, marked the city's 47th homicide of 2018, compared with 43 at the same time last year.

Eight people were killed in separate shootings since Oct. 5. Police have made arrests in two of those cases. They have also pleaded with the public for help. Following Restrepo's

"Anyone with information, regardless of how minor or small it may appear, is strongly encouraged to contact homicide detectives," police wrote in the statement following Restrepo's death.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has also encouraged community members to come forward if they have seen anything related to the violence.

Community leaders like James Hillis, who lives in Dorchester, said this isn't enough. Interviewed following the spate of shootings that began Oct. 5 he said it's clear the city has "no plan."

"The city asserts they have a culmination of a comprehensive public safety plan it's obvious there's no culmination of a public safety plan," Hillis told MassLive.

Monica Cannon-Grant, the founder of Violence in Boston, said she's frustrated.

"Instead of trying to find solutions they blame the community," she said. "There's a clear disparity when it comes to race and equity in this city we spend more time playing defense than actually trying to fix the problem."

Read more about gun violence in Boston
A 39-year-old Cambridge man was arrested Tuesday night after police seized an arsenal of untraceable weapons, ammunition, and body armor from his home.

Cambridge police arrested Matthew Devine, of 43 Seven Pines Ave., at his home Tuesday following a four-month investigation, Jeremy Warnick, a spokesman for the Cambridge Police Department wrote in a statement.

In early July, the United State Postal Inspection Services alerted police of "suspicious activity" at Devine's home on Seven Pines Avenue, Warnick wrote. Officers said they found that "75 packages worth more than $26,000 were delivered to Devine." This included a complete AR-15 build kit and a milling machine, with return addresses from gun and weapon companies, police said.

"The gun parts were purchased online, distributed through the mail and assembled into untraceable complete firearms," police wrote in the statement. Devine does not have a license to carry a firearm, police said.

After searching Devine's home, and another family member's home on Gold Star Road, police said they seized a cache of weapons including 25 illegal firearms, three unregistered assault rifles, parts to make "dozens" of additional illegal firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, five bulletproof vests, armor, and milling machines.

Devine is scheduled for arraignment in Cambridge District Court Wednesday, where he will be charged with 26 counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition without an FID Card, three counts of illegal possession of assault rifles, six counts of illegal possession of a large-capacity feeding device, three counts of possession of a silencer and one count of use of body armor in the commission of a felony, police said.

"I wanted to commend our detectives and our cooperating partners, who have diligently worked on this case over the last several months," said Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville G. Bard, Jr. "The operation that was identified was deeply troubling and the results of this long-term investigation will make a significant positive impact on our community."

Police are expected to provide more details at an 11:30 a.m. press conference.
SOUTH HADLEY -- Although Margaret Golden attended Mount Holyoke College decades ago, she says she still carries emotional scars from a sexual assault at the hands of one of her professors.

Golden flew from her current home in Idaho back to Massachusetts Tuesday to attend a rally at the school to address sexual harassment and assault on campus.

The student-led rally was spurred by the publication of a recent Washington Post article in which another alum, Ruth D'Eredita, claimed she had been sexually assaulted at the school.

D'Eredita said she sent a letter to administrators in October of last year detailing her experience. The school hired an outside firm to investigate her allegations but didn't find enough evidence to pursue action against the professor, who still worked at the school, the Post reported.

The article, according to many present at Tuesday's rally, engendered shock, outrage and a feeling of betrayal. Students said they were never informed about the allegations against the professor, and that they felt they should have been.

The person at the center of the allegations is a tenured professor, said Keely Savoie, the college's interim director of media relations. His classes have been canceled and he has taken leave of the school, she said.

Despite rain, around a hundred people turned out to the college's Skinner Green to protest the school's handling of the allegations, as well as to share stories of sexual violence -- some of which students claimed had happened at the school.

When it was her turn to speak, Golden explained that her sexual assault occurred when she was a freshman in 1982. She said a professor called her into his office "closed the door and proceeded to sexually assault" her.

The experience was so traumatic, Golden said, that she dropped out of Mount Holyoke later that year. "It wasn't until 1995 that I found the courage to return to my beloved campus," she said.

Before dropping out she sent a letter to then-President Elizabeth Kennan about the incident, but says it was ignored. "I was silenced, I was dismissed, I was erased," Golden said.

Then, last year, after the #MeToo movement exploded across the country, Golden says she was encouraged to share her experiences about the assault with other alumnae that had had similar experiences.

"What unfolded was countless stories of sexual harassment and sexual assault -- even rape -- by professors on this campus going back decades," Golden said.

As Tuesday's event continued, a number of students stepped up to share their experiences of sexual violence. Many shared experiences that had happened earlier in life, while others shared claims of experiences that they said had happened at the school involving other students.

Casey Roepke, 19, one of the rally organizers, said in an interview that she felt what was happening at Mount Holyoke was an important result of the #MeToo movement.

"I think that it's really important that we get to voice our concerns and our experiences and our ideas," Roepke said, adding that for too long women have not been able to give voice to experiences of sexual violence.

A sophomore, Roepke said that many students did not feel the questions and concerns of students "were not really being addressed" by administrators.

"What is the administration currently doing now to ensure the support and safety of students on campus?" she asked. Roepke said she felt there had been a lack of transparency on the part of the school. "The (Washington Post) article did come out before the college reached out about this," she said.

"Mount Holyoke is a historically women's college," Roepke said. "The fact that even in this space where so many of us -- myself included -- came to try to avoid all of this sexual harassment and assault stuff ... I just feel like my trust has been broken."

The school said it has taken a number of steps to address the allegations.

"We continue to focus on ways to ensure that we hold to the highest standards of safety and care for the community," President Sonya Stephens said in a statement Sunday. "Our goal is for every Mount Holyoke student to have the opportunity to excel and contribute to the common good in an environment that celebrates diversity, inclusion, and women's education and leadership."

Stephens also pointed to steps the school has taken since 2016, including hiring a vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer to work with the Title IX coordinator.
SPRINGFIELD -- Barbara Bowman, one of the women who says Bill Cosby raped her repeatedly and who later sued him, was in a Springfield federal courtroom Wednesday as lawyers from both sides conferred with U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni.

The court date came one day after a Pennsylvania judge denied Cosby's request for a new trial in a criminal case. That denial sets the stage for him to appeal his conviction to a higher Pennsylvania state court.

It also means the discovery process of gathering documents and questioning witnesses under oath in depositions in the Springfield case is on hold while Cosby appeals his criminal conviction.

Mastroianni on Wednesday kept in place stays preventing discovery in the case and set a date of late January for another status conference.

He asked Cosby's attorney, Sarah Kelly-Kilgore, of Greenberg Gross in Los Angeles, to keep the court updated on Cosby's criminal case.

Bowman didn't speak during the hearing except to introduce herself. No one from either side answered questions following proceedings.

It's unusual for a victim to be at a status conference like this one. Usually, it's only been lawyers for both sides, often appearing via telephone.

But on Wednesday, lawyers were there for a private meeting before court and a 10-minute sidebar conference with Mastroianni.

Bowman has said that Cosby befriended her when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress in 1985. She said Cosby encouraged her to think of him as a father figure and then raped her several times. She's repeated the allegations many times, including in a first-person account in The Washington Post.

In the Post piece, Bowman, now an artist in Scottsdale, Arizona, wrote of blacking out after having dinner and one glass of wine at Cosby's New York City brownstone.

"I told friends what had happened, and although they sympathized with me, they were just as helpless to do anything about it," wrote Bowman in the Post. "I was a teenager from Denver acting in McDonald's commercials. He was Bill Cosby: consummate American dad Cliff Huxtable and the Jell-O spokesman."

More than 50 women have come forward saying Cosby sexually assaulted them.

Seven of them -- Bowman, Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie -- sued Cosby in federal court in Springfield for defamation after they went public. Cosby's legal team said they were lying.

The case was filed in Springfield federal court because Cosby and his wife, Camille, have a home in Shelburne.

The statute of limitations on the sex abuse had long since passed, but the defamation claim was fresh.

Kelly-Kilgore is also defending two similar defamation cases brought against Cosby. The Supreme Court turned down Cosby's bid to dismiss a suit from model Janice Dickinson. It is still considering his request to dismiss a suit filed by actress and casting director Katherine McKee.

In April, Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for assaulting or sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. Cosby has been sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.
WARE -- The mother-daughter natives who want to run a recreational marijuana dispensary will answer questions about the plan at noon Nov. 1 at the 60 Main St. site of the proposed business.

"Just with marijuana, it's a plant that can do a lot of good for people, as far as I'm concerned. I think it's good for the town, too. Our town is a small town, it can really use the money. It's a good town, a lot of hard-working people," Lori Sinclair said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Such community meetings in which company representatives present plans and address the public's questions are required under the Massachusetts laws that legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use.

The business that Lori Sinclair would run with daughter Megan Sinclair, B'leaf Wellness Centre LLC, would be less than 1,000 square feet and have five to eight employees, medical marijuana consultant Ezra Parzybok said.

Women-owned marijuana businesses, let alone a mother-daughter venture, are rare, he said.

"B'leaf is the first team that I've worked with that is women-owned and where everyone that owns it resides in the town. This is their first enterprise. This isn't some out-of-town outfit," Parzybok said at a recent meeting at Town Hall.

Parzybok said in a text message Tuesday the regulated availability of marijuana can benefit towns with jobs and tax revenue, which is among information the community meeting will provide.

"The roll out of legalization will ultimately be quiet and undramatic. The more towns open up, the more teams like Lori and Megan will be able to thrive as entrepreneurs. We hope to show this at the community outreach meeting," he said.

Lori Sinclair said that she works at M&L Equipment Repair here and that Megan Sinclair is a self-employed bookkeeper. Neither has a marijuana or plant-growing background but became interested in the possibilities as marijuana became legal, Lori Sinclair said.

In a brief interview before a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, Megan Sinclair said of running a business with her mother, "I'm happy about it. I'm proud of it."

Massachusetts voters legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2016 and legalized pot for medicinal purposes in 2012.

The Board of Selectmen Oct. 16 voted 4-1 at Town Hall to approve a host community agreement between B'leaf Wellness Centre and the town.

The host community agreement calls for the dispensary to pay the town of Ware quarterly over five years 3 percent of gross sales of marijuana and marijuana products.

The agreements also stipulate that each dispensary will prevent sales of marijuana to people younger than 21, make "reasonable efforts" to hire Ware residents and vendors for jobs and pay the town $1,000 each to cover legal fees related to drafting the agreements.

B'leaf Wellness Centre still needs final approval from the town and a license from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission before it could open.
HOLYOKE - Holyoke Community College officially opened the $4.55 million Center for Life Science Tuesday. The center features a cleanroom training facility, a first for a Massachusetts Community College.

A $3.8 million Massachusetts Life Sciences Center grant and $750,000 from HCC Foundation's Building Healthy Communities Campaign funded the center located in the Marieb Building.

The center will train a 21st-century workforce, steeped in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum. The program focuses on biotechnology, genetics and microbiology, with students using the latest technologies and lab equipment.

HCC President Christina Royal welcomed U.S Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., Massachusetts Secretary of Education James Peyser, state Reps. Aaron Vega and Angleo J. Puppolo, Jr., Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse and Martha A. Waldron, of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

Michelle Moriarty appeared on behalf of State Sen. Donald Humason, R-Westfield.

"This here is the most recent and latest example of how we're living our new mission," Royal said, "which is educate, inspire and connect."

Neal said Massachusetts' community colleges represent a chance for its citizens, especially in the age of rising education costs. "It's more important than ever to have a flourishing community college system," he said.

The state continues to lead the nation and the world in the biotechnology, Neal said. In New England alone, 18,000 precision manufacturing jobs remain unfilled. "We have this grand opportunity, and these are going to be the jobs of the future," he said.

Neal added that taxpayer-supported research, whether done at the National Institute of Health or locally, impacts society-at-large. "It is a wise expenditure of the public purse," he said. "These are the sorts of investments we make."

Royal said Peyser understands the growing missions of community colleges in Massachusetts, including "cultivating" local talent.

Peyser said the Center for Life Sciences involved public-private partnerships and funding. "They came to the table to create something that is not just a nice-looking space, not just new equipment, but creating real opportunities for young people and adult learners," he said.

The center also creates pathways to higher education and careers. Peyser added that the Commonwealth was celebrating the first-ever STEM week.

Over 600,000 residents work in STEM fields in Massachusetts, with 270,000 postings for STEM jobs in the state. "This is just not a big part of our economy, but it is a fast-growing part," Peyser said.

Professor Emily Rabinsky, HCC's Biotechnology coordinator, said besides the ISO certified cleanroom, two new lab spaces were built, which feature the latest testing equipment.

She holds lectures in a separate room.

"There's much more space and more conducive to the learning environment. The old lab space we had was very difficult because of the setups," Rabinsky said.

The cleanroom, which meets industry standards, enhances the student's experience.

"With this new equipment and new space, we're able to train students to be more prepared and more competitive, and to go on from here, whether it's to a four-year school or industry," Rabinsky said.

While cleanrooms exist at biotech and technology firms across Massachusetts, Rabinsky said workers must undergo extensive training. HCC's cleanroom can train workers for those companies and minimize downtime.

"We can provide competitive workers that already have training," she said.

Mya Fillion, a Biology major at HCC, experimented using gel electrophoresis to separate DNA. She wore protective glasses and thick, blue rubber gloves.

She said the new lab spaces gives her more educational and career options and offers her hands-on experience.

Fillion drew a watery substance through a thin tube and transferred it to a shallow well. A positive charge alters the DNA's negative nature. After 30 minutes, the DNA moves to the well's positive side.

"We can use this for finding specific things in DNA if we know the size of it. We can also sequence the DNA," she said.

Fillion, 17, represents a growing number of high school students enrolled in dual-programs. She will earn an Associates in Science from HCC and complete her studies at Granby Junior-Senior High School in 2019.

She plans to attend the University of New Hampshire and major in Genetics. "I plan on becoming a genetic counselor," she said.
A 7-alarm fire believed to have been caused by a lightning strike destroyed the historic First Baptist Church in Wakefield Tuesday night.

The 150-year-old church on Lafayette Street near the center of town was a total loss, according to the Boston Globe, with damage estimated at more than $1 million. The fire was first reported around 7 p.m.

"The extent of the fire on arrival was just too great for us to stop it," Wakefield Fire Chief Michael Sullivan told the newspaper. "It's a shame, beautiful church, and we feel bad about that but there's really nothing we could do."

More video showing firefighters desperately trying to put out the flames on a church in Wakefield, MA after lightning set the building on fire earlier this evening. pic.twitter.com/Sad3cS81lY  WeatherOptics (@weatheroptics) October 23, 2018

More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene from two dozen cities and towns.

The church said in a statement that despite the tragedy, it is moving forward with trust, hope and gratitude.

"While we lost our historic building from a lightning strike this week, we praise Jesus that our church community was kept safe," the church said. "A very big thank you to the many firefighters who did their jobs with excellence, and to the outpouring of support from the community."
SPRINGFIELD -- A Hampden Superior Court judge has ruled prosecutors can't use a statement Frederick Pinney gave to police on the day TayClair Moore's body was found in an Agnes Street home.

Judge Michael K. Callan ruled Monday that Pinney, 47, should have been read his Miranda rights when police questioned him about the events of March 22 and March 23, 2014.

Pinney's murder trial -- his second, his first ended in a mistrial in February 2016 because of juror misconduct -- is set to start Nov. 8.

Pinney's statement to police, which was recorded on video, was used in the first trial but now cannot be used in the upcoming trial because of Callan's decision.

Moore, 29, was found dead on the floor in Pinney's room at 48 Agnes St. in Springfield on March 23, 2014. Moore died of strangulation by ligature. Her boyfriend, Christopher Podgurski, discovered her body around noon.

Pinney began renting the home in January 2014. Moore and Podgurski, who had been together 10 years, rented a room from Pinney, whom Podgurski knew through construction work.

In the March 23 police interview, Pinney told Springfield police detective Timothy Kenney, "I wanted to die last night. That's all I wanted to do."

He said he took 10 Lorazepam at 1 a.m. after drinking and doing cocaine with Moore. He said he cut himself in an attempt to kill himself, and he had cuts on his arms and neck when police arrived at the home.

Pinney said he passed out at 3:15 a.m. or 3:30 a.m. that day.

He said he brought a compressor and nail gun into his bedroom "because the knives weren't working" and he planned to shoot himself in the head with the nail gun.

Pinney's lawyers filed a motion to suppress Pinney's statement because he was not given Miranda warnings. They also argued his statements were tainted as the result of an illegal arrest, and that the statements were involuntary due to intoxication from drug use.

Callan said since he ruled Pinney's statement should be suppressed because of lack of Miranda warnings, he did not address the additional arguments raised by the defense.

Callan said during the interview in a small room at the police station officers removed Pinney's handcuffs, and told him he was not under arrest and was free to leave.

Pinney was involuntarily transported to the interview room in the locked back seat of a police cruiser and had remained handcuffed for more than an hour and a half, up until questioning began, Callan said.

He said despite officers telling Pinney he was not under arrest, "all other indicators at that point being firmly to the contrary, could not have sufficiently negated his reasonable belief that he was in custody..."

"Under the totality of these circumstances, Mr. Pinney would have reasonably believed that he was effectively still in custody, and, accordingly, Miranda warnings were required," Callan said.

Pinney is represented by David Rountree, with Linda Thompson and her law firm. Assistant District Attorney Matthew W. Green is prosecuting.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, the state's top law enforcement official, said an internal agency report on Col. James McGinn, the fired head of the Environmental Police, raises "serious concerns."

Gov. Charlie Baker's executive office of energy and environmental affairs issued a report Friday saying McGinn spied on employees through hidden taxpayer-funded cameras and the unauthorized hiring of a private investigation firm.

The internal report also looked into allegations of ticket-fixing and improper promotions within the law enforcement agency.

Before he was tapped as the head of the Environmental Police, McGinn is a former State Police sergeant who worked as Baker's campaign driver during the Republican's 2014 gubernatorial campaign.

Healey, a Democrat, said she plans to review the internal report.

"Obviously this raises serious concerns about the conduct of the former colonel," Healey said.

"The right decision was made," she added. "He should have been fired and those sort of things should not have happened."

McGinn was fired on Friday, Oct. 19, and the ticket-fixing matter was forwarded to the state Ethics Commission.

"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 said.

The report noted that "any surveillance activity of an employee would have required full justification and legal and other approvals."

A new investigation into "alleged timesheet irregularities" is now open, as well, according to an Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs spokesman.
SPRINGFIELD -- City officials have announced a new database system that is tracking heroin and opioid overdose cases in Springfield and three other area communities, saying information gathered will help in assessments of the crisis, strategic responses, and prevention.

The city's Department of Health and Human Services is using the database system to track fatal and non-fatal overdoses, and to manage outreach, prevention and mitigation programming, said Helen R. Caulton-Harris, commissioner of health and human services.

The cases are being tracked in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee and East Longmeadow under the state-funded program and can be used to compare with data and statistics in other counties, Caulton-Harris said.

"Ultimately, we will be able to drive our programming, inspections and permitting duties using these systems, so that we can better track program effectiveness and streamline our relationship to the public," Caulton-Harris said. "This system can be used as a data hub to drive the full range of (department) surveillance, programming and inspection responsibilities."

Similarly, Northampton announced this month that it plans to create a regional data collection system to support Hampshire County's heroin and opioid abuse prevention network.

The database system in Springfield is designed and built by Ready EDI and Associates, and the company is also being used to develop Northampton's system. The cost, paid for by the state Department of Public Health, is about $45,000.

The database system is not public, and is for internal use by the city's health department, Caulton-Harris said. The department has three full-time employees, funded by a state grant, working in the city's Substance Use Disorder Unit. The database will assist them in their work, Caulton-Harris said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno praised the new system, and said he remains "steadfast in the importance of having wraparound services for those affected," coupled by the need for more treatment beds.

"Many of us have been affected, whether through friends or family members directly or indirectly with the negative wrath of health and public safety issues," Sarno said. "This opioid crisis has destroyed lives and relationships. The tracking info is essential to reaching this goal in order to save lives."

Examples of information gathered include the overdose data, the use of naloxone (Narcan) in overdose cases, and trainings, officials said.

Once there is sufficient data collected, the system will have the ability to determine high-risk census tracts, Caulton-Harris said.

The database system was developed under the Springfield Coalition for Overdose Prevention (SCOOP) program.

The city gets data from various sources including US Census, death certificate data from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records, National Incident-based Reporting System data from the Massachusetts State Police, emergency medical services data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health MATRIX, overdose data and state prescription drug data, as well as surveys and other datasets, officials said.
Tennessee Gas Pipeline LLC on Friday petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to expand its natural gas infrastructure in Agawam.

The Kinder Morgan subsidiary applied for a "certificate of public convenience and necessity" from the FERC to build a new 2.1-mile pipeline loop, and a more powerful compressor station in that town.

Tennessee Gas also plans a new "city gate," or meter station, in Longmeadow, that will proceed whether or not the Agawam project is approved, the company stated.

Because the Tennessee Gas project is part of an interstate pipeline, it is federally regulated. The company hopes for a FERC certificate by November of 2019, and an in-service date of November 2020.

A related project by Columbia Gas, the Greater Springfield Reliability Project, has been described by the company in filings with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. That project is not yet under state environmental review.

The projects by Tennessee Gas and Columbia Gas are interdependent.

Columbia Gas hopes to send new pipelines up both sides of the Connecticut River to create a redundant supply to Springfield, lift service moratoriums in Northampton and Easthampton, and in other ways increase natural gas capacity in the Pioneer Valley.

Tennessee Gas says its separate Agawam upgrades will create an additional 72,400 dekatherms per day of "firm transportation capacity," meaning natural gas that is tied up in long-term contracts. Most of the gas will go to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts -- technically known as Bay State Gas -- and a smaller portion to Holyoke Gas & Electric.

As for the new capacity, Columbia Gas has subscribed to 40,400 dekatherms, and Holyoke Gas & Electric 5,000 dekatherms. That leaves around 27,000 dekatherms for Tennessee Gas to sell on the spot market. The new capacity will be sourced from a natural gas hub in Dracut that connects to a greater transmission network.

A dekatherm equals 1 million British BTUs, or 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas. To put things in perspective, Columbia Gas heating customers in Northampton and Easthampton now have contractual access to 12,000 daily dekatherms.

The Northampton City Council has taken a stand against the Greater Springfield Reliability Project, saying the city does not want any more natural gas because it is a fossil fuel that contributes to climate change. The project is also opposed by groups such as Climate Action Now.

It's not known what Tennessee Gas will do if the expansion plans by Columbia are somehow scuttled.

Columbia Gas is under federal investigation after a series of fires and explosions on Sept. 13 devastated the Merrimack Valley communities of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover. State regulators last week ordered Columbia to cease all of its pipeline work across the state until at least Dec. 1.

Columbia's Springfield service territory includes Northampton, Easthampton, South Hadley, Chicopee, Ludlow, Palmer, West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Southwick, Agawam, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and Hampden.

Agawam's Conservation Commission, when it meets Thursday, will consider a "request for determination of applicability" from Tennessee Gas.

The project would alter 25 acres, widen an existing right-of-way, cross five streams, affect wetlands, convert farmland, and impact habitat for two rare reptiles, according to environmental documents.

A previous version stated that Columbia's Greater Springfield Reliability Project is undergoing state environmental review. That project, in fact, has not been yet been filed for review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.

TGP FERC application for Agawam 261 project by Mary Serreze on Scribd
SPRINGFIELD - Executives from Western Massachusetts hospitals acknowledge that the closest thing to a sound bite argument against ballot Question 1 and its mandatory nurse staffing ratios sounds like a contradiction in terms.

"More nurses means less care. Which is crazy," said Spiros Hatiras, Holyoke Medical Center's president and CEO.

But he said that implementing the ratios could knock the number of beds at Holyoke Medical Center from 120 to less than 100. That's a 20 percent reduction.

But Hatiras and fellow executives Mark Keroack of Baystate Health, Mark Fulco of Mercy Medical Center and Joanne Marqusee, of Cooley Dickinson Heath Care all made that case Tuesday during a meeting with editors and reporters at The Republican.

It's part of an ongoing public relations blitz from the hospital industry.

"We know that the more people know about the issue, the more they gravitate to the 'no' position," said Keroack.

The hospital's effort is met by efforts from pro-Question 1 forces lead by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The MNA is a union representing 23,000 members working in 85 health care facilities, including 51 acute care hospitals, across the state.

Supporters of Question 1 will meet with The Republican later this week.

The ballot question, if it passes in the general election Nov. 6, would set ratios of between one nurse to one patient in complicated or high-risk situations to one nurse to six patients in less acute cases.

Keroack, a physician, said a one-to-four ratio would apply to most hospital patients if the measure passes.

That would leave hospital executives with two problems: finding the nurses to fill jobs and getting money to pay for those nurses.

They said hospitals would have to cut back services and non-nursing staff and pull registered nurses from non-bedside jobs like care management and nurse education.

Demand for nurses created by the ratios would drive up salaries, Hatiras said.

There is disagreement over just how much Question 1 would cost.

All told, hospitals say implementation would cost $1.31 billion in the first year, and $900 million in subsequent years.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association has a different set of estimates, pegging the cost of compliance much lower: $35 million to $47 million statewide.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission estimates the statewide cost to all hospitals at $676 million to $949 million a year once Question 1 is fully implemented. There would be another $57.9 million in one-time costs for implementation, according to the Health Policy Commission.

Baystate Health says it would spend $40 million in the first year to hire more nurses and implement an acuity tool in all units to chart patient need and comply with the law, based on a hospital-funded study by Mass Insight Global Partnerships. The cost would be $27.5 million a year at Baystate Medical Center alone, the consultant concluded.

Mercy Medical Center and Providence Behavioral Health would need to pay an additional $13.8 million a year. Cooley Dickinson would have to pay an additional $6.5 million. Holyoke Medical Center would have to pay an additional $5.8 million a year, according to the same source.

Keroack said the money would have to come from someplace.

"I think each of us will have to go through gut-wrenching decision about what businesses we need to be in and what businesses we can't be in," Keroack said.

One thing he said would happen is that more registered nurses would be required to do non-nursing jobs like lifting and turning patients. That's because the hospitals will have a workforce that is heavier on registered nurses and lighter on folks in other job descriptions, he said.

Marqusee said when she sees nurses frustrated, it's because they must do tasks that are "below their license." They don't like doing jobs that could be performed by someone with less education, she said.

"I think it is all about the team," she said.

Keroack said Baystate and the other hospitals balance nursing needs every day, taking into account how sick patients are and how many there are of them. He said the one-to-four ratio is not some magic number.

Hatiras said it will be harder for small community hospitals like his to comply with the new ratios. Larger hospitals that see more complicated cases tend to have more nurses per patient. But Holyoke, with its community mission and preponderance of cases like flu, will have to add more staff on a relative basis because they have been using fewer nurses up to now.

He said Holyoke Medical Center today has nurse-to-patient ratios of one-to-one up to one-to-six.

Proponents of Question 1 say what the measure really does is call for nurses and management for every unit, including the emergency department, to develop an acuity tool and hospital-specific plans on how to meet the care needs of patients.
BOSTON -- Seventeen years ago, actress Laverne Cox was on the verge of taking her own life.

She sat down and typed up notes making clear that her name was Laverne Cox and her pronouns were she and her. She made multiple copies to put in her pockets and around her apartment.

"When my body was found, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be mis-gendered in my death," Cox said.

Cox, now an Emmy-nominated actress best known for her role in the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black," is transgender and has become an outspoken advocate for transgender rights. Cox spoke at a press conference in Boston on Wednesday to ask voters to uphold Massachusetts' transgender anti-discrimination law, which is up for a repeal vote on the November ballot.

Cox started her transition to become a woman 20 years ago. Three years later, while living in New York, she said she was harassed daily on the streets, in the subway, and at the bodegas. "Every day, when I left my house, I had to arm myself, not literally but emotionally, because I knew when I left the house, I was probably going to be harassed," Cox said. "It was too much."

Cox said she is "not entirely sure" why she ultimately did not kill herself. But she said she is grateful she made that decision.

"I want every trans person to know you are here for a divine purpose, no matter what anybody says about you," she said.

Cox urged voters to "chose love not fear" in voting to uphold the law.
A number of Massachusetts cities, including Lawrence, Lynn and Boston, have populations that are particularly hard to count in the U.S. Census, according to a new report.

If the state's population is not properly counted, billions of dollars in federal funding could be at stake.

A report released Wednesday by Boston Indicators, the research arm of the Boston Foundation, highlighted the difficulty that Massachusetts is likely to have getting an accurate count of the state's population in the 2020 census because of demographics and a new question.

"The potential undercount of Massachusetts residents has high stakes for communities from Pittsfield to Provincetown, not just because the count affects billions of dollars in federal funding, but because it can disproportionately underestimate numbers of especially vulnerable groups, resulting in a specific loss of programs that improve their opportunities to succeed," said Paul Grogan, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, in a statement.

The census, conducted every 10 years, is used to decide how many congressional districts states will have. Massachusetts is not expected to lose or gain any seats. But the census could affect how state House and Senate districts are drawn. The census also governs federal funding for programs where funding is based on population. In fiscal 2015, Massachusetts received $16 billion in federal funding for programs like children's health care, housing assistance, education, and food assistance.

Historically, certain populations have always been hard to count: renters, people who live in group quarters like nursing homes, college dormitories or prisons, people who live in non-family households with roommates, people who speak uncommon languages and people with lower incomes and less education. College towns and immigrant-heavy neighborhoods are often difficult to count.

Around one in four Massachusetts census tracts are considered "hard-to-count," which means fewer than 73 percent of residents return the mailed census form.

Lawrence, Lynn, Malden and Lowell are considered the hardest to count communities, with more than 80 percent of residents living in census tracts designed "hard-to-count," according to the report. Boston ranks 7th, with 63 percent of residents in "hard-to-count" areas. Worcester is considered the 12th

-

hardest to count, with 49 percent of residents living in these census tracts. Springfield ranks 16th, with 33 percent of residents in hard-to-count tracts.

In addition to the regular concerns, the authors of the report worry about a lack of funding and a new question in the upcoming census.

Congress has not yet passed a final budget for fiscal 2019, but President Donald Trump has proposed funding levels that are far below what the Census received for the last three counts. Plans for testing and outreach have already been canceled by the census because of a lack of funds. At the same time, response rates to initial census mailings have been falling, so more money is needed to follow up with individuals who do not respond.

There are also some changes to the census wording. Most notably, if it withstands a court challenge, the census will ask about U.S. citizenship. Some state officials have worried that this will depress response rates, since people without legal status will fear returning the questionnaire.

In addition, the Census Bureau plans to conduct this year's census mostly online for the first time, raising questions about security and participation rates.
A ballot committee formed to uphold Massachusetts' transgender anti-discrimination law is getting support from a wide range of donors, according to the latest campaign finance reports, due Monday.

The committee, Freedom for All Massachusetts, has raised $4.4 million so far. That money has come from more than 2,000 separate donations, although some organizations or individuals may have given multiple donations.

Unsurprisingly, many of the major donors are organizations that advocate for LGBT rights, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Campaign, Freedom for All Americans and other groups.

But the committee has also attracted a range of other individual donors, including scientists, architects, farmers, software engineers and teachers. Donors list their professions as astronomer, dentist, restaurant manager, filmmaker, psychologist and librarian.

A number of politicians have donated, including Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and, as MassLive.com previously reported, Gov. Charlie Baker.

The ballot committee that wants to repeal the law, Keep Massachusetts Safe, has raised $625,000 from just under 400 individual donations. More than $180,000 comes from the Massachusetts Family Institute, which spearheaded the repeal campaign, and the Renew Massachusetts Coalition, a conservative political advocacy group.

That committee has also received a few large individual donations, including $100,000 each from Carol Breuer, a Winchester homemaker, and Dover retiree Raymond Ruddy, and $20,000 from philanthropist Sean Fieler, president of Equinox Partners in New York.
The U.S. Census Bureau currently does not plan to open any field offices in Western Massachusetts in advance of the 2020 census.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin wrote a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin on Oct. 19 asking the bureau to reconsider.

"I find that the lack of visibility and coordination in the western region of our state will negatively impact the awareness and enumeration efforts," Galvin wrote. "It is imperative that western Massachusetts residents and outreach groups have equal representation and equal access to Census Bureau staff."

The Census Bureau announced in November 2017 that it planned to open 248 area offices to manage and support field operations. The initial locations in Massachusetts include offices in Boston, Quincy, Lawrence, Taunton, Waltham and Worcester. But the bureau wrote on its website that the locations could still change as government officials identify locations and negotiate leases.

Galvin said this week that the federal government is still considering locations. In his letter, Galvin offered the Census Bureau office space in his Springfield district office and at the Registry of Deeds in Pittsfield.

In an interview, Galvin said the four Western counties are always "sensitive" areas that can be difficult to count, with a lot of colleges and a heavily minority population that includes many people who have language barriers.

There has been a Western Massachusetts census office for at least the last two counts, in 2010 and 2000, Galvin said. The bureau often hires people from Western Massachusetts and works with community groups to ensure that area residents are counted.

Galvin said much of the work done from the office is in following up with people who do not return their census forms. "It's important to have people not only from the area but who know the area, know the complexity of the community," Galvin said.

Galvin copied Western Massachusetts' federal delegation -- U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and Jim McGovern -- on his letter, in the hopes that the members of Congress will get involved.

Neal, a Democrat from Springfield and the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, said he "strongly supports" Galvin's efforts to get the Census Bureau to open a Western Massachusetts field office.

"The data gathered from the census not only determines congressional apportionment, it also helps to decide how and where billions of dollars in federal assistance will be distributed. That is why getting an accurate count is so important," Neal said in a statement. "Our region has always had a field office during census years and I will continue to work closely with officials in both the public and private sector to make sure our voice is heard in the 2020 population count."

McGovern also said he supports Galvin's request. "An accurate count during the census is vital to ensuring that our region receives its fair share of funding and grants from the federal government," McGovern said in a statement. "This process is too important for us to get wrong."

Galvin, a Democrat, is running for reelection against Republican Anthony Amore. Galvin has generally been critical of the Census Bureau under President Donald Trump, in particular opposing a federal decision to add a question about citizenship to the census.

This story was updated with McGovern's comment.
GREENFIELD -- U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, briefed Massachusetts mayors Wednesday on a new federal legislative package aimed at curbing opioid abuse and addressing other issues tied to the addiction epidemic.

The congressman highlighted provisions contained in the bipartisan-backed "SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act" during a meeting of the Massachusetts Mayors Associations at the John Zon Community Center in Greenfield.

Neal offered that the legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law Wednesday, will help Greenfield and other communities hit hard by the opioid epidemic increase treatment options, enhance prevention efforts and provide needed supports to those impacted by various aspects of the crisis.

"They deal with the issue every day. They deal with street crime, they deal with the issues of addiction. Whether it's breaking and entering their cars, their homes -- whether or not there are more people in the homeless shelter who are addicted. ... So I think that talking to people who have to live with it every day at the local level is very important," he said in an interview after the meeting.

The bill package, which cleared Congress with broad based support, includes several previously-passed House measures that seek to combat opioid abuse through Medicaid and Medicare coverage changes, among other things.

Specifically, the legislation calls for: Expanding Medicare coverage of opioid treatment programs and medication-assisted treatment, allowing more providers to treat opioid use disorder patients with Buprenorphine and mandating Medicaid coverage of all forms of medication-assisted treatment.

It further includes language to: Permanently allow physicians to treat up to 275 patients with Buprenorphine; provide consistent Medicaid coverage for at-risk youth; expand Medicaid coverage for foster youth until age 26; give the Federal Trade Commission stronger enforcement tools when bringing cases against companies that prey on individuals with opioid use disorders; and reauthorize and strengthen the Office of National Drug Control Policy, among other things.

Trump praised the legislation before signing it at a White House event.

The president further touted his administration's efforts to combat opioid abuse and pledged to "end the scourge of drug addiction in America ... or at least make an extremely big dent in this terrible, terrible problem."

Neal, who introduced the bill package with a bipartisan group of colleagues in June, however, acknowledged that if Trump and Republican lawmakers "keep trying to harm the (Affordable Care Act), that will be a problem" for the legislation.

"Medicaid, in the ACA, it was a front line opportunity to serve people. You could get more service because of the ACA for addiction issues than you could before. So the ACA's a pretty important component of it," he said. "And Medicare, the 65-year-olds and older they're going to now be able to now be treated and treatment will be reimbursed."

Neal, who offered standalone legislation last fall to require that Medicare cover methadone and other outpatient forms of medication-assisted treatment, held an October 2017 public forum on the opioid epidemic in Shelburne Falls.

In August, meanwhile, he briefed Hampden County Addiction Task Force members on the bipartisan bill package, as well as his efforts to expand coverage of opioid treatment programs and medication-assisted treatment.

According to Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates, nearly 16,000 people died in the state from opioid-related overdoses between 2000 and 2017.

Although opioid-related deaths have spiked in recent years -- hitting an estimated 2,154 in 2016 alone -- DPH reported that fatal overdoses decreased by 4 percent from 2016 to 2017.
The White House denounced suspicious packages sent to the homes of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton Wednesday, and pledged to "take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened" by such acts.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the Trump administration condemns "the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton and other public figures."

"These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," she said in a statement. "The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards."

The Secret Service reported Wednesday that agents had intercepted and were investigating suspicious packaged addressed to the residences of Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The Secret Service recovered a single package addressed to the former secretary of state in Westchester County, New York late Tuesday, officials said. A second package addressed to Obama's Washington D.C. residence was intercepted early Wednesday.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the Secret Service said in a statement. "Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

The agency added that it has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will use available federal, state and local resources to find the source of the packages and identify those responsible for them.

Law enforcement officials told The New York Times that the devices were similar to one found Monday at billionaire George Soros' home. Authorities were investigating any possible links between the packages, according to the newspaper.

CNN's offices in Manhattan, meanwhile, were evacuated Wednesday after a suspicious package was found.

Breaking: CNN NY office evacuated. Police bomb squad is here. Were told of explosive device received. @CNNnewsroom  Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) October 24, 2018

This story will be updated.
Global Digital Pathology Industry Updates

In July 2018, Enzyvant, a biopharmaceutical company, announced a partnership with Visikol, a contract research organization dealing with digital pathology and drug discovery. The partnership aims to develop a novel digital pathology approach to enable the development of a medicine for the treatment of DiGeorge Anomaly.

In July 2018, Royal Philips, a leading health technology company and Oxford University Hospitals joined forces to create a digital pathology network which will enable better diagnosis of diseases. Oxford University Hospitals have planned to install the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Digital Pathology Market  Overview

The digital pathology market has been observing continued growth on account of the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer. Rising incidences of cancer require timely diagnosis and treatment, and digital pathology has the potential to improve accuracy and timeliness of cancer diagnosis and hence is extensively used which induces demand for digital pathology. Advancements in digital pathology technology such as digital imaging, robotic light microscopy, and multiple fiber optic communications are expected to up the level of efficiency of diagnosis and uplift the growth of the market. Additionally, the lack of skilled pathologists who can handle the growing complexities of diagnostics has surged the demand for digital pathology.

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Digital pathology finds its application in various fields such as education, tissue-based research and drug development which further drives the growth of the market. The rise in a number of clinical and pre-clinical trials have propelled the growth of the market. Digital pathology is setting new standards of practice in clinical trials with the introduction of new technologies such as virtual microscopy, and digital imaging which helps improve the outcomes of clinical trials.

Increasing adoption of advanced technologies to improve workflow and facilitate faster diagnostics is augmenting the market growth. Additionally, government initiative and support in various economies to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in the form of funds and subsidies foster the growth of the market. Other market drivers include a rise in automation and improvements in healthcare infrastructure across the globe. However, the market growth might be hindered by lack of standardization in digital pathology and substantial initial cost of setup

Key Players for Global Digital Pathology Market

Some of the key players in this market are: microDimensions GmbH, Mikroscan Technologies, Inc., Q2 Solutions, Omnyx, LLC, GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, Huron Digital Pathology Inc, ViewsIQ Inc., 3DHISTECH Ltd, Apollo Enterprise Imaging Corp., Xifin, Inc., Definiens and others.

Global Digital Pathology Market  Competitive Analysis

The global digital pathology market is fragmented and highly competitive with the presence of a multitude of well-established and small players. Owing to the lucrative growth opportunities offered by the market, there has been an influx of new players which further intensifies the competition. The notable players of the global digital pathology market include microDimensions GmbH, Q2 Solutions, LLC, Philips Healthcare, ViewsIQ Inc., Apollo Enterprise Imaging Corp., Definiens, Mikroscan Technologies, Inc., Omnyx, GE Healthcare, Huron Digital Pathology Inc, 3DHISTECH Ltd, Xifin, Inc., and others.

Global Digital Pathology Market  Segmentation

The global digital pathology market has been segmented based on types, products, application, and end-user. By types, the market has been segmented into human pathology and animal pathology. By products, the market has been segmented into scanners, storage server systems, software and others. By application, the market has been segmented into mHealth, telemedicine, disease diagnosis, drug discovery and others. By end users, the market has been segmented into pharmaceutical companies, hospital/clinics, reference laboratories, research institutes and others.

Global Digital Pathology Market  Regional Analysis

The key markets of the global digital pathology market include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. The global digital pathology market is dominated by North America owing to the prevalence of chronic diseases and technologically advanced healthcare sector in the region. Europe is the second largest market for digital pathology due to the presence of a robust healthcare sector and increased expenditure on healthcare facilities. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market on account of improvements in the healthcare sector, rising healthcare expenditure, and growing awareness. The Middle East & Africa market is projected to exhibit steady growth over the forecast period.

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New report published by Global Info Research which offers insights on the global fNIRS Brain Imaging System market.

Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a device designed to detect changes in the concentration of oxygenated (oxyHb) and deoxygenated (deoxyHb) haemoglobin molecules in the blood, a method commonly used to assess cerebral activity. fNIRS is a type of functional neuroimaging technology that offers a relatively non-invasive, safe, portable, and low-cost method of indirect and direct monitoring of brain activity.

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Global fNIRS Brain Imaging System Market: Forecast by Type / Application / Region

This report studies Amorphous Steel focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering: Hitachi, Shimadzu Corporation, NIRx, ISS, Biopac, Techen, Artinis, Gowerlabs, Spectratech.

Split by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided into: Desk Type, Portable Type.

Split by applications, this report focuses on industry, market share and growth rate of Amorphous Steel in each application, can be divided into: University, Hospital, Research Institution, Others.

The fNIRS Brain Imaging System industry was 108.07 million USD in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 189.90 million USD by 2022, at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 11.93% between 2017 and 2022. The fNIRS Brain Imaging System industry sales was 350 Units in 2017 and is projected to reach 664 Units by 2022, at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 13.66% between 2017 and 2022. The market is driven by various end-user industries, such as university, hospital, research institution and so on.

The industry is concentration, the key brand include Hitachi, Shimadzu Corporation, NIRx, ISS, Biopac, Techen, Artinis, Gowerlabs, Spectratech. Hitachi and Shimadzu Corporation are the leaders in this market.

An fNIR System provides researchers with real-time monitoring of tissue oxygenation in the brain as subjects take tests, perform tasks, view advertisements, experience ergonomic layouts, or receive stimulation. It allows researchers to quantitatively assess brain functionssuch as attention, memory, planning, and problem solvingwhile individuals perform cognitive tasks. Monitor cognitive state of the subject in natural environments.

The leading companies own the advantages on better performance, more abundant products types, better technical and impeccable after-sales service. Consequently, they take the majority of the market share of high-end market. Looking to the future years, the slow downward price trend in recent years will maintain. As competition intensifies, prices gap between different brands will go narrowing. Similarly, there will be fluctuation in gross margin.

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EMEA fNIRS Brain Imaging System Market 2018 Forecast to 2023

Global fNIRS Brain Imaging System Market 2018 Forecast to 2023

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An expert on premium research reports, Market Research Future has added a report titled Microarray Analysis Market Research Report- Forecast To 2027 to its offering. The report provides an in-depth analysis of regional data and an accurate projection of the market size and share of the Top 10 market players across the globe.

Market Scenario

The Global Microarray Analysis Market is expected to witness tremendous growth during the forecast period. Microarray analysis is a molecular biology technique that uses microchips containing attached short DNA segments which are used for the analysis of gene expression on a large scale. This enables medical practitioners to decide the most effective treatment for individual patients. Microarray analysis can be used in various experiments such as epigenetics, genotyping, biomarker profiling, translation profiling, pathway identification mutations, and gene expression profiling. The techniques allow the scientists to analyze several genes at a time with accurate results. The rising prevalence of genetic disorders, increased focus on drug discovery and development, and rising demand for personalized medicines are driving the market growth. According to the Genetic Disorders UK 2017, every year approximately 30,000 new born children are diagnosed with genetic diseases. Microarray analysis helps in understanding the gene patterns in different types of tumors. They are also used for detection of cancer biomarker and also for its research. Hence the rising prevalence of cancer and increasing investments for cancer research can drive the market growth.

However, factors such as high costs of diagnosis, contamination, and inaccurate results are expected to hinder the market growth during the forecast period

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Key players

Some of the key players for the Global Microarray Analysis Market are Affymetrix, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Sequenom, Inc., Roche NimbleGen, Illumnia, Inc., and Applied Microarrays. Other companies operating in the global microarrays market are biomerieux SA, Discerna, Gyros AB, Luminex Corporation, NextGen Sciences, PLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and ProteoGenix.

Segmentation

The Global Microarray Analysis Market is segmented on the basis of type, application, product type, and end-user. The Global Microarray Analysis Market, by type, is segmented into DNA microarrays, protein microarrays, tissue microarrays, cellular microarrays, chemical compound microarrays, glycan arrays, and phenotype microarrays. The application segment is segmented into research, genotyping, forensic analysis, proteomics, genomics, disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and toxicological research. The product type segment is further sub-segmented into reagents, primers, buffers, DNA chips, reagent kits, and instruments. The instrument category consists of scanner, hybridization oven, Multi-Channel (MC) instrument, target preparation instrument, slide imprinters, centrifuge, and others. On the basis of end-user, the market is categorized into pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, hospitals and clinics, diagnostic centers, academic and research institutes, and ambulatory care centers.

On the basis of region, the Global Microarray Analysis Market is segmented into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.

The Americas is sub-segmented into North America and South America. The North American region is further segmented into the US and Canada. The European region is divided into two, namely, Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Western Europe is further classified into Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The Asia-Pacific region is sub-segmented into Japan, China, India, Australia, the Republic of Korea, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. The Middle Eastern and African region is sub-segmented into the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the rest of the Middle East and Africa.

Regional Market Summary

The Microarray Analysis Market is dominated by the Americas owing to the adoption of advanced technology for diagnosis, awareness among people for better diagnostics, and high investments in research. The National Cancer Institute received USD 5.665 billion from the States Congress for cancer research programs in 2018.

It is estimated that Europe was the second largest in the Global Microarray Analysis Market. The rising focus on drug discovery, personalized medicines, and targeted therapy are driving the growth of the market in this region. In November 2016, over 30 European and international members along with the European Commission established an initiative called the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine, or ICPerMed to establish Europe as a global leader in personalized medicine research. Thus, the increasing research in personalized medicines serves favorable backgrounds for the market to grow in this region.

The Microarray Analysis Market in Asia-Pacific is expected to witness growth owing to rising prevalence of genetic disorders, growing awareness among the people, and government initiatives. According to Alzheimers Disease International, in 2015, 23 million people in the Asia-Pacific region had dementia, and by 2050 the number is expected to rise to 71 million.

The Middle East and Africa holds the least share in the Global Microarray Analysis Market due to low funding in medical and health research. However, the rising prevalence of genetic diseases and increasing healthcare spending favor the market growth in this region.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis

Continued!

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Market Research Future (MRFR) has recently published a study report giving out the complete market prognosis up till 2022. According to MRFR, the Global Real-Time Health Monitoring Devices Market gaining further prominence will register a spectacular growth of USD 67,982.2 million by 2022, posting a striking 14.29% CAGR during 2016  2022.

Real-Time Health Monitoring Devices market, although in its embryonic stage, is still witnessing an outstanding growth over the past couple of years. This growth attributes to the ability of these devices in the field of flexible health monitoring and management providing real-time analysis of the patients health parameters efficiently. Growing population, increasing awareness & inclination among people towards keeping good health coupled with the augmenting uptake of these devices fuelled by the improving conditions & growing influence of media industry; such factors are fostering the market growth to an extent.

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Global Real Time Health Monitoring Devices Market  Key Players

Some of the key players in this market are:

GE Healthcare (U.K.)

Qualcomm (U.S.)

Jawbone Inc. (U.S.)

Withings SA (France)

Fitbit Inc. (U.S.)

Garmin Ltd. (Switzerland)

Global Real Time Health Monitoring Devices Market  Competitive Analysis

Well established players incorporate acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and product launch in order to gain competitive advantage in this market and to maintain their market position.

In July-2016, GE Healthcare acquired Biosafe Group, which supplied integrated cell bioprocessing systems for the cell therapy and regenerative medicine industry, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition of Biosafe expanded GE Healthcares end-to-end ecosystem of products, solutions, and services for its cell therapy customers and expanded GEs technology reach to a number of new cell and therapy types.

In October-2017, Qualcomm, along with Netgear, Ericsson, and Australian carrier Telstra, is announced launch of the first product to support gigabit LTE, a mobile hotspot. The hotspot makes use of a variety of technologies to hit those high speeds, including carrier aggregation. It runs on Telstras existing LTE networks.

In February-2017, Nokia re-launched the entire Withings portfolio of digital health devices under the Nokia brand, the company announced the same at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

In May-2016, Fitbit, Inc., the leader in the connected health and fitness market, acquired wearable payment assets of Coin, a Silicon Valley consumer electronics and financial technology company. The deal includes key personnel and intellectual property specific to Coins wearable payment platform. There were no plans to integrate Coins wearable payments technology into the 2016 Fitbit product roadmap, the acquisition accelerated Fitbits ability to develop an active NFC payment solution that could be embedded into future Fitbit devices, broadening its smart capabilities. The acquisition excluded smart payment products, such as Coin 2.0.

Global Real Time Health Monitoring Devices Market  Segments

The report Real Time Health Monitoring Devices Market is segmented into 3 key dynamics, for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding: 

By Types: Comprises Wearable Devices & Home Health Medical Devices among others.

By End Users: Hospitals & Clinics, Specialty Centers, & Ambulatory Centers and Homecare Settings among others.

By Regions: Europe, North America, APAC and Rest of the World.

Segment Wearable Devices by Types, holding the largest market share dominates the global market.

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Global Real Time Health Monitoring Devices Market  Regional Analysis

North America dominates the Global Real Time Health Monitoring Devices Market increasing diseases management for the growing geriatric population. Moreover, the presence of the developed economies like the U.S. and Canada provides the technological backgrounds for the market growth. Europe holds the second largest market. The need to reduce the healthcare costs and improve patient health management for the ageing population has led to the adoption of real time health monitoring devices in this region. The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing region while the Middle East and Africa holds the least share of the global market.

Major Table of Content

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

Continued.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

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Market Scenario:

The sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor is a rare type of cancer derived from the stromal component of the ovary and testis. This tumor comprises granulosa, thecal cells, and fibrocytes. Sex cord-gonadal stromal tumors are mostly of seven types, namely, granulosa cell tumor, Sertoli cell tumor, thecoma, Leydig cell tumor, gynandroblastoma, Sex Cord Tumor with Annular Tubules (SCTAT), and Sertoli Leydig cell tumor. In humans, this type of tumor accounts for 8% of the ovarian cancers and around 5% of testicular cancers.

It is noted that the increasing cases of ovarian and testicular cancer, technological advancements, and increasing healthcare expenditure are the key factors driving the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market.

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Various other factors such as the growing awareness about the cord-gonadal stromal tumor, unmet medical needs, enhancing regulatory framework, increasing government assistance, and rising funding and reimbursement are continuously contributing to the growth of the global sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market.

Despite these drivers, there are some setbacks associated with the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market. Strict FDA regulations, a huge capital investment with low-profit margins, and poor healthcare system in low and middle-income countries may hinder the growth of the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market to a considerable extent.

The sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period of 20172023.

Key Players:

Abbott, Abcam plc, Affymetrix, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Beckman, Dickinson and Company (BD), Bio SB Inc., BioCurex, BioModa, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Cell Signaling Technology, Inc., Clarient, Inc., CooperSurgical Inc., Correlogic Systems, Inc., Danaher Corporation, Epigenomics AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Gen-Probe, Inc., Hologic, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Karl Storz GmbH & Co. Kg, LiNA Medical USA, Merck Millipore, PerkinElmer, Inc., Qiagen, Radient Pharmaceuticals, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Veridex LLC, and others.

Segmentation:

The Global Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumor Market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnosis, treatment, and end-user.

On the basis of tumor type, the Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumor Market is classified as granulosa cell tumor, Sertoli cell tumor, thecoma, Leydig cell tumor, Sertoli Leydig cell tumor, gynandroblastoma, and Sex Cord Tumor with Annular Tubules (SCTAT). The granulosa cell tumor is further classified as functioning tumors and non-functioning tumors.

On the basis of diagnosis, the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market is classified as microscopy immunohistochemistry, tumor marker, ultrasound, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and others. The tumor marker segment is further classified as inhibin-alpha, calretinin, Melan-A, and others.

On the basis of treatment, the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market is classified as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and others. The surgery segment is further classified as salpingo-oophorectomy, abdominal hysterectomy, Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection (RPLND), and radical inguinal orchiectomy. The sub-segment of salpingo-oophorectomy includes unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

On the basis of end-user, the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, cancer research centers, research and academic institutes, and others.

Regional Analysis:

The Americas dominates the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market owing to the increasing prevalence of ovarian cancer in this region and high healthcare expenditure. According to the American Cancer Society, around 22,240 women are likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 14,070 women are likely to die from ovarian cancer, in 2018.

Europe holds the second position in the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market. The financial support provided by the government towards R&D and technological advancements are expected to drive the European sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market. The increasing healthcare expenditure is also boosting the European sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market.

According to the data suggested by Eurostat, it is observed that among the EU Member States, the highest value of healthcare expenditure was recorded in Germany in 2014, i.e., EUR 321 billion which is further followed by France with EUR 237 billion and United Kingdom with EUR 223 billion. In the year 2016, the R&D expenditure in the pharmaceutical industry was EUR 35000 million, suggested by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association.

Asia Pacific is the fastest growing sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor market owing to a huge patient pool and development in the pharmaceutical sector. Healthcare expenditure is found to be boosting in various regions of Asia Pacific. As per the data suggested by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare during the year 20152016, the total health expenditure was nearly USD 170.4 billion, i.e., 3.6% higher than the expenditure of 20142015.

The Middle East and Africa holds the lowest share of the global market due to slow development, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities.

Table of Contents:

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 Treatment Trends & Assessment

Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis

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The Global Wearable Injectors Market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period. It is estimated that the global wearable injectors market is expected to register a CAGR of ~ 15.2% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023. Wearable Injectors are medical devices designed to dispense large doses of the drug. Wearable Injectors are user-friendly, convenient and they lessen the need for multiple painful injections.

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Wearable Injectors are drug delivery instruments for convenient administration of viscous drugs. They are also known as bolus injectors or patch pumps. Wearable injectors are used to subcutaneously administer insulin and other drugs that require large dose volumes and extended delivery period. The increasing prevalence of various chronic diseases, rising concern for injuries caused due to needles and increasing demand for round the clock monitoring are expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Additionally, the technological advancements in wearable injectors and growing geriatric population are likely to boost the market growth. On the other hand, preference for traditional methods of drug administration and lack of skilled labor who can instruct patients about wearable injectors and its usage may hinder the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Wearable Injectors Market  Key Players

Some of the key players in the global wearable injectors market are West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., Valeritas, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, YPSOMED, Amgen Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), CeQur SA, SteadyMed Therapeutics, Inc., BioSpace, Enable Injections, and Sensile Medical AG.

Wearable Injectors Market  Segmentation

The Global Wearable Injectors Market has been segmented into type, usage, mechanism of injection, therapeutic area, and end user.

The market, on the basis of type, has been segmented into on-body wearable injectors, off-body wearable injectors, and hand-held wearable injectors.

The market, by usage, has been segmented into disposable and semi-reusable.

The market, by mechanism of injection, has been segmented into spring based, motor driven, rotary pump, expanding battery, pressurized gas, and collapsible reservoir.

The market, by therapeutic area, has been segmented into oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and others.

The market, by end-user, has been segmented into hospitals, clinics, home care, ambulatory surgery centers, and others.

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Wearable Injectors Market  Regional Analysis

The market in the Americas is expected to dominate the global wearable injectors Market during the forecast period owing to the presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure and advanced technologies to administer drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report 2017, an estimated 30.3 million people of all ages had diabetes in the US in 2015. The European market is expected to be the second-largest due to the growing medical devices industry in France, Germany & the UK and the rising opportunities for the market players. Moreover, the market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing during the assessment period owing to favorable government initiatives for the medical devices industry. The market in the Middle East & Africa is likely to account for the smallest share of the global wearable injectors market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the rising research and development activities in the region.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, October 24, 2018

Federal lawmakers should pass privacy legislation that would give consumers a new set of rights, including the right to have personal data minimized, Apple CEO Tim Cook said today at a privacy conference in Brussels.

"We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States," Cook said. He went on to propose four essential rights for consumers, including the rights to data minimization and the right to access data collected about them.

In a 22-minute speech, Cook criticized the data industrial complex, stating that personal information "is being weaponized against us with military efficiency."

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Other tech companies have recently called for federal privacy legislation, but many of them appear to be seeking a national law in order to override a tough new statute in California. That measure, slated to take effect in 2020, allows consumers to learn what personal information about them is held by businesses, and to opt out of the sale of that information. Many of the industry groups to weigh on in privacy legislation this year have argued that companies should have to follow stricter standards before collecting or using sensitive data -- like medical information -- than non-sensitive data.

Cook appears to be calling for broader privacy protections than some of the other industry groups to weigh in on the issue.

Every day, billions of dollars change hands and countless decisions are made on the basis of our likes and dislikes, our friends and families, our relationships and conversations, our wishes and fears, our hopes and dreams. These scraps of data, each one harmless enough on its own, are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded and sold, he said. Taken to its extreme, this process creates an enduring digital profile and lets companies know you better than you may know yourself. ... If green is your favorite color, you may find yourself reading a lot of articles -- or watching a lot of videos -- about the insidious threat from people who like orange.

Apple recently beefed up the privacy settings in its own products. The Safari browser has long blocked cookies set by ad networks and other third parties by default. Last year, Apple added new settings aimed at preventing tracking by companies that use first-party cookies to get around the block on cookies set by third parties.

Apple also recently announced plans to make it harder for companies to use digital fingerprinting techniques to track people. Companies that use digital fingerprinting techniques attempt to recognize users based on data about their devices such as browser versions, installed fonts, plug-ins and other characteristics. Apple said it will hinder that technique by limiting the amount of data it sends to websites about users' devices.
by Larissa Faw , October 24, 2018

Pavone Marketing Group (PMG) is purchasing DDCworks to expand the specialized network's expertise in healthcare and retail as well as grow its Philadelphia footprint. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 50-year old DDCworks is a full-service agency supporting primarily niche-based clients such as Insulet Corporations Omnipod Insulin Management System which was recently brought on as a new client over the summer.

While Pavone's team will move into DDCworks Philadelphia headquarters, the agency will now operate under the Pavone umbrella. DDCworks founder Mike Dicciccio will serve as the lead strategist for client Insulet as well as work as a group brand manager within PMG. His leadership team  creative, media and brand strategy  will be integrated into their respective disciplines across Pavone. The acquisition brings PMG's total staff in Philadelphia to more than 20 team members.

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This move is all about alignment, vision and a willingness to exceed client expectations  something both agencies have in common, says Dicciccio. Literally overnight weve become bigger, smarter and more experienced. Thats good news for us and better news for our clients.

In addition to Pavone, which serves health systems, finance, retail and government; PMG also operates quench, a food and beverage agency working with Sun-Maid, Starkist, Del Monte Turkey Hill Dairy, and Herrs; and Varsity, which specializes in senior living and continuing care retirement communities including Presbys Inspired Life, Saint Johns On The Lake, and Augustana Elim Care Services.
At some point in our lives, we may find ourselves in a romantic relationship that makes us unhappy, yet we still choose to stick it out. Why persist in a joyless romance when we could simply break up? A new study has found a surprising answer. Share on Pinterest What actually makes it so hard to break up? Unfortunately, happy romantic relationships are very familiar and often the focus of books, movies, and agony aunt columns. But why do people find it so difficult to break free of situations that they are less than enthusiastic about? One intuitive answer may be that the relationship becomes the persons normal, something that they are used to and may be afraid to trade for the unknown of singlehood. Or, perhaps, the unhappy partner is afraid that, once they break up, they will be unable to find a better partner and build a stronger, improved relationship. A new study, however, suggests that the real answer may lie elsewhere. The research was led by Samantha Joel, who collaborates with both the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and Western University in Ontario, Canada. Joel and her teams findings, which appear in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, suggest that a persons decision to stay in an unfulfilling relationship may arise from a place of altruism, rather than one of selfishness or insecurity.

An unlikely reason to stick it out Some existing research has suggested that people may find it hard to let go of partners who make them unhappy because they are afraid of being single . Other studies note that people are more likely to stay in a relationship if they perceive that the effort their partner puts into its success matches their own. All of these motivations indicate that individuals consider, first and foremost, whether and to what extent the relationship is meeting their own needs, or is likely to meet them, in the future. However, the current study suggests that a key factor in a persons decision to stay in an unhappy relationship may actually be an altruistic one. When people perceived that the partner was highly committed to the relationship they were less likely to initiate a breakup, Joel explains. This is true even for people who werent really committed to the relationship themselves or who were personally unsatisfied with the relationship, she adds. Generally, we dont want to hurt our partners and we care about what they want.
Scientists have revealed a new way to overcome chemotherapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia. If the breakthrough in the laboratory is translated to the clinic, it could vastly improve the survival prospects for people with the rare blood cancer. Share on Pinterest Such a breakthrough could mean a better chance of survival for people with AML. Investigators from the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, both in Canada, saw that lack of a protein called MTF2 helps alter gene expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells in such a way that they will develop resistance to chemotherapy. MTF2-deficient AML cells, the scientists found, overexpress a cancer-promoting gene called MDM2. It blocks the tumor-suppressor protein p53 and disrupts the cell-cycle process that leads to cell death when chemotherapy damages cells. They then tested the effect of blocking MDM2 in a mouse model of chemoresistant AML. All the mice that received the treatment alongside chemotherapy survived and showed complete remission, while those that only received chemotherapy died. A report on the study  together with a detailed account of the underlying gene expression mechanisms involved  now features in the journal Cancer Discovery. Co-senior study author William Stanford, who is a professor at the University of Ottawa and also works as a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital, says that the team was blown away by the results. If these findings, he continues, hold up in clinical trials, we could have a new treatment for people who would almost certainly die of their disease today.

AML and chemoresistance AML is a blood cancer that starts in bone marrow, which is where the body makes new blood cells. The cancer soon spreads into the bloodstream. In some cases , it can also spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, spleen, lymph system, testicles, brain, and spinal cord. Though rare, AML is the most common blood cancer in adults. It usually strikes after the age of 45, but it can also affect younger people, including children. The average risk of developing AML during ones lifetime in the United States is about 0.5 percent. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there will be around 19,520 new cases of AML in the U.S. in 2018 and about 10,670 deaths to the disease. Overcoming resistance to chemotherapy is a major challenge in treating AML. Most people who die of the disease succumb because of chemoresistance. Around one third of people do not respond at all, while 4050 percent might respond at first, but then their cancer returns. In previous work, Prof. Stanford and his team had discovered that MTF2 was important for making blood. They set up this new investigation to explore the proteins role in cancer.

MTF2 helps block cancer-promoting gene Using samples taken from people with AML, the team discovered that the chance of still being alive 5 years after chemotherapy started was three times higher in those who had normal MTF2 activity in their AML cells compared with those with low activity. At first, they thought about using MTF2 as a biomarker for identifying which people with AML might benefit most from experimental treatments. But then, Prof. Stanford explains, we started thinking that if we could understand what MTF2 was doing, maybe we could use this information to develop a new treatment. They then delved deeper into the activities of MTF2 and revealed that the protein changed gene expression by enabling chemical tags to be placed near the cancer-promoting gene MDM2. The tags reduce expression of the gene. When the team exposed AML cells with normal MTF2 activity to chemotherapy, they experienced the normal destiny of damaged cells: a type of programmed cell death called apoptosis. This was because the presence of MTF2 enabled the chemical tag that inhibits MDM2. AML cells with low MTF2 activity, however, did not have the facility to place tags near MDM2 and reduce its expression. Therefore, they did not enter the cell death pathway and continued to live and divide, even when the team exposed them to high amounts of chemotherapy.
Hailed as Bollywood's most prolific underdog-turned-mega-star, critically acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan is reportedly all set to return to the country post his cancer treatment in London.

Last seen in the movie 'Karwaan' which released in August, Irrfan had given a miss to the movie's promotion, since he had to move to London for his treatment.

Earlier this year in March, Irrfan had announced that he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour. Soon after, he left for London to undergo treatment for his condition.

RSVP Movies

However, reports have been circulating that the actor will be returning home post-Diwali after his treatment. It is also being suggested that Irrfan might start shooting for 'Hindi Medium 2' post his return, later this year.

HT has quoted Irrfan's spokesperson as saying, The story floating about Irrfan starting Hindi Medium 2 shoot in December are all based on speculations. However, there is a possibility of him returning to India after Diwali.

T-Series

The update comes as a happy news for his fans and well-wishers who had been waiting to hear about the status of his recovery since the last statement, which had come out in August.

Earlier in August Irrfan had said, I've seen life from a completely different angle. You sit down and you see the other side and that's fascinating. I'm engaged on a journey, after receiving four rounds of chemotherapy as part of his treatment.

The diagnosis had forced Irrfan to back out from making an appearance in the Amazon series 'Gormint'. However, with this latest update, we can now look forward to watching him set the screen on fire once again.
Cristiano Ronaldo is as big a name off the field as he is on it, because of the fashion goals he keeps on scoring.

Right from the latest trends in terms of outfits to accessories to even inner-wear, the man powers through like a trailblazer. Keeping the streak of badassery on, he just attended a press conference wearing a watch that has 424 white diamonds encrusted on it. Take a look.

 AFP

The Juventus star wore an extremely rare watch from Franck Muller, the estimated value of which is about 1.2 million. This amount, when converted to INR, is more than Rs 11.32 crores.

 Reuters

Just for comparison, a Rolls Royce Ghost basic model in India costs around INR 5.25 crores.

 Getty Images

Ronaldo sported this watch on the eve of Juventus' clash with his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford, which the Italian club went on to narrowly win 1-0.
Asking for dowry is an offensive crime in India, yet almost every other day, we hear stories of women getting harassed for refusing to give dowry. Despite living in the 21st century, people continue to give in to the archaic practice of demanding dowry from the bride's family.

While most people succumb to the pressure, there are some who bravely fight for what's right and teach a lesson to those who demand dowry. This is one such instance from Lucknow, where a bride's family members, reportedly, partially shaved the head of the groom, his father and brother.

Facebook (for representation)

According to the bride's family, the groom's family started making demands five days prior to the wedding and continued to increase the demands every day.

According to a report in NDTV, the groom's grandmother said, "They made these demands five days before the wedding. He refused to marry the girl after we said we can't meet his demands. Don't know who tonsured his head."

Lucknow: Groom's head tonsured allegedly because he refused to marry the bride, demanding motorcycle&gold chain y'day;bride's grandmother says, "they made these demands 5 days before wedding. He refused to marry after we said we can't fulfil them.Don't know who tonsured his head" pic.twitter.com/VVAkUtnTi7  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 22, 2018

The groom demanded a motorcycle, but when he got one, he didn't like the brand and asked for something else. He then demanded a gold necklace on the wedding day and refused to marry the girl until he got it.

People on social media are lauding the bride's family for their brave stance and said that the guy deserved this for demanding dowry.

Glad the girl's side did not bend over backwards to fulfil ll those demands.

It would have been a life long ordeal for her, and her family.

a ready ATM that fulfils demands.

else, she would have ended up burnt alive. https://t.co/Mt0ysyqWtz  Harini Calamur (@calamur) October 22, 2018

Jisne bhi Kiya, acha Kiya. Ab dalo sab ko jail me under dowry act @Uppolice https://t.co/UwjcR6zVwl  Vasu Srivastava (@obitothetobi) October 22, 2018

serves him right  soniya (@swapnadhadas) October 22, 2018
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should immediately reopen two opposition-owned radio stations, Radio Liberte Lisala and Radio Mwana Mboka (Rammbo), and halt the intimidation of journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said last week.

 deniskot via 123RF

Radio Liberte Lisala and Radio Mwana Mboka have been off the air since October 9, when police raided their offices, halted broadcasts, ejected employees, and locked the doors, Yannick Makambo, director of Radio Mwana Mboka and Blaise Lukuta, director of Radio Liberte, told CPJ.Radio Liberte Lisala is owned by opposition politician Jean-Pierre Bemba and Radio Mwana Mboka is owned by opposition politician Crispin Bungdu, Makambo and Lukuta said. Both stations are based in Lisala city, the capital of the DRC's northwestern Mongala province. Long-delayed presidential elections are scheduled for December in the DRC."The closure of Radio Liberte Lisala and Radio Mwana Mboka is a grave act of censorship, which should be swiftly reversed," said CPJ Africa program coordinator Angela Quintal in New York. "Congolese ruling party politicians cannot arbitrarily decide to silence certain media for airing opposition views, especially as the DRC prepares for upcoming elections."The police acted on orders from Bruce Bika Malambo, mayor of Lisala city and a member of the ruling party, in response to the stations having aired on October 6 a recorded statement made in an interview with opposition politician Bienvenu Moyengo, president of the provincial assembly, who called for a tax boycott by citizens in protest against poor local services, said Makambo. CPJ obtained a transcript of Moyengo's statement.When contacted by CPJ yesterday, Malambo acknowledged ordering the closure of Radio Liberte Lisala and Radio Mwana Mboka, but defended the decision by alleging that the stations were inciting civil disobedience and working to improve the political position of their owners."These media are being dictated by [opposition] politicians," he said. Malambo also claimed that the stations would be closed indefinitely in compliance with local regulations, but did not clarify which regulations.No charges have been brought against anyone associated with the stations, Makambo told CPJ.According to Journaliste en Danger , a local press freedom group, Moyengo's statement was also broadcast by other radio stations in the province without repercussion.Over the last year, media outlets in the DRC have been repeatedly targeted by authorities, according to CPJ research
China has officially opened the world's longest sea-crossing bridge, a 55-km-long structure linking mainland China to the semi-autonomous territories of Hong Kong and Macau. The travel time via the bridge has been reduced to just 30-45 minutes and the megastructure is being celebrated as an engineering marvel.

The project cost about a whopping US$ 20 billion and while it holds the record of being the longest sea bridge, it also has a few unique additions that include cameras to detect yawning, forcing drivers to wear heart rate monitors and access restricted to the political elite and charity donors.

 SCMP

To start with, driving across the bridge will force you to wear their heart rate and blood pressure sensors and all the information will be sent to the bridge's control centre.

According to local media in Hong Kong, "yawning cameras" will be constantly monitoring the driver, and if one yawns more than three times in 20 seconds, an alert will be raised.

In China, people drive on the right side of the road, while Hong Kong drives on the left, hence a flipper bridge called the Pearl River Necklace was chosen, where cars stop, change sides at a specially built merge point and then drive onto Hong Kong.

 SCMP

The bridge is not open to the general public though, as only the wealthy and politically connected are permitted to drive. The authorities shall be issuing 10,000 licenses for Hong Kong-based private cars, while the capacity for Macau is capped at just 300. If you don't have a permit, you'll have to use public transport to reach the bridge and then shift to a private bus that runs on the bridge.

The whole project is not just a bridge though, as to facilitate passing of large ships through the area, a four-mile-long section of the bridge dips down beneath the water.

 SCMP

While engineers have hailed the project to be a marvel, political watchdogs have criticized the project, because this is considered to be to an agenda to connect Hong Kong and Macau with the rest of mainland China.

The bridge's opening also comes a month after the inauguration of a new high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to mainland China, that runs along a different, shorter route.
Some people like to refer the iPhone XR as the budget phone by Apple and those people couldn't be more wrong.

We've been using the iPhone XR for a while and it has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a flagship phone. It has a powerful processor that can put Android flagships to shame, a large quality screen and a camera that can deliver some amazing shots.

Let's first address the elephant in the room, the iPhone XR is cheaper than the XS and XS Max for these reasons:

. Lack of a secondary camera

. Has an LCD display instead of an OLED

. Has an aluminium body instead of stainless steel.

Apart from these features, it delivers the same exact experience as the XS and XS Max.

This is a smartphone for people who do not want to spend Rs 1 Lakh on an iPhone but still want the latest iPhone. It's got everything you would expect from a flagship phone and here's how it performed during our tests.

Design & Display

The iPhone XR is available in six awesome colours i.e. black, white, yellow, coral, blue and (Product) Red. Our favourites are the Blue and Coral variants, that are the most eye-catching and vivid.

In terms of design, the XR more or less looks like the iPhone XS and XS Max, where it has a notch in the front, near all-screen design and a glass back. It has an aluminium frame which makes it slightly thicker than the XS and XS Max and a tad bit heavier.

Having said that, the XR feels really good in the palm and feels like a well built and sturdy device. In terms of water resistance, the iPhone XR comes with an iP67 rating, which means it can last under up to 1 meter of water for a period of 30 minutes.

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

At the back, you will first notice the glass back and just like the other models, it has support for wireless charging. The iPhone XR is compatible with any Qi-certified wireless charger and also supports fast charging via the Lightning port.

In terms of display, the iPhone XR has a 6.1-inch LCD screen making it slightly smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus and larger than the iPhone 8. If you are currently looking to upgrade from an iPhone 6/7/8, then the XR would be a perfect fit.

Having said that, the new LCD Screen on the XR is probably of the highest quality we've seen and it offers more clarity and vivid colours than any other LCD device we've used.

The iPhone XR display also has True Tone technology, which means it will shift the colour of the display according to the ambient lighting of your environment.

However, Apple has removed 3D Touch from the iPhone XR and replaced it with Haptic Touch instead. 3D touch was Apple's version of pressure sensitive display and would allow users to bring up additional functions for apps depending on the force of the press. The new Haptic Touch basically makes you think you are using 3D Touch but in actuality, you aren't.

Another caveat is that you no longer get shortcuts when you press hard on an app icon.

Performance

When it comes to the components under the hood, Apple has spared no expense with the iPhone XR. It is powered by the same A12 Bionic chip that is present in the iPhone XS and XS Max. This translates to plenty of power, enhanced camera functions, Augmented Reality capabilities, play high demanding games and extended battery life.

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

Since we got the smartphone, we used it for taking many pictures, played games like Fortnite and navigation. We faced no issues when it came to performance, as there were no bugs or glitches experienced during the course of our review. This shows that the XR has the same performance capabilities as the iPhone XS and XS Max.

In terms of battery life, the smartphone lasted longer than we expected as it outlived the iPhone XS Max. It lasted a full day without charging and we still have 15% left over by 11:00 PM. If you tend to use your smartphone for long sessions of gaming, it would expectedly die sooner, however, if you are a light user like most us, you could easily see it last more than a day.

Camera

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

The iPhone XR has a single primary lens at the back but manages to do almost everything you can with its more expensive counterparts. For example, the single wide-angle lens on the XR has the same optical image stabilisation capabilities as the XS, can take portrait images and even Live Photos.

All of this can be attributed to the A12 Bionic chip, that enables the XR camera to carry out these tasks. Google's Pixel is no longer the only single camera smartphone that can take portrait shots, as Apple has introduced a range of similar features on the XR.

What's The Difference?

Since there is no secondary lens, the iPhone XR can only manage digital zoom and cannot take portrait shots of objects. In terms of camera features, the iPhone XR does not have all the different lighting options for portrait mode (it does have three instead of five).

The iPhone XR still has Smart HDR like its counterparts, which is a nifty feature that combines a set of images to give you the best output. Portrait Mode on the iPhone XR works exactly as it does on the XS and XS Max. You can even control the blur effect just like you would on the XS and XS Max.

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

In terms of the selfie camera, the iPhone XR has the same 7-megapixel TrueDepth front-facing camera and also comes with FaceID. You can take self portrait shots and Smart HDR pictures with the front-facing camera. Here are some camera samples for your reference:

The Final Say

The iPhone XR may not have a beautiful OLED screen or dual camera set up at the back, but it still performs like a flagship phone and takes amazing pictures.

The iPhone XR is definitely an upgrade option if you're currently using the iPhone 6/7 or even 8. It costs Rs 76,900 for the 64GB variant and is definitely the more affordable option from Apple's 2018 lineup.

For people who want the latest iPhone with great performance and an updated look, this is the iPhone for you.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris today met with Rabbi Gabriel M.I. Negrin at the Chief Rabbinate of Athens. He was briefed on issues related to the establishment, history, and functioning of the Athens Jewish Community. The prospects and possibilities were discussed for developing synergies with the Greek Government pertaining to the life and the activity of the Athens Jewish Community, to the cooperation with the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, as well as to Israel, with regard to religious and cultural issues.
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Thanks to more than a trillion dollars of prospective investment-led by China's $800 billion Belt and Road Initiative linking countries stretching between East Asia and Europe-the Silk Road is rising again. The series of once-legendary pathways connecting cities, from Kashgar to Paro to Constantinople, which originated at the dawn of the common era and collapsed with the fall of the Mongol empire in the early 16th century, is now being reborn as a network of highways, railways, and airports linking 65 countries. Add improved safety and easier-to-access visas, and the bazaar-filled cities of Central Asia are more accessible than ever.

For travelers, this means a wealth of new destinations to explore-some sprung from deserts overnight and others that have for too long been left off tourist maps. Uzbekistan is reporting a 40 percent year-on-year rise in tourism; Baku, Azerbaijan, has also awakened from its post-Soviet slumber to rank among the fastest-growing tourism destinations in Europe and Central Asia. The growth had been simmering for years; now it's boiling hot.

According to Jonny Bealby, founder of luxury travel outfit Wild Frontiers, the region is also emerging in response to "people looking further and further afield to see places that are more authentic, less spoiled, and less on the beaten track."

His company is just one of several tour operators-including Ker & Downey, Abercrombie & Kent, and Remote Lands-helping travelers realize a suddenly buzzy fantasy of traveling the Silk Road. But completing that journey end-to-end can take anywhere from six weeks to three months. Here, a few locations to prioritize if your vacation days aren't quite that plentiful.

- For Food Lovers: Xi'an, China

The heart of the original Silk Road was inarguably the central Chinese city of Chang'an, or modern-day Xi'an. In the eighth century, it was the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world-a beacon for traders from all corners of Asia. Now an international trade hub with 12 million residents, Xi'an is reclaiming its former glory as the eastern terminus of the Belt and Road-perhaps no surprise, considering it's the hometown of President Xi Jinping.

How much time you'll need: Three to five days.

What to see and do: While most visitors know Xi'an for its iconic terra cotta army, there is much more to the place. Start at Tang West Market, which is said to have been the precise, historic start of the old Silk Road; today, it's a shopping bonanza where you'll find everything from faux antique daggers to jade-bejeweled brass pots. Make a pit stop at the Tang West Market Museum, which has one of the world's biggest displays of relics from all sides of the Silk Road. Then make your way to the city's Muslim quarter, where narrow alleyways are lined elbow-to-elbow with traditional shops and street food stalls.

Be adventurous and try foods you've never tasted before: spicy camel skewers, wholesome quarter-inch-wide biang biang noodles, and delicately sweet persimmon doughnuts. Want a glimpse of the city's modern edge? Head to Chanba Ecological Zone, a landfill that's been converted into a sparkling new urban area. It's the epicenter of Xi'an's Belt and Road endeavors and features a massive wetland park that's perfect for boating and birdwatching.

Where to stay: The five-star Gran Melia Xi'an offers all the comforts associated with an international brand; the Eastern House Boutique Hotel, meanwhile, offers a sleek but still local-feeling experience.

For Architecture Buffs: Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan's ancient cities still stand remarkably intact-along with their ornate, mosaic-laden monuments. As a result, this country brims with a fascinating sense of history, layers of architectural and religious heritage, and a global melange of cultural traditions forged over millennia.

Quality hotels are a relatively new prospect here, says Bealby. There's been an uptick in creatively designed accommodations tucked into old caravansaries-where ancient traders would work and sleep-in the old town of Samarkand and in the old walled city of Kiva. And the best newcomers have been exceptional. "They're on par with anywhere in Paris, London, India, whatever you choose to look at," he exclaims.

How much time you'll need: Seven to 10 days.

What to see and do: Though you'll fly in via Tashkent, it's best to connect straight through to Samarkand-a 2,500-year-old city 200 miles to the capital's south. There, you can see where Genghis Khan sacked the city of Afrosiab in the 13th century, watch daily life unfold against a backdrop of mud-brick Uzbek houses in the medieval quarter, and visit such eye-popping sites as the 15th century Registan Mosque. Then it's off to Bukhara, a city studded with glistening turquoise domes, ornate mosques, ancient forts, and layer upon layer of living history. It's one of the region's best-preserved medieval cities-with several significant monuments, such as the Indian-influenced, four-minaret Char Minar, in close proximity to one another. If you still have time left, Khiva is your last stop. It's an incredible example of traditional Islamic urban design, and its 200-year-old inner fortress, the Itchan Kala, will send you traveling back through time.

Where to stay: In Samarkand, the Grand Samarkand offers a sense of Silk Road history with modern sensibilities; in Bukhara, Bealby recommends either the Minzifa Hotel, the Bibi Khanum, or the Malika Bukhara; and in Khiva, the character-packed Orient Star Hotel and Qosha Darvoza are the best games in town.

For Adventure Seekers: Azerbaijan.

Many Silk Road destinations claim to be "the place where the east meets the west," but Azerbaijan has the best geographical claim to that title. Just as in antiquity, it remains a place where minds from all sorts of far-off lands converge-though these days they're more likely drilling for oil or shopping at fashionable boutiques than trading wares. The capital, Baku, is somewhat like Dubai: It's ripe with old world charm and modern-day glitz, but it's the adventurous day trips waiting just outside the city that you might remember most.

How much time you'll need: Three to five days.

What to see and do: Baku's architecture spells the capital's history like an open book. The winding streets of the Islamic old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are packed elbow-to-elbow with matching stone buildings that date to the 12th century; some of the original caravansaries still stand and have been converted into fine-dining spots.

The outer city, meanwhile, was built by imperial Russians with impressive Baroque, Gothic, and postmodern buildings lining massive, gridded boulevards. Downtown are skyscrapers pulled from a futuristic era. If all those contrasts leave you exhausted and feeling you're gone through several wormholes, chill along the revitalized waterfront district, which provides ample lookouts where you can sit and relax.

Then get out of town. From the new port of Alat, 40 miles south, you can take a beautiful ferry ride across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan or Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan. Who do you know that has ever done that? And make time to hit Gobustan National Park, an hour's drive south from Baku; it has thousands of 5,000- to 20,000-year-old rock carvings, plus volcanic mud pools for therapeutic (and skin-softening) soaks.

Where to stay: Fairmont, JW Marriott, and Four Seasons all have solid options in town.

For Europhiles: Northern Greece.

History buffs who come to Greece think first of Zeus, Homer, and the Parthenon. But another claim to fame is that the country was the trailhead for one of the first iterations of the Silk Road, dating to Alexander the Great's conquests in the 4th century B.C. Glimmers of that legacy remain in the north, in such little-visited destinations as Vergina and Soufli. The new Belt and Road is emerging as an important narrative here, too, particularly in Piraeus, a bustling port city since ancient times. The port itself was purchased by the Chinese in 2016 and was subsequently built up to be one of Europe's busiest marine hubs-more than quadrupling the port's container traffic since 2010.

How much time you'll need: A week.

What to see and do: Vergina-which has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium B.C.-claims historic sites that are outstanding, even by Greek standards. It was the first capital of ancient Macedonia, lending it a fascinating acropolis, theater, and palace. East is Thessaloniki, a thriving urban center that served as an ancient shipment hub for silk and spices. See how that pervades Thessaloniki's contemporary culture on a stroll through Modiano, the city's predominant foodie thoroughfare; sampling its souvlaki, gyros, cheese and meat-stuffed bougatsa pastries, feta-stuffed squid, and smoked eggplant will prove why this is considered the "gourmet capital of Greece."

Culminate in the easternmost city of Soufli, Greece's capital of viniculture and silk production. Three museums here are dedicated to the Silk Road, affirming the legacy of the trade routes that still live today. And when you're done with that, you can see the silk trade springing back to life in this charming town, where modern workshops now supply Greece's leading designers.

Where to stay: In Vergina, the rustic but lovely Ktima Kalaitzi has its own winery. In Thessaloniki, stay in the grand (if slightly dated) Electra Palace Thessaloniki or right by the sea at the hyper-modern Makedonia Palace.
Legislation passed earlier this year by the U.S. Senate and now being considered by the House of Representatives calls for spending $25 million to launch pilot programs nationwide to reduce food waste.

Thats good news for Connecticuts fledgling food waste reduction industry, which includes a small but growing field of companies. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., visited one of those companies, Hartford-based Blue Earth Compost, on Tuesday in an effort to call attention to the legislation .

We waste too much food as a society, Blumenthal said during his visit to Blue Earth, which is based out of an old industrial complex in Hartfords North Meadows section. Forty percent of all food is wasted. The whole idea (of the pilot program funding) is to provide the resources to really get this thing going.

Samuel King, who refers to himself as Blue Earths marketing and business development guru, said the pilot program provision, if approved, would open us up to service hundreds of new customers.

Rather than contracting with just individual homes, wed be looking to serve entire municipalities, which would benefit from the cost saving, King said. By removing food waste from the trash, communities would realize savings because garbage haulers get paid by the weight of their loads, he said.

Right now, there are three companies in Connecticut that provide residential food scrap collection, according to King. One is New Haven-based Peels & Wheels Composting, which serves customers in the citys Wooster Square, East Rock and Prospect Hill neighborhoods.

The food waste pilot program provision is part of the Senates version of a larger bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 or Farm Bill, that passed the legislative body earlier this year. The Farm Bill is before a congressional conference committee, which will work to combine the Senate and House versions into a single piece of legislation.

Right now, Blue Earth Compost has 220 residential customers in Hartford and surrounding communities as well as commercial/institutional subscribers that include Trinity College and Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford. Owner Alex Williams founded the company in 2013.

The subscription fee for Blue Earths services is $30 per month for weekly pickup and $20 per month for having food scraps collected every other week, Williams said.

Blue Earth provides its customers with containers to collect the food scraps . Once the scraps are collected from customers, they are taken to Quantum Biopower in Southington.

Quantum Biopower uses as anaerobic digester to turn rotting food waste into methane gas to produce electricity.

High levels of heat are applied to the liquefied trash produced by the anaerobic digester. The super-heated liquid becomes a methane gas used to produce electricity for Southingtons municipal buildings, sold to the town at a reduced rate that will lower what the town spends on energy annually for the next 20 years.

Solids left from the process are used to create compost, which Blue Earths customers get as part of their subscription fee.

We are partners with Quantum, not competitors, Williams said. They need the food waste we provide to keep their plant running.

luther.turmelle

@hearstmediact.com
NEW BRITAIN  Middletown-based Artists For World Peace is bringing the Peace Wall to the Stockman Gallery at Trinity-on-Main, 19 Chestnut St., New Britain, Nov. 3, 1-6 p.m.

The exhibit will feature Connecticut artists, including works contributed to the Peace Wall by the New Britain Arts Alliance and CCSU art students.

The Peace Wall Project has quickly become a movement since it was started in October 2017. To date, more than 2,000 artists from 48 states in the US, Italy and Canada have painted a 6 x 6 canvas to be displayed on the traveling Peace Wall.

Each painting is available for $50, with the proceeds used to fund the Native Eyes Project.

Artists for World Peace (AFWP), an organization of artists and supporters committed to changing the world, one child, one family, one village at a time, was formed 16 years ago by founder and executive director, Wendy Black-Nasta of Middletown, Connecticut

Artists for World Peace has been hosting free eye clinics since 2014. The first clinic was hosted in Tanzania and the project has continued to expand- caring for more than 4,200 patients to date. Last year the Native Eyes Project was launched - bringing free eye care to Native American communities across America. In June, AFWP held a week-long eye clinic for the residents of Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. On October 6-7, AFWP brought much needed eye care to Native Americans in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

To learn more about the important work of Artists for World Peace visit the website www.artistsforworldpeace.org or go to FaceBook: Artists for World Peace and 6x6 4 PEACE Movement.
MIDDLETOWN  In The Buttonwood Tree art gallery, The Middletown Series by Janine Janaki, a series of paintings will remain on display until Dec. 1.

Janaki, a Middletown artist, offers an introspective, passionate and heartfelt caption to each of her paintings on display at The Buttonwood Tree, allowing the viewer a deeper understanding and appreciation for the visual art. There is such spirit in the paintings that if you've been to the places she's painted such as O'Rourke's Diner, Wadsworth Falls, Wild Bill's Nostalgia, which recently closed, Eli Cannon's or Smith & Bishell Hardware, you're likely to be taken back there in your mind, and feel just like you did when you were there. Or perhaps you'll identify with one of the special people she has drawn, like the Meditation Man, Bob Vinci, or the Sweeper, Fred Carroll. Each piece is a masterpiece and prints are available for very reasonable prices, according to a written statement. Visit JaninesArt.com to learn more.
Law enforcers responding to an explosion in Hamden and a fiery vehicle crash into Middlesex Hospital were among those honored by the Connecticut State Police in a ceremony attended by Gov. Dannel Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman Tuesdayat the State Police Training Academy in Meriden.

State police awarded medals to troopers, other law enforcers, first responders and civilians in connection with incidents in Troop A, B, G and L area towns. The incidents in this area were:

In the Hamden explosion, medals went to the state police Central District Major Crime Squad, FBI, U.S. attorneys office; states attorneys office, DEA and the police departments of New Haven, Woodbridge, Orange, Hamden, West Haven and Southern Connecticut State University. On July 4, 2015, a large explosion was reported on state property in Hamden. A deceased male was found in a wooded area adjacent to the road, wrapped in plastic bags and bound with tape and rope. An intensive investigation was initiated by the state police Central District Major Crime Squad with the assistance of West Haven police and the FBI New Haven Office. Other law enforcement agencies joined the investigation, focusing on a residence in West Haven. Detectives conducted a comprehensive, meticulous forensic search of the residence with their law enforcement peers. For 11 days, investigators worked nearly around the clock, processing the crime scene, analyzing volumes of electronic data, vetting more than 100 leads, seizing more than 300 items of evidentiary value and completing and/or executing 17 state and federal search warrants. Five perpetrators were identified and arrested on various charges, including murder, in connection with this investigation. All involved earned the Medal for Outstanding Service and the Unit Citation Award.

In the Middlesex Hospital crash, medals went to the Emergency Services Unit Bomb Squad. On Feb. 22, 2018, just before 10 a.m. that morning, the Middletown Police and Fire departments responded to the hospital for a vehicle that had crashed into the emergency room entrance. First responders found the vehicle on fire and the driver lying on the ground, also on fire. Bomb squad members tried to eliminate any immediate hazards and discovered gasoline containers in the vehicle. The bomb squad assisted the FBI Evidence Recovery Team, the Fire Explosion and Investigation Unit, and Middletown police detectives with evidence recovery in the service of a search warrant at the drivers residence. The teamwork exhibited by all agencies in this incident - from the response, to securing and processing the scene, to intelligence and investigation - was exemplary and earned the Unit Citation Award for the bomb squad.

Also in Middletown, Trooper John Swokla, civilian James Carroll and civilian Stephen Eberle earned recognition. On July 16, 2017, at 9 p.m., Trooper Swokla arrived at a motor vehicle accident on Route 9. He found the vehicle on fire and two civilians, Carroll and Eberle, attempting to pull the operator out of the burning vehicle. Trooper Swokla quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher from the trunk of his vehicle and joined the civilians. He utilized the extinguisher to control the flames near the drivers side door while the civilians successfully pulled the driver to safety. The car quickly became fully engulfed in flames. The operator was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. The quick thinking and selfless behavior of Trooper Swokla, Carroll and Eberle saved the life of the operator. Trooper Swokla earned the Medal for Lifesaving; Carroll and Eberle earned the Commissioners Recognition Award.

In Woodbridge, Trooper Roman Gray and Trooper Josue Dorelus were honored. On Feb. 6, 2017, at approximately 1:10 a.m., Troop I received a report of a head-on collision on Route 15 southbound in Woodbridge. Trooper Gray arrived on the scene and observed that one of the vehicles involved was engulfed in flames and the driver was behind the wheel, unconscious. Trooper Dorelus arrived on scene and both troopers quickly removed the driver from the burning vehicle. They found that the operator did not have a pulse and immediately commenced CPR, continuing until EMS/Fire arrived to transport the operator to a local hospital. Troopers Gray and Dorelus disregarded their own personal safety when they entered the burning vehicle to extract the driver. They earned the Medal for Meritorious Service.

In Westbrook, Trooper Donald Dunning and Trooper First Class David Tretter earned citations. On Christmas Day, 2017, at 12:45 p.m., Troop F received a 911 call from a mother who discovered her teenage daughter attempting to hang herself. The caller untied the ligature and the teen ran out of the house. The caller believed that the teen still intended to harm herself. Trooper Dunning arrived at the residence and began to search the area. There were no footprints in the snow, so he searched the interior of the house. In the basement, the teen was discovered in a utility closet in another hanging suicide attempt. Trooper Dunning utilized a pocket knife to cut the victim down as Trooper Tretter arrived on scene. They discovered that the teen did not have a pulse and was not breathing. The troopers immediately began CPR and within minutes the victimad a pulse and was gasping for air. The troopers monitored the teens breathing; circulation and a radial pulse were verified. Paramedics arrived to transport the teen to a local clinic. The troopers earned the Medal for Lifesaving.

In Killingworth, Trooper First Class Scott Wisner earned his honors. On March 12, 2018, Trooper Wisner responded to a Killingworth residence on a report of a female suffering from a heart attack. He found the woman unresponsive to stimuli, not breathing and without a pulse. Trooper Wisner immediately began CPR and continued until Emergency Medical Services arrived with a defibrillator. The defibrillator administered shocks to the woman until a heartbeat was re-established. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The immediate medical response of Trooper Wisner saved the life of the woman. He earned the Medal for Lifesaving.

In East Haddam, Officer Karl Karabeinikoff earned the Medal for Lifesaving when, on Sept. 8, 2017, at 8:19 a.m., he responded to an East Haddam residence for an elderly male in need of medical assistance. After arriving on the scene, the officer administered oxygen to the man. Suddenly, the man lost consciousness and a pulse could not be detected. Officer Karabeinkoff immediately began CPR while awaiting medical services. After 25 minutes of administering CPR, the man regained a pulse; he was transported to a local hospital for further medical treatment. Officer Karabeinikoffs outstanding medical aid saved the life of the elderly man.

In Bridgeport, Trooper First Class Michael Beauton earned his medal on Aug. 10, 2017, at 1 p.m., when Troop G broadcast that a vehicle fled a traffic stop at a high rate of speed, colliding with a motorist and two bicyclists at an intersection. The operator of the car struck by the suspect vehicle was killed, and, although both bicyclists survived, one of them suffered an amputated leg. The operator of the suspect vehicle, a convicted violent felon, was uninjured and fled the crash scene on foot. Trooper Beauton monitored transmissions from Bridgeport Police and heard of a possible suspect sighting in a backyard. Trooper Beauton and his K-9 Nero responded to the location and found an open basement door. He obtained consent to search the basement and shouted several warnings into the basement, affording the suspect ample time to surrender. When no suspect made himself known, K-9 Nero was deployed to search for the suspect. K-9 Nero quickly located the suspect, who immediately began to assault the K-9, striking Neros head and face, and gouging his eyes. Trooper Beauton and Bridgeport officers brought the suspect under control and placed him in handcuffs. The suspect was in possession of a large amount of heroin, crack and powder cocaine. Trooper Beauton and K-9 Nero placed themselves at great risk as they located and apprehended a violent criminal that, moments before, was responsible for the death of an innocent motorist, and the serious injury of two bicyclists. He earned the Medal for Outstanding Service.

In Norwalk, Trooper First Class Marc OMara was honored. On Oct. 14, 2014, at 10 p.m., Norwalk police received 911 calls from tour bus passengers reporting that an individual onboard was actively stabbing other passengers. The bus was traveling through a construction zone on Interstate 95 northbound so the driver maneuvered onto the shoulder, behind Trooper OMara, who was working a construction project. The armed male had already stabbed four passengers and was continuing to attack others. Trooper OMara saw one passenger restraining another in the front section of bus, then both passengers stumbled out onto the highway. Trooper OMara witnessed the armed passenger attempting to stab the other passenger. He ordered the armed man to drop the weapon, but the man refused and continued his attack. Trooper OMara engaged the man with deadly force, at which time the suspect attempted to attack Trooper OMara with the edged weapon. Again, Trooper OMara engaged the armed subject with deadly force. Recognizing that many people were in imminent danger of being seriously wounded or killed, Trooper OMara neutralized the imminent threat, and in doing so, saved the lives of the passengers. The heroic and swift actions of Trooper OMara prevented loss of life among the passengers of the bus and himself. He earned the Medal of Honor.

In Stamford, Trooper Eduardo Santiago earned honors. On Jan.15, 2018, Troop G dispatch received numerous 911 calls reporting a wrong-way driver on I-95. The vehicle was observed on highway cameras traveling northbound in the southbound lanes at a high rate of speed. Traffic at the time was moderate and there were numerous near misses with passing motorists. Trooper Santiago immediately drove to the area, slowing down traffic with a rolling road block. He observed the suspect vehicle coming at him in the area of exit 12 in Darien, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision, but striking his cruiser. Both vehicles sustained heavy, disabling damage and were blocking the left and center lanes. Due to damage to his cruiser, Trooper Santiago was forced to climb out of the passenger side to check on the suspect vehicles driver. After failing field sobriety tests, the suspect was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and was taken into custody. Trooper Santiago intentionally put himself in harms way to protect other drivers on the road. He earned the Medal for Meritorious Service.

In Westport, Trooper Roberto Juan earned a medal for service on June 16, 2018, at 1 p.m., when Troop G received a 911 report of an unresponsive individual in a car parked in the Route 15 Exit 42 commuter lot in Westport. Trooper Juan arrived on scene and found an unresponsive male seated in the vehicle. The man was not breathing and did not have a pulse. Trooper Juan quickly removed him from the vehicle and initiated CPR lifesaving efforts. He continued CPR for five minutes and was successful in obtaining a pulse. The man was later transported to a local hospital. The immediate response of Trooper Juan resuscitated the male and undoubtedly saved his life. Trooper Juan earned the Medal for Lifesaving.
MIDDLETOWN  Organizers of the Walk to End the Silence hope this years event will encourage individuals either affected by domestic violence or those who know someone in such a situation to seek out people in the community who can help.

New Horizons Domestic Violence Services, run by the Community Health Center, and Middletown police have partnered to continue the fourth annual event, which intends to raises awareness and support victims in their greatest time of need.

The event, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed to Sunday at 10 a.m. due to the forecast of inclement weather.

The first event was held three months after the death of 7-month-old Aaden Moreno, of Middletown. His father, Tony Moreno, was convicted of killing his son by dropping him off the Arrigoni Bridge 100 feet over the Connecticut River July 5, 2015. Moreno was sentenced to 70 years in prison in 2017.

It has been a process for many members of the community to heal and (understand) what has happened, and what could potentially happen to anyone. It hit home for a lot of people, because it happened right here, said event organizer Middletown police Capt. Gary Wallace.

This community has come together, supported  not just the immediate families it has affected, but  each other. Thats been really the greatest part: hearing from so many people who have been in the background, just to say, We love what youre doing, Thank you or I know someone that needed services and they got it, said Wallace, who encourages people to don purple T-shirts, coats, hats, scarves, pants or other articles of clothing to promote awareness of domestic violence.

There will be a short Zumba class warm-up before participants head around the block: a big, fun ice breaker, Wallace said. Registration for the walk, which begins and ends at Harbor Park on Harbor Drive, begins at 9 a.m.

Donations are $20 for adults, $10 for those under 18, and $50 for groups of five or more.

The new director of New Horizons, Kai Belton, will introduce herself as the morning kicks off.

Over the decades, much has evolved when it comes to police responding to domestic incidents, including how 911 calls are handled, Wallace said, pointing to the genesis: the Tracey Thurman case in Torrington.

Her husband threatened to kill her in May 1983, and she repeatedly unsuccessfully asked police to protect her. But Charles Thurman came to Torrington and stabbed his 22-year-old wife in the face, neck and upper body.

Tracey Thurman lived to tell her story. Her experience brought about a change in how officials respond, investigate and prosecute domestic violence cases across the country.

More for you Middletown dad sentenced to 70 years for dropping son to his...

That changed the face of domestic violence throughout the whole country. There are different protocols in place (such as the Lethality Assessment Program). When an officer goes to a scene, (he/she) asks specific questions of the victim. If the response includes a certain number of yeses, a call is immediately made to New Horizons for help, Wallace said.

That support ranges from emergency crisis services to counseling down the road for victims. The point of that is to save lives, he said.

Now, supervisors respond to a 911 call, along with two officers. We understand the importance, not only of safety, but making sure our officers are following protocol. Every case is different and some can be very complicated, Wallace said.

For police, domestic violence 911 calls are the third highest incidence of officers getting killed, Wallace said. Those statistics fall only behind traffic fatalities and unprovoked ambushes: Its a priority and always has been. The way we respond now is much different, he said.

For over 30 years, the Community Health Center has operated New Horizons Domestic Violence Shelter, a 24/7 emergency shelter for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. New Horizons is a 24-hour operational nonprofit organization that provides services to victims of domestic abuse. It serves 15 municipalities: Middletown, Middlefield, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, Durham, Haddam, Chester, East Haddam, Killingworth, Deep River, Old Saybrook, Essex, Clinton and Westbrook.

At Harbor Park Saturday, there will be tables with brochures and other handouts containing important information. Because there are resources there, because the people who are there are not just domestic violence victims, theyre people who care about the issue, its really makes it welcoming, Wallace said of the atmosphere, where hes seen much talking, mingling and socializing.

People come for support or the resources, but in any case, its a very welcoming environment, he said.

Annually, New Horizons provides services and shelter to over 1,300 women, children and male victims. The shelter is one component of a comprehensive approach to intimate partner violence that also includes community education, support groups, individual counseling, court advocacy and consultation to CHCs clinical provider teams, according to the agency.

New Horizons staff members are part of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where they advocate for ongoing advancement of legislation and policy that protect the health and interests of women. A 24/7 confidential hotline service is also available through the program, according to the agency.

All proceeds will go to New Horizons Domestic Violence Services.

Visit newhorizonsdv.com for information.

Whether people choose to walk or not, they can still donate to the cause.

When it comes to the work that police and New Horizons do, even if the weather is bad, you dont get a choice (to help victims). We have to respond to those calls. Those incidents are still happening whether it rains or it shines. Even if you can help one person, its all worth it, Wallace said.

Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day

@hearstmediact.com.
EAST HAMPTON  Town officials learned the fourth time is a charm as residents turned out Tuesday to finally pass 973 to 864 the thrice-rejected $14.9 million 2018-19 general government budget.

Moderator Red McKinney announced voters also approved a transfer of $140,000 to the Board of Education capital reserve budget by 965 to 823.

Two other questions on the ballot were decided as well: Is the $14.9 general government budget too high (800 votes), too low (411) or just right (546)? and Is the $30.5 million Board of Education budget too high (845), too low (648) or just right (289)?

Weve been holding off on a lot of projects for a long time. We now have a lot of work to do, we have a lot of catch-up to play, things we need to get implemented, said a clearly relieved Town Manager Michael Maniscalco. This last week, you kind of go in and you say to yourself, Is it going to pass? Is it not going to pass? when you talk to people, and its really been (hard to predict the outcome).

Already, officials are preparing for January, when theyll start to craft the 2019-20 budget. Maniscalco said the town has been operating month to month by dividing last years budget by 12 to cover the bare minimum.

The spending package failed three times in the past, each by a larger margin. The $30 million education budget breezed to approval on its first try in May.

Our community has gone without a budget for longer than has been recorded in our (communitys) history. As a result, we have sat and discussed each others challenges and the joint need for a budget, Maniscalco and Superintendent of Schools Paul K. Smith wrote in a letter to finance board members in late September.

Officials amended the original plan to modify Board of Education capital expenditures to: asbestos remediation, $25,000; safety/security measures, $20,000; locks, $150,000; HVAC, $25,000 (down from $30,000), Chromebooks and laptops, a combined $27,500 (down from $80,500 for Chromebooks and $37,000 for laptops).

The new proposal is for $140,000 to be transferred to the BOE operating budget for the hiring of two teachers.

Similar circumstances followed three budget rejections in 2015. After two referendums, during which the $37.8 million spending package failed by four and 170 votes, respectively. It finally passed 1,129 to 788: a spread of 341.

The Board of Finance will set the tax rate at its next regular meeting.

Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day

@hearstmediact.com or @cassandrasdis on Twitter.
NEW HAVEN  Quentin Staggers, 47, of New Haven pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to possessing with intent to distribute a synthetic cannabinoid commonly known as K2, according to a news release.

The release, from John H. Durham, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Patrick Griffin, states attorney for the Judicial District of New Haven, said the case stems from a joint investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies into the distribution of K2 on the New Haven Green in July, incidents that drew national attention when the drug caused several dozen people to become ill.
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Baumholder officials are taking new steps to remedy the garrison's brown drinking water, perhaps the most visible problem identified by soldiers and families at the Army base's housing and barracks in recent years.

A new water quality task force convened last week to determine where and how the water -- which base officials earlier this year said was safe to drink -- is being tinted to colors varying from off-yellow to murky brown.

Col. Jason Edwards, who took command of the Rheinland-Pfalz garrison on July 11 and convened the task force, became aware of the water issue both from public works officials and from families on Facebook.

"We had brown water that was posted on a Facebook site by a spouse. When I first saw that, I looked at it in a sense that, How would I feel if I was the person having brown water?'" Edwards said. "Now whether it was medically sound with no contaminants -- it doesn't look pleasant. So the idea was ... we need to address the fact that there is brown water in the pipes and get after it."

Dependents of soldiers stationed at Baumholder have repeatedly taken pictures of glasses filled with brown water, as well as other housing deficiencies, and posted them online.

Katrina Shepard, who lived at Baumholder with her husband until August, said the brown water was "disgusting and unacceptable."

"Nearly everyone I know, including ourselves, in Baumholder paid out-of-pocket for a (water delivery service) because they didn't feel safe drinking it," said Shepard, who left Baumholder when her husband was transferred.

Shepard said her 4-year-old daughter was plagued with sores all over her body when they were stationed at Baumholder.

The sores cleared up after they left the post, Shepard said. Her daughter was recently tested and shown to have an allergic reaction to mold, another problem base officials have discussed at public town hall meetings during the past year.

Concerns about the water at Baumholder were heightened in March after German-mandated testing revealed high levels of Legionella bacteria, forcing authorities to decontaminate about 20 housing units. Base doctors said at the time that no one had tested positive at a military medical facility for Legionnaires' disease, a severe type of pneumonia.

Although the colorless, odorless Legionella bacteria was not related to the brown water, the finding was seen by some residents as an indication that the military did not take the clean water issue seriously.

Shepard said she hopes the task force fixes the brown water issues but remains skeptical.

"I have a feeling nothing will remedy it except complete remodeling, renovation of the plumbing systems," Shepard said. "We've been let down so much in Baumholder, it's hard to have faith in what is being promised anymore."

The new task force includes garrison public works, Public Health Command Europe, IMCOM-Europe and other command officials. They will alert the public about potential health issues related to the water and pinpoint brown-water concentrations.

"We are continuing to test and meet requirements, this is just an extra effort," Edwards said. "This is an authentic effort to make sure (the public) understands that we are trying to give them the best water we possibly can have."
If officials can advocate for reusable rockets to deliver cargo to troops from space ports, perhaps more firepower in space is possible, too.

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday didn't immediately rule out positioning nuclear weapons in space sometime in the future. In a conversation with the Washington Post during its "Transformers: Space" summit, Pence was asked if the United States was looking to renegotiate the terms of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which currently bans "weapons of mass destruction," but still allows for conventional weapons in orbit.

"That treaty...doesn't ban military activity," Pence said. "It gives nations a fair amount of flexibility in operating in their security interests in outer space. At this time we don't see any need to amend the treaty, but as time goes forward, the hope that we could continue to see outer space as a domain where peace will reign will require military presence."

Post reporter Robert Costa, who interviewed Pence onstage at the forum, asked him if he thought nuclear weapons should be banned from space.

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"They are now," Pence replied.

"Should they always be banned from space?" Costa said.

"Well, look. I think what we need to do is make sure that we provide for the common defense of the people of the United States of America. And that's the president's determination here," Pence replied. "What we want to do is continue to advance the principle that peace comes through strength."

The vice president on Tuesday headlined a few events to promote plans for the Trump administration's proposed Space Force, intended to be the sixth military branch.

Following his appearance at the Post, Pence convened a meeting of the National Space Council at Fort McNair, where cabinet secretaries, members of the national space and security councils, and policy officials discussed recommendations to begin forming the Department of the Space Force.

Echoing a plan Pence unveiled at the Pentagon in August, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the Defense Department would move to:

Establish the creation of a unified space command, known as U.S. Space Command

Direct a legislative proposal for a Space Force for the White House to review

Form a budget request proposal to include Space Force elements in the fiscal year 2020 budget Review various space agency authorities to understand and streamline chain-of-command

Establishes the Space Development Agency for new satellite and technology procurement

Strengthen relationships between the new military space branch and the intelligence community

The recommendations, approved unanimously in the meeting, will eventually be woven into Space Policy Directive-4, known as SPD-4, Space News reported.

When SPD-4 may be signed by the president was not disclosed, even though members of the Pentagon have been waiting to discuss the directive for some months, Military.com reported last week.

During the two-hour meeting, the conferees heard from Doug Loverro, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy; Mark Sirangelo, an "entrepreneur-in-residence" at the University of Colorado Boulder's aerospace engineering program and former head of Sierra Nevada Corporation's space business; and Air Force Lt. Gen. James K. McLaughlin, deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command.

All were in favor of establishing a Space Force. McLaughlin, however, stressed interoperability and warned of bureaucratic overlap.

"I think you undermine the need for a department if you try to create a combatant command with service-like authorities," McLaughlin said. "We have to be careful about these three entities not overlapping, and drawing clear lines."

According to a report from DefenseOne, the Pentagon already has some lines drawn.

Current space operations conducted by bases that belong to Air Force Space Command, the Army's 1st Space Brigade, the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and the Naval Satellite Operations Center will all be absorbed into the Space Force, according to plans.

Space Force will not initially include "the transfer of [the] strategic intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance mission of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)," the 13-page memo said, as reported by DefenseOne Monday. Whether the intelligence agency will be incorporated at a later date remains to be seen.

"It was not easy to do this," Shanahan said Tuesday. "But we are moving out."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.
Marines and families of the fallen gathered Tuesday to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1983 suicide bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 in what the Trump administration has called the "opening salvo" in the global war on terror.

"I think we all kind of grew up that day, because we knew the world had changed," Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said at the annual ceremony of remembrance at the memorial for the fallen in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The memorial bears the inscription "They Came In Peace" and lists the names of the 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers who died that day as part of the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon at the time that was trying to maintain order in the midst of a sectarian civil war. Most of the Marines killed in the attack were assigned to the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, based out of Camp Lejeune.

It was the worst single day for Marine casualties since the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The FBI later estimated that the suicide truck bomber who roared past sentries, who were forbidden by their rules of engagement, set off a blast equivalent to 21,000 pounds of TNT.

On that same day, another suicide truck bomber hit the French barracks, killing 58 French paratroopers.

In his remarks at Lejeune Tuesday, Neller noted that "many would state that that event -- the loss of those Marines, along with the French paratroopers -- started the global war on terror."

"Maybe that's true, I don't know," he said, "but I know it changed the way we saw the world. It changed the way we looked at threats. It changed the way we operated -- and those lessons learned carried through the rest of our time as Marines. And that impact of Beirut still shapes us today."

The Lejeune appearance was possibly the beginning of a long farewell to service for Neller, whose term as Commandant will end in the coming months. Neller said he had not been to the Lejeune ceremony before.

"I realized I was getting near the end of this journey. It has been my honor to serve this Marine Corps and to serve with you," he said.

When the barracks bombing occurred, Neller said he was a naive young captain at The Basic School, the training ground for Marine officers in Quantico, Virginia.

He remembered someone telling him to turn on the TV, because the Marine barracks had just been attacked.

"It was kind of like 9/11," he said. "'They did what?'"

Neller said the attack came at a moment of rebuilding as a nation, following the end of the Vietnam War, with a new president, Ronald Reagan in the White House.

I know there are no words that can express our sorrow and grief for the loss of those splendid young men," Reagan told the world from the White House lawn. "Likewise, there are no words to properly express our outrage at this despicable act. But I think we should all recognize these deeds make so evident the bestial nature of those who would assume power if they could have their way and drive us out of that area."

Neller said the attacks forced the Marine Corps to rethink training and tactics.

"I think it changed how we all look at the world," he said. "I think it changed all of us and I think it made us realize that it's a dangerous place out there and the reason our nation has Marines is so we that can go to bed at night and not have to worry about stuff like that."

Neller was joined at the ceremony by the legendary 90-year-old retired Gen. Al Gray, a former enlisted Marine who ultimately served as the 29th Commandant.

Gray, a veteran of Korea and Vietnam who commanded the 2nd Marine Division at Lejeune at the time of the attacks, delivered much the same message of a world changed by terror.

"I used to worry after the Beirut bombing," Gray said. "I didn't worry about your Marines. Our fallen comrades wouldn't tolerate our not being ready to go, but I was worried about the nation -- what was this going to do to the nation? I worried about that."

Later that year, on his way to a remembrance ceremony, Gray said he noticed passersby standing at the roadside and saluting.

"I knew then that we were going to be all right," Gray said.

Responsibility for the Beirut bombings has never been officially pinned down, but a previously unknown group called "Islamic Jihad" initially claimed to have perpetrated the attacks. Islamic Jihad reportedly had links to Iran and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, but Iran and Hezbollah have continued to deny involvement.

The memorial at Lejeune is one of several for the Beirut bombings. There is another at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center in Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, and at Arlington National Cemetery one of the iconic cedars of Lebanon stands near the graves of some of the fallen from Beirut.

Neller said the Beirut bombings were at the back of his mind when he was interviewed by a journalist at the end of a tour in Iraq. She asked what he would tell the families of those in his command who had been killed.

"'I would tell them that they did their duty,'" Neller said he told the reporter, but he quickly realized that what he had said was not equal to the moment.

He went back to the reporter and asked her to try to imagine a place where there were no Marines and soldiers to step forward in the face of a threat.

"We don't live there," Neller said he told the reporter. "We live here. And as long as we have men and women from communities like this, who are willing to stand up and raise their hand and say, 'I'll go;' we're going to be just fine. And when I think of the names on the wall behind me, that's what those Marines did -- they said: 'I'll go; I'll accept the risk; I will do my duty.'"

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.
A West Coast Marine Corps training squadron is investigating a pair of flight patterns flown over a lake in California on Tuesday that resemble male genitalia.

Marine officials confirmed that a T-34C aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 "flew an irregular flight pattern over the Salton Sea that resembled a phallic image." The two-seat, low-wing turboprop aircraft is used by the Navy and Marine Corps to train new pilots.

The flight pattern, spotted over a saline lake about 120 miles outside San Diego, was captured by Aircraft Spots, which monitors military air movements on Twitter. An image of the pattern was posted to the social media site on Tuesday afternoon.

Somebody needs to have a word with the crew of US Navy T-34C 160937 SHUTR91 out of MCAS Miramar  pic.twitter.com/WgrgkKzRln  Aircraft Spots (@AircraftSpots) October 23, 2018

Maj. Josef Patterson, a spokesman for 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said in a statement that an investigation to uncover the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.

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"The aircrew's chain of command are committed to maintaining an environment of professionalism, dignity and respect," Patterson said. "The Marines and Sailors of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing will perform at the highest levels expected of professional war fighters, and uphold our core values of honor, courage and commitment."

VMFAT-101 is based out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.

This isn't the first time the military has opened an investigation into questionable sky patterns. In December, two naval aviators were punished for a skywriting stint near Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington.

In that case, the aviators with Electronic Attack Squadron 130 used an EA-18G Growler aircraft to draw a depiction of a penis in the sky, which was captured on cellphone cameras and posted on social media. Both faced administrative punishment from Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of Naval Air Forces.

They were allowed to retain their status as aviators.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.
Army testers accidentally dropped a Humvee from an Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft Wednesday, about a mile short of the intended drop zone on Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The Airborne and Special operations Test Directorate was testing a new heavy-drop platform loaded with a Humvee, base spokesman Tom McCollum told Military.com.

"They were going in for a time-on-target on Sicily Drop Zone at 1 p.m.," McCollum said. "Everything was going well; they were at the one-minute mark to the drop zone.

"We don't know what happened, but the platform went out early and landed in a rural area. There was no one hurt. No private property was damaged."

The incident, which is under investigation, follows a similar airborne mishap that occurred in April 2016 when three separate Humvees came loose from their heavy-drop platforms and crashed onto a designated drop zone in Germany.

For his role in the incident, Sgt. John Skipper was found guilty in May of three counts of destroying military property and one of lying during the investigation, according to Army Times.

A court-martial panel sentenced Skipper to be demoted to the rank of private and to receive a Bad Conduct Discharge.

In today's accident, the C-17 was flying at 1,500 feet during the heavy-drop test, McCollum said.

"Basically what takes place is a heavy drop pallet is inside the aircraft and by this time the doors have already been opened," he said, explaining that a pilot parachute pulls the platform out of the aircraft and three heavy-drop parachutes then open. "Everything worked as it was supposed to, except it went out early."

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay Ahead
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.  Marines are about to face far-less predictable training that will challenge young leaders to outsmart sophisticated enemies with high-tech weapons and tools.

More force-on-force freestyle training will replace scripted scenarios in the years ahead, Lt. Gen. David Berger, head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, told Military.com.

We need to teach Marine leaders how to think on their feet, he said. Were going to see a lot more of that graduate- or varsity-level thinking leader, and I need them figuring out how they can outthink me.

The move follows a new national defense strategy that warns of long-term threats from strategic competitors like Russia and China. To be ready, the Marine Corps must move beyond scripted live-fire maneuvers and incorporate more force-on-force training in a free-play environment, Commandant Gen. Robert Neller wrote in a Sept. 26 white letter to senior leaders.

To meet the challenges of a peer-to-peer fight, we must incorporate independent actions and opposing will in our training at all levels, Neller wrote. Just as iron sharpens iron, an aggressive [force-on-force] training regime will test the limits of our capabilities, refine our actions, and prepare us for the fight to come.

Much of that will take shape at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California, Berger said, where units complete the Integrated-Training Exercises that prepare them for combat.

The live-fire maneuver training Marines have practiced for decades and the simulations that ramped up during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wont go away. That training will just be balanced with peer-to-peer fights during which one group of Marines is tasked with playing the good guys and the others, the foe.

And there are benefits to being on either side of those mock fights, Berger said.

Well get better, but the training will also be more dynamic, he said. We need to fight as the foe would fight, so think about how they would be organized, trained and equipped. We also must better understand how they would use rockets, drones, planes and more.

Marine leaders are still working on guidance that will better shape the plans for force-on-force training. In the meantime, Neller said the entire service must develop the mindset and skills necessary to prevail in the coming fight.

We must ruthlessly test ourselves, conduct honest after-action reviews, make refinements and test ourselves again, he wrote.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.
The U.S. military is still carrying out training and humanitarian missions in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador after the commander in chief threatened to pull aid from the three countries.

"There have been no immediate changes to our security cooperation in that region," said Jose Ruiz, a spokesman for U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Central America. "Our security cooperation with Central America's northern-tier countries supports our collaborative efforts to counter regional threats and security challenges of mutual concern."

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would "begin cutting off, or substantially reducing the massive foreign aid routinely given to" Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador after accusing leaders there of not doing enough to stop their citizens from "coming illegally to the U.S."

The commander-in-chief's threats come as thousands of members of a Central American migrant caravan are marching toward the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump has called the situation a "national emergency," adding that he'd warned the military and border patrol.

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Ruiz referred any additional questions about how Trump's tweet might affect military operations in Central America to the White House. The White House did not respond to questions from Military.com about whether the Pentagon has or would be instructed to review or stop any military missions there.

U.S. troops carry out a variety of missions throughout Central America and the Caribbean. They train local forces fighting drug cartels, respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters, and provide medical assistance in countries with overtaxed health care systems.

Just last week, members of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-South wrapped up a four-month-long humanitarian mission in Guatemala, where they built nearly 200 family shelters, seven water towers, a clinic and other facilities after hundreds were killed or displaced when a volcano destroyed neighborhoods and homes.

There are about 300 Marines with the task force, who deploy from Reserve units across the country, along with heavy-lift helicopters and equipment, during hurricane season, said Gunnery Sgt. Zachary Dyer, a spokesman with Marine Corps Forces South. This year, an additional 30 Marines and sailors were attached to the unit to assist Guatemala's army corps of engineers after the volcanic eruption, he added.

Last month, Marines with that same unit repaired a broken valve that had cut off water delivery to about 8,000 Hondurans along the northern coast, about 220 miles outside San Pedro Sula. Sailors also trained with troops from El Salvador, Panama and other countries in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility during Southern Partnership Station, an annual military exercise.

The Marine task force also dispatches small security-cooperation teams to train with local troops in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize.

"This deployment of the SCT Team will mark U.S. Marine Corps Forces South's sixth year of persistent security cooperation training support in Latin America and the Caribbean," Dyer said.

In fiscal 2019, the U.S. planned to give $65 million to Honduras, $69 million to Guatemala and $45 million to El Salvador, according to ForeignAssistance.gov, totaling about $180 million. Those numbers have declined since 2016, when the three countries received almost a combined $300 million in aid.

Whether Trump's vow to cut that further will impact military partnerships remains to be seen. For now, Ruiz said SOUTHCOM is in the early stages of planning multinational exercises for fiscal 2019, which are slated to include El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.
Making new nuclear weapons isn't an easy task, nor is it something that can be done in just a few year's time. And while the Pentagon or months has been weighing how it plans to boost its nuclear arsenal in the future, any new bomb that will be nuclear-capable must stick to its phased development for a reason.

That includes the new Long Range Stand Off weapon, known as LRSO, which will replace the AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile, known as ALCM, developed in the early 1980s, according to a top executive who oversees part of the program.

"The program of record remains 54 months, [another] 54 months, and then five years of production," said Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Corp's Missiles and Fire Control.

But he added that there had been discussion about ways to speed up production if the Air Force opted to pursue that option. St. John spoke with Military.com last month in an interview detailing Lockheed's recent updates to the program.

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"We believe that it can go faster, but not appreciably faster," St. John said.

At most, the development phase can be cut down by a few months, he said. He added that the Pentagon hasn't approached the defense company to accelerate that development.

St. John explained it's not a timeline that can just be cut in half.

The U.S. Air Force last year awarded Lockheed and Raytheon Co. contracts to begin preliminary work on LRSO. The defense contractors were awarded agreements valued at $900 million apiece and lasting almost five years "to mature design concepts and prove developmental technologies," the service said at the time.

LRSO is a unique case because it's a strategic weapon, St. John said.

"We are about one year into a 54-month tech maturation phase," St John said, adding that Raytheon is also working in that timeframe.

At the end of four-and-a-half years, the Air Force will select a sole contractor to continue the final development of the program. The company that is selected will then work nearly another five years to manufacture the weapon.

That's "nine years of development," St John said. "There's a couple reasons for that: One, the pace of which the weapon can be developed is driven by the pace of which the payload can be developed."

St. John said the Department of Energy oversees the development of the warhead, and "having the weapon before you have the payload" is doesn't make sense.

"The process of certifying a new nuclear weapon and certifying platforms to carry [it] is a very intensive, challenging process. There's a lot of testing, there's a lot of simulation work that goes on," St John said.

Once a winner is chosen, a huge chunk of the follow-on work is certification.

"How do you make sure that the weapon is only ever going to do exactly what you want it to do and never have any kind of mishap? That drives the deadline and timeframe," St John said.

Furthermore, the first weapon manufactured, tested, approved and delivered has to have 100 percent reliability from the start. Unlike weapon systems that can be upgraded later on after being delivered to the services, LRSO needs to meet all the requirements from the beginning.

It's one reason why Lockheed has invested in a new space in Orlando, Florida, to mature the weapon.

"We've got about 350 engineers working on that program, so we need a large, classified space," St. John said of the facility, set to open in 2019 in southwest Orlando.

LRSO is a nuclear cruise missile launched from aircraft such as the B-52 Stratofortress, providing an air-launched capability as part of the nuclear triad.

Officials have even said LRSO is the crutch that will keep the Cold War-era bomber alive for decades to come.

"Without [LRSO], we don't have the B-52 as a viable platform," Gen. John Hyten, the head of U.S. Strategic Command, said last fall.

Hyten said the LRSO is necessary for the B-52 long-range bomber, because the B-21 Long Range Strategic Bomber -- the Pentagon's latest classified multi-billion dollar program -- can carry out only one nuclear mission at a time.

The LRSO is also planned for the B-2 Spirit before the Air Force retires the stealth bomber in 2032.

Last year, Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he "would be willing to support" speeding up the fielding of LRSO or the B61-12 nuclear bomb given Russias disregard of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF.

"We see what the Russians are doing; they're not going to stand down out of the goodness of their heart, and so some sort of strong action is important," Thornberry said last March.

Thornberry has not made any public comments in response to President Donald Trumps recent announcement that he plans to pull out of the INF treaty.

"Russia has not, unfortunately, honored the agreement, so we're going to terminate the agreement and we're going to pull out," Trump said Saturday at a campaign rally in Nevada.

"Until people come to their senses, we will build it up," he told reporters Monday at the White House, referring to the U.S. weapons arsenal. "It's a threat to whoever you want. And it includes China and it includes Russia and it includes anybody else that wants to play that game."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.
Sen. Marco Rubio is urging the U.S. Air Force to repair and restore the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters damaged during Hurricane Michael as soon as possible in order to meet mission demands.

In a letter addressed to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson Monday, the Florida Republican stressed urgency, saying the service must ready the fleet to meet Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' request to have an 80 percent mission capability rate in a year's time.

"As you finalize damage assessments of the aircraft that endured Hurricane Michael, I urge you to begin implementation of the framework laid out by Secretary Mattis starting with all Tyndall AFB fighter aircraft," Rubio said. "Additionally, I ask you waste no time or effort in providing a supplemental funding request to Congress to repair and restore these aircraft to mission capable status as soon as possible."

While the F-22 overall has a roughly 49 percent mission-capable rate overall -- meaning less than half of the aircraft are flyable at any given time -- the lawmaker zeroed in on the readiness rate for jets stationed at Tyndall.

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"As Hurricane Michael approached the Florida panhandle, 31 percent of F-22 aircraft at Tyndall Air Force Base were designated non-mission capable (NMC) and were sheltered in place," Rubio said.

Fifty-five of the fifth-generation fighters are assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing, he said.

That figure corresponds with reports that up to 17 aircraft may have been damaged by the Category 4 storm. Photos of F-22s left behind in shredded hangars that have surfaced on social media in recent weeks have some in the aviation community theorizing that a significant chunk of the F-22 fleet -- roughly 10 percent -- may be left stagnant for good.

"While the damage assessment of these remaining aircraft is still underway, the facts are clear that any damage sustained could have been avoided if the [non-mission capable] rate for the F-22 was lower," Rubio said.

The Air Force has yet to disclose exactly how many twin-engine jets are nonrecoverable versus those they will attempt to fix. Officials last week said five to seven temporary hangars are being constructed at Tyndall, each capable of housing two aircraft; the Air Force, however, cautioned against assuming that 10 to 14 Raptors may have been damaged.

Some F-22s that sustained minor damages will be moved to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, early next week to join F-22s that were previously moved there. Officials have not said just how long the aircraft will remain there.

While some aircraft have been moved out of active status for testing purposes, the Air Force has 183 of the Lockheed Martin-made F-22s in its inventory today. More than 160 belong to active-duty units; the remainder are with Air National Guard elements. Four aircraft were lost or severely damaged between 2004 and 2012.

Production was cut short in 2009, with original plans to buy 381 fighters scaled down to a buy of just 187.

Rubio noted that the small fleet is already challenging to sustain, given parts reliability and maintenance dwindles in dwarfed fleets.

"This significantly smaller than planned inventory has resulted in maintenance and supply challenges that have affected aircraft availability rates," he said.

But "as the threat from near-peer competitors continues to evolve and grow, this aircraft is vital to the U.S. military's ability to defeat high-end adversaries," the senator said.

Rubio said he will facilitate communication between Congress and the service "to accomplish the priority of ensuring our air superiority aircraft meet this mission capable goal."

"I look forward to working with you to accomplish this," Rubio said.

The Air Force is reviewing Rubio's request, Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Carrie Volpe said.

Wilson has received the letter, and she "will respond directly to the senator," Volpe said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.
Runners know that it is not a question of whether you have pain or injury, but when that pain or injury will occur.
Kids might find it hard to believe, but "City Slickers" (just reissued on Blu-ray with all-new 4K HD scan) was a big mainstream summer hit movie back in 1991. Billy Crystal was a movie star and his character's mid-life crisis was what the mulitplexes were pushing that June.

The movie paired Crystal with Bruno Kirby again after the two had enjoyed huge success in "When Harry Met Sally." They're pushing 40 and, along with a friend played by Daniel Stern, they take a vacation to a cattle ranch in search of their missing mojo.

They encounter a grizzled old ranch hand played by Jack Palance. Lots of folks remember Palance doing one-armed pushups when he accepted the Best Supporting Oscar for this role, but how many remember that he's barely in this movie? This might be the 23rd best part from his storied career, one that included iconic roles in "Shane," "The Big Knife" "Oklahoma Crude" and "Young Guns."

Screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Baballo Mandel have written some classics like "Night Shift," "Splash" and "A League of Their Own," but "City Slickers" is not one of those movies. Bruno reportedly didn't much like how this one turned out and he wasn't invited back for the (much worse) sequel.
BMW is set to recall about 1.6 million vehicles globally due to the chance that a possible fluid leak could lead to increased fire risks across several of its diesel models.

The company says in a Tuesday, Oct. 23 statement that in some of its diesel models that coolant could leak from the Exhaust Gas Recirculation and when combined with soot and high temperatures and lead to a vehicle fire. Tuesday's announcement represents an expansion in the recall, which had already previously covered about 480,000 vehicles in Asia and Europe.

The Associated Press reports the initial recall was called after a string of reported fires in South Korea. In those cases, there were no known injuries. In all, certain diesel models manufactured between 2010 and 2017 are affected by the recall.

A.P. reports that more than 54,000 of the affected vehicles are located in the United States and Canada.

"During further examination of engines with a similar technical setup, the BMW Group analyzed individual cases that were not included in the original technical campaigns," the German automaker says in the release.

"These individual cases posed no significant risk to our customers. Nonetheless the BMW Group decided to further reduce even this minor risk by expanding the country-specific technical campaigns. It is the goal of BMW Group to support the trust and confidence of our customers in our products."

BMW says affected customers will soon be notified, but did not specify when the recall would activate.

To search active recalls, use the NHTSA's website to search your 17-character VIN at this link. VIN numbers are typically located under the driver's side windshield, or along the inside of the doors behind the seat or under the steering wheel. To sign up for NHTSA safety alerts for a specific vehicle, sign up at this link.
Ford's special one-day haunted house at the historic Michigan Central Station will officially take place on Halloween and is only open for 800 Corktown residents and "select Ford employees."

Since the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker first publicly celebrated it had acquired the once-doomed train station in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, any event open to the public has been met with tons of anticipation and impressive turnouts. The news that this event hones in on residents of the Corktown neighborhoods should not be a surprise, as Shawn Wilson, manager of community management for Ford Fund, previously said the event would be open to the public but with an emphasis on Corktown residents.

"For one-day only, the long-vacant train station will be brought back to life with spooky kids' activities, trick-or-treating stations, live music, decorations and more," Ford writes in an event announcement.

"This special community event will bring together Ford, sponsors Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and Christman Brinker, and non-profit organizations including SER Metro Trade Program, Michigan Science Center, The Parade Company, Teen Hype and the Corktown Historical Society."

Once on the inside, the automaker says children will be able to participate in hands-on activities such as slime making, pumpkin painting, mask making, and trick-or-treating stops put on by Corktown business. On the outside, Ford will set up a row vehicles for "Trunk or Treating" fun that is open to the entire public as there is no ticket needed for this event in the parking lot.

--

The exterior of the iconic, long-vacant train depot will feature Halloween lighting and a graveyard in the front of the building. Local volunteer and student groups helped set up the exterior, decorations, props and games according to the automaker.

Festivities start at the Michigan Central Station at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31 and parking is available at 2280 17th Street.

Ford plans to spend about $740 million on renovations to buildings that will soon make up its Corktown campus, after purchasing the long-vacant Michigan Central Station for an undisclosed sale price. It was revealed last month that the automaker spent $90 million on the train station that had sat vacant since 1988.

The automaker hopes to move about 2,500 employees into the train station by 2022. Its process in turning the train station -- and neighborhood -- into a future centerpiece for the automaker won't happen overnight, as four years of stabilization, construction and modernization still has to occur.

Ford bought the 600,000-square-foot Michigan Central Station from the Moroun family, who had owned it since the early 1990s shortly after it closed.

Alongside the train station built in 1913, the automaker also purchased the adjacent Detroit Public Schools Book Depository building, a former brass factory, along with two acres of vacant land in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood.

The former brass factory will be demolished to make room for about 247,500 square feet of office space, and 42,500 square feet of commercial space.

Redevelopment will focus on making the space a "magnet for high-tech talent and a regional destination with modern workspaces, retail, restaurants, residential living and more."
ANN ARBOR, MI - Voters in Ann Arbor's 4th Ward must decide who's going to represent them on City Council for the next four years, and there are two choices on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Elizabeth Nelson, a Democrat who defeated incumbent Graydon Krapohl in the August primary, is now up against independent Joe Hood, a former Republican precinct delegate.

It's one of only two contested Ann Arbor council races on the November ballot, the other being the matchup between Jeff Hayner and Ryan Hughes in the 1st Ward.

Hood, an IT director for an architecture firm, says fixing the "deplorable condition" of city streets is his top priority.

He's not satisfied with the usual excuses about lack of state funding and Michigan winters being tough.

"I found there are ways of doing permanent road repairs in the dead of winter," he said at a recent candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Ann Arbor.

"One of my first items on my agenda when I'm on council is to work together with elected officials of other cities in southeastern Michigan to get demonstrations of these newer technologies, to work within the confines of existing budgets to do more."

Nelson, a substitute teacher, said she wants to give a stronger voice to residents when it comes to city planning, spending decisions and consideration of new developments.

She said she rode her bicycle around the 4th Ward this summer, listening to concerns from residents, and they want the city to focus on providing basic services before funding other things.

Since winning the primary, Nelson said she's been meeting with elected officials and other community leaders to better understand how she could effectively represent the ward.

"When I decided to run for this office, I raised concerns about how divisions and factions on council were getting in the way of constructive discussion," she said. "I believe our leaders should work together to find common ground and compromise."

Nelson said she has met with Mayor Christopher Taylor and every incumbent and soon-to-be-elected council member who will serve starting in November, and she's proud to say both Taylor and Council Member Jack Eaton, Taylor's political opponent in the recent mayoral race, have endorsed her campaign.

Both candidates believe their professional backgrounds and training would position them well for service in office.

"As the director of IT for a national architecture firm, I spend my days responding as quickly as I can to a myriad of issues that are critical for keeping people working and the business running smoothly," Hood said, vowing to apply his analytical skills to city issues.

Nelson believes the fact that she holds a law degree puts her in a better position to understand policy issues.

"In the next four years, our city will tackle a number of important issues with significant legal context," she said, vowing to work for progressive and equitable city policies that consider the needs of a diverse community and protect the environment.

Library Lot

The future of the city-owned Library Lot, which the city has agreed to sell to Chicago developer Core Spaces for $10 million to allow a 17-story high-rise and plaza to be built, is one of the most debated issues in the city and the subject of a proposal on the Nov. 6 ballot that calls for designating the lot as a city park and civic commons.

When considering the tens of millions of dollars the city already put into building an underground parking garage beneath the Library Lot, the parking lot next to the library along Fifth Avenue, and the fact that plans are now in the works for another expansion of the parking system as the city plans to lease hundreds of parking spaces to Core Spaces, Hood said he doesn't think the numbers add up.

"It's Enron accounting," he said. "Whatever way we go with the vote on that, whether it becomes a park or it becomes a 17-story building, I'm in favor of what the public decides, but there are some strange numbers going around for how this works."

Nelson said she's glad the issue is going to voters and it shows residents do care about their urban landscape and they want to talk about the lasting impact of the city's choices.

"There is clearly a huge difference between receiving revenue and creating a publicly owned space," she said. "My position is that I think it was probably a mistake from the beginning to try to wring the maximum amount of money out of this property, because the controversy that we're seeing now is probably related to the size and scale of the project, which is not the fault of Core Spaces."

Nelson said she urges everyone voting in November to educate themselves on the issue.

"It is a complicated choice," she said.

$86M new train station

Whether the city should continue moving forward with plans for a roughly $86 million new Amtrak train station is another issue on which the two candidates shared their views.

Nelson notes the city still doesn't have federal approval of its environmental assessment identifying Fuller Park as the preferred site for a new station to replace the Depot Street station.

She also notes the Federal Railroad Administration has required the city to give more consideration to different options, and she believes a proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the DTE Energy property next to the existing station makes the Depot Street location look a lot more interesting in terms of what may be possible there.

"I have concerns about converting parkland ... to a use like a train station," she said of using part of Fuller Park. "I know others have those concerns and ... I share the concerns that the feds offered that we didn't properly consider alternatives."

If the city had taken advantage of the opportunity to partner with DTE, she said, the city may be in a better position for federal funding.

"As an added note, a project like this in the current political climate is probably not as likely to move forward," she said, expressing doubts that a new train station will happen anytime soon.

The City Council recently agreed to spend another $110,000 to continue working through the planning phases.

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.

Rather than building in Fuller Park, Hood said he thinks the current Amtrak station could be expanded.

"If you're building a train station, and that's happened everywhere around the world, it becomes the anchor for development," he said. "So, if you're building a train station in the park and it becomes the anchor for development, where's the development going?"

Hood said it seems federal money for a project "has left the station" and there's not much more to say about it.

Affordable housing

The candidates have some different ideas about the growing issue of affordability in Ann Arbor. When the question came up at the forum, Hood raised concerns about taxes.

"Affordable housing means different things to different people," he said. "If you're entering your golden years, you're retiring, you're not having the same level of money anymore, but your real estate taxes are still going up, that's an affordability issue for a lot of folks."

As far as where new affordable housing could be built in the 4th Ward, Hood said, "There's not a lot there."

He suggested greater housing density downtown would allow for more walkability than other parts of the 4th Ward.

He also said there may be opportunities for affordable housing on township island properties using low-income housing tax credits, but he doesn't think the idea of adding accessory dwelling units to existing homes works well in 4th Ward neighborhoods.

Nelson said she has had good conversations with the city's Housing Commission director about opportunities to create more affordable housing across the city. She's concerned a lot of the housing being built now is meeting only the high-end of the income bracket.

"It is a problem how segregated our city is," she said. "We need to be looking in all of the neighborhoods. There should be opportunities for affordable housing downtown, in Burns Park, in other neighborhoods. This is an asset to our city that our children can go to public schools and attend with a range of families from different socioeconomic levels."

She noted she lives near a lower-density affordable housing development on Pauline Boulevard that she thinks fits nicely into the neighborhood, but she has concerns about other denser developments.

She said someone suggested the property around the Salvation Army might be a good place for some denser housing.

South State Street corridor

Another issue in the 4th Ward is the future vision for the South State Street corridor, a major gateway into the city.

Nelson said she knows there are some conversations about making it more pedestrian-friendly and she supports more public discussion about options for improving the corridor.

She suggested there may be opportunities for residential development along the corridor so there's more of a mix of uses, and she thinks there are traffic issues that could be addressed.

Hood said having a good gateway into the city would be nice but he thinks that's a far-off vision.

"We have a ways to go before we can get there," he said. "The complaints I hear from people in the ward are not the things we're going to do but the things we haven't done.

"So, I'm going to say that we need to fix the roads first before we even get to thinking about doing that."

Other issues

Asked what else they consider a priority, Nelson brought up the issue of stormwater management, while Hood talked about how the city is being managed and again brought up roads.

"I think a big issue for Ward 4 is stormwater runoff," Nelson said. "I've talked to a number of residents who are really, really concerned about flooding issues, and I think that underground infrastructure is every bit as important as street surface infrastructure."

Nelson said she wants to aggressively look at plans to address neighborhood flooding and reducing pollution washed into the Huron River by slowing the flow of stormwater.

"Additionally, I'm interested in increasing the connection between our city decisions and residents," she said.

Hood briefly mentioned the rebate the city is getting from a new mental health and public safety tax, suggesting it might be better spent hiring more social workers who can work with police, rather than spending it on efforts to try to address climate change.

In an interview earlier this year, Hood described himself as a "climate skeptic," but he said he tries to be green anyway.

Hood briefly touched on the fact that the city is creating a new police oversight commission. He said there were a lot of smart people on the city's advisory task force on police oversight, but he thinks what they're trying to do is reinvent government.

"They're trying to basically do what we should already be doing with our elected government to begin with, and we're finding that same issue in -- I hate to harp on it -- the roads," he said.

Questioning recent changes to an intersection that he thinks aren't working out well, he argued city government in Ann Arbor is not performing the way it should.

"We have a weak-mayor format with a city manager," he said. "The city manager basically runs the day-to-day business at the city. If something happens, it's not answered by the citizens, then the City Council's supposed to deal with the city manager, and that hasn't happened, so we're not running on all eight cylinders."

On the issue of police oversight, Nelson states on her campaign website that she hopes residents "will eventually find a safe space to discuss and address issues of over-policing, harassment, implicit bias, and other challenges. This commission is an investment toward a more positive community climate."

When Nelson unseated Krapohl in the August primary, the vote count was 3,200 to 2,131, giving her nearly 60 percent of the vote.

Hood was elected to serve as a Republican precinct delegate from 2012 to 2014. He decided earlier this year to run for City Council as a Democrat, competing against Krapohl and sharing the stage with him at a candidate forum in April before dropping out of the race.

Nelson then filed to run against Krapohl in the primary, and Hood decided to run as an independent in November.

More info

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6.

MLive has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide information to voters about the issues being decided in the November 2018 election. Check out the League of Women Voters Education Fund voter guide at Vote411.org to learn more about candidates and proposals on the ballot.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidates 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.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The U.S. accepted a record low number of refugees in 2018, and now Michigan resettlement agencies are questioning their future.

In fiscal year 2018, October 2017 through September 2018, 22,491 refugees settled in the U.S., according to U.S Department of State's Refugee Processing Center.

That's well below the 45,000 cap for the year set by President Donald Trump's administration, and the lowest number of refugees accepted in the resettlement program's 43-year history.

For fiscal year 2019, the U.S. will accept no more than 30,000 refugees.

"Right now America looks terrible because we are no longer out there defending the most vulnerable people in the world," said Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS, the world's oldest refugee resettlement agency, based in Maryland. "That's something that we have done consistently across Republican and Democratic administrations, and we have stopped doing that and thrown refugee protection into reverse."

Hetfield participated in a panel discussion on present and future challenges related to refugee resettlement on Monday, Oct. 22, at the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School.

The panel was part of a two-day "Keeping Our Door Open" symposium in Ann Arbor coordinated by UM's School of Social Work, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County.

Ben Cabanaw, Michigan's state refugee coordinator; Karen Phillippi, Michigan's Office for New Americans director; State Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor); and Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor also participated in the panel, where they discussed the challenges of keeping the infrastructure of resettlement services intact amid the drastic drop in refugees coming to the U.S.

The drop in refugees translates to a drop in funding for resettlement agencies, which makes it difficult for those organizations to maintain staffing and programs to help refugees build a life in America.

"We're just going to do everything we can to protect the system, to protect the infrastructure. ... We are going to see constant attempts to dismantle the refugee program brick by brick," Hetfield said. "Hopefully Congress will be able to challenge the administration and limit the amount of damage that they're going to do over the next couple of years."

To be granted refugee status and allowed to enter the U.S., people must demonstrate they were persecuted or feared persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Refugees are entitled to government assistance coordinating travel plans to get to the U.S. and then resettlement services that can include assistance with transportation, housing, English language classes, health care, food, education, employment and citizenship services.

As the U.S. accepts fewer refugees, Michigan also has seen a drastic drop in the number of refugees settling in the Mitten State. From 2013-16, Michigan took in 4,000 refugees a year on average, Cabanaw said. That dropped to 2,520 in 2017 and 648 in fiscal year 2018.

In 2013, nearly three-quarters of the refugees who came to Michigan settled in Southeast Michigan. Due to a shift in the demographics of refugees accepted to the U.S., in 2018 only 17 percent of the state's refugees settled in southeast Michigan, Cabanaw said.

Refugees contribute $295 million annually to Michigan's economy, according to a study released in 2017 by Global Detroit and UM researchers.

Panelists predicted that the U.S. will again accept a record-low number of refugees in the coming year, and they said the outcome of the gubernatorial election in November will determine the future of Michigan's resettlement services.

"Whoever is our next governor will largely guide where the refugee resettlement program goes in Michigan," Cabanaw said. "From a national level, it's a waiting game. We have to do the best for the people who do come."

The "silver lining" to the slow in refugee resettlements, Cabanaw and Phillippi said, is that state programs have had time to address gaps in service and can provide support for refugees beyond the typical 90-day period.

Taylor said Ann Arbor is "oddly and awkwardly" suited to address the refugee crisis, because the city does not directly provide human services.

Ann Arbor has made an effort to establish itself as a welcoming city, Taylor said, and city police do not assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or inquire about people's immigration status.
BAY CITY, MI -- Two people accused of shooting at a motorist in an apparent road rage incident in Bay County are facing felony charges.

The incident occurred about 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 6. Bay County Central Dispatch advised police someone in a tan Chrysler 300 was shooting at and throwing items at a red Chevrolet Silverado truck on M-13 in Fraser Township.

Police met with the 21-year-old male complainant in a business parking lot in Pinconning. He told them he was heading north on M-13 when the Chrysler cut him off and then deliberately slowed down, causing him to swerve across the center line. He said he passed the Chrysler to get away from it, but it repeatedly cut him off.

People in the Chrysler began tossing objects at him and then he saw the driver point a pistol at him, he told police. The Silverado driver then heard the plinking noise of fired projectiles striking his vehicle, he said. His rear passenger window was eventually shot out.

Both vehicles soon came to a stop at a traffic light in Pinconning. The male driver of the Chrysler exited the vehicle and approached the Silverado, yelling and cursing as he did so, the truck's driver told police.

To avoid a confrontation, the Silverado driver cut through a gas station parking lot, only for the Chrysler to speed up and pursue him, he said. After following the Silverado as it made several turns, the Chrysler eventually departed.

The Silverado had been shot at least nine times, with an estimated $3,000 in damage, court records show.

A witness in another vehicle told police he saw someone in the Chrysler point a handgun out a window at the Silverado, court records show.

The person who called 911 gave the Chrysler's license plate number, which indicated it was owned by 20-year-old Samantha R. Badgerow. Police determined Badgerow's boyfriend was 18-year-old Allen D. Amy.

Police went to Amy's home and encountered the couple. Police interviewed the two separately.

Badgerow told police she and Amy had been together all day and initially denied any knowledge of why police were speaking with her. She then said that earlier in the day, a red truck had slammed on its brakes in front of her as she was driving. She told police the driver then pointed a Glock pistol at her, so she threw several Allen wrenches at it, shattering one of the truck's windows.

Samantha R. Badgerow

Badgerow went on to describe a sequence of both vehicles cutting each other off, with the truck's driver threatening to shoot her, according to the police report. She said Amy had been driving and that he had been the one to shoot the BB gun, police said.

When both vehicles stopped at the Pinconning traffic light, Amy exited the Chrysler and approached the truck to ask the driver what his problem was, Badgerow continued. They then drove after the truck when its driver wouldn't answer their questions, she said.

Amy gave a similar account. He said the truck's driver had flashed a gun. He said he had gotten out of the Chrysler to fight the truck's driver, and that he had been "grabbin' and chuckin'" all kinds of items at the truck, the report states.

When police asked Amy about the gun in the Chrysler, Amy said he wanted a lawyer. Police ended their questions at that point.

Amy and Badgerow on Friday, Oct. 19, appeared in Bay County District Court for arraignment. Both are charged with one count each of assault with a dangerous weapon and felony firearm-pneumatic gun. The former is a four-year felony, while the latter is punishable by up to two years in prison.

Both defendants are to appear for a preliminary examination on Nov. 7.
DETROIT - Detroit is raising the number of electric scooters that companies can disperse in the city for rental via mobile application, under one condition: deploy them in neighborhoods.

If Mobile application companies like Bird, Lime and Spin want to unleash more than the previous maximum of 300 scooter in Detroit, they must distribute at least 100 outside of Grand Boulevard, which loops around the central, greater-downtown area, to ensure they reach undeserved neighborhoods, city officials announced.

Bird and Lime currently operate in Detroit, and Spin recently announced plans to launch in the city.

"Anytime we can bring the downtown experience into Detroit neighborhoods, I think it is a sign of overall growth for Detroit," Councilman Scott Benson said in a news release. "This initiative is particularly important in a city where 33 percent of residents are without reliable transportation; this mobility option helps people get around neighborhoods with fun and ease."

The changes stem from a 10-week observation how the popular e-scooters are being used in Detroit. Companies now must comply with the city's new regulations.

Newly proposed scooter deployments include:

Bird: 15 scooters in District 1, 15 scooters in District 2, 15 scooters in District 3, 15 scooters in District 4, 15 scooters in District 5, 15 scooters in District 6, 10 scooters in District 5.

Lime: 20 scooters in District 3, 20 scooters in District 4, 20 scooters in District 5, 20 scooters in District 6, 20 scooters in District 7.

The city plans to appoint a community advisory board to keep residents engaged and informed on "goals and outcomes" for the scooters.

"Scooters have proven to be a popular mobility option across the City," Mayor Mike Duggan said in a news release. "The proposed changes will make scooters available to more Detroiters and play a role in our larger strategy to make it easier, safer, and more affordable to get around the city."

Bird currently operates in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Lansing, with mixed reactions from local governments.
FLINT, MI - Flint police will spend $120,000 and could spend more if a mystery donor doesn't come through on a promise to deliver more than 40 new police vehicles.

City Council approved the spending on Monday, Oct. 22 for computers and accessories needed for 20 new police cruisers.

Officials said the new cruisers would need to be purchased if the donor doesn't come through on his promise of $1 million to $2 million to buy the new vehicles.

"This is something that has been going on for months and months and months and months," said Flint police Deputy Chief Devon Bernritter. "Our fleet is deteriorating with each and every day that goes by. We are working toward the eventuality that we may have to make purchases if this donation doesn't go through."

Max Chiddister, executive director of the Flint Police Foundation -- which coordinated the donation -- said on Tuesdsay, Oct. 23, that nothing has changed with the plans for the city to get 43 or 44 new police vehicles from the anonymous donor.

"We're likely to have something after the first of the month," Chiddister said. "We don't have any indication whether it is or it isn't."

Bernritter said the city is waiting for the donor's determination to decide if they'll spend public dollars on the cruisers. He did not say what the cost of the police vehicles would be.

Chiddister told MLive-The Flint Journal in July that the cruisers could be ordered as early as August, which didn't happen.

"We don't have any information from the potential donor at this point as to whether or not that this is going to become a reality," Bernritter said of the promise of new police vehicles.

News of the mystery donation, which initially also promised new bulletproof vests, was first made public in November 2017 at a news conference when Chief Tim Johnson announced to the media and public that an anonymous "private citizen and private business owner" planned to supply a fleet of police-outfitted sport utility vehicles.

Flint police received a $225,000 donation for body armor from a different donor, Angel Armor, in July.

But few details have been released on the vehicle donation or donor since, and the city has yet to secure the funds.

The donor lives in Ohio, Chiddister previously said, and he has no direct ties to Flint.

The donor, who spoke to MLive-The Flint Journal during a February call facilitated by Bernritter, said he isn't making the donation for publicity, but because "it's the right thing to do."

The man declined to identify himself during the phone call with MLive-The Flint Journal, but he agreed to answer questions about the proposed donation.

The donation to the Flint Police Department could be rescinded if his identity becomes public, the donor said.

City officials redacted information identifying the man in emails released to MLive-The Flint Journal through a Freedom of Information Act request made in December, citing Michigan law prohibiting disclosure of records providing an unwarranted invasion of an individual's privacy.

During that phone conversation with MLive-The Flint Journal, the donor -- who said he is a former part-time police officer and part-time police chief -- said he chose to donate to Flint after hearing about the city's financial strife and high violent crime rates, but said he knew little else about the Vehicle City.

Adding that Johnson should not have disclosed information about the proposed donation at the November press conference, the man said the proposed donations to the Flint Police Department would be funded by "financial instruments" he acquired.

However, he declined to address the details of the financial instruments, which he valued at several hundred million dollars, because of a "non-disclosure agreement."

The man said his broker initially told him he would have the funds available to give the city by December 2017, but said they have experienced a delay in getting the money.
(This story has been updated to correct a spelling error.)

FLINT, MI -- A University of Michigan professor is calling the Flint water crisis "the most egregious example of environmental injustice and racism in my over three decades of studying this issue."

Professor and researcher Paul Mohai made the comment in an article published Oct. 19 in the Michigan Sociological Review, saying the magnitude of the water emergency, the role of public officials in allowing it and the slow pace of response all factored into his assessment.

"What stands out ... is the apparent indifference and lack of concern that harm might be created," the article says. "And even after the harm was created and finally acknowledged, there has been (an) apparent lack of sense of urgency to fix the problems."

Mohai, a professor at the UM School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied environmental justice since the late 1980s, just a few years after the movement began, the university said in a news release.

His newly published paper, based on a keynote speech given in 2017, says multiple types of environmental injustice played out in Flint while the city's water source was changed for 17 months beginning in 2014.

Levels of bacteria and lead in city water surged during that period as more-corrosive Flint River water was put into use without treatment to make it less corrosive to pipes and plumbing.

Among the types of environmental injustice on display in Flint were distributive justice, procedural justice, corrective justice and social justice, Mohai's article says.

Flint residents' concerns about water quality and government's slow to response to citizen complaints are examples of distributive justice -- the right to equal treatment, he says.

The imposition of emergency managers in Flint -- before and during the water crisis -- is an example of procedural justice -- the right to treated with equal concern and respect, he says.

"Flint's emergency managers were not elected by the community ... The lack of local representation, the ignoring of resident complaints, the discounting of the scientific evidence, the disrespectful treatment of residents ... are all evidence that the principle of procedural justice in Flint was violated," the article says.

In the aftermath of the water crisis, Gov. Rick Snyder appointed the Michigan Environmental Justice Work Group, asking it to examine policy and promote changes aimed at ensuring all citizens receive the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards.

The group earlier this year published its report and recommendations, including the implementation of environmental justice training for state workers.

In July, Snyder signed an executive directive, creating an environmental justice ombudsman position at the state level, another one of the group's recommendations.
Keonte (left) and Marquel Sadler

FLINT, MI - A jury acquitted two brothers of second-degree murder in a 2014 killing, but the men were convicted on lesser charges in a second trial for the pair.

Keonte Sadler was convicted by a jury on Tuesday, Oct. 23 in Genesee Circuit Court on charges of manslaughter, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm.

He was previously -- alongside his brother Marquel Sadler -- convicted of second-degree murder in the May 30, 2014 killing of Gregory Hodo outside the Shop-n-Go Mini Mart on West Pierson Road.

The brothers were sentenced to a minimum of 50 years in prison for Hodo's killing, but the conviction was later overturned by the State Court of Appeals because the court gave jurors an improper verdict form. A new trial was ordered.

"I and Keonte deemed this a case of self-defense and we are disappointed that the jurors saw otherwise," said Carl Jordan, Keonte Sadler's attorney. "What I think is important is that the same video the first jury saw second-degree murder, this jury saw manslaughter. Huge difference in penalty. Huge difference in how you see somebody."

Jordan said Marquel Sadler was buying bread at the store when he encountered Hodo and was threatened with a gun. Marquel called his brother Keonte, Jordan said.

"When he got there and saw Hodo was still there and still armed. He had to protect himself," Jordan said of the shooting.

Marquel Sadler was acquitted of murder charges, but convicted of felony firearm, according to his attorney, Michael Ewing.

Ewing commended the jury for its thoroughness.

The jury deliberated for 15 hours, he said.

"They did a good job. They really went through everything," Ewing said. "The crime was all on video. I think they did a pretty good job."

The brothers are scheduled to be sentenced by Genesee Circuit Judge Geoffrey Neithercut on Nov. 27.

"We tried the case. The jury heard our case. The jury returned a verdict and we respect," said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.

Keonte Sadler was out on bail when he allegedly opened bank and credit card accounts using a fake Social Security number and now faces federal charges, according to a criminal complaint filed in Flint U.S. District Court.

He has a plea hearing set for Dec. 4 on the federal bank fraud and gun charges.
KENTWOOD, MI -- Three people are vying for the open Kent County Board of Commissioners seat covering parts of Kentwood and Wyoming.

Republican Jill Martinez, Democrat Monica Sparks and Green Party candidate Charlotte Aikens will square off Nov. 6 for the county commission's 12th District seat.

The seat was long held by Republican Harold Mast, who has decided not to seek reelection.

Martinez, 42, works in management at Spectrum Health and is endorsed by Mast.

Sparks, 46, is an entrepreneur and real-estate investor who currently serves on the board of the Kentwood Planning Commission.

Aikens, 40, is a nurse at Spectrum Health.

This year, MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund to provide candidate information and other voting resources to our readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances.

Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races will be available at Vote411.org - the election-information website run by the League of Women Voters.

Answers were lightly edited for grammar and readability.

Why are you running for office?

Martinez:

"In short, because I have a desire to serve my community. I was born and raised in Kent County and firmly believe it is one of the best communities in America to live, work, and raise a family. Within the 12th District -- my district -- I have experienced first-hand the quality of education we offer our children, both as a graduate of Kentwood High School, and, as an involved parent with children -- including two National Honors students -- at Godwin.

"The quality of life we enjoy in Kent County didn't happen by chance. It takes hard work, compassion for all people, financial stewardship, teamwork, the ability to listen, common sense, and strong, conservative leadership. These are the traits and skills that I believe I can bring to my community as a commissioner."

Sparks:

"I am running for the office of Kent County Commissioner to advocate for the continued services for respected seniors, honored veterans, those with special needs, families, individuals and children. Residents deserve access to mental health and healthcare, fair affordable housing, economic development for jobs as well as parks and recreation services for Kent County residents. The county commissioners must not abandon residents when budgeting for Kent County services."

Aikens:

"I have lived in the Kentwood area for 18 years. I have been in the healthcare field for over 12 years which has given me a unique opportunity to get to know our residents on a personal level. What I have found is that people are struggling now more than ever to get the services they desperately need. I first became politically active in 2015 when I got involved in the Bernie Sanders campaign. I admired his sincerity and steadfast message of the vast wealth inequality that exists in one of the richest nations on Earth. I recognize that each of us alone cannot fix everything that is wrong with society, but I am eager and anxious to be part of the solution. I also desire to keep residents both informed and engaged in their local government. If elected I promise that I will always put people before profits, families before corporate interests, and basic human rights will be priority in every decision I am faced with."

What is the greatest challenge facing the office you seek? How will you address it?

Aikens:

"If elected I know I will face many challenges, but being a Green Party candidate is a great challenge. Most people are very familiar with the two major parties and tend to lean towards one or the other. I have found that a lot of people tend to vote not because they are excited about their parties candidate, but they are voting against the other party. People often forget or dismiss other candidates on ballot, and that is unfortunate. I joined the Green Party because I believe people need more options than the right and left wings of a corrupt system. I try to address this challenge through grassroots democracy and speaking with people about their options. Green Party candidates support environmental and social justice, peaceful resolutions that benefit not harm our most vulnerable populations, and will never take corporate bribes."

Sparks:

" ... I am meeting with residents and knocking as many doors as possible to inform and educate citizens on the job description. I am experienced to serve and inclusive of all Kent County residents."

Martinez:

"Kent County is very fortunate today to have a strong board of county commissioners. As a team, they have provided outstanding leadership on virtually every issue. The greatest challenge we face going forward is to find and exercise the wisdom to work together in order to maintain and safeguard our community, while also taking into account new voices and new issues.

"I will listen to the people I represent - all the people - and work to be a voice of common sense and compromise."

What strategies would you use to remain responsive and accountable to the public between elections?

Sparks:

"I will continue to serve with intention and show up as a servant leader to serve my community! I love Kent County and always look to support residents and initiatives that move us forward, together. Some of my memberships and affiliations include: Wyoming, Kentwood Chamber of Commerce, West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, American Legion Auxiliary member D.W. Cassard Post 208, N.A.A.C.P. , Kentwood Women's Club, Woman's Life Chapter 881, Small Business Association of Michigan, and SCORE Volunteer Business Mentor and Counselor."

Martinez:

"I will use technology such as e-mail and online forums to provide a way for people of the 12th District - and the county at large - to voice their viewpoints and to share ideas. I will also use this technology to explain my actions, ideas, and my votes to the people I represent.

In addition, I will hold scheduled listening and conversational events throughout the 12th District and will attend and participate in civic, educational, and public meetings and events.

I am also available to the people I represent by phone and by mail."

Aikens:

"As a nurse I am a public servant and accountable to each and everyone of my patients no matter how different backgrounds and ideologies. People put their lives in my hands and despite our differences it is my duty to ensure that they get the highest quality of care. As a commissioner I would do the same. There are so many people in our community that are in need of care. Be it housing, food, healthcare, or simply clean water to drink, our residents need to know what services our county offers and that they are being properly funded by our tax dollars. If elected I would provide my constituents with a quarterly newsletter that would keep them informed about events and services in our county. I would encourage residents to contact me with their concerns and to let me know how i can serve them better."

The rest of the candidates' responses can be found here.

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.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - One of two defendants granted parole in the 1987 Alpine Manor killings will remain in custody after victims' families filed a petition to prevent her release.

Catherine Wood, 56, a former nurse aide, will be held until a Kent County Circuit Court judge rules that she should be released or stay in prison, Michigan Department of Corrections spokeswoman Holly Kramer said.

If she is ordered to stay in prison, she would have a new parole hearing at a later date.

Wood was expected to be released today.

Wood has served 29 years of a 20- to 40-year prison sentence for second-degree murder.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker did not challenge her release.

"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 to the families.

In an application for appeal, the families of the victims at the nursing home said they were given insufficient notice of the parole board's review. They contend that Wood is a serial killer after five nursing-home residents were killed.

"It is known that serial murderers will kill again," the petition said.

Wood's partner, nursing aide Gwendoln Gail Graham, is serving life in prison without parole after she was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder.

Graham smothered five incapacitated patients while Wood diverted attention of other workers or acted as a lookout.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Police have deployed chemical agents into a house in Northwest Grand Rapids to try to persuade a barricaded man to come out.

The man, suspected of pistol-whipping another man, is believed to be holed up in an attic at a home near Third Street and Pine Avenue NW.

The standoff began about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Police responded to the home and found a person who had been pistol-whipped. He was taken to a hospital for what is believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say they later thew a phone into the house so they could try to communicate with the person, but he has not used the phone. Police have had no contact with the person.

Police advised nearby residents to close their windows, but the chemical agents are not expected to be an irritant for others.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A woman posed as a U.S. Department of Homeland Security lawyer in a scheme to defraud those trying to obtain legal status in the U.S., the government said.

She allegedly threatened clients with deportation if they complained.

Jessica Marie Rubio, a.k.a. Jessica Garcia, said she could speed the application process, get foreign nationals out of immigration detention and conceal criminal records from immigration workers, according to a seven-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

She charged fees totaling $30,305 in the Western District of Michigan, and $45,740 in the Southern District of Texas, court records said.

"It was part of the conspiracy that Rubio solicited people who did not have legal status in the United States to retain her as their advocate for the purpose of obtaining legal status in the United States, in part by falsely telling them either that she was an attorney who worked for the Department of Homeland Security, or that she worked for an attorney employee of the Department of Homeland Security," Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay West wrote in a 15-page indictment.

He said Rubio employed the scheme from late 2011 until this June. She had lived in West Michigan until moving to Texas in 2015.

Her fees were usually paid in cash.

She told clients she would submit immigration paperwork, including a form that doesn't exist, on behalf of foreign nationals to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review, the indictment said.

The forms were not filed, the government said.

She provided receipts for services. She allegedly used a fraudulent email of a Department of Homeland Security lawyer to correspond with clients. She would tell some clients "that processing would not be finalized until appointments were completed for submission of biometric information," Clay wrote.

"When clients complained to Rubio about the services provided, Rubio at times threatened that an attorney employee of the Department of Homeland Security would be notified and the client would be deported from the United States," Clay wrote.

An unindicted co-conspirator would call and meet Rubio's clients in Allegan and Ottawa counties, the indictment said.

The scheme also took place in Kent County, records said.

The prosecutor listed numerous alleged transactions, including a $1,000 payment to remove a West Michigan client's family member from a government deportation list. In Texas, a client paid $4,230 for immigration filings.

Early this year, in Eastern Michigan and other places, an unindicted co-conspirator impersonated a Homeland Security worker about an upcoming call from an immigration agent, records said.

Rubio is charged with four counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, all 20-year felonies, and two counts of false personation, a three-year felony.

The government said it has as evidence messages sent by email, text, social media, mailings and recorded phone calls. It also has hand-written receipts by Rubio and others, and reports from Holland police, federal agencies and Texas Department of Public Safety, records showed.

The government is seeking forfeiture of $76,045 from the alleged scheme.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday authorized funding for the $922 million Soo Locks project in the Upper Peninsula.

Trump signed into law "America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018," part of which will go toward long-proposed improvements at the locks. The plan is to combine two of the oldest, smaller locks into another large lock to complement the Poe Lock.

Congress still has to appropriate funding for the Soo Locks upgrade as part of the budget before the project can move forward.

The 1,200-foot lock will allow for the passage of more large freighters between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan in Sault Ste. Marie. The freighters ship iron, coal, grain and other materials from the shores of Lake Superior to the rest of the country.

In 2016, U.S.-flagged Great Lakes freighters moved 83.3 million tons of cargo, according to the Cleveland-based Lake Carriers Association.

The bi-partisan effort is being applauded on both sides of the aisle.

"Today's signature from President Trump continues the momentum behind building a new lock at the Soo," U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, said in a statement. "He has been behind it ever since my colleagues and I told him about it in April, and now we've made more progress than has been seen in over a decade."

Moolenaar said he's asking the Army Corps to come up with the design and groundbreaking of a new lock in its work plan for next year. The sooner the better, according to Moolenaar.

"It will allow the process to begin one shipping season sooner and potentially save taxpayers up to $30 million," he said.

U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Shelby Township, said the project is a good example of the parties working together.

"I'm proud that through teamwork and persistence, we are finally seeing movement forward on this essential project to improve the locks," he said in a release. "Any failure at the Soo Locks would have a devastating ripple effect on our nation's economy and national security. I will continue to do everything and anything I can in Congress to get this project built and project Michigan and our nation from economic risk."

Reaction was equally enthusiastic on the other side of the aisle.

"Our national economy depends on the Soo Locks to transport millions of tons of raw goods every year, and we can't rely on investments made decades ago to keep the Locks operational," Democratic Sen. Gary Peters said in a statement. "I was proud to work with Senator (Debbie) Stabenow to help get this authorization signed into law, which is an important step towards ensuring the Soo Locks receive much-needed repairs. It is critical that the Trump Administration takes the next step to prioritize the Soo Locks by requesting the necessary funding in its upcoming budget request."

Stabenow shared her Democratic colleague's enthusiasm.

"Big day for Michigan!" she tweeted Tuesday night. "The President has ... just signed into law legislation that I championed authorizing the $922 million needed to construct a new Poe-sized Soo lock!"

Currently, the Soo Locks has two working locks for ships transporting iron and other materials throughout the Great Lakes. Only one of those locks, the Poe, is big enough for about 60 percent of ships that pass through. Michigan officials and members of the shipping industry have long pushed for a plan to combine two of the oldest, smaller locks into another large lock.

In July, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study gave the project a benefit cost ratio of 2.42, up from a .73 in a study of the project released in 2005.

Officials have said the project could take between seven and 10 years to complete and hope to have the new lock fully operational by 2030.
Former President Barack Obama is expected to visit Michigan for a rally in Detroit this week to support the state's Democratic candidates up and down the ticket, and members of the public can pick up a ticket to attend at several locations around the state Wednesday.

The rally will take place Friday at Detroit Cass Tech High School, 2501 2nd Ave. in Detroit, and doors will open to the public at 5 p.m.

The event is free for members of the public to attend, but a ticket is required. A ticket does not guarantee admission to the rally. Per the Michigan Democratic Party, tickets can be picked up on a first come, first serve basis at the following locations on Wednesday from 4-7 p.m.:

Detroit - 13th District: 18611 Warren Ave, Detroit

Detroit - 14th District: 18409 Livernois Ave, Detroit

Southwest Detroit: 7607 W. Vernor St, Detroit

Grosse Pointe: 17700 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe

Livonia: 37144 Six Mile Rd, Livonia

Troy: 1787 W Big Beaver Rd, Troy

Southfield: 17100 Twelve Mile Rd Suite 5, Southfield

Dearborn: 4960 Schaefer Rd, Dearborn

Sterling Heights: 37710 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights

Ann Arbor: 3502 W Liberty Rd, Ann Arbor

Pontiac: 138 N. Saginaw Street, Pontiac, MI

Flint: 3518 Robert T. Longway Blvd. Flint, MI

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer and running mate Garlin Gilchrist II and congressional candidates Matt Longjohn, Gretchen Driskell, Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens will all be in attendance, according to the Michigan Democratic Party.

Obama will be joined by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who currently chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

"We are thrilled to welcome President Obama back to Michigan, and again thank him for his steadfast work as president to save the American auto industry, the lifeblood of our state's economy," Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon said in a statement. "The stakes have never been higher -- healthcare is on the line, along with clean water, voting rights, and our very democracy itself with the chance to end gerrymandering on the ballot."

Obama won the state of Michigan during both of his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, and campaigned in the state in 2016 for then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The planned visit comes roughly a week after U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders visited Michigan for an Ann Arbor rally with Whitmer.

On the Republican side, Lara Trump hosted several Michigan stops around the state for Republican statewide and Congressional candidates, and both Donald Trump Jr. and Vice President Mike Pence have campaigned on behalf of Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James.
JACKSON, MI - Police are investigating a shooting incident after a 16-year-old boy checked into the hospital Monday afternoon with gunshot wounds.

Police were called to Henry Ford Allegiance Health Oct. 22 after the teen was admitted to the hospital with gunshot wounds to his arm and one of his fingers that were not life threatening, Jackson Director of Police and Fire Services Elmer Hitt said.

The teen told police he was walking in the area of Chittock Avenue and Rockwell Street when he was approached by two men who opened fire on him, Hitt said.

After fleeing the two men, the boy said he flagged down a passing motorist who drove him to the hospital, Hitt said.

Police searched the area where the teen said he was shot and did not find anything that supported his claims, Hitt said. There were no calls of shots being fired in the area and no shell casing were found, he said.

The shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jackson Police Department at 517-788-4100.
JACKSON, MI - Minutes after making a live appearance on Fox News, Lara Trump stepped in front of a few hundred Republican supporters in Jackson with a message.

If the Democrats take control of Congress, "it is going to mean disaster for this country," she said.

Lara Trump and Michigan's Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James rallied supporters Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Commonwealth Commerce Center, 209 E. Washington Ave., in Jackson.

It was Lara Trump's fourth campaign stop of the day in southeast Michigan.

.@LaraLeaTrump on Obama taking credit for the booming economy: "I think we all know the economy turned around and this country started finally heading in the right direction under President @realDonaldTrump." #TheStory https://t.co/xYQGhScD6e pic.twitter.com/H2pQ89Tfj8  Fox News (@FoxNews) October 23, 2018

The daughter-in-law to President Donald Trump - wife of Eric Trump - made appearances with gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette in Birmingham, congressional candidate Lena Epstein in Livonia and U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg in Monroe.

"All these great things that we've seen happen under President Donald Trump are at stake in 14 days," Lara Trump said. "(Democrats) are obstructionists, they will resist. Their platform is running on socialism, abolishing ICE and banning plastic straws. That's what they're doing now, that's the big thing."

Lara Trump, a former producer of "Inside Edition," attended a rally in Houston the night before, where the president spoke in a packed stadium of supporters.

"And they think they're going to talk about a blue wave?" Lara Trump said. "Please. Not gonna happen."

James, a Farmington Hills businessman and veteran, also spoke Tuesday. He is challenging Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow for one of Michigan's two U.S. Senate seats. Stabenow was first elected in 2000, winning the six-year seat again in 2006 and 2012.

"I don't make very many guarantees in this business, but I will make you a guarantee," James said. "I will guarantee you, if Debbie Stabenow is re-elected, we will be surrounded by a water we can't drink. We'll be surrounded by schools that can't teach."

Michigan needs a senator who will fight for more Great Lakes funding, not just be content when the funding isn't cut, James said.

President Donald Trump has already thrown his weight behind James. He tweeted his support in July, writing "John is strong on crime and borders, loves our Military, our Vets and our Second Amendment. He will be a star. He has my full and total Endorsement!"

Donald Trump Jr. joined James in a rally last week in Pontiac.

Tuesday's crowd interacted with the speakers, booing mentioned Democrats like U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and laughing when James threw a jab at U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, saying she "is apparently a minority now." He added "I feel like we're living in 'The Twilight Zone.'"

In the crowd - sprinkled with red "Make America Great Again" hats - was Jacksonian Doug Leffler, who supports James because he believes the candidate will vote with the president and help "continue progress."

"I think it's great, because Jackson is the birthplace of the Republican Party," Leffler said. "So it's a logical place for them to come."

Former President Barack Obama was expected to visit Michigan and campaign for Democratic candidates Friday.
LANSING, MI - Distinguishing fact from opinion was at the center of the discussion Wednesday as the state Board of Canvassers unanimously rejected recall petition language filed in an effort to oust Jackson County Sheriff Steven Rand.

For the second time, the board denied recall language against Rand at the conclusion of the Oct. 24 hearing that became heated as petitioner Dean Schuette Sr. claimed the bipartisan board was "obstructing" the recall campaign and "whitewashing the truth."

Board members explained that the submitted language wasn't acceptable because it directly stated accusations against the sheriff as fact.

Schuette Sr. is the father of Jackson County Sheriff's Lt. Tommy Schuette, who filed a lawsuit in federal court making accusations of bigotry against Rand in February. The lieutenant's attorney released audio recordings of Rand making a slew of lewd and offensive remarks.

Rand has remained in office despite widespread calls for his resignation amid clear signs of damaged police-community relations.

Only an order from the governor or a countywide recall election can remove a sheriff from office in Michigan.

Schuette Sr. also had petition language denied at a similar factual and clarity hearing earlier this month. The latest proposed recall petition was worded as follows:

"Sheriff Rand is a multifaceted bigot, who was taped in the presence of many others, disparaging Women, Blacks, Hispanics, and others. Rand has admitted that it is him on the tapes. Rand talked of putting together a pornographic movie of a murder. 'I always wanted to do a Snuff Film with her, and she could be the star. I would put one in the back of her head as I (ejaculate).' Note: The voice on the tapes is Steve Rand and verified by Mlive Reporter Danielle Salisbury, and myself."

Rand confirmed to MLive earlier this year it was his voice on the tapes.

Members of the Board of Canvassers said Schuette Sr.'s claims, as worded, couldn't be backed up as proven fact.

"When you say that the sheriff is a 'multifaceted bigot,' I stop right there," Chairman Norman Shinkle said. "Is that a fact? To me, it's got to be proven. Now if he signs an affidavit admitting that, then I'd consider (it)."

Schuette Sr. argued it was a fact.

"I'm being railroaded here by rules that are against the people," Schuette Sr. said. "I feel that they're just circling the wagons around the good ol' boys."

If new petition language were ultimately approved, Schuette Sr. and volunteer supporters would have a 60-day window within the next six months to collect 13,606 signatures.

Schuette Sr., frustrated with the process, was given a list of examples Tuesday of recall language that were rejected and others that were accepted.

"I'm not going to give up on this," Schuette Sr. said. "I will continue with this until we get the petition recall language approved."

A response to the petition language was submitted on behalf of Rand, laying out three reasons why it should be rejected. It claimed notice of the petition to Rand wasn't made in time, the language wasn't factual and clear and approval of the petition would interfere with the pending litigation.

Schuette's claims were described as "regurgitated hearsay and opinion statements" in the 45-page response.

"The word 'bigot' is open to subjective interpretation and surely holds a different meaning to each voter," the written argument states.

If new petition language is eventually approved, Rand will have the opportunity to appeal.
JACKSON, MI - Democrats and Republicans don't often agree on a lot - but one issue is bipartisan for the candidates running for the 65th District Michigan House of Representatives seat.

Republican Sarah Lightner and Democrat Terri McKinnon agree the state's road funding system isn't working, as they promise to prioritize infrastructure if elected.

Lightner enters the Nov. 6 election with momentum, taking out three Republican challengers in the August primary to advance. McKinnon was the only Democrat to run.

Libertarian candidate Jason Rees didn't respond to a questionnaire from MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot, but is scheduled to attend the 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24 candidate forum at Weatherwax Hall, 215 W. Michigan Ave.

The 65th District represents 11 Jackson County townships, Cambridge Township in Lenawee County and the city of Eaton Rapids and Brookfield, Hamlin and Eaton townships in Eaton County.

Current representative Brett Roberts, R-Eaton Township, isn't running again, as he sought the 24th District State Senate seat. He lost in the primary, however.

MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances.

Information on state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races is available at Vote411.org - a website run by the League of Women Voters.

The candidates responded to questions from MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot, sharing their backgrounds and what their priorities would be if elected.

Sarah Lightner

Lightner has been a Jackson County Commissioner for six years. Her district spans five townships in northwest Jackson County. This is her first time running for the state legislature.

A Springport High School graduate, the 36-year-old Lightner is a crop farmer and owns a hay business. She has former experience as a criminal defense paralegal.

Addressing the funding mechanism for roads is Lightner's top priority, she said. While Michigan gas tax money has started flowing to counties, Jackson County townships only see dollars for local public roads if they pass a road millage to provide match funding.

"The mechanism that was put in place is outdated and the new money does not help with local roads," Lightner said. "State statue does not allow enough flexibility in county government to adequately address our failing roads in our rural areas."

Other priorities for Lightner include criminal justice and mental health reforms.

Terri McKinnon

McKinnon, 51, has never run for office before. She enters the race with an array of job experiences, from being a telemarketing manager to information technology to owning and operating a day care.

Her top priorities are education, health care and infrastructure.

"We must hold corporations accountable when their overweight trucks damage our roads and make sure they are paying their fair share for the roads and bridges they also use," McKinnon said. "We have seen the gas tax and registration fees raised on families but failed to fix the roads."

McKinnon's other ideas include putting money toward early childhood education instead of charter schools, looking at a single-payer health care system, creating standards to limit PFAS and lead pipes, holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for price gouging and making it easier for communities to create broadband services.
JACKSON, MI - Candidates for Michigan's 16th Senate District seat have different visions for how to improve the state.

Incumbent Republican Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, hopes to hold onto the position, but faces opposition from Democrat Val Cochran Toops and Libertarian Ronald Muszynski. Shirkey beat Matt Dame in the August primary to advance to the Nov. 6 general election.

The 16th district encompasses Jackson, Hillsdale and Branch counties. Shirkey was elected to his first four-year term in 2014. State senators in Michigan are limited to two terms.

MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances.

Information on state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races is available at Vote411.org - a website run by the League of Women Voters.

Candidates responded to questions from MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot about their background and priorities if elected.

Muszynski did not respond to the questionnaire, but is scheduled to attend the 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24 candidate forum at Weatherwax Hall, 215 W. Michigan Ave.

Mike Shirkey

Shirkey earned a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2010-14 before becoming a state senator. The Vandercook Lake High School graduate owns Orbitform, an engineering company that manufactures forming, fastening, joining and assembly equipment.

Shirkey also worked for General Motors in management and engineering roles for 13 years. As an engineer, Shirkey said he's been trained to solve complex issues.

The issues he hopes to address in the senate include long-term solutions for roads and infrastructure, auto insurance relief for drivers and improving student education performance.

"In each one of these issues, I will bring both sides and experts to the table and work on a plan that would benefit the citizens of Michigan," Shirkey said.

Val Cochran Toops

Cochran Toops is active in various Jackson-area groups, including the Jackson Human Relations Commission, NAACP and Jackson County Democratic Women's Caucus.

"The importance of women's equality and equitable treatment in employment, education and health care inspired me to run for senator," Cochran Toops said. "Women are not adequately represented within the ranks of the male dominated Michigan State Senate. I want to ensure women's issues and needs are met."

Her platform prioritizes health, safety and education.

"I believe the most important dire issues right now affecting Michigan and District 16 are road conditions, rural communications access and repairing aging infrastructure," Cochran Toops added.
Clayton's basement

BATTLE CREEK, MI -- A man has been sentenced to life in prison in federal court for sexually exploiting three teenagers.

Michael Clayton, aka "Rodeo Loco," was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Neff Tuesday, Oct. 23, after a three-day trial.

The jury found Clayton guilty of producing child pornography involving three teenage girls, forcing one of the girls to engage in prostitution, felonious possession of firearms and conspiring to distribute cocaine, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Neff called Clayton's crimes "a horrendous, drug-fueled, weapon-heavy nightmare" in the release.

"We really do need to protect the public from further crimes of this man," she said.

Last October, Clayton was arrested after the Battle Creek police officers responded to a report that Clayton had a 16-year-old girl held against her will at his home. When police arrived, Clayton denied having any girls in the house, but officers found the girl in his unlit basement.

The girl told police Clayton forced her into the basement to avoid police detection.

The girl said she met Clayton when he invited her to a party two weeks prior where he gave her cocaine and demanded sex as payment. She said Clayton continued providing cocaine and demanding sex in the weeks that followed, sometimes recording the acts on video.

Battle Creek police and Department of Homeland Security Investigations found approximately 30 videos of Clayton engaging in sex acts with the 16-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old girl on his Snapchat account and iPhone. Search warrants also revealed videos of Clayton with cocaine and guns.

A jury found Michael Clayton guilty of producing child pornography involving teenage three girls, forcing one of the girls to engage in prostitution, felonious possession of firearms and conspiring to distribute cocaine.

The girl also told police Clayton and his co-defendant, Ramiro Hernandez, pushed her to have sex for money about a week before she was found by police. She said Clayton and Hernandez arranged for her to have sex with someone she did not know for money, keeping the money for themselves.

Hernandez pleaded guilty to sex trafficking the girl. He testified against Clayton at trial, and Neff sentenced the man to 10 years in prison.

Homeland Security Investigation's lead investigator, Special Agent Steve Francis, said the sentencing reflects law enforcement's commitment to investigate human trafficking crimes by protecting victims and bringing traffickers to justice.

"HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these vile trafficking networks that prey on the vulnerable members of our community," Francis said.
BENTON HARBOR, MI -- Residents in Benton Harbor were notified Wednesday of high levels of lead in their water.

Under direction from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 30 homes were tested over the summer for lead and copper. Eight of those homes were above the action level of 15 parts per billion for lead, an advisory from the city said.

The 90th percentile of samples was 22 ppb for lead, the advisory said.

Bottled water will be given to the people living in homes that tested high, the city said in a press release update published Wednesday afternoon.

The city is also encouraging residents to get their water tested. There will be testing kits available for residents to pick up beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, October 25, at 200 Paw Paw Ave. in Benton Harbor, the release said.

Lead in the water is especially dangerous for pregnant women and young children, according to the DEQ. Consuming lead can cause damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of the body, the DEQ website said.

Steps people can take to reduce their exposure include running water to stable, cold temperatures for three to five minutes to flush out possible contaminates and to use cold water for cooking and drinking. Residents are also advised to use bottled water for baby formula.

The advisory said the water is safe for bathing and boiling is not necessary because it does remove the lead.

Benton Harbor Area Schools Superintendent Robert Herrera said in a press release that bottled water would be available in every school building and food would be prepared with bottled water.

The school has contracted water testing services for buildings throughout the district and will keep parents and students updated with results, Herrera said.

Questions about the water system, water testing, health concerns, or getting a child's blood lead level tested can be directed to the Benton Harbor Water Response Hotline at 1-800-815-5485.

City officials held a press conference Wednesday morning and told residents to expect additional communications regarding the lead in their tap water.
TEXAS TOWNSHIP, MI -- Police are investigating the report of a person being struck by a vehicle and injured after a brief struggle over a FedEx package.

The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the corner of Sierra Madre Trail and South 6th Street in Texas Township, according to a news release from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office. It is being investigated as a potential felonious assault involving a motor vehicle.

After what is described as a "brief struggle over a FedEx package," an unnamed person was struck by the vehicle and injured, police said. The vehicle the fled the area toward South 6th Street.

Witnesses told police the vehicle was occupied by two teenage males. The vehicle was described as a silver 2008 Chevrolet Impala with a cracked front windshield and no hub caps, police said.

Anyone with information can contact the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office at (269) 383-8748 or Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100. Information can also be reported online.
WAKESHMA TOWNSHIP, MI -- They spent eight years searching for the murdered mother of two when her estranged husband stayed mum about her whereabouts.

Now, the aunt of Venus Stewart and a small group of core searchers have answers of where Venus was, as authorities unearthed her body near a two-track road, just feet from a farmer's planted field.

"Of course I wanted to come right over here," said Mary Hopkins, Venus Stewart's aunt. Hopkins said she waited to let police process the scene.

"I was trying to figure out exactly where the spot was. I was going crazy trying to figure out, after all these years of searching, to see her body or her remains. I just thought, 'How close was I? Did I walk over top of her? Because I would kick myself in the butt if I did.' Where is she? I got to know where they found her."

The discovery of Venus' body answers some questions, but doesn't bring the young mother back.

On Monday, Oct. 22, Doug Stewart led police to to the area of U Avenue East between 42nd Street and 39th Street in the southern part of Kalamazoo County.

Stewart, 32, was reported missing by her parents, Therese and Larry McComb, of Colon Township, on April 26, 2010. Police originally said they believed Stewart was abducted by her estranged husband.

In May 2010, police said they had evidence that an impostor posed as Doug Stewart in Newport News and that Doug Stewart was in Michigan at the time of Venus Stewart's disappearance. In June of 2010, Doug Stewart was arrested in connection with Venus Stewart's abduction and alleged killing.

In March 2011, Doug Stewart was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree premeditated murder in Venus Stewart's death. He's serving life in prison.

Hopkins, of Homer, Mich., and a lifelong friend of hers, Sue Billings of Indiana, visited the burial site Tuesday to put an end on years of searches that started intensely as searches every few days.

"People that did it did it because they cared," Billings said. "People we didn't even know, and they stuck by. They were always there for her."

Hopkins said they read books, did training exercises, researched, walked into rivers, creeks and down riverbanks, conducted searches in Michigan and Indiana and handed out flyer after flyer. She said they used Stewart's phone records from the time he called his accomplice and said it was done, and mostly searched in a five-mile radius, but also searched into Indiana. They received tips independently of police and knocked on countless doors to gain permission to search properties.

"Any place we got a tip," Hopkins said. "We didn't care where it was. We went there."

Police had used GPS to track Stewart's truck in the time between Venus' disappearance and Stewart's arrest, Hopkins said. Hopkins learned he had stopped on her property, so just last week she searched her 96-acre property using a cadaver dog, just to put her mind at rest.

Hopkins said she has boxes of maps and tips that fill up a room in her house.

"We never stopped," Hopkins said.

Their searches led them to about a mile south of the woman's remains, but never where she was.

"My main drive was where's Venus?" Hopkins said. "I don't feel empty. I don't feel much but grateful for everyone else."

Hopkins said she wishes the searchers would have found her niece instead of having to rely on Stewart, who had the ultimate power of showing police where she was and was rewarded for it. As part of a negotiation with police, Stewart received an Xbox and other prison perks for showing officers where he buried Venus.

"I wish we could have found her before Doug did," Hopkins said. "He gets the satisfaction of the control."

Now they help other families find their missing loved ones through a statewide search and rescue organization and help domestic violence victims through the Venus Foundation, started by Venus' parents, Hopkins and others in her memory.

"Now in Venus' name, we've helped other people," Hopkins said.

Hopkins said the foundation has helped one woman move west to start a new life, and she has talked to people in domestic violence situations for hours and has helped multiple women get out of abusive situations.

Hopkins said they started it because they didn't want Venus remembered as a victim.

"We wanted her daughters to be proud," Hopkins said.

Kellie Boers, an advocate for missing people and their families, said she started helping with searches for Stewart in 2012, and she was on at least six searches herself. Boers serves as the public information officer for the Venus Foundation.

Boers visited the site where Stewart's body was found with Hopkins, and they put a purple Venus pin on a tree nearby. They spray-painted a heart on another tree.

"Her name is going to live on, if her name and story saves one person, we think she deserves that purple heart," she said.
MUSKEGON, MI - The Community Foundation for Muskegon County has named a new leader for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Muskegon native Todd Jacobs was recently named the organization's president and CEO. On Jan. 2, 2019, he will succeed Chris McGuigan, who has led the foundation since 1999.

McGuigan led the foundation during its charge toward the redevelopment of downtown Muskegon and invested in programs such as the the Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore and Covenant Academy, among many other accomplishments during her tenure.

Under McGuigan's leadership, the foundation's assets grew from $82 million to $223 million. Along with that, community grantmaking increased. In 2017, the foundation granted nearly $11.4 million.

Jacobs joins the Muskegon foundation after serving as vice president and chief philanthropy officer for the Fremont Area Community Foundation.

"We look forward to Todd's expertise and dynamic leadership as he guides the Foundation toward fulfilling our mission, vision, and goals for the greater good of our community," said Asaline Scott, foundation board chair.

Jacobs has a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, the Mary L. Carlson Fund, in honor of his mother. Jacobs can make grants from the fund at his discretion. He is also a member of the foundation's Ambassador Society.

He brings extensive development and strategic leadership experience to Muskegon. In his role at the Fremont Area Community Foundation, Jacobs expanded outreach, developed new giving opportunities, and launched key initiatives including Kickstart to Career, a children's savings program; and the Newaygo County Business Resource Network.

Jacobs previously served as vice president of community investment for the Fremont Area Community Foundation. Prior to that, he was director of planned giving for Ferris State University, executive director of the Holland Hospital Foundation and development officer at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon.

"As a former scholarship recipient of the community foundation, this is an opportunity to give back to our Muskegon community," Jacobs said. "I look forward to working with the board and in the community to further catalyze Muskegon County's growth and build opportunity for all."

The foundation's strategic focus includes building an inclusive community, creating hope and opportunity for youth, and encouraging collaborative work across the region.
SAGINAW, MI - Dow DuPont is getting ready to address the last segment of the Tittabawassee River contaminated with dioxin from past operation of Dow Chemical's factories in Midland.

Before the next step begins in 2019, residents can weigh in on the plan through Nov. 20 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials met Monday, Oct. 22, at the Thomas Township Library in Saginaw County to discuss the plan.

The areas designated segments six and seven comprise roughly seven miles of the Tittabawassee River downstream of the Dow DuPont facility in Midland.

"The (entire) Superfund site includes the lower 24 miles of the Tittabawassee, 22 miles of the Saginaw River and whatever portions of the Saginaw Bay we will have to look at," said Mary Logan, remedial project manager for EPA. "Segments six and seven are the last two segments of the Tittabawassee River."

For cleanup along the river, she said, the EPA has designated bank management areas and sediment management areas, with similar ideas on how to address cleanup there.

Sediment management areas are underwater sediment deposits that contain elevated dioxin contamination.

They are proposing, for the seven bank-management areas along the river, to stabilize those river banks to keep them from eroding and keep the contaminants from further reaching the river system.

The other option includes complete removal of the bank, with all existing vegetation cleared, and new soil and vegetation replanted in the area.

"For stabilization, our advantages are it's less change to river bank," Logan said, adding that the disadvantage is more short-term maintenance is needed, the contaminants stay in place but are monitored, although that requires a long-term commitment.

Removal can take the contaminants away, she said, but at a significant disruption to the land because it requires complete removal of natural habitat and could potentially cause unintended changes or inadvertently cause erosion somewhere else.

The total cost for stabilization is around $2 million and roughly $5.5 million for removal of the banks.

For the sediment management areas, they are proposing monitoring-- called Monitor Natural Recovery -- and capping solutions with another option also being complete removal.

"MNR is not invasive, we just monitor the situation, there's no construction, no changes to the habitat," Logan said, adding they would also put caps in place to help keep the dioxin from getting out. "(It's) the preferred alternative...the major consideration we thought about was the largest impacts to the areas, three (SMAs) are in segment seven near the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge."

She added they have concerns about construction equipment in there could cause damage to the "very natural and beautiful area."

The total cost for capping and monitoring in segment 6-1 would cost $230,000 to $680,000, as opposed to removal, which costs $7 million to almost $9 million. In sediment management areas 7-1 through 7-3 the removal cost would be around $11 million to $13 million.

An EPA spokesperson wrote in an email that their proposed cleanup plans provide the best balance of effectiveness, implementability and cost.

Logan said that dioxin is a a group of chemically-related compounds, not necessarily one chemical.

According to the World Health Organization's website, dioxins are toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system and cause cancer.

During the meeting, residents asked questions and spoke their opinions about the proposed plans.

Kevin Quiggle, a resident who lives on the river, said he's fairly new to the area but it was interesting to hear what other people had to say about the river and their concerns.

When workers came to clean up his property, he said they did a good job and from his perspective the process went well.

Quiggle lived along the river where segment five was done a few years ago.

Another resident, who did not want to be named during the meeting, voiced his opinion and said that he doesn't think capping is a good idea and that more testing should be done.

The cleanup process started in 2012, with preliminary work going back to 2010. The final project completion is expected to be around 2020 or 2021.

For more information or to write in responses for the comment period visit the EPA's page on the river project.
SAGINAW, MI -- Most knew of Howard Sharper from the airwaves during his time as a broadcaster in Saginaw.

But many who didn't know him became fans of his photography. That's according to several people who attended an event at "dawn of a new day" restaurant to honor Sharper on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

The 68-year-old nature photographer and former broadcaster died suddenly on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Sharper was a deejay at Saginaw's and Flint's first black radio station, WWWS 107.1 FM, known as W3 Soul, in 1969.

He spent decades on-air and off at WUCX, WWWS-FM, 107.1, WSAM-AM, 1400, and WKCQ-FM, 98.1.

In 2010, Sharper, then manager of programming and production for Delta College's WUCX-FM Q-90.1, was elected vice president of the Michigan Public Radio Network for the 2010-11 program year.

Sharper gained a new following when he retired from Delta and went back to photography.

"Most people don't know he was a professional photographer before getting into radio," said his 22-year-old daughter Kalifah Sharper. "He had his own studio downtown."

Facebook, friends and photography

Mary Ann Forbes and her husband stopped in to offer condolences, though she did not know him personally.

"But his photography drew me into his work," Forbes said.

Paula Hillier owns several photos taken by Sharper.

"He posted them on Facebook and if I see something I liked, I would buy them," Hillier said.

Sharper begin taking pictures of wildlife around Wickes Parks on the city's south end and had organized clean-ups at the park.

About 4 years ago, Kathy Woods-Booth, who also followed Sharper's work, reached out to him to set up a coffee meeting.

Woods-Booth, also a nature photographer, said the two talked about photography, nature and their visions for the community.

"We had so much in common," she said.

Sharper and Woods-Booth founded Through Our Lens Saginaw which they used for fundraisers and photo exhibits throughout the area.

"It is to share the beauty of this area one photo at a time," Woods-Booth said.

The event at "dawn of a new day" was one of the scheduled events leading up to a Nov. 14 photography exhibit from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Montague Inn, 1581 S. Washington.

Family members did not want the event canceled and used it as a chance to honor Sharper.

Like photography, Sharper's daughter said he shaped who she was as a person.

"He taught me to find the beauty in any situation," Kalifah Sharper said.

Sharper leaves behind 10 adult children and a wife.

His son Mazi Sharper, 38, called his dad "strong but silent."

"He was a man of few words but when he spoke you listened," he said.

Family hour will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28 at St. John Lutheran Church, 915 Federal. A memorial service will take place the following day at 11 a.m.

"Even in his absence he is everything that you want a father to be," Mazi Sharper said.
The Judge David Campbell Chapter, NSDAR, observed the DAR National Day of Service at their chapter meeting by collecting approximately $1,000 in student school and classroom supplies for the Kate Duncan Smith DAR School and for Mrs. Silvers Soddy Elementary first grade class. The Children of the American Revolution contributed to the supplies.

Members of the chapter packed 50 drawstring bags of school supplies for Kate Duncan Smith middle and upper grade students and 25 bags of supplies for Soddy Elementary First Grade.

Chapter members Registrar Susan R. Thomas, Phyllis Carter, Linda Triplett, Sara Zimmerman and Second Vice Regent Marie Wingate delivered the filled drawstring bags and classroom supplies to the Kate Duncan Smith School in Grant, Al. They were greeted by Beth Cagle, development director and students from the school who unloaded the supplies.

Chapter members attended the 94th Dedication Day program. Included in the program was presentation and dedication of gifts to the school from DAR organizations from all over the United States totaling over $707,410. Students from the 4th grade and the high school choir entertained the audience with their musical programs.



After the dedication program, the school hosted a dinner on the grounds lunch for the over 100 DAR members and guests from all over the country who had attended the Dedication Day Ceremony.

A walking tour of the grounds and the crafts fair were enjoyed by the chapter members.
Kotak Mahindra Bank has temporarily suspended its digital savings account opening scheme '811' as a consequence of the Supreme Court verdict, which bars mandatory usage of Aadhaar card as identity and KYC proof in banks.

"About 3/4th of our account opening has been through 811...The incremental new customer accretion gets impacted till we come up with a new solution and we are working on a few," said Dipak Gupta, Joint Managing Director of Kotak Bank.

KYC is know-your-customer guideline which can be met by providing six officially valid documents including Aadhaar card number as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The bank said it met its target of doubling its customer base to 16 million in 18 months ending September from 8 million customers at the time of the launch of 811.

In March 2017, Kotak Bank had launched 811 as a zero-balance savings account, playing on the date when demonetisation was announced in the 11th month of 2016 -- November 8.

As on September end 2018, Kotak Bank's CASA (Current And Savings Accounts) ratio increased to 50.2 percent of total accounts from 47.8 percent last year.

According to the bank's Founder and Chief Uday Kotak, demonetisation brought in a huge drive of digitisation and biometric is a crucial part of this transformation, the result of which was 811, that allowed E-KYC through Aadhaar.

In September end this year the Supreme Court said bank customers cant be forced to link their bank accounts to Aadhaar. It also said a bank account will not be denied or ceased on the basis that a prospective customer does not have an Aadhaar number.

The apex court order can lead to a relatively slower account opening for the bank going forward.

Gupta said, "The KYC that is already done before the SC verdict will be as it is. From now onwards, customers can cancel the Aadhaar linkage and if they cancel that then those accounts opened with Aadhaar would stay cancelled (including 811)."

He added that Aadhaar is a convenient way of opening account and all details including date of birth, age and gender are all available at one place.

Banks also feared the cost of KYC verification would increase with the SC verdict.

As of now, Aadhaar card authentication is allowed under direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes and Aadhaar enabled payment services (AEPS).

Over the last couple of years, most banks had started opening online bank accounts using Aadhaar and one-time passwords (OTP).



Calling it Indias downloadable digital bank, Kotak said 811 enabled it to increase its share of customers through the digital platform in this highly competitive retail banking space fighting for a share of CASA.



It offered a completely digital and paperless account opening experience. It promises to open anywhere, anytime, within five minutes through its Aadhaar-based OTP authentication process for account opening on mobile. Account opening and operations under 811 require Aadhaar and PAN numbers.
Taking the fight to the opposition camp, IndiGo co-founder Rahul Bhatia on October 24 blamed the airline's competitors for the low fares that are squeezing dry margins.

"We are not leading the charge in low fares. There are players in the industry who are hurting and need to raise cash. And we have no choice but to match them," Bhatia, who is also the interim CEO of the company, told analysts over a conference call.

Much of the call was about low fares, as InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, reported a net loss of Rs 651.2 crore for the September quarter, a sharp fall from Rs 551.5 crore reported during the same period of last year.

The loss could have been higher if not for other income of Rs 328 crore, over 50 percent higher than in the same quarter a year earlier.

Its revenues rose to Rs 6,185.31 crore, up 17 percent from Rs 5,290.9 crore reported during the corresponding quarter of last year.

The airline reported a fall of 86 percent in its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and rent (EBITDAR) at Rs 220.4 crore against Rs 1,581.1 crore year on year.

IndiGo blamed the loss on higher fuel prices "responsible for more than half of the profitability decline; remainder due to currency depreciation and lower yields."

The high costs could have been compensated by the strong growth in the sector, among the fastest in the global aviation industry. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in its monthly report today said passenger traffic has grown by 20.94 percent in the January-September period, as compared to the last year.

But the intense competition has seen fares staying low. Responding to an analyst who questioned why the airline, as the largest in the industry, can't take a lead in raising fares, IndiGo's Chief Commercial Officer Willy Boulter said the airline had, in fact, raised fares in May, adding a fuel surcharge.

"But the price hike was not matched by competition and as a result, we had to withdraw the surcharge. We are not interested in low prices," added Boulter.

Ironically, the airline today launched a promotional offer, selling domestic tickets from Rs 899 and international from Rs 3,399. But the management clarified in the call that the sale was for post-Diwali travel, a short lean period before the year-end peak.

Capacity addition

The airline management faced a barrage of questions on its faster-than-industry rate in adding capacity, which also prevents airlines from increasing fares.

IndiGo this quarter added 20 aircraft, taking its fleet to 189 aircraft including 127 A320ceos, 50 A320neos and 12 ATRs.

The company added that the third quarter fiscal 2019 year-over-year capacity increase in ASKs (available seat kilometers) is expected to be 35 percent. "Full year fiscal 2019 year over year capacity increase in ASKs is expected to be 30 percent," it said in a presentation.

The rate is much higher than the industry average.

But the management said the delivery of aircraft by Airbus was ramped up in the second quarter after an initial delay, leading to high capacity addition.
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Outcome of the crucial US Food & Drug Administration re-inspection of Dr Reddy's Laboratories injectable plant in Duvvada, Visakhapatnam, is keenly awaited by analysts as the unit is crucial to its future growth prospects in the US.

The company's Duvvada unit, known as FTO-VII, manufactures cytotoxic and hormonal injectables is under warning since November 2015, blocking any new approvals. Such a letter is issued when USFDA finds serious deviations from good manufacturing practices at a plant.

The inspection which has begun on October 22 may take at least a week if not more. The drug regulator is generally more stringent while dealing with injectable plants, given the risks of contamination.

DRL declined to comment on the ongoing inspection. A company spokesperson told Moneycontrol that as a policy the management doesn't comment on regulatory inspections.

An analyst covering the sector said the facility, as such, will not have much bearing on the company's revenue, but failure to resolve this issue will complicate things at a time when it is faced with pricing pressure and competition.

A portion of complex abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) is filed from this facility. Complex injectable drugs have limited competition and better margin compared to oral solids like tablets.

"Duvvada injectable unit is an important facility for DRL. Any positive outcome from this inspection will lead to more approvals for oncology products that have better margins," Amey Chalke, pharma analyst at HDFC Securities.

In 2015, the regulator had issued a warning letter to the company, citing serious deficiencies in the current good manufacturing practices followed at the plant. The company from then onwards hired external consultants and is working towards resolving the issues raised by USFDA.

But the resolution seemed elusive as in a follow-up inspection in February-March 2017 the USFDA issued 13 observations for the Duvvada unit, many of which were repeat violations from its 2015 inspection.

The company, which is confident about a resolution, once again invited USFDA for re-audit early this year.
Bengaluru police arrested cryptocurrency exchange Unocoin co-founder barely a week after the company opened its first cryptocurrency ATM in the city, the News Minute reported. Citys Cyber Crime department lodged a case against the company for installing an ATM without requisite permissions.

The police arrested 37-year-old Harish BN and seized several gadgets including laptops, mobile phones and Rs 1.79 lakh in cash from him.

The ATM kiosk installed by Unocoin in Bengaluru's Kempfort Mall has not taken any permission from the state government and is dealing in cryptocurrency outside the remit of the law," the report quoted the Cyber Crime department of the Central Crime Branch.

The company said it had moved the ATM temporarily and blamed negative media reports for the police action. Our Machine didn't go well with few mainstream media reports who projected it under a negative light, Unocoin said in a tweet.

The machine is still under final testing mode and it will be up and running in the upcoming week. The machine has been temporarily moved from its original place of installation.

The ATM kiosk was installed last week aiming to bypass the Reserve Bank of India ban on banks from dealing with cryptocurrency firms.

Customers of Unocoin could withdraw and deposit cash from the kiosk without any involvement of banks.

The company was planning to open two more ATMsone each in Mumbai and Delhi.
Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo told the Delhi High Court that former Fortis Healthcare promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh diverted around Rs 2,900 crore through its downstream companies, The Hindu Business Line reported.

The brothers owe Daiichi Rs 3,500 crore to settle an arbitration award announced by a Singapore tribunal. The Delhi High Court is overseeing the execution.

Daiichi filed three fresh applications in the high court saying that the brothers did not declare the money in their affidavits and it is parked in 25 different companies.

The Japanese company alleged that the Singh brothers offered loans to these companies that were almost 100 times more than their worth from 2012 till date.

In its application, Daiichi cited the example of Shimal Healthcare in which the Singhs are directors. The firm allegedly lent Rs 420 crore to six companies -- Best Healthcare, Devera Developers, Fern Healthcare, Modland Wears and Lowe Infra and Wellness -- through debentures and to Green Grass Estates, White Feather Estates and Bindas Realtors through equity. Four of these companies -- Modland, Bindas, Green Grass and White Feather -- purchased land with this money.

Green Grass purchased 35 acres of land, White Feather bought 31 acres in Thane district and Bindas 2.24 acres in New Delhi's Saket area.

The Singh brothers allegedly parked close to Rs 1,450 crore in Gurpreet Singh Sodhi and Ranveer Singhs Prius Real Estate. This was routed through RHC Holdings, the holding company for ANR Securities and Ranchem and Bhai Trust, of which Malvinder Sing is a trustee. Prius holds another 10 downstream companies.

Daiichi alleged that the brothers have lent an additional Rs 1,000 crore to other entities that form a part of Shimal Healthcare and Prius Real Estate. The drug-maker has also asked the court to freeze such transactions by downstream companies.

The only purpose of these companies is fraud, Arvind Datar, Daiichis counsel told the paper. On what basis has Shimal Healthcare given Rs 80 crore to Best Healthcare? What is the asset base of Best Healthcare? The downstream companies have thin capital and huge loans through debentures and preferences. The money has gone away, he added.

Daiichi asked the court to follow and trace the brothers asset base and investment. A director cannot put in his pockets something at the expense of the company, Datar argued.

Malvinder Singhs counsel, Akhil Sibal, said his client cannot give any assurances on behalf of 25 companies that are not a part of the current lawsuit. Sibal added that these downstream companies cannot be held responsible for a decree passed against Malvinder. He quipped, They (Daiichi) have done their homework well.

To this, the judge retorted, Unfortunately you are on a weaker ground.

The 25 companies will be served notice to file a reply to Daiichis application. The next hearing of the matter is on November 13.
Germany's Daimler is setting up a ride-hailing joint venture in China with Geely Group, in a sign the Chinese firm is making progress in its drive for closer relations with the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars.

The deal creates a new competitor to Didi Chuxing, which currently dominates a Chinese ride-hailing market that has shown explosive growth in recent years, expanding from 30 million users in 2014 to 217 million in 2017, according to Bain & Co.

The market is currently worth $23 billion, more than all other ride-hailing markets combined, and Didi accounts for 90 percent of all bookings, the consulting firm said.

Geely Chairman Li Shufu took a 9.69 percent stake in Daimler earlier this year, asking Mercedes-Benz to strike up an alliance to better counter the threat from upstart mobility companies.

Li's move rekindled German fears about high-tech know-how falling into Chinese hands and Daimler initially baulked at the prospect of an alliance, in part on fears it might alienate Mercedes' existing Chinese partner BAIC.

"The JV (joint venture) will provide ride-hailing mobility services in several Chinese cities using premium vehicles including but not limited to Mercedes-Benz vehicles," Daimler said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 50:50 venture will be headquartered in Hangzhou, China, and use Mercedes S-Class, E-Class and V-Class vehicles among others. Financial terms and investment plans were not disclosed.

As part of the deal, Geely Group Company and Daimler Mobility Services will be equally represented on the board of the new ride-hailing service, for which the two companies will jointly develop the software infrastructure required to support the business in China.

"The development of such services, in which both companies already have a presence, forms part of our transformation from a vehicle manufacturer into a global automotive technology group," Geely Holding President An Conghui said.

GROWTH POTENTIAL

Ride-hailing accounts for more than 30 percent of the global taxi market and Goldman Sachs believes it could grow eightfold to $285 billion by 2030, with significant potential in China, the world's largest car market.

Part of the growth in mobility services in China is down to the popularity of mobile payment systems, which have made transactions seamless, Bain said.

Didi, founded in 2012, cemented its dominance in China when it bought Uber's operations in the country in 2016. It is preparing to launch car-sharing and other on-demand transport services.

The prospect of autonomous cars hitting the road has intensified competition between technology companies, ride-hailing firms and traditional carmakers to roll out fleets of smartphone-hailed taxis, or strike cooperation deals.

In China, Daimler already has a car-sharing business, Car2Go, while German rival BMW has ReachNow. SAIC has EVCard and Ford has a shuttle-sharing service, Chariot.

Bain said that for Chinese customers the time spent in traffic has reduced the attractiveness of owning a car.

"Customers tend to care most about the cost, waiting time and driver ratings, and much less about the brand of the car in which they travel. This is a shift with huge potential implications for manufacturers that for decades have worked hard to build and maintain differentiated brands," Bain said.
We are in the last phase of the September quarter earnings season, and the results announced by the BSE 500 companies so far have shown signs of a sharp recovery, as compared to the June quarter, when the economic activity in the country was compromised due to lockdown in various regions. From the BSE 500 list, 216 companies have announced their September quarter results so far. We excluded banking and financial companies. Along with the index stocks we also analyse each sector quarterly earnings. (Data Source: ACE Equity)

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SBI General Insurance posted a 64.4 percent year-on-year (YoY) rise in its net profit for the first half (H1) of FY19 at Rs 217 crore. This was mainly due to a strong underwriting profit of Rs 37 crore in H1FY19 compared to Rs 60 crore underwriting loss a year ago.

The Gross Written Premium (GWP) witnessed a growth of 30 percent YoY to Rs 2,067 crore in H1FY19. The solvency ratio for H1FY19 stood at 2.46, whereas the combined ratio stood at 96.8 percent in H1FY19 compared to 106.8 percent a year ago. The figures for H1FY18 exclude the one-time income from a long-term home reinsurance ceding.

Rikhil K Shah, chief financial officer, SBI General Insurance, told Moneycontrol that the company had a positive performance across the different business segments. On Kerala floods, he said the company took a hit of Rs 30 crore (net of reinsurance).

SBI General is a joint venture between State Bank of India (SBI) and IAG International. The bank is looking to list its general insurer arm in FY20.

From September 1, car and bike owners have been mandatorily asked to buy three-year and five-year third party motor insurance. However, Shah said that the impact of this development will only be seen over the next few quarters.

"Going forward, this will help companies generate more investment income. It will also be beneficial for companies who have tie-ups with OEMs," he added.

With respect to the motor insurance business, Shah said that the motor third party losses exceed 100 percent. However, he said that the own damage losses are around 70 percent. On the health insurance business, Shah said that they are generating underwriting profits since they have a balanced business mix of the corporate and retail business.

In September 2018, SBI approved a 4 percent stake sale in SBI General Insurance to Axis New Opportunities Fund (Axis AMC) and PI Opportunities (Premji). The deal size was Rs 481.73 crore, valuing the non-life insurer at Rs 12,043.25 crore.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), also called Modicare was launched in September 2018. This scheme offers Rs 5 lakh health insurance covers to individuals below a certain socio-economic status.

Shah, however, said that they are not yet part of the scheme, since they did not get selected through the tenders. This was due to the prices quoted. In the bidding process for selection of insurers to implement Modicare, the lowest quote wins the bid.
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Indian IT bellwether Wipro has registered a 10 percent fall (QoQ) in second quarter net profit to Rs 1890 crore against Rs 2120.8 crore in quarter ended June 2018.

Meanwhile, company's revenue rose by 2.3 percent to Rs 14,567.9 crore from Rs 14,230.6 crore.

For the quarter ended September, the company's IT services revenue increased by 5 percent to Rs 14,377.3 crore.

The company's IT service EBIT was down 3 percent at Rs 2072.7 crore, while margin was down at 14.4 percent.

In the six month ended September 2018, the company has concluded the divestment of its hosted data center business in Singapore and United Kingdom, also it has reduced its equity holding from 74% to 11% in Wipro Airport IT Services.

Shares of Wipro ended at Rs 309.25, down 0.02 percent on the BSE.

Meanwhile, Wipro also announced that it has appointed Arundhati Bhattacharya as an additional director of the company for a term of five years with effect from January 1, 2019.

In a regulatory filing on the day it announced its second quarter results, Wipro said Bhattacharya will join in the capacity of independent director. The appointment is subject to the approval of shareholders of the company, it added.

The former State Bank of India chairman recently also joined the Reliance Industries board as an independent additional director. She has been appointed for five years starting October 17, 2018.

She is also advisor to private equity firm ChrysCapital Advisors LLP.

She was the first chief of the state-owned bank who handled the biggest merger to date with its subsidiaries. She rolled out a wider digital platform on which the bank operations could be synchronised.

Towards the end of her term with the bank, she was reportedly offered a place on the boards of several companies, including Infosys.

Management view

"Consistent improvement in our operating metrics reflects our relentless rigour of execution, which has resulted in our adjusted IT services margin reaching 18.1 percent in quarter 2," said Jatin Dalal, Chief Financial Officer at Wipro.

Chief executive Abidali Neemuchwala said the second quarter "has seen one of the highest quarter of order bookings and one of the highest pipelines we've ever had".

Adjusted IT services margin for the quarter was 18.1 percent, while reported IT services margin was 14.6 percent.

The company further said IT services margin and earnings per share for the quarter ended September include a loss of Rs 5,141 million from the settlement with one of its key customers. Adjusted IT Services margin exclude the impact of this loss.

During the quarter, Wipro signed its largest ever deal worth $1.5 billion for ten years with Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Alight Solutions LLC, a company that deals in technology-enabled health, wealth, HR and finance solutions.

"Results are ahead of our estimates on all fronts. Wipro's right sizing exercise is helping to improve margins but at the cost of revenue growth," said Emkay Financial Services Ltd in a note.

The Bengaluru-based company expects revenue from IT services business in the December quarter to be in the range of Rs 14605 crore to Rs 14893.7 crore (exchange rate vs USD of Rs 72.02, as provided by the company)

It expects sequential revenue growth of 1.0 percent to 3.0 percent.
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The government expects some changes in the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a top government official said on October 24.

The relaxation of PCA norms was discussed at the RBI's central board meeting in Mumbai a day earlier.

Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and Department of Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar are on the board of RBI.

The central bank had specified a few regulatory trigger points, based on which some commercial banks have been brought under the ambit of the PCA framework. The parameters are-- capital to risk-weighted asset ratio, net non-performing assets and return on assets, an indication that the operational metrics of these banks are weak.

Economic policy decisions cannot be so stringent that they cannot be adjusted at the time of a crisis, the official said.

Out of 21 public sector banks (PSBs), 11 are under PCA. Central Bank of India, Bank of India, Dena Bank, UCO Bank, among others, are under the framework.

The resolution of stressed assets through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the government's recapitalisation plan of infusing about Rs 54,000 crore into the banks in the current financial year is expected to help these 11 banks come out of the PCA framework

The government has been in talks with the central banks to ease PCA norms such as alignment of the framework norms with regard to risk weights, provisioning and capital, in line with the Basel norms.
Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said farmers should be provided new technology to make farming more sustainable and viable as boosting agriculture is one of the top priorities of the government.

"Agriculture is at crossroads and the sector is unviable as people are leaving farming. Boosting agriculture sector is one of the top priorities," Naidu said.

The vice president also pointed out the benefits of digital smart farming is already being realised in the country, and called on farmers, officials and scientists to make united efforts to help understand new technologies and reduce input cost of agriculture.

Naidu was addressing the International Conference of Asia Pacific Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) and World Congress on Computers in Agriculture (WCCA) organised here.

"As India is going to be third largest economy in the world and growing above 8 per cent, we need inclusive growth. We have to protect and promote and give preferential treatment to agriculture," he said.

He pointed out the need to create required infrastructure, providing timely credit and value addition to farm produce.

As country's agri production has gone up over the years, yield is going down. He urged for more focus on agri research and technology needs to be made available to rural people.

Naidu further said providing information to farmers on the demand for their produce in advance was essential to prevent distress sale. Providing affordable and reasonable credit to farmers is also equally important.

Loan waiver and free power are not a permanent solution as it would not help in creating long-term sustainable activity, and there needs to be long-term plans he noted.

India is leading producer of pulses, wheat and rice. "To feed the population of around 130 crore people, we can't depend on imported food. We need food security and need to have evergreen revolution," Naidu remarked.
Pearson Professional Programs, the executive education programme provider is looking to launch 300 new courses in 2019. The company, which is a part of global learning major Pearson, currently offers nine courses to individuals who are looking to upgrade their skills.

In an interaction with Moneycontrol, Varun Dhamija, Vice President, Pearson Professional Programs, Pearson India said the endeavour is to offer courses that are relevant to the current needs of the evolving workplaces.

The new courses will be in the area of cloud, big data and Python among others. Currently, the most popular programmes are in the information technology (IT) sector in areas like blockchain and artificial intelligence, he said.

Pearson Professional Programs partners with leading educational institutions, faculty and content providers from around the world to help working professionals update their skills and progress in their careers. Educational institutions like Colombia University and MIT are partners with the firm.

One of the challenges in the online learning space is the rate of dropouts. To plug that, Dhamija said they have taken a blended-learning approach. Here, a student can access the course content 24x7, get access to international faculty from top institutes and have peer-group discussions.

Unlike other online programmes that have a completion rate of 6-8 percent, Dhamija explained they have a completion rate of 94.31 percent. They have a high rate of application and the concepts learnt during the programme can be implemented from the very next day at the workplace.

We expect to offer programmes to 3,000 learners in 2018. This will go up to 6,500 in 2019, he added. Of the 2017 batch, Dhamija said that 73 percent of people have moved up their career chain.

At a time when upskilling is one of the key requirements to stay relevant in Indian companies, Dhamija said corporates now want employees to pursue skilling activities post-work hours.

Companies are now asking employees to skill at their own time. Earlier, they used to be given time during work. Also, companies have realized that if they fully sponsor these programmes, they can only cover a small section of people. Hence, part-sponsoring is also becoming common, he added.

The concept of upskill or perish has already begun in companies across the world, including India. According to a report published by US-based research firm HfS Refresh, India may lose a third of its 7 lakh or so low-skilled rote jobs to robotic process automation (RPA).

The report said while the number of low-skilled job profiles will diminish by 2022, the number of medium and high-skilled jobs are set to increase by 1 lakh and 1.9 lakh jobs respectively.

It is also estimated that upgrading skills in areas like artificial intelligence, blockchain and data mining will help employees stay relevant and also earn higher than their peers.
Answer: Nissan.

The Madras High Court has disposed of car maker Renault Nissan's pleas challenging a revised assessment made under the Central Sales Tax Act over inter-state sales, asking the firm to prefer an appeal with the appellate authority.

Giving a thumbs down to straightaway filing writ petitions without first exhausting the alternative remedy available under the law, Justice K Ravichandrabaabu concurred with the submissions of Additional Advocate General Narmada Sampath that the disputed question of fact was to be looked into by the appellate authority.

Since the disputed question of fact is to be decided only by the fact finding authority (the appellate authority), the petitioner has to file a regular statutory appeal before it, the court held.

"Straightaway coming to this court and filing writ petitions against the orders of assessment made by the Assessing Authority or the orders in original made by the Adjudication Authority, without exhausting the alternative remedy of appeal, should not be entertained.."

Otherwise, the court will be flooded with writ petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution, the court said.

Also, the statutory appellate remedies provided under relevant enactments would be redundant, it said.

Nissan's petitions challenged the order of the Deputy Commissioner of Sales Tax, Large Tax payers Unit, Tamil Nadu dated 28 July, 2017 in revising the assessment made under the Central Sales Tax Act, in respect of assessment years 2014-15 and 2015-16.

According to the petitioner, the sale made by them to their marketing companies (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) is the first sale and consequently, the sale made by the said marketing companies to their dealer is the second sale.

Hence, it is covered under section 3(b) of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, (governing title to goods; their movement from one state to another) and thus, the Central Sales Tax paid by them at the rate of 2 per cent on such sale was valid.

Narmadha Sampath, who appeared for the Large Taxpayers Unit submitted that in respect of the inter-state sales, the marketing companies placed order with an instruction to the petitioner firm to deliver the goods directly to its customers.

In effect, even before the commencement of movement of goods from Tamil Nadu, the delivery instruction was given to deliver goods to different purchasers which are contrary to the provision of section 3(b) of the CST Act and hence it amounts to first sale, she submitted.

In order to avoid tax component for the actual sale value of such first sale, a new arm of marketing unit was created.

Therefore, the levy of tax under section 3(a) (covering movement of goods from one state to another for sale) is sustainable and well within the jurisdiction of the authority, the government counsel said.

Nissan's writ pleas were not maintainable and the impugned order was passed within the jurisdiction of the authority, she argued.

The court allowed the company to file a statutory appeal before the Appellate Authority within 30 days from the date of receipt of its order and directed the tax authorities not to take any coercive steps against the petitioner till the appeal was filed.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Congress President Rahul Gandhi

Madhya Pradesh, called the Heart of Hindustan in its tourism campaign, will vote in a single phase election on November 28 to elect a new legislative assembly. The tenure of the current Assembly is slated to end on January 7, 2019.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be fighting to retain control over the state after being in office for 13 years.

Counting of votes will happen on December 11 along with Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana.

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has a total of 230 constituencies and has been governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2003. Former Union minister Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur served as chief ministers between December 2003 and November 2005 before Chouhan took over.

Key dates

The Election Commission of India (EC) announced polling schedule for Madhya Pradesh and the other four other states on October 6. The model code of conduct also came into force with the announcement.

Date of issue of gazette notification: November 2Last date of nominations: November 9Date for scrutiny of nominations: November 12

Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 14

Voters and reserved seats

The state has 5.03 crore voters on its final electoral roll, according to data from the EC. The poll panel has also increased the number of polling stations from 53,896 in 2013 to 65,341.

Also read | All you need to know about upcoming state elections in 5 states

Out of the 230 seats, 35 are reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) while 47 have been reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST). The rest are categorised as general seats.

State politics

Barring two brief Janata Party and Samyukta Vidhayak Dal governments, politics in the state has largely been a binary contest between the BJP and the Indian National Congress.

Congress, however, has not been in power in MP since 2003, when Digvijaya Singh demitted as the chief minister.

After 15 years in power, the BJP is facing significant anti-incumbency. The poll battle is expected to be a one-on-one contest between BJP and the Congress, albeit a possible bump courtesy Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

In 2013, the BJP won 165 seats while the Congress had bagged 58. BSP won four seats while Independent candidates clinched three seats. The BJP had vote share of 44.88 percent followed by Congress 36.38 percent and BSPs 6.29 percent vote share.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi are expected to step up their ongoing campaign in the state as the polling date nears.

BJPs campaign is expected to revolve around Chouhan, who is the saffron partys CM candidate and Modi. The PM is expected to address at least a dozen rallies in the last 20 days of the campaign.

Congress has not declared a CM candidate. Congresss campaign is being led by Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President and former Union minister Kamal Nath as well as former Union minister and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia along with Digvijaya Singh.

Opinion polls

The Congress party is looking resurgent in the state if opinion polls are to be believed. According to an ABP News-CVoter opinion survey, Congress is expected to win 122 seats while the BJP would win 108 seats.

The two parties are expected to bag a vote share of 42.2 percent and 41.5 percent, respectively.

Despite Congress marginal lead and a tide of anti-incumbency against the BJP government, CM Chouhan remains the most preferred choice of the voters for chief ministership, the survey suggests.

However, a survey conducted by Times Now-WarRoom Strategies, projects that BJP would win 142 seats, 23 seats lower than it had won in 2013.

The survey projects Congress tally at 77 seats, 20 more than it had won in the previous election.

Further, the survey projects that other political parties, including BSP  who called off alliance talks with the Congress  winning 11 seats, up from eight in 2013.

BJP would get 44 percent of the votes while Congress would get 35 percent of votes, it predicts. Others would pick up a 21 percent vote share. It also suggests Chouhan is the most popular chief ministerial candidate ahead of Congress Jyotiraditya Scindia.

According to a News Nation opinion poll, the battle in Madhya Pradesh will be the toughest among all poll-bound states. The survey predicts that BJP would win between 113 to 109 seats while the Congress would bag between 111 and 107 seats. Other parties would win 12 seats. The magic number in the state is 116.
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TPG Capital and Manipal Health Enterprises are in talks to jointly acquire majority stake in hospital operator Medanta from heart surgeon Naresh Trehan and other investors, Mint reported.

Trehan, his family, and Medanta co-founder Sunil Sachdeva own around 55 percent stake in the Gurugram-based hospital. US-based private equity fund Carlyle Group owns 27 percent in Global Health, which owns, manages and operates Medanta, while Singapores Temasek Holdings holds 18 percent stake.

"While the discussions are still on and it is yet to submit a bid, Manipal-TPG is likely to offer a valuation of Rs 6,000 crore for Medanta," a source told the paper.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Earlier, Malaysias IHH Healthcare had submitted a bid for Medanta, valuing the firm at around Rs 5,700 crore. IIH, however, withdrew its non-binding bid following its acquisition of the hospital business of crisis-ridden Fortis Healthcare in July, outbidding TPG-Manipal.

Read: IHH wins Fortis bid  Meet CEO Tan See Leng, a bus timekeeper's son key to Malaysian co's rise to the top

Medanta's acquisition would help TPG Capital further expand its healthcare systems in India as the US-based company has been sharpening its focus on healthcare investments in India since 2016, the report said.

"TPG has been actively looking to build Asia Healthcare Holdings -- its healthcare platform. Medantas acquisition will help the private equity firm diversify its healthcare investments," another source told the paper.

As of now, TPG Capital's healthcare portfolio in the country includes Cancer Treatment Services International; Bengaluru-based Rhea Healthcare, the operator of hospitals for women and children under Motherhood brand; and Sai Life Sciences, a drug discovery and manufacturing firm.

Medanta has been under pressure because of price controls imposed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the drug pricing regulator. The latter capped the prices of ortho knee implants, citing public interest, in August last year. Earlier this year, NPPA further cut the ceiling prices of the most commonly used drug-eluting stent (DES) by 5.8 percent.

These controls brought down DES prices to about Rs 30,000 from around Rs 2 lakh, hurting revenues of hospitals in India.

According to the report, Medanta also reported a decline in its revenue after several of its top doctors quit to join rivals such as Fortis and Max Healthcare.

Medanta operates hospitals and clinics across cities including Gurugram, Lucknow, Indore, Ranchi, and Sri Ganganagar.
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Shares of aviation, oil marketing companies (OMCs) and paint companies soared up to 5 percent on October 24 as global crude oil prices slipped.

In the global market, crude oil approached two-month lows after Saudi Arabia indicated a possible supply increase.

Brent crude futures traded at $76.53 per barrel after dropping more than 4 percent on October 23 to $75.88, their lowest since September 7.

Crude slid after Saudi Arabia said it could increase supply quickly if needed, easing concerns ahead of US sanctions on Iran.

A fall in crude price is helpful for the airline and paint companies as it constitutes a major part of their expenses and raw material.

Oil prices gained nearly a 6 percent in July-September quarter and more than 25 percent year-to-date on looming US sanctions against Iran's oil exports. The sanctions will be effective from November 4.

At 0930 hours, Bharat Petroleum Corporation was quoting at Rs 276.50, up 2.77 percent, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation was quoting at Rs 226.85, up 4.49 percent and Indian Oil Corporation was quoting at Rs 134.60, up 3.54 percent.

Kansai Nerolac Paints was quoting at Rs 368.40, up 1.99 percent, Asian Paints was quoting at Rs 1,156.20, up 1.53 percent, Berger Paints India was quoting at Rs 273.80, up 2.84 percent and Shalimar Paints was quoting at Rs 88.70, up 2.72 percent.

Jet Airways was quoting at Rs 217.10, up 2.09 percent, SpiceJet was quoting at Rs 72.65, up 3.42 percent and Interglobe Aviation was quoting at Rs 816.45, up 0.72 percent on the BSE.
business Editor's Take | Easing the liquidity squeeze in NBFCs The government and Reserve Bank of India have stepped in and announced various measures to allay investor concerns.
Moneycontrol News

"Neither a lender nor a borrower be", ran a famous line in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Legendary investor Warren Buffett improvised upon this advice when he urged investors to never borrow money to invest in stocks.

US-based Mohnish Pabrai, Managing Partner at Pabrai Funds and author of the famous investing book The Dhandho Investor says India's non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) erred when they failed to heed Buffett's wisdom.

"They (NBFCs) loved the fact that if you borrow short and lend long you get fat, juicy strips," the US-based investor added, discussing the liquidity crisis that has engulfed NBFCs.

This crisis started after it emerged infrastructure financier had borrowed heavily in the short-term market to lend to long-term projects.

Speaking at the Morningstar Investment Conference 2018 in Mumbai, Pabrai also advised against shorting, listing it as one of his ten commandments of investing.

"Shorting does make sense to me. Your maximum upside is a double, and your maximum downside is bankruptcy," Pabrai said.

With shorting, it's difficult to get the timing right and markets don't follow rationality. He also said he has never shorted a stock in his life.

Pabrai highlighted the importance of focusing on targets and cut out "noise".

"None of what is happening with the currency, crude oil and IL&FS is relevant to what we do (at Pabrai Funds)," he added.

Parts of the Indian market are still overvalued, but investors can still found opportunities, he said.

Pabrai's investment philosophy has been shaped by legendary investor Warren Buffett. Pabrai even had lunch with Buffett in 2007, spending about $650,000 to win the chance to dine with the legendary investor -- proceeds of Buffett's annual lunch offer go to charity.

"I wanted to thank Buffett during the lunch," he added. The biggest learning from the lunch was to stop worrying about societal expectations.

When asked for book recommendations, Pabari mentioned Poor Charlie's Almanack and Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

About 40 percent of Pabrai's portfolio is invested in India.
Mangalam Organics has gained 1324 percent in the last 5 years. As of June 10, 2015, the share price was Rs 23.15 per share and now the current share price is Rs 329.75 with a market cap of Rs 282 crore.

The Commerce Ministry has not recommended any antidumping duty on imports of a chemical, used in the pharma industry, from China, Germany and Saudi Arabia after its investigative arm found no impact of its increased imports on the local industry.

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in its final findings concluded that the domestic industry is "not suffering" injury on account of the imports of 'Di Methyl Formamide' from these countries, according to a notification.

"The authority is of the view that imposition of antidumping duty is not warranted in the present investigation," the DGTR said.

The directorate considers it appropriate to "not recommend" the duty, it added.

Balaji Amines Ltd had filed an application for imposition of anti-dumping duty on the imports from the three countries.

The chemical is used as a solvent in pharmaceuticals manufacturing, polymers making and pesticides formulations.

The DGTR also stated that the large volume of imports are in response to the increased demand in the country and are not directly impacting the domestic industry.

"There is overall improvement in the health of the domestic industry. The production from base year (2014-15) to subsequent years have multiplied manifold and during period of investigation has reached 10 times of the production of the base year. The sales of domestic industry have also shown multifold increase," it added.

Countries carry out anti-dumping probe to determine whether their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in below-cost imports.

As a counter measure, they impose duties under the multilateral regime of WTO.

The duty is also aimed at ensuring fair trading practises and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers with regard to foreign producers and exporters.
The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on October 23 gave its nod to form the state housing development corporation to boost the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Minister for Housing Prakash Mehta said the corporation will boost PM housing scheme as well as speed up mega housing projects.

"The government has aim to complete five lakh houses for economically backward classes and low and medium income group beneficiaries through MahaHousing. It will be affordable housing," the minister said.

Maharashtra has set a target to complete 19.40 lakh houses under the PM Awas Yojna by the end of 2022.

The Centre has given its permission to build such houses in cities across the state, he said.

The project will be implemented through public-private partnership as well as a joint venture scheme. But to implement the scheme in a time-bound manner, there is need to form separate agency other than Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority and that is why the decision to form MahaHousing was taken, Mehta said.

The chief minister will be the chairman of the corporation whereas the housing minister will be the additional president.

The term of the corporation will be till the year 2022 or till the PM Awas Yojana target is achieved.

The corporation will raise funds from Mhada, Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), ShivShahi Punarvasan Prakalp (SPPL) and through investment from other agencies.

The option to raise funds from market, banks will also be open, the minister said.
After the startling news of Paytm Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma's close aide and one of his oldest employees, Sonia Dhawan, being arrested on the charges of blackmailing him became public, there has been no end to the conspiracy theories surrounding this development.

Sonia's lawyer has now responded to the allegations saying the promoters of Paytm were pressurising her to sell her stake in the company and she has been framed.

"There is definitely an element of conspiracy. The promoters were pressurising her to sell her stake," said Sonia's lawyer Prashant Tripathi.

He said that there is a lot of ambiguity in the case given that multiple reports earlier stated that the data in question belonged to the company but was later acknowledged as Sharma's personal data.

"With the kind of accusations which were made initially, there is a lot of contradiction. There was also a statement in the press that the person who called up from Kolkata disclosed her (Sonia Dhawan's) name without even receiving a substantial part the ransom. So, you can definitely make out that there is more to it than meets the eye," Tripathi added.

He also said that Sonia and her husband Rupak Jain had received an extortion call of Rs 5 crore on September 22, two days after Sharma received a similar call.

Also Read: Paytm founder Vijay Shekhars kin says stolen data includes 'photos, financial details'

"There was an extortion call for Rs 5 crore. The caller threatened to harm the family if the demand wasn't met," revealed Tripathi.

According to data shared by PaperVc with Moneycontrol, Dhawan has employee stock option plans (ESOPs) to the tune of 0.004 percent in One97 Communications and 0.02 percent in Paytm E-commerce Pvt Ltd, the two companies held under the group.

The cumulative value of the shares as per Paytm's current valuation stood around Rs 3.2 crore.

She is expected to have more ESOPs in other group entities.

Dhawans family members, who were distraught after hearing the news, feel that she has been falsely implicated. A cousin of Dhawan told Moneycontrol that this was an attempt to malign her image.

"She was promoted to the position of the Vice-President (corporate communications) of Paytm just a month ago. She has been associated with this company for almost 10 years. Why would she want to do something like this?" he said, adding that they have not been able to speak to her after her arrest.

Dhawan, her husband Roopak Jain, and another Paytm employee Devendra Kumar were allegedly involved in the blackmailing. The fourth accused, Rohit Chomal, is a resident of Kolkata and had allegedly made the extortion call to Sharma's brother Ajay Shekhar.

The court has rejected bail to the three accused who have now been sent to judicial custody.

Dhawan has been associated with the company for almost a decade. She started off as a personal assistant to Sharma and rose to become the head of public relations over the years.
BSNL Office In Mumbai

Telecom company Veecon Rok has partnered with state-owned firm BSNL to roll out wifi networks across 25 cities with an investment of Rs 36,000 crore over a period of five years.

Veecon Rok Corporation has also partnered with US space body NASA for communications technology, including wifi and mobile handsets.

It will also start selling Veecon ROKiT mobile handsets -- first glasses free 3D mobile phone through BSNL network from first quarter of 2019.

The telecom firm, a 50:50 joint venture between India's Veecon group and US based Rok Corporation, claims that it will provide both street level and indoor wifi coverage across the cities.

"India has surpassed US and China in terms of data usage due to Digital India architected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To honour this commitment, under partnership with Veecon RoK people will get free wifi access for first three months in cities where network will be rolled out ," BSNL Chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava said while announcing the partnership.

He said that monetisation plan for cities will be decided after three months, which is very likely to be competitive compared to existing data plans.

"There will no cap on usage of wifi during first three months," Shrivastava said.

Veecon Rok Corporation Chairman Gaurav Kumar Srivastava said that the company has built its own wifi network solution by using part of technology developed by US space research body NASA.

"We plan to invest USD 5 billion (over Rs 36,000 crore over period of next five years to roll out wifi across 25 cities. We will roll out networks in city one-by-one. Master one city and then move to other," Jonathan Kendrick, Co-Chairman, Veecon Rok Corporation said.

He said that Rok Corporation was first company in the world to create app for mobile phones, starting with Nokia's Symbian 40 operating system.

When asked about the time period the company expects to reach break-even in wifi business in India, Kendrick said the company expects return in next 6-7 years from the time it begins rollout, starting first quarter of 2019.

John Paul DeJoria, co-founder, ROK Group of Companies said that the company will not run for returns and will keep re-investing money in business and people.

"We are looking at what good can we do to good number of people. Success not shared is a failure. Through wifi we are trying to give something to people who will give back to economy in their own way," DeJoria said.

Talking about smartphones, BSNL CMD said that the handset will retail in the range of Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000 a unit, besides a special feature phone for around Rs 1,000 a unit through its channel partners.

"We have NASA engineered technology in our smartphones. We have phones that retail for starting price of USD 20 with wifi calling, social media apps. We are also making big library of content in 3D that can be accessed on our smartphones," Kendrick said.

He said that the company's library of 3D content will include films from Bollywood and Hollywood.

The Veecon chairman said that the smartphone users won't need any eye glass to watch 3D content on the devices.

"We are keen to produce our devices in India and we will decide on it in a year or two," he said.

The cities where wifi will be rolled out are Varanasi, Ghazipur, Vijayawada, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, , Panaji, Pune, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Jaipur, Patna, Cochin, Guwahati, Tirupati, Shimla, Chandigarh, Noida, Gurugram, Dehradun, Indore and Agra.
A high-profile marriage can often cost millions, but only a few are worth billions. When Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, two of Bollywoods most successful actors today, tie the knot on November 15, top marketing honchos will be rushing to their strategy rooms.

After Saifeena (Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor) and Virushka (Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma), Deepika and Ranveer will provide companies with a big branding opportunity.

Between them, Ranveer and Deepika have a following of close to 90 million fans on social media  a tempting platform for any company for its brands. Saifeena is proof of success of a couple's brand value in India  Ranveer and Deepika could be next.

The trend to use an acronym for couples first started with the coming together of Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Their joint entity 'Brangelina' was once believed to have more equity than their two star parts individually.

Interestingly, Ranveer and Deepika presently work with brands that have conflicting interests. For instance, while Deepika endorses GoIbibo, Ranveer is the brand ambassador for MakeMyTrip. Deepika appears in advertisements for a popular breakfast cereal brand, Ranveer meanwhile advertises for a noodles brand. Between the couple, they also endorse two rival banks  Kotak Mahindra and Axis Bank. Will the scenario change? Perhaps not.

Between Deepika and Ranveer, there can be three entities, two of them individually and one together as a power couple. The stars would continue their individual endorsements and take up new business together, said brand strategist Harish Bijoor.

In recent times, celebrity couples have evolved as highly marketable brands. Thanks to social media and popular hashtags like #relationshipgoals, couples and the images they share are highly desirable. Brands would now have the opportunity to marry the 50-odd million dedicated followers Deepika Padukone has to the 40 million fans Ranveer Singh has and make it a delightful branding coup, Saurabh Uboweja, brand strategist, who is also the founder of Brands of Desire, a management consulting firm.

According to experts, lifestyle brands and some FMCG brands could use the power couple for endorsements at approximately between Rs 3 crore-Rs 3.5 crore for a days commitment. Individually, both the actors are said to charge anywhere between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore for a day when they are taken on board as a brand ambassador. While taking both the actors individually could cost a brand close to Rs 4 crore, taking them as a team would give them a substantial discount.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump said that he will never accept people coming into the US illegally as he warned that America could end in a "total mess" like Europe if it doesn't reinforce its border with Mexico to keep out illegal migrants.

"We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!" Trump tweeted.

"For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again," Trump said in another tweet.

A caravan of some 5,000-7,000 mostly people from three Latin American countries - El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala - moving across with the intention to enter the US illegally.

Trump has claimed that there are criminals and people of Middle Eastern descent among the migrants.

"We cannot allow our country to be violated like this. It's very unfair. People are waiting on line that went through a legal system of immigration and they've been going through it for many years," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

"They've worked hard, they've done everything they're supposed to do, and then people just come running across the border. It's really unfair to the millions of people that are waiting on line to come in legally into our country. It's very unfair," he said.

Trump said that he is willing to deploy the military to stop people from coming to the US illegally.
Congress

Congress leaders met Mumbai-based activists and sought their views on various issues being faced by the city for incorporating them in the party's manifesto for the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Former Union minister Kumari Selja, who heads the AICC manifesto sub-committee, interacted with a cross section of people here Tuesday as part of the party's national outreach programme -- 'Jan Awaaz (people's voice)'.

After the interaction, Selja said, "Our party president Rahul Gandhi has instructed us to reach out to people and prepare a manifesto which will aim at solving most of their issues."

"The Congress has given the country many credible institutions. But unfortunately, they are being destroyed one after the other," the Rajya Sabha MP said without elaborating. Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said issues and challenges pertaining to urbanisation in the megacity were discussed with activists from various fields.

Besides, the problems of sanitation, housing, water supply, solid waste management and environment in the city were also discussed, he added.

City-based lawyer Afroz Shah, who led the suburban Versova beach cleanliness drive, transport activist Ashok Datar, NGO Praja Foundation's founder and managing trustee Nitai Mehta, journalist-turned-activist Sucheta Dalal, RTI activist Anil Galgali and others put forth their views during the interaction.
Representative Image

Moneycontrol News

The Supreme Court of India (SC) on October 23 refused to declare a complete ban on firecrackers across the country. The apex court said that crackers considered to be safe and green will be permitted for manufacturing, sale and use, across the country.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and AK Sikri however fixed 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm as the time period for using firecrackers on Diwali and other festivals. The bench also set the time period for using firecrackers from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am during Christmas and New Year as the celebrations begin at midnight.

The apex court also imposed decibel limits on firecrackers that could be sold in markets across the country. The top court restrained e-commerce websites from selling firecrackers.

What are green firecrackers?

Green, or 'improved crackers' are those which avoid use of ash as desiccant or as filler material for reduction in particulate matter (PM) by 15-20 percent.

Such crackers are those which have lower emission, sound and light emitting with PM reduction of 30-35 percent. They also have significant reduction in NOx (Nitrogen oxide) and SO2 (sulphur dioxide).

Gufran Beig of the System of the Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) told PTI that use of 'green firecrackers' and restriction on timing of the use are good steps.

"Any such item which produces minimal toxicity and minimal fumes can be termed as a green firecracker," Beig said explaining the concept of green firecrackers.

On the other hand, manufacturers said there is no such thing as green firecracker. K Mariappan, General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers' Association, said the direction on use of only 'green crackers' Will not work as "there is no such thing".

Manufacturers are also saying that they cannot produce such (green) crackers. They can reduce the chemicals used in manufacturing. But that will take more time.

Officials too are not sure how to categorise between "green" firecrackers and polluting firecrackers as there is no instrument to check the same.

Noise and smoke level of the crackers

The top court in its order said as directed earlier, the fire-crackers generating noise level exceeding 125 dB(AI) of 145dB(C) at 4 metres distance from the point of bursting shall be banned.

However, police officials have said that they do not have the necessary equipment to measure the decibel levels of firecrackers.

Some shopkeepers also said that they do not have any fresh stock of firecrackers and the stocks are two-years-old. The shopkeepers said that they would not be able to get fresh stocks in such a short period of time.

Delhi Police public relation officer and Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said the department will issue advertisements to create awareness about the issue.

Welcoming the court order, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board said it has already put in force a mechanism to stop the supply and sale of firecrackers beyond permissible decibel sound limits (90 decibel) in the past couple of years.

In West Bengal, crackers are burst for two consecutive days -- for Diwali and on Kali Puja the following day. Tamil Nadu has a tradition to burst crackers early morning on Diwali, while it is done mostly on Dussehra in Karnataka.

Impact on industry

Industry bodies, which peg the firecracker market at around Rs 20,000 crore per annum, said the court order, including restricting time to burn crackers to just two hours on Diwali and other festivals, would have a significant impact on sales and that they will file a review petition.

Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All-India Traders told PTI, that crackers imported from China are more toxic and the apex court ruling aimed at improving the quality of air during the festival season is a good move.

"Annual fire cracker sales amount to Rs 15,000-20,000 crore, of which at least Rs 5,000 crore come from Chinese imports. The apex court order will definitely impact sales, but is difficult to quantify losses as the industry operates mostly unorganised," Khandelwal said.

Checking emission limits

The apex court said that the noise and smoke emission limits of the crackers will have to be approved by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization (PESO), under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

To curb pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), it directed the Centre, the Delhi government and state governments of NCR to permit community fire-cracking (for Diwali and other festivals), wherever it could be done.

It directed PESO to ensure that only those crackers which have decibel (sound) level within the limits are allowed in the market and to take action by suspending licenses of manufacturers on such violations and disposal of such lots.

SC has also banned the manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers (series crackers or laris) saying that they cause "huge air, noise and solid waste problems".

The court said the police should ensure that there is no sale of banned firecrackers and in case of any violation, the Station House Officer (SHO) of concerned Police Station of the area would be held personally liable and this would amount to committing contempt of the Court.

(With inputs from PTI)
IMA Ponzi scheme case: A multi-crore scheme run by Karnataka-based I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) and its group entities allegedly duped lakhs of people by promising higher returns using Islamic ways of investment. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the case and has filed at least three FIRs. (File image of the CBI headquarters)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its charge sheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech on October 24, naming 195 persons and entities. The move to act against Sterling Biotech comes in the backdrop of the internecine battle for power at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a constitutional body mandated to act independently despite being staffed by government appointees.

The government could find itself hemmed in as the spat between CBI Director Alok Verma and Deputy Director Rakesh Asthana unravels, affecting both the credibility of the organisation, and the governments reputation as a neutral facilitator in the working of constitutional bodies.

On October 21, the CBI named Asthana as an accused in the Sterling Biotech case, an unprecedented event in the history of the institution. The CBI said that Asthana is being investigated for wrongdoing in six other cases as well.

Asthana, a 1984-batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer, has worked on several high-profile cases including the Godhra train carnage, that precipitated one of the worst communal riots in India and the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blast.

Asthana has handled politically-charged cases like the coal scam and the acquisition of AgustaWestland helicopters by the UPA government. He was appointed special director in October 2017 despite being named in an FIR in August 2017 that accused him of accepting bribes of Rs 3.8 crore from Sterling Biotech.

Following preliminary investigations, the ED claimed that the Sandesara family -- promoters of Sterling Biotech -- had established a web of 174 shell companies. The ED report suggested that certain "public officials" were being probed for allegedly accepting bribes out of the Rs 8,100 crore apparently bilked by Sterling Biotech.

"Cash to the tune of Rs 140 crore was withdrawn from shell companies and used for personal purposes of the promoters which includes bribing of public officials. The investigation in this aspect is under process," the ED report said.

The case relates to a criminal conspiracy allegedly hatched by brothers Chetan Sandesara and Nitin Sandesara to defraud banks by leveraging the influence of high-ranking public officials to access easy credit from lenders. They are believed to have fudged financial records of Sterling Biotech to raise capital from banks that were disproportionate to the size and financial health of their flagship company.

After the loan was authorised, it was diverted through multiple shell companies and not utilised for the purposes listed in the terms of the transaction. Sterling Biotech defrauded banks to the tune of Rs 8,100 crore. The money sanctioned to the company was raised from both domestic and overseas branches of Indian banks.

Domestic loans amount to Rs 3,675 crore of the quantum while Rs 4,425 crore was raised from foreign branches. The consortium of lenders was led by Andhra Bank. Moreover, the company managed to raise $80 million (Rs 590 crore) from abroad despite being declared 'wilful defaulter' by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2012.

An ED official told the Indian Express that the Sandesara family appointed "servants and employees" as directors of shell companies, while retaining direct control only in a handful of such entities. The money sourced from Indian banks was routed through these dubious companies and eventually used for creating capital-intensive assets in foreign countries.

The prime accused include Chetan Sandesara, Nitin Sandesara, Dipti Sandesara, Hitesh Patel, Rajbhushan Dizit, and the family's chartered accountant Hemant Hathi. The ED went on to say that action will be initiated against the Sandesara brothers under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Law. A red corner notice has been issued against the promoters.

Investigative agencies believe that the Sandesara family are currently based in Nigeria, where they have invested in oil rigs and refineries. Banks are trying to reach a settlement with them as recovering the money could prove to be a long drawn affair in the absence of an extradition treaty with Nigeria.

The agency has attached properties worth Rs 4,700 crore of the defaulters and is looking to seize more fixed assets belonging to the debtors, so that the haircut to banks is minimised. Former Director of Andhra Bank, Anup Garg, has been booked for allegedly colluding with the Sandesaras and helping them secure a loan against inflated collateral.

Although a white collar crime, the political overtones in this case are manifold. The fact that Rakesh Asthana, a senior official of the CBI, is being probed undermines the integrity of the investigation agency. Moreover, the controversy surrounding his appointment raises the question of whether the government exercises political discretion in selecting candidates who are pliant to their agenda. Asthana was appointed as second in command of CBI despite being charged with corruption in multiple cases.

Both Rakesh Asthana and Alok Verma have been sent on leave, with Nageshwar Rao being appointed as interim director. The government has further disbanded the team that is presently investigating the charges of corruption against Asthana. It has brought in new faces and shunted out officers who were working on the case. The team will now be led by Satish Dagar, and supervised by Tarun Gauba.

Dagar previously investigated cases against Dera Sachcha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, while Gauba was a part of the team that probed discrepancies in the Vyapam case.
File Pic: BJP President Amit Shah meets Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai

Despite Shiv Sena announcing that it will go it alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to continue making efforts to stitch a pre-poll alliance with the party.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in the past few months, has constantly raised talks of an alliance between the two parties. He reiterated it on October 23, as he said the Shiv Sena will have to ally with the BJP for the 2019 polls over the issue of Hindutva. The CM said those with even basic understanding of politics know the BJP and the Sena would have to fight together to win elections.

The two parties had been long-time allies, fighting various elections together on the state and national levels for nearly three decades.

In 2014, when the saffron party won absolute majority in Lok Sabha election, the two parties decided to fight separately in Maharashtra assembly polls after seat-sharing issues.

Though the post-poll circumstances let the two parties join hands again to form the government, Shiv Sena continued to criticize Amit Shahs party through its mouthpiece Saamna. The party leaders, including its chief Uddhav Thackeray, has also often attacked the party on various platforms.

It was in January 2018 that the party passed a resolution not to align with the BJP and go solo in the 2019 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls.

In the run-up to the two elections, scheduled to be held next year, the saffron party has begun talking about benefits of the alliance.

Earlier, CM Fadnavis had clearly said both parties will lose out if their alliance breaks ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He said if Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fight the elections together and BJP-Sena contest polls separately, the ruling alliances votes will be split.

The party further cleared its intention not to go for an alliance with Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Asked whether NCP could be an alternative to the Sena, Fadnavis said, "I dont think the NCP can be an alternative for us. We dont share any ideological similarities [with NCP]. I dont even think the NCP has an ideology. It is a party of convenience, so it will go with anyone if it is convenient. As of now, I see no possibility of an alliance with the NCP," Fadnavis added.

The party has also played down the constant criticism by Shiv Sena. "There was a fiercer criticism even between the Congress and the NCP during their rule. If one expects complete equilibrium, then there wouldn't be two different parties," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday alleged that CBI Director Alok Verma was forcibly sent on leave as he was collecting documents relating to the Rafale 'scam'. CBI Director Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them.

In a tweet, Gandhi said, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave".

"The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he charged.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, has dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations.

The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal.

The government has vehemently rejected all allegations.
Time and again, women have been questioned on their abilities in comparison to men. Patriarchy in all eras has subjugated women, and forced them to forget their aspirations and dreams. In the past, it wasn't just society that limited women, it was also the daunting laws and the punishments that were inflicted if women dint behave. Most people argue that change is happening, but what we all have to agree is that, the change hasnt reached the zenith of total and complete gender equality. Feminism is no new term and even if the wave of feminism dates long back in history, it has just touched the modern world. Women dressing as men is no new concept, Shakespearean dramas often had females who draped in a typical masculine way, and cross dressing in order to gain the leverage that otherwise wasnt allowed. Looking back at history, variety of reasons could be derived as to why these women and many like them dressed as men. Whether successful or not, glorified or mortified, these women held onto their horses, fought the shackles bound upon them by patriarchy.

Even as the political parties in Chhattisgarh enter into campaign mode, theres another campaign which has been gaining traction since before the poll bugle was sounded in the state  and it has, for some, already won the electors over.

The Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme of the Election Commission of India (ECI) has gathered steam in Chhattisgarh, especially in the areas where tribal population is in the majority. Collectors in various districts of the state are building innovative campaigns aimed at maximum voter participation.

Take Jashpur, for instance. A district in north Chhattisgarh which goes to poll in the second phase of the elections on November 20, it is home to about 65 percent tribal population. Priyanka Shukla, collector of the district, has been planning different campaigns for different sets of population almost every day.

The voting percentage last elections was 78.18 percent, Shukla told Moneycontrol. We hope to notch it up by at least 10 percent this time. With that purpose in mind, we launched various campaigns from September 15, the International Democracy Day, she added.

These campaigns included a 12km morning walk by government officials. The objective, according to Shukla, was to reach out particularly to those polling booths which had registered less than 70 percent polling during the last assembly elections.

The very first campaign was focused on first-time voters it was called Hum Tayar Hai. Around 3.5 thousand first-time voters participated in that campaign, Shukla said, adding that the unique aspect of the campaign is that those participating take an oath by standing in a circle. The idea behind the circle is that nobody is first and nobody is last. Everybody is equal in a circle, theres no hierarchy. Its called the Jash Pran Chakra and it has now become the soul of our campaign.

In order to further encourage participation of first-time voters, the district administration also organised a cultural evening, presided over by a band led by a Panchayat Secretary. The bands name is Jashpur Jhankar, its a government band, and it has composed some songs for the campaign, Shukla said, adding that the campaign for first-time voters created a positive energy. So much so that these would-be voters have started helping us with our campaigns now, Shukla said.

In Kansabel village, the campaign focused on around 5,000 women who took oath not just to vote, but also to bring 10 other voters along with them when they come to vote.

This also prompted women voters to join our campaign, so we essentially created two groups, of young, first-time voters and women who furthered our campaign across the district, Shukla said. This prompted the administration to form bitiya tolis which then did house-to-house campaigning to motivate voters on International Girl Childs Day.

Similarly, SVEEP Kisan Mitan focused on the farming population of the district. The farmers were very motivated. They brought their tractors, and then formed a circle  not just a human circle but also a circle of tractors, Shukla said.

According to Shukla, the idea is to motivate every section of the voting population by connecting to them personally. For instance, the 12-km morning walk our purpose was to make voters realise that if the collector can walk 12 km to come to you personally and ask you to vote, the voter can walk at least till the voting booth.

Officials said on October 2, around 3.67 lakh people from across the district participated in 741 such charkas. That is 55 percent of the voting population of the district, Shukla said, adding that the administration ensured that every sector officer was involved at every level. This ensured that a communication channel is opened up with almost every eligible voter of every area, the collector said.

Establishing a communication channel was important, especially in Jashpur, where the Pathalgadi movement in the state has dominated political discourse for the past few months. The movement posed difficulty for the administration, since the tribal population declared its independence from state and central governments, and considered the Gram Sabha as the highest institution.

This was a problem, but we ensured that those who instigated this movement were acted against, Shukla said, referring to the arrests of eight people, including an ex-IAS officer, in May. The accused, according to Shukla, are out on conditional bail, but they will be sent to jail if they try to spark the movement again.

As for the Jash Pran campaign in these areas, Shukla said the administration is organising workshops to build the tribal populations confidence. We recently conducted a campaign for EVM awareness in one of the most heavily affected villages in the district. The response we received was overwhelming, Shukla said, adding that the administration has been acting to ensure that the election is carried out in a peaceful manner.

Similar to Jashpur, Raigarh district has also been engaged in various innovative drives to motivate and attract voters. The district's social media account has been posting the picture of one voter each day with the voters' opinion on why voting is important, and why he/she is going to vote.

The administration has also established a WhatsApp channel through which the voter, after voting, can send a selfie and receive a certificate of appreciation from the district electoral officer.

We have been doing a campaign by the name of Awaaz Zaroori Hai and trying to explain people that their vote is their voice. They should use it to strengthen democracy, Shammi Abidi, the collector of Raigarh told Moneycontrol. We have been organising various programmes under it to register new voters and to further the cause of voter awareness, she added.

These are only two of the many districts adopting innovative methods to increase voter awareness, participation and inclusivity. Shukla now plans to write hand-written letters and compose WhatsApp messages motivating voters to come out in large numbers. "We have 28 electors in our district who are 100 plus, and we are focusing on them too. Plus we are focusing on differently-abled voters," Shukla said, adding that the focus has always been towards inclusivity.

"If you develop a bond with the people of Chhattisgarh, they will do anything for you," Shukla said.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh

In July 2016, Raman Singh became the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) longest-serving chief minister. The saffron satrap, who took over Chhattisgarh in 2003 and has remained unbeaten since, beat current Prime Minister and former Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to grab the spot. With his state going to polls in days from now, Singh would look to go beyond that and set himself up for a fourth term.

Most pre-poll surveys seem to suggest that Singh will return, and with a thumping margin. That, however, is unpredictable, especially in a state like Chhattisgarh, where the contest has always been head-to-head. With the addition of Congress rebel Ajit Jogis Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance  both catering to the vital SC/ST voter base in the state  things, observers feel, might get complicated.

However, this wont be the first time that Singh is forced to handle a complicated situation arising just before Chhattisgarh went to polls. In 2013, after a Maoist attack in Bastar eliminated half of the Congress top state leadership, Singh and his government were staring at a major crisis. The government had been riding on its success in reducing, almost decimating, Maoist attacks in Chhattisgarh, and had been planning to make it a BJP poll plank. The attack was a major dent on the governments image and its plans, to the extent that the administration was unable to respond for days after the strike, and even the state BJP unit was mum.

According to reports, Singh reigned in the bureaucracy, which suggested that the CM should communicate to the media its failure in assessing the security threat. Consequently, Singh, in a statement, admitted that there were "security lapses" but stated that adequate security was provided to the leaders.

"The charge that we did not provide adequate security is not correct," Singh had said. "The government did make arrangements to ensure the safety of leaders but definitely there are some lapses," he had added, promising an inquiry.

According to observers, the delayed but effective response to the attack in Bastar had suggested that Singh is capable of admitting to his mistakes but also taking a tough stand when needed. That polished his image as an effective task-master, if not an administrator.

Another incident, though on a much smaller scale, was within his party ranks. Before the elections in 2013, Brijmohan Agrawal, the then minister of Public Works Department (PWD), criticised the chief ministers top bureaucrats, calling them corrupt and asking for their removal.

Agrawal, who had nursed chief ministerial ambitions before Singh was installed in 2003, also reportedly tried creating a lobby within the government and the state party unit, asking for a change of guard. Singh loyalist Rajesh Munat, the current PWD minister, had reportedly played a major role in cracking the lobby and saving Singh his post. The chief minister had responded by taking away the PWD portfolio from Agrawal and handing it to Munat after the elections.

Even so, Agrawal, according to reports, has continued to project himself as the true son of the soil while Singh who was born in undivided Madhya Pradesh and was a part of the states legislative assembly for eight years as an outsider. This he made obvious when he took his oath after the 2013 polls in Chhattisgarhi, unlike others. That said, Agrawals recent involvement in an alleged land scam has cast a shadow over his ambitions for the top post, at least in so far as the 2018 assembly polls are concerned.

For Singh, the challenges range from inter-party rivalry to have him unseated to projecting his state as gradually clawing towards a developmental model. He wont have much trouble as far as the latter is concerned: in Chhattisgarh, Singh is known as the Chawal Waale Baba, thanks to his scheme of distributing rice to poor families for price as low as Rs 1-2 per kg. He has also been hailed for promoting startups in the state, with 36Inc, a startup incubation centre being one of the three non-academic incubators to be built by the central government under its Atal Innovation Mission.

The recent urban Naxal debate could also shape the poll campaigning, considering that a number of human rights activists accused of being in tandem with the Maoists work in the states Naxal-infested districts.

Raman Singh is often called the silent performer for the BJP in Chhattisgarh. An ayurvedic doctor by profession, the 66-year-old's electoral journey started when he was elected as an MLA from Kawardha in Madhya Pradesh, where he was born and where his family had influence.

Singh shifted to Ranandgaon constituency in 1999, and got elected as an MP. He was then appointed as the Minister of State for Commerce in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Singh had to give up his ministerial position, however, when he was deputed to the newly-minted Chhattisgarh during the states 2003 elections. The BJP ensured that Singh got his due after the party swept the elections and made him the chief minister.

It is to Singh and his developmental aura's credit that his government does not seem to face the kind of anti-incumbency wave that his BJP counterparts in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are up against. However, challenges such as farmers' discontent in the state and the party's loss of base in tribal regions are issues the chief minister will have to handle to ensure a fourth term for himself in the state.
IMA Ponzi scheme case: A multi-crore scheme run by Karnataka-based I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) and its group entities allegedly duped lakhs of people by promising higher returns using Islamic ways of investment. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the case and has filed at least three FIRs. (File image of the CBI headquarters)

The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of interfering in the working of the CBI and wondered if its Director Alok Verma was "sacked" for his keenness to probe the "layers of corruption" in the Rafale scam.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Modi government has put the "last nail" in the independence of the CBI by removing Verma.

Systematic dismantling and denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI's integrity, credibility and reliability is 'buried and dead', he wrote on Twitter.

Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isn't the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer, he said in another tweet.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations.

Former Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said the removal of the CBI director was illegal, unethical and unconstitutional.

The Congress on its official Twitter handle asked, Why has the government removed CBI Director Alok Verma of his charge and sealed his offices? Who are they protecting and what are they hiding?

Congress leader Manish Tewari said according to the Lokpal Act and the Supreme Court judgment in the Jain Hawala case, the CBI director has a fixed tenure of two years.

Government cannot curtail tenure/take interim measures without a meeting of Committee consisting of PM, CJI and leader of Opposition/single largest party, he posted on Twitter.

Surjewala alleged in a tweet: Scared of the Rafale Scam probe, Modi ji is killing India's premier investigation agency.

"Officers are being removed in hordes and fascism prevails. Can't save the sinking 'Sultanate' by it. Modiji, why are you so scared of the Rafale probe? he tweeted.

The Congress leader also termed the transfer of the agency's Deputy SP Ajay Bassi to Port Blair as Saja-E-Kala paani by an autocratic Modi ji.

Illegality, interference and unconstitutionality of Modi government has hit a 'new low'. Speaking truth to power has become a crime under this dictatorial regime, Surjewala tweeted.

The prime minister has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous 'Modi Made Gujarat Model' by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of the CBI, he alleged.

"PM Modi seeks to achieve surreptitiously and clandestinely what he can't do directly to sack the CBI Director. Habitual and perpetual misuse of CBI by Modi Government and BJP to tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases is the reason for this unfathomable mess, he alleged.
Malwa: In 2013, BJP had swept the region by winning 49 out of the 55 seats here. Congress won five seats while an Independent candidate won one seat. The region includes Mandsaur, which is the epicentre of the agrarian crisis. The Congress is hoping to make gains here. (Image: Reuters)

Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to vote on November 28. The polls are expected to witness a tough contest between the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress.

The BJP government led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is facing an anti-incumbency sentiment to some extent after being in power for 15 years. Chouhan has held the top office for 13 out of the 15 years.

MP will head to polling in a single-phase election, and the tenure of the current Assembly will end on January 7, 2019.

The counting of votes will happen on December 11 along with Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Heres are some of the key issues likely to impact the elections:

Anti-incumbency

While Chouhan remains popular and has maintained his vikas purush image even after being the chief minister for 13 years, reports suggests that significant fatigue against the government has crept in.

In a state where the politics has been largely binary between the BJP and the Congress, a tide of voters seeking change of guard would be difficult for Chouhan to overturn.

Data from past assembly polls suggests that a large swing of votes is possible in the state. Such instances have occurred in the past, including in 2003 when the BJP stormed to power.

Upper-caste voters

In September, multiple districts across the state observed a complete shutdown in support of protests called by various upper caste outfits against amendments to the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities (POA) Act passed by Parliament in July.

The protests were called by upper-caste outfits including the new SAPAKS party, Rajput Karni Sena, among others.

Reports suggests that the upper-caste voters, who have traditionally supported the BJP in the state, may be drifting the other way.

Fearing this, a senior BJP leader sent an "SOS" to the partys central command, seeking impact creating corrective measures "urgently", according to a report by The Asian Age.

The leader said the party had to take measures to prevent backlash from upper-caste voters.

"The anger among the 'savarnas' (upper castes) is too deep-rooted to be contained by any small measures. It has to be big impact-making steps by the Centre to prevent them from landing in the fold of Congress out of vengeance," a senior Madhya Pradesh BJP leader had told the newspaper.

Unemployment

The issue of rising unemployment continues to plague the Chouhan government, like most states in India.

According to data from the Labour Ministry, Madhya Pradesh had an unemployment rate of 40 people per 1,000 in urban areas and 44 people per 1,000 in rural areas in 2015-16. The overall unemployment rate was around 43 people per 1,000.

Chouhans government has come under fire for lack of job creation. The opposition has also targeted the BJP government over this issue and has been promising speedy creation of jobs, if elected.

Mandsaur and the farmer agitation

On June 6, 2017, police in Mandsaur fired at protesters who were demanding better prices for their harvest. Six protesters were killed in the police firing, leading to violent protests that spread to neighbouring districts. A day later, a local factory was torched by protesters.

The protests forced the Chouhan government to launch the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) in October 2017, under which registered farmers would be paid the difference between the minimum support price (MSP) and a modal price. The amount would be calculated by taking into consideration the average price of a crop in the state and two neighbouring states.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi was denied permission by the administration to meet the farmers. This, coupled with the death of six farmers, created a positive image for the Congress and a negative image for Chouhans government, political observers suggest.

To mark the first anniversary of the farmer protests, Gandhi staged a rally in Mandsaur on June 6 this year. In what was seen as a virtual election campaign launch for the party, Gandhi attacked the BJP governments at the Centre and the state.

Chouhans popularity

Congress has also been trying to play the soft Hindutva card by undertaking a Ram Van Gaman Path yatra and the party constantly portraying Congress President Rahul Gandhi has a Shiv bhakt during road shows and public meetings. Congress, however, denies playing such a card.

Despite such attempts by the Congress, many believe that the election will not be fought on religious or social issues. The BJP believes people would vote on the basis of development work undertaken by the Chouhan government and its successes in the state over the last 15 years.

Other suggests the election will revolve around a central factor  if people will vote for or against Chouhan.

Despite being the chief minister for 13 years, Chouhan remains a highly popular candidate.

According to an opinion survey by India Today-Axis My India, Chouhan was the preferred chief ministerial candidate for 46 percent respondents. This is 14 percentage points more than the closest competitor  Congress Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Congress

After failing to sew up a pre-poll alliance with the BSP in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is now holding talks with Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS), a fledgling tribal political outfit, to take on the ruling BJP in the next month's Assembly polls.

JAYS convenor, Dr Hiralal Alawa, told PTI that his outfit has sought 40 seats from the Congress as part of the pre-poll alliance in the state, which has 230 assembly constituencies.

"The Congress is in talks with us for a pre-poll alliance. Our focus is 28 seats in Malwa-Nimar region of western MP that has 66 assembly constituencies. Of these 28 seats, 22 are reserved for tribals," he said.

Out of these 22 seats, the Congress currently has MLAs in five assembly constituencies, he added.

Dr Alawa, who is a former assistant professor of AIIMS Delhi, says the JAYS eyes to field candidates in Alirajpur, Ratlam, Jhabua, Dhar, Khargone, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Dewas and Barwani districts as these places have sizeable tribal population.

"We have already showed our strength by holding Kisan Panchayat in Kukshi of Dhar district on October 2. Over one lakh tribal youths took part in it," he claimed.

When contacted, a state Congress leader confirmed that the party was in talks with JAYS for a pre-poll alliance.

The opposition party, which has been out of power in MP since the last 15 years, had earlier tried to stitch an alliance with the BSP, although it failed to work out.

MP Congress chief Kamal Nath had even met BSP supremo Mayawati over the pre-poll alliance in July in New Delhi.

However, earlier this month, Mayawati announced that her party will not forge an alliance with the Congress "at any cost" for the upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Blaming the Congress for what she called its "arrogance" and "stubborn attitude", the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister had also said that although Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi appeared in favour of an alliance, there were other "senior leaders" who worked to foil any possibility of an understanding.

Madhya Pradesh is going to polls on November 28.
Rahul Gandhi in Chhattisgarh

Amid the BJP's charge that he is playing the "soft Hindutva card" by visiting temples in poll-bound states, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will perform a 'puja' at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain on October 29 before hitting the hustings in the BJP-dominated Malwa-Nimar region.

In Madhya Pradesh, where elections are scheduled to be held on November 28, the Congress has been struggling to oust the ruling BJP from power for the last 15 years.

Gandhi will begin his two-day tour of the Malwa-Nimar region after worshipping the famous Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva in Ujjain on October 29, a party leader said here Wednesday.

"Rahul Gandhi will begin his visit to the Malwa-Nimar region after offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain. He would address a public meeting in Ujjain after worshipping (the Jyotirlinga)," said Madhya Pradesh Congress Secretary Sanjay Kapoor.

The Congress chief would also hold a road show in Indore the same day.

"On October 30, Gandhi will visit B R Ambedkar's birthplace Mhow, about 23 kms from Indore, and pay his tribute at the memorial of the Dalit icon. Gandhi would address a public meeting there," he said.

On the same day, Gandhi would address public meetings in tribal-dominated Khargone and Jhabua districts.

According to sources in the Congress, Gandhi is likely to visit Janapav near Mhow, which is the birthplace of Lord Parshuram.

Malwa-Nimar region is spread across Indore and Ujjain divisions of western Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP had nearly swept the region in the assembly elections held in 2013 by winning 56 out of total 66 seats while the Congress was restricted to 9 seats.

The BJP has been ridiculing Gandhi for his visits to temples in states where elections are scheduled, by dubbing them as a "Temple Run"--an allusion to a popular running video game.

The Congress had proclaimed Gandhi as a "Shiv-bhakt" (a devotee of Lord Shiva) ahead of the assembly elections held in Gujarat last year.

Gandhi began canvassing in Madhya Pradesh last month by offering prayers at the famous Kamta Nath temple in Satna district's Chitrakoot town.

Battling anti-incumbency headwinds, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been projecting himself as the champion of development while the Congress is raising issues like "corruption", "bad governance" and "rise in crime against girls and women" at the hustings.
Ramdas Athawale

A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar predicted a change of government at the Centre after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Union minister Ramdas Athawale countered him saying the NDA will continue to occupy power with Narendra Modi as the prime minister.

"I believe the current government will continue after the 2019 general elections. The NDA will be in power under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," Athawale said in a statement.

"The so-called unity of the opposition is not happening, hence such distractive messages are being circulated," the Minister of State for Social Justice added.

Pawar had Tuesday claimed that Narendra Modi will not be the prime minister after the next year's Lok Sabha polls, and that there will be change in government at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

"There will be change in government in Delhi and Maharashtra. No single party can provide an alternative. I do not think Narendra Modi will be prime minister after the Lok Sabha polls," the NCP supremo had said.

On the controversy surrounding the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, Athawale wondered why women were not being allowed inside the shrine despite the Supreme Court's directions.

"The decision is about treating women equally before the God. Women are denied entry in the name of tradition," he said.

The minister alleged that the erstwhile Congress-led government was responsible for the delay in allotment of Indu Mill land for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's memorial.

"The Congress-led government delayed the procedure to hand over the Indu Mill site to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's memorial. It was the Narendra Modi government that handed over the land for the memorial," he said.
Viju Cherian

The Congress is going the extra mile to ensure that political parties that oppose the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are on the same side of the political divide thats defining the contours of the upcoming Lok Sabha election. This is a positive development, and much of it depends on how the Congress approaches the delicate issue of coalition and seat-sharing. If things go according to plan, it could spice up the 2019 election.

A strong opposition is important for a healthy democracy. Over the past four years, there have been efforts to unite the opposition parties, but they have been sporadic and delivered mixed results. For example, if in 2017 the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh failed to live up to the hype and expectations, in 2018 the Congress-Janata Dal(Secular) alliance in Karnataka showed how tactful post-poll alliances could form the government.

The much-talked about Mahagathbandhan, the grand pre-poll coalition of opposition parties, has fallen off the political radar, and this will benefit the Congress. The focus has now shifted to tacit pre-poll agreements where major decisions, such as that of the prime ministerial candidate, will be taken after the election. The assembly polls to five states in November and December is also a testing ground for this united opposition.

On Monday, in an interview to News18, Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram said, We never said we want Rahul Gandhi to be prime minister. When few Congressmen were talking about it, the AICC intervened and stop such talk We want an alliance to be formed. The prime minister will be decided by the alliance partners after the election."

Chidambarams comment on the Congress not projecting a PM candidate before the polls is a stand the party has been maintaining for some time now. Nevertheless, it sends out an important message  that among the anti-BJP parties, the grand old party does not see itself as the first among equals.

At many levels, it is a prudent move by the Congress to sidestep the question about the partys PM candidate. Electorally, the Congress is not in a position to call the shots in a united opposition. At different times, almost every regional party leader in the opposition has expressed desire to become PM. The Congress naming a candidate would have further muddied the waters. It is a different fact that coalitions which are not anchored by either the BJP or the Congress do not have a respectable track record. No such coalition has completed a full term in office.

Most importantly, by refusing to name Rahul Gandhi as its PM candidate, the Congress has avoided turning the 2019 elections into a presidential one, and thus getting boxed into a corner of a ring that suits the BJP. If one were to take opinion polls and surveys at face value, some show that Modis popularity is dipping. However, he is still the most popular national leader in India today. In such a scenario, a Gandhi-Modi contest is a foregone conclusion.

The question that then remains is, after the 2019 election, if the Congress has a respectable number of seats among opposition allies, will Rahul Gandhi throw his hat into the ring? It will be interesting to see how senior leaders and former ministers in the united opposition react to such a claim if and when it is made. It gets trickier because Rahul Gandhi is yet to hold public office. He missed a golden opportunity during the UPA 2 government, where under the leadership of Manmohan Singh, Gandhi could have proved his mettle.

For now, the Congress is sensitive to ground realities where electorally it would not be a wise move to name a PM candidate. It is showing political astuteness and is receptive to the sensitivities of its allies. It is the Congress effort to keep the flickering lamp in the opposition camp lit.
Congress BJP, BJP Congress

Just weeks before Rajasthan is scheduled to go to polls, a third front is emerging in the state, Hindustan Times has reported.

Many political parties, barring the BJP and its nemesis Congress, are coming together to oust the national parties from the state.

The Left parties have forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Janata Dal (Secular). Besides, the state is witnessing an influx of new players in the state.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal will also be in Jaipur on October 28 to kick off his party's campaign in Rajasthan.

Read Also: Congress likely to win Rajasthan, says opinion poll

Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal is expected to announce a new political party during a rally in Jaipur on October 29. Beniwal is also reportedly in talks with BJP MLA (Sanganer, Jaipur) Ghanshyam Tiwari, who recently quit the ruling party and floated his own Bharat Vahini Party (BVP). While Beniwal is popular among the Jats, Tiwari aims to target the 7 percent Brahmins in the state. However, Beniwal said he will consider alliances only after he formally floats his party.

In the meantime, former PM HD Deve Gowda floated the Rajasthan Loktantrik Morcha in Jaipur last month. The forum comprises four Left parties  Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and Marxist Communist Party of India (United)  besides the SP, RLD and JD(S).

Raising concerns over how the incumbent BJP and the previous Congress government dealt with farmers issues, farmers offshoot of the CPI(M), All India Kisan Sabha, said both the national parties are like two sides of the same coin.

We are open to more parties joining the alliance to defeat the BJP and the Congress in the state, the farmers body added.

Read Also: BJP may deny tickets to many MLAs in Rajasthan to stave off anti-incumbency

Recently, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati announced that her party wont be tying up with the Congress in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Taking cognizance of this development, both Beniwal and Loktantrik Morcha are wooing Mayawati to come on board, even though she had announced that her party will be contesting from all seats in both states.

Considering the political history of Rajasthan, a third front has never been able to hold ground. Instead, Independents are more likely to emerge as a stronger third front in the swing state, winning an average of 10 percent votes in assembly polls.
Tripuras Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb made himself a laughing stock with a series of asinine statements transcending logic and facts in 2018. Whether it was claiming the existence of Internet in Mahabharat that was used by Sanjay to narrate episodes of war to Dhritarashtra or suggesting youths to rear cows instead of running after government jobs, the BJP CM gave series of chances to laugh.

Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Social Welfare Minister Santan Chakma left for Mizoram to campaign for the assembly elections scheduled to be held there on November 28, party leaders said.

Deb and Chakma also addressed a poll rally at Kamalanagar, the headquarters of Chakma Autonomus District Council, BJP spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said.

Deb was given special responsibility to join the Assembly poll campaign in Mizoram, he added.

Many chief ministers from the northeastern states will join the campaign for the Mizoram Assembly elections, including Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chakraborty said.

In the 40-member Mizoram Assembly there are at least five seats which are dominated by the Reang and Chakma community voters.

Earlier this month, BJP president Amit Shah visited Aizawl to kick off the partys election campaign and he had said the BJP would contest all the 40 Assembly seats in Mizoram.
Shirdi: Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray speaks at a rally, in Shirdi, Sunday, Oct 21, 2018. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_21_2018_000214B)

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has questioned Maharashtra government's "delay" in declaring drought in the state following scanty rainfall.

At a rally here on Tuesday, Thackeray wondered if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would declare drought only after consulting the "panchang" (astrological daily calendar).

Fadnavis said on Tuesday that around 180 talukas in the state are facing a drought-like situation, as the state received only 77 percent of its average rainfall this year.

Thackeray accused the BJP-led Maharashtra government of wasting time in discussions, adding the water scarcity situation has worsened in Maharashtra and there is an urgent need to declare the state as drought-hit.

"Karnataka government has declared drought without any condition but Maharashtra government has not done so despite water and crop conditions getting worse. Will Fadanvis declare drought only after seeing the panchang," he said.

Referring to the farmers' recent protest march to Delhi, Thackeray said cultivators had gone to the national capital to get their demands fulfilled but they were lobbed with teargas shells and beaten up.

"We were hopeful that our wishes will be fulfilled after this government came to power, but it vain," said Thackeray, whose party is an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

On the Ram temple issue, he said no one knows when it will be resolved. "I am not against court. But there is a need to formulate a law for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," he added.

The (BJP-led) government took "sudden" decisions like demonetisation and criminalisation of instant triple talaq, but hasn't taken a decision on the Ram temple construction, he said.

Thackeray also exuded confidence that the Sena will win in the next year's state Assembly elections and that the chief minister will be from his party.
Italy's competition authority on October 24 said it was fining Apple and Samsung ten and five million euros ($11.5 and $5.7 million) respectively for the so-called "planned obsolescence" of their smartphones.

The ruling is believed to be the first against the manufacturers following accusations worldwide that they encourage operating system updates for older phones which slow them down, thereby encouraging the purchase of new phones.

Two "complex investigations" by the anti-trust authority Autorita' Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) revealed that Apple and Samsung implemented unfair commercial practices, a statement said.

"The two companies have induced consumers to install software updates that are not adequately supported by their devices, without adequately informing them, nor providing them an effective way to recover the full functionality of their devices," the AGCM said.

Operating system updates "caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced their performance, in this way speeding up their replacement with more recent products." Samsung "insistently suggested" to owners of its 2014 Note 4 phone to install a new version of Google's Android operating system intended for the more recent Note 7, the ACGM said.

But that was "without informing them of the serious malfunctions that the new firmware could cause due to greater stress of device's hardware and asking a high repair cost for out-of-warranty repairs connected to such malfunctions".

Likewise, Apple "insistently suggested" to iPhone 6 owners to install an operating system designed for the iPhone 7, "without warning consumers that its installation could reduce the speed of execution and functionality of devices".

Apple "did not offer any specific support measures for iPhones that had experienced such operating problems and were no longer covered by the legal warranty; only in December 2017 Apple provided for the possibility to replace batteries at a discounted price".

Apple was also found not to have told customers about "essential" characteristics of its phones' lithium batteries, "such as their average duration and deterioration factors, nor about the correct procedures to maintain, verify and replace batteries in order to preserve full functionality of devices".

Both companies were fined the maximum possible, Apple paying double Samsung's five-million-euro fine because of its two contested practices. The Italian anti-trust authority opened its investigation in January following customer complaints around the same time as a similar probe in France.

The US company was forced to admit last year that it intentionally slowed down older models of its iPhones over time, sparking concerns it was unfairly nudging consumers to upgrade.

At first, Apple had denied it intentionally shortened the life on any of its products. It said it slowed models to extend the performance of the phone -- which uses less power when running at slower speeds -- and to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

The California-based group also faces a class-action suit in the United States and a slew of lawsuits in Russia.

Samsung in January said that it "does not provide the software updates to reduce the product performance over the life cycle of the device, according to reports". It pledged to cooperate with the Italian authorities.

The companies will be required to publish an "amending declaration" on their Italian websites with a link to the AGCM's ruling.

There was no immediate reaction to the Italian decision from Apple or Samsung.
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The issues dogging the telcos are unlikely to subside near-term even though consolidation offers some consolation from a long-term perspective, says a report.

Consolidation in the domestic telecom industry will create a more "rational" pricing environment which is a long-term positive, global ratings agency Moody's Investor Service said in a report.

It can be noted that the entry of the deep-pocketed Reliance Jio in September 2016 has put tremendous pressure on entrenched players like Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and RCom to consolidation, asset sales, job cuts and also bankruptcies.

While falling income and profits along with rising debt forced Vodafone and Idea to merge and create the largest telco as Vodafone Idea last year, Reliance Communication was forced to quit the consumer side of its business. The Anil Ambani company which owes over Rs 45,000 crore to banks has been dragged to bankruptcy courts by many of its creditors.

All the entrenched players have suffered reverses in their earnings since the entry while Jio has upped its subscriber base to over 252 million quickly driven by loads of freebies and other discounts. It has been reported that the sector may cull over 60,000 jobs in the near-term.

The irony is more for the Vodafone, as India was for long the most promising unit of the British major, helping it weather the gloabl financial crisis of 2008 and the resultant pains in its other markets.

For the first time in over a decade, Airtel reported losses in its home market in the June quarter, and was bailed out by its Afrifan units.

The falling revenue has even led to poor voice and data quality as the operators are not healthy enough service all their networks.

"Consolidation points to a three-four player market with a more rational pricing environment emerging in the longer-term, but no near-term catalyst for a rise in Arpus," Moody's said in the report.

Arpu or the average revenue per user is the key profitability metric that analysts track very closely. Even Reliance Jio reported a dip in its Arpu in the September quarter on higher sales of an aggressively positioned handsets.

According to Moody's, the now second largest telco Bharti Airtel's Africa operations are helping it deal with the pain caused in the home market.

It said the New Delhi-headquartered company's consolidated revenue indicates "subscriber growth and stable operations in Africa, which partially offset the troubles in the home market".

Commoditisation of the industry and cut-throat price competition are compelling the operators to rethink revenue diversification strategies, it said.

Commenting on the data revenue, the principle revenue stream for the players after Jio entered with its free voice offers, the report said the upcoming stream is showing positive growth.

However, it is "unable to offset declines in traditional voice and SMS revenue", it noted.

In a broad comment on companies in emerging markets including Bharti, it said capital expenditure will continue to be at a high of over 30 percent of revenue.

Disclaimer: Network18 is the parent company of TV18 Broadcast and Network18 Digital that publishes Moneycontrol.
Western Europe and the EU is the highest scoring region with an average of 66/100, while Sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest scoring region with 32 points. (Image: Reuters)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his government will impose a federal carbon tax on four out of 10 Canadian provinces that have failed to plan to curb climate pollution. The provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick will be subject to the Canadian dollar 20 per tonne levy as of January 1, rising to Canadian dollar 50 in 2022.

"Starting next year, it will no longer be free to pollute anywhere in Canada. We are going to place a price on the pollution that causes climate change," Trudeau said in a speech at a Toronto college.

All proceeds from the tax - to be collected from individuals and industry - will be remitted to households in the form of rebates or used to pay for projects to improve energy efficiency and cut CO2 emissions, making it revenue-neutral and to "help Canadians adjust to this new reality," he said.

Ottawa had worked for two years with the provinces and territories to design plans for each jurisdiction that would allow Canada as a whole to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Canada pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

In his speech Trudeau referenced a UN report warning that time is running out to avert disaster, and world leaders' calls to breathe new life into the Paris accord amid backsliding from several nations over commitments made when it was signed in December 2015.

"We are the first generation that has known how to fix this problem. But we are the last generation that will actually be able to do something about it," Trudeau said.

Environmental activists praised the federal move, while the opposition Conservatives and their provincial brethren panned it.

"It will hurt taxpayers, will not be good for the economy and will not help the environment," Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said.

In a statement, Trudeau's office rebutted those claims, noting that provinces that moved early to introduce carbon pollution pricing systems - Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec - had the best economic growth in the country in 2017.

Quebec joined California's cap and trade market while British Columbia, for example, introduced a carbon tax.

In August, Ontario quit the California market and joined Saskatchewan in suing the federal government to try to block it from imposing its carbon tax on them.

With less than a year to the next federal election, and Tories taking a hard line against the Liberals' carbon pricing, the tax is sure to become a key campaign issue.
Ecuador does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to negotiate a way for him to leave the South American country's embassy in London, where he has lived under asylum since 2012, Ecuador's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said in an interview with Reuters that Ecuador's only responsibility was looking after Assange's wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

"Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps," Valencia said. "We are not Mr. Assange's lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain."

Neither the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor lawyers for Assange immediately responded to emails seeking comment after normal business hours.

This position marks a departure from the country's previous practice of maintaining dialogue with British authorities over Assange's situation since granting him asylum in 2012, when he took refuge in Ecuador's London Embassy after British courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case.

That case has since been dropped, but friends and supporters have said that Assange now fears he could be arrested and eventually extradited to the United States if he leaves the embassy. WikiLeaks, which published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets when Assange ran the operation, faces a U.S. grand jury investigation.

Valencia said he was "frustrated" by Assange's decision to file suit in an Ecuadorean court last week over new terms of his asylum, which required him to pay for medical bills and telephone calls and to clean up after his pet cat.

"There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr. Assange's laundry," he said.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has said that asylum is not meant to be eternal, but he has expressed concern about the possibility that Assange may be extradited to the United States. Valencia said on Tuesday that he has not discussed Assange's situation with the United States' government.

Last December, Ecuador granted Assange Ecuadorean citizenship and sought to name him as a member of the country's diplomatic mission in Britain and Russia, which could have assured him safe passage to leave the embassy.
US Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) wave to the crowd during a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida October 20, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo FROM THE FILES PACKAGE "THE CANDIDATES" - SEARCH CANDIDATES FILES FOR ALL 90 IMAGES - S1AEULPBIPAB

The US Secret Service has intercepted a bomb that was addressed to Hillary Clinton and also discovered a possible explosive that was sent to former President Barack Obama.

Also on October 24, a police bomb squad was sent to CNN's offices in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a suspicious package.

A US official told The Associated Press that investigators believe the explosive that was discovered near the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York, is linked to one found October 22 at the compound of liberal billionaire George Soros.

The official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said one of the packages had the return address of Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The package addressed to Obama was intercepted on October 24 by Secret Service agents in Washington.

Neither Clinton nor Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said in a statement.

The White House condemned "the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures."

"These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that that referred to the senders as "these cowards."

Hillary Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on October 23 and on October 24 and was not at the family's New York residence at the time. She is headlining a fundraising reception on Wednesday for former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, who is running for Congress in South Florida.

Bill Clinton was at the family's Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility, said a person familiar with his schedule. The person said the device was screened at the facility  not in proximity to their residence  and never reached the Clintons' home.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the package discovered at Soros' home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a mailbox outside the gates of the compound. A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates, not near Soros' quarters, the official said.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

"I don't think that any country would dare to do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.

Rouhani said that before Khashoggi's murder "it would have been unthinkable that in this day and age we would witness such an organised felony.

"It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder.

"The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them."

Khashoggi, a government critic who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he organised the paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

The case has triggered an international outcry against Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump ridiculed Riyadh's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

The Sunni kingdom and Shiite Iran are fierce rivals which have long been engaged in a struggle for influence in the Middle East.
Google India, which had apologised in August for 'inadvertently coding' the helpline number of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), continues to insert the 1800-300-1947 helpline number in the contact list of the newly introduced mobile phones and operating systems (OS).

In a tweet, one Jishu, who claims to be a software enthusiast and to have developed an Indic keyboard, says he found the UIDAI helpline number in the newly introduced Google Pixel 3 mobile phone. Interestingly, Google will be releasing its Pixel 3 in India by the end of this month.

Remember when Google "inadvertently" added UIDAI phone number to every android device and then @GoogleIndia promised to remove?



See what I found when I extracted factory image of Pixel 3 and looked at the source code. pic.twitter.com/EI4DrPhVq5  Jishnu (@jishnu7) October 24, 2018

Earlier in August, after the challenge from RS Sharma, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to harm him through his Aadhaar number, French hacker Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) asked people on Twitter if they had the UIDAI helpline in their phonebooks.

While some mobile phones, like Realme from Oppo, certainly come preloaded with the UIDAI number, some people found this number when they updated the software of their mobile devices from Motorola, OnePlus, Samsung and Nokia. A few users of iPhone also found this helpline number on their mobiles.

Interestingly, this 'default' helpline number, 1800-300-1947, found in mobile phones is 'temporarily not available' as UIDAI uses 1947 as its toll-free helpline number.

After a furore on social media about sneaking the UIDAI helpline into the contact lists without the knowledge of the user, UIDAI distanced itself from the number controversy. However, Google came forward and took the blame.

It stated that, in 2014, the UIDAI helpline number was 'inadvertently coded' in the Android release given to the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or mobile makers.

"Our internal review has revealed that in 2014, the then UIDAI helpline number and the 112 distress helpline number were both inadvertently coded into the set up wizard of the Android release given to OEMs for use in India and have remained there since. Since the numbers get listed on a user's contact list, these get transferred accordingly to the contacts on any new device," Google had said in a statement.

This clarification from Google, however, is still hard to believe, at least for people who know how government or the authorities operate. Even if we were to accept Google's clarification, there are some issues with it. How was the UIDAI helpline number revealed only in 2018 and not earlier? And how was this helpline number still there in the system of other manufacturers, who do not use stock Android? Many mobile handset manufacturers make certain changes, add some apps of their own (often referred to as bloatwares) and only then allow their users to use or update handset and the OS.

One person, Anand, said on Twitter that he bought his mobile phone in the US and was using services from a local operator there and yet found the UIDAI helpline number in his contact list. He says, "Is Google saying they distributed that OEM on US shores? I have never bought a smartphone in India. I am asking Google to tell me which OEM inadvertently added this contact into my phone in US."

Dear Google, @sundarpichai,



I bought my phone in US. Have a US carrier. With this new phone, I visited India for couple weeks few months ago.



Care to explain what you did inadvertently in 2014 got into my phone that i bought in 2018? pic.twitter.com/vGX2l8XdSH  Anand (@an_a_nd) August 3, 2018

As expected, the blame game during August lasted for few days. However, what Jishu had revealed about the recurrence of the UIDAI helpline number in the new handset from Google, appears to be a deliberate attempt from vested interests.

So you have customized OEM images by country? What other government spyware and malware is included in the India edition please? #DestroyTheAadhaar  Ravi #DestroyAadhaarCompletely (@raviinin) August 4, 2018

A more serious question that needs an answer from all players, including government authorities and Google, is: What is the security and protection offered to common users? If anyone can push certain number on any mobile device without the knowledge and explicit consent of the users, what stops them from extracting personal details and data of the same user?

Nothing, unfortunately, at least at present, prevents these players from accessing all information from a mobile handset.

Do mobile customers need to approach courts to get justice from such unwarranted invasion in their privacy like the Aadhaar case? In the Aadhaar case, the Supreme Court had already struck down Section 57 that had allowed private entities like banks and mobile operators to mandate Aadhaar from users.

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In a new twist to the Rs20 crore extortion allegation from Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, a lawyer representing Sonia Dhawan, the accused and former secretary to Mr Sharma, claims that she was being pressured by the promoters to sell her stake in the company. Ms Dhawan, who had been promoted to vice-president for corporate communications, reportedly holds a stake worth crores in Paytm and its associate companies.

According to a report on Moneycontrol.com , Prashant Tripathi, lawyer of Ms Dhawan had said, "There is definitely an element of conspiracy. The promoters were pressurising her to sell her stake."

He also told the portal that there is a lot of ambiguity in the case so far, given that multiple reports earlier stated that the data in question belonged to the company but was later acknowledged as Mr Sharma's personal data.

"With the kind of accusations which were made initially, there is a lot of contradiction. There was also a statement in the press that the person who called up from Kolkata disclosed her (Sonia Dhawan's) name without even receiving a substantial part the ransom. So, you can definitely make out that there is more to it than meets the eye," Mr Tripathi said. He added that Ms Dhawan and her husband Rupak Jain had received an extortion call of Rs5 crore on 22nd September, two days after the Paytm chief received a similar call.

According to data shared by PaperVc with Moneycontrol, Ms Dhawan has employee stock option plans (ESOPs) to the tune of 0.004% in One97 Communications and 0.02% in Paytm E-commerce Pvt Ltd, the two companies held under the group. The cumulative value of the shares as per Paytm's current valuation stood around Rs3.2 crore. She is expected to have more ESOPs in other group entities, the report says.

Earlier this week, Noida Police arrested Ms Dhawan, her husband Mr Jain, who is a property dealer, and Devendra Kumar, an employee of Paytm, for trying to blackmail Mr Sharma and attempting to extort Rs20 crore from him.

According to the police, Ms Dhawan had worked with the Paytm chief for 10 years, a period which covers the launch and phenomenal rise of payment app. Mr Kumar joined when Paytm was started about seven years ago.

It is not known yet what data was stolen, but when she was Mr Sharma's secretary, she had access to his laptop, mobile phone and office computer. She allegedly passed on data to a fourth man, Chomal, who made the extortion call to Mr Sharma's brother Ajay Shekhar Sharma, who is a senior vice-president in the company, a report from NDTV says.

The three have been charged with theft, extortion, cheating, criminal breach of trust and conspiracy. They have also been charged under the Information Technology Act, the police said.
October 24, 2018 Open Thread 2018-56 Service announcement: People who insult other commentators will have their comments deleted and will be blocked.

People who use multiple names while commenting here will have their comments deleted and will be blocked.

People who post "the jews did it" or similar nonsense will have their comments deleted and will be blocked.

If your comment does not appear immediately it likely hangs in the automated spam filter waiting for me to check and release it (or not). Posting the same comment over and over again will not change the result but increases my workload. Don't do it.

Don't feed the trolls. Use for news & views ... Posted by b on October 24, 2018 at 18:03 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 


Defence Minister Niramala Sitharaman holding talks with Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu (Rtd), Defence Minister of Indonesia in a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Oct 23. Photo: Defence Ministry/Twitter

NEW DELHI (PTI): Months after India and Indonesia elevated their ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Indonesian counterpart Gen (Retd) Ryamizard Rycudu on Tuesday held wide-ranging talks, exploring ways to deepen defence and security relations, with a focus on cooperation in maritime domain.



Sitharaman and Rycudu, in their talks in Jakarta, also agreed to set up working groups to boost bilateral defence engagements in specific areas, officials in New Delhi said without elaborating.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Indonesia in May during which both sides signed a pact on defence cooperation and elevated the ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.



Sitharaman arrived in Jakarta on Monday on a two-day visit.



In the talks, the Indian side welcomed Indonesia's support for New Delhi's proposal to be part of the maritime patrol in the Malacca Straits. A number of ASEAN countries are part of the patrol, officials said.



India is keen to be part of the patrol in the strategically-key Malacca Straits.



Sharing details of the talks, the defence ministry in Delhi said Sitharaman noted that commencement of bilateral naval and air exercises between the two countries will lay a strong foundation for defence cooperation between the two countries.



"In line with the elevation of relationship between the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two sides discussed areas of enhancing cooperation, including strengthening maritime and coastal security, through improved information sharing," it said.



Sitharaman also met Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Gen (Retd) Luhut Panjaitan and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Gen (Retd) Wiranto.



"During these meetings, issues of strategic interest and potential areas of bilateral defence cooperation were discussed and agreed to," the ministry said.



Sitharaman also laid a wreath at the memorial in Jakarta for the Indian soldiers who made supreme sacrifices in Indonesia during World War II.


Five years ago, I personally went through a major change and people are going through it now with the B-20 rule changes, she said. I came out of an environment where I was an expert in one silo of product, and coming into the industry I learned I had to quickly get up to datelending policy, procedure, offerings in the marketplacebecause my knowledge only extended to one area. I learned to embrace the resources out there today.

The brokering landscape has indeed changed and Hinojosa recommends focusing on certain areas and becoming an expert. For example, for brokers thinking about specializing in the luxury home market and growing their databases, the Luxury Home Advisor certification is being offered. Dustan Woodhouse also offers Be the Better Broker. This weekend in Montreal, Mortgage Professionals Canada is holding its annual conferencearguably the one industry event with the highest attendance.

As we are entering a new environment and phase of mortgage brokering, its all about education and finding ways to evolve your business, said Hinojosa. Attending conferences such as MPCs National Conference, which is coming up this weekend, attending workshops and networking events and signing up for seminars such as the Luxury Home Advisor and Be the Better Broker with Dustan Woodhouse, you should always be re-investing in yourself to ensure growth and sustainability of your business long-term.

Hinojosa also recommends brokers study target marketing and opening new avenues of revenue.

Dont become a jack of all trades, master of none. Figure out your area and become a master.
Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $65 million as penalty under a settlement with New Yorks Office of the Attorney General to resolve claims alleging that fraudulent statements it made in connection with its cross-sell business model and related sales practices caused New York investors to lose millions of dollars.

The misconduct at Wells Fargo was widespread across the bank and at every level of management  impacting both customers and investors who were misled, Attorney General Barbara Underwood said. State securities laws are vital to protecting the hard-earned savings of working families and Main Street investors from financial fraud, and my office will continue to do whats necessary to protect the public and the integrity of our markets.

While the company represented to investors its ability to increase revenues through the cross-sell strategy and also regularly reported cross-sell metrics that supposedly reflected its success, it failed to disclose that the success was built on sales practice misconduct at the bank.
Ever since her childhood in Pecos where she visited the scenic wilderness of the Davis Mountains, tales of the Great Bear Hunt of 1900 has fascinated Jean Howard Longman-Flint.

According to a written account from Longman-Flints grandfather, C.O. Finley, the hunt was the jolliest old days ever spent in the Davis Mountains.

Her interest in the historical event and the North American brown bear, which was possibly the last grizzly bear to wander into Texas at onset of the 20th century, was quickened by her grandfathers role in the hunt.

I think they were adventuresome, said Longman-Flint, a Midland artist, line dancer, and former teacher.

Finley, a pioneer rancher and bear hunter, and John Means tracked the bear, not knowing it was an 800-pound grizzly. Instead, they figured it was just another black bear, which was what the hunting party of men, women, children, saddle horses and yelping dogs was pursuing.

Our party usually ran from 40 to 75 people: men, women and children, Finley wrote in his 1902-published account of the adventure. We had from 100 to 150 saddle horses, and always everyone was ready, which was never later than sun-up. (At the sound of a hunters horn,) off we would go to the mountains, which was bear heaven.

The hunting party gathered at the Rock Pile, which today is among the landmarks along the 76-mile Scene Loop in the Texas Alps near the Fort Davis community, Limpia Creek and Mount Locke.

Finley described the hunters as eager, the horses as fat and the dogs as in good shape.

We all anticipated a good time, and we had it, Finley wrote.

Their luck was good because the hunters had shot a bear or two and some black-tail deer each day.

On Nov. 3, the fifth day of the hunt, Finley and Means departed from the hunting party at the gap leading through the mountain and into Limpia Canyon.

All the country is very rough, Finley wrote. (It is) full of canyons, bluffs and lots of timber from shin-oaks thickets to pines fifty feet high.

Finley and Means followed their dogs that had scented the bears trail, which then had ended where the bear had bedded up near the cow (it) had killed. The bear then fled the canyon, and the dogs and hunters pursued the animal.

We rode like drunk Indians to keep up, Finley wrote.

Means spotted the bear in an open spot, but the animal quickly vanished as the hunters rode their horses around rocks and brush. The dogs led the hunters to the bear in deep, bushy, rough country, according to Finleys story.

About 125 yards from the bear, the hunters repeatedly fired .30-30-caliber rifle rounds into the bear, which Finley described that it began to pitch and bellow like a wild bull.

Up close, Finley wrote that he and Means spotted the gray tips of the bears hair, the mark of a silvertip bear.

John (Means) yelled like a Comanche and threw his hat as high in the air as he could, Finley wrote. Means then cried to Finley, Otie, we have got a grizzly.

The two hunters sounded their horns to summon the other hunters.

After stripping the bear of his head, hide and feet, which had three-inch claws later made into watch fobs and a brooch for Finleys wife, the hunters packed the heavy hide onto a stout horse. The horse faltered, so the hunters loaded the carcass onto a mule-drawn buckboard. The finished-out hide went to a favorite Texas and Pacific Railway official.

The grizzlys skull was mounted in Finleys home, and it eventually wound up, so the story goes, in the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of American History. The Finley family first wanted the skull to go to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.

Characterized as representing a new race of grizzly bear, ... this particular skull is the only known specimen of its kind in the world, according to a letter signed by W.B. Bell, who was the chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Wildlife Research Division until he retired in 1944.

Longman-Flint noted there is a curious connection between the Davis Mountains bear hunts and the popular Bloys Camp Meeting, which started in 1890. Finley and Means are among the Bloys Camp Meetings co-founders. One was for socializing and hunting, and the other was (and is) for socializing and preaching. Neither allowed whiskey or cussing.

It was mainly a bear hunt, Longman-Flint said. But they wanted somebody to preach to them.

_________

Ed Todd is a writer for The Midland Reporter-Telegram.
Louis H. Jones Jr., a well-known employee of Dannenbaum Engineering in South Texas and a subject of an FBI investigation, died by suicide late Monday, his family confirmed.

It's not clear how or where he died, but the 63-year-old was at a "place he chose." He was not home in McAllen at the time of his death.

Jones was the principal/director of Dannenbaum's South Texas region. He was a frequent campaign contributor to many elected officials in Laredo.

READ ALSO: Ex-county commissioner, ex-city councilman face up to five years in prison

The FBI raided Dannenbaum's headquarters in Houston as well as its satellite offices in Laredo, McAllen and San Antonio in April 2017. Search warrants were also executed at City of Laredo and Webb County government buildings. Jones' attorney said in a deposition related to a lawsuit in Hidalgo County that his client's "office was subjected to a search warrant."

"He didn't do anything wrong and fought it the best he could," a family source said. "And it was more than he could handle so he took his life." Now, he'll be put to rest in his hometown of Freeport, the family member said.

In early October, federal prosecutors handed down their first indictment in connection with the raids. Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales and former Laredo City Councilman Johnny Amaya were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery. They pleaded guilty to the charge Thursday in a federal court in Houston.

According to the indictment, an employee of a civil engineering firm was a co-conspirator in the case. The indictment says he is a McAllen resident and served as the lead project manager on most of the engineering firm's South Texas work.

READ ALSO: City of Laredo's business with Dannenbaum on hold after FBI raids

The FBI would not confirm the identity of the co-conspirator.

The engineering firm was also not named in the indictment. The indictment only described it as a civil engineering firm headquartered in Houston with satellite offices in Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. However, the indictment references that the corporation that allegedly benefited from the bribery scheme was awarded a road engineering contract by Webb County Commissioners Court in September 2016

Agenda minutes and video of the Commissioners Court meeting show that the $300,000 contract was awarded to Dannenbaum. The firm was also the only one to respond to the bid.
Showers drenched Midland with more than 1 inch of rain before 8 a.m., causing typical concerns for Midlanders dropping kids off at school and making the morning commute to work.

The National Weather Service reports on its website that 1.2 inches had fallen at Midland International as of its 7:53 a.m. report. That included two-tenths of an inch or more for four straight hours between 3:53 and 7:53.
Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wielded a megaphone as he verbally sparred with liberal protesters at the Donald Trump rally in Houston on Monday.

But his most notable moment came when he put the megaphone down to scream at a pile of horse manure in the street.

RELATED: Twitter removes accounts linked to Alex Jones, Infowars

According to a video from Reason reporter Elizabeth Nolan Brown, which has since collected more than 1 million views, Jones refers to the feces as Beto O'Rourke.

Followed closely by a cameraman, Jones brings up O'Rourke's drunken driving arrest in 1998, when the Democratic Senate candidate allegedly tried to drive away from the scene.

"Why did you do a drunken hit and run?" Jones asked the inanimate pile of animal waste.

In the video, Jones continuously asks the why Beto will not talk to him like "Senator Marco Rubio," whom Jones has clashed with multiple times.

Jones ends the seconds-long speech by spitting on the feces and saying, "Go to hell, Beto."

RELATED: Trump supporters, foes exchange words outside rally for Ted Cruz

Jones made headlines last month after Twitter said it would permanently suspend his personal account and his website's account from the social media platform.

He has made multiple controversial statements online, including unsupported claims that the children who survived the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, were "crisis actors."

On Tuesday, Twitter announced it would remove accounts believed to be used to circumvent Jones' ban from the website.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
Early voting numbers for the Nov. 6 general election are setting records in Midland County. Who does that favor? Depends on who you ask.

What isnt subjective are the numbers. On the first day of early voting, 3,546 registered voters cast a ballot in Midland County. Elections Administrator Deborah Land reported via email Tuesday it was a Record Turnout! She also said that the total buried the general election total in 2014 (736) and was even more than the first day during the presidential election in 2016 (2,636).

By 1 p.m. Tuesday, more than 2,000 Midland County residents had voted, she said.

We love it, Land said in a call with the Reporter-Telegram. All these people who registered are showing up and voting.

Land said more check-in computers are in place at the county annex and Midland County Public Library Centennial branch during early voting to speed up the process. More than 2,300  or around two-thirds of those voting on the first day  cast a ballot at those two locations.

Democrats in Odessa on Monday celebrated the reports of higher early voting reports across the state. Congressional candidate Jennie Lou Leeder, gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez and lieutenant governor candidate Mike Collier appeared at an event at Democratic Party headquarters and fired up the crowd with comments that people across the state are energized enough to finally elect a Democrat statewide for the first time since 1994.

We have reached the boiling point on a number of issues, such as public education, property taxes and gerrymandering, Collier said afterward. People are turning up and voting because they are clearly unhappy with what is happening. The question for us is are the voting Republican or are they voting Democrat. I think they are voting for Democrats because of the issues we are campaigning on. We are on the right side of all the issues.

Midland County Republican Party Chair Sherry Merket said Tuesday the higher voter turnout in Midland is great regardless of the speculation of which party will benefit. She said she voted Monday and stood in line with lot of first-time voters, which she believes could be residents new to the community.

Merket said that Republicans also stand to benefit from the higher turnout. She said any notion of her party being complacent in November went away after the politically divisive hearings involving Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

People are energized and fired up a little more, Merket said.

Texans also havent had a statewide race with so much interest as the race between Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, and Congressman Beto ORourke, a Democrat, for one of Texas two Senate seats. ORourke burst on to the political scene with impressive fundraising totals and large campaign crowds. Over the past month, Republicans rallied behind Cruz to let ORourke know that its game on between the two of the biggest political stars in the state.

I do think there is so much energy in the air, Collier said. There will be more thought to who you are going to vote for. I think party will mean less this time around, and the person will mean more. In my case, I want people to look at the candidates.

Land said there shouldnt be an impact on Midland County voters except for a longer line. She said the decision was made to use the 2016 general election as the standard for supplies and personnel, so in the end, there will be the forms and I voted stickers for anyone who wants and needs one.
Chattanooga-area Chick-fil-a restaurants recently wrapped up their Cookies for a Cause campaign benefiting the Believe Campaign for Childrens Hospital at Erlanger. The month long initiative garnered over $8,900 in support of area children.

During the month of June, area Chick-fil-A restaurants sold 6-count packages of Chick-fil-A Chocolate Chunk Cookies and donated a percentage of sales to the Believe Campaign. The money raised through the Cookies for a Cause will stay local to benefit sick and injured children in the Chattanooga community.



Chick-fil-As generosity and enthusiasm supporting our local children sets a precedent for community engagement across the Chattanooga region, stated Beth Agee, director of Childrens Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals at Childrens Hospital at Erlanger.



Phase 1 of the new Childrens Hospital at Erlanger consists of a 90,000 square foot outpatient center, currently under construction on E. Third Street. Upon completion, the Childrens Hospital Outpatient Center will provide more than 20 pediatric subspecialties and the highest level of care to the children of this region. The new facility is scheduled to open in December.



For more information about the Believe Campaign or the new Childrens Hospital Outpatient Center, visit www.webelieve.build.
VELUX A/S and Dutch investment firm Egeria have reached an agreement concerning the sale of JET-Group to the VELUX Group.

The decision to acquire JET-Group, a European leader in industrial roof light systems, is in line with the VELUX Groups growth strategy and specifically the desire to grow its business in the non-residential market for daylighting solutions. The acquisition of JET-Group is the second by the VELUX Group this year, with Wasco Products Inc, a US skylight manufacturer, announced in April.

The VELUX Group has lead the residential market for roof windows for more than 75 years. Its first step into the commercial market was in 2012, when it launched the VELUX Modular Skylight system. Today, the strategy is to develop a leading position in this business area through organic growth and acquisitions.

We have had a very positive dialogue with Egeria and the JET-Group. We immediately felt that the ambitions and cultures of the JET-Group and our company complement each other nicely. Through the acquisition of JET-Group, we will strengthen our foothold within the commercial market in several countries and add several new product categories to our commercial offering in Europe, said David Briggs, CEO of the VELUX Group.

The commercial market consists of two main segments:

 An architectural glazing segment, which has a greater focus on design, with architects playing a significant role in selecting glass or acrylic glazing solutions, and

 An industrial flat roof segment, which consists almost entirely of acrylic solutions, such as domes or continuous roof lights (CRLs).

The two segments vary significantly in their target customer groups and sales processes. The VELUX VMS business has a strong presence in the architectural glazing segment while JET has a leading market position in the industrial flat roof segment.

We look forward to becoming part of the VELUX Group and we see a lot of growth potential and possibilities to strengthen our European business to the benefit of our customers and employees, said Ralf Dahmer, CEO of JET-Group.

With the acquisition of JET-Group we immediately become one of the leading players in the commercial market in Europe and will begin to merge our VMS operations with the JET-Group to build a new commercial division, which can drive further growth in this market. We also see opportunities to improve JETs wholesale business by selling some products through the VELUX distribution network, which will also bring more business to our dealer partners. VELUX has always focused on providing daylight and fresh air to create better living and working environments, and the acquisition of JET helps us gain scale and extend our business into a whole new market segment, said David Briggs, CEO of the VELUX Group.

The acquisition must be approved by the competition authorities in Germany and Austria before it can be completed. The companies will not disclose further information about the agreement until final approval is granted.

Pending approval and subject to completion of the acquisition of JET-Group, JET products will continue to be sold under the JET brand and through the existing organisation, while VELUX will continue to sell VMS products until customers are familiar with the change of ownership and a structured transition to the VELUX brand can be made and communicated to the market. Synergies are expected from developing common functions and key accounts across the two organisations, which will form the basis for a new VELUX commercial division.

VELUX has been assisted in the transaction by EY Corporate Finance and Dentons and Egeria has had Houlihan Lokey and Allen & Overy as advisors.
Saint-Gobain joins campaign to end modern slavery

It has been supported by industry sponsors including Saint-Gobain, which operates in 66 countries and has more than 170,000 employees.

In the EU, construction ranks second only to the sex industry as the sector most prone to exploitation.

As part of this new campaign, Stronger Together will run specialist training workshops and provide free resources including a best practice toolkit for businesses.

Stella Boot, Head of Supply Chain Development and Purchasing Excellence at Saint-Gobain UK and Ireland said: We are delighted to be able to contribute to the development of this very important programme for professionals in the construction industry.

Modern slavery has no place in the industry and we need to come together to ensure this is eradicated from all supply chains sector-wide.

Pamela Zielinski, Construction Programme Manager at Stronger Together, said: Stronger Together has been working to stamp out modern slavery in supply chains for five years now.

Our construction specific activity began last year and continues to grow. We are grateful to all our project sponsors for their ongoing support.

Construction specific workshops will take place on 15 November in Derby and 11 December in London. Spaces are still available and you can book your place here.
President Donald Trump speaking to county supervisors of California, Hawaii and Alaska View Photos

Sonora, CA  District Five Tuolumne County Supervisor Karl Rodefer was among a contingency in Washington, DC this week meeting with senior administration officials, and President Donald Trump even made a surprise appearance.

Noting that all five of the Tuolumne County Supervisors got invitations to the Trump Administrations state day, Rodefer says he was the only one who was able to make the trip.

The program, run by the White Houses Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, actually started at the beginning of the year. It targeted all states and included county supervisors from both parties. Rodefer was on hand this week when the final three states participated in the event, which were California, Hawaii and Alaska.

Rodefer detailed that his day began with a tour of the White House and then the over 100 local lawmakers got briefings from cabinet heads, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Roderfer detailed the topics discussed, Things like our roads, infrastructure, forestry management and personal property rights. You could name almost any issue that I get daily or weekly phone calls and emails about. They understand what I am dealing with on a day-to-day basis. That was loud and clear.

As for the take away for the county, Rodefer added, This administration at their level is trying to help us, at our level, fix these problems. Sometimes thats funding, and sometimes thats just working with us to identify the right solution.

Rodefer pointed to a presentation from White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on the opioid crisis as an example of that, stating, The one take away I would throw out is that in spite of the recent Supreme Court hearings, and in spite of some of the acrimony thats going on in the election process, the real people are getting the work done in both partiesTheyve had some tremendous successes; most notably associated with the opioid issue.

The real shocker, according to Roderer, came at the end of the event when President Trump walked in, headed to the podium and began to speak. Rodefer described the energy in the room as electric, stating, More than any single comment that he made, it was just the general tenor of being in the room with the man. I think that the consensus in the room, I dont care if you lean left or lean right, everybody in the room was energized by that man.

Giving his final thoughts on the day, Rodefer stated they had three hours and fifteen minutes with some of the most powerful people in the country, and he feels it was time they invested wisely (speaking with county leaders across the country). He concluded, It was an awesome experience
The Tuolumne County Alliance for Resources and Environment (TuCARE) is holding a Natural Resources Summit this Friday from 9 AM to Noon in the Sierra Building at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.

Melinda Fleming, Executive Director of TuCARE, was Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

Congressman Tom McClintock will be the Keynote Speaker at the event.

The Summit is open to the public and admission is free. Natural Resource agencies, organizations and businesses will provide information tables prior to and after the summit for attendees to peruse. Doors open at 8:00 a.m.

Confirmed speakers for the summit, titled Taming The Beast, include Barnie Gyant with the US Forest Service Region 5, Steve Brink with the California Forestry Association, Shaun Crook with the California Farm Bureau, Helge Eng and Nick Casci with CALFIRE and Julie von Savoye with Cutler Segerstrom Insurance.

Approximately 300 people attend the summit held almost every year. Topics covered in past years include hot topics such as global warming, environmental extremism and the importance of a strong wood products industry (logging) as it relates to forest health.

TuCARE is a community based non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded in 1988. Our membership is a cross-section of the community and includes business persons, educators, retirees, and those actively engaged in working on a daily basis with natural resources. TuCARE supports conservation and the multiple-use of natural resources on public lands. Multiple-use policies allow for everyone to benefit. TuCARE seeks stability for resource industries in order to ensure the economic soundness and stability of local communities.

For more information contact, (209) 586-7816 or log on to tucare.com

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML and FM 102.7 at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.
| BY Ricki Green |

After a competitive pitch in December 2017, Special Group has joined the CUB roster as agency of record for Carlton Dry. The new brand campaign Be Like The Beer is the first CUB work from Special Group and launches this week in multiple channels, including TV, cinema, social and digital.

Says Cade Heyde, managing director and partner, Special Group: We are incredibly proud to have earned a place on CUBs roster and to work with such an iconic family of brands. This is a business thats been responsible for some of Australias best advertising, and we only hope to add to that already impressive legacy.

Says Hayden Turner, senior marketing manager, Carlton Dry: When we talk to our consumers they tell us that Carlton Dry is the most easy drinking beer on the market, super refreshing with an uncomplicated taste profile and thats why they love it. The Special Group have uncovered the magic that sits behind this truth and we are very excited to see it hit the market.

The new Carlton Dry campaign strategically both helps position Carlton Dry as a unisex beer option, and also introduces the notion of  uncomplicated  as a descriptor of easy drinking, smooth lagers. It reveals to Aussie drinkers that in a world overrun with complications, we could do a bit more with being like Carlton Dry  an easy drinking, uncomplicated beer.

Says Julian Schreiber, ECD and partner, Special Group: Carlton Dry has always strived to be an uncomplicated beer for a complicated world. So it made sense to let the beer itself be the voice of reason and point out whats happening all around us. If you think about it beers have probably seen it all.

Says Tom Martin ECD and partner, Special Group: Be like the Beer came from the simple insight that being uncomplicated like the taste of Carlton Dry is something to actually aspire to. It immediately positioned Dry as the kind of beer wed want more of as we find ourselves overwhelmed by things that used to be no-brainers.

The films personify the beer as a full-sized guy and girl, each pointing out how even some basic things in life have become unnecessarily complicated. Our human beers notice how the world is going a bit wrong in a light hearted way, encouraging the audience to Be uncomplicated. Be Like The Beer. From cryptic signs, to dip flavours and even beer itself  theres proof everywhere you look that things would just be better for us if they were less complicated like Carlton Dry.

The campaign launches this week.

Creative Agency: Special Group

CEO, Partner: Lindsey Evans

Managing Director, Partner: Cade Heyde

Planning Partner: Dave Hartmann

Executive Creative Directors, Partners: Tom Martin, Julian Schreiber

Creative Directors: Jack Nunn and Nils Eberhardt

Creatives: Jack Nunn, Nils Eberhardt, Harry Stanford, Nick Plomp

Business Lead: Tori Magill

Executive Producer: Paul Johnston

Brand Director for Contemporary beers: Brian Phan

VP Marketing APAC South: Richard Oppy

Carlton Dry Senior Marketing Manager: Hayden Turner

Carlton Dry Brand Manager: Bianca Robortaccio

Production Company: Revolver/Will ORourke

Director: Trevor Clarence

Managing Director/Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie

Executive Producer: Pip Smart

Producer: Serena Paull

Director of Photography: Russell Boyd

Editor: Stuart Morley

Post Production: Blockhead

Casting: Danny Long Casting

Audio: Rumble Studios
More than 100 million people in this country have a pre-existing medical condition that could make finding health coverage difficult, if not impossible, should current protections be lifted, a national study released has found.

That means more than half of Americans with insurance outside major public programs, such as Medicaid or Medicare, could potentially feel the brunt of a lawsuit seeking to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional and dismantle the law's consumer protections, according to Avalere, a national health care research and consulting firm.

In February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, joined by 19 other state attorneys general across the country, filed a legal challenge to the law known as Obamacare in federal court in Fort Worth. The case argues that when Congress last year removed the penalty for not having health insurance it rendered the entire law invalid.

The Trump administration later gave credence to the challenge by refusing to defend the health care law. The lawsuit is still pending with a decision expected this year but many believe it will ultimately be decided in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Paxton's office declined to comment on the lawsuit because it is still pending, a spokesman said.

RELATED: Texas leads new lawsuit to effectively repeal Obamacare

Prior to the passage of the ACA in 2010, people with chronic health problems or pre-existing conditions, even many years prior, could be charged significantly more by insurers or denied outright under a practice known as medical underwriting. The current health care law made that illegal.

A separate 2016 study by Kaiser Family Foundation estimated about 27 percent of adult Texans under the age of 65, or roughly 4.5 million, had a health issue that would have led them to be denied health coverage in the pre-Obamacare era.

"Virtually every American has someone with an existing health condition in their family at any given time," said Dan Mendelson, founder of Avalere, in a statement on Tuesday.

Pre-existing condition protections have become a rallying cry in the mid-term elections, especially among Democrats who point to repeated Republican efforts to repeal, undercut or replace Obamacare.

RELATED: Voters worried about pre-existing condition protection

Last week, President Donald Trump returned to his presidential campaign promise to preserve the protections, despite his more recent support of the lawsuit and other measures that would eliminate them. On Oct. 18, he tweeted: "All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions and if they don't they will after I speak to them."

Even as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has pledged to try again to repeal the federal health care law that extended protections for pre-existing conditions should Republicans maintain their control of Congress, Trump doubled down Wednesday to make the GOP the champions of patients with health conditions with this tweet: Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions, Democrats will not! Vote Republican.

The Avalere report found overall that 102,400,000 people, without Medicare or Medicaid, had some sort of pre-existing condition. Their research was based on the 2015 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey which looks at health conditions, coverage sources and health costs for a representative sample of the U.S, population.

About 50 percent of those with pre-existing conditions had cardiovascular disease and roughly 28 percent had a mental health disorder. Obesity, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as COPD, also fell under the heading of pre-exisiting condition. So did cancer and pregnancy, the data showed.

"Protections for pre-existing conditions are the only reason some Americans are able to afford health insurance," said Chris Sloan, director at Avalere. "Many of the most common health conditions in the country could lead to individuals being denied access to health insurance if pre-existing condition protections are eliminated."
The nation's stockpile of commercial crude oil rose by 6.3 million barrels last month, but the jump was more than offset by declines in the storage of gasoline, distillate fuel oil and other products.

The U.S. Energy Department's report Wednesday on crude inventories is a smaller jump than the 9.8 million barrel oil build projected by the American Petroleum Institute, but more than the 3.5 million barrels estimated by Bloomberg.
The resumption of U.S. sanctions on Iran will add "significant uncertainty" to price forecasts for crude oil and gasoline in 2019, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Wednesday.

The agency expects international oil prices to increase to an average of $81 a barrel in the fourth quarter before falling to an average of $75 a barrel in 2019. But it noted that the effect of the sanctions, set to resume Nov. 4, could have substantial effects on prices for both oil and gasoline if the oil market tightens as a result.
When Radu and Livia Istrate started working on their project for the SmartSA Datathon, the brother and sister team drew inspiration from their mother.

Sweltering summer weather can be dangerous for older residents, who are more at risk for heat-related health issues, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Power and water outages or lack of access can increase that risk.

What if the Istrates could get a voice or a text alert notifying them that their mothers power was out? What if there were cooling stations she could get to quickly by using public transportation?

The pair came up with a solution using data sets provided by participating organizations, which included the city, VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio Water System, CPS Energy and the San Antonio River Authority. They created a dashboard showing features like the heat index, the seniors at risk and the distance of a power outage from the closest bus stop.

Free VIA passes and more cooling stations could help older residents on sweltering days, and family, friends and neighbors could subscribe to text alerts notifying them of outages, they told a panel of judges Sunday. Their project won the top prize at the competition: $15,000 and the opportunity to work with the partner groups.

We wanted to focus on a specific problem, Radu Istrate said in an interview after their presentation. This seemed more feasible and easy to implement.

The siblings were among seven teams that spent the weekend working on and presenting their ideas at the Datathon, a competition put on by the city, CivTechSA and the SmartSA partner organizations. Participants were tasked with using data sets released by the groups to come up with solutions in the areas of transportation, access to services and sustainability.

The data were made available in August, submissions started in September, and finalists were selected in October. Starting Friday night, the teams worked through the weekend and pitched their ideas to a panel of judges at Geekdoms event center on Sunday. The panel included representatives from the partner organizations.

Groups developed platforms the public could use to figure out where they wanted to live based on certain features, such as air quality and access to transportation, or scores for a neighborhood. Some pitched a gamelike model that offered rewards if users cut their water and energy usage or took public transportation and a program to help make homes more energy-efficient. A team calling themselves the Data Introverts focused on sustainability and built a portal using several of the data sets, which won $2,500 for the most insightful project.

The competition was an opportunity for citizens to use their skill sets to come up with solutions, said Johnathan Reyna, who was on one of the teams.

Agencies are putting their data where their mouth is, he said. Its bigger than just one weekend.

Another team, Papa Parsers, won $2,500 for a platform they created. People could enter their ZIP code and choose from several categories to see the 311 calls, potholes, crime and other incidents in their neighborhood. The competition brought minds together for a common cause, said Santiago Garcia, one of the team members.

Judges complimented the teams for their ideas and encouraged them to keep working. Craig Hopkins, the citys chief information officer, praised participants focus on those who need help.

I didnt hear a lot about technology and data, he said.

It was intriguing to see how many different ideas teams came up with using the same data sets, said Radu Istrate.

Its impossible to know the impact data can have initially, he added.

The deeper you dive, the more meaning there is, he said.

madison.iszler@express-news.net | @madisoniszler
Travelers often rely on social media reviews when they're trying to find a good restaurant in a strange new city, but not all reviews  or reviewers  are created equal.

I rely on social media to some degree for restaurant recommendations in new cities, but my secret, non-digital weapon in uncovering great places is this: Ask locals (like drivers, desk clerks, even your hotel housekeeper) where they like to go, or where they had their latest greatest meal. Where they would take their friends and families out for a great meal. Where do you go out to eat over and over again? What's your favorite bakery?

I think it's a mistake to ask, "where would you suggest I go out to dinner tonight" because you'll likely be sent where tourists go. In San Francisco, that could include a place serving clam chowder spooned inside a loaf sourdough bread at Fisherman's Wharf. In New York, you'd like be directed to Times Square.

If I don't get a good answer when asking those questions, I'll hit up social media, so let's take a look at a new study that examines Eater.com's popular 'Essential 38' restaurant lists in 25 cities and how they were reviewed on Facebook, Yelp, Google and TripAdvisor.

Digital Third Coast

The study found wide variations in the criticisms-- which means you should not rely on just one platform for the best advice. Look around. For example, restaurants tended to get better reviews on Facebook, but worse on Yelp; and critics in some cities were much harsher in rating their local restaurants than those in others. The study was conducted by Digital Third Coast in Chicago.

Across all four platforms, the "toughest crowds" when it comes to restaurant reviews were in Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C., the company said, while reviewers went easiest on those in in Charleston, Denver, Boston, San Diego and Seattle.

The study also took a look at which cities' residents were most opinionated by tallying to total number of reviews posted. The winner? Chicago (definitely a foodie town!), followed by New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Looking at how restaurants fared on each of the four platforms, the study found significant discrepancies. The highest ratings, on average, were bestowed by reviewers posting on Facebook, while the lowest ones came from the finicky users of Yelp. (I know that when I have a negative opinion, the first place I think about saying something about it is Yelp... what about you?)

If a visitor asked ME where I go for dinner regularly in San Francisco, I'd say Bacco, an excellent, laid back and local Italian spot in Noe Valley- and I'd suggest the Rigatoni (tube pasta, sausage, roasted peppers, peas, tomato and cream.) For desserts, I'd tell em to go stand in line at Tartine on 18th St for a lemon cream tart- omg good! In the Castro, my top spots are Poesia (Italian) and Anchor Oyster Bar, Eureka (comfort food) and Canela (tapas). My latest, greatest meal was a fantastic steak at Osso's on Nob Hill- discovered by watching "Check Please" on KQED.

How you do find a great spot in a strange place? And where do YOU like to eat in your hometown? Leave your thoughts and recommendations in the comments!

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

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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.
Troy

In today's America, everything is politicized.

Too many of us align our lives according to our Republican or Democratic tribes. We've convinced ourselves the other side isn't just wrong, on this issue or that, but is downright evil. Politics has become about total warfare and visceral hatred.

At its worst, the mentality leads the deranged to shoot up a Republican congressional softball team or mail bombs to well-known Democrats, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and George Soros.

I was going to write about Soros even before all the explosive devices were received this week. That's because John Stage, the founder of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, announced that he bought the company back from Soros Strategic Partners.

"I am the controlling owner of Dinosaur," Stage told the Post-Standard in Syracuse. "They were looking to exit, and I did not want to see this go to anyone else."

Soros' majority ownership of Dinosaur was revealed in 2009 when the company asked for tax breaks for its planned Troy location. You can bet the revelation was an unhappy surprise for Harry Tutunjian, the former mayor who worked to lure Dinosaur to the city.

More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

Tutunjian is a Republican and Soros has bankrolled many progressive causes, making him a lightning rod for outrage. He is also a billionaire, which made it more difficult for Tutunjian to argue convincingly that the restaurant should receive a taxpayer subsidy.

"I took a lot of lumps," Tutunjian said Wednesday. "People said, 'Why are we going to help him?'"

In the end, Dinosaur got the tax breaks, of course, and opened on the city's waterfront. It's no exaggeration to say the restaurant has been a smashing success; it's opening might have even been the turning point in downtown's remarkable rebirth. Tutunjian certainly sees it that way.

Still, there were always people who avoided the restaurant because they disliked Soros' politics, and maybe some who ate there because they agreed. Stage, who continued to run the company after selling to Soros, has said he received no small amount of blowback.

That may not have been solely about politics. Dinosaur, which opened in Syracuse in 1988 before adding other upstate locations, had always presented itself as an authentic biker hangout. But what could be phonier than a biker bar owned by an investment fund?

Then, not longer after the Troy opening, the company expanded into Manhattan, Brooklyn, Connecticut and New Jersey, making Dinosaur feel less like an upstate thing and more like a generic chain. Locations in Chicago and Baltimore failed.

Tutunjian guessed that Stage regaining ownership might help Dinosaur get its old vibe back, and he urged conservatives who have shunned the restaurant to give it a shot. (Stage didn't return my phone calls.)

On a day like Wednesday, when anyone sane recoiled at the notion of package bombs, it's tempting to think those conservatives  or progressives who shun, say, Hobby Lobby  are taking politics too far. Not everything has to be politicized, and the country would be better if we dialed back the hyper-partisanship.

But here's the thing: The way we spend our money does shape our world and more of us should spend our money consciously.

Too many of us claim to care about the environment only to buy cheap plastics that kill the planet. We pretend to care about animals only to eat meat from factory farms that treat them with horrific cruelty. We claim to support American workers only to consume an endless supply of junk made in totalitarian China.

The demonizing of Soros is over the top and the bomb mailed to him is likely a byproduct of that. Nevertheless, a thinking conservative not supporting his companies makes sense  just as it does for a thoughtful liberal to steer clear of the (also irrationally demonized) Koch brothers.

This isn't only about politics, at least not in the tired right-left sense of the word.

Right and left alike, along with the big chunk of people in the center, may want to see upstate farms survive. They should support them. Both sides can agree that local businesses are the best businesses, and they should support those too.

Asking yourself to think before you spend isn't the easiest way to live. Neither is deciding to make do with less because better choices are usually more expensive. But we all tell our kids that the easy way is rarely the best way because we know it's true.

How this applies to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, I don't know. There are reasons to eat there and reasons not to.

But George Soros and his billions are no longer among them.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
NEW HAVEN - The words of Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford have were spray painted on the Yale Law Schools main entrance earlier this week.

The Yale Daily News reports that quotes from Fords testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee a month ago included the quote I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.
A Houston-area man who narrowly missed shooting a Conroe police officer will spend the next five decades in prison.

Raymond Lynch, 28, was pulled over along the Interstate 45 feeder road in Conroe back in late March for a faulty tail light, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

As the officer approached Lynch's car, he turned toward the officer and fired one shot, striking the officer's flashlight, prosecutors said.

Lynch sped off and drove his car into a nearby wooded area, where he set it on fire and fled on foot.

'HE WAS DEAD SERIOUS': Rock band said it received death threat at Houston concert

The officer, thinking that he had been shot, drove himself to a nearby hospital where he was checked out and cleared.

Lynch was arrested four days later and has been in the Montgomery County Jail ever since.

"Police officers are real people with real families and they put their lives on the line for us every single day," prosecutor Rob Freyer said. "Despite the efforts of Raymond Lynch, this officer escaped injury, and is back working our streets to ensure our safety."

It is unclear why Lynch opened fire.

He pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

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
In November 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May addressed business executives at a London banquet hall and accused Russia of attempting to "undermine free societies" and "sow discord" by using media organizations to "plant fake stories."

"I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed," May said. "The U.K. will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, and work with our allies to do likewise."

One of those steps is avoiding the term "fake news." May's government said Tuesday that the phrase "is a poorly-defined and misleading term that conflates a variety of false information, from genuine error through to foreign interference in democratic processes. Over the past several months during its work on this issue, the Government has sought to move away from 'fake news' and instead has sought to address 'disinformation' and wider online manipulation."

The government wrote that in its response to Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which investigated disinformation efforts and issued a report in July with 42 recommendations on how to stop them.

"Fake news" has served as an umbrella term for any sort of misleading information across the internet, but it also has a darker side. President Donald Trump often uses it to bat away unfavorable coverage, and the phrase has been taken up by authoritarian leaders to dismiss reports of their human-rights violations. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have all used the term.

Not using "fake news" was one of just three recommendations May's government has adopted from the committee's report. "The government's response to our interim report on disinformation and 'fake news' is disappointing and a missed opportunity," said the committee's chairman, Damian Collins, in a statement.

"We need to see a more coordinated approach across government to combat campaigns of disinformation being organised by Russian agencies seeking to disrupt and undermine our democracy. The government's response gives us no real indication of what action is being taken on this important issue," Collins added.

But taking wider action is easier said than done, some experts say.

"Everyone is struggling with it," said Ben Nimmo, an information defense fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. "In a lot of ways, this isn't a problem you're going to solve by legislation."

Nimmo said there were multiple facets to the spread of misinformation. "There's the foreign disinformation and the operations angle and then there's the much wider angle of general false and polemic and partisan information online," he said.

In fact, some of the most successful forms of misinformation across social media don't need to tell outright falsehoods. In March 2017, an attacker wielding a knife plowed his car through pedestrians near Parliament in London, leaving five people dead. That day, a Russian bot posted a photo of a woman wearing a hijab as she walked past victims, saying that she was ignoring the carnage. The message quickly made the rounds of right-wing Twitter and forced the woman to put out a statement saying she had been trying to reach her family to reassure them that she was all right.

The manipulation of such images is a "much harder one to crack" than outright false news stories, Nimmo said.

But in the fight against fake news, Britain is not alone in its failures. "The U.K. isn't there yet," Nimmo said. "It's hard to think of anybody who is."
Kansas is a state entirely controlled by Republicans now and one that voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 by 20 points. And yet in a couple of weeks, voters there could elect a Democrat to be their governor for the first time in eight years - just in time to have a hand in the upcoming redistricting battle that could shape control of the state for the next decade.

That there is such a tight race is more a reflection of Republican control of the state for the past eight years than any major shift in conservative Kansas to the left.

Kansas has been struggling for years with massive budget shortfalls. Those have cut deep into budgets for roads, schools and hospitals in a way that's hard for the average Kansan to miss.

RELATED: Trump-endorsed Kris Kobach's lead in the Kansas governor primary was cut in half after a mistake was discovered in the vote tally

Most attribute that to former governor Sam Brownback's experiment to cut taxes to spur economic growth. The promised growth didn't happen, and last year the Republican legislature overrode a Brownback veto to pass a tax increase, the largest in state history, and end his "real live experiment" in conservative governing.

Brownback left office shortly after that to work in the Trump administration, leaving behind a fiscal crisis and approval ratings in the teens to 20s. Since then, Republicans have arguably done everything wrong to try to get over the Brownback drama and keep control of the governor's mansion.

With the help of Trump, Republican voters nominated a controversial, not-particularly-well-liked candidate, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, over the sitting governor.

Days before the primary, Trump jumped in and endorsed Kobach over Gov. Jeff Colyer, despite the fact that some Republicans didn't see evidence that Kobach could win either the primary or the general election.

Kobach won that primary by a few hundred votes, and Republicans watching the race from Washington weren't happy.

"If Kobach is the nominee, Republicans face an uphill battle," said one Republican insider at the time.

READ MORE: Kobach proposes tougher work rules for welfare in Kansas

Republicans' fears have so far become reality. Polls show Democrat Laura Kelly and Kobach running about even, with a third-party candidate, Greg Orman, taking about 9 percent of the vote (mostly from the Democrat, theorize election watchers).

Kobach has struggled to get out from under the Brownback legacy, but he also brings new baggage. Kobach is perhaps best known nationally and in Kansas as the voter-fraud guy. Voter ID laws are popular in Republican states, but Kobach took that to a new level in the past two years.

He helped lead Trump's voter-fraud commission, which crashed and burned less than a year into its existence without finding evidence of Trump's conspiratorial claim that millions of people voted illegally in the presidential election. During the primary, a federal judge ordered Kobach to pay more than $26,000, citing his "contemptuous behavior" in a voting rights case in Kansas.

All that drama left many Republican voters with a distaste for Kobach, marking him as someone willing to spin a factually dubious project to become a national figure.

"That's not incredibly popular in Kansas," said Bob Beatty, a political scientist and election watcher at Washburn University. "Especially among those moderate Republicans. They want good government. They don't want crusades."

Democrats in Kansas agree that the race is basically about everything they're not. That's evidenced on the campaign trail, where Kelly - a decidedly less flashy character than Kobach - talks about how, as a legislator in the state Senate, she helped push the tax increase package that was a rebuke to Brownback. Her catchiest line is calling Kobach "Sam Brownback on steroids."

Her campaign has gotten some serious momentum in the final weeks after being endorsed by every living former Republican governor of Kansas, save Brownback.

Kobach is doubling down on Trump, trying to drum up his and the president's shared base. One analyst watching the race said Trump's approval is about 50 percent, which isn't nearly as high as other conservative states - but at least the president is more popular than Kobach now, who polls in the 30 and 40 percent favorability rating.

The consensus in Kansas is that if there weren't a third-party candidate in the race, Kelly would have a much better shot at winning. Orman shows no sign that he will drop out, despite public and private calls for him to do so. That means, Beatty said, that Kelly will probably need to win over moderate Republicans who voted for Trump but don't like Kobach, and that she'll probably have to turn out Democratic support in the one congressional district that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Her path to victory isn't impossible, though. Democrats have won statewide in Kansas before, most recently when Kathleen Sebelius won the governor's race in 2002 and 2006. And in 2014, Democrat Paul Davis came close to unseating Brownback.

"A lot of people think of Kansas as this very red state, but it's just not as red as many people think," said Dave Trabert, president of the conservative-leaning Kansas Policy Institute, who acknowledges that public perception of the Brownback tax cuts could cost Kobach the race.

But Kobach has been very lucky this election cycle, with a Trump endorsement timed at just the right minute to help him win the primary. If his luck holds, he could eke out another win, even if a majority of Kansans vote for Kelly or Orman.

"So he could be governor with over half of Kansas not wanting him to be," Beatty said.

That would save Republicans embarrassment in this conservative state and eliminate Democrats' chances to try to shape its electoral districts for the near future.
WEST HAVEN  The main shipping channel in New Haven Harbor would be 5 feet deeper and 100 feet wider, enabling larger ships to use New Englands second-largest port, if the plan selected by the Army Corps of Engineers is implemented.

According to the presentation given Tuesday at Bailey Middle School, the rock, silt and sand that would be dug out from the harbor would be put to good use, creating a saltwater marsh north of the sewage-outflow pipe at West Havens Sandy Point and an oyster habitat behind the east breakwater in the harbor, among other projects.

The meeting follows an informational hearing held in January at Nathan Hale School on New Havens East Shore.

The channel, last dredged in 1950, would be deepened to 40 feet at the lowest of low tides and widened to 500 feet in the inner channel and 600 feet in the outer channel. The turning basin, needed because of a bend in the channel, would be moved about 200 feet north and enlarged slightly, according to Todd Randall, marine ecologist with the Army corps New England District. He said a plan to enlarge the turning basin even more was abandoned because it would involve removing polluted material from the harbor bed.

The total volume is 4.2 million cubic yards of ordinary dredge material and 43,500 cubic yards of rock, said Barbara Blumeris, project manager for the corps.

Now the largest ship able to dock at one of the harbors seven terminals can draft no more than 31 feet of water without a restriction. Thats because ships need 4 feet of under-keel clearance, Blumeris said. Larger ships  and the commercial ships bringing in oil, sand, salt and other products are continually growing in size  have to ride the tide or you have to take material off the ship before entering the channel, she said.

In recent years, far more ships with drafts greater than 31 feet have delivered cargo  or taken scrap metal to be exported to Turkey, Peru, Egypt or Saudi Arabia  than have those with 31-foot drafts, she said.

More for you Material dredged from New Haven Harbor project could fill...

Randall listed six sites where the dredged material could go. Since most of the material is silt, it is not usable for beaches, elevating roads or building structures to increase coastal resiliency, he said. Instead some would be placed behind the east breakwater and  make oyster habitat, he said. It would bring the elevation about a foot back up behind the breakwater.

All of the blasted rock that comes out of that bend [in the channel] would be placed south of the west breakwater to create a rock reef, he said.

Other material would be used to fill two borrow holes, one of which, outside the mouth of the West River, was just discovered in January. That one could take 80,000 cubic yards of material. The larger one, off Morris Cove, was created when 400,000 cubic yards of seabed were borrowed 60 years ago to build Interstate 95.

Another location would be a 70-acre area behind Sandy Point to create  a salt marsh environment with tidal creeks and rivulets that would be hospitable to birds, Randall said. Using 840,000 cubic yards of dredged material, it would be north of the sewage outflow pipe, which runs along Sandy Point and needs to be replaced. We think we can merge their pipe plan  with our area, Randall said, so that whichever one comes first [would] be complementary to the other.

Finally, the Central Long Island Sound Disposal Site, about 6 miles south of the harbor, could be used to dispose of remaining material.

The selected plan would carry an average annual equivalent cost of $3.76 million, and an average benefit of $6.97 million, for a net benefit of $3.2 million, according to the presentation.

Several members of the City Point and West Haven yacht clubs asked that the corps consider dredging the West River up to I-95. Michael Pimer, former harbormaster and member of West Havens Harbor Management Commission, pointed out that the Haven high-end outlet mall is planned for the west side of the harbor and said, You cant expect folks to go shopping in a big mall if you dont have water.

Kathie Hebert, representing the West River Watershed Coalition and the West Haven Watershed Restoration Committee, said members have heard that theres an old oyster bed on the New Haven side of the West River and asked the corps to look into it.

Comments on the draft plan and environmental impact statement may be submitted until Nov. 15. They can be mailed to Randall at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, Massachusetts 01742-2751. He can be called at 978-318-8518 or emailed at NAE-PD-PN@usace.army.mil.

The plan can be found online at www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/New-Haven-Harbor.

Another hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the New Haven Hall of Records, 200 Orange St. The New Haven Port Authority and the Connecticut Port Authority are non-federal partners in the project.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382.
The candidates in the hotly contested and closely watched Georgia gubernatorial contest stood firm in their respective political corners Tuesday night in a debate that touched on some of the ideological divisions that are playing out at the national level.

Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee who hopes to become the nation's first black female governor, talked about expanding Medicaid, as well as the electorate, accusing Republican Brian Kemp, who is Georgia's secretary of state, of striking fear into the state's growing minority population by making it harder to vote.

Kemp talked about lowering taxes and "putting Georgians first," criticizing Abrams for wanting to allow some young undocumented immigrants to participate in a state-funded scholarship program and saying that she is encouraging "illegals" to vote.

Each continually accused the other of misstating their positions, but the hour-long debate was not rancorous and offered no surprises. Kemp and Abrams are in a statistical dead heat in the polls with only two weeks before Election Day. Libertarian candidate Ted Metz, who had about 2 percent support in a recent poll by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Atlanta's Channel 2, also participated in the debate. Seven percent of voters are undecided.

Kemp, who upset GOP establishment candidate Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in a runoff last summer, was less bombastic than he had been in the primary, when he ran television ads in which he threatened to use his truck to round up "criminal illegals" and brandished a shotgun at a teenage boy to show his support of the Second Amendment.

But he stressed his solid conservative positions, vowing to cut taxes, be tough on crime and restrict services to undocumented immigrants. He frequently used the words "extreme" and "radical" to describe Abrams and her proposals. He said her proposals for expanded government programs would raise taxes, and he warned that her call for Medicaid expansion would amount to "a government takeover of health care," doing away with private insurance, as well as Medicare. "You will not be able to choose who your doctor is," he said, echoing the arguments used against the Affordable Care Act.

Abrams argued that no less a conservative standard-bearer than Vice President Pence had embraced Medicaid expansion when he was governor of Indiana. She also expressed confidence that she could get the majority-Republican state legislature to approve the expansion because as a former Democratic leader of the state House, she demonstrated that she could work across the aisle.

Kemp said he would increase salaries for teachers. Abrams called for raises for local police officers who she said are paid so little that they are using food stamps to feed their families.

The debate came on the day when news reports began circulating about Abrams having participated in a 1992 student demonstration at which the state's flag was burned. At the time, the banner included an image of the Confederate flag, which is considered by many to represent the South's resistance to ending slavery.

The first question for Abrams was about her participation in the protest, and she did not back away from her action.

"Twenty-six years ago as a college freshman, I along with many other Georgians . . . were deeply disturbed by the racial divisiveness that were embedded in the state flag with that Confederate symbol," Abrams said. "I took an action of peaceful protest, and 10 years later my opponent, Brian Kemp, actually voted to remove that symbol."

Kemp did not respond, but he did criticize Abrams more than once for being behind on her personal and business taxes. At the same time, he said, Abrams had loaned her campaign $50,000. "I don't think I could get away with that, and most of the people of Georgia could not get away with that," he said, accusing Abrams of putting "politics over obligations."

Abrams disclosed several months ago that she was behind on her taxes, saying she had been providing financial help to her family, including her father, who was battling cancer. "You can defer your taxes, but you can't defer cancer treatments," she retorted, adding that she had a repayment plan to settle her tax debt.

She also took a swipe at Kemp, who is being sued by an investment company for failing to repay a $500,000 loan for an agriculture business. Kemp said the suit is against the company, not him personally.

The two also sparred over voting rights, which have become a flash point in the race, in which Abrams is aiming to mobilize voters of color who frequently don't participate in midterm elections. The Associated Press reported this month that the registrations of 53,000 potential voters had been held up because their names or addresses did not exactly match information in motor vehicle or Social Security records. His office also is under fire because hundreds of absentee ballots have been rejected, with most of them cast by minority voters. Several civil rights groups have filed suits against the secretary of state during the past two weeks.

Kemp vehemently defended his record as the state's top elections official, arguing that the number of voters has grown during his tenure and that voters whose registrations have been flagged can still vote if they provide valid identification at the polls. In response to a question from one of the panelists, he said he saw no need to resign or recuse himself from overseeing the election because most election activity is managed at the county level by bipartisan boards.

"No one has made it easier to vote and harder to cheat in our state," Kemp said, calling allegations of voter suppression "really outrageous."

Abrams said that the voter rolls have grown despite, not because of, Kemp, who also has aggressively purged voters, including half a million last year, about a quarter of whom appeared to have been dropped simply because they did not vote in prior elections, according to a recent investigation by APM Reports.

"It's not just about blocking people" from physically casting a ballot, Abrams said, adding: "It's about creating an atmosphere that their votes won't count."

Throughout the debate Metz criticized both candidates, offering himself as an alternative for voters "tired of the two-party system and tyranny of the oligarchs."

Asked how he would expand economic activity in rural Georgia, Metz touted the opportunities for industrial hemp, which he said had applications as diverse as helping to clean the air and making baby formula.

"Everything can be done with hemp," he said.
Saudi Arabia is still unable - or unwilling - to provide a plausible explanation for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Instead, a somewhat unlikely narrator has stepped in.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed his party in the capital city, Ankara, on Tuesday, promising to reveal the "naked truth" about the death of the prominent Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributing columnist, who was killed after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

There were no big revelations in the speech, but Erdogan confirmed a number of leaked details about the investigation into Khashoggi's death and attacked the Saudis' latest explanation of it after they admitted that the journalist had been killed. "Saudi Arabia took an important step by accepting the murder," Erdogan said. "After this, we expect them to reveal those responsible for this matter. We have information that the murder is not instant but planned."

It was a stark contrast with the scene in Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia is holding a major investment conference - and where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been accused of approving the slaying, received a standing ovation.

The idea that Erdogan is the noble truth-teller of the Khashoggi case is confusing and deeply uncomfortable for many people. Since he first took power in 2003, Erdogan has broadly turned Turkish media into a government mouthpiece, often by way of violence and arrests. The Committee to Protect Journalists now says that more journalists are imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country.

But if no one knows what Erdogan's motivations are, one thing seems certain: He's the one in the driver's seat. The Turkish government has repeatedly pressed the Saudis, demanding more information, casting doubt on Riyadh's claims and even gaining access to the Saudi Consulate. It is widely assumed that Turkish officials have controlled the drip, drip, drip of leaks that has fed much of the media coverage of Khashoggi's disappearance.

"Such inflammatory information, originating in the security services and implicating a major rival regional power, would not be published without approval from the top," Turkish journalist Ilhan Tanir wrote for BuzzFeed on Monday. "What happens next," he said elsewhere in the piece, "is almost entirely under the Turkish strongman's control."

So what is Erdogan trying to accomplish? The Turkish leader may have seen a kindred spirit in Khashoggi - the journalist had an affinity for the sort of political Islam that Erdogan espouses - or simply been furious about having a provocative political killing committed by Saudi Arabia on his country's soil.

But it is hard to ignore the broader geopolitical implications. Turkey is a key ally of Qatar, a country that has faced a Saudi-led boycott for more than a year. As my Washington Post colleague Ishaan Tharoor wrote this month, such ties are part of Erdogan's jockeying to match the growing influence of Mohammed, the youthful and powerful crown prince in Riyadh.

"Turkey flew troops and food supplies into Qatar last year and still maintains a military base in Doha," Tharoor wrote. "Meanwhile, the Qataris pledged to inject some $15 billion worth of investment in Turkey's flagging economy in August. Some analysts read Ankara's moves - coupled with Erdogan's overtures to Iran over the past year - as a riposte to the emergence of a U.S.-backed Middle East bloc including the Saudis, Emiratis and even Israel."

Tuesday's speech cemented the impression that Erdogan is targeting Mohammed. The Turkish president didn't mention the crown prince by name during his address, speaking instead to King Salman, the crown prince's father and the official head of the Saudi state. Many observers viewed it as an attempt to divide the elderly king from his divisive son.

The Turkish leader no doubt relished the chance to change the dominant narrative about his country as well. Turkey has largely been in the news for various spats with Western countries, Erdogan's crackdowns and the considerable economic woes caused by his government's financial mismanagement.

And what of the United States, Turkey's NATO ally and ostensible close partner? Erdogan has recently made overtures to President Donald Trump. Just days after Khashoggi disappeared, Turkey freed American pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest in Turkey, easing a long-running standoff with the United States.

But the leverage Erdogan has over Mohammed is uncomfortable for Washington, too. Despite growing anger with the kingdom in Washington, Saudi support is key to much of the United States' policy in the Middle East. "The chief concern for Washington is that Erdogan will reveal details about Khashoggi's killing that implicate" the crown prince, The Post noted in a report about CIA Director Gina Haspel's heading to Turkey.

There is a chance that Erdogan's power plays could backfire. Michael Stephens, a research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, wrote on Twitter that it was beginning to look as if the Turkish leader was dragging things out to keep the story alive. "The moral high ground is slipping, fast," he wrote.

Even so, the Turkish president has been dealt a great set of cards by the Saudis, who have looked cruel and incompetent as the saga has unfolded.

On Tuesday, for example, the official Saudi Press Agency published photos of King Salman and the crown prince meeting two members of Khashoggi's family, including his son - inadvertently highlighting the reports that the journalist's family has been blocked from leaving the country.

"We do not have to do anything," a senior Turkish official recently told the Wall Street Journal. "The Saudis are doing a great job at ruining themselves."
BAD AXE  A 100-year partnership between Huron County and MSU Extension has garnered education for county residents, youth enrichment and numerous other community improvement initiatives.

Jerry Johnson, District 10 director, presented MSU Extensions annual Huron County report to the Huron County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning.

(Extension) is really a delivery system for education, and in theory, could be any type of education Michigan State, which is the land grant university for Michigan, has  he said.

It's an excellent resource," Commissioner Steve Vaughan said after the 36-minute presentation. "If they cant answer your questions, they will find someone who can.

District 10 is one of 14 in the state covering the state's 83 counties. It includes: Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair and Tuscola counties.

Huron County invests $220,000 to partner with MSU Extension, Johnson said. The total economic impact of MSU Extension services in Huron is $4.8 million.

MSU Extension impacted 5,928 county residents over the past year.

District 10 brought in $1.5 billion in agricultural receipts last year, Johnson said.

Almost $700 million was Huron County, he added. Huron County, Sanilac County and Tuscola County make up the lions share of that.

Huron County is by far, the wealthiest of the counties in the Thumb if measured in that way, he said.

Thats $2,300 per resident in tax revenue. Tuscola's total is $1,200; St. Clair's is $1,300; Sanilac's is $1,700; and Lapeer's is $1,300.

MSU Extension has four educational institutes:

 Health and nutrition

 Children and youth

 Agriculture and agribusiness

 Greening Michigan: Economic development, tourism

MSU Extensions First Impressions Program impacted both Elkton and Sebewaing this year, Johnson said.

According to the annual report, four first-time unannounced visitors individually traveled to Elkton and recorded his or her experience.

Results included:

 The Downtown Development Authority reengaged and launched projects after a four-year absence.

 Local artists painted a mural

 The villages website was redesigned

 Business became engaged for better service.

 A youth/business entrepreneurship program was initiated.

In Sebewaing, the four unannounced visitors determined the village had assets such as a marina, historical museums, unique architecture, waterways, and historic downtown and residential areas.

Results of the visits included:

 Establishment of a Historical River District

 Launching a new farmers market

 Businesses became engaged for better service

 An updated recreation plan in partnership with MSU Urban Planning Program

 Tentative kayak trail signage

 Grant dollars were secured for future projects.

Of Huron's 5,517 youth, 1,029 youth were impacted by MSU Extension programs over the past year. Of them, 720 are in Huron County 4-H clubs. The remaining 309 went to MSU Extension-sponsored events.

Patti Errer, 4-H program coordinator, reported on youth opportunities, including:

 Exploration Days (where youth get a three-day college and educational experience at MSU)

 Career Exploration Days

 School enrichment

 Proud Equestrian Program (which serves 18 special needs students by providing therapeutic horseback riding sessions)

 4-H project workshops

 4-H camp

Errer also touched on three Huron County 4-H kids who recently received the Michigan 4-H State Award.

It was for a program developed by Addy Battel, Pearl Daskam and Royce Daskam of Cass City, called Meating the Need for Our Village Hunger Project. The project has provided nearly 7,000 pounds of meat, more than 600 gallons of milk and soon eggs, leading to a $43,000 impact in the Thumb.

The program has been nationally recognized, and the kids have received college scholarships and grant funding for the program as a result.

Errer said Caseville is the area in Huron County that is most in need of 4-H involvement, and needs volunteers to lead clubs.

Johnson also presented some disheartening statistics on youth in Huron County that he gathered from the Kids Count in Michigan program:

 32 percent of youth live in one-parent families.

 21 percent are eligible for child support, and just over half of them dont receive it.

 46 percent are eligible for free or reduced lunches.

 37 percent of 1- to 2-year-olds who were tested, tested high for lead in their blood.

 54 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool.

 52 percent of third graders are not proficient in English.

Extension also offers food safety assistance, cooking classes, senior citizens programs, diabetes education, natural resources education, hazardous waste collection, and many agricultural programs.

The local office can be reached at 989-269-9949.
NORWALK The states oldest public-housing complex is undergoing a multimillion-dollar redevelopment and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and other state and local officials were on hand Wednesday to celebrate completion of the first phase of the old Washington Village rebuild.

Renamed Soundview Landing  symbolic of its views of the Long Island Sound  the South Norwalk complex sustained flood damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Built in 1941, the site had a history of flooding issues, said Norwalk Housing Authority Executive Director Adam Bovilsky, something that is being remedied with the redevelopment.

Bovilsky was one of the dozens of community members and residents from the Washington Village complex who gathered with the governor at 20 Day St. Wednesday afternoon for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Housing is fundamental to who we are and how we raise our children, Malloy said. We need a broader brush of affordable housing through our state.

The Norwalk Housing Authority is rebuilding the complex under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Choice Neighborhoods Program. The goal of the program is to build high-quality, mixed-income housing, to provide children and families with educational and other services, and to spur public and private investment.

One of 25 Choice Neighborhood grantees, the Norwalk Housing Authority received a $31 million grant for this project, said Luci Ann Blackburn, Choice Neighborhoods Project coordinator with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A new 10-unit apartment building at 13 Day St. and nearby 70-unit building at 20 Day St. recently reopened as part of the first phase of the project.

Phase two involves building a new 85-unit building on the south side of Raymond Street, between Day and Water streets.

Finally, the Washington Village Transformation Plan calls for razing the existing 136-unit complex and building building 273 new apartments in five new buildings in its place.

The project  a mixture of workforce, public-housing and market-rate apartments  will be completed in Sept. 2021, when the Choice Neighborhoods Program funding runs out. Half of the units are public housing, 25 percent are for low-income tax credits and the rest are market rate prices, Bolivsky said.

This is a benchmark now of what can happen, Mayor Harry Rilling said. He and other officials said families need adequate housing in order to advance their quality of life.

In order to raze and then replace Washington Village, the 136 families originally living there had to find interim housing before relocating into the newly built apartments. Due to difficulties finding places  especially ones that take Section 8 vouchers  a few families are still residing in it.

Lillian Williams, however, has already moved into her new place and is thrilled to be in a updated building.

She said she remembers receiving the evacuation notice from the Norwalk Housing Authority, asking her and her family to leave their home, after Superstorm Sandy. She said she was lucky her apartment was on the second floor of the complex because she didnt sustain any damage, like many of the other residents, whose apartments had feet of water in them.

Now, she lives at 20 Day St.  across the street from the old Washington Village  and said its a better living situation for her and her daughter, who has a disability.

Look at it, you can tell, she said, looking out the window toward the Washington Village apartments.
Contributed / Hearst Connecticut Media

WESTPORT  Third times the charge for a Waterbury man who stole three cars from Westporters homes.

During the early morning hours of Dec. 30, 2016, an unlocked Lexus with keys inside was stolen from the driveway of a Compo Road South address. Nearly two months later on Feb. 26, 2017, the vehicle was recovered in Waterbury. A handgun and cellphone, both of which did not belong to the cars owner, were also recovered from the vehicle, police said.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Saudi officials had the "worst coverup ever" in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside a consulate in Turkey but said he would "leave it up to Congress" on punishing Riyadh for its behavior.

"They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly, and the coverup was the worst in the history of coverups," he said in a 40-minute Oval Office appearance with Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers. "They had the worst coverup ever."

Trump has come under bipartisan criticism for taking a soft stance on the Saudis and as recently as last weekend called the government's story "credible." But the president appeared more open on Tuesday to punishing the Saudi government, telling reporters in the Oval Office he would consider jeopardizing military sales if the Saudi government was officially behind the killing.

"In terms of what we ultimately do, I'm going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - I'm going to leave it up to Congress," Trump said, adding he hopes a decision will be bipartisan.

Later Tuesday, speaking with reporters in the Cabinet Room before a dinner with military leaders, Trump acknowledged that "we'll have to do something" if Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is implicated in Khashoggi's death.

But Trump added that he had spoken on Monday with the crown prince, who "strongly said that he had nothing to do with this; this was at a lower level."

Trump allies and advisers have encouraged him to take a tougher stance against the oil-rich monarchy, saying that Congress would fill the vacuum and punish Saudi Arabia either way. The administration took its first concrete step to penalize Saudi Arabia late Tuesday when the State Department said that it was revoking the visas for 21 Saudi agents implicated in Khashoggi's killing.

The Saudi regime has consistently changed its story on the Oct. 2 death of the Washington Post contributing columnist. First, Saudi officials said Khashoggi left the embassy unharmed, but after 17 days, following grisly news reports of Khashoggi's death, Saudi officials said last Friday that he was killed during an altercation inside the consulate.

Trump has repeatedly declined to say if the crown prince was behind or aware of the killing as many U.S. officials and foreign governments have concluded, in part because many of the crown prince's associates were involved in the killing. Trump instead has said there is not enough evidence to determine Mohammed's involvement and that the Riyadh government has not indicated to him one way or the other if he ordered the killing. CIA Director Gina Haspel is currently in Turkey and is expected to return Wednesday.

Trump has repeatedly praised Saudi Arabia for buying arms from the United States, emphasized the importance of oil prices and focused criticism on Iran.

"I would love if he wasn't responsible," Trump said of Mohammed, also known as MBS, to The Washington Post on Saturday. "I think it's a very important ally for us."

- - -

The Washington Post's Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.
ISTANBUL - In President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech Tuesday about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, there was a glaring omission: the name of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mohammed is widely seen as Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler, and since Khashoggi vanished, questions have swirled about whether any Saudi operation to capture or kill him could have been ordered without Mohammed's approval. But Erdogan addressed his comments - his appeals for justice, his demands for answers - not to Mohammed, but to his father, King Salman.

If it was a conspicuous display of respect for the Saudi monarch, it was also an attempt to drive a wedge between the king and the crown prince, whom Erdogan considers a rival and ideological opponent, as well as a threat to Turkey's interests and ambitions in the Middle East, analysts said.

There was debate about whether Erdogan aimed to marginalize Mohammed or prod Salman to pick a new successor, but in either case, he was trying not to damage Turkey's overall relationship with Saudi Arabia, they said. And it was the latest sign of Erdogan's willingness to use Khashoggi's case - prolong it even - to serve his larger strategic goals.

More than three weeks after Khashoggi was killed by Saudis in what Erdogan called a "planned" operation, his government has yet to publicly divulge all that it knows about the plot or who ordered it. Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for weeks but acknowledged in the last few days that he had been killed in what they said was a fistfight with "rogue" Saudi operatives.

Turkish investigators said they had pieced together much of the Saudi plan within days of Khashoggi's killing. But their strategy has been to leak details bit by bit, pressuring the Saudis to reveal what happened and perhaps wringing concessions from Riyadh and its allies.

Erdogan's speech Tuesday continued that pattern, providing intriguing new details but failing to deliver the "naked truth" that he had promised and that had generated global interest in what he had to say.

He may have had a much smaller audience in mind. The speech contained a "direct message" to the king, said H.A. Hellyer, a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, noting the deferential references to Salman in Erdogan's comments. Even Erdogan's most difficult request - that Saudi extradite to Turkey 18 suspects it had arrested in the plot - was framed as a "proposal" to the king.

"He's hoping that by going about this in sort of delicate fashion that the king himself will decide that Mohammed bin Salman ought not to be crown prince," Hellyer said.

The odds of that outcome appear low, Saudi watchers say, but Erdogan's pursue of it illustrates the depth of his antipathy toward Mohammed and his policies in the Middle East.

The issues dividing the two countries include Turkey's support for Qatar, which is locked in a bitter feud with Saudi Arabia and its closest allies, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Turkey has also supported Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that those states have outlawed.

And Erdogan resents the Trump administration's strong reliance on the Saudis, their Arab allies and Israel as key players in the U.S. effort to counter Iran, said Aydin Selcen, a Turkish political commentator and former diplomat.

"They all see Iran as a priority in their security. In Turkey's case, it is not so. Turkey has other priorities," he said.

Hellyer, of the Atlantic Council, said Ankara sees Mohammed and the leaders of the UAE and Egypt "as the three most significant people disrupting or opposing the growth of Turkish hegemony."

If Erdogan "can get Mohammed bin Salman dislodged or marginalized, by the nature of gravity, the positions of the other two are weakened," Hellyer said.

The strategy carries considerable risks for Erdogan, given Mohammed's youth and the possibility that he could sit on the Saudi throne for decades, nursing a grudge against Turkey. Erdogan "would like the son to go," said Soli Ozel, a professor of international relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. "He's trying to do this without breaking any eggshells."

Turkey is possibly seeking other benefits, too, including financial aid from the United States or Saudi Arabia. Ankara, the world's leading jailer of journalists, would also like to ease the international isolation it faces because of its own human rights record.

And then there's the matter of national pride. The Saudi decision to pursue Khashoggi in Istanbul "is a slap in the face of this government," Selcen said. "For me, as a Turkish citizen, it's a slap in the face. This needs to be settled, between King Salman and Mr. Erdogan."

The Turkish government has won praise so far for highlighting Khashoggi's plight but risks being accused of pursuing its own interests over justice for the journalist as the crisis drags on, analysts said.

"Maybe they overdo the drip-drip strategy," Selcen said. "They may lose the moral high ground."
Just call him Jim "Dabbin" Dabakis.

A self-professed "marijuana virgin", the Utah State Senator traveled to Las Vegas last weekend to give weed a try firsthand. The road trip, which he streamed live on Facebook, was in response to Prop 2 -- a midterm ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Utah. Regardless of the outcome, the state legislature plans on holding a special session after the vote.

Related: These Are the States Voting on Legal Marijuana in November

Dabakis's message to his colleagues and constituents is simple: Don't hate until you partake. And partake is what he did -- in the parking lot of what appears to be a NuLeaf dispensary.

Wearing a Boston Red Sox t-shirt with a Starbucks sticker slapped on the front, Dabakis describes his conversation with a budtender in the store. "So the guy said, 'Take a half of one if you never tried it before and then wait an hour and a half see what happens," he says, before nibbling on the tangerine gummy like it's a sour patch candy, then popping it into his mouth.

Related: 5 Things You Need to Know About Edibles

Unimpressed with the flavor, which he calls "bitter," the state senator told USA Today that he went on to sit by a pool presumably waiting for the drug to kick in.

The video picks up back in Salt Lake City, where Dabakis has changed his clothes and perspective. "I wouldn't suggest shooting it up to anybody," he says," but I'll tell you I think it's a whole lot of ho-hum."

Sure, he felt a little high, but it didn't "change his life."

Many voters in Utah are hoping Dabakis deflowering will change the law.

Related:

Utah State Senator Live Streams Taking Gummies for First Time

Latest Gallup Poll Finds a Big Majority of Americans Support Legal Marijuana

Top 8 Businessmen Who Mixed Business with Politics



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The veteran Prince William County, Virginia, prosecutors were relentless.

In their closing arguments Tuesday, they urged jurors to give Ronald Hamilton, a former Pentagon information-technology specialist who killed his wife and a rookie police officer, the death sentence instead of life in prison without parole.

Again and again, they reminded jurors of the harrowing sequence of events that played out Feb. 27, 2016, at Hamilton's home in Woodbridge, Virginia: First, the Army staff sergeant shot 29-year-old Crystal Hamilton with a handgun four times after they had gotten into a fight and she called 911. Then he grabbed his AK-47 and shot three Prince William police officers, injuring two and killing Ashley Guindon, who was working her first shift.

"He shot [his wife] in the face, shot her again as she's going down to the floor, then shot her again in the brain stem," said Richard Conway, chief deputy assistant commonwealth's attorney. When police arrived, Conway said, Hamilton made a premeditated decision to use a semiautomatic assault weapon, thinking, " 'This .45 is not going to do it. [The police] are all wearing ballistic vests, and the .45 won't go through that.' "

"He richly deserves the ultimate punishment," Conway said.

Prosecutor Matthew Lowery was unsparing. "Put him in the grave," he told the jury, "because that's where he belongs after what he's done."

The jury of 10 women and two men began deliberating Tuesday but did not reach a verdict. On Wednesday they will resume considering what sentence to impose.

On the final day of Hamilton's capital murder trial, defense attorneys and prosecutors tussled over one idea: Who gets mercy? Does a man who killed two people, one of them a police officer, deserve life in a maximum-security prison without any chance of getting out? Or should that man face execution?

The Prince William prosecution team has pushed for - and won - numerous death sentences in the past several decades, including the execution of Washington sniper John Allen Muhammad. They argued that Hamilton, convicted last month of capital murder, deserves no compassion.

Giving him the death sentence would send a message to other would-be killers of police that the county has no tolerance for the murder of its law enforcement officers. He needs to die, they said, because his repeated shooting of his helpless wife - while their then-11-year-old son was in the house - was excessive and "depraved."

Defense attorney Ed Ungvarsky spent two hours trying to convince the jury that Hamilton, given his military career and two deployments to Iraq, was worth sparing.

"Mercy isn't earned. It's given," Ungvarsky said, adding that giving Hamilton life in prison without parole would still be extremely harsh. "Mercy is everywhere in this room. You should consider mercy."

He said Hamilton, whose father is a retired second-in-command of the Charleston, South Carolina, police department, should not be put to death like "some diseased animal." He cited aphorisms by William Shakespeare, the author Richard Wright and Coretta Scott King to make the case that Hamilton should live and that his murders won't be "redeemed by an act of retaliation."

He cited evidence that Hamilton had once saved a colleague's life in the war zone after they had come under a mortar attack, that he had grown up without a steady father figure, and that after his Iraq deployments, he probably had undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder.

At one point, Ungvarsky began showing the jury photos of Hamilton as a child or in other happier moments. "If you kill this man, you kill this child, too," he said, flashing a picture of the defendant as a boy.

He also said Hamilton has been struggling with mental issues for years, dating to his childhood when he wrote a suicide note to his mother that she was supposed to find after he had killed himself. "Dear Mom, the reason I killed myself was because my life wasn't straight," he had written. "PLEASE don't let this letter be in the news."

"If you kill this man, you kill the boy who wrote this letter," Ungvarsky said.

In the end, Hamilton's defense attorney said his crimes were far less malicious than those of other more-notorious people who have avoided the death penalty, including Zacarias Moussaoui, a conspirator in the 9/11 attacks, and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.

"If you see the humanity in him, even a speck, you must give a life sentence," Ungvarsky told jurors.

As Ungvarsky and the prosecutors went back and forth, Hamilton mostly kept his face in his hands, at one point blowing his nose. One attorney sitting next to him kept patting his upper back and talking into his ear.
"I approve this message because you deserve an honest conversation about health care. My opponent, Abigail Spanberger, is running millions of dollars' worth of ads that say Republicans don't care about preexisting conditions, when she full well knows that is a total falsehood. What she's really doing is hiding from the failure of Obamacare and her own health-care plan, which increases government control of the economy by $32 trillion and requires you to pay double your taxes. And that's the honest truth about health care."

- Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., in a campaign ad, released Oct. 23, 2018

- - -

When a politician promises you the "honest truth" in an attack ad, hold on to your wallet.

Readers may recall that Republican Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia previously falsely claimed during a debate that The Fact Checker had given to his opponent Four Pinocchios for her ad on preexisting conditions, when we had not. The ad in question was defensible, given Brat's voting record on health care.

Now he's out with a new ad, again accusing her of a "total falsehood," while slipping in a whopper about her plans for health care. His pitch is part of a pattern in which Republicans have accused Democrats of supporting a sweeping "Medicare For All" plan proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., when many candidates have not.

Here's what really going on.

- - -

Public polling indicates that one of the most popular features of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, was the protection it gave to people with existing health conditions.

There were two key parts which work together: Guaranteed issue, which means insurance companies must sell insurance to anyone who wants to buy it, and community rating, which means that people who buy similar insurance and are the same age pay similar prices. This made insurance affordable for people with, say, cancer, though before passage of the ACA, even minor health problems could have led an insurance company to deny coverage.

When Barack Obama was president, Brat voted to repeal the ACA completely without any replacement plan in place. Since it was clear Obama would veto the repeal, it was a no-consequence vote. But he's on record as having supported the elimination of the preexisting-conditions provisions without seeking to save them.

After Trump was elected, Republicans tried to repeal the law but needed to come up with a replacement. The result was the American Health Care Act, which narrowly passed the House 217-213 on May 4, 2017, with 20 Republicans voting against it. Brat was among the Republicans who voted for it.

A vote for the AHCA is important in the debate over preexisting conditions. As we have documented, the Congressional Budget Office - which assessed the bill only after the vote because Republicans pushed through a bill without waiting for a CBO score - sketched a scenario that described unraveling insurance markets and soaring health-care premiums if the AHCA had become law.

The CBO, in its report, said that states that took advantage of waivers offered in the proposed law could perversely end up blowing up their insurance markets, leaving spiraling costs for people with preexisting conditions. About one-sixth of the U.S. population was estimated to live in states that would face this problem.

Maybe Virginia would have been one of them, but likely not because of its increasingly blue tint. Still, the CBO's warning cannot be easily waved away. Indeed, many of the Republicans who voted against the AHCA - such Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., who we featured in another fact check - cited the possible impact on people with preexisting conditions as a reason for their rejection of the bill.

The CBO also was highly skeptical that the AHCA provided enough funding for states to aid people who could not afford insurance. "Over time, less healthy individuals (including those with preexisting or newly acquired medical conditions) would be unable to purchase comprehensive coverage with premiums close to those under current law and might not be able to purchase coverage at all," the CBO said.

Indeed, during the debate over the Senate version, which did not pass, Trump said that the House version was "mean" because it did not go far enough to protect individuals in the insurance markets. He urged the Senate to add more funds to cover people with preexisting conditions. "I want to see - and I speak from the heart - that's what I want to see, I want to see a bill with heart," Trump told Fox and Friends on June 25, 2017.

Since Brat's ad also made a reference to all Republicans, we cannot ignore a federal lawsuit filed in Texas by Republican attorneys general representing 20 states. The lawsuit seeks to completely repeal the Obama health-care law because the president's tax bill suspended the mandate to buy insurance, the Trump administration had declined to defend the law, despite the president's claims that the administration wants to protect the provisions. We awarded Trump an Upside-Down Pinocchio for his flip-flop on the issue.

Katey Price, a Brat spokeswoman, said Brat "has absolutely nothing to do with" the lawsuit. She declined to answer if he supported it.

Price defended the attack on Spanberger because one of her ads cites a minor procedural vote in the run-up to the vote on AHCA to claim that Brat "voted against protections for preexisting conditions." This was one of the votes that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee used to falsely attack Fitzgerald, and we generally frown on ads that cite procedural votes. But as we noted, Brat voted to repeal the ACA without a replacement and voted for the AHCA, which the CBO said would weaken protections for preexisting conditions. That's his voting record and it is certainly ripe for scrutiny.

As for claiming that Spanberger supports a "$32 trillion" health plan, Price acknowledged that she supports Medicare-X, which allows for a buy-in to Medicare. Thus it continues to build on the current system, including allowing for employer-based health insurance, rather replacing everything as the Sanders "Medicare for all" plan does. But Price pointed to an article by the liberal-leaning Think Progress that called Medicare-X "a path to single payer."

"She's on the record twice saying she supports single payer health care 'in principle' so there's no doubt on where she's aiming to take our health care system once the Democrats institute Medicare X," Price said.

For the record, here's the full quote from Spanberger during the debate: "I do in principle support single payer but I believe in universal coverage through a public option is the method that I'd pursue." (Public option is code for an add-on option like Medicare-X.)

This does not excuse Brat associating the $32-trillion figure with "her own health care plan," or claiming that Spanberger's plan would "double your taxes." Those are clear references to the Sanders's proposal. Two studies of the Sanders plan, by the libertarian Mercatus Center and the left-leaning Urban Institute, have estimated the Sanders plan would raise government expenditures by about $32 trillion. The Mercatus study further estimated Medicare-for-all would require a doubling of federal individual and corporate income taxes.

But that's not Spanberger's plan. Medicare-X is a much more modest proposal. As far as we can tell, the CBO has not assessed the cost of the proposal, advanced by Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Michael Bennett, D-Colo., two centrist Democrats. But in 2013, the agency said a public option would reduce the deficit by $158 billion over ten years. The Urban Institute, which has proposed a more expansive effort to add a Medicare-type option, estimated its plan would increase overall government spending by $790 billion over ten years while substantially reducing the number of people without health insurance.

In either case, that's a far cry from $32 trillion.

Far from telling the "honest truth," Brat looks at the camera and offers a potent mix of misleading and false claims. According to the nonpartisan CBO, the House GOP bill weakened protections for people with preexisting conditions in states that sought waivers from the more robust rules in Obamacare. Brat cast a vote for that bill - a bill that Trump later called "mean" because it did not do enough for people with preexisting conditions.

Moreover, even if Brat is annoyed at Spanberger's jabs on preexisting conditions, there is no excuse for falsely claiming she supports a Bernie Sanders-like bill to completely overhaul the American health care system. It is clear she supports a plan proposed by Tim Kaine, who is no socialist. We had earlier given candidates Four Pinocchios for such a bait-and-switch, and Brat earns that as well here.

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Video: In at least 15 campaign ads, Republican candidates and Super PACs mischaracterized Democratic positions with nearly identical language.(Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

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A man was shot multiple times late Tuesday on an East Side block where a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting earlier this month.

Police responded to the shooting just before midnight in the 4000 block of Coral Sunrise and found the 37-year-old victim suffering from three gunshot wounds in his lower torso.
A San Antonio police officer who punched, then arrested a 14-year-old girl last year was indicted Tuesday on a charge of official oppression, according to court records.

Officer Gary Tuli was booked into a satellite office of the Bexar County Jail on Wednesday on a $1,600 bond and bailed out later that day.

On May 20, 2017, Tuli was recorded hitting and arresting the teen girl, who the San Antonio Express-News is not identifying because she is minor who has not been convicted of a serious crime, in the parking lot of the Crown Palace Event Center on the Northeast Side.

RELATED: SAPD: Officer was justified in hitting 14-year-old girl

The video went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, but police later determined the punch and arrest were justified, as the girl had hit Tuli first.

See the video on YouTube

The case was handed over to the District Attorney's Office for further review. Now, more than a year later, a grand jury indicted Tuli on two counts of official oppression.

According to the indictment, Tuli intentionally arrested the teenager with the knowledge that doing so was unlawful.

Tuli told police that the teen girl "took a bladed stance, balled her fist up and struck me in the face with a closed fist, and called me a white mother f----r." That statement, according to the district attorney's office, was false.

Artessia House, the victim's attorney, said the indictment has no bearing on a pending federal civil rights lawsuit, which has not yet been filed. The potential suit, she said, was merited based on Tuli's excessive use of force.

"Just as any person that has committed a crime against society is expected to have their day in court, we expect nothing less when it comes to law enforcement agents who commit a crime against the public they've been charged to serve," she said.

She also castigated the police department for failing to initially levy charges against Tuli, instead arresting her client for the altercation and subsequently deeming Tuli's use of force justified.

"That's a big disappointment," she said.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said Tuli has been placed on administrative duty and will remain so until the case is resolved.

"This case was thoroughly investigated by the department and the complaint of excessive force in this incident was deemed to be inconclusive," he said in an emailed statement.

But months after the incident, Tuli's supervisor and a director found he was justified in using force against the girl. According to the report, Tuli used de-escalation techniques and verbally tried to stop the girl before using force, which included hands, arm, a fist or a punch.

RELATED: Records: SAPD officer who hit 14-year-old girl suspended twice

The girl did not sustain any injuries during the altercation, according to the report, though her lawyer indicated she did. The officer had a bruise or abrasion afterward, the report states.

The teen was arrested on a charge of assaulting a public servant but Karen Crosby, her former criminal defense attorney, said the charges "never went anywhere."

The department's policy states that an officer can use physical force or an intermediate weapon if a suspect is actively being resistant.

"If circumstances allow, officers should attempt to de-escalate tense situations through 'advisements, warnings, verbal persuasion, and other tactics' to reduce the need for force," the department's policy reads.

According to records obtained by the Express-News, Tuli has twice been suspended from the police department. The first suspension occurred when he was a probationary officer. He was suspended for 30 days for making unwanted advances on women while intoxicated at the JW Marriott Resort.

His second suspension came just five days prior to him striking the teenager. On May 15, 2017, he punched a man twice in the face while investigating a possible family violence situation. He was issued a five-day suspension.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
San Antonio police on Wednesday released a report on the shooting in which an unarmed 18-year-old was fatally struck by a bullet an officer fired at an allegedly armed man.

The report provides the first detailed account of the shooting, which has angered friends and family of the victim, Charles Roundtree.

According to the report, Officer Steve Casanova, who has been with San Antonio police for five years, and another officer responded at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 17 to a home in the 200 block of Roberts Street for a report of an assault. The home in question is well known to police. Officers have responded there about 150 times over the last two years.

The victims of the alleged assault told police they were selling menudo in the area when someone inside the home attacked them, the report says.

EXPRESSNEWS.COM: 18-year-old sitting on couch killed after police shoot, graze suspect

Casanova saw the door to the home was ajar and that two men were inside. One of the men opened the door and "immediately started being aggressive towards" Casanova, the report says. The officer saw a handgun in the man's waistband and ordered him to show his hands, police said.

"At this point," the report says, "[the suspect] ignored [Casanova's] commands and continued to remove his handgun from his waistband."

The report says Casanova feared for his life and shot the suspect. The bullet pierced the suspect's buttocks and struck Roundtree in the chest, killing him.

At that point, Casanova took cover, and a pit bull started charging him and his partner, who is only identified in the report as Officer Panah. Panah shot and killed the dog. Then, crime scene detectives, paramedics and the medical examiner's office responded to the scene.

Police arrested the suspect who allegedly tried to remove his gun from his waistband and searched the home. Inside, they found a rifle by a window. Roundtree was lying on the floor in a hallway.

Investigators later found a handgun outside the home, which appeared to have been recently tossed there, possibly during or after the officer-involved shooting.

RELATED: San Antonio police ID officer whose shot went through suspect and killed 18-year-old

"They killed my son, cold blood," said Patricia Slack, Roundtree's mother, of San Antonio police the day of the shooting.

"It was on purpose, it was no accident. They knew what they were doing," she said. "They got trigger-happy and killed my son."

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the shooting was an accident and that the bullet was meant for a suspect who was allegedly raising a weapon towards an officer.

"It's a very, very unfortunate, tragic incident that happened," McManus said. "Unfortunately, that person who was just sitting there was killed by a bullet fired at someone who was attempting to use deadly force against police."

Paramedics took the wounded suspect to University Hospital for treatment. He was not identified in the report, and has yet to be arrested. McManus said the man has an "extensive record with police" and was out of jail on bond for other charges at the time of the shooting.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
Walker County Schools and Georgia Northwestern Technical College saw the full support of its community Tuesday as the new academy, Walker Launch, held a ribbon cutting. Several dozen administrators and instructors from both educational outlets, as well as business and community leaders from across Walker County were on hand for the ceremony.Nearly two dozen students from both LaFayette and Ridgeland High Schools in Walker County are enrolled in the pilot year of Walker Launch.The students began attending high school and college courses on the Walker County Campus of GNTC this past August. Walker County Schools administration hopes to see the enrollment of the new academy to expand to 200 students in the near future.Our hope is to help students get into high-demand jobs, said Walker County Schools Superintendent Damon Raines. We are training these young men and women for careers in everything from healthcare to logistics. But, its not only about that. Its about teaching the future of Walker County to live smarter; to avoid a lifestyle which forces so many families to live paycheck-to-paycheck.Among those in attendance at the ribbon cutting held in the 500 Building on the Walker County Campus of GNTC were Supt. Raines, GNTC President Pete McDonald, Walker County Schools Coordinator of Innovation Matt Harris, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson, Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield, Walker County School Board Member Karen Stoker, along with nearly two dozen other officials and business and leaders from NW Georgia.For more information about the program, students and families can speak with the guidance counselors office at their high school. Students interested in joining the program will be required to apply to enroll in Walker Launch, as well as meet certain program guidelines.
MSNBC host Chris Matthews is coming to the University of Houston next week to interview U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke for his Hardball College Tour special.

Matthews announced during his Tuesday night broadcast that he plans to record an hour-long interview with Sen. Ted Cruz's Democratic opponent a week before the November election on Oct. 30 at Cullen Performance Hall.
The Republican tax cut is a big, fat failure.

It has achieved none of the things that Republicans promised it would. It didnt reduce deficits. It didnt target the middle class. And it didnt win goodwill with voters.

Yet, for some reason, President Trump wants to do it all over again  in the next nine days, no less.

Last week the Treasury Department reported that the federal budget deficit swelled by 17 percent, or $113 billion, from fiscal 2017 to 2018. This is noteworthy, and not only because Republicans usually claim to despise deficits (at least, they do when Democrats are in charge).

It also reflects a massive decoupling of the business cycle from the federal budget.

Usually, as the economy improves, deficits shrink. Thats because people earn more money, causing them to pay more in taxes and enroll in fewer federal safety-net programs. This relationship between deficits and the economy has generally held true for the past 70 years, except during times of war.

In fact, the last year unemployment averaged about 4 percent  in 2000  we had a budget surplus. This time around, things look a wee bit different, thanks to recent spending hikes and tax cuts.

The Treasury numbers should not be surprising, by the way. Literally every independent forecaster predicted that the tax cut would increase deficits on net. Yet Republicans were somehow caught flat-footed by the news.

After all, when the White House published its 2018 fiscal plan a year and a half ago, Trump officials predicted that deficits would shrink substantially in 2018, thanks both to his tax cuts and the Miracle-Gro that Trump was supposedly sprinkling across the economy.

Yet in the end, the deficit was almost twice what the White House estimated it would be: $779 billion, compared with the forecast $440 billion.

Almost immediately after the Treasury report broke, GOP finger-pointing began. Trump said the widening deficit wasnt his fault; his love of the military, whose budget he had increased, was to blame.

As were all those pesky natural disasters, whose victims he would prefer to let fend for themselves.

We also have tremendous numbers with regard to hurricanes and fires and the tremendous forest fires all over, he said. California does a horrible job maintaining their forests. Theyre going to have to start doing a better job or were not going to be paying them.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., instead blamed entitlements such as Medicare. To be sure, entitlement spending is on an unsustainable growth path. But long-run entitlement spending growth is not the reason the federal deficit spiked 17 percent last year.

So what did drive that increase?

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has helpfully broken down the causes. It found that absent any of the legislative changes made over the past year  under unified Republican control of government  deficits would have indeed fallen.

Far and away the biggest contributor to the deficit increase was the GOP tax cut, which cost Uncle Sam an estimated $164 billion.

Note that Trumps tax cut, which passed last December, was in effect for only the final three quarters of the 2018 fiscal year. It will be even more expensive in fiscal 2019, since well get to bask in its fiscal profligacy all year-round.

By injecting stimulus into the economy during an expansion, Republicans have given us less fiscal space to act when (not if) we next have a recession. But timing isnt the only problem here. By Trumps own stated objectives, the tax cut is also supremely mistargeted.

Its a middle-class bill, Trump promised his supporters last year.

Yet two-thirds of the laws benefits went to the top income quintile this past year, according to estimates from the Tax Policy Center. And because of the way the law is structured, the share accruing to the richest Americans will only grow in the years ahead.

Americans have figured this out, too.

As poll after poll shows, they dislike the bill and (correctly) perceive it as a giveaway to corporations and the rich.

Despite all this, Trump declared over the weekend that Republicans planned to implement a very major tax cut before November  even though (oops!) Congress is out of session until after the midterms. Trump emphasized that the tax cut would be not for business at all. For middle-income people.

Second verse, same as the first. As voters have learned, this song has gotten very, very old.

crampell@washpost.com
People generally agree that a persons life experience can influence his outlook on developing circumstances. They further understand that these life experiences can sometimes be similar to someone elses and at other times can be rather unique.

I knew a kid, who, in 1947 when he was 14, had a stranger level a gun, at point-blank range, to his stomach. He threatened to kill the boy over a heated debate. The lad kept saying he was an American, and the stranger kept insisting he was a Mexican. At that point, the kid, who had been raised by his parents in love thy neighbor, nonviolent surroundings, ended the argument. He agreed with the stranger, then, scared out of his wits, resumed walking home on rather wobbly legs.

He later joined the Air Force and served a tour in Korea. He then relocated to Shreveport, La., where no one doubted his Americanism. The cultural environments between the north Louisiana city and his hometown were about as different as night and day. He had many friends there, and all seemed to like him.

He took a business course under the GI Bill, and a few years later when his parents were growing old, returned home and worked as controller for a local firm for 47 years. He attended night school concurrently, earned a BBA at UTSA and became a published author.

So it was easy for him, given all the above circumstances, to believe in theories published by some journalists that the history of the Alamo is a myth and was conjured up some 60 to 103 years later after the battle (the so-called Cenotaph was erected in 1939!) for purely political and socioeconomic advantage between ethnic groups, without an ounce of reality whatsoever.

George Carrera

Keep it simple

About the charter amendments on the ballot:

The signs and commercials say vote yes or no. The ballot choices are For or Against. This will confuse some voters who are expecting to see yes and no.

The midterm ballot is long; some voters are not going to read the amendments, and so the selection made might not be the voters intent.

Patricia Cox

What E-N bias?

Re: Our choices; early voting begins today, Editorial, Monday:

I often hear or read complaints that the San Antonio Express-News has a liberal bias instinctively opposed to Republicans.

So I read the election recommendations with that in mind. The final count was 32 Rs and 26 (a missed candidate added later) Ds. That is, 55.1 percent of the endorsed candidates were Republicans; 44.8 percent were Democrats.

Further comment about alleged biases is unnecessary.

Michael Drudge

Dont sway voters

I do not think any newspaper (which is supposed to report the news) should try to sway voters to their way of thinking.

Wrong, very wrong!

Diane Hogan

No bellyaching

Attention, ladies and gentlemen, or if you dont qualify, just qualified voters.

If you want to continue as a free enterprise economy, vote Republican. If you want a socialist-run economy, vote Democrat.

If you cant hit the floor with your hat or bonnet, just keep bellyaching.

Lester Gray

Voting Democrat?

Well, early voting for the midterms is upon us and for those of you who havent already voted, just remember if you are willing to stand the bedrock of our justice system, innocent until proven guilty, on its head, then you should vote Democrat.

If you long for the days of North Korea lobbing missiles around, then you should vote Democrat. If you are against record low unemployment for all sectors and all minorities, then by all means vote Democrat.

If you dont think we have enough home-grown criminals, gang members and welfare abusers, and need to import them from other countries, then Democrat is the way to go for you. If you think getting rid of ICE is a good idea, if you are just flat-out against peace and prosperity, then its Democrat for you.

Now keep in mind the biased fake news media says the blue wave is coming, so all you Democrats dont need to bother to vote. Just stay home instead of dealing with those long lines at the polling places. Those talking heads on your favorite left-wing media stations wouldnt lie, would they?

Gene Peterson

Kavanaugh: Part 2

Re: Atwater not as bad, Your Turn, Thursday:

Richard McDonnell is correct that mudslinging by both political parties is as old as the Jefferson-Hamilton era, but it was Lee Atwater who perfected it to a fine art. Republican officeholders today can credit him for their success. He was that bad, but he was remorseful and regretful of his plans when he was dying of cancer at age 40, converting to Catholicism.

Mr. McDonnell is incorrect that I justified the tactics used against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. I did not explain myself properly, because my assessment is the opposite.

Democrats did not commit the sex crimes. Kavanaugh lied through his teeth, and he and his buddies perjured themselves. Three credible and courageous women came forth to describe his sexual transgressions, and they were maligned and insulted, and their characters assassinated. That is why more sexual abuse victims do not come forward, as they are invariably demeaned and, in effect, revictimized. Kavanaughs checkered past will catch up to him in time.

Kavanaugh showed by his behavior that he does not have the professionalism and judicial temperament to be a judge, much less one on the high court The FBI investigation was a total sham. Your political cartoon on Oct. 14 got it right  when a paint-store owner tells a customer he is out of whitewash because the FBI took it all in their investigation.

We now have two alleged sexual predators  Republicans  on the Supreme Court. How Mr. McDonnell and his colleagues can defend, and be proud of, such a tragedy is beyond me.

George Farias
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday proposed a transitional government for the country, which he said would resolve the issue of legitimacy and have sufficient buy-in from Zimbabweans to deal with the worsening economic problems. He accused the ruling Zanu PF party of reneging on an earlier agreement on a power-sharing plan.

Addressing journalists in Harare, Chamisa claimed before the death of Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC founding president, in February and following the ouster of former President Robert Mugabe from power, a deal had been agreed with Zanu PF to put off elections in favour of a transitional administration until the economy had normalised.

He said war veterans leaders Christopher Mutsvangwa and Victor Matemadanda were aware of the arrangement, but Zanu PF later chose to push for elections, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa narrowly won. Chamisa disputed the poll result.

The MDC Alliance leader has refused to acknowledge a Constitutional Court ruling that confirmed Mnangagwas victory and frequently calls him an illegitimate leader.

In September last year, before Mugabe was forced out in a coup two months later, Reuters, citing politicians, diplomats and documents from inside the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), noted that then Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa was looking to co-operate with Tsvangirai to lead a transitional government for five years and that the arrangement had tacit backing of some of Zimbabwes military and Britain.

Such a transitional authority would avoid the chaos that has followed some previous elections, the report noted.

This unity government would pursue a new relationship with thousands of white farmers who were chased off in violent seizures of land approved by Mugabe in the early 2000s. The farmers would be compensated and reintegrated, according to senior politicians, farmers and diplomats. The aim would be to revive the agricultural sector, a linchpin of the nations economy that collapsed catastrophically after the land seizures.

Mnangagwa realises he needs the white farmers on the land when he gets into power  he will use the white farmers to resuscitate the agricultural industry, which he reckons is the backbone of the economy, Reuters wrote, citing a January 6, 2016 report.

Chamisa said the election had brought chaos and that the transitional authority was now inevitable.

We need a national transitional authority and that is the one that is going to lay the framework for these steps so that we resolve this crisis. We are seeing a repetition of the 2013 problem, Chamisa said.

The problem president Tsvangirai left, the problem Mugabe didnt solve, the problems Mnangagwa would want to perpetuate. We want to put a stop and we cannot be talking about elections all the time, we want to talk about development.

The MDC leader said talks between himself and Mnangagwa, which were initiated by church organisations, had broken down because Mnangagwa seems not to have an appetite for it, while he is fixated on engaging the international community and forgetting that the local community is critical as well.

Chamisa said his party had put forward five points that must be addressed and they were: returning to legitimacy; undertaking comprehensive reforms; nation-building and peace-building; having a common approach to international isolation and addressing the economic situation.

He said in the transitional authority, they would not be used to sanitise Zanu PF as happened in 2008 when they went into a GNU.

The transitional authority is going to be a creature of the discussions, we do not want to define the confines and parameters of it now because we want a national discourse, he said, adding we want something that is not going to compromise the MDC because we dont want a repeat of 2008, where we were used to chlorinate the infected.

We dont want a repeat of 2008 and once beaten twice shy, the agenda is not about power, positions, but answers to the people of Zimbabwe. We need permanent answers to resolve the national question.

Chamisa said the biggest challenge with the Zanu PF-led government was the high level of fiscal indiscipline at the apex of government, which has resulted in domestic debt ballooning when Mnangagwa took office.

He claimed his party had a clear path and the formula that Zimbabwe must take to extricate itself from its quagmire.

Chamisa said it was folly and delusional to think that the bond notes were at par with the US dollar and demanded an audit by Parliament into the ballooning domestic debt to figure out how the money was spent.

But Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana described Chamisas utterances as madness.

He is mad. There was no discussion of this nature. We govern this country through the Constitution and as a lawyer, I expect him to read it, Mangwana said.

We only have a transitional government if there is no government and, in this instance, we have elections that were held in terms of the Constitution and the winner was declared by the Constitutional Court, and there is no room for the so-called transitional government. Transiting to where? We cannot have a transitional government in an independent sovereign authority. We held democratic elections and a winner was declared by the ConCourt.

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A 28 year-old Zimbabwean man is set to stand trial next week after he was arrested and charged with undermining authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers recently arrested Alexander Samuel Chidzedzere, who resides in the resort town of Kariba in Mashonaland West province and charged him with undermining authority or insulting President Mnangagwa as defined in Section 33(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

ZRP officers claimed that Chidzedzere insulted President Mnangagwa on 16 August 2018 at Nyamhunga Business Centre in Kariba, where he allegedly unlawfully and intentionally uttered an abusive, indecent and obscene statement concerning the ZANU PF party leader and alleged that the ruling ZANU PF party had won the 30 July harmonised elections through rigging.

ZRP officers charged that the statement allegedly uttered by Chidzedzere would engender feelings of hostility towards or cause hatred, contempt or ridicule of the ZANU PF party leader.

Chidzedzere, who, is represented by Unite Saizi of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and whose trial was scheduled to commence on Wednesday 24 October 2018 at Kariba Magistrates Court, will now stand trial on Wednesday 31 October 2018 after his trial failed to kick off as ZRP officers did not serve witnesses with summons to attend court proceedings.

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A nurse at Gwanda Provincial Hospital allegedly used a latex glove to rape his maid and the sheath remained stuck in the complainants vagina.

The complainant took the glove to hospital as evidence that she was raped by her employer Ngonidzashe Pardon Tshuma who is a nurse. Tshuma paid $100 bail after appearing before Gwanda magistrate Nomagugu Ncube.

Allegations are that Tshuma wanted to rape the complainant when they were at home alone but did not have a condom. He then took a latex glove and used it as protection but the sheath remained stuck in the complainants vagina after the act.

She allegedly removed the latex on her own and resigned the next day before heading for her rural home in Mberengwa.

It is the State case that Tshuma who resides in TB Jahunda, Gwanda started admiring the complainants plaited hair on October 5, 2018 at around 8am when they were having breakfast. He allegedly patted the complainants hair who responded by pushing him away.

The accused allegedly tried his luck again at 11am when he tightly grabbed the complainant.

At around 1pm Tshuma allegedly followed the maid into the bedroom where she was looking for a mop. He got hold of her waist forcing her down on her knees before lifting her onto the bed. He allegedly raped her once using a glove as protection which was left stuck in the vagina.

In Mberengwa the complainant narrated the case to her brother who then accompanied her to the Police. She was sent to hospital for medical examination and took with her the latex glove that her employer used on her.

Tshuma was remanded to October 23, 2018 on $100 bail. He is being represented by McAlister Ncube of Mabikwa and Partners.

Takunda Mafudze prosecuted.

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Nothing beats education, this is probably the best message coming out of the newly sworn in Chikomba Rural District Council meetings.

Five MDC Alliance councillors who have better academic qualifications are dominating Chikomba RDC Council meetings where Zanu PF has an overwhelming majority of 25 out of 30 councillors.

For those who attended the first meeting on the gathering was an MDC Alliance show where councillors took the debate out of the Zanu PF councillors world. Zanu PFs councillors are all from rural areas while MDC swept all the four seats in Chivhu urban.

The party grabbed another ward at Sadza growth point. MDC has two teachers and some skilled and educated councillors.

So dominant were MDC councillors in the meeting that the local District Administrator had to prop up Zanu PF councillors to speak out and participate.

Other councillors, please stand up and speak, we dont want a situation where this house is run and controlled by four people, said the DA.

Councillors Ishmael Maukazuva and Edwin Maseva dissected issues and proffered various suggestions, leaving the majority of Zanu PF councillors as spectators.

MDC Alliance councillors are Christopher Muchenje, Ward 9 who is a technician, Emmanuel Punungwe Ward 10 who is teacher at Badza Primary, Maseva, a teacher at Makumimavi Primary School for Ward 11 and Maukazuva for Ward 12 who is a technician with the Zimbabwe ElectricityTransmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).

The DA had to assure Zanu PF councillors that one did not need to have a degree in order to be a councillor or an MP.

Chikomba Residents and Rate Payers Alliance (CHRRA) chairperson Collen Zvarevashe said he was impressed by the level of debate that the MDC had brought to council. He said there is a complete transformation from the last council where Zanu PF had 100% representation.

Maseva was elected the chairperson of the town board committee, while Peta was elected chairperson of the Sadza area committee.

Meanwhile, Chikomba RDC acting chief executive officer Bullen Chiwara warned councillors against providing information to the media.

However, MDC councillors profusely protested and asked for the laws or regulations that stipulate that. They declared that they will invite and speak to the media on issues that affect their wards and the projects that they undertake.

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This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1540 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, more original reporting

Yves here. It appears Republicans have noticed how popular socialism is with the young and felt compelled to Do Something about that, in the form of a 72 page soi disant report by the Council of Economic Advisers on the Opportunity Costs of Socialism. Apparently no one told them that Basque region of Spain, dominated by the worker-owned Mondragon, which has strict curbs on executive pay, had the lowest post-crisis level of unemployment in the country.

Even this post, however, misses the idea that there are different types of property rights, even with supposedly private property, as Jerri-Lynns discussion of the right to repair illustrates. Sandwichman at Econospeak made a similar point by hoisting this matrix from Elinor Olstrom:

By Jake Johnson, staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams

From its heavy-handed comparisons between mild-mannered democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and militant communist revolutionary Mao Zedong to its bizarre assertion that the Scandinavian economic model is a failure due to the high weekly costs of owning a pickup truck in Finland and Sweden (seriously), a White House attack on socialism was roundly mocked almost as soon as it was released on Monday, with informed critics arguing that the report reads as if it was plagiarized from a college freshmanwith a serious Ayn Rand obsession.

Titled The Opportunity Costs of Socialism, the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) new 72-page paperpurports to offer an empirical analysis of socialist policiesbut what it actually does is make what analysts described as hilariously stupid and intellectually embarrassing claims accompanied by charts and footnotes that give off the appearance of scholarly diligence.

Characterizing the CEAs report as a truly bizarre document, Voxs Dylan Matthews notes that the papers bibliography contains a mix of books about mass atrocities in Communist regimes, economics papers on the distortionary effects of taxation, and works by socialists, like the essay Voxpublished by Jacobin staff writer Meagan Day defending democratic socialism.

But a look beyond the CEAs hysterical rants against socialisms supposedly totalitarian nature reveals that the White House accidentally makes a strong case for Medicare for All, which the paper describes as the headline American socialist proposal.

After attempting to discredit single-payer healthcare programswhich multiple polls now show most Republicanvoters supportas similar in spirit to Lenin and Mao, the CEA produced a chart showing short wait times for seniors under the current U.S. healthcare system compared to those under the Canadian and Nordic systems.

As Voxs Sarah Kliff notes, the CEA conveniently omits the fact that Americas seniors are essentially in a single-payer system: its called Medicare.

The Trump chart doesnt say what the White House seems to think it says, Kliff concludes. It isnt telling us that single-payer healthcare has long wait times. If anything, it says that it is possible to build a single-payer system with short wait timesand our Medicare program has already done it.

So, um, a new @WhiteHouseCEA report ostensibly written to argue against Medicare for All uses the success of Medicare (!) to argue against it. https://t.co/irnkIlNzbh pic.twitter.com/RhndXzAHzE  Steve Goldstein (@MKTWgoldstein) October 23, 2018

In a tweet, Sanders offered Trump his congratulations for making such a good argument in favor of Medicare for All:

Congratulations to Donald Trump for unintentionally making the case for Medicare for All. https://t.co/De09BEVq2s  Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 23, 2018

The CEAs Medicare for All faceplant was just one of many ludicrous components of the White Houses latest effort to ratchet up fear of the coming socialist menaceahead of next months midterm elections. According to recent survey data, a growing number of American voters prefer socialism to capitalismhardly a surprising finding, given that just five men own almost as much wealth as half the worlds population and tens of millions of Americans are just one emergency away from economic peril.

In a Twitter thread, Public Citizen highlighted a couple more of the reports egregious lies:

Heres one embarrassing claim from the report: Restraining drug prices will lower life expectancy. Yes, thats right  in the country where 1 in 6 ration drugs because of price  they argue that restraining price gouging would cost lives. 5/  Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) October 23, 2018

The report is dead wrong on the cost of Medicare for All. Medicare for All is MORE efficient than wasteful private insurers. We would spend the same or less on health care while providing better treatment to all. 6/  Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) October 23, 2018

The report twists and turns to claim that US health care is superior. But we do worse than other rich nations on infant mortality, access to care, lifespan, overall health and quality. Private insurance makes things worse in each dimension. 7/  Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) October 23, 2018

But as the left-wing magazine CurrentAffairs pointed out on Twitter, no detailed breakdown is necessary to recognize that the CEAs paper is total bunk.

The White House paper on socialism can be dismissed in a sentence: it defines socialism as state ownership rather than worker control, and therefore does not have anything to say about socialism, the publication noted. Sorry that you wasted 72 pages and a bunch of hours, White House CEA.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1541 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, more original reporting

Worlds oldest intact shipwreck discovered in Black Sea Guardian. Kevin W:

This got the blood racing. The deep waters of the Black Sea are anoxic meaning there is very little oxygen present. Thus the life forms that would normally eat those timbers cannot survive there. If a ship goes down in those seas, they can stay intact like this one to an incredible degree. The coils of rope are still there along with the bones of the monkfish being eaten by the crew at the time the ship went down. Amazing.

Air Force removes baptism from basic training graduation requirements Duffle Blog (Kevin W)

Hubble Telescopes Broken Gyroscope Seemingly Fixed After Engineers Try Turning It Off and On Again Gizmodo

Heres what the quantum internet has in store Nature (David L)

We Are All Lawyers Now  The Rise of the Legalish Artificial Lawyer

Y Combinator plans to back carbon removal ventures MIT Technology Review (furzy)

Massive Study Finds Eating Organic Slashes Cancer Risks EcoWatch (Glenn F). The study.

More than one-third of Americans report eating fast food every day Axios. More prevalent at higher income levels.

Six children dead in virus outbreak at US health centre BBC

The weed-killing chemical involved in a Monsanto lawsuit was found in Cheerios and Quaker Oat bars. Heres how worried you should be. Business Insider (David L)

Why a daily bath helps beat depression  and how to have a good one Guardian (Dr. Kevin)

North Korea

Leaders of Asia and Europe sit down for talks, not sanctions Asia Times

India

Can Narendra Modi Be Convicted of Corruption for the Renegotiated Rafale Deal? The Wire (J-LS)

Shaxson: Britain owes its pre-eminence as a financial centre to the combination of a strong legal system, which stops people stealing your money, with a weak regulatory one, which allows you to steal other peoples, From Sunday Times review..  Ann Pettifor (@AnnPettifor) October 22, 2018

Brexit

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Trump Transition

Hollywood donors flood Dems with midterm cash The Hill

The Decline and Fall of Elizabeth Warren Benjamin Studebaker. UserFriendly: Spot on.

Gavin Newsom Is Bullish On Single-Payer  Except When Hes Not Kaiser Health News

Minnesota Poll: Wardlow now leads Ellison for attorney general Minneapolis StarTribune. UserFriendly: I officially hate this woman.

Wren-Lewis insults medical science Lars P. Syll (UserFriendly)

12 relatives of GOP Nevada governor candidate pen op-ed opposing him The Hill (UserFriendly)

Bonds Flash a Warning Sign to the Fed Bloomberg (furzy)

Goldman arguing that the smart money has been exiting stocks and bonds since February's volatility spike, as measured by ETF flows. pic.twitter.com/BCWoWUawcR  Tracy Alloway (@tracyalloway) October 23, 2018

Trump Steps Up Attacks on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell Wall Street Journal

Self-driving school bus test halted in US BBC (UserFriendly) and U.S. regulator orders halt to self-driving school bus test in Florida Reuters (EM)

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Tracie H: Are those berries down there?

And a bonus antidote from Kevin W:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Nature has manufactured the perfect machines. Only the fastest, toughest, and most cunning creatures have endured. We examine how animals have evolved and how we can benefit from their evolution.

Sundays from 8:30pm AEDT.
A very special tribute was paid by the Community to recently retired Principal of Ardfinnan National School, Mrs Mairead Condon. Mrs Condon began her career in Ardfinnan N.S. in February 1983 and became Principal in September 2003.

Pictured above at the function were - Thomas OMahoney, Chairperson Ardfinnan Community Council, Brid Quinlivan, newly appointed Principal, Mairead Condon, Retired Principal, Pearl Casey, Chairperson Parents Association and Tony Kenny, Chairperson Board of Management.

Throughout her years she dedicated herself wholeheartedly and very successfully to improving the educational outcomes and personal wellbeing of the children of the Community. The school grew in size and in stature and became well known as a very welcoming place for all pupils, including those with special needs, particularly after the establishment over time of two classes for children with Autism.

On the big night a cheering guard of honour greeted Mrs Condon and her family as they entered the Church of the Holy Family for what was a very enjoyable and at times moving ceremony.

The members of the parish choir, Cor A.B.G., sang beautifully. Members of the school orchestra and choir also added to the occasion, as did the musical contributions of the Murphy sisters.

The Mass was kindly celebrated by Fr Bobby Power and Fr Frawley. It concluded with the school choir going to the altar to accompany local songwriter and musician Stefan Grace,(ably assisted by Mike on the violin) in performing a special song indeedThe Song of the Wind, written by Stefan in 2010 for the school Centenary celebrations.

During the Offertory there was a special moment when 2 sixth class pupils, accompanied by their parents brought up the gifts. The parents , Breda and Sean were in the first class that Mrs Condons taught in Ardfinnan . Bredas son, Shane and Seans daughter Rebecca are current pupils of the school. This acknowledged the generational connections that reflect Mrs Condons time in Ardfinnan.

After Mass some fine speeches were made, each referencing the great impact Mrs Condon had on the Community through her work and her leadership and the close links established down the years. Thomas O Mahoney, Chairperson of the Community Council, introduced each speaker, beginning with Chairperson of the school Parents Association, Pearl Casey. After her kind words, Pearl made a presentation to Mrs Condon on behalf of the P.A.

Next Thomas spoke and once again in fine style expressed the gratitude of all. The presentation then made by him was on behalf of the many fine community organisations we are fortunate and proud to have in our area. Sincere thanks for their generosity.

Mr Tony Kenny, Chairperson of the school Board of Management then spoke of the developments in the school under Mrs Condons leadership and of her commitment to pupils and parents throughout. At a Board and Staff event last June presentations were made by both groups, which were much appreciated by Mrs Condon. Tony ended by calling on the newly appointed Principal, Ms Brid Quinlivan. She presented a beautiful bouquet to Mrs Condon before speaking clearly heartfelt words from the podium.

The final speaker was Mrs Condon herself. She expressed her gratitude to all who organised and contributed to such a wonderful evening in any way. She eloquently spoke of her enjoyment of her many years in Ardfinnan N.S., of the support from the parents, the Staff and wider community and wished all the very best for the future.

After the speeches everyone headed to the Community Hall for refreshments, which were much enjoyed! A slide show of photos from the recent and not so recent past entertained. Everyone made the most of the evening, especially many who had not met for a long time. It was a chance to further reflect on the years Mrs Condon taught in and led what is a school to be proud of. in a community that did itself proud in paying this tribute to an amazing lady.

We take this opportunity to again wish Mairead a long and happy retirement.
Criticism of Tipperary County Council and CEO Joe MacGrath at Saturdays protest march in Tipperary town were rejected at a meeting of the Tipperary Cashel Muncipal District on Monday.

Fianna Fail councillor Roger Kennedy said the council had no magic wand to cure the town's ills while chairman Michael Fitzgerald said things were said at the march that he couldn't agree with.

Meanwhile District Director Claire Curley said the council was working 'relentlessly, day in, day' for the town.

Chairman Michael Fitzgerald defended the record of the local authority at the meeting, while stressing that Tipperary town is a priority for the Council and elected representatives.

March4Tipp organiser Padraig Culbert had criticised Co. Council CEO Joe MacGraths record in Tipperary and local engineers at Saturdays rally.

Cllr Fitzgerald congratulated the organisers on such a huge march of support for the town.

He added - I know our Council came in for criticism but we can all work more closely to improve everything. Things were said off the side of a stage that I could not agree with.

He said the timeline of two weeks to let Mr MacGrath respond to organisers' demands, was not realistic.

He added that there was a planned visit by Industry Minister Heather Humphreys to the area.

Cllr Fitzgerald added - We know we have to work hard to make things happen. I hate to see the decline of the town, like the closure of Wellworths. We are doing our level best to try to encourage and support it.. A renewed effort will be made by the Minister, including looking at the Pall and the old Atari factory site.

Cllr Denis Leahy said Saturdays protest had been grumbling for the last 12 months.

He claimed that the elimination of the Town Councils, the re-unification of County Tipperary, and the equalisation of business rates, had all served to downgrade the status of Tipperary town, and cause hardship. The Town Councils had the weaponry to combat these things, he said.

I have no doubt Tipperary will rise again, said Cllr Leahy. There are opportunities there. We need employment. I have great faith in the people of Tipperary, in the businesses of Tipperary. We have to look at the idea of a task force.

Cllr John Crosse said politicians and business people shouldnt be afraid to make tough decisions, that may affect one business, but would help 10 to 15 businesses develop.

Cllr Mary Hannah Hourigan congratulated Padraig Culbert on a peaceful and well organised march, but said CEO Joe MacGrath got the biggest rap in Mr Culberts speech.

Cllr Hourigan criticised the rates system, but said she used to have to pay four and half thousand in rates back when there was no painting schemes, and you had to shovel the street yourself. Empty pubs during the weeks had to be revived if Tipperary is to be renewed.

Cllr Roger Kennedy said traders and organisers of the march were very critical of the Council.

Its easy to criticise if you dont sit down and see whats being done. More needs to be done, its a slow burner. We cannot take one decision that will change everything for everyone in Tipperary town. We have no magic wand.

Cllr Kennedy asked how do we sell Tipperary better as a destination for investment, and infrastructure is vital. When you get the infrastructure you get the jobs. Better connections to Limerick are vital, as Limerick city is the driving force for the west Tipperary area.
The NATO Deputy Secretary General, the Honourable Rose Gottemoeller, will travel to Beijing from Wednesday, 24 October to Friday, 26 October 2018.

Ms. Gottemoeller will participate in the 8th Xiangshan Forum co-hosted by the China Association for Military Science and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies.

More information about the conference can be found here: http://www.xiangshanforum.cn/channel/forum8/index.shtml

Photos of the visit will be available on the NATO website after the event.

Follow the Deputy Secretary General on Twitter (@Gottemoeller). Also follow us at (@NATOPress).
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg briefed media on Wednesday (24 October 2018) ahead of Trident Juncture, NATOs biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War. Trident Juncture will include around 65 ships, 250 aircraft, 10,000 vehicles and 50,000 personnel from across the Alliance. All 29 Allies are participating, as well as NATO partners Finland and Sweden. This is a strong display of our capabilities and of our resolve to work together, said the Secretary General.

Mr. Stoltenberg outlined the scenario of the exercise, which will test NATOs ability to restore the sovereignty of an Ally after an act of armed aggression. The exercise will also test and certify the NATO Response Force for 2019. Trident Juncture sends a clear message, to our nations and to any potential adversary: NATO does not seek confrontation, but we stand ready to defend all Allies against any threat, he said.

The Secretary General underlined that exercise Trident Juncture is a huge logistical undertaking. Since August, around 180 flights, 60 ships of equipment and personnel have arrived at 27 different locations across Norway, from as far away as California. Today, all our forces and equipment are in place  from the largest ship, to the smallest drone, said Mr. Stoltenberg. He added that moving troops and equipment on such a scale is a multinational effort.

Mr. Stoltenberg highlighted that an important part of Trident Juncture will take place at sea, and Admiral James Foggo will command the whole exercise from aboard the USS Mount Whitney. NATO is committed to securing the Atlantic and Trident Juncture demonstrates the enduring strength of the transatlantic bond, he said. Thousands of forces from the United States and Canada will take part in the exercise, deploying some of their most capable assets, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

Addressing the issue of transparency, the Secretary General noted that all members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have been invited to send observers to Trident Juncture. I welcome that Russia, as well as Belarus have accepted the invitation, he said. Mr. Stoltenberg added that NATO also briefed Russia on the exercise in the NATO-Russia Council earlier this year.

More information on exercise Trident Juncture here.
On Thursday, 25 October 2018, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will hold a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, H.E. Mr. Peter Szijjarto.

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)
(As delivered)

Good morning.

The main phase of Exercise Trident Juncture will begin tomorrow in Norway.

This is an important day.

Because Trident Juncture is NATOs biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War.

It is ambitious and it is demanding.

Let me give you our latest figures regarding its size.

Trident Juncture will include around:

65 ships

250 aircraft,

10,000 vehicles

and 50,000 personnel.

All 29 NATO Allies will participate, as well as our partners Finland and Sweden.

This is a strong display of our capabilities.

And of our resolve to work together.

In recent years, Europes security environment has significantly deteriorated.

NATO has responded.

With the biggest adaptation of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.

Trident Juncture demonstrates that adaptation.

The scenario is fictitious, but the lessons we learn will be real.

The participants will split into South forces and North forces.

They will take turns playing the role of the fictitious aggressor and the NATO defending forces.

The exercise will test our readiness to restore the sovereignty of an Ally  in this case, Norway  after an act of armed aggression.

It will exercise our ability to reinforce an Allied country with troops and equipment from North America and from across Europe.

It will test and certify the NATO Response Force for 2019.

So Trident Juncture sends a clear message.

To our nations.

And to any potential adversary.

NATO does not seek confrontation.

But we stand ready to defend all Allies.

Against any threat.

***

This is a big exercise.

And a huge logistical undertaking.

Since August, some 180 flights and 60 ships of equipment and personnel have arrived at 27 different locations across Norway.

Including harbours, airports, and train stations.

Equipment and troops have arrived from as far as San Diego in California  over 8,000 kilometres to the west.

And Izmir in Turkey  3,000 kilometres to the southeast.

Today, all our forces and equipment are in place  from the largest ship, to the smallest drone.

Moving troops and equipment across borders on such a scale is a multinational effort.

Let me give you one example.

German tanks arrived in Norway on a Danish vessel.

On arrival, they were checked by Norwegian specialists.

Fuelled by a Belgian fuel truck.

Loaded on Dutch and Polish transporters by road and rail, to their final destination.

This was supervised by an American movement control team.

And organised by Bulgarian logisticians.

So I want to pay tribute to the capable men and women who are working so hard to move all the forces and equipment in and around Norway for Trident Juncture.

Their work is a great example of Allied cooperation.

***

The whole exercise will be commanded by Admiral Foggo from aboard the USS Mount Whitney.

And an important part of Trident Juncture will take place at sea.

The Atlantic is vital for the security of Europe.

And for global trade and communications.

It also provides a crucial route for reinforcement between North America and Europe.

NATO is committed to securing the Atlantic.

And Trident Juncture demonstrates the enduring strength of the transatlantic bond.

Thousands of forces from both the United States and Canada will take part.

They are deploying some of their most capable assets.

Including the U.S.S Harry S. Truman, which I visited recently.

The first US aircraft carrier in Norwegian waters since 1987.

***

NATO is a defensive Alliance.

We are transparent in the way we exercise.

All members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe have been invited to send observers to Trident Juncture.

And I welcome that Russia, as well as Belarus, have accepted the invitation.

NATO also briefed Russia on Trident Juncture in the NATO-Russia Council earlier this year.

NATO Allies respect the OSCE Vienna Document on transparency of military activities both in letter and in spirit.

While Russia has not notified a single exercise since the end of the Cold War.

***

Trident Juncture 18 will bring together large numbers of personnel and a lot of equipment.

Some of our forces are using this opportunity to do additional exercises.

For example, the deployment phase of Trident Juncture provides training opportunities as part of NATOs Exercise Brilliant Jump.

Poland will hold its regular exercise Anakonda, immediately after Trident Juncture.

Troops from ten Allies will participate in Anakonda, which will be hosted jointly by Poland and our Baltic Allies.

Finland is also using the presence of Allied navies in the region in Exercise Northern Coasts.

All these exercises show that we stand together in an unpredictable world.

And that our capabilities are real and ready.

With that, I am ready to take your questions.

Moderator: Ok, well go to Reuters in the first row.

Q: Thank you very much, Robin Emmott from Reuters. Secretary General, yesterday evening Washington made clear to Russia that it will withdraw from the INF treaty. Given that NATO as recently as July in the summit declaration committed to upholding this treaty and called it a landmark treaty where does the US decision leave NATO?

NATO Secretary General: The INF Treaty is a landmark treaty but the problem is that no treaty can be effective, can work, if it is only respected by one part and therefore NATO allies have expressed concerns about the Russian behaviour, about the development of a new Russian missile and they have expressed, all of us have, that the most plausible explanation is that Russia is in violation of the Treaty because they have now accepted that they are developing a new missile SSC8. We have had ongoing consultations on this for a long time. This was actually an issue that was raised by the Obama administration. It was an issue that we addressed also at our summit in July where heads of state and government expressed a very strong position on the INF issue and expressed their concerns about the Russian behaviour and at the Defence Ministerial Meeting in October this was one of the main issues discussed in the meeting but also publicly at a press conference I expressed my concerns and addressed the fact that Russia is developing a new missile but also Secretary Mattis also declared and stated clearly that this cannot go on, this is untenable, that Russia is developing the new missile.

Moderator: The lady from Europa Press, the lady in the third row...

Q: Thank you. Ana Pisonero from the Spanish news agency Europa Press and still on the INF Treaty, Secretary General: have any Allies asked for consultations under Chapter 4? Because potentially if the US decides to pull out of the Treaty, it could have a big impact on the security of the whole of the Allies and also the US or if the US is actually going to brief in the future to the Allies on this potential decision? And the second question is, indeed NATO has been for years denouncing Russian violations. Is the whole Alliance on board on the fact that now is the tipping point that the US should start developing its own capabilities to match Russian capabilities, I mean, is it a tipping point and everybody is on board on that? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: All Allies agree that the INF Treaty is important, and that is exactly why we are so concerned about the Russian behaviour. All Allies of course agree with the United States that the United States is in full compliance with the Treaty, but at the same time we state clearly that the most plausible explanation is that Russia now is in violation of the Treaty and therefore the problem is the Russian behaviour that we have seen clearly over many years and we can state that clearly we cannot have a treaty between two parties which is only respected by one of them. We have had ongoing consultations for a long period.

This was one of the main issues at the Defence Ministerial Meeting a few weeks ago, it was one of the main issues I discussed during my visit to Washington and we will also have a meeting later on this week in the North Atlantic Council at ambassadorial level where we will discuss the INF Treaty and the Russian behaviour, which is of great concern for all Allies. We dont want a new Cold War, we dont want a new arms race and therefore we strongly believe that it is important to address the concerns we have expressed for a long time regarding the new Russian missile and that Russia has to come into compliance with the INF Treaty in a transparent and verifiable way. We will of course assess the implications for NATO Allies, for our security, of the new Russian missile and the Russian behaviour, but I dont foresee that Allies will station more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile.

Moderator: Deutsche Welle

Q: Hi, Teri Schulz from Deutsche Welle. Ill start with this, but I promise Ill get to Trident Juncture. It still remains that you havent really answered what you believe, or what you think, what the Alliance thinks of the responses the US has had. Everyone knows Russia is in violation, Russia has admitted it is in violation, to some extent is this still the best way to go forward, for the US to dump the Treaty? If you are going to, I mean, its not up to NATO whether there will be an arms race or not, if there is increasing tension and, God forbid, new nuclear weapons, what difference does it make how well your tanks can cross rivers and move to the border of Estonia if there is going to be a nuclear threat, I mean, the Trident Juncture exercises have not proved a deterrent yet so, yes, I want to know the value in light of the nuclear threat. Thanks.

NATO Secretary General: We dont have an effective INF Treaty if it is respected by only one part. That has been and that is the main problem. All Allies have strongly stated that we are concerned about the new missile and that the most plausible explanation is that Russia is in violation of the INF Treaty and, of course, we also stated clearly that US is respecting the Treaty but we also understand that this is not something that can go on because the Treaty is not working if it is only respected by one side. We will assess the implications and, as I said, we are also having a meeting at ambassadorial level later on this week which is part of an ongoing consultation which has been going on for many months, especially the last months with the Summit and the Defence Ministerial Meeting.

We already have a nuclear challenge because Russia has nuclear weapons, so even though the INF Treaty has been important because it has abolished all kind of weapons, intermediate weapons, Russia has maintained different capabilities, nuclear capabilities, strategic capabilities but also short range weapons, so what NATO needs is a credible deterrence to respond to a full spectrum, from conventional weapons all the way to nuclear weapons but the deployment of a new Russian missile makes it necessary for NATO to assess the implications for our security and that is exactly what we are doing.

Moderator: Thank you. Kyiv Post. There...

Q: Thank you. Iryna Somer, Kyiv Post Newspaper. Secretary General, on Russian behaviour yesterday the European Parliament Higher Representative Federica Mogherini discussed the issue of the Azov Sea, particularly its militarisation which can lead potentially to the escalation in the region. What is NATOs assessment on this? Do we have a reason to worry about? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: Yes we are concerned about the situation in the Azov Sea and Russian behaviour there is part of a pattern we have seen over a long time and especially in this region with the illegal annexation of Crimea with the new bridge and of course with the Russian activities to destabilise , the Russian support to the military activity in Eastern Ukraine to destabilise the Eastern Ukraine Donbas. I discussed the situation in the Azov Sea recently with Foreign Minister Klimkin when he visited NATOs Headquarters I expressed my full support to the sovereignty of Ukraines territorial integrity and including also the freedom of navigation and the importance for Ukraine to be able to have open and free sea lines of communication including in the Azov Sea, but it is also important, of course, for NATO Allies, for our ships and for the trade between NATO Allies and Ukraine. So this is something that has been addressed and just highlights the importance that Russia comes into, or respects, its international obligations, including the navigation in the Azov Sea.

Moderator: Kabul Post...

Q: Thank you Secretary General. Today I think that the NAC is talking also about the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan as well. Could you please tell me, these days we have heard that US and also Afghan, they say that the peace negotiation, that it is also a concern that the US have agreed to talk with the Taliban and also representatives of... Khalil has also met some Taliban members in Qatar and you are always saying that you are supporting the peace process by leading the Afghans, and nowadays it is a little bit changed. Is NATO still supporting the peace negotiations with the Afghans? And also after 17 years of war in Afghanistan, with the terrorism, we still have a lot of problems and no one is recognising the Taliban anymore as a terrorist group so if the Taliban is not a terrorist group, with whom are you fighting? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: NATO supports efforts to find a political and peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. We do that, not by participating directly in peace talks, thats not NATOs role, but we support them politically. NATOs Allies provide support, but our most important contribution to the peace process is to send a clear message to the Taliban and to other insurgents that they cannot win in the battlefield so we have to train, assist and advise the Afghan forces in a way that enables them to make it clear to the Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield, they have to sit down at the negotiating table.

So thats the main way we help Afghanistan, with capacity building, train, assist and advise. We support the Afghan-lead and Afghan-owned peace process but at the same time I think that direct contacts between the US and Taliban is also valuable and I am absolutely certain that the US does what it can to make sure this is coordinated with Kabul. For us the important thing is that it is an Afghan-lead and Afghan-owned peace process and I am absolutely sure that the US coordinate their efforts with Kabul and the Afghan government, and I know they have discussed their efforts several times.

It is also an issue we discuss when we meet in NATO and we will meet today so that will provides us with a new opportunity to have US and Afghanistan and all NATO Allies around the table to discuss the peace efforts and the peace process. NATO doesnt have a list where we list different terrorist organisations. For us it is important that we provide support to the Afghan forces, security forces, they have the main responsibility for security in their own country and we help them and then we leave it to them to decide how they make progress or how they reach out to Taliban to try to have a political process with the Taliban.

M- Associated Press. The gentleman on the left.

Q: Lorne Cook, from the Associated Press. You may be relieved I have a question on the Trident Juncture now even though I realise we are part of the deterrants by reporting order. It sounds like an article 5 scenario so I wanted to be sure that thats correct, the geographical location, Norway, very close to Russia, weve had two big Russian exercises with China, with Belarus last year, I wondered if you have any thoughts on who else a potential article 5 opponent might be. And then, is this exercise also an opportunity to test out some of the cyber, the aggressive or attacking side of capabilities that have been put out for use for NATO in the future? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: It is the biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War and that reflects the adaptation of NATO. NATO has implemented the biggest adaptation of our Alliance since the end of the Cold War because when the world changes then NATO has to change. And thats exactly what we have done. Highly trained forces, increased presence in the eastern part of the Alliance and investing more in our security in defence. And the exercise is part of that. NATO has always exercised and we exercise and train all the time, but we have these big exercises where we move thousands of tonnes of equipment, heavy vehicles, tens of thousands of personnel and it is important to show that we are able to support and defend any ally against any threat and we did exercise in Norway but, of course, the lessons learnt fom Norway from Trident Juncture are also relevant to other countries.

And just to make sure that 29 allies can work together in the air, sea, land and cyber is important and we need to do that in a real environment, in a challenging climate and NATO has always faced this in Norway. Cyber is an integrated part in any military operation today and of course we will exercise Cyber. Exactly what cyber capabilities we will exercise, I think I will not go into now, but NATO has decided to integrate what we call National Cyber Effects, it is also called Offensive Cyber, so that we can integrate that into NATO missions and operations. We will of course only use the National Cyber Effects in compliance with international law but we need also these capabilities in a modern and more demanding security environment.

Moderator: Le Soir over there. Yes...

Q: Thank you, Philippe Regnier, newspaper Le Soir, in Brussels. Back to the INF Treaty, I have just one simple question. Do you share the European message, which is basically encouraging Russia and the US to resume their dialogue in order to save the Treaty or do you think that it is better now to kill the Treaty or to renegotiate it, even eventually with China. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: The NATO Allies have encouraged Russia to be in compliance with the Treaty in a transparent, open and verifiable way for years. This is not a new concern. This is a concern that was first raised by the Obama administration. I remember we came here in 2015 when Obama was president and that was an issue we discussed. It was raised by the NATO Allies and it was raised by the US, which is part of the Treaty with Russia, and we called on them to answer our questions, to answer our concerns and to be in compliance with the INF Treaty in a verifiable and transparent way. The problem is that that has not happened and therefore our best assessment is that Russia is in violation of the Treaty and US, which is part of the Treaty, has already determined that Russia is in violation of the Treaty and Russia has now admitted that they are developing and fielding a new missile, SSC8.

So the problem, the threat, the challenge, is the Russian behaviour, which has been ongoing for a long time, and this is a very important agreement, the INF Agreement, because it doesnt only reduce the number of weapons, but it abolishes a whole category of weapons  Zero. And it was agreed back in 1987  I remember it very well because that actually shaped the security policies and the understanding of all generations of politicians in Europe at that time. The intermediate forces, the deployment of Russians SS20 and the NATO response with a dual-track decision to deploy Pershing and Cruise missiles. But we dont want to go back to that situation, we dont want a new Cold War, we dont want a new arms race and therefore I dont foresee that Allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile. But I see a need, and thats what is now going on in NATO, is a need to assess the implications of the new Russian missile for our security.

Moderator: OK, well go over there...

Q: The National News Agency of Ukraine. So far we know a few Ukraine officers will be deployed as part of the staff in the exercises, but Ukraine we know is not named as one of the nations taking part in the exercises. Was that like a political decision by NATO or there was no request from Ukraine itself? And the second part of the same question, how deeply the hybrid circumstances in the east of Ukraine reflected in the exercises scenario. Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: Sweden and Finland are the only NATO partners that will participate in the live part of the Trident Juncture in the part of the exercise that takes place in Norway as the live exercise. Several partners, I cant remember exactly how many, but there are several partners that will participate in the table top that come on exercise that will take place afterwards. So only Sweden and Finland in the live exercise and several partners will participate in the other part of the exercise. And we exercise with Ukraine, but they are not part of the live part of the Trident Juncture. The other part was Hybrid, yes of course Hybrid is a part of this exercise, meaning that we have to be prepared for cyber attacks, for disinformation and all that, so Hybrid and Cyber is now an integrated part of any military operation and of course any large military exercise.

Moderator: Ok, thats your final question. Europa Press, over there.

Q: Thanks. Are you worried that whats going on with the INF might have implications also for other agreements, like START which should be renovated in 2021? And my second question is: Is the date for the next NRC Council already set for 31st October? Has this date already been agreed with Russia? And will this be an opportunity to talk about the INF? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General: NATO is in favour of arms control but, to be effective, an arms control agreement has to be respected by all parties and, as I said, the problem with the INF Treaty is that it is only respected by one part. We believe in arms control but it has to be balanced and verifiable and therefore I welcome the fact that one of the issues that has been discussed between the US and Russia, which are parties to the New START Agreement, is that they need a new decision to maintain the New START of 2021. I hope that they will find a way to do so because arms control is a way to avoid a new arms race and it is especially important when it comes to nuclear weapons and therefore I welcome it.

We have not yet stated the new date for the new NATO-Russia Council but as you know we have had several meetings in the Council the last couple of years with no meetings between 2014-2016. Since 2016 weve had several meetings and we are now discussing with Russia how to convene the new meeting of the NATO-Russia Council. Which items we will discuss, I think I wont go into details of that now, but what I can say is that we have used the Council to for instance address transparency, force posture, so we have briefed Russia on Trident Juncture and they have briefed also on Vostok, and for NATO this is very important, to be transparent and predictable, and therefore we have briefed them in the NATO-Russia Council.

We have invited them to observe the exercise according to the agreement on the OSCE Vienna Document and I expect also Russia to monitor de exercise, to be up there in the north, and as long as they behave professionally and avoid dangerous situations and behaviour, I dont think thats a problem at all that they monitor the exercise of Trident Juncture.

Moderator: This concludes the exercise and hopefully we will see you in Trident Juncture
The biggest of the Big Tech companies are quickly positioning themselves as the internets thought police, threatening to stamp out one of Americas most cherished freedoms  the right to free speech.

(Natural News) (Article by Brad Parscale republished from Breitbart.com)

The internet has clearly evolved into the public square of the 21st century. Over the last couple of election cycles, its become the number one source for sharing and discussing political and social ideas.

Unfortunately, Big Tech monsters like Google and Facebook have become nothing less than incubators for far-left liberal ideologies and are doing everything they can to eradicate conservative ideas and their proponents from the internet.

Without any sort of public mandate beyond its own ideological predisposition, the Big Tech leviathan is silencing the silent majority. A leaked internal Google brief with the Orwellian title The Good Censor proves this point by laying out the search giants plan for controlling the internet.

Google begins the report by echoing the liberal contention that free speech is a social, economic, and political weapon, calling it a utopian idea thats no longer practical because internet users are behaving badly.

The report portrays President Trump as one of those free speech offenders and labels him as a conspiracy theorist for pointing out  correctly  that Google manipulated search results to favor Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The company also argues that tech companies should distance themselves from the American tradition that prioritizes free speech for democracy, not civility, and in its place adopt the suppressive European tradition that favors dignity over liberty and civility over freedom to create well-ordered spaces for safety and civility.

Google wants to police [the] tone and provide so-called positive guidelines (read: dont go against our views, or else) to create online safe spaces.

Not wanting to be outdone, Googles sometime-rival, Facebook, just banned dozens of prominent conservative blogs and pro-Trump pages, including one with more than three million followers, less than a month before the midterm elections.

Facebook justified this purge of conservative voices by slapping them with another Orwellian label: coordinated inauthentic behavior. Its unclear whether Facebook would apply that descriptor to its tech cousin Google for recently listing the ideology of the California Republican Party as nazism.

What is clear is that Facebooks election-eve purge has been long in the making. Last year, reporters revealed that radical liberal activist groups have been working with Facebook to crush propaganda and fake news, which actually means deleting conservative accounts.

Even Facebooks removal of 559 pages and 251 accounts wasnt enough to satisfy its accomplices, who responded by demanding that the social media giant silence what it calls far-right disinformation pages. They are especially concerned about right-leaning meme pages, which they want purged from the online community simply because they are much more effective than the left-leaning equivalent.

Of course, the Palo Alto Mafias obsession with authenticity, civility, and emotional safety that I have called out doesnt apply to liberal-leaning speech.

Last year, Google fired conservative engineer James Damore for challenging the companys liberal echo chamber. Former colleagues harassed him, with one branding him a misogynist and a terrible human being before threatening that I will keep hounding you until one of us is fired. F*ck you.

Googles HR department decided that Damore was the greater liability than his liberal tormentors.

Facebook had a similar in-house drama this year. In August, more than 100 conservative Facebook employees expressed their concerns to executives about the companys left-wing monoculture and bias against conservatives. On Friday, that movements leader, engineer Brian Amerige, quit the company in protest against Facebooks latest purge of conservative accounts.

The internet was once a safe haven for political dissenters. Social media platforms and Googles predominance as a search engine enabled a digital public square where Americans could go to express their grievances, especially in more recent years. Its where the silent majority had a voice.

But during the 2016 election, the forgotten men and women of America who turned to social media because they were sick and tired of the establishment swamp in Washington were inundated with pro-Clinton puff pieces when they were just searching for basic facts.

The real and underreported collusion scandal is actually Big Techs behind-the-scenes campaign to help Democrats win elections. Though that may not even be the most disturbing thing lurking beneath Silicon Valleys glass and steel glitz and laid-back, all-organic cafeteria vibe.

Astonishingly, it was recently revealed that Google has also locked arms with China, an ideological soulmate of sorts, to create a censored search engine in the large Communist-controlled nation. Vice President Pence was right when he called on Google to stop aiding a tyrannical government that has killed and tortured dissidents with electric shock, rape, and brutal attacks.

Facebook, long-reluctant to deliver its service to China for fear of getting caught up in censorship and repression, now appears to be strongly considering joining Google in serving that market, too. No great surprise there.

Americans will no longer have a meaningful right to free speech if corporations  especially ones that cozy up to repressive regimes like Chinas  are allowed to dictate what is and is not acceptable speech and expression on the internet.

This is an existential threat to our individual liberties as well as our system of government. Google and Facebook have shown that they will not hesitate to use their control over online content to suppress conservative thought and expression. Now, as we approach the midterm elections, they are clearly ramping up their purge of conservatives that first manifest in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Dont listen to conservatives about this threat  read Googles report and see the actions of Google and Facebook to recognize that when the freedoms of speech and expression are suppressed, impacting the digital public square as well as the outcome of elections, our civil society is at risk.

Brad Parscale is the campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) The left-wing media has been reporting about imminent climate disaster for decades. It was nearly 20 years ago when the star of climate change, Al Gore, the United Nations and mainstream media first began pushing the narrative that we had just over ten years to reverse course and stop climate change from destroying our planet. Now that a decade has past and the apocalypse still hasnt arrived, climate alarmists are pushing the same old story about ten more years till doomsday, but with a few new twists.

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is not only using fear-mongering to promote the change hoax, the group recently announced that theyd be redefining climate change. But as it turns out, the new definition is rooted in meeting the lefts political agenda, and not actual science.

IPCC redefines climate change

News of the IPCCs latest report has been spreading like wildfire. While the 1,200 page document has not yet been released, the IPCC has already put out a 34-page document, the Summary for Policymakers. Within this summary, the organization explains that global warming is going to be redefined, and there are going to be 16 pages worth of changes made to the current Scientific-Technical Assessment.

These changes, they say, will ensure consistency with the approved Summary for Policymakers. This is the first red flag: Science is being changed to uphold consistency with approved policies, when it is science that should be changing policies.

According to the IPCCs 16-page summary, the new definition of global warming will be defined as such:

The estimated increase in global mean surface temperature (GMST) averaged over a 30-year period, or the 30-year period centered on a particular year or decade, expressed relative to preindustrial levels unless otherwise specified. For 30-year periods that span past and future years, the current multi-decadal warming trend is assumed to continue.

As Canadian journalist Donna Laframboise contends, [I]t appears immediately evident that an explicit assumption has been embedded into it despite the fact that the scientists themselves chose not to go there.

A litany of other terms and concepts are also going to be redefined. It is clear that the IPCC is functioning as a political organization with a goal of bending science to fit their political needs. Science should drive the policy  not the other way around. According to Laframboise, this has always been the goal of the IPCC. While many of the changes being made by the group may seem minor or inconsequential, if these changes were as trivial as they seem, the IPCC wouldnt be operating behind a very tightly closed curtain.

Further, minute changes can yield big results. Look at Big Tech: Operating under vague community guidelines has given tech platforms the ability to ban conservatives at their leisure, without any actual evidence or provocation.

The climate change hoax

As Mike Adams, founder of Natural News and creator of Brighteon.com, has reported on many occasions, there is an abundance of evidence that indicates climate change as we know it is nothing but a hoax. As the Health Ranger notes, the IPCC first started giving out their ten year warning in 2001  nearly 20 years ago. And the climate apocalypse still isnt upon us; in fact, scientists now say that these initial doomsday predictions were totally wrong.

As Adams explains, much of the science that supports global warming has been found to be fraudulent. That is, scientists blinded by the alleged unanimity of the climate change debate faked their data to keep the global warming narrative alive.

You can learn more about the climate change hoax at ClimateScienceNews.com.

Sources for this article include:

Newsbusters.org

NoFrakkingConsensus.com
(Natural News) In a Sunday post at Axios, co-founder Jim VandeHei implored his fellow Left-wing journalists to stop using Twitter because they demonstrate their liberal bias every day.

News organizations should ban their reporters from doing anything on social media  especially Twitter  beyond sharing stories. Snark, jokes and blatant opinion are showing your hand, and it always seems to be the left one. This makes it impossible to win back the skeptics, he wrote.

Well, its not likely that his colleagues would show anything but their Left-wing bias because thats who and what they are. And Twitter enables them by refusing to censor or ban any of them, no matter how repulsive their tweets.

Because thats what Twitter is.

As noted by The Daily Wire, Twitter recently banned some conservatives who called Bradley (Chelsea) Manning a traitor for leaking classified information (hint: he is), but if a noted Left-wing leader of the Nation of Islam  Louis Farrakhan  calls Jews termites, nothing happens.

Im not an anti-Semite, Farrakhan tweeted recently. Im anti-termite.

Nice, huh?

Joe Bernstein, a reporter for Left-leaning Buzzfeed News, couldnt allow that slur  and Twitters obvious ethnic bias  to go unchallenged.

Just in from a @Twitter spokesperson: Louis Farrakhans tweet comparing Jews to termites is not in violation of the companys policies. The policy on dehumanizing language has not yet been implemented. So if you want to compare Jews to rats/insects  get it in while you can! he tweeted.

Just in from a @Twitter spokesperson: Louis Farrakhan's tweet comparing Jews to termites is not in violation of the company's policies. The policy on dehumanizing language has not yet been implemented. So if you want to compare Jews to rats/insects  get it in while you can!  Joe Bernstein (@Bernstein) October 17, 2018

Okay, so Twitter did take some action: Farrakhans blue verification checkmark has been removed, but only after he tweeted, Thoroughly and completely unmasking the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan. The comparison to an insect, however, was still just fine with Twitters obviously biased content managers, even though the social media platforms rules state that no dehumanizing speech would be allowed.

Right. (Related:BUSTED: Undercover media sting reveals Twitter targeting conservatives and independent media for censorship via shadow bans.)

Buzzfeed News noted further that Twitter announced only three weeks ago that non-targeted dehumanizing speech would not be tolerated on the platform and would be banned. An example of such speech is, Statements along the lines of All members of protected group X are dogs or rats or whatever.

Social media giants will never voluntarily be fair to conservatives

The site reported:

Twitter  which already has a policy against hateful conduct and prohibits attacking people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, and serious disease  says the new policy would expand on this.

Officials with Twitter claimed that they also considered user feedback when adopting the expanded policy.

We wanted to hear from the broadest array of people that we could come up with about what they like and what they hate, said Del Harvey, Twitters vice president of trust and safety, in an interview with BuzzFeed News. Getting feedback from people will give us the opportunity to bring people along with us into the considerations that go into making this policy.

Apparently not.

That hasnt stopped Leftist media types who are trying to provoke the platform into banning its most high-profile user  POTUS Donald Trump  while pretending he tweets racist, provocative things like infest when hes talking about illegal aliens flooding into the country.

Meanwhile, the platform continues to ban conservatives. It banned Infowars and Alex Jones over what its content Nazis deemed a provocation in violation of abusive behavior rules.

Also, the platform banned GayPatriot, a popular account run by Bruce Carroll, last week even though he wasnt even given a reason other than being hateful  just that he had been banned and it would not be restored.

Twitters decision to unevenly enforce its rules has drawn a lot of criticism from tens of millions of Americans and even members of Congress, but none of it has mattered. The platform continues to treat conservatives and POTUS Trump supporters as lepers while giving racists and bigots like Farrakhan all the speech they want.

Read more about how the social media giants are biased against conservatives at Conservative.news.

Sources include:

DailyWire.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
(Natural News) Exactly as publicly predicted by myself and Alex Jones, the anti-American globalists are now running pipe bombs false flags against CNN. This is not merely similar to what we publicly predicted would take place before the mid-term elections; it is exactly what we publicly predicted would take place. We even named CNN as the most likely target to be selected by the globalist operatives running the operation.

CNNs New York Headquarters Evacuated After Suspicious Package Found, reports Mediaite.com. Similar pipe bombs were also reportedly mailed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and George Soros. The CNN bureau at Columbus Circle in new York City was evacuated Wednesday morning after mailroom workers found a suspicious device, reports The Gateway Pundit. The bomb scare comes on the heels of suspected IEDs mailed to the home former President Obama in Washington, D.C. and the New York state homes of former President Clinton Clinton and major Democratic Party donor George Soros this morning.

A coordinated false flag bombing to be blamed on Trump supporters in order to alter the outcome of the mid-term elections

This is precisely what I have publicly predicted would take place right before the mid-term elections: A coordinated false flag bombing of the left-wing media and left-wing political leaders. Its blatantly obvious that the globalist democrats are sending these packages to themselves, knowing the media will blame Trump supporters, Alex Jones, conservatives and gun owners.

What you are witnessing is the very definition of a media-run false flag event, where the media itself gets targeted so that the same media can hysterically report that its under attack because President Trump is whipping up hate against the media.

You can see proof of our predictions below:

NaturalNews.com, August 10, 2018: Censorship PURGE points to imminent false flag violence before mid-term elections bigger than 9/11?

Counterthink.com, Aug. 10, 2018: Censorship PURGE points to imminent FALSE FLAG violence

From time to time, I join the Alex Jones Show broadcast, often to chime in on food science, nutrition and liberty issues. In multiple broadcasts this year, Alex and I discussed the coming false flag attacks and predicted how they would be false flag attacks to be blamed on Alex Jones.

Watch the compilation video here:

Brighteon.com/5852933806001

The false flag bombings of the media were EASY to predict

These obvious false flag pipe bomb events showcase the stunning desperate of the left-wing media and its globalist controllers. It also reveals that they now believe they are going to lose the mid-term elections, otherwise they would not have invoked this desperate measure.

Importantly, the mailing of these suspicious packages is just the very beginning of this false flag rollout. If this narrative gets sufficient traction, the same operatives will likely escalate this to active bombings of CNN or social media tech giants.

In fact, in my Health Ranger Report podcasts, I have repeatedly predicted that false flag attacks would specifically target CNN. Here are just a few links to hear it for yourself:

Censorship a prelude to a massive FALSE FLAG event

Its FALSE FLAG season in America

Plot to ELIMINATE TRUMP about to be triggered

See more news at FalseFlag.news.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board of Commissioners has halted funding for the next phase of construction for the temporarily closed Salesforce Transit Center that would extend Caltrain to downtown.

In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, SFCTA commissioners suspended the funding for the extension, less than a month after two cracks in steel beams forced the closure of the transit center.

Commissioners cited mismanagement by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for the suspension.

According to the board, the more than $9 million in funds were generated from a local transportation sales tax, made possible by 2003's citywide Proposition K. The funding could be restored if the TJPA agrees to an evaluation of its management by the City Controller's Office and a review by SFCTA staff of its oversight.

On Monday, city supervisor and SFCTA Board Chair Aaron Peskin said on Twitter, "We want to see transportation infrastructure projects move forward ... but the TJPA has bungled the management and delivery of this project for far too long. Voters need faith that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly."

The suspension of funding is the latest blow to the $2.2 billion transit center, which opened just more than two months ago.

Last week, lead contractor Webcor/Obayashi Joint Venture sued the TJPA, alleging it broke its contract by providing incomplete and defective design documents, delaying in responding to the contractor's questions and using a contingency fund improperly. The lawsuit is seeking about $150 million in damages.

The agency responded in a statement, "The Transbay Joint Powers Authority will hold Webcor/Obayashi Joint Venture responsible for their contractual commitment to deliver this project to the people of the Bay Area and the state of California."

Workers first discovered cracks in the steel beams in the transit center's bus deck above Fremont Street on Sept. 25, prompting the immediate closure of the center as well as Fremont Street.

Engineers have since installed shoring installations to help support the bus deck and are currently testing the steel around the cracks to determine what caused them.
A man with a gun was fatally shot by police Monday after he allegedly held his family at gunpoint, shot a relative, abducted his wife and child, led police on a brief chase into Concord, barricaded himself inside a residence then came out and fired at responding officers.

Police went to the scene of a report of domestic violence at an address in the 100 block of Carolyn Road in Pittsburg, and were informed before arriving that the suspect was holding his family at gunpoint.

A family member tried to help but the suspect, later identified as a 37-year-old resident of Pittsburg, shot him in the neck then forced his wife and child into a vehicle.

Police found the vehicle and followed it into Concord, then back into Pittsburg before the suspect stopped in the 100 block of West 10th Street. The victim ran with her baby to officers waiting nearby while the suspect entered the home and barricaded himself inside.

A crisis negotiator and a SWAT team responded to the scene, while the suspect repeatedly approached the door of the home with his gun.

Eventually he came outside and shot at officers, who returned fire and struck the suspect.

He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name is not yet being released.

The officer-involved shooting is under investigation by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.
San Francisco will become the largest city in the United States and one of only a handful nationwide to allow noncitizens, including people in the country illegally, to vote in a local election in November.

They are only allowed to vote in the city school board race, and the fear that their information may reach U.S. officials appears to be stronger than the desire to have a say in their children's education. Only 35 noncitizens have signed up to vote as of Monday, the registration deadline in California, according to San Francisco's Department of Elections. The state allows people to register and vote on Election Day.

Voters in 2016 approved a measure allowing parents or guardians of a child in San Francisco schools to help elect representatives to the school board regardless of their immigration status. In the same election, Donald Trump won the presidency and has since cracked down on illegal immigration and ramped up rhetoric against those living in the U.S. illegally.

"We're in an unprecedented arena of animosity toward our immigrant community, and that has really stopped people from voting," said San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Fewer, a former member of the school board and a supporter of the noncitizen voting measure.

Noncitizens must provide their address and date of birth to register for the school board race. They can't vote in state or federal elections.

The Chinese American Voters Education Committee has been holding voter registration campaigns on college campuses, in low-income neighborhoods, at festivals and in Chinatown. Volunteers have not registered a single noncitizen, including a green-card holder, executive director David Lee said.

"People are really fearful because the Trump administration is perceived to be very anti-immigrant," Lee said. "There is legitimate concern that their information may be turned over to the federal government and that they may end up being detained or deported."

Lee and other community groups have been inviting prospective voters to register but also warning them of the risks. The city election department also has warnings on its registration form and on flyers saying voter information would be public and could be seen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies.

San Francisco is a "sanctuary city" that otherwise limits cooperation with federal immigration officials. The city has not shied away from confronting the U.S. government on immigration, suing the Trump administration over sanctuary protections for people in the country illegally.

Those who championed the voting ordinance say it aims to give immigrants a greater voice at the school board, which approves curriculum, hires staff and manages a nearly $900,000 annual budget.

The San Francisco School District does not keep a tally of its noncitizen parents or children but reports that 29 percent of its 54,000 students are English learners, with the majority listing Chinese or Spanish as their first language. At least 40,000 people in the city of 885,000 are in the country illegally, according to government estimates.

Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney and committeewoman for the National Republican Committee, said allowing noncitizens to cast ballots devalues the rights of citizens.

"Voting is a sacred privilege and a sacred right of citizens. It should not be trivialized for political gain," she said.

Dhillon, who handles election law cases, said she is not surprised that only a few noncitizens have registered because voting could jeopardize their chances of attaining citizenship in the future.

"By voting people are taking a big legal risk, and for what return?" Dhillon asked.

San Francisco is not the first place with such a measure. In Maryland, where an estimated 15 percent of residents are foreign-born, at least six cities allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.

The measures have been in effect since the 1980s but not without controversy. In College Park, home to the University of Maryland, an amendment that would have allowed noncitizen voting failed last year.

One reason so many cities in Maryland have enacted noncitizen voting laws is that municipalities are allowed to enact legislation and implement it right away, unlike other states, said Ron Hayduk, an associate professor of political science at San Francisco State University who studies noncitizen voting laws.

In Massachusetts, the cities of Amherst, Cambridge, Newton and Brookline have advanced laws to allow noncitizen voting, but they cannot implement them because they need the approval of state lawmakers, who have not acted, Hayduk said.

"Noncitizen voting is a very contentious issue, and that's in part why it's not more widespread," Hayduk said.

In San Francisco, noncitizens who opt to vote will be listed on a separate roster from citizens and will get a ballot with just the school board contest, city elections chief John Arntz said.

Norma Garcia, director of policy and advocacy for the Mission Economic Development Agency, which advocates for immigrant rights, said she hopes more noncitizens will vote if the political climate changes in the future.

"The numbers are not what anyone would have wanted them to be, but we're confident there will be increased participation once the political tide shifts," Garcia said.
An NBC Bay Area investigation raises questions about the deaths of two men who were given Midazolam, a common sedative San Francisco medics now use on as many as 2,000 agitated patients a year.

Let me go! Carlos Margo, 40, screamed outside San Francisco Jail back on April 3, 2015, where he had been taken on an outstanding traffic warrant.

His voice can be heard clearly over the dispatch radio recording reviewed by NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit.

Two hours earlier, he seemed calm when officers were called to a report of him trespassing on a Bayview balcony.

But once at the Seventh Street jail, officials ordered him taken to the psychiatric ward of San Francisco General because of his increasingly erratic behavior and talk of suicide.

As he was taken out of the booking area, and then again outside awaiting an ambulance, Benson began resisting.

After resisting off and on for 25 minutes, he finally appeared to have calmed and was in restraints. Thats when a medic with American Medical Response gave him a 5 mg shot of Midazolam  a chemical restraint drug the city began using in 2014. Crews now inject it between 1,000 and 2,000 times a year to slow breathing and calm agitated suspects.

On the way to the hospital, medics could not find a pulse. Benson died three days later. He was 40.

Darnell Bensons brother, Derrick, told us hes always suspected Midazolam was to blame  even though the medical examiners report concluded Darnells death was due to cocaine and methamphetamine intoxication.

They claimed intoxication, methamphetamine, they claimed obesity, they claimed marijuana, he said. They claimed all of these things. But, in reality, the chemical shotwas the killer to me.

An NBC Bay Area review of medical records and a District Attorneys office review of his death, show Benson was already calm and restrained when medics gave him a 5 milligram dose.

That amounted to twice the 2.5 mg dose specified for use on agitated patients under the citys policy at the time.

Even so, Peter Green, a retired 20-year veteran San Francisco paramedic, says 5 mg should have been a safe dose.

Its more humane than say, physically restraining somebody, he said. It can also protect them, their cardiac functions from strainingbut again, it needs to be done in a safe manner.

The key, Green says, is following the city protocol that mandates patients be constantly electronically monitored to make sure their breathing doesnt slow dangerously. Green says that is not the only danger that requires monitoring.

If the patients have been using street drugs such as methamphetamine, they may be dehydrated because they are not drinking and eating, he said. They may have a low blood pressure -- if you give midazolam to somebody with a low blood pressure you can precipitate a cardiac arrest.

NBC Bay Areas review of Bensons medical records shows that while medics did check his pulse, they did not start electronic monitoring until after his breathing had slowed dramatically in the ambulance.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner did not respond to questions about what role Midazolam may have played in the Benson case.

Then, in March of last year, another death of a sedated suspect. What happened to Carlos Margo, also known as Abel Florentino, confirmed Derrick Bensons worst fears.

After Carlos died the same way, it substantiates 100 percent that the chemical restraint is what killed them.

Margo had smashed glassware, cutting himself, inside the now defunct Hecho Cantina at 2200 Market Street when officers arrived on the night of March 11. Patrons had held him down, but he continued to resist and scream as officers took over and sought to detain him. That lasted for several minutes before he finally appearing calm  so much so that officers had to check to make sure he was still breathing. At 8:41, a medic injected a 5 mg dose  now allowed under revised rules  in his left arm.

Two minutes later, as officers lay Margo down on a backboard, one of the officers could not find a pulse. He was revived but died 13 days later, at the age of 36.

Autopsies showed both men suffered anoxic brain injury, which is caused when the brain is deprived of oxygen.

That is something that can happen, according to the Midazolam product warning label, without continuous monitoring of respiratory and cardiac function.

A review of medical examiner records shows the medical examiner who did the autopsy report first concluded that Midazolam likely did play a role along with methamphetamine in Margos death. But the case was reopened in light of unspecified video evidence. The new conclusion was he died of methamphetamine toxicity under law enforcement restraint.

No one at the office of the chief medical examiner responded to our request for comment and questions related to its Margo findings. The Department of Public Health, which oversees critical care in the city, told us that both cases were comprehensively investigated.

But spokesman Andrew Brent declined to release the findings, citing patient confidentiality.

It is very rare to have an adverse outcome with Midazolam, Brent said in a statement, and we take those cases very seriously.

The city, he said, is now seeking to deploy new technology and improve tracking of patients given Midazolam and morphine.

But Green, who advises private medic services and reviewed the available records of both cases, told us the two deaths show medics are not even using the monitoring equipment they already have.

Its actually basic monitoring thats done every day, Green explained. Its not high tech, its not hard to do. Its basic monitoring that should have been done.
What to Know Three members of a Southern California-based white supremacist group face federal conspiracy charges for attacks at political rallies.

Robert Boman, Tyler Laube and Robert Paul Rundo were arrested without incident early Wednesday in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.

The suspects are accused of sparking violence in Berkeley, Huntington Beach and San Bernardino in 2017, court documents say.

Three members of a Southern California-based white supremacist group face federal conspiracy charges in attacks on counter-protesters at political events across the country, including the rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Robert Boman, 25, of Torrance, Tyler Laube, 22, of Redondo Beach, and Robert Paul Rundo, 28, of Huntington Beach, were arrested without incident early Wednesday in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. A fourth suspect, Aaron Eason, 38, of the Riverside County community of Anza, was being sought, officials said.

The suspects are accused of sparking violence in Berkeley, Huntington Beach, San Bernardino and Virginia in 2017, according to a federal criminal complaint.

"Every American has a right to peacefully organize, march and protest in support of their beliefs  but no one has the right to violently assault their political opponents," said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna in a statement. "The allegations describe an orchestrated effort to squelch free speech as members of the conspiracy travelled to multiple locations to attack those who hold different views. This case demonstrates our commitment to preserve and protect the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution."

Rundo's attorney denied allegations that his client was leading RAM or that he was involved in a pattern of "escalating" violence.

The men are accused of going online and coordinating combat training to prepare for the events, arranging travel, and celebrating their actions to recruit members for future events, court documents said.

RAM was formed in the winter of 2016-2017 by several founding members, including Rundo and Ben Daley, who was named in another federal indictment earlier this month, prosecutors said.

This spring, Rundo allegedly traveled with Daley to Germany, Ukraine, and Italy to celebrate Adolf Hitler's birthday April 20 and meet with members of European white supremacy extremist groups, court documents said.

RAM represents itself, through videos and other public online posts, as a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy/identity movement, prosecutors said.

Rundo, Boman and Laube appear in several of videos and photos. In one, Rundo is shown training with Daley above the words "WHITE UNITY," authorities said in court documents. Rundo also appears front and center posing in a skeleton mask with other members of the group, court documents said.

The case is connected to one earlier this month that charges four other California RAM members with violent fights at a torch-lit march at the University of Virginia and Unite the Right Rally in August 2017.

The four defendants were identified as Daley, 25, of Redondo Beach, Thomas Walter Gillen, 24, of Redondo Beach, Michael Paul Miselis, 29, of Lawndale, and Cole Evan White, 24, of Clayton, California.

At Wednesday's detention hearing, Rundo's attorney, Julia Deixler, argued that her client deserves to be released pending trial due to his "stable lifestyle," abstinence from drugs and alcohol, and the fact that he holds a steady job.

However, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ryan told U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Stevenson that the defendant has engaged in violence in support of a neo-Nazi ideology, poses a threat to the community and is likely to flee if released.

Rundo, Ryan argued, represents a "combat-ready militant arm of the white supremacist movement."

The prosecutor added that Rundo is tattooed with images of Hitler, traveled to Germany in the spring to celebrate the Nazi leader's birthday and has shown "an ongoing devotion to the use of violence."

City News Service contributed to this story.
What to Know Authorities are investigating the death of a 61-year-old Long Island woman whose body was found in bushes near a Turks and Caicos Club Med

Marie Kuhnla had been on the Caribbean island vacationing with colleagues, a report said; she was reported missing Oct. 15

Her body was found the next day; authorities have not released any information regarding a possible cause of death

Authorities in Turks and Caicos are investigating the death of a 61-year-old tourist from New York whose body was found in the bushes near a Club Med last week, according to island police and the dead woman's son.



The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force identified the woman as Marie Kuhnla; her son tells News 4 she was a Legal Aid attorney in Suffolk County.



Kuhnla's body was found near the Club Med resort Oct. 16, a day after she had been reported missing. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance weren't immediately clear. News 12 reports she had been vacationing with two co-workers when she vanished.



Police have not elaborated on how the Wantagh woman may have died, but said they have launched a "murder investigation."

The Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County said it's "reeling" from the loss of Kuhnla.

"Marie was a valued employee, a dedicated attorney and a dear friend and colleague," Attorney in Charge Laurette D. Mulry said in a statement. "She was extremely kind and considerate to all. She always puts her clients first and worked tirelessly in her efforts as a Family Court attorney for the last seventeen years. We are grief-stricken and saddened by the news of her passing. Our hearts go out to her husband and son."



Kuhnla's son, Rick, described her as "a loving, compassionate woman who I was lucky to have a mom." He said she went back to school later in life to earn her law degree and spent more than 15 years as a public defender.



"If she saw someone who needed help she would help them. She enjoyed reading, being at the beach, seeing new places, and dining out," Rick Kuhnla, who lives in California, told News 4. "She was a wonderful woman who brightened the day of everyone who knew her and many who didn't. She may be gone but the impact she had on the world and inspiration she provided most certainly is not."



Marie Kuhnla's brother, Peter Chetuck said his sister "was one of the smartest people I have ever known."



"She was a professional woman even before it was chic," Chetuck said. "She was a great wife, mother and family member. It's just a really horrible way for things to end. There is no justice in any of this."



"The whole family is devastated," he added. "Stunned. Stunned disbelief. You don't even feel like you are grieving at this point because it is so surreal."



Club Med released a statement Tuesday confirming Kuhnla had been a guest at the resort, and said it could provide no further details due to privacy concerns and the nature of the ongoing investigation.



"The entire Club Med family is saddened by the death of this guest and sends its deepest condolences to the guest's friends and family," the statement said.



Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477.
After a suspect was caught on camera pouring maple syrup all over police cruisers in Rindge, New Hampshire, Police Chief Dan Anair is calling for the end of a longstanding Halloween tradition in town.

On Tuesday, NBC10 Boston spoke with residents in Rindge who described mayhem around Midnight on Saturday.

A lot of screaming, lots of obscenities, a lot of cars screeching up and down the streets, said David Jadlocki.

The tradition has gone on for more than 18 years. Right before Halloween, some teenagers in town toilet paper the common. But this year, police say about 30 teenagers were wreaking havoc Saturday night - toilet papering the town, lighting couches on fire in the middle of the streets, dumping trash, throwing bottles and cans at cars, and pouring maple syrup on police cruisers.

I was told, boy, you have yourself quite the sticky situation, chuckled Chief Anair.

He says hes only laughing because no one got hurt. Anair says the tradition has gone too far.

Its the level of disrespect, he said. I am at the point where this is no longer acceptable.

It seems neighbors agree with the Chief.

Kids need to learn to take pride in their town, said Lorraine Stenerson.

Lets build our community rather than tearing it apart, Jadlocki added.

When NBC10 Boston asked 4-year-old Vanessa Cloutier if she liked the toilet paper, she said, Nobecause the naughty kids did all of this.

And the chief says its time those naughty kids are held accountable.

He is asking the public to help identify the teen in the video, encouraging others involved to come forward, and calling for an end to the decades-old toilet papering tradition.

Lets quit while we are ahead because someone is going to end up getting hurt, Chief Anair said.

Legally, the kids could face vandalism charges, but the chief says this year, they will just be referred to a juvenile diversion program.

Next time, he says he wont be so lenient.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Rindge Police Department.
Art Jones paused for a moment when asked if he was once a Nazi.

His face grimaced as he considered his answer. I dont like that term Nazi, he replied. He prefers to call himself a National Socialist.

For voters who cast a ballot in Illinois 3rd District Jones is also the Republican nominee for Congress. He faces Dan Lipinski, a six-term Democrat, as well as two write-in candidates, Justin Hanson and Kenneth Yerkes.

Since Jones days in the 1970s marching in Chicago with a swastika on his arm, there has never been anything subtle about his political views.

In a 1985 interview in a Cicero apartment Jones laid out his political beliefs this way: I am pro-American, pro-white, pro-Constitution, pro-Christian.

He has over the course of more than three decades run for mayor of Chicago, alderman and this marks his 8thattempt at trying to win a seat in Congress.

He got on the November ballot because no other Republican attempted to run in the March primary for the seat.

State GOP leaders have since rebuked his candidacy. Well, they can rebuke me all they want, he said, adding they are a bunch of idiots.

Jones has no campaign office---the one in his last campaign he said was vandalized. He wont say how much money hes raised.

He is no to sanctuary cities.

No to a womans right to choose.

No to marriage equality.

But perhaps his biggest no is his denial of the Holocaust where 6-million Jews were killed by the Nazis.

Its an international extortion racket, he said in an interview. You are just willing to take the lies of, of so-called Holocaust survivors.

Art Jones is a Holocaust denier. He is a bigot, said incumbent Congressman Dan Lipinski. I try to ignore Art Jones.

But try as he may, Lipinskis name will appear just above Jones on the November ballot.

He knows hes not going to win, said Lipinski. The only thing he can gain is the hope he can reach out to some more people.

The 3rd District runs from Bridgeport to Lockport and was once home to so-called Reagan Democrats. In 2016, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in the district with 55 percent of the vote. What surprised some is that Jones, in this years March primary, received just over 20,000 votes.

I dont truly believe that 20,000 people support Art Jones and his views, Lipinski said.

Jones views include that Timothy McVeigh did not blow up the federal courthouse in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. And that citizens should be allowed to restrict---to 10 percent--- residents they dont want in their neighborhoods.

Jewish people, gay people. Anybody that the neighborhood in question does not want in their neighborhood, he said.

Among Jones other verbal targets is the news media, which he contends is controlled by Jews and what he terms liberal Pink Crusader Rabbits. And, while he rails against the media Jones has learned to use the medium he says he so detests, appearing on national broadcasts earlier this year when he became the de-facto GOP nominee.

I think the only thing he gets out of this, being the Republican nominee, is a megaphone, said Lipinski.
On the heels of a new attack ad from Gov. Bruce Rauner, Democratic candidate J.B. Pritzker launched a new digital ad he dubbed "Blame Game."

The ad highlights what Pritzker's campaign calls "the man who can do no wrong."

It features clips of Rauner saying things like "I am not in charge, I'm trying to get to be in charge." And "I did not create the school funding formula."

For four years, Bruce Rauner has led our state to complete devastation while blaming everyone but himself and claiming hes not in charge, Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement. But Illinoisans know this failed governors real record  and theyre not playing games when they head to the ballot box and vote Rauner out of office this November.

The ad follows one launched by Gov. Bruce Rauners campaign depicting a wedding between Pritzker and House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Titled, "Unholy Union," the ad shows an officiant standing before two men under an arch reading vows.

I, Mike Madigan, take you J.B. Pritzker as my unlawful partner in destruction, the officiant says. To raise property taxes, corrupt government and bankrupt Illinois future.

The man portraying Madigan then says, Done, deal.

The officiant then turns to a man meant to resemble Pritzker and asks if he will take Madigan to honor and obey til death do us part, to which the actor replies, always have, always will.

By the power vested in me, I now pronounce Illinois [bleep], the officiant says.

The so-called marriage is deemed an unholy union Illinois cant afford.

Together, they will bankrupt Illinois with billions in new proposed spending and a massive tax hike, Rauners campaign said in a statement.

Pritzker said in a statement it is only fitting that Bruce Rauner would choose to end his campaign by blaming others for his own failures.

After four years of seeing their governor more interested in affairs with special interests, badmouthing his own state and refusing to compromise, the people of Illinois are looking forward to their divorce from Bruce Rauner being finalized on November 6th, Pritzker said.
Hurricane Willa swept onto Mexico's Pacific mainland with 120 mph (195 kph) winds Tuesday night, hitting an area of beach towns, fishing villages and farms after roaring over an offshore penal colony.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the dangerous Category 3 storm hit near Isla del Bosque in Sinaloa state, and federal officials said there were early reports of power blackouts in some places and damage to flimsy structures with tin roofs.

Damage assessments were limited by darkness and disrupted communications, and no extensive information was expected until morning.

The storm's forward movement sped up to 17 mph (28 kph) and it was beginning to lose power as it swirled over high ground. The hurricane center said Willa was expected to rapidly weaken during the night.

Willa came ashore about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to high-rise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.

Although hotels, restaurants and stores were boarded over, people ventured onto Mazatlan's coastal boulevard to watch a spectacular sunset as the hurricane obscured the sky to the south.

Alberto Hernandez, a hotel worker in the town of Teacapan, close to where the storm made landfall, expressed confidence before it hit that the building would hold up. He and his son, who also works at the hotel, were staying on the job, though the rest of his family had left the area.

"We've had rain all day. There is nobody in the streets. Everything is closed," Hernandez said. "But not everyone wanted to leave, even though authorities made it clear that he who stays does so at his own peril."

Torrential rains began in the afternoon, and emergency officials said they evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal towns and set up 58 shelters ahead of the dangerous storm.

The storm also battered the Islas Marias, a group of Mexican islands about 60 miles (100 kilometers) off the mainland that include a nature preserve and a federal prison. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of prisoners was a priority.

As Willa closed in, the beach in Mazatlan almost disappeared, with waves slamming against the coastal boulevard under looming black clouds. A few surfers took advantage of the high waves even as workers boarded up windows on hotels, shops and homes. Schools were closed and the streets nearly empty.

Some families went to a Mazatlan convention center, which opened its doors as a shelter. They spread out blankets along the walls and waited for the storm.

"The house we're living in is not well built," said Sergio Ernesto Meri Franco, who rents a studio apartment.

The federal government issued a decree of "extraordinary emergency" for 19 municipalities in Nayarit and Sinaloa states.

Bob Swanson, who is from Saskatchewan, Canada, and spends two to six months of the year in his house in the Cerritos neighborhood near the shore in Mazatlan, said he filled his washing machine with water, topped up his home fuel tank and gassed up his car in case he needs to head into the mountains for safety.

"I'm kind of waiting with bated breath," he said over the phone, adding that he was sitting on his porch and smoking a cigarette.

Forecasters said the hurricane could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain  with up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) in some places  to parts of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, with flash flooding and landslides possible in mountainous areas.

Farther to the south, the remnants of Tropical Storm Vicente brought heavy rain that caused deadly flooding and mudslides. Federal disaster agency chief Luis Felipe Puente said 11 people had died as a result of Vicente. Local officials earlier put the figure at 12.

Associated Press writer Isabella Cota contributed to this report.
A pizza deliveryman detained at an Army base over his immigration status, sparking outrage, has been released from jail after his arrest last week in a domestic violence case.

Pablo Villavicencio was freed Tuesday after spending at least four days behind bars. The 35-year-old Ecuadorian is due back in court Nov. 5 on the misdemeanor criminal mischief charge.

Villavicencio is accused of pushing and slapping his wife and grabbing her phone to keep her from calling police. His lawyer says the case is weak.

Villavicencio was detained in June after delivering pizza to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. He was seeking to establish legal residency and overcome a 2010 order to leave the country.

The government declined to appeal the July decision allowing him to stay in the U.S.
Three Meriden police officers were on what police referred to as administrative assignments after a shooting in October and police said the officers were found to have acted within the law and department policy.

Detectives from Connecticut State Police were requested by the New Haven State's Attorney's Office to assist in the investigation of an officer-involved shooting that happened in Meriden on Oct. 18.

Five officers were traveling in an unmarked vehicle when they began to follow a Buick Century on West Main Street shortly before 10:30 p.m.

The vehicle then traveled onto Interstate 691 eastbound and took exit 10 onto Route 15 southbound. While driving, a gun was discharged from inside of the vehicle, police said.

Officers continued to follow the vehicle onto East Main Street in Meriden and into the CVS parking lot.

The driver of the vehicle, later identified as 41-year-old Ryan Holley, of Meriden, exited the vehicle with a gun in his hand, according to police.

Officers exited their vehicle and as Holley turned towards them, three officers shot their guns and hit him, police said.

Holley was transported to Hartford Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. No officers were injured during the incident.

The states attorney found that the officers were justified in discharing theiir firearms and police said the conclusion of the investigation provided the department with the necesarry information to close the internal investigation.
A Connecticut woman has pleaded guilty to stealing the identities of more than 150 Medicaid recipients, many of which she then used to steal about $1.4 million from the federal program.

Prosecutors say 45-year-old Nikkita Chesney, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty Tuesday to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Authorities say Chesney worked for a health care provider that provided substance abuse treatment. They say she stole the identities of the provider's clients and used the information to bill Medicaid for psychotherapy services purportedly provided by two other companies. Those clients never received those services.

She faces up to 12 years in prison at sentencing and must also pay full restitution.

She is the sixth person who has pleaded guilty in the scheme.
A Connecticut man has been convicted of fatally stabbing his girlfriend, injuring her best friend and then fleeing the state with his 6-year-old daughter.

The Connecticut Post reports that 41-year-old Oscar Hernandez was found guilty by a jury Monday of murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault and risk of injury to a child.

He faces up to 100 years in prison at sentencing Dec. 4.

Authorities say Hernandez stabbed 26-year-old Nidia Gonzalez and her friend in the couple's Bridgeport apartment in February 2017, then took off with their daughter, setting off a three-state search that ended when he crashed in Pennsylvania.

Gonzalez was stabbed in the neck six times, her windpipe and carotid artery punctured.

Hernandez testified in his own defense, saying the women stabbed each other during a drunken argument.
A plane struck by lightning while traveling from New Hampshire to Orlando, Florida, was diverted to Bradley International Airport Tuesday evening.

Airport officials confirmed the Southwest Airlines flight took off from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport landed safety in Connecticut after the lightning strike. Operations at the airport were not affected.

More details were not immediately available.
Connecticut State Police are investigating after shots were possibly fired in Lisbon on Wednesday morning.

Police said they received a 911 call from someone indicating that shots were fired in his direction near Ross Hill Road around 8:45 a.m.

The caller described the suspect to officers. While en route, officers said they saw an individual fitting the description of the suspect speeding away from the scene.

Officers conducted a vehicle stop and detained three suspects.

Police said they will release more details as they become available.
A Connecticut trade school in New London shut down without warning in April, leaving students and staff in limbo. But Monday Porter and Chester Institute opened a New London campus in the same building, giving the same people who said they were heartbroken a chance to get back into the classroom.

"I was only there for three days and the fourth day and we pulled up and nobody was around. The doors were closed," said Ashely Weed of New London.

She always dreamed of working in the medical field, especially after her grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. So when Ridley-Lowell Business and Technical Institute closed without warning, she cried.

Ridley-Lowell administration cited severe financial challenges and that its national accreditor was eliminated as reasons for closing.

Afterward, Weed tried to take classes at Branford Hall Career Institute, but she didnt stay long.

"It was an hour drive...I was going to work too," Weed said.

Then she heard Porter and Chester was opening in New London, in the same building at 470 Bank St. The institute also offered coursework in electrical, dental assisting and in her program, medical assisting.

The school also updated classrooms and equipment.

Carol Cournoyer, campus director of operations and education, was hired back into her role at the new campus along with three other faculty and administration employees. A few of the 20 students currently in classes are former Ridley-Lowell students.

"I think Porter and Chester had a plan in mind. If there were instructors available they wanted to reach out and offer them employment opportunities," Cournoyer said.

At the time it closed, Cournoyer said Ridley-Lowell had 147 students, 20 faculty members and five administrators.

"Our hope is that the more students find out about the Porter and Chester location here in New London, those students who felt that perhaps other schools were a bit too far of a drive, they now know this resource is right here," she added.

According to Cournoyer, she worked for a few weeks without pay after Ridley-Lowell shut down to make sure student records were properly given to the state.

Medical assistant instructor Terry Thurrott said her heart broke for her student back in April and shes thrilled to be back teaching, thanks to Porter and Chester.

"Im so happy theyre here and to get back to teaching," Thurrott said.

Night classes start in January and Cournoyer said former Ridley-Lowell students have already signed up.

Courtney Birdsell, a former student, said she wished she knew Porter and Chester was coming to New London sooner. She had already enrolled in another school and is traveling an hour for her medical assisting classes now.
Dallas firefighters are investigating a large apartment fire in East Dallas, just south of White Rock Lake.

Dallas Fire Rescue (DFR) says more than 30 units were damaged. They managed to contain the fire to one building in the complex.

The fire started just after 3:30 p.m. at The Bluffs of Lakewood Apartments at 7510 East Grand Avenue. Fire investigators believe it spread from the attic down into the third floor and into parts of the second floor.

Close to 100 firefighters were called to the scene to help extinguish the flames.

"Quite a huge fire that we had and we did need that manpower to take it down," said DFR Fire Investigator A. Ponce.

No one was hurt in the fire, but firefighters did rescue two dogs.

"I'm sure he's a little nervous but he's holding up, aren't ya?" said Jennifer Taylor whose Yorkie Playah was rescued safely. "That's all that matters. That's all that matters."

The American Red Cross is assisting the occupants of roughly 35 apartments who lost their homes.

Property managers are finding space for many of those displaced families to stay in other vacant apartments on site, or in sister properties.

NBC5's Alice Barr contributed to this report.
Navarro County District Attorney R. Lowell Thompson has died, according to the Office of Emergency Management.

The Navarro County OEM tweeted, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to family of our Navarro County District Attorney, Lowell Thompson. His sudden passing this morning is a shock to us all. Please keep the entire family in your thoughts and prayers. May you Rest In Peace our dear friend,"

Thompson is the brother of Brent Thompson, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit police officer killed in the July 7 ambush shooting in downtown Dallas.

Check back for updates to this breaking news story.
Cyclists in North Texas are being asked about issues they face on local roadways in a new interactive survey by the Texas Department of Transportation's Dallas and Fort Worth offices.

Leaders hope the survey leads to more efficient services and eventually better roadways.

Starting Wednesday, the interactive survey, Metroquest, will be used first with cyclists in North Texas.

The bicycle community is an engaged community that will actively participate in the Metroquest online survey, it will be a first for TxDOT Dallas to use this interactive survey, TxDOT representative Michelle Raglon said. TxDOT started with this community because of their interaction with new processes and out of the box expectations for TxDOT.

The survey allows for cyclists to log issues they face on North Texas roadways and suggest changes to TxDOT. They can mark issues on a map with detailed explanations of what needs to change.

The survey will launch and remain online for 15 days following two upcoming meetings.

TxDOT meeting schedule:

The Dallas District public hearing will be held on Wednesday Oct. 24 beginning with an informal open house from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the city of Richardson Civic Center, Grand Ballroom, 411 West Arapaho Road in Richardson. The formal presentation starts at 7 p.m. Displays illustrating existing bike facilities and upcoming projects on the state system within the district will be available for viewing.

The Fort Worth District public hearing will be held on Monday Oct. 29 beginning with an informal open house from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the city of North Richland Hills, Grand Hall, 6000 Hawk Ave. in North Richland Hills. The formal presentation starts at 7 p.m. Displays illustrating existing bike facilities and upcoming projects on the state system within the district will be available for viewing.
A former board member of the agency overseeing Fort Worths Panther Island has long predicted problems with the $1.1 billion project and expressed doubt it will ever be completed as planned.

I hate to say I told you so, said Mary Kelleher, who was known as the squeaky wheel when she served on the Trinity River Vision Authority board from 2013 to 2017.

On Monday, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price suggested the massive flood control and redevelopment project north of downtown be scaled back and also called for a comprehensive audit.

The mayors comments came after funding from the U.S. Corps of Engineers was cut. Federal money was supposed to pay for half the project for flood control.

Backers said theyre hopeful theyll get federal funding next year and the project is still on track.

But Kelleher said she doubts it.

"The challenges are paramount going forward, she said. I just don't see it ever coming to be."

In February 2017, Kelleher asked TRVA executive director J.D. Granger why a cost-benefit study for Panther Island was never done.

Granger appeared to say a study wasnt required when Congress initially authorized the spending.

"The original project did not have the cost analysis because it was actually set up and authorized in an appropriations bill, he said. But that's been the situation that they want."

That analysis, required by federal law, is key.

Price said federal officials told her it's a major reason they didn't fund the project this year.

"It's a boondoggle, Kelleher said. It's not for flood control. It's for economic development."

Kelleher said the scope of the project grew too much, too fast.

"It's out of control, she said. It started small. But now we're in the billions."

Kelleher said she tried to sound the alarm when she was on the board but nobody would listen.

"It's embarrassing for Fort Worth, she said. It's embarrassing for the Tarrant Regional Water District."
In a fiery and unwavering appearance Wednesday at an investment forum, Saudi Arabia's crown prince called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi "heinous" and "painful to all Saudis," before warning anyone against trying to "manipulate" the crisis and drive a wedge between the kingdom and Turkey.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was joined onstage by two Arab allies as he made his first extensive public remarks about the killing that has sparked widespread condemnation and marred his international standing after Turkish reports said a member of his entourage was involved in the crime.

Many international business leaders pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative, the kingdom's main economic forum, after the Oct. 2 killing of The Washington Post columnist inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

But in the forum's vast and ornate auditorium, thousands of people who did attend rose to their feet to applaud the 33-year-old heir whose strong showing underscored his reputation for being bold and assertive.

Prince Mohammed, who spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by phone before the forum, addressed the case immediately after taking the stage for a panel discussion, saying the Saudis were cooperating with Turkey on the Khashoggi investigation.

"The situation that took place is very painful to all Saudis, especially because it was a Saudi citizen. And I suspect it is painful to anyone in the whole world," Prince Mohammed said.

"It is a heinous act that is unjustifiable," he added, before cautioning anyone who might try "to manipulate the situation" and sow division between Riyadh and Ankara.

"I have a message for them: They will not be able to do that as long as there is a king called Salman bin Abdul-Aziz and a crown prince called Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi, and a president in Turkey called Erdogan," he said to applause.

Erdogan on Tuesday delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabia's widely criticized account that the dissident writer died accidentally in a brawl, saying Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

He kept up the pressure Wednesday, saying in Ankara: "We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible  from the person who gave the order to those who executed it  not to escape justice."

Erdogan has said that 15 Saudi officials arrived in Istanbul shortly before Khashoggi's death and that a man, apparently dressed in the writer's clothes, acted as a possible decoy by walking out of the consulate on the day of the disappearance.

Turkish officials say the 15 men comprised a Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on overseas trips. Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue. It has arrested 18 Saudis and fired five top officials, some of whom worked directly under the crown prince.

Turkish media have published a security camera image showing a vehicle belonging to the Saudi Consulate purportedly scouting a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul before the killing.

The killing of the 59-year-old Khashoggi has created an international firestorm as suspicion mounts that the crown prince had a hand in the killing.

"Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. He's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him," President Donald Trump was quoted telling the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for nearly a year before his death, had written critically of the young prince's crackdown on dissent. Dozens of Saudi activists, writers, clerics and even women who were behind calls for the right to drive have been detained.

King Salman and Prince Mohammed met Tuesday with Khashoggi's son, Salah, and his brother, Sahel, at the Yamama Palace, where the royals expressed their condolences, according to state-run Saudi news, which distributed photos of the event. A friend of the Khashoggi family told The Associated Press that Salah has been under a travel ban since last year. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal.

The crisis overshadowed the crown prince's high-profile economic forum, aimed at raising much needed investments to underwrite his plans to overhaul the Saudi economy.

After the killing, many international business leaders and Western officials pulled out of the forum, including the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, Uber, Siemens and Blackrock. Western media outlets withdrew as partners for the event.

Instead, the forum spotlighted how the kingdom's regional allies have rushed to rally behind the crown prince.

On stage with him was Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who abruptly resigned his post last year during a strange visit to Saudi Arabia in which many people suspected that he was held against his will. Hariri returned to Lebanon and to his post later that year after French mediation and has visited Saudi Arabia and met with the crown prince since then.

The crown prince even joked about the incident at the forum, saying Hariri would be in Saudi Arabia this time for two days.

"So please, no one say that he is kidnapped," Prince Mohammed said, before turning to Hariri and pumping his hand as the crowd erupted in laughter.

The summit also drew Dubai's ruler, Jordan's king and Pakistan's prime minister. Pakistan, which is grappling with a soaring deficit, struck a deal on the sidelines of the forum with Saudi Arabia for $6 billion in aid from the oil-rich kingdom.

Some $55 billion in agreements were signed at the forum, much of that focused on the lucrative Saudi energy industry. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest exporters of oil, has the Arab world's largest economy and is a key emerging market.

Rather than cancel their participation altogether, some companies sent midlevel executives. Outside the hall, hushed conversations over coffee and dates took place, with a flurry of business cards exchanged.

Several participants from the U.S., including a California hedge fund manager and staff from a U.S. desalination company, declined to speak to the AP, reflecting a general nervousness among the Americans.

"This experience has given everyone pause ... to stop, get our breath, take stock and then figure out the most appropriate way forward," David Hamod, president and CEO of the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce, told the AP.

"At the end of the day, many American companies have stakeholders and shareholders to which they need to be very sensitive. So they will listen to those stakeholders and shareholders," Hamod said.

"But timing is everything. A fair number of U.S. companies didn't make the trip, as you know, and that's an issue of timing," he said, adding that he believes the relationship will be "very positive" in the long term.
Two weeks before the election, polls show Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom with anywhere from an eight to 23 point lead over businessman John Cox in the race for Californias next governor.

His big lead in the polls may be one reason the race is not getting a lot of high profile attention. The heads of both major parties of San Diego County have their own reasons.

I dont think anybody considers John Cox a serious candidate. And the reason is, he's a big time Trump supporter, said Jessica Hayes, the Chairwoman of the San Diego County Democratic Party.

Part of it is, the Democrat candidate for governor is taking this race for granted and doesn't feel like he has to be campaigning, said Tony Krvaric, the Chairman of the San Diego Republican Party.

Cox will be in San Diego for a town hall meeting that will be televised by Entravision, a primarily Spanish-speaking network.

In a news release, the Cox campaign said Newsom again skips opportunity to discuss his dismal public service record. The Newsom campaign has yet to respond to an email by NBC 7 as to why he declined to take part in the forum.

But both candidates have made their share of stops in San Diego over the last few months.

Newsom has spoken in front of labor union members discussing issues from gun control to police brutality.

Cox recently visited the St. Vincent De Paul homeless shelter.

In fact, the issue of homelessness and affordable housing was in the forefront during the candidates only debate  on radio  earlier this month.

Cox discussed the need to speed up the permitting process and ease regulations to build more housing.

Newsom discussed the need to create clearer housing goals and objectives at the local level.

But for at least one homeless advocate, something is missing in the conversation.

Whats important to me is they address the issue of actual affordable housing, not 'affordable housing', but housing that people can afford, said Kelly Knight with the Alpha Project.

Cox has been an outspoken advocate for Proposition 6, the effort to repeal the gas tax. The county Republican Party chair said a yes vote on Prop 6 should mean a yes vote for Cox.

I think Californians know that they need a change. John Cox represents change, something different. What we have now is not working, said Krvaric.

The county Democratic Party chair has a much different opinion.

Democrats are invested in the race because we love our candidate. I don't see that same kind of response from Republicans. They dont go woo! They go 'is that the best we can do? said Hayes.

The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
A law firm suing California bishops for the records of priests accused of sexual abuse has compiled a report of 212 clergy in the San Francisco Bay Area it says are accused of misconduct.

Attorney Jeff Anderson said Tuesday that his firm compiled the list from lawsuits and public websites to publicize the breadth of the problem. He wants more transparency from the Roman Catholic Church.

The reports includes information already available to the public from various sources, according to the firm. The firm gathered information from bishop-accountablilty.org, public statements of the Dioceses, and other sources.

"All individuals should be considered innocent until proven guilty," said the firm. But in some cases, the statue of limitations has expired and some of the people on the list are deceased.

View the full report here or below:

Last week, San Jose Bishop Patrick McGrath released the names of 15 priests found to have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children within the diocese. But Anderson says he has 33 on his list, which means the San Jose diocese is under-counting.

The 18 other names on the firm's list of San Jose Diocese were: Edward F. Beutner, Edward Thomas Burke, Charles Leonard Conner, Raymaond A. Devlin, Milton Eggerling, Hal Ellis, William C. Farrington, John J. Gallen, James F. Kuntz, Jerold W. Lindner, Joseph Mikulich, James T. Monaghan, John Rodrigues Moniz, Stephen J Muth, William J. Scanlan, Stephen Emmett, Carlton E. Whitten and Paul R. Valdez.

Churches, Schools and Religious Centers with Links to Publicly Accused Priests

This map includes names released by the San Jose Diocese, names of priests who have been identified by Bishop Accountability and names of priests identified in lawsuits. Note: This map will be updated as more information is released.

San Jose Diocese spokesperson Liz Sullivan said the Diocese is reviewing the names on the list and will release a statement Wednesday.

The report also lists 135 accused in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and 95 accused in the Diocese of Oakland.

The Diocese of Oakland said it will release its own list around Thanksgiving, but the Diocese of San Francisco has yet to commit to any such action.

Anderson's firm first said the number of accused clergy was 263. But some of the accused clergy worked at more than one diocese so they were double-counted.
Weighing in on two state-wide measures on the Nov. 6 ballot, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday endorsed Proposition 10, which would give local governments more leeway to enact rent control laws, and rejected Proposition 6, which would cancel the recent gas tax increase.

Prop 10 would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which bans rent control on single-family homes and units built after 1995, and also prohibits laws that limit rent increases for new tenants. Costa-Hawkins also froze local rent control laws at the year of their passage, which was 1978 in LA.

A resolution in support of the measure authored by Councilmen Mike Bonin and Marqueece Harris-Dawson says "local governments throughout the California have the greatest amount of influence in solving the housing affordability crisis, and Proposition 10 provides the tools necessary to make the greatest impact."

The Legislative Analyst's Office has estimated that rent in California is 50 percent higher than other states and concluded that the passage of Prop 10 and related rent control legislation would likely lower rents, but also reduce new construction and lower property values. The impact would depend on how many municipalities enact rent control laws and how strict those laws would be.

The City Council resolution in support of Prop 10 was approved on a 13-1 vote without any discussion. Councilman Mitchell Englander cast the dissenting vote.

In a related move, Councilman Mitch O'Farrell and Council President Herb Wesson introduced a motion that would direct the Housing, Community and Investement Department to evaluate the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance and report back with recommendations on how to offset the reduction in available RSO units.

"We need to look at all possible options for policymakers at the local level to include more units under the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance," O'Farrell said. "With a balanced approach that provides certainty to tenants while recognizing the need for property owners to make a reasonable return on their investments, we can begin to bridge the gap in availability of housing while continuing to build responsibly and with an eye on the future needs of all Angelenos."

The motion says that an estimated 24,000 RSO units have been removed from the L.A. market since 2001.

"We have a moral obligation to make living more affordable in Los Angeles," Wesson said. "By taking a fresh look at the RSO, we have the opportunity to do right by our city's residents, property owners and next generations."

Prop 6 would cancel a 12-cent a gallon gas tax, a 20-cents-a-gallon increase on diesel fuel, and some new vehicle registration fee signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year. The tax is expected to raise $5.5 billion annually for transportation and maintenance projects across the state.

Repealing the tax has been a cornerstone of Republican John Cox's campaign for governor and is supported by a number of other GOP leaders in the state. They argue the tax costs a family of four more than $500 a year and hits working families and the poor much harder than the wealthy.

"Let's make no mistake about it, passage of Proposition 6 would be a disaster for Los Angeles and its residents. This year's budget includes $67 million in gas tax funds that are in jeopardy right here in Los Angeles," Councilman Bob Blumenfield said before the vote.

The resolution in support of Proposition 6 passed on a 13-0 vote, with Councilmen Mitchell Englander and Jose Huizar absent for the vote.
What to Know Sunday, Oct. 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Marina Vista Park in Long Beach

Free to watch; $10 per dog in advance

Ask your dog what he wants to be for Halloween and he might give you a resounding and enthusiastic "okay!"

And then, after you explain to him that you weren't looking for an "okay" but rather a costume suggestion, he might wag his tail and exclaim "you're the best human ever!"

And then, after more consideration, you finally realize that you're addressing a being of pure joy, who is 100% going to roll with the unicorn horn you put atop his noggin, or the Batman cape you tie to his collar, or whatever other charming choice you ultimately make.

Still, you might ask your dog if he'd like to attend the Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade, the enduring and adorable Long Beach tradition that finds oodles of Fidos out and about in their costume-y best.

Humans, too, and this is the event that sees quite a few group costumes, with the pup as the star.

Cleverness and cuteness reign mightily, as do vows to go even further, on the cute-costuming scale, the following year, after you see what other creative people, and pooches, went with for their group theme.

The 2018 date trots at Marina Vista Park in Long Beach on Sunday, Oct. 28, and while entering a dog requires ten bucks, paid in advance, watching all of the woofers in their Halloween-shiny best is totally free.

Past group costumes, by the by, have paid tribute to "Moana," "The Wizard of Oz," and Harry Potter, too.

If we haven't implied it strongly enough, we shall right now: Have your camera out and well-charged, because you won't want to wait to snap some of these sassy tail-waggers out on the sassy strut.

Over 400 dogs are expected at the canine convention, which begins at 2:30 in the afternoon.

And if you don't have a pup but want to be part of the costume-based revelries? That's a-ok, too; just get the details on registering here.

It's not fearsome, scary, or skin-prickly, but it is as cute as a Chihuahua's nose or the curly tail on a Pug.

It's the Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade, one of the major dog-sweet Halloween haps in Southern California, and it keeps on snarfling, year after squeeful year.
What to Know Oct. 27 Jazz Celebration and film screening

Free

The vintage lamps seen in the film will be out and lit, Oct. 24-27

Places may be said to have "hearts" and "souls" and "personalities" and a hundred different attributes, but physical locations are not aware that they've been featured in a major film.

Well. As far as we know, they're not.

And yet?

Movie locations do seem to rock a certain starry attitude, and a little extra glam, and they often pay respectful homage to the cinematic work that paid tribute to them.

"La La Land," the 2016 musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, filmed at numerous spots around Southern California, spots that have, in turn, tributed the film, from the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena to Hermosa Beach Pier.

Hermosa Beach, in fact, celebrated "La La Land" Day in 2017, and the city shall again on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, with a number of earlier-in-the-week jazz nights at The Lighthouse Cafe, which was also featured in the movie.

But the ultimate capper to the to-do? It's the Jazz Celebration at Pier Plaza and a screening of "La La Land" on the beach just south of Hermosa Beach Pier.

Both Oct. 27 events are free, with the Jazz Celebration rolling from 5 to 7 o'clock and the movie following at 7:30, just after the sun sets.

Hermosa Beach Friends of the Park is the screening's host.

As for low-back chairs and/or beach blankets? You can have both, but alcohol is not permitted.

There are several more places seen around our mondo city in the film's music-filled scenes, but Hermosa Beach as been a jazzy, evening-sky'd must-visit for fans.

Especially, of course, those fans who want to sing "City of Stars" on Hermosa Beach Pier, much like Ryan Gosling did, on screen, as he strolled by the vintage lamps lining the historic ocean attraction.

By the by, those vintage lamps, a dozen in all, will be making a return to the pier in honor of "La La Land" Day. See them glowing nightly from Oct. 24 through 27.
Investigators have unearthed skeletal remains of two more people on a property in the Antelope Valley where three sets of human remains were discovered earlier this month.

Several law enforcement sources told NBC4 they believe the skeletal remains of several additional people could still be buried there but unearthing them will require a prolonged digging operation with heavy equipment.

In a statement, the sheriff's department said it is unknown if those remains belong to the three decedents or other individuals, sheriff's officials said.

Earlier this month the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the remains of three people had been discovered on the property in the 30900 block of 106th Street in an area of Littlerock known as Juniper Hills. The causes of death were unknown but were considered suspicious, officials said.

The LA County Coroner's Office said this week it was working to verify the identities and the exact number of the deceased. Detectives said last week they were searching for 34-year-old Jesus "Chuy" Guzman, as a person of interest in the case.

Guzman, described as armed and dangerous, previously lived at the location. He was known to drive a black 2009 Toyota Corolla, California License Plate 6SCD663, officials said.
A racist robocall attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum was received by some Florida voters Tuesday.

"Well hello there. I is the negro Andrew Gillum and I'll be askin you to make me governor of this here state of Florida," the voice in the call says.

A spokesman for Gillum, who is seeking to become the state's first black governor, called the call "deeply offensive."

"These disgusting, abhorrent robocalls represent a continuation of the ugliest, most divisive campaign in Florida's history," spokesman Geoff Burgan said in a statement. "We would hope that these calls, and the dangerous people who are behind them, are not given anymore attention than they already have been."

A spokesman for Republican Gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis also spoke out against the robocalls.

"Our campaign has absolutely nothing to do with this robo call and joins those in condemning it," DeSantis communications director Stephen Lawson said in a statement. "In fact, we would encourage the Gillum campaign to join us in rooting out and exposing once and for all those who are behind this disgusting call.
What to Know Campbell ran for the Florida Senate as a Democrat in 1996, winning a seat representing the northwestern part of Broward County.

Walter Skip Campbell, who spent a decade serving as a member of the Florida Senate from Broward County before being elected the mayor of Coral Springs, has died at the age of 69.

The city issued a statement confirming Campbells passing as city manager Michael Goodrum called Campbell a dedicated public servant, a man of the people.

Born in Queens, New York in 1948, Campbell moved to South Florida as a teenager before attending the University of Florida and receiving both his bachelors and law degrees. After starting a successful law career, Campbell ran for the Florida Senate as a Democrat in 1996, winning a seat representing the northwestern part of the county.

Campbell ran without opposition in 2000 and won again in 2002 during a special election for a newly redrawn district that included Coral Springs, Sunrise, Parkland among other cities.

Forced out due to term limits, Campbell rank for Florida Attorney General in 2006 where he won the Democratic Party nomination before losing in the general election. After considering several runs for a spot back in the Senate, Campbell instead ran for mayor of Coral Springs  where he lived for nearly four decades  in 2014 and won with 56 percent of the vote while being re-elected in 2016.

Campbell leaves behind a wife and two children. No information has been released regarding funeral arrangements.
Authorities are investigating a suspicious package found at the Sunrise office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz Wednesday, on the same day that suspicious packages were addressed to Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama.

Sunrise Police said they responded to the address of the office of the Democratic rep for Florida's 23rd congressional district around 10:30 a.m. and quickly evacuated the building.

Footage showed a Broward Sheriff's Office bomb squad unit and firefighters responding to the building. FBI officials said agents also responded tothe scene as part of the investigation.

Authorities are investigating suspicious packages at the Sunrise and Aventura offices of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

At one point, a bomb squad robot was seen approaching the building. An officer in a full bomb suit was also seen walking outside the area of the building.

Officials later said the bomb squad rendered the suspicious package safe and turned it over to the FBI.

Moments ago this package was carried into a building by a man in a bomb suit near the congresswomans office. It appears wrapped and clipped in several different places. Still waiting on Sunrise Police to give an update @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/JgX1QTn9OS  Dan Grossman (@Dan_Grossman) October 24, 2018

The suspicious package had been sent to former Attorney General Eric Holder with a return address belonging to Wasserman Schultz and was sent back to her office, NBC News reported.

Police officials said they also investigated a possible suspicious package at Wasserman Schultz's Aventura office. Multiple officers, a bomb squad and fire rescue crews were seen outside the building with surrounding streets blocked off.

Officials said the package addressed to Wasserman Schultz was checked "out of an abundance of caution" and determined to be safe and not linked to the other suspicious package incidents. The building was evacuated and on lockdown during the investigation.

Wasserman Schultz released a statement later Wednesday, saying she has been in direct contact with the FBI and law enforcement.

ALERT!!! We are working an investigation of a suspicious package near Sawgrass Corporate Parkway. Please stay out of the area of NW 8th St and NW 136th Ave. We will provide further updates when available.  Sunrise Police FL (@SunrisePoliceFL) October 24, 2018

"We will not be intimidated by this attempted act of violence. This appalling attack on our democracy must be vigorously prosecuted, and I am deeply disturbed by the way my name was used," her statement read. "Today, my staff and I will hug each other and our loved ones tightly, and tomorrow get back to work serving the people I was elected to represent."

Three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the suspicious packages for Clinton and Obama also had a return address belonging to Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The two "potential explosive devices" addressed to Clinton and Obama were intercepted by the U.S. Secret Service. Meanwhile, another suspicious package forced an evacuation of CNN offices at the Time Warner Center in New York Wednesday morning, and a suspicious letter sent to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was found to be an unrelated hoax, investigators said.

On Monday, an apparent explosive device was found in the mailbox of George Soros.

Bomb squad tending to a robot outside office park where Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has an office. Suspicious package found. Follows others found delivered to addresses of Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/F46Z81ddSr  Dan Grossman (@Dan_Grossman) October 24, 2018

"This investigation is of the highest priority for the FBI. We have committed the full strength of the FBIs resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. "We ask anyone who may have information to contact the FBI. Do not hesitate to call; no piece of information is too small to help us in this investigation."
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The candidates for Florida governor decried extreme political divisiveness on a day when pipe bombs were mailed to Democratic leaders, but then they immediately began intense name-calling during their final debate Wednesday.

Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum agreed that some people are being pushed over the edge by extreme political rhetoric.

DeSantis pointed out that last year he had just left a Republican congressional baseball practice before a gunman starting shooting at his teammates.

"I know firsthand that when we start going down that road, it can be very, very deadly," DeSantis said. "It is important that we try to unify."

"We've really seen the collapsing of political discourse," Gillum said.

That's when the discourse between DeSantis and Gillum turned nasty.

Gillum, who is seeking to become the state's first black governor, mentioned that DeSantis said the day after the primary that Florida voters shouldn't "monkey this up" by supporting Gillum. And Gillum added that DeSantis was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

"My opponent ... has run this race very, very close to the Trump handbook, where we call each other names, where we run false advertisements,"

Gillum then called DeSantis a liar, and DeSantis called Gillum corrupt, pointing at Broadway tickets to "Hamilton" that were supplied by an undercover FBI agent investigating corruption at Tallahassee City Hall.

Gillum admitted taking the ticket but said he received it from his brother and he thought his brother swapped them for concert tickets.

"I should have asked more questions to make sure that everything that transpired was above board," Gillum said, before quickly trying to switch topics. "In the state of Florida, we've got a lot of issues. In fact, we've got 99 issues and Hamilton ain't one of them."

Gillum said he isn't a subject of the FBI probe.

DeSantis wouldn't let it go, mentioning the Broadway tickets several times.

"He wants you to believe that he's not under investigation," he said. "Why would an undercover FBI agent posing as a contractor give him a $1,000 ticket to 'Hamilton?'"

DeSantis at one point angrily responded to moderator Todd McDermott's question about his decision to speak at events organized by someone who has made racially inflammatory comments.

"How the hell am I supposed to know every single statement somebody makes?" DeSantis said, his voice rising. "I am not going to bow down to the altar of political correctness."

Gillum responded, "My grandmother used to say a hit dog will holler, and it hollered through this room."

The candidates also had stark differences on issues.

DeSantis reiterated he would have vetoed a bill signed by Republican Gov. Rick Scott three weeks after February's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that raised the age limit to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 and imposed a three-day waiting period on rifle purchases.

He believes the increased age limit for buying rifles will be found unconstitutional. Instead of adding gun restrictions, he said, the state should tighten school security and blamed the massacre, which left 17 dead, on local and federal officials who did not stop suspect Nikolas Cruz despite numerous warnings.

"The way to keep our communities safe is to work with law enforcement, not against law enforcement, and you need to identify those individuals who should not have access to firearms," he said.

Gillum said he would have pushed for a stronger bill than Scott signed.

"If you want to own the power of God at your waist belt, you should have a background check. If you are a domestic violence abuser, convicted, you should not have a gun where you could snuff out the lives of your loved ones," Gillum said.

Gillum defended his proposal to raise corporate income taxes. Gillum said it would only raise taxes on the top 3 percent of the richest corporations and it is only a fraction of the $6.3 billion they received from a tax cut Trump signed into law.

"All we're simply saying is that they can keep $5.3 billion but we deserve a billion of that to come into this state" for education, he said.

DeSantis replied, "Businesses will leave the state, people will lose jobs and we'll stop people from investing in Florida. It will be a historic mistake."

The candidates had wide divergence on health care. Gillum said he would push for an expansion of Medicaid to bring 800,000 low-income Floridians into the program.

"If we do that, we will pull down $6 billion from the federal government that will go into this state's health care system, so we can hire more doctors, more nurses, more nurse practitioners," Gillum said.

He said DeSantis voted more than a dozen times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, and told a cancer patient to go to an emergency room to get health care.

DeSantis fired back, saying Gillum wants to put Floridians into a government-run health care system that would decimate Medicare and private and employer-provided insurance programs.

"Some people were paying more for premiums than for rent, so people couldn't afford it. Some people lost access," DeSantis said. "Andrew supports a single-payer plan which will force people off Medicare, force people off their employer plans and put them on a government-run single-payer plan that is wrong."
What to Know Trooper Stephen Rouse was killed when a van made a U-turn in front of his patrol car as Rouse passed through a toll plaza.

Over three decades after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper lost his life in a Broward County crash, a section of the road where he was killed has been renamed in his honor.

Members of Stephen G. Rouses family attended the ceremony Tuesday in Davie, where a two mile stretch of Alligator Alley was named for the 23-year-old trooper who died in March of 1987.

The honor was part of a Senate bill sponsored by Lauren Book, a Democrat from Plantation.

With this designation, his sacrifice will never be forgotten, and Floridians will be reminded of the great risks faced by our brave men and women in uniform every day, Book said.

Rouse, who had been a member of the department for less than a year and had been assigned to South Florida after graduation, was killed when a van made a U-turn in front of his patrol car as Rouse passed through a toll plaza while responding to a call.

According to a South Florida Sun-Sentinel story at the time of the incident, Rouse  who was a native of Pensacola and had been living in Sunrise with his wife of just three months at the time  was traveling west in the eastbound lanes while responding to a deadly crash in Collier County where a truck struck a tour bus carrying crew members for the 80s band Wang Chung, who had performed in Hollywood and were traveling to Tampa.

Rouses mother, sister and widow were among those in attendance.
What to Know Officials are investigating pipe bombs sent to the Clintons, Obamas, George Soros, CNN, Eric Holder and Rep. Maxine Waters

Seven parcels had a return address linking to a high-profile Democratic party member; at least one of them also had a white powder envelope

The flurry of incidents come less than 48 hours after bomb was planted in mailbox at billionaire philanthropist Soros' NY home

UPDATE: Three More Suspected Bombs Addressed to Joe Biden in Delaware, Robert De Niro in New York

Seven PVC pipe bombs were sent to several high-profile critics of President Donald Trump and the New York City offices of CNN Wednesday, creating fear in the tri-state area and across the nation less than two weeks before the midterm elections.

Packages addressed to Hillary Clinton, former President Obama, billionaire George Soros, ex-Attorney General Eric Holder, former CIA director John Brennan and Rep. Maxine Waters of California - who was sent two -- and all appear to have the same characteristics, authorities and law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

None of the devices detonated and no one was injured, and authorities are examining the crude explosives and staying on the lookout for additional packages.

Federal authorities are also looking into the possibility that there is an eighth package, possibly addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden. No such package has been intercepted, but officials are looking into the possibility that one was spotted moving through the postal service. Nothing has been found at Biden's residence.

According to sources, the explosive devices were made from PVC pipe and contained a timer (likely a digital alarm clock) to set off the detonator. Additionally, the powder contained in the bombs comes from pyrotechnics. X-rays show that there was likely shrapnel inside the PVC pipe, law enforcement officials say.

Multiple senior bomb technicians briefed on the case said that the devices had all the components necessary to set off a successful explosion.

Two of the seven devices -- one addressed to Clinton's Chappaqua home, one to Obama in Washington, D.C. -- were intercepted by the U.S. Secret Service. Both were discovered at off-site locations and neither the former secretary of state nor former president were ever at risk, officials said.

Another of the packages -- one addressed to ex-CIA chief John Brennan, now an MSNBC contributor -- that appeared similar to the others forced an evacuation of CNN at the Time Warner Center Wednesday.

NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said the device appeared to be a "live explosive." He also said there was an envelope with white powder in the original packaging; that powder is being tested. Mayor de Blasio said there are no additional credible threats.

It was at that briefing that Gov. Cuomo revealed his Manhattan office had received a similar package, which law enforcement later determined was not at all linked to the others.

A senior law enforcement official told News 4 the item was a threatening letter, not a device, that referenced the Proud Boys street brawl from earlier this month. There was no explosive, the official said. A second official confirmed no device was mailed to the governor's office.



A Cuomo spokesman later issued a statement saying the item appeared to contain computer files on the Proud Boys.

However, in a subsequent statement, Cuomo's office said that security at critical New York infrastructure points will be doubled following the discovery of the potential explosive devices.

"Out of an abundance of caution, I am deploying 100 additional National Guard soldiers and directing State law enforcement to double security at vital assets across New York, including LaGuardia and JFK, mass transit systems, and bridges and tunnels," Cuomo said in the statement.

Two devices were sent to Waters; one was intercepted at a downtown Los Angeles mail facility. A second, found earlier in the day, was intercepted at a congressional mail facility in Capitol Heights, Maryland.

13 Suspicious Package Incidents

Within five days, apparent explosive devices were detected in the mail addressed to Democratic politicians Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Corey Booker and Rep. Maxine Waters; billionaire philanthropist George Soros; the New York City offices of CNN and others. No one was hurt and investigators are working to determine if the incidents are all linked, though many of the devices appeared similar.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Waters addressing the suspicious package saying: I have been informed by U.S. Capitol Police that my Washington, DC office was the target of a suspicious package that has been referred to the FBI. I am appreciative of the law enforcement entities who intercepted the package and are investigating this matter. I unequivocally condemn any and all acts of violence and terror.

CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker slammed the White House and its continued attacks on the media when responding to the suspicious package delivered to CNN offices at Time Warner Center.

"There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media. The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that," Zucker's statement reads.



Law enforcement officials say all of the seven linked parcels were in manila outer packaging and the devices had stamps on them. The devices appear to be working explosives, sources say, but final analysis is pending further testing. News 4 obtained an image of one of the devices; it appeared to be crude.

The signature is nearly the same on the packages and all listed the return address as one belonging to ex-Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. There is no suggestion Schultz had any involvement, law enforcement officials say. A device was also found at her Sunrise, Florida, office, which was the return address listed.

Investigators believe that was the package addressed to Holder; it appears it may have had the wrong address, which is why it was shipped back to the nominal sender (Schultz's return address).



An officer with the local police department in Florida where Schultz's office is located said the package had been removed by early afternoon and the bomb squad was "rendering it safe." He declined to say whether a live explosive had been in the package and warned, "There may be noise, there may not be noise."



At the Manhattan briefing, an FBI representative with the Joint Terrorism Task Force said the devices assessed thus far appeared to be pipe bombs.

In a separate statement, the FBI said the investigation is of "the highest priority."

"We have committed the full strength of the FBIs resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. We ask anyone who may have information to contact the FBI. Do not hesitate to call; no piece of information is too small to help us in this investigation.

The FBI says it is possible that additional packages were mailed to other locations and advises the public to remain vigilant and to not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown packages.

The Secret Service says it recovered the Clinton package, addressed to her home in Chappaqua, late Tuesday. She was not there at the time, though former President Bill Clinton was in the residence. The parcel addressed to Obama in Washington, D.C., was intercepted early Wednesday.

Later Wednesday, at a campaign event in Coral Gables, Florida, Hillary Clinton thanked everyone for their support.

"We are fine, thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home," Clinton said. "But it is a troubling time, isnt it, and its a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring out country together."

Secret Service says it has initiated a "full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible."

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," Secret Service said in a statement. "Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

No one was hurt in the Soros case, which happened at his home in Bedford, about 10 miles away from Chappaqua.

A Clinton spokesman referred questions to the Secret Service, but reiterated that, unlike the Soros case, no package actually got to the Clinton home as two senior law enforcement officials initially reported.

In Soros' case, an employee noticed the package, put it in a wooded area and called police, who alerted the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives. A law enforcement source told NBC 4 New York that the device contained explosive powder; it was detonated as a precaution.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video to determine whether the package was sent via mail or otherwise delivered.

The FBI is working with police to figure out who sent the Soros device, which a senior law enforcement official said was similar to a pipe bomb. A law enforcement source says evidence was sent to the FBI lab in Quantico for testing. The FBI's New York office said Wednesday that its Joint Terrorism Task Force was working with federal, state and local partners on the investigation. ATF is also investigating.

Soros is a billionaire made his name in hedge funds but has been a magnet for right-wing conspiracies since the early aughts. His nonprofit, the Open Society Foundation, condemned the "politics of hate that dominates our discourse today" through his foundation

President Trump was briefed on the situation.

"The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority," Trump said in remarks from the White House Wednesday afternoon. "We will spare no resources or expense in this effort. I just want to tell you in these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

At a rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday, he took a softer tone than his usual fiery rhetoric lambasting Democrats and the press.

"Let's get along," he said. "By the way, do you see how nice I'm behaving tonight? Have you ever seen this?"

In D.C., the mayor and police chief assured the public that local and federal officials would handle the threats.

We will not let this terroristic behavior interrupt our lives, Police Chief Peter Newsham said at a news conference.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement that there was no additional, credible threat to the city, and urged tipsters to contact police.
Authorities believe a series of apparent explosive devices targeting Hillary Clinton, George Soros and CNN in New York along with one addressed to former President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., and another sent to ex-AG Eric Holder are linked. One other -- one addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters in Washington, D.C. -- is being investigated.



Click through the interactive timeline below to see what we know so far about each case. Full details on the story here.
What to Know A 29-year-old man is dead and his 5-year-old son is wounded after someone opened fire in a staircase in a Bronx city-owned building

The two were in the staircase on the sixth floor when they were shot; it's not clear if they were targeted. No arrest has been made

The father was pronounced dead at the hospital; the boy is in stable condition at another local hospital

A man has died and his 5-year-old son was wounded when the two were shot in a staircase inside a Bronx apartment building, police said.

The 29-year-old father, Jaquan Millien, had just picked up his son from school, and the two went to visit someone in the Butler Houses in Claremont Village. They were in the staircase on the fifth floor when someone opened fire.

Police officers arrived to find Millien shot in the stomach and the boy shot in the arm. One of the NYPD lieutenants who responded fashioned a tourniquet out of his belt and wrapped it around the boy's arm.

"This five-year-old was extremely brave, extremely calm," said Lt. Eric Dym, a former Marine who said he was impressed by the boy's demeanor and "amazed by his bravery" as he spoke to the boy and rubbed his head to tell him he'd be OK.

Millien was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The boy is at St. Barnabas Hospital and is expected to survive.

No arrests have been made. NYPD Chief of Housing James Secreto asked the public to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS with any information.

"Gun violence is never tolerated in our city," he said. "It's especially troubling when it's fatal and when it involves a young innocent child."

"Our NYPD detectives will work tirelessly on this investigation until the person or persons responsible for this crime are caught," said Secreto.

It's not clear if the shooting was targeted. Secreto said Millien "does have a criminal past."

Neighbors said Millien's girlfriend lives in the building he was visiting, and he lived in the building next door.

"He did nothing to nobody, bro," one grieving relative said at the scene. "What is my brother gonna do without him, yo? That's my brother's whole heart."
What to Know Authorities in Turks and Caicos are investigating the death of a 61-year-old tourist from New York whose body was found in the bushes

The convenience store of the future is finally coming to New York City

One thousand new roundtrips each week will be implemented during the looming L train shutdown, according to the MTA

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018

Happy Wednesday! It'll be cool and breezy today, but we stay dry and the sun will be out. Highs will reach the mid-50s. As always, get the latest forecast at nbcnewyork.com/weather.

1. NY Mom on Vacation Found Dead in Bushes at Club Med Resort

Authorities in Turks and Caicos are investigating the death of a 61-year-old tourist from New York whose body was found in the bushes near a Club Med, according to island police and the dead woman's son.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force identified the woman as Marie Kuhnla; her son tells News 4 she was a Legal Aid attorney in Suffolk County.

Kuhnla's body was found near the Club Med resort Oct. 16, a day after she had been reported missing. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance weren't immediately clear.

Read more here.

2. Amazon's Convenience Store of the Future is Coming to NYC

The convenience store of the future is finally coming to New York City.

Amazon is planning to open one of its "go" stores near the World Trade Center, according to the tech blog Recode.

If you haven't heard of them, the stores don't have any registers or cashiers. You just scan an app when you walk in, pick up your items and leave.

A bunch of sensors will figure out what you've bought and charge you accordingly.

Read more here.

3. Service Increases to Be Implemented During L Train Shutdown

One thousand new roundtrips each week will be implemented during the looming L train shutdown, according to the MTA.

Members of the Transit Committee will be presented Monday with details on the service increases for specific train lines, which are set to take place in April 2019.

The temporary route changes are proposed for weekdays and include two additional A roundtrips would be operated between approximately 10 p.m. and midnight; 26 additional E roundtrips; and 12 more F roundtrips.

Read more here.

For the latest entertainment news and things to do, tune in to New York Live, Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. on NBC 4 New York.
Republican Rep. Martha McSally accused her Democratic opponent, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, of supporting "treason," citing a 15-year-old radio interview  a charge that Sinema dismissed as part of a "ridiculous" negative campaign during Monday's debate in the race for Arizona's open Senate seat.

McSally, a former Air Force colonel and combat pilot, made the explosive charge in the final moments of the debate that had already included heated clashes over issues such as health care and immigration.

When she was asked the final question, about climate change, McSally complained there'd been no discussion of national security in the hour-long debate, the only one of the campaign. She attacked Sinema for protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and referenced a 2003 radio interview in which the host engaged in a lengthy, rambling hypothetical that ends with him asking Sinema if she'd be OK with him joining the Taliban.

"I don't care if you want to do that, go ahead," Sinema replied in that interview, reported by CNN last week, before asking if they can return to explaining her anti-war stance.

McSally described that exchange Monday as Sinema saying "it was OK for Americans to join the Taliban to fight against us." Then, turning toward Sinema and pointing at the Democrat, she asked if she going to apologize to veterans like herself for saying "it was OK to commit treason."

Sinema said: "Martha has chosen to run a campaign like the one you're seeing right now where she's engaging in ridiculous attacks." After the debate, Sinema called the charge "ridiculous."

The two congresswomen are vying for the seat of Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who is retiring. The Arizona Senate seat of the late John McCain is filled by appointee Jon Kyl until a 2020 election.

McSally is a former combat fighter pilot who was a Donald Trump critic in 2016 and represents a Tucson district that voted for Hillary Clinton. She's now embraced the president and hopes his visit to Arizona on Friday helps unites Republicans against Sinema.

Sinema represents a district based in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe and is a former Green Party activist who transformed herself into a centrist Democrat. She has one of the most conservative voting records among Democrats in Congress and presents herself as a nonpartisan problem-solver.

Both congresswomen engaged in attacks Monday night as they have throughout the race, Democrats and Sinema have hammered McSally for voting to weaken protections for people with preexisting conditions and for shifting to the right on immigration. McSally dismissed those charges as "lies" Monday as she tried to steer the conversation back to Sinema's old anti-war activism.

Sinema contrasted her own voting record with McSally's, saying her rival was a blind partisan who voted 98 percent of the time with President Trump. Sinema says she was willing to buck party leaders and back the president when he was right, but oppose him when he was wrong, citing a 60 percent voting record with the president.

Citing Sinema's support for Trump, McSally scoffed: "60 percent with the agenda is a failing grade in every school."

Trump won Arizona in 2016 but only by three percentage points and Democrats hope Sinema can appeal to enough disaffected Republicans to turn the normally red-leaning state blue in November. McSally spent the debate trying to goad Republicans into voting with their party and reject Sinema. "The economy is doing great and Arizonans feel it every day," McSally said, crediting unified GOP control of government.

The two also tangled on the perennial Arizona issue of immigration. McSally supports Trump's border wall and slammed Sinema for not voting for two immigration bills that would have built it earlier this year. Both were only supported by Republicans but couldn't muster enough support to pass the House because some members of the GOP voted against them.

Sinema said "there was no bipartisanship in any of this discussion" and noted she voted to stiffen penalties against some people in the country illegally who commit crimes, which has angered members of her party.
President Donald Trump is battling Democrats for control of Congress. But you might think it's 2016 all over again.

As the 2018 midterms shifted to the final two weeks of campaigning, Trump staged a large Monday night rally in Houston, Ted Cruz's hometown, to help the Texas senator and his 2016 presidential rival fend off a tough challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

During the 2016 primaries, Trump mocked Cruz as "Lyin' Ted," insulted his wife's appearance and suggested Cruz's father played a role in the Kennedy assassination. Cruz assailed Trump as a "sniveling coward" and told Trump to leave his wife alone. But campaigns have a way of letting bygones be bygones.

Democrats dispatched former President Barack Obama to Las Vegas to help Nevada Democrats while former Vice President Joe Biden was barnstorming Florida. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who tried to wrestle the 2016 Democratic nomination from Hillary Clinton, was in Wisconsin, one of the states that propelled Trump to his stunning upset.

And California Sen. Kamala Harris, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, kicked off a two-day trip to Iowa, her first to the home of the nation's first presidential caucus.

Democrats are trying to flip nearly two dozen House seats to regain control of that chamber. Republicans are trying to maintain a slim Senate majority and defend several governors' mansions.

A look at midterm campaign activities Monday:

PELOSI PREDICTS

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says if the election were held today, her party would "handily" win back control of the House. But she's raising the possibility of an unpredictable finish to the midterms, adding, "I can only speak in the present tense because you never know."

Democrats have been wary about potential foreign interference in next month's elections, concerned that Russia might again try to sow discord in the political system. House Democrats are expected to reopen the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election if they win the majority.

Pelosi told CNN's Dana Bash at CITIZEN by CNN political forum that Democrats will "own the ground" to produce a large voter turnout, promising lower prescription drug costs and infrastructure spending if Democrats win back the House.

Asked if she believes House Democrats will elect her speaker again if they regain the majority, Pelosi says, "It's up to them to make that decision, but I feel pretty comfortable where I am on it."

SANDERS IN WISCONSIN

Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders told college students and other young supporters in Wisconsin that they could "transform" the nation if they show up and vote in the upcoming fall elections.

Sanders headlined an early voting rally at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee aimed at defeating Republican Gov. Scott Walker and re-electing Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. Organizers said more than 1,100 people were at the rally.

"Let's tell Trump and his friends  let's tell Trump and Walker and all of these guys  that we want a government and an economy based on justice, we want a government and an economy that represents all of us and not the 1 percent," Sanders said alongside Baldwin.

Wisconsin is one of the campaign's epicenters. Trump is returning to the state Wednesday for a rally with Walker and Leah Vukmir, Baldwin's Republican opponent. Obama is coming to Milwaukee Friday for an early voting event.

Polls show Walker's race against state education chief Tony Evers to be a toss-up, while Baldwin has consistently led Vukmir.

'OVERRATED' O'ROURKE

Trump blasted Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke as "highly overrated" as he departed the White House for a Houston rally in support of Cruz.

Trump told reporters that he initially thought the Democratic congressman, who has mounted a strong challenge against Cruz in GOP-friendly Texas, "must be something a little special. He's not."

The president said he now gets along "very well" with Cruz after their 2016 primary feud. Trump offered more complimentary nicknames for Cruz  "I call him Texas Ted"  and told reporters he has replaced his "Lyin' Ted" putdown with "Beautiful Ted."

RESETTING THE 'MORAL COMPASS'

Biden called the midterms a fight for "the soul of America" during a swing through Florida, saying the nation had a chance to reset "the moral compass of this country."

Biden said Monday at the University of South Florida in Tampa that Trump's actions at home and abroad didn't reflect basic American values of decency.

He called Florida's Republican gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Ron DeSantis, a Trump acolyte. He praised Andrew Gillum, the Democrats' candidate for governor, as one of the nation's most exciting young leaders.

IMMIGRATION POLITICS

Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a potential 2020 presidential contender, said Trump's assertion that he would begin "cutting off, or substantially reducing" aid to Central American nations over a migrant caravan headed to the U.S. border would yield no political advantage to Republicans.

Speaking to reporters after her first public event in Iowa, Harris said there was "absolutely not" a benefit for Republicans from the administration's rhetoric.

"What our country wants, and what the people of our country want, is they want leaders who are focused on the challenges that they face every day, like can they put food on the table and pay the bills by the end of the month, consistently every month of the year," Harris said amid a day of campaign stops promoting Iowa Democrats. "That's what people want us to be talking about and thinking about and the priorities they want us to have, not vilifying some group for the sake of fearmongering and politics."

OBAMA IN VEGAS

Obama said he wants Las Vegas and Nevada to be the "capital of voting" as he sought to energize Democrats ahead of the November midterm elections.

The former president referenced Trump's policies as he warned against apathy, telling Democrats at a Las Vegas rally that all they needed to do was "look at what the Republicans have done the past two years."

Obama said by the time he had left office, wages were rising and poverty was falling "and that's what I handed off to the next guy. So when you hear all this talk about 'economic miracles' right now  remember who started it."

The former president said he believed in a "fact-based reality and a fact-based politics. I don't believe in just making stuff up." Obama was rallying Democrats for Senate candidate Jacky Rosen, a freshman congresswoman from the Las Vegas-area, and gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak.

TRUMP IN TEXAS

Trump said nobody helped him more to cut taxes and regulation than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

At a political rally in Houston, Trump said Cruz has "become a really good friend of mine." Cruz is running for re-election in the midterms against Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

Speaking before Trump took the stage, Cruz also made clear that the conflict was behind them and that the two were working together. His biggest applause came when he predicted that "in 2020, Donald Trump will be overwhelming re-elected."

Associated Press writer Scott Bauer, Mike Schneider, Zeke Miller and Thomas Beaumont contributed to this report.
The U.S Marine Corps is investigating inappropriate flight pattern images made by a pilot over the Salton Sea.

A statement from the MCAS Miramar 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said a Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 pilot was flying a T-34C over the sea on Tuesday morning when the image was captured.

"Obscene or inappropriate actions, flight or not, do not reflect the core values we hold as marines," 3rd MAW spokesperson Major Josef Patterson Maj. Patterson said.

Patterson said the USMC will determine if any disciplinary action is to be taken at the conclusion of the investigation.
More than 100 people have been sickened by hand, foot and mouth disease at one of Johns Hopkins University's four Baltimore campuses.

News outlets report that the Maryland Department of Health has classified it as an outbreak.

University spokesman Dennis O'Shea tells The Baltimore Sun that officials have been broadcasting information about the outbreak at the Homewood campus. The university says 129 cases have been reported since early September.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the highly contagious virus characterized by a fever, sore throat and painful sores is common in children under 5, but others can catch it too. People can lower their risk of catching it with good hygiene, including frequent handwashing.

The university has been conducting extra cleaning in areas like residence halls.
A patient receiving health care services in one part of the United States could pay twice as much as a patient living elsewhere, according to a new study.

Prices were highest in San Jose and lowest in Baltimore in 2016 for privately insured patients, the Health Care Cost Institute found.

The Washington-based nonprofit group analyzed nearly 1.8 billion health insurance claims filed between 2012 and 2016. It then calculated a nationwide average for health care prices and ranked 112 metros against that average.

Although prices generally were well above average on the West Coast and the Northeast, regional patterns broke down elsewhere.

Across the Midwest, prices were below the national average in most cities, including Chicago, Indianapolis and Cleveland. But Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wis., were the fourth and fifth most expensive areas nationwide, just behind San Francisco and ahead of San Diego.

It reinforces this idea that all health care is local, said Bill Johnson, a senior health researcher with the institute.

There is little logic to health care prices within regions. Metros with professional fees near the national average sometimes have very high hospital prices and vice versa.

In Los Angeles, professional fees are 5 percent below the national average while prices for inpatient (hospital) stays and outpatient services (emergency room and procedures such as colonoscopies) are 28 percent and 30 percent above the national average respectively.

Green Bay has the fifth highest health costs in the nation  14 percent above the national average. But its too simple to say that health care is expensive in Green Bay. Inpatient and outpatient costs are below the national average there while professional fees are 43 percent above the national average.

Kevin Kennedy, a researcher at the institute, said that examples like this help direct attention to what the right question is to ask.

For example, in Dayton, Ohio (health care costs 11 percent below the national average), inpatient charges are 18 percent above average. In Boston (health care costs 3 percent above the national average), professional fees are 22 percent above average. In San Jose (health care costs 65 percent above the national average), outpatient charges are a whopping 117 percent above average.

It seems like theres a different reason (for high costs) for every area, Kennedy said.

Health care isnt one big problem, Johnson said. Its a series of little problems.

The institute plans additional reports to see how usage and competition affect the price of health care.

The group analyzed health claims data from four major insurers  Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser Permanente  representing more than 50 million individuals.
More than two years after a gunman's videotaped attack on a Maryland police station, a jury will hear testimony that a police officer mistakenly fired the bullet that killed an undercover detective who rushed to the scene of the shootout.

But the jurors must decide whether the man accused of provoking the friendly-fire shooting is guilty of murder and other charges in the March 2016 killing of Prince George's County police detective Jacai Colson. Opening statements for Michael Ford's trial are scheduled for Wednesday.

Authorities have said a fellow officer, Taylor Krauss, mistook the plainclothes-wearing narcotics detective for an armed threat and shot him after Ford began firing at the police station in Landover, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Ford's two brothers videotaped the March 2016 attack, police said.

A judge ruled earlier this month that Ford can't present an insanity defense at trial despite his serious mental-health issues, The Washington Post reported.

Investigators concluded that Ford, then 22, "intended to die at the hand of a police officer'' and dictated his last will and testament minutes before his brothers dropped him off at the station, police said in a 2016 news release, citing cellphone video recorded by one of Ford's brothers.

A police detective testified in 2016 that Ford's brothers agreed to film the shooting so the video could be sent to WorldstarHipHop.com, a website known for posting users' violent videos. Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks has said the cellphone videos were an attempt to gain notoriety.

Ford is charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and other offenses. His two younger brothers, Malik and Elijah, pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing hearings.

A grand jury declined to indict Krauss on any charges related to Colson's shooting.

"It has always been our contention that even though Ford didn't pull the trigger, Colson's death was a direct result of Ford's actions, making him ultimately responsible for Colson's death,'' state's attorney's office spokesman John Erzen said in an email on Monday.

However, Colson's parents sued Krauss and Prince George's County over the deadly shooting. Their wrongful death lawsuit says Krauss recklessly fired an assault rifle despite "visual obstructions.'' Krauss shot twice through a wooden privacy fence before firing the shot that killed Colson from behind a wall at a distance of approximately 95 yards, the family's suit says.

Colson was carrying his badge as he screamed, "Police, police!'' according to the lawsuit, which says the detective's shouts were captured on tape.

Colson and Krauss had worked in the same unit and sat at connecting desks, the suit says. Colson was black and Krauss is white.

Four officers, including Colson and Krauss, fired their weapons during the exchange of gunfire on the afternoon of March 13, 2016, police said.

Michael Ford fired two rounds at the glass door of the station, shattering it, before shooting at and "barely" missing officers who responded, according to a police report. Ford also fired his .40-caliber handgun at passing vehicles, including an ambulance that was hit by his gunfire, the report said.

Colson, who was a four-year veteran of the department and 28-year-old native of Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, drove up to the station, exited his vehicle and exchanged gunfire with Ford before the other officer shot him, police said.

Michael Ford's brothers drove away after he was shot in the abdomen and immediately arrested. Malik Ford, then 21, surrendered to police at a fast-food restaurant near the shooting scene. Police later arrested Elijah Ford, then 18, at a Landover home.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Hamilton County as the 26th site in the country for Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child at the annual Hamilton Sings concert Tuesday night. Any Given Child is a catalyst program that improves the academic experience and performance of children and creates change by involving the arts community in the power of strategic, coordinated arts education.

Hamilton Sings, a one-day elementary honor choir event, includes fifth grade students from every Hamilton County school. The student performers participated in musical workshops during the day on Tuesday and performed a free concert Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

at First Baptist Church. Hamilton Sings an event led by teachers from Hamilton County Schools. The teachers hold workshops and rehearsals with the children getting them ready for a free evening concert involving all of the participating fifth-graders. The announcement about the communities selection as an Any Given Child site made Hamilton Sings even more spectacular. The announcement was shared by Jeanette McCune, director of School and Community Programs at the Kennedy Center.

Any Given Child is in its tenth year and based on arts education is an essential component of a students education; all children deserve equitable access to quality arts education; and that the community must work with schools to create long-range plans that benefit students and improve communities. With the addition of Chattanooga-Hamilton County, the program has 26 sites in 20 states and Puerto Rico. Within the 20172018 school year, Any Given Child impacted 977,063 students in grades K8.



The arts engage the whole child in creative thinking, collaboration, cross-cultural understanding, and communication, said Ms. McCune. It inspires and transforms students, supporting them in becoming life-long learners as well as future citizens. 



The arts are a key element to a quality education experience for our children in Hamilton County Schools, and we are excited about the opportunities the Any Given Child initiative will provide in our schools, said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. The arts community in the area is very strong, and we appreciate our partnership with ArtsBuild and the Kennedy Center in opening the door to tremendous possibilities for our childrens future.



For the past 15 years, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed a successful relationship with Chattanooga-Hamilton County as part of the Centers nationwide network Partners in Education program. The mission of Any Given Child aligns with those efforts and will strengthen the arts in schools and the community. Any Given Child generates a measurable impact on students lives both in and out of the classroom, and we are looking forward to seeing the students reap the benefits of increased arts opportunities, said Ms. McCune.



In Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Any Given Child will incorporate existing resources of Hamilton County Schools, ArtsBuild, local arts and community organizations, and the Kennedy Center. Local educators and philanthropic and for-profit stakeholders will provide additional resources. ArtsBuild will also serve as the lead organization for Any Given Child Chattanooga-Hamilton County with funding support towards the first four years provided by the Hamilton County Schools.



We believe that student achievement will only increase when the arts are part of a well-rounded education, said Dan Bowers, president of ArtsBuild. We are excited to move arts education to the next level through the Any Given Child Initiative.

The Any Given Child program includes strategic planning in the first year, which includes a comprehensive audit of existing arts education resources and needs assessment facilitated by Kennedy Center staff. Implementation will follow in the remaining three years guided by an Implementation Committee as the community puts the strategic plan into action. Sustaining will be the focus in year 5 and beyond with the goal that the community expands arts education offerings and continues to ensure funding and staffing for program initiatives.



View the Hamilton sings Concert


Saudi Arabia must identify those who ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and turn over the suspects for trial, the Turkish president said Tuesday in remarks that carefully ratcheted up pressure on a country that is a source of investment for Turkey, but also a rival for influence in the Middle East.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabia's widely criticized account that the writer for The Washington Post died accidentally in a brawl, saying Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

Some analysts believe Turkey is also calculating whether it can capitalize on outrage over the killing to extract political capital from the world's largest oil exporter without alienating it altogether.

Addressing ruling party lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan used the word "murder" 15 times to describe Khashoggi's death after the writer entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 for paperwork related to his marriage plans.

Erdogan also cast Turkey in the role of global statesman, echoing calls for full Saudi accountability from Western allies whose relationships with the Turkish government have often been edgy in the past.

"To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community," he said. Earlier, Turkey's foreign minister said it would cooperate with any international or U.N. probe into the killing, a nod to transparency that only seemed to accentuate an emerging pariah status for Saudi Arabia.

"Turkey is playing the long game. And today's speech is part of a very careful  in my opinion  escalation strategy," said Ahmet Kasim Han, an international relations analyst at Altinbas University in Istanbul.

"Turkish authorities seem to be concentrated on turning this into a multilateral issue" because they don't want "to be left alone with Saudi Arabia on all of this," he said.

Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, speculated that Saudi Arabia could now be vulnerable to pressure, including from the U.S., to end a boycott of Turkey-backed Qatar.

"As far as Erdogan is concerned, he will use this incident to try and get as much mileage and concessions out of it, to the advantage of Turkey, as he possibly can," Yahya said.

Erdogan focused on the investigation in his speech, saying he wants the 18 suspects detained by Saudi Arabia in the killing to face trial in Turkish courts, a demand the kingdom will probably resist. Saudi Arabia has said it will punish those involved and has described the suspects as rogue operators, even though officials linked to Saudi Arabia's assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have been implicated.

Although he didn't mention Prince Mohammed, Erdogan likely knows that the kingdom's major decisions always require the approval of those at the top of the ruling Al Saud family.

"As of now, we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible  from the highest ranked to the lowest  and to bring them to justice," the Turkish president said.

Han, the Istanbul analyst, said Erdogan is moving cautiously, wary that Prince Mohammed might stay in control despite the scandal or could succumb to pressure over the Khashoggi killing and relinquish power. The latter outcome would benefit Turkey because the crown prince "is consciously and continuously pursuing strategies that work against Turkey," Han said.

Modern tensions between the two countries date to the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011. Turkey supported some political Islamists who rose to power, but Saudi Arabia and its ally, the United Arab Emirates, viewed the pan-Arab Sunni movement as a threat to their hereditarily ruled nations.

Another opportunity emerging from the fallout over Khashoggi's death could be an improvement in ties with the U.S. after Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara over the jailing of a U.S. pastor, said Marc Pierini, a former European Union diplomat to Turkey.

At an event hosted by The Washington Post, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Khashoggi's death was a "brutal murder" and "will not go without an American response."

He declined to say whether he had seen any intelligence linking the crown prince to the killing, noting that CIA Director Gina Haspel was in Turkey, and added: "I know that when the CIA director returns, she will be briefing the president, myself and our entire team on what the Turks have assembled."

President Donald Trump has said he's not satisfied with the explanations he's heard from Saudi Arabia, seen as a key ally in U.S. efforts to isolate Iran.

On Tuesday Trump called the Saudi operation that killed Khashoggi one of the "worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups." The U.S. announced it would revoke visas from some of the Saudi officials implicated in Khashoggi's death.

The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations said Saudi Arabia should conduct a credible investigation, "in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities."

Confirming reports and leaks from anonymous officials in past days, Erdogan said 15 Saudi officials arrived in Istanbul shortly before Khashoggi's death and that a man, apparently dressed in the writer's clothes, acted as a possible decoy by walking out of the consulate on the day of the disappearance.

"Why did these 15 people all with links to the event gather in Istanbul on the day of the murder? We are seeking answers. Who did these people get their orders from to go there? We are seeking answers," Erdogan said. "When the murder is so clear, why were so many inconsistent statements made? Why is the body of a person who has officially been accepted as killed still not around?"

Turkish investigators, meanwhile, inspected a car belonging to the consulate and found three suitcases, a laptop computer and clothes inside, state television TRT reported. Authorities discovered the car at an underground garage on Monday.

In Riyadh on Tuesday, King Salman and Prince Mohammed received Khashoggi's son, Salah, and his brother, Sahel, at the Yamama Palace, where the royals expressed their condolences. A friend of the Khashoggi family told The Associated Press that Salah has been under a travel ban since last year. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal.

At a Cabinet meeting, King Salman again stressed those responsible for Khashoggi's slaying would be held "accountable," according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Also Tuesday, the crown prince attended an investment forum alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan. Prince Mohammed sat in on an afternoon session and looked at some promotional booths outside the main hall as an excited crowd of mostly young Saudi men recorded the encounter on their phones.

Many Western executives and officials skipped the conference because of the killing.

At its opening, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih described Khashoggi's slaying as "abhorrent."

"As we all know, these are difficult days for us in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he said. "Nobody in the kingdom can justify it or explain it. From the leadership on down, we're very upset of what has happened."
A Cambridge man faces a total of 40 charges after police seized a huge cache of 28 illegal firearms, ammunition, body armor, bulletproof vests and other tools from his home and the home of one of his family members this week.

Mathew Devine, 39, of 43 Seven Pines Avenue, was arrested late Tuesday at his home.

Cambridge police said he will be charged with 26 counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition without an FID card, three counts of illegal possession of assault rifles, six counts of illegal possession of a large capacity feeding device, three counts of possession of a silencer, one count of possession of ammunition and one count of use of body armor in the commission of a felony.

He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Cambridge District Court. It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer.

"The operation that was identified was deeply troubling and the results of this long-term investigation will make a significant positive impact on our community," Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville G. Bard Jr. said in a statement.

Cambridge police said the arrest was the culmination of an investigation that began in July after they were notified by the U.S. Postal Inspection Services of suspicious activity occurring at Devine's address.

During the course of their investigation, police said they determined that more than 75 packages worth more than $26,000 were delivered to Devine, including a complete AR-15 build kit and a milling machine, with return addresses primarily originating from gun and weapons companies.

The gun parts were purchased online, distributed through the mail and assembled into untraceable complete firearms.

Devine did not have a license to carry a firearm.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cambridge police said they executed search warrants on Devine's residence and a family member's home on Gold Star Road and seized 25 illegal firearms, three unregistered assault rifles, parts to make dozens of additional illegal firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, five bulletproof vests and other body armor and milling machines.

In addition to the U.S. Postal Inspection Services, Cambridge police said they were assisted in their investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, the New England Electronic Crimes Task Force and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Cambridge police at 617-349-3300. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cpd/communityresources/anonymouscrimetips.
A candidate for district attorney in Maine is in some legal trouble of his own after two women took out protection from abuse orders against him.

The law license of Seth Carey is now under suspension and he could be removed from the Maine bar.

The Maine Republican Party has urged Carey to drop out of his race but Carey remains confident he can beat incumbent Democrat Andrew Robinson and become the next district attorney for Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties.

Theres no bad publicity, Carey said after his ex-girlfriend took out a protection from abuse order against him last week.

In the Oct. 19 filing, Careys former girlfriend says she is scared for [her] safety after he followed me, harassed me, and even sat parked in my driveway.

The accuser, who has asked necn to protect her privacy and not use her name, told a judge that she was so scared of Carey that I hugged my family before I left to confront him, and texted my friend asking them to call the police if they hadnt heard from me.

Carey called the woman a liar and has made prosecuting false allegations part of his platform.

Its totally ridiculous, he said. I would caution people that my case is an example of it going too far, where false accusers can come out and ride the wave of the Me Too movement.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Careys ex-girlfriend said she stood by her testimony in the PFA filing.

I wouldnt lie about this, she said. The fact that another woman has accused Carey of similar behavior gives her story credibility.

Last spring, a former client filed a PFA against Carey alleging sexual abuse and misconduct. His law license was temporarily suspended. Those allegations became public before the June primary election but Carey still defeated Republican challenger Alex Willette, an assistant district attorney in Sagadahoc County.

Carey believes he won the primary because his messages about illegal immigration, government corruption, and false accusers are resonating with voters.

Im an outsider, Carey said. Im doing whats right for the people, and I answer to no one.

The allegations from his former client triggered a disbarment hearing in front of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court last summer. In a Sept. 21 decision, Justice Thomas Warren found the allegations to be credible. A Nov. 14 hearing will determine disciplinary measures, which could include disbarment.

Carey believes he could still serve as District Attorney even if he is removed from the Maine bar.

I could still do my job, no problem, he said. Im going to manage the [assistant district attorneys] from an office. Im not going to be the one in court arguing before a jury.

Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Carey qualified for the ballot at the time he filed. Now its up to the voters to decide if his legal issues are disqualifying for public office. If he does win and then loses his law license, it could be up the Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to decide on the removal of a district attorney.

His ex-girlfriend hopes Robinson wins on Nov. 6.

I would not trust [Carey] in that position, she said. Do people really think he can be a good district attorney if he cant even practice law right now?

Robinson did not respond to a request for comment.

Before his run for district attorney, Carey was best-known for filing a lawsuit against the NFL, attempting to recover the draft picks the Patriots lost as part of the Deflategate controversy.
A 7-alarm fire broke out at a church in Wakefield, Massachusetts after it was struck by lightning.

Multiple fire crews responded to the massive blaze that broke out at First Baptist Church at 8 Lafayette Street just before 7 p.m.

"Within two minutes of being dispatched, companies found heavy fire in the church extending up to the steeple. It happened immediately after the lighting storm moved through, Wakefield Fire Chief Michael Sullivan said.

Thankfully, there were no reported injuries.

Video showed flames pouring out of the historic church.

NBC10 Boston Sky Ranger over the scene of a five-alarm fire in Wakefield, Massachusetts.no description

Multiple fire crews have responded to a 5-alarm fire at a church in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

The fire was so intense that hundreds of residents stood outside the church as it burnt down.

"The flames. It was almost apocalyptic," Allen Roycroft said. "It looked like something out of a movie."

The lightning strike was so loud that neighbors felt it.

"Our whole house rocked," Roycroft said.

Firefighters checked the building to make sure it was empty before aggressively fighting the blaze.

They tried to save the steeple as it stood fully engulfed, but the church is now a shell of its former self.

Completely destroyed the main church and a steeple and it's presently working its way to the back of the church, the chief said.

But will this church be able to be recovered?

This church is a total loss, Chief Sullivan said.

DRAMATIC IMAGES: Fire Ravages Wakefield Church

The church's congregation is absolutely devastated by the fire.

A woman who has been a member since she was two said she had to see this happen, but her husband did not want her to come down and watch.

They could all hear what was happening, though. And most had to see it for themselves.

"It's irreplaceable. It really is, one man said.

It was a fixture here. I mean its unbelievable, another man added.

The First Baptist Church of Wakefield has been there for 150 years and has a congregation of 120.

Thirty-five years ago I came here as a foreign student and this church opened its arms to me. Since then I never left, a third man said as he stood outside the church.

Im 72 and Ive been coming to the church since I was two years old. And my parents were both members. I became a member here. I was married here. Ive buried both my parents here," Marsha Carter said. "Its just a lot of memories in the church, and the church is my second home.

It served as a home to others, a concert band, a 4-H club and a nursery school.

I went to preschool in this church and I grew up going to 4-H here when I was in middle school and all through high school so I spent a lot of hours in there, one young woman said.

Neighbors say the building was being renovated. One Wakefield officer tells NBC10 Boston that the church was also struck by lightning in the 60s and was in disrepair for years.

The Wakefield Police Department requested all traffic avoid the downtown area, specifically Richardson Street to Church Street, while they battled the blaze Tuesday night.

Surrounding towns that assisted include Reading, Woburn, Saugus and Melrose.
A Massachusetts community is at a loss following a fire that destroyed a historic, 150-year-old church.

Wakefield's First Baptist Church on Lafayette Street was engulfed in a 7-alarm blaze Tuesday, which is believed to have been started by a lightning strike during a severe storm moving through the region.

"We've had near misses with lightning before. Unfortunately, it just did a really good job this time," said Wakefield Fire Chief Michael Sullivan.

As crews monitored hotspots on Wednesday, Interim Pastor Norman Bendroth said the community has not yet discussed what will come next.

"My heart breaks for the folks who have been here for generations," he said.

Bendroth said the church was home to both a congregation and a daycare.

While watching crews tear down what was left of the steeple, parishioner Emily Brown recalled fond memories of the church as her father was the pastor at First Baptist for 27 years.

"This has always been a second home for me," Brown said. "All I picture is all the rooms and all the hallways and the sanctuary."

Residents like Bruce Ell are in disbelief that the fire ripped through the place of worship.

"The people were so nice. I just wanted to get some old memories," Ell said.

"I'm 72 and I've been coming to the church since I was 2 years old," Marsha Carter said. "My parents were both members. I became a member here. I was married here. Ive buried both my parents here."

Firefighters responded to the blaze just before 7 p.m. A group was meeting inside at the time but made it out safely. Crews battled the fire for several hours and tried to preserve the church to their best efforts.

"I went to preschool in this church and I grew up going to 4-H here when I was in middle school and all through high school so I spent a lot of hours in there," one young woman said.

In a statement on the church's website, church officials thanked the firefighters and community members for their efforts and support.

"We know that we serve a God who specializes in restoring brokenness and who can bring beauty even from ashes," officials wrote. "So we move into the future with trust, hope, and gratitude."

Three firefighters suffered non-life threatening injuries battling the blaze and were treated on scene.

Parishioners will meet Wednesday night to discuss immediate plans for the congregation. Theyre hoping to hold a service either in front of the church or at another church as early as the weekend.
Authorities in Massachusetts are investigating after a person was found dead following a car fire in Weston last Friday.

The Middlesex district attorney's office confirms that Weston police and firefighters responded to a report of an explosion at a parking lot on Concord Road Friday evening.

When they arrived, first responders found a Honda SUV fully engulfed by fire.

When firefighters put out the blaze, one person was found deceased in the driver's seat.

The name of the victim has not been released, and an autopsy is scheduled to determine the person's cause and manner of death.

State and local authorities, including state police, Weston police, and officials with the state's Fire Marshal, are investigating the explosion.
The event will commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War

The launch of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal for Berkshire and the Vale of White Horse took place before racing

NEWBURY Racecourse will stage the return of Worthingtons Armed Forces Race Day this weekend.

The event on Saturday, October 27, will commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War and 100 years of the RAF.

There will be free entry for all members of the armed forces, ministry of defence and the Royal British Legion, when booked in advance.

To book, call (01635) 40015.
Dealership would have 'no significant environmental impact' says council

BUILDING a car showroom on the edge of Thatcham will not have a significant impact on the environment, West Berkshire Council has said.

Dick Lovett Hungerford BMW and Mini is planning to relocate from the town to land between Turnpike Road and Benham Hill.

The company had submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening opinion request, to determine positive and negative environmental effects the development may have.

And last week West Berkshire Council said it did not think that the new 8m showroom was likely to have significant effects on the environment.

In reaching its decision, the council said that the showroom would be an urban extension that would relate to existing and approved development in the area surrounding the site.

Furthermore, the size and design of the showroom fell considerably below a scale that would raise concerns.

As for the location of the development, the council said: Considering the surrounding land uses, the proposed development is not considered to attract undue levels of concern regarding the environmental sensitivity of the site.

It added that the proposed works were not considered to entail significant impacts on the natural environment.

Overall, the potential environmental effects of the development are considered insignificant in terms of the EIA regulations, the council concluded.

The screening request was the first hurdle passed by Dick Lovett ahead of submitting a full planning application.

And with no EIA needed, the application was lodged last week.

The longest-serving official BMW dealer in the UK, starting in 1968, said that it needs to relocate the expanding business from Hungerford as the site is simply unable to cope with anticipated growth required by BMW and Mini.

The development will comprise a single-storey Mini showroom, BMW showroom, workshop, car wash and valet facilities.

Two access points will be built off Turnpike Road; the first for customer traffic and the second for vehicle transporters and site deliveries.

Planning documents said that the showroom would not only be a landmark development for Newbury and Thatcham but would also raise the visual standards of the area.

The proposed development represents a considerable capital investment within the local economy, the documents state.

It will employ 100 members of staff, including highly-skilled mechanics, engineers and technical support staff in addition to the experienced sales team.

All existing staff from the Hungerford dealerships will be offered the opportunity to relocate from the existing dealership.

This increased scale of employment represents an expansion of the current workforce by some 150 per cent.

The move from Hungerford was discussed at a recent meeting of Hungerford Town Council, where district councillor Paul Hewer (Con, Hungerford) said: Theyre moving to Newbury, lock, stock and barrel.

It will have quite a negative impact on footfall in the town.

The shops will miss the footfall from people taking cars in for a service and then spending time in town.

Enter 18/02634/COMIND into West Berkshire Councils planning website to view the application.
NEWTOWN  Police will have to make public 35 documents belonging to the disturbed 20-year-old who killed 26 first-graders and educators at Sandy Hook School in 2012, the states highest court has ruled.

The documents include a spreadsheet ranking mass murders and a notebook entitled The Big Book of Granny. The notebook contains a story school shooter Adam Lanza wrote in fifth grade about a woman who uses her rifle cane to kill people.

The ruling Tuesday by state Supreme Court did not say when police must release Lanzas writings and other evidence.

Nor is it clear the release of documents will shed light on a question that has never been answered: Why Lanza acted with such barbarity against the closest person in his life  his mother  and defenseless children.

Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, and then drove to Sandy Hook School with an AR-15-style rifle that he took from an unlocked closet. He shot his way into a locked Sandy Hook School, killing the children and educators before turning a handgun on himself.

A 2014 report by the Connecticut Child Advocate said Lanzas severe and deteriorating mental health, his obsession with mass murder, and his access to his mothers firearms proved a recipe for mass murder.

The Child Advocates report said Newtown schools and Lanzas parents missed chances to treat his autism, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but found only Adam Lanza was to blame for the worst crime in modern Connecticut history.

Last week, two former Sandy Hook School administrators challenged that report, saying the school district did everything it could to meet Lanzas needs.

More for you With Kavanaugh on court, gun laws could be targeted

Tuesdays ruling is a victory for Connecticuts Freedom of Information Commission and The Hartford Courant, which argued the documents seized by police from Lanzas Newtown home were public under state open records law.

The court ruled unanimously for the newspaper and the commission, whose order to police to release Lanzas belongings was overturned by a lower court judge.

State police had seized guns, ammunition and Lanzas belongings, including personal journals.

State police already have released some of Lanzas writings, along with thousands of pages of interviews, documents and other evidence from the investigation.

But the full contents of the spreadsheet and the Granny notebook have not been released.

The Granny book contains several chapters with the adventures of Dora the Beserker. When Granny asks Dora to assassinate a soldier, she replies: I like hurting people. ... Especially children. In the same story, Dora sends Swiper the Raccoon into a day care center to distract the children, then enters and says, Lets hurt children.

The Courant asked to see 35 items seized from the Lanza house, but state police rejected the request, citing privacy rights under the states search and seizure law.

The newspaper appealed to the Freedom of Information Commission, which ruled the belongings must be made public because the law doesnt specifically bar documents seized from peoples homes  and not used in prosecutions  from being released.

State police appealed to Superior Court, which agreed with state police and overturned the commissions ruling.

The state attorney generals office, which represented state police, declined to comment Tuesday. The office could ask the state Supreme Court to reconsider its decision or possibly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

State police declined to comment.

In the ruling, Justice Raheem Mullins wrote the court must narrowly construe language in state law that allows exceptions to public disclosure, otherwise any statute governing an agencys general treatment of records becomes a possible restriction on disclosure.

Staff writer Rob Ryser contributed to this report. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
Three men have been arrested in connection with illegal deer hunting in Roxbury on Monday.

The arrests were made by State Environmental Conservation Police (with the assistance of Woodbury Police and the Connecticut State Police Troop L.

State EnCon Police and Woodbury Police have received numerous complaints of illegal deer hunting after sunset in proximity to the Roxbury Airport, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said in a release.

A proactive Woodbury Police Officer was conducting a patrol check of the area after midnight when they observed a vehicle traveling along Route 317 with the occupants actively shining the open grass fields, an area frequented by deer, where deer are known to be present, and a prime deer habitat.

The officer suspected the occupants of illegal deer jacklighting and conducted a motor vehicle stop in Roxbury.

The occupants - all Southbury residents - were identified as Eftihios Marnelakis, 22; Mihali Marnelakis, 20; and Jacob Parcell, 21.

All were found to be in possession of numerous flashlights/spotlight, ammunition, and multiple firearms, to include a loaded high powered rifle, within the passenger compartment as well as evidence of a recent deer kill processing in the bed of the pickup.

The three were placed under arrest by State EnCon Police and processed at Troop A in Southbury for the following violations: hunting from a public roadway, possession of loaded weapon in a motor vehicle, jacklighting deer and second-degree negligent hunting.

The accused were each released on a $5,000 surety bond and are scheduled to appear Torrington Superior Court on Nov. 18.
KENT  Drawing and keeping people in the states northwest corner, tolls and closing the deficit are issues the candidates hope to tackle if elected to the state House 64th District.

Rep. Brian Ohler, 34, a Republican from Canaan, just finished his first term and is facing Democrat Maria Horn, 54, of Salisbury.

The 64th district includes Kent, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon and Torrington.

Both see creating jobs that offer higher wages as the biggest issue, especially as a way to draw or keep people in the northwest corner, though they differ slightly on how to tackle it.

Ohler said he wants the state to offer incentives to small businesses who hire Connecticut residents and new graduates from the states high schools and community colleges.

He said if the manufacturing companies tell students about opportunities and job training, theyll stay.

Ohler said more emphasis needs to be placed on the states vocational training because those jobs pay well.

Streamlining regulations for planning and zoning boards and at the state level to attract businesses will help create these mid-salary range jobs, he said.

Horn said the state needs to make education funding a priority from kindergarten through higher education to allow colleges to be accessible and affordable.

She said its important to make sure job training is available at the community colleges and apprenticeships offered to connect students to the community.

Horn said the state should help offset the expenses of small business owners, including health care to allow employers to increase workers wages. One option is allowing families to buy back into HUSKY B, she said.

Both candidates come to the race with finance board experience.

Horn has spent years leading nonprofits, which she said rely on partnerships with the government either with policies or funding.

After seeing the states budget crisis, she began to doubt that partnership and decided to run. She joined the Salisbury finance board and is now looking to apply some of those same practices at the state level.

Ohler joined the North Canaan finance board after returning from 12 years in the military and discovering others in his generation were leaving by the busload for more affordable locations.

During his time on the board, he discovered the problems were at the state level and decided to run for state representative.

Both Ohler and Horn said the state cant close the projected deficit without growth, though they disagree on whether tolls should be used to increase revenue.

Ohler said its obvious tolls would bring revenue into the state, but it would come at the cost of losing federal infrastructure funding and translate to a gain of about $200,000.

He said that money is restricted to the toll roads and the northwest corner, lacking toll roads, wouldnt see the benefits, yet will probably pay the tolls. He said if the plan only targets trucks, then shipping costs will increase for customers.

Horn opposed a $10 million study, but supports tolls as a set revenue source for much needed road repairs.

Our physical infrastructure is dragging our economy down, she said.
Candlewood Valley Pediatrics functions like a family, and that sentiment resonates not only among staff, but with its patients as well.

A childhood photograph of each of the practices doctors, nurses and other staff hang on one wall.

A bulletin board of newspaper clippings showcasing their patients accomplishments graces another wall.

The receptionists greet patients and their families, more often than not, by name upon entering.

We keep it personal, said Dr. Matthew Abel. You know who the receptionist and nurse are.

Candlewood Valley Pediatrics, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, treats infants, children, adolescents and young adults through age 24.

Erin Boothby of New Milford, who with her husband John, has taken their three children to the practice for 13 years, praised the doctors kindness, patience and knowledge.

The practice was founded by the husband and wife team of Drs. Evan Hack and Diane DIsidori and opened at 17 Poplar St. on Aug. 15, 1988, at a time when the towns population was growing.

It was a much more simpler time, DIsidori said of the early years in practice.

But the days of house calls, handwritten medical records, doctor-carried pagers and on-call portable phones, and no HMOs, are long gone. Now, patients come to the office. Records are filed electronically. And an on-call physician from the practice will return after-hours emergency calls.

Dr. Wendy Drost, now retired, was the first physician to join Hack and DIsidoris practice in 1992, when the office moved to 28 Old Park Lane.

Dr. Frank Fanella Jr. joined in 1997, followed by Dr. Abel in 2001, Dr. Kristi Beck in 2004 and Dr. Stephanie Tiso in 2012. Betsy Meyer, a certified physicians assistant, joined earlier this year. All of the physicians are board certified in pediatrics and follow American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.

In 2005, the office moved to its current location at 120 Park Lane Road, Suite A-101.

Hack said the practice is a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), a team-based model of care that takes care of the whole patient.

He also noted the longevity of the practices staff  all but one doctor have grandbabies, the term they use to describe the patients whose parents the doctors also treated as children.

Despite different personalities, we all get along, said Fanella. We all practice under the same guidelines.

Tiso praised the positive atmosphere among staff.

When I interviewed here, I noticed it feels like a family, not a job, she said. My friends (who are doctors) dont have that.

Not only do the doctors get along, but the whole office is close, Hack added.

Beck said she joined the practice in part because the doctors share patients. A patient has a primary care physician, but a patient will more than likely also see the other doctors at some point due to emergency visits and schedules.

All of the doctors are quite skilled, friendly and approachable, said Boothby. And theres good communication among the doctors.

Holly Slupatchuk of New Milford described all the doctors as very caring and very thorough.

She praised the doctors for going above and beyond when one of her daughters suffered serious medical issues a few years ago.

The practice has a relationship with Connecticut Childrens Medical Center. It is also a teaching site for Quinnipiac Universitys School of Medicine; all the doctors are on faculty of Quinnipiac

CVP also plays an active role in the community. The practice offers family flu clinics, as well as in conjunction with the NMVNA. It also supports IMPACT, a concussion testing program at New Milford High School.

In addition, DIsidori was a founding organizer of the Walking Project at Sarah Noble Intermediate School, and Hack is the school medical doctor for the Town of New Milford.

For more information, call Candlewood Valley Pediatrics, located at 120 Park Lane Road, Suite A-101, at 860-355-8190.
DANBURY  In a head-to-head debate last week, 5th Congressional District candidates Jahana Hayes and Manny Santos presented dramatically different positions on policies affecting transgender students, health care, guns and the environment.

Santos, the Republican candidate who came to the U.S. from Portugal at age 5, backed a government that will enforce the rule of law and support personal responsibilities. He said too many Americans supported Medicare-for-all and free college tuition, policies that would bankrupt the country.

We have become a nation divided on what America is and will be, said Santos, a former one-term Meriden mayor.

Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year and the Democratic candidate, painted a vision of the United States as a big tent for all people, a place where the environment can flourish without hampering the economy, winning a standing ovation from many in the crowd. She called Santoss vision a fear tactic.

Their 90-minute debate often hinged on what should happen in classrooms  where Hayes has spent the past 15 years in Waterbury Public Schools.

The debate took place at the Portuguese Cultural Center in Danbury, just a few miles from Newtown, where 20 elementary school children and six teachers and staff were killed in 2012.

Santos said he would support arming teachers if local school districts approved.

Right now, just every school is vulnerable, said Santos, a product engineer and former Marine. Theyre soft targets.

Hayes, whose husband is a police officer, called that idea dangerous.

She said the idea of arming teachers in the 5th District was so incredibly tone deaf and does not recognize the hurt and the pain that this community deals with on a daily basis.

Hayes, 45, favored commonsense gun reform, duplicating Connecticuts strong gun laws across the nation. Santos, 49, warned against infringing on an individuals Second Amendment rights and backed funding for mental health solutions instead.

In schools, he worried that students identifying as transgender unnecessarily divided people.

I believe there are two sexes  a man or a woman  and if you are in school, use one or the other, Santos said. If we keep dividing people, the way we have been, that becomes a problem.

Hayes rebutted, People are different but there is nothing wrong with being different, she said. It is only people who pinpoint those differences and demonize them that are the problem.

Santos, who is anti-abortion, spoke of his ability to craft appropriate legislation for womens health because he has a mother and a daughter. Hayes, who is for abortion rights, punched back that he must be pro-birth, if he backs Republican policies like detaining immigrant children separately from their parents at the border, which she referred to as putting children in cages. She argued the separation policy, which Santos did not say he favored, meant anti-abortion Republicans did not look out for children throughout their lives.

Hayes said she was hopeful that womens rights would improve with more women in Congress. In response to the office abuse scandal that led Democratic U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty not to seek re-election to the 5th District she served for three terms, Hayes suggested, if elected to Estys seat, she would back more transparency and policies to protect women in workplaces, including on Capitol Hill.

Santos said the scandal was more a matter of a legislators character than policy.

Mrs. Esty knew that this occurred and did nothing, only until several months later, Santos said. I would have removed that individual from the office.

In a lengthy back-and-forth on health care, Hayes and Santos supported a few aspects of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, such as requiring coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, but they disagreed on the broad impact of the law.

Santos said the legislation drove up costs and forced people to find new doctors. Hayes said it made people healthier.

Hayes favors taking government intervention in health care further, backing Medicare-for-all  a system most vocally backed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont  that would allow all Americans to buy into Medicare health insurance. Santos said such a system would be disastrously expensive and inefficient.

Its not the utopia that many are believing it will be, Santos said.

On the environment, Santos said he was not convinced climate change was caused by humans. Santos, whose parents were subsistence farmers in Portugal, supported lifting some environmental regulations on American farmers.

Hayes said she accepted the science of climate change and would make environmental policy a top priority. She shared a story of how pollution caused one of her students with asthma to be hospitalized.

emunson@hearstmediact.com
To the Editor:

Im writing to support Democratic candidates Tom OBrien for state representative of the 67th, David Lawson for state senator representing the 30th, and Jahana Hayes for US Congress representing the 5th District.

These candidates will fight for northwestern Connecticut and for our economic, social and environmental justice.

The northwestern part of the state is often neglected in regards to transportation, infrastructure, and school funding, and I believe these candidates will encourage economic growth while protecting our natural resources, great educational systems, and geographic beauty.

Jackie Eaton

New Milford
To the Editor:

Brian Ohler deserves re-election as our state representative in the 64th District.

I first met Brian in 2000 when I was a Connecticut State Police Sergeant assigned at Troop B in Canaan.

He was an Explorer at Troop B and all the feedback I received and my personal observations were that he was dedicated to his duties.

The Explorers is for young people from ages 14-21 to gain experience working in the police field.

As an Explorer, he was very mature and responsible for his age. I was not surprised at all when I heard he enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard in 2001 and served for 12 years.

He volunteered for three, one-year tours in the Middle East because thats Brian.

He has served his hometown as an EMT, firefighter, board of finance member, and even a local business owner.

Brian has come full circle, serving his town, country, and now his State of Connecticut as our state representative.

Brian is a fiscal conservative, and he cares very deeply about helping all of us, especially the needy children, middle class families, veterans and last but not least our senior citizens.

Since Brian is a lifelong resident of the Northwest Hills, he cares about our environment and living conditions.

He has demonstrated these beliefs by the committees hes on at the Capitol and way he votes on legislation.

Brians assistance during the ice jam disaster in Kent last winter was above and beyond the call of duty.

His experience in EMS and military, and knowledge of Connecticuts resources was truly a blessing.

When Brian ran in 2016, his campaign concentrated on what he wanted to do for Connecticut and the 64th District, and not what was going on in the 2016 presidential politics.

When you hear candidates talking more about whats going on in national politics and not what they would do here in Connecticut, beware.

They don't have much to offer, and they are trying to distract you.

We need Brian Ohler who has his eye on the ball regarding fixing Connecticuts problems and making it a better place to live, work and enjoy.

Scott R. Harvey

Kent
Every state relies on its transportation network to drive economic development and maximize quality of life.

For this reason, insufficient transportation funding and mismanagement of spending on projects presents a major roadblock to Connecticuts economic recovery.

The unacceptable state of our infrastructure has a direct impact on all residents, making commuting a nightmare while constraining existing businesses and dooming many newer ones.

A study by US News & World Report named Connecticuts transportation system the third worst in the nation overall, with the very worst road quality out of all 50 states.

Meanwhile, rail and bus services are threatened with cuts on an almost annual basis.

A major cause of our transportation woes is a state legislature that has made a habit out of raiding money earmarked for transportation from the Special Transportation Fund (STF) and sweeping it into the abyss of the General Fund, where they can use it to fund pet projects, to maintain entitlement programs and to plug holes in the billion dollar budget deficits that have presented themselves annually for the past decade.

To address this misuse of your tax dollars, I, along with my Republican colleagues, have proposed that the State Constitution be amended to prevent the legislature from using STF dollars for any purpose other than transportation, with clear definitions of what constitutes transportation purposes.

Further, we proposed that the Connecticut Supreme Court be given jurisdiction in the event the legislature violates the constitutional lockbox.

That way, current and future revenue streams intended to support the STF and improve our infrastructure could not be diverted for other purposes, transportation spending could be prioritized, and we could eventually shift towards finding ways to reduce the tax burden on Connecticut residents.

Following our lead, the majority party proposed and passed a resolution that will appear on the ballot this November, which, at first glance, appears to create the constitutional lockbox we have been advocating for.

However, upon closer look, there is no definition of what constitutes transportation funding, nor any provisions for recourse if funds are diverted out of the STF for other purposes. Worse, during public debate over the resolution, the Democrats acknowledged that the lockbox could be raided, if needed, for other purposes.

Therein lies the ruse being perpetrated on the public. The ruse to create a lockbox, knowing they have the key to unlock it for more spending.

Democrats seem intent not on dedicating transportation revenue for transportation projects that will allow us to eventually improve our infrastructure and decrease taxes and fees, but, instead, to gradually garner popular support for tolls, which will generate an additional revenue stream.

Connecticut drivers forced to pay the tolls will be under the illusion that the additional money they will send to Hartford will be used to improve transportation. In reality, though, this lockbox is leaky enough that tolls would merely be another cash cow for the state to feed its reckless spending habits at the taxpayers expense.

Accordingly, I urge Connecticut voters to reject their Lockbox Ruse and require the legislature to create a real lockbox that takes any vagueness out of what exactly the money is for and empowers our courts to enforce it.

The goal for the legislature cannot be to make new taxes, fees, and tolls more palatable, but, instead, to help ease the tax burden on our residents. The lockbox on the ballot will not help accomplish this goal.

State Rep. Richard Smith represents the 108th district, which includes parts of Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford and all of Sherman. He is Ranking Member of the General Assemblys General Law Committee, and a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Labor and Public Employees Committee.
To the Editor:

I first met Sue Hatfield on Sept. 15, 2018, when she came to Kent and attended the Kent Republican Town Committees pig roast.

I was impressed with her credentials as a state prosecutor since 2005 with the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Susan has prosecuted criminal cases of human trafficking, sexual assault and home invasion. Susan has taken a leave of absence from her position as a state prosecutor as she campaigns around the state.

As a former Connecticut State Police Detective assigned to the Western District Major Crime Squad and Litchfield County Sheriff from 1991 to 1996, I am totally convinced that she has the stamina, integrity and determination to make an outstanding Attorney General.

Also, as someone who has had first-hand experience working with the criminal justice system, Susan Hatfield knows it thoroughly and deserves our vote for Attorney General on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Andrew C.Ocif

Kent
To the Editor:

State Representative Bill Buckbee (67th District) recently refused an offer to hold a public debate with Tom OBrien, his challenger.

Buckbee also refused to debate the first time he ran for office. Representative Buckbee, thats a shame.

The voters will have to decide who is the better person to represent the Town of New Milford without hearing Buckbee defend his vote in the State Legislature (SB543, House Roll Call Vote 307) that stripped our town of $2.2 million in funding for our schools.

Our local property taxes are going up by 3.3 percent come January mostly because of that vote.

The voters also wont hear Representative Buckbee explain why he voted against a bill that would have allowed early voting in this state (HJ28). Thirty-four other states already have it, and its working. Early voting gives those who work long hours the opportunity to participate in our Democratic process.

Representative Buckbee has chosen to have a campaign run by videos playing in the movie theater rather than publicly debate his opponent. This deprives the voters, all of his constituents in New Milford, the opportunity to hear him explain his votes in Hartford.

Thats a shame. But, if Representative Buckbee wont debate, there could be a reason.

To borrow a statement from an earlier President of the United States who said, Oh, its not that hes not a good debater. Its just that he cant defend his economic record; if I had a record that bad, I wouldnt want to defend it either.

Im voting for Tom OBrien Nov. 6.

Adrienne Aurichio

New Milford
A major grant to fund curiosity-driven research into plant communication has been awarded to a John Innes Centre researcher and colleagues from two European institutes.

Professor Richard Morris, program leader in plant health at the John Innes Centre, is part of an interdisciplinary team which includes Dr Friedrich Kragler from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam, Germany, and Professor Julia Kehr from the University of Hamburg.

The successful team, which receives 6.1m over six years, is one of only 27 from across Europe to be awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant.

"It's been a highly rewarding experience to develop new ideas within such an excellent team," said Professor Morris. "The synergy was apparent early on and, of course, we're super-excited about what we're proposing to do. We're absolutely delighted to have been selected for funding."

The philosophy of the ERC Synergy programme is simple, said Professor Morris: "They encourage researchers from different disciplines to come together think freely and develop a research programme 'bottom up' following their curiosity.

He continued: "In my view, it's a recipe for success and innovation. Scientific progress is driven by the free flow of ideas, data and people and the ERC Synergy programme promotes exactly that."

John Innes Centre Director, Professor Dale Sanders congratulated the team and said: "The ERC Synergy programme fits really well with the philosophy of the John Innes Centre, achieving excellence in fundamental research and giving scientists the freedom to follow their curiosity. This is a fantastic achievement for the team and it is encouraging to see European partnerships coming together to answer key questions which will push the boundaries of our understanding."

The highly-coveted grants, worth 250 million in total, enable groups of 2 to 4 lead researchers to bring together complementary skills, knowledge and resources to address research problems at the frontiers of knowledge.

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: "The purpose of this EU funding is to group together top scientific talents and bring out their best. It equips researchers on their quest to put European science on the global stage and make discoveries that will ultimately improve European lives."

Professor Morris's research uses mathematical modelling and computational approaches to solve problems in biology. His focus is on how plants encode, transmit and decode information about their environment. He believes the ERC funding is a "game-changer" for his long term scientific goals.

"This grant will be game-changing for my interest in biological information processing in that it brings together leading groups from across Europe in the areas of cell biology, protein biochemistry and mathematical modelling to unravel the mechanisms of RNA-based communication. This funding gives us the freedom to build and develop truly interdisciplinary research teams and train the next generation of researchers. It's very exciting," he said.

The fundamental research, explained Professor Morris, will have broad implications in helping to understand how plants adapt to their environment and how grafted plants may use communication strategies to increase specific traits such as disease resistance.

"This is blue skies science that will shed light on how plant cells can talk to one another over long distances to co-ordinate development," he said.

The grants are part of the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020.

Source: https://www.jic.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2018/10/funding-success-european-research/
Scared, ashamed, happy or proud - how do children feel when they lose their first baby tooth? An interdisciplinary research group at the University of Zurich has now found that children's feelings are predominantly positive. The study also reveals that previous visits to the dentist's as well as parental background and level of education affect how children experience the loss of their first tooth.

Deciduous teeth, more commonly known as milk or baby teeth, are the first set of teeth that develop in children. These teeth usually fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth. Children generally lose their first baby tooth when they're about six years old: The tooth comes loose and eventually falls out, leaving a gap which is then permanently filled by its replacement tooth. This gradual process is probably one of the first biological changes to their own bodies that children experience consciously. The emotions that accompany this milestone are extremely varied, ranging from joy at having finally joined the world of grown-ups to fear about the loss of a body part.

Parents report positive reactions

An interdisciplinary team of dental researchers and developmental and health psychologists at the University of Zurich, in cooperation with the City of Zurich's School Dental Services, has now examined the feelings that children experience when they lose their first baby tooth, and which factors are at play. The scientists surveyed parents of children who had already lost at least one of their milk teeth. Of the nearly 1,300 responses received for the study, around 80 percent of parents reported positive feelings, while only 20 percent told of negative emotions. Raphael Patcas, first author of the study, is happy with the findings: "The fact that four out of five children experience the loss of a baby tooth as something positive is reassuring, for parents and dentists alike."

The longer it's loose, the better the feelings

The researchers found that previous visits to dentists played a role when it comes to children's feelings. Children whose previous visits were cavity-related and thus perhaps associated with shame or guilt experienced fewer positive emotions when they later lost their first baby tooth. If, however, previous dental appointments were the result of an accident, and thus an abrupt, unexpected and painful event, then the loss of the first milk tooth was more likely to be associated with positive emotions. According to dental researcher Raphael Patcas, one possible explanation for this is that baby teeth loosen gradually before falling out - a process that, unlike an accident, unfolds slowly and predictably. This is also supported by the fact that children who experience the loosening of their tooth over an extended period of time tend to have more positive feelings: The longer the preparation and waiting time, the greater the relief and pride when the tooth finally falls out.

Parental education and background matter

Moreover, the study also found that sociodemographic factors are related to children's feelings: For example, children were more likely to have positive feelings such as pride or joy if the parents had a higher level of education and came from non-Western countries. The researchers indicate that cultural differences could be at play here: These include education style and norms that parents pass on to their children, as well as transitioning rituals that accompany the loss of the first baby tooth.

"Our findings suggest that children deliberately process previous experiences concerning their teeth and integrate them in their emotional development," says Moritz Daum, UZH professor of developmental psychology. This finding is important for dentists and parents alike: "Especially where cavities are concerned, it's worth communicating with children prudently", says Daum. "This way, emotions in connection with teeth and dentists can be put on the most positive trajectory possible."
A federal court ordered a Tennessee-based company to stop selling over-the-counter (OTC) drug products until the company complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other requirements listed in a consent decree.

"Americans expect and deserve OTC drug products that are safe and effective and meet appropriate standards for quality. To ensure safe use by consumers, OTC drug products must also include specific information on product labels," said the Director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Donald D. Ashley, J.D. "Despite previous warnings, Keystone placed consumers at risk by manufacturing OTC drug products in violation of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements and failed to include adequate directions for use on its product labels. The FDA remains fully committed to taking enforcement action against companies and owners who place unsuspecting American consumers at risk."

U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Keystone Laboratories, Inc. of Memphis, Tennessee, the company's owner, Melinda Menke, and its president, Elizabeth Jumet. According to the complaint filed with the consent decree, Keystone manufactured and distributed OTC hair care and skin care products that violated federal law.

Keystone's drug products were not manufactured, processed, packed or held according to CGMP requirements. For example, Keystone failed to adequately investigate sources of contamination found in some of its products and failed to ensure its drug products met their specifications before releasing them to consumers. Some of Keystone's drugs were also misbranded because the product labels did not include adequate directions for use or other label requirements for OTC drug products.

The consent decree requires Keystone to cease operations until it completes corrective actions, including hiring a qualified independent expert to inspect its facility to ensure the company complies with the FD&C Act and its implementing regulations. Under the consent decree, Keystone may not resume operations until it establishes and implements a comprehensive quality control system and receives authorization from the FDA, among other requirements.

Previously, the FDA issued a warning letter to Keystone in March 2013 for similar violations as cited in the complaint. Following the warning letter, the FDA inspected the facility in February 2016 and November 2017 and observed repeat violations.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed the complaint on behalf of the FDA.
Are you taking your time when feeding your pet? Fluffy and Fido are on to you -- and they can tell when you are dawdling.

A new study from Northwestern University has found some of the clearest evidence yet that animals can judge time. By examining the brain's medial entorhinal cortex, the researchers discovered a previously unknown set of neurons that turn on like a clock when an animal is waiting.

"Does your dog know that it took you twice as long to get its food as it took yesterday? There wasn't a good answer for that before," said Daniel Dombeck, who led the study. "This is one of the most convincing experiments to show that animals really do have an explicit representation of time in their brains when they are challenged to measure a time interval."

The research was published online this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Dombeck is an associate professor of neurobiology in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

When planning the study, Dombeck's team focused on the medial entorhinal cortex, an area located in the brain's temporal lobe that is associated with memory and navigation. Because that part of the brain encodes spatial information in episodic memories, Dombeck hypothesized that the area could also be responsible for encoding time.

"Every memory is a bit different," said James Heys, a postdoctoral fellow in Dombeck's laboratory. "But there are two central features to all episodic memories: space and time. They always happen in a particular environment and are always structured in time."

To test their hypothesis, Dombeck and Heys set up an experiment called the virtual "door stop" task. In the experiment, a mouse runs on a physical treadmill in a virtual reality environment. The mouse learns to run down a hallway to a door that is located about halfway down the track. After six seconds, the door opens, allowing the mouse to continue down the hallway to receive its reward.

After running several training sessions, researchers made the door invisible in the virtual reality scene. In the new scenario, the mouse still knew where the now-invisible "door" was located based on the floor's changing textures. And it still waited six seconds at the "door" before abruptly racing down the track to collect its reward.

"The important point here is that the mouse doesn't know when the door is open or closed because it's invisible," said Heys, the paper's first author. "The only way he can solve this task efficiently is by using his brain's internal sense of time."

By using virtual reality, Dombeck and his team can neatly control potentially influencing factors, such as the sound of the door opening. "We wouldn't be able to make the door completely invisible in a real environment," Dombeck said. "The animal could touch it, hear it, smell it or sense it in some way. They wouldn't have to judge time; they would just sense when the door opened. In virtual reality, we can take away all sensory cues."

But Dombeck and his team did more than watch the mice complete the door stop task over and over again. They took the experiment one step further by imaging the mice's brain activity. Using two-photon microscopy, which allows advanced, high-resolution imaging of the brain, Dombeck and Heys watched the mice's neurons fire.

"As the animals run along the track and get to the invisible door, we see the cells firing that control spatial encoding," Dombeck said. "Then, when the animal stops at the door, we see those cells turned off and a new set of cells turn on. This was a big surprise and a new discovery."

Dombeck noted these "timing cells" did not fire during active running -- only during rest. "Not only are the cells active during rest," he said, "but they actually encode how much time the animal has been resting."

The implication of the work expands well beyond your impatient pooch. Now that researchers have found these new time-encoding neurons, they can study how neurodegenerative diseases might affect this set of cells.

"Patients with Alzheimer's disease notably forget when things happened in time," Heys said. "Perhaps this is because they are losing some of the basic functions of the entorhinal cortex, which is one of the first brain regions affected by the disease."

"So this could lead to new early-detection tests for Alzheimer's," Dombeck added. "We could start asking people to judge how much time has elapsed or ask them to navigate a virtual reality environment -- essentially having a human do a 'door stop' task."
Innovations in technology offer convenience to patients, allow physicians to monitor patients from afar and offer promise in genetics-based diagnoses, according to leading experts scheduled to speak at the 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition.

The Pediatrics for the 21st Century symposium, "Leveraging New Technologies to Transform Child Health," kicks off the national conference from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2, at Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The conference, expected to attract more than 17,000 attendees, offers educational and hands-on workshops during hundreds of pediatrics-centered sessions held through Tuesday, Nov. 6.

"Technology is rapidly changing the face of healthcare, and we believe pediatricians should be at the center of shaping the practice of the future," said Chelsea Bodnar, MD, MPhil, FAAP, a member of the executive committee of the AAP Section on Telehealth Care, who is speaking at the event.

"Pediatricians cannot afford to ignore the way the world has changed. We have an obligation to continue to adapt and bring the science and compassion of high-quality pediatric care into the technology-enabled lives of the families we serve."

The Pediatrics 21 symposium features:

1:50 p.m.-2:10 p.m.

Kristopher Jones, JD, MS, a parent partner to the AAP, will offer his perspective as a father of three young children who also has a background in technology. Parents today demand accessibility, convenience and speed. He will offer suggestions on how pediatricians can integrate technology into their practice to improve families' experience.

2:30 p.m.-2:50 p.m.

Nephi Walton, MD, FAAP, reviews the role of genetics as a road map to future health. Using technology, a physician may be able to combine a patient's clinical data with genomics to diagnose complex disorders and guide patient care.

3:30 p.m.-3:50 p.m.

Kim Newell Green, MD, FAAP, examines how wearables that generate data on a patient's vitals may be used to enhance patient care.

3:50 pm-4:15 p.m.

Lisa Costello, MD, FAAP, discusses the use of social media for advocacy in healthcare, and how medical students are learning how to use technology through simulation and education.

To view the full Peds21 list of speakers and topics, visit http://aapexperience. org/ peds-21. The symposium will also include original research abstracts during a poster session from 2:55 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. Highlights include:

Helping Families Find Resources through a New Innovative Smartphone App

CHANGE Asthma: A Novel Approach to Health Education through Gamification

Mobile tools can be effective in increasing developmental and mental health screening and referral rates

Pediatric Telemedicine Response to a Natural Disaster

News media wishing to attend must first register in the national conference Press Office, located in room W208AB at the Orange County Convention Center, to receive a press badge.

For more information on the symposium, or for media access to research abstracts under embargo, contact AAP Public Affairs at 630-626-6177, or at [email protected] From Nov. 2-6, public affairs staff are available in the press office in room W208AB at the Orange County Convention Center, or by phone at 407-685-5404.
As temperatures drop and the sniffles start, take hope; research published this summer suggests a new approach to protect ourselves from the common cold. By analyzing changes to the make-up and types of cellular fat molecules in cells as they are infected by the cold virus, the research identified three chemicals that point to those that could be developed into a new type of anti-cold drug that could actually stop the infection in its tracks.

The Babraham Institute research, led by Professor Michael Wakelam, Director of the Institute, used a technique called lipidomics to examine the many different fat molecules, called lipids, which are found in all cells. By partnering with scientists at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, the researchers identified close to 500 (493) changes to the lipids within human cells as they are being infected by the cold virus. The team have used these insights to select inhibitors that can prevent key changes to the lipid makeup of cells. This reduced virus replication and therefore limited further infection by the cold virus.

Colds are caused by viruses which need to enter our cells and hijack their biological systems. The hijacked cells make more viruses and eventually die releasing the viruses to infect other cells and spread between people. Cold viruses typically attack cells in the nose, throat and lungs and our body's response to this is what causes all the classic cold symptoms.

This current research focuses on a virus called rhinovirus, the most common cause of colds (30-80% of cases). There are around 160 different rhinoviruses that cause colds in humans, this study focuses on one, called RV-A1b, but the team believe that the same approach could easily be applied to other viruses too. Statistics on cold infections are hard to come by, but an adult typically gets between four and six colds per year. In total these viruses account for around 4 in 10 sick days from work.

Fat molecules (lipids) are essential components of all cells with as many as 20,000 distinct fat molecules in our cells. One of their most important uses is to form the outer membrane of each cell as well as the membranes that encase different parts of cells. Certain lipids also play an important role in how cells organize themselves and respond to their surroundings through lipid-based signaling systems. As such, lipids are a complex and varied part of cells but their significance in health and disease has often been overlooked.

In cells, proteins behave like molecular machines, carrying out specific tasks and driving change in the cell. Lipids have mainly been thought of having a structural role, so their importance in diseases has often been overlooked. The molecular differences between lipids and proteins also mean it is harder to study the lipids in a cell that the genes or the proteins. The required lipidomics techniques have only been developed relatively recently so it is now becoming possible to examine lipids to assist in understanding aging, health and disease. The hope is that lipid analysis may provide new insights into the treatment of a range of previously untreatable diseases, including the common cold.

The paper's first author, An Nguyen, a member of the Signaling research program at the Babraham Institute, said: "Our results show an unexpected and remarkable complexity of lipid changes in response to rhinovirus infection. We found changes in both the types of lipids found in cells as well as in the length and structure of the fatty acid chains that are a critical part of all lipid molecules. These discoveries have helped us to identify key pathways that represent potential anti-viral drug targets and have demonstrated the potential of lipidomics as a means to discover new treatments."

The study's senior scientist, Professor Michael Wakelam, said: "We've seen fantastic progress in the study of genes and proteins over recent decades and this has had some major impacts on our understanding of human biology, health and aging. Yet, lipids represent a phenomenally complex and important component of cells that we are still only beginning to understand. There are many more discoveries to be made with the help of lipidomics and it has great potential to change what we know about our own cells."
Canadian and British researchers have discovered how the frontline Type 2 diabetes drug metformin may work to help cells better take up and use glucose. Their study, published today in the prestigious journal Cell, may also explain other potential beneficial effects of metformin for prevention of a variety of chronic diseases, including cancers.

To show that metformin appeared to make the cells act as if they are starved for the essential mineral iron, biochemists at Universite de Montreal used a new method to simultaneously probe how all of a cell's biochemical processes respond to the presence of a drug. Collaborating with researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London, the UdeM team showed that metformin has a global effect on iron distribution in cells, resulting in alteration of essential biochemical processes.

The novel technology that made this discovery possible was developed in the lab of lead author Stephen Michnick, a biochemistry professor at UdeM andholder of a Canada Research Chair in cell architecture. "If you want to know what a drug or any other molecule is doing in the body, you need to survey everything going on in it's cells at once," said Dr. Michnick. "Today there are several ways to do this, but our method, called hdPCA, has the merit of being extremely simple to perform and interpret, non-invasive and inexpensive; it can be done in almost any lab." The method can be deployed to rapidly predict and confirm how a drug might affect cells and simultaneously identify any liabilities the drug might have if introduced into humans.

"We'd chosen to use metformin, mostly because it was an interesting test case, having no clear mechanism of action,"added the study's first author, UdeM biochemist Bram Stynen. "The lead to effects of metformin on iron homeostasis was a bonus of this study. A connection between iron metabolism and diabetes was already suspected but no-one had ever showed a specific antidiabetic effect of metformin in living cells connected to iron homeostasis." Added collaborator Markus Ralser, a biochemist at Francis Crick, "this makes a lot of sense; glucose metabolism most likely emerged evolutionarily from iron-dependent chemical reactions; such chemical relationships don't disappear in evolution."

Further cell and animal studies will have to be done to pin down how important iron-starvation mimicking effects of metformin are to glucose metabolism and how this mechanism might be better exploited to improve diabetes treatments.
Last year, nearly 60 percent of Maine residents voted to expand the state's Medicaid program  an option provided by the Affordable Care Act that would extend health insurance to tens of thousands of the state's low-income people.

But the state's Republican governor, Paul LePage, a longtime opponent of Medicaid expansion, has refused to implement the policy because he doesn't want to raise taxes to pay the state's share of the cost.

The impasse highlights how the intense political push and pull over Medicaid expansion persists even when voters bypass legislators and decide the issue directly at the ballot box. Nevertheless, four more states  Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Utah  will give voters in November's elections the opportunity to resolve the dispute.

"It's always treacherous" for politicians to raise taxes, said Matt Salo, who heads the National Association of Medicaid Directors. "But there are ways around it. You can figure out ways that are politically palatable."

When the ACA's Medicaid expansion took effect in 2014, proponents say, it set up an enticing deal. It allowed states to cover people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, including childless single adults.

The federal government paid the entire cost of the new enrollees. In 2017, states were to take on 5 percent of those costs. By 2020, that amount will increase to 10 percent.

States that didn't pursue the expansion pay as much as half the cost of coverage. And, in 2018, median eligibility for a family of four was 43 percent of the poverty level, or about $10,800. No childless adults were eligible.

So far, 33 states plus the District of Columbia have opted to expand, extending coverage to almost 12 million Americans, according to federal estimates last year. In those states, the expense ranges from tens of millions of dollars to hundreds of millions.

Rather than being a cash drain, many health policy researchers and economists note, expansion has generally boosted state economies, with higher employment, reduced state spending on health care services for the uninsured and consumer spending elsewhere that would have gone to health care.

"The state savings are so significant, they make it much more manageable," said Adam Searing, an associate professor of practice at Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. "The issue of how it gets paid for  it's still an important issue, but it's not as front and center."

Different approaches work for different states, Salo said, and all invite political complications.

In Montana, voters are considering Initiative 185, a ballot question that would continue the state's Medicaid expansion and fund it by increasing what is known as a "sin tax" on tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes.

It's a counterintuitive double whammy in such a conservative state: persuading voters first to favor an Obamacare policy, and second to finance it with a tax hike.

By taking on cigarettes, the campaign has incurred the wrath of Big Tobacco, which has put forth more than $12 million in contributions and expenditures to fight the measure.

"Anytime you go up against the tobacco industry, you are mainly going to have them as your opponent," said Amanda Cahill, who directs government relations for Montana's American Heart Association chapter and is part of the "Yes on I-185" campaign.

Voters can be skittish about a tax increase, she said, but many are receptive to the campaign's argument that it pays off in the long term.

New Hampshire took a parallel "sin tax"-type approach. It uses money from an alcohol tax to help fund expansion, a deal negotiated this year.

In Utah, voters will consider newly expanding Medicaid and funding it with a 0.15 percent increase to the state's sales tax, though the hike would exempt groceries. Current polling suggests strong voter support. Nebraska and Idaho also have Medicaid expansion on the ballot, though they would punt the funding question to state legislatures.

Other states have tried a different strategy: shielding consumers from direct taxes and instead financing expansion through taxes on industry players that benefit from Medicaid expansion. The most notable example: hospitals. For these facilities, reducing the number of uninsured, low-income people reduces the burden of uncompensated care and improves their bottom line. Research from states that have already expanded Medicaid supports this idea.

Virginia, Oregon and Colorado already have such taxes or fees in place. (Oregon voters in January approved a tax on both health insurance and hospitals to fund expansion.)

But it hasn't been easy. Virginia's legislature voted this summer to expand Medicaid eligibility after failing five times. During Statehouse debates, funding was a "very significant concern," said Michael Cassidy, president of the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a Richmond-based think tank that has long supported the policy.

Proponents of expansion showed economic projections that Virginia would benefit financially, since fewer uninsured people would need state-funded health services, and the injection of federal cash would boost the state economy.

The legislature eventually approved a tax on hospitals, by garnering support from their trade group, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. But the path to approval was "quite contentious," Cassidy said. Critics argued the cost was too great and could drive up health care expenses.

Medicaid advocates haven't begun planning ballot initiatives for 2020 yet, but there are six states that haven't expanded eligibility where voters could take on the question directly: Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.

As political analysts have long argued, the issue isn't entirely about funding. States can surmount that obstacle if there is political will.

"If you're talking about why did certain states not do the expansion, the fear of the cost  while a real issue  has never been within the top three of the actual reasons why they actually didn't do it," Salo said. "It all has been political and ideological."
A developmental psychologist at the University of California, Riverside, has completed a study that is the first to measure how often infants spend time in different body positions over the first year of life.

The study, published in the journal Infancy, aims to understand how the physical context of infants' everyday experiences - in particular, how much time they spend in different body positions - changes over the course of the first year and how these changes are predicted by infants' developing motor skills.

"I was surprised to find that 3-month-olds are held almost half of their waking days" said John Franchak, an assistant professor of psychology, who performed the study. "Twelve-month-olds are held much less frequently and spend most of their time on the ground. How often infants play, crawl, walk, or sit changes how they interact with objects and changes, too, the physical way in which they interact with other people."

Specifically, Franchak found that sitting, upright, and prone (belly towards the ground regardless of contact with the ground) accounted for less than 7 percent of the 3-month-old infant's day. By 12 months, these positions accounted for 62 percent of the infant's day.

The cross-sectional study sought to understand what a 12-month-old learns and how this learning differs from that of, say, a 3-month-old infant, based on their everyday experiences. Toward that end, the study tested separate groups of 3-month-olds, 6-month-olds, 9-month-olds, and babies that were a year old. It used data acquired for 95 babies from across the United States.

The study used an innovative approach to acquire this data: the infants' caregivers were sent text messages five times a day for a week to inquire on what the baby was doing at that moment. The caregivers electronically reported infant body positions immediately thereafter in brief one-minute surveys. They also reported infants' location - whether the infants were on the floor or up on a raised surface - and the onset of sitting, crawling, and walking. The study is the first to use this method, called ecological momentary assessment, to measure infants' behaviors.

"We have plenty of data on what babies do in the lab, where we measure their development by doing some assigned task," Franchak said. "What we don't know is what drives that development, what happens in the days, hours, and minutes they are at home, where they experience a number of things that lets them learn. Until this study, we didn't know how often babies sit, crawl, and stand in everyday life, outside the lab. The ecological momentary assessment the study used offers a better sense of infants' actual lives versus a slice of life in the lab, and gives a more realistic distribution of their different types of body positions and experiences. Understanding these differences allows us to build better theories about how infants develop and learn from the world."

Franchak explained that body positions change dramatically over the first year of life, and much of that change results from infants acquiring new motor skills. Typically, babies begin to sit around 6 months of age, crawl at around 8 months, stand around 11 months, and walk when they are a year old. It is important to study infant body position, he said, because changes in how babies interact with the world change their opportunities for learning. Learning to sit is linked with better object perception. Learning to walk is linked with improved language ability.

"The amount of time infants spend in different positions shapes their visual and manual activity - impacting perceptual, cognitive, and social development - and reflects opportunities to practice and develop motor skills," Franchak said. "For example, infants rarely see faces while playing on the ground in sitting, upright, and prone positions, but see faces more often when held or sitting off the ground as in a high chair.

"Further, infants who can sit independently at 6 months spend more time sitting in daily life. This allows them to manipulate objects more frequently and receive nearly twice as much opportunity to experience the richer visual-manual exploration of objects than prone or supine infants," he added. "Learning to walk changes social interactions with caregivers and predicts improvement in infants' spatial cognition."

Franchak cautioned that caregivers play an important role in influencing the study's results. The study's youngest infants are entirely dependent on caregivers to change their body position. For older infants, choosing to sit or stand is often an option only if their caregivers provide the opportunity.

"I can't say enough about how much caregivers are doing in determining what positions their babies are in," he said. "Caregivers act in response to how they perceive their children. When they see their babies have acquired certain skills, they take action accordingly to accommodate these skills. Caregivers and their babies then negotiate constantly on how best to proceed thereafter."
A University of Oklahoma sociologist, Meredith G. F. Worthen, examines how measures of social contact and social distancing relate to attitudes toward lesbian, gay and transgender individuals in a new study. Worthen uses a scale she developed and data from college students in the United States (Oklahoma and Texas), Italy and Spain to offer the first cross-cultural comparisons of attitudes toward transgender people in the United States and European Union. The goal is to develop a more in-depth understanding of global LGT prejudices and to promote future research that better counteracts negative prejudices toward these groups.

"The findings suggest that measures of desired social contact with LGT people are more strongly related to LGT support than simple measures of knowing LGT people. This is likely because more and more people know LGT people than in the past. But as demonstrated in this study, these patterns differ based on cultural climate and by stigmatized group (lesbian, gay or transgender)," said Worthen, professor in the Department of Sociology, OU College of Arts and Sciences.

While there is a great deal of variation in attitudes toward LGT people across the globe, the United States and the European Union have been actively working toward more support of LGT people in the past decade. Even so, cultural tensions remain high, and in certain parts of the United States and the European Union, negative attitudes toward and public support of LGT issues persist.

This study shows some locations are especially supportive, while others have yet to adopt widespread policies that support LGT people. Oklahoma is known for its conservative perspectives, while Texas has 'liberal pockets' that support LGT issues. In the European Union, Italy is dominated by traditional cultural attitudes, while Spain was among the first locations in the world to recognize same-sex marriage. In addition, most Americans and Europeans know someone who is gay or lesbian, but a smaller percentage know someone who is transgender.

This study suggests that especially in liberal cultural climates, simply knowing a gay or lesbian person may no longer serve as a correlation of supportive attitudes toward LGT people. Instead, desired social contact may be a more salient measure of understanding attitudes toward gays and lesbians in both conservative and liberal cultural climates. In contrast, because a minority of Americans and Europeans indicate they know a transgender person, actual social contact may still correlate with attitudes toward and desired social contact with transgender people in both conservative and liberal cultural climates.

Source: http://www.ou.edu/web/news_events/articles/news_2018/new-study-examines-attitudes-toward-lgt-individuals
Since institutional investors own the bulk of the world's equity capital, it is important to understand how they affect the behavior of the companies they invest in. A study of over 3,000 firms across 41 countries by Hannes Wagner (Professor of Finance, Bocconi University) and colleagues shows that they can be a force for good. The study, available online before press (DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2018.08.013) in the Journal of Financial Economics, shows that investors have a positive and causal effect on firms' environmental and social (E&S) performance. Investors, in turn, are motivated both by financial considerations and by social attitudes, to promote these two pillars of corporate social responsibility.

These surprising findings matter because they demonstrate that mainstream institutional investors care about E&S issues, and actively push firms to improve their E&S performance. While one might expect activist investors, such as environmental and social impact funds, to push for such changes, the study instead finds that a broad range of mainstream investors do this.

In particular, the effect is driven by institutional investors from countries with social norms that deem strong E&S performance valuable. These are mostly European countries--they fill the first 17 positions in a country ranking of attitudes towards E&S issues, produced by the authors. Only pension funds, with their long investment horizons, have a positive effect on E&S regardless of their country of origin.

Institutional investors from countries above the median in the E&S ranking improve their companies' environmental performance by 7.4% and social performance by 5.2%.

"We show that the color of money matters", Prof. Wagner says, "and this 'color of money' effect is unlikely to be without conflict". To see this, compare a Dutch mutual fund investing in a US firm with a US mutual fund investing in a Dutch firm. The Dutch fund, and others like it, will successfully push the US firm towards better environmental and social performance--but likely against resistance of US executives. The rationale for this is that the Dutch fund caters to the social norms of its Dutch constituents. Instead, the US fund will not exert any such pressure on the Dutch firm, since US social norms towards environmental and social issues are relatively weak.

"Interestingly", Prof. Wagner says, "we find that institutional investors don't influence the E&S performance by buying shares of good companies and selling those of bad ones, but by engaging with firms they already own. Furthermore, their engagement is private and they turn to public pressure only occasionally, to increase leverage in private negotiations".

The authors single out the financial motivations of investors by using the shock of the global financial crisis as an experiment. Firms with greater institutional ownership pushed harder for improved E&S performance after recognizing the value of E&S during the crisis (companies with high E&S scores proved to be more resilient and performed better in the wake of the financial bust).

The paper also helps inform the recent debate about regulatory changes to deter foreign ownership. The finding that foreign investors, specifically European investors, have a positive effect on corporate social responsibility casts a doubt on the opportunity of such regulations.

Source: https://www.unibocconi.eu/
Scientists investigating how the human immune system defends against malaria have uncovered a rare phenomenon: antibodies working together to bind to a vulnerable spot on the parasite.

The new research, published recently in Science Advances, shows that antibodies working together can result in a protein on the parasite's cell surface locking it into a spiral conformation, like a wide corkscrew, blocking the parasite from starting its life cycle in the human host and, hence, protecting against infection.

"The first images were quite remarkable and gave us our first insights into how the extended surface peptide could be recognized," says Andrew Ward, PhD, a Scripps Research professor and corresponding author of the study. "CryoEM was uniquely suited to solving this structure and opens up the door to solve others like it. To help make an effective vaccine, we need to understand the right mode of recognition of this typically flexible peptide by antibodies."

The study is part of an international effort to improve upon the most advanced malaria vaccine, called RTS,S, that has been in clinical trials. The candidate vaccine is currently about 25 to 50 percent effective depending on the vaccine regimen, but with hundreds of thousands of people still dying of malaria each year, researchers are looking for ways to redesign or reformulate vaccines.

To do this, scientists on the California campus of Scripps Research are investigating the antibodies that the human body produces when given the RTS,S vaccine. They are especially interested in antibodies that bind to the malaria parasite early in its life cycle and protect against infection--and whether these antibodies mimic those produced by natural infection.

"If you can block that first stage in humans, you can block the entire life cycle of the parasite," says Jonathan Torres, research assistant at Scripps Research and co-first author of the study.

These protective antibodies are known to bind to malaria's circumsporozoite protein, the most abundant protein on the surface of the parasite, but no one has been able to get a clear look at how they do it. Understanding how these antibodies do their jobs may help guide the design of malaria vaccines that can spark the same antibody response. This technique is called rational vaccine design.

Using an imaging technique called cryo-electron microscopy (EM), the scientists got the first images of an antibody bound to the circumsporozoite protein. Study co-first author David Oyen, PhD, a research associate at Scripps Research, says he was surprised by what the cryo-EM structures revealed.

The protein's shape has always been hard to picture because of a large low-complexity region in the center of the protein consisting of many four amino acid repeats that give the protein a floppy, flexible shape. Oyen thought antibodies would bind to this area "like beads on a string."

Instead, the cryo-EM structures showed the repeat region of the circumsporozoite protein locked into a spiral structure, with 11 antibody fragments (Fab311) jutting out from their binding sites, which consist of two repeats, and radiating tangentially from the elongated spiral.

Even more surprising, the spiral stability is imparted by the contacts between the antibodies. "It's as if they link arms together to form a stronger complex," says Oyen. As far as the scientists are aware, this is the first time the three-dimensional structure of the repeat region of the circumsporozoite protein has been elucidated, thanks to the stabilizing inter-antibody contacts. "It's only because of the multiple sequence repeats on this protein that these inter-antibody contacts are possible," Oyen says.

"This structure is very exciting--the four amino-acid repeat sequence by itself had been experimentally found many years ago to form a beta-turn and the multiple repeats predicted to helical-type structures, but this structure is very different from those as it is a very wide and very elongated corkscrew like a grand spiral staircase," says Ian Wilson, DPhil, Hansen Professor of Structural Biology at Scripps Research, chair of the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and co-corresponding author of the study.

The antibody shown with the circumsporozoite protein in this study is just one of many that the team plans to image with cryo-EM. They hope to compare structures to see if protective antibodies share any features. Some might have inter-antibody contacts, some might not.

"We want to make the malaria vaccine as good as possible," Oyen says. "And we're hoping we can use these cryo-EM structures to design new or improved vaccine candidates."
A new study, based on 27 years of data from Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, suggests that temperature increases over the last three decades have already caused major declines in local populations of tsetse flies.

This analysis, published in the journal PLOS Medicine this week, provides a first step in linking temperature to the risk of sleeping sickness in Africa.

Tsetse are blood-feeding insects that transmit trypanosome pathogens which cause sleeping sickness in humans across sub-Saharan Africa. Without treatment, the disease is fatal. Parasites of this genus also cause nagana, animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT), in livestock. The most recent global estimates indicate that AAT kills approximately one million cattle per year.

The study is based on prolonged laboratory and field measures of fly densities from the 1990s, and nearly continuous records of climatic data since 1975, recorded by researchers based at the Rekomitjie Research Station in the park. Since the 1990s, catches of tsetse flies from cattle in the park declined from more than 50 flies per animal per catching session in 1990, to less than 1 fly per 10 catching sessions in 2017. Since 1975, mean daily temperatures have risen by nearly 1 C and by around 2 C in the hottest month of November.

Researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), the South African Centre of Excellence for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA) at Stellenbosch University, and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich, developed a mathematical model, which showed that recent increases in temperature could account for the simultaneous decline of tsetse. The results provided evidence that locations such as the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe may soon be too hot to support tsetse populations.

"If the effect at Mana Pools extends across the whole of the Zambezi Valley, then transmission of trypanosomes is likely to have been greatly reduced in this warm low-lying region", says Dr Jennifer Lord, lead author and postdoctoral fellow at LSTM.

While this would be good news for the disease situation in Zambezi Valley, rising temperatures may have made some higher, cooler parts of Zimbabwe, more suitable for the flies.

Professor John Hargrove, Senior Research Fellow at SACEMA, says the effect of recent and future climate change on the distribution of tsetse flies and other vectors, particularly mosquitoes, is poorly understood: "We don't know, for example, whether the resurgence of malaria in the East African highlands in the 1990s was caused by rising temperatures or by increasing levels of drug resistance and decreasing control efforts.

"In general, the ways in which climate change will affect the spread of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa is poorly understood because of sparse empirical evidence," he adds.

However, work on tsetse and trypanosomiasis carried out at Rekomitjie over the past 59 years has produced long-term datasets for both vector abundance and climate change. The research station is located inside a protected area and has been free of agricultural activities since 1958. In 1984, the area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As not much has changed other than climate, the data from the site provided the ideal opportunity to develop a temperature-driven model for tsetse population dynamics.

Unlike mammals and birds, insects such as tsetse flies cannot regulate their own body temperatures, and their development and mortality rates are therefore strongly influenced by environmental temperatures. Pupae cannot survive at sustained temperatures below 16 or above 32 C. In addition, tsetse populations can become established in an area only if there are sufficient numbers of host animals and suitable vegetation to support tsetse, Prof. Hargrove explains.

He warns, however, that the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and Kruger National Park in South Africa are examples of areas where suitable hosts and habitat for tsetse are abundant. "Tsetse flies did occur in these areas in the 19th century, but they were always marginal because the winters there were rather too cold. With the massive rinderpest outbreak of the middle 1890s, when the vast majority of ungulates died, tsetse disappeared from these areas and have never established themselves again. But if temperatures continue to increase there is a danger that they may re-emerge."

While tsetse-borne disease holds no danger for wildlife, as they have adapted to each other over millennia, control measures might have to be adopted in case tsetse re-occupy these parks and threaten cattle and humans nearby. According to Prof. Hargrove prophylactic drugs can protect livestock from the tsetse, but no such drugs are available for humans. The only sure way of protecting both livestock and humans is to attack the fly.
Public Health Minister Steve Brine added that the move would be discussed with the ministers and is likely to raise folic acid consumption among pregnant mothers.

There have been population studies that have shown that folic acid fortification in wheat flour has reduced the incidence of congenital spine and brain deformities by raising folate status in blood of the pregnant mothers. The Scientific Advisory Committee of Nutrition (SACN) evidence too points at the benefits of folic acid during pregnancy.

Image Credit: BW Folsom / Shutterstock

Mr Brine said, All women should be able to access the nutrients they need for a healthy pregnancy and in turn, reduce the risk of devastating complications. We have been listening closely to experts, health charities and medical professionals and we have agreed that now is the right time to explore whether fortification in flour is the right approach for the UK.

According to Professor Louis Levy, head of nutrition science at Public Health England (PHE), The vast majority of women between 16-49 have blood folate levels below global thresholds, highlighting a risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies. Comprehensive evidence shows that mandatory fortification of flour would go a long way towards reducing the number of complications some experience during pregnancy as well as improving the folate status of the general population.

The current recommendations state that all pregnant women or women trying to conceive must take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid. Folic acid is naturally found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale, beans and legumes and in citrus fruits. This is often missed in many pregnant women especially in cases of unplanned or accidental pregnancies. Neural tube defects and spinal deformities affect 700 to 900 pregnancies annually in the UK. UK would be one of the other 80 nations that have already fortified their flour with folic acid.

Dr Alison Wright, vice president for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), said in her statement, There are approximately 1,000 diagnoses of neural tube defects in utero in the UK, such as anencephaly and spina bifida per year, 85% of which currently result in an abortion. The evidence is clear that fortification will prevent around half of these neural tube defects.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer in a statement said, The evidence shows that fortifying flour with folic acid is a practical way of reducing folate deficiencies in pregnant women and reducing birth defects. However, as with any intervention of this kind, we need to be certain it is also safe, and that means considering what the wider implications would be for the rest of the population who eat flour. I am pleased to see the government taking action on this issue and hope to see the wider scientific community feed in their views to this important consultation which could benefit and improve the lives of many women and babies in this country.

The taste and appearance of the fortified flour would remain same say the officials. UK already fortifies white flour with iron, calcium and two other B vitamins - thiamin and niacin. These are lost during milling of the flour. Gluten-sensitive population however would not benefit from this fortification add experts.
Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau (left) visits the Plug & Play Fintech Centre, a global innovation platform specialising in growing technology startups in Frankfurt.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau started his visit to Germany by touring a financial institution and a fintech centre in Frankfurt.

During his visit to Ginmon Wealth Management, Mr Lau was briefed on the algorithm-based portfolio management technology the company developed that promises excess long-term returns for investors.

He said Hong Kong is a premier international asset and wealth management centre with highly developed information and communications technologies and a vibrant fintech ecosystem.

He said Hong Kong can provide an ideal platform for marketing fintech solutions for the portfolio management business and welcomed German financial institutions to establish a presence in the city.

Mr Lau also visited the Plug & Play Fintech Centre, a global innovation platform specialising in growing technology startups.

He met its management team and learned about their accelerator programme and innovation services provided for startups and venture capital investment.

At a luncheon co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Berlin, Mr Lau promoted the city to business leaders.

He highlighted Hong Kong's paramount role as a capital raising and asset and wealth management centre and said it is a gateway city to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Southeast Asia and economies along the Belt & Road.

Mr Lau also visited the Chinese Consul-General in Frankfurt Wang Shunqing and briefed him on the city's latest developments.

He will continue his visit in Zurich, Switzerland tomorrow.
Commissioner of Customs & Excise Hermes Tang (right) and Chief Executive Officer of the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service Visvanath Das sign the Customs Co-operative Arrangement.

The Customs & Excise Department has signed a co-operative arrangement with its Fijian counterpart to boost co-operation in law enforcement and trade facilitation.

Commissioner of Customs & Excise Hermes Tang signed the deal with Chief Executive Officer of the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service Visvanath Das at the Customs Headquarters Building in Hong Kong today.

Both sides will strengthen law enforcement co-operation, information sharing for trade facilitation, and streamlining import and export controls to create a business-friendly environment for legitimate trade activities.

Hong Kong has signed similar arrangements with 25 customs administrations.
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New Delhi:

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowgam area of Srinagar on Wednesday, the police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the city on information that some militants had sneaked in the area. According to a report by news agency ANI, the firing started early on Wednesday morning. Internet services in the area have been suspended to avoid any untoward situation. Educational institutions have also been shut as a precautionary measure. A police official said locals have been told not to go near the operation site till the area has been santiised.

#JammuAndKashmir: An exchange of fire started between terrorists & security forces at Soothu, Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar earlier this morning. Internet services have been suspended. (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/tMIUg9cfmp a ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

It is pertinent to mention that on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who was in Srinagar to review the security situation in the state, had said that terror and talks cannot go together with Pakistan and the solution to all complex problems of Jammu and Kashmir lies in the path ofA democracy.A
New Delhi:

A pilgrim died on the way to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir owing to ill heath, police said on Wednesday.

Thirty-four-year-old Surender Gole from Northwest Delhi suffered cardiac arrest enroute the yatra and collapsed near the shrine on Tuesday, the police said.

Read | 3,000 Delhi students cautioned against online threats, danger

Gole was immediately rushed to a nearby clinic but doctor there declared him brought dead, the police added.

Thousands of pilgrims take on the yatra to the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi which is situated up in the high green mountains. The shrine is open throughout the year but the best time to visit the holy shrine is from March to October.

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According to common belief among the Hindus, the pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine is often taken after the devotee gets a spiritual call from the deity.

In view of frequent accidents on the yatra route, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board this year approved an enhancement of free accident insurance cover for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra in Jammu from the existing Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

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The enhancement in the insurance cover came after eight years and the premium was borne by the shrine board, a shrine board spokesman said.

The board had also announced enhancement of medical facilities for pilgrims en route Katra to the Bhawan.

"The accident cover extended to each pilgrim free of cost shall now be Rs five lakh instead of existing Rs three lakh for pilgrims aged five years and above and Rs three lakh for pilgrims below five years of age up from Rs one lakh at present," the spokesman told PTI.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi:

A perfect footwear is hard to find, especially in a country like India which footwear markets are flooded with production for mass consumption or foreign brands. This is because the country lacks specialisation of the skill as thee are not many takers for footwear production as a career option. And the footwear industry remains untapped. But it holds out a huge job potential and career opportunities.

Also Read | Sexual harassment at work place: Government sets up Group of Ministers for womens safety

In the next three to six months, there would be over 35,000 vacancies for trained professionals, K Murali, director Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI), said.

In our place working in footwear industry is considered as a profession meant only for lower castes. It is a false mindset. Big players are coming in, brands like Adidas already has a factory in Tada, Nike is putting up its second unit at Tamil Nadus Krishnagiri, he told PTI on the sidelines of the launch of Condensed Course in Footwear Design and Production in Chennai.

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The CFTI is an autonomous organisation under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry. Several companies have placement opportunities and CFTI mobilises 700-1000 people every month, Murali said.

Companies are approaching us for want of people. Every month we are mobilising 700 to 1,000 people and placing them in different companies according to their skills, he said.

The Condensed Course in Footwear Design and Production is exclusively for SC/ST students. The programme is jointly offered by National SC/ST Hub and National Small Industries Corporation free of cost. The programme includes free boarding and lodging. The programme offers seven long-term courses and eight short-term courses.

For all the Latest Education News, Jobs News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

If like the rest of India, you grew up watching Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, this is a reason to celebrate. DDLJ has been playing at Mumbais Maratha Mandir cinema hall since its release on 20 October, 1995, making it the longest-running movie in India. It has been 23 years but Maratha Mandir is still in love with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which completed an uninterrupted run of 1,200 weeks at the citys iconic theatre.

Besides being a modern-day fable of love, DDLJ also transported its viewers to new places through the lead pair Raj and Simrans month-long holiday in Europe. The 1995 film saw Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol emerge as a romantic heartthrobs in Bollywood, with stellar performances by Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, Satish Shah and Himani Shivpuri, among others.

Shah Rukh took to Twitter Wednesday to express his gratitude for the love and adulation.A special journey that began 23 years ago, goes on even today. Your love has kept Raj & Simrans story alive on the big screen for 1200 weeks non-stop. Thank you for falling in love with us so unconditionally for so many years! #23YearsOfDDLJ (sic), he tweeted.

Kajol added, 1200 weeks and still running! Thank you all for all the love that you have been showering on #DDLJ for so many years! It was, it is and will always be an incredibly special film for all of us. @iamsrk @yrf #AdityaChopra.

Such is the popularity of the movie, numerous Bollywood-themed Yash Chopra tours started being introduced in Switzerland in the last decade. Theres now even a Chopra Lake in Alpenrausch and a Chopra train run by Jungfrau Railways, both named after the films director Yash Chopra.

Fondly called DDLJ, the film is remembered for the romance between Raj and Simran that blossoms during the European road trip, most of which unfolds in Switzerland's pastoral meadows, snowy Alps and quaint villages. The film also sparked off Indias love affair with the Swiss Alps.

Songs like Na jaane mere, Tujhe dekha and Ruk ja by Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan and Kumar Sanu on memorable tunes by Jatin-Lalit still rule the hearts of diehard romantics.Directed by Aditya Chopra, the film completed 20 years in 2015.

(With PTI inputs)

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Photo: FairVote BC

Confused about electoral reform?

You've got another chance to hear the pros and cons of proportional representation and learn its differences from B.C.'s current first-past-the-post system.

Soon, B.C. residents will receive ballots in the mail that will ask them if they want to change from an FPTP system to proportional representation.

Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists Association is bringing both sides together to discuss their merits, Friday, at Parkinson Rec Centre. The event starts promptly at 6:45 p.m.

"It is a substantial decision, and many people dont understand the differences between the two systems," the association says.

A representative of Fair Vote BC will speak on PR, while Dr. Andrew Irvine of UBC Okanagan will speak in support of first past the post.

There will be a 15-minute presentation from each side, followed by questions from the audience.
New Delhi:

Shoutout to all the Bollywood movies aficionados, who eagerly wait for Fridays to bestow them with new releases! While last week, on one hand where Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra starrer Badhaai Ho narrating the story of a 50-year-old pregnant mother Neena Gupta took the audiences on a rollercoaster laughing riot, Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra starrer Rom-Com Namastey London on the other fell flat at the box-office. Nevertheless, new Friday, new releases. So, here are the five Bollywood movies releasing this weekend: Bazaar, 5 Weddings, Kaashi: In Search Of Ganga, Dassehra, Marudhar Express.

Also Read | DDLJ turns 23: SRK-Kajol starrer crosses 1,200-week run at Maratha Mandir

Bazaar

Saif Ali Khan starrer Bazaar rolls the dice around the cut-throat world of stock market. The film welcomes the newbie Rohan Mehra and the gorgeous ladies of B-Town, Radhika Apte and Chitrangada Singh in pivotal roles. Gauravv K. Chawla directorial and penned by Nikkhil Advani, Aseem Arora, and Parveez Sheikh, the movie weighs upon Shakun (Saif) who blesses Rizwan (Rohan) to come aboard but deadly warning tags along with it. Things go well for the two right until they dont, and the story runs into the chaos of crumbling lives.

Also Read | Pihu trailer: Story of a two-year old home alone girl will give you chills

5 Weddings

Namrata Singh Gujrals 5 Weddings bring Rajkummar Rao and Nargis Fakhri together on the silver screen for the first time. The movie which was initially slated to release on August 10 will not release this Friday. Nargis plays a writer who is in India to write an article on Indian weddings where she meets Rajkummar, a cop who is assigned the responsibility to escort the lady. The story is not all happy-go-jolly but takes a serious turn when the Nargis meets transgenders. This plot twist transforms her from a writer to an investigative journalist.

Kaashi: In Search Of Ganga

Sharman Joshi, known for her comedy roles in various movies, will step into the sphere of some serious performance with Dhiraj Kumars Kaashi: In Search of Ganga. Set in the backdrop of the oldest city in the world, Varanasi, the story narrates the journey of the protagonist in search of his missing sister. As the journey proceeds, the deep, dark and filthy secrets unfurl. The thriller drama explores the complex subject with lot many layers.

Dassehra

Political thriller Dassehra, starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Tina Desai, knocks the doors of an investigation. A triple suicide case in a girls hostel brings Tina and Neil together, who fight for justice, making this film an interesting crime drama. Suicide-turned-murder unfolds or maybe layers new mysteries, where the protagonists try connecting the missing dots.

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Marudhar Express

Vishal Mishras Marudhar Express stars Kunaal Roy Kapur and Tara Alisha in the laughter ride. A quintessential Indian middle-class couple who are under the pressure of childbirth right after their arranged marriage struggles to portray the present context in the funniest way possible.

So, which movie are you planning this weekend?
New Delhi:

Following the Uttarakhand High Court order, the Centre has asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to block 827 websites that host pornographic content. The Uttarakhand High Court had asked to block 857 websites. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity), however, found 30 portals without any pornographic content.

"... all the internet service licensees are instructed to take immediate necessary action for blocking of 827 websites as per the direction from Meity and for the compliance of the Hon'ble High Court order," the DoT said in an order issued to internet service providers.

The high court order was issued on September 27, 2018, and it was received by Meity on October 8. The Meity informed the DoT that the High Court has ordered for blocking 857 websites contained in an old notice of DoT dated July 31, 2015. The DoT had changed its order on August 4, 2015, to ISP saying that the ISPs are free not to disable any of the 857 web links which do not have child pornographic content.

Also Read | Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan move Supreme Court seeking CBI probe into Rafale deal

(The government) is directed to suspend the licences of the Internet Service License holders under Section 25 of the Information Technology Act if they fail to comply with the notification, acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Manoj Tiwari had said.

In a notification dated July 31, 2015, the department of information technology had asked the department of telecommunications to deactivate the URLs under the provision of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act as the content posted on several websites infringed on morality and decency.

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The sites are readily available to the children to view obscene and indecent acts, including pornography. The psyche of the children of impressionable age is also affected, which, at times, results in commission of crimes, the court observed.

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New Delhi:

In an unprecedented move by the Central government, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave till further notice and their offices were sealed on Wednesday. Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao, a 1986 batch officer, took charge as the interim chief of the investigaing agency with immediate effect.

He will "look after duties and functions of director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect," said a government order put out on Tuesday night.

The order followed a recommendation by Chief Vigilance Commissioner that the CBI's warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, as per reports in NDTV. According to sources, the CBI building was sealed and neither staff nor outsiders were being allowed. According to CBI sources, there will be no movement of officials or files at Verma and Asthana's office till 2 pm.

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The order implies that the government has sidelined all the three additional directors number three in the agency's hierarchy, including AK Sharma, whose name had figured in the complaint by Asthana.

The CBI had on Tuesday suspended its deputy superintendent of police Devender Kumar, who is facing bribery allegations involving the agency's second-in-command Rakesh Asthana. Earlier in the day, Kumar, who was arrested by the agency on Monday, was sent to a seven-day CBI custody.

Kumar, earlier the investigating officer in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, was arrested on the allegations of forgery in recording the statement of businessman Sathish Sana, who had alleged to have paid bribe to get relief in the case.

In his statement, Sana had purportedly said that he had in June this year discussed his case with Telugu Desam Party's Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh who, after speaking to the CBI Director, had assured him that he would not be summoned again.

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On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court directed the CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings initiated against Rakesh Asthana, who has challenged the FIR lodged against him on bribery allegations.

Although the CBI cannot arrest Asthana till October 29, the next date of hearing, the high court clarified that there is no stay on the probe considering the nature and gravity of the case.

Besides Asthana, Kumar has also filed a separate petition seeking quashing of the FIR. Justice Najmi Waziri issued notices and sought responses of the probe agency and its Director Alok Kumar Verma as also Joint Director AK Sharma on both the petitions.

(With PTI inputs)

14:23 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All sensitive cases including Vijay Mallya and Agusta Westland cases will be personally supervised by new interim Central Bureau of Investigation chief Nageshwar Rao.

13:07 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In

Regarding, the charge the 3 opposition parties have made, I regard this charge as a rubbish. The fact that the 3 opposition parties are saying, that we know what the agency was going to do next, itself casts a serious doubt on the fairness process: FM Arun Jaitley





















12:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In

The CVCs recommendation and the government's action is intended to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of CBI: FM Arun Jaitley





















12:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In To maintain the institutional integrity of CBI and in the interest of fairness, purely as an interim measure,they will sit out by going on leave. An SIT not functioning under either of these officers will investigate. This is in accordance with highest standards of fairness: FM

12:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Director has been accused by Special Director. A Special Director has been accused by CBI. Two topmost officers of CBI have been accused. Now who will investigate it? Requirements of fairness & fair play have to be there. Government can't investigate it: FM Arun Jaitley

12:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI is a premier investigative agency, for maintenance of its institutional integrity, it is a pre condition and absolutely essential for fair investigation: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on transfer of CBI officers



CBI is a premier investigative agency, for maintenance of its institutional integrity, it is a pre condition and absolutely essential for fair investigation: FM Arun Jaitley on transfer of CBI officers pic.twitter.com/AfvAuvb0Tk

 ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018



12:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI is a premier investigatiive agency, for maintenance of its institutional integrity, it is a pre condition and absolutely essential for fair investigation: Finance Minister Aruin Jaitley on transfer of CBI officers

12:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In

CBI DIG Tarun Gauba, SP Satish Dagar and Joint Director V Murugesan will probe charges against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana





















12:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I maintain that the integrity of the institution (CBI) is the most important. In an extraordinary situation, the government has full authority to act. At this time, an open fight between the top two people spells doomsday for the institution: Vikas Singh, former ASG



I maintain that the integrity of the institution (CBI) is the most important. In an extraordinary situation, the government has full authority to act. At this time, an open fight between the top two people spells doomsday for the institution: Vikas Singh, former ASG pic.twitter.com/8rHDKv3bco

 ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018



12:00 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI's JD (P)Arun Kumar Sharma, A Sai Manohar, HoZ V Murugesan and DIG Amit Kumar have been transferred/posted. They were a part of the team probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana.

11:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI DIG MAnish Kumar Sinha, DIG Taurn Gauba, DIG Jasbir Singh, DIG Anish Prasad, DIG KR Chaurasia, HoB Ram Gopal and SP Satish Dagar have been transferred. They were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana.



CBI DIG MAnish Kumar Sinha, DIG Taurn Gauba, DIG Jasbir Singh, DIG Anish Prasad, DIG KR Chaurasia, HoB Ram Gopal and SP Satish Dagar have been transferred. They were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana. pic.twitter.com/jOEkOMld9m

 ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018



11:11 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Dy SP CBI AK Bassi has been transferred and posted as Dy SP CBI, ACB Port Blair and Addnl SP CBI SS Gum transferred and posted as CBI, ACB Jabalpur, they were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana

11:05 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Verma also challenges decision to give interim charge of agency to Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao

10:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Gopal Sankaranarayanan, lawyer appearing for Alok Verma, told Supreme Court that the central government in the morning, asked Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to go on leave compromising the investigation into many sensitive cases.

11:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Supreme Court will on Friday hear CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma's plea challenging the decision of sending him on leave.

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New Delhi:

Seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie along with lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court.

The trio has sought a direction to the CBI to investigate the offences mentioned in their complaint in a "time-bound" manner and submit periodic status reports to the Supreme Court. They had filed their complaint with the CBI on October 4 after Shourie and Bhushan met CBI director Alok Verma.

The petition comes on a day when Verma and CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana were stripped of their powers and sent on leave in a dramatic overnight action by the government after their worsening feud sparked a serious crisis in the country's premier probe agency. According to reports, the government was not happy with Verma for meeting Shourie and Bhushan.

The petition by the trio came two weeks after the Supreme Court had on October 10 asked the Centre to provide details of the decision- making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29. It had clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars. The court's order had come on two PILs filed by advocates M L Sharma and Vineet Dhanda.

India inked a deal with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment. The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation. The Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process.

"The Prime Minister, on his own, overturned a deal for 126 aircraft which was going through in accordance with the procedure and unilaterally took a decision to buy 36 aircraft in a ready-to-use condition, without any transfer of technology. And thereafter we find that the price has been increased to more than double, in order to give offset contracts worth Rs.20,000 crore to Anil Ambani," Bhushan alleged.

"That is not only a criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act, it is a straightforward (case of) corruption because this Rs. 20,000 crore being given to Anil Ambani under the offset contract is not any legal remuneration for work expected to be done. It is clearly in the nature of a commission," he added.

The Modi government has denied any wrongdoing in the Rafale deal.

Sinha alleged the Modi government's attempts to avoid an inquiry into the Rafale deal was behind the ongoing row in the CBI. He also alleged that government of destroying the credibility of the investigating agency. The former BJP leader said the Centre's decision to remove agency Verma was "illegal" and Modi had no authority to do so.

He also alleged that the government could go to any extent to "destroy" the country's institutions in order to protect itself from any inquiry.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

What seemed virtually unachievable until a few months agothe defeat of the BJP in the 2019 general electionsis today a theoretical

possibility with the seemingly strong winds of anti-incumbency blowing across. It is not as though the Congress has risen to formidable heights or that its leader Rahul Gandhi is a man transformed. It is just the weight of disillusionment that has set in against the NDA government at the Centre coupled with a new impatience for change.



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It is unrealistic, uncanny, but true. Yet, the charisma of Narendra Modi is a force to reckon with and he is fully capable of turning the tide singlehandedly when he campaigns.Besides, the Congress is fully capable of committing harakiri, with Congressmen hungry for power and

infighting staring at the party in the face.



In a party steeped in sycophancy and a body politic that is out of date with reality, there is a mood of anger against the current establishment that could catapult a ragtag coalition of anti-BJP forces to power. This is not to say that this is waiting to happen but only that this is a possibility, though a remote one.



The Congress is avoiding appointing shadow chief ministers in BJP-ruled states, fearing a backlash from those who are left out. The Opposition that is in cahoots with the Congress too is silent on who they want as prime minister in the event of the BJP being displaced in the electoral battle.

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Former Union minister for finance and later home in the erstwhile UPA government P Chidambarams recent statement that the Congress party

would decide after the elections after consulting its allies as to who it would opt for as prime minister if it is in a position to form the government.



This could mean one of two thingseither he is, at the instance of the Congress, seeking to molly coddle the allies who want an alternative to

Rahul Gandhi or he has been told by some allies that they could well support a Congress-led coalition if Rahul is not the leader.

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At the level of the states that are scheduled to go to polls in the next two months to elect their assemblies, the reluctance in states to name the person on whom the mantle would fall if the BJP is voted out of power has to do with fears of desertion and dissidence by the ignored contenders.



Take Rajasthan for instance, a state in which the Congress is currently deemed capable of upsetting the BJP. While Sachin Pilot is a rising star who is meritorious and popular with the masses, there is also old warhorse Ashok Gehlot who is equally keen to don the mantle and doubtlessly liked by the masses by and large.

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At the other end of the spectrum is Vasundhara Raje, the current chief minister with whom the States Rajputs are angry with their anger

further fuelled by the way Jaswant Singh was treated and how his son Manvendra has left the BJP to embrace the Congress.



If Sachin Pilot and Gehlot bury their differences they could pose a major challenge to the BJP, but will they go along together except outwardly?



In Madhya Pradesh, where Shivraj Singh Chauhan is fighting for his fourth term in office, there are two formidable challengers from the

Congressveteran Kamal Nath who is the PCC chief and Jyotiraditya Scindia, a popular torchbearer of the youth brigade. If they work at

cross purposes as initial indications are, they could ruin the chances of their party.



ALSO READ | NASA brings back Hubble Space telescope after years of hibernation



As for Chhattisgarh, with their former chief minister Ajit Jogi having deserted the Congress, there is a dearth of acceptable leaders. Two men who are vying for the chief ministerial chair are TS Deo and Bhupesh Baghel both of whom command grassroots support. If they undercut each other, the obvious beneficiary will be Chief Minister Raman Singh.



The challenge for the Congress therefore lies in closing ranks and putting up a united front against a well-entrenched BJP in all states where they are pitted against each other directly. If it fails to do so it will lose a golden opportunity to bounce back into reckoning nationally.
Trenton (US):

A severe viral outbreak at a New Jersey rehabilitation center for "medically fragile children" has left six youngsters dead and 12 others sick, the state Health Department said on Tuesday.

There have been 18 cases of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of New York, the New Jersey Health Department said in a statement.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an email that it is providing technical assistance to the state. In the past 10 years, cases of severe illness and death from the type of infection found at the facility have been reported in the United States, said CDC spokeswoman Kate Fowlie in an email, though it's unclear how many deaths there have been.

The strain afflicting the children is usually associated with acute respiratory illness, according to the CDC, which on its website instructs health workers to report unusual clusters to state or local health departments.

The Health Department didn't release the ages of the victims or address the severity of the illness in the other dozen cases.

The six deaths happened this month, according to Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner.

Also Read | Sanjana Sanghi denies sexual misconduct allegations against Sushant Singh Rajput

The facility was instructed not to admit new patients until the outbreak ends, and the Health Department said the number of new cases appears to be decreasing.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said these kinds of fatalities are not common, but they're known to happen.

"Here I think you have this kind of nasty combination of very fragile children and this particularly aggressive virus," he said.

The strain in the New Jersey outbreak is No. 7 and is affecting "medically fragile" children with severely compromised immune systems, according to the Health Department. It has been associated with communal living and can be more severe A scientific paper cited by the CDC reported that a 1998 outbreak of type 7 adenovirus at a pediatric chronic-care facility in Chicago claimed the lives of eight patients. The 2001 paper said civilian outbreaks of the type 7 infection had not been frequently reported because of a lack of lab resources, and that the full impact on chronic-care facilities and hospitals is likely underestimated.

In New Jersey, a team was at the center Tuesday and Sunday and found "minor handwashing deficiencies," the Health Department said.

"The Health Department is continuing to work closely with the facility on infection control issues," the department said in a statement.

The center helps educate "medically fragile children," according to its website. Messages left with the center were not returned.

Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement that he was "heartbroken" about the deaths and that he had been briefed by the health commissioner, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, who told him that the department is on site and trying to prevent the virus from spreading further.

"I am confident that the steps being taken by state and local officials will minimize the impact to all those who remain at the facility, including patients and employee," Murphy said.

Adenoviruses often cause mild illness, particularly in young children, but people with weakened immune systems are at risk of getting severely sick, according to the CDC.

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National Park Partners welcomes Dr. Paul Finkelman as the closing speaker for the 2018 Moccasin Bend Lecture Series. Dr. Fineklman is the president of Gratz College near Philadelphia, Pa. and is a noted legal historian and U.S. Constitution scholar.

The lecture will be on Monday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Participants will examine implications of the addition of civil rights to the U.S. Constitution during the Reconstruction Era that followed the Civil War.

The Fall Lecture Series, sponsored by Greg A. Vital, is free and open to the public.

Doors open at 5 p.m. and guests are invited to come early and explore the Civil Rights Amendments exhibit, created by the National Park Service, at the Chattanooga African-American Museum adjacent to the lecture hall. Refreshments will be offered.

National Park Partners thanks the National Environmental Education Foundation for supporting the "Centennial and Beyond" grant program, designed to bring National Park Service programming to new and diverse audiences. This lecture and exhibit mark the completion of a two-year partnership with the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, during which hundreds of residents and visitors have experienced the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park through programs hosted at BSCC.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center is at 200 E. M.L.King Blvd. in downtown Chattanooga. Ample free parking is available adjacent to the building and on surrounding streets.

Now entering its 13th year, the Moccasin Bend Lecture Series brings thought leaders and subject matter experts to share stories and experiences related to National Parks, conservation, history, American Indian culture, and more.

Established in 2006, the Moccasin Bend Lecture Series is sponsored each year by Greg A. Vital, longtime Board member of the Friends of Moccasin Bend and now National Park Partners.
Photo: Sharon Laughlin, bcbats.ca A Townsend's big-eared bat.

With Halloween fast approaching, decorations of bats are everywhere. The BC Community Bat Program is seizing the opportunity to encourage the public to learn more about the creatures in real life, and how to help conserve them.

Oct. 24 to 31 is Bat Week, which the Bat Program hopes will spread awareness about what people can do to help bat populations in the Okanagan.

"Bats help us, but now they need our help, said Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, Penticton-based environmental consultant and Okanagan Coordinator for the BC Community Bat Program.

The conservation of bats in BC has always been important, since over half the species in this province are considered at risk. With the discovery of white-nose syndrome in Washington State, bat conservation is more important than ever.

White-nose syndrome is a diseased caused by a fungus, which has been decimating bat populations in 33 states and seven provinces in North America for over a decade.

Luckily, WNS is not yet in B.C.," said Rodriguez de la Vega. But we are preparing for its arrival by raising awareness about bats, working with landowners who have bats in buildings, enhancing bat habitat, and monitoring populations.

The Okanagan Valley has more species of bats that call it home than anywhere else in Canada. The Okanagan-Similkameen has some especially unique colonies, which are at risk through habitat loss. The black-and-white spotted bat is the only bat whose echolocation calls can be heard by humans, and the Townsend's big-eared bat has ears half the size of its body and roosts in caves, mines and buildings.

Human populations encroach on bat habitats, so the bat program encourages anyone with bats living on their property to contact them to help count, identify and, if necessary, safely move them.

For Bat Week, the Bat Program suggests visiting the Peachland Visitor Centre bat colony, or hosting a "bat party"  the week's official website has activity and trivia ideas for kids and adults alike, information on how to build a bat box for your property and much more.

People are also encouraged to become volunteers with the Okanagan Bat Program as bat house monitors.

After Bat Week ends, winter monitoring for signs of white-nose syndrome will begin, with the Program asking the public for any reports of dead bats or sightings of winter bat activity beginning Nov. 1., which can be reported by emailing [email protected]

For more information on Bat Week and the Bat Program in general, click here or call 1-855-922-2287.
Short-term housing for out-of-town families at Kelowna General Hospital has been needed for years, and as of Tuesday, it's one step closer to becoming a reality.

Ground was officially broken Tuesday morning at the parking lot on the southeast corner of Royal Avenue and Abbott Street, the future home of JoeAnna's House.

The 20-room building will be a home away from home for people travelling to KGH for care, similar to the Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver.

The principle group we'll probably be looking to support is families with a premature baby, said Doug Rankmore, CEO of the KGH Foundation.

One in four people receiving care at KGH at any given time are not from Kelowna, and at this time, they must find their own lodging. This can be difficult, and expensive, especially in the summer months.

Rankmore says families will be charged a small fee, somewhere around $20 per night, to stay at JoeAnna's House.

Over the past year, the KGH Foundation has raised millions of dollars through donors in the community.

We're not at our goal yet, we have a goal of $8 million, but that's just our initial goal, said Doug Rankmore, CEO of the KGH Foundation. We'll let the community know when we've reached that first mark, but the important thing to remember is we'll be looking for the community to support JoeAnna's House ongoing.

Upon completion, the KGH Foundation will run JoeAnna's House. Rankmore says the small nightly fee will not cover operating costs, and they'll be looking for additional financial support in perpetuity.

While an exact timeline of completion has not been locked down, Rankmore says he hopes to see the doors open before Christmas 2019.
When Shinzo Abe took office six years ago, it would have been unthinkable for China's leaders to roll out the red carpet for him. The Japanese prime minister can thank U.S. President Donald Trump for the turnaround.

Abe heads to Beijing this week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a peace-and-friendship treaty between the Asian powerhouses, which have a long history of bad blood due in part to Japan's colonial invasions of China and atrocities committed during World War II. He'll meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday as part of the first bilateral visit by a Japanese leader in seven years.

A slow warming of ties between the neighbors has accelerated after both found themselves under attack from Trump on trade. Although Japan's alliance with the U.S. keeps the nation in lockstep with Washington on most geopolitical issues, Abe has moved to shore up economic ties with China -- its biggest trading partner. Xi, in turn, sees Japan as a way to mitigate the risk of a trade war with the U.S.

"Economic-and-trade cooperation is the ballast and propeller of the China-Japan relationship, laying the keystone for the mutual political trust," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said last week.

Abe is preparing to bring a 500-strong business delegation with him to discuss cooperation in third countries, as pledged during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan in May. The two sides will look to revive a currency swap framework dormant since 2013 and possibly progress toward an agreement on loans of giant pandas, according to media reports.

They are also both pushing for a quick conclusion to Regional Comprehensive Economic Agreement, a trade deal involving 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific. The South China Morning Post reported earlier this month that Beijing was also looking into joining the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Japan pushed to complete after Trump pulled out.

Abe vowed in a speech to parliament on Wednesday to raise the relationship with China to a higher level through regular leaders' visits and business cooperation.

"We haven't solved our problems with Japan," said Gui Yongtao, an associate professor at Peking University's School of International Studies, who specializes in Chinese-Japanese relations. "But these are much less prioritized compared to the U.S. risk. We still don't know what will happen with U.S. policy towards China."

Still, for all the goodwill, formidable historical barriers remain to improved ties -- none bigger now than territorial disputes.

Tensions flared in 2012 -- the year Abe took power -- when Japan bought part of an uninhabited chain of East China Sea islets disputed with Beijing, sparking sometimes violent protests in China and turning relations arguably their most hostile since World War II. The islands are known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

Ships from both countries continue to chase one another around the area, with Japan making a formal protest over a Chinese incursion into what Japan considers its territorial waters just last week, according to broadcaster NHK. For its part, Japan held military drills involving a submarine last month in the South China Sea, a body of water where China has extensive territorial claims.

Defense chiefs from China and Japan last week agreed on more military exchanges and a hotline to avoid unintended clashes. But at their first meeting in three years, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya also criticized China over its activities in the South China Sea, and another Japanese government official said there would be no real improvement with China unless tensions further north in the East China Sea stabilize.

Territorial issues are a major reason why the Japanese public has one of the world's most negative views of China, according to Pew Research Center. Even as China's impression of Japan has recovered from the 2012 crisis, thanks partly to tourism, the Japanese have remained wary.

Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of a main opposition party, said even some younger lawmakers in Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party are cautious about the relationship. "There are few in the younger generation who want to be friendly with China," Tamaki said in an interview, adding that his own party favored linking up with Beijing when appropriate.

And while Japan has been critical of Trump's policy of slapping tariffs on China, Abe's government shares some U.S. concerns on trade and investment. Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko, who will join the trip, is working with the U.S. and Europe on proposals to address problems caused by state enterprises and forced technology transfers.

Even so, Abe's visit cements a general warming of ties -- and opens the door for Xi to visit Japan as soon as next year.

"Nobody thinks ties with China have completely recovered, and they shouldn't think that," said Kunihiko Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat and now visiting professor at Ritsumeikan University. "We're now in an era where having both sides make an effort to keep friction to a minimum is what we have to call good ties."

--Bloomberg's James Mayger and Adrian Leung contributed.
Some brutal humor is circulating in the Arab world. One popular meme on Twitter, emanating from North Africa's Maghreb region and captioned "Saudi diplomatic pouch," shows a wooden box stuffed with saws, drills and chisels. Another, a video of lumberjacks using chain saws and axes, is labeled "Competition for best Saudi ambassador."

In the upper echelons of regional governments, however, few are laughing as Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, face what may be the most serious threat to the kingdom's power and stability in a generation.

Many have long worried about the prince's ambition and perceived arrogance. Others resent Saudi dominance and wealth. Nearly all are shocked at what few doubt was the officially sanctioned killing and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey.

But what worries the Arabs most, regional officials and experts say, is what they see as the danger to their own stability and security should Saudi Arabia's status - and its close ties with the United States - be seriously undermined.

"The situation is a dilemma for the region because of the uncertainty of how it will affect the relationship with the U.S. long-term," said a senior official from a Persian Gulf country, one of several who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive issue.

As the Trump administration compiles what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called its own "data set" on what, exactly, happened to Khashoggi, and weighs how to fully respond, regional concern is mounting.

If the administration decides - or is pressured by Congress and public opinion - to seriously step back from its alliance with Riyadh, "our security is at risk," the gulf official said. "Iran might see another opportunity to destabilize."

Not every Arab country is happy with every aspect of President Donald Trump's policies toward the Arab world. Most, but not all, share the administration's antipathy toward the Muslim Brotherhood, the region's leading purveyor of political Islam. Some are more unhappy than others at the administration's pro-Israel tilt, and its up-and-down relationship with non-Arab Turkey is closely watched.

But with few exceptions, Trump's determination to crack down on Iran, after what was seen as the Obama administration's soft stance toward their regional rival, has been greeted with relief. And for better or worse, Trump has chosen Saudi Arabia as its main interlocutor and leading Arab ally in confronting Tehran.

However they feel about the crown prince, said an official from another country in the region, under the current administration, Saudi Arabia is the "pillar" around which the Arab relationship with the United States is anchored.

"Who else [in the region] is going to lead?" this official asked.

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia's closest Persian Gulf partner, has vied with Riyadh as the region's most dependable U.S. military partner and privately disdained Saudi tactics in the Yemen war against Iran-backed rebels that both are fighting.

But in a series of Arabic language tweets last week, Anwar Gargash, the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, reminded that Saudi Arabia, the location of some of Islam's holiest sites as well as a substantial portion of the world's oil, is important to all of them.

"From the perspective of the sons of the Arab gulf and the region," he wrote on Oct. 16, "the Saudi presence is vital for stability and development in a troubled and difficult atmosphere. The passing crises won't change this reality."

Three days later, Gargash tweeted that the region "depends on Saudi Arabia [and] all that it represents politically, economically and religiously." There was a difference, he said, between the importance of getting at the truth about Khashoggi, "and targeting Riyadh and its role."

Even in the Maghreb, where tensions with the Saudis have emerged since King Salman promoted his son as heir apparent and "everybody is outraged" about the Khashoggi situation, "the question is, will the U.S. try to save the relationship to Saudi without MBS, or will they try to save the relationship to the Saudis and MBS," a North African official said, referring to the crown prince by his initials.

Since Khashoggi failed to emerge from a scheduled visit to the consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, the Saudi story has repeatedly and radically changed. What started with complete denial - and insistence that he left the consulate under his own steam - became, in a Saturday statement from Riyadh, an admission that he was killed in a "fistfight" at the consulate during a "rogue" Saudi operation that Mohammed knew nothing about. Arrests had been made, the statement said, and investigations were continuing.

The statement brought new expressions of support from the region. Bahrain, the tiny island nation in the Persian Gulf whose monarchy the Saudi military defended during Arab Spring uprisings, praised the "wise directives and sound and prompt decisions" of Saudi leaders. "Bahrain reiterates its strong solidarity with Saudi Arabia in all its stances and measures and utterly rejects any attempt that targets its security, sovereignty and stability," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Kuwaiti government commended the "transparent" Saudi announcement and called on the international community to refrain from interfering in the "sensitive case until completion of the investigation and facts are revealed." It praised Saudi Arabia's role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

Egypt and Jordan, both of which depend on Saudi economic support, issued statements of support. Jordan's King Abdullah II sat at the crown prince's side Tuesday at the opening of an investment forum in Riyadh that some in the West decided to boycott.

Among the gulf countries, only Qatar - locked in a bitter dispute with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, who charge among other things that it is too close to both Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood - has spoken out against Riyadh.

Lolway al-Khatar, a spokeswoman for the Qatari foreign ministry, said at a conference in London that the Khashoggi case ought to be a "wake-up call" for the world. Noting that Mohammed over the past year alone has authorized the kidnapping of Lebanon's prime minister and had a vicious spat with Canada over a tweet critical of Riyadh's human rights performance, she said that now "people . . . [have] started understanding what we have been going through."

But the only country likely to be happy about the still-unfolding Khashoggi crisis is Iran. From the start, both religious and political leaders there have been noticeably reticent, apparently content to stand back and watch the Saudi position unravel.

It was only on Monday, after the official Saudi statement acknowledged Khashoggi's death, that a senior Iranian official broke the silence.

"This heinous murder further revealed the nature of the Saudis, their kingdom and that young man who is seeking fame and murdering innocent people," Iranian judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani said in an apparent reference to the crown prince, according to Agence France-Presse in Tehran.

The world, he said, must understand the gravity of "Saudi state terrorism."

- - -

The Washington Post's Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.
Photo: The Canadian Press Volunteers cross a creek and barbed wire near Barron, Wis., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, on their way to a ground search for 13-year-old Jayme Closs who was discovered missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found fatally shot at their home. The search for Closs was expanded Tuesday, with as many as 2,000 volunteers expected to take part in a search of the area. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen)

Investigators are assessing several items that volunteers found Tuesday during an expanded search for clues that might lead to a missing 13-year-old Wisconsin girl whose parents were killed, but none of them yet seem to be linked to her disappearance, a sheriff said.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald released a statement on Facebook thanking the 2,000 volunteers who spent the day walking through swamps, cornfields and woods in chilly weather to help find Jayme Closs, who is believed to have been abducted.

Fitzgerald said authorities had received over 1,400 tips as of Tuesday and had closed 1,100 of them while continuing to work the others. Some of those tips led authorities to conduct Tuesday's expanded search. People from in and around the Closs family's hometown of Barron and as far away as the Minneapolis area, about 80 miles (130 kilometres) to the southwest, heeded the call for volunteer help.

After being instructed to proceed slowly, to yell "Stop!" if they see anything and to wait for the authorities to come check it out, volunteers fanned out in lines to search marshes, wooded areas and fields. Video posted on Twitter by a KMSP-TV reporter showed searchers walking in a grid pattern, using the sticks to bat down tall grass and vegetation.

Reporters tracking various search groups tweeted that volunteers were told to look for anything that could be a clue, such as a cellphone, piece of clothing or gun.

Jayme Closs has been missing since sheriff's deputies responding to a 911 call early on the morning of Oct. 15 found the door to her family's home near Barron kicked in and her parents, James and Denise Closs, dead inside. They had been shot. Investigators believe Jayme was abducted and ruled her out as a suspect on the investigation's first day.

Joe Scheu, a retiree from the nearby village of Haugen, said he was taking part in Tuesday's search because he has a 13-year-old granddaughter and he wanted to help out. He said the violence in the case is terrible and that he feels sorry for Jayme.

Jill Robinson, who lives about 60 miles (100 kilometres) south in Eleva, drove to Barron with a friend to join the search.

"I guess I'm not doing anything different than I would hope someone would do if it was one of my loved ones in this situation right now," said Robinson, 48. "I just think anytime it hits close to home like this, it just makes you think it could be you or one of our loved ones."

Investigators are also searching for two cars  a red or orange Dodge Challenger and a black Ford Edge or black Acura MDX  that may have been near the Closs family's home on the night of the attack, Fitzgerald said. He didn't have information about the cars' license plates.

Relatives plan to hold a funeral for James and Denise Closs on Saturday at 1 p.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Cameron, a village next to Barron. The funeral will be preceded by an 11 a.m. visitation.

Fitzgerald said he planned to provide another update on Wednesday afternoon.
Globally about 2 million cycles of IVF are performed each year. IVF is growing at ~7% per year. IVF is growing at 20-30% in China. China will be the major driver of IVF demand growth. This will increase global IVF growth towards 20-30% per year.

China had 17-18 million births per year and about 100K-200K were IVF births in 2017. By 2025, China should have about 1 million IVF births per year.

Denmark leads the world in IVF rates. 10% of all Denmark births are via IVF. Denmark has socialized medicine and a desperate need for a higher birthrate.

If China matches Denmarks levels of IVF by 2030, then China would have about 2 million IVF births per year. China had more than 40 million patients with fertility problems in 2016, according to statistics from Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission. China will probably surpass Denmark IVF percentages and reach 20% IVF babies.

China will lift all birth restrictions and provide government support for IVF. This could boost Chinas birthrate by 10-40 million each decade starting in 2030. There will likely be a 4-7 million population boost through the 2020s in China from IVF.

The number of working age people in China is set to fall to 700 million by 2050  a decline of nearly a quarter, according to a government spokesman. The working-age population has been in decline since 2012, with the number of people aged 16-59 predicted to be 830 million in 2030. Maintaining Chinas workforce in 2050 would require adding 150 million more than the expected 50 million from the two-child policy.

A massive IVF boost could offset the workforce decline by 10-20 million in 2050s and then help a workforce recovery from 2060 onwards.

The IVF industry is growing. Costs are dropping and costs in other countries are far lower.

Egg banking is now aggressively marketed to younger women as an insurance policy against age-related infertility. In 2011, egg banking did not even exist as a category in the CDCs annual report on IVF. In 2016, storing eggs or embryos was the purpose of 25% of all IVF cycles. Facebook and other companies are offer egg freezing as a benefit. IVF remains a luxury.

In the past ten years, Chinas government has increased funding and efforts to bring high-quality health care to its people. The current 5-year plan has made reproductive medicine, including PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), a priority.

Chinas use of genetic screening technique already is more than the United States. Genetic screening is growing up to five times faster in China. One clinic in China performs more procedures with PGD each year than all of the United Kingdom.

China has over 40 IVF clinics.

Genetic screening in the US

According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the number of US IVF attempts with single-gene testing rose from 1,941 in 2014 to 3,271 in 2016, an increase of almost 70%. Assuming this trend continued, there were about 5,000 IVF attempts with single-gene testing in 2018.

The US average IVF cost is over $20,000 for each try and testing can add $10,000 or more. This requires an unpleasant two-week process of ovarian stimulation and egg harvesting.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.7% of babies born in the US today are conceived using IVF. A 2009 study found that 76% of the medical need for assisted reproduction in the US is unmet.

China already uses more genetic screening against genetic diseases and will use genetic screening for intelligence.

Billions in IVF services and technology

Qiaos centre carried out 18,000 IVF procedures in 2016. In 2016, the biggest clinic, the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital CITIC-Xiangya in Changsha, recorded 41,000 IVF procedures.

The market inside China for fertility services will reach $1.5 billion in 2022, more than double the $670 million it generated in 2016.

Chinese patients spent 7.4 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) on fertility treatments outside the country in 2016. Qianzhan Industry Research Institute estimated that reproduction tourism from China was US$1.4 billion in 2017. This was about 70,000 couples in 2017. Reproduction tourism from China is growing at 20-30% per year.

Chengdu-based Jinxin is planning an initial public offering in Hong Kong to raise as much as $500 million, with the proceeds possibly helping the company expand its operations in China and make acquisitions in the U.S.

Along with Warburg Pincus, the company recently completed the acquisition of HRC Fertility, which operates clinics in Southern California.

Chinese patients seeking better technology and services will travel to the U.S.

We Doctor Holdings Ltd., a health-care service provider backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., was part of a group that on Aug. 31 announced the purchase of a 90 percent stake in Genea Ltd., a Sydney-based provider of fertility services that wants to build its business in China.

China has an algorithm-powered app called Crazy for making babies (aka Fengkuangzaoren). There are over 8 million users and 70,000 families successfully used it to help conceive over the past four years.

Chinas IVF and genetic screen cost about one-third of the costs in the United States.
NASA awarded a potential $8.1 million dollar contract to Nanocomp Technologies, now part of Huntsman, for the continued improvement of manufacturing high-strength CNT yarn/tape for use in developing CNT composites with strength properties at least double that of carbon fiber composites in use today.

Successful improvement of this nanotechnology that could enable lighter spacecraft and launch vehicles, making spaceflight and exploration more affordable.

October 29, 2018, will have technology demonstrations of:

* Next-generation yarn production

* Miralon as a heat shield for space, aircraft and automotive applications

* Furnaces producing sheet and yarn product

* Miralon heated furniture and fixtures

* Miralon yarn as a wire for lighting

Miralon is a continuous interconnected network of extremely long carbon tubes that does not require cross-linking or use of binders. Miralon is produced as sheets, yarn, and dispersed products. It is on the scale of millimeters (1mm-10mm) versus micrometers and classified by the EPA as an article, not a particle, which makes for safe handling. Miralon exploits many of the remarkable properties of individual CNTs spanning the electrical, mechanical, and thermal domains successfully at application scale.
Russia showed off a ship model and design for a small catamaran aircraft carrier. It would have less than half the weight than a US super-carrier but would have almost half the planes and close to the same flight deck.

The standard displacement is 37000 tons and full displacement is 44000 tons. The length is 304 meters (260 by construction waterline), the width is 78 meters and the draft is 8.5 meters. Full speed is 28 knots. Cruising range at 16 knots is 8000 miles, expandable endurance is 60 days. Aircraft engagement seaworthiness is force seven. The main power plant is a two-shaft gas turbine with a partial electric propulsion and a capacity of 81000 KW or 110000 HP. The electric system comprises three generators with a total capacity of 32MW (6.3 KV/50Hz).

A catamaran is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stabilized craft, deriving its stability from its wide beam, rather than from a ballasted keel as with a monohull sailboat.

The Russian navy catamaran would have 46 flying craft, including 12-14 Su-33, 12-14 MiG-39K/KUB, four airborne early warning aircraft, 12-14 Ka-27 helicopters. This would be about half as many planes as a US super-carrier.

It would be longer than a US small aircraft carrier  amphibious assault ship. The length and width of the flattop would be nearly to the size of a US Nimitz aircraft carrier. However, the displacement would be close to the small marine landing aircraft carrier.

The US Navy built the Spearhead Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) program is a cooperative effort for a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intratheater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The EPF will reach speeds of 3545 knots (6583 km/h; 4052 mph) and will allow for the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces as well as equipment and supplies.

The Spearhead is 103 meters long and 23 meters wide.
In March of 2018, Ed Pheil spoke to International Nuclear Materials Management (Vienna Chapter) about Elysium Industries Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor (MCSFR).

In 2018, Elysium Industries USA (Clifton Park, NY) received $3.2 million to develop the computational fluid dynamics models needed to simulate and optimize the flows of chloride molten salt fuel in a reactor vessel and heat exchangers for their Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor design.

DOE Funding: $2,560,000; Non-DOE: $640,000; Total Value: $3,200,000

The Elysium MCSFR will be built utilizing existing code-qualified materials and relies on natural processes. Elysium is simplifying engineering systems saving cost with natural techniques for passive operation and safety.

Everything that Elysium is choosing is to only use what is qualified and working at the time.

The system can convert spent nuclear fuel at 100 times less cost than current reprocessing methods.
The US got about fifty F-35s in 2017 and 26 F-18 Superhornets. In 2018 there will be seventy F-35s for the USA and about fourteen F-18s. The US is getting about 75 to 85 fighter jets every year.

In 2017 and 2018, the USA got other military aircraft

15 KC-46A refueling tankers

five E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is an airborne early warning

17 P8A anti-sub in 2017 and 7 in 2018

19 C-130J cargo aircraft in 2017 and 9 in 2018

In total, the US is getting about 130 military planes each year. This does not count helicopters.

Lockheed has delivered 310 F-35s by mid-2018 and expects to deliver another 91 in 2018 after meeting last years target of boosting deliveries to 66. Almost one-third of the F-35s go to allies of the United States.

Russia Military Jet Deliveries

In 2017, Russia received about 43 fighter jets.

16 Su-34s, an all-weather supersonic fighter-bomber;

10 Su-35s, a new version of the super-maneuverable Su-27 fighters;

17 Su-30SMs, a variant of the Su-30MKI produced by Irkut Corp with upgrades in radar, communications, friend-or-foe identification, ejection seats, etc.

Russia had about 14 other military aircraft delivered in 2017.

Russian builders Mikoyan, Sukhoi and other contractors only manufactured some 80 warplanes  but they have the capacity to build about 130 planes a year. Russia exports military jets to other countries.

China military jet delivery estimates

China-based military website Northern Defence said China may have received around 100 aircraft in 2017. About two-thirds were combat jets.

China is building more production lines and factories to build new J-31 and J-20 stealth fighters.

China will likely increase fighter jet production roughly matching its 5-10% military budget increases. Chinas military budget will be about double in 2030. China would match US fighter jet production quantities around 2025.

China might shift to mostly stealth jet production sometime around 2030. Chinas stealth jet production is highly uncertain as production is just starting. China does not announce production plans or force levels.

Estimates of 4th and 5th generation jets in 2025 and 2030

The US has more jet fighter deliveries than China and Russia combined and the US has far more fifth-generation stealth fighters.

China has about 700 4th generation fighters today and about 25 fifth generation fighters.

China could have 1100 4th generation fighters and about 60-120 fifth generation fighters in 2025.

China could have 1200-1600 4th generation fighters and 200-500 5th generation fighters in 2030.

The US has about 450 fifth generation fighters today (F-22 and F-35s).

The US air force has about 1500 F-16s and F15s. The Navy has about 800 F-18s and the Marines have about 260 F-18s.

The US will have about 1000 fifth generation fighters in 2025 and about 1500 by 2030.

Russia will probably have about 1000-1200 4th generation fighters in 2030.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this July 29, 2014, file photo, Araceli Rodriguez handles a rosary during a news conference in Nogales, Mexico, that belonged to her son Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, pictured behind her, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in October 2012. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz will face a second trial Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in the killing of 16-year-old Elena Rodriguez across the international border. Swartz was acquitted of second-degree murder in Tucson earlier in 2018 and now will be tried on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges.

Federal prosecutors will once again try a U.S. Border Patrol agent who killed a 16-year-old boy in a cross-border shooting. The agent was acquitted earlier this year of murder, but a jury deadlocked on manslaughter charges.

A jury was selected Tuesday and opening arguments are scheduled Wednesday in the second trial of Lonnie Swartz, five years since he fatally shot Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez through a border fence dividing Arizona and Mexico.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has declined to comment on why it decided to pursue manslaughter charges again.

It's extremely rare for a Border Patrol agent to be criminally charged in circumstances involving a use of force case, but the agency was under heavy scrutiny over violent incidents when Swartz was first indicted in 2015, including many involving rock-throwers.

In the meantime, a civil rights lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of Elena Rodriguez's mother has been making its way through the courts but will likely have to be taken up by the Supreme Court before a decision is made.

That's because his attorneys have argued that the American constitution didn't extend to Elena Rodriguez, a Mexican teen who was on Mexican soil when Swartz shot him. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinion conflicting with a different circuit, recently ruled that Swartz can be held accountable.

Swartz has been on leave and living in Nevada since the incident.

Prosecutors this spring focused on what they said was Swartz's frustration with rock-throwers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wallace Heath Kleindienst said during closing arguments that Swartz "was fed up with being rocked" after being targeted in at least six other attacks.

Defence attorney Sean Chapman said there was "not a scintilla of evidence" that Swartz was angry or fed up. Chapman said Swartz opened fire because he was trying to protect himself and his fellow agents during a drug operation.
NEWTOWN  Police will have to make public 35 documents belonging to the disturbed 20-year-old who killed 26 first-graders and educators at Sandy Hook School in 2012, the states highest court has ruled.

The documents include a spreadsheet ranking mass murders and a notebook entitled The Big Book of Granny. The notebook contains a story school shooter Adam Lanza wrote in fifth grade about a woman who uses her rifle cane to kill people.

The ruling Tuesday by state Supreme Court did not say when police must release Lanzas writings and other evidence.

Nor is it clear the release of documents will shed light on a question that has never been answered: Why Lanza acted with such barbarity against the closest person in his life  his mother  and defenseless children.

Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, and then drove to Sandy Hook School with an AR-15-style rifle that he took from an unlocked closet. He shot his way into a locked Sandy Hook School, killing the children and educators before turning a handgun on himself.

A 2014 report by the Connecticut Child Advocate said Lanzas severe and deteriorating mental health, his obsession with mass murder, and his access to his mothers firearms proved a recipe for mass murder.

The Child Advocates report said Newtown schools and Lanzas parents missed chances to treat his autism, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but found only Adam Lanza was to blame for the worst crime in modern Connecticut history.

Last week, two former Sandy Hook School administrators challenged that report, saying the school district did everything it could to meet Lanzas needs.

More News With Kavanaugh on court, gun laws could be targeted

Tuesdays ruling is a victory for Connecticuts Freedom of Information Commission and The Hartford Courant, which argued the documents seized by police from Lanzas Newtown home were public under state open records law.

The court ruled unanimously for the newspaper and the commission, whose order to police to release Lanzas belongings was overturned by a lower court judge.

State police had seized guns, ammunition and Lanzas belongings, including personal journals.

State police already have released some of Lanzas writings, along with thousands of pages of interviews, documents and other evidence from the investigation.

But the full contents of the spreadsheet and the Granny notebook have not been released.

The Granny book contains several chapters with the adventures of Dora the Beserker. When Granny asks Dora to assassinate a soldier, she replies: I like hurting people. ... Especially children. In the same story, Dora sends Swiper the Raccoon into a day care center to distract the children, then enters and says, Lets hurt children.

The Courant asked to see 35 items seized from the Lanza house, but state police rejected the request, citing privacy rights under the states search and seizure law.

The newspaper appealed to the Freedom of Information Commission, which ruled the belongings must be made public because the law doesnt specifically bar documents seized from peoples homes  and not used in prosecutions  from being released.

State police appealed to Superior Court, which agreed with state police and overturned the commissions ruling.

The state attorney generals office, which represented state police, declined to comment Tuesday. The office could ask the state Supreme Court to reconsider its decision or possibly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

State police declined to comment.

In the ruling, Justice Raheem Mullins wrote the court must narrowly construe language in state law that allows exceptions to public disclosure, otherwise any statute governing an agencys general treatment of records becomes a possible restriction on disclosure.

Staff writer Rob Ryser contributed to this report. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
DERBY  An internal investigation into the treatment of several teenagers after the July 3 municipal fireworks show is done and punishment meted out, Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski said Wednesday.

But the chief declined to release details, saying the investigation had not yet been closed administratively.

I need to speak to the complainant, Narowski said. I have given her until next Friday to contact me and set up a meeting. If she does not respond by then I will consider it administratively closed.

A phone number for Jessica Matthews, the woman who filed the complaint that led to the police investigation, was out of service on Wednesday. But a source with knowledge of the probe said a Derby police officer was assessed a half-day suspension as a result of the incident.

If thats the case, Im not happy with the outcome, said Greg Johnson, head of the NAACPs Naugatuck Valley chapter. Im going to have a face-to-face (meeting) with the chief of police either Thursday or Friday.

Accounts of the incident surfaced in July, when Matthews complained to Derby police. She provided reporters with several videos that she said document what happened between the teens and police.

More News Chief: Several Derby cops under investigation

I cannot stand racism, she said at the time. I cannot stand racial profiling. The kids civil rights were violated.

Matthews said her 16-year-old son was walking with a group of primarily African American friends when several officers on duty for the fireworks show told them they could not loiter and began following them.

One of the teens confronted the officers and asked for their badge numbers, Matthews said.

I dont have to tell you that, one officer appears to tell one teen on a cellphone video Matthews said was recorded by one of the teens.

At that point Matthews son and others also started recording, she said.

Dont come near me, Im not going to say it again, an officer appears to say on one video. Get it out of my face; out of my face now.

Another video appears to show that phone being taken away by an officer.

And another video clip appears to show an officer saying, You can film, but you aint gonna put it in peoples faces, all right? If you want to take it, you gotta do it at a reasonable distance.

Johnson said he is not averse to contacting the Connecticut State Police, the Chief States Attorneys Office, the FBI or U.S. Attorneys office to file a complaint if he feels the local internal investigation was insufficient.

He also said there are basic problems between the citys police department and the community it serves.

Something needs to be done about (police) diversity in this city, Johnson said. The police department does not reflect the citys diversity and extensive training is necessary.
BRIDGEPORT  Tupi or not Tupi? Thats the question that was posed to Connecticut Beardsley Zoo fan on the zoos Facebook page. The zoo was looking for a new for its new baby giant anteater and offered voters three options  Tupi, Gancio and Damiano.

All were South American names or terms, in honor of the anteaters, which hail from that area of the world. Tupi was the resounded winner of the poll, with 63 percent of the vote. Gencio was a distant second, with 25 percent of the vote and Damiano go 12 percent.
WEST HAVEN  Activists calling for University of New Haven to re-examine its ties with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the reported death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi got some indirect backing Tuesday from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Blumenthal said he had no information specifically about UNHs ties to Saudi Arabia .

But all American businesses and nonprofit organizations should review and re-evaluate their relationships with Saudi Arabia in light of the ... murder, which seemingly could not have been done without knowledge at the highest levels of its government, he said.

He spoke in the wake of a call by activist Stanley Heller of the Middle East Crisis Committee for UNH to reasses its relationship with Saudi Arabias King Fahd Security College in light of the apparent murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident who lived in the United States.

They also should re-evaluate their relationships in light of its continuing bombing of civilians in Yemen, its crackdown on womens freedoms, and human rights abuses and other actions that seem to violate basic American values, Blumenthal said in a phone interview.

Whats more, Our own government should be leading this complete re-evaluation of our relationship, including potentially imposing sanctions and halting arms and military support, Blumenthal said.

Our government should be demanding an immediate and complete international investigation, not the whitewash planned by the Saudis concerning the brutal killing of an American newspaper columnist, he said.

In a follow-up to his original news release, Heller questioned UNHs suggestion that the man who allegedly killed Khashoggi is not the same man listed on the website for a Saudi college the university has a relationship with.

Heller, who has called for the university to cut ties with Saudi Arabia, called spokeswoman Lyn Chamberlins suggestion that there might be two Saudi forensic scientists with similar names extraordinary.

He also said, While the possible association of UNH personnel with the alleged killer of Khashoggi is sensational, the bigger scandal is the undoubted and ongoing relationship of UNH with a police college in a country ruled by a cruel tyrant with a justice system known for torture and horrific punishments.

Chamberlin was not immediately available for comment.

She told the New Haven Register last week that the Dr. Muhammed al-Tubaigy named as the one who possibly cut off parts of Khashoggis body while he was still alive in the Turkish consulate in Istanbul may not be the same one listed as a member of a Saudi forensic assocation on the King Fahd Security College website.

That followed Hellers assertion in a news release for the Middle East Crisis Committee that al-Tubaigy, head of forensics at the Saudi General Security Department  who some media have reported murdered Khashoggi and cut off parts of his body by sawing his bones while Khashoggi was still alive  is on the board of directors of King Fahd Security College.

Chamberlin said last week that thats not the case, and in fact, King Fahd Security College doesnt have a board of directors.

She also said that the name of the man on the board of directors of the Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine, which is listed on the King Fahd Security College website, spells his name differently (Al-Tabaiqy) and may not be the same person.

The big question is whether there are two prominent Al-Tubaigy forensic scientists, Heller said in a subsequent emailed statement. If there are and Ive confused and slandered one I want to make a sincere and abject apology.

But we do know about the one Dr. Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy. NBC has his passport scan. It says he was born in 1971, Heller said.

He is head of the Legal Medicine Department of the Saudi Ministry of the Interior and Vice President of the Saudi Legal Medicine Society, he said. This alleged assassin is one of the leading forensic scientists and medical ethicists currently working in the Kingdom, ... The Guardian (UK) describes him as the senior forensic doctor in Saudi Arabia.

Are we to understand that the Al-Tabaiqy (or Al-Tubaigy) on the board of Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine at King Fahd Security College ... is NOT the Dr. Al-Tubaigy born in 1971 being named as an alleged killer? That would be extraordinary.

If thats the case, Who is this second al-Tubaigy? Heller asked. When was he born? Where did he go to school? At which college or institution does he work?

Again, if its true I want to apologize, but Id need more evidence than a mere second-hand claim, he said.

Heller asked, If there is a second forensic scientist named al-Tubaigy, why isnt he speaking out? Im sure he would be mortified being called the alleged killer of Khashoggi.

A Google translation of a page on the King Fahd Security College website lists a board of directors that includes a Dr. Salah Muhammed al-Tubaiqy as a member. That board appears to be for the Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine, according to a heading on that page.

The web pages address url refers to the board as a governing council. It is was not immediately clear what direct connection, if any, there might be between the Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine and King Fahd Security College  although a journal it publishes lists a mailing address at the college.

In a written statement last week, Heller also called on the directors of the Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law at Yale Law School to speak out in the wake of the latest news. The Middle East Crisis Committee believes Connecticut institutions with relationships with Saudi Arabia must take action to protest the Khashoggi murder, Heller wrote.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  Nearly a year after the city implemented its harm reduction program, LEAD, its reaching out to involve the community in the effort.

The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program has been piloted in New Haven with the goal of getting resources for people with life issues instead of arresting them for minor crimes. Around 50 people gathered in John C. Daniels school to attend the first meeting to create a Community Leadership Team that would act as a partner representing the community, something LEAD thus far has lacked.

LEAD started in Seattle when the city faced either developing a program that would help addicted individuals or building more jails. The program also has been established in Albany, N.Y., Baltimore and Bangor, Maine.

In other cities, the community piece was the first part that was initiated, LEAD Project Manager Cynthia Watson said during the meeting. For us, we are backpedaling, initiating the community piece now. It should have been done before. We have to just move forward now. Its a lesson learned because when we talk to other communities we speak about how that piece has delayed the momentum we hoped to have. But were starting now and moving forward. We can only move forward.

The LEAD model brings together police officers, social workers, health care professionals and community members to help divert low-level criminals from incarceration by connecting them with social services instead. The core idea of the model is that affordable housing, gainful employment and substance abuse treatment are more effective at addressing poverty, mental health and addiction than are arrests and imprisonment .

The city introduced the two-year pilot of the program last November in the Hill and Downtown neighborhoods funded by a $200,000 state grant for Cornell Scott Hill Health Center and a $75,000 federal grant for the city, both of which expire in April 2019.

Participants targeted for LEAD generally are those with substance abuse issues or mental health disorders. So far, the program has diverted two people from arrest, but most participants are social contact referrals.

The purpose of the Community Leadership Team is to involve the community in the policy that gets created as the LEAD program gets tailored to New Haven. Community Services Administrator Dakibu Muley said the community will decide who is a member of the CLT and choose a representative to the Policy Coordinating Group, which is made up of police, health professionals, legal experts and others. The powers of the CLT were not defined, though. Muley only said he envisions the CLT hearing and weighing in on policies that the Policy Coordinating Group creates. Its important the community and stakeholders have a say in how we should go about it and how it should be tweaked if necessary, he said.

More News First participant in New Haven diversionary program dies

Watson said someone from the CLT would be part of devising LEAD policies and they are looking for other stakeholders such as a public defender, a probation officer, harm reduction provider, civil rights activist and religious leader to be a member of the policy group.

Sophie Wheelock, a graduate student of Yale University School of Public Health, worked on a report presented to the community in September by the Sex Workers and Allies Network and the Yale Global Health Justice Partnership that criticized the citys implementation of the LEAD model because it didnt involve the community, and said its process has been vague. She said theyve also been evaluating whether LEAD is the right model in the first place based on the needs of people in the city .

In other cities, LEAD has been a grassroots effort, she said, while in New Haven it wasnt asked for by residents. This is more of a top-down implementation, she said.

This meeting was supposed to be about designing the community leadership team and it felt much more like the same old presentation weve heard about LEAD time and time again, Wheelock said. We were hoping to learn more about the powers, the process, whether there was accountability for the PCG to take the recommendations seriously. ... This seemed to us like the city saying, We hear you. Youre asking for community involvement so were going to do this in the future.

Jane Mills, a member of the original LEAD planning group, said she still is looking for more detailed information after nearly a year since the planning group was created.

This wasnt detailed, she said. This was for the public who may not know about the program. For those who are more deeply interested we need to sit down and get more information about the program. Mills said shes hoping the city is open to having smaller group meetings to explain what the program and process is.

mdignan@hearstmediact.com
WINSTED  A Hamden architecture firm has been chosen to begin phase one of the renovation project at the former Mary P. Hinsdale Elementary School.

Silver, Petrucelli & Associates Inc. was selected Tuesday night after the Hinsdale School Renovation Committee narrowed down the selection to the three top candidates.

The committee agreed that $38,500 could be spent by the firm to prepare schematics and other non-construction items. A total appropriation of $161,000 is available for phase one of the project, officials said, through a budget line item rather than from the sale of bonds.

The number one priority for Silver were the potential solutions; financially and feasibility, said Winchester Superintendent of Schools Melony M. Brady-Shanley.

The winning firms bid documents note it is familiar with the school, having completed flooring and roofing projects at Hinsdale in the past.

The committee was impressed with Silver, Petrucelli & Associates in-house staff. The firm noted in its proposal that it employees 47 architects, six engineers and other essential professionals allowing it to complete projects without the need for subcontractors.

Theyve done 30 (school) projects in the state since 2012, said committee member Dale Denning. Eighty percent of their work is for K-12 schools.

Funding for the full renovation work, expected to be about $4.2 million, will have to be approved by voters at a special referendum which likely would be held in late winter, Brady-Shanley said. State grants could pay for about $1.3 million of the cost, according to initial estimates.

The firm will be out at community events talking about the referendum. They will help with the process, said committee member Michelle Hintz.

The other firms interviewed for the project were: Friar Architecture of Farmington, Perkins Eastman of Stamford, QA+M Architecture, also of Farmington, and Sevigny Architects of Hartford.
Photo: CTV xPolice vehicles are seen outside the Delta Rise building on Oct. 22.

In a move straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, a man jumped from one high rise balcony to another to elude an armed assailant.

Police in Delta are searching for a suspect who allegedly pulled out a gun at a gathering Monday afternoon, leading to one man's death-defying escape.

Officers were called to the Delta Rise building shortly after 5:30 p.m. when a man allegedly threatened another with a firearm.

Police said in a statement the victim jumped from the 19th-floor balcony to another balcony on the floor below and hid in the attached apartment while police were called.

Investigators were able to obtain a search warrant and members of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team entered the unit but were unable to find the suspect.

- with files from CTV Vancouver
Stock photo

NEW HAVEN  New Haven resident Curtis Draughn, aka Kirk, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin, according to a press release from John H. Durham, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut.

The case is part of an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury, the release said.
The response was immediate - and incendiary - when people learned that students at the University of Southern Maine had been offered course credit if they joined a bus full of people planning to protest Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court and lobby Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to vote against it.

Hundreds of people called the university, including furious alumni, upset students, and prospective students and their parents. Critics saw the class as an outrageous abuse of the public university's mission, a case of liberal academics trying to indoctrinate students. "It was fierce, ferocious . . . and threatening," said Glenn Cummings, the president of the university.

This week, he announced that Susan Feiner, the recently retired longtime faculty member who had offered the one-credit course, would be barred from teaching at USM and any of the state's other public universities.

University leaders called it a rogue action by a former employee.

Feiner, whose father was the plaintiff in a well-known Supreme Court case after he was arrested for a speech that angered a crowd, saw it very differently. "Hecklers were permitted to shut down what they disagreed with," she said.

Feiner, who was a tenured professor of economics at USM, had been outspoken as a faculty union leader and an advocate for students who said they had been sexually assaulted. She retired in September. But a National Education Association grant had funded the university's faculty union for the Frances Perkins Initiative for Social Justice Education, intended to create high-impact pop-up classes for busy students.

After hearing Kavanaugh and a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct testify, Feiner had the idea of getting students on a bus to Washington for a lesson in civic engagement and a chance to witness history.

Cummings told the campus Wednesday that Feiner had been barred from teaching "for her role in listing and promoting an unauthorized class that advanced her personal political agenda. The course was promptly rescinded and university officials took immediate steps to ensure that institutional resources were not . . . used to support one-sided political activism."

Feiner said she didn't think the class was a partisan effort. "Any student from any political perspective at USM would have been welcome on that bus. . . . I think it was taken as partisan because the Republicans in Maine turned it into something that was partisan."

The executive director of the Maine GOP did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the party issued a "RED ALERT" on its Facebook page saying USM was offering a free college credit and a free bus ride to Washington to protest Collins, calling it "shocking and unacceptable," and noting, "The event page goes so far as to ask if STUDENTS are okay with being ARRESTED."

The main organizer of the bus to Washington was Diane Russell, a former Democratic state legislator and gubernatorial candidate in Maine. Everyone on the bus, other than some reporters covering the protest, opposed Kavanaugh's confirmation to the court, Russell said.

A photo in the Portland Press Herald shows Feiner leaving the bus holding a printed sign aloft: "A sexual predator does not belong on the Supreme Court."

Russell said the bus was paid for by the Center for Popular Democracy, a liberal advocacy group.

She said USM's leaders had sent a message to faculty members, and to women, with their decision: "If you're willing to stand up and fight for social justice . . . you will be attacked and vilified."

Feiner's father, Irving, gave a speech about civil rights and other political issues in 1949 while he was a student at Syracuse University, said Roy Gutterman, a communications law professor at Syracuse who is writing a book about him. A crowd gathered around Irving Feiner, upset by his words and suspicious he might be a communist sympathizer.

Instead of protecting Irving Feiner from the angry group around him, police arrested him for disorderly conduct. A judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail - which he served after losing his case, Feiner v. New York, before the Supreme Court.

"This was really one of the first of the McCarthy-era free speech cases," with an official shutting down unpopular ideas because they provoked such an angry reaction, said Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse. He said the "heckler's veto" has been happening lately on college campuses, as at the University of California at Berkeley last year, when protesters upset by a conservative speaker set fires and smashed windows, causing the event to be canceled.

The University of Maine System's board of trustees - a politically appointed panel that includes Susan Collins' brother, Samuel Collins - passed a policy this spring that worried some faculty members, who thought it might limit their free speech.

The policy does not ban partisan activity on the campuses, University of Maine System spokesman Dan Demeritt explained in an email, but "makes it clear that our publicly funded institutions are to remain nonpartisan and impartial." He gave the example of a faculty member who appears in a campaign ad, but with a disclaimer that notes she is speaking as an individual.

Cummings said it has always been clear that professors can discuss political issues in class, but that they should provide a range of perspectives and let students settle on their own opinions.

Feiner has the right to voice her own opinion, he said, but she crossed a significant line when she used the name of the university to promote her political agenda. "That is why we felt the need to be firm," Cummings said.

USM's provost, Jeannine Diddle Uzzi, said that when officials heard concerns and began to investigate the class, they learned that there was never a course proposal or committee review of the syllabus, as required.

Feiner isn't an employee any longer, Uzzi said, and didn't have a contract to teach the class.

Feiner acknowledged that she didn't go through the regular process for creating the pop-up class: With things moving quickly in Washington, "I was just bulling through it," she said. But she said university officials haven't been straightforward about why they shut it down.

Uzzi and Cummings said they both have known Feiner for many years but have lost trust in her.

"She's a spitfire," Cummings said, someone with strong views and a commitment to action. "But you have to use good judgment."
WEST HAVEN  The University of New Haven responded Tuesday to a call for it to reassess its relationship with a Saudi Arabian college following the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, saying, institutions of higher learning cannot, and should not, operate in isolation.

Spokeswoman Lyn Chamberlin said in a statement that the educational advising provided by the University of New Haven to the King Fahd Security College ... in developing their own security studies program is something we believe should be supported and fostered.

Chamberlin spoke in the wake of a call by activist Stanley Heller of the Middle East Crisis Committee for the university to cut ties with King Fahd Security College in light of the apparent murder of Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Washington Post opinion columnist and Saudi dissident who lived in Virginia.

Khashoggis killing has been global news.

In a separate email responding to a series of questions from the New Haven Register, Chamberlin declined to make available the contract establishing the relationship between the university and the Saudi college, saying, This is a confidential agreement between two private entities, governed by a non-disclosure agreement.

Asked what the university was doing for King Fahd Security College, or KFSC, under the agreement, Chamberlin responded, The university is advising King Fahd Security College on the development of a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in security studies, in the recruitment of faculty members, as well as other administrative tasks.

Under the agreement, In addition to reimbursing us for expenses and overhead, a modest fee for services is paid on a monthly basis, she said.

She did not specify the amount.

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., responding to questions about Hellers call for UNH to cut ties with the Saudi college, said that while he had no specific information on that, all American businesses and nonprofit organizations should review and re-evaluate their relationships with Saudi Arabia in light of the ... murder, which seemingly could not have been done without knowledge at the highest levels of its government.

Chamberlin responded Tuesday that given the University of New Havens world-renowned programs in criminal justice, national security and forensic science, the university was asked by and entered into an agreement with the King Fahd Security College in Riyadh in 2016 to help it establish a four-year baccalaureate degree in security studies.

The goal, then as now, was to help modernize and professionalize criminal justice activities in Saudi Arabia through this educational partnership, wrote Chamberlin , the universitys vice president for marketing & communications.

Since then, we have been pleased with the academic professionalism of our partners, and we look forward to continuing the relationship, she said.

Separate and apart from that contractual relationship, we also continue to welcome the 198 Saudi students at the University of New Haven who are studying in a wide range of fields across the university, Chamberlin wrote.

The University of New Haven is deeply committed to all of its students, who represent more than 40 countries, studying on its campuses, the statement said . Cross-cultural programs enrich both our faculty and our students and provide intercultural experiences that are important for global safety and security.

The university welcomes cross-cultural student experiences and opportunities for transnational collaboration and the well-being of the global society, Chamberlin wrote.

In her second email, Chamberlin said there are no UNH faculty teaching at King Fahd Security College and no KFSC faculty or staff working at the university. She also said there are no UNH students at KFSC or KFSC students at the university.

Of the 198 Saudi students studying a wide range of programs across each of the universitys schools and colleges, there are 65 graduate students and 133 undergraduates, she said.

Heller, reached by phone Tuesday, declined to respond directly to Chamberlin , saying, We wrote to UNH officials today, to the president, to Dean (Mario) Gaboury at Lee College. ... We suggested that UNH explain to the public what UNH is doing over there.

He said he also called for a forum over there on the UNH campus, which would feature a panel that might include representatives of the universitys Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Heller himself and Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs and a noted Saudi dissident.

I even suggested that the mayor could be the moderator, Heller said.

Khashoggi allegedly was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Heller initially said last week that Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy, head of forensics at the Saudi General Security Department  who some media have reported killed Khashoggi and cut off parts of his body while Khashoggi was still alive  is on the board of directors of King Fahd Security College.

Chamberlin has said thats not the case  and in fact, King Fahd Security College doesnt have a board of directors. Al-Tubaigy, or a name similar to his, is listed in a Google translation of a page on the King Fahd Security College website as a member of the board of directors of the Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine.

The societys publication, The Saudi Journal of Forensic Medicine and Sciences, which has an address at King Fahd Security College, until recently showed al-Tubaigy as a member of the editorial board, along with Henry C. Lee.

On Tuesday, al-Tubaigys name no longer was listed.

The Register was unable to immediately reach Lee, the famed criminologist, former head of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory and associate vice president of the UNH criminal justice and forensic sciences college named for him.

Lee told the Hartford Courant he did not recognize al-Tubaigys name, but could not say for certain that they had never met. Lee said they may have bumped into each other at an international conference for forensic scientists.

Lee went to Saudi Arabia a couple times in 2017 to advise law enforcement officials on forensic techniques, along with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, he told the Hartford Courant.

With regard to the Saudi Journal of Forensic Medicine and Sciences, he said he has been published in scores of journals and knows virtually none of the other contributors. At Lee College, We do training for police departments everywhere in the world, Lee told the Courant. Singapore, Poland, China, Taiwan  everybody.

He suggested UNH was improving the justice system of Saudi Arabia by helping to shape KFSCs security curriculum.

We dont teach them torture or kidnapping, Lee told the Courant, adding that the curriculum contains nothing about interrogation at all.

mark.zaretsky@

hearstmediact.com
Photo: The Canadian Press Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during a data privacy conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018.

The head of Apple on Wednesday endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant's commitment to protecting personal data, which he warned was being "weaponized" against users.

Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook applauded European Union authorities for bringing in a strict new data privacy law this year and said the iPhone maker supports a U.S. federal privacy law.

Cook's remarks, along with comments due later from Google and Facebook top bosses, in the European Union's home base in Brussels, underscore how the U.S. tech giants are jostling to curry favour in the region as regulators tighten their scrutiny.

Data protection has become a major political issue worldwide, and European regulators have led the charge in setting new rules for the big internet companies. The EU's new General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, requires companies to change the way they do business in the region, and a number of headline-grabbing data breaches have raised public awareness of the issue.

"In many jurisdictions, regulators are asking tough questions. It is time for rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead," Cook said.

"We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States," he said, to applause from hundreds of privacy officials from more than 70 countries.

In the U.S., California is moving to put in regulations similar to the EU's strict rules by 2020 and other states are mulling more aggressive laws. That's rattled the big tech companies, which are pushing for a federal law that would treat them more leniently.

Cook warned that technology's promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information. He said the trade in personal information "has exploded into a data industrial complex."

"Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," he said. Scraps of personal data are collected for digital profiles that let businesses know users better than they know themselves and allow companies to offer users increasingly extreme content that hardens their convictions," Cook said.

"This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich only the companies that collect them," he said.

Cook's appearance seems set to one-up his tech rivals and show off his company's credentials in data privacy, which has become a weak point for both Facebook and Google.

"With the spotlight shining as directly as it is, Apple have the opportunity to show that they are the leading player and they are taking up the mantle," said Ben Robson, a lawyer at Oury Clark specializing in data privacy. Cook's appearance "is going to have good currency," with officials, he added.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google head Sundar Pichai were scheduled to address by video the annual meeting of global data privacy chiefs. Only Cook attended in person.

He has repeatedly said privacy is a "fundamental human right" and vowed his company wouldn't sell ads based on customer data the way companies like Facebook do.

His speech comes a week after the iPhone maker unveiled expanded privacy protection measures for people in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, including allowing them to download all personal data held by Apple. European users already had access to this feature after GDPR took effect in May. Apple plans to expand it worldwide.
Photo: The Canadian Press Prescription pills containing oxycodone and acetaminophen are shown in Toronto.

With the recognition that physician prescribing plays a significant role in Canada's opioid crisis, a team of researchers has developed a program called STOP Narcotics to dramatically reduce the amount of the painkillers patients are given following some common operations.

In a study presented Wednesday at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Boston, researchers from Western University showed that the STOP Narcotics protocol halved the amount of opioids prescribed after two types of out-patient surgery, while still adequately treating most patients' post-operative pain.

"By significantly reducing the amount of opioids prescribed, this decreases the exposure risk and potential for misuse of narcotic medication," said lead author Dr. Luke Hartford, a general surgery resident at the London, Ont., university.

"This also decreases excess medication available to be diverted to individuals for whom it was not intended," he said, noting that the STOP Narcotics program includes a combination of patient and health provider education, with an emphasis on non-opioid pain control.

The study, which also will be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, involved 416 patients at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care, who underwent either laparoscopic gallbladder removal or open hernia repair.

Roughly half the patients were randomly assigned either to a control group, which received a standard prescription for opioids, or to the STOP Narcotics protocol group, which were prescribed acetaminophen and an anti-inflammatory drug to manage post-surgical pain for the first 72 hours after their operations.

Under the protocol, surgeons were instructed to write a 10-pill opioid prescription, which expired seven days after surgery. Patients were asked to fill this prescription only if they couldn't achieve adequate pain control with the other drugs.

"Ninety per cent of the patients said that controlled their pain, they didn't need the narcotics script filled," said principal investigator Dr. Ken Leslie, chief of general surgery at London Health Sciences Centre.

Researchers found there was a 50 per cent reduction in the number of opioids prescribed by surgeons under the STOP Narcotics group, compared to the control group.

As well, just 45 per cent of patients in the protocol group filled their opioid prescription, compared to 95 per cent in the control group.

"So we not only decreased the amount we were prescribing in half, but we saw that (less than) half of patients were actually filling those prescriptions," Hartford said, adding that only "a very small number" needed the opioids for additional pain control.

"We found that in our control group, as well, that even though patients were getting prescribed 20 to 30 tablets of opioid medication, they were only taking around seven of them," he said.

That's why the STOP Narcotics initiative has another goal: to sharply limit the amount of unused opioids that can be diverted for recreational use, especially by young people who may come across them in the family medicine cabinet.

As part of the post-surgical program, patients were asked to return left-over opioids to their pharmacy or to the hospital for disposal. The researchers found the return rate was seven per cent among those in the control group versus 23 per cent among STOP Narcotics patients.

"It's really hard to get people to give up something that they have at home," said Leslie. "They hang onto to it just in case they have pain down the road."

Surgeons often say they prescribe "plenty of pills" to ensure patients have enough on hand to control their pain  but also to avoid calls to their offices for renewals, Leslie said.

But the study found that renewal rates were low: 3.5 per cent for those initially prescribed opioids and 2.5 per cent for protocol patients.

"We recognized that before STOP Narcotics, every surgeon had a different approach to pain control and that most surgeons were prescribing more narcotics than are actually needed," said Leslie. "When we looked at the data from this new protocol, we saw that the patient's pain-control was just as good with this pathway, without a huge prescription for narcotics."

Dr. David Juurlink, head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said the Western study isn't the first to show that more prudent prescribing of post-surgical opioids can be beneficial for patients, but "it's an important topic nevertheless."

"There's this increasing narrative that the opioid crisis is really about people with addiction who are dying by the thousands and that treatment of pain is not the problem," said Juurlink, who was not involved in the study.

"And that's not true ... It is also to no small extent about how we manage acute and chronic pain."

Juurlink said that every time a patient is given more opioids than they need  whether for chronic pain or for pain following surgery or dental work  they may be on the drugs longer than needed or the remaining tablets could stay in their medicine cabinet and offer a temptation to an experimenting teenager or to someone who might be at risk for addiction.

"So I think the more surgeons change their practice to this sort of model  not avoiding opioids but prescribing them more judiciously  the better off patients will be and society too."

The Western researchers hope to expand the STOP Narcotics initiative beyond general surgery to other specialties, such as gynecology and orthopedics, and possibly for some in-patient operations as well.

The protocol has already been presented to a couple of southwestern Ontario hospitals, which have adopted it, and the researchers are scheduled to present the program elsewhere in the coming months.
You and I have spent a lot of time discussing the candidates for governor, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and how they view the political world. But truth be told, whoever wins is going to face the same hard choices that Gov. Dannel Malloy faced. That means whoever wins is going to be equally unpopular.

Given that either Republican Bob Stefanowski or Democrat Ned Lamont is going to be, over time, Connecticuts most unpopular governor, no matter what, perhaps we should discuss problems no one is talking about. I dont mean the same old push-and-pull over taxing and spending. I dont mean vexing issues dividing labor and business, though they each have a stake. Im talking about deep structural reform.

For instance, occupational licensing .

Connecticut requires loads and loads of paperwork in order to license and authorize people doing things that dont really need permits. Things like bedding renovator, bingo operator and hypnotist (Im not kidding). Others include: accounting, community association managers, glaziers, locksmiths, vape vendors and others. I think people who sell things we eat, drink and inject into our bodies should be thoroughly vetted by the state. But should the same be said of selling cosmetics? Cutting womens hair? Pet grooming?

Fact is, occupational licensing often does more harm than good, because it protects people who are already in business from having to compete with people who want to launch same or similar businesses. It does this by making the barriers of entry high enough to deter entrepreneurs from acting on their ideas and skills. Immigrants in particular often want to start small businesses but cant due to these barriers of entry. Whoever wins next month should comb through every licensing law and ask whether its serving a public good or whether its serving an entrenched interest.

Reforming occupational licensing would irritate entrenched interests but it would be easy compared to this proposal: bringing back county government.

Connecticut has 169 municipalities. Thats, roughly speaking, about 160 or so fire departments, police departments, school systems, waste removal systems, park services, offices of economic development, and other public services. Thats redundancy layered over redundancy. California is home to 40 million people. Connecticut is home to 3.5 million. California has five 911 call centers. Connecticut has  wait for it  110.

Everyone is talking about the problem of the states deficit. Because everyone is talking about the states deficit, our attention goes to taxing and spending. Lamont favors a slight rise in the state sales tax. Stefanowski wants to phase out the state income tax. What no one is talking about, however, is the real obstacle: our preference for 160 or so layers of redundancy. That is, our preference for local control.

Local control plays a part in the fact that Connecticut has a dozen mid-sized cities and a scattering of small cities, but no place dense enough to retain or attract big firms like GE. Big firms are reversing the decades-long trend of moving from the cities to the suburbs. They are going back to places like Boston and Washington. What had been Connecticuts greatest asset  being New Yorks back lawn  is now its greatest liability.

One way of addressing this problem is restoring county government. Yes, Connecticut never liked counties. Even before they were eliminated formally, theyd been hollowed out institutionally. But bringing them back could relieve the budgetary burden of funding layers and layers of redundancy. To be sure, counties would have to levy taxes. That wont be popular (same for pretty much everything about surrendering local control). But any increase in revenues would be likely offset by savings.

Lastly, zoning. We need zoning reform. I dont think our cities should develop the way Houston developed for decades, creating a riotous urban landscape. But I also dont think our municipalities should look like theyve been encased in amber, stuck in time for all time. Even in New Haven, which is friendly to developers, there are prohibitive requirements placed on builders: Height limits. for one. Parking requirements, for another. The new governor should propose incentives for cities to reform zoning laws while also threatening, if need be, to reform them by legislative mandate. Whatever works.

Once again, the new governor is going to be unpopular no matter what. Maybe thats an opportunity! Maybe its time to address terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad issues no one wants to talk about. Maybe its time for deep structural reform. Anyway, it cant hurt.

John Stoehr is publisher of the Editorial Board, a daily newsletter about politics. He lives in Westville.
A North Branford man was sentenced to nearly three years in prison Wednesday for downloading child pornography from the dark web, federal authorities said in a release.

Michael Bauer, 37, was sentenced to a total of 35 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, in connection with matter Operation Pacifier, an FBI investigation into Playpen, a global online forum through which registered users advertised, distributed and accessed child pornography, the release said.

The release said that, according to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI seized a computer server in Feb. 2015 that was hosting Playpen from a facility in North Carolina.

As a result of a federal court order in Virginia, the website operated under FBI supervision Feb. 20 to March 4, 2015, and during that time, the FBI collected information to identify members of Playpen, the release said.

Playpen had more than 150,000 members who created and viewed tens of thousands of postings related to child pornography. Images and videos shared through the site were highly categorized according to victim age and gender, as well as the type of sexual activity. The site also included discussion forums that included tips for grooming victims and avoiding detection, the release said.

Further, the FBI determined that a user name connected to an IP address operating at Bauers North Branford residence had accessed Playpen for more than 53 hours between September 2014 and March 2015, the release said.

The FBI did a court-authorized search of Bauers home in Dec. 2015, seizing approximately 19 electronic devices, including external hard drives, and a forensic exam of the devices revealed more than 100,000 images and more than 1,300 videos of child pornography, including images and videos depicting children younger than 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the images and videos depict sadistic and masochistic conduct, the release said.

Bauer pleaded guilty in May to one count of possession of child pornography. He is free on a $100,000 bond and was ordered to report to prison on Jan. 11, 2019, the release said.

The prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation, the release said. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
One of the two men accused of robbing and kidnapping a man at gunpoint Monday night in South Jersey was arrested after leading police on a chase that ended with a crash on the Atlantic City Expressway.

James Belfor (New Jersey Department of Corrections)

James Belfor, 27, was arrested after the getaway car struck a guard rail on the off-ramp to Exit 2 of the Expressway, Pleasantville police said in a statement Tuesday. He fled the crash into a nearby marsh before being found in the woods near the Black Horse Pike's entrance to the westbound Expressway.

His alleged accomplice, however, escaped and remains at large. The kidnapping victim was not injured, Capt. Matthew Hartman said.

The bizarre incident began around 10:45 p.m. when police received a call about a home invasion at the Seagrass Cove apartments on East Ridgewood Avenue.

Police were told two men forced their way into an apartment, led a man out at gunpoint and forced him into a car before driving away.

As police began to search the area, they got a second call - this time informing them that a man was being held at a home on the 800 block of Cedar Lane and that two armed men were standing outside.

When police arrived at the house - less than two miles from where the kidnapping took place - the two men outside jumped into a car and sped away. With officers in pursuit, they drove through several residential streets before veering north on New Road and then onto the eastbound Expressway.

Belfor, of Pleasantville, faces a slew of charges, including armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, terroristic threats, eluding, conspiracy and weapons offenses. He was sent to the Atlantic County jail.

He had been released from state prison in late June after serving more than 4 1/2 years in state prison for a robbery and weapons conviction, according to the state Department of Corrections.

State Police, Egg Harbor Township, Ventnor and Northfield police assisted in the chase and search.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Photo: DriveBC

UPDATE: 6:30 p.m.

The Trans-Canada Highway is open to single-lane, alternating traffic west of Field, but major delays continue, according to DriveBC.

UPDATE: 4 p.m.

Vehicle recovery at a crash scene west of Field has caused major traffic back-ups, DriveBC advises.

The highway is expected to be fully reopened at 5:30 p.m.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.

The Trans-Canada Highway eight kilometres west of Field has reopened after a crash closed the highway in both directions for several hours Wednesday morning.

The speed limit is restrained to 50 km/h in the area as crews clear the crash scene.

The nature of the crash and condition of those involved is unknown.

UPDATE 10:15 a.m.

Highway 1 remains closed in both directions due to a motor vehicle incident between Faeder Creek Park and Yoho National Park, west of Field.

There is a detour via Highway 93 south in Kootenay National Park, and Highway 95. Estimated time of reopening is 1 p.m.

ORIGINAL 8:57 a.m.

The Trans-Canada Highway is closed in both directions due to a motor vehicle collision between Field Road and Emerald Lake Road, two kilometres west of Field.

A crew is on scene to assess the situation and the highway is expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future.

The next update is expected at 11 a.m.
An Atlantic County woman has been indicted on murder charges for allegedly beating to death her mother and grandmother earlier this year, county prosecutors said.

Heather Barbera (Police photo)

Heather Barbera, 41, allegedly told police that she killed her mother, Michelle Gordon, 67, and grandmother Elaine Rosen, 87, in their Ventnor City condo on July 7 by beating them to death with a nightstick.

Barbera had been living with the pair in a Vassar Square condo unit, and told police she stole their cash and credit cards before heading to New York City, where she was arrested a few days later, Atlantic County prosecutors said.

An investigation revealed that Barbera had taken a bus to New York City and she was identified by NYPD officers at the Midtown Manhattan Port Authority, the office added.

Barbera was indicted on Oct. 17, 2018, on two counts of first-degree murder, a weapons charge and robbery by inflicting bodily harm.

She remains in custody at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross.
Acme Markets will close its store in Park Ridge -- three years after taking over an A&P lease when that chain closed.

The 30,910-square-foot Kinderkamack Road store is expected to close by Nov. 10, Dana Ward, a spokeswoman for Acme, said.

"This store has not met our goals and we have made the decision to deploy the team and resources to other locations to serve our customers," she said.

The chain rapidly expanded acquiring 71 leases, including 36 in New Jersey, for stores formerly owned by A&P after that chain filed for bankruptcy in July 2015.

Three of those New Jersey stores have since closed -- Newark, Bergenfield and South Plainfield -- because they were either not meeting company goals or the leases were ending, Ward said.

The Malvern, Pennsylvania-based chain has "no current plans to close any other locations," she said.

Acme Markets operates 177 stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is owned by Albertsons Company, LLC, a privately held grocery company that's based in Boise, Idaho.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A civil jury on Tuesday found that a former New Jersey state trooper punched a man in the face with a beer bottle while he was off duty in the parking lot of MetLife Stadium following a 2014 New York Giants game.

All seven jurors voted unanimously that Steve Hodge committed assault and battery on Nicholas Guidi and awarded him $100,000 in compensatory damages and $65,000 in punitive damages.

Trooper Christopher Madia, who was one of the first to respond to the scene, and arrested Guidi, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the jury. (Guidi's civil suit had accused him of covering up Hodge's actions.)

"We are heartened by the fact that after nearly four years this jury saw through the lies and deceit and found Trooper Hodge guilty of assault," Guidi's lawyer, Josh McMahon said. "Hopefully the jury's verdict leads to systemic change in how the State Police handles allegations of police brutality."

Superior Court Judge Robert C. Wilson dismissed via motion all other actions against the state troopers Corey Guarcello, Jeffrey Baer, Edward Rufolo, Peter Velez, Robert Trainor and Marc Pillus - who all testified during the civil trial.

Steven Hodge's attorney, Tracey Bussel, closed her arguments by arguing that the key witness who testified, Frank McClellan, had contradicting statements about where he was when the assault occurred and what he saw.

Attorney Peter Ruse, who represented the current troopers, also noted that McClellan's testimony was inconsistent, and argued that the troopers were being punished for doing their job, and "sometimes it's the guy who starts the fight that ends up with the bloody nose."

About a year and a half after the incident in 2014, Hodge was indicted and suspended from the New Jersey State Police.

However the charges against Hodge were dropped when his brother, Frederick Hodge, submitted a letter to the prosecutors claiming responsibility for the assault.

Frederick Hodge, who also testified during the civil trial, was later indicted for aggravated assault, but those charges were downgraded to simple assault.

And Hodge was later reinstated to his job, but the state police said earlier this month that Hodge was no longer employed with the agency, which did not grant him re-enlistment.

The incident occurred in the stadium parking lot after a Giants game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The former chief of the Delran Emergency Squad was arrested Tuesday on charges that he worked without an active EMT certification and fudged paperwork to hide that.

And when state officials came to the station to talk about it, he allegedly threatened them and hindered the investigation, which resulted in the entire unit's suspension.

Donald Horner (Police photo)

Donald Horner, 66, was charged with insurance fraud, criminal computer activity, tampering with witnesses, making terroristic threats, theft by deception, attempted theft by deception, hindering apprehension, tampering with public records, alteration of medical records, tampering with records and obstructing the administration of law.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced the charges in a news release Tuesday afternoon/

The squad, where Horner's wife Denise served as a lieutenant, received no money from the township, according to the Burlington County Times. Most of the squad's revenue came from ambulance fees.

However, if an uncertified EMT took part in a transport, the squad could not have billed for those services.

Horner, a former Riverside Police Department officer and its chief from 1995 to 2005, altered 27 reports about calls where he served as a crew member, according to the allegations. Investigators said when he went out on a call, he would replace his name on the paperwork with the name of a certified staffer.

Hearing about this, the state Health department's Office of Emergency Medical Services visited the Delran EMS building for an audit on June 11, 2018, according to a letter from Scot Phelps, the office's paramedic director.

Phelps said the investigators had to leave without learning much because Horner was "belligerent, combative and uncooperative" and told them that he needed to leave before he killed himself or killed them, according to the letter.

"As they started to leave the property, you followed them out, continued to scream and threaten them and, at one point, were nose-to-nose with one of the investigators," Phelps wrote.

The investigators later returned a few days later with Delran police officers, but were restricted access to the reports until they called the squad's president and advised her that blocking access would be hindering the investigation.

The state suspended the squad after seeing the reports that the squad went out on calls without at least two certified EMTs. Horner's EMT certification expired Dec. 31, 2010 and his EMT instructor certification inspired Dec. 31, 2016, but he went on at least 27 calls starting in January 2017.

Other area first aid and rescue squads are staffing Delran's emergency medical calls until the matter is resolved.

Horner had a first appearance in Burlington County Superior Court on Tuesday. He was not detained but had to surrender his passport and firearms.

Josh Dennis, supervisor of the prosecutor's Insurance Fraud Unit, will prosecute.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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If you plan on eating green bean casserole this Thanksgiving, the memory of Dorcas Reilly will live on. The inventor of the iconic, easy-to-make recipe died earlier this month at the age of 92.

The day before Thanksgiving last year, Dorcas, slowed by dementia but still glued to the side of her husband and high school sweetheart Tom, spoke about her creation.

"How many ingredients are in the green bean casserole?" Tom quizzed her, sitting in the sunroom of their Haddonfield home.

"About seven," she responded with a smile.

"It's very tasty if it's made the right way," Tom said. "It's a very simple meal. It's comfort food. We've heard many people recognize it as the original comfort food."

Dorcas, who Tom called Dotte, graduated from Drexel University's home economics program in Philadelphia in 1947. She joined the Campbell Soup company in her native Camden shortly afterward. She was working in a test kitchen for Campbell's in 1955 when she came up with the recipe. The goal was to create a wholesome meal out of ingredients many families already had in their kitchen.

The recipe includes a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, four cups of green beans, milk, spices and a can French's fried onions. Prep time is 10 minutes and baking time is 30.

"For those who had the privilege of knowing Dorcas, we greatly admired her humble and unassuming nature," Beth Jolly, a Campbell executive said. "Dorcas would often share that the first time she made her famous recipe, it did not receive the highest rating in Campbell's internal testing. Yet, it was her persistence and creativity that led to an enduring recipe that will live on for decades to come."

Campbell started putting Reilly's recipe on cans of cream of mushroom soup in the 1960s.

Dorcas Reilly in the Campbell Soup test kitchen in the 1950s.

"One of my fondest memories was attending the special celebration where Dorcas's recipe was donated to the National Inventors Hall of Fame," said Jane Freiman, director of Campbell's consumer test kitchen. "Dorcas's recipes have been shared by millions of American families for over 60 years, and I have no doubt her legacy will live on."

A celebration of life will be held for Reilly on Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Haddonfield.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Two young men are now charged with aggravated manslaughter after authorities said they admitted their earlier story about a friend shooting himself in a game of Russian Roulette was a lie.

Diquese "Dino" Young, 19, a recent high school graduate and athlete, died a week ago from a gunshot wound to the head he suffered Oct. 14, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Morton Newman Jr., 20, and Nasir Mason, 19, were charged last week, before Young's death, with aggravated assault and other weapons charges.

At that time, Newman told police Young shot himself in the head at Newman's home when they were taking turns passing around a revolver that wasn't fully loaded, spinning the cylinder and pulling the trigger.

But in the probable cause statement filed with the new aggravated manslaughter charges, authorities said that the two men later told different, conflicting stories, each saying the other was the one who pulled the trigger without meaning to kill their friend.

Woodrow Wilson mourns the loss of Dino.. Words cant express the hurt our Tiger community is feeling during these hard times. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his beloved Family. #RIPYoungKing Posted by Woodrow Wilson High School on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Newman told investigators he and Mason had been trying to fix a jam in the gun when it fired, the document said.

"He stated the hammer on the revolver was jammed and cocked," the statement said. "At that point, Nasir Mason stated he knew how to fix the revolver. Morton Newman Jr stated that Mason held the bottom of the gun while he (Newman) held the hammer back. The revolver was pointed in the direction of Diquese Young. As Mason pulled the trigger, the hammer went forward, firing the revolver."

Mason, in contrast, said Newman and Young were "playing with a gun and practicing de-cocking the gun while it was pointed toward Young. He stated he observed Newman Jr. accidentally shoot Young... Mason denied ever touching the gun."

The prosecutor's office said Newman had his brother drive him and Young to the hospital. Authorities found them at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, which they mistook for Cooper University Hospital, they said.

Police wrote in previous court documents that they searched several locations, looking for the crime scene, because the young men were not immediately forthcoming.

They eventually found blood on the basement door of Newman's home, and inside, a revolver "lying in a pool of blood."

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A New Jersey man indicted last year on a murder charge in Cumberland County was caught Monday in Tennessee, authorities said.

Nafees Winters (Cumberland County jail)

Nafees Winters, 23, of Millville, was taken into custody on the 1200 block of Walton Lane in Cookeville, Tennessee, according to the Putnam County jail. He is awaiting extradition to New Jersey.

Winters and Joseph Daniels allegedly beat to death Randy Lanigan, 62, of Millville two years ago.

Laningan was struck in the head several times at a residence in Millville on Oct. 13, 2016 and died about a month later.

Daniels, then 35, and Winters were indicted in 2017 on charges of murder, aggravated assault, robbery and endangering an injured victim. Both pleaded not guilty several weeks later.

Winters failed to appear in court in May, according to court records. Daniels is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 29.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A man shot to death by a Cape May County detective last week was under indictment in two counties, facing a vehicular homicide indictment in another county and was wanted on a bench warrant when he died.

But it's not clear if any of his legal woes had to do with the confrontation that led to his death.

Jacob Servais, 19, of Millville, was shot in the parking lot of a Vineland car rental business on Thursday afternoon. The state Attorney General's Office is investigating the incident, but has offered few details about what happened.

Jacob L. Servais (Salem County Correctional Facility)

Authorities have only said that detectives with the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Lower Township police "encountered" Servais as they were "conducting a law enforcement operation."

One of the detectives shot Servais, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. No detectives were injured.

Authorities have not said if Servais had a weapon or if he threatened the officers in any way. They also haven't said what Cape May County detectives were doing in Cumberland County.

It's not clear if the detective's body or vehicle-mounted cameras captured the incident.

A representative for the Delsea Drive business where the shooting occurred -- Just for Wheels Car, Truck and Van Rental -- said there are security cameras around the establishment, but would not say if a camera recorded the shooting. He also would not say if Servais was a customer at the business.

Servais was no stranger to law enforcement and had several outstanding charges at the time of his death.

He was at the wheel of a pickup truck on Route 55 in Elk Township on June 26 when he crashed into a tree, killing his passenger, 17-year-old Victor M. Garcia, of Vineland.

An officer in Franklin Township had tried to stop the vehicle for an equipment violation a short time earlier, but broke off the effort on Route 55 when Servais picked up speed and it was obvious he didn't plan to stop, according to Franklin Township Police Lt. Matt DeCesari.

Servais was charged with vehicular homicide and skipped a Sept. 6 pre-indictment conference on that charge in Gloucester County. That's when a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

In addition to that case, Servais was indicted earlier this month on an aggravated assault charge from July 2017 in Burlington County. Servais was accused of punching another resident at a juvenile detention facility in Bordentown and breaking his jaw.

He was due in court Oct. 29 for a post-indictment arraignment on that charge.

Servais was also indicted in Cumberland County earlier this year on a charge of receiving stolen property. That case involved a December 2017 arrest.

Efforts to reach members of Servais' family were unsuccessful.

Unlike other police-involved shootings, his death hasn't prompted any public protests.

Richard T. Smith, president of the NAACP's New Jersey State Conference, said he has heard little about the case and wants to know more.

"It would be nice just to have some more transparency so that the public knows where the investigation stands," said Smith, who is also the Cumberland County Jail warden. "At the end of the day, we want to make sure that things were done in decency and order."

The Attorney General's Shooting Response Team is reviewing the incident. That team will determine if the shooting was justified. If it was not, the matter will be presented to a grand jury.

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.
The mother of a man shot to death by a New Jersey State Police trooper during an encounter at a South Jersey home in 2016 has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit.

Jimmy Lee Testa, 31, of Leesburg, was shot in the back during a struggle with two troopers responding to a burglary call in Maurice River Township. Investigators said he resisted arrest and fought back against attempts to subdue him.

Jimmy Lee Testa

When Testa grabbed a lead pipe and refused orders to drop it, he was shot, police said.

A grand jury last year declined to indict the troopers.

Debra L. Stevens claims the troopers had no legal justification for shooting her son and used excessive force.

The suit names Troopers John Fallick and Nicholas Muller and states that Fallick fired the fatal shot.

State officials had not previously named the troopers involved.

Stevens claims that Fallick violated her son's civil rights by his unjustified use of force and that Muller erred by not intervening to stop Fallick.

In the suit, filed by the Law Offices of Conrad J. Benedetto, Steven's denies that her son threatened troopers with a pipe. She also claims that it took about an hour for EMTs to arrive at the shooting scene.

The troopers responded to a 911 call reporting a burglary at a vacant home on High Street in the Leesburg section of Maurice River on Nov. 6, 2016.

Testa was in the vacant home looking for scrap metal that he could sell to buy food, his mother previously said.

He fled the house as police arrived and struggled with the troopers before running across the street to what was described in a report on the incident as a "backyard littered with junk."

One trooper tackled him in that yard and both troopers used various means to try and subdue him, including punches, elbow blows, flashlight blows and pepper spray.

When Testa grabbed a lead pipe, officers feared for their safety and warned him to drop it, according to the report. When he refused to obey, he was shot once.

Testa was then handcuffed and troopers applied pressure to the wound while EMTs were summoned. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The state Attorney General's Shooting Response Team investigated the incident and a state grand jury declined to indict the troopers.

Stevens has long disputed the official account of the incident, calling the police "crooked."

Testa had been released from prison earlier in 2016 after serving time for a conspiracy to commit burglary charge. His family said he was in the process of turning his life around when he was killed.

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.
In 1967, Detroit burned. Sparked by a police raid of an after-hours bar owned and populated by Detroit's black residents, riots raged for nearly a week. At the command of President Johnson, Army tanks rumbled through the streets as enraged Detroiters fought back with rocks and bottles.

But as this volatile and monumental event raged -- an event treated by the media at the time and remembered by history as a social event of mass scale -- individual lives struggled to continue. Everyday people who tried to avoid the violence were either sucked in by its undertow or inevitably touched by its sprawl.

These are the people that fascinate Dominique Morisseau, the playwright of "Detroit '67," now receiving a sharp production at the McCarter under the direction of Jade King Carroll. The fine, provocative play centers on five lives just on the periphery of the riots, people who cannot help but feel the heat of unrest on their lives.

Siblings Chelle (Myxolidia Tyler) and Lank (Johnny Ramey) run an unlicensed after-hours club in the basement of the home they inherited from their recently deceased parents. Their goals are to help the community relax and make some cash on the side. Their friend Bunny (Nyahale Allie), a connected social consultant around town, drums up the business, while Sly (Will Cobbs) pitches in.

As the play begins, Chelle and Lank are preparing to reopen their doors after a hiatus when signs of trouble emerge in the person of Caroline (Ginna Le Vine), a white woman who Lank and Sly bring home after finding her beaten and disoriented on the street. Caroline is frightened, vulnerable, and happy to accept help, but Chelle worries that the intrusion and its repercussions bode poorly.

It turns out that Caroline is the least of Chelle's worries. It is not long before police raid a competing after-hours club in the neighborhood and the riots erupt. As the streets churn with chaos, Chelle and Lank struggle in vein to keep their basement a sanctuary, ultimately unable to keep the shockwaves of the riots at bay.

Riccardo Hernandez's meticulously appointed set turns out to be an incubator for evolving, complex characters. Chelle and Lank's biggest priorities at the play's opening are to make some money and cultivate some fun, but Tyler and Ramey deftly show these two growing as people as their concerns deepen. The same is true of Allie's expert performance: Bunny is the neighborhood's Mistress of Revels, with a good-timing attitude to match, but Allie shows her character's worries slowly creep over her.

Among Morisseau's many great talents is the ability to create characters with depths of complexity unknown even to themselves, a quality this production captures well.

"Detroit '67" is the first play in Morisseau's "Detroit Project," a three-play cycle that includes the lyrical and haunting "Paradise Blue" (set in 1949) and the fiercely insightful "Skeleton Crew" (set in 2008). "Detroit '67" is the most exploratory of the group, perhaps less refined if no less ambitious. King and her cast do well to highlight the play's chief concerns, many of which emerge as the characters engage with the play's Motown soundtrack.

The play's final image of Chelle determinedly and defiantly dancing alone to the Four Tops performing "Reach Out, I'll Be There" powerfully captures the all the effervescent contradictions that define the lives of these characters and their Detroit community. The sound of Motown accompanies the eerie quiet of a reeling city, as Chelle shows us all the many great challenges and desires at the heart of her character and this play.

In the end, individual people's struggles for connection are Morisseau's master theme, and Carroll and her team prove skillful in probing and exemplifying those complex concerns.

Detroit '67

McCarter Theatre

91 University Place, Princeton

Tickets: Available online at www.mccarter.org or by phone, 609-258-2787. Running through October 28.

Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The Trump administration has not settled on a plan for what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the southern border, despite threats by President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency or rescind aid from the countries whose people are journeying north.

Top immigration officials and close Trump advisers are still evaluating the options in closed-door meetings that have gotten increasingly heated in the past week, including one that turned into a shouting match as the caravan of about 7,000 people pushes north, according to administration officials and others with knowledge of the issue. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the topic.

The caravan, at least 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) away, comes on the heels of a surge in apprehensions of families at the border, which has rankled Trump but has also given him a fresh talking point to rally his base ahead of the midterm elections just two weeks away.

But the president's inner circle on immigration is grappling with the same problems that have plagued them for months, absent any law change by Congress.

Some in Trump's administration, like Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, advocate for a diplomatic approach using relationships with Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador and the United Nations to stop the flow of migrants arriving to the U.S.

"We fully support the efforts of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as they seek to address this critical situation and ensure a safer and more secure region," Nielsen said in statement earlier this week that noted her department was closely monitoring the possibility of gangs or other criminals that prey on those in "irregular migration."

But others are agitating for more immediate options, including declaring a state of emergency, which would give the administration broader authority over how to manage people at the border; rescinding aid; or giving parents who arrive to the U.S. a choice between being detained months or years with their children while pursuing asylum, or releasing their children to a government shelter while a relative or guardian seeks custody.

Tensions boiled over last week, when Nielsen suggested going to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights in a meeting with White House chief of staff John Kelly. National security adviser John Bolton, a longtime critic of the U.N., exploded over the idea, the officials and people said. Nielsen responded that Bolton, not a frequent attendant of the immigration meetings, was no expert on the topic, they said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said in a statement: "While we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration, we are not angry at one another. However, we are furious at the failure of Congressional Democrats to help us address this growing crisis."

Meanwhile, administration officials sounded off Tuesday on an increase in families coming across the border, mostly from Central America. Nearly a third of all people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border during the budget year 2018 were families and children  about 157,248 out of 395,579 total apprehensions.

Coupled with the caravan, Trump administration officials have said it's a full-on crisis. They say loopholes in laws have allowed for a worsening border crisis where the vast majority of people coming illegally to the U.S. cannot be easily returned home.

But the administration's efforts to enforce a hard-line stance on immigration through regulation changes and executive orders have been largely thwarted by the court system and, in the case of family separations earlier this year, stymied by a global outcry that prompted Trump to scrap separations in June.
Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino, one of the stars of MTV's hit reality show "Jersey Shore," will start his eight-month prison bid in January.

Sorrentino, 37, was sentenced earlier this month after he pleaded guilty in January to one count of tax evasion.

An order extending time for voluntary surrender, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, states that Sorrentino, who is getting married on Nov. 1, will have to surrender to authorities on Jan. 15. The order does not say where the reality TV star will serve his prison sentence.

Sorrentino admitted to concealing some of his income to avoid paying the full amount of taxes he owed in 2011. He also admitted that he made cash deposits into bank accounts in amounts less than $10,000 so they wouldn't catch the attention of the Internal Revenue Service. Banks are required to file reports with the U.S. Treasury for cash deposits exceeding $10,000.

At his sentencing, Sorrentino told U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton that he's "deeply sorry" for his past actions and that he's worked hard to turn his life around after suffering from drug addiction. He said he's been clean and sober for three years.

"Today, I live my life with integrity," he told the judge.

In an Instagram post after his sentencing, Sorrentino said: "We are very happy to put this behind us. Thank you so much for all the love & support."

His brother, Marc, received a sentence of two years for his role in the tax evasion case. The order filed in federal court for Michael Sorrentino doesn't mention when Marc is scheduled to surrender to authorities.

Michael Sorrentino, a Manalapan native, became a celebrity overnight after "Jersey Shore" first aired in 2009. The show documented the lives of eight young adults renting a summer home in Seaside Heights.

Sorrentino continues to star in a revival of the popular show, "Jersey Shore: A Family Vacation".

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A familiar face is returning to Paper Mill Playhouse, the Tony Award-winning theater company announced Monday.

Mike Stotts (courtesy photo)

Mike Stotts, former managing director of the George Street Playhouse and Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in New Brunswick, will take on the same position at Paper Mill, where he once worked 12 years ago, the playhouse said.

Stotts previously worked with Paper Mill as a consultant for institutional planning and advancement in 2006. He assisted the playhouse with fundraising, strategic planning and campaign research. In his new position, he will oversee the playhouse's business and financial affairs.

He formerly worked in Connecticut as a managing director for the Long Wharf Theatre and Hartford Stage, where he was a producer for several shows that advanced to Broadway, including "Anastasia" -- of which he is a co-producer of the Broadway production -- "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" and Long Wharf Theatre's production of "Sixteen Wounded."

During his time at Hartford Stage, he produced more than 70 plays at Hartford Stage, including 25 world premieres. Over the past summer, he led a multi-year expansion and renovation of the Hartford Stage's theatre facility.

"I am thrilled that Mike Stotts is returning home to New Jersey and will be joining me to co-lead this venerable institution," Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill Playhouse's artistic director, said in a statement. "Mike has an unparalleled track record of success during his 12 years at Hartford Stage and is a dedicated, passionate and well-respected arts administrator who brings an incredible skillset to Paper Mill. As we prepare for our next phase of growth, Mike is exactly the person I want standing beside me."

Paper Mill Playhouse just completed a production of John Doyle's "The Color Purple" to open its 80th anniversary season, and has a stage adaptation of the Christmas movie "Holiday Inn" coming up on Nov. 21.

Gianluca D'Elia may be reached at gdelia@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @gianluca_delia. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A Montclair attorney accused of fatally shooting the mother of his child inside their home previously was sued by a paralegal he allegedly pressured to become his "third wife," court records show.

James R. Ray III, who is wanted on murder and other charges in the death of Angela M. Bledsoe, subjected the paralegal to numerous unwanted conversations about polygamy and pornography while she worked for him in 2012, according to a civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court in 2013.

Bledsoe, 44, was found shot to death early Tuesday morning in the home the couple shared on North Mountain Avenue, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Attorneys for Sabrina Rafi, the paralegal who sued Ray, alleged Ray told her he had been "married to 'multiple women,' but stopped short of saying whether these marriages occurred at the same time."

Over a mandatory dinner at a Korean restaurant in Manhattan, she alleged, Ray expanded his discussion topics to include pornography. He also, Rafi claimed, said he wanted her to become his "third wife," and pressured her to feed him using chopsticks.

"I actually felt sick working him for him," Rafi told The New York Post at the time.

Ray ultimately fired Rafi after she rebuffed his advances, the complaint says.

Court records show the lawsuit was settled out of court.

Ray's current marital status was unclear Tuesday afternoon. Ray's child with Bledsoe is now in the care of family members, according to the prosecutor's office.

Ray most recently drew media attention as a witness in the child rape trial of Jelani Maraj, the brother of rapper Nicki Minaj. Newsday reported Ray previously had been hired by the 11-year-old victim's mother to seek damages from Maraj, who was convicted in November.

Ray, 55, is believed to be driving a black, four-door BMW 328i with New Jersey license plate ZNX68M, prosecutor's office spokeswoman Katherine Carter said in an email. Authorities said Ray should be considered armed and dangerous.

Authorities have asked anyone with information about Ray's location to call the county Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.

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 last of seven hospitals suing Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey settled out of court on Tuesday, averting what would likely have been a contentious battle accusing the state's dominant health insurance provider of pushing community hospitals out of the health care market.

The 2015 lawsuit contended Horizon "breached its duty to act in good faith" by relegating seven small independent hospitals to a less desirable tier in the OMNIA plans, requiring patients to pay more to use them. The hospitals said they have lost millions of dollars since OMNIA entered the market in 2016.

The attorney for Valley Hospital in Ridgewood declined to discuss the financial terms of the settlement. When asked if Horizon was re-classifying Valley hospital as a more desirable tier 1 hospital, Attorney Michael Furey said, "not yet."

"Valley Health System is pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Horizon that is beneficial to the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents Valley serves," Furey said in a statement released on the day the trial was scheduled to begin in state Superior Court in Bergen County.

"The agreement helps ensure Valley's ability to serve its community for years to come."

Horizon spokesman Tom Vincz said in a statement the company "looks forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with Valley and working together on innovative, value based programs that deliver quality, affordability, and customer experience to our members and their patients."

The settlement concludes a bitter battle the hospitals have described as a fight for their survival, in a state in where community hospitals are merged to create large conglomerates.

Horizon launched the OMNIA insurance products in 2015 with the promise of transforming the market by offering high quality at a 15 percent discount from its other products. Patients would save even more money if they used only Horizon's hand-picked tier 1 hospitals, which were either the most dominant facilities in the county or were part of a large chain.

The lawsuit accused Horizon of breaching "its duty to act in good faith" by not allowing every hospital to compete to join the tier 1 network.

The 36 hospitals in tier 1 agreed to accept lower reimbursement rates in exchange for the anticipated higher volume from patients flocking from tier 2 hospitals.

According to once-confidential documents NJ Advance Media obtained through a lawsuit, Horizon did not select tier 1 hospitals based on lower costs or quality measures. A consultant's report shows Horizon chose the largest hospital systems even when smaller competitors scored better on quality measures or offered lower prices.

Horizon countered that it did not consider past prices important because it would be moving to a new "value pricing" system based on how effectively the tier 1 hospitals kept large groups of people well and managed chronic conditions.

The original seven hospital systems suing Horizon were Capital Health System in Trenton and Hopewell; Centrastate; Holy Name in Teaneck; JFK Medical Center in Edison; St. Luke's Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg; Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth and Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

Last week, CentraState Medical Center in Freehold settled its case with Horizon.

Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick also filed its own lawsuit on similar grounds against Horizon. That case is ongoing.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Incumbents made 'outstanding progress'

Accountability, experience, and integrity are traits of the Bayonne Board of Education President Joseph Broderick (6-I) and Trustees Ava Finnerty (7-I), Charles (Chuck) Ryan (8-I), Mikel (Mike) Lawandy (19-I). They have been dedicated to making the necessary changes and have made outstanding progress for the Bayonne school district.

They settled on a 4-year contract for teachers, a 3-year administrative support contract, custodial contract, and administrator contract. They corrected and stabilized the financial fiasco placed in their laps, which consumed much of their precious time; yet, they got through it without additional fiscal recourse. Joe's and Ava's letters to the editor (BCN published 9/27 and 10/4 respectively) and their team's self-funded campaign and materials attest to their wealth of accomplishments which are most impressive.

If you would like to know more about the accomplishments, fact check and ask the candidates for clarification and confirmation. Yes, "It is what it is", education in the city of Bayonne made better by the Trustees of this board. From letting go of the hand of a kindergartener to the joyful well-earned high school diploma placed in the hand of the proud capable graduates, the goal is for these graduates to head off to college, workforce, military, further special needs programs, apprenticeships or wherever their paths may lead them, feeling proud and prepared with their prior education.

Joe Broderick has stated the necessity of a strong vocational-tech program. A balance of blue and white-collar vocations and professions make our world go 'round. We can't have one without the other.

The children of Bayonne need support and a board that is going to fight for their best interest. These candidates have their interest at heart. Vote Joe Broderick (6-I), Ava Finnerty (7-I), Charles Ryan (8-I) and Mikel Lawandy (19-I)

Vote wisely and good luck to all candidates.

Dorothy Perez, Bayonne

Support Natalia Ioffe for Jersey City school board

I would like to submit this letter in support of Natalia Ioffe for Jersey City Board of Education. Natalia would make an excellent school board member, because she is an experienced business professional, a seasoned JCPS parent volunteer, as well as a diplomatic and compassionate person who puts the needs of children before all else.

I have served with Natalia on the Parent Council of P.S.#16 for over 5 years, and over this period of time I have watched her dedication to serving students, parents and staff in every area. Natalia was elected as parent council President in 2013, but her focus was always on creating a strong succession of parent leadership and she dedicated herself to supporting and training new parent volunteers, hosting workshops for them and writing a handbook on parent council operations, helping parents navigate the school year and increase parent engagement. In the years of Natalia's involvement she successfully trained three new parent council presidents.

In the years that Natalia led the parent council in various capacities, she established a spelling bee fundraiser that encourages learning and maximizes fundraising benefits for the school, she established an extracurricular scholarship for students from low-income families, providing them with an opportunity to participate in an after school activity free of charge. She established various other extracurricular opportunities through community and corporate partnerships, such as the free coding class taught by volunteers from RBC Capital Markets and free Dance to Learn workshop taught by Nimbus Dance Works and facilitated by the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, sponsored by the parent council.

Finally Natalia has worked hard to revive the legacy of a great Jersey City pioneer in the protection of children's rights - Cornelia Foster Bradford, who was the first woman to serve on the Jersey City Board of Education and was responsible for various educational programs for the poor immigrant children in the 1900's. Natalia has established the Cornelia Bradford scholarship presented to graduating students who exemplify qualities of a peacemaker, "brother's keeper", visionary and social reformer. Purpose of this scholarship is to help build character and encourage the students to grow in these qualities.

As a parent council leader, Natalia is no stranger to a life of serving others, be it children, parents or teachers. She is adept in streamlining methods of communication between parents and school staff, as well as bridge building, problem solving and conflict resolution.

All these qualities, and the experience of serving the needs of a public school in various aspects make Natalia an exceptionally qualified candidate for the Board of Education. This November Vote - 7i, for an independent voice and a devoted parent who cares about serving all Jersey City children. For more information check out natalia.ioffe.net

Svetlana Chinskiy, Jersey City

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournalcom
JERSEY CITY -- A lawsuit against a Downtown bar and restaurant filed by a Bayonne-based developer was dismissed after attorneys argued the developer forged the signature of the bar owner on a contract.

Cheng Tan, owner of the Golden Cicada, and Lance Lucarelli of the L Group, a Bayonne-based real estate development entity that is behind several prominent developments in the Peninsula City, agreed to pursue a joint venture to develop the property in August 2016, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Hudson County Superior Court Civil Division Presiding Judge Joseph Turula granted summary judgment for Tan when Lucarelli did not file a motion opposing dismissal of the lawsuit. The one-paragraph order also said there was no doubt the disputed contract was not legitimate.

After the dismissal, attorneys for the Golden Cicada filed a motion seeking sanctions and attorney's fees from Lucarelli, noting that Tan's legal bill is more than $108,000. Attorneys representing Tan could not immediately be reached for comment.

When reached for comment, Lucarelli told The Jersey Journal that he doesn't "think you should write anything" because he is "counter-suing for about $100 million for fake information."

Tan has owned the Golden Cicada in Paulus Hook, as well as the surrounding land at 195 Grand St., for more than 30 years. Tan garnered media coverage during an eminent domain battle against the city in 2005.

According to court records, in August 2016 the two parties executed a letter of intent, a tentative, non-binding development agreement that expired after 90 days if the two did not sign a formal contract.

That tentative development agreement eventually expired, after Tan determined he was not comfortable with the terms of the proposed venture.

Lucarelli, however, brought a lawsuit against Tan in April 2017 -- after the agreement had expired -- seeking to enforce the agreement. He also alleged that Tan had disclosed confidential information.

Then, in an amended complaint, Lucarelli alleged that Tan, simultaneous to executing the letter of intent, also signed a contract agreeing to sell a 50 percent interest in his land to Lucarelli. Tan has denied he signed a contract or agreed to sell his land.

During legal proceedings, a forensic handwriting expert retained by Tan "analyzed the signature on the purported contract and found that it had been 'cut and pasted' from the (August 2016) letter of intent" signed by Tan.

Lucarelli could only provide a photocopy of the alleged sale contract, and claimed he did not possess an original. No original has been located, according to court records.

After missing a court-imposed deadline, Lucarelli was barred by the court from submitting a competing forensic report. The lawsuit was then dismissed on Sept. 10. A hearing on the latest motions is scheduled for Oct. 26.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
A Hoboken father of three died early Sunday morning after he was assaulted in Downtown Jersey City just over 24 hours earlier, authorities said.

Luis Rivera, 38, died following Saturday's physical altercation in the area of First Street and Marin Boulevard, said Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. The cause and manner of death are being determined by the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office.

Joshua Espada, 29, was arrested Tuesday on Academy Street in Jersey City and charged with aggravated assault in the second degree. He is currently being housed at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, where he will remain until his first court appearance, Suarez said.

Police officers responding to the report of a street fight found Rivera lying unresponsive on the ground with apparent facial wounds at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday. Rivera was treated by emergency medical personnel before taken to the Jersey City Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at approximately 4:10 a.m. Sunday, Suarez added.

In 2013, Espada was charged with three counts of aggravated assault when authorities said he and two other men assaulted another man in Jersey City, The Jersey Journal reported. The disposition of that case was not immediately available.

Rivera worked as a superintendent at Katerra, a technology company that recently merged with Fields Construction of Hoboken.
JERSEY CITY  Jersey City's prohibition on women going topless will remain after a plan to reverse the ban was nipped from the latest update to the city's old obscenity law.

The new anti-obscenity proposal, up for initial OK by the City Council on Wednesday, would not allow women to expose any part of their body "below the point immediately above the top of the areola down to the bottom of the areola" in public.

An older version of the obscenity law rewrite would have allowed women to doff all clothing above the waist, but too many council members were uncomfortable with that so it had to go, according to Councilman James Solomon, the bill's sponsor. The rest of the initial proposal remains the same.

"The original bill had three really good things," Solomon told The Jersey Journal. "It had free speech protections, it had removal of restrictions on people's private sex lives and it had gender-neutral, trans-friendly language. This bill has two of those three things."

Solomon pushed to rewrite the city's obscenity law, which dates to the 1980s, after the city cited it in an attempt to shut down a show by local burlesque performer Lillian Bustle. The law includes a ban on anyone owning more than six sex toys and prohibits women from appearing topless in public.

When the initial plan to rewrite the law was presented to the council in May, some members blanched at the idea of allowing women to walk around topless like men do. During that discussion, one councilman would not say the word breasts. Solomon, who argued that allowing women to appear topless in public would be a trans-inclusive policy, pulled the bill from consideration before its scheduled final vote.

The council will consider the latest version on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 280 Grove St.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Three women, including one from China, were arrested by Secaucus Detective Division officers on charges of prostitution at Secaucus hotels, authorities said.

The Oct. 19 arrests are part of an ongoing effort to combat vice crimes within the town, police Capt. Dennis Miller said. The two other women arrested are from California.

Stephanie Bryan, 30, of Sacramento, California, was arrested at 5:41 p.m. on Oct. 19. Jinping Zhang, 42, of the Jiangxi province of China, was arrested 90 minutes later, at 7:10 p.m. and Elysha Lewis, 21, of Cameron Park, California was arrested at 8:45 p.m., Miller said.

Al three women, who were arrested at different hotels in town, were charged with engaging in prostitution and promoting prostitution, Miller said. Bryan and Zhang were issued summonses and released.

Lewis was found to have an outstanding no-bail warrant out of California and was charged with being a fugitive from justice, Miller said. She was issued complaints and taken to the Hudson County jail.
Three more men have been charged for their roles in the theft of $2.3 million worth of perfume from an Edison warehouse last year, authorities said Tuesday.

Juan Crespo, 41, of Homestead, Florida, and Felix Castillo, 45, and Asnay Fernandez, 28, both of Hialeah, Florida, were charged in a criminal complaint with one count of conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce, according to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

The three were held pending a hearing in Newark federal court, Carpentino said.

In June, two others were charged in the case - Yunior Estevez, 33, of Hollywood, Florida, and Carlos Duvergel, 53, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, were charged with conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen property. Their cases are pending, officials said.

Criminal complaints accuse the suspects of stealing $2.3 million worth of perfume products from a warehouse in Edison in November 2017.

The men drove on the New Jersey Turnpike into Delaware with at least one tractor-trailer filled with stolen perfume, according to court documents.

Investigators say they have video of at least one of the suspects taken from surveillance cameras at a Turnpike toll booth.

If convicted, the three face five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offenses, Carpentino said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
In support of the Oct. 17 legalization of cannabis, I received a government brochure, Get the Facts on ... keeping people and communities safe in British Columbia.

Have the pushers of this legislation written off, as collateral damage, families that will suffer throughout their lives because of the financial tsunami they expect to gain?

Item 1 in the brochure reads, Safe Kids  You must be 19 years or older to buy, possess, use, or grow cannabis in B.C. then explains that cannabis is banned in playgrounds and at schools (are teachers and children going to control the sale or use of it on those hallowed grounds?). Then, it deceitfully states: There are strict laws in place to protect children. Get the facts.

One sure fact is that there is no protection to make kids safe by legalizing cannabis.

The second item with its deceptive title, health, reads: Cannabis affects the brain functions at all ages. It can be especially harmful for people under 25 because their brains are still developing."

If it is especially harmful for people under 25, why then is the B.C. government making it legal for 19-24 year olds? One has to wonder if anyone in government who supported this legalization has an ounce of brain matter. Do they take Canadians for fools?

The brochure babbles on about keeping your community safe, rules for growing cannabis at home (great environment for the kids), impaired driving and safe travel.

The question I have is, why do we keep electing deceptive people who do not give a hoot about the kids or the community? It seems to me that all they care about is making vast sums of money to try to keep outlandish promises made before elections or to fill their pockets.

Garry Rayner, West Kelowna
A former Middlesex Borough fire inspector who boasted of a connection to organized crime was sentenced Tuesday to nearly three years in prison after admitting to a $15,000 extortion plot targeting a local developer.

The cash ultimately handed over to Billy Donnerstag and his co-defendant, Joseph P. Martinelli, actually came from the FBI, federal prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo on Tuesday sentenced Donnerstag, 50, of Hackettstown, to 34 months in prison for conspiring to commit extortion through threats of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Donnerstag, according to court documents, told the unidentified victim he was the son of Gerald Donnerstag, a mob associate convicted of murder in Pennsylvania in the 1970s.

"You need to iron this out with Joe," Billy Donnerstag allegedly told the victim of the payments, which he claimed was a debt owed to Martinelli. "Again, if, if I have to come meet you now--again, it, it, it, it'd become, it's gonna be a problem."

Arrested by the FBI in June 2017, Donnerstag -- who was represented by defense attorney Zahid N. Quraishi -- ultimately took a plea deal rather than take his case to trial.

The borough fired him from his $83,000-a-year job the day after he was charged.

If Donnerstag had decided to face a jury, government lawyers indicated in court filings last year, the prosecution would have relied heavily on audio recordings of Donnerstag threatening the developer.

Martinelli also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit extortion, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26, prosecutors said.

Donnerstag faces three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A former Long Branch police officer who stole more than $80,000 from the coffers of the union where he was a past president was sentenced to one year of probation on Friday, officials said.

Alfred Cistaro, 43, of West Long Branch, was sentenced Friday in Monmouth County Superior Court after pleading guilty on June 14 to one count of theft by deception, according to a release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Cistaro admitted to that he stole the funds from the Long Branch Police Officers' Union PBA Local 10 from December 2013 to May 2015.

He was found out when someone complained to the union that 27 checks totaling $84,628 were drawn from two accounts held by the PBA. Cistaro either received the checks directly or they were made payable to "service providers," the release stated.

An investigation by the prosecutor's office showed that Cistaro was only approved to take $4,500, and that the remaining funds were taken "were taken without approval or authorization from the entire membership," officials said.

Cistaro faced five years in prison if he didn't pay back the $80,138 he stole from the union by the time he was sentenced, the Asbury Park Press reported. Cistaro paid back the money at the start of the hearing.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.
When Morris County residents heard of the massive fire in Dover that left 80 people without homes and destroyed six buildings, they knew something had to be done -- and fast.

But the community acted so quickly in donating to Dover residents displaced by the fire and business reduced to ash, that many organizations are so overwhelmed with donations they are not accepting anymore.

"We have mountains of clothes, the amount of food is indescribable," said Carlos Caprioli, a coordinator of the Morris County Family Success Center. "We don't want people to bring anymore because we don't have anywhere to put them."

Instead, the best way for people to help displaced families and business owners is to donate to their GoFundMe or in the form of $20 or $25 gift cards, he added.

The blaze Monday afternoon decimated 10 apartments and six businesses in downtown Dover. There were no serious injuries, but 40 people permanently lost their homes, Caprioli said.

"We have a situation here where we have families now in shelters," Dodd said. "We have business owners who no longer have businesses."

And those who lost their homes are scared, Caprioli noted, but buoyed by the outpouring of support.

"You see the people that come and they want to bring things, they want to help. And it's hard for the families, but it's good for them to see there is help out there," he said.

The Dover Community Center, St. John's Episcopal Church, the local Salvation Army and Rotary Club are among the 30 nonprofits that are organizing help for victims.

The Red Cross is helping the 80 residents who lost their homes, though some will be able to return Thursday as electricity is being restored. Forty residents are permanently displaced, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said.

(Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Smoke was first reported coming out of the basement of Barry's Luncheonette on North Warren Street around 3:30 p.m. Monday, he said. The fire quickly spread to adjacent buildings on Blackwell Street and North Warren Street.

The inferno was fed by a natural gas line, which "took a while for the power company to locate the shutoff," Dodd said.

New Jersey Natural Gas spokesman Kevin Roberts said crews remained on the scene Wednesday to coordinate restoration efforts. He said the company was contacted by local police at 4:55 p.m. Monday and arrived on site by 5:08 p.m.

"Valves were turned off, curtailing service to approximately 80 of our customers at the site and surrounding area," he said, though he would not comment on how long it took to shut off the gas line feeding the fire.

More than 52 agencies from Morris, Sussex, Warren and Bergen counties responded and assisted with containing the fire, Knapp said.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Two Atlantic City police officers involved in the alleged theft of $22,000 worth of fireworks from a local business in June have not been disciplined by the city, and neither the fireworks nor the money have been returned, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Sgt. George Adams, a 22-year veteran on the force, and Sgt. John Waddell, an 18-year veteran, are the two officers shown on a widely-circulated video loading boxes of fireworks into a pickup truck, and later a patrol vehicle, after 11:30 p.m. on June 30, according to the sources.

Both earn over $100,000 annually, according to state pension data.

Two sources within the police department, who requested anonymity because department policy forbids them from speaking publicly, said neither Adams nor Waddell have been disciplined, and they continue to work their regular shifts.

The details of what actually happened in the alleged theft are murky. Leading up to July 4, Jack May's company, Keystone Novelties Distributors, had a fireworks stand set up in the parking lot of the Ducktown Tavern in Atlantic City. May told NJ Advance Media earlier this month that there is additional footage showing what appears to be the officers completing a transaction with the clerk running the stand and the officers loading more boxes into police vehicles.

Yet there is no record of the transaction, May said, and $22,000 worth of his inventory remains missing.

May said earlier this month that when he tried to contact the clerk to find out what happened, the man said that he was speaking with investigators, but would not provide May additional information.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office confirmed there is an active investigation, but May said he has not heard from the prosecutor's office since mid-September, and he has had little communication with the police department since the incident.

"As far as I know there is no investigation, let alone a fair one," May said.

Johnny Exadaktilos, the owner of Ducktown Tavern, which is a popular drinking spot for police officers, said he has been "blacklisted" by the police department for reviewing the security footage and speaking publicly about the incident.

Ducktown Tavern has been in business in Atlantic City for 13 years, and Exadaktilos said he has been a big supporter of the police department, but he is perplexed about how this incident has been handled by the police department, and specifically the decision making of Chief Henry White.

"His leadership is definitely questionable now for not even suspending these guys," he said.

White did not respond to multiple attempts for comment, including two phone calls and an emailed list of questions. A spokesman for the police department said they would not comment on the situation because there is an ongoing investigation.

Neither officer involved returned messages seeking comment.

Keystone Novelties Distributors operates about 500 fireworks stands around the Northeast and they set up shop in Atlantic City in late June. 2018 was the first year certain fireworks were legal in New Jersey.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The mother of a seriously ill 14-year-old boy says it took more than a week to learn about the severe viral outbreak at a New Jersey healthcare facility that sent her son to the hospital and claimed the lives of six other children.

According to the New Jersey Department of Health officials, there have been 18 reported cases of adenovirus involving children at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, Passaic County. Six of those cases resulted in fatalities.

State health officials told NJ Advance Media that they were first made aware of the outbreak on Oct. 9.

But Paula Costigan, a Boonton resident and mother of a 14-year-old who receives long-term care at the Wanaque Center, said she didn't learn about the outbreak until Oct. 18.

Costigan said her son has since been transferred to a hospital where he remains in "very serious condition."

"He is in really bad shape ... it started to affect his right lung," Costigan said.

She said the Wanaque Center sent out a letter to parents dated Oct. 18, nine days after the state Department of Health said it was first contacted about the outbreak. She said she received no information from the facility prior to Oct. 18.

"I think they should have been a little faster on that," she said.

"They called me on the 18th that he had a fever and that they're sending him to the hospital," she added.

She has been visiting her son in the hospital since he was first admitted and said she planned on returning sometime during the day on Tuesday.

Rowena Bautista, administrator for the Wanaque Center, told NJ Advance Media in a statement that the facility "promptly notified all appropriate government agencies when the virus was initially identified."

She added that the facility staff "have diligently implemented all available infection control and prevention measures in order to protect the health and safety of the Wanaque Center's residents."

Follow-up emails to Bautista about when Costigan and other parents were first notified about the outbreak were not returned on Tuesday.

NJ Advance Media first received an anonymous tip last week about the deaths at the facility. However, neither the state Health Department nor the facility would confirm these details until Tuesday.

Adenovirus is a typically mild illness that mimics flu- and cold-like symptoms. But it can pose serious complications to some people, particularly those with weakened immune systems.

The @NJDeptofHealth team is actively working with the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on minimizing the impact of the adenovirus 7 outbreak on patients and staff in the facility.



This strain of virus tends to cause outbreaks in centers of communal living and has...  Shereef Elnahal, MD (@ShereefElnahal) October 23, 2018

unfortunately led to deaths in several kids with compromised immune systems.



We take this very seriously. Multiple teams on site inspecting/directly working with staff to ensure proper infection control protocols.



Facility is not taking new patients until the outbreak ends.  Shereef Elnahal, MD (@ShereefElnahal) October 23, 2018

The Wanaque Center is a 227-bed, for-profit facility that, according to its website, works with "with medically fragile children." It also serves as an adult nursing home and rehabilitation center for short- and long-term care.

The Wanaque Center has faced legal controversy in the past. According to a February report by NorthJersey.com, an Alzheimer's patient filed a $50 million lawsuit against employees at the facility, and the local police department, after being pepper-sprayed and arrested.

The 75-year-old patient at the Center's assisted living facility alleged negligence, discrimination and recklessness against the facility, the report said.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Health said in a previous statement that "Unfortunately, the particular strain of adenovirus (#7) in this outbreak is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems. This strain has been particularly associated with disease in communal living facilities."

Costigan's son has been at the Wanaque Center since March 2015, receiving long-term care for a severe condition that requires a tracheostomy.

The outbreak at the Wanaque Center remains under investigation by state health officials.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The parent of a 1-year-old living at the Wanaque Center said her son was living in unsanitary conditions for months while receiving care at the New Jersey long-term care facility where a severe viral outbreak has claimed the lives of seven children and infected eleven others.

The state Department of Health is conducting an ongoing investigation into the deadly outbreak of adenovirus earlier this month at the Wanaque Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, in Haskell.

The parent, who requested anonymity because she fears retaliation by the facility, told NJ Advance Media in an interview that her son, who is in a coma for an unrelated condition, was first admitted into the facility in July for long-term rehabilitation treatment.

The unsanitary conditions, she said, were apparent almost immediately.

"The conditions are very dirty," she said. "There is mold in the bathroom. The kids' cribs are rusted. Where they put the ventilator is also rusted."

A photo taken in early October of a crib in a room of the pediatric unit at the Wanaque Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, in Haskell, where a parent said her 1-year-old son had been receiving long-term care.

She also recorded video footage which shows the walls of a room crawling with ants. She said this was the room where her son was housed during his time at the facility.

"The rooms are full ants. Full of all type of bugs. Once I found an ant by my son's diaper," she said.

There were times, she said, that her son's dirty diaper wouldn't be changed for hours.

"A lot of the time they would leave (him) with a dirty diaper," she said. "My son got so many rashes ... They wouldn't come until two hours after. So my son is with a dirty diaper for two hours -- full."

The parent also provided NJ Advance Media photos of the room from earlier this month showing some of the conditions she described.

She said many staff workers at the facility provide quality care and are highly professional. But she also alleged many staff often failed to take sanitary precautions when working in her son's room, including not wearing medical gowns or gloves.

"Some of the staff are actually good workers. But most of them don't wash their hands," she said. "They're two patients in one room; they go from patient to patient without washing their hands."

She added that the drinking water also comes from a rusty sink.

A photo taken in early October of equipment in a room of the pediatric unit at the Wanaque Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, in Haskell, where a parent said her 1-year-old son had been receiving long-term care.

The woman said she repeatedly raised concerns with staff but that those concerns were ultimately ignored.

"They would get mad when a parent would be concerned," she said.

The facility treats medically fragile children who often require continual monitoring and care.

The parent said her 1-year-old son, who was not infected with the virus, has since been transferred to a hospital while the investigation into the outbreak continues.

The facility will remain closed to new patients until "the outbreak ends and they are in full compliance," a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health said.

The Wanaque Center, whose parent company is Continuum Healthcare LLC, is a 227-bed, for-profit facility. In its most recent health inspection report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave the facility a "below average" rating. The 2017 report said the facility "failed to ensure infection control practices were followed."

The Wanaque Center has also faced legal controversy in the past. According to a February report by NorthJersey.com, an Alzheimer's patient filed a $50 million lawsuit against employees at the facility, and the local police department, after being pepper-sprayed and arrested.

Other parents have raised concerns in recent days about the operations at the facility, particularly about its response to the outbreak.

Paula Costigan, a Boonton resident whose 14-year-old son receives long-term care at the Wanaque Center, told NJ Advance Media that she didn't learn about the outbreak until more than a week after it was first reported to state health officials.

The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Ringwood Avenue in Haskell, New Jersey.

It is unclear exactly when the virus broke out, but the state Department of Health said it was notified of respiratory illness at the facility on Oct. 9.

Costigan said she didn't learn of the outbreak until Oct. 18.

However, Rowena Bautista, administrator for the Wanaque Center, had told NJ Advance Media in a statement that the facility "promptly notified all appropriate government agencies when the virus was initially identified."

Bautista did not respond to an email seeking comment about the alleged conditions at the facility.

The facility referred all inquiries to a Philadelphia-based media relations company, which could not be reached by phone Wednesday afternoon.

1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the union that represents 136 workers at the Wanaque Center, issued a statement on Tuesday saying it is "deeply concerned by reports suggesting that Wanaque Center may have kept the severity of this outbreak from family members and staff."

"It is imperative that a full accounting take place of when and how this outbreak began and how it is now being addressed," said Ron McCalla, assistant division director and vice president at large of 1199SEIU, in the statement.

The union said it has requested information from Wanaque Center about the steps management is taking to "ensure the safety of patients and prevent further spread of the virus."

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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By Perry N. Halkitis

This weekend, a memo from the Department of Health & Human Services was released by the New York Times stating the department's intent to solely define gender as either male or female based on biological traits defined by or prior to birth.

If approved, this move would erase the psychological and social experiences of 1.4 million human beings in the United States alone.

The Trump administration claims that this regressive definition "protects" the health of all Americans when, in fact, it is quite the contrary. In 2011, the National Academy of Sciences reported that transgender and sexual minority individuals experience worse health outcomes than their cis-gender and heterosexual peers. This is fueled, in part, by a healthcare industry that is ill equipped to address the biological, psychological, and social needs of the LGBTQ population. Exacerbating this state of affairs are the systemic and often state-sanctioned discrimination toward trans individuals and the LGBTQ population more broadly.

The deeply personal process of coming out and/or negotiating gender identity is complicated and occurs in concert with biological, psychological, and social drivers that coalesce to create heath challenges including a heightened risk for STIs (including HIV), substance use, mental health burdens, and experiences of violence and victimization.

For example, a recent study noted that HIV incidence among trans women is as high as 40 percent and concentrated in communities of color -- segments of our population which are further marginalized because of their race and ethnicity. Among the myriad health disparities face by the population, trans individuals also report high levels of alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, and illicit drug use, as well as eating disorders and depression.

However, and more importantly, these health conditions do not occur in a vacuum.

Gender and sexual minorities do not suddenly decide to engage in these risky health behaviors. Rather it is the continued institutional and perpetual stigmatization of their identities that create psychosocial burdens, which, in-turn, fuel these health-harming behaviors.

The repetitive nature of history, which obviously has taught us nothing, will force trans individuals underground and perpetuate a culture of hate and discrimination.

We don't have to go far for examples -- the Holocaust, gay men and women prior to Stonewall, and the experiences of enslaved individuals of African decent who for centuries lived their lives under the control of cis-gender privileged white men who are not so different in their values from Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell and their cronies.

Without a healthcare industry attending to the realities of trans individuals, and a government denying trans people their truth, many will go underground to seek services by unlicensed and ill-equipped health facilitates, resulting in deadly consequences. This alone demonstrates the fallacy of the Trump administration on the matter of gender.

The Trump administration's stance is worsening conditions and the health outcomes of an already marginalized and disproportionately burdened population.

This proposed policy, clearly motivated by politics, diminishes health to the lowest common dominator -- genitals. The policy fails to honor the fact that gender is an emotional truth not defined by the parts with which one is born.

Denying and individuals' gender identity is denying their existence.

As a public health leader, who has spent nearly three decades working to enhance the heath of the LGBTQ population through research, education, and activism, I call upon everyone to take a stand alongside me, as we work with our legislators to obliterate the proposal put forth by the Trump administration. It is our duty to protect, to give a voice to those who would otherwise be silenced, and to empower our trans population, which the Trump administration seeks to erase. And in doing so, we will also celebrate trans people who constitute one of our most diverse, vibrant, and resilient populations.

Perry N. Halkitis is dean and director of the Center for Health, Identity Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS), School of Public Health at Rutgers University. His book "Out in Time; From Stonewall to Queer, How Gay Men Came of Age Across the Generations" will be published by Oxford University Press in 2019. Follow him @DrPNHalkitis.

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By Gideon Aronoff

I'm a West Orange father of a 13-year-old LGBT+ son.

Since he came out in middle school, I have felt so grateful to live here in New Jersey. We are blessed with a welcoming community, loving religious institutions, compassionate public schools, and fundamental legal protections enacted by our state.

As someone with almost no experience with LGBT kids before my son came out, I'll admit I am a little new to all this. But I know one thing for sure, I couldn't be more proud of my son for the strength and courage he has demonstrated in being his true self.

But I'm not kidding myself.

Like any parent, I'm deeply anxious about his future and the discrimination and prejudice he may face. Even here in New Jersey, I worry about backwards, out of touch people who pose a threat to my son and others like him.

The man running to be my next Congressman in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, career Assemblyman Jay Webber, is one clear threat. His record of hostility towards the LGBT community is lengthy, ideological and disturbing.

Chillingly, he is one of the few state legislators who has voted to support "conversion therapy" for minors, a failed and inhumane scam, which terrorizes LGBT+ kids into denying who they are. This hoax can cause years of lasting damage. In a recent debate on with his opponent, Navy veteran Mikie Sherrill, he defended the practice as legitimate despite strong calls from the American Psychological Association for it to be banned.

I have done my research and know that this is nothing new for Webber.

At Harvard he was part of an anti-LGBT+ group that trolled national coming out day by proclaiming its own "coming out of homosexuality" day. With so many issues facing New Jersey, Webber spent his political capital in Trenton trying to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn marriage equality and has repeatedly voted against legislation which would have made life easier for my son.

Without doubt, if elected, Webber will bring this deep personal anti-gay and anti-transgender crusade to Washington where he would become a threat on the national level. And he'll have President Trump's blessing. This week it was revealed the Trump administration has a proposal to define gender as either male or female based solely on a person's genitals at birth.

We applaud Mikie Sherrill, who recently received our endorsement for 11th Congressional District, for defending LGBTQ rights! During a NJTV debate on Wednesday night, Mikie Sherrill highlighted Jay Webber's anti-LGBTQ history, including his refusal to condemn conversion therapy. Posted by Garden State Equality on Thursday, October 11, 2018

I want my son to be able to get a good education, a good job, and to one day build a supportive and loving family of his own. I'm not an activist, but I am a parent, and like any parent I will fight against anything and anyone who endangers my child.

I know that for most voters this year, LGBT+ rights may not be at the forefront of your minds. To that, I would say this: It's 2018 and our state faces real challenges. Our infrastructure is failing us, cost of living is constantly rising, and Washington is focused on ideology and politics, not helping solve problems.

When you're making a choice on Nov. 6, please choose someone who is focused on those issues and not on their own personal, ideological agenda. I'll be voting for Mikie Sherrill because her opponent poses a threat to my son's future. You should vote for her because she'll be focused on fighting for yours.

Gideon Aronoff is a Jewish community professional and the current executive director of the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel. He and his wife live in West Orange with two school-age children.

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WASHINGTON -- Almost a year after then-Gov. Chris Christie's opioid commission disbanded with an admonition to Congress to fund efforts to tackle the crisis, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed sweeping legislation designed to do just that.

Christie, the chairman of the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, was in the audience in the White House East Room as Trump signed the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act into law.

Christie's commission went out of business Nov. 1, 2017 after offering 65 recommendations on how to address the opioid crisis. Some of them were in the bill signed by Trump, which combined several separate pieces of legislation into one all-encompassing measure.

The measure strengthens efforts to stop the flow of illegal narcotics such as fentanyl and to cut down on opioid prescriptions in favor of non-addictive painkillers. It also expands the use of medication-assistance treatment for addicts.

Around 63,600 Americans died in 2016 from drug overdoses, including 2,056 New Jerseyans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Today, we've kept our promise to those suffering from addiction and delivered real solutions to towns across America," said Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., co-chair of the congressional Bipartisan Heroin Task Force.

The massive bill included $10 million in grants to hospitals for a program begun at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, where emergency room physicians try to ease patients' pain in ways that don't involve prescribing opioids.

This will "allow providers across the country to use alternative means to address common acute pain, while preventing unnecessary opioids from getting into patients' hands," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., who sponsored the original legislation that passed the House.

U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., sponsored the Paterson measure in their chamber.

"Their success in significantly reducing the use of opioids will rightfully now be a model for the country," Booker said.

Another provision will allow states to use Medicaid funds for drug treatment in facilities with more than 16 beds. New Jersey last year received a waiver to allow such treatment.

It also require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work to end the spread of infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C though needles used to inject opioids and other drugs.

And the Food and Drug Administration will get new authority and additional funding to prevent synthetic opioids such as heroin and fentanyl from reaching the U.S. through overseas mail, including through the international bulk mail center in Secaucus.

"It's law -- the resources and funding our neighbors are counting on to fight opioid addiction are on the way," said Rep. Leonard Lance, R-7th Dist. "We have all seen the struggle in our New Jersey communities and know too many of our neighbors who have lost a loved one to addiction."

Several companies, including Johnson & Johnson, agreed to take steps to help address the opioid crisis, and their executives joined Trump on stage before he signed the measure.

JNJ's representative was Linda Murray, senior vice President of consumer experience and global editor-in-chief of BabyCenter. The company said it was providing information to nurses and physicians to help them address substance abuse and working on an educational campaign on opioid addiction to reach more than 2.5 million people expecting a child.

"Substance abuse and addiction are serious public health issues and we are committed to being part of the ongoing dialogue and doing our part to find ways to address this crisis," the New Brunswick-based company said in a statement.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, noted that Trump was signing the bill at the same time he and congressional Republicans have sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act and have been taking steps to diminish coverage in the interim.

"It is disingenuous at best to promise relief to people struggling with opioid addiction while also attempting to cut funding for Medicaid and eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which include opioid use disorder," said Pallone, D-6th Dist.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker says he's focused on 2018, but his travel schedule increasingly looks like he has 2020 on his mind.

Booker, a potential Democratic presidential candidate and current frequent foil of President Donald Trump, is heading to New Hampshire Sunday to help turn out the vote in advance of the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

He has events that day scheduled with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Molly Kelly at the University of New Hampshire and with Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., at Dartmouth College.

Traveling to New Hampshire will complete Booker's grand slam of 2020 early voting states. This month alone, he will have visited three of them, having earlier gone to Iowa and South Carolina. He traveled to the fourth state, Nevada, in August.

Booker has raised his national profile during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings into the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

He angered committee Republicans by releasing documents that a lawyer who represented members of the Trump administration initially tried to keep confidential. Booker called that his "Spartacus moment."

The lawyer, Bill Burck, did clear some of those documents for release before Booker made them public.

Like his earlier trips, Booker's visit to New Hampshire could pay immediate dividends by turning out Democratic voters on Election Day, and future benefits as he gathers chits and meets with the party leaders and activists whose support would be a big help should he complete in the first-in-the-nation primary in 2020.

Booker, D-N.J., already has raised $7 million for his 2020 re-election campaign, money that also could be diverted to a presidential run. A bill pending in the state legislature would make it clear that he could run for both the White House and the Senate two years from now.

He is considered a top-tier presidential candidate, was fifth in a CNN poll of potential Democratic contenders, and is regularly attacked by Trump at his political rallies over his record as mayor of Newark.

The current mayor, Ras Baraka, has responded to Trump's claims and invited him to "see the amazing things happening here with his own eyes."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce name d prosthetic manufacturer Fillauer recipient of the 2018 Spirit of Innovation Award on Wednesday.

Fillauer is a leader in the evolution, design and technology of orthotic and prosthetic products and services, including the NEXO system, an upper extremity prosthesis that has drastically changed options available for patients, technicians and prosthetists.

The device is 50 percent lighter than other prosthetic products, with options for various wrist and elbow attachments and PEEK rods that are flexible and reduce both vibration and pressure on the residual limb.



The Chamber also honored Spirit of Innovation Award finalists Motivo, an online platform providing clinical supervision for mental health credentialing, and employee feedback platform WorkHound.



The Spirit of Innovation Awards, presented by the Chamber and presenting sponsor Bridge Innovate, honor businesses that originated in the region and have potential to impact many people and inspire change either within one industry or across a broader spectrum. A volunteer-led committee of community business and tech leaders selects Spirit of Innovation Award finalists and the recipient.

Michelle Buchanan, deputy for Science and Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, keynoted the Spirit of Innovation Luncheon.

Other awards presented on Wednesday included:

 Educator Innovation Award, presented by the Chattanooga 2.0 Action Team to Chris Seanard, Dalewood Middle School, for work with the schools VW eLab

 Early Innovator Award, presented by the Chattanooga Technology Council to Security Centres International (USA) for their Mobile Advanced Safety Tower (MAST) providing security and life safety services on a mobile, solar-powered, HD video surveillance and communications tower

Spirit of Innovation is part of a robust schedule of Startup Week events. Find the full schedule here.


Photo: Sunniva

Construction on a massive cannabis production facility in Okanagan Falls has slowed to a snail's pace.

After a flurry of activity and site preparation this summer, construction has fallen mostly silent at the former site of the Weyerhaeuser Mill in OK Falls.

Sunniva purchased the entire 126-acre property in May for $7M, announcing plans to build a 700,000 square foot greenhouse that would employ more than 200 people.

The company, led by Penticton resident and Poplar Grove Winery owner Anthony Holler, has been undergoing significant corporate restructuring.

It has yet to secure full funding for the Okanagan Falls facility, but is in the process of spinning out the Canadian parts of its business into a new entity.

Sunniva is near completion on a similar large greenhouse in California and plans on operating in the two countries separately, according to news releases on the companys website.

It is speculated by some within the cannabis industry that it will be easier for Sunniva to attract funding for the OK Falls facility if it is not operating as an international firm.

The company is currently trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange for around $5 per share.

A Sunniva spokesperson did not respond to request for comment.
WASHINGTON -- On the same day of the only debate in New Jersey's U.S. Senate race, a poll released Wednesday gave U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez a 5-point lead over former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin.

The Rutgers-Eagleton survey put Democrat Menendez ahead of Republican Hugin among likely voters, 51 percent to 46 percent, within the poll's margin of error of 5.1 percentage points. The candidates are scheduled to face off Wednesday evening.

Every poll has put Menendez in the lead, but narrower than expected given New Jersey's blue tint and the opposition in the state to Republican President Donald Trump.

In a midterm election seen as a referendum on the president, just 41 percent of likely voters approved of Trump's performance in office, with 56 percent disapproving.

As indicated in other polls, Hugin's multimillion-dollar advertising blitz attacking Menendez on ethics has made an impact.

"After his recent onslaught of attack ads against Menendez, Hugin is making this race much closer than it should be for an incumbent in a blue state," said Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers.

Democrats are less enthusiastic about supporting Menendez following his mistrial on federal corruption charges and his rebuke by the Senate Ethics Committee for accepting gifts and trips from Dr. Salomon Melgen, a friend and campaign donor, while intervening with federal agencies on his behalf.

Almost twice as many Hugin supporters, 37 percent, said they were very enthusiastic about voting for their candidate, compared with 19 percent of Menendez backers.

And 54 percent said Menendez's ethical problems figured into their vote, compared with 44 percent who said it had little or no impact.

"What's most responsible for the narrow margin here is the corruption charges against Menendez that have haunted his entire re-election campaign," Koning said. "Mistrial or not, the charges have dampened support where Menendez needs it most - with independents and even a handful of his own base."

The survey was conducted Oct. 12-19, both before and after Hugin released an ad resurrecting unproven charges that Menendez slept with teenage prostitutes while on a trip to the Dominican Republic with Melgen. While the FBI investigated the allegations, they were not included in the indictment against Menendez.

As in other polls, Menendez's favorability ratings were in negative territory, with 55 percent viewing him unfavorably and 28 percent viewing him favorably.

Still, every independent analysis made Menendez the favorite to win as the Democrat has a built-in advantages among the electorate.

Half of New Jerseyans, 50 percent, had a favorable opinion of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, the state's other Democratic senator, while 39 percent viewed him unfavorably. His job approval rating was 53 percent positive and 40 percent negative.

The Rutgers-Eagleton poll surveyed 496 likely voters.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
New Jersey taxpayers will foot $350 an hour for another veteran attorney to help investigate the sexual assault controversy facing Gov. Phil Murphy's administration.

Joseph Hayden Jr. will serve as co-counsel for the special joint state Senate and Assembly committee looking into how Murphy's team handled allegations that a former senior staffer raped a woman while he worked for Murphy's campaign last year, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin announced Tuesday.

Hayden -- a former deputy state attorney general who is now a partner at Hackensack law firm Pashman Stein Walder Hayden -- will work with prominent attorney Michael Critchley.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney tapped Critchley last week as the panel's other co-counsel.

Both lawyers will make $350 an hour for their work.

So will Peter Verniero, the former state Supreme Court Justice and state attorney general whom Murphy has picked to head a separate independent investigation into Alvarez' hiring.

At the same time, Murphy's administration will also pay that rate to former state Attorney General Christopher Porrino, who's been hired to respond to requests for information related to the matter.

Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Coughlin, D-Middlesex -- the leaders of the Democrat-controlled state Legislature -- announced last week they were launching a bipartisan investigation into the Democratic governor's administration. That came only days after Katie Brennan publicly accused Albert J. Alvarez of sexually assaulting her in April 2017.

Coughlin also announced Tuesday he's named nine Assembly members to the 13-members committee. They join six members of the state Senate whom Sweeney chose last week.

All but one of the Assembly members are women.

Eliana Pintor Marin, D-Essex, will serve as co-chair. Nancy Munoz, R-Union, will be vice chair.

The remaining Assembly members include five other Democrats (Gordon Johnson of Bergen County; Pamela Lampitt of Camden; Angela McKnight of Hudson; and Nancy Pinkin of Middlesex) and two other Republicans (Bettylou DeCroce of Morris; and Holly Schepisi of Bergen).

Sweeney previously named four Democratic and two Republican senators to the committee -- all but two of whom are women. He tapped Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, as the other co-chair.

The panel will also examine state government hiring practices and how to strengthen New Jersey's laws and policies related to sexual assault and misconduct allegations.

"I am certain a fair and just process will transpire as we examine the issues related to hiring practices and systematic issues within current policies related to sexual assault and misconduct allegations," Coughlin said in a statement Tuesday.

Brennan, chief of staff of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, says Alvarez sexually assaulted her in April 2017.

Brennan, 31, of Jersey City, was a supporter of Murphy's at the time. Alvarez, 44, of Wood-Ridge, was a campaign official and later became chief of staff of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

Alvarez has never been charged with a crime. His attorney has denied the allegations.

Brennan said she alerted Murphy's team three times over the last year about the allegations. Alvarez remained in his state position until he resigned Oct. 2, when a reporter asked him for comment on the accusations.

Murphy said his administration responded according to protocol, but Alvarez should not have been hired.

The state attorney general's office also announced the case against Alvarez has been moved from the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office to Middlesex County.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
The campaign for GOP candidate for Congress in New Jersey's 11th Congressional district, Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris, said Wednesday that a threat against him and his seven children was delivered to his office in Whippany yesterday.

A note sent to Webber's office warned Webber "You better hope you don't win! Or else." and then asked, "How many kids do you have...7? Unlucky 7."

Webber has frequently incorporated his wife Johanna and their seven children into his campaign, featuring them in campaign ads.

The threat, which arrived with a cut up Webber for Congress sign, has been referred to the state police for investigation, according to Ronica Cleary, a spokesperson for the campaign.

The race for New Jersey's 11th congressional district, which includes Morris and Essex Counties, is hotly contested and closely watched. U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11, held the seat for decades never winning by less than 19 points, but Hillary Clinton lost the district by a single point in 2016. National Democrats view it as a key district in their goal to gain control of the House of Representatives.

An Oct. 9th poll by Monmouth University has Webber's rival, Democrat Mikie Sherrill, ahead in the race by four points, 48 percent to 44 percent, but within the margin of error.

On Wednesday, Webber took to twitter to decry the ugly turn the race has taken.

Criticizing a candidate on the issues is part of politics. Threatening my children is not. We are thankful for the support of law enforcement as we work to find whoever is behind this gutless act. We will not be intimidated as we work to make #NJ11 better for everyone. pic.twitter.com/nmVRuV9ATH  Jay Webber (@JayWebberNJ) October 24, 2018

The threat arrived by US Mai at Webber's Whippany law office a day after Webber's campaign tweeted that his opposition on the political left was "unhinged" and posted a video showing torn up and defaced Webber campaign quotes intercut with renowned Democrats like former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton advocating direct action by voters.

WATCH: The angry left is fully unhinged. Maybe b/c the lefts leaders in Washington encourage violence! Dont retaliate! Respond by putting up more #WebberForCongress signs & volunteering. Let's win this the right way & work together to make #NJ11 better for everyone. pic.twitter.com/zgw6f4IMxm  Jay Webber (@JayWebberNJ) October 18, 2018

Webber campaign spokeswoman Ronica Cleary released a statement to media on Wednesday:

"We are thankful for the immediate responsiveness and support of law enforcement in light of this threat. Vehement criticism of a candidate on issues of public concern is part of politics, but when anonymous individuals menace a candidate and his family, things have gotten out of hand."

In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Webber's Democratic opponent, Mikie Sherrill, herself a mother of four, blasted the threat as "absolutely appalling."

"No one who decides to run for public office should feel that, by doing so, they are putting their family in danger," said Sherrill. "I condemn this in the strongest terms and hope law enforcement determines who was behind this and holds them accountable."

Anyone with information about the incident should contact state police's regional operations intelligence center's Watch and Warning Unit at (609) 963-6900, option 1.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- The federal agencies responsible for enforcing President Donald Trump's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents didn't know of the new rules until it was announced, congressional investigators said Wednesday.

As a result, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor Department of Health and Human Services could plan for the impact of the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy of detaining migrants crossing the border and legally requesting asylum as criminals, meaning their children could not be housed with them.

The report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, was requested by New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist.

He sought the study after spending Father's Day at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Elizabeth with other lawmakers, meeting with parents whose kids were taken away.

"This disturbing GAO report shows the tragic consequences of carrying out a cruel and misguided policy impacting thousands of families without any preparation or prior notification to the agencies charged with implementing it," said Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Facing overwhelming opposition, Trump later rescinded his separation policy.

Under federal court order to quickly reunify families, the Trump administration released 2,217 children to their parents.

Another 437 remained under the care of HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement as of Sept. 10, mostly because their parents were not in the country but also because some parents wanted their children to remain in the U.S. and others were ineligible for reunification, the GAO said.

"It took the Trump administration far too long to develop a process to identify and reunite these families, and even then, it was not consistently followed," Pallone said. "As a result, families that should have never been separated in the first place were cruelly kept apart much longer."

Pallone has said the parents came to the U.S. for political reasons and did not cross the border illegally but followed long-established procedures for seeking asylum, including turning themselves into federal authorities.

The report came as a caravan of immigrants made its way through Central America en route to the U.S., giving Trump another campaign issue to use in a midterm election seen as a referendum on the president.

Trump has been blaming Democrats for the failure of the Republican-controlled Congress to pass immigration legislation, including using taxpayer dollars for a border wall that the president insisted Mexico would pay for.

Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic Immigration Laws! Remember the Midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2018

"You see what's going on on the border," Trump said Tuesday at a meeting with local government officials at the White House. "You see how bad the immigration laws are given to us -- thank you very much -- by the Democrats. They're the dumbest laws anywhere in the world. Dumbest immigration laws anywhere in the world."

Trump began fundraising on the issue Tuesday, promising to match $3 million in donations. "We cannot sit by and let the Democrats win the House and Senate," he said in an email to supporters.

Trump, though, has rejected bipartisan efforts to strengthen border security and allow so-called "dreamers," unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, to remain in the country they grew up in.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
A female bear facing death after allegedly charging a man in Vernon has eluded capture for nine days.

Animals rights activists have dubbed her "Mama Bear," since she reportedly has two cubs. They are asking for her life to be spared, though state regulations allow for no second chances when a bear acts aggressively near a person.

"There's no evidence that this bear attacked anyone," Doris Lin, a attorney for the anti-hunt BEAR Group, told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

Authorities set a trap for the bear Oct. 14 after the man reported the encounter at the Great Gorge Village condominium complex to Vernon police, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna said.

Based on information provided by Vernon to DEP, Hajna said the bear might have "swiped" at the man, but that he apparently was unhurt.

That distinction, though, does not matter under the state policy.

Bears that "act aggressively within 10 feet of a person are classified as exhibiting Category 1 behavior," Hajna said, referring to the designation reserved for condemned bears.

Lin countered that the bear might have engaged in a "bluff charge," but disputed that she had any intention of hurting the man.

"If she wanted to hurt him, she would have," Lin said, adding the bear and her cubs are well-known in the neighborhood.

Hajna said the cubs are considered old enough to survive on their own.

Vernon police did not return multiple phone calls about the incident.

At about 70 square miles, Vernon is mostly rural and in the heart of so-called bear country.

The first, 6-day stage of the 2018 bear hunt concluded Oct. 13 with 139 bears being killed, and will resume in December.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Much of the plot of Lorraine Hansberry's vaguely autobiographical play, "A Raisin in the Sun," now playing in a production by Theatre to Go, a company founded in 1992 by Ruth Markoe, at the Kelsey Theatre on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College through October 28, is a fine example of what African-American playwright and poet Langston Hughes called "a dream deferred" in a notable poem called "Harlem."

The play's action takes place not in Harlem but on the south side of Chicago in a dreary, crowded apartment shared by the Younger family. The dream that Lena (played in this production by Cherylanne Jones) and her hard working husband had was to move from the crowded city to the suburbs and own a house of their own. Lena, now a widow awaiting her husband's insurance money, still has her two children, Walter (Lukata Mjumbe) and Beneatha (Tonya Treadwell), as well as Walter's wife Ruth (Naimah Beyah) and his young son Travis (Linwood Nelson, Jr.), living with her.

Lena will use the insurance money as their ticket out of the city, but Walter, who's barely making ends meet working as a limo driver, wants to flex his muscles as the now head of the family and invest the money in a liquor store with his friends Bobo (Brian Christopher) and Willy, but Lena disapproves. In addition, Beneatha needs money for college since her ambition is to become a doctor and if she chooses to ignore the advances of her two suitors, a successful businessman named George Murchisen (Shemarquez Rice) and an African exchange student, Joseph Asagai (Jamil Long).

Their problem is further complicated by the offer of Karl Lindner (Richard Kirschner), a property holder in the white neighborhood Lena has chosen for them to move to who fears that property values will decline if a black family moves into Clybourne Heights. He'll buy them out, and Walter seems willing to listen to that offer.

"This play is not only great literature and history as well," said Ruth Markoe who's not only this production's producer but also its director, "but it's also an affirmation of family too. The Youngers have dreams and hopes; they want to do better for themselves. And they know that no matter what, they have each other. Lena is their rock, and they know that whatever goes on in the world or what failures or success they have, she'll be there for them. Here are three generations living together, not always harmoniously, but always there for each other."

Markoe regretted that a sort of sequel to "A Raisin in the Sun" called "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris and this Kelsey production overlapped. Norris's play happened last weekend at the Don Evans Black Box Theatre on the campus of TCNJ during this Kelsey production's first of two weekends, but since such productions must be decided upon and announced far in advance, the overlap couldn't be helped. Hansberry's memorable characters also inspired another playwright, Kwame Kwei-Armah, to create "Beneatha's Place," which speculates on Beneatha's life after "Raisin."

"We did the stage version of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' at Kelsey a few years ago," said Markoe, "and I'm proud to say we won many awards, so I know there's an audience for classic plays like this one. This idea was reinforced when my company, which we call T2G, did a series of readings of plays which included 'Raisin' at the 1857 Sanctuary with kids from a local high school, and we felt that since it had had such great success with these amazing kids, we'd try it during one of our visits to Kelsey. I'm so glad we did. I think we have a great cast, and I hope that audiences enjoy it too.

"For the African-American community, the issues here may have morphed into other issues since the play was first written and when it reached Broadway in 1959, but there's still a lot of work to do to achieve the kind of social justice we know should exist. The Youngers, like people across all cultures and all ethnicities, want to do better, to make life mean more and be more for the next generation. At the play's end, the Youngers are going into the unknown. What will they face? What will they have when they get to Clybourne Park? Whatever happens though, they are together, still a family who always have each other," said Markoe.

The outsiders who interact with the Youngers are interesting too, and Markoe discovered that Beneatha's two suitors both present possibilities for change for Beneatha, Joseph Asagai perhaps more than the somewhat snobbish and superior George Murchisen. Asagai teaches Beneatha so much more about her African heritage than she's ever heard before. In the musical version of the play (called, with little originality, 'Raisin'), Asagai's music is totally different from any other music in the score by Judd Woldin and Robert Brittan as befits his differences from the Americans.

At auditions, Markoe asked those who were considering playing Asagai to read his lines with an African accent. Jamil Long, who was cast in the part, had little idea what that would sound like, but he has done considerable research to find out.

"There's less available on accents than on things like African dress or customs," said Long who knew the play from his 11th grade English class, "but I think you'll be able to tell the difference between his speech patterns and those of the Americans. Africa has many languages, but I settled on a Nigerian Yoruba accent.

"Asagai is very proud of who he is. He feels very protective of Beneatha. He's a kind of part-time savior for her, offering her new possibilities she may never have known she had. He has an understanding of how his world works, and he can see Beneatha there. She can see that he's a man of experience in a world that's different from what she knows. He has the quality of being an elder, a teacher, a guide," said Long who's a theater major at Mercer County Community College and is also involved in the college's upcoming production of "Antonia" there.

"There are so many fine moments in this play, but there's a scene with Lena, Beneatha, Ruth, Walter, and Asagai," said Long, "that's off the wall emotionally. And someday, when I'm older and more experienced, I'd like to play Walter. He's such an intriguing man."

IF YOU GO

"Raisin in the Sun"

Where: Kelsey Theatre, West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College,

1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor

When: through Oct. 28; Friday & Saturday at 8; matinee on Sunday at 2

How much: Tickets are $18; $16 for seniors; $14 for students, alumni, and veterans

Contact: (609) 570-3333 or Kelsey@mccc.org

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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: journalist Jim Amoss.

The icon: Jim Amoss.

The legacy: When Jim Amoss started working at The States-Item in 1974, his journalism experience consisted of one course: a night class at Loyola University on the basics of journalism. But he gained experience as a reporter and editor during the next three decades at the Item and, later, The Times-Picayune. On his watch, the paper won four Pulitzer Prizes, two in 1997 and two in 2006. His experience in running a big news-gathering operation proved invaluable not only on Aug. 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck, the levees failed and floodwaters submerged 80 percent of New Orleans, but also in the years to come as the metropolitan area and its inhabitants struggled to recover. During that period, the newspaper was not only a source of information, in print and online, but also a community bulletin board, where far-flung evacuees went to find out how their neighborhoods were faring. In an interview about the storm's impact with The Yale Daily News, the newspaper at his alma mater, Amoss said, "Nothing will ever surpass this in sheer fascination and drama and unpredictability and importance to the community that we serve."

The artist: Michael McManus.

The quote: "There's nothing like a newsroom." -- Jim Amoss, in a 2015 profile in NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Explore more of McManus' work online at WhereYart.net and in person at the Where Y'Art gallery, 1901 Royal St.

His full name, which he never uses, is Walter James Amoss III.

By John Pope, contributing writer

Source: The Times-Picayune archives; staff research

More on 300 for 300:
Photo: The Canadian Press

Emergency workers struggled to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Hurricane Willa, and the storm continued to force evacuations Wednesday due to fear of flooding even as it dissipated over northern Mexico. Thousands of homes were still without power.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or missing people, but the storm's 120 mph winds damaged a hospital, knocked out power, toppled wood-shack homes and ripped metal roofing off other houses in Escuinapa when it came ashore Tuesday evening.

Nearly 102,000 homes lost electricity after the storm made landfall, the head of the state electricity company said on Twitter. Service had been restored to about 62 per cent of those.

The state civil defence office said the hospital's ceiling and some other areas were damaged in Escuinapa.

The worst damage was expected to be in the handful of coastal communities that were cut off by road and without communications. Workers were trying to remove toppled power poles and trees blocking the road.

In neighbouring Nayarit state, Gov. Antonio Echevarria asked the federal government to send a helicopter, boats and rescue equipment. He said the state was trying to evacuate people in communities at risk of flooding.

Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque, Willa swept over an offshore penal colony about 60 miles out in the Pacific. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of inmates was a priority.

Willa peaked as a Category 5 storm with winds of 155 mph over the Pacific on Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm rapidly lost force and dissipated over northern Mexico Wednesday morning.

Concern about rains led Durango state to say it was evacuating 200 people threatened by possible spills from the Santa Elena dam. In Nayarit, the fire department urged residents in villages near the Acaponeta river to "evacuate immediately" as the river rose to dangerous levels.

Willa came ashore about 50 miles southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to highrise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.
Police connected a 28-year-old man to a robbery and an attempted hold-up in the Central Business District in which he twice told the victims he needed money to feed his family, New Orleans police said.

Police arrested Jairus Palmer on charges of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery with a firearm Monday (Oct. 22), according to court documents.

Just after 7 p.m. Oct. 4, a man was standing in the 200 block of South Saratoga Street (map) when a man wearing a white shirt and blue jean shorts, later identified as Palmer, approached him and asked for a cigarette, police said. The victim said he didnt have one and Palmer walked away, police said.

Palmer approached the victim again, according to police, while holding a black firearm close to his body with his right hand. He told the victim, Give me all your money, I got kids to feed, according to court documents.

The victim refused to give any of his belongings to Palmer and yelled for police. Palmer then went east on South Saratoga, police said, and got into a dark-colored sedan on Cleveland Street and fled the scene.

Twenty minutes later, a woman and her friend were walking westbound in the 200 block of Baronne Street when Palmer approached them and demanded for the womans money, police said.

Palmer pulled a black handgun from his waistband with his right hand and said, Give me your money. I dont want to hurt anyone, I am trying to feed my family, according to police.

The woman reached into her backpack for her purse and handed it to Palmer, police said. Palmer took $480 and then got into a dark-colored sedan and fled westbound on Baronne Street toward Howard Avenue, police said.

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The woman described the man to be about 40 years old, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 190 pounds.

Real Time Crime Center technicians tracked and identified the vehicle as a Chevrolet Impala, and found it parked at a Circle K store on Howard Avenue, police said.

Detectives reviewed surveillance video of the attempted robbery on South Saratoga and issued a look-out alert for a man driving a dark-colored sedan, according to court documents. On Oct. 12, an anonymous caller identified Palmer as the man police were looking for.

The man captured in the surveillance video also matched the womans description of the man, according to police documents.

On Aug. 12, Palmer was issued a citation for theft under $1,000, in which he provided his address, according to court documents.

Around 11 p.m. Oct. 14, detectives went to Palmers residence and saw a dark-colored 2009 Chevrolet Impala, which was the same car captured in the surveillance video and tracked by Real Time Crime Center, police said.

Police had previously arrested Palmer in June in connection with an armed robbery near Canal Street.

Palmers bond was set at $25,000. He was appointed a public defender.
This is the second article in a three-part series examining how Louisianas secretary of state candidates feel about recent trends in election laws, especially those that have become popular in conservative states. You can read the first story in that series here.

New laws requiring identification to vote and voter registration restrictions are particularly popular among conservative states. Louisiana has adopted neither -- and remains the only state in the Deep South not to change its election rules since 2010.

Proponents of these measures say they help combat voter fraud. Opponents say the argument is a red herring; theres been no evidence of widespread voter irregularities in recent major elections. The restrictions are really meant, they say, to suppress minority voter turnout.

The six major candidates for Louisiana secretary of state, determined by their campaign fundraising, were asked for their opinions on voter ID requirements and the registration process. Five responded to interview requests, Turkey Creek Mayor Heather Cloud could not be reached for comment.

24 states made it harder to vote. Will Louisiana be next?

Should you always need an ID to vote?

In Louisiana, voters are encouraged to bring government-issued identification with them to the polls: a drivers license, a Louisiana special ID or some other generally recognized form of picture ID that includes their signature. But they dont have to do so. Voters who dont have a photo ID can sign a voter affidavit, according to the secretary of states website, which essentially means they vouch for their identity.

Thats more permissive than most other southern states. All of Louisianas neighbors have enacted stricter photo ID laws since 2016, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Four of the five secretary of state candidates interviewed  Kyle Ardoin, R-Baton Rouge; A.G. Crowe, R-Pearl River; Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge; and Renee Fontenot Free, D-Baton Rouge  were happy with Louisianas current voter ID law and said they werent interested in making changes.

Ardoin, who has been serving as the appointed secretary of state since Tom Schedler resigned, said his office has never found a problem with a voter who signed an affidavit instead of presenting a photo ID. And by law, the secretary of states office audits all the affidavits voters sign at the polls.

Weve basically have had a voter ID act for many years, said Free, the only major Democratic candidate in the race and a former official in the secretary of states office. Weve not had really big issues with that in our state.

The only candidate who was hesitant about the current law was state Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner. She thinks all voters should have some form of identification, but said she would also be willing to hear other opinions on the subject.

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Should it be easier to register to vote?

In Louisiana, a person can register to vote more easily than in neighboring states. They can sign up through the mail, in-person or online. Registering to vote over the internet is not an option in Arkansas, Mississippi or Texas.

In-person voter registration is also offered at a number of government buildings in Louisiana, including the Office of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Children and Family Services, food stamp offices, Medicaid offices and military recruitment locations. In surrounding states, it is not offered in as many locations.

A photo ID is not required to register to vote in Louisiana, though other documentation proving where a person lives is needed. In some cases, documents needed to access the services being provided at an office  such as food stamps or Medicaid  will be enough to register to vote as well. Those people can be signed up to vote and to receive benefits at the same time.

As new voter restrictions crash and burn, Louisiana above the fray

Those who wish to vote in Louisiana must register in person or by mail at least 30 days before the election in which they intend to participate. Online registration can be completed 20 days prior to an election day. In Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas, voter registration must be completed or postmarked at least 30 days in advance.

Only one secretary of state candidate, Stokes, said she would want to push voter registration further. She would consider automatic voter registration in some circumstances, where people would have to opt out of registering, instead of opting in. In an interview after this article was published, Stokes also said she was satisfied with Louisianas current voter registration system.

Edmonds, a Republican Baton Rouge state representative, said marketing for voter registration could be modernized. The secretary of states office should have a more robust social media campaign around signing up voters, he said.

None of the five candidates interviewed would back to a proposal to bring voter registration on Election Day to Louisiana. Seventeen states allow people to register to vote on the same day as the election, while Maryland allows registration during a portion of its early voting period.

Ardoin said he didnt think the technology was available yet to confirm that people registering on the day of the election were state residents. Free agreed, saying Louisiana didnt have the infrastructure needed to make same-day registration safe.

Coming Thursday: Their views on voter roll purges, and on changes to early voting and absentee ballots. You can also read an overview of candidates thoughts on voter fraud in an article that came out Tuesday.
Entergy Louisiana owes up to $4.4 billion for getting the lights back on after a string of storms and needs a $1 billion loan to meet those costs in the short-term, says the head of the utility that provides electricity to about half the states c
Paying one's immigration attorney on a flat-fee rather than hourly basis is common in California as elsewhere, but can lead to problems if the attorney stops providing services. New rules attempt to make reimbursements for services never rendered easier for clients to claim.

** LEGAL UPDATE **

Paying one's immigration attorney on a flat-fee rather than hourly basis is common in California, as it is elsewhere. Such a payment arrangement can benefit both lawyer and client, by avoiding surprises in a situation where the lawyer can usually predict the amount of hours and effort to be spent.

But complications can arise in any flat-fee arrangement, particularly when the client fires the lawyer (or vice versa) before the work is done or when an anticipated portion of the services is no longer needed.

If, for example, your lawyer prepares an adjustment of status application based on a non-citizen's marriage to a U.S. citizen, and the lawyer's flat fee was intended to cover the green card interview, but then the couple divorces before the interview takes place, what happens to the flat fee that was paid, or agreed upon, upfront?

In theory, a lawyer is allowed to keep any portion of the fee that covers services already rendered and must return the rest. That doesn't always play out well, however. Attorneys can claim they spent enough hours already to justify keeping the entire fee; or might get into trouble because they've already cashed the check and spent it.

To address such situations, the Supreme Court of California has approved a major overhaul of the state's Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys. Going forward (beginning November 1, 2018), an attorney can't simply walk off with a flat-fee client's cash. California attorneys must, unless the client consents to a different arrangement:

put all fees paid in advance into a trust account (a dedicated bank account), and

only remove the money once they've performed services so as to earn it.

Notice that you may consent to give up your rights as a client in this matter, and just say, "Sure, put the money in your regular account, it's all yours from the start." (Such a statement must be in writing if the fee amount is $1,000 or more.)

Whether you'd want to give up your rights this way is questionable. It's possible, though, that the lawyer can refuse you as a client in that situation.

What's more likely to happen is that the attorney follows the trust-account rules and, to avoid disputes later, sets forth in your written representation agreement a set of stages of representation, with a breakdown of what fees will be considered earned and by when. In the adjustment of status scenario described above, for example, the lawyer might put the following into a $1,500 fee agreement:

initial meeting with client, $600

submission of I-485 adjustment of status packet to USCIS, $500

attendance at USCIS interview, $400.

As each step is taken, the lawyer will then remove the money from the trust account and can legally assume that you are no longer able to ask for a reimbursement if something changes and the lawyer doesn't provide the rest of the intended services.

Effective Date: November 1, 2018
North Augusta, SC (29841)

Today

A shower is possible early. A few clouds. Low 46F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. A few clouds. Low 46F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Oct 24, 2018 NR

Superstar Mahesh Babu is currently busy shooting for his Maharshi in the United States. It is a major schedule there and the actor was supposed to attend a meet and greet event on27th October in New York, USA. It is a fundraiser event for collecting funds to aid Gramam (Village) Foundation & Heal-a-Child Foundation. The organizers have expected around 100 families to attend this event.

But then, the event now stands canceled as the response has been poor due to the high ticket prices. They have decreased the prices thrice but nothing has changed. So, the event cancellation has become imminent. Those who already paid will get a full refund. Click the Movie button below for more info:

Maharshi
Oct 24, 2018 NR

Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya's Next Film Savyasachi is gearing up for release on November 2nd ahead of the Diwali season. The makers are gearing up to begin the film promotions. The audio release event of the film which was supposed to happen on 21st of this month got postponed.

And now the makers are planning a Pre-Release event in its place. The event will happen on the 27th of this month at Taramathi Bardari, Hyderabad. Premam fame Chandoo Mondeti is wielding the megaphone for this film. Nidhi Agarwal, a newcomer is romancing Naga Chaitanya in the film. Click the Movie button below for more info:

Savyasachi
[Read about the lawyers Bill Cosby hired and fired during his brush with the law.]

Mr. Cosbys former lawyer, Joseph P. Green, had asked for a new trial on the grounds that the prosecution had not proved the assault took place within a 12-year statute of limitations, and that a tape recording introduced as evidence by prosecutors during the trial had been tampered with.

Mr. Green also had asked for reconsideration of the sentence, which he said was harsh, given Mr. Cosbys age, 81, and the fact that he is legally blind.

The judge erred, Mr. Green said, by basing his sentence in part on statements by other women who say they were abused by Mr. Cosby, and by not allowing them to be cross-examined at sentencing.

The court erred in imposing a longer period of confinement on the basis of finding an undue risk that Mr. Cosby would commit another crime despite uncontradicted expert testimony that his actual risk of reoffending is near zero, Mr. Green had said in court papers.

Mr. Cosbys wife, Camille, released a statement Tuesday calling the judge corrupt, and his new lawyers filed papers with the Superior Court, requesting that it consider releasing Mr. Cosby on bond while his appeal is heard.
But, Mr. Cuomo has played a key role in the systems demise by not providing it with sufficient funding. In fact, he has even diverted funding away from the subway. Moreover, he has repeatedly blamed Mayor Bill de Blasio for the state of the system, emphasizing the citys ownership of the subway.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana

As state officials mull whether to legalize recreational marijuana, the candidates sparred over the process of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, which the state approved in 2014. Mr. Cuomo blamed Mr. Molinaro and other Republicans for delaying the process.

I think you should ask my opponent why he voted against it, Mr. Cuomo jabbed.

Mr. Molinaro, who said he now supports the use of marijuana for medical purposes, did vote against a bill to legalize medical marijuana when he served in the State Assembly. When Mr. Cuomo pressed him on his vote, Mr. Molinaro deflected, saying he has not been in the Legislature for years.

But Mr. Cuomo has not always favored legalizing medical marijuana. During his first run for governor, Mr. Cuomo stated his opposition to medical marijuana, saying the dangers of the drug outweigh the benefits. He reversed course in January 2014, signing an executive order that allowed limited use of the drug by those with serious illnesses.

Molinaros Support of Trump

In recent months, as Mr. Cuomo has ratcheted up his attacks against President Trump, he has sought to portray Mr. Molinaro as an acolyte of Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo continued that effort, in one instance pointedly asking Mr. Molinaro if he supported Mr. Trump.

Lets get out of this conversation, Mr. Molinaro said.

Although Mr. Molinaro has said he did not vote for Mr. Trump in 2016, he has not always been so evasive in seeking the presidents support.
The neighbor wanted for questioning in the killing of a 70-year-old woman who was slashed in the neck in her Upper West Side apartment is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital, a law enforcement official said on Tuesday.

The neighbor has not been publicly identified and is not in custody, but the police said she is a resident of the co-op building where Susan Trott was found dead in her apartment early Sunday.

We have not had extensive conversations with the person of interest, but we will at some point in the future, said Dermot Shea, the chief of detectives for the New York Police Department.

He said investigators had searched the neighbors apartment and recovered some items of evidence related to the homicide.
Tom Jago, an inventive British liquor executive who was part of the team that developed Baileys Irish Cream and made it the worlds best-selling liqueur, and who later helped establish the Malibu Rum and Johnnie Walker Blue brands, died on Oct. 12 in London. He was 93.

His daughter, Rebecca Jago, confirmed the death. She said he had fractured his neck in a fall the previous week.

Mr. Jago was a spirits maven for more than a half-century, reinvigorating old drinks, devising new ones and, in his final years, hunting down casks of forgotten yet still exquisite whiskey in cellars and warehouses in Scotland and other countries to sell in expensive limited editions.
If I listened only to Donald Trump and those Republican candidates who follow his example, I would be petrified. I would be living in a bunker. I would have cyanide capsules at hand.

I would be convinced that the scattered protesters disrupting some Republicans meals were the advance guard of a violent liberal mob about to wrest control of the country. I would worry that the Democratic Party was secretly trying to elect terrorists and traitors to the House and the Senate.

And that caravan of migrants  I would see that, too, as some nefarious Democratic plot, or as a Trojan horse with jihadists in its belly. Either way, I would recognize it as the end of the world: Armageddon in the hunched form of a pregnant Honduran woman limping toward the only hope that she has.

To prevent a blue wave on Nov. 6, the president and his puppets are traveling audaciously far from the truth and shockingly deep into the gutter. Ive seen bad before, but not this. The midterms arent just a referendum on which direction the country will go. Theyre also a test of where the limits of decency and shamelessness are drawn.
Its a conversation that Basminder Batra, known to her friends as Boz, would just as soon not have. But since yet another well-intentioned but clueless white dude has asked her where shes from  he means, really from  and even more annoyingly, What are you?, Boz has once again hefted the too-familiar burden of explaining her familys history.

Yes, she grew up in this very state of Wisconsin, only an hour away from the bar she is opening in Madison. Thats the scene of this strained encounter, which occurs about halfway through Jaclyn Backhauss India Pale Ale at City Center Stage I. Bozs parents were born in her hometown, Raymond, too, amid one of the highest concentrations of Punjabi populations in the world outside of India.

Boz, played by the luminous Shazi Raja, delivers this and other helpful information  including what IPA on a beer bottle stands for (its the same as the plays title)  with a friendly but weary patience. Her life, she says with a sigh to her unsophisticated new friend, Tim (Nate Miller), often feels like a series of teachable moments.

Thats a fair, if only partial, description of Ms. Backhauss new play, which opened on Tuesday night in a Manhattan Theater Club production. India Pale Ale, directed with studious effervescence by Will Davis, is a cheerfully instructive work, created with the aim of bridging one of the many cultural gaps in these dangerously divided United States.
Hammering away on that point, the report mentions Cuba, China and the U.S.S.R. more than 30 times each. But the star of the report is Venezuela, which is mentioned nearly 60 times. The report estimates that emulating Venezuelan economic policies would cause the American economy to shrink by 40 percent. Its something that Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested Democrats want to do, but neither the president nor the report presents any evidence and no Democratic candidate has come anywhere close to embracing Venezuelas policies.

Bernie, meet Mao

The report opens by asserting that socialism is making a comeback in American political discourse. The word itself is certainly enjoying a revival. A handful of high-profile politicians, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a candidate for a House seat from New York, call themselves democratic socialists. A Gallup poll this year found that 51 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 had a positive view of socialism, however they defined the term.

The report acknowledges that these democratic socialists dont see themselves as the heirs of, say, Lenin. It specifically notes that theyre not advocating violence. But it nonetheless seeks to connect liberals and their policy proposals to past socialist regimes.

There are proposals on the table, like the Medicare for All proposal, that are very consistent with the design of socialism, Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the council, told reporters during a conference call to discuss the report on Tuesday.

The report frequently adopts the facile tactic of comparing or lumping leading liberal politicians and demagogues. For example:

The Chinese leader Mao Zedong, who cited Marxism as the model for his country, described the ruthless economic exploitation and political oppression of the peasants by the landlord class (Cotterell 2011, chap. 6). Expressing similar concerns, current American senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have stated that large corporations . . . exploit human misery and insecurity, and turn them into huge profits and giant corporations . . . exploit workers just to boost their own profits.

And here:

The socialist narrative names the oppressors of the vulnerable, such as the bourgeoisie (Marx), kulaks (Lenin), landlords (Mao), and giant corporations (Sanders and Warren) . Piketty (2014) concludes that the Soviet approach and other attempts to abolish private ownership should at least be admired for being more logically consistent.

And even in the footnotes:

Speculators are also blamed for high prices and other social problems, as by Marx, Stalin, Senator Sanders, Senator Warren, and Fidel Castro, who said that they have turned the planet into a giant casino.

Sweden is no paradise, especially for pickup trucks

When liberals speak fondly of democratic socialism, they often point to Scandinavia  and a set of higher-tax countries that provide more robust government services and safety nets to their citizens. The report acknowledges this  and then walks a fine line around it.

First, the council notes all the ways that Nordic countries dont necessarily comport with a liberal ideal of government, including a heavy middle-class tax burden and lighter-than-you-might-expect regulation of business.
MEXICO CITY  Hurricane Willa weakened to a tropical depression on Wednesday after making landfall in west-central Mexico, hours after officials evacuated thousands of coastal residents.

Early Wednesday the storm, whose winds had been reaching 120 miles per hour, lost much of its power, according to the United States National Hurricane Center. The center said that the storm, with maximum sustained winds of 35 m.p.h., was expected to continue moving inland and dissipate later in the day.

Before dawn on Wednesday the storm had inched to about 75 miles east-northeast of Durango, Mexico. As a hurricane it had already weakened to Category 3 before it made landfall Tuesday night in Sinaloa State, approximately 60 miles south of Mazatlan, a resort city of nearly 500,000.

Before Willas weakened, the federal authorities in Mexico had issued an extraordinary emergency decree for at least 19 municipalities along the Pacific Coast.
ISTANBUL  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey swept into Ankaras wood-paneled Parliament on Tuesday to level his most direct attack yet against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, accusing his government of planning the savage murder and mutilation of the dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Hours later, Prince Mohammed bounded into the gilded conference hall of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh to a standing ovation from scores of oil executives, bankers and other businessmen who had risked association with scandal over the killing of Mr. Khashoggi for a chance to profit from the kingdoms vast wealth.

More people, more money, the crown prince told reporters, pronouncing the event a success despite the withdrawal of dozens of speakers and the pleas of many businessmen for him to spare them embarrassment by calling it off.

Their competing stage shows on Tuesday were the latest salvos in an increasingly high-stakes battle that no longer appears to leave either one room for retreat, pitting against each other two American allies who have each aspired to be the leader of their region.
Its hard not to leave Franz Marc and August Macke: 1909-1914, an alternately thrilling and dizzying exhibition on the artistic friendship of two important German painters, saddened by the tragic end of both mens careers.

On a trip to a gallery in 1910, Macke, who was impressed by Marcs confident lithographs of animals, asked for the artists address and immediately went to visit. The two men subsequently traveled and showed together. With the Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky, they also helped found the Blue Rider, a loose collective of Munich painters whose impatience with the stuffiness of realistic work helped open the path to German Expressionism, with its bold, tactical exaggeration, and, later, to abstraction.

Established in 1911, the group took its name from an almanac of essays and reproductions edited by Marc and Kandinsky and paid for by the wealthy collector Bernhard Koehler, the uncle of Mackes wife. But World War I brought this all to an end: Macke was killed at 27 in combat in 1914; Marc died on the battlefield just after his 36th birthday, in 1916.
LONDON  Its been pretty grim in Britain over the last few months. Brexit, Brexit, Brexit. Newspaper headlines and social media keep telling us that the country has never been more divided. Brexit preppers are stockpiling food and medication. Half the cabinet is in a perennial state of officially outraged fury and imminent resignation. The beleaguered prime minister, Theresa May, keeps insisting there is a way forward.

But two months ago, the country found a way to come together, heal the divisions and ignore the politicians. Well, the real ones at least.

The BBC One series Bodyguard, written by Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty), debuted here in late August, drawing more than 10 million television viewers over seven days for its first episode, the largest audience for a new drama on British TV since Downton Abbey. You may never have heard of this show, which stars Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) and Keeley Hawes (The Durrells in Corfu), but it had Britain riveted.

[Read our TV critics review of Bodyguard.]

Unfolding in unfashionable weekly installments, Bodyguard fueled nonstop speculation in the British media about the twists, turns, implications and resolution of its hall-of-mirrors plot, which involves an Afghanistan war veteran assigned to guard the chilly and ambitious home secretary, together with assorted terrorist threats and back-stabbing political intrigue.
You may find the scheme at the center of Deutschland 86 a bit confusing. Thats all right; so does Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay), the reluctant East German spy roped into carrying it out.

As its explained to him, his government needs him to facilitate an illicit sale of West German weapons to South Africa, with the assistance of the African National Congress  even though the A.N.C. is bitterly opposed to the apartheid regime, and South Africa is allied with East Germanys rivals in the Cold War.

Martin is told the deal is for the greater good. But he still has questions. East, West, he says. Who are the good guys?

In the pulpy-serious Deutschland 86, the definition is very flexible.

The 10-episode series, beginning Thursday on SundanceTV, is the follow-up to 2015s Deutschland 83, a German-American coproduction created by the wife-and-husband team Anna and Jorg Winger. That season introduced Martin as a naive border guard, recruited by his aunt Lenora (Maria Schrader), a cynical, formidable intelligence operative, to infiltrate the West German military in 1983.
Paul Thomas Andersons acclaimed second feature is on IFC. And PBS airs a documentary on the Concorde airplane.

Whats on TV

BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997) 11 p.m. on IFC. Electing to begin watching Paul Thomas Andersons 155-minute take on the Los Angeles pornography industry of the 1970s-1980s at 11 p.m. takes commitment. Those who sign on will find colorful company in Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), the teenager at the center of the film who early on decides that his true calling is in pornography and that Dirk Diggler is a wise choice for a professional name. He goes to work for a film director played by Burt Reynolds, who is one of many notable members of this movies smashing ensemble, which includes Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, William H. Macy and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote that everything about Boogie Nights is interestingly unexpected, a terrific note of praise. For those who want to start a bit earlier, the film is also available to stream on Amazon, iTunes and Vudu.
Sasse (B.A. from Harvard, Ph.D. from Yale) spends a great deal of Them honing his down-home credentials (Nascar, TGI Fridays). He emphasizes the importance of civil debate, denouncing Fox News and MSNBC, and laments the extreme partisanship that characterizes public life in the Trump era. But the dysfunction in D.C., he says, stems from something deeper than economics, and deeper and more meaningful than politics. Whats wrong with America, then, starts with one uncomfortable word, he writes. Loneliness.

Image Ben Sasse Credit... Matthew DeBoer

He shores up his argument by referring to scholars of social isolation like Robert Putnam and Eric Klinenberg  though the socially conscious Klinenberg (with his emphasis on the crucial role of publicly funded institutions) might find it hard to recognize the conclusions Sasse has drawn from his work. Community, Sasse says, is fostered by individual acts of charity and fellow-feeling; government does what it needs to do when it gets out of the way. Citizens in a republic must cultivate humility, he writes in a section titled Civics 101. Its the only way to preserve sufficient space for true community and for meaningful, beautiful human relationships.

This is standard conservative stuff; a little cloying in the delivery, sure, but not shocking. After all, Sasse  who regularly boasts about having one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate  doesnt have a responsibility to become a Democrat in the Trump era, much less satisfy Boots desire for a politician who can make centrism sexy. (I had to laugh before I cringed.) Even Sasses ability to sentimentalize rootedness in little communities in one breath and welcome the uberization of existing industries in the other can be chalked up to an old strain of techno-optimism among business-friendly conservatives.

Whats curious, then, is not so much the careful avoidance of politics  politicians are really good at this  but Sasses repeated assertions that political solutions are meaningless. Ultimately, its not legislation were lacking, he writes. Public servants like him simply need to allow the space for communities of different belief and custom to flourish. Its a pretty idea, though anyone familiar with how belief and custom have long propped up local prejudices (Jim Crow being a glaring example) knows that theres nothing simple about it.

As he did in his previous book, The Vanishing American Adult, Sasse talks a lot about the importance of meaningful work, yet he has chosen to be a United States senator, spending five days a week away from his family back in Nebraska in order to do whatever it is he does in Washington  which is what? Apparently vote with Trump close to 90 percent of the time and help his party try to bulldoze health care legislation and tax cuts through Congress, keeping crucial details secret until the last minute  all the while writing a book that solemnly proclaims the necessity of respectful debate and engaging ideological opponents.

Our occupation links us to other people and gives us an identity and a sense of meaning, Sasse muses, before waxing lyrical about a bedbug exterminator. For all his paeans to other peoples jobs, you might begin to wonder what the senator makes of his own.
KAFKAS LAST TRIAL

The Case of a Literary Legacy

By Benjamin Balint

Illustrated. 279 pp. W.W. Norton & Company. $26.95.

Max Brods original sin  the linchpin that launched Kafkas posthumous career and a thousand scholarly ones besides  has always possessed something of the uncanniness and mythic aura of Kafkas fiction itself. In 1924, dying of tuberculosis and facing what surely seemed to him the ignominious end of his literary life, Kafka bequeathed to Brod  his closest ally and fellow Prague scribbler  a pair of notes instructing him to burn unread and to the last page everything he was leaving behind: manuscripts, diaries and letters. Brod defied the injunction and instead spent the rest of his own life tirelessly editing, compiling and promoting Kafkas work, building him up into the sainted laureate of alienated modernity he remains for many readers today.

Brod, in fact, twice saved Kafkas writing from destruction, first from the self-immolating flames of his dying testament, and, later, from the bonfires of Nazi barbarism (which claimed Kafkas three sisters), when, in 1939, he escaped by train from Prague to Palestine, clutching a briefcase full of Kafkas papers. Brod, who died in 1968, left his collection to his secretary, Esther Hoffe, with the apparent intention that she ultimately deposit it in a public library or archive. Instead, Hoffe kept the papers vaulted away, sold what she could  most controversially, the manuscript of The Trial  and gave the rest to her two daughters. When she died, in 2007, the National Library of Israel contested the rights to Brods and Kafkas archives, precipitating a succession of courtroom showdowns that pitted the institution against Esthers daughter Eva and the German Literature Archive in Marbach, which had long hoped to acquire the papers. In 2016, the Israeli Supreme Court finally decided in favor of the National Library.

Image

That Brod, the great custodian of Kafkas legacy, managed to leave it in the hands of a gaggle of litigious would-be inheritors is no small irony, though a fitting one, given the nature of Kafkas court-riddled work. This irony forms the basis of Benjamin Balints new book, Kafkas Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy. It is an unusual hybrid: part courtroom procedural, part double portrait of Kafka and Brod, part account of the postwar construction of Israeli and German national identity. As with his previous book, an admirably levelheaded history of Commentary magazine, Balint writes most naturally in the interrogative mode, preferring the probing of difficult questions to easy resolutions. A gifted cultural historian with a scholarly sensibility, he is perhaps less suited to the role of investigative reporter. The first third of his book cuts back and forth between the origins of Kafkas career and friendship with Brod, and the unfolding Israeli custody battle. The latter material, dense with the names of lawyers and the convolutions of the proceedings, feels plodding at times. Balint never quite manages to illuminate the motivations behind Eva Hoffes increasingly desperate appeals to retain her inheritance, whether rooted in her desire to convert Kafkas cultural capital into a financial asset or some deeper identification with her mothers and Brods hidden aims. Whatever the case, one comes to tire of the courtroom rigmarole, longing to return to the roomier vistas of Kafkas mind.
NORTHAMPTON, Mass.  The Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts is a cradle of social progress  a place where L.G.B.T.Q. is often followed by I.A. (for intersex and asexual), theres a Stonewall Center (now 33 years old), and gender-nonconforming parents have a nickname of choice (its Baba).

On a Maple-lined street here in Northampton, in a white gablefront house, lives one such Baba, a.k.a. Andrea Lawlor, a gender queer novelist and visiting lecturer at Mt. Holyoke College; Lawlor, who uses the pronoun they, shares the first floor rooms with their girlfriend, their 5-year-old child, and their childs sprawling Lego constructions. The second floor is occupied by Lawlors best friend of 25 years, Jordy Rosenberg, a transgender novelist who teaches 18th century literature, gender and sexuality studies, and critical theory at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Sometimes they call their home a queer commune.

Lawlors debut novel, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, set in the 1990s and featuring a shape-shifting (and sex-obsessed) protagonist, was published last year by Rescue Press  and received enough attention that Vintage/Anchor and Picador will reissue the book next spring. Rosenbergs first novel, Confessions of the Fox, which reimagines the legend of the 18th century English thief and jailbreaker Jack Sheppard as that of a transgender man, was put out this summer by One World  a recently relaunched Random House imprint dedicated to diversity  and promptly heaped with praise. (The New Yorker called it a cunning metafiction of vulpine versatility.)

This also represents progress.

Fictional gender benders may be as old as Ovids Metamorphoses. But recent years have seen a boomlet in transgender literature. In a field previously dominated by memoir and genre fiction (sci-fi, young adult), a number of first novels with more purely literary designs  including playing with genre  are getting attention. Its really exciting to see an emerging crop of trans-related fiction by trans people, said Meredith Talusan, a journalist who writes about L.G.B.T.Q. issues. It takes a lot of mettle to tread narrative terrain without a real tradition and without a lot of cultural support.
 Scientists want to scrub carbon from the air.

A leading scientific body urged the U.S. government to begin research on technologies that would remove vast quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, in an effort to slow climate change.

Until now, scientists said large temperature increases could be prevented mainly by reducing fossil fuel use and switching to other energy sources.

But, according to a dire U.N. study released this month, time is running out. Experts now believe that taking carbon out of the air might be necessary  but they havent yet figured out how to do that economically or at a big enough scale.

The new report came out on the same day that New Yorks attorney general sued Exxon Mobil  for deceiving investors about the effects of climate change on its business.

_____
Less than two weeks after an energy company won a court battle over opponents who feared hydraulic fracturing would cause seismic tremors in northwest England, the drilling work appears to be doing just that.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, monitors in Lancashire, where the fracking operation is underway along Preston New Road, recorded tremors that registered just below the threshold for shutting down drilling. Weaker tremors were recorded last week.

Jacqui Reid, a spokeswoman for Cuadrilla Resources, the company operating the site, said that Cuadrilla had halted the fracking after the tremor on Tuesday, but that it would proceed with the work, although cautiously. She said Cuadrilla, whose fracking had been moving much more slowly than would be common in the United States, hoped to accelerate the pace next week.

Regulators have been advised and we anticipate we will continue work at Preston New Road tomorrow as planned, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The DealBook newsletter to make sense of major business and policy headlines  and the power-brokers who shape them.

__________

Harley-Davidson on Tuesday reported a surprisingly large decline in United States motorcycle sales.

The company and its executives spent much time discussing the hit. Curiously, though, there was no mention of President Trumps attacks on the company and what role they might have played in the poor sales.

Harley-Davidsons situation highlights the predicament faced by companies targeted by Mr. Trump. His administrations trade policies are hitting the businesses of many companies. If executives respond, they risk provoking a public rebuke from Mr. Trump that may reduce demand for their companies products. But if his comments could be affecting their businesses, investors expect some details.
Good Wednesday. Want this by email? Sign up here.

Investors reeled as the markets rollercoastered

Yesterday can be summed up in one word: volatile.

The S.&P. 500 ended the day down 0.55 percent, after a fall of more than 2 percent. Losses in Asia and Europe foreshadowed the drop, then a poor earnings report from 3M and gloomy forecasts from Caterpillar caused the markets to tumble early. A drop in oil prices drove further losses.

The apparent recovery came as a surprise to many. One investor told the WSJ, I have no idea what happened.

This all takes place against a backdrop of other concerns for investors: global economic problems (highlighted yesterday by Italys budget fight  more on that below); Americas trade war with China, which is pushing up costs for some companies; and rising interest rates.

On that final point, President Trump lashed out at the Fed again, saying yesterday, I think interest rates are being raised too quickly. (Two counterpoints: Central banks may not have raised rates enough before a possible economic downturn, and the stock market might end up in worse shape if the Fed got it right.)
MADRID  Rodrigo Rato, a former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was set to enter a Spanish prison on Thursday after failing to win an appeal of his 2017 conviction for credit card fraud while running Bankia, a giant Spanish lender that nearly collapsed in 2012.

Mr. Rato, 69, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, was convicted with dozens of other former directors and executives of Bankia for misusing the banks funds to make their own lavish purchases. Over a decade, Bankias executives unlawfully used the companys credit cards to make purchases totaling 12.5 million euros.

The imprisonment will mark another chapter in the long-running case of Bankia and its mismanagement. Mr. Rato, a former finance minister of Spain, who was once seen as a potential prime minister, is the most prominent Spaniard to enter prison since the country was plunged into a European banking bailout by Bankias near-collapse.

His predecessor as chairman of the bank, Miguel Blesa, was also sentenced last year to prison for misusing the companys funds. Five months later, Mr. Blesa killed himself with a shotgun.
The first new flu drug in 20 years won approval Wednesday from the Food and Drug Administration.

The new antiviral, generically known as baloxavir marboxil but sold under the brand name Xofluza, is a single dose treatment. It is for use only in those aged 12 or more, the F.D.A. said, and should be taken only in the first two days after symptoms like fever, aches and sniffles appear.

The pill will cost $150, according to a spokeswoman for Genentech, which will sell Xofluza in this country. Genentech will offer coupons that lower the price to $30 for patients with health insurance and to about $90 for the uninsured.

Flu season has already begun, and last years was one of the most lethal in decades; about 80,000 Americans died of flu or its consequences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this month .

The new drug is no miracle cure and it is not approved for young children, who are one of the most vulnerable groups, so the C.D.C. still strongly recommends that every American over the age of six months get a flu shot as soon as possible.
Ashley Goette of West St. Paul, Minn., is being compared to a superhero these days, and not just because shes a new mother. (Though her 22 hours of labor alone would qualify.) Its because in the span of four days, she not only gave birth to her first child, but also saved her husbands life.

It all began last Tuesday, around 5 a.m., when Ms. Goette was awakened by her husband, Andrew. He seemed to be snoring. She nudged him and asked him to roll over. He didnt respond.

Then she realized he wasnt snoring at all: He was gasping for air.

Ms. Goette, 28, who works as a teachers aide at an elementary school, called 911 and the dispatcher guided her in performing chest compressions, instructing her to move her husband to a hard surface. But she was 39 weeks pregnant, and though she tried, he wouldnt budge. She continued performing compressions on the bed. The gasping stopped. He was turning purple.

I thought he for sure was dead, Ms. Goette said on Wednesday. I dont think I really had any time to process what was going on.
Before reading the article:

What do you know about the lawsuit against Harvard University over its admissions policies that is currently being argued in Boston? What are your thoughts on it?

Read the summary of the case below. Then, in your own words, explain the positions of both the plaintiffs and Harvard.

The lawsuit accuses Harvard of discriminating against Asian-American applicants. The plaintiffs say that the university holds Asian-Americans to a higher standard than applicants of other races and resorts to racial balancing to shape its incoming classes, in violation of civil rights law. It does this, the plaintiffs say, by manipulating aspects of its admissions process, especially nonacademic gauges  including a personal rating  that are hard to quantify. Harvard says it does not discriminate against applicants of any race. It has staunchly defended its holistic admissions policy, which considers race as one factor among many and has been held up as a model by the Supreme Court. The university makes no secret of its pursuit of a diverse class each year, but denies using racial quotas to achieve it.

Now, read the article, Harvards Admissions Process, Once Secret, Is Unveiled in Affirmative Action Trial, and answer the following questions:

1. What are ways Harvard advantages some students over others in its admissions process?

2. Why might disclosing Harvards admissions formula be considered akin to divulging trade secrets or revealing the recipe for Coke? Why did Harvards lead counsel ultimately decide to share the schools application materials?

3. What are some of the factors Harvard considers in student applications?

4. How does Thang Q. Dieps student admissions file demonstrate Harvards holistic admissions policy, according to William Fitzsimmons, the longtime dean of admissions?
The sandy red hills dotting the mining community of Coober Pedy stretch uninterrupted toward the horizon. Ghost town was what the Chilean photographer Tamara Merino first thought when she and her partner stopped in town to fix their vans flat tire while crossing the vast Simpson Desert in South Australia.

Ms. Merino, however, soon learned that the town was bustling with human life  but underneath their feet.

Bars and restaurants are underground, churches, all these children growing up living underground, Ms. Merino said in a telephone interview about the residents social and private lives. Theres nothing different about them; theyre not cave men. Theyre normal people choosing to live in a different way.
[Read our interview with Luca Guadagnino and Tilda Swinton.]

Written by David Kajganich, the new Suspiria follows the general sweep of the first one, opening on a murky, stormy note. Its 1977 (the year Argentos film was released), and Patricia (Chloe Grace Moretz), an American who studies at the Helena Markos Dance Company in West Berlin, is having a meltdown. Fleeing to her therapist, Dr. Josef Klemperer (Swinton, swaddled in latex and old-world gentlemens clothing), Patricia ominously babbles while she jumps around the shrinks office and he dutifully scratches down his notes. She seems unhinged, rattled, and is soon conveniently gone from the scene, though only after leaving a bag and a notebook filled with cryptic musings.

The notebook becomes Dr. Klemperers way into the story; Susie begins ours when she arrives at the school; eventually these paths converge. Susie has landed at the school uninvited but dazzles one of its matrons, a choreographer, Madame Blanc (also Swinton), and is invited into the institutions weird, sisterly ranks. Soon, Susie is giggling in the schools corridors, peeking into its dark corners and dancing, flailing, twisting under Madame Blancs strict watch. Before you know it, one employee has slit her own throat, a student has danced until her bones have broken, and some matrons are guffawing while waving a sharp, shiny scythe in front of a mans tender vitals.
It got ugly, and fast

Considering it was only an hour, and was perhaps Mr. Molinaros best chance to make a dent in the governors substantial lead in the polls, it wasnt surprising that he wanted to go quickly on the attack. He accused the governor of leading the most corrupted state government in America and of being born on third base.

But Mr. Cuomo was just as combative, turning accusations of pay-to-play right back on Mr. Molinaro, and, when he wasnt outright interrupting Mr. Molinaro, smiling and nodding sarcastically at him.

Mr. Molinaro tried to couch his attacks in a more dignified tone, repeatedly calling Mr. Cuomo sir and denouncing the bullying and the threatening that he said had come to dominate New York politics. But overall, the gloves came off early and stayed off, as the two men bickered over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, medical marijuana, and, of course, President Trump. Is this how were doing it? Mr. Molinaro asked as Mr. Cuomo interrupted him again.

Yes, yes it was.

Meet Marc Trump  er, Molinaro

The debate was an opportunity for Mr. Molinaro  who has struggled to raise money and awareness  to introduce himself and his ideas to voters. And by and large, he spoke cogently and convincingly about policy and his vision for the state.

But Mr. Molinaro also failed to neutralize Mr. Cuomos central strategy of tying him to the president. Rather than emphasizing that he had not voted for Mr. Trump, or that he had denounced some of the presidents rhetoric, Mr. Molinaro instead sidestepped the governors questions about whether he supported Mr. Trump, possibly in an effort not to alienate some of his Republican base. Mr. Molinaro later told reporters he did not want to allow Mr. Cuomo to force him into an oversimplified answer.
When you testified, you disclaimed any criminal responsibility, the judge said, adding, Although a defendant has a right to testify in his own defense, giving false testimony must be punished.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had cited Mr. Skeloss testimony at the retrial  he lied repeatedly, the government wrote  to argue that he deserved an even greater sentence than he received after his first trial.

A prosecutor, Thomas A. McKay, expressed sympathy for Mr. Skeloss family, but said the senator knew he was putting his family in jeopardy by breaking the law.

He did it anyway, Mr. McKay said.

He also noted that the former senator continued to collect a pension of nearly $100,000 a year, paid for by the victims of his crime: the people of New York.

Mr. Skeloss lawyers had argued that the he had already been severely punished by his fall from grace and the public scrutiny that followed. In seeking leniency, they described a broken man, one who had sunk deep into depression and had come to rely on alcohol to finish each day.

Indeed, while the trial captivated Albany mostly for its tale of a longtime power players fall, it also revealed, in stark detail, the deterioration of a once-unshakable bond between father and son.

In the years since Mr. Skeloss arrest, the two men went from sharing multiple phone calls a day to barely speaking at all. While Mr. Skelos had once filled the role of loving, watchful father  a role that, by his own account, had led to the actions that brought him to trial  by the time of their sentencing, Adam Skelos was estranged from his father and had reconnected with his biological parents.
So in the absence of any official prohibition where exactly is the line when it comes to food on the subway? Riders voiced their opinions on Twitter this week, with reports of cheesy nachos, a carton of Ben & Jerrys ice cream, King Crab legs and edamame pods spit on the ground. (All of which presumably would make it on Mr. Byfords list.)

One subway rider, Paul Brady, saw a guy eating roast pork and fried rice with chopsticks out of a Styrofoam clamshell this very morning on the F.

It is an unofficial law that you dont eat anything with an aroma that exceeds your physical space, except pizza, but only if its obvious youre eating it as fast as you possibly can, Dan Rivoli, The New York Daily News transit reporter, posted on Twitter.

Some foods, riders agreed, were fair game  and maybe even necessary if riders never know how long they will be stuck on a train. Others suggested that the authority had bigger problems, like the subway service. I am offended by trains that dont work, one rider posted on Twitter.

Mr. Byford, a respected transit leader who previously worked in London and Toronto, said he had never seen roast chicken on the subway in those cities. But he had seen other delicacies.

You see often in London, particularly on a Friday or Saturday night, you do see people eating burgers, Mr. Byford said. Eating a burger, I get it on a Friday night, you get the munchies. But dont then drop half of your order on the floor and smear your hands on the seat.

Even Charles G. Moerdler, the M.T.A. board member who asked Mr. Byford about food, seemed to know he was raising a thorny issue.
Albert K. Smiley III, a hotelier who preserved Mohonk Mountain House in upstate New York as a 19th-century Victorian retreat that could have been inspired jointly by Rip Van Winkle and Charles Addams, while also nudging it gently into the next century, died on Oct. 16 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was 74.

The cause was leukemia, his nephew Eric Gullickson said.

Mr. Gullickson, the president of Mohonk, and his cousin Tom Smiley, the chief executive, are the latest generation of a family of conservationists and innkeepers descended from the twin brothers who, beginning in 1869, transformed a rowdy 10-room tavern into an idiosyncratic hilltop hotel with more than 260 guest rooms.

In 1990, Albert Smiley, who had a doctorate in economics, and his wife, Nina, a psychologist, both took a career detour to run Mohonk, a sprawling resort on 7,500 acres at the edge of a glacier-swept lake on the Shawangunk Ridge, between the Hudson River and the Catskills, 90 miles north of New York City.

For many guests, Mohonks vintage gables, dormers and tower evoke Stephen Kings spectral horror novel The Shining. (Mr. King himself has indeed stayed there, although he said the inspiration for The Shining was the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. Exteriors for the 1980 Stanley Kubrick adaptation were partly shot at a lodge in Oregon.)
Osamu Shimomura, who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for his discovery of a glowing jellyfish protein that is now ubiquitous in biomedical research, died on Friday in Nagasaki, Japan. He was 90.

Nagasaki University, his alma mater, announced his death.

Osamu was a quiet and brilliant researcher, Martin L. Chalfie, a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University who shared the Nobel with Dr. Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien of the University of California, San Diego, said by email. What always struck me about Osamu was his intense dedication and masterful work on a fundamental problem in biology  how can different organisms generate light?  that was, ironically, far from the limelight before the Nobel.

In 1961, Dr. Shimomura, then a researcher at Princeton University, spent the summer scooping jellyfish, specifically the species Aequorea victoria, out of Puget Sound in Washington State. He was working for Frank H. Johnson, a Princeton marine biologist, who was interested in how the jellyfish glowed green when agitated.

They extracted a luminescent material from thousands of them and took it back to Princeton for further study. By February of the next year, Dr. Shimomura recalled in his autobiography at the Nobel website, they had obtained about five milligrams of a nearly pure luminescent protein, which they named aequorin. Dr. Shimomura also found trace amounts of another protein that glowed green. That is now known as green fluorescent protein, or G.F.P.
Since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times have been dominated by white men. With Overlooked, were adding the stories of remarkable people whose deaths went unreported in The Times.

Unlike Anne Frank and thousands of other Jews who spent all or part of World War II sequestered in attics, caves or sewers, Rose Zar survived the Holocaust by hiding in the open.

In October 1942, when she was 19, her father feared that the Nazis were closing in on the ghetto where they lived, in Piotrkow, Poland. Zar, who had been part of the Jewish resistance before the war broke out, was prepared. She grabbed her suitcase and forged passport and left her family behind.

For the next three years, she would move around Poland, disguising herself as a Roman Catholic named Wanda Gajda. She relied on a mix of courage, intelligence and moxie to get herself out of delicate encounters with suspicious Poles who, she later said, would turn a Jew in for a liter of flour.

Ruszka Guterman was born in Piotrkow on July 27, 1922. Her father, a leather craftsman who ran a shoe factory, told her that if she ever had to go into hiding, the best place would be the most obvious, where those pursuing her would never look.
You could see this anti-elitism in his publications  witness Real Sofistikashun: Essays on Poetry and Craft, which by its title says, Come on in, we promise not to take ourselves too seriously,  Mr. Levy said by email. Even though Tony loved poetry so deeply, he didnt want his passion for it to exclude anyone who was open and ready to read and think.

Image Mr. Hoaglands volume Real Sofistikashun was published in 2006. Its title says, Come on in, we promise not to take ourselves too seriously,  a colleague said.

Mr. Hoaglands poems could find the pain in a broken relationship, the wonder in a blooming dogwood, or  as in these lines from Summer in a Small Town (2009)  the bittersweet quality in a familiar scene:

All August the Ferris wheel will turn

in the little amusement park,

and screaming teenage girls will jump into the river

with their clothes on,

right next to the No Swimming sign.

Trying to cool the heat inside the small towns

of their bodies,

for which they have no words;

obedient to the voice inside which tells them,

Now. Steal Pleasure.

Anthony Dey Hoagland was born on Nov. 19, 1953, at Fort Bragg, N.C. His father, Peter, was an Army surgeon who later had a private practice in Louisiana; his mother, Patricia (McMoil) Hoagland, was a homemaker. He was an Army brat, he would say, whose family moved quite a bit during his childhood. He spent time in Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Ethiopia.

You grow up expecting your circumstances to change, he told The Chronicle in 2010. Youre very amphibious.

It was an upbringing, he said, that left a certain emptiness.

My parents were disconnected from their parents, he said in a 2006 interview with poets.org. We were middle class. There was no religion in my family. So there was an absence of ceremonial knowledge, there was an absence of inherited knowledge, there was an absence of family stories, and there was an absence of instruction.

Poetry became something of an anchor for him.

I got deeper and deeper into the world of poetry, he said, simply because it was the only thing that stayed constant in my life continuously, year after year, and then decade after decade.

Image Mr. Hoagland most recent collection of poems, published this year.

He attended Williams College in Massachusetts for a time but ultimately earned his undergraduate degree in general studies at the University of Iowa in the mid-1970s. Mr. Levy knew him back then.
The likely assassination of the Saudi critic and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi underscores how urgent it has become for the United States to redefine our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and to show that the Saudis do not have a blank check to continue violating human rights.

One place we can start is by ending United States support for the war in Yemen. Not only has this war created a humanitarian disaster in one of the worlds poorest countries, but also American involvement in this war has not been authorized by Congress and is therefore unconstitutional.

In March 2015, a coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates started a war against Yemens Houthi rebels. Since then, many thousands of civilians have been killed and many more have lost their homes. Millions are now at the risk of the most severe famine in more than 100 years, according to the United Nations. The chaos in Yemen has also provided fertile ground for extremist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and created new opportunities for intervention by Iran.

The United States is deeply engaged in this war. We are providing bombs the Saudi-led coalition is using, we are refueling their planes before they drop those bombs, and we are assisting with intelligence.
SAO PAULO, Brazil  For a liberal woman like me, its hard to understand why anyone would vote for a presidential candidate who has been described by international publications as racist, homophobic and sexist (Liberation), a threat to democracy (The Economist), a Trump of the tropics (The Guardian), a xenophobe (Clarin) and a sympathizer with military dictatorships and torturers who has openly expressed fascist ideas (Zeit).

Im referring, of course, to Jair Bolsonaro, the current front-runner to become the next president of Brazil. The far-right Mr. Bolsonaro is a former army officer who has served seven terms as a federal congressman, during which, according to Le Monde, he was an insignificant politician from Brasilia, better known for his verbal excesses than for his parliamentary activism. Now, according to a recent survey by the polling firm Ibope, 59 percent of voters plan to support him in the second round of the elections, which will take place on Sunday. (Fernando Haddad, the candidate of the left-leaning Workers Party, has 41 percent of voters behind him.)

Mr. Bolsonaros ascendancy has deeply polarized Brazilian society. For the past decade, our presidential elections have been the stage for a center-left versus center-right face-off, which at times has provoked some heated debates  but now it feels like the house is burning down. More than ever, the election has become a battle over values  fairness versus equality, freedom versus authority, justice versus legality  in which both sides are appealing to the self-evident nature of their own views.

And so in an effort to understand my fellow Brazilians, Ive turned to the work of the psychologist Jonathan Haidt, whose moral foundations theory makes an impressive attempt to connect people with differing political views. Having done so, I can concede that theres something about Mr. Bolsonaro that activates deep moral intuitions in his supporters. Many people side with him not for his proposals but because to them, he has become a symbol of everything good. The problem is that these people are responding only to Mr. Bolsonaro the symbol  not Mr. Bolsonaro the man.
Back when I was in business school in the 1980s, I was taught  as were generations of aspiring entrepreneurs and executives  that the business of business is business. There is one and only one social responsibility of business, the economist Milton Friedman famously wrote in Capitalism and Freedom: to increase its profits. In an essay for this newspaper in 1970, Dr. Friedman went further, arguing that executives who claim that companies have responsibilities for providing employment, eliminating discrimination, avoiding pollution and whatever else may be the catchwords of the day are guilty of undermining the basis of a free society.

Unfortunately, some C.E.O.s still embrace this myopic view and believe that they have a duty to shareholders alone, with little or no responsibility to the communities in which they operate. I contend that business must have a purpose beyond profits, and that such purpose can, over time, benefit both stockholders and stakeholders.

Ive seen this in my hometown, San Francisco, and the surrounding Bay Area, which has the third-highest number of billionaires on the planet. Some high-net-worth individuals, including some who work in the tech sector, have been extraordinarily generous in supporting our public schools, hospitals and communities. Others, however, have given little or nothing, and they seem content to let local government bear the burden of enormous local challenges alone.

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The city of San Francisco, where one-bedroom apartments rent for an average of $3,300 and the median home price is a record $1.6 million, is experiencing a full-blown homelessness crisis. Im a fourth-generation San Franciscan, and while there has always been homelessness, I have never seen it this bad. Families with children are living in cars and are packed into homeless shelters. There are tent encampments in city parks. The sidewalks are strewn with heroin needles and covered in human feces. A visiting official from the United Nations said she was completely shocked. An infectious-disease expert from the University of California, Berkeley, found that parts of the city are more unsanitary than the slums of some developing countries.
On Monday afternoon an explosive device was delivered to my fathers home north of New York City. An alert member of our staff recognized the threat and called the police. Fortunately, the authorities were able to detonate the device safely. On Wednesday, the Secret Service said it had intercepted similar devices sent to the offices of former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

We are all grateful that no one was injured, and grateful to those who kept us safe. But the incident was profoundly disturbing  as a threat not just to the safety of our family, neighbors, colleagues and friends, but also to the future of American democracy.

My family is no stranger to the hostilities of those who reject our philosophy, our politics and our very identity. My father grew up in the shadow of the Nazi regime in Hungary. My grandfather secured papers with false names so that they could survive the onslaught against Budapests Jews; he helped many others do the same. After the war, as the Communists took power, my father escaped to London, where he studied at the London School of Economics before embarking on what ultimately became a hugely successful career in finance.

But the lessons of his early life never left him. His biggest philanthropic endeavor, the Open Society Foundations, played a leading role in supporting the transition from Communism to more democratic societies in parts of the former Soviet Union and then expanded to protect democratic practices in existing democracies. My father acknowledges that his philanthropic work, while nonpartisan, is political in a broad sense: It seeks to support those who promote societies where everyone has a voice.
Mr. Khashoggi straddled this dangerous fault line, and it might have played a part in his assassination. The eradication of the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing less than an abolition of democracy and a guarantee that Arabs will continue living under authoritarian and corrupt regimes, he wrote about the Saudi-backed coup and crackdown.

The battle between monarchical and republican Islam goes back to the Cold War, when Arab monarchies backed by Western powers saw secular and sometimes socialist Muslim states as their main rivals. In those days both sides deployed the Islamists against one another. After the fall of Saddam Husseins Iraq and Muammar el-Qaddafis Libya, both through Western intervention, Syria is now the last significant representative of secular dictatorship  a political form that had once dominated the Middle East and parts of North Africa.

Itself drawing upon Cold War ideas about ideological states, Islamism enjoyed its greatest victory with the Iranian revolution in 1979 and took control of Sudan a decade later. While Islamism has since come to power electorally in Turkey and Tunisia, it also appears to have lost its way, allowing social conservatives a place in the public life of these countries while mutating into something barely recognizable with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

As the remnant of a much larger struggle, the competition between Muslim republicans and monarchists represents a politics in terminal decline. Most of the regions royal houses are modern creations, encouraged if not implanted by colonial powers. They possess no worked-out political idea or theory to legitimize themselves, relying instead on a transactional mixture of privileges, payoffs and punishments to secure the allegiance of their subjects, much like corporations do with their workers, shareholders and boards. This is why Islam as a form of social control is so important to them.

Islamism, for its part, has become a red herring in accounts of Middle Eastern politics. The Muslim Brotherhood was not at the forefront of the Egyptian revolution but caught unawares by it. The party was furthermore brought down by a movement as popular as the one that had put it in power, thus allowing the army to intervene and impose its dictatorship on the country. The Brotherhoods opponents were as religiously observant as its supporters, which meant the dissolution of a narrative that pitted popular Islamists against secular elites. The democratization and fragmentation of Islam has shifted it beyond the grasp of any party or group.
HONG KONG  Last month the Vatican announced that it had come to a provisional agreement with the government of China over the appointment of Catholic bishops. Supporters of the deal say that it finally brings unity after longstanding division  between an underground Church loyal to the pope and an official church approved by the Chinese authorities  and that with it, the Chinese government has for the first time recognized the authority of the pope. In fact, the deal is a major step toward the annihilation of the real Church in China.

I know the Church in China, I know the Communists and I know the Holy See. Im a Chinese from Shanghai. I lived many years in the mainland and many years in Hong Kong. I taught in seminaries throughout China  in Shanghai, Xian, Beijing, Wuhan, Shenyang  between 1989 and 1996.

Pope Francis, an Argentine, doesnt seem to understand the Communists. He is very pastoral, and he comes from South America, where historically military governments and the rich got together to oppress poor people. And who there would come out to defend the poor? The Communists. Maybe even some Jesuits, and the government would call those Jesuits Communists.

Francis may have natural sympathy for Communists because for him, they are the persecuted. He doesnt know them as the persecutors they become once in power, like the Communists in China.
On May 16, I accompanied my fiancee to the United States Consulate in Casablanca, Morocco, for her visa interview. We had waited eight months for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to approve our application and the National Visa Center to issue an appointment. I booked her a return flight, hopeful that we would be flying back together to continue our lives in New York.

It has now been five months since that visa interview, and over a year since the initial application. The year and a half of separation is because of one form: the DS-5535. The Trump administration and the State Department quietly enacted this requirement in May of 2017 as part of their plans for extreme vetting, and possibly a way of circumventing the disputed travel ban, which has since been upheld by the Supreme Court. While most Americans are aware of the family separations at the border in Texas, I dont believe many people know about the DS-5535 form and how its tearing families apart.

The DS-5535 requires visa applicants to provide the past 15 years of their travel history, past and current social media handles, email accounts, addresses and employment history. At the interview, the adjudicating officer explained to my fiancee that even though he found our relationship to be bona fide, she would nevertheless have to fill out the DS-5535 for a Security Advisory Opinion  meaning that they want to investigate her further.

My fiancee is from a Muslim country. Her full name is Arabic. Fifteen years ago, she was 9 years old and traveled with her family on vacations. She attended a university in France for five years and graduated with a masters degree in applied mathematics and computer science. On her social media accounts, you will find a young womans love for American culture, New York City, fashion, food, traveling and Drake. Queue the alarm bells.
Over the past few weeks, on the campaign trail and at home in the White House, President Trump has made it clear that attacking immigrants is the main thrust of his midterm message. In 2016, his anti-immigrant campaign resonated with his core supporters and it may well again in 2018, but this year more people have been turned off by the reality of his anti-immigrant politics. As a result, Mr. Trumps vile strategy is more likely to backfire this time.

Mr. Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric has been escalating as Election Day nears. At every campaign rally, he unleashes on immigrants, spreading lies and fear, tweeting of the so-called caravan from Central America that we cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. A few days ago in Nevada, he lied again when told a crowd that illegal immigrants want to take over the control of a California town. In their closing arguments, many Republican candidates are echoing Mr. Trumps xenophobia and nativism.

Polling indicates this may not work that well in 2018 precisely because it is no longer merely campaign rhetoric. In the past two years, voters have had the chance to witness Mr. Trumps rhetoric turn into severe anti-immigrant policies, leaving children as young as 12 months old parentless and alone in a government detention cell. He describes parents who are fleeing violence to seek asylum as animals and claims that violent gang members are pouring into our country.

Recent election results suggest that attacking immigrants no longer works with the majority that candidates need to win. Instead, a majority of Americans favor a more welcoming approach to immigrants, not divisiveness. Analysis of data from Virginia showed that the false claims of Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate for governor in 2017, that the Central American prison gang MS-13 was threatening Virginias way of life moved voters away from his camp and actually made them more likely to vote for his Democratic opponent. In a special election for the House in a mostly white district in Pennsylvania, another Republican candidate, Rick Saccone, made bashing sanctuary cities central to his campaign, and he lost. Same outcome for Kim Guadagno in New Jersey, who lost the governors race badly while attacking immigrants. In the suburbs of Kansas City, Mo., Kevin Corlew ran a slew of anti-immigrant radio ads and lost a special election by 10 points. The list goes on.
Donald Trump is not the first American president to accuse Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. President Barack Obama did so four years ago.

But if, in response to the violations, Mr. Trump is unilaterally withdrawing from the pact  which was the message his national security adviser, John Bolton, gave President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Moscow on Tuesday  it could end up only helping Russia strategically and hurting American security.

A milestone in closing out the Cold War, the I.N.F., signed in 1987, was a result of Ronald Reagans meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland, a year earlier. The treaty banned all American and Soviet missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,417 miles). The United States and the Soviet Union destroyed 2,692 missiles and launchers, which blunted fierce resistance in Europe to the deployment of American missiles on the Continent.

But much has changed since, and on the face of it, junking the treaty might seem reasonable. In 2014, the Obama administration accused Russia of violating the treaty by testing and deploying a cruise missile of illegal range. Thats the SSC-8 that the United States ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, famously warned this month the United States might need to take out. (Russia denies the missile violates the I.N.F. and says it is the United States that violated the treaty .)
It was on a Thursday that Jonathan and Ariel Treiber first saw the listing for the house in the village of Mamaroneck and fell in love. On Friday, they toured the property and made an offer. Over the weekend, knowing the market was competitive, they increased their bid twice. By Monday afternoon, despite 11 rival offers, the house was theirs.

In February, the Treibers moved from their Upper East Side rental to their new home: a 2,446-square-foot, four-bedroom colonial, built on 0.18 acres in 2011. They paid $1.425 million, $135,000 above asking.

Mr. Treiber, 36, is the chief executive of RevTrax, a marketing analytics company in Manhattan. Ms. Treiber, 36, is a stay-at-home mother to the couples daughters, who are 7 and 2. The Treibers were drawn to the area for its easy commute, strong schools and lively downtown. Specifically, they were drawn to Shore Acres, a community of about 200 homes surrounded by the Long Island Sound. We sensed it would feel like a vacation all year long, Mr. Treiber said.
This time of year, the temperature routinely reaches 104 degrees in northern Botswana. The grasses recede, forcing herds of wildebeest to walk farther and farther from their only water source to graze. Humidity falls to about 10 to 15 percent.

Its not quite Death Valley, but its not quite far-off it, said Alan Wilson, a biologist whose research examined how the wildebeest cope with such an inhospitable environment. Theyre on a physiological knife edge in terms of: How do they continue to survive?

His research showed that these cow-like animals, also called gnus, have remarkable adaptations, enabling them to walk up to 50 miles over five days without drinking water. They can do this because their muscles work incredibly efficiently  far more than their body size would suggest.

I dont think wed get to 50 miles, Dr. Wilson said, referring to humans.

His study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, showed that this efficiency means wildebeest dont have to sweat or pant as much to release heat, even when theyre running in heat higher than their body temperature.
The film, which examines the issues on which Americans are most divided (immigration and abortion, for starters), is testament to her sunniness. In one remarkable exchange, a fanatical supporter of the president tells Ms. Pelosi, without realizing exactly to whom he is speaking, that his ilk refer derisively to the far left as Nancy Pelosis grandchildren.

But, after the documentarian produces the actual grandchildren of Representative Pelosi for his perusal, he lowers his dukes and the unlikeliest of friendships is able to blossom.

However, the younger Ms. Pelosi does concede that the connection between the president and his aggrieved electorate is unlike anything shes ever seen before. It is cultlike, and theres nothing you can do to break it, she said. The more outrageous he gets, the more they love him. Theyre like Thats our guy!

As for Ms. Pelosis sang-froid outside the bubble? I get that Republicans have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to turn my last name into a curse word, she said. A blanket of ads works. Its like, duh, you turn on the TV and you see McDonalds makes good fries. You cant blame them. She was once spit on by a Republican voter, she said, while filming at the Iowa state fair during John McCains 2008 run.

Later, in a room backstage at N.Y.U. before the panel, Representative Pelosi, not one hair out of place, chastised her daughter for not having brushed her own long, dark mane. Also in the room, chuckling at this perhaps familiar scene, were Ms. Pelosis father, Paul; her sons; and her husband, Michiel Vos, a Dutch journalist she met at a film festival in Amsterdam.

The younger Ms. Pelosi was wearing the green plaid skirt she first wore at Catholic girls school in San Francisco, a plum-colored jacket and lilac glasses. She has long had an affinity for the color purple and said she is known as the purple sheep in the family.
At just past 10 on a late summer morning, the artist Farshad Farzankia is sitting at a desk in his sun-seeped studio on the outskirts of Copenhagen, wearing paint-splattered Vans and old track pants, like a 90s skater kid now fully grown. Nursing a can of Coke and occasionally puffing on a hand-rolled cigarette, he doodles on a sheet of printer paper. Stacked against the walls are the large hypersaturated canvases that consume his days (and often nights, hence the early soda fix).

Farzankias paintings are instantly appealing: Simple, figurative compositions of androgynous bodies, birds, plant life and obscure symbols, rendered in bright pop palettes, they are well suited to the age of Instagram. Less apparent is that hes only been making this work for two years. In 2016, Farzankia, now 38, quit his day job as an art director at an advertising agency in order to turn his attention to painting, a hobby he had picked up some six months earlier, after years of idly drawing and sketching in his spare time. Since then, he has become one of Scandinavias most buzzed-about emerging artists. When, last December, the Los Angeles-based gallerist Richard Heller presented a selection of Farzankias work at the Untitled Art fair in Miami Beach, it sold out instantly. Now, he is preparing for his first major U.S. solo show, at Hellers gallery in Santa Monica, opening on Oct. 27.

The exhibition, Welcome to America  a nod to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America  will feature more than a dozen new paintings, and a few wooden sculptures, inspired by the films that preoccupied Farzankia during his childhood. Born in Tehran in 1980, Farzankia came to Denmark as a refugee with his mother and brother in 1989. As a newcomer who felt and looked different in a small and relatively homogeneous Nordic country, Farzankia reflected frequently on his own identity and belief system. Seeking both explanation and comfort, he often referred back to his Persian roots, not least through the films of the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami.
But what I learned is that the stories on WhatsApp are common to all the media here, she said.

What sets WhatsApp apart is speed and reach, Ms. Cordova said. In Brazil, more than 120 million people use the service, which is offered free as part of mobile internet plans (that is, using WhatsApp does not count against peoples data rate). As it does in its other big markets  India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and much of Europe  WhatsApp functions in Brazil as an all-purpose communications tool. It is used for chatting and joking, for trading photos and memes, for news, for political activity and more.

Because of that centrality, Ms. Cordova argued that the problems on WhatsApp in Brazil were mainly a function of the countrys broken political and media environment.

For example, we dont really have public libraries in Brazil, she said. We dont have a lot of sources of what people would consider reliable information  and the lack of good sources of information reinforces their beliefs when they see something false on WhatsApp or Facebook.

Which is not to say WhatsApp is without tools to rein in the mess. This year, after the mob violence in India  another problem that existed before WhatsApp, and may simply have been amplified by the app  the company instituted rules to limit WhatsApps virality.

In the past, people could freely forward a WhatsApp message to anyone. Now they are restricted to forwarding a message to 20 chats, distinct conversations with an individual or group of up to 256 people. (There are six people in the average group, WhatsApp said.) In India, WhatsApp has an even more restrictive forwarding limit: five chats.

WhatsApp characterized the limits as an experiment. As the company learns more about how the limits affect users behavior, a spokeswoman told me, it could introduce additional fine-grain limits.

In an op-ed article in The New York Times last week, a group of Brazilian researchers called for WhatsApp to institute the Indian forwarding limit in Brazil to cut down on false news during the campaign. WhatsApp has declined to do so. The spokeswoman said there was not enough time to change before the election, which takes place on Sunday. (Changing the rules would require people to update their app, a process that takes weeks.)
One suggestion Mr. Demos-Brown took: that as a black mother, Kendra would offer a more spirited defense of her son than he had originally written.

Ms. Washington is also heavily involved behind the scenes: Her production company, Simpson Street, is a producer of American Son, as is her husband. Mr. Asomugha supported moving the family from Los Angeles so she could do the play; as it turns out, he is making his New York stage debut at the same time, portraying a front-porch philosopher in Ngozi Anyanwus Good Grief, at the Vineyard Theater downtown.

Because of the materials potentially divisive but instructive nature, Ms. Washington reached out to friends at the Ford Foundation about creating a curriculum to accompany American Son. The foundation connected her with the nonprofit organization The Opportunity Agenda, which is helping to host two coming talkbacks and develop a study guide that will be made available at performances and online. According to a draft of the introduction, the goal is to inform and frame discussions and guide audiences toward useful resources to learn more and to take action.

We cant put this in the world, and also not offer some tools, Ms. Washington said of the show.

The production is a long way from the early days of her career, when in films like Save the Last Dance and Ray, she played the best friend or the significant other of the protagonist. She is currently helping to develop the novel Little Fires Everywhere as a limited series for Hulu, working as co-executive producer and co-star with Reese Witherspoon. And she plans to star in (and produce) a workplace comedy that will mark the feature directing debut of Eva Longoria, a collaboration she said was born out of their work together on the Times Up Legal Defense Fund.

Her success notwithstanding, Ms. Washington said there was plenty of room for improvement in the representation of women and people of color in the industry, and how race is discussed. She cited a point made by the activist DeRay Mckesson about South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up at the end of apartheid: We want to go straight to reconciliation and we want to skip over truth. Because were not comfortable with the truth.

What she and her fellow actors are trying to do with American Son is step into some truth, she said.

The magic of theater  of great theater, which is what were aiming for, always, Ms. Washington said, is to have each person just open up a little more than before they walked into the theater. Their hearts and minds, you know?
LOS ANGELES  Even with millions of Latinos becoming newly eligible to vote every election cycle, many fail to cast ballots. Whether Latinos will turn out in large numbers this midterm election  this time with party control in Washington at stake  remains a big question.

But who are Latino voters, really? When we speak about the Hispanic electorate in America, we often speak in reductions. Their motivations and political interests are often misunderstood or defined too narrowly by campaigns and the news media. The diversity of opinion and history that exists within Hispanic communities is sometimes flattened.

Like all voters, they are multifaceted; their political behaviors and preferences are often products of age, region, education, and even their familys immigration history.

Below are key facts about Latino voters, ahead of the election. These figures have been culled from data provided by the Pew Research Center, the American Community Survey, and an interview with William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution.
My opponent, endorsed by him, has run this race very, very close to the Trump handbook, where we call each other names, where we run false advertisements, he said.

The jabs flew from there, with Mr. DeSantis, calling Mr. Gillum a career politician who distorted the truth about apparently accepting improper gifts from a lobbyist friend and businessmen who were actually undercover F.B.I. agents investigating Tallahassees community redevelopment agency. Mr. Gillum insists he is not the target of the investigation, which began in 2015 and has yet to result in any indictments. The gifts, made to Mr. Gillum during a pair of 2016 trips to New York and Costa Rica, are the subject of a separate state ethics investigation.

Records made public on Tuesday suggested that Mr. Gillum knowingly took a free ticket to the hit Broadway musical Hamilton from the undercover agents in August 2016. Mr. Gillum maintained in the debate that he did not know the agents had paid for it, though he acknowledged he should have asked to make sure.

I arrived at the theater and received the ticket from my brother, Mr. Gillum said I should have asked more questions to make sure that everything that had transpired was above board.

Mr. Gillum said he thought his younger brother, Marcus Gillum, had swapped Jay-Z and Beyonce tickets with Adam Corey, Mr. Gillums lobbyist friend, in exchange for the musical tickets. Then, paraphrasing Jay-Z, Mr. Gillum tried to turn the debate to policy issues: We got 99 issues, and Hamilton aint one of them.

Mr. DeSantis demanded that Mr. Gillum waive confidentiality in the state ethics inquiry, which will not be completed before Election Day. Get all the evidence and statements out there so the voters of Florida can know everything is on the up-and-up, he said.

Mr. Gillum countered that Mr. DeSantis should release detailed travel records of more than $145,000 in taxpayer-funded trips he took to New York, including two visits to appear on Fox News, while in Congress. Where is the evidence of where you went and how our money was spent to be a junket for you to go to New York and hang out in Faux News and Friends? he asked.
Florida. Singing: Sunshine and sea breeze, soft sand and palm trees. Retirement mecca, party central, Little Haiti, Little Havana  a state with elections so close, theyre legendary. And in 2018, Florida is living up to its reputation, with a tight governors race catering to political extremes. A lefty mayor from Tallahassee  Are yall ready to flip Florida blue  versus a Trump-loving former congressman. Make America great again. The result could be a litmus test for where the state, and maybe even the country, are headed in 2020. So, who are the candidates? This is the Democrat, Mayor Andrew Gillum. He pulled off a surprise victory in the primary, beating out six other candidates. My wife refers to me as Seabiscuit. Gillums got that made-for-media inspiring back story. Hes one of seven kids, the first to graduate from high school and college, and he was the youngest person ever elected to the Tallahassee City Commission. Gillum could be Floridas first black governor. Hes become a bit of a national star. But hes also wrapped up in some controversies: An ongoing corruption probe, since youve been mayor. We want to make sure that any individual that participated in that is held fully accountable. The Republican, Ron DeSantis: He made a name for himself by appearing on Fox News  a lot. Put up or shut up. DeSantis, a self-described conservative warrior, has impressed many Republicans, including Trump. A tough, brilliant cookie. Hes got Ivy League credentials and served in the military. JAG officer. DeSantis went to Congress in 2012, but recently resigned so he could focus on his campaign. Hes also had some stumbles, like when he said this about Gillum the morning after the primaries: You know he is an articulate spokesman for those far-left views. The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up. Yeah. It drew accusations of a racist dog whistle. So, what about the issues? DeSantis has endorsed almost every Trump policy, from repealing the Affordable Care Act to moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. He also hates tax increases and so-called sanctuary cities. Gillum: He might be the most liberal candidate for governor in Floridas history. He wants to overhaul I.C.E., raise the minimum wage and fight the N.R.A. Polls show that both messages are getting pretty good reception in Florida. So yeah, of course, the race is neck and neck. This is Florida. The rules are different here.
Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your guide to the day in national politics. Im Lisa Lerer, your host.

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Some elections are about hope. Some elections are about change. And some elections are about fear.

I started the day watching the sun rise over the ocean in Miami, thinking thats what Id write you all today  how candidates from both sides had turned to scare tactics in the final weeks of the election.

Well, it turns out that if you stoke enough fake fears, they can become real.

Today, pipe bombs were discovered in packages sent to public officials all over the country, including former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the CNN offices in New York.

While officials havent yet announced a suspect or motive, all of the intended recipients are favorite targets of right-wing politicians and media.
A second South Carolina police officer has died after being ambushed and shot earlier this month by a man with a stockpile of guns who opened fire on her and other officers as they tried to serve a warrant.

The officer, Farrah Turner of the Florence County Sheriffs Office, spent nearly three weeks hospitalized in critical condition after the gunman, who was perched on the second floor of his home, opened fire with two rifles and a handgun on Oct. 3. The suspect, Frederick T. Hopkins, 74, started shooting as the officers approached the home for a prearranged interview with his 27-year-old son, who had been accused of sexually assaulting a child.

Three officers in the Florence Police Department were struck first, including Sgt. Terrence Carraway, who was killed. Four officers who arrived to assist them, including Officer Turner, were then hit, the authorities said.
A group of Honduran migrants traveling through Mexico toward the United States has attracted enormous amounts of attention in recent days, including a litany of false, misleading and unproven statements circulating on social media.

Some of this misinformation has been fueled by statements from officials in the United States, including President Trump, who spread an unproven rumor that criminals and unknown Middle Easterners were among the group. (He later admitted there was no proof for his statement.) Other rumors have been shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

Here is a closer look at five widely shared images of the caravan, along with why the claims made about them shouldnt be taken at face value.

(The New York Times needs your help. Were looking for false information being spread deliberately to confuse, mislead, or influence voters ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Click here to tell us what youre seeing.)
BEIJING  Six years ago, angry demonstrators filled the streets in dozens of Chinese cities to protest Japans claim to islands in the East China Sea, surrounding Tokyos embassy, overturning Japanese cars and in some cases even attacking sushi restaurants.

Two years later, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a regional conference in Beijing, and the body language said it all: Mr. Xi could barely muster a smile during an awkward handshake for the cameras.

As Mr. Abe begins the first state visit to China by a Japanese leader in eight years on Thursday, no one is expecting the Asian powers to become instant partners, or even to manage a major reconciliation. But in the age of Trump, both are looking for a little more normality.

Battered by plummeting relations with Washington, and particularly by President Trumps trade war, Mr. Xi is looking to a friendlier Japan as a hedge. And though Mr. Abe has met more often with Mr. Trump than any other foreign leader has, he is well aware of the presidents fickle treatment of American allies and also wants to cover his bets.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham declared its affiliation with Al Qaeda in 2013, but says it is no longer connected. The State Department declared it a terrorist group in 2012 and renewed the designation this year.

In July, Japanese television stations broadcast a video in which Mr. Yasuda spoke to the camera against a black backdrop.

I hope all of my family is fine, Mr. Yasuda said in the video. I want to see you.

Before that, he had last been seen in a video in 2016, followed by a photograph two months later that showed him holding a handwritten note that reads in Japanese: Please help. This is the last chance.

Mr. Yasuda had been a hostage before. In 2004, he spent three days in captivity when he and several Japanese citizens were captured in Iraq, but they were not welcomed warmly upon their return. Critics said they were Japans shame who had caused trouble for everybody, and the government said it would bill them for their airfare.

He said at the time that the stress of his return was greater than the stress of his captivity. He had quit his job at a regional newspaper to report from Iraq.

We have to check ourselves what the Japanese government is doing in Iraq, Mr. Yasuda said in 2004. This is the responsibility on the part of Japanese citizens, but it seems as if people are leaving everything up to the government.

Mr. Yasudas mother, Sachiko Yasuda, said Wednesday on NHK that she had folded nearly 10,000 paper origami cranes since he went missing, making at least one every day.

I couldnt stand without doing anything, she said. I kept folding the cranes, praying for his safety.
MOSCOW  President Vladimir V. Putin warned on Wednesday that if the United States deploys new intermediate-range missiles in Europe after withdrawing from a nuclear treaty prohibiting these weapons, European nations will be at risk of a possible counterstrike.

President Trump said over the weekend that the United States intends to pull out of a 1987 agreement banning short- and intermediate-range missiles that are launched from land. He said Russia was cheating on the deal and said it was flawed because China is not a signatory.

The United States, Mr. Trump said, will develop weapons now prohibited by the treaty, prompting Russian warnings of a new arms race.

On Wednesday, speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Mr. Putin said European countries would bear the risk of Mr. Trumps decision if new missiles wound up in Europe.
LONDON  A team of surgeons has repaired the spinal cords of two babies while they were still in their mothers wombs, the first surgery of its kind in Britain.

The operations were carried out over the summer at University College Hospital in London by 30 surgeons to treat spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal column and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.

This results in changes to the brain, as well as severe permanent damage to the nerves on the lower half of the body, Dominic Thompson, a neurosurgeon at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London who was involved in the surgery, said Thursday in a statement.

The surgery is usually performed after birth, but research has shown that the earlier the condition is treated, the greater the chances of healthy mobility. Those born with spina bifida are often unable to walk and have to undergo a series of operations to drain fluid from their brain.
(SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE HERALD.) From BURR PRICE. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES  Two Italians dropped into a shellhole in which several Americans were sleeping at daybreak yesterday and cried to the startled occupants in perfectly good Chicago steelworkers English: Dont shoot! Weve just escaped from the German lines!

They were captured near Rheims on July 15 and recaptured early in September after an attempt to escape, for which they were confined for 15 days on bread and water. Recently, after four nights labor, they tunneled through the wall of the building in which they slept and got into the Argonne Forest. Then began five days of terrific hardship. Raw potatoes that they dug furnished the only food, and these gave out after two days. So for three days they pushed slowly forward without a meal, and much of the time in the face of shellfire. After pushing by the Hun outposts they found themselves confronted by American machine guns, but finally they crawled into the shellhole.

The Americans laughed at us, said one of the Italians today, but they gave us food, which was what we wanted. One of the Italians had worked in steel plants in Covington, Ky., and Jamesville, Ala., and the other for 10 years had been railroading in the Far West. They had been in the Italian Army 28 months before their division moved to the French front. After being captured, they were used for lumber work in Germany, treated roughly and given very bad food.

 The New York Herald, European Edition, October 24, 1918 
BEIRUT, Lebanon  The image of the Saudi crown prince shaking the hand of a son of the slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi stoked outrage on social media on Wednesday as suspicions continue that the crown prince had a role in the killing.

Many Turkish and American officials believe that the operation that ended up killing Mr. Khashoggi could not have gone ahead without the knowledge of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr. Khashoggis son Salah is a dual Saudi-American citizen and has been barred from leaving the kingdom, friends of the family say, presumably to keep his relatives who are already in the United States from speaking out about the killing.
For weeks, the Saudi royal authorities insisted that Mr. Khashoggi had left the Istanbul consulate the same day he visited. It was only this past Saturday that the Saudi authorities admitted he had been killed inside the building, describing it as an accident. They said 18 Saudis suspected of involvement had been detained in Saudi Arabia.

Turkish officials have said they have evidence including audio recordings that a team of Saudi assassins killed Mr. Khashoggi within minutes of his entry to the consulate, dismembered his body and then tried to cover up his death  even creating a fictitious trail by having a Saudi agent who resembled Mr. Khashoggi walk out of the consulate wearing the victims clothes.

President Trump, a close ally of the Saudi royal family, has said he is skeptical of the Saudi explanations for what happened and has called the cover-up one of the worst.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia would be damaged if the crown prince had been dishonest with him. Certainly it would be a very bad thing in terms of relationship, the president said. It would take a while to rebuild.

Mr. Trumps Central Intelligence Agency director, Gina Haspel, has been in Turkey for the past few days to get more information from her Turkish counterparts.

The Sabah, a pro-government Turkish newspaper, reported that Turkish officials had shared evidence including audio recordings with Ms. Haspel. American intelligence officials would not comment on Ms. Haspels meeting.

For the recordings to have real usefulness to the C.I.A. or other agencies, the Turks would have to provide a full copy so American intelligence operatives can perform technical analysis and establish their authenticity. But even then, the recordings would most likely be of little value on the key policy question: whether the Saudi crown prince was connected to the killing, officials briefed on the intelligence said.
In January 1940, in the pages of this very magazine, a writer by the excellent name of Hudson Strode published an article with the headline Sisu: A Word That Explains Finland. A Finnish concept thats tricky to translate into English with any real precision, sisu represents something like a deep well of inner fortitude. The Wikipedia entry includes links to stiff upper lip, cojones and chutzpah, but none of those phrases or words quite capture it. A special kind of strong will is the definition Strode goes with, something drawn upon by the stoic in order to persevere in the face of extreme adversity  say, winter, if you live in Lapland.

At one point in the article, Strode visits a Finnish town near the Russian border and meets the local sheriff. For sentimental reasons, this sheriff carries around a dagger, which he hands to Strode. Apparently a previous owner used the blade to fend off six attackers. They fought for an hour, the sheriff says. He cut the six to pieces. I saw the finish of the fight  it was a glorious display of sisu. Strode doesnt record his own response, but he seems impressed. The sheriff slips the knife back into its leather holster and gazes to the east. We shall have need of sisu, he observes gravely, to face what may come shortly.

Reading about Strodes journey  which took him to Finland at the start of World War II, only months before the Soviet invasion  I thought about my own rapidly approaching trip to the same country, for the same magazine, 79 years later. I smiled at the pleasing symmetry. Granted, my surname does not double as an active verb, not even in Italian. Also, I was going to Finland to report an article on salty licorice. But otherwise, our tasks were not dissimilar. Strode had introduced his readers to a word that explained a distant country and its underlying values. I would try to do the same, only with a really weird flavor of candy.

There would be need of sisu to face what might come shortly.

Throughout much of the world, licorice remains one of humanitys most divisive confections. Herve This, one of the food scientists who coined the term molecular gastronomy, likes to use licorice to attack the notion that humans possess four basic tastes. You might reflexively think of licorice as sweet, but its not, really, nor is it salty, sour or bitter. (Or umami, for that matter, This adds.) The confounding nature of licorices flavor has given rise to a sharp partisanship. Licorice candy has been compared, astutely, to the Grateful Dead, by none other than the Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia, who allowed in an interview: Our audience is like people who like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.

To extend Garcias simile, albeit imperfectly, that would make salty licorice  salmiakki in Finland, where they consume the most potent flavors  the candy equivalent of a 47-minute version of Dark Star. Meaning, for superfans only.

Finland ranked fifth worldwide in per capita candy consumption according to a 2017 study by the London-based market-research firm Euromonitor International. Bobby Doherty for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.

With salmiakki, that fan base is clustered almost entirely in Northern Europe, in what Jukka Annala, the author of a book on salmiakki and the founder and president of the Finnish Salty Licorice Association, refers to as the seven salty-licorice countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands and Germany (in its north). I should explain here that if you read salty licorice and think, Well, I enjoy a sea-salt chocolate-chip cookie; how bad could this stuff be? the salt used in salmiakki is not sea salt or even iodized table salt but ammonium chloride  sal ammoniacum in Latin, salmiac in English  an astringent, extremely bitter chemical compound formed, like all salts, by mixing a base and an acid, which in the case of salmiac are ammonia and either hydrochloric acid or hydrogen chloride.

At this point, you might wonder, How is this different from the deeply unpleasant sour candies my own beloved children torture themselves with? The thing is, in salty-licorice countries, salmiakki is not some niche product marketed exclusively at kids. Its a respectable treat option for all ages and demographics. In fact, some packages are marked not licorice for children. In Helsinki, I scouted at least a dozen convenience stores and groceries, and every candy section therein contained at least one full display rack, sometimes several, dedicated exclusively to salmiakki. Certain brands packaged themselves like breath mints, in stylish cardboard packs, to appeal directly to adults. Your classic Finnish salmiakki comes in the shape of a black diamond, but you can also find salty-licorice dragster wheels, pirate coins, farm animals, witch whistles (which look more like gray cigarette butts), pacifiers, pastilles, skulls, hockey pucks, octopi, long flat strips resembling squid-ink fettuccine and, of course, traditional Swedish fish.

Amid the set of country-themed emoji released by Finlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late 2015, theres one for salmiakki  an ecstatic woman clutching a pair of black diamonds  described on the English-language website as something Finns cant live without. Its sort of the national candy, Annala told me. Which is saying something, because tiny Finland tends to punch far above its weight when it comes to candy appetites over all. A 2017 study by the London-based market-research firm Euromonitor International ranked the country fifth worldwide in per capita candy consumption. Three other salty-licorice countries, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway, placed third, ninth and 10th. (The United States didnt even crack the Top 10.)

Heres another interesting statistic: Finland just scored the top spot on the 2018 World Happiness Report. Its produced by a United Nations initiative based on global polling data from Gallup, and you can make of the methodology what you will, but Finns reported themselves happier than any other nationality on earth, and they were followed on the list by three Nordic neighbors: Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Americans, meanwhile, came in at a dismal 18th. Correlation does not mean causation, but come on, this is totally causation, right? All those salty-licorice countries clustered at the very top? Maybe its not so crazy to think about reported national happiness in relationship to something like a favorite national candy, because what is candy, after all, if not an elemental signifier of happiness and also something extraordinarily culturally specific and wrapped up in nostalgia and childhood memories and, by proxy, national identity?

So when considering the romanticized notion of Scandinavia thats taken hold of the non-Nordic imagination in recent years  a land of a happy citizenry, of generous social-welfare programs and prisons nicer than our schools and schools nicer than even that, a land of hygge and Noma and Bjork  could examining their love of salty licorice be one small but crucial means of unlocking a secret to living that the rest of us, particularly those of us all the way down at No.18, gorging ourselves on king-size Snickers bars like overgrown children unable to handle complicated flavors, havent figured out?

Annala had offered to arrange a salty-licorice tasting for me in Helsinki, as well as convene a meeting of the F.S.L.A.s Salmiakkikonklaavi (Salmiakki Conclave), the ruling body that awards a Salty Licorice of the Year honor at the groups spring gala. The first gala took place in 1998, shortly after the founding of the F.S.L.A., whose membership numbers about 80. One year, Annala told me, some people misunderstood that the word gala was an ironic thing and came in gowns.

I was grateful for Annalas offer. Though its no longer especially popular in America, I happen to enjoy black licorice, or at least I used to as a boy, when it came in the shoestring-length whips more common back then. (These had the added bonus of really stinging if you managed to snap, say, a younger brothers arm or cheek just so. What can I say? Indiana Jones had just come out. We dug whips.) By Nordic standards, however, my licorice palate lacked sophistication. In the United States, our favorite licorice snack, far and away, remains the crimson middle finger that is the red Twizzler, which is technically not even licorice  those Twizzlers are strawberry-flavored, not licorice-flavored, contain no licorice extract and offer all the masticatory pleasures of an edible candle  and which Id imagine for licorice purists is akin to stuffing a loaf of Wonder Bread into a poster tube and calling what comes out the other end a baguette.

Annala, diplomatically, made no mention of Twizzlers when we met for lunch at one of Helsinkis most venerable restaurants, the Ravintola Sea Horse, which has been around since the 1930s and is still a haunt of artists and cultural figures. The house specialty, fried Baltic herring, comes stacked like kindling on an oversize plate. Annala greeted me from a booth. In picturing him, a middle-aged professional obsessed enough with his favorite candy to start a fan club, I expected some combination of zany and plump, but he turned out to be a trim man with a neat, graying beard, pale blue eyes and a slight air of Nordic melancholy. He apologized for his low energy: He was just recovering from the flu. By day, Annala works as an editor at the Finnish News Agency S.T.T., the main wire service in Finland. Salmiakki, his handsome and lavishly researched coffee-table book, was published in 2001.

In the book, Annala traces the origins of salty licorice to early-20th-century pharmacies, when chemists in Finland and parts of Scandinavia began selling salmiakki as a cough medicine. (Ammonium chloride acts as an expectorant, which adds credence to the commonly cited theory that the people in certain colder climates were initially drawn to salty licorice for health reasons.) The salmiakki most often came in powdered form in little envelopes, though syrups and diamond-shaped lozenges were also available. Salmiakki, like traditional licorice, is made from licorice root, which is mixed with wheat flour and turned into a paste that is generally dyed black. (The natural color of licorice-root extract is closer to the ocher shade of powdered salmiakki.) Additional flavors can be added to the paste  ammonium chloride in the case of salmiakki, but also anise, toffee, menthol  before its molded into candy shapes.

Even before the addition of ammonium chloride, licorice root had been used as a respiratory and digestive aid for millenniums. It turns up in the Charaka-Samhita, an ancient Hindu medical text, and in Theophrastus Enquiry Into Plants. And at least according to citations in the Oxford English Dictionary, lycuresse is both good for the voyce and doth loose fleume. (The O.E.D. also quotes the English writer R.D. Blackmores 1869 novel Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor: I cough sometimes in the winter-weather, and father gives me lickerish.) Sometime around 1760, an English apothecary named George Dunhill receives credit for being the first to add sugar to the licorice lozenges he sold at his shop, in the Yorkshire town of Pontefract, cementing the herbal medicines off-label use as a sweet. So-called Pontefract Cakes are still sold in the United Kingdom, though now theyre manufactured by the German candy giant Haribo.

After our meal, Annala unzipped his backpack and removed a jar of salty licorice produced by one of his favorite salmiakki manufacturers, Namitupa, a small-batch label out of Ilmajoki, a town in southwestern Finland. The licorice was in powdered form, in the old pharmacy style, which Annala adored. The F.S.L.A. named it Salmiakki of the Year for 2012. Annala unscrewed the lid, instructed me to hold out my hand and tapped a modest pile into the center of my palm. Its a bit messy, but this is the traditional way to do it, Annala explained. Then he shrugged, apologetic. Not so hygienic. Not so aesthetic.

I glanced around anxiously, feeling as though we should have maybe skulked off to a toilet stall before getting into this part of the interview. The powder was extremely fine and looked like ground cumin. Ill note that before my investigations into salmiakki, I had never tasted it, and my original plan had been to meet Annala in a virginal state. But then a friend heard about the article and ended up bringing some Dutch salty licorice  a gift from a Scandinavian ex-girlfriend  to a bar one afternoon, so I broke down and tried it. Having seen a series of YouTube videos involving non-salty-licorice-country children being tricked into eating salty licorice, I have to admit: I expected worse. The Dutch candy, a coin-size black disc, had a mild saltiness that canceled out the licorice flavor, but just barely, leaving me feeling as if I were gnawing on a savory leather button. So, not my first choice of things to put in my mouth, sure, but also not the makings of Jackass-style reaction videos.

This is different, Annala assured me. This is real Finnish salmiakki. Quite strong stuff. Heaping some of the powder into his own palm, he said, Now you lick it.

Had I expected things to proceed more in the fashion of a genteel tasting at a Lexington whiskey distillery and less like, say, a scene from a William S. Burroughs novel in which the characters ingest weird, made-up drugs? Yes, I had.

Anyway. I licked it. The salmiakki tasted as if someone had made a bouillon cube out of a briny licorice stock, then crushed it into a powder. My tongue immediately tingled. After my experience with the underwhelming Dutch licorice, I hadnt been prepared for how  whats the tasting note Im looking for?  ammonium-chloride-forward Finnish salmiakki would be. It was pungent, in a saltier-than-salt way that brought some heat. The licorice had an aggressive presence as well, which might sound like a good thing, a potential balance, but it seemed only to intensify the curdled chemical aftertaste, some combination of diet cola, fennel toothpaste and MSG that multiple sips of water wouldnt flush.

Across the table, Annala seemed lost in a reverie. Mmm, he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment, as if to shut out all senses but taste. So delicious.

Over the course of the next seven hours, at multiple locations, we consumed a considerable, perhaps unhealthful, amount of salmiakki. I tasted brittle black tokens strong enough to make my eyes water. Annala happily crunched several at once, as if hed just plucked his favorite bits from a sack of trail mix, announcing, Its like eating iron! We drank shots of salty-licorice vodka, a popular spirit throughout Scandinavia. (In The Nordic Cookbook the Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson, whose restaurant Faviken Magasinet is an internationally lauded purveyor of New Nordic cuisine, writes about teenage friends making bootleg versions of the stuff by packing salty licorice into a three-quarter-filled bottle of vodka and running it through the dishwasher.)

We met two members of the Salmiakkikonklaavi, Juha Hellsten and Kaija Collin, at a bar with red carpeting and white plastic-laminate bistro tables that felt like someones idea of the future in 1967. Annala placed a mixed bag of loose salmiakki in the center of the table and tore down its sides so they looked like the petals of a giant flower, the pile of licorice now a teeming black bulb. Choosing a subtly flavored Swedish fish, Annala twisted it between his fingers, then took a bite and nodded approvingly. Its mild, but has just enough salty licorice to make it acceptable. And the structure is very good and playful.

Hellsten, who works in management at the telecommunications company Ericsson and has been known to partly fill a suitcase with salmiakki when traveling to non-salty-licorice countries, agreed: Its not a top scorer. But a reliable defender on the team. Annala said one thing he loved about salmiakki was the drama of the candy, by which he meant that the flavor evolved as you experienced it, like different acts of a play. Sometimes there is a shock effect on the surface, then it is sweet inside, he explained. Whats happening changes from the first to the middle to the end to the aftermath.

Collin, who works at her familys asbestos-removal company, bit into a black alligator with a white belly and frowned. This is not salmiakki, she said.

Annala tried one and determined that the belly was, in fact, marshmallow. Its a crime to call this salty licorice! he said, throwing down the candy in disgust.

Collin handed me a black lump and said: Now I want you to try this one. No one else does it. Tar candy!

It was a Tervapiru (Tar Devil), and it did, indeed, smell like a black-market cigarette with the filter torn off. I felt as if it also tasted strongly of tar, though I cant say for sure, not having knowingly tasted tar before. (Finns add tar, derived in their country from wood rather than coal, to various foods as a smoky flavoring agent.)

I remember tasting pure ammonium chloride, Hellsten said. He had pushed up the sleeves of his cardigan and was rooting around in the licorice pile.

Did you like it? Annala asked.

 Like is perhaps not the right word, Hellsten said.

At a certain point, I hit a wall. When someone shook a couple of strong salmiakki mints into my hand, I popped only one of them, palming the second and slipping it into my shoe while pretending to scratch my ankle.

Someone brought up a 2012 move by the European Union to sharply curb the allowable per-gram amount of ammonium chloride in food, which would have effectively banned salmiakki and possibly triggered a Finnexit. A Finnish E.U. bureaucrat helped intervene in the end, and candy was exempted from the rule. Annala invited the bureaucrat to the F.S.L.A. gala, but she never responded.

Fazer is the unofficial candy brand of Finland, the national equivalent of Hershey or Cadbury. Its founder, Karl Fazer, was born in Helsinki in 1866, one year after Jean Sibelius. His father, a Swiss immigrant, worked as a furrier, but Karl, the youngest son of eight children, always loved baking with his mother, and after an apprenticeship in St. Petersburg, he opened a French-Russian confectionery shop in Helsinki in 1891. By 1922, Fazer had begun mass-producing the milk-chocolate bars upon which he would build his fortune, their patriotic Fazer Blue wrappers a nod to the cross on the Finnish flag. (The country achieved independence from Russia five years earlier.) The company remains in the hands of the Fazer family, with 15,000 employees worldwide. Some of the products introduced in Karls day are still on the market, including Mignons, handmade Easter delicacies that require deyolking actual eggs, then refilling the intact shells with hazelnut chocolate.

Fazer is also the largest producer of licorice in the country. In 1927, the company bought a British-Finnish biscuit-and-licorice company and released its signature line of sweet licorice the following year. The wrapper design featured a racist golliwog caricature, the British equivalent of a Sambo doll, which, depressingly, was not uncommon in itself  you can find historic examples of noxious candy packaging throughout the world  but which Fazer failed to jettison until 2007, in part under pressure from the European Union. (Why the company took so long to act is a good and hard question, a Fazer spokeswoman, Liisa Eerola, told me in an email. Culturally, Finland was quite isolated for a long time. ... Looking back, it is easy to say that we moved far too late.) Fazer has been making salmiakki since 1938, and its portfolio of salty offerings now includes products like Super Salmiakki, Pantteri (Panther) and Tyrkisk Peber (Turkish Pepper), so spicy that its ranked like hot sauce, with a flaming-star rating system.

All these treats are made at the Fazer complex in Lappeenranta, two hours from Helsinki by train and about 16 miles from the Russian border. The factory is a century-old redbrick building with a series of modern additions, built along the shore of the largest lake in Finland. It has 300 employees and runs three to five shifts, depending on the candy needs of the nearest holiday. In 2017, the factory produced 19,200 tons of candy: Mariannes (white peppermint pearls with chocolate centers), Tutti Fruttis (variously flavored gummies), Avecs (petite French-style pastilles), Amerikans (much larger American-style pastilles, which my tour guide enjoyed teasing me about) and all manner of salmiakki. Fifteen percent of Lappeenrantas output is salty licorice, translating to roughly 3,000 tons of the stuff last year.

The factory was very much a typical factory in certain ways (vast, noisy) and more specifically a candy factory in others (my shoes stuck to the floors from the sugar, and there was a pleasant, lingering odor of fruit more or less wherever I went). As thoroughly automated as any car plant Id visited in Detroit, the place felt, as those factories did, like both an extraordinary human achievement and an allegory for human redundancy in the form of a mechanical tableau vivant. Stamping presses pounded candy shapes into sheets of starch powder; licorice or sugary fillings were squirted into molds; robot arms hoisted trays onto drying racks. In one room, a lone human employee manually plucked misshapen candies from a conveyor belt, tossing them into a plastic hopper at his feet. I found myself hoping the belt would accidentally speed up and force him to begin gobbling candy, Lucy-and-Ethel-style. But apparently theres an optical scanner also checking the candy shapes, and if anything goes wrong, an alarm will sound.

As the tour continued, I couldnt help wondering how future international demand might affect the facility. After all, were living in a time when fashionable omnivorism and a growing hipster monoculture have conspired to make even the most previously obscure regional delicacies available, if not everywhere, then at least far from their natural habitats. Hawaiian poke is no longer served solely on the Big Island; Detroit-style pizza has migrated well beyond Eight Mile Road. Nashville hot chicken, East Harlem chopped-cheese sandwiches  we could go on. Why not salmiakki?

But when I met Petri Tervonen, Fazers marketing director at the time, he smiled when I asked if the company had made any big push to export salty licorice outside Northern Europe. Salmiakkis taste profile, he explained, was much more intense than the average consumer in a non-salty-licorice country was accustomed to. So you have a natural kind of barrier.

We were eating bowls of salmon soup in the cafeteria of a different Fazer facility near Helsinki, a building whose curved glass walls and blond wood ceiling made it look like a U.F.O. conceived by a team of Scandinavian designers. Tervonen had moved to Fazer eight years ago from another of Finlands iconic brands, Nokia. He told me Fazer was planning to introduce a line of premium dark chocolate called Nordi in the United States next year and gave me a sneak preview of the bars. The sleek packaging nodded toward chic, aspirational Scandinavian lifestyle trends, featuring scenes of Nordic splendor: pristine mountain rivers, the candied glow of smoke from a cozy sauna. Here, our brand awareness is 100 percent, but if you were to rank all confectioners worldwide, were probably No.40-something, Tervonen said. So were competing with giants. What is typical for the category as a whole is its an impulse decision. Not many people write down Buy chocolate on their shopping list. So how do you get people to stop in front of what youre selling, make them curious and then get them to try it?

I kept pushing on salmiakki. Wouldnt a shopper at Whole Foods at least be curious? Secretly, I pictured a series of alternate sleeves for a Nordi brand of premium salty licorice, scenes that might reflect the darker side of Scandinavian culture, thus preparing potential buyers for what they might be getting into. A black-metal band burning down a church? Max von Sydow playing chess with Death?

Tervonen said the trend forecasters they worked with in the States had tasted salty licorice in the past and found it interesting, which Tervonen pronounced in a way that did not sound promising. He shrugged. Salty licorice is a taste that divides opinion, even here. He said he had two sons: The 8-year-old loves salmiakki, but the 11-year-old cant stand it.

The worst licorice I tasted during my epic night with the Salmiakkikonklaavi turned out to be a candied heart. Id instinctively reached for one, the color (red as a raspberry) and shape tricking my brain into momentarily believing Id selected something sweeter. It turned out to be the saltiest and most abrasive item on the menu, a flavor assault only heightened by the dissonance of the delivery mechanism.

A plastic twist-bag of those hearts has been sitting at the foot of my desk since I returned from Helsinki, buried within a larger grocery bag of salmiakki Id hauled back to my apartment. Reijo Laine, the founder of Namitupa, the producer of the hearts, had recommended that I make a present of the candy to my wife. She will be happy with you for six weeks, he added, with a mysterious precision.

That had struck me as a poor idea. But back home, as I struggled to account for the appeal of salmiakki, I thought, again, about sisu. Was the defining Finnish attribute really as noble as Hudson Strode made it out to be? What if, in fact, it merely represented a national tendency toward masochism, some understandable but aberrant quality born of endless winter nights that wound up manifesting itself in a fanatical love of saunas and Turkish Peppers?

Yet I couldnt shake my memory of the blissful expressions on the faces of the members of the Salmiakkikonklaavi. To pathologize such a love felt narrow-minded, unfair. So maybe the answer hinged on flipping the question. Forget about the salty-licorice countries for a moment: Why does salmiakki feel like such a category error to the rest of us? And was the answer to that question right in front of my face? Could one of the secrets to Finnish happiness simply come down to not always expecting hearts to be sweet?

Dumping the bag of licorice onto my desk, I began to dig around, pushing aside a Super Salmiakki lollipop, a packet of Dracula Piller (salmiakki with a creepy vampire mascot), a box of peppered salmiakki pellets (actually called Sisu!), before finally extracting what I was looking for. And what do you know? With the foreknowledge of what was coming, it didnt taste all that bad. I mean, certainly no worse than any of the rest.

I resealed the bag of hearts and replaced them in the shopping bag. I havent touched any licorice since.

Mark Binelli is a contributing writer for the magazine and the author of Detroit City Is the Place to Be. He last wrote for the magazine about the Australian author Gerald Murnane.
He needs to ensure that KiwiBuild is suitable for the Kiwi families he claims it will deliver for.

According to Global Finance founder Ajay Kumar, interest from potential KiwiBuild clients has so far been pretty thin on the ground given the lack of supply. The balloting system is also a major cause for uncertainty, with there being no guarantee of gaining a home even if youve entered the ballot and been approved for a mortgage.

We havent had many enquiries so far, mostly because there arent yet many houses available, said Kumar.

KiwiBuild is a good scheme, the homes are cheaper and there is huge demand, but the supply is extremely small at the moment. If our clients depend upon KiwiBuild, theyre still not certain whether or not theyll get a home its more or less a lottery, either you win it or you dont.

The main challenge is going to be getting the approvals from the banks, but still having that uncertainty of whether or not the client will get the house, he added. With the level of supply and demand at the moment, I anticipate it will take a minimum of five years for it to gain traction.
Five rising stars in the communications industry were honored at the sixth annual New York Women in Communications WiCi Awards ceremony, held Oct. 23 in New York City.

The ceremony was emceed by Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich, co-founder, managing partner, president of editorial operations at Masthead Media Company (a past WiCi honoree) and hosted by the Meredith Corporation, represented by EVP, chief marketing officer Nancy Weber. Opening remarks came from NYWiCi president, Weber Shandwick senior vice president, diversity & inclusion, Judith Harrison.



From left: Lauren Skowronski, Ashley Miles, Michelle Tan, Jennifer Bender and Lisa Tobin.

Each of the honorees gave some words of advice, as well as naming their coffee of choice, a nod to a favorite question from the NYWiCi Coffee Break podcast:

Jennifer Bender (senior manager of strategy & commercial operations, Pfizer). My mentor helped talk me through some difficult times in my career. I always try to give back because Ive always had such a good sounding board throughout my career. Coffee Choiceis seasonal so in the summertime, I tend to do two shots over ice with skim milk, sometimes three depending on the day.

Ashley Miles (chief client officer, head of advertising, North America, Refinery29). Adaptability is a key skill because businesses need to evolve at a more rapid pace. Its an important skill and, more important now than ever before. Coffee choice"a triple shot of espresso over ice. Splash of almond milk, no sugar from Starbucks, every single morning to get me going.

Lauren Skowronski (senior vice president, corporate communications, NBCUniversal). Sometimes its difficult to transition from team member to team leader, but be confident and know that you deserve to. Coffee Choicenot as strong as these ladies, but I love the iced hazelnut all the time, all seasons with soy and Splenda.

Michelle Tan (editorial director, MAKERS). To be at the helm of @MAKERSwomen and give inspiration to the next generation of girls and put my stamp on it is a true gift. Coffee Choiceis just a black coffee with a shot of espresso in it. And that espresso is due to a two-year-old toddler.

Lisa Tobin (executive producer for audio, New York Times). I needed the people around me to say to me you can do the thing! Its important to have the support of those around you, and thats what I have at the New York Times. Coffee Choicethe coffee in front of me.

The WiCi Awards complement the NYWiCis annual Matrix Awards ceremony coming up May 6, 2019, which honors women at the pinnacle of their communications careers.

For more information about joining or renewing your membership in connecting with amazing professionals, please visit http://www.nywici.org/, call headquarters at (212) 297-2133 or email info@nywici.org.


John Blackshaw

Tunheim has named John Blackshaw president and chief operating officer, a new role at the Minneapolis-based agency.

Blackshaw, who officially joined the agency yesterday, arrives from healthcare data analytics company Nemadji Research Corporation, where he was stationed for more than a dozen years, joining as general counsel before ultimately being named CEO in 2013.

Blackshaw, who also owned and operated his own consulting firm, was previously stationed at Tunheim from 1992 to 2000, where he led the companys public affairs practice.

In addition to serving as president and COO, Blackshaw will also lead Tunheims consulting operations. Agency founder Kathy Tunheim remains in her role of principal and CEO.

Tunheim, which was founded in 1990, accounted for more than $5.7 million in net fees last year, according to ODwyers rankings of PR firms. Current clients include Sleep Number, Dominium, Great River Energy and the Minnesota Hospital Association.


Cheryl Stopnick

Sachs Media Group has brought on Cheryl Stopnick as senior vice president of public relations and director of South Florida operations. Stopnick was previously founder/CEO at Zero G Communications, an independent communications consulting firm. She has also been director, dealer communications at ADT and executive director of communications at Kaplan. At SMG, Stopnick will serve as senior strategist, cultivate client relations, and grow the agencys presence in South Florida. SMG is headquartered in Tallahassee with offices in Orlando, Boca Raton, and Washington, D.C.



Jeffrey Terrey

Rasky Partners has made Jeffrey Terrey a partner of the firm. Terrey joined Rasky Partners in 2002 after serving as political director for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Robert Reich, who served as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. Prior to that, he was the legislative director at the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General and served on the transition team for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Terrey will continue in his roles as senior vice president in the government relations practice in Boston and leader of the codes and regulations group and expand his responsibilities related to the firms growing national portfolio.



Jillian Youngblood

Solomon McCown & Company has added Jillian Youngblood as vice president. Prior to joining Solomon McCown, Youngblood managed strategic communications, including public affairs and media relations, for a variety of non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs and cultural institutions. Before that, she was vice president at education technology company The Noodle Companies, leading communications around PK-20 education and lifelong learning. She has also served as a legislative assistant to Congressman Jerrold Nadler. At Solomon McCown, Youngblood will oversee national communications strategies and expand its New York City presence. A 100% women-owned firm, the agency provides clients with counsel in such sectors as the corporate world, education, housing and real estate, building and design and healthcare.



Carrie Goldstein

Cheer Partners has hired Carrie Goldstein as managing director and team lead, employee communications; Carol Ready as senior director, communications; and Lisa Fedrizzi as senior talent lead. Before joining Cheer Partners, Goldstein was a communications director at Pfizer. In her new role, she will lead a team that provides clients with strategies to set a strong foundation for their internal narrative, culture and colleague engagement. Ready joins the agency from Edelman, where she was a senior VP. Before that, she served as vp, healthcare practice at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and vp at MCS Healthcare Public Relations. She is embedded within a Cheer Partners global healthcare client. Fedrizzi was most recently at Rubenstein Public Relations, where she was director of human resources. She now oversees Cheer Partners talent strategy and HR-focused client communications.


Dan Martin and Matthew Briggs co-authored this article.

Todays healthcare landscape is rapidly changing. Factors such as wavering legislation, value-based cares impact on the physician model, pressure on pharmaceutical companies to reduce costs, the introduction of wearables to the market and informed consumers are contributing to this evolution. At the same time, audiences  plans, providers, employers, patients  are also changing the way in which they seek information. According to DMN3, 72 percent of Internet users say they searched online for health information within the past year. But the same message is not always appropriate for each of these diversified audiences.

So, what does this constant evolution mean for your healthcare brand, and how can you effectively utilize all that is available for todays marketers to connect with your target audience and grow brand awareness? Employing strong integrated marketing and PR strategy can be a key move to reach that next step. We distill three pillars inside that strategy  storytelling, brand advocacy, emotional marketing  that, when combined, will help you take the content approach for your healthcare brand to the next level in the age of the connected customer.

Storytelling

Storytelling has become a buzzword in recent years, but stories are still the best way to create stronger connections with key constituents, be they patients, providers, health plans, policymakers or other influencers. Yet, the question many healthcare companies and organizations continue to struggle with is: how do we use stories to create and nurture customer relationships?

The answer is very simple in theory: personalized storytelling. It comes down to listening, learning and engaging with your customers. Take out assumptions and lead your audience along a journey without selling or pushing them. Staying genuine and authentic will increase brand awareness, return higher engagement rates and, ultimately, convert more qualified leads.

Keeping your content honest equates to authentic storytelling. Strive to provide customers with an opportunity to feel like they are part of a larger group. Research from psychologists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary best describes this need in their belongingness hypothesis: People have a basic psychological need to feel closely connected to others, and that caring, affectionate bonds from close relationships are a major part of human behavior.

Emotion-led marketing

Find a way to connect with your customers on a deeper, more emotional level. Do you give them peace of mind? Do you make life easier? Use these triggers to strengthen your relationship and foster loyalty. Enhanced loyalty might be the most impactful outcome of well-done storytelling, leading to more engagement with your brand.

Take, for example, a PAN client who focuses in the biopharma market, specifically the rare disease space. Rather than promote one-off campaigns they have designed and executed on behalf of pharma and biotech companies, or differentiate on the novel treatments they helped commercialize, for the past several years theyve used Rare Disease Day to elevate their story. This places the larger focus more holistically on rare disease, making it personal by showcasing the patients and care givers who make up this unique community. Through podcasts, documentary movies, earned, owned and shared media, they have taken their audience down a path via a well-thought-out and executed content strategy, one that engages the audience, solicits emotion and, in effect, connects them more closely to the brand. Given that Rare Disease Day typically falls in February, they use this milestone as a jumping-off point to set the tone of their content marketing, PR and communications strategy for the remainder of the year.

Targeting your approach

Personalized storytelling might seem particularly easy when thinking about targeting the patient in the context of a B2C approach. Think of all the relevant ways to showcase the value of benefits, cost and care efficiencies, improved care, wellness, virtual care, chronic condition management, tobacco cessation and many other highly relevant and personal topics.

It can be more challenging on the B2B side, however, when trying to sell into providers or health plans. B2B marketers are increasingly turning to Account-Based Marketing strategies to optimize this approach. ABM is based on setting goals for target accounts and communicating with prospects as a market of one. Its a frontline approach to ensure marketing teams are speaking to individuals in the field, whether they fall in the top, middle or bottom of the sales funnel. The right positioning and personalization will help you engage your target market and move from awareness to consideration to intent.

An ABM strategy arms your sales team with content that is meaningful to their respective prospects. The key to ABM rests in the collaborative efforts of the sales and marketing teams. To work effectively, both sides need to be aligned and acknowledge the benefits that ABM has to offer: increased ROI, higher degree of personalization, increased conversion potential, improved brand reputation and better customer relationships.

Creating brand advocates

Speaking of building better relationships, look no further than the earned-shared-owned ecosystem to understand how they magnify each other to support an advocacy program that can take your storytelling to the next level. At the end of the day, a big part of your content marketing effort is storytelling, not exclusively how you tell your story, but how those who engage with your brand, products and services tell it. Building brand advocates takes time and resources. It also takes a dedicated approach to nurturing customers experiences, so they become loyal and willing to testify to your companys vision.

Just as brands build advocates in the B2C space, so too can healthcare brands in the B2B arena. Why? Because it all comes down to a few core tenets: trust, reference and reviews. If you hit on all of these critical elements, youre on the path to building brand loyalists. The winning combination of word-of-mouth marketing, trustworthy recommendations and online reviews move a healthcare brand toward higher rates of consideration; therefore, the peer testimonial holds the same weight as it does for consumer brands. The challenge is guiding their passion and honing their experience to funnel into high-quality referrals and, ultimately, drive sales.

Fortunately, healthcare is a very experienced space; we all deal with healthcare on some level, be it for ourselves or a loved one. A positive experience goes a long way. After intent and purchase, the key is nurturing these experiences to the point of loyalty, referral and advocacy. Creating a content marketing program grounded in brand advocacy  one that motivates the happiest of customers to promote your company  starts with a simple strategy and a commitment to keeping customers engaged throughout the request process. Building your healthcare advocate community starts by setting goals for your community and continues with an effort to understand your customers and making it a true team effort.

Never lose sight of experience

Content marketing is the most affordable solution for healthcare brands: the only thing you are paying for is your time investment. Its also what fuels your paid, shared and earned strategies, so its a key part to any integrated solution. Healthcare purchasing decisions are quite personal; therefore, create and share content that nurtures influential experiences across different audiences. Whether that experience is anchored in data, patient stories, trend commentary or an example of how your solution or service helped a customer to improve a patient outcome, brands have a real opportunity to leverage the 1-2-3 punch of storytelling, brand advocacy and emotional marketing to demonstrate their companys personality and distinguish its voice.

***

Dan Martin is senior vice president at PAN Communications. Matthew Briggs is vice president at PAN Communications. Together, Martin and Briggs co-lead the agencys healthcare practice.


Kate Bullinger

Weber Shandwick has launched United Minds, a global management consultancy specializing in transformation.

The consultancy combines Weber Shandwicks global employee engagement & change management practice with United Minds Sweden, a management consultancy within Prime Weber Shandwick.

United Minds will be led by Kate Bullinger, who was formerly head of the employee engagement & change management practice. Thomas Areskoug, previously CEO of United Minds Sweden, will lead business strategy work globally for the new consultancy.

The agency says that the goal of United Minds is to combine data-fueled strategy and creative communications solutions to help executives deliver positive, lasting change and engage stakeholders in each step of the process.
Apple CEO Tim Cook today warned of the rise of a data industrial complex in which deeply personal information online is being weaponized against us with military efficiency.

Speaking at a conference on privacy in Brussels, Cook said: Platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies. Rogue actors and even governments have taken advantage of user trust to deepen divisions, incite violence and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false.

Cook said scraps of personal online data are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded and sold.

Taken to its extreme, this process creates an enduring digital profile and lets companies know you better than you may know yourself. Your profile is run through algorithms that can serve up increasingly extreme content, pounding our harmless preferences into hardened convictions. If green is your favorite color, you may find yourself reading a lot of articles, or watching a lot of video about the insidious threat from people who like orange, said Cook, according to the transcript of his speech.

To Cook, the process is surveillance and the stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them.

The Apple CEO praised Europe for the implementation of GDPR, and other countries where regulators are asking tough questions and crafting reforms.

He said Apple supports a comprehensive federal privacy law based on the user right to have personal data minimized, know where data is collected and how it is used, access to collected data and ability to correct/delete information, and security.

Cook believes the rise of artificial intelligence highlights the need to strengthen safeguards for personal data.

AI technology promises to learn from people individually to benefit us all. Yet advancing AI by collecting huge personal profiles is laziness, not efficiency. For artificial intelligence to be truly smart, it must respect human values, including privacy, he said.

In pursuit of AI, Cook said technology companies should not sacrifice the humanity, creativity and ingenuity that define our human intelligence."
Sophie Moore, a member of Edenderry Girl Guides, was among 137 Girl Guides who received the Trail Blazer National Guide Award  Irish Girl Guides highest award  at a special ceremony in Croke Park recently.

The 137 Girl Guides, aged 14-15, travelled from all corners of the country to receive the award and, with their families, celebrated reaching the pinnacle of Guiding.

Each girl received a Trail Blazer gold pin from Irish Girl Guides (IGG) President Maureen Murphy and a National Guide Award certificate from IGG Assistant Chief Commissioner Aine Divilly.

Congratulating the recipients, IGG President Maureen Murphy said: You have been committed and worked hard to gain the Award and gained valuable life-skills in the process. Everyone has put her own stamp on the challenges, which is inspiring. Everyone here has the skills to make a positive contribution to her community and society going forward.

Carina Egan, Chair of IGG Guide Branch, said that, without the hard work and commitment of the 137 girls, there would be no celebrations: This award is made in recognition of the successful completion of a series of challenges, including teamwork activities, outdoor survival skills, community service, global awareness and working with younger members of Irish Girl Guides to help them develop confidence, independence and essential life-skills."

We are delighted for you all and we all know that you have worked to your fullest potential to receive this award and hope you continue to use many of the life-skills you have achieved wherever life takes you in the future.

Award-winning teen entrepreneurs, Kate and Annie Madden of Fenuhealth, who are IGGs current ambassadors, encouraged the girls to pursue their ambitions and never give up. They cited as an example the fact that it took 152 attempts before they devised their winning formula for equine feed that they now export all over the world.

Great minds dont think alike, said Kate, They all think differently. We would encourage you to think outside the box and in the future, when youre applying for jobs, to use all the skills you have learned through Guiding on your CVs.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. Previous experience of Guiding is not necessary. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie. Tel: 01 6683898.
The Offaly County Council chamber is set to lose the voices of two veteran councillors in 2019 after Fine Gael's Tommy McKeigue and Fianna Fail's Noel Bourke announced their retirements.

Noel Bourke made his position clear at an Edenderry Fianna Fail meeting this week. He said he would not be standing in the 2019 Local Elections after serving almost thirty years with the council.

Tommy McKeigue indicated before the last Local Elections that this term would be his last, and in recent weeks, has committed to that stance by ruling himself out of the 2019 vote.

Speaking on his decision, Edenderry's Cllr Noel Bourke said, "Having been a member of Offaly County Council since 1991, I thought it was time to step aside and allow other younger members, both male and female, of my party, to bring fresh thinking to the Council."

"I believe change is needed from time to time in any organisation. I enjoyed my time on the Council and will continue to work for my constituents to the best of my ability until the present Council comes to an end," Noel added.

"I got great satisfaction from assisting and advising people, especially those in greatest need. I often felt very frustrated at how slow the various Government Departments were and still are, in making funding available for essential local developments such as housing, roads, broadband, education, health and so on," Cllr Bourke reflected.

"I am very grateful to all of the people who assisted me politically over the years and those who voted for me in the various elections and to my wife and wider family who were always a source of good advice and support," Cllr Bourke added.

Cllr Tommy McKeigue first entered politics in 1985, joining the council six years later. "I enjoyed my time in it," Cllr McKeigue said, "it was about gathering new votes all the time. A lot of people who voted for me the first time would have passed on so you have to get out and meet new people and I'm grateful that the people of Tullamore continued to give me that support to represent them."

"Sometimes you had to make difficult decisions but ultimately they worked out and were always made with the betterment of the community in mind," he added.

McKeigue said Tullamore is a better and stronger town now than it was in 1985 with a huge jump in population and economic activity. "There were very few shops and no shopping centre back then, but there is an awful lot more business now, and it's an awful lot more diverse now. You have a lot of people from outside Ireland who have come to settle in Tullamore and done well in it," Cllr McKeigue said.

Cllr McKeigue also said that the restructuring of local government in 2014 dissolved a lot of the local authority's powers, saying, "it takes up a huge amount of time and yet an awful lot of our powers are gone."

"You're really having meetings about meetings with Irish Water taking over sewerage and so on, and housing bodies taking over the provision of housing to a certain extent. It is taking more time than ever but you're having less influence," McKeigue said.

"It was better before the 2014 changes as the council had more power to make decisions and provide direct government for the people we represent," McKeigue said as he once again thanked his voters and colleagues for their support.

The Council colleagues of both Tommy McKeigue and Noel Bourke have been paying tribute this week. McKeigue's party colleague in Fine Gael, John Clendennen said, "with both men serving on Offaly County Council for in excess of 30 years, I would like to acknowledge their service and commitment to Offaly County Council, and wish them well for the future."

Recognising his party colleague in Fianna Fail, Cllr Declan Harvey, paid tribute to Noel Bourke. "He was a big help to me with his advice and helped me out no end when I was elected the first time."

"The mark of the man was the fact that he got elected in 2014 even when he was very sick, so he's a bit of a legend over in Edenderry," Cllr Harvey added.

"He was a great councillor and at the council meetings, he was never afraid to speak his mind, and he represented the people of Edenderry with grace and dignity and will be missed," Declan concluded.

Speaking about his fellow Tullamore councillor, Declan described Tommy McKeigue as "a huge asset during his more than 30 years with Offaly County Council."

"He too gave me huge advice in the Tullamore area, along with my own Fianna Fail colleagues, but as a Fine Gael councillor, I thought Tommy was very helpful towards me and we became good friends."

"Tullamore is going to sadly miss him. He's been a huge asset right through from the time of the town councils to now, but knowing Tommy, he'll stay involved in the likes of the Tidy Towns and things like that," Cllr Harvey added.

Cllr Noel Cribbin also recognised the contributions of both men, and speaking about his fellow Edenderry man, Noel Bourke, he said, "Noel has surprised us all by his announcement to retire from politics after nearly 30 years."

He described Noel Bourke as "a real gentleman in all of his dealings with fellow councillors and public alike."

"I wish Noel and his wife Carmel good health and happiness after such wonderful service to many many clubs, committees and to the public on many issues over 30 years. His knowledge and experience will be missed in the chambers in both Edenderry and Tullamore," Cllr Cribbin concluded.

In the same electoral area, Cllr Martin O'Reilly also thanked Noel Bourke for his advice to him as an inexperienced councillor. "I'm sorry to hear that Noel will not be running again as he is a very good councillor and has been for a long time. Noel has never been selfish with advice and time and I found this most helpful to me as a new councillor. I want to wish Noel all the best going forward in his well-earned retirement from politics. It is well deserved indeed," Cllr O'Reilly stated.



Cllr Eamon Dooley said, "I want to wish both Noel and Tommy best wishes for the future and to say it was a pleasure to serve with them for the past twenty-five years."

"It was very easy to work with the two councillors as I always considered they had a common sense approach. Both men in my view, based their decision making on what was best, rather than what was necessarily popular. I hope they have a long and healthy life after politics, they deserve it," Cllr Dooley added.

Both men will serve out the remainder of their terms with their respective municipal districts and Offaly County Council until the Local Elections in 2019.
Minister for Justice and sitting Laois TD, Charlie Flanagan, has said he s requesting a special meeting with Bord na Mona and government officials following the announcement of hundreds of job losses.

Offaly is to experience significant job losses under the new Bord na Mona strategy which sees the company accelerate its Decarbonisation plan and bring forward its date to end peat production.

Between 380 and 430 redundancies will be felt across the Midlands in the coming years with 150 to go before Easter 2019

The job losses were revealed as Bord na Mona announced its strategy to decarbonise, accelerating moves away from its traditional peat business into renewables, resource recovery and new sustainable businesses.

Responding to the news, Minister Flanagan, who will stand for election in the reformed Laois-Offaly constituency at the next General Election, said, "Bord na Mona is an organisation which is really important to the Irish Midlands, and has been since the Turf Development Act of 1946."

"I acknowledge the close relationship which has developed between it and the people of the Midlands over the past number of decades," he continued.

"Obviously, however times have changed, and I accept that, with particular reference to Climate Change and the need to decarbonise, Bord na Mona now needs to diversify."

"However, the impact on the Midlands is such that I am asking Bord na Mona, Senior Officials from Dept Business & Innovation, the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the local LEO offices to convene a meeting and arrange a special committee charged with the responsibility of focusing on jobs maintenance and creation in the Midlands," Flanagan concluded.
There are 75 nominations from Offaly in the inaugural Midlands 103 Customer Service Awards.

The shortlist has been generated by popular vote through the radio stations website, with a panel of independent experts selecting the overall winners.

Among the local nominees are Tullamores Aura Leisure Centre and The Pilates Institute in Fitness Facility of the Year, James OConnor of Fit It Out for Tradesperson of the Year, and Tullamore Motors and Tullamore Nissan for Motor Garage of the Year.

Over 50 category winners will be declared in a gala ceremony in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on November 8.

Judging Chairman Dr Gerald Kean of Kean Solicitors has praised the standard of customer service in the county, with particular credit to the shortlisted individuals and firms who supplied incredible supporting material with their nominations. More than 6,000 votes were cast during the initial phase of the competition.

The awards are supported by Bank of Ireland, Offaly County Council and other Midlands local authorities. They follow Midlands 103s successful Hospitality Awards for the hotel, pub and restaurant sectors earlier this year. We have long felt that Offaly, and indeed the midlands generally, fail to get the national recognition it so richly deserves, stated Station Manager Will Faulkner after the shortlist was published this week.

What we lack in sandy beaches or bright lights, we make up for with down to earth personality, attentive approach and terrific value. You dont get the hard sell, unending queues or impersonal experience of big city shopping," he added.

You can check out the full shortlist here: www.midlands103awards.com/customerservice/list/
Brain Tumour Ireland, the national organisation which helps and provides support for people and families directly affected by brain tumours, is calling on Offaly people to get involved and support their annual #WearAHatDay, taking place on Friday, October 26.

To support #WearAHatDay, Brain Tumour Ireland is encouraging Offaly locals to share a photo of themselves in their favourite hat using the hashtag #WearAHatDay and text BTI to 50300 to donate 4.

Milliner Philip Treacy has designed a brooch in his signature style to raise much-needed funds for Brain Tumour Ireland to deliver patient support and information services, raise awareness, and fund research.

The brooch goes on sale as part of the charitys annual fundraising day #WearAHatDay on 26th October 2018. The brooches will be available to buy from Beaumont Hospital on Friday and can be purchased online from Brain Tumour Irelands website from Thursday, November 1.

Over 400 brain tumours are diagnosed in Ireland each year; it is a diagnosis that can be overwhelming for patients and their families. Every #WearAHatDay donation made will contribute to Brain Tumour Irelands work on behalf of patients and their families.

#WearAHatDay takes places as part of International Brain Tumour Awareness Week (20  27 October) and further information can be found here: www.braintumourireland.com/news/wearahatday-2018-get-involved/
Offaly has received almost half the funding allocation of Laois to fix roads damaged by recent storms and heatwave.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross TD today announced 18 million in additional allocations to local authorities under a new Special Maintenance Grant to assist in the repair of regional and local roads damaged by severe weather events, including snow and the recent summer heatwave.

Under the scheme, Offaly will receive 500,000 to fix the damaged roads, which have been the source of significant anger in recent months. Roads right across the county have undergone 'sinking' with a vast majority of the network built on bog foundations.

Just last week, Cllr Noel Cribbin called for significant emergency funding to fix roads like the Edenderry to Rathangan road which has seen this sinking phenomenon.

Laois County Council is set to receive 956,000 through the funding scheme; Kildare will get 600,000; Longford 500,000; Westmeath 334,000. The biggest single allocation was made to Cork County Council, which will receive 1.1 million.

Minister Ross said: In deciding on the allocations I was very conscious of the fact that in certain areas of the country the fabric of the regional and local road network has suffered significant damage as a result of severe weather events and that in some cases local authorities have been faced with damage caused by repeated severe weather incidents."

"I am pleased to be able to provide additional funding support of 15m to assist local authorities in progressing repairs to affected regional and local roads before year-end," the Minister added.

Extreme weather events over the last year, such as Storm Eleanor, Storm Emma, flooding incidents and the summer drought have had a major impact on the regional and local road network. These events combined with the extended period of reduced funding for road maintenance following the economic downturn have left the road network much more vulnerable to damage.

In addition, a 3m allocation is being provided to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to assist with winter operations and maintenance works on national roads. TII assists local authorities with maintenance funding for national roads.

Minister Ross concluded: This additional funding boosts the regional and local road budget in 2018 from 417m to 432m which represents an increase of 33% on the 2017 investment. I would also like to emphasise once again that I consider that local authorities are best placed to assess priorities within their areas and to decide their work programmes."

"I further wish to explain that these grants are to supplement local authorities own resources expenditure on regional and local roads and do not represent the total investment in regional and local roads for this year.

Responding to the announcement, Offaly County Councillor said, "This will be very welcome funding as the council endeavours to restore some of the damaged roads in the county."

"A lot of the damage and cracks were caused as a result of the drought during the very hot weather over the summer months. This drought combined with the fact that a number of the roads in Offaly are primarily built over a peat foundation has resulted in some very poor road conditions and any repairs that this funding can facilitate has to be welcome news."
New Hartford, N.Y.  Eric Trump paid a visit to Central New York to rally voters for Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.

A crowd of more than 100 people packed into the New Hartford RNC Headquarters on Tuesday, chanting Trump, Tenney and U.S.A. between clapping and cheering. Outside the building, protesters gathered in the rain with signs along the road.

Tenney, the Republican incumbent for New Yorks 22nd Congressional District, said the campaign is down to the last two weeks and felt honored having the chance to bring Trump to Central New York before Election Day.

We just had an amazing talk about Utica, the region, the Southern Tier, Binghamton and everywhere, Tenney said. We had a tremendous tour of Revere Copper Products.

Tenney said the workers at Revere told her and Trump how well the tax cuts were working and how grateful they were. The CEO of Revere, Tenney said, told her and Trump that the company hadnt seen such a productive time then the last two years.

Things like the tax cuts and the trade policy the president put through and had the courage to fight for are helping, Tenney said. The trade is helping Revere, the cuts are helping and rolling back unnecessary tax cuts are keeping jobs here in America.

Tenney spent time with Trump discussing policies championed by his father, President Donald Trump.

We talked a lot about policy. We talked about how important it is to put business people in office, Tenney said. We have someone who has common sense and who knows how to get our jobs back.

When Eric Trump stepped up to talk, he abandoned the microphone after a second of technical difficulties and elected to speak without it.

The good thing about us Trumps is that were obnoxiously loud, Trump said. Claudia is absolutely amazing. We need her in Washington. The swamp is deep and nasty. And Claudia is incredible. She voted for the tax cuts and look at our country. Were winning in just about everything. Were winning for our great veterans, were beating the I-cant-say-it out of ISIS, the North Korea situation has been handled and look at the economy of this country right now.

Trump said the stock market, 401Ks and consumer confidence are at a record high while manufacturing jobs are returning to the country.

We lost 70,000 factories in this country to NAFTA, Trump said. And do you know why? We over-regulated companies and we over-taxed companies and guess what? Our companies, our jobs and our products went to all these other places. During Obamas administration, we had a period in this country when unemployment was at 10 percent. Right now we have 3.7 percent unemployment.

Trump said the country is doing very well and that the media will not talk about it; or how his father is tackling issues such as the opioid epidemic and prison reform.

Trump said for the country to continue on this path, voters need to get to the polls and vote in people like Tenney.

Promise me one thing. I hear this every single day, people say that their people are not on the ballot. Trumps my guy and hes not on the ballot so Im not going out to vote, Trump said. You cannot think that way. Not voting for Claudia is actually voting against my father. If he doesnt have the House, if he doesnt have the Senate, youre going to have Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. These people dont have the best interests of the country in heart. There wasnt a single Democrat who voted to cut taxes.

Among those attending were Peter Bolos, owner of Big Apple Music.

Im always fired up because I want to make America greater than ever, Bolos said. I love Eric Trump. I think hes a sharp guy and knows what hes talking about. I came out to support him and Claudia.

When asked what aspects of the Tenney and Trump platform resonated with him, Bolos said it came down to morals.

A lot of people have a different view of what morals are, but Im thinking in terms of old-fashioned, American, Biblical morals, Bolos said.

Another attendee was recent high school graduate Peter Carlesimo. A Frankfort-Schuyler High School Class of the 2018 graduate, Carlesimo said the event was a good chance to see Trump and hear what they had to see.

Im going to be voting for Tenney and wanted to see what she and Eric had to say, Carlesimo said. Im supporting America and the right side. Im from a predominantly Democrat state, with the highest taxes in the country and were trying to change that.

My father gets killed in taxes each year and hes a hard worker, Carlesimo said. Im going to convince my friends to get to the polls. Eric said if youre not voting, youre going against Trump. Not voting is bad either way, so Im going to encourage them to go vote, whoever it is. Hopefully its for Claudia Tenney.
As PM led panel gets set to meet, here are the officers in contention to become next CBI chief

A decision taken past midnight and how Doval sent Verma and Asthana on leave

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 24: It was past midnight and the government wanted to put an end to the ugly spat that has been on in the Central Bureau of Investigation. A corruption case, counter charges and cases in court.

The spat between CBI chief, Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana had gotten ugly and the government wanted to restore normalcy at any cost.

At around 12.30 pm, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval who had been asked to look into the matter, decided that the two officers had to be sent on leave. He summoned officials to the Prime Minister's Office by around 1 am and directed them to issue an order asking the two officers to go on leave. On Tuesday, the Chief Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary had recommended that both the officers be sent on leave.

Also Read | After being sent on leave, CBI chief Alok Verma moves SC, hearing on 26

An order was issued by the appointments committee headed by the Prime Minister. The order while asking the two officers to go on leave also appointed M Nageshwar Rao as the interim boss of the CBI.

The same was conveyed to Rao, whose next job was to seal the offices of Verma and Asthana. He went about his job amidst tight security. Rao then sent out letters to the officers part of both Verma's and Asthana's team on leave.

Following this the two officials were informed about the decision taken by the government. The message was conveyed by their messengers. This morning the two officers were not permitted to enter their offices. It was also decided that there would be no movement of files from their offices.

Also Read | CBI war: Nageshwar Rao appointed interim director, Verma, Asthana sent on leave

The decision to send Asthana on leave was in fact taken on Tuesday itself. This was decided after he decided to take the CBI to court challenging the corruption case filed against him. The CBI was directed to maintain status quo and was also ordered to not arrest Asthana until the next date of hearing.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 14:24 [IST]
Chhattisgarh govt running anti-women model for 15 years: Priyanka Chaturvedi

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Raipur, Oct 24: The Congress on Wednesday, October 24, lashed out at the Raman Singh government in poll-bound Chhattisgarh on the issue of women's safety and reservation. Party's national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi spoke to the media at Rajiv Bhavan in Raipur whereby she targeted the state's ruling party, Patrika reported.

Chaturvedi, who was in news in the recent past over a person from Gujarat threatening her minor daughter on social media, accused the saffron party of running an anti-women model throughout the country and especially accused the Chhattisgarh chief minister of doing the same in his state for the last 15 years. She said Singh has betrayed the women and daughters of the state.

Also Read | Karuna Shukla targets Raman Singh, says he didn't do anything for 15 years

Chaturvedi said Chhattisgarh has made a new record in terms of crime against women. She said things like abduction of women, their exploitation and lagging behind on health parameters speak volumes about the women-unfriendly situation in the state.

She also said that while the BJP speaks about honouring women, it was recently seen that the women were mistreated with during a meeting of party president Amit Shah, which is a real shame, Patrika added.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 17:53 [IST]
'Chowkidar Modi' removed Alok Verma overnight to stall Rafale probe, says Rahul Gandhi

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 24: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government "removed" Alok Verma as CBI director overnight to stall probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

Taking to twitter, Rahul said that the CBI director was seeking papers on Rafale scam, which is why he was removed from the post last night. He said that in doing so, the prime minister has warned all officers in investigating agencies that anyone who comes near probing the alleged scam, will end up losing their post.

Opposition targets govt over CBI feud: Here's who said what

The Congress president also attacked the government while speaking at a rally in Rajasthan's Jhalavar.

CBI                  



            -   ,   



       Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 24, 2018

The CBI is in a turmoil, with the agency filing an FIR against its No 2 officer Rakesh Asthana, and arresting its Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Kumar, for "falsification of records" in connection with bribery allegations involving Asthana.

In the same FIR, the CBI has named a Special Secretary in the R&AW although he is not an accused. Opposition parties said institutional integrity has been pushed to its limits by the ruling BJP for political purposes.

Under fire from the Opposition for divesting CBI chief Alok Verma of his powers, the government in its defence said that the midnight order was necessary to maintain the "institutional integrity and credibility of India's investigation agency."

CVC can investigate CBI bribery case, govt cannot interfere: Jaitley

Calling the infighting in CBI as "extraordinary," Arun Jaitley in a press conference said the government's order was based on the recommendations of the CVC. "The two officers cannot probe the matter against each other. In interest of fair probe and as an interim measure, both will sit out and a SIT not functioning under them will investigate the matter," he said.

He also rejected Opposition's criticism as "rubbish." "The government is committed to ensure that "India's investigation agency doesn't become a mockery as few of the officers have made it in the last few days. If the officers are innocent, they will come back," he said.
Congress in a fix over statements of Jitu Patwari and Digvijay Singh; its worries accrued

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 24: The Congress that is trying to keep things normal in Madhya Pradesh where it has chances of replacing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after 15 years but it seems the party leaders will spoil its chances in the state by making irresponsible statements. Two such irresponsible statements by Congress leaders in not much gap of the time has raised concern among the Congress leadership.

Actually the problem with the Congress is that these leaders draw strength from the party itself. Executive president of Madhya Pradesh Congress Jitu Patwari is the favourite of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Patwari has made objectionable statement about the Congress which roughly means 'you support me, let the Congress go to hell'. However, it statement is very objectionable and uncivilised.

Also Read | MP elections: BJP wants 7,000 suggestions from each constituency

This is to recall that it was on Jitu's bike Rahul Gandhi had gone to meet family of the farmers killed in the police during the Mandsaur protest. After that incidence the MLA started ignoring senior leaders of the party by flaunting to be close to the Congress president.

Now with this video against the party going viral, senior party leaders have got the long sought after opportunity to target him. A very senior leader of the party in Delhi questioned his language by saying that he does not deserve to be the executive president of the party. And the party too has failed to defend him while the MLA clarified that he was visiting his constituency Rau (Indore) for door to door campaign while he was meeting one such family who was a traditional Sangh Pariwar affiliates and supporters of the BJP. "I made an appeal to them to vote for the Congress and whatever I had asked them was for the BJP," the MLA said.

Sources said that but the senior party leaders are not ready to buy his statement because the video that has gone viral tells the real story. Now his detractors in the party are digging out old matters against him and telling leadership annd even people that how he had become president of the state youth Congress. Not a single leader including PCC chief Kamal Nath, senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress legislative party leader Ajay Singh have given statement in favour of Patwari.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh elections: Will the strong undercurrent of disunity hurt the Congress?

Sources said that the Congress that was already grappling to come to terms with the statement made by former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh when he had said that if he addresses people, votes of Congress decreases instead of increasing. Now the anti-party statement made by Jitu Patwari has put the Congress in a real fix and increased their worries.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 15:49 [IST]
CVC can investigate CBI bribery case, govt cannot interfere: Jaitley

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Oct 24: Clearing the air over who would probe into the case involving two top officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Union Government on Wednesday (October 24) said the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has the powers to investigate the case.

Top CBI officials - Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana - have been levelling allegations and counter-allegations of corruption and interference in high-profile cases against each other.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that CBI is India's premier investigative agency and its integrity must be kept intact.

"Director has been accused by Special Director. A Special Director has been accused by CBI. Two topmost officers of CBI have been accused. Now who will investigate it? Requirements of fairness and fair play have to be there," Jaitley told the media today.

"To maintain the institutional integrity of CBI and in the interest of fairness, purely as an interim measure,they will sit out by going on leave. An SIT not functioning under either of these officers will investigate. This is in accordance with highest standards of fairness," he added.

Jaitley said government cannot interfere in the matter, adding that the CVC has the powers to handle the probe.

"CVC in its yesterday's meeting said neither of these 2 officers (Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana) nor any agency under their supervision can investigate charges against them. So the officers will sit out by going on leave. It's an interim measure," Jaitley said.

[After being sent on leave, CBI chief Alok Verma moves SC, hearing on 26]

Jaitley also lashed out at the opposition parties over the remarks made in connection with this case.

"Regarding, the charge the 3 opposition parties have made, I regard this charge as a rubbish. The fact that the 3 opposition parties are saying, that we know what the agency was going to do next, itself casts a serious doubt on the fairness process," he said.

CBI chief, Alok Verma, meanwhile, has challenged the government order after he was sent on leave before an interim chief was appointed. Following the ugly public spat, the government decided to send both Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana on leave. Following this M Nageshwar Rao was appointed as the interim director with immediate effect. Verma would now move the Supreme Court against this order of the government.
Govt's assertive stance on environment matters draws global appreciation

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Oct 24: India has taken an assertive global position on climate change in recent years. India signing the historic Paris climate agreement and inititive to head the International Solar Alliance garnered international appreciation.

The ambitious Paris agreement, signed in December 2015, requires the member countries to make binding commitments to curb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to keep global average temperatures from rising above 1.5C as compared to the pre-industrial years. India is responsible for 6% of the global CO2 emissions following China, which accounts for 28%, the United States for 16% and the European Union 10%. In terms of per capita CO2 emissions, 10 other countries are ahead of India.

Also Read | Modi govt's electrification drive: Rural India illuminated

Right from survey of flora, fauna, forests and wildlife to ensuring the welfare of animals, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate, under the BJP rule has played an important role in the implementation of India's environmental and forestry policies and programmes.

Key initiatives taken up by the ministry includes- increase in forest cover, better pollution monitoring and control, 2000 approvals unlocking Rs. 10 lakh crore of investment and a job potential of 10 lakh, reducing project approval period from 600 to 190 days through standardisation, decentralisation, transparent processes and policy decisions and protecting India's interest at COP 21 in Paris.

India is one of the few countries of the world, where forest cover is on the rise. The total Forest and Tree cover of the country as per 2015 assessment in the state of Forest Report is 794,245 sq km (79.42 million ha) which is 24.16 per cent of the geographical area of the country. There is an increase of 3,775 sq km in the forest cover of the country as compared to the previous 2013 assessment. Increase in Forest and tree cover is significant in view of the fact that forests continue to meet around 30% of total requirement of fuel wood i.e. the primary source of energy and 40% of fodder consuming livestock's are dependent on fodder completely or partially comes from forests. The remaining requirement of fuel wood is largely met from plantation (tree outside forest) and other sources.

Also Read | Start-ups get much needed push under Modi govt

The then environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in 2016 signed the Paris agreement in the UN General Assembly hall at a high-level ceremony hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. By doing so, India will be in a better position to put pressure on developed countries to make more ambitious commitments for curbing carbon emissions and providing finances and technology to developing countries to facilitate a low-carbon economy under the new rules of the Paris agreement.
Has Saudi Arabia provided $6 billion assistance to Pakistan to avoid isolation?

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 24: Pakistan has been able to receive $6 billion financial assistance from Saudi Arabia during the investor's summit in Riyad. Pakistan is in a complete financial mess needs $12 billion to bail out its economy. With this much money in its kitty, Pakistan will be able to negotiate in a better way with Indian Monetary Fund (IMF).

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has gone to Saudi Arabia to attend the investor's summit to seek financial assistance from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabia government has agreed to give $6 billion support package after Prime Minister Imran Khan made his second visit to Riyadh seeking aid. Saudi Arabia will deposit $3 billion directly with Pakistan as balance of payment support while rest of the $3 billion will be one-year deferred payment facility for oil imports, as per the memorandum of understanding signed by the finance ministers of both the countries.

Also Read | I'll once again extend hand of friendship to India after 2019 elections : Imran Khan

Despite the Pakistan government announcing that it would seek assistance from the IMF earlier this month, Khan has again recently voiced his reluctance to turn to the fund for Pakistan's 13th bailout since the late 1980s. Pakistan is facing serious balance-of-payments crisis as imports for Chinese-financed infrastructure projects rise while its exports lag the region.

But strategic experts on Pakistan matter Ashish Shukla told Oneindia that had the matter of Jamal Khashoggi not racked up and other players would not have boycotted the investors summit in the country, the situation would not have been like this. It seems that the Saudi Arabia government has spent this money to avoid isolation.

Shukla said that the visit of Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia has been successful as far as Pakistan is concerned. Actually it is being talked about that Saudi Arabia was planning to deposit around $8billion to Pakistan account to deal with its declining foreign reserve ratio but now it has provided it assistance. Now for the further assistance, they will have to negotiate with the IMF where Pakistan will be in a slightly better position to negotiate. They won't be on the back foot as they have some money at their disposal.

Also Read | It's oil politics! Putin doesn't want to ruin relation with Saudi over Khashoggi affair

Reportedly the IMF was asking for details about its deal with China before bailing out Pakistan but China was very cautious about Pakistan dealing with the IMF as the role of the US in IMF is very crucial. So the financial mess of Pakistan is closely to be watched for.
No Bitcoin scam, says ruling BJP; No foul play in investigation: Bengaluru police

Bengaluru Apartment Fire Accident Today: Fire breaks out at building in Electronic City, no causality reported

HD Deve Gowda to skip Valmiki Jayanti award function

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Bengaluru, Oct 24: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda to give a miss to Valmiki Jayanti award function on Wednesday as he his leaving for London to attend a pre-scheduled event.

However, he will garland the statue of Maharshi Valmiki at Legislators' Building at 9 AM today.

The HD Kumaraswamy government decided to confer the Maharshi Valmiki award for the year 2018-19 on JD(S) national president and former prime minister HD Devegowda. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.

Politics over separate religion for Lingayat a big mistake, says DK Shivakumar

The JDS National President was selected by the government-appointed Valmiki Award Committee chaired by Justice H N Nagmohan Das, for his contribution to the welfare of SC/ST communities.

The Valmiki Jayanti celebration is organized by the Social Welfare Department at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha. Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday visited the former prime minister at his Padmanabhanagar residence and personally invited him to the award ceremony.
In CBI bribery case, three politicians from AP-Telangana under scanner

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 24: In the ongoing probe against special director, CBI, Rakesh Asthana, some big names are expected to roll out. The conversations between Moin Qureshi and a few politicians from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are under the scanner of the investigating agency.

A team of the CBI would visit Hyderabad soon to question at least three politicians alleged to be connected with this case. It may be recalled that Satish Babu Sana a resident of Gachibowli had said that in pursuance of the promise of payment of Rs 2 crore on October 10 2018, he was informed by Manoj Prasad, a Dubai based businessman to hand over the amount in person in Delhi. He had paid Rs 25 lakh and later 25,000 dhirams to Manoj Prasad. He also said he had made another payment of 30,000 dhirams to Prasad through one Mutthu in Dubai.

Also Read | CBI war: Nageshwar Rao appointed interim director, Verma, Asthana sent on leave

These details had emerged when the CBI began its probe against Qureshi, a meat exporter. The CBI had accused him of alleged hawala transactions.

During the course of the probe, Babu is said to have taken the name of three prominent politicians.

The conversations with these politicians is under verification and the CBI team would visit Hyderabad to ascertain the details further. In addition to this Babu is also said to have revealed the names of a jewellery businessman and Qureshi in his statement to the agency. The agency is also checking the conversations between Qureshi and these politicians from the Telugu states.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 10:22 [IST]
India, Iran, Afghanistan sign Chabahar Port transit agreement

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Tehran, Oct 24: India, Iran and Afghanistan on Tuesday, October 23, signed an agreement on transit of goods via the West Asian nation's southeastern port of Chabahar, considered a key geostrategic asset in the power game in South Asia. The report was confirmed by Islamic Republic of Iranian Broadcasting.

While India was represented by TS Trimurti, the secretary of economic relations in the Ministry of External Affairs, Iran was represented by Mohammad Rastad, the head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization and Afghanistan by Imammohammad Warymoch, the country's deputy minister of transport. The pact was inked during the first meeting of the coordination council of agreement on the establishment of an international transport and transit corridor among Iran, India and Afghanistan or the Chabahar Agreement.

Also Read | India-Iran ties: Chabahar Port to be handed over to Indian firm in a month

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Iran in May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan had signed a trilateral transit agreement allowing the three countries open new routes to connect among themselves by transforming the port into a transit hub evading the Pakistani territory. It was also being seen as a reply to the Gwadar Port in Pakistan, which is being built with Chinese assistance. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Afghanistani President Ashraf Ghani were also present on that occasion.

Modi had committed that India would be investing $500 million behind the strategic port.

In February this year, when Rouhani visited India, a lease contract for Chabahar's Shahid Beheshti Port-Phase 1 was signed between the Iranian PMO and India's Ports Global Limited (IPGL).

Trimurti said on the occasion in Tehran that Chabahar is the region's transit hub. "Chabahar Port is in the road that links India to Central Asia; so we can make this port a hub of our transit activities and we are eagerly waiting for the inauguration of Chabahar-Zahedan and Khaf-Herat railway projects," he was quoted as saying.

"Trilateral transit cooperation will lead to flourishing the region, he noted and said that India believes that Iran's suggestions for facilitating and improving transit via Chabahar are acceptable and can be carried out."

Also Read | Not only Iran, this country too had found India not fulfilling its promise

Rastad said the IPGL has already made some investments for installing equipment in the port and will start equipping and operating in Chabahar in two weeks' time.

He also said the next meeting of the council of Chabahar Agreement will be held by the next two months.

Afghanistan's representative Warymoch said promotion of transit through Chabahar Port is a priority for Kabul.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 11:39 [IST]
Indian's first bitcoin ATM in Bengaluru seized, co-founder held

India

oi-Deepika S

Bengaluru, Oct 24: The co-founder of India's own bitcoin start-up was arrested on Tuesday for setting up the country's first cryptocurrency ATM in the city, which police called illegal as it had been set up without approvals.

Harish B V (37), a resident of Jayanagar West in Tumakuru, is one of the four co-founders of Unocoin which claims to be India's first entrant in the bitcoin space. The police have seized two laptops, five debit cards, one passport and few other documents from him.

In a statement to the media, the Cyber Crime department of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) stated, "The ATM kiosk installed by Unocoin in Bengaluru's Kempfort Mall has not taken any permission from the state government and is dealing in cryptocurrency outside the remit of the law."

India gets its first Bitcoin ATM in Bengaluru amidst RBI's crackdown on cryptocurrency

The ATM was expected to be operational soon for its registered customers.

Police have urged the general public not to fall into the trap of cryptocurrency on the pretext of making a lot of money in a quick time.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 10:16 [IST]
#MeToo: Vikas Bahl gets clean chit, to be credited as director of 'Super 30'

#MeToo: GoM constituted to strenghthen legal framework to deal with sexual harassment cases

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Oct 24: In the wake of sudden surge in sexual harassment allegations at workplace, the Union Government on Wednesday (October 24) constituted a Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks to deal with such cases. Others members of the GoM are Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and Maneka Gandhi.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi had last week requested all poltical parties to constitute an internal committee to look into such issues. She said political parties should create an atmosphere conducive to women.

Also Read | It's time for 'Me Too India' campaign: Maneka Gandhi comes out in support of Tanushree Dutta

Several women in the past few months came out in the open to level sexual harassment charges against prominent persons from fthe film industry to politics. The movement, called #MeToo, gained traction in India late in September after actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film they were shooting in 2008.

Also Read | How the #MeToo bug has hit the high and mighty

In October, the Minister of state for External Affairs MJ Akbar was accused of sexual harassment by several female colleagues. Filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Rajat Kapoor and actor Alok Nath are among those who have been accused of sexual misconduct.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 16:30 [IST]
Delhi govt on alert regarding Zika cases in UP: Deputy CM Sisodia

COVID-19 in Delhi: Daily cases count stood in excess of 60 nearly 25 times during July-Oct

#MeToo: MJ Akbar drops Minister of State for External Affairs title from Twitter bio

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Oct 24: Former junior external affairs minister MJ Akbar removed his ministerial designation from his Twitter profile on Wednesday.

Although the former minister did not react to media reports, he however quietly dropped the designation that he officially owned until a week ago.

[Union Minister M J Akbar resigns over #MeToo]

Earlier, NDTV anchor Nidhi Razdan taking to twitter had asked Akbar to change his bio. After which, Akbar's bio was delted from the Twitter.

On 17 October, MJ Akbar had resigned from his post in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment made by several women against him.

[Charges against MJ Akbar to be examined: Amit Shah]

Akbar said in a statement that he would "seek justice in a court of law" in a "personal capacity". MJ Akbar said, " Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levied against me, also in a personal capacity."

As many as 20 women have accused MJ Akbar of sexually harassing them when he worked as a journalist. Mr Akbar has filed a defamation case against a senior journalist, who accused him of sexual misconduct.

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Story first published: Thursday, October 25, 2018, 1:35 [IST]
PM Modi lauds India's youth for leveraging power of technology

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the role of IT sector in India's developmentas he launched the 'Main Nahin Hum' portal and mobile application.

The portal, which works on the theme "Self4Society", will enable IT professionals and organisations to bring together their efforts towards social causes and service to society on one platform.

Addressing the gathering of IT professionals, he lauded the youth for making use of technology in a wonderful manner. "India's youngsters are leveraging the power of technology wonderfully. They are using technology not only for themselves but also for the welfare of others. This is a great sign," he said.

"Every effort, however big or small, must be valued. Governments may have schemes and budgets but the success of any initiative lies in public involvement," he said.

The PM also said, "More people are paying taxes because they have faith that their money is being used properly and for the welfare of people."

He also touched upon the Swachh Bharat Mission and said, "The symbol of the Swachh Bharat Mission is the specs of Bapu, the inspiration is Bapu and we are fulfilling Bapu's vision."

The 'Main Nahin Hum' portal is expected to help catalyse greater collaboration towards the service of the weaker sections of society, especially by leveraging the benefits of technology. It is also expected to generate wider participation of interested people who are motivated to work for the benefit of society.

The Prime Minister has regularly highlighted the significant contribution of the IT industry and its workforce in showcasing the spirit of Indian enterprise.
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
Sharad Pawar predicts hung-verdict in 2019 Lok Sabha polls

India

oi-Vikas SV

Mumbai, Oct 24: Likening the current political scenario to the one in 2004, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar predicted that no single party would get a majority in the 2019 elections.

Speaking at the 'Mumbai Manthan' organized by India Today group on Tuesday (October 23), Pawar stressed that instead of a grand national alliance, the opposition parties should focus on state specific alliances.

"Today's political situation is much more like the one in 2004. It does not seem possible for a single party to remain in power in 2019. No party would have that mandate...It will be like 2004 when no party got the majority but a government under Manmohan Singh was formed and continued to rule for 10 years," Pawar said.

Also Read | Sharad Pawar predicts BJP, Shiv Sena alliance for LS polls, but not in Maharashtra

He said in 2004, the Bharatiya Janata Party was led by Vajpayee and at that time they said "there was no alternative" to him.

"Compare Vajpayee's stature and leadership with the present PM's stature and leadership. I feel Vajpayee was one of the tallest leaders of the BJP. I don't think that is the situation in that party today," Pawar said.

In May, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) patriarch Sharad Pawar along with a host of leaders from various opposition parties attended the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. The coming together of so many parties under one platform after the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance managed to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power in Karnataka was seen as a display of the Opposition unity and strength against the saffron party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Also Read | Never supported anybody in Rafale deal, would never do: Sharad Pawar

The big polls are likely to take place in April/May next year, but all parties are already busy preparing for it wholeheartedly. While the BJP is confident of repeating its 2014 victory in 2019 too, the Congress and other opposition parties are looking to form an alliance against the powerful saffron party.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 12:15 [IST]
Telangana elections: Seat sharing bug hits Congress led grand alliance

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Hyderabad, Oct 24: The grand alliance of the Mahakutami for the Telangana assembly elections was formed with great hype, but there seems to be trouble over the issue of seat sharing.

The alliance comprising the Congress-TDP-CPI-TJS is struggling to come a conclusion over the sharing of seats. The problem for the Congress is that the rest of the allies have been demanding too many seats.

The TJS led by Professor Kodandram, an ideologue of the Telangana movement is demanding 40 seats, while the CPI and TRP are seeking 12 and 25 seats respectively. This has put the Congress in a spot of bother and the allies want the party to make the sacrifice so that the alliance survives. The alliance realises the importance of sticking together to take on the mighty TRS led by K Chandrashekhar Rao.

Also Read | Telangana: CM Rao asks TRS candidates to have personal touch with electorate

The Telangana Congress chief, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that he is confident that the alliance would survive. It would be a well-oiled machine and will face the elections with confidence, he also said.

On the other hand, AICC general secretary and Telangana Congress affairs, in-charge, R C Khuntia said that the Congress was willing to sacrifice some seats to protect the interests of the alliance. He denied that there were differences over the issue of seat sharing. He went on to add that the main agenda would be to defeat KCR and for this the party was willing to sacrifice some seats.

TDP chief, Chandrababu Naidu meanwhile told his party workers to be particular while demanding seats. He said that the TDP should get those seats where it is confident of winning. The TDP's Telangana unit president L Ramanna said that the party is flexible and will pursue the common goal to defeat the TRS.

Also Read | Want to hear lies? Listen to KCR, PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi in Telangana

Analysts feel that this delay in announcing tickets could be a setback for the alliance. The TRS on the other hand has already released its list of 112 seats out of the 119. Further KCR has already launched his campaign in a big way and has covered five districts.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 9:06 [IST]
TRS-BJP post poll alliance likely in case ruling party falls short of number; LJP too pitches in

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party in Telengana is hoping to emerge as the kingmaker in case the Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) failed to cross the halfway mark in the state. The TRS will not align with any political party in the state for the formation of the government if it falls short of number except the BJP in the present scenario.

There are 119 seats in Telengana Assembly and the TRS has 90 seats at the moment but if it fails to get 60 seats this time round the BJP can rescue the TRS in the formation of the government which has five members in the Assembly at the moment. Elections in the state have been advanced as the Telengana government had dissolved assembly.

Also Read | Telangana elections: Seat sharing bug hits Congress led grand alliance

The focus of the BJP is on 15-20 such seats where it has chances to win. Sources in the BJP said that the party is hoping to win at least 10 seats in the state. So in case the TRS falls short of number, the BJP may support the TRS to form the government in Telengana. National spokesperson of the BJP G V L Narsimha Rao said, "We are hoping a hung Assembly in the state. In such a situation the BJP will have a bigger role to play."

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance partner Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will also be contesting Assembly elections in the state. National spokesperson of Lok Janshakti Party Ajay Kumar told Oneindia, "I have asked my state president to tell me about the rural constituencies where the LJP candidates are interested to contest election. I would sit with the state BJP president to consult if there is any coordination possible with the BJP, else the LJP will go it alone in the state."

The BJP has announced names of around 37 candidates for Telengana so far which are mostly on urban seats. The LJP's focus is on the rural areas so there is a possibility of both the NDA partners joining hands but in case of no meeting ground, the LJP will take a call by the end of this month that how many seats it would contest in the state.

Also Read | Telangana: CM Rao asks TRS candidates to have personal touch with electorate

Actually the Congress, Telugu Desam Party and the Communist Party of India are contesting election jointly as an alliance while the BJP, the TRS and AIMIM are contesting election alone. The TRS is unlikely to join hands with any of the parties like the Congress, the TDP and CPI. So the BJP is the option for TRS in case it falls short of number.
West Bengal: Committee formed to probe Santragachhi footbridge stampede

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Kolkata, Oct 24: South Eastern Railway has formed a committee to probe stampede at Santragachhi station in which two people were killed and 12 others injured. The committee comprises heads of the departments of the railways to investigate the incident.

Railways to bear the entire cost of treatment of the injured passengers.

The incident occurred at around 6.30pm between platform numbers two and three at Santragachi station in Howrah when Nagercoil-Shalimar Express and two EMU locals arrived there around the same time and passengers rushed to the platforms to board the trains, South Eastern Railway spokesman Sanjay Ghosh told PTI.

Also Read | WB: 2 dead, 14 injured in stampede on a footbridge at Santragachhi junction in Howrah

Shalimar-Vishakhapatnam Express and Santragachi-Chennai Express were also scheduled to arrive shortly.

A large number of passengers had deboarded and many others were trying to reach their trains at the same time, leading to rush on the foot overbridge that connected the platforms. West Bengal CM mamata Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured from the state government.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 13:17 [IST]
Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan move SC seeking FIR into Rafale deal

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 24: Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France alleging "criminal misconduct" by high public functionaries.

[Rafale and S-400, a booster dose for IAF, says Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa]

They have sought a direction to the CBI to investigate the offences mentioned in their complaint in a "time-bound" manner and submit periodic status reports to the apex court. The complaint was filed on October 4 with the CBI after their meeting with CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, who was late Tuesday night directed by the Centre to proceed on leave in the wake of feud with the second-in-command in the agency Rakesh Asthana.

The petition by the trio came two weeks after the apex court had on October 10 asked the Centre to provide details of the decision- making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29. It had clarified that it does not want information on pricing and technical particulars. The court's order had come on two PILs filed by advocates M L Sharma and Vineet Dhanda. India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment.

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation. Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process. The fresh plea by Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan claimed that in 2007 tenders were issued by the Ministry of Defence for the purchase of 126 fighter aircraft and it was specified in the Request for Proposal that 18 of these aircraft would be purchased from abroad in a 'fly-away' condition and the remaining 108 would be manufactured in India in the factory of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with transfer of technology from the foreign vendor. The plea said that Dassault Company manufacturing the Rafale aircraft was declared the lowest tenderer and thereafter price negotiations began which were at a very advanced stage by March 25, 2015.

[Defence Ministry official objected to benchmark price of Rafale jets: Report]

"However within 15 days of this, the Prime Minister of India and the President of France announced a totally new deal jettisoning the virtually complete 126 aircraft deal and the Prime Minister on behalf of India agreed to purchase only 36 Rafale aircraft in a 'fly-away' condition without any transfer of technology and make in India. "It later turned out that the new deal involved 50 per cent of the value of the contract to be given as 'offset contracts' to Indian companies and that the government informally told Dassault and the French government that the bulk of the offset contracts would have to be given to a company of Anil Ambani which had just been set up," it claimed.

The plea alleged that new deal gives undue benefit to Reliance Aerospace Limited (RAL) and the escalation of price of airplanes is to account for collateral considerations. It stated that "public servants presiding over the government got the critical persons involved and Contract Negotiation Committee to increase the contract price of the 36 Rafale aircraft from Rs 715 crore per aircraft as disclosed by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Rs 1660 crore per aircraft. This resulted in a pecuniary advantage to both, Dassault Aviation and also Ambani's RAL. This amounts to Criminal Misconduct under section 13(1)(d)(iii) of the applicable Prevention of Corruption Act." They said that when the final contract was signed after price negotiations, the price of the aircraft had been increased to more than double to what was under consideration in the old deal of 126 aircraft.

"It is clear therefore that the following acts were committed by various public servants which amount to offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act... "However, it is clear that there is enormous pressure on the CBI because of the nature of the persons involved not to undertake this investigation. Till date not even an FIR has been registered in the matter and hence the petitioners are approaching the court for getting specially designated officers in the CBI to investigate this case and for this court to monitor the investigation," the plea said. It said that the petitioners were aggrieved by the non-registration of FIR by the CBI on their 32-page complaint with 46 annexure detailed prima facie evidence of commission of cognisable offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act by public servants occupying the highest of public offices in the country.

"The highest ranking public officials, unilaterally, in violation of all mandatory procedures, without obtaining any Services Qualitative Requirement (SQR) from the Indian Air Force, or any decision of the Categorisation Committee or any Acceptance of Necessity from the Defence Acquisition Council, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the French regarding purchase of just 36 Rafale aircrafts, all in a 'fly away' condition with no Transfer of Technology and no Make in India," it alleged. The plea has also sought direction to the Centre to cease and desist from influencing or intimidating in any way the officials that would investigate the offences mentioned in the complaint and not transfer the CBI officials tasked with investigation.

PTI
Pakistan hit my mysterious viral fever: All you need to know

US designates Pakistan, China as countries of particular concern for religious freedom violation

Abducted workers of oil company killed by militants in Pakistan

International

oi-PTI

Peshawar, Oct 24: Four kidnapped employees of an oil and gas exploration company in Pakistan have been killed by militants near the country's restive northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday.

They were abducted from North Waziristan's Spinwam Abakhel area on Tuesday. Later, their bullet-riddled bodies were discovered. Security forces have launched an operation to nab the militants.

Also Read | Pakistan: 9 killed in terror attack in Peshawar, all militants gunned down

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing. Last week, two workers of the same company were kidnapped. One of them was released later. North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups.

PTI

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 16:53 [IST]
Even if not contesting 2020 polls, Hillary Clinton will not be entirely out of scene

Hillary Clinton says Julian Assange must 'answer for what he has done'

Bomb sent to Barack Obama's office, Clinton home; CNNs NY office evacuated

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New York, Oct 24: Explosive devices were sent to former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and CNN offices in Washington and New York, triggering an investigation on Wednesday into whether a bomber is targeting figures who were the subject of right-wing anger.

The official said the device was similar to one found at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros on Monday.

[Trump's election in 2016 was not an entertainment for many; in fact it was a trauma: Report]

An official said investigators believe the explosives to be linked. The official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, Associated Press reported.

The motive of the would-be bomber or bombers remained unclear, one of the officials said, adding that there had not yet been any claim of responsibility.

The US Secret Service, which guards serving and past presidents and their families, said the packages were intercepted and none of them reached the principals. The agency described the packages as "potential explosive devices".

[US threatens to pull out of INF Treaty: What is this treaty about?]

New York police confirmed to AFP that its officers had been called to the Time Warner Center, where the CNN bureau in the US financial capital is located, to investigate reports of a suspicious package.

New York Police Commissioner James P O'Neill said,''NYPD and our law enforcement partners responded to reports of a suspicious package at CNN. Officers identified the device that appeared to be a live explosive device. NYPD bomb squad secured the device & removed it for investigation.''

''Additionally, there was an envelope containing white powder, discovered as part of that original packaging. We're investing that right now. We found no additional threats besides the white powder. NYPD is currently deploying resources around the city,'' said New York Police Commissioner.

''NYPD's chief of counterterrorism says the explosive device sent to CNN's headquarters in New York appeared to be sent by the same person who mailed pipe bombs to George Soros, Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama,'' The Associated Press reported.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Saudi Arabia has admitted that Khashoggi, 59, a contributor for The Washington Post, was killed in its Istanbul consulate. The US will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult the Congress, and work with other nations, to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Given the information, currently, available with the United States, the administration is taking appropriate actions, he said.

The US has identified at least some of the individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death. These include those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Saudi foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries, Pompeo said.

Also Read |Under pressure, Saudi admits killing Khashoggi huge and grave mistake'

Khashoggi, a former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, disappeared after he entered the consulate on October 2 to collect a document for his upcoming marriage. The incident has severely dented the international reputation of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman

"We are taking appropriate actions, which include revoking visas, entering visa lookouts, and other measures. We are also working with the Treasury Department to review the applicability of Global Magnitsky sanctions to those individuals," Pompeo said.

The Saudis, so far, have said that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight during an interrogation that went wrong, while Turkey has alleged that he was brutally killed and it was pre-planned.

Also Read |Jamal Khashoggi murder 'savagely planned', says Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the "savage murder" of the journalist was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

On the outrage against Saudi Arabia in the US, Pompeo said these penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States. "We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he said.

Also Read |This is what Turkey President Erdogan has to say about Khashoggi death

The US, however, continues to maintain a strong partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. President Donald Trump has said Saudi authorities have staged the "worst ever cover up" in the death of Khashoggi, but reiterated he does not want to scrap the USD 110 billion mega arms deal with Riyadh over the issue.

"Neither the President nor I am happy with this situation. Our shared strategic interests with Saudi Arabia remain. We continue to view as achievable the twin imperatives of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr. Khashoggi," Pompeo said.

Also Read |Dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's body parts found: Report

He said the US is working with its allies around the world on this issue and wants to make sure that everyone understands that the United States does not believe that the killing of Khashoggi was anything other than a horrific act. "We hope that we can work together, both with Congress and our allies, to hold those responsible accountable," the Secretary of State said.

PTI
Khashoggis chopped-off fingers presented to Saudi crown prince?

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Tehran, Oct 24: A hit squad which allegedly killed dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi severed his fingers when he was still alive and kept them as gory trophy, reports were cited as saying.

It was said that the 59-year-old journalist's chopped-off fingers were flown in a bag to Riyadh on a private jet as proof that the mission was successful.

Khashoggi's disappearance after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, has led to an international crisis and increasing pressure on Riyadh. Reports claimed that the journalist, who was known to be a critic of the Saudi regime, was tortured and murdered by a hit squad called Firqat el-Nemr or Tiger Squad that functions under the guidance of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Also Read | Dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's body parts found: Report

It is said the agents presented the fingers of Khashoggi to the young heir, the Middle East Eye reported. The publication also cited a source as saying that bin Salman had always threatened to cut off the fingers of every writer who criticised him.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, reports surfaced that Khashoggi's body parts were found in the garden of the Saudi consul general's house in Istanbul.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 12:08 [IST]
This is what Turkey President Erdogan has to say about Khashoggi death

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Ankara, Oct 24: The diplomatic crisis encircling the mysterious disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi intensified further on Tuesday, October 23, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the 59-year-old was the victim of a "gruesome murder" which was planned several days earlier. Speaking to his country's parliament, Erdogan also requested the extradition of 18 Saudi officials suspected of murdering Khashoggi.

Erdogan said in his speech that Turkish investigators were still trying to find answer as to who had ordered Khashoggi's murder on October 2 and said the probe should reach the highest levels of the government in Riyadh.

G7 demands 'thorough, credible, transparent and prompt' investigation in Khashoggi's death

"We have some information that the murder was pre-planned, not instantaneous. It is clear that this operation did not happen at the drop of a dime, it was a planned operation," the Turkish president said.

"On whose orders have these people come? We are seeking answers. Leaving some intelligence and security forces holding the bag will not satisfy either us or the international community."

Erdogan also sought open cooperation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman and his government on the issue. He said the critical investigation into the issue should be carried out by an impartial body which is not related to the killing.

Erdogan's words came in the wake of increasing international pressure on Riyadh over the killing of the journalist after seven out of 15 suspects named by Turkey were divulged by Middle East Eye (MEE) to those who have been members of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's personal security team.

Saudi Crown Prince's top aide ran the Khashoggi murder via Skype: Report

On Monday, October 22, the MEE also revealed the existence of a hit squad set up by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to targets dissidents both within and outside the border of Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan also said that the members of the hit squad had been told about Khashoggi's appointment after he visited the consulate on the Friday prior to his death and asked to come back the following week.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 6:50 [IST]
Chhattisgarh: CRPF personnel shoots self

Raipur

oi-Vikas SV

Raipur, Oct 24: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel has reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Chhattisgarh's Sukma. The personnel shot himslef using his service revolver at CRPF 2nd Battalion headquarter in Sukma, ANI quoted SP Sukma, Abhishek Meena, as saying.

In September, a CRPF constable allegedly committed suicide in Odisha's Gariaband. The deceased, Karan Singh, was a constable in CRPF's 65th battalion

In the same month, a CRPF jawan allegedly committed suicide by firing himself with his standard issue gun, INSAS rifle inside his camp in Tezpur, Assam.

Also Read | Odisha: CRPF constable shoots self

In August, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) hawaldar was found dead inside the armory of the Bijnor CRPF camp in Lucknow

In July this year, a soldier allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in a camp near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu. Rifleman Ranbir Singh (28) was on guard duty at Hamirpur Nawan Military Garrison in Khour area of Akhnoor sector when he shot himself in the forehead on July 16, causing his instant death.

In May, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan shot dead three colleagues with his service weapon before committing suicide at a border outpost at Maguruli in Unakoti district, Tripura.

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Story first published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 14:10 [IST]
Sartorius continued on the growth track, with double-digit gains in sales revenue and earnings.

In the first nine months of 2018, Sartorius achieved excellent organic growth, said Dr. Joachim Kreuzburg, Chief Executive Officer. This applies particularly to the Bioprocess Solutions Division, which grew dynamically across all product categories and geographies. For the Lab Products & Services Division, growth in the third quarter was below our expectations due to softer demand in Europe. At the Group level, however, this effect will be largely compensated for by the strong development of our bioprocess business so that we confirm our ambitious full-year forecast.

Business development of the Sartorius Group

In the first nine months of 2018, Sartorius increased its sales revenue by 13.4% in constant currencies to 1,153.7 million euros (reported: 10.9%). The majority of growth was achieved organically, while acquisitions contributed close to 1.5 percentage points. In the same period, order intake also increased significantly, up 13.3% to 1,215.2 million euros.

Geographically, all regions contributed to consolidated growth. Especially in the Americas, sales revenue rose significantly by 20.1% to 387.9 million euros against a moderate prior-year base, and Asia|Pacific again saw double-digit growth of 13.4% to 281.7 million euros, despite strong performance in the previous year. EMEA recorded a solid gain of 8.6% to 484.1 million euros (all growth rates for the regions and order intake in constant currencies).

The Sartorius Group also substantially increased its earnings in the first nine months of 2018. Underlying EBITDA rose overproportionately relative to sales by 15.0% to 294.2 million euros; the respective margin was 25.5% compared with 24.6% a year ago. Relevant net profit for the Group grew significantly by 21.8% to 126.3 million euros. Earnings per ordinary share totaled 1.84 euros (9M 2017: 1.51 euros) and earnings per preference share 1.85 euros (9M 2017: 1.52 euros).

The Group's key financial indicators continued to remain at robust levels. At the end of the reporting period, the company's equity ratio was 35.6%, and its ratio of net debt to underlying EBITDA stood at 2.4 (Dec. 31, 2017: 35.1% and 2.5, resp.). The capex ratio was 13.0%, slightly below the year-earlier figure of 13.6%. Investment activities continued to focus on expansion of the plant for manufacturing single-use bags and filters in Puerto Rico, as well as on the consolidation and expansion of Group headquarters in Gottingen, Germany.

Business development of the divisions

The Bioprocess Solutions Division, which offers a wide array of innovative technologies for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, recorded double-digit growth in sales revenue and order intake in the first nine months of 2018. After the previous years comparably moderate performance, momentum considerably picked up in the reporting period. The divisions sales revenue rose in constant currencies by 14.8% to 843.0 million euros (reported: 12.2%) and was driven by strong demand for equipment and single-use products. The increase in sales revenue was achieved almost completely organically, whereas the software company Umetrics acquired in April 2017 contributed around half a percentage point of non-organic growth. Order intake also rose at a very dynamic rate by 15.0% to 901.8 million euros.

Despite negative currency effects, and driven by economies of scale and positive product mix effects, underlying EBITDA of the Bioprocess Solutions Division rose overproportionately relative to sales, by 16.5% to 239.1 million euros. The Group's respective margin increased significantly year over year from 27.3% to 28.4%.

The Lab Products & Services Division, which offers laboratory technologies primarily for the pharma sector and life science research, recorded an increase in sales revenue in constant currencies by 9.7% to 310.7 million euros (reported 7.4%), following high growth in the prior-year period. After a strong first half, development was dampened in the third quarter as a result of softer demand in Europe. Finalized in March 2017, the acquisition of Essen BioScience, a specialist in cell analysis, contributed non organic growth of close to 3.5 percentage points in line with expectations. The divisions nine-month order intake grew in constant currencies by 8.7% to 313.4 million euros.

Underlying earnings for Lab Products & Services rose 9.0% to 55.0 million euros. Despite negative currency effects, the division's earnings margin increased slightly from 17.5% to 17.7%, which was driven by economies of scale and product mix effects.

Full-year guidance confirmed; division forecasts adjusted

In view of the companys performance in the first nine months of 2018, management confirms its full-year projections, substantially raised at mid-year, that consolidated sales will grow by about 12% to 15%. The Groups underlying EBITDA margin remains forecasted to increase by about 0.5 percentage points compared with the year-earlier figure of 25.1%.

Based on the dynamic growth recorded for the Bioprocess Solutions Division in the reporting period, management now projects that the divisions sales revenue will increase at the upper range of the previously targeted bandwidth of about 12% to 15%. This figure includes a non-organic growth contribution of slightly less than 0.5 percentage points. The division's underlying EBITDA margin is forecasted to further gain about half a percentage point over the prior-year figure of 28.0%.

For the Lab Products & Services Division, management reduces growth projections for sales due to softer demand in Europe, to 8% to 10% (previous guidance: about 12% to 15%). Essen BioScience consolidated since March 2017 is forecasted to contribute a good 2.5 percentage points of non-organic growth, as expected so far. The divisions underlying EBITDA margin is projected to further rise; due to the divisions lower sales growth, however, this increase will now be around half a percentage point over the prior-year figure of 18.0% (previous forecast: one percentage point).

All forecasts are based on constant currencies. As a result of changes in the currency exchange rates, reported figures in actual currencies may differ from constant currency guidance.
The technology giant has leased about 132,000 square feet in a 12-story building that Sterling Bay has under construction at 210 N. Carpenter St., Google and the developer said Wednesday. Google, which has grown to more than 1,000 employees in Chicago, said it plans to begin moving workers into six floors of the building next fall.
Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and columnist for the Post who lived in Virginia, was killed and reportedly dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Conflicting stories from the Saudi government, which initially disavowed knowledge of the killing and then blamed it on a fistfight, has led to charges of a cover up and a call for international sanctions.
The urgent or immediate care industry is expanding quickly, with expected growth of nearly 6 percent this year, according to the Urgent Care Association. Systems such as Northwestern Medicine have expanded their immediate care centers in recent years, and a number of retailers such as Walgreens, Target and CVS offer clinics in their stores. Such centers also compete with the growing industry of telehealth, in which patients can consult doctors for minor illnesses and complaints from their homes, over their phones and through video.
They all talk about this challenge and all recognize that its an important one, but at the same time they talk about it in a little bit different way, he said. Bringing those people together so they can talk together about that issue I think is going to produce better answers.
Meanwhile, Target is poised to benefit from bankruptcies and store closures among some of its main rivals, including Sears, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. As it enters the first holiday season without Toys R Us, Target announced nearly a quarter-million square feet of new spaces for toys in more than 500 stores, as well as remodeled toy departments in more than 100 stores. The company is also adding more toys to its kids gifting catalog and is installing climbable, huggable toys at stores across the country. No more judging a toy based on a sealed box: Target wants to let kids assess a Lego slide or life-size plush lion for themselves.
Still popular in Europe, the last Focus sedan rolled off the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., in May 2018 to retool for the delayed return of the Ranger midsize pickup and Bronco SUV. The Focus hatchback, to be redesigned as the Focus Active Wagon, will be imported from China. Though its been a rough couple years politically and financially for the Focus, the compact sedan that replaced the Escort for model year 2000 had plenty of fans. Enthusiasts loved Americas hot hatch in the Focus ST, and when the track-oriented Focus RS finally came to the US for model year 2016, demand was so strong Ford couldnt keep up. Problem was no one was waiting for the Focus sedan.
One rarely sees an on-screen protagonist resembling Tina (Eva Melander, who gives a remarkably nuanced and sympathetic performance despite sporting a deforming latex mask and a more-than-four-hour daily application of prosthetic disfigurements). Her jutting forehead, wide nose, prominent teeth, blotchy skin, and body hair make her appear sub-human  and then there's that mysterious scar above her tailbone. Nevertheless, Tina is a highly respected member of the Swedish customs team portside, with a perfect record of apprehending perpetrators. Like some tracker dog, she has an extraordinary sense of smell that allows her to sense guilt and shame. Even the Swedish police tap Tina's unique talents in a subplot created by Abbasi and Eklof that neatly expands the themes of Lindqvist's original story.
The movie leaps through time and across the channel, not very gracefully, to show us Wilde's wife (Emily Watson) and the two young sons for whom he wrote the story that provides the film's title. There are also flashbacks to moments of literary triumph and to an incident where Wilde was attacked by a homophobic mob at a London railway station. With its panicky point-of-view shots, the latter sequence plays like something from "The Elephant Man."
Military Logistics Market By Top Leading Players Fluor Corporation, ASELSAN A., Klinge & Co Pty Ltd., ANHAM, DynCorp International LLC, GENCO, Lockheed Martin Corporation, AECOM, Honeywell International Inc. and KBR Inc.

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The "Global Military Logistics Market Analysis to 2025" is a specialized and in-depth study of the military logistics industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global military logistics market with detailed market segmentation by types, modes of transportation, end user and geography. The global military logistics market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Some of the key players influencing the market are Fluor Corporation, ASELSAN A.?., Klinge & Co Pty Ltd., ANHAM, DynCorp International LLC, GENCO, Lockheed Martin Corporation, AECOM, Honeywell International Inc. and KBR Inc. among others.Get sample PDF copy @Military Logistics controls the movement of the materials, equipment, storage and military personnel at the right time and in the right time. This is essential to operate and support emergent threats. It comprises of supply, materials management along with distribution. Added to this, military logistics market is driving the market for the reason that it manages military units, ammunition weapons and many more with the increase in number of military bases.The factor which is a restraint for the market of Military Logistics is related to logistics department in some countries of the world. Also, nature of military operations is uncertain. It rely on standard formulas and precised calculations. On the other side, modernization and improvement in logistics in terms of procurement, transportation, suppliers by far reaching technology will create more opportunities for this market.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global military logistics market based on types, modes of transportation and end user. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall military logistics market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 16 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Besides this, the report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides comprehensive Porter's Five Forces analysis, exploring factors such as bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threats to new entrants, threats to substitutes and rivalry among the competitors.The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years. The key military logistics market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies.Buy Now @About Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Automotive and Defense.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.com
Personal Hygiene Products - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast 2018  2025

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Global Personal Hygiene Products IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Personal Hygiene Products Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report studies the global market size of Personal Hygiene Products in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Personal Hygiene Products in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Personal Hygiene Products 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.Personal hygiene can be defined as an act of maintaining cleanliness and grooming of the external body. Maintaining good personal hygiene consists of bathing, washing your hands, brushing teeth and sporting clean clothing. Additionally, it is also about making safe and hygienic decisions when you are around others.The increasing demand for Personal Hygiene drives the market. People awareness toward importance of hygiene, prevention of epidemic, rising disposable income, grooming, and beauty are main factors contributing to growth of market. Failure to keep up a standard of hygiene can have many implications.Not only is there an increased risk of getting an infection or illness, but there are many social and psychological aspects that can be affected. Poor personal hygiene can have significant implications on the success of job applications or the chance of promotion; no company want to be represented by someone who does not appear to be able to look after themselves. Children should be taught the importance of hygiene as early as possible, with Oral Care, washing, toilet hygiene and hair care being taught as part of everyday routines. India personal hygiene market size was estimated to grow over the forecast period. North America and Europe are expected to account for a large combined share in the market throughout the forecast period.Try Sample Report @The various contributors involved in the value chain of Personal Hygiene Products include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. 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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 Personal Hygiene Products 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 Personal Hygiene Products with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To project the value and volume of Personal Hygiene Products 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 Personal Hygiene Products Product1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Personal Hygiene Products Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Soap1.4.3 Anti-Perspirants & Deodorants1.4.4 Bath & Shower Products1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Personal Hygiene Products Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Online1.5.3 Offline1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Personal Hygiene Products Market Size2.1.1 Global Personal Hygiene Products Revenue 2016-20252.1.2 Global Personal Hygiene Products Sales 2016-20252.2 Personal Hygiene Products Growth Rate by Regions2.2.1 Global Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Regions2.2.2 Global Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Regions3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers3.1 Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Manufacturers3.1.1 Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Manufacturers3.1.2 Personal Hygiene Products Sales Market Share by Manufacturers3.1.3 Global Personal Hygiene Products Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.2.2 Personal Hygiene Products Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.3 Personal Hygiene Products Price by Manufacturers3.4 Personal Hygiene Products Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types3.4.1 Personal Hygiene Products Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters3.4.2 Manufacturers Personal Hygiene Products Product Category3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Personal Hygiene Products Market3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type4.1 Global Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Type4.2 Global Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Type4.3 Personal Hygiene Products Price by Type5 Breakdown Data by Application5.1 Overview5.2 Global Personal Hygiene Products Breakdown Data by Application6 North America6.1 North America Personal Hygiene Products by Countries6.1.1 North America Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Countries6.1.2 North America Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Countries6.1.3 United States6.1.4 Canada6.1.5 Mexico6.2 North America Personal Hygiene Products by Type6.3 North America Personal Hygiene Products by Application6.4 North America Personal Hygiene Products by Company7 Europe7.1 Europe Personal Hygiene Products by Countries7.1.1 Europe Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Countries7.1.2 Europe Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Countries7.1.3 Germany7.1.4 France7.1.5 UK7.1.6 Italy7.1.7 Russia7.2 Europe Personal Hygiene Products by Type7.3 Europe Personal Hygiene Products by Application7.4 Europe Personal Hygiene Products by Company8 Asia Pacific8.1 Asia Pacific Personal Hygiene Products by Countries8.1.1 Asia Pacific Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Countries8.1.2 Asia Pacific Personal Hygiene Products 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 Personal Hygiene Products by Type8.3 Asia Pacific Personal Hygiene Products by Application8.4 Asia Pacific Personal Hygiene Products by Company9 Central & South America9.1 Central & South America Personal Hygiene Products by Countries9.1.1 Central & South America Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Countries9.1.2 Central & South America Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Countries9.1.3 Brazil9.2 Central & South America Personal Hygiene Products by Type9.3 Central & South America Personal Hygiene Products by Application9.4 Central & South America Personal Hygiene Products by Company10 Middle East and Africa10.1 Middle East and Africa Personal Hygiene Products by Countries10.1.1 Middle East and Africa Personal Hygiene Products Sales by Countries10.1.2 Middle East and Africa Personal Hygiene Products Revenue by Countries10.1.3 GCC Countries10.1.4 Turkey10.1.5 Egypt10.1.6 South Africa10.2 Middle East and Africa Personal Hygiene Products by Type10.3 Middle East and Africa Personal Hygiene Products by Application10.4 Middle East and Africa Personal Hygiene Products by Company11 Company Profiles11.1 Unilever11.1.1 Unilever Company Details11.1.2 Company Description11.1.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.1.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.1.5 Recent Development11.2 Johnson & Johnson11.2.1 Johnson & Johnson Company Details11.2.2 Company Description11.2.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.2.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.2.5 Recent Development11.3 Carrefour11.3.1 Carrefour Company Details11.3.2 Company Description11.3.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.3.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.3.5 Recent Development11.4 Reckitt Benckiser Group11.4.1 Reckitt Benckiser Group Company Details11.4.2 Company Description11.4.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.4.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.4.5 Recent Development11.5 Auchan11.5.1 Auchan Company Details11.5.2 Company Description11.5.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.5.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.5.5 Recent Development11.6 Publix11.6.1 Publix Company Details11.6.2 Company Description11.6.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.6.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.6.5 Recent Development11.7 Costco11.7.1 Costco Company Details11.7.2 Company Description11.7.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.7.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.7.5 Recent Development11.8 Helen of Troy11.8.1 Helen of Troy Company Details11.8.2 Company Description11.8.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.8.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.8.5 Recent Development11.9 Proctor & Gamble Company11.9.1 Proctor & Gamble Company Company Details11.9.2 Company Description11.9.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.9.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.9.5 Recent Development11.10 Kroger11.10.1 Kroger Company Details11.10.2 Company Description11.10.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Personal Hygiene Products11.10.4 Personal Hygiene Products Product Description11.10.5 Recent Development11.11 Colgate-Palmolive CompanyContinued..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
Water & Wastewater Treatment - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast 2018  2025

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Global Water & Wastewater Treatment IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report focuses on the global Water & Wastewater Treatment status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Water & Wastewater Treatment development in United States, Europe and China.Wastewater treatment is a process used to convert wastewater into an effluent (outflowing of water to a receiving body of water) that can be returned to the water cycle with minimal impact on the environment or directly reused.Try Sample Report @The key players covered in this studyGE Water & Process Technologies3MCalgon CarbonAquatech InternationalDanaherGDF SUEZDegremontVeolia Water TechnologiesSiemensXylemDow Water & Process SolutionsEvoqua Water TechnologiesEcolabPentairMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoChemicalsTreatment TechnologiesEquipment & servicesMarket segment by Application, split intoMunicipalIndustrialMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South AmericaThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Water & Wastewater Treatment status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Water & Wastewater Treatment 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 Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2013-2025)1.4.2 Chemicals1.4.3 Treatment Technologies1.4.4 Equipment & services1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Share by Application (2013-2025)1.5.2 Municipal1.5.3 Industrial1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size2.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Growth Trends by Regions2.2.1 Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Regions (2013-2025)2.2.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment 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 Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Manufacturers3.1.1 Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.1.2 Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.1.3 Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players Head office and Area Served3.3 Key Players Water & Wastewater Treatment Product/Solution/Service3.4 Date of Enter into Water & Wastewater Treatment Market3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type and Application4.1 Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type (2013-2018)4.2 Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application (2013-2018)5 United States5.1 United States Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)5.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in United States5.3 United States Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type5.4 United States Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application6 Europe6.1 Europe Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)6.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in Europe6.3 Europe Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type6.4 Europe Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application7 China7.1 China Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)7.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in China7.3 China Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type7.4 China Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application8 Japan8.1 Japan Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)8.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in Japan8.3 Japan Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type8.4 Japan Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application9 Southeast Asia9.1 Southeast Asia Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)9.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in Southeast Asia9.3 Southeast Asia Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type9.4 Southeast Asia Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application10 India10.1 India Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)10.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in India10.3 India Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type10.4 India Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application11 Central & South America11.1 Central & South America Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size (2013-2018)11.2 Water & Wastewater Treatment Key Players in Central & South America11.3 Central & South America Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Type11.4 Central & South America Water & Wastewater Treatment Market Size by Application12 International Players Profiles12.1 GE Water & Process Technologies12.1.1 GE Water & Process Technologies Company Details12.1.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.1.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.1.4 GE Water & Process Technologies Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.1.5 GE Water & Process Technologies Recent Development12.2 3M12.2.1 3M Company Details12.2.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.2.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.2.4 3M Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.2.5 3M Recent Development12.3 Calgon Carbon12.3.1 Calgon Carbon Company Details12.3.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.3.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.3.4 Calgon Carbon Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.3.5 Calgon Carbon Recent Development12.4 Aquatech International12.4.1 Aquatech International Company Details12.4.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.4.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.4.4 Aquatech International Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.4.5 Aquatech International Recent Development12.5 Danaher12.5.1 Danaher Company Details12.5.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.5.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.5.4 Danaher Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.5.5 Danaher Recent Development12.6 GDF SUEZ12.6.1 GDF SUEZ Company Details12.6.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.6.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.6.4 GDF SUEZ Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.6.5 GDF SUEZ Recent Development12.7 Degremont12.7.1 Degremont Company Details12.7.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.7.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.7.4 Degremont Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.7.5 Degremont Recent Development12.8 Veolia Water Technologies12.8.1 Veolia Water Technologies Company Details12.8.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.8.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.8.4 Veolia Water Technologies Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.8.5 Veolia Water Technologies Recent Development12.9 Siemens12.9.1 Siemens Company Details12.9.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.9.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.9.4 Siemens Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.9.5 Siemens Recent Development12.10 Xylem12.10.1 Xylem Company Details12.10.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.10.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment Introduction12.10.4 Xylem Revenue in Water & Wastewater Treatment Business (2013-2018)12.10.5 Xylem Recent Development12.11 Dow Water & Process Solutions12.12 Evoqua Water Technologies12.13 Ecolab12.14 PentairContinued..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
Agriculture Reinsurance Market: Size, Share, Growth, Cost Structure, Revenue Analysis and Global Key Players (Munich Re,Swiss Re,Hannover Re,Partner Re,Scor Re,Mapfre Re et al.) | Forecasts 2018  2025

Agriculture Reinsurance Market

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Global Agriculture Reinsurance Market Report 2018 deliver current market information and highlights the impacting the growth of the industry. It helps in making essential Agriculture Reinsurance Market business decisions as well as by making in-depth analysis of different segments.Get Sample Copy of this ReportThe Global Agriculture Reinsurance market 2018 research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global Agriculture Reinsurance market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Global Agriculture Reinsurance Industry 2018 Market Research Report is spread across 147 pages and provides exclusive vital statistics, data, information, trends and competitive landscape details in this niche sector.Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @Key segments covered in this report:Geography segment, end use/application segment and competitor segment. The key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, ASEAN, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, CIS, and Brazil etc. For end use/application segment, this report focuses on the status and outlook for key applications. End users also can be listed.With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Agriculture Reinsurance market, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Agriculture Reinsurance as well as some small players. The information for each competitor includes: Company Profile Main Business Information SWOT Analysis Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin Market ShareMajor chapters covered in Agriculture Reinsurance Market Research are:Chapter 1 Executive SummaryChapter 2 Abbreviation and AcronymsChapter 3 PrefaceChapter 4 Market LandscapeChapter 5 Market Trend AnalysisChapter 6 Industry Chain AnalysisChapter 7 Latest Market DynamicsChapter 8 Trading AnalysisChapter 9 Historical and Current Agriculture Reinsurance Market in North America (2013-2018)Chapter 10 Historical and Current Agriculture Reinsurance Market in South America (2013-2018)Chapter 11 Historical and Current Agriculture Reinsurance Market in Asia & Pacific (2013-2018)Chapter 12 Historical and Current Agriculture Reinsurance Market in Europe (2013-2018)Chapter 13 Historical and Current Agriculture Reinsurance Market in MEA (2013-2018)Chapter 14 Summary for Global Agriculture Reinsurance Market (2013-2018)Chapter 15 Global Agriculture Reinsurance Market Forecast (2019-2023)Chapter 16 Company ProfileOrder a copy of Global Agriculture Reinsurance Market Report 2018 @Few Points from List of Tables and Figures:Table Abbreviation and Acronyms ListTable Research Scope of Agriculture Reinsurance reportTable Primary Sources of Agriculture Reinsurance reportTable Secondary Sources of Agriculture Reinsurance reportTable Major Assumptions of Agriculture Reinsurance reportTable Agriculture Reinsurance ClassificationTable Agriculture Reinsurance Applications ListTable Drivers of Agriculture Reinsurance MarketTable Restraints of Agriculture Reinsurance MarketTable Opportunities of Agriculture Reinsurance MarketTable Threats of Agriculture Reinsurance MarketTable Key Raw Material of Agriculture Reinsurance and Its SuppliersTable Key Technologies of Agriculture ReinsuranceTable Cost Structure of Agriculture ReinsuranceTable Market Channel of Agriculture ReinsuranceTable Agriculture Reinsurance Application and Key End Users ListTable Latest News of Agriculture Reinsurance industryTable Recently Merger and Acquisition List of Agriculture Reinsurance industryTable Recently Planned/Future Project List of Agriculture Reinsurance industryContinuedAbout UsOrian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the worlds most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact UsRuwin MendezVice President  Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS: +1 (415) 830-3727 | UK: +44 020 8144-71-27Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn:
Global Mobile Mapping Systems Market Top Player are Google, Apple, Ericsson, Microsoft Corporation 2018 - 2025

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Mobile Mapping Systems Market SummaryThe Global Mobile Mapping Systems Market Research Report consists of all the significant data related to the global market. The report presents a comprehensive analysis of the various industry growth factors, including the market trends, dynamics, estimates, production and consumption ratio, industry development factors, size, share, supply and demand, forecast trends, sales, as well as several other factors. The report has been generated leveraging a blend of the primary and secondary data. Thus, the Global Mobile Mapping Systems Market Research Report is a basic hold of all the data generated by qualitative and quantitative analysis of the industry, essentially for the industry participants.Get a Sample PDF Report :This research report provides an in-depth analysis of the market size, share, growth rate, drivers, restraints, challenges, threats, and growth opportunities in existing and potential markets.The report has been collated as a result of the qualitative and quantitative research, first-hand information, and inputs from industry professionals and industry participants across the value chain. The study also provides a detailed assessment of the current market trends, micro- and macroeconomic indicators and governing factors, as well as the market attractiveness, as per the segments and sub-segments. The report also focuses on the qualitative impact of the different Mobile Mapping Systems market factors on market segments and geographies.Top Market Players:EricssonMicrosoft CorporationAppleGoogleFoursquare LabsTomtom NVTrimble Navigation LtdTelecommunications SystemQualcomm AtherosMapquestMajor Types of Mobile Mapping Systems covered are:Direct Mobile Mapping SystemBackpack Mobile Mapping SystemMajor Applications of Mobile Mapping Systems covered are:AutomobileTransportation & LogisticsGovernment & Public SectorVideo EntertainmentReal EstateTravel & HospitalityOtherMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers :North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa.Key features of the Worldwide Mobile Mapping Systems Market Research Report:Some of the market dynamics covered in this report include the market drivers, threats, and opportunities. It analyzes the overall market segments to predict the evolving ones and provides a detailed segmentation of the Mobile Mapping Systems industry, based on the product types, applications, and key geographies. The report also provides a comprehensive study of the global Mobile Mapping Systems market share and forecasts.Get Discount on this Report :The intelligence study underlines the leading market players with their strategies, methodologies, and the approaches used. The market research report also provides information with regards to the local, regional, and global markets and its developing segments. The market dynamics is inconsistent and hence a detailed study of the market sources is also cited.Questions covered in Worldwide Mobile Mapping Systems Industry research report:- What are current global Mobile Mapping Systems market tendencies, obstructions, and challenges faced by the key competitors of Mobile Mapping Systems market?- What are major outcomes and consequences of the five strengths study of Mobile Mapping Systems industry?- What will be the Mobile Mapping Systems market capacity and growth estimation forecast up to 2025?- Who are the major players in the world Mobile Mapping Systems market and what ways they follow to increase overall revenue?- What are the durabilities and defects of the Mobile Mapping Systems industry?In the last section of the report, the global Mobile Mapping Systems market additionally provides a detailed survey of the key competitors and the leading players in the market, based on the various objectives of an organization such as overview, profiling, product portfolio, the quantity of production, upstream raw material, downstream demand analysis, and the financial status of the organization. These key players have adopted the regional expansion, mergers & acquisitions, product portfolio expansion, partnerships, and collaborations as their key strategies to enhance their infiltration in the Global Mobile Mapping Systems Market.About Garner Insights:Garner Insights is a Market Intelligence and consulting firm with an all-inclusive experience and vast knowledge of the market research industry.Our vast storage of research reports across various categories, gives you a complete view of the ever changing and developing trends and current topics worldwide. Our constant endeavor is to keep on improving our storage information by providing rich market reports and constantly improving them.Contact UsKevin ThomasContact No: +1 513 549 5911 (US)+44 203 318 4491 (UK)Email: sales@garnerinsights.com
Industrial WLAN Market 2023 Feature Scenario by Top Leading Player : Cisco Systems, Dell, Huawei Technologies, Siemens, Aruba Networks (HP), Aerohive Networks, Allied Telesis et al.

Industrial WLAN Market

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Industrial WLAN Market Report 2018-2023 The report focuses on major leading players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.Global Industrial WLAN Market Report 2018-2023 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Industrial WLAN industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Industrial WLAN manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail.The compnaies include: Cisco Systems, Dell, Huawei Technologies, Siemens, Aruba Networks (HP), Aerohive Networks, Allied Telesis et al.In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2018 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the Global total market of Industrial WLAN industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis.This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeHootsuiteZohoSproutAgoraPulseSendibleFalcon.ioSocialbakersBufferSearchmetricsSalesforceSendibleAgorapulseGet sample copy of report atThe report then estimates 2018-2023 market development trends of Industrial WLAN industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Industrial WLAN Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2018-2023 Global Industrial WLAN industry covering all important parameters.Get discount on Purchase report atTable of ContentChapter One Introduction of Industrial WLAN IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Industrial WLANChapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers (Cisco Systems, Dell, Huawei Technologies, Siemens, Aruba Networks (HP), Aerohive Networks, Allied Telesis et al.)3.1 Company A3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Product Information3.1.3 2013-2018 Production Information3.1.4 Contact Information3.2 Company B3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Product Information3.2.3 2013-2018 Production Information3.2.4 Contact Information3.3 Company C3.2.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Product Information3.3.3 2013-2018 Production Information3.3.4 Contact InformationChapter Four 2013-2018 Global and Chinese Market of Industrial WLANChapter Five Market Status of Industrial WLAN IndustryChapter Six 2018-2023 Market Forecast of Global and Chinese Industrial WLAN IndustryChapter Seven Analysis of Industrial WLAN Industry ChainChapter Eight Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Industrial WLAN IndustryChapter Nine Market Dynamics of Industrial WLAN IndustryChapter Ten Proposals for New ProjectPurchase complete report atReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Hair Curler Market: Industry Size, Growth, Analysis and Forecast of 2025

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Global Hair Curler IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Hair Curler Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report studies the global market size of Hair Curler in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Hair Curler in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Hair Curler 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.Try Sample Report @The various contributors involved in the value chain of Hair Curler include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in the Hair Curler includeGELOONPanasonicBraunEliteFLYCO Electrical ApplianceFashion Beauty TechnologySuperman GroupRedCONAIRamikaMarket Size Split by TypeManual OperationSemi-automaticFull AutomaticOthersMarket Size Split by ApplicationHouseholdCommercialOthersMarket 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 Hair Curler 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 Hair Curler 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 Hair Curler 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 Hair Curler with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To project the value and volume of Hair Curler 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 Hair Curler Product1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Hair Curler Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Manual Operation1.4.3 Semi-automatic1.4.4 Full Automatic1.4.5 Others1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Hair Curler Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Household1.5.3 Commercial1.5.4 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Hair Curler Market Size2.1.1 Global Hair Curler Revenue 2016-20252.1.2 Global Hair Curler Sales 2016-20252.2 Hair Curler Growth Rate by Regions2.2.1 Global Hair Curler Sales by Regions2.2.2 Global Hair Curler Revenue by Regions3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers3.1 Hair Curler Sales by Manufacturers3.1.1 Hair Curler Sales by Manufacturers3.1.2 Hair Curler Sales Market Share by Manufacturers3.1.3 Global Hair Curler Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Hair Curler Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Hair Curler Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.2.2 Hair Curler Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.3 Hair Curler Price by Manufacturers3.4 Hair Curler Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types3.4.1 Hair Curler Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters3.4.2 Manufacturers Hair Curler Product Category3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Hair Curler Market3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type4.1 Global Hair Curler Sales by Type4.2 Global Hair Curler Revenue by Type4.3 Hair Curler Price by Type5 Breakdown Data by Application5.1 Overview5.2 Global Hair Curler Breakdown Data by Application6 North America6.1 North America Hair Curler by Countries6.1.1 North America Hair Curler Sales by Countries6.1.2 North America Hair Curler Revenue by Countries6.1.3 United States6.1.4 Canada6.1.5 Mexico6.2 North America Hair Curler by Type6.3 North America Hair Curler by Application6.4 North America Hair Curler by Company7 Europe7.1 Europe Hair Curler by Countries7.1.1 Europe Hair Curler Sales by Countries7.1.2 Europe Hair Curler Revenue by Countries7.1.3 Germany7.1.4 France7.1.5 UK7.1.6 Italy7.1.7 Russia7.2 Europe Hair Curler by Type7.3 Europe Hair Curler by Application7.4 Europe Hair Curler by Company8 Asia Pacific8.1 Asia Pacific Hair Curler by Countries8.1.1 Asia Pacific Hair Curler Sales by Countries8.1.2 Asia Pacific Hair Curler 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 Hair Curler by Type8.3 Asia Pacific Hair Curler by Application8.4 Asia Pacific Hair Curler by Company9 Central & South America9.1 Central & South America Hair Curler by Countries9.1.1 Central & South America Hair Curler Sales by Countries9.1.2 Central & South America Hair Curler Revenue by Countries9.1.3 Brazil9.2 Central & South America Hair Curler by Type9.3 Central & South America Hair Curler by Application9.4 Central & South America Hair Curler by Company10 Middle East and Africa10.1 Middle East and Africa Hair Curler by Countries10.1.1 Middle East and Africa Hair Curler Sales by Countries10.1.2 Middle East and Africa Hair Curler Revenue by Countries10.1.3 GCC Countries10.1.4 Turkey10.1.5 Egypt10.1.6 South Africa10.2 Middle East and Africa Hair Curler by Type10.3 Middle East and Africa Hair Curler by Application10.4 Middle East and Africa Hair Curler by Company11 Company Profiles11.1 GELOON11.1.1 GELOON Company Details11.1.2 Company Description11.1.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.1.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.1.5 Recent Development11.2 Panasonic11.2.1 Panasonic Company Details11.2.2 Company Description11.2.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.2.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.2.5 Recent Development11.3 Braun11.3.1 Braun Company Details11.3.2 Company Description11.3.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.3.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.3.5 Recent Development11.4 Elite11.4.1 Elite Company Details11.4.2 Company Description11.4.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.4.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.4.5 Recent Development11.5 FLYCO Electrical Appliance11.5.1 FLYCO Electrical Appliance Company Details11.5.2 Company Description11.5.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.5.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.5.5 Recent Development11.6 Fashion Beauty Technology11.6.1 Fashion Beauty Technology Company Details11.6.2 Company Description11.6.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.6.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.6.5 Recent Development11.7 Superman Group11.7.1 Superman Group Company Details11.7.2 Company Description11.7.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.7.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.7.5 Recent Development11.8 Red11.8.1 Red Company Details11.8.2 Company Description11.8.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.8.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.8.5 Recent Development11.9 CONAIR11.9.1 CONAIR Company Details11.9.2 Company Description11.9.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.9.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.9.5 Recent Development11.10 amika11.10.1 amika Company Details11.10.2 Company Description11.10.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Hair Curler11.10.4 Hair Curler Product Description11.10.5 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
E Cigarettes Market 2018 By Major Players: ITC, Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, Philip Morris International, Bull Smoke, Japan Tobacco, Inc., Gamucci, MCig, Inc, Vapor Corp, Reynolds American Inc.

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Summary:Latest Research Report on Global E Cigarettes Market Added by Garner Insights which covers Market Overview, Future Economic Impact, Competition by Manufacturers, Supply (Production), & Consumption AnalysisThe E Cigarettes Market research study relies upon a combination of primary as well as secondary research. It throws light on the key factors concerned with generating and limiting E Cigarettes market growth. In addition, the current mergers and acquisition by key players in the market have been described at length. Additionally, the historical information and current growth of the market have been given in the scope of the research report. The latest trends, product portfolio, demographics, geographical segmentation, and regulatory framework of the E Cigarettes market have also been included in the study.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Key playersThe report also profiles some of the major players functioning in the Global E Cigarettes Market, on the basis of various factors such as the company overview, revenue, product offering (s), key development (s), business strategies, Porters five forces analysis, and SWOT analysis. Some of the major players profiled in this report include ITC, Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, Philip Morris International, Bull Smoke, Japan Tobacco, Inc., Gamucci, MCig, Inc, Vapor Corp, Reynolds American Inc., Lorillard, Cloudcig, China National Tobacco Corporation, Altria GroupMarket Scenario:The report sheds light on the highly lucrative Global E Cigarettes Market and its diversifying nature. The report provides a detailed analysis of the market segmentation, size, and share; market dynamics such as the growth drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities; service providers, investors, stakeholders, and key market players. In addition, the report highlights the threat factors that the market will likely encounter over the forecast period. The report provides detailed profile assessments and multi-scenario revenue projections for the most promising industry participants. The Global E Cigarettes Industry report focuses on the latest trends in the global and regional spaces on all the significant components, including the capacity, cost, price, technology, supplies, production, profit, and competition.E Cigarettes Market SegmentationThe E Cigarettes market is segmented based on Application & product type. Most important types of E Cigarettes products covered in this report are:, Automatic E-Cigarettes, Manual E-cigarettes. Most widely used downstream fields of E Cigarettes market covered in this report are:, Men, WomenRegional analysisBased on geographies E Cigarettes market has been analyzed as:North America, Europe, China, Japan, Middle East & Africa, India, South America, OthersThe main points which are answered and covered in this Report are-What will be the total E Cigarettesmarket size in the coming years till 2021?What will be the key factors which will be overall affecting the industry?What are the various challenges addressed?Which are the major companies included?More detailed information, please feel free to contact:Following Sections to show the E Cigarettes Market showcaseSection 1: Industry: Overview, Development of Market Segment, Upstream, Downstream and Cost AnalysisSection 2: Industry Environment: Policy, Economics, Sociology, and TechnologySection 3: Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)Section 4: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersSection 5: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders, Market Effect Factors AnalysisContinuedThanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like Asia, United States, EuropeAbout Garner Insights:Garner Insights is a Market Intelligence and consulting firm with an all-inclusive experience and vast knowledge of the market research industry.Our vast storage of research reports across various categories, gives you a complete view of the ever changing and developing trends and current topics worldwide. Our constant endeavor is to keep on improving our storage information by providing rich market reports and constantly improving them.Contact Us:Mr. Kevin ThomasDirect:+1 513 549 5911 (US)+44 203 318 2846 (UK)Email:sales@garnerinsights.com
Multiple Sclerosis Market Demands with Major Eminent Vendors: Bayer, Opexa, Biogen Idec, Active Biotech, Novartis, Synthetic Biologic, EMD Serono, Pfizer, Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceutical.

Multiple Sclerosis Market

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Multiple Sclerosis Market By Treatment Modality (Oral Agents and Injectable Agents) - Global Industry Analysis And Forecast To 2025.Industry Overview:The multi sclerosis (MS) is a conceivably impairing ailment of the spinal cord and brain (in all the central nervous system). In this disorder, the immune system assaults the defensive sheath (myelin) that protects the fibers of nerve and also causes the correspondence issues between the brain and other body parts. In the long run, the illness can make the nerves themselves decay or turn out to be forever harmed. The signs and the side effects of MS spread broadly and rely upon the measure of nerve harm and which of the nerves are been influenced. A few people with extreme MS may lose the capability to walk freely or by any means, while the others can encounter extensive stretches of reduction with no new indications. There's no remedy for MS, medications can help speed the recuperation from the assaults, change the course of the disorder and manage the side effects. Therefore, the Multiple Sclerosis Market is anticipated to expand and has tremendous scope during the forecast period. The global Multiple Sclerosis Market anticipated to flourish in the future by growing at a significantly higher CAGR.Sample Copy of This Report:Competitive Analysis:The major players in the market are profiled in detail in view of qualities, for example, company portfolio, business strategies, financial overview, recent developments, and market share of the overall industry.Major Eminent Players: Bayer, Opexa, Biogen Idec, Active Biotech, Novartis, Synthetic Biologic, EMD Serono, Pfizer, Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceutical.Drivers & Restrains:The driving factors of the market are; the pharmaceutical organizations are focusing on the novel therapies to be commercialized that have minimum side effects & the economic pricing, more number of product launches by various companies, rising initiatives like the increasing funding for the research & development of the products, and others. The restraining factor of the market cab be thought to be the cost of the products as they are under developing stage.Multiple Sclerosis Market, By Treatment Modality, Estimates and Forecast, 2014-2025 ($Million)Oral AgentsInjectable AgentsRegional Insights:The North American region is leading the global Multiple Sclerosis Market pursued by European region owing to major methodologies adopted by the key players of the market.Multiple Sclerosis Market, By Region:North America - U.S, Canada, MexicoEurope - Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific - Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia PacificRest of the World - Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, OthersResearch Methodology:We use both primary as well as secondary research for our market surveys, estimates and for developing forecast. Our research process commence by analyzing the problem which enable us to design the scope for our research study. Our research process is uniquely designed with enough flexibility to adjust according to changing nature of products and markets, while retaining core element to ensure reliability and accuracy in research findings. We understand both macro and micro-economic factors to evaluate and forecast different market segments.Get More Information of This Report:Multiple Sclerosis Market, ToC:Chapter 7.Company Profiles -7.1.Bayer7.1.1.Business Overview7.1.2. Service Portfolio7.1.3.Strategic Developments7.1.4. Revenue and Market Share7.2.Opexa7.2.1.Business Overview7.2.2. Service Portfolio7.2.3.Strategic Developments7.2.4. Revenue and Market Share7.3.Biogen Idec7.3.1.Business Overview7.3.2. Service Portfolio7.3.3.Strategic Developments7.3.4. Revenue and Market Share7.4.Active Biotech7.4.1.Business Overview7.4.2. Service Portfolio7.4.3.Strategic Developments7.4.4. Revenue and Market Share7.5.Novartis7.5.1.Business Overview7.5.2. Service Portfolio7.5.3.Strategic Developments7.5.4. Revenue and Market Share7.6.Synthetic Biologic...The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Multiple Sclerosis market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Multiple Sclerosis market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World, which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for regions.Also, key Multiple Sclerosis market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered.Browse Complete Report with ToC:Reason to Buy -Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Multiple Sclerosis market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.TO BE CONTINUEDAbout 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 customised 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 Us:Judy304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: sales@crystalmarketresearch.com
Biopreservation Market Expected to Cross 11.2% CAGR till 2023 | by BioLifeSolutions Inc., BioCision, Sigma-Aldrich Co., QIAGEN, Lifeline Scientific, Cesca Therapeutics Inc., Core Dynamics, etc

Biopreservation Market

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The Global Biopreservation Market is expected to grow during the forecast period (20182023) at a CAGR ~11.2%. The global biopreservation market has been segmented on the basis of product, biospecimen, and application.On the basis of product, the market has been classified as media and equipment. The media subsegment has been further divided into nutrient media, sera, and growth factors and supplements. The equipment segment has been further divided into temperature control systems, accessories, alarms & monitoring systems, incubators, centrifuges, and other equipment. The temperature control systems segment has been further classified as freezers, cryogenic storage systems, thawing equipment, and refrigerators. The biospecimen segment has been divided into human tissue samples, organs, stem cells, and other biospecimens.The market, by source, has been segmented into regenerative medicine, biobanking, and drug discovery. On basis of regenerative medicine, the market has been divided into cell therapy, gene therapy, and others. Biobanking segment includes human egg, human sperm, and veterinary IVF.To Get Sample Report visitBiopreservation plays an important role in healthcare and food industry. It helps to preserve the biological product or material. It uses natural flora of biological material or the products of natural flora to preserve the product. The increasing expenditure on healthcare, a growing number of in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers, increasing awareness about stem cell and its applications are the major factors driving the growth of the global biopreservation market. Additionally, increasing R&D spending and aggressive strategies adopted by the top players, such as mergers and acquisitions are contributing to the growth of the market. For instance, in March 2016, Shanghai Genext Medical Technology Co Ltd announced the acquisition of a US-based Lifeline Scientific for USD 87.8 million this acquisition will help Shanghai Genext Medical Technology to enter into the clinical transplant business.The high cost associated with biopreservation instruments and its maintenance, stability issues related to the specimen and lack of skilled personnel for handling the biopreservation process may hamper the growth of the market during the assessment period.Key Players for Global Biopreservation MarketMarket Research Future (MRFR) recognizes the following companies as the key players in Biopreservation Market: There are plenty of large and small market players which operate in this market all over the globe.Some of the key players in the global biopreservation market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc, VWR International, LLC., CUSTOM BIOGENIC SYSTEMS., BioLifeSolutions Inc., BioCision, Sigma-Aldrich Co., QIAGEN, Lifeline Scientific, Cesca Therapeutics Inc., Core Dynamics, Ltd., Princeton CryoTech, Biomatrica, Inc., Panasonic Biomedical, Inc., Chart Industries, and ATLANTA BIOLOGICALSRegional Analysis for Global Biopreservation MarketThe Americas are likely to dominate the global biopreservation market owing to the adoption of advanced technology, increasing spending on healthcare R&D, the presence of a well-established healthcare system, and increasing in-house sample storage in hospitals and research institutes. Moreover, presence and recent merger and acquisition activities by market players in the region are contributing to the growth of the market. For instance, in 2017, Cesca Therapeutics Inc. has acquired Sacramentos SynGen Inc. for USD 1 million with this acquisition company has managed to add cell separation and cord blood processing products in their portfolio.The European market is expected to be the second-largest biopreservation market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the increasing number of births and with-it continuous increase in demand for umbilical cord preservation. According to the European Commission, in the year 2016 more than 5.1 million babies were born in Europe. Moreover, a growing number of sperm and egg banks is contributing to the growth of the market in this region.Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing biopreservation market during the forecast period owing to the increasing population in the region, increasing awareness about stem cell preservation and continuous development in the healthcare sector due to government funding.The market in the Middle East & Africa is expected to account for the smallest share of the global biopreservation market due to an underdeveloped healthcare sector, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities.Browse Complete Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureHadapsar, Pune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Our goal is to offer a sophisticated quality prosecco at an affordable price point nationwide, Rancic wrote. We currently have great distribution in Illinois and in other major markets, but its important that we ensure the rest of the country has that same accessibility.
Human Growth Hormones Market 2023 Exclusive Revelation by MRFR  with Pfizer Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Anhui Anke Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company, GeneScience Pharmaceuticals,etc

Human Growth Hormones Market

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Market Research Future (MRFRs) latest study reveals that the Global Human Growth Hormone Market will surge at an impressive CAGR of 7.50% during the review period (2018-2023). Growth hormone deficiency falls under the list of endocrine conditions. Growth hormone deficiency is prevalent across the globe and the reasons for the condition usually vary from person to person. Though the condition is rare, its prevalence rate has increased to a noteworthy level in recent times. In many cases, brain injury has been identified as a primary cause of growth hormones deficiency. Low level of growth hormone secretion can lead to altered body composition, osteoporosis, insulin resistance, lipid abnormalities, reduced energy levels, and reduced muscle strength. Low growth hormone secretion is usually an issue that starts at a young age and if not addressed promptly, may have major implications in later stages of life.Today, the level of awareness about the condition is much higher than in the past. Modern parents show higher vigilance in monitoring their offsprings overall physical development and are quick to react to any anomaly they observe. Increasing awareness about endocrine disorders is reflecting favourably on the global human growth hormone market. Demand for growth hormones has increased substantially. Moreover, arrival of more effective hormones has had a positive impact on the popularity of such medical products.To Get Sample Report visitKey Players for Global Human Growth Hormones MarketMarket Research Future (MRFR) recognizes the following companies as the key players in Human Growth Hormones Market: There are plenty of large and small market players which operate in this market all over the globe.Some of leading market players profiled in the report include Pfizer Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Anhui Anke Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company, GeneScience Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Genetech Inc., Novartis AG, Biopartners GmbH, Zhongshan Hygene Biopharm Co. Ltd., Merck KGaA, Ipsen S.A. and Lifetech LabsSegments for Global Human Growth Hormones MarketMRFRs report offers a thorough segmental analysis of the market on the basis of brand, route of administration, application, and distribution channel. By brand, the market has been segmented into norditropin, genotropin, mumatrope, sainzen, omnitrope and others. Among these, the norditropin segment is holds the dominant share of the market and is expected retain its positing over 2023. In 2017, the segment stood at USD 1494.98 Mn and is projected to witness a double-digit CAGR during the forecast period. By application, the market has been segmented into growth hormone deficiency, idiopathic short stature, small for gestational age, turner syndrome,prader-willi syndrome and others. The growth hormone deficiency segment accounts for the largest share of the market and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.07% during the assessment period. By route of administration, the market has been segmented into subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous and oral. The subcutaneous segment currently holds the leading position and accounted for more than two-third share of the market in 2017. The segment is expected to remain highly attractive throughout the assessment period. By distribution channel, the market is segmented into hospital pharmacies, clinics, retail pharmacies and e-commerce websites. The hospital pharmacies segment represented close to 40% market share in 2017 and is project to witness a health growth over the next couple of years.Regional Analysis for Global Human Growth Hormones MarketThe report covers the human growth hormone market across Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, the Middle East & Africa. The market is Americas is expected to remain highly lucrative during the review period. In 2017, Americas commanded over 49.18% share of the market and is expected to maintain its dominant position in 2018 and beyond. Factors such as the increasing prevalence of growth hormone deficiency, high healthcare spending, and widespread awareness among consumers are partly driving the growth of the market in the region. Americas is followed by Europe and APAC respectively. Sales of human growth hormones have also picked up pace in GCC countries, which brings MEA under the radar of market players operating on a global level.Browse Complete Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureHadapsar, Pune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Epoxy Surface Coatings Market AkzoNobel, Henkel, BASF, PPG Industries, Sherwin-Williams, RPM International, Valspar, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd

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Growth witnessed in automobile production over the past few years is likely to drive epoxy surface coatings market price, particularly in Asia Pacific. Automobile manufacturers are shifting manufacturing base to countries such as Thailand and Indonesia owing to government incentive schemes and cheap labor wages. Countries such as China and India are witnessing population expansion and growth in per-capita middle class disposable income which us expected to drive automobile demand in Asia Pacific.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Epoxy surface coatings market size was estimated at more than 800 kilo tons in 2014 and is likely to exceed 1 million tons by 2023 with expected gains of more than 3%. Properties such as flexibility, corrosion resistance and superior adhesion are expected to favor demand for applications used in end-use industries such as Industrial, transportation, constructions and marine. Global epoxy resins market size is estimated to exceed USD 12 billion by 2023.China was the dominant region and accounted for more than 50% of the total demand in 2014 with expected gains of more than 5% from 2016 to 2023. Taiwan and India epoxy surface coatings market size is likely to witness significant rates of more than 5.5% up to 2023. Europe is likely to witness moderate growth rates of more than 2% up to 2023.Increase in construction spending, particularly in emerging regions of Latin America, MEA and Asia Pacific is likely to drive epoxy surface coatings market. Asia Pacific was the leading region and accounted for more than 40% of the total construction spending in terms of revenue on 2013. China led the region with an estimated construction spending of approximately USD 1.78 trillion. India & Indonesia construction spending was estimated at USD 427 billion and USD 267 billion respectively in the same year.Rapid industrialization in Asia Pacific is also another factor likely to drive market growth. They are used in flooring applications in commercial and industrial application such as retail stores, warehoused, showrooms, hospital and garages. Epoxy coatings provide high gloss and decorative finish which are available in numerous colors & styles.Decorative options on floor applications include chip flooring, colored aggregate flooring and terrazzo flooring. They offer solutions which are easy to clean & are chemically resistant and can be applied over old & new concrete floors. Epoxy surface coatings are used for corrosion prevention in steel pipes & fittings used in oil & gas industry, steel re-bar plants and water transmission pipelines.Request for customization @Europe is likely to witness sluggish gains over the forecast period and is likely to witness an increase in demand owing to growth of automobile industry, particularly in Germany, France and UK. North America is likely to witness below average growth rates over the forecast period.The global epoxy surface coatings market share is moderately consolidated. Key companies in this industry include Akzo Nobel, Henkel, BASF and Kansai Nerolac. Other prominent companies include Sika AG, PPG Industries, RPM International, The Valspar Corp, Axalta Coating Systems and The Sherwin-Williams Company.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 Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Top 10 Pediatric Vaccines Market by Revenue, Sale and Market Demand - Global Forecast to 2023

Pediatric Vaccines Market

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Global Pediatric Vaccines Market report examines the market position and viewpoint of the market globally, from various angles, such as key players, geological regions, types of diseases and technology. And also cover the other information such as Pediatric Vaccines Market trends, Top players, chapter-wise Description followed by various user perceptions and Forecast till 2023.Market HighlightsThe vaccines administered to prevent children from several non-infectious and infectious diseases are known as pediatric vaccines. These vaccines are heat-killed or inactivated viruses that lose their pathogenicity, i.e., the ability to cause a disease. Moreover, these inactivated antigens can stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against the infected virus. Thus, they assist the immune system in protecting itself from infectious or non-infectious diseases in the future. Currently, immunization prevents an estimated 2-3 million deaths every year. Furthermore, about 1.5 million deaths can be prevented through improved global coverage for vaccination.There are different pediatric vaccines accessible in the market, for example, pneumococcal immunization, polio antibody, rotavirus immunization, MMR immunization, flu immunization, hepatitis B antibody, meningococcal immunization, and Hib antibody. There has been constant research for the development of novel molecules providing immunity against fatal diseases such as Zika virus and different types of cancers. For instance, in June 2016, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stated the commencement of phase I clinical trial for their Zika DNA vaccine named GLS-5700.The increasing collaboration of local manufacturers with key players to deliver high-quality vaccines in remote areas, increasing economic growth, global initiative undertaken by key players in developing innovative vaccines, increasing government support, increasing awareness regarding benefits of vaccination in prevention of diseases, and favorable reimbursement are the major factors expected to fuel the global pediatric vaccines market over the forecast period.However, low accessibility to remote areas, increasing availability of biosimilars at low rates, increasing cost of vaccines, limited or no access to healthcare services in developing and under-developed countries, low healthcare spending, and less medical coverage for pediatric vaccination are some of the challenges which might hamper the growth of the global pediatric vaccines market in future. Global market for pediatric vaccines is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 10.6% during 2017 to 2023.Get Exclusive Report Sample Here -Key Players in Pediatric Vaccines MarketGlaxoSmithKline plc (U.K.), Pfizer, Inc. (U.S.), Merck & Co., Inc. (U.S.), Sanofi Pasteur SA (France), Astellas Pharma Inc. (Japan), CSL Limited (Australia), Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. (U.S.), Johnson & Johnson (U.S.), MedImmune, LLC (U.S.), Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (India), Bavarian Nordic (Denmark), Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Japan), Daiichi Sankyo (Japan), Protein Sciences Corporation (U.S.), Grifols (Spain), Crucell (Netherlands), Bharat Biotech (India), Kaketsuken (U.S.), Panacea Biotec (India), Baxter International (U.S.), Zydus Cadila (India), Nuron (U.S.), S K Chemicals (South Korea), Dynavax Technologies (U.S.), Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals (India), Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (India), Indian Immunologicals (India), Novartis AG (Switerzland), LG Life Sciences (India), Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products (China), Sinovac Biotech (China), Bio Med (India), AstraZeneca (UK), bioCSL Inc. (U.S.), Valeant Pharmaceuticals (U.S.), Takeda Pharmaceutical (Japan), and others.Pediatric Vaccines Market: SegmentationThe global pediatric vaccines market has been segmented on the basis of type, technology, disease indication, and route of administration. On the basis of type, the global pediatric vaccines market is segmented into monovalent vaccines, multivalent vaccines, and others. On the basis of technology, the global pediatric vaccines market is segmented into synthetic vaccines, dendritic cells vaccines, conjugate vaccines, inactivated and subunit vaccines, live attenuated vaccines, toxoid vaccines, recombinant vaccines, and others. On the basis of disease indication, the global pediatric vaccines market is segmented into MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella), polio, Haemophilus influenza type B, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, influenza, DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis), hepatitis, varicella, rotavirus, combination vaccines, and others. On the basis of route of administration, the global pediatric vaccines market is segmented into intramuscular administration, subcutaneous administration, oral administration, and other routes of administrationPediatric Vaccines Market: Regional AnalysisThe global pediatric vaccines market consists of four regions such as the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. The Americas region accounted for the largest market share of the global pediatric vaccines market owing to the growing initiatives by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce the occurrence rate of infectious diseases. Such factors along with the growing immunization will fuel the U.S. market.The European pediatric vaccines market is urged due to the superior government spending such as NHS (Nation Healthcare Service) for the development of the pharmaceutical and medical industries. The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period owing to the growing healthcare sector in leading regions such as China and India. The Middle Eastern region is expected to grow at a steady pace owing to factors such as rising R&D activities in the healthcare sector and extensive development of healthcare infrastructure.TABLE OF CONTENT1 Introduction2 Research Methodology3 Market Dynamics4 Market Factor Analysis5 Global Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Technology6 Global Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Disease Indication7 Global Pediatric Vaccines, By Route of Administration8 Global Pediatric Vaccines, By Region9 Global Pediatric Vaccines, By End-User10 Global Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Region11 Competitive Landscape12 Company Profile13 MRFR ConclusionLIST OF TABLESTable 1 Pediatric Vaccines Industry Synopsis, 20172023Table 2 Pediatric Vaccines Market Estimates & Forecast, 20172023, (USD Million)Table 3 Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Region, 20172023, (USD Million)Table 4 Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Type, 20172023, (USD Million)Table 5 Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Technology, 20172023, (USD Million)LIST OF FIGURESFigure 1 Research ProcessFigure 2 Segmentation for Pediatric Vaccines MarketFigure 3 Segmentation Market Dynamics for Pediatric Vaccines MarketFigure 4 Global Pediatric Vaccines Market Share, By Type, 2017Figure 5 Global Pediatric Vaccines Market Share, By Technology, 2017Browse Complete 100 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 84 Respective Tables and Figures atAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Cyber Security Market Fueling Up to a CAGR of 15.5% by 2022 - Cisco Systems, Trend Micro, IBM Corporation, FireEye, Symantec Corporation, Intel Corporation, Sophos, Verizon Communications

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The cyber security market in Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period, owing to the increase in cyber-attacks in emerging economies such as India, China, and Japan. Furthermore, the growth in infusion and government initiatives such as Smart Cities, Digital India, and Digital Locker demand the need for better security of both critical infrastructure and sensitive information.Request a Sample of the Report:Allied Market Research has published a report, titled, Cyber Security Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecasts, 2014 - 2022. As per the report, the global cyber security market is expected to generate $198 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 15.5% from 2016 to 2022. The report offers insights on market segmentation, drivers & opportunities, and market players to help investors, stakeholders, and new entrants to gain insights on current market trends and future opportunities. The report outlined that the BFSI and public sector would dominate the market in next few years. In 2015, North America was the highest contributor to the revenue worldwide. The report outlines that Asia-Pacific would dominate the market by 2022.The report offers insights on drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the global cyber security market. The market is driven by an increase in malware and phishing threats across various verticals such as BFSI, healthcare, retail, and energy & utilities. Moreover, growth in popularity of mobile devices and rise in adoption of enterprise mobility would drive the market growth. However, budgetary constraints and lack of security awareness initiatives would limit the market growth. Developments in technologies such as Unified Threat Management (UTM), implementation of firewalls, and social media control through cloud-based platform would create numerous opportunities for the growth in the market.The report segments the global cyber security market based on solutions, services, deployment type, user type, industry verticals, and geography. Solutions offered in the research are risk and compliance management, security incident management, unified threat management (UTM), identity and access management (IAM), intrusion prevention systems, encryption, and others. The UTM segment dominated the overall market in terms of revenue in 2015 and estimated to register a CAGR of 11.9% throughout the forecast period. Moreover, risk and compliance management service would register a CAGR of 16.1% during the forecast period, becoming one of the most lucrative solutions segment. Services analyzed in the research are professional services and managed services. Managed services would grow at the CAGR of 20.3% from 2016 to 2022, registering the highest growth. Deployment types analyzed in the research are cloud and on-premise. Cloud-based deployment is expected to generate the highest revenue by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 17.7% during the forecast period.Access Full Summary:User types analyzed in the research are large enterprises and small & medium enterprises (SME). SME segment would register a CAGR of 18.5% from 2016 to 2022. Industry verticals discussed in the report are manufacturing, BFSI, public sector, aerospace & defense, healthcare, energy & utilities, and IT & telecom. Healthcare sector would register the highest CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period. Geographically, the market is explored based on North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. In 2015, North America dominated the market. However, Asia-Pacific is estimated to dominate the market by 2022 owing to rise in the rate of penetration of internet in countries including China, India, Malaysia, Japan, and Singapore. Asia-Pacific region would register a remarkable CAGR of 17.8% during the forecast period.Market players have focused on product launches, acquisition, and partnership for expanding their presence in the market. For instance, in August 2016, Blue Coat Systems was acquired by Symantec Corporation to introduce new advanced security products and assist clients to achieve their goals. The prominent players of the market include Cisco Systems, Trend Micro, IBM Corporation, FireEye, Symantec Corporation, Intel Corporation, Sophos, Verizon Communications, HPE, and Dell EMC (RSA Security).First-time buyer? Check offers and discount on this report:About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesUSA/Canada (Toll Free):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1(855)550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:
Blood Testing Market Key Information By Top Key Player Becton Dickinson and Company, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, bioMerieux SA, Biomerica Inc., Bruker Corporation and Nanosphere Inc.

Blood Testing Market

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Polaris Market Research presents a most up-to-date research on " Blood Testing Market [By Test Type (Glucose Testing, Lipid Profile, Liver Function Tests, Prostate Specific Antigen, Hormones, Blood Urea Nitrogen, High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, Serum Nicotine/Cotinine, and Others); By Product Type (Instruments, Software & Services, and Reagents & Testing Kits); By End-users (Laboratory, Hospitals, Point-of-Care (POC) Testing, and Blood Banks); By Region]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017  2026 ".According to the latest market report published by the company titled Blood Testing Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2018  2026, the global Blood Testing Market Size Worth US$ 65,464.3 Mn by the end of 2026 and grow at a CAGR of 2.6% during the forecast period.Request for a sample of this research report @Top Key Players- Abbott Laboratories Alere, Inc. Becton Dickinson and Company Bio-Rad Laboratories Beckman CoulterIncreasing dependency of doctors on blood-based diagnosis to ensure reliable and rapid treatment, along with rapidly growing geriatric population are the major factors which drives the blood testing device market. Moreover, surge in the demand for blood donations and organ donors, and increasing awareness about the safety of donated blood further increase the market growth. The other key factors enhancing the global market growth include multiplying prevalence of infectious diseases such as bacterial and viral diseases and other health-related disorders such as HIV, cancer, thyroid, and genetic disorders, and the exponential increase in the number of point of care (POC) testing. Use of self-testing products and home diagnostic tests, blood testing in under-developed countries, and research and development for developing new testing technologies further provide growth opportunities for the blood testing market in the forecast period.In the era of rapid and effective medical treatments, physicians and other medical personnel are dependent on various types of laboratory testing in order to make an accurate diagnosis and carry out subsequent treatment measures. Thus, increasing reliance on physicians for blood-based diagnosis to ensure reliable and rapid treatment procedures are the factors anticipated to enhance the blood testing market in the forecast period. Generally, the elderly population who are susceptible to age-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases require more frequent blood testing. Furthermore, the elderly population undergoes complex surgical procedures such as dialysis, joint replacements and cancer therapies which requires blood transfusions. These factors are anticipated to bolster the demand for blood testing in the upcoming years.Make Inquiry about this report @Recent times have witnessed an increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases such as bacterial and viral diseases, and other disorders such as HIV, cancer, thyroid, and genetic disorders in all age groups and population. Blood testing plays a vital role in the identification of the causative agents of these diseases and disorders thereby boosting the growth of this market. Also, the growing number of POC testing has led to the increased growth of the market.Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to the increasing economic growth in developing economies such as India, China and Japan. Various factors governing the growth in this region include large patient pool, increasing ageing population, rising standard of living, high disposable income, increasing health awareness, and improving medical facilities. Furthermore, global players are tapping into these countries, which in turn are expected to boost the market growth.The different types of blood testing include glucose testing, lipid profile, liver function tests, prostate specific antigen, hormones, blood urea nitrogen, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein, thyroid stimulating hormone, serum nicotine/cotinine and others. The glucose testing segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period due to increasing population of diabetic patients and changing lifestyles. Blood glucose testing is conducted by both laboratories and point of care testing.The major market players profiled in the report include Abbott Laboratories, Alere, Inc., Becton Dickinson and Company, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, bioMerieux SA, Biomerica Inc., Bruker Corporation, Nanosphere Inc., Nipro Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Siemens AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Trinity Biotech PLC among others. These market players have adopted various strategies such as merger & acquisitions, novel product development, and venture capital investments among others to expand their foothold and increase their customer base.Browse Complete Summary of this report @About Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers.Contact usMr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: neel@polarismarketresearch.comWeb:
Cyber Security Market Brief Analysis By Top Key Players - Symantec Corporation, Intel Security, Fortinet, Centrify Corporation, BAE Systems Inc and EMC Corporation

Cyber Security Market

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Polaris Market Research presents a most up-to-date research on " Cyber Security Market [By Type (Enterprise Security, Network Security, Application Security, Endpoint Security, Others), By Deployment Model (On-Premise, Cloud-Based), By End-User (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Healthcare, Retail, Defense and Government, Travel and Hospitality, Others), By Organization Size (Large Enterprises, Small and Medium Businesses), By Solution (Encryption, Unified Threat Management, Identity and Access Management, Data Loss Prevention, Antivirus/Anti-Malware, Risk and Compliance Management, Disaster Recovery, Others), By Component (Solutions, Services), By Region]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017  2026 ".According to the latest market report published by the company titled Cyber Security Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2017  2026, the global Cyber Security Market to surpass US$ 269 billion by the end of 2026 and grow at a CAGR of 12.7% during the forecast period.Request for a sample of this research report @Brief analysis by top key players Symantec Corporation, Cisco Systems Inc., BAE Systems Inc., EMC Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Intel Security, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint Inc., LogRhythm Inc., IBM Corporation, Fortinet, Inc., Centrify Corporation, Check Point , Cisco, CyberArk, F-Secure, McAfee, Micro Focus, Trend Micro, and Juniper NetworksThe growing need for protection of sensitive data, and increasing cyber terrorism has boosted the adoption of cyber security solutions. The rising penetration of mobile devices, and increasing trend of BYOD further support the growth of this market. Additionally, the increasing demand of cyber security solutions from small and medium enterprises has supported market growth over the years. Increasing investments by vendors in technological advancements coupled with growing demand for cloud-based cyber security solutions would accelerate the growth of the cyber security market. However, However, growing use of pirated cyber security solutions, and complexities associated with device security hinder market growth. Growing demand from emerging economies is expected to provide numerous growth opportunities in the coming years.Make Inquiry about this report @The cases of cyber-attacks in the healthcare sector have increased significantly over the years. The high demand for electronic health records in the black market has resulted in numerous cyber-attacks. The healthcare sector is prone to cyber-attacks owing to limited budget allocation by healthcare institutions for cyber security. The healthcare sector is dominated by small practices and rural hospitals, which lack the resources for investment in cyber security, thereby increasing risks of cyber-attacks. However, introduction of affordable cyber security solutions for healthcare sector, increasing awareness, and growing incidences of cyber-attacks are expected to promote the adoption of cyber security in this sector.North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The increase in number of cyber-attacks, and growing trend of BYOD drive the market growth in the region. The growing penetration of mobile devices, and technological advancements further support market growth in the region. The increasing spending on data protection in BFSI and defense sectors in the region further promote market growth in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to growing need for data privacy across various industries in the developing countries of the region.The end-users in Cyber Security market include BFSI, IT & Telecom, healthcare, retail, defense and government, travel and hospitality, and others. In 2017, the defense and government segment accounted for the highest market share owing to increasing need to protect sensitive data and avoid cyber-attacks. The growing government spending to provide enhanced cyber security to the public sector and increasing implementation of cyber security installations in the defense sector, especially in developing countries, supports the market growth in this sector. The increasing adoption of cloud-based cyber security in this sector is expected to support market growth in the coming years.Browse Complete Summary of this report @About Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers.Contact usMr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: neel@polarismarketresearch.comWeb:
Worldwide $23.28 Bn Image Sensor Market Quadruples by 2022; with a ~ 10.67 % of Whooping CAGR | ST Microelectronics, Sony Corporation, Canon, Inc, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Panasonic Corporation

Image Sensor Market

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Crystal Market Research has announced the addition of the "Image Sensor Market Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2018-2022" report to their offering.The global Image Sensor market was worth USD 8.45 billion in the year 2012 and is expected to reach approximately USD 23.28 billion by 2022, while registering itself at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.67% during the forecast period.Access Sample Copy of This Report:Competitive Insights:Advancement, new item improvement, and redesigns alongside the incessant launch of new items will be the key development methodologies for the business players in the upcoming years. The major players in the market are ST Microelectronics, Sony Corporation, Canon, Inc, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Panasonic Corporation. Merger and acquisitions among the players is likewise thought to be one of the technique executed for building up the upgraded item in the business. For example, one of the significant business players, Sony Corporation, procured Toshiba Corporations image sensor unit in 2016.Industry Outlook and Trend Analysis:The sensing devices are utilized to conquer the degradation of natural light and the quality happens when the pixel estimate is diminished. The expanding requirement for devices with smaller pixels giving high resolution with cost-efficiency approach is anticipated to fuel the market development over the estimate time frame. The market has been encountering a significant change over the most recent couple of years. The technological headways and extreme utilization of images crosswise over different applications have driven the change of picture sensors in the worldwide market. With the expanding R&D ventures, sensing equipment has turned out to be less expensive, power efficient, and smaller, offering chances to the business players. The expanding cell phone section, particularly smartphones, is expected to boost the fragment development over the figure time frame. The expanding worries for security and surveillance in parks, open squares, public squares, and malls and the expanding terrorist attacks are the central point expanding the requirement for better determination cameras for security and observation. Nonetheless, the surging requirement for digital still cameras and cell phones has brought about deficiencies in focal points and picture sensors. Moreover, the dynamic idea of semiconductor business may control the section development over the estimate time frame.Technology Outlook and Trend Analysis:In 2014, the CMOS technology produced the most astounding income and is relied upon to keep up its strength over the predicted time frame inferable from its cost-effectiveness, compact nature, and low power consumption, which makes it perfect for use in different applications. It is utilized as a part of microcontrollers, static RAM, microprocessors, and other analog circuits, for example, highly integrated transceivers and data converters. The CCD technology is required to have an extensive development attributable to the high-cost and high power utilization. CCD innovation can be utilized as a part of different applications requiring an additional affectability of the electron multiplying CCD.The Image Sensor Market is segmented as follows-Image Sensor Market, By Technology:CCDCMOSImage Sensor Market, By Application:Industrial/DefenseAutomotiveMedicalSecurity &SurveillanceConsumer ElectronicsOthersGet More Information of This Report:Application Outlook and Trend Analysis:Image Sensors application portion can be classified into security & surveillance, industrial/defense, automotive, consumer electronics, and medical. In 2015, Consumer electronics ruled the business on the basis of profit. The expansion and implementation of dual cameras in cell phones are relied upon to spur the demand. Additionally, more intelligent and minimized cameras can likewise help in overseeing activity impacting the interest for movement observation cameras which is relied upon to encourage significantly increment the market development. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is foreseen to be the critical driver for section development over the estimate time frame. Contingent upon the machine vision, the framework responds to the circumstance experienced while driving. However, the technology has discovered a huge move toward the pervasiveness crosswise over other auto portions. The requirement is additionally anticipated that would boost attributable to the stringent administrative standards focusing to enhance street security for pedestrians and drivers over the gauge time frame.Image Sensor Market, By Region:North America - U.S, Canada, MexicoEurope - Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific - Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia PacificRest of the World - Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, OthersRegional Outlook and Trend Analysis:The Asia Pacific area is required to remain the key income creating locale, representing the biggest share in the following years. Positive consumer inclinations alongside the existence of an expansive number of producers in the area are a few components representing the vast offer. The area is expected to be the biggest market sooner rather than later attributable to the change from analog to digital systems. The region of Asia Pacific is foreseen to witness a noteworthy requirement, especially in China and India, in view of the accessibility of economy and in addition high-end luxury vehicles. The developing framework advancement and government activities toward security at open places in locales, for example, India are foreseen to expand the interest for industry. The legislature driven activities, for example, Make in India and Digital India, are foreseen to help the penetration of cell phones and other shopper gadgets in the locale, bringing about expanding the business request.Image Sensor Market, ToC:Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Executive SummaryChapter 3. Market OverviewChapter 4. Image Sensor Market, By TechnologyChapter 5. Image Sensor Market, By ApplicationChapter 6. Image Sensor Market, By RegionChapter 7. Company Profiles....List of Tables:Table 1.Global Image Sensor Market, By Technology, 2012-2022 ($Million)Table 2.CMOS Market, By Region, 2012-2022 ($Million)Table 3.CCD Market, By Region, 2012-2022 ($Million)Table 4.Global Image Sensor Market, By Application, 2012-2022 ($Million)Table 5.Automotive Market, By Region, 2012-2022 ($Million)....List of Figures:Figure 1.Global Image Sensor Market Share, By Technology, 2016 & 2025Figure 2.Global Image Sensor Market, By Application, 2016, ($Million)Figure 3.Global Image Sensor Market, By Region, 2016, ($Million)Figure 4.Sony Corporation: Net Revenues, 2014-2016 ($Million)...Discuss Our Expert Team:Reason to Buy -Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Image Sensor market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.TO BE CONTINUEDAbout 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 customised 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 Us:Judy304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: sales@crystalmarketresearch.com
Worldwide Agricultural Microbials Market Analysis 2018, Major Key Players Reviews  Syngenta AG, BASF SE, Dow AgroSciences LLC, Monsanto Company, Etc.

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Market Definition:Increasing awareness regarding agricultural Microbials has raised the bar for quality, which in turn, has increased the market share of agricultural Microbials globally. Mass market penetration is leading to the introduction of new products based out of agricultural Microbials and their retail across various regions. Additionally, the market is growing due to increasing population coupled with increasing demand for food. In addition to the increasing population, growing demand for food, increase in the crop production, soil efficiency, and high-quality yield is expected to drive the agricultural Microbials market.Various government initiatives, amplified funding, and grants for sustainable agriculture are supporting the growth of agricultural Microbials market. Various benefits associated with the application of agricultural Microbials such as improved soil quality, water holding capacity, crop productivity, and disease control is influencing the growth of the market.The global agricultural Microbials market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% during the forecast period, 2017-2023.Get a Unique Sample Report @Market Scenario:Agricultural Microbials contain microbes which are essential for the plant growth. They are beneficial microbes formulated and applied to the soil or seed. They assist in inserting nutrients necessary for the plant growth and suppressing diseases, which helps in overall growth of the plant. The standard of agricultural Microbials have been changing and the rate of their usage is also on the rise. Increasing trend of organic farming practices owing to high demand for organic products among the rising population is driving the growth of the market.Key Players:Some of the key players profiled in the global agricultural Microbials market: Syngenta AG (Switzerland), BASF SE (Germany), Novozymes A/S (Denmark), Dow AgroSciences LLC (U.S.), Sumitomo Chemical Company, Ltd. (Japan), Nufarm Ltd. (Australia), Bayer CropScience AG (Germany), Koppert B.V. (the Netherlands), Certis U.S.A. LLC (U.S.), and Monsanto Company (U.S.)Key Findings:High demand for agricultural products has surged the global market for agricultural MicrobialsIncreasing agricultural practice is the reason for growing demand for agricultural MicrobialsApplication of agricultural Microbials is projected to witness highest growth rate in the fruits & vegetables segment followed by the cereals & pulses over the estimated periodReasons to Purchase Agricultural Microbial Market Report:To have an understanding of the fastest growing or/and largest regions during the forecast period for global agricultural microbial marketThe report outlines drives, restraints and trends that are currently effecting the marketAnalyzing various perspectives of the market with the help of Porters five forces analysisThe report covers in-detail insights about the competitors overview, company share analysisIdentify the latest developments, market shares and strategies employed by the major market players.3 months analyst support along with the Market Estimate sheet in excel.Regional Analysis:The global agricultural Microbials market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (RoW). The Asia Pacific region is dominating the agricultural Microbials market followed by North America owing to rising population followed by increasing consumption of agricultural products in the developing regions. Moreover, agriculture is the key business in India, which is anticipated to drive the agricultural Microbials market over the forecast period.Furthermore, the U.S. dominates the North American agricultural Microbials market owing to increasing consumer awareness and growing demand for fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, and other crops, which is anticipated to boost the growth of the agricultural Microbials market during the review period.Access Report Deatails @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Trend brand Market Is Booming Worldwide | Chrome Hearts, Acne Studios, Alexander McQueen

Trend brand Market

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HTF Market Intelligence released a new research report of 120 pages on title 'Global Trend brand Market Report 2018with detailed analysis, forecast and strategies. The study covers key regions that includes North America, Europe or Asia and important players such as Supreme, Off White, A Bathing Ape, Comme Des Garcons, Chrome Hearts, Acne Studios, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Palace, Stephane Raynor, Superdry, Vans, AdidasY-3, KENZO, MCM,Christian louboutn, Stussy, Champion, CARHARTT, MishkaRequest a sample report @Summarywith the slowdown in world economic growth, the Trend brand industry has also suffered a certain impact, but still maintained a relatively optimistic growth, the past four years, Trend brand market size to maintain the average annual growth rate of XXX from XXX million $ in 2014 to XXX million $ in 2017, BisReport analysts believe that in the next few years, Trend brand market size will be further expanded, we expect that by 2022, The market size of the Trend brand will reach XXX million $.This Report covers the manufacturers data, including: shipment, price, revenue, gross profit, interview record, business distribution etc., these data help the consumer know about the competitors better. This report also covers all the regions and countries of the world, which shows a regional development status, including market size, volume and value, as well as price data.Besides, the report also covers segment data, including: type segment, industry segment, channel segment etc. cover different segment market size, both volume and value. Also cover different industries clients information, which is very important for the manufacturers.Section 1: FreeDefinitionSection (2 3): 1200 USDManufacturer DetailSupreme, Off White, A Bathing Ape, Comme Des Garcons, Chrome Hearts, Acne Studios, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Palace, Stephane Raynor, Superdry, Vans, AdidasY-3, KENZO, MCM,Christian louboutn, Stussy, Champion, CARHARTT, MishkaSection 4: 900 USDRegion SegmentationNorth America Country (United States, Canada)South AmericaAsia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)Section (5 6 7): 500 USDProduct Type SegmentationT-ShirtDressesPantsShoesJacketIndustry SegmentationMenWomenKidChannel (Direct Sales, Distributor) SegmentationSection 8: 400 USDTrend (2018-2022)Section 9: 300 USDProduct Type DetailSection 10: 700 USDDownstream ConsumerSection 11: 200 USDCost StructureSection 12: 500 USDConclusionMake an enquiry before buying this Report @Table of ContentsSection 1 Trend brand Product DefinitionSection 2 Global Trend brand Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview2.1 Global Manufacturer Trend brand Shipments2.2 Global Manufacturer Trend brand Business Revenue2.3 Global Trend brand Market OverviewSection 3 Manufacturer Trend brand Business Introduction3.1 Supreme Trend brand Business Introduction3.1.1 Supreme Trend brand Shipments, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2014-20173.1.2 Supreme Trend brand Business Distribution by Region3.1.3 Supreme Interview Record3.1.4 Supreme Trend brand Business Profile3.1.5 Supreme Trend brand Product Specification3.2 Off White Trend brand Business Introduction3.2.1 Off White Trend brand Shipments, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2014-20173.2.2 Off White Trend brand Business Distribution by Region3.2.3 Interview Record3.2.4 Off White Trend brand Business Overview3.2.5 Off White Trend brand Product Specification3.3 A Bathing Ape Trend brand Business Introduction3.3.1 A Bathing Ape Trend brand Shipments, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2014-20173.3.2 A Bathing Ape Trend brand Business Distribution by Region3.3.3 Interview Record3.3.4 A Bathing Ape Trend brand Business Overview3.3.5 A Bathing Ape Trend brand Product Specification3.4 Comme Des Garcons Trend brand Business Introduction3.5 Chrome Hearts Trend brand Business Introduction3.6 Acne Studios Trend brand Business IntroductionSection 4 Global Trend brand Market Segmentation (Region Level)4.1 North America Country4.1.1 United States Trend brand Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.1.2 Canada Trend brand Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.2 South America Country4.2.1 South America Trend brand Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.3 Asia Country4.3.1 China Trend brand Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.3.2 Japan Trend brand Market SizeView Detailed Table of Content @HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at
Global Steam Turbine Market Share, Trends and Forecast to 2025 | GE, Siemens, Elliott, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, MAN

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This report presents the worldwide Steam Turbine market size (value, production and consumption), splits the breakdown (data status 2013-2018 and forecast to 2025), by manufacturers, region, type and application.This study 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.Steam Turbine is a device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft.As for the North America steam turbine industry, the industry structure is relatively concentrated. The top three manufacturers have 75.07% revenue market share in 2015. The USA giant GE, which has 36.17% market share in 2015, is the leader in the North America steam turbine industry. The manufacturers following GE are Siemens and Elliott, which respectively has 34.57% and 8.24% market share in North America region.The downstream industries of steam turbine products are industrial, power generation and marine. In the recent years, with the recovery of United States economic, the development of emerging country, such as Mexico, and the construction of factory, the consumption increase of steam turbine will be obvious. In the foreseeable future, the steam turbine products will show an optimistic upward trend.Request to Get Sample Copy of This Report @The Steam Turbine market was valued at xx Million US$ in 2017 and is projected to reach xx Million US$ by 2025, at a CAGR of xx% 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 Steam Turbine.The following manufacturers are covered in this report:GESiemensElliottToshibaMitsubishi Hitachi Power SystemsMANSteam Turbine Breakdown Data by TypeRated Power (200MW)Steam Turbine Breakdown Data by ApplicationIndustrialMarinePower GenerationSteam Turbine Production by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanOther RegionsSteam Turbine Consumption by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaRequest to Get Complete Report List Of Tables and Figures @The study objectives are:To analyze and research the global Steam Turbine status and future forecastinvolving, production, revenue, consumption, historical and forecast.To present the key Steam Turbine manufacturers, production, revenue, market share, and recent development.To split the breakdown data by regions, type, manufacturers and applications.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends, drivers, influence factors in global and regions.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Steam Turbine :History Year: 2013 - 2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year: 2018 - 2025This report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (MW). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Steam Turbine market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets in the overall market. Key players in the market have been identified through secondary research, and their market shares have been determined through primary and secondary research. All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources.For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.MarketResearchReports.biz is a seller of syndicated market studies, featuring an exhaustive collection of research reports from leading international publishers. Our repositoryis diverse, spanningvirtually every industrial sector and even more every category and sub-category within the industry. We also provide consulting services to enable our clients have adynamicbusiness perspective.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Alpana Singh, the longtime face of WTTW's restaurant review show "Check, Please!" announced Wednesday she'll be stepping down as host after 10 seasons.

Singh, 36, opened a River North wine bar and restaurant in December called The Boarding House. She said running the restaurant has become a full-time job, and necessitated her leaving the show.

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"It's been just an amazingly awesome 10 years," Singh said. "But once you become a restaurant owner-operator, there's just no way. I come home and sleep for six hours and go straight back to the restaurant."

Singh was a sommelier at Everest when she took over hosting duties in 2004. She has taped 130-plus episodes, and the show is among the highest-rated programs on WTTW with 150,000 weekly viewers. The concept has since been franchised to public television stations in five other cities, including San Francisco and Miami.



"Check, Please!" creator David Manilow said he will begin the search for a new host in February. The show's 13th season will begin taping in June, and Singh will appear on repeat episodes until the new season airs in October.

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"We're looking for knowledge and expertise in the culinary world," Manilow said. "Someone who's inclusive and likable and able to keep a conversation."

Manilow said interest in the hosting job is already high. Within minutes of the announcement Wednesday morning, he had a half-dozen prospective hosts e-mail resumes and video reels.
Know the Future Opportunities And Current Trends in Online Tourism Market: Global Industry Analysis by Top Key Vendors like Expedia Inc., Booking Holdings Inc.

Online Tourism Market

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The report on Global Online Tourism Market describes an in-depth study of the market aspects such as the product definition, growth rate and current size of the industry. A broad analysis of the consumer demands, futuristic growth opportunities, and prevailing trends are also drafted in the report.The Global Online Tourism Market, on the basis of its geographical regions, is studied for key provincial markets concentrating on some particular trends and statistics, and through this it distributes the market size and the forecast values. The study explores and estimates the modest landscape, popular business models and the apparent innovations in offerings by major players in the coming years.Company Profiled: Trip Advisor, Inc., Ctrip.com International, Ltd.Request for Sample PDF Copy at:The report provides a brief timeline for each segment of the global Online Tourism Market. Key drivers and restraints impacting the market segments are also demonstrated precisely. It also helps in determining reasons for the progress of certain segments over others in the future years. The overall market is also segmented on the basis of geography in the United States, Europe, India, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. The geographical segmentation provides a different assessment of the factors supporting these regions and the favorable regulatory policies.This research study gives a Knowledge through the summary which comprises of the overall data such as, segments, sub-segments, info graphics, charts, tables and diagrams. The research also helps in probing the Online Tourism Market in its forecast period. The study explores and estimates the modest landscape, popular business models and the apparent innovations in offerings by major players in the coming years.Ask for Discount on this Report at:The drivers, restraints and opportunities have permitted an access to know more about the market growth and the future scope in the Online Tourism Market. Since the market is still in its development stage, small scale traders have the odds of being purchased by the rich contributors in the market. It is stated that the market rises on the basis of value, growth, advantages, distribution and advertising.Table of Content:Chapter 1: Online Tourism Market OverviewChapter 2: Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3: Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4: Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5: Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6: Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7: Online Tourism Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8: Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11: Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12: Online Tourism Market ForecastEnquiry Before Buying this Report:About QYReports:We at QYReports, a leading market research report publisher cater to more than 4,000 prestigious clients worldwide meeting their customized research requirements in terms of market data size and its application. Our list of customers include renouned Chinese companies multinational companies, SMEs and private equity firms. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering you accurate, in depth and reliable market insight, industry analysis and structure. QYResearchs specialize in forecasts needed for investing in an and execution of a new project globally and in Chinese markets.The Work Lab,FC Road, Pune, MH, India411016
MEM media Market: Growth & Revenue Opportunities by Top Key Players ThermoFisher Inc., Sigma Aldrich, Lonza, BI Worldwide, STEMCELL, Corning, Atlanta Biologicals, Nippon Genetics, Miltenyi Biotec, and Mediatech Inc.

MEM media

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The MEM media Market Research Report is a valuable source of insightful data for business strategies. It provides the Global MEM media industry overview with growth analysis and historical & futuristic cost, revenue, demand and supply data (as applicable). The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis.MEM media is a type of cell culture medium used to maintain cells in tissue culture. The MEM media culture contains amino acid, salts, glucose, and vitamins. An improvised version of MEM consists of approximately four times as much of amino acids and vitamins present in initial version of the cell culture formula. Moreover, the improvised formula also contains two to four times the glucose and other substances such as iron and phenol red. The culture medium can be used for most types of animal cells such as monkey, hamster, rat, chicken, and others.Increase in application and advantages of MEM media in cell culture and research is expected to drive the market. In addition, increase in government initiatives for research in biopharmaceutical industry boosts the growth of the market. However, lack of efficient research infrastructure and high maintenance cost for research facilities impedes the growth of the MEM media market.Download PDF Report Sample @Comprehensive competitive analysis and profiles of major market players such as ThermoFisher Inc. Sigma Aldrich Lonza BI Worldwide STEMCELL Corning Atlanta Biologicals Nippon Genetics Miltenyi Biotec Mediatech Inc.The global MEM media market is segmented based on media component, media form, and geography. Based on media component, the market is divided into with L-glutamine and without L-glutamine. Based on media form, the market is bifurcated into liquid type and powder type. By geography, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. These regions are further analyzed across the globe at country level to determine the market size and forecast for each segment and sub-segment.Get Customized Report @Key Benefits The study provides an in-depth analysis of the market along with current trends and future estimations to elucidate the imminent investment pockets. Extensive analysis of the market is conducted by following key media component positioning and monitoring the top competitors within the market framework. It offers a quantitative analysis from 2017 to 2023 to enable the stakeholders to capitalize on the prevailing market opportunities. Comprehensive analysis of all geographical regions is provided to determine the prevailing opportunities. Key players are profiled and their strategies are analyzed thoroughly to understand the competitive outlook of the global market.Access Full Summery @About Us:Allied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:
Ultrafiltration Membrane Global Market Analysis 2012-2017 and Forecast 2018-2023

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GET SAMPLE REPORT @The global Ultrafiltration Membrane 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 Ultrafiltration Membrane 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.):Organic membraneInorganic membraneCompany Coverage (Sales Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Main Products etc.):KochAsahi KaseiGEEvoqua Water TechnologiesMitsubishi RayonTorayPentair(X-Flow)Degremont TechnologiesApplied MembranesUnited Envirotech(Memstar)BASF(inge GmbH)TriSepSynder FiltrationDowNITTO DENKO CORPORATIONLitreeOrigin WaterTianjin MOTIMOZhaojin MotianMemsino Membrane TechnologyChaoyuApplication Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Different Demand Market by Region, Main Consumer Profile etc.):Drinking WaterIndustrialPharmaceuticalFood and BioengineeringSeawater ReverseOsmosis PretreatmentRegion Coverage (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries etc.):North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaACCESS REPORTTable of Contents1 Industry Overview1.1 Ultrafiltration Membrane Industry1.1.1 Overview1.1.2 Development of Ultrafiltration Membrane1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 Upstream1.2.2 Downstream1.3 Cost Analysis2 Industry Environment2.1 Policy2.2 Economics2.3 Sociology2.4 Technology3 Ultrafiltration Membrane Market by Type3.1 By Type3.1.1 Organic membrane3.1.2 Inorganic membrane3.2 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
Maya Beach is closed, but stunning views of the Bay can still be enjoyed!

Stunning views of Maya Bay, taken from a boat in the front of the Bay on 19 October, 2018

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Krabis Mu Ko Phi Phi remains open to divers, day trippers and holidaymakersBangkok, Thailand, 24 October, 2018  The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to clarify that while the world famous Maya Beach is closed, stunning views of the Bay can still be enjoyed.The clarification is based on last weeks trip, from 19 to 20 October, by a TAT delegation led by TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn to obtain a first-hand view of the reality on the ground.The TAT delegation learned that Phi Phi Leh Island, where Maya Bay is located, is still open to tourists. Maya Beach itself is off limits, but visitors can still enjoy the stunning views of Maya Bay  without people - from a boat. They can also enjoy snorkelling in the front of the Bay.Diving and snorkelling trips around Mu Ko Phi Phi are also running as usual.Holidaymakers can also stay overnight on Phi Phi Don Island and enjoy many other beautiful beaches and bays of Krabis Hat Noppharat TharaMu Ko Phi Phi National Park.Phi Phi Don Islands main pier is at Tonsai Bay, which is the busiest with a host of accommodation, restaurants and tourist shops. For visitors seeking to relax and stay away from the crowd, they may want to stay on one of the other beaches; such as, Laem Tong Beach.Laem Tong Beach is situated at the northern end of Phi Phi Don Island and is only accessible by a 45-minute boat ride from the main pier. It is home to a beautiful and secluded beach as well as a handful of four- to five-star accommodation. These resorts are known for their sustainable operations adhering to strict guidelines to reduce their impact on the environment.From Phi Phi Don Island, local long-tail boats can be hired for a day cruise to view Maya Bay, visit Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island, as well as enjoy snorkelling and swimming.Day trips can also be made from Krabi and Phuket to enjoy the beautiful nature of the Hat Noppharat TharaMu Ko Phi Phi National Park.Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said: For many years, the local community at Mu Ko Phi Phi has been undergoing a regular beach and underwater clean-up aimed at helping to preserve the marine ecosystem as well as the coral reef system, which are the reasons why tourists and divers return to the area year after year.TAT is ready to support all stakeholders to work together to achieve common goals towards socially and environmentally sustainable tourism.About TAT Newsroom:TAT Newsroom () is the official newsroom of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), under the International Public Relations Division. It is committed to supporting international media by providing the latest press releases, festivals & events, other Thai travel news as well as compelling Thailand travel articles.The Amiris - PR, Newsroom & Communications Agency48/22 (1st Floor) Premium Place 8, Sukhontasawas Road,Soi Sukhontasawas 38, Ladprao, Bangkok 10230 Thailand
Commodity Chemicals Market to Penetrate Untapped Regions During 2020

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Commodity chemicals (bulk chemicals) are a group of chemicals that are made on a very large scale and act as intermediates to produce other chemicals, which, in turn are used to produce a extensive range of end-user products including construction materials, adhesives, plastics, apparel and tires. Commodity chemicals are the largest sub-segment of the chemical industry. Commodity chemicals are commonly traded under broad categories such as organics, inorganics, plastics resins, synthetic rubbers, fibers, films, explosives and petrochemicals. These broad categories include chemicals such as, acetic acid, acetone, acrylate esters, adipic acid, acrylonitrate, benzene, bisphenol, butadiene, butanediol, butyl acetate, hexane, melamine, polyvinyl chloride, propylene, methanol, methyl, glycol and glycerines. These chemical are very low in product differentiation, and hence making price the dominant economic factor in purchasing decisions for the end users.Request For Report Sample@The commodity chemical industry is highly fragmented and served with large number of local or regional players. Asia Pacific is by far the largest market for commodity chemicals accounting almost half of the total market. It is followed by North America and Europe. The growth prospective is still high in Asia Pacific attributed to the growing economy and ongoing trend and support for manufacturing sector in the developing countries such as India, China, and Indonesia. Bulk availability of crude oil and natural gas from gulf countries such as Saudi Arabian, Iran, Iraq and Syria is helping the commodity chemical industries in Asia Pacific.Commodity chemicals serve a wide range of industries ranging from personal care products to aerospace industries. It has its application either directly or indirectly in almost all manufacturing industries. The economy growth and increasing Gross domestic product (GDP) of developed and developing countries around the world is boosting the overall market of commodity chemicals. However the stiff regulation of the governments around the world regarding the health and environment side effect of chemicals and fluctuating prices of crude oil and natural gas are posing significant challenge for the industry.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@Some of the major players in commodity chemicals market include, BASF SE, Bayer AG, The Dow Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, PPG industries, Linde Group, Akzo Nobel, LyondellBasell Industries, Asahi Kasei, Sumitomo chemicals, Evonik Industries, INEOS Group Holding and Chem China.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market Forecasts, Demand and Key Players: IBM, Nuance Communications, Clara Labs, eGain Corporation, Creative Virtual, CX Company, Artificial Solutions, Anboto

Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) Market

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North America is anticipated to dominate the overall intelligent virtual assistant market owing the early technological adoption. In addition, increasing adoption of smartphones coupled with the implementation of BYOD business model is expected to boost the demand for IVA in the region.Asia Pacific intelligent virtual assistant market is expected to witness significant growth pertaining to the growth in emerging economies such as China and India.Request for a sample of this research report @Growing focus on streamlining business activities to lower the overall operating cost will also propel the intelligent virtual assistant market size. IVAs have application across several business processes such as interviewing, employee training and advertising that allow enterprises to minimize the cost.With the help of smartphones and other mobile devices, tasks such as checking in with staff, location based reminders, searching through emails, and scheduling meetings makes the work life of the employee more efficient. Thus, the increasing penetration of mobile devices is expected to provide a fillip to the intelligent virtual assistant market share.Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) Market is set to exceed USD 10 billion by 2024. Increasing demand across various industrial verticals such as BFSI, healthcare is expected to drive the IVA market growth over the forecast timeline. Deployment of this technology in mobile devices, social media and company websites provide lucrative growth opportunities for the IVA market growth. The personalized experience provided by the virtual assistants such as interaction in natural language eliminates the possibility of being in touch with the support team thus improving customer satisfaction.Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market share as service assistant is anticipated to witness high adoption over the future as it is capable of assisting businesses on customer requirements and work flow balance, thereby, delivering immediate productivity. Intelligent virtual assistant market share as customer assistants is projected to grow considerably at nearly 35% CAGR over the forecast timeline.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. IBM2. Nuance Communications3. Clara Labs4. eGain Corporation5. Creative Virtual6. CX Company7. Artificial Solutions8. AnbotoIVA market by technologyo Speech Recognitiono Text-to-Speecho Voice RecognitionIVA market by serviceo Customer Serviceo Marketing AssistantMake an inquiry for buying this report @Based on services, the customer assisted segment is predicted to witness high growth over the years pertaining to the improvised response provided by the IVAs fulfilling the potential customer needs. However, the capability of this technology to manage many requests enabling the companies to concentrate on their core competencies also contributes to the growth of the intelligent virtual assistant market.IVA technology is expected to witness high demand in automotive applications. This can be attributed to the increasing use of this technology by key automotive players to optimize the maximum potential. The growing adoption of this technology for automotive applications owing to the features such as driving assistance in order to eliminate risks is expected to fuel the demand for intelligent virtual assistant market over the forecast timespan.Companies contributing to the intelligent virtual assistant market share include IBM Corporation, Nuance, Clara Labs, InteliWISE, eGain Communications, Creative Virtual, CX Company, 24/7 Customer Inc., Artificial Solutions and Anboto among others.Browse Full Reports: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:
ADAS Market Trend, Revenue, Regional Analysis 2018-2024 By Key Companies  Autoliv, Continental, Delphi, Denso, Harman International, Hella, Texas Instruments, Valeo, Panasonic

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ADAS market from image sensors is expected to showcase dominance, accounting for over 33% revenue share over the next eight years. These sensors are installed in majority of the technologies including surround view, night vision, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, etc., primarily contributing to the revenue generation. These applications are rapidly growing across the globe, resulting in increased demand for image sensors. Cost effectiveness as compared to the counterparts is another factor supporting the industry dominance. Radar sensors will witness highest growth owing to their extensive usage in AEB and adaptive cruise control systems.Sample Copy of This Report @Park assist is likely to dominate the ADAS market, exhibiting over 16% volume share till 2024. These systems have witnessed strong prevalence in the industry since past few years. Moreover, their low prices as compared to the counterparts has resulted in their high implementation by the customers, supporting the revenue generation. Cost effectiveness also leads to their aftermarket adoption by small and medium car owners. Forward collision warning will grow rapidly owing to their rising installation in commercial and passenger vehicles. High installation is credited to rising number of accidents and fatalities across the globe.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. Valeo SA2. TRW Automotive3. Texas Instruments4. Takata Corporation5. Renesas Electronics Corporation6. Panasonic Corporation7. NXP Semiconductor Inc8. NVIDIA Corporation9. Mobileye N.V10. Magna International Inc11. Hyundai Mobis12. Hella KGaA Hueck & Co13. Harman International14. Gentex Corporation15. Denso Corporation16. Delphi Automotive17. Continental AG18. Bosch Group19. Autoliv AB20. Aisin Seiki CoMake an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @PCV will dominate the ADAS market, accounting for over 65% volume share by the end of 2024. Rising road safety concerns has led to their increased installation in these vehicles. Rising demand for ADAS installation in vehicles owing to increasing concerns regarding driver safety will significantly contribute towards the revenue generation. Moreover, substantial rise in the sales of premium vehicles across the globe will further strengthen the product penetration. HCVs are likely to grow substantially owing to stringent regulations regarding ADAS installation in these vehicles in developed regions such as Europe.Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) Market By Technology Adaptive cruise control Automatic high beam control Autonomous park assist Blind spot detection Driver monitoring Forward collision warning Front lighting AEB Night vision Head up display Lane departure warning Park assist Surround view system Traffic sign recognition Tire pressure monitoring systemADAS market from OEMs will dominate the industry share over the forecast timeframe owing to their installation during the production process. The OEMs ensure proper maintenance of the product safety standards. This results in their high preference as compared to the counterpart, supporting the industry dominance. Aftermarket will grow significantly owing to cost-effective nature of the products through this channel. Rising accident rate across the globe will further increase the replacement demand for these products, propelling the industry growth over the coming years.North America ADAS market is expected to acquire maximum volume share of more than 34% over the next eight years. Rising number of testing procedures for these technologies along with established automobile industry in the region will primarily contribute to the high revenue generation. Higher penetration of ADAS and stringent regulatory norms regarding their mandatory installation will further support the regional dominance. Asia Pacific will grow rapidly, exhibiting over 14.5% CAGR from 2017 to 2024. Rising traffic safety concerns and increasing demand from countries including Japan, China, and South Korea will further strengthen the industry penetration in the region.Browse Report Summery @Denso, Delphi Automotive, Continental, Autoliv, Bosch, Harman International, Mobileye N.V., TRW Automotive, Nvidia Corporation, and Hyundai Mobis are among the noticeable players in the ADAS market. Partnerships and mergers & acquisitions are few strategies majorly adopted by the industry participants. For instance, in June 2017, Autoliv announced its partnership with Volvo to form a joint venture, Zenuity for development of autonomous cars. This partnership further strengthened companys position in the industry.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.com
IoT Sensors 2018 Global Market Key Players  Linear Technology, Texas Instruments, LORD Corp, Semtech, Analog Devices, Millennial Net, Fujitsu, Renesas, Microsemi -Analysis And Forecast To 2025

IoT Sensors Market 2018

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IoT Sensors Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com Adds IoT Sensors  Global Market Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2025 To Its Research Database.Description:This report studies the global IoT Sensors market status and forecast, categorizes the global IoT Sensors market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and other regions.The major manufacturers covered in this reportLinear TechnologyTexas InstrumentsLORD CorpSemtechAnalog DevicesMillennial NetFujitsuRenesasMicrosemiSilicon LaboratoriesRequest for Sample Report @Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPressure SensorsTemperature SensorsLight SensorsOthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingConsumer ElectronicsHealthcareAutomotiveIndustrialBuilding AutomationRetailOtherEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Content:Global IoT Sensors Market Research Report 20181 IoT Sensors Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of IoT Sensors1.2 IoT Sensors Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global IoT Sensors Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global IoT Sensors Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Pressure Sensors1.2.3 Temperature Sensors1.2.5 Light SensorsOthers1.3 Global IoT Sensors Segment by Application1.3.1 IoT Sensors Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Consumer Electronics1.3.3 Healthcare1.3.4 Automotive1.3.5 Industrial1.3.6 Building Automation1.3.7 Retail1.3.8 Other1.4 Global IoT Sensors Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global IoT Sensors Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of IoT Sensors (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global IoT Sensors Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global IoT Sensors Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)..7 Global IoT Sensors Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Linear Technology7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Linear Technology IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Texas Instruments7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Texas Instruments IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 LORD Corp7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 LORD Corp IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Semtech7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Semtech IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Analog Devices7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Analog Devices IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Millennial Net7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Millennial Net IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Fujitsu7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Fujitsu IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Renesas7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Renesas IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Microsemi7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Microsemi IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Silicon Laboratories7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 IoT Sensors Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Silicon Laboratories IoT Sensors Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.10.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued..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 Personal Finance Servicesnning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Portable Battery Pack Market Opportunities, Growth Factors, Trend & Forecast Till 2023 Key Mophie Inc., Sony Corporation, Energizer Holding Inc

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Global Portable Battery Pack Market Size, Status and Forecast 2023, provides a 360-degree overview of the worldwide market. The portable battery pack is used to charge tablets, portable media players, smartphones, and other devices. Currently, portable media players and smartphones are considered rapidly growing portable entertainment products. In order to enhance battery backup, various technologies are used such as lithium-polymer, nickel-cadmium, and lithium-ion.Get sample copy of this report:This report is highly informative document with inclusion of comprehensive market data associated with the significant elements and subdivision of the Global Portable Battery Pack Market that may impact the growth scenarios of the industry. global portable battery pack market in the coming years. In addition, increasing use of the tablets and smartphones also foster the global market growth. However, increasing demand for smartphones and tablets given rise to growth in portable battery pack market. Li-Polymer and Li-Ion battery packs are extensively preferred in the portable devices owing to high gravimetric energy density and volumetricThe major players profiled in this report include: Mophie Inc., Sony Corporation, Energizer Holding Inc, China Bak Battery, Inc, Simplo Technology Co. Ltd, Panasonic Corporation, Duracell International Inc, Samsung SDI Co, BYD Battery Co. Ltd, LG Chem Power IncGlobal Portable Battery Pack Market is research report of comprehensive nature which entails information in relation with major regional markets, current scenarios. This includes key regional areas such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, etc. and the foremost countries such as United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China.The Global Portable Battery Pack Market report attempts to build familiarity of the market through sharing basic information associated with the aspects such as definitions, classifications, applications and market overview, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, raw materials and more. Furthermore, it strives to analyze the crucial regional markets, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate. It also discusses forecast for the same. The report concludes with new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Enquiry before buying:In addition, this report identifies pin-point analysis of competitive dashboard and helps readers to develop competitive edge over others. It delivers a noteworthy data and insights associated with factors driving or preventing the growth of the market. It brings a nine-year forecast evaluated on the basis of how the market is expected to perform.This statistical surveying report presents comprehensive assessment of the global market for Portable Battery Pack, discussing several market verticals such as the production capacity, product pricing, the dynamics of demand and supply, sales volume, revenue, growth rate and more.Buy Complete Report@:Table of Content:Global Global Portable Battery Pack Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: Industry OverviewChapter 2: Portable Battery Pack International and China Market AnalysisChapter 3: Environment Analysis of Portable Battery PackChapter 4: Analysis of Revenue by ClassificationsChapter 5: Analysis of Revenue by Regions and ApplicationsChapter 6: Analysis of Portable Battery Pack Revenue Market Status.Chapter 7: Analysis of Portable Battery Pack Industry Key ManufacturersChapter 8: Sales Price and Gross Margin AnalysisChapter 9: Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Portable Battery Pack MarketChapter 10: Development Trend of Portable Battery Pack Industry 2018-2023Chapter 11: Industry Chain Suppliers of Portable Battery Pack with Contact InformationChapter 12: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Portable Battery PackChapter 13: Conclusion of the Global Portable Battery Pack Market Research ReportAbout Us:Qurate Business Intelligence delivers unique market research solutions to its customers and help them to get equipped with refined information and market insights derived from reports. We are committed to providing best business services and easy processes to get the same. Qurate Business Intelligence considers themselves as strategic partners of their customers and always shows the keen level of interest to deliver quality.Contact Us:Nehal ChinoyRunwal Platinum,Ramnagar Colony, Bavdhan,Pune, Maharashtra, India-411021IN +919881074592info@qurateresearch.com
Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Market Insights, Status, Leading Players: SEMCO, FOXCONN, Partron, Chicony, TOSHIBA, BYD, Powerlogic, STMicroelectronics, Future and Forecast From 2018 - 2025

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Market Research Hub (MRH) has actively included a new research study titled Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 to its wide online repository. The concerned market is discoursed based on a variety of market influential factors such as drivers, opportunities and restraints. This study tends to inform the readers about the current as well as future market scenarios extending up to the period until 2025. In addition, a deep analysis of the competitive landscape, including prime market players is also enclosed in this report.For free sample on this report, fill the form@This report presents the worldwide CMOS Camera Module (CCM) market size (value, production and consumption), splits the breakdown (data status 2013-2018 and forecast to 2025), by manufacturers, region, type and application.This study 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.A CMOS Camera Module (CCM) is a device that converts an optical image into electronic video signals. These electronic signals are then converted into digital data on the display of a digital imaging device for users to store as a digital image. The booming demand for mobile phone, smartphones, multimedia tablets and other mobile devices has driven the demand for camera modules, which are the core components for built-in digital cameras and have become one of the key differentiating factors for such devices.The CMOS camera module is comprised of a complex integration of optical, electronic, and mechanical technologies.LG Innotek, SEMCO, Sharp and LITEON captured the top four revenue share spots in the CMOS Camera Module market in 2015. LG Innotek dominated with 16.54 percent revenue share, followed by SEMCO with 14.41 percent revenue share and Sharp with 7.22 percent revenue share.Despite the presence of competition problems, due to the clear global recovery trend, investors are still optimistic about this area, in future still more new investment will enter into the field. Technology and cost are two major problems.Although sales of CMOS Camera Module brought a lot of opportunities, for the new entrants with only advantage in capital without sufficient support in technology and downstream channels, the research group did not recommend taking risk the enter this market.The CMOS Camera Module (CCM) market was valued at 19 Million US$ in 2017 and is projected to reach 27 Million US$ by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.0% 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 CMOS Camera Module (CCM).The following manufacturers are covered in this report:LG InnotekSEMCOSharpLITEONCowellSunny OpticalFOXCONNPartronPrimaxO-FILMMCNEXChiconyTOSHIBACAMMSYSSTMicroelectronicsTrulyBYDPowerlogicCMOS Camera Module (CCM) Breakdown Data by TypeVGA and below2MP5MP8MP12MP16MP+CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Breakdown Data by ApplicationMobile phone,Smartphones,Tablet PCsGame ConsolesTVAutomotiveOther mobile devicesCMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSouth KoreaOther RegionsCMOS Camera Module (CCM) Consumption by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaView Full Report with Table and Content@Table of Contents1 Study Coverage1.1 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 VGA and below1.4.3 2MP1.4.4 5MP1.4.5 8MP1.4.6 12MP1.4.7 16MP+1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Mobile phone,1.5.3 Smartphones,1.5.4 Tablet PCs1.5.5 Game Consoles1.5.6 TV1.5.7 Automotive1.5.8 Other mobile devices1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Market Size2.1.1 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue 2013-20252.1.2 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production 2013-20252.2 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Growth Rate (CAGR) 2018-20252.3 Analysis of Competitive Landscape2.3.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)2.3.2 Key CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Manufacturers2.3.2.1 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters2.3.2.2 Manufacturers CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Product Offered2.3.2.3 Date of Manufacturers Enter into CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Market2.4 Key Trends for CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Markets & Products3 Market Size by Manufacturers3.1 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production by Manufacturers3.1.1 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production by Manufacturers3.1.2 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production Market Share by Manufacturers3.2 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.2.2 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.3 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Price by Manufacturers3.4 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production by Regions4.1 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production by Regions4.1.1 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production Market Share by Regions4.1.2 Global CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue Market Share by Regions4.2 United States4.2.1 United States CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production4.2.2 United States CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue4.2.3 Key Players in United States4.2.4 United States CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Import & Export4.3 Europe4.3.1 Europe CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production4.3.2 Europe CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue4.3.3 Key Players in Europe4.3.4 Europe CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Import & Export4.4 China4.4.1 China CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production4.4.2 China CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue4.4.3 Key Players in China4.4.4 China CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Import & Export4.5 Japan4.5.1 Japan CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production4.5.2 Japan CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue4.5.3 Key Players in Japan4.5.4 Japan CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Import & Export4.6 South Korea4.6.1 South Korea CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Production4.6.2 South Korea CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Revenue4.6.3 Key Players in South Korea4.6.4 South Korea CMOS Camera Module (CCM) Import & Export4.7 Other Regions4.7.1 Taiwan4.7.2 India4.7.3 Southeast Asia@@..To be Continue....About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like Semiconductors market research and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com
One of the great divisions in circus is between shows that subsume the individual into the whole and those that celebrate the individual artist, like, say, the great Montreal company known as The 7 Fingers. Acelere, which is not interested in stars or centerpieces, lands between the two in just the right way; the tumbling, twirling, singing and smiling are performed in such a way as to make you interested in the young performers and their real lives, but also to appreciate the collective, world-changing power of creative risk-taking  in this case flowing out of the people of Colombia.
Anti-money Laundering Service Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Oracle, Thomson Reuters, Fiserv, SAS, SunGard, Experian, Tonbeller

Anti-money Laundering Service Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Anti-money Laundering Service Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Oracle, Thomson Reuters, Fiserv, SAS, SunGard, Experian, Tonbeller.Description:-In 2017, the global Anti-money Laundering Service market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx% during 2018-2025.This report focuses on the global Anti-money Laundering Service status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Anti-money Laundering Service development in United States, Europe and China.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe key players covered in this studyOracleThomson ReutersFiservSASSunGardExperianACI WorldwideTonbellerBankers ToolboxNice ActimizeCS&SAscent Technology ConsultingCellent Finance SolutionsVerafinEastNetsAML360AquilanAML PartnersTruth TechnologiesSafe Banking SystemsMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoTransaction Monitoring SoftwareCurrency Transaction Reporting (CTR) SoftwareCustomer Identity Management SoftwareCompliance Management SoftwareOthersMarket segment by Application, split intoTier 1 Financial InstitutionTier 2 Financial InstitutionTier 3 Financial InstitutionTier 4 Financial InstitutionMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South AmericaEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Players Covered1.4 Market Analysis by Type1.4.1 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2013-2025)1.4.2 Transaction Monitoring Software1.4.3 Currency Transaction Reporting (CTR) Software1.4.4 Customer Identity Management Software1.4.5 Compliance Management Software1.4.6 Others1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Market Share by Application (2013-2025)1.5.2 Tier 1 Financial Institution1.5.3 Tier 2 Financial Institution1.5.4 Tier 3 Financial Institution1.5.5 Tier 4 Financial Institution1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size2.2 Anti-money Laundering Service Growth Trends by Regions2.2.1 Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Regions (2013-2025)2.2.2 Anti-money Laundering Service 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 Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Manufacturers3.1.1 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.1.2 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.1.3 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Anti-money Laundering Service Key Players Head office and Area Served3.3 Key Players Anti-money Laundering Service Product/Solution/Service3.4 Date of Enter into Anti-money Laundering Service Market3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type and Application4.1 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Type (2013-2018)4.2 Global Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Application (2013-2018)5 United States5.1 United States Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size (2013-2018)5.2 Anti-money Laundering Service Key Players in United States5.3 United States Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Type5.4 United States Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Application6 Europe6.1 Europe Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size (2013-2018)6.2 Anti-money Laundering Service Key Players in Europe6.3 Europe Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Type6.4 Europe Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Application7 China7.1 China Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size (2013-2018)7.2 Anti-money Laundering Service Key Players in China7.3 China Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by Type7.4 China Anti-money Laundering Service Market Size by ApplicationContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT 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.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Industrial robotics market By Key Vendors: ABB Enterprise Software, Denso, Epson America Inc., FANUC America Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, STAUBLI, Universal Robots A/S

Industrial Robotics Market

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The articulated segment of the industrial robotics market has significant penetration, owing to the high degree of versatility offered by these systems. These robots have higher degree of freedom than other systems, that makes these systems usable in several tasks including welding, dispensing, material handling, and material removal. The prices of these systems are expected to witness fall over the next seven years, owing to the longevity and popularity.Request for a sample of this research report @Industrial robotics market is projected to witness surge in demand from the automotive industry, owing to the increasing adoption by the car manufacturers to improve precision and efficiency of the production lines. According to the Robotics Industry Association, more than 50% purchases of robots in North America in recent years are made by the automotive industries. Technological advancements such as robotic vision, collaborative robots, and robotic hand are encouraging more automakers to implement the technology in their production plants, thus positively impacting the industrial robotics market growth.The German industrial robotics market strength is driven by a combination of the regions proven engineering tradition, position as a leader in technological development, and its highly diversified industrial base. Germany is witnessing immense innovations which are helping bridge the gap between robotics and several industrial sectors. Stakeholders are organized in multiple regional organizations such as the Automation Valley Northern Bavaria. The countrys specific strength in the development and manufacturing of industrial robots is further strengthened by the existence of specialized organizations such as the Robotics and Mechatronics Center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR).World Industrial robotics market is set to grow from its current market value of $35 billion to more than $80 billion by 2024Industry Growth drivers  Rising labour costs and inconveniences of employing manual workforce in North America and Europe Government initiatives aiding the growth of the local manufacturing in South-East Asia Rise in SMEs and their growing demand for automation in Europe and Asia Pacific High growth of automation across the automotive and electronic industries in Asia Pacific Low robot density in the Asia PacificThe high adoption of automation technology is projected to aid in the growth of the industrial robotics market. The usage of these technologies can aid in the reduction of the development time and the exorbitant variable costs such as labor and electricity prices. In regions including Western Europe and North America, the labor costs are very high, over USD 38 hourly wage in Germany.The segmentation of the industrial robotics market by product indicates that collaborative robots are expected to have the highest growth rate over the forecast timeframe. These have a large work envelope and high usage as they allow employees to work alongside and are priced significantly lower as compared to its counterparts. Additionally, the adoption of the collaborative industrial robotics market decreases human idle time by 85% and substantially boosts the efficiency of the overall manufacturing process.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @The end-use segmentation of the industrial robotics market indicates that the electrical and electronics segment will account for a high growth. The increase in the disposable income and the economic prosperity stemming from the industrial boom across various regions, primarily in South-East Asia, are contributing to the high proliferation of these devices.Competitive advantage and reduced per-hour cost as compared to human results will augment the North America industrial robotics market growth. Major players are developing affordable, and compact energy-efficient solutions to access a wider customer base. The rise of outsourced manufacturing activities and the increase in SMEs in the Asia Pacific region are contributing to the high industry demand of the in the region.Browse Full Report:Industrial robotics market players ABB Group, Denso Corporation, Epson America, Inc., Fanuc Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., KUKA AG, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Nachi Fujikoshi Corp., OTC Daihen, Inc., Panasonic Welding Systems Co. Ltd., Rethink Robotics Inc., Staubli Group, Universal Robots A/S, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Yaskawa Electric Corporation.Browse Related Reports:Display Market by Applications segmented: Display Size & Resolution 2018-2024Display Market was over USD 7 billion, growing at CAGR of over 14% to exceed USD 20 billion by 2024. Some of the major players in the display market include NCR Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, Epson America, Inc., Fametech, Inc., Displax SA, Diebold Nixdorf, Inc., and Ingenico Group.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Blood Bank Reagents 2018 Global Market SWOT Analysis and Opportunities To 2025 | Key Players : Beckman Coulter, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Cardinal Health, Quotient, Immucor

Blood Bank Reagents Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Blood Bank Reagents 2018 Global Market SWOT Analysis and Opportunities To 2025 | Key Players : Beckman Coulter, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Cardinal Health, Quotient, Immucor.Description:-In 2017, the global Blood Bank Reagents market size was million US$ and is forecast to million US in 2025, growing at a CAGR of from 2018. The objectives of this study are to define, segment, and project the size of the Blood Bank Reagents market based on company, product type, application and key regions.This report studies the global market size of Blood Bank Reagents in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Blood Bank Reagents in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Blood Bank Reagents 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.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe various contributors involved in the value chain of Blood Bank Reagents include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in the Blood Bank Reagents includeBeckman CoulterBio-Rad LaboratoriesCardinal HealthOrtho Clinical DiagnosticsQuotientLorne Laboratories LimitedImmucorThermo Fisher ScientificBioMRieuxMarket Size Split by TypeAnti-Sera ReagentsReagent Red Blood CellsAnti-Human GlobulinBlood Bank SalineMarket Size Split by ApplicationHospitalsCommercial Blood BankLaboratoryOthersMarket size split by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of Central & South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Study Coverage1.1 Blood Bank Reagents Product1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Blood Bank Reagents Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Anti-Sera Reagents1.4.3 Reagent Red Blood Cells1.4.4 Anti-Human Globulin1.4.5 Blood Bank Saline1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Blood Bank Reagents Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Hospitals1.5.3 Commercial Blood Bank1.5.4 Laboratory1.5.5 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Blood Bank Reagents Market Size2.1.1 Global Blood Bank Reagents Revenue 2016-20252.1.2 Global Blood Bank Reagents Sales 2016-20252.2 Blood Bank Reagents Growth Rate by Regions2.2.1 Global Blood Bank Reagents Sales by Regions2.2.2 Global Blood Bank Reagents Revenue by Regions3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers3.1 Blood Bank Reagents Sales by Manufacturers3.1.1 Blood Bank Reagents Sales by Manufacturers3.1.2 Blood Bank Reagents Sales Market Share by Manufacturers3.1.3 Global Blood Bank Reagents Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Blood Bank Reagents Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Blood Bank Reagents Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.2.2 Blood Bank Reagents Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.3 Blood Bank Reagents Price by Manufacturers3.4 Blood Bank Reagents Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types3.4.1 Blood Bank Reagents Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters3.4.2 Manufacturers Blood Bank Reagents Product Category3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Blood Bank Reagents Market3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type4.1 Global Blood Bank Reagents Sales by Type4.2 Global Blood Bank Reagents Revenue by Type4.3 Blood Bank Reagents Price by Type5 Breakdown Data by Application5.1 Overview5.2 Global Blood Bank Reagents Breakdown Data by Application6 North America6.1 North America Blood Bank Reagents by Countries6.1.1 North America Blood Bank Reagents Sales by Countries6.1.2 North America Blood Bank Reagents Revenue by Countries6.1.3 United States6.1.4 Canada6.1.5 Mexico6.2 North America Blood Bank Reagents by Type6.3 North America Blood Bank Reagents by Application6.4 North America Blood Bank Reagents by CompanyContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT 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.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Radio Frequency Devices Market Analysis Covers Top Key Players: RF Micro Devices, Avago Technologies, Murata Manufacturing, Skyworks, TriQuint Semiconductor, Renesas Electronics, RDA Microelectronics - 7

Radio Frequency Devices Market size

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Radio frequency is the frequency range used in radio, extending from around twenty thousand times per second (20 kHz) to around three hundred billion times per second (300 GHz).Global Radio Frequency Devices Market Report peaks the detailed analysis of industry share, growth factors, development trends, size, majors manufacturers and 2023 forecast. The report also analyze innovative business strategies, value added factors and business opportunities. The Radio Frequency Devices Market report introduces market competition situation among the vendors and company profile, revenue, product & services, latest developments and business strategies.The major factor driving the radio frequency devices market is the increasing usage of consumer electronics in various applications.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Radio Frequency Devices market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions.Download PDF Sample Of this Report @Reasons to Purchase this Report To understand the impact of end-user applications on the market Analyzing various perspectives of the market with the help of Porters five forces analysis To understand the dominating type in the market Countries expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period Identify the latest developments, market shares, and strategies employed by the major market playersThe key manufacturers covered in this report: RF Micro Devices Avago Technologies Murata Manufacturing Skyworks and More....Segmentation by product type: Switches MOSFETs Diodes OthersSegmentation by application: BFSI Retail and E-Commerce Government and Defence IT and Telecom Media and Entertainment Manufacturing Travel and Hospitality Automotive Healthcare and Life Sciences Energy and UtilitiesClick Here for Purchase Full Report with Full TOC @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Research objectives To analyze the Radio Frequency Devices with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). To project the consumption of Radio Frequency Devices 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 and MoreTable of Contents1 Scope of the Report1.1 Market Introduction1.2 Research Objectives1.3 Years Considered1.4 Market Research Methodology1.5 Economic Indicators1.6 Currency Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 World Market Overview2.1.1 Global Radio Frequency Devices Consumption 2013-20232.1.2 Radio Frequency Devices Consumption CAGR by Region2.2 Radio Frequency Devices Segment by Type2.2.1 Switches2.2.2 MOSFETs2.2.3 Diodes2.2.4 Others2.3 Radio Frequency Devices Consumption by Type2.3.1 Global Radio Frequency Devices Consumption Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global Radio Frequency Devices Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)3 Global Radio Frequency Devices by Players3.1 Global Radio Frequency Devices Sales Market Share by Players3.1.1 Global Radio Frequency Devices Sales by Players (2016-2018)3.1.2 Global Radio Frequency Devices Sales Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.2 Global Radio Frequency Devices Revenue Market Share by Players3.2.1 Global Radio Frequency Devices Revenue by Players (2016-2018)3.2.2 Global Radio Frequency Devices Revenue Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.3 Global Radio Frequency Devices Sale Price by PlayersTOC Continued.!Tables And Figures Figure Picture of Radio Frequency Devices Table Product Specifications of Radio Frequency Devices Figure Radio Frequency Devices Report Years Considered Figure Market Research Methodology Figure Global Radio Frequency Devices Consumption Growth Rate 2013-2023 (K Units) Figure Global Radio Frequency Devices Value Growth Rate 2013-2023 ($ Millions) Table Radio Frequency Devices Consumption CAGR by Region 2013-2023 ($ Millions) Figure Product Picture of Switches Table Major Players of Switches Figure Product Picture of MOSFETs Table Major Players of MOSFETs Figure Product Picture of Diodes Table Major Players of Diodes Figure Product Picture of Others Table Major Players of Others Table Global Consumption Sales by Type (2013-2018) and More.About Report Hive ResearchReport Hive Research delivers strategic market research reports, statistical survey, and Industry analysis & forecast data on products & services, markets and companies. Our clientele ranges mix of global Business Leaders, Government Organizations, SMEs, Individual & Start-ups, Management Consulting Firms, and Universities etc. Our library of 600,000+ market reports covers industries like Chemical, Healthcare, IT, Telecom, Semiconductor, etc. in the USA, Europe Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific. We help in business decision-making on aspects such as market entry strategies, market sizing, market share analysis, sales & revenue, technology trends, competitive analysis, product portfolio & application analysis etc.500, North Michigan Avenue,Suite 6014Chicago, IL - 60611United StatesContact UsMike RossMarketing Managersales@reporthive.comPhone Number: +1-312 604 7084
Metal Foam Market Comprehensive Study In 2018 : Admatis, American Elements, Alantum Europe, Havel metal foam GmbH, ERG Materials & Aerospace Corporation, Integran Technologies Inc. , Huangdao Aluminium Co.,ltd, Ultramet, Inc.

Metal Foam Market

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Metal Foam accounted to USD XX.XX million in 2017 growing at a CAGR of XX.XX% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025, Globally . Metal Foam 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:Forecasting Regional and Global Analysis on Metal Foam Market By Material (Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, Others), Applications (Anti-Intrusion Bars, Sound Absorbers, Heat Exchangers, Others), End Users (Automotive, Industrial, Construction & Infrastructure, Others) and Geography.Metallic foams come in different forms such as nickel foam, copper foam, aluminum foam, and tungsten foam which are used in various applications. These properties empower metal foam to be utilized as a part of different applications such as heat exchangers, anti-intrusion bars and sound absorbers. They are characterized by properties such as high porosity & energy absorption, high quality and resistance among others. The global metal foam market is consolidated due to the presence of limited number of players concentrated in few countries. Some of the major players operating in global metal foam market are ERG Aerospace Corp. Admatis Ltd. Shanxi Putai Aluminum Foam Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Hunan Ted New Material Company Ltd. Alantum Corporation Pithore Aluminium Cymat Technologies Ltd. American Elements Shanghai Zhonghui Foam Aluminum Co. Ltd. and among others.Get TOC of Full Report: On the basis of material, the global metal foam market is segmented into Aluminum Copper Nickel and others Other types of material consist of tungsten and tantalum. Aluminum foam accounts the largest market share due to its different properties such as thermal and electrical conductivity, high porosity, corrosion resistance and many others. On the basis of applications, the global metal foam market is segmented into Anti-intrusion bars Sound absorbers Heat exchangers and others Other applications include comprises of railway buffers and medical implants. On the basis of end users, the global metal foam market is segmented into Automotive Industrial Construction & Infrastructure Aerospace Defense Medical The automotive industrial is the largest consumer of metal foam. On the basis of geography, global metal foam market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies namely 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.Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Global Metal Foam Market Growing demand for high quality foams Growing end use industriesMarket Restraint: Global Metal Foam Market Difficulties in welding, bonding and soldering of metal foamWant 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 and 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
Antibody Market: Global Opportunities Estimated To Grow At a Significant Rate throughout the Forecast Period 2018  2022 | Key Players  Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, AbbVie, Amgen

Antibody Market

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Global Antibody Market Report 2018 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 2022.Global Antibody Market Overview:According to Market Analyst, Global Antibody Market is projected to grow at a healthy growth rate from 2018 to 2022.Request Report Sample@The major factors contributing to the growth of the global Antibody market include the increasing prevalence of cancer and other chronic diseases is encouraging academic institutes as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop advanced generation therapeutics and personalized medicines. Improvements in production technologies of therapeutic antibodies has decreased the manufacturing cost and thus, penetration of antibodies has increased in cost-sensitive marketsThe antibodies market has been segmented according to geographical regions, drug types, applications and Industry. On the Basis of Drug types, Antibody Market Further sub segmented into monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies and antibody drug complexes. Furthermore, applications of antibodies include CNS disorders, cardiovascular disorders and cancer/oncology and autoimmune disorders. Based On Industry, Market is Sub segmented into Therapeutic, Research, Diagnostic. research antibodies market has been leading the worldwide due to the increasing funding for proteomics research and drug discovery, and the growing collaboration between industries and academic institutes.Regionally, The global antibody market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America is expected to account for the largest share of the antibody market, followed by Europe. The Asia-Pacific region offers significant growth opportunities for companies offering antibody products, and is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Purchase this premium research report with 125 Pages and No. of Table of contents, List of table atThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major key players:1 Roche2 Johnson & Johnson3 Merck4 Novartis5 AbbVie6 Amgen7 Pfizer8 Bayer9 Lilly10 Bristol-Myers Squibb11 GlaxoSmithKline And MoreThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major Region Segmentation1 North America Country (United States, Canada)2 South America3 Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)4 Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)5 Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)Grab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @Key Questions Answered in this Report:1 Which drug types witness highest demand in antibodies market?2 What will the market size be in 2022?3 What are the key factors driving the Antibody Market?4 What are the challenges to market growth?5 Who are the key players in Antibody Market?6 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Antibody Product Definition2 Global Antibody Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview3 Manufacturer Antibody Business Introduction4 Global Antibody Market Segmentation (Region Level)5 Global Antibody Market Segmentation (Product Type Level)6 Global Antibody Market Segmentation (Industry Level)7 Global Antibody Market Segmentation (Channel Level)8 Antibody Market Forecast 2018-20229 Antibody Segmentation Product Type10 Antibody Segmentation Industry11 Antibody Cost of Production Analysis12 ConclusionAbout 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
Digital Intraoral Sensors And Consumables Market is Anticipated To Register A Significant CAGR Over A Forecast Period

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Persistence Market Research (PMR) delivers the key insights on the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market in its upcoming report titled Digital Intraoral Sensors and Consumables Market: Global Industry Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182026. In terms of revenue, the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market is expected to grow at a promising CAGR of 5.0% over the next decade.North America is anticipated to contribute a major share in terms of revenue in the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period. With an expected value share of around 40.0% in 2017, the North America digital intraoral sensors and consumables market is projected to reach US$ 416.9 Mn by the end of 2026.Request to Sample Report @Digital Intraoral Sensors and Consumables Market: Segmental AnalysisThe global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market is segmented based on product type, end users, and regions. Based on product type, the digital intraoral sensors and consumables market is segmented into dental digital intraoral sensors and consumables. Dental digital intraoral sensors are expected to hold a significant share of more than 43.0% in the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market due to growing adoption of devices amongst physicians. Intraoral sensors reduce the patient radiation dose. The intraoral sensors are a more cost-effective alternative when compared with traditional dental x-ray systems and thus are expected to contribute to the large share in the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period. Based on the end user, the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market is segmented into dental laboratories, dental hospitals, dental clinics, and others. Among all the end users, the dental clinics are expected to be the leading segment in the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period.Digital Intraoral Sensors and Consumables Market: Dynamics Impacting GrowthTechnological advancements and innovations have brought about major changes in the healthcare industry in the last two decades. This had a tremendous influence in all the branches of dentistry. With the advancements, the necessity for more precise diagnostic tools especially imaging methods have become mandatory. This has provided enormous growth opportunities for the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period. The shift from traditional intra-oral X-rays towards advanced and digital imaging techniques such as digital intraoral sensors has contributed towards the growth of the global market.Rising number of periodontal disease and tooth decay are leading to an increasing use of digital intraoral sensors and consumable devices across the globe. Digital imaging equipment is the current key advanced product in the medical devices industry as it has shown promising results with the complications associated with X-ray exposure. Thus, the growing incidence of oral problems with an increasing number of dental procedures is anticipated to drive the growth of the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period. Mergers, collaborations, partnerships, and acquisitions among manufacturers for research and development is expected to boost the growth of the digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period.However, the cost of dental care is continuously is on its rise over the last few decades and continues to rise at a rate of 5% annually. Technological changes have also expanded the scope of possibly improved treatment and diagnostics. This has majorly resulted in an upsurge in the cost of medical services reflecting in the high cost of medical devices. The future evolution of technology and its impact on costs is uncertain. Moreover, new technologies may be developed in order to treat currently untreatable disorders, thus increasing the cost. Thus, rising cost of medical services and limited capacity and resources for primary health care facilities are major factors, which are expected to restrain the growth of the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market over the forecast period.Request Report TOC @Digital Intraoral Sensors and Consumables Market: Competition StructureThe global market for digital intraoral sensors and consumables is highly fragmented with several players operating in the global market. Examples of some of the key players identified in the global digital intraoral sensors and consumables market are Carestream Dental, LLC, Danaher Corporation, DURR DENTAL SE, Acteon Group, Suni Medical Imaging, Inc., Owandy Radiology, Dentsply Sirona, Ray Medical, FONA Dental, Midmark Corporation, and others.About Us :Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353
Global Industrial Roll-up Doors Market Leading players, business overview, market size, revenue, key drivers by manufacturers, upcoming trends to forecast 2018-2025

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This study focuses on the production side and consumption side of Industrial Roll-up Doors, presents the global Industrial Roll-up Doors market size by manufacturers, regions, type and application, history breakdown data from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.In terms of production side, this report researches the Industrial Roll-up Doors capacity, production, value, ex-factory price, growth rate, market share for major manufacturers, regions (or countries) and product type.In terms of consumption side, this report focuses on the consumption of Industrial Roll-up Doors by regions and application. The key regions like North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central & South America, Middle East and Africa etc.Roll up doors are made from slats of formed galvanized steel, aluminum or stainless steel that roll up to store in a coil above an opening. They provide security against entry as well as protection from weather at exterior and interior openings in industrial, commercial, institutional and other buildings.The Industrial Roll-up Doors market was valued at Million US$ in 2017 and is projected to reach Million US$ by 2025, at a CAGR 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 Industrial Roll-up Doors.Request Sample Copy of Report@This report includes the following manufacturers; we can also add the other companies as you want.ASSA ABLOY Entrance SystemsRytecRite-HiteWilcox DoorJansen Brandschutz-ToreNERGECOPORTALPShipyarddoorSeusterTNR Industrial DoorsDAN-doorsEASILIFT LOADING SYSTEMSGandhi AutomationsITW TorsystemeInfracaPuertas Angel MirTMICampisaBUTTNFBMarket Segment by Product TypeElectric Roll-Up DoorsHydraulic Roll-Up DoorsMarket Segment by ApplicationCommercial FacadeGarageFactoryOtherKey Regions split in this report:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoBenefits of Purchasing QY Research ReportAnalyst Support: Get you query resolved from our expert analysts before and after purchasing the reportCustomers Satisfaction: Our expert team will assist with all your research needs and customize the reportInimitable Expertise: Analysts will provide deep insights about the reportsAssured Quality: We focus on the quality and accuracy of the reportBuy Full Report Now, Report delivery time within 24 hours @QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.QY Research, INC.17890 Castleton, Suite 218,Los Angeles, CA  91748USA: +1 6262 952 442China: +86 1082 945 717Japan: +81 9038 009 273India: +91 9766 478 224Emails  enquiry@qyresearch.comWeb Expert News:
Automotive OE Lighting Market Detail Analysis focusing on Key Players like Delphi Automotive PLC, BASF SE, Flextronics Automotive GmbH & Co. KG, Visteon Corporation, Federal-Mogul Corporation, Grupo Antolin Irausa S.A

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Market Study Report recently introduced new title on 2018-2023 Global Automotive OE Lighting Market Report from its database. The report provides study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product, Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023.This Automotive OE Lighting market report speaks about the manufacturing process analyzed thoroughly with respect to four points like Manufacturers, regional analysis, Segment by Type and Segment by Applications and the actual process of whole Automotive OE Lighting industry.Over the next five years, (Information) projects that Automotive OE Lighting will register a xx% CAGR in terms of revenue, reach US$ xx million by 2023, from US$ xx million in 2017.Request a Sample this premium Report at:This Report Focusing on Following Key Manufactures By Significant ResearchDelphi Automotive PLCBASF SEFlextronics Automotive GmbH & Co. KGVisteon CorporationFederal-Mogul CorporationGrupo Antolin Irausa S.AOSRAM AG, Stanley Electric Co.Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.OdeloThe Automotive OE Lighting Report consists of all the basic information regarding the Automotive OE Lighting market. The all-inclusive report will aid users to understand the market current trends, industry growth drivers, share, analysis, size, production, forecast trends, supply, sales, demands, and many other aspects. The analysis is accomplish using an objective amalgamation of primary and secondary data including contributions from major participants in the market. The global Automotive OE Lighting report is an essential reserve of data, primarily for the industry administrators.Automotive OE Lighting is the term used for denoting original equipment representing the authenticity of the products from the manufacturers. The position of this lighting system depends on the lumens of the bulb which are selected or designed based on the structure of the vehicle.Segmentation by product type:HalogenHID XenonLED lightsSegmentation by application:Passenger VehiclesCemmercial VehiclesRequest a Discount of this premium Report at:Key Regions, covers:Americas (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil)APAC (China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain)Middle East & Africa (Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Turkey, GCC Countries)Research objectivesTo study and analyze the global Automotive OE Lighting consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2023.To understand the structure of Automotive OE Lighting market by identifying its various subsegments.Focuses on the key global Automotive OE Lighting 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 Automotive OE Lighting with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).To project the consumption of Automotive OE Lighting 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.To Get Full Access of This Information: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:MarketStudyReport.com4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:
Brazil Elderly Care Market Detail Analysis Focusing on Key Players like Koninklijke Philips N.V., Intel Corporation, Exceptional Living Center, Profilico Group Ltd. and RIGHT AT HOME, LLC

Elderly Care Market

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The Brazil Elderly Care Market report provides basic information about Elderly Care industry, definition, classification, application, industry chain structure, industry overview; international market analysis. The Brazil Elderly Care Market emphases on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. This report studies sales (consumption) of Brazil Elderly Care Market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share with volume and value for each region. Analysis and Consumer Needs by major regions, types, applications in Brazil Elderly Care Market considering the past, present and future state of the Elderly Care industry.Brazil Elderly Care Market is expected to reach USD 93.7 Billion by 2025 from USD 61.5 Billion in 2017, at a CAGR of 5.5% in the forecast period 2018 to 2025. The new 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 Report:The key market players for Brazil elderly care market are listed below: Koninklijke Philips N.V. Intel Corporation Exceptional Living Center Profilico Group Ltd. RIGHT AT HOME, LLC.The major factors driving the growth of this market are increase in geriatric population, rising patient pool for chronic illness in ageing population, rising awareness of home care setting devices, increasing healthcare spending public and private in developed economies, government initiatives to provide cost-effective medical treatment for ageing population, and favourable reimbursement policies. On the other hand low penetration rate for elderly care products and high cost of elderly care services and products may hinder the growth of the market are the factors which will boost the Brazil elderly care market.To Avail 10% Discount On This Report Mail Us on: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comTable of Contents:1. INTRODUCTION2. MARKET SEGMENTATION3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY4. PREMIUM INSIGHTS5. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE6. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY SERVICE7. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY APPLICATION8. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY MODE OF REMUNERATION8.1. OVERVIEW8.2. GOVERNMENT INSURANCE8.3. PRIVATE INSURANCE8.4. OUT OF POCKET SERVICES9. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, COMPANY LANDSCAPE9.1. COMPANY SHARE ANALYSIS: BRAZIL10. COMPANY PROFILE10.1. KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.10.1.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.1.2. KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. : REVENUE ANALYSIS10.1.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.1.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.2. RIGHT AT HOME, LLC.10.2.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.2.2. RIGHT AT HOME, LLC. : COMPANY SNAPSHOT10.2.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.2.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.3. PROFILICO GROUP, LTD.10.3.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.3.2. PROFILICO GROUP , LTD. : COMPANY SNAPSHOT10.3.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.3.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.4. EXCEPTIONAL LIVING CENTER OF BRAZIL, LLC.10.4.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.4.2. EXCEPTIONAL LIVING CENTER AT BRAZIL, LTD. : COMPANY SNAPSHOT10.4.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.4.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.5. INTEL CORPORATION10.5.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.5.2. INTEL CORPORATION : REVENUE ANALYSIS10.5.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.5.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS11. RELATED REPORTSTo Buy Complete Report Click Here:Segmentation:The market is further segmented into: Product Type Service Application RemunerationBased on product type: Pharmaceuticals Housing Assistive DevicesBased on service: Institutional Care Homecare Adult Day CareThe homecare is sub segmented into: Health Care Non-Medical CareThe healthcare segment is sub segmented into: Medical Care Physiotherapy Services Telehealth Palliative Care Hospice CareThe non-medical care segment is sub segmented into: Personal Care Rehabilitation OthersBased on application: Heart Diseases Cancer Kidney Diseases Diabetes Arthritis Osteoporosis Neurological Respiratory OthersBased on mode of remuneration: Government Insurances Private Insurances Out of Pocket ServicesBased on geography: North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East and AfricaRequest Analyst Call For Research Methodology:Market Insights in the Report1. To analyze the market size of the market and infer the key trends from it.2. Industry Chain Suppliers of Brazil Elderly Care Market with Contact Information3. To inspect the market based on product, market share and size of the product share.4. The various opportunities in the market.5. The report studies the key factors affecting the market.Key Points mentioned in the report:1. What was the market size in 2016?2. What are the moves of key players?3. Which region is leading the market at global level?4. A comprehensive/competitive analysis of the market?5. What the drivers and restrains are for the Brazil Elderly Care Market?6. How will the market stand in the forecast period of 2018-2025?View Full Report:About Us: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.Data Bridge adepts in creating satisfied clients who reckon upon our services and rely on our hard work with certitude. We are content with our glorious 99.9 % client satisfying rate.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com
Global Market Study on Automotive Paint- North America to Dominate the Market in Terms of Revenue During the Forecast Period (2017 - 2022)

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The global automotive paint market is expected to sour at 5.7% CAGR during the assessment period (2017-2022). The arrival of enhanced paints and coating varieties is supporting the global sales of automotive paint. Apart for improving the external appearance of a vehicle, automotive paints also help in the increasing the durability of the materials they are applied on. Clearcoat, basecoat and primer paint are some of the common coating layers.Request For Report Sample@Carmakers are utilizing automotive paint to increase the resistance of aluminium and metal component of the vehicle. Automotive paint offer resistance against UV radiation, heat, dust particles and acid rain. In addition, manufacturers are actively focusing of developing more advanced and efficient painting and coating technology. Factors as such are expected to drive the growth of the global market for automotive paint in the forthcoming years.Greater expansion of the global auto industry in countries such as China, Brazil and India coupled with growing production of cars is an additional factor that remains important in shaping the market dynamics going forward. Also, car manufacturers are increasingly adopting leading coating technologies such as thermal spray and powder coating owing to their high functionality and efficiency. In recent years, the focus has shifted towards introduction of greener paint and coating products as many of the international environmental organisations have been critical of automotive coatings and paints that emit harmful gas.Compact Passenger Cars Vehicle Type Segment to Remain Highly Lucrative Over 2022By vehicle type, the compact passenger cars segment is anticipated surpass a valuation of US$ 2,600 Mn by 2017-end. In addition, the segment is expected to soar at a healthy rate during the forecast period. This is primarily owing to increasing sales of compact passenger cars in countries such as China and India.Waterborne Paint Base Segment Will Continue to Outperform Solvent-Borne Paint Base SegmentBy paint base, the waterborne automotive segment is expected to lead throughout the forecast period. The segment presently commands for over 50% revenue share of the market and is likely to reach valuation in excess of US$ 5,800 Mn by 2022.Moreover, international bodies are promoting the use of product and setting guidelines on use of chemical coatings and paints in auto industry. Therefore, companies that manufacture automotive paints are trying to develop and formulate products that are non-toxic and environmentally viable.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@Competition TrackingSome of the top companies operating in the global market for automotive paint include, The Valspar Corporation, Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., Clariant AG, Kansai Paint Co.,Ltd, The Sherwin Williams Company, Akzo Nobel NV, BASF SE, DuPont Coatings & Color Technologies Group, and Nippon Paint Holdings Co Ltd.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Beverage Refrigeration Market 2024 Key Players are Electrolux, Whirlpool Corporation, Dover Corporation, GE, Haier.

Beverage Refrigeration Market

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North America Beverage Refrigeration Market is anticipated to surpass USD 1 billion by 2024. This can be credited to escalating consumption of refreshment drinks and technological improvements in refrigeration systems. In addition, government encouraging utilization of energy-efficient and eco-friendly technologies in refrigerators.Beverage Refrigeration Market to reach USD 4.5 billion by 2024. Escalating demand for refrigerators to store and serve drinks for social gathering and private events, is a key factor driving beverage refrigeration market growth. Ongoing technological advances to reduce the overall cooling time and consumer demand for distinctive features such as bottom freezer drawer and powerful filtered water will boost beverage refrigeration market.Sample copy of this Report @Manufacturers are anticipated to invest in new product development to comply with new energy standards implemented by the regulatory bodies. Further, increasing penetration of refrigerators that employ specific features such as modifiable shelves to accommodate bottles and cans will boost product sales.Increasing consumer preference for packaged drinks which are convenient to consume at home will support the product demand. According to recent statistics, the global consumption of packaged drinks was estimated more than 1.05 trillion liters in 2016 and Chinese consumption amounted to about 178.6 billion liters.Beverage Refrigeration Market, By Producto Under counter beverage refrigerator Gliding door Swing Dooro Countertop beverage refrigerator Gliding door Swing dooro Storage beverage refrigeratoro Milk coolers3.4. Technology landscapeMake an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Under counter beverage refrigerator was valued at over USD 1 billion in 2016. Product offering such as stainless-steel body or custom panel-ready fronts are stimulating the demand. In addition, better shelving and temperature control will support segment penetration over the forecast period.Rising demand to preserve milk in dairy shops will propel coolers demand over the projected timeframe. Diary companies are upgrading their existing capacities, and setting up cold storages along with the processing plant. This will generate the overall revenue over the forecast period.Asia Pacific market holds over 20% of overall industry share in 2016. According to industry estimates, the region is anticipated to account for more than two-thirds of the global beverages consumption by 2020. The region accounts for 60% of the world population and increasing consumption will provide lucrative opportunities for manufacturers.Browse Report Summery @Global Beverage Refrigeration Market is fragmented in nature. Key industry players are Electrolux, Daikin Industries, Avanti, Dover Corporation, KingsBottle, Whirlpool Corporation, Edgestar, Haier, Ford and General Electrics. Other Industry participants are Koolatron, Coca-Cola, Danfoss, Gamko, Liebherr, Marvel, Kegco, Danby, Johnson Controls, U-line, HABCO, Allavino, Kenmore, Marvel, United Technologies Corporation and Illinois Tool Works.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Future Growth of Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market 2023 Global Analysis By Key Players -

Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market, Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Trends, Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Growth, Orthoped

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The newly released research at Market Study Report titled 2018-2023 Global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Report provides data, information, brief analysis, company profiles, statistics for past 2023 and forecasts for next few 2023.This report focuses on the Orthopedic Cartilage Repair 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.These devices are used for closed technique treatments of injured or worn joints. Majorly such treatments are performed on knee and shoulder joints although interest among surgical community in hip and small joint arthroscopy is also increasing.Request a sample of this premium report at:Scope of the Report:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers: Stryker Corporation, Arthrex Inc, Smith and Nephew, Zimmer Biomet, Conmed Corporation, DePuy Synthes, ArthroCare Corporation, LifeNet Health, AlloSource, Acera Surgical.The worldwide market for Orthopedic Cartilage Repair is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2023, from xx million US$ in 2017, according to a new research study.Market Segment by Type, covers ACL/PCL Meniscal Repair Rotator Cuff Shoulder Labarum Hip Arthroscopy Biceps TenodesisMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Knee Hip Shoulder OtherRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at: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 etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair market.Chapter 1, to describe Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Orthopedic Cartilage Repair, with sales, revenue, and price of Orthopedic Cartilage Repair, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Orthopedic Cartilage Repair, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Orthopedic Cartilage Repair market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Orthopedic Cartilage Repair sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceTable of Contents1 Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles3 Global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Competition, by Players4 Global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Size by Regions5 North America Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Revenue by Countries6 Europe Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Revenue by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Revenue by Countries8 South America Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Revenue by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Revenue Orthopedic Cartilage Repair by Countries10 Global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Segment by Type11 Global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair Market Segment by Application12 Global Orthopedic Cartilage Repair 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:
Medical Device Manufacturing Outsourcing Market is Changing the Healthcare Industry | By Top Key Players Creganna Tactx Medical, Flex, Greatbatch, Nortech Systems, Tecomet, Daiichi Jitsugyo, Mitutoyo Corp., Hamilton Company

Medical Device Manufacturing Outsourcing Market

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The process of signing a contract with a third party to perform business functions such as prototyping, product design supply chain management, and manufacturing is known as medical device manufacturing services outsourcing. The original equipment manufacturers production and development scale-up time is reduced owing to medical device manufacturing outsourcing. Outsourcing also aids medical device manufacturers to concentrate on their core competencies such as technical developments and clinical innovations.Download PDF Report Sample @Advantages enjoyed by original equipment manufacturers such as market share expansion & premium pricing along with cost reduction supplement the market growth. Furthermore, a surge in the global geriatric population is anticipated to increase the demand for medical devices and supplies, thereby boosting the market. However, a stringent regulatory environment towards medical devices impedes the market growth.The global medical device manufacturing outsourcing market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, service, and geography. By product type, this market is segmented into EMS, raw materials, and finished goods. By application, this market is classified into ortho & spine, cardiovascular, medical imaging, IVDs, general medical devices, and others. Furthermore, on the basis of service, this market is categorised into product design & development, product upgrade & maintenance, regulatory consulting, product testing & certification, supply chain management, and product implementation. By geography, it has been analysed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Comprehensive competitive analysis and profiles of major market players such as Creganna Tactx Medical, Inc., Flex, Greatbatch, Nortech Systems, Tecomet, Daiichi Jitsugyo Co. Ltd., Mitutoyo Corp., Hamilton Company, Cirtec Medical Systems LLC and Kinetic Climax Inc.Get Customized Report @Key Benefits The study provides an in-depth analysis of the market along with current trends and future estimations to elucidate imminent investment pockets. It offers a quantitative analysis from 2017 to 2023 to enable stakeholders to capitalize on prevailing market opportunities. Comprehensive analysis of all geographical regions has been provided to determine prevailing opportunities. Key players have been profiled and their strategies thoroughly analyzed to understand the competitive outlook of the global market. Extensive analysis by product elucidates the use of medical device manufacturing outsourcing devices in medical settings.Table Of ContentChapter: 1 INTRODUCTION1.1. REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2. KEY BENEFITS1.3. KEY MARKET SEGMENTS1.4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY1.4.1. Secondary research1.4.2. Primary research1.4.3. Analyst tools & modelsChapter: 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1. CXO PERSPECTIVEChapter: 3 MARKET OVERVIEW3.1. MARKET DEFINITION AND SCOPE3.2. KEY FINDINGS3.2.1. Top investment pockets3.2.2. Top winning strategies3.3. MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS, 20163.4. PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS3.4.1. MARKET DYNAMICS3.4.2. Drivers3.4.3. Restraints3.4.4. OpportunitiesAccess Full Summery @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.ContactDavid Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Protein Bars Market 2018-2023 Analysis by Top Manufacturers Eastman, General Mills, The Balance Bar, Chicago Bar Company, Abbott Nutrition

Protein Bars

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Globally, the Protein Bar market is mainly driven by growing demand for Bodybuilders and Pro/Amateur Athletes. Bodybuilders and Pro/Amateur Athletes accounts for nearly 87.22% of total downstream consumption of Protein Bar in global. Protein Bar can be mainly divided into Low Protein, Medium Protein and High Protein which Medium Protein captures about 49.03% of Protein Bar market in 2017.Leaders Of The Industry :- Eastman, General Mills, The Balance Bar, Chicago Bar Company, Abbott Nutrition, The Kellogg Company, MARS, Hormel Foods, Atkins Nutritionals, No-go Nutrition, Prinsen Bering, VSI, Atlantic Gruppa, and so on.The Complete Report Spreads across 161 Pages.Fill The Form To Book A PDF:Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year 2013, 2016Base year 2017Forecast period 2018 to 2023Global market is expected to witness significant growth on account of rising applications, so in the next few years, Protein Bar consumption will show a trend of steady growth. In 2024 the consumption value of Protein Bar is estimated to be 1966.21 million USD. On product prices, the slow downward trend in recent years will maintain in the future.Protein Bar is still in its early development stage, there is huge development space and market to explore. Investing in this industry is feasible and wise choice. That Protein Bars will register a 6.3% CAGR in terms of revenue, reach US$ 1760 million by 2023, from US$ 1220 million in 2017.Protein bars are targeted to people who primarily want a convenient source of protein that doesnt require preparation (unless homemade). There are different kinds of food bars to fill different purposes. Energy bars provide the majority of their food energy (calories) in carbohydrate form. Meal replacement bars are intended to replace the variety of nutrients in a meal.Grab Discount at :-By Category: Protein Bars Video Content Protein Bars Digital Text Content Protein Bars Digital Games Content Protein Bars Digital Audio ContentBy Device: Protein Bars Mobile Content Protein Bars Non-Mobile ContentBy Regions: Protein Bars North America U.S. Canada Protein Bars Europe UK Germany Protein Bars Asia Pacific China India Japan Protein Bars Latin America Brazil MexicoHave Any Query? Ask Our Experts at :-Table of Contents2018-2023 Global Protein Bars Consumption Market Report1 Scope of the Report1.1 Market Introduction1.2 Research Objectives1.3 Years Considered1.4 Market Research Methodology1.5 Economic Indicators1.6 Currency Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 World Market Overview2.1.1 Global Protein Bars Consumption 2013-20232.1.2 Protein Bars Consumption CAGR by Region2.2 Protein Bars Segment by Type2.2.1 Electrical Polisher2.2.2 Pneumatic Polisher2.3 Protein Bars Consumption by Type2.3.1 Global Protein Bars Consumption Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global Protein Bars Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3.3 Global Protein Bars Sale Price by Type (2013-2018)2.4 Protein Bars Segment by Application2.4.1 Automotive Repair Shop2.4.2 Automotive Care Shop2.4.3 Others2.5 Protein Bars Consumption by Application2.5.1 Global Protein Bars Consumption Market Share by Application (2013-2018)2.5.2 Global Protein Bars Value and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)2.5.3 Global Protein Bars Sale Price by Application (2013-2018)We Also Can Offer Customized Report To Fulfill Special Requirements Of Our Clients.Purchase this Premium Report at :-3 Global Protein Bars by Players3.1 Global Protein Bars Sales Market Share by Players3.1.1 Global Protein Bars Sales by Players (2016-2018)3.1.2 Global Protein Bars Sales Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.2 Global Protein Bars Revenue Market Share by Players3.2.1 Global Protein Bars Revenue by Players (2016-2018)3.2.2 Global Protein Bars Revenue Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.3 Global Protein Bars Sale Price by Players3.4 Global Protein Bars Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types by Players3.4.1 Global Protein Bars Manufacturing Base Distribution and Sales Area by Players3.4.2 Players Protein Bars Products Offered3.5 Market Concentration Rate Analysis3.5.1 Competition Landscape Analysis3.5.2 Concentration Ratio (CR3, CR5 and CR10) (2016-2018)3.6 New Products and Potential Entrants3.7 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion4 Protein Bars by Regions4.1 Protein Bars by Regions4.1.1 Global Protein Bars Consumption by Regions4.1.2 Global Protein Bars Value by Regions4.2 Americas Protein Bars Consumption Growth4.3 APAC Protein Bars Consumption Growth4.4 Europe Protein Bars Consumption Growth4.5 Middle East & Africa Protein Bars Consumption Growth5 Americas5.1 Americas Protein Bars Consumption by Countries5.1.1 Americas Protein Bars Consumption by Countries (2013-2018)5.1.2 Americas Protein Bars Value by Countries (2013-2018)5.2 Americas Protein Bars Consumption by Type5.3 Americas Protein Bars Consumption by Application5.4 United States5.5 Canada5.6 Mexico5.7 Key Economic Indicators of Few Americas CountriesAbout Us:Research Reports Inc. is one of the leading destinations for market research reports across all industries, companies, and technologies. Our repository features an exhaustive list of market research reports from thousands of publishers worldwideWith our expertise and research offerings, we ensure we deliver on all your requirements, whether youre looking for industry analysis or market trends or anything else, first time and every time!Email us sales@researchreportsinc.comCall: US / Canada Toll Free: +18554192424, UK : +4403308087757
Bland Company is an industry leader of solar, ventilation, heating, roofing and Air Conditioning (HVAC) in California. The company is headquartered in Bakersfield and has showrooms in Atascadero and Fresno. They service the entire Central Coast and Central Valley. They are an employee-owned company that takes pride in the work they do and the communities they work in. They prioritize the safety and health of their workforce as well as 
Global Key Management market research report provides company profile for CIPHERCLOUD, GEMALTO, GOOGLE, IBM, THALES E-SECURITY, BOX, EGNYTE, KEYNEXUS, SEPIOR, UNBOUND TECH 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 
Expected to create more than 100,000 new jobs, the Victorian government has unveiled plans in the 2015 state budget to commit $22 billion towards public infrastructure over the next four years. More than $1.5 billion of this funding is expected be dedicated towards the development of the Melbourne Metro Rail Project, entailing the construction of two nine-kilometre tunnels underneath Melbourne CBD, as well as five new railway stations. The Melbourne 
A woman died in a crash near Salmon Creek on Tuesday after the Washington State Patrol say she sped away from a trooper trying to pull her over on Interstate 5 and crashed about 10 miles later when she apparently lost control of the SUV near the I-205 junction.

The woman, who has not yet been identified by police, was driving above 70 mph south on I-5 near milepost 17 around 9:40 a.m. when a trooper tried pulling her over for speeding, according to Trooper Will Finn, a state patrol spokesman.

The 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor kept heading south on the highway, and other troopers later joined the chase, Finn said. The SUV went off the roadway a little before 9:50 a.m. and into the grassy median between I-205 and I-5.

The SUV rolled at least once, hit a tree, and the driver was thrown from the vehicle, Finn said. The SUV came to a rest upside down. The vehicle was later determined to have been reported stolen earlier Tuesday in Milton, Washington, about 140 miles northeast of Vancouver, Finn said.

The woman died at the scene. Finn said authorities were still trying to identify her and her next of kin as of Tuesday evening.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
TriMet hoped to immediately clarify its fare enforcement authority and potential consequences for riders who choose not to buy a ticket in the wake of a Multnomah County judge's ruling last month. But that clarity will have to wait.

The transit agency's Board of Directors met Wednesday to debate what TriMet lawyers pitched as a housekeeping measure designed to clarify rules for riders while giving fare enforcement staff more solid footing when approaching riders who'd heard random fare-enforcement stops were illegal.

But a proposal to pass an emergency ordinance, which requires all seven members of the governor-appointed TriMet board to vote yes, failed amid a wide-ranging discussion that went beyond fare enforcement and touched on larger issues of trust, communication and dignity on the tri-county transit system.

Instead of approving the rule changes immediately, the board agreed to come back in November after hearing more from riders and transit advocacy groups.

One month ago, Judge John Wittmayer ruled that TriMet fare enforcement staff and transit police had violated Oregon's constitution by stopping, citing and arresting a David Douglas School Board member. TriMet said the ruling had wrought confusion on the rails, where some passengers pushed back and said they couldn't legally be required to show a valid fare, and staffers were on increasingly uneasy ground without the ability to confidently respond.

The agency said it had every right to enforce fares, and it launched a "Fare is Fair" website with more information, including language from Wednesday's emergency ordinance which had not been approved by the board.

TriMet has already taken steps to decriminalize fare evasion, meaning riders whose sole digression was not paying a fare would not face criminal charges. The agency also reduced fines for those passengers from $175 to $75 for a first offense earlier this year.

Kathy Wai, one of three new board members appointed by Gov. Kate Brown this year, disagreed that TriMet needed to immediately enact the rule changes and she cast the lone no vote on the emergency ordinance. The ordinance was just unveiled last week, she said, and many members of the public and TriMet's only advisory board on equity issues had just a few days to view it.

Four hours into Wednesday's meeting at Gresham City Hall, Wai said there were "lots of voices that are not here today," and she pushed for more time.

She described the code revisions as emblematic of more concerns about policing on the system, calling it "a Band-Aid to a wound that has been festering" in low-income communities and communities of color. "If we want to be a transformative agency and not an agency that keeps reacting to things," she said, "I think we need to have difficult conversations."

Wai wasn't the only board member pushing for those conversations. Keith Edwards, also appointed this year, disputed the notion that clarifying the agency's internal code would be enough.

Despite TriMet's intentions and its perceived authority to conduct random fare stops, Edwards said there would be "street corner attorneys" with differing opinions on the legality of those stops.

Ozzie Gonzalez, the third board member appointed by Brown earlier this year, appeared to dispute recent academic studies showing TriMet's stops showed a lack of bias in citing people of color for fare evasion.

"Bias exists and that's something that is felt by the community regardless of what studies may demonstrate," Gonzalez said.

He added that explicitly laying out a uniform fare enforcement strategy should be viewed as a good thing "especially if you're afraid of bias," calling it the best preventative measure a rider would have to avoid being unfairly targeted

Travis Stovall, another TriMet board member, voted in favor of the emergency plan:

"As a person of color who has experienced discrimination consistently, I have a concern about us waiting on this."

More confusion and ambiguity on the system just leaves the door open for "something to happen" and a situation to escalate.

The board will meet again Nov. 14.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story had an incorrect figure for TriMet's original fine for fare evasion.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen




(CNN) -- The disappearance and death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi sent shockwaves through the business world, leaving in limbo planned investments, partnerships and projects in banking, transportation and technology.

Business leaders have been distancing themselves from Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey earlier this month. Riyadh, which had denied any involvement in his disappearance for nearly three weeks, said Friday Khashoggi died in a fistfight involving more than a dozen Saudi officials inside the consulate. German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected the Saudi statement. "From Saudi Arabia, we expect transparency in terms of death and background. Those responsible must be held accountable. The information given at the consulates in Istanbul is insufficient," she said.

Questions about the grisly episode, and the Saudi regime's possible involvement, threaten to complicate Saudi Arabia's immediate efforts to court foreign investment and diversify its economy by 2030, though analysts say the long-term impact remains unclear and some long-standing arms and energy deals appear untouched.

Here's how the fallout has impacted business and markets.

Saudi ties to Silicon Valley in question

The kingdom's sovereign wealth fund is a key investor in American tech firms. It provided nearly half the money for the massive $93 billion SoftBank Vision Fund, which has invested in companies like WeWork, Slack and DoorDash.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has repeatedly talked about a second Vision Fund, but those plans could now be in doubt. Silicon Valley firms may shun Vision Fund money now because they don't want "to become associated with what they might consider as blood money,"Amir Anvarzadeh, a strategist at Asymmetric Advisors, told CNN Business.

Asymmetric Advisors removed SoftBank (SFTBF) from its list of key stock recommendations earlier this week. The Japanese company's share price has fallen nearly 15% since Khashoggi disappeared on October 2, hit by concerns about its Saudi ties and the broad sell-off in tech stocks.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi withdrew from a major business conference at which he was due to speak, saying he was "troubled by the reports to date about Jamal Khashoggi." His announcement is particularly significant because Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is a big shareholder in Uber. In 2016, it invested $3.5 billion in the ride-hailing startup.

Relationships with Google, Amazon and Apple may also face pressure from Khashoggi's disappearance. In the spring, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the campuses of top tech companies in the United States and posed for pictures alongside the CEOs of Apple, Amazon and Google. Apple had reportedly been in talks to open an Apple Store in the country, while Amazon was exploring expanding its Web Services business to support Saudi businesses. Google was discussing building data centers for Saudi oil giant Aramco. The companies have yet to comment on if they will pursue a relationship with the kingdom going forward.

Analysts say the tech companies are grappling with how to proceed.

Foreign leaders shun investment conference

Fallout from Khashoggi's disappearance has taken a bite out of the guest list for bin Salman's Future Investment Initiative conference, also known as "Davos in the desert," which is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Riyadh. The conference is part of his Vision 2030 plan to break the country's dependence on oil.

All the meeting's international media partners, including CNN, Fox Business and the New York Times, have withdrawn.

In addition, a number of prominent American executives have also pulled out from the conference. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene and Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford are among those who backed out. So too did US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Goldman executive Dina Powell, a former adviser to the Trump administration. Top European bankers, including HSBC CEO John Flint, Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam Standard Chartered (SCBFF) CEO Bill Winters and London Stock Exchange CEO David Schwimmer also reversed their decisions to attend.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has not yet said whether he will be attending.

MBS's economic diversification plan hits a roadblock

Just like the conference planned to promote it, bin Salman's Vision 2030 plan has faced international pressure. Richard Branson suspended his involvement in two projects to create a tourist destination on the Red Sea. Branson also paused talks with the Saudis on an investment in Virgin's space businesses.

"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 on October 11.

Other business leaders and former US secretary of energy Ernest Moniz, have withdrawn from the advisory board of NEOM, a project to build a zero-emission city of self-driving cars and passenger drones.

Saudi stocks plummet

Riyadh's main stock market index plunged 7% on October 14 out of fear of US sanctions. The drop wiped out the index's 2018 gains. The Tadawul All Share Index is down nearly 5% off its one-month high.

Saudi Arabia reminds world of its oil power

The Khashoggi killing and its possible geopolitical fallout has cast a shadow over the oil market.

Sanctions on Iran's energy sector go into effect on November 5 and questions linger about just how many Iranian barrels will get knocked offline and how much Saudi Arabia can -- or will -- make up for the shortfall. Saudi Arabia has threatened to retaliate against potential sanctions from the United States over the Khashoggi case.

While Saudi Arabia is unlikely to outright cut production, the kingdom may not be in a rush to come to the rescue either. Saudi Arabia could decide to slow-walk future output hikes.

Saudi Arabia pumps around 10.5 million barrels of oil a day, according to OPEC data. It has previously said it is willing, along with Russia, to fill the gap created by the return of US sanctions on Iran.

Meantime, other energy deals are moving ahead. Earlier this month, Saudi Aramco and French energy group Total signed an agreement to start working on plans for a $5 billion petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "How the Khashoggi case and its fallout is affecting global business."
Its really important for me to be able to provide for young people in the way that Marwen provided for me, Halley said. This allows me to connect with students in a way thats very personal, as someone whos walked in their shoes, as someone who can understand some of their lived experiences, as someone who is a leader of color. All of those are important signifiers of the impact of Marwen.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, schools chief says results will be released today.

The Oregon Department of Education, whose leader is hand-picked by Gov. Kate Brown, has decided to delay releasing its annual school performance ratings from Thursday, as had been scheduled, to after the high-stakes Nov. 6 election.

The statistical rankings are ready and have been in school districts' hands since Oct. 4. Superintendents were provided data about their schools' ratings and directed they could "prepare press releases" about their district's showing in advance of the scheduled Oct. 25 release of the ratings to the public.

But the department quietly informed school district officials last week that it would delay the release for three weeks. Department officials told them nothing about the reason for the delay.

The move comes as Brown is locked in a close race with Republican challenger Knute Beuher. Buehler has said over and over that Brown's failure to improve public school outcomes is his No. 1 issue in the campaign.

On Monday, department spokesman Marc Siegel told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the agency moved back the release so it could launch, as it did Tuesday, a long-awaited website with messages and tools to fight chronic absenteeism.

On Tuesday, he added another reason, saying a complication that arises each year -- some schools get low ratings not because they have low test scores or high dropout rates, but because too few of their students took state tests -- required more time to handle.

Oregon schools chief Colt Gill, selected by Brown last year to oversee the state's public schools, made the decision to delay giving parents and the public information about school performance.

Siegel and a spokeswoman for Brown both said Gill informed Brown of the decision but it was his call.

"I am not comfortable releasing these profiles until I know that I have a complete package of supports ready for both parents and for educators and districts ... so that they can make informed decisions about their work going forward," Gill told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The school ratings are bound to look particularly bad this year due to a provision in federal education law added at the behest of Sen. Ron Wyden. The Oregon Democrat, expressing dismay about the terrible high school graduation rates in his state, got fellow members of Congress to agree that schools that don't manage to graduate at least two-thirds of their students in four years should be called onto the carpet for poor performance and have the opportunity to receive federal improvement funds.

Oregon, which has the third-worst statewide graduation rate in the nation, has a lot of schools that don't clear the two-thirds graduation bar.

That news would have been in the headlines this week, while most voters still have ballots in front of them.

A representative from Brown's campaign did not respond immediately Tuesday to questions about whether she played a role in the delay.

But Kate Kondayen, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Brown has concerns related to the fact that schools can get low ratings only for failing to test enough students. The education department, Kondayen said, "has assured our office that they are taking the time to get this right for students, school districts, and families." It's a concern, however, that neither Brown nor the education department saw as a cause for delay in years past.

News of Oregon's terrible graduation rate is not a secret. Nor is the fact chronic absenteeism and college-going rates have stagnated or worsened since Brown became governor. This year's test results were mediocre, which Buehler was quick to telegraph.

John Horvick, vice president and political director of nonpartisan opinion research firm DHM Research, said education is the No. 1 issue for Oregon voters trying to make a decision in the governor's race. But he said negative headlines about Oregon schools' performance this week would have made little difference in voter perceptions.

"Oregonians don't think highly of the state's school system," he said. "It's unlikely one more negative report would make them feel even less positive than they do now."

The delay raises two questions for him, Horvick said.

It raises the possibility "the report is more negative than I am assuming," he said. And,"The question becomes, is (the delay) capitalized on by Knute Buehler or by others to demonstrate that (Brown) is hiding something, that she isn't being honest and trustworthy, that she is playing games with the results?"

Buehler did just that.

"Brown is putting her re-election campaign ahead of the needs of our parents, teachers and children," he said. "This information is important for parents and to ensure accountability in our schools. The only one who is afraid of this information is Governor Brown. Brown promised a transparent government and to fix our failing schools. Disappointingly, she has failed to deliver either."

Brown picked Gill in spring 2016 to be the state's first "education innovation officer" and to take the lead on raising graduation rates and lessening chronic absenteeism. Then in fall 2017, when she forced out former state schools chief Salam Noor, who had been her pick in 2015, Brown moved Gill into the position leading the Oregon Department of Education. She then eliminated the role of education innovation officer.

Chronic absenteeism rates have not improved in Oregon. The state was scheduled to release the latest figures last week but it failed to do so, citing a "schedule change." The absenteeism data was then rescheduled to be released Nov. 1, ahead of the election, but it's now unclear whether that will occur.

Siegel asked a reporter Monday for evidence his agency had said it would release that information on Oct. 18. She provided it.

The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a public records request Monday evening for all the school performance data the department provided to school districts. Siegel said Tuesday he had received it and would "look into it."

-- Betsy Hammond
UPDATED: Now includes a tool to search for any school's performance ratings



Oregon schools chief Colt Gill, acknowledging the large public backlash, reversed his decision to delay release of Oregon school ratings until after the Nov. 6 election.

His department released the ratings within minutes of his announcement. But the Oregon Department of Education issued them in a manner that only allows the public to see one school's data at a time.

Gill's decision followed the revelation, published on OregonLive Tuesday and on The Oregonian's front page Wednesday, that his agency had completed the rankings but decided to delay their release from this week until Nov. 15.

Gill said Gov. Kate Brown had supported his decision to put off releasing the school performance ratings after he told her he wanted more time to plan how to help schools respond to them going public. But in the wake of the Oregonian/OregonLive news story, he said, "the governor has clearly seen from the community that people would like to see these reports now. And she has directed me to do that."

Brown's agreement to have her hand-picked schools chief sit on the school ratings in the final weeks of her hotly contested re-election campaign was clearly a political gaffe. Gill said Wednesday he was "a little bit surprised" to learn how many people badly wanted to see the new ratings now, not later.

Brown's Republican challenger, Knute Buehler, has hammered Brown over and over for what he labels "her indifference" to improving the mediocre outcomes of Oregon's public schools. And Wednesday, before learning of the about-face, he said her decision to "hide" the performance ratings was "quite likely the most disturbing thing yet. ... I'd ask, 'What bad news is Governor Brown hiding?'"

In the end, the education department released the performance ratings about 18 hours ahead of the original schedule.

What those ratings show broadly is still a mystery, because no human can download and read 2,400-plus .pdf documents in an afternoon. But at the link below we've gathered the ratings for each school.

See performance ratings for every Oregon public school

You can also see two .pdfs providing information and ratings about any Oregon public school on this page on the Oregon Department of Education web site. Each school's ratings are under the link labeled "accountability details." Schools are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being top performance.

In a hastily called press conference Wednesday, Gill tried to defend his decision to withhold the performance reports for three weeks as beneficial to educators and students and otherwise innocuous -- before conceding it was a mistake.

Gill said the reports didn't contain any new information except statistics about chronic absenteeism. But that's not true. The reports are the first to tell the public how much year-to-year growth in reading and math each school accomplished for their students. They reveal for the first time how well high schools kept freshmen on track to graduate. They give the first public accounting of teacher turnover rates at each school. And of course they provide the public the first insight into how well the state rated each school's performance.

He also stuck to his account, first given Tuesday by his office as well as by Brown's, that the delay was also justified by a new federal requirement that schools' ratings be set back if they fail to test at least 95 percent of their students. But that claim also is built on faulty information. The requirement that schools' ratings be downgraded if fewer than 95 percent of students take the tests dates back to 2004. That year, the most common reason Oregon schools were rated as inadequate was for a failure to test enough students.

Gill's carefully orchestrated event to walk back his decision featured prepared remarks and a phalanx of aides to rush him away once a spokeswoman cut off further questions from reporters. It was staffed by the communications team from the governor's office, not the Department of Education.

The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a public records request Monday evening for all the performance rating data in a usable spreadsheet format. Department of Education spokesman Marc Siegal said Wednesday the agency will provide that to all members of the media "in the coming days."

-- Betsy Hammond
Alameda Brewhouse, a Northeast Portland brewpub that dates back to the early days of Portland's craft brew scene, is closing Nov. 3, owner Matt Schumacher confirmed Wednesday morning.

The restaurant, in the 4700 block of Northeast Fremont Street, has been a neighborhood fixture since opening in 1996. The Beaumont Business Association announced the closure Tuesday morning.

Schumacher, reached by phone, said legal reasons prevented him from commenting on why the restaurant was closing, but he said he and his staff of 20 employees were devastated.

"We're all pretty sad," Schumacher said. "We're pretty much one of the original Portland brewpubs. Us, Lucky Lab, Raccoon Lodge."

Schumacher said he informed his employees, about half of which have been with Alameda Brewing for more than 15 years, about the closure.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for them," he said. "I let them know I'm not going to be the type of guy who puts a piece of paper up on the window. I told them, and they all voted to stay on till the end."

Schumacher said Alameda Brewing, the pub's brewery, will continue to operate for a short period, but he couldn't say when it would close. The brewery has operated a 5-barrel brewhouse in the Beaumont Village pub but done most of its brewing in a 20-barrel facility in Southeast Portland.

Alameda Brewing, which began distributing across the Northwest a few years after opening, has won four medals at the Great American Beer Festival for perhaps its best-known beer, Black Bear XX Stout, including golds in 2003 and 2005 and silver in 2006 and 2008 in the foreign-style stout category.

It has had four brewmasters in its more than two decades, the first being Craig Nicholls, who is now a beer industry consultant. Others included John Eaton, who is at Widmer Brewing, and Carston Haney, who left to open Ross Island Brewing, which is now Dirty Pretty Brewing owned by the Chefstable Group.

Schumacher said he didn't know what the future held for current brewmaster Marshal Kunz.

Trevor Thurston was Nicholls' assistant brewer when Alameda opened. He said it could be a hectic place to work, much like most small breweries trying to make a go of it. He doesn't know what went wrong, but he said "the neighborhood was supportive -- they always were."

"I feel bad for Matt (Schumacher," Thurston said by phone Wednesday afternoon. "It was one of the originals. It was one of the early ones."

Shumacher said he couldn't offer more details on what went wrong.

"All I know is there's some sad neighborhood people right now," he said. "Twenty-two years is a long run."

-- Andre Meunier

503-221-8488

@AndreMeunier13
BY DAVID HAMPTON

I would like to urge writers for local media to take a more careful look at the words they use and how their own implicit biases might affect their coverage of current events. At a time when we are in particular need of in-depth, fact-based journalism, it seems increasingly scarce. This recently hit close to home for Hampton Lumber and our employees after reading The Oregonian/OregonLive's Oct. 5 article, "Knute Buehler says he's not taking anti-environment money. He's gotten more than $850,000."

We were labeled "anti-environment" by The Oregonian/OregonLive because of our position on a natural resources policy proposal. Or were we labeled as such simply because we grow trees and manufacture renewable wood products for a living?

Environmental sustainability is key to what we do. We plant over a million trees a year and keep roughly 80,000 acres of forests in Oregon forested decade after decade, providing clean water, clean air and wildlife habitat. We value that and work to keep our forests and communities healthy and sustainable long-term. We also take pride in the role we play in supporting outdoor recreation in the state. Access to our forestlands in Oregon is free and open to the public most times of the year (including for a recent Cycle Oregon mountain bike event) so residents and visitors can get out and enjoy not only Oregon's wild places but its working landscapes as well.

We advocate for natural resource management based on the best-available science, not anecdote or emotion, which can certainly run high when discussing Oregon's forests. With environmental issues, sometimes policy proposals are put forward before the science is solid.

That's why we urged natural resource agencies to look at recent research from U.S. Fish & Wildlife that shows marbled murrelet populations improving in Oregon and to wait for completion of Oregon State University's comprehensive study on the marbled murrelet before making changes that would fundamentally alter forest policy in the state.

Some feel that doing something --anything -- is better than nothing. However, when it comes to writing policy, that course of action can sometimes end up doing more harm than good.

As a lumber manufacturer and forestland owner, natural resources policies affect us deeply. We walk these woods every day and understand the needs and realities of working forests, perhaps more than most in this state. As such, we weigh in when we have concerns or disagreements and we ask that when policy changes are made, they reflect the best-available science and take into consideration the impacts those decisions will have on all Oregonians. When we don't feel policy proposals meet those standards, we will say so.

Disagreeing with a handful of environmental groups on a policy proposal doesn't necessarily make you anti-environment. We are in desperate need of journalists these days, not commentators. The "news" piece in the Oregonian earlier this month was thinly-veiled, partisan commentary. We need reporters to take the time to reach out and learn about the many sides of an issue. At a time when rhetoric and misinformation seem rampant, thoughtful and informed dialogue is needed on all sides, not assumptions and name-calling.

David Hampton is co-owner of Hampton Lumber.
A judge on Tuesday dismissed all criminal charges against suspended Marion County Circuit Judge Vance Day on the eve of his trial because a key witness wasnt willing to participate.

A 12-person jury was expected to hear opening statements Wednesday on allegations that Day allowed a felon to handle a firearm on two occasions.

But lawyers for the Oregon Department of Justice asked Multnomah County Senior Circuit Judge Julie Frantz to dismiss the case.

The move means Day's criminal troubles are over because the statute of limitations has passed for refiling charges against him.

Day couldnt immediately be reached for comment, but his attorneys described the judge as a "thoughtful and caring jurist dedicated to the citizens of Marion County and all of the participants in the Veterans Treatment Court."

"We are gratified that the Oregon Department of Justice finally dismissed this case. It is disappointing that it took nearly two years and an incredible waste of our public funds to reach this result," defense attorneys Mike De Muniz and Steven Sherlag said in a statement.

"Judge Day was looking forward to finally receiving a transparent and public airing of the facts, which we believe would have led to an acquittal on all charges," they said.

Day made national headlines for his refusal to marry same-sex couples. But that's not what led to the charges against him.

Day was accused of a felony for allegedly giving a drunken driving defendant, Brian Shehan, permission to handle a gun in the home of Days son-in-law and later while target shooting with Days son. Day also was fighting two misdemeanor charges of first-degree official misconduct.

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice described the decision to drop the case as "difficult," but acknowledged that it did so because the key witness -- Shehan -- chose not to testify during trial.

"After assessing our options, we decided to honor this veteran's decision to no longer participate in the proceedings," said Michael Slauson, chief counsel for the Department of Justice's criminal division, in a written statement.

Shehan, a decorated former Navy SEAL, was in Day's Veterans Treatment Court program, according to a January 2016 report by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability. In November 2013, Day drove Shehan to the home of Day's son-in-law, so Shehan could perform some work there, according to the report.

Although Day had repeatedly told Shehan in court that he was prohibited from being around guns as a felon, the judge gave Shehan permission to handle a gun at the home by removing a clip and making sure it wasn't loaded, the report said.

The report also found that in January 2014, Day and his son went to Shehan's home uninvited and let him handle a gun that they brought with them. Day's son returned to Shehan's home later that day and the two practiced shooting the gun, according to the report.

Shehan has since moved out of state.

Day was appointed to his judgeship in 2011 by then-Gov. John Kitzhaber. He was elected to a full six-year term in November 2012.

But in March, Day began a three-year suspension handed down by the Oregon Supreme Court for a series of ethical violations that included "willful misconduct" and "willful misstatements" to cover up the truth, according to the high court.

The Supreme Court found that Day acted with prejudice against same-sex couples by deciding he wouldn't marry them and he instructed his staff to employ a scheme to avoid "public detection" of his plan. Day's attorneys had argued that he was acting on his deeply held religious beliefs, and that they were constitutionally protected.

The Supreme Court also ruled Day had allowed Shehan to handle the guns.

The Oregon Department of Justice noted that the Supreme Court's decision to discipline Day means he had already been held accountable on some level.

"Although we believe that a criminal sanction was warranted, we also recognize that the Oregon Supreme Court has already addressed his misconduct on the bench by taking the extraordinary step of suspending him for three years," said Slauson, in his written statement.

The suspension was far longer than any other imposed in the Supreme Court's history, with the exception of two Oregon judges it ordered removed from office: Multnomah County Circuit Judge Shirley Field in 1978 for inability to cope with emotional problems and Josephine County Circuit Judge Kim Jordan in 1981 for accusations that he lied under oath and found a defendant guilty of a crime in the absence of a defense attorney.

Day's criminal trial had been moved to Multnomah County after he successfully argued that he couldn't get a fair hearing in Marion County because of extensive publicity. Jury selection for the trial had begun at the East County Courthouse in Gresham.

Day's current term ends this year. His suspension means he couldn't seek re-election. He won't be paid for the remainder of his term.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court left the suspension in place, refusing to hear Day's appeal. Day had argued he was singled out for his opposition to same-sex marriage.

-- Aimee Green
An Oregon State Police captain on Tuesday denied committing acts of domestic violence against his wife last year.

Bill A. Fugate, the police agency's former head public spokesman, pleaded not guilty in Deschutes County Circuit Court to harassment, Oregon court records show. A trial is scheduled for May 2019.

Fugate, 43, remains on unpaid administrative leave from the state police department and out of jail Tuesday.

Fugate is accused of harming his wife, Georgina Monrean-Fugate, at their home in May 2017 and June 2017. Monrean-Fugate filed for divorce in January and reported in a Feb. 28 restraining order that her husband had been violent toward her in the past, including in November 2017, when she said she feared he was going to shoot her.

Fugate was placed on administrative leave from the state police department the same day the restraining order was filed. A criminal investigation began in March, and Fugate was charged in June. State police said the same month that it would be conducting an internal investigation involving Fugate as the criminal case was ongoing.

Fugate has been with the state police since 2007.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Oregonians are about to find out how much the state's voters support President Donald Trump.

Trump's election, alleged misconduct toward women and immigration crackdown have all sparked protests in Portland.

But he also won in 28 of the state's 36 counties in 2016, and a recent poll commissioned by Oregon Public Broadcasting found the president's approval rating in Oregon increased five percentage points since January. Hillary Clinton won the state by landing the most populous counties.

It's in that context that Oregon voters are now deciding whether to repeal the state's 31-year-old sanctuary law, which forbids law enforcement from inquiring about a person's immigration status or apprehending them unless the person is suspected of a criminal offense. State lawmakers from both parties passed the law in 1987 in response to reports of racial profiling by local police.

Opponents of the repeal have far outraised and outspent its supporters. The pro-repeal campaign reported raising nearly $50,000 as of Monday and spending $45,000. In contrast, the pro-sanctuary law campaign has reported raising $2 million and spending nearly $1.3 million. The OPB poll found the outlook for Measure 105 is not good, with 32 percent of respondents saying they supported the measure and 45 percent opposed.

The group behind the repeal effort, Oregonians for Immigration Reform, has been around since 2000. In the years since, it has worked on a variety of legislation and ballot initiatives to make it more difficult for unauthorized immigrants to live and work in Oregon. Overturning the sanctuary state law wasn't on the group's radar until Trump's 2016 presidential run, according to the group's president, Cynthia Kendoll.

"With the election of Trump ... state and local governments that don't agree with his policies have started putting up walls and saying, 'We don't have to comply with your policies,'" Kendoll said on Tuesday. "We started poking around and found that Oregon has its very own sanctuary state law, and in fact was the very first sanctuary state in the country."

A leader of one of the organizations fighting the repeal agrees that Trump's anti-immigration stance is the reason voters are being asked to overturn the sanctuary law this year.

"We've had this law for 30 years and they've been around for two decades and not a peep from them until now on this," said Andrea Williams, executive director of the immigrant rights organization Causa. "I think they believe in Trump's agenda ... that does not accept immigrants in our country and that we shouldn't be a beacon of hope for people all over the world."

Supporters of repealing the sanctuary state law point to reports of violent crime, both in Oregon and other states, committed by people in the country illegally who had previous run-ins with law enforcement.

The case of Sergio Jose Martinez, who assaulted two women in Portland in July 2017, drew national attention because he had been released from the Multnomah County jail seven months earlier despite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials lodging a civil immigration detainer against him. Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese faulted federal immigration officials because they did not provide the criminal arrest warrant he needed to detain Martinez.

Oregonians for Immigration Reform started working on the sanctuary state repeal initiative months earlier, in April 2017. Kendoll's interest in eliminating the law dates back even earlier, to August 2016, when she issued a Trump-inspired call for the Oregon Legislature to repeal it in an editorial in The Oregonian/OregonLive.

"As a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, I listened to heartrending speeches by parents of Americans murdered by illegal immigrants," Kendoll wrote. "And I heard Donald Trump promise, if elected, to protect his fellow citizens from illegal-immigrant crime via a restored, robust enforcement of immigration law."

"Illegal-immigrant crime is preventable  by keeping illegal immigrants from our state in the first place," Kendoll wrote.

Researchers have found that undocumented immigrants do not contribute to an increase in crime in the U.S., and some studies have found those immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than those who are U.S.-born.

But the founders of Oregonians for Immigration Reform view immigration, both legal and illegal, as a major cause of societal problems in the U.S.

"Public conversation is all about rising costs of land, housing, schools and education, overcrowded roads, traffic congestion, large numbers of destitute citizens living on the streets," co-founder Elizabeth van Staaveren of McMinnville wrote in a June editorial in the Forest Grove News-Times. "These problems are mainly caused by overpopulation due to excessive immigration."

State economist Josh Lehner said U.S. Census data doesn't back up the idea that international immigration is driving Oregon's population growth. "The vast majority are what you'd call domestic migrants," Lehner said, referring to people moving here from Colorado, California and other states.

The last time Oregonians for Immigration Reform referred a law to voters was November 2014, when it asked them to overturn a law that would have allowed the state to provide driver's cards to people without proof of U.S. citizenship. Voters agreed with the group, overturning the driver's card statute by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio.

-- Hillary Borrud

503-294-4034; @hborrud
Defense attorneys for MAX train double-murder suspect Jeremy Christian have asked a judge overseeing his criminal case not to give jurors the option of sentencing Christian to death if they find him guilty.

Christian's attorneys made their arguments Wednesday during the third day of a hearing into what will be allowed during Christian's aggravated murder trial next June.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl Albrecht said she needed time to consider the lawyers' arguments. She plans to issue a written decision, but didn't say when.

The defense's request is standard in Oregon cases eligible for the death penalty. It's also standard for judges to deny the requests given case law, including that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the death penalty constitutional under certain circumstances.

Prosecutors haven't yet said whether they'll seek a death sentence if the jury finds Christian guilty of aggravated murder for the deaths of Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche in May 2017.

What would likely happen is that prosecutors would make a recommendation only during a second phase of the trial, when jurors would be asked to choose from three options: a 30-year minimum prison term, a "true life" sentence with no possibility of release or a death sentence.

Any choice the jury would make is aside from Gov. Kate Brown's moratorium preventing any prisoners on death row from being executed.

The three-day hearing concluded with no outbursts from Christian, in contrast to earlier court appearances when he yelled or held up a small piece of paper depicting the "Don't Tread on Me" flag. Christian remained seated and calm throughout.

-- Aimee Green
Yes, nature creates huge rectangular icebergs with almost perfectly squared corners.

Video recently taken by a NASA research plane in Antarctica captured one such example, and the space agency posted it to Twitter.

The images provoked awe from social-media denizens -- as well as some suspicion, seeing as the iceberg looks, well, unnatural.

But the explanation for the tabular iceberg is simple enough:

The Larsen C ice shelf is truly massive, which means many parts of it are perfectly flat. The rectangular iceberg was one of those parts, and it recently sheared from the shelf. The iceberg is estimated to be around 130 feet tall and a mile or two long, National Geographic reports. It probably won't remain a near perfect rectangle for long.

"The [icebergs] detaching from Larsen C are so big, they look perfectly rectangular or with linear features," Jet Propulsion Lab research scientist Eric Rignot told the magazine, "because they were created from rifts that run across the ice shelf for hundreds of kilometers straight."

Scientists are paying close attention to Larson C because the Antarctic is heating up rapidly, and how it reacts to climate change will be instructive to the impacts on the rest of the planet.

Watch NASA video of the iceberg below.

-- Douglas Perry
The pope links prayer-filled holiness to daily acts of justice, especially on behalf of those who suffer, the marginalized and oppressed, Diaz said. Make no mistake: Pope Francis knows that the sexual abuse scandal presents a serious crisis to the authority of U.S. bishops. He has invited them to retreat so they can figure out what needs to be done to credibly address human suffering related to gender and sex-based forms of sexual abuse.
To the editor:

A reminder of voter information sources as we get close to the election:

The Midland Area League of Women Voters publishes an online guide (www.VOTE411.org ) as well as a print version, featuring candidates responses to questions in their own words.

Once into VOTE411.org, enter your address and click on the green bar, Get personalized information on candidates and issues. You will see all the races on your ballot.

The paper version of the Guide was distributed with Midland Daily News on Oct. 13; if you did not receive it with the newspaper, you can get one at Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, Senior Centers and various other locations in the community. It is also posted on the LWV website, www.LWV-midland.org; scroll down to vote! Nov. 6!

For more information directly from the candidates, televised forums can be accessed on the League website.

And be sure to vote.

The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidates.

SUE MCCOLLISTER

Voter services chair,

Midland Area League

of Women Voters

Midland
Theirs is a point in time, ours is year-round, said Julie Dworkin, director of policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Her organization estimates that there are 80,000 homeless in the city, including those who are doubled-up, meaning they live with another person but have no home of their own. Its a definition that differs from the one used by the city, which counts homeless people following guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Apple's new iPhone XS Max is up to 200% faster than the LTE data speeds of the iPhone X. While that's crazy fast, Samsung's Note 9 handily beat Apple's new premium iPhones. The video report by Booredatwork was supported by many tech sites like iPhone Hacks while PCMag relied on Ookla's speed test. Even though technically the Note 9 is faster, I don't think that in the big picture it's that big a deal.

However, when smartphones from Samsung and/or Huawei offer a 5G modem next year, it is going to matter if Apple so chooses to wait to implement 5G until 2020.

While Apple's die-hard fans will support whatever Apple sells next year, there are those within the Apple community that could switch for one season just to get their hands on a smartphone with a 5G modem.

Of course it's up to Samsung and Huawei to offer a gaming or media service or something that will make 5G a killer feature. Otherwise it will be of no consequence.

There are some that believe that Apple will wait until 2020 but with Apple's TV subscription service on tap to finally come to market in the H1 2019, it's Apple who could make 5G a killer feature on iDevices, especially with a push for mobile TV  TV any time, any where. Streaming media is going to be one of 5G's earlier hot ticket features.





If 5G delivers on its projected speeds, a highspeed Internet.com report states that it could "revolutionize your internet experience. With 5G, you could seamlessly stream in 4K Ultra HD or download multiple gigabits of data in seconds instead of minutes.

The report further notes that it will also lead to more ISP Options. Because 5G infrastructure is less intrusive and potentially less expensive than other internet types like cable or fiber, it lowers the cost of entry into the marketplace. This means companies from other industrieslike mobile phone companies, power companies, or even start-upscould jump into the ISP business. That increased competition could drive prices down and service levels up."

According to a new supply chain report published today by Digitimes, both Qualcomm and MediaTek will be moving up their launches by one full quarter which means in the first half of 2019.

While Qualcomm will be leading the race with 5G modems, the report notes that "MediaTek has planned to start volume production of its latest 5G modem chip Helio M70 in the second quarter of 2019, utilizing TSMC's 7nm process.

The sources said that 5G equipment and terminal applications are expected to have a strong presence at the CES and MWC to be held early 2019, and 5G smartphones are expected to hit the market in the second quarter, all at least one quarter ahead of original timetables."

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is usually when Samsung releases their latest Galaxy S smartphone and the S10 is scheduled to arrive in late February prior to the start of MWC on February 25, 2019.

T-Mobile stated earlier this year that "Were tackling 5G with an army at our side. To advance our 5G vision, were working closely with 3GPP, industry standards groups, chip makers, and a range of global handset manufacturers  who are on track to deliver the first handsets in early 2019.

Since Apple's TV subscription is rumored to launch in H1 2019. Perhaps we could see Apple announce it at their World Wide Developer Conference in tune with 5G ready iPads or even Apple TV. Verizon is already pushing 5G into the home with the marketing tag line: Cut the cord. Go 5G Home. The ad shows a smart speaker.

The news of MediaTek's 5G chips being ahead of schedule was first reported on by Patently Apple back on August 1st. On August 16th we posted a second report titled "Is Samsung now in the Race for Apple's 2019 iPhone 5G Modem Business?" While Samsung lost the A-Series Apple processors to TSMC, Samsung will be hungry to score Apple as 5G modem chip customer.

Samsung has touted that their 5G modems with support ultra-high resolution videos, holograms, real-time artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving. Samsung's Galaxy S10 is to launch with their 5G modem in late February.

Clearly Apple has two hungry 5G modem suppliers that will flip over backwards to win an Apple order, so technically Apple could be on board with 5G modems iDevices in 2019.

Last month a report published by AT&T talked about using 5G Millimeter Wave technology in their recent test in Waco Texas. Apple was granted patents related to Millimeter Wave Antennas for iPhones in both September and October. So it's crystal clear that 5G iPhones are on the way with next-gen technology.





Will Apple be an early adopter of 5G and catch the next wave of the internet? I think that there are positive signs and with Android smartphones rolling it out big time in 2019 it's hard to believe that Apple will allow Google's Pixel 4 and Samsung's Galaxy S and Note series smartphones have a huge lead over the iPhone in 2019.

Apple could also choose to start slowly with 5G for the home via a next-gen Apple TV box.

One way or another I believe that Apple will want to look like a leader in this race to deliver 5G devices to market in 2019 and not a follower.

With most high profile critics with huge audiences like The Verge, iJustine, Marques Brownlee and Unboxed Therapy voting for the Pixel 3's camera over the iPhone XS this year, I don't think that Apple will want their competitors smartphones to continue to beat out the iPhone on key features  even if flippant Phil Schiller states that Apple "doesn't think too much" about the competition.






Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

With at least a half-dozen seats in play in the Nov. 6 elections, the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats' re-election wing is out with a new ad hitting the GOP majority over last week's breakdown of a bill that would have handed some relief to the survivors of sexual abuse.

The new ad, "Window," put out by the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, will air in the Philadelphia-area, where Democrats are contending for several GOP Republican seats. The GOP currently has a 33-16 majority, with one vacancy, in the 50-member chamber.

The bill makes note that the legislation, which would have opened a narrow, two-year retroactive window for civil lawsuits, overwhelmingly passed the state House. But it was never called for a vote in the Senate, where President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, offered an alternative proposal that would have allowed survivors to sue individual perpetrators, but not the institutions that enabled or covered up abuse.

That was widely viewed as a move to inoculate Pennsylvania's Roman Catholic diocese against any costly civil litigation. It outraged survivors, who accused the GOP of putting the interests of the church above theirs.

The House "agreed to put partisanship aside and do what was right for victims," the ad charges, as images of Senate leadership and several GOP incumbents facing re-election flash on the screen. "But Republicans in the Senate? They just walked away. No vote. No debate. No justice."

A quick fact-check on the image above.

Senators, who are elected to four-year terms, face the voters on a staggered, two-year schedule. This year, senators who represent even-numbered districts are on the ballot.

So while it is true that Scarnati was responsible for the bill's failure, his 25th District seat in northwestern Pennsylvania will not be on the ballot for another two years.

State Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, is retiring. His son, also named Stewart Greenleaf, is running to replace him in that suburban 12th District seat. Democrats are banking on name-confusion in that contest.

Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery faces Democrat Katie Muth in his 44th District race. But as PennLive reported on Sept. 18, Rafferty, a former GOP candidate for attorney general, "stood alone" among his colleagues in his support for that two-year "window' for civil litigation.

The remaining GOP senators, Majority Leader Jake Corman, of Centre County; Pat Browne, of Lehigh County; Robert Tomlinson, of Bucks County, and Thomas McGarrigle, of Chester County and Bob Mensch of Montgomery County, are all in districts that Democrats are looking to flip on Election Day.

In a statement, Sen. Vince Hughes, of Philadelphia, the chair of the Democrats' re-election effort, called the GOP's failure to bring the bill to a vote "a tragedy."

"Republicans just walked away from victims and protected the perpetrators of sexual assault. Not a single Republican was willing to stand up to their leadership. Nobody spoke out. Nobody even sent a tweet," Hughes said.

Hughes continued: "Every Republican owns this failure. "They elected this leadership, and as a result, victims have been silenced once again. We will take up this fight again in January--unless they call us back into session sooner--but the only way we'll change the result is if we change the Senate."

The 30-second commercial, which will also air on digital platforms across the state, is the first such advertisement that the SDCC has released "in recent memory."

Here's the clip:

"Window" from Senate Dem Campaign Committee on Vimeo.

The rest of the day's news starts now.

The Inquirer looks at how the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, 'took over' Pennsylvania.

A district justice in western Pennsylvania has recused himself in a case involving a suspended local assistant police chief, The Post-Gazette reports.

Former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison over his pay-to-play conviction, The Morning Call reports.

Pa's Democratic congressional candidates, like their colleagues nationwide, are running hard on gun control issues, The Inquirer also reports.

Philly DA Larry Krasner is the subject of a new profile in The New Yorker.

Philly Archdiocese sex abuse reports have spiked since the grand jury report, BillyPenn reports.

The Pa. Supreme Court will make the call on whether Pittsburgh can mandate paid sick leave for workers, The Incline reports.

Here's a very moody #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

WHYY-FM tells the story of the $40k cab ride in Philadelphia.

PennLive's Jan Murphy continues her dive into the Big Issues of the 2018 race for governor. Today - are the candidates really talking about taxing retirement income?

GOP guv candidate Scott Wagner went full xenophobe in a Facebook post over that so-called migrant 'caravan.'

Veep Mike Pence campaigns in Pennsylvania today for a trio of GOP congressional candidates, including U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th District.

Democratic 4th Congressional District candidate Madeleine Dean is on the air with a new ad (via PoliticsPA).

Politico looks at Republican Rick Scott's battle with pollsters in Florida's U.S. Senate race.

WolfWatch.

Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).

5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Carol Hill-Evans

6:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Martina White

Hit both events, give at the max, and you'll be out a mere $6,000 today.

You Say It's Your Birthday Dept.

Best wishes go out this morning to Pitt PR guy - and ex-Capitol journo - Kevin Zwick, who celebrates today. Congrats and enjoy the day, sir.

Heavy Rotation.

Here's a classic from

R.E.M.

from their new '

Live at the BBC

' retrospective. Six years after their demise, the band is still mining the vaults for material.

Wednesday's Gratuitous Hockey Link.

The Pens squeaked past Edmonton 6-5 on Tuesday night.

And now you're up to date.
On Wednesday, the wide majority spoke in favor of the decree. They came from a spectrum of backgrounds and neighborhoods, and their concerns ranged from technical elements of the decree to a general desire for change. Several speakers were African-American activists who talked of intimidating experiences with officers and an abiding fear for their children and other loved ones. They spoke of police brutality and misconduct as old news in the citys black and Latino neighborhoods.
An off-duty township police officer admitted downing a "couple drinks of wine" before rolling the Jeep she was driving while passing another vehicle at a high rate of speed, Pa. state police say.

As a result, the Lehman Twp., Luzerne County, police officer, identified as Alaisha Rebecca Sherwood, 29, of Noxen, Pa., was charged this week with driving under the influence in the Oct. 13 crash, the Citizens Voice reports.

Sherwood is accused of driving with a blood-alcohol level of .115 percent when she crashed, Pa. state police tell the Citizens Voice, adding:

Another motorist reported Sherwood was tailgating him while he was heading southbound on Route 29. When the road opened up to two lanes, Sherwood passed him in the left lane, troopers said.

Once she got in front of the other vehicle, Sherwood's Jeep Wrangler began to fishtail and she veered off the right side of the road, hitting a rock ledge, according to troopers.

The Jeep then flipped end over end and landed on its driver's side, troopers said.

Troopers said Sherwood smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet, with bloodshot and glossy eyes. Asked what happened, Sherwood said her cellphone had fallen beneath a seat and she had been reaching for it prior to the crash, the complaint says.

Sherwood admitted drinking a "couple drinks of wine" and showed signs of impairment during a field sobriety test, troopers said.

There was no immediate word on her employment status with the township department in Luzerne County.

She is also a school resource officer for the Lake-Lehman School District, which did not immediately return a message seeking comment, the Citizens Voice writes.
Prosecutors in Bucks County, Pa., say a group of family members viewed their 84-year-old patriarch as an "ATM machine" - far more interested in his money than his life.

Now, three of those family members and another person have pleaded guilty in the man's agonizing starvation death and will serve prison sentences, 6ABC and NBC-10 in Philly are reporting.

This, after Albert Weaver Sr., 84, of Quakertown, Pa., was found unresponsive in his home back in November 2016.

He died 12 days later in a hospital, but not before uttering the agonizing words, "help me." The cause of death was ruled as starvation and the manner was neglect.

In wake of the four suspects' pleas in the case, a judge Monday sentenced Albert Weaver Sr.'s 53-year-old son Albert Jr., his daughter-in-law Virginia Weaver and his granddaughter's boyfriend, Anthony Dorney, to a combined maximum of 14 years in state prison.

Weaver's granddaughter Amanda Weaver also pleaded guilty, but her sentencing has been delayed pending a mental-health evaluation.

NBC10 quotes Judge Wallace Bateman Jr. as saying:

"It is incomprehensible to me that a family who claims to love someone could treat him this way. I think he was a cash cow for you. You took his money and didn't give him the slightest bit of care."

Prosecutors said the four viewed Weaver as an "ATM machine," cashing his pension checks instead of caring for him.
Penn State police are investigating a woman's claims of being drugged and sexually assaulted by four men outside Saturday's Metallica concert at the Bryce Jordan Center.

As WJAC-TV reports, the reported assault happened between 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Bryce Jordan Center.

The woman says she was drugged, lost consciousness and was then sexually assaulted by four unknown men while visiting Penn State over the weekend, the TV station writes.

There was no immediate word on any suspects in the case.

Police did not link the reported crime directly with Saturday night's Metallica concert.

However, University police were warning students not to accept rides or walk with strangers -- and to report any suspicious vehicles, people or activities.

Anyone with information is asked to call university police at (814) 863-1111 or visit www.psu.edu/hotlines.
It's been called "'Breaking Bad' with Mennonites." And it's getting a second season in 2019.

The CBC television series "Pure" is a drama series about a criminal organization among a Mennonite community, and the newly elected pastor of the community who attempts to resist its corruption.

The series is largely set in Antioch, a fictional Mennonite community in Ontario. But the show also includes scenes in the United States and Mexico, as DEA agents draw connections between Mexican drug cartels and the Antioch church.

The series is loosely inspired true events, which involved Mennonite family members smuggling drugs from Mexico into the United States and Canada for sale.

However, the series is not without its detractors.

Many Canadian Mennonites assert that beyond just the sensational nature of the program, it misrepresents their community's lifestyles and conflates the practices of the Low German Mennonite, Old Order Mennonite and Amish communities.

While the show is not directly connected to the Mennonite or Amish communities in Pennsylvania, the criticism about the series are reminiscent of those directed at the "Amish Mafia" series on Discovery Channel, which was largely shot in the Lancaster area.

While ostensibly a reality series, experts and Lancaster locals regularly denounced "Amish Mafia" as sensationalized and unrealistic. The series ended in 2015.

"Pure" airs in the United States on Hulu and WGN America, and on CBC in Canada. The second season is expected to begin airing in April of 2019. Fore more info, visit the WGN America website.
The cows were acting funny.

That's how the only official witch trial in Pennsylvania history began.

It was 1684 around modern-day Chester County. Henry Drystreet's cows were no longer producing milk. The only explanation, he felt, was witchcraft.

Specifically the witchcraft of Margaret Mattson, a Swedish woman who was rumored to be a witch by many around town.

In the 1680s, witchcraft was a very serious offense. Nine years later, the Salem, Massachusetts colony would enter into a full blown hysteria over witchcraft. There was every chance the same could have happened in Pennsylvania.

But William Penn had other plans.

Our state's founding father was the presiding judge over the case, which saw Mattson, along with another Swedish immigrant named Yeshro Hendrickson, accused of cursing cows and casting spells.

It's the most famous witch trial in Pennsylvania history and set precedent for how witches would be treated in the colony-turned-state.

But, before we continue with its story, it's worth noting you can watch it play out in person at a witch trial re-enactment at William Penn's old home at Pennsbury Manor (400 Pennsbury Memorial Road, Morrisville) on Oct. 28. Actors portray Mattson and Penn, while the audience makes up the jury -- so you can hear for yourself the accusations brought against Mattson and how she defended herself against them. It's part of the historical site's Tricks and Treats event, which starts at 1 p.m. and runs until 4 p.m. The event is free to attend and includes 17th century demonstrations, games, trick-or-treating in addition to the witch trial re-enactment. Learn more at pennsburymanor.org.

Back to the history.

Penn took several steps to ensure Mattson had a fair trial, providing the Swedish-speaking woman with an interpreter. Her fellow Swedes filled the jury and Mattson was allowed to defend herself at the trial. While that doesn't seem all that crazy by today's standards, at the time it was extremely progressive -- women weren't allowed to take the stand in criminal cases until the 19th century in England.

There was no death penalty at stake either, as Penn had abolished it for all crimes except for willful murder. That, of course, would change in 1718 when the Pennsylvania Assembly created a list of 14 capital offenses (witchcraft among them).

In the end, Penn found Mattson and her fellow accused witch Hendrickson guilty of having a reputation for being witches, but not of actually committing witchcraft. It was a crafty play on the part of Penn, who was able to thus acknowledge the women's reputations without labelling them guilty of a crime. After all, it wasn't a crime to having a reputation as a witch.

Still, punishment was handed out. The husbands of the two women were fined 50 pounds, which was kept as a bond for good behavior. If no further charges were made against the women for six months, then the money would be returned. This was a popular Quaker practice and known as a "peace bond," with the money serving as a guarantee that the accused would behave and thus keep the peace.

To see the re-enactment of the trial, head to Pennsbury Manor on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. Tickets for the trial are free. Visit pennsburymanor.org for more information.

Looking for some more spooky fun? You may like these stories:
A severe viral outbreak has claimed the lives of six children at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, state health officials confirmed Tuesday, leading to an immediate order to shut down the facility to new patients.

The Department of Health reported 18 cases of adenovirus among pediatric residents at the long-term care center in northern New Jersey, which officials said included "very ill children," some of whom were on ventilators and had trachea tubes.

"This is an ongoing outbreak investigation," said department spokeswoman Nicole Kirgan in a statement. "A department team is at the facility today and an inspection team was also there Sunday. The team on Sunday found minor handwashing deficiencies and the Health Department is continuing to work closely with the facility on infection control issues."

She said the facility will remain closed to new patients until "the outbreak ends and they are in full compliance."

The department would not say specifically when the children died, only that the deaths occurred this month.

In its most recent health inspection report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave the facility a "below average" rating. The 2017 report said the facility "failed to ensure infection control practices were followed."

In one case, a nurse took a small tray with medications into a resident's room and placed it on an over-bed table that had not been disinfected with a germicide wipe.

"After the medication was given to the resident, the tray was removed from the table and it was placed on top of the medication cart to use for another resident," the report said, although it concluded the level of harm was "minimal."

Overall, though, the facility -- based on staffing levels and quality of resident care -- was given an above-average rating and has not been fined by federal regulators for any deficiencies in the past three years, records show.

It is unclear exactly when the virus broke out. The Department of Health said it was notified of respiratory illness at the facility on Oct. 9. A letter dated Oct. 18 was sent to parents of patients alerting them to the outbreak. But officials earlier this week initially would not say whether any children had died, or the extent of the virus outbreak.

While adenovirus is a typically mild illness that mimics flu- and cold-like symptoms, it can pose serious complications to some people, particularly those with weakened immune systems, officials said.

"Unfortunately, the particular strain of adenovirus (#7) in this outbreak is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems," said Kirgan. "The strain has been particularly associated with disease in communal living arrangements and can be more severe."

Rowena Bautista, administrator for the Wanaque Center, said that the facility "promptly notified all appropriate government agencies when the virus was initially identified."

In a statement, she added that the facility staff "have diligently implemented all available infection control and prevention measures in order to protect the health and safety of the Wanaque Center's residents."

The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. (Google Maps)

The Wanaque Center is a 227-bed, for-profit facility that, according to its website, works with "with medically fragile children." It also serves as an adult nursing home and rehabilitation center for short- and long-term care.

Gov. Phil Murphy, in a statement, said he had been briefed by Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal on the measures being taken by the state to contain the spread of the virus.

"I am heartbroken by the news that several children have lost their lives in an adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and pray for the full recovery of the other children impacted," said the governor, who is in Israel.

Murphy said the state will continue its active on-site surveillance in Wanaque.

"I am confident that the steps being taken by state and local officials will minimize the impact to all those who remain at the facility, including patients and employees," he said.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, said there needs to be a "very thorough investigation" of what happened and how it happened.

"It's just awful," he said. "My major question is how long did they wait until the department was notified. I don't know what they did to mitigate the problem."

He added there could be legislative hearings. "This could be a red flag and warning for other facilities," he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adenoviruses are typically spread from an infected person to others through close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands,coughing and sneezing, and touching an object or surface with adenoviruses on it.

Health experts say it is uncommon for people to die from adenovirus.

"Adenovirus may cause more fever and more bronchitis like or wheezing than a rhinovirus cold, for instance, but most people do fine," said Dr. David Cennimo, an assistant professor of medicine-pediatrics infectious disease at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. "In rare cases, this is fatal."

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Update

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A U.S. official says a "functional explosive device" was found at Hillary and Bill Clinton's suburban New York home.

The official says investigators believe the explosive is linked to one found Monday at the compound of liberal billionaire George Soros.

The official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Secret Service says a package identified as "potential explosive device" also was sent to former President Barack Obama in Washington.

The device was discovered early Wednesday morning at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York.

BREAKING: Secret Services intercepts two "suspicious packages" addressed to Obama and Clinton https://t.co/c1jPIfV67q pic.twitter.com/on1a8Q61FW  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 24, 2018

Police in New Castle, New York -- who cover Chappaqua -- say they assisted the FBI, Secret Service and Westchester County authorities in "the investigation of a suspicious package."
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- The former mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges.

Democrat Ed Pawlowski told the judge before his sentencing Tuesday he chose a life of public service because he "wanted to make a difference." He says he "worked hard, night and day, to try to bring this city back."

Pawlowski was denied bail. After sentencing, he was handcuffed and taken from the courtroom.

A jury convicted Pawlowski in March of trading campaign cash for city contracts. Federal prosecutors say he coerced city vendors to contribute to his failed campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate. They had asked for a sentence of at least 13 years. Pawlowski's lawyer argued for a lighter sentence.
WILLIAMSPORT -- A bicyclist from Virginia has been found competent to stand trial on charges he broke into a Lycoming County home in 2017 and killed the owner.

Lycoming County Judge Nancy L. Butts ruled Graham Nicholas Norby-Vardac, 25, despite having a history of mental illness, is capable of assisting in his defense.

"We disagree with the ruling but we are prepared to move forward," defense attorney Robert Hoffa said Wednesday. No trial date has been set.

Butts' ruling followed an Aug. 30 hearing in which she heard conflicting opinions from psychiatrists but who agreed Norby-Vardac suffers from autism spectrum disorder.

People with the autism disorder have difficulty connecting with people, can become violent, aggressive and impulsive and as they age develop delusions, Dr. Pogos H. Voskanian testified.

He and Dr. John S. O'Brien II disagreed on whether Norby-Vardac's mental issues would prevent him from assisting his attorney at trial.

O'Brien concluded the Alexandria, Va., resident is capable of answering questions in a rational manner and does not meet the criteria for any psychotic disorder.

Based on two meetings with the accused, Voskanian opined he is not rationally competent and suffers from several disorders, including schizophrenia.

Butts said in arriving at the competency decision, she also considered a third evaluation she ordered that was conducted on July 1, 2017.

She pointed out all three experts agree Norby-Vardac understands the seriousness of the offense, his role as the defendant along with those of prosecution, judge and jury.

The accused was consistent in telling them what occurred after he decided to go to Canada for a fresh start, she said. His version the judge included in her opinion was:

He followed the GPS on his phone and when he reached the Williamsport area on April 5, 2017, he was exhausted, hungry and tired.

He broke a window with a shovel to get into a house he thought was abandoned, discovered a body in a bedroom, took some coins and the keys to a car and took off for Canada.

The state police version as contained in the charges is that after breaking into the home on Quaker Hill Road north of Williamsport he was searching for food with a flashlight when he heard the owner, Donald Kleese, 82, snoring in a bedroom.

He retrieved the shovel, struck Kleese with it, strangled him to insure he would be unable to call police and then headed to Canada.

He was arrested on the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River near Buffalo, N.Y.

The most troubling information presented, according to Butts, was Norby-Vardac's potential moments of psychosis that include his belief he was a "fire breathing dragon" and the ability to see past lives.

But, she ruled the defense failed to prove by the preponderance of the evidence the psychosis would hinder his defense at times other than when he is meditating.

That is reference to O'Brien's testimony the out-of-body experiences claimed by Norby-Vardac occur only when he meditates.

Voskanian testified Norby-Vardac believes he is millions of years old, was born on another planet and does not like being on earth.

Another factor in her decision, Butts said, was Norby-Vardac had lived alone and took care of himself for an extended period prior to the incident.

He is being held without bail on charges of homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, possession of an instrument of crime, criminal mischief and theft.
Donald Meyer Jr. was argumentative and profane on Wednesday as he received what amounts to a life prison sentence for causing the death of his 12-year-old daughter, Ciara.

He cursed at Perry County Judge Kenneth A. Mummah and called him a crook.

He told the victims they are liars, and insisted he is the victim of some kind of dark conspiracy. He claimed he knows the law, particularly his gun rights, better than his lawyer, the prosecutor or the judge.

So perhaps it was no surprise that the 25- to 57-year state prison sentence Mummah imposed on the 60-year-old Meyer was greeted with a kind of muted joy by those in the courtroom.

"You're not safe to be in society," Mummah said.

Meyer just laughed and vowed to appeal.

"I really don't care," he told the judge. "I know where you live."

Wednesday's hearing in New Bloomfield stemmed from a verdict a Lycoming County jury rendered in July convicting Meyer of third-degree murder and other charges for the Jan. 11, 2016 death of Ciara at his family's Penn Township apartment.

Ciara Meyer

Investigators said Meyer aimed a rifle at Constable Clark Steele, who was serving an eviction notice, even as Ciara begged her father to stop. Steele fired in self-defense, police said, and the bullet went through Meyer's arm and struck Ciara in the chest.

Mummah imposed Meyer's prison term after District Attorney Andrew Bender urged him to hit Meyer as hard as he legally could. That's exactly what the judge did.

"To call (Ciara's slaying) tragic, I think, is a severe understatement," Bender said. "We argued that (Meyer) was the sole person responsible for that and the jury held accordingly."

Defense attorney Jerry Philpott observed that, given Meyer's age and health issues, almost any prison term Mummah imposed would be a life sentence.

"On Jan. 11, 2016...I faced evil in the form of Donald Meyer," Constable Steele told Mummah in his victim impact statement. "I don't believe Donald Meyer can be safely free."

"What happened was unimaginable," Steele added. "He's caused a lot of grief for a lot of people."

Meyer argued and cursed as another victim, Ashley Hill, the manager of the apartment complex, addressed the court. She took a video that contributed to Meyer's convictions.

"He robbed Ciara of life," Hill said as Meyer shook his head. Meyer called Hill and his other accusers "(expletive) liars" and kept talking over Hill's comments.

When Mummah ordered him to stop interrupting Hill, Meyer shot back, "I'm not going to sit here and let her lie like that."

"You don't have to convince her about your sentence. You have to convince me," the judge told him.

"There ain't no justice," Meyer replied as he sat in his wheelchair.

"I hope this haunts you as it haunts all of us," Hill told him.

"There's no morals up here whatsoever," Meyer said when it was his turn to speak. "I can't wait to appeal all your lies...I know the laws. The right to bear arms cannot be infringed upon, period."

"You call this justice? I call it being railroaded," he added. "I didn't murder nobody. I didn't murder my little girl."

When he does appeal, Meyer will be doing so without the help of Philpott, who was appointed by the court to represent him and has had a volatile relationship with his client.

Mummah granted Philpott's request to withdraw from the case. "I don't think I can do anything more for this guy," Philpott told the judge.

When Mummah asked Meyer if he wanted new court-appointed counsel, Meyer replied that he did "if it's not from Perry County. The judge appointed Harrisburg lawyer William Shreve to represent Meyer on appeal.

Authorities aren't done prosecuting Meyer. He is still awaiting trial in Dauphin County Court on charges that he lied on applications to obtain firearms. Meyer broke the law by not stating on the forms that he had a prior mental health commitment, police claim.
Emanuel then called on people with public platforms to use them responsibly. We have to be clear, in my view, which is what I talked about: All of us in public life  and when I say public life its not just elected leaders and people who serve the public  all of us who have a platform need to use that leadership responsibly. You should not use your platform for some, because of an election, to stoke dark and divisive forces. There are better angels, and those are the ones we should call upon.
HARRISBURG--When Harrisburg police investigate serious car wrecks, officers currently don't have a secure place to store vehicles for detailed examinations.

That could soon change under a proposed agreement with UMPC Pinnacle Hospital that would provide space for police to work in a building in the 1000 block of Paxton Street.

The agreement would provide officers 140 square-feet of office space plus the use of garage bays and 11 parking spaces for $1 per year.

The lease would automatically renew every year on Oct. 1 unless either party terminates the agreement in writing.

The police department's six-person traffic safety unit would operate out of the building, according to Police Commissioner Thomas Carter, giving them a dedicated place to store their specialized equipment and most importantly: vehicles.

As it stands, officers have to temporarily store wrecked vehicles in a small covered parking lot downtown at city hall where city officials and police officers already compete for limited spaces. While the lot is covered, it is a partially open to the elements and posed challenges for officers looking to complete thorough vehicle inspections after serious and fatal wrecks. Officers need to check for evidence and also possible mechanical failures, as part of their investigations, Carter said.

Members of the department's traffic safety unit are not focused on traffic issues full-time, but rather work platoon shifts and are called out as needed for traffic assignments.

A resolution to approve the lease was introduced at Tuesday night's city council meeting. It was assigned to the public safety committee for further discussion before it will come up for a vote by the full council at a later date.
HARRISBURG--Harrisburg council members Tuesday night took the first step toward officially opposing "conversion therapy," or methods to try to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of a minor in the city.

The resolution was introduced by Council Vice President Ben Allatt, who is gay and said he was subjected to similar damaging therapy in his 20s after moving to the area. Councilman Westburn Majors seconded the resolution.

The move comes after eight other Pennsylvania municipalities approved bans on conversion therapy. Harrisburg's proposal doesn't go that far: it opposes the therapy but does not include any sanctions.

Bans by other municipalities, including Pittsburgh, Bethlehem and Allentown, include penalties from fines to revocation of business licenses.

But Harrisburg's legislation is simply a public stance against the practice in the hopes of bringing public attention to the issue, Allatt said.

Allatt said there were legal concerns particular to Harrisburg that made a ban impractical. City Solicitor Neil Grover was not immediately available to elaborate.

The resolution will be discussed during an upcoming work session, but a date has not yet been set. The council could vote on the resolution after it is discussed during a work session.

Major medical and mental health organizations, including the American Medical Association, oppose the use of conversion therapy Allatt said, and research has shown it poses devastating health risks for youth, including depression and suicidal behavior.

The resolution notes that being "lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency or shortcoming," and it "urges all medical and mental health professionals to help remove the stigma of mental illness that has far too long been associated with homosexuality."

The resolution also says conversion therapy encompasses a range of archaic and dangerous practices.

Conversion therapy does not include counseling or therapy that provides acceptance, support or facilitation of an individual's coping, social support and identity exploration and development, according to the legislation.

Bethlehem passed a ban in July that would revoke the business license of any licensed therapist found to be providing a service that seeks to, according to the statute, "change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attraction or feeling toward the individuals of the same gender."

Allentown passed a similar ordinance in 2017.

The bans, however, apply to professionals and would not apply to church clergy practicing conversion therapy.

When Pittsburgh approved its ban in 2016, a councilwoman said she hoped it would inspire other municipalities and eventually catch the attention of the state Senate.

"I can only hope other cities and boroughs across the state do this and that the Senate hears us," Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak said at a 2016 council meeting. "Because we really do need statewide protection from this."

Washington, D.C., and 11 states, including Maryland and New Jersey, have banned conversion therapy for minors.

About 698,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in the United States reported undergoing conversion therapy, according to a study released in January by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. More than half, or 350,000, received the treatment as adolescents, according to the study.
Tyron Ali was the ideal informant for a probe of corruption among state legislators from Philadelphia, a former investigator for the attorney general's office testified Tuesday.

Ali was a political insider, ex-agent Claude Thomas told a Dauphin County jury during the bribery trial of Rep. Vanessa Brown, one of the legislators charged after that probe.

Thomas said Ali already knew many of the intended targets of the investigation, launched in late 2010. He did not, however, know Brown at first.

"He was familiar with the political nuances in Pennsylvania," Thomas said of Ali. "He was a really good informant for us during the course of this investigation."

As defense attorney Patrick A. Casey is stressing, Ali also was on the hook with the AG's office. He agreed to become an informant and pose as a lobbyist to escape prosecution in a fraud case.

Prosecutors Michael Sprow and Ryan Shovlin are basing their case against the 52-year-old Brown, a Democrat, on her recorded conversations with Ali in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. They claim those recordings prove Brown willingly, even eagerly, accepted $4,000 worth of bribes from Ali during the first half of 2011.

Casey is arguing that Brown, who won reelection to her 190thHouse District seatafter being charged, is the victim of entrapment. She is one of five legislators charged as a result of the probe, and the only one to take her case to trial. The others pleaded guilty or no contest to their charges.

Sprow and Shovlin began playing the recordings of the Ali-Brown meetings for the jury Tuesday afternoon. The recordings were largely unintelligible to the audience in the courtroom. The jurors followed along using written transcripts contained in thick three-ring binders.

The trial is to resume Wednesday in Judge Scott A. Evans' courtroom.
LEWISBURG -- An 11-county council in central Pennsylvania has gone on record opposing the state mandate that counties to replace their voting machines.

SEDA-Council of Governments, a public development organization, on Wednesday became the latest body to criticize the state requirement that by Dec. 31, 2019, all voting systems must create a verifiable paper trail.

SEDA-COG's resolution also calls on the state to provide full funding to any county that is required to replace its voting equipment. The estimated cost of replacing all voting machines in the state is $125 million.

SEDA board members, who include county commissioners, pointed out the machines now in use are not connected to the Internet, so are in no danger of being hacked.

They contend the current paper trail meets the new criteria based on random testing that showed the electronic and paper counts matched.

Board members also said there aren't enough vendors of equipment that meets the new standards to ensure a competitive market.

A copy of the resolution, which passed with only one negative vote, will be sent to Gov. Tom Wolf, the House, Senate and others in Harrisburg.

All 67 county elections directors earlier this year signed a letter pleading with the General Assembly to either provide more funding or consider alternatives.

The 11 member counties are Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juanita, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder and Union counties.
Barbara Miller has been missing for 25 years. (The Charley Project)

SUNBURY -- The president judge of Northumberland County has asked the state attorney general's office to step into the investigation into the 1989 disappearance of a woman who is presumed to have been killed.

Judge Charles H. Saylor Wednesday confirmed he made the request to Attorney General Josh Shapiro. He is constrained from making any further comment, he said.

A spokesperson for Shapiro said the request is under review. A tool the attorney general's office could use, if it accepts the case, is a investigating grand jury that could hear witnesses testify under oath.

Barbara E. Miller, 30, was last seen at her Sunbury home on July 1, 1989 after attending a wedding. She planned to meet friends at a bar in Mifflinburg but never arrived.

A judge on Oct. 10, 2002, declared her dead. Her death is classified as a homicide.

There had been little activity in the case until Timothy S. Miller -- no relation -- was named police chief in Sunbury in November 2016.

His efforts to find Miller's remains and identify her killer included the use of well-known forensics experts and cadaver dogs. In June 2017 he arranged to remove a concrete wall from the cellar of a Milton duplex after the dogs indicated they detected human remains in the wall. It's not known if any evidence was found in the wall.

Before he resigned in July, Miller said he did everything in his power to see the case got all it deserved.

"It included seeing it got out of Northumberland County because of information I was discovering," he said without elaborating.

Miller admitted making a recommendation to Saylor that the attorney general's office be brought into the case.

"I believe the attorney general's office will bring the case to a proper resolution," he said.

District Attorney Tony Matulewicz said he was unaware of Saylor's request to the attorney general.

Cpl. Bradley F. Hare, who is officer-in-charge of the Sunbury police, said any assistance will help.

Investigators have been waiting to see if DNA from members of Barbara Miller's family matched anything in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database in Texas.

"I believe the case is 100 percent solved," Miller said in July when he resigned. "It's just a waiting game."

Barbara Miller's son was 14 when she died.

Court documents have identified Joseph Walter "Mike" Egan, a former Sunbury police officer, as a suspect in the case. He denies any involvement in her disappearance.

The Milton duplex from which the wall was removed was the home of Egan's late sister, Cathy Reitenbach, when Barbara Miller disappeared.

The property was owned at that time by the late Northumberland County Judge Samuel C. Ranck.

Miller said he believes Barbara Miller was killed because she had information about the 1986 drug-related murder of Ricky D. Wolfe, who was killed execution-style at a Susquehanna River boat ramp north of Montandon.

Prior to her disappearance, Miller received threatening letters accusing her of planning to go to police, a search warrant affidavit states.
The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force arrested a sexual assault suspect from Delaware in Susquehanna Township.

The Dover Police Department in Delaware charged Tyrone Evans, 55, with two counts of rape of a victim under the age of 18 on June 18, as well as other lesser offenses.

Evans then failed to appear in Kent County Superior Court on Sept. 13, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to a news release provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Attempts to find him were unsuccessful, and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was asked to apprehend him.

Investigators learned Evans could be found near Harrisburg. Deputy marshals and task force members arrested Evans without incident at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of Alden Street.

Evans was taken to the Dauphin County Booking Center, and is awaiting extradition back to Delaware.
By Jeffrey Lazarus

Democrats haven't won a major statewide office in Georgia since 2000, but this year's gubernatorial race in the state is a tossup.

Jeffrey Lazarus (The Conversation, photo)

As a political scientist who studies elections and lives in Georgia, I've been watching this race closely.

Polls have the Republican candidate, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and the Democratic candidate, former State House of Representatives Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, in a virtual dead heat. Political forecasters at FiveThirtyEight estimate this is the closest statewide race in the nation.

The 2018 gubernatorial election is Democrats' best chance in decades to pick up a Georgia win.

Running uphill

From the outside, Georgia appears to be a solidly red state, but underneath the surface it's pretty closely divided.

There have been 10 races in Georgia for major statewide offices - that includes senator and governor - since 2000. Democrats have lost all of those races, but based on data I've compiled the Democratic candidate has won 45 percent of the vote five times, and 47 percent of the vote three times.

Republicans have won an average of 52.9 percent of the vote. This is a very low average margin of victory for a state in which one party wins so consistently.

Each candidate in this year's gubernatorial race has a significant electoral weakness.

Kemp is a far-right conservative who won the primary election with a campaign grounded in anti-immigrant and pro-gun messages, and Donald Trump's endorsement. He's facing a strong national Democratic tide brought on by President Trump's lagging popularity and high levels of enthusiasm among Democratic voters.

Abrams is an African-American woman running for office, and even in 2018, minority and women candidates have a harder time winning elections.

In both cases, these qualities may hurt the candidate in the general election by dampening voter enthusiasm.

Kemp the ideologue

Kemp made national headlines in April and May during the Republican primary with a campaign designed to win over the most conservative voters in Georgia.

Kemp released an ad in which he had a conversation with a teenage boy while pointing a gun at him as an illustration of how committed he is to upholding the Second Amendment. In another ad he boasted about "round[ing] up criminal illegal aliens" in his own pickup truck.

A supporter of Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp stands outside a state Republican Party unity rally. AP Photo/John Amis

This conservative rhetoric is well-designed to win a Republican primary, because the people who vote in primary elections tend to prefer strongly ideological candidates. Kemp easily defeated his more moderate opponent, Casey Cagel, who lamented that the primary had devolved into a contest over "who had the biggest gun, who had the biggest truck, and who could be the craziest."

A significant body of research suggests that the conservative image Kemp built up in the primary will not serve him well in the general election. People who vote in general elections tend to be more ideologically moderate than primary voters.

And even though voters have grown more polarized over recent years, they remain more centrist than party activists or elected officials. General election swing voters - true partisan "independents" - aren't looking for strong ideologues. They tend to prefer moderate candidates who appear bipartisan.

All of this means that in general elections, moderates have an advantage. In those contests, ideologically extreme party nominees win a significantly smaller share of the vote than moderate nominees.

Candidates who win a primary with a strong ideological campaign might try to moderate their stances for the general election, but that usually doesn't work very well. Voters may not believe the switch in tone is genuine, or the candidate may have already alienated core voters in the primary.

Abrams, race and gender

In contrast to Kemp's efforts to position himself as a strong conservative, Stacey Abrams tends to focus on traditional Democratic issues such as education and health care. However, she faces a different set of challenges in the race.

Abrams is trying to become the first female African-American governor of any state. Unfortunately, both Abrams' race and her gender will play a role in how voters perceive her, even in 2018. And neither of those factors will play to her favor.

African-American candidates have a harder time winning elections than white candidates. Research shows that voters - in particular white voters - assume that black candidates are predisposed to favor minority groups in society. Voters also tend to view black candidates and officeholders as being more liberal than white candidates, which can hurt black candidates in a general election.

More directly, some white voters are influenced by negative stereotypes about African-Americans. As a result, white voters evaluate black candidates and officeholders less favorably, and are less likely to vote for African-Americans.

Abrams is counting to make up some of these electoral losses by focusing her efforts on stimulating turnout among Georgia's nearly 2 million black voters in November, but there is little evidence that minority candidates, in and of themselves, stimulate minority turnout. Nonetheless, some call Abrams' efforts, along with those of other African-American candidates pursuing a similar strategy in other states, a model for the democratic party to follow nationally.

Female candidates are subject to similar types of scrutiny on the campaign trail. When voters evaluate candidates for office, their opinions are strongly influenced by gender stereotypes. Women are perceived as being more warm and compassionate, while men are perceived as being more assertive and competent. In general, the traits many people tend to associate with good leaders are traits voters also associate with men and masculinity.

As a result, many voters - both male and female - implicitly assume men in general are more competent than women are. These stereotypes can directly influence who voters vote for, as voters tend to prefer candidates who display male traits.

Despite these disadvantages, female candidates tend to win elections at about the same rate as male candidates for office. But that's only true because, on average, female candidates for office tend to have more political experience than men do on average, are more strategic about running in districts where they have a good chance of winning, and work harder than men at winning elections. If these disparities existed in an even playing field, we'd expect to see women win more often.

Black women have to deal with both sets of stereotypes, which creates an even higher bar to clear for women of color who run for office.

Who will win?

This fall, the Georgia election is likely to come down to which candidate can best overcome these significant electoral disadvantages.

Will Kemp be able - or even try - to expand his appeal beyond the most conservative elements of the Republican Party? Will Abrams be able to appeal to moderate whites who might never have voted for an African-American before? Whichever candidate can better address their specific challenge is likely to be the next governor of Georgia.

The election may have national consequences as well. Right now Georgia isn't a true swing state - Republicans have a small but very reliable edge here. If Abrams can break through and win the state, it might signal a strong showing for Democrats nationally on Election Day. It might also be a bad sign for Republicans in future elections, as one of their more reliable states could be put into play.

The Conversation

, where it first appeared.
Former Gov. Tom Corbett returned to the state Capitol on Wednesday for the unveiling of his official portrait and took the opportunity to review a few accomplishments from his time in office.

Talking about the big and small changes made during his administration to impact Pennsylvanians' lives for years to come, Corbett said, "I'm so proud of the performance and the results of our administration."

About 200 people - including family members, former Cabinet officials, supporters and others - packed the Governor's Reception Room for the unveiling of Corbett's portrait painted by Mechanicsburg artist Catherine Prescott. The portrait, paid for with private donations, will be hung with those of the state's other former chief executives in the governor's office suite at the state Capitol.

Corbett's wife Susan said through her 12 years of service on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, she became an admirer of Prescott's work and her commitment to accuracy, likeness, and capturing the clues of her subject's character. In the portrait of her husband, Susan Corbett said Prescott did just that.

Upon first laying eyes on it, she said she was stunned. "All I can say was 'it's perfect. It's Tom.' She not only captured his image. She captured his spirit," she said.

Prescott said she was gratified by Susan Corbett's response and equally so, by Corbett himself. "He said I don't know how you did it but this is an image that I like best of all the images I've seen of myself," Prescott said. "He said' it's commanding.' I like that."

Corbett, who served as Pennsylvania's chief executive from 2011 through 2015, compared the gathering for the unveiling to an Irish wake.

"I would hope that there are more chapters in my life so that this is not a wake," he said to the crowd drawing a chuckle before he struck a more serious tone. "Today's event here presents me an opportunity to express my thanks to all the blessings I have received in my life and you are those blessings."

In his near half-hour speech, Corbett touched on how he courted Shell to build its ethane cracker plant which is currently under construction in Butler County, his efforts to save the Port of Philadelphia and the city's oil refineries, his recognition of the importance of natural gas to the state's future economy, and signing a transportation funding law that is pouring $2.4 billion into improving the state's roads and bridges, among other efforts for which his administration is credited.

After pausing following the portrait's unveiling to recognize by name his former Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley and several of his key staffers and Cabinet officers who were in attendance, Corbett mentioned another portrait - the one of Hannah Callowhill Penn - wife of Pennsylvania's founder William Penn who took over the governing duties for 14 years after her husband fell ill and later died.

The Corbetts commissioned Hannah Penn's portrait in the latter part of his administration as part of a Women's History Month celebration. It hung on the wall in the governor's office until Corbett left office.

Its removal from that office when Gov. Tom Wolf moved in clearly remains a pet peeve of the Corbetts. Both he and his wife mentioned the fact it no longer hangs there in their remarks.

"I am hopeful that the second woman to govern Pennsylvania will return the first woman to govern Pennsylvania back to her rightful place," Susan Corbett said.

Corbett's portrait will be placed in the governor's office suite next to an empty frieze that is awaiting one of former Gov. Ed Rendell.

Rendell, who couldn't be reached for comment, is the state's only former governor at least in the past half century who has yet to have an official portrait hung in the governor's office. When contacted four years ago about the status of his portrait, an aide in his office said it wasn't a priority for Rendell.
Pennsylvania ranks as one of the most tax friendly states in the nation for retirees, according to Kiplinger, a Washington, D.C.-based business publishing company.

The Keystone State doesn't tax Social Security income, money taken out of 401(k) or other defined contribution plans, or public or private pension annuities. According to the state Department of Revenue, about 3 million Pennsylvanians reap the benefit as a result.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican challenger Scott Wagner say they don't want to make the tax system any less friendly to seniors. But that may not be the impression that is left on anyone who sees one of the attack ads being aired by Wolf's re-election campaign.

The ad includes a video clip of Wagner talking to the Berks County Patriots Meeting in January 2016. In it, Wagner said, "this really angers me to a certain degree. We don't tax retirement income in the state of Pennsylvania." In the same ad, it points out Wagner called seniors citizens the "greediest generation" in an interview with PennLive's editorial board in 2016.

Wagner's campaign doesn't deny their candidate made either of those statements but they also say the words were taken out of context.

His reference to being angry was directed toward the pension system, noting two Penn State employees receive benefits from the state pension system in excess of $450,000 a year. "Do you think they could afford to pay a 3 percent tax?" Wagner asked the Berks County audience.

Wagner's spokesman Andrew Romeo said, "His comments were meant to illustrate the need to reform the overall pension system and move to a 401k for new hires after a certain date. Scott has been adamant on the campaign trail that he will not tax retirement."

However, to be clear, Wagner, as a state senator, said he directed his chief of staff to look into whether retirement income above $50,000 a year could be taxed but was told that would be unconstitutional.

The state constitution states, "All taxes shall be uniform, upon the same class of subjects." That clause has killed several efforts over the years to have Pennsylvania join 33 other states, plus the District of Columbia, that have a progressive income tax and charge different tax rates based on varying income levels.

According to the state's revenue department estimates, imposing the state's 3.07 percent personal income tax on retirement income include would generate $3.27 billion this fiscal year.

But that is a money source that Wolf said unequivocally he has no interest in tapping.

"People have worked long and hard for their retirement income and it strikes me that's a long and hallowed tradition in Pennsylvania," he told PennLive's editorial board earlier this month.

Wolf campaign spokeswoman Beth Melena said the videos of Wagner speak for themselves. She points out Wagner referred to seniors as the "greediest generation" in earlier interviews with PennLive when talking about reducing pension benefits as a way to deal with the pension crisis which he later learned is also unconstitutional.

"Typical Harrisburg politician Scott Wagner says what he means and then backtracks when he realizes how out of touch he is with Pennsylvanians," Melena said.

The absence of a tax on retirement income is one of the factors that distinguishes Pennsylvania from all of the surrounding states. That also likely contributes to this state being one of the grayest states in the nation with a growing senior citizen population.

The Penn State Data Center said the growth in the state's population of those 65 or older occurred at a rate over 20 times that of the state's general population - an increase by 16.3 percent from 2010 to 2017.

Sandra Gurreri, director of Cumberland County Aging and Community Services, can attest to that. "I know we do come across people who moved here from New York state and other states where there are higher taxes," she said.

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Ken Krawchuk

One of the third-party candidates running for governor shares the same position as Wolf and Wagner in saying he would not support a tax on retirement income. In fact, Libertarian Ken Krawchuk said his goal as governor would be to reduce taxes as much as possible.

"I've never met a tax that I've liked," he said.

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Paul Glover

The other third-party candidate seeking to be the state's next governor, the Green Party's Paul Glover, breaks from the other three gubernatorial candidates on this issue. He supports a progressive income tax on retirement income above a certain threshold.

Tossing out a figure with admittedly little forethought, Glover said, "People whose retirement income is greater than $100,000, we can begin to tax at a fair level and the rate of taxation should increase progressively."

Les Ford, director of the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center in Harrisburg, said he doesn't come across seniors anywhere close to those high-income levels. Most of them are on the verge of poverty and some in poverty.

"You know the old paradigm of choose heat or eat. They might be able to choose one but if retirement income is taxed they would be facing the prospect of not being able to afford heat or eat," he said. "Talking about any reduction in their income stream is absurd."
LITITZ -- Vice President Mike Pence will touch down at the Lancaster Airport here Wednesday to try to give boost to two Republican congressmen's re-election hopes.

Pence is scheduled to appear at a 2 p.m. rally with Reps. Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster County, and Scott Perry, R-York County, at Lancaster Airport.

The midstate visit is being sandwiched in between visits in support of Republican John Chrin in the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre area, and a third in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

Smucker, Perry and Rep. Scott Taylor of Virginia are all incumbents that the Republicans are hoping to return to Washington as part of a new House majority; the GOP sees its best chance for a Democrat-to-Republican flip in Pennsylvania in Chrin's challenge to Democrat incumbent Matt Cartwright.

Democrat George Scott is hoping to unseat Perry, and Smucker is being challenged by Democrat Jess King.

Pennsylvania has an outsized role in the fight for control of the U.S. House this year, largely because of a court-ordered redrawing of the state's 18 Congressional districts this winter.

Democrats seem poised to flip at least four Republican-held seats across the state this fall, and are pushing hard for one or two more.

With Pence's visit here Wednesday, the Republicans seem to be drawing a defensive line around the midstate, and declaring they want to hold Democrat gains in the eastern and central Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia suburbs.
I thought Id try to save some money, since the bus ride is about $60, so I made a sign and was just standing out by the terminal, Hildebrand told the Tribune last week. I had no idea who they were, and one of the guys was filming with his phone, which I thought was kind of weird. I got in and then they said that we were going to switch modes of transportation. I offered to pitch in for gas, and one of the guys joked, Thatll be $4,000. Then we went to a helipad and Im like, Who are you guys? 
LITITZ - Vice President Mike Pence touched down in Lancaster County Wednesday to energize the GOP faithful for midstate Republican Reps. Lloyd Smucker and Scott Perry, and U.S. Senate candidate Lou Barletta.

Both incumbent Congressmen face spirited campaigns from Democratic challengers Jess King and George Scott, respectively, as part of the larger national battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Scott hopes to unseat Perry in the 10th District, covering the state Capitol region, and Smucker is being pushed by Democrat Jess King in the 11th, covering Lancaster County and the southern half of York County.

Touting achievements like appointment and confirmation of more conservative judges, the booming economy and the recent updates to trade agreements that he said will put American workers and farmers first, Pence called on Pennsylvanians to continue the Trump Administration's progress by voting Republican next month.

"The choice is clear, men and women," Pence said, borrowing from some of his boss President Donald J. Trump's rhetoric.

"It is a choice between tax hikes and tax cuts. It is a choice between jobs or mobs. It's a choice between resistance and results. And I know Pennsylvania's going to choose leaders who are delivering results."

While Pence's visit here seemed to represent some Republican defense on the national scale, it was very much a part of the home-stretch offense for Smucker and Perry.

The crowd of about 400 gathered here at a Lancaster Airport hangar ranged from veterans - "Veterans Before Refugees" read one man's T-shirt - to families giving their home-schooled children a real-life Social Studies lab, to curiosity-seekers.

But it was also a picture of GOP unity.

Several attendees said they came out because they wanted to show support for both their Congressmen and a president whose policy objectives they share.

"At this point, yeah, I think it (the Congress) needs to stay the way it is right now," said Bob Hart, a retired Kmart store manager from Manheim Towship.

"People don't like Trump's style, but you have to look past that and see where the country is headed," Hart continued. "He's gotten more accomplished in two years than Obama did in eight, or even Bush did before that.

"He just jumps right in and gets things done... That's his background."

Others who described themselves more as values voters said they simply feel more comfortable with candidates who are opposed to abortion rights and who, they believe, will prioritize securing the borders more than Democrats.

"It's the conservative values," said Tim Neiger, an employee of Kauffman's Orchards near Bird in Hand who noted he worked an overnight shift making apple cider last night in order to be at Wednesday's rally with his wife and their seven home-schooled kids.

"It comes down to the policies that they're advocating... and that's kind of where I fall, on the conservative side of things."

Pennsylvania has an out-sized role in the fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives this year, largely because of a court-ordered redrawing of the state's 18 Congressional districts this winter.

Democrats seem poised to flip at least four Republican-held seats across the state this fall, and are pushing hard for one or two more.

With Pence's visit here Wednesday, the Republicans seem to be drawing a defensive line around the midstate, declaring they want to hold any Democrat gains in the eastern and central Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia suburbs.

Smucker said after the rally that he's been encouraged at Republicans' rallying in resistance to a supposed Democratic "Blue Wave" in recent weeks.

"I think we're going to win this thing but, sure, it is definitely a competitive race and we're going to need all the Republicans to come out and we're confident that's going to happen," said Smucker.

Perry, whose 10th District now covers Dauphin County, most of Cumberland and the northern half of York County, said Pence's visit was a welcome counterweight to what he sees as an unusual flood of out-of-state money in support of midstate Democratic candidates this cycle.

"Here's the thing," Perry said. "There are boatloads of money coming in from outside the district. Coming in from San Francisco, coming in from New York....

"These folks aren't used to having somebody from outside the district try and buy an election. And the vice president and the presidential team knows that, and they're willing to help and we're willing to have the help."

In addition to Barletta, also present for Wednesday's rally was Jeff Bartos, GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner's running mate.

In the run-up to the rally, some in the crowd voiced anxiety about the upcoming Nov. 6 election.

"I know plenty of people that are really pulling for the blue wave to come along, and they're trying to do anything they can to get any Republicans out of the way," said Quinn Benner, a 19-year-old Harrisburg Area Community College student from West Lampeter Township.

But Pence challenged his supporters to stop worrying, and start taking matters into their own hands by voting and making sure every Republican they know does, too.

"Do it just like you did before," he challenged Pennsylvania Republicans who, for the first time since 1988, delivered the state to a Republican presidential ticket two years ago.

"We made history in 2016, and we're going to make history again in 2018."
Petoskey to have second leaf pickup later this week
Tonight we called an emergency community meeting because we are family and the only way were going to fix a problem in our community, we have to take responsibility in our community, Watkins said. Many of us know who the shooters are, we know whats taking place in our community and were saying nothing about it.
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Sen. Maize Hirono (D-HI) had a message for Democrats. When Trump goes low, we have to fight back.

Sen. Hirono said on CNN, When he equates what happened to Mr. Khashoggi with the arms deal, which is, by the way, a long-term process, I think he is creating a false choice, but we definitely need to reassess what we are doing with Saudi Arabia. With Trump, everything is about money, particularly for his own family. And by the way, you mentioned in the earlier segment that he is throwing everything out there and trying to make sure that the mid-term election go the way he wants by not just dog whistles, but I would call it a bullhorn and really when he goes low, we have to fight back.

Video:

Sen. Maize Hirono (D-HI) had a message for Democrats. When Trump goes low, we have to fight back. https://t.co/JPgMXt3ouy pic.twitter.com/bdPjYY9xqR  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) October 23, 2018

It is a message that Democrats need to hear, embrace, and act on for the next two weeks. When Trump goes low, and the nation hasnt seen Trump hit bottom yet, every single Democrat needs to fight back. The best to fight back is to vote, and the more Trump lies, the more people you get motivated to vote.

Trump doesnt think that there will be any price to pay for his lies ranging from the migrant caravan to the middle-class tax cut that doesnt exist, but if voters watch Trump and increase their determination to vote for Democratic candidates the price that Trump and his party pays will be immense on election night.

When Trump goes low, more Democrats get elected is the dynamic that Democrats need to establish. Trump is terrified of being investigated and impeached. The threat of such actions isnt enough. The president needs a check put on him, and a Democratic Congress is the best and fastest way to make the madness stop.

For the latest election news, join our Blue Wave 2018 group.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
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Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams was ready for all of Republican Brian Kemps attacks, and she showed why Republicans are so afraid that she will win in November.

Voter suppression was the central theme of the debate:

Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams was ready for all of Republican Brian Kemps attacks, and she showed why Republicans are so afraid that she will win in November. https://t.co/K24U2ijL4a pic.twitter.com/26sWxBmLir  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 24, 2018

Brian Kemp claimed that Stacey Abrams is a tax cheat, while Abrams claimed that Kemp is deadbeat on a half of a million dollar loan. Kemp claimed that he has made it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Georgia.

Stacey Abrams championed the Medicaid expansion, and Kemp responded with the Republican boilerplate answer that giving people cheaper and better access to healthcare is broken plan. Kemp said expanding government programs in rural Georgia is a bad plan, and touted himself as a job creator.

Kemp is repeating the line that he is making it easier to vote like he has political Tourettes, as it is clear that the leaked audio of him worrying about minorities voting has had an impact. Kemp promised that he is going to go after drug cartels, and accused Abrams of being soft on crime. Abrams responded with a strong resume of fighting the drug problem.

Abrams gave a strong answer about supporting criminal justice reform and getting rid of the cash bail system.

Kemp was asked if he would stand there and say that there is no attempt to suppress the minority vote. Kemp said absolutely not, and called it a distraction from Stacey Abrams radical agenda on health care, and giving illegal immigrants access to the HOPE scholarship and raise taxes.

Abrams responded by saying the right to vote is a right, and under Sec. Kemp more people have lost their right to vote in Georgia because they have been purged and scared. Abrams promised that she will work to make sure that all Georgians who are legally allowed have their right to vote protected. Kemp responded by blaming Obama.

Stacey Abrams was formidable

Stacey Abrams was strong and formidable. She was able to go point for point with Kemp. It is easy to see why this election is a dead heat. Abrams was the best candidate on the stage who was able to defend herself from various levels of smears and also advance a policy agenda that was a good fit for the increasingly purple attitudes of Georgia. The Kemp strategy was to paint Abrams as a radical, but she instead looked and sounded like a governor with a detailed and well thought out agenda.

Brian Kemp was mush

Brian Kemp could have been replaced with one of 200 other generic Republican candidates and no one would have noticed the difference. Kemp went with the old Republican standards of blaming Obama, attacking Obamacare as socialism, and playing up the fear of the immigrant. There is nothing unique about Kemp. He is a symptom of the Republican Partys problem of not being able to attract good candidates. Kemp is not a good candidate, but he still might win if his voter suppression works.

Republicans should be nervous. Stacey Abrams is good, and on a level playing field, she would probably be favored to win.

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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The bombs targeting George Soros, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and CNN are all linked according to investigators.

CNN reported, Our Evan Perez was getting information there was a package that had been intercepted that may have been going to the White House. Were being told by the secret service thats not the case. There was some confusion over that. Weve now cleared that up. It was not a device or a suspicious package that was being sent to the White House. Just to recap, we know of at least three other devices which authorities believe are linked to this device. One was sent to the home of George Soros in New York, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton, and then obviously the one that was sent to former president Barack Obama. So now authorities  I can tell you the FBIs joint terrorism task force, along with the NYPD, the ATF, police, and FBI here in Washington, D.C., along with the secret service are all the working this extremely hard. Theyre trying to figure out who is sending this. The other thing very, very important to point out, Kate, is there could be other device out there. Thats whats got authorities really concerned.

Video:

The bombs targeting George Soros, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and CNN are all linked according to investigators. https://t.co/zy93VRH3wt pic.twitter.com/QOLyejEY6h  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 24, 2018

Someone is targeting the people and organizations that Trump attacks regularly.

The first three targets were clues that there could be a Trump supporting domestic terrorist carrying out these attempted attacks. The tip-off that there likely is a Trump supporting bomber out there is the attempted attack on CNN. No other news network has been vilified as regularly by Trump as CNN. Trump has convinced himself and his followers that CNN is fake news.

The fact that someone is targeting those that Trump considers his enemies is not a coincidence.

The Republican fiction of left-wing mobs has met the reality of a potential right-wing terrorist.

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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By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters)  Ecuador does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in talks over his situation as an asylee in the South American countrys London embassy, Ecuadors foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said in an interview with Reuters that Ecuadors only responsibility was looking after Assanges wellbeing, after the Australian national sued the country over new conditions placed on his asylum in the London embassy.

Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps, Valencia said. We are not Mr. Assanges lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain.

Neither the UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor lawyers for Assange immediately responded to emails seeking comment after normal business hours.

This position marks a departure from the countrys previous practice of maintaining dialogue with British authorities over Assanges situation since granting him asylum in 2012, when he took refuge in Ecuadors London Embassy after British courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face questioning in a sexual molestation case.

That case has since been dropped, but friends and supporters have said that Assange now fears he could be arrested and eventually extradited to the United States if he leaves the embassy. WikiLeaks, which published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets when Assange ran the operation, faces a U.S. grand jury investigation.

Valencia said he was frustrated by Assanges decision to file suit in an Ecuadorean court last week over new terms of his asylum, which required him to pay for medical bills and telephone calls and to clean up after his pet cat.

There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr. Assanges laundry, he said.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has said that asylum is not meant to be eternal, but he has expressed concern about the possibility that Assange may be extradited to the United States. Valencia said on Tuesday that he has not discussed Assanges situation with the United States government.

Last December, Ecuador granted Assange Ecuadorean citizenship and sought to name him as a member of the countrys diplomatic mission in Britain and Russia, which could have assured him safe passage to leave the embassy. Britain denied the request.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
In addition to telling thousands of lies, Donald Trump has become the master of the false promise. When he unexpectedly told reporters over the weekend that middle-income Americans would receive a 10 percent tax cut before the midterm elections, it caught everyone off guard. But immediately the bureaucratic machinery of the Trump administration leaped into action. They were trying to come up with an actual policy that could support Trumps whimsical idea of a new tax cut, which had no basis in reality.

In Congress, Republicans immediately began talking about passing a nonbinding resolution saying that if Republicans hold their congressional majorities they might pass a future 10 percent tax cut for the middle class.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) said Tuesday that he actually would work with the White House and the Treasury Department to develop a plan over the coming weeks.

The nonexistent tax cut announced by Trump is only the latest example of the federal government scrambling to reverse-engineer policies to meet Trumps sudden public promises, according to The Washington Post. They also have been kept busy searching for evidence to support his conspiracy theories and his numerous lies.

Earlier this year top brass at the Pentagon leaped into action to when the president said he wanted to hold a military parade. The same thing happened when he said he wanted to form a new Space Force as another branch of the military.

After Trumps angry pronouncements on trade, the Commerce Department put the wheels in motion to create a plan for auto tariffs.

Earlier this week, Vice President Pence, the Department of Homeland Security and White House employees all scrambled to try to find support for Trumps bogus claim that unknown Middle Easterners were part of a migrant caravan in Central America.

(Late Tuesday Trump admitted he had no proof of this, but he said that might be true.)

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, explained the phenomenon that we are now seeing come out of Washington. She said:

Virtually no one on the planet has the kind of power that a president of the United States has to scramble bureaucracies in the service of whim. Whatever Donald Trump wakes up and thinks about, or whatever comes to mind in the middle of a speech, actually has the reality in that it is actionable in some odd sense.

Daniel A. Effron, a professor at London Business School who studies the psychology of lies, said leaders like Trump make lies seem true through imagination and repetition.

When falsehoods feel familiar, one concern is you dont actually know whats true and whats false, Effron said. Theres a lot of information to keep track of, and you use familiarity as a cue to whats true. The other concern is when youre invited to imagine how something could be true, you actually know that its false, but you dont necessarily think its unethical to say.

Simon Blackburn, author of the book Truth, had this to say:

If you control the agenda efficiently, then theres no possibility of independent inquiry, and I think thats what Trump is a genius at.

Trump catches his aides off guard with random policy announcements that are based in his imagination rather than in any organized administration program or initiative.

Trump has sometimes issued directives publicly when he thinks his subordinates are not executing his agenda or taking his wishes seriously. He thinks, Hey, if I say it on Twitter, then these guys will have to follow, said one former White House official, who spoke anonymously.

In July 2017, Trump posted a tweet announcing his decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his underlings scrambled to react to this, and they were forced to reconcile the presidents demand with the U.S. militarys current practices and protocols.

The Pentagon was also forced to develop a Space Force after Trump announced last spring that he wanted to create a sixth branch of the military. The president initially said it was conceived as a joke.

After the 2016 election Trump falsely claimed he only lost the popular vote against Hillary Clinton because of widespread voter fraud which led to the creation of a formal voter fraud commission. The panel was eventually disbanded after it became mired in lawsuits and people realized they had no actual evidence of any voter fraud.

So the pattern is clear. If the president wakes up and thinks about trade, or taxes, or whatever, he is likely to send a tweet with some new idea that just popped into his head. And when he does this the entire U.S. government bureaucracy jumps into action to try to make real his new whim or to find support for his latest lie.

This is no way to run a government, or to run a country. We can only hope that this irrational, unhinged president will leave office before he does more permanent damage.
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White House adviser Kellyanne Conway couldnt answer a reporters question about whether the Trump administration had evidence supporting its claim that the Democrats were funding the caravan of migrants heading to the U.S.

Instead of answering the question, Conway pushed onward with her propaganda goal of fear-mongering, saying the president is dealing with something you dont seem interested in, which is whos coming in this caravan.

Republicans are treating the caravan as if we had no way to stop it from entering the United States if indeed it were full of Middle Easterners (by which they infer to their base, inaccurately again, as terrorists), as they keep suggesting, with yet again no evidence.

If Republicans really thought the caravan was a national security issue, why dont they do something about it instead of wringing their hands and crying wolf yet again.

Video:

The truth is the caravans are full of mostly Honduran migrants who are seeking asylum from violence and poverty. They are nothing to be afraid of, and its odd that Republicans are always so scared of people who have such little power.

Its also worth asking why jailing babies havent kept the caravan away since Trump justified and continues to justify this Trump tactic by claiming it sends a message and keeps people from trying to cross the border. So, thats a double fail.

Trump has desperately tried to use the caravan as a get out the vote scare to terrify his supporters into voting as Democrats look likely to take back the House on November 6th, which would mean a lot of investigations into Trumps Russia scandal and other ethical and possibly illegal scandals.

Trump has repeatedly falsely accused Democrats of encouraging millions of illegal aliens to break our laws, violate our borders and overwhelm our nation, when he has zero evidence that Democrats have done any such thing, and in fact the only party benefiting from the caravan is the Republican Party, so if anyone paid them the motive lay with Republicans, not Democrats.

Trump and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also tweet this false accusation repeatedly, with Sanders laying it out Tuesday night just hours before multiple top Democrats were targeting with explosive devices:



The Democrats open border policy is an open invitation to the caravan. Thank God we have a President fighting for the rule of law and willing to stand up to the liberal mob trying to unleash chaos across our country  Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 24, 2018

There is no evidence to believe anyone is funding them, but that is not the point. Trump is simply looking for an issue to fire up his base, and if he has to lie and stoke the fires of violence to do it, he really doesnt care, do u?

If you do care, show up on November 6th to vote and make this president accountable.

Follow Sarah on Facebook and Twitter.
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Nearly two-thirds of Americans say their finances have not improved since Donald Trump was elected president nearly two years ago. According to the Bankrate 2018 midterm election survey only 38% of respondents say they are better off financially now than they were in November of 2016.

The largest number, 45%, say their finances now are about the same as they were two years ago, and 17% say they are actually worse off now than before Trump became president.

The survey, released Wednesday, shows that some Americans are benefiting from stock market gains and a slight increase in wages. The people who have been benefiting the most in Trumps America are white, higher-income earners who tend to support the Republican Party. This is the group of individuals who say responded by saying they are better off financially with the November 6 midterm elections less than two weeks away, the survey found.

Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate said that the U.S. economy has continued to improve since Trump was elected.

Ultimately, a rising economic tide lifts many boats. It does not lift all of them, Hamrick commented. The economy is paying dividends for many Americans, but there are still many people and pockets of the U.S. economy that are hoping for those dividends to appear.

Most people say that their financial situations are about the same now as they were in 2016.

Wages are taking a slight uptick, but people in general are not seeing huge bumps in their salaries or wages that would make them say, Oh wow, things are really getting good, says Margaret Simms, an economist at the Urban Institute.

People may feel more secure and not worried about losing ground, but they feel they have not gained a lot of ground, Simms says.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average weekly earnings of American workers increased by just $53 (6 percent) from September of 2016 to September of 2018.

People have very different economic outlooks depending on which political party they support.

Over 70% of Democrats said their personal financial situation was either the same (48 percent) or worse (23 percent) compared with two years ago. On the other hand, just 40 percent of Republicans said they were either the same (31 percent) or worse off (9 percent).

We have a weird tribalism going on, says Diane Swonk, chief economist of Grant Thornton. We saw the polarization pick up in the 2000 election, and its just accelerated.

Democrats whose financial situation declined since 2016 were more likely to blame Trump (17 percent), Republicans in Congress (5 percent) or both (39 percent). But just one-third of Republicans believe the White House and/or GOP lawmakers are the ones to blame for their worsening financial health.

Democrats who said things got better for them since 2016 do not give credit to Republicans for their improving finances. Just 7 percent believe that their financial situation has gotten better because of Trump, Republicans in Congress or both.

But among Republicans, 71 percent who saw financial improvements attributed that to Trump (39 percent), Republicans in Congress (5 percent) or both (27 percent), the survey finds.

Some Republicans are claiming that the economy now is better than at any time in the history of our country. But just because the say that doesnt mean it is true.

At the end of the day, people know what they have in their pocket, they know how theyre doing, and you cant fool them, Swonk says. You cant say the economy is better than it is. You cant just say its worse than it is to them. It just is, even if its not where they want to be.

Trump and the GOP believe they deserve credit for the great economic success of America but this new survey points out that most Americans are not better off now than before Republicans took over the government. To benefit the greatest number of Americans we need to have a government run by Democrats who truly look out for the lower and middle income people who are the backbone of our country.
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The Secret Service said Wednesday it has intercepted two suspicious packages sent to former President Barack Obama and to Hillary Clinton.

It was first reported this morning that the FBI was investigating one suspicious package found by the home of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York.

The Secret Service then later issued a statement saying that after the package addressed to Hillary Clinton was caught late Tuesday, a second package addressed to Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC on Wednesday morning.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them, the Secret Service said in its statement.

The Secret Service said it has launched a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

In New York, the New Castle Police Department and the Westchester County Police are assisting in their investigation into the first suspicious package.

The matter is currently under federal investigation, a spokesman for the New Castle Police Department said in a statement. According to published reports, an explosive device was found by a technician who screens mail for the Clintons.

On Monday, an explosive device also was found in the mailbox at the Bedford, New York, home of liberal billionaire George Soros. It was reported that the device found at the Clintons was similar to the one found at Soros home.

Chappaqua, where the Clintons live, is approximately 20 minutes from the Soros home in Bedford. Both are affluent suburbs located one hour north of New York City.

With respect to the Clinton package, the FBI tweeted the following:

We are aware of a suspicious package found in the vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, NY, and our JTTF has engaged with our federal, state and local partners to investigate. As this is an on-going investigation, we will have no further comment at this time.

We are aware of a suspicious package found in the vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, NY, and our JTTF has engaged with our federal, state and local partners to investigate. As this is an on-going investigation, we will have no further comment at this time  FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) October 24, 2018
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The following is an editorial by PoliticusUSAs co-publisher Sarah Jones.

The mob is real; its Republican, and its dangerous. The media needs to do its job regarding Trump and the Republicans dangerous rhetoric against Democrats and liberals.

Today, Wednesday October 24th just two weeks before the Nov. 6 elections, the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating after bombs were found near former Democratic President and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill and Hillary Clintons home and sent to former President Obama. CNNs Time Warner Center in New York was also targeted according to authorities.

Additional targets include critics of Trump like John Brennan via CNN and Democrats Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eric Holder, and Kamala Harris.

Yesterday, Democratic donor George Soros received a bomb.

On October 17th, a paid mob shut Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosis event down.

A report that a suspicious package also was sent to the White House was later found to be false, a person familiar with the matter said.

The bombs sent to the Obamas, Clintons, CNN and George Soros are linked, according to authorities.

Each of these targets have been repeatedly the subject of hate and violent rhetoric by President Trump, many in his administration and elected Republicans. None of them have had the courage or moral fiber to tell him and their party to stop the violent rhetoric.

Terrorism is defined as: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

There is no equivalent on the left in high leadership. Republicans like to point to Antifa, but there is no elected Democratic leadership egging Antifa on, pointing to targets, falsely accusing of criminality and encouraging vigilantism.

CNNs Jim Acosta warned that Trump was planting seeds of violence in his supporters five days ago after Trump praised the Republican Congressman who assaulted a journalist for no reason, noting that Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind ofhes my guy.

The list of Trumps violent rhetoric is too long for anyone to include in one article, but this Slate piece lays out the broad strokes.

Its a fact that DHS admitted that law enforcement sees right-wing extremism as the top terrorism threat to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sees right-wing extremism as the top terrorism threat to the United States, or that the FBI sees right-wing extremism as the top terrorism threat to the United States.

However, complaints from conservatives got a 2009 report warning about right wing terrorism and its office shut down.

Yet, right-wing extremismgenerated a comparable number of fatalities to Muslim extremism. In fact, in 2014 law enforcement warned, Since 2000, 35 law enforcement officers have been killed in 26 incidents in which at least one of the suspects was a right-wing criminal extremist (Harris 2014).

By the start of 2014, when we carried out our survey of law enforcement agencies, the amount of violence attributed to right-wing extremists was similar to or greater than violence attributed to Muslim extremists, a report on Ideology and Threat Assessment: Law Enforcement Evaluation of Muslim and Right-Wing Extremism 2 found. (This later changed, but the media coverage on the two is so vastly different it reveals more pro-right bias than it should.)

Sarah Huckabee Sanders condemned these terrorizing acts, but just last night she was inaccurately blaming Democrats for the caravan her boss and the Republican Party/Fox News keep using to terrorize their base into voting.

These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

Tuesday evening, Sanders mimicked her boss daily hate against Democrats, stirring up hate against Democrats and liberals, adding that Trump was willing to stand up to the liberal mob trying to unleash chaos across our country.

The Democrats open border policy is an open invitation to the caravan. Thank God we have a President fighting for the rule of law and willing to stand up to the liberal mob trying to unleash chaos across our country  Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 24, 2018

There is a mob, but its not the liberals, the rape victims trying to be heard, or the mothers upset about jailed babies.

The media plays a big part in this because they keep repeating Trump and Republicans false accusations while at the same time, there has been none of the cheese platter moral outrage they saved for poor Sarah Hucakbee Sanders, even when Democrats are almost killed.

The mainstream media was so outraged by citizens who verbally confronted Republicans over the egregious, un-American policy of separating children from their parents, but every day they let the hate dripping from Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and more pass by unnoticed, even though the medias job is supposed to be to check power.

Is there an agenda at play? Larger corporate media has an agenda that benefits from Republican deregulation and tax cuts, while individual reporters are said to lean more liberal. The accusation of liberal media bias has done its job of shaming reporters and gaming the ref so that they lean way to the right to appear non-partisan and fair. But its not fair  not at all. What it is is inaccurate and now its dangerous.

Everyone in this country needs to grow a spine and stop letting complaints about facts silence the discussion. Right wing terrorism is a huge threat in this country, and it is not being dealt with because even the government is giving it a pass so as not to offend conservatives.

When Trump and Republicans rhetoric gets someone beloved killed, they will wake those who arent woke yet. The media will bear some responsibility for the way theyve handled the endless lies and hate coming from this White House and its Republican-led Congress and indeed, violent rhetoric from Republicans across the country.

This is right wing terrorism. It has a political agenda motivated by fear of losing power and a failure of real leadership.

Violence, running on hate and lies and ugly rhetoric is for losers. Its for people who cant lead. Trump should resign immediately, hes morally unfit and mentally unable to do his job. He is incompetent and dangerous. But of course he wont resign and no one in the Republican Party will take a moral stand, so its up to citizens to get out the vote on November 6th to put a check on this president.

Follow Sarah on Facebook and Twitter.

Updated 1:50 PM as more information became known to include: Additional targets include critics of Trump like John Brennan via CNN and Democrats Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eric Holder, and Kamala Harris.

1. Since 2000, 35 law enforcement officers have been killed in 26 incidents in which at least one of the suspects was a right-wing criminal extremist (Harris 2014

Harris Robert F. 2014. Domestic Terrorism/Sovereign Citizen Overview. Tallahassee, FL: Institute for Intergovernmental Research.

2. Kurzman, C., Kamal, A., & Yazdiha, H. (2017). Ideology and Threat Assessment: Law Enforcement Evaluation of Muslim and Right-Wing Extremism. Socius. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023117704771


What Im suggesting that they do is that they reach back to the teachers and let them  if that decision to sell the building is the right decision  let the teachers participate in that decision, said Miles. Theyve been asking all along to have a say in the future of the school.
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Sen. Ted Cruz denounced the bombs that were sent to Democrats and CNN, a day after calling for his Senate race opponent Rep. Beto ORourke to be jailed.

Cruz tweeted:

Violence is never OK. Reports of bombs sent to the homes of Obama, Clinton, and Soros are deeply, deeply disturbing. America is better than this. Political disagreements are fine, even healthy, but we should always be civil and respect each others humanity.  Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 24, 2018

Here is Cruz the day before calling for ORourke to share a jail cell with Hillary Clinton:

Ted Cruz says Beto O'Rourke can share jail cell with Hillary Clinton https://t.co/xpWB2qbrLz pic.twitter.com/tJ6GFqxWMO  Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 24, 2018

Republicans cant have it both ways

Republicans cant use violent or criminalizing rhetoric even as a joke, but denounce the violence and culture that their rhetoric has inspired with their supporters. According to Ted Cruz, bombing news organizations and political opponents is crossing the line, but suggesting with no merit that political opponents are criminals is fine.

Heres an idea. Dont talk about the criminality of a person unless there is evidence or reason to do so. Donald Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator in several felonies. There are ample grounds for factually discussing his criminality. Beto ORourke and Hillary Clinton have not committed any crimes and there is no basis for jailing either of them.

Republican rhetoric and inspired and created this climate, so people like Ted Cruz dont get to take the high ground and walk away.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
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Trump didnt personally criticize the violence against Democrats instead he retweeted Mike Pence and said that he agrees.

Trump tweeted:

Trump is pathetic

Trump had plenty to say while trying to scare Republicans this morning:

For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2018

Trump had multiple tweets about his approval rating two days ago:

The Fake News Media has been talking about recent approval ratings of me by countries around the world, including the European Union, as being very low.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2018

.I say of course theyre low  because for the first time in 50 years I am making them pay a big price for doing business with America. Why should they like me?  But I still like them!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2018

However, someone who was likely inspired by his violent rhetoric targets Democrats and CNN with bombs and all he can say is I agree wholeheartedly. Donald Trump is giving winking approval to this behavior by not strongly and directly condemning it. This is a pattern that the American people have seen consistently with Trump. The president defends men accused of sexual assault. He defends white supremacists and Nazis after they murder an innocent woman, and now he goes silent when his words inspire violence.

Trump isnt a president. He is a pathetic coward who cant be removed from office soon enough.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
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By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)  The leader of a California-based white nationalist group and three others have been charged with conspiring to incite riots at political rallies, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday,

Robert Rundo, founder of Rise Above Movement, was taken into custody on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, according to court documents.

Two other members of the group were arrested on Wednesday and one remains at large, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles.

The allegations describe an orchestrated effort to squelch free speech as members of the conspiracy traveled to multiple locations to attack those who hold different views, U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement. This case demonstrates our commitment to preserve and protect the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Rundo, 28, of Huntington Beach and co-defendants Robert Boman, 25, of Torrance; Tyler Laube, 22, of Redondo Beach; and Aaron Eason, 38, of Anza are accused of attacking protesters, journalists and a police officer at political rallies across California.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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His lawyer, Kenneth Yeadon, could not immediately be reached for comment, but in a recent court filing, Yeadon said Cottrell has lived a quiet life at home with his parents despite knowing he was a target in the investigation. Cottrell has lived in Niles all his life except while attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison as an undergraduate and law school at New York University in Manhattan, Yeadon said.
"This colorful dish is a party favorite and universally loved by Filipinos," Yasmin Newman w

If You Go

The Boodle Fight, a.k.a. Kamayan Feast, must be pre-ordered and requires a minimum of six people at $24.95 per person.

It is available only after 3 p.m.

Reservations can be made by calling (843) 824-8887.

Mei Thai is located at 7685 Northwoods Blvd. North Charleston.
Joseph Cranney is an investigative reporter in Columbia, with a focus on government corruption and injustices in the criminal legal system. He can be reached securely by Proton mail at jcranney@prontonmail.com or on Signal at 215-285-9083.
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.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
Let me just say up front, thats completely false, Lightfoot said. Theres a rumor going around that Im going to step down and take a deal, and Ill name it, as some person in a Toni Preckwinkle administration. Let me be clear: Thats never happening. It was false the minute it was said, and what it shows, frankly, is the kind of machine-style bullying that has no place in the future of this city.
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, second left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, attend the talks in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser Bolton struck a conciliatory note Tuesday in talks in Moscow, just days after Trump vowed to pull out of a key arms control treaty with Russia. (Vadim Savitsky, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
Underwood was an adviser in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama. As she has throughout much of her campaign, she contends the GOP health care efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last year would have offered fewer protections to people with pre-existing conditions such as her heart condition.
NORRISTOWN  A onetime correctional officer at the former State Correctional Institution at Graterford is about to spend time on the other side of the bars after he was accused of smuggling synthetic marijuana into the facility.

Jay J. Groover III, 33, of the 5900 block of Springfield Avenue, Philadelphia, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 6-to-12-months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver designer drugs in connection with an October 2016 incident at the former prison located in Skippack Township.

Judge Wendy G. Rothstein ordered Groover to report to the county jail in Lower Providence on Nov. 14 to begin serving the sentence. Groover is eligible for the jails work release program during his incarceration, the judge said.

Groover also must complete two years probation following parole, meaning he will be under court supervision for three years. The punishment was within recommended state sentencing guidelines for the crime.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Kolansky sought jail time against Groover, citing the position of authority Groover was in while working at the state prison.

This is a serious offense. The defendant was a correctional officer and he abused his position of power by bringing drugs into the population that he was supposed to oversee, to protect and to monitor, Kolansky said.

Many people are addicted to drugs and that drug addiction has led them to commit some of the crimes that have put them in the jail. For a correctional officer to put drugs back into the very population of that jail when theyre in there seeking rehabilitation, we believe that to be a real abuse of power, Kolansky added.

Court documents do not indicate how long Groover had worked at the institution.

An investigation of Groover began on Oct. 27, 2016, when he reported for work at the Graterford institution, which was recently replaced by the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix in Skippack.

When reporting for duty, Groover failed to clear the metal detector eight times at the front gate of the institution. During his last attempt, Groover was on video, walking through the metal detector with red lights activating, which represented he did not successfully pass. Groover proceeded to retrieve his belongings from the table and entered the secure facility, Jeffrey A. Theobald, a criminal investigator for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections alleged in a criminal complaint.

A closed circuit television officer monitored Groover as he entered the facility and proceeded to enter the staff dining hall and then a bathroom, according to court documents. After Groover exited the bathroom, another correctional officer searched the bathroom and located 189.2 grams of suspected synthetic marijuana and 39 packages of the prescription drug Suboxone in a trash receptacle.

When authorities confronted Groover he admitted to placing the drugs in the dining hall bathroom in order for an inmate to retrieve the narcotics, according to the criminal complaint.

Groover allegedly went on to explain that he would meet a man named Troy in Philadelphia for the narcotics and for payment of the delivered narcotics.

Groover also admitted that he brought narcotics into SCI Graterford on at least four other occasions, Theobald alleged, adding a review of Groovers cellphone message data revealed he was in contact with five civilian associates of inmates who were incarcerated at Graterford at the time.

Court documents indicate authorities also searched Groovers vehicle and found alleged drug packaging materials and an additional 572.6 grams of suspected synthetic marijuana. Groover subsequently admitted ownership of everything found in his vehicle, according to the arrest affidavit.
Long after it could have any bearing on Ilhan Omars pending election to Congress from Minnesotas Fifth District next month, the APs Amy Forliti took a detailed look at the story that Omar had married her brother in 2009 for some dishonest purpose and only recently went through the exercise of divorcing him. The story is Minnesota House hopeful calls marriage, fraud claims lies. Omar actually called the claims disgusting lies.

Omar refused to be interviewed by the AP for the story. Omar further refused to provide the AP with a list of her siblings[.] Indeed, Omar refused to facilitate the APs investigation of the claims in any way. Attempts to communicate with Omars ex-husband, now in London, also proved unavailing (The APs efforts to speak with Elmi were unsuccessful). This is consistent with Omars practice since I first began writing about the story in 2016.

Reading Forlitis AP story last week, I drew adverse inferences from Omars refusal to respond or be interviewed. I have done so from the first time I asked Omar about the story in 2016 and received an offensive non-response response on her behalf from a local criminal defense attorney. I quoted the attorneys non-response response verbatim in my 2016 City Journal column recounting the story up to that point in The curious case of Ilhan Omar.

Without explicitly saying so, Forlitis AP story retraces the steps Preya Samsundar and I took to look into the claims in 2016. I think that Forlitis story leaves the claims roughly where Preya Samsundar and I left them, though Forlitis story carries the imprimatur of a mainstream media organ.

PJ Medias David Steinberg has taken on the case this year. Unlike Forliti, however, he has actually advanced the story. Steinbergs work supports our conclusion that Omar married her brother in 2009 for some dishonest purpose. Today Steinberg reports Official School Records Support Claims That Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) Married Her Brother.

Working from New York, Steinberg has produced a truly dogged piece of investigative journalism that puts us all to shame. As is her custom, Omar has declined to respond to Steinbergs inquiries. See the email to her that he has reproduced in his story. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding. To say the least, an explanation is called for.

Following the special Fifth District DFL endorsing convention this past Fathers Day, Democrats had a competitive field of candidates to choose among in the August 14 primary. The Star Tribune did absolutely nothing to give Fifth District readers  the heart of their readership  any relevant information to make an informed selection among the candidates in the DFL primary.

The Fifth District being one-party territory  Osama bin Laden could win election on the DFL line in the Fifth District  Omars election is now a done deal. One can only hope that someone in a position of responsibility at the Star Tribune will be so kind as to take note of Steinbergs work and hold a soul-searching public reckoning that accounts for their dereliction in this matter.
Yasuda was kidnapped in 2015 by al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front, after contact with him was lost in June that year. A war monitoring group said he was most recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly comprises Chinese jihadis in Syria.
Two years ago Ilhan Omar made headlines around the world when she was on the verge of election as the first Somali state legislator in the United States. She had defeated a 22-term incumbent in the DFL primary. She just needed to hang in there until election day in November to seal the deal, as she did.

That August I got a tip that Omar had married her brother at the same time she was married to the man who is the father of her children. When the information seemed to check out, I sought comment from Omar. I received this response from a local criminal defense attorney writing on her behalf:

Dear Mr. Johnson: I have been contacted by the Ilhan Omar campaign. Their response to your email from this morning is as follows: There are people who do not want an East African, Muslim woman elected to office and who will follow Donald Trumps playbook to prevent it. Ilhan Omars campaign sees your superfluous contentions as one more in a series of attempts to discredit her candidacy. Ilhan Omars campaign will not be distracted by negative forces and will continue to focus its energy on creating positive engagement with community members to make the district and state more prosperous and equitable for everyone. If you have any further questions regarding this matter, please direct them to me in writing so we have a record of any further communications. Sincerely, Jean Brandl

The Star Tribune took up the story the following week  Patrick Coolicans story is posted here  but Omar declined to be interviewed. Democratic operative Ben Goldfarb spoke to the Star Tribune on Omars behalf: Allegations that she married her brother and is legally married to two people are categorically ridiculous and false. Omars campaign explained that she had never legally married Ahmed Hirsi (the father of her children) and flatly denied that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, her legal husband, so to speak, was her brother. (Such a marriage would be void ab initio under Minnesota law.)

Omar issued a statement that went back to the royal flush of bigotry accusations and decried the Trump-style misogyny, racism, anti-immigration rhetoric and Islamophobic division allegedly motivating questions about her marital status.

Coolican called me for comment. He told me that Omar had issued a statement denying that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is her brother. I asked him, Who do they say he is?

They wont tell me, he said.

That remark has stuck with me. I thought it revealing in its own way.

I gave Coolican my comment and he quoted it. Neither Ilhan Omar nor her campaign has offered an explanation for what is going on here. The voters of Omars district deserve a straight answer to a simple question. Now, they have failed to provide one either to me or to the Star Tribune.

Although Coolican and Faiza Mahumad sought to follow up in a post-election interview, I think that comment accurately states the matter, which I then sought to summarize in The curious case of Ilhan Omar.

This year PJ Medias David Steinberg has picked up the story from me and Preya Samsundar. first in Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) Perjury Evidence Blacked Out by Minnesota Media and now in Official School Records Support Claims That Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) Married Her Brother. Steinberg continues to nail down the proposition that Omar married her brother in 2009 for some dishonest purpose (not necessarily immigration fraud).

Steinberg asked Omar for comment in advance of each of his two stories. She declined to respond on either occasion.

Last night on Twitter, however, Omar responded indirectly in her accustomed fashion. There seems to be a pattern here. Steinberg himself has responded to Omars tweet. Both Omars response and Steinbergs comment are below.

Tell me what I got wrong and I will issue a correction and apology immediately. https://t.co/X6QYG4jDGn  David Steinberg  (@DavidSPJM) October 24, 2018

Omar is about to be elected to Congress. Omars imputations of bigotry sound increasingly hollow. Although she plays the victim card with the expertise of a pro, one wonders how long this can go on.
Did you hear? Yesterday in Texas President Trump proclaimed himself a nationalist as follows:

A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much. And you know what? We cant have that. You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. Its called a nationalist. And I say, really, were not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? Im a nationalist, OK? Im a nationalist. Nationalist. Nothing  use that word. Use that word.

Naturally liberals ran for their fainting couches and CNN studio hookups, with one member of Congress saying that Trumps words reminded him ofwait for it!who else: Hitler.

This kind of reaction has all becomes rather tiresome, but then Trump has that effect on people who purport to be adults.

You can read Yoram Hazonys terrific new book, The Virtue of Nationalism, as an antidote, but just as good and taking less time is to look up Sir Roger Scrutons excellent chapter The Truth in Nationalism in his wonderful short self-help book, How To Be a Conservative. Scruton reminds us that the idea of nationalism was actually first articulated by the French revolutionaries (especially Abbe Sieyes), which was in turn responsible for tearing Europe apart. But that shouldnt be the end of the story:

According to this [post-World War II] consensus, Europe had been torn apart by nationalism, and the future of the continent could be guaranteed only if the national loyalties that had caused so much belligerence were quietly and discreetly replaced by something else. Just what that something else was to be is another question, and the question was buried so deeply in the process of European integration that it is no longer possible to answer it. But was the reaction against nationalism right? To put my answer in a nutshell: nationalism, as an ideology, is dangerous in just the way that ideologies are dangerous. It occupies the space vacated by religion, and in doing so excites the true believer both to worship the national idea and to seek in it for what it cannot providethe ultimate purpose of life, the way to redemption and the consolation of all our woes. That is the idea as Sieyes invokes it, and as it appears in the literature of Nazi Germany. But it is not the idea of the nation as this features in the ordinary day-t0-day life of the European people. For ordinary people, living in free association with their neighbors, the nation means simply the historical identity and continuing allegiance that unites them in the body politic. It is the first person plural of settlement. Sentiments of national identity may be inflamed by war, civil agitation and ideology, and this inflammation admits of many degrees. But in their normal form these sentiments are not just peaceful in themselves, but a form of peace between neighbors.

Yes, it seems the only kind of identity the left opposes these days is any expression of a common we as Americans.
Donald Trump and Barack Obama dont have a great deal in common, but they share this trait: both love to talk about themselves when campaigning for others (and not just then).

Obama was in Nevada on Monday, campaigning for Democratic candidates including Rep. Jacky Rosen who is trying to unseat Sen. Dean Heller in a race Democrats probably need to win if they are to gain control of the Senate. According to the Daily Caller, Obama referred to himself 92 times during his speech.

Trump was in Texas the same night campaigning for Sen. Ted Cruz, among others. I dont have a count on the number of times Trump referred to himself, but it likely exceeded 92 (to be fair, Trumps speech was considerably longer than Obamas, I believe).

The president bragged so much that I changed the channel. Its not that Im tired of winning. Im just tired of hearing Trump talk about winning.

There are distinctions to be made between the two speeches, though. For one thing, Trumps presidency is an issue in this years election. Indeed, its the key issue. Democrats are running less on their policy ideas (which many of which they would rather not discuss for fear of turning off swing voters) than on their opposition to Trump.

Im not criticizing Democrats for this. Republicans did the same thing with Obama in 2010 and 2014. Im just saying that because Trump and his presidency are the core issue in this election, it makes sense for Trump, when campaigning, to discuss these things.

By contrast, Obama and his presidency are not much at issue this year. Yet the narcissist cant refrain from visiting these topics.

The other distinction is the extent to which the two men talked about the candidates they were in town to support. The Daily Caller reports that Obama mentioned congressional candidates Susie Lee and Steven Horsford once each, gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak once, Lieutenant Governor candidate Kate Marshall twice, and Rosen four times.

I dont have the count for Trump in Texas, but he spent loads of time praising a host of Texas Republicans. This included not just those involved in tight races, but also Rep. Louis Gohmert who apparently will win going away (Trump joked that he wasnt asking people to vote for Gohmert because hes so far ahead). It also included Sen. John Cornyn, who isnt even running this year.

Thus, Trump wasnt just pitching himself and his presidency. The rally was, in part, a giant advertisement for the Texas GOP.

Nevada Democrats seem, by comparison, to have been a footnote to Obamas oration.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 04:37:01

Positions Available at Contact Centers in Guadalajara, Mexico City and its Newest Site in Puebla

Alorica Grows Its Presence in Mexico Adding More Than 1,500 Jobs

Havas FORMULATIN

Maria Amor, 305.548.8722

amor@havasformulatin.com

or

Alorica Inc.

Sunny Yu, 949.527.4645

Sunny.Yu@Alorica.com

or

Alorica Inc.  Latin America and Caribbean

Indira Doyen, +507.6070.8020

Indira.Doyen@Alorica.com

Today, Alorica Inc., the worlds leading provider of customer interactions, announced its continued growth in Mexico, adding a fifth site in the country, located in Puebla, and the creation of more than 1,500 jobs across all contact centers in the region. This strategic expansion accommodates growing demand for business process outsourcing (BPO) services in Latin America and the Caribbean.

As we looked to expand our Latin America operations and open a new site to support the growth and success in the region, we immediately thought of Puebla, said Miro Batista, President of Latin America and the Caribbean at Alorica. This community is home to nearly 350 higher education institutions, where were able to hire graduates with degrees in business, economics, finance and accounting. We are appreciative toward the Mexican government and the cities of Guadalajara, Mexico City and Puebla for their support of our business, our new employees in the area and the clients we serve. Were also pleased to be able to invest in these communities by hiring locals and building our infrastructure in these places.

The new Alorica Puebla site, located in Plaza America, Juan Pablo II and Calle 53 Pte. has already brought on 200 employees and is supporting one of the largest online retailers in the world. By the end of the year, the site expects to hire an additional 600 employees. The 41,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility features an employee lounge, health clinic, game room and easy access to public transportation. Eligible Alorica employees can also take advantage of competitive benefits, including free health and life insurance, on-site medical attention, meal allowance, savings fund, an on-site study room and incentive bonuses. In addition, Alorica has invested in various education and training programs, including Alorica Academya six-week program available to company leaders that teaches skills related to the industry and aligns with Aloricas Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

Our city offers the whole package  an educated, talented workforce, low business costs and high quality of life. Puebla is a very attractive location for growing companies like Alorica, said Jaime Oropeza Casas, Secretary of Labor, Competitiveness and Economic Development. Im proud that they have chosen our city as a headquarter for growthits yet another example of the economic development were cultivating, and the positive, measurable impacts it has on the city.

With more than 17 years of experience in the region, Alorica Latin America and the Caribbean is guided by Miro Batistaan industry veteran who not only has a deep understanding of the regions BPO landscape, but was recently named 2018 Nearshore Executive of the [..] at the Nexus Illuminate Awards. Supporting Miro is Juan Etchegoimberry, Division Vice President of Operations who oversees all sites in Mexico and Noemi Cortez, Site Director of Aloricas Puebla operations.

In total, Alorica operates five contact centers in Mexico, including three in Guadalajara, one in Mexico City, and now in Puebla, currently employing more than 3,000 people in the country. There are 500 positions open among the sites in Guadalajara and 400 positions are now available at the Alorica Mexico City location. Services offered at these sites consist of customer care, financial solutions, digital services, revenue generation and omni-channel solutions. All of these capabilities are supported in multiple languages, such as English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Offering a wide array of capabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Alorica provides its U.S. clients a cost advantage and geographical flexibility that delivers redundancy from a business continuity perspective. Physical proximity, along with a cultural similarity to the U.S., enhances the benefits offered by the Latin American and Caribbean workforce. Alorica also supports in-country brands, delivering solutions to streamline operations, drive innovation and enhance ROI, by a workforce that understands the culture and needs of the Mexican consumer.

Those interested in applying for a position at any of the five sites in Mexico, please visit www.AloricaLATAM.com. Additionally, to learn more about our cost-effective and multilingual nearshore capabilities, visit our website here.

About Alorica

Alorica is the worlds largest provider of customer experiences to North American consumers. We are made up of more than 100,000 passionate problem solvers who make lives better through positive customer interactionsat every touchpointacross voice, chat and social. Leveraging innovative technologiesincluding intelligent automation and a comprehensive analytics suitewe support the worlds most respected brands with the talent and resources necessary to create insanely great experiences. Alorica provides a host of world-class servicesfrom customer care to financial solutions and digital servicesto clients across industries of all kinds, many of whom are on the Fortune 500. Founded nearly 20 years ago, Alorica contact centers and operation hubs span the globe with 130 locations in 14 countries. To learn more, visit www.Alorica.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023006
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 08:04:03

Bests Special Report: Insurance Industry Becomes Active in the Development of the Environmental, Social and Governance Agenda

A.M. Best

Carlos Wong-Fupuy, +44 20 7397 0287

Senior Director

carlos.wong-fupuy@ambest.com

or

Yvette Essen, +44 20 7397 0322

Director, Research, Communications and

Media  Europe, Middle East & Africa

yvette.essen@ambest.com

or

Edem Kuenyehia, +44 20 7397 0280

Director, Market Development &

Communications

edem.kuenyehia@ambest.com

A number of major participants in the (re)insurance industry have become actively involved in shaping the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda  given their unique role as risk managers, institutional investors, and risk carriers on behalf of a wide range of industries. They also face critical risks and opportunities associated with climate-change trends and challenges to close the protection gap, according to a new A.M. Best report.

The Bests Special Report, Insurance Industry Becomes Active in the Development of the ESG Agenda, states that publicly listed multinational insurance groups are well aware of shareholders expectations and try to align their long-term investment and underwriting strategies accordingly. Increasing public awareness puts pressure on all types of financial institutions to consider ESG factors and their potential impact on reputational and operational risks. This is reinforced by regulatory developments with an increased focus on ESG issues, such as the inclusion of climate-related, non-financial disclosures to facilitate informed decisions.

This report details the way A.M. Best considers material ESG factors as part of the ratings assessment and how they impact Bests Credit Rating Methodologys (BCRM) building blocks  balance sheet strength, operating performance, business profile and enterprise risk management.

Carlos Wong-Fupuy, senior director, A.M. Best, said: With no industrywide ESG standard in place, it can be overwhelming for companies to understand fully how to implement and disclose ESG practices. While A.M. Best does not explicitly consider ESG in BCRM, components of ESG are found throughout the building blocks described in the BCRM. A.M. Best will continue to monitor ESG and other emerging risks as part of its ongoing credit analysis of the insurance industry and will provide additional transparency to its criteria as it specifically relates to ESG, if needed.

The report states regulators are taking an active role in ESG. In the United Kingdom, the Bank of England has flagged the insurance sector as a key part of the economy that is heavily exposed to the physical, liability and transition risks arising from a climate-changing environment. Meanwhile, the European Union Commission has published a number of concrete action plans aimed at channelling investments into environmentally sustainable activities.

Yvette Essen, director of research, said: ESG topics are increasing in importance, not only for multilateral organisations and regulators, but also for the financial community and the public in general. A number of major insurance groups are already taking a leading role on ESG issues. Access to better quality information will allow market participants to understand and manage these risks more effectively.

To access the full copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?recor.

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/20181023006
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 11:20:02

Business Wire Presents Panel Discussion with Agence France-Presse, Delivery Hero and mc Group at the Communications Congress

Press contact

Business Wire  A Berkshire Hathaway Company

Seval Dogan

Tel.: +49 69 91 50 66 0

E-mail: Germany@BusinessWire.com

Sandweg 94F, 60316 Frankfurt am Main

Business Wire, the world's leading service provider for global press release distribution, was the official sponsor of this year's Communications Congress in Berlin and presented an exciting panel discussion on communication and courage in the digitalization era. Bodo von Braunmuhl, Head of Corporate Communications at the Delivery Hero online delivery service, Natascha Thomas, Head of Marketing and Sales and member of the Management Board of the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) Germany, and Harald Zulauf, CEO of mc Group, took to the podium at the Berlin Congress Center (bcc). Together with the moderator Christine Riedmann-Streitz (MarkenFactory GmbH), the three renowned decision-makers from leading companies presented their ideas on "Impactful Communication in Times of Digitization - How is it created and what role does courage play?" to the well-filled hall with around 200 participants. What was made clear is that: In the age of fake news and news algorithms, digital media face enormous challenges. The full panel discussion is available on YouTube.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005

Communication Congress - Business Wire media event

Natascha Thomas, member of AFPs Management Board, sees the debate about fake news  which really took off with the surprising election of US President Donald Trump  as an opportunity for traditional media. They are in greater demand again. "News agencies are gaining in importance," stated Thomas. This is also due to the loss of subscription and advertising revenues: Traditional newsrooms will have to satisfy the growing demand for credible news with fewer journalists. This is where the traditional press release comes in. Zulauf and von Braunmuhl do not want to go without this established form of communication. "The press release is a small lighthouse signaling that I am something special," explained von Braunmuhl. Mr Zulauf stated the point even clearer: "A good relationship with major press agencies is a thousand times more important to me than the five hundredth Like on Facebook."

Mr Zulauf reported on a "drastic decline in the credibility of social media", which is why he will continue to rely on traditional media in the future. Predictions that future media budgets will "only go to the Facebooks of this world" were wrong, Zulauf said. The big shift has not taken place." Even digital companies continue to rely on advertising on television and by traditional means of communication.

This was also confirmed by Mr Braunmuhl: "Digital and digital media play a significant role for us, but the mix of channels is very important. The right media mix is not a rigid construct for Zulauf: It depends on the subject, the country and the customers budget, Zulauf explained: "There are indeed countries in which faith in everything online is enormous, especially where there is no freedom of the press."

In line with the motto of the congress which boasted more than 1,500 participants, 110 lectures and 150 speakers, the participants also held a discussion on the question of "courage" in communication. Von Braunmuhl promoted authenticity over courage. Good communication must convey a credible attitude. Ms Thomas added that it is courageous to say "no" to a customer who has no meaningful ideas. The AFP Services service unit, which is independent of the news agency, can provide customers with in-depth advice here. Zulauf sees no contradiction in this: The mc Group is both authentic and courageous because it advises health agencies and ministries in numerous countries and therefore rejects tobacco and alcohol producers as customers.

For the future it is important to familiarize experienced PR colleagues with the opportunities social networks provide, said Zulauf. The situation is different for young professionals: "We have to teach our younger colleagues that this is not the real world." Thomas called for more openness to technical innovations in journalism and communication in Germany and Europe. "We don't all have to become programmers, but we have to be more tech-savvy with new things," stated Thomas. Then the discussion presented by Business Wire could possibly be continued in the virtual world in 20 years time.

Watch the panel discussion now and learn more.

About Business Wire:

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Investor relations, public relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire to accurately distribute market-moving news and multimedia, host online newsrooms and IR websites, build content marketing platforms, generate social engagements and provide audience analysis that improves interaction with specified target markets. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX Network. Business Wire has 28 offices worldwide to securely meet the varying needs of communications professionals and news consumers.

You can find more information at services.BusinessWire.com and Tempo, the source for the latest trends in the communications industry, or follow updates on Twitter:@BusinessWireDE and @BusinessWire.

About the Communications Congress:

On September 27 and 28, around 1500 communication specialists met at the Berlin Congress Center (bcc) on Alexanderplatz. More than 150 speakers shared their experiences and inspired their colleagues with best-case presentations, keynote speeches and panel discussions at the annual event organized by the Federal Association of German Press Spokespersons (BdP) and Quadriga. Keynote speakers at the congress, under the motto "Courage", were ZDF journalist Dunja Hayali and Federal Family Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005

Business Wire presents panel discussion on #communication and courage in times of digitization at the Kommunikationskongress in Berlin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyxc3JYs4KI #KK18 #PR #PublicRelations #News
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 21:06:16

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / DIGATRADE FINANCIAL CORP. (OTCQB: DIGAF) an online digital asset exchange platform for institutions and financial technology services company today announced the addition of James D. Romano as a Director. Mr. Romano will advise management with new business development and provide due diligence on prospective new opportunities within the Financial Technology "Fintech" sector.Additional information will be provided as it materializes.ABOUT DIGATRADE:DIGATRADE is a global digital asset exchange for institutions and financial technology services company located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Company is owned and operated 100% by Digatrade Financial Corp which is publically listed on the OTC.QB under the trading symbol DIGAF. DIGAF is a reporting issuer in the Province of British Columbia, Canada with the British Columbia Securities Commission "BCSC" and in the United States with the Securities Exchange Commission "SEC". Digatrade operates as a registered Money Service Business "MSB" in Canada with FINTAC under Registration Number: M15954395.CORPORATE CONTACT INFORMATION:Digatrade Financial Corp1500 West Georgia Street, 1300Vancouver, BC V6G-2Z6 CanadaTel: +1(604) 200-0071Fax: +1(604) 200-0072 www.digatrade.com Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain "forward-looking information". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or development that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the possibility of unanticipated costs and expenses. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.SOURCE: Digatrade Financial Corp.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 04:31:05

EMQ and FOMO Pay Partner to Bolster the Digital Payment Revolution across One Belt One Road Economic Corridors

EMQ

Genevieve Li

Tel: +852 9200 3892

Email: Genevieve@emq.com

or

FOMO Pay

Julien Liu

Tel: +65 6715 8451

Email: hao.liu@fomopay.com

EMQ, a leading financial settlement network in Asia, and FOMO Pay, the award winning QR code payment solution provider in Singapore, has announced a partnership to support the growing demand for real-time international settlements from Singapore to China, with the ability to expand across other countries in Asia. The partnership will also help facilitate and support the governments 2020 Smart Nation Initiative to accelerate Singapores shift to a digital economy.

Singapore is an extremely important market in our global growth strategy and we are excited to support the governments ambition to transform Singapore into a Smart Nation by creating new opportunities in a digital age, said Max Liu, Co-founder and CEO of EMQ. As FOMO Pays International partner, our partnership represents a great milestone in delivering the necessary payments infrastructure to support digital transformation and economic growth across Singapore and the One Belt One Road economic corridors.

Powered by EMQs financial settlement network, the partnership with FOMO Pay will enable the Chinese communities in Singapore to seamlessly transfer money, in real-time, and directly send money back home to their families in China, while creating a more inclusive economy with greater access to digital financial services for the Chinese population.

Our customers are at the heart of our business and we are always looking at innovative ways to improve our services, said Zack Yang, Co-founder and COO, FOMO Pay. Our strategic partnership with EMQ would further accelerate our ability to launch financial services that deliver additional value to our customers while giving us the competitive advantage to expand our business into new markets. We look forward to deepening our partnership with EMQ to drive digital payments across the One Belt One Road economic corridors.

EMQ currently has a footprint in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines, and we continue to expand across key business markets worldwide spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. The company currently holds licenses in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore.

FOMO Pay has been playing an active role in making Singapore a cashless society. The firm has been on a taskforce called SGQR established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) that has set up ways to advance the development of cashless payments in Singapore. The SGQR taskforce includes other key players in the payments industry including major banks (DBS, OCBC, UnionPay and UOB), government agencies (HDB, NEA and Spring Singapore) as well as payment service providers such as FOMO Pay. By the end of this year, the taskforce aims to introduce standardised SGQR specifications to accept both domestic and international payment schemes. Apart from that, it will also consider the governance structure and implementation strategy for QR codes.

About EMQ

EMQ is the leading financial settlement network in Asia, providing secure and affordable money transfer options for businesses and individuals. With our assets anchored in Asia, EMQ has established an extensive and regulatory-approved network that provides immediate access to thousands of distribution points across North and Southeast Asiay. For more information, www.emq.com

About FOMO Pay

FOMO Pay platform is the one-stop QR Code Payment Solution which enables merchants to accept a full suite of new payment methods including EZLink Pay, Grab Pay, mVisa, NETSPay, SingTel Dash, WeChat Pay, etc.

Launched in 2015 with more than 4,000 merchants acquired within a year, FOMO Pay is trusted by major companies including CHANEL, Changi Airport, Club 21, JUMBO, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Press Holdings, StarHub etc. With FOMO Pay, merchants can unlock true business potential by giving customers the payment options they prefer and adopt cashless payment easily. FOMO Pay is also sitting in MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) SGQR Taskforce to promote QR code payment and make Singapore a cashless society.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181023005

@EMQInc and @FOMO_Pay partner to bolster the #digitalpayment revolution across #BeltAndRoad #OBOR #economic corridors #China #financial #settlement #network #cashless
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 14:56:17

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / October 23, 2018 / CySEC regulated CFD broker EuropeFX ( europfx.com) announced the addition of cryptocurrencies to their award-winning MetaTrader platform. The move comes as a direct response to client requests for a smoother entry in the world of cryptocurrency trading.The broker's home regulator CySEC (Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission) had taken a very cautious stance on allowing brokers regulated in Cyprus to add cryptocurrencies to their list of tradable assets pending decisions from other Euro regulatory bodies as well.The addition of cryptos was eventually cleared. EuropeFX however didn't immediately add the asset to their product lineup. As company CEO Joseph Gafni explained "just because something becomes popular, it doesn't necessarily mean it will be a good fit for our clients or even for a retail environment. We never add any features or products until these have been found to meet the particular needs of our client base and only after the technology has undergone exhaustive testing."The company now supports trading in several cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple and Dashcoin. All trading is carried out on the MT4 platform, without the need for any external crypto exchange accounts. The asset is supported on all the various platform versions offered by EuropeFX including desktop and mobile devices.The latest move from European regulators and in particular ESMA (The European Securities and Markets Authority) included wide-ranging new provisions for the maximum leverage limits for CFD trading. These provisions were aimed at limiting potential downside on trades. The new provision for leverage on cryptocurrencies was set at a maximum of 2:1.Results of a client survey carried out by EuropeFX across multiple regions, pointed to general support for the new ESMA guidelines, particularly where cryptocurrencies were concerned. Given the often extreme volatility seen around these particular assets, the company went even further and set their leverage limits on cryptocurrencies at 1:1, a move seen as an additional safeguard to client best interests.For clients wishing to retain their current trading conditions and margin levels, EuropeFX established a reclassification process, in-line with the ESMA MiFID (Market In Financial Instruments Directive) recommendations for client classification. This rigorous process requires detailed information and demonstrable proof of ability, experience and financial standing.This reclassification is strictly by client request and is only open to existing clients."This is an important milestone in the development of retail trading" said Gafni, "The best interests of our clients demand we implement the ESMA recommendations for cryptocurrencies and all our trading products by extension."Contact: contact@ europefx.comSOURCE: EuropeFX
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 19:35:50

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Mr. Neel



Corporate Sales, USA



Polaris Market Research



Phone: 1-646-568-9980



Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com



Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com



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email

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Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.comWeb: www.polarismarketresearch.comManager1-646-568-9980

Polaris Market Research presents a most up-to-date research on, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Market [By Application (Drug Discovery/Personalized Medicine, Genetic Screening, Diagnostics/Infectious Diseases, Agricultural & Animal Research, and Others); By Technology (Whole Genome Sequencing, Targeted Re-Sequencing, Whole Exome Sequencing, RNA Sequencing, Chip Sequencing, De Novo Sequencing, & Methyl Sequencing); By Products (Instruments, Reagents & Consumables, and Services); By End User (Healthcare Institutions, Academics, Biotech & Pharma Firms, and Others); & By Regions]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017  2025.According to a new research report , the global Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) market is anticipated to reach USD 16.6 billion by 2025. Next generation sequencing (NGS), is a DNA sequencing technology. The process of DNA sequencing, which decides the exact order of nucleotides inside a DNA molecule, is known as Next generation sequencing. Next generation sequencing is high throughput sequencing. Using next generation sequencer, the process produces a million DNA molecules and RNA sequences by allowing rapid nucleotide sequencing. Roche 454 sequencing and Illumina sequencing are the modern technologies of next generation sequencing. In comparison to Sangers sequencing method, the next generation sequencing is much cost-effective technique that provides better outcomes for DNA sequencing. An entire human genome can be sequenced in a single day using next generation sequencing, however, the Sanger sequencing technology, used to decode the human genome, required over a decade to bring the final summary.Request sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/next-generation-sequencing-ngs-market/request-for-free-sample Major Key Player: -Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.Illumina, Inc.Roche Holding AGQIAGEN N. V.BGI (Beijing Genomics Institute)Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd.Pacific Biosciences of California Inc.GATC Biotech AGPerkin Elmer, Inc.Agilent Technologies, Inc.Macrogen, Inc.Eurofins Scientific.By providing high flexibility, speed, throughput, and reduced sequencing cost, the introduction of next generation sequencing technologies has brought significant changes in sequencing technologies. In the single sequencing run, the next generation sequencing has ability to generate of nucleotide sequence data. The applications of next generation sequencing are in the field of cancer research, genetic disease research, personalized medicines, biological drug discovery, newborn sequencing metgenomics, and agriculture research etc. Moreover, non-coding RNA expression profiling, identification of binding sites on transcriptional factor, and re- sequencing of targets are some more applications of next generation sequencing.Make Inquiry about this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/next-generation-sequencing-ngs-market/inquire-before-buying By Technology, the global next generation sequencing market is further sub segmented into Whole Genome Sequencing, Targeted Re-Sequencing, Whole Exome Sequencing, RNA Sequencing, Chip Sequencing, De Novo Sequencing, and Methyl Sequencing. By technology, the targeted sequencing & Re-sequencing segment accounted major share in global next generation sequencing market. The targeted sequencing reduces the sequencing cost, and it is target specified and also requires smaller dataset. Moreover, increasing demand target specific genomic studies s expected to propel the growth of segment in the global next generation sequencing market.By product, the global next generation sequencing market is further categorized into instruments, reagents & consumables, and services. By consumables, the global next generation sequencing market is further segmented into sample preparation consumables, and other consumables. The sample preparation sample includes quality control consumables, library preparation, DNA fragmentation, end repair, A-tailing, and size selection etc. On the basis of services, the global next generation market is segmented into data management services, and sequencing services. The sequencing services segment includes, Targeted Re-Sequencing, RNA Sequencing Chip-Seq, Methyl-Seq, De Novo Sequencing etc. where, the data management services includes, NGS storage, management, NGS data analysis software & workbenches, and NGS data analysis services.Browse Complete Report Details @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/next-generation-sequencing-ngs-market/ On the basis of end user, the global next generation sequencing market is further segmented into healthcare institutions, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, research and academic centers, and others. By end user, the research and academics segment accounted major share in global next generation sequencing market. High application of next generation sequencing tools in research is the one of the key factors contributing towards the high market share of the segment. The hospitals and clinics segment is expected to register high CAGR over the forecast period owing to increasing collaboration between hospitals and biotech and pharmaceutical companies to develop advanced test kits for diagnosis of diseases.About Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers.Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@ polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
Deacon said he saw another man in the store with a gun who appeared to be shooting at the suspect, trying to get him out of the store. Deacon went outside and saw a woman in her mid-50s or early 60s who had been hit, and tried to resuscitate her.
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Not for Distribution to U.S.Newswire Services or for Dissemination in the United StatesTORONTO, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / Phoenix Canada Oil CompanyLimited (TSX-V: PCO) ("Phoenix" or the "Company") is pleased to announce thatit has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (the "LOI") dated October 23, 2018 with VMedia Inc., a private Canadiancorporation ("VMedia") that offerstelecom and broadcasting services across Canada, and is a pioneer in thedevelopment of live streaming TV solutions. As presently contemplated, it isexpected that the proposed transaction (the "Proposed Transaction")will be completed by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act, and thatthe completion of the Proposed Transaction will constitute a reverse takeover ofthe Company by VMedia.CharlotteMoore Hepburn, the CEO of Phoenix, stated that, "We are pleased to have found ahigh potential strategic partner who shares our corporate values and has theability to provide a significant growth opportunity for our shareholders. We are excited about the proposed transaction with VMedia and look forward to workingcollaboratively with VMedia in pursuit of an expeditious and favourable outcome.""We are very pleased to embark on thisimportant new stage in VMedia's growth, in partnership with Phoenix," said GeorgeBurger, Co-founder of VMedia. "Since launching VMedia five years ago, our focushas been to provide Canadians with better value and innovative features for internet,TV, home phone and home security services. This important new strategicpartnership will allow us to significantly advance our position as the leadingindependent provider of these key residential services and THE alternative tothe major cablecos and telcos all across Canada.""The deal will also provide uswith the resources to build on our technology leadership in streaming videoplatforms, including live streaming TV, which VMedia was the first to launch inCanada in 2013," said Alexei Tchernobrivets, Co-Founder of VMedia. "Streamingvideo is transforming the way in which viewers enjoy TV. It offers lower costsand easier access to great content, and this transaction will help us to continueto lead the way." General Information on Phoenixand VMediaPhoenix is incorporated under thelaws of the Province of Ontario and has a head office in Toronto, Ontario. TheCompany is a reporting issuer in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta andOntario. VMedia is a company incorporatedunder the federal laws of Canada and has its head office in Vaughan, Ontario. VMediaoffers high-speed internet, TV, home phone and home security services acrossCanada. VMedia's mission is to provide Canadians with the most affordableprices, choice and flexibility and ongoing innovation in the industry. As abroadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) licensed by the CRTC to offer TVservices from coast to coast, VMedia is the only national TV and internet provider.The company has deep expertise in IPTV technology, and is an industry leader inthe development of streaming video solutions including app-based live TVstreaming solutions compatible with a wide range of media devices includingROKU, Android TV and others. VMedia was the first in Canada to introduce: - An android-based set top box, VMedia's own VBox,that provides live TV, VOD and access to 100s ofapps in one seamless user interface- Net PVR, through VMedia's VCloud service - Client-side PVR on an android device- Access to its streaming TV services on third-partydevices, such as ROKUGeneral InformationRegarding the LOIVMedia and the Company enteredinto the LOI, which sets out the basic terms and conditions for the Proposed Transaction,on October 23, 2018. The Proposed Transaction is expected to be structured as areverse takeover ("RTO") under the rules and policies of theTSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). TheRTO contemplates the amalgamation of a wholly owned subsidiary of the Companyand VMedia, and upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the combinedentity (the "Resulting Issuer") will continue to carry on thebusiness of VMedia. It is expected that upon completion of the Proposed Transaction,the Resulting Issuer will meet the Initial Listing Requirements for a Tier 1 Technologyissuer under the policies of the TSXV.The transaction terms outlined inthe LOI are non-binding, and the Proposed Transaction is subject to the partiessuccessfully entering into a definitive agreement (the "DefinitiveAgreement") in respect of the Proposed Transaction.The LOI also contemplates othermaterial conditions precedent to the closing of the Proposed Transaction (the"Closing"), including customarydue diligence, compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements andreceipt of all necessary regulatory, corporate, third-party, board and shareholderapprovals in addition to approval of the Ontario Superior Court.Financial AdvisorsOrigin Merchant Partners isacting as the financial advisor to Phoenix and INFOR Financial Inc. is actingas the financial advisor to VMedia in connection with the Proposed Transaction. SponsorshipSponsorship of the Proposed Transaction may be required by the TSXVunless an exemption or waiver from this requirement can be obtained inaccordance with the policies of the TSXV. The Company intends to apply for awaiver of the sponsorship requirement. There is no assurance that a waiver fromthis requirement can or will be obtained.Halt of Trading of Common Shares of the CompanyThe common shares of the Company are currently halted from trading,and the trading of common shares of the Company is expected to remain haltedpending completion of the Proposed Transaction.Additional Information If and when a Definitive Agreement between the Company and VMedia is executed,the Company will issue a subsequent press release in accordance with thepolicies of the TSXV containing the details of the Definitive Agreement andadditional terms of the Proposed Transaction including information relating tosponsorship if required, summary financial information in respect of VMedia,and additional information with respect to the history of VMedia and theproposed directors, officers, and insiders of the Resulting Issuer uponcompletion of the Proposed Transaction.Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number ofconditions including, but not limited to, the satisfaction of the Company and VMediain respect of the due diligence investigations to be undertaken by each party,the execution of the Definitive Agreement in respect of the Proposed Transaction,closing conditions customary to transactions of the nature of the Proposed Transaction,approval of the Ontario Superior Court, approvals of all regulatory bodieshaving jurisdiction in connection with the Proposed Transaction, TSXVacceptance and, if required by the TSXV policies, majority of the minorityshareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed
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WINNIPEG, MB / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / Preferred Dental Technologies Inc. ("Company") (CSE: PDTI, OTC PINK: PDTTF): Receives notice of additional patent to be granted by USPTO protecting its 3D process.Preferred Dental Technologies Inc. (PDTI) has received notice from our patent agent that the United States Patent Office (USPTO) has given its intent to grant an additional patent for the EAS Series. This patent covers the 3D application for custom dental implants.The Company announced its 3D Technology breakthrough November 22, 2017. Readers can access this news release with the following link: https://prefdent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/PDT.NR_.November.22.2017.pdfThe core EAS Series has was developed with adaptation of material, design, processes and applications in mind, and PDTI has remained committed to additional Research & Development. Protecting these new innovations are an essential part of developing new markets and applications for the EAS Series.Mr . Erik Siegmund, President, stated, "We are pleased to receive this news from the USPTO. The company has always known that our unique system had design applications beyond the scope of the original patents. We will continue to pursue developments for the digital dental market, as well as non-precious materials as each additional patent provides new intellectual property value in the companys product portfolio. The United States is obviously a key market for us, and receiving additional Intellectual Property protection as we begin sales activities and additional production formats provides additional security for the company and its shareholders."Advisor Rodrigo Franca, D.D.S, M.Sc, Ph.D. stated, "The unique features of the EAS System like control over angulation, easy screw retention and perfect parallelism make this system a game-changer for solving complex cases. The 3D printed prototypes of EAS System is an elegant and avant-garde solution to provide better care to patients."The Company has a four-part solution for a dental implant mounting system called "Evolutionary Accessory Series" ("EAS"). Misaligned, difficult to solve restorations can be made simple with the EAS utilizing features no other custom dental abutment offers. The EAS system provides a universal platform, and is currently compatible with the following major manufacturers: Zimmer 2.5 Internal Hex 3.7mm, 4.7mm and 5.7mmAstra Tech Osseo Speed platforms 30, 40 and 503i Osseotite 3.5mmStraumann SLActive Bone Level NC and RCStraumann SLA Tissue Level RN and WN About PDTIPreferred Dental Technologies Inc. (PDTI) has been established to advance development and commercialization of various evolutionary and disruptive technologies in the dental implant industry.MISSION - INNOVATIVE & PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE DENTAL INDUSTRY Visit: www.preferreddentalimplant.com www.prefdent.com On behalf of Preferred Dental Technologies Inc.Erik SiegmundChief Executive OfficerEmail: info@ prefdent.comTel: 204.691.3722 www.prefdent.comAll product names referenced herein are trademarks of their respective companies.This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts.Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release may include, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. 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, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Neither The Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulations 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.SOURCE: Preferred Dental Technologies Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 09:02:02

Despite concerns, 79% of UK merchants plan to introduce new payment types in the next two years as customers demand speedier and more efficient options



LONDON, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than half (52%) of online small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) globally worry that the move to frictionless payments, such as transactions that take place behind the scenes in apps, is leaving them more open to fraud and will negatively impact revenues according to a new report from Paysafe. In the UK this concern is heightened by the fact that two thirds (66%) of SMBs believe they are being more aggressively targeted by fraudsters now compared to a year ago and 43% consider card fraud an increasing challenge.

These concerns mean SMBs across the globe now view security as the most important factor when considering their eCommerce setup. Globally, security (59%) ranks above reliability (49%), cost (47%) and ease of transactions including refunds (40%). SMBs are also wary that these concerns may hamper the buyer journey for consumers. In the UK over half of SMBs (62%) believe that longer verification processes during the payment stage  which could potentially combat these issues  runs the risk of losing consumers, and 65% admit they dont know how to balance security with an acceptable customer experience, highlighting the trade-off faced by UK online merchants.

Buying into a fragmented payments landscape

Leading global payments provider Paysafes latest research report, entitled Lost in Transaction: The Future of Payments for SMBs , is an international research report investigating the attitudes of small and medium online businesses in the UK, US, Canada, Germany and Austria to the evolution of payment types. It also incorporates further insights from offline, brick-and-mortar merchants in North America.

Abandoned transactions are also posing a problem, with 9% of purchases not being completed. Yet, while 28% believe this reflects successful fraud checks, 33% say abandoned transactions have a major impact on business performance. Notably, 15% believe purchases are abandoned purely because of a lack of payment options at the checkout phase.

When it comes to which payment options to offer, 65% of UK merchants believe offering multiple choices is essential, while 79% plan to introduce new payment methods in the next two years. Credit cards and debit cards (offered by 87% and 93% of online merchants respectively) remain relatively ubiquitous, while 44% currently accept digital wallets, with a further 22% looking to adopt them over the next 24 months. Meanwhile, 63% believe accepting prepaid cards gives access to new customers, and 28% say they will offer online cash replacements in response to consumer demand, and to service the unbanked, in the next two years. One method with the greatest anticipated gains is mobile apps, with 32% planning to offer them in the next two years, up from 18% currently.

More innovative forms of payment

Much like the decline of the high street in recent years, UK eCommerce faces a critical period as SMBs try to fend off the challenges of online goliaths while also catering to changing customer expectations. Paysafe research from earlier this year showed that nearly half of British consumers (47%) have shown an interest in re-ordering regularly purchased items via smart buttons, and more than a fifth (22%) have experimented with voice-activated payments systems.

Merchants are seemingly noticing these macro consumer trends. 52% of UK merchants agree that consumers want more innovative ways to get short-term credit, as evidenced by the recent rise of Pay Later style products which give consumers more flexibility. Globally, merchants also appear to be conscious of proactive innovation  a surprising 40% of North American SMBs say they will be capable of delivering Amazon Go-style checkout-free stores in the next two years, to improve customer experience and reduce friction.

Oscar Nieboer, CMO, Paysafe Group, commented:

On balance, security concerns continue to prevail for UK online merchants. This is despite merchants confirming plans to adopt new payment types with the understanding that a flexible roster of payment options is now a business imperative. This may go some way to explaining the rise of prepaid cards, online vouchers and cash replacement systems, which can alleviate these issues for both consumers and merchants. Yet, smaller eCommerce merchants are very conscious of the need to keep pace with the major retailers. While the giants roll out cashierless locations in the UK, online SMBs are aiming to innovate in parallel ways to punch above their weight as they see this as critical to business success.

About Lost in Transaction

Over 2017 and 2018, Paysafe has published a number of independent research reports in the Lost in Transaction series. This new volume  supported by London-based agency Loudhouse in Q3 2018  looks at the evolution in demand from merchants in the small business sector for payment types.

The merchants surveyed for this report form two groups. We surveyed businesses that accept card not present transactions (online merchants) and ones that accept card present transactions (offline, bricks-and-mortar merchants).

The card not present merchants comprised 601 companies from the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Austria, employing between 1-50 employees and making $60,000-$10m in sales. The card present data comes exclusively from 306 US and Canadian businesses with the same revenues and levels of employees.



About Paysafe Group

Paysafe Group (Paysafe) is a leading global provider of end-to-end payment solutions. Its core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallet, card issuing and online cash solutions.

With over 20 years of online payment experience, an annualised transactional volume of over US $80 billion, and approximately 3,000 employees located in 12+ global locations, Paysafe connects businesses and consumers across 200 payment types in over 40 currencies around the world.

Delivered through an integrated platform, Paysafe solutions are geared toward mobile-initiated transactions, real-time analytics and the convergence between brick-and-mortar and online payments.

Media inquiries:

Anna Howard

Head of Corporate Communications

T: +44 (0) 7585 967 772 / Anna.Howard@paysafe.com
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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / StockNewsNow.com , The Official MicroCap News Source, today published an SNNLive Video Interview with Lawrence Page, President of Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSX-V: SSV) (OTCQB: SSVFF), a precious metal exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits in north-central Mexico and the southern USA, according to the company's website (see here: www.southernsilverexploration.com) . The video interview was recorded on Friday, September 21, 2018 at the Precious Metals Summit 2018 in Beaver Creek, CO.Click the following link to watch the SNNLive Video Interview on StockNewsNow.com:Southern Silver Exploration - Precious Metals Company with Focus in North America Provides Update on Corporate Developments and Value CatalystsYou can follow Stock News Now on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, LINKEDIN, YOUTUBE, and STOCKTWITSPlease review important disclosures on our website at: http://stocknewsnow.com/legal.php#disclaimerAbout Southern Silver Exploration Corp.Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is a precious metal exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits in north-central Mexico and the southern USA. Our specific emphasis is the Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, San Martin and Los Gatos. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts with the objective of developing, along with our partner, Electrum Global Holdings LP, the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, silver-lead-zinc mine.For more information about Southern Silver Exploration Corp., please visit: www.southernsilverexploration.comAbout StockNewsNow.comStockNewsNow.com is a microcap financial news portal that features news and insights from the microcap and emerging growth financial community. StockNewsNow.com is a multimedia destination hub for information about microcap and emerging growth public and private companies, market events, news, bulletins, stock quotes, expert commentary and company profiles that feature SNN-produced video like SNNLive CEO video interviews, as well as their latest news and headlines. Users can engage directly and share the information provided through social media.Follow the companies YOU want to know more about; read and watch content from YOUR favorite microcap, emerging growth financial experts; register to attend financial conferences of YOUR choosing; find microcap and emerging growth financial professionals that YOU may be looking for - all here on StockNewsNow.com.StockNewsNow.cominfo@stocknewsnow.comSOURCE:
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LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / For almost 20 years, the technology sector has been dominated by a group known as FAANG: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google (through its parent company Alphabet). These corporate giants continue to be called technology companies mostly for the sake of convenience, but they have been evolving into business organizations with multiple interests. With a combined market capitalization exceeding the entire FTSE 100 index, as well as Germany's DAX and France's CAC40 put together, the FAANGs have been fueling the US stock market for several years and understandably command the interest of investors. While some favor speculative trading for quick profits, others look for ways to invest in these companies for the long term, betting that their strong fundamentals and commitment to innovation will keep driving them forward for decades to come. However, the volatile nature of the technology sector means that investors with a buy-and-hold mentality should consider their strategies carefully and evaluate each FAANG stock in depth to determine which best serve their goals, says UK-based brokerage service Steigen Makler.It is not surprising that the first piece of advice investors get is "Do your homework." This is especially critical for those with a long-term horizon because the stock market is a place that tends to overreact, both to good and bad news. As enticing as the FAANGs may seem, they are not without their challenges, be those related to competition, regulations, or macroeconomic factors. Moreover, each of these companies is susceptible to different influences, and the fact that they are lumped together should not distract prospective investors, SteigenMakler points out. When it comes to buying and holding a stock, the first rule is gathering all the facts so as to make reasonable projections. The market will go up and down, valuations will fluctuate, and companies will temporarily fall out of favor with Wall Street, but those with solid fundamentals will always rise back. When it comes to FAANGs, it is up to investors to decide which one (or ones) carry a level of risk they can tolerate.Another principal requirement for long-term investors is diversification. Balanced portfolios make it possible to minimize risk, which investors interested in FAANGs may achieve through buying into an exchange-traded fund (ETF). Many of the world's biggest money managers operate ETFs with exposure to FAANGs, including BlackRock, Invesco, Charles Schwab, and Morgan Stanley. Importantly, "long FAANG" was the preferred strategy for fund managers in the first half of 2018, Barron's reported in July, citing a Bank of America Merrill Lynch survey. Adding to the attraction of ETFs are their relatively low charges and greater tax efficiency. Steigen Makler is a UK-based financial brokerage which serves customers from commercial offices in 14 countries. With an innovative trading platform and a product portfolio comprising shares, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies, the company aims to deliver the highest-quality trading experience and maximum returns for its clients. Steigen Makler is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. STEIGEN MAKLER LIMITED: https://steigenmakler.comSteigen Makler on Latin America's Transformation into a Trading Activity Hub: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/steigen-makler-latin-americas-transformation-173800827.htmlSteigen Makler Aims for CFD Leadership through Innovation and Client Commitment: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/steigen-makler-aims-cfd-leadership-204500189.htmlContact Information:Steigen Makler33 St. James's Square,SW1Y4JS, London, England, UKinfo@ steigenmakler.comSOURCE: Steigen Makler
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-24 19:37:07

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Polaris Market Research presents a most up-to-date research on " Surgical Microscope Market [By Product Type (Ophthalmic Microscopes, Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Microscopes, and Colposcopy); By Application (Neuro and Spine Surgery, ENT Surgery, Dentistry, Oncology, Gynecology, Urology, Ophthalmology, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeries, and Others); by End User (Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Outpatient Settings); By Region]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017  2026".The global surgical microscopes market is anticipated to reach over USD 1,740.4 million by 2026. In 2017, the ophthalmic microscopes segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. Among regions, North America accounted for the majority share in the global surgical microscopes market.Request sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/surgical-microscope-market/request-for-free-sample Major Key Player: -Carl Zeiss AGLeica MicrosystemsTakagi CorporationSeiler Precision MicroscopesTopcon CorporationAlltion (Wuzhou) Co. Ltd.Alcon Laboratories, Inc.Haag-Streit SurgicalOlympus CorporationAccu-scope Inc.Novartis AGDanaher CorporationLabomed MicroscopesPrescotts Inc.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the leading cause of death around the globe. Thus, there is a great demand for surgical microscopes to improve diagnostic efficiency and decide prognosis of a disease. Moreover, increase in the number of surgeries, advancements in healthcare facilities, customized microscopy solutions, and technological advancements are the major factors driving the market growth. Moreover, growth in geriatric population, rise in adoption of minimally invasive ENT surgeries, and improved reimbursement policies for ENT surgeries further bolsters the growth of the market. Furthermore, surge in the number of outpatient facilities and increased per capita healthcare expenditure of various countries supplement the market growth.Make Inquiry about this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/surgical-microscope-market/inquire-before-buying In 2009, average health spending reached 9.5% of gross domestic product, up from 8.8% in 2008. The healthcare spending in most of the OECD countries has increased by margins greater than the gross domestic product. Moreover, the U.S. spent USD 1.9733 trillion for health care expenditures in 2005, which was 15.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP); of which, twenty-nine percent of the expenditures were allocated to surgical revenues. Thus, increase in population coupled with expansion of healthcare infrastructure and favorable scenarios for medical reimbursement programs have led to surge in the adoption of surgical microscopes. The adoption of surgical microscopes in ENT application has increased due to rise in prevalence of chronic sinusitis, growth in geriatric population, increase in adoption of minimally invasive surgeries, and implementation of favorable reimbursement policies for ENT surgeries. Technological advancements in surgical microscopes such as integrating intelligence, video, intraoperative-imaging, and navigation technologies enable surgeons to improve their decision-making at the point-of-care (POC) centers and provide best possible outcomes to patients.Surgical microscopes have been widely used in ophthalmology, as these microscopes help surgeons to perform intricate surgeries with precision and visualize the anatomy of small cavities. Increasing incidence of eyesight and vision disorders has fueled the use of ophthalmic microscopes across the globe.In addition, the dentistry segment is expected to witness significant growth in the near future, especially in the developing regions due to increase in the number of out-patient facilities and growing per capita healthcare expenditure. Growth in neurosurgery & spine surgery application segments is expected to be driven by surge in research and development activities related to tissue clearing and targeted cell labeling for brain functions.Browse Complete Report Details @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/surgical-microscope-market/ The governments of various countries have funded research & development activities to support and promote medical advancements. Moreover, the healthcare sector of developing countries has witnessed tremendous development in the recent years. Emerging economies, such as India and China have increased in their spending on healthcare facilities, which is a positive indicator for market growth. Thus, market players in the value chain are optimistic about the growth of the surgical microscope market across emerging economies in the near future.About Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers.Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@ polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
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''Significant positive alpha'' of 4-5% comes from combining traditional ratings and new ESG data powered by AISAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / A new study by Harvard Business School Professor George Serafeim shows that significant positive alpha can be unlocked using a combination of TruValue Labs' Big Data and traditional ESG ratings from MSCI. TruValue Labs is the pioneer in AI-driven environmental, social and governance (ESG) data.''The paper shows that combining big data and analyst-driven ESG information allows one to identify 'value' opportunities in the ESG space, and, as a result, construct an investment strategy that delivers alpha while investing in companies with superior ESG performance scores,'' Serafeim said. ''The combination yields powerful results.''Serafeim's study, ''Public Sentiment and the Price of CorporateSustainability,'' analyzes data for the years 2009-2018 provided by TruValue Labs and by MSCI. Serafeim used MSCI ratings for ESG performance due to their industry-wide prevalence and employed TruValue Labs' data as a source to find sentiment in semantic big data for ESG topics. Serafeim found ''significant positive alpha of about 4-5% annually.'' That alpha was achieved when ESG ratings were paired with TruValue Labs' sentiment data about a company's sustainability performance. That data is drawn from sophisticated sources including industry analysts, NGOs, media reports, and think tank analysis.Alpha came from a strategy of going long on firms with strong ESG performance and negative TruValue Labs' ESG Momentum performance; there was also alpha found by going short on firms with the reverse. Serafeim's paper finds that in the presence of negative sentiment, a firm's sustainability performance is largely discounted. ''I was impressed with TruValue Labs' ESG data derived from artificial intelligence,'' Serafeim said. ''It is an important step forward for the industry.'' ''This research highlights the next stage in the evolution of ESG data,'' said Mark McDivitt, head of ESG Solutions at State Street Global Exchange. ''It shows the power of combining traditional ratings with new, innovative datasets to fully understand the contribution of intangible value to firm valuations, which is a material capability boost for our ESG analytics platform, ESGX.''I'm excited to see that Dr. Serafeim found alpha in the first published study to come from TruValue Labs' Academic Research Network,'' said Hendrik Bartel, CEO and co-founder of TruValue Labs. ''This validates that investors can use a traditional ESG provider with our big data to distinguish themselves and generate outperformance.''About TruValue LabsTruValue Labs is the first company to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover timely and material Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) information at scale. The company's mission is to deliver increased transparency to investment professionals by providing data and analytics that go beyond traditional fundamentals. It is backed by investors including Series A round lead Katalyst Ventures, based in San Francisco. The flagship product, Insight360, delivers investable insights by revealing intangible value and risk factors from unstructured data at the speed of current events. Visit www.truvaluelabs.com to learn more about the SaaS and API products.CONTACT:Lauren HermanCaliber Corporate Adviserslauren@ calibercorporate.com952.221.4615SOURCE: TruValue Labs
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Introduced to Positive Reception at IACP ConventionLAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2018 / Wrap Technologies, Inc. (the "Company") (OTCQB: WRTC), an innovator of modern policing solutions, announced today that it has introduced and is rapidly progressing to launching its new BolaWrap green line laser innovation."Our small hand-held BolaWrap 100 remote restraint device is intended to be aimed and deployed in a non-threatening manner at or near waist level," said Elwood Norris, CTO of Wrap Technologies. "This created a significant challenge that traditional night-time dot laser accessories could not satisfy. To improve the utility of the BolaWrap 100 our research team has innovated and filed a patent on a bright green line laser designed for the BolaWrap to be effective day and night providing a precise wrapping target. We believe this is a significant innovation in sighting technology and we are excited by the customer response." The BolaWrap100 Line Laser is a compact green line laser sight designed exclusively for the BolaWrap Model 100 remote restraint device. The innovative patent-pending accessory allows the user to precisely target the intended wrapping location with a distinct green line. The human eye processes the color green more effectively than any other color. Rather than diffusing a laser dot with a lens and reducing overall brightness, the new design produces a very bright green line designed within U.S. and international legal limits. The Company first demonstrated a prototype of the BolaWrap Laser at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in early October and is now preparing the accessory for production. "While the BolaWrap is intuitive to aim and use, our customers are reacting very positively to our new green line laser," said Mike Rothans, Senior VP of Business Development. "A traditional dot laser is less effective in sighting, especially in daylight, where a green line provides precise targeting for BolaWrap restraint. This improves the utility of the BolaWrap 100 for our customers."The Company has recently updated the base BolaWrap 100 product incorporating suggestions from customer use of the product. Training programs have also been created to meet customer requirements. The Company believes the new laser is a key differentiating feature allowing domestic and international customers to improve deployments for noncompliant and mentally ill suspects.For information on the Company please visit www.wraptechnologies.com . Examples of recent media coverage are available as links under the "Media" tab of the website. About Wrap Technologies (OTCQB: WRTC)Wrap Technologies is an innovator of modern policing solutions. The Company's BolaWrap 100 product is a patented, hand-held remote restraint device that discharges an eight-foot bola style Kevlar tether to entangle an individual at a range of 10-25 feet. Developed by award winning inventor Elwood Norris, the small but powerful BolaWrap assists law enforcement to safely and effectively control encounters, especially those in mental crisis.Trademark Information: BolaWrap is a trademark of Wrap Technologies, Inc. All other trade names used herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective holders. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements - Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company's overall business, total addressable market and expectations regarding future sales and expenses. Words such as "expect," "anticipate," "should," "believe," "target," "project," "goals," "estimate," "potential," "predict," "may," "will," "could," "intend," variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the company's control. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: the Company's ability to successful implement training programs for the use of its products; the Company's ability to manufacture and produce product for its customers; the Company's ability to develop sales for its new product solution; the acceptance of existing and future products; the availability of funding to continue to finance operations; the complexity, expense and time associated with sales to law enforcement and government entities; the lengthy evaluation and sales cycle for the Company's product solution; product defects; litigation risks from alleged product-related injuries; risks of government regulations; the ability to obtain patents and defend IP against competitors; the impact of competitive products and solutions; and the Company's ability to maintain and enhance its brand, as well as other risk factors included in the Company's most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and other SEC filings. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations.WRAP TECHNOLOGIES' CONTACT:Investor Relations800-583-2652, Ext #515IR@ wraptechnologies.comSOURCE: Wrap Technologies, Inc.
The authorities in New York on Wednesday sued oil multinational, Exxon Mobil, over claims that the company defrauded shareholders by downplaying the expected risk of climate change to its business.

New York Attorney General, Barbara Underwood, filed the lawsuit against the multinational on Wednesday after three years of investigation, according to the New York Times.

Details showed that the suit does not charge Exxon with playing a role in creating climate change, though the burning of fossil fuels is a major contributor to human-driven global warming.

The report said the suit accused the oil major of longstanding fraudulent scheme to deceive investors, analysts and underwriters concerning the companys management of the risks posed to its business by climate change regulation.

It is expected that the litigation would pose a financial risk to the oil major, just as it risks potential reputational damages.

Accordong to the attorney general, Exxon told the world that it was prepared for the more stringent regulations that would inevitably be required to combat climate change but in reality, the company employed internal practices that were inconsistent with its representations, were undisclosed to investors, and exposed the company to greater risk from climate change regulation than investors were led to believe.

The report said the investigation spanned the tenures of two New York attorneys general and has also involved attorneys general from other states, with allegations that Exxon has attempted to block the investigation in courts in three states.

The oil major was also reported to have painted it as an attempt by bullies to restrict the companys First Amendment rights and as part of an anti-fossil-fuel conspiracy.

Ms Underwood brought the lawsuit under the Martin Act, a state law that gives her sweeping powers to investigate and prosecute securities fraud.

The suit demands that Exxon turn over all the money it made through the alleged fraud and make restitution to investors.

It is unclear how much the oil major would be asked to pay as the suit does not name a sum to be paid, but if the case is successful, reports said the amounts could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

First made public November 2015, the investigation has been in the works for many months.

In the 2000s, Exxon Mobil stopped funding groups that directly challenged the science of climate change and has since accepted the science of climate change and the need for action to blunt its worst effects.

Exxon Mobil is an oil multinational with business interest and operations in Nigeria and other parts of the world. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
Iran on Tuesday said it has arrested three militant groups planning attacks on Shiite Muslims at the annual pilgrimage of Arbaeen.

The Arbaeen marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians travel to the Iraqi city of Kerbala each year where Shiites believe the remains of Imam Hussein are entombed.

Irans Intelligence Minister, Mahmoud Alavi, visiting in the Iran-Iraq border area, was quoted by state television as saying that three terrorist groups that wanted to target Arbaeen mourners were arrested.

He did not disclose precisely when and where the arrests had taken place.

Shiites are considered apostates by hard-line Sunni Islamist insurgents in Iraq.

Armed Sunni groups in Iran have also increased attacks on military and civilian targets in recent months.

Iran stepped up security in border areas after five gunmen killed 25 people at a military parade in the southwest in September.

Islamic State militants and an Iranian ethnic Arab opposition movement claimed responsibility for the attack, but neither claim provided convincing evidence.

At least 10 Iranian security personnel including Revolutionary Guards were kidnapped on the border with Pakistan recently.

A Sunni separatist group said it had seized them as revenge for the oppression of Sunni Muslims.

(Reuters/NAN)
"We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures," Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in a statement Wednesday morning. "These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards."
Sudans Prime Minister, Moataz Moussa, announced before parliament on Wednesday a 15-month emergency economic reform plan including further austerity measures to begin this month.

Sudans economy has been struggling since the south seceded in 2011.

The seceded part took with it three-quarters of oil output, depriving Khartoum of a crucial source of foreign currency.

(Reuters/NAN)
The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Wednesday provided a grant of $43.5 million to South Sudan to help in the fight against hunger.

According to Benedict Kanu, AfDB Country Manager in South Sudan, the donation seeks to provide immediate food assistance to hunger-hit areas of South Sudan.

Mr Kanu added that the contribution would support efforts to improve peoples resilience and food security by strengthening the capacity of the South Sudanese government to plan, coordinate and implement disaster risk management and humanitarian responses.

The bank said the Short-Term Regional Emergency Response Project (STRERP) would be implemented by the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

STRERP reflects the Banks commitment to support its Regional Member Countries in addressing the drivers of food insecurity and unstable food production systems, Kanu said in a statement issued in Juba.

Adnan Khan, WFP Country Director in South Sudan, said that the funds would enable WFP to provide food aid to an estimated 300,000 people across South Sudan.

The donation will go a long way in helping us provide life-saving support at a critical period and ensure people have the means to feed themselves not only today but also in the future, Mr Khan said.

According to the food security analysis report, three UN agencies and the government warned that 6.1 million South Sudanese face extreme hunger and 36,000 others are experiencing famine-like conditions in parts of the country.

Although the report projected improved food production in the next three months, it warned that some 36,000 people in the east African country face real threat of famine in the first three months of 2019 if nothing is done to abate the situation.

Manasseh Lomole, chairperson of South Sudans relief agency, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), said the AfDB assistance would make positive impact on the livelihoods of South Sudanese and help boost food security.

Signing of the document has come at the right time indeed when our people have returned to the path of peace.

When most of our people are returning from exile or internally displaced camps to their homes, this will surely assist our people greatly, Mr Lomole said.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world as some 4 million people are said to be displaced internally and externally since 2013.

(Xinhua/NAN)
A Taliban bomb maker, his wife and two children were killed as his device exploded prematurely in his home in Afghanistans northern Faryab province on Monday, Provincial Police spokesman, Abdul-Karim Yurash, said on Wednesday.

A Taliban mine maker, Mullah Sadrudin, was making a mine in his home in Garzewan district on Monday but the device exploded suddenly killing himself, his wife and two of his children on the spot, Yurash said.

The two children killed were five and eight years old respectively.

The bomb had been intended to be used as a roadside bomb to target security convoys in the restive province, the official said via telephone from provincial capital Maimana.

Taliban militants, who are in control of parts of Faryab province and largely relying on suicide and roadside bombing, have not commented.

Similarly, Afghan authorities on Wednesday said that 56 drug-narcotics-related cases were exposed in the country within the past one month.

The Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) together with the detective Afghan security organisation have cracked 56 drug cases, involving 81 people, including two women during the Afghan month of Mizan (September 23 to October 22) across in the country, official said.

The Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan (CJTF) said this in a statement.

The cases were handed over to the Central Narcotics Tribunal (CNT), a special Afghan court for jurisdiction of major drug cases, the statement noted.

Huge drugs and ban-chemical materials, including 114 kg heroin, 13 kg morphine, 532 kg opium, 869 kg hashish and 1 kg methamphetamine, were also seized over the period, the statement noted.

The CNPA and other security forces also confiscated 11 vehicles, three motorcycles, one gun, 86 mobile phones as well as currencies totalling about 13,400 dollars within the month.

In addition, an appellant court of the CNT has sentenced 27 defendants, including a woman, to different ranges of imprisonment over the period, the statement said.

(Xinhua/NAN)
A Japanese journalist held hostage by Islamist Militants after being captured in Syria three years ago has been released and would be brought home as soon as possible, Japans Foreign Minister said on Wednesday.

Japanese diplomats in Turkey confirmed the released man was Jumpei Yasuda, a 44-year-old freelancer who was reported to have been captured by an Al Qaeda affiliate after entering Syria from Turkey in 2015.

Mr Yasuda gave thanks for his freedom in a video released by Turkish officials.

My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months, now in Turkey. Now Im in safe condition. Thank you very much, a bearded Yasuda said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had earlier voiced relief, while still waiting for confirmation of the identity of the freed man.

Both Mr Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono commended Qatar and Turkey for their cooperation in freeing the man.

A government spokesperson said that no ransom was paid for Mr Yasudas release.

He looks to be in good health, but our staff will check his condition and transport him to Japan as soon as possible, Mr Kono told reporters.

Mr Yasudas parents spoke to reporters outside their house near Tokyo.

Above everything else, I want to see him being fine, said his father, Hideaki Yasuda.

When hes back, I want to tell him one thing, and thatll be good job hanging in there, he said.

Mr Yasudas mother, Sachiko Yasuda, choked back tears as she clutched a white handkerchief.

I could do nothing but pray. So Ive been praying every day, she said.

It was not the first time Mr Yasuda had been detained in the Middle East.

He was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism at home for drawing the government into negotiations for his release.

(Reuters/NAN)
The House of Representatives has resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the crises that has rocked the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The House took its decision on Tuesday when it adopted a motion brought under matters of urgent national importance by Diri Douye (PDP, Bayelsa).

The Executive Secretary of the scheme, Yusuf Usman, was last week asked by the governing council to proceed on suspension to allow a panel set up by the council investigate allegations of fraud and misconduct against him.

It was the second time he would be suspended since he assumed office in 2016.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, first suspended him in July last year over similar allegations; but he was reinstated in February by President Muhammadu Buhari despite his indictment by the panel that probed the allegations against him.

In that first instance, he (Usman) had disregarded the sanction, saying the minister had no power to suspend him.

On Thursday, the chairman of the governing council, Enyatu Ifenne, announced Mr Usmans suspension again, saying the council had been inundated by petitions against the official.

According to Mrs Ifenne, the official would be sacked immediately should President Buhari be made aware of one-tenth of the atrocities committed by Mr Yusuf.

But again he refused to accept the sanction, and on Monday with the help of about 50 police officers broke a barricade mounted by angry workers of the agency to enter his office.

Mr Douye, while urging the need for urgent intervention of the House, said NHIS being a critical sector on which the hopes of the universal health delivery is hinged has degenerated from being a theatre of health to that of war.

Contributing to the debate, Tobi Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu), expressed his disappointment at the federal government which he said claims to fight corruption.

This government claims to come and fight corruption but it is so sad that this impunity is happening.

Another lawmaker Edward Pwajok (APC, Plateau) advised his colleagues not to jump into conclusions since the motion is investigative.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to probe the red alert on human flesh reportedly found in Chinese drugs imported into the country.

This followed a motion under matters of urgent public importance by Johnson Agbonayinma (APC-Edo) at plenary.

Moving the motion, Mr Agbonayinma revealed that the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) confirmed the receipt of the letter sent on Chinese drugs reported to be made into capsules filled with powdered flesh from dead babies.

The lawmaker expressed concern that making of human remains drugs and consuming them were crimes against humanity, which could also lead to serious health challenges.

He expressed worry that if immediate measures were not taken to stem the influx of these drugs and the illegal importers, the development would endanger the lives of citizens.

In his contribution to the motion, Emmanuel Orker-Jev (PDP-Benue) noted that part of the resolution the motion was seeking was already being carried out by the relevant agencies.

The motion was unanimously adopted by members when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

The House, however, mandated its committees on healthcare services, women affairs and social development, and information, national orientation, ethics and values to invite the Nigeria Customs, National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to verify the presence of said drugs in Nigeria.

They are to identify the importers of the said drugs and to prosecute them and their colluders and report findings within four weeks for further legislative action. (NAN)
Billionaire businessman and owner of Bi-Courtney Limited, Wale Babalakin, has warned the Asset management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to desist from publishing his name and that of his companies in its list of debtors.

On Monday, AMCON published a list of 105 delinquent debtors owing the government a total of N906.109 billion. Among the list of published debtors are three companies  Bi-Courtney Limited, Resort International Limited, and Roygate properties Limited  owned or affiliated to Mr. Babalakin.

According to AMCON, the three companies owe the government N49 billion in total.

However, Mr Babalakin, in a statement on Tuesday, through his law firm, Babalakin &Co, denied that the companies owe the government any debt and argued that it was the government that was owing Bi-Courtney and other associated companies N83 b.

In the statement, addressed to Punch Newspapers but also sent to PREMIUM TIMES, the law firm explained that in April 2012, the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a suit between Bi-Courtney Limited and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), ordered that what ever debt Bi-Courtney and other affiliated companies owed any agency of the federal government should be deducted from the sum of N132 billion which the federal government owed Bi-Courtney.

The effect of this judgement is that as at that day, Bi-Courtney and companies associated with it has a judgement credit of N132 b  N20 b -N20b- N9 b = N83 b. Bi-Courtney has a net credit judgement of N83 b.

The law firm further explained that AMCON then filed a suit against Resort International Limited claiming the sum of N20 billion but the court ruled that AMCON mistook an equity transaction as debt. The statement further claimed that the court ruled that AMCON, instead, was owing Resort International N55 billion plus a 17.6 per cent interest per anum from December 2015, which brings the current value of the debt to N100 billion.

Notwithstanding this clear position of the law which is that Bi-Courtney and companies associated with it do not owe AMCON any money whatsoever, AMCON continues to publish or threaten to publish the name of Bi-Courtney and other companies related to it in the newspapers and electronic media, the statement signed by Olawale Akoni, a senior advocate, claimed.

The law firm, which attached a copy of the high court judgement to the statement, threatened to institute legal actions against AMCON or any organisation that published the name of Bi-Courtney and other associated companies as debtors or alleged debtors.

AMCON could not be reached for comments. The government-owned firm has, however, repeatedly complained that many businesses and their owners whose debts it acquired from banks were refusing to pay the debts. AMCON has since sought the support of the judiciary to retrieve the funds and said it would name and shame the owners of such firms.
A judge of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, Mojisola Olatoregun, has granted bail to the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

The judge granted bail to Mr Fayose in the sum of 50 million with two sureties who must issue a 50 million bond in a reputable bank as well as possess three years tax clearance.

She also directed that the former governor deposit his international passport with the court.

Earlier, Kanu Agabi, Mr Fayoses lawyer, urged the court to grant bail to his client based on self-recognizance on the ground that he voluntarily submitted himself to the EFCC.

But the commission opposed the bail request, saying that on the day Mr Fayose arrived at the EFCC headquarters, he was accompanied by hoodlums who were willing to attack their officials.

The commission also argued that they are still tracing other properties acquired by the former governor with the proceeds of the alleged laundered funds.

Mr Fayose is facing an 11-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering amounting to 2.2 billion.

The former governor and his company, Spotless Limited, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

According to the EFCC, Mr Fayose received 1.2 billion to fund his 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, a sum they said he ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act.
The 2018 edition of New Media, Citizens & Governance Conference opens today in Abuja. Speakers from across Africa and beyond would be speaking during the two-day event, which closes tomorrow evening.

The conference has dissected issues around new media since 2012 when citizens advocacy think-tank, Enough Is Enough, and Shehu YarAdua Foundation partnered to host the first edition. The second held in 2016, with Oby Ezekwesili as one of the top speakers.

Chidi Odinkalu, a rights advocate who once led Nigerias National Human Rights Commission in Abuja, would deliver the keynote once the event opens at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre by 9:00.

A series of strategic engagements and panel discussions would follow until 3:30 p.m. when organisers planned to wrap up the first day. Those expected to participate in different sessions include Farida Noubremma, outspoken Togolese political activist; Chris Ihidero, writer and filmmaker; Samson Itodo, the convener of #NotTooYoungToRun; Demola Olarewaju, a political strategist; and Idayat Hassan of Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa.

Enough Is Enough, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and BudgIT Nigeria  the major partners for the conference  plan to use this years edition to highlight the broadening function of new media platforms, especially social media, in facilitating discourse between government and the governed, with particular reference to Africa.

Follow this page for PREMIUM TIMES live updates from the event.

Chidi Odinkalu delivering a keynote at the event.

Mr Odinkalu said the new media has made it easy to access the innermost corners of Nigerias capital city, Abuja. Places like the Presidential Villa where people are being barred from taking pictures already exist in Google Maps.

But what people must be careful about is wielding influence on social media without responsibility. Social media is not a place where people take permission to do things. Vitriolic messages that are totally unjust and inexcusable are being pushed on social media.

Mr Odinkalu said there is an assumption that social media is an instrument of transparency. It could be. But it could also be an instrument for obfuscation.

He adds that there are some individuals who have 100 accounts each. That is not messaging, that is obfuscation.

The United States State Departments 2017 report on Nigeria showed how bloggers are facing difficulties. The state is now taking adverse measures against bloggers.

Those who are being hounded should be defended because if you do not defend those with whom you disagree, then some day it could be your turn.

The 2019 elections are coming, under which context this event is holding, and things that happen before elections usually predict what would happen after elections.

We should watch out for violence against women and children in the upcoming elections.

The biggest single category of complaints we got while I was the chairman of National Human Rights Commission was violent against women. We are in a society that tolerates and incentivise violence against women and children.

The analogue space is not happy that there is a new digital space that is picking on those who are carrying out violence against women and children.

Violence does have consequences for live opportunities.

A woman spent 12 years in the university because the husband of the vice-chancellor decided he was going to sleep with her or she would not graduate.

It is our responsibility to ensure that the new media space does not allow violence against women to fester.

Going into the elections, thousands of people would have to be elected into different positions.

Our electoral arithmetic does not make sense when you compare it with out demographics. Our population is booming but the rate of voters is dancing makosa.

My father who died in 2015 is still on the electoral roll. One of the biggest issues we have in our elections is that the numbers do not make sense. How do we get dead people off the role so that our elections could make sense?

People who want things to work are interested in the numbers that make sense. Politicians in quest of power look for things that do not make so that they can remain in power. We need to use social media to introduce sense into our elections. BudgIT has done that with out finances.

This year, the APC has given itself 14 million primary voters. It is nonsensical because it demeans our president, our political system and we should not tolerate that.

Some people are afraid to say this because a bunch of paid people are going to attack us if we call them out.

Responsibility has a place in democratic politics. Good manners have a place in democratic politics.

What has happened with social media is that many of us are running around naked with each other. Some people are okay running naked, but those who were properly brought up should not get involved. Dignity does matter even in the digital age.

When debate is diluted with undignified comments, it loses its capacity to mediate between competing interest groups. It is not that a democracy cannot thrive, it is that a participating democracy cannot sustain itself upwards.

How do we on social media help in toning down electoral violence? Also how do we ensure proper collation?

The problem with Nigerias elections is in the collation. Our collation is deliberately designed to be opaque and easily manipulated.

Elections have always been won in two places: The creeks of the Niger-Delta and the Nigerias Sahelian plate.

You can police Anambra State, but you cannot police Borno State because of its sheer size. A local government area in Borno State is bigger than Anambra State.

Imo State is not even up to one local government area in Niger State.

Our people get leaders that we do not deserve. Every day, I see reasons that make Nigeria worth fighting for. There is no part of Nigeria that has monopoly of goodness. There is no part of Nigeria that has monopoly of stupidity.

We should make social media a safe place to properly put our narrative for a better cohesion. That for me, and that for us, should be the challenge.

That is where the demographic that was born into the digital generation has got to lead us into.

Mr Odinkalu has now concluded his keynote to a thundering applause from the audience.

A participant asks Mr Odinkalu: Considering the challenges of finances and human resources, how do you think we could address the concerns you raised about collation?

In his response, Mr Odinkalu said there are 119,973 polling units under 9,000 wards in 774 local government areas across the 36 states of the country with only one presidential election.

But it is only at the polling unit that counting takes place. What happens afterwards is addition and subtraction. The party agents are asked to sign at polling units and ward collation centres to confirm manual addition of figures. Then the electoral officials take it from there to the national level.

In the creeks for instance, the journey from a polling unit to to collation centre might require using a boat. Some people could write a different result to the electoral officers or they would not be allowed to cross water.

It is the same thing in the Sahelian parts of the country. Ballot stuffing is outdated because nobody needs it anymore. Every part of the country has coverage for data transmission, we could transmit data to a secure channels and eliminate all the opportunities to manipulate results.

They would say the Electoral Act does not allow for electronic voting. But this is not voting. This is about transmission of result, it is like a vehicle. It is not a configuration of the election.

The first panel discussion, themed: Are Elections Won on the Timeline?, opens with Chioma Agwuegbo as the moderator.

Discussants: Habiba Balogun, KOWA; Sesugh Akume, ANRP; and Demola Olarewaju, a political strategist.

Asked to weigh in on the 2019 elections in his opening remarks, Mr Olarewaju said the 2015 election was a reflection of national mood. Ahead of 2019, people are afraid afraid because they have seen what happened in Ekiti and Osun where it seemed like the will of the people did not prevail.

Asked whether elections are won on the timeline, Ms Balogun said she was more concerned about the Independent National Electoral Commission. She said INEC has a key role to play in understanding that when people mount pressure on electoral officials to do the right thing, such should not be seen as negative.

Mr Akume said he recently tried to get the physical copy of election results from INEC, but the physical copy was different from soft copy.

He also accused electoral officials of not responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

He said social media is a tool to communicate, not necessarily to vote. But the social media could make impact in convincing people.

Mr Olarewaju in his contribution said 2011 election was an improvement and 2015 poll was an improvement over 2015. But this was achieved because Attahiru Jega, who was a career academic and unionist wanted to build further on his credibility.

Mr Olarewaju said politicians would be desperate, they would try to buy votes and cause violence. And that was the reason why INEC was placed in charge of conducting elections rather than politicians.

He added that Mr Jega was put on the spot repeatedly prior to the elections, unlike the current chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who hardly talks in public, could not be accessible and could not be easily questioned and held accountable like his predecessor.

Mr Olarewaju acknowleges that the PDP also uses bots to propagate its messages, but said the All Progressives Congress has far more.

I have blocked thousands of bots, he said.

Ms Balogun said citizens should regulate the use of bots before government catches up. But in Kowa Party, we are not bothered about the use of bots for now.

Mr Akume said following the role of social media in the 2012 OccupyNigeria protest signifcantly reduced the political influence of the PDP which was the ruling party at the time.

The big political parties are more organised and able to ram information down the throats of citizens.

Ms Agwuegbo introduces a new theme that should be addressed: fake news, propaganda and the truth in the context of 2019 elections.

Mr Akume said some politicians only care about their interest. They have no values. But citizens should be concerned about their values around truth and honesty by fact-checking whatever information they get rather than being incurious for the most part.

Ms Balogun said the APC and PDP have weaponised the social media. The responsibility should be on the big parties, not everyday Nigerians.

The citizens are not equipped to engage in the warfare the APC and PDP have unleashed. Some citizens are already flagging postings that are fake news, but we need regulators to regulate institutions, whether formal or informal, who engage in such practices.

We need regulators to ensure that when bad postings are flagged, people should be held responsible.

Mr Olarewaju agrees that the two major political parties are responsible. He said Kowa, which has BlackBerry as its logo, should be ready to counter fake news online.

#NMCG2018: Experts discuss fake news, 2019 elections at new media conference

He said only yesterday, some APC bots allegedly tweeted that Atiku Abubakar was hospitalised abroad. Some real persons now retweeted this to circulate it fast, which prompted Mr Abubakar to put out a video showing he remained hale and hearty.

In PDP, we are not used to propaganda. I apologised when I put up fake news recently, because it destroys your credibility, Mr Olarewaju said.

Mr Olarewaju also said some PDP voices on social media like himself regularly takle the party whenever it goes wrong. For instance, our party handle tweeted the order day that Atiku would jail looters, we had to go after the party that this is wrong, you cannot say a president would jail someone. Security agencies under him could only make arrests and prosecute, but it is left for the courts in a democratic setting to convict and jail.

Ms Balogun insists electronic voting is not as difficult as INEC currently makes it seem. She said KOWA pioneered multi-channel electronic voting durint its last primaries, people voted from their localities via text messages and Internet and duplicated numbers or IP addresses are automatically detected and winnowed out.

During question and answer session, a participant asked Mr Olarewaju how serious an issue vote-buying has become.

Mr Olarewaju said politicians are now reducing budgets for campaign posters and consultants while increasing budgets for vote buying. A politician with N5 million naira would prefer to spend it buying a huge number of votes.

Ms Balogun said people should develop themselves and ignore attempts to be induced by politicians to sell their votes.

Yemi Adamolekun, executive director of Enough Is Enough Nigeria, said political parties could start building structures by running for office early and taking lower seats before building their way up.

The 2019 elections may not be won on the timeline, but in 2013 the dynamics would be different.

The mid-day break for lunch commences

After lunch break, the panel, themed: Who Is Afraid of New Media? Fake News and Hate Speech, is now on with Gbenga Sesan as the moderator.

Panelists include Armsfree Ajanaku of the Centre for Democracy and Development, Theophilus Abah, the editor of Daily Trust and Ronald Kekembo, a digital training expert from Uganda.

Mr Kekembo said individuals have a responsibility to be curious. That they should look at things critically before beliving them rather than taking anything on social media.

Those that are against the freedom of speech in Uganda are usually bigger than those who are against it. Those in power are usually afraid, but a new code of conduct law is now improving the situation.

Mr Abah said journalists have been dealing with fake news for decades. We have always had people in the beer parlour, but they could not get any message out because whatever they say must be processed in the newsroom before being published.

But today, people in beer parlour could conjure information in their imagination and post it on the social media. They are even able to manipulate pictures, that is the problem with social media.

That is why verification has now become a whole new industry. Information being put out in other countries would be verified and debunked. In the United States, Fox News is pro-Trump; while CNN tends to be more against Trump.

But in Nigeria, people are being arrested and charged for cyberstalking whenever they post things, which is the wrong approach.

A lot of things are flying on social media daily, but government should heighten efforts to counter those things that are not true rather than arresting people anyhow.

Mr Sesan said Cybercrime Act has never been used to prosecute anyone for cybercrime, but has been used to clampdown on people. They call it cyberstalking and they go against people.

There is a need for the civil society to be more proactive than being reactive around the way security agencies are clamping down on people.

Mr Ajanaku said the disinformation campaign is now in full force across the world. For civil society, what we face is about voices: you cannot stifle voices in the public space.

Our role as a civil society is to find a balance in the public space. People must be discouraged from concocting things in order not to set the country on fire.

Mr Kekembo said the biggest perpetrators of fake news often ply their trade behind anonymity. But despite the crackdown on people, those who are genuinely seeking information are beginning to devise new ways of protecting themselves from fake news.

Mr Abah said newsrooms are now trying to catch up with the high-speed information age. Newsrooms now look for accounts that are verified on social media and also do reverse image search to be sure an information is correct before publication.

When an information if flying, we try to verify before we publish. If it is not true after our verification, we also put it out to let people know it is not true.

Mr Abah said convention media platforms tend to do better at verifying information than social media and people should read them instead.

And that ends the panel.

The next panel on Checks and Balances: Holding our Elected Representatives Accountable commences. It is the last panel for the day.

Hamzat Lawal of Connected Development is the moderator. Uadamen Ilevbaoje of BudgIT, Safiyanu Lawal of Kano Budget Working Group, Isa Mustapha of Project Monitoring Partnership and Oladayo Olaide of MacArthur Foundation are the discussants.

Mr Ilevbaoje said the level of work completed on projects across the country does not measure up to funds that have already been released.

Mr Mustapha said his organisation has been able to catch contractors who were paid for standard materials but used substandard materials in execution of projects. In order cases, contractors would be given a specific measure of road to construct but would abandon after near completion.

But in the 2018 budget, changes have been noticed in the manner contractors handle projects and his organisation hopes things get better gradually.

Mr Olaide said following intervention of MacArthur, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Federal Ministry of Power now partner to ensure that energy distribution companies now measure electricity consumed in districts across the country.

He said they have also tried to improve the capacity of media organisations to expose corruption. He said citizens are often bombarded with too many scandals, making it difficult for them to follow up on everything.

Mr Olaide said MacArthur Foundation has also empowered civic groups to follow up on reports that media houses have already published and demand action on them.

Mr Mustapha said his organisation regularly shares information with people on social media to take action. And the responses have had good impact on the work his organisation does.

Mr Olaide said for people to be able to fight corruption, there must be evidence of corruption, which is why media houses are being supported by MacArthur Foundation to adequately uncover fraud in public service and then the citizens can engage to check further manifestations.

Mr Olaide said there is an ongoing transition of how information is disseminated and the people must flow along with the age. He also said anti-corruption must be a critical aspect of any governments policy.

On that note, the panel discussions for today close. Thank you for being a part of todays live updates. NMCG2018 continues tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
Less than a week after the two major political parties  the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  lost a member each in the House of Representatives to other political parties, two other members have dumped the two parties.

The two members are Hassan Omale representing Ankpa/Omala/Omalaboro federal constituency of Kogi State and Mohammed Soba of Soba constituency of Kaduna State.

While Mr. Omale, who recently dumped the APC for the PDP in August decamped to the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Mr. Soba only announced his resignation from the APC but said he will announce his new political party soon.

Two members had last week announced their defection to other political parties.

The members, Akinlaja Joseph who represents Ondo East/West federal constituency of Ondo State and Olatoye Temitope representing Lagelu / Akinyele Federal Constituency of Oyo State announced their defection on the floor of the House on Thursday.

While Mr Akinlaja defected to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), his colleague Mr Temitope moved to the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

Shortly before the House commenced its annual recess in August, dozens of members, mostly from the ruling APC defected to other parties.
Protect Our Parks said it does not oppose the center, only its being built on parkland. Charlotte Adelman, one of three plaintiffs who joined the lawsuit, said their suit is about protecting an irreplaceable city asset and not bowing to the wishes of any one group or person, even Barack Obama. Jackson Park should be preserved for the ages, she said, as an oasis for everyone.
The Nigerian consular general to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Yunusa, has lambasted members of a Senate ad-hoc committee who accused the leadership of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) of extortion.

Mr Yunusa, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday, said the Adamu Aliero-led committee only concocted lies aimed at disparaging the chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Mohammed.

Mr Aliero had last week tabled the report of his committee before the Senate.

The committee said as part of its task, members travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet with relevant groups and individuals.

Mr Yunusa, however, said the team did not meet with a single organisation involved in the Hajj affairs.

How can you say you are investigating (the) conduct of Hajj operations and officials? You came all the way to Saudi Arabia and refused to meet with the ministry of Hajj, the Adilla in Madinah, hotel owners, caterers, car syndicate and Muassassa,? Mr Yunusa said.

He said what the committee did was to meet with a group of Nigerians who had earlier written a petition against the NAHCON chairman.

The envoy said when Mr Aliero and his team arrived Saudi, they went straight to meet with Sabo Lagos and his group and they only called me around 1 a.m. At first, I declined to go and meet them but realised that as distinguished senators, they deserve some respect, so I went.

When I got there, Senator Danbaba started shouting at me and I had to shout back. No one can shout at me at this age.

I arranged a meeting for them with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the highest organ in terms of Hajj management and anybody willing to get credible information should be there first, but they refused to come for the meeting.

I am sorry to say but anyone that travelled to Saudi Arabia, refused to meet with his real intended target, only to come back home and write a fake report, does not deserve to be called distinguished.

They just went there in a jamboree and they already (had) a mind-set to tarnish the image of the people in NAHCON, for selfish reasons, Mr Yunusa said.

The consular general said I challenge the committee to produce the minutes of their meetings in Saudi Arabia, if they held any.

The committee, in its report, had stated that Mr Yunusa was turned into a NAHCON staff in the 2017 Hajj exercise.

Responding, the envoy said I am very proud to have served my country and we did very well. We negotiated down the cost of accommodation for Nigerian pilgrims in Madinah and I thought we should be commended, he said.

Mr Yunusa said he is always ready to serve Nigerian pilgrims whenever he is called upon to do so.

He also said when he travelled to Madinah with the team, Mr Aliero in particular, expressed delight with the hotels used by Nigerian pilgrims.

He swore by Allah that these hotels are good and even remarked that the location is simply perfect, he told me in Hausa that there is no way anyone can take more than 10 minutes to reach the mosque.

The Aliero committee had also accused NAHCON of pushing for the use of the facilities of a company, Shuraka Al-Kair, for pecuniary gains.

Mr Yunusa said what usually happens is that NAHCON simply draws a list of accommodation providers and gives it to states to select which one to use.

It is about competition. If this company is the one giving the states good value for money, what is wrong with that?

In any case, I know for a fact that even Aliero himself, when he was governor of Kebbi State for eight years, was using this same company throughout. Was it forced on him? Is the current NAHCON management the one in office at the time? People should just fear God and do the right thing, he said.
More than five years since an Ibadan-based computer retail firm, Citadel Oracle Concept Limited, began the search for restitution over alleged N170.3 million contract fraud against it, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Wednesday arraigned two suspects over the scam.

Onny Igbokwe and Princess Kama are members of a syndicate, according to EFCC court documents, that conspired with some top officials of Zinox Group to hijack and illegally execute the contract awarded by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to the IT firm in 2012.

Mr Igbokwe is the chief executive of a Port Harcourt-based IT company, Admas Digital Technologies Limited, as well as Pirovics Engineering Services Limited, while Ms. Kama, his ally, allegedly facilitated the fraud.

In October 2013, the managing director of Citadel Oracle, Benjamin Joseph, petitioned the police accusing Messrs Igbokwe and Kama of conniving with the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Zinox Group and Technology Distributions Limited, TD, Chris Ozims, to commit the fraud.

Mr Joseph also accused a director of TD, Folashade Oyebode, and two staff of Access Bank Plc, Obilo Onuoha and Deborah Ijeabu, of involvement in the crime.

Between September 2017 and May 2017, all the suspects, along with top officials of Zinox Group, including its Chairman, Stanley Ekeh and wife, Chioma, were quizzed by the anti-graft agency in Abuja allegedly for various roles in the scam.

It was not clear why only Messrs Igbokwe and Kama were arraigned on Wednesday.

Those familiar with the case told PREMIUM TIMES it was even more curious that the suspects identified by Mr Joseph in his petition to the EFCC were being listed among the seven witnesses in the case.

Messre Igbokwe and Kama were arraigned before Justice D. Senchi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja on a four-count charge of committing the alleged offence.

According to the charge sheet, the two accused persons in 2012 conspired to forge the signatures on a fictitious company Board resolution of Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited used in opening an account domiciled with Access Bank PlC, Lagos.

The EFCC said using the forged documents to open the account without the consent of the bona fide owners of the company was in contravention of sections of the penal code. Both, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Following a request by their lawyers, the court granted them bail for N1 million each, with two sureties in like sum.

Part of the conditions for the bail was for the sureties to be residents in Abuja and verified by the EFCC.

The sureties were to sign an undertaking that the defendants will attend the trial to the end. The case was adjourned till December 4 for trial.

When contacted on Wednesday, Mr Joseph said he felt vindicated that his company was gradually moving towards the unraveling of the truth in the case.

I feel vindicated. Gradually the truth is coming out. No matter how long darkness covers the night, the morning will surely come. I dont want to say more than that for now, he said

Long, tortuous road to arraignment

In October 2013, Mr Joseph said he petitioned the police to accuse the suspects of swindling his company of N170.3 million.

In April 2012, Mr Joseph said Citadel Oracle tendered for the supply of 668 computers to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

However, months after being shortlisted as the preferred bidder, he said Ms Kama, appointed to represent the company throughout the bid period, introduced him to Mr Igbokwe, who she claimed had close relations with some FIRS insiders who could influence the contract process.

During the meeting held in Lagos, Mr Joseph said, Mr. Igbokwe spoke of his close relationship with the Zinox boss, Mr. Ekeh, whom he said had powerful associates within the FIRS who could help.

He said Mr. Igbokwe offered him N15 million and asked him to hands off the contract, or pay N85 million to him if he still wanted to go ahead to handle the contract.

Mr. Benjamin said he rejected both offers, opted out of the deal and immediately terminated business relations with Ms. Kama.

But, over a year later, by August 2013, he said he visited the Ibadan office of FIRS to file his companys tax returns for the year.

Shockingly, officials there accused Citadel Oracle of under-declaring its earnings by about N8.1 million, being withholding tax and value added tax (VAT) in respect of a N170 million FIRS contract.

He said when Citadel Oracle launched an investigation, it was realised the suspects had impersonated the firm by cloning its official headed paper and signatures to issue an acceptance letter for the FIRS contract.

Again, to facilitate payment of the contract sum, they also approached officials of the Awolowo Road, Ikoyi branch of Access Bank who released to them the original copies of documents used by Citadel Oracle to open its corporate account.

Documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES showed the fictitious account, No. 0059202675, at Access Bank, was opened on Monday, October 1, 2012, a public holiday.

Curiously, Mr Joseph said it was discovered that a Board resolution purportedly issued by Citadel Oracle management had conferred the power of attorney on Chris Ozims, with Messrs Oyebode and Igbokwe listed as directors and authorised signatories to the account.

The transfers, withdrawals

Documents showed shortly after the fictitious account was opened, the FIRS wired its first payment of N53.763 million into it from its Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account.

Another payment of N62.531 million followed three days later. The amount was withdrawn from the account barely 24 hours later. Same day, another N37.842 million was lodged in the account.

A close analysis of the documents used in the transfers showed Charles Adigwe, an accountant at TD, had on January 25, 2013, advised Mrs Ekeh, the companys managing director, to give two approvals.

One was for N115.268 million to be transferred from the fictitious Access Bank account to the companys account at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), while the other was for another N43.685 million to be transferred from Admas account at Access Bank to TDs account at GTB.

Mrs Ekeh also approved another N38.057 million to be transferred to Admas Digital Technologys account at Zenith Bank.

Similar request by Mr Igbokwe for the transfer of N38.057 million to his account, No. 1010699686 at Zenith Bank, was also approved by Mrs Ekeh on January 31, the document showed.

On February 4, 2013, the N115.268 million earlier approved by Mrs Ekeh was transferred from the fictitious Access Bank account to TDs at GTB, apart from another N38.057 million to Admas account at Zenith Bank.

By February 28, 2013, the fictitious account was depleted to only N2,137.33 balance.

Elusive quest for justice

Despite several petitions by Mr Joseph to the police, Access Bank and the regulatory authority, the CBN, nothing was forthcoming.

Curiously, on June 16, 2016, three days before the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arases exit from office, Mr. Joseph was charged to court by the police, accused of providing false information in his petition against the accused.

The former IGP said Mr Josephs July 3, 2014 petition alleging fictitious signatures on the Board Resolution of Citadel Oracle company used in opening the fake account in Access Bank was false.

On July 2, 2016, Mr Joseph was arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja on a one-count charge of false petitioning IGP Arase with intention of misleading him over a case of identity theft, impersonation and criminal conversion of contracts against the accused.

All those he accused in the petition of being behind the fraud were used by the police as witnesses against Mr Joseph.

Following another petition by Mr Joseph to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the EFCC was directed to take over investigations into the matter.

Although the EFCC had since July 2017 concluded its investigations and submitted the report of its findings to the legal department for prosecution of the suspects, action lingered following protracted disagreements on the number of persons to charge to court.

While Mr Joseph insisted all the persons identified in his petitions to the police and EFCC were culpable and should face trial, the EFCC, based on an advice by its legal department, which Mr Joseph described as strange, said only Messrs Igbokwe and Kama would be arraigned.

Regardless, earlier on May 2, 2017, a Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, had ruled that all the suspects, along with top officials of Zinox Group named in respect of the alleged fraud had a case to answer and should face trial.

The ruling followed an application filed by top officials of Zinox Technologies Limited, its subsidiary, Technology Distributions Limited, and their allies, including Access Bank PLC, in alleged N170.3 million fraud against them.

The application had asked the court to dismiss the allegations against them for lack of evidence followed and PREMIUM TIMES committed for contempt and defamation of character over a report published on the matter on September 15, 2016.

But, Justice Femi Adeniyi dismissed all preliminary objections by Zinox Group and Access Bank, with a N100,000 and N50,000 costs respectively.

Mr Adeniyi said objections by the defendants to the case of impersonation, forgery and contract scam against them did not only lack merit, but also incompetent, and did not deserve any serious consideration by the court.
The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has reacted to allegations that he was in cahoots with some governors of the All Progressives Congress to remove the partys national chairman, Adams Oshiomole.

While denying any involvement in any attempt to remove the former Edo State governor, Mr Akeredolu accused Mr Oshiomhole of exhibiting incompetence in the handling of the partys recently concluded primaries across the country.

In a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Special Duties and Strategy, Doyin Odebowale, Mr Akeredolu said APC primaries exposed the incompetence of Mr Oshiomhole. He described the exercise as a political charade and a revelation of a shocking proclivity towards banditry and impunity.

He asserted that recent events had justified his opposition to Mr Oshiomholes election as party chairman.

A group of party members staged a protest at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja on Tuesday alleging that Mr Akeredolu and other conservative governors were planning to remove Mr Oshiomole and scuttle the efforts of the party towards winning the 2019 general election.

The group pointedly described the Ondo State governor as a mole in the APC, whose recent actions could result in Buhari losing Ondo State.

The crises in the APC followed the outcome of the conduct of the governorship and national assembly primaries across the country, where the National Working Committee seems to have undermined the powers and influence of the governors.

A number of governors protested against the final list of candidates approved by the Oshiomole-led NWC, and had called on President Buhari to intervene to reverse the trend.

Mr Akerdolu is particularly livid over the failure of some of his preferred candidates to make the list of candidates to be fielded by the party in the Senate and House of Representatives, despite being in firm control of the party machinery in the state.

Mr Akeredolu said those who feel aggrieved reserve the right to demand justice, including calling for Mr Oshiomholes removal.

The governor, however, restated his commitment to work assiduously for President Muhammadu Buharis re-election, who he said is loved by the people of Ondo State.

Referring to the protest in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Akeredolu described the organisers of the protest as opportunists, and denied that he led governors of Ogun, Kaduna Adamawa and Ekiti States against Mr Oshiomholes leadership.

He said he found the report laughable and distracting, adding that as a fiercely independent personality, he was not about to change his attitude to please any person or a group of persons.

There is no truth in the whole contrivance. The governor has been pre-occupied with matters of governance in Ondo State for which he was elected, the statement said.

Mr Akeredolu recalled his noble interventions as Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president at critical moments in the cause of the progressives, including in restoring Mr Oshiomholes stolen mandate.

The governor had expressed preference for someone else during the contest for the office of the Chairman of the Party, the statement further read.

He did not hide his opposition to Mr Oshiomoles aspiration for the simple reason that the leadership of a party, especially the one just emerging from a merger, should distance itself from egregious and inherently destructive narcissism.

Recent events seem to justify this position as prescient. Only sycophants will fail to see the obvious. Mr President would not have expressed worries over the crises in the party if everything had gone on smoothly.

The handlers of the mob strive in vain to set the lresident against certain government functionaries considered antagonistic to their pernicious scheme for dominance.

Their devious plot to outsmart those perceived as opposing their expansionist tendency compelled them to take desperate measures. Anyone endowed with an attitude of sobriety should have seen the need for calm.

Rather than retrace their steps and display genuine contrition, their desperation pushes them to embrace measures capable of not only hurting the party, but, regrettably, the president, whom they pretend to love so much.

Mr Akeredolu said it was ludicrous that anyone would consider him a conservative.

Those who collected varying and humongous amounts as fees from aspirants during the last grandiose charade called primaries and submitted names dictated to them by a cabal, notorious for capturing political power for unbridled pillage, should be bold to explain their real motives to the people. They should be honest enough to deal with the issues, the statement added.

Events, which took place across the country during the political charade, have exposed not only sheer incompetence on the part of the national leadership of the party, but painfully, it has revealed a shocking proclivity towards banditry and impunity.

It is becoming clear, increasingly, that party leadership at that level is seriously challenged in terms of capacity for serious engagements.

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, (APC), Adams Oshiomhole 03946/23/7/18/Ismaila Ibrahim/NAN

Arakunrin Akeredolu, SAN, does not need to move from North to South to collect signatures from victims of electoral heist. He was in Ondo State throughout last week.

He was at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, to deliver a lecture on restructuring a few days ago. He is at presently in Canada on a working visit.

Only the mob and their hirers can explain the imagined movement from North to South. However, those who feel aggrieved reserve the right to demand that justice be done. If this includes the removal of Mr Oshiomole, so be it.

May we seize this opportunity to reiterate the fact that the people of Ondo State are favourably disposed to the second term bid of Mr President.

Our people are unique; they are unwavering in their support for justice. They alone determine what is in their best interest at all times. The President is loved by the people of Ondo State.

All of us shall work, assiduously, for the Presidents victory at the polls next year. We do not need any band of mendicants ready for hire to remind us of this sacred patriotic duty.
A former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, continued his testimony on Tuesday after an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court refused an application by the defence team, for adjournment.

Having exhausted his list of defence witnesses, Mr Metuh began his personal testimony before the court, in July.

The personal testimony of the accused, also known as evidence in chief, was however suspended till October, following the annual vacation of judges this year.

At the continuation of the trial on Monday, Mr Metuhs presentation of evidence could not continue because of prolonged debates by counsel, who argued over the absence of another defence lawyer, Tochukwu Onwubufor.

Following the refusal of the court to adjourn the matter, however, Mr Metuh continued with his testimony from his sitting position, outside the witness box on Tuesday.

Clad in a light-coloured native attire, with his walking stick placed behind his seat, Mr Metuh took the microphone and narrated his journey into politics as a young Nigerian.

In a rather long tale about his political and economic development, Mr Metuh informed the court about how advice he received from the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, helped in his political career.

Mr Metuh who spoke at length about his resolve not to rely on politics for survival, however did not reach the point of talking about his instant allegation before the end of Tuesdays trial.

Following a request by Mr Metuhs lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, for permission to catch a scheduled flight, the court adjourned the matter, till Wednesday for continuation of trial.

Mr Metuh is facing trial on alleged diversion of N400 million from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

He was accused alongside his company, Dextra investment.
Discussions around the growing impact of social media and its attendant challenges have brought communications experts and thought leaders to Abuja this week.

An estimated 250 participants from across the world would participate at this years edition of New Media, Citizens & Governance Conference which opened this morning at 9 a.m. and the closing programme would open at the same time tomorrow morning.

The conference has dissected issues around new media since 2012 when citizens advocacy think-tank, Enough Is Enough, and Shehu YarAdua Foundation partnered to host the first edition. The second held in 2016, with Oby Ezekwesili as one of the top speakers.

Chidi Odinkalu, a rights advocate who once led Nigerias National Human Rights Commission in Abuja, would deliver the keynote once the event opens at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre by 9:00 a.m.

A series of strategic engagements and panel discussions would follow until 3:30 p.m. when organisers planned to wrap up the first day.

Those expected to participate in different sessions include Farida Noubremma, outspoken Togolese political activist; Chris Ihidero, writer and filmmaker; Samson Itodo, the convener of #NotTooYoungToRun; Demola Olarewaju, a political strategist and Idayat Hassan of Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa.

Enough Is Enough, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and BudgIT Nigeria  the major partners for the conference  plan to use this years edition to highlight the broadening function of new media platforms, especially social media, in facilitating discourse between government and the governed, with particular reference to Africa.

Programme Schedule: Day 1

Chidi Odinkalu Keynote speaker (9:00.)

Collins Dike (Panelist)  Showcase & Marketplace  Tech Tools for Elections (11:00)

This session is a platform to showcase frontrunning tech-based solutions that have been deployed to create solutions on election-related matters.

Chioma Agwuegbo (Panel moderator)  Are Elections Won on the Timeline? (11:45)

This session will be an overview of actions, lessons learned and suggestions for better engagement as Nigeria approaches the 2019 general elections and the role new media plays during and after elections.Are Elections Won on the Timeline? This session will be an overview of actions, lessons learned and suggestions for better engagement as Nigeria approaches the 2019 general elections and the role new media plays during and after elections.

Gbenga Sesan (Panel moderator)  Who is Afraid of New Media? Fake News and Hate Speech (14:00)

Hamzat Lawal (Panel moderator)  Checks and Balances: Holding Our Elected Reps Accountable (15:30).
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday dismissed an application filed by John Abebe seeking to strike out the four-count charge of forgery, fabricating evidence, using fabricated evidence and attempt to pervert the course of justice preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

One of the count reads: That you, Dr. John Warimeme Abebe, on or about the 22nd day of June, 2010 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly forged BP Exploration Nigeria Limiteds letter dated 30th November,1995 to Inducon (Nigeria) Limited by inserting in page 2 of the said letter the following words: Also note that the Buy-Out Option only applies to the pre-production stage of the NPIA. The $4m buy-out is thus irrelevant from production of oil in any of our fields and purported same to have been issued by BP Exploration Nigeria Limited and committed an offence contrary to Section 467 of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

Another count reads: That you, Dr. John Warimeme Abebe, on or about the 22nd day of June, 2010 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly used a fabricated evidence in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/224/2010 Between Dr. John Abebe, Inducon Nigeria Limited and Statoil Nigeria Limited, before the Federal High Court, which evidence was admitted and marked exhibit BB in the said suit and committed an offence contrary to Section 120 (2) of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

The defendant, who was arraigned on July 26 pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

He was subsequently granted bail by the court on August 2.

At the resumed sitting, Wednesday, counsel to the defendant, Kanu Agabi, argued that judgments had been delivered on the same matter in favour of his client by a Federal HighCourt and also by the Court of Appeal, thereby leaving the matter pending before the Supreme Court.

He also challenged the jurisdiction of the Special Offences Court to hear the matter.

However, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the charges before the Supreme Court were entirely different from what is before the High Court.

He, therefore, urged the court, to dismiss the application, saying it was raised to arrest the trial.

In a short ruling, Justice Dada dismissed the application and held that parties in the charges in the Supreme Court and High Court are different.

Consequently, prosecution counsel, Mr Oyedepo, called the first prosecution witness, Paul Piche, a former Managing Director, Statoil Nigeria Limited, who told the court that a consultancy agreement was signed between Inducon Nigeria Limited, owned by the defendant, and Statoil Nigeria Limited in 1991.

He said that the agreement was, however, terminated in 1997.

Giving further testimony, he said another NPIA agreement, which was entered into between Statoil and Inducon Nigeria Limited in 1995, was later amended and eventually terminated in 1999, which left Statoil with no further agreement with Inducon till 2010.

There were discrepancies in a copy of letter provided by Abebe in 2010 in an attempt to enter another agreement and also in the copy of letter tendered before the Federal High Court before now.

The same letter was provided by BP Exploration Limited to Statoil Nigeria Limited and it was noticed that a new paragraph was inserted in page two of the agreement letter dated 1995 provided by Abebe.

The address, National West Minister Bank on the letter brought by Abebe was in a line, while the one made available by BP Exploration Limited was addressed in two lines.

The post code of the address on each letter was different, he further stated.

In her testimony, a second prosecution witness, Elizabeth Cross, an Assistant General Counsel, in-house Lawyer and Dispute Resolution Personnel for BP Exploration Limited, confirmed to the court that there were agreements entered into by Inducon Nigeria Limited and Statoil Nigeria Limited in 1993 and 1997.

She further told the court that Statoil Nigeria Limited requested from BP Exploration Limited, the original copy of the agreement letter tendered by the defendant, which was made available to Statoil from BP Exploration Limiteds archive system and was couriered to Statoil.

The case was adjourned to October 24 for continuation of trial.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, Tibor Nagy Jr., says he cannot visit West Africa without first visiting Nigeria.

Mr Nagy Jr. said in a transcript of his teleconference with journalists from across Africa on Tuesday that he must visit Nigeria as the gateway to other African countries.

The official, whose date of visit to West Africa is yet to be fixed, said the tour would afford him the opportunity to discuss some current challenges in Nigeria.

How could I not be coming to Nigeria if I was going to West Africa?

Nigeria has several very, very serious issues going on at the same time. We have the crisis in the North-east.

We have the historical problems in the middle belt, which unfortunately, recently has led to serious loss of lives.

We have an election coming up, which will be very, very interesting. So, Nigeria, of course, is in many respects the gateway to Africa, he said.

Mr Nagy Jr., who was a U.S. Diplomat in Africa for about 22 years, said that he was very glad coming back to a continent where he left his heart.

According to him, the three countries that he would be visiting were places he had served either as Deputy Ambassador or Ambassador.

I am just delighted. I am, especially looking forward to getting back to what I like to call `the continent where I left my heart as quickly as possible.

Its a very, very cold morning in Washington, D.C., so, I cannot wait to return to the warmth of Africa.

This time I am heading out to West Africa, and it is just coincidence that three of the places I will be visiting are places where I served, either as ambassador or deputy ambassador, he said.

(NAN)
The Chairman of the President Panel on Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), reform, Tony Ojukwu, said that the essence of the panel was to ascertain the truth on the allegations of human rights violations by members of the public.

Mr Ojukwu said this while addressing reporters shortly after public hearing organised by presidential panel on SARS reform in the North-central on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said issues of human rights abuses were raised during the public hearing.

According to him, such issues remain allegations until the panel concludes its assignment to ascertain the facts of the matter.

Like the issue which was pointed out that a person had been detained for more than one year and we requested the person be brought to the panel so that we can see his condition.

We also learned that some vehicles that were recovered by SARS were auctioned without following due process. We also had cases where it is said that SARS stormed some peoples compounds because of boyfriend and girlfriend relationship.

But all these remain allegations until the panel determines the truth of the cases, he said.

Mr Ojukwu, however, said that the panel would only entertain cases that were not before a court of competent jurisdiction.

He further said that the public hearing was aimed at discouraging any form of impunity against the people of Nigeria.

So, a public hearing like this is very important if we are to discourage impunity. We urged the media and other stakeholders to cooperate with the panel to discourage any form of human rights violations, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the panel was set up by the Federal Government to investigate the allegations of human rights abuses by the men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The panel is to make useful recommendations to the federal government on the way forward.

(NAN)
An Ado-Ekiti Division of the Federal High Court on Wednesday sentenced Olubunmi Ayan to two years in prison for posting the nude photos of his former lover on social media.

Taiwo Taiwo, the judge, also ordered the convict to pay a fine of 500,000.

I find this act of the convict highly disgraceful, very despicable and barbaric to say the least, said the judge, who found the convict guilty of violating Section 24 (1) of the Cyber Crime Act, 2015, of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

He has behaved true to the saying that hell knows no fury than a lover scorned. I must say that the defendant who has a wife and children at home could find it easy to demean and embarrass a woman who was having an amorous affair with him.

The case was between the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Mr Ayan.

According to O.A Oyewole, counsel to the AGF, Mr Ayan had threatened to post nude pictures of his ex- girlfriend, Monica Arare, on social media sometime in 2017 when the lady informed him she was no longer interested in their relationship.

According to the counsel, Ms Arare, a single lady, had pleaded with Mr Ayan, who is married with children, not to carry out his threat and he had requested for 200,000 as a condition to rescind his decision.

Mr Ayan had gone ahead to post the nude photos when the lady could not get the money.

Delivering his judgement, the judge said Mr Ayan was found guilty of committing the crime after several evidence made available to the court had been found as incontrovertible proof that he willfully and maliciously committed the crime.

It is an act of meanness to attempt to, if he has not already tarnished the image and reputation of Asare Monica, the judge said.

The act of the convict is very strange in our society not to talk of in Aisegba-Ekiti and Ekiti State in general where there are very proud and educated men and women and the society is so closely linked together and everyone knows one another.

The world has become a global village with the emergence of the social media. Who knows who would have seen the nude pictures?

Justice in this case demands that people like the convict should be taught a lesson that would serve as deterrent to others who may like to behave in such manner.

Under no circumstance must Asare Monica or any of her families and relatives should be harassed by anyone. I therefore charge the police to arrest anyone found to harass Monica or any of her relatives or families and friends.

The judge said the jail term would take immediate effect, adding that he had been lenient in sentencing the culprit as the punishment for his crime attracted a fine of 7 million and a three year jail term according to the Cyber Crime Act.

He said the court tempered justice with mercy because of the plea of the culprits counsel that he has a family and is a first offender.

The judge lamented that those who made the law stipulating a punishment of 7 million and three years jail term to persons guilty of such crimes did not make provisions for compensation for the victim.

He therefore advised that such provision should be made by lawmakers in a future exercise in amending the laws.
President Muhammadu Buhari has paid tribute to a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, late Idris Kutigi, hailing his contributions to the evolution of the countrys jurisprudence.

The president, while also honouring the late CJN by authorising his burial at the National Cemetery, Abuja, said the nation will not forget the hard work and dedication of the eminent jurist.

The National Cemetery is reserved for the nations fallen heroes and it requires discretionary approval of a sitting president for a citizen to be given a final resting place on its grounds.

President Buhari had sent a government delegation led by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari to represent him at the funeral prayer at the National Mosque, Abuja and thereafter, the burial at the National Cemetery.

Other members of the presidential delegation were the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello, and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

The government delegation had also paid a condolence visit to the widow and other family members of Justice Kutigi at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja.
In an interview with the Tribune, David Reifman, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, acknowledged for the first time that a new development plan is unlikely to be locked in before Emanuel leaves office next spring. It will be up to community and local business leaders, he said, to forge a path.
The House of Representatives says it will investigate, reveal and make public, the identities of those indicted in the looting of the defunct Nigerian Airways Ltd. to the tune of N60 billion.

The House also resolved to identify those involved and indicted by the white paper with the aim of ensuring they are prosecuted and made to refund the loot.

The resolution was sequel to a motion, under matters of urgent public importance, moved by Rep James Faleke (APC-Lagos), on Tuesday, at a plenary presided over by Speaker Yakubu Dogara in Abuja.

Mr Faleke noted that long before the advent of the present administration, the Olusegun Obasabjo-led Federal Government had established the Justice Obiora Nwazota Judicial Commission to probe the operations of the company in 2002.

According to him, the commission turned in a report which revealed the mind-boggling corruption and looting to the tune of N60 billion.

The white paper was approved by the federal government and further directed the Federal Ministry of Finance and the police to recover the stolen funds and prosecute the indicted culprits, he said.

The lawmaker, however, expressed worry that till date, nothing had been heard of the report.

Those indicted in the report are believed to be largely visible in the public arena while the ex-workers continue to languish in abject poverty having been denied their rights to their entitlements with many of them reportedly dead without receiving their entitlements.

The House notes that had the Federal Ministry of Finance and the police acted as directed in the white paper, the ex-workers would not have suffered so much pains and deprivations, he said.

Mr Faleke stressed that despite the release of the white paper and the approval given to the paper as well as the directive on an inquiry into the matter, the previous governments refused to prosecute the culprits indicted in the report.

The House is further concerned that those who have been identified to have looted this humongous sum of N60bn in 2002, a sum whose value will no doubt be in the region of about N200bn in present day, might have been using the said fund to fight, destabilise the government and in some cases, may have bought their way out of prosecution and possible conviction, he said.

He, however, noted that the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari had commenced the payment and offsetting of 50 per cent of the outstanding entitlements of the ex-workers in total sum of N22.6 billion.

Mr Faleke, who said the payment was the first tranche, said the other part payment of the balance of 50 per cent in same amount would be paid in 2019 due to paucity of funds.

When the motion was put to a voice vote by the speaker, the lawmakers unanimously supported it.

The House, therefore, directed the setting up of an ad hoc committee to reveal reasons those indicted in the report of the white paper had not been prosecuted despite the federal governments directive to that effect.

It would also identify any civil servant or political office holder who might have used his or her office(s) to thwart or prevent those indicted from prosecution and possible conviction.

The committee was asked to make other appropriate recommendations and report back to the House within four weeks. (NAN)
The UN family in Nigeria says it has begun partial movement to the UN House, Abuja, eight years after the August 26, 2011 bombing by the Boko Haram insurgents.

UN Resident Coordinator, Edward Kallon, disclosed this at the celebration of the 73rd UN Day on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the federal government had approved 5.2 billion for the reconstruction of the building in 2012.

The 2018 UN Day is a very important day for the UN system in Nigeria as it underscores the excellent cooperation and partnership of the UN and Nigeria over the years.

Indeed, this years UN Day also marks the UN family partial move back to the UN House.

To the UN in Nigeria the UN House is a symbol of the resilience of our extraordinary cooperation and partnership with the government and people of Nigeria, Mr Kallon said.

He explained that the UN building provided by the federal government was occupied by UN agencies starting from 2005 before the unfortunate bombing on August 26, 2011.

The 2011 bombing of the UN house was an attack against those who devoted themselves to serving UN values, he said.

Mr Kallon commended the federal government and the people of Nigeria for their commitment to rebuilding the UN House.

He also thanked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister for his personal commitment and support towards rebuilding the edifice.

Mr Kallon expressed the hope that the partial movement which he said would begin with the UNDP, UNICEF among others would inspire the staff to work better.

He said the movement would help the workers build stronger partnerships as well as a better future for the people of Nigeria.

Let us recommit ourselves, while celebrating the UN Day to make the world a better place for all, where nobody will be left behind, he said.

FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, described the event as significant as it marked the first time of gathering again at the building after the 2011 bombing.

Mr Bello, represented by Umar Jubril, an official of the ministry said the reopening was a sign of fulfillment of government promise not just to rebuild the structure but to make it better.

The UN building stands out as the symbol of our resilience and unbroken promises in addressing various challenges we are facing as a nation, he said.

While congratulating the UN family on the return to the edifice, he assured them of the FCTs commitment on securing life and property of all staff and their families.

The FCT Administration has worked to improve the security architecture in the territory to forestall re occurrence of the ugly incidence.

We have also beefed up security presence in and around the premises and ensure security surveillance around the area.

We also pledge our commitment to serve as good host to the UN family, he said.

The President of UN Staff Association, Noma Owens-Ibie, commended the efforts of the federal government and the FCT Minister in restoring the lost glory of the building.

NAN reports that the UN building which accommodated all UN agencies in the Central Business District in Abuja was bombed through a car explosion on August 26, 2011 killing at least 21 people and injuring 60 others.

(NAN)

IAA/ABI
A Police Inspector, Idowu Haruna, has told an Igbosere High Court in Lagos that the suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, known as Evans, volunteered his statement to the police.

Mr Haruna, a prosecution witness, said this while he was testifying before court on Wednesday.

The witness said that Evans gave his statement voluntarily and not under duress or torture by the police.

He said Evans statement which was obtained on June 26, 2017 at 2 p.m at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office, Ikeja, was recorded in a conducive environment.

Mr Haruna, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Jide Martin, said Evans volunteered his statement which was recorded by Kingsley Harold, a police inspector.

The witness said: I and the defendant have been close friends since his arrest and on the day he was arrested at his Magodo residence, he said Oh God I never knew a day like this will come.

Evans is facing two separate charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder before Justice Adedayo Akintoye.

In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba and in the second charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.

He said he narrated how he and his accomplices kidnapped Godwin Okorafor.

He added that the suspected kidnap kingpin also gave statement on how ransom was demanded from the victim he kidnapped.

Mr Haruna also stated that their superior officer, Philips Benjamin, a chief superintendent of police, read the statement to Evans to ascertain that he gave the statement willingly without torture and was attested to by same officer.

The witness said an attestation form was signed by Mr Benjamin and the defendant.

He also said an Investigative Police Officer, Adesuyi, made a video recording which he burnt into a disc and certified it.

Mr Martins tendered all the documents before the court.

During cross-examination, all the defence counsel objected to the playing of the video recording, stating that no proper foundation had been made on the CD.

Evans counsel, Chino Obiagwu (SAN), said the document sought to be tendered was produced on November 15, 2017 after proceedings on the case had commenced.

This document was produced after the charges have been filed and the IPO, who recorded the video, is not in court to be cross examined on the said video, he said.

Earlier a, medical doctor, Samuel Oyemakinde, a consultant radiologist from Paramount Life Care Diagnosis Centre had in the first charge tendered a medical report and an X-ray result, showing that James Uduji, sustained gunshot wound.

He said that Mr Uduji who walked into the diagnosis centre in 2015, and met with the then medical director, Dr Uwoku, based on his history of gunshots and was told to do a chest x-ray.

Mr Oyemakinde said there was a linear foreign body lodged in the upper left lung zone which is assumed to be a metallic bullet sheet.

The witness was subpoenaed by the court on September 25 to give evidence on the gunshot wound sustained by the victim.

Mr Akintoye adjourned until November 2 for continuation of trial.

(NAN)
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday said he would lead a strong campaign to ensure victory for President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in the State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in the 2019 general elections.

Mr Ambode, who spoke to journalists at the the Muritala Mohammed International Airport shortly after he accompanied President Buhari to perform the official commissioning of the new Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Border Posts at Seme-Krake joint border post in Badagry, said it was important for the APC to retain its leadership positions both in the federal and the State level.

I have just accompanied Mr. President to the Nigerian-Benin Border Post. So what we have commissioned today is a joint Border Patrol post between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin and it is called Semo-Krake Border Post, he said.

But again, just to also use this opportunity to let Lagosians know that we are heavily committed to the re-election of Mr. President and you can see that his continuous visit to Lagos reiterates the fact that he is actually a lover of Lagos State and I am committed to ensuring his re-election.

We are going to campaign heavily for him. I am also committed to ensuring that the APC wins the governorship election come 2019. We support the candidacy of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and we would make sure that APC retains Lagos State and the centre, Governor Ambode said.

Mr Ambodes commitment to the election of Mr Sanwo-Olu means the governor and other leaders of the APC in Lagos may have resolved the controversy that preceded the emergence of Mr Sanwo-Olu as the partys candidate.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, who is backed by the influential former Gov. Ahmed Tinubu, was elected ahead the incumbent, who effectively would become the first Lagos governor since 1999 to be denied a second term.

Ahead of the primary, Mr Ambode assailed his rival, Mr Sanwo-Olu, saying he had unresolved criminal and unfavourable mental health records  allegations Mr Sanwo-Olu denied.

On Tuesday, Mr Ambode received President Buhari at the airport before the duo proceeded to Seme where the President joined his Republic of Benin counterpart, Patrice Talon to inaugurate the Border Post.

With the inauguration, the Seme-Krake joint border, one of the busiest boundary lines not only in West Africa but the whole continent, daily recording huge movement of persons, goods and services, is expected to enhance the free movement of persons and goods in the region and foster integration between the people of Nigeria and Benin.
Osita Okechukwu, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to resign.

Mr Okechukwu, who lost the Enugu West senatorial ticket to Juliet Ibekaku, the special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on justice reform, said this on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, while speaking on the issues surrounding the party primaries on Wednesday.

He said when the chairman was elected, he believed and respected him; but with events in the last three to four months, he believes the best option is for Mr Oshiomhole to resign.

As national chairman, I had high respect for him like most of our members. But today, three, four months down the line, he has grossly breeched the constitution of the APC, grossly divided the APC further that it is only Mr President and the leadership for the party that can couple together the mess.

I was a member of the APC merger committee. I (can) stand to say I am (a) foundation member, like Comrade Oshiomhole. We started by saying we are true progressives, patriots, (who) wanted to make change, (who) wanted to avoid discrimination, eliminate what those we defeated in 2015 were doing.

We talked of change. Our motto is justice, peace and harmony. The constitution went further to say that if you want to conduct any primary or congress to elect anybody, it must be democratically done.

I think actually, unlike those who are saying he is a mole, I dont think so. What I know is that as a social scientist, the little I could read on Adams Oshiomhole is that he suffers from Narcissism, what we know as I too know (ITK). So he doesnt believe anybody except himself and that is costly to the APC.

Mr Okechukwu believes the issue of the primaries can be traced to the composition of the panels that conducted the election which he alleged were filled with the chairmans kindred.

What we noticed, especially in the South -east where I come from, is that Oshiomhole populated the leadership of the panels with his kindred and cronies.

Go to the records of the outcome of those primaries, one in Kano, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, (filled with) Edo people. Is that federal character principle? Is there no qualified chairman that could come from Jigawa, Kano, Ekiti, and Enugu?

I thought that the 37 chairmen of the panels will represent different states and each state should have a spot. That is the internment of the APC constitution; that is the internment of the Nigerian constitution.

So if you went out of your way to grossly violate the constitution of the party, the outcome is on the plate.

Speaking on the pro -Oshiomhole protest held at the partys national secretariat on Tuesday, Mr Okechukwu said he believes that was sponsored by the chairman.

When I saw a crowd at the party secretariat chanting his songs, I said so it has gotten to a stage where comrade went to hire people to start defending the indefensible.

Comparing the tenure of the former chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, he said what happened in Oyeguns time is far different from the calamity we have now.

Babatunde Ogala, the partys national legal adviser who also spoke on the programme, said he will not defend or speak for the chairman as he is not his spokesperson but that it appears all issues raised by Mr Okechukwu are personal issues with the chairman.

I am not in the position to speak for Adams but the ones that concern the party are the once I will rather talk about. I will not want to join issues with him. I am not saying he is wrong or right. If it was the opposition, we can. But I wont come and exchange words with a senior member of our party.

He urged Mr Okechukwu to rather than this, make use of internal dispute mechanisms of the party as he is already using strong words that he should not use.

He questioned Mr Okechukwus claim that the chairman flooded the election committee with his kindred, noting that its not about where you come from but credibility.

He should have asked how were those names were arrived at. The NWC had the list of those who went to conduct the election. Is it about where you come from or about credibility?

Mr Ogala, noting that pointing accusing fingers wont help the party, said if you want this party to win in 2019, we shouldnt throw the party under the bus.
A lecturer at Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Frank Onyezili, has alleged committed suicide, official told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Onyezili, who was a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences in the institution, died last Friday.

Malik Abdullahi, a student of his department, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview, said that the news became popular on campus on Monday.

Many of the students at the department and school generally got to know about his death on Monday. It is a painful thing because he was one of the better heads in the department, he said.

Another source, a staff this time who pleaded anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES that the lecturer allegedly drank poison after leaving behind a suicide note.

He actually left a note behind speaking about his death. One that many believed should not be disconnected from the fact that his family abandoned him to live and suffer here.

When PREMIUM TIMES asked if he actually saw the note the professor left behind, he told our correspondent that it is not about seeing the note alone this time. It is about what many of the people in the university community know.

The spokesperson of the institution, Roseline Waku, confirmed the incident but declined talking about the details of the note the deceased left behind.

It is true but I could not have access to the note, she said.

The states police spokesperson, Moses Joel, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES calls and text messages as at the time of filling this report.

PREMIUM TIMES however learnt that students and colleagues of Mr Onyezili have been visiting his house on campus to sign condolence register.
Nigerian senate has adjourned its plenary for two weeks.

The lawmakers will resume for plenary on November 6, Senate President Bukola Saraki announced on Wednesday.

Mr Saraki said the break would allow committees of the senate to carry out oversight functions.

These are committees that are going to carry out the oversight. It is only plenary session that is being suspended. We expect our committees to carry out oversight in this period.

Particularly if you recollect, when we debated the Eurobond, there were a lot of questions on implementation and utilisation of those loans. But because of the expediency and the demand from the executive that we approve those loans, we did it but with the understanding that our committees will quickly go and do oversight in MDAs to see that those funds have been properly utilised.

And also budget implementation of 2018, and also the poverty social intervention programme that we raised. So I will like all our committees that during this period, to carry out the necessary oversight so that we can report when we do resume back to plenary. The committees will be meeting till 6th of November, he said.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested seven suspects over alleged illegal oil bunkering and adulteration of crude oil worth over N10 million in Calabar, Cross River.

Stephen Lar, Commandant of NSCDC in the state, disclosed this while addressing reporters in Calabar South on Wednesday.

He disclosed that the command had declared zero tolerance for illegal crude activities in the area, and added that the suspects would be prosecuted as soon as investigation was completed.

In keeping with our core mandate of protecting Nigerias critical national asset, particularly the oil sector; we carried out an operation early this morning following a tip-off.

This channel is being used in carrying products into the town. We came here this morning and found the illegality of transporting adulterated petroleum product through this channel.

We were able to recover 200 drums of adulterated crude and we arrested seven suspects in connection with this economic sabotage. Some of the suspects escaped and we are trailing them.

Cross River has no pipeline, but it is a route for bunkers. When they have gone to other places to carry out these illegal activities, they use Cross River to pass through, he said.

The commandant said that NSCDC was determined in ensuring that the route was no longer used by bunkers for sabotage of the nations economic resources.

He said that the act portended a serious danger to the countrys economy, while expressing dissatisfaction with individuals who create artificial refinery to refine adulterated products.

This type of product causes a lot of damages to our vehicles and engines. We must continue to monitor this route in other to prevent all forms of illegality.

We shall not relent in our effort to make sure that this criminality on the maritime sector is stopped. We are also working with the Nigerian Navy to ensure a safer maritime domain, he added.

(NAN)
The trial of Maryam Sanda, who allegedly killed her husband, suffered yet another setback on Tuesday following the absence of prosecution witnesses in the matter.

Ms Sanda was accused of killing her late husband, Bilyaminu Bello, a son of former Peoples Democratic Party chairman, Haliru Bello. She was charged alongside her mother, Maimuna Aliyu; her brother, Aliyu Sanda, and their house-help, Sadiya Aminu.

The case had been stalled following the withdrawal of principal defence lawyers on October 3, resulting in the adjournment till Wednesday.

When the matter was called on Wednesday, the prosecution lawyer, James Idachaba, asked the court for an adjournment, following the absence of his witnesses.

Mr Idachaba explained that one of his witnesses was stuck in Kaduna, due to the recent crisis, while the other just informed him about a trip to Port Harcourt.

Following the application, the judge, Yusuf Halilu, postponed the matter till November 15.

Ms Sanda and the other accused are facing a two-count charge for their alleged offence.

The charge was brought pursuant to sections 221 and 167 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and Penal Code respectively.

Ms Sanda is accused in the first charge of allegedly stabbing her husband of two years, multiple times with the aim of killing him. The offence is punishable with death.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reacted to a suit filed by an Edo State-based activist, Osadalor Ochie, challenging the failure of the commission to file fraud charges against former governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Mr Oshiomole was governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016.

In the suit, Mr Ochie is asking the court to compel the EFCC to conduct investigations into allegations of fraud against Mr Oshiomhole.

Following the request at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, the court slated Tuesday for hearing, after processes were allegedly served on the two parties.

While representatives of Mr Oshiomhole appeared in court on Tuesday with a preliminary objection, no counsel represented the EFCC.

in his preliminary objection, Mr Oshiomhole sought to establish the non-viability of Mr Ochies charge on the grounds that the charge was allegedly brought later than its stipulated time.

In a latest reaction, the EFCC said it did not appear in court because the plaintiff failed to serve it with the court processes.

Ahead of the November 19 date for the consideration of the preliminary objection by All Progressives Party National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, challenging the competence of the suit which seeks to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arrest and commence criminal proceedings against him, the agency has blamed its absence at Tuesday October 23 hearing of the suit before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court Abuja on the failure of the plaintiff to serve the Commission with processes. This is contrary to the October 9 ruling of Justice Chikere, that the Commission be served, EFCC said in a statement.

In the statement, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the Commission frowns at the attempt by counsel to the plaintiff, West Idahosa, to mislead the court with claims that the Commission had been served.

Had the Commission been served, it would have been in court. Ours is an agency that holds the judiciary in high esteem and we will never disregard summons by courts of competent jurisdiction. The truth is that the Commission did not receive any summons.

The statement adds that the commission will be represented in court once it is served with the relevant processes.
Please stop deviating from the menu. We can only serve so much on the side, and we can only deconstruct a pork chop so much before it is no longer a pork chop. If you want the fish in your fish and chips boiled rather than fried, you're at the wrong restaurant. Likewise, if you want cauliflower instead of chicken in your chicken wings, go elsewhere for that nonsense. Better yet, you explain it to the kitchen.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the recent outburst of the Voice of Nigeria boss, Osita Okechukwu, over its concluded primaries was as a result of his (Okechukwu) failed ambition.

The partys publicity secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, made this known in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to Mr Okechukwus call that APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, resigns for supervising controversial primaries.

Mr Okechukwu who had criticised the said primaries alleged that the primary election committees were filled with Mr Oshiomholes cronies hence the warped outcomes.

The VON boss was one of the aspirants who lost out in the battle to secure tickets for senatorial positions.

But the ruling party says the official is only angry he lost out in his senatorial bid because if the reverse was the case he would not be angry.

He is a highly respected and senior member of our party, but you can also understand that this is not about him and the party, it is about his quest to pick the Senatorial ticket of his constituency and that is about ambition. When that does not happen-like the Yoruba would say, you wont beat a child and say he must not cry. He has a right to ventilate his anger and it is for the party to also listen to him. He may have gone overboard making all sorts of unfounded allegations but you also have to understand the situation that he is now, he lost out.

If that same process had favoured him, he would be in his office in an air-conditioned atmosphere drinking coffee and taking a laugh at whoever was complaining but that didnt happen so you would expect him to complain. There would be someone to blame in such a situation so he has picked on the national chairman unfortunately.

The spokesman also said the chairman should not be blamed.

The internal mechanism for dispute resolution of this party is fairly strong and responsive and it is there for every party member no matter high or low to access. And a lot of people have done that and a lot of such issues have been resolved.

If he does have very good reasons to have redress, he would get that. But he has chosen to go that path (media) which is quite unfortunate.

On the allegations of nepotism leveled against Mr Oshiomhole, he said Mr Okechukwu only mentioned nine panel (committee) chairs from Edo State. This means other chairs are from other states and nine out of 36 cannot amount to nepotism.

There are five members for each state on the panel (which conducted the primary). We have 36 states and the FCT. He (Osita Okechukwu) mentioned only nine panel chairs (from Edo State). Definitely, the others are from other states.

By the time you add up the figures, you find out that the appointment of nine cannot be called nepotism in a situation where you have 36 states. When you pick what suits your cause, that is what he has done, but by the time all the facts are laid, there are no issues. Everything boils down to the fact that he lost out and he is not happy about it, there must be a culprit, somebody must be blamed for it.

For Ogun where parallel congresses held and the governors choice lost, he said the situation was unacceptable.

In Kaduna State he said even though the party tried to protect its legislators, who lost out, it had to accept the outcome of the properly conducted primary as the rule of law and democracy must always prevail.

It was the outcome of the primary, properly conducted. The party tried to protect its members in the National Assembly for obvious reasons following what has been going on the National Assembly. We know the carrots that had been dangled at them. We have a responsibility to ensure that we have a grip on the legislative arm of government so that we can run a smooth government. So we tried to protect our legislators.

But the other people can only understand and accept that. If they say no, there is nothing the party can do. It is within their right to say we must go to the field. The initial effort of the party did not get the blessing of other people in that area, who are also entitled to bid for positions. The primaries were eventually conducted, Senator Shehu Sani opted out, he relied on the earlier decision.

Speaking on the situation of Zamfara State, where INEC disqualified the party from fielding candidates for all elective positions , he said it has since submitted the list of for legislative election insisting INEC has no right to disqualify candidates.

We submitted list of candidates for legislative elections in Zamfara State, if INEC did not take it, it is a different thing. We have a right to submit and INEC has the legal responsibility to receive. INEC cannot disqualify candidates, we all know that. We have said clearly that whatever claims that INEC is making is not correct or a true representation of what happened and we will continue to take progressive steps to ensure that INEC does what is right.

On Rivers conflicts he said: The Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers APC governorship primaries has been subjected to different interpretations. As at today, the party has not yet taken a position on the ruling. We have a legal department and they will look into it and do what is right on it. The party will come out clearly on its position after studying the judgment.

He also spoke on the Imo governorship crisis. He said the party will take a position on the courts final judgement, be it good or bad.

The issue is of submission of governorship candidate on November 2nd. We havent reached the stage of where we will submit names or beat the deadline. You are aware that there is a court action challenging the Imo governorship primary election.

The position of the party is that whatever court judgment, good or bad we must comply with it. We will only decide who will be APCs governorship candidate for Imo State by November 2nd.
In order to reduce the large number of out of school children in Nigeria, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has urged governments in the country to increase their budgetary allocations to education and ensure the release and utilisation of the funds.

Premium Times reported how the latest official data in Nigeria shows that the population of out of school children in Nigeria increased from 10.5 million to 13.2 million by 2015.

UNICEF, however, says it is important for the government to put interventions in place to ensure all children go to school in order to facilitate national growth and development.

A UNICEF education specialist, Azuka Menkiti, said this at a media dialogue on Tuesday in Kano.

The event was organised by the Child Right Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information And Culture in collaboration with UNICEF to promote equity in education for children.

The dialogue was attended by government officials, education administrators and media professionals.

According to the specialist, 69 per cent of Nigerias out-of-school children are in the northern part of the country, with the North-east having the largest number, followed by North-west.

She said there is need to bridge the gap in education which she categorised into three: location (residence), gender and wealth status.

Education indicators for Northern Nigeria are different from the Southern part of the country. While the southern states have an average 11 percent of children aged 6-14 years out-of-school, northern states have an average of 31 percent children aged 6-14 years out-of-school rate, Mrs Menkiti said.

She said supply and demand contributes a mix of barriers to education that create the gap for access, because when supplies are not there, they will be dealing with issues of quality.

At the moment, parents have lost confidence in the learning outcome of children. Enrollment drive is working with parents, talking to them, sensitising them giving them awareness on the benefits of sending their children to school.

Once the parents mindset is changed, their perception about the value of education moves from negative to positive. What we want them to do is take their children to school and support their children to remain in school basically. If that happens, then we are getting it.

The head of CRIB, Olumide Osanyipeju, in her remarks said although Nigerias future prosperity depends on producing children who are well prepared to take their place in tomorrows society, it is unfortunate that a large number of Nigeria children are at risk of deprivation of basic social amenities.

He said the need for equity  a realisation that all children have the right to better life, an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potentials without discrimination, bias or favouritism, cannot be over emphasised.

There is a growing evidence that investing in education and protection of the most disadvantaged/vulnerable citizens, in this case children, and addressing inequality will ensure sustained growth and stability of any nation.

There is need to integrate children, especially those in difficult terrain and other excluded children and focus on equitable distribution, he said.

Asked of his perceptive on how to get children out of the street back to school, a beverage vendor, Usman Maishai, told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday evening that international organisations should stop giving money meant for social interventions to politicians.

Most of these big men dont want these children to go to school. The international organisations should ask for land, build the schools and provide amenities and teachers for the students. These children will not get western education if they continue to give money to the politicians, he said in Sabon-Gari area of Kano.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday re-arraigned a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, on a 43-count amended charge bordering on abuse of office and money laundering before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

The case had previously been heard by Justices Adeniyi Ademola and Babatunde Quadri before its eventual transfer to Justice Ojukwu by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Kafarati.

It would be recalled that, Mr Lamido had earlier challenged the transfer of his case at the Federal High Court, Abuja from Justice Adeniyi Ademola (now retired) to Justice Babatunde Quadri for determination.

Mr Lamido was arraigned alongside two of his sons  Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido; Aminu Wada Abubakar, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd for allegedly defrauding the state to the tune of N1.35 billion.

He allegedly abused his position as governor between 2007 and 2015 by awarding contracts to companies where he had interest, using his two sons as fronts.

The former governor was equally alleged to have collected kickbacks from contractors in the state, with the funds allegedly paid into accounts that were managed by his sons.

Particulars of count one of the new charge reads:

That you, Alhaji Sule Lamido, while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria, on or about 15th of December, 2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court in your account in the name of Bamaina Holdings (also referred to as Bamaina Holding Limited) domiciled at Unity Bank Plc, Kano, converted the sum of N14,850,000.00 (Fourteen Million Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) being the value of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) cheque no;00000025 paid by Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Limited which represented the proceeds of your illegal act to wit: using your position as a public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for company in which you have interest from Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which was awarded contracts by Jigawa Sate Government with the aim of concealing its illicit origin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act.

Count forty of the charge reads:

That you, Alhaji Sule Lamido, while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria, Aminu Sule Lamido, Mustapha Sule Lamido, and Speeds International Limited on or before 26th March, 2010 within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court retained in the account of Speeds Intl Ltd domiciled at Skye Bank Plc, Dutse the sum of N26,000,000.00 (Twenty Six Million) being the value of Skye Bank Plc cheque no.10000659 which funds you knew represented the proceeds of illegal act of Alhaji Sule Lamido who used his position as public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for the said Speeds Intl Ltd, (a company in which he is a shareholder and director) from A.G Ferrero & Co Ltd which was awarded contracts by Jigawa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 16 of the same Act.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the counts.

In view of the defendants plea, Chile Okoroma, counsel to EFCC, urged the court to fix a date for trial.

However, counsel to the defendants, Joe Agi, informed the court of a pending application for the bail of the defendants. He added that the defendants were currently on bail for the same offence before another court. He further told the court that the defendants had also been granted administrative bail by the EFCC, and did not violate any of its terms.

Justice Ojukwu, thereafter, adjourned to November 22, 2018 for trial.
The police in Adamawa on Wednesday confirmed that one person died and many injured in a communal clash in Lafiya area of Lamurde Local Government of the state.

The commands spokesman, Mr Othman Abubakar, who did not name the communities involved in the incident, said it began on Tuesday and resulted in the burning of houses.

He said that it was triggered when a community whose indigenes were missing, found one of the missing persons dead and the other critically injured in a neighbouring community.

They mobilised and went for reprisal, burning houses. The situation is now under control.

No arrest has been made yet and the incident did not affect the flow of traffic along the Yola-Numan-Gombe road as being speculated, Abubakar said.

A resident of the area, who simply identified himself as Usman, said that the clash was between Waja and Lunguda communities that had been having problems over disputed farmland.

It started when three Waja people who got missing were said to have been discovered killed in a land belonging to Lunguda community. This is what resulted in reprisal.

Houses were burnt, but I cant really say whether people lost their lives in the attack, Mr Usman said.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Ahmad Sajoh, said normalcy had been restored in the affected areas.

Soldiers, policemen and civil defence have been sent to the area and the governor has directed the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) to take care of those displaced by the conflict, Mr Sajoh said. (NAN)
The Plateau State Police Command has arrested the suspected killer of a police sergeant, Yunana Ishaya, who was recently beheaded.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on September 6, how the headless body of Mr Ishaya was found around his duty post.

On the day of the incident, the deceased was reported to have left his colleagues at the sector one of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), saying he was going to buy roasted meat. He never returned.

The state commissioner of police, Austin Agbonlanhor, while parading the suspect at the headquarters of the command on Tuesday gave his name as Abubakar Sani, adding that his arrest came following a receipt of credible information about the incident.

 On 15/10/2018 at about 1800hrs (6: p.m.), based on credible information, one Abubakar Sani aged 35 of Bakankarat village of Mini LGA, Katsina State who killed, beheaded and plucked the eyes of late sergeant Yunana Ishaya attached to 50 PMF on special duty at Operation Safe Haven, Jos for ritual activities on 01 /9 2018 at about 23 hrs ( 11: p.m.), was arrested.

He confessed to have conspired with one Abubakar Muhammed Sani of Rafin Pa quarter, Laranto, Jos in killing and beheading of the sergeant.

His other accomplices, Abubakar Muhammed and Hussaini Musa, the herbalist were arrested. The herbalist, Hussaini Musa, admitted promising to assist the suspects with the charm that would enable them disappear in the cause of nefarious activities if they meet up with the requirements (human eyes) for the charm, the commissioner said.

Mr. Agbonlanhor said the suspects will soon be charged to court.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), says it will collaborate with the National Boundary Commission to ensure that all its boundary areas encroached upon are recovered and protected against future abuse.

Cosmas Uzodinma, Chief Press Secretary made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, while receiving a delegation from the commission said that the administration would work with the commission to carry out projects within reasonable costs.

He said that the administration would ensure that boundary areas around the FCT were demarcated with concrete pillars that would be visible to even laymen.

The minister noted that structures that were already sitting on the boundary areas around the territory would be removed and compensation paid to deserving affected developers.

He said that the high rate at which the population of the territory was growing had necessitated that steps must be taken to stop further encroachments.

Mr Bello said the FCTA had in the past unwittingly sited projects in parts of Kogi around the Abaji boundary areas, which was not part of the Abuja land mass.

He said that the Karshi Ara road that extends into Nasarawa State being done by the FCTA, as well as parts of the FCT that were already built up that were thought to be in Niger State.

Mr Bello commended the relationship between the FCTA and the commission, saying it had enabled the administration to have a clearer picture of the boundary.

He said the FCT boundary committee had been repositioned with the permanent secretary as the chairman, the director, survey and mapping as the secretary, while respected eminent personalities had also been included.

All areas that are built up on the border will have to move; with dialogue we can make arrangement for compensations.

The border has to be demarcated and it has to be something those that are not experts can see right through, there should be a buffer zone that differentiates the area; we need to do what the law says, he said.

The Director-General of the Commission, Muhammad Ahmad, said that a joint meeting had been scheduled in a few days to review the status of the boundary and agree on a new roadmap.

He said this would address the challenges of encroachment and counter encroachments.

He advised the FCT Administration and Nasarawa government to stop granting development permits along the border corridor, pending the conclusion of work.

Mr Ahmad also charged the FCTA to undertake a comprehensive census of all the developments on the boundary line along the FCT/Nasarawa area in particular for proper records and necessary actions.

He said that this would make the boundary of the FCT and its neighbours more visible on the ground.

He said the affected border communities of the FCT and her neighbouring states should be encouraged to come together and discuss issues of cross broader cooperation to douse tensions and downplay the politics of boundary disputes.

Mr Ahmad also suggested a special funding for the placement of primary pillars across the boundary areas of the FCT, saying the normal funding of the commission cannot support that.

(NAN)
The police command in Nasarawa State said a suspected member of an armed robbery gang operating in Obi-Awe Local Government Area of the state has been shot dead.

Spokesman of the command, Kennedy Idirisu, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lafia.

He said that the gang had mounted a road block around Imon village at about 8 a.m. before the police patrol team engaged the gang in a gun battle.

Mr Idirisu said that the gang comprised five members and that one of them was shot dead while the others escaped with bullet wounds, adding that the police were on their trail.

He added that items recovered from the suspects included one AK 47 Rifle and 20 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.

Similarly, Mr Idirisu said that the command on October 17, foiled a bank robbery in Lafia and killed two suspects of a four-member gang in a gun duel.

He disclosed that policemen on guard duty at a commercial bank along Jos Road got a tip-off about the robbery gang and engaged them in a battle at about 10 a.m. in front of the bank.

He said the robbers drove in two vehicles  a Toyota Lexus Jeep with registration number EKY 282 DP and Toyota Corolla car marked FST 411 FH.

Mr Idirisu said that one of the suspects was arrested, two died while receiving treatment at the Dalhatu Araf Hospital in Lafia, while one escaped with bullet wound. (NAN)
Senators on Wednesday expressed divergent views on the crisis in Kaduna State with some of them blaming the governor.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has since the latest outbreak of violence last week, met with various stakeholders and interest groups in a bid to ensure peace in the state. The governor has also held meetings with security chiefs and has declared a curfew in the areas affected by the violence which has caused at least 77 deaths.

Some senators, however, appear unimpressed with the govenrors actions and accuse him of not doing enough.

The Kaduna South senator, Danjuma Laah, accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai of being the architect of the recent crisis in the state.

Mr Laah, a known critic of Mr El-Rufai, said the governor did not take necessary measures to curb the crisis which has left at least 77 people dead in various parts of the state within one week.

The lawmaker was reacting to a motion by his Kaduna North colleague, Suleiman Hunkuyi, who brought the issue to the notice of the Senate.

Mr Hunkuyi specifically noted that some hoodlums were taking advantage of the curfew imposed on parts of the state.

The Senate is worried that locking people in what has been provided by the curfew within their homes and their immediate hamlets, other vices have continued to happen uncontrolled and unabated.

Mr President, this shows that the curfew might have in its own precinct been able to control situations that may be unwarranted but at the same time might have created openings for hoodlums around town to go about killing people unnecessarily.

Among other prayers, he asked the Senate to secure the release of Maiwada Galadima, the paramount ruler of Agom Adara, who was abducted.

Contributing, an obviously angry Mr Laah blamed Mr El-Rufai for the crisis, saying the governor did not discharge his responsibility to satisfaction.

He said, In the first place, I noticed that the governor is out of town. Was he supposed to leave without leaving responsibility to the deputy? What for? We are all human beings. You should look at people like they dont know what they are doing. We are all human beings, I dont differentiate. I want things to be done in the rightful way.

All these happenings in Kaduna State is caused by the Governor of Kaduna State because he is not putting all the necessary measures in place. The responsibility, he leaves them all. It is not compulsory to vote somebody. I can vote somebody if I want and he is not working, he should leave there.

We are observing and always watching why is he still asking the federal government to give him money? Is he the only governor who has damages. He is looking for the money that he would be giving out. If you dont have time for the human begins. We cannot allow that to remain.

Mr Laah was supported by Nasarawa North senator, Aruwa Gyunka, who insinuated the governor was aware of impending crisis before travelling.

Coming down to Kaduna, the governor is not supposed to travel without taking permission. He is not supposed to travel without letting the House of Assembly know that he is travelling, yet he travelled.

This is a calculated attempt, probably he perceived something and that is why he travelled and he quickly ran out. When he came in what has he done. These are issues we need to ask and Nigerians need to know.

Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, urged the federal government to assist victims of the crisis with aid materials.

This senate should come out strongly with a condemnation of this violence and also insist on the need for people to stand up to this occasion. I will use this opportunity to call on the federal government to intervene in terms of aids to assist those who fell victim to this crisis, he said.

Adopting the prayers, the lawmakers resolved to pay a special condolence visit to the affected communities while calling on Kaduna State and federal governments to quicken the process on the release of the paramount ruler, Mr Galadima.

The senators also urged relevant security agencies to investigate the causes of the incident with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice as well as providing permanent measure for stopping such from happening in future.

In his comment, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, proposed a special sitting of the Senate to look into the recent security challenges.

I will suggest that we pick a date in the next sitting to really discuss and ask ourselves why this is happening. Contribution of most people is that majority cause of this is the fact that people have not been called to sanction. We need to find a day where well review the security situation, he said.

His suggestion however was objected to by Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, who suggested the lawmakers engage the executive on resolutions passed in the past.

The lawmakers resolved to assign chairmen of relevant committees to have a session with the executive.
The Kaduna State Government has reviewed hours of the curfew it imposed on Kaduna and environs in the wake of a communal conflict on Saturday.

A statement on Wednesday by Samuel Aruwan, Governor Nasir El-Rufais spokesperson, stated that the curfew will from Thursday run from dusk to dawn.

Effective tomorrow, Thursday, 25th October 2018, residents of Kaduna are free to pursue their legitimate business from 6 a.m to 5pm. Dusk to dawn curfew will be enforced from 5 p.m to 6a.m daily, until further notice.

The Kaduna State Government took the decision to review the curfew hours following a meeting today of a select committee of the State Security Council.

The heads of the security agencies reported significant progress in restoring calm and commended residents for the peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves during the four-hour relaxation of the curfew in parts of Kaduna yesterday.

The government is grateful to our citizens for their cooperation while withstanding the unintended inconvenience.

Government expects normal banking and other services to resume, and markets to open as normal as from tomorrow. The security agencies will remain vigilant and continue to protect residents. Intensive surveillance of known pockets of potential trouble is also continuing, by troops on the ground and by helicopter patrols.

It is obligatory on residents to scrupulously observe the night-time curfew hours, to keep the peace and to cooperate with the security agencies to keep our state safe. Community leaders are enjoined to ensure that hoodlums and other potential threats to peace are promptly reported to the security agencies.

Government therefore urges all residents to report any suspicious activity to the security agencies and to refrain from spreading rumours and unverified information. The Security Council advises that there will be no hesitation to reimpose a 24-hour curfew in the event of any breach of the peace.
The Kano State Government has approved the sum N900 million for the execution of various projects in the state.

The state Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba, disclosed this in Kano on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council Meeting.

Mr Garba said the council approved N17.4 million for the provision of relief materials for victims of windstorm and flood in Dawanau and Fullatan village in Dawakin- Tofa and Tudun-Wada local government areas.

He said the council also approved N13.8 million for the conduct of 2017/18 mass livestock vaccination exercise in the state.

Mr Garba said more than N7.8 million was also approved for the provision of assistance to victims of fire disaster in Wambai Market and other fire victims across the state.

He added that N142 million was approved for the reconstruction and renovation of Secondary School and central Mosque in Takai local government area, while the reconstruction of Batawa road in Nasarawa local government area got N184 million.

The council also approved release of N184 million for the construction of civic center and Ajassa link road in Kano metropolis.

N42.5 million for the completion of health clinic at former NAMA site in Sharada in Kano Metropolis, he said.

Mr Garba said the council also approved the sum of N19 million for the conduct of Tuberculosis and leprosy control in Kano state.

The commissioner said that N21 million for the procurement of blanket, macintosh and pillows for secondary healthcare facilities in the state was also approved.

Mr Garba expressed governments determination to develop infrastructure in the state as part of the initiative to improve the welfare of the people.

(NAN)
That's why the piecemeal efforts of our government, as admirable as some of them have been, will be insufficient. While it's great that some of our agencies are capable of putting their names on a joint press release, what we really need is a broad strategy that encompasses all the relevant bureaucracies  with one of them clearly in charge. In Sweden, that is the MSB (the Civil Contingencies Agency), which coordinates all corresponding government activities. The natural equivalent in the United States would be the Department of Homeland Security, which has been happy to step up to the clearly defined technical task of improving the security of elections, but has done relatively little to keep the general population attuned to threats.
The senator representing Rivers West district, Osinachukwu Ideozu, has reportedly left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Mr Ideozus defection was announced by the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, shortly before the adjournment of plenary.

I want to congratulate my brother representing Rivers West, Osinachukwu Ideozu for moving from PDP to APC. Congratulations my brother, Mr Lawan said.

Mr Ideozu has, however, not personally announced his defection, neither has any defection letter by him been read on the Senate floor as is the norm.

The defection, when confirmed, means all three senators from the state are now members of the APC. The others are Andrew Uchendu and Magnus Abe. Mr Abe recently denied rumours he was leaving the APC for the PDP.

Rivers State is under the leadership of Governor Nyesom Wike of the PDP.

The defection brings into more doubt the party composition of lawmakers at the Senate.

Since July when 15 senators dumped the APC, the majority composition of the senate has come under contest.

The Senate is currently under the leadership of Bukola Saraki, a member of the PDP, who joined the party from the APC some months ago.
Medical and dental students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), have objected to the resolution of the Association of Provosts Colleges of Medicine (APCOM) to introduce professional training fees for medical and dental students in Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that APCOM, following a meeting held on September 18, approved N75,000.00 for the 200  300 level students and N85,000.00 for 400  600 level students per academic session as professional training fees.

It should be recalled that despite several protests staged by medical students in University of Ibadans college of health sciences, the approved fees was eventually adopted by the schools management in April.

Meanwhile, at a meeting of student representatives and OAU College of health sciences administrators which held on October 17, the Provost, T.K Ijadunola, stated that the N85,000 levy is as a result of the financial challenges battled in federal colleges of medicine, including OAU.

The current training of medical students is bankrolled by alumni, friends and staff of the college and this isnt exclusive to Ife, it is the same in all federal government owned schools. Fatigue is beginning to set in. Its high time students and parents began to have a say in the training by putting their money where their mouth is.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how professional courses like Dentistry, Nursing, Medical Rehabilitation and Law in OAU lost accreditation in the last accreditation exercise by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) for not meeting up with the benchmark slated by the commission.

In text messages, the school informed admission seekers for the 2018/2019 academic year that they will not be given admission into Law, Botany, Dentistry, Nursing and Medical Rehabilitation as JAMB had also advised due to accreditation issues.

Sixteen dental chairs were donated by Dr. Alaba Fawole. The college used N6.5 million to clear it; the university gave just 2.5 million. The college had to source the N4 million balance.

External examiners are owed because the cost run into tens of millions, while the entire university budget for external examiners is N1, 000,000. Staff raised money for microscope, were the instances cited by Mr Fatusi, at the meeting.

Another lecturer from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, S. B. Aregbesola, said the college will set up a committee to source for funds for indigent students who are already in the system but cannot afford the fees.

The college will set up a committee to determine their indigence and subsequently source funds to pay for them but everyone will have to pay, whether personally or catered for by the college.

In the last administration, dentistry had Zero naira for accreditation from school, some lecturers gave up to 2 million naira of their personal money towards it. Dentistry is the most expensive training in the college today, yet dental students pay just N33,000, he added.

Students Reject Move

The colleges provost directed all the student leaders of the various schools under the aegis of the college of health sciences, to meet with other students, to decide on the proposed levy.

Weve started in a very democratic manner, so that no one will raise an eye brow at whatever decision we arrive at. We are not increasing school fees but we want you to be a stakeholder in your training by part funding through professional training fees, Mr Fatusi stated.

After series of meetings held by nursing, medical and dental students, our correspondent learnt that the students, in the different meetings, rejected the levy and charged their leaders to go back for better negotiations with the college administrators.

They stated that efforts should be directed towards the government and not students who cant afford to buy books.

Payment should not be made, rather, we should go back to the negotiation table and discuss again, a nursing student, who asked not to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES.

According to Adeoba Oluwafemi from dentistry, most students in attendance said a NO to the introduction of the professional fee, stating they wont see the effect of the money they are being asked to pay.

A few suggested that the meeting should not be between the provost and the student or student leaders, rather, the meeting should be between the provost/college and the parents/guardians of the students, knowing fully well that its the parent who is paying the school fee, not the students.

In a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES, the president of the OAU Medical Students Association, Agbaje Tosin, explained that the medical students were totally against the proposed fee.

The students will eventually have to pay for the professional training fees but the amount is not known yet, although 85k is the benchmark stated by the lrovost in the meeting.

Reacting to the strategic hike, the Alliance of Nigerian Students against neo liberal Attacks (ANSA) commended the resolution of the college students against the proposed increments.

We see the increment as another means to extort the students and poor parents for a problem they have not created. The health sciences college, the students and university administration should direct the problem to the federal government who is solely responsible for the establishment and funding, Gbenga Oloniniran, OAUs ANSA secretary, told our correspondent.

ANSA will not hesitate to join the students in resisting increments in fees at any level, as it remains unjustifiable, as usual.

When quizzed on the plans to introduce professional training levy on Thursday, the universitys spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said he was not aware of the fee and that nothing of such had been communicated to the university management.
Amid the agitation by Ondo workers for the payment of their leave bonuses, the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has denied receiving the last tranche of the Paris Club refunds.

The workers alleged that the state governor received the funds and refused to declare it for the payment of workers emoluments.

They threatened to embark on an industrial action if the state government refused to settle several years of leave bonuses and salary arrears.

They alleged the funds had been released and that the state government had placed the cash in a fixed deposit at the bank.

But Mr Akeredolu, in his remarks at the World Food Day celebration held on Tuesday at the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, dared the workers to drag him before the anti-graft agency if they have any evidence that he had received and fixed the Paris Club refunds in a bank.

He said his administration would give priority to the welfare of the workers in the state, and other sectors.

According to Mr Akeredolu, he was not owing salaries. He said the workers had been paid up to date.

We are not owing any worker since I assumed office, I have been paying their salaries as at when due, even the eight months owned by the last administration, I have paid part of it, he said.

We will also pay their leave bonus. Everybody will get his or her leave bonus before the end of this week.

It has been rumoured that I have fixed the Paris Club refund, it is not true, no governor can fix that money, we have not received that money.

I challenge anybody to tell the world the bank in which we have fixed the money.

We need to take care of other people in the state because we are working for all the people of the state and there is need to develop the state in terms of roads and other infrastructural development.

We cannot expend all the money accrued to the state to pay salaries of workers. We cannot do more than our capacity because we have other things to attend to.

The governor also said his administration would continue to create an enabling environment to boost agricultural production in the state and also to encourage the youth to be involved in agriculture.
A 49-year-old man, Hassan Mohammed, on Wednesday pleaded guilty before a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court for unlawful possession of 1.3 kilogrammes of cocaine.

Mr Mohammed was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) hiding the drugs inside his sandals during a trip to Saudi Arabia.

The agency arraigned him before Chuka Obiozor, a federal judge, where he pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to the NDLEA, Mr Mohammed was arrested at the Lagos airport on May 20 at about 10.25 a.m. during an outward screening of passengers from Egypt Airways via Cairo.

J.I Igumbor, counsel to the NDLEA, told the court that the operatives of the agency discovered the banned drugs in a pair of sandal worn by the accused.

The offences according to the NDLEA prosecutor are contrary to and punishable under sections 11(b) and 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Lagos of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Following his guilty plea, Mr. Igumbor asked the court for a date to review the facts of the matter and subsequent sentencing of the accused.

Lilian Omotunde, counsel to the accused, did not oppose the prosecutors request.

The judge adjourned the matter till November 22 for review of the facts of the case against the accused and possible judgment, and ordered that he should be remanded in prison.

The two-count charge against the accused include:

Count One: That you, Hassan Mohammed Taiwo, Male, 49 years, on or about the 20th day of May, 2018 at about 10.25hours, during the outward clearance of passengers from Egypt Airways to Saudi Arabia; via Cairo, at the Screening 11 G Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did export 1.300 kilogrammes of Cocaine, a narcotic drug, concealed Inside sandal slippers belonging to you, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Lagos of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Two: That you, Hassan Mohammed Taiwo, Male, 49 years, on or about the 20 day of May, 2018 at about 1025hours, during the outward clearance of passengers from Egypt Airways to Saudi Arabia; via Cairo, at the Screening 11 G Wing of MurtaIa Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction 0! this Honourable Court, was found In possession of 1.300 kilogrammes of Cocaine, a narcotic drug, concealed Inside sandal slippers belonging to you, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Some female members of the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday staged a protest at the governors office against the emergence of Dapo Abiodun as the partys governorship candidate in 2019.

The protesters, who carried various placards said they rather support Adekunle Akinlade, who is the choice of the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun. Mr Akinlade is from Ogun West Senatorial District.

The protesters were led by Chairman of Ilugun Local Council Development Authority, Mofoluke Soremekun, and other women leaders from the three senatorial districts.

The protesters, who disrupted vehicular movement, gave the partys National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, up till Friday this week, to address their grievances, threatening to strip themselves at the partys headquarters if their demands were not met.

A woman leader, who addressed the crowd, Shade Giwa accused the partys NWC of announcing an aspirant that is not popular as the party governorship candidate.

She said Mr Abiodun was nowhere to be found during the primary election the party held across the state on October 2.

On October 2nd, we voted for AbdulKabir Akinlade during the primary election and he emerged as the winner. But the electoral committee announced Dapo Abiodun as the winner, who was nowhere to be found during the election.

The electoral committee should be warned. Adams Oshiomole, should be warned, He should release our mandate, we give him till Friday to announce the result or else, by Saturday, we will meet at Abuja.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor, Yetunde Onanuga while addressing the protesters said she would follow them to occupy Abuja when it was time.

She applauded the women for leaving their homes to defend their right.

I have seen the reason you came here in support of Honourable Abdulkabir Akinlade. For the past weeks, they have been helping us in Abuja and they will continue to help us. Let us exercise patience, when it is time for us to go to Abuja, Ill personally follow you to Abuja. I implore you all that by Gods Grace, our mandate to Abdulkabir Akinlade will not be in vain, she said.

Mr Amosun is one of the APC state governors currently aggrieved at the outcome of the controversial primaries held by the ruling party across the country. Mr Amosuns annointed candidate lost out in the exercise.

The governors recently visited President Muhammadu Buhari to register their grievances and seek his intervention. Some of them are believed to be plotting the removal of Adams Oshiomhole as APC chairman.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has denied having an extramarital affair with one Elizabeth Odunlami as being rumoured on social media.

PREMIUM TIMES recently reported the royal fathers latest bride, Shilekunola Naomi, an Akure-based evangelist which was announced on Friday. The monarch was separated from his ex- wife, Olori Wuraola, 14 months ago.

In the aftermath of the latest royal wedding, Ms Odunlami, who took to Facebook on Monday, said the king promised her marriage and allegedly used her name for business transactions that ran into millions of dollars.

According to her, she would not have shared on Facebook but the humiliation was too much to bear.

Kabiyesi Enitan Ogunwusi, Im thanking you for the disappointment after using my biological name to execute your contract from Mr John in California.

As a matter of fact, you promised to make me your next queen before Naomi. Whenever I asked you if you have someone, you are always in denial, she said.

However, in a statement signed by the palaces director, media & public affairs, Moses Olafare, sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the monarch denied the allegations.

While we sympathise with Miss Elizabeth Odunlami (if the identity is real) who obviously has become a victim of a fraudlent act perpetrated by a scammer disguising to be Ooni Ogunwusi, we find it pertinent to debunk this sacrilegious and unfounded allegation which is not unlikely to be another calculated ploy adopted by some unprovoked detractors using psseudo-identities, the release said.

It warned the public to ignore anyone presenting himself as the royal father in order to perpetrate evil.

Good members of the public especially ladies are hereby cautioned against communicating with anyone presenting himself to be the Ooni Ogunwusi and swiftly report such a matter or person to the relevant security agencies.

Meanwhile, Ms Odunlami has since deleted the post from her Facebook timeline as at Wednesday evening.
Bush won, but if his nomination of Clarence Thomas to the court didn't warn her that her world was changing, the ever more aggressive burdens on abortion rights should have warned her. In 1992, the state of Pennsylvania had passed a law requiring women seeking abortions to wait 24 hours, minors to get parental or judicial consent, extensive records to be kept about the women seeking help, and wives to notify their husbands first. O'Connor, along with Justices Anthony Kennedy and David Souter, provided the crucial votes to preserve the shell of Roe v. Wade and approve the Pennsylvania law, except for the requirement that married women check in with hubby first. (In the saga of that lawsuit, only one judge who encountered it thought that having to tell your husband was not a big burden: Justice Samuel Alito Jr., then on the Court of Appeals.) So even after 1992, married women like O'Connor were still OK too.
What these dishonest mailers dont mention is McCanns own voting record in the Senate. Hes running under a conservative banner  yet he votes in lockstep with the states largest public employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. McCann has voted against every version of cost-saving pension reform except one, making his record one of the most liberal in the General Assembly. He voted against streamlining government. He voted against allowing voters to consolidate layers of government.
In another two-person contest, the Green Partys Geoffrey Cubbage also is an excellent candidate who would do the MWRD proud. Hes done exceptional homework to master this agencys operations. He understands the science of lead and other contaminants in drinking water. And hes right to say that taxpayers should be getting better results and fewer scandals for their billion-plus dollars each year. Cubbage, though, has the misfortune to be up against one of the most qualified candidates ever to seek office at this agency. Cameron Cam Davis led Great Lakes restoration efforts for the Obama administration. Davis was a litigation attorney for the National Wildlife Federation and headed the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes. In the March primary, 54,000 of Davis fellow Democrats wrote in his name to nominate him for the general election. Davis is endorsed.
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.




IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AGTools, Inc. has combined its extensive agriculture industry experience and knowledge to create and launch a brand-new online tool enabling the agriculture industry to improve decision making, reduce waste, and increase revenue. The tool is the first of its kind in the agriculture industry designed to help farmers by providing hard data in real time to food supply chain stakeholders, helping to improve their bottom line.

The agriculture industry is fast-paced and farmers work long days. Any one of a series of variables can cause drastic swings in farm profit. This includes market crop pricing, energy pricing, climate changes, currency swings and much more. AGTools brings change to this vital industry, with an objective of bringing the data in a practical, effective manner directly to the farmer and all members of the food supply chain to allow them to make better, more profitable decisions.

Lack of real-time data impacts the agriculture industry and is part of the cause of over $74 billion dollars of food waste per year in the USA and over $350 billion worldwide from harvest to distribution centers. AGTools provides real-time algorithm data by gathering and mining of over 513 commodities of fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and ornamentals to reduce waste and increase profitability. The new, user friendly online tool helps those in the industry to better determine when to plant, harvest, ship, and buy to increase their ROI.

The AGTools team brings many years of first-hand industry experience to the creation of this new technology. The management team at AGTools consists of 12 highly-qualified individuals from different areas of the world. Each team member has a unique agriculture background bringing diverse skills. That input has helped to further develop and advance AGTools to be a well-rounded platform for anyone working in the industry starting with farmers and all supply chain stakeholders.

AGTools offers over 40 million real-time and historical records. It is powered by weather.com, a division of IBM, and provides information from over 125,000 weather stations across the USA.

About AGTools, Inc.:

AGTools, Inc. (www.Ag.Tools) provides web-based solutions to help growers, processors, and distributors be more profitable throughout the food supply chain. Winner of the Microsoft Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence award, AGTools is a customizable solution that is designed to provide information in real time. The data provided by AGTools is critical to decision making pre-, during and post-harvest season, based on present and/or historical market status. AGTools' commitment is to help customers  growers, packers, shippers, exporters and importers worldwide  get a better value for their crops by maintaining excellent quality and reducing losses. AGTools is backed by a number of minority-certified companies and is actively pursuing minority certification itself.

About the Team:

The backbone of AGTools is a team of ag professionals and technology visionaries who are experts in the many issues farmers face. Those issues include food compliance, logistics management, fair shipment settlements, traceability, packaging and labeling requirements, and many other subjects that are vital to food production. For almost ten years, the AGTools team has worked in agriculture production, packing houses, and distribution and has used this vital experience to build a real-time ag data tool to help stakeholders throughout the food system to be more profitable.

To learn more about the company, visit: www.AGTechTools.com

To Register for a Free Trial, visit: www.AGTechTools.com

SOURCE AGTools, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.agtechtools.com


UNIONDALE, N.Y., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR), a real estate investment trust and national direct lender specializing in loan origination and servicing for multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, and other diverse commercial real estate assets, recently closed three single-family rental portfolio deals totaling $66.4M, spanning nine states under the Freddie Mac Single-Family Rental pilot.

"Arbor is firmly committed to the single-family rental market as it provides much-needed affordable housing to our nation's workforce," said Ivan Kaufman, Chairman, President & CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. "With more than half of the rental housing in the United States being comprised of single-family rentals, this is quickly becoming a recognized source of affordable housing for families throughout the country."

"These transactions continue Freddie Mac's Affordable Single-Family Rental pilot, providing low-income families in nine states with safe, decent and affordable housing," said David Leopold vice president, Targeted Affordable Sales & Investments at Freddie Mac Multifamily. "We were pleased to work with Arbor on this important transaction even as we prepare to sunset our pilot. Arbor's national reach allowed us to provide more than 1,300 low-income families with quality rental housing in locations ranging from the Southeast to the Midwest and all the way up to New England."

The transactions included:

Reven SFR Portfolio, an 824-unit portfolio located in Jacksonville, FL ; Memphis, TN ; Atlanta, GA ; Birmingham, AL ; and Houston, TX , received a $51.3M refinancing under the Freddie Mac Single-Family Rental pilot. The transaction provides a 7-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization schedule. 97% or 799 residential units are affordable for low-income families earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 100% are affordable to families earning 100 percent of AMI. Jason Scott of Arbor's Atlanta office originated the loan.





; ; ; ; and , received a refinancing under the Freddie Mac Single-Family Rental pilot. The transaction provides a 7-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization schedule. 97% or 799 residential units are affordable for low-income families earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 100% are affordable to families earning 100 percent of AMI. of office originated the loan. PK Portfolio, a 415-unit, single-family rental portfolio located in Indiana , Michigan and Ohio , received $6.7M in financing under the Freddie Mac Single-Family Rental pilot. The transaction provides a 5-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization schedule. 100% or 415 units are affordable for low-income families earning at or below 80% of AMI and 100% are affordable to families earning 100 percent of AMI. Ari Short of Arbor's New York City office originated the loan.





, and , received in financing under the Freddie Mac Single-Family Rental pilot. The transaction provides a 5-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization schedule. 100% or 415 units are affordable for low-income families earning at or below 80% of AMI and 100% are affordable to families earning 100 percent of AMI. of office originated the loan. Netz ADD SFR Portfolio, a 115-unit portfolio located in New Haven, CT , received an $8.4M refinancing under the Freddie Mac Single-Family Rental pilot. The transaction provides a 10-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization schedule. 97% or 112 residential units are affordable for low-income families earning at or below 80% of AMI and 100% are affordable to families earning 100 percent of AMI. Robert Mendeles of Arbor's Englewood Cliffs, NJ , office, originated the loan.

Arbor and its predecessor companies have more than 30 years of experience in both multifamily and residential financing.

About Us

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR) is a nationwide real estate investment trust and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare and other diverse commercial real estate assets. Headquartered in Uniondale, New York, Arbor manages a multibillion-dollar servicing portfolio, specializing in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other government-sponsored enterprises, as well as CMBS, bridge, mezzanine and preferred equity lending. Rated by Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings, Arbor is committed to building on its reputation for service, quality and flexibility and dedicated to providing our clients excellence over the entire life of a loan.

Contact: Bina Handa

Tel: 516.506.4229

[email protected]

SOURCE Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.arbor.com


ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today launched its initiative to collect and warehouse anonymized electronic logging device data. With universal deployment of electronic logging devices (ELDs), the industry now has a new opportunity to document and address the many issues that impact driver and carrier safety, operations, and productivity using the more robust data available from ELDs.

"The new data generated by ELDs can provide a wealth of insight and research support to our industry," said Andrew Boyle, Co-President of Boyle Transportation and ATRI Board Member. "But we clearly need a trusted third-party facilitator to manage and monitor how the information is used. ATRI is uniquely suited to serve that role. In the right context, ELDs can provide the real-world data needed to guide future regulations and initiatives."

A number of trucking fleets have already shared their ELD data with ATRI to evaluate its potential for a number of critical industry analyses and ATRI is now looking for an expanded group of motor carriers who are willing to regularly provide anonymized ELD data to ATRI for the industry clearinghouse. Through the collection of anonymous, aggregated ELD data, ATRI hopes to support solid, thorough and scientifically valid analyses to address major industry problems.

To learn more about how your fleet can support this effort please click here to provide a contact person for your organization. ATRI will be scheduling a webinar for interested fleets in November to provide additional detail on what will be required to participate in the clearinghouse.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501c3 not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute
Black Knight's First Look: Seasonal, Calendar and Hurricane-Related Pressures Result in Largest Single-Month Mortgage Delinquency Increase in Nearly a Decade

-- Mortgage delinquencies rose more than 13 percent in September, the largest single-month rise since November 2008

-- 16 of the last 19 Septembers have seen delinquencies increase, averaging a 5.2 percent rise over that time frame, the largest of any month during the calendar year

-- September 2018 also ended on a Sunday, which typically creates strong upward pressure on delinquencies

-- Hurricane Florence-related delinquencies spiked 38 percent month-over-month, with more than 6,000 borrowers already missing a payment as a direct result of the storm

-- Foreclosure starts posted a double-digit monthly decline, hitting a nearly 18-year low at just 40,000 for the month

-- Both the inventory of loans in active foreclosure and the foreclosure rate have now fallen below their pre-recession averages for the first time since the financial crisis

-- In the face of rising interest rates and affordability pressures, monthly prepayment activity -- now primarily driven by housing turnover -- fell by nearly 25 percent from August
CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and its member companies remain committed in their efforts to encourage all Americans to safely dispose of unused and expired prescription medicines as part of the 16th U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 27, 2018.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies have helped to expand access to safe medication disposal kiosks and drop boxes through partnerships with Walgreens and local law enforcement. To date, there are close to 1,600 safe medication disposal kiosk and drop box locations throughout the country, and they have collected  and safely disposed of  more than 400 tons of unused, unwanted or expired medications at no cost.

"We are proud to play an important role in removing unused and potentially dangerous prescription drugs from medicine cabinets across the country," said Scott Serota, president and CEO of BCBSA. "As a national association representing more than 106 million members in all 50 states, we have a responsibility to keep our communities healthy and safe. One way we can do that is to encourage our members and all Americans to safely dispose of unused medications year-round and during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day."

The safe medication disposal programs were created to expand the ease and convenience of year-round medication disposal  including opioids and other controlled substances  while helping to reduce the misuse of medications and reduce overdose deaths.

While opioid use disorder continues to impact thousands of Americans, including more than 241,000 BCBS members across the nation, progress has been made to reduce the dose and duration of opioid use. According to a recent Blue Cross Blue Shield Health of America Report titled "The Opioid Epidemic in America: An Update," opioid prescriptions filled by BCBS members dropped by 29 percent in 2017 compared to 2013, and BCBS members who filled at least one opioid prescription in a year decreased by 25 percent.

According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

The last Take Back Day in April 2018 brought in almost one million pounds (474.5 tons) of unused or expired prescription medications, which brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 9,964,714 pounds, or 4,982 tons.

For additional information regarding how BCBSA is addressing drug misuse, please visit www.bcbs.com. To participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, please visit https://takebackday.dea.gov/ to find a drop-off location close to you.



About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Indexsm . For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com . We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook , check out our videos on YouTube , and follow us on Twitter .

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Related Links

http://www.bcbs.com


SEATTLE, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Nile, Inc. the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry, announced today the unveiling of a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility for its Diamond and Jewelry Consultants, continuing the brand's commitment to providing the industry's most advanced service. At the fore-front of innovation, the facility was designed to increase productivity and continue the award-winning customer service that defines the brand.

"At the core of the Blue Nile business is creating real relationships with our customers by providing guidance during one of their most important and intimate purchases," said Sarah Gauthier, Blue Nile Senior Director of Customer Experience. "The opening of our new facility will provide our talented consultants the resources necessary to deliver exceptional service and further establish the brand as a leader in the industry."

The opening of the facility allows the brand to put the customer first through the following:

Evolution in education  Education has always been at the core of the brand and now, updated classrooms will be used for the brand's three-week training program focusing on policy, processes and product knowledge. Each Diamond and Jewelry consultant must complete two weeks of classwork in the new space, followed by a week of training with a certified specialist. Education is on-going at Blue Nile, with consistent Gemological Institute of America (GIA) courses.

Education has always been at the core of the brand and now, updated classrooms will be used for the brand's three-week training program focusing on policy, processes and product knowledge. Each Diamond and Jewelry consultant must complete two weeks of classwork in the new space, followed by a week of training with a certified specialist. Education is on-going at Blue Nile, with consistent Gemological Institute of America (GIA) courses. Personal touch  Diamond and Jewelry Consultants work on a non-commission base to ensure the focus is on providing the facts before customers make an emotional and financial investment on luxury jewelry. For a more personal conversation, the facility was acoustically designed with noise absorbing desks and modified ceilings to keep sound at a minimum and ensure that customers only hear the representative.

Diamond and Jewelry Consultants work on a non-commission base to ensure the focus is on providing the facts before customers make an emotional and financial investment on luxury jewelry. For a more personal conversation, the facility was acoustically designed with noise absorbing desks and modified ceilings to keep sound at a minimum and ensure that customers only hear the representative. The art of 24/7 service  A trained professional is available to customers 24/7 by phone, email or live chat. Valuing the employee, the facility features mobile desks, ergonomically designed furniture, specialty food trucks, a fitness center, Zen meditation areas and nursing rooms for new mothers to help guarantee efficient and productive customer care.

While most companies are taking their customer service overseas, Blue Nile has invested in a larger and more innovative facility in Washington. As a pioneer in the industry for almost 20 years, the brand offers an unrivaled shopping experience that includes free and secure shipping, insurance, free returns, complimentary gift packaging, price guarantees, product warranties, diamond upgrade programs and the most extensive collection of the world's finest diamonds and jewelry.

To check out the latest news on the brand and the shop the collection, please visit www.bluenile.com, or head over to @bluenilediamond on social media.

About Blue Nile, Inc.

Blue Nile, Inc. is the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry. The company offers a superior experience for purchasing engagement rings, wedding rings, and fine jewelry by providing expert guidance, in-depth educational materials, and unique online tools that place consumers in control of the jewelry shopping process. Blue Nile has some of the highest quality standards in the industry and offers thousands of independently-certified diamonds and fine jewelry at prices significantly below traditional retail. Blue Nile can be found online at www.bluenile.com and in its physical Webrooms in Salem, New Hampshire, Long Island, New York, White Plains, New York, Portland, Oregon, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Bellevue, Washington.

SOURCE Blue Nile, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.bluenile.com


MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bright Health announced details of its market expansion into three key markets in Tennessee where it will offer Individual and Family Plans (IFP) and Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug coverage (MAPD) plans through new partnerships with three leading health systems. Bright Health filed paperwork with the federal government to begin offering both IFP and MAPD plans in Tennessee during this fall's annual open enrollment period.

Bright Health will be offering individual health plans to residents of the greater Memphis and Knoxville metropolitan areas, and both individual plans and Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug coverage plans to residents of the Nashville area. In each region, Bright Health has teamed up with a single Care Partner per market to give members access to more affordable, top-quality healthcarein Memphis, the partnership is with Baptist Memorial Health Care, who has been providing care across the Mid-South for more than 100 years; in the Knoxville area, they've partnered with The University of Tennessee Medical Center, which includes the city's top-rated hospital for the past six years; and in Nashville, it's with TriStar Health, the region's largest and most comprehensive health system in the Middle Tennessee market.

"Bright Health is committed to expanding access to the growing number of people in need of individual health plans and quality healthcare  both in Tennessee and across the country," said Bob Sheehy, Bright Health's co-founder and chief executive officer. "Baptist Memorial, TriStar and The University of Tennessee Medical Center have each demonstrated a unique ability to provide superior, personalized care to millions of patients each year, and we are thrilled to partner with them to meet the healthcare needs of hardworking Tennesseans."

Regarded as one of the premier health care systems in the nation, Baptist Memorial Health Care and the Baptist Health Services Group comprise an award-winning network, dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care for patients. Bright Health members will have access to Baptist Memorial providers and hospitals in Memphis and the surrounding areas, including Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children's Hospital and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphisa major referral center for patients from across the Mid-South.

TriStar Health is middle-Tennessee's largest, most comprehensive provider, offering unparalleled access to quality healthcare to surrounding communities. Treating over 625,000 patients a year, TriStar Health's network includes 10 hospitals, nearly 60 medical group offices, 13 Care Now Urgent Care Centers, and The Children's Hospital at TriStar Centennial.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center provides superior care, treatment, and healthcare support for residents of East Tennessee. The medical center's network includes Knoxville's top-rated hospital, as well as six centers of excellence, two regional health centers, four urgent care locations, numerous outpatient health facilities and primary care practices, and more than 1,000 additional physicians through their affiliation with the University Physicians' Association.

"Over the past decade, we have been witnessing an evolving healthcare delivery landscape, marked by consolidation of small, independent providers into large, comprehensive health systems," said Sheehy. "Our Care Partner Health Plans are built to highlight the strengths of leading health systems like Baptist Memorial, TriStar and The University of Tennessee Medical Center with integrated care across specialties and predictable out-of-pocket spending. This Care Partner Health Plan eliminates the friction that has existed between providers and insurers in the past, allowing Tennesseans to focus on what really matters  their health."

Bright Health has filed with the Tennessee Department of Insurance to begin offering Individual and Family Plans and has received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") for its Tennessee Medicare Advantage plans. Starting with the 2019 plan year, both the individual and the Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage plans will be available to Tennessee residents in qualifying counties via the website, BrightHealthplan.com, call center, broker partners and the HealthCare.gov website. The open enrollment period began October 15th for Medicare and for individual health plans, it will begin November 1st.

About Bright Health

Bright Health provides affordable health insurance for everyday individuals. Through its exclusive Care Partnerships in local communities, Bright Health is reshaping how people and providers achieve better health together by making healthcare simpler, more affordable and personal. Bright Health currently offers a range of individual, family and Medicare Advantage plans in Arizona, Colorado and Alabama via its website, call center, broker partners and through government websites as well as public health insurance exchanges. Bright Health co-founders include Bob Sheehy, former CEO of UnitedHealthcare; Kyle Rolfing, co-founder and former CEO of Definity Health and RedBrick Health; and Tom Valdivia, MD, MS, former chief health consumer officer of Definity Health. Learn more at BrightHealthPlan.com.

About Baptist Memorial Health Care

One of the country's largest not-for-profit health care systems, Baptist Memorial Health Care offers a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. The Baptist system, which consistently ranks among the top integrated health care networks in the nation, comprises 21 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, Mississippi and East Arkansas; more than 5,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 750 providers; home, hospice and psychiatric care; minor medical centers and clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences. The Baptist system employs more than 18,000 people, and in fiscal year 2015, contributed $313 million in community benefit to areas it serves. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org.

About TriStar Health

TriStar Health is the largest, most comprehensive healthcare provider in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, supporting over 625,000 patients and nearly 460,000 emergency room visits annually. TriStar Health comprises 10 hospitals, 14 emergency rooms, 21 imaging locations, 13 CareNow Urgent Care centers, 58 TriStar Medical Group provider office locations and related care areas conveniently located in communities around the region. Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at TriStar Health, part of HCA's global network of cancer experts, offers a full range of services for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as comprehensive rehabilitation. Additional specialty care includes pediatric services provided through The Children's Hospital at TriStar Centennial, advanced cardiology services provided through TriStar Centennial Heart & Vascular Center, and behavioral health services provided through TriStar Centennial Parthenon Pavilion and TriStar Skyline Madison Campus. Services are supported by over 1,600 physicians and nearly 10,200 employees  including more than 4,000 nurses - who, above all else, are committed to the care and improvement of human life. TriStar Health is an affiliate of HCA, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services. Learn more at TriStarHealth.com .

About The University of Tennessee Medical Center

The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the region's only hospital to achieve status as a Magnet recognized organization, is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UT Medical Center, a 625-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region's only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about The University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.

SOURCE Bright Health

Related Links

http://BrightHealthPlan.com


CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightStar Care, the nation's leading in-home care franchise, today announced a key addition to its senior leadership team. In an effort to continue to drive nationwide expansion, Pete First joins the BrightStar Care executive team as the new Vice President of Franchise Development.

With extensive experience in the franchise industry, coupled with his goal of expanding the brand to new, untapped markets across the country, First will be primarily responsible for the brand's domestic franchise development. Prior to joining BrightStar Care, First spent 14 years at Winmark Corporation, the franchisor for brands such as Play It Again Sports, Once Upon A Child, Plato's Closet, Style Encore and Music Go Round. During his tenure at Winmark, First awarded dozens of new franchise agreements annually and helped build the system to over 1,200 locations across North America. With his expertise in growing franchise brands, First plans to immediately step in and assist in achieving BrightStar Care's goal to develop the brand through strategic and targeted growth.

"Pete has a rich history in franchising and he is a crucial addition to our Senior Leadership Team as he brings with him decades of experience and knowledge that will be pivotal in driving BrightStar Care's expansion strategy in the years to come," said Shelly Sun, CEO and Founder of BrightStar Care.

In his new position, First's day-to-day responsibilities will include providing leadership, strategy and direction to the franchise sales team in addition to putting systems in place that will improve the overall franchise sales process. First's growth goals include adding successful franchisees to the brand in an effort to rapidly expand to new and currently underserved markets.

"BrightStar Care franchisees and their caregivers make a difference in the lives of their clients every day," said First. "I look forward to working with the BrightStar team to further expand the brand and provide an opportunity for our franchisees to serve new clients across the country."

BrightStar Care offers both medical and non-medical private duty home care services, as well as medical staffing and each BrightStar Care location employs a Registered Nurse Director of Nursing who tailors unique, personalized plans of care for each client and oversees a professional care team of well-qualified, experienced caregivers. The company began franchising in 2005, and has since grown to a $400 million company with more than 330 locations across the U.S. and Canada. For more information about BrightStar Care, please visit www.brightstarcare.com.

About BrightStar Care

Based in Chicago, BrightStar Care is a national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with more than 300 locations which provide medical and non-medical services to clients within their homes, as well as supplemental care staff to corporate clients. BrightStar Care franchise locations across the country employ over 2,500 registered nurses who play a unique role in overseeing the care for each individual client, a service that no other private duty home care provider offers. In addition, BrightStar Care is the only national home care franchise to receive The Joint Commission's Enterprise Champion for Quality award every year since the award's inception. In 2017, the company ranked No. 69 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 list and was included for the tenth consecutive year on Inc. Magazine's prestigious Inc. 5000 list. For more information on BrightStar Care please visit www.brightstarcare.com; to find out more about BrightStar Care Franchising, visit www.franchise.brightstarcare.com.

Media Contact: Julianne Stevenson, Fishman Public Relations, 847-945-1300 or [email protected]

SOURCE BrightStar Care

Related Links

http://www.brightstarcare.com


ZURICH, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) announced today that Joe Vasquez has been named Senior Vice President, Chubb Group and head of the company's global accident and health insurance business. He currently serves as President of ESIS, Inc., the company's third party risk management and claims services affiliate. In his new role, Mr. Vasquez will be responsible for Chubb's $4 billion personal accident and supplemental health insurance business around the world, including the operations of Combined Insurance. The appointment is effective immediately.

Joe Vasquez has been named Senior Vice President, Chubb Group and head of the companys global accident and health insurance business.

Ed Clancy, Executive Vice President, Chubb Group, Global Accident & Health and Life, and a longtime company executive who has led the A&H business since 1999, will retire from the company in March 2019. Mr. Clancy will work closely with Mr. Vasquez on the leadership transition of the business until that time.

Mr. Vasquez will report to Evan G. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO, and John Keogh, Executive Vice Chairman & Chief Operating Officer.

"Ed and I have known and worked closely with each other for much of our over four decades in the insurance industry," said Mr. Greenberg. "Long before Ed joined ACE nearly 20 years ago, we worked together in the U.S. A&H operations of AIG where we developed and honed some of our earliest insurance experience. As Ed's boss, I sent him on his first overseas assignment that launched a long and successful career building A&H and life insurance businesses around the globe. At ACE, Ed became a foundational executive for the company, providing leadership and business acumen to build and grow our A&H business into a global leader that is a cornerstone of the company today. One of the first members of our executive committee, Ed is a trusted colleague and friend who has made invaluable contributions to the growth and success of our company. We wish him and his wife Sally much happiness in his retirement."

"One of Ed's many accomplishments in his career with us is the strong, highly capable team that he built around him, and so he is leaving our A&H business in exceptionally talented hands," continued Mr. Greenberg. "I have known and worked with Joe personally for 20 years and watched him grow his technical and business expertise and leadership as a career A&H executive. I have every confidence that Joe has the experience, drive and management skill to lead the next generation of growth in our A&H business globally."

"With this appointment, Joe, who has been leading the growth of ESIS for three years, will return to the A&H business that he knows so well," said Mr. Keogh. "He is a proven insurance executive with deep experience in all aspects of the business, including underwriting, claims, product development, distribution and marketing. Joe joined the company in 2000 and led our A&H division in North America for 15 years. We're pleased that Joe will be deploying his energy, skills and experience to pursue the tremendous growth potential our personal accident and supplemental health insurance business has around the world."

Effective with this announcement, Russell G. Bundschuh, currently Senior Vice President, Chubb Group and President, Chubb Life, will assume total executive responsibility for the company's international life insurance and life reinsurance businesses and now report to Mr. Greenberg.

Mr. Vasquez has more than 27 years of A&H insurance industry experience. He joined ACE in 2000 to create and lead the company's U.S. Accident & Health business. In 2015, Mr. Vasquez was named President of ESIS, an affiliate of ACE and one of the industry's oldest and largest risk management claims services companies. Prior to joining ACE, Mr. Vasquez served in a senior leadership role in the national Accident & Health Division of Reliance National Insurance Company in New York City from 1991 to 2000. Previously, he held senior A&H underwriting positions with the American International Group (AIG). Mr. Vasquez received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from St. Peter's University located in Jersey City, New Jersey.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.

SOURCE Chubb Limited

Related Links

http://new.chubb.com


OnShift's multi-tenant software-as-a-service platform facilitates scheduling, labor analytics, workforce planning, employee financial wellness, employee engagement, applicant tracking and recruitment management for nearly 5,000 customers, including many of the leading skilled nursing and senior living providers. This investment will be used to expand OnShift's product development in recruitment, workforce and talent management, and accelerate sales and marketing plans. Dan Groen and Paul Huber of Clearlake will join OnShift's board of directors.

"OnShift's award-winning SaaS solutions help post-acute care and senior living providers tackle their critical workforce issues, from recruiting and hiring staff to engaging and retaining them," stated Mark Woodka, CEO of OnShift. "Clearlake is a highly regarded investment firm with significant expertise in software, and this strategic investment will provide OnShift with the support and resources to accelerate our growth strategy through product innovation, market expansion and industry leadership. We are delighted to have the backing of Clearlake, Ziegler LinkAge and Health Velocity Capital and look forward to advancing our success through their combined market knowledge, deep industry relationships, operational expertise and financial partnership."

"We are thrilled to add OnShift to our portfolio of growing, market-leading healthcare software businesses," stated Groen and Huber. "We believe OnShift's strong customer value proposition solving compliance requirements, staff turnover issues and excessive overtime, alongside the company's culture of product innovation, uniquely positions OnShift to be the LTPAC's preferred HCM platform. We look forward to partnering with Mark and the management team in leveraging the Clearlake O.P.S. framework to support OnShift during its next phase of growth."

"OnShift is a leader in the post-acute and aging space and we are delighted to be a partner with the company and management team. The OnShift solution helps solve problems that are real to most of the investors in our fund, so the connection is natural," said John Hopper, Chief Investment Officer of Ziegler LinkAge.

This strategic investment led by Clearlake builds upon the early financial support provided by Draper Triangle Ventures, Early Stage Partners, Fifth Third Capital, Glengary LLC, HLM Venture Partners, Jumpstart Inc., North Coast Venture Fund and West Capital Advisors. KeyBanc Capital Markets served as the financial advisor to OnShift for this financing round.

About OnShift

OnShift delivers cloud-based human capital management software and proactive services to solve everyday workforce challenges in healthcare. Our suite of products for hiring, scheduling and employee engagement drives quality care, lower costs and higher performance by empowering providers to staff consistently and efficiently. Intuitive design, predictive analytics and customer success management are why thousands of post-acute care and senior living organizations rely on OnShift. For more information visit https://www.onshift.com/.

About Clearlake

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a leading private investment firm founded in 2006. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with world-class management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are software and technology-enabled services; industrials and energy; and consumer. Clearlake has managed over $8 billion of institutional capital since inception and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 100 investments. More information is available at www.clearlake.com.

About Ziegler LinkAge

The Ziegler LinkAge Fund II, LP is a limited partnership that seeks to invest in companies who are improving aging and post-acute services in the United States and around the world. The Fund, with $37 million of assets, seeks to invest in growth companies who are able to dramatically improve the healthcare IT or healthcare services landscape for our aging population. The Fund's Limited Partners include many of the most innovative and progressive senior living providers, healthcare systems and strategic service providers in the United States, Canada and Australia. The Fund is a sister fund of the Ziegler LinkAge Longevity Fund, LP, which was formed in 2014. The General Partner of the Fund is a joint venture between Ziegler and LinkAge.

About Health Velocity Capital

Health Velocity Capital invests exclusively in innovative healthcare software and services companies. The firm's partners have more than 50 collective years as investors, entrepreneurs and senior executives helping to build innovative companies that created important new healthcare markets and/or that became market leaders, including companies such as Teladoc, Change Healthcare, US Renal Care, Aperio, Aspire Healthcare, The Advisory Board Company, Tivity Health, Healthways, MDLive, Infusion Express, Spero Health, OnShift, Vantage Oncology, D2Hawkeye, Compassus, iTriage, Contessa Health and many others. In addition to investing on behalf of institutional investors, Health Velocity invests on behalf of a number of our nation's largest and most influential healthcare organizations and many of their top executives who collectively represent organizations that provide health insurance to more than 140 million Americans, operate almost 300 hospitals, provide pharmacy and PBM services to more than 75% of all Americans, and provide software and services to every major hospital in the United States. For more information, please visit www.healthvelocitycapital.com.

Press Contacts

For OnShift:





Marti Bowman

VP Marketing

OnShift, Inc.

[email protected]

216.920.5038





For Clearlake:





Kristin Celauro Jennifer Hurson Owen Blicksilver Public Relations, Inc. Owen Blicksilver Public Relations, Inc. +1 732-433-5200 +1 845-507-0571 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.

Related Links

http://www.clearlake.com


Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older with voter approval in November 2012. Retail sales began in January 2014 in Colorado and in July 2014 in Washington. Oregon voters approved legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014, and sales started in October 2015. Nevada voters approved recreational marijuana in November 2016, and retail sales began in July 2017.

HLDI analysts estimate that the frequency of collision claims per insured vehicle year rose a combined 6 percent following the start of retail sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with the control states of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The combined-state analysis is based on collision loss data from January 2012 through October 2017.

Analysts controlled for differences in the rated driver population, insured vehicle fleet, the mix of urban versus rural exposure, unemployment, weather and seasonality.

Collision claims are the most frequent kind of claims insurers receive. Collision coverage insures against physical damage to a driver's vehicle in a crash with an object or other vehicle, generally when the driver is at fault. Claim frequencies are expressed as the number of claims per 100 insured vehicle years. An insured vehicle year is one vehicle insured for one year or two vehicles insured for six months each.

A separate IIHS study examined 201216 police-reported crashes before and after retail sales began in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. IIHS estimates that the three states combined saw a 5.2 percent increase in the rate of crashes per million vehicle registrations, compared with neighboring states that didn't legalize marijuana sales.

IIHS researchers compared the change in crash rate in Colorado, Oregon and Washington with the change in crash rates in the neighboring states that didn't enact recreational marijuana laws. Researchers compared Colorado with Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah, and they compared Oregon and Washington with Idaho and Montana. The study controlled for differences in demographics, unemployment and weather in each state.

The size of the effect varied by state. Although the study controlled for several differences among the states, the models can't capture every single difference. For example, marijuana laws in Colorado, Oregon and Washington differ in terms of daily purchase limits, sales taxes and available options for home growers. These differences can influence how often consumers buy marijuana, where they buy it and where they consume it.

The 5.2 percent increase in police-reported crash rates following legalization of recreational marijuana use is consistent with the 6 percent increase in insurance claim rates estimated by HLDI.

"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," says IIHS-HLDI President David Harkey. "States exploring legalizing marijuana should consider this effect on highway safety."

Marijuana is still an illegal controlled substance under federal law.

In addition to the study states, Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and the District of Columbia also allow recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older and medical use of marijuana. Another 22 states allow medical marijuana, while 15 more states permit the use of specific cannabis products for designated medical conditions.

Legalization of recreational use is pending in New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In November, Michigan and North Dakota will hold referendums on marijuana, and Missouri and Utah voters will decide whether to expand medical marijuana laws in their states.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in all 50 states and D.C., but determining impairment is challenging. Unlike alcohol, the amount of marijuana present in a person's body doesn't consistently relate to impairment. THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. A positive test for THC and its active metabolite doesn't mean the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Habitual users of marijuana may have positive blood tests for THC days or weeks after using the drug.

Marijuana's role in crashes isn't as clear as the link between alcohol and crashes. Many states don't include consistent information on driver drug use in crash reports, and policies and procedures for drug testing are inconsistent. More drivers in crashes are tested for alcohol than for drugs. When drivers are tested, other drugs are often found in combination with alcohol, which makes it difficult to isolate their separate effects.

"Despite the difficulty of isolating the specific effects of marijuana impairment on crash risk, the evidence is growing that legalizing its use increases crashes," Harkey says.

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Related Links

http://www.iihs.org


WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) announced today that the company will enhance and expand two of its signature programs focused on helping prevent prescription opioid abuse. Specifically, CVS Health said it will install 1,100 additional safe medication disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations and local police departments by the end of next year, bringing the total number of safe medication units provided by the company to more than 2,700. Additionally, CVS Health committed to reaching an additional 250,000 students and parents with its opioid abuse prevention education program, Pharmacists Teach, bringing the total number of community participants reached by the program to more than 655,000 by the end of next year. The announcement was made at an event hosted by President Trump at the White House today highlighting new efforts to address the opioid epidemic.

"CVS Health is dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent opioid abuse through our commitment to many different programs and partnerships, including increasing access to safe medication disposal and youth opioid abuse prevention education," said Thomas Moriarty, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer, CVS Health. "We have seen firsthand the impact our efforts have already made and we are excited to expand and enhance these initiatives even further."

CVS Health has already installed safe medication disposal units in more than 750 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide and has donated more than 900 additional units to community locations such as police departments. Together, these units have collected more than 217 metric tons, or 480,000 pounds, of unwanted medication. Local law enforcement officials can apply online to receive a safe medication disposal unit through this program.

In addition to its commitment to assisting with safe medication disposal, CVS Health has already educated more than 400,000 students and parents about the dangers of prescription opioid abuse with its Pharmacists Teach program. Through this program, CVS pharmacists visit local schools in their community to talk to students and parents about the dangers of misusing prescription drugs using a curriculum developed by CVS Health together with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Local schools are encouraged to reach out to the Pharmacists Teach program to inquire about scheduling a presentation.

CVS Health is also working to help combat opioid abuse by increasing access to the opioid overdose drug naloxone. CVS Pharmacy locations in 48 states have standing orders, or similar protocol, which allow patients to obtain this medication without an individual prescription. Additionally, as a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM), CVS Health offers programs to help its clients reduce opioid utilization for members when clinically appropriate. CVS Health also provides enhanced retail pharmacist-led patient counseling on safe prescription opioid use. These programs align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,800 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with approximately 94 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contact:

Erin Shields Britt

Corporate Communications

(401) 770-9237

[email protected]

SOURCE CVS Health

Related Links

http://www.cvshealth.com


DALLAS, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance will honor Gregory L. Fenves, 29th President of the University of Texas at Austin, at its annual Hope for Humanity Dinner on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

Hope for Humanity is the largest fundraiser for the Museum and is dedicated to honoring local Holocaust survivors and paying tribute to an Upstander whose actions personify the Museum's mission to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference.

President Fenves will be honored with the Hope for Humanity Award for prioritizing student success, interdisciplinary research, and diversity and inclusion since taking office in 2015. By introducing and expanding mentoring programs and incentive-based scholarships targeted to help students who need it most, UT Austin's graduation rates are now at record high levels.

"The Museum is honored to present this year's Hope for Humanity Award to President Fenves for his unparalleled commitment to the wellbeing and inclusion of students of all backgrounds," said Mary Pat Higgins, President and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust Museum. "Greg is a shining example of an Upstander, someone who stands up for others and does what is right no matter the cost."

Diversity and inclusion are cornerstones of Fenves' vision for higher education. In 2015, his administration successfully defended UT Austin's admissions practices before the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark ruling, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, which enabled UT Austin to continue recruiting a diverse student body, so that all students have the educational benefits of a diverse learning environment.

"On behalf of The University of Texas at Austin, I am proud to receive this year's Hope for Humanity Award," said President Fenves, "because it serves as a testament to the hard work and success of an entire university. At UT, we have the finest students, faculty members, staff members and alumni in the country. This award is a reflection of their collective accomplishments."

About the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance

The Dallas Holocaust Museum's mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. For more information, please visit DallasHolocaustMuseum.org.

SOURCE Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance
TURKU, Finland, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Awarded a grant for vaccine development by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

DelSiTech Ltd, a Finnish drug delivery and drug development company, today announced significant grant funding to support the development of thermostabilized viral vaccines from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

DelSiTech[TM]Silica Matrix is an advanced, sustained and controlled release delivery technology for administration of injectable, implant and topical eye drop dosage forms. One important feature of DelSiTech's technology is the ability to confer thermostability to viruses over long periods of time, over years.

"To ensure the optimal potency of vaccines, storage conditions need careful attention and maintenance of the cold chain is especially important in developing countries, where outdoor temperatures can easily exceed 40C," said Dr. Lasse Leino, CEO of DelSiTech. "We are delighted and honoured to receive funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for such an exciting and critical program."

About DelSiTech Ltd

DelSiTech Ltd. located in Turku, Finland, is the leading technology specialist in biodegradable silica-based controlled release of small molecule drugs, biopharmaceuticals and viral vectors. It develops and commercializes its proprietary, drug delivery technology in collaboration with a number of pharma and biotech companies to turn their ideas into novel drug products. In addition, the Company is developing its own pipeline of supergeneric/505(b)(2) products to address significant unmet medical and commercial needs. Its lead product, a long acting antiviral product for hepatitis B, will enter the clinic in 2019. For more information, see https://www.delsitech.com.

DelSiTech[TM]Silica Matrix

This is an advanced delivery technology for parenteral and local administration of injectable and implant dosage forms as well as eye drops. The proprietary technology is based on silica (SiO 2 ) matrix into which the molecule or therapeutic agent of interest is embedded using a process called sol-gel. The resulting Matrix is non-porous, biocompatible and it can be designed to biodegrade by matrix dissolution at the desired rate to ensure a tightly controlled release of the active substance over periods of days up to many months or a year.

One important feature of DelSiTech's technology is the ability to confer thermostability to viruses and therefore, overcome the need for storage at, for example, -80C. It is estimated that 50% of lyophilized vaccines are discarded annually, and temperature instability is an appreciable contributing factor in this.

SOURCE DelSiTech Ltd
RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy is seeking bids for up to 500 megawatts of solar and onshore wind generation as part of a plan to develop 3,000 megawatts of additional solar and wind power under Virginia's new Grid Transformation & Security Act (GTSA).

The GTSA, which became law on July 1, 2018, paves the way for the largest increase of renewable energy resources in the state's history. The company has pledged to have 3,000 megawatts of new solar and wind energy  enough to power 750,000 homes  under development or in operation by early 2022. To meet this long-term commitment, the company intends to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) each year, similar in timing and content to the solicitation released today, until the pledge has been met.

Today's announced Solar and Onshore Wind RFP is soliciting bids for energy, capacity and environmental attributes including Renewable Energy Certificates, for new solar and onshore wind facilities at least 5 megawatts (ac) in size. The facilities must be located in Virginia to be considered.

The proposals can be for power purchase agreements and/or the purchase of development projects. The RFP outlines the proposal requirements and power and asset purchase agreement terms requiring a commercial operations date in 2020, as well as the price and non-price evaluation criteria.

Notices of Intent to Bid and Confidentiality Agreements are due by November 2, 2018 with final asset purchase and power purchase proposals due December 13, 2018 and March 14, 2019 respectively.

Bidders seeking more information on the competitive bidding process and the RFP submittal documents should visit: www.dominionenergy.com/2018solarwindrfp

Customers and developers interested in learning more about the company's wind and solar expansion plans may contact us via email: [email protected]

About Dominion Energy

Nearly 6 million customers in 19 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable, and safe energy and is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy with over $78 billion of assets providing electric generation, transmission and distribution, as well as natural gas storage, transmission, distribution, and import/export services. As one of the nation's leading solar operators, the company intends to reduce its carbon intensity 50 percent by 2030. Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy plans to contribute more than $30 million in 2018 to community causes throughout its footprint and beyond. Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com, Facebook or Twitter to learn more.

SOURCE Dominion Energy

Related Links

http://www.dom.com


LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DoubleLine Capital LP has begun offering its Luxembourg-domiciled UCITS funds on the Allfunds Bank platform, an open architecture, worldwide distributor of mutual funds.

"Allfunds is one of the leading international distribution platforms," said Ron Redell, executive vice president of DoubleLine. "The availability of DoubleLine Funds (Luxembourg) on this distribution network is strategically important for DoubleLine's UCITS funds global expansion."

The term UCITS stands for Undertakings for the Collective Investment of Transferable Securities, an open-end fund vehicle available in Europe, Latin America and many other countries outside the U.S. The sub-funds of the DoubleLine Funds (Luxembourg) UCITS currently include the DoubleLine Shiller Enhanced CAPE equity sub-fund, which is co-managed by DoubleLine Alternatives LP and DoubleLine Capital LP, and DoubleLine Short Duration fixed income sub-fund, which is managed by DoubleLine Capital LP. Depending on an investor's country of residence, the sub-funds are available via retail and institutional share classes denominated in various currencies.

Allfunds Bank Group offers integrated fund solutions (operational, analysis and information). Created in 2000, today Allfunds Bank has more than 370 Billion assets under administration and offers more than 64,400 funds from over 1,200 fund managers. Allfunds Bank Group has a local presence in Luxembourg, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Chile and Colombia and has more than 605 institutional clients, including major commercial banks, private banks, insurance companies, pension funds, fund managers, financial supermarkets, international brokers, and specialist firms from 45 different countries. Allfunds Bank Group operates in Asia through the entity of Allfunds Singapore Branch.

About DoubleLine Capital LP

DoubleLine Capital LP is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. As of the September 30, 2018 end of the third quarter, DoubleLine Capital and its related companies ("DoubleLine") managed approximately $123 billion in assets across all vehicles, including open-end mutual funds, collective investment trusts, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, variable annuities, UCITS and separate accounts. DoubleLine's offices can be reached by telephone at (213) 633-8200 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Media can reach DoubleLine by e-mail at [email protected]. DoubleLine is a registered trademark of DoubleLine Capital LP.

SOURCE DoubleLine

Related Links

www.doubleline.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy is strengthening nonprofit capacity building efforts and supporting other strategic community initiatives by investing $849,000 in 23 organizations across North Carolina.

"At Duke Energy, we recognize nonprofits are critical to the vitality of our communities and health of our natural environment," said David Fountain, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "These organizations must have well-trained professionals leading those efforts. We're proud to help strengthen the nonprofit community in lasting and sustainable ways."

The 2018 grants, from the Duke Energy Foundation, will help enhance professional development, arts, cultural and emergency response training programs, allowing the organizations to continue strengthening and expanding their work within our communities.

"We serve nonprofits throughout North Carolina to help build their capacities and sustainability," said Jeanne Tedrow, president and CEO of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits and 2018 Duke Energy Foundation grant recipient. "We are pleased to partner with Duke Energy to reach nonprofits locally with high-quality, relevant professional development programs."

"The Caswell County Public Library is excited to be awarded funding from Duke Energy to create a STEM Makerspace in our newly expanded library," said Rhonda H. Griffin, library director of Caswell County Public Library. "Without this funding, this new and exciting program, which will be open to people of all ages, would not be possible."

Here is a complete list of the 23 grant recipients and summaries.

The Foundation annually funds more than $33 million to communities throughout Duke Energy's seven-state service area. In 2017, the company donated more than $19 million to nonprofit organizations in North Carolina.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of communities where its customers live and work. The foundation contributes more than $33 million annually in charitable gifts.

The foundation's education focus spans kindergarten to career  particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)  as well as early childhood literacy and workforce development. The foundation also supports environmental projects and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.

Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit http://www.duke-energy.com/foundation.

The Duke Energy Foundation is part of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contact: Candice Knezevic

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

http://www.duke-energy.com


FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eyevance Pharmaceuticals, a Fort Worth-based pharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing innovative and impactful ophthalmic products, today announced the acquisition of FLAREX (fluorometholone acetate ophthalmic suspension) 0.1% from Novartis AG.

FLAREX, approved in the United States, is indicated for the treatment of steroid responsive inflammatory conditions of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea, and anterior segment of the eye.

"The acquisition of FLAREX escalates Eyevance's mission to service important needs in the eye care market," said Jerry St. Peter, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Eyevance. "With over nine million corticosteroids prescribed annually, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% over the past five years1, this large and invaluable therapeutic category provides Eyevance a tremendous opportunity with FLAREX. Corticosteroids are very important options for clinicians when treating ocular inflammation; FLAREX is a proven, well-accepted treatment for multiple ocular inflammatory conditions. Accordingly, it will become a valuable addition to our existing product portfolio, which includes several impactful products for conditions of the anterior segment."

"As a Cornea, Cataract and LASIK Specialist, the need for topical corticosteroids is critical within my patient population," commented Neda Shamie, MD at Maloney - Shamie Vision Institute, Los Angeles, California. "It is exciting to see Eyevance acquire FLAREX, as its broad label and indication to treat many anterior segment and ocular surface inflammatory conditions is a needed and welcomed addition in my therapeutic armamentarium."

The purchase of FLAREX marks another important milestone for the Eyevance team, who recently acquired exclusive rights to several ophthalmic products and product candidates in the United States and/or globally. Eyevance's growing portfolio consists of ZERVIATE cetirizine ophthalmic suspension 0.24%, (licensed in September 2017 from Nicox Ophthalmics), FRESHKOTE Preservative Free Tear Lubricant line (acquired in September 2018 from Focus Laboratories), and NEXAGON (licensed in October 2018 from OcuNexus).

As part of the Company's commercial strategy, Eyevance will be attending the upcoming American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois from October 27-30, 2018 and the American Academy of Optometry (AAOpt) annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas from November 7-10, 2018. Interested eye care practitioners are welcome to visit Eyevance at AAO Booth #2869 or AAOpt Booth #1020 to learn more.

About FLAREX

INDICATIONS AND USAGE:

FLAREX (fluorometholone acetate ophthalmic suspension) 0.1% is indicated for use in the treatment of steroid responsive inflammatory conditions of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea, and anterior segment of the eye.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:

Contraindicated in acute superficial herpes simplex keratitis, vaccinia, varicella, and most other viral diseases of cornea and conjunctiva; mycobacterial infection of the eye; fungal diseases; acute purulent untreated infections, which like other diseases caused by microorganisms, may be masked or enhanced by the presence of the steroid; and in those persons who have known hypersensitivity to any component of this preparation.

ADVERSE REACTIONS:

Glaucoma with optic nerve damage, visual acuity and field defects, cataract formation, secondary ocular infection following suppression of host response, and perforation of the globe may occur.

See FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION for additional important safety information.

About Eyevance Pharmaceuticals

Eyevance Pharmaceuticals is a Fort Worth-based company committed to developing and commercializing innovative and impactful ophthalmic products that enable optimal vision and better quality of life for all patients. Eyevance seeks to establish a portfolio of products that address significant unmet needs, including rare and orphan conditions, while also focusing on products with a legacy of proven safety and efficacy. For more information, visit http://eyevance.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.

Advisors

Burke, Warren, MacKay and Serritella, P.C. and Greenblum & Bernstein, PLC are acting as legal advisors to Eyevance.

Contact

For additional information, please contact:

Mark C Jasek, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer, Eyevance

[email protected] | 817.677.6127

SOURCE Eyevance Pharmaceuticals

Related Links

http://www.eyevance.com


EXTON, Pa., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- First Resource Bank (OTCQX: FRSB) announced that it has acquired 321 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, Pennsylvania as the site for its third location. Construction is expected to begin next month with the branch opening anticipated for mid-2019.

President & CEO, Glenn B. Marshall, stated ,"Combined with our current Exton and West Chester locations, the Wayne location will give us access to a geographic footprint that has $12 billion in deposits. Leading this new location will be two well-known Main Line bankers, John A. Durso Jr, Chief Retail Banking Officer and Joseph DiTommaso, Vice President & Customer Service Manager. With these two bankers having over 35 years of experience and 25 years serving this market through its Chamber of Commerce, business organizations and non-profits, we are confident that this branch will quickly make a positive impact in the Radnor Township community, and surrounding neighborhoods."

About First Resource Bank

First Resource Bank is a locally owned and operated Pennsylvania state-chartered bank with two full-service branches, serving the banking needs of businesses, professionals and individuals in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The Bank offers a full range of deposit and credit services with a high level of personalized service. First Resource Bank also offers a broad range of traditional financial services and products, competitively priced and delivered in a responsive manner to small businesses, professionals and residents in the local market. For additional information visit our website at www.firstresourcebank.com. Member FDIC.

This press release contains statements that are not of historical facts and may pertain to future operating results or events or management's expectations regarding those results or events. These are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts. When used in this press release, the words "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates", or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will", "would", "should", "could", or "may" are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are either beyond our control or not reasonably capable of predicting at this time. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release are accordingly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. First Resource Bank disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any of the forward-looking statements herein, whether in response to new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE First Resource Bank

Related Links

http://www.firstresourcebank.com


AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has earned special electric industry recognition from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for excellence in providing superior service to multisite National Account customers, such as big-box retailers and major restaurant chains.

The award was presented to FirstEnergy at a recent EEI National Key Accounts Workshop in San Antonio and is based on votes cast by large national customers representing a wide variety of industries, including national brands such as Costco, The Home Depot, Marriott Hotels, McDonalds, Staples, Target, TJX Companies, and Walmart.

"Congratulations to this year's winning companies and executives for their outstanding customer service and sustained excellence," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "Electric company National Key Account executives serve as vital partners, providing national key account customers with education and resources to meet their evolving needs and expectations. Throughout the electric power industry, electric companies are shifting toward customer-centric energy products and providing safe, reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy."

"We offer our national account customers a 'one-stop shop' to quickly and efficiently resolve issues they might have regarding such things as energy efficiency education, or power quality, billing or metering questions," said Samuel Belcher, senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. "This represents the fourth time FirstEnergy has been honored by EEI for the service we provide our key national accounts and it is rewarding to know that our strong efforts continue to be recognized by customers and the utility industry alike."

Overall, FirstEnergy manages more than 200 national brands that include retailers, restaurants and other industries, representing tens of thousands of electric meters in the company's six-state footprint.

The awards for Outstanding National Key Account Customer Service were established by EEI's Customer Advisory Group, composed of national chain customers who provide feedback, guidance and support to EEI's National Key Accounts program. The customer-oriented program allows multisite customers and electric company account representatives to develop efficient energy management strategies that can be integrated into facilities nationwide.

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition, EEI has more than 60 international electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy and its utilities on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp, @ToledoEdison , @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison , @MonPowerWV, @JCP_L, @Penn_Power, @Penelec, @Met_Ed, @PotomacEdison, @W_Penn_Power.

Editor's Note: A photo of FirstEnergy employees accepting the EEI National Account award for excellence is available for download on Flickr.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.firstenergycorp.com


"Bold Bites feature the same farm-fresh chicken Foster Farms is known for, with globally-inspired and crave-worthy seasonings conveniently packaged to meet the needs of today's mobile consumer," said Tiphanie Maronta, director of marketing for Foster Farms. "Busy parents, young professionals, fitness enthusiasts and even kids tired of the same old sandwich told us that this product fits the bill; it's a portable, better-for-you protein option that actually tastes good."

Foster Farms' debut of Bold Bites marks the company's entry into the refrigerated, single-serve snack space and concurs with market research showing that meat snacks are the fastest growing snack food category. It is also aligned with trends in consumer preferences:

41 percent of consumers would like to see more meat snacks made from premium meat cuts and 26 percent want preservative-free options.

Changing taste preferences account for increased demand in new protein-based product innovations and unique flavors.

With busy lifestyles and formal meal times becoming less prevalent, people are seeking quick, healthy meal solutions.

Bold Bites are available in the refrigerated snacks section at major retailers across California, Washington and Oregon, including Target, Safeway, Albertson's, Walmart and Savemart. In addition to in-store availability, Foster Farms will assist the launch of the product with social media support and shopper marketing activities.

For more information on Foster Farms, visit https://www.fosterfarms.com/ or follow @fosterfarms on social media.

About Foster Farms

Since 1939, West Coast families have depended on Foster Farms for premium quality chicken and turkey products. Family-owned and operated, the company continues its legacy of excellence and commitment to quality established by its founders, Max and Verda Foster. Foster Farms specializes in fresh, all-natural chicken and turkey products free of preservatives, additives or injected sodium enhancers. Based in California's Central Valley, with ranches in the Pacific Northwest, the company's fresh chicken and turkey are produced in or near each region served. Foster Farms also produces delicious pre-marinated, ready-to-cook and fully cooked products that meet the quality and convenience needs of today's home cooks, retailers, warehouse clubs and foodservice customers. The company's commitment to excellence, honesty, quality, service and people is a source of great pride, and, a longtime family tradition.

Food safety is Foster Farms' highest priority and the company would like to remind consumers to always follow safe handling, preparation and storage guidelines for the preparation of fresh poultry products. All fresh poultry products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a meat thermometer to ensure safety. Visit www.fosterfarms.com to learn more.

SOURCE Foster Farms

Related Links

http://www.fosterfarms.com


DALLAS, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, Rubber Plus Inc., to All-State Belting LLC. The acquisition closed April 20, 2018.

Rubber Plus, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a distributor of industrial rubber products and related parts. Key products include rubber conveyor belts, European style belts, light-duty PVC belts, belt fasteners, conveyor accessories, hose tubing and ducting.

All-State Belting, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, has been providing customers with superior quality conveyor belting and accessories throughout North America for 40 years. Founded as a distributor of bulk rubber and conveyor components, All-State has expanded its capabilities to include rubber fabrication, field splice installation services, and custom rubber part manufacturing.. All-State operates out of seven facilities in Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and now Tennessee.

Generational Equity Senior Managing Director Julie Sandoval successfully closed the deal, and Senior Managing Director Rick Buchoz established the initial relationship with Rubber Plus.

According to Sandoval, "Rubber Plus was a well-established business that had local and regional recognition, so it was important to find a qualified buyer who would not only be able to take the company to the next level, but to care for the company and its employees. This acquisition appeared to be an excellent, synergistic fit."

About Generational Equity

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 Equity

Related Links

http://www.genequityco.com


CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-based Rockwell Partners announced today that pre-leasing for Germain House will begin later this year. Luxury Living Chicago Realty is the exclusive marketing and leasing brokerage for the new transit-oriented development at 925 West Chicago Avenue.

Germain House offers loft architecture with authentic brick and beams. Photo credit: Kaitlin Brewer With luxury finishes, Germain House's modern kitchens feature open shelving. Photo credit: Kaitlin Brewer

Just east of the Chicago Blue Line station, Germain House offers a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartment floor plans, featuring exposed brick and beams, high-end finishes and natural oak floors. The boutique, refined loft building will include a rooftop deck with co-working space, Pressbox dry cleaning, Package Concierge, pet wash, secure building entrance, and a communal lobby.

"We are excited to deliver a unique, luxury offering in the downtown Chicago rental market with Germain House," said Jason Fishleder, Principal of Rockwell Partners and Head of Acquisitions. "We've worked to celebrate the original building's architectural character, while creating apartments and community spaces that residents will be proud to call home."

Originally built as a lumber yard in 1886, Germain House's location has seen many adaptations over time. In 1916, the industrial structure became home to the Central Leather & Embossing Company, a manufacturer of leather goods. The company name later changed to the Germain Company. Along with the renovation and expansion of this historical building, the surrounding River West area has changed greatly in recent years.

"While Chicago's market is filled with new inventory, Germain House will undoubtedly appeal to renters seeking a unique apartment living experience," said Aaron Galvin, founder and CEO of Luxury Living Chicago Realty. "The lofted floor plans, soaring ceilings, and luxury finishes create one-of-a-kind homes, in a neighborhood that has seen a lot of growth in the last couple of years. More and more renters are including River West in their search and this boutique building will stand out."

Residents of Germain House can expect modern kitchens with open shelving, Quest soft-close grey cabinetry, quartz countertops, and Samsung stainless steel appliances. The curated finishes include white oak hardwood throughout, IOTAS smart home features, in-unit washer/dryer, ceiling heights between 12 to 16 feet, and select floor plans provide walk-in closets, double vanity sinks, and frameless glass showers.

Rockwell Partners engaged Curioso for brand creation and interior design.

For more information about Germain House, visit GermainHouseChicago.com.

About Rockwell Partners:

Rockwell Partners, LLC is a Chicago-area real estate investment and property management firm founded in 2009. Rockwell offers extensive experience in the acquisition, development and management of investment real estate. Our expertise lies in the management and redevelopment of multi-family, mixed-use and commercial properties. We have successfully performed this role on behalf of investors, lenders, private equity firms, owner/operators, and our own assets. Rockwell currently manages approximately 3,000 residential units in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, and our staff of 60 professionals provides a range of real estate investment services including property management, construction management, leasing, consulting and court-appointed receivership services.

About Luxury Living Chicago Realty:

Luxury Living Chicago Realty is a full-service multifamily consulting, marketing and branding, strategy real estate brokerage based in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. Our team consists of real estate executives, marketing professionals, creative strategists and leasing/sales authorities all passionate about providing a best-in-class experience for customers seeking a luxury apartment or condo. Luxury Living Chicago has consistently been named to the Inc. 5000 as one of the 50 fastest growing real estate companies in America and CEO/Founder Aaron Galvin has consistently ranked in top 1% of all Realtors in Chicagoland. For more information, visit http://www.luxurylivingchicagorealty.com .



Media contact:

Elise Kaufmann

[email protected]

231-631-4829

SOURCE Luxury Living Chicago Realty

Related Links

http://www.luxurylivingchicagorealty.com


"On behalf of our 40,000 employees around the world, we are truly honored to be selected for this prestigious award. It validates our commitment to outstanding service and acknowledges our growth strategy in the Industry," stated Jim Allen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hard Rock International.

The Land-Based Operator of the Year Award recognizes the achievements of casino operators who have not only excelled in terms of financial performance but led the industry in innovation and enhancement over the past 12 months. It honors the company that has gone above and beyond to create the best possible customer experience.

The Global Gaming Awards are powered by leading B2B-gaming publication, Gambling Insider, in association with G2E and independently adjudicated by KPMG Isle of Man. The awards have quickly become some of the most trusted in the industry.

For more information about Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.

About Hard Rock International

With venues in 74 countries, including 185 cafes, 27 hotels and 12 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's most valuable collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company's two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, FL., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Atlantic City, Bali, Cancun, Daytona Beach, Ibiza, Orlando, Shenzhen and San Diego. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include, Maldives, Manila, Malaga, Georgetown, Fortaleza, Rosario and Chengdu. New Hard Rock Hotel, Casino or Hotel & Casino projects include Berlin, Budapest, Desaru Coast, Dublin, London, Los Cabos, Madrid, Maldives, New York City, Ottawa, Sacramento, Dalian and Haikou in China. In 2018, Hard Rock International was recognized as a Forbes Magazine Top Employer for Women and Land Operator of the Year at the Global Gaming Awards. For more information on Hard Rock International visit www.hardrock.com.

For More Media Information:

Jill Trudeau / Kerry Anne Watson

The Zimmerman Agency  850.668.2222

[email protected]

SOURCE Hard Rock International

Related Links

http://www.hardrock.com


LONDON, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --



Oil & Gas Market Recovery and Online Monitoring Technologies Drive Growth

The non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection services market rebounded in 2017 after two years of negative growth.It is expected to transform over the next five years with the advent of new technologies, changing customer requirements regarding connectivity and analytics features, and novel business models.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5599457



The market was worth $8.79 billion in 2017, and is expected to reach $10.71 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 4.0%.The recovery of oil & gas prices, stricter government regulations for testing, and technology advancements such as data analytics have prompted service providers to alter their roadmaps. This study identifies key growth opportunities while detailing the challenges and possible threats. The forecast period is from 2018 to 2022, with 2017 as the base year.



Research Scope

The current market size for 2017 and forecasts till 2022 is provided for each of the following segments:



Technology Segments:



 Ultrasonic

 Radiography

 Electromagnetic

 Visual Inspection

 Penetrant Test



End-user Verticals:



 Oil & Gas

 Power Generation

 Aerospace

 Automotive

 Railways

 Manufacturing & Process Industries

 Others (Ship-building, Construction, and Infrastructure)



Geography Regions:



 North America

 Europe

 Asia Pacific

 Rest of World - Includes Latin America, Middle East, and Africa



Key Issues Addressed

 Is the NDT inspection services market growing, how long will it continue to grow for, and at what rate?

 What are the key growth drivers and restraints for the market? Are there any potential future challenges that could restrict the growth of this market?

 Who are the leading participants and what are their market shares? How has the oil price drops affected the NDT inspection services market and what does the future look like?

 Which regions are expected to have the highest growth potential? Can North America maintain its position as a key revenue contributor in the face of rising global competition?

 What is the impact of convergence technologies such as connectivity and predictive analytics? How do these influence innovative business models?

 Which applications and industries will drive the demand for the NDT inspection services market? Will the traditional end-user segments continue to be the largest revenue generators?



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5599457



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Apple , a leading Illinois nonprofit committed to developing and recognizing great teachers, will honor Phyllis Lockett with the 2018 Golden Apple Impact Award at the nonprofit's annual fundraising event to be held at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago on Tuesday, October 30, at 6 p.m. Lockett is the Founder and CEO of LEAP Innovations, a national nonprofit that works with schools to implement and scale personalized learning models.



The Golden Apple Impact Award honors a private individual, company, policy maker, or decision maker who has impacted the lives of many in Illinois through his or her significant, positive engagement in education.



A primary focus for LEAP is to champion the development of today's and tomorrow's teachers. LEAP has worked with more than 800 Golden Apple Scholars , aspiring teachers who receive comprehensive preparation to work in Illinois' most challenging schools, to ensure that the student is at the center of their own personalized learning experience.



"Phyllis has been a true catalyst for positive change in education - embracing partners and innovating within the schools and communities that can benefit the most," said Alicia Winckler, CEO of The Golden Apple Foundation. "Thanks to her tireless efforts to bring personalized learning to classrooms and support teachers in these efforts, more students have a customized learning experience and are empowered to learn."

Lockett embodies the criteria for the Golden Apple Impact Award which include:

Demonstrates fearless leadership in the face of adversity

Wholly dedicated to better outcomes for all students in Illinois

Delivers an aspirational vision for the future and the strategies to achieve the vision

Modernizes engagement with students via technology and access to relevant global peers

Facilitates gatherings of leaders in education, business, philanthropy, and technology to improve the education experiences of students

Inspires entrepreneurial groups of individuals, organizations, or coalitions to improve outcomes for students

Invests resources to affect change in innovative ideas, technology, and/or organizations

Demonstrates data-driven, research-based decision-making while increasing innovation

Engages multiple stakeholders in the delivery of services to students most-in-need

Consistently uses sound, unwavering, ethical judgment

"While I'm so humbled by this incredible honor, the Impact Award is a personal call-to-action for me to work even harder, to help all children -- in Illinois and beyond -- realize their full potential," said Phyllis Lockett, founder and CEO of LEAP Innovations. "With the world changing so quickly, we must prepare our students for jobs that don't yet exist, by fueling their passion for learning, and building on their unique strengths, passions and aspirations."



Lockett, the daughter of Chicago Public Schools teachers, launched LEAP in 2014 to fuel and scale the movement of personalized learning and help all students realize their full potential. LEAP has worked with more than 120 public schools in Chicago to personalize students' educational experiences, giving them access to tailored and meaningful learning opportunities. Research has found that students in LEAP partner schools outpaced their peers in traditional classrooms by 13 percentile points in literacy.



Prior to LEAP, Lockett was a strong advocate for Chicago's implementation of school choice. She was the founding president and CEO of New Schools for Chicago, where she opened 80 new public schools. She also was executive director of the Civic Consulting Alliance (CCA), a pro bono consulting firm for government agencies, and she has held marketing, sales and business development roles with Fortune 500 companies. Currently, Lockett is a board member of ASCD, an independent director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, and serves as a board member on several civic organizations including The Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Network and the Adler Planetarium. She is also a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Institute.



The Impact Award will be presented to Lockett at Golden Apple's annual fundraising event, which supports the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, and will be hosted by CBS2 anchor Rob Johnson. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Lisa Wagner at [email protected] or visit https://www.goldenapple.org/impact-award .



About Golden Apple

Founded in 1985, Golden Apple innovates teacher preparation and leadership to transform both the careers of teachers as well as the lives of students in Illinois. Its signature initiative, the Golden Apple Scholars Program, provides exceptional teacher preparation, resources and lifelong support to advance educational excellence for Illinois' most underserved students in schools-of-need. Aspiring teachers/Scholars are recruited from the communities in which they return to serve -- with a passion for teaching and a drive to create positive change for young people in their communities. Scholars commit to teach at an Illinois school-of-need for five years after graduation. More than 1,000 Scholars currently are teaching across Illinois. Visit http://www.goldenapple.org for more information.



Media Contact:

Eileen Rochford

Ph: 312-953-3305

[email protected]

SOURCE Golden Apple

Related Links

http://www.goldenapple.org


MORRO BAY, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently named one of the Best Small Towns in California by Country Living Magazine, the charming town of Morro Bay offers visitors some of the most breathtaking coastline and unspoiled open spaces in the state. But search just under the surface, or along Morro Bay beaches etched with tide pools, and find lingering living species that are uncommon to mostcreatures that you cannot find everywhere. Here, kayaking and paddle boarding provide up close encounters with these underwater residents in their natural environment.

Some of the creatures you'll find under the surface in Morro Bay. The Morro Bay harbor is not only home to a multitude of birds and marine mammals, but hundreds of species of the lesser known invertebrates, which are as biologically important.

"Morro Bay is a very biologically diverse place," explains Mary Robinson, owner of Morro Bay Stand Up Paddleboarding. And she should know. Mary leads tours that focus on nature and animal life inside the Morro Bay harbor. "The harbor is not only home to a multitude of birds and marine mammals, but hundreds of species of the lesser known invertebrates, which are as biologically important."

Robinson documents what she finds below the surface and has hundreds of amazing images that capture their haunting beauty. Here are ten such creatures:

1) The Giant Green Anemone

If you've ever had the pleasure of going "tide-pooling" in Morro Bay, you've undoubtedly seen the these clumped to the rocks.

2) The Giant Sea Star

Collecting these beauties is prohibited by law except for research purposes.

3) Limpets

That funny looking yellowish brown round thing is actually a limpet, an aquatic snail.

4) The Bat Star

This amazing sea creature comes in many colors including the one pictured in bright red/orange.

5) Opalescent Nudibranchs

Known for being one of the prettiest and most colorful species found under the surface in Morro Bay.

6) Purple Star Fish

The beautiful purple starfish is part of the Ochre Sea Stars family.

7) The Morro Bay Aeolid Nudibranc Sea Slug

These slimy land slugs are very delicate and rarely seen.

8) The Giant California Sea Cucumber

These creatures are most abundant in areas with moderate current with cobbles, boulders or bedrock like we have in Morro Bay.

9) The California Sea Hare

Sea hares may lay up to eighty million eggs apiece but most of these are eaten by predators.

10) Moon Jelly

The name comes from their translucent, moonlike circular bells.

These are just some of the amazing creatures you will find when you visit Morro Bay. If you see them in the wild, feel free to capture them with a photo but please don't disturb them. They belong in the sea. Just remember, when an ecosystem is disturbed, nature changes and it's rarely for the better.

Want info about each one of these amazing creatures? Read our full press release. For more travel information, follow Morro Bay Tourism on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest or visit www.morrobay.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Susan Hartzler

Public Relations Manager

Mental Marketing

818-585-8641

[email protected]

SOURCE Morro Bay

Related Links

http://www.morrobay.org


HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- From town hall meetings, PTA gatherings, yard signs and social media posts, the parents of Hillsborough County School students and residents alike are doing their part by educating others about the positive impact Referendum No. 3 would have on our community. This year's ballot is long, and Hillsborough Referendum No. 3 is located at the very bottom.



Hillsborough Referendum No. 3 is a 10-year investment for all public schools in Hillsborough County. The education referendum will support capital improvements for schools, including AC repairs, enhanced technology access, increased safety measures for both students and teachers, improved bus transportation efficiency, prevention of school overcrowding and safer shelters to anyone in need during hurricane evacuations.



Hillsborough County parent Jon Locklear said, "I know there are schools that need new roofs, there are schools that need ACs repaired or replaced, we have an issue where our population is growing, and we need to build new schools. Our hope as parents is that the students of this county are in schools where they have the best opportunity to grow and learn and a big part of that is schools being maintained."



Physician and parent Dr. Anne Lenz also took to social media with a post explaining, "This is a bipartisan issue. Funding public education is one of the few constitutional requirements of our state legislature and they have failed to adequately support it. Whether your kids attend public or private schools, or you have no kids at all, this affects you and your community. Communities with better schools and more education have lower crime, more industry and higher property values. When we invest in our children, we invest in our communities as a whole. Get the facts and be informed. Our district is in a crisis. To advocate for Referendum No. 3, consider giving to Support Our Schools!"



Sherry Gunn has children in the Hillsborough County Public School System and says, "There's not a day that goes by when they don't come home mentioning a class doesn't have AC or they can't all go to the computer lab together because they aren't enough computers to accommodate all the students. For this county, this district and these children to grow and for these teachers to have a better working environment, we need this!"

Roosevelt Elementary School mother of three and veteran educator, Sarah Karlo, has a passion for education and the public school system. Like many concerned parents that have children in the system, she wants all voters to understand why Referendum No. 3 is so important, for everyone, even people without children.



Posting on Facebook earlier this week, Karlo stated, "You all know education is my passion and purpose. After spending the last few months attending meetings to inform myself about Referendum No. 3, my very deliberate vote is YES! Whether your child is in public or private school, this referendum will benefit our community and economy. It is the last item on this long ballot, so vote backwards and check YES! And thank you for exercising your right to vote!"



According to Strengthen Our Schools (SOS), there are many misconceptions that the Hillsborough County School District has enough funds, they just mismanage them --- which is simply not true. Florida spends about $8,800 for each of 2.7 million students enrolled in public schools, ranking the Sunshine State among the lowest in the country. According to researchers, Florida is 42nd in US for per pupil funding and $5,000 dollars less per student than average.



At one of the latest town hall meetings hosted by Hillsborough County Superintendent Jeff Eakins, he explained in detail how the district has cut back on expenditures the past three years and has gotten the budget as lean as it can be. The budget is now balanced but lacking funds for infrastructure needs. Additionally, our County is growing and as a result the demands on the Hillsborough County School District continues to expand. Funding is needed to keep up with building needs to accommodate all the new students.



SOS also pointed out that a six-person citizen oversight committee will be chaired by former Florida Education Commissioner Betty Castor and Vice-chaired by Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. Other committee members will be former Hillsborough Schools Superintendent Earl Leonard, former Hillsborough Community College CFO Bonnie Carr, former Florida Legislator Ed Narain, and local business leader Jose Valiente. The volunteer group will police spending on school improvement projects that will be funded if the referendum passes on November 6.

Grady Elementary Principal/Administrator Kristine Dosal said, "This referendum is very, very important to the schools. This year alone, my AC in the cafeteria has broken down three times. The district responds immediately, which I so appreciate, but we are an older school; we must care about the schools. Great schools make for a great community and that's just how it works. Please, we need people to come out and vote!"



For more information about Strengthen Our Schools (SOS) and Hillsborough County's Referendum No. 3, please visit the website at https://voteyes2sos.com.

SOURCE Strengthen Our Schools

Related Links

http://www.voteyes2sos.com


Consumer-directed healthcare (CDH) gives employees and their families opportunities to meet their healthcare needs while saving for the future. Through an effective communication plan, employers can guide employees to realize the full benefits of CDH. HSA Bank identifies the following key steps based on decades of experience helping clients promote and manage CDH plans:

Make difficult decisions easier. Ensure successful enrollment and account usage. Offer ongoing education and engagement.

"HSA Bank encourages consumers to own their health by becoming engaged in their physical and financial wellbeing," said Chad Wilkins, president of HSA Bank. "A communication framework, like the one offered by HSA Bank, is essential to achieving the full potential that CDH offers."

The paper provides best practices, mistakes to avoid, and links to valuable resources including videos, presentations, and calculators for each step. To learn more, download the white paper .

About HSA Bank:

HSA Bank is a trusted leader in consumer-directed healthcare (CDH), focusing on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for over two decades and serving as both the bank and administrator. Discover how we can support your benefits strategy with our comprehensive account-based health benefit solutions that include HSAs, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and Commuter Benefits. With a reputation for outstanding service and thought leadership in the CDH space, we offer one platform and one portal for all of our members. HSA Bank inspires 2.7 million members and more than 35,000 employer groups to own "your" health by making it easy to access, understand, and afford healthcare. As of September 30, 2018, HSA Bank has $7.2 billion in total footings comprising $5.6 billion in deposit balances and $1.6 billion in assets under administration through linked investment accounts. HSA Bank is a division of Webster Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.

Media Contact: Media Contact:

Alice Ferreira Jennifer Dean

Webster Bank HSA Bank (203) 578-2610 (920) 453-5286

[email protected] [email protected]



SOURCE HSA Bank
JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

BCA remains the most valuable brand, up 20% to $12.7 billion, becoming the first Indonesian brand to be listed in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands

Indonesia's most valuable brands are growing at more than double the rate of GDP, up 13% compared to 5.2% for the overall economy, according to the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands 2018, announced today by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/513554/Kantar_Millward_Brown_Logo.jpg )

The success of the BrandZ Top 50 highlights the power of brand to drive stronger business performance. Over the last three years, the strongest brands in the Top 50 the brands that consumers are most predisposed to buy have grown nearly three times faster than weaker brands.

Indonesia's most valuable brand is once again Bank Central Asia (BCA), which has grown its value by 20% to $12.7 billion. Its success saw it debut in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands in 2018 (No. 99, just behind Honda and in front of Adidas), becoming the first-ever Indonesian brand to feature in the global ranking.

In the past year, BCA has used new technology such as its virtual assistant, Vira, which enhances customer service through a range of popular chat applications, to deliver on its long-standing promise to be "Always by your side". The brand's work in the community includes an internship program for undergraduates and sponsorship of the annual badminton Indonesia Open.

The bank's ongoing success also demonstrates the importance of innovation. Across the ranking, those brands that are perceived as highly innovative and offer a great experience grew 20% collectively over the past three years, compared to 12% growth among those who ranked less. The ability to develop new products and services alone is not enough to grow brand value; consumers need to see and feel the brand's innovations and communicating them is essential.

One brand that is successfully communicating new and disruptive propositions to consumers is digital innovator Go-Jek (No. 7, $2.4 billion), the ride-hailing and on-demand apps service which was launched in 2010 and is now expanding into Vietnam. Other new Indonesian disruptor brands include digital travel booking service Traveloka (No. 20, $805 million), which is currently building operations in markets such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam; and online retailers Tokopedia (No. 33, $380 million) and Bukalapak (No. 37, $298 million).

These brands are new entrants to the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands for 2018, due to changes to criteria for all BrandZ listings that allows unicorns and private brands to be featured where there is credibly sourced financial information or details of funding in the public domain.

All four collectively feed a national desire to access more choices and more places as well as having more experiences. Together they have an average score of 123 for perceived innovation and 130 for experience - where 100 is the average brand. Brands that combine innovation with the provision of a highly positive experience for consumers have grown two-thirds more than those that fail to deliver on both.

However, not all Indonesia's most valuable brands are successful in communicating their innovation, with the BrandZ Top 50 brands averaging just 108, compared to the Global Top 50's average of 113.

David Roth, WPP, says: "BCA's achievement in joining the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands is impressive and demonstrates how powerful innovation is in growing brand value. For other Indonesian brands to match BCA's performance, they will have to master the art of continuous innovation and then communicate it effectively to consumers."

The BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands 2018

Rank 2018 Brand Category Brand value 2018 ($M) Change 1 (-) BCA Banks 12,674 +20% 2 (+2) BRI Banks 9,385 +17% 3 (-1) Telkomsel Telecom Providers 8,863 +3% 4 (-1) A Mild Tobacco 8,279 0% 5 (-) Mandiri Banks 6,427 +18% 6 (-) Dji Sam Soe Tobacco 2,654 +10% 7 (N/A) Go-Jek Transport 2,387 N/A 8 (-1) Surya Tobacco 2,374 +15% 9 (-1) Gudang Garam Tobacco 2,311 +13% 10 (-) BNI Banks 2,228 +22%

Indonesian consumers now look for brands that make a positive impact on their lives and can also justify how they are different to the rest of their category. The ability to create this 'Meaningful Difference' has become a key driver for growing brand value. Since 2015, brands in the BrandZ Top 50 that are perceived by consumers as being highly Meaningful and Different have grown 46% more than those that aren't.

The FMCG sector, in particular, has struggled with changing conditions, growing just 2% year on year, discovering as Indonesia's economy changes and develops, increases in market penetration are no longer enough to achieve growth.

In contrast, Bango (No. 23, $588 million) is the fastest-growing Food and Dairy brand, up 9% year on year thanks to initiatives such as its long-running campaign to celebrate the high quality of its black malika bean and the farmers that grow it, which encompasses regular large-scale events to build brand equity and deliver authentic experiences to consumers.

Other trends highlighted in this year's BrandZ Indonesian Top 50 study include:

Banks and retailers are nation ' s fastest ris ing categories : Brands in two of the most traditional business sectors - retail and banking - lead the growth, up 8% and 19% respectively. Retailer Ace (No. 32, $421 million ) and grocer Alfa (No. 24, $566 million ) have grown by 47% and 33% respectively. In the banking sector, where seven brands posted double-digit rises, BTN (No. 43, 242 million) led the way with 31% growth due to building its digital banking options and expanding the provision of loans to people with informal work arrangements.

Brands in two of the most traditional business sectors - retail and banking - lead the growth, up 8% and 19% respectively. Retailer Ace (No. 32, ) and grocer Alfa (No. 24, ) have grown by 47% and 33% respectively. In the banking sector, where seven brands posted double-digit rises, BTN (No. 43, 242 million) led the way with 31% growth due to building its digital banking options and expanding the provision of loans to people with informal work arrangements. New national shopping day : Indonesia's online shopping day Harbolnas is becoming increasingly critical for brands. Launched in 2012 and held on 12.12 (12 December) each year, Harbolnas is fuelled by deep discounts and other offers, such as free delivery. In 2017, it generated IDR4.7 trillion ( $315 million ), four times the equivalent level of spend in 2016.

online shopping day Harbolnas is becoming increasingly critical for brands. Launched in 2012 and held on 12.12 (12 December) each year, Harbolnas is fuelled by deep discounts and other offers, such as free delivery. In 2017, it generated ( ), four times the equivalent level of spend in 2016. Travel beyond Jakarta : Indonesia's capital is home to less than 4% of the country's population. Brands need to tailor messaging to regional and local preferences, which - especially when it comes to food - can vary considerably.

capital is home to less than 4% of the country's population. Brands need to tailor messaging to regional and local preferences, which - especially when it comes to food - can vary considerably. Unique and affordable. According the annual Best Countries report developed by BAV Group, Indonesia ranks 41st out of 80 countries. Consumers globally perceive its greatest strengths are affordability and low manufacturing costs, although they tend to have low opinions of the quality of the country's infrastructure, its position on human rights and health.

Ranjana Singh, WPP Country Manager for Indonesia and Vietnam, comments: "Brands can no longer rely on increasing distribution to power growing profits, the economy is now too developed for that. Instead, they must focus on building strong brands that stand for something and have meaning for local consumers. Even in sectors that have grown slowly, the brands who are Meaningful and Different to their consumers have grown their brand value in relation to their peers."

The BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands report and rankings, and a great deal more brand insight for key regions of the world and 17 market sectors, are available online here. The Indonesian report, rankings, charts, articles and more can also be found via the BrandZ app. The BrandZ app also contains the same features and functionality for all BrandZ regional reports and is free to download for Apple IOS and all Android devices from www.brandz.com/mobile or search for BrandZ in the respective iTunes or Google Play app stores.

Background and methodology

Commissioned by WPP, the valuation behind the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands was conducted by brand equity research experts Kantar Millward Brown. The methodology mirrors that used to calculate the annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, which is now in its 13th year.

The ranking combines rigorously analysed financial data from Bloomberg and Kantar Worldpanel with the opinions of over 27,100 Indonesian consumers gathered for over 509 brands in more than 38 categories. The BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indonesian Brands is the most definitive and robust ranking of the country's brands available, and the brands ranked all meet one of these two eligibility criteria:

The brand was originally created by an Indonesian enterprise and is owned by an enterprise listed on a credible stock exchange; or

The brand is owned by an enterprise listed on Jakarta Stock Exchange; or

Unicorns (which have a valuation in excess of $1billion ) founded in Indonesia have their most recent valuation available in the public domain

The suite of BrandZ country rankings and reports also includes China, India, Latin America, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, the U.S. and Italy.

About Kantar Millward Brown

Kantar Millward Brown is a leading global research agency specialising in advertising effectiveness, strategic communication, media and digital, and brand equity research. The company helps clients grow great brands through comprehensive research-based qualitative and quantitative solutions. Kantar Millward Brown operates in more than 55 countries and is part of WPP's Kantar group, one of the world's leading data, insight and consultancy companies. Learn more at www.millwardbrown.com.

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 www.wpp.com

For more information please contact:

Fanny Murhayati

Kantar Indonesia

Tel: +62-21-2939-2697

Email: [email protected]



Ahmad Fadli

Ogilvy Indonesia

Tel: +62-21-2924-3283

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE Kantar Millward Brown
The elastic-faced Atkinson, best known as the wide-eyed Mr. Bean, returns to the character of Johnny English, a parody of suave superspy James Bond, who is just so bad at spying, he might actually be good. Scratch that, he's a terrible spy, but he's got great people around him. He is useful, however, for creating a diversion, like setting a restaurant on fire, or tearing up the dance floor to Darude's "Sandstorm." There's also something to be said for low expectations, because when people underestimate him, Johnny English gets away with a lot. Unfortunately, there aren't expectations low enough to make "Johnny English Strikes Again" entertaining.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), one of the fastest growing genetics companies, today announced that it will report its third quarter 2018 financial results on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 and will host a conference call and webinar that day at 4:30 p.m. Eastern / 1:30 p.m. Pacific to discuss its financial results and recent highlights.

The dial-in numbers for the conference call are (866) 393-4306 for domestic callers and (734) 385-2616 for international callers, and the reservation number for both is 9887569. Following prepared remarks, management will respond to questions from investors and analysts, subject to time limitations. We encourage our shareholders and those representing them to send in questions to [email protected].

The live webinar of the call may be accessed by visiting the investors section of the company's website at ir.invitae.com. A replay of the webinar will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company's website.

About Invitae

Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a genetics company whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate most of the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time and lower prices.

Contact:

Laura D'Angelo

[email protected]

(628) 213-3369

SOURCE Invitae Corporation

Related Links

http://www.invitae.com


MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) is preparing for the impact of severe weather that is forecast to impact parts of the East Coast beginning Friday, including heavy rain and wind gusts of more than 50 mph across the company's service areas in northern and central New Jersey.

Company meteorologists are monitoring a developing storm system generated, in part, by the remnants of Hurricane Willa as it exits Mexico and continues its path east. Current trends show the possibility of severe weather affecting JCP&L and other FirstEnergy utilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia beginning Friday night and into the weekend.

JCP&L personnel are reviewing storm response plans, which include making arrangements to bring in additional line, substation and forestry personnel, and additional dispatchers and analysts at regional dispatch offices, as required, based on the severity of the weather.

Plans also include:

Notifying JCP&L well water and critical care customers of the approaching storm and the possibility that electrical service may be interrupted.

Activating, if needed, the Incident Command System and the Command Center in Holmdel to manage the restoration effort.

to manage the restoration effort. Increasing social media messaging addressing the potential impacts ahead of the storm.

Notifying local and state officials about the company's storm preparation activities.

Activating the JCP&L storm website.

"We are taking steps now to implement our storm restoration process," said James V. Fakult, president of Jersey Central Power & Light. "The ultimate goal of our pre-planning efforts is to speed the restoration process and minimize any inconvenience our customers experience due to the weather."

Customers who may be left without power after the storm are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com.

In the event of severe weather, customers should immediately report downed wires to their utility or their local police or fire department. Customers should never go near a downed power line, even if they think it is no longer carrying electricity. Extra caution should be used in areas where downed lines are tangled in trees or other debris. Motorists are cautioned to treat intersections with inoperable traffic signals as four-way stops.

Customers are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of outages:

Keep electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops and tablet computers fully charged to be ready for any emergencies.

Keep a flashlight, portable radio and extra batteries handy in the event a power interruption occurs. Tune to a local station for current storm information.

Never use a portable generator inside the house or a closed garage in the event of a power outage. Ensure the proper generator is selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, the power coming into the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back onto the utility lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers.

Gather extra blankets or a sleeping bag for each person. Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters or other open-flame heat sources to prevent deadly carbon monoxide gas from building up in your home.

If you have a water well and pump, keep an emergency supply of bottled water and/or fill your bathtub with fresh water.

Stock an emergency supply of convenience foods that do not require cooking.

Mobile phones can be charged in your vehicle using a car charger when the power is out. If you have a smart phone, this will ensure you have access to online information sources.

FirstEnergy customers also can subscribe to email and text message alert notifications to receive billing reminders, weather alerts in advance of major storms, and updates on scheduled or extended power outages. Customers can also use two-way text messaging to report outages, request updates on restoration efforts, and make other inquiries about their electric accounts.

More information about these communications tools is available online at www.firstenergycorp.com/connect.

JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE). JCP&L serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.firstenergycorp.com


PORT VILA, Vanuatu, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Juno Markets, an online forex & CFD trading service provider, has received trade execution certification from independent auditor, Verify My Trade. The results of the audit found that 99.85% of trades were deemed "Fair" or better versus the industry average of 90%. Additionally, 67.2% of trades were at least "Above Average" compared to the 9.9% industry average.

A chart of the results

Verify My Trade collects a sample of 5,000 order executions per month in accordance to generally accepted auditing standards and compares the execution prices against a benchmark of over a dozen FX and CFD brokers. In order to maintain its certification, Juno Markets must submit 5,000 trades per month.

Arthur Le, CEO of Juno Markets, said of the results, "We are proud to release the results of our latest trade audit to the public. We have always emphasized the importance of transparency and building trust with our clients. By having an independent auditor verify our trades, it reinforces those values. We will continue to work hard to bring the best possible trading environment to our clients."

Traders can find the Juno Markets certification here

About Juno Markets

Juno Markets is a leading online forex and CFDs trading service provider. Starting in Asia Pacific, the firm was established by industry veterans who believe in bringing an exceptional trading experience to traders through use of the latest technology and localized support and services. Juno Markets aims to become the premier broker for both clients and IBs through low cost spreads, reliable execution, and unique trading resources. For more information on the Company, its products and services, please visit https://www.junomarkets.com

Media Contact Person: Nadia Kang

Media Contact Email: [email protected]

Media Contact Phone Number: +61 290524945

SOURCE Juno Markets

Related Links

https://www.junomarkets.com


LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Krispy Krunchy Chicken, one of the fastest growing hot foodservice concepts in convenience stores, donated more than 10,000 delicious Krispy Krunchy Chicken meals and sides to all residents and first responders in the small towns and areas hit hardest by Hurricane Michael in Florida.

Pictured (L to R): Krispy Krunchy employees, (Mike Evans, Jason Sapp, Marco Steven, Ray Hebert), Neal Onebane, Founder of Krispy Krunchy, Jonathan Kernion, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, Former Florida Congressman Steve Southerland, James Stein, and Luke Delahoussaye. Krispy Krunchy Chicken handing out meals in Lynn Haven, FL.

The Krispy Krunchy Chicken Emergency Relief Kitchen rolled into the Florida panhandle and served up FREE, hot Krispy Krunchy Chicken meals to people in need. On Thursday, they were at Waller Elementary School Youngstown, FL; on Friday at Parker Elementary in Parker, FL; and Saturday at the Walmart in Lynn Haven, FL.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken wants to extend a huge thank you to Florida Senator George Gainer; Andrea Gainey, Legislative Aide to Senator Gainer; Former Congressman Steve Sutherland, Megan Harrison, President & CEO of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Jamey Price, Founder of Grayton Beer Company; the Lake City Sheriff's Office, and the Florida National Guard for all their coordination efforts and the countless others who contributed in many other ways.

"I was deeply moved by the spirit and determination expressed by so many Floridians this weekend," said Krispy Krunchy Chicken Founder and President Neal Onebane. "We came to Florida to lift spirits and instead found ourselves being lifted up by the positive and can-do spirit of those we met who have lost everything. Our hearts are filled with affection today for those we fed, and are filled with pride and gratitude to those many volunteers who stood by our side to serve these free meals to those in need."

Krispy Krunchy Chicken was recognized by Thrillist, an online restaurant and food review media company, as "America's Best Fried Chicken You've Never Heard Of" in 2017. This quick service food concept currently has more than 2,400 locations located across 46 states, American Samoa and Mexico.

Contact:

Allison Shapiro Dandry

504.432.6095 or [email protected]

SOURCE Krispy Krunchy Foods LLC
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Golub Center for Finance and Policy (GCFP) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is launching a contest to generate strategic proposals aimed at enhancing retirement plans covering millions of public sector workers across the US. A prize pool of $20,000 will be distributed to the winners who propose the most well-reasoned, prudent and implementable strategies. Everyone is eligible to participate. Submissions from students, academics, investment advisory professionals, pension fund managers, as well as from experts in asset-liability management are particularly welcome.



The US has experienced a sharp decline in the number and size of defined benefit (DB) pensions in the private sector as firms have increasingly offered defined contribution (DC) plans, such as the popular 401(k), to their employees. That shift is due to a variety of factors including high costs to firms of DB plans, tightened disclosure requirements and a decline in unionization. By contrast, DB plans remain prevalent in the public sector with almost all states and cities continuing to sponsor such plans.



Public sector unions have resisted the move to DC plans for a variety of reasons including concerns about plan underfunding associated with shifting investment responsibility from employer to employees. They contend employeesif newly responsible for making their own investment decisions and with limited financial knowledgecould make poor choices leaving them at risk for inadequate retirement income. Notwithstanding the preference for DB in the public sector, such plans are increasingly under severe financial stress, calling into question their sustainability. Unfunded liabilities for state and city pension plansthe shortfall between the present value of plan assets and future benefits owedis estimated to exceed $5 trillion.



Thus, a challenge exists to consider development of a third type of retirement plan, which manages risk better than a DC plan while operating at the lower costs of a DB plan. One potential alternative has been described as a collective defined contribution plan (CDCP). The contest underway at MIT seeks proposals for operationalizing such an alternative approach to public sector retirement funding.



Contest sponsor and MIT Sloan Senior Lecturer Robert Pozen pointed out, "A key feature of a CDCP is that all employer and employee contributions are invested and managed in one collective pool. Benefits depend on investment performance, but risk sharing across multiple generations of retirees increases the predictability of benefit payments."



Under a CDCP, individual employees would have a notional personal account balance consisting of their contributions, any employer matches and the collective investment returns allocated to that account. While those balances would be tracked and benefit distributions would be linked to those balances, the actual assets would be held in the collective pool.



According to MIT Sloan Professor and GCFP Academic Director Deborah Lucas: "The goal of the contest is to find the highest level of scheduled benefits that a well-structured CDCP is likely to deliver to retirees. We're looking for input on an investment strategy and risk-sharing policy that could be followed by CDCP managers to provide retirees with the highest achievable scheduled benefits subject to the limits on the probability and severity of benefit shortfalls."



The contest is now open and submissions will be accepted through January 15, 2019. For more information, visit the contest website at http://gcfp.mit.edu/cdcpcontest/.



About the MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy

The mission of the MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy (GCFP) is to serve as a catalyst for innovative, cross-disciplinary and non-partisan research and educational initiatives that address the unique challenges facing governments in their role as financial institutions and as regulators of the financial system. The Center is building a foundation that, in keeping with its mission, will support transformative improvements in the development and execution of financial policy today and in the decades to come. It leverages the Institute's reputation of academic excellence and commitment to public service, and the acumen of the MIT Sloan School of Managementlong regarded as having one of the preeminent financial economics departments in the world. For more information on GCFP, please visit: http://gcfp.mit.edu



About the MIT Sloan School of Management

MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu.

SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management

Related Links

http://www.mitsloan.mit.edu


SYDNEY, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuClone Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company exclusively focused on developing high-quality biosimilar products, today announced it has commenced first-in-human dosing of its Herceptin (trastuzumab) biosimilar candidate, in a Phase I clinical trial.

The single-dose, randomized, three-arm, double-blind study is being conducted in Australia in over 100 healthy volunteers. The objective of the study is to demonstrate equivalent PK and safety of NeuClone's trastuzumab biosimilar to Herceptin.

NeuClone's trastuzumab biosimilar is one of ten biosimilar products being developed in partnership with Serum Institute of India (Serum Institute).

"This major milestone offers significant validation of our biosimilar pipeline and partnership with Serum Institute", stated Dr. Noelle Sunstrom, CEO and Founder of NeuClone. "Over the coming years we will progress multiple biosimilar products through clinical trials and toward registration."

Mr. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India stated: "This is only the beginning of our long-term biosimilar partnership with NeuClone. Following the trastuzumab biosimilar Phase I trial, the Stelara (ustekinumab) biosimilar Phase I will be conducted in 2019. We are determined to replicate the success of our low-cost, large-scale vaccine business model with all ten biosimilars partnered with NeuClone."

The Phase I clinical trial is being conducted under the Australian Clinical Trial Notification (CTN) scheme. This pathway offers a streamlined approach and data output is supported by global regulatory agencies such as the EMA and U.S. FDA.

NeuClone Executive Chairman Dr. Russell Howard stated: "We recognise that our trastuzumab biosimilar is not a first to market candidate, however we are confident that in partnership with Serum Institute, we have the capabilities to enter the market with ultra-competitive prices, large-scale supply, and the highest quality standards that adhere to global regulatory requirements.

Herceptin is marketed in the U.S. by Genentech, in Japan by Chugai Pharmaceutical and internationally by Roche. Herceptin is approved for HER2-overexpressing breast and gastric cancer. In 2017, Herceptin generated USD 7.4 billion in global sales (La Merie).

NeuClone representatives will attend the upcoming 2018 BIO-Europe conference in Copenhagen from 5-7th November 2018 and look forward to meeting potential commercialisation partners.

About NeuClone

NeuClone is a biopharmaceutical company focused exclusively on developing a pipeline of biosimilar products. Five biosimilar products have been disclosed in NeuClone's pipeline that reference Herceptin, Stelara, Humira, Synagis and Prolia/XGEVA. NeuClone develops biosimilar products using its proprietary NeuMAX platform that facilitates low-cost manufacture of biologics, whilst enabling the highest product quality. NeuClone is led by a highly experienced team with state-of-the-art integrated facilities based in Sydney, Australia. For more information, please visit www.neuclone.com.

About the NeuClone-Serum Institute Partnership

NeuClone and Serum Institute have partnered to develop ten biosimilars for global registration in accordance with the most stringent regulatory standards. Serum Institute is well known in the vaccine industry as the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (over 1.3 billion annually). Together with NeuClone, Serum Institute has a strategic and commercial vision to replicate its success in vaccines with biosimilars - making them available at sufficient volume, quality and price to deliver globally. Under the partnership, NeuClone is responsible for initial biosimilar development, analytical characterisation and biosimilarity confirmation. Serum Institute is responsible for clinical and commercial scale manufacture.

Herceptin is a registered trademark of Genentech Inc.

Stelara is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson.

Humira is a registered trademark of AbbVie Inc.

Synagis is a registered trademark of MedImmune Inc.

Prolia and XGEVA are registered trademarks of Amgen Inc.

SOURCE NeuClone

Related Links

http://www.neuclone.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when primary care physicians are increasingly disgruntled about their work environment and physician burnout reaches an all-time high, the physicians at Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC) are more satisfied and loyal than customers of some of the nation's most beloved corporations.

A recent survey of COPC physicians showed their Net Promoter Score of 85* is higher than Apple and Southwest Airlines. In fact, the only constituents who appear to be more loyal than COPC physicians are the owners of a Tesla automobile.

But for most primary care physicians the picture isn't so rosy. An editorial published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reported burnout rates ranging from 30 to 65 percent across specialties, with the highest rates incurred by physicians at the front line of care, such as emergency medicine and primary care. And a survey of 950 primary care physicians conducted by MDVIP revealed 83 percent of doctors say they wish they had more time with their patients.

COPC's journey to creating happier physicians started with a culture shifting from fee-for-service to value based care, a model used in every aspect of their practice. In addition, COPC management, including hands-on CEO Dr. Bill Wulf, points to the other reasons why his group's physicians are happier at work:

Physicians have always been involved in COPC's decision-making process, as 80% of our physicians are shareholders. One physician representative from each of our practices attends a monthly advisory committee meeting.

COPC has also entered into a long-term partnership with agilon health to enable growth and development of a purpose-built care delivery program for Medicare Advantage patients.

And happy doctors go hand in hand with happy patients. A recent survey of COPC patients' who recently underwent an annual wellness visit confirms their satisfaction.

For 30 years, Vicki Spencer has been getting regular exams from Dr. Henry Sleesman, a COPC internist. "He is an excellent doctor who spends quality time with me," she admits. "He remembers everything about my family and I feel like I can talk to him about anything. And when I do my annual exams, he calls me back with the results of my blood tests, which are usually negative. He always goes the extra mile."

"The promise of value-based care is reflected in the satisfaction of COPC physicians," said Dr. Amy Nguyen Howell, chief medical officer at America's Physician Groups. "It provides them with the tools they need to increase time at the bedside while reducing the burden of paperwork. By embracing this model, COPC has invested not only in its physicians, but also in the patients and communities they serve."

About Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC)

Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC) is the largest physician-owned primary care medical group in the United States. COPC has over 375 providers and 67 practice locations throughout central Ohio, along with a full-service laboratory, radiology, cardiac testing, physical therapy and hospitalist services, and several first-rate disease management programs.

About agilon health

agilon health of Long Beach, California, a company founded in 2016 by world-class health care leaders, is helping U.S. physicians manage the leap from fee for service to value-based health care. agilon health has created an operating platform bringing people, process and proprietary technology together in partnership with physicians to take responsibility for total healthcare spend.

*Net promoter score is index that measures willingness of customers to recommend a company's products or services to others.

SOURCE COPC
LEUVEN, Belgium, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

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, announced today that Patrik De Haes, M.D., chief executive officer, will present a company overview at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit ([email protected] 2018) at 3:55 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.

The company will also provide an update of its clinical programs at the Subspecialty Day exhibit (booth #18) of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2018 annual meeting (AAO 2018) on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. During AAO 2018, the company will also be engaging global retina experts by participating in clinical project updates and review meetings.

Furthermore, attendees of AAO 2018 will have the opportunity to meet the Oxurion management team and the company's US based JETREA team (ThromboGenics inc booth #4063) at the AAO 2018 exhibition. Physicians who would like to learn more about Oxurion's US and EU based clinical programs and the recently published peer-reviewed results of the Ocriplasmin Research to Better Inform Treatment (ORBIT) study can meet with Oxurion's medical experts at the booth.

Additionally, Oxurion will be joining Retina Global as a corporate partner during its industry reception at AAO 2018. The Retina Global Reception will bring together retina specialists, ophthalmologists and industry leaders who are committed to improving treatment options and clinical care for individuals with retinal diseases. The event will take place on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Patrik De Haes, M.D., chief executive officer of Oxurion NV, said: "OIS and AAO 2018 are great opportunities for us to engage with the ophthalmology community in the U.S. and globally. It is an exciting time for Oxurion as we advance our pipeline of disease-modifying drug candidates to preserve vision for patients with back of the eye disorders. We look forward to sharing the progress of our clinical programs in advance of the anticipated study results from our ongoing Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in the second half of 2019."

Oxurion currently has four clinical studies actively recruiting patients. The company is recruiting individuals with diabetic retinopathy for its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of THR-317, an anti-placental growth factor (PlGF) in combination with Lucentis (ranibizumab), and a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the same drug candidate for the treatment of idiopathic macular telangiectasia type 1 (MacTel1). The company is also recruiting individuals with central-involved diabetic macular edema (CI-DME) for a Phase 1 dose escalation clinical trial to assess the safety of THR-149, a plasma kallikrein (PKal) inhibitor. Finally, Oxurion is recruiting for a Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety of THR-687 in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

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) and MacTel1; 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 http://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.

For further information please contact:

Oxurion NV

Wouter Piepers,

Global Head of Corp Coms & Investor relations

+32-1675-1310 / +32-47833-56-32

[email protected]

EU - Citigate Dewe Rogerson

David Dible/ Sylvie Berrebi

Tel: +44-207638-9571

[email protected]

US - LifeSci Public Relations

Alison Chen

+1-646-876-4932

[email protected]

SOURCE Oxurion NV
RICHMOND, Va. and MADRID, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to increasing demand for high capacity and low latency connectivity to Europe and South America via the new MAREA  BRUSA sea cables, QTS Realty Trust (NYSE: QTS), a leading provider of hybrid colocation and mega-scale data center solutions, and Telxius, the infrastructure company of the Telefonica Group, today announced that Telxius has established a key point of presence in QTS' Richmond mega data center.

MAREA and BRUSA are two of the highest capacity, lowest latency subsea cable systems ever built. MAREA is a Telxius joint project with Facebook and Microsoft. It has reached 200 terabits per second (Tbps) of ultrahigh transmission capacity that keeps growing and is the highest capacity subsea cable system across the Atlantic connecting Virginia (US) and Sopelana (Spain).

BRUSA is a private cable built by Telxius and offers one of the lowest latency communication links between the U.S. and Brazil. Together, these cables provide state-of-the-art connectivity to enable the development of next generation cloud services and content distribution to and from European and Latin American markets.

The cables terminate in the U.S. directly into the new Virginia Beach Cable Landing Station (VBCLS) located in Telxius' Virginia Beach distribution hub. Telxius is responsible for the operation of the MAREA & BRUSA cables and leverages its IP, capacity, colocation and security services through it, and extends the backhaul capacity via a high availability multi-homed point of presence in QTS' Richmond mega data center.

QTS Richmond is the closest Tier 3 designed data center to the MAREA and BRUSA next-generation VBCLS enabling QTS to provide enterprises and hyperscalers with the highest on-net capacity and lowest latency for the entire MAREA  BRUSA cable system. In addition, QTS' mega data centers in Richmond and Ashburn, Va. feature diverse connectivity for cloud and hybrid colocation including carrier-neutral cloud interconnection (Megaport and PacketFabric), multiple fiber routes, third party neutral internet peering exchanges and direct access to leading cloud ecosystems. This is particularly strategic for international organizations looking for the best route to and from Richmond and other markets with QTS data centers. Richmond continues to be an attractive destination for enterprises, including Bank of America's recently expanded operations in Henrico County and Facebook's construction of a two million square foot data center adjacent to QTS in White Oak Technology Park.

"The Virginia Beach Cable Landing Station has catapulted Richmond as a destination for enterprises and hyperscalers seeking access to and savings from these ultra-high capacity and low latency international cable systems," said Chad Williams, CEO. "Telxius' presence in our Richmond mega data center combined with direct fiber routes to our new Ashburn data center, establishes QTS as the nexus for high performance hybrid colocation and hyperscale solutions."

QTS' mega scale Richmond data center encompasses a 1.3 million square foot facility on a 220-acre campus. The existing facility features more than 500,000 square feet of raised floor capacity which provides a wide range of IT infrastructure services including significant capacity optimized for hyperscale and hybrid colocation.

"We are very pleased to establish Telxius' presence in QTS' mega-scale Richmond data center as it creates numerous business possibilities for enterprises and hyperscalers with international interests," said Guillermo Canete, Senior Network Planning Director, Telxius. "We aim at effectively connecting BRUSA and MAREA to the main data centers in the world and this Tier 3 data center space, the closest of its kind to the MAREA and BRUSA landing station in Virginia Beach fits in perfectly with our plans."

QTS recently opened its new mega data center in Ashburn, Va. The new facility is the first three-story data center in Ashburn and features approximately 180,000 square feet of data center space, 12 column free data halls, and up to 32 megawatts of critical power optimized for enterprise, hyperscale, and build-to-suit solutions.

About QTS

QTS Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: QTS) is a leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse footprint spanning more than 6 million square feet of owned mega scale data center space throughout North America. Through its software-defined data center platform, QTS is able to deliver secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and premium customer service to leading hyperscale technology companies, enterprises, and government entities. Visit QTS at www.qtsdatacenters.com, call toll-free 877.QTS.DATA or follow on Twitter @DataCenters_QTS.

About Telxius

Telxius is the telecommunication infrastructure company of the Telefonica Group managing a unique combination of towers and an international network of high capacity fiber optic submarine cables. As specialists in telecommunication infrastructure, we aim at enabling the best communication for our customers. Telxius offers advanced services on its 87,000 km international network which consists of ten high capacity submarine fibre optic cables, including two of the highest capacity systems in the world, MAREA and BRUSA, both already open for business.

For more information on Telxius, we invite you to visit www.telxius.com

Media Contacts:

Carter B. Cromley

(703) 861-7245

[email protected]

Conchi Gutierrez

[email protected]

SOURCE QTS Realty Trust, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.qtsdatacenters.com


ADDISON, Ill., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 31, 2018, President Trump signed a new presidential proclamation adjusting steel duties initiated under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. This ended temporary exemptions of duties for imports of steel products from the European Union (EU), Canada and Mexico. As a result, a 25 percent duty on steel products is now being collected on imports from these countries.

Architectural Space Frame Key To Transbay Transit Center's Reshaping Of Downtown San Francisco's Landscape

These recent tariffs placed on steel imports have driven the price of steel upnot just internationally but also domestically. According to the Raw Steels Monthly Metals Index (MMI), Chinese steel prices increased in August and September, and have been on an uptrend after a slight downtrend earlier in the year. Despite a slight dip in August, domestic steel prices have hovered at seven-year highs throughout 2018 and have remained in a sharp uptrend since January.

"Those looking to start a new building project may want to consider using a steel space frame structural system as one way to reduce costs," said Tom Chambers, owner of DSI Spaceframes, Inc. in Addison, Illinois.

As the nation's leading source for space frames, DSI Spaceframes provides complete design and fabrication servicesconsultation, engineering, manufacturing, and installationfor complex and ornamental architectural applications.

"Space frames are lightweight, durable and quick to install--all factors that contribute to cost savings," Chambers explained.

Space Frames Are Lighter

According to Chambers, a space frame structure is up to 30 percent lighter than a similar structure supported by a traditional steel truss system because it uses significantly less materialup to 60 percent less. This can provide substantial savings on materials.

Conserving Resources Helps Conserve Dollars

Additionally, steel space frame structures can be made from recycled material and are themselves, fully recyclable. Sourcing material that is abundant and locally available eliminates the need for scarce, high-cost materials.

DSI Spaceframes is the only fully American owned and operated space frame manufacturer to produce components from locally sourced steel. The company makes all its products in the USA to conform to "Buy America" requirements.

Space Frames Are Durable

In addition to using materials more efficiently, steel space frames are more durable over the long run and therefore provide cost savings for years to come, said Chambers. At DSI Spaceframes, for example, all components are manufactured at its Illinois facility, then galvanized and finished with a powder coat. The hot-dipped galvanization process provides a protective coating over the steel to prevent rust and resist corrosion. As a result, the completed space frame structure does not need to be repainted and requires significantly less maintenance over the years, lowering long-term cost of ownership.

Space Frames Are Faster To Install

After being manufactured, steel space frame components are delivered to a job site ready to be installed. Trained technicians assemble the system on-site, and no field cutting or welding is required. Then the space frame structure is erected into place and tacked down.

"This entire process takes a fraction of the time of a traditional framing process," Chambers explained. "Since fewer man-hours are needed, installation costs are lowerresulting in additional savings."

Examples of space frame structures include the awning on the new Transbay Transit Center, a visionary project reshaping the landscape of downtown San Francisco; the contemporary facade of the renovated Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum near Long Island, New York; and the transparent roof structure of the Los Angeles Rams' stadium, still under construction in Inglewood, California.

All three projects use steel space frame structures manufactured by DSI Spaceframes. The company is committed to advancing the use of space frames by providing architects, engineers, contractors, developers, property owners, and even artists with the highest quality products and customer service in the industry.

"With higher than ever steel prices, today is the opportune time to consider steel space frame designs as an affordable alternative to other forms of steel frame construction," said Chambers.

To learn more about steel space frames and how they can help lower the cost of building projects, visit www.DSIspaceframes.com. Or call (630) 607-0045.

Related Images

transbay-transit-center.jpg

Transbay Transit Center

Architectural Space Frame Key To Transbay Transit Center's Reshaping Of Downtown San Francisco's Landscape

nassau-veterans-memorial-coliseum.jpg

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Transformation Of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Exterior Achieved Through Space Frame Construction

jacob-k-javits-convention-center.jpg

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

Javits Center Renovation Has Restored The Exhibit Space's Promise Of Flexibility, Comfort And Cutting-Edge Design

steel-space-frame-manufacturing.jpg

Steel space frame manufacturing

DSI Spaceframes provides complete design and fabrication servicesconsultation, engineering, manufacturing, and installationfor complex and ornamental architectural applications

SOURCE DSI Spaceframes

Related Links

http://www.dsispaceframes.com


159 E. Walton St., No. 32A, Chicago: $6,750,000 | Listed: Oct. 11, 2021



This three-bedroom home has three full bathrooms, one half-bath and a private elevator foyer with marble flooring. The family room offers south-facing Michigan Avenue views and features a built-in bar and full-sized wine fridge, both of which are hidden behind custom doors. At the northeast corner of the home is a study complete with a fireplace, built-ins, and corner lake views. The eat-in kitchen features Wolf, Sub-Zero and Thermador appliances, stainless steel countertops, a butlers pantry, an indoor grill with a professional hood and custom cabinetry. The primary bedroom suite has a sitting room, custom built-ins, a fireplace and a bathroom with a steam shower, a Whirlpool tub, double sinks and a private commode. Two additional bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, an entryway powder room and surround sound throughout complete this home.



Agent: Katherine Malkin, Compass, 312-576-5200



*Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options.



To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com.



Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news.
"The Brazilian pre-salt fields are some of the best deep-water provinces in the world," said Andy Brown, Upstream Director for Shell. "With significant flow rates, deep-water Brazil projects are breaking even under $40 per barrel. We commend Petrobras on this production milestone, and we look forward to progressing additional development plans with our consortium partners as well as for our recently-acquired, deep-water Brazil blocks."

Following Lula Extreme South, the next FPSO is P-67 for Lula North. The Libra product sharing agreement continues to progress with an extended well test as well as the Mero 1 FPSO, and additional FPSOs are planned. Shell also has development drilling planned for its operated, Gato do Mato South field in 2019.

Shell has a 25 percent stake in the Lula consortium, operated by Petrobras (65 percent). Galp, through its subsidiary Petrogal Brasil, holds the remaining 10 percent interest.

Editor's Notes:

P-69 is Shell's 14 th deep water FPSO in Brazil , which includes FPSOs in the pre-Salt Campos and Santos Basin. Shell operates the BC-10 and Bijupira & Salema FPSOs.

deep water FPSO in , which includes FPSOs in the pre-Salt Campos and Santos Basin. Shell operates the BC-10 and Bijupira & Salema FPSOs. Shell's interest in the Lula field is subject to unitization agreements.

Shell's deep water business produces approximately 740 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) and is expected to reach approximately 900 thousand boe/d by 2020 from already discovered, established areas.

Recent bid rounds offer Shell significant potential for additional deep-water discoveries, bringing the company's total operated presence offshore Brazil to 27 concessions and approximately 2.7 million acres.

to 27 concessions and approximately 2.7 million acres. The forward-looking breakeven price presented above is calculated based on all forward-looking costs associated from FID. Accordingly, this typically excludes exploration and appraisal costs, lease bonuses, exploration seismic and exploration team overhead costs. The forward-looking breakeven price is calculated based on our estimate of resources volumes that are currently classified as 2p and 2c under the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Resource Classification System. As this project is expected to be multi-decade producing, the less than $40 per barrel projection will not be reflected either in earnings or cash flow in the next five years.

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition', ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule", ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, October 24, 2018. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Shell
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc. (SSSHT), a public, non-traded real estate investment trust sponsored by SmartStop Asset Management, LLC (SmartStop), announced today that SSSHT has broken ground on an expansion of Courtyard at Mt. Tabor, a continuum of care senior housing community in Portland, Oregon, that will add a free-standing, approximately 16,000-square-foot, 23-unit memory care building to the community.

Purchased by Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust in August 2018, Courtyard at Mt. Tabor currently offers 286 units of independent living, assisted living and memory care.

"We are excited to break ground on this new project, which will not only expand the memory care services provided at Courtyard at Mt. Tabor, but is also expected to enhance the value of the investment for Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust," said John Strockis, chief investment officer. "The expansion also marks the first ground-breaking project for SmartStop Asset Management and its affiliates in the senior housing space, an emerging asset class that our firm first entered into in February 2018."

SSSHT hosted a ground-breaking ceremony on October 22, which was attended by: R&H Construction, Ankrom Moisan Architects, Simon Investments, Integral Senior Living, Courtyard at Mt. Tabor, Oregon Health Care Association and Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors.

Located at 6125 and 6323 SE Division St., Courtyard at Mt. Tabor is currently 96 percent occupied and 100 percent private pay. Situated on 7.1 acres of land in the Mt. Tabor submarket of Portland, the community was constructed between 1992 and 2009.

Courtyard at Mt. Tabor is a full-service retirement community that offers extensive dining service options, wellness care and activities, transportation, personal care and support services, housekeeping, and a 24-hour front desk staff. The property received the Caring Stars award in 2015 and 2016, a program that honors the best senior living communities in the United States based on consumer reviews.

Integral Senior Living, a premier senior living operator that manages independent, assisted living and memory care properties throughout 18 states, manages the property on a day-to-day basis on behalf of SSSHT.

"We're so proud of the work our team has done to make this addition to our dynamic community a reality," said Collette Gray, CEO/COO for ISL. "With the building of additional memory care living accommodations, we strive to continue establishing great relationships in Portland and provide jobs in the area. We're also excited to be able to expand our partnership with SmartStop."

SSSHT owns a portfolio of four senior housing communities and two student housing communities acquired for an aggregate contract purchase price of approximately $275 million.

About Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc. (SSSHT)

SSSHT is a public, non-traded REIT that focuses on the acquisition of income-producing, Class "A" student housing and senior housing communities. SSSHT owns two student housing properties and four senior housing properties. For more information regarding SSSHT, please visit https://strategicreit.com/site/sssht.

About SmartStop Asset Management, LLC (SmartStop)

SmartStop is a diversified real estate company focused on self storage, student housing and senior housing assets. The company has approximately $1.7 billion of real estate assets under management, including 124 self storage facilities located throughout the United States and Toronto, Canada, comprised of approximately 78,500 units and 9.1 million rentable square feet. SmartStop's real estate portfolio also includes five student housing communities with approximately 2,800 beds and 1.1 million square feet of space, as well as four senior housing communities with approximately 650 beds and 500,000 rentable square feet of space. SmartStop is the sponsor of four public non-traded REITs: Strategic Storage Trust IV, Inc., Strategic Storage Trust II, Inc., and Strategic Storage Growth Trust, Inc., all focused on self storage assets, and Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc., focused on student and senior housing assets. SmartStop is also a national sponsor of Section 1031 exchange offerings using the Delaware statutory trust structure. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.SAM.com and more information regarding SmartStop Self Storage in the United States and Canada is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com.

Contacts

Julie Leber Lauren Burgos Spotlight Marketing Communications Spotlight Marketing Communications 949.427.1391 949.427.1399 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc.

Related Links

https://strategicreit.com/site/sssht


DENVER, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivos Therapeutics, a leading company focused on addressing the root causes of sleep apnea, is excited to spotlight the success of one of the many dental practices that have expanded their services to include the treatment of sleep apnea through Vivos' Integrated Practice Program.

Dr. Willis Pumphrey, founder of ClearCorrect, has experienced extraordinary clinical success since his Colorado Springs practice began focusing only on the Vivos System. Due to increased demand, Pumphrey is opening an additional facility in the Cherry Creek area of Denver. "In more than 30 years of practicing dentistry I have never seen anything like this, and I was around when Invisalign came to market. This is far bigger and far more important. For the first time, we can bring our patients the hope of a real and lasting solution to their obstructive sleep apnea. The unique technology behind the Vivos System is unlike anything on the market today, and we find it highly effective in patients of all ages. The increase in business and the ability to better treat my patients has far exceeded our expectations since we started offering the Vivos System," said Pumphrey. "Like our facility in Colorado Springs, Cherry Creek will exclusively offer the Vivos System, and we expect to be opening more facilities soon."

The Vivos VIP Program helps dental practitioners integrate Vivos Therapeutics into their existing practice and gives them the tools to experience the same success demonstrated in Colorado Springs. "Dentists have the opportunity to increase and expand their business while offing relief to millions of children and adults who suffer from issues related to sleep apnea by treating them exclusively with the Vivos System," said Michael Driessen, CEO for VSB, LLC (Dr. Pumphrey's practices) which focuses on delivering the Vivos VIP Program. "This is the first step in realizing the full potential of the breathing wellness movement."

Vivos Therapeutics is proven to deliver an effective and non-invasive, non-surgical solution for sleep apnea, a serious disorder which can result from an obstructed airway caused by narrow dental arches and/or an underdeveloped jaw. The Vivos System consists of multi-disciplinary therapeutic protocols and oral appliances which increase and enhance the airway. It is the only non-surgical treatment to offer a potentially permanent solution for sleep apnea.

ABOUT VIVOS

Headquartered in Denver Colorado, Vivos Therapeutics Inc. is a research and development company that provides training for dentist and health care providers, allowing them to integrate breathing wellness into their practice. The Vivos System is a proprietary, non-invasive, non-surgical treatment protocol, administered by a multidisciplinary team of highly-trained health care professionals. This revolutionary technology represents the first hope for a lasting solution to the problem of sleep apnea. Vivos Therapeutics has over 765 Certified Provides in 21 States and two Canadian Provinces. For more information about Vivos, please visit https://www.vivoslife.com/.

Media Contact:

Mollie Wagoner

Live Wire Media Relations, LLC

(703) 519-1600 Ext. 106

[email protected]

SOURCE Vivos Therapeutics

Related Links

https://www.vivoslife.com


PLYMPTON, Mass., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In a major win for workers, 253 Sysco-Boston drivers voted overwhelmingly for Teamsters Local 653 representation at the company's New England distribution center that serves customers in five states. Sysco [NYSE: SYY] is the nation's largest broadline foodservice provider.

Trevor Ashley, a 20-year Sysco employee and father of two teens, said he voted yes for his family. He said rising insurance costs, dwindling paychecks and an indiscernible pay system drove workers to seek the security of a Teamster contract.

"My coworkers and I stood together to fight for the respect and dignity we deserve," Ashley said. "I'm proud to be a member of Local 653. It feels good to be a Teamster."

Brian McElhinney, Teamsters Local 653 Secretary-Treasurer, welcomed the drivers to the Teamster family.

"I'm extremely proud of these guys for sticking together to make their voices heard," McElhinney said. "We want them to know Local 653 will always have their backs and we are prepped and ready for first contract negotiations."

Steve Vairma, Teamsters International Vice President and Warehouse Division Director, said the Sysco-Boston win is a major step in the national movement to bring justice to Sysco workers.

"These men and women are tired of the company's disrespect for the workers who, through their back-breaking labor, have positioned this company at the top of the market," Vairma said. "From coast to coast, workers are sending a clear message to Sysco management and corporate executives that they will stand together across the U.S. and Canada to protect workers' rights and fight for justice for all."

"This is a great victory for Sysco workers. It shows the power of what can be done when Teamsters work together," said Sean O'Brien, International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Joint Council 10. "It was a joint effort that began with the Sysco workers and ran through the staffs of Local 653 and Joint Council 10, International Organizer Chris Rosell and the Organizing Department as well as local unions around the country, including Local 120. Everyone chipped in to ensure that Massachusetts Sysco workers will have a voice at work. Now the work begins."

Teamsters from throughout the country supported the campaign, including Joint Council 10 and Locals 25, 120, 202, 190, 455, 769, 683, 117, 528 and 317.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents nearly 10,000 Sysco workers.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Kara Deniz, (202) 624-6911

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and Blackfynn, a company developing the leading data integration and analysis platform to accelerate treatments for neurological diseases, today announce a new partnership focused on deriving insights from the MJFF-sponsored Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) that could lead to discovery of disease biomarkers and new treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD).

PPMI is a longitudinal, observational, multi-center study of more than 1,300 participants to comprehensively evaluate cohorts of significant interest using advanced imaging, biologic sampling and clinical and behavioral assessments to identify biomarkers of PD progression. In order to maximize the learning potential from this rich source of patient data, the PPMI Steering Committee launched an Advanced Analytics Core to apply advanced analyses to PD biomarker discovery. As part of this effort, Blackfynn was chosen to lead the PPMI Advanced Analytics Core.

"The goal of the Advanced Analytics Core is to accelerate our analysis of the comprehensive within-subject data collected through PPMI," said Kenneth Marek, MD, PPMI Principal Investigator. "By combining this rich, multimodal data with Blackfynn's platform and data science expertise, we hope to uncover insights into the determinants of PD progression that will lead to new therapies and improved quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease."

The Blackfynn data platform integrates medical and scientific data of all types  imaging, genomics, sensor and device data, EEG, video, clinical data and related metadata  to enable rapid exploration of data relationships and dynamic data visualizations to address complex scientific and clinical questions. The Blackfynn platform will be used by PPMI investigators to analyze data, develop testable hypotheses and more effectively collaborate, enabling more targeted translational research across academia and industry.

"Our work with MJFF and the PPMI investigators will maximize the value of this important patient dataset and help drive novel discovery with the potential to lead to the development of effective therapies for patients with PD," said Amanda Christini, MD, President of Blackfynn. "Blackfynn will enable a new lens through which discoveries can be made, by looking at all raw and metadata together, in context, to find new patterns that are otherwise obscured when data are in isolation."

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $800 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. For more information, visit www.michaeljfox.org .

About Blackfynn

Blackfynn has developed the leading data integration and analysis platform to transform the treatment of neurological diseases. We use our platform and expert team to drive development of disease-modifying therapeutic drugs, enable personalized therapeutic devices and accelerate translational research. Blackfynn has collaborations in place with Marinus Pharmaceuticals, the Epilepsy Study Consortium, the NIH Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), DARPA, NIDA and dozens of academic labs and institutions worldwide. For more information, visit www.blackfynn.com.

Media Contact:

For MJFF:

Allison Boiles

The Michael J. Fox Foundation

[email protected]

212-509-0995

For Blackfynn:

[email protected]

SOURCE Blackfynn

Related Links

http://www.blackfynn.com


PLANO, Texas, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) has issued its first Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) commercial paper transaction, demonstrating the company's commitment to innovation, and advancing its reputation as an industry leader. The three-month USD-denominated issuance raised USD 500 million from institutional investors, and represents the first non-bank SOFR-linked commercial paper transaction in the USD market.

As the financial markets' dependence on the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) declines ahead of its discontinuance post-2021, support for the SOFR as an alternative reference rate to back U.S. dollar-backed derivatives and loans continues to grow. According to Nicholas Ro, Treasury National Manager of Sales & Trading for Toyota Financial Services  the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States  this transaction is an important step in the development of an alternative reference rate.

"Given TMCC's position as the largest non-bank direct U.S. commercial paper program issuer, we felt it was important to be involved early on in working with our investors," says Ro. "In order to successfully transition from LlBOR to SOFR, we need to listen to the 'voice of our customers.' Gathering investor feedback allows us to better serve our investors, and understand their views on the new reference rate. This allows us to get deeper insight into how investors feel about the alternative reference rate transition, and to determine what role TMCC can play."

TMCC is pleased with its first SOFR floating-rate commercial paper issuance, and expects it to influence positive change in an ever-evolving industry. Ro adds, "We appreciate the trust and support we have received from our investors and external product partners in making our initial SOFR transaction a success."

Having previously offered Diversity & Inclusion Bonds, as well as the auto industry's first-ever Green Bond, TMCC has once again demonstrated its ability to innovate by bringing its SOFR floating-rate commercial paper transaction to the short-term capital markets. TMCC issues USD 100 billion in U.S. commercial paper each year, and is the largest non-bank direct issuer of U.S. commercial paper.

For more information on TFS' Capital Markets programs, please visit www.toyotafinancial.com.

About Toyota Financial Services

TFS is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust. TFS also offers extended service contracts through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). Lexus Financial Services is the brand for financial products for Lexus dealers and customers. TFS currently employs approximately 3,300 associates nationwide, and has assets totaling over $120 billion. It is part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. We announce material financial information using the investor relations section of our website (www.toyotafinancial.com) and SEC filings. We use these channels, press releases, and social media to communicate about our company, our services and other issues. While not all information we post on social media is of a material nature, some information could be material. Therefore, we encourage those interested in our company to review our posts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/toyotafinancial.



For the past four consecutive years, Points of Light has named TFS one of its Civic 50, the most community-minded companies in the nation. For more information about the company's support of financial empowerment, youth development programs, and other community initiatives, please visit www.tfsinthecommunity.com.

SOURCE Toyota Financial Services

Related Links

http://www.toyotafinancial.com


FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firms of Mark A. Tepper, P.A. and Lombana Hoelle Trial Law have filed a claim against UBS Financial Services [NYSE: UBS] on behalf of an Argentinian widow and her three children.

The Claim contends that UBS failed to supervise its broker, ALEX GERARDO HERRERA, who misappropriated the widow's and her children's funds to build a vacation home for himself. Herrera operated from the UBS Coral Gables, Florida Branch which focused on serving the investment needs of foreign clients, primarily from Latin America, the Claim alleges.

"The UBS broker's outside investment scheme involved the purchase of an unfinished villa in Coral Gables, Florida. The broker's scheme was to acquire the property and complete construction, using Claimants' funds, and then sell it, keeping the profit for himself. Next, utilizing Claimants' funds from the sale of [the property], the broker bought property in North Carolina and proceeded to build a vacation home for himself," the Claim alleges.

In addition to other FINRA rule violations, the Claim also contends that [UBS] "charged the widow and her children commission and fees, in excess of $500,000, while generating no profit or investment returns as the stock market was doubling."

The law firms of Mark A. Tepper, P.A. and Lombana Hoelle Trial Law are continuing investigations into alleged claims against UBS and other brokers. If your broker was Alex Herrera, or you have information related to the Claim against UBS contact either law firm. To contact attorney Mark Tepper, email [email protected] or call (954) 961-0096. To contact attorney Maria Isabel Hoelle, email [email protected] or call (305) 859-0092.

About Mark A. Tepper, P.A. (www.MarkTepper.com)

Attorney Mark A. Tepper is the former Chief Trial Counsel at the New York Attorney General's Bureau of Investor Protection and Securities. He has earned the reputation of "Investor Advocate" while practicing law for over 40 years representing individual investors. FINRA arbitrators have upheld stockbroker fraud claims filed by Mr. Tepper against many brokerage firms. A member of the Florida, New York and California Bars, Mr. Tepper is peer-reviewed for 18 consecutive years as AV PREEMINENT for ethical standards and legal ability. It's the highest rating of lawyers in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.

About Lombana Hoelle Trial Law (www.lhtrial.law)

Maria Isabel ("Mary) Hoelle is an experienced civil litigator with over 30 years of experience representing individuals and corporations involving multi-million-dollar disputes before federal and state courts and arbitration panels. Ms. Hoelle's practice incorporates cross-border issues specifically involving Latin America. She is a member of the Florida Bar and is also admitted to practice in the US District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida. Ms. Hoelle has been rated AV Preeminent for both legal and ethical standards by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and named to its register of Preeminent Women Lawyers.

Ms. Hoelle is fluent in Spanish.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mark Hopkinson, NewsMark Public Relations

561-852-5767 [email protected]

http://www.newsmarkpr.com

SOURCE Mark A. Tepper, P.A.
"The prominent display of images of Confederate leaders in the workplace is never acceptable," said J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "When you consider that this VA official was showcasing artwork romanticizing Confederate soldiers with links to the KKK prominently in his office along with an intimidating military combat weapon, that's nothing short of hostile. At AFGE, we fight for all working people to have a place to work free of harassment and intimidation. The actions of this official cross the line, and we're calling on the VA to get to the bottom of what's going on within their leadership at this facility."

The subject in the offending portrait, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was a well-known Confederate general who, during the Civil War, led the slaughter of hundreds of surrendering Union troops, most of them newly-freed slaves. He went on to become the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

"His likeness has no business gracing the walls of any federal facility, and we are demanding a full accounting of this matter," Cox said.

AFGE's Office of General Counsel sent a request for information to VA headquarters on Oct. 23, requesting detailed information about how the portrait ended up on Mr. Thomas's office wall as well as all VA policies related to the use of government resources to honor Confederate Generals and KKK leaders.

"This is about more than one portrait  this is about ensuring all employees can work free from discrimination and intimidation," said Jeremy Lannan, who heads AFGE's civil rights department as national vice president for women and fair practices. "We have serious questions as to whether that's possible under Mr. Thomas' leadership."

"Even though Mr. Thomas removed the offending portrait after hearing about the complaints and formal petition from our members, this issue is far from resolved," Lannan added. "We remain concerned about whether Mr. Thomas is fit to lead this office, which is comprised of mostly African-American staff and primarily serves minority veterans."

As reported in the Washington Post, at least three claims of racial discrimination have been filed against Thomas by his employees. As part of our request for information, AFGE is seeking details on all Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints involving Thomas and any suspensions or terminations of employees during Thomas' tenure.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

Related Links

http://www.afge.org


CLEVELAND, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Long before national policies acknowledged the spectrum of gender expression, the United Church of Christ embraced the Imago Dei in every human being. Since the ordination of Bill Johnson in 1972, gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex and transgender clergy have served as ministry leaders and pastors of UCC congregations in every setting of the church because we believe the words of Peter in Acts 10: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God."

National news outlets report the current Administration is circulating a memo asking the Department of Health to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, a federal civil rights law banning gender discrimination.

The memo asks the Department to define gender as either male or female, established by genitalia at birth, and unalterable throughout a person's life.

Whether or not this assault on the dignity of all transgender and intersex people is accomplished, they, their families and loved ones have already been traumatized.

This kind of blatant discrimination is exactly what Title IX was written to prevent. Previous administrations have enacted critical civil rights laws to protect the transgender community from abuse, discrimination, and violence.

The United Church of Christ supported those protections. They are consistent with a theology that expresses a core belief that God is love, offered freely and unconditionally to all. UCC leaders must always leverage the full capacity of their voice to engage powers and principalities that seek to limit the full expression of God's love for all.

To be clear, the United Church of Christ stands in full support of the transgender and intersex community. We deplore the abuse of government power and authority that assembles to deprive transgender and intersex Americans from their God-given and constitutionally mandated inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We call upon leaders across the Church to speak out against this proposed action, to proactively engage the practice of love for all, and inform all relevant elected officials that these threatened actions are inconsistent with our faith and our country's highest ideals.

Peter's theology of a God who shows no partiality was based on the experiences he had with Jesus  whose love was not filtered through outdated cleanliness laws that left some worthy of God's love and others unworthy. The Christianity Peter envisioned would burst through those barriers and become a faith all-embracing of God's beautiful assembly of human life.

UCC will continue its historical and ongoing mission to rebuild the church and the world in the image and likeness of a God who shows no partiality.

In that pursuit, we declare our strong opposition to any attempt by the current Administration to deprive transgender and intersex Americans of their civil rights.

CONTACT: Connie Larkman, (216) 736-2196, [email protected]

SOURCE United Church of Christ
CLEVELAND, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- US demand for canned foods is forecast to grow 1.9% annually in nominal terms through 2022, according to Canned Foods: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. Ongoing growth in personal disposable incomes and spending at foodservice establishments will boost sales of canned food to the consumer and foodservice market, respectively, as the convenience and affordability of canned food will continue to represent a key buying factor. In addition, increasing levels of disposable personal income will support consumer spending on premium canned goods that offer high-quality food in a convenient format. However, the perception among many consumers that fresh food is healthier than canned food and ongoing interest in cooking and consuming fresher meals will continue to restrain faster demand growth.

More information about the report is available at: https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com/Canned-Foods-United-States-FF10012/

These and other key insights are featured in Canned Foods: United States. This report forecasts to 2022 US canned food demand and shipments in nominal US dollars at the manufacturer level. Total demand and shipments are segmented by product in terms of:

dressings and sauces

fruits and vegetables

dog and cat food

meat, poultry, and seafood

dairy products

soups and stews

other canned food such as canned baby food, beans, and peanut butter

To illustrate historical trends, total demand, total shipments, the various segments, and trade are provided in annual series from 2007 to 2017.

Canned food is shelf-stable processed food that is heat treated and packaged in airtight containers such as bottles, cans, and jars. In some categories, food that is traditionally packaged in cans but also available in pouches is also included in the scope of this report. Certain specialty canned items, such as canned desserts, table syrup, and honey, are excluded from the scope of this report. Re-exports of canned food are excluded from demand and trade figures.

This report includes the results of a proprietary national online consumer survey of US adults (age 18+). This Freedonia Focus Reports National Survey has a sample size of approximately 2,000, screened for response quality, and representative of the US population on the demographic measures of age, gender, geographic region, race/ethnicity, household income, and the presence/absence of children in the household.

About Freedonia Focus Reports

Each month, The Freedonia Group  a division of MarketResearch.com  publishes over 20 new or updated Freedonia Focus Reports, providing fresh, unbiased analysis on a wide variety of markets and industries. Published in 20-30 pages, Focus Report coverage ranges from raw materials to finished manufactured goods and related services such as freight and construction. Additional Consumer Goods reports can be purchased at Freedonia Focus Reports or MarketResearch.com.

Analysis is intended to guide the busy reader through pertinent topics in rapid succession, including:

total historical market size and industry output

segmentation by products and markets

identification of market drivers, constraints, and key indicators

segment-by-segment outlook in five-year forecasts

a survey of the supply base

suggested resources for further study

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.684.9600

[email protected]

SOURCE The Freedonia Group

Related Links

https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com


DUBLIN, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Healthcare Consulting Services Market by Type of Service (Strategy Consulting, Digital Consulting, IT Consulting, Operations Consulting, Financial Consulting, HR Talent Consulting), End User & Region - Global Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global healthcare consulting services market is expected to reach USD 15.88 billion by 2023 from USD 9.76 billion in 2018 at a CAGR of 10.2%.



Market growth is primarily driven by the growing geriatric population, the rising importance of value-based care; and technological advancements in healthcare.

This report broadly segments the healthcare consulting services market by the type of service, end user, and region. The report also contains information on market share analysis and growth opportunities in the healthcare consulting services market in various regions.

By type of service, the healthcare consulting services market is segmented into digital consulting, IT consulting, operations consulting, financial consulting, strategy consulting, and HR & talent consulting. The digital consulting segment accounted for the largest share of the healthcare consulting services market in 2017. Factors driving the growth of this segment include the shift from paper-based healthcare models to digital models in developed markets and increasing healthcare spending for building intelligent hospitals across the globe.

The global healthcare consulting services market was dominated by North America, followed by Europe in 2017. Factors such as increasing M&A activity, pricing pressure on pharmaceutical companies are driving the growth of the healthcare consulting services market in this region. Asia Pacific, however, is estimated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the increasing need for remote care and telemedicine in rural areas in the region.

Major industry players launched innovative products to maintain and enhance their position in the healthcare consulting services market. Accenture (Ireland), McKinsey & Company (US), Cognizant (US), Deloitte Consulting (US), and Ernst & Young (UK) have been identified as key players operating in this market. These companies have broad consulting services portfolio and a positive brand image, which gives them a competitive advantage in the market.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1 Objectives of the Study

1.2 Definitions & Exclusions

1.3 Market Covered

1.3.1 Healthcare Consulting Services Market, By Type of Service

1.3.2 Healthcare Consulting Services Market, By End User

1.3.3 Healthcare Consulting Services Market, By Region

1.4 Years Considered for the Study

1.5 Currency

1.6 Assumptions & Limitations



2 Research Methodology

2.1 Market Breakdown & Triangulation

2.2 Market Size Estimation

2.3 Forecast Model Steps

2.4 Respondent Profiles



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Overview

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Market Dynamics

4.2.1 Drivers

4.2.1.1 Significant Growth in Geriatric Population

4.2.1.2 Rising Importance of Value-Based Care

4.2.1.3 Technological Advancements in Healthcare

4.2.2 Restraints

4.2.2.1 Data Confidentiality

4.2.2.2 Technological Transformation

4.2.3 Opportunities

4.2.3.1 Consolidation in the U.S. Healthcare Market

4.2.4 Threats

4.2.4.1 Multi-Sourcing



5 Healthcare Consulting Services Market, By Type of Service

5.1 Digital Consulting

5.2 It Consulting

5.3 Strategy Consulting

5.4 Operations Consulting

5.5 Financial Consulting

5.6 HR & Talent Consulting



6 Healthcare Consulting Services Market, By End User

6.1 Government Bodies

6.2 Payers

6.3 Life Science Companies

6.4 Providers



7 Healthcare Consulting Services Market, By Region

7.1 North America

7.2 Europe

7.3 Asia-Pacific

7.4 MEA

7.5 LATAM



8 Competitive Landscape

8.1 Service Launches

8.2 Agreements/Collaborations/Partnerships/Alliances

8.3 Acquisitions

8.4 Investments



9 Market Share Analysis

9.1 Market Share Analysis, By Player



10 Company Profile

10.1 Delotte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

10.2 McKinsey & Company

10.3 Accenture Consulting

10.4 Huron Consulting

10.5 PWC

10.6 Ernst & Young

10.7 The Boston Consulting Group

10.8 Bain & Company

10.9 KPMG

10.10 Cognizant



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zpw6td/15_billion?w=5

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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"There's an exciting opportunity in this new industry to create change and shift social perceptions. And I don't want to watch from the sidelines, I want to be in the game," says King. "I want to play a part in what Civilized has already started."

King was Partner and Chief Creative Officer with Arrivals + Departures (formerly Extreme Group) in Halifax for the past 17 years. During that time his creative approach has significantly influenced marketing for Tourism Nova Scotia, Bell Aliant and various national beer brands for Moosehead Breweries. Yet, he's still most proud of his work for the Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion's multi-award winning campaign, "Great Reasons to Smoke." A former competitor on The Amazing Race Canada, he is currently the host of Turning a New Leaf, a podcast bringing King's creativity and style to conversations dedicated to the upcoming legalization of adult-use recreational cannabis in Canada.

"Shawn is a top-shelf creative star and we couldn't be more excited to add him to our growing roster of C-Suite talent," says Derek Riedle, Publisher of Civilized. "He's on the cutting edge of everything he does. Our senior leadership team will be tapping into his inspired thinking as we continue to showcase the Civilized brand to audiences across North America and around the world."

King will work closely with Riedle and the leadership team to dream up and realize the creative expression of the Civilized brand and how it connects with B2C and B2B audiences worldwide. He will imprint on product and channel development, client campaigns and company culture.

King lives in Halifax and will be splitting his time between Civilized's offices in Los Angeles, Saint John and other Canadian markets. He commenced his new role with Civilized on October 22.

About Civilized Worldwide Inc.:

Founded in 2015, with offices in New Brunswick and California, Civilized is a premium media and lifestyle brand that embraces and highlights modern cannabis culture, reflecting the millions of adults who choose to enjoy cannabis as part of a balanced lifestyle, but don't define themselves by it. Reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month North America-wide, Civilized produces engaging content for and about people who enjoy cannabis responsibly. Other verticals include Civilized Studios, a video network available to 100+ million viewers that fills the void of broadcast quality video and original series in the cannabis space, and Civilized Events, exclusive branded experiences for both the cannabis industry and consumers  from intimate dinner parties to large-scale events like the first-ever World Cannabis Congress. For more information, visit civilized.life.

SOURCE Civilized Worldwide Inc. (Civilized)

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LAS VEGAS, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AdvisorClarity, a leading provider of comprehensive business intelligence software for independent financial advisory firms, announced today that the firm has selected FinMason to power its investment analytics. FinMason, a rapidly growing fintech firm operating one of the largest investment analytics platforms in the world, will provide AdvisorClarity with immediate access to robust analytics, accelerating and enhancing the development of its business intelligence software.

"FinMason's API solution allows us to quickly incorporate any analytics our clients desire," said Nick Mancini, CEO of AdvisorClarity. "The clean, modern structure of their API and the depth of their analytics makes this integration quick, easy and powerful. FinMason has helped us extend the depth and breadth of our platform and the entire FinMason team has been a real pleasure to work with."

Fintech solutions are ubiquitous within the advisory space. Balancing information from multiple tools, software and platforms can be burdensome. To address this problem, AdvisorClarity offers business intelligence software that sits between disparate systems and delivers key metrics to decision-makers at advisory firms. By aggregating actionable insights from various separate platforms into one location, AdvisorClarity empowers firms to make more informed decisions and to improve operational efficiency.

"I think most advisors these days know they need to be more efficient with their day," said Kendrick Wakeman, founder and CEO of FinMason. "It's great to be partnered with such an innovative platform that is addressing a very real problem in the advisor community."

FinMason announced the news from the T3 Technology Tools for Today Enterprise Conference in Las Vegas. The firm is also demoing their recently released Five-Minute Financial PlanTM and their notable FinRiver for Salesforce solution which was recognized by Wealthmanagement.com at the 2018 Industry Awards for Best Compliance Technology.

ABOUT ADVISORCLARITY LLC

AdvisorClarity provides deep insights across all of a financial advisory firm's systems to serve as a consolidated, single source of truth. By connecting directly with each system used by an advisory firm, AdvisorClarity delivers the mission-critical information necessary for leaders to run their businesses professionally and the insights needed to lead with confidence. Additionally, the system proactively notifies key stakeholders so that compliance and firm leaders can stay in front of potential issues. By visualizing details across different systems from different vendors, AdvisorClarity is the first provider bringing big data to independent financial advisors. To learn more, visit www.AdvisorClarity.com.

ABOUT FINMASON

FinMason is one of the world's largest investment analytics engines for financial services platforms. The Boston-based financial technology firm provides access to more than 700 calculations on every publicly traded asset in the world, delivered through one simple API. Developed by FinMason's team of seasoned data practitioners and 10 Ph.D.s, the cutting-edge platform delivers institutional-grade analytics in milliseconds via three core products: FinRiver  a lightning-fast API that delivers any analytics anywhere in a financial services firm's platform with just a few keystrokes, FinScope  a bulk processing platform that can analyze millions of portfolios every night for compliance screening and reporting, and FinRiver for Salesforce, a Salesforce plugin that maps any of FinMason's analytics to any number of fields in Salesforce, radically transforming an organization's CRM. For more information, visit www.FinMason.com and follow FinMason on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jessica Taylor Shores

Impact Communications Inc.

913-649-5009

[email protected]

SOURCE AdvisorClarity

Related Links

https://advisorclarity.com


SAN DIEGO and GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Agena Bioscience (Agena) and DaRui Biotechnology (DaRui) announced today that the MassARRAY System has formally passed the registration application of Guangdong Food and Drug Administration, becoming the first CFDA approved MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry system to directly detect nucleic acids for in vitro diagnostics in China. Commercially branded in China as DR MassARRAY by DaRui, the approval of the MALDI-TOF based system for targeted genetic analysis is the successful culmination of the commercial partnership that was initiated in 2016 between the two companies.

"The CFDA approval is a major milestone and demonstrates that the performance, accuracy, and safety of the MassARRAY System meets these stringent regulatory requirements," said Dr. Ming Li, Chairman of DaRui. "The rapid turn-around time and low per test cost will enable broader adoption of genetic tests, and ultimately benefit more patients in China."

"We are thrilled with this achievement and look forward with our partnership to introducing a new era of multi-gene, high-throughput and low-cost routine diagnostic testing in Chinese hospitals and independent laboratories," said Peter Dansky, Chief Executive Officer of Agena.

About Agena Bioscience

Agena Bioscience develops, manufactures, and supplies genetic analysis systems and reagents, including the MassARRAY System. The system is a highly sensitive, cost-effective, mass spectrometry-based platform for high-throughput genetic analysis and is used globally in diverse research fields such as cancer profiling for solid tumors and liquid biopsies, inherited genetic disease testing, pharmacogenetics, agricultural genomics, and clinical research. For more information about Agena, please visit www.agenabio.com.

About DaRui Biotechnology

Guangzhou DaRui Biotechnology Co. Ltd. is specialized in diagnostic test development, manufacturing, distribution, technical service and consulting services for the clinical laboratory market in China. The company has long focused on screening of birth defects, inherited disease, oncology screening and diagnosis, and also the development of advanced immunodiagnostics. The company strives to be an influential corporation in the field of inherited disease and oncology diagnosis. For more information about DaRui Biotechnology, please visit www.daruibiotech.com.

SOURCE Agena Bioscience

Related Links

http://www.agenabio.com


MADISON, Wis., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT) has scheduled its third quarter 2018 earnings release for Tuesday, November 6th, after market close. A conference call to review the third quarter results is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th at 9:00 a.m. CT.

Alliant Energy will webcast the event live at www.alliantenergy.com/investors. The call is open to the public and will be hosted by Patricia Kampling, Chairman and CEO, President John Larsen, and Robert Durian, Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer. Individuals who would like to participate in the conference call can do so by dialing (888) 394-8218 (United States & Canada) or (323) 794-2149 (international), passcode 4175543.

A replay of the call will be available through November 14, 2018, at (888) 203-1112 (United States & Canada) or (719) 457-0820 (international). Callers should reference passcode 4175543 and pin 9578. An archive of the webcast will also be available on the company's website at www.alliantenergy.com/investors.

Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT), headquartered in Madison, Wis., provides regulated electric and natural gas service to 960,000 electric and 410,000 natural gas customers in the Midwest. Alliant Energy's mission is to deliver the energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on  safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Power and Light Company are Alliant Energy's two public utility subsidiaries. Alliant Energy Corporation is a component of the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com.

SOURCE Alliant Energy Corporation

Related Links

http://www.alliantenergy.com


ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Misaligned incentives that drive overutilization of certain treatments, a realization that everyone can't have everything, and the need to address social determinants to improve patient health are among the health care trends revealed at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Foundation's 8th Annual Research Symposium.

The Symposium, held Oct. 22 in Orlando, Florida, was a preconference event to the AMCP Nexus 2018 national meeting that drew roughly 2,500 attendees. The Symposium engaged national health care thought leaders on new findings from the Foundation's ongoing research into trends, challenges and opportunities facing stakeholders across the health care landscape.

"Our Symposium each year brings together some of the top experts from across the country to share research and best practices that will help improve the delivery of care," says Paula J. Eichenbrenner, MBA, CAE, Executive Director of the AMCP Foundation. "We are proud of this role in supporting the managed care pharmacy profession, which touches the lives of nearly 300 million Americans who are covered under a managed pharmacy benefit."

The participants addressed health care affordability, drug pricing and spending; innovative and curative therapies; health plan coverage; big data and health IT; industry consolidation; and health care public policy. Central to the research findings was the concept of affordability, which included discussion around accessibility, value, quality, cost and outcomes.

According to the research survey of health care stakeholders, drug pricing was identified as having the most impact on the future of health care, with 93 percent of respondents classifying it as "very or extremely impactful," followed closely by innovative and curative therapies (88 percent) and industry consolidation (80 percent).

Overwhelmingly, respondents also considered the lack of transparency in drug pricing be the top barrier to care, and believed that evidence-based medicine (97 percent of respondents) and value-based contracting were viable solutions to address the issue moving forward. The research, presented by Xcenda's Matt Sarnes, PharmD, Brenda Popelar, PharD, MS, also uncovered trends, barriers and solutions to address population health management, industry consolidation and optimal health coverage.

The Symposium keynote speaker was Dr. Reed V. Tuckson, Managing Director of Tuckson Health Connections. Dr. Tuckson has been appointed to leadership roles at the National Institutes of Health and the National Academy of Medicine, and has been recognized by Modern Healthcare Magazine as one of the "50 Most Powerful Physician Executives" in health care. The Symposium was moderated by Dr. Kevin Sneed, a professor and founding dean of the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy.

The program also included presentations focused on stakeholder perspectives on innovations in health care. Speakers revealed actionable insights and programs to address the changing health care landscape from the patient, physician, health plan and employer communities. The participants were:

Physicians: Is Cancer Treatment a Stalking Horse for the Future of Health Care? Presenter: J. Leonard Lichtenfeld , MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society

Is Cancer Treatment a Stalking Horse for the Future of Health Care? Presenter: J. , MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society Patients: The Future of Person-Centered Care: Creating Innovations in Delivery and Patient Care that Matter to Patients. Presenter: Alan Balch, PhD, President, National Patient Advocate Foundation

The Future of Person-Centered Care: Creating Innovations in Delivery and Patient Care that Matter to Patients. Presenter: Alan Balch, PhD, President, National Patient Advocate Foundation Health Plans: Addressing the Social Factors of Health is Good Medicine. Presenter: Kathleen Stillo, MBA, VP Operations, Clinical Redesign Team, UnitedHealthcare

Addressing the Social Factors of Health is Good Medicine. Presenter: Kathleen Stillo, MBA, VP Operations, Clinical Redesign Team, UnitedHealthcare Employers: Employers, Benefit Creativity, and Disruptive Factors. Presenter: F. Randy Vogenberg , PhD, Director, Institute for Integrated Healthcare

Presenters described the consequences of inaction by stakeholders, including policy makers, employers, patient and consumer groups, physician groups, hospital systems, health plans and pharmacy benefit managers.

For more information, visit www.amcpmeetings.org/extra-events/amcp-foundation-symposium/

ABOUT AMCP Foundation: Established in 1990, the AMCP Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). It exists to advance collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed health care settings. By facilitating innovative research initiatives and providing educational opportunities to learn about managed care pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation invests in the future of managed care. Visit www.amcpfoundation.org.

SOURCE Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Foundation

Related Links

http://www.amcpfoundation.org


BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: AMRX), today announced that a patent protecting IPX203 has been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. U.S. Patent No. 10,098,845 covers controlled release formulations of levodopa and uses thereof.

"The issuance of this patent supports our intellectual property strategy for IPX203," said Rob Stewart, President and CEO of Amneal. "We have initiated a Phase 3 Study and expect to enroll our first patient shortly. We are committed to investing in our Specialty business through R&D and business development opportunities."

IPX203 is an investigational extended-release oral capsule formulation of carbidopa and levodopa (CD-LD), being studied as a potential treatment for the symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease. It is designed to have an onset of effect similar to immediate-release CD-LD while providing a longer duration of effect compared to other oral levodopa products available.

About Amneal

Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: AMRX), headquartered in Bridgewater, NJ, is an integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing generic, brand and biosimilar products. The Company has approximately 6,500 employees in its operations in North America, Asia, and Europe, working together to bring high-quality medicines to patients primarily within the United States.

Amneal is one of the largest and fastest growing generic pharmaceutical manufacturers in the United States, with an expanding portfolio of generic products to include complex dosage forms in a broad range of therapeutic areas. The Company markets a portfolio of branded pharmaceutical products through its Impax Specialty Pharma division focused principally on central nervous system disorders and parasitic infections. For more information, visit www.amneal.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements contained herein, regarding matters that are not historical facts, may be forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include this statement for purposes of complying with the safe harbor provisions. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future. The words such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "continue," and similar words are intended to identify estimates and forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking statements are based on the expectations of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("our" or the "Company") and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to (i) our ability to integrate the operations of Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC ("Amneal") and Impax Laboratories, Inc. ("Impax") pursuant to the transactions (the "Combination") contemplated by that certain Business Combination Agreement dated as of October 17, 2017 by and among the Company, Amneal, Impax and K2 Merger Sub Corporation as amended by Amendment No. 1, dated November 21, 2017 and Amendment No. 2 dated December 16, 2017 and our ability to realize the anticipated synergies and other benefits of the Combination, (ii) the fact that certain of our stockholders holding over a majority of our shares may have interests different from those of our other stockholders, (iii) the transaction costs related to the Combination, (iv) results from the public unaudited financial information of Impax and Amneal may not be indicative of the Company's future operating performance, (v) business issues faced by either Amneal or Impax may be imputed to the operations of the Company, (vi) the impact of a separation of Impax or Amneal as a subsidiary of the Company, (vii) the change of control or early termination rights in certain of Impax's or Amneal's contracts that may be implicated by the Combination, (viii) payments required by the Company's Tax Receivables Agreement, (ix) the impact of global economic conditions, (x) our ability to successfully develop or commercialize new products, (xi) our ability to obtain exclusive marketing rights for our products or to introduce products on a timely basis, (xii) the competition we face in the pharmaceutical industry from brand and generic drug product companies, (xiii) our ability to manage our growth, (xiv) the impact of competition, (xv) the illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of our products or of stolen products, (xvi) market perceptions of us and the safety and quality of our products, (xvii) the substantial portion of our total revenues derived from sales of a limited number of products, (xviii) our ability to develop, license or acquire and introduce new products on a timely basis, (xix) the ability of our approved products to achieve expected levels of market acceptance, (xx) the risk that we may discontinue the manufacture and distribution of certain existing products, (xxi) the impact of manufacturing or quality control problems, (xxii) product liability risks, (xxiii) risks related to changes in the regulatory environment, including United States federal and state laws related to healthcare fraud abuse and health information privacy and security and changes in such laws, (xxiv) changes to FDA product approval requirements, (xxv) risks related to federal regulation of arrangements between manufacturers of branded and generic products, (xxvi) the impact of healthcare reform, (xxvii) business interruptions at one of our few locations that produce the majority of our products, (xxviii) relationships with our major customers, (xxix) the continuing trend of consolidation of certain customer groups, (xxx) our reliance on certain licenses to proprietary technologies, (xxxi) our dependence on third party suppliers and distributors for raw materials for our products, (xxxii) the time necessary to develop generic and branded drug products, (xxxiii) our dependence on third parties for testing required for regulatory approval of our products, (xxxiv) our dependence on third party agreements for a portion of our product offerings, (xxxv) our ability to make acquisitions of or investments in complementary businesses and products, (xxxvi) regulatory oversight in international markets, (xxxvii) our increased exposure to tax liabilities and the impact of recent United State tax legislation, (xxxviii) third parties' infringement of our intellectual property rights, (xxxix) our involvement in various legal proceedings, (xl) increased government scrutiny related to our agreements to settle patent litigation, (xli) the impact of legal, regulatory and legislative strategies by our brand competitors, (xlii) the significant amount of resources we expend on research and development, (xliii) our substantial amount of indebtedness, (xliv) risks inherent in conducting clinical trials, (xlv) our reporting and payment obligations under the Medicaid and other government rebate programs, (xlvi) fluctuations in our operating results, (xlvii) adjustments to our reserves based on price adjustments and sales allowances, (xlviii) impact of impairment on our goodwill and other intangible assets, (xlix) investigations and litigation concerning the calculation of average wholesale prices, (l) cybersecurity and data leakage risks, (li) our ability to attract and retain talented employees and consultants, (lii) uncertainties involved in the preparation of our financial statements, (liii) impact of terrorist attacks and other acts of violence, (liv) expansion of social media platforms, (lv) our need to raise additional funds in the future, (lvi) the restrictions imposed by the terms of our credit agreement, (lvii) our ability to generate sufficient cash to service our indebtedness in the future and (lviii) such other factors as may be set forth in the Company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-looking statements included herein speak only as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances.

Contact:

Mark Donohue

Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

(908) 409-6718

www.amneal.com

SOURCE Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.amneal.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BioLab Sciences, an innovator in regenerative medicine technologies, today announced its exclusively licensed technology for MyOwn SkinTM, a painless, non-surgical procedure, which leverages a patient's own skin to produce full-thickness skin grafts in 5-7 days.

MyOwn SkinTM is a revolutionary approach that uses a patient's own skin to accelerate healing of chronic wounds, burns, diabetic foot ulcers and other difficult-to-heal wounds. By utilizing a small skin sample, this regenerative approach allows the body to heal itself and is less likely to face infection or rejection.

"In the United States alone, chronic wounds affect 6.5 million patients," said Bob Maguire, BioLab Sciences CEO. "Our advanced, tissue-biomanufacturing approach offers a viable, effective solution for skin regeneration and repair. This innovative strategy has shown to accelerate the healing of damaged soft tissue and improve wound-care outcomes."

This autologous strategy to wound care is non-invasive, improves recovery time, and eliminates potential rejection. BioLab's impressive portfolio of regenerative products includes its amnion-derived fluid products, Fluid FlowTM and Amnio RestoreTM and its amniotic allograft membrane product Membrane PatchTM, an amnion membrane allograft composed of a connective tissue matrix that regenerates soft tissue while inhibiting inflammation and scarring. BioLab Sciences also offers a comprehensive wound care kit that provides physicians with the necessary tools to help patients recover quickly from diabetic ulcers, burns and other traumatic external wounds, as well as its Amnio Breathe Nebulizer bundled package designed to deliver a topical treatment directly onto a patient's respiratory system.

With its Scottsdale-based lab, a product roadmap of regenerative therapies in multiple platforms and a growing national distribution network, BioLab Sciences is already exceeding sales projections. Maguire expects to generate $4 million in revenue in 2019, jumping to $15 million in 2020, $40 million in 2021, $80 million in 2022 and $120 million in 2023.

Join BioLab Sciences Nov. 2-4, 2018, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., for the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care, the largest wound-care conference in the United States. BioLab Sciences will converge with physicians, clinical experts, researchers and scientists while showcasing their regenerative tissue therapies at Booth #126.

With a growing base of cutting-edge companies, Arizona is poised to become a world-class hub for biomedical research and the fast-growing bioscience industry. Arizona's bioscience industry sector expanded at a rate of 58 percent between 2002 and 2016, according to studies published by the Flinn Foundation in Phoenix. And forward-thinking entrepreneurs like Maguire are contributing to that expansion by launching innovative biotech startups to improve the lives of people around the world who suffer from difficult and complex wound situations.

Maguire concluded, "The groundbreaking field of regenerative medicine has come a long way. The dream of regenerating the body for optimal performance is now a reality with MyOwn SkinTM."

About BioLab Sciences

BioLab Sciences is an innovative, regenerative biotechnology company focused on creating new ways to regenerate the body for optimal performance. Through its products and patents, BioLab Sciences is expanding the human body's ability to regenerate by developing and manufacturing human cell and tissue therapies as an alternative to invasive, painful and expensive treatment protocols. For more information, visit www.biolabsciences.net.

This news release contains forwardlooking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current information and belief, and are not guarantees of future performance. Our ability to predict results, financial or otherwise, or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain and actual results may differ from those predicted depending on a variety of factors.

Twitter: @BiolabSciences

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BioLab-Sciences-238755020012859

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/biolab-sciences

[email protected] | 480.207.1884

13825 N. Northsight Blvd. | Suite 101 | Scottsdale, AZ 85260

SOURCE BioLab Sciences

Related Links

http://www.biolabsciences.net


SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Axos Bank has named creative agency, Cutwater, as creative agency of record. Cutwater will lead all of the brand's communications efforts, including brand strategy, creative and production. Cutwater will also handle all media planning while media buying and reporting will be shared between Cutwater and Axos' internal media division.

Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Axos Bank is a technology-driven financial services company providing a diverse and ever-growing range of innovative banking products and services for personal, business, and institutional clients nationwide.

"We strive to provide a comprehensive set of products and services through a seamless and convenient user experience," explained Greg Garrabrants, President and CEO of Axos Bank. "As consumers and businesses change the way they interact with banks, we see tremendous opportunities to promote our value proposition to a broader set of customers through our new brand."

Cutwater's first campaign for the brand entitled 'Greater Than' introduces their new tagline, "Banking Evolved." The campaign draws inspiration from the new Axos logo which utilizes a "greater than" symbol and highlights Axos' innovative services, setting them apart from their competitors in a fun, human and relatable way. This targeted digital and social campaign launches in October, with an additional unexpected and impactful creative effort which will release in the new year.

"We're excited about this partnership with Axos Bank as its allows us to bring our integrated creative and media offering to the financial services industry," said Christian Hughes, Principal & President of Cutwater. "We look forward to introducing the new Axos Bank brand to the world in the coming months."

About Axos Bank

Axos Bank is a nationwide bank that provides financing for single and multifamily residential properties, small-to-medium size businesses in target sectors, and selected specialty finance receivables. With nearly $10 billion in assets, Axos Bank provides consumer and business banking products through its low-cost distribution channels and affinity partners. For more information on Axos Bank, please visit axosbank.com.

About Cutwater

Cutwater is an independently owned full-service creative agency based in San Francisco, California that helps brands find their cutwater  the sharpest visual and verbal articulation of the brand's idea. This is fueled by a strategic and creative process that utilizes multi-disciplinary teams of experts to work as one on what a brand can really stand for; its point of view on the world. They translate brands' cutwater into content they publish across media and through technology; turning brands into channels and consumers into fans. They've done this for some of the most iconic brands in the world including Brawny, Levis, Jeep, Peet's, Ray Ban and LensCrafters, as well as exciting challenger brands like Sunrun, Feeding America, Ariat and American Giant. Cutwater is led by Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Chuck McBride, and Principal and President, Christian Hughes. For more information, visit www.cutwatersf.com.

SOURCE Cutwater

Related Links

http://www.cutwatersf.com


BOSTON, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, November 10, join members of the press, legislative & city officials, and community friends as we welcome the BarberTime Media Network,  the only network offering LIVE streaming online shows to barber shops and hair care salons across the Commonwealth and beyond.

Join our Network! BarberTime Media Network owner, Euan Davis with Boston Patriot Fan

"The BarberTime Media Network, headquartered at 1553 Blue Hill Avenue, focuses on the Salon and Barber industries in Boston and across the United States, and participation is up," says Euan Davis, a professional barber, and founder of The BarberTime Media Network. "With the BarberTime Media Network, we offer a new LIVE streaming social media communication tool designed to offer businesses a new way to communicate with other businesses and customers. Barbershops are the "connection centers" to the Boston communities they serve, and with The BarberTime Media Network, we believe communicating will be easier and more entertaining."

Today's announcement celebrates the Barber and Hair Care sector's strength which is attributed to the fact that most people come together where there is a purpose, and they feel their voice is heard. In Boston's hair and beauty industries, businesses are thriving and working on behalf of their communities to make things better.

The BarberTime Media Network ceremony will begin promptly at 12:00 noon with Red Carpet camera crew and LIVE community interview held at door.

- Tour and introductions to the facilities: Studios A, B &C, control room and green room

- LIVE mock show productions (visitors can participate in mock show intros and segments) with recorded selections made available on the BarberTime Media Network YouTube Channel and airing on the BarberTime Media Network

- Volunteers wanted for weekly duties. Special bonuses available.

Services Offered at the BarberTime Media Network headquarters and member locations:

General marketing and advertising campaigns

Outreach projects

Product placements

Focus groups and surveys

All video/audio/graphic services

BARBERTIME MEDIA NETWORK GRAND OPENING

EVENT DATE:

Saturday, November 10

EVENT TIME:

12:00 (noon)  4:00pm

Ceremony beginning promptly at noon

LOCATION:

1553 Blue Hill Avenue, Suite A

Boston, MA 02126

For more information: barbertime.com Or 877.427.1177

Special BTMN recognition to Mr. Leroy McLaurin who has invested in the development of our media network and added his forty-plus years of professional media experience, to make the BarberTime headquarters facility a reality.

Media Inquiries:

Sylvia R. Hampton

Hampton Bates PR

T: 603-570-4816

E: [email protected]

Website: www.hamptonbates.com

SOURCE BarberTime Media Network

Related Links

http://barbertime.com


TORONTO and BOSTON, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BIONIK Laboratories Corp. (OTCQB: BNKL) ("BIONIK" or the "Company"), a pioneering healthcare company combining artificial intelligence and innovative robotics technology to help individuals from hospital to home to regain mobility, announced today it has entered into a purchase order with Clinique Les Trois Soleils in Boissise-le-Roi, France for the Company's InMotion Arm robot.

The purchase order is for one of BIONIK's improved InMotion Arm robotic systems, whose launch was announced this year and recently received a "CE marking" from the European Commission. The CE marking signifies that products sold in the European Economic Area (EEA) have been assessed to meet high safety, health and environmental protection requirements. Clinique Les Trois Soleils already owns three units of earlier models of the InMotion Arm and Wrist robotic systems.

"We are thrilled to partner with BIONIK once again to provide innovative technology and therapeutic solutions to our patients. BIONIK's InMotion Arm system has empowered our patients to succeed in their rehabilitation treatment, providing improved outcomes for many," said Paul Gobin, Chief Executive Officer of Clinique Les Trois Soleils. "We are always seeking out new technologies that can enhance the treatment we offer to our patients, and BIONIK's InMotion Arm is an example of that commitment. We look forward to our continued relationship with BIONIK and to improving the lives of our patients on a daily basis through the use of industry-leading technology."

Clinique Les Trois Soleils offers versatile and comprehensive rehabilitation programs for patients recovering from orthopedic, musculoskeletal or neurological injuries. It is the first private for-profit rehabilitation center in the Ile-de-France region to develop a neurological arm rehabilitation robotics center, with 68 inpatient beds for patients undergoing rehabilitation following stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis or other neurological conditions.

Clinique Les Trois Soleils has also published many key studies with the InMotion robotic systems and continues to conduct clinical trials with patients following stroke. Studies led by Dr. Christophe Duret and his colleagues have investigated the effectiveness of robotic therapy when combined with, or compared to, usual care, and demonstrated the beneficial impact of robotics on the motor recovery process.

"We are excited to continue our terrific collaboration with Clinique Les Trois Soleils for another InMotion Arm robotic system," said Dr. Eric Dusseux, Chief Executive Officer and Director of BIONIK Laboratories. "While developing new business pipelines is a priority, we are pleased to serve current customers through the purchase of additional units. We believe that the continued selection of BIONIK's InMotion Arm by Clinique Les Trois Soleils validates to the European market that our technology is best positioned to provide optimal patient outcomes and become an integral part of a neurological therapy regimen."

This transaction highlights the continued demand for BIONIK's innovative InMotion Arm robotic system, as the Company sells or rents units to medical facilities in the United States and internationally, including recently to facilities in Florida and Texas. The InMotion Arm is used in more than 20 countries to help stroke survivors and those with other neurological conditions to regain arm movement by training shoulder protraction/retraction, flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, internal/external rotation and elbow flexion/extension.

The improved InMotion Arm therapy was developed according to the principles of motor learning and neuro-plasticity. The therapy provides the same clinical efficacy as the original system developed over 28 years ago and extensively researched worldwide. InMotion Arm therapy guides the patient through specific tasks, aiming to improve motor control of the arm by increasing strength, range of motion and coordination, and assisting with the provision of efficient, effective, intensive sensorimotor therapy. To learn more, please visit our website.

About BIONIK Laboratories

BIONIK Laboratories (OTCQB: BNKL) is a robotics company focused on providing rehabilitation and mobility solutions to individuals with neurological and mobility challenges from hospital to home. The Company has a portfolio of products focused on upper and lower extremity rehabilitation for stroke and other mobility-impaired patients, including three products on the market and four products in varying stages of development.

For more information, please visit www.BIONIKlabs.com and connect with us on Twitter , LinkedIn , and Facebook .

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words "may," "should," "would," "will," "could," "scheduled," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," "seek" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are not meant to predict or guarantee actual results, performance, events or circumstances, and may not be realized because they are based upon the Company's current projections, plans, objectives, beliefs, expectations, estimates and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and other influences, many of which the Company has no control. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. Factors that may influence or contribute to the inaccuracy of the forward-looking statements or cause actual results to differ materially from expected or desired results may include, without limitation, the Company's inability to obtain additional financing, the significant length of time and resources associated with the development of our products and related insufficient cash flows and resulting illiquidity, the Company's inability to expand its business, significant government regulation of medical devices and the healthcare industry, lack of product diversification, volatility in the price of the Company's raw materials and the Company's failure to implement the Company's business plans or strategies. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in the Company's filings with the SEC. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE BIONIK Laboratories Corp.

Related Links

http://www.BIONIKlabs.com


PETALUMA, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- How much time is too much time on social media? Are social apps designed to keep users endlessly scrolling? There is also the issue of FOMO, Fear of Missing Out, in which social media users develop envy and jealousy for their friends' lives. They scroll through images and make assumptions that everyone else but them is experiencing perfect relationships, vacations and careers. But this isn't real, at least not all of it. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, don't have as much time as the average person to mindlessly scroll, which means they may need more help prioritizing their precious free time. If there are over a dozen apps to choose from, do they spend equal amounts on all of them or can they make smarter decisions about their screen time? Brandon Frere, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Frere Enterprises, offers his perspective on how leaders can best enjoy social media and truly live their best lives.

Brandon Frere

"Constantly checking social media seems like it can become an unhealthy habit," said Frere. "I am much more interested in what is happening in the world around me, in real time. Sure, I check social media occasionally to see what's going on and to stay up to date with friends and trends, but my main concern is what is happening right now with the people I actually know. The internet seems like a good place to get lost in what-ifs and maybes."

The internet is also a good place for "bottomless bowls." This phrase was coined by Tristan Harris, former Google Design Ethicist. Harris adapted the term from a Cornell professor, who discovered people will eat 73 percent more soup if they are served bottomless bowls. In terms of social media, news feeds are designed to auto-refill to keep users continuously scrolling, removing any reason for them to pause, reconsider or leave. Auto-refill is similar to autoplay on web-streaming apps. The point is that in both cases, the user suddenly may not be conscious that they are endlessly scrolling through hundreds of updates and photos or auto-playing through dozens of hours of shows and movies.

CEOs are busy people and they don't have time to waste on mindless scrolling for hours every day. In fact, the average person will spend more than five years of their life on social media in their lifetime. Watching TV was the only other activity that ranked higher at over seven years. So, what can an enlightened businessperson do to maximize their free time, yet stay connected with their loved ones, and not experience FOMO? Perhaps social media users and TV watchers can try reducing their consumption slowly over time. If social media is as addictive as they say, they can find a salve to help them quit it or at least reduce their usage. This could be in the form of a new hobby, such as rock climbing or stargazing. Or they could try apps that help reduce screen time.

"There aren't any simple solutions because we live in a complicated digital age," noted Frere. "But don't let that stop you from looking for ways to find what makes you a truly happy person and successful leader. I don't think you're going to find that on a single app or on TV. The real question to ask is: if you knew you were going to waste five years of your life on social media, what would you rather be doing instead? Then do it."

About Brandon Frere

Brandon Frere is an entrepreneur and businessman who lives in Sonoma County, California. He has designed and created multiple companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of businesses and consumers alike. His website, www.BrandonFrere.com, is used as a means of communicating many of the lessons, fundamentals and information that he has learned throughout his extensive business and personal endeavors, most recently in advocating on behalf of student loan borrowers nationwide.

As experienced during his own student loan repayment, Mr. Frere found out how difficult it can be to work with federally contracted student loan servicers and the repayment programs designed to help borrowers. Through those efforts, he gained an insider's look into the repayment process and the motivations behind the inflating student loan debt bubble. His knowledge of the often confusing landscape of student loan repayment became a vital theme in his future endeavors, and he now uses those experiences to help guide others through the daunting process of applying for available federal repayment and loan forgiveness programs.

BrandonFrere.com

Related Images

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Hiker Enjoying Nature Outside Social Media

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Related Links

Brandon Frere website

SOURCE Brandon Frere

Related Links

http://www.BrandonFrere.com


GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The first and only online AACSB-accredited Ph.D. program in Business Administration will launch the fall of 2019, according to McRae Banks, Ph.D., Dean of the Bryan School of Business and Economics.

"This innovative and ground-breaking program is designed to meet a critical shortage of research-trained business faculty members," Dr. Banks said. "We are delighted to create and present this unique and much-needed resource for the benefit of students, communities, and businesses. We believe it's the only such program delivered by a U.S. business school accredited by AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)."

This 60-hour program is designed to prepare students for an academic career at a major college or university. Students will receive both a broad overview of all areas of business, while also customizing their area of focus on strategy, international business, or organizational leadership. Students will:

Understand conceptual and empirical research methodologies

Design an original, substantive research project

Apply advanced knowledge in a global context

Understand specialized knowledge and scholarly literature in the field in order to contribute to academic government, and private sector environments through their research.

"Revitalizing doctoral education in the business community will ensure a robust and healthy scholarship  the production of a body of knowledge that preserves and enhances intellectual inquiry and the ongoing development of our discipline. In today's increasingly complex and turbulent atmosphere, we are committed to ensuring that leadership expertise, vision, innovation, and credibility are energized," Dr. Banks added.

This program is currently pending SACSCOC approval. Please visit bryan.uncg.edu for details on the program.

About the Bryan School of Business & Economics at UNCG

The Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC Greensboro is one of the largest business schools in North Carolina, offering six undergraduate programs, six graduate programs, and three Ph.D. programs. The Bryan School holds dual accreditation in business and accounting from AACSB  a distinction held by only 1% of business schools in the world. The Bryan School produces the principled leaders and exceptional problem solvers that communities and organizations need. Learn more at bryan.uncg.edu.

About the University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a high-research activity university as classified by the Carnegie Foundation. Founded in 1891 and one of the original three UNC system institutions, UNCG is one of the most diverse universities in the state with more than 19,600 students and 2,500 faculty and staff members representing more than 90 nationalities. With 86 undergraduate degrees in over 100 areas of study, as well as 52 master's and 28 doctoral programs, UNCG is consistently recognized nationally among the top universities for academic excellence and value, with noted strengths in education, health and wellness, the performing arts, business and the arts and sciences, among others. For additional information, please visit uncg.edu and follow UNCG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

SOURCE Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC Greensboro

Related Links

http://bryan.uncg.edu


Featuring a reflexology insole with massage pods that effectively improve circulation and wellness, and retail priced at $69USD, the lightweight Rovmia sandal "will be delivered to consumers as an extremely healthy, luxurious, and affordable product."

"We are committed to providing our audiences with something more," said CCILU CEO Wilson Hsu, who founded CCILU in 2011. "The trademark quality of Swarovski crystals and the ever-present spotlight on both stage and the silver screen is a perfect complement to the style and innovation of CCILU footwear."

"CCILU has connected with consumers on many levels, from lifestyle to environmentally conscious technologies," Mr. Giuseppe Ravenna, the Managing Director of Swarovski Professional Taiwan and Hong Kong, stated. "Swarovski is honored to support this new footwear partnership to realize its expressions of everyday glamour."

CCILU's award-winning design team will capitalize on CCILU's SKIVE-ON and CCILUCELL technologies. Thanks to the eco-friendly CCILUCELL technology, CCILU shoes can weigh as light as 70 grams (compared to the 600 - 2,000 grams, the weight of most regular footwear). SKIVE-ON offers unique flexibility. CCILU designers are also combining embedded Swarovski crystals with a vast array of materials, from leather and synthetics to rubber and plastic. In addition to Rovmia, there are more footwear that are still in development, coinciding with seasonal demands, to be launched in 2019, spanning sandals, sneakers, and boots.

"When you 'liberate yourself,' which is our mantra, your passion and fantasy merge to present the ultimate expression," Hsu concluded. "As a result, your next step is clear. Footwear created with crystals from Swarovski is the next step for CCILU, to sparkle your outer and inner universe."

About CCILU

"CCILU" (CHEE-loo) means "liberate" in Japanese, and "liberate yourself" is the call to action, a reminder that we each have the power to defy limitations. For CCILU, this means bringing our creativity and independent spirit to footwear evolution, pairing style with functionality. This is thanks to CCILU Footwear 's revolutionary technologies, which deliver unparalleled lightness and flexibility. Launched in 2011, this award-winning lifestyle brand is now sold in more than 60 countries, with 40+ CCILU stores in Asia and a permanent presence established in North America, under the CCILU USA banner. Through its #StepForwardGiveBack initiative, including a donation of 100,000 pairs of new CCILU shoes to the Soles4Souls Travel Program , CCILU has given shoes to those in need in Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, Ecuador and Costa Rica. CCILU shoes have also been used in relief efforts here at home, helping hurricane victims in Texas and Puerto Rico.

www.CCILU.com

Swarovski ingredient branding partners

Recognize products embellished with genuine Swarovski crystals with the premium seal and enjoy the sparkling world of Swarovski. Swarovski is the premium brand for the finest crystal embellishments since 1895. It is recognized for its innovative excellence, flair for trends, and its collaborations with top-class designers and brands across the globe. Available in a myriad of colors, effects, shapes, and sizes, crystals from Swarovski offer designers a fabulous palette of inspiration and impart refined glamour to everything they embellish. The precious ingredients used in the fashion, jewelry, accessories, interior, and lighting industries can be recognized by the Swarovski seal. With its sophisticated design features, such as the hologram effect and tracking number, the seal serves as a certificate of authenticity that identifies products embellished with genuine Swarovski crystals.

Verify your seal code now at CRYSTALS-FROM-SWAROVSKI.COM

Media contact:

Joseph Chang - [email protected]

Wilson Hsu - [email protected]

Phone: +886 4 2422 4950

SOURCE CCILU INTERNATIONAL INC.

Related Links

http://www.CCILU.com


HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Pennsylvania's third annual Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 27, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey. A VIP session featuring a renowned, seventh-generation distiller will take place from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, an hour before the Grand Tasting.

The event will feature more than 200 premium distilled spirits from world-renowned brands, as well as highly rated, reserve, and small batch products for sampling. The tasting list will feature whiskey, scotch, bourbon, vodka, tequila, rum, gin, cordials, and hand-crafted cocktails.

The special VIP event, from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 PM, will feature Limestone Branch Distillery's Steve Beam, of the legendary Beam lineage. VIP ticketholders will have the opportunity to sample and purchase bourbon whiskies from the exclusive VIP tasting. VIP tickets are $165 and include admission to the grand tasting.

Many of the spirits offered for tasting will be available for purchase at the onsite Fine Wine & Good Spirits store. Food will also be available so attendees may enjoy responsibly. All attendees, including designated drivers, must be at least 21 years old and provide valid identification at the event entrance.

Tickets to the Grand Tasting from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM are $100 and include a tasting glass and event parking; designated driver tickets are $30 each and do not include the glass. A portion of all proceeds will benefit MidPenn Legal Services, a United Way-associated 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides civil legal aid to families and individuals living at or below poverty level who face serious hardships in the areas of family law and custody, domestic violence, elder law, and more.

For more information, visit www.PAWhiskeyFest.com.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits  totaling $16.5 billion since the agency's inception  are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn M. Kelly, 717.783.8864

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

Related Links

http://www.lcb.pa.gov


LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy Award Winning Composer and Producer Earl Powell from Eptone Productions has created the song "ON THE WINGS" with vocals featuring Michael K. Jackson in support of the charity airline Moonlight Air Organization. "ON THE WINGS" is now available for digital streaming on all major sites including: SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, TIDAL, GOOGLE PLAY, iTunes, YouTube Music, etc.

"On the Wings" lyrics video in support of Moonlight Air Organization Cover "On The Wings" by Earl Powell in Support of Moonlight Air Organization Martial Widemann, Founder Moonlight Air Organization

Moonlight Air Organization delivers emergency aid after natural catastrophes within 24 hours worldwide, transports mobile hospitals and supports humanitarian aid missions. This is a remarkable achievement as compared to aid material arriving only several weeks after an incident. The Moonlight Air Organization can hence "Help save more lives faster  when every second counts!" Please visit www.moonlightair.org and https://fundrazr.com/moonlightair.

Eptone Productions is a Grammy Award Winning company and was founded by American Music producer Earl Powell back in the late 90's. Eptone Productions has collaborated with the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Keyshia Cole, Ashanti, Tito Jackson, and The Legendary Jacksons just to name a few. Eptone Productions is a Los Angeles based company and continues to thrive making music. A portion of the proceeds from the digital streaming of "ON THE WINGS" will be donated to The Moonlight Air Organization.

To learn more about Eptone Productions and to book an interview, contact Earl Powell at: [email protected] Additional information is available at: www.onthewings.me

Lyric Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9lM2gqDczQ

Song Download Options: https://song.link/ca/i/1437322637

Moonlight Air Organization Fundrazr Campaign: https://fundrazr.com/moonlightair

Contact:

Stephen Lendi

+41438440677

[email protected]

SOURCE Moonlight Air Organization

Related Links

http://www.moonlightair.org


In this role, Mr. Higdon will be responsible for leading the management of ESIS, a core offering for Chubb's North America large accounts business, including spearheading strategies around product development, customer service and relationships, sales and profit and loss (P&L) performance.

Mr. Higdon has more than two decades of insurance industry experience. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President, Partnership Services at ESIS, where he was responsible for the management and development of client partnerships across all ESIS lines of business. In addition, Mr. Higdon oversaw ESIS's extensive network of field and regional offices throughout North America, new client implementations, ESIS University, and the company's industry practices and global initiatives.

Mr. Higdon succeeds Joe Vasquez, who, as previously announced, will be assuming the role of Senior Vice President, Chubb Group, Global Accident & Health. Mr. Higdon will be based in Chicago and will report to Matthew Merna, Division President, Chubb North America Major Accounts.

"Keith's background and expertise in developing claims and risk management solutions for self-insured entities that allow them to achieve excellent claim outcomes while reducing their total cost and risk makes him a natural fit for this role," said Mr. Merna. "This is yet another example of Chubb's deep bench of talent, and I am confident that under his direction, ESIS will continue to grow through the creation of market-leading products and services."

Mr. Higdon began his career as a consultant in 1996, where he was focused on auditing, program evaluation, and program design projects for workers compensation and integrated disability management programs for large employers and service providers. Throughout his career in the third-party administrator (TPA) space, he held a variety of leadership positions within information technology and client services, where he helped develop and deliver differentiated products and services to clients. Mr. Higdon joined ACE in 2014, and prior to ACE's 2016 acquisition of Chubb, he spent a significant amount of time with ACE Group Claims, helping to develop an approach to utilizing predictive modeling and text mining in the claims management process.

Mr. Higdon holds two bachelor of science degrees in the social sciences from Northern Illinois University and a master's degree in information technology and management from Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a board member and former Chairman for the Center for Employee Health Studies associated with the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

About ESIS

ESIS, Inc. provides claim and risk management services to a wide variety of commercial clients. Our innovative best-in-class approach to program design, integration, and achievement of results aligns with the needs and expectations of our clients' unique risk management needs. With more than 60 years of experience and offerings in both the United States and globally, ESIS provides one of the industry's broadest selections of risk management solutions covering both pre and post-loss services. For more information, visit us at www.esis.com.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, and the largest commercial insurer in the United States. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.chubb.com.

Chubb Insurance Company of Canada has offices in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver and provides its products and services through licensed insurance brokers across Canada. For additional information, visit www.chubb.com/ca.

SOURCE Chubb

Related Links

https://www2.chubb.com/us-en


SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Advanced Traffic Solutions Inc. ("Trafficware"), a leading provider of intelligent traffic solutions for the transportation industry, for approximately $235.7 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. Based in Sugar Land, TX., Trafficware provides a fully integrated, innovative suite of software, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and hardware solutions that provide customers with enhanced mobility and improved safety. Trafficware will be integrated into the Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) business unit. The acquisition is expected to close today, October 24, subject to customary closing conditions.

In fiscal year 2019, Trafficware is expected to contribute approximately $50 million in sales and $14 million to $15 million of Adjusted EBITDA. Cubic anticipates the transaction will be accretive to cash earnings per share in the first full year of operations, exclusive of transaction fees. Cubic will finance the transaction from borrowings under its revolver.

"Trafficware's intelligent, data-rich intersection management technology, combined with Cubic's existing transportation capabilities, will enhance our ability to offer compelling solutions to reduce urban congestion. This technology-driven acquisition of a leader in the transportation industry fits perfectly with our strategy to lead nextgeneration intelligent traffic solutions that enable smart cars through smart infrastructure," said Bradley H. Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cubic Corporation. "We welcome the Trafficware team to the Cubic family and are excited to add this growing intelligent transportation systems business to our portfolio."

"This acquisition will strengthen Cubic's NextCity strategy to solve the challenges of urban congestion through best-in-class solutions that optimize the use of transportation infrastructure and improve mobility for travelers," said Matt Cole, president of CTS. "I look forward to realizing the synergies and benefits this acquisition will bring as we work with Trafficware's strong management team to further develop Trafficware's leading portfolio of solutions, integrate it with the Operations and Analytics pillar of our strategy, and give customers the benefits of Cubic's broader solution portfolio."

"As we continue to grow market share and move into larger agencies in the U.S. and abroad, Trafficware has faced the needs of multi-modal transportation. With Cubic's leadership, particularly in transit, around the globe, we see many synergies with Cubic as we continue to aggressively grow our traffic management business organically and through acquisition," said Jon Newhard, chief executive officer of Trafficware. "We are excited about joining Cubic as it is encouraging to be part of a company that shares our culture for innovation and absolute customer focus as well as our vision for building Smart Cities around the globe."

As a company driving innovation in the traffic industry, Trafficware builds traffic management infrastructure for the next-generation of Smart Cities. Trafficware currently has the fastest-growing central management system in the transportation industry as well as adaptive traffic control technology; and most recently, Trafficware designed applications for the latest in Connected Vehicle technology for traffic signal systems. The company's flagship Synchro Studio suite helps improve traffic operations of all sizes and Trafficware's Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is used by more than 200 transportation authorities as the cornerstone of their central traffic management system.

A supplemental slide presentation is available on Cubic's website at www.cubic.com/investor-relations/events-presentations.

About Cubic Corporation

Cubic is a market-leading, technology provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Cubic Global Defense Systems is a leading provider of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions for the U.S. and allied forces. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Mission Solutions provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains statements that relate to future events and expectations and as such constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or our future financial and/or operating performance are not historical and may be forward-looking, including, among others, statements regarding the expected closing of the acquisition, the integration of Trafficware into CTS, expected contributions of Trafficware to Cubic's sales and Adjusted EBITDA in fiscal year 2019, expectations regarding the acquisition being accretive to Cubic's cash earnings per share in the first full year of operations, Cubic's strategies to lead nextgeneration intelligent traffic solutions and solve the challenges of urban congestion, and the potential to realize synergies and benefits from the acquisition. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "continuing," "ongoing," "expect," "believe," "intend," "predict," "potential," "opportunity" and similar words or phrases or the negatives of these words or phrases. These statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties, including, among others: risks associated with the satisfaction of customary closing conditions for the acquisition; the ability to successfully integrate new companies into Cubic's business and to properly assess the effects of such integration on its financial results; competition and technology changes in the industries in which Cubic does business; Cubic's ability to successfully develop, introduce and sell new products, systems and services in current and future markets; and those discussed in "Risk Factors" in Cubic's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2017 and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these statements. Because the risk factors referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Cubic Corporation

Related Links

http://www.cubic.com


ORANGE, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberGuard Compliance, a global provider of attestation and compliance services, today announced it is publishing a guide to help organizations meet and exceed payment card security standards. The e-book, The PCI DSS Compliance Checklist: What You Need to Comply, is available for free download at https://info.cgcompliance.com/pci-dss-compliance-guide-what-you-need-to-comply .

Data security continues to be an important priority for any business that relies on credit and debit cards for payments. Breaches of customers' personal information and loss of funds can lead to costly penalties, legal expenses, reimbursements, and reputational damage. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or PCI DSS, sets strict guidelines to protect consumer and corporate data from loss or misuse. CyberGuard Compliance's new guide details the importance of PCI DSS compliance and offers steps for achieving that compliance. Features of the e-book include:

A deeper look at what PCI DSS is and its history

A comprehensive checklist for becoming PCI DSS compliant

Advice for conducting readiness assessments to determine the state of compliance

"High-profile data breaches over the past several years have put payment card security at the forefront," says Tim Roncevich, partner at CyberGuard Compliance. "PCI DSS compliance demonstrates that your company is as protected as it can be from breaches. The checklist we have compiled gives organizations a blueprint for achieving and strengthening their compliance postures."

To learn more about this e-book or CyberGuard Compliance's services, visit http://www.cgcompliance.com .

About CyberGuard Compliance

CyberGuard Compliance, formerly SSAE 16 Professionals, is a global provider of compliance and information security services. The firm's leadership team has more than 150 years of combined business management, operations, and related information technology (IT) experience. CyberGuard Compliance was founded with the goal of providing clients with top professional talent from a boutique-style professional services firm. Each of its professionals has over 10 years of relevant experience at "Big 4" and other large international or regional accounting firms, and most carry the designation of Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Manager (CISM), or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). CyberGuard Compliance treats its staff as valued and highly talented peers while omitting avoidable layers of management and associated costs.

CyberGuard Compliance has a diverse client base, ranging from Fortune 500 clients to government agencies to startups in Silicon Valley. Many of its clients are companies undertaking an audit for the first time. CyberGuard Compliance prides itself in working closely and collaboratively with clients to ensure all service-related risks are addressed with appropriate criteria and control activities. A detailed approach helps identify opportunities for improvement within the clients' operations. CyberGuard Compliance's proven methodology, flexible delivery methods, efficient economic operating model, and focus on adding value for their clients has made the firm one of the most highly sought-after cybersecurity and IT compliance-focused CPA firms in the United States.

As a registered and licensed public accounting firm, CyberGuard Compliance is subject to an independent peer review on its auditing practice by a recognized and approved peer review program. This ensures the firm is held to the strictest of audit standards. For more information, please visit http://www.cgcompliance.com .

Contact:

Tim Roncevich, Principal

[email protected]

SOURCE CyberGuard Compliance

Related Links

http://www.cgcompliance.com


WINNIPEG, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - DELTA 9 CANNABIS INC. (TSXV: NINE) (OTC: VRNDF) ("Delta 9" or the "Company"), through its Delta 9 Cannabis Store subsidiary, logged close to 9,600 transactions in the first seven days after legalization of cannabis on October 17, totaling $736,124 in revenues up to the end of day on Tuesday this week.

The vast majority of revenues are attributable to sales of dried cannabis products, with the remaining coming from the sale of ancillary products and accessories. Average selling price per gram of dried cannabis sold over the first seven days of sales was approximately $11.47, with the average cost of sales for a gram at approximately $8.64.

"The first day of legal recreational cannabis sales blew away all of our expectations," said John Arbuthnot, Chief Executive Officer. "We launched online sales of cannabis just after the stroke of midnight on October 17, and in the first minute logged more than 100 sales to customers in Manitoba. By 4 a.m., we had sold out all the product set aside for online sales, but even that was nothing compared to the experience at our first retail store in Winnipeg."

Despite restricting online sales to 10 per cent of the Company's initial in-store inventory, Delta 9 logged 1,583 online orders, of which 961 were sent by Canada Post, and 622 were sent via Pineapple Express for same day delivery in Winnipeg.

Chief Technology Officer Matthew Sodomsky said Delta 9 was able to meet the massive online demand thanks to its partnerships with Pineapple Express and Shopify. More than 91,000 unique website visitors were logged on the delta9.ca website, which runs on the Shopify online platform.

"Selecting Shopify as our technology partner was definitely the right decision." said Sodomsky. "We were able to process thousands of orders on legalization day, while upholding our commitment to protecting our customer's data, storing it on a 100 per cent Canadian-hosted solution.

"Shopify is the glue between Delta 9 Cannabis and Pineapple Express Delivery, allowing us to provide high-quality cannabis and accessories to our customers in their homes in as little 30 minutes."

"We are excited to be working with Delta 9 to provide a tailored customer experience to meet the unique demands of both consumers and regulators as we power this new industry." said Loren Padelford, VP and GM at Shopify.

The Delta 9 Cannabis Store in the St. Vital area of Winnipeg also recorded 8,017 sales in the first five days, with revenues of $572,454. The average online order this week was $104, while the average in-store order came in at $72.

The first customers for the Delta 9 Cannabis Store were seen camping outside the shop by 6:30 p.m. on October 16, and as the sun rose on October 17 hundreds of eager buyers were lined up around the building. It was just the first of several thousand sales at the Delta 9 outlet. Long lines continued throughout the day, extending completely around the building, with early customers patiently waiting up to two hours to buy their first legal, recreational cannabis products.

"We expected high volumes for both online and in-store sales, but what happened this week went beyond even our most optimistic projections," Arbuthnot said. "We handled close to 2,000 sales by late afternoon, and even bigger crowds began arriving in the evening as people started arriving after work. We were starting to worry that everything in the vault would be cleared out by end of day."

While outlets across Canada have reported shortages of product, Arbuthnot says Delta 9 continues to enjoy a robust supply, particularly from its own production facility in Winnipeg.

"We've been working very hard to increase production over the past year, and that work is paying off now as we face huge demand from the recreational market," said Arbuthnot. "I'm happy to say Delta 9 has adequate supply, and we are even now preparing a large shipment to our store and to our wholesale customers."

Delta 9 is taking in three shipments of dried bud, cannabis oil, and gel caps from its suppliers, including Broken Coast and Canopy Growth, and will be shipping approximately 200 kilograms of Delta 9 product to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries later this week.

About Delta 9 Cannabis Inc.

Delta 9 Cannabis was the fourth producer in Canada licensed to produce legal cannabis. Delta 9 now operates its wholly-owned subsidiary, Delta 9 Bio-Tech Inc., as a licensed producer of medical marijuana pursuant to the ACMPR and operates an 80,000 square foot production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Delta 9 also owns 50 per cent of the 70,000 square foot Delta West facility in Alberta, and co-owns the Delta Nine cannabis retail operation. Delta 9's shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NINE".

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.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the Company's future business plans and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Forward Looking Statements in this release include the expectation that Delta 9 will receive three shipments from its suppliers over the coming week, and will be able to ship 200 kilograms of product from its own facility. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Delta 9 Cannabis Inc.
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dental Optimizer gives dental plans the comprehensive technology their members need to improve their oral health with less effort. These digital tools give members the power to check their benefits, get questions answered by dental professionals, calculate out-of-pocket costs, compare providers, schedule appointments and more. https://www.dentaloptimizer.com/

Dental plans can now make significant enhancements to the online experience of their members with a new suite of self-service dental tools. This unique platform gives members a digital version of their dental plan accessible from their phone, tablet or laptop.

With companies like Alphabet pouring $540 million into Oscar Health, a digital-first health plan, traditional carriers need to adapt, and they need to do so fast. Dental Optimizer gives dental insurers the tools they need to remain competitive.

"Traditional insurers are looking for new ways to improve their relationships with members and providers. Dental Optimizer accomplishes this by increasing the level of engagement between patients and dentists," said Sam Dyer, creator and chief marketing officer for Dental Optimizer.

What makes Dental Optimizer unique is that it meets the demand for both member and provider self-service tools. In addition to connecting patients with high-quality providers, members can calculate costs, assess risk levels, ask questions and more. Members also get at-a-glance information about their claims, deductibles and plan coverage from a centralized, easy-to-use dashboard.

Consumer experience has become a major focus for many healthcare companies and dental practices. Members want to better understand and utilize their dental benefits, calculate costs, find the best providers and book appointments online.

Greg Hansen, Healthy Grid's managing director of Operations added, "Dental plans looking for ways to elevate the member experience need a compelling set of digital capabilities that fit their members' and providers' needs."

Insurers interested in these tools can request a demonstration www.dentaloptimizer.com .

About Healthy Grid

Greg Hansen is the managing director for Healthy Grid. Sam Dyer has over 18 years of experience in digital trends and consumer technology products. Healthy Grid is headquartered in Portland Oregon. www.healthygrid.com

SOURCE Healthy Grid

Related Links

https://www.dentaloptimizer.com


MIAMI, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- While studying the critically endangered slender-snouted crocodile, researchers made a startling discovery  what they thought was one species is actually two. The discovery raises concerns about whether current conservation practices are enough to protect them.

The slender-snouted crocodile is medium-sized, lives in freshwater habitats, and, as its name suggests, has a long and slender snout. When scientists analyzed the DNA and physical characteristics of crocodiles in the wild and in captivity in six African countries, they found two distinct species of slender-snouted crocodiles  one unique to West Africa and one unique to Central Africa. The Central African slender-snouted crocodile is the first new living crocodile species to be defined and named in nearly 85 years.

"Recognizing the slender-snouted crocodile as actually comprised of two different species is cause for great conservation concern," said Matthew Shirley , a crocodile expert at FIU's Tropical Conservation Institute and lead researcher of the team that made the discovery. "We estimate only 10 percent of slender-snouted crocodiles occur in West Africa, effectively diminishing its population by 90 percent. This makes the West African slender-snouted crocodile one of the most critically endangered crocodile species in the world."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed slender-snouted crocodiles as "Critically Endangered" in 2014. They are threatened by habitat loss, hunting and overfishing  which diminishes their food supply and leads them to drown in nets. At first glance, the West African and Central African slender-snouted crocodiles appear quite similar. In addition to the differences in their DNA, the scientists found differences in the skull shape and scales that strongly support the existence of two species.

Slender-snouted crocodiles are understudied and underrepresented in conservation programs. First described in 1824, they live in very remote areas and have little interaction with people. They camouflage themselves from prey and seek refuge from potential predators in highly vegetated bodies of water. They're also incredibly shy. Finding crocodiles to examine and collect DNA samples from in the wild has long been a challenge.

Shirley's latest finding will have major implications for understanding crocodile evolution and diversity, as well as conservation. Conservation policies require the accurate naming of species and assessment of population numbers. The future of the West African slender-snouted crocodile will likely depend on the success of captive breeding and reintroduction programs, according to the researchers.

"We hope that this better understanding of slender-snouted crocodile evolution and taxonomy draws much-needed attention to the plight of this species, which has long been recognized as the least known crocodilian in the world," says Shirley.

The researchers published their findings in Zootaxa. The team also includes researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Iowa.

This is not the first time researchers have discovered cryptic crocodile species hiding in plain sight. Until recently, only three crocodile species were recognized in Africa  the dwarf, Nile and slender-snouted crocodiles. Research combining the analysis of DNA and outward appearance revealed the existence of two Nile species and three dwarf species  discoveries also lead or supported by Shirley and others.

"We knew from the dwarf and Nile crocodiles that something was going on, so we decided to see if something similar was happening with the slender-snouted crocodiles," Shirley said. "My objective wasn't to describe a new species. We set out to examine the evidence and better understand these elusive crocodiles."

Evelyn S. Gonzalez

305-348-4493

[email protected]

news.fiu.edu

@FIUNews

SOURCE Florida International University

Related Links

https://www.fiu.edu


MELBOURNE, Fla., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Village At Melbourne is thrilled to announce that the addition of 36 brand-new, luxury Senior Independent Living apartment homes is now complete and units are now ready to be leased. The spacious one- and two-bedroom apartment homes include fully-equipped kitchens, wood-look plank flooring in kitchen and living areas, washer and dryer, and so much more.

Residents will enjoy the same all-inclusive lifestyle that they have come to know and expect from our award-winning senior community including Sensations dining featuring restaurant-style dining with inspiring menus changing daily, a full calendar of Celebrations activities and events and personalized Dimensions health and wellness, and fitness programs.

Please join Discovery Village At Melbourne on Thursday, October 25, from 2:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M., at 3260 N. Harbor City Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32935, as we unveil our 36 BRAND NEW Supervised Independent Living apartment homes. Indulge in Oktoberfest classics such as cold beer, home-made soft pretzels, and brats right off the grill. Raise your mugs for an afternoon of fun, food, prizes, and German-themed music. Please call 321.600.4747 for more information.

"It truly is a new day in senior living, and we are so excited to unveil the new addition to Discovery Village At Melbourne's already spectacular line-up of lifestyle options," says Richard J. Hutchinson, CEO, Discovery Senior Living. "Bringing innovative lifestyle services to our residents, in a fresh and inspiring environment was our goal, and we succeeded."

About Discovery Senior Living

Discovery Senior Living, a family of companies founded by Thomas J. Harrison and Richard J. Hutchinson, includes Discovery Management Group, Discovery Development Group, Discovery Realty Group, Discovery Marketing Group and Discovery At Home, a Medicare-certified home healthcare company. For more than 25 years, the award-winning management group has been developing, building, marketing and operating upscale, luxury senior-living communities across the United States. With a flourishing portfolio of more than 8,500 homes for seniors, Discovery Senior Living has become a recognized industry leader in creating world-class resort-style communities. The corporate office is located at 27599 Riverview Center Blvd Suite 201, Bonita Springs, FL 34134.

For more information, please visit www.DiscoverySeniorLiving.com.

Christina Meyer

Marketing Manager

Discovery Senior Living

(239) 908-2921

[email protected]

SOURCE Discovery Senior Living

Related Links

http://www.DiscoverySeniorLiving.com


Each Aldo Croatti Award winner will receive a special rewards package that includes a cash bonus and an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation-for-two to The Ritz-Carlton in Aruba as part of UniFirst's President's Club reward program. In addition, they will be given a brand new UniFirst delivery truck for use on the job to make all their customer deliveries in style. Their new trucks will also be embellished with a special award insigniaa mark of distinctionrecognizing the RSR as a superior customer service representative.

UniFirst's Aldo Croatti Award winners for 2018 are as follows:

Travis Cook , Raleigh, N.C. Wayne Coppin , La Salle , Quebec Will Harding , Grassy Lake, Alberta Lonnie Macik , Bryan, Texas Anthony Mistretta , Citrus Heights, Calif. Dominic Morois , Drummondville, Quebec Corey Price , Coral Springs, Fla. Sean Riccardi , St. Petersburg, Fla. Greg Whitfield , Goldsboro, N.C.

"Customer focus and service excellence are critical to UniFirst's continued success and these RSRs represent the 'best of the best' when it comes to providing superior customer service day in and day out," said Steven Sintros, UniFirst president and CEO. "Earning the Aldo Croatti Award is no easy task and I applaud these nine standouts for meeting and exceeding their professional goals. I couldn't be prouder of their personal accomplishments and for continuing to set the bar high for customer service excellence."

About UniFirst:

Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with more than 250 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000-plus employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com.

SOURCE UniFirst Corporation

Related Links

http://www.unifirst.com


AMSTERDAM, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EclecticIQ, which empowers cyber defenses with threat intelligence, today announced the availability of new integrations to EclecticIQ Platform. The integrations provide additional insights into threat intelligence for critical infrastructures. By offering integrations for Dragos and Honeypot.dk, EclecticIQ customers can ingest threat intelligence specific to industrial control systems (ICS) as well as to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.

EclecticIQ's Platform, the analyst-centric Threat Intelligence Platform, provides analysts with the most relevant sources of intelligence and enrichment data from leading providers and data sources. In recent years, the number of attacks on critical infrastructures has been increasing but the defense of ICS and SCADA systems comes with a unique set of challenges. For that reason, EclecticIQ Platform now integrates the feeds of two leading intelligence providers:

"Critical infrastructures have a unique threat landscape that requires novel attack vectors and more sophisticated TTPs (Tools, Techniques and Procedures)," said Ewan Hubac, product manager integrations at EclecticIQ. "To defend against those attacks, you need specific threat intelligence sources and specialized knowledge. With the integration of these two feeds, analysts can harness the full power of EclecticIQ Platform to prevent attacks on ICS/SCADA systems driven by threat actors wanting to have a real-world impact."

With the number of attacks on critical infrastructures expected to continue at an ever-increasing rate, EclecticIQ has recently launched EclecticIQ Fusion Center - Critical Infrastructure Intelligence Bundle, which covers specific threats including ICS-tailored malware and TTPs related to critical infrastructure operational technology and its supply chain.

For a full overview of all EclecticIQ Platform integrations, please visit the integrations section of our website.

About EclecticIQ

EclecticIQ enables intelligence-powered cybersecurity for government organizations and commercial enterprises. We develop analyst-centric products and services that align our clients' cybersecurity focus with their threat reality. The result is intelligence-led security, improved detection and prevention, and cost-efficient security investments.

Our solutions are built specifically for analysts across all intelligence-led security practices such as threat investigation and threat hunting, as well as incident response efforts. And we tightly integrate our solutions with our customers' IT security controls and systems.

EclecticIQ operates globally with offices in Europe, United Kingdom, and North-America, and via certified value-adding partners.

Learn more at www.eclecticiq.com

About Dragos

Dragos' industrial cybersecurity platform codifies advanced threat analytics to provide OT and IT practitioners unprecedented visibility and prescriptive procedures to respond to adversaries in the industrial threat landscape. Dragos' offerings include: the Dragos Platform for ICS threat detection and response; Dragos' Threat Operations Center for ICS threat hunting and incident response services; and Dragos ICS WorldView for weekly threat intelligence reports. Visit www.dragos.com for more information.

About HoneyPot.dk

Honeypot.dk provides the most comprehensive ICS/SCADA threat intelligence collected from globally-deployed ICS/SCADA honeypots. We offer a number of ICS/SCADA and IOT defense solutions and threat feeds to help the following industries: Energy (Electric power, Oil & Gas, Wind and Nuclear), Transportation (Rail, Air), Healthcare, Water and Waste Water Management.

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12736102

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE EclecticIQ

Related Links

http://www.eclecticiq.com


Multi-year Contract Increases Value to CAD $879,000

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. and MONTREAL, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Engagement Labs Inc. (TSXV: EL) (OTCQB: ELBSF) (the "Company") announced today that it continues to execute on their growth strategy with a major upsell to a leading Fortune 500 US telecom client. The deal represents a significant commitment to Engagement Labs by doubling the contract for the remaining 27 months. The new contract increases the existing agreement by 100 percent, bringing the new contract value to CAD $879,000 (USD $674,325).

The expansion of the relationship builds on the Company's existing work with the Client. With multiple brands in the Client's portfolio, the scope of work grew over the relationship from one brand at launch, expanded to two brands, and now TotalSocial includes four key brands. The new upsold capabilities include expanded access to the TotalSocial dashboard, additional social media platforms, customized diagnostics, more reporting for the expanded portfolio of brands that are part of the relationship. The platform has been critical to the Client's aggressive expansion strategy.

"This latest contract confirms that our customers continue to entrust Engagement Labs to enhance their marketing strategy, help increase sales and brand loyalty with the use of our TotalSocial platform," said Ed Keller, CEO of Engagement Labs.

"A major priority of Engagement Labs growth strategy includes upsells to existing customers," adds Steven Brown, President and Chief Revenue Officer of Engagement Labs. "We continue to see our clients build on their successes and increase their use of our platform."

About Engagement Labs

Engagement Labs (TSXV: EL) (OTCQB: ELBSF) is an industry-leading data and analytics firm that provides social intelligence for Fortune 500 brands and companies. The Company's TotalSocial platform focuses on the entire social ecosystem by combining powerful online (social media) and offline (word of mouth) data with predictive analytics. Engagement Labs has a proprietary ten-year database of unique brand, industry and competitive intelligence, matched with its cutting-edge predictive analytics that use machine learning and artificial intelligence to reveal the social metrics that increase marketing ROI and top line revenue for its diverse group of clients.

To learn more visit www.engagementlabs.com / www.totalsocial.com.

About TotalSocial

TotalSocial is a premier data and analytics platform that provides brands with unique insights, improved marketing ROI and strategies to grow revenue. Fueled by actionable online and offline data, TotalSocial is the only platform that encompasses and listens to the entire social ecosystem. TotalSocial offers unique, proprietary data about brands, its industry and competitors. With cutting-edge diagnostics, patent-pending predictive analytics and machine learning, TotalSocial identifies business opportunities and provides recommendations and a roadmap to grow revenue and achieve business and marketing goals.

Disclaimer in regard to Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements included herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Engagement Labs does not intend, and undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect, in particular, new information or future events.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For media inquiries please contact:

Vanessa Lontoc, Marketing Director / Ed Keller, CEO

Engagement Labs

732-846-6800

[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE Engagement Labs

Related Links

https://www.engagementlabs.com


FLEMINGTON, N.J., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent equipment auction performed by Permian International Energy Services, LLC with online bidding facilitated by New Jersey-based Equipmentfacts brought over $8 million in gross auction proceeds. Equipmentfacts contributed 274 approved online bidders from 41 U.S. states and 11 countries worldwide to the live auction, which took place in Rock Springs, Wyoming on October 4th. Pre-bidding through Equipmentfacts opened ahead of the live sale, accepting over $1.5 million in pre-bids. On auction day, Equipmentfacts sold 49% of the auction's lots to online buyers registered through the service, and online participants were runner-up bidders on 651 of the 1,079 total auction lots. The resulting auction proceeds exceeded Permian International's initial $6 million projection by more than 30%.

The October 4th auction was the first official sale for Permian International Energy Services, which brings together decades of combined industry experience and focuses primarily on oilfield equipment. Ahead of the sale, Permian International Energy Services advertised extensively in Machinery Trader in addition to sending email blasts to Equipmentfacts' massive user base. Permian International's Eric Dyess attributes the success of the auction to a combination of extensive advertising ahead of the sale and the global audience of bidders facilitated by online bidding.

Equipment sold to buyers across the U.S., as well as South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and a number of countries across South America and the Middle East. "These days, if you're going to do an auction in a remote location, you absolutely have to have a partner like Equipmentfacts," said Dyess, who had used the online bidding management service previously. "We knew the value of online bidding, and knew that Equipmentfacts and Sandhills Publishing could provide access to the global customer base we needed for a successful auction."

Permian International Energy Services will hold its next auction in Odessa, Texas on November 13th. Visit Equipmentfacts.com to find more information about this auction, browse the sale catalog, set up alerts for the sale, and register to bid. Pre-bidding for this sale opens November 1st.

About Equipmentfacts

Equipmentfacts offers live-stream auction broadcasts, online bidding, advertising, and auction and bidder management solutions for a global user base of auctioneers specializing in equipment and trucks. As a product of Sandhills Publishing, Equipmentfacts is backed by extensive experience, a global product portfolio, print and online market exposure, a substantial technical infrastructure, and industry-leading customer service.

Contact Us:

(908) 788-2025

[email protected]

www.equipmentfacts.com

SOURCE Equipmentfacts
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With deep sadness, Federated Investors, Inc. (NYSE: FII) today announced the passing of Richard B. Fisher, who co-founded the company in 1955 and served as chairman of Federated Securities Corp. and vice chairman of Federated Investors, Inc. until his death at age 95 on Oct. 23, 2018.

Fisher served Federated for more than six decades. His strong work ethic, creative marketing skills and dedication to excellence in products and service helped build Federated's reputation and global reach. Today, Federated employs approximately 1,800 people in the U.S. and around the globe, managing and distributing investment products to institutions, financial intermediaries and investors around the world.

A Central Catholic High School and College of the Holy Cross alumnus, Fisher left his job as a salesman at a Cadillac dealership in 1951 to join his high school friend, the late John F. Donahue, in selling mutual funds. The two co-founded Federated Investors, with the late Thomas J. Donnelly serving as outside counsel, with the mission to not only become a leader in innovative management solutions and service, but also to have a company where people enjoy coming to work.

"Dick always put his heart into all that he did, with passion, dedication to quality and sensitivity to the shareholder's income," said J. Christopher Donahue, president and chief executive officer of Federated. "We're indebted to him for his charismatic nature and generosity."

Fisher's charm and lively sense of humor made him a favorite with Federated employees. "When you ask a Federated veteran about having a favorite memory, mentor, influence or role model, Dick's name often follows. Many Federated veterans refer to Dick with reverence and respect, as the man who helped shape their careers," said Donahue.

An exceptional salesman, Fisher was an integral member of Federated's sales force, focusing on broker sales initiatives, from the beginning. Notably, in the 1970s, Fisher led the sales strategy and execution for Federated's Fund for U.S. Government Securities, the first fund to invest exclusively in government bonds. Thanks in large part to Fisher's advertisement and traveling sales effort, the fund became one of Federated's most successful and helped increase public awareness of the company and of mutual funds in general.

Again, in 1986, Fisher spearheaded the campaign for sales of the Government Income Securities Fund, or GISI, the first in what would become Federated's Fortress family of funds.

Fisher was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Barbara, his older sister Patricia, younger half-sister Anne and half-brother George. He is survived by his younger brother Robert (Pat). He is also survived by his seven children, Susan Fisher, Bryant (Becky) Fisher, Mark (Olivia) Fisher, Alison (Don) Steel, John (Diane) Fisher, Mary Elizabeth (Lyle) Albaugh, and Grace Fisher, 18 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

"Dick's faith was a true animation for his life. He would hit daily Mass if he could, and the good works flowed naturally from his kind heart and generous spirit," said Donahue. Fisher dedicated his time and effort to many charities including Central Catholic High School, College of the Holy Cross, La Roche College, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, The Little Sisters of the Poor and others.

Federated Investors, Inc. is one of the largest investment managers in the United States, managing $379.7 billion in assets as of June 30, 2018. With 108 funds and a variety of separately managed account options, Federated provides comprehensive investment management to more than 8,500 institutions and intermediaries including corporations, government entities, insurance companies, foundations and endowments, banks and broker/dealers. For more information, visit FederatedInvestors.com.

SOURCE Federated Investors, Inc.

Related Links

http://FederatedInvestors.com


FALLS CHURCH, Va., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Revenue up 20% year-over-year to $9.1 billion

Earnings from continuing operations up 13.1% to $864 million

Diluted EPS from continuing operations up 14.7% year-over-year to $2.89

EXHIBIT H-1 EXHIBIT H-2

General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today reported third-quarter 2018 earnings from continuing operations of $864 million, a 13.1 percent increase over third-quarter 2017. Revenue increased 20 percent to $9.1 billion. While a large portion of the growth was attributed to the acquisition of CSRA, revenue in all segments grew.

Diluted earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations were $2.89 compared to $2.52 in the year-ago quarter, a 14.7 percent increase.

"We took action this quarter to streamline our portfolio, drive out risk from our supply chain and deliver increasingly sophisticated products and services to our customers in an efficient and timely manner," said Phebe Novakovic, chairman and chief executive officer. "We remain committed to generating steady and sustainable results from our businesses."

Significant activities this quarter included the delivery of the Virginia-class submarine SSN 790 (future USS South Dakota), the keel-laying of the first John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler and the continued integration of CSRA.

Margin

Company-wide operating margin for the third quarter of 2018 was 12.5 percent, a 70 basis-point increase over second-quarter 2018.

Cash

Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter totaled $790 million, compared to $872 million in the year-ago quarter. Free cash flow from operations, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, was $622 million, after a $255 million discretionary pension plan contribution.

Capital Deployment

The company repurchased 450,000 of its outstanding shares in the third quarter of 2018. Year-to-date, the company has repurchased 2.5 million outstanding shares.

Backlog

The company's total backlog at the end of third-quarter 2018 was $69.5 billion, up 4.9 percent from second-quarter 2018. The estimated potential contract value, representing management's estimate of value in unfunded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options, was $34.7 billion. Total potential contract value, the sum of all backlog components, was $104.2 billion at the end of the quarter, a new record.

Order activity was robust across the company with a 1.4-to-1 total book-to-bill ratio, defined as orders divided by revenue. Significant awards in the quarter included $3.9 billion from the U.S. Navy for the construction of four Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) guided-missile destroyers; $580 from the Navy for surface ship maintenance and modernization work; $480 from the Navy to continue design and development work for the Columbia-class submarine program; $210 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for benefits recovery services, cloud hosting and IT support; $170 from the Navy for combat and seaframe control systems for Littoral Combat Ships; and $150 from the U.S. Army for equipment to support the Army's mobile communications network. In addition, the Army awarded a $3.9 billion maximum-potential-value IDIQ contract for computing and communications equipment under the Common Hardware Systems-5 (CHS-5) program.

About General Dynamics

Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; IT services; C4ISR solutions; and shipbuilding and ship repair. The company's 2017 revenue was $31 billion. More information is available at www.generaldynamics.com.

Certain statements made in this press release, including any statements as to future results of operations and financial projections, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. Additional information regarding these factors is contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, its Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made. The company does not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.

WEBCAST INFORMATION: General Dynamics will webcast its third-quarter 2018 financial results conference call at 9 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, October 24, 2018. The webcast will be a listen-only audio event, available at www.generaldynamics.com. An on-demand replay of the webcast will be available by 12 p.m. on October 24 and will continue for 12 months. To hear a recording of the conference call by telephone, please call 877-344-7529 (international: 412-317-0088); passcode 10125284. The phone replay will be available through October 31, 2018.

EXHIBIT A CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS

































Three Months Ended

Variance

September 30, 2018

October 1, 2017*

$

% Revenue $ 9,094



$ 7,580



$ 1,514



20.0 % Operating costs and expenses (7,959)



(6,517)



(1,442)





Operating earnings 1,135



1,063



72



6.8 % Interest, net (114)



(27)



(87)





Other, net 2



(9)



11





Earnings from continuing operations before income tax 1,023



1,027



(4)



(0.4) % Provision for income tax, net (159)



(263)



104





Earnings from continuing operations 864



764



100



13.1 % Discontinued operations, net of tax (13)







(13)







Net earnings $ 851



$ 764



$ 87



11.4 % Earnings per sharebasic













Continuing operations $ 2.92



$ 2.56



$ 0.36



14.1 % Discontinued operations (0.04)







(0.04)







Net earnings $ 2.88



$ 2.56



$ 0.32



12.5 % Basic weighted average shares outstanding 295.3



298.1













Earnings per sharediluted













Continuing operations $ 2.89



$ 2.52



$ 0.37



14.7 % Discontinued operations (0.04)







(0.04)





Net earnings $ 2.85



$ 2.52



$ 0.33



13.1 % Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 299.1



303.8















* Prior-period information has been restated for the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2017-07, Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which we adopted on January 1, 2018.

EXHIBIT B CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS

































Nine Months Ended

Variance

September 30, 2018 (a)

October 1, 2017 (b)

$

% Revenue $ 25,815



$ 22,696



$ 3,119



13.7 % Operating costs and expenses (22,584)



(19,520)



(3,064)





Operating earnings 3,231



3,176



55



1.7 % Interest, net (244)



(76)



(168)





Other, net (34)



(31)



(3)





Earnings from continuing operations before income tax 2,953



3,069



(116)



(3.8) % Provision for income tax, net (504)



(793)



289





Earnings from continuing operations 2,449



2,276



173



7.6 % Discontinued operations, net of tax (13)







(13)





Net earnings $ 2,436



$ 2,276



$ 160



7.0 % Earnings per sharebasic













Continuing operations $ 8.27



$ 7.59



$ 0.68



9.0 % Discontinued operations (0.04)







(0.04)





Net earnings $ 8.23



$ 7.59



$ 0.64



8.4 % Basic weighted average shares outstanding 296.0



299.9









Earnings per sharediluted













Continuing operations $ 8.16



$ 7.45



$ 0.71



9.5 % Discontinued operations (0.04)







(0.04)





Net earnings $ 8.12



$ 7.45



$ 0.67



9.0 % Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 300.1



305.5















(a) 2018 results include the unfavorable impact of one-time charges of approximately $75 associated with costs to complete the acquisition of CSRA Inc. In the table above, approximately $45 of compensation-related costs was reported in operating costs and expenses, and approximately $30 of transaction costs was reported in other, net. (b) Prior-period information has been restated for the adoption of ASU 2017-07, which we adopted on January 1, 2018.

EXHIBIT C REVENUE AND OPERATING EARNINGS BY SEGMENT - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

































Three Months Ended

Variance

September 30, 2018

October 1, 2017*

$

% Revenue:













Aerospace $ 2,031



$ 1,995



$ 36



1.8 % Combat Systems 1,523



1,500



23



1.5 % Information Technology 2,307



1,068



1,239



116.0 % Mission Systems 1,230



1,086



144



13.3 % Marine Systems 2,003



1,931



72



3.7 % Total $ 9,094



$ 7,580



$ 1,514



20.0 % Operating earnings:













Aerospace $ 376



$ 381



$ (5)



(1.3) % Combat Systems 241



247



(6)



(2.4) % Information Technology 157



101



56



55.4 % Mission Systems 179



152



27



17.8 % Marine Systems 169



179



(10)



(5.6) % Corporate 13



3



10



333.3 % Total $ 1,135



$ 1,063



$ 72



6.8 % Operating margin:













Aerospace 18.5 %

19.1 %







Combat Systems 15.8 %

16.5 %







Information Technology 6.8 %

9.5 %







Mission Systems 14.6 %

14.0 %







Marine Systems 8.4 %

9.3 %







Total 12.5 %

14.0 %













* Prior-period information has been restated for the adoption of ASU 2017-07, which we adopted on January 1, 2018.

EXHIBIT D REVENUE AND OPERATING EARNINGS BY SEGMENT - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

































Nine Months Ended

Variance

September 30, 2018 (a)

October 1, 2017 (b)

$

% Revenue:













Aerospace $ 5,751



$ 6,147



$ (396)



(6.4) % Combat Systems 4,497



4,201



296



7.0 % Information Technology 5,887



3,178



2,709



85.2 % Mission Systems 3,475



3,226



249



7.7 % Marine Systems 6,205



5,944



261



4.4 % Total $ 25,815



$ 22,696



$ 3,119



13.7 % Operating earnings:













Aerospace $ 1,108



$ 1,241



$ (133)



(10.7) % Combat Systems 701



677



24



3.5 % Information Technology 414



278



136



48.9 % Mission Systems 478



451



27



6.0 % Marine Systems 548



518



30



5.8 % Corporate (18)



11



(29)



(263.6) % Total $ 3,231



$ 3,176



$ 55



1.7 % Operating margin:













Aerospace 19.3 %

20.2 %







Combat Systems 15.6 %

16.1 %







Information Technology 7.0 %

8.7 %







Mission Systems 13.8 %

14.0 %







Marine Systems 8.8 %

8.7 %







Total 12.5 %

14.0 %













(a) 2018 results include the unfavorable impact of approximately $45 of compensation-related one-time charges associated with costs to complete the acquisition of CSRA Inc. This amount was reported as a reduction of Corporate operating earnings in the table above. (b) Prior-period information has been restated for the adoption of ASU 2017-07, which we adopted on January 1, 2018.

EXHIBIT E CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DOLLARS IN MILLIONS



















(Unaudited)





September 30, 2018

December 31, 2017 ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and equivalents $ 1,010



$ 2,983

Accounts receivable 3,736



3,617

Unbilled receivables 7,564



5,240

Inventories 6,247



5,303

Other current assets 1,401



1,185

Total current assets 19,958



18,328

Noncurrent assets:





Property, plant and equipment, net 4,244



3,517

Intangible assets, net 2,667



702

Goodwill 19,486



11,914

Other assets 608



585

Total noncurrent assets 27,005



16,718

Total assets $ 46,963



$ 35,046

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt $ 1,678



$ 2

Accounts payable 3,033



3,207

Customer advances and deposits 7,327



6,992

Other current liabilities 3,651



2,898

Total current liabilities 15,689



13,099

Noncurrent liabilities:





Long-term debt 11,403



3,980

Other liabilities 7,116



6,532

Total noncurrent liabilities 18,519



10,512

Shareholders' equity:





Common stock 482



482

Surplus 2,914



2,872

Retained earnings 28,691



26,444

Treasury stock (15,971)



(15,543)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (3,361)



(2,820)

Total shareholders' equity 12,755



11,435

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 46,963



$ 35,046



EXHIBIT F CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS



















Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2018

October 1, 2017 Cash flows from operating activitiescontinuing operations:





Net earnings $ 2,436



$ 2,276

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:





Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 352



269

Amortization of intangible assets 190



57

Equity-based compensation expense 110



93

Deferred income tax (benefit) provision (66)



155

Discontinued operations, net of tax 13





(Increase) decrease in assets, net of effects of business acquisitions:





Accounts receivable 472



26

Unbilled receivables (1,625)



(1,361)

Inventories (854)



57

Increase (decrease) in liabilities, net of effects of business acquisitions:





Accounts payable (324)



167

Customer advances and deposits 112



(296)

Income taxes payable 250



223

Other, net 15



216

Net cash provided by operating activities 1,081



1,882

Cash flows from investing activities:





Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (10,039)



(364)

Capital expenditures (447)



(273)

Other, net 169



52

Net cash used by investing activities (10,317)



(585)

Cash flows from financing activities:





Proceeds from fixed-rate notes 6,461



985

Proceeds from (repayments of) commercial paper, net 1,668



(2)

Proceeds from floating-rate notes 1,000





Dividends paid (801)



(735)

Purchases of common stock (533)



(1,172)

Repayment of CSRA accounts receivable purchase agreement (450)





Other, net (68)



43

Net cash provided (used) by financing activities 7,277



(881)

Net cash used by discontinued operations (14)



(28)

Net (decrease) increase in cash and equivalents (1,973)



388

Cash and equivalents at beginning of period 2,983



2,334

Cash and equivalents at end of period $ 1,010



$ 2,722



EXHIBIT G PRELIMINARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS







































2018





2017







Third Quarter





Third Quarter



Other Financial Information:















Debt-to-equity (a)

102.6 %





42.2 %



Debt-to-capital (b)

50.6 %





29.7 %



Book value per share (c)

$ 43.07







$ 38.73





Income tax payments, net

$ 150







$ 70





Company-sponsored research and development (d)

$ 126







$ 120





Shares outstanding

296,149,755







298,582,883























Non-GAAP Financial Measure:



















2018

2017



Third Quarter

Nine Months

Third Quarter

Nine Months Free cash flow from operations:















Net cash provided by operating activities

$ 790



$ 1,081



$ 872



$ 1,882

Capital expenditures

(168)



(447)



(120)



(273)

Free cash flow from operations (e)

$ 622



$ 634



$ 752



$ 1,609







(a) Debt-to-equity ratio is calculated as total debt divided by total equity as of the end of the period. (b) Debt-to-capital ratio is calculated as total debt divided by the sum of total debt plus total equity as of the end of the period. (c) Book value per share is calculated as total equity divided by total outstanding shares as of the end of the period. (d) Includes independent research and development and Aerospace product-development costs. (e) We believe free cash flow from operations is a useful measure for investors because it portrays our ability to generate cash from our businesses for purposes such as repaying maturing debt, funding business acquisitions, repurchasing our common stock and paying dividends. We use free cash flow from operations to assess the quality of our earnings and as a key performance measure in evaluating management. The most directly comparable GAAP measure to free cash flow from operations is net cash provided by operating activities.

EXHIBIT H BACKLOG - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS















































Funded

Unfunded

Total

Backlog

Estimated

Potential

Contract Value*

Total Potential

Contract

Value Third Quarter 2018:



















Aerospace

$ 11,696



$ 173



$ 11,869



$ 2,239



$ 14,108

Combat Systems

15,865



395



16,260



3,857



20,117

Information Technology

5,222



4,731



9,953



17,365



27,318

Mission Systems

5,024



587



5,611



7,453



13,064

Marine Systems

16,615



9,221



25,836



3,797



29,633

Total

$ 54,422



$ 15,107



$ 69,529



$ 34,711



$ 104,240

Second Quarter 2018:



















Aerospace

$ 12,187



$ 157



$ 12,344



$ 2,282



$ 14,626

Combat Systems

16,646



376



17,022



2,840



19,862

Information Technology

4,633



4,576



9,209



18,931



28,140

Mission Systems

4,636



645



5,281



4,287



9,568

Marine Systems

17,310



5,124



22,434



4,333



26,767

Total

$ 55,412



$ 10,878



$ 66,290



$ 32,673



$ 98,963

Third Quarter 2017:



















Aerospace

$ 11,729



$ 86



$ 11,815



$ 1,909



$ 13,724

Combat Systems

17,060



494



17,554



4,607



22,161

Information Technology

2,425



1,705



4,130



9,641



13,771

Mission Systems

4,684



708



5,392



4,743



10,135

Marine Systems

16,791



8,247



25,038



4,826



29,864

Total

$ 52,689



$ 11,240



$ 63,929



$ 25,726



$ 89,655







* The estimated potential contract value includes work awarded on unfunded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options associated with existing firm contracts, including options to purchase new aircraft and long-term aircraft services agreements. We recognize options in backlog when the customer exercises the option and establishes a firm order. For IDIQ contracts, we evaluate the amount of funding we expect to receive and include this amount in our estimated potential contract value. The actual amount of funding received in the future may be higher or lower than our estimate of potential contract value.

EXHIBIT H-1

BACKLOG AND ESTIMATED CONTRACT VALUE - (UNAUDITED)

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773647/EXHIBIT_H_1.jpg

EXHIBIT H-2

BACKLOG AND ESTIMATED CONTRACT VALUE BY SEGMENT - (UNAUDITED)

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773651/EXHIBIT_H_2.jpg

EXHIBIT I THIRD QUARTER 2018 SIGNIFICANT ORDERS - (UNAUDITED) DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

We received the following significant contract awards during the third quarter of 2018:

Combat Systems:



 $160 from the U.S. Army for munitions and ordnance, including Hydra-70 rockets.



 $85 from the U.S. Air Force for various rounds of medium-caliber ammunition.



 $55 to integrate a Mission Equipment Package onto Stryker vehicles to provide short range air defense capabilities.



 $30 from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency to provide spare parts for Abrams main battle tanks.



 $30 to produce Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) guided-missile system motor cases.

Information Technology:



 $330 from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide contact-center systems and operations support for the 2020 Census Questionnaire Assistance program.



 $210 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for benefits recovery services, cloud hosting and IT support.



 $100 to provide logistics, sustainment and maintenance support services for the U.S. Army's worldwide command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems.



 $95 from the U.S. Department of State to provide visa application and issuance support services to U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.



 $95 from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center for design, development and support of shipboard and airborne platforms.



 $90 from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for contact-center operations and support services.

Mission Systems:



 $170 from the U.S. Navy for combat and seaframe control systems on Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).



 $150 for additional equipment to support the U.S. Army's mobile communications network.



 $100 from the Army for computing and communications equipment under the Common Hardware Systems-4 (CHS-4) program.



 $75 from the Canadian Department of National Defence to modernize and provide in-service support for the underwater warfare sensor suite installed on Halifax-class frigates.



 $75 to rebuild and repair MK6 missile guidance systems and produce MK6 circuit card assemblies for the Navy.



 An IDIQ contract from the Army for computing and communications equipment under the Common Hardware Systems-5 (CHS-5) program. The program has a maximum potential value of $3.9 billion over five years.

Marine Systems:



 $3.9 billion from the U.S. Navy for the construction of four Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) guided-missile destroyers.



 $580 from the Navy for surface ship maintenance and modernization work.



 $480 from the Navy to continue design and development work in support of the Columbia-class submarine program.



 $55 from the Navy for the procurement and management of spare parts and equipment for the Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) guided-missile destroyer program.

EXHIBIT J AEROSPACE SUPPLEMENTAL DATA - (UNAUDITED)































Third Quarter

Nine Months



2018

2017

2018

2017 Gulfstream Aircraft Deliveries (units):















Large-cabin aircraft

21



21



58



67

Mid-cabin aircraft

6



9



21



23

Total

27



30



79



90

Pre-owned Aircraft Deliveries (units):

2



1



4



4



SOURCE General Dynamics

Related Links

http://www.generaldynamics.com


DUBLIN, Oct 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Drone Identification Systems market-Technologies, Market share and Industry Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global drone identification systems market is anticipated to grow at CAGR of 24% during the forecasted period 2017-2024.

Rampant illegal use of drones, rising security concerns and increasing military spending are prime factors driving global drone identification systems market. Other secondary factors aiding market growth include advancements in detection & identification technologies and government regulations on identification of drones.

Increasing military spending: Growth driver

Increasing military expenditure is amongst the prime factor driving global drone identification systems market growth for the forecast period.

As per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study, global military expenditure is estimated to be around $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 2017, an increase of 1.1% from fiscal year 2016. United States of America (USA) continues to dominate global military spending remotely by China, Saudi Arabia and India.

Total military expenditure of USA as per Department of Defense (DoD) estimate was around $610 billion for fiscal year 2017. DoD anticipates military expenditure in USA would continue to rise whilst large scale modernization drive of present conventional warfare systems. DoD stressed importance of unmanned aerial defense systems since 1980 and continues to fund for research & development of new systems with broader capabilities.

A study by Centre for the Study for Drone at Bard College, New York, USA, DoD plans to spend between $500 million to $1,050 million per annum on procurement, research and production of counter drone systems for fiscal year 2018 & 2019. Around 44% of the funding will be used for procurement of state of the art counter drone systems directly from market and rest dedicated for R&D especially in areas of monitoring & tracking. With strong economic outlook, China continues to increase its annual military expenditure. As per SIPRI study, defense expenditure of China is anticipated to increase by 5.6% for fiscal year 2017.

Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Unit (PLAAFU) of China is looking forward to procure drone detection & counter systems having capability of monitoring small slow moving drones at various altitudes in 2017. Other countries vying for drone detection systems include India, Australia, France, UK, Japan and Germany. Tests are being conducted to design drone countering systems of using thermal & optical cameras and radio systems. Increasing military expenditure on drone systems and demand for counter drone devices would augment global drone identification systems market growth for the forecast period.

Rampant Illegal Use of Drones: Growth Promoter

Rampant illegal use of drones is on rise across the globe. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of United States reported total 451 illegal drone sightings for Q1 2018 an increase from 403 in Q1 2017. FAA besides placing regulations is looking forward to work with industry partners to monitor, track, and counter systems against drones. China is amongst the leading manufacturer of commercial drones in the world. As of 2018, China has more than 20,000 unregistered drones according to China UAV Safety Development Forum.

China Aviation Industry Development Research Centre, study found that illegal use of drone not only threatens critical infrastructure area in urban cities but also is a threat to civil aviation space. For instance, in 2017, 9 cases of illegal drone flights led to cancellation of 43 international flights and delay of 142 flights at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, further 112 flights were diverted to alternate domestic airports.

China Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) has proposed development tracking & monitoring of drones via cloud computing technology. Likewise, India and Japan are on the forefront of procuring and implement counter drone systems. Consortium of Unmanned Vehicle Systems India (CUVSI) estimates presence of roughly 40,000 drones in India most of being smaller in size, with low altitude flights & payload capacity.

Presence of unregistered drone in the country poses a bigger threat for security of critical establishments making government and Directory General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to invest in drone counter measures. National Police Agency (NPA) in Japan reported 77 new cases of illegal drones in 2017 increasing from 36 in 2016. Increasing number of illegal flights of drones along critical infrastructures has led government & public organization to invest in anti-drone technology aiding drone identification market growth for the forecast period.

Asia Pacific: Fastest growing market

Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for drone identification systems market. Increasing military funding, rising security concerns especially in urban cities & near critical infrastructure areas, and heightened geopolitical issues are prime factors aiding drone identification systems market in Asia Pacific. Other factors ascribing market growth include changing regulatory landscape, thriving drone market and falling cost of semiconductors & other key electrical components. China, India, Australia, and Japan are foremost markets for drone identification systems in Asia Pacific. The publisher's analysis estimates commercial drone sales in Asia Pacific to reach revenue approximately $297 million in 2018 increasing from $154 million in 2016.

Commercial applications of drones in Asia Pacific are limited towards crop monitoring, aerial photography, and infrastructure inspection. Likewise, sales of military drones in the region are anticipated to increase whilst rising military spending and heightened geopolitical issues. With increasing sales of drones in Asia Pacific, probability of its illegal use also rises, aiding drone identification systems market in the region.

Market Determinants



Market Drivers



Rampant Illegal Use Of Drones

Rising Security Concerns

Advancement In Detection & Identification Technologies

Growing Number Of Cyber Attacks

Government Regulations On Identification Of Drones

Increasing Military Spending

Market Restraints

High Cost Of Drone Identification System

System Vulnerabilities To Cyber Attacks

Market Opportunities

Emerging Markets Like India And China

Declining Cost Of Semiconductors And Other Electronic Components

Advancements In Smart Detection & Tracking Systems

Market Challenges

System & Data Security

Intense Competition

Air Traffic Management

Issues On Countering Drones

Companies Mentioned



Aaronia Ag ( Germany )

( ) Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd. (UK)

Dedrone Inc. ( USA )

) Department 13 Ltd. ( Usa )

) Dji Inc. ( China )

) Drone Labs Llc ( USA )

) Drone Shield ( Australia )

) Kelving Huges Ltd. (UK)

Leonardo Spa ( Italy )

) Mistral Solutions Ltd. ( India )

) Precision Hawk Inc. ( USA )

) Rheinmetall Ag ( Germany )

) Rinicom Ltd. (UK)

Senso-Fusion ( Finland )

) Thales Group ( France )

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/h3md9b/global_drone?w=5

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DETROIT, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gravity Software (Gravity), a robust mid-market cloud accounting solution written on the Dynamics 365 (aka Microsoft CRM) platform, today announced its latest release, Version 5 (v.5) of its popular application. Two of the major enhancements include Bill of Materials for Light Manufacturing and Value-Added Taxes (VAT) for international users.

Gravity's v.5 has over 30 major enhancements to the application centered around improving the user's experience, enhancing the inventory-based functions and positioning the application for international users.

Cloud-based Accounting Software on Dynamics 365 Platform When Your Business Needs a Bill of Materials

"We are excited to introduce Gravity Software v.5, with many of the enhancements requested by our clients," said John Silvani, President & CEO of Gravity. "We will continue to position Gravity as the number one cloud-based accounting solution for companies that have outgrown entry level applications like QuickBooks."

Gravity v.5's new features include:

Bill of Materials for Light Manufacturers (Inventory Assembly capabilities)

Create and Manage Sales Kits

Serial, Lot and Lot with Expiration Date Inventory Tracking

Value Added Taxes Calculations in Purchasing, Expenses and Invoicing

Customer Collections Dashboard to Manage Overdue Invoices

Enhanced Bank Download Capabilities

Enhanced Financial Reporting

Expanded Data Entry Screens

Gravity v.5 provides middle market companies with features only available in enterprise applications at a much lower price and in an easy to use format.

"Our users have told us that Gravity has been a cornerstone in their organizations growth," said Silvani, "Version 5 will continue to help out clients achieve new levels of efficiency."

As businesses grow, they need a strong accounting system like Gravity. Gravity can consolidate data, making it easy to find and extract even the smallest bit of information. And with real-time insights into all lines of business, you can make better informed decisions.

If your business is outgrowing your current entry level accounting software, consider Gravity Software. It's easy to use and easy to implement. Most of all, Gravity works for you. Want to learn more about Gravity? Schedule a Demo at http://go-gravity.com/schedule-a-demo/ Gravity Software. Make Accounting Fun Again!

About Gravity Software

Gravity Software, LLC (Gravity) is an online cloud business management software company that provides financial business solutions exclusively written for smart businesses. Gravity's robust solution is built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 (aka Microsoft CRM) platform to give businesses the distinct advantage of having your Financials and CRM fully integrated on one platform. More than just accounting, Gravity provides businesses with the necessary tools and processes to help drive sales, improve customer service and increase productivity. Gravity Software - Simply Innovative Business Management. www.go-gravity.com. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn & Google+, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and Like us on Facebook.

Gravity Software and the Gravity logo are trademarks of Gravity Software LLC. All other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact: Valerie Silvani, VP of Sales & Marketing, 248-385-3722

SOURCE Gravity Software

Related Links

http://www.go-gravity.com


HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Yoga Nest, founded in December of 2017, to support mothers and families, continues to be a community staple. Ifat Kent, founder of The Yoga Nest, opened its doors with the intention of providing a safe place for mothers and mothers-to-be. Rooted in her own passion for community and compassion during pregnancy and early motherhood, Kent sought to create more spaces of connection for others.

Prenatal & Postnatal yoga, mommy & me classes, Childbirth education, Labor support, doula, Teacher trainings Yoga for every body, at every stage and level. Beginners classes. Meditation, yin, Restorative, Vinyasa, Hatha, Corporate, Privates and more

Kent noted on Florida State Homes last year, "The combination of breath and movement along with empowering messages and some challenging poses, allow expecting or current mothers [to] feel stronger in both their body and mind. Yoga helps you become more aware of yourself, more forgiving of your faults, and more flexible in mind (so when all plans fail, you are able to accept there's always another way). It helps moms. It helps everybody."

For expecting families, The Yoga Nest offers prenatal yoga, childbirth education, and doula services. For postpartum mothers, there's postnatal yoga and mom and baby classes including babywearing dance and Zumbini. Students communicate an immense gratitude for the classes at The Yoga Nest. One mother to be noted on a Google review, "Prenatal yoga at The Yoga Nest has been such a positive and uplifting part of my pregnancy. Ifat is such a wonderful teacher and the classes have definitely been a highlight of each week. I can't wait to continue on with postpartum classes once my baby is here!"

But classes don't stop at motherhood. For families and individuals of all ages there's toddler and kids yoga classes; as well as beginner, Hatha, and restorative yoga classes. Classes range from 45 to 75 minutes and begin at $13, with class packages available.

The Yoga Nest also remains committed to the community with free classes and support groups for families, including a postpartum depression and anxiety circle and breastfeeding support, as well as discounted community acupuncture. Some classes are offered by donation, supporting a monthly cause or person in need.

Additionally, for yoga and wellness professionals, The Yoga Nest offers yoga teacher training (YTT) and has a massage room available.

The space is warm, welcoming, and open to all levels, all abilities, all bodies, at all stages of life. Owner Ifat Kent looks forward to welcoming you into The Yoga Nest's ever expanding community. My hope is that visitors feel acceptance, confidence, empowerment and an overall sense of wellness and happiness when they enter our doors," said Kent.

About The Yoga Nest: The Yoga Nest, in Hollywood, Florida, offers a variety of adult yoga classes for all levels, prenatal and family-focused classes, as well as free support groups for mothers and mothers to be. Classes and schedule available at www.theyoganestfl.com.

The Yoga Nest

12165 Sheridan St

Hollywood, FL 33026

(754) 610-1660

[email protected]

www.theyoganestfl.com

SOURCE The Yoga Nest LLC

Related Links

http://www.theyoganestfl.com


MEXICO CITY, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoteles City Express, S.A.B. de C.V. ("The Company") (BMV: HCITY), announced the opening of City Express Suites Cancun Aeropuerto, reaching 141 hotels in operation, and close to 15,900 available rooms in 69 cities and 30 states in Mexico, as well as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Chile.

City Express Suites Cancun Aeropuerto has 63 available rooms and it was developed under a co-investment model. This new property will serve extended-stay travelers with activities related to business and commerce as well as congresses, and benefit from the potential demand due to the closeness to an industrial park. In the same way, the hotel will be a meeting point due to its location near Cancun International Airport.

About Hoteles City Express:

Hoteles City Express is considered the leading and fastest-growing limited-service hotel chain in Mexico in terms of number of hotels, number of rooms, geographic presence, market share and revenues. Founded in 2002, Hoteles City Express specializes in offering high-quality, comfortable and safe lodging at affordable prices via a limited-service hotel chain geared mainly towards domestic business travelers. With 141 hotels in operation located throughout Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile, Hoteles City Express operates five distinct brands: City Express, City Express Plus, City Express Suites, City Express Junior and City Centro to serve different segments of its target market. In June 2013, Hoteles City Express completed its IPO and began trading on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "HCITY"; furthermore, on October 8, 2014, Hoteles City Express completed a follow on with the aim of accelerating its growth in new hotels in coming years.

For further information, please visit our website: https://cityexpress.com/en/investors/

SOURCE Hoteles City Express, S.A.B. de C.V.
RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IMPATHIQ, a health informatics company that enables hospitals to improve health outcomes with clinical decision support that tracks physician and nursing adherence to best practices in real time, is pleased to announce that the American Heart Association journal Circulation has recently featured the company's Heart Pathway point-of-care clinical decision support tool.

The article "Safely Identifying Emergency Department Patients with Acute Chest Pain for Early Discharge: The HEART Pathway Accelerated Diagnostic Protocol" appeared September 28th in Circulation.

"With Heart Pathway, one of our CDS tools, having gone through the rigors of evidence-based medicine, we're thrilled by the opportunity to share substantive data on our tool to help guide evidence-based healthcare and standardize it across an entire system," said IMPATHIQ Co-Founder and CEO Iltifat Husain, MD.

This summer, Heart Pathway was successfully installed across the Boston-area Cambridge Health Alliance to streamline chest pain care in its emergency departments, which serve about 100,000 patients a year, strengthening patient care while reducing the number of low-risk chest pain admissions.

The Circulation article focused on results from a three-year clinical study of 8,474 adult emergency department patients. The study examined the safety and effectiveness of IMPATHIQ's groundbreaking health informatics technology as a means of providing point-of-care clinical decision support for patients presenting with chest pain. As reported in Circulation, the implementation of Heart Pathway was associated with several improvements in patient care and Emergency Room workflow.

"The most important finding is that the Heart Pathway identified >30% of patients as low-risk with an adverse event rate among low-risk patients of only 0.4%," Simon Mahler, MD, IMPATHIQ Chief Medical Officer and lead author of the Circulation piece said, adding, "Our study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that current ACC/AHA guidelines recommending stress testing or CT angiography among low-risk emergency department patients are now obsolete."

Dr. Mahler explained that a key takeaway from this study for physicians is that the Heart Pathway is safe and effective at identifying emergency department patients for early discharge without stress testing or coronary CT angiography. Emergency department physicians should use an ADP, such as the Heart Pathway, to guide their testing and disposition decisions, he said.

Heart Pathway is available on Cerner, Epic, and other EHR platforms and can be easily installed by health systems in a fashion similar to installing an app on a smartphone. "Heart Pathway is the only clinically validated tool available on the EPIC App Orchard store for patients presenting to the ER with chest pain," Dr. Husain said.

Dr. Husain will be presenting at the EPIC App Orchard Conference in Verona, Wisconsin later this month. He will be sharing data from IMPATHIQ's successful Heart Pathway implementations focusing on how the FHIR standard enables tracking clinician and nursing adherence to best practices in real time.

The Heart Pathway article can be viewed online at: www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.036528

Heart Pathway is powered by IMPATHIQ's scalable, customizable IQ Engine data platform which provides smart clinical decision support for doctors and their patients with real-time analytics and feedback.

For more information, visit www.impathiq.com or email [email protected] .

About IMPATHIQ

IMPATHIQ is a groundbreaking human informatics company empowering hospitals to improve health outcomes by enabling hospital systems to implement and track best practices in real time. IMPATHIQ's scalable and customizable IQ Engine data platform provides adherence tracking and behavior tracking of physician and nursing teams, enabling clinical performance optimization. IMPATHIQ also has pathways related to Opioid management and a Sepsis Huddle Checklist tool. To learn more visit www.impathiq.com .

Media Contact: Dave Menzies, (910) 899-8935, [email protected]

SOURCE IMPATHIQ

Related Links

http://www.impathiq.com


LAS VEGAS, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, global payments provider, Klarna, has announced a new partnership with INDOCHINO, a leading retailer of custom suits, shirts, and accessories for the modern man.

INDOCHINO shoppers can now Slice it at the checkout by using Klarna's online consumer financing to easily spread the cost of their purchase over 6-36 months. Slice it has a simple 4-step credit application process, real-time decisioning and is offered within the merchant's own website - no re-directs - for a frictionless and fast purchase experience.

"We understand that suits can be a considerable investment. By helping consumers purchase their items over time, we can improve the buying journey," said Michael Rouse, Chief Commercial Officer of Klarna. "Our latest research shows that the fashion industry is adopting new payment technology enthusiastically due to consumers' demand for increased flexibility and financial control. 40% of retailers have already introduced smart payment options. It's great to see forward-thinking brands, like INDOCHINO, acknowledging this and making changes to align with customer needs."

By taking the premium made-to-measure experience direct to the consumer, INDOCHINO has created a superior alternative to off-the-rack clothing at ready-to-wear prices. Their immersive multi-channel experience enables customers to order their custom garments with ease online or in-person at one of 30+ showrooms across North America

"Giving our customers have a more convenient way to shop - with flexible financing options - will be integral to our brand success. We do everything we can to offer an outstanding shopping service," said Drew Green, President and CEO of INDOCHINO. "By partnering with Klarna, we're providing consumers with the power to purchase our customizable suits over time, without limiting their choice based on price point"

For more information, visit www.klarna.com.

About Klarna

It's all about smoooth (yes, with 3 ooo's). Klarna is Europe's leading payments provider and a newly-licensed bank, which wants to revolutionize the payment experience for shoppers and merchants alike. Founded in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2005, the fintech unicorn gives online consumers the option to pay now, pay later or pay over time - offering a trusted, frictionless and smoooth checkout experience. Klarna now works with 90,000 merchants to offer payment solutions to users across Europe and North America. Klarna has 2,000 employees and is active in 14 countries. www.klarna.com.

About INDOCHINO

As the global leader in made to measure apparel, INDOCHINO has developed the shopping experience of the future. Born out of the belief that you don't need to spend a fortune on a custom wardrobe, INDOCHINO was the first company to disrupt the retail secret by making perfect-fitting, personalized apparel on a mass scale.



Customers take on the role of designer, picking out every detail of their suits and shirts to make them truly one-of-a-kind. These garments are made to their precise measurements and shipped directly to their door, hassle free. The company's omnichannel approach allows them to shop online or in person at any INDOCHINO showroom.

Media Contact:

Klarna

Rebekah Howerton

[email protected]

INDOCHINO

Sarah Mayer

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/r/indochino-chooses-klarna-to-give-consumers-the-power-to-pay-over-time,c2653432

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1740/2653432/932177.pdf PDF http://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/e/indochino---behind-the-brand,c2514826 Indochino | Behind the Brand http://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/i/indochino-mall-of-america-showroom-2,c2514824 INDOCHINO Mall of America Showroom 2 http://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/i/indochino-mall-of-america-showroom-1,c2514825 INDOCHINO Mall of America Showroom 1

SOURCE Klarna
BENGALURU, India, October 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Platform to Enable Distributed Agile and DevOps transformation with quality, speed and at scale

Releases the Open Source Community version on GitHub enabling rapid co-creation

Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, today announced it has unveiled the Infosys DevOps Platform, an enterprise class integrated Open Source DevOps platform, that helps organizations accelerate their Agile and DevOps transformation journey.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg )



Infosys DevOps Platform enables enterprises to:

Rapidly onboard applications on Agile and DevOps through a self-service model. With 2,000+ prebuilt scripts and 150+ DevOps pipelines, enterprises can quickly scale through continuous integration, testing and delivery, thus reducing application onboarding from months to days.

through a self-service model. With 2,000+ prebuilt scripts and 150+ DevOps pipelines, enterprises can quickly scale through continuous integration, testing and delivery, thus reducing application onboarding from months to days. Accelerate application delivery across enterprise portfolios with a tool agnostic approach, through pre-configured pipelines across 25+ technologies & 70+ tools in all major areas - including COTS, Big Data, Legacy, Mobile, Custom Software and Cloud Technologies.

with a tool agnostic approach, through pre-configured pipelines across 25+ technologies & 70+ tools in all major areas - including COTS, Big Data, Legacy, Mobile, Custom Software and Cloud Technologies. Drive a script-less automation first culture that enables teams to promote any artifact through its lifecycle, right from development to production, with an assurance to achieve continuous deployment when necessary.

that enables teams to promote any artifact through its lifecycle, right from development to production, with an assurance to achieve continuous deployment when necessary. Provide real-time visibility through cognitive insights on processes and code across value streams facilitating effective decision making across stakeholders. This helps business teams quickly relay the end-user feedback on the applications and services.

on processes and code across value streams facilitating effective decision making across stakeholders. This helps business teams quickly relay the end-user feedback on the applications and services. Ensure governance and data privacy through role based DevOps workflows and encrypted jobs as well as security integrations that help uncover vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle.

U.B. Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said, "Enterprises pursuing digital transformation require Agile and DevOps at scale to rapidly adopt new technologies, transform legacy systems and respond swiftly to new requirements. With Infosys DevOps Platform, our clients have achieved reduction of build and deployment cycle times by up to 50 percent, near zero environment issues, and improved application quality. With this Open Source platform, clients can innovate faster with the open source community and mutually benefit from the shared experiences."

Mike Owen, Future Practices and Technology Leader, Spark Telecom, New Zealand, said, "Spark has embarked on a massive transformation program over the last few years. One area of focus has been how to improve the delivery of code from development to production. We have achieved that with Infosys DevOps Platform, which has reduced the new application onboarding time from months to days, apart from the reduction in number of human error based mistakes due to programmatic deployment."

Hansa Iyengar, Senior Analyst, Ovum, said, "Agile & DevOps are prerequisites for digital transformation. Scaling digital requires being able to scale Agile & DevOps as well, and this is not without challenges. Infosys' Open Source-based DevOps platform democratizes innovation and co-creation across the value chain and provides an integrated, enterprise class solution that effectively addresses the challenges that businesses face as they transform into Digital Enterprises."

For more information on Infosys DevOps platform, please visit: http://www.infosys.com/devops

To download the Open Source Software version of the Infosys DevOps Platform, please visit: https://github.com/Infosys/openIDP

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov.Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the hands-on nature of design education, many people would be surprised to find that this is a degree program that you can complete online. There are plenty of these types of programs popping up all over the country. These programs were recently ranked by OnlineCollegePlan.com in an article titled the Top 15 Online Interior Design Degree Programs, which you can read here: https://www.onlinecollegeplan.com/rankings/best-online-interior-design-degree-programs/

Research editor, Anne Velusa, explains that interior design is a much more technical field than it is believed to be. Interior design programs cover the typical design topics but also put emphasis on sustainability and functionality of a space. Some skills that students will graduate with include reading and creating blueprints, as well as using CAD software. The top-ranked school can do all of that and more based on the needs of its students. The New York School of Interior Design was founded in the early 1900's and teaches solely interior design in seven different programs of study. The school is home to the only graduate programs in the field that are ranked in the top five by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and maintain proper accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation.

Schools like SCAD, the Boston Architectural College, and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh all appear in this ranking, which isn't much of a surprise. But, other schools that you wouldn't expect to see among this list also offer incredible programs in interior design. Even over in the Cornhusker State, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an online asynchronous Master of Science in Architecture with a specialization in Interior Design. It has been recognized as being in the top ten of this type of program nationwide by the magazine DesignIntelligence.

You can see the other schools listed below in ascending order:

1. The New York School of Interior Design (New York City, NY)

2. Samford University (Homewood, AL)

3. Endicott College (Beverly, MA)

4. Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)

5. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Lincoln, NE)

6. Chatham University (Pittsburgh, PA)

7. The Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)

8. Ball State University (Muncie, IN)

9. The University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie, WI)

10. Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX)

11. Brenau University (Gainesville, GA)

12. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)

13. Boston Architectural College (Boston, MA)

14. Baker College (Flint, MI)

15. Florida State College at Jacksonville (Jacksonville, FL)

Media Contact:

Anne P. Velusa

Research Editor, Online College Plan

[email protected]

864-245-0751

SOURCE OnlineCollegePlan.com

Related Links

https://www.onlinecollegeplan.com


SEATTLE, Washington, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Timber harvests in Russia were close to 190 million m3 in 2017, as estimated by WRI based on forest industry production, log usage and net exports of logs. The derived timber harvest was up approximately 6.2% from 2016 primarily due to higher log consumption by the softwood sawmilling sector and the pellet industry. Domestic log demand in Russia has been on a steady upward trajectory over the past decade, while the exportation of logs has declined. The largest log-consuming sectors in 2017 were softwood sawmills (60% of domestic log usage) and pulp (17%).

The provinces of Siberia and Russia Far East are the only regions in Russia where timber harvests have gone up during the past five years, according to the government agency Rosstat. This has been driven by substantial investments in forest industry production in the region, predominantly in the sawmilling sector. From 2013 to 2017, harvest volumes in Eastern Russia were up 30%, while they remained practically unchanged in Northwestern Russia and fell in the Central provinces of the country.

The expansion of the forest industry in Eastern Russia has been driven by demand for lumber in China. Although the Chinese forest industry has a history of importing logs for its raw-material needs due to a lack of domestic sources, the trend over the last ten years has been towards the importation of softwood lumber rather than logs. Chinese importers have gradually shifted their historical preference for logs away from the Russian Federation towards New Zealand and instead are importing softwood lumber from their forest-rich neighbour in the north, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. The percentage of lumber as a share of total log and lumber volume (in roundwood equivalents) has gone up from 58% in 2014 to almost 80 % in 2018.

In the coming years it is expected that most of the investments in Russia's forest industry will continue to occur in Siberia and the Far East to meet continued rising demand for lumber, plywood and pulp in China.

Global lumber, sawlog and pulpwood market reporting is included in the 56-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, which was established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, lumber and pellet prices, trade and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.woodprices.com

Contact Information

Wood Resources International LLC

Hakan Ekstrom

Seattle, USA

[email protected]

www.WoodPrices.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/investments-in-the-forest-industry-in-eastern-russia--driven-by-forest-products-demand-in-china--hav,c2653036

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1902/2653036/931863.pdf Investments in the forest industry in Eastern Russia

SOURCE Wood Resources International LLC
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 24)  Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena should not just resign  he should be sacked, a former official in his bureau said on Wednesday.

Ex-customs x-ray chief Lourdes Mangaoang accused Lapena of initiating a smear campaign against her. She previously revealed in Congress probes that shipments allegedly containing drugs were not properly inspected.

"He should be sacked," Mangaoang told CNN Philippines' The Source.

She made the remarks ahead of a House probe on the alleged smuggling of billions worth of drugs into the country. Lapena is in hot water after drug authorities said 6.8 billion worth of shabu, believed to be contained inside four magnetic lifters, slipped past Customs in August.

The commissioner insists the lifters did not contain drugs, but Mangaoang and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency believe otherwise. Mangaoang has since become a deputy collector at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Mangaoang said that she even approached Lapena personally regarding the matter to raise her concerns regarding the inspection.

"I was sincere. Ayoko siyang mapahamak," she said. "Noong time na iyon, wala akong sama ng loob."

[Translation: I didn't want him to get dragged into it... At the time, I had no ill will against him.]

Mangaoang said her feelings toward her former superior changed after she testified in the Senate. "Mismong reporters, may-ari ng mga tabloids, nagsasabi sa akin, napakabastos ng demolition job niya  below the belt," she said.

[Translation: Even reporters, tabloid owners, told me his demolition job is crass  below the belt.]

Lapena also claims that he is the subject of an alleged ouster plot from a drug syndicate. In a press conference on Tuesday, he referred to Mangaoang as a "disgruntled employee who herself has been a subject of investigations of corruption in the past." He accused her of publicizing "exaggerated issues."

Meanwhile, Mangaoang made an appeal to the President: "Pinatutupad ko lang itong programa ni Presidente na sugpuin ang drugs. Kaya dapat sabihin natin ang totoo, natalagang may droga iyan."

[Translation: I'm just following the President's program to suppress drugs. So we should just tell the truth, that drugs were really there.]

Were drugs present in magnetic lifters?

Apart from the four empty magnetic lifters in Cavite, authorities intercepted P4.3 billion worth of shabu in two magnetic lifters at the Manila International Container Port. They too were bound for Cavite.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency maintained its sniffer dogs detected traces of drugs in the Cavite warehouse, but Lapena pointed out that swab tests came up negative.

Mangaoang offered her own explanation, saying that the drugs were tightly sealed.

"Yung shabu na nakita sa MICP, nakabalot siya sa foil, nakabalot pa sa ziplock. Vacuum-packed siya," she said. "So definitely talagang walang residue, magnenegative iyon."

[Translation: The shabu that was found in MICP was wrapped in foil, then in a ziplock. It was vacuum-packed. So definitely there would be no residue, and (the test) would be negative.]

She added that the lifters had asbestos fiber, which is used for insulation. Mangaoang took this as proof that drugs were present.

"Matutunaw ang shabu dahil crystal (siya) so kailangan lagyan mo ng insulation [The shabu crystals would melt, so that's why you need insulation]," she said.

The customs official also maintained that the inspector who let the shipment slide, Manuel Martinez, did not have the appropriate training for handling the x-ray machine.

"The inspector should know by heart that if the shipment contains steel containers na merong pagtataguan sa loob [where something could be hidden], that should be opened even if negative yung x-ray," said Mangaoang.

Questionable credibility

Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop questioned Mangaoang's credibility when she faced the House committees on dangerous drugs and public order and safety also on Wednesday. Acop noted that she may have an axe to grind against Lapena, who demoted her when he took the helm of the Customs.

"Although Atty. Mangaoang cannot be disqualified as a witness since she possesses all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications of a witness, her credibility remains questionable since an improper motive exists on her part which makes her testimony improper and/or unreliable," Acop said after a brief heated exchange with Mangaoang.

Mangaoang said she was demoted from Director V to division chief of the policy planning and research division when Lapena became Customs chief in August 2017.

She said this was followed with her promotion as district collector in Legazpi, Albay, which did not make her happy as it was "too far." She was later reassigned to her current post as deputy collector for passenger service at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

But Lapena sacked Mangaoang from her post and transferred her to the compliance monitoring units before she testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee last month, where she revealed that the x-rays of the lifters showed that they contained something.

Mangaoang, however, contested the transfer order as it was supposedly against Civil Service Commission rules and regulations.

"Ang compliance monitoring units ay wala hong functions and it's not in the organizational structure of the Bureau of Customs kaya nag-appeal po ako sa Civil Service Commission. Kaya hindi ho pwedeng i-execute ang reassignment na 'yun," she said.

[Translation: The compliance monitoring units do not have functions and these are not in the organizational structure of the Bureau of Customs, which is why I appealed with the Civil Service Commission. This is why that reassignment order could not be executed.]

Despite having been moved around several times by Lapena in a year, Mangaoang insists that she does not have bad blood against the Customs chief.

"Mali ho ang sabihin na may ill will ako. Gawa-gawa, guni-guni lang ho nila 'yan," she said.

[Translation: It's wrong to say that I harbor ill will. That's made up. It's just a figment of their imagination.]
NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leichtag Foundation has awarded a $10 million challenge impact investment to JLens' Jewish Advocacy Strategy, a Jewish values-aligned investment offering that advocates with companies on Jewish communal concerns - religious tolerance and coexistence, social and environmental issues, and support for Israel. Jewish institutions have invested nearly $50 million in the strategy to date.

Values-based investing, also known as impact investing or socially responsible investing, pursues financial return on capital while also generating a positive impact. According to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, the field represents over $22 trillion, or 26% of all professionally managed assets.

The Encinitas, California based Leichtag Foundation aims to bring the full balance of its assets 100% in line with the foundation's values and strategic mission within the next seven years.

Charlene Seidle, Leichtag's executive vice-president, noted, "Aside from the tremendous impact generated by JLens' advocacy with public companies, the strategy fits well financially with our overall investment policy and was reviewed by our investment consultants. We want to encourage other Jewish institutions to consider values-based investing, and JLens' US Equity ESG market-rate investment is a great entry point."

"JLens represents the Jewish community in the rapidly growing and increasingly influential values-based investing and corporate social responsibility movements," explained Julie Hammerman, JLens' executive director. "Leichtag's challenge investment comes at the perfect time to strengthen JLens voice in an area where Jewish leadership is essential."

JLens conducts shareholder advocacy with the approximately 300 companies held in the strategy to pursue positive changes on a range of concerns including the opioid crisis, human trafficking, clean energy, animal welfare, and religious tolerance. Additionally, JLens provides factual information on Israel to counter the false narrative presented to companies and investors by the BDS campaign.

According to Rabbi Jacob Siegel, JLens' Director of Engagement, "The values-based investing field is an exciting area to explore Jewish teachings in a modern context."

About:

JLens ( www.jlensnetwork.org ) is an investor network that explores a Jewish lens on investing. JLens oversees the Jewish values-overlay and advocacy for the Jewish Advocacy Strategy managed by Lens Investments. Follow: Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn

The Leichtag Foundation ( www.leichtag.org ) honors the legacy of Lee and Toni Leichtag through igniting and inspiring vibrant Jewish life, advancing self-sufficiency and stimulating social entrepreneurship in coastal North San Diego County and Jerusalem.

SOURCE JLens

Related Links

http://www.jlensnetwork.org


NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Launchmetrics, the leading marketing platform and analytics solution for the Fashion, Luxury and Cosmetic (FLC) industries, announced that independent research firm, Forrester Research, Inc., ranked Launchmetrics as an Influencer Marketing Solutions "Leader" in The Forrester New Wave: Influencer Marketing Solutions, Q4 2018 report.

Launchmetrics

Forrester evaluated the emerging market for Influencer Marketing Solutions, examining 11 top providers and scoring them on a range of 10 criteria. Launchmetrics received a differentiated rating, the highest possible score, in 7 criteria including the influencer reach, contracting & workflow, insights, analytics & ROI, product vision, product road map and market approach.

"In [the FLC] vertical, marketers won't find a better or more complete solution," according to the Forrester Report. Ryan Skinner, senior analyst at Forrester wrote in the report, "[Launchmetrics] leads the pack with robust influencer reach and analytics capabilities. Acquisitions  Augure, Style Coalition, and Visual Box  paired with its own unique GPS Radar tool give Launchmetrics a remarkable platform of influencers and data specific to fashion and beauty. New investment and acquisition plans will only increase these assets in the coming year."

"Empowering the interaction between brands and influencers is at the heart of what we do and we believe the recognition we have received from Forrester is a reflection of our position in the industry," said Michael Jais, CEO of Launchmetrics. "Our industry is in the midst of a fundamental shift, maturing from experimenting with influencers to now implementing dedicated influencer strategies, and Launchmetrics has been at the forefront of this wave from the beginning. We are excited about this honor and the support we have received on our journey to provide our clients with the best tools as they navigate this new digital landscape."

This recognition follows the recent fundraising of $50M USD which was announced in September 2018.

Inside the Forrester New Wave report you will have the opportunity to read through a deep analysis by their analysts regarding the top solutions on the market to better understand their offering and product strategy. They assessed characteristics such as:

The depth and breadth of their influencer network in terms of volume, demographics, expertise, audience quality and profile data available.

Contracting and workflow features that help manage influencer relationships and automate the engagement process.

Analytics capabilities including performance tracking, media impact and brand health metrics.

To read the full report "The Forrester New Wave: Influencer Marketing Solutions, Q4 2018," click here.

To learn more about Launchmetrics, please visit launchmetrics.com.

Press Contact:

Katherine KNIGHT

[email protected]

Corporate Communications Director

About Launchmetrics

Launchmetrics is the leading Marketing Platform and Analytics Solution that helps Fashion, Luxury and Cosmetics professionals discover, activate and measure the voices that matter for their brands. It is the most essential and trusted platform in the industry, yielding an unrivalled market penetration to the top seventy fashion and luxury brands worldwide including Dior, Fendi, NET-A-PORTER, Topshop and more.

Founded in NYC with operating headquarters in Paris, and offices in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Madrid, and Girona (Spain) and support in five languages; the company works with over 1,000 brands as well as partners like IMG, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the British Fashion Council, Pitti Immagine, and Google, to accelerate their business and build lasting exposure. The company's industry communities GPS Radar & Style Coalition bring together over 50,000 influencers, editors, buyers and more to share content, events, news, images and more.

Related Links

The Forrester New Wave: Influencer Marketing Solutions, Q4 2018

SOURCE Launchmetrics

Related Links

https://www.launchmetrics.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovations that benefit the greater good are introduced almost every day. But these new technologies do little good unless people actually choose to use them. So what can we do to promote the diffusion of social innovations? Research published this week in Nature sheds new light on this question, and provides a surprisingly simple answer.

The research, led by MIT Sloan School of Management Professor David Rand and Yale psychology graduate student Gordon Kraft-Todd, studies the factors that convince people to adopt products and behaviors that are individually costly but beneficial to societyalso known as contributing to public goods. They focused on residential solar panel installation, which remains extremely raredespite the fact that everyone would be better off if we all switched to solar and reduced our carbon emissions.

They asked what volunteer "solar ambassadors" could do to best convince other people in their community to install solar panels. Their results validate a cultural evolutionary theory of "credibility enhancing displays" proposed by anthropologists, and also demonstrate the power of an age-old proverb: Actions speak louder than words.

"The best way to convince people to do something is to do it yourself," says Rand. "If you are a salesman trying to sell something, you better be using it. And the same goes when you are an advocate trying to convince others to do the right thing."

Together with their coauthors from Yale, Duke, and Toulouse, they conducted a field study of a program promoting residential solar panel installation in 58 towns in Connecticut (over 1.4 million residents in total), and found that volunteer community organizers who themselves installed through the program recruited 62.8% more residents to install solar than community organizers who did not. The authors replicated this effect in three pre-registered survey experiments with close to 2000 subjects from across the country, demonstrating the generalizability of this effect to other rare behaviors that benefit society, such as buying carbon offsets for flights. Furthermore, they show why actions matter so much: your actions help to reveal what you actually think, as opposed to just what you claim to think.

"Engaging in a behavior is the best way to communicate that you really believe in it," says PhD candidate Gordon Kraft-Todd. "By putting your money where your mouth is, you show others that you think the benefits outweigh the costs."

This study helps to solve the challenge of getting people to adopt innovationslike solar panelsthat are good for society but costly to the individual. In the face of the increasing need for new technologies and lifestyle changes to address global problems such as climate change, this research highlights the power of leading by example.

SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management

Related Links

http://www.mitsloan.mit.edu


RESTON, Va., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Roger Krone today attended the signing of the "Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act" or SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act at the White House, committing his support with other private industry executives to help end the opioid epidemic.

More than 200 people attended the event, including members of Congress, and leaders from 20 other participating companies. Krone was accompanied by John Hindman, who helped initiate the Leidos efforts in this area nearly two years ago.

"Even though I lost a child, I know I'm not alone," said Hindman. "Today's event is more than symbolism, it represents the sincere actions of the government and organizations to address this epidemic that's ravaging our very nation and even the world. I applaud them for taking concrete steps."

Leidos is committed to its ongoing corporate responsibility efforts to help end the opioid epidemic and is furthering initiatives to educate the company's workforce of 32,000 employees. It is also working to launch a coalition of companies to address the crisis through its CEO pledge. Already, Leidos has established relationships with organizations including the Truth Initiative, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Chris Atwood Foundation, and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation. The company has also worked with Deterra to distribute safe disposal pouches in local communities.

"Our industry is fortunate to have responsible corporate citizens that are charged with taking care of our communities," said Leidos Chairman and CEO Roger Krone. "I'm especially grateful to attend this event with John who challenged our company to increase community awareness about the dangers of substance abuse  we're committed to continuing efforts that answer that call."

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 32,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $10.17 billion for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2017. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.



Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 29, 2017, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE Leidos

Related Links

http://www.leidos.com


ZHEJIANG, China, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LinkSolar, a premier manufacturer of flexible solar panels, will attend the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) at the RAI Exhibition and Convention Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The Marine Equipment Trade is scheduled for 13th to 15th of November, 2018. LinkSolar will showcase its solar products in hall 7, stand 07.523.

MARINE SOLAR PANEL 100WATT

"METS provides a rare platform to share innovative ideas on marine equipment, accessories or systems, and LinkSolar is glad to be part of this milestone," said Mr. Dean, LinkSolar product manager. "LinkSolar will showcase its progress in technology and innovation in flexible solar, solar blankets, portable solar panels, and solar chargers, among other accessories."

During this year's Marine Equipment Trade Show, LinkSolar engineers and technicians will demonstrate LinkSolar's capability in manufacturing nautical accessories.

Among the LinkSolar's key products will include custom flexible solar panels, Day4 Solar Cells Technology, Top-Grade SunPower Solar Cells and amorphous flexible solar panel.

LinkSolar will also demonstrate its quality control (QC) capabilities, more so on materials such as ETFE laminating material, PET, aluminum, and other solar panel materials.

Because the EU recently ended trade control over Chinese solar panels, LinkSolar's tailor-made solar panels now have the unique opportunity to flood the Europe market.

This year's METS will bring together all maritime equipment, military, and tactical grade manufacturers, sharing modern advances on solar panel designs.

Remember to book in advance using the available online feature on the metstrade.com website before 5th of November, 2018. It is the period for free online registration.

For more information about METS and LinkSolar, use the contact information below.

About Marine Equipment Trade Show

Since 1988, METSTRADE SHOW has grown to be the world's leading international B2B trade exhibition for marine equipment. It aims to bring together key players in the marine equipment design, manufacturing and supplying industry.

Through the METSTRADE SHOWS, marine equipment and accessories can network, develop their niche markets, brand and share innovation or technological advancements.

For more information about METSTRADE SHOW, visit https://www.metstrade.com.

About LinkSolar

LinkSolar designs and manufactures lightweight and custom solar panels, alongside the necessary accessories. Since 2008, LinkSolar has become to be a leader in flexible solar panels, solar blankets, and portable solar panels.

So far, LinkSolar has invested in a range of solar technologies such as Day4 Technology New Flexible, GFL Flexible, PET Laminated Semi-Flexible, and Amorphous Flexible Solar Panel.

Contact information:

Contact person: Mr. Dean (Product Manager)

Phone no: +86-13706774101

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: https://www.flexible-solar-panel.com/

Related Files

LINKSOLAR Solar Panel Data Sheet.pdf

LINKSOLAR CATALOG 2018.pdf

Related Images

linksolar-flexible-solar-panel-for.jpg

LINKSOLAR FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL FOR YACHT

MARINE SOLAR PANEL 100WATT

flexible-solar-panel-for-boat.jpg

FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL FOR BOAT

BOAT FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL SOLAR KIT

100w-flexible-solar-panel-linksolar.jpg

100W FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL LINKSOLAR

LINKSOLAR FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL FOR MARINE

link-solar-marine-solar-panel-kit.jpg

LINKSOLAR MARINE SOLAR PANEL KIT

MARINE GRADE FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL

Related Links

Flexible solar panel

marine solar panel

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05_Oprsh4K4

SOURCE LINK SOLAR ELECTRIC GROUP CO.,LTD.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LuxHomePro, a national leader in short-term vacation rental training, announced today that it has launched an Ambassador Program in response to the growing demand for professional training among would-be vacation rental property owners nationwide. While certain markets, such as Scottsdale, Arizona and Orlando, Florida are rapidly filling with new vacation rental owner operators, there remain relatively untapped markets. LuxHomePro seeks Ambassadors in those markets who can effectively share the LuxHomePro suite of professional training and services with thousands of people interested in operating vacation rental properties.

Jerry Conti, Co-Founder of LuxHomePro, says that interest in the vacation rental business is soaring. "We receive inquiries from people across the United States and overseas. They sense something big is happening out there and they want to know how to participate." Conti believes the demand will only increase, "as more and more people become aware of the huge shift in behavior among travelers that is taking place and consider how they can profit from it."

As more people explore their options for getting into the business of renting properties on a short-term basis, the demand for high-quality, comprehensive training is rising. "People are attracted by the opportunity," says LuxHomePro Co-Founder Dave Bynum, "but many are recognizing that the industry itself is maturing and becoming more regulated. That means added complexity for owner-operators."

That's where LuxHomePro Ambassadors come into play. Ambassadors bridge the gap between the growing demand among people to get into the market and their need for professional training, by scheduling and producing half-day events in their local areas. LuxHomePro trainers provide an overview of the market opportunity and of the LuxHomePro training and services programs available. "Rooms are packed everywhere we go," says John Humphrey, Director of the LuxHomePro Ambassador Program. "With the Ambassador program, we can bring the opportunity for professional training and services to people far beyond the established California, Arizona and Florida markets."

Those interested in learning more about becoming a LuxHomePro Ambassador, including qualifications, available markets and financial benefits, should visit www.luxhomepro.com/ambassadors

About LuxHomePro

LuxHomePro is an Arizona Corporation that provides education, training, advisory and operational services in the luxury vacation rental niche of the peer-to-peer lodging industry. For more information about LuxHomePro events and services, please contact Jerry Conti at 1-888-589-7760 or via email at [email protected].

Contact: Jerry Conti, LuxHomePro

Phone: 1-888-589-7760

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.luxhomepro.com/ambassadors

SOURCE LuxHomePro

Related Links

http://www.luxhomepro.com


ONTARIO, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ontario, CA-based Mag Instrument CEO Tony Maglica and the company will be recognized during the 21st Annual Conference at the National Archives Conference (NAC) on Friday, Oct. 26. The conference is part of the American Veterans Center's Annual three day veteran's conference. Mag Instrument is being recognized for its commitment and on-going support of the U.S. military for the past four decades.

The annual conference is attended by a number of the U.S. Armed Services leaders and high-ranking Washington D.C. officials, as well as some 400 military cadets and midshipmen and Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) high school students from throughout the country. The award presentation will be held prior to luncheon and Tony Maglica, Jr. will receive the award on behalf of his father and the company.

"It will be an honor to be amongst such dedicated Americans who work tirelessly for the freedoms we enjoy," said Tony Maglica Jr. "Mag Instrument is committed to aiding our military troops and first responders with some of the finest lighting tools they use in ensuring our safety and liberty. These men and women are the lifeblood of the American way of life. We at Mag Instrument are grateful to be receiving this award but we are more honored to be able to help our troops in staying safe. We are indebted to each and every person in uniform."

In addition to receiving the award at the NAC, Maglica, Jr. will also be participating in the Sat., Oct. 27 culmination of the three day conference at the American Valor dinner "A Salute to Our Heroes". Maglica, Jr. will present an award to Commander Dean "Diz" Laird, the only 'Ace' pilot to have shot down both German and Japanese aircraft during WWII.

Mag Instrument is also making available a decorated American flag-engraved Maglite flashlight for the approximately 600 guests attending the American Valor black-tie dinner.

"The American Veterans Center is excited with our partnership with Mag Instrument, especially considering all they have done for our military, first responders, and veterans," said Tim Holbert, executive director of the American Veterans Center.

About Mag Instrument:

Mag Instrument, manufacturer of the Maglite flashlight, is proud to be a U.S.A. manufacturer. Each flashlight is a result of an obsession with fine engineering, craftsmanship and a commitment to perfection. Founder, owner and president Anthony Maglica has guided his company's growth from a one-man machine shop in 1955 to an enterprise that has proudly employed thousands of American workers since it produced its first flashlight in 1979. For more visit: http://maglite.com/

MAGLITE SALES:

Scott Field

Global Vice President

Sales and Marketing

+1-800-289-6241

[email protected]

* LOGO link for media: Send2Press.com/300dpi/17-0907s2p-maglite-logo-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE Mag Instrument Inc.

Related Links

http://maglite.com


PEARLAND, Texas, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MBS Secure has announced a new strategic partnership with health care payment technology provider Rectangle Health.

As the creators of The Complete Cloud, MBS Secure is a leader in providing tailored cloud-solutions to the dental industry. With the addition of Rectangle Health's payment technology, MBS Secure's cloud offerings will now extend to include cloud-based billing, payment, and reporting services.

Rectangle Health's Practice Management Bridge provides frictionless payment technology that helps practices capture and protect revenue by increasing patient payments and reducing costs.

"Our partnership with Rectangle Health will allow us to provide even further value to our dental clients," said Jason Post, CEO of MBS Secure. "By combining Rectangle Health's payment technologies with our cloud management services, our offerings are even better positioned to meet the technology demands of today's busy and growing dental practices."

Pioneers in the healthcare payment technologies, Rectangle Health is an ideal fit for MBS Secure's cloud-first dental solutions. "We are thrilled to have a strategic partnership with MBS Secure," said Scott Catherwood, SVP Sales for Rectangle Health. "The Complete Cloud practice management solution combined with our Practice Management Bridge will enable MBS Secure to deliver the most advanced and secure payment technology to their customers."

Rectangle Health's Practice Management Bridge provides frictionless payment technology that helps practices capture and protect revenue by increasing patient payments and reducing costs. Their powerful data driven technology, combined with existing health patient information systems, assists in leveraging comprehensive reporting to achieve best-practice performance metrics, make informed business decisions, and improve patient satisfaction.

The combination of both tools is the ideal solution for today's leading dental practitioners. "We see Rectangle Health as a perfect fit for our dental clients allowing them to perform the most efficient payment process by reducing multiple patient statements and related costs, all with no implementation or integration fees," said Post.

ABOUT MBS SECURE

MBS Secure was established in 2003 to change the IT game for growing businesses and dental practices. The Complete Cloud enables organizations to move virtually all existing software applications such as practice management, scheduling and billing and hardware such as X-Ray machines to the Cloud and operate them seamlessly enabling business and operational efficiency, cost savings and true security.

To learn more, visit: https://mbssecure.com

ABOUT RECTANGLE HEALTH

Rendering high administrative costs obsolete, Rectangle Health abolishes redundant processes and eliminates implementation and integration fees. By collaborating with our customers and utilizing strong health care industry knowledge, we can help them grow. Founded in 1992, the company is headquartered in Valhalla, N.Y., with more than 100 employees across the U.S.

To learn more, visit: www.rectanglehealth.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Dean Ara

[email protected]

1 855 646 8662

SOURCE MBS Secure

Related Links

https://mbssecure.com


MARYVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MedLinks Transcription, Inc. (MedLinks), a leading National Medical Transcription firm, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded GSA Schedule 36 Contract (47QSMA18D08R4) and are now certified to supply Medical Transcription Services to the Federal Government. Acknowledging the growth in federal spending through the GSA, MedLinks Transcription has listed their Medical Transcription Services on the government's electronic ordering system, GSA Advantage!.

"This contract opens up significantly more markets throughout the country and affords us an opportunity to provide Veteran Affairs (VA) as well as other government operated healthcare facilities with accurate medical transcription services," states Traci White, President & CEO at MedLinks Transcription, Inc. She adds: "We have serviced physicians and hospitals throughout the United States for the past 9 years and this contract will expand our reach beyond the state level to federal, county, and municipal agencies, as we can now offer our medical transcription services at fixed government pricing."

MedLinks Transcription works with physicians when it comes to dealing with all of the additional requirements found with the implementation of Electronic Health Records systems (EHR). This allows a physician do what they do best - patient care - NOT data entry. Their platform is capable of working with any EHR that accepts the Consolidated DCA set of standards, including Allscripts, Greenway, Meditech, Nextgen, McKesson, Epic, Cerner, just to name a few.

About MedLinks Transcription, Inc.:

An 8(a) Certified Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), MedLinks Transcription, Inc. was founded in 2009, and has grown to be an industry leading medical transcription company dedicated to providing superior transcription services to hospitals and specialty clinics nationwide, with a special emphasis on the ambulatory surgical center arena. MedLinks Transcription offers providers a full range of dictation options including mobile dictation for iPhone or iPad, among others. They enhance the physician-patient relationship by making it simple for doctors to document their patient's profile, capturing the information when it can be the most accurate, at the time of care. Visit http://med-links.net for more information.

Contact for MedLinks Transcription, Inc.: Traci White, President & CEO at: (866) 878-3973.

SOURCE MedLinks Transcription, Inc.

Related Links

http://med-links.net


Georgia's more efficient and cost-effective solar power system relies on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine where the sun will be at any date and time. She built a computer model to illustrate how electricity from solar panels pointed at those spots would compare to electricity produced by fixed-position panels and created a computer program to control her tracker's motor and the position of the solar panels.

The Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars), a program of the Society for Science & the Public, inspires middle school students to follow their personal passions to exciting college and career pathways in STEM. Thirty finalists, including Georgia, took home more than $100,000 in awards. They were honored during an awards ceremony for their achievements in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) together with their demonstration of 21st Century skills including critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaborative skills and team work.

The finalists are judged on projects that they presented at their state or regional science fair; their knowledge of STEM subjects and their demonstration of 21st Century skills in a series of hands-on challenges. These challenges include designing a new type of shark tag; designing, coding and building a functional program using Raspberry Pi and Sense Hat; and determining how long it would take for a zombie pathogen to infect the world's population.

"I am thrilled to congratulate Georgia, whose project focused on creating a lower cost solar panel system," said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News. "Middle school is a critical time of transition for young people, where they are figuring out their path forward. I'm proud that through the Broadcom MASTERS, the Society and the Broadcom Foundation are able to support and cultivate an interest in STEM for thousands of middle schoolers around the country."

"The Broadcom MASTERS taps ten percent of young people participating in state and regional science fairs throughout the STEM Ecosystem to participate in this national competition. These kids are exemplars of the quality work being done by middles schoolers with their teachers, mentors and families throughout the US. The Top 300 and 30 finalists are representative of special young people who are preparing themselves to solve the Grand Challenges we face through the world," said Paula Golden, President of the Broadcom Foundation. "The Broadcom Foundation is honored to champion young scientists, engineers and innovators and spur them on to greatness."

Georgia Hutchinson, 13, Woodside, California, won the $25,000 Prize, for her project creating more cost-effective solar panels. The prize is a gift of Dr. Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom Corporation and Chair of the Broadcom Foundation and his wife, Dr. Susan Samueli, President of the Samueli Foundation.

Jack Albright, 14, Hillsborough, California, won the $20,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields. Albright developed a machine learning tool to predict the onset of mild and severe impacts from Alzheimer's on cognitive abilities.

Jacqueline Prawira, 13, Mountain House, California, won the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, an honor made possible by Samueli's generous donation of his 2012 Marconi Society Prize Award. Prawira's project explored how fibers from common plant-based materials found in garbage could improve the formation and strength of plastic, enabling people to make better use of materials that would otherwise be thrown away.

John Madland 14, Salem, Oregon, won the $7,500 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. Madland's project involved creating a model showing that a magnetic shield set above the surface of Mars might, in the future, protect people on the planet's surface.

Broadcom MASTERS winners were chosen from the 30 finalists (14 girls and 16 boys) selected from 2,537 applicants in 35 states. Winners were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators. Each finalist's school will receive $1,000 from the Broadcom MASTERS to benefit their science program.

In addition to the top prizes, the Broadcom Foundation and the Society also announced first and second place winners in each of the STEM categories of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, the Team Award and two Rising Stars who will be the U.S. delegates at the Broadcom MASTERS International and official observers to Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Winners Include:

The Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000

Georgia Hutchinson, Woodside Elementary School: Woodside, California

Designing a Data-Driven Dual Axis Solar Tracker

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement: $20,000

Jack Albright, The Nueva School: Hillsborough, California

Predicting the Future: Using Machine Learning to Forecast the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000

Jacqueline Prawira, Altamont Elementary School: Mountain House, California

Bio.fiber.plastic: The Effect of Lignocellulosic Fiber in Enhancing the Formation and Tensile Strength of Rice Bioplastic

Lemelson Award for Invention: $7,500

John Madland, Leslie Middle School: Salem, Oregon

Terrella Aurora Model: A Demonstration of Charged Particle Shielding for Space Exploration

STEM Award Winners:

First and second place winners of STEM Awards demonstrated acumen and promise in science, technology, engineering and math. First place winners were awarded $3,500 and second place winners receive $2,500 to support his or her choice of a STEM summer camp experience in the U.S. Each STEM Award winner also received an iPad. Top awards in math were sponsored by Robert John Floe, President, Floe Financial Partners.

Science Award:

First place: Amara Ort h, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Chemical Analysis of Honey Bee Propolis: Habitat Diversity Affects the Quality of Propolis  An Essential Component of Honey Bee Colonies

Second place: Janani Kumaran Gainesville, Florida

Integrated Control of the Invasive Aquatic Plant Hydrilla Using Snails and a Plant Growth Regulator (Continuation Project: Year 2)

Technology Award:

First place: Gabriella Lui , Palatine, Illinois

Design a Fully Automated Real-Time Presence Detection Safety System in a School Environment Using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology

Second place: Gary Zhan , Logan, Utah

The Colder, the BluerSignificant Enhancement of Indigoidine Production Using a Cold-Shock Inducible Promoter

Engineering Award:

First place: Alice Feng , San Jose, California

The Effect of Mushroom Species and Substrates on the Properties of a Novel Biodegradable Material: Mycelium

Second Place: Mihir Nitin Joshi , Salem, Oregon

Terrella Aurora Model : A Demonstration of Charged Particle Shielding for Space Exploration

Mathematics Award:

First Place: Espen Slettnes, Castro Valley, California

Minimal Embedding Dimensions of Rectangle k-Visibility Graphs

Second place: Asmi Kumar, Milton, Georgia

Developing a Device to Predict Autistic Meltdowns Using Arduino and MS Azure

Rising Stars Award:

In recognition of their promise as the youngest competitors, two Rising Stars win a trip to Phoenix, Arizona in May 2019 as the United States delegate to Broadcom MASTERS International and Official Observer at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest international high school science fair competition.

Kate Quinn , Louisville, Kentucky

Exploring Atrazine's Neurotoxicity as a Possible Cause of Parkinson's Disease

Sriram Bhimaraju , Cupertino, California

Low-Cost Archery Assistant with an Interface for the Visually Impaired

Team Award:

Each member of the team that best demonstrates their ability to work together and solve problems through shared decision making, communication and scientific and engineering collaboration will receive an iPod Touch.

Black Team: Sriram Bhimaraju , Laura Maria Reilly-Sanchez , Tyler Bissoondial , Akshaya Venketesh and Asmi Kumar

Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award:

Finalists select one student from the group based on their leadership abilities to represent their class as a speaker at the awards ceremony.

Gary Zhan , Logan, Utah

The Colder, the BluerSignificant Enhancement of Indigoidine Production Using a Cold-Shock Inducible Promoter

Resources:

For more information on the Broadcom MASTERS, visit the Broadcom Foundation and Society websites. To keep up with the Broadcom MASTERS, use the hashtag #brcmMASTERS or follow Broadcom Foundation and the Society on Twitter or the Society on Instagram. And to stay connected, visit the Broadcom MASTERS and Society Facebook pages. You can also follow the Society on Snapchat (Society4Science).

About Broadcom Foundation

Founded in April 2009, the Broadcom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation the mission of advancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education by funding research, recognizing scholarship and increasing opportunity.

The foundation inspires young people to pursue careers in STEM and to develop 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. It is a founding member of the National STEM Funders Network and plays a leadership role in the STEM Education Ecosystem Initiative in the US and Israel.

The foundation's signature programs, the Broadcom MASTERS and the Broadcom MASTERS International, are the premier science and engineering competitions for middle school students around the United States and the world.

Learn more at http://broadcomfoundation.org/ and follow us on Twitter (@BroadcomSTEM).

About Society for Science & the Public

Society for Science & the Public is dedicated to the achievement of young scientists in independent research and to public engagement in science. Established in 1921, the Society is a nonprofit whose vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Through its world-class competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Broadcom MASTERS, and its award-winning magazine, Science News and Science News for Students, Society for Science & the Public is committed to inform, educate, and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Society4Science).

Society for Science & the Public Press Contact:

Gayle Kansagor

703-489-1131

[email protected]

SOURCE Society for Science & the Public

Related Links

http://www.societyforscience.org


NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Creator and Executive Producer, Alain Sajous, came up with the interesting idea to create "8 At The Table," a NEW web series where eight people from all different walks of life, get together to discuss topics pertaining to love, sex, and relationships. The show is now in its second season and it airs every Tuesday on Facebook and YouTube at 8 P.M. (EST).

Full cast photo'd with On-Air Personality Angela Yee.

"I created the show because there was a void where people need to have the opportunity to discuss their relationship issues with others who may share different perspectives on the various topics selected," states Sajous. "Some of the topics discussed are: 'Do you believe in soul mates?' / 'How private is your love life?' / 'Would you date a couple?' and the topics can go on forever. Garnering massive views and engagement from the show's Instagram page, it is evident that viewers and subscribers are hooked," states Sajous.

Ranging in ages from 50 to 21, each cast member brings a different experience, demographic, and cultural belief to the table. "The conversations get heated, but at the end, everyone walks away with a different perspective on the topic," states Sajous. Previous episodes of featured social media influencers such as Sirius XM's DJ Sussone; Danny Duces of BET's "Hustle in Brooklyn"; Chrissy Monroe of "Love & Hip-Hop"; and more. "I loved being a part of this show!" states Danny Duces.

Now into the show's second season, "8 At The Table" is doing extremely well. "Collectively, the series has received well over 1 Million views," states, Lynn Hobson, Co-Executive Producer for the series. "The show is a definite must-see."

"The show is intriguing, informational, and hilarious. Some of the things that come out of our cast members' mouths are jaw-dropping", states Producer Elijah "Emazing" Smith. "Every time we film an episode, I personally walk away with a new angle on the topics."

For more information on "8 At The Table", feel free to reach out to check them out on Facebook and/or YouTube or contact Lynn Hobson at (347) 385-4092. www.YouTube.com/8AtTheTable

Related Images

season-2-cast-members.jpg

Season 2 Cast Members

Full cast photo'd with On-Air Personality Angela Yee.

bryant-lewis.jpg

Bryant Lewis

Male Cast Member, Bryant Lewis had everything to say on Season 2 of "8 At The Table".

producers-alain-sajous-lynn-k.jpg

Producers Alain Sajous; Lynn K. Hobson; and Emazing Smith with Angela Yee

Angela Yee hosted the "watch party" to kick off Season 2 Table 4.

Related Links

Instagram

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxIw_5d7DA

SOURCE A Creative Productions
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Novatech, the award-winning provider of Managed IT and Print Services, has named Darby Austen to lead its Chattanooga-area operations as branch manager. Austen brings 29 years of industry and client relations experience to create, continue and grow partnerships throughout the local business community.

Novatech Names Darby Austen Chattanooga Branch Manager

"Novatech has been a part of the Greater Chattanooga business community for years, and it's an honor not only to be chosen as the company's local brand ambassador but to be given the opportunity to create and grow partnerships with our clients," said Darby. "My industry experience revolves around helping clients flourish by streamlining their workflow, and together with our local team we're planning on playing an even bigger role in the community."

Novatech, located at 1036 Central Avenue in Chattanooga since 2010, has been at the forefront in providing state-of-the-art office and 3D printing technology, innovative document workflow solutions, and award-winning service to businesses throughout the South. The company recently went through a rebrand - from NovaCopy to Novatech - in April, increasing its scope of Managed Services and solutions. Novatech has also expanded its local operations which has allowed for an increase in new career opportunities within the Chattanooga market.

"Novatech has evolved, and the name change better reflects who we are and the solutions and services we provide," said Austen. "Currently, we are hiring for all departments, sales, service, and admin. Five of those positions are here in the Chattanooga area. Those interested in submitting applications should visit Novatech.net."

"Chattanooga is a great city and we have made it a point to contribute to and champion the city's vibrant business and community scenes," said Novatech CEO Darren Metz. "We're excited to have Darby on board as we grow the company and we look forward to being part of the Chattanooga community for years to come."

Media Contact:

Jason Levkulich

Phone: 615.577.7677

Email: [email protected]

Related Links

Facebook

LinkedIn

SOURCE Novatech, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Y Combinator-backed Pathrise, a career accelerator for students that provides training, mentorship, and advice to help students and young professionals land their dream jobs at tech companies, today announced the financing agreement with Leif, a technology company that provides a proprietary, all-in-one Income Share Agreement management platform. The $5m exclusive financing agreement will give the accelerator the necessary capital as it scales its reach into the thousands of students.

"We are proud to be financing Pathrise's best-in-class career accelerator and supporting its mission of preparing young professionals for the digital economy," said Leif Co-founder and CEO Jeffrey Groeber. "By providing students with the skills and guidance they need to secure highly sought-after jobs, Pathrise is helping its students, regardless of background, reach their true potential."

This announcement marks an expansion on the current partnership between Pathrise and Leif. Pathrise offers its students the ability to pay for the program in monthly payments based on income the students earn after they have been hired. This outcomes-based approach removes the initial financial barriers for students and closely aligns the company's success to that of the student.

Pathrise was a member of the Winter 2018 graduating cohort of Y Combinator and the company's co-founders, Kevin Wu and Derrick Mar, met while working at a non-profit in Berkeley. This experience mentoring students who were developing software for other nonprofit organizations led to the formation of Pathrise. The company has already achieved a terrific track record of success by placing students in high-demand jobs at the following companies: Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Uber, Amazon, Zynga, Affirm, Magic Leap, Codeacademy, VMWare, Doordash, Yelp, Postmates, and many more.

"The broadened partnership is a testament to Leif's best-in-class technology and all-in-one solution," says Kevin Wu, Pathrise co-founder and Executive Director. "By offering both the comprehensive technology platform and financing solutions, Leif is providing the next generation of education and career companies with the fuel to grow and serve the increasing market demand for talent."

About Pathrise:

Pathrise is a career accelerator that is free until you're hired. We seek to uplift undervalued students and young professionals in their early careers. We invest in our fellows by providing personalized advice and training on how to get the best possible internship or job. If and only if they get hired during our program, fellows pay us back a small percentage of their first year's income. Learn more at pathrise.com .

About Leif:

Leif is a mission-driven technology firm that partners with schools to design, manage, and offer financing solutions for Income Share Agreement programs. This form of education finance aligns the interest of the school with the interest of the student so everyone wins. Learn more at leif.org .

SOURCE Leif

Related Links

http://leif.org


MILWAUKEE, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- An affiliate of Phoenix Investors ("Phoenix"), a national private commercial real estate firm headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, announced that it sold the former Westbury Bank building located at 4301 West Brown Deer Road to the Village of Brown Deer. The building will become the new home of the Brown Deer Public Library; as well, the Village acquired two additional parcels from Phoenix that are currently used for overflow parking. These parcels will be land banked for future strategic development by the Village.

"Having purchased the former Westbury Bank branch in 2014, we were good stewards of these properties, investing in the extensive tenant buildout required by the US Government which resulted in the occupancy by the various branches of the US Armed Forces for recruitment. Now, having the ability to facilitate the occupancy of the remainder of the building by the Brown Deer Public Library on the exit of our investment completes the revitalization process," said Anthony Crivello, Executive Vice President.

"As Phoenix has demonstrated in the past, we continue to find ways to invest in the communities we serve. In conjunction with the sale, we donated $1,500,000 to the Village of Brown Deer in support of the new public library," said Frank Crivello, Chairman and Founder of Phoenix Investors.

About Phoenix Investors

Phoenix Investors is a national commercial real estate firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin whose core business is the revitalization of former distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout the United States. This strategy leads to positively transforming communities and restarting the economic engine in the communities we serve.

Phoenix's affiliate companies hold interests in approximately 24 million square feet of industrial, retail, office, and single tenant net-leased properties across 23 states. A 2018 survey conducted by National Real Estate Investor ranked Phoenix Investors as having the 28th largest national industrial real estate portfolio. Phoenix principally specializes in the renovation and repositioning of large, former single tenant industrial facilities throughout the United States that were previously owned by major corporate clients, REITs, or financial institutions.

For more information visit https://phoenixinvestors.com

SOURCE Phoenix Investors

Related Links

http://www.phoenixinvestors.com


"I can't tell you what a thrill it was to have a conversation with Pope Francis, a most loving, compassionate man who took such deep interest in my work," said Serato. "I handed him a copy of my book and while he perused the pages, he peppered me with questions about how I started the nonprofit named after my mother, Caterina's Club. I was able to inform him that we have since branched out to helping "motel families" escape their dilapidated living conditions into safer, more permanent housing and our Hospitality Academy that introduces at-risk youth to careers in the hotel and restaurant industries."

Serato said that his Papal visit has been the highlight of his European book tour that included his being inducted into the House of Savoy. The book recalls Serato's tale of growing up poor in rural Italy, arriving in America as a young man with just $200 in his pocket and through hard work, determination and a little luck, achieving the American dream when he parlayed his small savings into opening the Anaheim White House where he has fed U.S Presidents, royalty and celebrities.

Serato informed the pope that all proceeds from the book will be donated to Caterina's Club.

"He smiled and gave me a blessing when I told him that," Serato said.

CONTACT: FGI (562) 491-1000

SOURCE Bruno Serato
"The outstanding average annualized return and gain on the sale of this asset continues to demonstrate the Company's ability to acquire, operate and dispose of assets at opportunistic times," said John A. Isakson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for PAC. Mr. Isakson added, "The sale of Stoneridge Farms, built in 2002, further demonstrates our commitment to pursue the youngest portfolio in the industry."

About Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc.

Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. is a Maryland corporation formed primarily to acquire and operate multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. As part of our business strategy, we may enter into forward purchase contracts or purchase options for to-be-built multifamily communities and we may make real estate related loans, provide deposit arrangements, or provide performance assurances, as may be necessary or appropriate, in connection with the development of multifamily communities and other properties. As a secondary strategy, we may acquire or originate senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or real estate loans secured by interests in multifamily properties, membership or partnership interests in multifamily properties and other multifamily related assets and invest a lesser portion of our assets in other real estate related investments, including other income-producing property types, senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or real estate loans secured by interests in other income-producing property types, membership or partnership interests in other income-producing property types as determined by our manager as appropriate for us. At June 30, 2018, the Company was the approximate 97.4% owner of Preferred Apartment Communities Operating Partnership, L.P., the Company's operating partnership. Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, commencing with its tax year ended December 31, 2011. Learn more at www.pacapts.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain 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. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "trend", "will", "expects", "plans", "estimates", "anticipates", "projects", "intends", "believes", "goals", "objectives", "outlook" and similar expressions. Because such statements include risks, uncertainties and contingencies, actual results may differ materially from the expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans or predictions of the future expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, those disclosed in PAC's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. PAC undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information

The SEC has declared effective the registration statement (including prospectus) filed by the Company for each of the offerings to which this communication may relate. Before you invest, you should read the final prospectus, and any prospectus supplements, forming a part of the registration statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the offering to which this communication may relate. In particular, you should carefully read the risk factors described in the final prospectus and in any related prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference in the final prospectus and any related prospectus supplement to which this communication may relate. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Company or its dealer manager, Preferred Capital Securities, LLC, with respect to PAC's mShares Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering and Series A Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrant Unit Offering, and JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, with respect to PAC's ATM Common Stock Offering, will arrange to send you a prospectus if you request it by calling Leonard A. Silverstein at (770) 818-4100, 3284 Northside Parkway NW, Suite 150, Atlanta, Georgia 30327.

The ATM Common Stock Offering prospectus supplement, dated July 10, 2017, including a base prospectus, dated May 17, 2016, can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000110/atmprospectusspring2017.htm

The mShares Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering prospectus, dated January 19, 2017, can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000008/a424prospectus-mshares1.htm

The Series A Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrant Unit Offering prospectus, dated March 16, 2017, can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000061/a424prospectus-15bseriesar.htm

SOURCE Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pacapts.com


KALISPELL, Mont., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ClassOne Technology, the premier supplier of new wet process tools to the 200mm and below semiconductor manufacturing industry, today announced the sale of its flagship Solstice S8 wet process tool to the Ferdinand-Braun-Institute (FBH) in Berlin, Germany. As a leading research institute in the fabrication of III-V compound semiconductors, FBH specializes in prototyping leading-edge microwave and optoelectronic devices for a diverse range of industries, including communications, energy, health, and mobility.

Solstice Electroplating System from ClassOne Technology

"Solstice is a perfect fit for the III-V compound semiconductor processes that FBH specializes in," explains Olaf Kruger, Head of FBH's Process Technology Department. "The exceptional flexibility of the Solstice platform will allow FBH to efficiently automate a number of distinct processes on a single tool. We expect to retain the fine-grained control needed in our research environment with the added production benefits of complete cassette-to-cassette automation."

FBH is the latest example of a growing trend in the compound semiconductor industrythe need for integrated plating-related processes as part of a comprehensive plating solution. ClassOne's eight-chamber Solstice S8 will provide FBH with sophisticated electroplating and wet processing capabilities for a range of processes. In particular, gold plating will be performed by a pair of ClassOne's class-leading GoldPro chambers, and a new high-pressure spray solvent chamber will process highly-efficient Metal Lift-off. ClassOne has dubbed the wide range of plating-related wet processing capabilities on the Solstice platform as Plating-Plus.

"The configuration flexibility of Plating-Plus and the exceptional quality of our plating chambers are why ClassOne has become the supplier of choice for the compound semiconductor industry," says Roland Seitz, Director of ClassOne's European Operations. "Solstice is perfectly suited to the complex processing requirements of compound semiconductors. By placing several related processes on a single tool, FBH will enjoy processing efficiencies and device quality that simply cannot be achieved by any other supplier."

About ClassOne

ClassOne, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, provides highly affordable new wet process and refurbished major-brand semiconductor processing tools, with thousands of tools installed worldwide at the industry's leading semiconductor manufacturers.

ClassOne's Technology division (www.classone.com), headquartered in Kalispell, Montana, develops and provides innovative new wet-chemical equipment solutions, including electroplaters, spin-rinse-dryers, spray solvent tools, and more. These tools are specifically designed for budget-conscious users of 200mm substrates, many of whom are in emerging markets underserved by the larger equipment manufacturers. With decades of experience from industry veterans dedicated to the tradition of delivering advanced performance and quality for much less, ClassOne Technology delivers "Advanced Wet Processing for the Rest of Us."

ClassOne's Equipment division (www.classoneequipment.com), is long respected as the industry's premier provider of refurbished major-brand processing tools. ClassOne Equipment supplies turnkey equipment solutions that include state-of-the-art refurbishment, warranty, installation, service, support and spare parts.

For more information, contact:

Byron Exarcos

ClassOne Technology

109 Cooperative Way

Kalispell, MT 59901

tel: +1 (678) 772-9086

email: [email protected]

Solstice, GoldPro and Plating-Plus are trademarks of ClassOne Technology.

SOURCE ClassOne Technology

Related Links

http://www.classone.com


CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurs Ray Grimm Jr., Jared Berry and Nish Mehta purchased a controlling interest in Radiant Creations Group (OTC-PINK: RCGP) in July of 2018. Over the next few months the management team intends to explore several business models to merge into the existing Company. "We have current and future business models and several recently developed, innovative products under evaluation for potential acquisition by Radiant Creations Group. We plan to acquire or develop new businesses that have the potential to make Radiant Creations Group a viable reporting company in the future. We are looking forward to merging either existing Companies and/or newly formed Companies into the Radiant Creations Group." President & CEO Ray Grimm, Jr. stated. Details regarding any new business models and/or acquisition for the Company will be disclosed when implemented.

About Ray Grimm, Jr., President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board:

A veteran entrepreneur with more than a quarter century experience building some of the top nutritional and weight loss companies in Direct Sales history, Ray W. Grimm Jr. has what many consider to be the Midas touch in creating multi-million dollar companies, three of which exceeded $50 million in sales within their first five years. Nine years ago, Ray Grimm, Jr. also created and co-founded one of the fastest growing weight loss brands ever developed producing $10 Million in sales in its first year. His vision, leadership and expertise in nutrition, weight loss and Direct Sales are unmatched, as is his unique formula for success, all of which have benefited the physical and financial health of thousands. Ray has been a member of the DSA (Direct Selling Association) and is a founding member of the MLMIA (Multilevel Marketing International Association).

About Jared Berry, Major Shareholder:

Jared Berry has logged an impressive list of industry firsts, including becoming the first ever to have a CBD brand filed with the USPTO for trademark. Prior to filing for this intellectual property, a "CBD marketplace" didn't exist, marking Jared Berry and his team of scientists the original trailblazers of the space. Jared Berry continues to be a pioneer in scientific advancements uncovering the full wellness potential of the cannabis and hemp plants. Using proprietary technology and industry leadership, Jared Berry aims to bring the nutritional benefits of living a healthier life to the Radiant Creations Group.

About Nish Mehta, CFO, Secretary, and Treasurer:

Nish Mehta is a seasoned financial professional who has raised over $100 million in venture-backed capital for technology based start-up companies. Nish's past and current ventures include several high profile VC-backed companies including Nuvve Corp., HomeSpace.com, Envestnet (IPO, July 2010), Rayspan Corporation, Wildcat Discovery Technologies and others. Nish has also provided services for several Network Marketing companies in San Diego. Nish is a Canadian Chartered Accountant as well as a CPA and served 7.5 years with KPMG. Nish graduated from Acadia University (Hons) with a major in Accounting and Finance.

Contact:

Tammy Boonstra

[email protected]

SOURCE Radiant Creations Group
ZWEIBRUCKEN, Germany, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The RAM Group announced today its Quantum Cardio-Respiratory Monitor (qCRM), the first-of-its-kind integrated single-point, non-invasive, bio-electro-mechanical sensor with the potential to provide full-body diagnostics and analysis. RAM Group recently completed a feasibility study with the Giessen University Hospital in Giessen Germany for its single-point measure (SPM) sensor and found that their non-invasive tool outperformed other more traditional measures. The technology holds great promise for SPM sensors that can be utilized at point-of-care or through wearable devices. RAM Group is now seeking additional funding for further research and validation.

"In our study, the qCRM performed extremely well against the litany of accepted monitoring technologies. This is remarkable noting that the qCRM utilizes only one point of contact to receive data from the patient," said Dr. Ardeshir Ghofrani, 2015 German Future Prize winner and leader of the research team at Giessen University Hospital. "To be able to receive this level of organ function detail from a single point sensor is extremely exciting. The potential uses for this diagnostic and monitoring technology are significant."

The qCRM sensor integrates multi-parametric (HR, RAP, LAP, CVP, BR)1 and multi variant (Heart Rate Variability, Blood Pressure, Cardiac-Output, Circulatory Dynamics, Field-Propagation Dynamics) signals into unified waveforms, representing the comprehensive bodily functions and processes2. The greater insights and data-sets generated in any applications using the qCRM platform have great opportunities for integration with existing risk stratification algorithms and deciphering hidden risk factors for cardio-pulmonary conditions and beyond.

"We are so excited that, after nearly a decade of research and hard work, we are on the cusp of making single-point monitoring and analysis a reality. Our dream of changing how illnesses are diagnosed is made possible through our quantum device sensing technology," said Ayal Ram, Founder and CEO, the RAM Group. "Our research shows that we're on the right track. These sensors are capable of reshaping medical science as we know it, with the potential to aid immediate and hyper-accurate diagnosis of illness or disorder in the heart, lungs and other organs."

Existing technologies monitor a single-field or effect, like the photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor found in all wearable smartwatches today. The PPG sensor is limited to a single waveform measuring changes in light absorption representing the perfusion of blood to the dermis and subcutaneous tissue of the skin. The "single-effect" waveform measures the indirect mechanical movement of the cardiac-cycle alone. Additional devices such as ECG, ultrasound, spirometer and MRI machines are necessary to access internal sub-functions of the heart, lungs and major organ systems. For example, a high-acuity multi-system monitoring stations, such as those in ER/OR/ICU are costly, requiring dedicated infrastructure and trained personnel.

Utilizing RAM Group's proprietary qDS technology, the sensor merely needs to touch a single point on the body to begin analyzing the REAL or DIRECT pressure(s) related to cardio-pulmonary function. Traditional electrode-based ECG/PPG and blood pressure cuff devices work as indirect measurement devices. Quantum devices are detecting the smallest charge potentials produced by various cell activities in the body. It is through this quantum mechanical interaction that the qCRM is able to monitor and identify the different processes and functions in the heart, lungs and other organ systems in unprecedented resolution as compared to more expensive and sometimes invasive devices. The result is more timely and accurate diagnosis that addresses cause rather than effect.

About the RAM Group

The RAM Group's mission is to develop sensor technology that is at the foundation of understanding why things are happeningto gain deeper understanding, more relevant knowledge and insight, and ultimately enable the ability to act on this input to make people, processes, and the planet healthier. Today, through our quantum device sensing (QDS) technology, in which the surface processes directly interact with the quantum states of electron gas, we have achieved a million-fold increase in sensitivity with drastically reduced noise, outperforming conventional sensor application technologies.

Media Contact:

Dr. Jody Ranck

(510) 333-0597

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Erik York

Amendola Communications for RAM Group

(330) 416-2461

[email protected]

1 HR: Heart-Rate; RAP: Right-Atrium Pressure; LAP: Left-Atrium Pressure; BR: Breath-Rate, CVP: Central Venous Pressure;

2 For example, renal and liver functions, intestinal motility, and the interrelation of neurology to the gastral intestinal tract

SOURCE RAM Group

Related Links

https://www.ram.group


AMSTERDAM, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Parties have announced that Ramphastos Investments ('Ramphastos'), the investment company of entrepreneur Marcel Boekhoorn, intends to acquire HEMA. With its new owner, HEMA can focus fully in the next few years on accelerating international expansion, online growth and improving profitability.

International expansion

The Amsterdam based retailer HEMA is partnering with international operators, such as the Apparel Group in the Middle East. This is transforming HEMA from a retail chain into an international brand. HEMA wants to further develop this in the next few years. Therefore, HEMA is looking for opportunities to increase the number of international partners with the aim of accelerating its expansion.

With Ramphastos as its new owner, HEMA will be able to fulfil its growth ambitions even stronger. The level of investments in international expansion inside and outside Europe will be increased, the core markets of the Netherlands and Belgium and e-commerce.

Tjeerd Jegen, CEO of HEMA: "I am very pleased that Ramphastos is becoming the new owner of HEMA. This is the best scenario for HEMA, our customers, staff and franchisees. In recent years, Marcel Boekhoorn and his team have shown strong engagement with their portfolio companies, encouraged entrepreneurship and demonstrated a keen investment vision. This paves the way to be working with our new owner and our franchisees on a stronger and more financially healthy HEMA."

Marcel Boekhoorn, entrepreneur and owner of Ramphastos: "HEMA is an iconic brand with fantastic international opportunities. The acquisition fits my ambition to let businesses grow. Together with HEMA's staff and its franchisees, I want to support HEMA in becoming a global brand."

Note : HEMA's central works council has issued a positive advice on the proposed acquisition. The transaction will also be submitted for approval to the competition authorities. The parties have decided not to disclose financial details of this transaction.

About HEMA

HEMA has been making its customers' daily lives easier and more fun since 1926. HEMA's products and services are known for their high quality and Dutch design at great prices. We put our customers first in everything we do. HEMA has 30,000 products and services, more than 750 stores in nine countries and on two continents, and more than 19,000 employees.

About Ramphastos Investments

Ramphastos Investments is the investment company of Marcel Boekhoorn, a Dutch entrepreneur, which currently holds (primarily majority) interests in over 30 companies in various sectors. Marcel Boekhoorn began his career as a register accountant (chartered accountant) with Deloitte & Touche in 1981. In 1994, he launched his own venture capital and investment firm Ramphastos Investments, which he still leads today. Marcel Boekhoorn has led multiple companies into growth, expansion and market leadership by pursuing a buy-and-build strategy and attracting new customers, business partners and the strongest management teams. He not only actively supports portfolio companies by assisting them in determining their strategies, but also plays a key role in helping them achieve their business objectives. Successful investments include Bakker Bart, Telfort and High Tech Campus Eindhoven.

SOURCE HEMA B.V.
ROHNERT PARK, Calif., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Making life-changing decisions is daunting even for those who've prepped and planned for them for years. For people who've had minimal time to prepare, making life-changing decisions can have some serious backlash when things go wrong. Ameritech Financial, a document preparation service company, works with struggling loan borrowers to help them potentially better their situation. After working with so many borrowers stuck in a situation where they might have to choose between other necessities and loan repayment, it's not hard to imagine that many of them regret the events that led them to their situation.

"Growing up, many people hear the narrative over and over again about how they need to go to college and get a degree to succeed in life," said Tom Knickerbocker, Executive Vice President of Ameritech Financial. Over half of Americans have taken out loans to afford college, with 56% of them reporting that they borrowed more than $10,000. Nearly a third of those borrowers will experience defaulting on their loan at some point during their repayment period. The number of borrowers who have defaulted at some point jumps to over half when looking at borrowers 54 and under. With the damage that defaulting can do to a borrower's life, like destroying their credit and potentially garnishing wages and tax returns, along with the mental strain, it's no wonder people would adamantly say they regret taking out student loans.

Over 35% of borrowers younger than 55 say that the loans they took out to fund their education weren't worth it. Interestingly enough, when Americans overall were asked if they thought it still in a young person's best interest to pursue a higher education, more than half still say yes, even regardless of cost. This feeds into why so many borrowers are in the situation they're in, because much of society is still telling them that college is a necessity even if they will have trouble affording it. Ameritech Financial firmly believes that student loan repayment shouldn't have to be a struggle and helps struggling borrowers apply for federal income-driven repayment programs that potentially lower their monthly payment and get them on track for student loan forgiveness after 20-25 years of being in the program. When 37% of borrowers currently in repayment feel they'll never be free of student loans, that kind of assistance may bring back hope they didn't know they still had.

"Student loan repayment is a struggle for far too many Americans. That's why we're so committed to helping our clients and being a student loan advocate," said Knickerbocker.

About Ameritech Financial

Ameritech Financial is a private company located in Rohnert Park, California. Ameritech Financial has already helped thousands of consumers with financial analysis and student loan document preparation to apply for federal student loan repayment programs offered through the Department of Education.

Each Ameritech Financial telephone representative has received the Certified Student Loan Professional certification through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA).

Ameritech Financial prides itself on its exceptional Customer Service.

Ameritech Financial Newsroom

Contact

To learn more about Ameritech Financial, please contact:

Ameritech Financial

5789 State Farm Drive #265

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

1-800-792-8621

[email protected]

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Ameritech Financial

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SOURCE Ameritech Financial
GRANVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RevLocal is pleased to announce that Christian Ward has joined our Board of Managers!

Ward is currently Chief Data Officer for SourceMedia based in New York, NY and has served in a variety of noteworthy roles including Executive Vice President of Data Partnerships at Yext and Chief Data Officer for Infogroup.



Ward says he is excited to see what the future will bring for this partnership.



"RevLocal has long stood for the customer-centric approach that creates success in marketing services. Their ability to leverage data across their various platforms to create personalized solutions continues to impress their customers and the entire market," stated Ward.



"I'm pleased to join the Board of Managers and look forward to the journey forward," Ward went on to say.



RevLocal CEO, Marc Hawk, is thrilled to welcome Ward to our Board of Managers, stating RevLocal's people and platforms combined with Ward's experience will bring a mutually beneficial relationship and new, innovative strategies to our clients.



"We're so pleased to welcome Christian to the RevLocal Board of Managers. Christian has been in our network for years and knows our culture and vision for serving clients. We're excited to bring him on board and believe his experience and industry insights will help RevLocal to remain a leader in digital marketing for SMBs and multi-location brands," Hawk said.



About RevLocal



RevLocal is a digital marketing agency that specializes in local search marketing, reputation management, paid advertising and social media for local businesses and franchises of all types and sizes.



As the leader in digital marketing, RevLocal makes digital marketing efficient, effective and affordable for all. RevLocal is a Premier Google Partner and was named one of the top 50 best places to work by Inc. Magazine. For more information on the company, visit www.RevLocal.com.



This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE RevLocal

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Craig Sipp, a former employee of The Skid Row Housing Trust (SRHT), has filed eleven claims against the homeless-aid organization relating to alleged disability discrimination and wrongful termination based thereof.

In March 2018, after almost eight years of employment with SRHT, Sipp was diagnosed with colon cancer and a mass on his liver. After learning of his diagnosis, Sipp informed his immediate supervisor, Mimi Skinner, of his condition; he then requested medical leave to accommodate the conditions and disabilities stemming from planned rigorous chemotherapy treatment. Skinner, upon receiving Sipp's news, told him to, "don't worry about your employment," and, at that time, did not ask Sipp to provide medical documentation of his treatment.

On May 1st of 2018, however, Sipp received a letter from Skinner wherein Skinner informed him that his leave of absence had been only provisionally designated as a medical leave and that if he did not return to work by July 23, 2018, he would be terminated. Sipp, however, was hospitalized during this period for complications stemming from his diagnosis and informed Skinner that he could not return to work by this deadline.

After beginning chemotherapy treatment with a cancer specialist in May 2018, Skinner again contacted Skipp and informed him that if he did not return to work by the new deadline of August 8, 2018, he would be terminated from SRHT. Having just begun treatment for his condition, Sipp told Skinner he would be unable to return to work that soon. At this point, Skinner demanded that Sipp supply a doctor's note validating his condition and indicating that he could, in fact, not return to work. On August 1st, Sipp provided the note asked for, which validated that from July 30th, 2018 onwards, Sipp could not work.

Despite providing the necessary documentation asked for by Skinner, and acting as an exemplary employee who received strong annual performance reviews and numerous promotions during his employment at SRHT, Sipp was notified of his termination on August 24th, 2018. In the termination letter, written by Human Resources Manager Veronica Garcia, it was intentionally and fraudulently misrepresented that Sipp's termination had been voluntary and that Sipp no longer qualified for any additional leave under federal or state family/medical leave laws. What is more, this letter also informed Sipp that his health insurance coverage would terminate on August 31st, 2018, one week after Sipp received this letter.

The lawsuit alleges that SRHT acted with reckless disregard towards Sipp's health and safety by terminating Sipp's employment, failing to accommodate his disability and medical condition, failing to engage in the interactive process, and interfering and retaliating against his medical leave under the CFRA and FMLA.

The lawsuit is pending in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, Central District.

Every day, employees are subjected to workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other forms of abuse. Shegerian & Associates prides itself on representing these workers and helping them find the justice they deserve. Carney Shegerian has been recognized with the 2013 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award and has won 80 jury trials, fighting for workers rights.

Shegerian & Associates' headquarters is located in Santa Monica with offices in San Diego, San Francisco and New York. Visit www.ShegerianLaw.com for more information.

Media Contact: To reach Carney Shegerian for media or publication purposes, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE Shegerian & Associates

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http://www.shegerianlaw.com


"We are investing heavily in our Next-Gen Network plan which uses the most advanced technologies and innovative solutions to enhance our LTE performance and build our mobile 5G network for customers of all sizes, from individual consumers to the largest enterprises," said Dr. John Saw, Sprint chief technology officer. "We're excited to be recognized for our innovative 5G approach using incredible Massive MIMO technology in split mode, as well as our use of SpiderCloud to help businesses and public venues quickly and cost-effectively enhance indoor service."

"This year has certainly been the year of 5G for the entire industry, and Sprint is leading the charge in ushering in this new wireless revolution with their Next-Gen Network strategy and compelling wireless solutions," stated James Johnson, managing director, Mobile Breakthrough. "We are thrilled to recognize Sprint as a multi-award winner in our annual awards program and we congratulate them on their significant achievements this year in delivering on the promise of groundbreaking new wireless technology and solutions."

Commercial 5G Solution of the Year - Massive MIMO

Sprint's Massive MIMO technology is capable of delivering up to 10 times the capacity of current LTE systems, delivering a game-changing 5G solution. This year, Sprint began deploying its Massive MIMO technology in several cities, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York where the company plans to launch mobile 5G service starting in the first half of 2019. Massive MIMO adds significant capacity to Sprint's 4G network and dramatically increases data speeds to give customers an event better wireless experience. The technology will also help make the transition to 5G seamless through a simple software upgrade to Sprint's base stations without tower climbs. This marks the second honor for Sprint's 5G approach with Massive MIMO following its Leading Light Award for the "Most Innovative 5G Strategy" earlier this year.

Overall Wireless Broadband Solution and Next-Gen WiFi Operator Deployment of the Year - SpiderCloud

Sprint's SpiderCloud small cell solution helps to increase wireless density and provide a better network experience for enterprises and public venues across the country. The SpiderCloud small cell, which clips onto existing Cisco WiFi infrastructure, can be installed in less than 30 minutes making it an easy deployment of in-building LTE. This Sprint Business solution can provide over a gigabit of capacity and seamless coverage across a public venue, enterprise or university campus as large as 1.5 million square feet.

The Mobile Breakthrough Awards honors excellence and recognizes the innovation, hard work and success in a range of mobile and wireless technology categories, including Cloud Computing, Mobile Management, Wireless and Broadband, Mobile Analytics, IoT and Smart City and many more. All 2,200 nominations for the 2018 Mobile Breakthrough Awards program were evaluated by an independent panel of experts within the wireless industry.

About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million connections as of June 30, 2018 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today, Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching the first 5G mobile network in the U.S. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

SOURCE Sprint

Related Links

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CHERRY HILL, N.J., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, today announced that Kelley Cornish, Head of U.S. Diversity and Inclusion for TD Bank, has been promoted to Head of Global Diversity and Inclusion for the TD Bank Group effective Nov. 1. In this capacity, Cornish will expand the bank's efforts to promote diversity throughout the U.S. and Canada, implementing and delivering its enterprise D&I strategy, with a focus on building and measuring workforce representation and extending accountability for inclusion across the organization.

Cornish joined TD in 2017 and has led significant momentum in TD's U.S. D&I efforts, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience in D&I and HR. In her broadened role, Cornish will lead D&I teams in North America refining TD's structure to most effectively support its enterprise strategy, including elements that will retain a U.S. D&I focus.

"Diversity and inclusion are core values at TD, and part of our strategic advantage," said Tara Deakin, Senior Vice President Talent, TD Bank Group. "It remains critically important that we foster an inclusive culture and diverse workforce across the bank and I am confident that Kelley will continue to advance our strategy enterprise-wide."

This year, Cornish was recognized for her commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout her career, receiving the 2018 Career Mastered Award. She was also recognized as a member in the top team of distinction for the American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking Award. Under her leadership, this year TD Bank was recognized for the first time by Forbes as a Best Employer for Diversity and received the Urban League of New York's Diversity Champion Award. Additionally, the bank was listed as a top company on the Diversity Inc. Top 50 list.

Prior to joining TD, Cornish led Diversity and Inclusion at AmeriHealth Caritas where she shaped the vision and developed workforce initiatives programming. She created and implemented the strategy and roadmap for a long-term multi-year, diversity and inclusion strategy. Included in this work was the publication of Kelley's first book, "It's Work! How Will You Show Up?" where she shares professional and personal tips on the workplace which includes a case study highlighting the work of a millennial.

Recently recognized as a 2017 Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Award winner by Peirce College for the City of Philadelphia, PA, Cornish is a Certified Diversity Professional by Cornell University (CCDP). She also serves as a 2017 - 2018 Special Expertise Panel Member for Diversity and Inclusion for the National Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) which includes addressing current and future trends within diversity and inclusion, and she consults and speaks for various organizations. Kelley obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina - Aiken in Business Administration and her Masters from Webster University in Human Resources.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com.

About TD Bank Group



The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 25 million customers in three key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Retail, including TD Canada Trust, TD Auto Finance Canada, TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in TD Ameritrade; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with approximately 12 million active online and mobile customers. TD had CDN$1.3 trillion in assets on July 31, 2018. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

SOURCE TD Bank

Related Links

http://www.TDBank.com


LONDON, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Telit, a global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced that its LM960 PCI Express Mini Card (mPCIe) is the industry's first Gigabit LTE module to go through FirstNet review for use by the ecosystem. Joining the FirstNet lineup is the latest milestone in Telit's commitment to providing the first responder community with solutions and support for potentially lifesaving applications.

Telit's LM960 is the world's first full industrial-grade, Cat 18 mPCIe module, a form factor that's compatible with a wide variety of first responder devices, such as gateways and network routers inside fire trucks, ambulances and other first responder vehicles. The LM960 remains the only module in the industry with 4x4 MIMO antennas, non-contiguous uplink carrier aggregation and 256 QAM high-order downlink modulation. It supports multiple satellite location technologies, including GPS. In addition to Band 14, the LM960 operates all other cellular bands used by FirstNet to provide first responders with maximum connection reliability anywhere in the country.

The LM960 has LTE Advanced Pro Category 18 technology, capable of 1.2 Gbps download and 150 Mbps upload speeds ideal for bandwidth-intensive public safety applications, such as live streaming, high-definition video and first responder vehicular routers.

"The LM960 is the world's first Gigabit LTE module, the first Gigabit LTE module certified for use on the first broadband network designed specifically for public safety," said Yossi Moscovitz, president of products and solutions, Telit. "These are all milestones in Telit's commitment to providing first responders with the ultra-fast, reliable, proven LTE technology they need to protect and serve America."

"After a product goes through FirstNet review, you can be confident as a first responder that the device meets our highest standards for reliability, security and performance," said Bob Sloan, Chief Operating Officer, AT&T, FirstNet Program. "We welcome Telit and the LM960 module to the FirstNet ecosystem."

On October 24 in Tampa, Florida, Telit and AT&T will participate in "Cellular at the Center of New Generation of Emergency Responder Communications," a panel at Smart Cities Connect Fall Conference and Expo. This panel builds on an August 23 Telit-AT&T webinar, "How Hardware Affects Service and Coverage for First Responder Communications." These eventsalong with Telit's U.S.-based support organizationdemonstrate Telit's ability to meet the first responder community's unique requirements.

The LM960 is a sibling product of, and compatible with, the LM940. This enables OEMs to create new first responder solutions based on their LM940 designs. For more information about the LM940 and other Telit broadband solutions, visit http://info.telit.com/mobilebroadband.

The LM960 is a component module which requires an end-user device to utilize it. All future end-user (OEM) devices will and must go through FirstNet approval prior to being allowed onto FirstNet.

For more information, visit http://info.telit.com/public-safety.

About Telit

Telit (AIM: TCM), is a global leader in Internet of Things (IoT) enablement, with an extensive portfolio of wireless connectivity modules, platforms, virtual cellular IoT operator services, and professional services, empowering hundreds of millions of connected 'things' to date, and trusted by thousands of direct and indirect customers, globally. With nearly two decades of IoT innovation experience, Telit continues to redefine the boundaries of digital business, by delivering secure, integrated end-to-end IoT solutions for many of the world's largest brands, including enterprises, OEMs, system integrators and service providers across all industries, enabling their pursuit of enterprise digital transformation.

Copyright  2018 Telit Communications PLC. All rights reserved. Telit and all associated logos are trademarks of Telit Communications PLC in the United States and other countries. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contacts

Leslie Hart

Telit

919-415-1510

[email protected]

Gaby Lechin

Valerie Christopherson

GRC for Telit

+1 949 608 0276

[email protected]

SOURCE Telit

Related Links

https://www.telit.com


LAS VEGAS, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Launching Las Vegas, a community driven award created to celebrate Vegas-based startup companies, is back for its fourth year. Founded to honor the hard work and commitment our local entrepreneurs devote to helping Vegas grow as a hub for business, the Launching Las Vegas contest relies on the community to choose a startup to be awarded a cash prizeand voting is now officially open to the public.

"It's been an honor to help rally our community and support local startups and entrepreneurs with over $4,000 awarded since the contest's inception," states Dr. Samir Pancholi, founder of the award. "As a business owner and entrepreneur myself, I intimately understand the daily challengesand I am continually inspired and impressed by the stellar businesses we work with for Launching Las Vegas."

The winner of the 2018 Launching Las Vegas award will be selected by the Vegas community via an online voting system , open Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 through Wednesday, November 14th, 2018. Users will be able to vote for their favorite startup company once per day through the duration of the contest. And the end of the contest, votes will be tallied, and the winner of the 2018 Launching Las Vegas Award will receive a $1,000 cash prize. The runner-up will be awarded $250.

For 2018, Dr. Pancholi and the Launching Las Vegas Committee handpicked three local businesses that stood out for the quality of products, love of Las Vegas, and commitment to giving back to the community. The nominees are: Freedom Deodorant , a provider of natural, luxury products that really work; Sin City Cupcakes , a bakery specializing in both alcoholic and virgin cupcakes, expertly baked fresh-to-order; and The Sweat Store , a female-owned and operated active and athleisure retailer hoping to help women feel empowered, bold, and sexy.

"I know it will be difficult to choose your favorite startup from such a talented group of nominees, but I encourage everyone to spread the word, vote every day, and help support our local businesses," Dr. Pancholi reiterates. "I wish all of our nominees the best of luck and look forward to continuing my support of the evolution of our vibrant hometown."

About Dr. Pancholi & Launching Las Vegas: Dr. Samir Pancholi is a Las Vegas-based cosmetic surgeon and owner and director of a thriving practice. As a local business owner himself, Dr. Pancholi understands the challenges and rewards of starting your own companyand he created the annual Launching Las Vegas award in 2015 to celebrate, honor, and support fellow entrepreneurs and the Las Vegas business community as it expands. Visit drpancholi.com or call 702.363.0240 to learn more about Launching Las Vegas. Dr. Pancholi is available for interview upon request.

Media Contact: Dr. Samir Pancholi, 702.363.0240.

SOURCE Dr. Samir Pancholi

Related Links

http://drpancholi.com


ATLANTA and ARMONK, N.Y., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelport (NYSE: TVPT), a leading travel commerce platform today announced it is expanding its longstanding partnership with IBM (NYSE: IBM) to further develop innovations designed to disrupt the travel industry. Travelport has completed a proof of concept to streamline the validation, distribution and settlement of hotel content between its own platform, travel agencies and hotels, through IBM Blockchain. Separately, Travelport is turning to the IBM Watson Data Platform to personalize customer experiences with new tools and traveller recommendations.

In the first of two programs, Travelport is moving into the next phase of development using IBM Blockchain to streamline the hotel and in-trip experience ecosystem. Providing choices through content, seamless booking and fulfilment experience is crucial to traveller satisfaction. In recent years, travelers' interest in unique experiences, as they look for content to share on social media platforms, has grown. Through blockchain, travellers, experience providers and hotels can see notable benefits around the management and increased availability of so called 'long tail content'.

Travel agencies, whether brick-and-mortar, online or corporate travel managers, have faced many challenges with 'long tail content' due to the diverse nature of travel services and products, the large number of travel suppliers and their limited technical capabilities. Processing settlements across a diverse range of suppliers can be complicated and the entire process to reach a completed transaction often takes time. Consequently, agencies are often unable to sell the content due to issues in traveller experience and the cost of processing. Likewise, those content suppliers are frustrated with limited capability in providing offers and experiences to travellers before they arrive at the hotel.

Together, Travelport and IBM determined that by using blockchain, content could be managed to provide travel agencies confidence in the travel experience and ease of sale, while also enabling long-tail content suppliers to participate efficiently.

"One challenge facing our industry in the new digital world is that onboarding content from smaller suppliers can be costly and take time. We know unique experiences are what modern travelers are looking for. Using blockchain to access these experiences is a value-adding deployment of this new technology. With IBM, we're removing barriers that limit travel choice. We're putting the ability into the hands of the operator to upload bookings and work through contracts and administrative tasks within the blockchain network rather than manually managing and owning these tasks, which is normally the expensive part of transactions," said Mike Croucher, Travelport's Chief Architect.

"The benefit of blockchain in travel is that it provides the ability to put a smart contract across a distributed ledger. By implementing a smart contract, settling payments within the network and so forth, the technology significantly lowers the processing time, because it manages diverse ledgers across multiple companies in a way that takes manual processing and other processing out. The other benefit here is that you are also adding transparency to the system across all parties in the travel network," said Elizabeth Pollock, Industry Client Leader IBM Travel & Transportation.

In a second initiative, Travelport and IBM are working together to generate enhanced travel experiences by leveraging Travelport's vast travel data. By applying IBM's Watson Analytics Studio, Travelport will develop new services, such as highlighting the best time to buy or providing personalized offer recommendations based on previously combined travel data. These will enable travel agency subscribers to bring more value to the travellers they serve, while making it easier to access the vast range of travel supplier content Travelport offers.

These initiatives are just two of many partnerships between Travelport and IBM. The two companies regularly push the boundaries to understand how new technologies can truly add value for each part of the travel industry and, most importantly, tomorrow's travellers.

About IBM

For more information about IBM Services visit https://www.ibm.com/services

About Travelport (www.travelport.com)

Travelport (NYSE: TVPT) is the technology company which makes the experience of buying and managing travel continually better. It operates a travel commerce platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. The company facilitates travel commerce by connecting the world's leading travel providers with online and offline travel buyers in a proprietary business-to-business (B2B) travel marketplace.

Travelport has a leadership position in airline merchandising, hotel content and distribution, car rental, mobile commerce and B2B payment solutions. The company also provides critical IT services to airlines, such as shopping, ticketing, departure control and other solutions. With net revenue of over $2.4 billion in 2017, Travelport is headquartered in Langley, UK, has approximately 4,000 staff and is represented in 180 countries and territories.

Travelport Media Contacts:

Anna Davies

Head of Global Communications

t +44 7787 501908

[email protected]

IBM Media Contacts:

Ken Saunders

External Relations

t: +447887830036

[email protected]

SOURCE IBM

Related Links

http://www.ibm.com


dwelling must have received classification by the American Red Cross or FEMA as either destroyed or sustaining major damage AND

dwelling must be located in one of the following zip codes:

Fayetteville : 28301, 28303, 28304, 28305, 28306, 28311, 28312, 28314, 28441

: 28301, 28303, 28304, 28305, 28306, 28311, 28312, 28314, 28441

Lumberton : 28360, 28358

: 28360, 28358

New Bern : 28560, 28562

Homeowners must meet both criteria in order to qualify.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

To receive aid, homeowners must fill out our online registration form to request an appointment. Applicants will then be contacted by Tzu Chi USA to confirm an appointment if they meet all qualifications. For more information about registration, please contact [email protected]

Earlier this September, Tzu Chi Relief volunteers worked with the American Red Cross and local fire department officials to determine which areas of North Carolina were most critically hit by Hurricane Florence. They documented the extent of damage sustained to homes and property, intent on returning to help. See the assessment in action here .

One of them included the town of New Bern, where Tzu Chi's Greater Washington DC Regional Chapter Executive Director Frank Chen called the Temple Baptist Church to ask what kind of help was needed. Pastor Jim Pennington expressed hope in being able to work together for the betterment of the community, across religious borders.

"Hurricane Florence brought destruction to homes and despair to hearts here in New Bern. It is during times like these that we extend help and hope to each other. As we do so, we are expressing our love to God."

Jim Pennington, Pastor, Temple Baptist Church

After a disaster, Tzu Chi USA strives to provide not only financial aid, but emotional support; a crucial element to overcoming the trauma of losing valuable, irreplaceable property, a job, a home, a family member, and more. Our volunteers are equally dedicated to this cause.

"It feels good to know that someone is looking out for you when you need it... We really want this to be a successful event for families in North Carolina."

Frank Chen, Executive Director, Tzu Chi Greater Washington DC Regional Chapter

We strongly encourage as many shares of our online registration form as possible to inform as many qualifying families as we can by sharing the link at www.tzuchi.us/hurricane-florence-relief-application .

Tzu Chi USA's ongoing disaster aid is not possible without public support. Practice compassion in action by donating online or texting TZUCHI to 91999. A small gift may make a huge impact on the lives of individuals and families seeking hope during tough times. See how we've already helped residents through US disasters this year and learn how you can help make a difference .

About Tzu Chi USA

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is a humanitarian non-profit NGO whose commitment to poverty reduction and disaster relief has reached over 95 countries since 1966. In 2017, Tzu Chi USA distributed over $9 million in aid, benefiting those impacted by 68 disasters in the USA. To learn more, visit: www.tzuchi.us .

Media Contact: Anik Ghose, 917-595-6545, [email protected]

SOURCE Tzu Chi USA

Related Links

https://www.tzuchi.us/


DUBLIN, Oct 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "US Psoriasis Market and Competitive Landscape - 2018" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

US Psoriasis Market and Competitive Landscape - 2018, provides comprehensive insights into Psoriasis pipeline, epidemiology, market valuations, product sales, market forecast, product forecasts, and market shares. This study accurately estimates and forecast Psoriasis market size and drug sales. This research also provides insights into Psoriasis epidemiology and late stage pipeline.

The research is classified into following sections - Psoriasis overview with definitions, symptoms, etiology, diagnosis, treatment options; Psoriasis pipeline insights covering late stage clinical trials pipeline; Psoriasis prevalence trends by countries; Psoriasis market size and forecast by countries, market events, trends; product sales and forecast by countries; market shares by countries.



Research Scope:

Psoriasis pipeline: Find out the drugs in clinical trials for Psoriasis by stages, phase 3 clinical trials, phase 2 clinical trials, and phase 1 clinical trials, by pharmacological class, by company

Find out the drugs in clinical trials for Psoriasis by stages, phase 3 clinical trials, phase 2 clinical trials, and phase 1 clinical trials, by pharmacological class, by company Psoriasis epidemiology: Find out the prevalence of Psoriasis in US; prevalence forecast to 2023

Find out the prevalence of Psoriasis in US; prevalence forecast to 2023 Psoriasis products: Identify key products marketed and prescribed for Psoriasis by brand name, by molecule, by company, by branded / generic, in US

Identify key products marketed and prescribed for Psoriasis by brand name, by molecule, by company, by branded / generic, in US Psoriasis market size: Find out the market size for Psoriasis drugs in US; Find out how the market advanced from 2014

Find out the market size for Psoriasis drugs in US; Find out how the market advanced from 2014 Psoriasis drug sales: Find out the sales of Psoriasis drugs in US

Find out the sales of Psoriasis drugs in US Psoriasis drugs sales forecast: Sales forecast for Psoriasis drugs to 2023 in US

Sales forecast for Psoriasis drugs to 2023 in US Psoriasis market share analysis: Find out the market shares of Psoriasis drugs and outlook in US

Benefits of this Research:

Evaluate commercial market opportunities for Psoriasis drugs

Synthesize insights for business development & licensing

Track market size, competitor drug sales, market shares in Psoriasis market

Develop in-depth knowledge of competition and markets

Analyze sales data to update your brand planning trackers

Develop tactics and strategies to take advantage of opportunities in the market

Track market trends and analyze key events in Psoriasis market

Develop forecast models, healthcare frameworks, or economic models

Answer key business questions; supports decision making in R&D to long term marketing strategies



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7swc99/us_psoriasis?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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Miami, Oct 24 : The death toll in Florida from Hurricane Michael, which hit the Panhandle earlier this month, has risen to 29, while the total number of people killed by the storm in the United States now stands at 39, the spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management told Efe on Tuesday.

The 10 other confirmed deaths were in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia, Alberto Moscoso said.

Bay County, where at least 19 people were killed, was the area worst hit by Michael, which made landfall on Oct. 10 in Mexico Beach packing maximum sustained winds of 250 kph.

Michael pounded the northwest Florida region with torrential rains and a storm surge of 4.2 meters (14 feet).

Three people died in Gulf County; four died in Gadsden and Jackson counties; and Clay, Liberty and Calhoun counties each registered one death from the storm.

"Damage caused by Michael in the communication infrastructure has made it difficult to obtain detailed information on what caused the deaths," Moscoso said.

Medical examiner's offices in the respective counties should be the ones "responsible for confirming the deaths caused by the hurricane," he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing food, water and shelter to the Gulf County residents most affected by Michael.

More than 42,000 residents and businesses in northwest Florida still do not have electricity due to the extensive damage sustained by the grid.
United Nations, Oct 24 : The United Nations, evaluating information on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said on Tuesday that it has asked Turkey and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in order "to get to the bottom of what happened".

The world organization stands by statements made over the weekend including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for "a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi's death and full accountability for those responsible," Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesman, told a regular briefing, Xinhua reported.

"We are evaluating information as it comes up," Haq said in response to questions about why the United Nations has not started an official investigation. "If there are any changes, special requests one way or the other, we'll have to consider them in due course."

"For a UN investigation to be successful we would need cooperation from the various parties who would be involved and normally we expect to have some form of mandate from a block of member states and we'll have to see if that can be achieved," he said. "We've already asked for cooperation among the Turkish and Saudi authorities to get to the bottom of what happened to Khashoggi."

"Ultimately we want to make sure there is agreement on a strong investigation, one way or another," he said. "Of course if we have a role to play in that we will consider it."

Asked if the world organization isn't already at the point of empowering a panel to investigate, considering the information at hand, he said, "We are not at that stage yet. You are hearing different parties talking about a UN role. I am just talking about ways that can be achieved."

Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. His fiancee waited in vain for him to come out of the building. Saudi authorities first said they didn't know anything, that he had left their office but later admitted he was killed during a fight following an argument in the consulate.
Washington, Oct 24 : President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized Saudi Arabia, saying that they orchestrated a "cover-up" of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but declaring that he will leave to Congress the possible US response in the matter.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," said Trump in the Oval Office in response to a reporter's question about how the killing could have occurred, Efe reporte.

"Whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble," the president said, referring to the presumed plan to murder Khashoggi.

Trump also said that there must be some kind of sanction imposed on those responsible for what occurred, although he would leave it to Congress to decide exactly what that should entail.

The president reiterated, however, that he is not inclined to restrict arms sales to Riyadh because "Russia, China and France" will quickly take advantage of the opportunity to sell their own weapons to Riyadh if the US refuses to do so.

The president did not say if he shared the conclusion of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Tuesday called Khashoggi's killing "premeditated."

Khashoggi, a journalist who had gone into self-exile in Washington and recently had been a critic of Riyadh, disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to pick up some documents for his planned wedding.

After a series of contradictory explanations, last Friday the Saudi government admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a "fistfight" inside the consulate and ordered the arrests of 18 suspects.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the US will review the visas of the agents and officials implicated in Khashoggi's death and will evaluate the possibility of imposing individual sanctions on those responsible.

Pompeo said that his department is working with the US Treasury to study the possibility of sanctioning the people allegedly responsible for the death within the framework of the 2016 Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the US government to punish those implicated in human rights violations anywhere in the world.

However, Pompeo said that the US will continue maintaining a close association with Saudi Arabia, although he emphasized that he and Trump were "not happy with this situation."

"We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this ruthless action to silence Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he said, adding - however - that Washington will continue pursuing its strategic objectives with Saudi Arabia.
Los Angeles, Oct 24 : Reality TV star Vicky Pattison says she is facing hardships in her relationship with her fiance and actor John Noble.

In an interview to New Magazine, Pattison admitted that she is "fighting a battle" in her relationship after being plagued by rumours of strife following the death of her best friend Paul Burns and two of Noble's grandparents' passing earlier this year, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Before travelling to Dubai with Noble, she said: "We're going to Dubai, so we're out of the hardest bit. My birthday's coming up, his birthday is coming up, so we're on a nice run of seeing each other a lot. Everyone's fighting a battle to make it work."

Their loved-up display comes amid claims the couple, who got engaged in July 2017, were apparently not on speaking terms until a few days ago and had severed ties on social media, with sources claiming their relationship is "hanging by a thread".
Washington, Oct 24 : In its first, careful steps toward punishing the Saudis involved in the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US administration has revoked 21 visas of Riyadh men linked to the murder, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

It was the first concrete step by the Donald Trump administration after the disclosure of Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul, Time reported.

Pompeo did not reveal the exact number but the State Department told the media that 21 Saudis were under the visa penalties, Xinhua news agency said.

"We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Foreign Ministry, and other Saudi ministries who we suspect to have a hand in the killing," Pompeo told the media on Tuesday.

Pompeo added that the US would "continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable" for the heinous murder and cover-up later of the Washington Post columnist.

Top US diplomat revealed that the State Department was also reviewing the applicability of Global Magnitsky sanctions -- a penalty punishing those responsible for severe human rights violations.

Pompeo, however, also repeated that the "US still considers Saudi Arabia as a 'strong' ally".

Khashoggi was missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The Saudi authorities said last week that Khashoggi died in a "brawl" in its consulate.

The New York Times reported that the journalist was killed within minutes after his entering the Saudi office. His dismembered body parts have been recovered from the Saudi consul general home, a UK-based broadcaster said.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Supreme Court will on Friday hear a plea by CBI Director Alok Verma challenging the Centre's order asking him to proceed on leave.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday said Verma's plea would be taken up on October 26 after his counsel pressed for an urgent hearing on the midnight order issued against the central probe agency's chief following an escalation of rift between the top officials at the Bureau over bribery charges.

Verma had two more months to go before his tenure ends and the government cannot formally remove him, counsel contended.
Mumbai, Oct 24 : Business magnate Cyrus P. Mistry on Wednesday announced the launch of a new global enterprise, Mistry Ventures LLP, to provide strategic insights and advice to businesses, incubate new ventures and provide seed, early stage and growth capital to startups in India and worldwide.

It will bring in Ashish Iyer, Senior Partner and formerly Global Leader, Strategy Practice at the Boston Consulting Group, to head the new firm, a statement said.

The development comes exactly two years after Mistry, 52 was ousted as the Chairman of Tata Sons on October 24, 2016 in one of the most closely followed corporate wars in recent times. The Irish-born Mistry had been appointed in 2012.

Outlining his vision for the new venture, Mistry said: "The intent to deliver profit with positive socialAimpact will be embedded in each of the ventures we promote or partner with."

On Iyer, he said: "Ashish has worked with companies across sectors globally and brings deep expertise across domains and capabilities such as Strategy, Go-To-Market, Digital Innovation, amongst others, and I am very excited to have him on board."

He said Mistry Ventures will do more than just invest in companies. By interpreting some of the major global and local trends and understanding their impact on industries and companies, it would incubate new businesses, forge partnerships and make investments across sectors.

"Mistry Ventures will focus on providing mentorship and infusing unique capability sets to help startups craft the appropriate business experiments needed to validate, scale and bring products and services faster to the market", Mistry added.

Mistry Ventures LLP is jointly promoted by Shapoor Mistry and Cyrus Mistry of the venerable Shapoorji Pallonji Group, a globally diversified conglomerate with a history of over 150 years, operating in engineering, construction, infrastructure, realty, water, energy and financial services sectors with a presence in over 60 countries.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The literary space has emerged as one of the major playfields in the run-up to the 2019 general elections as several books vehemently critical of the dispensation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been published, or are slated for release in the coming months.

In many ways, Shashi Tharoor's "Why I Am A Hindu", and the ferocity with which senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted to it, terming the author as a "mental" and a "bad Hindu", encouraged opposition leaders to carve a niche in the culture space. What emerged as a result seems like a well-planned strategy of the opposition to counter Modi's popularity through books and appeal to what many call the "EVs" -- enlightened voters.

And then came Kapil Sibal's "Shades of Truth", in which the Harvard law school graduate examined the many actions of the Modi government since 2014, concluding that it "revels in the past without seeking to grapple with the problems of the present and prepare for future challenges".

Publishing insiders say that, apart from exposing the truth behind the government's rhetoric, such "book bombs" also provide opportunities to "speak out loud" against the ruling regime. It was seen at Sibal's launch when former Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and senior opposition leaders P. Chidambaram, Sitaram Yechury, Chandan Mitra and Sharad Yadav together took a dig at the Modi dispensation, claiming that the 2019 general elections will be a "Modi vs India" affair.

These were followed by "The Sarkari Mussalman", by Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd), who led the Army in quelling the 2002 Gujarat riots. In the memoir, he claimed that there was a delay in deployment of the Army because of which "crucial hours", and "at least 300 lives" were lost.

When looked at in their entirety, these books may have contributed to the changing narrative in the country, as pointed out by surveys like the "Lokniti-CSDS-ABP Mood of the Nation", which found the BJP and Modi losing popularity at an alarming rate.

Even if the past is to be left behind, the Modi government has quite a few salvos coming its way as new books by Shashi Tharoor, Salman Khurshid, Omar Abdullah, Manmohan Singh, former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, along with some major surprises, are all set to release, one after the other, before April 2019.

Tharoor will go personal, for the first time, in "The Paradoxical Prime Minister", divided into five sections and comprising 50 chapters on Modi. "Economics for Political Change: The Collected Works of Manmohan Singh" documents the evolution of his thought over more than half-a-century as an academic, policymaker and politician.

Manish Tewari's "My Ministerial Years" will tell the story of the struggle to string together a narrative "as the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government in its second term faced a barrage of both unwarranted and, more often than not, motivated criticism from an extremely belligerent media driven by corporate imperatives".

Omar Abdullah's upcoming book, his first, is billed as "one of the most important books" about the beautiful and troubled state "that was born in fire and blood".

"The Idea of India" by Salman Khurshid, is a compendium of what constitutes India's past, present and future, "an exhaustive account of what India truly stands for". Another book by Khurshid, "The Indian Muslims", will also release before the elections.

In "Of Counsel: The Challenges of the Modi-Jaitley Economy", Subramanian will open up about his tenure, which saw the controversial demonetisation of high-value currency notes and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). And then there is Subramanian Swamy, who never fails to surprise, and those in the know of business say that he will do so again in "India's Economic Performance And Future Projections". Rajan will pen another book after "I Do What I Do", also slated to release before the elections.

Tharoor, with his massive fan following on social media, will also star in a Web Series releasing in 2019 and based on his "Why I Am A Hindu", urging the viewers to reclaim Hinduism from the "Hindutva Wadis".

Along with these are some major upcoming surprise releases, the "book bombs" in the true sense. Everything about them, including the authors' names and the "explosive subjects" of their books, leading publishers said, will be revealed just prior to their publication.

Notably, PEN International released a report last month titled "India: Pursuing Truth in the Face of Intolerance" that outlines how dissenting voices -- of journalists, writers, academics or students -- "face intimidation, harassment, prosecution, online abuse, and physical violence". The 15-page report is highly critical of the Modi government and opens with a poster of the firebrand journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.

It said that India has witnessed "a rising tide of violence, impunity, extended pre-trial detentions, and surveillance" and called upon the Indian authorities to safeguard freedom of expression in the country.

PEN International President Jennifer Clement told IANS that it is going to be vigilant about any instance of coercion that writers and journalists may face. The international writers' body elected two dissenting voices from India, Tamil writer Perumal Murugan and multiple award winning Nayantara Sahgal, among its three new Vice Presidents.

(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)
Mumbai, Oct 24 : An Indonesian woman delivered a baby on-board an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta on Wednesday morning, officials said here.

Following the medical emergency, the flight was diverted to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the woman was rushed to the Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri east and is now recuperating with her newborn baby.

The flight, EY-474, was delayed by at least two hours against its scheduled arrival of 3.05 p.m. at Jakarta due to the medical emergency, according to an official.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Centre, which on Wednesday virtually sacked CBI Director Alok Verma by asking him to go on leave, also transferred as many as 13 officers of the agency, shunting out almost all those in Vermas team which was probing bribery charges against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

According to sources, 13 CBI officers, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar Bassi, who was investigating the charges against Asthana were transferred.

Bassi has been transferred to Port Blair with immediate effect in "public interest".

S.S. Gurm, Supervisory Superintendent of Police of AC-3 unit of CBI in probe against Asthana, has also been transferred to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, with immediate effect.

Additional Director Arun Kumar Sharma's charges as head of Anti-corruption and Joint Director (Policy) have been taken away and has been posted elsewhere.

Manoj Sinha, Deputy Inspector General heading probe against Asthana, has been transferred to Nagpur.

Superintendent of Police Satish Dagar, Deputy Inspector General Tarun Gauba and Joint Director V. Murugesan would handle the probe into FIR against Asthana, sources said.
The Mayor, the city administration, and police department have all extended that grace, giving the cafe a fair chance at being an asset of Wauconda, he wrote in an email. It is our hope that the people of Wauconda will follow suit. And if given the chance, both the church and the cafe will do everything to prove themselves a wholesome and valued part of Wauconda.
Madrid, Oct 24 : Real Madrid broke a string of poor results with a 2-1 win against Viktoria Plzen in a Champions League Group G match here.

Real, who lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, did enough here on Tuesday night to prevail and remain in the hunt for what would be a fourth straight Champions League title.

But the performance did not reassure supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu and may not be sufficient to preserve the job of beleaguered manager Julen Lopetegui.

Real Madrid and AS Roma are tied on points with 6 from three matches, 2 points ahead of CSKA Moscow and 5 better than Plzen.

Real Madrid began strongly and took a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes in with a Karim Benzema header that made the French international the fourth-leading scorer in Champions League history with 57 goals.

The hosts dominated throughout the first half, though without getting any more goals.

Things didn't improve after the break and Lopetegui turned to his bench in the 54th minute, sending in newcomer Fede Valverde for Isco.

The move paid off within seconds, as the Uruguayan assisted on Marcelo's goal to make it 2-0 for the Spanish club. Lucas Vazquez had a golden opportunity to get a third, but inexplicably missed an open net.

In the 78th minute, Plzen's Patrik Hrosovsky scored to cut Real's lead in half and the final minutes were uncomfortable for the home side and their supporters.
Los Angeles, Oct 24 : Actor Steve Carell is set to join Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston in a yet untitled morning show drama.

The role will be Carell's first as a series regular since he left "The Office", reports variety.com.

In the series, Carell will play Mitch Kessler, a morning show anchor who is struggling to maintain relevance in a changing media landscape.

Announced last year, the project was the first drama series to be ordered by Apple as the tech giant began to execute its designs in the television series space.

The series is based on an idea from Ellenberg and will draw background material from CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter's 2013 book "Top of the Morning", which recounted the rivalry between "Today" and "Good Morning America".

In April, Jay Carson departed the project as showrunner, being replaced by Kerry Ehrin.
Kolkata, Oct 24 : An FIR was lodged on Wednesday against unknown persons for the stampede at a railway overbridge in Howrah's Santragachhi station that killed two people and injured a dozen, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said.

The tragedy happened around 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the busy railway junction station under the South Eastern Railway due to overcrowding on the overbridge as commuters hurriedly tried to reach their designated platforms after an announcement of two trains coming simultaneously on two adjacent tracks was made.

"An FIR has been registered under various sections of the IPC for voluntarily causing grievous hurt and death by negligence against the unknown persons who might be responsible for the incident," an officer from Santragachhi GRP told IANS.

The railway authorities confirmed the death of two persons in a release and said it has ordered an enquiry into the matter.

"Kala Kanti Singh, 32, of East Midnapore and Taser Sardar, 61, of Murshidabad were declared dead and 12 others sustained injuries due to overcrowding and heavy rush at the Santragachhi railway station on Tuesday.

"Railway authority has ordered an enquiry in connection with the unfortunate incident," the release said.

The department had also announced a compensation package of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met the injured on Tuesday evening at the hospital.

She also said that the railways "negligence and callousness" caused the tragedy as she ordered an administrative probe on behalf of the state government.

"Security of people should not be compromised, and railway should take proper care of the people. Railway is the lifeline of the country, it should not be derailed," she had said.
Pipavav (Gujarat), Oct 24 : ICGS Varuna, an indigenously-designed training vessel built by Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited for the Indian Coast Guard, was launched here on Wednesday.

The vessel was formally launched at a function held in the presence of Coast Guard Director General Rajendra Singh at the Pipavav Shipyard.

Speaking at the launch, Singh said: "Currently the ICGS has a fleet of 138 vessels. While another 71 vessels are under various phases of construction."

He also appealed the RNEL to deliver the vessels to the Coast Guard on schedule without any delays.

Speaking at the ocassion, RNEL CEO Debashis Bir said that the vessel would be delivered to the Indian Coast Guard by end of May 2019 after extensive tests and trials.

Bir said the ICGS Varuna is a 105-metre long vessel with a compliment of 242 officers and sailors. It is powered by twin diesel engines and can reach speeds of 20 knots.

"The vessel is a first-of-its kind next-generation training ship and has been entirely designed by the design bureau of RNEL."

He said that the vessel is equipped with ultra-modern navigation and communication systems.

Appealing for a level playing field, Bir said: "There are five ship yards in the public sector and two large shipyards in the private sector. The total order book of the PSU shipyards is Rs 2 lakh crore, whereas their combined turnover was just about Rs 8,000 crore per annum."

"In comparison, the two private shipyards have an order book of only Rs 6,000 crore," he said.

According to RNEL, apart from ICGS Varuna, the company is constructing 19 other vessels - five offshore patrol vessel and 14 fast patrol vessels.

(Anand Singh is in Pipav on the invite of RNEL. He can be contacted at Anand.s@ians.in)
London, Oct 24 : Two men who were convicted earlier this year of fatally stabbing an Indian-origin man in west London's Southall suburb have been sentenced to a total of 40 years in jail.

Balbir Johal, 48, was attacked in March and admitted to hospital with stab injuries. He died a short time later.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a murder investigation and established that Johal was involved in an altercation with the two men -- Hassan Mohamed and Yassin Yussuf -- on Marlborough Road, Southall, on March 19.

According to a Daily Mail report on Tuesday, Mohamed and Yussuf were drug dealers and they killed their rival Johal after catching him selling crack cocaine and heroin on their patch.

The two men were charged with the murder. During a trial at an Old Bailey court on Tuesday, Mohamed was found guilty of Johal's murder. He was jailed for 26 years and was told that he must serve the full term before being considered for release.

Yussuf was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years and an additional three years on license on release. He was told he must serve nine-and-a-half years in prison before being considered for release, the Metropolitan Police said in a release.

A CCTV footage of the incident showed the two men in a white Mercedes pulling up alongside Johal before getting out and speaking to him.

One then returned to the vehicle and armed himself with a knife from inside the car before chasing after Johal and fatally stabbing him.

He was driven to hospital by a family member and treated for his injuries but could not be saved.

The following day, Mohamed and Yussuf were stopped by the police in the car that had been captured on CCTV and were detained and subsequently charged.

According to Duncan Penny, prosecution, Johal was killed "because he was dealing drugs in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Vatican City, Oct 24 : Pope Francis' weekly audience on Wednesday focused on the Roman Catholic faith's commandment which exhorts believers not to commit adultery.

The Pope addressed an audience of several hundred at the Vatican Square to say the Church's teaching goes beyond fidelity between married couples and said that fidelity was a quality one must apply to every relationship and aspect of our emotional lives, Efe news reported.

"Fidelity is the sign of a free, mature and responsible relationship which rejects selfishness and is marked by the generous gift of self," the Pontiff said.

"Every heart longs for love and all authentic love is a reflection of God's eternal love," he added.
Kolkata, Oct 24 : Two youths were on Wednesday arrested for the gang rape of a teenage girl in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, police said.

A 15-year-old girl from Haroa was gang raped three days back on an open field adjacent to her house, a police officer said.

"Sabir Mollah, 19, and Laltu Mollah, 22, both from that village were arrested on Wednesday. They knew the victim. The accused have been in the hiding since the incident on Sunday night," the Haroa police station officer added.

The condition of the rape survivor was stable, he said. She was taken to the hospital on Monday morning. Later send home.

Whether there were any previous relations between the attackers and the victim would also be probed, the officer said.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Centre on Wednesday raised the supervisory visiting charges for ASHA facilitators from Rs 250 to Rs 300, a move that will lead to a cumulative increase of Rs 1,000 per month.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the increase in supervisory visit charges for 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 from this month.

Announcing the decision, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) will now be getting Rs 6,000 for 20 visits, against Rs 5,000 earlier.

"The proposal entails an estimated additional expenditure of Rs 46.95 crore, comprising Rs 15.65 crore during 2018-19 (for six months) and Rs 31.30 crore during 2019-20 as central share," the government said.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : CBI Director Alok Verma was divested of his charge, as he was not cooperating with the Central Vigilance Commission, and had created "wilful obstructions" in the functioning of the anti-corruption watchdog, the government said on Wednesday.

"The CVC observed that the CBI Director has been non-cooperative with the Commission, non-compliant with the requirements or directions of the Commission and has created wilful obstructions in the functioning of the Commission, which is a Constitutional body," Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an official release.

The CVC also observed that Verma was not cooperating in making available records or files sought by the Commission relating to serious allegations, the Ministry added.

The "grave" allegations of corruption by senior functionaries against one another had vitiated the official eco-system of the organisation.

"The environment of faction feud has reached its peak in the CBI, leading to a potential loss of credibility and reputation of the premier investigating agency. It also vitiated the working environment of the organisation, which has deep and visible impact on the overall governance," the government said.

Considering the extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances, the CVC, in exercise of its powers, passed orders divesting Verma and Rakesh Asthana, the CBI Special Director of the functions, power, duty and supervisory role in respect of cases already being investigated under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act until further orders.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that an SIT will be formed to go into mutual allegations of bribery levelled by Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana in keeping with the principle that those accused will not probe the charges or supervise investigation into charges against them.

"The government having carefully examined and evaluated the material before it and in the interest of equality, fair play and principles of natural justice, decided to divest Verma and Asthana of their functions, power, duty and supervisory role in any manner as CBI Director and Special Director, respectively."

The government on Wednesday sent both Verma and Asthana on "leave".

The government took this decision as an interim measure which will subsist "till the CVC concludes its inquiry into all issues".

The Centre has asked CBI Joint Director M. Nageshwar Rao to take over the duties and functions of the CBI Director.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a MoU signed between India and Singapore to establish a joint working group to strengthen bilateral cooperation in financial technologies.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between India's Department of Economic Affairs and the Monetary Authority of Singapore during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore in June this year.

"Collaboration of India with Singapore will benefit both India and Singapore to excel in the fields of development of Application Programming Interfaces (APls), regulatory sandbox, security in payment and digital cash flow, integration of RuPay-Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), UPI-FAST payment link, Aadhaar Stack and e-KYC in the ASEAN region and cooperation on regulations, solutions for financial markets, insurance sector and sandbox models," the government said in a statement.

Singapore payment system operator NETS has partnered with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to establish a cross-border payment linkage between Singapore's PayNow and India's Immediate Payment Service (IMPS).

This partnership is aimed at boosting trade, tourism and remittances through real-time fund transfers between bank accounts in the respective countries.

The terms of references of the JWG include exchange of best practices to improve regulatory connect, promote experience sharing on fintech policies and regulations, encourage creation of standards on use of data by fintech firms and promote cooperation between the financial technology industry in India and Singapore.
The daughter, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was alerted to the video on Facebook by a former caretaker who saw the July broadcast on the social media site, said Margaret Battersby Black, attorney with the firm Levin & Perconti.
Pandalam (Kerala) : Pandalam (Kerala) Oct 24 (IANS) A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Pandalam royal family for claiming rights and powers over the Lord Ayyappa shrine, the latter hit back on Wednesday, saying the family has carried out what it is entitled to.

Vijayan has said the Sabarimala temple is the property of the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) and that none else has any rights over it. He said on Tuesday that according to the 1949 covenant, the Sabarimala temple ownership was handed over to the TDB after the royal family had serious financial crisis.

But spokesperson for the family, Sreekumar Varma, told the media that the TDB has only administrative control over the temple.

"The real owners of the temple are the devotees and the TDB has only administrative control. The relation that the family has with the Sabarimala temple does not change every five years," said Varma, obliquely criticising Vijayan's remarks.

Varma's statement was meant to emphasise that whenever the Left government comes to power -- with opposition UDF and LDF taking turns to rule the state -- it takes position contrary to the Congress-led UDF's, which has maintained that it's the 'tantri' and the Pandalam royal family whose views matter about Sabarimala.

"The events that occurred at the temple since it opened on October 16 and closed on Monday appear to have gone according to a perfectly written script by vested interests. What happened at the temple town was something avoidable. The temple turned into a conflict zone. We are deeply pained at the manner in which Vijayan spoke with absolute contempt," said Varma.

"We wish to make it very clear: we are not at all interested in the wealth of the temple and maybe there will be some, who have an eye on its wealth and we have to find out who they are. We have not asked for a single rupee from the TDB . Our only concern and worry is that there should be no breach of traditions," added Varma.

Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala said in the state capital on Wednesday that Vijayan had only complicated the situation by his outburst.

"Vijayan has declared a war on the devotees. His outburst against the Pandalam royal family and 'tantri' does not suit the post that Vijayan holds. The current impasse will end when Vijayan sheds his arrogance," said Chennithala.
Washington, Oct 24 : US President Donald Trump has condemned Saudi Arabia's account of the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi as "the worst cover up ever" as his administration took its first concrete step to penalize Saudi Arabia, revoking visas for its agents suspected in the killing.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump skewered the Saudis, saying: "They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly and the cover up was the worst in the history of cover ups."

"In terms of what we ultimately do, I'm going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - I'm going to leave it up to Congress."

His comments came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the journalist was the victim of a carefully planned "political murder" by Saudi intelligence officers and other officials.

Later, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would "punish those responsible" and had revoked the visas of 21 identified suspects, CNN reported.

"We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Foreign Ministry, and other Saudi ministries who we suspect to have a hand in the killing," Pompeo told the media on Tuesday.

The top US diplomat said that the State Department was also working with the Treasury Department to apply human rights-related sanctions that included the freezing of assets and a travel ban.

The Saudi government has provided conflicting accounts of what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's policies.

He disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 for paperwork needed for his planned wedding.

After weeks of maintaining he was still alive, senior officials later said that the 59-year-old was murdered in a rogue operation after visiting the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Sunday that Khashoggi's death was a "tremendous mistake" and added that his government would punish those responsible for his "murder".

Trump, however, seemed less willing to accept that official explanation, calling it a "lousy attempt at concealing a crime".

"Somebody really messed up... Because whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."

He said he was expecting to hear more from US intelligence officials during a meeting on Wednesday.

Trump, however, reiterated that he was not inclined to restrict arms sales to Saudi Arabia because "Russia, China and France" will quickly take advantage of the opportunity to sell their own weapons to Riyadh if the US refuses to do so.

"We're making very clear that the US does not tolerate this ruthless action to silence Khashoggi... through violence," he said, adding -- however -- that Washington will continue pursuing its strategic objectives with Saudi Arabia.

The New York Times reported that the journalist was killed within minutes after his entering the Saudi office. Sky News, a UK-based broadcaster, said that his dismembered body parts were recovered from the Saudi consul general's home.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed among the BRICS nations on environmental cooperation.

The agreement was signed during the 10th BRICS Summit in South Africa in July this year.

As per a statement, the MoU focuses on issues such as air quality, water, biodiversity, climate change, waste management, implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals, and other areas of cooperation as mutually agreed upon by the participants.

The MoU acknowledges the responsibility of the BRICS nations-- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- towards the protection, preservation and sustainability of the environment.

It will enable establishment and promotion of closer and long-term cooperation between the BRICS countries in the field of environment protection and management of natural resources on the basis of equity, reciprocity and mutual benefits, taking into account the applicable laws and legal provisions in each country, said the statement.

The agreement is expected to bring in the latest technologies and best practices suited for bringing about better environment protection, conservation and management of climate change, as well as wildlife protection and conservation.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the constitution of a high-level steering committee for reviewing and refining the National Indicator Framework (NIF) for monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with associated targets.

"The committee will be chaired by chief Statistician of India and Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)," an official release said after the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod.

Secretaries of data source ministries and NITI Aayog will be the members of the committee while the Secretaries of other related ministries will be the special invitees.

The SDGs target include measures to mainstream SDGs into ongoing national policies, programmes and strategic action plans to address the developmental challenges.

SDGs integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. They intend eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world with the basic motto of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'.

SDGs with 17 Goals and 169 Targets intend to promote sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic growth, creating greater opportunities for all, reducing inequalities, raising basic standards of living, fostering equitable social development and inclusion, promoting integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems.
Kuala Lumpur, Oct 24 : Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will face additional charges related to mismanagement of government funds when he was in office, the country's anti-corruption body said on Wednesday.

Najib was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Wednesday and was expected to face additional charges along with two of his former senior aides.

In a statement, the MACC said it had received permission to charge Najib, who was also the Finance Minister when in office, and former Treasury Secretary-General Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two were summoned to the MACC headquarters to complete the final processes of investigation and charges and will be facing charges over breach of trust involving funds belonging to the Malaysian government, the commission added.

Najib is already facing 32 charges including money laundering, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust related to the investigation into state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), where hundreds of millions of dollars were allegedly went missing.

It was unknown how many further charges will be added when he is to be summoned to a Kuala Lumpur court on Thursday.

Separately, the MACC said the former Malaysian External Intelligence Organization (MEIO) Director-General Hasanah Ab Hamid, another former senior aide to Najib, will be charged on Thursday for breach of trust involving Malaysian government money.

MEIO was an intelligence unit under the Prime Minister's Department during the Najib administration and Hasanah was reported to have misappropriated millions of funds.

She was also involved in controversies for writing a letter to the US' Central Intelligence Agency before the general election in May to seek its for Najib.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : Military contractors on Wednesday threatened to stall all defence construction work if their dues totalling Rs 1,600 crore were not cleared.

They said they would stage a protest on October 29 and October 30, if the Ministry of Defence did not clear the dues by October 28.

Military Engineer Services Builders Association of India (MESBAI) said that the dues have been pending for the last one-and-a-half years.

"Our association members are facing a lot of problems as they failed to get the payment. The issue has been raised with the Officer Engineer-in-Chief, Minister of State for Defence, Defence Minister, and the PMO," President of the MES Builders Association of India Praveen Mahana said in a statement.

"However, the government has not given us any relief till date. The members of the association also staged a protest on February 1, 2018 in this regard. The workers aren't being paid and it has been very tough to continue with the construction work," he said.

MESBAI has 73 branches across India and is the only association which is recognised by the Ministry of Defence.

MESBAI looks after the basic constructional requirements of all the three wings of the Defence Services and takes care of their maintenance and renovation, it said.

"The festive season has begun but the contractors have not been paid. If the funds are not released by October 28 and the contractors' payments not made, the builders will have no choice but to stop all work," the statement said.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : Designer Raghavendra Rathore's Gurukul School of Design (GSD) has created an installation for Rajasthan Heritage Week which will showcase installation under the theme - Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

"At Gurukul School of Design, the focus for students has been towards functioning independently, thinking critically and immersing in global art and cultures. GSD has created this beautiful art installation to symbolise a need for movement of fashion towards Indian heritage and its rich and vast variety of hand-woven textiles.

"The idea is to put in all the effort by taking small steps that create a roadmap to work towards patronising our native hand spun hand woven textiles, like Khadi. With that in mind, we created this very special installation that draws great synergy with Rajasthan Heritage Week," Rathore, Founder of GSD, said in a statement.

Gurukul School of Design is a joint venture between Rathore and Amrapali Jewels.

Rathore has put together a new methodology of education where the rich crafts from the East will be fused into a modern curriculum, that will respect up-to-the-minute technology and ancient traditions at the same time.

This year Rajasthan Heritage Week celebrates the traditional textile weavers of State, who have tirelessly worked to continue the legacy of our forefathers. The event will go on till Friday.
Tehran, Oct 24 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that Saudi Arabia wouldn't have dared to kill dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi without the support of the US, a close Riyadh ally.

Rouhani's comments came after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Saudi Arabia's account of Khashoggi's killing in Turkey as "the worst cover up ever" and revoked visas for Saudi agents suspected in the killing.

"No one would imagine that in today's world and in this century, we would witness such an organized murder, with an apparatus organizing such a heinous killing," Rouhani told a Cabinet meeting.

"I don't think any country dares to commit such a crime without a green light from the US," he was cited as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the journalist was the victim of a carefully planned "political murder" by Saudi intelligence officers and other officials.

Khashoggi, a supporter-turned-critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The kingdom first denied any involvement in the disappearance, but amid mounting international pressure, acknowledged that he had been killed at the consulate in a rogue operation.

The Iranian President described the case as a "big test" for the so-called advocates of human rights, particularly the US and Europe, Press TV reported.

"Undoubtedly, the positions which the US, Europe and other world countries adopt on the issue will reveal the degree of their sensitivity to (protecting) human rights and to preserving human dignity," he said.

"It seems that a clan that is governing a country and enjoying immunity is not afraid of committing such crimes, since it is depending on a super power's support, in such a way that even the courts of human rights are not allowed to probe it.

"How come that a big nation like Yemen has been the target of intense bombing and the world remains silent? Would Yemeni people be bombarded in such a barbaric way if the US did not support it?" Rouhani asked.

He called on Turkey to conduct an impartial investigation into Khashoggi's "unprecedented" murder. Erdogan said that Ankara would not allow those responsible for the killing to avoid justice.
Pipavav (Gujarat), Oct 24 : ICGS Varuna, an indigenously-designed training vessel built by Anil Ambani-led Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited for the Indian Coast Guard, was launched here on Wednesday.

The vessel was formally launched at a function held in the presence of Coast Guard Director General Rajendra Singh at the Pipavav Shipyard.

Speaking at the launch, Singh said: "Currently, the ICGS has a fleet of 138 vessels, While another 71 vessels are under various phases of construction."

He also asked the RNEL to deliver the vessels to the Coast Guard as per schedule.

RNEL CEO Debashis Bir said that the vessels would be delivered to the Indian Coast Guard by the end of May 2019 after extensive tests and trials.

He said that the 105-metre long and 15-meter wide training vessel is the largest ship ever built for the ICGS, at the cost of Rs 220 crore.

Bir said that ICGS Varuna is a 105-metre-long vessel with a compliment of 242 officers and sailors. It is powered by twin diesel engines and can reach speeds of 20 knots.

"The vessel is a first-of-its kind, next-generation training ship and has been entirely designed by the design bureau of RNEL."

Bir emphasised that the training ship has a primary role to impart sea training to cadets as well giving them exposure to the lives of Coast Guard officers.

He said that the vessel is equipped with ultra-modern navigation and communication systems.

The RNEL works on the modern 3D technology, which is based on virtual reality and the entire vessel has been designed on 3D platform instead of drawing books.

According to RNEL, apart from ICGS Varuna, the company is constructing 19 other vessels - five offshore patrol vessel and 14 fast patrol vessels.

The company plans to deliver the 14 SPVs in 26 months before the scheduled delivery.

Appealing for a level playing field, Bir said: "There are five shipyards in the public sector and two large shipyards in the private sector. The total order book of the PSU shipyards is Rs 2 lakh crore, whereas their combined turnover was just about Rs 8,000 crore per annum."

"In comparison, the two private shipyards have an order book of only Rs 6,000 crore," he said.

Asked why the RNEL needs more orders from the government, the CEO said: "If we look at public sector shipyards, they have a 25 year-order book. I don't see any reason for that as in 25 years, the ship technology is going to be obsolete."

"So you take an order and deliver it after 25 years doesn't make any sense to me but I am not going to criticise the government. So, in our case, we have a very very weak order book. So, we need to develop that kind of confidence with the Coast Guard and Navy so that we get much bigger orders," he said.

According to Bir, Reliance Naval has the largest shipbuilding facility in India.

"The shipyard has an installed throughput of 140,000 tonne of steel, equivalent to an annual revenue of a minimum Rs 4,000 crore," he added.

(Anand Singh is in Pipav on the invite of RNEL. He can be contacted at Anand.s@ians.in)
Noida, Oct 24 : The sister of the main accused in the Paytm extortion case on Wednesday doubted if she would get a fair deal by investigators, alleging the Paytm management was implicating Sonia Dhawan in a false case.

Rupali Dhawan, the sister of the accused, said Sonia's salary package was Rs 80 lakh per annum and that she has shares worth Rs 10-15 crore in the company. "How can she demand Rs 10 crore, that too in her bank account?" she asked.

She said Sonia's husband, Rupak Jain, had filed a complaint with Sector 39 police station in September that an anonymous caller had demanded a hefty extortion from him.

"The police station had recorded his complaint. The investigation is being done by the Noida police," said Rupali, asserting that the case against her sister was fabricated.

"Is extortion amount demanded in a bank account as alleged? Has the caller who demanded extortion been arrested or questioned? On what basis the police have arrested the shareholder of a company who is associated with it even before the inception of Paytm? The police is planting financial disputes of the company into a criminal case," alleged Rupak.

Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police Noida said investigation in the case was continuing and call records are being checked.

Earlier on the complaint of Ajay Shekhar Sharma, Vice President and brother of founder-CEO of Paytm, the Sector 20 police station registered a complaint against Sonia Dhawan, Secretary to the CEO, her husband Rupak Jain, Devendra Kumar, senior manager administration, and have arrested them.

The fourth accused, the Kolkata-based Rohit Chomal, is yet to be arrested, said the SSP.

The FIR states that Sonia Dhawan, who had been personal secretary to the CEO for about 10 years, had access to all the files containing confidential financial data. On the basis of FIR, the police tracked the IP address from where a call was made from Kolkata showing the caller from Thailand.
What this board did was totally a disservice to the residents and a disservice to the employees, he said. Its a hateful act and its against me. Its not against (the terminated employees), its against me. But theyre in the line of fire and they chose to eliminate them and chose to disrupt the services of the village.
Ranchi, Oct 24 : Ranchi police on Wednesday seized a SIM box and more than 300 mobile SIM cards from an apartment.

The SIM box and SIM cards were recovered from an apartment in Hasib Enclave, near Katatoli. Police sources say that three persons have been detained and are being interrogated in this connection.

The raid was conducted based on inputs from the state's Special Branch. The raids were jointly conducted by the Ranchi police and the Jharkhand Anti-Terror Squad.

A SIM box can have SIM cards of different mobile operators installed, permitting it to operate with several GSM gateways located in different places.

"The connection of the SIM box is linked to some foreign countries. The SIM box is used to spread wrong messages in bulk to create social and communal disharmony. This is also used in cyber crimes. We are trying to ascertain how the SIM box and SIM cards were brought to Ranchi. What was the purpose of the SIM box and SIM cards. As per information, the SIM cards were issued from Patna" said a police source.

Police have not disclosed the identities of those detained.
Rome, Oct 24 : An Italian anti-trust authority on Wednesday fined tech giants Apple and Samsung in an unprecedented ruling on planned obsolescence, stating the companies had both engaged in dishonest commercial practices.

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) fined Apple and Samsung 10 million and 5 million euros respectively ($11.41 million and $5.7 million), stating the companies had forced consumers to purchase new phones by prompting users to install software updates that resulted in the phones malfunctioning, leading many consumers to upgrade their handsets, Efe news reported.

The AGCM investigation suggested that Apple had failed to alert customers how long the lithium batteries in iPhones would last and had failed to offer useful information on how to care for them in order to boost their performance and shelf life.

Since September 2016, Apple repeatedly prompted iPhone6 customers to update the software on their phones to an operating system that had been designed for the next generation model, iPhone7, without alerting consumers that the update could lead the handsets to malfunction, the report said.

On the other hand, Samsung told owners of its Galaxy Note 4 phone to install a new version of Google's Android operating system intended for the more recent Galaxy Note 7, but which rendered the old model sluggish.

The ACGM said both companies had been fined the highest possible amount reflecting the severity of their dishonest practices.

Apple acknowledged in December that it had intentionally slowed iPhones with degraded batteries through software updates to avoid sudden shutdown problems, but denied it had ever done anything to intentionally shorten the life of a product.

This is the first ruling ever on planned obsolescence.
Kolkata, Oct 24 : Households and community marquees across West Bengal celebrated Lakshmi Puja on Wednesday, decorating their premises with colourful floor art, offering delicious vegetarian platters to the goddess and fasting with prayers for prosperity.

Popularly known as Kojagori Lakshmi puja in this part of India, the ritual to invoke Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is observed on a full moon night (Kojagori Purnima or Sharad Purnima), just a few days after the Durga puja revelry ends.

The word Kojagori literally means a night of awakening, in keeping with the belief that Goddess Lakshmi visits every household at night to ascertain who is awake. Devotees believe she blesses those who are awake, with affluence and fortune.

To guide the Goddess into their homes, women and children drew colourful patterns (known as Alpona) and footprints of the Goddess herself, using rice flour, on the floor, across doorways and inside temples.

Families offered grains, flattened rice, gold, clothes, fruits, vegetables as well as fish in obeisance to the deity who is worshipped in the form of clay idols, photographs and earthen disks or 'Patas' with paintings of Lakshmi.

Sounds of conch shells reverberated across the eastern metropolis in the evening as the rituals started in full swing, ahead of late night vigils to welcome the Goddess.

Youngsters burnt firecrackers and decorated the puja premises with colourful lighting installations to mark the occasion.

The puja also coincides with the harvest festival (Nabanna).

Family gatherings with generous servings of luchis (fried flour chapatis) with an array of sugary chutneys and desserts helped drive away the sadness that prevails after the conclusion of the Durga Puja.
Chandigarh, Oct 24 : Punjab's opposition parties, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Wednesday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to 'unmask' his cabinet colleague who had allegedly sent indecent messages to a woman Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

Demanding dismissal of the minister, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the Chief Minister why he, as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhi, were dragging their feet in taking action against the minister.

In a statement, the SAD president said as per media reports, no action had been taken against the cabinet minister who had sent indecent messages to the woman IAS officer more than one-and-a-half months back.

"This, the media reports said, was despite the fact that the IAS officer had brought the matter to the notice of her superior officers and even the Chief Minister," Badal alleged.

"The Chief Minister must tell the people why he is trying to cover it up," Badal said.

He said it was shocking that even Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been apprised about the incident, has kept silent on the issue.

"The Congress and Rahul Gandhi demanded M.J. Akbar's resignation from the Union cabinet following allegations of sexual harassment when he was the Editor," Badal said. "But the Congress chief has been actively sheltering someone for similar transgressions."

The AAP's woman wing also demanded dismissal of the cabinet minister for harassing a senior woman officer. AAP woman wing president Raj Lali Gill and co-president Jiwanjot Kaur in a statement on Wednesday asked the Chief Minister to take immediate action against the cabinet minister who is continuously harassing the woman officer.

While demanding to sack the minister, the AAP women leaders said that an immoral act by a minister cant be tolerated. The AAP leaders said the Congress was adopting double-standards on the issue of moral values.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The number of taxpayers in the country has increased as people have faith that their money is being judiciously utilised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.

Addressing IT professionals here at the launch of the "Main Nahin Hum" mobile app and portal aimed at aiding people to serve society, he also said the new age of "social startups" has arrived in India.

"These days the number of taxpayers is increasing...Although people think it is because of Modi's baton, it is actually because people know that every cent of the tax paid has been judiciously utilised," the Prime Minister said.

Emphasising the need for social service and philantrophy, Modi said that although paying taxes is appreciable, social service amounts to doing more than paying taxes on time.

Citing the example of Wipro founder and philantrophist Azim Premji, Modi said that it is only serving others through social work that provides the highest satisfaction to an individual.

He said the concept of social startups has been there in India for ages.

The Prime Minister also said that one should not "only criticise" industry and corporates.

"We have a culture where we like to only criticise business and industry. This is not a line of thought I agree with," he said, adding that "we have seen today, in this Town Hall programme, how leading corporates are doing excellent social work, urging their employees to venture out and serve."

Speaking of the country's progress in the startup scenario he said that India is currently ranked third globally in terms of startup ecosystem.

Noting that "only hugs between Prime Ministers" does not bring glory, he said the youth of the country must be able to fare well in all spheres internationally, including the Olympic Games and winning Nobel prizes.

He also said that it is important "to create an India where everyone has equal opportunities".

The portal, which works on the theme 'Self4Society', will enable IT professionals and organisations to bring together their efforts towards social causes on one platform.

"In doing so, the portal is expected to help catalyse greater collaboration towards the service of the weaker sections of society, especially by leveraging the benefits of technology. It is also expected to generate wider participation of interested people who are motivated to work for the benefit of society," an official statement said.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : Noted agronomist M.S. Swaminathan on Wednesday said that Indian farmers must be given access to global markets so that exchange of technology could take place.

Speaking at Global Agriculture Leadership Summit, organised by Indian Council of food and Agriculture (ICFA), he said that farming was not just a machine to produce food but a basis of livelihood.

He asked for leadership in the farm policies making and involvement of women and youth in agriculture for improvement of the sector.

Swaminathan, who is renowned for his leading role in India's green revolution, said 'gene editing' technique could be important to overcome the problems being faced by the agriculture sector.

In the same event, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal said inter -ministerial committee was examining the recommendations on doubling farmers' income by 2022.
Guwahati, Oct 24 : Representatives of organisations who had called a 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday against the Centre's move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, on Wednesday sought an appointment with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to discuss the issue.

Serving an ultimatum on Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to convene a meeting within a week with the representatives of 60 organisations that had called the bandh, RTI activist Akhil Gogoi warned that a mass movement would be launched across the state in protest against the Bill in case the CM refused to hear them out.

"We have come to know that the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 is likely to submit the report to Parliament in the Winter Session. However, the Assam government is yet to make its stand clear on the Bill," said Gogoi.

The Bill seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, drawing opposition from several organisations in Assam.

Gogoi said that the representatives of the agitating organisations also plan to meet the legislators of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to know the party's position over the issue. The AGP is a member of the BJP-led alliance government in Assam.
Chennai, Oct 24 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Wednesday urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Environment to withdraw the recommendation to grant terms of reference for environmental impact assessment for a new dam by Kerala at Mullaperiyar.

In a letter to Modi, text of which was released to the media here, Palaniswami said the expert appraisal committee for River Valley and hydro projects functioning under the Ministry of Environment had given its recommendation at its meeting held on Sepetember 27.

Palaniswami said the action of Kerala government approaching the Central government and the later entertaining the same is violative of a Supreme Court order.

"In the construction of a new dam, there has to be an agreement between the two sides. The offer made by Kerala cannot be thrust upon Tamil Nadu," Palaniswami quoted a portion from the apex's court order.

"I also request you to advise the Ministry of Environment to desist from entertaining and considering any proposal of the Kerala government on new Mullai Periyar Dam in future," Palaniswami said.

Though located in Kerala, the Mullaperiyar dam is owned and operated by Tamil Nadu.

Kerala wants a new dam to be built so that it has the control over it.
Shimla, Oct 24 : The Central government has sanctioned development projects worth Rs 9,000 crore in the past 10 months for Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Wednesday.

The state government is focused on development of those areas that were neglected by the previous Congress government, Thakur said at a public meeting at Gorkhuwala near Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district.

The government aims to provide a cooking gas connection to every household by the end of next year.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a tehsil office building at Paonta Sahib, which, he said, would immensely benefit the people of the area.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : Jamia Milia Islamia on Wednesday dismissed news reports which claimed Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, who was killed by security forces in a shootout in Kashmir earlier in the day, was its student, saying that Sofi never studied at the university.

"The media reports about Sabzar Ahmad Sofi,who has been reported by media as a former research student of JMI is factually incorrect, false and mischievous. No such student by the name of Sabzar Ahmad Sofi has ever been on the rolls of the university or registered as research student.

"Moreover, we do not have any Botany department in the University," the central university said in a statement.

"This news has been published without due verification from the university authorities. No due care has been exercised before publishing the name of the university. The university demands an immediate corrective action by publishing a suitable corrigendum refuting the frivolous claims," it added.

Sofi, said to be a Ph.D. scholar from Jamia in several news reports, was killed earlier in the day along with his associate Asif Ahmed in Nowgam in the outskirts of Srinagar city.
Aside from the online message and the note on the door, the storefront on Ridge Road in Lansing looked on Wednesday as if it was only closed for the evening. Gift displays and other advertisements remained on countertops while chairs were carefully placed upside down on tabletops and just outside the front door a set of tables and chairs remained ready for the next ice cream fans to come along.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : An urge to document indigenous cultures before they slowly fade away was what spurred visits to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tibet by filmmaker-artist Anu Malhotra -- who presented travel shows "Namaste India" and "Indian Holiday" in 90s -- archival material from which will be on view here from Friday.

The exhibition, "Soul Survivors", is a collation of photographs, documentaries and artefacts from Malhotra's visits (2000-02) to three unique cultures of a region often dissociated from the 'mainstream'.

These are: the Apatani people of Arunachal Pradesh, the Konyaks of Nagaland and the nomads of Tibet.

"I was filming travel shows around the country from the 90s, but at the turn of the millenial, I realised the country is changing so rapidly. So many of our vibrant, living traditions, and our wise, old ways of lifestyle, food, and more, was thrown out of the window," the 57-year-old filmmaker told IANS.

"I made it a personal mission to document things especially in the socio-cultural realm," she said, adding that in just 17-18 years, her material has already become archival owing to sea changes in tribal lifestyles.

Her journeys, undertook for a 7-part documentary series "Tribal Wisdom", took her to two of India's remotest areas, to the adivasi tribes of the northeast India, starting 2000.

Her documentary "The Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh" was filmed in the villages around the state's Ziro valley. Older women with nose plugs are a recurring subject of her photographs.

Malhotra, who found active physical lifestyles and their values of community living striking, also said she imbibed many of them, including the rootedness and belongingness a community brings.

For the next year, 2001, she was in Nagaland, exploring and documenting the Konyak culture and their head-hunting tradition -- a warfare tool Malhotra said is fast disappearing.

"The ancient Konyak traditions sensitised me to ways of marking identity that did not stem from material belongings. Once, the identities were etched on their very bodies; oral hygiene came from teeth blackened with soot, rites of passage like puberty and betrothal were marked by tattoos on the legs," she had earlier said.

Another trip to the Tibetan plateau in 2002, brought home photographs of the nomadic communities of the land, who roam about freely with just a "bag of needments" but owning the infinite sky and land, she said.

The material, not just a visual spectacle in itself, also holds sociological value.

The exhibition will run from October 26-31 at the Bikaner House here.
New Delhi, Oct 24 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that from April 1, 2020, only Euro VI fuel compliant vehicles will be permitted to be sold and registered across the country.

A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice S. Abdul Nazir and Justice Deepak Gupta said: "No motor vehicles conforming to the emission standards of Bharat Stage IV shall be sold or registered from April 1, 2020."

Saying that there could be no compromise with the health of the citizens, Justice Gupta speaking for the bench said, "If one has to choose between health and wealth, health of the teeming millions of this country will have to take precedence over the greed of a few automobile manufacturers."

Brushing aside the stand of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers that the shift to BSAVI compliant vehicles is a long drawn out process requiring huge changes in technologies, the court referred to some of the vehicle manufacturers who have said that they would bring Bharat Stage VI compliant vehicles well before March 31, 2020 deadline.

Taking a dim view of those resisting the switchover, the court said that some of the manufacturers were not willing to comply with the 2020 deadline "not because they do not have the technology but because the use of technology will lead to increase in the cost of the vehicles which may lead to reduction in sales of the vehicles and ultimately their profits."

If there is a "conflict between health and wealth" obviously health will have to be given precedence, the court said that when the concern is not just the health of one citizen but the "entire citizenry including the future citizens" , "the larger public interest has to outweigh the much smaller pecuniary interest of the industry, ... especially when the entire wherewithal to introduce the cleaner technology exists."

Saying that the experiment of region wise introduction of BSIV fuel was not "very successful", the court said that "it is therefore necessary to ensure that BSAVI compliance is uniform throughout the country so that even those areas of the country which fortunately have not suffered the ills of extreme pollution are safe in the future."

The court referred to the WHO database of more than 4,300 which said that the Indian cities of Gwalior, Allahabad, Raipur, Delhi, Ludhiana, Khanna, Varanasi, and Patna were among the most polluted in the world.

Saying that the "automobile manufacturers must behave responsiblky", the court said, "We expected that keeping in view our earlier order, they would have themselves volunteered to be BS AVI compliant by March 31, 2020."

Welcoming the order, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) counsel Vijay Panjwani said that the switchover to Euro VI compliant vehicles was long overdue as Euro VI fuel is available in Delhi NCR for the last one year.

Panjwani said that switchover was being held back to facilitate the interstate movement of vehicles.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 24 : The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a show-cause notice to Air Odisha for unavailability of flight to and from Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda.

The scheduled commuter carrier Air Odisha has suspended flight operation to and from Jharsuguda airport citing technical reasons since October 6. The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22.

"Jharsuguda Airport is a full-fledged functional airport and available for all domestic scheduled and non-scheduled operations. The selected airline under UDAN has been issued with show-cause for discontinuing their operations quoting technical reasons," said a statement issued by the Ministry in its official Twitter handle.

"Non-commencement within prescribed period would lead for cancellation of current award. Routes would be opened for bidding and allocated to eligible Airlines for better connectivity," it said.

Veer Surendra Sai Airport airport Director SK Chauhan told IANS that the flight operation would be resume soon.

"All flights have remained suspended by the airlines citing technical issues for last two to three weeks. However, we have discussed with the flight carrier and the flight operation will start soon," said the airport director.

Air Odisha is operating flights from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Jagadalpur under the UDAN scheme.
Kolkata, Oct 24 : The West Bengal government on Wednesday accused the Modi government of demeaning contribution of national leaders "by dragging them into politics" in the wake of a UGC directive for celebrating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31.

"To create a new political structure, BJP is tarnishing the contribution of national leaders by dragging them into politics," state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said about the University Grants Commission (UGC)notification issued on October 22.

Criticising the Central government's move of not holding prior discussions with the state, Chatterjee said: "Centre has not approached us. The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) or UGC is taking most of the decisions by keeping the state government in the dark. Hence, we will not abide by their directives".

The UGC has recommended the universities and affiliated colleges to organise competitions, quizzes and debates on relevant topics to celebrate the birth anniversary of independent India's first deputy prime minister and home minister.

A 'Run for Unity' can be organised to spread the message of unity, the UGC said. Also, institutes where National Cadet Corps (NCC) exists, have been requested to invite Army officers or ex-army officers to deliver a motivational lecture.

Chatterjee said he would would have given a thought and held discussions regarding the directives with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had UGC informed the state government in advance.

Defending the Centre's move, BJP state President Dilip Ghosh said: "Government thinks it to be its duty to uphold the contribution of all the leaders before the students. If people think we are doing politics by celebrating someone's birth anniversary, they need to change their thought."
Lucknow, Oct 24 : Two persons were killed and half-a-dozen others injured on Wednesday in Varanasi in an explosion in what seemed to be illegal stockpiling of fire crackers ahead of Diwali, police said.

The accident took place at a house in Lehartara locality, sources said.

The house where the incident took place is located near Lehartara flyover. Due to the impact of the explosion, the roof of the house caved in and many nearby houses developed cracks in their walls.

An NDRF team was rushed to the scene of the blast for rescue and relief operations.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anand Kulkarni and police force from nearby police stations also rushed to the spot to oversee the rescue operation.

The injured have been admitted to the trauma centre where condition of two is stated to be critical.
Gandhinagar, Oct 24 : Former Gujarat chief minister and expelled Congress rebel Shankersinh Vaghela on Wednesday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to honour the heirs of all princely states, which were annexed into India by the efforts of Sardar Patel whose statue he would unveil on October 31.

In a letter, Vaghela reminded Modi that it was the effort of Sardar Patel to create a united India that bore fruits.

"Although, it may be too late now, I request you to honour all the heirs later some time in Delhi publicly and also ask them to share their recollections of their ancestors' sacrifices," Vaghela said in the letter.

"Not only that, but I demand that all the names of such princely states with their logos in a chronological order of their merger in the Union be permanently etched in stone and placed just at the nearest place to the Statue of Unity so that the visitors may know of the sacrifices by these small kingdoms," writes Vaghela.

Out of the 562 princely states that Sardar annexed into India, 222 were from Gujarat, Vaghela reminded Modi.
New York, Oct 25 : New York authorities are calling the sending of a pipe bomb to CNN headquarters in Manhattan's Time Warner building an act of terrorism, although they ruled out any "specific threats" in the city.

At a joint press conference with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, state Governor Andrew Cuomo and security personnel, Cuomo said that given the profile of the incidents that have occurred in recent hours it "we wouldn't be surprised" if more such devices turned up, Efe reported.

"Terrorism only works if you let it work. What they are trying to do is scare us and destabilize us. We will not allow that to happen. We will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives," the governor said.

"This was clearly an act of terror attempting to undermine the free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence," De Blasio said, adding "We've seen worse. And we will not be intimidated."

Both the mayor and the governor said that there are no credible or specific threats against the city, but they emphasized that they will reinforce security at key media locations and other important sites.

New York police chief James O'Neill said that the package found in the Time Warner building apparently contained a "live explosive device" and an envelope containing "white powder," and both are being investigated.

Authorities said that this and other devices sent to former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama and Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz were homemade bombs.

John Miller, the deputy New York police commissioner for counter-terrorism, said that "It appears that an individual or individuals sent out multiple similar packages," including one received at the New York-suburb residence of magnate George Soros, a bomb that he said was "proactively detonated" and sent to the FBI laboratory.

The US Secret Service on Wednesday denied a media report indicating it had intercepted a suspicious package addressed to the White House.

CNN had reported earlier, citing a law enforcement official, that a package addressed to the presidential mansion in Washington DC and apparently containing a pipe bomb had been intercepted at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington.

That report came after the US Secret Service said in a statement that it had recovered one package addressed to Hillary Clinton in Westchester County late Tuesday and another addressed to Obama's residence in Washington.

The White House issued a statement condemning the attempted attacks on key Democratic Party figures and their supporters.

"We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," President Donald Trump's administration said.
Huixtla, Mexico, Oct 25 : Many Central American migrants making their way to the United States border are attempting to escape an array the multitude of ills scourging their home countries, including discrimination against LGBT people "I'm escaping poverty, crime, discrimination and everything," Cesar, a 23-year-old gay man, told EFE. "There is no work or anything. No food. I think I've eaten more on this journey than back home."

A native of San Pedro Sula, Honduras' second city, Mejia was a volunteer at a local NGO that aims to prevent sexually transmitted diseases by handing out condoms and providing information to young people.

"That was my last job, although I was volunteering," he said in Huixtla, where the group of more than 7,000 people will continue their journey toward the United States border, still some 2,000km away.

Back home, Cesar struggled to make ends meet, struggling to support his mother - who found herself out of a job at 62 when the factory where she worked closed - on his low salary.

He also said that he had been the victim of discrimination ever since he came out of the closet, particularly among his neighbourhood's young gang members, who hurled insults at him as he walked past them on the street.

One time he was even beaten and he went to the police, but no action was taken, and three of his gay friends were murdered recently in Puerto Cortes.

To Cesar, the caravan means escaping poverty and violence, but he is not the only one who thinks that way.

Sitting on a sidewalk in Huixtla are four travel partners from El Salvador, two gay men and two transgender women.

Cesar fears that, now that his story has been covered by several media outlets, things could take a turn for the worse should he be deported and thrown back to his country.

His goal is to make it to the US, but he is afraid of being locked up or extradited to Honduras, where he decisively said he "cannot go back."

Against all odds, the migrant caravan has traversed more than 700km across Central America and Southern Mexico in hopes of ultimately reaching the US border to have a shot at the American dream.
In response to the growing number of projects and demand for services, global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has expanded its teams of the Retail Agency (Marek Dabrowski), Capital Markets (Robert Tomaszewski), Asset Services in Poland (Paulina Brzozowska and Magdalena Kokosza) and in EMEA (Magdalena Puchalska-Nielaba and Agata

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The Bobolas familys notorious Bondi hoarder house is set for November 22 auction, the third attempt by the NSW sheriff to forcibly sell the property.

The Californian bungalow last sold to Mary Bobolas in 1973 for $15,000.

There were $2 million hopes the last time it was listed.

Ric Serrao, of Raine & Horne Double Bay, has been enlisted again to sell the 550 square metre property, but without any public buyers guide.

The Boonara Avenue property was offered to buyers in mid-2016 but the auction was cancelled at the last minute when the family produced enough funds to pay off part of their debt to council for their continual clean-ups.

The property offers proximity to the beach, cafes, restaurants, shops and public transport.

No inspections of the home are scheduled given safety issues.

The buyer will be responsible for securing vacant possession and the rubbish removal, Serrao told The Daily Telegraph.

There have been periodic night time sightings of family members at the property.

When it was listed in 2015, around 63 contracts were issued, but the Bobolas family again managed to come up with the money just hours before the auction.

There are currently five writs on title, totalling more than $248,000 worth of council clean-up charges and legal fees.

A 2008 study by John Snowdon, professor of psychological medicine at the University of Sydney, showed a increasing prevalence of cases of severe domestic squalor.

This article was first published in The Daily Telegraph.
Joanne Dahlman, who lived in the 4400 block of Maple Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:40 a.m., records show.
The founder of Unique Estates, Nicolette van Wijngaarden, faces up to 10 years jail if found guilty of the fraud charges following the collapse of her national estate agency.

The 15 charges were laid after an investigation by forensic accountants.

The NSW Department of Finance told The Echo, her local Byron Bay newspaper, that Ms van Wijngaarden, 44, was currently on bail, due to appear for mention in Sydneys Downing Centre local court on November 8.

It was front page news today in the town newspaper.

The 44-year-old faces five counts under section 211(2) of the Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 2002, allegations that relate to fraudulently converting money from a business for a persons own individual use.

Ms Winjgaarden is also facing 10 charges of fraud under the NSW Crimes Act 1900.

The Department of Finance said the total quantum of money involved in all charges alleged is in excess of $3.5 million.

Unique Estates was founded by Ms van Wijngaarden in Byron Bay in 2009 as a boutique agency dealing with luxury properties.

It expanded significantly in the ensuing years to include offices in Albert Park, Double Bay, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Hong Kong.

The agency published the magazine Unique Luxury, which was distributed in Qantas lounges across the country.

The agency collapsed in February.

The ATO emerged among the biggest creditors.

"Bank accounts are frozen and there are no funds," was the blunt message to staff as McGrath Nicol was appointed joint managers by the NSW Department of Fair Trading

The agency had won a string of awards over the years including the Best Real Estate Agency Website for Asia Pacific 2017-2018 at the International Property Awards Grand Final Ceremony held in London.

It is not the first time a high-flying Byron agent has been caught up in trust account issues.

The now defunct Byron Bay real estate agency Belle Property was the subject of an earlier investigation by the Department of Fair Trading.
EXPERT OBSERVER

While mainstream media obsesses over the inevitable downturn in the major markets in Sydney and Melbourne, somehow turning that into a national crisis, the rest of the nation is overlooked, especially regional Australia.

This is a shame for property investors because, right now, many of the best opportunities to buy well for future growth and good rental returns are in regional Australia.

While medias focus remains firmly on the capital cities, the reality is that the strongest price growth in the past year has been recorded in regional centres.

The best-performing markets this year, based on our analysis of all the research, have been Geelong in Victoria, the towns of Cardinia Shire just outside Melbourne, the NSW Central Coast and the Newcastle region (pictured above).

Its significant that while the average price outcome for the capital cities is a negative figure, dragged down by Sydneys decline, the result for regional Australia is positive. This is according to latest data from CoreLogic, which says that the average total return for regional Australia is 6.2%, compared to -0.6% for the combined capital cities.

While four of the eight capital cities have price levels lower than a year ago (according to CoreLogic - other sources disagree), five of the six major state regional markets have prices higher than 12 months ago.

The latest figures from SQM Research have annual price for the capital cities (the average for the eight capitals) slightly in the negative, but the national average including the regions is solidly in the positive.

Returns are better in the regions: yields in the capital cities average 3.5%, while the regions average 5% (CoreLogic figures).

And, of course, the prices are much more affordable: the median dwelling price for the cities is $643,000, compared to $368,000 in the regional areas.

Looking forward, the markets I see as having the best potential for upside for investors include locations like Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria, the Hunter Region of NSW and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, with recovering Townsville another market likely to provide great value and potential for future growth.

I note that the latest McGrath Report puts forward the view that regional property markets are the new black in residential real estate.

The report says leading regional hubs like the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Geelong and Newcastle are undergoing significant price growth on the back of strong demand.

It suggests improved infrastructure has made commuting times faster between regional areas and capital cities - and when coupled with the NBN rollout making access to technology better, these regions have become even more appealing to buyers.

Massive infrastructure investment across Australia is also boosting employment in regional centres, the report says.

Most investors overlook the regions, believing that all the economic and property growth potential lies in the capital cities. It simply isnt so.

To increase awareness of the potential in our regional areas, consider what Jack Archer, chief executive of the Regional Australia Institute, said in a recent newspaper column:

Many believe one of the problems with plans to decentralise our population is too few jobs in rural and regional Australia. Not true. Permanent skilled and unskilled migrants are needed in many areas.

And simple reforms to immigration policy with support from rural communities to settle new permanent migrants will help take pressure off major cities.

He notes Federal Government moves to channel jobseekers into regional work and the possibility of a five-year regional visa to connect migrants with permanent regional jobs.

Data from the Federal Governments Internet Vacancy Index shows why new permanent migration to regions is critical. In July there were 46,000 job vacancies in regional Australia. This is up 23% from February 2016. Capital city vacancies rose only 12%.

Archer says: This need is not about temporary farm work. Todays vacancies are a mix of high-skill and low-skill jobs  everything from labouring, to sales, trades and professions. In the Pilbara, there are about 1,600 vacancies including 553 trades (automotive), 332 professionals (engineering and health), 238 machinery operators, 155 labourers and 128 clerical staff.

Australia has many strong, diverse regional economies supporting property markets which are affordable, have much better yields than the cities and have strong potential for capital growth.

Thats why I see buying in good regional cities as a win-win-win scenario.

John McGrath recently said regional is the new black, rivalling the likes of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with their new improved lifestyle, population growth and growing economy's.

Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au

[email protected]

twitter.com/hotspotting
Law Offices of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Eagle Home Mortgage, LLC, call (858) 999-1118 to speak to Attorney Nicholas De Blouw.

The San Francisco Labor law attorneys at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Eagle Home Mortgage, LLC, alleging that the company failed to lawfully provide meal and rest periods and pay minimum wages to their California employees working for the company. The class action lawsuit against Eagle Home Mortgage, LLC, is currently pending in the Alameda County Superior Court, Case No. RG18924014. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

The lawsuit filed against Eagle Home Mortgage, LLC, alleges the DEFENDANTS meal period policies and practices were unlawful because PLAINTIFFS and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members were far too over-booked and overworked to take a timely off-duty thirty (30) minute meal period. The lawsuit further alleges that the failure of Eagle Home Mortgage, LLC, to provide the legally required meal and rest period is evidenced by the company's business records.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges PLAINTIFFS and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members as a business expense, were required by DEFENDANT to use their own personal cellular phones as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties as employees for DEFENDANT but were not reimbursed or indemnified by DEFENDANT for the cost associated with the use of their personal cellular phones for DEFENDANTs benefit.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Eagle Home Mortgage, LLC, call (858) 999-1118 to speak to Attorney Nicholas De Blouw.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw, LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages,overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
@properties Commercial recently brokered a series of lease transactions in Chicago totaling more than 18,000 square feet. The transactions include:



Larry Cohn and Becca Lundstrom, senior brokers for @properties Commercial, brokered a 7-year lease for 6,190 square feet of office space at 1339 S. Wood St., in the Illinois Medical District (IMD). Hektoen Institute of Medicine opened an office in the 11,700-square-foot building, which is home to Vertiport Chicago  the citys only vertical helicopter landing facility. Vertiport services hospitals and medical companies in the IMD. Cohn and Lundstrom represented Hektoen and were the sole brokers in the transaction.

Cohn also brokered a 5-year lease for 7,500 square feet of office space at 358 W. Ontario St., a 42,000-square-foot loft building in Chicagos River North neighborhood. Prodigous USA Inc. opened a photo studio and office in the space, which is owned by Ontario West, LLC. Cohn represented Prodigious USA and was the sole broker in the transaction.

Cohn, along with @properties Commercial broker Graham Mitchell, represented the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago in a 7-year lease for 2,100 square feet of Class-A office space at 737 N. Michigan Ave., in the Streeterville neighborhood. Ellen Zalatoris of CBRE represented the landlord, 737 N. Michigan Ave. Investors, LLC.

Cohn and Mitchell also represented Advanced Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine LLC in a 7-year-and-3-month lease for 2,290 square feet of office space at 850 S. Wabash Ave., in the South Loop. The commercial office building has a number of medical tenants, according to Mitchell. Jonathan Zimmerman of Willard Jones Real Estate represented the landlord, J2M-V, LLC.

About @properties Commercial

@properties Commercial is the full service commercial real estate division of @properties, the Chicago areas largest brokerage firm by sales volume. @properties Commercial focuses on all asset classes within commercial real estate including multifamily, retail, office, industrial, land, hospitality, as well as specialty properties. Services include investment sales, commercial leasing, investment-advisory services, asset management, receivership and consulting. For more information, visit http://www.atproperties.com/commercial.
The Board of Trustees of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) has been concerned about migrant children since the announcements earlier this year that children were being separated from their parents at our borders. The Trustees of AAAA believe that no migrant child should be placed for adoption or permanent guardianship here in the United States without the express consent of their parent or parents. We have encouraged licensed adoption agencies and our membership to respect the rights of parents whose children are being held by the United States government either in government facilities or have been placed with contracted agencies and not consider these children abandoned until all efforts can be made to locate their parents and either return them to their parents or obtain voluntary consents for an adoption. AAAAs Resolution Concerning Migrant Children can be found at https://adoptionart.org/about-aaaa/publications/resolutions.

About the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys

The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) is a credentialed, non-profit organization dedicated to the competent and ethical practice of adoption and assisted reproduction law. It advocates for laws and policies to protect the best interests of children, the legal status of families formed through adoption and assisted reproduction, and the rights of all interested parties. It is represented by 470 attorneys or Fellows from the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Israel and the United Kingdom who focus their law practices on adoption law, assisted reproductive technology law (ART) or both. AAAA is headquartered in Greenwood, Indiana. For more information, visit us at adoptionART.org
Aladtec for EMS puts scheduling tools in staff members' hands Prior to using Aladtec, I spent a lot of time dealing with trade requests from members. Now they take care of their own trades. We'll never go back to paper scheduling. -- Dale Dow, deputy chief, Fitch Rona Fire & EMS Past News Releases RSS Aladtec Will Exhibit at...

Aladtec Team Heading to...

Aladtec Team Will Demo Scheduling...

Aladtec, a Wisconsin-based provider of cloud-based scheduling and workforce management software, will be among about 350 exhibitors showcasing products and services to EMS professionals attending the EMS World Expo, Oct. 29-Nov. 2 at the Music City Center.

As of early October, nearly 900 EMS agencies nationwide are using Aladtec to provide 24/7 staffing coverage, swiftly fill open shifts, and allow members to trade shifts and request time off. The program also includes a sophisticated form tool to speed up daily routines like rig- and medication checks.

Aladtec's cloud-based scheduling and workforce management software is used by more than 2,100 agencies across North America, including 21 fire-, rescue-, law enforcement and dispatch centers in the State of Tennessee.

Prior to using Aladtec, I spent a lot of time dealing with trade requests from members. Now they take care of their own trades. It's also very easy to check the schedule from anywhere, said Dale Dow, deputy chief with Fitch Rona Fire & EMS, which serves the Dane County (WI) communities of Fitchburg and Verona. We'll never go back to paper scheduling."

Product Manager Jaimie Hammond and Support Specialists Anthony Jackson and Dave Snyder will offer free demonstrations of the software and answer user questions about features, such as the new capability to attach and upload files within the Forms area.

Aladtec, a Passport sponsor for the EMS World conference, can be seen at Booth 820. Expo hours will be from 11 am to 4:30 pm, Wednesday, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, Thursday, and 10 am to 1 pm, Friday.

Watch a short video about how Aladtec's Forms tool can streamline inspection routines.

EMS World offers EMTs, paramedics and leaders can participate in two days of continuing education sessions before the actual conference convenes on Wednesday, Oct. 31st.

The conference offers more than 200 educational sessions relating to ALS, BLS, critical care, educator, leadership, management operations, community paramedicine, and special populations.

The keynote event is a panel discussion entitled "Tackling the Opioid Problem" -- a national crisis that officials say killed 50,000 people last year.

Featured speaker, Dr. Dan Swayze, will describe some innovative and controversial approaches EMS agencies from across the country are taking to tackle the problem and why addressing this situation is much more complicated and divisive than other recent public health threats like H1N1 and Ebola.

Anne Montera, a registered nurse, will share her personal story of how she suffered a cardiac arrest, was resuscitated by her paramedic husband, Chris, only to awake in a hospital and learn she was being treated for an opioid overdose.

Attendees will have the chance to participate in a variety of hands-on training experiences including an active shooter mass casualty incident demonstration, agency ridealongs with the Nashville Fire Department, a workshop built around a simulated coordinated terrorist attack, and a clinical challenge -- the winner of which will earn a free trip to an international EMS conference.

During the exposition, Aladtec representatives will offer participants guided software system demonstrations. Interested agencies can also sign up for a no-cost 14-day customized demo by visiting http://www.aladtec.com

For information about their affordable industry specific options, or to try a free demo, please visit http://www.aladtec.com.
Its a great honor to receive this recognition for the Q-Tag... We faced some stiff competition, and this award is a testament to the innovation delivered by the Q-Tag in a very mature market where genuinely new ideas are rare.

ALL-TAG, a manufacturer of U.S. made RF EAS Labels, and a leading supplier of AM and RF Anti-theft Security Tags, Security Labels, and other loss prevention products, was recently awarded Most Innovative In-Store Solution of the year for the Q-Tag, at the 2018 Fraud Awards.

The UK Retail Risk Conference hosted the 2018 Fraud Awards. The event recognized the technological advancements and innovative approach that ALL-TAGs Q-Tag brings to the market.

To qualify for the Most Innovative In-Store Solution, the judges looked for innovative approaches to an existing, tried and tested solution or genre. The solution had to be from either a vendor or be an in-house retailer solution.

Its a great honor to receive this recognition for the Q-Tag, commented ALL-TAG Europes General Manager, Tim Moore. We faced some stiff competition, and this award is a testament to the innovation delivered by the Q-Tag in a very mature market where genuinely new ideas are rare.

The global response to our launch of the Q-Tag has been amazing, commented ALL-TAGs Vice President of Sales, Andy Gilbert. It is very challenging to create a revolutionary EAS hard tag these days, but the Q-Tag truly has tackled this objective.

Q-Tag Product Features:



Q-Tags size, shape, and the connectivity between the tag and pin make it virtually impossible to remove from retail merchandise forcibly.

Q-Tags unique stacked 3D RF coil offers superior EAS system detection performance to standard 2D flat RF coils. Retailers no longer need large EAS tags to achieve adequate detection.

The patent-pending lock opens by a very unique array magnetic detacher that cannot be purchased anywhere is necessary to release the Q-Tags lock.

A single Q-Tag can come equipped with 8.2 MHz Radio-Frequency (RF), 58 KHz - Acousto-Magnetic (AM), and Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies. For retailers with RF, AM, and RFID systems installed in various stores within their chains, they can merely use Q-Tag to accommodate each store regardless of the type of system installed there. No more keeping track of which tags need to be shipped to each individual store.

Q-Tag can be used to protect any apparel or soft good because Q-Tags specially designed pin will not damage even the most delicate fabrics such as ties, scarfs, and lingerie. With this pin, retailers can tag merchandise wherever they deem most useful from a security and/or customer experience standpoint.

Q-Tag is outfitted with a unique pin parking hole that will reduce tagging time by up to 30%.

Parking or connecting the pins to the tags will drastically reduce pin shortage.

Q-Tags pin parking hole will eliminate possible injuries, as there will no longer be loose pins laying around.

High definition logos, marketing, and promotional messages, security warnings, and QR codes can be printed on the top clear resin dome.

For additional information about products mentioned in this release, or to learn more about ALL-TAG, please visit https://all-tag.com.

About ALL-TAG

ALL-TAG is a manufacturer of U.S. made 8.2 MHz Radio-Frequency (RF) EAS Labels, and supplier of Acousto Magnetic (AM) EAS labels that are used to source tag retail merchandise. ALL-TAG also supplies RF and AM Hard Tags, Ink Tags, and other Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) solutions that are fully compatible with Checkpoint and Sensormatic brand products. ALL-TAG has been manufacturing its RF Labels for source-taggers and retailers throughout the world since 1992. Our manufacturing facility is located in Boca Raton, Florida. The company also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Mexico City, and Hong Kong, to service our customers throughout the world.
American IRA CEO, Jim Hitt Theres more than just the public stock market when it comes to investment.

Holding a Self-Directed IRA allows an investor to hold a wide variety of asset types within a retirement portfolio. These investments can include real estate and even precious metals, giving investors a way to diversify out of the stock market. But one way that investors can continue to hold equity without relying on public stocks: private equity. And American IRAa Self-Directed IRA administration firm based in North Carolinarecently released a set of tips for dealing with private equity in a retirement account.

The first tip: do not be rushed. Noting that professional private equity investors and venture capitalists can take days or weeks investigating opportunities and doing due diligence before actually investing, the article advises investors to be careful with their money and to avoid relying on whims for their financial future. Self-Directed IRAs make it possible to hold plenty of great assets within a retirement account, but they do not protect investors from silly decisions.

The next tip: go big. American IRAs blog post notes that investors that find good opportunities should feel free to go for it. Building wealth for retirement is not easy, after all, and the inherent advantage in working with private equities is having the potential to score big on an investment while the account grows tax-free or tax-deferred.

Theres more than just the public stock market when it comes to investment, said Jim Hitt, CEO of American IRA. Investors need to know that their retirement assets can be wide-ranging. They can include all sorts of private investments, including private companies. And oftentimes, it is those private companies that can offer investors the best returns.

The excitement of having a private equity investment go well would be expanded by holding it within a Self-Directed IRA, which would allow investors to keep more of their own money for retirement. And since taking money out of a retirement account comes with taxes and fees, investors would then be incentivized to keep the money for the long-term future.

For more information on Self-Directed IRAs, visit the post at http://www.AmericanIRA.com or call 866-7500-IRA.

"About:

American IRA, LLC was established in 2004 by Jim Hitt, CEO in Asheville, NC.

The mission of American IRA is to provide the highest level of customer service in the self-directed retirement industry. Jim Hitt and his team have grown the company to over $400 million in assets under administration by educating the public that their Self-Directed IRA account can invest in a variety of assets such as real estate, private lending, limited liability companies, precious metals and much more.

As a Self-Directed IRA administrator, they are a neutral third party. They do not make any recommendations to any person or entity associated with investments of any type (including financial representatives, investment promoters or companies, or employees, agents or representatives associated with these firms). They are not responsible for and are not bound by any statements, representations, warranties or agreements made by any such person or entity and do not provide any recommendation on the quality profitability or reputability of any investment, individual or company. The term "they" refers to American IRA, located in Asheville and Charlotte, NC."
The timber frame for the new Sannino Vineyard winery and tasting room will be raised on Tuesday, Oct 30 by New Energy Works Timberframers. Raising a timber frame is an important and exciting eventit offers a chance to witness the culmination of months of planning, dreaming, and the detailed effort of an age-old craft.

New Energy Works will be raising the frame for Sannino Vineyards new winery and tasting room at 15975 Rte. 48 in Cutchogue, New York on October 30, 2018. The community is invited to attend this traditional raising event. Anthony Sannino, co-owner of Sannino Vineyard, said that, Seeing the timbers go up is the closest thing to an old-fashioned barn raising well see in the modern world. Friends of the winery, who have been anticipating the new building for several months, will finally be able to see the shape of our new facility. Were especially proud to be partnering with New Energy Works, one of the foremost firms in the production and fabrication of building timber.

Were excited to raise the frame for Sannino Vineyard, said Eric Fraser, General Manager of Timber Framing at New Energy Works. Raising a timber frame is an important and exciting eventit offers a chance to witness the culmination of months of planning, dreaming, and the detailed effort of an age-old craft where the bones of the project come together.

Douglas fir timbers will be joined using traditional mortise and tenons, secured with hardwood pegs. The same timber frame artisans who crafted the frame in the New Energy Works shop will be on-site to raise it, preassembling first thing, driving the wooden pegs, and employing use of a crane for the heaviest lifts.

The timbers are only one element of what is planned to be one of the most energy-efficient wineries built in the northeastern United States. The building will also feature insulated concrete forms (ICFs) supplied by NY PolySteel of Amityville, New York, for the foundation walls and main floor decking, and structural insulated panels (SIPs), supplied by Branch River Plastics of Smithfield, Rhode Island, for the walls and the roof of the winery.

Mr. Sannino explained that these combined technologies will allow for maximum efficiency in cooling and heating. This goes hand-in-hand with the philosophy of sustainability that has been a hallmark of Sannino Vineyard ever since we first opened for business. This has always been the way we have farmed our vineyards, and we wanted our new building to reflect that same ethos. Mr. Sannino, who has owned and operated Style Contracting for thirty years, is particularly pleased that the new project has given him the opportunity to combine his decades of experience in design and construction.

Co-owner Lisa Sannino, who manages the business affairs of the winery, pointed out that the new facility will enable Sannino Vineyard to enhance its unique emphasis on hospitality, customer service, and wine education. Well not only have more square footage, but the new building will be customized so that we can offer our guests the highest quality experience. Well have more space in our tasting bar, and a room dedicated to our Wine Club members and for classes that will enable patrons to learn more about the world of wine and our special North Fork Wine Region. This is the logical next step for us as we develop a customer experience that will be second to none. From the start, weve been aiming to create a Long Island version of the agriturismo thats so popular in Europe, and has become increasingly prominent in the US wine industry as well. The winery and tasting room will be connected with our home vineyard and the Sannino Vineyard Bed and Breakfast, so our guests can stay on a fully-integrated, working farm.

Anthony Sannino added that the new building will allow the winery to gradually increase production. We may have a slight increase in the number of cases we produce, but we will always be an artisanal vineyard. We want our new home to have the same warmth and generous spirit thats always been at the heart of our winery. Its going to enable us to introduce even more people to our way of life. Thats why we started Sannino Vineyards, and why its been so fulfilling for us to see it grow.

New Energy Works designs and builds environmentally responsible timber frames across the USA from their New York and Oregon facilities. The company offers Timber Framing (design, engineering, manufacturing, build), Enclosure Systems, Fine Woodworking, Recycled and Sustainable wood products. New Energy Works has LEED AP staff members, is a member of the US Green Building Council, and is FSC Certified.
Mark Edgerton, National Sales Manager and CEO Roy Edgerton (r-l) with IoH CEO Deric Milligan and Strategic Initiatives Director Audra Milligan Like Inheritance of Hope, we believe in generational legacy, and so I guess you could say we are singing off the same songbook. -Roy Edgerton, CEO of Analgesic Healthcare

Through the generous donation of Analgesic Healthcare, one family will be sponsored and fully-funded on an upcoming Inheritance of Hope Legacy Retreat. According to Roy Edgerton, CEO of Analgesic Healthcare, Inheritance of Hope was a natural choice for the company to support, Why Inheritance of Hope? Because Analgesic is about family, and our family of employees, he said.

Our values are in concert with Inheritance of Hopeto treat clients and patients with dignity and respectbut the most important word is family. It is important for parents to leave their family a legacy. Edgerton elaborated, Like IoH, we believe in generational legacy, and so I guess you could say we are singing off the same songbook.

Since 1978, Analgesic Healthcare has defined itself as an industry leader in the field of personal rehabilitation devices. Dedicated to delivering the highest-quality products and innovations in therapeutic pain relief, the company has an even broader commitment to positively shape the community. Their mission statement is more than window-dressingAnalgesic Healthcare lives up to these ideals through frequent and meaningful charitable giving.

Recently, Analgesic, and the family of employees behind the brand, made a gift to Inheritance of Hope (IoH), a nonprofit with local ties. IoH was founded by Lakeland, Florida, natives Deric and Kristen Milligan after Kristen was diagnosed with a rare form of terminal cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, the Milligan children were just four years old, two years old, and six months old. As the young parents struggled with this new reality, they quickly realized that their children needed support as much as they themselves did. Eventually Kristen and Deric formed Inheritance of Hope to help families just like their own.

Now, IoH serves families facing the possible loss of a parent through life-changing, all-expenses-paid Legacy Retreats. At each Legacy Retreat, diagnosed parents and their families make precious memories together, receive tools to navigate this difficult time in their lives, and meet others who share the same challenges and fears. Although Kristen passed away in 2012, the ways she shaped her legacy were indelibly imprinted on her young childrens hearts, and IoH encourages other parents to do the same. 2018 Legacy Retreat locations include Orlando, California, Colorado, and New York City.

Analgesic Healthcare and IoH have a great deal in commonboth began as small family start-ups, and have institutional integrity which starts at the top and trickles down. When selecting IoH as a nonprofit partner, Edgerton explained that the organizations exemplary reputation didnt hurt, We are very careful about how we select charities to support, and do our research through GuideStar Charity Check, which is the gold standard. He added, We were most impressed with the ratio of giving to IoH directly by the clients served, and also impressed with the rating IoH has had the last few years.

Edgerton further commented, As a company, it is in our belief statement to give back, and our employees demonstrate that as well. The people who come to work for Analgesic all have similar values, and that is a function of commitment, responsibility, and accountability.

Edgertons assessment concerning the core of Analgesic Healthcare is proven through its employees wholehearted and widespread support of Inheritance of Hope. Break room chatter has been enthusiastic about promoting the mission of IoH, and the Analgesic Healthcare family has fully embraced the Inheritance of Hope family. The two organizations look forward to furthering their partnership in the future.
Silverlon wound dressings have a permanently plated metallic surface, which provides the antimicrobial benefits of silver in the dressing without staining the skin and without increasing bioburden. Silverlon antimicrobial technology has been battle field-tested by the U.S. Military in the most austere environments for over a decade. The stringent evaluation process of the HHS further supports Silverlons clinically-proven efficacy, safety and multidisciplinary value.

To prepare for radiological and nuclear emergencies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) has announced it will work Argentum Medical, LLC to repurpose its commercial Silverlon technology for radiation injuries of the skin.

As a pioneer of silver technology, the privately held company has been awarded a three-year, $8.4 million contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). This contract will look at the potential use of its Silverlon technology for use for low-grade and severe skin radiation injuries after a radiation emergency.

Under a separate contract with BARDA, Argentum Medical is nearing completion of studies required to apply for FDA clearance of Silverlon for skin burns caused by sulfur mustard chemical weapon exposure.

Silverlon antimicrobial technology has been battle field-tested by the U.S. Military in the most austere environments for over a decade. The stringent evaluation process of the HHS further supports Silverlons clinically-proven efficacy, safety and multidisciplinary value, said Raul Brizuela, president and CEO of Argentum Medical. Radiation injuries of the skin can be life-threatening and require reliable, sustained and versatile antimicrobial protection. Its an honor to extend our Silverlon technology to support the critical work of the HHS to advance Americas preparedness for radiological and nuclear emergencies.

Silverlons Military Heritage

Developed for combat injuries, Silverlon antimicrobial technology is now used by every branch of the U.S. Military. As the evidence-based antimicrobial dressing available, Silverlon products contain 50 to 100 times more metallic silver ions than other silver-impregnated dressings.

Studies have shown Silverlon to be highly effective in hostile and austere military environments. The U.S. Army uses Silverlon wound-care technology extensively in the management of burn and blast injuries.

Silverlon is incorporated into numerous deployed Medical Tactical Combat Casualty Care kits and is also supplied in bulk to Combat and Support Hospitals and Tactical Forward Surgical Teams. It is also included in burn care protocols in the Joint Theater Trauma System Clinical Practice Guideline.

Silverlon burn products and protocols are extensively used by the US Army and by US Air Force Critical Care Air Transport (CCAT) teams and are taught at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Critical Care Air Transport Basic Course.

Beyond the military, Silverlon dressings are used today by surgeons and other healthcare professionals around the world on surgical wounds, in negative pressure wound therapy, on chronic wounds, burns, skin grafts, and IV and catheter-related wounds.

Argentum Medical continues to explore new applications and markets for its Silverlon technology in keeping with its corporate mission to improve clinical outcomes. For more about Silverlon, visit http://www.silverlon.com

About Silverlon

Silverlon wound dressings have a permanently plated metallic surface, which provides the antimicrobial benefits of silver in the dressing without staining the skin and without increasing bioburden. Silverlon was originally developed for the U.S. military, where it is still extensively used for management of burn and blast injuries. Silverlon dressings are used today by surgeons and other healthcare professionals around the world on surgical wounds, in negative pressure wound therapy, on chronic wounds, burns, skin grafts, and IV and catheter-related wounds. For more, visit http://www.silverlon.com

About Argentum Medical

Argentum Medical pioneered the use of silver-plated nylon. Specializing in the development of innovative products made from silver-plated nylon, the company continues to explore new applications and markets for its Silverlon technology in keeping with its corporate mission to improve clinical outcomes.

About HHS, ASPR and BARDA

HHS works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The mission of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats. Within ASPR, BARDA invests in the advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures  vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products needed to combat health security threats.

For more about ASPR and BARDA, visit http://www.phe.gov/aspr. To learn more about partnering with BARDA on advanced development of medical countermeasures  drugs, vaccines and devices for emergencies  visit http://www.medicalcountermeasures.gov.
Atlantic Honda will donate to the Kaelyn McCandless Foundation for every vehicle sold during October weekends

Kaelyn McCandless is a 10-year-old girl from Lindenhurst, New York, who enjoys being outside and playing in the water. She has two brothers and four sisters that all agree that she can be an energetic and sassy young lady. Unfortunately, Kaelyn has been diagnosed with brain cancer. She has already had a tumor removed and has received radiation and a year of chemotherapy treatment. However, despite best efforts, her cancer has spread to her brain.

Cancer is the uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells that can spread to other areas of the body. There are many different types of cancer with some types being more treatable than others. Among the different types, the most commonly heard cancers include lung, breast, Leukemia and Melanoma. These cancers can affect anyone of any age and it is especially disheartening when someone who is young is diagnosed with cancer.

In order to help the McCandless family with the cancer treatment expenses as Kaelyn fights brain cancer, Atlantic Honda has a donation goal of $12,000. For the month of October, the dealership will donate $15 for every vehicle that is sold during the weekends. The vehicles can either be a used model or a new Honda model that are available on the dealerships lot. To view the new and used inventory, drivers can visit the Atlantic Honda website at http://www.atlantichonda.com.

Atlantic Honda is a new and used dealership that is located in Bay Shore, New York, and serves the surrounding areas. Along with its large inventory, the dealership also offers online credit approval, collision repairs, basic maintenance and new vehicle research.

For any questions on how to help the McCandless family or about the available inventory, drivers are able to contact staff at Atlantic Honda online or by calling 631-328-2060. The dealership is located at 1375 Sunrise Highway.
Our customers around the world and across industries have transformed their organizations  improving the lives of employees and customers, whilst unlocking organizational efficiencies along the way," Gustavo Gomez, Bizagi CEO

Bizagi, a leading Digital Process Automation provider, has today announced the winners of its 2018 Transformer Awards. These awards recognize the Bizagi customer organizations that are delivering the most successful and innovative transformation initiatives.

Old Mutual Wins Best Overall Digital Transformation

This award recognizes Old Mutuals far reaching project that has transformed its banking operations to benefit the customer experience. The digital transformation program at Old Mutual has achieved remarkable results including reduced customer waiting times and increased Net Promoter Scores (which continue to rise every month). As the transformation journey at Old Mutual continues, Bizagi has recognized the Old Mutual team team for its huge success in this critical transformation initiative.

Bancolombia Wins Best in Agile Operations

This award highlights Bancolombia for its outstanding results since using Bizagis technology to create an agile culture that delivers transformational change. As part of its digital transformation, Bancolombia has automated over 1800 processes, including 1400+ of Bizagis Live Processes, which empower change agents to transform every part of the business faster than ever. This unwavering commitment to agility won the Bancolombia team this Transformer award for Best in Agile Operations.

AEON Wins Best in Business Innovation

Japanese retailer AEON was presented with the Transformer Award for Best in Business Innovation for its innovative solution using the Bizagi platform. AEON now offers a process that allows near instant credit applications in retail stores. The approved credit cards are then printed, providing an immediate loan facility that the customer can use there and then. This innovative approach delivered by the AEON team earned them the accolade of Best in Business Innovation.

Washington State DRS Wins Best in Government Transformation

Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) was recognized for its on-going work to transform the experience of millions of Washington State residents that are planning and receiving retirement benefits. Whilst the project has just recently launched, the impact of the initiative has the potential to be far reaching, which is why the talented team at Washington State DRS were selected for the Best in Government Transformation award.

CEO Gustavo Gomez added, Our customers around the world and across industries have transformed their organizations  improving the lives of employees and customers, whilst unlocking organizational efficiencies along the way. We are particularly proud to have been an enabling force in these winning programs that were all expertly led by the teams at Old Mutual, Bancolombia, AEON and Washington State DRS.

About Bizagi:

Bizagi helps organizations to transform into digital businesses. Its process automation platform connects people, applications, devices and information to deliver the engaging experience that todays customers demand. Fuelled by a community of over 1 million users, Bizagi powers enterprises worldwide including adidas, BAE Systems and Old Mutual. For more information visit http://www.bizagi.com

Media contact:

For more information, please email marketing@bizagi.com
BrightStar Care of Austin Pays Tribute to A Special Client: Owner/Artist George Sanchez creates bronze statue to recognize Dr. McKetta on his 103rd Birthday.

A Bronze Bust life-like sculpture was created by BrightStar Care of Austins Owner and Artist, George Sanchez, and presented to Dr. John J. McKetta, a client of BrightStar Care, and the world renowned chemical engineer and namesake of University of Texas McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. The bust was a special gift presented to Dr. McKetta on his 103rd Birthday.

BrightStar Care, a Home Health Care Agency in Austin, helped celebrate Dr. McKettas milestone birthday by creating and revealing a bronze sculpture to the well-known Austin professor. Dr. McKetta was also presented with cake and UT students and faculty singing Happy Birthday at this special reveal.

The bronze-bust of Dr. McKetta was created by sculpture artist and BrightStar Care President/Owner, George Sanchez. Sanchez and his team of BrightStar caregivers wanted to recognize Dr. McKettas lifetime contributions to Texas University and the world. They also wanted to celebrate the special relationship between McKetta and BrightStar. BrightStar has been providing care to the doctor and has a close relationship with his caregiver. McKettas caretaker, Mark Radosavljevic, and Sanchez wanted to do something special for a favorite client on very special occasion. We consider Dr. McKetta a friend and part of the BrightStar family. He has done so much for the world and we wanted to celebrate him and memorialize his life said Sanchez. Drawing on his artistic talents, Sanchez designed and sculpted the bronze bust gift for Dr. McKetta. See how the bust was created and highlights from the reveal and birthday celebration on YouTube  To Watch Video CLICK HERE. https://youtu.be/SoFXaluPUn0

There is a very special relationship and bond that develops between a caretaker and client. BrightStar caregivers become a part of their clients life and work closely with their family supporting them in their home and with daily activities. To be able to create a special gift for someone special to us was a privilege and honor for our BrightStar Care Team. Sanchez added.

Together with The University of Texas McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering staff, BrightStar Care helped arrange the special birthday celebration and bust reveal for Dr. McKetta. Dr McKettas reaction to seeing his sculpture for the first time was there are two of us. It was a heartwarming time to see Dr. McKettas reaction to the bust and to the surprise birthday cake and song from an enthusiastic group of BrightStar Caregivers and UT Students. The bust will be on display at The University of Texas McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering is encouraging people to celebrate Dr. McKettas birthday with us and post your favorite #McKettaMemory on social media, send your photos and stories, or make a birthday gift in honor of Dr. McKetta to UT here: https://tinyurl.com/ya2nh62v

About Dr. John J. McKetta Jr.:

Dr. McKetta is an American chemical engineer known for his research on more efficient ways to create energy and the thermodynamic properties of hydrocarbons. Born in Wyano, Pennsylvania, he obtained his BSE, MS, and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty of the chemical engineering department of the University of Texas in 1946, later serving as department chair, dean of the UT College of Engineering, and vice chancellor of the UT System. He served as energy advisor to Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. He published over 400 papers and wrote or edited 87 books, including the 68-volume "Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design". He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and, in 2009, was selected by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as one of the "50 Chemical Engineers of the Foundation Age." He also served as president of AIChE in 1962. In 2012 the University of Texas renamed his department as the John J. McKetta Jr. Department of Chemical Engineering. As a published author, he is widely held in libraries worldwide.

About BrightStar Care of Austin:

BrightStar Care of Austin provides quality home care caregivers and medical staffing solutions to families and businesses in the Austin metro area. Its home care agency services include senior home and pediatric care, Alzheimers and dementia care, skilled nursing care, caregivers and childcare/nanny services, special needs care, infusion pharmacy services and more. Proudly serving Central Austin, Eastern Travis County, North Austin, East Austin, West Austin, Lake Travis, South Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, and Tarrytown. For more information, please call 512-452-9800, or visit http://www.brightstarcare.com/austin
62% of merchants cite chargebacks as top benchmark for fraud, but overlook their impact on revenue. Writing off chargebacks, returns, refunds and other losses as a cost of doing business can be very misleading, essentially resulting in fake revenue that creates a false sense of security.

Adjusted for seasonal variation, quarterly retail eCommerce sales hit a record high of $127.3 billion in Q2 2018.(1) Yet this ongoing top-line growth does not truly reflect the health of the eCommerce industry because it fails to account for hidden losses asserts Chargebacks911, a leading dispute mitigation and loss prevention firm. The company alerts retailers to beware of profit parasites that leech income and create artificially inflated revenues, warning that if these variables are not properly tracked and controlled, they could force a merchant out of business.

According to Chargebacks911, profit parasites include often-overlooked costs such as chargebacks, refunds, returns and false positives (legitimate orders incorrectly flagged as fraud and declined). Many eCommerce merchants group these losses under cost of goods sold (COGS) instead of scrutinizing them as separate line items, making it difficult to calculate their direct impact on revenue and obscuring the true source of rising costs. When a Quora post questioned whether processing fees, refunds and chargebacks should be recorded under COGS, finance and accounting pros responded with a resounding, No.(2)

Writing off chargebacks, returns, refunds and other losses as a cost of doing business can be very misleading, essentially resulting in fake revenue that creates a false sense of security, explained Monica Eaton-Cardone, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Chargebacks911. If merchants dont track these areas separately and work on improving them, they will continue to erode profits and can eventually lead to financial collapse.

A survey found 62% of eCommerce retailers list chargeback rate as the most important key performance indicator (KPI) for fraud management, ranking it higher than fraud rate by value (47%), confirmed fraud rate (35%) and fraud rate by order volume (27%).(3) Yet 13% of merchants say they dont know their current chargeback rate, and 23% have a chargeback rate at or above 1%.(4) Crossing the 1% threshold can push them into Visas or Mastercards chargeback monitoring program, which may incur additional feesand, if unresolved, could even culminate in account termination and blacklisting by processors.(5)



One of Chargebacks911s big-box retail clients was confronting over $2 million in monthly fraud losses; that figure climbed 100% in a span of two years, yet sales growth was less than 10% during that time.

Another big-box merchant experienced a 2% sales increase but saw a 7% rise in chargebacks over the same period.

Eaton-Cardone says if retailers arent careful, losses can quickly outpace growth. In the case of these two merchants, implementing a multi-layered risk management solution helped substantially reduce losses and recover revenue that had previously been forfeited to chargebacks. Using remediation technology as a post-fraud detection tool, recovered revenue losses from invalid chargebacks of over 50%, and ultimately reduced repeat attempts by 2.5% on average. Studies prove that identifying the source of the fraud, and identifying invalid attempts with the use of post-analysis technology such as Chargebacks911s ISD technology is more effective that a pre-auth fraud filter alone.

eCommerce businesses that have a high ratio of chargebacks and returns generally have persistent but correctable problems, notes Eaton-Cardone, whether its a quality-control issue, merchant errors, insufficient or inaccurate product details on the website, or continually accepting orders from customers who have a history of chargebacks and returns. Conversely, retailers whose fraud filters are too tight could end up turning away legitimate customers, losing both the current sale and the potential for future business.

Chargebacks are the best barometer for the health of the eCommerce industry, stated Eaton-Cardone. Analyzing and correcting the root causes of chargebacks can also help in other areas, such as reducing returns and identifying consumers who are likely culprits of friendly fraud. And as you gain a better understanding of your customers and their purchase patterns, you can fine-tune your fraud filters and minimize false declines.

To help merchants cure profit parasites, Eaton-Cardone recommends the following steps:

1. Maintain detailed records of returns, refunds, chargebacks, false declines, customer acquisition costs and other losses, and keep each category as a separate entry.

2. Analyze this data on an ongoing basis to assess the quality and value of each customer and develop an action plan for areas that need improvement.

3. Conduct a compliance review to pinpoint internal problems that need to be fixed.

4. Learn when and how to dispute chargebacks; submit compelling rebuttal letters with supporting evidence and stay on top of deadlines. Successfully challenging disputes can help reform consumer behavior and reduce chargeback-related costs.

5. Use a multi-layered fraud solution to address as many risks and threats as possible.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, fraud attempts can spike to 43% of monthly transactions(6)making it even more important to control and correct unnecessary losses. And when its time for year-end financial reporting, having a detailed breakdown of costs (even if only for internal use) can give a realistic big-picture view of revenue, guide business-improvement resolutions for 2019 and pave the way for sustainable growth.

Chargebacks911 is dedicated to educating and supporting eCommerce merchants on ways to increase profitability, curtail chargebacks and combat fraud. To that end, Monica Eaton-Cardone will be speaking at The Future of Payments event in London on November 6 and co-presenting a panel on cyber threats at the Sofwerx Security Summit in Tampa on November 7. The Chargebacks911 team will also be at the upcoming Airline Industry Retailing Symposium in Rome and the Emerging Payments Association EP@Home event in London.

About Chargebacks911/The Chargebacks Company

Chargebacks911 empowers businesses to combat constantly evolving fraud tactics and mounting customer disputes that directly threaten profitability. Operating as The Chargeback Company in Europe, Chargebacks911 has pioneered effective, industry-leading solutions designed to reduce chargeback fraud, alleviate processing costs, mitigate risk and recover revenues.

The companys unparalleled expertise and proprietary technology have earned three consecutive CNP Customer Choice Awards for Best Chargeback Management Solution, three successive AI Lions Den Awards for Best Airline Industry Solution, and Gold and Silver Stevie Awards from the American Business Awards (ABA). With innovative and highly scalable services ranging from Intelligence Source Detection (ISD) to Tactical Representment, Chargebacks911 uncovers the true source of chargebacks, battles unjustified disputes, rescues lost revenue, safeguards reputations, and defends against relentless, ever-changing cyberthreats.

Discover why Chargebacks911 is a hero to the payments industry, nemesis of fraudsters and trusted protector of over 2.4 billion transactions per year, representing clients worldwidevisit http://www.chargebacks911.com.
Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Joseph Benkert has joined the firm in Washington, D.C., as a Senior Advisor in its National Security Group. Mr. Benkert served as a leading civilian official in the Department of Defense (DoD) from 2003-2009 under both the Bush and Obama administrations, including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs after being nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate. His coming to Morrison & Foerster highlights the firms continued commitment to providing clients with practical and strategic advice in the midst of unprecedented regulatory and compliance scrutiny of national security issues.

Mr. Benkert was most recently a Vice President of The Cohen Group, a global consultancy group led by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Among other things, Mr. Benkert regularly worked with Morrison & Foerster over the last five years to help advise clients on transactional matters that were subject to review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). As a result of joining Morrison & Foerster, he will now advise a wide range of the firms clients on CFIUS and national security-related matters, complementing the firms already strong capabilities in this area.

While at the DoD, Mr. Benkert led the departments involvement in numerous complex matters before CFIUS. He oversaw more than 400 CFIUS cases and represented DoD in CFIUS deliberations determining whether a foreign investment in a U.S. company or its operations represented a national security risk. Mr. Benkerts responsibilities at DoD also included managing technology security policy, the reform of export control processes, several sensitive nonproliferation projects, and a broad range of other defense-related issues. He continues to serve as an advisor on DoDs Threat Reduction Advisory Committee.

After working with Joe and seeing the value that he delivered to our clients in navigating highly complex cross-border deals in front of CFIUS, we are delighted to officially welcome him to our team, said Nick Spiliotes, co-head of the firms National Security Group. Joes extensive experience in CFIUS matters, as well as in export controls, will be invaluable at a time when foreign-led investments in the U.S. are under increased scrutiny. Our clients will benefit greatly from having access to both Joe, who was the CFIUS lead at the DoD, and John Carlin, who was the CFIUS lead at the Department of Justice.

Mr. Benkerts coming to Morrison & Foerster further strengthens the firms growing National Security Group. In July, Morrison & Foerster announced that John E. Smith, former director of the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, who was centrally involved in all aspects of developing, implementing, and enforcing U.S. government sanctions laws over the last decade, had joined as a co-head of the group. Other key additions to the National Security Group since the start of last year include Mr. Carlin, also a co-head and former Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justices National Security Division, who among other things, advises major foreign investment companies on their CFIUS strategy, Robert S. Litt, former General Counsel for the Director of National Intelligence, and David A. Newman, who served as the Associate White House Counsel and on the Staff of the National Security Council.

Our National Security Group is focused on counseling businesses on a broad range of challenging regulatory and compliance matters including CFIUS review, export control restrictions, sanctions and embargoes, and classified activities, said Mr. Carlin. Joe is one of the worlds leading consultants and a top former defense official, and his addition further enhances our unparalleled ability to help our clients effectively navigate these issues.

Prior to working at the DoD, Mr. Benkert was a career Navy officer with extensive experience both in operational command and in national security policy formulation and implementation. Mr. Benkert was the Executive Director of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel, an advisory group for the Navys senior uniformed leader, and served in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy both as a senior military assistant and as the Director of European Policy. His commands included a frigate, a guided missile cruiser, two destroyer squadrons, and operational groups. Mr. Benkert received his Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and his Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Academy.

I decided to join MoFo because of its rapidly expanding national security group, highly impressive roster of global clients, and a strong Washington team including a significant number of former U.S. government officials, said Mr. Benkert. I look forward to working with colleagues at MoFo in advising our clients on their critical national security matters as they pertain to CFIUS, export controls, and other key issues at this important time.

In addition to the former government officials who have joined Morrison & Foersters National Security Group, the firm has added a number of other former senior federal and state prosecutors and regulators in the Washington, D.C. area over recent years. Over just the last few months, the firm announced that Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax had joined as a partner in its Commercial Litigation, Trials, and Investigations + White Collar Defense groups, and that Lisa Phelan, former Chief of the National Criminal Enforcement and Washington Criminal I Sections of the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice, had joined as a partner in its Global Antitrust Law Practice.

ABOUT MOFO

Morrison & Foerster is a global firm with exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its lists of most innovative law firms in Northern America and Asia every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in those regions. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFos Privacy and Data Security, Bankruptcy, and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education for poor children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, winning asylum for the persecuted, and safeguarding the environment.
Gilbane Building Company Celebrates Topping Out Ceremony at Columbus State Community College

Gilbane Building Company recently celebrated a major milestone at the Columbus State Community College School of Management & Culinary Arts project in Columbus, Ohio. The topping out ceremony was attended by representatives from Columbus State Community College, Gilbane Building Company and our subcontractor partners. The event took place on the project site with a beam signing ceremony to commemorate the special occasion.

This event is very exciting for the entire project team and for the college community here at Columbus State, said Steve Mason, Gilbane Building Company Project Manager. The topping out is a critical milestone and is a great opportunity to recognize the tremendous efforts of everyone involved in the project, including Columbus State Community College, DesignGroup and the subcontractors.

Gilbane is providing construction management at-risk services for the construction of the new three-story, 77,000 SF signature building that will act as a symbolic front door to the colleges campus. The building will feature multi-purpose academic classrooms and labs, cooking and baking kitchens, faculty offices and 25,000 SF of general office space and conference rooms. The program will also include exterior dining areas, green space and a full-service restaurant.

Columbus States culinary program is ranked as one of the Top 20 in the United States, and this new space will allow the college to achieve their goal of doubling program enrollment. The project is expected to complete in the fall of 2019.

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 been providing construction management services in Ohio since 1957.
The finding could help ease the concerns of patients and physicians, many of whom have been unsure about the combined procedure compared to other options.

Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) after mastectomy doesnt negatively affect patient outcomes, according to a new study by researchers at Loma Linda University Health.

The finding could help ease the concerns of patients and physicians, many of whom have been unsure about the combined procedure compared to other options. At issue is a slight delay needed to coordinate schedules of both surgeons  one to perform the mastectomy, the other to perform the reconstruction. Doing so can extend the time from diagnosis to the initial surgery.

Researchers, however, found that a delay of less than 120 days for women under 60 did not have a substantial negative effect on patient survival rates. The average delay, they found, was two weeks.

Physicians often recommend IBR to support a patients mental well-being. A mastectomy by itself can often be performed sooner after a cancer diagnosis, but it leaves a patients body with a different appearance for several weeks or months before reconstructive surgery is performed.

Sharon Lum, MD, medical director of the Breast Health Center at Loma Linda University Health and lead investigator for the study, said the new finding should lay to rest concerns about a slight delay needed to coordinate care for IBR.

A major concern when combining plastic surgery with a cancer operation is that these complex operations are more difficult to schedule or result in complications that delay care, such as chemotherapy, Lum said. Our study shows that while immediate breast reconstruction causes a slight delay in time to mastectomy, it doesnt affect patient outcomes.

The study, Impact of Breast Reconstruction on Time to Definitive Surgical Treatment, Adjuvant Therapy, and Breast Cancer Outcomes, was published this month in Annals of Surgical Oncology, the official journal of the Society of Surgical Oncology.

For the study, the team analyzed 10 years of data from the California Cancer Registry. Researchers examined data from 20042014 for stage 0III breast cancer patients undergoing a mastectomy. Out of those choosing breast reconstruction, researchers looked at the effects of reconstruction on time to surgery, postop systemic therapy, radiation therapy and overall survival.

While IBR was found to delay time to surgery, its use did not substantially affect time to follow-up treatment or survival outcomes.

Other factors related to the delay needed for IBR included verifying healthcare coverage for the procedure and the patients individual needs.

Loma Linda University Health encourages whole person cancer care, which can include immediate breast reconstruction after necessary surgery to remove the cancer, said Mark Reeves, MD, PhD, director of the Loma Linda University Cancer Center. We now know this approach is safe even if it takes a little extra time to coordinate this complex care.

To learn more about the Loma Linda University Health Breast Health Center, visit its website or call 1-800-782-2623.
"With our GrassGuard product line, we take it a step further by providing a green solution..."

An upcoming episode of Innovations with Ed Begley, Jr. will focus on advances in sustainable design products, scheduled to broadcast Nationwide, 1Q, 2019. Check your local listings for more information.

This segment of Innovations will take a look at Industrial Fabrics, Inc. (Industrial Fabrics)  a company dedicated to providing engineered, geosynthetic solutions and environmental products to the designer, owner, and contractor in the civil, industrial, and environmental industries.

For over 30 years, Industrial Fabrics has proudly served many diverse clients in the construction, industrial and residential industries along the Gulf Coast and around the world. Today, the company continues its goal to supply the best products and to preserve and sustain the environment, using the most advanced solutions.

Our company is driven by its products with a goal to provide diversified solutions. With our GrassGuard product line, we take it a step further by providing a green solution, said Cody Colvin, Product Engineer for Industrial Fabrics. Innovations reached out to us for an understanding of our product and the market. We were honored Innovations noticed our commitment and drive, as is theirs, to move towards conservation and sustainability.

Industrial Fabrics is a primary manufacturer and distributor of geo-technical products, including geotextile fabrics, geogrids, liner material, silt fence, erosion control, pipe protection and paving products for the construction industry, said John Galvin, producer for the Innovations series. We look forward to showing our audience how the company is helping to preserve and sustain our environment.

About Industrial Fabrics Inc:

Cary S. Goss is the President/CEO of Industrial Fabrics, Inc. (IFI), which he founded in 1981. The corporate office is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with an additional facility in Houston, Texas. IFI's customers are predominantly in the Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi territories, and other customers can be found throughout the United States. IFI is primarily a distributor of geo-technical products, including industrial fabrics, geo grid, and liner material. IFI has been consistently recognized by the companies it represents for top honors in sales volume, customer satisfaction, and distributor excellence.

For more information, visit http://www.ind-fab.com.

About Innovations and DMG Productions:

Innovations, hosted by award winning actor Ed Begley, Jr., is an information-based series geared toward educating the public on the latest breakthroughs in all areas of society. Featuring practical solutions and important issues facing consumers and professionals alike, Innovations focuses on cutting-edge advancements in everything from health and wellness to global business, renewable energy, and more.

Backed by experts in various fields, and a team dedicated to education and advancement, DMG Productions consistently produces commercial-free, educational programming on which both viewers and networks depend.

For more information visit: http://www.InnovationsTelevision.com or call (866) 496-4065.
AllianceTek's SharePoint Services team, has been playing a leading role in the Digital Transformation Journey of their clients, and KWizCom products and services have played an instrumental role in helping deliver customer-centric solutions to our clients.

KWizCom, a leading developer of SharePoint Forms & Mobile Solution, as well as multiple other turn-key SharePoint web parts, add-ons and apps for Office 365 (SharePoint Online) designed to expand Microsoft SharePoint, is pleased to announce that AllianceTek is the newest member of KWizComs Global Partner Network. AllianceTek is now part of the prestigious group of System Integrators, VARs, Distributors and Consulting Firms with proven expertise in Microsoft Technologies that have joined KWizCom's partner program.

AllianceTek's SharePoint Services team, has been playing a leading role in the Digital Transformation Journey of their clients, and KWizCom products and services have played an instrumental role in helping deliver customer-centric solutions to our clients, advises Sunil Jagani the Founder & Chief Technology Officer of AllianceTek.

AllianceTek and KWizCom will work closely to deliver Microsoft SharePoint based turn-key add-ons and apps for Office 365 for joint customers.

We are very happy to have teamed up with AllianceTek, a company with many years of proven success and superb customer support, adds Igor Goldshtaub, the Director of Customer Support at KWizCom Corporation.

Partnership with KWizCom facilitates reaching new customers with innovative leading edge products achieving increased sales and profits for both companies. KWizCom Partners benefit from joint activities, a special discount program arrangement with sales incentives, training, licenses to KWizCom add-ons for internal use, technical support, sales and marketing support, and much more. KWizCom has a standing partnership invitation and any interested parties are encouraged to inquire further by visiting the KWizCom website.

About AllianceTek

AllianceTek is a software development & systems integration company with a proven track record of successful projects and satisfied clients. AllianceTek is passionate about providing solutions that make companies more efficient and collaborative, with core expertise in building solutions based on Salesforce, Microsoft .NET, Microsoft SharePoint, iOS, Cloud and Android.

AllianceTek has been in business for 14+ years with a strong presence across the globe, US, India and Europe. The company provides the best of both worlds and solutions to their clients  a global reach with a local presence. To find out more about AllianceTek, visit their website at https://www.alliancetek.com/ .

About KWizCom Corporation

Since 2005, KWizCom has provided innovative solutions and services to make SharePoint even better for over 7,000 companies worldwide. KWizCom is a leading provider of SharePoint Forms, Mobile, Wiki solutions, and over 70 other add-ons for SharePoint on-premises and apps for Office 365. KWizCom software is available to federal, state and local government agencies through GSA schedule.

KWizCom is a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner is headquartered in Toronto, Canada to find out more about the company visit http://www.kwizcom.com.

Follow KWizCom on Twitter @KWizCom

Join KWizCom on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/company/kwizcom

Become a fan of KWizCom on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KWizCom

Contact a KWizCom Account Specialist at +1-905-370-0333/+1-855-KWIZCOM or info@kwizcom.com
The weather this year provided a cold and windy setup of the event, she said. At one point there were upwards of 40 mph winds, which resulted in about 10 of our tents being broken. Luckily, the wind died down before the event began so it was just cool temperatures that attendees had to deal with.
Larry Bowman I look forward to joining this distinguished group in its mission of supporting the study, improvement, and facilitation of the administration of justice and the rule of law.

Kane Russell Coleman Logan Director Larry Bowman has been elected a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation. The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation Fellows is a global honorary society that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have shown extraordinary dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Members are nominated by their peers and less than one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction are elected by the organizations board.

It is an honor to be elected to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, said Larry Bowman. I look forward to joining this distinguished group in its mission of supporting the study, improvement, and facilitation of the administration of justice and the rule of law.

Larry has represented clients in Large Loss Subrogation, Insurance, Construction, and Intellectual Property matters and disputes for more than 30 years. He has extensive experience managing complex commercial litigation matters, including contractual, tort, construction, product liability, intellectual property, antitrust and securities. His success hasnt gone unrecognized-- he has been ranked by Best Lawyers (BL Rankings, 2016-2019) and Texas Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters, 2004 - 2007, 2013 - 2018), and achieved an AV Preeminent rating (Martindale-Hubbell, 2018).

Kane Russell Coleman Logan is a full-service law firm with offices in Dallas and Houston. Formed in 1992 with five lawyers, today KRCL employs more than 90 attorneys. The Firm provides professional services for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to medium-sized public and private companies to entrepreneurs. KRCL handles transactional, litigation and bankruptcy matters in Texas and throughout the country.
Morning Reflections on the Song of Solomon: The Mystery of the Bride and Groom: a healing devotional rooted in spiritual intimacy. Morning Reflections on the Song of Solomon is the creation of published authors Lorrie Belke, a married mother, Bible Study teacher and doctoral candidate from Chesapeake, Virginia; and Marlene Bergman, a married mother and grandmother, former teacher, seminar speaker, and businesswoman from Ontario, Canada.

Belke quotes Jonathan Cahn, The ancient Jewish marriage has a tradition similar to the

Song of Solomon. Before the bridegroom marries the bride, he has to journey from his house to her house. There he would pledge his love for her, consecrate his life, and give an expensive gift. The two would drink wine and celebrate their covenant.

He would then return home and prepare his home for his bride.

During the time of separation, she would prepare herself. When the wedding day arrived, there would be a great procession. The bridegroom, dressed as a king, would arrive at night, carrying torches, bringing his men with him. The bride, dressed as a queen in wedding garments would be ready.

There would be a procession from her house to his house, and the celebration would last for seven days.

The mystery is that God is the bridegroom. We are His bride. The bridegroom made a journey from His house in heaven to our house here in earth about 2000 years ago. No matter where we are, He comes to us. He comes to the door of our hearts and we let Him in.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Lorrie Belke and Marlene Bergmans new book is a rejuvenating immersion into the scriptural balm of Gilead through prayer and reflection.

As the authors delve into the profound truths between God and the church, the bride and the groom, readers will find an unshakeable inner solace that comes with understanding.

View a synopsis of Morning Reflections on the Song of Solomon: The Mystery of the Bride and Groom on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Morning Reflections on the Song of Solomon: The Mystery of the Bride and Groom at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Morning Reflections on the Song of Solomon: The Mystery of the Bride and Groom, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Veterans have skills you simply cannot gain outside of the military.

Lucas Group, ranked third on Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firms list for 2018, has opened a military transition branch within its Denver office.

Since its founding in 1970, Lucas Group has built a rich history of successfully placing highly skilled military leaders in civilian careers. Led by Bryan Zawikowski, Vice President and General Manager of the Military Transition practice group, the division has placed over 25,000 military candidates  including more than 3,000 in the last four years  in a wide variety of positions in fields such as manufacturing, sales, engineering, maintenance, field services and distribution.

Denver is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, and is attracting scores of veterans as well, said Zawikowski. We are excited to add this presence in the Mountain West to ensure we continue finding and placing the elite military talent that our clients expect.

Lucas Groups success in placing military candidates stems from a deep roster of recruiters, many of whom come from military backgrounds and have a natural understanding of the skills veterans possess and the value they provide.

Veterans have skills you simply cannot gain outside of the military, Zawikowski added. By expanding our existing military recruiting division to Denver, we are well-positioned to find more candidates to fill critical positions for companies who want dynamic and skilled leaders who can adjust to any situation.

The new branch will be led by Jeff Moyer, who joined Lucas Group as an Account Executive in 2004. Jeff was promoted three times during his career for his performance before being elevated to Managing Partner.

Jeff has been an outstanding recruiter for us and has tremendous leadership skills gained from a 21-year career with the Marines, so we are confident our new branch will thrive under his direction, said Zawikowski.

To contact Lucas Groups new military transition practice in Denver, call or visit them at the location below:

650 South Cherry

Street Suite 1221

Denver, CO 80246

800.466.4489

About Lucas Group

Lucas Group is North Americas premier executive search firm. Since 1970, our culture and methodologies have driven superior results. We assist clients ranging in size from small to medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies find transcendent, executive talent; candidates fully realize their ambitions; and associates find professional success. To learn more, please visit Lucas Group at http://www.lucasgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Another successful run for MBE magazines popular MBEs Who Rock! contest came to a close at this years National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) National Conference held in Austin, TX.

This award honors minority business owners who have excelled in their industry and are also active in their community. 2018 winners are: Kablan Edwin Bosso  Founder & CEO, Myrtle Counseling Group; Renee Boyce  President, My Next Career Path Staffing; Terri Matthews  CEO & Founder, TM Partners & Brands; Brittany S. Stovall  Co-Founder, Presidetn & CEO, Assured Quality Systems; Lisa S. Jones  Chief EyeMail Officer, EyeMail, Inc.; Beatriz Fernandez  Business Development Director, DataXport.Net, LLC; Leslie J. Sawyer  Chairman & CEO, Environmental Design International, Inc.; Parth Patel  CEO, Six Consulting, Inc. and Sandeep Gauba  CEO, Metasys Technologies. The 2018 Fall Issue MBEs Who Rock! cover featured, Darryl Daniels, AIA, President & CEO, Jacobsen|Daniels Associates LLC, located in Detroit, MI, and Tanya C. Walker, Lawyer, Walker Law, from Toronto, Canada.

The magazine hosted a special reception on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Hilton Austin to announce and honor the winners. Details about the winners will be available in the Winter 2019 edition of the MBE magazine and on the magazine website, https://www.mbemag.com.

Its a thrill to know that each year we get to acknowledge and honor these extraordinary men and women and all their professional and personal accomplishments, and get to share this with their peers, says Barbara Oliver, president of Enterprise Publishing Inc. and publisher of MBE magazine. Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees who are truly MBEs Who Rock!

As always, we cannot do this event without our supportive sponsors. Special thanks to the National Minority Supplier Development Council, DevMar Products, LLC, Trattativa Meetings, Overture, Palco, and Red Kite Business Advisors, as well as Audrey Dempsey, photographer, and Bob Dempsey, videographer.

The contest, along with its sister contest, WBEs Who Rock which honors women business owners, are held annually in June and October, and submissions for each contest can be made throughout the year. For more information and details, go to https://www.mbemag.com.

About Enterprise Publishing, Inc. (EPI): EPI, a media services company which serves the supplier diversity community in the U.S. and Canada, is the parent company of Minority Business Entrepreneur (MBE) magazine,. Our mission is to Inform, Educate and Inspire. Founded in 1984 by Ginger Conrad, MBE magazine is an award-winning, 30+ year old, quarterly, resource publication for and about minority and women businesses as well as the corporate and government diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Contact Information:

Barbara Oliver

MBE magazine

https://www.mbemag.com

(310) 294-3780
National Lifeline Association Logo NaLA and its wireless reseller carriers work hard every day to ensure that only eligible subscribers get Lifeline benefits and that only eligible subscribers retain them.

The allegations of Lifeline rule violations, including agent fraud and carrier misconduct, included in todays FCC Notice of Apparent Liability against American Broadband, if proven to be true require nothing short of our absolute condemnation. We understand that the FCC has a process which will allow American Broadband to defend itself against these very serious and disconcerting allegations.

In the meantime, NaLA and its stakeholder members will continue the good work they do every day in bringing the Lifeline program to eligible subscribers. NaLA and its wireless reseller carriers work hard every day to ensure that only eligible subscribers get Lifeline benefits and that only eligible subscribers retain them. Todays news will serve as a reminder to all Lifeline stakeholders just how important it is to achieve and maintain compliance in every facet of the good work that we do in ensuring Lifeline eligible low-income Americans are able to access this benefit that ensures essential voice and broadband connectivity.
"When military members serve, spouses serve, too. They're mom, dad, teacher, taxi driver, chef, even caregiver. Most sacrifice their own education and career aspirations to put their family's needs first. They're the true home front heroes, and we're honored to support them every day of the year."

The National Military Family Association (NMFA), a nonprofit that works to strengthen military families, is now accepting applications for its Military Spouse Scholarships program on a year-round basis.

"When military members serve, spouses serve, too." NMFA Executive Director Joyce Wessel Raezer said. "They're mom, dad, teacher, taxi driver, chef, even caregiver. Most sacrifice their own education and career aspirations to put their family's needs first. They're the true home front heroes, and we're honored to support them every day of the year."

Military spouse Emily Yancey knows that sacrifice. As caregiver to her husband, who is 100% disabled from military service, Emily has often put her own ambitions aside to meet her family's needs.

"I woke up and realized I didnt have a dream," Emily said. "I always told myself I didnt need to go to school because I never wanted to take money away from the things my family needed."

Emily received a scholarship from NMFA and pursued a certification in culinary arts. She now has a career that enables her to contribute to her family. With the new, rolling deadline, NMFA's scholarships will be awarded to spouses like Emily throughout the year.

NMFA's Military Spouse Scholarships can be used for a variety of educational and professional advancement opportunities, including degrees, certifications, licensures, CEUs, professional exams and other related expenses, such as fingerprinting and background check fees, and more.

Military spouse business owners can also apply for funding. Scholarships can be used for direct sales buy-ins, inventory and merchandise, business marketing, branding, manufacturing, supplies, permits, or additional entrepreneurial pursuits.

Spouses with a valid military ID can apply for NMFA's Military Spouse Scholarships here: https://scholarships.militaryfamily.org/offers/nmfa-spouse-scholarship/

About the National Military Family Association

The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit dedicated to serving the families who stand behind the uniform. Since 1969, NMFA has worked to strengthen and protect millions of families through its advocacy and programs. They provide spouse scholarships, camps for military kids, and retreats for families reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill, or injured. NMFA serves the families of the currently serving, veteran, retired, wounded or fallen members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA. To get involved or to learn more, visit http://www.MilitaryFamily.org
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, kindergarten teacher Nicole Lopez, of P.S. 282 in Brooklyn, was recognized today 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.

During todays event, Lopez was surprised with a $10,000 cash award after being recognized as representing the key characteristics of inspiring teaching that are central to the Award. Surprise celebrations were previously held in honor of the other four inaugural award recipients in Los Angeles, Dallas, San Diego, and Clark County, Nevada. As an inaugural Sanford Teacher Award recipient, Lopez was chosen for her commitment to bringing together students of diverse backgrounds through social emotional learning approaches developed by the Sanford Harmony program. Todays recognition was held by the National University System in partnership with Long Island University.

The five inaugural Sanford Teacher Award recipients 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 the national expansion effort led by the San Diego-based National University System. The effort involves the collaboration of universities nationwide, such as Long Island Universitys expansion of the programs in the Northeast part of the United States, that share a similar 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 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 is part of the National University System, is also a leader among a growing number of universities that have integrated Inspire principles into their teacher education curriculum. 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 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.

The criteria for selecting 50 winners 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.

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, such as Long Island University, 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
Unmasking Islam: an incisive religious investigation. Unmasking Islam is the creation of published author Noble Din, a Christian Pakistani who lives in the USA with his family; he has a nursing degree from the USA, and has worked as an official interpreter for immigrants in the UKs Home Office and courtrooms.

Noble Din shares, When I traveled to Saudi Arabia for my work, I finally had the opportunity to learn from the birthplace of Islam and Muhammad. Ultimately, I found many answers that troubled me. This book is meant to give the reader facts regarding Islam from a point of view of love, not of hate or fear.

To better understand the relationship, history, and present-day situations in our world, we need to be able to know the facts and beliefs of Islam. Upon reviewing the facts and data, a well-informed opinion can be made whether the reader is Muslim, Christian, or of another faith. Much of the conflict of the past and present is due to misrepresenting of many subjects surrounding religion, especially Islam. News media does not expound on the background and all the facts when reporting on news worldwide, especially involving radical Islam and why Muslims extremists commit the atrocities of murder, rape, kidnapping, torture, looting, destruction of ancient sites, and human trafficking.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Noble Dins new book is a rare, wonderfully precise work that resists the temptation to devolve into fear and hate, instead seeking to clear all popular misrepresentations about Islam, and not hide behind political correctness.

Din spares nothing and handles sensitive topics with utmost care and objectivity, reflectingboth in his professionalism and his true heartthe beautiful undiscriminating compassion of the Christ he aims to serve.

View a synopsis of Unmasking Islam on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Unmasking Islam at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Unmasking Islam, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Beaumont ISD 16 Classroom Building Using Permanent Modular Construction

Design-build construction firm Ramtech Building Systems of Mansfield, Texas has announced that the company recently completed a 15,232 square foot permanent modular building for the Beaumont (TX) Independent School District. Ramtech utilized one of its standard classroom wing designs, together with the company's flagship slab-on-grade permanent modular construction process in order to accelerate the completion of the 16 classroom building in less than 115 days. Located at the district's Beaumont United High School campus, in addition to the classrooms the facility includes both boys and girls restrooms on both sides of the hallway in the middle of the building. The site preparation for the project was developed by the school district while Ramtech provided the engineered concrete slab foundation. The exterior of the building incorporates full brick masonry on a parapet wall design, along with an EPDM low pitched roof. The building was constructed to meet the Texas Department of Insurance Windstorm Certification for the Texas coastal area, and also includes other life safety additions including a fire alarm and sprinkler system. The interior features a 9 foot ceiling height throughout the building with textured and painted walls and a combination of vinyl composition and ceramic tile flooring.

The Beaumont United high school campus is the result of the merger of students from Central High School with those at Ozen High School. The district was forced to close the Central High School campus after the irreparable damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The merger of the two high schools required additional space at the Ozen campus which only had a capacity of 1,800 students. The new facility adds room for 400 additional students which meets the current enrollment. Ramtech finished the project in August prior to the start of the 2018-2019 academic school year.

About Ramtech and the Accelerated Building System

Since 1982 Ramtech Building Systems has been providing innovative permanent modular buildings for educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, and Fortune 500 companies throughout the Southern United States. As a design-build construction company, Ramtech offers full in-house design, a manufacturer direct product, and complete site construction services all within a single-source solution. Ramtech's slab-on-grade permanent modular construction process combines the best of off-site prefabrication and on-site construction techniques in order to produce a building faster and with less cost but identical in the look, functionality and life expectancy of a completely site-built structure. Ramtech accomplishes this by setting factory assembled modular sections complete with attached ceilings and walls - but no floors - directly onto a conventional concrete slab foundation. This allows the concrete slab to become the floor of the structure just like a site-built building. All of the exterior and interior finishes are then site-applied, enabling Ramtech to provide their clients with a new facility faster and with less design and construction costs, while still having the same aesthetic choices and curb appeal as a completely site-built structure. To learn more about Ramtech Building Systems and the Accelerated Building System process, visit the company's website at RamtechModular.com.
RxS team at the company booth at the Sharing Conference RxS is a service organization enabled by technology  We are excited for the office expansion and believe the additional space allows us to further enhance our high-tech collaborative environment and ultimately optimize customer service success.

Privately held RxS LLC (RxS), announced today an expansion of its office location to accommodate the companys continued growth and success. This expansion announcement comes on the heels of the companys trip to Washington, D.C., for the annual Sharing Alliances Sharing Conference. This was the seventh consecutive Sharing Conference for RxS, where Jara also served as a co-presenter for a workshop entitled Building a Culture of Compliance with Your Sales Force.

Since entering the pharmaceutical/biotech industry in 2011, RxS has quickly emerged as a leader in the highly specialized niche area of Prescription Drug Marketing Act of 1987 (PDMA) compliance and sample management. While the company maintains this special focus, it has evolved its service offering to be a multi-channel solutions provider. Through this expansion effort, RxS is realizing a growing presence in the market. To best service its clients, the company is enlarging its facilities.

RxS is a service organization enabled by technology, says Mark Jara, Principal, Managing Director. Through hard work and determination, we have had the good fortune to maintain organizational growth year after year in the areas of sales, employees, services offered, and clients served. We are excited for the office expansion and believe the additional space allows us to further enhance our high-tech collaborative environment and ultimately optimize customer service success.

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are often burdened by the regulations surrounding sample management, and thats where RxS comes in. They offer customizable solutions for multi-channel sample management to companies of all sizes, ensuring compliance, state-of-the-art reporting, and outstanding customer service.

There is a natural tie between RxS and the Sharing Conference, and the company has actively participated and supported this Sharing Alliance event since its inception. In addition to the RxS exhibit space at the conference, Jara successfully co-presented a workshop on successfully building a culture of compliance within a sales force alongside Mission Pharmacal Company Womens Health District Manager for the Philadelphia region, Lora Posey.

It was great presenting alongside Mark to bring my perspective on how to successfully drive sales while maintaining compliant and ethical behavior, notes Posey. Ive been involved in pharmaceutical sales as a representative in the field, a sales trainer, an operations project manager, and now as a district manager. I have firsthand experience of how to do business the right way, and Mark and the RxS team do things the right way. They bring a positive, energetic, and enthusiastic can-do attitude to their work, and have a willingness to go the extra step to ensure client satisfaction and success. I find these admirable attributes that position RxS as leaders who are helping reshape the industry.

Jara, a recent recipient of a peer-nominated recognition as one of 100 most inspiring people in the life sciences industry, displays a personal commitment to the Sharing Alliance that extends well beyond the Sharing Conference, its workshops, and exhibit space. He is an active member of the organizations board, where his technical background provides a unique perspective in introducing technology to the forefront of compliance solutions. By having technology at its core, RxS provides offerings that ensure PDMA compliance and also supplies valuable reporting and analytics data that customers can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This feature makes proactive monitoring possible. To learn more about RxS offerings, please visit rxsinfo.com.

About RxS LLC

RxS LLC, a privately held company in Manalapan, New Jersey, is the leading provider of multi-channel sample management solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Supported by more than 75 years of combined pharmaceutical leadership experience, RxS has been partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies since its founding in 2011 to provide regulatory compliance in order to lessen the administrative burden of the PDMA. RxS offerings go beyond regulatory compliance, providing solutions to increase marketing and sample effectiveness. Driven by technology, RxS offers a suite of proprietary services and software solutions to ensure regulatory compliance and maximize analytics data. RxSs commitment to innovative solutions extends beyond their service offerings and into the community through a unique partnership with Academy Learning Centers where students with disabilities are offered employment opportunities to help develop self-reliance and foster an improved sense of self.
A: I liked the atmosphere. I liked talking to people in the community and getting people on the right track as far as their health.
Finding innovative ways to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen security has never been more important. -Chris Lynch, Director of the Defense Digital Service

Crowdsourced security is now considered a best practice for the US government to protect the nations assets and services, thanks in large part to the US Department of Defense. The DoD first launched their landmark critical assets security program -- Hack the Pentagon (FA2) -- with Synack in 2016. The Hack the Pentagon program has shown enterprises and agencies alike that an organization can engage a crowd of top-tier ethical hackers to look for security vulnerabilities in a trusted, highly-controlled way.

Following the success of its partnerships with the military departments and civilian agencies over the past two years, Hack the Pentagon has expanded its crowdsourced security approach to award new security contracts, with Synack as an awardee, with increased scope and capacity to run bug bounty programs to further strengthen internal DoD assets. Synack is the market leader in crowdsourced security, owning >78% share of the federal crowdsourced security market.

Protecting American citizens and the high-value assets that support their day-to-day lives around the world is no easy task in the era of cyber warfare. The United States Department of Defense is charged with protecting some of the nations most sensitive digital assets and data. It comes as no surprise that attackers probe the Pentagon thousands to millions of times each day, looking for access points to the countrys most critical infrastructure and services

The DoDs contract with Synack marked the first time that a crowdsourced group of ethical hackers tested internal sensitive systems of a US government agency. Over the course of the Hack the Pentagon private program with Synack, six critical systems were tested. In total, more than 100 highly trusted and highly skilled researchers around the globe contributed over 7,000 hours of combined testing. The top payout during the program was over $30,000 - the highest payout of any Hack the Pentagon assessment to-date.

Leveraging a controlled hacker-powered approach to testing sensitive assets, Synack and the DoDs first Hack the Pentagon private challenge delivered a cost-effective way to harness the talent of hundreds of security experts to provide value to the Department. With a growing cyber talent gap and constrained resources, Synacks crowdsourced model offered the additional talent, scale, speed, and insights needed to get a leg up against the adversary. Now, the Pentagon is announcing it is multiplying its investment in crowdsourced security over eight times. In addition to the raised funding ceiling, a new feature of the contract includes the ability to leverage the continuous assessment model for dynamic, high value systems.

Finding innovative ways to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen security has never been more important, said Chris Lynch, Director of the Defense Digital Service. When our adversaries carry out malicious attacks, they dont hold back and arent afraid to be creative. Expanding our crowdsourced security work allows us to build a deeper bench of tech talent and bring more diverse perspectives to protect and defend our assets. Were excited to see the program continue to grow and deliver value across the Department. The latest DoD Crowdsourced Vulnerability Discovery & Disclosure Services (CVDD) FA2 contract allows future collaboration between Synack and DoD to protect the Pentagons growing digital attack surface.

The success of Hack the Pentagon has paved the way for other federal agencies to adopt their own crowdsourced security initiatives. More than 10 pieces of legislation have been drafted in the last year in favor of utilizing crowdsourced security testing in the US government. The White House National Cyber Strategy and the DoDs annual strategy published recently also encourage the use of crowdsourced security testing, beyond just bug bounty basics, to provide an adversarial perspective on organizations security risk.

The White House National Cyber Strategy said, The United States Government will also promote regular testing...using best practices from forward-leaning industries. This includes promotion and use of coordinated vulnerability disclosure, crowd-sourced testing, and other innovative assessments that improve resiliency ahead of exploitation or attack.

The DoD Cyber Strategy stated that, "The Department will continue to identify crowdsourcing opportunities, such as hack-a-thons and bug-bounties, in order to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities more effectively and to foster innovation.

Government agency adoption of Synacks secure crowdsourced penetration testing increased 9x in 2017, and the US Department of Defense continues to pave the way. Crowdsourced security is gaining traction in the market, and now considered a best practice by the US government. Agencies across the government are increasingly looking to Synacks crowdsourced security model for scalable, effective, and trusted testing. Jay Kaplan, Co-Founder and CEO of Synack, comments. In an industry thats often seen as conservative and sluggish, we applaud the DoD for being bold leaders in adopting this innovation first.

About Synack

Synack is the market leader in crowdsourced security, with >78% market share among federal agencies in 2017. Government agencies who choose Synack dont have to compromise on effectiveness, efficiency, or control when they activate the crowd. By leveraging the worlds most trusted ethical hackers and an industry-leading platform, Synack finds and helps fix critical security issues before criminals can exploit them. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with regional offices around the world, Synack has protected over 100 global organizations by reducing companies security risk and increasing their resistance to cyber attack. For more information, please visit http://www.synack.com.
The Franchise Show, presented by Allstate, is pleased to be taking place at the Orleans Hotel & Casino, October 26 & 27, 2018. The Show is the perfect venue for attendees to find their best opportunity to attain prosperity and success by taking the first step to becoming a business owner. Many entrepreneurs dream of starting their own business and every year thousands of Americans consider franchising as a way to make it happen. Visitors have the chance to speak directly with representatives from proven, successful franchises. Full-time franchises and part-time business opportunities are available across Nevada. The show plays a critical role in helping people find the business thats right for them.

Franchising gives people the opportunity to start a business without feeling overwhelmed and alone. They have the support system of a company behind them with training, marketing and in most cases a proven brand, said Fred Cox, president, National Event Management, which produces the Franchise Show.

The event features companies that are household names such as Allstate, Restoration1, Hungry Howies, Jani-King, Rosatis and Wing Nuts. The exhibitors at the show offer a variety of industries from traditional retail stores and restaurants to fitness, home services, education and printing. The Show is also an excellent venue to discover new franchises and business opportunities to take advantage of being involved from the early stages of growth.

The Franchise Show successfully hosts thousands of attendees across North America every year, with the hope of helping each one become their own boss. Its important to be able to meet and speak with representatives from the companies at the event because it gives you a better understanding of the culture of a company and gives you a better indication of whether or not a company complements your specific personality, says Mr. Cox. The opportunity to speak directly with representatives from the hottest franchises as well as industry experts make this event a must attend for anyone considering owning a small business or looking to grow their already established business.

The show is a significant source of information for people looking to open their own business and research franchising in depth. Visitors may attend free daily seminars given by industry experts including lawyers, financial specialists and franchise experts that have information that entrepreneurs need to know to start and grow a business. Seminar topics include: 5 Lessons I Learned in My First Year as a Small Business Owner, How to Start Your Own Business  Franchising vs. Small Business Start Up, SBA: A Perfect Way to Finance Your Franchise, Franchising 101: Practical Considerations for the Franchise Relationship, and Everything You Never Knew to Ask About Franchising. For a full schedule of free seminars please visit http://www.lasvegasfranchiseshow.com.

The Franchise Show

Dates: Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27

Time: Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Orleans Hotel & Casino - Mardi Gras Ballroom

4500 West Tropicana Avenue

Las Vegas, Nevada 89103

Admission: $8 at the door

For more info: http://www.lasvegasfranchiseshow.com

Contact Information

For media accreditation and more information, contact:

Lisa Spodek, Director of Marketing

1-800-891-4859 ext. 225

lspodek(at)nationalevent.com
Over the years, Crothall Healthcare has made tremendous progress supporting patient safety and care with our robust five-pillar approach to support Infection Prevention, said Rich Feczko, national director of systems, standards, innovation and global support for Crothall Healthcare. We take this

After extensive review and evaluation, Trinity Guardions flagship product, the Soteria Bed Barrier (also known as the Trinity Guardion Patient Protection System), was selected by Crothall Healthcare (Wayne, PA) as one of its emerging solutions to help environmental services teams mitigate HAI in hospital environments. In its white paper, titled The Five Pillar Strategy to Reduce HAI Incidence, Crothall Healthcare discussed forming strategic partnerships to access cutting-edge technology, and listed a select few products and technologies.

Over the years, Crothall Healthcare has made tremendous progress supporting patient safety and care with our robust five-pillar approach to support Infection Prevention, said Rich Feczko, national director of systems, standards, innovation and global support for Crothall Healthcare. We take this responsibility very seriously and have added another solution to our arsenal to support HAI mitigation efforts related to mattress care, by way of our partnership with Trinity Guardion. Mattresses play a significant part in patient healing as well as safety and we remain diligent in our efforts to bring the best-in-class solutions to the forefront to optimize patient health from a support services perspective.

As of early 2018, 29 studies documented that cleaned/disinfected mattresses are still contaminated after terminal cleaning, and 12 studies document mattress failures while still in use. The US FDA issued a safety communication reporting that between 2011 and 2016, FDA received over 700 reports of a hospital bed mattress cover failing to prevent blood or body fluids from leaking into the mattress. In September 2018, ECRI listed mattress contamination as the second of its 2019 Top Ten Health Technology Hazards. Clearly, contaminated hospital mattresses, which are registered FDA medical devices, have not yet been fully addressed by current protocols.

The Soteria Bed Barrier and its instructions for use provide a compliant alternative protocol to the mattress manufacturers disinfection IFU. This protocol protects current patients from previous occupants, is shown to reduce C-diff rates by 50%, offers a significantly shorter bed turnover time, requires no damaging hard-surface disinfectants for mattress cleaning, provides a unique barcoded inspection and documentation process performed by laundry staff, and can extend the useful life and integrity of patient mattresses.

The Soteria Bed Barrier, a patented launderable mattress microbarrier, works by preventing bacteria such as C. diff, MRSA and VRE from passing in either direction, to or from the mattress and bed deck. The system is designed to maintain its microbarrier capability through 200 Soteria prescriptive CDC-compliant launderings. An independent lab test validated that the Soteria laundry process delivers greater than a 99.9999% reduction of C. diff, mycobacterium and other pathogenic bacteria.

We are pleased to be working with Crothall Healthcare to help implement our proven infection prevention solution for healthcare providers, said Bruce Rippe, CEO and co-founder of Trinity Guardion. As a value-add strategic partner, we share Crothalls passion for promoting environmental hygiene and protecting patients.

About Trinity Guardion

Founded in 2010 and based in Batesville, IN, Trinity Guardion manufactures the Soteria Bed Barrier, the only launderable microbarrier cover system for hospital beds and bed decks that is specifically engineered to block and eliminate pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium difficile. The system, a collaborative achievement of international scientists, physicians and academic professionals, delivers a level of bed cleanliness and infection rate reduction previously unseen for soft mattress surfaces.

About Crothall Healthcare

Crothall Healthcare is a Compass One Company that provides specialized, high-quality, innovative, and responsive support services exclusively to the healthcare industry. Crothall serves many of the Top 100 Hospitals throughout its over 1300 healthcare service teams in 46 states. Crothall has been recognized as one of Modern Healthcares Best Places to Work and Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania since 2013 and Becker's Top 150 Places to Work since 2016. A division of Compass Group USA, we have more than 26,000 team members. Our core services include: Environmental Services, Patient Transportation, Laundry & Linen, Facilities Management, Healthcare Technology Solutions, Ambulatory, and Sterile Processing. Learn more at http://www.Crothall.com.
The cubs are doing well, bonding and playing together while receiving care at Oakland Zoo's Veterinary Hospital Returning injured or orphaned wildlife to the wild is always the ideal outcome, but in situations like this -- where an animal is too young to have the necessary survival skills -- placing it back in the wild would be a death sentence.

Two non-related mountain lion cubs are being cared for at Oakland Zoos veterinary hospital after each was rescued by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in recent weeks.

The cubs, one male and one female, both approximately 9-10 weeks of age, are doing well and are being attended by Zoo vet staff around the clock. Because the cubs were orphaned too young to have the survival skills necessary for release, they will ultimately be permanently placed at an appropriate permanent facility when they are strong enough.

We are so pleased that the Oakland Zoo was willing and able to play a role in saving the life of these cubs, said Nicole Carion, CDFWs Wildlife Rehabilitation Coordinator. Returning injured or orphaned wildlife to the wild is always the ideal outcome, but in situations like this -- where an animal is too young to have the necessary survival skills -- placing it back in the wild would be a death sentence. In those cases, we rely on zoos with experienced wildlife specialists and resources to step in and provide critical care. These cubs are small and in need of a temperature-controlled environment where they can stay warm. The Oakland Zoos veterinary facility was exactly what these animals needed, at exactly the right time.

The male, first to arrive in late September, is from Modoc County. The cub was orphaned after its mother, which was reportedly killing sheep in the area, was shot and killed under a legal depredation permit. In the state of California, a person who suffers property damage by mountain lions is entitled to obtain a depredation permit to protect their property.

The second cub, a female, was discovered in Lake County after a property owner heard chirps from what he believed to be a bird over a period of seven days. Mountain lion cubs make a high-pitched chirping sound when calling for their mother. The property owner did not disturb the animal until he observed the cubs health was in serious decline.

According to Katie Woolery, Assistant Director at Sonoma Wildlife Rescue, an adult mountain lion, struck and killed by a car, was discovered five miles away around the same time but its not confirmed that this was the cubs mother.

CDFW placed the female cub with Sonoma Wildlife Rescue on September 12, where it was examined and treated. The cub was severely dehydrated, emaciated, covered in parasites and burrs.

While we dont know for sure what caused this female cub to become orphaned, we do know that one of the biggest threat to mountain lions in California is traffic, with 107 animals killed by automobiles in 2016 alone, said Amy Gotliffe, Director of Conservation at Oakland Zoo.

On October 11, the female cub was transferred to Oakland Zoo to join the male cub already there.

Dr. Karen Emanuelson, Director of Veterinary Services at Oakland Zoo, reports that both cubs appear to be in good health. They are eating well, gaining weight (the male is now at 20 lbs. and the female is at 8.4 lbs) and playful, and bonding well after being introduced. Mountain lions are social animals and find comfort in being together. Zoo staff recently tried a similar introduction between three unrelated mountain lion cubs rescued earlier this year. The three are now living as a closely-bonded blended family at the zoos recently unveiled California Trail expansion.

Were happy that these two cubs are doing very well, although its heartbreaking they were orphaned. We saw first-hand how much our now older mountain lions enjoyed, needed and bonded with each other as orphaned cubs themselves, so we are glad these two cubs will provide companionship to each other. They are amazing animals, I feel so privileged and fortunate that we live with these amazing lions here in California, said Dr. Karen Emanuelson.

Mountain lions are facing numerous threats in California, often struck by cars or at odds with humans in encroaching urban areas and developments. Oakland Zoo partners with the conservation organizations like the Mountain Lion Foundation and the Bay Area Puma Project to try and help conserve the species in the wild.

Oakland Zoo helped found BACAT (Bay Area Cougar Action Team) in 2013, an alliance with the Bay Area Puma Project and the Mountain Lion Foundation, to help support the CDFW save mountain lions caught in the human-wildlife conflict.

ABOUT OAKLAND ZOOS MOUNTAIN LION HABITAT:

The mountain lion habitat in the Zoos expansion site is intended to mimic California habitat, educate visitors about wildlife in California and inspire people to take action for the future of the states wildlife and resources. It is one of the largest Mountain lion habitats in the world. The massive, covered habitat is boomerang-shaped with netting reaching 50 feet in the air, covering mature oak trees in which the mountain lions can

perch, rest, and climb. Rocky outcroppings that create caves allow them the choice to rest and hide if they prefer.

In addition to their night house in the evenings, they will have access to the expansion area, which will include some trees and platforms for climbing and resting. This new habitat one of the largest mountain lion exhibits in the world, and all the features focus on attributes of their lions natural environment.

ABOUT OAKLAND ZOO AND THE CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA:

Oakland Zoo, home to more than 700 native and exotic animals, is managed by the Conservation Society of California (CSC); a non-profit organization leading an informed and inspired community to take action for wildlife locally and globally. With over 25 conservation partners and projects worldwide, the CSC is committed to conservation-based education and saving species and their habitats in the wild. Oakland Zoo is dedicated to the humane treatment of animals and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the national organization that sets the highest standards for animal welfare for zoos and aquariums.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA DEPT OF FISH & WILDLIFE:

The Mission of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is to manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.
"I am excited to advise uBiome on new directions as the world rapidly gains more understanding of our dynamic other genome. - Dr. Pollard, PhD

uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, announces the addition of Dr. Katie Pollard, PhD, Director of the Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, Professor at UCSF, and Investigator at the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Joining the board of leading scientists and doctors from around the world, Dr. Pollard will bring to uBiome her expertise on the human microbiome and peoples response to therapeutics. The appointment will help uBiome continue its advancement in human microbiome research.

Dr. Pollard has spent years using machine-learning to research human genomics and the microbiome, and her work has broad implications for the future of healthcare, Dr. Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome, said. We are honored to bring her on as one of uBiomes scientific advisors.

At Gladstone Institute, Dr. Pollards lab focuses on emerging technologies and informatics. Recently, they released software that quantifies microbial population genetic variation that can be scaled for use by hospitals. After earning her PhD from UC Berkeley, Dr. Pollard has engaged in a number of research endeavors, including a comparative genomics NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. She was also part of the Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium that published the sequence of the Chimp Genome, and Dr. Pollard used this sequence to identify the fastest evolving regions in the human genome. Throughout her career, she has authored over 100 journal articles and study publications. Honors include UCSFs Breakthrough Biomedical Research Award (2009-2010), Wired Magazines Best Scientific Visualizations (2013), and Alumna of the Year from UC Berkeley School of Public Health (2013), among others.

About joining uBiome's Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Pollard said, "I am excited to advise uBiome on new directions as the world rapidly gains more understanding of our dynamic other genome.

In addition to Dr. Pollard, the uBiome Scientific Advisory Board also includes Dr. Joseph DeRisi (MacArthur Genius and UCSF professor), Dr. Atul Butte (head of the Institute for Computational Health Sciences at UCSF), Dr. Joel Palefsky (UCSF School of Medicine professor), Dr. George Church (leading geneticist at Harvard University), Dr. Liz Lipski (Academic Director of Nutrition and Integrative Health Programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health), Dr. Elaine Hsiao, PhD (UCLA), and other leading scientists. The companys Medical Advisory Board includes Dr. Alan Green (Society for Participatory Medicine), Dr. Leo Treyzon (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Dr. Cynthia Geyer (Medical Director of Canyon Ranch, Lenox), Dr. Robynne Chutkan (Georgetown University Hospital), Michael Docktor (Boston Childrens Hospital), Dr. Tiffany Lester (Medical Director of Parsley Health in San Francisco), Dr. Joel Kahn (Founder of of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity), as well as other accomplished clinicians.

About uBiome

Founded in 2012, uBiome is the leader in microbial genomics. The Companys mission is to advance the science of the microbiome and make it useful to people. uBiome combines its patented proprietary precision sequencing with machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop wellness products, clinical tests, and therapeutic targets.

uBiomes commercial products include SmartGut, the worlds first sequencing-based clinical microbiome test, which identifies microbes in the gut for patients with chronic gut conditions such as IBD, IBS, Crohns Disease, and ulcerative colitis; SmartJane, the first sequencing-based womens health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identifies four common STDs, and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions; and Explorer, a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness.

uBiomes platform has been used by hundreds of thousands of consumers, patients, and doctors and more than 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney.

Since its launch, the company has received widespread recognition including CNN 10: Startups to Watch, the IVY Technology Award, CNN Future 30, and was named one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare in 2016 and in Data Science in 2018, as well as a Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.uBiome.com.
Mobile Doorman, the industry-leading creator of custom-branded resident apps in multifamily, today announced a partnership with ButterflyMX, the worlds most sophisticated, smart intercom platform. Partnering with Mobile Doorman was a no-brainer. Their mission to simplify apartment living is a tenet we live by, explained Cyrus Claffey, CEO of ButterflyMX.

Mobile Doorman, the industry-leading creator of custom-branded resident apps in multifamily, today announced a partnership with ButterflyMX, the worlds most sophisticated, smart intercom platform.

Launching in 2019, the partnership will integrate ButterflyMXs powerful Virtual Keys into the Mobile Doorman Authorized Entrant functionality. This seamless integration delivers renters an all-in-one mobile portal to control guest access to their building and apartment home, directly from their custom-branded resident app. Once released, the integration will be available to all ButterflyMX buildings utilizing Mobile Doorman apartment apps nationwide.

Since day one, weve been working to create an app that is a true one-stop-shop for a resident to manage their apartment living, said Mobile Doormans CEO and Co-Founder Bob Matteson. Knowing that more than 90 percent of residents value convenience when considering their apartment living experience and as 65 percent look for ways to make their lives easier, we are confident this partnership is meeting a real need for our end users  the renter.

Operators and onsite staff can also look forward to immediate results once the partnership launches. By housing the access control and Virtual Key functionalities in-app, properties can drive increased app-usage and, consequently, resident engagement with the variety of additional content available through their custom-branded community app.

Launched in 2015, New York-based ButterflyMXs cutting-edge property technology creates an enhanced living experience by enabling residences to use their smartphone to open and manage doors, issue virtual keys and delivery PINs, and have video chats with visitors and couriers. Their smart intercom is secure and sophisticated, easy-to-install and use, and provides a transformative solution for buildings seeking to differentiate themselves.

Partnering with Mobile Doorman was a no-brainer. Their mission to simplify apartment living is a tenet we live by, explained Cyrus Claffey, CEO of ButterflyMX. Were confident that integrating our popular Virtual Key feature into their mobile app will improve the living experience of our shared resident base.

Todays announcement builds upon a number of feature additions and enhancements made to the Mobile Doorman portfolio of industry-leading white-label apps this year, including the brands all-new in-app survey functionality and corporate housing handling.

To learn more about todays announcement, or what Mobile Doorman can do for your apartment community, visit http://www.MobileDoorman.com or email Info(at)MobileDoorman.com to schedule a demo today.

About Mobile Doorman:

Mobile Doorman specializes in developing custom, white-label apps for apartment and condominium communities across the U.S. Our mission is to improve how residents interact with their properties with a convenient, user-friendly tool that helps them live smarter while helping property owners manage better, improve retention, and boost their bottom line through nexgen technology. For more information, visit http://www.MobileDoorman.com.

About ButterflyMX:

ButterflyMX, the maker of the smart intercom, designs cloud-based software and touchscreen hardware to provide secure, convenient, and affordable property access from a smartphone.

Our mission is to connect the wide variety of software enabled services to tenants inside a building. To date, ButterflyMX has facilitated nearly five million door releases in properties across the United States. ButterflyMX has been adopted in buildings developed by the following companies: Trammell Crow, Bozzuto, AvalonBay Communities, Douglaston Development, Roseland Residential Trust, Equity Residential, Silverstein Properties, Skanska, Rechler Equity Partners, Jamestown, Laramar, Lennar, PeakCampus, CA Student Living, American Campus Communities, Haven Campus Communities and Mill Creek Residential. The company is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit http://www.butterflymx.com.
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Editor's note: This letter was penned in response to a recent Soapbox column.

To the Editor,

I certainly have no argument with Jonathan Platts belief in the need to continue the essential work of improving the bottom line for independent bookstores (Why Are Book Margins Stuck in the 1990s? PW, Sept. 17), but I do disagree with his contention that there have been no significant improvements in recent years.

Because of an FTC ruling, given the current market share of the indie channel, the American Booksellers Association can indeed discuss terms with individual publishers. Together with ABA senior staff leaders, I have been part of those meetings, as have previous ABA presidents and vice presidents.

I believe the results of this ongoing dialoguewhile far from completing our goal of establishing a 21st-century independent bookstore financial modelhave been significant. This can be seen, I believe, in the positive trends in recent ABACUS final surveys of independent bookstores. Overall, the cost of goods has been going downwithout a significant increase in the percentage of nonbook itemsand, on average, profitability for the indie channel has improved. There is still much left to achieve, but I believe we are indeed making good progress.

Bookselling is hard, and it would be a mistake to think that the status quo is enough. But as we see modest yearly gains in the number of independent bookstores nationwide and year-over-year sales gains in our channel, I do believe that our ongoing discussions with publishers are resulting in very positive changes in terms, including special programs for new stores, some significant year-round backlist offers, and, again this fall, special terms for Indies First from a growing number of publishers. These programs have become much easier to use, and they have the potential to positively impact a bookstores bottom line. And, beyond that, when more independent bookstores participate in these programs, we have the potential to demonstrate the collective power of our channel, which will give publishers more reasons to continue exploring new ways of doing business.

I also know, from traveling the country and talking to many different independent booksellers, that many of these changes, including more progressive co-op policies and rapid replenishment, have had a direct impact on stores bottom lines.

We are not where we need to be by a long shot, and I and my fellow ABA board members and ABA staff will continue to advocate on our members behalf to our publishing partners, but neither are we stuck in the 90s. Much has changed; much more needs to be done. But, as we continue to build on our progress, I am optimistic and hopeful that independent booksellers will continue to meet new challenges and succeed.

Sincerely,

Robert Sindelar

President, American Booksellers Association

Third Place Books

Lake Forest Park and Seattle, Wash.
Publishers Weeklys Sept. 12 story on sexual harassment at Christian writers conferences unleashed over 3,000 comments as well as Facebook apologies by some of those accused, blog posts from industry professionals, and suggestions for an oversight group that would allow victims to report inappropriate behavior.

Wendy Lawton, an agent with Books & Such Literary Management, posted a blog entitled Cheap Grace, in which she wrote: I spoke to one person involved in a large writers conference, and she said they had known for a long time [about harassment] and handled the situation quietly but swiftly. I kept thinking about that. Isnt that what many in the Catholic churches didhandled each situation quietly? Isnt that cheap grace?

Lawton decided to comment on sexual harassment issues in the Christian publishing arena because she knew some of the victims and because she wanted to create what she called a safe space for discussion. Several victims spoke up in the comments and discovered they were not alone, she said. I heard from many privately who felt vindicated.

Literary agent Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency wrote in a blog: The issue of integrity, or lack thereof, has reared its head within our community of writers. It is a time of sorrow.

In an interview with PW, Laube explained, It was incumbent upon me to address the issue by commenting on the larger subject of integrity. Supporting those who have been hurt but also making a statement about our responsibility as representatives of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

Jerry Jenkins, who is the co-author of the Left Behind series and owner of the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, urges the Christian community to believe the women who have come forward. While theres often the complication of rarely having an eyewitness to such abuse, consider the risk and the downside for the victims coming forward, he told PW. What reason would they have for manufacturing such a story?

Jenkins suggested ways to help protect potential victims, especially those attending conferences, and prevent sexual wrongdoing.

Conference directors must unapologetically establish strict policies, and any report of inappropriate comments or physical contact dealt with immediately, he said. Jenkins also mentioned a past experience with a hired speaker who was revealed to be a sexual predator after years of unreported inappropriate behavior. Had I an inkling of charges from other venues, I would not have dreamed of exposing attendees to him for any reason under any circumstances.

Dwight Baker, CEO of Baker Publishing Group, affirmed a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment in the publishing industry while cautioning against high-risk settings," such as private meetings.

Several of those speaking out cited a need for an oversight organization to offer victims a place to report offenses. Susy Flory, director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference, is working toward a professional organization modeled after the Association of Authors Representatives, Inc. and The Authors Guild. She also proposes a website that could exhibit a canon of ethics for behavior at conferences and serve as a place for victims to report abuses.

Conference directors havent organized this way because there wasnt a felt need, said Flory, who calls on other conference directors to follow her lead. Now the need has become clear. Directors and victims have felt isolated, felt that no one can help them. The onus is on conference directors to take away perpetrators hunting grounds.

Baker proposed that the 40-year-old Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability begin policing sexual harassment in the Christian publishing industry. Inasmuch as institutional trust demands both financial integrity and sound employment practices, ECFA might expand their standards to cover vigilance over workplace harassment, he said.

Dan Busby, president of EFCA, demurred. ECFA was founded in 1979 by a group of evangelical leaders who recognized the need for collective biblical financial accountability, he told PW. While we certainly abhor any kind of sexual harassment in any forumespecially in a workplace that claims to be Christianand think its perpetrators should be held accountable, there are no plans to change ECFAs model or narrow focus of our standards.

For her part, Lawton suggested the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) house an ethics committee. We need to see the formation of an oversight organization to deal with wrongdoing in the industry. One that is not afraid to set guidelines and stick to them. One that has the power to censure or recommend disciplinary action, she said.

Stan Jantz, president and CEO of ECPA a membership-only organization for Christian publishers said the group is currently reviewing its policies and guidelines, particularly for the three events it produces each year, including PubU and The Art of Writing.

Its flattering to think we could fill this role, he told PW. Oversight hadnt occurred to me for other organizations [outside ECPA]. But this is a new era and wed be interested in being part of that conversation. We should all be accountable, but how that works is something to explore.

As Lawton points outs, The question that remains is what happens to independent literary agencies and freelance editors whove breached ethical boundaries. Do publishers shrink from working with the freelancers? What about the agent? If publishers shy away from working with him, does that mean his clients are punished for his sins? Do his clients continue to work with him? It all remains to be seen.
This is our largest event of the year, and we hope to surpass last years attendance of 1,000, Brown said. We [want] to promote just what a cool, hip place that Evanston is and this is one way we can do that.
Former president of the Church of Scientologys Youth and Human Rights organization, Michelle LeClair, looked like a poster girl for the Church of Scientology. In her memoir, Perfectly Clear: Escaping Scientology and Fighting for the Woman I Love (Berkley, Oct.), LeClair describes following her mother into the Church at 15, attempts to reconcile the churchs anti-gay doctrine with her same-sex attraction, and how she finally found her way out in 2011.

Why write about your experiences with Scientology?

In the very beginning, I was so naive. I had been brought up in a family that was very loving. I wasnt taught discernment and I had a mother who was floating from one religion to another. In Scientology, you are made to believe that they have the secret to the universe, and that you are becoming this all-knowing, all-powerful being. They tweak the definition of spiritual so that it is about your ego and controlling the world more than what I now believe spirituality actually is, which is humbleness, love, gratefulness, and something much bigger than me.

Where does the Church of Scientology stand on homosexuality?

The Church of Scientology will tell you right now and has said in public that they believe in protecting everyones rights, including same-sex couples. That is 100% false. We are made to read Dianetics, in which L. Ron Hubbard describes homosexuals as the lowest of the low. We are also made to read Science of Survival, in which he wrote that homosexuals should be disposed of quietly and without sorrow. Per Church scripture, there is nothing that the Church of Scientology believes is good about homosexuality or gay relationships. In the Church, homosexuality is something that needs to be handled.

How did you and your publisher go about releasing the book?

There was no pressure on me to not publish it because I believe that the Church didnt know about it. We kept the book under embargo. Thats why the book was not sent out ahead of time for reviews. I wrote on computers that were not attached to the internet. I worked with a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, Robin Gaby Fisher. We were extremely careful with this book, and I believe that the Church of Scientology was blindsided by it.

What will surprise readers most about your book?

I think readers will be surprised about the conspiracy that the Church created around me when I came out as gay. Its unbelievable. I talk about everything from the details of the computer hacking to a spy in my company.

What do you hope readers will take away from it?

I hope that when readers talk with their kids about not taking candy from strangers and not walking up to a van and pet a puppy they dont know, that that also tell them to never ever walk into the Church of Scientology. As parents, we have to balance how to teach unconditional love and acceptance, but also teach discernment and a little bit of a critical eye so that groups like this cannot pull them in.
In light of concerns about the future of the Association for Christian Retail (CBA), Bob Munce of the marketing consulting firm the Munce Group has formed the Christian Retail Association (CRA). The new trade association is registered as a not for profit and will provide some very special services to our retail members, Munce said in a statement.

Munce cited changes surrounding the CBA, and described the CRA as being part of an ongoing effort to support independent Christian retailers and the industry as a whole.

Along with forming CRA, the Munce Group will continue to host its Christian Product Expo (CPE), a trade show serving Christian retailers that takes place twice a year. Starting in in 2019, the annual fall show will be expanded into an international event. The next CPE is in Murfreesboro, Tenn. from August 25-27 2019. (Its winter show will be held at the Kalahari Resort in Pennsylvania from Jan. 27-29, 2019).

Plans for the international show include special closeout sales and a cash and carry section, as well as a place for foreign language rights to be negotiated. Retailers will continue to receive expense reimbursements for attending CPE.

Attending retailers were very supportive of an expanded show and appreciative of our continued commitment to provide strong spiritual emphasis, informative seminars, and great vendor participation at CPE, said Munce in the release.

Munce, who is out of the country, was unavailable for additional questions.

As previously reported, the CBA came under the leadership of Edward Roush earlier this year, prompting a reimbursement incentive for retailers to attend the organizations trade show, UNITE. However, shortly after the trade show, CBAs president Curtis Riskey stepped down and several retailers who attended UNITE became concerned about the reimbursement program. Two retailers contacted by PW still had not received reimbursement checks as of October 24; the UNITE Conference was held in July.

President of CBA Media Deborah Mash did not respond to PWs request for comment regarding the reimbursement issues or the newly-formed CRA.

This story has been updated with new information.
Harper Lee's classic 1960 novel of race relations in the American South, To Kill a Mockingbird, has been voted America's best-loved novel by PBS viewers of The Great American Read.

The show aired the final episode of the documentary on Monday evening, revealing that Lee's novel beat the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon, which came in at #2, to the spot. The other works in the top five, all penned by British authors, were, in descending order, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

"I was nervous at first that [the show] would not generate the kind of interest that I hoped it would," host Meredith Vieira told Publishers Weekly before the show. "We live such busy lives, and I don't hear people talking about books very much, or authors. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the reaction from peoplethat people really did want to engage."

The TV documentary was organized around Americans' 100 best-loved novels (chosen by an online poll of readers and a panel of 13 literary experts). The show then offered viewers the chance to vote for their favorite novel of the bunch.

The eight-episode documentary on reading in American life kicked off in May with a two-hour introductory special followed by weekly programs that examined books under a variety of themes, including Who Am I," Heroes, and Other Worlds.

The show spurred nearly 4 million to vote online; it also features a Facebook Book Club with more than 50,000 members. PBS also created video content, aired on its YouTube channel and other social media sites, that generated more than 5 million views. In addition, during the program, Vieira announced that First Book, a nonprofit that donates books to school kids in need, will donate 350,000 books to PBS communities around the country.

"I hope [the finale] generates even more interest, that people will look at the list and go, 'Wait a minute, how come that's number one?,' " Vieira said. "If it gets people talking even a little bit more, that's great."
According to reports by Mynewsgh, police investigators who confirmed the incident said, one Richard Ofori of house Number 10A Nungua link at Baatsona in Accra stated that a pungent smell emanated from the Chief Inspector's room and decided to verify but that he saw flies all over the room.

READ MORE: Policeman shot in daylight robbery on Metro Mass Transit Bus

He said the neighbour lodged a complaint with the police which led the district commander superintendent Elizabeth Danquah and a team of police personnel who visited the room and found Victoria Peprah apparently dead and the body almost at a point of decomposing.
The court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, ruled that the accused must comply with the bail conditions which include GH20,000 each, with one surety who should be residents in Kumasi.

READ MORE: Why political parties are forming vigilante groups

On October 7, the MP for Old Tafo Pankrono constituency, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei reportedly escaped injuries as heavily built men stormed a meeting he was chairing.

The men alleged to be part of a vigilante group, Delta Force disrupted the meeting to register their displeasure over failed promises.

The Delta Force members then manhandled persons who were present at the meeting, before attempting to also attack Dr. Akoto Osei.

The MP who doubles as the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation was, however, lucky to be whisked away, but that did not stop the macho men from destroying items worth thousands of cedis.

READ MORE: Watch how Delta Force nearly lynched NPP MP over failed promises
In a Facebook post, Franklin Cudjoe wrote: "Ah, I see some folks who are friends with the wasting 3rd deputy ceo of the Standards Authority, asking me to take up his challenge to debate him on why he is drawing free fuel, salary and vehicles at our expense without any value addition to the economy. Well, first off, I don't take up challenges from his likes and cheerleading party foot soldiers. Instead, while they were urging a needless challenge, I was.with the President of the country together with very few think tank heads discussing the size of the government (why the likes of Poku Adusei are a drain on the economy , anecdotedly ) galamsey, Ghana Beyond Aid, Ghana's standing in the comity of nations, public sector reforms, decentralisation, debt and profligate expenditure, sanitation etc. Yes, that is the type of challenge I am.ready to take up..not with clowns."
Mahama said the NPP previously accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of engaging in massive borrowings but are currently doing worse.

He explained that the erstwhile NDC government, led by himself, borrowed GH40 billion within four years, but the Nana Addo government has so far borrowed more despite being in power for less than two years.

READ ALSO: Mahama mourns NDC supportersMahama mourns NDC supporters

Mahama was speaking to some party supporters during his campaign tour of the Techiman South district of the Brong Ahafo region.

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According to him, the government must show evidence of what it used the borrowed money for.

During my tenure, they said I borrowed 40 billion within four years but within two years this government has borrowed up to 50 billion. Where is the evidence of how the money was used? the NDC flagbearer aspirant queried.

However, Mahamas claims have strongly been refuted by the government.

According to Daniel Okyem Aboagye, who is a member of Parliaments Finance Committee, the Nana-Addo administration has not even sent a loan of GH10 billion to Parliament to be approved.

We have not borrowed the amount of money he is talking about in two years, he said.

Most of them are the interest component [of previous loans] that needs to be financed that is what is making the debt stock grow.

Any money that is borrowed in Ghana goes through Parliament. Have you heard that Parliament has approved even 10 billion in loans?

Mr. Okyem Aboagye, who is also MP for Bantama, maintain that the Akufo-Addo government is doing better than the NDC did.

According to him, the NDC still has the worst record when it comes to borrowing.
Other investors are Warburg Pincus LLC and Temasek Holdings (Private) Ltd, Temasek and Singtel.

The company said the investment will be used to reduce Airtel Africa's existing debt of approximately $5 billion and for the growth of its African operations.

"...six leading global investors comprising Warburg Pincus,Temasek, Singtel, SoftBank Group International and others have agreed to invest USD 1.25 billion through a primary equity issuance in the company at a post-money equity value of approximately USD 4.4 billion," Airtel Africa said in a statement seen by Business Insider SSA on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Africa, Bharti Airtel, while commenting on the deal said, This primary equity issuance clearly underlines the confidence of leading global investors in Airtel Africa's successful business strategy and its potential to sustain growth and profitability."

"The transaction will help us further deleverage our balance sheet and boost our capacity to upgrade networks, expand coverage in different markets and achieve rapid growth of Airtel Money across our operations," Mandava said.

Airtel Africa plans international IPO

According to the statement, Airtel Africa said it subsequently intends an initial public offering and use the proceeds primarily for further reduction of debt.

It further stated that the present transaction will not involve any sale of shares by existing shareholders.
Nigeria's central bank (CBN) has raised the minimum capital base of microfinance banks (MFBs) across the country, informing them to recapitalise by April 2020.

Kevin Amugo, CBN's Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, made this known in a circular issued on October 22, 2018.

According to the circular, the apex bank increased the minimum capital base of National MFBs to N5 billion from N2 million. State's microfinance capital requirement increased to N1 billion from N100 million and Unit MFBs from N20 million to N200 million.

The CBN explained that the revision became inevitable as the sector had been contending with challenges such as inadequate capital base, weak corporate governance, ineffective risk management practices, among others.

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Last month, the central bank notified 182 other financial institutions of its intentions to revoke their operating licences.

The banking regulator listed 154 microfinance banks, 6 mortgage banks and 22 finance companies among the troubled institutions.

It also stated that eight finance companies voluntary liquidated while 13 failed to recapitalise and one became insolvent.
Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria's finance minister stated this during a session at the 24th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja on Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

The finance minister said the country's exponential population growth had been identified as one of the great challenges confronting the implementation of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

She said the government is counting on the support of the traditional rulers and religious leaders across the country to scale through with a policy aimed at encouraging child-spacing so they have the numbers we can adequately managed.

Africa's largest economy is predicted to become the third most populous country in the world by 2050.

Why population is a hindrance to economic growth?

In a recent interview with Vanguard Newspaper on the sideline of the World Bank/IMF meetings in Indonesia, Nigeria's minister of budget and national planning, Senator Udoma Udoma, said Nigerians are not feeling the impact of economic growth because of the nation's growing population.

It is because when the population is growing at 2 to 3% until the GDP is growing at a much higher rate than that, you will not feel the impact.

He, however, said the direction of growth is very positive due to stable exchange rate and stability in other key indices.

Nigeria's growing population above 190 million

Last week, in its state of world population report, titled, The power of choice: Reproductive rights and the demographic," the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) put Nigerias population figures at 195.9 million.

This is in contrast with the National Population Commission (NPC) figures, which stated that Nigerias population was at 198 million as early as April 2018.

Also, in its 2017 demographic statistic released on Tuesday, June 6, 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics estimates show that the country's population is well over 193 million.
The report, drawn from data on Crunchbase, the investment and funding information platform, shows that there are 51 viable Africa-focused VC funds globally.

Of the 51 VCs, 22 have headquarters in Africa and are managed by Africans. Furthermore, 9 of the 22 funds were formed since 2016 and 9 of them (41%) are from Nigeria. Microtraction, Neon Ventures, Beta Ventures, and CcHubs Growth Capital fund are four of the Nigerian VCs that have been formed in the last year. Ventures Platform and EchoVC are the Nigerian funds with the most investments, with 23 and 20 respectively.

Other highly active funds from the pool of 51 include Musha Ventures with 36 investments in African startups, Singularity Investments with 18, and Golden Palm Investments with 17.

Another trend noted in the report is the gradual increase of Africans in leadership positions of VC funds based outside the continent. Nigeria's former Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson is a senior partner at TLcom Capitals $40 million fund. Yemi Lalude is Managing Partner of TPG Growths $2 billion Africa fund. And Tidjane Deme is a General Partner at French VC firm, Partech which has raised $70 million for its Africa fund.

In 2018, South African startup, Jumo, has raised the most capital with $52 million in a round led by Goldman Sachs and Kenyan fintech startup, Cellulant, raised $47.5 million in a round led by TPGs Growth Fund.

Safaricoms Spark Venture Fund is the only corporate venture arm that made Crunchbases list of 51 VCs.
This has made some courses in Nigerian Universities to be more special than others because the courses apparently attract more admission seekers.

Undergraduates programs like Law, Medicine, Business Administration and Mass Communication are some of the most subscribed courses in Nigerian Universities.

However, while most admission seekers want to have their BSc degrees in these courses, they tend to underrate and ignore certain undergraduate programs. This probably stems from the fallacy that those courses do not good career prospect.

Here are five underrated courses in Nigerian Universities

1. Education courses

Education courses prepare students to become teachers and lecturers, due to the perceived poor treatments of teachers in Nigeria, a lot of students would rather choose to become professionals in other popular fields than end up in classrooms.

2. History

History is one of those undergraduate courses with good career prospects but some people do not see reasons why someone would gain admission into a university only to study past events and their dates.

Nigerian Languages

Why would anyone wants to study his/her own language, what is there to study? This is the question Nigerian Language students usually get when asked about their courses. This explains why admission seekers often shy away from studying Nigerian Languages in Universities.

4. Zoology/Botany

These two courses are concerned with the study of animals and plants and they are among the most underrated course in Nigeria. This is probably due to the erroneous belief that there's no career prospect for zoology students than to work in a zoo.

5. Agricultural Sciences
According to TimesLive, the dead of the popular rapper was confirmed by his wife on Wednesday, October 24, 2018. Lerato Sengadi, his publicist wife, spoke from the scene.

"Yes, yes, it's true. I am with the family at the moment," said a traumatised Sengadi. However, details surrounding the cause of his death have not be released.

HHP whose real name is Jabulani Tsambo according to reports had opened up in the past about his struggles with depression. According to TimesLive, another media outlet SowetanLive reported back in 2015 that HHP had attempted to commit suicide on several occasions.

Messages have however started pouring out from his colleagues including AKA and Da L.E.S who have both eulogised the late award-winning rapper on their Twitter pages. HHP was 38 and had a number of awards to his shelf which includes; South African Music Award for Male Artist of the Year, MTV Africa Music Award for Video of the Year in 2009.

HHP's death is coming a few weeks after the death of another South African celebrity, Shoki Mokgapa was announced.

Shoki Mokgapa is dead!

Back in September, South Africa lost one of its talented actors, Shoki Mokgapa. According to TshisaLIVE, the 34-year-old actor died on Tuesday, September 25, 2018, to be ascertained cause. Her death has gotten a lot of South Africans talking and expressing their sadness over her demise. A representative at Clive Morris Productions who did not want to be named told TshisaLIVE they were saddened by Shoki's death and paid tribute to her professionalism.

"She was such a professional and such an amazing performer. The scenes that are currently on The Docket were such a pleasure to shoot because she was also such a sweetheart. She was really talented and who knows what more she could have done and we are saddened by the news of her death."
The accident, which she says happened on October 23, 2018, caused traffic from Berger to Mowe. She tweeted "18 Corpers lost their lives this early morning sad. They were 30 passengers, they all lost their lives including the driver of the bus. It happened around Mowe this early morning, it was a night trip coming from Kaduna.

Of the 18 corps members who will never see home again, @Lola__Josh tells Pulse that nine were still in service and nine were on their way to camp in Lagos when the accident happened.

She tweeted that, 

According to her she was on her way to Ogun State University Teaching Hospital from Berger and she noticed there was outrageous traffic.

In a chat with Pulse, Lola says, On my way to Ogun State University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH) from Berger, there was a long traffic, and on getting to somewhere after Mowe, I saw a bus  that conveyed the deceased people  being moved away from the road.

On getting to OSUTH, I saw the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) pick-up truck filled with 30 corpses; 18 were Corpers, nice prospective and nine still in service. No one has come to identify the corpses yet.
The Deputy Comptroller and National Coordinator Comptroller General Strike Force, Abdullahi Kirawa severely criticized the risk Nigerians go through to buy things that could kill them and ruin their chances at life which could not be identified as a result of Chinese Language written on their packs.

According to a Punch news report on Saturday, October 20, 2018,before the seizure, the container was sighted at one of the Nigerian ports, and intercepted by the CGC Strike Force team.

ALSO READ: Nurse gives details on how 18 NYSC members died in bus accident at Mowe

Karawa said, Nigerians are hard-working people known for our marvelous delicacies. How can someone import stew into the country? The stew was carefully conceived inside the container.

I will advise that Nigerians should ignore egocentrism and embrace ethnocentrism. Our quest for foreign goods and items must be discouraged and we must work hard to embrace and patronize homemade goods, including our delicious stew that is prepared from our homes and not engages in this type of business.

This type of soup posed dangers to public health, to the economy and of course, the employment of our teeming youths. If stew would be imported, then what else are we going to do? So this is something we need to reflect on.
Imagine what falling out of a Lamborghini with your hands full of expensive items and you fall face down, then pass out. Imagine how all those belongings you were holding will fall and scatter around you? Thats the idea of 'The Falling Stars Challenge.'

The idea is for social media rich influencers  male or female  to post pictures of themselves elegantly dressed in fancy clothing, mimicking a fall from an expensive car or private jet, landing face-first, and remaining face down while they surround themselves with expensive belongings, scattered across their body as in the picture above.

It won't be the first viral social trend. Over the past 7 years, we have witnessed trends like Gangnam Style that inspired global flash mobs, Harlem Shake, Ice Bucket Challenge, Mannequin Challenge or the more recent 'In My Feelings' Challenge.

ALSO READ: Know about the sensual Angolan dance that could get you pregnant

Origin of the The Falling Stars Challenge

It started in China as a trend, off the social media accounts, Weibo and Instagram and South China Morning Post call it the Flaunt Your Wealth challenge in Mandarin. The publication also reports how intense the trend is, a woman was fined in Shanghai for falling out of her Aston Martin.

It has however spread to Russia and India, with other countries like Indonesia and Malaysia witnessing some instances, albeit in lower numbers.

Quartz reports that, "The meme has resulted in more than 1 million messages and 2.3 billion views for the hashtag (link in Chinese), translating to show off fake fall, on Weibo, which has 431 million monthly active users."

Although it is also being used by regular people of the middle-middle class to the lower middle class people on the social ladder, it is more synonymous with the rich and fabulous. Tech companies are also jumping on the trend for creative ads.

Mashable said, Some are more elaborate than others; as the Vergo points out, tech companies are jumping on the meme with narrative ads. In this version, someone trips over a rig and somehow manages to spill the contents of his case into a clear layout of the companys new drone gear.

Off the success of Hollywood production of Crazy Rich Asians, that switched the perception of Asians across the world, where the wealthy side is now recognized globally, the acceptance of the Asian wealth reality has now become sensibile.

Apparently, its not for everybody, unless you will scatter the floor with your fake merchandise.

The rich represent the upper one percent of any demographic. It will be interesting once it hits Twitter Nigeria though, as it will definitely become an object for funny pictures like Santorini.

The problem

People are now disturbing neighbourhood peace for social media as is the recent trend.

Mashable reports that two ladies were recently fined in the Zhejiang, China for disrupting traffic when they attempted the challenge in the middle of the street.

It however seems only a matter of time before we see the trend actually be used by an American or British celebrity and turn it into a global trend.
The Emerge ALARA Awards are an Africa wide search for exceptional talent in Design, Art, Fashion and Cuisine. The Fashion Edition aims to find the most promising young designer and fashion media creative who will be offered the opportunity to present a retail collection and exhibition respectively.

The winner will also receive mentorship from a carefully selected team of advisors. Finally, after a gruesome selection process from applications from Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, France and the USA, the final 6 have been chosen. This group of talented designers have been found to possess the creativity and originality the ALARA team set out to find.

The following designers have been selected as Emerge ALARA - The Fashion Edition 2018 Finalists.

Abiola Olusola for @abiolaaolusola

Akudo Iheakanwa for @shekudo

Ekwerike Chukwuma for @thewumanbrand

Faith Oluwajimi for @bloke_ng

Kanyinsola Onalaja for @onalajaofficial
Each of those departments has been amazing, Bahn said. Theyve been a wonderful partner with us and theyve been extremely responsive to all of our needs and we have just a great partnership with each of those departments throughout the school year.
Lagos Fashion Week, as the name suggests, could be forgiven for sticking to supporting and uplifting the Nigerian design industry. However, the beauty of the platform is that it searches throughout Africa for talent that represents the continent as a whole. From the corners of West Africa right across to SA, designers will descend on Lagos to show their collections over the next few days.

Here are profiles of the pan-African designers you can look forward to seeing at LFW this year.

1. Anyango Mpinga

A brand birthed in Kenya, Anyango Mpinga is described as luxury Kenyan brand synonymous with elegance, authenticity and style. The eponymous label was created by Anyango Mpinga, an award-winning fashion designer who was born and raised in Nairobi.

She founded her clothing line Anyango Mpinga in 2011 and showcased her first collection at Hub of Africa Fashion Week in Addis Ababa in 2012. She was also selected to represent Kenya and showcase her collection at the Africa Malaysia International Fashion Show in Kuala Lumpur in 2014.

Most recently, she was featured by ELLE magazine in their September Edition as one of the sustainable brands to look out for.

According to her website:

Anyangos brand is part of a growing Slow Fashion movement, which emphasizes a more conscious consumption of fashion products, focusing on a clean, transparent supply chain that is sustainable and ethical. Her designs are not tied to a fashion season as she focuses on creating sustainable, trans-seasonal statement pieces. She is often inspired by her cultural heritage; weaving a tapestry of modern and traditional elements to create luxurious, ready to wear pieces that are authentic in design and timeless in appeal.

2. Black Coffee

Black Coffee a South African label created by Jacques van der Watt. According to South African Fashion Week, 'Black Coffee is distinctive for the way it blurs fabrication and fashion. The sharp structural designs are characterised by complex, layered shapes that yield a fastidious fashion sensibility that is at once restrained and bold.'

Black Coffee has had international acclaim having been invited to show at South African, Cape Town, San Francisco, Berlin and New York Fashion Week. The label has also been nominated five times for the SA Fashion Awards and has won twice. In 2009, the brand won the Mercedes Benz Art Award with an installation that was shown at the renowned Daimler contemporary gallery in Berlin.

In an interview, their creative director, Jacques van der Watt admitted, "I remain curious and I like innovation. My ranges are very construction based. We usually have a specific technique tying everything together. This exploration of new techniques keeps it fresh."

3. Rich Mnisi

These statement jumpers were the first time South African designer Rich Mnisi burst into the mainstream. The jumpers were spotted everywhere and were the ultimate style statement.

Rich Mnisi is unique because of his fluid attitude towards menswear. His designs subvert everything we have come to know about what men should wear and encourages men to embrace their body in a totally different way.

According to their website:

RICH MNISI is a South African based contemporary multi-disciplinary brand founded in 2015 by Africa Fashion International Young Designer of the Year 2014, Rich Mnisi. With a global view the brand is young at heart and explores the treasures engraved within Africa and the world of modern culture and heritage to tell the unique stories of then, now and soon. All this packaged in extremist yet minimalist structures which take design and craftsmanship as the first and foremost motivation.

The brand is carved to maintain a contemporary outlook and stand firm in an aesthetic that brings worlds of artistic imagination together. RICH MNISI breeds new layers and visions inspired by sources outside of the realm of fashion, including film, music, art and nature, being immersed but measured, picking up only the fitting notes to gather as foundation.

4. Tongoro

In an ongoing effort to highlight African women in the fashion space, Sarah Diouf launched her African-made brand Tongoro which promotes sustainability by using local artisans to create her pieces and in the same vein, empowering her local community.

According to the brands website:

We are a 100% Made In Africa label providing clothing that offer style conscious consumers quality, variety and convenience, at affordable prices.

Our brand focuses on understanding the fashion that our customers want offering playful and unique apparel. By sourcing our materials on the continent and working with local tailors, our long-term goal is to contribute to the development of the retail production in Western Africa, with our first atelier in Dakar, Senegal.

Speaking about her brand to Harper's Bazaar, Diouf said:

The Tongoro girl is one of a kind; she's an adventurer. She's feminine, playful, full of character, she's never afraid of trying new things. Prints being a key element to the brand, the aesthetic is and will always be very graphic and bold. Each piece makes their own statement without having to add much.

5. Elie Kuame

Elie Kuame, who was born in Belgium is of Ivorian and Lebanese descent. The designer, who grew up in Cote d'Ivoire, had a passion for fashion from a very early age.

After four years of Artisanal apprenticeships, he joined a famous bridal dresses house where he took his first steps as a design assistant. He was quickly noticed for his originality and his rigour, qualities that allowed him to work in various Parisian workshops.

His eponymous label is a celebration of women in all their beautiful forms. His designs are made to enhance the female body and make women feel empowered.

6. Maxhosa by Laduma

Laduma Ngxokolo, the creative director of Maxhosa by Laduma, is a South African textile and knitwear designer, best known for his men's knitwear range inspired by traditional Xhosa beadwork.

In an interview with Business Insider South Africa, Laduma explained that, 'The clothing line was born from a final year project at the Nelson Mandela University.'

He wanted to create a knitwear collection that reflected his isiXhosa heritage and he derived inspiration from the traditional male initiation ceremony. The ceremony is a part of the rite of passage from boyhood to manhood and involves the purchase of a new 'mature' wardrobe, which usually include a premium quality jersey. He created knitwear for the project that he believed resonated with young Xhosa initiates, and this sparked a business idea.
"I decided to provoke the conservatives yesterday by wearing Kembe on Suit and tie and its been mix reaction. Some people ticked Yes while it a No for some. The thing about art and Creativity is the fact that you are free and allowed to try out things as it comes to mind meaning rules can be broken if there is any, who made the damn rules anyway. Attached here is also a beautiful picture of my the die hard fan of Ire Clothings rocking the kunleskembe and kunlesdansiki. Of course women are not really cut out to wear such was the rules then but now they do. The Scottish piper typical outfit is complete suit on skirt, who set that rule for oyinbo and who broke it? For those creative minds out there, keep breaking boundaries by redefining fashion as Ire Clothings brand is doing and to those with boxed mind, E mura si."
Fayose is facing an 11-count charge bothering on receiving money illegally to fund his 2014 governorship campaign, among other allegations of benefitting from proceeds of money laundering.

When he was first arraigned before the court on Monday, October 22, 2018, the outspoken former governor pleaded not guilty to all the charges and pressed for bail.

During his second appearance before the court on Wednesday, October 25, the presiding judge, JusticeMojisola Olatoregun, granted him bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties who have landed properties in Lagos and must possess three years tax clearance in the state. The judge also directed the former governor to submit his international passport to the court.

The court's decision in Fayose's favour was against the EFCC's objection to his bail request as the commission told the court on Wednesday that it is still tracing other properties acquired by the former governor with the proceeds of alleged laundered funds.

However, his lawyer, Kanu Agabi, urged the court to grant bail to the former governor based on self-recognizance, and especially because he voluntarily surrendered to the EFCC on October 16 for questioning.

Justice Olatoregun adjourned commencement of the trial till November 19.

Fayose's list of 'sins'

The 11-count charge against Fayose are:

COUNT 1

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE and MR. ABIODUN AGBELE (now facing another charge) on or about 17th June, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took possession of the sum of N1, 219, 000, 000.00 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Nineteen Million Naira) to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) and (4) of the same Act.

COUNT 2

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE on or about 17th June, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without going through the financial institution received cash payment in the sum of $5, 000, 000 (Five Million Dollars) from SENATOR MUSILIU OBANIKORO, the then Minister of State for Defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 1 and 16 (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.

COUNT 3

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE on or about 7th April, 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did retain in your fixed deposit account No: 9013074033 with Zenith Bank Plc, the sum of N300, 000, 000.00 (Three Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 4

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE and SPOTLESS LIMITED between 17th June, 2014 and 4th August, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took control of an aggregate sum of N317, 000, 000.00 (Three Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira) by depositing same into the Zenith Bank Plcs Account No: 1010170969 belonging to SPOTLESS INVESTMENT LIMITED, a company controlled by you and members of your family and which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 5

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 26th June, 2014 and 27th August, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took control of an aggregate sum of N305, 760, 000.00 (Three Hundred and Five Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) in your Zenith Bank Account No: 1003126654 which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 6

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 18th June, 2014 and 23rd June, 2014 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did procure DE-PRIVATEER LIMITED and one ABIODUN AGBELE to retain in their Account No: 1013835889 domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum of N719, 490, 000.00 (Seven Hundred and Nineteen Million, Four Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira) on your behalf, which sum formed parts of proceed of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 7

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE and SPOTLESS LIMITED on or about 4th August, 2014, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use the sum of N270, 000, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy Million Naira) to acquire a property at Plot 1504, Yedsema Street, Maitama, Abuja from one RABI KUNDILI, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 8

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 12th November, 2014 and 20th August, 2015, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use an aggregate sum of N1, 151, 711, 573 (One Billion, One Hundred and Fifty One Million, Seven Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Five hundred and Seventy Three Naira) to acquire chalets 3 and 4, 6 and 9 of the property situate at Plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos in the name of JJ TECHNICAL SERVICE, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 9

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 23rd April, 2015 and 30th April, 2015 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use an aggregate sum of N200, 000, 000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) to acquire a property known as No. 44, Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abujain the name of MOJI OLADEJI (your elder sister), which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 10

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 23rd April, 2015 and 30th April, 2015 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use an aggregate sum of N270, 000, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy Million Naira) to acquire a property known as Plot 1504 Yedseram Street, Maitama, Abuja in the name of SPOTLESS INVESTMENT LIMITED, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 11
Following the emergence of pictures of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu in Israel, reports surfaced on social media saying that the minister said Nigeria will attack Israel if it does not return the IPOB leader.

Mohammed described the reports as fake news, adding that Kanus sudden appearance has shown that the Federal Government didnt know his whereabouts.

The minister made this known while fielding questions from newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC)meeting at the State House on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

According to Vanguard, he said I was in London when I heard the story about Nnamdi Kanu surfacing in Israel. I was not in a position to make any statement. But before I knew it, within a few hours, I saw my picture with a story saying that I had actually given Israel ultimatum to return Nnamdi Kanu otherwise, we will send them missiles.

I just laughed. It speaks to what we are talking about fake news because it is probably the biggest threat in the run-up to the elections. Having said that, I have nothing more to add to the issue of Nnamdi Kanu. At the appropriate time, the various authorities will make a statement about the issue of Kanu.

But this has proven that all along when Kanu disappeared and the mob was asking the Nigerian army to account for the whereabouts of Kanu; I kept saying that Kanu knows where he is. He was not in the custody of the Federal Government. We have been vindicated today. Any other statement will be made in due course.

Kanu should be ignored

The minister also described the re-appearance of the IPOB leader as a distraction, adding that there are more pressing issues in the country for Nigerians to worry about.

Presidency reacts

The presidency has also asked Nigerians not to lose sleep over Kanus emergence.

According to presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, Nigeria is strong enough to defend its territory against any form of threat.

The IPOB leader, during his broadcast on Sunday, October 21, 2018, said he will be returning to Nigeria with hell.

He also called on his members not to take part in elections until a referendum is carried out.
The IPOB leader, on Sunday, October 21, 2018, during a broadcast, said that Igbos will not vote until a referendum is carried out.

According to the Igbo group, boycotting the election will not benefit anybody.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, Osmond Nkeoma on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 in Imo state.

The statement reads: The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths (Worldwide) still stands on a restructured Nigeria.

We will canvas for and vote for the presidential candidate who buys into our restructuring ideas. We are Igbos; we have a stake in the Nigerian project.

We will vote because if we fail to, the election will still hold and Nigeria will continue. Boycotting the elections will not benefit anyone.

We, therefore, advice Ndi IPOB to toe the line of intelligence and smartness and have a tactical synergy with Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership.

Movements all over the world that are IPOB in nature are usually involved directly or indirectly with partisan politics.

MASSOB counters Kanu

Also, the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), called on Igbos not to listen to Nnamdi Kanu.

Uwazuruike also alleged that the IPOB leader is working for the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the statement, the National Cemetery is reserved for the nations fallen heroes and it requires discretionary approval of a sitting President for a citizen to be given a final resting place in its grounds.

The President also paid tribute to former Chief Justice of Nigeria, hailing his contributions to the evolution of the countrys jurisprudence.

President Buhari had sent a government delegation led by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari to represent him at the funeral prayer at the National Mosque, Abuja and thereafter, the burial at the National Cemetery.

Other members of the Presidential delegation were the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

The government delegation had also paid a condolence visit to the widows and other family members of Justice Kutigi at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja, the statement added.

In 2014 Justice Kutigi served as the Chief Justice from 2007 to December 2009.
Kanu had not been seen in public since an alleged attack on his father's compound by soldiers on September 14, 2017, until he was pictured praying at the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, Israel, on Friday, October 19, 2018.

Since his re-emergence, Kanu has addressed his followers and vowed to return to the country to lead a boycott against the 2019 general elections.

"I will be back soon in the land of Biafra and I will bring hell with me. IPOB will liberate Biafra and we will not take part in any elections until we get a referendum, it is not negotiable, we will do it by any means," he said.

In the time between Kanu's mysterious disappearance and resurrection in Israel, IPOB had relentlessly alleged that he was in the custody of the government who was illegally holding him.

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With the government apparently now vindicated, Mohammed believes the IPOB leader is only a distraction to the country. While addressing the topic of Kanu's re-emergence during an interview on AIT on Wednesday, October 24, Mohammed said Nigeria has more pressing issues.

He said, "This is the same man that was claimed to be held by the military and I remember at the height of this saga, some many people wanted to hold the federal government responsible for the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu.

"I remember saying that the military did not kidnap him, he wasn't killed. All these are just distractions frankly speaking. I don't think it's something we should dwell too much on. There are other pressing issues of the nation we should discuss.

"No government will waste too much energy or effort. I think the government will be making sure that the country is safe."

In an earlier reaction to Kanu's threat to bring hell with him to the country, President Muhammadu Buhari's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said there is no reason to worry about the wanted IPOB leader.

He said, "The Presidency wishes to restate that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat, assuring all Nigerians that there is no reason to worry about the hollow outburst by Nnamdi Kanu, the disputed leader of IPOB on returning to the country 'with hell'.

Instead, we see the re-enactment of his bizarre, episodic threat as a mere distraction which will not be allowed to detract from the existing cordial relationships between Nigeria and other countries."
Faro made the vow in Yola, Adamawa state capital, and disclosed that his action was necessitated by the extreme poverty in the country.

According to Sahara reporters, the Adamawa State indigene threatened to fall off after 12 hours if PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, does not show up to assure him of taking over President Buhari's seat after the 2019 presidential election.

"I will remain here for 12 hours to show my discontent, and someone not less than Atiku must come here to assure me that this government must be sacked in the forthcoming election," he said.

While he was on top of the billboard hanger, a large crowd at the bottom were chanting "Sai Baba Buhari!".

Faro and Ilyasu call for Buhari's resignation after climbing tall sculptures

His actions comes after a similar incidence that happened in Abuja where a resident, Ilyasu Nura, called for the president's resignation after climbing a telecom mast.

Before he climbed the mast, he had distributed a flyer to explain his grievances, saying that he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country to get better.

Despite the efforts of security officials to get him down the mast, Ilyasu vowed not to descend until President Buhari resigned from the office and dropped his second term ambition.

However, 24 hours after he climbed the mast, Ilyasu descended from it after he reached an agreement with security officials to allow him talk to the media.
MTN made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Johannesburg.

MTN said that further announcement on the issue would be made in due course.

Shareholders are advised to continue to exercise caution when dealing in the companys securities until a further announcement is made, MTN said.

MTN and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are in a dispute over the transfer of 8.1 billion dollars which the bank said the company had sent abroad and breaches foreign-exchange regulations.

But Godwin Emefiele, governor of CBN said, while addressing reporters on Oct. 7 in London that the CBN may reduce the amount it had ordered MTN Nigeria to repatriate.

Emefiele said that new documents provided by the telecom company would help to reduce the size of the claim.

I dont think it will be staying at 8.1bn dollars.

I want to believe that the figure will reduce. Whether it will be dropped completely, I honestly cannot say at this time, he added.

Emefiele said the central bank had received documents about four weeks ago from MTN and four lenders involved in the case.
This was part of the resolutions in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

The communique was signed by NLC President and General Secretary Ayuba Wabba, and Dr Peter-Ozo-Eson.

They described the White Paper as an assault to Organised Labour.

The communique stated that the NLC NEC had resolved not to be bound by the latest White Paper by Federal Government against labour, describing it as an illegality and a throwback to the dark days of fascism which Organised Labour successfully confronted.

Wabba said that the NEC condemned the government for its design/plan to clamp down on Labour via selective and erroneous invocation of the no work, no pay clause in the Trade Disputes Act.

The right to strike is both a human and trade union right and cannot be abridged as it is what distinguishes a worker from a slave.

There is nothing new about this clause as it has been in our statutes for over 40 years.

The NEC also demanded that the government uphold the principles of the rule of law, fairness, equity and justice by invoking no pay, no work.

The NEC, accordingly, resolved that the threat of no work, no pay will not deter it from embarking on strike, when necessary, as it has always complied with legal requirements precedent and will always comply with those requirements.

He said the NEC also resolved to advise the Federal Government to shelve its White Paper or risk being reported to the ILO.

According to him, the NEC urged Nigerian workers to disregard governments directive on no work, no pay as they were already being impoverished and owed arrears of salaries.

Wabba said that the NEC also observed that governments design to influence the tenure of union executives and membership of unions negotiating teams, constituted a direct interference in the internal affairs of the unions.

He said the NEC noted that this was in direct contravention of the Articles 3, 4 and 8 of ILO Convention 87, which Nigeria signed since 1960.

He said the NEC also debunked, rejected and condemnedclaims by the Minister of Labour and Employment in the media that negotiations were still ongoing on the issue of a New National Minimum Wage which implementation was already long overdue.

The NLC president added that the NEC also resolved to organise a national day of mobilisation and sensitisation rallies for all workers.

This is in order for workers to show their outrage and mourning in the 36 states of the federation and FCT on Tuesday, 30th October, 2018.

The day will also be used to educate and sensitise Nigerians on the horrendous plight of workers and pensioners; the insensitivity and duplicity of government on labour issues.

Workers would also protest over the proposed obnoxious policies of government against Organised Labour, he said.

He said the NEC also resolved to hold joint meetings of the Central Working Committees (CWCs) of all the Labour Centres on Nov. 2, 2018.

He said the NEC noted that the meeting would be for final preparations for a full engagement with government on the National Minimum Wage.

The communique serves as formal notice to government that the NLC will commence an indefinite national industrial action from Nov. 6, 2018.

Uless the government accepts and commences the process of perfecting the payment of N30, 000 as the negotiated and compromise New National Minimum Wage on or before that date.

In furtherance of this, NEC directs all affiliate unions, state councils, civil society allies, the informal sector and other friends of workers and lovers of democracy to commence immediate mobilization of their members.
Sirika had announced in a brief statement last month that the Federal Executive Council decided to suspend the project which had been been scheduled to start operations in December 2018.

However, the minister has now disclosed that the project will soon be reactivated but with a different timeline in mind.

According to the ministry's deputy director of media and public affairs, James Daudu, Sirika said this while addressing United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Nigeria, Fahad Al Taffaq, in Abuja.

"The suspended national carrier would be activated as soon as possible, although the December 24th earlier given for its take-off is no longer feasible," Sirika is quoted as telling the ambassador.

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Since the national carrier project was first unveiled earlier this year, many critics had criticised it as a doomed project, a criticism that went into overdrive after Sirika announced its suspension.

While he failed to disclose why the project was suspended, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, hinted that it might be due to the commitment of investors.

However, Sirika responded, noting that the decision to suspend the project was strategic and had nothing to do with lack of committment from investors.

He said investors involved in the project include international finance institutions such as the Afro-Exim Bank, African Development Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, aircraft manufacturers - Airbus and Boeing, and many others.

"The Office of the Minister of STate for Aviation has noted, with consternation, various opinions, comments and observations in the media regarding the status and the reasons for the recent suspension of the processes leading to the establishment of a Nigerian national carrier.

"Among the reasons being given for its suspension, especially in the social media is the absence of interested and ready investors.

"This couldn't be farther from the truth, as the national carrier project has an avalanche of well-grounded and ready investors," an official statement read.

Nigeria Air was unveiled in July

When Sirika unveiled the name and logo of the national carrier at Farnborough International Public Airshow in London on July 18, 2018, he said it'll be private sector-led and driven, noting that the government will not own more than 5% of the new national carrier and will not be involved in running it.

He disclosed that 81 routes (domestic, regional and international) have been identified for the airline which is touted to promote Nigeria's cultures and traditions.
Karlsen said that issue based campaigns was key to peaceful elections and development of democracy.

My advice is to focus as much as possible on what to use the power for, not just how to get to power. It should be based on solutions for the generality for the people of Nigeria.

That is what creates the best democratic processes at the end of the day, where politicians offer their services to the people and not the other way round.

That is my wish for the campaign processes as we approach Nov. 18 (when campaigns will start) and the proximity to the general elections, he said.

Karlsen said that the expectation of the European Union from Nigeria was to see a continued move toward free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.

We have observed elections here since 1999. We have funded electoral and democratic consolidation projects; we are currently engaging with the INEC, National Assembly, Civil Society Organisations (CSO), media, and the Not Too Young to Run Campaigning Organisations.

So, we are building partnership all over the place to see consolidation of democracy. It is our hope that we will see continued trend to that direction as we move toward 2019.

I think everybody buys in, not buying votes but buying into a true democratic process and this is what we are here to promote,  he said.

Karlsen said that the delegation was meeting with all stakeholders, political parties, candidates, civil society and the media.
Ekweremadus assurance arrives on the heels of speculations and rumours which suggested that he is seriously considering dumping the PDP because he has been treated badly by the party.

The rumours assumed lives of their own after former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi, was named by PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar as his running mate ahead of the 2019 general elections.

People have been seeking clarification

Addressing the defection rumours on his Facebook page, Ekweremadu said: I am presently out of the country on a pre-scheduled engagement.

In the past 24 hours, I have been inundated with calls from friends and political associates seeking clarification on the rumours of my departure from the PDP, which has dominated the media.

Let it be known that my path in politics is in the hands of the Almighty God, who has indeed been very faithful and gracious to me. Im very grateful to God for this.

Ekweremadu still in PDP

Ekweremadu added that he is still a member of the PDP.

My vision in politics is a system that works for everybody, a social and political environment where everybody, every section, and every tribe not only counts, but is also seen to count. As leaders, we must be mindful of this, for any system built on anything less will not endure.

I am grateful to you - members of my family, my friends, political associates, and admirers across Nigeria and beyond - for your uncommon concern. I am indeed humbled by your kind words of solidarity and support.

Please, rest assured that I am still in the PDP.
Ahead of the forthcoming general election, INEC urged politicians to see the process as a means to an end and not an end in itself.

INEC's National Commissioner and chairperson of its Election and Party Monitoring Committee, Prof. Antonia Okoosi-Simbine, gave the warning at a workshop on Leadership and Conflict Management Skills for Electoral Stakeholders organised by European Centre for Electoral Support, ECES, in Abuja Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

She said "This is particularly so in developing democracies where elections are at times perceived as warfare that must be won at all costs. Indeed, a cursory examination of the typical electoral cycle reveals that every phase is fraught with both potential and real dangers.

"Election which is supposed to be a means to an end, that is, good governance is often seen as an end in itself. So much contestation surrounds our elections with little or scant respect for rule of law and due process."
Mr Valentine Obienyem, Media Aide to Obi said this in a statement in Awka on Wednesday.

Some youths under the aegis of The Northern Youths Leaders Forum met with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday and urged Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to reconsider the choice of Obi or risk losing their support.

Obienyem in his statement entitled RE: Northern group to Atiku: Drop Obi or forget 2019 said it was a case of inventing problem where none existed.

He described Obi as humble, hardworking, knowledgeable, detribalized Nigerian with in-depth knowledge about the economy and conversant with the myriad of problems of the country.

According to Obienyem, any person truthful to himself will agree that never in the history of Nigeria did naming of running mates elicited comparable reactions.

One is, therefore, at a loss as to the reasons informing the protest. Since leaving office, Obi has been busy visiting schools all over the country, from Cross River to Sokoto.

Obi has been busy diagnosing the problems of the country and offering solutions.

Obi has been busy preaching the unity of the country and how good governance will solve the problems in Nigeria, caused by cumulative years of leadership failure that make the protest under review suspicious, he said.

Obienyem wondered why such protest should hold in Ota and what the intentions of those behind it were.

He said they would not be distracted with such antics but remained focused on efforts to proffer solutions to national economic challenges.

Why protest in Ota? Who is behind the protest? What does the project intend to achieve? Is it true that the planning of the protest was revealed almost a week ago?

Why is it that when you have failed to see any fault in Obi, you are bent on inventing one?

These are necessary questions which any sincere inquirer will deem appropriate to start with.
"I don't think that any country would dare do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.

"It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder.

"The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them."

Khashoggi, a government critic who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he organised the paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

The case has triggered an international outcry against Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ridiculed Riyadh's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

Iran had been silent about the Khashoggi case until Monday when its judiciary chief slammed Saudi Arabia over his death.

"This heinous murder further revealed the nature of Saudis, their kingdom and that young man who is seeking fame and murdering innocent people," Sadegh Amoli Larijani was quoted as saying by the judiciary's news agency Mizan Online, apparently referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

'Child-killing regime'

Iran has closely followed the backlash its regional rival Saudi Arabia has faced over the Khashoggi murder.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and three of its officers, including Quds Force commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, as terrorist sponsors.

"The House of Saud is seeking to divert international and regional public opinion away from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Brigadier General Esmail Kowsari of the Guards said in reaction to decision, quoted by Mehr news agency.

"Saudi Arabia is stuck in a quagmire they can't get out of," Kowsari said, adding that the designation was an attempt to utilise the tactic of attack being the best form of defence.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Almost anyone spending time outdoors knows about the link between ticks and Lyme disease. But there may be far more lurking in tick bites than previously thought  a cocktail of bacteria and viruses that may uniquely affect each bite victim and inhibit the remedies meant to cure tick-borne diseases.

Climate change is expanding tick ranges, and were spending more time in tick habitats all the time, said Catherine Hill, a Purdue professor of entomology and vector biology. As we come into more contact with ticks, we increase the likelihood of being bitten and contracting a tick-borne disease. Were finding that its not just one microbe these ticks could pass on to us. Its like a little microbe party in there, and we need to figure out how their interplay can affect human health.

To build that understanding, Hill and scientists in her lab have created the Tick INsiders program, which involves collecting Indiana ticks throughout the year to map bacteria and viruses and how these change throughout the year and throughout the state. ## high school students have been trained as citizen scientists to help with the project and have been collecting ticks since the spring of 2018.

Theyve found three types of ticks - the blacklegged deer tick, the lone star tick and the American dog tick. Those arachnids are capable of transmitting nine different pathogens that cause human illnesses, though not all have not been diagnosed in the state. The Indiana State Department of Health reports more than 100 cases of Lyme disease each year and dozens of cases of Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Scientists suspect that the severity of illnesses and human immune response can vary based on the cocktail of microbes - bacteria, viruses and pathogens - passed from tick to bite victim. It has been estimated that about 25 percent of ticks are co-infected with the bacteria and parasites that cause Lyme disease and Babesia, for example. And other pathogens maybe in the mix in those or other ticks.

Its not one tick bite, one disease, Hill said. Its one tick bite with a unique complement of different microbes and pathogens, and we need to understand that diversity. We don't know which of these pathogens and how many are transferred when ticks bite, how our bodies react, and how the interplay between our immune system and multiple microbes might affect disease outcome.

So far, the Tick INsider programs collections have identified hundreds of bacteria. These may include pathogens known to cause human illness, including several bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Scientists are looking at as many as 100 different bacteria that may be pathogenic.

We already know that there is risk of contracting Lyme disease around the state  in any of Indianas 92 counties, Hill said. Were looking for all the stuff that hasnt been found yet but may show up at some point.

Knowing whats out there, and in us, may be useful for doctors who need to know the best way to treat tick-borne illnesses that affect patients in sometimes unique ways.

This deep dive will help us to design comprehensive diagnostics that test for hundreds of potential pathogens and enable doctors to prescribe patient-specific treatment regimes - that is personalized medicine for tick-borne diseases, Hill said.

Nine student scientists involved with the Tick INsider program spent Friday (Oct. 19) on campus learning about the analysis done on the ticks they find. They toured labs that perform DNA analysis of each tick, identifying the types of viruses and bacteria present, as well as the Purdue Bioinformatics Core, where the data are analyzed.

The Tick INsider program will take application for new students in early January. And Hill said she hopes soon to expand the program so that any Indiana resident can become trained to collect and send in ticks.

Writer: Brian Wallheimer, 765-532-0233, bwallhei@purdue.edu

Catherine Hill, 765-496-6157, hillca@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
Ibsen was an amazing writer. So many of his plays are considered to be invaluable to the world of theater, Hall said. A Dolls House is considered one of his masterpiece plays. It was the first of his to really shake up the theater world. Ibsen was considered the father of modern realism in theater.
Of those who indicated a preference, nearly 30 percent of respondents favoured home production and use only.

Dr Wilkins likened the option to a home-brewed alcohol market without retail outlets or commercial markets.

Another option was a community-based trust that would supply cannabis without attempting to increase the market.

That community trust would then give a proportion of all the sales from cannabis back to the community, Dr Wilkins told RadioLIVE.

But the majority of respondants (at 36 percent) showed no preference among the various cannabis reforms options.

The survey also broke down demographics associated with the ten cannabis reform options.

Maori and those living in rural communities were less likely to support a profit-driven cannabis system, according to Dr Wilkins.

On the contrary, men were more likely to support profit-driven options.

And the older you were, the more likely you were to support not-for-profit different approaches, said Dr Wilkins.

While the survey wasnt intended to be representative of the New Zealand population, Dr Wilkins said the surveys 6300 sample size was fairly consistent with the countrys population breakdown, albeit with some bias.

Dr Wilkins says the survey was intended to get feedback from New Zealanders who were well-informed about the substance.

Listen to the full interview with Chris Wilkins above.

The Long Lunch with Lynda Hallinan, 12pm - 3pm on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.
National leader Simon Bridges remains optimistic after a poll released unfavourable results for the party.

The latest 1NEWS Colmar Brunton poll shows the Labour Party is now ahead of National in the eyes of the public.

Labour is up 3 percent to 45 percent, while National is down 2 percent to 43 percent.

The reality is 43 percent is strong. It shows the underlying strength of National, Mr Bridges told RadioLIVEs Mark Sainsbury.

Lets be clear  this was when we were in the eye in the storm, Mr Bridges laughed, referring to a few tumultuous weeks of allegations from rogue MP Jami-Lee Ross.

The Ross saga has been one of the roughest chapters in Nationals history, with Mr Bridges accused of being corrupt and concealing an alleged $100,000 donation.

Mr Bridges' personal poll rating also took a tumble, falling 3 percent to just 7 percent - his lowest since he became leader.

The National leader remains positive that despite the claims being tossed around, the National Party still remains strong in the eyes of the public.

When we get back to talking to things that matter we will again be much higher in the polls and seen as a very credible alternative to this Government, Mr Bridges told RadioLIVE.

These results put Labour ahead of National for the first time since February, and would deliver 68 seats to the Coalition Government based on current polling.

Listen to the full interview with Simon Bridges above.



The AM Show with Duncan Garner, Amanda Gillies and Mark Richardson, weekdays 6-9am on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.
Justice Minister Andrew Little says there is public disquiet over how donations to political parties are handled.

The Labour Party has called for a clean-up of electoral donation laws in the wake of Jami-Lee Ross saga, where the rogue MP released a recording that raised concerns over political favours being bought.

Mr Little told RadioLIVE that a clean-up of donation laws is not just about the National Party.

In the end, public confidence in the totality of our political system means we have to have a donations regime that has a level of transparency and a level of public confidence, said Mr Little.

Every election, political parties spend up large on everything from billboards and buses.

A huge bulk of the cash comes from party donations - and the Justice Minister says the rules around those donations should be examined to determine if theyre up to scratch.
Night Talk: After talking about Serco-run prisons in New Zealand, Mitch Harris received a call from Gaylene (which you can hear above).

According to Gaylene, her 20-year-old son committed a minor crime and was put into prison, along-side some of the worst criminals in New Zealand.

Prison officials allegedly promised Gaylene they would make sure her son, who has mental health issues, was put in a safe area of the prison. Gaylene says he wasn't, and claims he's now been bashed up behind bars.

Gaylene tells Harris she called Jacinda Ardern's office after hearing about the beating, and her son was then moved into a safe and secure part of the prison.

We'd like to thank Gaylene for her courage talking with Harris about this issue.

Serco would like to respond and clarify the following points;

"The caller claimed Serco is operating the Auckland Central Remand Prison. The ACRP became part of Mt Eden Corrections Facility in 2011. The Department of Corrections, not Serco, has managed MECF since July 2015. Serco has no connection to MECF. Serco manages Kohuora Auckland South Corrections Facility, which holds sentenced, not remand, male prisoners.



The caller claimed that in Serco recruitment advertisements we state that no qualifications are required. Kohuora employs people with diverse life experience and backgrounds. We want our Reintegration Officers (known as Corrections Officers in other prisons) to have integrity, good communication, resilience and empathy. We recruit people who have the ability to motivate and inspire others, have good problem-solving skills and can make timely and informed decisions. Applicants undergo stringent assessments before they can join our team.



New recruits complete a comprehensive 12-week initial training programme, providing a combination of theory and time to apply this in a prison environment. If at any point in their training they do not meet our standards, they will not graduate. Once Reintegration Officers graduate, they will continue to receive support and guidance, for what can be a very challenging role. Reintegration Officers have up to nine months to complete the New Zealand Certificate of Offender Management Level 3, a minimum requirement of the role and have on-going professional development obligations throughout their career.



Your host also made the comment, in reference to Benjamin Lightbody, that Serco deliberately tried to lose the footage and cover up the problem. This was not the finding of the Privacy Commissioner. Serco denies any such allegation. The matter is now before the Human Rights Review Tribunal and we recommend your station leaves it to the HRRT to make its findings."

Night Talk with Mitch Harris, 8pm - 12am Monday-Thursday nights on RadioLIVE, and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.
MYANMAR: An agreement to undertake a feasibility study for a 431 km railway linking Mandalay with Muse on the Chinese border was signed by Myanma Railways and China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group on October 22.
AL-UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar  Turkish and American troops could begin conducting joint patrols in a matter of days around the northern Syrian city of Manbij within the coming days, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East said Sunday.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters traveling with him that the soldiers' training is expected to last "several more days," and then will transition to combined patrols.

The Manbij patrols are part of a road map that Ankara and Washington agreed on in June to defuse tensions amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that freed the town of Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016.

The U.S. and the Turks have been conducting independent patrols along the border, and joint patrols are considered a way to tamp down potential violence between the various groups there.

"We're right on track with where we want to be," Votel said. "We've been through a very deliberate and mutually agreed upon training program."

He said the platoons will include security personnel. He did not provide details on the size of the units or how many U.S. and Turkish forces will be involved in the program. U.S. platoons can often include a couple dozen soldiers.

The initial instruction of Turkey's military trainers began at the beginning of the month, then all the troops were brought together for training to ensure they can all communicate, work together and operate with the same military tactics and procedures, particularly if there is an attack or other incident.

The training had been delayed a bit while equipment was brought in and the two countries worked out the details of how the operations would be conducted.

Manbij has been a major sticking point in the strained relations between the U.S. and Turkey. Ankara considers the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a terror group that is linked to a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey.

The patrols will add to the security of the area, Votel said, adding that right now Manbij is stable and "we want to double down and consolidate our gains."

In July, the Manbij Military Council, which administers the town, said the YPG units once stationed there had completed their withdrawal. Turkey's Foreign Ministry called reports of the alleged withdrawal "exaggerated" and said they didn't "reflect the truth."
According to Wyckoff, the office is working more closely with townships to keep residents updated on taxes and elections, and that the website has seen more than 980,000 visits in the last two years.
What should Americans know about ancient history? Given how little todays high school students seem to know about recent history, any concern about what happened in Egypt under the pharaohs, what transpired at Thermopylae, or how the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire might seem like worrying where you put your keys when your house is burning down. After all, the last available scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) from 2014 show eighth graders scraping along the bottom of the historical canal. Since then, with the help of the Common Cores demotion of history as a subject, we can be sure that even fewer American students can place the U.S. Civil War within the right century, or distinguish real events, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, from fictions, such as the idea that the U.S. caused the Cold War.

Nonetheless, there is a good case that students should know something about the history of the world before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Indeed some of todays high school students do study what is now called world history, extending back to the Neolithic Period  which began about 12,000 years ago. And some lucky students  about 298,000 of them in 2017  enroll in Advanced Placement World History, one of the College Boards 38 AP courses.

It is, of course, asking a lot for one high school course to cover 12,000 years of history, from the invention of micro-blade stone tools to the micro-transistor, from the dawn of domesticated crops to the ascendancy of Whole Foods. The College Board, we are happy to report, has heard the complaints of history teachers and is considering a change.

In July, the College Board announced that it is committed to adding a second AP World History examination. The idea is to divide world history at the year 1200. Mongolophiles will recall that Genghis Khan began his conquests in 1207, leading eventually to the Pax Mongolica, which in turn enabled Marco Polo to sojourn in China for 24 years, and Europeans subsequently to learn the pleasures of cooked noodles.

But the choice of 1200 as the dividing line was actually made in response to history teachers who wanted a date divorced from any signal event in Western history. And the College Board has proven itself eager to accommodate any proposal that can show its good-faith antipathy to anything Western.

Still, we should be grateful that the College Board has opened the door to a more prolonged examination of deeper history. A lot happened before 1200, including the emergence of all the major world religions, many of the basic discoveries in mathematics and engineering, the invention of money and markets, and the key political ideas of monarchy, republics, democracy, and codified law. Students should know something about such matters.

The trouble is that the College Board still aims to submerge the ancient history of the West with the ancient history of the rest. Of course, we have no objection to students learning about the Olmec Empire, the mysterious ruins of Mohenjo Daro in the Indus Valley, or the Iron Age inhabitants of Laos whose scattered monuments left the Plain of Jars (500 BC to 500 AD). But it probably isnt the best idea to equate in importance these accomplishments with the history of our own civilization. We need a separate examination that focuses on ancient and medieval European history.

Americas students have always needed an AP test on ancient and medieval European history. You cant understand the modern Europe that created the modern world if you dont know how the civilizations of Greece and Israel joined in imperial Rome and medieval Christendom. You cant understand America and its ideals of liberty, faith, and law if you dont learn about Greece, Israel, and Rome  or learn about the deep roots of our freedom in medieval Englands common law and parliament. And you cant learn about them properly in a World History course that shrinks the coverage of all of medieval Europe to a few weeks.

Up until now the College Board could argue that it didnt have enough demand for an Ancient and Medieval Europe examination. Now that its creating a second World History examination, that rationale doesnt seem convincing.

The National Association of Scholars has just sent an open letter to the College Board that calls on it to create the course, exam, and accompanying resources for an AP European History: Ancient and Medieval examination, to cover European history from ca. 500 BC to ca. 1450 AD.

There should easily be enough student demand to support an AP European History: Ancient and Medieval exam. There are about 3.6 million American high school seniors  and the College Board offers tests in subjects that dont attract even 1 percent of that number. In 2017, the AP offered exams in Japanese (2,429 students), Italian (2,571 students), German (5,089 students), and Studio Art: 3-D Design (5,571 students). 105,347 students took European History. We are sure there are as many students who want to study ancient and medieval European history as want to study 3D Design.

Of course, the College Board could just turn that exam into another piece of progressive propaganda, like its US and European history exams. They dont have to. They should get eminent scholars who arent progressive ideologues to help create the exam  people like Victor Davis Hanson (ancient Greek and military history), Warren Treadgold (Byzantine and intellectual history), and Rachel Fulton Brown (Latin West and religious history).

We hope a great many more Americans will join us in this campaign. If enough of us join together, we can rouse the College Board to make this change.

Peter Wood is president of the National Association of Scholars, where David Randall is Director of Research.
A little-noticed row between U.S. allies Hungary and Ukraine has been simmering for the past year. This month, it escalated dramatically.

Last week, Hungary summoned Ukraines Ambassador over supposed death listsof ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine. The list, which according to Hungary, has appeared on the website of the Ukrainian nationalist group Myrotvoretz and includes the names of some 300 Ukrainians who allegedly have also taken up Hungarian citizenship.

Earlier this month the countries exchanged diplomatic expulsions over accusations that Hungarian diplomats in Ukraine were issuing passports to ethnic Hungarians. Ukrainian law proscribes dual citizenship.

Meanwhile, Hungary continues to block meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the body responsible for building that countrys relationship with NATO. Ukraines integration into Western structures is for now effectively stymied, and that plays into Russias hands.

It is time for the United States to step in and help resolve a dispute that has gone on for too long already.

At its core, the dispute revolves around the approximately 156,000 Hungarian speakers -- or ethnic Hungarians, language often being the central element of ethnicity -- living in western Ukraine. In September 2017, Ukrainian President Poroshenko signed a law that requires most Ukrainian secondary schools to teach in Ukrainian. The law allows instruction in other languages to be taught as a separate subject.

Ukraine has faced a backlash from countries such as Hungary and Romania -- Ukraine also has a small group of Romanian-speakers. Kyiv asked the Venice Commission, which advices the Council of Europe on constitutional matters, for its opinion on the law. The Commission noted that the ambiguous text of the law means that much rests on its implementation.

However, it also noted, it is a legitimate and commendable aim for states to promote the strengthening of the state language and its command by all citizens, and to take action for its learning by all, as a way to address existing inequalities and to facilitate more effective integration of persons belonging to national minorities into society.

This is a sound principle, in Ukraine, Uruguay, or Utah.

The Trump administration has supported Budapest in its ongoing political battle over efforts to force the sovereign nation to accept mandatory EU quotas for migrants. In so doing, the United States is rightfully taking the view that the democratically elected leadership in Budapest is better positioned to determine what is best for the people of Hungary than unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.

And whats good for the goose is good for the gander. Just as the United States is correct in recognizing and supporting Hungarian sovereignty, it must make it clear to Budapest that it takes a dim view of Hungarys infringement upon Ukrainian sovereignty.

At heart here is Hungarys peculiar view of what constitutes the Hungarian nation. The 1920 Treaty of Trianon tore Hungary asunder; its redrawn borders left many Hungarian-speakers living within the borders of its neighbors. Hungary claims it is not pursuing a revanchist dream of getting back these lands, but it does insist that these Hungarian speakers form part of the Hungarian nation, have a right to speak their language and even vote in Hungarian elections. Thus the problem with an already embattled Ukraine.

And theres the rub. Hungarys conception of what a nation is aligns with Russias own conception of nationhood. The Kremlin has used that concept to justify its illegal invasion of Ukraine and subsequent land grabs.

Not coincidentally, Russia recently cited Hungarys position on Ukraines language law as proof that the law is ill conceived. With its stubborn insistence on its rights over other countries citizens, Hungarys government is now doing what its worst critics in the United States always accuse it of: being a patsy for Moscow.

By blocking the growing relationship of Ukraine with the West, most prominently in obstructing the NATO-Ukraine Commission, Hungary plays right into Vladimir Putins hands. Russias goal is to keep Ukraine in perpetual limbo, unable to fully integrate into the West, stuck in a morass of a corrupt economic and political oligarchy.

Putin will use any means at his disposal to achieve this end, and for now at least, Hungarys reaction to Ukraines language law is providing the Kremlin a valuable assist.

A Heritage Foundation vice president, James Jay Carafano directs the think tanks research on issues of national security and foreign relations. Daniel Kochis is a Heritage policy analyst specializing in European affairs. The views expressed are the authors' own.
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Vogue is sorry for causing any offense with Kendall Jenner's "afro" hairstyle.

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The magazine responded to backlash in a statement Monday after photographing the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star with big, "puffed-out" hair for a new feature.

"The image is meant to be an update of the romantic Edwardian/Gibson Girl hair which suits the period feel of the Brock Collection, and also the big hair of the '60s and the early '70s, that puffed-out, teased-out look of those eras," Vogue told E! News.

"We apologize if it came across differently than intended, and we certainly did not mean to offend anyone by it," the magazine said.

Vogue shared a photo of Jenner with the hairstyle Friday on Instagram.

Social media users accused Vogue of cultural appropriation and questioned why the magazine didn't use model with a natural afro.

"Instead of hiring a model with an Afro @voguemagazine decided to make Kendall Jenner a 'make shift' Afro," one person tweeted.

"Instead of hiring a Black model, Vogue just teased Kendall Jenner's hair into an afro and called it a day," another added.

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Jenner also appeared in an earlier post with Dutch model Imaan Hammam , who is of Egyptian and Moroccan descent.

Jenner wore an afro hairstyle, while Hammam sported straight locks.

Jenner previously faced controversy after appearing in a protest-themed Pepsi commercial in 2017.

She cried over the backlash in an episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," saying, "I just felt really, really bad."
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 10/24/2018



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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.

debuted with 16 singles looking for love and five couples pairing up during Tuesday night's episode on Lifetime.will feature a three-week process for the singles, guided by franchise experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Jessica Griffin, in the romantic destination of St. Lucia.By the end of Day 2 of the experiment, Calvin and Jessica instructed each person to commit to someone and become a couple -- or else leave St. Lucia and go home alone.After a couple of love triangles unfolded and some hurt feelings, watched five couples blossom and six individuals get eliminated. Eric Acosta , a 31-year-old entrepreneur and son of a diplomat from Denver, CO, paired up with Katie Muller , a 28-year-old in digital advertising from Denver, CO. Isabella McKenzie , a 25-year-old hostess from Atlanta, GA, matched herself with Tyler Moody , a 26-year-old construction company owner from Greeley, CO. Brandin Brosh , a 28-year-old clothing boutique owner from Biloxi, MS, set her eyes on Jona Bienko , a 35-year-old auto broker from Como, CO. Shannon Raddler , a 33-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative from Atlanta, GA, was interested in pursuing Kimber Gardner , a 28-year-old medical sales representative from Las Vegas, NV.And finally, Jada Rashawn , a 27-year-old professional nanny placement specialist and brand spokesperson from San Antonio, TX, became a couple with Chris Perry , a 29-year-old musician, personal trainer and youth counselor from Binghamton, NY.The premiere began with Isabella arriving in Fiji after experiencing heartbreak. She had made it to the final round on Married at first Sight: Second Chances, but in the end, she was not the right match for David Norton.Jona revealed he has undergone many surgeries following a life-threatening accident, but now he's fully recovered and ready to enter a committed relationship.Jona applied for Married at First Sight's fourth season in Miami, FL, and made it far in the experiment. He said producers actually called him to tell him he was matched, but minutes later he was told that his match withdrew from the process.On Day 1, the cast of singles arrived on the island and introduced themselves to one another.Isabella found herself immediately attracted to Tyler. They bonded over having family in Canada, and Isabella felt a connection. Jocelyn Thompson , a 30-year-old business owner from Los Angeles, CA, thought Chris was "hot" and her "type."Chris is a father and was looking for a woman who's ambitious, loyal and ready to be a stepmother to his daughter Bella.Shannon then arrived, and Isabella immediately recognized him and gave him a huge, welcoming hug.Shannon had a great experience dating Vanessa Nelson on Married at First Sight: Second Chances in Atlanta, GA. Shannon was disappointed Vanessa didn't choose him in the end because he's now ready to get married.Married at First Sight experts Calvin and Jessica then arrived and told the cast they had been "scientifically" selected for this show and each person could have multiple good matches.The one thing Calvin and Jessica couldn't account or plan for, however, was chemistry. Pastor Cal therefore explained the singles were going to match themselves.If a person could not find his or her partner by the end of the day on Day 2 of the experiment, he or she would be sent home. For the couples who did ultimately find chemistry, they'd be able to stay on the island and continue building their connections.The entire cast then boarded a big ship and enjoyed frozen drinks and each other's company. Jade decided she wanted to get to know Chris a little better, although she usually doesn't go for the most attractive guy whom every girl is after.Jada's last relationship was seven years long but she had been cheated on, so she was looking for an honest and family-oriented person.Meanwhile, Tyler was completely drawn to Isabella's beauty."The chemistry we sparked right away, it was beautiful," Tyler told the cameras, before Isabella agreed they had "undeniable chemistry" and it had taken her "by surprise."And Brandin seemed to hit it off with Jona."We are connecting and are in our own little tunnel vision. She's full of energy, and I'm really intrigued by all the impressive things she's doing in her life. I'm looking forward to learning more," Jona said.Brandin, in turn, thought Jona was attractive. She was hoping to find someone to travel and make money with.Shannon was then shown bonding with Kimber, whose ex-fiance struggled with addiction.Kimber revealed she loves to travel and is unsure whether she's like to have children in the future. While she seemed to like Shannon, she still had her eye on Jona, admitting that multiple women had the same taste in men.Eric enjoyed a conversation with Katie, who found him to be articulate and well-traveled."I like a lot of things about Eric, and I think it's really helpful we share so much in common. He likes to travel, he's a really good looking guy, and there's so much I enjoy about him," Katie told the cameras.Chris had an "insant vibe" with Jada, but he thought Jocelyn was the most gorgeous girl in the group, and he was very attracted to her. Jocelyn told Chris she really wants kids, and he seemed to like that about her.On Day 2, the cast met with Calvin and Jessica again. There was a lot of pressure on the singles to quickly match up and become couples.After a game of volleyball, Jocelyn acknowledged she was on the show for Chris and only interested in talking to him. Chris couldn't help but give Jocelyn all of his attention, and she had a feeling they'd continue the process together.Katie called her romance with Eric "solid," and then Kimber tried to get to know Jona a little better despite his relationship that was blossoming with Brandin."I thought Jona and I had such a deep connection, but I'm not the one who's going to be competitive. If you want to choose another girl over me, go for it, because I'm hot. If you can't see what I have to offer, go be with that other girl. Don't waste my time and I won't waste yours," Brandin vented.Jona said it was "refreshing" to hang out with Kimber but she should probably pursue Shannon whole-heartedly. Jona had his heart set on Brandin, who could possibly become his future wife.Brandin then tried to fix things with Shannon and get back on track. She let him know that he was her top pick, and Shannon in turn was invested in a romance with her."Me and Kimber's connection is growing stronger and stronger. She's hot, she's beautiful, and she's saying all the right things. I just need to show her that she's No. 1 and nobody else is in the picture right now," Shannon explained in a confessional.Shannon ultimately made a move and kissed Kimber in the ocean, and their fellow cast members cheered from all around them.Meanwhile, Chris was stuck in a love triangle. He thought both Jocelyn and Jada were wonderful girls.By the end of Day 2, Calvin and Jessica met with each established couple.First up was Katie and Eric. Jessica noted their conversations were on a shallow level and they'd have to dive a little deeper in order to build a solid foundation for a future marriage.The experts then learned Isabella and Tyler were a couple. Tyler was convinced it was love at first sight for the pair, and he couldn't believe their relationship was "so real." But Calvin advised them to take things slow and be vulnerable.Jona then sat down next to Jessica and Calvin alone. He hoped Brandin would join him.Just as Jona assumed he was getting dumped, Brandin showed up late and confessed this accelerated process had made her nervous, uneasy and uncomfortable. However, she wanted to spend more time with Jona, and he was on "Cloud 9."Jessica noticed, however, Brandin rejected Jona's hand when he tried to hold it on their way out of the meeting.Jona and Brandin were followed by Shannon and Kimber, who appeared happy and at peace with their decision.Next up was Jocelyn, who told the experts she had a better connection with Chris than Jada did. Chris was nowhere to be seen, however, and so Calvin and Jessica wanted to speak with him alone.Chris revealed soon afterwards Jada was a better fit for his life but he was much more attracted to Jocelyn physically. Calvin told Chris this experience was about finding a woman to marry, not someone to date for several months.As a result, Chris decided to date Jada going forward -- despite Jocelyn's apparent confidence in their bond. Chris thought Jada would be a wonderful role model for his daughter."I feel like I was blindsided. I got played -- and dumped," Jocelyn said in a confessional. "I'm disappointed because I came here to find love. So, I'm upset that didn't happen for me."The following singles, unable to find a match, were then sent packing: Jocelyn; Bryan McKay , a 40-year-old estimator from Miami, FL, who had applied for Season 4 of MAFS; Lizzie Muse , a 30-year-old Kundalini yoga teacher from Boston, MA, who had applied for Season 6 of MAFS; Corey Saunders , a 31-year-old founder of BEFIT from Boston, MA; Travis Dalton , a 30-year-old aerospace engineer from Bluffton, SC; and Mekalya Silvera , a 32-year-old hairstylist from Miami, FL.Interested in more Married at First Sight news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group
After reading a recent story, I have to sit back and wonder whos the fool that said crime doesnt pay? Inmates at the Lake County jail get free cable. Now theyre giving them tablets to use to help them. This is more like a country club for thieves and criminals. It costs me a hundred-and-something dollars a month to have cable TV and internet access. Now thats ridiculous. But, if youre a criminal, you can sit on your duff all day long and you can watch cable TV, or play on your iPad, and theyll even help you get your GED. Just remember, youre only supposed to be in the county jail for no more than 365 days. How do they expect to get you your GED in one year or less? This is just another ploy from some politician that has something to do with the jail to get some perks from the vendor. Weve seen it before and its happening again. Its time to stand up to our politicians in this town.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 10/24/2018



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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.

star Mia Bally released a statement after her divorce from husband Tristan Thompson was announced on Tuesday night's reunion special on Lifetime.Mia took to Instagram after 's seventh-season reunion special aired and made a couple of comments about men that appear to be shots at Tristan.In a post captioned, "Strong women," Mia wrote on Tuesday, "Real men don't demoralize women."She also compared her experience of being with Tristan to her past relationships."Every man I've dated has said I'm not mentally strong or that I am a weak person," Mia wrote."I LOVE hearing the comments about how strong I am. The positive comments really go a long way after years of hearing I'm not a strong person."Mia was seemingly referring to the fact Tristan had said Mia needed to be mentally tougher during the reunion show broadcast.Only one day after "Decision Day" filmed, Mia and Tristan's marriage ended due to a blow-up fight over Tristan's ex-girlfriend. (Mia alleged Tristan showed off pictures of his ex in a bikini, while Tristan said a video popped up of his ex on his newsfeed and Mia simply became jealous)."I said, 'You can't keep doing this; you have to get mentally tougher.' And about 30 seconds later, she had her purse over [her shoulder] and she said, 'Well, you don't have to be mean about it,' and she stormed out," Tristan said on the reunion special of the day Mia left him.Mia said in reply, "He was like I'm not mentally strong or mentally tough, so that's when I removed myself from that situation because I honestly didn't know how to handle it."Earlier this month, Mia returned to social media following a hiatus and linked to an article titled "25 Signs Your Man Is a Narcissist" in her Instagram bio.Fans assumed Mia was slamming Tristan at the time, as she wrote alongside the link, "If they can't control you, they'll try to control how others see you."While Mia's actual motive for posting the website link was unclear, she just changed it to something arguably even more passive aggressive.Mia shared a link to an article entitled "17 Steps to Leaving an Abusive Relationship with a Narcissist."Reality TV World previously reported Mia had filed for divorce from Tristan on September 4 in Dallas, TX, according to Dallas County court records."The marriage has become insupportable due to discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate ends of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation," Mia's attorney Bruce Kaye stated in a copy of the Dallas County court filing obtained by RadarOnline.Although the phrasing may sound ominous, insupportability is the basis upon which Texas courts grant the vast majority of the state's divorce cases.Interested in more news? Join our Facebook Group
SIG cracks the code on getting a super short-barreled rifle to run. RECOIL reviews the new SIG Rattler in .300 AAC Blackout.

SIG Rattler A Petite MCX

Our cover gun this issue, the SIG Rattler, was born from a miscommunication. Allegedly.

According to company lore, a SIG representative, on a business trip to the place where Great Britain used to be, was asked by a certain Army unit what the shortest-barrel option was for the MCX, as they wanted something small enough to fit inside the glovebox of a BMW, while still chambered in a rifle caliber.

Due to a combination of jetlag, a strong British accent, and, no doubt, the Brit military propensity for attempting to drink everyone under the table, the rep believed his interlocutor to have referred to the 9mm MPX, which he said can indeed ship with a 4.5-inch tube in its most truncated form.

Alrighty then! proclaimed our transatlantic brother. Well take a bunch of them. Oh, and its your round. It wasnt until his return to New Hampshire that the misunderstanding was realized, but by that time the engineering team had already accepted the challenge of making the worlds smallest select fire rifle.

Now, the preceding account may or may not be true, but why let the truth stand in the way of a good story? Well let you be the judge of its likelihood, but theres not much point in incurring the development costs involved in chopping down the already petite MCX, unless theres a real operational need from a legit end user. Going from a 9-inch to a 5.5-inch barrel requires more than just busting out the angle grinder and hacksaw.

SIG Rattler Official Launch

We attended the launch of the civilian version of the SIG Rattler last year, but weve instituted an editorial policy that no gun from a major manufacturer will be evaluated until its in final production format.

There are always problems in going from the limited run, handmade guns youll find at a media event to the version that ends up on the shelves of your local gun store.

While we appreciate the opportunity to get hands on as early as possible, its unusual for there not to be changes made between first showing and retail. Youll find coverage of new product launches at RecoilWeb.com and RECOILtv, but well reserve full reviews in print for the finished product.

In its current format, the Rattler is offered in two configurations, namely a factory SBR with folding stock and a pistol with a collapsible brace, both chambered in 300 Blackout. We requested the pistol version, as its transferable as a Title 1 firearm and can be carried across state lines without a, Mother May I? letter from the BATFE.

At last years launch event, SIG personnel indicated that the version specd across the pond would also be available, but thankfully, sanity has prevailed for the US market, and the 5.56 option is not currently cataloged.

We cant think of a practical application of a 5.5-inch barreled 5.56 gun, unless the idea is to simultaneously deafen your opponent while setting him on fire. Then again, weve run a 12-inch .308 in three-gun competition this year, so perhaps theyre onto something.

The Basics

The SIG Rattler is a short-stroke, piston-driven semiauto, feeding from familiar STANAG-pattern box magazines. Designed to offer better ballistic performance than a submachine gun, but from a smaller package, it features a two-position gas regulator for use with a suppressor, full-length M1919 top rail, and free-floating handguard.

The MCX platform on which the Rattler is based went through some pretty significant changes last year in order to reach a 20,000 round service life, and the tiny rifle benefited from most of them.

Taking cues from Knights Armament and their E3 bolt, the SIG part now has rounded, tapered lugs, rather than the original Stoner-pattern square numbers. This eliminates stress risers and largely prevents the familiar AR-15 failure point at the lugs closest to the extractor.

Theres an additional safety feature as well, in the form of a firing pin block actuated by the hammer, so if youre in the habit of dropping your rifle muzzle down itll go clunk, rather than bang.

Another significant advance was the adoption of a two-stage trigger, which felt very much like the excellent Geissele SSA. Unfortunately, this has not been carried over to the Rattler.

SIG MCX Rattler Test

Our test gun has one of the worst GI-style bang switches weve encountered in the past few years; gritty, notchy, and breaking at around 9 pounds. Its a real letdown on a gun thats supposed to retail for almost 3 grand.

The Rattler does, however, retain its parents anti-wear features, such as replaceable, hardened steel cam track reinforcement and feed ramps, as well as steel pins where the charging handle latches make contact on the upper receiver.

The barrel is replaceable at the user level, retained by two Torx-headed cross bolts. Compared to an AR-15, theres a definite feeling of solidity and longevity to the MCX upper, like its designed to last a couple of lifetimes worth of hard use. Which it should, given the price difference.

The Rattlers handguard locks into the upper by means of two grooves cut into the sides, below the Pic rail, and is secured in place by a lug captured by the front takedown pin.

Its a neat system lending itself to swapping out components at will, if youre prepared to live with a large gap in front of the gas block  other MCX handguards are designed around sensible-length barrels.

One aspect of the handguards construction we didnt much care for, however, was its inability to accept most non-SIG suppressors.

Its inside dimensions are just a hair smaller than the 1.5-inch outside diameter of many direct-thread cans, while the position of the barrels tapered shoulder means the suppressor has to enter the handguard in order to tighten.

One can we found to be a halfway decent option for those wanting to run subsonic ammo only was SilencerCos Osprey 45K, which when turned upside down looks like it was made for just this application.

While its hearing safe, it doesnt have the kind of Hollywood-quiet levels of suppression you might expect from a 300 BLK, as the bore is sized for wider projectiles.

Rounds Downrange

The question foremost in our mind when we headed to the range was what sort of performance compromise did we have to make in order to use this ridiculously small package.

Although 300 BLK was developed with short barrels in mind, the AR-15 wasnt, and our perception of tiny rifles pretending to be pistols has been colored by experience with them. While its entirely possible to get 7.5-inch barreled direct impingement guns to work, its a case of not much, not often.

Short-stroke piston operation is another matter, and as SIG managed to get the 9mm MPX to run reliably using this system, we were hoping their engineering mojo had carried over to its big brother.

SIG Sauer Rattler: An Experts' Gun?

Bottom line up front: This isnt a beginners gun.

There are certainly some firearms that the owner can shoot as a novice and will never outgrow. A suppressed 22LR, for example. Hell, for that matter, a good 22, whether it has a can or not. But there are others passed off as ideal for the new gun owner by idiots who have no business dispensing advice.

A good example of this would be anyone recommending a J-frame Smith to a novice female CCW candidate, a practice that reeks of condescension in the worst way.

The SIG Rattler falls into the latter category  its a specialist weapon developed for specific circumstances for a set of dudes who spend a lot of time practicing to shoot bad guys in the face at close range.

If you want a semiauto to serve in as many different scenarios as possible  the kind of gun that will always be a solid choice no matter if the job entails defending home and hearth, putting meat in the freezer, or going up against your buddies in a friendly competition at the range, then a 16-inch-barreled black rifle of whatevers your favorite flavor will never be a bad choice.

The Rattler is not that gun. That said, if you trust yourself not to place your support hand anywhere other than on the very limited amount of surface area immediately in front of the magwell, its a frickin riot.

Top-Shelf Engineering

You too can benefit from the engineering prowess of a major firearms manufacturer that was tasked with creating the smallest possible rifle for a tiny group whose lives depended on it. If you have a tendency to go full Costa on any long gun you shoulder, well that would be a self-correcting problem.

Theres quite literally no room for error, and should you make the mistake of grabbing the fore end just a teensy bit north of where you should, at minimum escaping gasses will tear meat from bone; otherwise, youll get that benefit, plus a .30 caliber hole where it shouldnt be.

Now that weve been all paternal and responsible  oh, and get a hand stop, kids  how does it actually perform? Recoil is surprisingly soft. Ejection is to the 3 oclock position when shooting supersonic rounds without a suppressor, and the low reciprocating mass doesnt disturb the sight picture as much as youd expect from a short-barreled AR.

Rattler Performance

One of the metrics we use when assessing reliability in this caliber is whether the gun will run when unsuppressed and fed subsonic ammunition.

Without backpressure from a can, theres usually insufficient gas volume and pressure to cycle the action, but in this case it seemed to work just fine. We did encounter a couple of failures to lock back the bolt on an empty magazine, but no failures to feed or eject were apparent.

Its notable that despite the reduction in velocity from the short barrel, subsonic bullets were adequately stabilized.

Going to a 1-in-5 twist barrel (no, thats not a misprint) spins the lanky heavyweights fast enough to keep them pointing the right way. Accuracy hovers around 3 MOA with factory ammo, a number we think could be improved upon, were it not for that god-awful trigger.

As a home-defense weapon, the SIG Rattler with a short, 300 BLK suppressor would be hard to beat. Its short enough to easily maneuver around furniture, wont blow out your eardrums should you have to use it indoors, has 30 problem solvers on hand, and delivers enough on-target energy to ensure problems stay solved.

Its also a great option in its intended role that of a compact, get the f*ck off me gun for vehicle passengers in low-vis operations. Itll never replace a 16-inch barreled carbine as a do-all rifle, but its surprisingly capable, despite the specialized niche for which it was designed.

To learn more about the SIG Rattler, visit SIG Sauer online at https://www.sigsauer.com/

Follow SIG on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SIGSAUERInc/

This article originally appeared in RECOIL ISSUE 37

Corey Graff contributed to this article.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 24)  President Rodrigo Duterte has a new assistant.

S/Insp. Sofia Loren Deliu was introduced by the President to the public at an event in Malacanang Wednesday.

Deliu replaced Special Assistant Bong Go, but will not carry her predecessor's title.

"Ang pumalit kay Bong, tumindig ka nga," the President said to those in attendance at the Philippine Quality Award and Conferment Ceremony.

[Translation: The person who replaced Bong, please stand.]

Deliu served as one of the President's police aides prior to taking on her new role.

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Go gave up his post as he is running for senator in the 2019 elections.

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I dont know what else to call it. However the immigrants are pushing themselves into the United States, I call it nothing but bullying. Theyre bullying the people in the United States to stand up and do something. You cant just come in and bully yourself into our borders. Stay in your country and fix your problems. You refuse to. Its the people who are coming in who are forging our countrys system to live free off the citizens of the United States.
WINSTED  October 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, which is important to the Farmington River.

In 1994, the United States Congress designated the upper 14 miles of the Farmington River as a Wild & Scenic section because of its remarkable natural, recreational, historic and cultural values. The Farmington River flows through the Connecticut towns of Colebrook, Hartland, Barkhamsted, New Hartford and Canton.

In celebration of this anniversary, the Farmington River Quilt will be exhibited at the Northwestern Connecticut Community College Library during the month of November 2018. The library is open Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The quilt celebrates the outstanding resources of the Wild & Scenic section, and is a beautiful rendition of the Farmington River with 25 different artists' interpretations of sections along the Wild & Scenic segment of the river. The quilt was supported with a grant and site information from the Farmington River Coordinating Committee (FRCC).

The Farmington River Quilt is the brainchild of Winchester Center quilter Mary Pat Leger who, after seeing the Sacramento River Quilt, envisioned a similar work of art extolling the remarkable values of the Farmington River. Her inspiration brought together 24 other quilt artists, some nationally recognized, some making their first landscape quilt. Together they created The Farmington River Quilt Project, which portrays 25 locations on the Wild & Scenic section from Goodwin Dam in Colebrook to the Rainbow City Pool in Canton. The 50-foot-long quilt is comprised of these 25 sections each measuring 24 x 21.

Each quilter worked independently using his or her own creative expression to depict a specific location. Quilters were required to meet the rivers entry and exit dimensions of the adjoining quilt, enabling the river to flow with continuity through the entire 50 feet. The quilt has an immense impact as artwork and as an educational piece.

As this quilt is displayed in various venues we hope that it will be enjoyed as a fine work of art and also promote the long-term protection of our river resources, said Roger Behrens, Chair of FRCC.

The Farmington River Coordinating Committee is integral to the implementation of the Upper Farmington River Management Plan. The Committee is comprised of appointed representatives from the five riverfront towns, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Metropolitan District Commission, National Park Service, Farmington River Watershed Association, and Farmington River Anglers Association. For more information visit: www.framingtonriver.org.

For more information about the Farmington River Quilt Exhibition in the Northwestern Connecticut Community College Library, contact librarian Jim Patterson at jpatterson@nwcc.edu.
WEST HAVEN  The University of New Haven responded Tuesday to a call for it to reassess its relationship with a Saudi Arabian college following the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, saying, institutions of higher learning cannot, and should not, operate in isolation.

Spokeswoman Lyn Chamberlin said in a statement that the educational advising provided by the University of New Haven to the King Fahd Security College ... in developing their own security studies program is something we believe should be supported and fostered.

Chamberlin spoke in the wake of a call by activist Stanley Heller of the Middle East Crisis Committee for the university to cut ties with King Fahd Security College in light of the apparent murder of Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Washington Post opinion columnist and Saudi dissident who lived in Virginia.

Khashoggis killing has been global news.

In a separate email responding to a series of questions from the New Haven Register, Chamberlin declined to make available the contract establishing the relationship between the university and the Saudi college, saying, This is a confidential agreement between two private entities, governed by a non-disclosure agreement.

Asked what the university was doing for King Fahd Security College, or KFSC, under the agreement, Chamberlin responded, The university is advising King Fahd Security College on the development of a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in security studies, in the recruitment of faculty members, as well as other administrative tasks.

Under the agreement, In addition to reimbursing us for expenses and overhead, a modest fee for services is paid on a monthly basis, she said.

She did not specify the amount.

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., responding to questions about Hellers call for UNH to cut ties with the Saudi college, said that while he had no specific information on that, all American businesses and nonprofit organizations should review and re-evaluate their relationships with Saudi Arabia in light of the ... murder, which seemingly could not have been done without knowledge at the highest levels of its government.

Chamberlin responded Tuesday that given the University of New Havens world-renowned programs in criminal justice, national security and forensic science, the university was asked by and entered into an agreement with the King Fahd Security College in Riyadh in 2016 to help it establish a four-year baccalaureate degree in security studies.

The goal, then as now, was to help modernize and professionalize criminal justice activities in Saudi Arabia through this educational partnership, wrote Chamberlin , the universitys vice president for marketing & communications.

Since then, we have been pleased with the academic professionalism of our partners, and we look forward to continuing the relationship, she said.

Separate and apart from that contractual relationship, we also continue to welcome the 198 Saudi students at the University of New Haven who are studying in a wide range of fields across the university, Chamberlin wrote.

More for you Blumenthal indirectly backs activists call for University of New Haven to re-evaluate Saudi ties

The University of New Haven is deeply committed to all of its students, who represent more than 40 countries, studying on its campuses, the statement said . Cross-cultural programs enrich both our faculty and our students and provide intercultural experiences that are important for global safety and security.

The university welcomes cross-cultural student experiences and opportunities for transnational collaboration and the well-being of the global society, Chamberlin wrote.

In her second email, Chamberlin said there are no UNH faculty teaching at King Fahd Security College and no KFSC faculty or staff working at the university. She also said there are no UNH students at KFSC or KFSC students at the university.

Of the 198 Saudi students studying a wide range of programs across each of the universitys schools and colleges, there are 65 graduate students and 133 undergraduates, she said.

Heller, reached by phone Tuesday, declined to respond directly to Chamberlin , saying, We wrote to UNH officials today, to the president, to Dean (Mario) Gaboury at Lee College. ... We suggested that UNH explain to the public what UNH is doing over there.

He said he also called for a forum over there on the UNH campus, which would feature a panel that might include representatives of the universitys Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Heller himself and Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs and a noted Saudi dissident.

I even suggested that the mayor could be the moderator, Heller said.

Khashoggi allegedly was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Heller initially said last week that Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy, head of forensics at the Saudi General Security Department  who some media have reported killed Khashoggi and cut off parts of his body while Khashoggi was still alive  is on the board of directors of King Fahd Security College.

Chamberlin has said thats not the case  and in fact, King Fahd Security College doesnt have a board of directors. Al-Tubaigy, or a name similar to his, is listed in a Google translation of a page on the King Fahd Security College website as a member of the board of directors of the Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine.

The societys publication, The Saudi Journal of Forensic Medicine and Sciences, which has an address at King Fahd Security College, until recently showed al-Tubaigy as a member of the editorial board, along with Henry C. Lee.

On Tuesday, al-Tubaigys name no longer was listed.

The Register was unable to immediately reach Lee, the famed criminologist, former head of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory and associate vice president of the UNH criminal justice and forensic sciences college named for him.

Lee told the Hartford Courant he did not recognize al-Tubaigys name, but could not say for certain that they had never met. Lee said they may have bumped into each other at an international conference for forensic scientists.

Lee went to Saudi Arabia a couple times in 2017 to advise law enforcement officials on forensic techniques, along with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, he told the Hartford Courant.

With regard to the Saudi Journal of Forensic Medicine and Sciences, he said he has been published in scores of journals and knows virtually none of the other contributors. At Lee College, We do training for police departments everywhere in the world, Lee told the Courant. Singapore, Poland, China, Taiwan  everybody.

He suggested UNH was improving the justice system of Saudi Arabia by helping to shape KFSCs security curriculum.

We dont teach them torture or kidnapping, Lee told the Courant, adding that the curriculum contains nothing about interrogation at all.

mark.zaretsky@

hearstmediact.com
WINSTED  During the month of November, members of the Winchester Police Department will be participating in No Shave November, according to a release.

No Shave November is a fundraiser to assist the Connecticut Cancer Foundation in raising money to provide financial assistance to Connecticut cancer patients and their families. Last year, the CCF provided nearly $400,000 to cancer patients, according to the release.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will make a campaign stop in Connecticut Friday to boost Democrats Ned Lamont and Jahana Hayes.

The high-level Democrats visit signals how close the gubernatorial race is just two weeks before election day. A new poll by Sacred Heart University and Hearst Connecticut Media released Tuesday found Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski are in a statistical dead heat.

Lamont has only a 3.4 percent margin over Stefanowski, less than the margin of error, the poll found. An poll by Sacred Heart and Hearst last month found Lamont had a 6.2 percent edge.

Former President Barack Obama came to Bridgeport two days before Election Day in 2014 to urge the city to turn out for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Polls at the time also showed a tied race between Malloy and his challenger Republican Tom Foley, who he beat in a narrow race in 2010.

Biden and Obama have been stumping for Democrats in close races around the country in 2018. Both have already endorsed Lamont and Hayes.

Ned Lamont has dedicated his life to making sure middle-class families have a fighting chance to get ahead and stay ahead, Biden said earlier this month. He's a person of character and integrity, who is in the public arena to make a positive difference.

The rally, at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy at 3:30 p.m., is open to the public.

Polls show Hayess race  the only open Congressional seat in Connecticut  is less competitive than the gubernatorial fight.

The Sacred Heart poll found 48.7 percent of Connecticut likely voters will support the Democratic candidate in their Congressional district, compared to 34.1 percent who will support the Republican candidate. The 14.6 percentage point margin is up from the 13.0 percentage point margin posted in September 2018.

If you go: Open to the public, the rally will be held at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy, Friday at 3:30 p.m. See More Collapse

emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
Two years after their initial detention, authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan are still holding four people for selling and promoting bottles of liquor marking the bloody military crackdown on the student-led democracy movement of 1989.



Teahouse proprietor Fu Hailu was taken away by police in the provincial capital Chengdu in , after they marketed the alcohol, which bore the words ", 1989" and a cartoon of a man in front of an advancing column of tanks on the label. The label also says "Never forget, never give up."



According to another slogan on the bottle, the baijiu spirit had "matured for 27 years," the length of time since People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops put an end to weeks of student protests on Tiananmen Square, using tanks and machine guns on largely unarmed civilians.



Now Fu and fellow-defendants Luo Fuyu, Zhang Juanyong and Chen Bing face charges of "incitement to subvert state power," but the pretrial investigation period was recently once more postponed by the Supreme People's Court in Beijing until Nov. 18, the Weiquanwang rights website reported.



Fus wife Liu Tianyan said she has applied to a number of different judicial departments and hired lawyers to represent him, but the case has yet to move forward.



"There won't be a trial on Nov. 18," Liu told RFA on . "They have just extended the [pretrial] period until that date."



"I don't know what will happen after that; I have no idea," she said. "I feel as if I have nowhere left to go with this, and I have no idea what to do next."



"Things aren't easy right now because I have a kid and an elderly person to care for, and I'm all on my own," Liu said.



Repeated calls to the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court rang unanswered during office hours on .



'Unrestricted power'

Fu's defense attorney Ran Tong said the Supreme Court was permitted by an amendment to criminal procedure law to extend pretrial periods in certain cases, which had rung alarm bells among rights lawyers at the time.



"After it was revised, the Criminal Procedure Law gave the Supreme Court unlimited powers to do this," Ran said. "It is legal, but the law has given rein ... to unrestricted power."



"The legal profession raised strong objections at the time, but their opposition was ineffective, and now we are slowly seeing the damaging consequences," he said.



Ran called on the ruling Communist Party to heed warnings from the legal profession and revisit the amendments, which he said interfere with the right to a legal defense.



"The prosecutor can do this by meeting with the court officials behind closed doors, and there is no restriction on how long a case can be extended," he said. "For a court's power to be unlimited, doesn't accord with the principle of the rule of law, but I don't see this changing in the short term."



All four defendants are being held in the Chengdu Detention Center, and were indicted by the Chengdu municipal prosecutor's office in March.



According to media reports at the time, the drink had been designed for private circulation among groups of friends on social media, rather than for public sale.



China regularly implements nationwide security measures aimed at preventing any public memorials linked to the crackdown, which was styled a "counterrevolutionary rebellion" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.



Reported by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Indonesia may review China-backed infrastructure projects if opposition leader Prabowo Subianto is elected president next year, officials with his campaign team said Wednesday.

Incumbent President Joko Jokowi Widodo, who is seeking re-election, has embraced Chinas ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative and has made upgrading the countrys dilapidated infrastructure a priority during his first term in office. Jokowi will face Prabowo, a former Army special forces commander with a checkered human rights record, in the presidential election scheduled for April 17 next year.

Some projects may be evaluated for necessity, but not necessarily be cancelled, said Andre Rosiade, a spokesman for Prabowos Gerindra Party, responding to questions from BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, about whether Prabowo would review Chinese-backed projects if he won the presidency.

Mr. Prabowo isnt anti-foreigner and is ready to work with foreign countries, but the welfare of Indonesians is his priority.

Andre did not say which project would be reviewed.

We will not review a project just because it is funded by a certain country. Projects that will be reviewed are those that cause losses to the state and undermine the nation, said Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Prabowos campaign spokesman.

Mr Prabowo is against corruption and manipulative practices, but he can work with investors from any country, he said.

Indonesia is building a 140-kilometer (87-mile) high-speed railway and several power plants on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands with funding from China.

The railway, which links the city of Bandung in West Java and Jakarta, costs U.S. $5.9 billion and is being built by a consortium led by China Railway International, according to information from the Indonesian governments National Investment Coordination Board.

Jokowi launched the project in early 2016 to much fanfare but construction was delayed for about two years due to problems in freeing land, among other issues.

China is also funding the development of economic development corridors, which involve the construction of industrial estates, power plants, roads and sea ports worth U.S. $51 billion in North Sumatra, North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi and Bali, according to the National Investment Coordinating Agency.

Indonesia and China have a good relationship, but I think there are certain projects that we want to look at, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is Prabowos brother and campaign manager, told the South China Post on Monday, referring to One Belt, One Road.

Im sure there are some projects that are very good, and Im sure some projects are not necessary.

Beijings geopolitical plan

Last year, Jokowi attended a two-day One Belt, One Road forum, during which Beijing laid out its plans to invest more than U.S. $1 trillion in its grand strategy of building a network of ports, roads, railways and other logistics-related projects stretching through Southeast Asia, South Asia and beyond.

A so-called Maritime Silk Road is part of Chinas multi-pronged strategy to boost its global trading links by developing overland and maritime routes connecting the worlds most populous nation and economic powerhouse to markets in Europe.

China and Indonesia established diplomatic relations on April 13, 1950. In 2003, bilateral trade reached U.S. $3.8 billion, but that figure multiplied almost 10 times to U.S. $36.1 billion in 2010, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a Canada-based independent think-tank.



But Jakarta booked a trade deficit of U.S. $ 14 billion in 2016, with the trade imbalance favoring Beijing. Trade between the two nations peaked at U.S. $58.8 billion last year, with Indonesia importing about U.S. $35.7 billion of goods from China, mostly electronics, including phones and computers, according to official figures. Indonesia exported mostly coal briquettes, steel and palm oil.

Indonesia ranks fourth among Chinas largest trading partners in Southeast Asia, after Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Jokowi said in 2017 that he believed the One Belt, One Road initiative would strengthen economic relationships between China and Indonesia, and his government was focusing on its infrastructure development.

Chinese regional rival India has expressed misgivings about Chinas geo-political strategy, saying initiatives must be based on universally recognized international norms, transparency and equality.

Tread carefully, analyst says

Ari Kuncoro, an economist at the University of Indonesia, warned that abandoning a project after construction had started would be costly.

Any decision to review should be made carefully, Ari said. A project should only be postponed when import content is so high that it hurts the local currency.

Cancelling a projects that are already underway means that cost that has already been incurred cant be recovered, he said.

The Indonesian government has already decided to postpone some infrastructure projects that use heavily imported materials for up to six years as part of attempts to shore up the rupiah, which has tumbled almost 10 percent this year and weakened past 15,000 per U.S. dollar for the first time in 20 years.

Agung Pribadi, a spokesman for the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said several power plant projects had been postponed but he did not give details.

Officials at the state electricity company PLN could not be reached for comment.

With the United States isolating itself, I think the new Silk Road makes sense, Ari said.

Indonesia has a population of 260 million people and its close to Singapore, so when the ports in Singapore are overwhelmed, we can take some of the excess traffic, he said.

But Indonesia should avoid being just a market for Chinese exports.

We should not accept such a situation, he said.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
The world's longest sea-bridge--connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau across China's Pearl River estuary--opened to thin public traffic on, with delays at both ends caused by the shuttle-bus system and immigration computers.



"I think that the updated details didn't reach the system, so now it can't read my card," one traveler told RFA on arriving at Zhuhai in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on .



Meanwhile, long lines formed in the former Portuguese enclave of Macau for shuttle buses to the immigration hall, prompting frustrations among travelers, while a shuttle bus broke down in Hong Kong.



In Macau, drivers of new bus services linking the cities via the bridge said poor signage meant they were unable to find the border checkpoint, and were left driving around the city looking for clues.



Local media reports indicated that some of the first people to drive along the 55 kilometre (34-mile) bridge, which dives under the sea just off Hong Kong's Lantau Island, to Zhuhai in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong did so in just 30 minutes, however.



And some passengers said the trip was "a dream come true."



"I have waited for years for this, and now my dreams have become reality," one passenger said. "I think a lot of people will use it in future."



Congestion fears

The ruling Chinese Communist Party's chief in Beijing hailed the bridge as as "great news" for the whole country.



"This can be called a modern wonder of the world," Cai Qi told journalists on , a day after the formal opening ceremony led by President Xi Jinping.



Some Hong Kong residents, especially in the Tung Chung new town near Hong Kong's international airport on Lantau Island, said they fear rising rents, prices and traffic congestion as a result of increased traffic over the bridge, however.



"Prices in Tung Chung are already quite high, and will the stores now be more oriented to tourists rather than residents?" former lawmaker Bill Tang said of a district that already hosts busloads of mainland Chinese shoppers at a mall specializing in discounted labels.



"In particular, there is already a lack of smaller shops," he said.



The bridge has also been criticized for laborious insurance requirements and limited parking spaces, as well as the need to pay toll fees (set at 150 yuan per private car) in China's currency, rather than in Hong Kong dollars.



However, those taking a bus across to mainland China will pay as little as H.K.$65, with services running 24 hours a day, local media reported.



Shuttle buses connect to the immigration halls at either end of the bridge, while those who buy non-stop bus tickets must disembark to go through immigration at both ends.



One passenger on the bridge said they thought it would soon replace the high-speed jetfoil and hoverferry services currently preferred by those heading to the casinos of Macau, or to Zhuhai and points north.



Immigration process delays

However, some reports comparing the modes of transport to Macau said the high-speed ferry took 1 hour, 40 minutes compared with a total of two hours for the bridge route, with the immigration process and shuttle bus blamed for the additional delay.



Transport Secretary Frank Chan, who visited the area, said it was normal for such major infrastructure to see light usage on day one of public operation.



"Everyone should understand that in the early days of any infrastructure opening, there are always going to be fewer people and less traffic," Chan told reporteres. "It will take time to build up."



Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) member Helena Wong said there weren't enough parking spaces for drivers needing to go through immigration.



"If we don't set a limit, and just allow cars from other cities to come to Hong Kong, and if incoming tourists aren't stopped ... and transferred to buses, it will increase congestion on Hong Kong's roads," Wong said.



Hung Wing-tat, transportation expert at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University, said the bridge could see lower-than-expected traffic volumes as a result of the ongoing trade war between China and the United States.



Others said the bridge may just become a tourist attraction, rather than a reliable way to commute to and from mainland China.



"I am not optimistic about whether the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge can meet the required standard," Helena Wong told RFA, pointing to two other major bridges planned for the Pearl River delta.



"Hong Kong will face great competition, and I can't see us recuperating our investment for another 20 or 30 years," she said.



The authorities said by 3pm on , a total of 868 trips made through the world's longest bridge that connects Hong Kong with the mainland, of which 297 were made towards Hong Kong, RTHK reported.



Reported by Lee Wang-yam for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
It will be unique, Garippo said. Most of the restaurants here are on the outskirts of the mall, but were in the middle, right next to the village green area and fountain. We think its a great location and opportunity.
MINSK -- Freed after 18 months behind bars on what he contends were false charges, Belarusian civil society activist Dzmitry Paliyenka said he was under constant pressure in prison and was denied adequate medical treatment.

Relatives, friends, and journalists met Paliyenka at the main railroad station in Minsk upon his arrival from the eastern city of Babruysk on October 24.

Paliyenka said he was treated poorly, was denied proper medical care when he needed it, and was allowed only one-hour meetings with relatives through a glass wall. By law, he was eligible to have three-day meetings with family members in guest rooms.

His fellow inmates "were punished for any contacts with me," Paliyenka said. "They were placed in solitary confinement or faced other restrictions [as punishment] for talking with me.

Paliyenka was handed a two-year suspended sentence in October 2016 after he was arrested that April during a protest in Minsk and charged with threatening to attack a police officer and distribution of pornographic materials.

Paliyenka denied the charges, calling them trumped up and politically motivated.

In April 2017, a court in Minsk ruled that Paliyenka, who continued his civil rights activities, must serve the rest of his term in prison.

Amnesty International recognized Paliyenka as a prisoner of conscience in April 2017.

In April 2018, the European Parliament urged Minsk to release Paliyenka and other political prisoners.

Critics of authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has been in power in Belarus since 1994, say his government routinely uses the justice system to suppress dissent.
BAKU -- White House national-security adviser John Bolton says the United States will continue to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

On October 24, Bolton flew in to Azerbaijan from Moscow, where he had held two talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high-level officials.

Bolton told reporters at a news conference in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was discussed during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Later on October 24 Bolton arrived in Armenia, where he plans to discuss the conflict with top officials on October 25.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which is populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan amid a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Since 1994, it has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Baku says include troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.

Internationally mediated negotiations involving the so-called Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe helped forge a cease-fire in the region, which is not always honored, but have failed to produce a lasting settlement of the conflict.

Answering a question about possible additional sanctions against Russia, Bolton said the White House is "still considering what we may be obligated to do" under the statute that entails further sanctions if Russia does not prove its innocence in the poisoning of the former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain.

Bolton arrived to Baku on October 24 after spending two days in talks in Moscow.

According to Bolton, among other issues he and Aliyev also discussed Iran's nuclear ambitions and the Southern Gas Corridor project, which aims to diversify gas supplies and reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas.

With reporting by Interfax
Four schoolchildren were wounded after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a school in the capital of Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, authorities say.

Security officials said the four children sustained bullet wounds when attackers on a motorcycle fired at a public school located in Quettas Killi Shabo area, before escaping the scene.

The injured were immediately evacuated to the city's main hospital, the officials said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility.

Provincial Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan condemned the attack and ordered an investigation.

Resource-rich Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has been plagued by sectarian violence, Islamist militant attacks, and a separatist insurgency that has led to thousands of casualties since 2004.

However, attacks on schools are rare in the province.
A top Iranian commander is accusing Saudi Arabia of trying to distract from its killing of a prominent Saudi journalist in Istanbul by joining with the United States in a new round of sanctions on Iran.

"Saudi Arabia is in a quagmire it cannot easily come out of.... Saudi rulers are trying to distract the world and the region from the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist, in their consulate in Turkey," Brigadier General Esmail Kowsari, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' deputy security chief in Tehran, was quoted as saying by Iran's Mehr news agency late on October 23.

They should know that this crime cannot be washed away easily or by these methods, Koswari said. "Saudi leaders should be held accountable for their actions."

His comments came after Saudi security services announced on October 23 that they were blacklisting Qasem Soleimani, commander of the guards' foreign military operations, known as the Quds Force, as well as the force's Hamed Abdollahi and Abdul Reza Shahlai.

The U.S. Treasury Department in 2011 accused Soleimani, Abdollahi, and Shahlai of being linked to a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, and imposed sanctions on them.

The Saudi move to sanction the Quds Force officials came on the same day that the United States, Saudi Arabia, and five other Persian Gulf countries announced they had blacklisted several Iranians they said were associated with Afghanistans Taliban, including two Quds Force officers and other Iranians who facilitated Iranian support to bolster the terrorist group.

The two Quds Force officers named in the U.S. announcement were Mohammad Ebrahim Owhadi and Esmail Razavi.

The joint announcement was made by the U.S.-led Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, which besides Washington and Riyadh includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The announcement by the U.S. Treasury Department said the blacklisting move aimed to expose and disrupt the Talibanand their Iranian sponsors that seek to undermine the security of the Afghan government.

We are also targeting key Iranian sponsors providing financial and material support to the Taliban, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Irans provision of military training, financing, and weapons to the Taliban is yet another example of Tehrans blatant regional meddling and support for terrorism.

Mnuchin said Irans support for the Taliban epitomizes the regimes utter disregard for fundamental international norms.

He said the blacklist also targets Taliban members who are involved in suicide attacks, and other lethal activities.

The assets of those targeted on the blacklist will be frozen in the United States and the six Gulf states that joined in the sanctions.

Six senior members of the Afghan Taliban were included on the blacklist: Abdullah Samad Faroqui, Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil, Abdul Rahim Manan, Naim Barich, Sadr Ibrahim, and Hafiz Majid.

Also blacklisted was a Pakistani businessman, Abdul Aziz, who the U.S. Treasury described as a Pakistan-based narcotics trafficker who allegedly set up international firms to carry out illegal smuggling operations to finance Taliban militants based in Pakistan, including the Quetta-based leadership of the Afghan Taliban known as the Quetta Shura.

With reporting by Reuters and AP


BRUSSELS -- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says European members of the military alliance are unlikely to deploy new nuclear weapons on their soil in response to an alleged violation of a treaty between Washington and Moscow that bans medium-range missiles.

Speaking four days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Stoltenberg said on October 24 that NATO is assessing the security implications of the alleged Russian breach.

"We will, of course, assess the implications for NATO allies for our security of the new Russian missiles and the Russian behavior," Stoltenberg said. "But I don't foresee that [NATO] allies will station more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile."

The INF treaty prohibits the United States and Russia from possessing, producing, or deploying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of between 500 kilometers and 5,500 kilometers.

Nearly 2,700 missiles were eliminated by the Soviet Union and the United States -- most of the latter in Europe -- under the treaty.

Trump said on October 20 that the United States will pull out of the treaty.

He and White House national-security adviser John Bolton, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials in Moscow on October 22-23, cited U.S. concerns about what NATO allies say is a Russian missile that violates the pact and about weapons development by China, which is not a party to the treaty.

European governments including those of NATO members France and Germany have voiced concern about Trump's stated intention to withdraw from the INF, as has the European Union. Bolton said in Moscow that the United States has not yet made any decision to deploy missiles in Europe targeting Moscow.



Stoltenberg said that the INF is "a landmark treaty, but the problem is that no treaty can be effective -- can work -- if it's only respected by one party."



"All [NATO] allies agree that the United States is in full compliance.... The problem is Russian behavior," he said.



He also expressed hope that Russia and the United States will agree to extend New START, a treaty that restricts long-range nuclear weapons and is due to expire in 2021.

Russia, meanwhile, repeated its criticism of the U.S. plan to withdraw from the INF.



Trump has suggested that the United States will develop missiles that the treaty prohibited once it withdraws, saying when he first announced the planned pullout: "We'll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say, 'Let's really get smart and let's none of us develop those weapons.'"



That is "an extremely dangerous intention," Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on a conference call on October 24.



Peskov also said that the Kremlin is "undoubtedly ready" to discuss the possibility of a summit in Washington in 2019 between Putin and Trump, but that there was "no concrete decision on this."



Bolton has suggested that Trump and Putin, who held their first full-fledged summit in July in Helsinki, could have another such meeting in the foreseeable future.



In the meantime, Peskov said the Kremlin is preparing for a "possible meeting" between Trump and Putin at an event in Paris on November 11 commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I.



At his talks with Bolton on October 23, Putin mentioned the possibility of a Paris meeting on November 11, and Bolton said that Trump would like to hold such a meeting.

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak and Reuters
Three employees of an oil and gas company and their paramilitary escort were kidnapped and shot dead in the mountains of northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border, officials say.

Local officials said the abduction and killings occurred on October 23 in the North Waziristan tribal region, where the Pakistani military has been fighting against the Taliban and other militant groups for more than a decade.

The three employees of Maripur Oil and Gas Company and the member of the Frontier Corps paramilitary force were heading toward their office when they were kidnapped by unknown gunmen, local officials said.

Their bullet-riddled bodies were found near the village of Spinwam following a search operation, the officials added.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.

Violence in Pakistan has declined in recent years following a series of military operations along the northwestern border with Afghanistan, but militant groups are still able to carry out deadly attacks.

With reporting by AFP and Dawn
WASHINGTON -- At the time, the treaty was landmark, deemed a new cornerstone of strategic stability.

The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement for the first time eliminated an entire class of missiles and set up an unprecedented system of arms control inspections -- all hailed as stabilizing the rivalry between the keepers of the world's two largest nuclear arsenals.

Now, that treaty between Washington and Moscow, known as the INF, is on the rocks, with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing plans last week to abandon the accord, and national-security adviser John Bolton saying in Moscow on October 23 that the United States will be filing a formal notification of its withdrawal.

What's next may be the demise of an even bigger, more comprehensive bilateral arms treaty called New START. And experts suggest that if that deal were to become obsolete, it would all but guarantee a new arms race.

"If the [INF] treaty collapses, then the first new START treaty (signed in 2010) and the follow-on New START treaty will probably follow it into the dustbin of history," Aleksei Arbatov, a negotiator of the 1994 START I treaty, said in a commentary for the Carnegie Moscow Center.

Signed in 2010 in Prague by U.S. President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, New START built on the original START I by effectively halving the number of strategic nuclear warheads and launchers the two countries could possess. In February, each country announced it was in compliance.

Though the treaty is due to expire in 2021, the two sides could agree to extend it for another five years.

From Moscow's side, there is interest. During their meeting in July, President Vladimir Putin suggested to Trump that they extend the pact. From Washington's side, it's unclear if there is any interest in doing so.

"If the INF treaty goes under, as appears likely, and New START is allowed to expire with nothing to replace it, there will no verifiable limits on U.S. and Russian nuclear forces for the first time since the early 1970s," says Kingston Reif, a nuclear analyst at the Arms Control Association, a Washington think tank. "The risk of unconstrained U.S.-Russian nuclear competition, and even more fraught relations, would grow."

After simmering quietly in classified intelligence discussions, the INF dispute moved to the front burner in 2014 when the U.S. State Department formally accused Russia of violating the treaty by developing a ground-launched cruise missile with a range that exceeded treaty limits.

Russia denied the accusations, even as Washington officials stepped up their accusations in 2017, accusing Moscow of deploying the missile.

In November of that year, Christopher Ford, then a top White House arms control official, for the first time publicly identified the Russian missile in question as the 9M729.

Trump has pushed the line that, if Russia is not adhering to the INF, then the U.S. won't either.

Ahead of Bolton's meeting with Putin on October 23, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia had violated the INF, saying that "Russia was and remains committed to this treaty's provisions."

Following Bolton's meeting with the Russian president amid two days of talks with Russian officials, the U.S. national-security adviser downplayed suggestions that the demise of the INF treaty would undermine global stability. He pointed to the U.S. decision in 2002 to withdraw from another important arms control agreement: the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, also known as the ABM.

As a top arms control official in President George W. Bush's administration, Bolton was a vocal advocate for pulling out of the ABM treaty.

"The reality is that the treaty is outmoded, outdated, and being ignored by other countries," Bolton said, referring to the INF agreement. "And that means exactly one country was constrained by the treaty" -- the United States.

In an interview with the newspaper Kommersant published ahead of his arrival in Moscow, Bolton suggested that Trump administration officials didn't see any urgency in deciding New START's fate.

"I'm a veteran arms control negotiator myself, and I can tell you that many, many of the key decisions are made late in the negotiations anyway, so I don't feel that we're pressed for time," Bolton said.

"One of the points we thought was important was to resolve the INF issue first, so we knew what the lay of the land was on the strategic-weapon side. So, we're talking about it internally.... We're trying to be open about different aspects of looking at New START and other arms control issues as well," he said.

All indications to date are that the Trump administration is lukewarm at best on the need to extend New START. When the administration in February released its Nuclear Posture Review -- a policy-planning document laying out the circumstances under which the United States would use its nuclear arsenal -- there was no mention of extending the treaty until 2026.

Losing either one of these agreements would be highly detrimental; without both, there will be no arms control constraints on nuclear forces, which will exacerbate today's already high risks."

In testimony last month before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, David Trachtenberg, the deputy U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, said the administration's review of whether to extend New START was ongoing.

Matthew Bunn, who oversees the Project On Managing the Atom at Harvard University's Kennedy School, suggests that instead of pulling out of the INF, the Trump administration should push for a bigger deal that includes not only dismantling the Russian missile in question but also extending New START and ensuring it covers the new generation of Russian weaponry under development.

"Letting the whole structure of nuclear arms control collapse would bring the world closer to the nuclear brink, roil U.S. alliances, and undermine the global effort to stem the spread of nuclear weapons," he said.

"Both sides are now complying with New START and benefit mutually from its limits, verification and the predictability -- all the more so while the viability of INF is in question," Ernest Moniz, U.S. energy secretary under Obama, and Sam Nunn, a former Republican senator and arms control advocate, wrote in an op-ed article. "Losing either one of these agreements would be highly detrimental; without both, there will be no arms control constraints on nuclear forces, which will exacerbate today's already high risks."

Ford and other U.S. officials had already signaled that the United States was moving more aggressively to push back on the alleged Russian missile deployment.

Asked whether Washington planned to develop and deploy its own intermediate-range missiles -- similar to what happened in the 1980s before the INF treaty was signed -- Bolton said the Trump administration "was a long way" from that point.

Still, the prospect prompted the European Union's foreign office to release a statement that criticized both Washington and Moscow.

"The world doesn't need a new arms race that would benefit no one and on the contrary would bring even more instability," it said.
Islamabad has dismissed the Afghan president's "baseless and unfounded" allegations that last weeks killing of a powerful provincial police chief in southern Afghanistan was planned in Pakistan.

No hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims, the Foreign Office said on October 24, a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani alleged that the attack on a gathering of security chiefs in the city of Kandahar was orchestrated in Pakistan.

On October 18, a gunman wearing a uniform of the Afghan security forces opened fire on the gathering, killing Kandahar Provinces powerful police chief, General Abdul Raziq, provincial intelligence head Abdul Momin Hassankhail, and a journalist.

U.S. Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley was among 13 people wounded in the attack.

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, also attended the meeting but was not injured.

I want to say that this conspiracy was plotted in Pakistan, Ghani said during a trip to Kandahar on October 23. So Pakistan should give us the criminals so that we can bring them to justice.

Kabul and Washington have both repeatedly accused Pakistan of providing safe havens for militants, a claim Islamabad has denied and countered with charges that Pakistani insurgents have found sanctuary in Afghanistan.
Police in Pakistans largest city, Karachi, have clashed with local residents protesting their eviction from housing provided to government employees.

Television footage showed police officers in riot gear armed with batons charging at the protesters on October 24.

Water cannons were also used to keep the crowd at bay.

The protesters pelted the officers with stones, injuring four of them, according to a police spokesperson.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah later ordered the withdrawal of police from the area.

Some reports said the violence left at least 12 injured on both sides.

Police officer Shamael Riaz said more than a dozen protesters were arrested for obstructing police efforts to carry out eviction orders.

The Supreme Court in July ordered the eviction of alleged illegal occupants of housing allocated to government employees, including in a Karachi area called Pakistan Quarters.

Based on reporting by AP and Dawn
Guns do not belong in schools, said Jenna Leving Jacobson. Our school buildings are meant to be places of learning, safety and sanctuary. It is critical we let data drive this decision. There is a absolutely no evidence to show arming teachers would make our schools safer. There is more risk of unintended injuries to students and school employees. Instead of bringing guns into our schools, we need to prevent guns from coming into our schools.
YEREVAN -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's efforts to force early elections cleared another legal hurdle when the country's parliament agreed not to reappoint him as prime minister a week after his tactical resignation.

Pashinian on October 24 said the elections will complete the victory of last springs "velvet revolution" that brought him to power.

The popular prime minister and his allies are tipped to win the snap elections -- most likely to be held in December -- by a landslide.

Pashinian stepped down on October 16 to pave the way for the dissolution of the current National Assembly, in which he controls only a handful of seats.

Under the Armenian constitution, snap elections can be called only if the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to replace him or her within two weeks.

New elections then must be held no earlier than in 30 days and no later than in 45 days -- approximately in the first half of December.

Some legal experts have said that the constitution also requires lawmakers to vote on at least one candidate for prime minister during the two-week period.

In what was a mere formality designed to prevent any questioning of the legality of the parliament's dissolution, Pashinian's Yelk alliance nominated him for the post of prime minister on October 23 on the assumption that the parliament would vote against his candidacy.

"This is done so that we fully adhere to procedures set by Armenia's constitution to avoid differing interpretations of legal definitions and meaningless legal debates," Yelks Lena Nazarian told the parliament.

"I was nominated not for getting elected prime minister but for not getting elected prime minister," Pashinian said. "Therefore, the National Assembly must not vote for me."

Only 12 deputies took part in the vote and none voted for Pashinian against his wishes. Eleven of them abstained. Pashinian is continuing to perform his prime ministerial duties in the meantime.

The 105-member parliament's largest factions representing the former ruling Republican Party (BHK) and Gagik Tsarukians Prosperous Armenia (BHK) had already said they would boycott the vote.

The seven deputies representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) also did not vote.

The parliament will again vote on the prime minister post next week. Another failure to elect a premier would mean its automatic dissolution.

The HHK as well as the BHK and Dashnaktsutyun have only reluctantly agreed to holding elections in December.

Early this month, they tried unsuccessfully to delay the vote until next May or June.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that, if the United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Moscow will have to target the countries hosting them.

The October 24 statement follows U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement over the weekend that he intends to withdraw from a 1987 nuclear arms control pact over alleged Russian violations.

Putin spoke on October 24, four days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty over alleged Russian violations.

The INF treaty prohibits the United States and Russia from possessing, producing, or deploying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of between 500 kilometers and 5,500 kilometers.

Nearly 2,700 missiles were eliminated by the Soviet Union and the United States -- most of the latter in Europe -- under the treaty.

Trump and White House national security adviser John Bolton, who met with Putin and other top officials in Moscow on October 22-23, cited U.S. concerns about what NATO allies say is a Russian missile that violates the pact and about weapons development by China, which is not a party to the treaty.

Putin said he hoped the United States wouldn't follow up by positioning intermediate-range missiles in Europe.

"If they are deployed in Europe, we will naturally have to respond in kind," Putin said at a news conference after talks with visiting Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

"The European nations that would agree to that should understand that they would expose their territory to the threat of a possible retaliatory strike. These are obvious things."

He continued: "I don't understand why we should put Europe in such serious danger."

"I see no reason for that," Putin said. "I would like to repeat that it's not our choice. We don't want it."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said October 24 that European members of the military alliance are unlikely to deploy new nuclear weapons on their soil in response to the alleged violations of the INF treaty.



"We will, of course, assess the implications for NATO allies, for our security of the new Russian missiles and the Russian behavior," Stoltenberg said. "But I don't foresee that [NATO] allies will station more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian missile.

Putin rejected Trump's claim that Russia has violated the INF treaty, adding that he hoped to discuss the issue with Trump in Paris when they both attend November 11 events marking the centennial of the armistice that ended World War I.

"We are ready to work together with our American partners without any hysteria," he said. "The important thing is what decisions will come next."


DUSHANBE -- The United States is concerned over the situation of human rights in Tajikistan, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia and Press and Public Diplomacy has said.

Talking to journalists in Dushanbe on October 24, Emilia Puma said that the U.S. delegation led by her met with top Tajik officials a day earlier and "raised the issue of free press and free media" in the Central Asian country and voiced concerns over the imprisonment of defense lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov and other people.

Puma said that her delegation received explanations on the human rights situation from the Tajik government, but added she was not authorized to make them public.

"We stand with people who want to speak out and participate in an active civic society," Puma said.

The Puma-led U.S. delegation and Tajik government members held the seventh Annual Bilateral Consultations in Dushanbe on October 23.

Yorov was a lawyer for 13 jailed members and leaders of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, which President Emomali Rahmon's government labeled a terrorist organization and outlawed in 2015.

In 2016, Yorov was sentenced to 23 years in prison after a court convicted him of calling for the government's overthrow and inciting social unrest.

In 2017, Tajikistan's Supreme Court found Yorov guilty of contempt of court and insulting a government official and extended his prison term by two years.

Yorov is among at least five human rights attorneys who rights groups say have been targeted by authorities in Tajikistan in connection with their work.

In May last year, Amnesty International issued a scathing report, which accused Tajik authorities of having launched an "unrelenting assault" against lawyers, particularly those who took up the defense of government critics.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who has ruled Tajikistan for a quarter of a century, has been criticized by international human rights group in recent years over increasing disregard for religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism in Tajikistan.
During a visit to Tashkent, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross hailed the Uzbek government's commitment to democratic reforms and called for close partnership between the worlds biggest economy and Central Asias most populous country.

Ross held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev and addressed the American-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce Business Forum on October 23 as part of his Central Asian tour.

"I want to applaud the successful political and democratic reforms that are under way in Uzbekistan and to encourage your continued commitment to them," Ross said in his speech at the forum, according to a transcript posted on the U.S. Embassys website.

Mirziyoev, who came to power in 2016, has taken some steps to improve ties with the West and its neighbors and move away from the oppressive policies of his predecessor, Islam Karimov.

While praising many of the efforts, rights groups have continued to express concerns about free speech, censorship, and prosecutions of journalists in the country of 32 million.

U.S. President Donald Trump commended President Mirziyoevs efforts to build bridges and relationships between Uzbekistan and its neighbors," Ross said.

The secretary of commerce added that the United States was absolutely committed to being a strategic partner in your growth and development, through trade, investment, and your outreach to other nations in Central Asia."

After Uzbekistan, Ross traveled to neighboring Kazakhstan, where he met with President Nursultan Nazarbaev on October 24, according to the Kazakh presidential press service.
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Secret Service says it has intercepted "potential explosive devices" addressed to former President Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, and other leading Democrats.



U.S. authorities said at least four suspicious packages were discovered on October 24, raising political tensions less than two weeks ahead of key November 6 midterm elections. Initial reports of a least three other suspect packages have not yet been confirmed.



Investigators said they believe the suspect packages are linked to one found on October 22 at the home of 88-year-old businessman and philanthropist George Soros, a top contributor to Democratic politicians.



U.S. President Donald Trump, in a previously scheduled speech at the White House, called the sending of the packages a "despicable," "abhorrent" act, and "egregious conduct."



"Acts of political violence have no place in the United States of America," he said, vowing that the "full weight" of the government would be used to "get to the bottom of it."



The Secret Service said packages containing suspected pipe bombs addressed to Obama and Clinton were never delivered to their residences and that they were never in danger.

Obama was Trump's predecessor as president, while Clinton was Trumps rival in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.



Elsewhere, CNN reported that the Time Warner Center in New York, where the broadcaster has its offices, was evacuated following reports of a suspicious package there, with broadcast videos showing scenes of heavy a police presence outside the building.



A suspected explosive device was later removed by experts to be investigated and defused.



CNN said the suspicious package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who regularly criticizes Trump on television.



Trump has often attacked CNN and other press outlets, calling them the "enemy" of the American people.



A package deemed suspicious also appeared intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder. It was sent to an erroneous address and never reached the former Democratic member of Obama's cabinet, officials said.

The White House immediately condemned the attempted attacks on "President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures."

These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, a White House statement said.

The Secret Service, meanwhile, denied earlier reports that a similar package had been addressed to the White House.
Two U.S. congressional committees have postponed a closed-door interview with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein scheduled for October 24 to question him about a report that he sought to secretly record President Donald Trump and discussed removing the president from office.

The New York Times reported last month that Rosenstein last year discussed secretly recording Trump and recruiting cabinet members to invoke a constitutional amendment to remove him from office. Rosenstein has called the report inaccurate and said he "never pursued or authorized recording" the president.

The article triggered speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein. However, earlier this month, Trump declared he had a "good talk" with Rosenstein and that he had no plans to fire him.

Representatives Bob Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy, chairmen of the House of Representatives Judiciary and Oversight committees, said on October 23 that they had postponed Rosenstein's interview about The New York Times report because not enough time was allotted for the session.

Rosenstein's appearance before the panels will be rescheduled, they said in a joint statement, and could become a public hearing rather than a closed-door interview.

The committees had also been expected to question Rosenstein about his role overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 election campaign.

Trump has repeatedly called the investigation a "witch hunt" and has at times appeared to threaten the jobs of those running it.

The two committees are looking into whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the early stages of the Russia investigation showed political bias when it applied for a surveillance warrant to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa, co-founder of Poland's Solidarity movement and the country's first postcommunist president, says a new international "solidarity" movement is needed to propel democracy forward in Russia and respond to Moscow's aggressive foreign policies.

At age 75, having served from 1990 to 1995 as Poland's president, Walesa is now a retired politician and labor activist.

But he maintains an office in Gdansk at the European Solidarity Center, a museum dedicated to the civil resistance movement he led during the 1980s against Poland's Moscow-backed communist government.

As Solidarity transformed under nearly a decade of martial law into a powerful political force, it also inspired a revolutionary wave in the late 1980s that brought down communist rule across Central and Eastern Europe.

But Poland was the first Warsaw Pact country to break free of Soviet dominance.

"We need Russia," Walesa told RFE/RL on October 19 as he gazed through his office window at the shipyard where his Solidarity movement began in 1980 as an independent trade union.

"It is a very good country to cooperate with.... We must help Russia in a calm, peaceful, subtle way. But it needs to be well-organized," Walesa said.

"Solidarity is a simple philosophy," Walesa explained. "What does it say? [It says] 'If you cannot carry your burden alone, ask others to help you.' Go, create such solidarity, and [you'll manage] Russia."

'Inventing Enemies'

Walesa, a political icon for Polish democracy, says Western powers need to understand Russia as a country that "used to be a super power," but has lost that position.

"It is important to remember that there has been never been democracy in Russia. It has always been ruled by using the threat of an enemy to sustain unity," Walesa said.

"Russia even used to invent enemies to preserve its unity," he said.

But Walesa also said the world should recognize that Russia has gone through many positive changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"It has gone pretty far away from what it was in the past," he said. "It's not yet the Russia we would like to see. But it's moving in the direction we would like it to go."

Walesa told RFE/RL that he thinks President Vladimir Putin made a "huge mistake" when Russian military forces seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

"In the 21st century, this is not a proper way of resolving disputes," Walesa said. "There might be attempts to use those old methods, but it will be very costly" in the end. Ultimately, he said, what matters is the price a country has to pay for such aggression.

"There are ways [of dealing with international issues] that are more open and democratic, and they bring about better results," Walesa said. "It is just a question of time before Putin will have to abandon his policy [on Crimea]. The sooner he realizes that, the less the costs he has to bear will be."

'Solidarity For Ukraine'

Walesa insists that both confronting and working with Russia now requires "solidarity" between states.

As an example, Walesa said the international community should respond to Russia's seizure and annexation of Crimea by organizing countries together in a "solidarity for Ukraine" group.

"You chose 10 representatives from all over the world, people who are well informed about Ukraine and Russia," he explained. "You can allocate them either through NATO or the United Nations."

"Let that group of 10 people prepare 10 different propositions for different countries to choose that can hurt Russia," he continued. "Something not to buy, something not to sell.... Every country has different interests, so each country could pick something from the list."

"It would be great to have five people within this group who have good relations with Putin," Walesa said. "Every day, one of those five people could call Putin and tell him, 'Listen, Putin, we have lost so much. How much have you lost?'"

"The last person who calls him should tell him, 'Let's sum up the losses and let's think again, because your own oligarchs will never forgive you,'" Walesa said.

But Walesa concluded that nowadays, each country is acting in its own manner for its own interests.

"You can't win against Russia in such a way," he said.

Written by Ron Synovitz, with reporting from Gdansk by Current Time TV and RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Hryhoriy Zhyhalov
The White House says it is pushing ahead with plans to establish a new U.S. space force, but the first steps will stop short of creating a sixth branch of the military as touted earlier this year by President Donald Trump.

The White House does not foresee the creation of an independent space force before 2020, Vice President Mike Pence told a space conference in Washington on October 23. Pence is head of the National Space Council, a government body that was revived last year to draw up plans for the space force envisioned by Trump.

Pence said the president will soon ask Congress to gather military and civilians working on space security into a unified command, similar to the military's special forces.

"The National Space Council is making recommendations to the president to essentially begin with establishing a unified space command, much in the way that we established a Special Forces command," he said. "Let's begin by bringing everyone under a unified command."

According to Pence, about 60,000 people are currently working on space security in the United States, across various branches of the military and intelligence services.

"It will not in the first instance look like other branches of the service...It will be a consolidation, we believe, and from there future Congresses and future administrations can grow and expand and nurture...the space force as they see fit," Pence said.

Congress must approve the White House plans. The notion of creating a space force on par with the U.S. Army or Air Force has sparked controversy among lawmakers, many of whom oppose the expense or want military space operations to remain part of the Air Force.

Pence said the administration would work with Congress, starting next year, on drafting a law creating an independent space force by 2020.

The head of the U.S. Air Force said last month that creating a space force would cost about $13 billion for a force of 13,000 people in the first five years.

The U.S. military currently is made up of five branches: the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard.

The space force proposal has been criticized for stepping up the militarization of space, despite international treaties supposedly designating space as a peaceful domain.

But Pence claimed that Russia and China already have military operations in space and said potential threats in space include anti-satellite weapons, airborne lasers, "highly threatening in-orbit activities and evasive hypersonic missiles."

"This is what our competitors are already doing," Pence said. "Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea, and America will be as dominant there as we are here on Earth," he told the space council on October 23.

The space force will be designed "to ensure that our war fighters have the freedom and flexibility they need to deter and defeat any threat to our security in the rapidly evolving battlefield of space," he said.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
The ball will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and is open to children ages 3 and up with an adult. Music and a dessert buffet will be featured, and children can enter to win a costume contest, according to the park district.
After the FBI received information in August regarding Rev. Hutskos alleged attack, an assessment was started to determine if a hate crime occurred. As part of that process, we have received information from a variety of sources and this is information we would also use in our assessment," FBI spokeswoman Chris Bavender said via email Wednesday.
I chose to come forward and speak out, because the three other women (accusing Hill) were afraid to come forward, Candelaria Reardon said. I did nothing wrong. Why do we have to hide? My voice allowed two of the other three women to come forward. As long as you are telling the truth, theres nothing that can happen (to your conscience).
Four arrested in Cancun kidnapping, state officials investigate for criminal ring

Cancun, Q.R.  The Attorney Generals Office reports the arrest of four men alleged responsible for the recent kidnapping of a young Cancun university student.

Members of state and municipal police assigned to the Kidnapping Investigation sector for the north zone rescued the young woman who was reported missing October 19 from a bus stop on Colosio Boulevard.

Investigative work by a specialized group led to the rescue of the woman and arrest of the four men. The woman was found alive on the fourth floor of a building in the Paseos del Mar subdivision in region 251 of Cancun.

When approaching the building, navy and police were met with gunfire, which was returned. Eventually, the four alleged involved in her kidnapping were taken into custody. They have since been presented to the Public Prosecutors Office.

This was the second kidnapping in Cancun in recent days after the owner of a barber shop was also kidnapped and held for ransom. He was released after his family paid the one-million-peso ransom.

Gustavo Salas Salgado, Interino Fiscalia General de Quintana Roo

In a press conference, the interino Fiscalia General de Quintana Roo (intern attorney general), Gustavo Salas Salgado, acknowledged the existence of criminal gangs saying that the bands arise suddenly.

The bands emerge and seek, you know, a payment, he said.

We still do not know if they are part of a gang and due to privacy, we cannot say anymore, he added.

He did note that there may be more members of this group, pointing out that these people were already in the state.

They are here, but they are from different places, he said adding that he did not have the number of kidnappings in the state, saying only that there are several.

In the kidnapping of the university student, a ransom of two million peso was demanded, however, the family did not make payment.
Man known to police gunned down in Cozumel

Cozumel, Q.R.  A man who was shot to death inside a Cozumel pet food store Tuesday evening was known to police.

The shooting happened at a pet store located on Avenida Miguel Borge Marin, between Morelos and 5 Sur in Colonia San Gervasio.

Reports say the man was shot multiple times by two men who then fled on a motorcycle. The unidentified man, who died on scene, was apparently known to police.

The victim had a record of arrests that included drug-related offenses and gun possession.

Agents of the ministerial police along with members of the General State Attorneys Office and state police arrived to investigate. No arrests were made.
In other matters, the council approved an addendum to the purchase agreement for the properties around 6600 Broadway that would be used for a community center. Under the addendum, Crown Point-based DVG will survey the properties and the property seller would clear up some of the utility easements that are currently underground.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 24)  Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba has written to Ombudsman Samuel Martires to urge him to cancel the temporary freedom given to senatorial aspirant Juan Ponce Enrile in connection to his plunder case.

Martires' office received the letter from Mamba and former mayor of Buguey, Cagayan Ignacio Taruc on Monday regarding Enrile's pending plunder case before the Sandiganbayan.

The Cagayan officials said Enrile's decision to run for the Senate in the 2019 elections proves he deceived the Supreme Court about his supposed deteriorating health, for which he was granted bail.

"This only proves that Enrile falsely appealed to the Supreme Court's pity to gain the relief of bail... His sworn declaration in his certificate of candidacy of his capacity to run for a seat in the Senate is sufficient basis to revoke Enrile's bail," the letter read.

Enrile was ordered arrested in 2014 after he was implicated by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, who was accused of funneling 10 billion in public funds funds into fake nongovernment organizations. In 2015, the Supreme Court allowed Enrile, who was 90 years old then, to post bail due to health considerations.

"Juan Ponce Enrile is, and has always been a liar and plunderer, no matter how frail he may look. Please do not be moved by his deception," Mamba and Taruc appealed to Martires.

The 94-year-old Enrile previously argued that his detention for more than a year at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City could have led to the further deterioration of his health.

Highlighting Enrile's important role during the martial law, Mamba and Taruc said, "He should be made accountable for his actions. Just as government demands of an ordinary citizen, it must demand from Enrile."
Trump has been calling his National Security Advisor John Bolton, Michael Bolton. He has been calling Fox and Friends Steve Doocy now Pete, he calls Senator Tom Carper now Tom Harper, and his wife Melania is now Melanie. That cognitive acuity is diminishing very rapidly. Its terribly sad that there is literally no one, not his children, not his wife, no one at all, who love him enough to demand that he get some help.
A RAWMARSH man accused of stealing shotguns and cash from a farmhouse while the owner was out has gone on trial.

Ashley Goodinson (39), of South Street, Rawmarsh, is said to have been part of a gang of three men and a woman who burgled a farmhouse in Bradgate, Sheffield, on April 20, shortly after 2pm.

He is said to have taken six shotguns, 400 shotgun pellets and 2,000 in cash from the farmhouse while the owner was out.

Prosecutor Mr Martin Robertshaw told Sheffield Crown Court there was no doubt a burglary was committed, however, jurors had to decide whether Goodinson was one of the burglars.

The burglars kicked the front door in and, at some stage, the upstairs windows were opened, Mr Robertshaw told the court.

The gang put a ladder up against the farmhouse so they could remove their stolen goods.

Having gained entry to the premises, the intruders went to the ground floor, Mr Robertshaw told the court.

There was a safe cabinet that was secured to the wall and force was used by the burglars to remove that cabinet.

They removed it in its entirety and inside that cabinet was six shotguns and 2,000 in cash.

The burglars also raided the living room and took 400 shotgun pellets, Mr Robertshaw told the court.

They used a white Mercedes van to carry away their stolen goods, he said.

The farmer obtained a dashcam image of the van and recorded the registration of the vehicle, Mr Robertshaw told the court.

Goodinson was identified as the owner of the van and was interviewed by the police the following day.

His then-girlfriend, Ms Jessica Allen, had already admitted handling stolen goods, Mr Robertson told the court.

Three of the shotguns and the cash were recovered from her flat.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage recovered by the police which showed Allen and three men walking in and out of her flat.

Mr Robertshaw said one of those men was Goodinson.

Goodinson told police he was not part of the burglary team when he was interviewed by police, Mr Robertshaw told the court.

He later told police he had not been driving the white Mercedes van at the time of the burglary and someone must have taken his spare keys without permission.

Giving evidence, Ms Allen identified the man on the CCTV footage coming in and out of her flat as Goodinson.

Goodinson denies one count of burglary.

The trial continues.
As part of Hate Crime Awareness Week, South Yorkshire Police had a stall at Community Corner in Rotherham Hospital, to make the public aware of the topic. Seen at the stall (left to right) are: PCSO Abby Grzesiek, Tony Bennett, Rotherham Hospital Lead for 'Time To Speak Up' and PCSO Niall Ellison. 184440-2

VISITORS to Rotherham Hospital had the chance to learn more about hate crime and how to report it during an event at the facilitys community corner.

South Yorkshire Police shared information about different types of hate crime and how to report it during Hate Crime Awareness Week.

PCSOs Abby Grzesiek and Niall Ellisan spoke to hospital visitors and gave away wristbands promoting the Hate Hurts campaign which aims to give people the confidence to speak up and report hate crime.

PCSO Grzesiek, who covers Moorgate and Broom, said: We want people to speak up and say something about hate crime.

Some people dont know what hate crime is and some people dont know the difference between a normal crime and a hate crime.

Were telling people that its alright to say something and report it to the police and it will be taken seriously.

A lot of people have gone away learning something today and thats beneficial for us.

If theres more of an awareness about it and people understand what it is they are more open to say something about it.

PCSO Grzesiek said those who witnessed, or were a victim of a hate crime, had a responsibility to report it.

A hate crime is an incident which is motivated by hositility or prejudice based on someones disability, race, religion, transgender identity or sexual orientation.

A hate crime can be reported to South Yorkshire Police on the non-emergency number, 101, or, if someone is in immediate danger, on 999.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti

PTI, Srinagar (24st Oct'18): PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday appealed the Centre for the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan to end the "present phase of acrimony and confrontation" between the two neighbours. The former chief minister made the appeal during a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here, her Peoples Democratic Party said in a statement. The PDP chief was among the leaders of various parties who met the Home Minister here on Tuesday.

"Good relations with Pakistan have a positive impact on the ground situation in the state and it also encourages reconciliation among stakeholders within the state which automatically results in a decline in alienation levels of people," the Peoples Democratic Party leader said. Mehbooba told the Union Home Minister that in the past when bilateral relations improved, Jammu and Kashmir not only witnessed an era of minimal violence but also reconciliation and people's active participation in democratic and developmental processes.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Expressing concern over the prevailing situation in the state, the PDP president also urged the Home Minister to ensure that civilian deaths and collateral damage during security operations are avoided at all costs. Mehbooba said she believed every civilian death not only adds to the alienation of people but also pushes back the democratic and developmental process in the state.

She asked the Home Minister to direct all the security agencies to exercise maximum restrain and follow strictly the standard operating procedures while dealing with the security situations in the state to ensure that civilian lives and property are not put to any risk in these operations, according to the PDP statement. Seven civilians were killed Sunday in a blast at an encounter site in Laroo village in Kulgam district after a gunfight between militants and security forces in which three ultras were eliminated had ended.
The village would like to professionally evaluate the Niles Historical Society and Cultural Center for the best use of the building in order to tell a positive story and its history to enhance the experience of visitors, referendum information recently released by the village states.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

PTI, Srinagar (24st Oct'18) :The Centre is ready to hold talks with anyone including Pakistan but terror and dialogue can never go together, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here Tuesday. Singh, who met representatives of various political parties in Srinagar, said he has appealed to all of them to participate in the upcoming panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir. "Biggest of problems can be faced and issues resolved through democratic means. Many problems of Jammu and Kashmir can also be addressed through democracy. I appeal to people of the state to take part in this festival of democracy," he said at a press conference here.

Ready to hold talks with anyone

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Singh said those who do not believe in democracy can never be well-wishers of people. The National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party had boycotted the recent urban bodies election in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh told reporters that as far as talks are concerned, the government has no problem in holding dialogue with anyone.

The government has no problem in holding dialogue with anyone

"At least, they should see that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism in India and promoting terrorism also. Give us this much of assurance that there will not be any such attempt by Pakistan. Terror and dialogue both can never go together," he said. Asked if there was any initiative to hold talks with separatists, Singh said the government will talk to anyone who is willing to enter dialogue.
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

Spokesman News Service, Chandigarh (24th Oct'18): Launching a scathing attack on the statement of ex-Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regarding Israel visit of the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, senior Congress leader and cabinet minister Punjab S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has today said that where was the former CM when bargari sacrilege incident took place. He also said that how can the Badal father-son duo raise an accusing finger on the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh when they themselves didn't step out of their homes in Chandigarh for a full one month during the sacrilege incident.

S. Randhawa further said that the Chief Minister had reached New Delhi for proceeding towards Israel but on knowing about the Amritsar train tragedy reached Amritsar the very next morning and enquired after the well being of the injured besides deputing the senior officers, taking stock of the situation and personally assuming command of the relief & rehabilitation works. It was only after the crisis management group of the cabinet ministers formed by the Chief Minister assured the latter of the full situation under control that he proceeded to Israel. Even from Israel, the Chief Minister is keeping an eye on the relief works through video conferencing.

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The Congress leader also said that the ex CM and ex Deputy CM have no ethical right to question Israel visit of Captain Amarinder Singh because the father-son duo didn't took any concrete action during bargari incident instead they ordered firing on the innocent Sikhs through police. He also divulged that the Israel visit of the Chief Minister was scheduled long ago where the latter had to ink important agreements with the Israeli President apart from meeting higher officials which was unavoidable.

Detailing more, S. Randhawa said that during the Israel visit uncountable avenues for the development of Punjab have been opened in the Agriculture, Conservation of the Water Resources, Irrigation, Agricultural Research, Education, Solid Waste Management of the cities and Homeland Security sectors. The Chief Minister signed many significant MoUs during the visit which assume great importance in terms of crop diversification and preservation of the dwindling water resources.

He also disclosed that Israel renders 90 percent of water re-usable through state of the art technique which can also be emulated by Punjab. It is worth mentioning that during this visit which proved to be a milestone from point of all round development of Punjab, the Chief Minister also separately met President of Israel Mr. Reuven Rivlin, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, Energy and Water Resources Minister Dr. Yuval Stenitz and the officers of the National Water Company of Israel namely Mekoret.

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The Chief Minister also held discussions centred on exploring investment opportunities in the Energy, Water, Affordable Housing, Schools and the Hospitals. The Chief Minister also visited Dan Region Waste Water Treatment Plant (Saddam) which is an inter regional system which gathers municipal waste in the densely populated urban areas as well as the industrial zones and makes it fit for re-use after purifying. It is the biggest waste water treatment plant in Israel.
Brahm Mohindra

Spokesman News Service, Chandigarh (24th Oct'18): Brahm Mohindra, Health and Family Welfare Minister, who is camping at Amritsar from the day of Amritsar Rail Tragedy, today visited the Private Hospitals to enquire about the health of the wounded persons, who are under treatment in Private Hospitals. Mr. Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria , Revenue Minister was also accompanying the Health Minister. Disclosing this official spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that the Health Minister also took reports from the doctors who are operating upon the injured.

He expressed satisfaction that the patients are being provided the best available treatment and they are recuperating fast from their wounds. Brahm Mohindra also talked to the patients and asked them not to pay a single penny to the private hospitals for their treatment as the whole expenditure of their treatment is being borne by the State Government. Doctors told the Minister that most of the patients would be discharged soon as their wounds are heeling at fast pace.

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Brahm Mohindra said that besides providing the free treatment to the injured in private as well as government hospital, team of the state government is also visiting their homes to assess their social and economic conditions. He said that on the basis of this survey, the rehabilitation of the families of the victims would be ensured so as to bring these families back on track. He said that the compensation amount is being disbursed to all the legal heirs of the victims whose identity has been confirmed by the administration.

Health Minister also expressed satisfaction over the medical care being provided to the victims by the teams of Health Department at the crucial time. He said the doctors of the Health Department showed exemplary professional approach and they provide the best medical care to the wounded while working day and night. Mr. Kamaldeep Singh Sanga was also accompanying the Health Minister during this visit.
A new blood test developed by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers shows promise for tracking HPV-linked head and neck cancer patients to ensure they remain cancer-free after treatment.

Researchers will present preliminary findings at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in San Antonio on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Their study evaluated a blood test for HPV-linked oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, which is a cancer of the back of the throat. The findings demonstrated the test could be an effective and less costly alternative for monitoring for cancer recurrence after radiation treatment.

"The goal of this study was to evaluate whether this test can be used to track patients who are completely asymptomatic, and thought to have no active cancer," said UNC Lineberger's Gaorav P. Gupta, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology. "We already knew that our test was very sensitive and specific, but we did not know the degree to which it would be useful in early detection of disease recurrence in patients who are otherwise thought to be disease-free."

HPV, or the human papillomavirus, is the most common cause of sexually transmitted infection in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infection with certain strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer in women, genital cancers in both men and women, and cancer of the oropharynx, which is the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils. The CDC estimates that approximately 70 percent of oropharyngeal cancer cases diagnosed in the United States are probably caused by HPV, which accounts for nearly 13,000 cases per year.

Gupta and his colleagues developed a blood test that can detect fragments of HPV's genetic material that have been released into the blood by dying cancer cells.

"We realized it is important to distinguish HPV DNA that's being released by dying tumor cells from the natural HPV DNA that is present during a viral infection," Gupta said. "Our method accomplishes this feat, thus making it a more sensitive and specific test for cancer."

For their study, the researchers followed 89 patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who received chemotherapy and radiation treatment. They administered the blood test before and during treatment, and then during follow-up visits. The patients received scans three months after treatment, and then came back for clinical exams every two to four months during the first two years, and then every six months in years three through five. Patients received X-rays or CT scans every six months, and again if they had positive HPV results.

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"We are detecting subclinical disease with this blood test, and the imaging patients received confirmed those findings," said UNC Lineberger's Bhishamjit S. Chera, MD, associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology and the study's co-corresponding author. Chera presented the findings from the study at the ASTRO meeting.

Of the 70 patients whose blood tests were negative three months after treatment, none developed recurrence. Nineteen patients had positive blood tests, and eight of those patients developed recurrence. Physicians are continuing to monitor the remaining eleven who had positive blood tests but no evidence of recurrence.

"The most striking finding of our study is that of the patients who did not have any signal using our blood test, none of them developed disease recurrence," Chera said. "That raises the question: Do we need to be scanning these patients? Scans come with a lot of cost, and because of the cost, we're not able to do it as frequently. Patients end up having a lot of anxiety from one scan to the next, wondering if their cancer has come back. This blood test could spare patients the need for additional imaging and potentially alleviate some anxiety."

The researchers say the next steps will involve investigating whether the test can be used prospectively to monitor patients and to make decisions that could avoid unnecessary imaging, thereby reducing costs. They also see additional applications for the blood test, including monitoring for other HPV-linked cancers, including cervical cancer.

"We are confident this blood test will be translatable to other cancers driven by HPV, and as a monitoring tool for cancer diagnosis," Chera said. "We strongly believe that this test may also have a role in screening, not just for oropharyngeal cancer, but also cervical or anal cancers, possibly in a general population setting, or at least in patients who may be at higher risk of developing these conditions."

In addition to Chera and Gupta, other authors include Sunil Kumar, PhD; Colette Shen, MD, PhD; Robert Amdur, MD; Roi Dagan, MD; Jared Weiss, MD; Juneko Grilley-Olson, MD; Adam Zanation, MD; Trevor Hackman, MD; Jeff Blumberg, MD; Samip Patel, MD; Brian Thorp, MD; Mark Weissler, MD; Nathan Sheets, MD; and William Mendenhall, MD.

The study was supported by the University Cancer Research Fund, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology, UNC Lineberger and the University of Florida School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology.

Intellectual property related to the test and held by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been licensed to Naveris, a company in which Chera and Gupta hold equity stakes.
Schadenfreude, the sense of pleasure people derive from the misfortune of others, is a familiar feeling to many -- perhaps especially during these times of pervasive social media.

This common, yet poorly understood, emotion may provide a valuable window into the darker side of humanity, finds a review article by psychologists at Emory University.

New Ideas in Psychology published the review, which drew upon evidence from three decades of social, developmental, personality and clinical research to devise a novel framework to systematically explain schadenfreude. The authors propose that schadenfreude comprises three separable but interrelated subforms -- aggression, rivalry and justice -- which have distinct developmental origins and personality correlates.

They also singled out a commonality underlying these subforms.

"Dehumanization appears to be at the core of schadenfreude," says Shensheng Wang, a PhD candidate in psychology at Emory and first author of the paper. "The scenarios that elicit schadenfreude, such as intergroup conflicts, tend to also promote dehumanization."

Co-authors of the study are Emory psychology professors Philippe Rochat, who studies infant and child development, and Scott Lilienfeld, whose research focuses on personality and personality disorders.

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Dehumanization is the process of perceiving a person or social group as lacking the attributes that define what it means to be human. It can range from subtle forms, such as assuming that someone from another ethnic group does not feel the full range of emotions as one's in-group members do, all the way to blatant forms -- such as equating sex offenders to animals. Individuals who regularly dehumanize others may have a disposition towards it. Dehumanization can also be situational, such as soldiers dehumanizing the enemy during a battle.

"Our literature review strongly suggests that the propensity to experience schadenfreude isn't entirely unique, but that it overlaps substantially with several other 'dark' personality traits, such as sadism, narcissism and psychopathy," Lilienfeld says. "Moreover, different subforms of schadenfreude may relate somewhat differently to these often malevolent traits."

One problem with studying the phenomenon is the lack of an agreed definition of schadenfreude, which literally means "harm joy" in German. Since ancient times, some scholars have condemned schadenfreude as malicious, while others have perceived it as morally neutral or even virtuous.

"Schadenfreude is an uncanny emotion that is difficult to assimilate," Rochat says. "It's kind of a warm-cold experience that is associated with a sense of guilt. It can make you feel odd to experience pleasure when hearing about bad things happening to someone else."

Psychologists view schadenfreude through the lens of three theories. Envy theory focuses on a concern for self-evaluation, and a lessening of painful feelings when someone perceived as enviable gets knocked down a peg. Deservingness theory links schadenfreude to a concern for social justice and the feeling that someone dealt a misfortune received what was coming to them. Intergroup-conflict theory concerns social identity and the schadenfreude experienced after the defeat of members of a rival group, such as during sporting or political competitions.

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The authors of the current article wanted to explore how all these different facets of schadenfreude are interrelated, how they differ, and how they can arise in response to these concerns.

Their review delved into the primordial role of these concerns demonstrated in developmental studies. Research suggests that infants as young as eight months demonstrate a sophisticated sense of social justice. In experiments, they showed a preference for puppets who assisted a helpful puppet, and who punished puppets that had exhibited antisocial behavior. Research on infants also points to the early roots of intergroup aggression, showing that, by nine months, infants preferred puppets who punish others who are unlike themselves.

"When you think of normal child development, you think of children becoming good natured and sociable," Rochat says. "But there's a dark side to becoming socialized. You create friends and other in-groups to the exclusion of others."

Spiteful rivalry appears by at least age five or six, when research has shown that children will sometimes opt to maximize their gain over another child, even if they have to sacrifice a resource to do so.

By the time they reach adulthood, many people have learned to hide any tendencies for making a sacrifice just for spite, but they may be more open about making sacrifices that are considered pro-social.

The review article posits a unifying, motivational theory: Concerns of self-evaluation, social identity and justice are the three motivators that drive people toward schadenfreude. What pulls people away from schadenfreude is the ability to feel empathy for others and to perceive them as fully human and to show empathy for them.

Ordinary people may temporarily lose empathy for others. But those with certain personality disorders and associated traits -- such as psychopathy, narcissism or sadism -- are either less able or less motivated to put themselves in the shoes of others.

"By broadening the perspective of schadenfreude, and connecting all of the related phenomena underlying it, we hope we've provided a framework to gain deeper insights into this complex, multi-faceted emotion," Wang says.

"We all experience schadenfreude but we don't like to think about it too much because it shows how ambivalent we can be to our fellow humans," Rochat says. "But schadenfreude points to our ingrained concerns and it's important to study it in a systematic way if we want to understand human nature."
Women are still disadvantaged in society, particularly professionally. They are frequently paid less than men and find it more difficult to have a successful career. One reason for this may be the fact that women are observed to shy away from competition more often than men. In one experiment, scientists have now demonstrated that this difference can be overcome using "priming." With this simple psychological technique, personal experiences are retrieved in the memory.

Priming is an approach used in psychology, with which people are placed in a certain situation, as a result of which their decision-making behaviour can change. If, for example, bank employees are asked how long they work at a bank, what tasks they have, and so on, then they are primed to the role of banker. If you ask the same bank employees about their hobbies, they are primed to their leisure role. More recent studies show that this priming can lead to very different decisions.

Matthias Sutter, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, together with colleagues from the University of Innsbruck, has applied this approach in order to prepare test subjects for a competitive situation. "In our case, we used priming in order to present a portion of the test subjects with a situation in which they exerted influence," Sutter explains. "As a comparison, we arranged for the other portion to imagine a situation in which they were dependent on others." A third group of participants remained neutral, and was therefore not primed.

In a test with over 400 test subjects, the scientists compared the behaviour of the three sub-groups when it came to thinking about a competitive situation. The different priming situations did indeed lead to different decisions being taken by men and women. In the neutral group, the following gender-typical pattern emerged: 40 percent of men, but only 14 percent of women, decided to enter into competition with others. When primed to a dependency situation, the test subjects largely reached the same decisions.

However, this did not apply to the participants who imagined a situation in which they exerted influence: the most significant changes were observed in relation to the behaviour of the men. Only 28 percent, in other words significantly fewer of them, chose the competitive situation. Among women, this priming had the opposite effect, albeit to a lesser degree. Somewhat more of them than in the neutral group, 20 percent, decided to enter into competition with others. The scientists explain this divergent effect by claiming that the memory of an influential situation enables all individuals to arrive at a realistic assessment of their own abilities. While in some cases, this increases self-assurance among women, it keeps men back from overestimating themselves and subjecting themselves to increased risk.

In this way, priming leads to situations in which men and women become more similar in their competitive behaviour. Former studies had shown that the way in which competitive situations are handled is a key factor when it comes to the disadvantage to women in professional life. According to the research team, the psychological method could be applied in the education system and in professional training.
Do animals -- like humans -- divide the world into things that move and things that don't? Are they surprised if an apparently inanimate object jumps to life?

Yes -- according to scientists at the universities of Exeter and Cambridge.

The researchers tested how jackdaws responded to moving birds, moving snakes and moving sticks -- and found they were most cautious of the moving sticks.

The study, using remote-controlled objects placed in jackdaws' nests, will help scientists understand how birds perceive potential threats.

"Although as humans we see the divide between animate an inanimate objects as an intuitive one, we've had very little evidence that wild animals also see the world this way," said lead author Dr Alison Greggor, formerly of the University of Cambridge and now at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.

"Laboratory studies have shown that human infants and a few other species discriminate between animate and inanimate objects.

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"This ability is assumed to have evolved to support social interactions, but its role for wild animals has never been examined.

"Our work extends the potential function of this ability beyond the social realm. It might therefore be a more common ability than previously thought."

By placing remote-controlled objects in jackdaws' nests, the researchers tested how the birds assessed possible threats to their offspring.

Jackdaws were startled by any movement, producing alarm calls, but they delayed longest in entering their nest box after encountering an "inanimate" object that moved (ie the remote controlled stick).

This suggests they recognised the movement as unexpected and delayed entering the nest in order to gather more information about the situation.

Dr Alex Thornton, of the Centre for Ecology and Conversation on the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, added: "There is still a great deal we do not understand about some of our common bird species.

"Dedicated field experiments, such as ours, can yield insights into their minds, revealing more about how they understand the world."
Portuguese and Belgian universities signed Tuesday in Lisbon agreements on student and teacher exchange agreements as part of the ongoing visit to Portugal of the Belgian King Philippe.

At a ceremony in Lisbon, around 18 protocols were signed, bringing together 36 Portuguese and Belgian entities.

The protocols involve areas ranging from agriculture to education, from real estate to beverages, and encompassed such entities as the Portuguese Air Force, the Oceano Forum, companies and universities, among them the Catholic University of Porto and the New University of Lisbon.

With the growing existence of European networks involving universities, these institutions collaborate not only in research activities but also in the exchange of students and teachers, Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education Manuel Heitor told Portuguese Lusa News Agency.

As more and more "future generations of European citizens" are being formed, the protocols signed go to this end and are the result of months of work, he said.

The minister said that in recent years there has been "a growing collaboration in the exchange of students," and the signing of the protocols is "an important step" for the exchange of teachers and for the award of joint academic degrees.

Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde started a three-day visit to Portugal on Monday, aiming to fulfil a program of political meetings as well as cultural and economic initiatives in Lisbon and Porto.
Experts say drama studies offer a learning avenue that can enhance the curriculum. However, there are questions as to how to use drama to its full benefit in the education system.



Theatre-makers around the world have recently contributed their experiences and proposals.

Zhang Yan is a children's drama director. She is known for adapting Shakespeare's famous play King Lear for young Chinese audiences. She recently shared her observations.

"I just returned from Paris, feeling pleasantly astonished by its deep cultural roots. However, I met a 24-year old local girl at Disneyland Park there. She is more familiar with each of the Disney characters than those prominent figures in French history and culture. We have no right to blame but feel pitiful. After all, France is known all over the world for its rich culture. China is the same as France as one of the world's best-known cultures. However, modern-day youngsters worldwide ignore their cultures."

She says that teaching drama on campus may help spread and carry forward the traditional culture among school children. For example, many school children in Beijing have been watching their theatrical adaptations of stories based on a series of Chinese idioms. Through this, she says these young students may better understand the Chinese culture.

Children and teens are not just audience members. They can also take their place on the stage.

Renowned Teacher Liu Tianchi with the Chinese Central Academy of Drama says more and more school plays are written especially for elementary and primary school teachers to direct, and large casts of students to perform.

"This year, some primary and middle schools extended invitations that our teachers might help in creating plays, which I think is a good trend. Schools, which used to be occupied with math contests, began to realize the power of theatre in school education. It hopefully demonstrates that drama is playing a lot more important part in the modern Chinese society."

Sometimes, the educational system and artistic needs are felt to be working in opposite ways.

The educational system wants to give knowledge and the arts need experimentation and freedom for the new thinking. But according to Stefan Fischer-Fels, an experienced theatre-maker in Germany, theatre education may not only reinvigorate cultural traditions but also relate to taboo issues.

"Of course, we have the fairy tales from Brother Grimm that you all know that are in the repertoire of many theatres. And we try always to find the contents of what it does mean today. It's not only telling these old stories, but how can we interpret it that it has really relevant meaning for the children of today. We have support also from many, many teachers and the educational system, trying to talk about difficult issues, and taboos, for example, a youth play about homosexuality for youngsters. Maybe not for the very small but for youngsters; it's absolutely possible; it's not forbidden and schools appreciate that."

Besides Germany, many European nations are engaging teenagers in theatre and have obtained successful experiences.

Naja Birke is a tutor with Teatercentrum, or "Theatre Center", an institution under the Danish Ministry of Culture, and explains how her country has formed partnerships with countries including Italy, Norway and Portugal, exploring the best performing arts for young audiences through a project.

"The Teen Project, TEEN is short for Theatre European Engagement Network. We are trying to give young people across Europe the new methods to engage in theatre and stage art. And we're using theatre criticism as a tool to find new methods to get them engaged and they've been writing critiques and they've been also making videos and sending it back to the theatre producers, having dialogue with theatre producers about the shows they've seen."

The TEEN project enables culture professionals to set up a new strategy and tools to develop the performing arts sector for audiences aged 10 to 19.

Earlier, theatre makers around the world gathered in Beijing for a children's theatre festival. They also held discussions on the possible influence that western and eastern cultures might have on children and teenagers' choices of what plays they might prefer to watch.
Every year in autumn, Chinese capital Beijing would celebrate its literature festival named after "October". It is marked by a series of forums focusing on the literary writing and innovation.



During a forum on the "high-quality realistic works of the online literature" recently held, Chinese online literature's veering towards realism has become the focus of the attendees.

"Most of the online literature in its early days avoided the realistic themes. They are mainly fantasies, and most of them have achieved great success. But the literary works are more of new myths that have their own world views," said He Hong, director of the online literature department of the Chinese Writers Association (CWA).

He said that the earlier online literature has fulfilled people's imagination beyond the limited life span, and has explored the boundary of death and life, as well as time and space, which traditional literature could not achieve. However, any art form growing out of the society when transferring to fit in the mainstream value would have to reflect or explain the realistic experience.

"If the Song Lyric Poetry focused only on the romances between men and women, it would never end as one of the representative literary works of the era," he explained by citing the example of the Song Lyric Poetry, one of the traditional Chinese literary genres that were in full swing during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Chinese writer Guan Renshan believed that the traditional wordings were not enough to express the modern Chinese people's thoughts and their living conditions.

"It is still very important for the Chinese writers, no matter of traditional or online literature, to fine a new language style, that are fresh and vivid enough to touch the readers today," said Chinese writer Guan Renshan.

According to a report released by China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association, there are at least 400 million online literature readers in China, with an average 4.9-year reading experience.

On the other hand, the revenue of the online literature industry has reached a scale of 12.9 billion yuan (1.86 billion US dollars), with a 35.1-percent year-on-year increase.

As of December in 2017, there are at least 16.4 million online literary works, while 6,942 were published into printed books. 1,195 of them were adopted into films, and 1,232 into TV series.

There are also quite a number of them adopted into online games or animations.

China now has 14 million online writers, and 47 percent of them write as a full-time job.
As the tastes of art-savvy audiences change, theatrical performances have become more creative and diversified.



The Wuzhen Theatre Festival in east China's Zhejiang Province is injecting energy into the sleepy water town of Wuzhen. The growing theater scene in China is undergoing change thanks to a young generation of daring and innovative artists.

A competition among youth performers has attracted a large audience at the ongoing festival. The contest aims to open more doors for artists looking for a strong start to their careers.

Outside of the West Warehouse Theatre, audiences lined up more than an hour ahead of showtime.

Backstage, three student actors were getting ready for their first performance on a big stage off-campus.

"The atmosphere is very good," said Liu Xin, one of the actors. "Here at this festival, we have the chance to meet with the nation's top directors and actors."

Liu said he is grateful for the professional environment brought by the festival. Liu's colleague Huo Ye agrees. He believes the competition will strengthen not only their acting skills, but also their understanding of performing arts.

"We as performers need confidence. This experience encourages us to act bravely on stage," Huo said.

A younger generation of actors is forging its own path to the stage. While older, more traditional plays told stories of Chinese culture and history, drama scripts in recent years tackled social issues, such as corruption and power abuse.

"Many people refuse to comment on certain sensitive issues, but we are not afraid of doing that. We hope that our audience can learn something from our performances," said Wang Xia, another student who joined Liu and Huo.

Outside, spectators who couldn't get a seat watched the plays live. Despite light rain, nothing seemed to dampen their passion for this rising art in China.
Debating gentrification is one thing. Arsonists doing their best to burn down new housing projects is another.

Thats what seems to be happening in Oakland, where six of nine buildings were destroyed Tuesday at an apartment complex under construction. Ten blocks away, an apparent arson try at another project fizzled before there was significant damage.

The twin incidents are bad enough  but theyre not alone. There have been seven major construction fires at East Bay housing projects since 2012, all of them at sites where wood rather than concrete or steel was the building material of choice. In two cases, footage from video cameras show hooded suspects on the scene. Tuesday, rags and a can of gasoline were found at one site.

While police search for clues, developers invest in extra security patrols. Or they spray fire-suppressing chemicals on wooden beams. But they know the potential for profit in this affluent housing-strapped region: Were resolute, one developer on Tuesday told The Chronicles Roland Li.

It also looks like theyre being targeted. Lets hope there are no innocent victims if suspicious flames burst out again.

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Top of the News

The power of publicity: The Chronicle on Sunday broke the news that Oakland has long asked police department applicants if theyve ever been victims of sexual assault. An apparently startled Mayor Libby Schaaf quickly said the practice must end. Now, reporter Kimberly Veklerov finds out the topic was raised at a City Council committee in July. And yes, the finger-pointing has begun.

In the bag: Im guessing Sidney Wilson wont be stumping for his old boss, Desley Brooks, during the Oakland city councilwomans re-election campaign. Wilson has filed a lawsuit claiming Brooks verbally and physically abused him while he worked for her  and would have him fetch bags of money collected from vendors at a farmers market in her district.

Sounding off: Transbay Joint Powers Authority officials, investigating why two huge girders cracked in the splashy new Transbay Transit Center, were called to City Hall on Tuesday where members of the Board of Supervisors  in their role as the board of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority  berated them and symbolically voted to withhold $9.7 million from the projects ever-more-distant second phase.

Taking stock: The board of the San Francisco Employees Retirement System on Tuesday voted to sell off investments in five fossil fuel companies. But board president Brian Stansbury warned that such idealistic stands can be costly to pensioners: two of the stocks have climbed 50 and 73 percent in the past year, and someones going to have to make up that shortfall somewhere.

Bombastic and SAD: President Trump on Tuesday pontificated that lousy management is why California has been ravaged by wildfires. California, get on the ball because were not going to hand you any more money, Trump told a crowd of local officials at the White House. Its ridiculous. As are Trumps claims that environmental policies have caused water shortages here when battling flames, say firefighting experts.

The view from Berkeley: Meanwhile, UC Berkeley public policy professor Robert Reichs take on the current occupant of the White House is succinct: Never before has a president of the United States been so determined not to be president of all Americans. Hes president of his supporters.

Recurring anger: Protesters who gather regularly outside the home of San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon  theyre upset that he didnt charge police officers who fatally shot two men armed only with knives  have also allegedly harassed Gascon and his wife and tampered with their car. The DA is now seeking a restraining order against one of the protesters, report Matier & Ross.

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.

Chew on this: When Oakland rapper G-Eazy is on tour, he dines at places like Osteria Francescana in Italy with its $286 tasting menu. Back at home, youre more likely to find him ordering ... the $8 carnitas burrito at Gordo Taqueria, G-Eazy tells food writer Justin Phillips in a calorific interview.

Fondly remembered: Hank Greenwald, the Giants play-by-play announcer for nearly 20 years, died Monday in San Francisco. He was 83. Hed say, You can have a bad game, but theres no excuse for a bad broadcast, recalled current announcer Mike Krukow.

Brian Feulner / Special to The Chronicle

The Kicker

This is long overdue: Female surfers will receive cash prizes equal to mens at the vaunted Mavericks big-wave competition near Half Moon Bay. Elsewhere nearby, well get to see women compete directly against men as well as nature  including a watery ordeal on stand-up paddleboards that requires a passage beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Dont rule out these women, one male surfer tells Bruce Jenkins. Theyre some of the fittest, most driven athletes in the world.

Bay Briefing is written by John King and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here and contact King at jking@sfchronicle.com
Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks ordered an aide to collect money from vendors of a farmers market she helped establish and deliver the cash payments directly to her and her sisters boyfriend with no proper accounting, a new lawsuit claims.

The complaint filed Monday in Alameda County Superior Court by ex-staff member Sidney Wilson also alleges that Brooks verbally and physically abused Wilson throughout his tenure in her office, from July 2016 until he resigned in October 2017.

Where is the money bag? Make sure you drop at my house no later than 3:30 today, Brooks texted Wilson in August 2017, according to the complaint. Screenshots of text messages were included as exhibits.

Dan Siegel, an attorney for Brooks, called the suit complete garbage.

Its unclear what, if anything, Brooks did with the proceeds from the Millsmont Farmers Market, which was supposed to be run solely by a nonprofit  not city officials or their staff  according to the City Council resolution that created the event.

But Brooks had long been involved in the farmers market. She said in a Facebook post in June that it would cease operations because it has required a significant amount of work by my staff and myself.

Not enough people attended to make the market profitable for the farmers, competition from other year-round farmers markets and the need for far more resources to enable the Millsmont Farmers Market to continue, she wrote in the Facebook post.

Wilson raised concerns about the legality of his managing the farmers market  rather than the director of the nonprofit  and giving the vendors cash to Brooks and her sisters boyfriend, according to the suit. When he tried to discuss the matter with Brooks, she released a barrage of toxic hostility, including cursing, criticisms and personal attacks, the suit claims.

Wilson named the city as a defendant alongside Brooks, alleging that officials in the human resources department failed to protect him  or discipline Brooks  after he alerted them to the council members abuse and his six-day workweek.

A member of human resources, Kip Walsh, told Wilson that his options were to get fired and seek other employment, or to transfer, the suit said.

Alex Katz, spokesman for the city attorney, said Tuesday he could not comment because the city had not been served with the complaint or reviewed the allegations.

The complaint describes a string of alleged tirades, threats and assaults by Brooks. It claims that Wilson, hired as a legislative aide, became a go-fetch-it boy for Brooks, bringing her takeout food and doing personal errands for her. She chewed him out in public and in front of his family, regularly shoved him around, and once made him wait outside in the rain for a school tour to arrive at City Hall, the complaint said.

When Wilson reported incidents to the human resources department, the suit says, Brooks began an intimidation campaign.

If you tell anyone what goes on in my office, you will regret it! she told Wilson during a phone call, according to the suit.

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 allegations are the latest case involving Brooks, who was first elected to the City Council in 2002 and is facing four challengers this November hoping to unseat her.

Her 2015 physical altercation with former Black Panther leader Elaine Brown, then 72, cost the city $2.2 million. Charles Bonner, the lawyer who represented Brown in the lawsuit against the city  which accused Brooks of elder abuse  is now representing Wilson.

This month, Brooks filed a claim against the city, saying the city attorneys office failed to adequately represent her in the Elaine Brown case.

Brooks has also drawn criticism recently from city and budget watchdogs for trying to divert a portion of public works funds to private job training centers.

Wilsons suit asks for $3 million in punitive damages from Brooks, in addition to compensatory damages and other remedies.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @kveklerov
China's investment in manufacturing grew 8.7 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2018, signaling that corporate expectations for the future of the economy are improving despite mounting global trade uncertainties, the country's top industry regulator said on Tuesday.

Xin Guobin, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said the figure was 4.5 percentage points higher than that of the same period last year, indicating the resilience of China's sprawling manufacturing sector.

"Now we are very glad to see that the monthly investment growth rate has been rising for six straight months," Xin said at a news conference in Beijing.

The rebound is partly attributable to the government's string of policies encouraging private investment and the corporate sector's intensified desire to seek high-quality growth, Xin said.

China has rolled out a slate of measures to lower corporate operational costs and streamline approval processes for investment in high-tech industries. From January to September, private investors demonstrated a rise in confidence toward manufacturing, with their investment surging 9.5 percent year-on-year. That is 5.3 percentage points higher than that of last year.

China's industrial output expanded 6.4 percent year-on-year in the January-September period. Although 0.3 percentage point lower than the first half of this year, it was faster than what had been expected in the beginning of this year.

"Industrial production has remained basically stable. We have taken coordinated steps to promote reform and make structural adjustments," Xin added.

Qu Xianming, a member of the government think tank National Manufacturing Strategy Advisory Committee, said: "Private investment is picking up amid the increasingly complex international environment. Such a recovery will provide an important support for China to cope with complex economic situations."

One of the most favorable developments is the 15.2 percent year-on-year growth of investment in technical renovation, which means that companies invest resources to upgrade their technologies and equipment on the basis of existing fixed assets, Qu said.

"Such input often comes with high returns and rapid results. It is the major driving force for expansion and mirrors an optimization in investment structure," Qu said.

Major Chinese companies have increased inputs in technical renovation, such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.
Albert Einstein, who knew a lot of stuff, was also a nice guy.

So when a San Francisco physician dropped Einstein a line in 1952, asking him if he was sure about the Theory of Relativity, the worlds greatest physicist took the time to write back and set him straight.

Yes, Einstein said very politely, he was sure.

For six decades the unlikely correspondence between Einstein and Dr. Waldron Gardiner lay forgotten. Then last year Gardiners daughter, Saratoga novelist Diana Rabbe, discovered the two letters stuffed into a dusty drawer in her late fathers old rolltop desk.

The letters  one from a puzzled layman and the other from a gracious genius  tell a tale thats less about physics than the kindness of strangers, especially Nobel-prize-winning ones.

Please forgive my imposing upon your valuable time, Gardiner wrote before asking Einstein if he was absolutely certain that there was no simultaneous now in the universe.

Sure, it takes four years for light beams from the star Alpha Centauri to reach Earth, said Gardiner, agreeing with Einsteins celebrated fondness for the speed of light. But does that mean the stars image, as seen from Earth, is 4 years old?

Auctioning Einsteins letter Albert Einstein's signed two-paragraph typewritten letter to the late San Francisco physician Waldron Gardiner will be auctioned Thursday, along with signed items from such non-Nobel Prize winners as Kit Carson, Patrick Henry and Gen . Charles Cornwallis. For information, or to place a bid, visit Heritage Auctions at www.ha.com See More Collapse

My own feeling is that the image represents that star as it is now, Gardiner wrote.

No, said Einstein.

Dear sir, the physicist replied, your difficulty stems from the fact that you do not distinguish between general and special relativity.

Then Einstein, in his one-page response, gently explained to Gardiner about special coordinate systems ... spatially distant events ... certain symmetry qualities (and) idealizations which we use to represent expanding space, and other concepts that perhaps left Gardiner wishing he had saved the three cents he paid for the postage stamp.

Gardiner died in 1957, when Rabbe was 2. Relativity was not something she remembers discussing with her father, she said. But the documents discovery goes to the nature of the expanding universe: Is a signed letter from Albert Einstein worth four figures, five figures or six figures?

Rabbe, who enlisted the services of a Dallas auctioneer to peddle the letter on the open market, will find out Thursday when the hammer falls.

The letter also poses another cosmological question. At the top of his letter to Gardiner, Einstein initially typed July 9, 1952. Then, over the 9, he went back and typed a 10. Did that mean it took Einstein two days to explain his own theory? Or that time somehow stood still? Or, more likely, that the famously absent-minded physicist didnt know what day it was?

I think it means that Einstein was not a man who wanted to be wrong, Rabbe said.

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Early bidding has set the price of Einsteins letter to Rabbes father at $22,500. Auction house spokesman Eric Bradley said he has read the letter and has no idea what Einstein is talking about, but $22,500 is way too low of an asking price compared to what other signed Einstein letters have fetched. A letter he wrote in 1922 on happiness sold last year for $1.56 million.

The real bidders for Rabbes letter, Bradley suspected, will make themselves known only moments before the auction ends. Who knows the upper limit, he said.

The 25 percent commission that the auction house will pocket for putting together buyer and seller, however, is a constant, something like the speed of light. That figure, Bradley said, never decreases.

Rabbe is counting on the auction proceeds to help defray the cost of writing her next novel, appropriately a fantasy tale about life on a distant planet.

What we need, she said, is not one wealthy bidder but two wealthy bidders who go against each other and drive the price up.

And when the auctioneers hammer falls, sometime after noon in Dallas, it does not simultaneously fall in San Francisco. It falls 0.009 seconds later. That means the auction could be over before an online bidder in San Francisco has a chance to weigh in.

Better get your bids in early, Bradley said.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com
Just days after announcing he wouldnt stand for re-election, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon sought a restraining order against one of the protesters who have turned his Mission District home into a target for boisterous and  at times  confrontational demonstrations.

Gascon, who has faced ongoing criticism over his decisions not to criminally prosecute police officers who have been involved in deadly shootings, also feared that someone had tampered with his wifes car.

In his retirement announcement, the two-term district attorney said his decision to step down was influenced by personal family considerations, most notably caring for his elderly mother in Southern California.

And while district attorney spokesman Max Szabo told us Gascons decision to retire wasnt brought on by the unintelligible protests of a handful of vandals, others close to Gascon say the din of after-hours and late-night harassment has taken a toll on the district attorney and his wife, Fabiola Kramsky-Gascon.

In court papers filed Oct. 9, Gascon cited substantial emotional distress to myself and my wife in requesting a stay-away order against Victor Manuel Picazo, allegedly one of the protest ringleaders.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

In addition to frequently showing up outside Gascons house, Picazo and company have staged regular Friday protests outside the Hall of Justice over the past year, calling for charges to be filed in a string of high-profile police shootings, including the killing of Mario Woods in 2015 and Luis Gongora Pat in 2016.

Picazo, who according to relatives is disabled and unemployed, couldnt be reached for comment by press time.

In the court filings, Gascon cited more than a half dozen rowdy protests outside his home since May, each involving anywhere from a half dozen to 30 people. Some demonstrations went as late as midnight.

The protesters have played loud music, yelled chants through a megaphone and projected a slide show onto the house. They also chalked messages on the sidewalk, stairs and front of his home. In one case, it was a body outline. Another time, jail killer cops was scrawled on the side of the house.

Gascon reported that the protests got so bad he contacted law enforcement for help and even installed a new security surveillance system and a fence in front of my home.

He reported a June 14 incident in which he and his wife were harassed and videotaped by protesters as they tried to leave a Mission District restaurant. He also reported a suspicious episode a month later in which somebody tampered with the seat belt of his wifes car while it was parked in a public lot.

Our mechanic confirmed the damage to the belt was caused by someone tampering with the car, and not just wear and tear, Gascon wrote in the filing for the restraining order.

The protests were sparked by Gascons news release on May 24 announcing his decision not to file criminal charges against officers involved in either the Woods or the Gongora Pat shootings. Nine other fatal police shootings reviewed by the district attorneys office over the past two years have also been ruled lawful.

Gascon, formerly San Franciscos police chief, expressed frustration over the outcome of the high-profile cases that brought national attention, saying that while he said he did not believe the officers should have killed the men, none of the cases rose to the level of criminal prosecution.

He also tried to reason with the demonstrators. Sources close to the district attorney say in one instance he went outside to invite them to meet him at his office to review the findings in each shooting.

But the gesture apparently did little good, judging by a video that popped up on Instagram last month showing Gascon and the protesters tossing bits of watermelon at each other outside his home.

We had hoped to talk to Gascon about the difficulties hes endured these past few months, but his office tells us hes prohibited from talking before a scheduled Oct. 31 hearing on the restraining order.

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.

JENNA SCHOENEFELD;Jenna Schoenefeld / New York Times

Missing mug: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent nearly $22 million in his quest for the governorship  which, oddly enough, also explains why hes the only statewide candidate who doesnt have his photo or a personal statement in the official voter guide for next months election.

As Sam Mahood, spokesman for the secretary of state, explained, In order to be eligible to purchase a candidate statement in the voter guide, you have to have accepted voluntary campaign spending limits, and Newsom did not accept those.

The voluntary spending ceiling in the governors race is just shy of $14.6 million. Newsoms GOP rival, John Cox, has spent only about $9 million, putting him safely under the cap.

Hence the voter guide features Coxs smiling mug and a 250-word statement, while the page is blank under Newsoms name.

The former San Francisco mayors statement was absent from the June primary voter guide as well after he and his top two Democratic primary rivals, former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang, all broke the spending cap.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Developers in the East Bay  where fires have burned down four unfinished housing projects in the past two years, not counting the two blazes early Tuesday  have learned to be wary.

Some are spending tens of thousands of dollars a month on extra security, cameras and less conventional measures like applying fire-suppressant spray on wood.

City Ventures Ice House project, where 55 wood-framed townhome units were charred Tuesday and will have to be demolished and rebuilt, had only one guard on duty at the time, according to Phil Kerr, the CEO of homebuilding at City Ventures. It now has three guards, he said. Multiple security cameras are constantly monitored, which is how the fire was first seen.

Madison Park Financial Corp, the developer of a partially built housing complex 10 blocks away where another, smaller blaze burned early Tuesday, had hired four guards and paid $60,000 per month on security for its project, but someone still broke in, according to Simon Chen, Madison Parks chief financial officer. The 124-unit project at 3266 Peralta St. previously had a chain-link fence and black fabric stretching from the ground to the roof of the building, but the fence was replaced by a smaller one as construction neared completion.

That left us exposed to these kinds of attacks, said Jim Nuti, vice president of DCI Construction, the general contractor for the project. The fire died on its own without spreading to the vulnerable wood frame.

Authorities are still investigating the causes of both fires. But at the Peralta Street site, Madison Park found an abandoned hammer, match, gas canister and rag in a bathroom.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

I would say thats suspicious, Chen said  a sentiment shared by other developers who have seen their construction sites go up in flames.

There were 3,820 U.S. construction site fires resulting in three deaths and $176 million in property losses from 2011 to 2015, according to the National Fire Protection Association. In 2017, two fires in Massachusetts resulted in a combined estimated loss of $140 million.

Some Bay Area developers are investing in a fire-suppressing chemical spray thats applied as a project is built. M-Fire Suppression Inc. says its spray douses fires before they spread, and it has been used at six projects in Oakland and one each in Walnut Creek, Fremont and San Francisco, according to M-Fire Chairman Steve Conboy. His clients include AvalonBay, one of the countrys largest home builders.

Conboy said preemptively using the spray is effective, because once a fire is set there are few options to douse it.

Water doesnt put these fires out. Its very aggressive, Conboy said.

Some critics and concrete and steel industry groups have pushed for an alternative to wood, which is the most popular material for mid-rise housing. (Towers use steel and concrete and arent vulnerable to fire.)

But Conboy said wood will remain the standard because its cheaper and a much more abundant material thats better for the environment.

Wood is a renewable, sustainable resource, he said.

Tuesdays fire burned down only a portion of the Ice House project site, and the six townhome buildings, with nine to 10 units each, that burned will be rebuilt in around four months, Kerr said.

But large single apartment buildings, with hundreds of apartments, have been delayed for a year or more by fires. In those cases, the entire wood structure containing all the apartments has been destroyed.

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Previous cases have been very different because thats a single building, because you have to start from scratch, Kerr said. Still, costs could be in the tens of millions of dollars, and it isnt clear what insurance will cover.

City Ventures, headquartered in Irvine, builds for-sale, solar-powered townhomes around the state. It is one of the only developers building new for-sale housing in Oakland, where the vast majority of new projects have been rentals.

In general, construction costs across the region are spiking and the additional cost of security could drive prices higher, exacerbating the regional housing crisis.

Any time you increase the cost for all development in an area, it eventually translates through to buyers and renters, said Kerr.

Theres been arson in Oakland in the past, Kerr said, adding that Ice Houses buildings werent hooked up to any power supplies and were empty. That would all point to arson.

Still, City Ventures remains committed to building in Oakland and is seeking additional housing sites.

Were resolute, Kerr said. Theres such a need for housing now.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Michael Cabanatuan and Sarah Ravani contributed to this report.

Roland Li is a Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
A century ago, technological innovation and the heart of a war-battered nation came together in San Francisco in a tribute to troops who called the Bay Area home.

A recent dig through The Chronicles archive turned up one of our most surprising finds of the year: a series of photos shot Oct. 6, 1918, during the Golden Gate Park filming of a movie featuring relatives and sweethearts that would be sent to Americans fighting in France during World War I.

<< See more photos of the World War I event at Golden Gate Park. >>>

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The film had a simple plan and purpose: People were invited to Golden Gate Park from all over the Bay Area to walk past a camera so their loved ones overseas could see them. The movie, orchestrated by Chronicle Publisher M.H. de Young and producer Thomas Ince, would then be edited and shown to the soldiers in Europe in the hopes of boosting morale.

The endeavor got plenty of press in de Youngs newspaper. The Chronicle from Oct. 3, 1918, read: Remember, this will be your film. The heart throb in it will be your heart throb. Its whole purpose is to give you the opportunity to send a real smile and throw a kiss to your own soldier.

Everyones expectations were exceeded. An estimated 150,000 people from across Northern California and beyond showed up in the park and marched past the camera, carrying signs, mouthing messages or simply smiling for their beloved heroes.

Ince was overwhelmed by the turnout. He was quoted in The Chronicle: It seems, he said with his voice as hoarse from emotion as from shouting, as if were filming the world!

From the camera stand he encouraged the walkers. A couple of his suggestions, recounted in the paper:

Thats it, keep the smile, even if you show your teeth. ... The boys are showing theirs to the Kaiser, arent they?

Hold that baby high, way up. Thats it. Now the daddy will recognize him.

Ince announced his works completion on Nov. 2, 1918, and shipped out the 10,000 feet of film that made for a three-hour movie. He made a copy to be shown in Bay Area theaters, but the showings were delayed because of an influenza epidemic.

The war, mercifully, ended Nov. 11, 1918, before the Golden Gate Park film made it across the Atlantic. But many troops remained in Europe for months, and some are believed to have seen their loved ones wishing them well from 5,500 miles away.

The Chronicle 1918

More from Chronicle Vault

Fear in the city: These photos show how San Francisco prepared for a World War II bombing that most expected but never came.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

A salute to S.F.: Pop culture critic and expert archive diver Peter Hartlaub explores how San Francisco contributed to the war effort in the 1940s and sacrificed in ways that many have forgotten.

Heroes welcome: San Francisco has a history of honoring its veterans. These photos show the parades, ceremonies and somber moments through the decades.

A new lens: Not all the women whose hard work helped on the home front during World War II were part of the Rosie the Riveter phenomenon. This is the story of the Bay Area women who contributed to the war effort in ways that dont fit the common themes.

Seldom-told tale: Did you know Nazi sailors were forced to live on Angel Island during World War II? Heres the story of the Christopher Columbus crew and the island that became their home.

From the Archive is a weekly column by Bill Van Niekerken, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspapers archive. Its part of Chronicle Vault, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited by Tim ORourke, The Chronicles assistant managing editor and executive producer of SFChronicle.com. Sign up for the newsletter here and follow Chronicle Vault on Instagram. Contact Bill at bvanniekerken@sfchronicle.com and Tim at torourke@sfchronicle.com.
The San Francisco district attorneys office received a $2 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation that it will use in a bid to reduce the citys inmate population and wipe out a looming need for a new city jail over the next two years, officials said Tuesday.

District Attorney George Gascon outlined a plan in which his office will collaborate with experts and other criminal justice agencies to expedite cases, analyze outcomes and reduce recidivism. A focus of the reforms, Gascon said, will be inmates whose repeated troubles trace to mental illness and addiction. The goal is to reduce the jail population  which generally hovers around 1,250  by 16 percent in two years.

What were doing today hasnt worked for a long time, Gascon said. So this is really a down payment on the creation of a blueprint to take us into the 21st century.

The effort comes as lawmakers work to reduce the citys jail population after the Board of Supervisors in 2015 voted not to allocate $215 million for a project to begin replacing the run-down jail at the Hall of Justice. County Jail No. 4 is seismically unsafe and has no room for many programs provided to inmates at other city facilities.

Instead of building a new jail, city leaders in 2016 created a 39-member working group tasked with identifying and funding programs designed to reduce what are known as occupied bed days. According to estimates, San Francisco must reduce bed days by 83,220 a year to close County Jail No. 4.

The group has a hearing at the Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on Wednesday.

Even as the city has funded new departments to chip away at the jail population, and as recent bail-reform efforts prompt more inmates to be released before trial, the jails have not significantly thinned. Thats because most of the recent programs target lower-level offenders, and inmates who spend 15 days or less in jail occupy only about 3 percent of all bed days, said a report this year by the city Controllers Office. Inmates who spend 180 days or more in jail take up about 78 percent of bed days, the report found.

Gascon, who has opposed building a new jail, hopes the approach funded by the MacArthur Foundation grant can reduce the jail population enough to close County Jail No. 4.

We have done a lot of things, but were still basically in the same place that we were three years ago, he said.

The grant will fund services for inmates, a policy analyst for San Francisco Superior Court, and another analyst to study who is in custody. The district attorneys office will bring in experts to collect data and identify ways to reduce the jail population.

We still have a recurring problem and its our high recidivism rate, Gascon said. We have the same people coming in and out. Thats a system failure.

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Around 40 percent of the jail population receives psychiatric treatment and 15 percent suffer from a serious mental illness, according to the city legislative analysts office. Even so, people in custody wait 120 days on average for a bed in a community-based residential treatment program  more than five times the wait in the community, said Tara Anderson, director of policy at the district attorneys office.

If we can expedite people to treatment and expedite their case through the system, we shorten lengths of stay and simultaneously reduce the number of times someone is coming into custody, she said.

Case continuances, in which attorneys for defendants charged with serious crimes delay going to trial, have long been a source of frustration for San Francisco prosecutors. Rather than resolving their cases and being sent to state prison, many inmates delay trials and do much of their time locally, clogging up jails in San Francisco, Gascon said. He hopes a court analyst can help quantify the issue and bring those findings to judges.

The grant is part of the MacArthur Foundations Safety and Justice Challenge, which has awarded $148 million to cities and counties with the goal of reforming jails and reducing over-incarceration. Three years after its inception, many cities in the network are seeing positive results. Philadelphia has decreased its jail population by 36 percent, according to the MacArthur Foundation.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @evansernoffsky
Lets stipulate right off that murder  depriving anyone of life  is a heinous crime, no matter where.

What we know for sure so far about the Jamal Khashoggi matter is that hes dead, but theres no body. The Saudis say he died in a fight with what is believed to be 15 agents. Not much of a fight, it would seem.

The arrogance of such government renditions is appalling. The United States has conducted similar snatches on foreign soil. Thats gotten lost in Washingtons outrage in recent days amid the flood of dramatic, distorted storytelling by national media over Khashoggis disappearance.

Also lost is what American national security interest is at stake here, beyond the victims connection to a D.C. newspaper  which isnt a national interest.

Khashoggi was a Saudi citizen. He became an outspoken opponent of the royal family. He decided things were getting too hot in that desert and went into a self-imposed exile.

Khashoggis long-term media prominence at home had ushered him into ruling circles where he became an unofficial government spokesman and a friend of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

More for you Editorial: Trump must protest a journalists disappearance

The prince is a reformer by Saudi standards whos now arresting potential opponents and ruthlessly consolidating power for a long reign.

But, honestly, Khashoggi was not a journalist in the mold of Bob Woodward. He was an occasional opinion-piece contributor to the Washington Post, a podium he used to criticize his former cronies back home.

According to unidentified Turkish sources, Khashoggi was snatched during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, tortured and killed, possibly dismembered. Saudi officials claim to have arrested nearly a score of alleged conspirators.

Lets remember that in the Syrian civil war next door, Turkey is now an ally of Russia and Iran, a sworn Shiite enemy of Sunni Saudi Arabia and main backer of Yemeni rebels firing missiles at Riyadh. And when it comes to handling political dissidents, Turkeys own president is no Mr. Rogers.

President Trump has a love-hate relationship with Washington media: He loves their attention, and for public consumption by his political base, officially hates them.

Unfortunately, following constant media questioning about the missing journalist, Trump inserted himself into the mystery, confidently vowing to get answers and warning of serious consequences if official Saudis were behind the homicide.

This murder mystery is a great change-of-pace story for the media, which is a little bored with midterm politics, and it offers an opportunity to tag Trump with responsibility for something negative.

But wait, lets think about all this for two minutes: What, exactly, is the U.S. national interest in this killing?

The victim wasnt American. The murder didnt happen in the United States, and it doesnt appear to be connected to this country or its government. The victim was a political insider who engaged in high-stakes criticism of a country that still flogs and beheads criminals.

Sadly, countless thousands of genuine innocents get killed all over the world. Theres a genocide in progress now among Rohingya refugees fleeing Burma. But they dont get daily Washington Post headlines.

Why cant Americas leaders resist the temptation to wade in and fix world problems, to right wrongs, as awful as they may be? Remember President Jimmy Carters naive diplomacy built on human rights? Or saving South Vietnam? Wiping out the Taliban post-9/11? Removing Saddam Hussein?

And Libyas Moammar Khadafy? The West promised to leave Khadafy alone if he surrendered his nuclear weapons program. So Khadafy did just that.

The reward: In 2011, Nobel Peace Prize winner, President Barack Obama, joined Europeans in ousting him because the Libyan leader had threatened to shoot civilians in a nascent civil war.

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.

A mob killed Khadafy. That led to Benghazi. Now, Libya is a failed state where terrorist militias roam at will and train to penetrate deeper into Africa, where we then send troops to counter them.

There appears to be a lesson here. Not that we pull back inside ourselves and let the worlds wounds fester. We simply cant fix everything; truth is, we often make them worse.

However, we can smartly pick the fights that serve our national interests best, which are often not the ones that get maximum media attention, such as laffaire Khashoggi.

Snatching an opponent on foreign soil is dumb. Also hypocritical. Thats precisely how U.S. special ops forces captured Benghazi ringleader Ahmed Abu Khattala inside Libya, for example.

But shattering political, strategic, economic and energy relations with a longtime, resource-rich ally like Saudi Arabia (a staunch Iran opponent) is dumber and counterproductive to our own national interests.

Perhaps Trump can reject the unbearable moral righteousness of senators and ignore their convenient pre-election indignation. He wisely seems averse to canceling the historic $110 billion arms sale to the Saudis. That would only help Iran, cost thousands of U.S. jobs and send Riyadh shopping elsewhere.

Now that the president has inserted himself in this mess, hell likely have to do something, then endure the inevitable critical media drumbeat for not doing enough, regardless.

As hes so often vowed, the presidents primary consideration should not be what media or Congress say they think. Whats in the best national security interests of the United States should guide him. And that is certainly not aiding Iran by creating yet another failed Middle Eastern state, all over one heinous homicide.

Special to McClatchy

Andrew Malcolm is a veteran domestic and foreign correspondent since the 1960s. Twitter: @AHMalcolm
President Trump is not popular in California, but a top national Republican said theres still a chance hell make a last-minute campaign swing through the state before the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

Everything is on the table with the president and the party, Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, told The Chronicles John Wildermuth while she was campaigning in Orange County with GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. He has kept the last week of the campaign clear, and hell be where he is needed.

Trump has come close to California in the past week, making campaign stops in Elko, Nev., and Mesa, Ariz., for Republican U.S. Senate candidates. But Trump is more popular in those states than in California, where only 27 percent of voters approve of the presidents job performance, according to a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released last week.

Trump did appear last week with four Central Valley House members facing competitive re-election campaigns  but they had to travel to Arizona to be photographed with the president. As he was flanked by Reps. Jeff Denham, David Valadao, Tom McClintock and Devin Nunes, Trump signed a presidential memo intended to divert more water to farmers and reduce regulatory burdens.

Denham is locked in a tight race with first-time Democratic candidate Josh Harder, and said the presidents action would help him in his heavily agricultural district in and around Modesto. He said he would also appreciate a Trump visit to his district, where 43 percent of likely voters approve of the presidents performance, according to a Berkeley IGS Poll released this month.

Then again, Denham said he would have encouraged former President Barack Obama to visit, too.

Ive been very clear that Id welcome any president to come here, Denham said Saturday during a campaign stop in Banta, a San Joaquin County town just outside Tracy. I said Id welcome the last president to come here (too), because they need to understand the impacts that government regulations play on our community.

Politically, a Trump visit could have an unpredictable outcome in California. He would probably whip up enthusiasm among Republican voters. But Trumps approval rating isnt above 49 percent in any of the GOP-held Orange County and Central Valley districts that Democrats are trying to flip, according to the Berkeley IGS survey. Theres a chance that his presence in the state might sway undecided independent voters  who generally dont support him in California  toward the Democrats.

Trump might be more effective weighing in on California races via his most familiar campaign perch: Twitter. Thats how he conveyed his backing of John Cox for governor before the June primary, an endorsement widely seen as providing the San Diego-area businessman with the momentum he needed to qualify for the Nov. 6 general election.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
In his bid to be elected supervisor in San Franciscos District Two, Nick Josefowitz has touted his experience creating what he describes as a successful solar energy company.

At debates and in interviews, he cites his private-sector experience as proof he could successfully manage San Franciscos budget and spend money effectively on the citys homeless and housing crises.

When voters cast their ballots for the Nov. 6 election, theyll see Josefowitzs occupation listed as clean energy entrepreneur, a reference to his experience as the founder and CEO of RenGen Energy  an English company that developed and financed clean-energy projects  and his role as an adviser to Modern Energy, a clean-energy developer and asset manager based in North Carolina.

But RenGen, which the 35-year-old candidate launched and operated beginning in February 2006, struggled financially for years before eventually going bankrupt, records show.

Publicly available documents filed with the UK Companies House, a British government business registry, show that RenGen had net losses in all but two years between 2007 and 2014, before filing for bankruptcy in 2015. In that time, RenGen lost nearly $1.85 million in todays dollars. The company was officially dissolved in April.

Josefowitz has said he stepped away from RenGen about three years ago to focus on his role as an elected BART director.

I built a successful solar business that powers almost 10,000 homes with clean energy, Josefowitz said in an email statement. Looking at the filings of just one company without looking at the larger business enterprise, which has dozens of companies that provided energy services and that owned and built solar power plants, is irrelevant and inaccurate.

Its like a blindfolded man touching the tail of an elephant and thinking hes grabbed a snake, he continued.

In phone calls, emails and in person, Josefowitz repeatedly declined to answer questions about what that larger business enterprise encompassed and whether he was referring to RenGens clients. The only other listing under Josefowitzs name on the UK Companies House registry is Forests Philanthropy Action Network, a charitable organization.

Two men who identified themselves as former business associates of Josefowitzs, one in England and one in Italy, sent emails  apparently at Josefowitzs request  praising his work in the clean-energy sector. Neither responded to requests for further comment about the specifics of their business ties to Josefowitz or their affiliation with RenGen.

RenGens business involved providing services to developers and investors in the European renewable energy sector, according to filings with the Companies House.

But regulatory changes and micro-economic challenges in Poland and Greece associated with recession made wind and solar energy investments less attractive in those countries, according to a 2017 report from Menzies, an accounting firm that served as RenGens liquidator.

The company therefore concentrated its business in the Italian market, the report said.

Economic and regulatory shifts in Italy in 2014 and 2015 hurt RenGen even further. Subsidies for building and operating solar power plants dried up, as did a fast-track environmental approval process that had made it easier to build solar plants.

Because of the regulatory changes in Italy, RenGens key client stopped developing and investing in solar plants, and the companys business effectively fell away, the liquidators report said.

RenGen benefited substantially from Josefowitzs personal assets. By the time it wound down operations in 2015, he had loaned the company about $934,000 in todays dollars  of his own money, records show. A 2015 filing from the company indicated that Josefowitz didnt intend to seek repayment for at least a year. Its not clear whether he ever sought repayment of the loans.

Josefowitzs financial filings with the San Francisco Department of Elections also show he is an entrepreneur in residence at Modern Energy, which invests in and develops clean-energy companies. In an email, Modern Energy Director Ben Abram said Josefowitz was integral to the companys formation and early growth.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

Abram said that Josefowitz found the initial business plan, and we worked on starting the company together. In the beginning, we sat side-by-side in the office and worked on building the business ... together.

That I can rely on his acumen as an entrepreneur and strategic thinker is incredibly valuable for me and Modern Energy, Abram said, adding that Josefowitz helps source and evaluate new clean energy business opportunities and business models.

Josefowitzs investments and his role as an entrepreneur in residence pay him over $100,000 annually, Abram said.

I have always made robust and complete disclosures about my financial affairs, as required by the state of California and the voters of San Francisco, Josefowitz said in his statement. I am not going to talk about how much money I make. This race should be about which candidate will best address the important issues facing our communities, like homelessness and property crime.

Dominic Fracassa and Trisha Thadani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com, tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa, @TrishaThadani
China Mobile Communications Corporation (China Mobile), the largest wireless carrier in the world, plans to build a massive new data center and office in Silicon Valley to expand its presence in the United States.

The Chinese company's plan will be subject to a public hearing before the city of San Jose, California, makes a decision, according to the city's department of planning, building and code enforcement on Monday.

The proposal is currently under initial review and the timeline of approval is not yet available.

The project consists of the demolition of a set of existing office and R&D buildings and the construction of a two-story data center with a connecting five-story office building, according to the plan obtained by Xinhua.

The data center covers a floor space of 217,000 square feet (about 20,160 square meters) and the office takes up 65,000 square feet (about 6,039 square meters).

The city will also decide on the use of up to 15 generators to provide standby power to the data center.

The proposed project will be constructed in one phase on a site of approximately 7.5 acres (about 30,351 square meters). The office component will house approximately 200 employees, according to the plan.

The proposal was filed early this month by China Mobile International Limited, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of China Mobile. The property's owner is China Mobile International Infrastructure Inc., which purchased the property for 11,340,360 U.S. dollars in January this year.

Some hot technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and adaptive security architecture are set to drive further investment in flexible data centers.

China Mobile launched its first self-built data center outside the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong. It currently has 15 data centers across the world.

With self-built data center services, the Beijing-based telecommunications company said it has a range of features for private cloud services, such as cloud storage, flexible computing, snapshots and self-service portals.

China Mobile is the world's largest mobile telecommunications corporation by market capitalisation, and also the largest mobile phone operator by the total number of subscribers, with over 902 million subscribers as of June 2018.

China Telecom and China Unicom, the other two of China's three major communications providers, also have offices in Silicon Valley and plans for infrastructure investments to meet consumer demands in the U.S. market.
Color us surprised: NBC host Megyn Kelly has said something else problematic about race. During Megyn Kelly Today on Tuesday, Oct. 23, she made remarks that seemed to defend people wearing blackface  and was forced to apologize just hours later.

In 2013, the former Fox News host insisted on air that Jesus and Santa Claus were white.

During a roundtable segment discussing inappropriate and offensive Halloween costumes, Kelly said that when she was a child, it was seen as acceptable for white people to dress in blackface on Halloween, commenting: But what is racist? Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid that was OK, as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character.

By way of example, Kelly mentioned Real Housewives of New York cast member Luann de Lesseps, who was on the receiving end of an online backlash last year when she dressed as Diana Ross for Halloween (de Lesseps is Caucasian) in an Afro wig and what appeared to be darker skin. (De Lesseps says it was a combination of tan skin and bronzer.)

And I dont know, I felt like who doesnt love Diana Ross? She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day. I dont know how, like, that got racist on Halloween.

Kellys panelists  including Melissa Rivers, Today contributor Jenna Bush Hager and MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff  were having none of it.

If you think its offensive, it probably is, responded Rivers. Whatever happened to just, manners and polite society?

By the afternoon, Kelly had emailed an apology to her colleagues at NBC for her remarks, and addressed the comments on todays show.

One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get the chance to express and hear a lot of opinions, said Kelly in the message, which was provided to the media by an NBC spokesperson. Today is one of those days where listening carefully to other points of view, including from friends and colleagues, is leading me to rethink my own views.

When we had the roundtable discussion earlier today about the controversy of making your face look like a different race as part of a Halloween costume, I suggested that this seemed OK if done as part of this holiday where people have the chance to make themselves look like others, said Kelly. I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry. The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent; the wounds too deep.

For anyone who, like Kelly, is having a hard time figuring out if a potential Halloween costume might be offensive, here are six questions to ask yourself to avoid disrespecting another person or group of people.

1. Does my costume include makeup that would make me appear to be part of a marginalized race that is not my own? Just so theres no confusion, this includes blackface or excessive bronzer use.

2. Is my costume depicting another culture in a way that is stereotypical or condescending? That means saying no to Pocahontas costumes or Party Citys problematic Mexican-theme Tequila Bandito, among other possibilities.

3. Does my costume involve sacred garments, images or themes from a religion that is not my own?

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

4. Does my costume demean any group of real people?

5. Does my costume refer to a recent real-life violent crime and make fun of real peoples suffering? Costumes in this territory include victims or perpetrators of mass shootings or sexual assaults, both big topics in the news this past year. I repeat: No Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting or #MeToo-theme costumes.

6. And last, but not least: Does my costume in some way positively reference Nazism? Remember, Nazis are bad, as are other hate groups like the KKK and racist skinheads, so dont accidentally endorse or normalize them by turning their philosophies into costumes.

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, than this is not a good Halloween costume.

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com
This article originally appeared in Hoodline.com

Netflix's 10-part miniseries of "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City" will be filming all day in Dolores Park.

Fans of the original 1994 PBS series  depicting '70s era San Francisco through the lens of a 25-year-old transplant, Mary Ann Singleton  are invited to stop by Dolores Park to check out the action.

Dolores Parks Works announced the all-day shoot in a post on Facebook. Filming begins at 9 a.m. and will continue throughout the day. According to the post, original cast members will be gathered all day at several locations around the park, including the playground.

According to Variety, this new installment "follows Mary Ann, who returns home to San Francisco and is reunited with her daughter and ex-husband Brian, 20 years after leaving them behind to pursue her career. Fleeing the midlife crisis that her picture perfect Connecticut life created, Mary Ann returns home to her chosen family and will quickly be drawn back into the orbit of Anna Madrigal and the residents of 28 Barbary Lane."

Maupin's "Tales of the City" were originally published in the mid-1970s as newspaper serials, then adapted into books. The fourth title, Babycakes (1984), has been considered one of the first novels to address the AIDS epidemic.

The new miniseries was announced earlier this year with Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis reprising their roles as Mary Ann Singleton and Anna Madrigal. Original cast member Barbara Garrick will also be returning as DeDe Halcyon.

Other cast members include Ellen Page (Juno and Inception) as Mary Ann Singleton's daughter Shawna, Murray Bartlett (HBO's Looking) as Mouse Tolliver, Charlie Barnett (Chicago Fire) as Ben, and Josiah Victoria Garcia as the transgender man Jake Rodriguez. (For a full list of cast members, visit Deadline.)

The production team of Lauren Morelli (showrunner, executive producer, writer) and Alan Poul (producing director and executive producer) have assembled an entirely LGBTQ writing team along with bringing on queer directors.

Filming has taken place at several locations across the city, including 18th and Castro and Church and Market yesterday.

Expect the series to debut on Netflix in 2019.
Editor's note: The responses and living conditions in this story are relayed as told to SFGATE and could not be independently verified.

Invisible to many who walk by them, more than 7,000 people live in San Francisco without permanent housing. Each of these people face daily struggles living on the street, working jobs while living in a tent or shelter, fighting addiction and mental illness, finding places to shower, and always figuring out where to sleep that night.

Their lives are mind-bogglingly difficult, but how how did they get there? Where did things go wrong? We talked with some of these individuals, both men and women of all ages and all walks of life, asking how they fell through society's cracks, and about their experiences surviving the streets.

This is the start in a series of profiles in which we'll be posing the same question to a group of people faced with homelessness. For the first story, we asked 12 people, "How did you become homeless?" We hope you'll share ideas for future questions; email them to agraff@sfgate.com.

How did you become homeless?

Most of the people we talked to faced debilitating health issues, heartbreaking loss and terrible bad luck.

"I was hit by a drunk driver. I got addicted to pain medication. I was driving from California to visit my mom in New York and I was hit. I was in a coma for 10 months. I could live with my mom but I don't want to impose." Keith, 48, living on the street off and on for 17 years, recently evicted, hometown New York City/San Francisco

"I was living in Pacific Heights and had a great job. I had a miscarriage and took time off from work. San Francisco is great, but there's no bumper." Shondi, 45, living on the street two years, home state Arizona, lived in SF since 1995

"Its very complicated. My son was killed. I lost my job. I ended up in jail for a year. It was an accident. I was driving and I crashed. I wasn't drinking but I ran into a city truck. I worked in construction, and I worked at the post office. My wife and I had a home and when we divorced, we had to sell it." Juan, 58, living on the streets for 20 years, hometown San Francisco

"There was a car accident, and broken hip, but I don't want to go through all that right now." Annette, 59, living in shelters and on street for four years, hometown East Palo Alto

GALLERY: Former homeless people share how best to help homeless

Many of the people we spoke with lost their jobs or got divorced.

"Divorce. When I married her we moved into her parents' house. When we divorced, I moved out." Raymond, 54, living on the street one year, hometown San Francisco

"I was married and working and then I got laid off from my job in a warehouse. One thing led to another." Danny, 60, living on the streets for eight years, hometown San Francisco

"I got laid off. I was living in Atlanta, Georgia, and I was doing construction." Rickey, 58, living on the street for 30 years, hometown Ozark, Ala.

GALLERY: Homeless by the numbers: uncovering a population living on SF's streets

Nearly all the people we encountered are desperate to find housing and work, but even with a job, securing a rental is like moving a mountain.

"I did many jobs in SF. I was a dental assistant in Union Square. It's hard to work and be homeless. Now, I have no job and no money. I'm looking for work. I'm on a wait list for housing." Stephanie, 26, living on the street for 1 year, hometown Cancun, Mexico, lived in SF for seven years

"I had a skateboarding accident. My brain was bleeding. I can't move my shoulder. I worked in construction, but now I can't do that job. I can't do the hammering motion. I tried living in a shelter but it's worse than jail. It's mixed up between the crazies, the criminals and the addicts. It's gross. All night they're coughing. I have a van. It's nicer than the shelter. I want to work. I have an interview today for an apprenticeship at a body shop." Elliott, 49, newly homeless, hometown San Francisco

"Basically my parents retired and moved out of area and I couldn't afford housing. I've been homeless since I was 19 years old. I have PTSD. I was beaten up living on the streets when I was a teenager. I have anxiety and panic attacks. I have been addicted to meth before, but I was able to stop. I know what that's like and I'm not going back. I just found out I'm getting processed into sober-living housing." James, 34, living on streets for 15 years, hometown Burlingame

MORE, San Francisco homelessness Q&A: Frequently asked questions, answers

A few people we interviewed have the option to move into housing, but they prefer to live on the street.

"I kicked myself out of the ivory tower...my mom's place. I was looking out it one day and I said what you doing? There are people living out there living on the street and I chose to go live with them. My mother and I get along great, but I can't stand her husband. My mother lives on Nob Hill. I go and visit my mom once a week, but live there, no. Mom owns an import-export business. I never knew my real father." Wes, 62, living on the street for 2 years, hometown San Francisco

"I was in the Marine Corps for 16 years. I could get veteran's disability, but I don't want it because it's labeling myself. I don't believe in our government. I don't want that kind of housing. I don't want an apartment in the inner city. I paid for my first home when I was 29. I bought two homes. One in Illinois with my first wife and one in California with my second wife in Redwood City. My wife broke the vows of fidelity, and I filed for divorce. That's when started living on the street." Dwayne, 59, living on the streets in a tent for six years, hometown Oakland/San Francisco

(Note: The majority of the people we spoke with asked to use only their first name due to the sensitivity of the subject. Many worried sharing their stories would make potential employers wary of hiring them.)

Read more in the series: We've also asked people these questions:

What's the best thing that happened to you last week?

Is SF a friendly city for homeless?


BRUSSELS  Apple CEO Tim Cook has endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S., and renewed the technology giants commitment to protecting personal data, which he warns is being weaponized against users.

Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Cook applauded European Union authorities for bringing in a strict new data privacy law in May and said the iPhone maker supports a U.S. federal privacy law.

Cooks speech, along with video comments by top bosses from Google and Facebook in the European Unions home base in Brussels, underscores how the U.S. tech giants are jostling to curry favor in the region as regulators tighten their scrutiny.

Data protection has become a major political issue worldwide, and European regulators have led the charge in setting new rules for big internet companies. The EUs new General Data Protection Regulation requires companies to change the way they do business in the region, and a number of headline-grabbing data breaches have raised public awareness of the issue.

In many jurisdictions, regulators are asking tough questions. It is time for the rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead, Cook said.

We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States, he said, to applause from hundreds of privacy officials from more than 70 countries.

California is moving to put in regulations similar to the EUs strict rules by 2020, and other states are mulling more aggressive laws. Thats rattled the big tech companies, which are pushing for a federal law that would treat them more leniently.

Cook warned that technologys promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information. He said the trade in personal information has exploded into a data industrial complex.

Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency, he said. Scraps of personal data are collected for digital profiles that let businesses know users better than they know themselves and allow companies to offer users increasingly extreme content that hardens their convictions, Cook said.

This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them, he said. This should make us very uncomfortable. It should unsettle us.

Cooks appearance topped his tech rivals and showed off the Cupertino companys credentials in data privacy, which has become a weak point for both Facebook and Google. That is facilitated also by the fact that Apple makes most of its money by selling hardware like iPhones instead of ads based on user data.

Ben Robson, a lawyer at Oury Clark specializing in data privacy, said that with the spotlight on such matters, Apple can show that it is taking the lead. Cooks appearance is going to have good currency, with officials, he said.

Cooks speech comes a week after Apple unveiled expanded privacy protection measures for people in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, including allowing them to download all personal data held by Apple. European users already had access to this feature after the new data protection law took effect. Apple plans to expand it worldwide.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google head Sundar Pichai sent brief video remarks to the annual meeting of global data privacy chiefs.

Zuckerberg said the social network takes seriously its basic ethical responsibility to safeguard personal information but added that the past year has shown we have a lot more work to do, referring to a big data breach and the scandal over the misuse of data by political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

He also said the Menlo Park company is investing in measures to beef up protection, including building a new tool to let users clear their browsing activity and employing artificial intelligence to detect fake accounts and take down extremist content.

They both said they support regulation, with Pichai noting that Mountain Views Google recently proposed a legislative framework that would build on the European rules and extend many of the principles to users globally.

The International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, held in a different city every year, normally attracts little attention. But its Brussels venue this year takes on symbolic meaning as EU officials expand their regulation of tech.

The 28-nation EU took on global leadership of the issue when it adopted the General Data Protection Regulation. The new rules require companies to justify the collection and use of personal data collected from phones, apps and websites. They must also give EU users the ability to access and delete data, and to object to data use.

The law also allows for big fines, tied to company revenue, which for tech giants could amount to billions of dollars.

In the first big test of the new rules, Irelands data protection commission, which is a lead authority for Europe because many big tech firms are based in the country, is investigating Facebooks data breach, which let hackers access 3 million EU accounts.

Google, meanwhile, shut down the Google Plus social network this month after revealing that it had a flaw that could have exposed personal information of up to half a million people.

Kelvin Chan is an Associated Press writer.
Facebook and Twitter havent detected Chinese meddling in the 2018 elections, company officials said, casting doubt on claims by President Trump that the Asian nation is trying to interfere.

The social media giants have reported online disinformation campaigns ahead of the Nov. 6 elections that appear to originate from Russia and Iran. But officials from both companies said they have not found evidence so far of such activity from China.

When we think about China, we havent seen the same sort of coordinated operations involving information operations as we have from the other nation states, Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook, told reporters Wednesday in Washington.

A press representative from Twitter, who spoke on condition of not being identified by name, wrote in an email that the platform is not detecting coordinated activity from China.

Facebook and Twitter are the latest in a string of tech companies that have made findings undercutting Trumps claim. Last week, top cybersecurity firms  FireEye, Symantec and Crowdstrike  said that, in working to help safeguard the November elections, they havent seen evidence of digital interference by China.

In the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Facebook and Twitter have stepped up efforts to detect and stop foreign-government disinformation campaigns on their platforms. The companies use automated algorithms and human reviews of suspicious activity to search for coordinated campaigns.

Facebook and Twitter have both suspended or removed accounts that appeared to emanate from Russia and Iran and seemed to be intended to influence opinion as this years midterm elections approach. Its possible that Chinese activity could be undetected or surface closer to the election.

The Trump administrations claims about Chinese interference have mounted since last month, when the president told the United Nations Security Council that China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election, coming up in November, against my administration.

Vice President Mike Pence followed up with a speech this month, saying: There can be no doubt: China is meddling in Americas democracy. Pence characterized Beijings behavior as an unprecedented effort to influence American public opinion, the 2018 elections, and the environment leading into the 2020 presidential elections.

Trump and Pence have both cited a paid advertising supplement the Chinese government placed in the Des Moines Register, Iowas largest newspaper, criticizing the administrations trade policies.

Beijing and Washington are currently locked in an escalating trade conflict, and late last month, U.S. and Chinese warships nearly collided in the South China Sea, where both nations are seeking to assert their regional dominance.

The Department of Homeland Security, FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned Friday that nations including China were engaged in campaigns to undermine confidence and influence policy and opinion in the United States.

The administration has not provided evidence to back up the allegations.

Alyza Sebenius is a Bloomberg writer. Email: asebenius@bloomberg.net
China's leading electric vehicle manufacturer BYD handed over five pure electric C6 buses to Nepal in the capital city of Kathmandu on October 23.

It marked a very significant step forward in energy policy, as these are the first 100 percent electric buses introduced to the landlocked country, currently heavily dependent on imports for the petroleum products it uses.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli made this point very clear, saying: "We are not only talking here about five battery-operated buses, but of the very direction towards clean energy that our economy should be taking."

The Prime Minister also launched the National Action Plan for Electric Mobility, which proposes to ensure that at least 20 percent of all vehicles nationwide will be running on electric power by 2020 and for a reduction in dependence on imported petroleum products by 50 percent by 2050.

The Nepal Electricity Authority is already working on the installation of 20 charging stations around the country in order to encourage electric transportation.

The five buses handed over by BYD will initially run on the streets of Kathmandu before eventually being used as shuttle buses connecting Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha Shakyamuni, and its new airport currently under construction.

Liu Xueliang, general manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sale Division, disclosed that BYD had won the global bid to supply the vehicles in the face of fierce competition with Indian and South Korean enterprises.

Nepal was ranked the last for air-quality among 180 countries according to a global Environmental Performance Index report released by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum last January.

According to its Prime Minister, Nepal plans to be self-reliant in hydropower within the next few years, adding that the conversion of public transport to domestically-produced electricity will not only displace the "ever-more expensive imported gasoline and diesel," but also "will have significant positive impact on the environment" and the health of the Nepalese people.

The country also hopes to substantially reduce air pollution through electric mobility as part of a drive to boost its tourism industry.

Sherry Li, BYD's general manager for global branding and PR, said she believes that electric bus is a global trend. She cited the southern Chinese city Shenzhen whose entire 15,000-strong bus fleet is now running on electricity.

"I hope our technology could benefit not only developed countries but also undeveloped countries like Nepal, bringing better air and even more happiness to its people," she said.

BYD, one of China's largest privately-owned enterprises, currently provides its renewable energy solutions in over 300 cities in 50 countries and regions in the world.
This article, A look at 3200 Phaethon: A big, bizarre, blue asteroid we plan to visit, originally appeared on CNET.com.

It could be the strangest asteroid in our celestial neighborhood.

Named 3200 Phaethon, the 5-kilometer-wide (3.1-mile) space rock is one of the few asteroids responsible for a meteor shower, it makes unusually close passes by the sun as it orbits and it's also an unusual color.

"It's a weird blue asteroid that created the Geminids and gets so hot that metals on the surface turn to goo," Teddy Kareta, a graduate student at the University of Arizona, told reporters Tuesday. He was speaking at the 50th annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Kareta led an international team of researchers who investigated the odd asteroid, which sometimes behaves like a comet by releasing a dusty tail when it passes close to the sun, earning it the nickname the "rock comet." He says they found it to be even more enigmatic than expected.

"Even though Phaethon's highly eccentric orbit should scream 'dead comet,' it's hard to say whether Phaethon is more like an asteroid or more like a dead comet."

He said they discovered Phaethon is darker with a more uniform surface than previously thought, findings the team hopes will be useful for the Japanese Space Agency's planned Destiny Plus mission to the object in the next decade.

Phaethon was discovered to be the source of the Geminid meteor shower in 1983. Before then, it was thought that only comets could be the source of meteor showers. And It's one of very few blue asteroids. Most space rocks and comets tend to be more gray or red. Its eccentric orbit around the sun also means it reaches temperatures exceeding 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit (800 Celsius).

In preparation for the launch of Destiny Plus, currently set for 2022 with arrival at the asteroid around 2025, Kareta hopes to be able to study a few known fragments of Phaethon to unlock the mysteries of its weirdness.

NASA turns 60: The space agency has taken humanity farther than anyone else, and it has plans to go further.

Crowd Control: A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.
Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday reviewed a draft law on international criminal judicial assistance during panel discussions at the ongoing bi-monthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

According to the draft law, if a suspect is a citizen of a receiving country and if their acts constitute a crime in both countries, they can be transferred home for criminal punishment.

The Ministry of Justice will shoulder corresponding responsibilities when dealing with cases related to transferring and managing offenders, the draft reads.

Considering what China has achieved in its efforts to repatriate criminals in recent years, the law will play an important role, said Yang Zhen, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, during panel discussions, adding proviso clauses such as "under no conditions should China's sovereignty and laws be infringed" should be added.

Zhang Sujun, another lawmaker, said he recommends putting the draft law to a vote during the five-day session, on the grounds that criminal judicial assistance could not only help China in bringing home criminals, but also could help catch notorious criminals from other countries.

Zhou Guangquan, vice chairman of the NPC's Constitution and Law Committee, said on Monday that with a growing demand for the transfer and management of offenders between China and other countries, it is necessary to make special regulations for better international cooperation.

Zhou proposed clauses in the draft law which help standardize the transfer and management of offenders between China and other countries.
Halloween's here and the Bay Area's favorite neighborhoods are wrapped in orange and black.

Below is a list of favorite trick-or-treating spots where you'll find haunted houses in the garages, tombstones stuck in the front yards, and lots of spooky spirit.

Please share where you like to bring the kids in the comments.

SAN FRANCISCO

Noe Valley, 24th Street (between Church and Castro)

Sweet spot for little kids: The parade of parents pushing mini pirates and princesses in strollers starts around 3 p.m. Retailers pass out treats to little ones in costumes. By nightfall the street is packed and families with older kids head out to nearby Fair Oaks and Randall Streets to load their bags with more treats.

Cole Valley, Belvedere (between Parnassus and 17th Streets)

Street party: This pretty tree-lined stretch gets blocked off to traffic to make way for the droves of Halloween revelers who flock to this hood for candy and spooks.

Sea Cliff

Think full-size candy bars: This posh hood is known for its opulent mansions, celebrity residents, and Halloween candy. Locals tell legendary tales about homeowners passing out full-size Hershey's bars.

EAST BAY

Berkeley, Russell Street (between College Avenue and the Claremont Hotel)

Spooky decorations: The homeowners in this 'hood go all-out creating elaborate graveyards and haunted houses in their front yards. Prepare for crowds.

Oakland, Haddon Hill

Best atmosphere: On October 31, this posh hood's opulent houses turn into haunted-looking mansions with cob-webbed front stoops and front yard cemeteries.

Lafayette, Victoria Court and Avenue

Neighborhood spirit: The street is completely blocked off from cars and the entire small neighborhood decorates their homes to the hilt with some even building elaborate haunted houses.

SOUTH BAY / PENINSULA

San Jose, Willow Glenn

Fun for all ages: Businesses along Lincoln Avenue welcome toddlers and babies in strollers from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and school-age kids in costume from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In the evening, follow any of the streets off the main drag to find lots of candy and houses decked out in spooky decorations.

Los Gatos, Tait Avenue, Almond Grove

Halloween central: An estimated 100,000 pieces of candy are passed out by homeowners on this festive street. Don't miss the Thriller performance that takes place in front of one of the homes.

Burlingame, Cabrillo Avenue

Safe and easy: Flat streets and close-together homes with no stairs make trick-or-treating on this street a breeze.

NORTH BAY

McDonald Avenue, Santa Rosa

Nonstop party: Fog machines, scary music, laser-light shows, haunted garages . . . this 'hood goes all out for Halloween and trick-or-treaters come from all over Sonoma County to stuff their jack-o-lanterns with candy here.

Mill Valley, Sycamore Street

Halloween charm: The leafy street lined with storybook houses make this one of the Bay Area's most picturesque neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. Warm, family environment.

Petaluma, D Street

Scariest street: Decked out to the nines in creepy decor, this street's stately Victorians are right out of a horror movie.
WASHINGTON  Federal immigration and health officials were blindsided by President Trumps zero tolerance policy on migrants crossing the southwest border, triggering a cascade of problems as agencies struggled with the fallout from family separations, congressional investigators said in a critical report issued Wednesday.

The investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office dissects the consequences of launching a major policy change without consulting with the agencies that have to carry it out. The report makes no recommendations as it reconstructs a turbulent episode for the Trump administration.

With the White House considering tougher immigration measures as a caravan of migrants slowly heads north from Central America, the GAO report stands as a cautionary tale.

Officials told us that the agencies did not take specific planning steps because they did not have advance notice, the GAO found. Officials we interviewed stated that they became aware of the April 2018 (zero-tolerance) memo when it was announced publicly.

On April 6, Trump issued an executive order directing an end to catch and release at the border, a practice whereby migrants could be admitted into the country temporarily while their immigration claims were pending. That day, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors to adopt a zero tolerance policy for border crossers. Parents placed into criminal custody could not keep their children with them, so families were split.

The report focuses on Homeland Security agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with the Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, or ORR, which traditionally has had responsibility for providing shelter for unaccompanied minors detained at the border.

The HHS agency had a far different task this time because the children were deemed unaccompanied minors after the government had separated them from their parents. Previously the refugee office was used to dealing with minors who arrived at the border alone. There was another important difference: Many children who were separated from their parents were considerably younger than the teens and pre-teens ORR normally attended to.

The GAO found at least 103 children under the age of 4.

Under blistering political pressure, Trump ultimately rescinded family separation. A federal court ordered the government to reunite families and provide regular progress reports.

But the agencies still had a problem: Their computer systems often did not flag when a child was separated from his or her parents. As a result, it wasnt always possible to verify that crucial fact. ORR said that Homeland Security sometimes did not provide the information.

According to a recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union about 250 children are still in government custody.

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar is an Associated Press writer.
Matt Rourke / Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA  Philadelphia has received a $4 million grant to continue lowering its jail population, and city officials said they will focus some of the funding on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in its criminal justice system.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the winners Wednesday of the second round of its Safety and Justice Challenge grants, including the largest award to Philadelphia. In all, 13 cities and counties will receive between $350,000 and $4 million each to implement criminal justice reforms to reduce jail populations. Twelve others will receive $50,000 grants to start innovative programs aiming to do the same.
NEW YORK  In the closing stretch of the 2018 campaign, the question is no longer the size of the Democratic wave. Its whether there will be a wave at all.

Top operatives in both political parties concede that Democrats narrow path to the Senate majority has essentially disappeared, a casualty of surging Republican enthusiasm across GOP strongholds. At the same time, leading Democrats now fear the battle for the House majority will be decided by just a handful of seats.

Its always been an inside straight, and it still is, Democratic pollster Paul Maslin said of Democrats outlook in the Senate, where they need to pick up two seats while holding on to several others in Republican-leaning states to seize the majority. If it had been a different year, with a different map, we might have had a terrific sweep. That would be a long shot.

While the trend may be troubling for Democrats, the evolving political landscape remains unsettled two weeks before Election Day, even with millions of votes already cast across 20 states.

There are signs that the Democrats position in the expanding House battlefield may actually be improving. Yet Republican candidates locked in tight races from New York to Nevada find themselves in stronger-than-expected positions because of a bump in President Trumps popularity, the aftermath of a divisive Supreme Court fight and the sudden focus on a caravan of Latin American immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border.

Democrats say they never assumed it would be easy.

Its still much closer than people think, with a surprise or two in the wings, said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat.

The midterm elections will decide whether Republicans maintain control of Congress for the final two years of Trumps first term. Even if Democrats lose the Senate and win the House, they could block much of Trumps agenda and use subpoena power to investigate his many scandals. Some in the partys far-left wing have also vowed to impeach the president, while others promise to roll back the Republican tax overhaul and expand health care coverage for all Americans.

Democrats have enjoyed an overwhelming enthusiasm advantage for much of the Trump era. They hope an explosion of early voting across states like Florida, Texas and Nevada is further proof of their enthusiasm gap.

But public and private polling, however, suggests the GOP is getting more excited as Nov. 6 approaches.

Steve Peoples, Thomas Beaumont and Lisa Mascaro are Associated Press writers.
A global warming-induced avalanche of ice and glacial debris is to blame for the recent blockage on the Yarlung Zangbo River in the Tibet autonomous region, the headwater of India's Brahmaputra River and the longest plateau river in China, an expert said.

Around 6,000 people who live in the area of the river blockage were evacuated after Oct 17, when a landslide barricaded the deep valley through which the river flows. The blockage created a 75-meter-deep barrier lake that held 550 million cubic meters of water at its peak, the local emergency response bureau said.

The landslide took place near Gyalha, a village in Manling county in the lower ranges of the river in Tibet, the bureau said. No casualties or injuries were reported, and China has provided hourly updates to India on the blockage.

The barrier lake's water level had subsided by 56 meters on Saturday. It was still holding around 100 million cubic meters of water, the bureau said, but the risk of flooding had been "basically eliminated".

Yao Tandong, a renowned glacial scientist and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a news conference that the blockage was caused by an ice avalanche and morainesunconsolidated glacial debris of soil and rock.

There are 16 glaciers above the blockage, eight of which have a high risk of collapsing and becoming avalanches, Yao said after conducting a helicopter survey of the region. Falling material from two of the eight glaciers caused the blockage, he added.

The latest ice avalanche bore similarities to the 2016 incident in Rutog county, Ngari prefecture in Tibet, Yao said. Both avalanches were due to the rising global temperature causing the glacier to melt and become unstable, he said.

Yao said that both Manling and Rutog counties are lightly populated with no major industries, so it is unlikely that local human activity would affect the glaciers.

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is part of the world's "third pole", which holds the largest store of fresh water outside the Antarctic and Arctic. The area is the source of many of Asia's major rivers, such as Mekong, Indus, Yangtze and the Yellow rivers, according to Chinese Academy of Sciences. Therefore, the impact of global warming on the plateau is of intense interest to geologists and climatologists around the world.
A law firm suing California bishops for the records of priests accused of sexual abuse released its own report Tuesday listing more than 200 clergy in the San Francisco Bay Area it says are accused of misconduct.

Minnesota-based Jeff Anderson & Associates compiled the list from lawsuits and public websites to publicize the breadth of the problem, said attorney Jeff Anderson. He accused church leaders of keeping quiet to protect themselves and the Roman Catholic Church, putting children at risk.

The Catholic Church is reeling from a grand jury report released in August that estimated hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania molested more than 1,000 children since the 1940s. The report accused senior church officials of systematically covering up complaints.

The report released Tuesday notes that the "vast majority of the claims" have not been proven in court. Anderson's firm first said the number of accused clergy was higher, but lowered the number because some of the accused clergy worked at more than one diocese.

Tuesday's report lists 135 clergy members accused in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, including names, photos and background information, 95 accused in the Diocese of Oakland and 33 in the Diocese of San Jose. In San Jose, that's more than double the 15 included in a report released last week by Bishop Patrick McGrath.

"San Jose has done something that is less than the full truth," Anderson said, adding that bishops overall have "made a lot of promises, but we've seen no action and very few disclosures."

Mike Brown, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is conducting listening sessions. Brown said the archdiocese could release a list of names as part of a broader response in November.

"To assist the victims is the primary concern, or any victims who have not come forward. It probably would help very much to have credibly accused clergy's names," Brown said.

A spokeswoman for the Oakland diocese, Helen Osman, referred The Associated Press to a statement earlier this month in which Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber said he would release the names of credibly accused clergy within 45 days.

Liz Sullivan, spokeswoman for the Diocese of San Jose, said it is "heart-breaking to see the list of so many who have betrayed and abused innocent children in these horrific ways," and said the diocese is reviewing the names.

Anderson said his firm also plans to sue the Vatican on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco.

He represents two clients who say they were abused by priests who plan to allege that the Vatican failed to "adequately address child sexual abuse by its priests, leaving numerous children at risk," according to a draft of the lawsuit Anderson provided.

He filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging California bishops should also be held responsible for abusive priests. His firm released a report with the names of 307 clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles it says was accused of sex abuse.

___

This story has been corrected to change the number of clergy involved based on revised numbers from the law firm.

___

Associated Press writer Paul Elias also contributed to this report.
The FBI has arrested the leader of a violent California neo-Nazi gang on a federal conspiracy charge after he apparently fled to Central America earlier this month.

Robert Paul Rundo, 28, a resident of Huntington Beach, California, is being held at the federal jail in downtown Los Angeles. He was charged in a criminal complaint that was unsealed Tuesday.

Rundo apparently crossed into Mexico two weeks ago and was brought back to the United States on Monday, according to two people familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

He is the founder of the Rise Above Movement, a Southern California-based, neo-Nazi gang whose members were involved in violent activity at protests throughout California in 2017. He was among four people associated with the group charged with plotting riots and inciting violence, according to court documents.

Earlier this month, four other members of the Rise Above Movement were indicted on conspiracy to riot charges for attacking counterprotesters during last years Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Before founding the Rise Above Movement, Rundo served 20 months in a New York state prison for stabbing a rival gang member from MS-13 in a 2009 attack in New York. At the time, he was part of a small, multiracial neighborhood gang called the Original Flushing Crew, which was in a feud with a subset of MS-13, known as the Guanacos Little Cycos Salvatruchas, according to a 2012 federal indictment.

Rundos ties to white supremacist groups and ideology have gradually deepened since his sentencing, according to the authorities. Since creating the Rise Above Movement sometime around 2017, Rundo has established ties between the group and the West Coast chapter of the Hammerskins, an international network of neo-Nazi skinheads whose members have been involved in at least nine murders in four states.

Earlier this year, Rundo traveled to Europe with members of the Rise Above Movement to participate in mixed-martial arts tournaments hosted by neo-Nazi organizations in Germany and Ukraine.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
A growing pile of shared bikes in a district in Jiangsu's provincial capital, Nanjing, has reached roughly 300,000, reports the China Youth Daily.

This comes amid a disagreement among Nanjing's urban management authority and bike share companies in how to deal with the growing pile, according to the report.

At issue is city ordinance which has designated certain areas of the city as no-parking areas for shared bicycles.

If they're discovered in these areas, police or urban management authorities then move the bikes into an area known as Jinglongshan. The process has been taking place for the past year, turning Jinglongshan into what's been dubbed a "tomb for shared bikes."

Urban management authorities in Nanjing demanded in late August that the companies involved come and collect their bikes. However, they also intended to hit the companies with fines of 50 yuan for each bike collected, as well as a 15 yuan cleaning surcharge for every week the bicycles remained at the site. As such, the two sides remain at an impasse.

Urban management authorities are now turning to the highest levels in the Nanjing government to try to find a solution.
Top officials from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Guangdong province said Tuesday's opening of the mega bridge linking the three places marked a new era of connectivity and coordinated development.

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR; Fernando Chui Sai-on, chief executive of the Macao SAR; and Li Xi, Party secretary of Guangdong province, were among more than 800 people who attended the opening ceremony for the bridge, held in Zhuhai, Guangdong.

They said the bridge is an achievement that opens a new chapter for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and will consolidate their strengths and make new contributions to the nation's development. They vowed to strengthen cooperation under the framework of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Hong Kong's Lam said the bridge creates new vitality for the city's development. Its commissioning will expand the city's role from that of a "connector" to a more active "participant" in the country's overall development, she said.

Lam mentioned another important transport link connecting Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland by high-speed railway, which began operating on Sept 23. A new boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Guangdong province, will enter service early next year.

With better infrastructure links with the mainland and Macao, Hong Kong will be placed more advantageously to explore mutually beneficial development opportunities with other players in the Greater Bay Area, she said.

Lam said Hong Kong has also made long-term plans to develop Lantau Islandwhere the Hong Kong terminus of the bridge and the Hong Kong International Airport are locatedinto a double gateway linking the vibrant Greater Bay Area with the rest of the world.

She said the bridge will also add to the appeal of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, as people in the region will find the "one-hour living circle" within reach, while businesses will receive a boost with greater ease in the flow of goods, information, capital and talent.

Li, Guangdong's top official, said the opening marked a milestone for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation in a new era.

The opening of the bridge is the realization of the shared aspirations of people in the three places, he said, and the result of innovative collaboration in the region that boosts confidence with its high quality and various breakthroughs.

The bridge will significantly shorten travel time between the three cities. It will also bring people and communities closer, he said, adding that Guangdong will seize the opportunity to make full use of the transport infrastructure, to enhance collaboration with Hong Kong and Macao and strive to bring benefits to people by seeking coordinated development in the region.

Macao's Chui said the bridge enriches the practice of "one country, two systems". It is the first large-scale, cross-sea bridge project jointly carried out by Guangdong and the two SARs, having overcome numerous technical and policy challenges.

Thanks to the bridge, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will be linked by road for the first time. It establishes a solid basis for greater integration, Chui said.

To ensure efficiency of immigration clearance for passengers, the Macao and Zhuhai ports will carry out joint inspections. Travelers only need to pass boundary controls once, to complete their departure and arrival procedures, Chui said.

The bridge will open to traffic early on Wednesday. Travel time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong International Airport will be shortened from four hours to just 45 minutes, and the time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong's container terminals will be cut from 3.5 hours to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
In 1955, 22-year-old Wang Yanming left his hometown in Hebei province for Karamay, in the Gobi Desert, for a job as an oil worker.

In the more than 60 years since, he has witnessed Karamay's transformation from a desert outpost into a modern city.

"There was literally no grass," said Wang, who has been planting trees in Karamay for the past 33 years since retiring as an oilfield manager.

"Thousands of workers left every year because they couldn't handle the tough conditions here. I wanted to do something about that, and I started to plant trees. At first, even the elms barely survived."

Wang, 87, retired as Party secretary of the No 2 Oil Production Factory in 1985, and started to plant trees in the open space around the factory.

But he had severe heart disease and could barely walk a few steps without resting. "I just told myself to toughen up," Wang said. "We sacrificed the environment to oil production in the past few decades, and now I'm going to try to make up for the losses."

Growing trees in the desert is no easy task. Wang had to start by improving the soil and experimenting with various tree species.

After he had planted enough trees at the factory, Wang turned his attention to an abandoned garbage dump. He led a greening work team made up of the families of oilfield workers that removed trash and planted trees and flowers, finally transforming the dirty, smelly site into a landscape of trees and greenery now known as Yanming Park - the first park named after a real person in Karamay.

After 30 years of hard work, greenery now covers around 8 hectares of what was once wasteland and desert. It includes more than 40,000 poplars, elms and fruit-bearing trees that have formed windbreaks.

"I'm satisfied that we have reached national standards, but I won't stop," Wang said. "I want to seize my twilight years to plant more trees for Karamay. My family, who relentlessly opposed the idea of me planting trees, have joined the cause."

Wang still takes a daily stroll around the park. "The park has become a part of my life, and every tree is my child," he said. "I will not stop planting trees here until the day I pass away."
Sheriff's deputies arrested a fourth suspect and are searching for a fifth in connection with the killing of a man whose body was found in unincorporated Soquel earlier this month.



Bernardo Rodas, 41, of Santa Cruz, was first reported missing on Oct. 10, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.



Deputies responded to a report of a body off the roadway at 2:56 p.m. Oct. 13 in the 4000 block of North Rodeo Gulch Road and found Rodas dead.



Milton Arias Molina, 22, of San Jose, a 17-year-old from Capitola and a 15-year-old from Santa Cruz were arrested on Oct. 16 on suspicion of murder.



Deputies arrested a 17-year-old from Santa Cruz on Friday, and are looking for 20-year-old Jose Leonardo Alfaro Juarez. Anyone who knows his whereabouts is asked to call 911.



Some of the suspects have ties with gangs, according to sheriff's officials, but the victim had no known ties. Sheriff's officials said the motive for the murder is unclear and the suspects have given conflicting accounts of what happened.



Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Sgt. Dee Baldwin at (831) 454-7635 or at dee.baldwin@santacruzcounty.us.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A federal appeals court in San Francisco today for a second time reinstated a lawsuit against two corporations by six citizens of Mali who say they were forced to work as child slaves on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast.



The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the plaintiffs could sue Nestle USA Inc. and Cargill Inc. for actions originating in the United States that allegedly aided and abetted child slavery.



The six anonymous workers allege that those corporate actions include giving cocoa farmers and cooperatives extra money amounting to kickbacks and sending inspectors from their U.S. offices to Ivory Coast, who reported back on the financing arrangements.



"The allegations paint a picture of overseas slave labor that defendants perpetuated from headquarters in the United States," Senior Circuit Judge Dorothy Nelson wrote for a three-judge panel.



Nelson also wrote, "Child slavery on cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast, where 70 percent of the world's cocoa is produced, is a pervasive humanitarian tragedy."



The Mali citizens say they were taken to plantations when they were between 12 and 14 years old, forced to work up to 14 hours a day six days per week, locked up at night and beaten and whipped when overseers thought they weren't working hard enough.



They filed the lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles in 2005 under the terms of the Alien Tort Statute of 1789, which allows foreign citizens to sue in U.S. courts for acts committed in violation of the law of nations.



In an earlier ruling in 2014, the 9th Circuit said the lawsuit could proceed because a prohibition against slavery is a universal international norm.



In April of this year, however, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the Alien Tort Statute by saying that foreign citizens could not sue foreign corporations under the law in U.S. courts.



In today's decision, the appeals court said the plaintiffs could nevertheless continue to sue for alleged conduct within the United States that aided and abetted of slavery.



The "foregoing narrow set of domestic conduct is relevant to the Alien Tort Statute's focus," the court said. The panel ordered the plaintiffs to amend the lawsuit to remove foreign corporations as defendants, such as Nestle USA's Swiss-based parent company, Nestle SA.



The appeals court overturned a federal trial judge's dismissal of the case.



Paul Hoffman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said, "It is a wonderful victory for our clients. We do intend to amend our complaint and we believe that the court has provided the principles that will allow us to get to trial.



"The decision also indicates that there are still important cases to be brought under the Alien Tort Statute," Hoffman said.



Nestle USA, based in Virginia, and Cargill, based in Minnesota, both issued statements saying they are considering appeals and that they do not tolerate child slave labor.



Nestle said company officials were "assessing our appellate options."



"Forced child labor is unacceptable and has no place in our supply chain. We have explicit policies against it and are working with other stakeholders to combat this global social problem," the company said.



Cargill stated, "Since this case was initially filed in 2005, Cargill has maintained that the allegations are without merit. We continue to strongly refute the unsubstantiated claims, as we do not tolerate the use of human trafficking, forced labor or child labor in our operations or supply chains.



"We...intend to consider all legal options, including appeal, to continue to defend against these unproven allegations," it said.





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A diver from a research vessel is in stable condition after being bit by a shark near the Farallon Islands west of San Francisco on Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard officials said today.



Crews on the research vessel NorCal 1 notified the Coast Guard at about 10 a.m. that one of its divers had been bitten by a shark and needed medical attention. The shark bit the man's arm, wrist and hand, according to the Coast Guard.



The research boat headed toward San Francisco and met with a San Francisco police boat that took the diver aboard to administer first aid. A Coast Guard helicopter crew then arrived and hoisted the man up to the helicopter via a rescue basket.



He was taken to Stanford Hospital in stable condition. No other information about his condition or the nature of the research he was conducting was immediately available.





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OAKLAND (BCN)



Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks' legal woes mounted this week when a former aide filed a wrongful termination suit alleging that she's an abusive boss who ordered him to collect money from farmers market vendors directly to her with no proper accounting.



Sidney Wilson, who worked for Brooks from July 2016 until he resigned in October 2017, alleges in his suit in Alameda County Superior Court that Brooks "launched a campaign of retaliation" against him after he told her that he thought it was illegal for her to pocket the proceeds from the Millsmont Farmers Market in Brooks' district in East Oakland.



The lawsuit, filed on Wilson's behalf by attorney Charles Bonner, included an attachment of what Wilson says is a text Brooks sent to him on Aug. 26, 2017, in reference to the market's proceeds, saying, "Where is the money bag? Make sure it's dropped at my house no later than 3:30 p.m. today."



Wilson alleges in his suit that when he complained to Brooks, who was elected in 2012 and faces four challengers in the upcoming Nov. 6 election, about her conduct and the way he treated her, she threatened him by saying, "If you tell anyone what goes on in my office you will regret it!"



The suit says Brooks' retaliation against Wilson "included violently pushing, shoving and assaulting and battering" him.



The suit says that the nonprofit Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal (OCCUR) was solely responsible for running the farmers market but alleges that Brooks demanded and coerced Wilson into collecting money from vendors and turning the funds over to her, with no proper accounting to OCCUR.



The suit seeks unspecified economic and non-economic damages as well as $3 million in punitive damages.



Brooks, who hasn't attended recent City Council meetings or candidate forums, didn't respond to several phone calls and email messages seeking comment on the suit.



In a trial late last year and earlier this year, jurors awarded former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown $3.75 million in compensatory damages and $550,000 in punitive damages for injuries she suffered when Brooks, who is nearly 20 years younger than Brown, attacked her when they got into an argument about a public housing project in West Oakland at the Everett & Jones BBQ restaurant near Jack London Square at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2015.



But Superior Court Judge Paul Herbert, who presided over the trial, ruled in April that the awards were excessive and weren't based on the evidence in the case, so he reduced Brown's award to $1.2 million in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitive damages.



However, the judge said he understood why the jury was upset at Brooks for "testifying falsely" and "lying about the events under oath."



The settlement also calls for Bonner, who represents both Brown and Wilson, to receive more than $1 million in attorneys' fees and other costs for Brown's case.



Bonner said today that Brooks still owes almost $200,000 in punitive damages and attorneys' fees in Brown's case and alleged that she is "deliberating evading" being served with court papers ordering her to pay up.



Bonner said his process server served Brooks at her home on Sunkist Drive on July 25, but Brooks claimed that she wasn't home at the time and was never served.



Bonner vowed to serve Brooks again soon, saying, "She can run but she can't hide."





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SAN JOSE (BCN)



A Minnesota-based law firm this morning released the names of 33 men connected with the Diocese of San Jose who have been accused of sexual abuse, building on a list of 15 names the diocese released last week.



Jeff Anderson & Associates, which filed a lawsuit in early October against 10 of California's 11 Roman Catholic dioceses alleging a sexual abuse cover-up, published the list in a large report that includes 212 names across three diocese including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.



The report has photos of the accused, their work history and accusations, sourced through existing online resources like media reports, bishopaccountability.org and local dioceses' public statements. The report also suggests San Jose was a "dumping ground" for priests accused of sexual abuse.



All of the names on the Diocese of San Jose's list are presented in the report, but 18 new men are accused of sexually abusing children over the course of several years. A majority of those accused have either died or have their whereabouts listed in the report as "unknown."



Their names join priests who are alive and believed to be in the Bay Area, including Rev. Don Flickinger, Robert Gray, Alexander Larkin, Hernan Toro and Phil Sunseri.



Some of the accused, such as Edward F. Beutner, who worked only in campus ministry at Santa Clara University from 1989 to 1991, did not serve in the diocese in an official capacity as a priest.



"The data reveals the scandalous scale of hundreds of priests assaulting thousands of minors from early history to the present in these Dioceses," the report says. "The data collected suggests the patterns and practices of Church officials, including the orchestration of an institutional cover-up of an enormous magnitude."



The Diocese of San Jose, which released its list on Thursday, has said their list only includes the names of the "credibly accused" and the group may grow. The list only includes those who admitted to the offense, were convicted legally or deemed guilty by the Independent Diocesan Review Board.



Many of the priests in the new report worked in the Diocese of San Francisco and Diocese of Oakland, in addition to San Jose, and several are listed as having worked at schools in the area, including Santa Clara University and Bellarmine College Preparatory.



The San Jose diocese said the new list is "heartbreaking" and officials are currently reviewing the names and will respond to the allegations by Wednesday. The church added it is committed to providing healing and reconciliation for the victims.



"This will allow us to begin the process of restoring trust that has been painfully eroded by those in positions of leadership and trust by being accountable and transparent for what has happened in the past within the Diocese of San Jose," diocesan officials said in a statement.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board of Commissioners has halted funding for the next phase of construction for the temporarily closed Salesforce Transit Center that would extend Caltrain to downtown.



In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, SFCTA commissioners suspended the funding for the extension, less than a month after two cracks in steel beams forced the closure of the transit center.



Commissioners cited mismanagement by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for the suspension.



According to the board, the more than $9 million in funds were generated from a local transportation sales tax, made possible by 2003's citywide Proposition K. The funding could be restored if the TJPA agrees to an evaluation of its management by the City Controller's Office and a review by SFCTA staff of its oversight.



On Monday, city supervisor and SFCTA Board Chair Aaron Peskin said on Twitter, "We want to see transportation infrastructure projects move forward ... but the TJPA has bungled the management and delivery of this project for far too long. Voters need faith that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly."



The suspension of funding is the latest blow to the $2.2 billion transit center, which opened just more than two months ago.



Last week, lead contractor Webcor/Obayashi Joint Venture sued the TJPA, alleging it broke its contract by providing incomplete and defective design documents, delaying in responding to the contractor's questions and using a contingency fund improperly. The lawsuit is seeking about $150 million in damages.



The agency responded in a statement, "The Transbay Joint Powers Authority will hold Webcor/Obayashi Joint Venture responsible for their contractual commitment to deliver this project to the people of the Bay Area and the state of California."



Workers first discovered cracks in the steel beams in the transit center's bus deck above Fremont Street on Sept. 25, prompting the immediate closure of the center as well as Fremont Street.



Engineers have since installed shoring installations to help support the bus deck and are currently testing the steel around the cracks to determine what caused them.





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(UPDATE ON BCN19)



OAKLAND (BCN)



The Alameda County District Attorney's Office said today that it won't file criminal charges against a BART police officer who fatally shot a 28-year-old man near the West Oakland BART station in January because the officer acted in what he reasonably believed to be self-defense.



Officer Joseph Mateu fatally shot Sahleem Tindle three times in the back while Tindle allegedly struggled over control of a gun with another man in the 1400 block of Seventh Street across the street from the West Oakland station at about 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 3.



The majority of the witnesses in the District Attorney's 48-page report on the shooting said they believed Tindle was the aggressor in the fight with the other man, who isn't named in the report and only is listed as Witness 1.



The report says Tindle, who had recently moved from San Francisco to West Oakland, was walking with his fiancee, their two young children and his fiancee's sister toward the West Oakland BART station intending to travel on BART to San Francisco.



Witness 1 told investigators that the confrontation began after he spotted Tindle carrying a bag containing Air Jordan shoes that Witness 1 had inadvertently left on the sidewalk while he stopped to smoke a cigarette.



The man said Tindle initially denied having the shoes but eventually handed them over and he thought the interaction was over but Tindle then pulled a gun on him, according to the report.



The District Attorney says Tindle and the other man eventually separated but Tindle's fiancee egged him on and told him to "pop" the other man and "knock him out."



The report says the other man "grabbed" Tindle a few minutes later and the two men began struggling in front of a barbershop at the corner of Seventh and Chester streets and during the struggle Tindle pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and two shots were fired.



One of the shots went through a window at the barbershop, although no one there was hit, but the other shot caused a wound to Witness 1's leg, according to the report.



Mateu was inside the West Oakland station at the time of the initial shooting and raced across the street to the scene, where he saw Tindle holding a gun in his left hand, the report says.



Mateu repeatedly yelled at Tindle and the other man, who were struggling for control of the gun, to show their hands but they didn't comply, according to the report.



At some point Mateu could no longer see the gun and he told investigators that he feared Tindle might have the gun in his right hand and could have been pointing the gun at the other man, the report says.



Mateu also said he feared that if Tindle stood up "he could have easily turned to shoot Witness 1" or turned around to shoot him, according to the report.



Mateu then fired "three rapid shots into Mr. Tindle's back," the report says.



Mateu told investigators that after he shot Tindle he saw the gun fall out of Tindle's right hand and after Tindle fell to the ground he raised his hands up.



Mateu said he fired because he "was afraid" for himself, the life of Witness 1 and the lives of the people in the barbershop and the other people in the area, according to the report.



Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris, who filed a civil rights lawsuit against Mateu and BART on behalf of Tindle's family in federal court last month, said he disagrees with the report's conclusions and he thinks Mateu should have been charged with manslaughter, if not murder.



Burris said Mateu had no justification for shooting Tindle because the officer "did not know who had the gun and what was being done with the gun."



Burris said Mateu "did not see a gun in Sahleem's hand when he shot him" and simply made an assumption that Tindle would shoot.



Burris said Mateu's decision to shoot Tindle was "a miscarriage of justice and criminal."



Joining Burris at a news conference at his office, Tindle's mother Yolanda Banks Reed alleged that Mateu "murdered" her son and said she's "devastated" by the District Attorney's decision not to file charges against Mateu.



Banks Reed said she believes police officers "get immunity to shoot first and ask questions later."



Mateu was hired as a community service assistant for BART police in May 2003, was sworn in as a police officer in November 2007 and was promoted to senior police officer in January 2010.



Mateu initially was placed on paid administrative leave but was cleared to return to work two weeks after the shooting.



BART said in a statement that it "continues to extend its sympathies to the family of Sahleem Tindle" but declined to comment further, citing the pending litigation.





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OAKLAND (BCN)



Along with a suspicious five-alarm fire that damaged a townhouse complex under construction in West Oakland early this morning, Oakland city officials said crews also responded to a fire an hour later at another housing development under construction that appears to be a case of attempted arson.



At 1:59 a.m., the Oakland Fire Department received a report of a fire at the Ice House development located at West Grand Avenue between Myrtle and Filbert streets. The blaze rapidly grew to a five-alarm fire and caused a large number of embers to blow eastward, according to Oakland Fire Chief Darin White.



The embers ignited two more structure fires in the 800 block of Isabella Street. Oakland, Alameda County and city of Alameda fire crews extinguished the additional fires, city officials said.



Crews then responded to a separate fire around 3 a.m. at another housing development under construction at 3266 Peralta St., about a mile from the initial blaze. The fire was out when crews arrived and it appears to be a case of attempted arson, city officials said.



White said about six to eight residents were temporarily displaced from their homes but will eventually move back in. A firefighter suffered a moderate leg injury and was taken to a hospital, but has since been released. About 2,000 PG&E customers initially lost power as a result of the fire, city officials said.



The fires on West Grand and on Peralta are being considered suspicious and come after other fires at apartment buildings under construction in Oakland and Emeryville in 2016 and 2017, as well as one in Concord earlier this year.



The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with the investigation and has offered rewards for information about the other ones targeting construction sites.



Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf today also asked for information on the fires.



"We do not know whether this fire was caused by an arsonist, but we do know that arsonists have been trying to burn down housing projects in Oakland," Schaaf said.



"An attack on new housing in Oakland is an attack on keeping families housed in Oakland," she said. "We are in a housing crisis and we need to build housing as quickly and effectively as possible."



Schaaf said anyone with information about the case is asked to call an arson tip line at (510) 238-4031.





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AMERICAN CANYON (BCN)



A Vallejo man suffered major injuries when he collided with the back of a vehicle on southbound state Highway 29 in American Canyon this morning, police said.



The 55-year-old Vallejo man fell asleep while driving a Chevrolet Suburban on Highway 29 around 8 a.m. and rear-ended a GMC Yukon that was stopped at a red light at Napa Junction Road in a left turn lane on Highway 29, American Canyon police Chief Oscar Ortiz said.



The Vallejo man was flown by helicopter to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Ortiz said.



The woman driving the Yukon complained of pain and was taken by ambulance to Queen of the Valley Medical Center. A young child who was properly restrained in the Yukon's car seat was not injured, Ortiz said.



The vehicles blocked the intersection of Highway 29 and Napa Junction Road until around 9:15 a.m.





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Along with a suspicious five-alarm fire that damaged a townhouse complex under construction in West Oakland, Oakland city officials said crews also responded to a fire an hour later at another housing development under construction that appears to be a case of attempted arson.



Both fires occurred early Tuesday morning.



At 1:59 a.m., the Oakland Fire Department received a report of a fire at the Ice House development located at West Grand Avenue between Myrtle and Filbert streets. The blaze rapidly grew to a five-alarm fire and caused a large number of embers to blow eastward, according to Oakland Fire Chief Darin White.



The embers ignited two more structure fires in the 800 block of Isabella Street. Oakland, Alameda County and city of Alameda fire crews extinguished the additional fires, city officials said.



Crews then responded to a separate fire around 3 a.m. at another housing development under construction at 3266 Peralta St., about a mile from the initial blaze. The fire was out when crews arrived and it appears to be a case of attempted arson, city officials said.



White said about six to eight residents were temporarily displaced from their homes but will eventually move back in. A firefighter suffered a moderate leg injury and was taken to a hospital, but has since been released. About 2,000 PG&E customers initially lost power as a result of the fire, city officials said.







A Minnesota-based law firm has released the names of 33 men connected with the Diocese of San Jose who have been accused of sexual abuse, building on a list of 15 names the diocese released last week.



The names were released Tuesday.



Jeff Anderson & Associates, which filed a lawsuit in early October against 10 of California's 11 Roman Catholic dioceses alleging a sexual abuse cover-up, published the list in a large report that includes 212 names across three diocese including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.



The report has photos of the accused, their work history and accusations, sourced through existing online resources like media reports, bishopaccountability.org and local dioceses' public statements. The report also suggests San Jose was a "dumping ground" for priests accused of sexual abuse.



All of the names on the Diocese of San Jose's list are presented in the report, but 18 new men are accused of sexually abusing children over the course of several years. A majority of those accused have either died or have their whereabouts listed in the report as "unknown."







Three Pittsburg residents have been arrested in connection with last week's suspicious early morning fire that destroyed a fast-food restaurant in Antioch, according to investigators with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.



The two-alarm fire was initially reported around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday at a KFC restaurant on Mahogany Way, and flames were already coming through the roof when firefighters arrived at the restaurant.



Crews determined that it was unsafe to enter the building due to the presence of air-conditioners on the roof, one of which had already fallen inside, so they fought the fire from outside.



Fire officials said they considered the building a total loss, and the blaze was later alleged to have been a result of arson.



Over the next two days Raveena Raman, Miuler Reyes and Octavio Montano Jr., all 18 years old, were arrested and booked into the county jail on suspicion of arson.







The Alameda County District Attorney's Office said that it won't file criminal charges against a BART police officer who fatally shot a 28-year-old man near the West Oakland BART station in January because the officer acted in what he reasonably believed to be self-defense.



Alameda County prosecutors made the announcement Tuesday.



Officer Joseph Mateu fatally shot Sahleem Tindle three times in the back while Tindle allegedly struggled over control of a gun with another man in the 1400 block of Seventh Street across the street from the West Oakland station at about 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 3.



The majority of the witnesses in the District Attorney's 48-page report on the shooting said they believed Tindle was the aggressor in the fight with the other man, who isn't named in the report and only is listed as Witness 1.







The Santa Clara County District Attorney released a report saying police were justified when they shot and killed a 27-year-old man during a confrontation at a San Jose energy facility in January.



The report was released Tuesday.



The 44-page report and three body camera videos detail the events leading up to Thompson Nguyen's shooting on the evening of Jan. 9. According to the report, officers Adam Hutson and Timothy Faye lawfully shot Nguyen while he was holding an axe and a pipe at Metcalf Energy Center.



The graphic videos show Hutson and Faye following Nguyen shortly after 5 p.m., asking him to drop an axe and saying they want to talk to him. They tell him to "drop the weapon" multiple times, and he says, "I didn't do anything," and "Shoot me!" Police respond saying they don't want to shoot.



Nguyen is seen moving toward the left side of a police car, where Hutson was located, and several gunshots can be heard in the video before Nguyen drops to the ground. Hutson fired four shots with a pistol and Faye fired four more shots with a rifle after Nguyen walked past Hutson "unfazed," according to the report.



Hutson, who was about three feet away from Nguyen when he fired the first shots, said in the report he didn't have time to switch to a less-lethal weapon, like a Taser. He believed Nguyen would have attacked him or other officers with the axe.







A man was rescued after suffering a shark bite near the Farallon Islands west of San Francisco, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.



The man was rescued Tuesday afternoon.



The bite was near his hand or wrist. He was rescued around 1 p.m. and transported via helicopter from San Francisco to Stanford Hospital.



A Coast Guard official did not know what the man was doing when he was bitten.







Healdsburg police said a prankster stuck a huge nail into the lawn outside the city's community center where a giant hammer sculpture was stolen from earlier this month.



The three-and-a-half-foot metal nail with the word "bait" etched on its head was found by employees around 8 a.m. Monday, Healdsburg police Officer Darryl Erkel said.



The 800-pound metal and wood hammer that measured 21 feet in length and six feet in height was stolen late on Oct. 5 or early on Oct. 6. The artist, Doug Unkrey has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects.



Police believe the hammer was loaded onto a truck with a crane or by several people.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A woman who died in a house fire early Tuesday morning in San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood has been identified as 28-year-old Kelsey O'Leary, according to the city's medical examiner's office.



Firefighters initially responded to the blaze, located in the 1300 block of Funston Avenue, around 3:30 a.m. and were able to contain it within about 30 minutes.



O'Leary, a San Francisco resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, fire officials said.



The blaze displaced six residents, including a child, according to fire officials.



The cause for the fire remains under investigation.





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Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met on Tuesday two family members of the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Al Arabiya reported.

The king, accompanied by the crown prince, met Khashoggi's brother Sahl bin Ahmed Khashoggi and his son Salah Jamal Khashoggi at the royal palace.

The Saudi king and crown prince expressed their "deepest condolences" to the family and relatives of Jamal Khashoggi, while the Khashoggis thanked the royals for their condolences, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Saudi cabinet held a meeting Tuesday chaired by King Salman, vowing to hold accountable those responsible for Khashoggi's killing and those who failed to fulfil their duties, the Al Arabiya reported.

Measures have been taken by the kingdom to uncover the truth and hold accountable all those behind the killing, whoever might are, the state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted a cabinet statement as saying.

The king issued an order on Saturday to reorganize the General Intelligence Presidency, the primary intelligence agency of the kingdom, following the killing of Khashoggi.

He dismissed the deputy head of the intelligence agency and an advisor of the Royal Court, and terminated the services of three senior intelligence officers. Eighteen Saudis were also arrested in connection with Khashoggi's death.

Khashoggi, a columnist for U.S. newspaper The Washington Post and a strong critic of the Saudi government, has been missing since his entry to the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The kingdom said early Saturday that Khashoggi had died in a "brawl" in its consulate, without explaining the cause of his death.
The Republican tax cut is a big, fat failure.

It has achieved none of the things that Republicans promised it would. It didnt reduce deficits. It didnt target the middle class. And it didnt win goodwill with voters.

Yet, for some reason, President Trump wants to do it all over again  in the next nine days, no less.

Last week the Treasury Department reported that the federal budget deficit swelled by 17 percent, or $113 billion, from fiscal 2017 to 2018. This is noteworthy, and not only because Republicans usually claim to despise deficits (at least, they do when Democrats are in charge).

It also reflects a massive decoupling of the business cycle from the federal budget.

Usually, as the economy improves, deficits shrink. Thats because people earn more money, causing them to pay more in taxes and enroll in fewer federal safety-net programs. This relationship between deficits and the economy has generally held true for the past 70 years, except during times of war.

In fact, the last year unemployment averaged about 4 percent  in 2000  we had a budget surplus. This time around, things look a wee bit different, thanks to recent spending hikes and tax cuts.

The Treasury numbers should not be surprising, by the way. Literally every independent forecaster predicted that the tax cut would increase deficits on net. Yet Republicans were somehow caught flat-footed by the news.

After all, when the White House published its 2018 fiscal plan a year and a half ago, Trump officials predicted that deficits would shrink substantially in 2018, thanks both to his tax cuts and the Miracle-Gro that Trump was supposedly sprinkling across the economy.

Yet in the end, the deficit was almost twice what the White House estimated it would be: $779 billion, compared with the forecast $440 billion.

Almost immediately after the Treasury report broke, GOP finger-pointing began. Trump said the widening deficit wasnt his fault; his love of the military, whose budget he had increased, was to blame.

As were all those pesky natural disasters, whose victims he would prefer to let fend for themselves.

We also have tremendous numbers with regard to hurricanes and fires and the tremendous forest fires all over, he said. California does a horrible job maintaining their forests. Theyre going to have to start doing a better job or were not going to be paying them.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., instead blamed entitlements such as Medicare. To be sure, entitlement spending is on an unsustainable growth path. But (BEG ITAL)long-run(END ITAL) entitlement spending growth is not the reason the federal deficit spiked 17 percent (BEG ITAL)last year(END ITAL).

So what did drive that increase?

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has helpfully broken down the causes. It found that absent any of the legislative changes made over the past year  under unified Republican control of government  deficits would have indeed fallen.

Far and away the biggest contributor to the deficit increase was the GOP tax cut, which cost Uncle Sam an estimated $164 billion.

Note that Trumps tax cut, which passed last December, was in effect for only the final three quarters of the 2018 fiscal year. It will be even more expensive in fiscal 2019, since well get to bask in its fiscal profligacy all year-round.

By injecting stimulus into the economy during an expansion, Republicans have given us less fiscal space to act when (not if) we next have a recession. But timing isnt the only problem here. By Trumps own stated objectives, the tax cut is also supremely mistargeted.

Its a middle-class bill, Trump promised his supporters last year.

Yet two-thirds of the laws benefits went to the top income quintile this past year, according to estimates from the Tax Policy Center. And because of the way the law is structured, the share accruing to the richest Americans will only grow in the years ahead.

Americans have figured this out, too.

As poll after poll shows, they dislike the bill and (correctly) perceive it as a giveaway to corporations and the rich. No wonder, then, that Republicans have effectively stopped running campaign ads about their one and only major legislative achievement.

Despite all this, Trump declared over the weekend that Republicans planned to implement a very major tax cut before November  even though (oops!) Congress is out of session until after the midterms. Trump emphasized that the tax cut would be not for business at all. For middle-income people.

Second verse, same as the first. As voters have learned, this song has gotten very, very old.

Catherine Rampells email address is crampell@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter, @crampell.

(c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group

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Video: President Trump said Oct. 22 that he will propose to Congress a middle-income tax reduction of 'about 10 percent' within the next two weeks.(The Washington Post)

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Election Day is less than two weeks away and once again everybody is taking shots at Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Republicans, always keen to rally support against Pelosi as a symbol of coastal-elite, establishment Democrats, are of course warning of the threat of "Speaker Nancy Pelosi" should the Dems win back the House. But members of her own party, too, are trying to create some distance from the minority leader, whose favorability rating hovers around 27 percent, according to the most recent Real Clear Politics polling average

ALSO: Amid toxic campaign, GOP rushes to condemn explosives

The Nevada senate race is no exception, but Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, is playing both sides of the coin in angling for Republican Sen. Dean Heller's seat, running ads emphasizing her differences with Pelosi in English and ads that are critical of Trump in Spanish, the Wall Street Journal pointed out this week.

MORE: 'There has to be a transition at some point,' Pelosi says about Democratic leadership

Rosen has "stood up to Nancy Pelosi," her English television ads say.

"Jacky Rosen wrote legislation to improve veterans healthcare, and President Trump signed it into law," a man in an Army hat says in one of the ads. "Rosen stood up to Nancy Pelosi to reform the VA."

The ad also touts Rosen's ability to work across party lines.

Her Spanish-language ads, meanwhile, have a decidedly different emphasis, declaring she stands against Trump.

"In different communities, you go in and you try to meet people where they are and talk to them about issues they care about the most," Rosen told the Journal of her messaging strategy.

Political commentators say Rosen will need strong Hispanic voter turnout if she is to beat Heller, although a New York Times poll earlier this month found her margin among Hispanic voters to be narrower than expected.

At a recent union rally in Las Vegas, the Dems tried to bolster support with appearances by former Vice President Joe Biden, comedian Billy Eichner, and, perhaps a tad heavy-handedly, a mariachi band.

Heller was initially lukewarm on Trump but, like many in his party in Congress, has warmed to the president over time, participating in a rally with the president in recent days.

The race is one of the most competitive of the cycle, one of eight Senate races currently rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter
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Nepal is approaching an electric future by launching the Made-in-China electric buses for the first time in the country.

Amid a special function organized in Lalitpur on Tuesday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the battery-operated buses, which have been developed by the Chinese company BYD.

The formation of electric bus fleet has been regarded as a major milestone for the South Asian country for moving towards a green economy.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the prime minister said the electric buses are symbolic indication of the direction that Nepal is taking towards clean energy.

"The conversion of public transport to domestically-produced electricity will displace the expensive imported gasoline and diesel. I believe the conversion to electric mobility will have a significant positive impact on environment and health of the public," Oli said.

Mentioning that the country is going to be self-reliant in hydropower with the next few years, he said that the government aims to ensure that at least 20 percent of the overall vehicles will run on electric power by 2020.

"Our overall national goal is to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products by 50 percent or even more by the year 2050," Oli said.

In the initial phase, five electric buses will be plying on streets of the capital city. Then the electric bus fleet will be operated in Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, after the construction of the international airport is completed in the region some 10 months later.

The vehicles have been financed by the Asian Development Bank and handed over to Lumbini Development Trust. In Kathmandu, the electric buses will be operated under Sajha Yatayat cooperative company.

On the occasion, the Nepalese government also launched the "National Plan of Action for Electric Mobility," which mainly focused on the promotion of electric vehicles in the country through different strategies and financing mechanisms.

The step has been regarded as a landmark also for Nepal's tourism, as the electric bus fleet will significantly reduce air pollution. Kathmandu valley has been facing severe air pollution in the past few years especially due to smoke emission from the growing number of vehicles.

"The government is committed to operating electric vehicles in the major world heritage sites in the near future," Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari said.

Zhang Fan, the economic and commercial counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, said the step will contribute to the new energy development in Nepal and will strengthen collaboration between Nepal and China in the renewable energy sector.

After the inauguration, the prime minister himself took a ride in a newly launched electric bus from the event venue to his official workplace Singhadurbar.
A Marine Corps aircrew in California is under investigation after they drew an (ahem) objectionable shape in the sky via its flight pattern  twice.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was identified as the offending parties who flew Tuesday over the Salton Sea in Southern California and moved in two phallic-shaped patterns, veterans-focused news site Task and Purpose reported.

The naughty flight paths were spotted by Twitter account @AircraftSpots, which monitors military air movements, according to its bio.

"Somebody needs to have a word with the crew of US Navy T-34C 160937 SHUTR91 out of MCAS Miramar," the account posted, alongside screenshots from a flight tracker. (The tweet was later corrected in a thread to show the jokesters were actually from the Marines.)

The T-34C aircraft was confirmed as a U.S. Marine Corps plane by a spokesman who spoke with Task and Purpose.

"We've opened an investigation that is under way as we speak," said Maj. Josef Patterson, spokesman with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

"More to follow soon," he added.

It should be noted, however, that the "sky dick" would not have been noticeable to anyone from the ground. As another news outlet noted, the T-34C aircraft would not have left any telltale, white condensed air trails that would leave little to the imagination. In this case, the evidence was served up mostly via those flight trackers, where users can look at live flight patterns.

This was not what happened in Okanogan County, Wash. last year, however. In that incident, it was the naval branch of the military that caused a scene with its phallic flight path  and the contrails certainly advertised itself to anyone on the ground looking up at the sky.

The Navy later issued an apology for that incident, and the pilots were reprimanded. A letter to the young people of the county read:

"The U.S. Navy owes you, your parents, and your students an apology for the unacceptable obscene contrails that were created by one of my aircraft on Nov. 16.

"I impressed upon them that this immature act was counter to our culture which values treating everyone with dignity and respect."

Read Dianne de Guzman's latest stories and send her news tips at ddeguzman@sfchronicle.com.

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KAMPALA, Uganda  The suspicion of a third wife was planted in Irene Atenyos mind when her husband could not account for his most recent pay.

When the Kampala fruit vendor confronted him, he beat her like an animal and briefly kicked her out, she said. She winced as she recalled his confession days later of being involved with a student.

She is not alone. Millions of women across sub-Saharan Africa are still living in the complex relationships of polygamy, a centuries-old practice once the norm among African men seeking large families to cultivate the land.

According to the United Nations, which opposes the practice, polygamy was legal or generally accepted in 33 countries, 25 of them in Africa, as of 2009.

Campaigners urge governments to enact laws that protect womens dignity and reject any religious argument for polygamy, saying the practice shackles women and often worsens the risk of disease and poverty.

There hasnt been much success.

A panel of judges last month rejected a petition to have polygamy declared unconstitutional in Uganda, where it is permissible for Muslims and those in customary marriages sealed with the traditional payment of bride price but not for those seeking Christian or civil unions.

Neighboring Kenya legalized polygamous unions for men in 2014 with overwhelming support from male lawmakers.

In South Africa, where former president Jacob Zuma has four wives, polygamy has long been legal under customary arrangements.

And Tanzanian President John Magufuli actively encourages polygamy, citing the 10 million more women than men in his country.

Polygamy is still rampant in many countries in the Horn of Africa and East Africa, said Hala al-Karib, a Sudanese activist who runs the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, a network of civil society groups.

Womens rights activists say polygamy is a major reason why the worlds poorest continent now accounts for most of the growth in the global population.

Demand for children is higher on average in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region, with the fertility rate around 5.1 births per woman, a U.N. report released this month says.

Rodney Muhumuza is an Associated Press writer.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia  In a fiery and unwavering appearance Wednesday at an investment forum, Saudi Arabias crown prince called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi heinous and painful to all Saudis, before warning anyone against trying to manipulate the crisis and drive a wedge between the kingdom and Turkey.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was joined onstage by two Arab allies as he made his first extensive public remarks about the killing that has sparked widespread condemnation and marred his international standing after Turkish reports said a member of his entourage was involved in the crime.

Many international business leaders pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative, the kingdoms main economic forum, after the Oct. 2 killing of The Washington Post columnist inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

But in the forums vast and ornate auditorium, thousands of people who did attend rose to their feet to applaud the 33-year-old heir whose strong showing underscored his reputation for being bold and assertive.

Prince Mohammed, who spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by phone before the forum, addressed the case immediately after taking the stage for a panel discussion, saying the Saudis were cooperating with Turkey on the Khashoggi investigation.

The situation that took place is very painful to all Saudis, especially because it was a Saudi citizen. And I suspect it is painful to anyone in the whole world, Prince Mohammed said.

It is a heinous act that is unjustifiable, he added, before cautioning anyone who might try to manipulate the situation and sow division between Riyadh and Ankara.

Erdogan on Tuesday delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabias widely criticized account that the dissident writer died accidentally in a brawl, saying Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

He kept up the pressure Wednesday, saying in Ankara: We are determined not to allow the murder to be covered up and for those responsible  from the person who gave the order to those who executed it  not to escape justice.

Turkish officials say the 15 men composed a Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage on overseas trips. Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue. It has arrested 18 Saudis and fired five top officials, some of whom worked directly under the crown prince.

Turkish media have published a security camera image showing a vehicle belonging to the Saudi Consulate purportedly scouting a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul before the killing.

The killing of 59-year-old Khashoggi has created an international firestorm as suspicion mounts that the crown prince had a hand in the killing.

Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him, President Trump was quoted telling the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

Aya Batrawy is an Associated Press writer.
MAZATLAN, Mexico  Emergency workers struggled to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Hurricane Willa, and the storm continued to force evacuations Wednesday due to fear of flooding even as it dissipated over northern Mexico. Thousands of homes were still without power.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or missing people, but the storms 120 mph winds damaged a hospital, knocked out power, toppled wood-shack homes and ripped metal roofing off other houses in the Sinaloa state municipality of Escuinapa when it came ashore Tuesday evening.

Nearly 102,000 homes lost electricity after the storm made landfall, the head of the state electricity company said on Twitter. Service had been restored to about 62 percent of those.

The state civil defense office said the hospitals ceiling and some other areas were damaged in Escuinapa.

The worst damage was expected to be in the handful of coastal communities that were cut off by road and without communications. Workers were trying to remove toppled power poles and trees blocking the road.

In the farming neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, a half mile from Escuinapas center, neighbors cried when describing how the wind swept up their tin roofs and wooden house frames while they sheltered under their heaviest furniture.

Ruben Avila and his wife, Juana, said they were disappointed that government officials had not yet arrived with help, as they sat among their scattered belongings under pouring rain Wednesday. Mattresses and remains of their belongings lay soaked on the ground.

In neighboring Nayarit state, Gov. Antonio Echevarria asked the federal government to send a helicopter, boats and rescue equipment. He said the state was trying to evacuate people in communities at risk of flooding.

Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque, Willa swept over an offshore penal colony about 60 miles out in the Pacific. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of inmates was a priority.

Willa peaked as a Category 5 storm with winds of 155 mph over the Pacific on Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm rapidly lost force and dissipated over northern Mexico Wednesday morning.

Willa came ashore about 50 miles southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to high-rise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.

Marco Ugarte is an Associated Press writer.
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Japan and China should proceed from the big picture to steadily develop their friendly and cooperative ties as the two countries share major responsibility for regional and world peace and prosperity, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Abe made the remarks in a written interview with Chinese media ahead of his three-day official visit to China scheduled from Thursday, which will mark the first time since 2011 for a Japanese prime minister to visit China officially.

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Abe said the treaty marks the starting point for bilateral relationship between Japan and China.

He said he hopes to commemorate the anniversary together with the Chinese side during his visit and have frank exchanges with Chinese leaders on regional and world issues, in order to expand cooperation in all areas and facilitate greater development of bilateral ties.

He also said that it's normal for the two countries, as neighbors, to have differences over some issues.

Japan and China, in building a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship, have the responsibility to properly deal with those issues and steadily develop their friendly and cooperative ties from the big picture, he noted.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Abe said that China has achieved remarkable development during the past 40 years and has become the world's second largest economy.

As bilateral trade between China and Japan has reached around 300 billion U.S. dollars, and the economies of the two countries are inseparable, said Abe, adding that with no doubt, China's economic development is a huge opportunity and shall be welcomed by both Japan and the world.

Meanwhile, Japan has rich experience in dealing with issues such as environmental pollution and population aging, which can provide reference for China's further reform and opening-up, he said.

The prime minister also said that it's of great significance to meet the strong infrastructure need of Asia, the center of world economic development, and he hoped that Japanese and Chinese private companies will cooperate to meet the booming infrastructure demand of Asia.

On the Taiwan issue, Abe reaffirmed Japan's adherence to its position stated in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement.

Regarding the global free trade system, Abe said it is of great significance to reinforce economic order based on free and fair trade rules under the current circumstances. Any tit-for-tat trade war will benefit no one.

As the largest beneficiaries of the free trade system, Japan and China should keep cooperating to reinforce multilateral free trade systems such as the World Trade Organization, Abe said.

Abe also said that Japan and China share significant responsibility to contribute to the stability and prosperity of Asia and the world, and that the two countries shouldering the responsibility together is also a response to the expectations of the international community.

He said that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last November is a new starting point for Japan-China relations. Moreover, since Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan in May this year, bilateral relationship has been back on the normal track.

Abe also said that his talks with President Xi in Vladivostok, Russia in September and his scheduled visit to China this time mean that the bilateral relationship is advancing steadily toward a new phase.

He hopes that the Japan-China relationship could be brought into a new era through frequent mutual visits by leaders of the two countries, Abe added.
Page Content

ATLANTAThe things people tell Brandon Stanton are often deeply personal, stories they may not have shared even with close friends or family. But whether he's walking the streets of New York City, hearing about genocide in Rwanda or interviewing refugees around the world, Stanton simply listens.

Listening, he said, is the key that gets people to open up.

Stanton is the founder of the Humans of New York blog, which features a photo and accompanying quotes from each interview subject. The blog has become an Internet phenomenon with around 25 million followers. Stanton's Twitter account boasts 862,000 followers.

Stanton used photography to help him relax when it looked like he was about to lose his job as a bonds trader in Chicago. When his job ended, he moved to New York City and started his blog in 2010 with the aim of taking photos of 10,000 random people. The project has evolved into publishing in-depth stories from the strangers he meets there and abroad.

The blog has spawned two best-selling booksHumans of New York (St. Martin's Press, 2013), which spent 45 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, and Humans of New York: Stories (St. Martin's Press, 2015). A new book is due in 2020: Humans, from his recent travels in 40 countries in South America, the Middle East and parts of Africa. His web show debuted on Facebook Watch in August 2017.

Stanton shared some of those stories and photos during the opening general session of the sold-out 2018 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Diversity & Inclusion Conference & Exposition on Monday.

He is constantly surprised, he said, by how similar we all are. His observations echoed the opening remarks of SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, who stressed the importance of identifying our commonalities.

"It's obvious we're different," Taylor said. "We've got to figure out how we can help people feel they belong and are included."

For Gemma Toth, SHRM-SCP, understanding others is about "having the conversation where you're listening 100 percent," she tweeted. She is an HR management consultant, HR content writer and HR tech project manager in Omaha, Neb. "Give the other person the attention to hear their stories; that's how we truly learn about them."

For Jason Vollbrecht, benefits leader at Great River Energy in Maple Grove, Minn., Stanton's message for HR professionals was about "the importance of being an active listener, that everyone has a story, and the importance of sharing your story and learning from one another and hopefully dispelling any stereotypes." He added, "I think that's really important."

SHRM Online met up with Stanton following his talk and book signing. The comments have been edited for length and clarity.

SHRM Online: You've said you create this "bubble of intimacy" with strangers, and conversation gets very intimate very quickly. Why do you think that is? Do you think we're all seeking an intimacy we're not finding elsewhere?

Stanton: There are people who aren't comfortable with sharing, and you don't see those stories on the blog. [But] I think for a lot of people there is something "honoring" about being interviewed. You feel like you have something to say, that there's something interesting about your experience. A lot of times people are annoyed when they're first stopped, and then they get into it. People like to feel like they have a story worth telling. When you have someone who's superinterested in your story  it makes you feel important.

There's no question I won't ask, no question that's taboo. I will ask anything. There are no boundaries on privacy; the person has the opportunity to not answer. But I find no matter what you ask, people almost always answer. I think people want to talk.

SHRM Online: Are you a shy person? You've indicated in talks and YouTube videos that in the beginning, you just took pictures of people. When you started talking to people, you didn't talk with them long.

Stanton: No. I think I'm more extroverted and comfortable with people than most, but approaching people on the street is very daunting. It's inherently such an uncomfortable situation. It's difficult. It's kind of like door-to-door sales. There's a lot of energy exchanged. It takes some fortitude. Approaching strangers is a very hard thing to do.

SHRM Online: Has your fame changed how you work?

Stanton: It's made things easier. I thought it might make people less authentic and more canned [in their answers]. But there's nothing less authentic about it. I'm very good at detecting authenticity now. I can tell when somebody is trying to present a version of themselves, like a business-card version of themselves, and I'll move on. A lot of people who wouldn't speak to me now do because they've heard of [my work]. They know it's something kind of substantial.

SHRM Online: Do people approach you now and ask to be interviewed for your blog?

Stanton: It happens.

SHRM Online: How do you handle that?

Stanton: I have a rule: It's got to be random. The randomness  is part of the magic of the blog.

SHRM Online: Does it still surprise you when people share such intimate stories?

Stanton: After seven years, nothing surprises me anymore. People have told me about times [when] they've been molested as a childand they've literally never told anybody before. That's happened multiple times.

SHRM Online: When you hear stories like that and they've agreedinitiallyto share those stories, are you concerned at all about privacy issues when you put it on your blog?

Stanton: A person always has the option to be anonymous, but even if they waive that, sometimes I will insist upon it, especially if the story involves another person. God forbid they are remembering incorrectly.

SHRM Online: Do people ever ask if they can see what you're posting?

Stanton: It does happen, but a lot less than you'd imagine. They'll go and look at the blog and start looking at comments and get nervous. They ask me not to post, or after I post they ask me to take it down.

SHRM Online: Do you take it down when they ask?

Stanton: Yes, always. I'll at least insist on taking a picture of their feet or hands  because it's a photo blog. More interesting is how rare that [request] is. It happens when the story is very personal; sometimes the person will come off looking great, and they'll still get nervous and not want to share. It's a very bright spotlight [to be on the blog], and you have thousands of strangers commenting on your life. I understand that.

SHRM Online: It occurs to me what great timing you have with the universe. This project is so perfect for these times.

Stanton: You know what's interesting, though? I think it hit the zeitgeist more in the [President Barack] Obama era than in the [President Donald] Trump era, because everybody who's really [been following] this project is so obsessed with Trump right now  and they're following him all day long. It's not a very good time for human-interest content, in my opinion, because Trump's taking up all the oxygen in the minds of progressive liberal people.

SHRM Online: Are you tired of doing this?

Stanton: I'm really not. I'm posting stories on genocide [in Rwanda], and my audience is following along. I started out posting interesting stories from New York. My audience has given me a mandate to tell stories. There's enough room to innovate and constantly do something fresh.

SHRM Online: What's ahead for you?

Stanton: I don't know. I enjoy these deeper series. I have a child now4 months oldand that's changed my life a lot. I don't know the answer to that question; I'm trying to figure it out.

SHRM Online: You said having a child changed your life a lot. Has it cut back on your travel?

Stanton: It's cut back on the space in my head to sculpt and direct my artistic vision. But it's added a lot, too.I used to take these four-mile walks every single night [to think about] what I'm going to do next, and that's not really happening anymore. I have time to do what needs to be done.


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Eltingville movie producer Julius R. Nasso has been knighted as a cavaliere of the Vatican.

The Vatican chose to bestow the title upon him as a result of his international philanthropy and his success in filmmaking.

FYI: The title of cavaliere is equivalent to the title of sir that's bestowed upon those worthy by the Queen of England. Intended for the "elite of the elite," it's one of the highest honors presented to a civilian.

Nasso's formal invitation, written entirely in Italian, came directly from the Vatican. It indicated the desire to knight Nasso as cavaliere of the Vatican during a solemn ceremony conducted by Bishop Gianfranco Girotti.

"It was truly an honor to receive such a prestigious religious award from the Vatican," said Nasso, a 20-year member of the Directors Guild of America.

In addition to his charitable endeavors, Nasso has contributed to humanitarian non-governmental agencies like Samaritan's Purse, which provides spiritual and physical aid to people around the world.

A second ceremony is expected to take place in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.

Nasso recently hosted an "Evening Under the Stars" at Villa Terranova, his Eltingville estate, with proceeds earmarked for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

As if all of the above weren't enough to keep Nasso busy, he's also helped produce the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) concerts in Italy over the last five years.

The mission of ABF is to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy and distress by promoting and supporting national and international projects that seek to overcome these barriers.

Nasso anticipates producing Bocelli's concert tour throughout China next year.

The philanthropic filmmaker is not without controversy, however.

Nasso was sentenced to a year in prison back in 2003 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion in connection with, what feds said, was a shakedown of actor Steven Seagal. Nasso initially claimed the accusations were a form of retaliation for a $60 million lawsuit he filed against Seagal, alleging the actor backed out of four films he'd promised to make.

In 2008, Nasso reportedly received a settlement from Seagal -- along with a letter backing his bid for a presidential pardon -- ending the suit.
CITY HALL -- After suspicious packages were sent to the New York offices of CNN, to Hillary Clintons Westchester home and other locations, officials have increased police presence at media outlets, subways and pedestrian crossings.

Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters Wednesday that officials do not believe there are any credible threats against other locations around New York City.

He called the incident an act of terror aimed at attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence.

Officials said the device found at the CNN offices in the Time Warner Center in Manhattan appeared to be a live explosive device which the NYPD bomb squad secured and removed from the scene.

Police Commissioner James ONeill said in addition to the device, authorities also found an envelope with white powder in it, which authorities are investigating at the moment.

9 Law Enforcement officials respond to the scene of a suspicious package in Manhattan on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018

MULTIPLE SIMILAR PACKAGES'

Although there are no threats to other locations around the city, the NYPD said the person or persons of interest, appear to have sent out multiple similar packages to other locations.

Gov. Andrew Coumo confirmed that a device was also sent to his Manhattan office which is being investigated now.

However, Cuomos spokesman Rich Azzopardi later said the package sent to the governors office were "computer files on the hate group, The Proud Boys, who recently appeared in New York.

We will take every precaution we can, but we will not let terrorism win, Cuomo said.

Officials told New Yorkers to remain vigilant, but to go about their day as usual.

Weve seen this before, and weve seen worse and we will not be intimidated, and we will bring these perpetrators to justice, ONeill said.

Island Rep. Danial Donovan (R) denounced the incident on social media, he also thanked law enforcement for their work.

The latest scourge of attempted violence against the @WhiteHouse and Former First Families is absolutely reprehensible. Political violence of any sort is antithetical to our sacred democratic values and has no place in America.  Dan Donovan (@RepDanDonovan) October 24, 2018

The latest scourge of attempted violence against the White House and Former First Families is absolutely reprehensible, Donovan said. Political violence of any sort is antithetical to our sacred democratic values and has no place in America.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- There were plenty of mistakes made by plenty of people on this.

Those are the words of Rich Marin, founder and the former CEO of the New York Wheel, who spoke to the Advance after the announcement of the projects demise on Tuesday.

No one is blameless who was involved with this project. No one did everything right, said Marin, who accepted some of the blame for the projects failure.

He added that "nobody who has been the CEO of a company for six years, and then the project did not work, is without some share of blame.

Marin said he lost a significant amount of money in the Wheel project himself.

There are lots of people who had money in this thing who are sore at somebody. ...," he added.

This file photo shows Rich Marin on the NY Wheel site when he was CEO of the project. (Staten Island Advance)

Marin, who headed up the project for more than five years, stepped down from the helm earlier this year, and the two lead investors took control of the project.

On Tuesday, the New York Wheel -- at one time envisioned to be a catalyst for the renaissance of Staten Islands North Shore -- announced the project will never become a reality.

After years of planning, the developers of The New York Wheel announce, with great disappointment, that the dream of building a world class attraction in Staten Island will unfortunately not come to fruition," said Christyne Nicholas, spokesperson for the NY Wheel.

Since the project was halted in May 2017, the NY Wheel -- a privately-funded project that has been in the works for more than five years -- had been battling in court with its former contractor Mammoet-Starneth.

My overall reaction is extreme disappointment," said Marin, after learning about the news through a letter from the investors. Clearly the investors' report [letter sent out to investors] blames this specifically on the contractors, Mammoet-Starneth. I do believe Mammoet-Starneth represented they could do something and they couldnt do it."

According to Marin, Mammoet-Starneth asked for $200 million more than what was outlined in its contract with the NY Wheel Wheel.

A spokesman for the Holland based Mammoet-Starneth didnt return Advance queries for comment.

Marin said he helped bring the top investors -- including Jeffery Feil of the Feil Organization, and Lloyd Goldman, a New York real estate developer and founder of BLDG Management -- onto the project.

I thought the investors would find a way to make this happen. One of the reasons I got [the top investors] involved, is they have very deep pockets. I knew things could happen in unusual and challenging projects like this. And I thought within some range of reasonableness they would stand behind this and make it happen, he added.

The NY Wheel refused to further comment on the projects failure.

BREAKING: NY Wheel is dead! So whats next? Posted by Staten Island Advance on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Despite disagreements, Marin said he believes the top investors tried to make the project come to fruition.

Marin said he wouldnt be surprised if he is cited in future litigation initiated by unhappy investors.

And do I think theres going to be lots of litigation to go all around, and do I think Im going to be deposed left, right and center because I was the CEO for six years? Uhm, probably. Do I like any of that? No, but its the possibility you take on when you take on a role like that, admitted Marin.

Ill do whatever Im required to do at this point and give witness to who ever requires me to give witness, he added.

CanAm Enterprises -- an EB-5 immigrant investor program that made a $206 million investment in the NY Wheel -- has already said it plans to have its 412 investors recoup their investment.

Our whole sole purpose now is making sure we get a return on the principal. ...We want to make sure our investors get back their money. We are going to work relentlessly at that, Tom Rosenfeld, president and CEO of CanAm Enterprises said, noting that if necessary, legal action will be enacted.

MARIN'S JOURNEY

Marins journey to become the man behind the most iconic project planned for Staten Island since the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is a long and complicated one. He grew up all over the world, as he put it to the Advance in a 2014 interview. His mother was a United Nations diplomat, whose job took them to Latin America and then Rome, Italy, where Marin went to high school.

He moved to New York City after he graduated from Cornell University. Like many young people who land here, he said he thought he'd stay until he figured out where he really wanted to live -- but he never left.

Marin spent most of his career in investment banking. In June 2007, he was overseeing a collapsing hedge fund at Bear Stearns when the New York Times happened upon a blog he kept of movie reviews and other musings. After the publicity that came with a story about him reviewing movies while the firm struggled, Marin was out of a job at Bear Stearns, which would later fall victim to the widespread financial collapse.

MORE RECENT STORIES ABOUT THE NY WHEEL:

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(Shira Stoll, a Multimedia Specialist for the Advance/SILive.com, is the filmmaker behind the Where Life Leads You documentary and the Staten Island Holocaust Survivor series.)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Nobody can imagine what we through," Arthur Spielman said during his speech at the Wagner College Holocaust Centers Rosh Hashanah celebration in 2017.

Now to see all of these people here  the students, the youngsters  thinking of us and remembering what happened, thank you to you all.

I remember this speech vividly, not only because I recorded it, but because its the first time I met Arthur. I was captivated by how emotional he was to see young people interested in the Holocaust.

I knew I had to ask him to be a part of the Holocaust survivor series.

When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, Arthur was in the fourth grade, and his family moved to the Podgorze Ghetto in Krakow, Poland, where Arthur was Bar Mitzvahed.

Conditions in the ghetto worsened, and his family acquired Roman Catholic papers. They moved to Miskolc, Hungary, where they lived as non-Jews, befriended their neighbors who were Nazis, and survived the American bombings in 1944.

You cannot imagine what it looked like or felt like. We lived in a war-zone," Arthur said.

Arthur was the first survivor I interviewed.

When we sat down and started talking in September of last year, the memories filled his mind and he told the story as if it happened yesterday. The interview was two hours long and we spent an additional hour walking through his house looking at photos of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

During my second visit with Arthur, on April 30, he showed me copies of the Roman Catholic papers and photos from the 1930s and 40s.

After hours of talking and looking through pictures, I noticed that the dinner table was set for three. He and his wife, Sydelle Spielman, insisted that I had to stay for dinner because she already cooked extra food for me.

Since the dinner, weve grown to be friends who call each other almost every week, just to check in.

Arthur said that Dr. Lori Weintrob, Director of the Wagner College Holocaust center, has been a huge influence on him because she encourages him to speak with students about his story. Before he met her, he said he never spoke at schools.

In the past two years, Arthur spoke at Susan E. Wagner High School, Port Richmond High School, Lavelle Prep Charter School, P.S. 19, Jewish Foundation School of Staten Island, and Ben Porat Yosef in New Jersey. His latest speaking event was at a 3GNY Descendants of Holocaust Survivors brunch on Oct. 14.

Arthur is also an active board member of the New Cracow Friendship Society.

We invite you to watch the above video to hear Arthurs incredible story of survival.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Even in a hospital room, the Port Richmond pride shines through.

Bob Pratnicki, the beloved 71-year-old man who lost his leg after a devastating hit-and-run earlier this month, has a Port Richmond High School Raiders T-shirt draped along the side of his bed while he continues his recovery at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton.

He is in good spirits and as sharp as a tack, a source close to the family told the Advance.

Pratnicki was struck by a tractor-trailer dump truck at the intersection of Innis Street and Trantor Place at around 5:45 a.m. on Oct. 3.

The truck was making a wide turn and may have clipped Pratnicki, causing him to fall, police said.

An NYPD spokesman said it is possible the driver did not realize he struck the man.

The driver did not stay at the scene, police said. There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing, police said Wednesday.

Pratnicki needed surgery on both legs and was in a medically-induced coma, according to the source. His other leg has rods in it, and he has several bruises throughout his body.

For all that know and love Bob, please continue to keep him in your prayers, the family said in a statement to the Advance.

Port Richmond students affectionately knew him as the neighbor who greets them each day at school. Pratnicki would always wave to students from his porch as they walked down Trantor Avenue, and the students would return the favor, helping him cross the street whenever he needed it.

He truly is Mr. Port Richmond," a parent coordinator at the school previously told the Advance.

Pratnicki extended an open invitation to all who wish to visit him on the second-floor ICU wing of the hospital.

His love for Port Richmond High School is so great that we should reciprocate and spread that Raider pride by adding some school spirit to his room, said the source.
HIDDEN PAIN: Understanding and Preventing Suicide

This feature is part of a series.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- City Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) is still fighting to prevent suicides on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

The Council minority leader sent a written request to the MTA, which oversees the bridge, in November asking it to reconsider installing a physical barrier, such as a fence or netting, to deter would-be jumpers.

To me its simple -- were trying to save lives, Matteo said. The efforts are certainly to save lives.

In contrast, the new Goethals Bridge, which is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has a fence meant to deter possible jumpers.

Nearly a year later, the MTA has made little progress on Matteos request.

He said the transit authority told him they would re-evaluate, but that hes received no concrete answer since he sent the letter nearly a year ago.

A spokesman for the MTA said the organization intends to continue working with Matteo on the issue.

Suicide prevention continues to be an essential priority at MTA Bridges and Tunnels and we have a robust plan in place at all of our bridges that includes closely monitoring roadways via CCTV and patrol, and equipping our facilities with preventative measures such as suicide hotline phones, the spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Recently on Sept 29 around 7 p.m., MTA Bridges and Tunnel Officer James Porkuss was on patrol when he noticed a woman get out her SUV on the Staten Island-bound side of the bridge. He got out to investigate, thinking it was just a disabled vehicle.

She started walking away from me, which caused some concern in my mind. Thats not a normal reaction, Porkuss said in an interview.

The woman began to approach the guardrail, and started climbing over it.

I said to her no no no, dont do that,' and got her attention a little bit, he said, but the woman continue to try to make her way off the bridge.

As the woman laid on the metal guardrail, Porkuss began to run toward her. He got to the woman in time, and managed to pull her back over the guardrail.

I held her after I pulled her over, and told her youll be ok youll be ok,' and just held her until an ambulance and other units arrived, Porkuss said.

The woman was safely taken to the Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, Porkuss said, but that isnt the case for everyone.

The span has been a frequent location for suicides and suicide attempts over the years.

Szymon Hasiak, 22, who jumped from the bridge in March, was found May 17 near the shoreline at Crookes Point Park. On Nov. 13, police pulled 63-year-old David Mahoney after he apparently leapt from the span.

Matteo acknowledged that people contemplating taking their own life might just turn elsewhere if the bridge is no longer an option, but was hopeful the protocols would help steal people away from the decision to end their life.

Maybe they wont. Maybe we can save lives. Maybe instead theyll make a call and talk to a family member, he said.

PREVIOUS STORIES IN SERIES:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Parks officials replaced a metal cover near the entrance of Miller Field after a teen fell into a manhole last week.

An employee at New Dorp High School who witnessed the scene last Wednesday said the hole was deep enough that the student had to be pulled out by his friends.

The teen did not appear to be injured, the school employee said.

It was a manhole, there was a metal cover and the metal cover had been moved, said Daphne Yun, public affairs specialist for the National Parks Service.

The principal of New Dorp High School had told the unit manager on Staten Island that a student had fallen.

The student refused medical assistance and after the incident the metal covering was replaced with something a lot harder to move, according to Yun.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- NYPD Commissioner James ONeill said that various complaints are being investigating at the 72nd Precinct in Brooklyn after a sergeant from Staten Island was accused in a panty incident, according to a published report.

In the New York Post, ONeill is quoted as saying that police probers are taking these allegations one at a time to make sure theyre properly investigated.

There is an active Detective Bureau Investigation case regarding the 72 Detective Squad, according to a previous NYPD statement to the Advance regarding the panty incident.

Brooklyn Det. Victor Falcon filed an complaint with the NYPD Equal Employment Opportunity Office alleging that one of his bosses, Sgt. Ann Marie Guerra of Rossville, stuffed her panties in his mouth during a dispute in the locker room at the 72nd Precinct stationhouse, according to published reports.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- To prepare for rocket launches, NASA released 450,000 gallons of water in one minute onto a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week.

The water was released onto Kennedy Space Centers Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 15, sending water about 100 feet in the air, to test the Space Launch System.

NASA released the video above that captured the moment the water was released to test the launch pads Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression water deluge system."

According to NASA, the water deluge system is used to reduce extreme heat and energy generated by the rocket during ignition and liftoff.

Modifications were made to the launch pad after a previous wet flow test, which increased the systems performance.

The Space Launch System will be used in a series of missions traveling to the moon and Mars. NASA describes the Space Launch System as a powerful, advanced launch vehicle for a new era of human exploration beyond Earths orbit.

Exploration Mission-1 -- an uncrewed flight test -- is the first mission to use the Space Launch System. It will serve as a test for the system and the new Orion spacecraft, which is built to carry astronaut crews on deep space missions.

It is expected to launch in June 2020.

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 Flash

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump are scheduled to have a full-fledged meeting in Paris on Nov. 11, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday.

"This arrangement was confirmed by our president at his meeting with Bolton," Ushakov told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Putin met with visiting U.S. national security advisor John Bolton, who also held consultations with Russian representatives of foreign policy and military political teams.

According to Ushakov, a preliminary agreement has been reached on arranging a comprehensive and well-prepared meeting between the presidents in Paris on the sidelines of events marking the centenary of the end of World War I.

Members of Russian and U.S. delegations will also attend the meeting, Ushakov said.

During his talks with Bolton, Putin said it would be useful to continue direct dialogue with Trump, such as the "fruitful" meeting held in Helsinki.

On July 16, Putin and Trump held their first one-on-one meeting in the Finish capital, which both sides considered as the first step toward better relations between the two countries.

The Russian president also said that Moscow wishes to seek common ground in its bilateral relations with Washington.

"Despite different approaches, one can and needs to seek this common ground, as it seems to me," Putin said.

Echoing Putin's remarks, Bolton welcomed the upcoming meeting between the presidents and underlined the significance of cooperation.

"Despite our differences, which exist because of our different national interests, it is still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation," he said.

Russia-U.S. relations have worsened in recent years over a number of disputes including the Ukrainian conflict and Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Despite the friendly atmosphere of the July summit, bilateral ties have not improved much. In August, Washington imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia and warned of the possibility of another round of stern restrictions in November. Moscow, in turn, vowed retaliation.

On Saturday, Trump said that the United States would pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987 with the Soviet Union, once again flaring up tensions between the two sides.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Will members of CanAm Enterprises, an EB-5 immigrant investor program that made a $206 million investment in the NY Wheel, lose their green cards as a result of the projects demise?

According to CanAm Enterprises, the answer is no.

Tom Rosenfeld, president and CEO of CanAm Enterprises, said there were enough jobs created during the approximate two years of active construction to allow the investors -- who are largely from Asian countries -- to retain their green cards and obtain permanent residency in the United States.

"There is a misperception that because the project was not completed that there will not be jobs. USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which overseas the EB-5 programs] accepts economic models that calculate job creation based on expenditures. You spend $450 million, [this creates] a huge number of jobs, explained Rosenfeld. We feel we can evidence this to the USCISand those jobs allow you to get permanent residency here. So we believe under any circumstances our investors.will not be deported.

However, the final determination as to whether CanAm Enterprise investors will be able to stay in the country comes from USCIS.

A spokeswoman from USCIS did not immediately respond to Advance queries about the EB-5 investors.

RECOUPING THEIR INVESTMENT

CanAm Enterprises, which has invested in 56 other projects, says it plans to have its 412 investors -- each of whom put $500,000 into the project -- recoup their investment.

Our whole sole purpose now is making sure we get a return on the principal. ...We want to make sure our investors get back their money. We are going to work relentlessly at that, Rosenfeld said, noting that if necessary, legal action will be enacted.

These are hard-working people. ...If you look at the job creation that these investors facilitate after [they settle in the United States] it is significant. They are some of the brightest and best in the world, added Rosenfeld.

CanAm Enterprises website touts the groups investments in many other projects.

Our firm has a track record that is second to none, raising more than $2.7 billion EB-5 loans for more than 55 projects, says the website.

A TROUBLED PAST

Since the project was halted in May 2017, the NY Wheel has been battling in court with its former contractor Mammoet-Starneth. The project was also marred with news of Rich Marin, the founder and CEO, stepping down from the helm of the project.

With $450 million of private money already invested in the NY Wheel, its lead investors -- particularly Jeffrey Feil of the Feil Organization and Lloyd Goldman, a New York real estate developer -- last month asked the city to provide tax exempt bonds to fund the remainder of the project, which is estimated to cost nearly $1 billion, according to sources.

But Mayor Bill de Blasio said no to providing the bonds.

And on Tuesday the NY Wheel told the Advance the project had reached its demise.

After years of planning, the developers of The New York Wheel announce, with great disappointment, that the dream of building a world class attraction in Staten Island will unfortunately not come to fruition," said Cristyne Nicholas, spokesperson for the New York Wheel.

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Investors have wiped $2.4 billion off AMP's market value after it agreed to sell its life insurance arm for less than hoped and signalled profits in its wealth management arm would continue to be crunched due to fallout from the royal commission.

The wealth giant's shares tumbled 24 per cent amid surging trading volumes as spooked investors worried about likely dividend cuts and the mounting cost of the battering AMP's reputation has taken this year.

AMP acting CEO Mike Wilkins. Credit:Fairfax Media

After providing life insurance for its 169-year history, AMP on Thursday said it would quit the sector in a $3.3 billion sale to UK-based Resolution Life.

The complex deal will involve a $1.9 billion cash payment, $300 million in preference shares in AMP Life and a $1.1 billion non-cash component, including a stake of about 20 per cent in Resolution.
The latest Australian Institute of Company Directors report on sentiment should be a wake-up call for Canberra. Well over half of board directors are increasingly pessimistic about the impact the governments performance (read the coalition government) is having on their business decision-making.

While this policy stasis is really starting to concern the business community there is also nervousness among the investors that a Bill Shorten-led Labor government would be worse for the corporate community. Indeed the Shorten trade or the Shorten Short, is being identified as one of the big factors feeding into the poor performance of the stock market.

Directors are pessimistic about both sides of politics. Credit:Jamila Toderas

In other words, the business community is faced with a future of a party that has demonstrated an inability to proffer any coherent policy on the two vitally important issues of energy and climate change and another party they worry will over-regulate on key areas of property, healthcare and financial services.

The head of the Institute of Company Directors, Angus Armour, says regardless of which party is in government, corporate governors are worried about the lack of bipartisan support for key policy issues - they want leadership from both sides of the political divide.
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The United States will file a formal notice of its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) "in due course," U.S. national security advisor John Bolton said on Tuesday.





At a press conference following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolton said that the INF Treaty was "outmoded, being violated and being ignored by other countries."





Nevertheless, he said that the United States has not yet made a final decision on the deployment of U.S. missiles in Europe, adding that Russia is the one that has deployed missiles in Europe.





"It is the American position that Russia is in violation. It is Russia's position that they are not in violation. So one has to ask: how do you convince the Russians to come back into compliance with obligations they don't think they are violating," he said, according to broadcast by the Tass news agency.





On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington would pull out of the INF Treaty on account of Russia's alleged breach of the agreement. Moscow warned against a new nuclear arms race but also said it was open to participating in talks on how to preserve the existing agreement.





Speaking of the concerns that the withdrawal might lead to an arms race, Bolton said the rhetoric is "overheated," citing the U.S. withdrawal from the anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.





He also implied that he was not positive about the possibility of extending INF Treaty to include other countries.





The treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. The deal marked the first-ever pact reached by Washington and Moscow on nuclear disarmament and a major step forward in restricting arms race.





Washington's withdrawal would put the whole world in an arms control crisis, State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairperson Leonid Slutsky said on Sunday.





Moscow and Washington have been accusing each other of violating the arms control agreement in recent years amid increasing tension between the two countries.
Victoria has unveiled the largest battery in the state, one of two designed to keep the lights on ahead of another high-demand summer.

The Ballarat Energy Storage System (BESS) is a 30-megawatt lithium-ion battery capable of powering more than 20,000 homes for an hour and is the equivalent of around 6000 household batteries.

The Ballarat battery is the largest single battery storage installation in Victoria. Credit:AusNet Services

The BESS will be able to respond to changing grid needs within milliseconds and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support critical peak demand, the Victorian government said.

The battery was built by Fluence, is owned by network company AusNet Services, and is located at Warrenheip, in Ballarat. It will be operated by EnergyAustralia.
Have you ever made a huge mistake at work and wished there was an undo function for real life? The government did a little while go, and it turns out, for them, there is one.

About half a century ago some nerds in America were playing around with early computers and invented the ability to undo an operation. A few years later some more nerds gave that function a keyboard shortcut: control + Z. It caught on. The rest is history.

Have you ever wished there was an undo function for real life?

Control + Z (or command + Apple + starfish symbol + buy undo credit from iTunes... or whatever the Mac equivalent is) is a ubiquitous and vital reliever of anxiety in the digital age. "I wish there was a control + Z shortcut for real life" has gone from being a chortle-worthy observation to now being an old chestnut with mould inside it.

Less common is desperately pleading that control + Z actually be applied in a real work situation. But that's exactly what members of the federal government did a few weeks ago after "accidentally" voting the wrong way on a motion in the Senate.
Controversial American television host Megyn Kelly has swiftly apologised for questioning why dressing up in blackface for a Halloween costume is wrong during a segment on her show.

Following a social media backlash, Kelly wrote in an email to her NBC News colleagues that she realised such behaviour is wrong and that the history of blackface in culture is abhorrent.

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On her morning show, the 47-year-old news host said that dressing up in blackface was OK when she was a kid as long as you were impersonating a character. She questioned why it had been considered racist when a character on The Real Housewives of New York Luann de Lesseps darkened her skin for a Diana Ross costume.
One thing is for sure - the ACT will have a female contender for Australian of the Year and Young Australian of the Year in 2019.

All the nominees for both categories are women.

The ACT's nominees for the 2019 Australian of the Year were announced on Wednesday: journalist Virginia Haussegger, community advocate Rebecca Vassarotti, ecologist Kate Grarock and education innovator Megan Gilmour.

Virginia Haussegger is head of the University of Canberras Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis 50/50 to promote gender equality.

One successful nominee from that all-female lineup will contest the national Australian of the Year award, which will be held in Canberra on January 25. Nominees for the ACT in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories were also revealed on Wednesday.
A Fijian soldier accused of raping a sleeping cadet at the Royal Military College Duntroon has been committed to stand trial.

Samisoni Loloma Baikeitoga, 23, maintained pleas of not guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.

Defence lawyer Jacob Robertson said his client denied the charge and waved committal proceedings so the matter could be sent to the ACT Supreme Court.

Samisoni Loloma Baikeitoga, 23, leaves Canberra courts with his lawyer Jacob Robertson. Credit:Michael Inman

Mr Baikeitoga  who recently graduated from the military training college  had been a cadet at Duntroon at the time of the alleged rape on April 1.
Written by Wharf Revue veterans Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe, Deja Revue reveals the phenomenal talents of founding stalwart Biggins and Rachael Beck, Simon Burke (filling in for a hospitalised Forsythe) and Douglas Hansell as well as musical director Andrew Worboys.

A new-look Wharf Revue swept into Canberra on Tuesday night with the cyclonic force of supercharged political satire, hard-hitting, hilariously irreverent and sparkling brighter than a Cartier collection of newly cut diamonds.

The Wharf Revue 2018: Deja Revue. Written and created by Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe. Sydney Theatre Company. The Playhouse. Canberra Theatre Centre. Until November 3. canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 62752700.

Together they make up the A-team of Australian satire, slick sharp and sassy, shooting quick-witted quips from the lips of puffed-up, preening politicians. No-one escapes the barbed jibes of Bigginss opening bullying warm-up in courtly French dress against designer Charles Daviss Versailles facade before the show opens with a pantomime version of Cinderella with Beck as Principal Boy Malcolm, Ugly Sisters Eric Abetz (Burke) and Kevin Andrews (Hansell) with Biggins as the hysterically comical horrid stepmother, Tony Abbott. Hansells later appearance as Prince Charmless, the wooden potato head Peter Dutton, is another true scene stealer.

Scene-stealing is par for the course in this ribald revue. There is Becks whiteboard-spinning Michaelia Cash and a thoroughly irreverent spoof on the Christian Right in an adaptation of the popular satirical musical, The Book of Mormon.

Hansells Barnaby Joyce at the Tamworth Writers Festival does little to enhance the former deputy prime ministers reputation and Becks erotically seductive Stormy Daniels plays out Trumps bete noire.

Douglas Hansell as Barnaby Joyce. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

Side-splitting satire took on a more revered tone in Bigginss brilliantly observed and perfectly pitched impersonation of the master of the cutting retort, Paul Keating. It is worth a ticket alone to see Australias master of mockery have an audience bent double in fits of laughter at Keatings dry observations.
Geoffrey Rush has admitted he may have told a young female actor that she looked "yummy" or "scrumptious" but denied making suggestive gestures or intentionally groping her during a Sydney Theatre Company production that led to a complaint against him for alleged inappropriate behaviour.

The Oscar-winning actor, 67, is suing The Daily Telegraph's publisher Nationwide News for defamation over two news stories and a newsagent poster alleging "inappropriate behaviour" towards a female cast member during a 2015-16 production of King Lear. Mr Rush, who performed the titular role, has vehemently denied the claims.

Geoffrey Rush arrives at the Federal Court for the third day of his defamation trial. Credit:Brendan Esposito/AAP

The woman was not named in the stories but was later revealed to be Eryn Jean Norvill, who played King Lear's daughter Cordelia. She did not speak to the Telegraph for its stories.

The three-week trial started in the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday and Mr Rush has been in the witness box since Monday afternoon. On Wednesday, under cross-examination by Nationwide News' barrister Tom Blackburn, SC, he was asked if he had told Ms Norvill during rehearsals for the production that she was "looking very scrumptious today" or looked "yummy".
Water for Sydney

Parliament had been discussing possible sources of water for Sydney. Thomas Woores idea was to dam the Warragamba high enough to supply Sydney by gravitation: "The main objection to this scheme lies in the nature of the dam that would have to be constructed. To supply merely the low-service reservoir at Crown Street, the dam could scarcely be less than 200 feet high, and maybe more

Live frogs in quartz

A discovery made in the Winters Freehold claim (near Ballarat), far exceeds in interest anything yet found in connection with toads. The working men in the main drive, 450 feet below the surface, were driving through a solid quartz reef, when they were startled by seeing signs of vitality in a portion of the stone. The stone was picked when a number of frogs hopped out, and became particularly frisky in the open air.

Miscellaneous notices
Queensland's racing industry is making a stand against the new state tax on bets by going on strike on Cox Plate Day while the fate of Melbourne Cup Day events in Queensland hangs in the hands of the government.

The decision to strike during TAB races at Doomben, Gold Coast and Toowoomba tracks comes after the government's decision over how a new 15 per cent betting tax would be spent and the years of neglect the racing industry body has claimed it has experienced.

At this stage, non-TAB meetings will proceed.

Races on Saturday for Cox Plate Daye will not go ahead will strikes begin. Credit:Paul Harris

Australian Trainers Association Queensland spokesman Cameron Partington said there had been no news or resolution in sight, which had caused the Queensland racing industry to call off races on Saturday.
A tourism campaign launched in the United Kingdom on the back of the royals' visit to Queensland has reached almost 4 million people in just two days.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent the day on the picturesque Fraser Island on Monday, with Prince Harry unveiling a plaque, taking part in a smoking ceremony and visiting Lake McKenzie.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Kingfisher Bay Jetty on Fraser Island on Monday. Credit:AAP Image/ Darren England

The couple then charmed members of the public during a stroll along Kingfisher Bay Jetty, with the pregnant Duchess cradling her growing baby bump.

Queensland has launched a four-week digital and social media campaign, complemented with a promotion through Flight Centre UK, to take advantage of interest generated by media coverage of the royal tour.
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The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday welcomed the new security arrangements in the capital Tripoli approved by Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj.

UNSMIL welcomes the so-called Greater Tripoli Security Plan and looks forward to the start of implementation, the Mission said late Tuesday.

Serraj approved earlier Tuesday new security arrangements in Tripoli, which focus on forming joint police and army forces to secure the city.

During a meeting on Tuesday with military and field commanders of the city of Misurata, some 250 km east of Tripoli, the head of the UN Mission, Ghassan Salame, said the UN Mission plans to replace the armed groups in Tripoli with a joint force.

"We're trying to replace the armed groups in Tripoli with a joint force. The capital is for all Libyans, and so any and every Libyan must be able to access it in safety," Salame said.

Tripoli witnessed weeks of violence between forces allied with the government and other armed groups in Tripoli in August, which caused hundreds of casualties.

The spate of violent clashes ended after rival parties reached a cease-fire agreement.

The agreement required the warring parties not to attack public or private properties and refrain from inciting violence.

The cease-fire deal also agreed on the formation of a joint military force to secure southern Tripoli, and that the withdrawal of armed groups from conflict areas should be overseen by tribal mediators.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and incessant violence since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
DNA is being collected from residents of the tiny north Queensland township where a young woman's body was found this week, as visitors to the area revealed a disturbing encounter at the remote beach.

Detectives have doorknocked the area around Wangetti Beach, where Toyah Cordingley's body was found on Monday morning, and collected DNA samples as the hunt for a killer continues.

Three days after Toyah Cordingley was found dead, police remain tight-lipped about the investigation's progress. Credit:Facebook

The body of the 24-year-old Cairns woman was found on Monday morning after she went to walk her dog at the beach, about 40 kilometres north of Cairns, and never returned. She was reported missing by family that night.

Police believe her slaying may be sexually related.
Toyah Cordingley was helping plan a friend's wedding as her bridesmaid before she disappeared while walking her dog on Sunday night and her body was found the next morning.

Friends and family have shared intimate memories as tributes continued to flood social media days after the death of 24-year-old Cairns woman.

Toyah Cordingley 'radiated sunshine' according to her cousin. Credit:Facebook - Daniel Stocker

Detectives, SES volunteers and Brisbane divers were expected to continue scouring the 800-metre stretch of beach and car park at Wangetti, between Port Douglas and Cairns, on Wednesday in the hunt for evidence and personal belongings.

Megan Amour wrote on Facebook that since hearing news of the death of her bridesmaid-to-be, she had been having second thoughts about her wedding.
Two Queensland men have been arrested in Victoria over the shooting of another man in front of terrified shoppers in a Sunshine Coast shopping centre car park last Friday.

The pair, aged 56 and 26, was taken into custody on Tuesday after a home in Saint Albans, 15 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, was raided by Victorian detectives.

The Sunshine Coast shooting had left nearby shoppers 'terrified', according to one witness. Credit:Seven News.

It will be alleged a fight between the three men in the Currimundi marketplace carpark about 1.30pm resulted in the 45-year-old man being shot in the stomach.

Police said two men fled the carpark in a sedan, while the victim staggered to a nearby medical centre and was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Doctors, patients and advocates are urging Australias politicians to enact a range of measures to improve care detailed in Making Lung Cancer a Fair Fight: a Blueprint for Reform. Lung Foundation Australia chief executive Mark Brooke said Australians with lung cancer face set-backs at every turn. "From delays in diagnosis and staging, to inadequate referrals to treatment, to the stigma which blights their condition, not to mention the elevated psycho-social needs of this community and lack of support," he said. People with lung cancer face high-levels of discrimination from healthcare providers, their employers, friends and the general public, according to the report.

Roughly 30 per cent of people with lung cancer blame themselves for their diagnosis. "Stigma affects the decisions about what conditions get funding consciously or subconsciously," Mrs Riordan said. "Until everyone realises they all have lungs and can get lung cancer we wont see any change." The fact that she was a non-smoker likely contributed to her late diagnosis  more than a year after she first sought treatment for a dry cough. But she is one of the more than one in five people with lung cancer who have never smoked.

She has epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) lung cancer, which is increasingly seen in younger female patients, in particular, many of whom have never smoked. Loading Mrs Riordan was given little information about her prognosis or treatment options. There were no lung cancer clinical nurse specialists to guide her through the process, as there are for many breast cancer patients. The week in between diagnosis and receiving her genetic test results she spent Googling lung cancer. The statistics were "horrifying". Lung cancer kills more Australians than any other cancer. Just 17 per cent are still alive five years after diagnosis.

People with lung cancer have a much lower chance of being diagnosed early than other cancer patients; 11.7 per cent are diagnosed in Stage 1 compared to 42.8 per cent for breast cancer and 22.1 per cent for colorectal cancer. Mrs Riordan was put on a targeted therapy, which has shrunk her tumours by 80 to 90 per cent, but the drug only works for an average of 10 months. "After that there is nothing," she said. Her only option is to be accepted into clinical trials to test new treatments. "My 16-year-old daughter asked me if I would be alive when she graduates from university. How do you answer that? I say I will try to be. Im doing my best."

"I have to do something to change the way people think about lung cancer because I want to live," Mrs Riordan said. Loading An estimated 12,740 people will be diagnosed and 9198 will die of lung cancer in Australia in 2018, according to Wednesday's report. By 2028, 16,000 Australians will be newly diagnosed and roughly 268,200 will be living with lung cancer. The cost of the disease will rise to $6.6 billion Almost one in three, or 28 per cent, of lung cancer patients arent staged and as a result may not start on the appropriate treatments, and fewer than half are treated by multidisciplinary teams, shown to offer better quality care and improved survival.

Half of all lung cancer patients have depression, anxiety, or distress, according to the report. The rate of anxiety and depression among lung cancer patients is 30 per cent higher than for other cancer types, yet mental health support for these patients is lacking. Loading "There is clearly unfairness in the way people with lung cancer are regarded and treated," said the reports co-chair Dr Emily Stone, thoracic physician at St Vincents Hospital, Sydney, and Kinghorn Cancer Centre. "No one deserves this disease," she said. The authors urged Australian governments to fund a workforce of lung cancer clinical nurse specialists and better access to diagnostics, multidisciplinary teams, early referral and GP education in regional areas.
The apology to the child victims of sexual abuse this week touched the nation. It is now time to seize the deal offered by New Zealand to relieve the suffering of another group of children: those trapped on Nauru.

The fate of these children and other asylum seekers has posed one of the great dilemmas of our consciences for the past five years. There is good on both sides of the argument. On one hand, Australia made the right choice by sending them to the Pacific as a strong deterrent against making the dangerous journey by sea. On the other, what was supposed to be a temporary measure has now turned into indefinite punishment which has inflicted suffering and death on innocent people.

Thankfully, a solution to this dilemma has gradually emerged. The pre-condition has been a blockade of Australian naval ships which now intercepts and turns back people smugglers. The boats have been stopped.

Under these circumstances, the Turnbull government rightly decided in 2016 that 1250 people then on Nauru and Manus in Papua New Guinea could be resettled to the US without compromising Australia's robust deterrence policy.

Yet politics has blocked a second deal with New Zealand, which offered to take another 150 asylum seekers, including presumably most of the remaining children. Given the openness of borders across the Tasman, the government refused unless parliament passed a law stopping refugees ever coming here through the back door. The ALP cavilled at the bill, which sets an unusual precedent.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has left open the option of halting Australian military sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, vowing all options are on the table.

After Germany suspended its sales over the murder of the prominent journalist and Saudi government critic - allegedly at the direction of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - Senator Payne indicated she had spoken to the German government and other countries on the Saudi allegations.

Asked specifically by Greens leader Richard Di Natale during a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday whether Australia would follow suit by suspending sales, Senator Payne said repeatedly that all options are on the table.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Credit:AP

We absolutely recognise that this is an extremely serious situation of the highest order of magnitude. We are examining the progress of the investigation. We are working closely with our partners and our allies in close consultation. We are not going to prejudge the outcome of the investigation, but  I can be very clear that all options are on the table in terms of Australias respective response, she said.
Labor MPs say they are "cautiously watching" as an investigation begins into a harassment allegation made against Opposition Leader Luke Foley, just five months out from the state election.

But under pressure in question time on Wednesday, Mr Foley threatened government ministers that he would return fire if they pursued the issue, which was first raised in State Parliament last week.

Luke Foley was forced to fight back during question time on Wednesday. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The ABC has launched an investigation into the claim that Mr Foley allegedly got drunk and harassed a female ABC journalist at a function in Sydney's CBD in 2016.

Mr Foley has denied the claim and the journalist involved does not want to comment.
The ABC's acting managing director says the public broadcaster will launch an investigation into "serious" claims that NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley harassed one of its journalists at a function two years ago.

At a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday evening, acting ABC head David Anderson was questioned about an incident in which Mr Foley allegedly got drunk and harassed an ABC female journalist at a function in Sydney's CBD.

NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley in State Parliament. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Fairfax Media understands The Australian newspaper first contacted the ABC about the alleged incident for a story in May. The journalist, the ABC and Mr Foley all chose not to respond.

Mr Foley denies the allegations.
Sergeant Luke Warburton rushed into Nepean Hospital's emergency ward in response to a triple-zero call but was next captured on CCTV footage being dragged down a corridor, leaving a thick trail of blood behind him.

NSW District Court Judge Christopher Robison on Wednesday was shown the moment negotiations gave way to chaos in January 2016, when Michael de Guzman grabbed the officer's gun, sending hospital staff scattering.

Out of shot, the 41-year-old had been holding scissors to the neck of doctor Ma Guinto before a scuffle ensued.

He grabbed Sergeant Warburton's Glock 22 from its holster and fired twice.
A company whose owners have faced multiple lawsuits over the deaths of inmates in adult jails has won a $50 million taxpayer-funded contract to oversee the health of children in Victorias youth justice system.

In a move that has outraged welfare advocates, the Andrews government has quietly appointed Correct Care Australasia to provide health services across the states two main juvenile justice centres at Parkville and Malmsbury.

The Parkville Youth Justice Precint in Melbourne's inner north. Credit:Eddie Jim

The move is contentious because Correct Care Australasia is a division of Correct Care Solutions, a for-profit multinational with a history of court action and complaints relating to the way it provides prison healthcare in the US.

Among the more recent cases, court proceedings against Correct Care Solutions were lodged this month by the estate of an inmate who died after allegedly being misdiagnosed. The claim seeks a trial by jury.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 24)  House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez filed a resolution Wednesday expressing the sense of the House to back the proposal to withdraw from the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), an idea first floated by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"The IPU stepped outside its boundaries with its interference in the country's judicial processes which runs counter to the principle of State sovereignty," Suarez said in House Resolution No. 2270.

Calls of House leaders for the Philippine Senate's withdrawal from the IPU, a global group of parliaments, came after the IPU resolved on Oct. 18 to "send an official mission" to probe the "political persecution" of opposition Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV.

De Lima has been detained for over a year due to drug charges her camp has decried as fabricated, while Trillanes is embroiled in several legal battles following President Rodrigo Duterte's voiding of his 2011 amnesty. Both are staunch critics of the President.

In March, the IPU repeated its call for de Lima's release and for her to be cleared of all drug charges "unless serious evidence is rapidly forthcoming."

Arroyo has said she would recommend that the Senate withdraw membership from the 178-member organization, which includes China, Canada and neighboring southeast Asian countries.

However, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Arroyo's proposal is "premature."

"Speaker Arroyo's recommendation is based on the wrong premise. The IPU has yet to act on its Human Rights Committee's recommendation to the IPU Governing Council. Having said that, it is premature, if at all, to denounce the IPU as a whole, much less withdraw membership from the body," Lacson said in a statement Tuesday.

Lacson added that if the Senate decides to withdraw from the IPU, it would be implicitly agreeing that De Lima and Trillanes are being persecuted.

For De Lima, Arroyo's push for the Philippines to withdraw from the IPU is "only expected" due to the former President's supposed "personal vendetta" against her. De Lima pursued plunder cases against Arroyo while she was Justice secretary.

Selective?

House Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay, a close ally of Arroyo, accused the IPU of "political partisanship" as it failed to condemn the alleged rights violations against the Speaker when she was detained over plunder charges.

"Why is the IPU interfering in the cases involving Senators De Lima and Trillanes when the same judicial processes as what used had been used against Speaker Arroyo are the ones being applied in their cases?" Pichay said in a statement.

According to the IPU rules, its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians "shall defend the human rights of current, and in certain circumstances, former members of a national Parliament whenever their rights are at risk or appear to have been violated."

Arroyo was not a public official when she was arrested on plunder charges. She was president from 2001 to 2010, and a senator from 1992 to 1998.
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China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Wednesday met with Samdech Say Chhum, president of Cambodia's senate, vowing to further advance bilateral ties.

Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said China believes all countries should treat each other on the basis of equality and mutual respect, regardless of their size, strength and wealth.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Cambodia diplomatic ties. Relations with Cambodia have set a typical example of China's neighborhood diplomacy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, he stressed.

Li said China will continue to support Cambodian people in choosing their development path that is fitting with national conditions and to beef up collaboration on Belt and Road construction, agriculture and infrastructure.

China stands ready to assist Cambodia in stability, development and improvement of people's livelihoods, the top legislator added.

Li also expressed his hope to push forward exchanges between the Chinese NPC and Cambodian Senate and National Assembly, so as to strengthen bilateral relations.

For Samdech Say Chhum's part, he said Cambodia views China as a true friend and good brother and is ready to witness more cooperation outcomes.




Strasbourg: European Union politicians moved on Wednesday to ban widely-used, throw-away plastics such as straws and cotton buds, and put a greater burden on manufacturers to recycle in an effort to clear up ocean pollution.

Under the proposal, overwhelmingly backed by the European Parliament, 10 single-use plastic products with readily available alternatives would be banned by 2021. EU states would be obliged to recycle 90 per cent of plastic bottles by 2025 and producers to help cover costs of waste management.

"We are sending a strong signal to industry," EU legislator Frederique Ries, a Belgian liberal who is representing the Parliament in negotiations with EU governments, told Reuters. "There is broad and growing popular support on this issue."
London: Short of declaring all-out war on the House of Saud, it is hard to imagine a more effective way for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to inflict so much damage on the global standing of his Saudi rivals than his adroit handling of the Jamal Khashoggi affair.

From the moment the journalist disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, Erdogan has proved himself to be a master manipulator in terms of handling the global media coverage. The steady drip-feed of revelations about the grisly fate Khashoggi is believed to have suffered has been skilfully designed to cause the Saudis maximum discomfiture.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Credit:AP

It goes without saying, given the blatant lies and misinformation emanating from Riyadh, that the Saudis have hardly covered themselves in glory. Having initially insisted that Khashoggi left the consulate of his own volition, the Saudi version of events has enjoyed a number of deeply unconvincing manifestations, from the suggestion that the portly and out-of-condition Khashoggi was killed in a fist fight with Saudi officials, to the latest proposition, that he was the victim of a "rogue" intelligence operation.

From the outset, the Saudis' primary objective has been to protect their all-powerful Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old dynamo who is in the process of overseeing the most ambitious reform programme undertaken in the country's history.
Washington: The United States Cyber Command is targeting individual Russian operatives to try to deter them from spreading disinformation to interfere in elections, telling them that US operatives have identified them and are tracking their work, according to officials briefed on the operation.

The campaign, which includes missions undertaken in recent days, is the first known overseas cyberoperation to protect US elections, including the November midterms.

The National Security Agency campus in Fort Meade, Maryland, where the US Cyber Command is located. Credit:AP

The operations come as the Justice Department outlined on Friday a campaign of "information warfare" by Russians aimed at influencing the midterm elections, highlighting the broad threat the US government sees from Moscow's influence campaign.

Defence officials would not say how many individuals they were targeting, and they would not describe the methods that Cyber Command has used to send the direct messages to the operatives behind the influence campaigns. It is not clear if the information was delivered in an email, a chat or some other electronic intervention.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Last Sunday The Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle hosted the semi-finals of the 5th Scotiabank Rotary-Rotoract Spelling Bee 2018.

The ten semi-finalists representing six schools were Yaashoda Sanchara from Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School, Nasya Gayle from MAC School Rev. John A. Gumbs Campus, Nihal Chugani from St. Dominic Primary School, Khushi Soneji from Mac School  Browlia F. Maillard Campus, Sameer Chatani from St. Maarten Seventh Day Adventist School, Mikage Dorecelus from Ruby Labega Primary School, and from the Anguilla School, Tamara Hall-Sampson, Jayda Adams, Zakkai Lake and Ayana Carty.

The judges were introduced, the moderator Rhodda Arrindell, head judge President Denise Antrobus, judges Rotarian Davy Moree and Rotarian Reena Manek, logistics tech Theodore Wilson and time keeper Rotarian Aernout Kraaijeveld. The St. Maarten Song was sung by Spelling Bee Chair Grace Linger.

In the Preliminary Round the participants had to write the selected words, but this week at the semi-finals, they were required to stand in front of the audience and the judges and speak into the microphone with their selected word. Each participant had to spell twenty words. Ten words per round with a ten-minute break in between; each word was worth five points. At the end of the semi-finals there was no tie but it was a tight finish.

Heading to the finals representing three schools from St. Maarten are Nasya Gayle - MAC John A. Gumbs Campus, Mikage Dorcelus - Ruby Labega Primary School, Sameer Chatani  Seventh Day Adventist School, and from the Anguilla Schools Zakkai Lake and Ayana Carty.

The finals will be held at the Belair community Center. The finals will start promptly at 1.00 pm p.m. Everyone is asked to be on time, and participants are asked to arrive by 12 noon. Family, friends, classmates and teachers are invited to come out to support and cheer on the five finalists, as there will be a prize for the school with the largest number of supporters. There is also a 40 TV being raffled, so if you have bought a ticket(s), the drawing will take place on the final day of the Spelling Bee on October 28th, you have to be present to win!
PHILIPSBURG:--- Legal advisor and substitute Ombudsman Ms. Gwendolien Mossel represented the Ombudsman of Sint Maarten at an Own Initiative Event organized by the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) and the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO).

The conference, entitled: Taking the Initiative: Exploring best practice in the exercise of Own Initiative investigation powers, was held on October 22-23, 2018 in Belfast Northern Ireland. The two-day event highlighted the important role played by Own Initiative investigations in tackling issues of systemic maladministration & injustice and explored how Own Initiative powers can be used to maximum effect. The Ombudsman recently concluded two (2) Own Initiative (systemic) Investigations, namely Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRR) and Dismissal Advisory Committee (DAC). A third systemic investigation regarding the Rent Tribunal will be finalized within short and another into the procurement process at Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company N.V. (PJIAE) was recently initiated. All final reports of the investigations are available on the website: www.ombudsmansxm.com

Ombudsman, Dr. Nilda Arduin, is also attending in her capacity as IOI Regional President a most important conference for the region in Mexico this week. The International Forum DESCA (Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is taking place from October 23 -25 in Mexico City, Mexico.

The Forum will be followed by a regional meeting chaired by Dr. Arduin.

The Ombudsman notes that both activities are vital for the further development and growth of the Ombudsman institute of Sint Maarten and the sustainable development of Sint Maarten in light of 2030 Agenda.
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.
An artist's illustration of a plume of water vapor spouting from the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa.

If Jupiter's moon Europa has geysers, the natural engines that power them are well-hidden.

Scientists have re-examined data from NASA's Galileo mission in greater detail in search of regions on Europa warm enough to be linked to plumes of water vapor. If hotspots exist on this moon  which harbors a huge ocean of liquid water beneath its icy shell  they will most likely remain hidden until NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft arrives at Jupiter in the late 2020s or early 2030s, the researchers determined.

In 2016, scientists announced the provisional detection of a faint plume on Europa using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. A second unconfirmed plume was announced the following year. Since then, the moon has remained quiet, and scientists have debated whether the features spotted by the space telescope were actually caused by wafting water vapor. [Possible Water Plumes on Europa: The Discovery in Images]

In an effort to solve the mystery, Julie Rathbun and her colleagues turned to data collected by Galileo when it orbited Jupiter in the 1990s and early 2000s. Rathbun is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. The researchers had searched the moon for heat signals almost a decade ago, before the potential plumes were spotted. Now, they returned to examine the two potential source regions more closely, looking for signs of heat that might indicate geological activity. The results were less than encouraging.

"We didn't see any hotspots at those locations," Rathbun said yesterday (Oct. 22) during a news conference at the American Astronomical Society's annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee.

But that doesn't necessarily mean Europa isn't spouting off, added Rathbun.

The case of the missing hotspot

Plumes are common throughout the solar system. Jupiter's moon Io is constantly shooting volcanic material into the air. Saturn's icy moon Enceladus famously blasts water vapor and other material from its subsurface ocean into space via a set of geysers near the south pole. And Earth is rich in geysers, from Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful to Iceland's Great Geysir.

Firing off the gas that makes up these plumes requires an energy source, which usually heats up the ground around the plume source. Enceladus, Io and Earth all have hotspots around their geysers and volcanoes.

But not Europa, as far as we can tell. Rathbun and her colleagues saw no hotspots at either of the purported plume locations described in the Galileo data.

There are four possible reasons for this result, Rathbun said. First, it's possible that the jets don't exist. It's also possible that the hotspots exist but are subtler than could be detected with Galileo or the Earth-based Atacama Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). Another option is that the plumes are sporadic and just didn't fire off while Galileo was nearby. Finally, Europa's plumes may operate differently from the geysers on other worlds.

"Europa was expected to be active," Rathbun said. "Folks have been wondering where [the plumes] are and what happened to them." [Photos: Europa, Mysterious Icy Moon of Jupiter]

Another chance

Both Europa and Enceladus are icy moons, and each is thought to host a subsurface ocean. So, it's no surprise that the planetary scientists based their Europa search on the geysers confirmed on Enceladus. The geysers from Saturn's moon come from long, narrow "tiger-stripe" fissures with roughly the same area as that probed on Europa, and the expected temperatures are also similar.

It's possible, however, that Europa's plume regions have a different configuration than those of the Saturn satellite.

"I don't think it's a tiger stripe [that produced the plume], but there could be some small source that's there that we're just not detecting," Rathbun said.

Timing is another concern. Galileo explored Jupiter and its moons from 1995 to 2003, more than a decade before Hubble spotted the plumes. If Europa's fountains are sporadic, their hosting sites may not yet have become active while Galileo was looking. Similarly, ALMA peered at the moon several months after Hubble's observations, potentially giving the area time to cool off.

Sunlight further complicates the issue. At the beach, sand and rocks heat up and cool at different rates based on their composition. After the plumes were first spotted, ALMA identified a region near a young crater called Pwyll that seemed warmer than surrounding areas. However, Rathbun said that Galileo showed that the same region is coolerthan its environment on the nightside; ALMA's observations, like all those made from Earth, show only the moon's dayside. Rathbun said that the variations most likely originated from features with different compositions.

"It's much more consistent with different thermal properties than there being a hotspot," she said.

Ideally, the same instrument would compare daytime and nighttime observations to rule out heat from the sun as an explanation for the temperature differences, but unfortunately, Galileo didn't gather daytime images of the puzzling region.

Rathbun said the final possibility is that the plume-generating mechanism on Europa doesn't heat things up the way familiar geyser features do. It's currently unknown what kind of mechanism could do that, but she said the possibility can't be ruled out.

"I am constantly amazed at how many things we find in the outer solar system that don't make any sense," she said.

While there isn't enough data to determine which of the four explanations likely represents reality, Rathbun said that her favorite option is the bizarre answer.

"I'd love it if there's something different going on," she said. "That's always the most fun."

Europa probably won't be able to keep such secrets for much longer. NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which is currently scheduled to launch in 2022, will make 45 flybys of Europa at altitudes ranging from 1,700 miles to 16 miles (2,700 kilometers to 25 km).

One of the instruments Clipper will carry is the Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS), a heat detector that will take thermal images of the moon at various wavelengths.

"If there is a hotspot somewhere on Europa, then E-THEMIS will see it," Rathbun said.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
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.

See more

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.
During the fourth public meeting of the newly revived National Space Council, chairman Mike Pence and other council members described the path forward needed to develop a sixth branch of the military known as the U.S. Space Force. Pence, who is also the U.S. vice president, gave the opening remarks at the meeting Oct. 23, which was held at the National Defense University in Washington.

Pence emphasized at the meeting that space is a war-fighting domain, and that the disorganization of many different branches of government managing U.S. space resources could prove dangerous as other countries mobilize to try and disable the nations space assets.

"For decades, one independent study after another has called for reforms to the current organizational structure of our national space capabilities," Pence said. "This lack of centralized leadership and accountability we believe poses a clear and present threat to our capacity to advance our national security in space. It undermines our combatant commanders' ability to do their jobs; it puts our war fighters ultimately at risk as they operate on battlefields around the world." [Presidential Visions for Space Exploration: From Ike to Trump]

"I believe the time has come to stop studying the problem and start fixing it," he added. "The United States Space Force, we believe, is central to the solution that America needs."

Pence described six recommendations the council planned to send to President Donald Trump, invited updates on the status of the council's previous projects and asked for testimony from three experts who supported the country's need for a Space Force.

The six recommendations for the council, which will be released as a publicly accessible fact sheet, are as follows (summarized from Pence's explanation, as well as from a list provided by Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan):

Create a new, unified U.S. Space Command to establish a chain of command for Space Force operations and determine the doctrine, tactics and procedures for space war fighting in the 21st century. Have the Secretary of Defense create a joint space development agency to cut through bureaucracy and make space technology quickly available when the Space Force needs it. Work with the National Security Council to conduct a comprehensive review of the current interagency authorities to make sure war fighters can react flexibly to stop threats to security in space. Direct the creation of a legislative proposal for the Space Force. Address the 2020 budget, which will allow for the Space Force's creation. Strengthen the relationship between the intelligence community and the Space Force.

After Pence's remarks, the meeting officially began with a review of the progress that has been made on the council's previous space policy directives. Elaine Chao, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, described efforts so far to streamline commercial space regulations. The department is currently working to simplify the process to license launch and re-entry requirements and to make just one type of license work for all commercial launch and landing types. (This spoke to Space Policy Directive 2 (SPD2), which the council discussed in May.)

Deputy Secretary of Commerce Karen Dunn Kelly added that her department just submitted (on Oct. 22) a draft for a rule that would simplify the use of cameras in space, exempting certain pre-approved activities from the long review process  also working toward SPD2. (SpaceX was recently caught in a regulatory snag that led to its post-launch footage from the rocket leaving Earth being abruptly cut off.) The department also sent a legislative proposal to create a consolidated bureau of space commerce, leading to a one-stop shop for space commerce regulation. The Department of Commerce has also been working with the Department of Defense to understand how it tracks dangerous space debris (as part of Space Policy Directive 3, discussed by the council in June).

In regard to Space Policy Directive 1  released when President Trump formally announced in December 2017 that the U.S. was headed back to the moon  NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine spoke passionately about the Lunar Gateway infrastructure under development to get into lunar orbit and, eventually, down to the moon's surface.

"Two weeks ago I was in Bremen, Germany, for the International Astronautical Congress," Bridenstine said. "I met with the heads of 24 different space agencies, and I had the opportunity to speak in front of international forums. And in each one, when I talked about the United States leading an international effort to get back to the moon, the response is overwhelming and it's spontaneous."

"People around the world have been waiting for the United States to get back to the moon, and to lead a collaboration, much like we have done on the International Space Station, but to develop a much bigger and broader architecture to the moon, to retire risk, to prove technologies, to prove human physiology and then take all of that architecture on to Mars," he added.

Bridenstine also emphasized that crewed flights to the International Space Station would pick back up in December, after the "single most successful failed launch we could have imagined" a few weeks ago. He discussed how important it was that low Earth orbit become a commercialized space and said that the Space Force was critical to protecting the $383 billion space industry.

James Ellis, the chairman of the council's think tank-like Users' Advisory Group, discussed how they're analyzing proposed organizational ideas and thinking of opportunities for outreach and education.

Next, the council heard testimonials from Doug Loverro, who was the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy during the Obama administration; Mark Sirangelo, the University of Colorado, Boulder, entrepreneur-in-residence and former head of Sierra Nevada Corporation's space unit; and Kevin McLaughlin, the former deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command.

In their testimonies, the trio emphasized studies over the years that showed that reorganization of space capabilities within the department of defense was needed; calls for bipartisan support for building the new Space Force; and a belief that adversaries are already working to develop weapons to disable U.S. space resources, such as spy and communications satellites. There is an absence of norms of behavior for the military in space, and developing a Space Force could codify how to operate in that domain, the panelists said.

The themes were echoed by further comments from Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon, Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Paul Selva and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson. The White House deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, also weighed in on the necessity of the Space Force.

After the six recommendations for creating the Space Force were reiterated, Pence said that the council would likely next meet early in 2019.

"With your help, with President Trump's continued energetic leadership, with the strong support of the Congress and the strong support of the Pentagon, our intelligence community and all the agencies represented here, I believe we will make history and we will launch the United States Space Force, and America will lead to a more peaceful and prosperous future in space for America and for all of mankind," he said.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (at left) presents Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz (at right) with a proclamation declaring Oct. 23, 2018 as "Gene Kranz Day" while Space Center Houston president and CEO William Harris looks on, at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018.

HOUSTON  A NASA legend who led the team that landed humans on the moon almost 50 years ago was saluted in Houston on Tuesday (Oct. 23) for his current role preserving the historic site where the Apollo 11 mission was managed.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed Oct. 23, 2018 "Gene Kranz Day," honoring the Apollo flight director at an event organized by Space Center Houston. The "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon was also a benefit, raising $300,000 for the restoration of the Mission Operations Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center where Kranz defined the principles of Mission Control.

"Gene Kranz has made extraordinary contributions to human space exploration by pioneering the processes and protocols that continue to ensure successful missions," said Turner. "These processes emphasize toughness, competence, teamwork and accountability." [Thank You, Houston: Unsung Heroes Star in New 'Mission Control Doc]

"As a native Houstonian, this is a very proud moment," said Turner, addressing Kranz in front of a room of 400 NASA managers, elected officials and business leaders at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Houston. "You really have put not just the city of Houston, but Webster, Friendswood, and the whole area on the map."

Kranz served as a flight director for NASA's Gemini and Apollo programs. He was at the head of Mission Control when Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, but he is perhaps best known for his role in saving a stranded moon-bound crew in April 1970, as portrayed by Ed Harris in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13."

"Gene, we salute you for making the terms 'discipline, morale, toughness and competence' the core values of the work in Mission Control," said astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor in a video recorded on the International Space Station. "Your legacy will enable us to continue the journey back to the moon and beyond."

Apollo-era flight director Gene Kranz addresses Space Center Houstons "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon guests at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

In recent years, Kranz has spearheaded the effort to return his former workplace A NASA's historic Mission Operations Control Room  to how it looked at the time of the first moon landing. Space Center Houston, as the official visitor center for Johnson Space Center, has led the campaign to raise the $5 million needed to complete the restoration in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission in July 2019.

"Today is really monumental because we have been working to raise funds, a $5 million campaign, to restore the historic mission control room and we are getting closer to that goal," said William Harris, president and CEO of Space Center Houston. "All of the proceeds from today's luncheon are going to towards those efforts."

The city of Webster, a suburb of Houston, provided the lead gift of $3.5 million in 2017. A successful Kickstarter campaign raised an additional $500,000.

The $300,000 from Tuesday's "To the Moon and Beyond" luncheon brings the total raised to date to $4.5 million.

"We're restoring Mission Control to the 1960s," said Harris, "so it will be as if all of the flight controllers got up and took a break. You're going to be able to experience what it was like during the historic Apollo missions."

Embroidered patch representing the restoration of NASA's historic Mission Operations Control Room in Houston. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

Three Apollo astronauts attended Tuesday's event, including Walt Cunningham who flew on Apollo 7 50 years ago this month and Charlie Duke who walked on the moon on Apollo 16 in 1972.

"I would be remiss if I did not give recognition to two special donors who are here today, Apollo 8 astronaut and Major General Bill Anders and his wife, Valerie," said Gwen Griffin, event chair and the daughter of Apollo flight director Gerry Griffin. "When Bill received the invitation to today's luncheon he wanted to outdo the rest of us, so he created his own level of support.

"He [Anders] named that level 'Go for TLI,' which those in the space business know stands for Trans-Lunar Injection. Apollo 8, Bill's flight, marked the first time that we sent a crew to the moon and we were 'go for TLI,'" said Griffin.

The luncheon kicked off Space Center Houston's countdown to the Apollo 11 50th anniversary next year. The nonprofit educational center is planning activities to lead up to July 2019, when a month-long "Defying Gravity" celebration will be held, including a ribbon-cutting for the restored Mission Control room.

"It was really a great opportunity to work in Mission Control," said Kranz, standing alongside fellow flight directors Griffin and Milt Windler. "We thank the members of the Flight Support Division who are restoring Mission Control and we thank Space Center Houston for their efforts in raising the funds to restore it."

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
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Somos la sangre. We are the blood. And blood shed is the steepest price of war. One beloved character very nearly sacrificed the whole enchilada in one particularly heroic, horrific scene. A good third of the rest were left in jeopardy with a cliffhanger! There was also a tank. Basically, the show isn't holding back a thing going into its final episodes.





Chandler and Sasha are leading an attack against a top secret Cuban military location known as Camp X. The Cuban President has apparently holed up inside too, which makes it an even more valuable target. However, Team Fuentes and Team Red White and Blue are getting hit hard by the defending forces, and Danny can't run across the battlefield all day trying to save fallen soldiers. To add to the stress levels, Kara reports in they haven't been able to find their battleship nemesis yet. That's the last thing you want to lose. It doesn't stay missing long. Their command center outside Camp X is bombarded, killing most of the family that lived there. Before he died though, the boy who lived there provided some information on a way to sneak into Camp X. Delta Team checks out the intel, and there is a back door so to speak. All this plays out against the relentless battle being waged, a storm of flying dirt and bullets. With the number of explosions, close calls, and even bayonet close combat style fighting, it was nonstop action.When a tank rolls out of Camp X, it is certain to be bad news. That doesn't lessen the shock when Miller is awfully injured protecting a comrade. (In retrospect, the foreshadowing was present in "Warriors".)doesn't shy away showing the gory aftermath or Miller's distressing fear. Although thes Helo crew swoops in to lay down some cover fire and evacuate Miller, there's no feeling of relief yet. When Burk sees Miller for the first time in the infirmary, he's momentarily overcome at seeing his friend like this. And so are we.For every hero, there's a stone cold crazy villain. Kelsey's phone call was from Gustavos's pal Octavio, and apparently he and Kelsey are in a relationship. So he tells her. The lady on his hit squad who gave Kelsey a dirty glance might have different feelings. In any case, Octavio tells Kelsey they just have one more job to before they leave for Colombia. The next thing we see is Kelsey walking into South Comm with hands in the air. SO MANY RED FLAGS.Setting aside the fact that it was clearly too easy to get to the door, they proceed to handle her with kid gloves. Did you see how much meat was on that sandwich they gave her?! Half a poultry farm at least. Needless to say, her arrival there is part of a ruse that will require bringing in paramedics. Except they're not paramedics! Now Meylan, Swain, and Slattery and perhaps even the President are in utter peril. If we just pretend that security wasn't totally lax there, this is a nail-biting, frightening note to end the episode on. That evil smirk that Kelsey gave Slattery in the elevator was perfectly evil. She definitely remembers him from Alisha's birthday BBQ. The good news is that he's clearly wary of her, which may or may not give him a lifesaving edge in the next episode.Chandler discovers the plan to infiltrate South Comm after they take Camp X (thanks to some help from Danny who gets control of the tank and Azima and Wolf's usual kickass professionalism), although it's too late to do anything about that. Out at sea, thehas to fire blind at the enemy battleship, with no idea if they made a successful hit. It still lurks out of reach, a formidable and possibly catastrophic threat.This may not have been the series' eleventh hour episode, but it's safe to say we have entered the "darkest before the dawn" period. There were no advantages gained, no meaningful victories, and everyone is in more danger than before. It was absolutely gripping, and it can only get more intense from here.Also, this episode was not entirely made up of edge-of-your-seat moments. Wolf and Azima continued their proud tradition of flirting while under fire. These final episodes might not have too much space to spend on relationships of all kinds, but every little bit is rewarding.Side note: They keep bringing up Kelsey's daughter, so I guess it's safe to say that she will escape whatever happens next at South Comm and try to kidnap her or something? And don't ask me to comment further on her sandwich subterfuge scene, because I temporarily lost my eyeballs when they got stuck in the back of my head. No way I would have left that woman to eat a crumb in peace. Going back to thinking about Wolf and Azima now.
STAMFORD  The crowd at this weeks Board of Education meeting was all red  from the crimson shade of their Westover Magnet Elementary School gear and some faces that were flushed with anger.

Over a dozen parents and staff from Westover and Newfield Elementary each shared stories of finding mold behind classroom wallpaper and ceiling tiles, of children arriving home with migraines that leave them unable to eat and coughs that disappear when students leave school for the weekend.

One former Westover teacher, Terry Lohemeyer, described the respiratory issues shes had since retiring after 27 years in 2014. Her condition sends her to Greenwich Hospital three times a week for pulmonary rehabilitation and requires hour-long daily regimens to help strengthen her lungs.

This is not exactly how I pictured my golden years, she said. While I dont know what role mold played in this issue, it couldnt have helped.

Parents from Newfield Elementary School also spoke of portable classrooms where mice, squirrels, birds, feces and pervasive mold have been found.

During nearly two hours of public comment, parents and staff from both schools said they feared for the safety of their children and were angered by the districts perceived lack of timeliness and transparency as students were moved from their classrooms in the last several weeks due to mold found earlier in the school year.

It took this long to take action for the students and teachers and the staff at Newfield? Really? said Sherry West, mother of a former Newfield student. My concerns about the timeliness are overwhelming. And maybe what should happen is, Superintendent Kim, you could rotate between all the schools in the district and spend a month in each school to really see on a regular basis what its like to be in these schools that are in such poor condition.

Growing mold issues have highlighted a lack of capital funds for school buildings, as well as the state of neglect into which some of them have fallen, namely Newfield and Westover.

Officials have blamed the mold on the weather, pointing out other schools in the area have faced similar issues.

A status update from the district on Wednesday said that nine classrooms at Westover had mold dating back to August. Seven of those classrooms have been remediated and occupancy has been listed as pending for all rooms where mold was found. A 10th classroom, Room 130, reported mold on Oct. 12, but the Oct. 24 report said an inspection of that room had yet to be scheduled.

Kelly Lane, a reading teacher who has been at Westover 13 years, sought to have every room in the school inspected, saying at Tuesday nights meeting that a current mold-detection protocol of smell something, say something is insufficient.

We desperately need two things restored: one: peace of mind, and two: trust, she said. We have no peace of mind that where we work is a safe place. As someone whos in almost every room, I literally find myself looking up at the ceiling tiles, wondering if theres mold behind there.

RELATED: What we know about the mold problem in Stamford schools

At Newfield, mold was reported in six classrooms on Sept. 16, according to the districts report. The classrooms were cleared two days later when mold was found in the garage. On Oct. 3, mold was again reported in the 400-block of classrooms. An inspection two days later confirmed that there was mold and remediation was scheduled for Oct. 15.

The report posted on Oct. 24 claimed some of the classrooms were clean on the Oct. 5 inspection, conflicting with a previous report.

A post-remediation inspection was held on Oct. 18 in the classrooms, but the results were not listed in Wednesdays report.

According to an Oct. 4 letter to Newfield parents from Principal Lisa Saba-Price, remediation was occurring in all six modular classrooms, as well as the garage. Students were relocated to temporary classrooms, including the computer lab and auditorium.

An earlier letter dated Sept. 20 reported a smell had been reported in the portable wing of the building and assured parents students would be removed if mold was found in their classroom. An indoor air quality test only found mold in the garage.

Many parents suggested it was time to retire the portables at Newfield which have exceeded their life span since they were placed there decades earlier.

Comments were often met with applause and cries of agreement as irritation mounted. Parents began shouting at the board and walking out when it became clear nothing was going to be done that night to get the students out of the school.

Board members later urged parents and staff to keep speaking up at Board of Finance and Board of Representatives meetings to push the city to give the funds necessary to repair these issues.

According to the latest report, mold remediation has cost the district more than $370,000 this year  excluding custodial overtime, which is already $43,000 over where it was last year. The funds for the remediation are not part of this years budget.

The question of cost should not be relevant here, board chair David Mannis said. The question is removing this health hazard.

Board member Nick Tarzia asked people to videotape whats going on in the buildings. Tarzia, who works in construction, said the problems at Westover stem from the gutters, roof, window caulking and drainage in the courtyard, which are in need of repair.

But with only $5 million in capital project money for 21 schools, the boards hands are tied despite the severity of the problem. Board member Mike Altamura said he approached Stamford officials about the issue because the buildings are rented from the city, only to be told the district is both the tenant and the landlord.

We hear you, Altamura said. Ive been doing this for three years. They dont give us the money...Your voices have to go higher than this board...we have our hands tied.

Superintendent Earl Kim said he was going to meet with Clarence Zachery, the districts chief fiscal and operations support office, as well school administration and the local Occupational Safety and Health Administration to come up with a plan.

erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata
When most entrepreneurs think about raising money online, hopping on Kickstarter is probably what comes to mind. But, the big brand name in crowdfunding has its drawbacks -- most notably, that only 36 percent of its campaigns get funded. So many campaigns run on Kickstarter these days, it can be hard to stand out from the pack.

Related: My Company Raised Over $1 Million on Indiegogo -- And It Almost Killed Us

The good news? There are many alternatives, and quite a few emerging crowdfunding platforms are specialized by industry. In the real-estate sector, for instance, crowdfunding has exploded -- the site Real Estate Crowdfunding Review recently ranked over 100 platforms in the niche.

If your company fits one of the niches that has its own crowdfunding sites, it's worth considering using a specialized platform.

Curious if there's a better way to score crowdfunding money for your startup? Take a look at this list of the cream of the industry-specific crowdfunding platforms (listed alphabetically):

1. CrowdStreet

If you're building a real-estate investment business -- or developing real-estate projects -- check out the online crowdfunding opportunities on CrowdStreet. The site gives you a chance to invest in or seek funding for major commercial and residential construction projects -- recently funded developments include a Red Lion Hotel in Houston, a Colorado self-storage facility and a major condo redevelopment project in Chicago.

2. CrowdSupply

CrowdSupply focuses on funding computer hardware startups. The average amount raised here is $66,000 -- and CrowdSupply's 70 percent success rate has Kickstarter beat.

A typical recent success: Open-source video board-maker Alphamax raised almost $78,000 for its NeTV2, beating its $15,000 goal.

Related: 3 Entrepreneurs Who Raised More Than $1 Million Crowdfunding Share the Secrets to Their Success

3. Experiment

Experiment is a platform for startups looking to fund research projects in 20 different categories, from biology and computer science to political research. Most goals here are modest -- think $1,000 to $5,000 or so -- and many entrepreneurs are university-based. But, it adds up: Over $8 million has been raised, and 845 projects funded.

An example of a recent win: Orca Network raised $7,000 to study whether Northwest marine mammals carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

4. FundThatFlip

If your business is remodeling and reselling homes, FundThatFlip offers a place to get quick cash to fix up and resell. Investors put in a minimum of $5,000. FundThatFlip promises a five-minute application process and seven-day approvals.

5. Patreon

If your business puts out product monthly -- say, training videos or graphic novels -- Patreon is a site to explore. Unlike any other crowdfunding platform on this list, Patreon lets you solicit recurring monthly support from "patrons.' If your startup could thrive on a monthly membership model, you can earn big here.

An example is the motorcycle-safety video business MCrider. Owner Kevin Morris brings in nearly $12,000 per month from over 2,600 patrons with his monthly video releases, special events, forums, and more.

Related: 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Running a Crowdfunding Campaign

6. PledgeMusic

If your business involves making music, PledgeMusic is the platform for you. Over 50,000 artists connect directly with over 3 million fans to earn here, offering downloads, limited-edition releases, private concerts, signed vinyl, posters and other promo items.

It's not just used by unknowns trying to break out, either. On a recent viewing, a limited-edition Willie Nelson album was taking preorders.

7. Seed & Spark

This movie-and-TV focused platform works a bit like Patreon, except backers can subscribe to the platform itself, as well as backing individual creators' offerings. The Seed & Spark platform invests additional funds in shows, with an emphasis on gender parity.

Over $12 million has been raised to fund over 900 shows, and Seed & Spark boasts an 85 percent campaign success rate.

8. SelfStarter

Attention techies: SelfStarter is the platform for D-I-Y coders, or as they put it, "roll your own crowdfunding." It was built by startup Apigy, after the company's own Lockitron keyless entry system was turned down for fundraising on Kickstarter.

If Ruby on Rails and Heroku are familiar tools, you can build your own crowdfunding campaign here, to host on your own site. It's open source and free to use. Goodbye, platform commissions!

Related: Study Details Why Women Entrepreneurs Have Greater Crowdfunding Success

9. Techmoola

Techmoola hosts a broader range of tech projects than CrowdSupply, taking projects in 3D printing, clean tech, electronic, software, biotech and more. Started back in 2011, Techmoola functions like major player Indiegogo -- you can elect to keep whatever you raise, or make your campaign goal "all or nothing."

This is a big-money crowdfunding site, with the average campaign pulling in $200,000 to $400,000, Techmoola states. On a recent visit, payment systems were being updated -- check back to see if you can submit a new campaign. Bring your "A" game: The site states only 3 percent of submissions are accepted.

10. Women You Should Fund

Traditional venture capital tends to be a man's game. Women entrepreneurs tend to get a tiny fraction of that investor money -- and Women You Should Fund hopes to do something about it. Brought to you by the digital hub Women You Should Know, the site offers to help promote your campaign through its extensive social network.

Many campaigns here have a social mission, such as ending domestic violence. But, there are straight-ahead business startups here too, such as the Cheese Grotto, a cheese-storage system that raised $8,000 for cheesemaker Jessica Sennett.

Consider your country.

If you're outside the U.S., don't ignore country-specific crowdfunding platforms that could help you attract patriotic investors who want to help build the local economy. Examples include Canada's GoTroo or the U.K. platform CrowdCube. Both sites host equity crowdfunding campaigns, in which investors acquire a small stake in your startup in exchange for their cash.

There are many flavors of crowdfunding, so be sure to investigate any platform you're considering for a crowdfunding campaign. Ask successful funders for tips, ask platform staff questions, and plan carefully before you launch.

Related:

Beyond Kickstarter: 10 Niche Crowdfunding Platforms for Startups

98 Percent of VC Funding Goes to Men. Can Women Entrepreneurs Change a Sexist System?

Survey Shows Founders Ignored by VCs Are Succeeding With Equity Crowdfunding



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Many successful entrepreneurs, especially young ones, don't set out trying to start a company -- they stumble into a problem, find a solution and that eventually turns into a company.

Related: Meet the New Bosses: How These Entrepreneurs Under 20 Are Changing Industries

While 45 is the average age of a successful startup founder, I was only a sophomore in high school when the idea for Quizlet came to me. It was 2005; the iPhone had yet to be released and Facebook had just opened up to high school students for the first time. I needed a way to quickly and efficiently study hundreds of French vocabulary words. What started as a method to ace a test (111 French animals!), caught on like wildfire and became a global tool with more than 30 million monthly users.

How I think about business has shifted significantly over the past 13 years. With age comes reflection; here are some of the lessons I learned along the way.

From intuition-driven to data-driven decisions

Like most 15-year-olds, in the beginning I was mostly focused on ... myself. I would use Quizlet to study, identify something that needed to be fixed, and then quickly update the code and release something new. However, as both Quizlet and I grew up, it became clear that I had to shift focus to what was best for the masses -- students and teachers all over the world.

When Quizlet raised money for the first time, we got a lot of questions we didn't know how to answer. We had bootstrapped the business for 10 years before raising funding -- which is uncommon in the tech world, though Github and Atlassian took similar paths. We had millions of people using the product, but we knew very little about how they used it. How many people share their learning content with others? How many people who sign up are still learning on the product a month later? We didn't have the data to answer these questions.

The development of the product was based a lot on intuition, using it ourselves, and talking to other users. But, with millions of users, different people used the product for different things. For example, even though Quizlet wasn't built for helping nursing students, hundreds of thousands of them now use it to study, and their needs vary from those of a high school student.

Our new investors pushed us to better understand our metrics, causing us to see some parts of the product really weren't working or used at all. Today, the product analytics team plays a central role in everything we do. There's still plenty of room for intuition and storytelling, but data informs every decision we make. We are much more thoughtful and focused as a result.

Related: What I Learned From Watching My Teenage Son Start and Grow His Side Hustle

Deciding which things to hold on to, and which to cede control over

It's human nature to want to control every aspect of your "baby," but as a company scales, it becomes too large for one person to bear. To be successful, you need people with different types of experiences and skills and you have to come to terms with the fact that you're not going to be good at everything, or even more jarring, that you're really bad at some things.

I quickly realized how vital the recruiting process was. More than just having a specific skillset, I wanted people who were genuinely passionate about our company's mission. It takes on average 71 days to fill C-level jobs, but the time we put into the search led to an amazing partner who helped me grow the business -- our current CEO, Matthew Glotzbach. A lesson learned: It's fine if hiring takes longer than you initially planned for -- it means you're being selective and careful with who you're giving ownership to.

The importance of money

Revenue enables our educational mission. The more money we make, the more cool stuff we can do to help people learn. I've always been a very mission-driven person, and I'm passionate about improving education worldwide. The reality is though, most education startups die because they don't make enough money -- especially as the users you're targeting (teachers and students) often aren't the ones controlling school expenditures for technology or spending much money of their own. When I started, I wasn't terribly interested in how Quizlet was going to make money. Now, it's something we focus on a lot and I'm really happy about that.

The way we help a billion people learn is by building a really big business. We ask students and teachers to pay us for additional content and capabilities inside Quizlet. That means the people who like us the most are paying us directly. We also have ads, which allow us to serve tens of millions of people completely for free. This revenue model means we're building a sustainable business that is independent and will be around for a long time.

Related: This Is What I Learned From My First Business, Which Went From Broke to $500,000 in Sales

A changing job description

The challenges and growing pains are changing all the time (we've doubled our team in the past year), so I've had to reinvent my role numerous times. These days, I write a completely new job description for myself every six months. In the beginning all I thought about was what to build next and how to solve user problems -- and then as Quizlet began to mature, how to keep the site up when we were growing quickly.

Now we have a solid team of talented people who think about product development and platform infrastructure. It frees me up to focus on the big picture, like prototyping future product directions, hiring, keeping our company culture strong, and future funding and investments.

What part of my job doesn't change? Knowing that the most interesting lessons are still ahead of me.

Related:

5 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Make Time for

I've Been Running My Company for Almost Half My Life. Here's What I've Learned.

In Search of that 'A-ha' Moment? This Entrepreneur Says It May Take Longer Than Expected.



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
NEW CANAAN  The Mead Park Brick Barn stands to see another day, maybe another two weeks and possibly years. At least, not until the demolition contract gets a signature from the Board of Selectmen.

In a rare occurrence, the Board of Selectmen did not take action on approving the demolition contract slated to take down the brick barn, whose 90-day demolition delay imposed by the Historical Review Committee concluded this week.

The action, supposedly, might get pushed to the Nov. 6 selectmen meeting where it, again, could be undecided.

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, who has emphasized his position on bringing down the brick building, was overridden by fellow Republican Selectman Nick Williams and Democratic Selectman Kit Devereaux when neither made a motion to vote on the item or schedule it for the Nov. 6 meeting.

The topic of the Mead Park Brick Barn brought about 25 residents to the 8:30 a.m. meeting Tuesday. Many aligned themselves with the New Canaan Preservation Alliance, a local group that has pitched a plan to town officials to maintain the brick building.

Charlie Robinson from the Alliance and other preservationists argued that the demolition contract is called off. When asked about what the specific use of the building would be, Robinson explained it would be to host the Alliance or other organizations.

Nothing has changed with reliable state funding sources, Robinson said. Use will be office space for the Preservation Alliance and subletting to 501(c) organizations  it will be low impact and with great sensitivity for the neighborhood.

From the beginning, the swing vote was going to fall unto Williams; Devereaux had expressed her desire to give the Alliance an opportunity. Williams inquired about when funding from the state would come in to which Robinson replied that it would take, at most, three months.

A total of 11 speakers voiced their concerns on the barn.

Some residents were in opposition to the plan, arguing that the town was already preserving over 50 buildings per a Town Building Evaluation report and that town bodies had already approved funding for the demolition.

This building doesnt rise to the level of architectural significance, Laszlo Papp, a Planning and Zoning commissioner, said. If you approve this, youre going to create a very dangerous precedent for private-public partnerships and promises will be accepted rather than money put on the table.

The back and forth on the demolition goes back to May when the town council  where Moynihan had to cast a rare tie-breaking vote  approved funding for the demolition. The Historical Review Committee ina 3-2 vote, granted a 90-day demolition delay that expired this week.

The Preservation Alliance presented its plan to uphold and maintain the barn in September to the town council in what also resulted to be a contentious debate.

The organizations plan for the barn was detailed in a four-year phase that included restoration of the exterior and interior and a $350,000 hard cost budget funded by the Alliance in tandem with the states Historic Restoration Fund.

This (effort) is preservation for the sake of preservation, the building has no worthwhile use, Moynihan said. Im very concerned that we can nullify the actions of our funding bodies.

humberto.juarez@hearstmediact.com
STAMFORD  An Ansonia man just released from prison after a weapons conviction was picked up in Stamford Tuesday with a loaded handgun and drugs, police said.

Capt. Richard Conklin said that officers in the Narcotics and Organized Crime squad were tipped off that a man with the street name Duka was selling narcotics in Stamford, Greenwich and Bridgeport.

Duka was described as 18 to 20 years old, 5 6 to 5 8 in height, with shoulder-length dreadlocks.

Looking into his background, police determined Dukas real name was Dashawn Johnson, who has had a number of prior arrests including firearms and whose name was on the Connecticut Deadly Weapon Offender Registry. He was released from prison on Sept. 13.

According to court documents, Johnson was convicted of criminal possession of a firearm in November 2016, and was sentenced to two years in jail.

Conklin said the officers heard that Johnson would be making a delivery around 26 Perry St. on Tuesday night. At about 10:30 p.m. the officers saw a red four-door Hundai Sonata drive in and they could tell from photographs of Johnson that he was behind the wheel.

With the help of the Special Response Team (SWAT) the officers boxed the car into the parking lot and pulled Johnson out of the vehicle.

On his person they allegedly found him in possession of 50 glassine envelopes of a white powder that tested positive for fentanyl. The envelopes were stamped Sicario, after a movie of the same name.

While police were searching the center console of the vehicle they allegedly found a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver with four bullets in the cylinder, Conklin said.

A search on the weapons serial number found it had been reported stolen in Las Vegas in 1993. The Hyundai was reported stolen earlier that same day in Bridgeport.

Johnson was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, stealing a firearm, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, second-degree larceny, driving without a license and improper use of a license plate.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
B arclays declared its controversial investment bank was beating bigger rivals on Wall Street on Wednesday as it braced for a crunch meeting with activist investor Ed Bramson.

The New York corporate raider wants Barclays to scrap at least some of its trading arm and return cash to beleaguered shareholders.

But Barclays chief executive Jes Staley insists the best way for investors to gain is for the bank to keep chasing deals in London and on Wall Street.

He noted that the bank was involved in the three biggest takeovers this year, Comcasts bid for Sky, Randgolds merger with Barrick and Michael Kors purchase of Versace, giving the lie to the idea that European banks cant compete in investment banking.

He said: Four quarters in a row we have gained market share. The reality of what is happening belies the proposition that we cant compete. We think the diversification makes the bank safer.

In the third quarter profits jumped from 1.1 billion a year ago to 1.5 billion. The trading arm saw revenues up from 627 million to 688 million.

A Serious Fraud Office probe hangs over the bank, as does Bramson.

Staley said: We have only met once with Ed Bramson. We are going to meet him again in a few weeks. He has not yet articulated to the bank what his strategy is. We read the papers. But there has been no real exchange between him and us.

Barclays is redeeming $2.65 billion (2 billion) of preference shares, a move that will cut borrowing costs. That move on top of a rising dividend, 6.5p for 2018, means investors should start to see good returns, though the share price remains stubbornly low. It rose 2p to 168p.

Staley said Barclays is beginning that road of taking excess earnings and returning them to shareholders. Our intention is to continue that.

Finance director Tushar Morzaria said: We dont control the share price. The market controls that. We are continuing to grow our business and gain market share. Barclays admits Brexit is weighing heavily on clients, but Morzaria was sanguine. He said: With all of these things people always overreact. It is very rare that people correctly predict a crisis. The more they talk about it the less likelihood there is going to be one.
M arilyn Noel, a 55-year old who lives in Brixton and is between jobs, doesnt mind where her food comes from. I dont bother with labels. If its there, Im buying it. We dont even know where half of the products come from in this country and we still buy it, she says, clutching two bags outside Lidl in Clapham.

She may be right. Under current laws, supermarket chains are not obliged to state on the label where the ingredients, such as the flour for bread or the pork in a pork pie, come from as long as the products are packaged, processed or cooked in Britain.

The horsemeat scandal five years ago revealed how complex food supply chains are, exposing how hard it was for grocers to track what went into their own-label food. Some of the practices that allow a product to be referred to as British remain opaque at a time when the propensity to buy British is going up. Around half of food shoppers would like to see more British items on the shelves, Mintel research shows. And retailers are assiduously trying to capitalise on this feeling to boost their battered margins in a brutally competitive grocery market. But at what price?

The issue is not being able to tell if processed food is British food or not, says Tim Benton, a professor of ecology at the University of Leeds. Although with fresh meat you will be able to tell, it is with chicken pie or chicken curry you cant tell whether youre getting chlorine-washed chicken or not.

One industry source said that to make black pudding, for example, some grocers import blood from eastern Europe, and even dilute it with water in Britain, before they turn it into the breakfast item and say it is produced in the UK. For a product to be Made in Britain most of a products primary ingredients, usually meat and vegetables, would have to come from the UK.

There are some smoke and mirrors out there, says Shore Capitals Clive Black. Its a bit like the car industry. The components of a car assembled in the UK arent necessarily made in the UK. We see the same in the food industry. Someone can import protein and dairy products and package or repackage them in the UK and portray it as a British product from a British firm.

Tesco came under fire two years ago for slapping fictional British-sounding farm names (Boswell Farms, Rosedene Farms) on its cheap ranges of fresh produce, some of which was sourced from abroad. Waitrose was also forced last year to rebrand some of its British range ready meals because a proportion were made with New Zealand lamb.

Tescos most recent move to open a discount chain, Jacks, plastered with Union Flags and pledging to sell mostly British products at the cheapest prices raised eyebrows. The grocer says the size of the operation  it only plans to open up to 15 Jacks  means it can achieve cheap British food by flexing its negotiating and buying muscle with existing suppliers.

Although the dial is shifting towards British made, the UK cannot physically make more than 60% of its own food, down from 80% in the Eighties because of reduced amounts of farmland and cheaper imports. A further fall is anticipated after Brexit, the National Farmers Union said recently. Of course, we will never be able to grow mangoes in Britain so theres a cap on how much British food a supermarket can stock. We import more than we export in all types of food  46.4 billion versus 22.1 billion, with a third of the UKs food supply coming from the EU.

The supermarkets are coy about exactly how many of their products are British. Morrisons is the only one of the Big Four to say that more than two- thirds are, but thats because it has its own food factories and abattoirs. Sainsburys adds: We dont say it is British unless 100% of the supply chain, end-to-end, is British. The entire own brand has to be British. Tesco says all its fresh chicken, beef, eggs and milk are sourced from the UK and Ireland. Asda did not comment.

Discounters Lidl and Aldi, the latter being particularly hit by the horsemeat scandal, have been making big commitments to British produce in recent years. Around 40% of discount shoppers now believe Aldi and Lidl source the majority of their products from the UK, Mintel says.

But some disagree. Teacher Dione Cooper, 47, who shops at Asda, says: If I had a choice between buying a steak in Asda and buying a steak in Lidl, Id still buy a steak in Asda because I know what Im getting. At Lidl there are lots of European products, I find I can read and trust Asda labels more.

Most of the grocers are largely selling British fresh meat, says the NFU. But it adds: We think labelling is still too difficult to understand, making it difficult for consumers to identify British produce, particularly in the dairy sector.

Then theres the issue of British suppliers. Supermarkets are reluctant to break down the figures. Morrisons says around 90% of its suppliers fit the bill, and Tesco is working in partnership with thousands.

Marks & Spencer adds that 70% of its suppliers are based in the UK, and Aldi puts the figure at 1000, adding that more than 75% of sales are generated from products sourced by British suppliers. The Co-op works with more than 550 and Lidl says two-thirds of its listed products come from British suppliers.

Even so, one grocer explains, when the country of origin says the UK, its often not the case. Supermarkets commonly refer to the likes of Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch company which makes a lot of its products abroad, as a British supplier merely because its headquartered in the UK.

Theres no information about where your products actually come from. I think its disingenuous and someone needs to hold them to account, an industry source adds.

Brexit hangs over the industry too, with fears of large queues to import much-needed food and suggestions that big firms might stockpile goods. Also, there are concerns that a disorderly Brexit, under World Trade Organization rules, would inflame the vagueness around provenance and open the floodgates to cheap food, imported from countries with lower welfare standards to keep prices down.

On the flipside, it could give brand Britain a boost as shoppers would turn to eating more locally made food that they trust. If there is a reduction in trust, that might drive a different labelling standard, Professor Benton adds.
A s a keen sailor back in his beloved New England, Jes Staley knows a thing or two about turning around big ships. Namely, it takes ages.

So it is proving at Barclays, the supertanker he has been steering for three years now.

The previous managements view was that Barclays must shed its investment banking trading operations and focus on retail and business banking.

Staley disagrees. He has spent much of his time rebuilding the investment bank, in the process hiring plenty of his old colleagues from JPMorgan and investing massively in IT.

But it has not been a smooth recovery, and plenty in the City reckon hed be better off focusing on the retail stuff, where he gets a far better return on capital. They have found a champion for their cause in activist investor Edward Bramson.

Staleys counterview is that, when volatility returns to the markets, the investment banks traders will make a fortune. As Deutsche Bank pulls back, it will be the only European champion in the business.

This paper backs him to the hilt on that, but it is frustrating how long the strategy is taking to prove itself. Return on tangible equity (or ROTE; forgive the jargon) was just 7% at the investment bank during the past three months, compared with around 20% in the other parts of the business. Such a differential is manna to Bramsons argument that shareholders money is better put to work in other parts of the bank.

However, theres more going on here that Bramson would prefer you not to notice. While its true markets were quiet, the 7% ROTE in the investment bank was up on the 6% reported last time. In other words,its going in the right direction.

Furthermore, big deals Barclays worked on like Sky, Randgold and Michael Kors will only see fees land next quarter.

Bramson is not thought to be calling for Barclays to get out of investment banking advisory work, only the trading business. But Barclays wins advisory mandates from the likes of Sky because  like its big rivals on Wall Street  the roughnecks trading bonds and equities on its dealing floor inform the advisory teams on market sentiment.

So, when the smoothies in advisory go into clients boardrooms to discuss floats, bond issues and takeovers, they speak with real knowledge about what investors want and how much they will pay.

Scaling back trading would damage this and be massively disruptive and costly.

Elsewhere in Barclays figures today is the news that the regulator has allowed it to redeem $2.65 billion of shares. As broker Jefferies points out, watchdogs wouldnt have done that if they were worried about Barclays capital position.
M exican fast-food chain Taco Bell on Wednesday outlined plans to return to London for the first time since the Nineties, with a string of new branches.

Taco Bell, owned by New York-listed Yum!, has agreed for a number of franchisees to open restaurants in Hammersmith, Fulham Broadway and Holborn before the end of the year.

Liz Williams, the president of Taco Bell International, who is over from the US to look at properties here, added: These will be the first of many for us in London.

Williams added: Rent in London is notoriously high, and at the time, there wasn't as much consumer demand for Mexican food. Today there is huge appetite for this cuisine and the Taco Bell brand.

The deals come around two decades after the burritos-maker exited sites in Earls Court and Leicester Square. It has gradually returned to the UK with 27 branches outside the capital.
S ir James Dyson, the billionaire inventor, has boosted the size of his London property empire with a 26 million deal, the Evening Standard can reveal.

Property sources said an investment vehicle linked to Weybourne Group, where Dyson is the majority shareholder, has bought the 100 Union Street office block between Southwark and Borough Tube stations.

It is a 19,437 square feet office building let to businesses including chopping board maker Joseph Joseph and produces rent of 1.2 million per year.

The private vendor was advised by property agent Springer Nicolas

Alastair Hilton of South Bank agent Union Street Partners said the area, dubbed SoBo by local estate agents, is becoming a destination for a wide variety of occupiers from tech to finance.

Dyson, who yesterday unveiled plans for an electric car factory in Singapore, is understood to have a large property and land portfolio.

This includes buildings in Fitzrovia and 25,000 acres of farmland.
The young royals are having a glamorous week.

Mere hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended their first state dinner as a married couple in Fiji, the Queen hosted a lavish banquet at Buckingham Palace to mark the two-day visit of Dutch royals Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander.

Both duchesses opted for sweeping evening gowns in varying blue shadesMeghan's by London-based brand Safiya, and Kate's custom made by Alexander McQueenbut that is where the similarities in their elegant outfits ended.

Many were surprised by Meghan's sartorial state dinner debut, as it was thought that the grand occasion would see the pregnant duchess don her first tiara since becoming a member of the Royal Family.

Kate Middleton attends state dinner in honour of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima / AFP/Getty Images

Although it is custom for royals to wear tiaras when attending the goverment-funded dinners, it is up to personal preference. Meghan chose to shun the tiara tradition, instead opting for a statement pair of earrings, thought to have been borrowed from Her Majesty.

Harry and Meghan arrive in Fiji 1 /41 Harry and Meghan arrive in Fiji Prince Harry and Meghan arrive for the State dinner in Suva, Fiji AP PA Getty Images PA AP AP AP Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the official dinner in Suva, Fiji AP Prince Harry and Meghan attend an official welcome ceremony Reuters Traditional fijian men carry roasted pig in Alberts park AP Prince Harry and Meghan attend an official welcome ceremony at Albert Park Reuters Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan wave from a balcony as they arrive for an official dinner AP PA Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Suva, Fiji. Getty Images Getty Images Prince Harry drinks kava during a ceremony Reuters Men dressed in traditional attire take part in an official welcome ceremony Reuters Reuters A police vehicle moves past as well-wishers stand along the street Reuters A crowd of people stand along the street during the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Reuters PA AP Meghan waits with Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, left, as a red carpet is laid AP Reuters AP Prince Harry and Meghan on route as hundreds of fans flock by the side of the road Getty Images PA Men in traditional attire wait as Prince Harry and Meghan arrive Reuters Fans hold up 'Windson' sign Getty Images Reuters PA Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend welcome ceremony Getty Images PA PA PA Children smile and wave flags as Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Suva, Fiji Reuters Reuters Getty Images EPA EPA

Kate, however, did not shy away from adorning her designer dress with numerous jewels from the royal collection - mostly notably, the Lover's Knot tiara.

The exquisite 38-prop pearl headpiece was inherited by the Queen in 1953, before being passed on to Princess Diana after she married Prince Charles. It is now thought to be in Kate's possession, as she has worn it several times since becoming a member of the royal family.

Kate wore diamond and pearl jewels from the royal collection / AFP/Getty Images

Not only did the tiara pay tribute to Kate's late mother-in-law, but the 36-year-old also wore a pair of Collingwood Pearl Earrings, which had been a wedding gift to Princess Diana and were much loved by the style icon.

Princess Diana wearing the pearl earrings in 1981 / Getty Images

The dazzling gems did not stop there.

Kate also wore a statement pearl and diamond necklace, an item of jewellery that again was steeped in royal history. It had once been Queen Alexandra's wedding necklace, which was then gifted to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who wore it constantly.

Although not sparkly, Kate's most talked about accessory on the night was the Royal Family Order that was pinned to her left shoulder.

The Duchess of Cambridge wearing The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II / PA Wire/PA Images

The historical brooch featured a miniature portrait of the Queen, which Her Majesty personally bestows upon female members of the British royal family for formal occasions. Something which she previously did for Diana, who wore the pin during a royal tour of Australia in 1983.
B ritish artist Marc Quinn has announced a new travelling public artwork which will be made from the blood of refugees.

The work, Odyssey, will consist of two cubes of frozen blood  one consisting of blood donated by refugees, and one created from donations made by non-refugees. Visitors will not be told which cube is which.

The work will be made of donations from more than 5000 people, and will include a structure designed by architect Norman Foster and his foundation.

The artwork will initially be shown outside the New York Public Library in late 2019, before going on a global tour, which will include a stop in London.

The aim of the work is to highlight the refugee crisis by emphasising how, regardless of a persons refugee status, participants share more similarities than differences.

The project has been backed by celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Bono and Dame Anna Wintour, who are confirmed to be donating blood to the artwork.

Quinn is best known for his work Self, a self-portrait which consists of Quinn's head cast using his own frozen blood.

For more information, visit bloodcube.org
O n the site where Battersea Arts Centre now stands, Jeanie Nassau Senior used to live. A social activist and Britains first female civil servant, Senior formed the foundations of foster care in the 19th century.

Nearly 150 years later, Battersea Arts Centre is holding a new festival created by and celebrating the artistic contributions of care leavers (people who have been in care).

This week is National Care Leavers Week, running from today until October 31. Established in 2002 by the Care Leavers Association, it was set up to highlight the needs of those who have been in care and encourage the organisations responsible to make sure theyre providing the best support possible.

The first Going Places festival also begins today. Its the only one of its kind and brings performers, artists and speakers who have been in care together to look at the roots of the care system, its benefits, flaws and aspirations for the future.

Bobbi Byrne, herself a care leaver, founded the festival: National Care Leavers Week historically has sat in the silos of academia and the social care and charity sectors. I have felt a need for this exploration or conversation to be expanded beyond these provocations and these settings, to rest in arts centres, theatres, cafes, youth clubs, living rooms and even between care experienced persons themselves.

She will be performing a new piece looking at the fragility of memory through her own experience of care, using records from that time. Maybe This is What it Looks Like is a work in progress piece looking at the history of life in care.

The festival takes its name from a poem by Lemn Sissay which says: I think I'll paint roads on my front room walls to convince myself that I am going places. As a care leaver, he is also performing a new one-man show called You Never See an Alien with an Afro. He journeys from Greek myths to Marvel films to Harry Potter, looking at hero origin stories and the thread that runs through so many: that they were orphaned, fostered or adopted.

The final theatre piece in the festival is DenMarked by Conrad Murray, who founded the Battersea Arts Centres Beatbox Academy. He presents an autobiographical hip hop show moving from a childs life of abuse, neglect and racial tension on a council estate to a future made brighter by creativity and music.

Further events include an exhibition of artwork by care leavers, author readings and talks about the care system experience and its future.

How we prepare our children in care for the future is a collective question, says Byrne. By creating a festival like Going Places, I hope it plays a part in ensuring care leavers have a future where they no longer hustle for worthiness and have a sense of place in society by seeing others who represent a journey similar to their own.

London's best autumn theatre 1 /21 London's best autumn theatre Twelfth Night October 2 - November 17, Young Vic Measure for Measure September 28 - November 24, Donmar Warehouse Company September 26 - December 22, Gielgud Theatre



Buy tickets with GO London Dan Kennedy Sylvia September 3-22, Old Vic Theatre



Buy tickets with GO London Manuel Harlan I'm Not Running From October 2, National Theatre Pinter at the Pinter From September 6, Harold Pinter Theatre Getty Images The Wild Duck October 15 - December 1, Almeida Theatre PA Hadestown November 2 - January 26, National Theatre The Woods September 5 - October 20, Royal Court Theatre The Village September 7 - October 6, Theatre Royal Stratford East



Buy tickets with GO London Getty Images Wise Children October 8 - November 10, Old Vic Theatre



Buy tickets with GO London Misty September 8 - October 20, Trafalgar Studios



Buy tickets with GO London Helen Murray A Very Very Very Dark Matter October 12 - January 6, Bridge Theatre Dave Benett Heathers September 3 - November 24, Theatre Royal Haymarket



Buy tickets with GO London Pamela Raith Holy Sh!t September 5 - October 6, Kiln Theatre Photo by Mark Douet An Adventure September 6 - October 20, Bush Theatre I and You October 18 - November 24, Hampstead Theatre Caroline, or Change November 20 - February 9, Playhouse Theatre



Buy tickets with GO London Marc Brenner The Malady of Death October 3-6, Barbican Centre I'm a Phoenix, B**** October 3-20, Battersea Arts Centre A Small Place November 8 - December 1, Gate Theatre

Also creating a space for care leavers is the Big House, a theatre company working with care leavers at high risk of social exclusion. They are currently in rehearsals for their show Bullet Tongue, which opens at their new Islington premises on November 14.

Maggie Norris founded the theatre company five years ago after noticing the high proportion of young offenders who had been in care. For each Big House production, a playwright works with the cast to create a show that incorporates their own experiences. For this production, playwrights Andrew Day and Sonya Hale have collaborated to create Bullet Tongue, a story about Londons county lines drug dealing. Some of the cast were recruited by London gangs as early as 13 years old.

This project is pulling them out of this situation with the creation of the play, says Norris.

The stories we tell are rarely heard, giving some of the most marginalised young people in our society a platform to speak.

As well as theatrical performance skills, the young peoples engagement with the Big House offers a support system they might have never experienced, with life and employment workshops, counselling and peer to peer mentoring, all of which equip them with the confidence to live independently.

We help heal the wounds inflicted in early life, bridging the emotional gap created by a profound lack of self-esteem and the constant relational, social and psychological upheavals that are experienced by care leavers.

The cast of Bullet Tongue in rehearsals / Olive Grove

Up until a few months ago, the Big House didnt have a permanent home. For the past five years they have rehearsed and performed in cinemas, car parks, community centres and warehouses. Now they have moved into a former mirror factory off Essex Road. The importance of this cant be understated, says Norris.

Having a home is an emotional issue for our care leavers, many of whom have been moved from placement to placement. A sense of belonging is profoundly important.

Both the Big House theatre company and BACs Going Places festival demonstrate the important role the arts world can play in carving out spaces for care leavers, creating events that, according to Byrne, I would have wanted to go to as a care leaver, and one I desperately need as an adult.

Going Places runs at the Battersea Arts Centre from October 24-November 3, bac.org.uk
L ady and the Tramp met over spaghetti and meatballs, Kate and Leopold sparked a time-travelling romance after a rooftop dinner and Sally feigned an orgasm at a diner with Harry.

Food is a sure fire way to the heart  or the bedroom  and with Londoners tiring of swiping on selfies with dogs and unicorn inflatables its no surprise that wining and dining at supper clubs is fast becoming the capitals new way to find the Mark Darcy to your Bridget Jones.

Plus, what better way to get straight past that spaghetti-sauce-on-your-cheek-and-oregano-in-your-front-teeth embarrassment than over a good glass of wine and a hearty meal in someones cosy two-bed, surrounded by other millennials?

If you have a good meal it makes you happy and who you have that meal with, it makes it special, says London-based chef Nina Parker. The foodie launched her Chez Nina supper clubs on an informal basis, before teaming up with Bumble for joint venture Chez Moi earlier this year. The next event is on November 15.

Singletons need to swipe right on the Chez Moi profile card on Bumbles Date Mode to be in with a chance of winning one of 20 golden tickets to a three-course dinner rustled up by Parker at her central London home.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Bumble tailors it to the area, or theyll target a specific age group, which mixes it up all the time, she explains.

Parker believes a love of food is integral to any relationship, and her supper clubs, which are essentially everything speed dating should be, are inspired by places she has travelled, from Asian-infusion plates to seafood feasts from Portugal.

Sceptics, begone: this is not a conveyor belt of oddballs with name badges shuffling from seat-to-seat. The set-ups are far more laid-back: small group chatting around a table, with some zeitgeisty music in the background.

[Guests] all say theyre in the same boat so feel comfortable, she said. And because its at my house its very relaxed and not cringey. I wanted it to be about the food. Yes theyre there to meet people, but theyve got [food] to fall back on.

There was an amazing time when two people matched on Bumble and he put on his Instagram story that he was going to a Bumble dinner and the girl replied saying: Oh my God, Im going to a Bumble dinner. They turned up merry and he moved the name places so they could sit together.

Gooce, founded by housemates Luce Kahn-Freund and Gabi Adams (the name is a play on their first names) has also been setting up dates with plates  inviting eight to 10 singletons into their Tooting terrace to find love over a slap-up home-cooked meal. They wanted to create an atmosphere that helps guests bring their socialising A-game. The current dating landscape frustrated us, Kahn-Freund explains. Seeing as dinner parties are an age-old form of meeting people, we wanted to try to bring them back to give people a real life, low-pressure dating experience.

Gabi Adams and Luce Kahn-Freund run Gooce, a dating supperclub for singles / Lucille Flood

Previous menus have included crab fettuccine, succulent king prawns with home-made garlic aioli, and zesty lemon and cardamom polenta cakes. Adams trained at The Grange cookery school in Somerset, and Kahn-Freund has a distinction from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

They also have good Cupid credentials. Groups have left after dinner and gone on to other bars; couples have left together, and weve seen a lot of number-swapping, they say. Weve had guests writing us thank you letters, and we know of relationships that have started as a result of the evenings. Were just waiting for that wedding invite

Theres no advance matchmaking, though the pair does manoeuvre it so that guests are of the same age. They run events for both gay and straight singletons. Theyve been shocked by the demand for tickets, with some events particularly those for women, sold out in under five minutes.
A human resources manager at a City tech firm spent 217,000 on a company credit card which she used as her own personal piggy bank, a court heard.

Rhiannon Salt, 32, treated herself to hotel stays and clothes shopping sprees, including blowing more than 35,000 on hundreds of products from John Lewis and Marks and Spencer.

The mother of one was given a credit card when she was hired to work in the London office of software company Medallia Inc in May 2013.

She was told by bosses at the company, which has its headquarters in California, to use the card for reasonable expenses in her role as HR manager.

She used it as her own personal piggy bank, prosecutor Obi Mgbokwere told the Old Bailey. He said Salt had also spent money on council payments and used 38,880 for a deposit on a property she bought in Rochester, Kent, and later sold for 284,000.

Salt admitted the three-year long fraud and was sentenced yesterday by Judge Mark Dennison to a two-year suspended prison sentence, 30 days of rehabilitation and 200 hours of community service. Her barrister Ron Lewis said Salt did not use many of the items that she bought with the proceeds of the fraud. This is a tragic case which may well have tragic consequences for her young family, he added.

Mr Lewis told the court Salt started taking money after accidentally making a payment into her own account, and it was something she got used to and could never really explain.

Sentencing, Judge Dennison said: You did not shy away about admitting the wrong that you had done  There is no reason to think that you will reoffend.
R obbers have forced their way into a family home and threatened a pregnant woman before stealing eight new born French Bulldog puppies, police said.

A manhunt has been launched to track down the two men who stole the one-day-old puppies from the family home, in Greater Manchester.

Police said two men forced their way into a home, armed with a knife, and threatened a pregnant woman and her young children.

The two men demanded cash and mobile phones from the 26-year-old mother, who is six months pregnant, before stealing the puppies and fleeing.

Pedigree French bulldog puppies can sell for more than 1,000 each.

Greater Manchester Police has released CCTV footage of two men they want to speak to in connection with the incident, which took place in Stretford at around 9.50pm on Tuesday.

The force said it fears the puppies are too young to be left alone from their mother for long.

Detective Sergeant Dave Jones said: "It's completely shocking that a pregnant woman and her three young children have faced such a terrifying ordeal, and we are determined to find the men responsible.

"As well as finding the offenders, an immediate priority is to find these puppies.

"They are only a day old, and they won't survive for long without their mum, so they need to be brought home as soon as possible.

"I need anyone with information about the whereabouts of the puppies, or the men responsible, to please contact police as a matter of urgency."
A suspected thief at the centre of a UK police appeal has sparked a frenzy due to his resemblance to Friends star David Schwimmer.

Police in Blackpool posted on Facebook asking for witnesses to identify a suspect pictured leaving a restaurant in the town carrying what appeared to be a crate of cans.

The alleged theft happened on September 20, the post said.

Facebook users quickly piled into the comments section, pointing out the suspect's likeness to Schwimmer's character Ross Geller in the well-loved US sitcom.

Police are hunting for an alleged thief bearing a resemblance to Friends star David Schwimmer / PA

The post has been shared nearly 60,000 times and 'liked' 10,000 times.

In response, Lancashire Constabulary replied: "Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses.

The Friends cast / Warner Bros

"We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date.

"We're so sorry it has to be this way."

A Facebook user, referencing the Friends theme song, replied: "I don't think it's been this guy's day, his week, his month or even his year..."

Another, referencing a Friends episode where Ross says he is an expert in self-defence, wrote: "Please approach with caution. He is known to have studied Karate and we believe he has mastered the art of Unagi, the state of total awareness."
A huge fire broke out at a former gas works next to a Tesco supermarket in south-east London.

Thick black smoke billowed into the air after the blaze erupted in Homesdale Road, Bromley, on Wednesday morning.

The London Fire Brigade sent four fire engines and 25 firefighters to the scene.

Nearby residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed. Police said that extensive road closures were put in place in the surrounding area.

Firefighters battled the fire at a disused gas works on Wednesday morning / @oliverklander/Twitter

Bromley MPS tweeted: "We have extensive road closures around Homesdale Road #Bromley whilst a fire in the old gas works is brought under control by @BromleyLFB."

A spokesman for the brigade added: The brigade's 999 control officers have taken around 65 calls to the fire.

Firefighters rushed to the scene of the inferno at about 11.30am / @wiggleskelly/Twitter

The brigade was called at 11.31am. Fire crews from Bromley and Sidcup fire stations are at the scene.

The blaze broke out next to a Texco supermarket / @ollywoodland/Twitter
B ritains most powerful civil servant retired as Cabinet Secretary today to concentrate on his battle against cancer.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, 56, will be succeeded in the role by former National Security Adviser Sir Mark Sedwill, who has been standing in since summer.

Tributes were paid to Sir Jeremy who closely served four Prime Ministers and was once dubbed every PMs favourite civil servant because of his ability to get things done.

Theresa May said he had given exemplary service to the public in an illustrious career.

I am personally grateful to him for the support he has given me as Prime Minister, she said. He has made an enormous contribution to public life in our country and will be sorely missed.

In a personal statement, Sir Jeremy took a swipe at commentators who criticise the civil service and said he still had the same desire to serve my country and to make a positive difference as when he joined 35 years ago.
Mrs May will be eager to turn a new leaf this week after the "war on five fronts".

But we will find out how other parties are responding to her latest news as Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley MP is set to speak at the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly, with members from parliaments across Britain and Ireland.

She's due to speak at 9.45 and will hopefully address a plan tabled by Breixteer Steve Baker MP, asking her to amend legislation so any proposed "Irish backstop" will face a vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

There will also be a debate on the progress of Brexit negotiations. Shadow NI secretary Tony Lloyd is also due to speak.
S audi officials suspected of being part of the plot to murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from Britain, Theresa May announced today.

The Prime Minister also revealed that she was due to speak to King Salman today to discuss the killing by a 15-man hit squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Several officials in the team sent from Riyadh to assassinate Mr Khashoggi are close aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mrs May bluntly dismissed Saudi claims that Mr Khashoggi died after getting involved in a brawl during a failed attempt to kidnap him back to the kingdom.

The claim that has been made that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation so there does remain an urgent need to establish exactly what has happened, she told MPs at Prime Ministers Questions.

The Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK and if these individuals currently have visas those visas will be revoked today.

Britain condemned the killing in the strongest possible terms, she added, and Saudi Arabia must coperate with Turkey and conduct a full and credible explanation.

However, SNP leader Ian Blackford called on the Government to ban arm sales to the kingdom which he stressed was responsible for multiple human rights violations.

He added: Critics face death by crucifixion, teenagers tortured, women imprisoned for campaigning for their human rights, the brutal bombardment of Yemen, pushing that country to the brink of famine, and now the satte-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

What more evidence of criminality does the Prime Minister need before she fully commits to ending the sale of arms to the brutal regime of Saudi Arabia?

Mrs May stressed the UK was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen but that the Government supported the Saudi-led intervention which had been recognised by the UN Security Council.

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B ritain has lost faith in Theresa Mays ability to salvage a good Brexit deal with people increasingly fearful that they will be personally worse off.

A devastating poll by Ipsos MORI for the Evening Standard reveals a slump in confidence in the countrys prospects for Brexit and its economic aftermath.

The damning findings came as watchdogs rang alarm bells over the poor state of preparedness for the risk of Mrs May failing to get a Brexit deal at all- with warnings of potential chaos at ports, fresh vulnerabilities to criminal gangs and smugglers, a collapse of crime-fighting and biosecurity standards and possible shortages of essential goods and medicines.

The survey reveals:

Confidence in the Prime Minister to get a good deal in the Brexit negotiations has fallen to its lowest level yet. Just 19 per cent - fewer than a fifth - of Britons think she can pull it off, a figure that has plunged from 28 per cent last month. Some 78 per cent think she will fail, up eight points in a month.

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Some 43 per cent think they will personally be worse off after Brexit, which has shot up from 36 per cent a year ago. Only 18 per cent think their standard of living will rise, despite the Brexiteer promises of prosperity outside the EUs giant trade bloc, which is down two points. One in three thinks Brexit will make no difference.

Almost half the country, 49 per cent, feel the negotiations are going worse than expected.

Economic optimism has drained away to its worst level since 2011, with 61 per cent of Britons now believing that the economy will get worse in the year ahead, and just 14 per cent thinking things will improve.

Asked who would be to blame if talks collapse, people blamed roughly equally the Government, the EU and Conservative MPs, with a smaller number blaming Brexit campaigners. Fewer people blamed Remainers or opposition MPs.

Among Conservative supporters, confidence in the PMs ability to pull off a good Brexit deal has plunged. Just 34 per cent of Tories think she can while 64 per cent think she will fail.

That represents a dramatic reversal since June this year when 56 per cent of Tories believed Mrs May would succeed.

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The Prime Minister was hoping for a boost this afternoon when she voluntarily addresses the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs.

But rumours of a plot to oust her by gathering 48 names for a confidence vote were swirling around Westminster.

Meanwhile, at a State Banquet for the King of the Netherlands, the Queen said Britain was looking toward a new partnership with Europe after Brexit. King Willem-Alexander responded that Brexit does not mean farewell.

But their hopes were not shared by official watchdogs who produced a fresh torrent of gloomy warnings about what a no-deal departure from the EU bloc would mean for the country.

Fears of border chaos and crime were highlighted by the National Audit Office which said thousands of exporters have too little time to prepare for new rules. It said gangs could exploit weaknesses and queues were likely at ports, torpedoing the Brexiteer promises of smooth trade as a third country.

NAO boss Sir Amyas Morse, said: What is clear is that businesses and individuals who are reliant on the border running smoothly will pay the price.

A House of Lords report said Britains ability to deal with threats from animal and plant diseases could be seriously compromised by a no-deal Brexit.

Despite the Brexit anguish, the Conservatives are holding onto a two-point lead over Labour, at 39 to 37, unchanged since September.

But the Lib Dems have drifted down from 13 to 10 per cent following the party conference season.

The Prime Minister and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have equally dire satisfaction ratings. Just 29 per cent are happy with the way Mrs May does her job.

Mr Corbyn has recovered four points from a dip at the height of the anti-Semitism crisis but still only manages 28 per cent satisfied and 59 per cent dissatisfied.

Among Conservatives, 37 per cent are dissatisfied with Mrs Mays performance.

Gideon Skinner, the head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said the findings nevertheless showed a glimmer of hope for the embattled PM.

The general public are clearly running out of confidence in Mrs May, but there is no sign that they think someone else could do a better job, which may be a lifeline for her.

Mrs May was this morning warned that the European Parliament could veto a Brexit deal unless she caves in over the Irish border backstop.

Vice-president Frans Timmermans told MEPs: The bottom line is we dont yet have the decisive progress we need.

European Parliament president Antonio Tajani said that without a legal backstop it will be very difficult for Parliament to vote in favour of the Brexit treaty.

The European Parliaments Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt trolled Mrs May on Twitter, saying: Progress on the Brexit negotiations can be 90%, 95% or even 99%, but as long as there is no solution for the Irish border, as long as the Good Friday agreement is not fully secured, for us in our Parliament progress is 0%.
T heresa Mays so-called showdown with powerful Tory backbenchers turned into a love-in, it has been claimed.

Amber Rudd, meanwhile, claimed the Prime Minister's job was safe after the key 1922 Committee meeting on Wednesday evening.

The former home secretary said Ms May "won the room" and secured her position with a "heartfelt" speech.

As usual, Ms May has been dealing with Brexit rows this week, while there had been talk of Tory attempts to oust her.

Theresa May, pictured earlier on Wednesday before the meeting, was greeted with cheers by the 1922 Committee / Andy Rain/EPA

But she was greeted with loud cheering, while the sound of desks and doors being thumped could be heard outside the Commons room.

The Prime Minister stayed in the meeting for 45 minutes. MPs were keen afterwards to present a united front.

Michael Fabricant described the meeting as a "love in". He told reporters: "It wasn't Daniella in the lions' den, it was a petting zoo."

Ms Rudd insisted Ms May's job was safe and said: "She was able to win the room and deliver something quite personal and emotional about why she was committed to doing it, despite being quite frank about the difficulties that were still there.

The Prime Minister spoke with 'emotion', according to Amber Rudd / Andy Rain/EPA

"People spoke very freely about their concerns, but they came back to the fact that they backed her in delivering for the country and the government."

The supposed positive response came days after an anonymous opponent to the Prime Minister suggested she should bring her own noose to the gathering.

The meeting followed fresh revelations about the government's plans for a no-deal Brexit. Alternative measures to secure supplies of food and medicines from the continent were being investigated in case of chaos on the English Channel crossing.

Meanwhile, in developments which would have enraged Tory Brexiteers, leaked Cabinet papers indicated the transition period - during which the UK will remain tied to Brussels - could turn into a "long-running" arrangement lasting years.
A British businessman has been granted an injunction over claims of sexual harassment and racial abuse against him in a case branded Britain's #MeToo.

The Daily Telegraph has been banned by three Court of Appeal judges from publishing "confidential information" regarding a company boss accused of "discreditable conduct."

A report said the injunction approved on Tuesday has prevented the national newspaper revealing alleged sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff.

The newspaper said accusations against the businessman, who cannot be identified, would be sure to reignite the #MeToo movement against the mistreatment of women by powerful employers.

The company boss was described in todays edition of the Telegraph as a leading businessman.

He, alongside a senior executive in a company group, plus managers at two companies in the group, had taken legal action in a bid to stop the Telegraph publishing a story.

In August, a High Court judge refused to gag the newspaper.

But the executive and managers at the two companies mounted a challenge and three appeal judges have now overturned Mr Justice Haddon-Cave's decision.

Sir Terence Etherton, Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Henderson outlined their decision in a ruling and said five employees of companies in the group had made allegations of "discreditable conduct" by the executive.

In all five cases complaints had been "compromised by settlement agreements" under which "substantial payments" were made to the employees who had complained.

Both sides had undertaken to "keep confidential" the subject matter of complaints.

The three judges had overseen a Court of Appeal hearing in September and published a ruling on Tuesday.

The three appeal judges have not named anyone involved, apart from the newspaper.

They named the claimant executive and companies as "ABC & others".

The Royal Courts of Justice / AFP/Getty Images

Judges said a Daily Telegraph journalist had contacted the claimants in July wanting comments on a story the newspaper was proposing to publish.

They said the reporter was aware of agreements to "keep confidential" the subject matter of the complaints - "non-disclosure agreements".

Judges said the claimants felt that information "had been disclosed to the newspaper by one or more of the complainants, or by other employees who were aware of the information and of the non-disclosure agreements".

They said the claimants immediately began litigation and asked for an injunction preventing the Telegraph publishing "confidential" information which had been "disclosed in breach of confidence".

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave had decided that the claimants had not demonstrated that information the Telegraph wanted to publish had been obtained in breach of non-disclosure agreements.

He said the information was "reasonably credible", there was no "reasonable expectation of privacy or confidentiality" and a considerable amount of the information the newspaper wanted to publish was already in the public domain.

He concluded that publication of the information was "clearly capable of significantly contributing to a debate in a democratic society" and "making a contribution to a current debate of general public interest on misconduct in the workplace".

The judge decided publication of the information would be in the public interest.

But the appeal judges said Mr Justice Haddon-Cave had "left entirely out of account" the "important and legitimate role" played by non-disclosure agreements.

"There is no evidence that any of the settlement agreements were procured by bullying, harassment or undue pressure by the claimants," said the appeal judges' ruling.

"Each settlement agreement records that the employee was independently advised by a named legal adviser."

The ruling added: "The effect of each of the settlement agreements was to put an end to existing or potential litigation and enabled the employees to receive substantial payments."

Appeal judges said there was a "real prospect" that publication would cause substantial and possible irreversible harm to the claimants.

They granted granted "an interim injunction preserving the confidentiality of the information pending a full trial, which we have directed should be expedited".

The Telegraph said in its report that the injunction granted by appeal judges prevented it from revealing "alleged sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff".

The report added: "Non-disclosure agreements have been commonly used in business to protect matters of commercial confidentiality but there are concerns they are now being abused to cover up wrongdoing and deter victims of potential crimes from going to police."

It went on: "The Telegraph spent the past eight months investigating allegations of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment made against the businessman."

The newspaper said the appeal judges' ruling made it "illegal to reveal the businessman's identity or to identify the companies, as well as what he is accused of doing or how much he paid his alleged victims".

Sir Terence, is the Master of the Rolls and the second most senior judge in England and Wales.

The Court of Appeal has ordered that the matter "proceed to a speedy trial", the paper said.
A TV "huntress" is facing a backlash after she boasted about her "perfect 200-yard shot" which killed a goat in Scotland, and posed with its corpse, prompting calls for a ban on trophy hunting.

Scotland's environment minister has been urged to look into the incident after a pair of hunters posed with a dead goat on the Scottish island of Islay, and posted pictured on Twitter and Instagram.

Larysa Switlyk, who calls herself a "hardcore huntress," posted the photos of herself beside the "beautiful wild goat" she had just killed, in what she described as "such a fun hunt!".

"We hunted hard for a big one for 2 days and finally got on this group, "said the hunter of Wild TV, and the American "Pursuit" channel. "Made a perfect 200 yard shot and dropped him with the Gunwerks and Nightforce optics!"

"Good thing too because he could have ran off the cliff into the water."

The posts were met with derision on social media as people criticised them for killing defenceless animals.

Actor Robert Lindsay was one of them, saying "With t**** like you in this world no wonder a defenceless harmless goat wants to hide."

Twitter

Deirdre McIntosh tweeted: "This image makes me feel physically sick!"

Another person asked the hunting show host: "Why, what did this animal ever do to you ? Im not a vegan but killing animals just for fun is sick. It is just sick."

Some even called on Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP to act, and after the photos emerged, Scottish minister Mike Russell called for an end of the hunting of wild goats on the island.

He told Scottish radio that goat hunting was worse than hunting red deer, which is "very firmly regulated", as goats have no natural predators.

He added: "The pictures are horrific. Obviously deer culling and deer stalking is established on the island and it's a necessary thing to do considering the lack of control of deer numbers.

"But to see people in camouflage with highly powered sniper rifles rejoicing at the killing of a goat, let alone a ram, is simply unacceptable.

"The vast majority of people would just not regard this as something that should be happening in their country.

"There has been something of an outcry already about it and as a local MSP I have now raised it with the environment minister because I think it's really undesirable and unpleasant."

The animals are classed as an invasive, non-native species in the UK, and hunting them on private land is not illegal.

Culls have been carried out in some areas to reduce numbers, while contraceptive darts have also been used to stop the animals over reproducing.

Ms Switlyk and her companion, Jason, also posed next to a "monstrous" red stag, and said her team captured the day on film.

Greens MSP Mark Ruskell also urged the Scottish government to "make it known that bloodsport participants are unwelcome to visit Scotland for the barbaric practice" - hunting tourism is believed to be worth 155 million to the Scottish economy each year.

Ms Switlyk's website depicts her glorifying hunting with images of posing with her bow like Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, and traversing wild lands with massive antlers draped over her shoulders.

She is sponsored by numerous weapons and hunting accessory manufacturers, including Stag Arms, SOG knives, Montana Rifle Company and Nightforce optics.
S tudents at Liverpool John Moores University have been forced to apologise after mocking homeless people on a Tramps Night out.

Members of the trampolining society cruelly mocked homeless people by wearing ripped clothes and carrying cardboard signs asking for money.

The students were encouraged to dress as trampy as you can and suggested buying clothes from Primark, the Liverpool Tab reports.

A post on the societys Facebook page read: This Wednesday after training in tramps night. Be sure to dress [as] trampy as you can, Primark do cheap shirts if you need them!! Cant wait to see you all there.

Pictures posted to now private social media pages showed the students with dirt on their faces, in ripped clothes and carrying cardboard signs.

One sign appeared to read: Gimme ur change and Ill change ur night.

The society have since apologised in a statement.

A statement read: We realise now that our annual choice of costume could cause offence and are sorry for any upset this may have caused  it was never our intention.

We will of course be changing our annual fancy dress theme and once again apologise to anyone who may have found this inappropriate.

The students union said it had begun an investigation and would introduce fancy dress guidelines,

We have recently been made aware of the annual tramps night out fancy dress social held by our trampolining society, a spokesperson said.

As a students union, we do not endorse fancy dress that could be deemed as offensive or discriminatory, and have reached out directly to the society involved, who realise that an error in judgment has been made with this choice of costume.

They apologise for any offence caused and will be changing their annual social theme with immediate effect.
T he disappearance of a mum-of-five from Kent who has been missing for more than two weeks is now being treated as a potential murder, police have said.

Sarah Wellgreen, 46, was last seen on October 9 in the Bazes Shaw area of New Ash Green, in Kent, and has not been in contact with her family since.

Ms Wellgreens car was left at her home address and there have been no new transactions on her bank or credit cards since she was last seen on the evening of October 9.

Speaking on Wednesday, Detective Superintendent Paul Fotheringham from Kent Police said her disappearance is now being treated as a potential murder.

We are investigating the disappearance of Sarah, Mr Fotheringham said in a statement.

Sarah was last seen in the Bazes Shaw area of New Ash Green, Kent / PA

It is entirely out of character for her to go missing and having conducted extensive enquiries and searches, this case is now being treated as a potential murder.

Sarah has disappeared without a trace, the only item missing from her home is her black iPhone 4.

A man in his 30s was arrested on October 16 in connection with her disappearance and was released on bail pending further enquiries until November 16.

More than 200 people joined a desperate search on Sunday for the mum-of-five, with volunteers inspecting roads, verges and woodland areas.

As nearby residents assisted police, Chief Inspector at Tony Dyer said officers are increasingly concerned" for Ms Wellgreen's welfare.

He said: "She has not been in contact with her family and her car was left at her home address. It is possible Sarah left home on foot or received a lift from somebody.

"My officers are conducting ongoing enquiries with residents and businesses which includes the examination of CCTV footage.

"The search continued in the area over the weekend and I am very grateful to members of the local community gave up their time to assist us.

"I would urge anybody with information that may help to contact us. If you think you may have seen her but are not sure, please do not hesitate to call the appeal line and let us know."

Ms Wellgreen is described as white, about 5ft 7ins tall, of medium build, with green eyes and straight brown hair.
T he FBI is investigating after bombs were sent to high profile targets including Barack Obama, the Clintons and the HQ of CNN.

A package addressed to Mr Obama was intercepted on Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington.

A further package, confirmed to be a viable bomb, was intercerpted by an aide at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York earlier today.

Investigators believe the devices are of the same type that were sent to billionaire philanthropist and Remain-backer George Soros.

One of the devices intercepted by authorities in the US

The HQ of news broadcaster CNN was also evacuated after a suspicious package - later confirmed to be a pipe bomb - was found in its post room.

Police told NBC News that all four packages sent to the Time Warner Center, Obama, Clinton and Soros are "nearly identical."

Police are pictured outside the Time Warner Center (Reuters) / KEVIN COOMBS

Hillary Clinton said her family is "fine" after the device was found.

She said her "family is fine thanks to the men and women of the secret service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home.

"Every day we are grateful for their service and commitment and never more than today.

"But it is a troubling time, isn't it."

The White House condemned "the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures".

Donald Trump's press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Police at the scene of the evacuation in New York (Reuters) / KEVIN COOMBS

Mrs Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the family's New York residence at the time.

She is headlining a fundraising reception on Wednesday for former health and human services secretary Donna Shalala, who is running for Congress in South Florida.

A NYPD police bomb containment vehicle / Universal News And Sport (Europe)

Mr Clinton was at the family's Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility.

The device was screened at a separate facility and it did not reach the Clintons' home.

The Clintons at their home in Chappaqua / AP

Police said the package discovered at Mr Soros' home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a post box outside the gates of the compound.

A device was sent to George Soros' home earlier in the week / Getty Images

An employee for Mr Soros opened it just inside the gates, not near Mr Soros' quarters.

The agency tasked with protecting the president and other dignitaries says it has intercepted two packages in Washington and New York.

A device was sent to the office of former US president Barack Obama / Getty Images

The packages were respectively addressed to the residences of Mr Obama in Washington and Mrs Clinton in Chappaqua.

Vice president Mike Pence tweeted: "These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country."

He thanked law enforcement and added: "Those responsible will be brought to justice."

A pipe bomb was sent to the home of George Soros earlier in the week / REUTERS

A Secret Service statement read: "The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such.

"The protectees did not receive the packages nor were at risk of receiving them.

"The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation."

Chappaqua police said it assisted the FBI, the Secret Service and Westchester County police with the investigation into the package sent to Mrs Clinton.

"The matter is currently under federal investigation," the police said in a statement, referring questions to the FBI.
A Canadian tourist facing jail after spray-painting an ancient monument in Thailand with a British accomplice has said she is terrified and just wants to go home.

Furlong, from Liverpool, admitting writing a misspelt version of Scouser Lee on the 13th century Tha Phae Gate, while Schneider scrawled a solitary B.

In an interview with the Canadian Press, she revealed they were ridiculously drunk when they spotted a canister of spray paint on the way back to their hostel.

She said: I came to as I finished writing the B and I stopped because I knew it was bad. But it was already too late."

Canadian Brittney Schneider stands in front of the defaced sacred wall next to Brit Lee Furlong / AP

She added: The next morning we woke up and were sitting beside the pool and I just remembered what we did and looked over to one of the guys from the night before and said, 'oh my god, we spray-painted a wall last night. I'm so scared we're going to get in trouble.

Schneider said she had gone up to her room when a hostel worker knocked her on door and asked her to come downstairs.

The 'Scouser Lee' graffiti on the wall in Chiang Mai

"My heart dropped. I knew," she said. "I walked downstairs, opened the door and there were like seven police officers standing there.

"They showed me a video and asked if it was me in the video spray-painting the wall. I said, 'Yes, it was me."

Both her and Furlong were arrested and taken to the police station, where they spent the night. They were then charged with vandalising registered ancient artefacts, which is punishable by a prison sentence of up to ten years and a fine of one million baht (30,000).

The pair are accused of spray-painting graffiti on a sacred wall / REUTERS

She was bailed after three nights in jail, while her mother and aunt have arrived in Chiang Mai to support her.

"I'm terrified for my life. I'm so sorry for what I did, beyond sorry," she said. "I'm just so overwhelmed and just want to go home."

The incident was captured by a security camera at the nearby CoolMuang Coffee shop.
A n emergency room doctor has revealed the emotional reason he looks at dead patients Facebook profiles before speaking to their parents.

Louis M Profeta, an emergency physician from the US, wrote a heartbreaking online post in which he detailed his reasons behind his behaviour.

Mr Profeta, who works at St Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, said the process keeps me human.

"You see, Im about to change their lives - your mom and dad, that is, he wrote on LinkedIn.

In about five minutes, they will never be the same, they will never be happy again.

"Right now, to be honest, youre just a nameless dead body... theres no motion, no life, nothing to tell me you once had dreams or aspirations.

"I owe it to them to learn just a bit about you before I go in."

Mr Profeta, who has children of his own, said in the post that before he looks at the persons Facebook profile all I am is mad at you, for what you did to yourself and what you are about to do to (your parents).

I see you wearing the same necklace and earrings that now sit in a specimen cup on the counter, the same ball cap or jacket that has been split open with trauma scissors and pulled under the backboard, the lining stained with blood, he wrote.

"I see your smile, how it should be, the colour of eyes when they are filled with life, your time on the beach, blowing out candles, Christmas at Grandmas; oh you have a Maltese, too. I see that.

I see you standing with your mom and dad in front of the sign to your college. Good, Ill know exactly who they are when I walk into the room. It makes it that much easier for me, one less question I need to ask.

"Youre kind of lucky that you dont have to see it. Dad screaming your name over and over, mom pulling her hair out, curled up on the floor with her hand over her head as if shes trying to protect herself from unseen blows."
D onald Trump has condemned the bomb threats sent to high profile targets including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and said threats of political violence have no place in the United States.

The US President has promised a full investigation into the suspicious packages that were sent to prominent Democrats and others.

He said: The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. We will spare no resources or expense in this effort.

A package addressed to Mr Obama was intercepted on Wednesday by Secret Service agents in Washington.

President Trump made the comments at an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration's declaration of combating the opioid crisis / Getty Images

A further package, confirmed to be a viable bomb, was intercepted by an aide at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York earlier today.

Investigators believe the devices are of the same type that were sent to billionaire philanthropist and Remain-backer George Soros.

The HQ of news broadcaster CNN was also evacuated after a suspicious package - later confirmed to be a pipe bomb - was found in its post room.

Police told NBC News that all four packages sent to the Time Warner Center, Obama, Clinton and Soros are "nearly identical."

Mr Trump said Americans must come together following the threats.

He said: In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together, and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

Mrs Clinton said her family is "fine" after the device was found.

She said her "family is fine thanks to the men and women of the secret service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home.

"Every day we are grateful for their service and commitment and never more than today.

"But it is a troubling time, isn't it."
F rench police are investigating whether navigation data from missing flight MH370 could have been hacked to disguise the trajectory of the aircraft before it crashed into the ocean.

Investigators have identified a number of "curious passengers" on board the Boeing 777 who they believe warrant further investigation, including a Malaysian aeronautics expert seated directly beneath the satcom capable of hacking the plane's systems.

They have also discovered a mysterious "third entity" that may have useful data, and may manufacture software that could hack the plane's satellite communications system.

Officials are hoping to travel to the United States soon to go back over raw data by Boeing and the FBI after finding "inconsistencies" in the Malaysian Government report.

The new developments were revealed by Ghyslain Wattrelos, a French national who lost his wife and two teenage children on MH370, in a press conference on Thursday.

French national Ghyslain Wattrelos, whose wife and two children were passengers on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 / AFP/Getty Images

Mr Wattrelos said he was told by the Gendamarie Air Transport (GTA) team investigating the jet's disappearance they had found "inconsistencies" in the Malaysian investigations official report.

The GTA hopes to travel to the US to examine information from Boeing and the FBI.

Previous trips were cancelled after arguments about "confidentiality clauses" and protection of Boeing "industry secrets".

A New Zealand Air Force searching for MH370 on May 22 / AP

"We are a little angry and now we want to say stop, it is time that the United States really cooperate on this issue," Mr Wattrelos told reporters.

"It is necessary to go there because there are three entities that hold important information for understanding what happened on this flight."

Investigators now urgently want to speak with a "third entity", an unnamed US company, to establish whether it sold software capable of reprogramming or even hacking the Satcom, Le Monde reported.

Mr Wattrelos in Paris with his lawyer Marie Dose last Thursday / AFP/Getty Images

"The essential trail is the Inmarsat data. Either they are false or they have been hacked," Mr Wattrelos said.

"However, these satellite data are essential to better understand the trajectory of the aircraft.

Investigators also found the presence of "curious" passengers in the Malaysian government's report, who they believe require further investigation.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Mr Wattrelos said that passengers of interest include an Iranian who asked his Facebook friends to pray for him days before the flight, two Ukrainians and an American who seemed to have atypical profiles.

He also said there was a Malaysian national and aeronautics specialist seated directly under MH370s Satcom module who potentially had the technical knowledge to hack the planes communication systems.

"To go further, the investigators need the cooperation of the United States, England (for the Inmarsat satellite) and after they will need to return to Malaysia," said Mr Wattrelos on Thursday.
T he Saudi crown prince has claimed all culprits will be punished in the case of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He said Mr Khashoggis death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was a heinous crime which cannot be justified.

Appearing on a discussion panel at an international investment conference in Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman claimed "justice will prevail".

He also said Saudi Arabia and Turkey will work together "to reach results.

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, when he spoke about the death of Mr Khashoggi / Amr Nabil/AP

"The incident that happened," he said, "is very painful for all Saudis. The incident is not justifiable."

Saudi Arabia continues to face intense international pressure over Mr Khasoggis death on October 2. International business leaders had pulled out of the conference over the killing.

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Hours earlier, US president Donald Trump said the crown prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Khashoggi's killing.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May also announced Saudi officials suspected of being part of the murder plot will be banned from Britain.

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman talks with Senegal president Macky Sall at the conference on Wednesday / AFP/Getty Images

And as bin Salman spoke at the conference, the Czech Republic announced it will withdraw a diplomat from its embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Turkey has said 15 Saudi officials arrived in Istanbul shortly before Mr Khashoggi died. Officials said this comprised of a hit squad which included a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage.

Saudi Arabia has given conflicting accounts about Mr Khashoggi's killing, first denying his death and later saying the journalist had died inside the consulate after a fight, an explanation that has drawn international scepticism.
D onald Trump has called Saudi Arabias handling of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing the worst cover-up ever as the US vowed to revoke the visas of those believed to be responsible.

The US president called the circumstances surrounding the killing "a total fiasco. He added: "There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened."

And in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr Trump said for the first time that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman could have been involved.

"The prince is running things over there (in Riyadh)", he said.

Jamal Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 (REUTERS) / Reuters

The president told reporters he had spoken with the crown prince on Monday who denied having anything to do with Mr Khashoggi's killing.

Earlier, he said the Mr Khashoggi matter was handled badly by Saudi officials.

"Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced questions on the Trump administration's response to Saudi Arabia / EPA

His comments came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that 21 suspects thought to be involved in the plot would have their US visas revoked or be made ineligible for US visas.

Mr Trump spoke hours after Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Mr Khashoggi's death on rogue operatives.

Turkish president says Saudi officials planned murder

Mr Erdogan urged Riyadh to search "from top to bottom" to uncover those behind Mr Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses parliament in Ankara / AP

He alleged his killing was intricately planned, with Saudi operatives taking the step of removing CCTV hard drives from the Saudi embassy in Istanbul before the killing took place.

CCTV footage shows Jamal Khashoggi entering Saudi embassy in Istanbul

Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a US resident and Washington Post columnist. On Tuesday, his son was pictured grimly shaking hands with the crown prince in front of armed security guards as the royals received the murdered journalist's family members at the Yamama Palace in Riyadh.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Jamal Khashoggi, son of the slain journalist / EPA

Mr Trump's comments in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with "very severe" consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the country's role as a US ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major purchaser of US arms.

Mr Pompeo said the State Department was looking into whether sanctions could be applicable for those found to be involved.

He said: "As we continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, not only those who executed it but those who were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable when we develop this fact set.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the US measures.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Mr Khashoggi's death.

One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Mr Qahtani ran Mr Khashoggi's killing by giving orders over Skype.

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A man has been arrested after a lion cub was discovered in an apartment in Paris.

Police were alerted after the suspect tried to sell the six-week-old female for 10,000 (8,835), according to french newspaper Le Parisien.

The 30-year-old was reportedly discovered hiding in a cupboard at a neighbour's home in Valenton, in Val-de-Marne yesterday, while the cub was found on a child's bed.

The animal was described as in good health and has been handed to wildlife authorities.

According to Le Parisien, the suspect has previous convictions for theft, and ran to the flat with the cub to avoid capture.

Villeneuve-Saint-Georges reportedly said: "The case came from Montgeron in Essonne where it was learned a few days ago that an individual was trying to sell the animal."

An undercover investigator posed as a buyer, Le Parisien said, and "found a 30-year-old man well known to police for multiple crimes including burglary".
T he Duchess of Sussex was involved in a security scare today as her Scotland Yard bodyguard cut short an engagement in Fiji today due to over enthusiastic crowds.

Kensington Palace confirmed Meghans visit to a market in Suva had to be shortened due crowd management issues, according to royal sources.

Officials later claimed their hand been no specific security risk to the pregnant duchess.

The incident happened on a solo engagement in Fijis capital, Suva, Meghan visited Suva Municipal Market to meet some of the female vendors involved in the UN Womens project, Markets for Change, which promotes womens empowerment in marketplaces across the Pacific.

Meghan had been due to spend around 15 minutes at the market meeting stallholders but the visit was unexpectedly cut short, lasting only around eight minutes.

The Duchess of Sussex is escorted through Suva Market / PA

Royal sources said this was due to a security issue due to the much bigger crowds than anticipated inside the market, making the event uncomfortably busy with crowd management issues.

Meghans Scotland Yard bodyguard led the Duchess to a waiting car.

Duchess of Sussex visits a market in Suva, Fiji / Getty Images

The blonde armed officer is tasked with overseeing the huge police operation to protect the Duchess on the four country tour.

Inside the market, stallholders and members of the public appeared calm and orderly and there didnt appear to be any obvious security risk or problems with the crowds.

Meghan was carrying out official solo engagements on the 16-day tour / PA

But it is understood the police team were unhappy that there were no barriers to keep bigger than expected crowds back.

A royal source said: The Duchess was only due to drop into the market event which was only meant to be an extension of the reception at the High Commission.

It was cut slightly short due to the large number of people within the market, which made the event uncomfortably busy. There were much bigger crowds than people had been anticipating and there were a lot of people cramped into the market.

Meghan speaks with representatives at a market in Fiji / PA

It is understood Meghans protection team concerned about lack of barriers to prevent the crowds surging forward

It was similar to a situation involving the Queen on a visit to South Africa in 1995 when an engagement had to be cut short due to security concerns.

Then, on 23 Mar 1995, at Langa township, near Cape Town an engaging on the royal visit by had to be absorbed as crowds surged past security guards.

Meghans Scotland Yard Personal Protection Officer is in overall charge of her safety.

The Duchess of Sussex was rushed out of an official engagement part way through over crowd control fears / REUTERS

If he - or she in this case - believes her principal is unsafe the officer will instruct the royal that they are leaving and issues instructions to the local police team.

In this case, the officer led Meghan through the crowds and to the waiting car.

Pregnant Meghan, 37, looked flustered but kept a fixed smile throughout the incident.

The decision to cut short the engagement came as a surprise and disappointment to many in the market, however.

They pointed out that the crowds were being kept well back from the duchess by police and royal security and she was not being mobbed.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex's South Pacific Tour - Best Pictures 1 /87 Duke and Duchess of Sussex's South Pacific Tour - Best Pictures Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts Harry and Meghan walk hand-in-hand through a redwood forest on the last day of their trip REUTERS Prince Harry and Meghan leave after a "Fluro Friday" session run by OneWave, a local surfing community group AFP/Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex talk to Luke Vincent, 5, after arriving at Dubbo airpor PA The couple attend a formal powhiri welcome at Te Papaiouru Marae (Credit too long, see caption) The royal couple donned traditional Maori cloaks at a ceremony PA Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive at Fua'amotu airport on the main island Tongatapu in Tonga Reuters he Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Australian Geographic Society Awards PA Meghan, Duchess of Sussex laughs during a visit to Tupou College WireImage The Duke of Sussex talks to Luke Vincent, 5, after arriving at Dubbo airpor PA Harry embraces India Brown during a public walk in Melbourne AFP/Getty Images Rain starts as Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit students from Dubbo College Senior Campus Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend University of the South Pacific Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greeting locals in a traditional 'hongi' Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex climbs the Sydney Harbour Bridge Getty Images A child plays on the floor as children await the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for a meeting with Tongan prime minister Akilisi Pohiva and his cabinet on the second day of the royal couple's visit to Tonga. PA Prince Harry meets crowds on the final day of the tour AFP/Getty Images Meghan greets a young well-wisher in Rotorua AFP/Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex receives a "hongi" AP Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the University of the South Pacific Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts, mats and tapa cloths Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the newly unveiled UK war memorial and Pukeahu National War Memorial Park Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for the state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva PA Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the official dinner in Suva, Fiji AP Traditional Fijian men carrying roasted pig in Alberts Park waiting the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex PA Prince Harry and his wife Meghan wave from the balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva AFP/Getty Images Reuters Prince Harry drinks kava during a ceremony he and Meghan attend in Fiji Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend welcome ceremoy Getty Images A police vehicle moves past as well-wishers stand along the street during the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Reuters Fans hold up 'Windson' sign Getty Images Men dressed in traditional attire take part in an official welcome ceremony Reuters The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend an official welcome ceremony at Albert Park in Suva PA Meghan waits with Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, left, as a red carpet is laid during a welcome ceremony AP Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to talk to OneWave members, a local surfing community group raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing on Bondi Beach Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk along the picturesque Kingfisher Bay Jetty WireImage The Duke of Sussex greets people during a dedication ceremony PA Prince Harry poses for a photograph after the unveiling of the Queens Commonwealth Canopy at Pile Valley AP Prince Harry walks with members of the Butchulla people, AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, greet members of the public in Kingfisher Bay Reuters Prince Harry meets Takoda Malone AFP/Getty Images Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch the Elliott 7 Team racing during the Sailing on day two of the Invictus Games Getty Images Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch the Elliott 7 Team racing during the Sailing on day two of the Invictus Games Getty Images for the Invictus Ga Meghan will cut down her busy schedule slightly for the next couple of days Getty Images Prince Harry helps a competitor push wheelchair up walkway at the Invictus Games AP The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a reception for Invictus Games competitors on Sunday PA Prince Harry speaks onstage at the opening of the competition PA Harry and Meghan watch a performer at a lunchtime reception hosted by the Prime Minister Reuters Harry and Meghan meet children from Kookaburra Kids at the Pavilion Restaurant in Sydney PA Meghan during the JLR Drive Day on Saturday Getty Images The solemn event was part of their ongoing offical visit to Australia. AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet guests at a reception inside Sydney's iconic Opera House AP Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex lay a wreath at the official opening of the ANZAC Memorial at Hyde Park in Sydney. AFP/Getty Images Harry and Meghan paid their respects to fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers at the ANZAC War Memorial. AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan pose with members of OneWave, an awareness group for mental health and wellbeing Getty Images Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan take part in a 'Fluro Friday' session run by OneWav EPA PA Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch aboriginal dances at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP/Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex embraces with Luke Vincent, 5 after arriving at Dubbo Airport Getty Images The Duchess of Sussex meets children from Dubbo South Public School PA The Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys in Dubb PA 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 AP Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, talks to Australian singer Missy Higgins, with her 9 week old baby Lunar AP The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet 97 year old Daphne Dunne during a walkabout PA Meghan the Duchess of Sussex receives native flowers from 4-year-old Findlay Blue AP Prince Harry and wife Meghan watch the rehearsal of Spirit 2018 performance by the Bangarra Dance Theatre company AP Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex hold hands as they walk on the lawns at Admiralty Hous AP The Duke of Sussex meets 97 year old Daphne Dunne PA Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet Ruby a mother Koala AP Meghan, right, Duchess of Sussex, reacts as she and Prince Harry, left, receive gifts from Australia's Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove AP Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (R) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (L) arrive at the Sydney Opera House Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle greet members of the crowd at the Sydney Opera House Getty Images Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch aboriginal dances at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP/Getty Images Meghan meets children from Dubbo South Public School PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet a Koala called Ruby Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex hold hands as they walk on the lawns at Admiralty House in Sydney AP Duchess of Sussex holds an Australian Rules football Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greet children during a visit to Albert Park Primary School in Melbourne Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk across the sand at South Melbourne Beach in Melbourne, Australia AP Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend University of the South Pacific in Fiji Getty Images Prince Harry gives a thumbs-up as he climbs the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walking out of Te Papaiouru Marae after attending formal luncheon Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, flanked by Tonga's Princess Angelika Latufuipeka, arrive at Fua'amotu airport on the main island Tongatapu in Tonga Reuters The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are followed by Tonga's Princess Angelika as they depart from Fua'amotu International Airport in Tonga PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend an official welcome at Consular House in Tonga PA

"It such such a shame as we were all very excited to meet her," said one stall holder who had been positioned to expect a visit from the duchess

"We started preparing for the visit three weeks ago and had been meant to meet her but she left without even saying hello."

Wearing a dress by Figue and carrying a woven bag made by women at Suva market, the Duchess was welcomed by Dr Josefa Koroivueta, the permanent secretary for women, children and poverty alleviation, Bijay Chand, the CEO of Suva City Council, Maira Noelle Vaeza, the UN Womens director of programmes, Shobna Verma, the legal advisor to Suva Market Vendors Association who presented Meghan with a bouquet of flowers, and Sofia Talei, president of the Vendors Association.

Mrs Verma, 58, who sells eggs at the market, said: The Duchess asked me if the programme really is making a difference and I told her there have been a lot of positive changes, but we are still waiting for more.

Asenaca Salusalu was the first vendor to meet the Duchess inside the market. Mrs Salusalu, 50, a farmer from the village of Nukulau, more than 100km from Suva, has been a stallholder at Suva Market for nine years, selling root crops, vegetables and fruits.

Royal fans in Fiji go wild for Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Before meeting the Duchess, she said: It can be very a difficult life sometimes, its heavy work cutting the crops and vegetables inside the market. Prices go up and down every day depending on the weather, during the rainy season the farmers put the prices up so I make less profit.

The markets for change programme has been so good in helping us all in training, literacy, finance management and customer service. We have learned how to prepare budgets and how to be a leader. Before I started on the programme two years ago I was lost with all of this.

It is so important for me to be able to share my experiences with the Duchess, to tell her how I used to be a sewing machinist, and how this programme has helped me develop so much. I want to ask her all about the baby too, and her visit to Fiji.

Meghan, who looked slightly flustered during the hurried walk-through the market, shook Mrs Salusalus hand, and said Its very good to meet you, before moving on.

Mrs Salusalu said: She didnt really speak at all, like she was a bit afraid. She just said Bula and Nice to meet you. But Im happy to have met her.

Sofia Talei, 33, from Suva, was another vendor who briefly met the Duchess. Miss Talei, the president of the Markets Vendors Association, sells root crops, honey and coconut oil at her stall. She said: The Duchess told us it is lovely to see how beautiful the market is.

The programme has helped us with the challenges facing the market stall holders. Even things like the toilets here, we have to share with the public, so that is one of our current concerns and we would also like more space for each vendor.

We have been educated with the programme and now we feel we can stand up for ourselves and raise our concerns, even with government officials. It is important for the Duchess to come here because she is all about empowering and helping women.

Meghan has previously campaigned for womens rights and gender equality. In her former life as an actress, she was an UN womens advocate for political participation and leadership and once declared in a speech: I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.

Shortly before her marriage, Meghan reinforced her feminist principles, declaring women dont need to find a voice, they have a voice, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be urged to listen.

The Markets for Change program is delivered by the Fiji Multi-Country Office and funded largely by the Australian and Canadian governments. It works with 20 market sites across Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to help ensure they are safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory work environments for female stall holders.

Between 75-90 per cent of market vendors in the Pacific region are women, but the hours are long, profits often low and working conditions are difficult. Women often come from rural areas and sleep in the market for days, exposing them to higher risks of violence and theft.
T he Duke of Sussex went back to his roots today as he planted a tree with the same shovel his grandmother the Queen used for the task in 1953.

Harry, who wore a blue Bula shirt for the solo visit to Colo-I-Suva Forest Reserve, also met a woman who had served her tea when she visited Fiji during her epic Coronation tour.

Litiana Vulaca, 87, was just 21 when she was chosen for the task by her employer Frances Lilian Charlton, who was the principal of Adi Cakobau Secondary School, a girls boarding school visited by the monarch.

Local clan chiefs were gathered around her as the Duke arrived, but he immediately crouched down to speak to her and had clearly been well briefed on her story.

Harry planted a tree with the same spade his grandmother the Queen used for the task in 1953 / REUTERS

The engagement marked day nine of Prince Harry and Meghan's 16 day royal tour.

Speaking afterwards an emotional Litiana said: I am so happy today because he talked to me first and he knew all about my story.

Harry meets Litiana Vulaca, 86, who served tea to Queen Elizabeth II on her visit in 1953 / AP

Describing her previous royal encounter, she said: I was 21 years old in 1953 and I was working for a lady as a housemaid. She taught me a lot about how to do things, so when the Queen came, they chose me to serve her and the Duke (of Edinburgh).

I was so frightened the first time, but I was very very lucky. She was so beautiful, with beautiful skin and clothes.

Litiana, who had been well trained in etiquette by her boss, also recalled an apparent breach of protocol by Prince Philip, saying: I remember that the Duke didnt use a teaspoon to put sugar in his tea, he picked up the sugar lump with his fingers. I was shocked.

Harry smells a bowl of kava as Joeli Nasqqa, centre, and Eparama Uluiuiti, right, watch during a dedication of the Colo-i-Suva forest / AP

Harry was in the forest to formally recognise its dedication to the Queens Commmonwealth Canopy Project and to mark the occasion he unveiled a plaque and planted an indigenous Dakua tree, which is a threatened species in Fiji.

He was led to a shiny metal shovel, engraved with the words Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lautoka, Fiji, December 18th 1953 and picked it up, saying; This is the second time its been used since 1953, right?

The Duke of Sussex unveils a plaque during the dedication ceremony / REUTERS

He filled in the earth with the help of two schoolchildren after giving a speech.

Earlier, the Duke had a crash course in Fijian traditions as he watched demonstrations of mat weaving using dried Pandanus leaves and hair dyeing, using Makita fruits, limestone and clay inside an open-sided Bure, or hat.

Spotting two men demonstrating the stages of Kava production, he said: Thats what I drank last night.

Sniffing a bowl of the earthy drink, prepared by pounding the roots of the Yagona tree into powder and adding water, he said it was strong.

How much of this do you drink at the weekend? the Duke asked local men Joeli Nasaqa, 18, and Eparama Uluiviti, 28.

Around a kilo, said Joeli. It would be easier to just drink a beer, joked Harry.

Harry makes a speech during the engagement at the Colo-i-Suva forest / REUTERS

Harry then met members of the Matagali and Naulukarowa and Matagali Matanikorovatu clans  the traditional owners of the forest, who leased it to be legally protected by the Fijian Government in 1949.

The Duke also spoke to children from Tamavua and Taciura Primary Schools, who had prepared displays about climate change.

Bernadette Welch Permanent Secretary for Civil Service and acting Permanent Secretary for Forests at the British High Commission in Fiji, said: The people here are very emotional about the royal visit  they really cherish it. They will be talking about it for generations.

The Colo i Suva Forest Reserve, comprising 369 hectares, is home to several endangered species, including the Fijian tree frog and the Balaka Microcarpa fern, of which only 200 remain in Fiji.

Meanwhile Meghan undertook a separate engagement, visiting a market in Suva to meet some of the female vendors involved in the UN Womens project, Markets for Change.

Earlier on Wednesday the Sussexes visited the University of the South Pacific campus in Suva, where Harry followed his father Prince Charless lead in a speech on climate change.

Harry, speaking at the university in Fiji said, We know that young people are the future of the Commonwealth  after all 60 per cent of its 2.4 billion population are under the age of 30.

The Sussexes visited the University of the South Pacific earlier on Wednesday where Harry gave a speech on climate change / Getty Images

You will be the ones most affected by the global challenges that face us all, but you are the leaders who are creating the solutions.

He went on, One of the greatest challenges is undoubtedly climate change  and all of you living here are confronted with this threat in your daily lives.

You're actually experiencing changing weather patterns, ferocious cyclones and rising sea level particularly in places such as Tuvalu and Kiribati.

And you've been living with this for many years, way before the world actually started talking about it, he said.

Harry meets with students during the university visit / Getty Images

On Wednesday morning, Harry, without Meghan for the first engagement of the day, honoured Fijis proud military heritage at the national war memorial.

Harry, in his Blues & Royals tropical dress uniform, medals and sword, laid a wreath with the handwritten message: In grateful memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.

He saluted as the last post was sounded and the Fijian flag lowered.

The prince, who served in the British Army for ten years, then met Fijian war veterans, some of whom served with the British military.

Harry visits the War Memorial in Suva / AFP/Getty Images

There are more than 1250 Fijians currently serving in the British army and Harrys Fijian orderly is also ex British forces.

After Harry had laid the wreath - including the Fijian loloma kei namasu which roughly translates as love and blessings - he was introduced to a line-up of veterans.

Harry shook each man by the hand as he walked along the line and had a joke with one senior veteran.

Meeting Maleli Naigulevu, from Koro Island, Harry asked: Hello, how old are you?

Harry lays a wreath at the memorial on Wednesday morning / AFP/Getty Images

When Maleli told him, the prince exclaimed: 84! Still looking very young!

Afterwards Maleli said: I served for 40 years in the medical corps, I was a pathologist. It was very nice to meet Prince Harry today.

He is a very good role model for us all. The British royals family are v popular here as Fiji was ceded to Great Britain and they taught us good things.

As Harry progressed down the line of veterans, he sounded very like his father Charles and grandfather Philip.

Very nice to see you today he told each man. Did you enjoy your service? How are you today?

Harry and his wife, Meghan are in Fiji as part of a royal tour / AFP/Getty Images

Then he came to 12-year-old Taniela Vakalaca who was wearing all his fathers medals as his dad died in Kenya two years ago.

Harry asked him: Whos are these medals... your fathers...? Ah... Are you going to join the army? You dont have to! Only if you want to!

Harry pulled his mum out of the crowd to shake her hand and told her how nice it was to meet her.

Afterwards a rather shy Taniela said: It was very nice to meet him [Harry]. My medals are my dads.

He passed away in 2016 in Kenya, in Africa. I miss him very much and I want to follow my dad."

Harry then spotted a friend. Brit Derek Detenalagi knew the prince from the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014.

He and his wife Ana, whose family are from Fiji, flew over specially for the royal visit and were invited to last nights state dinner.

When Harry spotted the couple he teased them: Late night last night? Look after yourselves!

Ana said: We werent on the list this morning for this wreath-laying but his PA Clara told us to be here this morning.

We were at the reception last night which was fun. We were very honoured as he gave us each a hug.
R are white dolphins were spotted as the world's longest sea bridge was unveiled to the public.

China's massive Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was officially opened on Tuesday.

Marine life conservationists had opposed the bridge but as soon as it was unveiled, a pod of endangered dolphins were spotted nearby.

The dolphins were pictured swimming with the imposing structure in the background and leaping above the surface of the water.

The 34-mile sea bridge is an extensive length of road, consisting of three cable-stayed bridges, one undersea tunnel, and two artificial islands.

It spans the Lingdingyang channel, connecting Hong Kong with Macau with Zhuhai on mainland China, costing $15 billion and likely to carry 29,000 vehicles per day.

File photo: A Chinese white dolphin, or Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, seen off the coast of Hong Kong. / AFP/Getty/Danel Sorabji

Waters in the Pearl River Estuary are an important habitat for the endangered species, prompting China to prioritise them for protection, during the construction of the bridge, said Chinese media.

The nine-year project had faced a lot of criticism over the impacts on marine life. The reason cited was the construction through the ocean waters would affect the marine life adversely.

Chinese President and communist party leader Xi Jinping announced the opening at a ceremony in Zhuhai Port.

The controversial project will be seen as powerful symbol of renewed connections between mainland china with the semi-autonomous cities.

But it attracted a huge amount of controversy, as Hong Kong's South Chine Morning Post (SCMP) reported 20 workers were killed during its construction, and the dolphin population in the areas has fallen 40 per cent despite efforts to mitigate the impact.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and its entrances to a cross sea tunnel. The bridge has two artificial islands, which house immigration checking centres. / Getty Images

Chan Kam-hong, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said on Tuesday at least nine workers lost their lives on the Hong Kong section due to industrial accidents.

Some workers died after falling into the sea  It was later revealed that life jackets provided by the contractors were substandard, he said.

A view of an artificial island along the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, near Zhuhai. / AFP/Getty Images

Conservationists also called for a review of Hong Kongs environmental assessment system, saying mitigation measures had been "ineffective" in protecting the endangered dolphins.

The number of dolphins north of Lantau Island reportedly dropped to almost zero over the last six years, the activist added.
T he Ryanair passenger filmed racially abusing an elderly woman passenger, who is a member of the Windrush generation, today refused to apologise for his vile outburst as the mayor of Barcelona vowed to bring the shameless rude racist to justice.

David Mesher, originally from Barking, was identified by neighbours and a former colleague as the man seen launching a tirade of racist abuse at 77-year-old Delsie Gayle on a flight from Barcelona to Stansted last week.

Ms Gayle, from Leyton, was called an ugly black bastard by a white man sitting next to her, with the video sparking a furious backlash against the airline which failed to take action against the perpertrator who had told her: Dont talk to me in a f****** foreign language you stupid ugly cow.

Mr Mesher, who lives in Birmingham, today refused to account for his comments, telling the Evening Standard: Go away or Ill call the police.

Outburst: neighbours have branded David Mesher a bully and strange / David Lawrence/Facebook

Staff and residents at the sheltered accommodation where he lives in Yardley Wood, today reacted with shock to Mr Meshers racist aeroplane rant.

One neighbour said he had caused problems for residents in the past. He said: Its disgusting. Neighbours have had run-ins with him in the past.

Another said he was a strange man and said: I live next door to him and we have had problems. But, I have been told not to say anything more, while a third added: There are lots of carers who come in from different nationalities. They will not be happy.

One neighbour told the Daily Mail: He is a racist pig and bully  he should be punished.

Another said: No one really likes him. He keeps himself to himself and we dont know much about him.
T his is the tragic moment a woman weeps over her dead dog after it was allegedly murdered by evil neighbours.

A heartbreaking video, posted by Leewen Zhang, shows her sprawled over the body of her beloved golden retriever Julie after she was poisoned.

Ms Zhang claimed a neighbour slipped rat poison into chicken meat, which was then left on a lawn which the dog liked to play on.

It happened in Chungking, a city in south-west China. Ms Zhang said Julie was in agonising pain for hours before she died.

In a Facebook post which has been shared more than 46,000 times, Ms Zhang said: She is my best friend and baby. I love her so much.

A still of Leewen Zhang weeping over the body of her dog, Julie, after it was poisoned. She is now calling for improved animal rights in China / Leewen Zhang/Facebook

She had only been in her neighbourhood for five months, she wrote, but have already heard a lot of people hate dogs here.

They curse dogs, they make groups to discuss how to kill dogs. What they think is, the environment should only be for kids, not for any dogs.

A neighbour used to abuse me and threatened me over four times that he will kill my dog and all the golden retrievers. I even once called the police.

Julie had only just turned eight when she died earlier this month. Explaining how she was killed, Ms Zhang said: Because evil people wrapped the rat poison into chicken meat and spread on the lawn Julie loves to go rolling over.

She ate one little bite, and died in a few hours with huge pain and suffering. I could never forget her scream, her cry and her fight for surviving.

Leewen Zhang had Julie for eight years before she was killed earlier this month / Leewen Zhang/Facebook

Ms Zhang has pledged to campaign for better animal protection laws in China.

I am still in deep grief, she said, [but] now I am ready to speak for Julie and for all the animals.

The police told me, theres no law for protecting animals, they told me hundreds of dogs die by poison every day. So they have nothing to do with it.

I told them: Theres no animal laws in China now, doesnt mean there will not be in the future! Every life is equal and precious. But its NOT in China! This is not right! This must be changed!
A bizarre new trend sweeping China has seen people "flaunting their wealth" by posting photos of themselves falling out of cars while displaying their luxury goods.

More than one million posts of people taking part in the challenge have appeared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo in the last two weeks, according to the Telegraph.

The trend, which translates as "flaunt your wealth" in Mandarin, sees people posing as if they have just fallen out of an expensive vehicle and spilled their high-end possessions around them on the pavement.

It started in Russia earlier this year as the hashtag #fallingstars after a DJ posted a photo of himself pretending to fall out of a private jet on Instagram, according to ABC News.

The original trend saw people competing to perform the most dramatic falls.

But in China images usually feature people surrounded by expensive possessions, including designer goods, make up, or expensive equipment.

One video, which has been seen upwards of 50,000 times, shows a woman next to her car on a pedestrian crossing in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, next to make up, high heels and a handbag. She was later found by police and fined, South China Morning Post reports.

The trend was then adapted by others to show posts of workers, students, gymgoers or office workers pictured with their everyday items.

State-run newspaper People's Daily deflected from wealthy posts by sharing photos of "falling" people from "all walks of life".

In a post, the paper said: "The younger generation dares to express themselves, they are dazzled by love of their work.
D aniel Radcliffe has revealed that he rarely gets recognised for playing boy wizard Harry Potter.

The 29-year-old actor, who found fame as the titular character in the hit franchise, has since told how children no longer believe he played the fictional hero.

I do have a thing sometimes where I meet kids now and their parents will bring them up to me and theyll be like this is Harry Potter and the kids will be like no its not, he told MSNBCs Morning Joe.

Opening up on being a positive influence in peoples lives, the star added: It is very strange, but also genuinely lovely when somebody comes up and says you were a huge part of my childhood.

Harry Potter: Radcliffe first started in the series in 2011 / PA

For me The Simpsons was a massive thing and the idea that I could occupy a similar place in someone elses life is so crazy and wonderful.

I always say Im incredibly lucky to have got famous with Harry Potter because it is a genuinely beloved thing.

Daniel Radcliffe never felt 'cool' playing Harry Potter

The Kill Your Darlings actor told Jimmy Fallon: "I never as a kid - you know when you're just insecure at that age - I never felt cool at any point playing that character.

"And sort of these things go like 'No!'... people thought that was pretty cool! It's nice, yeah."

Since wrapping up his role in the beloved franchise Radcliffe has gone on to pursue a number of projects, including Swiss Army Man and Imperium.

Despite the roaring success of Harry Potter, Grint told how he lives a pretty normal life but meets some interesting characters.

He said: Thats the nature of Potter. It does appeal to the outcasts of society, they see something in it they can kind of relate to.
D avid and Victoria Beckham enjoyed separate family days out after touching down in Australia for the Invictus Games.

Victoria, 44, shared a picture of herself spending quality time with her daughter Harper while David opted for an adrenalin packed outing with sons Romeo and Cruz.

Victoria and Harper headed to a beauty salon for some much needed pampering after enduring the 22 hour flight from London to Sydney.

The fashion designer shared a picture of her daughter sat on her lap while reading a copy of Vogue Australia, featuring her famous mother as the cover star.

She captioned the shot: Girls day out in Sydney! Kisses x.

Her husband David, 43, shunned the pampering session in favour of taking Romeo, 16, and Cruz, 13, on a hike to the top of the cities famous Harbour Bridge.

He shared a picture of himself giving a thumbs up with his sons after the trio reached the summit.

David Beckham opens up about marriage and family

Very special to be able to take the boys to the top of the Harbour Bridge today, he captioned the image. Thank you to everyone that looked after us especially Nick our guide.

The famous family  minus eldest son Brooklyn  landed Down Under earlier this week ahead of joining the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the annual Invictus Games.

The showbiz couple were recently hit by speculation their 19 year marriage is on the rocks after David described it as complicated and hard work during an interview with Australian show, The Sunday Project.

But they appeared to prove their marriage is not always a struggle after enjoying a day out at Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures where they went for a quad bike ride and tried their hand at abseiling.
O rlando Bloom is the latest A-lister set to take on the task of reading a CBeebies Bedtime Story.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor will appear on screens to read We Are Together, a colourful childrens book written by Britta Teckentrup, celebrating the importance of love and friendship.

Speaking about the upcoming episode, Bloom said: Through my travels as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ive met children in countries all over the world, and witnessed firsthand how storytelling between adults and young children helps cement their bond.

Children light up when being taken on imaginary adventures through storytelling, and it helps their creativity grow. It was great to be a part of CBeebies Bedtime Stories.

Storyteller: Bloom is taking on the new role for the occasion / AFP/Getty Images

The episode is one of two stories the 41-year-old has recorded for the show.

Bloom is the latest name to be added to the list of celebrities that have appeared on the show including Ewan McGregor, Tom Hardy, Sir Elton John and Chris Evans.

West-end: Bloom recently took to the stage as part of Killer Joe / Marc Brenner

Earlier this year, McGregor soothed young viewers with his reading of Everybodys Welcome by Patricia Hegarty on Friday.

The book tells the story of a little mouse who dreams of building a house where everyone can live and work together to feel safe and warm.

McGregor said: Its such an honour and pleasure to join an incredible list of actors to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story to children all over the UK.

I had a great time filming and I hope everyone enjoys watching it.
G ordon Ramsay has revealed that he wore his sons underwear after he left for university to come to terms with him moving out.

The chef, known for his furious rants and hardman exterior, admitted that he put 18-year-old Jacks pants on after dropping him off in Exeter.

Opening up to James Corden on The Late Late Show, Ramsay said: I went upstairs to Jacks bedroom last weekend and I opened the door.

His socks and pants are there  and five minutes later I am wearing them. He is the same size.

So I put them on and just sat on the bed thinking, Damn bud I miss you. Seriously.

The Hells Kitchen presenter explained that he had managed to keep it together when he dropped Jack off at his halls and helped him to settle in.

Jacks twin sister Holly has also flown the nest and moved into student accommodation but is still living in London.

Joking about keeping their youngest child Matilda at home, Ramsay said: We're slowing down the studies and asking if she can leave home at 25.

Over the summer, Ramsay gushed over the 16-year-olds GCSE results, calling her a little star.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 24)  President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill that grants a 25-year congressional franchise to a telecommunications company owned by the Villar family.

Republic Act No. 11089, which was signed by Duterte on October 18, grants Streamtech Systems Technologies Inc. a franchise to "construct, install, establish, operate, and maintain telecommunications systems throughout the Philippines."

Streamtech is headed by Manuel Paolo Villar, the son of business tycoon and former Senate President Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. and reelectionist Senator Cynthia Villar.

Among Streamtech's responsibilities will be to extend its services in hazard and typhoon-prone areas.

The Duterte-signed law said Streamtech's franchise will be revoked if it fails to "commence operations within one year from the approval of its operating permit by the National Telecommunications Commission. It was also required to operate continuously for two years.

The approval of the company's franchise came in the same month that the government began accepting applications for the country's third major telco player.

Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo Rio said Streamtech can bid for the spot, but the company will have to partner with another firm with at least 10 years of industry experience.

"They can but they only have up to November 7 to do so. They also lack the required 10 years experience and would be disqualified if they don't partner with a telco that has 10 years experience," he told CNN Philippines in a message.

Guidelines for the selection of the new firm also dictate that interested bidders must not be related to either PLDT or Globe Telecom, must have no pending liabilities to the government as of Oct. 1, and must have a capital of at least P10 billion.

Rio had earlier said that the next major telco firm to operate in the country will be named by November 7.
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Chairman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE, junior coalition partner) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu told a televised talk show on Tuesday evening that Romania is not in the situation to leave the European Union at either the request of European politicians or of serious influencers in the country.

"Timmermans said it, I think Juncker did too, but Tiemmermans definitely said it two or three times, that there can be no comparison between Romania and, for instance, countries considered to have run into excess or violated the principles of the rule of law. Romania is not in this situation: it is not in the situation of leaving the European Union following either requests by European politicians - and I have anyway not seen such demands - or from serious and influential people in Romania. There might be some in Romania to go spilling nonsense, but I don't know how to term such statements," Tariceanu told television channel Digi24.

He underscored that Romania is a EU member not because of the CVM, "but for having fulfilled the accession criteria"."At the time of accession - and I am speaking in the know, because I was Prime Minister at that time - I had a direct talk with then European Commission President [Jose Manuel] Barroso. And he told me: 'There are certain reservations about some conditionalities not having been met. We suggest to you setting this mechanism in place. You are full-fledged members, but let us do that.' (...) And I - but it wasn't just me, but everyone in the Cabinet at that time - started from the idea that there was a good intention at the core of the CVM, and we set off on this way," the ALDE Chairman said, explaining that the CVM had been instated as a tool for the Commission to assess and quantify Romania's further progress, but that it had not been the decisive factor in Romania's acquiring EU membership.Popescu-Tariceanu emphasized that the CVM had not been a condition to join the EU, as the "Accession Treaty had already been signed. And Romania was to join the EU anyway on January 1. It has been a sort of gentlemen's agreement to show Romania's openness and willingness to have the Commission accompany its steps with its experience. Why not? Yet what happened further on was excessive."Tariceanu mentioned that, according to surveys, "Romania is among the countries with the highest support for the European project and EU membership."
"Mr. President cannot get involved in the parliamentary activity, and he even said it himself. At the same time, he cannot play the role of a mediator between the political parties," Dragnea stated at the end of consultations on the justice laws President Iohannis had with the PSD delegation at the Cotroceni Palace.

The PSD leader specified that the Social Democrats did not come to consultations to make a commitment in front of Iohannis."We did not come to make a commitment with the President (...), we just understood that he wanted us to take into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission," said Dragnea.He added that they already considered the recommendations, as an emergency ordinance has been approved recently in the justice field, which will become law in Parliament.

Agerpres
"The European Parliament has no reason to adopt any resolution against Romania, absolutely no proper reason," Dragnea stated, when asked if he is concerned by the possibility that the European Parliament adopts a resolution against our country.

Liviu Dragnea led the PSD delegation that participated on Wednesday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in the consultations convened by President Klaus Iohannis on the legislation in the Justice area.

Agerpres
"We did not come here to discuss our alliance problems. The alliance functions very well and we do not have radically opposite opinions. Of course that the justice laws will definitely be submitted to Parliament, for we have Ordinance 92, which basically puts up the laws for debate again and forces Parliament to rediscuss them. This discussions can also be carried out and final decisions be made by vote of the majority or we can try to reach a consensus among all the political parties represented in Parliament and I believe this is a better solution, if we want to calm down the spirits and end this discussion, which generated echoes including abroad. There will be a discussion in the European Parliament to be probably followed by a resolution on Romania. If we want to solve this problem and never find ourselves in this position again, which is by far undesirable (...), if we want to calm things down, I believe this solution is desirable for us," said Tariceanu at the Cotroceni Palace.

The ALDE leader claimed that "Romania is a topic for discussion" at European level because of the resolution that was already adopted on Hungary."And then, in trying to balance things between the EPP group and the socialist group, some members of the European Parliament, and they are not all such geniuses of politics, thought that the best way to balance things again would be by having a motion against Romania," he added.Tariceanu mentioned that the recommendations of the Venice Commission only take into consideration one matter referred to in the Ordinance 92 - the minimum retirement age of 20 years of service."There is a prorogation from the deadline until January 1, 2020, with a recommendation to our Parliament to eliminate this provision," he showed.The Senate President also addressed another recommendation of the Venice Commission - the one that challenges the need for setting up an independent section of investigation of magistrates."And it comes with arguments. I read the Venice Commission report very carefully. Yesterday, the CSM (Supreme Council of Magistrates), whose authority and independence is not questioned by the Venice Commission (...), hailed the setting up of the section, which will ensure the real independence of magistrates. So, the Venice Commission says one thing, the CSM something completely different - not us, for we are probably suspected of having a subjective approach in relation to this matter. So, we cannot say: "Yes, all the recommendations are perfect and there is no reason to question them. We need to analyze them and of course that in the end some of them have already been solved by Ordinance 92 and for the others Parliament needs to continue to debate them," said Tariceanu.The ALDE leader specified in the same context that "all problems" are discussed by the governing coalition.According to him, because of the Wednesday dispute related to the law on combating money laundering, the consensus previously obtained on the offshore law could no longer be achieved."I believe that we still can - and I believe this is not just ALDE's and PSD's interest - to avoid such unpleasant situations of the type of the EP Resolution, so that I believe we must make a common effort in this respect, if they all start from the same principles - that they follow the national interest," concluded the ALDE leader.

Agerpres
"It was a relatively calm talk, during which Mr. President told us his opinion related to the justice laws, in the sense that the legislative process should be resumed. However, we don't think this would be necessary, for we have Ordinance 92 in Parliament, in the case of which parliamentary procedures were already initiated and which includes a large part of the recommendations of the Venice Commission, an ordinance that was proposed to the Government by Minister Toader, after the meeting he had in Strasbourg with experts of the Venice Commission. We have never refused to talk about the justice system in Romania. On the contrary, this was an assumed objective, for we already decided in 2016 not to make the mistake against to pretend we do not see what happens in Romania, to pretend that we do not see the abuses we were exposed to, unfortunately, and some Romanian citizens are still facing such abuses by a part of the justice laws in Romania. We cannot pretend there are no secret protocols, which are unconstitutional agreements, illegal, toxic that, in fact, have fueled the building of such occult organisations, which fed from important state institutions and blocked a part of the justice system in Romania," stated Dragnea.

Agerpres
Participating alongside the head of the state are also presidential advisers Mihaela Ciochina, Laurentiu Mihai Stefan and Andrei Murare and state adviser Daniela Barsan.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) is the first to discuss with the head of state, being represented by its leader, Liviu Dragnea , and MPs Robert Cazanciuc, Florin Iordache, Serban Nicolae and Eugen Nicolicea.When asked on Wednesday, at the end of the National Standing Bureau meeting of the party if the PSD will sign a "peace deal" related to the justice laws if the President offers one, Liviu Dragnea said: "I prefer not to comment and to discuss this after the meeting, so that I won't ruin his surprise."President Iohannis called the parliamentary parties to consultations on Wednesday, starting at 3 pm, to discuss the justice laws.According to the Presidential Administration, the programme of the consultations is the following: starting at 3 pm - the Social Democratic Party, at 3.30 pm - the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), at 4 pm - the National Liberal Party (PNL), at 4.30 - the Save Romania Union (USR), at 5.00 pm - the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), at 5.30 pm - the People's Movement Party (PMP), at 6 pm - the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities.

AGERPRES
They mentioned that the court sustained the objection over the penalty to be applied to unruly MPs.

On September 13, USR announced that it was filing challenge with CCR regarding the new Chamber's regulation that provides for penalties for unruly MPs, including temporary suspension of their participation in some or all of the activities of the chamber for a period between the two and thirty working days.According to USR, the change in the regulation proposed by MP Eugen Nicolicea of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major at rule, "violates the Constitution of Romania and represents a regress" in a democratic state.USR's explanatory statement shows that the text on which the penalty was imposed contravenes the provisions of Article 1 (3) and (5), Article 2 (1), Article 61 (1), sentence I, Article 69 (1) and Article 70 of the Constitution, "which configures the parliamentary mandate in accordance with the requirements of the rule of law."USR mentions that, according to the constitution, the MPs have the right to submit motions, sign motions, and legislative initiatives and conduct activity in committees. It argues that it is "absurd to curtail the rights and activity of USR lawmakers", as this creates a "dangerous precedent".The amendments to the Chamber of Deputies Regulations were challenged with CCR by the National Liberal Party (PNL) as well.

Agerpres
For the second consecutive year the government allocates the National Ministry of Defense 2 percent of GDP and will steadily maintain this level until at least the year 2026, minister of National Defense Mihai Fifor announced on Wednesday at the military oath-taking ceremony organized at the 'Ferdinand I' Military Technical Academy for the military higher education institutions and petty officers and NCO schools.

"Dear students and freshmen, (...) beginning today, as you take the military oath, you are truly in the service of the country, and the country relies on your determination. We expect you to become the military professionals of the modern army we are building today, an army adapted to modern times and integrated with the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU, equipped with advanced hardware, with modern infrastructure, that will provide its personnel with living and work conditions at the standards of the times we live in. After years during which Defense funding has not been a priority, the Government of Romania allocates the Ministry of National Defense, for the second consecutive year, two percent of GDP, and will steadily maintain this level at least through 2026, allowing for one of the eastern flank's most solid modernization and development processes to unfold," said Mihai Fifor.

"NATO command centers and structures have been rendered operational in Romania, others will soon materialize - and I am referring here to the corps-level land component command - and our troops participate alongside allied and partner forces in most complex missions in the theaters of operations or train in large-scale multinational exercises. All these measures will strengthen Romania's capacity of defense as a NATO member on the eastern flank, will gradually increase our country's capacity to respond to any threat in the region, strengthening its profile as a pole of stability at the Black Sea," said Fifor.He emphasized that the measures aimed at the Romanian Army's modernization cannot be implemented without pragmatic and effective solutions for providing adequate, well-prepared, top-capability human resources.The minister also pointed out in his address that Romanian Army Day, that is celebrated on October 25, will be honored with wreath-laying ceremonies in Paulis and Carei, in Bucharest and all the big cities, in memorial war cemeteries in the country or abroad, and tributes will be paid to the nation's heroes fallen in the great wars.
The minimum gross wage guaranteed will be differentiated according to the education level or the seniority, the gov't informs in a release sent on Tuesday night to AGERPRES.

According to the source, premier Viorica Dancila, Labour minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu, and Public Finance minister Eugen Teodorovici met on Tuesday at the Victoria Palace with representatives of the trade unions and the employers' associations, who were presented the gov't draft decision regarding the minimum gross wage increase: 2,080 lei/month, which means a net 100 lei increase.

"Moreover, the decision is made to reinsert the gross minimum wage guaranteed differentiated by the education level or the seniority, a concept that has been already used in Romania's legislation before 2011: 2,350 lei gross salary, meaning by 13pct higher than the wage gained by the persons with no higher education or with a seniority smaller than 15 years," the gov't release stresses.The gov't specifies that it showed openness to a proposal tabled by the trade unions at the last sitting of the National Three-Party Council, a proposal that is in accordance with the ruling programme's provisions, too."Upon the discussions with the trade unions and the employers' associations, an unanimous conclusion is reached, namely that the increase of the minimum wage is necessary, the only divergence being over the kick off date to applying the measure: the trade unions asked for 1 November 2018, the employers' associations demanded as of 1 January 2019," the release says.According to the source, the gov't will make a decision shortly and it will be communicated publicly, so that the loan managers and the companies in Romania prepare the enforcement of the measure, the release concludes.
The members of the National Committee for substantiating the National Euro Adoption Plan stated on Tuesday that the period before the adoption of the euro will have to be "intense in reforms, development and modernization to reach the real convergence thresholds", according to a Government press release, issued for AGERPRES.

The new meeting of the said National Committee took place on Tuesday at gov't's seat Victoria Palace, with the participation of Romanian Academy's President Ioan-Aurel Pop and the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu.

The Government informs that at the meeting, Professor Aura Socol PhD presented the Substantiation Report, a document structured on two levels and including seven chapters. The report analyzes in detail how the Eurozone works, how can Romania's entry into the Eurozone influence it and the degree of preparation of the Romanian economy for the implementation of this objective."As to the degree of preparation of the Romanian economy for joining the Eurozone, the results of the research show that Romania has made much progress from the perspective of convergence," the press release said.At the same time, Aura Socol presented three scenarios showing the period when Romania could reach a critical mass of real and structural convergence of 70pct, 75pct and 80pct respectively, depending on two annual average growth rates: a rate of a 4pct increase, based on the average real GDP growth rates in the period 2000-2017, and a more optimistic rate of 5pct based on the assumption that Romania will improve the contribution of production factors to the potential growth and will implement structural reforms favorable to economic growth."In the case of a target of 70pct of the Eurozone 19 average, Romania may reach this level in 6 years if it has an average growth rate of 4pct per year or 4 years with a 5pct growth rate. In the scenario in which Romania intends to reach 75pct of the average Eurozone 19 (the most appropriate level for Romania's economy, as shown in the Report), this can be achieved in 9 years (if the average rate of historical increase of 4pct per year is kept), or in 6 years in the context of an increase with an average rate of 5pct per year," reads the press release.
President Klaus Iohannis will attend on Tuesday, 30 October, the trilateral meeting of the heads of state Romania - Bulgaria - Austria, in Vienna, the Presidential Administration informs in a press release issued on Wednesday for AGERPRES.

According to the quoted source, the meeting will be held to ensure the continuity between the three presidencies of the Council of the European Union, but also to convey a common message on the future of the EU from the three presidents.

President Iohannis will have a meeting with the Austrian Federal President, Alexander Van der Bellen, and with Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev, followed by joint press statements. The talks of the three presidents will focus on topical European themes, especially those on the future of the European Union, but also on the current Austrian presidency at the Council of the Union, as well as on the future Romanian presidency.Klaus Iohannis will highlight Romania's interest in cooperating with Austria and Bulgaria to achieve the common goal of advancing the European agenda in the interest of Union's citizens, the quoted source informs."At the same time, the President of Romania will mention that our country supports the idea of a strong Union, characterized by solidarity and cohesion, which promotes concrete policies and focused on the citizen. Thus, during its presidency of the Council of the European Union, Romania will pursue the promotion of a pragmatic approach and of some feasible objectives, so that European citizens may benefit from concrete results," the Presidential Administration in Bucharest underscores.
"On 17 February 2016 - the Justice Ministry initiated the selection procedure for the Prosecutor General office. The criteria and conditions that were enunciated, which we have in the personnel file at the Ministry of Justice, stipulated, among other things, the legal conditions and the 'Very good' mark at the last assessment. On 15 March 2016 - the candidacy of Mr Prosecutor Augustin Lazar was registered at the Justice Ministry. On 21 April 2016 - the Prosecutors' Section of the CSM [the Superior Council of Magistracy] issues a positive opinion regarding the Justice Minister's proposal. One week after: on 28 April - Romania's President signs the appointment decree for the Prosecutor General office. Coming back from 2016 to nowadays when we make the assessment and what do we find? That in the candidacy file, at the respective moment, there was no indication of a document proving that the criterion for obtaining the "Very Good" mark at the latest activity assessment was met. Which means that there was a piece missing from the file in the assessment and appointment - the mark, the assessment over the latest period," Toader said when presenting the report on the managerial activity of the Chief Prosecutor of Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PICCJ).

Agerpres
The PNL (National Liberal Party, ed. n.) will decide whether to make electoral alliances with other rightist parties at the time of the elections, the party's chairman Ludovic Orban said on Tuesday in a public television station show.

Asked whether he considered these electoral alliances, Orban said the PNL "will find the best strategy to win the election."

"When I was elected chairman of the PNL, I assumed the goal of winning the presidential elections, the local elections and the parliamentary elections. Depending on the situation at the moment, we will decide what is the best strategy. My concern are firstly to unite the PNL with the citizens of Romania and to intensify the communication between the PNL members at the local, county and parliamentary level with the people," the PNL chairman said.Ludovic Orban added that the PNL is ready to win the elections and that the difference in polls is only two percent in favor of the social-democrats, with the liberals recording between 28 and 30 percent at the moment.
"I recently concluded the visit to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, states where I carried out high-level political-diplomatic meetings, as well as meetings with businessmen associations. It was a mission predominantly economic, which I returned from with concrete results, beneficial long-term results for Romania. Turkish businessmen and those from the Gulf countries are interested in investing in Romania in infrastructure, healthcare and in developing large-scale public-private partnership projects," Viorica Dancila stated in the beginning of the Gov't sitting.

The PM mentioned that she carried out a very close discussion with the President of the Republic of Turkey."Mr Erdogan assured me that Turkish investors are interested in building a regional hospital in Constanta equipped with 1,000 beds, as well as in increasing the volume of trade exchanges, from 7 billion US dollars to 10 billion US dollars," Dancila stated.She mentioned that in the United Arab Emirates there was a huge interest for public-private partnership projects, but also for investments."A company from the United Arab Emirates wants to invest over 100 million US dollars in logistic and industrial parks in Curtici, Aiud, Craiova, Constanta, Bucharest and Prahova County. There is also a great interest for the construction of the Bucharest Port on the Danube-Bucharest Canal. Taking into account this potential, that can be developed on the long term, we have agreed to create an economic strategic partnership between the Government of Romania and the Government of the United Arab Emirates, a narrower and more active cooperation framework at governmental level," Dancila explained.The PM mentioned having seen in Kuwait the same interest in Romania, showed by the local investors."A first concrete result is the prospect of collaborating with the 'Ana Aslan' Institute," Dancila stated.The PM concluded that her visit to Turkey and the Gulf countries confirmed, once again, that Romania "is an attractive destination for the business milieu in view of developing some large-scale projects in areas where our country has potential for growth, both economically and socially."

Agerpres
Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar had a working meeting with a UN delegation headed by Diego Garcia-Sayan, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers, during which several topics were discussed, among which the independence of prosecutors, the appointment of high-level prosecutors and legislative changes in the judiciary.

According to a statement from the Prosecutor General's Office, Augustin Lazar had a working meeting with a delegation made up of Diego Garcia-Sayan, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers, and former Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs of Peru; Hartmut Rank, Director of the Rule of Law South-East Europe Program; Franziska Rinke, International Rule of Law Program Coordinator, and Christian Steiner, former Director of the Rule of Law Latin America Program.

At the meeting, Augustin Lazar presented the history and structure of the Romanian Public Prosecution Service, as well as aspects related to the status of prosecutors.The main topics addressed in the meeting concerned the independence of prosecutors, the way of appointing high-level prosecutors in the Public Prosecution Service, legal amendments aimed at the judiciary and the criminal codes.
Prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest District 1 Court on Wednesday conducted searches in the homes of seven persons involved in the violent clashes of August 10.

"The prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 1 Court are conducting searches in a criminal case having to do with acts of physical and moral violence committed against the persons injured, gendarmes who were on duty on August 10/11 in the Victoriei Square. Thus, on 24.10.2018, based on the authorizations from the rights and liberties judge from the Bucharest District 1 Court, the prosecutors conducted searches in the homes of seven persons, in order to find out the truth in this case," reads a release of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 1 Court.

In conducting the searches, the prosecutors benefited from the support of the General Directorate of the Bucharest Municipality Police - Violent Criminal Groups Service.
The Social Democratic Party will go, on Wednesday to the consultations summoned by president Klaus Iohannis, at Cotroceni Palace, the chairman of the party, Liviu Dragnea, announced, at the end of the National Standing Bureau's reunion.

Among the PSD delegation will be Robert Cazanciuc, Florin Iordache, Serban Nicolae and Eugen Nicolicea.

Asked if, in the event that the head of state will present "a pact for justice", PSD will sign this document, Dragnea replied: I will abstain, I would rather discuss this afterwards, because I would not like to spoil the surprise."President Klaus Iohannis summoned the parliamentary parties to consultations, for Wednesday, from 15:00, the topic being the legislation in the sector of Justice.According to the Presidential Administration, the schedule of consultations is as follows: from 15:00 - Social Democratic Party; 15:30 - Alliance of Liberals and Democrats; 16:00 - the National Liberal Party; 16:30 - Save Romania Union; 17:00 - the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania; 17:30 - People's Movement Party; 18:00 - Parliamentary group of national minorities.
According to a SPP news statement released on Wednesday, the SPP chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear or explosive hazard specialists took part, for five days, alongside their counterparts from the other agencies of the National Defence, Public Order and Security System in a series of training exercises provided by American experts.

"The Romanian specialists simulated real-life WMD attacks. Experts of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) together with officials of the US Nuclear Safety Administration of the US Department of Energy presented and tested with the Romanian trainees state-of-art techniques and methods for detecting radiation and investigating radiological incidents."Bucharest hosts the only FBI WMD office in Europe. There are two other similar offices abroad, one each in Dubai and Singapore. An FBI official is permanently deployed in Romania to provide, in crisis situations, advice, technical expertise as well as logistic and human support to Romanian specialists.

AGERPRES
Senate president Calin Popescu-Tariceanu declared that he is "curiously waiting" for the CVM (Cooperation and Verification Mechanism) report for Romania, adding that this mechanism "is not God on Earth."

"For 11 years the CVM report has been showing us that Romania is constantly making efforts, but never reaches the finish line. So long as the CVM report has kept an unjustified silence, I wouldn't say suspicious, but a silence that is not alright, in regard with the existing protocols, with serious violations and slippage from Justice, like what happened to the DNA (National Anticorruption Directorate), allow me to say that... I am curiously waiting for the CVM report, which I think it can only speak of a part of the problems, the rest being ignored," Tariceanu said on Tuesday, at private TV broadcaster Digi24.

He says that Romania has made "a series of efforts, reforms" in regards to fighting corruption."We started with four recommendations and now we reached 12. Each time the report said that Romania made progress, but they added something, and added something... In Brussels we have a lot of officials who want to justify their existence. There are good salaries, comfortable positions, exceptional pensions. I am not the only one making such remarks. What happened with the CVM is not right. I am not fond of speaking of my neighbors, but this time I have no other explanation to give. In Bulgaria there hasn't been anything done for the past 11 years, like nothing. (...) There are no talks about anything in Bulgaria. There are taboo topics that they will not discuss. There is no Bulgarian MP that will bring into discussion in the European Parliament... Bulgaria apparently, because this is not the reality, is better than Romania. I mean Romania made a series of efforts, reforms, had a successful journey in fighting corruption. Sure, there were excesses, abuses, and so on .... Let's just say that there were things that were handled correctly. Well, Romania is not being awarded for that, despite the fact that it made some efforts. The CVM report, I'm telling you, I am curiously looking forward to seeing it," he said."We asked the European Commission to say who the experts are, the ones that feed back information from the country. Total opacity. Nothing. They do not want to say a word. (...) CVM is not God on Earth (...) because people work for the CVM, people with sympathies, antipathies, they can make mistakes, because mistakes are human. We presume they are well intended, but they are also subjected to the same risks and traps where we can all fall into. That does not mean that the document, once elaborated, is perfect, that there are no points that might contain mistakes, beyond criticism, it's eye clean, it's the law. (...) CVM was not thought out to function indefinitely. Romania made important progresses. There is a certain moment, where myself and many others noticed, this mechanism is used as an instrument of control, not verification, because progresses were made," Tariceanu opined.
It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump and his family, including son-in-law Jared Kushner and sons Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, are siding with Saudi Arabias bizarre explanation for the murder of Washington-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate-General in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. After Kushner held a series of meetings in October 2017 with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), nicknamed Mohammed Bone Sawman  a reference to the royal assassination team of 15 men that MBS dispatched to Istanbul that used a bone saw to dismember Khashoggi  the Crown Prince became emboldened to strike out his political enemies and royal rivals.

Kushner is believed to have handed MBS a list of names, culled from National Security Agency (NSA) intercepts of Saudi communications, of MBSs enemies. In November 2017, MBS rounded up and detained in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Hotel some 200 Saudi princes, government ministers, businessmen, and others for interrogation sessions, with the intense questioning, reportedly, leading to, at least, one fatal heart attack.

One of the princes detained by MBS was Saudi multi-billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, formerly the largest single shareholder in Citigroup. Since his release from three months of detention by MBS, Al-Waleed is no longer a billionaire, his fortune having been seized by MBS. Al-Waleed was a frequent critic of Trump's proposed Muslim ban during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Khashoggi was not the first victim of the Saudi regime hunted down and murdered. Saudi Prince Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud, who has lived in exile in Germany since 2004 and is a critic of the MBS regime, reported in an interview with the DPA German press agency that, in late September 2018, one of his relatives met with Saudi embassy officials in Cairo. The Saudi interlocutors told the relative that they knew Prince Khaled was short on funds and that they wished to "help him." All that was needed, the Saudi diplomats told the relative, was for Khaled to go to the Saudi embassy in Cairo to pick up his check. Khaled immediately knew it was a trap. Khaled told DPA, "they would have killed me in some inhuman way in order to scare off others." In 2017, Saudi officials approached German officials to have them extradite Khaled to Saudi Arabia. The Germans ignored the Saudi request and beefed up his personal security.

Khaled was lucky. In January 2016, Prince Sultan bin Turki, who lived in Paris, planned to fly from Boston to Cairo to visit his father. The MBS government provided a private jet for the prince. However, instead of Cairo, the plane flew Sultan to Riyadh, where he was dragged off the plane by security agents and he was never heard from again.

In late 2015, Prince Turki bin Bandar, who lived in Paris, was visiting Morocco. The Moroccan authorities arrested Prince Turki and extradited him to Saudi Arabia. He has not been heard from since.

A friend of Prince Khaled, Saudi royal house member Saud bin Saif al-Nasr, lived in Milan, where he called for the ouster of King Salman and MBS. Saud was lured to a business meeting in Rome, where he was kidnapped by Saudi agents and hustled back to Riyadh. Saud has not been heard from since.

Kushner also, according to published news reports, told Trump not to alienate MBS over the grisly murder of Khashoggi, arguing that MBS could survive the outrage over the murder, just as he weathered past criticism, including the genocidal Saudi-led war in Yemen, the detention of the Saudi elite at the Ritz-Carlton, and the kidnapping in Riyadh of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Trump, apparently, took Kushners advice.

On October 19, the Saudi Arabian Press Agency confirmed that Khashoggi died inside the Saudi mission in Istanbul, following a physical altercation with his interrogators that followed a botched interrogation. Trump said he found the incredulous Saudi explanation of Khashoggis death to be credible, adding that it was an important first step. Earlier, Trump said he believed "rogue agents" may have killed Khashoggi without the knowledge of senior Saudi officials, including King Salman and MBS. Trump has called the king and MBS his "friends."

Trump, using language similar to his defense of his Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, said the Saudis should be considered innocent until proven guilty. In an interview with the Associated Press, Trump said, "Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent . . . I don't like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I'm concerned." It was strange for Trump to liken Kavanaugh to the Saudis. The Saudi government has never been known to tell the truth about its involvement in assassinations and terrorist events, including the 9/11 attack in 2001 on the United States and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing.

The Saudis said nothing about the method of Khashoggis death, which, according to Turkish law enforcement sources, began with the Saudis, including a physician specializing in dissections, severing Khashoggis fingers, while he was still alive. The Saudis did their very best to follow Kushners advice. By delaying the announcement of Khashoggis death, relieving Saudi consul general in Istanbul Mohammed al-Otaibi of his duties, firing 18 members of the Saudi royal court and intelligence service, arranging a car accident in Riyadh that killed one of the hit team members  Meshal Saad al-Bostani  and announcing an investigation commission to be headed by none other than Mohammed Bone Sawman, the Saudis hoped to kick the can down the road until the murder of Khashoggi no longer dominated the news cycle.

Riyadh was also able to count on the support of Kushner, Trump, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and their Israeli friends who wanted nothing to interfere with the American-Israeli-Saudi axis gearing up for war against Iran.

Trump also said he did not want anything to affect the $110 billion [in Saudi military purchases] from being spent in this country. Trump was lying. The Saudis have only committed to the buying of $14.5 billion in US military hardware. Nevertheless, Trump told an impromptu White House press gathering on October 13, I tell you what I dont want to do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, all these companies. I dont want to hurt jobs. I dont want to lose an order like that.

US law enforcement assisting in the investigation of Khashoggi's murder are zeroing in on a series of phone calls between Kushner and MBS prior to and after Khashoggi flew from Washington to Istanbul to obtain marriage documentation from the Saudi consulate-general. Although some of the calls involved the spurious $110 billion US arms sale to Saudi Arabia  a deal that had Kushner's personal support  investigators want to know if the subject of Khashoggi's criticism of MBS's regime came up during the conversations. If Kushner had advance knowledge of MBS's plans to either kidnap or murder Khashoggi, Kushner would be an accessory to conspiracy to commit homicide.

If the White House failed to ensure the governments duty to warn Khashoggi of a threat against him, US law may have been violated. MBS once bragged that he had Kushner in his pocket. How much so is now of great interest to the FBI and INTERPOL. Also, of interest to law enforcement are calls intercepted by the NSA between the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khaled bin Salman  MBS's brother  and the royal palace in Riyadh, as well as calls between Khaled bin Salman and Kushner.

What should be worrisome to Kushner and his friends in Jerusalem is the fact that the Saudi National Guard (SANG), whose ranks are made up of members of various Saudi tribes, is leading a major internal Saudi power struggle against MBS. Thanks to decades of support from various US defense and intelligence contractors, including the CIA-linked Vinnell Corporation of Fairfax, Virginia, SANG has its own intelligence-gathering apparatus. SANG rebels have reportedly made a temporary alliance with the intelligence service of Qatar, since both view MBS as their common enemy and in the Middle East, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It is this combined SANG-Qatari intelligence capability, coupled with Turkish leads on the Khashoggi murder, that should cause Kushner to have many a sleepless night.
It was intriguing that the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 was apparently recorded in some fashion. The BBC reported that A Turkish security source has confirmed to BBC Arabic the existence of an audio and a video recording. What is not clear is if anyone other than Turkish officials has seen or heard them. One source is cited by the Washington Post saying men can be heard beating Mr Khashoggi; it adds that the recordings show he was killed and dismembered.

It seemed pretty much an open-and-shut case. There was evidence that the despotic regime of Saudi monarchy, as always regarding themselves as being above decency, law and civilisation in general, had been so annoyed with a Saudi journalist that they killed him. It was an amateur operation, and Mossad (for example) would have done a better and more discreet job (although their assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai was a bit botched), but it achieved the Saudis objective and sent the message round the world that any of their nationals daring to speak out against the Trump-supported boy dictator in Riyadh, the ruthless Mohammed bin Salman, would pay the ultimate price.

But then the story about a recording of the torture and killing of Jamal Khashoggi underwent modification. Perhaps there wasnt a Turkish audio and video recording, after all. CNBC broadcast that The Turkish newspaper Sabah reported that Khashoggi recorded audio of the alleged killing using an app on his Apple Watch and was able to upload the recording to his iPhone and iCloud account, but the conclusion was that It would have been nearly impossible for Khashoggi to record audio and upload it to his iPhone or the internet, and it raises questions as to how Turkish officials obtained the audio and video evidence of the alleged killing.

It was apparent that the Turkish authorities were trying to disguise the fact that they had the Saudi consulate well and truly bugged, and saw and heard almost every hideous development in the course of Khashoggis torture, slaughter and dismemberment.

But theres no sense in the Turks trying to deny that they are spying on everyone they can possibly spy on, be they friends, allies or enemies. After all, its done all around the world by some countries who try to maintain an international posture of moral ascendancy.

Britain is a prime example of that sort of humbug.

We should remember that in 2013 the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that When diplomats travel to international summits, consultations and negotiations on behalf of governments, they generally tend to spend the night at high-end hotels. When they check-in, in addition to a comfortable room, they sometimes get a very unique form of room service that they did not order : a thorough monitoring by the British Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ in short . . . GCHQ has had a system to automatically monitor hotel bookings of at least 350 upscale hotels around the world in order to target, search and analyse reservations to detect diplomats and government officials.

In order to spread instruction about the best means of eavesdropping on diplomats and other representatives of foreign governments, be they friendly, allied or otherwise, GCHQ prepared a briefing on its hotel monitoring and surveillance program, and in a splendid flight of whimsical grubbiness titled one of its Royal Concierge presentations Tales from the Wild, Wild West of GCHQ Operational Datamining.

Royal Concierge and countless other British and American clandestine programs aimed at supposedly allied countries were and continue to be part of a pattern of illegal and sometimes crassly disloyal spookery that might be thought to be out of control were it not for the fact that the US and British governments approve, direct and regulate every type and detail of surveillance  including (perhaps especially?) those that might have commercial connotations.

Europes Airbus, for example, has evidence of US industrial espionage. But as declared by the then Director of US National Intelligence, the liar, James R Clapper, What we do not do, as we have said many times, is use our foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of  or give intelligence we collect to  US companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line.

Thats preposterous rubbish, because there are no rules in intelligence gathering.

The US National Security Agency spied on the Brazilian oil form Petrobras, the World Bank, and the European Commission's antitrust office, among scores of other firms and agencies involved in commerce, trade and other international financial arrangements. Do the NSA and Britains legions of government-directed techno-dweebs really expect people to believe their silly denials? The NSA claims that when they intercept a juicy item, such as a contract bid that Airbus are putting in to counter and most probably beat a Boeing offer, then they arent going to inform Boeing. GCHQ is saying they expect us to believe that if they found out that Britain was bribing Saudi Arabia, as approved by Prime Minister Tony Blair, then of course they would take the moral stance and insist that this be exposed in spite of the fact that the bottom line of profit would then disappear.

Please stop laughing.

These US-UK immoral antics are not funny, and where money is concerned, the skys no limit and moral gutters have no depths. It wouldnt be so bad if they didnt insist that they were entitled to saintly halos.

As reported by Fox News, on September 18 the Pentagon released an unclassified version of its future cybersecurity strategy, which noted that Russia has used cyber-enabled information operations to influence our population and challenge our democratic processes, and China has sought to steal sensitive information from the American government and private sector institutions. This was greeted by yawns and amusement, as it has been obvious for very many years that this is exactly what was being done by the US and Britain all round the world.

In 2014 NBC News revealed that official documents it had obtained describe techniques developed by a secret British spy unit called the Joint Threat Research and Intelligence Group (JTRIG) as part of a growing mission to go on offense and attack adversaries ranging from Iran to the hacktivists of Anonymous. According to the documents, which come from presentations prepped in 2010 and 2012 for NSA cyber spy conferences, the agencys goal was to destroy, deny, degrade [and] disrupt enemies by discrediting them, planting misinformation and shutting down their communications. The British have not denied this report. Well they couldnt, because theyre up to their snooping ears in techno-thuggery.

The presentations covered details of cyber attacks and propaganda operations, and NBC noted that JTRIG also uses false flag operations, in which British agents carry out online actions that are designed to look like they were performed by one of Britains adversaries.

Its all very murky, and it makes the unprovable allegations about Russian interference in US elections look a trifle inconsequential.

Anyway, who needs to interfere in American elections from outside the country?
Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific are not the only potential theaters of military operations. The Arctic is an area of geopolitical rivalry. The situation there is undeservedly kept out of media spotlight. Meanwhile, 2018 has brought new record lows in the extent of sea ice in the region.

Russia has presented a 1.2 million square kilometers Arctic claim to the UN. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a Coastal state may claim rights to the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles by presenting scientific proof that it is a natural prolongation of its continental margin. The Russian Coastal exclusive economic zone can be extended, giving the state exclusive rights to exploit natural resources in the seabed and the ocean. Actually, Russia sits on $8.5 trillion oil reserves.

Moscow considers the Northern Sea Route (NSR) lying east of Novaya Zemlya and specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from the Kara Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait as the water area within Russia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in accordance with Article 234 of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This article grants all littoral states the right, within their exclusive economic zones (200 nautical miles), to pass non-discriminatory laws and regulations concerning navigation in ice-field areas. The US is a signatory but Congress has not ratified the document. Washington does not recognize the Russias claims and seeks to internationalize the region.

The US, Canada, Denmark and Norway have their own claims. The Arctic is believed to hold more than $22 trillion worth of resources hidden beneath the ice, including 90 billion barrels of oil and 47 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. Its only natural for states to have disputes as long as they are addressed on the basis of international law through negotiations. But the gradual escalation of tensions in the Arctic is a fact.

According to the Danish governments 2018-2023 defense guidelines, there will be an impressive 20 percent increase in defense spending in the next six years. The Arctic is mentioned as an area of increased activity and military presence. In summer, Norway recommitted itself to NATO defense spending target of at least 2% of GDP with its new long-term plan for 2021-2024 having this commitment as a key premise. Oslo is to invest in "strategic capabilities", such as the new F-35 stealth fighter, submarines and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. Canada is to deploy an Arctic naval flotilla. Last year, Ottawa unveiled a plan to boost its defense spending by 70 percent (or more than $30-billion) over the next decade  much of it going to new warships and fighter jets. The Lomonosov Ridge is the main object of territorial dispute between Russia and Canada. It stretches 1,800 km from the New Siberian Islands cross the Arctic Ocean to the Canadian Ellesmere Island. Canada conducts military exercises in the area.

US green berets are training to fight Russia in the region. So US attack submarines are also holding drills. In March, more than 1,500 US military personnel from 20-plus units were brought together for the Arctic Edge 2018 military exercise. The US Coast Guard is looking to weaponize its icebreaker ships used to clear paths through the frozen seas. The US has stationed F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters in Alaska. The deployment provides the US with air superiority across the entire northern hemisphere.

Russia is implementing the State Policy in the Arctic Till 2020 and for a Future Perspective. The Arctic is a source of threat to Russia. US submarine-launched ballistic missiles fired from the waters near Norway would leave the Russian military less than 15 minutes to decide if an incoming object was a threat of not, where it was coming from, and how to respond. The Arctic is the only location to enable submarine-launched Tomahawks to strike the Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) bases in the Orenburg and Krasnoyarsk regions, as well as the Urals.

The Russian Northern Fleet is a joint force comprising 38 large surface ships, over 40 submarines, and an Army Corps including two infantry brigades. The 61st Naval Infantry Brigade is under the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command. 7 of 10 combat ready fleet ballistic submarines are based there. About 60% of the operational fleets inventory falls on new weapons.

The Ratnik infantry combat system weighs 1920 kg. It is designed for operations in the Arctic weather conditions to include a night vision helmet, body armor, communications equipment and headphones. All in all, the set comprises 10 subsystems and about 60 individual items. Weighing 7.5 kg, the class 6 armor protects almost 90% of a soldier's body from 7,62mm rounds, even if fired at short range. It boasts special protection from detection by infrared devices. Made of lightweight carbon fiber, the exoskeleton supports the musculoskeletal system to help a soldier carry weights up to 50 kg during long distance marches.

The Strelets-2 voice and video communication system includes a GLONASS navigation module enabling a squad leader to see the location of each soldier on his book-sized computer as well as send videos and photos to headquarters. Besides each soldier has an individual telephone-sized tactical computer.

The soldiers have the Ruslan all-terrain vehicle, the GAZ-3344-20 all-terrain Tracked Vehicle, and the DT-10PM amphibious carrier. Able to defend airspace from enemy air attacks within a radius of at least 15 kilometers (9 miles), the new Tor-M2DT short-range air defense missile systems is the only system of its class designed specifically for the Arctic region weather conditions. It can protect from homing anti-radiation and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, gliders, fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Its DT-30PM platform will be used for Grad and Smerch multiple launch rocket systems.

The air defense capability is going to be boosted with the S-400 Triumf and upgraded Pantsir-1S self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.

The T-80BVM is perfectly suited for the specific weather conditions of the Arctic. It is the first Russian operational tank to be fitted with this new explosive reactive armor. Its upgraded gas-turbine engines has better performance in arctic conditions, starting in temperatures as low as 40 degrees Celsius and be ready for action in only minutes. Tanks with conventional diesel engines need some 40 minutes to warm up in Arctic weather conditions.

This year, Russia unveiled the new Chaborz M-3 buggy destined for operations in the Arctic version. This is a multipurpose lightweight off-road vehicle 42 designed for operation by Special Forces units in off-road conditions. It can accelerate it on road to a speed of 130 km/h.

This year, Ilya Muromets, the first icebreaker built for the Russian Navy in almost 40 years, entered service along with Elbrus logistics support vessel, Admiral Gorshkov Project 22350 frigate equipped with Kalibr long-range cruise missiles, and Ivan Gren large landing ship (Project 11711), the first vessel of the class. Bastion coastal defense missile systems have been deployed in the Murmansk region.

Academic Pashin tanker (Project 23130) is going through sea trials. Two Arktika-class nuclear double-hulled icebreakers out of six have already been launched. The plans include the construction of Lider, the projected super-powerful nuclear powered icebreaker. The first Ivan Papanin (Project 23550) class multipurpose patrol icebreaker, the lead ship of a series of two, is expected to be delivered to the Russian Navy by 2021. The ship is destined for monitoring and protection of Arctic waters, search and rescue operations, escorting of ships in polar waters, transportation of equipment and towing as well as maintenance and support for auxiliary vessels. It can provide protection for vessels operating in polar waters from air, sea and coastal targets.

Three more fleet ballistic submarines (Project 955) and three attack nuclear submarines (Project 885) as well as two more frigates (Project 22350) will enter service with the Northern Fleet in near future. Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will also be back to the ranks after upgrade equipped with the naval version of Pantsir close-in air defense system. Bal coastal defense systems are going to be deployed too.

The gradual militarization of the region is a reality. There are two options here. One is turning the Arctic into a hotbed where a spark could kindle a big fire. The other launching a full-fledged dialogue to address security issues related to the region. Five of the Arctic Councils eight members are part of NATO with Sweden and Finland being the privileged partners of the Alliance. It makes the issue part of the Russia-NATO relationship. Russias military activities in the region have nothing to do with saber-rattling but it has to protect its legitimate interests.

The events related to the US decision to leave the INF Treaty, Syria, sanctions wars and other things in focus of public attention should not eclipse this issue of utmost importance. Cooperating with each other is the only way to maintain safety and regional order in the icy region. A coordinated regional approach to Arctic governance under the framework of the Law of the Sea Convention will build confidence and prevent militarization. The time is right for the Arctic Council to turn into a security-focused forum.
Earlier in 2018 the U.S. military confirmed a rare problem with its M4 and M16 assault rifles that results in the weapon firing without pulling the trigger. The flaw is encountered rarely because less than eight percent of all M4s and M16s have it and even then it only occurs under specific conditions. For those weapons with the mechanical defect, you must first have a round chambered and ready to fire. Then the safety switch must be between safe and fire. At that point, the weapon would not fire. If the user then moved the adjacent semi-automatic/full automatic switch to switch to either mode the rifle would fire without the trigger being pulled.

Further research found that for the six most common models of the M16/M4 rifles the flaw rate varied from zero (for a basic M16A2) to nine percent (for M4A1 PIP). Further investigation found that up to 900,000 weapons would have to be inspected and, if the presence of the flaw was confirmed, repaired (by replacing selector switches with tolerance defects). The inspection and repair process for army weapons will take up to 18 months to complete.

The M16 design has had several problems since it was introduced in the 1960s. Since the 60s over 20 million have been produced and many times more if you count foreign clones of the M16 design. In the past, the main complaint with the M16 design was the tendency to jam if not kept clean. That has been a very noticeable and much complained about flaw. This new misfire problem actually occurs very rarely and although it has existed for years was, until recently, was just considered another random misfire problem which, in combat, was not considered something unique. Currently, the M4 (short barrel version of the M16) is the most frequently used combat version of the M16. There are still a lot of users would like to see a new weapon but so far no one has been able to agree on a replacement sufficiently superior to justify the effort and expense.

The M16/M4 assault rifle has long been controversial mainly because of the original gas-tube system to power the automatic reloading and loading system. The gas-tube system required more frequent cleaning to prevent fouling of the barrel and failure of the reloading system. There were a lot of other minor problems but these have been gradually addressed.

The main problem is that the U.S. Army will not make major (and expensive) changes to the M4. In 2015 the army agreed to implement another batch of upgrades for its existing M4A1, basically creating the M4A2 (or M4A1+, take your pick). The list of M4A2 improvement was still being compiled from user suggestions and analysis of what is affordable when the effort was canceled in 2016 because of budget problems. Some of the most popular suggested improvements were a longer (by a third) Picatinny rail (to make some accessories easier to use), a floating barrel, a single stage trigger (preferred by snipers), a more effective flash suppressor, camouflage-colored components (to make the currently all black rifle less easy to spot), better cleaning tools (more like commercially available stuff) and some design changes (different shapes and materials for some components plus more efficient slings) to make the M4 easier to handle and carry. The "floating" means that the barrel is attached only to the main body of the rifle to reduce resonance (which throws off accuracy.) The new trigger would only be on M4s used by marksmen (about ten percent of all infantry) who are trained to be snipers.

The M4A2 effort came after yet another failure to find a replacement rifle. In 2013 the army held a competition to find a replacement for the aging (1980s design that entered wide service in 1994) M4 carbine. There has been a lot of pressure from the troops and Congress (where many of the complaints end up, after all, the M4 users are also voters). The basic infantry weapon, the M16, is over half a century old and the M4 is a shortened version of that. The rifle the M16 replaced (the M14) lasted less than a decade and the one before that (the M-1) lasted two decades. The one before that (M1903) lasted three decades and so on, back to the Civil War (1861-65). The M4 is a variant of the M16 that was widely adopted in the 1990s and there are still plenty of M16s in service. The army declared the competition inconclusive and went for yet another upgrade of the M4, which was later canceled.

Meanwhile, the army has been upgrading its older M4 assault rifles to the M4A1 standard since 2011. Ultimately upgrade kits were purchased for 70 percent of the armys half-million M4 carbines and that turns them into M4A1s. At the current rate, this will take until 2020. The kits replace the barrel, receiver, and auto-loading system with one that is easier to keep clean. There is also a heavier barrel and the ability to fire full automatic. There is also a stronger Picatinny rail on top of the barrel, for mounting scopes and such.

Most elements (except for the short stroke piston system) of the M4A1 were already incorporated by SOCOM for their own M4s, which were, in effect, the first M4A1 models to enter service. The marines are not upgrading their M4s (which are mainly used by support troops).

This conversion kit addressed years of complaints about the M4 and M16 assault rifles. The main change was replacing the main portion of the rifle with a new component that contains a short stroke piston gas system (to reduce buildup of carbon inside the rifle) and a heavier (by 142 gr/five ounces) barrel (which reduces barrel failure from too much heat, which happens when several hundred rounds are fired within a few minutes).

The user demand for the adoption of the short stroke piston gas system has been around for decades so that M16s would be more reliable and easier to clean. This came to a head (again) in 2007 when the army ran more dust and reliability tests on its M4 rifle as well as several similar rifles. The four weapons tested were: the M4, the XM8, SCAR (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle), and the H&K 416 (similar to the new M4 with the upgrade kit and short stroke piston system).

The testing consisted of exposing the weapons to 25 hours of heavy dust conditions over two months. During that testing period, 6,000 rounds were fired from each of ten weapons of each type. The weapons with the fewest failures (usually jams) were rated highest. Thus, the XM8 finished first, SCAR second, 416 third, and M4 last. In response, the army said it was satisfied with the M4's performance but was considering equipping it with a heavier barrel (to lessen overheating) and more effective magazines (27 percent of the M4s 882 jams were magazine related). The army noted that the M4 fired over 98 percent of its rounds without problems. That missed the point that the other rifles had far fewer jams. In combat, each jam is a life-threatening situation for the soldier in question. The army had been forced by Congress to conduct the tests. Congress was responding to complaints by the troops. But the army refused to adjust its budget priorities to act on the test results.

The XM8 had 127 jams, the SCAR 226, and the 416 had 233. Thus the M-4 had nearly eight times as many jams as the XM8, the rifle designed to replace it. The M4 had nearly four times the jams of the SCAR and 416, which were basically M4 type rifles with a short stroke piston system. Any stoppage is potentially fatal for the soldier holding the rifle, thus the disagreement between the army brass and the troops who use the weapons in combat.

In dusty places like Iraq and Afghanistan you have to clean your M16 and M4 rifles constantly, otherwise the combination of carbon (from the recoil system) and dust in the chamber will cause jams. The army and marines both decided to stick with their current weapons, rather than adopt an easier to maintain the weapon, like the XM8 or H&K 416, because of the billion or so dollars it would cost to switch rifles.

If the issue were put to a vote the troops would vote for a rifle using a short-stroke system (like the XM8, SCAR, or H&K 416). But the military is not a democracy, so the troops spend a lot of time cleaning their weapons and hoping for the best. The debate involves two intertwined attitudes among senior army commanders. First, they don't want the hassle, and possible embarrassment, of switching to a new rifle that might have even more difficult problems. Second, they are anticipating a breakthrough in weapons technology that will make possible a much-improved infantry weapon. This is likely to happen later, rather than sooner, but the generals kept obsessing over it. They are encouraged by recent success in the development of caseless and short case ammo for a new machine-gun design.

Earlier efforts to just get the troops a more reliable rifle have failed. Back in 2005, the U.S. Army's design for a new assault rifle, the XM8, was canceled. After that, the manufacturer incorporated one of the key components of the XM8 into M4 rifles and calls the hybrid the H&K 416. Heckler & Koch (H&K) designed the XM8, which was based on an earlier H&K rifle, the G36. SOCOM is using the 416 but no one else is (except for a few police departments).

The XM8 (like the G36 and 416) uses a short-stroke piston system. The M16 uses the gas-tube system, which leads to carbon build up and jams (rounds getting stuck in the chamber and the weapon unable to fire). The short-stroke system also does not expose parts of the rifle to extremely hot gases (which wears out components more quickly). As a result, rifles using the short-stroke system, rather than the gas-tube, are more reliable, easier to maintain, and last longer.

H&K developed the 416, for SOCOM, at the same time the XM8 was being evaluated by the army. SOCOM got the first 416s in 2004, a year before the Army canceled the XM8. The 416 looks like the M4, for the only thing that has changed is the use of the short-stroke system to automatically extract the cartridge after the bullet has been fired and loads the next round. SOCOM can buy pretty much whatever they want, the U.S. Army cannot. SOCOM listens to what its troops want, the army often doesn't.

The army proposed some other changes, as part of the M4 component replacement. These included improved trigger pull characteristics, ambidextrous controls (to make life easier for lefties), and a round counter (in the pistol grip) to track the number of bullets fired over the lifetime of the rifle (makes for better data on how rifles perform over time and for scheduling the replacement of components). Few of these were implemented because of tight budgets after 2010.

The main problem with replacing the M4 is that the weapon is not dramatically inferior to most proposed replacements. Moreover, troops acknowledge it is the devil they know and will all the minor changes and new accessories that have become available since 2001 the M4 has managed to keep up. Army leaders point out that with constantly shrinking defense budgets you have to be careful with what you spend your money on. Replacing the M4 and M16 would cost over $5 billion and you might, as has happened to many other countries, get a weapon that looks good on paper (and in pictures) but reveals some serious flaws once it is exposed to sustained combat. Thats what makes most combat troops (especially infantry) willing to stick with an improved M4.
The new commander of the army said that if pro-military parties did not win the 2019 elections the military might stage another government takeover. Officially this would be done to maintain order. The implication being that any political parties considered anti-military were a threat to order, especially if they won national elections. A problem like that could only be handled by the restoration of military rule. The implication was that the military would not allow any government that intended to curb the power of the military and subordinate it to civilian authority. In the meantime, anti-military political parties are not allowed to operate in the open.

Solving The Southern Stalemate

Today the leaders of Malaysia and Thailand met in the capital to discuss how to get the peace talks (with the separatist group leaders of the southern three Moslem provinces) moving again. The peace talks have been stalled for over a year. The newly elected Malaysian leader is seeking a way to get the peace talks going, if only because those three provinces are becoming a sanctuary for Malaysian Islamic terrorists. The Malaysian terrorists are fairly secure in those three Thai provinces as long as they stay out of sight and cause no trouble. But from their Thai hideouts, they can organize fatal mayhem in Malaysia.

What has the Thai peace talks, which began in 2014, stalled is the separatists refusing to make a deal until there is an elected government in Thailand. Another stumbling block is that the largest separatist group, BRN, has refused to negotiate unless there are international mediators. The Thai government refuses to allow foreigners to play a role. An elected government is expected to have the same attitude. Because of all that, and the fact that the new Malaysian leaders is a 93 year old reformer, the visit is believed to be mainly for some positive publicity.

Meanwhile, the violence in the south continues to decline. In 2017 there were 140 violent (often non-fatal) incidents in the three Moslem provinces. Thats a 90 percent reduction from the peak year (2007) and the decline continues into 2018. While the violence continues to fade it shows no signs of going away completely. The violence has waned mainly because the government (elected or military) sent more troops and more economic development cash to the south. That, plus the fact that most southerners lose faith in the violence after a few years. There are still diehard separatists down south, as well as a criminal underground (mainly smugglers) to sustain the separatists.

The Moslem south has other problems to deal with. For example, Yala province has experienced a measles epidemic since June, with over 500 cases. Most of these patients are children and six have died so far. The source of this outbreak is a number of local Islamic radicals who have persuaded (or intimidated) many parents to not have their children vaccinated because of rumors that the vaccine was actually a plot by non-Moslems (most Thais are Buddhists) to poison Moslem children or pollute them because vaccines are believed to contain material from pigs (which are considered haram, or unclean, for Moslems). Its not just measles vaccine that gets denounced but other vaccines as well.

October 17, 2018: The Navy revealed that in September it had hired BMT, a British firm specializing in supervising naval construction projects, to supervise the design of the Thai navys new midget submarine and complete their work by early 2019. Last July the navy decided to spend $5.7 million to design a midget submarine of up to 300 tons. At the time it was believed the prototype would cost $30 million. These subs will have a crew of ten and a range of about 500 kilometers. It was feared these subs might never be built because the design phase for such a project usually takes several years and building the prototype another year or two. By contracting out supervision and management of the design work to a firm that specialized in this sort of thing the process can be speeded up considerably and perhaps even completed before the current military government loses power to an elected government in 2019. The military government has already modified the constitution to make it more difficult for an elected government to curb military power and now the head of the army (and key member of the current military government) is making it clear that any such efforts to curb military power would not be allowed.

October 8, 2018: In the south (Songkhla province, just north of the three Moslem provinces and also bordering Malaysia) police caught up with three wanted Islamic terrorists, killing one and arresting the other two. Most recently the three had spent most of their time carrying out robberies to raise cash.

October 4, 2018: In the south (Pattani province) a Buddhist woman and her son were shot dead in the tea shop they operated. Local Islamic terrorists are suspected.
Spending a day experiencing what its like to attend one of the Bays top schools is proving a hit with potential students.

ACG Tauranga, an independent preschool, primary and secondary school that opened in Pyes Pa in 2015, offers prospective students the opportunity to be a Student for a Day.

Around 90 per cent of current students have been a Student for a Day.

Enrolment Manager Sharron Angus says everyone is encouraged to give it a go.

It allows the student to meet all their teachers, develop a connection with other students in the class and get an idea of how a normal school day would be, she says. It also provides an insight into the school so that the student can take an active part in discussions with their parents.

Year 7 student Charles Anderson experienced being a Student for a Day this year.

I think the best thing was meeting everyone and gazing in awe at the massive school grounds, he says. The students were extremely helpful and accepting. And I was really pleased about the level of difficulty of the lessons I experienced as the school I was attending at the time was not challenging me enough.

Students are teamed up with a buddy to show them around and accompany them throughout the day. Its a coveted position.

Selecting them is always a process, says Sharron. Everyone wants to be the buddy. Often a teacher will arrive at reception with three to five buddies because everyone was so excited about having a student for a day.

For the school, its the best way to demonstrate what lies at its heart  personalised education, a family feel, and teachers who go the extra mile.

And it has proven effective - almost every student goes on to enrol.

It made me feel a lot more comfortable settling in because I knew the people, the timetable and the teachers, says Charles. I felt less nervous than I had when I moved from England to my first school in New Zealand.

ACG Tauranga invites you to attend their Open Day on Saturday 3 November from 10am to 2pm. Preregister here.

-This article contains sponsored content by ACG Tauranga.
Atiamuri first made a name for itself in hydro power. Now it's cheap fuel that's putting the tiny village back on the map.

The small rural community on the bank of the Waikato River holds the title of the cheapest place for petrol in the country, according to petrol price comparison app Gaspy.

Gull Atiamuri  45 kilometres north of Taupo  was selling 91 unleaded for $2.107 a litre last week. Three hours north, in central Auckland, it's 30 cents dearer.

Gaspy founder Larry Green says Gull, which consistently sold cheaper fuel than its competitors, used a cunning pricing strategy.

"Gull has a consistent brand strategy to appear the best of a bad bunch and it's worked well for them," he says.

"They are certainly not getting the wholesale fuel cheaper than any of their enormous competitors."

He says its a cheap and clever plan.

"They only ever have to be 0.02c cheaper than the next worst price to remain the good guys."

This kept them in the top-ranked stations on Gaspy, says Larry.

Petrol at Gull Atiamuri is the cheapest fuel in New Zealand. Photo: Tom Lee/Stuff.

This is not the first time Gull in Atiamuri has held the crown of cheapest fuel. In May it was selling unleaded 91 for $1.807 a litre, more than 10c cheaper than the next cheapest Gull.

Auckland Uber driver Harpreet Singh says there are only two petrol stations he fills up at  Gull and Waitomo.

The only time he uses another petrol station is when he is desperate and even then he puts only the bare minimum into his tank, he says.

"If I'm in an emergency I don't fill my tank full."

Instead he puts in $20 or $30 until he has the opportunity to get to one of the discount stations, he says.

Waitomo, headquartered in Hamilton, is preparing to open its first station in Wellington.

The company, founded by managing director Jimmy Ormsby's grandfather focused on supplying commercial customers until it moved into retailing about five years ago.

Fuel prices are at record highs and fuel price disparity between different regions is now the subject of a Government investigation.

Economists warned that record fuel prices could send annual cost of living increases above two per cent for only the second time since 2011.

Prices have risen by about 40c a litre in recent weeks. About a quarter of that is due to increases in taxes, including a regional fuel tax in Auckland.

Harry says since the regional fuel tax, national excise levy and subsequent price hikes sent the price soaring he had been spending up to $100 a week more on fuel.

Petrol prices are eating into his take-home pay and he is now considering giving up being an Uber driver to become a truck driver.

Gull general manager Dave Bodger says for 20 years it had been able to undercut its competitors' fuel prices thanks to its low-cost model.

"We keep our overheads low and keep our eyes on selling fuel rather than coffee and fuel discount cards," says Dave.

It kept marketing and public relations to a minimum and nearly half of its 84 petrol stations were unmanned, he says.

"To me it's not rocket science."

Gull imports refined fuel into terminals at Mount Maunganui from Singapore and South Korea before trucking it to its stations, more than 30 of which were in Auckland.

Gull's 91 octane is the same as others available on the market, while its 98 octane, which makes up only about 15 per cent of sales, has 10 per cent ethanol added.

Atalili Junior Atalili says he fills up at Gull because it has the cheapest fuel. Stuff found Atalili filling up his work car at Gull in Kingsland.

"I know this place is always cheap," Atalili says.

The South Auckland resident, who was in the city for a meeting, says since the recent fuel price rises he is putting $40 of fuel in his car every two days, in order to distribute his costs.

He says he used to fill up every fortnight.

"But now the prices are crazy you have to distribute your money."

He says he is looking at downsizing to a more fuel efficient car.

Intervention was needed and was pleased to hear the Government was investigating fuel prices, he says. "I'm hoping that's going to materialise."

Fuel companies had been ripping off motorists for too long, he says. "They are just milking us for every cent we're worth."

-Stuff.co.nz/John Anthony
Today we are expecting a fine day apart from some morning and evening cloud. Also westerly breezes.

Its a two-clothing layer day today with an expected high of 20 degrees and an overnight low of 13 degrees. Humidity is 81 per cent.

High tide is 8am at and low tide at 2pm. (Tay St times). Theres a sea swell of 0.6m, sea temperature is 16 degrees and sunset tonight is at 7.37pm.

If youre going fishing, the next best fish bite time is between 5 and 8pm.

On this day in NZ history in 1949 a meeting in Wellington set up an interim committee for the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Parents' Association (IHCPA), the forerunner of IHC.

In 1971 it was the end of the line for steam railways. The ChristchurchDunedin overnight express, headed by a JA-class locomotive, ran the last scheduled steam-hauled service on New Zealand Railways (NZR), bringing to an end 108 years of regular steam rail operations in this country.

In world history on this day in 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower conducted the first televised Cabinet meeting. In 1960 Martin Luther King, Jr., was sentenced to four months in jail for a sit-in.

In 1962 in South Africa, civil rights activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to five years in prison.

In 2009 terrorist bombings in Baghdad killed over 150 and wounded over 700.

Today is the birthday of US aviator and explorer Richard E. Byrd. Born in 1888, he made the first flight over the North Pole. He once said "Few men during their lifetime comes anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used", and "Part of me remained forever at Latitude 80 degrees 08 minutes South: what survived of my youth, my vanity, perhaps, and certainly my skepticism. On the other hand, I did take away something that I had not fully possessed before: appreciation of the sheer beauty and miracle of being alive, and a humble set of values. All this happened four years ago. Civilization has not altered my ideas. I live more simply now, and with more peace.

To get involved in events and activities across the Bay please check out our What's on page.

Have a great day!
Megyn Kelly backtracked Tuesday after she caused an uproar by questioning why people wearing blackface on Halloween is such a big issue.

The NBC talk show host, who is a Syracuse native and Syracuse University alumna, garnered a wave of backlash after she suggested on "Megyn Kelly Today" that she doesn't understand the problem with a practice that's widely considered to be offensive and racist.

"There was a controversy on 'The Real Housewives of New York' with Luann (de Lesseps), as she dressed as Diana Ross, and she made her skin look darker than it really is, and people said that that was racist," Kelly said on the show. "And I thought, 'Who doesn't love Diana Ross?' She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day. I don't know how, like, that got racist on Halloween. It's not like she's walking around (like that) in general."

Her comments came during a panel discussion with Jenna Bush Hager, Melissa Rivers and Jacob Soboroff, who contended that wearing blackface is offensive.

Earlier in the segment, Kelly asked "what is racist?" while discussing the topic, before saying of blackface or whiteface, "When I was a kid, that was OK as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character."

Megyn Kelly wonders what the big deal is about blackface pic.twitter.com/07yvYDuAYe  Tommy MMXIXtopher (@tommyxtopher) October 23, 2018

Kelly's remarks were immediately slammed by a wave of social media users, including TV personality Padma Lakshmi.

"I cannot believe the ignorance on this in 2018. You are on national television," Lakshmi tweeted. "You have a responsibility to educate yourself on social issues @megynkelly. This is so damaging."

Comedian Patton Oswalt also called out Kelly.

"Dear @megynkelly -- you and I are approximately the same age. Blackface was NOT okay when we were kids," Oswalt wrote. "Take it from a big-hearted boy who just wanted to show his love for Nipsey Russell on the worst Halloween of my life."

Washington Post reporter Eugene Scott, meanwhile, pointed out that every member of the panel discussing the topic is white.

"Did anyone consider including a person with a black face on this panel about blackface?" he tweeted.

Kelly, 47, apologized for her comments to her colleagues in an email obtained by the Daily News. In the email, Kelly wrote that listening to others about the issue had prompted her to "rethink my own views."

"When we had the roundtable discussion earlier today about the controversy of making your face look like a different race as part of a Halloween costume, I suggested that this seemed okay if done as part of this holiday where people have the chance to make themselves look like others. The iconic Diana Ross came up as an example. To me, I thought, why would it be controversial for someone dressing up as Diana Ross to make herself look like this amazing woman as a way of honoring and respecting her?" Kelly wrote.

"I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry," she continued. "The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent; the wounds too deep."

Kelly went on to say that she doesn't consider herself to be "pc," but saw the need to be "more sensitive in this day and age."

"This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honor, and I want to be part of that," Kelly wrote. "I look forward to continuing that discussion."

This isn't the first time Kelly has prompted tremendous criticism for her stance on a racially charged topic. Kelly also argued that Santa and Jesus are both white during a Fox News segment in 2013, responding to an article published by Slate.com in which the author opines that Santa should no longer be portrayed as a white male.

"By the way, for all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white, but this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa," Kelly said on the show. "But Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we're just debating this because someone wrote about it, kids."

Reps for NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Kelly's blackface comments.

------

(c)2018 New York Daily News

Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
ROME, N.Y. -- A bullet was found inside an elementary school in the city of Rome, according to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded this morning to John E. Joy Elementary School for a shelter in place.

Deputies, school staff and a school resource officer from the Rome Police Department investigated the incident and determined that students are not in any danger.

Rome City School District Superintendent Peter C. Blake told the Rome Sentinel that a student found "what they believed to be a single round of live ammunition in the hallway while entering school this morning."

"Unfortunately, during hunting seasons, it is very common for students of all ages to accidentally bring knives and/or ammunition from their weekend hunting excursions into school in their bags because they forget about the contents," Blake told the newspaper.

The school has returned to normal operations and the school resource officer will be staying at the school for the rest of the day, deputies said.
Syracuse, NY -- A Salina man charged with predatory sexual assault in February 2015 is ready for trial after a mental breakdown that involved him hearing the voices of Pope Francis and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

However, Welken Majok, 40, isn't happy with the punishment he's facing. Now lucid, Majok today protested the possible life sentence he'd face under a plea offer.

"We're looking for a second or third offer...which would be better than going to trial," he said.

Majok's case has faced a couple of hurdles. In addition to his mental issues, which led to a lengthy stay in a secure mental hospital, there have been questions about how much the native Arabic speaker understands English.

A court interpreter stood by his side today, but Majok made it clear he understood English.

State Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy agreed.

"Mr. Majok has been communicating in English for quite some time," the judge noted, pointing to the long case history. "I can see he can clearly understand what I'm saying right now."

But defense lawyer Anne Meadvin said she needed to protect everyone by having the interpreter, just in case. Majok wasn't happy.

Cuffy said the interpreter would be there just in case Majok ran into anything he didn't understand.

As for the case, Majok is facing the state's most serious child sex charge. It's punishable by up to 25 years to life in prison -- the same punishment as murder.

Prosecutors have offered him the minimum sentence if he pleaded guilty -- 10 years to life in prison. But Majok wants something better.

Cuffy said today there was no legal way for him to offer Majok anything less without prosecutors' approval.

Majok, who is not a U.S. citizen, would also face deportation when and if he's released from prison after any guilty plea.

Cuffy adjourned the case so Majok could consider the immigration consequences of a guilty plea. He said Majok will have to decide Nov. 5 if he's taking the plea or going to trial.

No photo of Majok has been released.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse man beaten by police and awarded more than $1.5 million by a jury is calling on the mayor to hire the next police chief from outside the department.

Alonzo Grant, 57, successfully sued the city and police officers Damon Lockett and Paul Montalto over his violent arrest in June 2014.

Grant called 911 for help with a family dispute. Minutes later, he and Lockett were tumbling over the railing to Grant's front steps. Then the officers punched and struck Grant with their knees.

Once they handcuffed him, they charged him with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He suffered a concussion, busted lip, broken nose and other injuries.

Prosecutors later dropped the charges against Grant. A city watchdog agency found the officers used excessive force and lied in their police reports.

The city has stood by the police officers. City lawyers argued the police acted appropriately and had "probable cause" to arrest Grant because he was "highly agitated" and showed the precursors to violence.

A jury Tuesday sided with Grant, awarding him and his wife $1.5 million.

The jury of six sat through two weeks of testimony and about two days of deliberations. U.S. District Court Judge David Hurd presided over the trial, which included testimony from police chief Frank Fowler and District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

Syracuse's top lawyer said the city was considering an appeal. The city retained Hancock Estabrook attorney John Powers to represent the officers at trial.

Grant's lawyers said the costs to the city will likely double as the case moves forward. The jury's verdict means the city will be on the hook for Grant's attorneys' fees. Charles Bonner and his son Cabral traveled from San Francisco to try the case. They represented Grant alongside Syracuse lawyer Jesse Ryder for more than four years.

A jury found that officers Damon Lockett (left) and Paul Montalto (right) used excessive force and falsely arrested Alonzo Grant in 2014.

Grant today sat for an exclusive interview with Syracuse.com. He and his lawyers also staged a press conference on the steps of City Hall, where he was flanked with family and friends.

Grant and his wife Stephanie said in interviews they hoped Mayor Ben Walsh would hire the next police chief from outside the department to give the city a fresh start.

"I believe the city can do better," Stephanie Grant said.

Alonzo Grant said he has not been able to feel secure in his Hudson Street home on Syracuse's South Side since his arrest.

He said despite that, he feels hope for Syracuse. Yet he doesn't know if he'll remain here.

"I see some positive things already happening in Syracuse because of the new mayor, Mayor [Ben] Walsh," Grant said. "He's getting out in the community and talking to people. He's listening."

Grant said he hoped Walsh would listen to what he had to say and look at his case with the same open mind he's observed in the mayor over the last year.

Walsh and Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens launched a search for the next police chief when they assumed office at the beginning of this year.

Owens has said the search committee narrowed the field to six candidates recently, including Deputy Chief Joseph Cecile, a longtime officer and administrator within the department. Current chief Fowler has voiced support for Cecile.

The city has said the committee will make its recommendation to the mayor by November. The chief will likely start at the beginning of next year.

Grant's lawyers throughout the trial attempted to show a pattern in Syracuse of excessive force and a lack of discipline. They showed the jury a number of complaints to the Citizen Review Board, a city police watchdog agency. In most cases in which the board determined officers acted inappropriately, the officers were never disciplined by the city.

The jurors declined to hold the city liable, instead finding the officers were the ones responsible for a false arrest and assault on Grant.

Syracuse Police Benevolent Association President Jeff Piedmonte, who observed the press conference today and also attended several days of the trial, said the CRB evidence unfairly prejudiced the jurors against the officers.

He said the verdict would have consequences for the rank-and-file officers, some of whom have contacted him with concerns about doing their jobs.

Grant and his attorneys urged the city and its police force to view the verdict as a lesson.

"I would like to see better training for police officers," Grant said. "If you have a problem in your house, the first thing they should try to find out is what's going on -- instead of reacting to things," he said.

Bonner and Ryder said officers needed to be trained according the Constitution and to better understand citizens' Fourth Amendment rights to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures.

"I don't know what else it's going to take to convince these officers or their PBA of their responsibility," Ryder said.

Grant was 54 and had never before been arrested or charged with a crime at the time of his arrest. He described the toll the bloody encounter with police took on him and his family.

A jury awarded 57-year-old Alonzo Grant and his family more than $1.5 million over a bloody arrest by Syracuse cops in 2014.

"It's been like an emotional roller coaster. I wouldn't wish it on anyone," he said. "That was the first time I've ever been in jail. The worst part of that is being shackled."

Grant trailed off, growing emotional, as he described the ankle, wrist and waist chains he was placed in after spending a night in jail. His mother, in her 80s, and several family members attended his arraignment the day after the arrest.

"My mother always told me to stay out of trouble," he said. "I did it for 53 years."

The Grants, who have owned their home on Hudson Street for 32 years, said they didn't know if they want to remain in Syracuse because of the ordeal.

Grants' lawyers throughout the trial argued he was an upstanding citizen, who always helped out his neighbors. Several witnesses, including colleagues at St. Joseph's Hospital over more than 30 years, testified to his character. Grant was wearing a shirt that read "Men in the Lives of Kids" on the day of his arrest.

Stephanie and Alonzo Grant added that they had a lot to think about in terms of their future and whether they'll stay in the city.

"I'm going to be honest with you on that: I really used to love living in Syracuse. I really did," Alonzo Grant said. "I got a lot of positive people in my neighborhood. With jobs just like me. They're taking care of their families just like I did. That's one thing me and my wife are really going to have to talk about."

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
DEWITT, N.Y. -- A tipster helped the DeWitt Police Department catch a masked suspect accused of burglarizing businesses in DeWitt.

Shane D. Barber, 21, of Syracuse, was charged with three counts of third-degree burglary, three counts of third-degree criminal mischief, fourth-degree grand larceny and petit larceny.

DeWitt police asked for the public's help identifying a man who broke into or tried to break into commercial businesses near James Street and Kirkville Road between Thursday and Monday.

Surveillance videos from the businesses showed the same suspect, police said: A man wearing a black paintball-style skull mask, a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.

Within in one hour of the media release on Monday, investigators received a tip. Barber was located at about 4:30 p.m. Monday.

When he was taken into custody, Barber was wearing the same clothing and sneakers from the surveillance video and he had a checkbook from one of the businesses in his pocket, police said.

A search warrant was then conducted at Barber's apartment where the mask and proceeds from multiple burglaries were located, deputies said.

Barber was lodged in the Onondaga County Justice Center pending arraignment.
A philanthropic foundation in Syracuse has stepped up to help fight lead paint poisoning in children - an environmental health crisis that has grown beyond the city's capacity to solve it.

The Central New York Community Foundation is expected to announce today that it will spend $2 million over four years to help renovate homes, build new housing, conduct lead inspections and train contractors.

At least 600 children in Syracuse were poisoned by lead paint last year, according to the Onondaga County Health Department. These toddlers join the generations of older children who have suffered the ill effects of elevated blood levels after ingesting lead paint.

Eleven percent of children tested in Syracuse in 2017 had elevated blood lead levels. Thirteen children so far have been treated with expensive and painful chelation treatments at SUNY Upstate Hospital.

A Syracuse.com story published today explains the difficulty in solving a decades-old health threat that suffers from lack of money, weak laws, government roadblocks and community fatigue.

About 90 percent of homes in Syracuse were built before 1980, when people stopped layering their homes in paint laced with lead. Lead is a toxin that has no business in the human body. When it flakes and chips in dilapidated homes, children can ingest it.

Even low levels of lead can diminish brain function and motor skills. Some scientists have linked lead poisoning to low graduation rates and aggressive behavior, including gun violence.

Lead paint poisoning is preventable.

The Community Foundation plans to use new data from the Onondaga County Health Department to focus its efforts on two neighborhoods where children tested highest for poisoning in 2017.

One is the area around Beauchamp Library on the South Side. The other is north of Interstate 690 between Pearl and Lodi streets. One in four children tested last year in the library neighborhood had elevated blood lead levels, county health records show. Twenty-one percent of children in the North Side neighborhood had been poisoned.

The Community Foundation announced these grants for the first year:

$150,000, Home HeadQuarters pilot program window and door replacement program.

$150,000, Housing Visions Unlimited to build new rental apartments.

$43,750, Greater Syracuse Land Bank lead inspections

$20,000, Home HeadQuarters lead removal training

$30,000, Tomorrows Neighborhoods Today, Home HeadQuarters to educate residents.

The CNY Community Foundation is expected to hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. today at the Southwest Community Center, 401 South Ave., Syracuse.

Contact Michelle Breidenbach anytime:

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| 315-470-3186.
At least 600 Syracuse children were poisoned by lead paint last year - a crisis that shows the difficulty in solving a stubborn and expensive problem among the city's poorest families.

Eleven percent of children tested in Syracuse in 2017 had elevated levels of lead in their blood, according to new data from the Onondaga County Health Department.

Most of the children tested were 1 and 2 years old. That means hundreds of toddlers joined the thousands of older children who have grown up with the damage caused by ingesting lead paint from Syracuse's aging homes.

It's a crisis that suffers from a lack of money, weak laws, roadblocks in government coordination and flailing enthusiasm in a community that often treats the problem as if it died in the 1980s. Even some doctors don't follow the law.

So far this year, 13 patients have undergone a painful and expensive treatment called chelation at SUNY Upstate Hospital, according to Dr. Howard Weinberger, medical director of the Central/Eastern NY State Regional Lead Poisoning Research Center and the leading expert in Syracuse for four decades.

Those children had blood lead levels over 40 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. Blood levels are considered elevated at 5 micrograms.

Two of the worst cases this year were in refugee children. Families survived civil war and extreme poverty in developing nations only to be sickened by lead paint in dilapidated American homes, he said.

In this 2005 photo, Dr. Howard Weinberger, a pediatrician at SUNY Upstate Hospital, holds a prescription for five minutes of reading a day for Kristina Lavell of Mattydale to read to her son Alixander, seven months old.

In one of Syracuse's poorest neighborhoods, one of every four children tested last year had been poisoned by lead, preliminary health records show.

Two lead hot spots are the streets around Beauchamp Library on the South Side and just north of I-690 between Pearl and Lodi streets, where many refugees live. In both neighborhoods, about 46 percent of people live below poverty level.

"The whole issue to me is a social justice issue, plain and simple," Weinberger said at a recent forum. "I only remember one child in all my years who came from an upper middle-class family in Skaneateles whose mother and father bought an old house and decided to sand the wood."

All children are not tested

The numbers are only a snapshot. No one knows the true level of lead poisoning in children and adults in Syracuse.

Children are required to be tested at age 1 and 2 years old, but at least 30 percent are not tested, health officials estimate. Older children and adults are only tested as a follow-up or after possible exposure.

Lead blood levels have decreased across the country since the 1970s, when it was dropped from paint, gasoline, food cans, ceramics and even toothpaste tubes.

Although the numbers are alarming, blood levels appear to be decreasing among Syracuse children tested. In 2012, 836 Syracuse children tested had high lead blood levels, records show.

Across Onondaga County, 1,050 children tested had high blood levels in 2012; compared to 678 in 2017, records show.

Upstate Hospital treated between 15 and 18 children for chelation each of the last four years compared to 31 children in 1982.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has poured millions of dollars into fixing homes and educating the public. At one point, federal officials predicted the problem could be eliminated by 2010.

In addition to health, there is a cost benefit to reducing lead poisoning in children, officials argue. Every $1 spent on lead hazard control has a return on investment of up to $221 in reduced health care costs, increased school attendance, increased employment and lifetime earnings, according to HUD documents.

Still, HUD grants have decreased from $143 million in 2007 to $88 million in 2016.

Syracuse lacks funding, laws

Syracuse is particularly ill-equipped to deal with the problem.

The city of Syracuse has no law on the books to address lead paint. It is not among the list of code violations the city can use to force landlords to clean up a property.

And five years ago, HUD yanked its annual grant to Syracuse. HUD officials criticized the city for not following proper testing guidelines for homes renovated with federal money. The city had helped 2,500 homes over 20 years.

Since then, Onondaga County has spent $5.7 million of its HUD funding to fix up 435 homes in the city, said Martin Skahen, director of community development. The work mostly involved replacing windows and doors, he said.

Non-profits like Home HeadQuarters struggle to fill the gaps by loaning money to landlords.

"It's such a massive problem that government alone can't solve it," said Kerry Quaglia, CEO of Home HeadQuarters.

How did this happen?

The federal government banned the use of lead in paint in 1978. But the poisoned paint still layers walls, doors and porches in many Syracuse homes. About 91 percent of homes in Syracuse were built before 1980, according to the U.S. Census.

Children ingest the paint dust and chips. When inspectors look for peeling paint, they also look for tiny bite marks. The paint tastes sweet.

Experts believe there is no safe level of lead in blood. Even after treatment, the effects of lead poisoning are irreversible and plague children for life, Weinberger said.

Low levels of lead in blood can cause reduced motor skills, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, learning disabilities, speech delay and hearing impairment. High levels can cause mental disabilities, convulsions, coma or death.

Scientists have linked lead poisoning to a host of social ills, contributing to lower graduation rates, aggression and lack of impulse control and even gun violence.

Limited government policies

Money is not the only reason lead paint poisoning continues to confound public officials.

Government policies can be limited. Laws are not followed.

The CDC does not know the full extent of lead poisoning in the United States because only 11 states require blood tests for lead.

The state health department's public data on blood lead levels by ZIP code is incomplete.

In 1992, the federal government passed a law that requires the disclosure of known lead hazards in properties for sale or lease. But the law does not require any cleanup and does not provide funding.

For many years, HUD grants could only be used in housing that was assisted with federal money, Quaglia said.

Now, funding is limited to low-income families in old homes with children under six years old.

The EPA has a rule that requires training for contractors who do renovations on old homes. But almost every week, Home HeadQuarters encounters contractors who say they did not know about that rule, Quaglia said.

Many agencies, different goals

There is also a disconnect among the layers of agencies tasked with solving this problem.

For example, the city's code enforcement office does not test homes for lead hazards and has no way to force a cleanup. The county health department does some testing, but it is often too late.

When a child tests positive for high levels of lead, county health inspectors can go inside a home, test for lead paint and order homeowners to clean up exposed areas. Because of patient privacy, county officials cannot reveal which children were sickened.

To work around that obstacle, city and county officials compare their lists of landlords with code violations and those with health violations -- without sharing all of the details -- to try to elevate the most serious cases.

In the end, the system reacts to harm rather than preventing it.

"We do our best with what we have right now," City Councilor Susan Boyle said. "It's not enough. We're not there. We're not on track to make a huge impact in one year."

Every home is not inspected

For the long term, Boyle said councilors are talking about changing city law to make lead paint hazards a code violation along with other unsafe conditions.

That would give city inspectors a legal reason to go into private homes and test for lead before a child is sick. That kind of data would also show how big the problem is, she said.

The health department does test some homes on request if a home was built before 1960 and the tenant is pregnant or children under the age of 7 live there or visit regularly, program coordinator Debra Lewis said.

The health department inspected 325 properties in 2017. Eighty-three visits were in homes where children tested above 15 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood - or three times the level considered dangerous, according to the health department's annual report.

The minimum cleanup required by the county is "paint stabilization." That means the homeowner needs to have the area repainted by an EPA-certified contractor, she said.

"We rarely require component replacement unless we've been back many times. We might escalate what they do," she said.

Pat Strodel, lead inspector for the testing firm LeadSafe, points out lead paint in the doorway at 1108 Hawley Ave., Syracuse. Home HeadQuarters intends to tear down the house and replace it with a modular home.

Removing lead paint is expensive

The cost of removing lead paint from a home can far exceed the resale value of the home.

Home HeadQuarters plans to tear down a vacant home on Hawley Avenue for that reason. It would have cost more than $100,000 to clean up the off-the-charts lead contamination before selling to a new homeowner. It will cost about $20,000 to knock it down and about $110,000 to replace it with a new modular home.

Private landlords in the poorest neighborhoods are not able to support that kind of renovation with rental income, Quaglia said.

About 61 percent of Syracuse homes are occupied by renters, according to the U.S. Census.

All pediatricians are not on board

Even doctors do not always follow the laws.

New York state requires children to be tested at ages 1 and 2. But some pediatricians still do not give the test, Weinberger said.

Some doctors think children are not at risk because they don't live in poor communities. Other children are not tested because of lack of transportation or bad weather, he said.

Regardless, Weinberger argues that public policy should focus on testing homes, not children.

"I think of children and I think they are not canaries," he said. "That should not be the way we use children in this country at this time."

Weinberger said part of the problem can be what he calls "lead fatigue." It's hard to stay enthusiastic about an issue that has been around for decades and will take decades more to cure.

"It's hard to stay optimistic when we know this is such a long-term problem," he said. "But that's the challenge for public health. That's the challenge for all of us."

Has your child been poisoned by lead paint in Syracuse? If you are willing to share your story with Syracuse.com, please send an email to mbreidenbach@syracuse.com.

Contact Michelle Breidenbach anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-3186.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 24)  China's Xiamen Air has paid the Philippine government an initial 16 million to cover the cost of removing its aircraft which skidded off the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's main runway in August.

This was confirmed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in a press conference on Wednesday. MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal said the payment was made on October 16, after a meeting of Philippine government officials and high-ranking officers of Xiamen Air.

"Nagcommit po na magbayad agad yung pamununan ng Xiamen doon sa (Xiamen committed to pay the) first two bases of the charges They all agree that those charges are really due to them," Monreal said, recalling details of their October 15 meeting.

"Kinabukasan ho, true to their commitment sila po ay nag-deposito na Money transfer More than 16 million ang unang tranche ho na binayad nila," Monreal added.

[Translation: "True to their commitment, they deposited the next day. Money transfer. They paid P16 million for the first tranche."]

Monreal said around 16 million more have yet to be paid as Xiamen Air asked for more documents to support these charges.

"The delegation also committed that as soon as they validate all the charges they will pay that portion, okay, maybe tantamount to another about 16 something million," Monreal said.

Monreal earlier told a Senate hearing that Xiamen Air was billed around 33 million for its plane that skidded off NAIA's runway last August 16. The amount would include the costs for renting two telescopic boom cranes that were used to remove the Xiamen Air plane from the muddy and grassy portion of the Manila runway.

The incident shut down the main runway for 36 hours, resulting in canceled and delayed flights stranding thousands of passengers, including overseas Filipino workers. Officials estimated that some 250,000 passengers were inconvenienced.

Monreal said the government is still discussing how Xiamen Air could pay for "lost opportunities" from the incident. He said the Chinese airline committed to conduct corporate social responsibility programs in the country "to show their sincerity and support."

"Pwedeng gawin in terms of material things, material help na po na yun ibibigay sa Pilipinas. Yan po ay pinaguusapan pa (That could be done in terms of material things to be given to the Philippines. That's still being discussed). As soon as we have this commitment, we'll let you know," Monreal said.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Little Rock police chief Kenton Buckner is a finalist for Syracuse's opening for the same position, a spokesman for Little Rock's city manager confirmed Wednesday.

The city manager's office declined to comment further.

Buckner has been Little Rock's police chief for just more than four years. He was a finalist to be the police chief in Charleston, South Carolina, but withdrew. Buckner interviewed for the position in early February but decided to withdraw a month later, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

"I realize this uncertainty can impact the effectiveness of my leadership as well as the future of the Little Rock Police Department," Buckner wrote in a statement. "Alleviating that ambiguity is one of the reasons I believe that it is now the time to withdraw from the process and remove uncertainty regarding LRPD leadership."

Buckner was hired as Little Rock's police chief in June of 2014 and spent 21 years with the Louisville Metro Police Department before that. He moved through the ranks in Louisville from sergeant in 2004 to lieutenant in 2008 and to major in 2009. From 2011 to 2014, he was Louisville's assistant chief. Buckner oversaw the Support Bureau, which includes the major crimes division, narcotics/intelligence and special operations.

In 2016, the Little Rock Police Department was awarded a gold standard assessment by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). In 2017, Buckner became the commissioner of CALEA.

His biography on the City of Little Rock's government site lists him as a proponent of community policing.

Additional information will be added to this story.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Several dozen citizens plan to protest outside a local television station tonight for airing a gubernatorial debate that excludes three of the five people running for governor.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will debate Republican challenger Marc Molinaro at 7 p.m. tonight. The debate was organized and hosted by WCBS in New York City. It will be televised locally on CW6, which is a part CBS's local affiliate, CNY Central.

Supporters of Libertarian Party candidate Larry Sharpe organized a "debate exclusion protest" outside the CNY Central headquarters on James Street in Syracuse to show their displeasure with the terms of the debate.

Sharpe is one of three minor-party candidates running for governor. Former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner is running with the Serve America Movement and Syracuse resident Howie Hawkins is running with the Green Party.

Each has chafed at being excluded from tonight's debate. The minor-party candidates have also urged Cuomo and Molinaro to participate in other debates, like one being arranged by the League of Women Voters.

Shawn Hannon, chair of the Onondaga County Libertarian Party, said he's expecting 25 to 30 people at tonight's protest, even with bad weather.

"It isn't necessarily a Libertarian protest. It is -- in hopes -- an all-minor-party event," Hannon said. "I have my own interest in the race, but I'm protesting the idea that it's an illegitimate debate and the majority of candidates weren't even invited to it."

The protest is expected to begin around 6 p.m.

Sean Carroll, news director for CNY Central, said the station was informed of the debate Monday by its partners at CBS. The station decided to air it on CW6 and stream it live online and on Facebook.

"The decision about who was to be included or excluded from this debate was not ours, as it is not produced locally," Carroll added. "Broadcasting this debate will serve to inform the community and we will always lean towards disseminating information over withholding information."

Hannon said he's reached out to Hawkins' supporters and expects some of them to attend the protest as well.

Hawkins has been challenging Cuomo to debate for weeks. He ran into the governor recently and agreed to organize a series of debate. He has proposed four regional debates across the state.

Hawkins said last week he would agree to a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, regardless of who shows up.

"The League is viewed as the gold standard for holding debates. It is time for Cuomo and Molinaro to stop their political gamesmanship and show up to give the voters' the opportunity to hear all the candidates for governor discuss their ideas about how to make our state better," Hawkins said.

Miner said the lone debate especially hurts upstate voters, whose interests typically aren't represented in debates in New York City.

"A single debate without all the candidates hurts democracy," Miner said in a statement responding to Monday's debate announcement. "New Yorkers deserve better."

In a poll from Siena College released Oct. 1, Cuomo led Molinaro by a margin of 50 percent to 28 percent. Cynthia Nixon -- who lost to Cuomo in a Democratic primary and is no longer on the ballot -- had 10 percent of the vote.

Sharpe polled at 2 percent while Miner and Hawkins polled at 1 percent. Each was unknown to a majority of voters.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Mike Montes retired in 2016, ending his 27-year federal law enforcement career.

One year later, the Manlius man moved from active duty in the U.S. Navy to the reserves as an executive officer. Montes said he then asked himself, "What can I do to make a difference?"

He soon settled on an answer: Serve as Onondaga County's top cop.

Montes, 50, a Democrat, is running to be the county's next sheriff. He is working to unseat incumbent Sheriff Eugene Conway, 65, a Republican.

"We need somebody who is going to have the passion and drive to try to make things better in people's lives," Montes said. "I'm running to make a difference in people's lives. It really comes down to that."

Conway has served as Onondaga County sheriff since 2015. In 2017, his position paid $111,221.

If elected, Montes would be the first Democrat to serve as sheriff since Patrick Corbett left office in 1978.

According to the state Board of Elections, the Friends of Mike Montes campaign has raised $25,605.08 in donations. The Gene Conway For Sheriff campaign has raised $105,994.

Out of the county's 278,942 enrolled voters, 104,230 are enrolled as Democrats and 81,915 are Republicans, according to the state Board of Elections.

Montes, a husband and father of two, said he has wanted to be an investigator since he was a child. And he said his nearly three-decade career in federal law enforcement has prepared him to serve as sheriff.

Born in Illinois, Montes grew up in Illinois and Michigan. He started his federal career while he was attending Michigan State University.

After graduating in 1990, he started working as a criminal investigator with the U.S. Customs Service in Houston. He said he worked with Houston-area law enforcement while investigating drug cases in Texas, Central America and South America.

In 1997, Montes moved to Manlius to open a new customs office in Alexandria Bay. While in Onondaga County, Montes said he worked with a federal Drug Enforcement Administration's task force -- partnering with the New York State Police, the Syracuse Police Department and the sheriff's office.

He was transferred to Washington, D.C. five years later to help with the newly created Department of Homeland Security.

After serving as the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's program director for national security, Montes was transferred back to Syracuse. He said he moved back to Manlius, his adoptive home, in 2005 -- finishing his career in Upstate New York.

"I've kind of seen this big-picture perspective," Montes said, "and I think that's what I bring to the table."

Montes has also served in the Navy for 19 years. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve 1999 and has been deployed to Iraq and Korea. During his time in the Navy, Montes has held leadership roles ranging from serving as the deputy director of intelligence in Baghdad to the executive officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Currently an executive officer, Montes said he will take over as commanding officer of the Navy reserve unit in Rome next month. The reserve position would not conflict if voters picked him to serve as sheriff, Montes said.

If he's elected sheriff, Montes has a list of problems he would like to tackle. And he said improving the Onondaga County Justice Center is one of his top goals.

Montes said a state Commission of Corrections report that labeled the Justice Center one of the five most problematic facilities in New York shows the jail is not meeting standards.

As sheriff, he said he would order a "top-to-bottom review" of the Justice Center to evaluate whether inmates are getting timely medical care and ensure correctional positions are being filled by the right people.

The candidate said he is also "deeply concerned" about the opioid crisis in Onondaga County.

The county cannot arrest its way out of the addiction epidemic, Montes said. As sheriff, he said he would target drug suppliers and work closely with addiction treatment specialists to help people using drugs.

If elected, Montes said school safety would also be one of his top priorities.

School resource officers help protect schools and make important bonds with students, Montes said. But the program is expensive, Montes said. If the sheriff's office managed the school resource officers, he said retired officers could serve as SROs and help cut costs.

Above all, Montes said he would strive to be a visible and available sheriff.

"My opponent has not shown up," Montes said. "You need to be present. You need to listen to people and that's what I intend to do."
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The head of the local Democratic Party and a former Republican Congressman will join syracuse.com tonight to offer thoughts and reactions to this evening's 24th District Congressional debate.

The debate between U.S. Rep. John Katko and challenger Dana Balter takes place tonight at 7 p.m. It will be streamed live on syracuse.com and the syracuse.com Facebook page.

Immediately following the debate, former Congressman Jim Walsh and Onondaga County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Pamela Hunter will offer their analysis and answer questions in a moderated panel.

The panel will kick off around 8:10 p.m., shortly following the conclusion of the hour-long debate. It will also be streamed live on syracuse.com and the syracuse.com Facebook page.

Walsh represented Central New York in Congress from 1989 to 2009. Prior to that he served on the Syracuse Common Council. He is the father of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.

Hunter, too, is a former Common Councilor. She was elected to represent the 128th district in the New York State Assembly in 2015. She was recently elected chair of the OCDC.

Walsh is a Republican. Hunter is a Democrat.

Syracuse.com reporter Chris Baker will moderate the panel.
Rep. Claudia Tenney and Anthony Brindisi have battled to a dead heat in one of the nation's most competitive races for Congress, according to a new poll made public Wednesday.

Brindisi, a Utica Democrat, has a statistically insignificant lead (46-45 percent) over Tenney, R-New Hartford, only two weeks before the election, according to a Syracuse.com/Spectrum News/Siena College poll of likely voters. About 9 percent are undecided.

The 22nd Congressional District race remains a tossup despite millions of dollars both candidates and their parties have spent on advertising as they tried to win over voters in the past two months. Brindisi continued to defy the odds in a district that has a lopsided Republican enrollment advantage, approves of President Donald Trump and wants the GOP to retain control of Congress, the poll showed.

The poll of 501 likely voters in the 22nd District was conducted by live operators who called land lines and cell phones from Oct. 15 through Oct. 18. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.

Voters in the district approve of the job Trump has done as president, yet view Tenney unfavorably, said Steve Greenberg, a spokesman for the Siena College Research Institute.

Trump won the district with 55 percent of the vote over Hillary Clinton in 2016. The president stopped in Utica to campaign for Tenney in August. He also sent a son and daughter to make joint appearances with Tenney.

But the pollsters found little has changed since late August when Brindisi (46 percent) led Tenney (44 percent) among likely voters in the district. At that time, 10 percent of voters were undecided.

Greenberg said it's remarkable that some of the poll results were identical in August and October, despite months of bruising campaign ads and rhetoric from the candidates. Tenney's favorability rating and the percentage of voters who want the GOP to keep control of the House were unchanged.

"I don't think I've ever seen a poll where the numbers on two questions were exactly the same, eight weeks between polls," said Greenberg, a Siena pollster for almost 14 years.

Overall, the district has about 30,000 more Republicans than Democrats (158,621 to 127,765) and an enrollment advantage of about 8 percentage points for the GOP.

Despite the Republican edge, Brindisi is making the race competitive with the help of independent voters who are not enrolled in a political party. He is winning decisively among independents, 54-38 percent, the poll found.

Brindisi also managed to keep support with his base of Democrats (77 percent) better than Tenney kept her base of Republicans (65 percent).

Tenney underperformed Trump in a three-way race in 2016 when she faced a Democrat and independent candidate in the 22nd District race, and the trend has continued this year.

Voters in the eight-county district said they approve of the job Trump has done as president (53-43 percent) and would like to see Republicans keep control of the House (53-40 percent).

Yet voters had a disconnect with Tenney, according to the poll. Most voters hold a negative view of her (42 percent approve, 47 percent disapprove), unchanged since August.

Brindisi, a three-term state Assembly member, is viewed favorably by district voters (46-37 percent). But more people now view him unfavorably than in the previous poll (44-27 percent).

Greenberg said the race will likely come down to the candidate who can best tap into enthusiasm in their party and make sure their base shows up to vote on Election Day, Nov. 6.

"You have to remember this district has a huge Republican advantage in terms of likely voter turnout," Greenberg said. "For Tenney, this campaign comes down to bringing some Republicans home and convincing them, 'If you want to keep the House and support the president, you should vote for me.' For Brindisi, the key is to turn out the mid-term Democrats who don't usually vote."

The candidates have spent more than $4.5 million ($2.5 million by Brindisi and $2 million by Tenney) through Sept. 30 trying to reach voters in a race that analysts in Washington have consistently rated as one of the nation's most competitive.

The poll found Tenney voters (56 percent) were more likely than Brindisi voters (11 percent) to say their financial position has improved because of the work of the federal government over the past two years.

Overall, 32 percent of likely voters said their financial position had improved as result of federal policies, 14 percent said it had worsened, and 50 percent said there was no effect.

The poll also showed a geographical divide in the eight-county district that sprawls from Lake Ontario to the Southern Tier. Voters in Oneida, Oswego and Herkimer counties gave a slight edge to Tenney, 49 to 45 percent. Tenney and Brindisi both live in Oneida County.

Voters in the other six counties gave a slight edge to Brindisi. He leads in Broome and Tioga counties (48-44 percent) and Cortland, Madison and Chenango counties (47-40 percent).

New York's 22nd District covers all of Madison, Oneida, Cortland and Chenango counties and part of Oswego, Broome, Herkimer, and Tioga counties.

Tenney and Brindisi have agreed to participate in a debate Thursday at Colgate University. The taped debate will air at 7 p.m. Thursday on Spectrum News. Capital Tonight anchor Liz Benjamin will moderate, with Spectrum News anchor Tammy Palmer and Colgate University political science chair Nina Moore serving as panelists.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway has dedicated four decades to one career: law enforcement.

He has worked as a village police officer and a deputy, a captain and a police chief. But when Conway was growing up in Warners, he said he didn't initially dream of becoming an officer. He wanted to design cars.

Conway went to Morrisville State College after high school to pursue his dream of creating cars and quickly realized it was not the job for him. Soon after, he said he took a car ride that changed his life.

John Dillon, the former sheriff of Onondaga County and a cousin of Conway's father, offered to let Conway ride with him when he was on patrol. After the ride along, Conway said he knew he wanted to be a cop.

Now, 41 years later, Conway is the sheriff of Onondaga County. And he's running for a second term.

Conway, 65, of Camillus, has served as the county's top cop since 2015. The Republican sheriff is running against Democratic challenger Michael Montes, 50, of Manlius.

"I still love this profession. I love coming to work. I care deeply about this community," Conway said. "There's still some things we haven't accomplished yet that I would like the opportunity to do."

Conway, a husband and father of two, started his law enforcement career in 1977 at the Village of North Syracuse Police Department. After a year, he joined the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Conway spent 24 years at the sheriff's office, working his way up from a deputy to the captain of criminal investigations. The job was a good fit, he said: He found satisfaction in solving cases and the camaraderie with his fellow deputies.

"I find rewarding the good that comes from the job," Conway said. "There's many people that we help."

Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway, center, speaks in November 2016 about the arrests of two men accused of robbing and fatally shooting Xiaopeng Yuan, a Syracuse University student from China, in DeWitt.

Conway left the sheriff's office in 2002 to be the chief for the DeWitt Police Department. Then, in 2014, he announced he was running for sheriff - making a bid to return to the department he had served for over two decades.

Conway won the election in 2014, beating Democrat Toby Shelley and replacing longtime Sheriff Kevin Walsh, who retired.

Conway started his four-year term in 2015. In 2017, he made $111,221.

According to the state Board of Elections, the Gene Conway For Sheriff campaign has raised $105,994 in donations. The Friends of Mike Montes campaign has raised $25,605.

Out of the county's 278,942 enrolled voters, 104,230 are enrolled as Democrats and 81,915 are Republicans, according to the state Board of Elections.

On his campaign website, Conway touts a list of accomplishments from his first term as the county's 61st sheriff - ranging from the creation of an animal abuser registry to a drug bust that netted the largest seizure of cocaine in the county's history.

To battle the opioid crisis plaguing Onondaga County, Conway said he launched a heroin treatment program at the Onondaga County Justice Center.

Inmates are offered a chance to get a shot of Vivitrol, a drug that temporarily blocks the effects of heroin and painkillers, before they are released from custody. After inmates are released, deputies are available to drive inmates to treatment facilities for counseling.

Above all, Conway said he is proud of his busy deputies who he said go "above and beyond" by volunteering with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the Special Olympics.

Conway said he is proud of what his department has accomplished in the past four years. But he said there are problems he wants to address if he is elected to serve a second term.

The opioid crisis - which the sheriff calls an epidemic - is one of the biggest public safety issues in Onondaga County, Conway said. Last week, he said the sheriff's office has responded to three deadly overdoses.

"It's everywhere," the sheriff said. "It's driving so much of our crime."

In addition to continuing to tackle the county's heroin problem, Conway said he would like to "streamline" his department's new role running the Jamesville Correctional Facility. Voters in 2017 approved the sheriff's office taking over the prison. It previously was run by the county.

Both Jamesville and the Justice Center could run more efficiently, he said, if the facilities didn't have separate booking and inmate classification units.

One problem at the Justice Center identified by the state Commission of Correction no longer exists, Conway said.

A report released by the commission in February identified the Justice Center as one of the five most problematic jails in the state. The county jail faced two main issues, according to the commission: overcrowding and gaps in staffing.

Overcrowding is not a problem, Conway said. Since the sheriff's office took over the Jamesville facility, he said the county hasn't had to send Onondaga County inmates to be boarded in other county jails.

To fix staffing problems, Conway said the sheriff's office needs more correctional officers who can work overtime. He said he hopes the problem can be smoothed out during the next round of contract negotiations.

Conway said he is grateful for the Onondaga County residents who have supported his deputies and called in tips that helped solve crimes. He said he wants another opportunity to serve as the county's sheriff and protect the community he calls home.

"I've spent most of my adult life here in this community in law enforcement," Conway said. "I'm always concerned about the safety of this community and want to continue to work toward our community being safe in very challenging times."
FULL LIST: 50 New York colleges with the most sexual assault reports, ranked

Cornell University had the most reported sexual assault and domestic violence reports among college campuses in the first five months of 2018, according to a report by the Department of Higher Education.

New York's "Enough is Enough" law requires schools to report all incidents reported to their Title IX offices, including sexual assaults, dating and domestic violence, and stalking. The data is published at regular intervals by the state.

The most recent list, published in August, includes five colleges in Central New York among the 50 schools with the most reported Title IX complaints. Take a look:

#13 Ithaca College (Ithaca, Tompkins County)

Total incidents: 28

Incidents per 1,000 students: 4.36

Enrollment: 6,516

On campus: 19

Reported to law enforcement: 1

#12 Syracuse University (Syracuse, Onondaga County)

Total incidents: 30

Incidents per 1,000 students: 1.04

Enrollment: 28,905

On campus: 12

Reported to law enforcement: 6

#10 SUNY College at Oswego (Oswego, Oswego County)

Total incidents: 30

Incidents per 1,000 students: 3.71

Enrollment: 8,090

On campus: 15

Reported to law enforcement: 4

#4 SUNY College at Cortland (Cortland, Cortland County)

Total incidents: 46

Incidents per 1,000 students: 6.65

Enrollment: 6,931

On campus: 22

Reported to law enforcement: 9

#1 Cornell University (Ithaca, Tompkins County)

Total incidents: 199

Incidents per 1,000 students: 8.25

Enrollment: 24,123

On campus: 39

Reported to law enforcement: 22

See the full ranking of 50 NY colleges with the most reports of sexual assaults, including schools in Oneida and Broome Counties and elsewhere across Upstate NY, and read more on NYup.com.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a suspicious package was sent to his office in Manhattan.

"A device has been sent to my office in Manhattan, which we were just informed about. And that device ... has been identified and is being handled as we speak," Cuomo said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier reports from ABC and Fox News denied initial rumors that a possible explosive device was sent to his office in New York City.

The incident follows potential bombs sent to the homes of Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday it intercepted "two suspicious packages" containing "potential explosive devices" sent to Clinton's home with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in New York and Obama's residence in Washington, D.C.

"We will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives," Cuomo said outside the Time Warner Center in New York City.

JUST IN: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said a suspicious device was sent to his Manhattan office https://t.co/PObfCTnqgo pic.twitter.com/Znl4FupMtw  CBS News (@CBSNews) October 24, 2018

A similar bomb scare happened Wednesday at the Time Warner Center, prompting CNN to evacuate its offices. The cable news network said a "suspicious package with an explosive device" was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who does not work for CNN; Brennan works as a contributor for MSNBC.

According to CBS, New York Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill said the CNN package contained what appeared to be a "live explosive device," along with an envelope containing white powder.

The Daily Beast reports suspicious packages are also being investigated at a building housing the San Diego Union-Tribune and an office for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). The Sunrise Police Department in Florida also said a building has been evacuated due to a suspicious package sent to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

The U.S. Secret Service said "reports of a third intercepted package" addressed to the White House are "incorrect."

Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump condemned the potential attacks in a series of tweets.

We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) October 24, 2018

Trump, who has frequently criticized CNN as "fake news" and called the mainstream media "the enemy of the people," has not commented on the incident at CNN's New York headquarters.

The incidents follow a homemade device sent to billionaire philanthropist George Soros earlier this week. A pipe bomb was "proactively detonated" Monday after being found in a mailbox at the liberal philanthropist's home in Bedford, N.Y.

The Secret Service and FBI are investigating the incidents. No suspects have been identified.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos was sentenced to four years and three months in prison Wednesday after his conviction on public corruption charges.

U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood announced the penalty for the longtime Republican powerbroker, citing his health challenges at age 70 as reason to reduce his sentence from the five years she gave him at a previous sentencing.

She said she would have given him only four years in prison except she tacked on three extra months because he lied on the witness stand.

The judge said Skelos had caused "immeasurable damage" to the respect New Yorkers have in their state government and she cited the need to send a message to other politicians who might contemplate taking advantage of their power to earn illicit income.

Skelos and his son Adam were convicted in July on charges of extortion, wire fraud and bribery. Their first convictions, in 2015, were rejected on appeal after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed public corruption law.

Prosecutors had urged at least 61/2 years in prison for the elder Skelos while his lawyers said he should get no more than two years.

His son is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday afternoon.

Lawyers said the strain of two trials had caused a rift between the elder Skelos and his son.

Given a chance to speak, Skelos was emotional as he spoke of his son.

"My son Adam, I love him more today than yesterday," he said. "Although our relationship is strained, I hope it will someday be restored."

Skelos and his son were arrested in 2015 when prosecutors alleged that the father abused his public office by pressuring businesses that needed state help to give his son no-show jobs if they wanted to retain his political support.

The men were convicted just weeks after Democrat Sheldon Silver -- the former state Assembly Speaker -- was convicted on corruption charges in a retrial that also came after the Supreme Court changed the landscape of public corruption law when it overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Silver was sentenced in July to seven years in prison, a considerable discount to the dozen years he received when he was convicted in 2015 on charges that he earned $4 million illegally in return for legislative favors he performed for a cancer researcher and real estate developers.

Dean Skelos was hoping for a similar reduction from his original sentence of five years in prison.

At trial, Skelos testified in his own defense, saying there was never a quid-pro-quo expected when he reached out on behalf of Adam, 36.

Silver and Skelos were among a trio dubbed the "three men in a room" in Albany, a nod to the longstanding practice of legislative leaders and the governor negotiating key bills behind closed doors. Skelos served in the Senate from 1985 to 2015 and became Senate leader in 2008.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a suspicious package was sent to his office in Manhattan.

"A device has been sent to my office in Manhattan, which we were just informed about. And that device ... has been identified and is being handled as we speak," Cuomo said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier reports from ABC and Fox News denied initial rumors that a possible explosive device was sent to his office in New York City.

The incident follows potential bombs sent to the homes of Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday it intercepted "two suspicious packages" containing "potential explosive devices" sent to Clinton's home with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in New York and Obama's residence in Washington, D.C.

"We will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives," Cuomo said outside the Time Warner Center.

A similar bomb scare happened Wednesday at the Time Warner Center in NYC, prompting CNN to evacuate its offices. The cable news network said a "suspicious package with an explosive device" was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who does not work for CNN; Brennan works as a contributor for MSNBC.

The Daily Beast reports suspicious packages are also being investigated at a building housing the San Diego Union-Tribune and an office for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). The Sunrise Police Department in Florida also said a building has been evacuated due to a suspicious package sent to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

The U.S. Secret Service said "reports of a third intercepted package" addressed to the White House are "incorrect."

Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump condemned the potential attacks in a series of tweets.

We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) October 24, 2018

Trump, who has frequently criticized CNN as "fake news" and called the mainstream media "the enemy of the people," has not commented on the incident at CNN's New York headquarters.

The incidents follow a homemade device sent to billionaire philanthropist George Soros earlier this week. A pipe bomb was "proactively detonated" Monday after being found in a mailbox at the liberal philanthropist's home in Bedford, N.Y.

The Secret Service and FBI are investigating the incidents. No suspects have been identified.
The FBI says a suspicious package sent to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) has prompted an evacuation at her office in Sunrise, Florida.

The Associated Press reports the Broward Sheriff's Office is using a bomb squad robot at a building containing the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman's office, located near Fort Lauderdale. The FBI's Miami office confirmed agents are on the scene investigating a possible explosive device.

The Miami Herald reports the package was actually sent to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, but used Wasserman Schultz's office as the return address. The address for Holder was incorrect, so the suspicious package was sent to Wasserman Schultz's office.

According to CNN, Wasserman Schultz's office address was also used on packages sent to the cable news network's New York headquarters and billionaire philanthropist George Soros' home in Bedford, N.Y. CNN said the package sent to its office was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who does not work for CNN; Brennan works as a contributor for MSNBC.

The bomb scare at CNN's office prompted three floors to evacuate at Time Warner Center in Manhattan. New York Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill said the CNN package contained what appeared to be a "live explosive device," along with an envelope containing white powder.

Photos of the bomb and package sent to CNN pic.twitter.com/nBq3ArtChJ  Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 24, 2018

Wasserman Schultz was not at her office Wednesday. The AP reports she was in Coral Gables, Fla., along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at a campaign event for Donna Shalala.

Similar devices were also sent to Clinton's home in New York with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and former President Barack Obama's residence in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Secret Service said it intercepted the "two suspicious packages" Wednesday morning.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday a suspicious package was also sent to his office in Manhattan.

"A device has been sent to my office in Manhattan, which we were just informed about. And that device ... has been identified and is being handled as we speak," Cuomo said at a press conference outside the Time Warner Center in New York City. "We will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives."

CNN reports Wasserman Schultz's address was also used on the packages sent to Clinton and Obama.

The device sent to Soros was a pipe bomb, "proactively detonated" by law enforcement Monday after being found in a mailbox at his home in Bedford, N.Y.

Cuomo suggested that the targets -- all Democrats -- were chosen for political reasons.

"I want to bring down the heat. I want to bring down the rancor. There is an apparent political pattern to this," he said Wednesday. "For everyone's sake, the President, the Senate, the Congress, the governors, bring down the rhetoric."

Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump condemned the potential attacks in a pair of tweets.

The Secret Service and FBI are investigating the incidents. No suspects have been identified.
Hollywood is obsessed with sequels and spinoff these days, but even James Cameron doesn't want to make "Titanic 2" happen.

An Australian billionaire, on the other hand, wants to make Titanic II happen.

The Guardian reports Clive Palmer, a mining magnate and chairman of Blue Star Line, is planning a replica of the RMS Titanic that could set sail as early as 2022, its 110th anniversary. It will follow the same route as the "unsinkable" original that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.

"The ship will follow the original journey, carrying passengers from Southampton to New York," Palmer said in a statement. "But she will also circumnavigate the globe, inspiring and enchanting people while attracting unrivaled attention, intrigue and mystery in every port she visits."

According to CNN, Palmer first floated the idea of Titanic II on the doomed ship's 100th anniversary in 2012, but put it on hold in 2015 due to a financial dispute with the Chinese government. He announced a revival of the project last month.

On Monday, Palmer announced Blue Star Line would establish a European headquarters, likely in Paris due to Brexit, to make Titanic II happen.

CBS reports the new Titanic will cost $500 million to build and will look just the original, including the grand staircase seen in Cameron's 1997 movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. The ship will feature 835 cabins that can accommodate 2,435 passengers.

Some aspects will be different, however. CNN reports Titanic II will have plenty of life boats -- unlike the original -- along with a welded (not riveted) hull and modern navigation and radar equipment.

According to The Guardian, there's skepticism over whether or not Palmer can get the project done, but he may be motivated by competition. A second Titanic II is being built in a Chinese theme park, but it will be a stationary attraction and will not head out to sea.

"Millions have dreamt of sailing on her, seeing her in port and experiencing her unique majesty," Palmer said of his project. "Titanic ll will be the ship where those dreams come true."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday described the killing of a Saudi journalist as a botched operation and a "bad original concept" as his administration took its first, careful steps toward punishing the Saudis by moving to revoke the visas of the suspects.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the entire operation was a fiasco.

"They had a very bad original concept," Trump said. "It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up, and they had the worst cover-up ever."

Even in the face of ugly details of Jamal Khashoggi's slaying, Trump has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to the kingdom and has been reluctant to antagonize the Saudi rulers. Trump considers the Saudis to be vital allies in his Mideast agenda.

Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. and wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The writer, who was a contributor to The Washington Post, vanished Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey, where he went to pick up documents for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

Turkish officials say that a Saudi team of 15 men tortured, killed and dismembered the writer and that Saudi officials had planned the killing for days. Saudi officials -- after weeks of denials -- now concede that he died, but they say it happened accidentally in a fight at the consulate.

"It was a total fiasco," Trump said. "The process was no good. The execution was no good. And the cover-up, if you want to call it that, was certainly no good."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move to revoke visas was just a first step.

Visa records are confidential and Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 "Saudi suspects" would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the U.S.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter," Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.

The administration "will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence," he said. "Neither the president or I am happy with this situation."

Still, Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

"We continue to view as achievable the twin imperative of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Mr. Khashoggi," Pompeo said.
In the spring of 1936, newspapers throughout Upstate New York wrote about strange marriage ceremonies happening throughout the region and around the country.

Hundreds of husbands and wives were getting remarried after exchanging polished steel rings sent to them by the Fascist leader of Italy, Benito Mussolini, after sending him their gold ones.

Benito Mussolini is shown holding "golden trinkets and wedding rings" offered by the women of Pontinia, Italy.

On Oct. 3, 1935, Mussolini, known as "Il Duce" (The Leader), had invaded Ethiopia, at that time one of the few independent states in European-controlled Africa.

The short Italo-Ethiopian War was used by Mussolini to boost Italy's national prestige and to avenge the Italian army's defeat at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, considered by historians to be one of the worst losses by a European army at the hands of an African one.

The invading Italian forces pushed steadily forward, and by April of 1936, had taken the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa and forced its leader, Haile Selassie, into exile.

The League of Nations condemned the invasion and imposed economic sanctions. Although they were largely ineffective, Mussolini used them to try to unite his people.

As a way to push back against the sanctions, and to fill Italy's war coffers, Mussolini asked Italian women to donate their gold wedding rings on "Faith Day," Dec. 18, 1935.

"The enthusiasm with which Italians have entered into the spirit of giving their rings to the State is extraordinary," reported a dispatch from Rome.

Women across Italy, including Queen Elena, handed over their rings to be melted down, usually at World War I grave sites or at a town or village's war monument. They were given iron ones as a replacement.

Unmarried Italians were reportedly buying wedding rings at jewelry stores and then immediately passing them along to the state.

The women had "declared themselves ready for any sacrifice - even the supreme one," the Associated Press reported.

An Italian banker estimated that 10 million rings, weighing 55 tons, and valued between 80 and 120 million dollars were donated.

In late November 1935, Italians started reaching out to relatives in the United States, asking them to send their rings to Mussolini as well.

In less than six months, more than 100,000 American wives would send their wedding rings to various Italian groups.

In cities with large Italian-American population, like New York, Philadelphia, and especially Chicago, where between 3,000 and 4,000 people donated, elaborate remarriage ceremonies were held and steel rings, sometimes with Il Duce's signature engraved, were exchanged.

"I wonder if Mr. Roosevelt could ask American women for their wedding rings like Il Duce?" one Italian official joked.

Hundreds of Upstate New York couples participated too.

In May 1936, with the war in Ethiopia practically over, they gathered in Italian-American halls and celebrated Italy's victory and had remarriage ceremonies.

In Binghamton, events took place all day on May 20.

After dinner at the Ameritalian clubroom, iron rings, forwarded to Binghamton from Mussolini himself, were distributed.

Although there was no official ring drive in Elmira, nine women donated theirs, and received replacements after church services at St. Anthony's Church on July 5.

In Rochester, donations were not limited to wedding rings. Watches, bracelets, earrings were also collected and converted into cash to be sent to the Italian Red Cross. More than $25,000 was raised.

Steel rings inscribed with the words "Gold to the Fatherland" in Italian were presented to 175 women at Auburn's Graceffo Hall on May 24, as part of a victory celebration, which was attended by hundreds.

About 300 Italian-American women in Syracuse received polished-steel replacement wedding rings on May 25, 1936 after donating theirs to Benito Mussolini.

In Albany, there was "great rejoicing" following Mussolini's victory and "red wine has flowed freely since," the Times-Union reported on May 7.

The paper reported that women were still trading their rings and plans were underway for a possible "mock street funeral for Haile Selassie" to take place in the state capital, though it appeared it never materialized.

Maybe the largest ring ceremony took place in Syracuse on May 24.

Three hundred women were presented steel rings during a victory celebration at Harugarl Hall.

"As their names were called," the Syracuse Herald reported, "the women marched up to a platform and were fitted with the new bands, bearing the inscription "Gold to Our Country."

A 40-pound cake was served to every person in the hall.

"All nations of the world, including England," Anthony Dettor, former chief officer of the Order of Sons of Italy, told the crowd, "are beginning to realize the significance of the triumph of Italy in Ethiopia. All were astonished and surprised to see that in seven months the Italian flag flew over the capital of Ethiopia."

The short war had dramatic effects on the world in the coming years.

It proved the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations and ratcheted up the tensions between the fascist states and western democracies which would lead to the Second World War three years later.

Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle: Email | 315-427-3958.
Peterhouse has now opened its new accommodation building, the Whittle Building, following a term delay.

Named after Sir Frank Whittle, a former Petrean and inventor of the jet engine, the Whittle Building refurbishment includes wheelchair accessible en-suite student and fellows rooms. Along with the refurbishments to existing rooms, the new development has created 12 more student rooms, alongside a new JCR, bar and gym available for all students to use, as well as a new meeting room and other facilities.

Many at the college seem pleased with the addition. The Dean, Dr Stephen Hampton, commented that it will provide not only excellent accommodation for our junior members, but also a range of much needed facilities. One undergraduate living in the Whittle Building described it as worth the wait, while another commended the neo-gothic design saying, it looks really nice I like a good turret. Others noted its accessible design and plush decoration.

However, the opening of the Whittle Building has not been without dispute, as some students have complained that their needs have been placed below those of conference guests. The new bars design has been criticised by undergraduates as changing it away from a student bar into a conference bar and there have been complaints about the lack of hobs in the gyp rooms, in contrast to other second and third year accommodation at Peterhouse.

The student-run campaign Whose University? have voiced concerns, commenting that the design of Peterhouses new Whittle building is emblematic of how students are treated at university these days. It has clearly been built for conference guests first,

and students second, with no cooking facilities in gyp rooms which might encroach on the ability of the college to sweat as much value as possible out of every square inch.

In response to these issues, Dr Hampton told The Cambridge Student: Conference guests do expect high levels of accommodation but I think our students expect increasingly high levels of accommodation as well and I know that numbers of students do welcome en-suite rooms. On the subject of conferences, one student commented at the end of the day, they do bring in an awful lot of money and subsidise student rent. Another highlighted the fact that its hard to complain when youve got an en-suite room in the same building as the bar.
Did you know that Microsoft doesn't back up your 365 data? Avoid data loss. Back up your company's Office 365 mailboxes, Teams, and files stored within OneDrive and Sharepoint. Get your free trial of Altaro Office 365 Backup.

This story was originally published on the E-Commerce Times on June 7, 2018, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series.

Just when the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, was about to go into effect, the United States Congress created the CLOUD Act (Clarifying Overseas Use of Data).

Without any public hearings, review or public comment, Congress passed the legislation as part of the US$1.3 trillion government spending bill. The CLOUD Act changed the privacy provisions that were in effect under the 1986 Stored Communications Act.

Originally created to protect privacy in telephone records, the SCA has been used by Internet service providers to restrict access to Internet content in the U.S., except with the owners permission.

Needless to say, Internet privacy issues create headlines around the world every day. So the fact that the U.S. government would modify the SCA without public hearings, review or public comment has raised red flags for many.

US v. Microsoft Issues

As a result of the CLOUD Act, the U.S. Supreme Court this spring dismissed the U.S. v. Microsoft case after hearing arguments earlier this year.

The case related to Microsofts reliance on the 1986 SCA to justify its refusal to comply with a federal search warrant requiring the production of an alleged drug dealers emails, which were stored in Ireland. Because the suspect of the federal investigation was an American citizen but had created his email account while overseas, the case presented a new wrinkle as to how Fourth Amendment search and seizure principals should apply in an increasingly digital world.

Microsoft argued that because the emails at issue were located on a data server in Ireland, they were outside of the Justice Departments reach. The Justice Department responded that the emails essentially were under Microsofts American control, which placed them squarely within U.S. jurisdiction.

While both the Justice Department and Microsoft relied heavily on public policy in making their arguments  Microsoft citing citizen privacy rights and the Justice Department raising national security concerns  Congresss enactment of the CLOUD Act ultimately ended the debate.

CLOUD Act Provisions

The Electronic Frontier Foundation earlier this year described the CLOUD Act as a far-reaching, privacy-upending piece of legislation designed to do the following:

Enable foreign police to collect and wiretap peoples communications from U.S. companies, without obtaining a U.S. warrant.

Allow foreign nations to demand personal data stored in the United States, without prior review by a judge.

Allow the U.S. president to enter executive agreements that empower police in foreign nations that have weaker privacy laws than the United States to seize data in the United States while ignoring U.S. privacy laws.

Allow foreign police to collect someones data without notifying them about it.

Empower U.S. police to grab any data, regardless if its a U.S. persons or not, no matter where it is stored.

The theory behind the CLOUD Act is that it removes much of the red tape federal investigators previously faced when seeking private citizen data stored in foreign nations but controlled by U.S. companies.

In the past, foreign data sharing was limited to countries with whom Congress had approved a mutual legal-assistance treaty, or MLAT. If the country housing the desired data had not been approved for an MLAT, the process for approval could take months, potentially nullifying the usefulness of the data.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The CLOUD Act grants the Executive branch (including the president, attorney general and State Department) authority to approve immediate data-sharing arrangements with foreign nations, bypassing congressional approval.

Another important feature of the CLOUD Act is that it expressly grants law enforcement officials the ability to order production of digital records, regardless of where the data physically is stored. Data storage companies may petition a court to resist disclosure, but they are required to ensure the data is still accessible if a court chooses to enforce the search warrant.

Privacy Advocates Respond

Information technology industry leaders, including Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook and Oath, have offered public praise for the Act seeing it as much-needed clarification of how to deal with cross-border data sharing issues.

The ACLU, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Open Technology Institute have spoken out against the Act.

Pointing toward the safeguards previously offered by MLATs, the ACLU has argued that the Act will allow the executive branch to enter foreign data-sharing agreements without congressional oversight or proper vetting.

Similarly, the CDT and OTI have cited the need to protect citizen privacy and expressed fear that foreign governments could use obtained data to commit human rights violations.

Will the CLOUD Act Conflict With GDPR?

The European Union has taken a remarkably different approach in addressing citizen data protection. The EU General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect last month, applies to any business that processes EU citizen data. For example, companies that are effected by a data breach are required to disclose such occurrences within a 72-hour window.

Additionally, EU citizens are free to request records from the EU data controller, detailing who has accessed their information, when, and for what purpose. To encourage compliance, the GDPR mandates that significant violations can result in a maximum fine the greater of 4 percent of gross revenue or 20 million euros.

In contrasted with the CLOUD Act, which places data-sharing authority solely within the executive branch, the GDPR resembles the former U.S. approach of using MLATs to monitor foreign data sharing.

Still to be resolved is whether the CLOUD Act and GDPR will exist in harmony, or whether the conflicting agreements will require representatives to negotiate how private citizen data will be shared in the future.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Keep an Eye Out

The CLOUD Act could have major implications in the world of e-commerce. U.S. law enforcement officials will be permitted to access international transaction data without significant oversight, as well as enter agreements providing foreign governments with reciprocal information.

While it is too early to tell how far the ramifications of the CLOUD Act will spread, those who utilize cloud-based storage providers, or conduct online business with foreign entities, should keep the CLOUD Act and GDPR at the top of their news-to-watch list.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.
Courtesy: Edana Outlook

Edana, the leading global association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has announced that the Outlook 2018 conference for the nonwovens hygiene and personal care industry, ended on a successful note. With 510 delegates from across the nonwovens and related industries in attendance, the event was held on October 17 and 18, 2018, in Croatia.Outlook again confirmed as a key industry event for the sector, showcasing Edanas mission to support the growth and promote the sustainable development of the industry.The conference examined new product developments, market trends, performance and safety testing and sustainability initiatives during the first two days, with the final day featuring an interactive workshop on building stakeholder trust. Feedback from participants throughout the event emphasised satisfaction with the mix and quality of expert content and the many opportunities to meet with industry peers. With the conference attracting participants from across the whole supply chain and around the globe, Outlook again confirmed its position as a unique must-attend event for nonwoven professionals, Edana said in a media statement.The 17th edition of Outlook opened with a keynote speech on EU circular economy and plastics strategies from Werner Bosmans, DG environment, European Commission. This was followed with a session dedicated to circular economy and sustainability topics. Day two of the conference was opened by a presentation from Samuele Furfari of the Free University of Brussels on the geopolitical challenges of the changing energy landscape. Delegates also heard from industry experts on market trends, technical innovations, and multiple efforts to introduce further sustainable business practices in the nonwovens industry.This edition of Outlook has again featured, as deliberately planned these last few years, a very topical programme, directly addressing the current challenges in our industry. Discussions on the circular economy strategy, transparency, and trust in the supply chain were both thought-provoking and rewarding. It is very encouraging to witness the industrys increasing readiness to engage in these topics and for Edana to facilitate constructive dialogue on both strategic and practical solutions. I was also very enthused by the insight of significant industry players on key trends and some very exciting technical innovations in our sector, said Pierre Wiertz, general manager of Edana said. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Bottom line: Removing your search history from Google's servers has gotten easier, but the amount of data that Google collects is still not going to be reduced anytime in the foreseeable future.

Utilizing the powers of Google Search come at the cost of sharing data. Everything that gets entered into the search box or Chrome's omnibar somehow finds its way to Google servers where it can be logged and stored. Clearing browser history works for deletion of locally stored data, but will not removed anything stored on Google's end.

A new feature has been introduced to Google Search that allows users to delete their search history from remote storage. Although allowing Google to keep your search history can sometimes help you find more relevant results, it is clear that many users favor enhanced privacy.

Upon navigating to the updated dashboard, Google allows filtering by product and time. Simply select Search under the filters and the option to wipe out all search history is readily available.

Changes are being rolled out to Search on desktop and mobile web today. Updates to Android and iOS apps will be implemented in the next few weeks. In addition to the new privacy control for Search, Google is also working on a similar option for Maps that will allow deletion of user data.

Having been on the receiving end of numerous fines from European regulators, Google appears to be covering itself from future litigation as much as it is giving end users more control over their personal data.

Most recently, US Congress members have put Google in the hot seat for failing to disclose the hack of Google+ in a timely manner. Efforts to give consumers more control over their data are appreciated, but there is still a very long way to go before Google could possibly shake its reputation of far reaching data collection.
Why it matters: Financially speaking, Italy's penalties against Apple and Samsung are trivial at best. The real damage could be in public perception and trust although honestly, both companies have endured worse and came out virtually unscathed.

Italys competition authority has fined Apple and Samsung 5 million euros ($5.7 million) each over claims of planned obsolescence. Apple was smacked with an additional 5 million euro fine for failing to provide customers with information about essential characteristics of the batteries in their phones and how to care for them.

Both companies will also be required to post a notice on their Italian portals informing visitors of the Authority's decision and link to the assessment order.

The AGCM found Apple and Samsung guilty of unfair commercial practices in violation with local laws relating to the release of firmware updates for mobile devices that caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance, thereby accelerating the process of replacing them.

Specifically, the AGCM said insistent requests were made by manufacturers for consumers to download and install updates on devices that were not able to adequately support them and provided no means of restoring original functionality.

The claim against Apple refers specifically to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s-class devices being upgraded to iOS 10, which it said was developed for the iPhone 7. In Samsungs case, the watchdog said customers who purchased the Galaxy Note 4 were solicited to install a version of Android (Marshmallow) that shipped on the Note 7.

Apple last year admitted that it used software updates to smooth out peak current demands on devices with older batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns. Many saw this as proof that Apple had indeed been conducting planned obsolescence, or taking steps to intentionally slow down aging hardware in hopes of convincing users to replace said devices with newer, faster models.

Apple has not commented on the Italian watchdogs fine as of this writing. A spokesperson for Samsung told The Guardian that the company did not issue any software update that reduced the Galaxy Note 4s performance. In contrast, Samsung has always released software updates enabling our customers to have the best experience possible, the spokesperson added.

Samsung plans to appeal the fine.

Lead image via Peter Nicholls, Reuters
In brief: Uber and Tesla aren't the only companies in the self-driving car industry who are facing some technical problems. GM and its autonomous car division Cruise are dealing with similar issues - according to anonymous sources, Cruise's vehicles have failed to detect pedestrians and have detected "phantom" bicycles that don't exist, prompting the cars to slam on their brakes erratically.

Carmaker General Motors acquired self-driving car startup Cruise way back in 2016, and it's made good use of its purchase ever since. Much like other companies in the tech and vehicle industries (such as Waymo, Uber, and Cadillac), General Motors (GM) views self-driving cars as the way of the future - as such, it's put quite a few resources into researching the tech and developing its own autonomous systems.

Indeed, in January, GM said it wanted to deploy fully autonomous, manual control-free vehicles by 2019; an ambitious goal, to be sure, but it began to look much more likely following GM's recent investment partnership with Honda.

Unfortunately, GM's plans may have hit a slight roadblock now. According to sources who spoke to Reuters, the carmaker's self-driving cars are having a difficult time identifying objects in motion, including pedestrians. Furthermore, the anonymous individuals said GM's vehicles have been known to see "phantom" bicycles, prompting them to slam on the breaks "erratically."

Given these (and other) hurdles, sources believe it is "highly unlikely" that GM will be able to hit its 2019 targets. Of course, considering the issues the industry has faced as of late -- including a handful of fatal self-driving crashes -- GM will likely not have any major qualms about delaying their plans if it results in a safer product for consumers.

At any rate, GM probably doesn't have much to worry about from its competition at the moment. Virtually every company in the autonomous car industry is facing similar problems (with the exception, perhaps, of Waymo), and few have come up with surefire solutions.

With this in mind, as consumers, we can probably expect at least a couple more years of testing and experimentation before we begin seeing true Level 5 automation in mass-market vehicles.
Why it matters: At a privacy conference in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Tim Cook gave a keynote calling out the ethics of Big Data companies and those that supply them with the personal information of their customer. He also called for regulations and laws similar to the GDPR in the US and the rest of the world.

Apple has long held the position the customer is not our product. This means that Apple is not looking to collect user information and sell it to the highest bidder like some other companies. It is part of the reason its products command high premiums  iPhone sales are not being partially subsidized by Big Data firms wanting your information.

During a speech at a privacy conference in Brussels, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that personal information is being weaponized against us with military efficiency [creating a] data-industrial complex.

Platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies. Rogue actors and even governments have taken advantage of user trust to deepen divisions, incite violence, and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false. This crisis is real. It is not imagined, or exaggerated, or crazy.

Cook was careful to not call anyone out specifically, but recent news of political ad targeting and the Cambridge Analytica scandal brought at least a couple names to mind.

The Apple boss also applauded Europe for its recent implementation of the GDPR privacy regulations. It is time for the rest of the world  to follow [Europes] lead, said Cook. We at Apple are in full support of comprehensive federal privacy laws in the United States.

Cook believes that lawmakers should come up with laws governing privacy as a fundamental human right. He listed four rights of concern: the right to have personal data minimized; the right for users to know what data is collected on them; the right to access that data; and the right for that data to be kept securely.

These do not seem like unreasonable requests, but Big Data proponents argue that too much regulation stifles innovation  as if allowing consumers to have their privacy is going to keep them from coming up with ideas. This notion is hogwash at best. However, Cook thinks it is worse than that.

This notion isn't just wrong, it's destructive, he said. Technologys potential is and always must be rooted in the faith people have in it.
A massive slab of iceberg that recently separated from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica is so geometrically perfect that it almost looks unreal.

Square Iceberg

NASA shared the photo of the iceberg that has since become viral. On Twitter, it fetched over 3,000 retweets, 6,000 likes, and hundreds of responses. It has captured the imagination of many, with some theorizing that it was made by aliens.

However, there is no giant conspiracy around the perfectly rectangular slab of ice. It was a naturally occurring phenomenon called tabular ice which, unlike the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912, has flat tops and steep sides.

Sometimes, these tabular icebergs are gigantic in size, measuring hundreds of miles in length and hundreds of feet in height.

From yesterday's #IceBridge flight: A tabular iceberg can be seen on the right, floating among sea ice just off of the Larsen C ice shelf. The iceberg's sharp angles and flat surface indicate that it probably recently calved from the ice shelf. pic.twitter.com/XhgTrf642Z  NASA ICE (@NASA_ICE) October 17, 2018

NASA spotted the on Oct. 16 during one of its IceBridge Flights, a program that tracks the global climate system. Based on its smooth edges, the agency believes that it has not been long since the iceberg separated from Larsen C in Antarctica.

"What makes this one a bit unusual is that it looks almost like a square," said Kelly Brunt, an ice scientist from NASA.

From the photo alone, it is impossible to determine the size of the iceberg, but Brunt estimated that the tabular iceberg is about a mile across. Only about 10 percent is visible above water.

Splitting Ice Shelves Of Antarctica

Larsen C, an ice shelf, also produced the A-68 iceberg in 2017. In September, after getting stuck for over a year, the iceberg has turned around, suggesting that it is ready to move.

Finally, movement at the western end of Iceberg A-68? Yesterday's @NASANPP satellite image shows A-68 is no longer abutting Larsen C Ice Shelf, suggesting it may no longer be grounded near Bawden Ice Rise; the eastern end continues drifting counter-clockwise in the Weddell Sea pic.twitter.com/ulTB2QYYHy  The Antarctic Report (@AntarcticReport) September 2, 2018

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new report by the Public Health England has warned about an antibiotic-resistant infection that has been turning common surgeries lethal.

The researchers revealed that the issue is threatening more than 3 million patients in the United Kingdom who will undergo routine procedures such as cesarian sections and hip replacements.

The report was published on Oct. 23 as part of the Public Health England's English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance or ESPAUR.

Antibiotics Apocalypse

As a response, the health body has launched "Keep Antibiotics Working," a campaign that warns the public about the problem of antibiotics resistance and dissuades the misuse of medication. Public Health England is urging the public to only take antibiotics as prescribed by their healthcare professionals.

Experts have long been warning the public about the threat of antibiotics resistance. Antibiotics are meant to curb serious bacterial infections but, often, people take the drug to treat common illnesses such as coughs and sore throats. This has been causing bacteria to evolve and develop resistance to antibiotics faster than experts can develop new drugs to counter the new health threat.

Stop Antibiotics Misuse

Antibiotics are important during surgeries. The drug helps in preventing infections, putting people at risk of having serious complications.

The drug is also administered to cancer patients whose immune system are unable to fight infections. When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, many will be vulnerable to serious illnesses.

"It's concerning that, in the not too distant future, we may see more cancer patients, mothers who've had caesareans and patients who've had other surgery facing life-threatening situations if antibiotics fail to ward off infections," stated Paul Cosford, Medical Director of Public Health England.

However, the new report revealed that the rate of antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections during surgeries rose by an estimated 35 percent between 2013 and 2017. Moreover, despite the imminent threat of antibiotics resistance, about 38 percent of patients demand antibiotics from their doctors for common illnesses last year.

The World Health Organization warned that the increase of antibiotic resistance will soon outpace the development of new drugs to counter them. The United Kingdom has made efforts to reduce the prescription of antibiotics to patients dealing with non-threatening illnesses. Between 2012 and 2016, the country recorded a reduced 5 percent antibiotic prescribing.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Two weeks after the Hubble Space Telescope was placed into safe mode, NASA said the observatory is almost back to performing its regular science operations.

On Tuesday, Oct. 23, the U.S. space agency gave an update about the observation's backup gyroscope. The instrument, which is used to stabilize and turn the telescope, has been giving incorrect rotation rates since Oct. 5.

The rotation rates returned by the malfunctioning gyroscope have since been reduced. NASA says that additional tests will be performed before the telescope goes back to work.

Fixing The Gyroscope

In a blog post, NASA explained that the team of experts behind the Hubble Space Telescope attempted to correct the high rotation rates of the backup gyroscope by performing "a running restart" on Oct. 16. In short, they tried turning it off and on again.

The team turned off the gyroscope for a second in order to clear any faults that occurred when it was first switched on two weeks ago. After all, the gyroscope has been inactive and in storage for 7.5 years. Then it was restarted before the wheel spun down.

When that did not work, NASA attempted other basic troubleshooting techniques. The team checked if there were any jams by turning the gyroscope in opposite directions. The space agency also switched the instrument from low to mode to dislodge any blockage.

After a while, the team commanded the Hubble Space Telescope to perform additional maneuvers that seemed to fix the gyroscope issues. By Monday, the gyroscope seems to be reporting normal rates both in high and low mode.

NASA will continue to observe the telescope to make sure that it remains stable. The space agency will also perform maneuvers, including moving and locking to targets. If it performs as expected, then the almost 30-year-old telescope will go back to normal scientific operations.

Hubble Space Telescope Finds Its First Exomoon

Before it was placed into safe mode, astronomers from Columbia University used the data gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope to discover a moon outside the Solar System. A study published in the journal Science Advances proves the existence of the large exomoon (the size of Neptune) orbiting a planet as big as Jupiter some 8,000 light-years away from Earth.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The window has closed: People who signed the latest petition to place the St. George proposal on the ballot can no longer remove their names, even if proponents get additional time to gather more signatures, the state Attorney General's Office said Tuesday.

That opinion is part of the 18-page response from Attorney General Jeff Landry's office to 29 questions Steve Raborn, registrar of voters for East Baton Rouge Parish, posed five months ago regarding his offices handling of the newest petition to let the public vote on creating a city in the southeast portion of the parish.

The AG's response mostly outlines how Raborn's office should be verifying the 14,500 signatures it received last week.

As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, the last day to add or remove a name, his office had received requests from 23 people wanting their names removed and from 97 people seeking to add their names, Raborn said.

The AG's opinion is unclear on how possible annexations could affect the signature verification process, a question that popped up recently after leaders opposed to the St. George movement revealed that several businesses and a large subdivision are poised to request to be drawn into Baton Rouge city limits.

+3 Could annexation undermine St. George before signatures are counted on breakaway petition? Requests from commercial businesses and residential communities wanting to be absorbed into the Baton Rouge city limits could once again cripp

"If it becomes an issue, we will seek advice on that," Raborn said Tuesday afternoon.

When asked for comment on the overall AG opinion, Raborn said he hadn't had a chance to look at it yet because his office is tied up with early voting.

Raborn had asked the AG's Office for guidance on how to interpret various state laws regarding incorporation campaigns, given some of the fallout from the St. George proponents' failed 2015 attempt.

Proponents for and against St. George questioned the registrar's methods back then. St. George organizers filed a lawsuit arguing the previous registrar made substantive errors during the verification process; a state judge dismissed the lawsuit. St. George opponents, known as Better Together, had released an analysis that claimed more than 200 of the signatures the Registrar's Office had accepted as valid were not, based on voter registration records.

The past St. George campaign fell 71 signatures short of being placed on the ballot. None of the signatures on those petitions will count in the latest petition drive.

This time around, proponents need 12,951 valid signatures  that's 25 percent of the registered voters living within St. George's proposed boundary at the time the petition drive officially began.

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The proponents said they submitted about 14,500 signatures on Oct. 15.

One of the amendments to state law that passed in 2016 says the registrar cannot remove names from a petition more than five days after the office receives it, in this case that was 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Raborn had asked for clarity on whether names could be removed if the proponents are given additional time to collect signatures.

The AG's Office notes that a separate provision in the law gives proponents an additional 60 days to gather signatures if the registrar determines they failed to collect the 25 percent needed from active voters living within the proposed boundaries, but no names can be stricken from the petition during that time.

Raborn also asked about petition fraud, which was raised in 2015 after a number of people said their signatures had been forged.

The AG's Office said the registrar doesn't have the authority to investigate or pursue any claims of forgery. Anyone making those accusations must report them to the Secretary of State's Office or the local district attorney. The opinion also notes that no state law allows Raborn to use information from any third-party groups (like proponent or opposition groups) to weigh in on signature verification, and that anyone questioning whether his office erred in accepting or rejecting signatures would need to do so through the court system.

What happens if a person who signed the petition dies or moves outside of the proposed boundary after having signed the petition? The AG's opinion says those signatures will be considered valid as long those people were registered voters within the proposed boundaries when they signed the petition.

As for updates on the verification process, the AG says state law doesn't require the registrar to give out any information about the process over the telephone, although the registrar must allow the public to view the petitions, which are public records.

Raborn, who previously said his office would not begin verifying the signatures until after the response from the AG's Office, had noted "we hope to start soon after receiving the AG opinion if we are able, but we certainly wont be checking at full speed until we get the November and December elections behind us."

His office is under no set deadline to verify the signatures and render a decision on whether the proposition will move forward or whether it failed, the AG's Office said.

But, "the courts generally require diligence and expedition in the performance of a government official's assigned duties," the AG's opinion says, "and the same diligence and expedition should be exercised with respect to the review and certification of a petition of incorporation."
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East Baton Rouge Parish school employees have postponed their Oct. 31 protest walkout after learning the industrial tax break requests they oppose are not on that day's agenda of the state board that grants those exemptions.

"The members of Support Our Educators Coalition are therefore postponing the walkout planned for Oct. 31  permanently, if the exemption requests do not return; temporarily, if they are placed on a subsequent agenda," according to a statement posted online Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the school system's top official said Wednesday that schools would remain open when or if the employees walk out. East Baton Rouge Parish public schools have almost 6,000 employees, of which about 3,200 are teachers, and about 41,000 students.

Superintendent Warren Drake, who acknowledged the possibility of school closures if enough employees skip work, took a jab at the proposed walkout.

What are the kids going to do that day? Youre putting an undue burden on the parents, Drake said.

The educators coalition includes the two main teacher unions in the parish, the East Baton Rouge Association of Educators and The East Baton Rouge Federation of Teachers, as well as Service Employees International Union Local 21 and the East Baton Rouge chapter of the Louisiana School Bus Operators Association.

They are all working with the faith-based group Together Baton Rouge, which has led the fight to change the states decades-old Industrial Tax Exemption Program, or ITEP. The idea is to use the savings from rejecting ITEP requests to better fund public education. The bulk of their criticism has been directed at ExxonMobil, the largest taxpayer in East Baton Rouge Parish.

+3 Hundreds of EBR school workers vote for walkout; here's why, when, what to know Hundreds of East Baton Rouge school employees voted Tuesday night to walk out of work on Oct. 31. Instead of going to their schools, the emplo

At a school employees-only meeting Tuesday night, which was organized by the coalition and held at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, the employees voted 445-6 to stage a walkout on Oct. 31 and instead pack the meeting that day of Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry. They planned to oppose four requests by ExxonMobil to obtain an exemption from millions of dollars in local property taxes.

On Tuesday night, the state board had not yet posted its Oct. 31 agenda. It finally did so Wednesday afternoon and none of the four ExxonMobil ITEP tax exemption requests appear on the 22-page document.

A spokesman for the state Department of Economic Development said it's too late under board rules to add new items.

We do have to hear from the company that they are ready to appear before the board, spokesman Gary Perriloux said. He added that ExxonMobil has not yet requested that the items be heard.

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ExxonMobil spokeswoman Stephanie Cargile noted ExxonMobils applications were never on the Oct. 31 Board of Commerce and Industry agenda, so we are curious why Together Baton Rouge and the teachers unions chose that day to walk out.

The state board's next scheduled meeting is not until Dec. 10.

Vote deferred on guidelines for industrial expansion tax breaks, East Baton Rouge council decides The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council on Wednesday postponed its discussion and vote on proposed guidelines on how the governing body shou

The school employee groups have been most focused on increasing pay for school employees  they last received an across-the-board pay raise in 2008  but they are also calling for smaller class sizes, better technology, new school buses, updated school buildings and early childhood education.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, right as the education coalition called off the Oct. 31 walkout, Superintendent Drake said hes committed to having schools stay open if and when some employees decide to walk off the job.

Were going to have school, our intention is to have school, and I think that the bulk of the teachers and employees will do the right thing," Drake said Wednesday afternoon. We are on the same page with our employees: We want you to have more money, but there is a right way to go about doing this and this is not it.

Drake pointed out that the school system has taken big steps already to improve employee salaries, including budgeting an additional $4.3 million to salaries last summer, and more recently $3.9 million for a one-time $500 pay hike that employees will receive Nov. 21.

Whatever happened to, 'Thank you?' I dont hear much of that, Drake said.

For employees who do decide to skip work, it might be treated as an unexcused absence that those employee could have to make up at a later date, Drake said.

If the state board ultimately approves the ExxonMobil requests, the parish School Board, Metro Council and Sheriff Sid Gautreaux would have up to 60 days to consider whether to say yea or nay to the portion of the property tax that applies to them. The Metro Council had been expected to consider updated guidelines to its ITEP review process Wednesday night, but deferred action.

The outstanding exemption requests cover $152 million worth of property, which ExxonMobil has noted is just part of $269 million in total investment the corporate giant has made in Baton Rouge. In a statement Tuesday night, Cargile defended the exemption requests, saying that "the actual tax revenue far exceeds the abatement.
An astounding number of Louisiana voters turned out Tuesday to cast ballots in the first day of early voting.

The Secretary of States Office reported that 69,035, of the states nearly 3 million registered, voted early. Thats more than the 54,989 who early voted the first day in the 2012 presidential election, in which 67.9 percent of the voters ultimately participated, but less than the 2016 presidential elections record-holding 87,066 votes on the first day. Turnout ultimately was 67.8 percent in 2016.

Many political strategists were predicting a very modest involvement given the tepid response to the Secretary of States campaign, which is statewide, and the lack of any real competitive races in the reelections races for Louisianas six U.S. House members.

Doing the math, Baton Rouge pollster John Couvillon estimated Wednesday that about 910,000 voters  or 31 percent of the total registered  will participate in the Nov. 6 election to choose a secretary of state, six congressmen, dozens of school board members, a few mayors and a handful of councilmen. Last years statewide election attracted 13 percent of the registered voters.

Its entirely possible that the previous record, set in the 2016 Presidential election, of 26 percent of the vote being cast before Election Day may approach 30 percent this year, Couvillon wrote after analyzing the first days vote.

He noted that 73 percent of the early voters were white, and 40 percent were Republican.

Tuesdays top three early voting parishes were East Baton Rouge, with 6,263 early votes; St Tammany at 5,521; and Orleans with 4,972. Jefferson Parish had 4,614 early votes case and Lafayette had 2,596, according to the Secretary of States Office.

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+12 Election day 2018: What's on the New Orleans ballot for midterm elections? In the Nov. 6 election, the ballots include the congressional midterm races, as well as other state and local races, state constitutional amen

Before celebrating a newfound love of midterm voting, Couvillon cautioned that some changes impacted the statistics.

The Secretary of State last year began mailing ballots to voters over the age of 65 or disabled and cant readily get to the polls. Their votes, a very high percentage of this group participates, are now included in the first day tallies.

Still, Couvillon wrote that he felt comfortable enough saying that early voting was through the roof, he said in an email.

Millions across the nation, where midterm congressional seats are more in play, have cast their ballots early. Though its too soon to say for sure, Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida who studies elections, told The New York Times, that if the trend persists the turnout rate nationwide could be as great as the 48 percent, which is the percentage of voters participating in 1966 midterms.

Turnout has surged among Republicans, Democrats and independents. McDonald counted more than 7 million voters nationwide by Tuesday afternoon.

It will be interesting to see whether more Democrats (in Louisiana) early vote throughout the week after a weak start, Couvillon wrote. Democratic early voting tends to be the heaviest on Saturdays  which this year will be the third to last day of early voting.

Early voting continues daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Sunday, through Tuesday, Oct. 30 at selected locations. Election day is Nov. 6, with Dec. 8 designated as runoff day to decide any unresolved elections.
The owner of an ugg boot retailer that paid more than $25,000 in fines for "alleged false country of origin representations" has denied his company misled customers about its 'Classic Ugg' footwear range, which is made in China, and accused the consumer watchdog of "bullying".

Ozwear Connection paid penalties totalling $25,200 after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission claimed the company created a false impression that Ozwears Classic Ugg footwear was made in Australia.

An Ozwear ugg boot from its 'Classic Uggs' range which is manufactured in China.

Between at least January and April 2018, Ozwear claimed on its website it is "100% Aussie owned" and that its 'Classic Ugg' range were made using "the best materials available in Australia", the ACCC claimed.

Prior to May 2018, Ozwear also attached a tag that was green and gold, shaped like a map of Australia and included the words "this exclusive premium label is uniquely Australian owned brand for authentic Australian Ugg boots".
As always, Mercurio knits a fiendishly tight plot, and Hawes is clearly a fan - having signed up for this after working across two seasons of Line of Duty (all four of which are currently on Netflix and Stan). Mercurio has written her another fine role here, and she delivers another fine performance. Julia is one tough nut. Not only does she defy the chief whip (who happens to be her ex-husband) and the prime minister she's out to usurp; she's also busy establishing herself a troubling extra-parliamentary power base by empowering MI5 creeps at the expense of Scotland Yard. Bodyguard is available to watch on Netflix. Hawes makes clear that Julia doesn't need anyone to like her - nor does she need to put on any pretense of vulnerability. What makes her intriguing is the ambiguity about the extent to which she's manipulating David. David, for his part, is beaten, bloodied, misdirected and abused from one end of the series to the other - but without ever losing his own glowering potential to change everything in a heartbeat.

One nagging plot hole doesn't detract from the momentum, and it's almost uncanny how deftly the series shifts the weight of the viewer's suspicions without coming off too tricksy. Good stuff. Christine McConnell. The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell

Netflix Just in time for Halloween comes this delightfully bonkers cooking-and-crafts series in which Christine McConnell - a baker, model and actor with a steep inclination towards the macabre - makes some astonishingly intricate edibles and decorations. And she does it all while dealing with puppet co-stars who include a hungry talking raccoon that she resurrected after it was crushed to death in a garbage truck, and a snarky, mummified cat that had previously spent several thousand years in an Egyptian tomb.

Seeing is believing. Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar star in Unforgotten. Unforgotten

Stan There's an appealing ordinariness in the way that London detectives Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) go about their business. There are no outsized personalities, no lightning leaps of deduction or intuition - just dogged, unspectacular police work that begins tugging on threads that lead to all points of the compass.

This first season begins with the reopening of a 39-year-old cold case. Many lives will be thrown into turmoil, but it's not immediately clear how everyone is connected. Ritchie Blackmore, second from left, when he was part of the band Deep Purple. Rainbow: Total Rock Review

Amazon Prime Video Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow had one of the most bizarre trajectories of any rock band. After leaving Deep Purple the eccentric English guitar maestro started out with albums full of fantasy rock epics with Ronnie James Dio singing about wizards and whatnot. Then Blackmore put the band through a series of sudden convulsions and reinventions - the first involving the incongruously yuppie-looking Graham Bonnet - and began chasing American radio success.

This doco has plenty of rare footage to play as admiring musos drill deep. Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Netflix, from Friday, October 26 Most of the time, folks making a new teen-driven drama - be it supernatural or mundane - need to take a pretty big punt on a relatively untried kid. Once in a while they have the luxury of casting an out-and-out star like Kiernan Shipka. Shipka, who has grown through Mad Men and Feud: Bette and Joan via the unsettling 2014 adaptation of Flowers in the Attic, arrives in Netflix's unlikely Archie-verse at the top of her game and proceeds to smash things out of the park.

There are no big pyrotechnics, just a wonderfully engaged and sure-footed performance that combines perfect measures of nous and innocence, strength and vulnerability. Shipka is, of course, teenage witch Sabrina, who ought to be focusing on her forthcoming "dark baptism", at which she will pledge herself to Satan and become hugely powerful. Instead, she's preoccupied with her boyfriend and with changing the misogynistic culture of her high school. Her deliciously loopy and occasionally cannibalistic aunts (Miranda Otto and The Office's Lucy Davis) have their work cut out for them. Horror is judiciously delivered. Liv Tyler stars in season two of Harlots. Harlots

SBS On Demand
About 100 people were evacuated from the Royal Australian Mint on Wednesday morning after gas triggered the fire alarm.

ACT Fire and Rescue responded to the alarm about 10am, which they said was triggered by the "release of gas through a chemical reaction" at the Deakin coin factory.

About 100 people were evacuated from the Royal Australian Mint on Wednesday morning. Credit:ACT Emergency Services Agency

ACT Ambulance Service attended to one person at the scene, but they did not need to be transported to hospital.

The building has been declared safe after HAZMAT crews conducted atmospheric monitoring and air ventilation testing.
The ACT government will introduce new measures this week that it says will benefit Canberra renters.

Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said the legislation would provide better support and protection.

Changes include making it easier for tenants to have pets in rental properties, allowing tenants to make modifications, and limiting rent increases.

Mr Ramsay said the new laws would include:
There were consultations with festival promoters, health officials, law enforcement personnel, local government officers and others. It was a chance to explore how to make festivals safer.

It came as a result of two tragic deaths at the Defqon.1 Festival on September 15 in Penrith and was based on a report from a very high level panel.

After a knee-jerk reaction signaling the absurd possibility that NSW would be closing down music festivals  the Premier quickly needed to backtrack from her Footloose moment  hence the convening of a panel with a very tight timeframe for reporting.

Joseph Pham and Diana Nguyen both died of suspected overdoses at Defqon music festival in Sydney.

Even worse, it was given terms of reference that excluded any discussion on pill testing. This exclusion made a mockery of any enlightened approach that considered all options before reaching a conclusion. Since when have governments been so scared and so lacking in courage on drug issues that they feel the need to prohibit even talking about a potentially helpful health based service?

To their credit, the panel had the integrity to meet with some pill testing advocates. We spoke about the realities of what we do, the evidence behind our service and its limitations. Their response was questioning and probing, as it should be. However, it was also made clear that pill testing was outside the terms of reference given by the Premier and could not be considered in the final report. What ever happened to the principle of the public service providing advice without fear or favour to government?

There are times when you despair at the closed mindedness and inability to have an intelligent discussion within the political systems and bureaucratic structures that supposedly exist to serve the public need.
Associates described him as a frenetic, flawed and talented impresario who was instrumental in the creation of a global cultural phenomenon. Spiro Boursine. He was also known as the person in the electronic music scene everyone loved to hate. Few of Boursines friends or colleagues would speak on the record about him. Rumours flew about him trying to sabotage other festivals and attacking rival organisers under online pseudonyms, though Mr Boursine believed there was a conspiracy against him to cripple his own events. Some said Mr Boursine had received threats in the past year and that there were internet hate sites set up against him, though others claimed he was just as active in online skulduggery.

Boursines mother, Christine Boursinos, said though her son had worked 24 hours a day to organise Earthcore festivals over the years, he had never made any money out of them and was living with her at the time of his death. He wants to make everything for anyone else. He never makes any money, he never married, he give all his life to organise whatever he organised. In the end he had so many enemies, so many jealous people, and they push him to the edge. Hes got a lot of jealousy  like he was a millionaire. He was always in debt. Hes a lovely boy  hes not a violent person. He sleeps here, next to my room. I give him breakfast. He never even had a car to drive.

Mrs Boursinos said hundreds of her sons friends had visited and left her flowers. She demanded a full investigation into his death, saying an ambulance should have been called earlier. Why did they let him die on the floor in that place? He was only 45 years old. Earthcore in 2001. They let him die like a dog on the floor.

The owners of Antique Bar said they could not comment because the matter was under police investigation. Loading Mr Boursine helped create Earthcore after hosting a party for his 21st birthday in the northern Victorian bush in 1993 featuring psytrance, a new style of electronic music created by DJs in the hippie mecca of Goa, India. The party was a hit, and Earthcore expanded over the next decades into dozens of ever larger events, with attendances topping 10,000 by the early 2000s. It has weathered a slew of controversies over the years but Mr Boursine had always managed to rise from the ashes.

Before his death, not for the first time, Mr Boursines business affairs had spun out of control. Mr Boursines company Yellow Sunshine Pty Limited was wound up in December last year, just a month after he was forced to cancel Earthcore events in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia after more than a dozen international acts withdrew. He blamed that collapse on the sudden dropouts but the acts managers claim they cancelled because up-front payments had not been made. Earthcore organiser Spiro Boursine in an undated picture circulated online in late 2008. According to a liquidator's report by Ferrier Hodgson, more than 80 creditors were owed about $700,000  amid claims the business was trading while insolvent from around July last year. The business' two bank accounts were overdrawn by almost $90,000. The story was a familiar one to those whod had earlier dealings with Mr Boursine.

In 2011 The Age reported that after the wash-up of a shambolic Earthcore in 2008, Mr Boursines various companies had run up debts of more than $1 million. A photo widely circulated around the time of the debacle showed him bloodied and battered, his right eye welded shut by a monster shiner. Up to 32 international artists did not turn up, claiming non-payment. There were reportedly only 16 toilets for several thousand people. In 2001, Earthcore Productions, of which Mr Boursine was a director, had also collapsed owing creditors almost $120,000. Shortly before its failure, the Earthcore website was handed on to another company associated with Mr Boursine, Good Trix. Up to 32 acts did not turn up to the Earthcore festival in 2008. Good Trix lasted until 2007, when it went into administration owing creditors about $832,000. One creditor folded in August 2008 owing $180,000  including $105,000 claimed by Mr Boursine as director's fees and loans.

The Earthcore brand went into a five-year hiatus until the events 20th anniversary in 2013. Bad debts aside, Mr Boursine was instrumental in creating an unprecedented festival phenomenon. By all accounts, he gave tens of thousands of people the time of their lives. Many forged lifelong friendships. Not everyone got what was promised, and not everyone got paid but the show mostly went on. "Spiro created a subculture in Australia that turned in to one of the biggest alternative community followings that I think Australia's got," close friend and former Earthcore general manager Gary "Binaural" Neal said this week. "It created dance, it created fashion ... it became a lifestyle for many, many people." The fate of this year's event, slated to be held November 22 to 25, is unknown. Organisers posted this week that the show must go on, but did not respond to requests for comment.
Robert Dalliston.

Neighbours of a Mandurah man found brutally murdered in his own home believe he was targeted due to pending child sex charges against him.

Robert George Dalliston was 69 years old when he was found dead in his Ward Street home on January 15, 2009.

He was due in court the next day to face 25 charges, including indecent dealing and sexual penetration.

Neighbour Jeffrey Phillips said he had drinks with Mr Dalliston just a day before he was found dead.
I support the marchers, but not their rudeness So much for the 160,000 marchers announcing: "We will not be intimidated". Well, yes, I agree and I support their cause. But my 89-year-old mother was intimidated as she tried to walk from Flinders Street Station to Bourke Street. She was going to an appointment and no one stood aside for her to get through. She was shoved by one protester and she felt intimidated and harassed by the marchers. Move over, people, and respect your elders. Jocie Cohen, Hampton Seeking common ground for workers and bosses The language used by Kelly O'Dwyer regarding possible changes to industrial relations laws virtually makes dialogue and progress impossible. Talk of "anarchy", "mass union militancy" and "bullying" is hardly likely to improve relations between the government and the unions. Of course, some unions can be just as strident in their use of language.

Industrial Relations has always been a thorny issue. What we need is rationality and reasonableness, rather than adopting a starting point of paranoid adversarialism. It is in the interests of every citizen for a more conciliatory approach to be adopted in order to find the common ground necessary for an outcome for all sides. In fact, the same could be said of how politics in this country is conducted. Bob Northey, Melbourne THE FORUM Just ordinary workers Tens of thousands of working men and women march through the streets, asking for a fair go. Our prime minister tells us that "if you have a go, you'll get a go". But now Kelly O'Dwyer and the Coalition tell us it is dangerous to let unions have a say in Australia's future. They forget that unions are just groups of ordinary, working people who have joined together to ask for a fair go. It seems that only business are allowed this privilege.

Doug Steley, Heyfield An admirable suggestion Paul Keating gets it so right  again (The Age, 24/10). Listen to the man who gave working Australians a robust superannuation scheme. A national insurance scheme to help people pay for healthcare, accommodation and other living expenses if they outlive their superannuation savings would assist them have a quality life, and mitigate the drain on the aged-pension purse. Bravo, Mr Keating. Sandra Fordyce-Voorham, Black Rock Stop the violence first

Daniel Andrews has promised that more than 1000 hospital support workers will be trained to protect themselves from violent and aggressive patients under a re-elected Labor government (The Age, 23/10). This is akin to Donald Trump's idea to arm school teachers in the United States. Fix the problem, rather than put the onus onto the victims. Give health care workers safe workplaces. "Violence training", whatever that is, will just put an added responsibility on our already overworked healthcare workers. George Greenberg, Malvern Time for a tough approach The developers who knocked down Carlton's Corkman Irish Pub will argue in court that the $600,000 fine they received was too severe (The Age, 24/10). They should consider themselves lucky they only got a $600,000 fine. Confiscation of property for use as public green space would put an end to this sort of criminality. Margaret Callinan, Balwyn

Dangerous times in US The Trump administration wants to roll back laws safeguarding the rights of transgender people (World, 23/10) and and keep Central American refugees fleeing oppression from entering the United States. When will the US pass laws to keep heartless bigots out of the White House? Linda Stern, Alphington Appeasing the Saudis What is an alternative to making money from coal? I know, arms deals. The United States has a big one with Saudi Arabia, $100billion worth. That is a lot of money and a lot of arms. Where will they be used, I wonder? And you must not rock the boat with the Saudis if you are making all that dosh through them.

Chris Hooper, Castlemaine Such misplaced outrage Why should the murder of one journalist cause more anger and concern than the mass expulsion of Muslims from Myanmar or Yemen's war-induced famine? Rod Matthews, Fairfield Give the Saudis some time

We should be patient before receiving from the Saudi Arabian rulers the true account of how and why Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and then disappeared. Yes, patience. One Thousand and One Nights has some way to go yet. David Bornstein, Box Hill North The 'low stakes' test While I admire the analysis of organisations such as the Grattan Institute, the primary quality that NAPLAN tests is the desire of young people to do well on the test (The Age, 23/10). Why would they want to expend much mental effort on an activity from which they gain no benefit, and especially if the school explains that it will help teachers to plan? Seriously, why would anyone familiar with schooling base educational decisions on a one-off set of data produced by students on an exercise which so many of them would regard as of low interest, low impact and "low stakes"? The observation that high-achieving Victorian students are not performing so well convinces me that they really are the cream of the national crop. They are treating NAPLAN with the contempt it deserves.

Tony Kruger, Fitzroy Too cryptic even for DA? Might David Astle, wordsmith extraordinaire, solve this cryptic clue uttered at a Senate Estimates hearing by Mike Pezzullo, Secretary, Home Affairs: "People are genuinely ideating that absent resettlement in Australia". Heather D'Cruz, Geelong West I'm "awarenessed" out

Jenna Price  "It's time to shut White Ribbon down" (Comment, 23/10)  I could not have said it better. "Awareness events" are well past their use by date. During a recent one to mark breast cancer awareness, I asked someone why she was wearing a pink ribbon. She replied it was to "raise awareness". When pressed, she was unable to articulate what she now knew about the disease that she had been unaware of before. Awareness-raising has become a hollow slogan, with many events run to sell merchandise rather than offer practical, real-world outcomes. Donna Wyatt, Wyndham Vale Reality of climate change The voter backlash in Wentworth came at the same time as the discovery of a rare deep-sea cucumber (The Age, 22/10). Was the emergence of the "headless chicken monster" a coincidence or a reminder that there was much more at stake than just politics in Wentworth? It could almost be adopted as a mascot for the Liberals' performance.

The party, with its lack of leadership and appalling inability to confront the issues surrounding the biggest threat to our wellbeing  and the future of our planet  is headless. What is worse, the Liberals are acting in a gutless fashion in their approach to the environment, ignoring the issue and the rest of humanity for fear of a backlash within their own party. Patricia Parkinson, Main Ridge If necessary, fake it If the Coalition wants to win the next election, it had better pretend to believe in climate change. Most Australians do believe in it, and they are getting nervous. Peter Johns, Sorrento

A very risky proposal The "logic" of Steven Lewis' argument for legalising cannabis in Australia (Comment, 24/10) seems to go as follows: as we are already destroying our lives with alcohol, why not add marijuana, another unstable drug with potentially harmful side-effects, into the mix? Justin Shaw, Ringwood East Power of Invictus Games I have had, folded in my wallet for 15years, the poem, Invictus by William Ernest Henley. They are words of hope, about trying to stay connected to one's spirit and preservation of one's soul during times of adversity and isolation.

Nelson Mandela read the poem every morning for 25years before heading out to smash rocks in blistering heat, 15 hours-plus each day. But being forced to do this could not, would not, convince him that he was not "the master of his fate, the captain of his soul". Henley's words resonate deeply across the spectrum for those who are suffering and trying to recover. I applaud, with much love and deep respect, these Invictus Games and their founder, Prince Harry. Marg Welsh, Abbotsford Saving our youth from war If we stopped sending young men and women to fight in terrible wars, there would no need to have "games" for their disabled bodies and minds.

Pat MaLaren, Warrnambool Long deserved correction All Australians will welcome the lodging of the Defence (Honour General Sir John Monash) Amendment 2018 on Monday by independent MP Cathy McGowan. The fact that Sir John, our greatest citizen soldier, received no honours from the country of his birth, despite receiving two from France, two from the United Kingdom, two from Belgium and one from the United States, remains a stain on our history until corrected. It is appropriate that our federal Parliament initiates the posthumous promotion to the rank of field marshal on behalf of the Australian people and all who fought under Sir John's command. Michael Headberry, director, Saluting Monash Council (Victoria), North Balwyn

The burning question Scott Morrison, what will you be doing when a future prime minister offers an apology in Parliament to all the refugee children and their families whom you refused to allow to settle in Australia? It seems to me there is hypocrisy here. Carole McDonald, Ivanhoe The high cost of a surplus Whenever you hear a government bragging about having a budget surplus, just remember that it is not due to great economic management but due to it selling off the state's assets. It reminds me of a saying: They used to call it treason, now they call it privatisation".

James Hodges, Ocean Grove A special law for MPs? If it were not so serious, it would be hilarious. Did Daniel Andrews instruct his MPs involved in the "red shirt" affair to refuse to be interviewed by the police (The Age, 24/10) because he knows they will not be able to stick to "no comment" answers? With their egos and arrogance, they would be singing like canaries. Come on, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, arrest them and strip search them as your officers did to a former Labor electorate officer. Show us we are all equal under the law. James Glanvill, Taylors Lake

Trust any of them? No way. Trent Zimmerman's proposal for four-year terms presents a dilemma. If you cannot govern yourself, why would another year achieve anything? Politicians are prone to blaming the opposition, media, weather, length of office, administrative errors and so on. They never admit: "We can't govern because we are incapable". The record of our federal politicians is such that they should not be trusted with more time. Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale AND ANOTHER THING

Federal Mr Morrison, it's time to "hear and believe" the children trapped on Nauru. Alison Davies, Surrey Hills If the shoe fits, wear it, Ms Bishop. Chris Burgess, Port Melbourne

MPs should apply the "but for" test. But for their positions, it's unlikely they'd receive expensive gifts. Joanna Wriedt, Eaglemont What will you be remembered for, Barnaby? Hariklia Heristanidis, Kew Menace of mass union militancy? It doesn't wash any more, Kelly O'Dwyer.

Vaughan Greenberg, Chewton Protesters support the unions' push for higher wages. My friends support Carlton's push for a premiership. Not working. David Price, Camberwell Climate change might lead to the extinction of Coalition dinosaurs. Jean Andrews, Cheltenham

Bill, you've got it in the bag. Let them self-destruct. Don't engage in nasty argy bargy. Be statesmanlike. Layla Godfrey, Mount Eliza Please don't print comments from Joyce unless it's in Odd Spot. Bruce Cormack, Kilsyth Abbott has achieved nothing except the destruction of his own party.

Terry Kelly, Fitzroy North Victoria I was driving in a 30 km/h zone and cyclists passed me at 40 to 50 km/h. Did I see the future? Ivan Gaal, Fitzroy North I trust Victoria Police's new helicopters are the quiet models, and that it got a good trade-in price for the old, noisy ones.

Andrew McNicoll, Kew Petrol price in Eltham: 169.9/litre. In Yarra Glen: 153.9. Why is it so ? Craig Calvert, Montmorency The Red Shirts affair has dragged on for too long. Charge the MPs and let the courts sort out who did what. David Bishop, East Brighton
Australias top military brass found out about the Morrison governments controversial plans to consider a major shift in Middle East policy after journalists - prompting a memorable reaction from Defence Chief Angus Campbell on Wednesday.

General Campbell was asked in a Senate estimates hearing whether he would have preferred he and his commanders learnt about such a significant matter as the possible relocation of Australias embassy in Israel to Jerusalem before the media were briefed.

He and other Defence officials had already revealed that on learning of the planned announcement the afternoon before it was made, they had reviewed measures to protect their forces based in the Middle East where the policy change was likely to be controversial.

Asked by Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong whether he would have preferred to find out first, he said he was "very comfortable" that his operational commanders were given time to review the protection of their forces, "giving our people the best circumstances to achieve their missions and come home safely".
The developers who knocked down Carltons Corkman Irish Pub will argue in court that the $600,000 fine they received was too severe.

Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski pleaded guilty in the Sunshine Magistrates Court in September to unlawfully dumping asbestos, and other offences.

The Corkman pub in 2015. Credit:James Bowering

The criminal charges brought against them by the Environment Protection Authority saw them admit mishandling asbestos and other waste on their Carlton land and at another site they owned in Cairnlea, in Melbournes west.

In his sentencing, Magistrate Richard Pithouse admonished the men severely, telling them they were lucky to avoid jail.
Mental health workers would be sent into every Victorian state high school under a $51.2 million Labor election pledge.

The announcement, which follows Labor's promise of a royal commission into the state's mental health system, is in response to unprecedented levels of depression and anxiety among students.

It's estimated that one in seven Victorians between four and 17 has a mental health issue, with secondary school students hit the hardest.

Labor says under its plan every Victorian state high school student will be able to access mental health services at school. Credit:Lyn Osborn

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said the funding would employ more than 190 mental health professionals including counsellors, youth workers and psychologists.
Istanbul: Saudi Arabia's crown prince said on Wednesday the case of Jamal Khashoggi was "painful" and that "justice will prevail" following the killing of the Saudi journalist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Appearing on a discussion panel at an international investment conference in Riyadh, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said all culprits would be punished, and that Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together "to reach results."

"The incident that happened is very painful, for all Saudis... The incident is not justifiable," he said.

"Justice in the end will appear.
Lauren McCluskey. Photo: Steve C. Wilson, University of Utah

After 21-year-old University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey was shot and killed on campus on Monday evening, police say that her ex-boyfriend was behind her murder.

McCluskey, a track-and-field athlete, was on the phone with her mother at the time of her death. Suddenly, I heard her yell, No, no, no! I thought she might have been in a car accident, her mother, Jill McCluskey, said in a statement to press. That was the last I heard from her. McCluskeys body was found in a car on campus shortly after 8:20 p.m.

Melvin Rowland. Photo: Utah Department of Corrections

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, police believe that 37-year-old Melvin Rowland shot McCluskey after getting in a dispute with her. He then led police on a manhunt, before shooting and killing himself in the pastors study of a nearby church. His body was discovered at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

A CDC study released in 2017 found that over half of women killed in America are murdered by a current or former romantic partner, and this crime appears to fit that pattern. McCluskeys mother says she dated Rowland for about a month, during which he lied to her about his name, his age, and his criminal history. Rowland was a convicted sex offender in Utah; in he 2004 he pleaded guilty to enticing a minor of the internet (he believed he was talking to a 13-year-old girl, but was actually in contact with an investigator) and of attempted forcible sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl. He spent time in and out of prison over the next decade, and was most recently released on parole in April of this year.

When McCluskey found out about Rowlands past, she ended the relationship on October 9. Jill McCluskey added that her daughter had blocked Rowland and his friendss phone numbers and told the University of Utah police he was harassing her. A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Corrections told the Tribune that university police didnt notify them of McCluskeys complaints; because Rowland was out on parole, he couldve been sent back to prison for violating its terms. The university police chief is claiming that they couldnt find Rowland before the shooting, but the Department of Corrections knew where he was residing because he was listed on the sex offender registry.

Authorities announced several more updates in the investigation on Thursday. Per CBS News, Rowland had threatened to post compromising photos of him and McCluskey online unless she gave him money. She sent him $1,000, but he continued to contact her and look for her on campus. Police also say that Rowland went on a date with another woman he met online after he murdered McCluskey. The woman picked him up on campus, and they had dinner; they also went to her apartment, where Rowland took a shower. She then dropped him off at a coffee shop. When the woman realized Rowland was wanted, she called police.

There were also questions over how Rowland acquired a gun, since convicted felons arent allowed to have firearms. According to police, an acquaintance loaned him a gun after Rowland told him that his girlfriend wanted to learn how to shoot.

This post has been updated throughout.
BUT it seems there's still hope! Both Samuel and Tayler took to Instagram yesterday to confirm that they seem to be still in a relationship! Samuel posted a photo of the pair on Instagram, captioning it: "Cats out of the bag  Leaving the experiment on our own terms, and coming back together this day, a few weeks later was one of the best decision we ever made"

UMMM yay!!
Aggressive Man Uses Box Cutter to Attack Bank Customer

'Who is this aggressive foiled purse snatcher?'

The content is not available due to expiration.
Airbus Faces New Jet Delays at Hamburg Plant  Sources

PARISFor two years Airbus faced a shortage of engines and had to slow jet deliveries. Now engines are arriving fastbut fresh snags mean a Hamburg plant that assembles best-selling jets is having trouble absorbing them, industry sources said.

The internal snags have exacerbated delivery delays that leave Airbus with the challenge of delivering 76 single-aisle planes per month in the last quarter, according to consultants Flight Ascend, 9.6 percent more than its previous record.

Airbus is working flat out to maintain this years target of 800 total aircraft deliveries needed to meet financial goals and single-aisle assembly lines are its most important cash cow.

Theyre late; everyone is mad at them. Theyve been hiding behind the engine problems, a senior aircraft buyer said, referring to the tendency of supply chains to focus on the most visible laggards without always tackling problems in waiting.

Other industry sources say Hamburg may not be the immediate source of the problem, but that this facility has felt the worst impact in Airbuss global jigsaw of assembly plants because it is introducing a new version of A321 just as production is running faster than ever.

That illustrates a wider challenge as planemakers struggle to introduce new models and fix technical issues without pausing record output increasesa task some compare to taking the steepest hill in a cycle race at a sprint while fixing a tire.

Deliveries of the A321, a large single-aisle jet mainly made in Germany, spiked higher in May as delayed engines started coming in but slowed down again in September, Airbus data shows.

Now, Airbus is introducing a new A321neo ACF version, which offers more flexible cabins but requires complex configuration.

One of the sources said the Hamburg assembly plant was facing some problems with cabling the jets, stirring memories of cabling problems which plagued the A380 superjumbo a decade ago.

An Airbus spokesman confirmed the customized new A321neo version had led to some rescheduling of aircraft deliveries, in combination with pressure from output increases and the queue of jets still waiting to be delivered from the engine crisis.

Quality problems in Hamburg have also contributed to delays, Reuters reported last month.

Oil Price Squeeze

Despite disruption, Airbus has said it is confident it will meet single-aisle production goals of 60 a month spread across all its factories in mid-2019, up from around 55 now.

Sources say Airbus is also preparing to make capacity of 65 single-aisle jets a month available by the end of next year, though there has been no decision on whether to implement this.

Ultimately, Airbus aims to raise output as high as 70-73 to serve record travel demand and the company says planes offering premium seats like the A321neo ACF will help to drive this.

Still, delays at Hamburg are a headache for new sales chief Christian Scherer as airlines wait for deliveries.

For many airlines, the financial pain is acute since oil prices have bounced back to $80 dollars: exactly the market the A321neo and similar fuel-saving models were designed for.

Airlines can deal with planes that are off-spec but not ones that are late. They have built a network plan which takes account of new aircraft in the fleet, Ascend chief consultant Rob Morris said. Boeing has also had some delays.

Hamburgs woes highlight the operational issues at stake as plane making chief Guillaume Faury prepares to become chief executive in April. His two main industrial lieutenants, Tom Williams and Didier Evrard, retire at end-year.

Insiders say Faury, who has made production the priority of priorities for this quarter, will not be replaced as president of commercial jets but may appoint an operations leader.

By Tim Hepher
Marines participate in a combat conditioning exercise during Marine Combat Training on at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on Feb. 20, 2013. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Americas Obesity Crisis Poses Threat to National Security, Report Says

The U.S. military is grappling with a growing threat from an unlikely source: Americas obesity crisis, a new report has found.

Nearly one-third of young Americans are too overweight to join the military, according to the Council for a Strong America, and it is causing difficulties for the military as it tries to recruit the next generation of soldiers.

Obesity has long threatened our nations health. As the epidemic grows, obesity is posing a threat to our nations security as well, said the report (pdf) released by a group of retired admirals and generals, which aims to prepare young people for public service.

Defense Recruitment Woes

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, 71 percent of young people between the ages 17 and 24 do not meet enlistment requirements for the military, and one of the leading reasons for disqualification is obesity.

This, combined with declining interest among youth in joining the armed services, is creating recruitment challenges for the military.

With interest in military service on the decline, it is critical to our national security that those willing to serve are prepared to meet the standards for eligibility, the report said.

The U.S. Army announced in September that for the first time since 2005, it would not meet its recruitment goal of 76,500 for the yearfalling short by about 6,500 recruits.

Army officials at the time cited low unemployment and a strong economy for the shortfall, but also blamed obesity for playing a role.

Defense Secretary James Mattis, a retired Marine general, said in a speech to Virginia Military Institute cadets in September the shrinking recruitment pool is a big concern.

[Its] a sad state of affairs when 71 percent of the 18- to 24-year-old males in this country cannot qualify to enter the United States Army as a private, he said.

[W]hen are you drawing from only 29 percent at the beginning, only 29 percent is your total recruiting populationit creates a real problem for us.

Retired Army Lieutenant General Thomas Spoehr, who now directs the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation, said recruitment shortfalls affect military planning and preparedness.

Some aspects of the military are going [to go] short and if this trend continues, its going to be worse, Spoehr said.

Heavy Burden Placed on Military

The obesity problem is also burdening the military after the recruitment stage.

According to the report, the Department of Defense spends $1.5 billion each year on health care for obesity-related issues for both current and former service members, and their families.

Spoehr said he had to dismiss dozens of soldiers who could not achieve army weight standards during his time in service.

In 2015, 7.8 percent of active duty service members were overweight based on body mass indexrepresenting a 73 percent increase since 2011.

The report recognized the military has identified problems posed by obesity, and has taken steps to improve soldiers health.

For example, healthier meals are being rolled out in dining halls. The Air Force and Navy run fitness programs, while the Army has implemented the Performance Triad program, which provides guidelines for sleep, activity, and nutrition, and aims to encourage healthy behaviors.

Tackling Obesity at a Young Age

The report states the obesity problem ultimately must be tackled early in lifelong before a person reaches the age of enlistment.

Parents and educators can teach healthy eating and exercise habits, while state and federal policymakers must continue to prioritize programs that promote nutrition and encourage physical activity from an early age, the report stated.

Mattis suggested the problem be solved at the local level, and highlighted efforts of former soldiers in local schools.

There are retired [service members], who are working across the country, in the schools, to try to restore physical education where its been taken out, to try to get school lunches to be things that fuel the body, instead of just giving them crummy food.

The United States is one of the most obese nations in the developed world, with almost 40 percent of adults, and nearly 19 percent of children and adolescents considered obese.
Businesses Will Pay the Price of No-Deal Brexit, Says Report

LONDONBritish businesses will suffer in the event of a no-deal Brexit because new border controls wont be ready in time, said a UK government watchdog.

A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that border weaknesses could be exploited by criminal gangs.

With just six months to go before the UK officially leaves the EU, the government has been scrambling to prepare for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

The EU and UK are currently in divorce proceedings, working on a deal that will determine just how closely the UK follows EU trade and customs arrangements in the futureroughly speaking, whether it is a soft or hard Brexit.

The possibility of no deal being struck has spooked markets in recent months.

In that scenario, the shared regulatory ties and customs arrangements will be severed overnight on March 29, 2019 as the relationship automatically moves to rules set out by the World Trade Organisation.

Government has openly accepted the border will be sub-optimal if there is no deal with the EU on March 29, 2019, said NAO head Amyas Morse.

It is not clear what sub-optimal means in practice, or how long this will last. But what is clear is that businesses and individuals who are reliant on the border running smoothly will pay the price.

The report acknowledged the government plans had made some progress, but warned that even with a deal significant challenges lie ahead to ensure the UK border is fully functioning.

The UK currently operates under EU customs and regulations, allowing frictionless trade and borders.

In the event of no-deal, potentially 250,000 traders who have not previously done so would need to make customs declarations, said the NAO.

The NAO also highlighted a security risk.

Organised criminals and others are likely to be quick to exploit any perceived weaknesses or gaps in the enforcement regime, said the report.

The biggest challenge relates to the movement of goods, said the report.

Watch Next:

Brexit Negotiations Explained

The referendum vote left the nation divided.
Centrist Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to Shift Left If Elected, Staffers Say

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), if re-elected next month, will lean further left than she lets on, her staffers were recorded as saying by undercover reporters from Project Veritas Action.

Its election year for her. Shes being careful about [expletive] people off and, its funny, she said basically, like, after the election, if and when she gets re-elected, shes going to be super liberal, Jesse Overton, digital director for Heitkamp, said with a chuckle.

Heitkamps campaign website touts her cooperation with Republicans and her talking points are in many regards hardly distinguishable from those of President Donald Trump.

When North Dakota farmers were hurt by burdensome regulations from Washington, Heidi had their backs and stood up to both the [Environmental Protection Agency] and her own party, the site describes her position on agriculture, the states no. 1 industry.

Yet her staffers revealed her claimed alignment with Trump is a matter of political convenience, rather than conviction.

If theres a blue wave in November, I am sure that her voting record will shift a lot and will shift away from the Presidents campaign, her staff assistant, Prescott Robinson says in the video.

Until They Come Screaming

Robinson suggested Heitkamp may tweak her positions based on her mandate and test how much she can cross her voters before they protest.

Maybe she wins by 20 points and she goes, okay, I can be a little more progressive, he said. And it also depends, if she starts supporting something and the calls come screaming in, maybe she goes back.

Overton said Heitkamp talked about being super liberal jokingly, but that she indeed plans to shift further left, even at the cost of getting voted out after her term.

She doesnt want to run again, he said, and later explained further, shes like, the stuff that Im being a little safe on now, shed probably be a little more bolder about it.

Heitkamp runs against Republican Kevin Cramer, the current sole House Representative of the state.

Cramer had a 16-point lead in the Oct. 12-19 Strategic Research Associates poll of likely voters.

What Wall?

Robinson, who works at Heitkamps Washington office, said shes very centrist herself, but all her staff he talked to were actually fairly left-wing.

If the country moved further to the left, she would move to the left, he said. Like, I think that if we had a Democratic Senate, she would vote for more policies that you see more Democrats support.

All that, however, may not fly well in North Dakota, which Trump won with a 36-point margin. And Heitkamps campaign seems well aware of that.

When one of the undercover reporters asked about the border walla signature policy proposal of Trumps, regional field director Lauren Dronen told him, I would just say she supports effective border security that includes barriers in some places, but whatever folks on the ground think is effective.

While voters may be left wondering how the Senator intends to vote on the issue, campaign staffer Hallie Skripak-Gordon was clear.

Is Heidi yes on the wall or what? the reporter asked.

What wall? she replied.

The border wall. Trumps border wall, he clarified.

Oh. No, she replied.

The reporter also asked Heitkamps field organizer Sam Ahmann.

So shes going to vote against the wall? he said.

I would assume so, she replied.

Obama Poster

One day, the reporter, who appeared embedded into Heitkamps campaign, noticed a picture of former President Barack Obama disappeared from the wall in the campaign office.

He asked why.

Its because the press was here, Skripak-Gordon told him and further explained, We take it down when the press comes.

She didnt clearly explain why that was, but later said Obama was too liberal for the voters Heitkamp tries to attract.

Heitkamps and Cramers campaigns didnt respond to requests for comment.
The sun rises over the United States Supreme Court on the morning of July 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Alex Edelman/Getty Images)

Childrens Climate-Change Suit Temporarily Halted by Chief Justice Roberts

Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked the scheduled Oct. 29 start of the trial of an unusual lawsuit in Oregon, in which a group of young people is seeking a declaration that the Constitution requires the federal government to take action against climate change.

A limited-government group praised the decision.

The Supreme Court is acknowledging what we have really known all along: this is a policy issue that belongs in the Halls of Congress, not the courts, Frank Maisano of the Policy Resolution Group told The Daily Caller.

The legal proceeding, according to critics, is a political stunt aimed at raising public awareness of environmentalist groups controversial claim that the consumption of oil and other fossil fuels boosts the emission of greenhouse gases which in turn leads to changes in the earths climate that could prove catastrophic in the long term.

If the lawsuit succeeds at trial, the government could be required to develop a far-reaching policy to crack down on the emission of greenhouse gases throughout multiple sectors of the economy, a move that could inflict long-lasting damage on the economy without necessarily having much, if any, impact on climate change.

The government already has significant regulatory power to curtail pollution, including the emission of greenhouse gases, but the Trump administration doesnt wish to gain additional regulatory power in this arena. In fact, President Donald Trump has been on a crusade to cut bureaucratic red tape at the government, in order to promote economic expansion and job growth.

The Trump administration, and before it, the Obama administration, have tried to have the lawsuit dismissed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected a request in March by the Trump administration to throw out the case, saying such a move would be premature. The full Supreme Court itself was asked to review the case earlier this year, but declined to do so.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon on Aug. 12, 2015, by 21 young plaintiffs who then ranged in age from 10 to 21, is known as Juliana v. United States. In it, the plaintiffs claim the United States has known for more than 50 years that carbon dioxide pollution from burning fossil fuels was causing global warming and dangerous climate change, and that continuing to burn fossil fuels would destabilize the climate system on which present and future generations of our nation depend for their well-being and survival.

Despite knowing that the use of fossil fuels would significantly endanger the plaintiffs, the government continued allowing those fuels to be used and sources of the fuels to be developed, the legal complaint states.

Specifically, the lawsuit singles out the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon, which it claims will significantly increase the harm caused by fossil fuels and enhances the cumulative danger caused by the governments actions protecting and promoting the use of fossil fuels.

The plaintiffs want the court to declare that the government has violated and continues to violate the plaintiffs fundamental constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property by causing dangerous [carbon dioxide] concentrations in the atmosphere and dangerous government interference with a stable climate system. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction preventing the government from further violations of the Constitution underlying each claim for relief.

In a legal memorandum dated Oct. 19, Roberts ordered the beginning of the trial delayed, and temporarily halted the pre-trial fact-finding process, Bloomberg News reports. The chief justice gave plaintiffs until Oct. 24 to respond to the Trump administrations emergency request, dated Oct. 18, to prevent the trial from moving forward.

We are confident once Chief Justice Roberts and the full court receive the youth plaintiffs response to defendants mischaracterization of their case, the trial will proceed, said plaintiffs attorney Julia Olson.
The newly developed DF-26 medium-range ballistic missile as seen after the military parade held in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. (IceUnshattered/Wikimedia Commons)

China Chastises US for Planning to Scrap Nuclear Arms Treaty

Beijing isn't a party to Cold War-era agreement that limits intermediate-range missiles

Many Chinese media reports are amping up their criticism of Washington, now that the Trump administration says it intends to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty that was signed during the Cold War.

The U.S. government, which is currently holding discussions with the Kremlin about terminating the INF treaty, says that aside from the fact that Russia has been a violator, the agreement did nothing to check the growing nuclear capabilities of the Chinese communist regime. China, which wasnt party to the INF, deploys large numbers of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM).

On Oct. 20, President Donald Trump told reporters that Russia has been violating [the INF treaty] for many years.

Unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say, Lets really get smart and lets none of us develop those weapons. But if Russias doing it and if Chinas doing it and were adhering to the agreement, thats unacceptable, the president said

On Oct. 22, President Trump criticized the INF treaty for not including China.

Chinese state-run media, such as Xinhua and Global Times, as well as media aligned with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as Hong Kongs Phoenix News, reacted strongly to Trumps statements. Many articles repeated the mantra that scrapping the treaty would be opening a door to hell.

On Oct. 22, Chinese foreign affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference that it is completely wrong to bring up China when talking about withdrawal from the treaty. On Oct. 23, she accused the United States of unreasonably and unacceptably using China as an excuse to end the treaty, and of putting the onus on Beijing.

The INF, signed by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, was intended to reduce tensions in Europe, which, at the time, was divided into communist and non-communist camps. The pact eliminated thousands of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) from the arsenals of both superpowers.

Both countries agreed to stop the production, testing, and deployment of any new cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges between 500 kilometers (310 miles) and 5,500 kilometers (3,418 miles).

The United States has complained about Russias past violations of the INF treaty, including in 2014, when the Russian military deployed its nuclear-armed 9M729/SSC-8 cruise missiles, which have a range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles).

Meanwhile, unbound by the treaty, China has built up its nuclear arsenal. While China claims to possess only a few hundred warheads, international observers estimate that the true size could be in the thousands, putting it on par with the United States and Russia.



There has been growing pressure on China to join the agreement, especially following revelations in recent years of a subterranean nuclear great wall, consisting of tunnels able to hide as many as 3,600 nuclear missiles.

Chinas Rocket Forces field a number of IRBMs and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM)s. This year, the Rocket Forces deployed the Dong Feng-26 IRBM, which has a range of 3,000 to 4,000 km (1,8642,485 miles) and equips nuclear warheads. The DF-26 can reach critical U.S. military installations on Guam, which is part of the U.S. militarys so-called second island chain in the Pacific. That has earned the missile the moniker of Guam Killer or Guam Express.
US President Ronald Reagan (L) with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during welcoming ceremonies at the White House on the first day of their disarmament summit. After a three-day summit in Washington, both superpowers leaders put their names to the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in a first attempt to reverse the nuclear arms race. Ronald Reagan, an icon to Republicans and a hero to those Americans who remember him as the man who brought down the "Evil Empire". (JEROME DELAY/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Growing Missile Ambitions Helped Kill the INF Treaty

President Donald Trump is correct to end Americas adherence to the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty signed with the former Soviet Union, as this treaty now prevents both the United States and Russia from defending themselves from Chinas growing theater-range nuclear missile threat.

Though long viewed as a classic achievement for modern nuclear arms control, the INF treaty was much more a demonstration that peace comes through strength. It was the Soviet Union that began the race in nuclear-armed intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) with the 1976 deployment of its multiple warhead SS-20 IRBM.

Washington responded with its precision radar-guided Pershing II IRBMs and its subsonic speed but highly accurate ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs). Along the way, President Ronald Reagan had to steel the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to resist massive Soviet-inspired protests against the U.S. missiles.

It was Reagans strength, and his principled insistence on asymmetric cuts to eliminate these destabilizing weapons, along with his relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, that made possible the 1987 INF treaty. It banned missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers and saw the destruction of 1,846 Soviet and 846 U.S. missiles. The United States, at least, did not redeploy IRBMsin Europe or in Asia.

By the early 2000s, confidence in the INF treaty was being undermined by a fast-arming power: China.

By this time, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) was engaged in a major buildup of short-range (SRBM, 300 to 600 kilometers) and medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM, 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers). By about 2010, Chinas SRBMs had plateaued at about 1,200 Dongfeng-11s (DF-11s) and DF-15s, aimed at Taiwan.

But aided by U.S. Pershing II technology obtained via espionage, the PLA also was deploying highly accurate radar-guided warheads and new anti-ship warheads on its 1,500km range DF-21 MRBMs. About that time, the PLA also was positioning its very accurate 1,500km range DH-10 GLCM.

More PLA missiles followed, such as its 800-to-1,000-kilometer-range DF-16, which flies at greater speeds to defeat Taiwans missile defense interceptors. Then, in 2014, the PLA introduced its 4,000-kilometer-range DF-26 IRBM, announcing that it was armed with nuclear and anti-ship warheads.

In the past year, it was disclosed that the PLA deployed a new 800km range DF-17, reportedly armed with the worlds first hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) warhead, which is very maneuverable, making it difficult to defeat with current missile defenses. Furthermore, the PLA navy intends to deploy long-range HGV-armed ballistic missiles on its ships, Chinese sources say.

But thats not all. China has played some role in helping North Korea to obtain both theater-range and nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). North Koreas liquid-fueled Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 ICBMs ride on transporter-erector-launchers (TELs) made in China, while future North Korean solid fuel ICBMs and MRBMs also will ride on Chinese-made TELs. That serves to raise the legitimate concern that China is also aiding Pyongyangs missile developments, to pose an indirect threat to the United States and its Asian allies.

Some number of the PLAs SRBMs, MRBMs, and IRBMs are armed with nuclear warheads. The Department of Defense annual report on Chinas military power doesnt mention nuclear-armed SRBMs but does note that MRBMs and IRBMs can be nuclear-tipped. However, this report doesnt provide numbers for theater-range nuclear warheads, which today pose a direct threat to Taiwan, India, Japan, South Korea, and to U.S. forces in Japan, South Korea, and Guam. They also undermine the confidence of U.S. allies in the U.S. extended nuclear deterrent.

Over the last decade, there has been interested from the Russians, U.S. arms controllers, and some conservatives in convincing China to join the INF treaty, in hopes of heading off expanded missile competition. Beijings longstanding response to most entreaties that it join arms-control agreements is that its small arsenal gives it immunity from such agreements, along with saying that Russia and the United States should first reduce their arsenals. Beijing also refuses to offer any public data on its nuclear weapons numbers or deployments and has regularly rebuffed the U.S. attempts to begin preliminary discussions about nuclear-arms control.

While concern about Chinas growing missile force helped to undermine Russian support for the INF treaty, Moscow has been quicker to blame the deployment of U.S. missile defenses in Europe as violations of the INF, thus justifying its new missiles such as the 1,000-kilometer-plus-range SSC-8/R-500 GLCM.

But Russia has also decided to increase its economic dependence on China, with the added payoff of increased military and strategic cooperation. So far, they have held two command-post missile defense exercises, raising concerns about possible missile offense cooperation.

While the United States would have been justified in withdrawing from the INF treaty late in the Obama administration, it took President Trump to remove this impediment to U.S. security interests. The U.S. Army has disclosed plans to develop new, more effective SRBMs and has indicated it would like to develop new MRBMs, as well, which wouldnt be possible under the INF treaty.

President Obamas 2010 decision to destroy the last U.S. theater nuclear missiles, submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles in storage, likely encouraged Russia and China to expand their theater missile arsenals, which is why Trumps decision to withdraw from the INF treaty has long been necessary. The U.S. Army now wants to develop new, more effective SRBMs and has indicated it would like to develop new MRBMs as well, which would not be possible under the INF Treaty.

Such missiles have long been required to deter North Korean nuclear-missile aggression and also to deter China from taking advantage by attacking Taiwan.

By deploying new ground, sea, and air-launched missiles with tactical nuclear warheads, the United States can restore a new balance of power in Asia. The history of the INF treaty indicates that only then will China and Russia become interested in arms control.

Rick Fisher is a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center and author of Chinas Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Fishermen paddle off Kennedy Island in the remote Western Province of the Solomon Islands, on July 28, 2003. (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Timber Demand Is Destroying Forests in South Pacific Countries

Forests in countries in the South Pacific are being decimated by Chinas hunger for timber.

The Solomon Islands, the second-biggest supplier of timber to China behind Papua New Guinea, exported more than 3 million cubic meters of timber to China in 2017, according to a recent report by environment group Global Witness.

In 2016, the Solomons exported a total of about 2.3 million cubic meters (about 812,236 tons) of timber, 82 percent of which went to China. Global Witness estimated that if logging activities were to continue at the current pace, the Pacific island nations natural forests will be exhausted by 2023.

Even if the current logging pace were reduced by half, these forests will be depleted by 2046. The report, citing several estimates, including one provided by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), determined that a sustainable rate of timber harvest should be about 250,000 cubic meters (about 88,286 tons) a year.

Solomon Islands

The Solomon archipelago, comprising more than 992 islands, has a total forest area of 2.2 million hectares (about 5.4 million acres), according to data from FAO.

The Chinese companies that import most of the wood are so significant that if all of them together stop buying, there is still a chance to revert back, said Yin Beibei, the head researcher who compiled the report, in a recent interview with Reuters.

Several Chinese companies were named in the report for being the main importers of Solomons timber. The Chinese company that imported the most in 2017 was China National Chemical Fiber Corp. (Sinofiber), a company solely funded by the state-owned enterprise China Hi-Tech Group Corp. The company imported roughly 480,000 tons of timber.

Ranked second behind Sinofiber was Jiangsu Wang Lin Modern Logistics, a Shanghai stock exchange-listed company, which imported about 260,000 tons of timber in 2017.

In other words, Sinofiber alone imported more than four times the sustainable rate at which the Solomon Islands should provide timber.

Global Witnesss investigation concluded that theres a significant amount of illegal logging happening in the Solomons. Some logging companies cut down trees outside of their allocated areas, while others take protected or vulnerable tree species that are protected under UN conventions.

Two unnamed Chinese companies imported more than 400 tons of kwila logsalso known as merbau, a vulnerable species on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red Listfrom the Solomons in 2017, according to the report.

The report also explained that locals have benefited little economically from logging activities. According to an unpublished 2015 report for the World Bank that was cited in an academic paper published by Australian National University, all the 100 or so logging companies in Solomon Islands report loss-making operations, and thus avoid paying any corporate taxes to the islands government.

Locals have also been harmed by the environmental damage caused by logging activities, according to the report. Some loggers violate the Solomon Islands Code of Logging Practice, which includes regulations meant for environmental protection, such as forbidding the harvesting of woods near a stream or gully.

The stream which provides us with a water supply is polluted with oil from dirty logging machinery and our pipe has been broken by falling trees, Vezinia Danny, a resident of Kuzi, a village in the Solomon Islands, told Reuters in an October 2013 report.

So now, we have to paddle our canoes for miles to get clean water.

Two-thirds of all tropical timbers in the world go to China. As a result, the report recommends that China put mandatory measures in place requiring all timber importers to carry out due diligence to ensure they do not import timber produced in violation of source country laws.

China is one of the worlds major producers of wood productsespecially furnitureand, thus, has a great demand for timber imports. China accounts for 40 percent of the worlds furniture production, according to The Center for Industrial Studies Milano.

Papua New Guinea

Global Witness published a separate report on July 30 about the logging situation in Papua New Guinea; roughly 70 percent of the countrys landmass is covered by forest, and it sends almost all its log exports to China. In 2017, Papua New Guinea shipped more than 2.8 million cubic meters (about 988,810 tons) of timber to China, the report said.

Chinas high demand has fueled the presence of Illegal logging on the island country.

According to the report, An assessment of legality risks in most of the worlds timber-producing countries found Papua New Guinea s timber to be among the riskiest, with potential illegalities including corruption and bribery in the issuance of permits, failure to follow the Logging Code of Practice, and logging without the consent of indigenous landowners.

An example of corruption occurred with a local logging company, Vanimo Jaya. It paid $75,000 in bribes to Papua New Guineas forestry authority for extensions of its logging permit. Its unclear whether this case involved Chinese entities, but what is certain is that Chinas lack of regulations has given rise to illegal logging.

In the past five years, Papua New Guinea lost 640,000 hectares (about 1.58 million acres) of forest, according to Global Witness.

A 2014 report from London-based think tank Chatham House indicates that 70 percent of logging in Papua New Guinea was illegal.

Sam Lawson, author of the Chatham House report, stated that logging firms often collude with corrupt local officials.

Powerful business people and corrupt politicians have been able to sell the communities short through fraud, bribery, and intimidation, Lawson told conservation news website Mongabay in a 2014 report.

To stop illegal logging in Papua New Guinea, Global Witness urged China to enact mandatory requirements for Chinese timber imports to be sourced legally.

Gary Juffa, governor of Papua New Guineas Oro Province, writing in Tokyo-based news magazine The Diplomat on Oct. 18, said that he believes corruption and tax evasion in the forest sector cost the nation over $100 million every year.

While China protects its own environment, its behavior abroad is driving environmental devastation in countries like Papua New Guinea, Jeffa wrote. He explained that because China has no environmental protection measures in place for its timber outsourcing, illegally produced timber from PNG continues to feed Chinas manufacturing sector.

I call on China to keep illegal timber out of its marketsand help Papua New Guinea forests remain standing, Juffa wrote.
CNN Headquarters Evacuated, Live Broadcast Interrupted, Over Suspicious Package

The CNN headquarters at Time Warner Center in New York City was evacuated on Oct. 24, after a suspicious package was received.

The NYPD is responding to a suspicious device discovered at the Time Warner Center, where CNN is based, in New York, according to a law enforcement source. The CNN bureau has evacuated as a precaution, CNN said on Wednesday morning.

Video footage showed a live broadcast from the center interrupted by the evacuation order, forcing CNN workers to exit the building and stand on the street as police officers analyzed the package.

CNN was discussing the packages as the evacuation cut short the broadcast and forced the news channel to switch to its Washington studio.

The package came after multiple packages were intercepted late Tuesday into Wednesday, including one sent to the home of Hillary and Bill Clinton in New York, one addressed to former president Barack Obamas home in Washington.

The Secret Service said that the packages were intercepted during routine mail screening and posed no danger to the intended recipients.

CNN New York was just evacuated. Police everywhere pic.twitter.com/yZLB6Cep0i  Eric Levenson (@ejleven) October 24, 2018

CNN building in Manhattan being completely evacuated. Possible suspicious device discussions.. pic.twitter.com/ii2dBSfeUj  Yarah (@yarahshabana) October 24, 2018

Police have cleared the street in front of CNN. A dozen police vehicles right now. Pushing us now to clear the block pic.twitter.com/uTzDNIZYZf  Kate Bolduan (@KateBolduan) October 24, 2018

.@jimsciutto and @PoppyHarlowCNN were anchoring when CNN was evacuated people had to leave very quickly so DC bureau took over  theyre now up on their phones but being pushed down the street by authorities pic.twitter.com/o2eVAEl9EQ  Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) October 24, 2018

The packages came weeks after multiple packages that tested positive for the poison ricin and contained ground castor beanswhich are used to make the poisonwere intercepted by officials. They were addressed to Pentagon officials and President Donald Trump, respectively. A Utah man was arrested after an investigation.

Other packages that allegedly contained ricin have recently been sent recently to Republican, including the home of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and an office of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

The package sent to Collinss home forced an evacuation and triggered a large response.

It came just before a New York man was arrested and charged with leaving voicemails at the offices of two officials, later identified as Collins and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). The man threatened to kill them if they voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

From NTD.tv
During routine visits for patients who are at risk is the best time to ask about guns in the home for (AlexRaths/iStock)

Dementia And Guns: When Should Doctors Broach The Topic?

Some patients refuse to answer. Many doctors dont 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 over 100 cases across the United States 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 Neurologys advice on treating dementia patients. Its guidelines suggest doctors consider asking about access to firearms or other weapons during a safety screen, but they dont 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 dementias progression a person becomes unfit to handle a gun.

Most doctors dont 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 Wintemutes 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:

Is it legal to talk to patients about guns?

Yes. No state or federal law bars health professionals from raising the issue.

Why dont doctors do it?

The top three reasons are lack of time, being unsure what to tell patients and believing patients wont heed their advice about gun ownership or gun safety, one survey of family physicians found.

Theres 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 dont 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.

When should they broach the subject?

The Veterans Health Administration recommends asking about firearms as part of a safety screening when investigating or establishing the suspected diagnosis of dementia. The Alzheimers 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.

What should health care providers recommend patients do with their guns?

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 Alzheimers 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 dont: 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.

What happens when clinicians ask about guns?

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, Its none of your business, I have the freedom to not answer that question or Its my Second Amendment right, she said. They make it sound like Im judging, and Im really not.

Dr. John Morris, director of the Knight Alzheimers 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 fathers hunting rifles. Uncomfortable with the role reversal, she was reluctant to do so.

Its very difficult to tell your father he can no longer have his firearms, Morris said. The father responded: I have never misused my firearms.  Its not going to be a problem, Morris recalled. But, hes remembering his past historyhe cant 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. Theyre forced to make decisions, often against the persons will, he said, but they have to do it for the persons safety and well-being.

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.
A staff member at the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix working with Pirelli tires, in Shanghai on April 6, 2017. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

EU Imposes Anti-Dumping Duties on Chinese Bus, Truck Tire Imports

The European Union has imposed anti-dumping duties on imported truck and bus tires from China after determining that the Beijing regime provided subsidies to domestic tire makers.

The duties are effective Oct. 23 and will remain in place for five years, according to the European Rubber Journal, a trade publication.

Several Chinese manufacturers, or foreign companies that manufacture in China, were targeted: Xingyuan Group and all other Chinese companies will be slapped with 55.07 percent duties; Hankook Tire, a South Korean firm, with 23.41 percent duties; Giti Group, a Singapore-based company with 29.56 percent; and Aeolus Group and Pirelli, who both share a parent company, China National Tire and Rubber Co. (CNRC), with 37.29 percent. CNRC is a subsidiary of Chinas state-run company, ChemChina. A category of tire companies considered cooperating companies will face 32.3 percent duties.

According to the EUs announcement, dated Oct. 18, CNRC held 46 percent of shares at the Italian firm Pirelli as of last month. ChemChina first bought a 26.2 percent stake in Pirelli in March 2015, in a 7.1 billion-euro deal, according to Reuters.

Hankook and Giti have several subsidiary companies in China, based in major Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Chongqing, a metropolis in southwestern China.

The European Commission, the EUs governing body, began its anti-dumping investigation in August 2017, when it received a complaint from a coalition of European tire manufacturers.

The Commission found that the Chinese government provided direct funding, import tariff rebates, preferential loans, and exemptions from value-added taxes, amounting to unfair competitive advantages.

The volume of Chinese truck and bus tire imports subsequently rose dramatically in recent years. While in 2010, the total light truck and truck tire imports from China was 1.4 million, that tripled to about 4.42 million units in 2016, according to official statistics from the European Commission.

From 2014 to 2017, Chinas import volumes increased by 32 percent, and Chinese market share to 21.3 percent from 17.1 percent.
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2015, file photo, stacks and burn-off from the Exxon Mobil refinery are seen at dusk in St. Bernard Parish, La. Corporate America has a profit problem. U.S company earnings are falling for the first time since 2009, when the economy was still reeling from the Great Recession. The main culprit is the plunging price of oil, which has decimated earnings at big energy companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Exxon, Rosneft to Build LNG Plant With Japanese, Indian Partners  Sources

MOSCOWRussias Rosneft and U.S. ExxonMobil plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in a consortium with Indian and Japanese partners, spreading the estimated $15 billion cost, two sources familiar with the talks said.

The four companiesRosneft, Exxon, Japans SODECO, and Indias ONGC Videshare partners in the Sakhalin-1 group of fields that will supply the gas, but Exxon and Rosneft had initially planned to build the LNG plant without the other consortium members.

As well as spreading the costs among more stakeholders, the broader involvement of the participants may mitigate sanctions risk.

Initially, Rosneft, and Exxon unveiled their joint plans to build an LNG production site in Russias Far East to President Vladimir Putin in 2013.

But production of the super-cooled, seaborne gas has so far failed to materialize for many reasons, including international sanctions against Moscow for its role in the Ukraine conflict.

LNG production itself is not subject to sanctions, but Russian companies have limited access to financial markets due to the restrictions. Exxon had to leave most of its other new joint projects with Rosneft due to the Wests punitive measures against Moscow.

Two sourcesone person close to Exxon, and a high-ranking Rosneft executive not authorized to speak publiclysaid both firms are committed to carrying out the LNG plant project within the framework of the Sakhalin-1 agreement.

Sakhalin-1, a hydrocarbon project, is led by Exxon with a 30 percent stake. Twenty percent belongs to Rosneft, with the rest split between SODECO (30 percent) and ONGC Videsh (20 percent).

No one is interested in financing such a project alone, the source close to Exxon said. Asked how the LNG plant deal would be structured, the senior Rosneft executive said: It will be Sakhalin-1.

The sources did not say how the financing of the LNG plant would be shared between the participants.

The source close to Exxon said a decision whether to go ahead with the LNG project was expected in 2019, otherwise, the project risked losing its market amid growing competition.

Currently, two LNG plants, Novateks Yamal LNG, and Gazproms Sakhalin-2, are producing the frozen gas in Russia, which has set an ambitious target of more than doubling its global LNG market share to 20 percent in the next decade.

Sakhalin-1 is pumping close to 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day, a record high, as well as natural gas that it has been unable to sell abroad. Gazprom has the exclusive rights to export pipeline gas from Russia.

Sakhalin-1 has to pump most of the gas back into the ground, while a small amount goes to local customers in the sparsely populated region. Decade-long talks with Gazprom and the consortium over gas sales have not yet yielded any results.

Rosneft, ONGC, and SODECO declined to comment. The Russian Energy Ministry and the government also declined to make any immediate comment.

The Sakhalin-1 consortium continues to explore every opportunity to monetize Sakhalin-1 gas resources, an ExxonMobil spokeswoman in Moscow said in emailed comments sent in response to Reuters questions.

Site Location

Igor Sechin, Rosneft chief executive, said in June that the LNG plant would be built just across the Tatarsky strait in the port of De Kastri in Russias Khabarovsk region, where Rosneft already has an export terminal for Sakhalin-1 oil.

Sechin said then that the plants annual capacity was seen at 6 million tonnes of LNG, with supplies aimed at starting in 2025. Gazproms Sakhalin-2 has an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes.

The source close to Exxon confirmed the technical plans for the plant and said the project partners are considering the option of laying a gas pipe along the existing oil pipeline from Sakhalin-1 to the LNG plant in De Kastri.

By Olesya Astakhova & Denis Pinchuk
Fire Destroys Historic Massachusetts Church

A nearly 150-year-old church in Wakefield, Massachusetts, caught fire and burned to the ground on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 23.

The First Baptist Church of Wakefield had dominated the skyline of this town of 25,000 with its 180-foot-tall steeple since 1873. There has been a building housing the church congregation on the site continuously since the year 1800. Wakefield is about 12 miles north of Boston.

The church was reported to be in flames around 7:30 p.m., shortly after a lightning storm passed over the town, according to WFXT-25.

According to Wakefield Fire Chief Michael Sullivan, there was a community class going on in the church building when the fire broke out. Everyone was evacuated safely.

BREAKING: MASSIVE fire at the First Baptist Church in #Wakefield pic.twitter.com/a5CS9QLTr3  Elysia Rodriguez (@ElysiaBoston25) October 23, 2018

More than one local resident saw lightning strike the steeple.

Me and my wife were in the house and we heard the huge loud bang and we saw the lightning strike the building, Christian Bruno told WFXT.

It struck the tower, and it justsaw the smoke and it came right up in flames, I mean, it was fast, bang. It was just unbelievable.

So I ran off my back deck and I could see the church was struck by lightning, Noreen Evangelista told CBS News.

All of a sudden it was engulfed in flames and we watched it burn and burn and burn and we heard the shingles cracking and all of a sudden it just exploded out.

CBS News reported that the people could feel the heat from the fire a few blocks away.

The top of the steeple at the First Baptist Church is now gone. #Wakefield @boston25 pic.twitter.com/XFgsy7CDLh  Elysia Rodriguez (@ElysiaBoston25) October 24, 2018

Fast, Fierce Blaze

The fire spread quickly. What started as a three-alarm blaze grew within two hours into a seven-alarm inferno.

The 180-foot steeple, and landmark visible throughout the town, collapsed around 8 p.m.

According to WFXT, by the time the fire department arrived, the fire was already too far advanced for the church to be savedeven though the fire station is less than a mile away.

Fire still burning through the Wakefield First Baptist Church  Fire Chief says they will be here all night but no injuries thankfully. There was a class happening inside the church when it was hit by lightning sparking the blaze but everyone made it out safely. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/Jjq03kCFmH  Elysia Rodriguez (@ElysiaBoston25) October 24, 2018

A Beloved Landmark

The church was completely gutted by the fireas were many of the towns residents.

I grew up in this town. Ive been here 25 years, Its unbelievable. This is like, you know, its a landmark here for me, Christian Bruno told WFXT.

This church has been here forever, they say, and I love this church, I love it. They just had the roof redone, its a beautiful church, said another Wakefield resident, Matt French.

Its sad; there are people on the block crying.

Wakefield bounces back from a lot of stuff like this so I know they will rebuild and they will go on from there, French added.

The church has already started a GoFundMe page to finance the rebuilding.

People are urged to donate via GoFundMe or to send checks to The First Baptist Church of Wakefield, 8 Lafayette St., Wakefield, Massachusetts, 01880.

From NTD.tv
Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, PA. speaks at the Lehigh Valley Conference Of Churches on Nov. 22, 2015 in Allentown, P.A. (Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)

Former Pennsylvania Mayor Sentenced to 15 Years for Bribery

HARRISBURG, Pa.A former mayor of Allentown, Pa., was sentenced on Oct. 23 to 15 years in prison for bribery and related crimes that prosecutors said he carried out to finance an abortive run for the U.S. Senate.

Ed Pawlowski, 53, was convicted on March 1 of 47 counts related to pay-to-play schemes in which he solicited kickbacks from prospective city contractors. Five of the counts were subsequently dropped.

Before his sentence was handed down, more than 40 defense witnesses asked for leniency before Pawlowski spoke in defeated tones to the judge.

I have tried my best, I have struggled to be a good man, he said. I never imagined myself in this position. All that I am is now in your hands. I plead for mercy, for me, my family, my community.

Pawlowski, a longtime Allentown resident who grew up in Chicago, had hoped to run for governor of Pennsylvania as a Democrat in 2014, but could not raise enough money.

He announced a run for the U.S. Senate the following year and decided he needed to raise $1 million by July 1, 2015, to be a credible candidate. Prosecutors said the pay-to-play schemes grew out of that goal.

Pawlowski served as mayor of the states third-largest city from 2006 to 2018 and touted his record on cutting street crime and the cost of government, while encouraging economic development that brought new life to Allentowns downtown. He was re-elected a fourth time in 2015 even after it became known that he was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Pawlowskis lawyer, Jack McMahon, Jr., had argued to the court that Pawlowski had revitalized Allentown and that his crime was an aberration.

He is a good guy, a good family man, and he wasnt trying to line his own pockets, McMahon told the judge during sentencing. Not one nickel was being used to buy him a better tie, or his kids a better education, or a better car.

McMahon had urged Judge Juan Sanchez to impose a light sentence in line with those received by other elected officials convicted of similar crimes.

The judge sentenced Pawlowski to the maximum sentence sought by prosecutors.

In pursuing his ambition, he thought he was above the law, and chose to abuse the trust of his constituents and the people who worked for him, the judge said before pronouncing the sentence.

He denied Pawlowskis request for release on bail pending an appeal, and the former mayor was handcuffed in court.

Pawlowskis co-defendant, Scott Allinson, a local lawyer, was sentenced by Sanchez this summer to 27 months in prison, the minimum urged by prosecutors.

By David DeKok
Gang Members, Criminals Are Part of Migrant Caravan, Officials Confirm

Gang members and criminals are part of the migrant caravan currently in Mexico and heading north to the United States, U.S. officials said.

Tyler Houlton, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press secretary, said in a statement on Oct. 23 that DHS can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories.

The caravan currently has between 7,000 and 10,000 people, according to the latest estimates, and is working its way north after starting in Honduras and crossing into Guatemala, then Mexico. A second caravan of more than 1,000 people is in Guatemala and heading to Mexico.

Citizens of countries outside Central America, including countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and elsewhere are currently traveling through Mexico toward the U.S., Houlton added. The department previously noted that 17,256 known criminals were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in the fiscal year 2018 and that more than 3,000 so-called special interest aliens, from countries such as Pakistan, were blocked from entering America illegally.

The confirmation comes after President Donald Trump said on Oct. 22 that criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in the caravan. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergency. Must change laws! he added.

Most of the people in the caravan are from Honduras, El Salvador, or Guatemala. But reporters on the ground, embedded in the caravan, said that a number of people from outside those countries are also traveling with the group, including Bangladeshis, Haitians, and Angolans.

Sara Carter, a Fox News contributor who has also been traveling with the caravan, said that Guatemalan intelligence discovered people from India, Bangladesh, and Africa in the Caravan. I bumped into a number of young MS-13 gang members, she said, referring to the violent gang known for its obscene ways of killing people.

Most in the caravan can be considered criminals, since they crossed illegally into Mexico from Guatemala, ignoring requests from Mexican officials to proceed through the border checkpoint and apply for asylum.

Financed by Venezuela

Caravan members have said the caravan isnt organized, but U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Oct. 23, that the President of Honduras told him that Venezuela might be behind the caravan.

He told me that the caravan thats now making its way through Mexico headed for the southern border was organized by leftist organizations and financed by Venezuela, Pence said.

Addressing people criticizing Trumps statement about unknown Middle Easterners, Pence added that with so many people in the caravan, its hard to imagine terrorists not being among them.

Its inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border, Pence said.

In the last fiscal year, we apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border from countries that are referred to in the lexicon as other than Mexicothat means from the Middle East region.

From NTD.tv

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A Eurofighter Typhoon leaves its hanger at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, England in this file photo. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

German Halt to Saudi Arms Sales Could Put Squeeze on European Fighter Jet

BERLINGermanys hardline halt in arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may jeopardize a big UK-led European fighter jet order from Riyadh.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been more outspoken than fellow major arms exporters the United States, Britain, and France about stopping sales to Saudi Arabia until Khashoggis case is cleared up, a stance that a senior conservative ally said could also affect previously approved orders.

Berlin is now reviewing all Saudi sales, including contracts approved in September for more patrol boats and four Cobra counter-battery radar systems built by a consortium that includes Frances Thales, Airbus, and the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin.

German authorities approved more than $450 million worth of Saudi arms supply contracts in the first nine months of 2018, but have not specified the value of equipment not yet delivered.

Germany accounts for just under 2 percent of total Saudi arms importsa small percentage internationally compared with the United States and Britainbut, crucially, also makes components for other countries export contracts.

The biggest impact may be on a $12.9 billion agreement by Saudi Arabia to buy 48 new Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets from Britain, given that a third of their components would come from Germany, industry sources said.

Nearly four years in the making, the Saudi Eurofighter order would secure thousands of jobs at the aerospace company constructing the aircraft BAE Systems, and help extend production of the European warplanes until a next-generation fighter jet to be designed in coming years goes into production.

Saudi Arabia is also one of the few remaining export markets for the Eurofighter, given the warplane programs losses to the Lockheed F-35 fighter jet in other tenders, including a decision expected soon from Belgium.

Tough Dilemma

Germany has taken a tougher approach on arms sales to Riyadh following Khashoggis killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which has stirred international outrage, than major allies such as the United States, France, and Britain.

U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced concern that shelving arms sales to Riyadh could push Saudi Arabia, its key Arab ally against Iran, to place orders with Russia and China.

Tim Stuchtey, executive director of the Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security, said Germany faced a tough dilemmato follow its moral instincts or pursue a realpolitik-led agenda of arms sales out of economic interest.

Merkel is guided in part by the March 2018 governing accord with her coalition partners, the left-leaning Social Democrats, who insisted on language that bans arms sales to any parties involved in the devastating war in Yemenwhere Saudi-led Arab forces intervened in 2015except for certain previously approved items and those that will remain in the purchasing country.

Divergent views in Europe on the issue also underscore the challenges facing an ambitious Franco-German program to develop a future fighter jet, he said. As long as we dont have unified European rules for arms exports, we will always have this problem. It will be difficult to square French and British attitudes about arms exports with German moral imperatives.

Arising in part from its Nazi past, Germanys cautious approach to weapons sales, and past moves to slow down approvals for exports, have raised eyebrows in other European countries.

It has already prompted France to market certain weapons as 100 percent Frenchnot subject to disruption by suppliers in other countries, according to one executive.

Norbert Roettgen, who chairs the Germans parliaments foreign affairs committee, told broadcaster ZDF that Germanys credibility was at stake if it did not halt all arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia until the ultimate responsibility for Khashoggis killing is established, or serious consequences were seen in Saudi Arabia.

By Andrea Shalal & Sabine Siebold
(LR) Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, and former FBI Director James Comey. (Getty Images)

How the Russia Collusion Story Revealed a Scandal to Obstruct President Trump

Special counsel Robert Mueller is more than a year and five months into his investigation into whether President Donald Trump colluded in some illegal fashion with Russian President Vladimir Putin (or any other Russians). But Mueller has yet to reveal what he hasor hasntconcluded.

On the other hand, theres now an impressive body of public evidence to address another facet of this international controversy: collusion against Trump.

Evidence on this matter has trickled out slowly over the course of about two years. It has come in the form of sworn testimony from witnesses interviewed by Congress, information revealed by the Justice Departments inspector general, government documents and text messages, and court files.

Taken together in context, the evidence points to two important findings. First, U.S. government insiders, colluding with numerous foreign citizens and governments, conspired to interfere in the 2016 election. Second, after the election, these figures conspired to undermine, oust, and perhaps even frame Trump and some of his associates.

The methods used, according to factual accounts and witnesses, include collusion with reporters and politicians, leaks to the press, and paid political-opposition research. Officials in the intelligence community were involved in the effort, which included the use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), domestic and foreign informants or spies, and electronic surveillance.

Highlights of Collusion Against Trump Evidence

Here are a few highlights among the hundreds of bits of supporting information:

Anti-Russian Ukrainians partnered with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and news reporters to help coordinate and execute a campaign against Trump and his one-time campaign manager Paul Manafort, according to Ukrainian-American Alexandra Chalupa, a paid consultant for the DNC.

Yemen-born ex-British spy Christopher Steele used Russian sources to gather unverified political opposition research against Trump for the DNC and the Clinton campaign. Steele and the company he worked for, Fusion GPS, delivered the research to reporters, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and the FBI. The bureau then used the material, in part, to obtain warrants to wiretap one or more Trump-related associates, in apparent violation of strict FBI rules called Woods procedures. The Woods procedures prohibit the FBI from presenting a single unverified fact to the FISC to get a warrant.

There were orchestrated leaks of anti-Trump information and allegations to the press, including by ex-FBI Director James Comey and some of his colleagues, friends, and acquaintances.

At least two Trump opponents explicitly spoke of developing an insurance policy in case Trump won: then-FBI agent Peter Strzok (who temporarily served on Muellers investigative team) and Comey friend Benjamin Wittes, who outlined a conspiracy in his Lawfare blog in October 2016: What if Trump wins? We need an insurance policy against the unthinkable.

Wittes wrote that his vision of an insurance policy against Trump would rely on a Coalition of All Democratic Forces to challenge and obstruct Trump, using the courts as a tool and Congress as a partner or tool. He even mentioned names of people he said had agreed to help with the plan and evoked possible impeachmenttwo weeks before Trump was elected.

The U.S. Intelligence Community allegedly engaged in questionable surveillance practices and politically motivated unmaskings of U.S. citizens, including Trump associates Steve Bannon, George Papadopoulos, Jared Kushner, Carter Page, and Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Obama administration officials taking part in these activities included national security adviser Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, CIA Director John Brennan, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Some of the same FBI officials who were questioned over their role in clearing Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information, and who gave immunity to her close associates, also played roles in building the case against Trump for alleged improper Russia ties.

Unprosecuted Alleged Crimes

As the evidence has been revealed, numerous crimes have been alleged against officials related to the controversies. Some have been officially referred to the Justice Department (DOJ) for prosecution. However, to date, no public prosecutions have been announced.

Examples include the following:

Power told congressional investigators that many of the hundreds of unmasking requests made in her name during 2016 were not made by her. If thats true, it appears someone committed serious national security crimes by impersonating her to obtain sensitive intelligence information. However, there has been no indication that the DOJ or Congress are investigating.

FBI officials have provided conflicting information about Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe reportedly told Congress that two agents who interviewed Flynn didnt think hed lied.

While reviewing text messages of FBI agents involved in questionable behavior, the DOJs inspector general (IG) caught a senior FBI official violating federal regulations by taking gifts from a member of the media. The IG says the official then lied about the interactions. The IG referred the case for prosecution, but said the Justice Department declined to prosecute the case against one of its own.

Last January, Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) referred the author of the Trump dossier, Steele, to the DOJ for a criminal investigation and possible prosecution, but no public action has been announced.

Justice Department and FBI shakeups

As allegations of impropriety have mounted against top officials at the DOJ and FBI, theres been an atmosphere of disruption and chaos within the agencies. Since January 2017, there have been at least 22 high-level personnel changes.

January 2017

Fired: Sally Yates, acting DOJ attorney general

Resigned: Matthew Axelrod, principal deputy attorney general

Resigned: Peter Kadzik, DOJ assistant attorney general of legislative affairs

April 2017

Moved: Charles Kable, FBI agent in charge of the Counterintelligence Division of the Washington Field Office

Resigned: Mary McCord, acting assistant attorney general

May 2017

Fired: James Comey, FBI director

Summer 2017

Removed from Mueller team: Lisa Page, FBI attorney

Removed from Mueller team: Peter Strzok, FBI deputy assistant director of counterintelligence

December 2017

Demoted: Bruce Ohr, deputy assistant attorney general, director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

Reassigned: Grant Mendenhall, assistant director, counterterrorism

Reassigned: James Baker, FBI general counsel

January 2018

Resigned: James Rybicki, chief of staff to FBI Director James Comey and successor Christopher Wray

Announced future retirement: Andrew McCabe, FBI deputy director

February 2018

Retired: Michael Kortan, FBI assistant director for public affairs

Resigned: Rachel Brand, associate attorney general

Resigned: David Laufman, chief of DOJ National Security Division

March 2018

Fired: Andrew McCabe, FBI deputy director

April 2018

Resigned: Greg Brower, FBI assistant director, head of the Office of Congressional Affairs

May 2018

Resigned: James Baker, FBI general counsel

Resigned: Lisa Page, FBI attorney

August 2018

Fired: Peter Strzok, FBI deputy assistant director of counterintelligence

Late Summer 2018

Resigned: Trisha Anderson, FBI principal deputy general counsel (sometime in August or September)

Who Investigates the Investigators?

In the end, all of this highlights a scenario that may be unique, at least in terms of scope, in modern U.S. history.

When some at the top levels of our government intelligence and law enforcement agencies are accused of malfeasance or crimes, they have the power to choose not to investigate or prosecute themselves. They can launch investigations into their political enemies and claim obstruction if the enemies try to stop them, and they can withhold key information from the elected body that has oversight power over them: Congress.

A great deal of time and public money has been spent looking into Trump and his associates. Well soon know the results of the Mueller probe. But how can the public rest assured that the other side of the coin is receiving appropriate scrutiny?

Sharyl Attkisson is the New York Times bestselling author of Stonewalled, a five-time Emmy Award winner, and the host of Sinclairs national investigative television program Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson. She is a recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting and has reported nationally for CBS News, PBS, and CNN.
A man uses his mobile phone outside a Huawei store in Beijing on August 7, 2018. (WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images)

Huawei Accused of Seizing Solid State Drive Technology From Joint Chinese-U.S. Startup

CNEX, an American startup company, has accused Chinese electronics giant Huawei of forcing it to divulge key technology related to solid state drives (SSD), a next-generation form of data storage.

Yiren Huang, also known by his Anglicized name Ronnie Huang, the Chinese-American co-founder of CNEX, has filed a lawsuit against Huawei and its U.S.-based subsidiary FutureWei.

In his 80-page court filing, submitted to a federal court in Texas, Huang said that the two firms were engaged in a corporate espionage campaign orchestrated to steal intellectual property from American technology companies.

Last December, Huawei had sued CNEX and Huang on claims that they had stolen its trade secrets on semiconductor technology. Huang says that FutureWei hired him in 2011 with the sole intent of acquiring his SSD-related know-how.

Huawei and FutureWei (the US R&D subsidiary of Huawei Technologies) have served as critical participants in a corporate espionage campaign orchestrated to steal intellectual property from American technology companies, like CNEX, in hopes of surpassing the United States as the worlds predominant technological superpower by 2025, Huang said in his court filing

Huawei, the world biggest telecommunication equipment supplier, hasnt offered a response filing so far.

According to his Linkedin profile, Yiren Huang was born in China and graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University. He attended Michigan Technological University in 1997 and received an M.S. degree in 1998.

Huang worked for Cisco Systems, SandForce, and Brocade in SSD design before he joined FutureWei in January 2011 in Santa Clara, California. FutureWei is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and employs more than 1,000 people at multiple locations across North America. Huang was employed at FutureWei networking and SSD research.

Compared with traditional hard disk drives (HHD), SSDs process data at much higher read speeds, require less power, and are quieter. While still expensive and impossible to recover data from if broken, SSDs have no moving parts and are thus durable and resistant to shock damage. The durability and speed associated of SSDs gives them a massive qualitative edge over HDDs.

After Huang joined FutureWei, he tried unsuccessfully to sell his own intellectual property to the company. In his filing, Huang said that FutureWei then asked him to sign an employment agreement containing an unlawful term that would have forced him to transfer ownership of his intellectual property to FutureWei. Huang did not sign the agreement and resigned in May 2013.

The following June, Huang co-founded CNEX Labs in San Jose with Alan Armstrong and others. Armstrong is CEO of the company; Huang worked in its Engineering team and has been XNEX chief technology officer since this January.

After founding CNEX, Huang transferred all nine of his patents and 13 pending patents to the company, which then received funding from Microsoft Venture, Sierra Ventures, DELL Technologies Capital, Walden International, and other companies.

Huang said that FutureWei sought to obtain technological know-how from CNEX on multiple occasions. In one case, FutureWei employees pretended to be potential clients and contacted CNEX in an attempt to gain access to its intellectual property.

In December 2017, Huawei and FutureWei sued CNEX and Huang on the grounds that Huang had used information he obtained through his employment at FutureWei along with FutureWeis resources and technology to draft the patent applications he used for CNEX, according to Huawei.

Huawei also accused Huang of poaching 14 FutureWei employees to work for CNEX, one of whom had been caught downloading confidential documents before leaving FutureWei. While CNEX has confirmed that the 14 individuals were former staff at FutureWei, it has denied hiring them for Huaweis technological data.

Earlier this month, Huawei asked CNEX to hand over detailed engineering specifications, testing plans, source code design documents, source code flow charts, hardware design documents and schematics, hardware and software bug status reports, engineering personnel responsibility designations, client product delivery details, and production schedules, via the court, the Wall Street Journal reported.

CNEX and Huang say that Huaweis request amounts to theft.
In the Kitchen With Dorie Greenspan

In light of the release of her 13th cookbook, the beloved author talks everyday cooking, the power of perseverance, and the perfect, elbows-on-the-table meal

When Dorie Greenspan was 12 years old, she set her parents kitchen ablaze.

The story starts with Greenspan and her two friends, a hankering for frozen french fries, and a boiling pot of oil; it ends in a whoosh of amazing flames, she recalled, ones that licked the side of the pot and formed a big teardrop and went up to the cabinets above the stove and the ceiling.

That was the last time she cooked until she got married, when in college.

Such were the tumultuous beginnings of what would become a celebrated career in food. Greenspan would later go on to work alongside the likes of Julia Child and Pierre Herme, and become the James Beard Award-winning author of 12 cookbooksmany of which have become cemented as required reading for home bakers and cooks. Her delicious and highly approachable food, and her own irresistible warmth and charm, have won hearts and stomachs alike.

Her newest cookbook, Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook, has just been published.

A Self-Made Home Cook

Greenspan refuses to call herself a chef. She never received formal training, nor worked in a professional kitchen. Nor did she grow up learning to cook at her mothers side, tiptoeing to reach the counter, as many a charming prodigy-chef story goes.

Her childhood was one of frozen food and TV dinners, with a mother who loved to eat but never cared for cooking. (You take after your grandmother, she would later tell Greenspan, shaking her head in wonder. The gene skipped a generation.)

In her mother-in-laws house, though, she saw a glimpse of what she wanted her own home to be.

At weekend dinners, we would start [as] four to six people around her table, and she left her front door open and by the time we finished there could be 10, Greenspan recalled. And everything about that I loved. I loved the openness, I loved the generosity, I loved the sharing, I loved the conversation that kept going. I loved that while they were eating, they were talking about food, they were talking about what they were eating, what they had eaten, foods they had as children. And it made them so happy to be sharing these memories.

That was the image I had in mind when I thought, Okay, now I have my own home. I want people around my table.

One problem remained: she knew nothing about cooking.

So in those pre-Internet, pre-Google days, she turned to the books: I had two cookbooks, and off I went.

Easier said than done. She remembers her first meal as a disaster: a London broil that emerged from the oven kind of like shoe leather, accompanied by frozen peas she attempted to heat in a beautiful serving bowl set directly over a gas flame. The bowl, a wedding gift, did not survive.

Nonetheless, I was undaunted, Greenspan said. I just kept going. I wanted to cook.

She pored over her cookbooks, tried recipes out of magazines, and pestered friends for advice and joint cooking sessions. She took on challenging projects to learn new techniquesit could be a Wednesday night and I could be making a towering cream puff pyramid, she said.

And so, through sheer determination and repeated trial and error (or, rather, error and error, she corrected with a laugh), Greenspan taught herself to bake and cook.

Its amazing what you can do when you want to do something, she mused. Its the power of wanting to do something, and the power of books.

Simplicity and Surprise

A student has become a teacher; Greenspans own cookbooks now serve as guides and inspiration for countless other home cooks and bakers.

Ive met teenagers and college students who are cooking from my books, and that gives me hope for the world, that theres a new generation of home cooks coming up, she said.

She writes for them, in hopes of encouraging even more people to get into the kitchen.

In Everyday Dorie, she welcomes home cooks into her own kitchen, for a glimpse of what she makes every day: simple and unpretentious food, grounded in common ingredients she always has on hand. Greenspan has demonstrated mastery of the polished and the complex, but these recipes reflect the core of what her personal style of cooking has become: simple, relaxed, and exceedingly practical.

But simplicity is by no means boring; rather, it breeds creativity. Greenspan brings to her cooking an easygoing playfulness, one that welcomes spontaneity and delights in little surprises.

That could mean adding walnuts and oats to meatballs, for flavor and fluff, or a touch of Dijon mustard to her trusty gougeres for extra zing. Fresh ginger lightens a musky, baba ganoush-esque eggplant spread; tart cranberries do the same for an autumnal pasta dish with cabbage and winter squash.

Many of those signature surprises are born out of spur-of-the-moment hunches, guided by the contents of her fridge. She points to her mish-mash of a beef stew recipe, which starts with French-style red wine-marinated beef but wanders Korean and Italian with its additions of gochujang and gremolata.

Its one of those things where I started and realized I had other ingredients that would be terrific in the mix, she explained.

She wants to encourage home cooks to do the same, to give people permission to play around with recipes. Most recipes have wiggle roomthey have room for you to insert your personality, to make it your recipe.

Food to Share

Most of all, though, she wants to motivate home cooks to prepare food to share.

Cooking is an act of generosity, of sharing, of kindness. Its the food, but its also that were all together eating that food and sharing our stories, she said.

Her perfect meal looks something like this: Friends and family gathered around the table, comfy clothes, and easy smiles.

On the table, a glorious spread: toasted homemade bread and ricotta spoonable, a put-on-everything mix of fresh ricotta and herbs and olive oil; roasted carrots and spicy-sweet squash wedges, as good at room temperature as they are hot; perhaps a mushroom galette or a platter of tomato-stuffed baked peppers, with roast chicken or scallops swiped with tangy-sweet lemon goop.

Its pick-at-it, play-with-it food, she said, meant to be mixed and matched and passed around the table like at a picnicbut were indoors, sitting on comfortable chairs.

It would be one of those meals that just lasts and lasts and lasts, because you just get to chat, she said.

In Everyday Dorie, she offers the building blocks for these comfortable, lingering, elbows-on-the-table meals. With warmth, generosity, and an abundance of tantalizing recipes, she nudges home cooks to go forth and create their own.

RECIPE: My Newest Gougeres

RECIPE: Pasta With Cabbage, Winter Squash, and Walnuts

RECIPE: Herb-Butter Chicken
Italy Says No Plan B as EU Demands First Ever Budget Changes

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte insisted his government has no Plan B for its budget as the European Union demanded unprecedented changes to bring the country into line with spending rules.

While EU commissioners were discussing Italys violations at a meeting in Strasbourg Oct. 23, Conte said in a Bloomberg News interview that he was looking forward to explaining the 2019 budget to them. He suggested that Italy has some leeway to tweak aspects of the plan, but not actual spending. If he is asked to change the substance, it will be difficult for me because I cannot accept that.

Hours later the European Commission, the blocs executive arm, officially rejected the budget and asked Italy to take back, revise and resubmit its plansthe first time such demands have been made of a member state.

There isnt any B plan, Conte said in the interview in English at his Rome office. I said that the deficit at 2.4 percent of GDP is the cap. I can say this will be our cap, he said.

While many euro nations have at times struggled to meet the deficit constraints built into the single currency since its creation almost two decades ago, Italys decision to reverse course on the budget plan it had agreed with the commission is particularly egregious. It puts the countrys populist government on a collision course with Brussels as its spending targets far exceed EU limits.

The Italian government is openly and consciously going against commitments made, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Strasbourg. Europe is built on cooperation. The euro area is built on strong bonds of trust.

Italys Chafing

Financial markets are responding to Italys chafing at EU rules. Italian bonds fell for the fourth time in five sessions earlier on Oct. 23, while the 10-year spread over similar German debt touched a five-year high during trading on Oct. 19. The yield spread widened five basis points to 309 basis points after the EU rejection was reported.

We are ready to reduce maybe, to operate a spending review if necessary, Conte said. Still, he insisted that economic growth is the best way in order to take us out of a debt trap.

Conte dismissed the prospect of the spread with German bunds reaching 400 basis points, a level that Credit Suisse AG said could put unsustainable pressure on Italys banking system. He also reaffirmed Italys commitment to the euro. I have the evidence that part of the spread is due to the prospect of Italexit, Conte said.

Our Currency

I can assure that this executive will not accompany this country, Italy, out of Europe, he said. We feel very comfortable, we feel at home in Europe and we think that the euro is our currency and will be our currency, the currency of my kid, hes 11 years old, and the currency of my grandchildren.

While any actual EU sanctions against Italy are still improbable and wouldnt be levied for months, the rejection of the countrys budget could strain the governing coalition in which Conte stands as mediator between powerful deputy premiers Matteo Salvini of the League and Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement.

Conte said the coalition is solid and stands united and that he is proud of his role as mediator between the two political forces.

Now that the EU has rejected Italys budget, the country will have three weeks to revise its spending plans and resubmit them to Brussels. While the commission has no real powers over national budgets, governments have in the past sought to avoid an official reprimand because of the stigma and potential market implications.

This decision should be a surprise for no one, Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said at a briefing in Strasbourg to announce the measures. We are not looking at a borderline case. We are looking at a clear deviation.

Conte said that he is confident the countrys budget will boost economic growth thus helping Italy keep its finances in order in the long run. The budget is overall very prudent, he said, adding that there is a robust investment plan which can jump start the economy.
Bill Cosby arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, on Sept. 25, 2018, in Norristown, Pa. (Matt Slocum/AP)

Judge Rejects Disgraced Bill Cosbys Motion for New Trial

A judge has rejected Bill Cosbys bid for a new trial or sentencing hearing.

The ruling by Montgomery County Judge Steven ONeill on Oct. 23 has led Cosbys lawyers to file their appeal with the state Superior Court, which is the next step as they attempt to reverse Cosbys felony sex assault conviction, according to the Associated Press.

The defense wants the 81-year-old Cosby released on bail while he appeals over the alleged trial errors.

Cosbys wife of 54 years, Camille, accused ONeill of bias against her husband, as she has done since Cosbys first trial.

According to AP, Camille said in a statement on Oct. 23 that ONeill should have stepped down because his wife has been an advocate for sexual assault victims. ONeill responded by saying that his wifes work does not influence his legal rulings.

3 Counts of Aggravated Indecent Assault

Cosby is currently serving a three to 10 year state prison term. He is living in a single cell near the infirmary at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in suburban Philadelphia and has access to a day room, where he can watch television or eat meals, a state prisons spokeswoman said, according to AP.

Cosbys case first ended in a jury deadlock in June 2017. At a retrial in April 26, Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault against a woman by the name of Andrea Constand; officials said he drugged and assaulted her in 2004 at his Philadelphia home.

At the retrial, it was also revealed that Cosby had paid Constand $3.4 million as part of a civil settlement in 2006, the BBC reported. Prosecutors said that the $3.4 million is evidence that Cosby needed to silence Constand.

On Sept. 25, ONeill sentenced Cosby to three to 10 years in prison.

It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come, ONeill said, before quoting from the victims own statement to the court, in which she said Cosby took her beautiful, young spirit and crushed it.

The judge also declared him a sexually violent predator who remains a danger to the community.

Drugged and Raped

Cosby is best known for playing the wise-cracking Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the top-ranked Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992.

Cosby admitted giving Benedryl to Constand but has argued that the sex they had was consensual. Constand said Cosby took advantage of her in 2004 after he drugged her.

I was completely vulnerable and powerless to protect myself. After the assault, I wasnt sure what had actually happened but the pain spoke volumes.

The shame was overwhelming. Self-doubt and confusion kept me from turning to my family or friends as I normally did. I felt completely alone, unable to trust anyone, including myself, she wrote.

Jack Phillips and Zachary Stieber of The Epoch Times and The Associated Press contributed to this report

From NTD.tv
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks to members of the press during a demonstration against Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the Hart Senate Office Building on Sept. 27, 2018. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Leftists Lack the Language, Moral Authority to Criticize Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Commentary

The left has created quite a conundrum for itself. As a consequence, it has no moral language to justify its condemnation of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for her decades-long decision to self-identify as a Native American.

The leftists we see on television, depicted in the form of Democratic Party spokespersons such as Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey, and Sens. Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris of California, see the world through a postmodernist lens. While secular humanists dismiss religion and believe in science, reason, objective truth, and freewill, postmodernists believe in everything; consequently, they believe in nothing.

Postmodernists see humans as social beings, shaped by a particular culture and times, operating in a world without objective realities, and moral constraints. While humanists believed man could eventually solve mans problems through science and human ingenuity, the postmodernists reject such ridiculous pie-in-the-sky notions.

Their critique of modernism and theism have led them to believe that what some people see as human progress is merely the continuation of a dominant European worldview and set of privileges that lie at the root of the worlds problems (see Dennis McCallums 1996 book The Death of Truth: Responding to Multiculturalism, the Rejection of Reason and the New Postmodern Diversity for an understandable account of differences between modernism, postmodernism, and theism).

The lefts ability to police its own runs smack into a worldview where there are no absolute truths, race is a social construct, gender is fluid, science is useless, and individuals choose their sexual identity based on how they feel. Postmodernists believe the ends justify the means and that they can become creators by manipulating language and creating new realities and social constructs, overriding the ones they find dysfunctional for the world they hope to create by beating the rest of us into submission using any means necessary.

The postmodernist worldview hasnt stopped some on the left from condemning Warren. In this instance, Warren isnt being cut the same slack accorded to Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who passed as black until her parents outed her in 2015. When Dolezal was outed, she was serving as president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington. Although some people accused her of cultural appropriation, others defended her self-identity.

Cultural appropriation is the adoption of certain elements from another culture without the consent of the people who belong to the culture, according to ThoughtCo.

In the case of Dolezal, former MSNBC anchor Melissa Harris-Perry postulated, Is it possible that she might actually be black?  Is there a different category of blackness that is about the achievement of blackness, despite ones parentage?

The postmodernist left allows and celebrates self-identity over DNA and X and Y chromosomes. By those standards, it shouldnt matter that Warrens DNA test stated she was between 1/64th and 1/1,032nd Colombian, Mexican or Peruvian, according to The Hill. Her self-identification was Cherokee-American. In genetic identification with Native Americans in the United States, she was between 0.1 and 1.5 percent.

What should matter for the left was Warrens self-identification that caused her to list herself as Native American in the Association of American Law Schools and in hiring materials for Harvard University Law School, where she was touted as the universitys first tenured Native American law professor. Had this self-identification not become controversial, she might have run for president as the nations first Native American candidate.

Although the postmodernist left argues that a person can be whatever they see themselves as being, they reserve the right to create social constructs geared at punishing those they see as apostates from their cause. Therefore, a biologically black person can become white on the basis of their actions or beliefs. For example, black conservatives such as Kanye West and Candace Owens have been called white supremacists and dismissed as Uncle Toms and Aunt Janes, as has yours truly.

Their criteria for assessing truth claims are malleable depending on the circumstances. Therefore, a white person like Dolezal, who chose to join the black race and fight for the struggle, can be black because she acts and thinks like a liberal member of the group. On the other hand, Warren, a leftist who presents herself as fighting for the downtrodden, is lambasted because she doesnt advance the progressive agenda of the postmodernist when it comes to the preferred race narrative, and she lacks Dolezals credibility with the group.

The postmodernist left needs to make up its mind about truth claims, science, and social constructs. Remember, truth is relative for them, and the existing power structures reflect European dominant values and principles. If the left, however, can accept Christine Blasey Fords truth about her alleged encounter with a teenaged Brett Kavanaugh while dismissing all evidence to the contrary, then surely its leaders can accept the DNA results that give Warren her 1/1,032 percent of native blood. I contend the left should accept Warrens truth since their truth is relative.

There is a bigger problem posed by people such as Warren and Dolezal that hurts racial and ethnic minorities. It is the gaming of affirmative action programs by people who engage in ethnic fraud. Ethnic fraud occurs when someone who isnt a member of the beneficiary group designates ones self as a member for purposes of collecting a benefit.

There is reason to believe a lot of ethnic fraud does occur. No doubt this is soon to be followed by lots of sexual-identity fraud. The mushy system invites abuse. We dont require DNA tests for individuals who self-identify as protected minorities, which now would include individuals who check one of the growing numbers of LGBTIAQ categories.

Warren is problematic because she allowed herself to be celebrated as a Native American achiever breaking records to become a first in many categories. Cheated out of that recognition was a Native American from the reservation or with enough documented native blood to obtain tribal papers. By all practical purposes, she gamed affirmative action and benefited from doing so.

Affirmative action was also an issue for Dolezal, who attended historically black Howard University and sued the university in 2002 for race-based discrimination. Dolezal accused the university of denying her a teaching assistant job, further employment and a scholarship because she was white, Politico reported in 2015. Her case was dismissed after the D.C. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision that ruled against her claims of racial discrimination. She was left with court costs.

When she applied for the NAACP position, she listed her race as white, black, and American Indian. It seems in the case of Dolezal, she decided if you cant beat them, then join them. She literally joined the black race as a self-identifier with street cred.

Years ago, economist Thomas Sowell looked at preferential policies around the world (India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Israel, Malaysia, Nigeria, and the United States) and concluded that whenever a government creates a benefit based on race or ethnicity, polarization ensues and the beneficiary class quickly expands beyond the known population size of the protected minorities (see Sowells 1990 book Preferential Policies: An International Perspective).

What we have with the lefts Warren conundrum is merely the tip of the iceberg. Oh, that we could only return to the modernist and the allowance it gave us for objective truth. We are now like the people of ancient Israel during the time of the Judges: Each man does what is right in his own eyes.

American laws, polluted by a nonsensical postmodernism soaked into the minds of several generations of college graduates, have left us without a reliable anchor.

Carol M. Swain is a former professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University and a James Madison scholar at Princeton University. Her most recent book is Debating Immigration: Second Edition (2018).

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Lockheed Martin Profit Beats, Downplays Saudi Exposure

Lockheed Martin Corp., the Pentagons No. 1 weapons supplier, on Oct. 23 posted a better-than-expected rise in quarterly profit, driven by higher production of its F-35 fighter jets, and forecast sales above Wall Street estimates for next year.

The company, whose products feature prominently in the $110 billion package of U.S. weapons deals for Saudi Arabia that President Trump announced in May 2017, said it expects about $500 million in sales to the Kingdom next year.

Saudi Arabia has come under fire over the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but Lockheed suggested that if U.S. weapons sales are derailed it would not hurt its 2019 profit outlook.

The company said it now expects 2018 net sales of $53 billion, slightly above the average analyst estimate of $52.6 billion. Lockheed increased its profit forecast to $17.50, better than estimates of $17.11 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

Lockheed predicted 2019 sales would increase by 5 percent to 6 percent from 2018, assuming key programs like the F-35 fighter jet, designed to avoid detection, continue to be funded by the U.S. government.

Chief Financial Officer Bruce Tanner said there was not a huge amount of dependency on Saudi sales built into its 2019 and 2020 forecasts.

The 2019 sales outlook would put sales within a range of $55.6 billion to $56.2 billion, slightly ahead of the average estimate of $55.4 billion.

Lockheeds tax rate fell to 6.5 percent in the third quarter, helped by a larger-than-usual $1.5 billion contribution to its pension plan, boosting the bottom line. In the third quarter of 2017, before a U.S. corporate tax cut was enacted, Lockheed had a rate of 25.8 percent.

Net income rose to $1.47 billion, or $5.14 per share, in the third quarter, from $963 million, or $3.32 per share, a year earlier. Net sales rose to $14.31 billion from $12.34 billion a year earlier.

Analysts expected adjusted profit of $4.31 per share on revenue of $13.07 billion, according to Refinitiv estimates. Lockheeds EPS was $5.14.

Joseph DeNardi, an analyst at Stifel, said in a note that Lockheeds stealthy F-35 fighter jet program reported strong profit margins. F-35 production volume, as well as payments for maintenance, increased in the quarter.

Margins were also strong at Lockheeds Rotary and Mission Systems business unit, which makes ships and helicopters. Operating profit increased 40 percent from the same period a year ago, in part on better margins from missile launch systems sales.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company said its order backlog increased to $109 billion at the end of the quarter from $105 billion three months ago.

Lockheed shares were down 2.7 percent at $318.02 as the broader market tumbled in part on concerns about slower corporate profit growth in 2019.

By Mike Stone
Hondurans and others in a migrant caravan move toward the United States in Chiquimula, Guatemala on Oct. 17, 2018. (ORLANDO ESTRADA/AFP/Getty Images)

Migrant Caravan Dishonors Honduras

Organizers have no interest in being American, seek to undermine rule of law

Honduran migrants may say, We are fleeing criminality and violence. Yet, the migrant caravan has proceeded to smash down a border gate, push aside police, and storm a bridge.

The caravan participants say, We are proud Hondurans, while waving flags, then walk out and declare the nation is so unbearable that the people must flee permanently.

They say, We want to work hard and engage in free enterprise, but then are members of the socialist party of Honduras, led by Manuel Zelaya, an old buddy of Hugo Chavez and his anti-American group, the Bolivarian Alliance.

The explanation for the mixed messages is simple: The coordinated migration from Honduras, known as the caravan, doesnt have noble intentions. While many of the thousands of participants are hapless pawns, the organizers are engaged in a political stunt, at the height of hypocrisy.

Origins of Migrant Caravan Tell the Tale

The socialist and criminal elements of the caravan were evident from the beginning. The chief instigator is Bartolo Fuentes, a former congressman for the Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre). These ardent socialists claim revolution is inevitable, on the path to economic and social equality.

The Libre candidate in the 2017 presidential election was Salvador Nasralla. Not only is Nasralla a big fan of the migrant caravan, but he also has a soft spot for the dictatorship in Venezuela and fans in the FARC terrorists of Colombia. During his campaign, he claimed mass protests in Venezuela were a media invention, while more than 100 Venezuelan agents were in Honduras to get him elected.

Honduran Minister of International Affairs Maria Dolores Aguero adds that the caravans organizers are working in tandem with organized crime. The organizers deceived participants, she claims, by promising secure, visa-free travel, and documentation for asylum in the United Statesall too good to be true, but plenty of unwitting people bought the lie. Two have already died along the way.

We shouldnt be surprised that the participants didnt have the patience to go through the legal asylum process offered by the Mexican government. Such were their numbers that the only way to stop them would have been for Mexican law enforcement to open fire, a drastic measure they werent willing to take.

Political Motives

Fuentes told La Tribuna, a Honduran newspaper, that it all began with a WhatsApp group of 160 members. As if by magic, 1,200 people began the march in Honduras, and many more joined before the group even crossed over into Guatemala.

Just who is funding this operation remains unclear. The well-known NGO Pueblo Sin Fronteras, which promotes open immigration from Latin America to the United States, has expressed support but rejects the notion of its involvement. In fact, the group recommends against such group migrations at this time.

A plausible explanation is that Libre wants to score political points, garner patronage via remittances (a fifth of Honduran GDP), and perhaps curry favor with the U.S. Democratic Party. Honduran President Orlando Hernandez and his National Party claim this is a violent political trick from Libre and that it will damage the nations reputation.

Honduran political analyst Jorge Yllescas can see why people want to migrate: Poverty, unemployment, and organized crime are all at extreme levels, even by Latin Americas standards. A third of Honduran households, for example, survive on less than $240 per month, and that percentage rises to more than a half in rural areas.

None of this is new, and Yllescass fear is that the plight of the poor has been politicized by Libre. He doubts their sincerity, given their lack of interest in the enormous exodus from Venezuela, which happens to be on account of their ally.

The U.S. Embassy in Honduras has warned that the migrants wont be granted entry into the United States and that the participants are taking a risk with human traffickers. That comes as no surprise and is likely the confrontation that the Libre organizers wanted all along. The problems for those who dont get through will feed Libres desire for self-promotion to portray themselves as the defenders of Hondurass downtrodden.

Hernandez has his own problems and is only in office because of a peculiar court decision to dismiss his term limit. However, since he isnt an ardent opponent of President Donald Trump and the United States, Libre seeks to make him out to be an apologist for alleged U.S. imperialism. The caravan standoff seeks to divide those involved and their sympathizers from Hernandez and Trump, to the good of nobody but Libre.

How Honduras Can Rise

Neither abandoning Honduras nor blaming the United Statesas is Libres intentdo anything to resolve underlying problems for the Catrachos. On the contrary, Hondurans and their government should do all they can to foster the rule of law and a healthy trade relationship with the United States. Beyond immediate profits on both sides, closer ties and legal predictability would foster crucial foreign investment and education where its so badly needed.

Rampaging into the United States is hardly a prudent way to achieve that. Although some may slip through illegally and help themselves, they will do more harm than good for their countrymen at home.

For Hondurans who would point the finger at the big-bad United States, this may be the time to face self-made problems at home. Americans didnt make Honduras corrupt; they didnt pollute the Caribbean coast; nor do they sustain the maras (gangs) that plague Central America. The majority of gang activity isnt related to the drug war and depends on the extortion of businesses and informal activity such as prostitution and human trafficking.

An article by a former colleague reveals what happens when the tables are turned. Elena Toledodirector of the Eleutera classical-liberal think tank in San Pedro Sulaadvocated opening Honduran borders to Venezuelans. Her article generated complaints about there not being enough jobs and social services for Hondurans, let alone for foreigners. Does that sound familiar?

A more prosperous Honduras would be a win-win for locals and the United States, the antidote to Libres rhetoric and the long-term exodus. That will only happen by facing the problems at home and adopting a transparent, open economy that rewards honest entrepreneurship and investment for a foundation that will last.

Fergus Hodgson is the founder and executive editor of Latin American intelligence publication Antigua Report.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Mike Pompeo to Migrant Caravan: You Will Not Cross Our Southern Border

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the migrant caravan that they will not be allowed to illegally enter the United States.

The caravan, estimated to contain between 7,000 and 10,000 people, is in southern Mexico after crossing into the country illegally from Guatemala and heading north.

Pompeo, told reporters at the State Department on Oct. 23, that he had a message for the migrants.

You will not be successful at getting into the United States illegally, no matter what, he said. I repeat: The caravan will not cross our southern border illegally, under any circumstances.

Pompeo said that migrants who want to enter the country must follow the normal refugee process.

But I can tell you with certainty, we are determined that illegal entry into the United States from this caravan will not be possible, he added.

Legal Immigration

Pompeo noted that America is a historically generous nation when it comes to immigrants and grants over one million people per year permanent legal status, with over 33 million people currently living in the United States after immigrating legally.

To those who want to come here: Come here legally. Legal immigration is the surest way to obtain the better life you are looking for here in the United States of America, Pompeo said.

Up to 29 million illegal aliens are believed to be in the United States, a problem Trump has focused on.

Officials have said that criminals and gang members are part of the caravan and noted the immense security risk posed by people who have not been properly vetted crossing the border.

From a security standpoint, there is no proper accounting of who these individuals in the caravan are, and this poses an unacceptable security risk to the United States. Moreover, many of these people are ripe targets for human traffickers and others who would exploit them. We dont want that to happen, Pompeo said.

Were a nation built on laws. We have an obligationthe President has an obligationto protect American sovereignty and to secure our borders. To make sure that we know whos coming in and out of country is not only appropriate, but it is a duty of the United States government.

We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2018

Pompeos remarks echoed President Trumps, who has said repeatedly in recent days that the caravan will be blocked from entering America.

In his latest statements, he said that people who want open borders should look at what happened to Europe after they let in a historic number of refugees only to suffer a number of issues stemming from cultures clashing.

For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess! They only wish they had that decision to make over again, he said.

From NTD.tv

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Toys, a discarded high chair and police evidence tape are part of the trash outside a home on Oct. 16, 2018. A 20-month-old girl was found dead inside an oven at the residence, in Shaw, Mississippi on Oct. 15, 2018. (Shelby Sansone/WHBQ-Fox 13 via AP)

Mississippi Toddler Was Alive When Put in Oven, Autopsy Finds

A 20-month-old Mississippi toddler was still alive when the grandmother allegedly placed her in a hot oven, an autopsy concluded.

Carolyn Jones, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her granddaughter Royalty Marie Floyd.

Officials said Jones stabbed Royalty before shoving her in the oven.

The cause of death was both the stabbing and the burning, the Bolivar County Coroners Office told WMC.

The disclosure came a day after the community in Shaw held a vigil for the toddler.

The love, support, the sharing that we do there in Shaw, we always look out for each other and this was really shocking, and it hurt, said Shaw Mayor Everett Stanton to the crowd.

A local law enforcement called what happened one of the most horrible things Ive seen.

Ive been doing law enforcement for 25 or 26 years now, Bolivar County Sheriff Kelvin Williams Sr. said. This is one of the most horrible things Ive seen in doing law enforcement. The hardest part  is to see a child victim.

Jones appeared in court for the first time on Oct. 16. A judge set her bail at $500,000 and she remained in jail.

Sheriffs deputies said Royalty lived with Jones while her mother lived elsewhere. Veronica Jones, the girls mother, said in a statement on her Facebook that she missed her daughter.

Royalty Marie Floyd was the best thing that ever happened to me, Jones said. Shes my one and only daughter. My first love. The hardest thing that I ever had to go through in my life. My heart has been ripped from my chest.

We are here to honor Royalty. Prayer vigil has begun for 20-month-old Royalty Floyd stabbed and burned to death by her grandmother. More @WMCActionNews5 at 6. pic.twitter.com/FoVWpgKLMI  Kelli Cook (@TVKelliC) October 22, 2018

She said her mother always treated her granddaughter well. She always treated Royalty like royalty, she said. My mom was obviously not herself, she said. The toddler was found dead on Oct. 15 in Shaw, a town of about 2,000 people about 100 miles northwest of Jackson.

Spokesman Warren Strain at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said investigators werent sure why Jones killed the little girl. Thats hard to say, Williams said. We dont know.

Jones also shared a link to a GoFundMe page where shes raising money for Royaltys funeral. Its raised over $4,000 so far.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD.tv
A picture taken March 09, 2014 shows a tourist posing for a photo next to the General Sherman Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) at Sequoia National Park in California. With an estimated volume of 1,487 cubic metres (52,513 cu ft), General Sherman sequoia is the largest tree on earth. The tree's height is 83.8 metres (275 ft), its diameter - 7.7 metres (25 ft) and its estimated age - 2,3002,700 years. (Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)

National Park Service Tests Controlled Burn Near Worlds Largest Living Tree

The National Park Service (NPS) attempted to conduct a controlled burn near the worlds largest living tree but decided to postpone it on Oct. 19. Authorities said a test fire failed to burn strong enough due to too much moisture in the vegetation.

The controlled burn project named the 2018 Sherman Prescribed Burn was planned for 483 acres of land in the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, only about a half mile away from the Giant Forest Museum.

The test burn was conducted along the Lodgepole-Sherman Tree Trail, which leads to the giant sequoia nicknamed General Sherman, identified as the largest living tree on Earth.

The Sherman Prescribed Burn has been postponed until further notice, after the fuels failed to carry fire in the test burn due to their moisture levels. We hope to complete other fuels projects this fall and will keep you informed! pic.twitter.com/hJzs7pa8YW  Sequoia & Kings Cyn (@SequoiaKingsNPS) October 20, 2018

Controlled burns aim to reduce hazardous dense vegetation in order to avoid more intense wildfires in the future. They also help the reproduction of giant sequoias as well, since the fire not only provides seeds with mineral-rich ashes but also produces enough heat to allow the cones to release their seeds.

However, the half-day test burn demonstrated that now is not the right time for the full controlled burn.

Under current conditions, this prescribed burn would take much longer to complete than we had anticipated, and the moisture in the fuels would cause it to produce an inordinate amount of smoke, specialist Andrew Cremers said in a statement.

Officials said they will restart the project again under better conditions. Over the past 40 years, Sequoia National Park has conducted many controlled burns, which cost less and produce less pollution than wildfires. Compared to $250 per acre for a controlled burn, the devastating 2015 Rough Fire cost about $800 per acre to fight.

In the fiscal year of 2018, which ended on June 30, wildfires cost California about $773 million, which is triple the 2013 cost of $242 million, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). This uptick in deadly and large-scale wildfires in recent years has spurred Californians to investigate how to reduce such fire risk in the future.

California is once again on fire. But the action needed to reduce the states growing forest fire threat would be the same regardless of ones belief in any problems posed by climate change: start managing our forests again. @ChuckDevore https://t.co/eCI3gCXXd2  Texas Public Policy Foundation (@TPPF) July 30, 2018

In California, about one-third of the land is covered by forest, and most of the forest is owned by the government. Chuck DeVore, a former California Assemblyman, blamed Californias demanding environmental laws for supressing the timber business, which has led to dangerous levels of tree density in those forests.

The combustible fuel load in the forest predictably soared. No longer were forest management professionals clearing brush and thinning trees, DeVore wrote in an article published in Forbes.

But, fire suppression efforts continued.  Larger, more devastating firesfires so hot that they sterilized the soil, making regrowth difficult and altering the landscape. More importantly, fires that increasingly threatened lives and homes as they became hotter and more difficult to bring under control.

The California Forestry Association (CFA) estimated that the tree density in the Sierra Nevada has grown from an average of 40 trees per acre roughly 150 years ago to hundreds of trees per acre today, which poses an increased fire hazard, according to a recent report from CNBC.

Fire used to naturally go through the forest, and with 40 trees per acre, the fire will mostly stay on the ground, without creating a catastrophe, CFA President and CEO Rich Gordon told CNBC. This has been a wake-up call for California. We have to do something different to prevent these catastrophic fires.

While the California government devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to fighting wildfires and blamed climate change for the extreme fire conditions, the federal government urged California to improve its forest management to avoid these destructive fires.

.@SecretaryZinke on California wildfires: "It doesn't have to be the new norm. We need to go back and actively manage our forest." #Dobbs pic.twitter.com/ImAY3odYAw  FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) August 17, 2018

It doesnt have to be the new norm. We need to go back and actively manage our forests, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said in an interview with Fox. The amount of dead and dying timber, the density of trees is unprecedented. When a fire starts, you cant stop it.

Ive heard theyre arguing about global warming, Zinke added. Global warming is not the cause of the fires of this scale. It is a lack of management.

California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which arent allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire from spreading!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2018

In August, Governor Jerry Brown also voiced his support for planned burnings in order to thin out the forest, according to CNBC.

Brown signed SB 901 in September, which allowed landowners to remove trees up to 32 inches in diameter without a permit and to construct a road without a permit when its length is less than 600 feet.
Perfectly Rectangular Iceberg Captured by NASA Cameras

An unusual, rectangular iceberg floating in a sea off Antarctica was captured by one of NASAs research planes.

The aircraft flyover was part Operation IceBridge, NASAs longest-running aerial survey of polar ice. It flew over the Weddell Sea in the northern Antarctic Peninsula on Oct. 16, 2018.

Jeremy Harbeck, a scientist with the U.S. space agency, spotted the unusually angular iceberg.

I often see icebergs with relatively straight edges, but Ive not really seen one before with two corners at such right angles like this one had, Harbeck said in a statement.

The U.S. space agency said the objects sharp angles and flat surface suggested it had recently broken away from an ice shelf. The sharpness of the edges indicates the iceberg had not yet been worn down by ocean waves.

The icebergs sharp angles and flat surface indicate that it probably recently calved from the ice shelf, NASA tweeted, referring to the Larsen C ice shelf.

From yesterday's #IceBridge flight: A tabular iceberg can be seen on the right, floating among sea ice just off of the Larsen C ice shelf. The iceberg's sharp angles and flat surface indicate that it probably recently calved from the ice shelf. pic.twitter.com/XhgTrf642Z  NASA ICE (@NASA_ICE) October 17, 2018

Harbecks camera also captured a similarly regular, though slightly less rectangular, iceberg. The second iceberg is called A68.

I was actually more interested in capturing the A68 iceberg that we were about to fly over, but I thought this rectangular iceberg was visually interesting and fairly photogenic, so on a lark, I just took a couple photos, Harbeck said.

One of Harbecks photos includes both a fragment of the rectangular iceberg, as well as A68 in the distance.

Scientists said icebergs with regular features are common enough to be known by a special termtabular icebergs.

Geophysicist Kristin Poinar from the University at Buffalo told National Geographic that icebergs are full of cracks, along which they may fracture.

[Icebergs] look like these beautiful pristine white things from a distance, but if you look a little closer, theyre really mangled and full of cracks, she said.

The Larsen C is a large ice shelf. The ice has time to spread out and become perfectly flat, Poinar added, explaining that as the ice shears off, or calves, it may be highly regular in shape.

Sea ice specialist Alek Petty, a research scientist with Operation IceBridge, told NPR that the process could be compared to a glass plate shattering, where the edges are often straight. You can just get these fracture lines that can form these interesting geometric structures, he said.

A case in point would be a triangle-shaped iceberg spotted by NASA scientists recently and tweeted on Oct. 19.

From yesterday's #IceBridge flight:Triangular iceberg surrounded by many different types of sea ice, off the Larsen ice shelf in the Weddell Sea. In the open water, grease ice is forming. pic.twitter.com/L4WB36bV5H  NASA ICE (@NASA_ICE) October 19, 2018

While it is difficult to estimate the size of the iceberg from the photograph, experts said it was likely over a mile (1.6 kilometers) in length.

Senior research scientist Ted Scambos with the University of Colorado at Boulder told National Geographic that in his estimation, the iceberg is about 130 feet (40 meters) tall and anywhere from a mile or two long.

If you total the tons of ice [it contains], it would fill every swimming pool in California several times over, he said.

NASA said the flight that captured the rectangular iceberg originated in Punta Arenas, Chile, and is part of a five-weeklong IceBridge deployment that started on Oct. 10.

The aim of the survey is to assess changes in the ice height of several glaciers draining into the Larsen A, B, and C embayments.
Put Your Phone Down: a Distracted Driving Crackdown Is Coming

Like many diligent public servants, Georgia state Representative Ed Setzler enjoys crowing about a nice, tidy highway project. In a Sept. 8 Facebook video, the Republican appeared to be doing just that from behind the wheel of a car. This was less than three months after the state overwhelmingly passed a ban on handheld phone use in carslegislation that Setzler loudly opposed.

The optics werent good. The video (since removed) triggered a din of outrage, mostly from parents whose children were killed by distracted drivers. Setzler declined to discuss the video.

As regulators, technology companies and even the most conscientious road warriors struggle with the universal urge to tap out a text or tally likes in slow-moving traffic, state, and local policymakers are finally homing in on a strategy that works: deep and nuanced legislation, robust publicity campaigns and steep penaltiestopped off with a hefty dose of grief for those already lost.

In Georgia, as with much of the U.S., traffic fatalities have spiked in recent years. Representative John Carson, who sponsored the Georgia legislation, whipped up enough votes with some simple math. Reducing the states traffic fatalities by 20 percent would save 260 lives a year, the Republican reasoned. Thats a high-school class, Carson said before a critical vote in March.

When Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, also a Republican, finally signed the bill into law July 1, he broke down and took a moment to gather himself. This legislation is Georgias way of saying today is the day that we say no more.

Rhode Island and Oregon passed similar hands-free mandates months earlier. Though federal accident tallies have yet to be released, theres some evidence these laws are working. TrueMotion, a Massachusetts-based company that monitors mobile-phone use for insurance companies, said levels of distraction in Rhode Island and Oregon dropped by 19 percent in the month after each law took effect. Georgia, one of the worst offenders when it comes to smartphone use at the wheel, saw a 22 percent reduction in texting and app use during the first month of its law.

The results have been clear. Traffic fatalities in the state declined by 14 percent this year through September. Were cautiously optimistic, said Captain Derick Durden, a George state trooper. The law has teeth  and the compassion period is over; were going to be aggressively enforcing it now.

The prospect of higher insurance rates has also helped buttress such laws. TrueMotion is now monitoring drivers for eight of the top 20 U.S. underwriters, including Nationwide Mutual Insurance and MetLife. Brighton, Mass.-based Hanover Insurance Group, its newest client, is giving its teenage customers Amazon.com gift cards for staying off the phone while driving.

The really interesting thing about all of thisthere seems to be a strong correlation between the amount of media exposure distraction is getting and the drop in distraction, said TrueMotion marketing director Matt Fiorentino. Most people dont recognize the danger, or they dont recognize their own habits.

Lasting progress, however, may be more difficult. Dig a little deeper into the statistics and the issue appears daunting. TrueMotion said the average American driver spends 17 percent of every trip talking, swiping or texting. Zendrive, another startup that monitors in-vehicle phone use, said the behavior is rapidly getting worse in almost every part of the U.S.

Still, Georgias numbers are emboldening lawmakers elsewhere. Stopdistractions.org is pushing hands-free legislation in 14 states at the moment, from Florida to Arizona and up to Minnesota. Executive Director Jennifer Smith estimates that the legislation stands a good chance in 10 of those states. Weve finally got all the kinks out, she said. And the public is finally at the point where theyre fed up. They know this is a massive problem.

Meanwhile, Carson, the architect of the Georgia bill, has become a paragon of political dexterity in a tremendously polarized time. Fellow conservatives from about six states have reached out to him for tips on addressing distracted drivingand how to do it without losing support among right-leaning voters who tend to be skeptical of government oversight. Lawmakers dont really want to push regulations onto their constituents, period, Carson said. From the Republican side, it looks like big government. On the Democrat side, it looks like more police enforcement.

What his fellow lawmakers have been slow to realize, however, is that most people want a crackdown on distracted driving. Safety is not a partisan issue, Carson tells them, nor is the irritation of waiting while the driver ahead of you bangs out a tweet. The public is way out ahead on this, he explained. Every single person I talked to said something needs to be done about it.

Ironically, the countrys least-distracted drivers are in Alaska, a state that still doesnt have a law addressing hand-held phone use. Perhaps its the majestic scenery that keeps Alaskan eyes fixed out the windshieldor maybe the $10,000 fine for texting.

By Kyle Stock

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Bags of heroin, some laced with fentanyl, are displayed before a press conference regarding a major drug bust in New York City on Sept. 23, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party Killed Dilbert Creators Stepson With Fentanyl

During the Vietnam War, 15 percent of U.S. servicemen became addicted to heroin, which extrapolates to well over 100,000 Americans. It was truly catastrophic.

If there were ever a time for America to face up to the drug problem, in a deeply honest way, this was it.

Gen. Lewis Walta highly decorated four-star Marine general who had served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnamwarned in compelling congressional testimony in 1972 that Americans had a drug problem because communists wanted Americans to have a drug problem.

Walt explained that the heroin flooding Vietnam wasnt from ordinary street criminals, because it was over 90 percent pure. And it wasnt profit-driven, because the Chinese were selling the heroin for a loss. He concluded, quite logically, the drugs were political in nature and bound to have a demoralizing, long-term impact on American society.

Beijing was engaged in covert chemical warfare against Americans. Thats blockbuster testimony from an extremely credible source.

However, Walts revelations were politically inconvenient. President Richard Nixon had just gone on his celebrated trip to Beijing, palled around with Chairman Mao, and informed Americans that we were to be allies with China.

But how could we build a relationship with a country that was purposefully killing Americans in one of the most despicable ways possible? A serious problem for ordinary folks, but, apparently, not for Nixon. He ignored Walts testimony.

In fact, the American establishment actively suppressed knowledge of what China was up to. In one example of many in this tragic history of betrayal, when the CIA drew a triangle on a map indicating that China was a prime supplier of drugs, the Nixon White House simply moved the triangle off China.

Every presidential administration since has continued Nixons policy of turning a blind eye to Beijings nefarious machinations and, all the while, binding the United States and China closer together.

But while President Donald Trump is finally putting an end to that, so much damage has already been done. The opioid problem facing America has become a crisis.

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, took to Periscope in a video, dated Oct. 1, in which he fought off tears to say that his 18-year-old stepson had just died of an apparent fentanyl overdose, from a fentanyl patch and possibly counterfeit Xanax mixed with more fentanyl.

An extraordinary 68 percent of all the fentanyl in the world originates in China, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Its likely that Adamss deceased stepson was directly killed by Chinese fentanyl, or he died because of the Chinese fentanyl that had already created and fed his addiction.

Its been about 50 years since Nixon gave his famous speech declaring drug abuse to be Americas public enemy No. 1. Since then, Americas drug problem has become an order of magnitude worse.

In 2017, about 30,000 U.S. drug overdose deaths were related to fentanyl and synthetic opioids. Americas drug policy has been a staggering failure, even by The Swamps incredibly low standards.

Of course, if Walt was right, and Chinas plan was to kill Americans with drugs, and they continued that policy, as we built closer ties with them, this is exactly the result youd expect to see.

Joseph Douglass Jr.s seminal book, Red Cocaine, which takes a courageous look at the drug problem, elaborates on Walts 1972 testimony. Its required reading for anyone who wants to get serious about the problem.

Douglass explained that Chinas use of heroin during the Vietnam War and the Chinese fentanyl flooding America today arent isolated incidents. They are part of a continuing plan in which China uses drugs as a strategic weapon to weaken enemies (Douglass also writes extensively about Moscows participation in this same plan).

He traced this plans origins back to 1928, when Mao began distributing opium to destroy domestic non-communists. When Mao took over China in 1949, he expanded operations to Japan. A top Soviet ideologist later observed that Chinas strategy was to disarm the capitalists with the things they like to taste [meaning drugs].

To avoid provoking the United States, Beijing took rudimentary steps to mask their actions. They would often work through proxies such as in Mexico. In addition, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents would never identify as such, but rather as mafia, oligarchs, or businessmen, to create the illusion that they were rogue entities.

Chinas deception has been sufficient for people who want to be fooled. But the truth is there for anyone with the will to see it.

China is currently setting up the worlds biggest camera surveillance network, alongside a trustworthiness score for each of its citizens. George Orwells 1984 now exists in reality. Does anyone truly think that Chinese people in China would be manufacturing and distributing unprecedented amounts of fentanyl if the CCP didnt want that to happen?

The CCP is responsible for so many fentanyl deaths, its like the entire Vietnam War is happening inside of the United States, every single year.

The president is entirely right to place tariffs on China. Its true, from a short-term economic perspective, that tariffs are a bad idea: the pricing on our trinkets and baubles will rise. But theres more to life, for those of us alive, than cheap toys.

Daniel Ashman is an analyst from the suburbs of Massachusetts. He is the author of the book Russian Agents: The Clintons Attack Against America. His website is AshmanReport.com and he can be found on Twitter @dashman76.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A Russian flag flies next to the U.S. embassy building in Moscow on Oct. 22, 2018. U.S. national security adviser John Bolton is in Moscow holding meetings with senior Russian officials following Washington's weekend announcement of withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

The Media and Politicians Are Wrong on Both the INF Treaty and Saudi Arabia

Commentary

Without any advance warning, President Donald Trump announced Oct. 20 that the United States will be withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia.

John Noonan, a frequent national security commentator in the media and a former adviser to Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, had this to say on Twitter: Arms control agreements are good when you have willing partners. Lightens the load on our military. Russia hasnt been a willing partner in years. There will be gnashing of teeth from people who do arms control advocacy full time, but this is the right move.

Arms control agreements are good when you have willing partners. Lightens the load on our military. Russia hasnt been a willing partner in years. There will be gnashing of teeth from people who do arms control advocacy full time, but this is right movehttps://t.co/WmQE43ERCB  John Noonan (@noonanjo) October 20, 2018

Noonan was indeed correct. Trumps announcement was immediately followed by a media scrum chock-full of arms control experts engaging in all manner of chin-stroking and hand-wringing about this development.

An example of the stories that immediately surfaced is this oneTrump says US will withdraw from nuclear arms treaty with Russiaat The Guardian, which has this tagline: Experts warn of most severe crisis in nuclear arms control since the 1980s as Trump confirms US will leave INF agreement.

What is the INF treaty and why would Trumps decision to withdraw from it provoke such a reaction?

Created in 1987 between President Ronald Reagan and the USSRs Mikhail Gorbachev, the treaty, as explained by the Arms Control Association, required the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate and permanently forswear all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

The Arms Control Association fact sheet goes on to relay some pertinent recent historythat four years ago it became apparent the Russians were violating the treaty:

The United States first alleged in its July 2014 Compliance Report that Russia is in violation of its INF Treaty obligations not to possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile having a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles. Subsequent State Department assessments in 2015, 2016, and 2017 repeated these allegations. In March 2017, a top U.S. official confirmed press reports that Russia had deployed the noncompliant missile. Russia denies that it is in violation of the agreement.

So to sum up, over the past decade or so, Russiain direct violation of the INF treatydesigned, tested, and, most importantly, deployed a missile with a range of greater than 500 to 5,500 kilometers. U.S. intelligence only became aware of the new Russian missile when it reached the testing stage in 2014. In 2017, Russia reached the next step of deploying its new 9M729 missile.

Despite the fact U.S. intelligence agencies have verified that the Russians have essentially withdrawn from the treaty by blatantly violating it after deploying this new missile, arms control experts have spent the last few days decrying Trumps decision.

Isolationism

Politicians have also loudly called for Trump to reconsider. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has spent the past several days telling anyone who will listen to him that Trump is making a huge mistake here.

Paul, like his dad, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, has a strong isolationism bent in his foreign policy views. In my time commenting on politics, especially here in Texas, Ive encountered many fans of Pauls isolationist views. Theyve never grasped that being isolationist is not America first when you examine it. What it really means is America alone.

A common trait of the isolationist wing of the American political scene is the consistent grousing about the United States pursuing military alliances with allies overseaslike Trump has been doing with Saudi Arabia.

Unless youve been living under a rock for the past two weeks, that budding new alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia now faces a stiff test due to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Plenty of people were not happy that Trump was ditching Obamas years of hard work on the Iran deal to suddenly forge a new alliance with the reforming kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Khashoggi murder has given them a cause to rally their efforts to thwart the development of this new relationship.

As it so happens, one of the people most upset by Trumps ending the Iran deal to pursue an alliance with the House of Saud is  Rand Paul.

What Obama was engineering during his years of control of the United Statess foreign policy was a de facto isolationism. He wasnt building an alliance with Iran as much as he was facilitating abandoning the Middle Eastern region to Russian dominance through its client state, Iran. Since he viewed such dominance as inevitable, he was merely trying to delay Iranian nuclear capability and get the best deal he could as the United States reduced its influence in the region.

Obama wouldnt even leave behind a token security force in Iraq, so of course what happened was the rise of the ISIS terrorist group. He also pumped billions of dollars into the Iranian coffers, which the mullahs eagerly used to fund destabilizing wars, terrorism, and criminal enterprises all over the globe.

In direct contrast to Iran, whatever problems or shortcomings the Saudi kingdom has, its not exporting terrorism worldwide and its not seeking to spread a politically charged Islamic fundamentalist revolution beyond its borders the way Iran is.

Although in the past there were factions within Saudi Arabia that supported the exportation of Wahhabist ideology, that is no longer the case, as many of the recent reforms in the kingdom have demonstrated.

Trumps new alliance with Saudi Arabia is both sensible and practical as a strategic way to counterbalance the Iranian and Russian activities in the region.

Would it surprise you to learn that the minute Paul heard Trump was looking to get out of the Iran deal, he suddenly became a huge fan of it? After all, it got us out of the region. He was very upset Trump was going to scrap it while forming an alliance with Saudi Arabia.

At the time Obama was making the deal, Paul said repeatedly he was against it. Once Trump started talking about ending the deal and forging an alliance with Saudi Arabia, all of a sudden Paul was everywhere trying to save the Iran deal.

And no, Im not making this up: Rand PaulDont Blow Up the Iran Deal read the headline from Politico. Rand Paul says hed support talks between Trump and Iran, mistake to exit nuclear deal, reported CNN. Lawmakers Once Opposed To The Iran Deal Now Blast Trumps Decision To Withdraw, reported USA Today.

Paul was against what he called any new Middle East entanglements. No new alliances, no new nothing was his policy.

So by the time Trump was elected and started making overtures to Saudi Arabia, Paul had done a 180 on the Iran deal and was now saying a Russian-backed nuclear Iran with a hegemony over the entire Middle East was just fine with him, since for some reason a Saudi alliance was suddenly completely unacceptable.

Threatsespecially nuclear threatsdont go away just because you insist on a policy of isolationism and abandon your allies to deal with the threats themselves.

Trump is about the furthest thing from a war-mongering neocon there is, but I dont think Paul can see that. Keep this in mind as Paul and others spend the next week or so loudly calling for abandoning Saudi Arabia and staying in the INF treaty.

Brian Cates is a political pundit and writer based in South Texas and the author of Nobody Asked for My Opinion  But Here It Is Anyway!

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett briefs reporters about the Trump Administration's economic policy during a news conference in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on Sept. 10, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump Administration Slams Socialism in New Report

Implementing socialist policies would cost the average American about $11,000 per year, says Council of Economic Advisers

WASHINGTONThe White House released a 70-page report on Oct. 23 that knocks socialism and far-left policies pushed by Democrats, such as Medicare for All.

The report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, titled The Opportunity Cost of Socialism, assesses the impact of socialist policies that have recently become popular in the United States.

Coincident with the 200th anniversary of Karl Marxs birth, socialism is making a comeback in American political discourse, the report said.

Detailed policy proposals from self-declared socialists are gaining support in Congress and among much of the electorate.

The CEA report tries to illustrate how the United States would look like if the country implemented socialism to varying degrees. It examines the Nordic countries, which are commonly cited as success stories by present-day socialists.

If the United States implemented current Nordic policies, according to the report, American families with average incomes would pay $2,000 to $5,000 more taxes per year net.

The report claims U.S. socialists envision moving the countrys policies to align with those of the Nordic countries in the 1970s, which was the height of their experiment with socialism. The picture would be worse if America implemented those policies, with real GDP declining by at least 19 percent over the long term or about $11,000 per year for the average American.

Proponents of socialism acknowledge that the experiences of the USSR and other highly socialist countries are not worth repeating, but they continue to advocate for increased taxation and state control in order to help low-income people, the report stated.

Replacing U.S. policies with highly socialist policies such as Venezuelas would result in a 40 percent decline in real GDP in the long run and cost about 24,000 per year for the average person, CEA estimates.

From an economic perspective, its not difficult to see why socialism has not been optimal, Kevin Hassett, chairman of the CEA, said in a conference call with reporters on Oct. 23. It provides little material incentive for production and innovationthat is, for people and businesses to do what they can do to enlarge the economic pie.

Today, the Nordic countries arent particularly socialist, Hassett said, adding that they dont provide free health care, they dont heavily regulate businesses, and their tax system is much less progressive than in the United States.

Their past experience with socialism is one reason why the Nordic countries have moved so many of their policies away from socialism and away from the socialist ideal, he said.

Hassett also warned that proposals on the table, like the Medicare for all proposal in the United States, are very consistent with the design of socialism.

Medicare for All

Socialist policy proposals are making significant inroads in Congress. In 2013, Medicare for All by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had no co-sponsors in the Senate. Today, however, more than one-third of Democratic senators have endorsed it.

And the Senate and House Medicare for All plans are currently sponsored or cosponsored by 141 members of Congress, according to the CEA report.

The legislation seeks to establish a government-run, single-payer health care system, eliminating all private and employer-based plans.

The health sector is one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy and, hence, the single-payer health care system continues to be the cornerstone of current socialist policy proposals in the country.

According to Hassett, U.S. socialists want to nationalize the payments for 18 percent of the economy through Medicare for All legislation. The CEA report argues that the proposal would marginally increase the fraction of the population with health insurance, but warns against the astonishing costs.

If Medicare for All were financed without additional borrowing or tax hikes, then all other programs of the federal government would need to be reduced by more than half, according to the report.

Hassett said this would result in a cut to Social Security of about $0.7 trillion and to the defense budget of about $0.4 trillion.

Or if Medicare for all were financed through higher taxes, the economy would shrink by 9 percent or about $7,000 per person in the year 2022, due to the tax burden.

Evidence on the productivity and effectiveness of single-payer systems suggests that Medicare for All would reduce short and long-run longevity, as well as overall health and healthcare delivery, Hassett said.

For example, wait times to visit healthcare specialists are higher in countries with a single-payer system, he explained. In addition, the United States outperforms many European countries in the longevity of individuals over 75 years old. The study shows that the single-payer system reduces longevity and health, particularly among the elderly.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Democrats, should they seize control of power, would turn the country into the next Venezuela.

The new Democrats are radical socialists who want to model Americas economy after Venezuela, he wrote in a USA Today op-ed published on Oct. 10.

He said the Medicare for All Act would cost nearly $32.6 trillion during its first 10 years of full implementation.

In practice, the Democratic Partys so-called Medicare for All would really be Medicare for None. Under the Democrats plan, todays Medicare would be forced to die, he wrote.

The CEA report also talks about extreme socialist cases, such as Maoist China, Cuba, and the Soviet Union.

Socialist takeovers of agriculture, one of the largest sectors of the economy, tended to deliver the opposite of what was pledged, the report says.

Government takeovers were advertised as the path to abundant food, helping the downtrodden, and punishing the rich. Food production plummeted and tens of millions of people died from starvation in the USSR, China, North Korea, and other state-run economies, it states.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the size of the reduction that would result to the defense budget if Medicare for All were financed without additional borrowing or tax hikes, according to a report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The cut to the defense budget would be $0.4 trillion. The Epoch Times regrets the mistake.
Trump Condemns Attempted Attacks Against Clintons and Obama, Calls for Unity

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence condemned the attempted attacks against Bill and Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama on Oct. 24, referring to suspicious packages addressed to the Clintons and Obama that were intercepted by the Secret Service.

Trump told a crowd at the White House on Oct. 24 that the full weight of our government will be deployed to investigate the crimes.

We will spare no resources and expense, he added. Acts and threats of political violence have no place in the United States of America.

Trump said he was extremely upset about the attacks and promised: We will get to the bottom of it.

He also called for the nation to come together. In these times, we have to unify. We have to come together, he said.

His remarks came after Pence issued a statement condemning the attacks.

We condemn the attempted attacks against former president Obama, the Clintons, CNN, and others, Pence said in a statement on Twitter. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of Secret Service, FBI, and local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.

We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) October 24, 2018

White House press secretary Sarah Saunders said via Twitter that the president and his administration are closely monitoring the situation.

Our condemnation of these despicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN, as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated, she wrote.

CNNs New York headquarters was evacuated after a suspicious package was discovered in the Time Warner Center mailroom.

In a previous statement, Sanders called whoever sent the package cowards.

This is an ongoing situation that President Trump and his admin are monitoring closely. Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and wont be tolerated. https://t.co/YbMbCUWMPC  Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 24, 2018

The Secret Service said it intercepted the packages addressed to the Clintons and Obama, while the NYPD was investigating the device in New York City.

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail-screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them, the Secret Service said in a statement.

The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.

A number of other reports of suspicious packages received were emerging Oct. 24, including several that were sent to news agencies in California.

The packages came after an explosive device was reportedly received by billionaire George Soros, who funds various liberal groups, and mail was sent to the home of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that purportedly contained the poison ricin.

Several packages that tested positive for the poison, addressed to top Pentagon officials and the president at the White House, were intercepted in early October.

From NTD.tv
Trump Signs Water Infrastructure Bill into Law

Proponents say it will foster clean water, help with flooding, and maintain ports and waterways

President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan water infrastructure bill into law on Oct. 23 that its sponsors described as a step forward for infrastructure, the economy, and public health.

The bill, Americas Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA), gives more resources to communities for flooding, to maintain ports and harbors, to expand water storage, and to improve irrigation, wastewater and drinking water systems, among other things.

It also seeks to cut down on spending by creating a list of projects to be deauthorized.

This bipartisan law authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct, expedite, modify or study more than 100 water resource projects, Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) said in a USA Today op-ed. These important projects will create jobs here at home and spur economic growth. They will keep our waterways open to make it easier for American products to reach markets around the globe, keeping us competitive for years to come.

The bill increases the involvement of local communities in prioritizing Army Corps projects because those on the ground often understand the needs of their communities best, the sponsors of the bill wrote.

The bicameral legislation passed with 99 votes in the Senate and one lone no vote by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Drinking Water

The act authorizes $4.4 billion in drinking water revolving loan funds over the next three years to help states comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act by taking out loans to build and maintain drinking water systems.

It also allocates $20 million for a program to improve water infrastructure systems on Indian reservations from 2019 to 2022.

For communities struggling to deal with or prevent contaminants in their water supply, the act allows states to apply for a grant from the federal government. Possibly in a nod to the Flint water crisis, the bill also includes language to hold any person or entity responsible for paying back the grant money if they caused or contributed to the contamination.

Under the bill, schools can apply for grants to replace drinking fountains manufactured before 1988 or to test lead levels in school drinking water.

The events that produced elevated lead levels in the water in Flint, Michigan, were both tragic and avoidable, wrote the sponsors. All parentsno matter what ZIP code they live inshould have confidence that the water coming out of their tap is safe for their kids to drink. These same assurances should extend to schools as well.

Flooding

The legislation seeks to prevent flooding by maintaining dams, levees, beaches, and wetlands through the financing of certain infrastructure projects.

The Secretary of the Army must report to Congress about urban flooding and what federal policy constraints there are to addressing them. It also appropriates $60 million more for the rehabilitation of dams constructed by the Army Corps than is currently in the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, and extends the National Dam Safety Act through 2023.

Workforce Development

To encourage jobs in the water utility sector, the act creates a grant program that institutions or organizations can apply to workforce and career development events, internships, and training in the water utility sector or that connect people to water utility jobs. The program was allocated $1 million for the years 2019 and 2020.

As a candidate, I called for a great rebuilding of Americas crumbling infrastructure and were taking another major step toward that goal, Trump said during the signing of the bill. I am particularly proud that this legislation extends a requirement that protects  projects supported by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund use construction materialsall made in the U.S.A.

Under this administration, we are living by two simple but very important rulesbuy American and hire American.

After signing the bill, Trump turned to Pastor Andrew Brunson, who came into the Oval Office with Vice President Mike Pence after a meeting. He gave Brunson the pen he signed the bill with, telling him it was a very important pen because it was a very important water bill.

God has blessed us with many natural resources as a country, and we need to be grateful to him, Brunson said while accepting the pen.

After telling the Democrats who worked on the legislation that he planned to work more with them on infrastructure bills, he gave them a pen for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Customers queue at an Apple store to buy the iPhone X in Hong Kong on Nov. 3, 2017. ( Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images)

When Smartphone Terms of Use Become Cyber-Enslavement Agreements

Commentary

This article is part of a series on corporate surveillance highlighting civil liberty, privacy, cyber security, safety, and tech-product user exploitation threats associated with connected products that are supported by the Android (Google) OS, Apple iOS, and Microsoft Windows OS.

So far, in this series of articles, we have covered Surveillance Capitalism: Monetizing the Smartphone User and Legal Malware: How Tech Giants Collect Personal and Professional Info Through Apps.

Now, let me pose a question: How is it legal for tech giants to intentionally develop addictive technology in order to lawfully exploit their product users for financial gain at the expense of the users civil liberties, privacy, cyber security, and safety?

Answer: The collective published (online) and unpublished (hidden-in-device) terms of use that support all products concerned give content developers the ability to lawfully monitor, track, and data-mine the product user for financial gain.

Terms of Use Analysis

After analyzing the pre-installed (rooted) content that supported a Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone that I had purchased from a T-Mobile corporate store, I was astonished to learn that there were more than 15 multinational companies enabled to monitor, track, and data-mine almost all of the product users personal and professional telecom-related digital DNA.

I was horrified to find out that the collective digital DNA being harvested and used for financial gain by all parties concerned included the following:

 Surveillance data, such as location data, geofence data, motion data, health and fitness data, auto-telematics (a cars speed), biometric data, audio and video of the user, among others. Note that geofence data includes the specific time a user arrives and departs from specific locations.

 Sensitive user data, such as the users ID, text messages, email attachments, emails, contacts (electronic address book), calendar events, instant messages, and other particulars.

 Surveillance and sensitive user data acquired from multiple sources (connected to the host device), such as voice-automated products (e.g. Echo powered by Amazon), social media accounts, personal accounts (banking, medical, etc.), tablet PCs, TVs, and vehicles.

One of the companies enabled to harvest digital DNA that I identified was Baidu, a Chinese state-owned company. Following the Baidu revelation, I asked myself if I had actually agreed to be monitored, tracked, and data-mined by all parties concerned when I clicked on I Agree, without reading the fine print to accept the collective product terms of use.

I needed to validate if I had actually agreed to be surveilled and data mined 24 hours a day, 7 days week, 365 days a year for financial gain, so I authored a Samsung Galaxy Note terms of use and pre-installed content report and analysis.

I initially reviewed the published (online) terms of use to see if I had actually agreed to enable 15 or more multinational companies to surveil and data-mine my collective digital DNA associated with the use of my Samsung Galaxy Note.

I couldnt find anything specific other than references to the fact that all parties concerned were enabled to share unidentifiable personal information with third-parties, such as advertisers, publishers, partners, and other nebulous entities, as confirmed by Google and T-Mobiles privacy policies.

I had a false sense of security that my ID was at least protected, but I was highly concerned with regard to how much surveillance companies were conducting on my personal and professional activities, plus how much collective digital DNA that said companies were enabled to collect and use.

It wasnt until I analyzed the unpublished (hidden-in-device) terms of use that supported the pre-installed content that I was able to understand how much collective digital DNA that the content developers were able to collect and use for financial gain.

Not only did my report conclude that pre-installed content, such as apps, was essentially a legal form of malware, enabling the content developers to surveil me at all times while data-mining my confidential digital DNA from my Galaxy Note, but I also learned that the terms of use were essentially the equivalent to a cyber-enslavement agreement, enabling the content developers to exploit product users for financial gain while posing huge privacy and cybersecurity threats to users.

My research, coupled with the admissions by T-Mobile, Verizon, Google, and Facebook, concluded that social media, smartphone, and connected-product users may be clicking away their civil liberties, privacy, cybersecurity, and safety when they click on I Agree without reading the fine print.

Furthermore, users are agreeing in some cases to pay content providers to exploit their personal data for financial gain at the expense of their civil liberties, privacy, cybersecurity, and safety.

In essence, all product users can actually be described as uncompensated information producers, who are being exploited for financial gain by the very tech companies that users patronize with their loyalty, trust, and hard-earned money.

Clicking on I Agree

Now for another question: Why do we click on I Agree without reading the fine print, if the consequences are so devastating to ones civil liberties, privacy, cyber security, and safety?

Answer: We click on I Agree without reading the fine print to participate, coupled with the fact that so many of us are suffering from cyber-addiction due to addictive technology.

The first step to recovery is admitting that theres a problem.

We are so eager to participate due to our addiction to technology that we will actually click on I Agree to accept a legal contract without bothering to read the fine print, even if the legal contract is predatory, exploitative, and misleading.

Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, and other tech giants bank on the fact that people, including children as young as 13, will just click on I Agree to accept a legal agreement without reading the fine print.

The fact that product users arent reading the fine print has earned billions in profits for said companies by way of exploiting their product users collective digital DNA for financial gain.

Following my research of the legal process that supports smartphones, connected products, and content such as apps, I was shocked to find out that the product user is agreeing to accept published (online) and unpublished (hidden-in-device) terms of use when they click on I Agree.

Published (online) terms of use are transparent to the tech-product user and consist of

terms and conditions (T&Cs)

privacy policies

end user licensing agreements (EULAs)

Unpublished terms of use (application legalese) arent transparent to the product user and consist of

application permission statements (App Permissions)

application product warnings

interactive application permission command strings

Some smartphone and connected-product users are familiar with app permissions associated with third-party content, such as apps that are distributed by sources such as Google Play or the Apple App Store.

However, nearly all smartphone and connected product users dont realize that the pre-installed apps, widgets, and emojis that support their devices are also supported by app permissions, which are also supported by application product warnings and interactive application permission command strings.

Which leads me to my next question: Why is the pre-installed application legalese so important to the product user?

Answer: The app legalese explains the level of surveillance that content developers can conduct on the product user, while also explaining how much personal and professional telecom-related digital DNA can be collected by the parties concerned.

The pre-installed app legalese is the most important legalese to the product owner and/or user, yet companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Baidu hide the application legalese within the operating system of the product.

I believe that all parties concerned hide the app legalese because most people wouldnt buy a smartphone if they were able to read it prior to making a product purchase.

Dont take my word for this claim: Read the Android app legalese examples below that are associated with the pre-installed content that supports the Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone.

The samples below include the word-for-word legalese plus screenshots of the Android (Google) app permissions and product warnings, which arent published within the online terms of use:

Access to your personal ID: Allows apps to read personal profile information stored on your device, such as your name and contact information. This means that apps can identify you and may send your profile information to others.

Access to your social media messages (includes product warning to censor speech): Allows the app to access and sync social updates from you and your friends. Be careful when sharing informationthis allows the app to read communications between you and your friends on social media networks, regardless of confidentiality. Note: this permission may not be enforced on all social networks.

Access to your text messages: Allows the app to read SMS messages stored on your phone or SIM card. This allows the app to read all SMS messages, regardless of content or confidentiality.

Access to your contacts (includes product warning): Allows the app to read data about your contacts stored on your phone, including the frequency with which youve called, emailed, or communicated in other ways with specific individuals. This permission allows the apps to save your contact data, and malicious apps may share contact data without your knowledge.

Access to your calendar data: Allows the app to read all calendar events stored on your phone, including those of friends or co-workers. This may allow the app to share or save your calendar data, regardless of confidentiality or sensitivity.

Access to the devices microphone and volume control: Allows the app to record audio with the microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation. Allows the app to modify global audio settings, such as the volume and which speaker is used for output.

Access to the devices camera: Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation.

Access to email attachments and instant messages: Allows this application to access your email attachments. Read Instant Messages.

Access to surveillance data (e.g., location data): Allows the app to get your precise location using the Global Positioning System (GPS) or network sources, such as cell towers and Wi-Fi. These location services must be turned on and available to your device for the app to use them. Apps may use this to determine where you are, and may consume additional battery power.

Note that the above app permissions and product warnings are only a few of numerous permissions that support a single smartphone. Some individual apps can be supported by over 60 intrusive and exploitative permissions.

So this then begs the question: If you were enabled to read the enclosed pre-installed app permissions and product warnings prior to making your smartphone purchase, would you have purchased your smartphone?

I believe that it is illegal to hide application legalese and product warnings from consumers and businesses.

Hiding product warnings from consumers is tantamount to a cigarette company hiding the product warnings associated with cigarettes within the packaging.

Smartphones Arent Private or Secure

In closing, we can see that telecom-related products such as smartphones and connected products that are supported by the Android OS, Apple iOS, and Microsoft Windows OS arent private, secure, or safe forms of telecommunications and computing, due to uncontrollable pre-installed surveillance and data-mining technology in the form of content such as apps.

Dont take my word for this claim: T-Mobile and Verizon told me that all products concerned arent private, secure or safe due to pre-installed surveillance and data mining technology developed by Google, Apple, and Microsoft, plus all relevant pre-installed content developers.

T-Mobiles admission: We, too, remember a time before smartphones when it was reasonable to conclude that when you activated service with T-Mobile that only T-Mobile would have access to our personal information. However, with the Samsung Galaxy Note, the iPhone, and many other devices, there are indeed a variety of parties that may collect and use information.T-Mobile Privacy Team (FCC Consumer Complaint #423849 filed by Rex M. Lee/Public Record)

In April, I contacted Verizon to see if I could purchase a private, secure, and safe smartphone, tablet PC, or even a traditional cellular phone. While Verizon said they could sell me a private, secure, and safe telecom-related solution, after reviewing the options, I concluded that wasnt the case.

Verizon agreed with my conclusions that all products concerned arent private, secure, or safe telecom-related solutions:

Verizons admission: We have reviewed your request at the highest levels of our organization and have confirmed that the only solutions to make a phone private and secure are available through third-parties, not directly from Verizon.  Additionally, Verizon is not equipped to address preinstalled solutions or applications on any device. (July 2, 2018)

Note that pre-installed and/or third-party mobile device management (MDM) and security apps, such as Samsung Knox and IBM MaaS360, dont protect the product user from the pre-installed surveillance and data-mining technology developed by all parties concerned.

My closing question is, how come the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, state attorneys general, and lawmakers havent protected U.S. citizens, children, and business professionals from companies that employ predatory surveillance and data-mining business practices rooted in surveillance capitalism?

This question remains unanswered. However, I will be addressing this question, as well as how to understand your rights, the harmful use of digital DNA, and the legality regarding surveillance and data-mining business practices in my next articles.

Rex M. Lee is a privacy and data security consultant and Blackops Partners analyst and researcher.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Willa Dissipates, but Evacuations Continue, Towns Cut Off

MAZATLAN, MexicoEmergency workers struggled to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Hurricane Willa, and the storm continued to force evacuations on Oct. 24, due to fear of flooding even as it dissipated over northern Mexico. Thousands of homes were still without power.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or missing people, but the storms 120 mph (195 kph) winds damaged a hospital, knocked out power, toppled wood-shack homes and ripped metal roofing off other houses in the Sinaloa state municipality of Escuinapa when it came ashore Tuesday evening.

Nearly 102,000 homes lost electricity after the storm made landfall, the head of the state electricity company said on Twitter. Service had been restored to about 62 percent of those.

The state civil defense office said the hospitals ceiling and some other areas were damaged in Escuinapa.

The worst damage was expected to be in the handful of coastal communities that were cut off by road and without communications. Workers were trying to remove toppled power poles and trees blocking the road.

In the farming neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, a half mile from Escuinapas center, neighbors cried when describing how the wind swept up their tin roofs and wooden house frames while they sheltered under their heaviest furniture.

Ruben Avila and his wife, Juana, told The Associated Press they were disappointed that government officials had not yet arrived with help, as they sat among their scattered belongings under pouring rain Wednesday. Mattresses and remains of their belongings lay soaked on the ground.

In neighboring Nayarit state, Gov. Antonio Echevarria asked the federal government to send a helicopter, boats and rescue equipment. He said the state was trying to evacuate people in communities at risk of flooding.

Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque, Willa swept over an offshore penal colony about 60 miles (100 kilometers) out in the Pacific. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of inmates was a priority.

Willa peaked as a Category 5 storm with winds of 55 mph (250 kph) over the Pacific on Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm rapidly lost force and dissipated over northern Mexico Wednesday morning.

Concern about rains led Durango state to say it was evacuating 200 people threatened by possible spills from the Santa Elena dam. In Nayarit, the fire department urged residents in villages near the Acaponeta river to evacuate immediately as the river rose to dangerous levels.

Willa came ashore about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to high-rise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.

Torrential rains began in the afternoon, and emergency officials said they had evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal towns and set up 58 shelters ahead of the storm. Schools were ordered closed.

By Marco Ugarte
A family stands near their damaged home and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, in Escuinapa, Mexico, Oct. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Willa Dissipates, but Evacuations Continue

MAZATLAN, MexicoEmergency workers struggled to reach beach towns left incommunicado by a blow from Hurricane Willa, and the storm continued to force evacuations on Oct. 24 due to fear of flooding even as it dissipated over northern Mexico. Thousands of homes were still without power.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or missing people, but the storms 120 mph (195 kph) winds damaged a hospital, knocked out power, toppled wood-shack homes and ripped metal roofing off other houses in the Sinaloa state municipality of Escuinapa when it came ashore Oct. 23 evening.

Nearly 102,000 homes lost electricity after the storm made landfall, the head of the state electricity company said on Twitter. Service had been restored to about 62 percent of those.

The state civil defense office said the hospitals ceiling and some other areas were damaged in Escuinapa.

The worst damage was expected to be in the handful of coastal communities that were cut off by road and without communications. Workers were trying to remove toppled power poles and trees blocking the road.

In the farming neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, a half mile (kilometer) from Escuinapas center, neighbors cried when describing how the wind swept up their tin roofs and wooden house frames while they sheltered under their heaviest furniture.

Ruben Avila and his wife, Juana, told The Associated Press they were disappointed that government officials had not yet arrived with help, as they sat among their scattered belongings under pouring rain on Oct. 24. Mattresses and remains of their belongings lay soaked on the ground.

In neighboring Nayarit state, Gov. Antonio Echevarria asked the federal government to send a helicopter, boats and rescue equipment. He said the state was trying to evacuate people in communities at risk of flooding.

Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque, Willa swept over an offshore penal colony about 60 miles (100 kilometers) out in the Pacific. Federal authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of inmates was a priority.

Willa peaked as a Category 5 storm with winds of 55 mph (250 kph) over the Pacific on Oct. 22. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm rapidly lost force and dissipated over northern Mexico on the morning of Oct. 24.

Concern about rains led Durango state to say it was evacuating 200 people threatened by possible spills from the Santa Elena dam. In Nayarit, the fire department urged residents in villages near the Acaponeta river to evacuate immediately as the river rose to dangerous levels.

Willa came ashore about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to high-rise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.

Torrential rains began in the afternoon, and emergency officials said they had evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal towns and set up 58 shelters ahead of the storm. Schools were ordered closed.

By Marco Ugarte
NORWALK  Parents have often asked Devanshi Amin, How do you get your son to practice?

Its not a question Amin has had to spend much time puzzling over. Getting her son, Arav, 11, to stop practicing his violin has more often been the issue.

Wed always get other parents asking us, Whats your secret? Amin said, seated next to Arav at the kitchen table in their Soundview Avenue home. Honestly, he just does it. There were days early on where I would be like, OK, you can take a break now. He would just go on and on and on.

Just a few minutes earlier, the Roton Middle School sixth-grader was in the living room, the tiny violin tucked beneath his tiny chin. It doubles as a practice space for Arav and his younger brother Eshan, a pianist and tabla drummer. He moved nimbly through a lively piece by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, whose music Arav loves to play.

Its a familiar sight in the Amin house, and those hours spent practicing have paid off. Arav has shown an early mastery of the violin, which has earned him a space in the Juilliard Schools prestigious Music Advancement Program, where he learns from and plays with some of the most talented classical musicians in the tri-state area ages 8 to 17.

Each Saturday since 2016, September through May, Arav wakes up at 6 a.m. to get to the Lincoln Center-based music conservatory by 8:30 a.m., for Morning Rally, a session of stretching to rouse the young, sleepy students. He stays there until 5 p.m., taking a variety of classes such as music theory and ear training, chorus and string ensemble. Its a full days work, and it eats up a majority of Aravs Saturdays. But hes happy to do it.

I love Saturdays. Thats the day Im looking forward to every week, Arav said.

Arav said he was about 3 when he first heard the violin, after a Meet the Instruments class at the Talent Education Suzuki School (TESS) in Norwalk.

In the room right across there were these older kids playing violin and I could hear them when I came out. I was like, wow, the sound is amazing, Arav said. I told my mom, I really want to play violin.

Neither Devanshi nor her husband, Nilesh, are musicians, so the world their son was about to enter was unfamiliar. But she could tell early on that Arav was serious.

I kind of had a feeling that theres something to this, Devanshi Amin said.

He progressed quickly, surprising his parents and teachers. He tried viola for a time while he was a student at Brookside Elementary School, then returned to the violin, perfecting his intonations and articulations with the bow  created using a variety of gestures  in his lessons at the Talent Education Suzuki School, before it closed three years ago.

It was at that point that Amin decided to audition for Juilliard, where, in the first two years of the four-year program, hes taken his playing to new levels.

There are great teachers and I really get supported there, Arav said.

He participated in his first violin competition last year at New York Concert Festival, placing second, and spent two weeks over the summer at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute summer camp in Lenox, Mass. He has a second competition in January  Arav hopes to one day tour with orchestras as a soloist  and plans on auditioning for the Interlochen Arts Camp for the upcoming summer.

Hes also eyeing pre-college programs at Juilliard and other conservatories he might attend once his fourth year is up in the Music Advancement Program.

Its a lot for any 11-year-old to manage. Arav also likes to swim and read adventure books, books about Greek mythology and the Harry Potter series. But he is singular in his focus on music, and unwavering in his love for the Juilliard program.

On Saturdays Im tired, but then I go to Juilliard and I have the morning rally. It really wakes me up, Arav said. Im too excited for the other things going on in the day for me to just sleep.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586
HUIXTLA, Mexico - Edith Cruz was sitting at home in central Honduras, scanning Facebook on her phone, when she saw the post about the caravan on a community news page.

It was Oct. 12. She and her cousin had just opened a small business selling tortillas when they were confronted by a gang, threatened with death if they didn't hand over half of their profits. She looked at the Facebook post: "An avalanche of Hondurans is preparing to leave in a caravan to the United States. Share this!" Within three hours, her bags were packed.

The question of how the migrant caravan began has wound its way to the American midterm elections. President Donald Trump and other Republicans have suggested that Democrats paid migrants to begin the journey. As the group continues to grow, the largest such caravan in recent years, its beginnings are being scrutinized: How did more than 5,000 migrants from across Central America find each other?

RELATED: Divided Democrats struggle to answer Trump's claims on migrant caravan

Although the caravan's origin story remains somewhat opaque, the answer from many migrants here is that they had wanted to leave for months or years, and then - in a Facebook post, a television program, a WhatsApp group - they saw an image of the growing group and decided.

"Right away, I knew I would go," said Irma Rosales, 37, from Santa Ana, El Salvador, who saw images of the caravan on television and bought a bus ticket to meet up with the group in Guatemala last week.

"I had been waiting for a way to get north, and then I heard about the caravan," said Ediberto Fuentes, 30, who had fled Honduras for southern Mexico but was stranded for months, without the money to pay for a smuggler to travel to the United States.

"I packed my bag in 30 minutes," said Jose Mejia, 16, from Ocotepeque, Honduras, who heard about the caravan when his friend knocked on his door at 4 a.m. and said simply, "We're going."

On Tuesday, they stopped to rest in the small southern Mexican city of Huixtla, washing their clothes in buckets of water, sending messages to their families from Internet cafes, accepting whatever donations local residents were willing to offer. There was word that hundreds more migrants from across Central America, drawn by the endless media coverage, were on their way.

The Honduran government claims that community activists, led by a former legislator named Bartolo Fuentes, were initially behind the group, intending to malign the country's leaders. The bulk of the migrants here are still from Honduras.

"There's clear evidence where it began. Bartolo was the person who was in front of the media; he was the face of this event," Alden Rivera Montes, Honduras' ambassador to Mexico, said in an interview.

RELATED: Trump struggles for a plan should the migrant caravan arrive at U.S. border

"They were trying to show Honduras as a failed country, which is totally false," Rivera Montes said.

Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday that Honduras' president told him the caravan was financed by Venezuela's left-wing government. There is no evidence to support that claim.

Fuentes told The Post he was merely helping to connect small groups of would-be migrants who were already planning to travel north. In September, there were posts on Honduran Facebook groups about the plans for the caravan.

"These people who have normally migrated, hidden, day after day, had decided to come together and travel together to protect themselves," Fuentes said.

He said he was in touch with four groups of would-be migrants who were talking on WhatsApp and other social networks - in Tegucigalpa, the capital, as well as La Ceiba, Colon and San Pedro Sula - about the possibility of traveling together.

"They contacted me; they said, 'We saw what you've written; we want you to tell us how the caravan had gone in March,' " he said.

Fuentes had a long career as a political activist on the Honduran left. A former student leader who had protested against the U.S.-backed "contra" war to overthrow the neighboring Nicaraguan government, he was elected to the legislature in 2013 and hosted a radio show about migration called "Without Borders." He is a staunch critic of President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

A week before the caravan started, Fuentes posted on his Facebook page a flier about the caravan that read, "We aren't going because we want to, violence and poverty is driving us out." It called people to meet at 8 a.m. on Oct. 12 at the San Pedro Sula bus terminal.

"We are going to accompany these people," Fuentes wrote on Facebook on Oct. 5. "We will support them at least for the departure."

The early days of the caravan received a surge of media coverage in Honduras, particularly from HCH, a popular television broadcaster in the country. By the time people started gathering at the bus terminal on Oct. 11 and 12, there were live streams on various Facebook pages. Before Americans had heard about it, the caravan had gone viral in Central America.

"Everyone wants to know who is guilty, who is behind this," said Irineo Mujica, director of Tijuana-based Pueblos Sin Fronteras, which has advocated for this and previous caravans, helping to arrange the routes and other logistics. "But no one has the power to organize this many people. No one can engineer an exodus."

By mid-October, the explosion of media coverage and viral social media posts across Central America prompted an explosion in the number of migrants. Within days of the caravan's departure from San Pedro Sula on Oct. 13, almost no one could pin down the group's official origin story. They could cite only the Facebook post or television program that led to their own decision to migrate.

Many of the migrants watched the caravan grow in real time, surprised as the numbers surged.

"When I arrived at the bus terminal (in San Pedro Sula), there were 30 people. A few hours later, there were hundreds," said Jose Vijin, 32, from northwestern Honduras.

Migrant caravans have traveled through Central America for several years, part human rights protest, part effort to guarantee safe passage for Central Americans traversing a dangerous route north. Normally, a Central American migrating to the United States must pay a series of cartel-linked smugglers to make the journey, a sum that can reach more than $10,000. The caravan offered a relatively safe way to migrate that was basically free of cost.

The last caravan, which left southern Mexico in March, received so much media attention, particularly during its final days, that it appears to have set the groundwork for the current, larger exodus, said many migrants. The current group is exponentially bigger than previous caravans. Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans who missed their chance this spring decided that this time, they would rush to join the group.

By the time Irma Rosales heard about the caravan in El Salvador, the migrants were already nearing the Guatemala border. Her husband had been murdered a year earlier, she said, and after she reported the crime to the police, the MS-13 threats began naming her.

"I didn't have the money to pay for a coyote, so the caravan was the only way," she said.

After she saw the images of the group on television, she typed "caravana migrante" into Google and saw that the migrants were expected to reach the Guatemala-Mexico border in two days, on Oct. 19. She paid about $10 for three separate bus tickets, traveling for 16 hours, making it to the border on time to catch the caravan.

Then she bought a Mexican phone card and texted her cousin in Chicago.

"I'm coming," she wrote.

- - -

Partlow reported from Mexico. The Washington Post's Gabriela Martinez in Mexico and Nick Miroff in Washington contributed to this report.

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Video: Roughly 5,000 Central American migrants walk through southern Mexico toward the U.S. border. Here's what a few have to say about why they're traveling north.(Luc Forsyth for The Washington Post)

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NORWALK  Help is on the way for Norwalk neighborhoods that have been subject to flooding over the years.

The Norwalk Common Council on Tuesday evening authorized the citys Water Pollution Control Authority to amend its existing contract with CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc., at a cost of $150,000, to assist with storm-water system design.

Weve had some unbelievable rains over the last few weeks, and it overwhelmed our system on one particular rain, said Councilman John E. Igneri, a District E Democrat who chairs the councils Public Works Committee. Weve had sewer covers pop and so forth, so we need to look into this and here is an engineer that weve been working with with the WPCA whos proven and we can quickly get him to work to look at some of the storm-service engineering problem we have.

Council President John Kydes, a District C Democrat, said the city has seen a lot of rain and flooding recently. He described the additional engineering services as a good first step to address the problem.

Were living in a world now where youve got 200-year storms happening on a regular basis, and we need to do something to resolve the flooding issues that we have around town, Kydes said. And I think this also sheds light on those areas in town that flood even without this tremendous amount of rain.

About a dozen people from the Wolfpit neighborhood near Friendly Pond  one area that has routinely experience flooding  attended the council meeting at City Hall and spoke afterward with Chris Torre, superintendent of operations at the Norwalk Department of Public Works.

We will start putting together with the consultant bid documents to get some work on identifying drainage issues, Torre said. Were going to study the hydraulics, were going to look at storm-water runoff.

On June 28, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, Norwalk and the surrounding region experienced significant amounts of rainfall resulting in localized and wide-spread flooding of public and personal property, wrote public works department Principal Engineer Lisa Burns in a memorandum to the council.

The City of Norwalk is systematically examining all flooding complaints to determine if additional maintenance is required; drainage systems need to be redesigned; watercourse dredging is needed; or if the incident was a super event, force majeure, Burns wrote. In parallel paths, the City is doing in-house investigation and cleaning, preparing bid documents for dredging (anticipated for Common Council action in November 2018), and retaining an engineering firm to assist with stormwater system design.

The most expedient way to retain such engineering services, Burns continued, is to amend the October 2015 contract between the WPCA and CH2M Engineers  operator of Norwalks wastewater treatment plant  to include services related to the citys storm-water system.

This includes capacity evaluations, hydraulic analysis, and design services, Burns wrote. This $150,000 can be used to begin addressing the most critical stormwater system issues and is funded out of existing Stormwater Management Plan capital accounts.
A top Republican super PAC will air ads in rural Virginia to save a House seat that has been widely seen to be likely to remain in GOP hands.

The Congressional Leadership Fund will air ads targeting voters in Virginia's 5th Congressional District, which is currently held by retiring Republican Thomas Garrett.

The race pits distillery owner Denver Riggleman against journalist Leslie Cockburn, who has been running an unapologetically liberal campaign in a district that includes the college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, but also a huge swath of rural Virginia stretching south to the North Carolina border.

The CLF reservation was confirmed by two people familiar with the purchase and extends through Election Day. It comes a day after a New York Times/Siena College poll found the race to be a toss-up with 1 in 10 voters undecided.

Most forecasters have called the race a stretch for Democrats. The Cook Political Report, for instance, rates the race as lean Republican, and national party committees have largely stayed out of the fray as they view the battle for the House majority playing out in other districts.

Cockburn has outraised Riggleman more than 2-to-1. She had just over $1 million to spend in the final month of the race, according to federal campaign reports, versus $505,000 for Riggleman. Both candidates have support from outside groups as well: Cockburn has the backing of Women Vote, a super PAC affiliated with Emily's List, while the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund has aired ads attacking her.

But the decision of a top Republican group to spend its resources in the race reflects the expanding battlefield that has benefited Democrats by forcing national Republican groups to spread their dollars among many more districts.
Behind Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowskis bold promise to eliminate Connecticuts income tax in eight years is a significant disclaimer not heard in any of his campaign ads: No cut is contemplated for two years. In fact, none are guaranteed at all.

Stefanowski says he will close a projected $2 billion budget shortfall facing the next governor in January 2019 by ripping costs from state government, then pivot in 2021 toward stimulating the economy by cutting taxes. Subsequent cuts would depend on economic growth  triggers, he calls them.

So, what does Stefanowski see as the odds of turning Connecticuts sluggish economy into a juggernaut capable of providing enough growth to meet his goal of eliminating an income tax that now generates half of all state revenue?

I think I can do it, Stefanowski said in an interview with CT Mirror. And if I didnt think I could do it, I wouldnt say it. Im not going to put odds on it. I think we can do it. We did it before 1991. We can find other sources of revenue streams.

The reality is more complex. Before 1991, when Connecticut adopted its tax on wages, the state was reliant on a limited income tax  a 7 percent tax on capital gains and a 14 percent tax on interest and dividends income  as well as much higher sales and corporate taxes.

In 1991, Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. won passage of a budget that imposed a flat 4.5 percent tax on a broad range of personal income, everything from wages to the investment income that already had been taxed and at much higher rates, while lowering the sales tax from 8 percent to 6 percent. The top rate of the income tax on high earners is now 6.99 percent, while the sales tax is 6.35 percent.

So far, Stefanowski has insisted he would not raise other taxes as he phases out the income tax, meaning he somehow would leave Connecticut with fewer taxes than it had in 1991. Stefanowskis plan also calls for the reduction or even elimination of the 7.5 percent corporate tax. (With a surtax, the effective rate on larger companies is 8.25 percent.) In 1991, the corporate tax was 13.8 percent.

The income tax raised nearly $2.4 billion in its first full year, just one-third of a $7.3 billion general fund budget. The sales tax brought in nearly $2.1 billion. Today, the state is counting on the income tax to produce $9.7 billion, about half the general fund. The sales tax is expected to net $4.2 billion, or 22 percent.

All of Stefanowskis planned cuts raise another question: If Connecticut eventually has no income tax, a smaller corporate tax, and does not raise or expand its sale tax, then how would the state capture offsetting revenue in a booming economy?

For that, his campaign has no ready answer.

Democrat Ned Lamont has been eager to provide answers. At times, Lamont has treated Stefanowskis promise to eliminate the income tax as a guarantee, then offered scary examples of what it would mean if state government lost half its revenue, taking talking points from a failed experiment in Kansas to spark growth through deep tax cuts.

On Tuesday, Lamont said it would mean deep cuts in state aid to struggling schools.

Lamont is misrepresenting Stefanowskis plan by asserting the tax cuts are a sure thing and equating potential lost revenue to specific spending cuts. But an aggressive rebuttal to Lamont could be awkward for Stefanowski. After nine months of emphasizing his intention to slash spending and eliminate the income tax, Stefanowskis campaign shows no signs of pivoting to a message that says: Hey, none of this certain.

I should do a better job of articulating that, Stefanowski said. I should because Ned comes out and scares everybody that Im going to rip half the budget out in the first year  which is patently not true. Im not hiding that.

He is not hiding it, but nor is his campaign emphasizing it, which leads to the obvious question: Has the Stefanowski campaign made a strategic decision that it is best to keep to a simple message that the candidate is committed to eliminating the income tax, rather than reducing it if economic growth allows?

Patrick Trueman, who sat in on the interview last week with the CT Mirror, quickly noted the limits of what a campaign can say in a standard 30-second commercial. Stefanowski said that debates offer limited venues for him to say his proposed tax cuts are conditional.

And Ill even concede I should be highlighting it more, because Neds using it against me, Stefanowski said. And it is a rational plan. It is over eight years. It is contingent on the economy growing. And Im not going to rip education out. Im not going to rip health care out.

The question of his ability to wring costs out of government prompted a sharp exchange during a debate Thursday with Lamont and Oz Griebel, a petitioning candidate. Griebel shouted at Stefanowski, You have no solutions, Bob!

Trust me, ladies and gentlemen, Stefanowski replied.

In the interview, Stefanowski talked broadly about his approach to cutting spending, reducing the states unfunded pension liability and privatizing some government functions, including the operation of Bradley International Airport and the XL Center in downtown Hartford.

Stefanowski has never worked in government. His last private sector job was as chief executive officer of DFC Global, a position he left in January 2017. He formerly worked at GE and UBS Investment Bank.

He has said he would run the state like a business, an assertion that Griebel called nonsensical during the debate. Governments are not run for a profit; they fill needs, such as education, transportation and caring for the poor, Griebel said.

When I was at GE, Jack Welch would send out a memo saying, Reduce your budget by 5 percent. Get me the numbers by next Friday. And by the way if you dont get it to me by next Friday Ill have someone show up at your desk on Monday, and well do it for you. And trust me you wont like the way its done,  Stefanowski said. So I get it, its harder in the public sector.

But he insists the same approach can get results.

Ive seen enough examples of areas of abuse that Im comfortable we can take cost out without cutting to the core, Stefanowski said. And you know its hard because theres no silver bullet out there. The biggest silver bullet is the employee pension plan, which we have to look at.

Connecticut has unfunded pension and retirement health liabilities of about $100 billion.

Stefanowski said he is looking at pension research that was commissioned by David Stemerman, one of the four Republicans he defeated in the GOP primary. In April, Stemerman proposed to emulate General Motors, International Paper and other corporate giants by ending pensions  through negotiation, if possible, or going to court to break contracts, if necessary.

Without saying how much it would cost, Stemerman proposed using a mix of inducements, primarily lump-sum payments, and threats to convince retirees and employees vested in a pension plan to give up their pensions.

Ive been doing some work with Stemerman on this, where you could flip that, float a bond, give people an early buyout option voluntarily, give them the opportunity to go to a 401k plan and chip away at that obligation by doing that, Stefanowski said.

Stefanowski said he would bring state employees to the negotiating table by convincing them that the state pension plan is not sustainable, even if the benefits for current employees are protected by a contract that runs until 2027. Since states cannot use bankruptcy courts, no one has shown a way to renege on benefits owed to retirees, but Stefanowski said that doesnt mean those benefits are guaranteed.

You think were going to find $100 billion over the next ten years. Really? Its not going to be there, he said. Somethings got to give. Thats the problem with this government. Theyre in fantasyland. Well, something has to give.

Taking calls on WTIC-AM on Friday, Stefanowski reassured a retired teacher that her pension was safe. He said anyone with a relatively modest pension such as the teacher should not worry

Im not going to go to that woman on the phone first. Im never going to go to her, Stefanowski said. Thats why I felt comfortable saying that.

Keith M. Phaneuf contributed to this report.
Whether you're looking to call the Nutmeg State your new home or you're planning to swap one Connecticut zip code for another, chances are you are facing a list of questions as dense as the housing market itself. From home style to budget to location, there's a lot to consider when hunting for your dream Connecticut property  but a new report by HomeArea.com is helping to simplify the process.

Using the U.S. Census Bureau's latest estimates from the American Community Survey for all Connecticut cities with a population exceeding 60,000, HomeArea.com estimated these locales' price to rent ratio, or the median home value divided by the median annual rent. House hunters can then use this information to better understand whether it is better to rent or buy in a particular Connecticut city or town.

While HomeArea.com says that any price to rent ratio under 15 is more suitable for buying a home and ratios above 20 are better for renting, Connecticut's overall price to rent ratio has fallen 2.1 percent, down to 23.6 from 24.1. This makes the state as a whole a better climate for renting than buying.

How did individual cities fare? New Britain saw the biggest increase in price to rent ratio at 7.1 percent, making it the second-best city in the state for purchasing a home instead of renting. Norwalk, however, had the largest percentage decrease at 5.6 percent, making it second to last on the list.

Click through the slideshow above to see which locales made HomeArea.com's list of best Conn. cities that are better to buy in than to rent.

But when deciding whether to rent or buy, licensed real estate salesperson for Houlihan Lawrence's New Canaan Brokerage Office Libby Mattson says there are a few factors that may tip the scales toward home ownership instead of renting.

"With mortgage rates going up, that would be a very strong factor to lock in a lower rate before they go up," Mattson said on home ownership. "Rental prices are much higher, and therefore, your monthly payment would be much lower with a mortgage payment."

Another pro of home ownership?

"There's building your personal wealth that comes with owning real estate," something she said works in union with property choice and mortgage rates. Additionally, Mattson offered that home owners don't have to face the potential of the property they're renting being put up for sale by the owner, forcing them to potentially relocate as quickly as they settled in.

While some areas in Connecticut seem ripe for renting, Mattson warned to be wary of some of the perceived conveniences that come with such temporary ties.

"With renting, you don't have deal with the maintenance, but you have to call the landlord to fix things all the time," she said. "But there are hidden move out fees, and you can get clobbered with your security deposit getting held up, so there's risk involved for the renter."

With renting and buying each coming with their own set of pros and cons, one thing is for sure: Connecticut is full of great places to call home.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The results are in for an impassioned national election that put the popularity of candidates Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling on the line.

The effort to discover Americas best-loved novel  and promote reading  ends with the winner announced on Tuesdays 8 p.m. EDT finale (check local listings) of PBS The Great American Read. The series profiled the contenders and let bookworms, famous and not, advocate for their pick.

More than 4 million votes were cast over six months, PBS said, with Austens Pride and Prejudice, Tolkiens Lord of the Rings series and Rowlings Harry Potter saga making the top 10 on an alphabetical-order list that was released as voting wrapped last week.

The other front-runners were Charlottes Web by E.B. White; The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis; Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon; and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Harry Potter was among the multivolume series that counted as a single entry. Given its hold on the modern imagination on the page, screen and stage, it might be the obvious winner.

Eliyannah Yisrael, who discovered Rowlings magic touch about 15 years ago as a Chicago State University student, was among its vocal boosters on The Great American Read and beyond.

Listen, me and Harry Potter are going to take this thing to the end. I want to be victorious, Yisrael told a TV critics gathering last summer.

Series host Meredith Vieira didnt spill the beans in a recent interview. But she was glad to tout the initiatives ripple effect, including a nearly 50,000-member online book club and more than 5 million views for series-related video content across PBS platforms, Facebook and YouTube.

We forget the power of a book, not just on individuals but on groups of people. Theres something wonderful about sitting down with your friends and talking about a book, Vieira said. And ultimately with these novels you learn something more about yourself. They force you to question who you are, your values as an individual, your values as a society.

About a fifth of the 100 books were provocative enough that theyve been censored in some manner, said series executive producer Jane Root, who called that number astounding.

We were expecting it to be two or three. But a huge number of books, I think because of their potency and the power of the relationship that you have with a really great book, they upset people, she said. They disturbed the waters. They make people fearful.

Some popular books simply have a whiz-bang story to tell, with top 100 titles Fifty Shades of Grey and The Da Vinci Code making the point.

The list was based on an initial survey of about 7,000 Americans, with an advisory panel of experts organizing the 100-contender list. Books had to have been published in English but not written in the language, and one book or series per author was allowed.

A fair amount of regional partisanship emerged. Louisiana voters were alone in ranking native son John Kennedy Tooles A Confederacy of Dunces in the top 10, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was No. 6 in New York and Mark Twains The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was a front-runner with readers in his home state of Missouri.

Voters also went big for sci-fi and fantasy both past and present, with representatives including Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and George R.R. Martins Game of Thrones epic.

The point of The Great American Read initiative has been made no matter what work ends up as No. 1, Vieira said.

Getting people to vote in a way is a gimmick, she said, a way to reinvigorate the love of reading and to foster discussions about why and how certain books resonate with people.

But while readers passions may run high, she said, the divisiveness so rampant in politics is happily absent.

It doesnt matter where you fall. People Ive spoken to who liked books I didnt have inspired me to take second look at them, like Game of Thrones, Vieira said. I dont leave a project like this and not feel optimistic.
EAST ALTON  Seven grandchildren of long-time William M. BeDell Achievement and Resource Center board member Shirley Wiedman will host the organizations 38th annual dance.

The dance will be held from 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3 at Julias Banquet Center, 101 Eastgate Plaza, west of Illinois Route 3 and south of West St. Louis Avenue in East Alton.

The seven  Megan Wiedman, Ben Wiedman, Katie Ottwell, Mary Rivera, Chris Scoggins, Jessica Wiedman and Matt Scoggins  are hosting the event in honor of Wiedman, her late husband, Louis Wiedman, and Louis late daughter, Jeanne, who had benefited from ARCs services and programs.

The dance is a major fundraiser for the organization.

We have the dance once a year, said Executive Director Gary Osborne. Its a good fundraiser for us. We have a lot of people who are very charitable.

He said the money usually goes toward the purchase of equipment for the programs, including vans used to provide transportation.

The event will include a 50-50 drawing, and this year they will be a silent auction of some St. Louis Cardinals memorabilia.

It was donated by one of our board members, he said.

The dance will feature Mondinband, with the $20 per person admission covering beer and soda. Outside alcohol is prohibited.

William BeDell ARC, 400 S. Main St. in Wood River, was incorporated in 1957 and provides programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

The ARC currently serves 550 people per month through its following programs: school, ages 3 to 22; clients family support that serves about 150 individuals; adult developmental training; residential, with seven community, integrated living homes; respite care; and recreation.

For ticket information, call 618-466-1070 or 618-251-2175. Tickets will also be available at the door.
EDWARDSVILLE  Edwardsville High School Special Education Teacher Susan Converse has been named the Teacher of The Year by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Converse created the Tiger Den, a coffee shop in the EHS commons, that is operated by her Functional Life Skills students under Converses guidance.

The ISBE named Converse as the 2019 Illinois Teacher of the Year at its annual Those Who Excel/Illinois Teacher of the Year banquet in Normal on Oct. 20. At the event, the ISBE honored 214 other classroom teachers, educational leaders and support personnel, but Converse won the prestigious Teacher of the Year award.

The Edwardsville District 7 Board of Education honored Converse Monday night during its general meeting.

It was a total shock, Converse told the board about being named Teacher of The Year. Im so honored to have been selected. But I want to recognize the real reason I was selected. It has nothing to do with me individually. But I want all my students to stand up.

About a dozen of Converses students and their parents had attended the meeting to support and honor her.

This is an incredible district, Converse added. And I am so proud that we are going to be getting more attention for all the wonderful things that we do. Ive never worked anywhere else. Ive never wanted to work anywhere else because this is home, and Im proud to be a part of this organization. So, I hope I make you proud.

Edwardsville District 7 Board President Monica Laurent noted that this was a big honor.

Its a big honor for obviously Mrs. Converse, she said. Its a big honor for our school district. Its a big honor for our community. Its an honor for the state of Illinois and public education because you represent all of what is good and what is right in public education  thats your spirit of your students.

Laurent noted that some of the board members were at the Saturday evening awards presentation. When Susan was announced, she got up and she talked about her students right away, Laurent emphasized. I know you touched all the hearts of all the people in that building because you represent, again, why we are all here.

Laurent also explained the very difficult process involved in applying for the Those Who Excel awards and the prestige of being named a top 10 finalist.

That in itself is a huge honor, Laurent stressed.

She then read a few of the statements in nomination letters written for Converse by colleagues, administrators and students.

Her enthusiasm and energy throughout the day is contagious. Mrs. Converse is an educator who believes in her ability not only to teach but to impact the lives of her students, EHS Principal Dennis Cramsey wrote.

Special education coordinator Cindy Steele wrote that, The Tiger Den is a student coffee house that is more popular among students and community members than the nearby Starbucks.

A Special Education Teacher at EHS noted that over the years, Susan has impacted the lives of many. The students enrolled in Functional Life Skills leave high school with skills that can allow them to lead more independent lives.

An ISBE press release about Converses award noted a couple other statements from nomination letters such as one from Caleb Cames, an EHS student. Mrs. Converse has always believed in me even when I did not believe in myself, Carnes said. Mrs. Converse is truly the reason I am the person I am today. She has dedicated her life to helping students achieve their highest potential.

She sees bigger things for her students and spends each day reminding her students to see the same, said Denise Olson Byrd, whose son looks forward to school each day because of Converse.

The night of awards presentation, Laurent noted that when Converse read these personal letters that she stated that the award didnt matter, but that the letters were her award in education.

We know that youve not only helped your students, Laurent added, but the impact goes further than that because youve created a climate and a culture of inclusion and have helped to change the positive atmosphere at the high school.

I share the belief that teachers have a critical role in preparing students to become responsible and positive contributors to our community as citizens, consumers, employees, and employers, Converse said. All students need encouragement, some pushing, and teachers who believe in them. I believe in my students, and I let them know it.

As the 2019 Illinois Teacher of the Year, Converse will have an opportunity to share her knowledge and expertise with an even larger audience. Converse will be available beginning in the spring of 2019 to speak at teaching workshops, education conferences, and community meetings. Converse will represent Illinois at the NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., and the National Teacher of the Year program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

District 7 also had a few other recognitions at the banquet. District 7 Board Member Jill Bertels received the Award of Excellence as well as Leah Gibbs, who works in food service at Goshen Elementary. Dr. Tanya Patton, Cassens Elementary Principal, and Megan Hewlett, School Psychologist, both received the Award of Merit.

In addition, the School Lunch Debt Team, a group of District 7 volunteers dedicated to raising funds to cover unpaid lunch bills, received the Award of Excellence. They won an excellence award which is really hard to do. There are over 850 districts in the state of Illinois, Edwardsville District 7 Superintendent Lynda Andre noted. They received excellence, and we are really happy for all the things that they do for us.
EDWARDSVILLE  Betsy Dirksen Londrigan made it clear to her supporters Tuesday that she is against any cuts to Social Security.

Speaking on the same day her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, was in town to tour World Wide Technologies with U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, Londrigan conducted a press conference at 921 South Arbor Vitae, above Peel in Edwardsville.

Londrigan, a Democrat, is facing Davis, the incumbent, in the race for U.S. House seat in Illinois 13th District.

In interviews last week with both Bloomberg and Reuters, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that entitlements were adding to the national debt and need to be adjusted demographically in the future.

Londrigan said that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have been paid for by their current and future recipients and should not be touched.

I believe that these are earned benefits  that you have paid into them, she said. That they are yours. And I stand against any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Londrigan said that Americans have paid into social welfare accounts for years with the expectation that they should receive their benefits.

Fundamentally, its the right thing to do. For people who have paid into this, to reap what they have sown, Londrigan said.

And those benefit payments, she said, arent astronomical amounts.

Lets talk about what Social Security does for people. We arent talking about people living high on the hog off their Social Security, she said. They average around $1,300 a month. Last year, 2017 alone, Social Security kept 27 million people out of poverty.

Taking a not on my watch stand, Londrigan said voters have a choice on Nov. 6.

They can vote for a Congressman who is a loyal foot soldier to his party that wants to cut Social Security and Medicare, she said. Or they can vote for somebody that is going to stand up and protect our Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Ashley Phelps, a spokesperson for Davis, said Social Security is in jeopardy if no adjustments are made.

Its unfortunate Londrigan continues to try to scare seniors by lying. No one is trying to reduce Social Security and Medicare benefits for seniors, but Congressman Davis is working to ensure these programs are around for future generations, Phelps wrote in an email. If nothing is done, Social Security is projected to become insolvent by 2034 and Medicare by 2026.

Phelps went on to state that Davis has tried to close loopholes in the system.

Congressman Davis voted for a plan in 2015 that is saving $198 billion by closing loopholes within these programs and requiring medical reviews for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to cut down on fraud, Phelps wrote. The bottomline is Londrigan doesnt have a plan to protect these programs from insolvency.
Personal reasons to blame for Brits alleged suicide, say Phuket police

PHUKET: A British expat in his thirties was found hanged at his home in Chalong on Saturday morning, with police putting the reason for the alleged suicide attempt down to various personal problems including issues with his wife.

deathpolicesuicide

By Tavee Adam

Wednesday 24 October 2018, 12:22PM

Chalong Police will investigating the incident further to find the true cause and reason for Mr Pearsons death. Photo: The Phuket News / File
Phuket underpass to close for maintenance, electrical repairs

PHUKET: The Darasamut Underpass, in front of Central Phuket, will close from 9am to 3pm next Tuesday (Oct 30) while workers clean and repair the electrical system in the tunnel.

constructiontransport

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 24 October 2018, 03:37PM

Both the northbound and southbound lanes through the underpass will be closed  but only one lane closed at a time  while the work is being conducted. Photo: The Phuket News / file

Both the northbound and southbound lanes through the underpass will be closed  but only one lane closed at a time  while the work is being conducted, Phuket Highways Office Director Somwang Lohanut confirmed in a notice issued earlier this week. The tunnel will be opened as soon as the work has been completed, Mr Somwang said. The work should be finished by about 3pm. I apologise for any inconvenience during this time, he added.
Rama V honoured with formal ceremony

PHUKET: Leading local officials and members of the public turned out at a mass ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23) to honour King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) Memorial Day.

culture

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 24 October 2018, 12:54PM

The mass ceremony to honour Rama V was held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23). Photo: PR Dept

The mass ceremony to honour Rama V was held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23). Photo: PR Dept

The mass ceremony to honour Rama V was held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23). Photo: PR Dept

The mass ceremony to honour Rama V was held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23). Photo: PR Dept

The mass ceremony to honour Rama V was held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23). Photo: PR Dept

The mass ceremony to honour Rama V was held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last night (Oct 23). Photo: PR Dept

Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana led Vice Governors Prakob Wongmaneerung, Thanyawat Chanpinit and Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai and other officials attending the ceremony, which began at 6:30pm.

A candle-lighting ceremony at 7:09pm was followed by 57 seconds of silence observed in honour of Rama V.

Chulalongkorn Day on Oct 23 remains a public holiday for the nation to remember and honour the great achievements of King Chulalongkorn, who passed away on Oct 23, 1910, Governor Phakaphong said during his public address.

King Chulalongkorn achieved many things for the benefit of the Thai people  especially, he abolished slavery and he led our nation to form relations with foreign countries, he said.

The mass ceremony last night followed Governor Phakaphong leading a formal ceremony in the laying of wreaths and the paying of respects to a statue of the revered King in front of Phuket Provincial Hall at 9:30am yesterday morning.
Development company works to increase allure of Watertown

At the heart of Watertown's growth and development is a company that continues to play a significant role in making change happen.
During the live debut of the new A Perfect Circle track; 'Delicious' at their show in Utah over the weekend, the band lifted their infamous cellphone band.



APC's brutal hatred of cellphones is so intense, over 60 punters were thrown out of gigs just last year alone.



Guitarist Billy Howerdel explained their motive in an interview with Montreal Gazette; First of all, its just rude. Putting up a phone in front of someones face so they get to watch the show through it? Getting a memento of the show  sure, Ive done it myself. But then you ask, What am I gonna do with this?



He's got a f*cking point.



However, the rule got a hallpass, and APC fans have been flooding their social feeds with Maynard-approved clips.



"A present from grandpa."



Check some of the vids below.
GATINEAU, QUE.A coalition of Canadian public interest and seniors groups is calling for a new government-backed code of conduct for the people and companies that sell telecommunications products to consumers.

The recommendation was made at a second day of public hearings into widespread complaints about common tactics used to sell phone, cable, internet and wireless services.

The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission has been ordered by the government to look into allegations of misleading and aggressive sales practices and report to cabinet by the end of February.

The Fair Communications Sales Coalition told CRTC commissioners Tuesday that it would eventually like Canada follow Australias lead in establishing one mandatory, national code of conduct for providing and selling telecom services.

But the group says it may be more practical to start by adding oversight of sales practices to the responsibilities of the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services, a private-sector body that works with the CRTC.

The industry-funded CCTS is limited currently to resolving customer complaints about wireless and television service contracts but it doesnt have a mandate to deal with how the services were sold to consumers.

Read more about:
Pot stocks continued a six-day rout Tuesday amid Canadian supply shortages, creating a favourable environment for the next big investment in the space, according to one investor.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. fell as much as 15 per cent in its U.S. trading debut, Canopy Growth Corp. lost 12 per cent and Tilray Inc. tumbled as much as 18 per cent amid broader market weakness. This compounded a string of declines that began a week ago, one day before Canada legalized recreational marijuana on Oct. 17.

Investors appear disappointed in the lack of inventory, with several stores and websites running out of products in the first days after legalization, as well as a dearth of brand awareness, said Charles Taerk, chief executive officer of Toronto-based Faircourt Asset Management, which runs the $50 million pot-focused UIT Alternative Health Fund.

Canadian cannabis retailers were sold out of about 46 per cent of pot products, Cowen analyst Vivien Azer said, based on her survey of online retailers in five provinces. Meanwhile, more than 95 per cent of customers surveyed across four provinces last week were unaware of the brands they had just purchased, according to GMP Securities analyst Martin Landry.

We thought the sector was going to be weaker at the beginning of the month as we slid into Oct. 17 and we were kind of surprised that markets stayed pretty buoyant up until early last week, Taerk said in an interview, adding that his fund is currently 23 per cent in cash. Not to say that a correction is ever overdue but we were prepared to a certain degree for some weakness.

Investors shouldnt be rushing to sell their holdings, Taerk said, especially since weakness in the sector could prompt the next big investment in the space, much like Constellation Brands Inc. bought into Canopy in August following two months of declines.

It didnt just happen out of nowhere, Constellation was watching, said Taerk, who likes CannTrust Holdings Inc., Organigram Holdings Inc. and Aphria Inc. Theyre not going to invest when the companies are trading at all-time highs.

The lack of Canadian pot inventory isnt all bad, and is likely to be a modest positive for Canopy and Tilray, the two largest public cannabis companies, Azer said.

About 56 per cent of Canopy Growths 144 products available were sold out in Azers checks, while Tilray, which doesnt have licenses to sell cannabis goods in three of the five provinces she surveyed, saw a sellout rate of 64 per cent across its 22 products. Azer carries a buy-equivalent rating on both stocks. Aurora Cannabis and Aprhia also showed strong out-of-stock rates.
Several Canadian companies have kept silent on whether theyre attending a major Saudi Arabia investment conference after the event was overshadowed by the apparent murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

This weeks Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh has seen numerous high-profile cancellations after Turkey accused the Saudi regime of killing Khashoggi, who had written critically of it.

SNC-Lavalin, which has extensive business ties with Saudi Arabia, refused to say whether it would attend this year.

We opted not to answer anyone on this particular conference, said SNC-Lavalin spokesperson Nicolas Ryan, referring to numerous inquiries from reporters.

Chantal Sorel, the companys executive vice-president and managing director of capital, was a speaker at last years conference.

A spokesperson for Canaccord Genuity Group Inc., whose executive chairman David Kassie is also listed as a 2017 speaker, said they would look into whether the company was attending but then did not respond to further inquiries.

Read more:

Khashoggi body double seen leaving consulate in writers clothes after slaying

Shifting Saudi account of writers death confirms key parts

Saudi investment forum opens, clouded by writers death

Bombardier Inc., which has an office and transit projects in the country, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether it was attending.

Other companies that attended last years conference say they had no plans to attend this year, including the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Brookfield Asset Management Inc.

The Canadian government is also skipping this years conference, according to sources. Last year, then-natural resources minister Jim Carr attended the inaugural edition of the summit.

Canadas relationship with Saudi Arabia became strained in August, when 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.

Saudi Arabia has faced intense global pressure as Turkey continues to release details of its investigation of what happened after Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Key international figures who have pulled out of the conference 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.

Read more about:
If you ask Aaron Grant how wearable smart glasses have fared on the consumer market over the last decade, hell jump to tell you there have been no hits.

But that isnt stopping him from his latest venture: selling wearable smart glasses.

Grant and his fellow co-founders of Waterloo-based North, Matthew Bailey and Stephen Lake, have spent the last four years developing their $1,299, battery-powered Focals glasses so they can receive and send text messages, order Uber rides, display the time and weather and do anything Amazons voice-based virtual assistant does  all while looking stylish and accommodating prescriptions between -4 and +2 and 0 to -2.

Their predecessors, Google Glass and Spectacles by Snapchat, came with high-tech features too, but Grant said North is focused on not ending up like either product  seldom worn, never meaningfully adopted by the masses and often lambasted by critics for their looks and lack of usefulness.

Instead, Grant said Norths bid to conquer the notoriously difficult wearables market is centred around a measured approach that begins with the brand only opening two stores  one in Toronto and another in Brooklyn, N.Y.  in early November. It wont be publicizing sales and adoption goals or trying to overwhelm customers with a dizzying array of features.

We are not trying to be everything for everyone, Grant said. It is much better to have a product that at least in the early stages has a small group of people who absolutely love it and use it all the time and get a ton of value from it rather than to throw in every bell and whistle.

Limiting functionality could be risky for a brand intent on growing, but North considers it key, said Adam Ketcheson, the companys chief marketing officer.

Theyve intentionally designed Focals so theyre off most of the time. Users only see messages or functions floating about an arms length from the lens when they get a notification or press a small knob on a ring they must wear to control functions.

North, formerly known as Thalmic Labs, are custom fitted to users so notifications appear at an optimal level on lenses and dont strain eyes. The lenses are translucent so users can see the space around them while using their functions. A tiny speaker that works with Alexa can also be set so its volume is not too loud or disruptive to others.

North hopes the lack of invasiveness will increase adoption because it wont force users to miss out on whats going on around them like a phone would.

Its also convinced users will be impressed it focused first on something predecessors didnt: style.

Among Norths first hires was an eyewear designer who crafted versions of the glasses in tortoiseshell shapes and light shades of brown, in addition to classic frames and colours that hide most of the bulk other smart glasses have had.

The designer was tasked with making the glasses sleek, but also able to fit a tiny projector that can display an image, battery-powered electronics that last all day and a holographic film in a curved lens that can support prescriptions.

But perhaps the toughest challenge North faced was finding a manufacturer.

They would typically look at our specs and say, There is no way this is going to happen, it cant be done, you guys are crazy, recalled Grant.

Thats why North set up a 5,202-square-metre facility in Waterloo.

Its not the brands first foray into wearables. The North team was also behind the Myo  a gesture-controlled arm band it built six years ago that had plenty of successes, but didnt take off as rapidly with tech creators as Grant and his co-founders hoped.

There were a few attempts at products there, but there was nothing great, nothing even good, he said. Everything we had been really excited about to use the Myo with wasnt really materializing in the way we thought it would and thats because it turns out it is really, really hard to do and hard to do well.

Thats why the focus for Focals will be on learning and pacing the company for meaningful adoption and growth, said Ketcheson.

We have so much to learn and we need our consumers to learn with us.
IQALUIT, NUNAVUTThe federal Liberal government is turning its face to the North with changes in a major ministry and at the Canadian Coast Guard.

It is definitely a step toward a northern strategy, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Wednesday in Iqaluit, Nunavut. This is a pretty significant step forward.

Together with the president of Canadas national Inuit organization, Wilkinson announced his department and the coast guard will have divisions solely devoted to Arctic affairs.

Responsibility for the North has been divvied up between west, east and central divisions. Having the entire region under one administration will make a big difference, said Natan Obed of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

This (division) will need to make very clear decisions around ensuring that Inuit communities are supported through the coast guard in a more comprehensive way, whether thats search and rescue or breaking ice for (community) resupply, he said.

Wilkinson said there will be consultations across the North on the department and the coast guard.

Itll mean northern employment. Itll mean building out capacity in the North. Itll mean investments in the North.

Part of the announcement today is saying to northerners, Made-in-Ottawa solutions for the North really havent been that effective. We want to develop made-in-the-North solutions.

Inuit leaders have already told Wilkinson about increased vessel traffic necessitating better search-and-rescue and spill response. Discussions on the departments northern science capacity will also be held, he said.

One critic suggested the reorganization will be ineffective without more money and a real commitment to the North.

The coast guard is so chronically underfunded, said Rob Huebert, a political science professor and Arctic expert at the University of Calgary.

Its always about the shell game  lets reorganize it in some way that will solve the real problem, which is underfunding.

Huebert said the Arctic has not been a priority for the Liberals. He noted that the government still hasnt developed an overall policy for the region despite election promises to create one early in its mandate. The value of Wednesdays announcement is still unknown, he said.

Is this about saying, Yes, were doing something different and creating a new zone just prior to the election to cover up the fact that so little has been done on the Arctic file or is it the precursor of something more meaningful?

Huebert said the purchase in August of three used icebreakers as a 20-year stopgap before a new one is built is an example.

Were just back to replacements, with something that hasnt been planned for.

Wilkinson said an Arctic policy is forthcoming.

There is a northern strategy that is under development.

Obed praised the federal government for working with the Inuit. His group was consulted on who was hired to lead the Arctic divisions  both of which will be headquartered in the North.

The ongoing relationship continues a true partnership in trying to understand how to create a space that has an Inuit-centred policy and ensure that the region functions as well as it possibly can, he said.

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FREDERICTONNew Brunswicks minority Liberal government has presented a throne speech with a bit of something for everyone, but it may not be enough to survive a confidence vote in the coming days.

The speech, delivered by Lt.-Gov Jocelyne Roy Vienneau, outlines what the government is calling a framework for collaboration.

By embracing the minority government situation, members of the legislative assembly have an opportunity to find common ground while bringing more perspectives to the legislature, Roy Vienneau said Tuesday.

The Liberals are trying to cling to power after winning just 21 seats in last months election  one less than the Tories  while the Greens and Peoples Alliance each won three seats.

By giving four parties a voice in the legislature, many New Brunswickers have sent a clear message that all parties play an important role in moving New Brunswick forward, she said.

Roy Vienneau said collaboration must be the mission for the members of the assembly.

If we do not, we risk dividing our province more than ever, she said.

Read more:

All eyes on New Brunswicks legislature as Liberals seek path to survival

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New Brunswick Tory leader says four-year deal with smaller party is ideal for stability

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs has stated repeatedly that he and his entire caucus would vote against the throne speech, no matter what it contained. He said the vote had to be seen as a vote on confidence in the Liberal government over the last four years.

Its about action and about what weve seen over the last four years, and thats a lack of action, Higgs said Tuesday.

The speech incorporates many of the campaign promises of the other parties, including a return to balanced budgets by 2020-2021. It proposes a new budget process that would be open to the public, including public debate on how to prioritize departmental spending.

The government says it would establish an all-party committee to develop solutions to a number of issues including recommendations to address paramedic shortages by Dec. 15.

The throne speech says the government would also work with the other parties and outside groups to address issues such as raising the minimum wage and extending pay equity legislation to the private sector.

Other throne speech promises include an examination of electoral reform, protecting and promoting covered bridges as part of the provinces tourism strategy, and considering a possible ban on the use of herbicides such as glyphosate.

Green Leader David Coon said he and his caucus members will have to sit down and decide if theyll support the speech.

It will come to a question of confidence of whether or not these things would get implemented in any effective way, he said.

Peoples Alliance Leader Kris Austin said he was disappointed the Liberal government is promising to review the paramedic shortage.

The last thing we need is another review to go in the great warehouse of government reviews. We need action, he said.

At the end of the speech, Roy Vienneau stressed to elected members that New Brunswickers expect a stable government.

They have put their faith in you to deliver on important issues, and that will only be possible through co-operation and collaboration, she said.

The session was able to begin because the Liberals put forward one of their members to serve as Speaker. Last week, all the opposition members opted out of the election for Speaker because of the tight numbers in the minority house.

Restigouche-Chaleur Liberal member Daniel Guitard was the only person to offer for the job.

Guitard said he will demand proper conduct and respect during the session.

The citizens of New Brunswick want us to work together to make New Brunswick a better place for them. That starts here, with proper decorum and conduct, Guitard said Tuesday after he was led into the legislative chamber by the Liberal and Tory leaders.

As your Speaker, I will require your respect for all the rules of this house. I will insist on proper decorum, dignity and respect in this chamber. The office of the Speaker demands fairness and firmness.

Because of debate and other formalities, a vote on the throne speech is not expected before Nov. 2.

The Liberals need a majority vote in the 49-seat legislature in order to get their throne speech passed and survive to continue in the session.

We are confident and optimistic, but it will be their decision, Treasury Board President Roger Melanson said when asked how he believes the members will vote.

If the Liberals fail to get 25 votes in support, the lieutenant-governor would then ask Higgs if he can form government and the process would start again.

Higgs says he will try to introduce other confidence motions before that date in a bid to oust the government, but expects the efforts will be ruled out of order.

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It took more than five hours of waiting and braving the cold and rainy conditions, but Howsan Rashed said he felt all kinds of emotions when he finally got access to his apartment at 650 Parliament St. this Tuesday afternoon.

My 3-year-old baby was born in here, said Rashed as he pulled a suitcase stuffed mainly with winter boots, jackets and sweaters for himself and his son. Id say I had missed my apartment so bad. It felt good to be back in there and remembering everything about our time here.

Rashed and hundreds of displaced residents of the St. James Town building are streaming back into the neighbourhood this week to retrieve necessary items from their apartments. The apartment complex has been on lockdown since the Aug. 21 fire that has kept all of its over 1,500 occupants away, as repair work is underway.

Many residents had initially left with simply a few items as they didnt anticipate to stay away for too long. But last month property management effectively shut down any hopes of returning soon, saying more work needs to be done and it might take until the new year before residents can reoccupy their apartments.

Tenants who want to gain access to the building have to sign a waiver that acknowledges theyre entering the building at their own risk, and wont sue management if they suffer any injuries or get their belongings damaged in the process.

Ali Bokhari and his brother Mohamed came back to retrieve mostly electronics such as computers and TV sets. But they ended up hauling out a couple of mattresses and winter outfits for the entire family, currently being hosted by friends in North York.

Read more:

Displaced 650 Parliament residents scrambling to find temporary homes

Residents of 650 Parliament wont be back until 2019 at the earliest, property manager says

Displaced by blaze at 650 Parliament St., some tenants will shortly be expected to pay equivalent of rent

They said there was a lot of dust all over the place in their two-bedroom apartment, but thank God nothing was broken or missing.

Any special sentiment for a place theyve been away from for a while?

We have been basically homeless for the past two months. Cant feel any emotions right now, said Ali as he and his brother stuffed a boxed-up TV on top of a pile of other stuff in the car.

Just come in, get stuff and get out of here. Hopefully all this will be over soon and we can return.

Property management says residents can line up for access into the building all week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But on the second day of the process, many werent lucky enough to be called.

They should employ more people to help run things faster, said Holly Kwan, who noted she had stood in line for six hours. How am I going to leave the job again to come back here tomorrow?

Abhimanyu Sharma said he had driven in from Peel region, where his family has found shelter at a friends place after a spell in a downtown hotel earlier in the aftermath of the fire. His wife is set to fly to India next week, and he had come to retrieve the paperwork needed for the trip, in addition to winter clothing.

Oh God, now its more kilometres to drive tomorrow and another day wasted. Too much headache, he said as he realized he wouldnt get in Tuesday.

These last two months we are used to being frustrated, but they need to have more staff and maybe more elevators working inside.
Ontarios Progressive Conservative government cancelled funding on Tuesday for three planned satellite campuses in the GTA, citing budget troubles.

The government blamed the move on a $15-billion deficit that it says it inherited from the Liberal government it defeated in June.

Earlier this year, former premier Kathleen Wynnes Liberals announced $90 million each for a Ryerson University/Sheridan College campus in Brampton and a Milton site for Wilfrid Laurier University/Conestoga College, on top of $127.3 million for a York University/Seneca College campus in Markham, a project approved in 2015.

We promised the people of Ontario to restore accountability and trust in Ontarios finances. Part of that process means making tough decisions about projects across Ontario, Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Merrilee Fullerton said in a statement.

The cuts were announced less than 24 hours after Patrick Brown, Fords predecessor as PC leader, was elected mayor of Brampton, whose new campus was slated to open in 2022. Brown was also briefly Fords rival in the leadership race that followed his own resignation.

In an email Tuesday night, Brown said the previously funded satellite campus was the bare minimum the province could do to provide help and opportunities to young people in Brampton, and that its cancellation was very disappointing.

The new Brampton mayor said he hoped PC MPPs in the affected communities will stand up for their communities and speak with Fullerton.

I believe Brampton deserves a full university, not just a small satellite campus. This is a step backwards towards what the city of Brampton deserves, he said. Ironically, Brown helped recruit Fullerton, the minister who announced the cuts, to the PC party when he was Tory leader.

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti condemned the decision, but said he remained committed to securing a post-secondary institution for Markham.

On behalf of the City of Markham, I would like to express our deep disappointment upon hearing the Provincial governments announcement to cancel funding for York Universitys Markham Centre Campus, he said in a statement, adding York Region remains the only jurisdiction in North America, with more than a million people, that does not have a university.

However, York and Seneca said the shared-campus project in Markham isnt dead. Though the funding decision was called unexpected, with construction in Markham set to begin later this fall, the institutions said they would do their best to complete the project without the provinces help.

Given our combined view of the importance of this campus for the economic future of the Region and for the students who are seeking access to new higher education options close to home, we are committed to working with all involved to determine if there is a path forward that will still meet the post-secondary education needs of York Region and its residents, York president Rhonda Lenton and Seneca president David Agnew said in a joint statement.

Wilfrid Laurier University, whose main campus is in Waterloo, 40 km west of Milton, said in a statement that it was deeply disappointed by the sudden cancellation of support for the project, slated to open in 2021. The university added that it aims keep working with the Town of Milton and area partners to explore all options for keeping the dream of post-secondary education alive in this vibrant community.

The province is working with the universities to discuss costs related to ending construction, Fullerton said, adding Our government would be willing to consider a business case for how these projects may proceed in the absence of provincial capital funding.

Jack Hauen is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jackhauen

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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Glitches with a private online voting company impacted local elections in 51 cities and towns across the province on election day, causing at least six to extend voting hours until Tuesday in an example one expert says highlights the wild west of internet voting.

Dominion Voting blamed the slow traffic that voters experienced just after 6 p.m. Monday on a third-party Toronto-based data centre placing an unauthorized limit on incoming voting traffic, in a press release sent to affected municipalities.

Once we became aware of the problem, Dominion was able to quickly identify the source of the issue and work with the provider to resolve all issues with the system service by 7:30 p.m. ET, read the release.

Unfortunately, the 90-minute slowdown and resulting bandwidth issue caused a varying number of voters to experience slow response times and system timeouts.

The company did not respond to a request for further comment by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Users reported a slow system, and being locked out all together, on the social media accounts of several municipalities, including Bradford West Gwillimbury, where one user asked if the system was being run on a potato.

I havent had to wait 15 minutes for a page to render since the 90s! they wrote on the towns Facebook page.

Voting was extended an extra hour in Cambridge, Kingston and Peterborough on Monday night in response, two hours in Pickering and Innisfil, and until 8 p.m. Tuesday in Greater Sudbury, Kawartha Lakes, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Collingwood and Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Aleksander Essex, an assistant professor of software engineering at Western University, in London, Ont., said Dominion Voting is essentially blaming it on their subcontractor, adding its not clear why the entire website appeared to shut down temporarily.

But the incident highlights bigger concerns with online voting, the use of which has been steadily growing in Ontario.

Wild west is exactly the term Ive been using, he said. It absolutely is dangerous for democracy.

He said its difficult to get information out of private companies such as Dominion Voting, a Canadian-based firm that has expanded into the U.S. According to Essex, Dominion is the number two online voting provider in the province.

Theyve got a business to run, said Essex. They dont want the secret sauce recipe going up on the internet.

That, coupled with a lack of clear procedures and standards on online voting, leaves the system open to hacks.

Even if none of that happens, the greatest, long-term creeping risk is that we will lose confidence in the system because we cant actually tell what the heck is going on, Essex said.

Its the lack of transparency thats the real creeping threat.

But Kayla Thibeault, director of legislative services/clerk with the town of Gravenhurst, which declared a state of emergency Monday after the Dominion Voting system briefly just stopped all together, is still confident the process has been transparent and fair.

Its disappointing that we had to do this, she said of extending voting hours until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

It was the towns first time using online voting, but it had used Dominion Voting for mail-in ballots in the past, Thibeault said.

She added scrutineers are able to come to voting stations and the counting room, but votes are counted automatically.

Online voting can have clear benefits, such as increasing turnout, said Nicole Goodman, an assistant professor of political science at Brock University and the director of the Centre for e-Democracy, an independent research hub.

But there need to be clear standards, for things such as minimum technical and security thresholds, she said. The province cant be too prescriptive though, and they should be voluntary, not one size fits all.

According to Goodmans own tally, the number of municipalities using online voting in the province has grown from 12 in 2003 to 194 in 2018.

Christa Carter, acting communications officer for Collingwood, said shes also confident that their voting process is still fair and secure.

The security was never in question, she said. Its basically bottlenecking.

As for whether the town would use Dominion Voting or use online voting again, she said thats for Collingwoods new council to tackle.

The incoming council will have to make the decision of what type of election well have the next time around, she said. Im sure that will be a huge discussion across the province.

The company was chosen in an open tender because of its excellent reputation, she added.

So thats obviously probably on the line now.
Political consultant and author Warren Kinsella testified Tuesday that he and his wife, Lisa, had ample reason to feel intimidated and frightened that the editor and publisher of a controversial publication were making death threats against them.

We regarded the article as a call to action, that we should be bludgeoned to death, Kinsella told Ontario Court Justice Dan Moore on the first day of trial.

James Sears, 55, and LeRoy St. Germaine, 76, respectively editor and publisher of Your Ward News, have pleaded not guilty to uttering death threats against the Kinsellas in the summer 2017 issue of the publication.

They are also charged separately with two counts of wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group, namely Jews and women.

Less than 24 hours after helping John Torys relatively easy coast to re-election as Toronto mayor, Kinsella  a lawyer and author of several books about extremism  described the escalating conflict with Sears and St. Germaine that began after the Kinsellas began receiving Your Ward News at their east-end home.

They persuaded advertisers to stop advertising in what Kinsella described Tuesday as a racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and offensive rag, and organized a group, called STAMP (Standing Together Against Mailing Prejudice) that successfully pressured Canada Post to stop delivering the publication.

Read more:

Your Ward News editor, publisher charged with promoting hatred

Complaint filed against Canada Post, Ottawa over offensive newspaper

However, the Kinsellas continued to receive copies, though with less frequency, and found themselves increasingly as targets both in words and images inside.

Crown attorney Matthew Giovinazzo showed Kinsella several issues featuring Kinsellas image, including caricatures of him drinking the blood of Christ and his head superimposed on the head of a snake.

We were concerned. We have six children between us, we enhanced the security system we had placed, we spoke to all of our kids about taking prudent steps, Kinsella said.

The couple initiated lawsuits against Spears and St. Germaine, some of which are still active.

The tipping point, said Kinsella, 58, was when Sears wrote an article that ended there was a chance that some hothead who cares deeply about me and my family would lose it and do something illegal and bludgeon the Kinsellas to death. St. Germaine also wrote something that Kinsella felt put a bounty on his head.

The Kinsellas laid a private charge against the pair that was eventually taken over by Toronto police.

Kinsella, however, faced aggressive cross-examination by defence lawyer Chris Murphy, who is representing St. Germaine. Murphy suggested the case is a battle for publicity and the alleged death threat inconsequential.

Murphy asked Kinsella about the numerous articles and news releases his communications firm has issued about the case, as well as granting media interviews after a Justice of the Peace indicated charges would be laid.

If there were neo-Nazis or members of the far right who had no right idea who James Sears or Leroy St. Germaine were, youre actually spreading (the word about) them and spreading the alleged threat, Murphy stated.

Is there a question there? Kinsella shot back in one of many testy exchanges between the two.

Kinsella finally said there was no media tour.

We were shining a light on the threat. For more than 30 years of my life, my belief has been that it is better to shine a light on the cockroaches so that they scatter, he said. I do not believe that sticking your head in the sand is effective against people like your client.

Murphy also grilled Kinsella about his hardball tactics in the political arena, pointing to his online bio where he says it is said that you can be useful in a stick-swinging, bench-clearing brawl, correct?

Its not an official biography, its clearly, for anybody, let me answer your question, anybody who reads it, its intended to be humorous. My official biography is on my firms website.

Murphy also asked Kinsella about a tweet sent from his Twitter account on Oct. 19, 2015 that said James Sears is a neo-Nazi sex offender, with a link to a website that contained personal information including Sears home address.

Kinsella said the tweet was a retweet and that he was unaware of that content.

The trial continues.

Correction: Oct. 23, 2018: This article was updated from a previous version that misstated the full name of STAMP.
A perfect storm led to a sharp decline in Torontos voter turnout, down to 41 per cent.

Just one election ago, in 2014, Toronto set a record at 60 per cent of eligible voters hitting the polls, marking the highest voter turnout since amalgamation.

Its almost like falling off a cliff, said Myer Siemiatycki, a politics professor at Ryerson University, adding that it shouldnt come as a surprise. You couldnt have designed an election to have a lower voter turnout.

Voter turnout for the Toronto election is an unofficial estimate not confirmed by the city, but based on city data. The city will release official results later this week, a spokesperson said.

One of the reasons why turnout was low is likely because candidates didnt know for sure where their ward boundaries would be until mid-September, when a court determined the election should proceed with 25 wards, as legislated by Premier Doug Fords government, rather than the planned 47. That meant candidates had half the time to cover twice the geography and didnt reach enough residents, Siemiatycki said.

Then theres the mayoralty campaign that saw the very belated entry of Jennifer Keesmaat in late July, he said. Unlike the 2014 election that saw a close race between high profile candidates including John Tory, Olivia Chow and Ford, Keesmaat didnt have the same name recognition, or organizational robustness to help her make up lost time.

And an uncompetitive mayoral election is almost always a formula for low voter turnout, said Michael McGregor, also a politics professor at Ryerson. Torys win, predicted in early polls, proved to be a blowout as he attracted about 63.5 per cent of votes.

An easy win appears to have impacted Mississaugas voter turnout too, with incumbent Mayor Bonnie Crombie coasting to victory. Voter turnout was just 27 per cent, according to the city.

During the Hazel McCallion era, when the long-time Mississauga mayor seemed destined to win again and again, as few as 20 per cent of voters would cast a ballot.

Bramptons voter turnout in this election is higher than Mississaugas, unofficially at 34.5 per cent, reported the city. Thats with a feisty mayoral race that featured former PC leader Patrick Brown defeating incumbent Linda Jeffrey.

For at least the past decade, Bramptons voter turnout percentage has remained in the mid to low 30s (in 2014 it peaked at 36 per cent). Even when the race has a very high-profile set of candidates, the turnout is still below Torontos worst effort, McGregor said.

A number of factors contribute to the 905s lower voter engagement in municipal politics.

Theres a black hole or lack of information in the Peel Region, with media outlets covering almost exclusively Toronto politics, said McGregor. And theres the fact Mississauga and Brampton are hubs of diversity.

Research suggests immigrants and visible minorities vote at relatively low levels in municipal elections in particular, McGregor said. Hes currently trying to figure out why in his research.

Compared to the thicker network of civic engagement in old city centres like Toronto, suburban life is more individualized and private with not as many bonds that bind residents to each other and their community, Siemiatycki said.

As you fan out from the downtown core to the older suburbs and then further out to Brampton, Mississauga, Vaughan and Markham, voter turnout decreases.

Voter turnout tended to be higher in the downtown wards, with the exception of Ward 10, SpadinaFort York where Councillor Joe Cressy, not facing any incumbents, easily beat out the 13 other candidates. Only 37 per cent of that wards voters cast a ballot.

The two wards that tied for highest voter turnout at 50 per cent were both close to downtown. Ward 12, TorontoSt. Pauls saw Councillor Josh Matlow beat out Joe Mihevc, who was endorsed by Mayor John Tory. In Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth, Councillor Paula Fletcher bested former council ally Mary Fragedakis.

Voter turnout tended to be lower in the citys most northern wards from Etobicoke North across to ScarboroughRouge Park.

The open race in Ward 23, Scarborough North had the lowest voter turnout at 33 per cent. Cynthia Lai won with 27 per cent of votes cast.

Low voter turnout shouldnt be accepted as a given and is detrimental to the quality of local government, McGregor said. You want your elected representative to reflect interests of as many people possible and if a small share of the population is voting thats not going to happen.

With files from Bryann Aguilar

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PHILADELPHIAA Pennsylvania judge Tuesday dismissed Bill Cosbys bid for a new trial and for reconsideration of his three-to-ten year prison sentence, saying there was no need to hold a hearing on the issues raised by his defence team.

Judge Steven ONeill directed Cosby to address any appeal issues to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, which Cosbys new lawyers have said they intend to do.

The court has determined that no hearing or argument is required on the issues raised, ONeill, of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, wrote in a one-page order, almost a month after he sentenced Cosby for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee.

Cosbys former lawyer, Joseph Green, had asked for a new trial on the grounds that the prosecution had not proved the assault took place within a 12-year statute of limitations, and that a tape recording introduced as evidence by prosecutors during the trial had been tampered with.

Green also had asked for reconsideration of the sentence, which he said was harsh, given Cosbys age, 81, and the fact that he is legally blind.

The judge erred, Green said, by basing his sentence in part on statements by other women who say they were abused by Cosby, and by not allowing them to be cross-examined at sentencing.

The court erred in imposing a longer period of confinement on the basis of finding an undue risk that Cosby would commit another crime despite uncontradicted expert testimony that his actual risk of reoffending is near zero, Green had said in court papers.

Cosbys wife, Camille, released a statement Tuesday calling the judge corrupt, and his new lawyers filed papers with the Superior Court, requesting that it consider releasing Cosby on bond while his appeal is heard.

The Montgomery County District Attorney, Kevin Steele, declined to comment on the judges decision. He had argued in court papers that there was no merit to the arguments Green raised.

Alan Tauber, a Philadelphia defence attorney, said he was not surprised by the judges ruling.

Hes backing up his own previous positions, Tauber said. Unless there was some great revelation, he is not going to confess his own error.

Read more:

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Cosby defence team alleges most racist and sexist trial

Bill Cosby robbed me, Andrea Constand says in victim impact statement

In April, Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault after drugging and molesting Constand at his home outside Philadelphia in 2004.

Cosbys first trial in 2017 ended with a hung jury. At the second trial, this year, ONeill allowed testimony by five other women who said Cosby had sexually assaulted them when he was at the height of his fame and power as an entertainer and TV personality. Cosbys lawyers have indicated that the judges decision to allow that testimony will be a part of their appeal.

At the sentencing, ONeill denied Cosbys request for bail. But he said in his order Tuesday that Cosby has a qualified right to petition the court for bail pending appeal.

In their bail motion Tuesday to the Superior Court, Cosbys defence team argued that ONeill should have disclosed that he had a contentious relationship with a key defence witness, former District Attorney Bruce Castor. Castor said during a pretrial hearing in the case that years ago he had promised the state would not prosecute Cosby. ONeill found that any such promise was not binding.

The defence Tuesday submitted a new affidavit from Castor in which he said the judge has never forgiven him for what the judge perceived to be unfair tactics by Castor when the two men ran for district attorney in 1999.

I believe that Judge ONeill assigned himself to this case in part because he knew that I made the decision not to prosecute Mr. Cosby in 2005 and I would be at the centre of whether this case could proceed to trial, the affidavit said.

ONeill rejected Castors assertions of bad blood earlier this year. No grudge, animus, bias or prejudice can be claimed, he wrote. Because it simply does not exist.

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WASHINGTONRepublican leaders rushed Wednesday to decry the suspected explosive devices sent to three Democrats and a cable network that U.S. President Donald Trump has demonized repeatedly, saying that such acts cannot be tolerated despite the corrosive tone on the campaign.

Packages containing devices addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were intercepted by the Secret Service, while an explosive device was found at the home of liberal philanthropist George Soros and a suspicious package was found at CNNs New York headquarters. All four are regular targets of sharp criticism and name-calling from Trump and his conservative allies.

With just 13 days until the midterm elections, the explosive packages appeared to prompt some politicians to pause to reflect on the nations poisonous political atmosphere in a final campaign notable for apocalyptic imagery, violent confrontations and Trumps mantra that the GOP is the party of jobs and the Democrats are the party of mobs.

The White House characterized the mailing of explosive devices as terrorizing acts, while prominent elected Republicans condemned it as a cowardly attack aimed at terrorizing public figures. There were universal calls to bring anyone behind the acts to justice quickly.

Clinton, speaking at a fundraiser for congressional candidate Donna Shalala in Coral Gables, Florida, thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the package sent to her home and called it a troubling time.

It is a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together, Clinton said. We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same, who will set goals that will lift up every Floridian and American.

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Crude pipe bombs sent to Obama, Clintons, CNN; no injuries

Bomb found at philanthropist George Soros suburban home

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who survived a 2017 assassination attempt, wrote in the first in a series of tweets: These attempted attacks that have been made are beyond criminal, they are acts of pure terror. Violence and terror have no place in our politics or anywhere else in our society.

Those responsible for these evil acts of terror must be hunted down and brought to justice, and I have great confidence that our law enforcement officers will succeed in that mission. As a nation, we must agree that this is a dangerous path and it cannot become the new normal, Scalise continued.

At the White House, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice.

Trump retweeted Pences statement, adding, I agree wholeheartedly!

Asked Wednesday whether some of Trumps rhetoric might have contributed to the mailings, Sen. Orrin Hatch, defended the presidents remarks.

A lot of things could have contributed to that, Hatch said. Our society has become fairly complex. We think people ought to moderate on both sides.

He added, I dont see anything really wrong with the president. I think that, you know, hes in a tough position, hes attacked on all sides and he ought to be able to express himself.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an earlier statement: We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.

Trumps high profile adult children echoed the statements emanating from the White House. Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son and campaign-trail surrogate for Republican candidates, tweeted: As someone whose family has directly been the victim of these mail threats I condemn whoever did this regardless of party or ideology. This crap has to stop and I hope they end up in jail for a long time.

His sister, Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser in the White House, tweeted a condemnation of her own: I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN & others. There is no excuse  America is better than this. Gratitude to the @SecretService and law enforcement for all they do to keep this nation safe.

Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted: An attack on an American who happens to be a Democrat, Republican or Independent is an attack on America. The terrorist behind this will soon find out that while a free people have politics that are conflictive, if you try to kill any of us you will have to face all of us.

Democratic leaders issued similar denunciations. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a possible 2020 presidential candidate and a regular target of Trumps attacks, tweeted: Violence against private citizens, public officials and media organizations has no place in our democracy. I am thankful for the bold and swift action of law enforcement to ensure no one was hurt.

Law enforcement investigators have not yet disclosed information about the origin of the packages or the motivations of their sender or senders. No evidence has surfaced connecting the acts to any political campaign.

Trump has long assailed the targets of the packages. He regularly excoriates Obamas presidency and was a leading proponent of the false conspiracy theory that the nations first black president was not born in the United States. Despite defeating Clinton in the 2016 election, Trump still goes after his former foe in his speeches, inspiring chants from his rally crowds to Lock her up!

Trump also routinely attacks CNN as fake news, while his rally crowds regularly chant CNN sucks! Soros has long been a target of far-right groups and the subject of conspiracy theories with anti-Semitic overtones.

In recent weeks, Trump and other Republicans have tried to cast Democrats as the party of the mob and attempted to link specific candidates to radical figures on the left.

In Minnesotas rural 1st District, the National Republican Congressional Committee repeatedly has tied Dan Feehan, an Army veteran who received the Bronze Star, to leftist Antifa activists whove clashed with right-wing protesters and police.

Feehan works at a liberal organization bankrolled by George Soros, chief financier of the global left and anti-American causes, a narrator says in one spot as the sound of smashing glass plays over images of anarchist protesters.

An NRCC ad in Michigans eighth district begins with a clip of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asking why there arent uprisings happening across the country, then cuts to footage of violent protesters smashing windows and peaceful protesters chanting outside the Supreme Court.

Its gone on too long: Liberal extremists tearing America apart, says a narrator, warning that electing Democratic nominee Elissa Slotkin, a veteran of Obamas State Department, would put radicals in power.

Pelosis reference to uprisings came from a June news conference on Trumps zero tolerance immigration policy. She suggested that voters should be outraged by images of children of undocumented immigrants being separated from their parents.

Footage of protests during the confirmation battle of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which led to hundreds of arrests but no violence, has appeared less frequently in Republican ads than footage of anarchists smashing windows or burning cars. While Republicans have said the treatment of Kavanaugh fired up their base at the start of the October, some say the electorate has begun moving on.

The Kavanaugh thing caused a little flutter, but that frankly appears to have dissipated in the polls, said Rep. Stevan Pearce, whos running for governor in New Mexico, where the president remains unpopular.

The protests and the accusations against Kavanaugh do play prominently in a national ad from Future45, which is being seen less frequently in swing seats than the NRCC spots.

The screaming. The violence. The smears, a narrator says. Voting for any Democrat gets you all of that.

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RIO DE JANEIROBrazil is a majority non-white country, a multicultural mix of ethnicities. So many people here are stunned by an apparent contradiction: How could a man like Jair Bolsonaro be this close to winning the presidency?

The far-right former army captain once said his sons would never fall in love with a black woman, and in 2015, he dubbed African refugees coming to Brazil the scum of the earth. The left has sought to portray him as an open racist  a charge the blunt-talking Bolsonaro denies.

But this is what has perhaps shocked his opponents the most. Now polling in the lead by 18 percentage points, the 63-year-old will enter Sundays presidential runoff with a surprising group of backers: people of colour.

In Latin Americas largest nation, Bolsonaro is now the top candidate among black and mixed-race voters, according to a major polling agency, Ibope. He is supported by 47 per cent of that voter pool, compared to 41 per cent for Fernando Haddad, his opponent from the left-wing Workers Party, or PT.

Other polls that break out figures on Afro-Brazilians separately from that group suggest they are supporting Bolsonaro in far lower numbers than mixed-race voters. Yet overall, people of colour could push Bolsonaro over the top.

Brazil is ignoring some of its characteristics, said Alexandre Bandeira, a political strategist in Brasilia. It is a nation of largely mixed-race, lower-middle-class people. But people are putting aside their personal identities in search of political renovation.

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While Bolsonaro has at times used incendiary language in reference to race, critics also charge him with a more subtle form of discrimination  promoting policies they say unfairly target people of colour.

He has proposed, for instance, combating crime by sending heavily armed security forces into largely black and mixed-race slums, providing more protection for police officers who kill on the job, and stripping Indigenous communities of their land rights to speed up development.

He has lashed out at a quota system enacted by previous governments that guarantees places for black and Indigenous Brazilians at universities. I would not board a plane piloted by a quota beneficiary, or be operated on by a quota doctor, he said.

Earlier this month, Twitter was flooded with posts about Bolsonaro tagged #MySecretRacist, which attempted to expose subtle racism in Brazil.

He says a good thug is a dead thug. Hes bringing death to the slums, said Elsa Santos, 48, an expert on black history from the outskirts of Sao Paulo who attended an anti-Bolsonaro rally this month.

The strongest voter bloc for Bolsonaro  who resoundingly won a first-round vote earlier this month but fell short of the number needed to avoid a runoff  is still white men. And this country of 210 million is now more polarized than at any point in its modern history, especially after a spate of attacks and incidents of harassment against women, gays and black people allegedly committed by Bolsonaro supporters in recent weeks.

Yet backers of Bolsonaro include the likes of Achiles Guimaraes. An Afro-Brazilian and 40-year-old motorcycle delivery man, he heads a neighbourhood association in Rocinha, Rios largest slum  which Bolsonaro once suggested should be machine-gunned to kill off gang members. Guimaraes is Afro-Brazilian, like about 8 per cent of Brazilians. Mixed-race people make up about 47 per cent of the population, according to the 2016 census.

Guimaraes voted left-wing in past elections  but this year, he ran out and bought a Bolsonaro T-shirt. He laughs off the charges of racism against his candidate, saying we cant agree on everything.

Hes far more disgusted by Brazils traditional political class. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  the leftist Guimaraes once voted for and who led Brazil for eight years  is now in jail, serving a 12-year sentence for corruption. His successor was impeached. Her successor  the current president  was recently indicted on corruption and money-laundering charges, which he denies. One-third of the lower house of congress is under criminal investigation.

At the same time, Brazil has slipped into an unprecedented cycle of violence. As gang wars rage, Brazil suffered a record 63,880 homicides last year  almost twice the number in the United States and Europe combined.

Young black males are nine times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as their white counterparts  a statistic Guimaraes knows a lot about. His bother and his uncle were both gunned down in Rio slums.

Today, motorcycle delivery men run from thieves trying to steal their merchandise and motorcycles, and from the corrupt police asking for bribes, he said. Bolsonaro was a military man; he will demand more from authorities, including the police.

Yet Brazil already has one of the deadliest police forces in the world, responsible for over 5,000 deaths last year, according to government figures. Experts warn that Bolsonaros tough-on-crime platform, which includes proposals to arm ordinary citizens, could make life worse for many people of colour.

There is no basis of evidence to suggest that what he proposes will work, said Ilona Szabo, director of the Igarape Institute, a think tank in Rio that focuses on security issues. Things will get worse. The police will kill more. There will be more extrajudicial killings, especially of people in the slums and of blacks.

Once hailed as a unique racial democracy, a multicultural nation where people did not view one another through the lens of race, Brazil is now confronting rifts that many here would prefer to ignore.

Photos recently circulated on social media, for instance, showing a bathroom door at a university in southern Sao Paulo spray-painted with the message: Blacks will die. Here, were for Bolsonaro. After the first round of the elections, a flurry of people took to social media to attack Brazils predominantly black northeast, where Haddad won a majority of votes.

Bolsonaros campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In recent months, he has courted the black vote and has sought to celebrate Brazils diversity. After media reports in Brazil said that David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, had spoken highly of Bolsonaro, the Brazilian candidate rejected any such ally.

I refuse any kind of support coming from supremacist groups, Bolsonaro tweeted. To exploit this to try and influence an election in Brazil is an enormous stupidity! Its not knowing the Brazilian people, who are mixed race.

Within the black community, Bolsonaros candidacy has pitted his supporters against his opponents. On the night of the first round of the election, a 63-year-old black master of capoeira, a form of martial arts that originated in Africa and is popular in Brazil, was stabbed 12 times by a black Bolsonaro supporter in northern Brazil after he declared he had voted for Haddad.

Carla Jesus, a 34-year-old Afro-Brazilian teacher and lesbian activist, criticized blacks supporting Bolsonaro.

Just because slavery is over does not mean our minds are free, she said.

She said she is preparing for the dawn of a dark chapter in Brazil should Bolsonaro sail to victory.

People are looking at us differently now with the campaign, she said. They arent shy about saying blacks and lesbians need to die. Im feeling more than fear. Im panicking about him winning.

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BEIJINGChina wont set a population target in the future and give people more freedom around childbirth, a health official said, in the next step a gradual loosening of decades of tight population-control policies.

A senior official overseeing birth policy explained the changes last week to a United Nations conference held in Beijing, Chinese media Caixin reported Tuesday, without elaborating. Wei Yunpeng, deputy director of the Population Monitoring and Family Development Division of the National Health Commission, was speaking at a conference hosted by his administration and the United Nations Population Fund.

Weis comments are the latest sign that the government is moving to end decades of restrictive birth-control policies, fuelling speculation that China may announce removing birth limits at an upcoming meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee. Parliament removed family planning policies from the latest draft of a revised civil code slated for adoption in 2020, another signal that the policy is being eliminated.

Its not strange that an official would say this because fully liberalizing fertility is the direction of birth policy reform, said He Yafu, an independent demographer based in Guangdong and long-time advocate for policy changes. In the future, China will not only remove birth limits, but will encourage childbirth.

The government abandoned the decades-old one-child policy in 2016 and moved to a two-child policy. Bloomberg reported in May that the country was planning to scrap birth limits altogether as soon as this year. It would be a landmark end to a much criticized policy  one of historys biggest social experiments  that slowed Chinas rapid population growth but left the country with a worker shortage and an aging population with 30 million fewer women than men.

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HUIXTLA, MEXICOEdith Cruz was sitting at home in central Honduras, scanning Facebook on her phone, when she saw the post about the caravan on a community news page.

It was Oct. 12. She and her cousin had just opened a small business selling tortillas when they were confronted by a gang, threatened with death if they didnt hand over half of their profits. She looked at the Facebook post: An avalanche of Hondurans is preparing to leave in a caravan to the United States. Share this! Within three hours, her bags were packed.

The question of how the migrant caravan began has wound its way to the American midterm elections. U.S. President Donald Trump and other Republicans have suggested that Democrats paid migrants to begin the journey. As the group continues to grow, the largest such caravan in recent years, its beginnings are being scrutinized: How did more than 5,000 migrants from across Central America find each other?

Although the caravans origin story remains somewhat opaque, the answer from many migrants here is that they had wanted to leave for months or years, and then  in a Facebook post, a television program, a WhatsApp group  they saw an image of the growing group and decided.

Right away, I knew I would go, said Irma Rosales, 37, from Santa Ana, El Salvador, who saw images of the caravan on television and bought a bus ticket to meet up with the group in Guatemala last week.

I had been waiting for a way to get north, and then I heard about the caravan, said Ediberto Fuentes, 30, who had fled Honduras for southern Mexico but was stranded for months, without the money to pay for a smuggler to travel to the United States.

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I packed my bag in 30 minutes, said Jose Mejia, 16, from Ocotepeque, Honduras, who heard about the caravan when his friend knocked on his door at 4 a.m. and said simply, Were going.

On Tuesday, they stopped to rest in the small southern Mexican city of Huixtla, washing their clothes in buckets of water, sending messages to their families from Internet cafes, accepting whatever donations local residents were willing to offer. There was word that hundreds more migrants from across Central America, drawn by the endless media coverage, were on their way.

The Honduran government claims that community activists, led by a former legislator named Bartolo Fuentes, were initially behind the group, intending to malign the countrys leaders. The bulk of the migrants here are still from Honduras.

Theres clear evidence where it began. Bartolo was the person who was in front of the media; he was the face of this event, Alden Rivera Montes, Honduras ambassador to Mexico, said in an interview.

They were trying to show Honduras as a failed country, which is totally false, Rivera Montes said.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday that Honduras president told him the caravan was financed by Venezuelas left-wing government. There is no evidence to support that claim.

Fuentes told The Post he was merely helping to connect small groups of would-be migrants who were already planning to travel north. In September, there were posts on Honduran Facebook groups about the plans for the caravan.

These people who have normally migrated, hidden, day after day, had decided to come together and travel together to protect themselves, Fuentes said.

He said he was in touch with four groups of would-be migrants who were talking on WhatsApp and other social networks  in Tegucigalpa, the capital, as well as La Ceiba, Colon and San Pedro Sula  about the possibility of travelling together.

They contacted me; they said, We saw what youve written; we want you to tell us how the caravan had gone in March,  he said.

Fuentes had a long career as a political activist on the Honduran left. A former student leader who had protested against the U.S.-backed contra war to overthrow the neighbouring Nicaraguan government, he was elected to the legislature in 2013 and hosted a radio show about migration called Without Borders. He is a staunch critic of President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

A week before the caravan started, Fuentes posted on his Facebook page a flyer about the caravan that read, We arent going because we want to, violence and poverty is driving us out. It called people to meet at 8 a.m. on Oct. 12 at the San Pedro Sula bus terminal.

We are going to accompany these people, Fuentes wrote on Facebook on Oct. 5. We will support them at least for the departure.

The early days of the caravan received a surge of media coverage in Honduras, particularly from HCH, a popular television broadcaster in the country. By the time people started gathering at the bus terminal on Oct. 11 and 12, there were live streams on various Facebook pages. Before Americans had heard about it, the caravan had gone viral in Central America.

Everyone wants to know who is guilty, who is behind this, said Irineo Mujica, director of Tijuana-based Pueblos Sin Fronteras, which has advocated for this and previous caravans, helping to arrange the routes and other logistics. But no one has the power to organize this many people. No one can engineer an exodus.

By mid-October, the explosion of media coverage and viral social media posts across Central America prompted an explosion in the number of migrants. Within days of the caravans departure from San Pedro Sula on Oct. 13, almost no one could pin down the groups official origin story. They could cite only the Facebook post or television program that led to their own decision to migrate.

Many of the migrants watched the caravan grow in real time, surprised as the numbers surged.

When I arrived at the bus terminal (in San Pedro Sula), there were 30 people. A few hours later, there were hundreds, said Jose Vijin, 32, from northwestern Honduras.

Migrant caravans have travelled through Central America for several years, part human rights protest, part effort to guarantee safe passage for Central Americans traversing a dangerous route north. Normally, a Central American migrating to the United States must pay a series of cartel-linked smugglers to make the journey, a sum that can reach more than $10,000. The caravan offered a relatively safe way to migrate that was basically free of cost.

The last caravan, which left southern Mexico in March, received so much media attention, particularly during its final days, that it appears to have set the groundwork for the current, larger exodus, said many migrants. The current group is exponentially bigger than previous caravans. Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans who missed their chance this spring decided that this time, they would rush to join the group.

By the time Irma Rosales heard about the caravan in El Salvador, the migrants were already nearing the Guatemala border. Her husband had been murdered a year earlier, she said, and after she reported the crime to the police, the MS-13 threats began naming her.

I didnt have the money to pay for a coyote, so the caravan was the only way, she said.

After she saw the images of the group on television, she typed caravana migrante into Google and saw that the migrants were expected to reach the Guatemala-Mexico border in two days, on Oct. 19. She paid about $10 for three separate bus tickets, travelling for 16 hours, making it to the border on time to catch the caravan.

Then she bought a Mexican phone card and texted her cousin in Chicago.

Im coming, she wrote.

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WASHINGTONFacing global outrage over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi officials are now acknowledging that the journalist was targeted inside the kingdoms consulate in Turkey and a body double was on hand to aid in a coverup  the latest twist in the kingdoms evolving efforts to explain Khashoggis death.

This new version of events  which was described to The Associated Press by two Saudi officials  comes three weeks after the kingdom said Khashoggi left the consulate on his own and insisted Turkish claims he was killed by an assassination squad were unfounded.

Now Saudi officials tell the AP they did in fact send a team to Turkey that included a forensics expert and a member whose job was to dress in the 59-year-old writers clothes and pretend to be him  though they still insist that his death was an accident.

This account attempts to distance Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the killing, even though officials linked to the 33-year-old ruler have been implicated. But the fact that the Saudis are acknowledging some aspects of the account provided by Turkish authorities suggests that the kingdom is feeling intense global pressure, including from President Donald Trump and members of Congress, some of whom have called for cutting off arms shipments and imposing sanctions.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter and the ongoing investigation into Khashoggis death.

There was no way to corroborate the Saudi account, which paints the suspects as rogue operators. It also contradicts many observers who believe the complex scheme that led to Khashoggis death could not have occurred without the knowledge of the crown prince, who controls all major levers of power in the kingdom with the blessing of his father, King Salman.

It would have likely had the approval of the Saudi government, said Robert Jordan, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during President George W. Bushs administration.

Pro-government media in Turkey have reported that a Saudi hit squad of 15 people travelled to Turkey to kill Khashoggi, who wrote columns critical of the crown princes rule while living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. The team left the country hours later in private jets, Turkish media reports said.

Khashoggi was in Turkey for a scheduled visit to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Tuesday for the 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia by authorities there to be tried in Turkish courts and rejected the idea that the men acted on their own. To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community, Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in parliament.

The Saudi officials who spoke to the AP acknowledged that the kingdom sent a team to Turkey, but said the men were acting on a directive issued by King Salmans predecessor, King Abdullah, to bring Saudi dissidents abroad back to the kingdom  ostensibly to take part in a national dialogue over the countrys future.

They acknowledged the plan allowed for removing Khashoggi from the consulate and questioning him at a safe house.

Asked why such a team would include a forensics expert and a body double, the Saudi officials said had the safe house option been used, the plan was for the forensic expert to wipe clean evidence that Khashoggi had been at the consulate and for the body double to leave the facility to give the false impression that Khashoggi had left on his own.

Instead, the two officials said, the operation with Khashoggi turned violent. They said that the team included a former Khashoggi colleague who advised him to return to the kingdom. When that failed, the writer, by their account, asked if he was going to be kidnapped. Told he was going to be taken to a safe house, they say he started to yell for help. Thats when an unidentified person on the team applied a chokehold, which the officials said was intended only to keep Khashoggi quiet but ended up killing him instead.

The officials said the nine members of the 15-strong team who were inside the consulate at the time then panicked and made plans with a local Turkish collaborator to remove the body. One official said the body was rolled up in some sort of material and taken from the consulate by the collaborator.

Neither official could account for Turkish claims that Khashoggis body was dismembered with a bone saw inside the building.

Khashoggi vanished on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate. His fiancee, who was waiting outside the building for him, alerted authorities when he failed to come out.

At first, Saudi officials said he had left the building and they did not know his whereabouts.

Authorities in Turkey then began releasing details through the media there, showing surveillance photos of members of the team entering the country, including one member of the crown princes entourage, and sources presenting increasingly grisly accounts of the killing. On Monday, media outlets broadcast images of a body double strolling outside the consulate in Khashoggis clothes, a detail confirmed by Erdogan.

The Saudi officials said their initial response to Khashoggis disappearance was based on a false report filed by the team sent to Istanbul, which maintained he had left the consulate after refusing to agree to return home.

After the Turks challenged that account and it became clear Khashoggi had not left the consulate, Saudi officials remained almost entirely silent on the matter.

It wasnt until Oct. 20 that Saudi Arabia acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, claiming he died as the result of a fistfight, a claim that drew immediate skepticism from the kingdoms Western allies.

On Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Fox News that Khashoggis killing was a rogue operation, echoing Trump, who suggested on Oct. 15 that rogue killers could be responsible.

The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority, al-Jubeir said in the interview. There obviously was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable to the government.

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WASHINGTONAs early voting began Monday in Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson and Andrew Gillum, who is running for governor, had former Vice President Joe Biden come to Jacksonville and Tampa to urge Democrats to go to the polls in what are two of the most hard-fought races in the country.

Early voting also started Monday in Texas, and thats where U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in an 18,000-seat NBA arena. But he was rallying support in a pair of less-competitive races: the re-election campaigns of Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott.

Conspicuously absent from the raucous festivities at Houstons Toyota Center, where thousands also congregated outside, was the local Republican congressman who is locked in a difficult campaign: John Culberson, whose well-heeled district is full of moderates who recoil from Trump.

The split-screen between Florida and Texas  one the most crucial presidential battleground in the country, the other a pillar of conservative strength  neatly illustrated Trumps role in the fall campaign. He is often away from the centre of action, shunned by many of his partys most vulnerable House candidates, but still commands enthusiastic audiences on a scale rarely seen in a midterm election.

Two weeks before the ballots are all counted, and the first verdict rendered on his presidency, Trump is overwhelming the campaign with tactics like attacking the migrant caravan but is also detached from some of the races that may determine who controls the House.

While polls show this president is more of a factor in voters calculations  pro and con  than his predecessors, Trump has avoided large swaths of the country. The entire Pacific Coast, much of the Northeast and large interior cities like Chicago, Minneapolis and Kansas City, Missouri, where Republican lawmakers do not want to be seen with him, are effectively no-go zones.

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He is hardly the first president whose unpopularity has limited his campaign travels  there were plenty of candidates who did not want to appear with the past two occupants of the Oval Office. But rarely has there been such a collision between the vanity of a president and the political reality hes confronting. Trump is as much a celebrity as he is a politician, and he wants his rallies, which are only nominally about the office-holder hes in town for, to match the hype of other global celebrities.

Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, whom Trump personally wooed into running against Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, recounted the many conversations he had with the president about his lightly populated states stadium-scale venues and said Trump had his eye on North Dakota State Universitys Fargodome.

Do you know how many arenas Ive beaten Elton Johns record? Cramer recalled Trump telling him.

The presidents destinations also reflect the competing impulses of his advisers. The White House political director, Bill Stepien, and his colleagues are eager to claim credit for saving as many House seats as they can, no matter how small a market they must send the president to, according to people familiar with their planning.

But the manager-in-waiting for Trumps 2020 campaign, Brad Parscale, and his allies are eager to flex the presidents political strength before his re-election bid, and collect as many cellphone numbers and emails as possible  and thus prefer overflowing big-city venues such as the home of the NBAs Rockets in Houston.

So after his filled-to-the-rafters rally in the countrys fourth-largest city Monday, Trump on Saturday, on the second-to-last weekend before the election, will find himself in Murphysboro, Illinois, a town of 7,568 where Rep. Mike Bost could use a lift in a district that is closer to Memphis, Tennessee, than Chicago.

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Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, said the presidents itinerary recalled former president George W. Bushs narrowly confined schedule in 2006, at the nadir of the Iraq War, when he was even more broadly unpopular than Trump is now.

We could almost take him nowhere, McConnell recalled of Bush. He ended up going only to the places where he was still in decent shape.

The Senate map is friendlier terrain for Trump. The most competitive races are taking place in states where Trump remains well-liked, or at least is not as toxic as he is in some up-for-grabs House districts.

McConnell praised him for being willing to go where he needs to go, and the president has been in high demand in campaigns for the Senate, where Republicans have a bare one-seat majority.

Ive been counting on one more time, said Cramer, who polls show is leading in his bid against Heitkamp.

He is hardly alone: Other Republicans involved in many of the most competitive Senate races are also clamouring for a final visit from Air Force One before Election Day to motivate pro-Trump voters.

The president is the Trump card in Montana, said Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican who is hoping to help defeat the states other senator, Jon Tester, a Democrat. Another visit from him right before Election Day will further drive GOP turnout and increase support for Matt Rosendale, he said, referring to Testers challenger.

Most of the presidents hour-plus performances are one-man shows: Unlike with past presidents, the candidate of the hour is handed the microphone by Trump only briefly sometime during his monologue. Strategists involved in the campaigns have even started to time how long into his remarks it is before the president mentions the race in question and starts attacking the Democrat on the ballot, which is the 30 seconds of footage they most covet.

And Trumps desire to fill arenas often overrides the preference of the candidate he is ostensibly there to help. When he visited Pennsylvania this month to endorse Rep. Lou Barlettas Senate campaign, for example, the president chose to appear in Erie rather than Pittsburgh, even though Barlettas campaign indicated their preference was Pittsburgh, according to officials close to the congressman, who stressed they were delighted to have the president at all.

White House officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about strategy, maintained that Trumps stop was really for Rep. Mike Kelly in Erie, not Barletta.

For other Republican lawmakers and operatives, though, the Trump rallies are simply hazards to be avoided. In some House races, the president has been forced to appear in second cities  Topeka, Kansas, instead of Kansas City, or Rochester, Minnesota, instead of Minneapolis  because the incumbents are attempting to convince their suburban electorate that they are independent of Trump.

The White House officials noted that Trump held a private fundraiser in Minneapolis, although they acknowledged that embattled Rep. Erik Paulsen, who has distanced himself from the president, didnt attend.

Theyre between a rock and a hard place, said Thomas Davis III, a former Republican congressman from Virginia, of the attempt to balance appeals to upscale anti-Trump voters and the partys bedrock supporters.

White House aides, who were not authorized to speak publicly about strategy, said that their teams defer to the campaigns in choosing where Trump can be most useful in their districts or states, and that even the Senate contests he appears in have down-ballot advantages. This week hes appearing in three districts with open seats, which White House officials believe are at the root of their difficulty this year.

Officials pointed to 17 House districts where Trump had campaigned by mid-October, and they said that the areas where he appears are spots he can best draw in the non-traditional midterm voters who supported him.

The White House has very much taken notice of who has spurned Trump  Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas are mentioned frequently by West Wing officials  and Stepien even went so far as to write a memo this month warning lawmakers that they would not fare well if they did not boldly align themselves with the president.

But that remains an open question in Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott, running for the Senate, has drawn notice in the White House for his willingness to appear with Trump at official events but refusal to stand with the president at his beloved rallies.

The president is planning a trip to Fort Myers next week and may return to Florida once more before the election, but it is unclear if Scott will appear at the rally, which will feature the Republican nominee for governor, Ron DeSantis. Private polling by both parties indicates that the campaigns for governor and senator are, in the typical fashion of Florida, extraordinarily close.

West Wing officials said they are paying attention to what the governor does, and one of Trumps most vocal allies in Florida urged Scott to show up when the president comes to campaign.

I would definitely urge the governor to join us to rally the troops as early voting gets underway, said Rep. Matt Gaetz.

A spokesman for Scott did not reply to questions about his plans, but the governors advisers have been uneasy with having him on stage because of the presidents penchant for veering well off script and making incendiary comments. And with Trump ratcheting up his rhetoric against immigrants, and Nelson linking Scott to the president in Spanish-language ads, those sensitivities are even more acute.

One senior Republican official with ties to Trump and Scott predicted the governor would likely use his role leading the cleanup after Hurricane Michael as cover to avoid coming to any political events  but this official acknowledged that if it were not for the storm, the governor would likely come up with another excuse to sidestep the risk of standing beside the ever-unpredictable president.

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VANCOUVERJagmeet Singh just cant catch a break.

With the call of a byelection in the Vancouver-area riding the rookie NDP leader is hoping to soon represent in Parliament only days away, he is losing yet another MP  in this instance to British Columbias provincial arena.

At the same time, he may have more of a fight on his hands to secure a ticket to the House of Commons than he would have liked.

On Wednesday, B.C. premier John Horgan announced that Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Sheila Malcolmson will be running under the provincial NDP banner in a byelection soon to be held on Vancouver Island.

Freshly elected as mayor of Nanaimo last weekend, New Democrat MLA Leonard Krog is leaving the provincial legislature.

Horgans minority government already hangs by little more than a thread. He needs to fill the vacancy in time for B.C.s February budget and the confidence vote that will attend its presentation or else possibly face a general election.

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Horgans gain is Singhs loss. Malcolmson  who has only been in the Commons since 2015  is the second B.C. New Democrat to leave the federal caucus to pursue more promising political opportunities. Former MP Kennedy Stewart whose Burnaby South seat Singh is vying for was elected mayor of Vancouver last weekend.

A date to fill the Ontario seat left vacant by the sudden death of Conservative MP Gordon Brown last spring must be set by next Tuesday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to call the Burnaby South vote at the same time.

The timing of Malcolmsons departure is less than perfect for momentum-deprived Singh.

Her decision to switch to provincial politics, coming as it does on the heels of Stewarts successful entry in the mayoral arena, highlights the fact that while the NDP brand is in good shape at the provincial and municipal levels in B.C., Singhs personal brand is not.

He has yet to become a household name in the Vancouver-area riding he has elected to make his permanent federal home base and he is hobbled by the lacklustre performance of the federal NDP in the polls.

Anecdotal evidence suggests there may by now be more Liberals wishing Singh well in his bid to enter the Commons than New Democrats. It is certainly not difficult on a visit to Vancouver to find party sympathizers who celebrated his first ballot victory a year ago and who now wish him gone.

Even if Singh does make it to the floor of the Commons via Burnaby South later this fall, he will have a hard time retooling for next years general election with recruits of the same high calibre as that of the MPs who are electing to leave.

The list of the latter already includes the NDPs lone Alberta MP Linda Duncan as well as Quebec MPs Helene Laverdiere and Romeo Saganash and it could get longer.

The NDP won the Burnaby South seat in 2015 by less than 1,000 votes; a score that suggests Singh cannot take victory for granted.

There had been talk of the Liberals taking a pass on running a candidate  a courtesy to an incoming leader that would have had the advantage, from Trudeaus perspective, of sparing his own party an early test in a riding that is at ground zero of the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

But the idea elicited push back from local Liberals and the expectation is that Trudeaus party is more likely to be on the byelection ballot than not.

Singh may be spared another potentially morale-depleting test this fall for Trudeau could wait until after the New Year to call a vote in Outremont, the Montreal seat left vacant by Thomas Mulcair.

The Liberals have a good shot at winning back Outremont from the NDP whether the byelection takes place this fall or next winter. But they could see some side benefits to waiting a while longer to call the vote.

Beauce MP Maxime Bernier has just applied to register his Peoples Party with Elections Canada. He has to wait 60 days from that application to run a candidate in a byelection. If Trudeau were to hold off until next year to call the Outremont vote, it would pave the way for Berniers party to make the riding the scene of its Quebec maiden run.

One does not need to have a particularly devious mind to think the Liberals would love to start the election year by scoring a hit on the NDP in Outremont and watching Andrew Scheers Conservatives scramble to make it to the finish line ahead of Berniers candidate.

Politics is a blood sport.

Chantal Hebert is a columnist based in Ottawa covering politics. Follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert

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VANCOUVERGarry Taylor Handlen, now in his 70s, told an undercover police officer that in 1978 he grabbed a girl from the side of the road in B.C.s interior, had sex with her and then strangled her.

A November 2014 video recording, shown to the jury Tuesday, was more than an hour long and depicted an undercover police officer speaking with Handlen in an apartment. Handlen would be arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Monica Jack in December that year.

Handlen pleaded not guilty.

Jack was 12 years old when she disappeared while riding her bicycle on Highway 5A, near Merrit, B.C. in May 1978. Her bike was found on the side of the road, but police were not able to locate her. Jacks remains were not found until 1995.

Handlen watched the trial Tuesday from the prisoner dock, wearing a grey plaid shirt and hearing aids. He donned headphones while court was in session.

The Crown played a video recording that depicted part of an undercover police operation involving multiple officers. Handlen was inducted into a fictitious crime organization and told he had to come clean about his past.

The undercover officers identities are protected due to a publication ban.

In the video recording, the supposed crime boss told Handlen that he had one of his people do deep background on Handlen and that they found something of concern.

I like you, but you have to be straight up with me, the crime boss said.

He told Handlen police had a lab report that showed a 95 per cent match between DNA found on Monica Jack and a DNA sample police had taken from Handlen prior.

The report was, in fact, fake, meant to scare Handlen into thinking there was substantial evidence connecting him to Jacks death. It was seemingly enough to convince Handlen to explain what happened to Jack in 1978.

He grabbed her while she was riding her bike along the road near Merritt, he said in the video recording.

I remember picking up a girl, that one time, having sex  I think I lost it for some reason, he said. I think I strangled her.

Handlen went on to say he left Jacks body up a hill nearby.

The supposed crime boss asked Handlen, Did you ever tell anyone?

Nobody knows, he replied.

The trial is expected to continue for 10 weeks.

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ROXANA  Wanting to set an example for her children, while changing someones life in the process, are the driving forces behind Roxana resident Tina Breedings decision to donate one of her kidneys to a co-worker.

Justin Pratt, 36, had gone through a time of not feeling well, his blood pressure was skyrocketing, and then he discovered that he was in stage 5 renal failure, and his kidneys were operating at only 15 percent capacity. He was told he had Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS Disease, and needed a kidney transplant or he would face dialysis for the rest of his life. His sister-in-law formed a GoFundMe Kidney Transplant page to help with medical bills, time off of work and hopefully, to help find a living kidney donor.

Unbeknownst to him, Breeding, who he had become acquainted with during leadership training in Dallas in 2011, and later, at annual meetings, found out about his dilemma.

My daughters uncle on her dads side went through a similar thing last year, and her aunt donated a kidney, so I was familiar with the process and idea of kidney donation. I thought, why not me? Breeding said.

Before embarking on the journey, she spoke to her COO and office manager at work, and they were very supportive, allowing her to take time off for recovery without pay.

I filled out the questionnaire and sent it, and it was quite awhile before I heard back, she said. I got a call that I was being considered, and later, the hospital called and wanted to schedule tests to make sure I was physically able to donate.

Both the donor and recipient work for The Carmedic, which has locations all around the country; Breeding works at the Roxana headquarters office, and Pratt in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Because of where Pratt lives, the transplant will take place at Northwestern Memorial Hospitals Kovler Organ Transplantation Center in Chicago, and thats where Breeding had to go for testing.

She took her close friend, Jesse Weller, along for emotional support. Tests involved a long, grueling day of multiple blood draws, a CT scan, kidney function tests, etc. She later had an interview with a psychologist to make sure she was emotionally ready to handle the surgery.

All the while, Breeding and the Pratts had not spoken about the potential of her donating.

I wanted to stay anonymous, just in case for some reason, the tests determined that I couldnt donate, Breeding said. I didnt want to get their hopes up.

On Oct. 4, when she found out all systems were go, Breeding emailed Pratt under the pretext of needing to talk to him and his wife at the same time for a questionnaire at work.

Once they were all on the phone together, she revealed that she had tricked them into the call because she had something important to share.

I am your kidney donor, she told them.

It was awesome, Breeding said. They were surprised. We were all very emotional. Justin kept saying thank you.

Weller said he is glad he had the opportunity to go with Tina for the testing and see the whole process.

It changed my outlook on what people take for granted in their lives every day, Weller said. It made me thankful to go to work and have family and friends that are supportive. What Tina is doing is a very unselfish thing! It shows that an act of kindness can lead to life-changing events.

This week, Breeding and Pratt will attend a donor and recipient class in Chicago for information on what they can both expect, along with another CT scan and blood draw.

People ask me why I am doing this, and its because its the right thing to do. Its a good thing to do, Breeding said. Why wouldnt I?

We should all help other people. That doesnt mean everyone has to donate a kidney. It might be sitting with a friend or taking them dinner  just helping someone who needs it, she said.

Breeding and her parents will go to Chicago on Nov. 7, in preparation for the transplant surgery on Nov. 8. Though she will only be in the hospital overnight, she said she has to stay in the city for a week just to make sure she is healing properly before coming back home to Roxana. Her total recovery will take four to six weeks, as will Pratts.

As far as being scared, Breeding said she is not.

Im not scared of the surgery, but I am worried about being off work for so long because we have so many things going on, she said.

I want my kids (Kaitlyn, 17 and Gavin, 14) to see that in this whole crazy world, there are people who are willing to help others, she said. I want them to see me doing something good; something selfless.

And I hope it raises awareness of kidney disease and how it can affect people at any age, she said.

After her recovery from the surgery, Breeding said doctors told her that her body will adjust to operating with one kidney, and she will be able to live a normal life. Pratt will be able to live normally with one kidney, as well.

They told me I was extremely healthy, and I am good donor material, she said. I try to eat right, and they said it is important for me to continue to do that.

Weller, Casey Bennington and Scott Loy have helped plan a benefit for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Bottle and Barrel at 554 East Broadway in Alton, that will help get her through her time off work, as well as with other expenses that insurance doesnt cover for donors.

The evening will feature music by DJ Toni Daniel, and raffle opportunities, including Cardinals tickets, gas fill-ups, Paparazzi jewelry, a Vladimir Tarasenko poster, theme baskets, a handmade quilt, Mary Kay basket, and more. Chili, small sandwiches, hot dogs, and chips will be available. If interested in making a donation, call Weller at (618) 610-7577.
EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was found guilty by a jury late Tuesday of murdering two people during a card game in an Alton housing complex, resulting in a mandatory life sentence in prison.

After deliberation, a jury found Vincent Gordon, 35, of Alton guilty on all counts  two counts of first-degree murder, a count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and escape.

He shot two people in a home with a mother and her four children inside. He has shown absolutely now remorse whatsoever. It was over a silly, little argument. He is the very definition of a cold-blooded murderer, Assistant States Attorney Lauren Heischmidt told the jury.

Gordon, who represented himself at trial, told detectives several different stories as officers revealed they had hard evidence he was lying, according to the recording.

He was in a card game with three other people in the 3100 block of Lawn Street, within the public housing complex. A minor argument broke out, and Gordon fatally shot Derrick Vaughn, 28, and Elijah Ingram, 30, in the aftermath.

One victim tried to leave but was shot in the back; another tried to stop the shooting but took a bullet to the face, Assistant States Attorney Crystal Uhe told the jury in her opening statement.

For no reason at all, he pulled a 9mm handgun and sprayed six shots across the kitchen, Uhe said during her opening statement. Because there were two victims, Gordon will receive a mandatory life sentence.

Heischmidt pointed out in her closing argument that two people gave detailed descriptions of Gordon.

She pointed out that one witness in the Alton Acres apartment described the scar over his eye, a gold tooth and a distinctive design of a plaid shirt.

She said the two witnesses did not hesitate, did not change their stories and gave answers consistent with each other and with hard evidence. On witness saw the shooting and another saw Gordon leaving after the shots were fired, Heischmidt said.

She pointed out that Gordon lied several times in talking to police. He, at first said he was not even at the residence, then, when confronted with evidence, changed his store and admitted he was there but never got out of the car he was driving, then admitted he was there but adamantly denied he did the shooting.

After he shot two people, he drove up to Godfrey like nothing happened, Heischmidt said.

The prosecutor presented a timeline on a screen that was produced from a GPS system in the car Gordon was driving. The electronic evidence put him in Alton Acres at the time of the shooting and at other points that contradict Gordons version of events.

Gordon presented a timeline of his own. He claimed he was not at Alton Acres, even though he admitted to police he was there. He attempted to argue several allegations for which there was not evidence during testimony. The judge sustained the objections and repeatedly told Gordon he must stick to the facts as presented in the trial.

He told the jury that he could prove his innocence if the court would allow him to present evidence that was excluded. He attempted to talk about his family.

Heischmidt, in her rebuttal, pointed out that Gordon made inconsistent statements, even in his closing argument. One minute, hes here; one minute hes not there, she said. She said Gordon made too much of the fact that the resident took called her uncle first and waited a few minutes before calling police.

Is he going to blame her? He shot two people with her baby in the house, Heischmidt said.

Gordon was on parole when the shooting occurred but cut a Department of Corrections ankle bracelet off.
Illinois corn yields are well above market expectations for the sixth straight year, according to the University of Illinois crop sciences department.

In 2012, a year of a major drought, the average corn yield in Illinois was 105 bushels an acre, 64 bushels an acre below the 169 trend yield that year. Since 2012, all Illinois yields have been above trend: 13 bushels above trend in 2013, 32 in 2014, 3 in 2015, 22 in 2016, 21 in 2017 and 23 in 2018.

Having a run of six years above trend has not happened during any other similar time frame since 1970, according to University of Illinois statistics.

West-central Illinois has done as well or even better than the statewide average, said Duane Friend, an educator with the University of Illinois Extension Office that serves Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan and Scott counties. We had timely rainfall in most cases and, while we had a late start to the growing season, crops progressed rapidly once planted.

Better-than-average corn yields in west-central Illinois this year can be attributed to the absence of weather-related events and major disease outbreaks, Friend said.

A large part of the statewide trend in record corn yields in recent years continues to be benefited by advances in genetics, Friend said.

The University of Illinoiss crop sciences department is on the cutting edge of crop genetic and biotechnology research, he said.

Examples of corn research include nitrogen use efficiency, stress/drought tolerance and long-term selection for chemical composition of the corn kernel.

In general, west-central Illinois corn farmers reaped yields this year ranging from 200 to 260 bushels an acre, according to Friend. Soybean yields were anywhere between 45 and 70 bushels an acre.

Due to the high soybean yield and the large number of acres planted in soybeans, we can expect to see a lot of soybeans that will need to be sold or put into storage for later sale, Friend said.

The number of soybean acres in west-central Illinois was smaller about five years ago because of the high market price for corn at that time, Friend said.

Since that time, corn prices have dropped dramatically while soybean prices have not dropped as dramatically, he said. This has led to more of a balance between acres planted in corn versus soybeans.

Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg.
As other countries continue to fight polio, local Rotary Club chapters are raising funds and awareness to help eradication efforts across the globe.

While eradicated in the United States, polio remains an issue in other parts of the globe, inspiring Rotary to raise money and awareness about the disease.

Ryan Byers, assistant governor for Area 8 in Rotary District 6460, said Oct. 24 is World Polio Day and Rotary is using today to try to bring awareness to the disease, which still is prevalent in other parts of the world.

The day was established to draw attention to the face that polio is still in other countries, Byers said. We are so close to totally eradicating the disease.

Polio is an infectious disease that can cause nerve problems leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death. It was eradicated from the United States in 1979, when the last case of naturally occurring polio was reported, but it remains a problem in parts of Asia and Africa.

According to Rotary, donations helped vaccinate 430 million children in 2017.

Three countries are the focus of much of the concern  Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria, Byers said.

The polio vaccine, compared to a lot of vaccines, is inexpensive, he said. The inventor refused to patent it because it felt wrong to profit on something that saved lives. The vaccine cost between 10 to 13 cents.

In addition to raising awareness, Rotary also is asking people to donate money to the cause. All funds raised will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Rotary Club is a part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an effort of the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund.

Jacksonville Rotary Club has donated more than $2,000 annually for the program, adding to more than $1.8 billion nationally.

Those who wish to donate can do so through a Rotary Club member or online at endpolio.org.

Rotary committed to the eradication of the disease with the help of other organizations, Byers said.

Its possible to see eradication within the next three to five years, he said. Even if we get the get cases down to zero, well still be committed. There will be people who are polio survivors for decades.

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha.
Being a teenager is the worst. For teenagers, everything is changing  both physically and emotionally. Moreover, these young people are confronted with some of the most intense situations in life: discovering heartbreak, experiencing worry, suffering low self-esteem and working to avoid peer pressure along the way.

Teens are often moody due to hormonal and physical changes that happen during puberty, and when mental health issues become involved, it can be difficult to discern normal teenage behavior from the symptoms of depression, anxiety and other emotional troubles.

When passionate responses to teenage-angst are exacerbated by mental health problems, youth sometimes act out criminally. Of the 2 million young people touched by the juvenile justice system each year, between 65 percent and 70 percent have a mental health disorder.

For those young people involved with the criminal justice system, detention and incarceration only make matters worse. Particularly in those states where young people can be held in adult facilities, the strain of being placed in isolation  as well as the fear experienced during incarceration generally  can intensify mental health issues.

In order to rehabilitate justice-involved youth with mental health issues, judges and juvenile probationers must limit their use of detention  especially when it involves incarcerating teens in adult facilities  and opt for community-based rehabilitation or diversion programs whenever possible.

Limiting detention is better for teens with mental health issues. Because juvenile detention facilities dont always provide adequate mental health services for those detained, placing juveniles in detention can aggravate their existing conditions  and even trigger new ones. According to a study released by the Justice Policy Institute, one expert believes that mental health issues and conditions of confinement combine to make it more likely that incarcerated teens will engage in self-harm or commit suicide.

Another psychologist found that one-third of incarcerated youth diagnosed with depression are diagnosed after being incarcerated. When held in adult prisons, teens suffer even more.

Curtailing youth incarceration in adult prisons is paramount. Four states still automatically place 17-year-olds in the adult system, and more than triple that number allow prosecutors to directly file cases against minors in adult court. Moreover, federal law requires that youth incarcerated in adult prisons must be separated by sight and sound from adult inmates, meaning that youth often effectively end up not only without access to education or mental health treatment, but in a perpetual state of solitary confinement.

The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law conducted a study on the effects of solitary confinement on those with mental illness and found that the stress, lack of meaningful social contact, and unstructured days can exacerbate symptoms of illness or provoke recurrence. The study also found that isolation can further deteriorate a persons mental condition, leading to hospitalization and even suicide.

In order to best provide for justice-involved teens, the juvenile justice system should rely more heavily on local programming and rehabilitation outside of the detention setting. One option, community-based mental health care, involves a variety of programs and services designed to meet local needs, including individualized counseling, peer support groups and easily accessible continuing care. These programs are run by community agencies and through hospitals or health clinics and offer a promising alternative to incarceration.

Some advocates of community-based health care efforts are building toolkits for communities that are willing to develop these options. For example, Getting To Outcomes (GTO), a collaborative project between researchers at the RAND Corporation and the University of South Carolina, offers a process to help communities plan, implement and evaluate the impact of programs that seek to prevent criminal behaviors in youth. GTO models can be used to bolster community-based mental health outreach for at-risk youth and have helped produce outstanding results.

Another type of out-of-detention program for justice-involved teens involves what are known as diversion programs. These programs intervene in the lives of young people who have shown some risky behavior but have not yet become severely delinquent. Diversion programs keep young people out of detention facilities, provide meaningful individualized rehabilitation services, and are particularly beneficial when they are completed within a teens own community.

Youths passing through the troubling teenage years need all the support they will accept  particularly those young people who may suffer from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health issues. When involvement with the juvenile court system is added to the already complicated life of a teenager, we should be asking how we as a community can help rather than make things more difficult.

Jesse Kelley is a policy analyst and state affairs manager for criminal justice at the R Street Institute.
The biannual hysteria of election season is in full swing. One side has declared a full-fledged resistance against an antagonist who seems to savor his role as antihero. The other side rallies behind its champion as he campaigns against a supposed conspiracy of subversive agents, mendacious media outlets, and proto-tyrannical tech companies. Meanwhile, the siren song of socialism beckons from the ash heap of history, with new strategies for splintering communities in diverse ways.

With the stakes so high and the atmosphere so tense, life feels like an epic blockbuster of cataclysmic proportions. People arent satisfied with merely being on the side of the heroes; they wish to count themselves among the heroes. Those with whom they disagree are not opponents but enemiesoutright villains who do not need to be persuaded as much as vanquished. The very people who call for greater empathy are the most unremitting in their condemnations, denouncing and dehumanizing those who hold heterodox perspectives. Stone-throwing is back in fashion, and the slightest slip up or calumny can ruin any alleged offender.

A previous president was blasted for saying that if you werent on his side you were with the terrorists, but now unless you participate in assailing the target du jour  even if only by joining an online posse of hashtaggers and retweeters  then youre accused of complicity with unmitigated evil. Thats a doctrine of war even when societys presumptive moral and spiritual leaders advance it.

Im not saying there arent crooks and scoundrels in public life who warrant opposition by every means proper to a civilized nation. But when everybody effectively lines up against each other like characters on a comic book cover, primed to clash  heroes on one side and villains on the other (or just as often, two groups of self-proclaimed heroes)  something has gone awry and theres bound to be casualties.

If Thor sees the Destroyer rampaging through Manhattan, or Daredevil senses Stilt-Man breaking into a high-rise, theyre right to stop them. But even Spider-Man  whose guilty conscience compels him to interrupt whatever wrongdoing he witnesses  does not leave people dangling from lampposts just because he disagrees with them. Yet how often lately is Hulk-like behavior observed among those who cannot bear any criticism, smashing anybody who doesnt applaud them?

Like Wolverine defending mutantdom against existential threats, people hack and slash at anyone perceived as slighting their group, however slightly. Ordinary people are casually labeled fascists to fabricate a basis for silencing them  as if Captain America ought to punch half of the country for exercising their fundamental freedoms in order to shield the rest.

And who needs anything as elaborate as Iron Mans armor when cell phones suffice to humiliate ones foes? Batman himself would commend the surreptitious surveillance of anyone suspected of hypothetical potential for wrongdoing.

Social media is the preferred venue for a lot of virtual heroics, by people with what Roger Waters once called the bravery of being out of range. People can indulge their hero syndrome without risk or sacrifice. Expressing the correct sentiments through screens from afar suffices to establish righteousness nowadays, without the need to actually exhibit good character or perform actions beneficial to ones community. It has never been easier for sanctimony to sanctify. Who needs moderation, generosity, integrity, decency or wit when envy, indignation, resentment, bitterness and belligerence do the trick? Who needs evidence or arguments when uncharitable insinuations, deliberate misconstructions and ad hominem attacks are so effective?

Lets restore civility even in the midst of our disagreements. Lets refuse to be manipulated by those who have power to gain or profit to make off of our readiness to enlist as their minions or henchmen or cannon-fodder. Support the candidates you prefer and get personally involved in the causes that motivate you. But turn down the 24-hour chatter channel. Stop refreshing headline aggregators. Dont drown yourself in comments sections. Avoid social media feeds filled with pride and fury masquerading as compassion and concern.

Heroism begins at home and in our neighborhoods. Do some actual good commensurate with your real abilities, rebuilding community from the ground up. Remember that what you share as participants in and beneficiaries of a society committed to liberty and equality outweighs whatever separates you. Treat the people you encounter in a dignified manner, defusing hostility rather than enflaming it. Remind others that youre not the cartoon villains that cable news and message boards say you are.

Only those itching for a fight insist otherwise.

Travis Smith is associate professor of political science at Concordia University and author of Superhero Ethics from Templeton Press. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
There is no question that the terrible murder of Twirp Williams has shaken every one of us in the community that knew him or benefited from his public service.

Eldon Williams was a career elected official who served in public office with the support of the citizens for six decades.

His tenure in these various offices was marked by honesty, integrity and competence. He was returned to office repeatedly by the citizens because they have confidence that he cared about the common good and how he could make the community better. His service was marked by a consummate civility and courtesy to all whom he met no matter what their background or station in life.

His loss is, of course, most keenly felt by his beloved wife, children, and siblings as well as his many friends and colleagues. Mayor Mike McCormick, Clerk Pam Whisler, and the members of the Village Board are clearly hurt by this as well as Matt Horn and those that he worked with at the realty company.

But all of us are diminished by this terrible crime.

All murders and homicides are terrible events that create a loss in the families of the victims and the community, but this one is especially disturbing.

The perpetrator apparently had embarked on a random and brazen potential crime spree. His recklessness and ruthlessness meant that any one of us as citizens who were in his path could have been a victim also.

We owe, once again, a debt of gratitude to our local police officers, and especially the sheriffs patrol officers who acted promptly, aggressively and instinctively to complaints about this individual. Further outrages were clearly avoided by this police response.

We also owe a debt of gratitude, once again, to the always effective efforts of the Alton Police Department and its detectives that tied this murder to this defendant immediately and assembled the evidence for conviction in their usual competent manner.

Both of these departments have had decades of experienced and dedicated officers that have developed a reputation for excellence in their responses to citizens complaints and to their investigative work. We clearly benefit as citizens from the tradition of police excellence going back, as I say, decades which was developed through training and commitment to high standards by their leadership.

Indeed, it is noteworthy that in the past decades there have been no allegations of police misconduct or wrongful convictions as a result of police work in our area as there have been in other parts of the state, especially Chicago.

It is also noteworthy that our States Attorneys office has a similar tradition of excellence in prosecution working with these police departments going back decades. Madison County is becoming unique in the St. Louis area in this regard. Unfortunately, we have career Missouri criminals coming into our county at an increasing rate, although, I am sure that they are finding the reception by law enforcement and prosecution quite different than what they are used to in St. Louis. Hopefully, this police and prosecution response will deter further crimes of this nature.

We are confident that States Attorney Tom Gibbons and his brilliant staff will exact the maximum retribution allowed under law for this most heinous crime against Mr. Williams and the entire community. (Although, in my opinion, the current maximum retribution allowed under Illinois law is insufficient).

State Sen. William R. Haine

56th District

Alton
Good Neighbors is aninternational, non-profit humanitarian organization committed to child education,community development, and emergency relief projects in 30 countries around theworld. We have fundraising offices in the USA, Korea, and Japan, and anInternational Cooperation Office in Geneva. Good Neighbors USA opened its LosAngeles office in 2007, which currently handles fundraising, donor management,volunteer programs, and marketing campaigns for all major projects. In December2010, a Washington D.C. office was established to network and partner withother organizations, as well as obtain grants from U.S. government agencies andfoundations.
The Regional Farming as a Business andAgronomy Specialist, will be responsible for the delivery of Farming as aBusiness activities in the REACH-UGANDA project. They will be supervised by theNational FaaB (and agronomy) Coordinator in the Kabale field stations based.Their primary function is to supervise the dissemination of training materialon Farming as a Business and appropriate climate smart production techniquesfor the projects target crops (potato and climbing beans). The focus is onFaaB to achieve marketable surpluses and reduced production costs. Commercialproduction will involve the use of fertilizers, organic matter management,improved germplasm, and climate smart farming practices. Proven FaaB trainingand adoption promotion skills are necessary, for the successful candidate(s) inthis role.
To enhance younggraduates employability and bridge their transition to work, the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uganda and UN Volunteer (UNV) Programmein collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development(MGLSD) on behalf of the Government of Uganda, developed a Project, UgandaGraduate Volunteer Scheme. The project aims to contribute to efforts ofaddressing persistent employment challenges faced by Ugandan young graduates.The project will specifically aim to provide young graduates leavinginstitutions of higher learning on an annual basis with access to work spacesto gain employability skills. This is in line with national strategy toincrease availability and quality of gainful employment and enhance human capitaldevelopment in the country.
In much of the world, gay rights, and recognition of sexual and gender diversity, appear to be progressing. In Europe, the US, Latin America and Australasia, acceptance is growing of the idea that queer rights are human rights. Still, in large parts of the world, people face rape, murder and torture if they are perceived to be openly homosexual or transgendered.

Terms are tricky: in this article I use the term queer to stand for everyone whose sexual orientation or gender expression deviates from the societal norm. There are times when one has to unpack the omnibus  and American  concept of LGBT: in some countries there is legal recognition of a trans* identity but severe legal sanctions against homosexual behaviour. This is true of most of south Asia. In Iran, homosexuals are encouraged to undergo a gender transition as it is assumed that same-sex desires are proof of gender dysphoria.

The global situation suggests increasing polarisation, both between and within states. As the authors of a 2016 report on state-sponsored homophobia point out, some Latin American countries have been leaders in legal recognition of queer rights, yet the region shows the highest levels of violence and murder against LGBTI population, and in the most of the cases [sic] impunity is the rule.

Progress is always ambiguous: South Africa has constitutional recognition of the need to prevent discrimination based on sexuality, and has legalised same sex-marriage; Australia has neither. Yet the real life experience of most queer South Africans is almost certainly more difficult than for most Australians.

In other places, the growing assertion of queer rights has been met by a rise in homophobic rhetoric and legislation, as authoritarian religious and political leaders see queers as an easy target who can be attacked in the name of culture, religion and tradition.

In our book Queer Wars, Jon Symons and I traced the current backlash back to the espousal of Asian values by Singapores Lee Kwan Yew and Malaysias Mohammed Mahathir in the early 1990s. Their rhetoric of protecting traditional values against western decadence, in particular deviant sexual or gender expression, foreshadowed the language now employed by leaders such as Russias Vladimir Putin and Ugandas Yoweri Museveni.

As western states push for acknowledgement of queer rights, there is a danger of playing into the hands of those leaders who want to portray queer issues as the imposition of neo-colonial values. Governments can rally nationalist fervour through homophobia; accusations against the European Union for imposing homosexual dictatorship are central to right-wing rhetoric in the Ukraine and other former Soviet states.

Public statements by American officials in defence of LGBT rights over recent years have sometimes played into the hands of those who claim that homosexuality is a western import, even in societies where there is a rich history of same-sex intimacies.

Governments and religious leaders both create and reflect public opinion, and there are few issues where different attitudes are as stark. Research suggests that more than 80% of the population of some western countries accept homosexuality, whereas the figure drops below 10% across much of Africa and the Middle East.

Given the passions that same-sex marriage arouses in western countries, it is not surprising that anti-queer rhetoric often revolves around the spectre of gay marriage. Nigeria used opposition to same-sex marriage to legislate against any freedom of association for queer people. A recent upsurge of homophobic demands from Indonesian political and religious leaders has invoked marriage as a threat.

The United Nations has taken tentative steps towards including sexual orientation and gender expression within its understanding of human rights. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has been a strong supporter of queer rights. But these moves have met considerable resistance, and while they are important there is no universally accepted norm that sees sexual orientation and gender identity as worthy of respect.

In 2016, the UN Human Rights Council appointed an independent expert to find the causes of violence and discrimination against people due to their gender identity and sexual orientation, and discuss with governments how to protect those people. At its best, the UN can create what US scholar Ronnie Lipschutz called an incipient global welfare system, able to provide global norms and rules, and to prevent local opposition to basic human rights principles. UN resolutions can be used by local activists in lobbying governments, and an increasing number of UN agencies, led by UNDP and UNESCO, are incorporating queer issues into their agendas.

These interventions are important, but they can only be successful where they support locally-led initiatives and movements. Small queer movements have been growing across the world during this century, often displaying extraordinary bravery in face of great hostility, as is true for gay pride events in Kiev, Dhaka and Nairobi.

Listening to activists in hostile environments, and supporting them on their terms, is a challenge that queer movements in the western world are only beginning to accept.

Dennis Altman, Professorial Fellow in Human Security, La Trobe University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Fake apps of SBI, ICICI, Axis Bank, Citi and other leading banks are available on Google Play, which may have stolen data of thousands of bank customers, claims a report by IT security firm SophosLabs.

These fake Android apps have the logos of the respective banks, which makes it difficult for customers to differentiate between the fake and original apps, SophosLabs said.

The SophosLabs report further said that the deceptive malware in these apps may have stolen account and credit card details of thousands of customers.

When contacted, some of the banks mentioned in the SophosLabs report said they have not come across any such fake apps.

However, some banks have started inquiry and also informed the CERT-Inthe national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents.

The fake apps targeted customers of seven banksSBI, ICICI, Axis, Indian Overseas, Bank of Baroda, Yes Bank and Citi Bankthe report said.

Yes Bank said it has informed the bank's cyber fraud department about the matter.

However, a response from SBI, the country's largest lender, was awaited. There were no immediate comments from ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.

According to the SophosLabs report, the apps lured victims to download and use them, either by masquerading as internet apps or e-wallets, promising rewards, including cashback on purchases, free mobile data or interest-free loans.

Some even claimed to be providing a too-good-to-be-true service, enabling users to withdraw cash from an ATM and have it delivered to their doorstep.

"Deceptive malware may have stolen thousands of Indian subcontinent bank customers' account data or credit card numbers," said Pankaj Kohli, threat researcher, SophosLabs.

Fake apps are not new to Android and this sort of malware will continue to find its way into the Android app store, it said.

"Some are blatant copies of real apps, while a few are much more dangerous as they seed malware and steal data from user accounts. Users should always use antivirus software, which provides malware protection and internet security to keep users protected and stop these fake apps from stealing data," SophosLabs said.
The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite...
Veteran actress Soni Razdan is the latest Bollywood celebrity to comment on the #MeToo movement sweeping the nation. Recalling an incident, Razdan said someone tried to rape her during shoot in her younger days. She, however, refused to name the person.

Speaking to The Quint, she said: I have been lucky in the sense that, I haven't faced it when I had gone and approached somebody for work. But, I faced it in other directions. There was an incident that happened to me when I was on a film shoot and somebody tried to rape me. Luckily, he didnt succeed.

The veteran actress said that the only reason she chose to remain silent at that time was because it would have hurt that person's family. He had a family and small children. At that time, I thought nothing really happened and I managed to control it. She added that had the incident occurred now, she probably wouldn't have been so 'magnanimous'.

Razdan also backed the sexual assault allegations against actor Alok Nath. Razdan, who was 'horrified' to hear Vinta Nanda's account, said that it was a known fact that Alok Nath had a 'Jekyll and Hyde personality'. I have seen Alok Nath behave badly when he is drunk. He was a very different person when he was not drunk. And that's the Alok I would personally like to remember, she said.

Filmmaker Vinta, and actress Sandhya Mridul had spoken up against Alok Nath. Vinta Nanda, best known for writing popular soap series of the 90sTarahad accused the most 'sanskari person in the film and television industry' of rape. In a Facebook post recently, she shared her harrowing experience 20 years ago, where the actor, who was the main male lead of Tara, brutally raped her while she was intoxicated.
Israeli arms manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on Wednesday announced it had signed a contract worth $777 million to supply the Barak-8 surface-to-air missile system to the Indian Navy. The Barak-8 missile (known in India as the LRSAM) was jointly developed by IAI, DRDO and other organisations in the two countries.

The contract has been finalised with Bharat Electronics Ltd., the main Indian contractor for the project. Providing details of the deal, IAI said the new contract provides for supplying seven Indian warships with the Barak-8 missile system. IAI also noted that the latest deal brings the value of Barak-8 sales to over $6 billion in the past few years.

Speaking on the new Barak-8 contract, IAI CEO Nimrod Sheffer said India was a major market and the company planned to reinforce its positioning in India in view of increasing competition.

In April 2017, India had signed a deal worth nearly $2 billion to buy the Barak-8 missile. The Barak-8 has already entered Indian Navy service on board the Kolkata class of destroyers and is expected to be the main long-range defensive weapon of the Indian fleet. It is expected to be inducted on the under-construction Visakhapatnam class destroyers and Project-17A frigates.

In August, the Israeli Navy announced it intended to procure the Barak-8 missile for its new class of corvettes.

(With agency inputs)
In a dramatic development in the ongoing tussle between CBI Director Alok Verma and his deputy, Special Director Rakesh Asthana, the Narendra Modi government late on Tuesday divested both officials of charge, sending them on leave. The Modi government also issued an order informing that M. Nageshwar Rao, CBI joint director, would take over as interim director of the investigative agency.

Media reports on Wednesday morning said the CBI headquarters in Delhi had been sealed and raids were continuing with neither staff nor outsiders allowed entry.

The government order on the appointment of M. Nageshwar Rao as interim CBI director | Supplied

Earlier on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court, in response to a plea from Asthana, ordered 'status quo' be maintained by the CBI with respect to initiating criminal proceedings against him in a bribery case. The Delhi High Court, however, noted investigations into the bribery case could continue. The tussle between Asthana, perceived to be close to Modi, and Verma started several months ago. Asthana had complained against Verma in August this year.

On Sunday, the CBI had filed a bribery case against Asthana and some other officers. The CBI had booked Asthana for allegedly receiving bribes from middlemen to give relief to a businessman being probed by him in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi. On Monday, following the dramatic turn of events, Modi summoned both Asthana and Verma.

The crisis at the CBI has also attracted political attention, with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleging Asthana was Modi's blue-eyed boy, noting the investigative agency was now at war with itself.
The coming year is expected to be challenging for the Indian IT services companies who might need to redesign their strategies to cope with the situation. Experts, with whom THE WEEK spoke to, feel that pricing pressures and increased automation along with other factors such as visa issues will continue to haunt Indian IT services companies.

Experts such as Alok Shende of Mumbai-based Ascentius Consulting feel that a demand contraction is expected in the coming year while the demand from clients is expected to come down. The demand is growing at a lower rate, which means less business for the Indian IT services players. Although the poor demand scenario has already been prevailing, it will further aggravate in the coming year. Plus due to the continuous visa pressures from the US government, the uncertain visa issues will continue in the year to come and may even get worse. If there are ongoing projects and the visas are not issued in time, it will affect the productivity of the companies and will eventually challenge the revenue growth of the Indian IT services companies, remarked Shende.

He further said that in 2019 huge volume of contracts are up for renewal in the market. In different scenarios the competitors may offer services to customers at much lower prices. It would be noteworthy to see the performance of the big firms such as IBM and Accenture as to how they perform and if they are able to grab some contracts from the kitty of the Indian IT services companies. The lower prices being offered by Indian IT services companies will again affect their margins. Besides, there is a whole lot of demand in the digital space but the Indian IT services companies have been a little slow in offering services in that space when compared to the MNC players such as IBM and Accenture. The way the Indian IT services companies perform in the digital space will be the key to their success, added Shende.

Another expert Kris Lakshmikanth, CEO of the executive search firm Head Hunters Indian Limited, feels that the margins of the Indian IT services companies will come down due to a challenging environment in 2019. Many of the Indian IT services companies have been forced to set up on site centres in the US and elsewhere abroad due to government pressures to hire the local workforce. This will add to their costs as these people will come at a higher cost when compared to the Indian workforce. Also, the cost to set up on site centres will also increase the burden of the Indian IT services companies, Lakshmikanth told THE WEEK.

He also added that though the Indian domestic market presents an opportunity for the Indian IT services players, it is a low price low margin market. Of late, there has also been a low demand of work such as software testing and application maintenance as most of them are run through apps and are automated. Indian IT services companies have been largely doing such work. Moreover, for doing such work, one does not require highly skilled people whereas work such as analytics, robotics and IoT requires skilled people that are hard to scale and get. Large US financial institutions such as banks and other companies are setting up their own captive centres for better control of costs and security and have decreased outsourcing. This will also add to larger pressures in 2019 on Indian IT services companies, Lakshmikanth said.
Disturbing images and videos of a 11-year-old girl, who was working as a maid, has shaken the conscience of Pakistan. The girl, identified as Kinza Bashir, sustained bruises and wounds while working as a maid to her employersMajor Ammara Riaz, a major in the Pakistan Army, and her husband Mohsin Riaz of Rawalpindi.

In a video, Kinza can be heard describing how she got the bruises. She says that she was constantly punished for stealing "biscuits" when she was hungry. When she was asked why she stole, she says that she was hungry and that her employers did not give her food. Another horrifying detail that emerged was that the employers used to stand on her chest with their full weight on her, as a means of punishment while she slept. She says that she was often beaten using wires, belts and ropes for over a year.

PLEASE spread word. This girl is 10-11 years old working at the house of Major Ammara Riaz and her husband Doctor Mohsin Riaz. They have been starving and beating her with wires, belts and ropes for two years, the woman stands on her chest and kicks her repeatedly if she sleeps. pic.twitter.com/sdxkBJfXpN  Ushnaa (@Lanaschild_) October 20, 2018

Kinza has visible wounds on her head, eyes, neck, hands and legs. She says that she is not able to flex her hands to the full as it hurt.

An ultrasound test done as part of a medical checkup revealed that there is swelling and tenderness in Kinzas abdominal region whereas her chest and ribcage were also damaged. Kinzas left shoulder and left arm were tender and not moving on their own, reported the medical-legal officer (MLO) in the report. Her head has a deep cut on her left side which is bleeding actively, according to the MLOs report.

THEY STARVE HER AND WHEN SHE TAKES A STUPID BISCUIT THEY BEAT HER. there's a clot in her eyes because she was beaten with a bat. She can't move her shoulders properly and her arms are stiff because she says it hurts to move. Please do something about this pic.twitter.com/U55vhlzAmy  Ushnaa (@Lanaschild_) October 20, 2018

Her neck had multiple old wound marks determined to be caused by fingernails; no bruises or swelling, however, were observed, the report further read. Furthermore, the report also said that Kinza has a mark on her right cheek and her right eye has suffered slight damage to the cornea.

The details of the medical examination are consistent with the minors account of the torture which she reported in the video. The report provides evidence that the last torture was carried out 15 to 20 days ago with the use of knives and belts in addition to persons standing on her multiple times with full weight.

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari took notice of the case and said the ministry is "keeping a close eye [on the matter] to ensure justice for the little girl".

According to a report submitted to the ministry by Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Abbas Ahsan, the incident came to the Airport police station's knowledge on Friday after Kinza's photos and videos went viral, creating a social media outcry and its own trending topic #JusticeforKinza.

According to Ahsan, the case was first reported by Colonel Sajjad of Wilayat Colony to Assistant Sub-Inspector Sajjad Hussain, who investigated the matter. Colonel Sajjad was Mohsin Riaz's neighbur and had brought Kinza to his home after seeing the condition of the child. Kinza's father, Mohammed Shabbir, was asked to reach the colonel's house. Shabbir gave a written statement that he had left his daughter in the care of the doctor to study. Shabbir refused to press charges against the Kinza's torturers and took her back home to Samundri in Faisalabad. ASI Hussain did not file a report after this. He was later suspended for this failure.

Rescue 15 service also received a call on October 19 from Colonel Sajjad [a neighbour] who registered a complaint against the suspects, CPO Ahsan said.

Shireen Mazari shared on Twitter an affidavit submitted by Kinza's father in which he absolves her employers of any sort of violence and says that Kinza was injured when she fell while climbing the gate in an effort to escape.

A police team has been dispatched to Samundri to bring back Kinza and her father , after which a full investigation will be planned, the CPO informed media.

Latest reports say that Mohsin Riaz has managed to get an interim bail while Ammara Riaz has gone into hiding. Mohsin Riaz was ordered to submit surety bonds worth Rs50,000, the judge also issued notice to the Airport Police Station to present complete record of the case and the Kinzas medical report by October 29. The court ordered the police to not arrest the suspect till the next hearing.
US President Donald Trump has said Saudi authorities have staged the "worst ever cover up" in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"They (the Saudis) had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly. And the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.

"Very simple. Bad deal. Should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.

The incident has severely dented the international reputation of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Responding to a question on the probe into the death of Khashoggi, the US president said, And where it should have stopped is at the deal standpoint, what they thought about it. Because whoever thought of that idea, I think, is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the "savage murder" of the journalist was meticulously planned, and demanded that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

He, however, acknowledged Turkey was still searching for answers to key questions, including who gave the order.

Trump told reporters that Erdogan was pretty tough on Saudi Arabia.

He was pretty rough on Saudi Arabia, I would say. I haven't gotten a full recap, as you know. I have people in Turkey and I have people in Saudi Arabia and other places, and they're all coming back as we speak, they're heading back, he said.

CIA Director Gina Haspel is currently in Turkey and is expected to be back soon in the US.

I'll know, I think, everything in a very short period of time. It's a bad situation. But certainly, president Erdogan was not complimentary of what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened, he said.

Trump reiterating that he does not want to scrap the $110 billion mega arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the total investment of $450 billion from that country, but did not rule out not taking any action against the Saudis.

I want to see the facts first. Look, Saudi Arabia's been a really great ally. They've been one of the biggest investors, maybe the biggest investor, in our country. "They are doing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investments. And, you know, so many jobs. So many jobs. Thousands and thousands of jobs, he said.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017, Trump signed an agreement with the Saudis for them to purchase $110 billion of US weapons, although so far only $43 billion of that has been detailed.

The ultimate number is around $450 billion. I think that's over a million jobs. A million to over a million jobs. So we do that, we're just hurting ourselves. We're just hurting ourselves, Trump said.
Islamabad, Oct 24 (PTI) Saudi Arabia's USD 6 billion assistance package of loans and deferred payments to Pakistan will immediately relieve pressure on the cash-strapped government and improve its negotiating position during the tough bailout negotiations with the IMF, media reports said Wednesday.

In the deal announced Tuesday after Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh said it will give Pakistan USD 3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and a further loan worth up to USD 3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports.

Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar recently said the country may need more than USD 12 billion to plug its finances as the current-account deficit widens and foreign-currency reserves plummet.

The Saudi assistance will immediately push the official foreign currency reserves back to double digit in addition to lessening the stress on the external sector.

Saudi Arabia will place USD 3 billion cash deposits with the State Bank of Pakistan, in addition to providing a one-year deferred payment facility for the import of oil, worth up to USD 3 billion, according to the Pakistan Foreign Office.

The cash injection will immediately relieve pressure on the government and improve its negotiating position during the upcoming programme loan talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), starting from November 7, the Express Tribune said.

The cash assistance will lower the requirements to devalue the rupee, as the one-off assistance will  for the time being  improve the macroeconomic projections, the report quoted some independent economists as saying.

The Saudi package may provide breathing space to the government for dealing with economic challenges, but would not be enough to avoid the IMF facility, the Dawn newspaper reported.

It is believed that improved foreign exchange reserves would strengthen Pakistan's negotiating position in talks with the IMF, it added.

The situation could further improve if China also makes some commitments to rescue its 'all-weather friend', it said, noting that Khan is scheduled to travel to China on November 3 for his first visit.

Saudi Arabia agreed to bail out Pakistan during the second visit of the prime minister, as the agreement could not be reached during his September visit to the kingdom, it said.

Prime minister Khan is keen to avoid the IMF bailout package and had requested Saudi Arabia, China and the United Arab Emirates for placement of deposits in the central bank to artificially inflate the foreign currency reserves, it said.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia gave USD 1.5 billion grant in 2014 when Pakistan's economy was facing similar pressures.

Saudi Arabia had also given oil on deferred payments in the 1990s, but Pakistan never repaid the amount, according to the officials of the finance ministry.

Pakistan is in search of USD 12 billion foreign loans and aid to avoid default on international debt obligations, as the country is required to return USD 11.7 billion loans to foreign countries.

After the USD 3 billion cash assistance from Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani central bank SBP's reserves will increase to USD 11 billion. The USD 3 billion oil on deferred payments will lower the overall financing needs by the same amount, which had been earlier estimated at USD 31 billion, the report said. PTI AKJ AKJ
Mumbai, Oct 24 (PTI) A spokesperson for Irrfan Khan Wednesday dismissed the reports that the actor will soon start shooting for "Hindi Medium 2".

The 51-year-old actor is currently abroad undergoing treatment for neuroendocrine tumour.

The spokesperson, however, said that Irrfan may return to the country after Diwali.

"The story floating about Irrfan starting 'Hindi Medium 2' shoot in December are all based on speculations. However, there is a possibility of him returning to India after Diwali," the spokesperson said in a statement.

A report in an online portal had claimed the actor will be flying to India to shoot for the sequel of his 2017 hit.

Irrfan first spoke of his health on March 5, when he revealed that he was suffering from a 'rare disease'. He later revealed that he has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare disease that can target various parts of the body. PTI RB RDS RB
Tehran, Oct 24 (AFP) Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's "heinous murder" would have been unthinkable "without US backing," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

"I don't think that any country would dare to do such a thing without US backing," Rouhani said in remarks to cabinet broadcast on state television.

Rouhani said that before Khashoggi's murder "it would have been unthinkable that in this day and age we would witness such an organised felony.

"It is extremely significant that an institution planned such a heinous murder.

"The tribal group that is ruling that nation (Saudi Arabia) has a security margin. That security margin is that it relies on US backing. It is this superpower that is backing them."

Khashoggi, a government critic who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he organised the paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

The case has triggered an international outcry against Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ridiculed Riyadh's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

The Sunni kingdom and Shiite Iran are fierce rivals which have long been engaged in a struggle for influence in the Middle East. (AFP) ZH

ZH
Paris, Oct 24 (AFP) France will take "punitive measures" if Saudi Arabia is "proven" to be behind the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said Wednesday, adding that Paris would first have to verify Riyadh's involvement.

"In the event that Saudi Arabia's responsibility is proven, we will then draw the consequences and take punitive measures," Griveaux said after a cabinet meeting, while emphasising that Riyadh's role would have to be "corroborated by our intelligence services" first. (AFP) ZH

ZH
(Eds: Updating with more inputs and changing slug)

Washington, Oct 24 (PTI) The United States Secret Service intercepted and proactively detonated two "suspicious packages" addressed to former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton earlier this week, the agency said Wednesday.

Neither Obama nor Clinton received the packages or were at risk of receiving them, the Secret Service said.

The packages were discovered during "routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the agency said in a statement.

"Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them," the statement said.

Officials "proactively detonated" the device, and determined that it contained explosive powder and "had the components of a bomb," it said.

The package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington, DC, on Wednesday morning, and the one intended for Clinton was addressed to her in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday.

The FBI said the package intended for Clinton was found in the vicinity of her residence in Chappaqua, New York, but offered no additional comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Clintons have lived in Chappaqua, about 48 km north of New York City, since former President Clinton left office in 2001.

Representatives for the Clintons referred press inquiries to the Secret Service, and a spokeswoman for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this week, a suspicious package targeting billionaire investor and major Democratic donor George Soros was discovered and rendered safe. Authorities are investigating whether there are any connections between the three packages, CNN reported.

A senior White House officials told NBC News that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.

The official said the White House is taking the situation "extremely seriously". PTI AKJ AKJ
New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours:



FGN37 US-2NDLD EXPLOSIVES

US Secret Service intercepts 2 'suspicious packages' addressed to Obama, Clinton

Washington: The United States Secret Service intercepted and proactively detonated two "suspicious packages" addressed to former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton earlier this week, the agency said Wednesday.



FGN18 ISRAEL-INDIA-DEFENCE

Israel signs USD 777 mn missile defence deal with India

Jerusalem: A leading state-run Israeli defence company said Wednesday it has signed a USD 777 million contract with India for the supply of Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air defence missiles and missile defence systems for the Indian Navy, media reports here said.





FGN31 PAK-SAUDI-LD ECONOMY

Saudi help to give breathing space to Pak Govt; improve negotiating position with IMF

Islamabad: Saudi Arabia's USD 6 billion assistance package of loans and deferred payments to Pakistan will immediately relieve pressure on the cash-strapped government and improve its negotiating position during the tough bailout negotiations with the IMF, media reports said Wednesday.



FGN36 PAK-IMF

Pak to seek IMF bailout despite USD 6 billion Saudi assistance

Islamabad: Pakistan has not dropped the idea of seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) despite Saudi Arabia offering USD 6 billion aid package to mitigate pressure on the cash-strapped country's foreign exchange reserves, officials said on Wednesday. By Sajjad Hussain





FGN13 US-PAK-2NDLD EXTREMISTS

Pak must make sincere efforts to curb terrorism on Afghan border: Pompeo warns

Washington: Pakistan will be held responsible if it did not make sincere efforts to curb terrorism and their safe harbour on its western border with Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned. By Lalit K Jha





FGN15 ISRAEL-AMARINDER-AMRITSAR

Action would be taken based on probe report into Amritsar train tragedy: Punjab CM

Tel Aviv: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said that he would decide on taking action after receiving the report of a probe into the tragic Amritsar train accident in which 59 Dussehra revellers were killed after being mowed down by a train. By Harinder Mishra





FGN12 US-4THLD KHASHOGGI

Trump calls Khashoggi murder 'worst cover-up in history' as US revokes visas of some Saudi officials

Washington: Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump has said as the US announced its first punitive action in the case by revoking the visas of some of the senior Saudi officials involved. By Lalit K Jha. PTI PMS

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Islamabad, Oct 24 (PTI) Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz on an appeal filed by the country's top anti-graft agency challenging the suspension of their sentences in a corruption case.

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar Tuesday constituted a three-member bench headed by him to hear the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) plea challenging the September 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) order suspending the jail sentences of Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law retired captain Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield corruption case.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Nisar on Wednesday issued the notices to Sharif and his daughter, Urdu langauge news channel Samaa TV reported.

The court, however, rejected the NAB request to issue notices to Safdar, saying his jail term is very low and therefore, notice would not be issued to him.

Sharif, Maryam and Safdar were sentenced to 11 years, eight years and one year, respectively, in prison in the Avenfield properties case related to their purchase of four luxury flats in London through corrupt practices.

The NAB filed the petition in the apex court on Monday challenging an earlier decision by the IHC suspending the sentences given to the trio by an anti-corruption court.

In its petition, the accountability bureau asked for the September 19 decision by IHC to be declared null and void.

It prayed the apex court to restore the sentences given to the Sharifs and to cancel the bail granted to the three accused in the case.

Last month, Justice Minallah of the IHC suspended the sentences handed to the three accused by accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir on July 6.

Ordering their release, the two-judge bench directed the former premier, his daughter and son-in-law to submit bail bonds worth Rs 500,000 each.

The 68-year-old three-time former prime minister and his family have denied any wrongdoing.

Apart from the Avenfield case, the Sharifs face jail terms if they are convicted in two more corruption cases related to Al-Azizia and Flagship cases. The cases against the Sharif family stemmed from the leaked Panama Papers in April 2016.

The three were also disqualified to contest elections or to hold public office for a period of 10 years after their release from prison. Both Maryam and Safdar are also politicians. PTI ZH

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Ankara, Oct 24 (AFP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday discussed steps to "shed light" on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in their first telephone conversation since the killing, a presidential source said.

Erdogan has far spoken twice on the phone with Saudi King Salman since Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Riyadh critic, was killed inside the Saudi consulate on October 2, which he had visited to obtain documents for his marriage to a Turkish woman.

But Wednesday's telephone conversation was the first time he has spoken to the crown prince, known as MBS, who is seen as the driving force in day-to-day rule of the kingdom.

The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.

The phone call was at the request of the prince, the presidential source noted.

After more than two weeks of vehement denials, Saudi Arabia asserted Saturday that the journalist was killed in a "brawl and fist fight" inside the country's consulate in Istanbul -- without revealing the whereabouts of his body.

Erdogan has never directly blamed Riyadh for the killing but vowed that Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with the "savage murder".

"We are determined not to allow any cover up of this murder and for all those responsible - from those who gave the command to those who executed it - not to escape justice," he said on Wednesday. (AFP) MRJ

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London, Oct 25 (AFP) British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday "strongly urged" Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation into the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a phone call with Saudi King Salman, according to her office.

"The prime minister said the current explanation lacks credibility so there remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened," a Downing Street spokeswoman said in a statement following the telephone conversation.

"She strongly urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation and to be transparent about the results." (AFP) CK
Jeffersontown (US), Oct 25 (AP) Police say multiple people have been shot inside a grocery store on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky.

A dispatcher with the Jeffersontown Police Department said a suspect was detained following the shooting Wednesday afternoon at a Kroger store.

The store is located on the eastern outskirts of Louisville.

The dispatcher says officers remain at the scene. The extent of injuries isn't immediately known. (AP) CK
Snake venom worth Rs 1.7 crore seized, four held

Mumbai, Oct 24 (PTI) Four members of an inter-state

gang were arrested by Raigad Police in Maharashtra for

allegedly smuggling snake venom worth Rs 1.7 crore in illicit

markets, an official said Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Rajaram Jaiswar

(46) and Udaynath Jaiswar (37) at Mandva Jetty in Raigad

and recovered snake venom kept in a water bottle, he said.

The accused, hailing from Malvani in Mumbai,

allegedly told police that two persons from Gujarat had handed

over the venom to them.

Police then arrested Devilal Joshi (36) and

Santoshkumar Singh (35) from Vapi district of Gujarat, the

official said.

Joshi hails from Bikaner in Rajasthan while Singh is

from Uttar Pradesh, he said.

All four were sent in police custody till October 29

by a local court, he said.

Police are investigating from where the accused

procured the venom and for what purpose they were going to use

it, he said. PTI DC

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Mumbai, Oct 24 (PTI) CBI director Alok Verma was removed overnight without the approval of the selection committee because Prime Minister Narendra Modi feared that the top officer might take steps that could "hurt" him in the Rafale "scam", the Congress alleged Wednesday.

Talking to reporters here, Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the prime minister's "desperate bid" to cover up the Rafale "scam" had pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into complete "disintegration".

He claimed that the government "panicked" because Verma was likely to file an FIR in connection with the Rafale issue, based on complaints received by the probe agency.

Surjewala also sought an "explanation" from the prime minister over the overnight removal of the CBI director.

There was no immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the allegations.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has, however, dismissed as "rubbish" the allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

In an unprecedented fallout of a raging feud between Verma and CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who is facing bribery and extortion charges, both the top officers were stripped of their powers and sent on leave.

Surjewala said, "The removal of CBI director Alok Verma was illegal and unconstitutional. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was petrified that the number one in the CBI (Verma) was about to take steps that might have hurt him in the Rafale scam. The government panicked because Verma was likely to file an FIR in the Rafale issue, based on complaints received by the investigating agency."

He also hit out at Jaitley and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for putting out a "weak defence of cleaning the system to justify the prime minister's panic reaction on the Rafale scam".

"In order to save the prime minister, the finance minister and the law minister are taking refuge behind a bogus apology by giving an explanation of a fraud equivalence," the Congress leader said.

He asked the government to clarify if the new interim chief of the CBI, Nageshwar Rao, was "under a cloud", adding, "Doesn't this fact demolish the government's argument of cleaning the system?"

"Prime Minister Modi must explain why the CBI director was removed past midnight and what was the tearing hurry to do so without an approval of the selection committee. The government wants to denigrate and disintegrate the CBI, in a desperate attempt to cover up the Rafale issue.

"Doesn't it tantamount to complete trashing and slithering of Constitutional norms, laws and all semblance of political morality and accountability?" he asked.

Surjewala also attacked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which has supervisory powers over the CBI.

"The CVC acted as a stooge and a captive puppet of the Modi government by abdicating its statutory responsibilities to play partisan politics for protecting the Modi government and its favourite government officer," he alleged.

The Congress leader accused the Centre of "trampling the Constitution and laws and making a mockery of the CBI and institutions".

"As per the orders of the government, the CBI director was divested of his duties. Only a selection committee comprising the chief justice of India, the prime minister and the leader of opposition can effect such a removal," he said.

Surjewala added that the CBI now stood for "complete burial of investigation". PTI MR NSK RC
Pune, Oct 24 (PTI) Stating that global warming and environmental degradation have posed a challenge before the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday stressed the need to conserve natural resources.

Interacting with IT professionals as part of a townhall through video-link from Delhi, he said rampant exploitation of natural resources is not an Indian tradition.

"It is true that due to global warming and environmental issues we are facing difficulties. And this problem is becoming apparent day by day. Therefore saving natural resources is our responsibility," Modi said.

"Whatever we are doing (by exploiting natural water resources) is not our tradition and culture, and this is one bad habit we have borrowed from somewhere (else)," he said in reply to a question by Siddhesh Bhobe of PersistentSystems who had asked how the IT industry can be a part of Modi's vision of doubling farmers' income by 2022.

The prime minister added that rainwater harvesting has been a part of Indian culture.

"But unfortunately, over the years, we stopped that thing and created the current situation," he added.

There are some social entrepreneurs and NGOs which are using conventional methods for water conservation and ground water recharging, and "we need to see how can we do this scientifically and turn it into a mass-movement," Modi said.

He also pitched for increased use of drip irrigation.

IT professionals can go to universities and colleges in Pune to create awareness about water conservation, the prime minister said.

"You will find that 60 per cent of students living in hostels are from rural and farming background. So you can use them, train them and help them to mobilise resources and when the students go back to their villages in holidays, they will be your volunteers and will help spread the word in their area," said Modi. PTI SPK KRK TIR

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Jhalawar (Rajasthan), Oct 24 (PTI) Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBI row, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that its Director Alok Verma was removed because the agency was raising questions over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Addressing a public rally in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, the home turf of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Gandhi also alleged that Mehul Choksi deposited money in the bank account of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's daughter.

The CBI director was removed last night because the agency was raising questions over Rafale, Gandhi alleged, adding that Verma had asked for documents of the fighter jet deal.

At a press conference in Delhi, Jaitley, however, dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations.

Gandhi said that the prime minister sought votes saying he wanted to become the 'chowkidar' of the country but "the 'chowkidar' committed theft".

The prime minister did not waive a single rupee of farmers, but he wrote off bad debt worth Rs. 3.5 lakh crore of top 15 businessmen of the country, he alleged.

A farmer is called a defaulter (if he is unable to repay the loan) but big businessmen with bad debt are given a red-carpet welcome and banks ask them how they can be helped, Gandhi claimed .

Lalit Modi is sitting in London but he gives crores of rupees to the son of your chief minister, Gandhi alleged while addressing the gathering.

Vijay Mallya left the country after meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament and Choksi deposited money in the ICICI bank account of Jaitley's daughter, Gandhi alleged.

The Congress chief had earlier accused Jaitley of helping the fugitive diamond merchant escape the country and had alleged that the minister's daughter and son-in-law received retainership fees from the businessman.

Jaitley's son-in-law had later issued a statement, saying his law firm had returned the retainership the moment they came to know that the company was involved in a scam. PTI SDA

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New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) On any normal night, the headquarters of the CBI is steeped in silence with only alert sentries of CISF seen guarding the imposing building here; but Tuesday night was different.

Around 10 pm, teams of about 15-16 officers entered the compound in Innova and Ertiga vehicles, sources said.

A while sedan followed with M Nageswar Rao, who was given charge of duties and functions of CBI director.

History was made as no director of the agency was changed in such manner.

A 1986-batch Odisha cadre officer, Rao went straight to his office and took charge of the position around 11.30 pm as rest of the CBI staff was clueless about the changes taking place in the agency.

Alok Verma, who was director till then, had left the building earlier around 7.30 PM which is the normal routine.

He had earlier visited his North Block office during the day as an unprecedented tussle with his deputy, Special Director Rakesh Asthana, had reached the court.

Verma remained in the North Block office till afternoon and left for lunch keeping a tab on local court proceedings where the CBI was strongly arguing to get the custody of its own Deputy SP Devender Kumar on charges of "extortion" from a business being probed by him, the sources said.

He was seeking information on the developments of the Delhi High Court where Asthana had approached seeking quashing of FIR naming him. A similar petition was also filed by Kumar.

In the evening, in Satarkata Bhavan, the Central Vigilance Commission was holding a crucial meeting which had to decide the fate of two feuding officers of the CBI -- Verma and Asthana -- who had levelled allegations of corruption against each other.

Asthana was booked by the CBI on October 15 in a case of corruption.

After going through available documents, the CVC in an unanimous decision recommended divesting all the powers of Verma and Asthana.

The recommendation was sent to the government around 8-8.30 pm, the sources said.

On the basis of the recommendation, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet handed over the charge of CBI Director to Joint Director Rao as "interim measure".

After completing formalities of taking charge, Rao directed the officials to take charge of all the crucial files as sought by the CVC and to ensure no material is tampered with. PTI ABS SKL ZMN
(Eds: Rewriting with clarification that Sofi was not a PhD scholar)

Srinagar, Oct 24 (PTI) In a blow to the banned Hizbul Mujahideen terror group, two militants, one of them an M.Phil degree holder, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowgam area in the outskirts of the city on Wednesday, police said.

The slain militants have been identified as Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, an M.Phil scholar who had joined the militant ranks, and Asif Ahmad, a police official said.

Sofi, who had completed M.Sc from Barkatullah University in Bhopal and M.Phil from Gowwalya University of Rajasthan, had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, a day after the terror group's poster boy Burhan Wani was killed in July 2016.

Sofi is third highly educated person to have been killed this year after joining militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The 33-year old Sofi also held B.Ed degree and had cleared the National Eligibility Test and Junior Research Fellowship.

Earlier this month, AMU scholar-turned-militant Manaan Bashir Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir Kupwara district while an assistant professor from Kashmir University, Mohammad Rafi Bhat, was killed in a gunfight in Shopian district two days after joining the militant ranks in May this year.

There has been an increasing trend of well educated youth joining militancy in recent years.

Esa Fazli, a engineering graduate from Ghulam Shah Badshah University, was killed in a gun battle earlier this year as well.

After Fazli's joining, an MBA student, Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, son of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, also disappeared and join the militant groups.

"The standard operating procedures were followed during the operation and there was no collateral damage during the encounter," the official added.

Acting on a tip-off about presence of militants in Suthu Kothair locality of Nowgam, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the early hours, the police official said.

He said the militants opened fire on security forces during the search operation, triggering a gunbattle in which two ultras were killed.

Incriminating material besides arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, he added.

Clashes broke out between protestors and security forces soon after the encounter ended, he said, adding the law-enforcing agencies were engaged in pitched battles with the stone pelters for most part of the day.

Authorities snapped mobile Internet services in the city and shut educational institutions as a precautionary measure. PTI MIJ SKL SKL TIR

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Lucknow, Oct 24 (PTI) Apparently with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP president Amit Shah was on a day-long visit here Wednesday and held a meeting with party workers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior RSS office bearers Krishna Gopal and Dattatreya Hosabole also took part in the meeting.

"Senior RSS office-bearers praised UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the presence of the BJP chief (Amit Shah). At the meeting, emphasis was laid on disseminating information pertaining to various welfare schemes and achievements of the Centre and state government among the masses, especially in view of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," an Uttar Pradesh BJP leader said.

Another senior leader of the party's state unit said that the UP government briefed the party president and senior office-bearers of the RSS about achievements of the state government, which it had accomplished in one-and-half years.

"The government also informed the meeting about renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj and a host of welfare measures taken by it," he said.

Both the deputy chief ministers, UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and

senior party office bearers took part in the meeting.

RSS joint general secretary (sah-sarkaryavah) Gopal, who was also present in the meeting told reporters, "In this meeting we deliberated over topical issues. The feedback which our workers gather, they convey it when we meet after almost six months. Today, our swayamsevaks working in 40 organisations in Uttar Pradesh gathered here for a regular and routine meeting, which is held from time-to-time. Different programmes and future plans are discussed. People from the BJP also come."

When asked whether any discussion was held on the Ram Temple

(in Ayodhya), he said, "No discussions were held on Ram Temple."

On being asked if any discussion was held on the 2019 Lok Sabha

elections, Gopal said, "No discussions were held in this regard."

When contacted, UP BJP spokesperson Chandramohan said, "The BJP holds regular meetings on the issue of development. This was not a political meeting, and was held in the context of larger interest of the nation. Issues of national importance were deliberated upon." PTI NAV KJ

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New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) A man from Tajikistan was apprehended at the airport here for allegedly using a fake ticket to enter the terminal area, a senior official said Wednesday.

K Solikh was intercepted by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel as he was about to leave the Terminal-3 building of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Tuesday, the official said.

The man, who holds a passport of Tajikistan, was stopped and questioned while exiting the terminal area, the official said.

He told the security personnel that he used a "cancelled" ticket to enter the terminal area to see off his friend, who was travelling to the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, the official said.

The man was subsequently handed over to the police as his ticket was a fake travel document. He was charged with alleged trespass, he said. PTI NES DPB
New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury will visit Nepal Thursday to hold discussions with the leadership of the ruling Nepal Communist Party.

Yechury along with party's central committee member Jogendra Sharma will visit the Himalayan nation between October 25 and October 30 to hold wide-ranging talks with NCP leaders as well as the country's Prime Minister K P Oli and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, a party statement said.

The visit comes at the invitation of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). PTI DMB DPB
New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) The United Nations Wednesday dedicated its iconic campus here to India's cultural heritage as its office in New Delhi marked the UN Day with a dazzling display of the country's tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator in India, hailed India's cultural diversity and said, "I personally have a love affair with India, its rich taste, colours, sounds, smells and food."

The UN House has been revived as the site for the safeguarding of the history of the seven-decade long India-UN partnership and of India's great contributions to the UN, he said.

"We are equally proud to dedicate this compound to India's cultural heritage, and the vibrant plural developmental traditions of the country that will provide the right environment for thinking about the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)," Afanasiev said.

UN House is an iconic building, one of the structures designed by noted American architect Joseph Allen Stein in Lodhi Estate area. The others being India International Centre and India Habitat Centre.

A senior official of the UN Office here said, as part of this initiative, exhibits from Crafts Museum would be brought and displayed at the premises on a rotational basis.

"Welcome to the UN House and thank you for joining us to commemorate UN Day - the 73rd anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter. As one of our founding members, it is also the 73rd year of India's membership of the UN, a country which has been one of the UN's strongest allies," Afanasiev said.

The entire campus was beautifully decked up with a theme on India's cultural heritage, ranging from 'Chhau' dance of the eastern region, to Therukoothu folk theater of Tamil Nadu.

Earthen lamps, metallic bells hanging from trees created magical experience at the even that was attended by a host of personalities, including Union minister for Housing and Urban Affair Hardeep Singh Puri, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, and other dignitaries.

"India is today poised at the convergence of massive economic growth and rising aspirations. This country is one of history's biggest contributors to international peace and security, the incubator of some of the world's largest and most ambitious development programmes, and a powerful advocate of sustainable development.

"During his visit to India earlier this month, the United Nations Secretary-General said the success of India is a success for us all. I firmly believe the rise of India will be the defining story of the 21st century," Afanasiev said.

Puri said he was "impressed" to see India's cultural heritage being displayed at the UN Day.

Srishti Kaur, 20, a winner of a national beauty pageant in teen category in 2017 was among the invitees.

She said, she runs a clothing line in Noida that promotes Khadi and cotton. "We as youth must take pride in our cultural heritage and promote it," Kaur said.

Afanasiev said, "I stand with India in this defining moment, not only for India's own progress, but also KJ

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Bhubaneswar, Oct 24 (PTI) A Bhubaneswar court Wednesday allowed police to take Delhi-based journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra on a four-day remand.

The in-charge Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhubaneswar, Manoranjan Pradhan allowed police to take Mitra on remand for investigation into an FIR lodged against him in Puri district.

The FIR was lodged against Mitra at the Konark Police Station, accusing him of making derogatory remarks on the Sun Temple of Konark, Odisha, Lord Jagannath and the legislators of the Odisha Assembly.

Mitra was arrested here Tuesday, soon after he appeared before a House Committee of the state Assembly over his alleged anti-Odisha remarks and tendered an unconditional apology.

He was lodged in the Special Jail at Jharpada here after the court rejected his bail plea and sent him to 14-day judicial custody Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Saheed Nagar police, in a mail to Twitter, have sought the details regarding e-mail account on which Mitra had opened his Twitter account, the mobile through which he was handling the social media and the date and the time of his posts.

Police also requested Twitter to furnish the details of the tweets Mitra had posted about Odisha, Lord Jagannath, the Sun temple and the legislators of the state Assembly.

During his visit to Odisha last month, Mitra had posted a video on his Twitter handle where he "criticised Odisha, its people, Lord Jagannath, Konark temple and also Odisha lawmakers."

Two FIRs were registered against him at the Konark police station in Puri district and the Saheed Nagar police station in Khurda district under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Mitra had appeared before a House Committee of the Odisha Assembly Tuesday and recorded his statement.

The panel has asked Mitra to appear in person again on November 2 and submit an affidavit.

Chairman of the House committee Narasingha Mishra, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, had told reporters Tuesday that "Abhijit Iyer-Mitra confessed to the allegations against him and sought an unconditional apology for his stupidity. He has been directed to depose before the committee and submit an affidavit in this regard".

"The committee will decide whether to accept his apology or not after examining his affidavit. Accordingly, the committee will then recommend the House to take action against him if necessary," he said.

Earlier on September 20, Odisha Assembly Speaker P K Amat had set up a House Committee to probe the alleged derogatory remarks against the state, its culture and the lawmakers made by Mitra.

Though the committee had earlier summoned Mitra to appear before it on October 11, he failed to turn up.

A notice was then sent to him for appearance before the committee on October 23. PTI AAM RG KJ
New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France alleging "criminal misconduct" by high public functionaries.

They have sought a direction to the CBI to investigate the offences disclosed in their complaint in a "time-bound" manner and submit periodic status reports to the apex court.

The complaint was filed on October 4 with the CBI after their meeting with CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, who was late Tuesday day directed by the Centre to proceed on leave in the wake of feud with second in command in agency Rakesh Asthana. PTI PKS ABA SJK RKS ZMN
Chennai, Oct 24 (PTI) The Tamil Nadu government Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that an act, enacted over two decades ago to regulate private clinics, came into force from June 1 this year.

The submission was made by Special Government pleader M Pappiah before Justice N Kirubakaran, who had raised several questions on non-enforcement of the Act following the death of a medical student after a hair transplant at a clinic in 2016.

Pappiah submitted that the state government has notified the 'Tamil Nadu Private Clinic Establishments (Regulation) Act, 1997', which was notified in April 2018 and came into force from June 1.

The court appreciated the government for giving effect to the act "at least after two decades" and posted the matter to November 8 for further hearing.

ARHT Global Hair Services Pvt. Ltd had moved the court, seeking to de-seal their premises, locked by the authorities after the death of a final year MBBS student on May 17, 2016 following a hair transplant.

The court had directed the government to file a reply with regard to implementation of the Act.

The medical student, Santhosh Kumar, had undergone a hair transplant at ARHT Global Hair Services on May 15 2016 and he died two days later.

Christian Medical College, Vellore, analysed the causes of his death and concluded that it could be due to toxic shock syndrome/septic shock/anaphylactic syndrome.

Following a social outcry, the centre's premises was raided and sealed on June 1.

Taking a serious view of the matter, Justice Kirubakaran had pointed out that Tamil Nadu does not have a regulatory mechanism as it had not framed rules for its own special law enacted in 1997.

The state government had also not adopted the central law enacted in 2010, the judge said.

Justice Kirubakaran had raised 10 queries, including why the government had not notified the Act, though it was passed by the Assembly on February 14, 1997 itself, when it would come into force and appropriate rules would be framed.

When the matter came up for hearing Wednesday, the SPP made the submission.

The court then posted the matter to November 8. PTI COR APR KJ
Kochi, Oct 24 (PTI) Activist Rehana Fathima, a BSNL employee who had made an attempt to enter the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, has been transferred to the Palarivattom telephone exchange in the city where public contact is not required, sources said.

Fathima, a telecom technician working in the customer relations section at the Boat Jetty branch here, was Tuesday transferred to the telephone exchange at Palarivattom, the sources said.

However, the sources said she has not committed dereliction of duty.

Sabarimala Karma Samithi Tuesday organised a protest march to the Palarivattom BSNL office, seeking her expulsion.

The Kerala Muslim Jama'ath Council had expelled Fathima from the Muslim community for "hurting sentiments of lakhs of Hindu devotees".

The activist's house was allegedly vandalised by unidentified people while she was away trying to climb the holy hills on Friday last.

She made a failed attempt to reach the temple with heavy police protection.

The attackers reached Fathima's house in Panambilly Nagar here while she was climbing the hills.

Fathima, a model and activist who was part of the 'Kiss of Love' movement in Kochi in 2014 against alleged moral policing, was among the two women who had reached the hilltop, but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Ayyappa devotees.

A mother of two, the activist had kicked up a row last year by posing for photos topless with watermelons to protest against a Kozhikode-based college professor's statement comparing women's breasts to watermelons.

A case has been registered by police in Pathanamthitta against the activist for hurting religious sentiments.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra had lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine, but a section of devotees has been protesting the decision. PTI TGB SS DV

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Bengaluru, Oct 24 (PTI) Amid reports of a looming power crisis, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday directed concerned officials to ensure there was interruption in power supply in the state.

Holding the central government responsible for the power crisis, Kumaraswamy asked officials to utilise hydro and solar power facilities to avoid load-shedding.

"As the supply of coal in the state was not in accordance with the agreement that was reached with the Centre, power generation at the Raichur Thermal Power Plant has suffered," an official release, quoting Kumaraswamy said.

The chief minister had recently tweeted about the shortage in coal supply to the state and requested the Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal to look into the issue.

"Coal scarcity in the State's Thermal Power Stations: Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) with 1,720 MW capacity has zero coal stock. WCL, a Government of India Coal Company has short supplied about 6 Lakh MT of coal to RTPS this year against the Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) quantity resulting in this situation (shortage)," Kumaraswamy had said in a tweet.

"I have requested honourable Coal Minister of Union Government Piyush Goyai to make good this deficit from Mahanadi Coal Fields (MCL). I even requested the minister that in the coming days WCL should ensure supply of FSA quantity in full for sustainable power generation in Karnataka," he had said in another tweet. PTI KSU RA ROH IND

IND
Noida (UP), Oct 24 (PTI) Two private security guards working at the Amity University here have been arrested for allegedly selling cannabis to students and others, police said on Wednesday.

The guards, Naveen Mishra and Santosh Singh, are both local residents and in their 30s. They were held late on Tuesday night outside the Sector 125 campus, a police official said.

"Mishra was held with 1.25 kg cannabis, while Singh was carrying 1.2 kg cannabis when they were arrested at 11.45 pm on Tuesday," Station House Officer (SHO) of Knowledge Park police station Arvind Pathak said.

Pathak said the police were getting complaints about the illegal sale of drugs from the area under the Knowledge Park police station limits.

"We have arrested six drug traffickers from our area in the recent times," the SHO added.

Meanwhile, the Amity University said the arrested guards were employees of a private security agency hired by the varsity and it has a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs.

"Amity has outsourced its security work to a private agency and the guards arrested were employed by it and not Amity University. The guards were arrested outside the campus and they were not on duty at the time," a university spokesperson told PTI.

She said the university will ask the private security agency to have "more stringent guidelines" for its employees and guards.

"The university from time to time counsels the students about the menace of drugs. We have a proper counselling centre and keep educating students about the harms of drug abuse. Amity has zero tolerance policy towards drugs, alcohol and smoking," the spokesperson said.

The accused guards have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and were produced in the court in the afternoon, according to the police.

SHO Pathak said other details in the case like from where they were procuring the cannabis were being gathered and the duo has no previous criminal record.

The arrest comes amid a crackdown by the Gautam Buddh Nagar police on drug trafficking in the district.

In a three-day anti-drug operation which began on October 22, the police have arrested 29 alleged drug traffickers and seized over 30 kg cannabis worth lakhs of rupees from their possession, according to officials. PTI KIS DIV

DIV
Jaipur, Oct 24 (PTI) A government school principal was caught taking bribe of Rs 15,000 in Rajasthan's Udaipur district Wednesday, an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) official said.

The accused Dilip Jain (53) posted at a senior secondary school in Kanuwada of Udaipur had demanded Rs 15,000 to release security deposit of Rs 4 lakh for construction works, ACB DSP Rajiv Joshi said.

The accused was arrested and booked under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, the official said, adding that further investigation is on. PTI AG IND

IND
Chandigarh, Oct 24 (PTI) The deadlock continued between the Haryana government and roadways employees, who are on a strike for the last nine days, as fresh round of talks failed Wednesday.

The strike would continue, roadways union leaders said after talks failed between the Haryana Roadways union and a high-level government delegation led by Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar.

The Coordination Committee of the roadways union remained adamant that the state government rollback its decision to hire 700 buses of the private owners under kilometre scheme.

After the talks ended here this evening, the Transport minister told PTI that the state government offered to reconsider its decision to run 190 private buses as the tenders were yet to finalised.

During the talks, the union leaders alleged irregularities in the allotment of tenders for the remaining 510 buses.

"We told them that entire process was transparent and there were no irregularities or any attempt made to benefit anyone. Still, the government offered to get the matter investigated by the State Vigilance Bureau.

We told the Union leaders that if their charge about irregularities in the allotment of the tenders for 510 buses is found to be correct in the Vigilance inquiry, then the allotment would be cancelled," he said.

Panwar said the Union leaders, however, remained adamant on their demand and wanted the government to rollback decision to hire entire lot of 700 private buses.

He said they were told the decision would not be reconsidered as the Haryana Cabinet had already decided on this matter and signed agreement to this effect.

Panwar said, "We have already started the process to hire new drivers and conductors. As many as 309 drivers and conductors joined on probation duty today".

He said keeping in view inconvenience being caused to commuters, the government had made alternate arrangements to ply the buses.

He claimed that 2,994 buses plied on various routes on Wednesday that included 1,815 roadways buses.

Earlier on October 21, talks between the Haryana government and the roadways employees had failed as the protesters stuck to their demand on the issue of 700 private buses.

Balwan Sigh, a member of the coordination committee of the Haryana Roadways Employees Union, blamed the government for failure of fresh round of talks held on Wednesday.

"They want to benefit their chosen ones, they are not ready to listen. We went for the talks with an open mind, but they are adamant. The strike will continue tomorrow after which we will chalk out future course of action," he said.

Protesting against the state government's decision to hire 700 private buses for the Haryana Roadways, the state transporter's employees had Monday extended their strike by three days.

Defying ESMA, the employees have been on strike since October 16 against the state government's decision to hire 700 buses from private owners. The employees' union has demanded cancellation of the tenders issued till now for hiring 510 private buses.

There are about 19,000 employees in the Haryana Roadways, having a fleet of 4,100 buses. The roadways cater to 12 lakh passengers daily.

Under the kilometre scheme, the buses would belong to private operators, who will pay salary to drivers, bear diesel and maintenance cost, but the conductors would be appointed by the government and the revenue generated from the tickets would be deposited in the state exchequer, officials had earlier said. PTI SUN VSD DPB
Italy's clash with the EU is coming to the boil and the outcome could have an impact far beyond Rome, and even here in the UK.

In straightforward terms, the issue is that Italian government wants to spend far more money on various benefits payments and government programmes than it takes in in taxes.

The EU has strict (in theory) rules on how much a government within the eurozone can spend relative to what is coming into the coffers from taxation. It is rightly concerned that reckless overspending by member states will undermine the stability of the euro and the EU in general.

The argument could be made that to some extent we have been here before.

The Colosseum in Rome, a capital city engaged in a standoff with the EU over government spending plans.

Back in 2010 and 2011, Greece was the rogue nation in the EU as its profligate public spending combined with a distinct aversion among much of it its population to paying all their taxes saw it fall foul of eurozone rules in a similar way to Italy more recently.

The major difference that makes the trouble in Italy a much bigger issue however is simply the size of Italy's economy.

While the Greek economy is not insignificant in global terms with a GDP of $200.3billion, it is nowhere near the size of Italy's, at $1.9trillion. Italian national debt at 2.4trillion also far outweighs that of Greece at around 300billion.

A major rupture of economic stability in Italy could hit the global economy, and the eurozone in particular far harder than anything that could have resulted from the Greek debt crisis.

As it stands neither side appears to be backing down, with the EU digging in its heels in a similar way to how it behaved towards Greece several years ago. Yesterday it formally rejected Italy's budget proposal, helping send financial markets into a slide.

Italy's government is a coalition of two populist, anti-establishment parties which made big promises to the electorate in order to win power earlier this year; the League and the Five Star Movement.

All signs suggest they have no intention of surrendering meekly and falling into line with the EU's directives any time soon.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio has called for a 'new European group' to campaign in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections next year that focuses 'less on banks and more on people.' Those aren't the words of a government ready to do as its told.

From its point of view, the EU cannot allow a total disregard for its budget rules for one nation, as it would have a very weakened hand should another two, three or more nations try the same thing. Confidence in the euro would dissipate rapidly in such a scenario.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio is yet to show any signs of backing down in the dispute with the EU.

While it seems relatively unlikely at this stage, the big fear is that things will reach such an impasse and become so acrimonious that Italy could abandon the euro and return to the Italian Lira.

This nuclear option could shake the Italian, European and global economy in a way that nobody could predict with certainty, as no country has ever attempted to leave the euro.

Leaving the EU without being in the euro is complicated enough, just ask Theresa May. But leaving the euro could arguably be much more disruptive and steeped in uncertainty.

There are couple of key ways this situation could directly impact people here in the United Kingdom in particular well before it gets to this stage.

First, if the dispute persists and fears mount that a disorderly fallout between Italy and the EU is coming then the euro will fall in value. This of course, means the pound will be worth more relative to it.

In one respect that would be a good thing in terms of the cost of living for average people here, and especially those who take holidays in the eurozone. The pound's weakness since the Brexit vote in 2016 has put upward pressure on prices that wages until very recently have not been able to keep up with.

That is provided the situation doesn't get so bad that it causes a global economic downturn of course.

Next, there is B word. Yes, this could yet have an impact on Brexit. Should the issue with Italy become a major problem for the EU, it could impact how it handles Britain's departure.

The EU is digging in its heels in over Italy's budget in a similar way to how it behaved towards Greece several years ago.

One way to look at it is to consider the possibility the EU would be more accommodating to Britain as it will want as much stability, certainty and trade as possible while it handles a fallout with Italy and seeks to shore up the euro.

The other possibility is that it hardens its position and shows even less willingness to compromise because it feels threatened on two fronts, and fears conceding ground on one issue would undermine its stand on the other.

If you happen to be an investor in shares, you also have to consider the chance that European equities could take a hit if financial markets lose confidence in there being some sort of resolution to the dispute, and tweak your holdings accordingly.

While problems in the eurozone and a weaker euro will have varying impacts on specific companies, with big exporters suffering far less than largely domestic facing companies, we have seen recently with UK equities how an entire asset class can fall out of favour when big political trouble kicks off.

Only time will tell how it plays out, and as with Brexit it's likely to be a lot of time that's needed to reach a resolution.
Dozens of holidaymakers have accused car rental giant Goldcar of routinely flogging them insurance they didn't want or need.

Some drivers who already had a policy were told that it was invalid and they would have to buy a new one costing hundreds of pounds.

Others say insurance was never mentioned at the check-in desk and they only discovered they had been charged when they later checked their bank statements.

Dozens of holidaymakers have accused car rental giant Goldcar of routinely flogging them insurance they didn't want or need

Or they were misled into thinking they were paying a deposit that would be returned when, in fact, the charges were non-refundable.

Travellers also say they couldn't understand what they were paying for because the fees were listed in Spanish. Others were only handed their policy documents in a sealed envelope after they'd paid.

When hiring a car abroad, it is vital you take out insurance that will pay out in the event of an accident. Most car rentals include a 'collision damage waiver'  basic cover that will pay out if the vehicle is damaged in a crash.

But the customer would still have to pay an excess that can run to thousands of pounds, unless they buy extra insurance to meet this. It is usually far cheaper to buy excess cover from a third party in advance, rather than on arrival.

If you do this, the firm should just ask for details of a credit card it can bill after any accident  which you'd later claim back from your insurer. However, at airports across Europe, drivers say they are being told they must buy Goldcar's cover.

Goldcar was founded by Spanish brothers Juan and Pedro Alcaraz in Alicante in 1985 with four Ford Fiestas and an Escort. It now has 105 offices in 17 countries.

Goldcar was founded by Spanish brothers Juan and Pedro Alcaraz in Alicante in 1985 with four Ford Fiestas and an Escort. It now has 105 offices in 17 countries

The firm has been fined twice in the past two years by the Italian regulator for 'aggressive' commercial practices, relating to the way it sells insurance and charges for damage that happened in previous rentals. Its new owner, Europcar, has had to set aside nearly 40million to compensate UK customers after a Trading Standards repair cost probe.

A cutting from Daily Mail, August 1, 2017

The UK's competition watchdog announced in March that it is also investigating hidden car hire fees. This follows an undercover investigation by Money Mail at Spain's Malaga Airport where we revealed how firms such as Goldcar heap extra charges on to holidaymakers.

Richard Pearson, 48, says he was pushed into paying nearly 200 for unnecessary insurance by the Goldcar desk at Ibiza Airport in August. It was 10pm when he arrived to pick up the car with his sons, Oliver, 12, and Harry, ten, who were exhausted from the flight and ready for bed.

He says the woman on the desk told him the 60 Axa policy he had bought in advance was 'not valid'. He argued, but was told he would be liable for any damages unless agreeing to buy Goldcar's insurance.

Richard adds: 'She made me doubt myself and think I'd bought the wrong cover. I was put in a position where I had no choice but to take out the insurance at the desk. It's mis-selling of the worst kind.' The massage therapist, of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, is still fighting to get his money back.

Goldcar insists Richard would have been offered the chance to pay a 972 credit card deposit instead of taking the cover, but he says this was not the case.

Money-saving tip: Car hire excess insurance Getting stung for extra excess waiver insurance at the car hire desk is a bugbear of many people, writes Simon Lambert However, you can get a specialist policy that will cover you for a trip or even annually at a fraction of the cost - as long as you are willing to put down a bigger credit card deposit. A long-standing policy I have used for years is insurance4carhire, which costs 42.99 for a year in Europe and the UK. Other names include Eversure, Reduce My Excess and Direct Car Excess. Car hire comparison sites also often offer their own by the day cover.

Sarah and Richard Hughes, both project managers from Winchester, Hampshire, were charged 248 for cover by Goldcar at Palma airport, Mallorca, in July.

Richard, 45, says that he was rushed through the process by a woman at the desk as Sarah, 44, looked after their twins, Millie and Georgie, aged eight.

Richard gave the woman his credit card, thinking it was for a fuel deposit, before she handed him documents in a sealed envelope.

Only when they were back home did the pair find they had been charged for cover  despite having their own.

Sarah says: 'It's very dishonest. They use smoke and mirrors to cover up the charges.'

Graham Barr, 35, from Edinburgh, says he was charged 128 for insurance by the same Goldcar desk in August. The travel firm senior manager had also bought cover in advance and believed that he was only leaving a deposit.

He was given an electronic screen to sign and only later provided with paperwork in a sealed envelope. And Dominika Bernasiewicz, 54, and Marcin Puciato, 39, were charged 210 for unwanted insurance and other unexplained extras at the Palma Airport desk, also in August. They, too, thought that they were paying a fuel deposit and signed paperwork partly written in Spanish.

Lynne Anderson, 61, a charity worker from Newcastle upon Tyne, and husband Jeremy, 53, were charged 52 for insurance they didn't need by Goldcar at Girona airport in Spain. And Tracy Davies, 49, from Cardiff, paid 124 for unwanted cover to Goldcar at Barcelona airport.

All say they were led to believe they were paying a deposit.

Many more customers are complaining about Goldcar and its charges online. Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, says: 'Firms need to be upfront about the real cost instead of offering too-good-to-be-true prices, then clawing back cash via high repair bills or expensive add-ons.'

A Goldcar spokesman says: 'Goldcar offers a customer care service through which queries are resolved and individual cases are handled.

'All the customer cases provided are being managed by our customer service department directly with the clients.'
Philip Hammond will deliver his third Budget speech next Monday. It's not one investors should anticipate with any hope.

There was a time when Tory chancellors' speeches meant we could look forward to tax breaks or savings incentives, but now our best hope is minimal pain.

I've sat through around 30 Budgets since joining Money Mail and I've drawn up a list of heroes and villains.

Philip Hammond will deliver his third Budget speech next Monday and Tony Hazell says it's 'not one investors should anticipate with any hope'

Hammond already sits with the latter. He has been no friend of investors, the self-employed or the aspirational.

In 2017 he announced he would slash the tax-free allowance on dividend payments from 5,000 to 2,000 and launched a failed attempt to increase National Insurance for the self-employed.

He has since reneged on a pledge to scrap Class 2 National Insurance payments for the self-employed.

This time the rumour mill suggests he's looking at cutting higher-rate tax relief given on pension contributions.

The cost of pension tax relief is pushing rapidly towards 40billion a year. And there is a strong argument that the current system, which is more generous to high earners, is unfair.

However, redistributing existing tax relief is an altogether different thing from snatching a lump of it from the system.

I doubt his fellow MPs will stand for it. An MP's basic salary is 77,379, meaning they benefit from higher-rate tax relief on contributions to their very generous final salary pension scheme. There's nothing like self-interest for provoking a sense of outrage.

Hazell says: 'Down the years some chancellors have pulled rabbits out of their hats. John Major (pictured) introduced the Tessa in 1990, giving tax-free interest to those willing to commit to five years of saving'

Down the years some chancellors have pulled rabbits out of their hats. John Major introduced the Tessa in 1990, giving tax-free interest to those willing to commit to five years of saving. This metamorphosed into the cash Isa under Gordon Brown.

In 1986 Nigel Lawson brought us the personal equity plan or Pep, encouraging tax-free investment into shares. Chancellor Brown transformed them into stock market Isas and diluted the tax relief.

Lawson also brought a smile to higher-rate taxpayers when he cut the top rate to 40 per cent from 60 per cent in 1988.

Various Chancellors also chiselled away at the basic rate, which stood at 30 per cent when I started work in 1982, but is now 20 per cent.

When it comes to Budget villains, Hammond has some way to go before he can match Gordon Brown.

His assault on pensions in his first Budget in July 1997, when he removed tax relief from dividends, is still costing us now.

When it comes to Budget villains, Hazell says Hammond has some way to go before he can match Gordon Brown

It was sneaky and technical and therefore failed to make headlines at the time beyond the personal finance pages.

However figures released by the Office of Budget responsibility in 2014 showed that up to then it had raised 117.9billion for the Treasury.

I calculated then that with investment growth savers had lost 230billion from their pensions.

We will never know how many company pension schemes would still be running if he had not done this.

But we do know that everyone with a pension in the stock market will suffer a poorer retirement on his account.

Brown also announced a lower 10p starting rate of income tax in 1999, but failed to apply it to savings interest and had to be persuaded by a Money Mail campaign.

Aside from heroes and villains there are the damp squibs and the squander bugs.

Step forward again Mr Brown with the Child Trust Fund.

The CTF, as you'll no doubt recall, gave some money to youngsters that they could spend when they turned 18.

The problem is that the Government was borrowing to fund this so those same youngsters will grow up to be saddled with the debt.

Arguably few squibs were damper than George Osborne's various Help To Buy schemes which never quite worked and the Lifetime Isa.

The latter which still exists is meant to be an alternative pension savings vehicle which could also be used as a house deposit.

The clever thing from the chancellor's point of view was that the tax breaks were given at retirement not when the money was invested  so if enough people took them up the cost of pension tax relief could be sneakily passed on to a future generation.

However Osborne does deserve praise for giving us the freedom to do what we want with our pensions when he abolished the compulsion to buy an annuity, even if this was really an idea from the Liberal Democrats and Department for Work & Pensions.

So who is my ultimate Budget hero? Well that must be David Lloyd George who, in 1909, introduced the people's Budget with support from Winston Churchill.

It established many of the principles of the welfare state we rely on today and recognised that, in a civilised society, there must be a safety net for the poor and the elderly.
Many years ago, my wife and I were regular visitors to the U.S., so we purchased a lot of travellers' cheques. Now we are both in our 80s and unable to travel there due to ill health.

I have well over $1,000 in Visa travellers' cheques. The problem is, Visa no longer issues new cheques and I cannot cash these in.

I have tried the Marks & Spencer store where I bought them, but they would not honour them, even though I have the original purchase receipts. I have tried phoning M&S Bank, which was not helpful. I have also tried other banks and a travel agent.

L. R., Liverpool.

One reader tells how he and his wife used to be regular visitors to the U.S., so they purchased a lot of travellers' cheques but now they cannot cash them in

You are not the first person to come to me after having problems cashing in old travellers' cheques. Having issued the cheques, which do not carry expiry dates, surely it should be incumbent upon the banks to honour them?

I went to Visa, where there was some surprise at the difficulties you are facing. Even though it no longer issues travellers' cheques, it does still support them. I also contacted M&S Bank. After looking at your case, it has offered to cash in the travellers' cheques as a goodwill gesture.

In fact, you have $2,000 worth. And there's an extra piece of good news, because when you bought them in 2004, the exchange rate was running close to $1.90 to 1. Today, it is closer to $1.30.

So you should get considerably more back in pounds than you paid 14 years ago  even allowing for the different rates banks use to buy and sell currency.

M&S Bank says: 'Following a significant reduction in demand for the cheques, due to a decline in outlets accepting the payment method, we stopped offering and encashing them in 2013. Due to the customer's personal circumstances, as a gesture of goodwill we will arrange the encashment of travellers' cheques previously purchased from M&S.'

Visa suggests other readers who find old travellers' cheques should try Travelex (01733 279865 or tcassistance@travelex.com).

You have YOUR say Money Mail, October 17 Every week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some from our article on ways to save money during the festive season... I don't buy multiple gifts for loved ones, as some friends do. Instead, I spend more money on individual presents. Too many are packed away after Christmas and never see the light of day again. I also like to buy gifts for children in care. I. R., Basingstoke, Hants. With the retailers whipping customers into a festive frenzy so early on, it's easy to forget the real meaning of Christmas. It's the simple things that make this time of year so special: the joy of excited children, carol singing and the pleasure of spending time with those we love. O. N., Somerset. Until recently, I was giving presents to my brothers, their wives and their children every year. I am single and it cost me a fortune. Last year, I told my brothers not to get me anything and we decided to spend money on the children instead. B. C., London. People who moan about Christmas coming too early drive me crazy. If you have a family, the sooner you can start planning, the better. If it's not for you, no one is forcing you to take part. Don't spoil it for those of us who love spending time with family and friends. M. M., Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire. I dread this time of year. I have two teenagers and, of course, every Christmas, they want all the branded stuff. I can never get them everything they ask for  one pair of trainers can cost around 100. To be honest, I can't wait until it's all over! B. Y., Northern Ireland. I'm just an ordinary 66-year-old woman and I've known about most of these tips and tricks for a long time. However, I never buy a card or gift for someone who isn't on my list just because they have given me one. I think that's disingenuous. S. M., Brighton.

I sold my old, perfectly good Amazon Kindle on eBay on a 'no returns' basis, but the buyer complained that it did not work. I advised him how to reset it, but he said the fault had recurred and he wanted a refund. As he said that it was faulty, I agreed to let him return it. However, I found nothing wrong with it and sought from him a return handling charge.

He refused and asked to go to arbitration, where eBay found in his favour. It then charged my PayPal account for the return postage and the full selling fee. It refuses to issue any refund. I have subsequently resold the Kindle at a lower price and have also been charged by eBay for this sale.

P. S., Watford, Herts.

The difficulty for eBay is that it's your word against the buyer's  although, presumably, the second buyer is happy with the Kindle. The fact that you talked about resetting it makes me wonder whether it really was functioning perfectly. I also understand that while the buyer was initially happy to pay the return postage, you also wished to make a 15 pc handling charge.

It was at this point that he decided to go to arbitration. eBay declined your request for a credit for the selling fees because you had not resolved the buyer's issues. If you had resolved them within the 'Seller Make It Right' period, then the fees would have been credited back.

So, while the buyer may have been pernickety, you made things worse for yourself by digging in your heels and attempting to charge a handling fee. In this case, eBay believes there was a genuine breakdown in communication between you and the buyer, so it will refund your postage as a gesture of goodwill.

Npower is trying to force me to pay 1,993.17 for gas and electricity used by a tenant years ago. After I complained, it wrote off the money, but has now reinstated it and threatened to follow up on its demands. I am nearly 83 and have owned the house for many years. It has had a succession of tenants but, since 2015, I have lived in the house while in the UK.

I was never in any contractual agreement to pay for the gas and electricity, but Npower is insisting that I produce the tenancy agreement.

Mrs M. B., London.

I am very uneasy about this case on a number of levels. Npower confirms that you made contact in April 2015 to say you had moved in at the start of August 2014. Yet, for some reason, it chose not to believe you and instead billed you back to April 2013. So it appears it is assuming you were in occupancy without any evidence.

There is also the scale of the bill, which you argue is far larger than your actual usage since you have been in the property. Npower says it simply wants you to produce a tenancy agreement to confirm you were letting the property.

This doesn't seem unreasonable  yet you haven't done it. I can only assume this means you lost it or never had one. Npower has suggested that you contact your council for evidence of who was paying the council tax, but I suspect you will hit General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) problems with this.

At this stage, I am going to step away, as Npower has provided you with a final decision. You cannot give it the evidence it requires, so you should contact the energy ombudsman on 0330 440 1624 or osenquiries@os-energy.org

Straight to the point My suitcase was damaged on a Ryanair flight. I'd already left the terminal when I noticed the damage and was not allowed back in to report it, so I logged a claim online. I must have sent 20 emails since then, but the airline will not help. T. B., by email. Ryanair says it will not consider your claim without a Property Irregularity Report. This is the form you would have been given had you been allowed back into the luggage hall. I contacted the Civil Aviation Authority, which suggests you escalate your complaint to the AviationADR online at aviationadr.org.uk or by calling 0203 540 8063. *** I purchased a dance disc from Grainger Games for my granddaughter, but later had to return it because it was unsuitable. I was told I could not have a cash refund and was instead given a voucher. Then the retailer collapsed, shutting all its stores. Is there any way I can get a refund? M. T., Sheffield, South Yorks. When a retailer collapses, anyone with a secured claim, such as a bank, is paid out first. Customers who have gift cards are considered unsecured creditors, so are further down the priority list. Administrator RSM says a small dividend should be paid to unsecured creditors within the next six to 12 months. Submit a claim by writing to: RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP, 1 St James' Gate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4AD, quoting 'Grainger Games'. *** In July my son and I were delayed for 90 minutes on a Virgin train from London to Warrington. A few days later, my son, who is my carer, sent a compensation form. We heard nothing, so I wrote a month later. I followed up with a phone call and the member of staff hung up on me. I was then told that it was too late to claim the compensation. I paid 136 for the tickets and find this very frustrating. M. S., Warrington, Cheshire. Virgin Trains apologises for the delay and has now refunded you the full price of the tickets. It has also offered you two complimentary first-class tickets as a goodwill gesture. It adds that the member of staff you spoke with on the phone did not hang up on you. The line went dead and they did not have your number to call back.

Write to Tony Hazell at Ask Tony, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email asktony@dailymail.co.uk  please include your daytime phone number, postal address and a separate note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Tony Hazell. We regret we cannot reply to individual letters. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
Lloyds has joined forces with one of the City's most blue-blooded investment firms to target millions of middle-class savers.

In one of the biggest shake-ups in wealth management for decades, the bank is teaming up with Schroders to offer an investment and wealth planning service for those with up to 1 million.

It will allow Lloyds to target huge numbers of pension savers and middle-class workers across the country, and is part of an aggressive three-year plan set out by boss Antonio Horta Osorio as he looks to secure his legacy.

Lloyds has joined forces with one of the City's most blue-blooded investment firms Schroders to target millions of middle-class savers

Lloyds will pump 13 billion of assets and advice staff into the new joint venture, in which it will have a 50.1 per cent stake.

Horta Osorio said the move will create a market leader in wealth management.

He added: 'This provides a strong platform for growth and is a further step in the delivery of our strategic objectives.'

The business  which has yet to be named  is due to begin operating by mid-2019. Its chairman will be Antonio Lorenzo, chief executive of Lloyds' pensions arm Scottish Widows.

The tie-up will be seen as a coup for Antonio Horta Osorio (pictured) after eight years in charge

James Rainbow, joint head of Schroders' UK intermediary arm, will serve as chief executive. The operation is part of a bid by Lloyds to gain an extra 1m pension customers by 2020.

Taking the credit The tie-up will be seen as a coup for Antonio Horta Osorio after eight years in charge. Horta Osorio, 54, is credited with turning the bank around after it came to the brink of collapse during the financial crisis. But he has struggled with a sluggish share price despite returning the lender to profit and getting it back out of state control. Revelations about an affair two years ago are thought to have harmed his chances of securing another big job elsewhere.

The bank also wants to break into the top three players in financial planning within five years  which would require a massive growth rate as Lloyds has just 1.5 per cent of the market at present.

Horta Osorio has previously waved away concerns that this aggressive sales push could see the bank slip back into the old ways which saw it become the biggest mis-seller of PPI.

Asked earlier this year about the danger of a return to the toxic behaviour of the past, he said: 'We have a very different culture and approach to what we had in the UK ten years ago.'

The deal will see Schroders take on the management of 80 billion of Scottish Widows assets.

It will also see Lloyds take a stake of up to 19.9 per cent in Schroders' high-end wealth management arm, which operates its Cazenove Capital brand, and typically serves millionaires.

Laith Khalaf, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Targeting growth in financial planning and wealth management offers Lloyds some diversification away from its traditional banking activities.

'However, it doesn't look like hell or high water is going to shift the Lloyds share price meaningfully in the right direction until there's some clarity on Brexit.'

Lloyds fell 0.1 per cent, or 0.04p, to 56.39p. Schroders dropped 4.2 per cent, or 117p, to 2648p.
Patisserie Valerie boss Luke Johnson

Major investors in Patisserie Valerie are piling pressure on boss Luke Johnson to hand over control of an internal probe into a 40 million black hole in its accounts.

Shareholders are concerned the investigation is not independent enough with Johnson, chairman of the cafe chain's parent firm Patisserie Holdings, involved.

Invesco has told the entrepreneur to hand over the probe to a law firm or independent investigation firm.

Crisis-hit Patisserie Valerie was saved from collapse earlier this month after Johnson, 56, (pictured) joined forces with investors to plug the firm with cash.

Its shares were frozen after the surprise debt pile and potential fraud were uncovered.

Suspended finance director Chris Marsh, 44, was arrested on suspicion of fraud shortly after. He has since been bailed.

Patisserie Valerie declined to comment.
Travis Perkins said sales at its kitchen and bathroom showrooms continued to sag

The owner of DIY chain Wickes will carry on slashing costs after another quarter of falling sales at its shops.

Travis Perkins said sales at its kitchen and bathroom showrooms continued to sag as households turned away from home improvement work, partly due to the cooling property market.

Tough competition on pricing was also making it harder to deal with rising costs, the company said.

In an update to the market, it added: 'The group continues to focus on managing its underlying cost base.'

However, shares rose 4.1 per cent, or 40p, to 1020p, after the firm said overall sales were up 3.9 per cent.

This was due to a strong performance from its plumbing, heating and building supplies businesses, which saw sales rise 7 per cent.

Chief executive John Carter announced a review in July following a profit warning.

The company took a 246 million writedown as a result and launched a hefty cost-cutting programme that saw its head office workforce slashed by a third in May.

Carter said: 'The UK DIY market continues to be very challenging.'
Trafford Centre owner Intu reported a slump in the value of its shopping centres amid a crisis gripping the retail sector.

The group, which also owns Lakeside in Essex and the Metrocentre in Gateshead, said the value of its portfolio fell by 298 million or 3 per cent to 9.6 billion between June 30 and September 30.

It blamed the misery on the High Street and shopping centres which has seen hundreds of stores close this year.

Trafford Centre owner Intu reported a slump in the value of its shopping centres amid a crisis gripping the retail sector

Intu is considering a 2.9 billion takeover by a pack of investors led by property mogul John Whittaker, who is deputy chairman of the firm and owns a 27 per cent stake.

The firm warned its full-year rental income would also take a hit following a string of retail failures this year which include the collapse of House of Fraser.

Income is expected to grow by no more than 1 per cent.

Intu's latest trading update comes after a consortium of investors made up of Whittaker's Peel Group, Saudi conglomerate Olayan and Brookfield Property tabled its 2.9 billion bid. But that is 500 million lower than the offer made by rival Hammerson earlier this year.

In an embarrassing climbdown for both firms, Hammerson was forced to walk away from the deal after opposition from shareholders.

Intu chief executive David Fischel will step down later this year following the failed tie-up.

Despite its declining portfolio value, Intu managed to improve occupancy of its shopping centres, which are now 97 per cent full, with retailers including Monki, Bershka and Ralph Lauren opening stores across its sites.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'The company managed to push through some rent increases and this looks like a reasonably resilient performance given the pressures on the retail sector.

'As such it may lead shareholders to question the generosity of a proposed offer which, adjusted for dividends, comes in at just 210.4p a share.'
Bloomsbury says it has been helped by the continuing appeal of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series

Murder mysteries and a book about race boosted Bloomsbury sales.

The Harry Potter publisher said revenues rose 4 per cent to 75.3 million in the six months to August 31, usually a quiet period before the start of the academic year and Christmas.

But it said sales at its adult division surged 22 per cent as Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race, murder-mystery The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton and titles by late American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain flew off the shelves.

The publisher was also helped by the continuing appeal of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Nigel Newton, chief executive, welcomed the 'strong results', despite profits being broadly flat at 1.6 million following Bloomsbury's takeover of independent publisher IB Tauris

Nigel Newton, chief executive, welcomed the 'strong results', despite profits being broadly flat at 1.6 million following Bloomsbury's takeover of independent publisher IB Tauris.

Top titles for the Christmas market include the new, illustrated edition of Rowling's The Tales Of Beedle The Bard and British chef Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start.

Analysts said the outlook for the company was positive.
Thousands of TSB customers have fled the bank following its IT disaster in April.

Some 21,790 TSB current account holders switched to a rival between April and June, which after a gain of about 5,000 resulted in a net loss of 16,641 - the largest net exodus from any high street bank.

Experts expect the figure to be even higher after 1.9million customers were locked out of their online and mobile accounts for weeks. The figures only show customers who used the seven-day switching guarantee service.

Thousands of TSB customers have fled the bank following its IT disaster back in April

TSB, which has 5.2million customers, says the figures are only 'part of the total picture' and more than 20,000 people opened or switched to new TSB bank accounts over the period.

However, the switching data shows 21,790 customers switching to rivals and just 5,149 switching from another bank to it.

The disruption has cost TSB hundreds of millions of pounds with Paul Pester, the former chief executive, stepping down in September after 7 years at the helm.

The IT catastrophe began earlier this year with repercussions continuing for months after.

The failure also led to crooks posing as the bank's fraud team to steal from customers.

In April, it was reported that fraudsters were exploiting the IT chaos by sending emails to customers pretending to be from TSB and urging them to click on a link which if pressed would actually download rogue software on their device.

RBS and NatWest lost the next largest net number of customers to rivals, at 12,362 and 12,053 respectively, according to Bacs, which runs the Current Account Switch Service.

Nationwide Building Society attracted the most net new customers - 34,577 - in the same period. HSBC, which includes First Direct and M&S, brought in a net 25,605.

Data from the Current Account Switch Service has shown that, between 1 October 2017 and 30 September 2018, switching levels were up five per cent on the previous 12 months.

Over 5million switches have been made through the Switch Service since it's inception in 2013 with 193,621 switches made in just the last quarter alone.
After four decades of loyal service at NatWest, Patricia Harvey believed she had built up a good pension.

But last year, the 57-year-old - who joined the bank as a teenage cashier - discovered she would receive around a third less than she thought.

Money Mail has now discovered that Patricia is just one of hundreds of employees who have had their pensions slashed by the bank's parent company Royal Bank of Scotland in a bid to save 'tens of millions of pounds'.

Let down: Patricia, who lives with her husband John, 60, in Maidstone, Kent, began working at NatWest in 1977 when she was just 16 years old

The cuts stem from a decision by the bank to change the way it calculates pensions for workers who have had two separate periods of service at the company.

Most of those affected are likely to be mothers who took time off to raise children before returning to work.

Critics say it is yet another 'betrayal' of hard-working women who are already treated like second-class citizens when it comes to pensions.

Patricia, who lives with her husband John, 60, in Maidstone, Kent, began working at NatWest in 1977 when she was just 16 years old.

In 1986, she took maternity leave after the birth of her first daughter, Emily, but returned full time.

However, after having her second child, Lucy, in 1987, the struggle of combining a full-time job with bringing up two very young children led her to ask to go part time. The bank agreed - but terminated her original contract.

Patricia was then placed on a succession of temporary contracts before being given a new permanent contract in April 1989.

To avoid a repeat of that unsettling experience, she decided to go straight back to work full time after having her third daughter Alice in 1992.

In all, Patricia worked for NatWest for 40 years, 39 of which were as a full-time employee and eight months part-time. Despite all the back and forth over contracts Patricia believed her full pension would be protected.

In all, Patricia worked for NatWest for 40 years, 39 of which were as a full-time employee and eight months part-time. Despite all the back and forth over contracts Patricia believed her full pension would be protected

After contacting the bank in 1989 and 1997 for reassurance she was left with the impression her two pensions from each period of service would be combined or 'aggregated' - which would entitle her to a larger pension than if they were kept separate.

This is because final salary pensions are based on a proportion of the salary you are earning at the point you leave the company, which is typically higher than your starting wage as a result of annual pay rises and promotions.

So as Patricia was earning a higher wage at the end of her second contract she would get more money in retirement if her full pension was based on this figure.

However, unbeknown to her, RBS made the decision in 2006 that it would not be honouring aggregations - at the same time it closed its final salary pension scheme to new members.

Flashback: Patricia pictured in 1977

Workers expecting their pensions to be aggregated would instead have two pensions.

One for their first years with the company based on a proportion of what their salary was at the time that contract ended.

The second pension would cover their later years of service.

In Patricia's case it means she will receive 6,132.81 a year from the first pension, covering 1977 to 1988, when she turns 60.

The 1989 to 2017 pension, which she has been paid since being made redundant last year, is worth 12,000 a year.

The bank refused to confirm how much extra Patricia should have received if her pensions had been combined.

But in an internal memo seen by Money Mail, bank officials estimated the cost of combining Patricia's two periods of service at around 160,000 to 180,000.

This would be equivalent to an extra 5,000 to 6,000 a year over a 30 year period - meaning Patricia could be missing out on around a quarter of the total pension she was expecting. And, according to RBS, hundreds more people are thought to be affected.

In an email exchange between officials discussing Patricia's complaint last year, bank managers wrote: 'While Pat may feel the bank has made a commitment, this change to policy has been applied to many people who were previously told exactly the same  in other words there were many people who were told this may happen but who it hasn't happened for.

'Her cost of aggregating the two periods of service would be around 160k to 180k.

'There were hundreds of people affected by this and [Mrs Harvey's] cost would be near the low end... so as you will see the cost to the bank of continuing with the policy would be in the tens of millions of pounds.'

Has your pension also been slashed? Tell us if you stand to get a smaller sum after going part-time. Write to us at moneymail@dailymail.co.uk or Money Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT

RBS says that while workers were told their pensions 'may' be aggregated, it was a discretionary offer which could be 'withdrawn at any time'. The bank was always very careful to use the word 'may' in the letters sent to Patricia and said the decision would be 'at the sole discretion of the trustees'.

When Patricia complained, RBS said it was acting within its rights and has since refused to correspond further with her about the issue. Patricia, who is working part-time as a doctor's receptionist, says: 'I can't believe what bullies they have been.

'And to write saying I can't contact them anymore about what is a legitimate grievance just shows their arrogance.'

Ros Altmann, former pensions minister, says: 'Legally, the trustees may have done enough to prevent them being forced to allow the two periods to be added together, but morally it would seem that Patricia is being severely disadvantaged, relative to a man who did not need to take time off to have children and that feels to them like a betrayal.

'If Patricia had not needed to leave employment for a while to look after her children, as would have been the case for most men, then her pension would be significantly higher.

'Does this amount to discrimination? I certainly think this is a case that could be made.'

Steve Webb, another former pensions minister who now works for investment firm Royal London, says RBS should be 'thinking about whether its policies are prejudicial to women'.

Meanwhile, Patricia's local MP Helen Whately, who represents Faversham and Mid Kent for the Conservatives, has written to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to ask them to investigate if RBS is guilty of discrimination in its treatment of Patricia.

A spokesman for RBS, which is still 62 per cent owned by the state a decade after it was bailed out during the financial crisis, says: 'In line with the vast majority of UK companies, we closed our defined benefit pension scheme to new members in 2006.

'At the same time we reviewed some historic discretionary practices relating to the defined benefit pension scheme and decided to end the policy that combines two periods of pensionable service.

'We have been open and transparent with employees about the discretionary nature of these practices.'
TORONTO, October 23, 2018  Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today announced that it has commenced the mailing of a management proxy circular and related documents to its shareholders in connection with an upcoming special meeting at which shareholders will be asked to approve a proposed return of capital transaction. Thomson Reuters is aware of rotating strikes by Canada Post workers which may result in delays for shareholders with Canadian addresses. The management proxy circular and related documents are available online and for pick-up, as set out below.

The return of capital transaction consists of a cash distribution of US$4.45 in cash per common share, or approximately US$2.5 billion in the aggregate, to holders of common shares and a consolidation of outstanding common shares (or reverse stock split) on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution. The share consolidation ratio will be based on the volume weighed average trading price of the common shares on the New York Stock Exchange for the five trading days immediately prior to the return of capital becoming effective.

The proposed return of capital transaction is intended to distribute cash on a basis that is generally expected to be tax-free for Canadian tax purposes. Certain shareholders who are taxable in a jurisdiction outside of Canada (including taxable U.S. resident shareholders and others) (Eligible Opt-Out Shareholders) will be able to opt out of the transaction. This right to opt out is being provided to those shareholders because in jurisdictions other than Canada the tax consequences of not participating in the transaction may be preferable to those associated with participating in the transaction. If an Eligible Opt-Out Shareholder chooses to opt out, it will not receive the cash distribution and will continue to hold the same number of shares that it currently holds.

Details of the transaction (including information regarding the opt-out right) are described in the management proxy circular and related materials, which are available on www.thomsonreuters.com in the Investor relations section. The documents were filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR and are available at www.sedar.com. The documents were also furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through EDGAR and are available at www.sec.gov. The documents are also available for pick-up, free of charge, at Computershare Trust Company of Canadas offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Please contact Computershare Trust Company of Canada using the phone numbers or e-mail address set out below for the addresses of those offices.

The special meeting of shareholders will be held in Toronto on November 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. (Toronto time). The meeting will be webcast at www.thomsonreuters.com. Holders of Thomson Reuters common shares as of 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on October 18, 2018 are entitled to vote at the meeting.

Registered shareholders who have questions or need assistance voting their shares may contact Computershare Trust Company of Canada, at 1.800.564.6253 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.514.982.7888 (outside Canada and the U.S.) or at the following e-mail address: corporateactions@computershare.com. Non-registered shareholders who hold their shares indirectly through an intermediary (such as an investment dealer, stock broker, bank, trust company or other nominee) should contact their intermediary if they have questions or need assistance. Shareholders who have questions or need assistance may also contact D.F. King & Co., Inc., who is acting as Information Agent for the transaction, at 1.800.330.5897 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.212.269.5550 (outside Canada and the U.S., banks, brokers and collect calls) or at the following email address: tri@dfking.com.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) is the worlds leading provider of news and information-based tools to professionals. Our worldwide network of journalists and specialist editors keep customers up to speed on global developments, with a particular focus on legal, regulatory and tax changes. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS



Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including statements relating to the return of capital transaction and the anticipated tax treatment for shareholders participating in the transaction and those opting out. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our companys current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including other factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that the return of capital transaction will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.



CONTACT

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David Crundwell

Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs

+1 416 649 9904

david.crundwell@tr.com

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ALBANY  Amid a day of fear caused by a series of explosive devices sent to Democratic politicians as well as the Manhattan offices of CNN, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday said a suspicious package had been sent to his office in New York City.

The truth followed within an hour: The package contained nothing more than a thumb drive containing material on the alt-right group known as the Proud Boys, according to Cuomo's spokesman. It was not immediately clear who had sent it.

The Proud Boys recently inflamed controversy after a brawl that followed a speaking appearance by its founder, Gavin McInnes, at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Republican Club. The melee has so far resulted in the arrests of a half-dozen members of the white nationalist group.

According to a photo of the package posted by Zack Fink of NY1, it was addressed to Cuomo's Manhattan office with the identical return address. It also said "Proud Boys Info" in the lower left.

Cuomo mentioned the package had been taken away by authorities as he appeared alongside New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at a press conference with law enforcement officials responding to the discovery of an apparent explosive device at the studios of CNN.

Just days after a pipe bomb was dropped off at the home of financier George Soros, the U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday reported intercepting similar packages sent to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State and New York U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Soros, Obama and Clinton are among the biggest targets of right-wing conspiracy theorists, while CNN has been a favorite target of President Donald J. Trump and his supporters. Cuomo's brother, Chris Cuomo, is a prime-time CNN anchor.

Gov. Cuomo said what he described as a "device" was being "handled as we speak." The governor never described the package as an explosive.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Speaking to CNN just before his press conference, Cuomo said political divisiveness was breeding terroristic behavior.

"Let's have our political differences with civility. ... We are at a boiling point," he said.

The governor told his brother during the CNN interview that all of the suspicious packages were "manila envelopes with an explosive device inside." He said the Westchester Police Department exploded the device sent to Soros "in a controlled circumstance" and the other packages have been seized by the FBI.

"There is no doubt this is a terrorist attack writ large," the governor said.

Cuomo has deployed 100 additional National Guard soldiers to the New York City metro area and asked the State Police to also double their security at major locations in New York. A news release from his office listed downstate airports, mass transit systems, bridges and tunnels as the site of the larger law enforcement presence.
Most of the time, most people prefer not to be haunted, hunted, startled, stalked, terrorized, tormented, traumatized or freakishly exposed to supernatural forces beyond our control.

But when Halloween rolls around  well, that's different. Bring it on, vampires. Entrez vous, zombies. Have at it, headless ghosts.

Folks in search of ways to celebrate Halloween (and, by extension, put themselves at risk of cardiac events) have many options in the coming days, as creepalicious events abound in the greater Capital Region. Here's a fair sampling.

Night of the Living Dead  LIVE!

Reanimated corpses, Part I: Corpses will come to life in a "live drama fused with multi-media and original music" at the National Museum of Dance, where Halloween revelers will celebrate the 50th anniversary of George A. Romero's germinal black-and-white horror flick.

The event will be a theatrical zombification of the film, which established all long-accepted Hollywood zombie tropes, such as the pasty faces and hollowed-out eyes; the dangling arms and slackened jaws; the slow, lurching walk toward victims crippled by fright.

If zombies are your thing, just hole up in a house and wait for them. There's always more to come.

8:30 p.m. Oct. 28-31 and Nov. 2-3. National Museum of Dance, 99 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs. $25 for adults, $15 for students. 518-584-2225; dancemuseum.org.

Spooktaculars for every age group

First, for the kiddies: "Halloween Spooktacular" at the New York State Museum, a Sunday afternoon of family-friendly games, dancing, crafts, storytelling and "spooky science"  plus a children's costume parade at 3 p.m. 12 p.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. Fourth-floor terrace, New York State Museum, 222 Madison Ave., Albany. Free. 518-474-5877; nysm.nysed.gov.

Next up, for the grown-ups: "Bing Bambooooo Rooms' Hallowe'en Spooktacular Burlesque Show," a dress-up, dress-down Halloween-night blow-out, complete with "groovy ghoulie burlesque" and costume contest. Presented by the Big Bamboo Room, which calls itself "the longest-running burlesque variety show on the East Coast," the ghastly bash will feature exotic dancer Scooter Pie as host, music from a yet-to-be-announced band and hors d'oeuvres. 6 p.m.- 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31. The University Club, 141 Washington Ave, Albany. $25 cash at the door. For more info, see bingbambooroomburlesque.com.

Dress-up for grown-ups (and their little dogs, too)

Normally, adults are not encouraged to go wild and play pretend, which is not something they're normally allowed to do on a regular basis  unless, say, they act for a living. Sure, the focus of Halloween is the kiddies trick-or-treating in their costumes, but why should the they have all the fun?

Here's one opportunity: "The BOO-jolais Monster Ball," a benefit for the Alliance for Positive Health. Attendees are invited to dress as their favorite monsters, which could be almost anything: Werewolf? Witch? The serpent Jormungandr from Norse mythology? Festivities include food and wine sampling. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26. Albany Capital Center, 55 Eagle St, Albany. $90 and up. 518-434-4686; allianceforpositivehealth.org.

Here's another opportunity: "The First Annual Halloween Dog Parade" at the Mount, Edith Wharton's home in Lenox, Mass., had to be canceled because of the weather forecast. According to the website: "We would still love to see your four-legged friends in their Halloween costumes. Please forward pictures to Anastasia Whalen at awhalen@edithwharton.org for a chance to win a dual membership to The Mount." The Mount, 2704, 2 Plunkett St. Lenox, Mass. 413-551-5100; edithwharton.org.

Eerie Stockade Events

Is it the lost wraiths of yore you're after? Creepy stories from dusty corners? Oracles with tarot cards? Mediums bringing the maximum of fright? Well, you're in luck: the Schenectady Historical Society is offering multiple opportunities to go spectral in the city's historic Stockade neighborhood.

Among them is "Stockade Seance," a live, site-specific theater presentation by NorthEast Theatre Ensemble that unspools ghost stories inside the 300-year-old Brouwer House. (Attendees are encouraged to come in costume. Part the program will take place outside, weather permitting.) 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27-28. Brouwer House. $20.

The following night in the Brouwer House: "Secrets of the Tarot," a session with Jeannie Thomma on reading the ancient cards of divination, insight and prognostication. 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29. Brouwer House, 14 North Church St., Schenectady. $50.

And if you prefer your Stockade spookiness with a breath of fresh air, the Historical Society is also offering one last Friday-night candlelight tour of the Stockade. You have your choice of scary eras to explore: "Colonial Hauntings" or "Ghostly Victorian." Be sure to bring a flashlight. 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26. Meet inside the Schenectady County Historical Society, 32 Washington Ave., Schenectady. $12; advance purchase required.

More info for all three: schenectadyhistorical.org; 518-374-0263.

Zombie Zip

Reanimated corpses, Part II: What's more frightening than the undead lumbering through the night? Zip-lining 70 feet in the air into a forest packed with the rapidly disintegrating suckers, that's what.

"Your nightmare begins with a corpse-guided tour along a serial killer infested forest to then be hauled into the trees among complete, utter horror," explains the website blurbage for Mountain Ridge Adventure in Schenectady. "Once in the trees you will be launched in complete darkness ... alone, afraid and vulnerable ... along a screaming steel cable."

But wait. There's more. Once you land, you'll be greeted by a zombie. And then you'll go on another zipline, and another, and another. By the time you reach the 10th, "You just may have to change your clothes (diapers available upon request). This is the real deal and will scare the **** out of you!" The Zombie Zip is restricted to age 14 and up, and is not for faint of heart.

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26-27. Mountain Ridge Adventure, 300 Weatherwax Road, Schenectady. $39.99. Limited tickets for 20-minute slots can be booked in advance at mountainridgeadventure.com; 518-227-1058.

Tales from Hudson's Crypts: The Tour

Ghosts are popular anywhere this time of year. But no nocturnal gathering spot is likelier to draw a crowd of them than a nice, sprawling graveyard  its atmosphere mysterious, its occupants interred.

With more than 10,000 grave sites, Hudson's Cedar Park Cemetery certainly qualifies. Cemetery denizens include "a wide range of interesting and notable individuals," explains the Hudson Area Library site, "including the proprietors and their ancestors, war heroes, famous artists, paragons of industry, disaster survivors and much more."

The tour, presented by the library and the Greenport Historical Society, will be led by Kelley Drahushuk, owner of the Spotty Dog Books and Ale on Warren Street and a Hudson resident with family history going back to the 1800s. Tour attendees will receive a map of Cedar Park with highlighted sites.

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. 20 Columbia Turnpike, Hudson. Free, but registration required; email programs@hudsonarealibrary.org, call 518-828-1792 (x101) or sign up at the main desk at the library, 51 N. 5th St., Hudson. For more information, see hudsonarealibrary.org.

abiancolli@timesunion.com  518-454-5439  @AmyBiancolli
Forty-nine years ago, violinist Mary Lou Saetta and her late husband, flutist-saxophonist Irvin Gilman, started spinning sheet music into sound around the region. Calling themselves Capitol Chamber Artists, they brought in a rotating host of collaborating musicians for programs that spanned centuries and traditions.

And they kept at it.

As fiscal realities hardened for artists and arts organizations, they kept at it  recording albums on Centaur and Albany Records, mounting frequent and diverse chamber programming and becoming a reliable regional mainstay on the music scene.

When Gilman broke his neck in late 2011, they kept at it. After he suffered a stroke in 2013, Saetta kept at it while juggling his care.

All these decades later  and a year and a half after his death  she's mounting a free, Bach-intensive concert celebrating Capitol Chamber's 50th season and a half century of church music for organist, harpsichordist, composer and longtime Cap Chamber collaborator Alfred Fedak. The recital, slated for 3 p.m. Sunday at Albany's Westminster Presbyterian Church, marks the remarkable staying power of a small classical ensemble in an era when audiences across the country are on the wane.

Through ups and downs and twists and turns, they've stuck it out. "It's just the passion of playing the music," Saetta says. "And constantly opening your heart and your mind to new music  new to us. ... We've explored every aspect of music." The group has commissioned and premiered "literally hundreds" of new works and performed countless masterworks from the romantic, baroque and earlier eras, frequently performing on period instruments.

When she co-founded the group in 1969, did she anticipate she'd still be playing under its banner almost 50 years later?

"No," she says. "No, I could not have fathomed that."

What was she fathoming? "You know, I've always loved chamber music  and certainly had studied the great chamber music works, and I wanted to play them." Gary Gelfenbein, campus minister at R.P.I., offered up the Chapel and Cultural Center for a performance space, so they went for it. "Gary really encouraged us  'We have a beautiful grand piano that you could use there.' And it was a lovely situation. So that was the start."

She doesn't recall exactly what they played at their first recital. Concerts in Albany, Vermont, Alaska, Boston and New York City add up to a lot of programs. How many, she can't say. "Thousands. Probably tens of thousands."

To this day, they're still performing a monthly program at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center. The frequency of those recitals "means you've got to have new repertoire every time with a variety of personnel. ... It's been a busy time," she says. "And continues to be."

Those VA concerts "are near to my heart, because Irv was there for the last year and a half of his life  and a lot of them are guys that never heard classical music in their life." She recalls one Vietnam veteran who attended Gilman's memorial concert and, hearing and responding to the unfamiliar music, "he liked it. So we're opening that to people who couldn't love it but will love it, and maybe never had that opportunity. It's very heartwarming."

On the program this Sunday are Bach's Concerto No. 2 in E Major for violin, strings and harpsichord; his sonata No. 6 in G Major for violin and harpsichord; Sonata No. 1 in G Minor for solo violin; and the "Great" prelude and fugue in C Minor, BWV 546, for solo organ. In addition to Saetta and Fedak, performers include Holly Larson on violin, Paula Shaw on viola and Will Hayes on cello.

With its compact arrangements for small handfuls of musicians, chamber music  literally room music  "is like a combination of solo music and ensemble," Saetta says. "There's only one person on a part, so you've got a tremendous responsibility  and you've got, I think, the greatest music ever written to play. And it's a constant challenge."

Its enduring beauty is its intimacy, she says. "It's a conversation. And that's what these Bach solo sonatas are  they're a conversation that the violin is having with the many different voices with itself."

Completed in 1720, the six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin are monuments of the violin repertoire, both byzantine in construction and profound in their depths. Bach finished them after the sudden death of his first wife and, some believe, wrote the fifth  the massive, soaring "Chaconne"  in tribute to her. The title page of the six works declares "Sei Solo," Italian for "You are alone." In a way, they're grief work. When her husband died, Saetta performed at the VA memorial concert. "Afterwards I cried, but I didn't cry during the concert," she says. "And I was able to talk to the audience. The music gets you through. It heals you."

Once again, she kept at it.

"I just kept putting one foot in front of the other," she says. "It was difficult, but I felt that's what he would want me to do. He wouldn't want me to sit home and twiddle my thumbs. He also said the music had to come first. And it did."

abiancolli@timesunion.com  518-454-5439  @AmyBiancolli
Albany

A year or so from now, Fred Erlich is going to have a very difficult time stepping down as founder, CEO and executive director of Living Resources.

Just mentioning it causes his voice to thicken. A knot forms in his throat.

For four decades, the humble administrator has inspired and led by example, a paternal presence who bonded with dozens of clients with developmental disabilities and hundreds of staff who assisted them with loving care and tender mercy.

It is a special calling and Erlich's army, as I have come to think of them, are foot soldiers in the long arc of society's struggle to accept and embrace people once feared and shunned, warehoused in deplorable conditions out of sight because of their differences.

As we walked from his office down a flight of stairs on a recent evening at the 52,000-square-foot red brick headquarters along Washington Avenue Extension, we were waylaid for nearly 15 minutes. Erlich stopped at numerous photos on the walls and told story after story of men and women with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and traumatic brain injuries. They lived with dignity and achieved their fullest potential after other agencies had written them off.

He spoke of them, and of their special gifts as an artist or a musician or a friend. He never mentioned their disability, unless I asked. He praised their families for being advocates in their care.

"It's going to be hard to retire because Living Resources has been my baby," he said. "But it's time."

Erlich, 70, will retire Dec. 31, 2019. He has been the only CEO in the history of the not-for-profit organization he helped found with his professor, the late Donald Traunstein, in 1973 while Erlich was a graduate student at the University at Albany.

Erlich and his wife of 40 years, Elizabeth Vandercar, a former nurse, have three children and three grandchildren. They live in Delmar.

"Fred has been wholeheartedly committed to the mission of Living Resources from the beginning. He has a passion for making sure people with disabilities are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve," said Emeritus Bishop Howard Hubbard of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, who served as the first board president of Living Resources when it was founded 45 years ago.

Hubbard was a street priest in Albany's South End and a founder of Providence House and Hope House, programs that provided services to poor people, those addicted to heroin and others on the margins of society. Hubbard was not prepared for the vitriol he and Erlich encountered at suburban public meetings when Living Resources proposed its first group homes.

"Those were some of the stormiest meetings I've ever attended in my life," recalled Hubbard, who turns 80 on Oct. 31. "It came down to lack of knowledge and irrational fears. They made it very difficult to get approval to open our first homes."

Erlich and his team would not be denied. He had seen the horrors of the alternative. As a master's degree student in social welfare at UAlbany in 1971, Erlich got a summer job at Brooklyn Psychiatric Hospital, not far from where he grew up. "It was so appalling, with absolutely horrible conditions," Erlich said. He likened the abuse and neglect he witnessed to scenes in the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Around the same time, a young journalist named Geraldo Rivera caused a stir with an expose of Willowbrook on Staten Island, which became the symbol of all that was wrong with the state psychiatric system: severe overcrowding, ill-trained and abusive staff, inhumane practices and a shocking lack of human dignity.

The Willowbrook scandal led to a class-action lawsuit in 1972 and New York state's consent decree in 1975 that mandated de-institutionalization of more than 25,000 developmentally disabled New Yorkers from grim human warehouses like Willowbrook.

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Erlich, the mild-mannered social worker, instilled moral outrage in his staff. "I met so many people in institutions who did not belong there," he said. "I said, 'We need to make this right and do better for them.' "

Erlich has guided Living Resources through sustained growth, beginning with a single adult group home, a few staff members and a six-figure budget. Today, he oversees 890 employees who serve 2,200 individuals (including 200 living in 38 group homes across the Capital Region) and a $43 million budget. They maintain 180 vehicles that drive clients to programs across a 10-county region. In 2005, Living Resources partnered with The College of Saint Rose to launch The College Experience, a two-year residential noncredit certificate program. One of the first programs of its kind in the country, it has assisted more than 100 people with developmental disabilities practice living independently, build a network of friends and find internships at local businesses.

"Fred has a good heart. He has touched a lot of people," said Isabel Carrasco, who works in a Scotia group home and has spent three decades with Living Resources. She moved from Puerto Rico with her husband in 1991 and spoke little English, but was hired because Erlich arranged for her to take required tests in Spanish.

"Fred is very entrepreneurial in his leadership and he finds creative ways to help people live with dignity," said board member Teresa Stellar. "He truly believes that every person matters and he will do everything possible to help them live independently, despite funding cutbacks and overstretched resources."

Erlich's biggest challenge is economic. He insists that nearly all of Living Resources' clients have a private bedroom. The group homes have five residents on average. The annual cost of care is about $90,000 per person. Labor costs continue to rise about 15 percent annually. The starting wage is $11.40 an hour. Erlich points out their employee annual turnover rate is 18 percent, compared to 32 percent nationally.

More Information Contact Paul Grondahl at grondahlpaul@gmail.com See More Collapse

Erlich received an MBA in 1994 from UAlbany so he would be better equipped to deal with the financial challenges, but the numbers still keep him up at night. A search firm will look for Erlich's successor, who will face ongoing fiscal challenges.

The next CEO will also inherit a culture created by Erlich, who put his heart into more than the organization's logo. Let him tell you about Paul, whose IQ increased 30 points once he was relocated from an institution. With the help of Living Resources, he got a job as a mechanic and lives independently. Or Jenny, who works at a Hannaford supermarket in Delmar, where Erlich and his grandchildren stop to talk with her on shopping trips.

We stop often at framed photographs. Client success stories pour out of Erlich, who is not quite ready to turn the page.

Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com.
ALBANY  Eric Hawkins said when he was a kid, he and his friends had "negative perception" of police officers.

He recalled one time in high school when he was driving home from McDonalds with a friend after picking up food and soda and being pulled over by police.

His friend told him to cover the soda, nervous that an officer would slip an illegal substance in their drinks and arrest them.

"We had that type of negative perception" of the police, Hawkins said.

So when he decided to become an officer himself, he had reservations, but when he found the opposite.

"You get there and find that the overwhelming majority people in the place are good people, that want to do the right thing for the right reasons," Hawkins, who is three decades later the new chief of the Albany Police Department, said Wednesday.

He sat down with Times Union Editor Rex Smith at a luncheon with community members, for a conversation the challenges the city's department faces and about his goals as its leader.

Hawkins, 50, rose through the ranks of the Southfield, Mich., police department that he joined as as a cadet in 1990. Six years ago, Hawkins became police chief for the Detroit suburb.

Since coming to Albany last month he has spoken with people in the community about their concerns and frustrations with about the police department.

"I was a little surprised by the level of distrust," he told the audience that also include several of his top officers and other two chiefs from other departments.

Hawkins started his new job at the tail end of a summer riddled by gun violence and just after a police-involved shooting that left 19-year-old Ellazar Williams paralyzed.

He stressed the importance building the community's trust.

"I knew that people needed to hear certain things. First of all they needed transparency," he said.

The chief said he plans on continuing community policing as well as introducing new ones strategies and programs.

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The Michigan native has been praised his implementing a neighborhood watch program, strengthening community relations through citizen- and youth-police academies, and creation of a citizens' advisory board. He brought employee training programs to the Southfield department, touching on cultural competency, implicit bias, lethal force and mental health awareness.

"We need to continue doing what we are doing in terms of community outreach," Hawkins said. "This department has done a phenomenal job over the years in terms of building community engagement."

One of his most immediate and important goals, he said, is for his officers to treat the community with dignity and respect.

"What I need to make sure of as chief is that when my officers are responding to any call, that they are first of all assessing that call appropriately, and when they get there, making sure that it is in fact a legitimate call," Hawkins said. "Also that they are treating person with dignity and respect and that they are not jumping to conclusions."

Hawkins is the city's ninth police chief in 20 years. As for how long he plans to be around, his reply was simple.

"I'm here for the long haul," Hawkins said. "I'm committed to coming in here and doing a healthy term in Albany."
Christianity & National Security: Exploring Government's Divine Vocation

Media Advisory



Contact: Chelsen Vicari, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, 540-239-2170 cell, cvicari@TheIRD.org



WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Institute on Religion & Democracy's quarterly publication Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy will host a unique two-day conference at the Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center in Washington, D.C. on Christianity and National Security.

Event Details:



Who: Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy



What: Leading scholars and practitioners of political theology and national security examining essential historic Christian teaching about God's purpose for government, starting with its vocation for security and public order.



Where: Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center

3800 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington, DC 20057



When: November 2-3, 2018, 9 a.m. (EST)

Conference speakers will address issues such as Just War teaching, nuclear weapons, Reinhold Niebuhr, Christian Realism, nationalism, international human rights, American Exceptionalism, torture, and terrorism. This event is open to all, but is especially aimed at Christian young people who are graduate students or early career.



Members of the media and those on assignment for news publications, podcasts, and websites are invited to attend free of costs.



To RSVP as media, please contact Chelsen Vicari at cvicari@theird.org.



Speakers include: Walter Russell Mead (Wall Street Journal & Hudson Institute), Thomas Farr (Religious Freedom Institute), Joseph Hartman (Georgetown University), Emilie Kao (The Heritage Foundation), Matt Kroenig (Georgetown University), Marc LiVecche (Providence & Institute on Religion and Democracy), Paul Miller (Georgetown University); Faith McDonnell (Institute on Religion & Democracy), Robert Nicholson (Philos Project & Providence), Daniel Strand (Arizona State University), Scott Redd (Reformed Theological Seminary), Sam Goldman (George Washington University), Mary Habeck (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Travis Wussow (Southern Baptist Ethics &Religious Liberty Commission).



IRD President and Providence Editor Mark Tooley commented:

"There's plenty of evidence that the Church and its related institutions are not equipping believers with the Christian-informed intellectual tools they need for addressing global statecraft. Yet, there are centuries of remarkable church tradition about understanding the purposes and limits of political power."

www.TheIRD.org


ALBANY  A group of 17 upstate New York hospitals, including nine in the Capital Region, are embarking on a pilot program to reduce the use of opioids in their emergency departments.

The Iroquois Healthcare Association is spearheading the $500,000 Opioid Alternative Project, which was funded in this year's state budget as part of wider efforts to curb the state's opioid epidemic. The regional trade organization representing upstate hospitals and health systems modeled the pilot after a successful program in Colorado.

"Emergency rooms are often the first contact patients have with opioid painkillers," said Gary Fitzgerald, president of the association. "As such, upstate New York hospitals are in a strong position to reduce opioid use, particularly as their emergency departments provide care for increasing patient populations vulnerable and at risk for opioid abuse and addiction."

The Colorado pilot was established last year, and involved training physicians, nurses and other staff at 10 separate emergency departments in treatments other than opioids for certain pain diagnoses, such as acetaminophen for urinary stones or ketamine for musculoskeletal pain. It didn't prohibit the use of opioids where appropriate, but encouraged clinicians to instead try evidence-based alternatives when presented with certain conditions.

Results exceeded expectations. Participating hospitals were able to decrease opioid use in their emergency departments by 36 percent over a six-month period compared to the same period one year earlier, while simultaneously holding patient satisfaction scores steady, according to a report published this year by the Colorado Hospital Association. The goal had been to reduce opioid use by 15 percent.

In New York, clinicians from participating hospitals met last month to establish their own protocols for alternative treatments, said Jessica Morelli, vice president of the Iroquois Healthcare Alliance.

Details are still being finalized, she said, but they broadly agreed to use alternatives to opioids such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, ketamine, lidocaine and even caffeine for diagnoses ranging from urinary stones, back pain, sprains, minor fractures and dislocations, tooth pain, headaches and abdominal pain.

The protocols will lay out a "menu" of first- and second-line therapies, she said. Second-line therapies are treatments for when first-line options don't work.

Participating hospitals in the Capital Region include Albany Medical Center, Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, Glens Falls Hospital, Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, Saratoga Hospital, St. Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam, Albany Memorial Hospital, St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, and Samaritan Hospital in Troy.

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"I am excited to be part of a regional approach to curbing opioid use," said Dr. Adam Rowden, an emergency medicine physician at Albany Medical Center. "One of the best ways to prevent opioid misuse and dependence is to decrease their use and minimize exposure to patients not currently taking them. These guidelines are evidence-based and treat pain while minimizing the risks for opioids."

Funding for the project will go toward clinician training, as well as data collection for the duration of the pilot, Morelli said.

State lawmakers who helped secure the funding expressed hope that the pilot can eventually provide a model for other emergency departments.

"Emergency departments are on the front line of the opioid crisis," said Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a Democrat who chairs the Assembly health committee. "These 17 hospitals can be models for broader training of emergency physicians to utilize opioid alternatives when clinically appropriate."

Morelli noted that the pilot applies strictly to opioid use within emergency departments, not to prescriptions that patients may leave the hospital with  though a number of hospitals have cut down on the dosage and duration of opioid prescriptions they hand out as the drug epidemic has worsened.
NASSAU  The town crowned Tributary T-11A as Little Thunder Brook to transform it from a quiet little stream thats been polluted by the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund Site to a war cry recalling the communitys 19th century history of fighting back.

Referring to the stream at T-11A doesnt do it justice. Were trying to stand up for rural New Yorkers whove been ignored, said Supervisor David Fleming.

The Town Board reached back 175 years to capture the fury of the Anti-Rent Wars that shook upstate New York in the 1840s. Frank Abbott fought under the name Little Thunder when he led his neighbors dressed as Indians to protest high rents. They even tarred and feathered their opponents as they fought for their cause.

Frank Abbott helped to bring down politicians that ignored the rights of rural residents. In this fight for our collective future, it is fitting that we honor Abbotts legacy with the healing represented by the work about to start on Little Thunder Brook, Fleming said.

The town sees itself standing up to Albany and Washington, D.C. using Little Thunder to shout out for attention to neglected issues.

The heavily polluted Dewey Loeffel Landfill became a toxic dump when an estimated 46,000 tons of industrial waste were buried at the site. The toxic materials included industrial solvents, waste oil, PCBs, scrap materials, sludge and solids. Soil and sediment along Little Thunder Creek is contaminated with PCBs -- polychlorinated biphenyls --a suspected carcinogen.

Little Thunder Creek is a 1,900-foot-long tributary of the Valatie Kill, a protected trout stream that empties into Kinderhook Lake in Columbia County. Until the Town Board acted earlier this month, the creek was unnamed, known only by its forgettable bureaucratic designation of T-11A.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Office said in a statement it fully supports the renaming. "EPA encourages community members and their representatives to become involved in the issues that affect their communities. We welcome new ideas to target air, water, and other pollution. Community engagement and grassroots involvement is crucial to addressing environmental concerns such as the contamination in and around the Dewey Loeffel Superfund site," its statement said.

The symbolism evoked by the name Little Thunder can be a rallying point for residents and a platform to launch additional action, said Jennifer Dodge, an assistant professor at the state University at Albanys Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.

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What we can understand from this type of symbolic politics is what is at stake for people in an issue, in addition to the tactical and strategic issues In the Nassau story, the strategy of naming the river Little Thunder might work well to get people mobilized because they might identify with the little guy takes on the government narrative.., said Dodge, an expert on framing facts, symbolic politics and environmental policy conflicts.

The question remains if the new name will be as successful in the sense of raising the issues up, that is, about the contamination of the water and potentially the human health effects, which is a very powerful narrative in politics, Dodge said.

Dan Shapley, Water Quality Program director for Riverkeeper, said the health of the smallest tributaries impact the Hudson River.

"Naming a stream is a simple and powerful act. Once we've ennobled a stream with a name, it's harder to neglect and pollute it. And I have to add, Little Thunder Brook is an awesome name," Shapley said in a statement.

Cleanup work is under way at Little Thunder Creek. The General Electric Co. is removing contaminated soil and sediments along the creek. These will be replaced with clean backfill; the stream channel will be restored; and trees and shrubs will be planted. The EPA has said the work will be completed in early 2019.
ALBANY  Many issues important to upstate New Yorkers have been an after-thought in a governor's race that, like other statewide elected positions, is likely to be decided by the votes cast south of Westchester County.

The upstate-downstate divide has long been a factor in statewide races, with New York's political power base  and Democratic epicenter  entrenched in the greater New York City area.

The issue of forgotten upstaters surfaced during Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's Democratic primary with actress and activist Cynthia Nixon. It reared itself again this week when Cuomo and GOP challenger Marc Molinaro faced off in a one-hour debate that elicited one exchange on point for upstate New York  funding a new stadium for the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

There was no specific discussion about upstate's declining population, the states job-killing business climate or crumbling local roads and bridges, Unshackled Upstate said in a statement following the debate. We urge Andrew Cuomo and Marc Molinaro to engage in an upstate-focused debate before Election Day so voters can finally hear how these candidates will tackle the issues plaguing our economy. Ignoring the very real concerns of millions of upstate taxpayers is completely unacceptable.

As Dutchess County executive, Molinaro is acutely aware of the challenges of upstate communities and said his policy positions come from that perspective, but without a governor focusing on those issues, it has garnered little attention.

"When the governor doesn't engage, you don't get the focus," he said. "The future of upstate New York is not only critical to the race, it is critical to the health and well-being of the state of New York. We need a governor who understands how difficult it is to live in upstate New York with the burden of taxes and the need for job growth."

Many of these concerns are echoed by third-party candidates who were excluded from Tuesday's debate. The uninvited were former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, who is running as an independent; repeat-gubernatorial Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins, and Long Island business owner Larry Sharpe, the Libertarian candidate.

Cuomos campaign claims that under his leadership hes kept state spending under 2 percent while capping Medicaid costs to localities and reforming the state pension system for expected savings, which the governor contends helps all communities.

Further, the governor has made funding available to those governments that share services and continues to support multi-billion-dollar plans to improve infrastructure across the state, including the Albany International Airport and the Schenectady Train Station, according to the campaign.

Cuomo declined a request to be interviewed for this story.

Abbey Collins, a campaign spokesperson, said Cuomo's record on upstate growth speaks for itself.

"The governor's proven leadership has delivered real results from Albany to Elmira  investing a record $44 billion, cutting unemployment nearly in half, growing wages, and the highest number of private-sector jobs on record at 3.1 million," Collins said in a statement. "New Yorkers know they can count on Gov. Cuomo to get the job done for upstate New York."

Population and political power is concentrated downstate, with statewide leadership typically filled by politicians from the Long Island and greater New York City area.

Of the 19.8 million people living in New York, about 11.5 million are clustered south of Westchester County, according to 2017 U.S. Census figures.

Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist as the state University of New York at New Paltz, said upstate leadership is rarely floated because those lawmakers are not often known in more heavily populated areas, but that doesnt mean elected officials forget about the rest of the state. He pointed out the race has focused a lot on property taxes, which is an issue across the state.

We have to be a little careful about upstaters filtering their perception through a lens that wants to find a disadvantage, he said. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isnt.

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There may still be hope for a gubernatorial debate that touches on issues outside of New York City. The three, third-party candidates and Molinaro have agreed to a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New York at The College of Saint Rose in Albany on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. The governor has yet to accept the invitation.

Even though the campaigns may not be focusing on upstate issues, that doesnt mean the candidates dont have ideas on how to address the myriad hurdles the communities face.

Miner, who once led the states Democratic Committee and was a Cuomo ally, proposes doing away with the states economic development programs and using the funding for infrastructure improvements, including broadband.

The programs have been mired in corruption and just existed for the government to pick winners, she said. We should be taking all that money that were currently wasting on economic development programs that arent working, and arent creating jobs, and invest in traditional and modern infrastructure.

Other candidates suggest more sweeping changes that they say would spark growth in communities that need it most.

Sharpe said licenses and regulations for businesses should be reduced, taxation rules simplified, and innovative ideas encouraged.

If a business sells locally, they should be exempt from federal regulations, he said. By selling naming rights to bridges and roads to big corporations, like Google or Coca-Cola, Sharpe said New York could bring in revenue to do the necessary repairs.

The actual idea is to grow the community. Give incentives to make them strong, better, faster, he said. Fix the root cause and stop putting in these horrible Band-Aids.

On the flip side, Hawkins  who lives in Syracuse  wants to make single-payer healthcare and 100 percent renewable energy a reality in New York while instituting tax reforms, increasing AIM funding and improving infrastructure.

A top issue for local government is to get the support they should from the state, and not have the state balance its budget on the backs of local property taxpayers, Hawkins said. Secondly, local governments should have more home rule. The Legislature should focus on state issues, not micromanaging local government.
Washington

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, announced Tuesday in a frank and personal letter that she has been diagnosed with "the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer's disease."

The 88-year-old's letter was addressed to "Friends and fellow Americans." And it was a farewell of sorts from a woman who was not only a trailblazer for women in the law but also for much of her quarter century on the high court a key vote on issues central to American life.

O'Connor said doctors diagnosed her some time ago and that as her condition has progressed she is "no longer able to participate in public life." After her 2006 retirement from the high court, O'Connor had appeared around the country championing an educational organization she founded and serving as a visiting appeals court judge, among other activities. But she stopped speaking publicly more than two years ago.

"While the final chapter of my life with dementia may be trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for the countless blessings in my life," she wrote. She added: "As a young cowgirl from the Arizona desert, I never could have imagined that one day I would become the first woman justice on the U.S. Supreme Court."

O'Connor's announcement of her diagnosis came a day after an Associated Press story in which her son Jay O'Connor said that his mother had begun to have challenges with her short-term memory. The story noted that O'Connor had stopped making public appearances and recently turned over an office she had kept at the Supreme Court to newly retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. Jay O'Connor also said that hip issues have meant his mother now primarily uses a wheelchair and stays close to her home in Phoenix.

O'Connor wrote that since "many people have asked about my current status and activities" she wanted to be "open about these changes."

O'Connor was a state court judge before being nominated to the Supreme Court in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan, who fulfilled a campaign promise by nominating a woman to the high court. O'Connor's letter Tuesday was reminiscent of Reagan's 1994 letter announcing that he had Alzheimer's disease. He died in 2004.

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During her more than two decades on the court O'Connor was often the deciding vote in important cases, providing the crucial fifth vote when the court divided 5-4. On the Supreme Court, her votes were key in cases about abortion, affirmative action and campaign finance as well as the Bush v. Gore decision effectively settling the 2000 election in George W. Bush's favor.

O'Connor grew up on a ranch on the border of Arizona and New Mexico called the "Lazy B" and went to Stanford for college and law school. Although she graduated third in her class from law school she had difficulty finding a job as a lawyer at a time when there were few women in the legal profession. Despite those early challenges, she became the first woman to lead the Arizona state Senate before becoming a judge.

O'Connor was 51 when she was confirmed 99-0 to the Supreme Court. She was 75 when she announced her retirement from the court in 2005.
Former Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos was sentenced on Wednesday to four years and three months in prison for his conviction this summer on bribery, extortion and conspiracy charges.

The Long Island Republican was found guilty in July of trading political influence as leader of the state Senate for more than $300,000 in payments to his son, Adam Skelos, who was sentenced to four years in prison. Dean Skelos, 70, was also ordered to pay a fine of $500,000.

This was the second sentencing for both men, who had their first conviction overturned because of new corruption standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court. Skelos was initially sentenced to a five-year prison term in 2016, but his first prison term was stayed pending the appeal he won.

Wednesday's sentencing comes almost three months after former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to seven years in prison for his corruption conviction. It was also the second sentencing for the Manhattan Democrat.

Both cases were initially brought in 2015 by then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who was fired from his post in 2017 by President Donald J. Trump.

The case against Skelos revealed that he repeatedly solicited payments for his son from Glenwood Management, a powerful real estate development company, which in turn asked for the senator's help with legislation that would increase their profitability. He also helped ensure they received real estate tax abatements, and threatened to punish anyone who defied him, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York

Glenwood also arranged for Adam Skelos to receive $4,000 monthly payments from Abtech, a stormwater technology firm they had a stake in. Dean Skelos helped the company obtain a $12 million contract with Long Island, but not before the company increased the payments to his son to $10,000.

The disgraced former senator also tried to use his elected office to advance legislation that allowing Abtech to utilize "design-build" construction practices. In a recorded conversation, his son ensured a company official that his dad was "going to be sure that [the legislation] gets done."

During the same period, Skelos pressured Physician Reciprocal Insurers, a medical malpractice insurance firm, to make payments to his son. In exchange for support of their legislative priorities, the company gave Adam Skelos a full-time job with benefits that he treated as a "no-show" job and had berated his supervisor when he was called on to do work.

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Executives and lobbyists for Glenwood and AbTech were given non-prosecution agreements by federal prosecutors in exchange for their cooperation.

Skelos and his son were originally found guilty on corruption charges in 2015.

The initial corruption convictions of Skelos and his son were overturned by a federal appellate court in 2017 in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that retooled the definition of an "official act" as it relates to public corruption.

A jury in July deliberated three days before voting to convict both men a second time.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
STILLWATER - The two mayoral candidates in the Nov. 6 election are concentrating on opposite ends of the age spectrum.

Deputy Mayor Judith Wood-Shaw has a history of creating programs for seniors; while political newcomer Anthony Schunk wants to make the village a more welcoming place for children and families.

Both candidates are seeking the top village seat, replacing Mayor Frank Tatum, who stepped in when former Mayor Rick Nelson went to prison for possessing child pornography. The scandal was one reason why Schunk stepped into the race. The winner will serve a one-year term to fill out Tatum's term.

"The situation with the ex-mayor, that basically fueled me right there," said Schunk, who is a member of the Malta-Stillwater EMS and a supervisor at UPS. "If you are an elected official you have to be held to the highest level of integrity. He let the village down with the situation."

Wood-Shaw, who has been a trustee since 2011, said Tatum asked her to run and that her success at the polls would "keep things consistent" in the village. Wood-Shaw is a native of Stillwater who grew up on Colonial Road. A retired teaching assistant in a WSWHE BOCES special education classroom, she has spent a lot of her trustee time growing a senior program at the Stillwater Area Community Center.

"Our first program, we only had three people," Wood-Shaw said. "That was 2012. Now we have close to 40 who come and have a wonderful time."

She said she wants the group, which does crafts, plays bingo and pickleball, and share meals, to continue to expand. She feels it's worthwhile with the potential of senior housing, which she expects will be built in the near future.

Schunk, who is originally from Buffalo, wants to bolster safety for students, which he feels is compromised without sidewalks on both sides of the street leading to the school. He would also like to see police patrolling Hudson Avenue near the school to ticket speeding drivers and to manage the traffic that pours in and out during the start and end of the school day.

"No one follows the speed limit," Schunk said. "Going door-to-door, there is issue after issue of not having enough police presence in the schools and parks."

The father of four also complained there is not enough for the children to do in Stillwater. He said if a child doesn't participate in sports, there is little else for them after school. He, like Wood-Shaw, is concerned with bettering the parks.

"If they had more to do, there would be less screen time and reduce children carrying out mischief," Schunk said.

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For children, Wood-Shaw points to the 30-foot round splash pad that the village plans to install at Veteran's Park next summer.

Both agree, however, that the downtown area of Stillwater needs businesses. Each cited the three pizza places and Stewart's, admitting there is little else.

Schunk is speaking with the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County for help with community development. He believes its best to try to center beautification and businesses near the Hudson River frontage to bring in visitors. He would also like to see the existing businesses upgrade their facades so the village will look more attractive.

Wood-Shaw, who would love to see a diner move into town, is dedicated to preserving the village's "historic, quaint" character. She said she and Town Supervisor Ed Kinowski are working on accessing CDTA bus transportation throughout the town and village, which she said would be an important service and amenity for seniors.

"It would be an honor to be the mayor," she said. "I love the village. I love working with the people and because I'm retired, I would be available 24-7."

Schunk says he is eyeing the future.

"I would focus on a lot on economic development as well as things for our children," he said. "They are the face of future."